Marian was a local Jewish woman in Galilee whose daughter Yaitha was struck down by a terrible fever. In the ancient world this was often a death sentence. Marian went to a Jewish holy man and asked for a special blessing. The sage prepared an amulet, a kind of good luck charm with special words expertly written out. And these were to be said repeatedly over Yaitha in the hope that God would hear and heal her. Marian could have never imagined that centuries later we would find her amulet on the eastern side of lake Galilee. I’ve viewed it several times in the small but beautiful Golan Heights Museum.

We catch a glimpse in this amulet into the real life terror of illness in the ancient world. And of a parent’s longing for the welfare of the child. Here are the words translated from Aramaic:

In the name of kah-kah-kah-kah-kah-kah-kah-kah

And it goes on.

The strange repetition of nonsensical words and letters here was part of a widespread belief of the time, that specially crafted incantations could win the favour of the Almighty.

And when you pray do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. This then is how you should pray: Our Father in Heaven, hallowed by your name… and so on. 

I would loved to have seen a debate between Jesus and the holy man who gave Marian her amulet. But more than that, instead of complicated prayers and blessed trinkets, Jesus in the gospels simply spoke and people were healed. On one occasion as Jesus was preaching in the synagogue in Capernaum, a man said to be demon possessed screams out “what do you want of us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?” Jesus simply says: be quiet. And the man falls down instantly in his right mind. No rituals, no amulets, just a word.

And then we’re told that Jesus leaves the synagogue and he goes to the home of Peter, one of his key disciples. And Peter’s mother-in-law is sick in bed with a fever. Jesus speaks a word, and she is immediately well, in fact the text says she gets right up and makes everyone dinner. There was no rest for women in the ancient world (or much today either). By sundown a virtual doctor’s waiting room had sprung up right in the middle of Capernaum, we’re told. The whole town is at the door with their sick, and with a word, or a touch, Jesus heals them all. Go check it out toward the end of Luke chapter four. 

This is striking in an ancient context. I talked a couple of episodes ago about the evidence for Jesus’ healings compared with the evidence for other miracle workers in the ancient setting. Check out the episode on Bede. Spoiler: there is a weird amount of historical evidence for Jesus alone. But my point here is that while healing in the ancient world very often took the form of magic, amulets, special words, sleeping in temples, and so on. The striking thing about Jesus was that it all apparently happened with a word, or a touch. The impression we’re left with is that this is someone who doesn’t have to manipulate the physical forces through the intermediary of spells, incantations, and placation rituals. This is someone in charge of the physical forces.

It’s like they’re His. 

By John Dickson

Want to hear the rest of the episode?
Check out episode 96: “Medical Miracles”