Israel's Divine Healer

Dr. Michael L. Brown (Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literature, New York University) serves as the Director of Spiritual Renewal and Apologetics at the Jerusalem Bible Institute. He is also the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio broadcast and podcast. A prolific author, Dr. Brown has written more than fifty books, including the acclaimed Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus. As a Jewish believer in Jesus, he has been in dialogue with rabbis and Jewish scholars for decades, in addition to lecturing in churches and seminaries worldwide.

• ContentsPreface to SeriesPrefaceAbbreviationsIntroduction0.1. Purpose0.2. Methodology0.3. The Old Testament Language of Healing0.3.1. The Root rampam’: Lexical and Etymological Discussion0.3.2. The Root rampam’: Old Testament Usage and Meaning0.3.3. The Old Testament Language of Healing: Additional Vocabulary0.4. The Old Testament Terminology for Sickness0.5. A Note on the Literature Cited1. Human Physicians and Healing Deities1.1. Introduction and General1.2. Human Physicians1.2.1. Human Physicians in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia1.2.2. Human Physicians in Canaan and Israel1.3. Healing Deities1.3.1. Healing Deities in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia1.3.2. Healing Deities in Ancient Syria-Canaan1.3.3. Asklepios/Aesculapius1.4. A Sampling of Jewish and Christian Views on Human and Divine Healing1.4.1.Jewish Views1.4.2. Christian Views2. Israel’s Divine Healer in the Torah and Historical Books2.1. Introduction: One God, One Healer2.2. Foundations in the Torah2.2.1 Exodus 15:262.2.2. Blessings and Curses2.2.3.The Promise of Long Life2.2.4. The Promise of Fertility2.2.5. Deuteronomy 32:39 and Divine Smiting and Healing in the Torah2.2.6. Infectious “Scale Diseases” and Sin in the Torah and Historical Books2.2.7. Exodus 4:10–122.3. Divine Smiting and Healing in the Historical Books2.3.1. Sickness as a Curse/Judgment Act in the Historical Books2.3.2. Prophetic Healing in the Historical Books2.3.3. 2 Kings 18:4 and neh.umshtamn2.3.4.The Root rampam’ in 1 Kings 18:30; 2 Kings 2:21–22; 2 Chronicles 7:14; 30:203. Israel’s Divine Healer in Poetry and Wisdom Literature3.1. The Book of Psalms3.1.1. Sickness and Healing in the Psalms: Overview3.1.2. The Classification of the Psalms of Sickness and Healing3.1.3. Characteristic Elements of the Psalms of Sickness and Healing3.1.4. The Physical, Emotional, Spiritual, and Social Condition of the Seriously Ill Petitioner3.1.5. Sin, Sickness, and the “Enemies”3.1.6. “One Foot in the Grave”3.1.7. “The Living, the Living---They Praise You” (Isaiah 38:19a)3.1.8. Sickness as Chastisement3.1.9. The Healer of All Diseases (Psalms 103; 146; 147)3.1.10. Psalm 91: A Psalm of Divine Protection3.1.11. The Psalms of Sickness and Healing in the Life and Liturgy of Israel3.2. The Book of Proverbs3.2.1. Wisdom as the Path of Life and Health3.2.2. Proverbs 3:7–83.2.3. marpem’ and ’ên marpem’: “Healing, Remedy, Cure” and “Without Healing, Remedy, Cure”3.2.4. Further Psychosomatic Observations3.3. The Book of Job3.3.1. Overview3.3.2. The Main Players3.3.3. Epilogue: The Moral of the Story3.4. The Book of Ecclesiastes4. Israel’s Divine Healer in the Prophetic Books4.1. The Prophets and the Restoration of Israel4.1.1. “Sin-Sick” Israel and Its “Healing”4.1.2. “Healing” in Hosea4.1.3. “Healing” in Jeremiah4.1.4. “Healing” in Isaiah4.1.5. Faithless Shepherds and the “Healing” of the Flock4.2. The Final “Healing” of the Nations and Israel4.2.1 The Prophets and the Nations4.2.2. Israel’s Eschatological “Healing”5. Israel’s Divine Healer in the New Testament5.1. Old Testament Healing and New Testament Healing5.1.1. Continuity and Discontinuity5.1.2. The New Testament Vocabulary of Healing5.2. Aspects of the Healing Ministry of Jesus the Messiah5.2.1. Healing and the Kingdom of God5.2.2. Healing and the Eschatological Jubilee5.2.3. Healing and the Holy Spirit5.2.4. Healing and the Sabbath5.2.5. Healing and Compassion5.2.6. Healing and Faith5.2.7. Healing and the Authentication of Jesus as Messiah5.3.Sickness, Satan, Sin, and Suffering5.3.1. Sickness an