Biblical Relevance

The “body” metaphor used by Paul may have been based on the Asclepius cult; it could have been developed by Paul while he was in Corinth (Rom 12:3–8; 1 Cor 12:12–31; Eph 4:1–16; O’Connor, St. Paul’s Corinth, 165–67; Hill, “The Temple of Asclepius,” 437–39). Once worshipers had experienced healing in the cult of Asclepius, they would create a votive offering to bring to the temple. These votive offerings were representations of various body parts that had received healing by the deity (O’Connor, St. Paul’s Corinth, 190). Paul may have seen the votive offerings and used the body metaphor to suit the context of the Corinthians. However, this suggestion seems unlikely because it does not address the main emphasis of the metaphor: the unity of the body. Furthermore, there are other plausible backgrounds for the body metaphor, such as the ethics of Stoic philosophy regarding “universal humanity” (Lee, Paul, the Stoics, and the Body of Christ, 27–102).

Cult followers believed Asclepius could bring people back to life (Pausanias, Description of Greece, 2.26.3–5). This was contrary to the will of Zeus, who struck Asclepius with his lightning bolt (Plato, Republic, 3.408B-C; Pliny, Natural History, 29.1). Asclepius was then raised from the dead, although there is no consensus among the writings on Asclepius as to how this occurred (Edelstein, Asclepius, 75–76). Justin Martyr made the connection between Jesus and Asclepius in the early patristic era, noting that the deeds of Jesus seem to be similar to the deeds of Asclepius (Justin, First Apology, 22.6).

Edelstein suggests that the early Christians saw in Asclepius “their strongest enemy” and “the most dangerous antagonist of their Master” (Edelstein, Asclepius, 133). The early Christian apologetic, however, was not to deny the accounts related to Asclepius—they genuinely believed in the existence of supernatural power—but to declare that the power associated with Asclepius’ miraculous healing was demonic rather than divine, unlike the miracles of Jesus (Twelftree, Jesus the Miracle Worker).