Diseases of the soul in the writings of Gregory of Nyssa: A metaphor or a true analogy?:
Abstract
The figure of Christ the doctor runs through the vast majority of apostolic and patristic writings. Christ presents himself as the healer of men's sins. Therefore, it should not surprise us that this medicinal metaphor was extended to a large part of moral and theological writings until the middle of the 13th century. Sin is presented, metaphorically, as a disease of the soul. Now, if we look at certain writings of the Cappadocian fathers, particularly those of Gregory of Nyssa, the medical metaphor in certain cases is replaced by a true analogy. Diseases of the soul are not only metaphorically predicated on moral dispositions and sin, but they are understood in themselves as an authentic participation of the soul in human illness. Galenic medicine seems to have had a direct impact on this new understanding of the illness of the soul.
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