This is a “Behind-The-Scenes” commentary on my Fathom Magazine Fiction Series, “Strange Encounter.” Episodes release at Fathom every Friday! Today I am going to comment on Episode 4.
If you haven’t started reading my series, you can check out episodes 1-4 HERE. This series offers a fictionalized scenario where two Romans (as in “Romanized” people) encounter Christians in the late first century AD. I wrote this to help readers today imagine what it was like for Christianity to emerge in the Roman world, within the dominance of Roman Religion. This fiction series (“Strange Encounter”) was inspired by my recent book, Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling (Brazos Press, 2024).
Behind the Scenes (Ep 4)
Asclepius (gods) making housecalls. Greco-Roman gods were known to make appearances on earth, often in disguise. There was some fluidity between the realm of the gods and the realm of mortals. Check out the legend of Baucis and Philemon.
Ancient medicine. We learn in Ep4 that Hermes has some medical knowledge. The Roman world presented a leap in medical knowledge, though nothing like we find in the scientific age. Ancient doctors were not trained like modern doctors. They would have combined basic anatomical knowledge with things like homeopathic treatment as well as sorcery/witchcraft techniques. Also: bloodletting was a common practice!
A rooster for Aclepius. Felix wants to sacrifice a rooster for Asclepius. This is an allusion to Socrates’ famous deathbed request that his friend must sacrifice a rooster to Asclepius a year after his passing!
Vinegar and honey. Romans were smart with using common resources for medicinal purposes. The old “vinegar-and-honey” trick was known in the time of Hippocrates (5th cent. BC).
Head over to FATHOM MAGAZINE for Ep5 (Friday, April 12, 2024)
If you are enjoying this material about STRANGE ENCOUNTER, check out my book Strange Religion: How the First Christians Were Weird, Dangerous, and Compelling (Brazos Press).