Virtues we barely understand: Prudence
Ethics of virtues vs. ethics of principles The four classical cardinal virtues are prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. Those are ancient concepts…
2020
Krisis, escapism, and Palm Sunday
5th April 2020 Krisis We now live in a world different from the world we still used to live in just a…
The oath of Hippocrates, the oath of Asaph ben Berechiah and Yohanan ben Zabda, and the “rod of Asclepius“
Ancient oaths for medical students All of us have heard of the so-called “Hippocratic Oath“. It is an oath, attributed in its…
“The will to meaning“ – Viktor E. Frankl‘s approach to psychotherapy
Frankl vs. Freud In the second part of Man‘s Search for Meaning, entitled Logotherapy in a Nutshell, Viktor E. Frankl presents to…
Resilience under severe and extreme conditions – insights from the 20th century psychologist Viktor E. Frankl
Viktor E. Frankl‘s Man‘s Search for Meaning is one of those rare books of inestimable value which one can and should read…
A Jewish sage from Jerusalem on sickness, healing, and physicians
Modern doubts about modern medicine and an ancient antidote There is a certain tendency today to belittle or at times even despise…
The monks, and the hospital
The medical revolution of the hospital in antiquity The ancient world did not know of an institution like the hospital – not…
Pestilence in ancient times – pagans vs. Christians
Prologue: Christ‘s commandments “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors do the…
A portion from the catechetical lectures of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem: on faith
18th March, it’s the feast day of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem. He was bishop of Jerusalem subsequent to bishop Maximus in the…
Saint Patrick‘s Breastplate, and the inextinguishable Paschal fire
Today, on the 17th March, we celebrate the feast day of Saint Patrick, the man who converted Ireland to Christianity in the…