Have you heard about this Savior?

I have found an interesting but not unique story while surfing this morning.

I thought I'd see who on ATS can answer it like Jeopardy.

Here's the info:

The son of a deity by a mortal woman, he was taken by his divine father at birth and apprenticed to a wise teacher. This teacher taught the child the healing arts so that he could reduce the sufferings of mortals. With his miraculous cures, he quickly earned great fame. Motivated by compassion, he even succeeded in restoring the dead to life.

But this proved his undoing. A female, an important one, complained to a supreme authority that if this were allowed to continue, the natural order of the universe would be subverted. The supreme authority agreed and struck this healer down with a thunderbolt.

Some said he was transformed into a star after his death.

This son of a deity was an immensely popular god, originally in Greece but later also in Rome. By the fourth century before the common era, he had established a number of sanctuaries in Greece, the most important ones being in Cos and Epidauros. Early in the third century BCE, his cult was brought to Rome after the city had been struck by a plague.

His medical knowledge and divine healing powers fostered two distinct traditions within the Greek world. On the one hand, he served as a divine mentor to the doctors who treated patients at his sanctuary at Cos. On the other hand, at the sanctuary of Epidauros, the god performed miraculous cures in response to the direct petitions of suppliants.

In the early Roman imperial era, this god assumed an even greater religious importance. He had become a savior god. The physically or emotionally afflicted received long-term care and guidance at his sanctuaries,

and in return they devoted themselves to his worship and service.

The most famous of devotee of him during the Roman imperial period was the rhetor and sophist (professional public speaker) Aelius Aristides. Having just embarked on his public career, Aristides was stricken by a complete physical and mental breakdown. After seeking the help of another god to no avail, he visited the shrine of this one in his adoptive city of Smyrna.

During this visit, the god appeared to Aristides in a dream-vision, and this encounter changed his life. The god not only prescribed treatments for his chronic bouts of illness, but also offered guidance for the conduct of all aspects of his life. Thereafter, Aristides placed himself and his career under the god's protection, making numerous extended visits to the renowned sanctuary in Pergamon.

In his autobiographical narrative of his numerous encounters with the god, Aristides reveals his special relationship with this god by most often addressing the god as "Savior."

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Interesting story, eh?
I have left some of the locations and dates in there for 'clues', but used the sourced article directly (just changed some of the names of the Savior's family). Please note that this biography deals with the 3rd century BC[E].

I'd like to know how many members can name this particular Healer and Savior. So - what would the question be - (like on Jeopardy)

"Who is.............?" being the format - your answers should reflect your knowledge...

Source - but don't cheat!

(I had not heard this particular one before - but now I have!)

I would say Jesus, but I think that assumption would only serve to underline the point of this thread. Not undermine, underline. As such, I will sit back and see what unfolds.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Can't you folks on ATS come up with your own heresies?

What is it with you all and rehashing ancient heresies that were squashed centuries ago?

I think the 4th century Saint John Chrysostom and the 2nd century Saint Justin Martyr have the answers you're looking for, but since you're not looking for answers, only trying to slander the Lord, you won't learn, you'll just continue on in your prideful ignorance....

Lord have mercy

originally posted by: godlover25
a reply to: BuzzyWigs

Can't you folks on ATS come up with your own heresies?

What is it with you all and rehashing ancient heresies that were squashed centuries ago?

I think the 4th century Saint John Chrysostom and the 2nd century Saint Justin Martyr have the answers you're looking for, but since you're not looking for answers, only trying to slander the Lord, you won't learn, you'll just continue on in your prideful ignorance....

Lord have mercy

Well, if anyone would be well-versed in slander, it would be the Church, would it not? We just saw a recent example of Christians overreacting to a dragon on a flag. So...yeah.

No, we're interested in an honest examination of historical mythology. If honesty is too much for you at this point, then you know where the door is. Just keep in mind that what we're discussing here is only heresy if you're insistent upon ignoring all of the mythological history that helped to mold your favorite bedtime story.

a reply to: AfterInfinity

Get real.

Your false view of history is not History.

How about you learn how paganism tried to stamp out Christianity for three centuries, and then God converted the Emperor who then turned a pagan world into a Christian world,

your lies and slander will NEVER supersede the Truth.

a reply to: the2ofusr1

Instead of just posting videos, how about you explain to us their relevance? Especially for the benefit of those unable to watch videos at this time.

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

(Raises hand)

Is it Serapis? I promise I didn't cheat....

I understand that some people are not able to view the vid's but there are titles to them and they have withing the body of them some historical progressions that brings into the discussion the may god's we see in different cultures but have at the core of them a thread that can be seen as it moves from one culture and language in a historical context . Remember you first have to have a truth in order to create the lie and that is how the truth gets distorted to something that is not recognizable from it's origin .I would think that when the 8 people first got off the boat after the flood they all knew what had happened but today we have many stories in different cultures that carry the thread of the flood but told a little differently over many years . a reply to: AfterInfinity

a reply to: BuzzyWigs

. . . but don't cheat!

I found the answer by Google-ing the reference to "the sanctuary of Epidauros" from the OP.
I had heard of this person before but it isn't that easy of a name.
His daughter's names are easier to remember.

a reply to: godlover25

Your false view of history is not History.

True history like The Garden of Eden, talking snakes and rib ladies? Noah's Ark and a guy living inside a big fish for three days? That kind of history?

a reply to: the2ofusr1

I think that we weave a tangled web when a massive and intricate lie gets caught up in the telephone game, especially if no one is around to keep it in check, no one who knows what the "truth" was supposed to be. And that's when people decide that their truth is as good as any. And that's why we have so many truths that all contradict one another. And at that point, you might as well play like it's a Sunday bar and pick your own toppings. After all, the point of the game if simple - concoct a story that makes you feel okay with being you, with being human, with being imperfect, and with being a finite and brief blip on the radar of existence. In other words, whatever makes you feel worthwhile.

In this vid it deals with the plagues of Egypt and How God was dealing directly with the main gods . Isis is the god of medicine and may relate to this thread

the god of medicine...what was his name. asclepius?

i did a study on him while following the trail of the serpent wound staff.

originally posted by: the2ofusr1
In this vid it deals with the plagues of Egypt and How God was dealing directly with the main gods . Isis is the god of medicine and may relate to this thread

That's confusing. I was under the impression that there were no gods beside the One God, the "True God".

I wonder how people that study quantum mechanics feel about the truth .Could faith actually work similar to quantum mechanics where you can have a detector that is not turned on to observe changes the reality we call life ? It does after all require a conscious observer to observe . Some people cant see the forest for the trees .:>) a reply to: AfterInfinity

And today there are many many gods but only one true God . a reply to: AfterInfinity

originally posted by: godlover25
a reply to: AfterInfinity

Get real.

Your false view of history is not History.

How about you learn how paganism tried to stamp out Christianity for three centuries, and then God converted the Emperor who then turned a pagan world into a Christian world,

your lies and slander will NEVER supersede the Truth.

You know where the door is. We wouldn't want your sensitivities to be offended by actual history, after all. And if you have any doubts as to the validity of this history, Google is always your friend. Unless, of course, you have a problem with learning the facts.

jesus referred to himself as the serpent raised on the staff of moses, to bring healing to the people. this means that the subject is much older than asclepius, by a wide margin. if you go back even further, you see the premise for this in the garden of eden. the serpent in the tree was a reference to medicine, specifically, dna, the creative substance of life. the fall narrative is about dna, particularly dna regarding procreation.

originally posted by: undo
jesus referred to himself as the serpent raised on the staff of moses, to bring healing to the people. this means that the subject is much older than asclepius, by a wide margin. if you go back even further, you see the premise for this in the garden of eden. the serpent in the tree was a reference to medicine, specifically, dna, the creative substance of life. the fall narrative is about dna, particularly dna regarding procreation.

The subject is much older than any modern religion or philosophy. If you really wanted to, we could trace it all the way back to Sumeria and Mesopotamia.