Cure, healing, magic, superstition: the symbolism of the mandrake in Antiquity and the Middle Ages from the point of view of Hugo Rahner

Abstract

The article reviews the idea of cure or healing in Late antiquity, which was accepted by Christian tradition. According to this tradition, the healing effect is emerging simultaneously both in body and soul, and the very idea of cure or healing falls into spiritual dimension. In mediaeval Christianity this concept of healing takes its form as folklore-medicine way of theurgy, or it appears as a pure allegory or symbolic interpretation in a miracle-play, or, in alchemy. This essay is trying to discuss the early Christian concept of healing or cure from the later Christian humanistic point of view, which was presented in Hugo Rahner’s book Greek Myths and Christian Mystery, first published in 1945.

Keywords

• hugo rahner
• mandrake
• allegoric interpretation
• healing
• magic plants
• folklore