Bible and Antiquity Plague - Free Essay Example

Introduction

The Plague signifies a lethal epidemic that affects the human population. In world history, epidemics have been recorded to kill a high number of people. Plague is an infectious disease caused by bacteria that affects human beings from rodents and other animals. Yersinia Pestis is the bacteria causing epidemics in human beings from rodents. In most cases, fleas transmit the bacteria, causing plagues to human beings from infected animals. Plagues made human beings live in fear. It was a period of not knowing whether one will make it alive or dead (Aberth 17). People lost relatives as the epidemic spread.

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Today plagues are fewer and have a lesser severe impact on the human population. Biblically plagues were recorded as ways through which God punished man. Antiquity plagues the affected man, but there was no known cure at the time to help understand the situation (Vitaux 15). Historically, plagues have affected man but differently in the 21st century, where the medical approach to the epidemic is more advanced, reducing the impact. Texts from the bible, Antiquity, and Middle ages discuss plagues and their effects on the human population. Comparison between the periods and the extent plagues impacted human beings is necessary for human understanding.

Causes of Plagues

Ezekiel 6:11-12 speaks of plagues and how God will use them to punish man. The man was deemed by God to have been a sinner, and thus Plague was to be used to bring him to order. In 2 Chronicles 20:9, the bible speaks about God hearing his people's prayers and healing them from pestilence or evil whenever they pray and seek forgiveness from him (Ball et al. 12). The two biblical verses present God as Plague's cause on his people and as the only person who can help them from Plague and rescue them from death.

In antiquity, the Plague was given a more scientific approach as opposed to a religious practice. However, despite the approach, the cure for the Plague was not available. For example, the Athenian Plague resulted in the defeat of Athens after the Plague ravaged the people for a period of four years (Butler 14).

The bubonic Plague in Europe was attributed to bacteria. Science was more advanced at this time but still the epidemic had no cure. The medical approach was a mix of scholarly approach by physicians taught in the university and the herbalist and witchdoctors who lived among community members (Razal et al. 25). The cause of the Plague was known to be China. Unlike the Antiquity period, the Plague in the middle age period was explainable from a scientific point of view and the source, which was China (Alfani et al. 314).

Impact on Human Population

In Jeremiah 27:8, the bible talks about God punishing the whole nation with a plague epidemic. Biblically the impact of the Plague is meant to affect the entire country until people, or its leadership repents (Fischer 27). The effect of biblically was intended to be severe as a form of punishment.

In antiquity, the Plague resulted in the death of many people. It resulted in Athens' defeat as Athens could not defend itself in time of the Plague. The Plague resulted in people not adhering to laws and social order (Morens et al. 265).

In the middle ages, the bubonic Plague caused the Black Death. It nearly wiped out a third of the European population. The Plague killed the human population horribly, and people were lucky to survive the epidemic (Smith et al. 40). People lost loved ones during the period of Black Death and could do nothing. The physicians were not well prepared during the middle age period to deal with such a magnitude (Morens et al. 265).

Approach to Treatment

Approach to plagues biblically was through prayers and repentance to God.2 Chronicles 20:9 indicate that people will be healed from the plague (Ball et al. 17). God will stop punishing them through plagues if people pray.

In antiquity, Plague had no treatment. People were left to die until the survivors developed immunity to the epidemic. Little was known about the Plague's cause and its characteristic as a fatal disease (Sherman 13).

In the middle age, physicians and herbalists were attempting to understand the cause and the cure for the epidemic popularly known as Black Death. Even during this period, there was no cure for the Plague, and people attributed it to God's wrath (Heijmans et al. 75). Repentance was a call for all in an attempt to seek divine intervention.

Conclusion

Plagues have been with humanity since time in history. Biblically plagues have been mentioned many times as a form of punishment to the human population. During antiquity, plagues still affected the human race, and there was no scientific intervention leading to countless deaths. Comparing the plagues since antiquity throughout the middle age period and biblically gives different perspectives to the disease. Using texts from the bible, Antiquity, and the Middle ages help to understand plagues and their impact on the human population. Comparison between the periods and the extent plagues impacted human beings is necessary for human understanding.

Works Cited

Aberth, John. Plagues in world history. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2011.

Alfani, Guido, and Tommy E. Murphy. "Plague and lethal epidemics in the pre-industrial world." the Journal of Economic History 77.1 (2017): 314-343.

Ball, R. Glenn, and Darrell Puls. Let us pray: The Plague of narcissist pastors and what we can do about it. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2017.

Heijmans, Bastiaan T., and Jonathan Mills. "Commentary: The seven plagues of epigenetic epidemiology." International journal of epidemiology 41.1 (2012): 74-78.

Morens, David M., and Jeffery K. Taubenberger. "Pandemic influenza: certain uncertainties." Reviews in medical virology 21.5 (2011): 262-284.

Razal, Syed Nauman, and Asif Khaliq. "PLAGUE—THE HIDDEN OLD NEMESIS." Baqai Journal of Health Sciences 20.2 (2017): 22-26.

Sherman, Irwin W. The power of plagues. John Wiley & Sons, 2020.

Smith, Philip W., Kristin Watkins, and Angela Hewlett. "Infection control through the ages." American journal of infection control 40.1 (2012): 35-42.