Healing is crucial to Christian theology and ministry and has a great evangelistic power. Over the last fifty years, there has been a radical shift in social attitudes towards sickness and healing. Though there has always been a clear ministry for spiritual and pastoral care, the responsibilities of those ministering to the sick – and even the definition of sickness itself – have been challenged. Meanwhile, the popularity of ‘alternative’ healing and magical cults has grown. There is certainly no lack of accounts of those who have ‘miraculously’ recovered from ‘incurable diseases’, even at the point of death – scientific proof, however, is often wanting.
The Healing Tradition of the New Testament is a scholarly analysis of the New Testament texts about the healing ministry of Jesus and an examination of the evidence for healing in the first four centuries of the Early Church. By returning to these earliest sources, Dr Pett reveals the original spiritual significance of the healing miracles of Jesus. He shows how this understanding of the true healing tradition can enrich the practice of Christianity today, restoring the health of the Church, society and the individual.
The Healing Tradition of the New Testament is a scholarly analysis of the New Testament texts about the healing ministry of Jesus and an examination of the evidence for healing in the first four centuries of the Early Church. By returning to these earliest sources, Dr Pett reveals the original spiritual significance of the healing miracles of Jesus. He shows how this understanding of the true healing tradition can enrich the practice of Christianity today, restoring the health of the Church, society and the individual.
