“It is godly to honor the hard-working physician, who is seen in Scripture as a gift from God. Since God is the true Healer, it is He that gives the physician healing skills…God gives healing skills to druggists and pharmacists for the benefit of all mankind…How blessed are those whose physician is a faithful, praying Christian.” (Orthodox Study Bible, Wisdom of Sirach 38:1-3, 6-8, 14-15)
“The great danger and temptation of secularism (modernity’s greatest invention) is to lay claim to certain areas and domains of the world as a “neutral zone” – something self-existing that has nothing to do with God. This is patently untrue and represents an act of theft. This has particularly been a dangerous assertion regarding science and medicine. These things are the gift of God. This gift has a very deep history as part and parcel of faith. Even the ancient pagans saw the practice of medicine as a “theological” activity. St. Luke, the companion of St. Paul, was known as the “beloved physician.” St. Paul himself dispensed medical advice to St. Timothy (which, incidentally, involved using a bit of wine rather than just water).” (Father Stephen Freeman)
“Medicine is an example of what God allows men to do when they work in harmony with Him and with one another…God's grace is as evident in the healing power of medicine and its practitioners as it is in miraculous cures.” (St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Basil of Caesarea)
“Whether a believer is healed through medicine or through miraculous means, all healing is ultimately from the Lord. That is why prayers should be consistently offered for the sick.” (Foundation Study Bible, James 5:15)
“Honor the physician with the honor due him, And also according to your need of him, For the Lord created him. Healing comes from the Most High, And he will receive a gift from the king. The physician's skill will lift up his head, And he shall be admired in the presence of the great. The Lord created medicines from the earth, And a sensible man will not loathe them. Is not water made sweet by wood that its strength might be known? And He gave skill to men that He might be glorified in His wonders. By them He heals and takes away pain, A druggist making a compound of them. God's works are never finished, And from Him health is upon the face of the earth. My son, do not be negligent when you are sick, But pray to the Lord and He will heal you. Depart from transgression and direct your hands aright, And cleanse your heart from every sin. Offer a sweet-smelling sacrifice And a memorial of the finest wheat flour; And pour oil on your offering, as if you are soon to die. And keep in touch with your physician, For the Lord created him; And do not let him leave you, For you need him. There is a time when success is also in their hands, For they will pray to the Lord To give them success in bringing relief and healing, For the sake of preserving your life. He who sins before the One who made him, May he fall into the hands of a physician.” (Wisdom of Sirach 38:1-15)
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