Boala în viziunea Părinților Deșertului
Disease in the Desert Fathers' Conception

Summary/Abstract: From the dawn of creation, mankind has always believed in a higher being, therefore any relationship with this higher entity will determine a certain way of life that may be rewarded or burdened. There is no exception on the views regarding illness, sickness or any kind of diseases that may occur during one’s lifetime. Humankind, no matter what beliefs or philosophic perspective, will tend to think that any kind of sickness is a way of divine punishment, so to say a „kind“ reminder that one has gone astray from the right path. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, we still struggle with such a misconception, because the way of a Christian life, the belief in a perfect God, can not and will not allow a point of view that God is like a bookkeeper that hold the whole account, based on which everybody gets according to the Book (the accountant's book). This kind of beliefs remained in our culture and way of life, not as a dogma, but an inheritance from our pagan ancestry. The true and right perspective on sickness is given by our most profound thinkers, and most holy living hermits from the IVth century, simple and experienced, schooled and once teachers of emperors. These living icons of Christ, from the egyptian desert showed us that sickness can be both blessing and gateway to haven. So to understand it better lets together dive in the cold but cristal clear waters of the Desert Fathers.Egyptian desert, showed us that sickness can be both a blessing and a gateway to heaven These kinds of beliefs remained in our culture and way of life, not as a dogma, but as Egyptian desert, showed us that sickness can be both a blessing and a gateway to heavenFrom the dawn of creation, mankind has believed in a higher being; therefore, any relationship with this higher entity will determine a certain way of life, which may be rewarded or burdened. There is no exception to the views regarding illness, sickness, or any kind of disease that may occur during one’s lifetime. Humankind, no matter what beliefs or philosophical perspective, will tend to think that any kind of sickness is a way of divine punishment, so to say a „kind“ reminder that one has gone astray from the right path. In the Eastern Orthodox Church, we still struggle with such a misconception, because the way of a Christian life, the belief in a perfect God, can not and will not allow a point of view that God is like a bookkeeper who holds the whole account, based on which everybody gets according to the Book (the accountant's book). These kinds of beliefs remained in our culture and way of life, not as dogma but as an inheritance from our pagan ancestry. The true and right perspective on sickness is given by our most profound thinkers and by the most holy living hermits of the IVth century, simple and experienced, schooled and once teachers of emperors. These living icons of Christ, from the Egyptian desert, showed us that sickness can be both a blessing and a gateway to heaven. So, to understand it better, let's dive together into the cold but crystal-clear waters of the Desert Fathers.

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