I guess I am a little late but I do know a bit about skin diseases and have discussed this subject here somewhere before IIRC and on other boards as well. It is not completely clear that the diseases that are referred to as "leprosies" in the Bible really are Hansen's disease, which we know as leprosy. Hansen's disease is caused by the bacterium
M. Leprae which lives deep in the skin attacking the nerves. Here is what was said about it.
quote:
Some time after I wrote these web pages, a Bible skeptic unwittingly showed me yet another example of advanced scientific/medical knowledge in the Bible. He posted a message on a discussion board that ridiculed some verses in Leviticus 13 and 14 that mention leprosy on walls and on garments. He felt this was silly and an error since leprosy is a human disease. What this skeptic was unaware of is the fact that leprosy is a bacteria, a living organism, that certainly can survive on walls and garments! In fact, the Medic-Planet.com encyclopedia notes that leprosy "can survive three weeks or longer outside the human body, such as in dust or on clothing"2. It is no wonder that God commanded the Levitical priests to burn the garments of leprosy victims! (Leviticus 13:52)
There is zero evidence that leprosy spreads from clothing.
M. Leprea still can't be grown successfully in culture let alone on walls. It certainly wouldn't make hollow streaks of green and red on walls. The sceptic was correct to scoff at the nonsense on Leprosy in Leviticus.
The mode of transmission of leprosy is not clear but long contact and close contact with a carrier is required and it is generally considered to spread through aerosolized droplets from the nose and mouth and it can survive outside the body in nasal secretions at least in tropical climates.
Now let's look at the treatment protocol to see its highly advance medical knowledge.
14:4 Then shall the priest command to take for him that is to be cleansed two birds alive and clean, and cedar wood, and scarlet, and hyssop:
14:5 And the priest shall command that one of the birds be killed in an earthen vessel over running water:
14:6 As for the living bird, he shall take it, and the cedar wood, and the scarlet, and the hyssop, and shall dip them and the living bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the running water:
14:7 And he shall sprinkle upon him that is to be cleansed from the leprosy seven times, and shall pronounce him clean, and shall let the living bird loose into the open field.
14:8 And he that is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, and shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean: and after that he shall come into the camp, and shall tarry abroad out of his tent seven days.
14:9 But it shall be on the seventh day, that he shall shave all his hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows, even all his hair he shall shave off: and he shall wash his clothes, also he shall wash his flesh in water, and he shall be clean.
14:10 And on the eighth day he shall take two he lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb of the first year without blemish, and three tenth deals of fine flour for a meat offering, mingled with oil, and one log of oil.
14:11 And the priest that maketh him clean shall present the man that is to be made clean, and those things, before the LORD, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation:
14:12 And the priest shall take one he lamb, and offer him for a trespass offering, and the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD:
14:13 And he shall slay the lamb in the place where he shall kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the holy place: for as the sin offering is the priest's, so is the trespass offering: it is most holy:
(and so on. )
Bird's blood and hyssop will of course be totally useless for treatment of leprosy and I don't think that sacrificing a lamb will help much either.
The only effective treatment for leprosy is multiple antibotic treatment with rifampicin, clofazamine and dapsone. The quarante times specified are also totally useless. It is absurd to think that the prescriptions for treating leprosy in Leviticus show any advanced medical knowledge.
There are many other problems with their so called health laws as well. Why is a woman unclean for 1 week after giving birth to a man child but for 2 weeks after giving birth to a maid child. Certainly not to protect the child. Ask any neonatologist whether boy or girl babies are more likely to have problems.
As to the food laws I always wanted to ask, What is the health reason for never cooking meat in a pan that has had contact with milk or vise versa no matter how well cleaned? Do you really think that there is a good health reason for eating locusts and bald locusts or where they just ahead of the curve for fear factor?
Randy
Added in edit: Most likely they were confounding a number of different skin diseases, including various fungal and bacterial infections, vitiligo and psoriasis with leprosy but I don't think that Bird's would be much good for any of them.
This message has been edited by Randy, 06-11-2004 09:30 PM
This message has been edited by Randy, 06-11-2004 09:37 PM
™ Version 4.2