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Biblical
Leprosy
Shedding Light on the Disease that Shuns
.
by Dr. Alan L. Gillen
Disease is a constant reminder of just how much things have
changed since God pronounced a curse on the earth.
At first, everything was “very good,” but Adam’s sin brought
death and decay into the world.
One of the most well-known examples of debilitating disease in
this sin-cursed creation is Mycobacterium leprae,
the infectious bacterial agent of leprosy.
Leprosy is discussed quite often in the Bible.
While its definition in modern times is different from biblical
times, there is no doubt that the definitions overlap, and the modern form of
the disease still illustrates important spiritual lessons today.
The term “leprosy” (including leper, lepers, leprosy,
leprous) occurs 68 times in the Bible — 55 times in the Old Testament (Hebrew
= tsara’ath) and 13 times in the New Testament (Greek
= lepros, lepra).
In the Old Testament, the instances of leprosy most likely meant
a variety of infectious skin diseases, and even mold and mildew on clothing and
walls.
The precise meaning of the leprosy in both the Old and New
Testaments is still in dispute, but it probably includes the modern Hansen’s
disease (especially in the New Testament) and infectious skin diseases.
The term “Hansen’s disease” was not given until 1873, when
Gerhard Henrik Armauer Hansen described the leprosy bacillus (the lay term for
the “bacterium”).
Only at this point was a precise definition for leprosy made
available.
The Origin of Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy)
Leprosy has terrified humanity since ancient times and was
reported as early as 600 BC in India, China, and Egypt.
Hansen’s disease is still a major health problem in many parts
of Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
For many centuries, leprosy was considered a curse of God, often
associated with sin.
Instead, it lingered for years, causing the tissues to
degenerate and deforming the body.
Many have thought leprosy to be a disease of the skin.
It is better classified, however, as a disease of the nervous
system because the leprosy bacterium attacks the nerves.
Leprosy’s agent M. leprae is a
rod-shaped bacterium related to the tuberculosis bacterium.
Leprosy is spread by multiple skin contacts, as well as by droplets
from the upper respiratory tracts, such as nasal secretions that are
transmitted from person to person.
Its symptoms start in the skin and peripheral nervous system
(outside the brain and spinal cord), then spread to other parts, such as the hands,
feet, face, and earlobes.
Patients with leprosy experience disfigurement of the skin and
bones, twisting of the limbs, and curling of the fingers to form the
characteristic claw hand.
Facial changes include thickening of the outer ear and
collapsing of the nose.
Tumor-like growths called lepromas may form on the skin and in
the respiratory tract, and the optic nerve may deteriorate.
The largest number of deformities develop from loss of pain
sensation due to extensive nerve damage. For instance, inattentive patients can
pick up a cup of boiling water without flinching.
The leprosy bacillus destroys nerve endings that carry pain
signals; therefore, patients with advanced leprosy experience a total loss of
physical pain.
When these people cannot sense touch or pain, they tend to
injure themselves or be unaware of injury caused by an outside agent.
In fact, some leprosy patients have had their fingers eaten by
rats in their sleep because they were totally unaware of it happening; the lack
of pain receptors could not warn them of the danger.
According to Dr. Brand, the best example in the Bible of a
person with Hansen’s disease is the man with the withered hand (Mark 3:5; Matthew 12:13; Luke 6:10).
He likely suffered from tuberculoid leprosy.
Biblical Leprosy and Hansen’s Disease
Cleaning the deformed foot of a person
suffering from leprosy (Hansen’s disease) with an antiseptic.
In addition to pain and disfiguration,
biblical leprosy and Hansen’s disease are both dreaded, and people were shunned
because of them.
The noun tsara’ath appears
about two dozen times in the Hebrew text.
As previously mentioned, biblical leprosy is a broader term than
the leprosy (Hansen’s disease) that we know today.
The Hebrew tsara’ath included
a variety of ailments and is most frequently seen in Leviticus, where it
referred primarily to uncleanness or imperfections according to biblical
standards.
A person with any scaly skin blemish was tsara’ath.
The symbolism extended to rot or blemish on leather, the walls
of a house, and woven cloth.
Other Old Testament references to leprosy are associated with
punishment or the consequences of sin.
In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew
Bible, tsara’ath was translated
as aphe lepras. These words in Greek implied a skin
condition that spread over the body.
Others have suggested that the translation of tsara’ath includes “molds.”
The recent discovery of a highly toxic mold (Stachybotrys sp.), which contaminates buildings and
causes respiratory distress, memory loss, and rash, lends support to the
translation of tsara’ath to include
“mold.”
References to leprosy have a different emphasis in the New
Testament. They stress God’s desire to heal.
While people with leprosy
traditionally suffered banishment from family and neighbors, Jesus broke from
the tradition. He treated lepers with compassion, touching and healing them.
Although we can’t know all the
reasons that God allows disease into our lives, biblical leprosy is a powerful
symbol reminding us of sin’s spread and its horrible consequences.
Like leprosy, sin starts out small
but can then spread, leading to other sins and causing great damage to our
relationship with God and others.
Studying leprosy helps us see why
pain is a valuable “gift,” a survival mechanism to warn us of danger in this
cursed world.
Without pain and suffering, we might
be like lepers, unable to recognize that something is terribly wrong and that
we need the healing touch of God.
As Dr. Brand said,
“I cannot think of a greater gift that I could give my leprosy patients than
pain.”
Let us not be too quick to remove
pain in our lives (whether physical, emotional, social, or spiritual pain).
It may be God’s megaphone to get our attention
that something is seriously wrong and that we should flee to the One who
created us.
Condensed and
adapted from the book, The Genesis of Germs,
published by Master Books.
Dr.
Alan Gillen
Professor
of Biology
(434)
582-2309
algillen@liberty.edu
Center
for Natural Sciences, Room 105
Education
Ed.D.,
University of Houston
M.S.,
Ohio State University
B.A.,
Washington & Jefferson College
Biography
Dr.
Gillen spent seven years in graduate study in zoology and medical microbiology
at The Ohio State University, The University of Houston, and Baylor College of
Medicine. His focus is on integrating creation themes with biology. He has
written three books and two lab manuals on various biology topics. His books
include The Human Body: An Intelligent Design, Body by Design: Fearfully &
Wonderfully Made, and The Genesis of Germs.
His
major research interests are detecting water parasites and pathogens in
Lynchburg, VA Area Waters, describing the origin and genesis of Giardia,
Cryptosporidium and coliform growth in local waters, and the carriage of MRSA
in Liberty University students.
Research
Dr.
Gillen and his lab students are interested in tracking the incidence of water
parasites and pathogens. His interest is determining the factors that influence
the growth and abundance of Giardia, Cryptosporidium and coliforms (E. coli –
like bacteria) in local waters. Students demonstrate competence in collecting
water samples, communicating and documenting laboratory data and field data.
Samples are taken from local ponds, lakes, and the James River.
Answers
in Genesis
is an apologetics ministry, dedicated to helping Christians defend their faith
and proclaim the gospel
of Jesus Christ.
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