Galen

Galen (129-216)

In EMV 129.2, Jesus quotes sayings attributed to a Roman writer Galen (Galeno in Italian). However, Claudius Galen (Claudius Galenus) lived later, from the year 129 to the year 216. He was a famous physician who wrote monumental works on medical subjects but also philosophical reflections. Therefore, this would be an anachronism. Such a gross error is nevertheless contradictory to the usual precision and relevance of the historical data of Maria Valtorta.

Anachronism or enigma?

From May 1979 to February 1980, La Chiesa viva, a Catholic monthly from Brescia (Lombardy), published a series of critiques on the work of Maria Valtorta intended to justify, Salton himself, his condemnation by the Holy Office. The objection of Galen has been present there since then without anyone being able to bring a credible Contradiction.

In 2014, investigating this question, Jean-François Lavère found the trace of these citations in The Genius of Christianity by François René de Chateaubriand (1768-1848):

"O you who made us! in composing such a holy discourse I believe I am singing a true hymn to your glory! I honor you more by discovering the truth of your works than by sacrificing entire hecatombs of bulls or by making your Temples smoke with the most precious incense. True piety consists in knowing myself, then teaching others what is the greatness of your goodness, your power, your wisdom. Your goodness is shown in the equal distribution of your gifts, having allocated to each man the organs which are necessary to him; your wisdom is seen in the excellence of your gifts, and your power in the execution of your designs" [Galen, De Usu partium corporis humani (On the Use of the Parts of the Human Body), book III, chapter 10].

In a single quotation, F.R. de Chateaubriand gathers the citations given by Jesus in Maria Valtorta. Though not identical, they are largely similar. He exchanged his conclusions with Italian academics, including Fernando La Greca, specialized in Roman history at the University of Salerno (Campania). The latter published his conclusions in a work released in 2019 and translated into French under the title The Greco-Roman World at the Time of Christ in the Work of Maria Valtorta. He devotes 48 pages to the Galen case. Here are some excerpts:

The Question Raised

"The quotations of Galen in the EMV - In EMV 129.2, a Roman from Sybaris, who lives in Cyprus, presents himself to the Beautiful-Water with his brother, who is suffering from a mysterious illness. Neither the physicians who are Disciples of Hippocrates, nor visits to the sanctuaries of Asclepius, God of medicine, succeeded in curing him. Having heard of the healings performed by Jesus, the Roman arrives in Palestine after a 'terrible' journey.

He asks for healing for his brother but declares himself pagan. From that moment, he begins to dialogue with Jesus about the Soul and the one true God. This conversation surprisingly comes to mention the physician Galen, who is also a philosopher. In this excerpt, therefore, we find an element which, at first glance, is an obvious historical anachronism: indeed, Galen of Pergamus is known as a Greek physician of the second century A.D. The characters in the Gospel narrative therefore could not have quoted Galen (if one supposes that the visions of Valtorta supernaturally reveal events that took place in the 1st century A.D. during the time when Jesus traveled around Palestine).

However, it would be presumptuous to immediately believe that the reference to Galen undermines Valtorta’s Work if one looks at the surprising results of the research by Jean-François Lavère, Liberato De Caro, and Emilio Matricciani. But then, how to explain the presence of this character? (p. 69)"

Data Analysis

He then develops the different phases of the research: existence of Galen and accuracy of the citation by Maria Valtorta before concluding:

"In conclusion, all the indicators examined allow us to postulate the existence of a Galen philosopher and physician of the 1st century A.D., if one believes the Arabic sources. Galen was therefore known at the time of Jesus’ preaching and was the author of De usu partium as well as other writings. The works of this first Galen would then have been integrated into those of the Galen who lived at the time of Marcus Aurelius, whether real or perhaps 'reconstructed afterward' by the medical school of Alexandria (p. 114)."

"It is in this hypothetical reconstruction of a Galen philosopher and writer already active before the public preaching of Jesus Christ and in any case his contemporary, that the literal quotations of Jesus in the EMV can be historically placed. Far from being anachronistic, these words can be fully understood by the Roman scholar from Sybaris, interested in philosophy but also in medicine (because of the care to be given to his sick brother), who must have also been an avid reader of books. The Roman can thus recognize in these words the philosopher Galen. Moreover, these words are not arbitrary; they can, on the contrary, be perfectly placed near the words that bring classical Greek culture (Platonism and Stoicism) closer to Christian thought, thanks to the vision of a Creator God or Demiurge who gives a perfect shape to the human body and assigns a precise role to each singular part of it. Knowing and admiring such perfection leads to knowing and worshiping the Truth, that is to say the true God, Creator of the world (p. 116)."

The Gospel as it was revealed to me (Maria Valtorta).