Asclepius: Collection and Interpretation of the Testimonies

Throughout nearly all of antiquity, the legendary Greek physician, Asclepius, son of Apollo and Coronis, was the primary representative of divine healing. He remained so influential in the religious life of later centuries that, as Emma J. Edelstein and Ludwig Edelstein point out, "in the final stages of paganism, of all genuinely Greek gods, [he] was judged the foremost antagonist of Christ". First published in two volumes in 1945, the Edelsteins' classic study provides an overview of all facets of the Asclepian phenomenon. The book makes available a unique collection of the literary references and inscriptions in ancient texts to the deity, his life, his deeds, his cult, and his temples - each given in both the original and translation and accompanied by extended analysis and commentary.