And why would anyone name their blog after it? John Wesley believed that the Church should
return to the model of the early and original formation of the Body of
believers, especially the Church before Constantine (272-337 AD). To him, “primitive” meant early or original.[1] “Physick” was a term indicating health care,
especially “how to live in accordance with nature by proper diet and exercise,
both to restore health and to retain it,” says Randy Maddox.[2] We would probably use the term “holistic medicine”
as the modern meaning of “physick.”
So John titled his
health care book “Primitive Physick.” I
called this blog primitivephysick because I wanted to understand the health
care of the early Methodists, and then share it with you in an entertaining and
interesting way. Please, however, note
that I am citing resources the same as I would for a term paper, so you know
the info is legit.
[1]
Snyder, Howard. Northern Nazarene
University. Quoted from http://weley.nnu.edu/johnwesley/translating-wesley’s-writings-into-late-20th-century-american-general-english,
accessed 1 September 2012.
[2]
Maddox, Randy. “John Wesley on Holistic
Health and Healing” in Methodist History, 46:1 (October 2007), 4-33.
Frontispiece from one of the editions of "Primitive Physick" by the Rev. John Wesley. Source: Wellcome Library, London.
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