Why Snakestaff?
The Staff of Asclepius and Its Symbolism in Medicine
Adorning modern day lab coats, ambulances, and pharmacies, the Staff of Asclepius, a single rod with a snake wrapped around it, is a symbol for medicine and healing that has been used for centuries.
The associations between snakes, staffs, and healing dates back to at least to the Old Testament and can even be found in Greek mythology.
Moses and the Pharoah
In the Book of Exodus (4:2), in the episode of the burning bush where Moses is pleading to allow the Israelites to leave Egypt, God miraculously transforms Moses’ staff into a snake and then back into a staff.
The Pharoah summons his sorcerers, who produce snakes of their own; however, Moses’ snake swallows the others.
Copper Snake High on Pole
The Old Testament recounts a story of the serpent and a pole. The Ancient Israelites had been punished for slander with a deadly plague of snakes. God then told Moses to place an icon of a copper snake high on a pole so that whoever looked up would be healed and not die. (Numbers 21:4–9).
Today, we can interpret the significance of the snake and staff in many ways.
The Snake
The snake sheds its old skin and the new skin symbolizes rejuvenation. Snake venom is milked to make anti-venom and other medications . . . to heal, allowing it to represent both life and death.
The Staff
In the Old Testament, the copper serpent held high on a pole was meant to lift the people’s eyes and heart to heaven, to God, who, alone, controls life and death.
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