Eleni Barla
Gregory Tsoucalas
Heraklion, Greece

Saint Apollonia, a virgin martyr, is popularly regarded as the patron saint of dentistry and of those suffering from toothache. However, Saint Antipas, Bishop of Pergamum, represents another important Christian figure closely associated with the history of dentistry and the relief of dental pain.

Pergamum, an ancient Greek city of Asia Minor, was renowned for its outstanding intellectual, cultural, and medical heritage. It was the birthplace of the eminent physician Galen, home to the celebrated Library of Pergamum, and the site of the renowned Asclepieion, one of the most important healing sanctuaries of antiquity. There, temple medicine coexisted with secular medical practice. Until the time of Galen, medical care appears to have been largely provided by the healer-priests of the Asclepieion, whose therapeutic achievements were acknowledged even by Galen himself in his writings.^1,2 Throughout the Greco-Roman world, Pergamum was celebrated as a major center of medical education, attracting students and scholars from across the Mediterranean. Its medical school attained exceptional prestige and became an institution of learning where distinguished scholars made important contributions to textual criticism, philosophy, mathematics, and, above all, medicine. Even the Hippocratic Corpus was studied, expanded, and enriched there.³ At the same time, the city was dominated by its statue of Zeus, which later Christian tradition identified with the “throne of Satan” mentioned in the Book of Revelation.²

Antipas lived during the reign of Emperor Domitian and was a contemporary of the Holy Apostles. He studied and practiced medicine in Pergamum, and developed a particular interest in the treatment of dental diseases.⁴ He practiced medicine free of charge, becoming one of the Holy Unmercenary Physicians named Anargyroi (Greek: Ανάργυροι, literally “without silver,” physicians who provided medical care free of charge). Medicine at that time was practiced mainly by uneducated priests and charlatan magicians of the pagan religion, who charged substantial fees that were prohibitive for poor and enslaved people. In the region of Pergamum, thanks to Antipas, medical care became accessible to all for the first time. Around AD 70, the Evangelist John the Theologian ordained him Bishop of the Church of Pergamum. His missionary activity and free medical services provoked reactions from the pagans, who dominated Pergamum at that time.⁵ Taking advantage of the imperial decrees against Christians, the pagan priests appeared before the Roman governor of the region and reported that their deities had revealed that they could no longer remain in the city or present their sacrifices because of the presence of Antipas, Bishop of the Christians. They claimed that his presence disturbed them and warned the governor that the gods would abandon the city if the Christians did not disappear.⁶ Soon afterwards, Antipas, a direct disciple of the Apostle John, was brought before the Roman governor and ordered to renounce his faith in order to save his life. He refused. Consequently, on April 11, AD 83 or 85, he was thrown into a red-hot bronze bull to be burned alive (Ὅτι ὁ χαλκοῦς βοῦς ἐκ Περγάμου ἦλθε, κάμινος δὲ ἦν ἐν ᾗ πέφλεκται ὁ ἅγιος μάρτυς Ἀντίπας). This era is known as the “era of persecutions of Emperor Domitian.”⁵ In the Book of Revelation, Antipas is described as Christ’s “faithful witness,” who was martyred in the place where Satan dwells. In Pergamum, Antipas stood between faith and death, between eternal life and martyrdom.⁷

According to Diodorus Siculus in his Bibliotheca Historica, Perilaus of Athens invented this method of execution and presented it to Phalaris, the tyrant of Akragas in Sicily. The condemned were locked inside the hollow bull while a fire was lit beneath it. As the metal became increasingly hot, the victim was slowly roasted to death amid screams and agony. According to ancient sources, the bronze bull was equipped with an internal acoustic mechanism that transformed the victim’s screams into sounds resembling the bellowing of a bull.^8,9 The bull as a symbol holds a significant position in ancient cultures, representing life, strength, divine favor and imperial authority. This explains why many rulers adopted the bronze bull machine to execute their victims with prestige. This was the suffering that Antipas endured peacefully, without cries, without fear or agony in the face of his imminent death, and without any sign of pain. Thus, God granted relief of pain through his intercession. Consequently, believers who prayed in his name were believed to be relieved of the most severe of pains, namely toothache.⁵

In the case of Christianity, Antipas first practiced therapeutic procedures as an educated physician, and later his philanthropy became part of Christian theurgic medicine. On the other hand, mystical ideas, partly based on experience, were an integral part of temple medicine without a proper scientific foundation. Saint Antipas was believed to cure toothache. Today, Saint Antipas is honored in many parts of Greece, where he is popularly known as “Dontas” (“the Teeth Man”). In 1965, following the persistent efforts of Orestis Louridis, Professor of Stomatology, the Panhellenic Dental Association proclaimed Saint Antipas the patron saint of Greek dentists and the Dental Associations of Greece.¹¹ The miraculous reputation of Saint Antipas as a physician and healer of dental diseases spread throughout the Hellenic Peninsula. Today, holy relics of the saint, including those preserved on Mount Athos, continue to be venerated by devout believers, who attribute miraculous healings to his intercession.

References

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