Was Ezekiel Mentally Disturbed?

A report and comment on religious trends and events being covered by the media.  This week’s item is from The New Scientist, volume 172, #2317, page 20 with a headline: “Ezekiel had psychiatric problems.”According to an article in the New Scientist, Eric Altschuler says that records in the Bible reveal that Ezekiel who lived 2600 years ago showed extreme classic symptoms of temporal lobe epilepsy.Neurologically, Ezekiel displayed some obvious signs of epilepsy such as frequent fainting spells and episodes of not being able to speak.The biblical figure who chronicled the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B. C. exhibited other peculiarities associated with the disease.For instance, he wrote compulsively, a trait known as hypergrafia.Altschuler points out that the Book of Ezekiel is the fourth longest in the Bible, only slightly shorter than Genesis.It’s impenetrable he says.“He goes on an on.Ezekiel was also extremely religious, another characteristic associated with this form of epilepsy.While many biblical figures are pious, none was as aggressively religious as Ezekiel,” says Altschuler.“Other signs of epilepsy can include aggression, delusions and pedantic speech and the man had them all.”

Tom:

Dave, the problem here besides your veins popping and you get angry, this man who has a medical degree is giving us something that has to do with theology, something that has to do with the Bible which I doubt he knows how long the Book of Ezekiel is.But you don’t have to read the words to figure that out.But people are saying, hey this guy’s a medical doctor, he surely must know what he’s talking about.

Dave:

Well he says it’s impenetrable and it certainly is to him.Paul tells us that the things of God are not understood by the natural man and they are foolishness to him.He says he writes compulsively.This is not a man who’s writing compulsively.More than 50 times Ezekiel says “The word of the Lord came unto me saying….”And we do have the Word of the Lord; there is no doubt about it.First of all, Ezekiel is pronouncing judgment upon Israel.Pronouncing judgment for the very same thing we have been talking about.For their idolatry, for their involvement in the occult.You have powerful condemnation of the occult in Ezekiel 28 and in chapters 35, 36, 37 you have some tremendous prophecies of the full restoration of Israel.We have first of all, God’s judgment being pronounced upon Israel for their idolatry; for their rebellion against him, for their betrayal and for their going away from God following other gods, their spiritual adultery.But then we have prophecies concerning Israel’s return to the land, that one day these people who have been scattered everywhere will be brought back into their own land and that this land is going to blossom like a rose.Then it is Ezekiel who foretells Armageddon.And let me just read a couple of verses of what he says.Here’s the setting of Armageddon:“A people who have been (it says) in Ezekiel:38:12To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
See All..., “To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.”Well you certainly have Jews gathered out of more than a hundred nations back in their land today.“They’re dwelling in safety.”Well that’s coming.We are heading for a false peace.That’s where this whole upheaval is going to lead.And then he foretells the whole world, the armies of the world under Antichrist coming against Israel and indeed they will.And in fact God says in verse 16, “I will bring thee against my land,…” and Ezekiel is furthermore in harmony with other prophets that he didn’t know.For example, Zechariah 14 God says I am going to bring all the nations of the world against Jerusalem and so forth.So this man doesn’t understand the Bible and he doesn’t know God.

Tom:

It’s worse than that.Dave, you mentioned not just Ezekiel, but Zechariah, all of these.They had problems.They were religious fanatics.They had diseases.I’m looking across over at you, you also have hypergrafia.You write a lot, you write too much.He says this is a guy who is extremely religious which is another characteristic associated with epilepsy.Come on, what is this?And it gets worse.Other signs of epilepsy include aggressions, delusions, pedantic speech.You could apply this to anybody, anywhere, anytime.

Dave:

Of course.

Tom:

And…the man had them all!What is this?This is just anti-Christian, anti-biblical rhetoric from a guy who isn’t just ignorant, but is just adamantly opposed to biblical Christianity.Now the sad thing is Dave, as I mentioned.This is a man who is ignorant and he is speaking to people who have ignorance in this area, but they’re all convinced.

Dave:

He’s pretending to be an authority.He may be a medical authority, but one of the things that I say to my doctor friends is you guys are still practicing.How come you are still practicing, you know?You haven’t perfected it and he has a partial knowledge and he’s applying it to something he does not understand and that is the inspiration of these prophets by God and we can prove it, but we don’t have time now.I guess we’ve run out of time have we?

Tom:

But, this is Search the Scriptures Daily, read the Book of Ezekiel.Those who have already come to a conclusion based on what this medical doctor said.Check it out.Caveat emptor, “let the buyer beware”.Just don’t buy into it because somebody with credentials says so.