Moses and the brass serpent / Staff of Asclepius

[Amy]

I am not at all certain that I am posting in the appropriate forum; please relocate at your discretion.

I am doing a self-study on the origins of our medical symbol, the Caducceus and the Staff of Asclepius and would like your thoughts on how these symbols (the serpent wrapped around a pole, or staff) evolved and what relationship (if any) may be connected to God's command to Moses to make a brass serpent, in Numbers 21:8

* I am chiefly interested in why the serpent became a symbol for health and healing.

In the case of Moses, the serpent lifted up was for a measure of healing toward those Israelites who had faith to look upon it. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up"
I understand the typology, as in St. John 3:14-15, but I have difficulty in understanding why the serpent? Why did God instruct Moses to make a brass serpent, when it was the serpent who fist induced our first parents toward sin?

Anyway, as you may have studied these topics, I'd greatly appreciate your input.

Blessings~

[Kris]

Numbers 21:6-9
And the Lord sent among the people deadly serpents, and they bit the people, and much people of the children of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee: pray therefore to the Lord, and let him take away the serpent from us. And Moses prayed to the Lord for the people; and the Lord said to Moses, Make thee a serpent, and put it on a signal-staff; and it shall come to pass that whenever a serpent shall bite a man, every one so bitten that looks upon it shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a signal-staff: and it came to pass that whenever a serpent bit a man, and he looked on the brazen serpent, he lived.

[Michael Stickles]

It was because the serpent was the problem, that God had the bronze serpent made and lifted up for them to look to for healing. It was to parallel what God did through Christ. See 2 Corinthians 5:21 -


God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Moses took bronze - the metal which covered the altar of burnt offering, and from which was made the laver for washing, along with other parts of the tabernacle - and made it into a serpent; God made Christ to be sin for us. Moses lifted up the serpent on a pole; Christ was lifted up on a cross. Those who looked to the bronze serpent were healed from the serpent's venom; those who look to Christ (who was made sin for us) are healed from the poison of sin.

The fact that sin came into the garden through the temptation of the serpent, completes the parallel.

[Fr Raphael Vereshack]

In the Matins service to the Exaltation of the Cross at the canon (Ode 1, 2nd tropar) is written:


Moses set upon a wooden pole a cure against the deadly and poisonous bite of the serpents: for crosswise upon the wood- as a symbol of the Cross- he placed a serpent that creeps upon the earth, and thereby he triumphed over calamity. Therefore let us sing to Christ our God, for He has been glorified.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[Amy]

Thank you all for the responses here; I greatly appreciate your time and insights.