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Home , Richard Restak, Temporal lobe epilepsy

auras" experienced by many epileptics, sometimes leading to "excessive and inappropriate religious expression,"4 which surely could be said of St. Paul. Saint Paul's Conversion on the After , Paul is the most impor- tant figure in Christianity.5 He had been Road to Damascus: a religious Jew, trained for the rabbinate. His on the road to Damascus An Epileptic ? transformed him from religious Jew to religious Christian, and his subsequent missionary journeys were largely respon- sible for the transformation of the early church of the Christian Jews into one Nina Rulon-Miller of the world's major , the Christian church that spread around the first became aware of the question Restak's main concern seems to be world. I of St. Paul's that such speculation is "personally While traveling on the road to from the New York Times Book Review. offensive to those for whom is Damascus, Paul had an experience The writer, Stuart Sutherland, was more than something to be cured of. similar to suffered by reviewing a book about . . ." This is probably in reaction to many patients with temporal lobe and the . In an aside, Sutherland Sutherland's statement, "Malfunction- epilepsy. He had an ecstatic, out-of-body mentioned the possibility that Paul's ing in a small area of the brain can not experience when he "saw" a bright light conversion on the road to Damascus, only cause epilepsy but can render and "heard" Jesus speaking to him. After an event that marked the beginning of someone highly religious and make him the , Paul was blind and could the Christianity we know today, might give up all addictions, such as drink and not eat for three days. have been caused by an epileptic hal- tobacco; it also takes away sexual desire. Paul tells the story of his vision in lucination. The irony inherent in this ... When the epileptic focus is removed, 2 Cor. 12:1-9. He begins by speaking supposition delighted and intrigued me, the person returns to normality: he gives of himself in the third person: and I decided to research it. up religion, enjoys a drink and takes an , a well-known interest in sex." I knew a man in Christ above fourteen authority on the brain, later wrote to I have been "personally offended" by years ago, (whether in the body, I the Book Review to object to the idea some of my formerly atheist or agnostic cannot tell; or whether out of body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;). . . . he that "one of the world's major religions" friends who have become devoutly religious during this distressing past was caught up into paradise, and might have "neurological foundations." heard unspeakable words.... [Cor. Restak attacked Sutherland's rather mild decade of rising religious fervor. These 12:2, 4] statement that "It may be that the form former comrades in rational Christianity took was the result of an now pity me and pray for me, trying and then switches to the first person: epileptic attack suffered by St. Paul on to "cure" me of my a-religious state. To me, ideas and theories that provoke some the road to Damascus"2 as a "throwaway And lest I should be exulted above critical thought about religion are a gratuitous slap at Christianity," and measure through the abundance of the welcome relief. Also, I have found that attempted to discredit Sutherland by , there was given to me a most religious people are not apt to be thorn in the flesh, the messenger of asserting, "One can speculate, I suppose, personally offended by such speculation: Satan to buffet me ... [2 Cor. 12:7] that suffered from migraines; that They simply say that God works in the Ten Commandments represent mysterious ways. St. Paul himself Paul's uncertainty whether he was "in nothing more than a product of the thought of his malady as a precious gift the body or out of the body" is a state excitement that sometimes precedes a from God (2 Cor. 12:9).3 often experienced by patients with migraine attack." Why not? It makes D. Landsborough, M.D., wrote .6 more sense than a meeting with God on about St. Paul's possible temporal lobe Luke, Paul's close friend and a a mountain, and I hope Restak's letter epilepsy (TLE) in the Journal of Neu- , confirms that Paul was blind has inspired some research on the state rology, , and . and unable to eat for three days after of Moses' . He bases his theory on numerous case the episode on the road to Damascus studies: his own, those of colleagues, and (Acts 9:9).7 Although blindness is Nina Rulon-Miller is an ex-Catholic, a some from historical medical docu- somewhat unusual after an epileptic kindergarten teacher in Princeton, New ments. In his article, Landsborough attack, Landsborough cites twenty-two Jersey, and a graduate student in English offers evidence suggesting that St. Paul's cases when it has occurred. He also notes at Trenton State College. religious visions were neurological in that anorexia occasionally follows such origin. He describes "ecstatic religious .8

14 FREE INQUIRY Landsborough anticipates colleagues' land's remark about a "small area of the infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon possible objections that Paul's conver- brain" whose malfunctioning "can ren- me." (This and all my following biblical citations are from The King James Version.) sation with Jesus was "too elaborate for der someone highly religious ... ," but 4. D. Landsborough, "St. Paul and Tem- TLE" with: Restak does allow that "certain distur- poral Lobe Epilepsy," Journal of , bances in areas surrounding the tem- Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, No. 50 (1987), p. 662. Epileptic experiences can be patterned poral lobes ... can render a person more 5. See Peter Calvocoressi, Who's Who in the by pre-existing events, especially serious, more reflective, perhaps more Bible (London: Penguin/ Viking, 1987.) emotional ones.... Paul ... "heard open to themes and experiences of a 6. Landsborough, p. 660. 7. "And he was three days without sight, and sacred secrets" [2 Cor. 12:4]9 . . . religious nature." Here, Restak seems to suggesting an intensely esoteric, rap- neither did eat nor drink." turous state associated with an elab- be in agreement with Landsborough's 8. Landsborough, p. 662. "Conclusion": 9. Landsborough's citations are from The orate auditory sensation. ...lO Moffat Translation of the Bible. 2 Cor. 12:4 in The King James Version reads, "heard unspeak- Paul had been a ruthless persecutor [Paul's] "thorn in the flesh" was the able words." 10. Landsborough, p. 662 and 660. of the Christians and was on the road occasional supervention of grand mal attacks ... and ... he may have had 11. "And [Paul], yet breathing out threaten- to Damascus to arrest some." But he an attack of TLE on the road to ings and slaughter against the disciples of the had been thinking very deeply and Damascus ... this taking place while Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that privately about the faith of the early he was undergoing a profound spir- if he found any of this way, whether they were Christians: itual change. ...19 men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem" (Acts 9: 1, 2). If illness had not caused Paul to 12. Landsborough, p. 662. ... the conversation with Jesus may 13. Ibid., p. 660. represent an intensely vivid psychic convert from ruthless persecutor to 14. "[If Paul's] recorded subjective experience , the nature of which was engen- fervent believer, perhaps Christianity of a single attack.... [w]ere an isolated event dered by Paul's and growing would have never gotten off the ground. without recurrences, it would be difficult to sustain the diagnosis. But Paul experienced other spiritual conviction during the preced- It's too bad that Luke wasn't able to ing days.1 z 'visions.' ... in one ... he saw a Macedonian prescribe . standing before him appealing to him to cross over to Troy from Macedonia to help (Acts 16:9); Epileptic visions are sometimes accom- in another, Jesus speaks words of encouragement panied by auditory hallucinations. Paul Notes to him (Acts 18:9); in another, while praying in Jerusalem, he fell into a ... and saw Jesus had been thinking deeply about the 1. Richard Restak, "Letters," New York (Acts 22:17-21)," Ibid., p. 661. Christian faith and about Jesus, perhaps Times Book Review, February 25, 1990, p. 40. 15. Ibid., p. 660. (All following Restak citations are also from this 16. Landsborough's Moffat translation uses longing to speak with him. Such intense one-page article.) "stake" for "thorn." preoccupation would have been enough 2. Stuart Sutherland, "What Your Brain Is 17. Ibid., p. 660. to trigger a hallucinated conversation.13 Up To," New York Times Book Review, January 18. Ibid. (King James Translation: "Ye know 14, 1990, p. 18. (All following Sutherland citations how through infirmity of the flesh I preached Paul had several other seizures. He are also from this one-page article.) unto you at the first.") refers to an "abundance of revelations": 3. "Most gladly therefore will I glory in my 19. Ibid., p. 663. • The one on the road to Damascus was not an isolated event.14 These seizures Audiotapes from FREE INQUIRY's 1990 Conference were accompanied by what Paul called his "thorn in the flesh," which may have "Humanism and Liberty" are now available

been a "disagreeable sequel [to his] ❑ Session 1: Religion & Liberty ❑ Session 4: Humanism & Feminism/African (2 Tapes $8.95) Americans for Humanism (1 Tape $6.95) delectable and ecstatic" visions15 : ❑ Luncheon-Alan Dershowitz (1 Tape $6.95) ❑ Session 5: Roots of Religious Liberty (2 Tapes $8.95) ❑ Session 2: Humanism & Atheism [The thorn suggests] a recurring (1 Tape $6.95) ❑ Session 6A: Raising Children unpleasant motor disturbance [follow- Humanistically (2 Tapes $8.95) ing pre-seizure auras:] If Paul's ❑ Session 3: Humanist Laureates (2 Tapes $8.95) ❑ Session 6B: Love & Liberty/Sexual ecstatic visions represented the auras Freedom (1 Tape $6.95) of TLE then ... his "[thorn]16 in the ❑ Banquet-Paul Kurtz, Gordon Stein, Ishmael Dan Barker ❑ Session 7: Humanism, Libertarianism, flesh" was the supervention . . . of Jaffree, Stephen Jay Gould, (2 Tapes $8.95) Altruism (3 Tapes $10.95) ... grand mal seizure[s].17 D Complete set: (17 Tapes $70.00) Surprisingly, Landsborough does not Charge my ❑ Visa DMasterCard ❑ Check or money order enclosed Total $ elaborate on a piece of evidence he gives # Exp Signature

from one of St. Paul's letters: "Although Name it was because of an illness ... that I preached the gospel to you ..." (Gal. Street

4:13).18 It seems clear that Paul's illness, City State Zip rather than his intellect, prompted him FREE INQUIRY, Box 5, Central Park Station, Buffalo NY 14215-0005 to preach. Richard Restak objects to Suther- Or call toll-free 1-800-458-1366. 6/91

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