The Oath

Asaf ha-Rofe’

8th or 9th Century

[1]‌ This is the pact which Asaph ben Berakhyahu and Yoḥanan ben Zabda made with their pupils, and they adjured them with the following words:

[2]‌ Do not attempt to kill any soul by means of a potion of herbs, [3] Do not make a woman [who is] pregnant [as a result of] of whoring take a drink with a view to causing abortion, [4] Do not covet beauty…

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These ethical guidelines for doctors appear at the end of The Book of Asaf (spelled here Asaph). The Hebrew text contains significant parallels to the ancient Hippocratic oath as well as the Greek Didache, likely of the first century, and the Latin Doctrina apostolorum, which closely parallels that work. Physicians must treat their patients with integrity and trust in the healing power of God.

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Related Guide

Intellectual Culture in the Early Medieval World

6th to 12th Century

Creator Bio

Asaf ha-Rofe’

8th or 9th Century

Little can be said with certainty about Asaf ha-Rofe’ (“Asaf the physician”), the author of a significant Hebrew medical compendium titled The Book of Asaf, also called the Book of Remedies (Sefer refu’ot). It is likely that the name Asaf is a pseudonym. Recent scholarship has highlighted Persian and Syriac influences on its contents, although the surviving text is probably a later composite.

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