Health

The Basileias, associated with Basil of Caesarea in the late fourth century, is an important example of a Christian philanthropic complex that cared for poor and sick people, including those with leprosy. It did not create care from nothing: Greek, Roman and other societies had healing sites, medical traditions and institutions before it. The historical case is that Christian teaching helped turn care for vulnerable strangers into durable charitable institutions.

The chain below follows one significant line from Christian teaching and late-antique philanthropy into medieval care institutions. Modern hospitals also reflect medical advances, state policy, public health, war, charitable giving and non-Christian traditions. This case argues for an important historical contribution, not a sole origin.