title: Passing through the wall: on outings, exodus, angels, and the ark.
abstract: Classicists have argued that angels in Christian theology were modeled on the eunuchs of antiquity; with angels providing the same services to the Lord in Heaven that eunuchs provided to emperors on Earth. I apply this idea toward understanding the cherubim on the ark in Exodus 25 and the death of Aaron's sons in Leviticus 10. I also suggest that the angel-eunuch analogy can help us understand the psychological impact of androgen deprivation therapy on modern prostate cancer patients. Appreciating this analogy can help prostate cancer patients accept and adapt to the changes they experience.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, Dalhousie University, Sir Charles Tupper Medical Building, 5850 College Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 1X5, Canada. tadpole@dal.ca
authors.forename: Richard Joel
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Wassersug
mesh_terms: D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D001633:Bible; D005058:Eunuchism; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D012069:Religion and Psychology
chemical_list: D000726:Androgen Antagonists