therapeia

Therapeia is a Greek term (from θεραπεία, therapeia) meaning service, care, healing, or treatment. It derives from the verb θεραπεύω (therapeuo), “to attend to, serve, heal,” and is the linguistic ancestor of the English words therapy and therapeutics. In ancient Greek medicine, therapiea referred to the practice and methods used to cure disease and restore health, distinguishing the therapeutic arts from diagnosis or prognosis.

Beyond medicine, therapeia also carried a broader sense of service or care in religious and philosophical contexts. In Hellenistic and Jewish-Christian literature, the term could denote ministry, care of the soul, or ritual service. The Therapeutae, a Jewish ascetic group described by Philo of Alexandria, are linked to this root; their name comes from the same Greek element related to service or care, and they are cited in discussions of early contemplative life in the Greco-Roman world.

In modern usage, therapeia forms the basis of the English terms therapy and therapeutics. It encompasses the science and practice of treating illness, as well as various modalities aimed at healing, such as pharmacological regimens, physical therapy, and psychological interventions. The concept remains central to medicine, psychology, and related health disciplines, reflecting a long-standing idea of healing through guided care and intervention. See also: therapy, therapeutics, psychotherapy, physical therapy.