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Miracle is a term used by adherents of many religions
for what they say is an intervention by God in the universe. One must keep in mind that in Judaism, Christianity, Islam and in other faiths
people have substantially different definitions of the word "miracle". Even within a specific religion there is often more than
one usage of the term.
Miracles as proof of the existence of God
Theologians of diverse religious traditions assert that miracles, if
established, are logical proof of the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient, and all-benevolent God. Pursuant to
this line of reasoning, a miracle can be defined as a violation of natural
law by a supernatural being. To wit:
- There are events that seem to be miracles.
- The best explanation for these events is that they were performed by a supernatural being.
- Therefore, there is probably a supernatural being (i.e., God) that performs what appear to be miracles.
The most obvious problem with this formally valid argument is that while the
existence of miracles may imply the existence of a supernatural miracle worker, that supernatural miracle worker need not be an
omnipotent, omniscient, and all-benevolent God; it could be any supernatural being. Moreover, some argue that miracles, if
established, are evidence that a perfect God does not exist, as such a being would not want to, or need to, violate its own
natural laws. Roman
Catholic theologians accept this reasoning, and only conclude that the miracles are from an omnipotent God, because they
believed to have previously logically proven (through concepts like the prime mover) that there must be a single omnipotent, omniscient, God.
Miracles as described by the Bible
The description of most miracles in the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible, Old Testament) and in the Christian New Testament are more or less the same as the modern-day, popular definition of
the word "miracle": In order to achieve some goal, or to teach some lesson, God apparently suspends or speeds up the laws of nature to produce a supernatural occurrence. This appears to be by either violating the known laws of physics, skewing the
statistical probability of an event happening, or possibly both. The Bible
rarely if ever explains in any detail how miracles happen, other than attributing them to God. The Bible also attributes many
natural occurrences to God, such as the sun rising and setting, and rain falling.
Today many Orthodox Jews, most Christians, and most Muslims
adhere to this view of miracles. This view is generally rejected by non-Orthodox Jews, liberal Christians and
Unitarian-Universalists.
Miracles in the Bible may not actually be instances of the impossible happening, as commonly believed. For instance, consider
the parting of the Sea of Reeds
(In Hebrew Yâm-Sûph; often mistranslated as the "Red Sea") This incident
occurred when Moses and Israelites fled
from bondage in Egypt, to begin their exodus
to the promised land. The book of Exodus never says that the Reed Sea split in an
immediate and drastic fashion. Rather, according to the text God caused a strong wind to
slowly drive the shallow waters to land, overnight. In this case, there is no claim that God pushed apart the sea as it is shown
in many films; rather, the miracle would be that Israel crossed this precise place, at exactly the right time, when Moses lifted
his staff, and that the pursuing Egyptian army, then drowned when the wind stopped and the piled waters rushed back in.
Most events later described as miracles are not labeled as such by the Bible; rather the text simply describes what happened.
Often these narratives will attribute the cause of these events to God.
Miracles as events pre-planned by God
In rabbinic Judaism, most rabbis of the
Talmud held that the laws of nature were inviolable. The idea of miracles that
contravened the laws of nature were hard to accept; however, at the same time they affirmed the truth of the accounts in the
Tanakh. Therefore some explained that miracles were in fact natural events that had
been set up by God at the beginning of time. When the walls of Jericho fell, it was
not because God directly brought them down. Rather, God planned that there would be an earthquake at that place and time, so that the city would fall to the Israelites. Instances where rabbinic
writings say that God made miracles a part of creation include Midrash Genesis Rabbah 5:45; Midrash Exodus Rabbah 21:6; and Ethics of the Fathers/Pirkei Avot 5:6.
Aristotelian views of miracles
Aristotle rejected the idea that God could or would intervene in the order of
the natural world; his view of miracles was incompatible with Biblical view.
Neo-Aristotelian views of miracles
In this section we will describe the view of miracles in neo-Aristotelian philosophy. Jewish neo-Aristotelian
philosophers, who are still influential today, include Maimonides, Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon, and Gersonides. Directly or indirectly, their views are still prevalent in much of the
religious Jewish community. Christian and Muslim neo-Aristotelian philosophers should also be discussed in this section; also
please note if their works are still studied and accepted today, and if so, by whom.
Non-literal reinterpretations of miracles
Held by both classical and modern thinkers.
In Numbers 22 is the story of Balaam and the talking donkey. Many hold that for miracles such as this,
one must either assert the literal truth of this story, or one must then reject the story
as false. However, some Jewish commentators (e.g. Saadiah Gaon and Maimonides) hold that stories such as these
were never meant to be taken literally in the first place. Rather, these stories should be understood as accounts of a prophetic experience, which are dreams or visions. Rabbi Joseph H. Hertz, one of the great
Jewish biblical commentators of the 20th century, writes that these verses "depict the continuance on the subconscious plane of
the mental and moral conflict in Balaam's soul; and the dream apparition and the speaking donkey is but a further warning to
Balaam against being misled through avarice to violate God's command."
Miracles as seen by the Church Fathers
Early Christian writers of the first few centuries appear to take the biblical stories of miracles at face value. In addition,
they report additional miracles that happened in later centuries. The purposes of miracles vary, but recurring themes are
miracles done for the benefit of a person, such as physical healing, or
raising from the dead; miracles done to prevent or discourage some evil from happening, such as Herod being consumed with
worms upon inviting people to worship him, or
various martyrs being found unusually difficult to kill, such as not being touched by
flames; and often times to increase the faith of those who witnessed or later heard of
the miracles, whether the faith of current believers or unbelievers moved to convert to Christianity after witnessing a
miracle.
Miracles as a product of Creative Art
Miracles are the product of creative story tellers. They use them to embellish a hero or incident with an artistic theological
flavor. They are stories inspired by faith and goodness that bring about wonder and surprise in the listener. Persons become
bigger than life, and certainly more memorable. Miracle, wonder, and magic stir the emotions of the listener more than the
mundane and ordinary. In the world of miracle, wonder and faith the imposssible become the possible. Through bravery and courage,
charity, sacrifice and reason Good always triumps over evil. Deep inside each person is the longing to see the extraordinary,
undenial, proof of goodness and divine love; and a personal desire for someone (perhaps even ourselves) to be special and possess
wondrous powers to right wrongs for someone's benefit.
Story tellers know miracle stories inspire wondrous deeds. Everyone wants to be a hero and bring about happiness. In these
stories these deeds happen, dispelling doubt and uplifting faith.
Critical science and history take a back seat. Those far outside the world of the artistic story teller have difficulty
understanding: for them there is only fact and fiction. It is easy for modern to people stop believing. Many of our ancestors did
not. They held on to miracles and optimism in very brutal times.
See also
External references and link
- Eisen, Robert (1995). Gersonides on Providence, Covenant, and the Chosen People. State University of New York
Press.
- Goodman, Lenn E. (1985). Rambam: Readings in the Philosophy of Moses Maimonides. Gee Bee Tee.
- Kellner, Menachem (1986). Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought. Oxford University Press.
- Woodward, Kenneth L. (2000). The Book of Miracles. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0-684-82393-4.
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