Cornell University

14 November 1981

Miracles: True andFalse

Robert C. Newman

Introduction

Interestin miracles reviving in recent years.

Especiallyinterest, in contrast to my own college days at Duke, 1959-63.

Wesee a resurgence of the occult also.

Perhapsthe experiences of Carlos Castaneda have been influential.

Definition of Miracle

Dowe properly define “miracle” as a “violation of natural law”?

It is true thata miracle is thought of as something that doesn’t naturally happen.

But how do weknow it violates natural law?

Does a humanaction (say, picking up a pencil) violate natural law?

How well do weunderstand the universe?

            Sub-atomiclevel (an epistemological floor w/ events penetrating it)

Cosmologicallevel (time before the big-bang; space beyond telescope range)

Local level(space curvature & its implications re/ more than three spatial dimensions)

Human level(cybernetics & the problem of a machine initiating an action; consciousness& integration of stimuli; out-of-body experiences)

A suggesteddefinition:

            Basedon NT terms for miracle: δυναμις,θαυμα, σημειον

                        (actof power, marvel, sign)

A miracle is ahighly unusual event or combination of events which purports to be the resultof personal interaction with natural phenomena by means which transcend knownphysical laws.

Do MiraclesOccur?

            Somearguments against miracles:

Deductive: reduction ad absurdum: basedon miracle defined as violation of natural law vs God as lawful.

Inductive:

Hume (ConcerningHuman Understanding, §10): uniformexperience against miracle, so accept any natural explanation first.

Harnack (Whatis Christianity, 24-25): ancients expectedmiracles, didn’t understand nature.

Bultmann (JesusChrist & Mythology, 15): universe is aclosed system of cause and effect.

Evidence for themiraculous:

            Uniformhuman experience is not against themiraculous!

            Miraclesreported in every culture & age.

                        Yetnature is scientifically reliable.

                        Ageneral tendency for miracles to be done “in a corner.”

                        Butnot universally so:

                                    e.g.,Fatima, 13 Oct 1917, seen by 70,000 people

            Doone right here?

                        Sorry!  God’s general procedure is to remainsilent (Ps 50:3, 21).

            Fulfillmentof prophecy: some examples

                        (1)Babylon deserted (Jer 51:42-43)

                        (2)Idols of Memphis disappear (Ezk 30:13)

                        (3)Tyre’s dust scraped up & thrown in sea (Ezk 26:4, 12)

                        (4)Israel’s future (Hos 3:4-5)

                        (5)Time of Messiah (Gen 49:10; Dan 9:24-27)

                        (6)Light to Gentiles (Isa 49:6)

                        (7)Israel regathered (Isa 11:11ff)

                        (8)Jeconiah cursed (Jer 22:30)

                        (9)Control of Jerusalem (Luke 21:24)

                        (10)Status of Temple (Matt 24:2; 2 Thess 2:4)

                        (11)Capernaum, Chorazin, Bethsaida (Matt 11:20-24)

                        (12)Moral conditions of last days (2 Tim 3:1-5)

                        (13)NT model of Messiah (see my paper)

                        (14)Christ buried (Isa 53:9)

True &False Miracles

            Twopossible distinctions can be involved in these terms:

#	True	False	Comment
1	Really miraculous	Not really miraculous	Not all strange events are miraculous.
2	Good guide	Misleading	Re/ meaning of life

            Therefore,we need to be able to test miracles.

            Buthow?

                        For#1, use knowledge of nature, but may well be mistaken;

                                    willprobably have numerous borderline cases.

                        For#2, Bible indicates this problem exists, gives important tests:

                                    RecallMoses & magicians (Exodus 7 and 8)

                                    Antichrist(2 Thessalonians 2:9)

                                    1John 4:1 – try the spirits

                        Thetests:

                                    (1)No failures:

                                                Prophecy(Deut 18:20-21)

                                                Miraculousacts (1 Kings 18, esp. vv 21, 37)

                                    (2)Same God (Deut 13:1ff; 1 John 4:1-2)

            (3)Same Gospel (Gal 1:6-9)

Conclusions

Life isdangerous; we have to make many decisions which have long-range consequences;some such decisions cannot be avoided; remember Pascal’s wager.

Two foolisherrors here:

(1) To deny themiraculous because you don’t like the kind of world in which such would exist.

(2) To acceptthe miraculous without any concern whether all that is miraculous is on theside of good.

This is far tooimportant a decision to leave to others to make for you.