Miracles Lesson 5 Biblical Miracles Maurice Wiles Mr

Miracles (Lesson 5): Biblical Miracles & Maurice Wiles Mr. De. Zilva – October 8 th 2013. – Philosophy of Religion

Biblical Miracles The Biblical tradition predates scientific ways of talking about the world and what we translate as ‘miracle’ had a different focus for the writers and readers of Biblical material.

Biblical Miracles In the New Testament the three terms we tend to translate into ‘miracle’ in English are: • Semeion – a ‘sign’ (focus on the purpose) • Teras – a ‘wonder’ (focus on the effect) • Dunamis – an ‘act of power’ (focus on cause) • Acts 2: 22 “. . Jesus. was a man accredited by God to you by miracles (dunamesi), wonders (terasi) and signs (semeiois). . which God did through him. . as yourselves know. ” The emphasis here is on the significance of the event; its impact on those who witnessed it. Notice that some Biblical miracles will not fit into the category of what we would call violations of laws of nature.

Your Task • One Strength and One Limitation from the Miracles that you had looked at for homework Strengths Weaknesses

Maurice Wiles "the world as a whole [is] a single act of God. ” - God is the sole creator of the universe, but does not intervene with it.

Maurice Wiles (1923 -2005) • Claimed that Christians believed there is only one act of God encompassing the world as a whole. • God never intervenes in the world by individual acts, and even if God did miracles, they would be rare and should not be trivial • Called Miracles “Interventions” • Miracles are not worthy of our worship, given that God has not been concerned enough to stop major atrocities

Wiles Cont’d • Morally objects the notion of a God who’s miracles are seemingly arbitrary and focused on trivial matters. • Doubts that miracles are consistent with a response to the problem of evil (will discuss soon) • The issue of God performing some miracles, but allowing so many terrible incidents • Concluded that God had to work in the world in other ways, but not with the sudden, random miracles for a chosen few.

Criticisms of Wiles • 1) The Bible states the God performs miracles, occasionally and this is how He operates • 2) Cannot judge God’s actions by human moral standards (i. e. it might be okay to save one blind person and allow Hiroshima) • 3) Misses the point of a miracle; are meant to have the revelatory purpose, as opposed to helping people in need.