Miracle

For other uses, seeMiracle (disambiguation).

"Miraculous" redirects here. For the animated television series, seeMiraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir.

Amiracleis an event that is inexplicable bynaturalorscientific lawsand accordingly gets attributed to somesupernaturalorpraeternaturalcause. Variousreligionsoften attribute a phenomenon characterized as miraculous to the actions of a supernatural being, (especially) adeity,amiracle worker,asaint,or areligious leader.

Informally, English-speakers often use the wordmiracleto characterise any beneficial event that is statistically unlikely but not contrary to thelaws of nature,such as surviving anatural disaster,or simply a "wonderful" occurrence, regardless of likelihood (e.g. "the miracle of childbirth" ). Somecoincidencesmay be seen as miracles.

A true miracle would, by definition, be a non-natural phenomenon, leading many writers to dismiss miracles as physically impossible (that is, requiring violation of established laws of physics within their domain of validity) or impossible to confirm by their nature (because all possible physical mechanisms can never be ruled out). The former position is expressed (for instance) byThomas Jefferson,and the latter byDavid Hume.Theologianstypically say that, withdivine providence,Godregularly works throughnatureyet, as acreator,may work without, above, or against it as well.

Definitions

The wordmiracleis usually used to describe any beneficial event that is physically impossible or impossible to confirm by nature.Wayne Grudemdefines a miracle as "a less common kind ofGod's activity in which he arouses people's awe and wonder and bears witness to himself. "A deistic perspective of God's relation to the world defines a miracle as adirect interventionof God into the world.

Naturalistic explanations

A miracle may be false information or simply a fictional story, rather than something that truly happened. A miracle experience may be due tocognitive errors(e.g.overthinking,jumping to conclusions) orpsychological errors(e.g.hallucinations) ofwitnesses.Use of some drugs such aspsychedelics(e.g.ecstasy) may produce similar effects toreligious experiences.

Law of truly large numbers

Main articles:Law of truly large numbersandLittlewood's law

Statistically improbable events are sometimes called miracles. For instance, when three classmates coincidentally meet in a different country decades after having left school, they may consider thismiraculous.However, a colossal number of events happen every moment on Earth; thus, extremely unlikely coincidences also happen every moment. Events consideredimpossibleare therefore not so – they are just increasingly rare and dependent on the number of individual events. British mathematicianJ. E. Littlewoodsuggested that individuals should statistically expect one-in-a-million events to happen to them at the rate of about one per month. By his definition, seemingly miraculous events are actually commonplace.

Supernatural explanations

A miracle is a phenomenon not explained by knownlaws of nature.The criteria for classifying an event as a miracle vary. Often areligious text,such as theBibleorQuran,states that a miracle occurred, and believers may accept this as fact.

Philosophical explanations

Aristotelian and Neo-Aristotelian

TheAristotelian view of Godhas God as pure actualityand considers him as the prime mover doing only what a perfect being can do, think.Jewishneo-Aristotelianphilosopherswho are still influential today includeMaimonides,Samuel ben Judah ibn Tibbon,andGersonides.Directly or indirectly, their views are stillprevalent in much of the religious Jewish community.

Baruch Spinoza

See also:Epistemic theory of miracles

In hisTractatus Theologico-Politicus,the philosopherSpinozaclaims that miracles are merely lawlike events of whose causes we are ignorant.We should not treat them as having no cause or of having a cause immediately available. Rather the miracle is for combating the ignorance it entails, like a political project.

David Hume

Main article:Of Miracles

According to the philosopherDavid Hume,a miracle is "a transgression of a law of nature by a particular volition of the Deity, or by the interposition of some invisible agent".The crux of his argument is this: "No testimony is sufficient to establish a miracle, unless the testimony be of such a kind, that its falsehood would be more miraculous, than the fact which it endeavours to establish." By Hume's definition, a miracle goes against our regular experience of how the universe works. As miracles are single events, the evidence for them is always limited and we experience them rarely. On the basis of experience and evidence, the probability that miracle occurred is always less than the probability that it did not occur. As it is rational to believe what is more probable, we are not supposed to have a good reason to believe that a miracle occurred.

Friedrich Schleiermacher

According to theChristian theologianFriedrich Schleiermacher"every event, even the most natural and usual, becomes a miracle as soon as the religious view of it can be the dominant".

Søren Kierkegaard

The philosopherSøren Kierkegaard,following Hume andJohann Georg Hamann,a Humean scholar, agrees with Hume's definition of a miracle as a transgression of a law of nature,but Kierkegaard, writing as his pseudonymJohannes Climacus,regards any historical reports to be less than certain, including historical reports of miracles, as all historical knowledge is always doubtful and open to approximation.

James Keller

James Kellerstates that the "claim that God has worked a miracle implies that God has singled out certain persons for some benefit which many others do not receive implies that God is unfair."

Religious views

According to a 2011 poll by the Pew Research Center, more than 90 percent ofevangelical Christiansbelieve miracles still take place.While Christians see God as sometimes intervening in human activities, Muslims see Allah as a direct cause of all events. "God's overwhelming closeness makes it easy for Muslims to admit the miraculous in the world."

Buddhism

Main article:Miracles of Gautama Buddha

TheHaedong Kosung-jonof Korea (Biographies of High Monks) records that KingBeopheung of Sillahad desired to promulgate Buddhism as the state religion. However, officials in his court opposed him. In the fourteenth year of his reign, Beopheung's "Grand Secretary",Ichadon,devised a strategy to overcome court opposition. Ichadon schemed with the king, convincing him to make a proclamation granting Buddhism official state sanction using the royal seal. Ichadon told the king to deny having made such a proclamation when the opposing officials received it and demanded an explanation. Instead, Ichadon would confess and accept the punishment of execution, for what would quickly be seen as a forgery. Ichadon prophesied to the king that at his execution a wonderful miracle would convince the opposing court faction of Buddhism's power. Ichadon's scheme went as planned, and the opposing officials took the bait. According to legend when Ichadon was executed on the 15th day of the 9th month in 527, his prophecy was fulfilled; the earth shook, the sun was darkened, beautiful flowers rained from the sky, his severed head flew to the sacred Geumgang mountains, and milk instead of blood sprayed 100 feet in the air from his beheaded corpse. The omen was accepted by the opposing court officials as a manifestation of heaven's approval, and Buddhism was made the state religion in 527 CE.

TheHonchō Hokke Reigenki(c. 1040) of Japan contains a collection of Buddhist miracle stories.

Miracles play an important role in the veneration of Buddhist relics in Southern Asia. Thus, Somawathie Stupa in Sri Lanka is an increasingly popular site of pilgrimage and tourist destination thanks to multiple reports about miraculous rays of light, apparitions and modernlegends,which often have been fixed in photographs and movies.

Christianity

Main articles:Miracles of JesusandGift of miracles

TheMiracle of the Slave,a 1548 painting by Tintoretto, from the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice. It portrays an episode of the life ofSaint Mark,patron saint of Venice, taken fromJacobus de Voragine'sGolden Legend.The scene shows a saint intervening to make a slave who is about to be martyred invulnerable.

The gospels record three sorts of miracles performed by Jesus:exorcisms,cures, and natural wonders.In theGospel of John,the miracles are referred to as "signs" and the emphasis is on God demonstrating his underlying normal activity in remarkable ways.In the New Testament, the greatest miracle is theresurrection of Jesus,the event central to Christian faith.

Jesus explains in theNew Testamentthat miracles are performed byfaithin God. "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'move from here to there' and it will move." (Gospel of Matthew17:20). After Jesus returned to heaven, the Book of Acts records the disciples of Jesus praying to God to grant that miracles be done in his name for the purpose of convincing onlookers that he is alive. (Acts4:29–31).

Other passages mentionfalse prophetswho will be able to perform miracles to deceive "if possible, even the elect of Christ" (Matthew 24:24). 2 Thessalonians 2:9 says, "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the Truth, that they might be saved." Revelation 13:13,14 says, "And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live." Revelation 16:14 says, "For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Revelation 19:20 says, "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." These passages indicate that signs, wonders, and miracles are not necessarily committed by God. These miracles not committed by God are labeled as false(pseudo) miracles though which could mean that they are deceptive in nature and are not the same as the true miracles committed by God.

Inearly Christianitymiracles were the most often attested motivations for conversions ofpagans;pagan Romans took the existence of miracles for granted; Christian texts reporting them offered miracles as divine proof of the Christian God's unique claim to authority, relegating all other gods to the lower status ofdaimones:"of all worships, the Christian best and most particularly advertised its miracles by driving out of spirits andlaying on of hands".TheGospel of Johnis structured around miraculous "signs": The success of the Apostles according to the church historianEusebius of Caesarealay in their miracles: "though laymen in their language", he asserted, "they drew courage from divine, miraculous powers".Theconversion of Constantineby a miraculous sign in heaven is a prominent fourth-century example.

Since theAge of Enlightenment,miracles have often needed to be rationalized:C.S. Lewis,Norman Geisler,William Lane Craig,and other 20th-century Christians have argued that miracles are reasonable and plausible. For example, Lewis said that a miracle is something that comes totally out of the blue. If for thousands of years a woman can become pregnant only by sexual intercourse with a man, then if she were to become pregnant without a man, it would be a miracle.Others argue that Jesus's healing miracles dealt withconversionandsomatization disorders,could manifest asblindness,paralysisetc.In a Mediterranean context, healing was also defined as restoring a person's social standing. Some diseases, likeleprosy,caused immense social stigma.

There have been numerous claims of miracles by people of most Christian denominations, including but not limited tofaith healingsand exorcisms. Miracle reports are especially prevalent inRoman CatholicismandPentecostalorCharismaticchurches.

Catholic Church

See also:Marian apparition,Eucharistic Miracle,Stigmata,Weeping statue,Moving statues,Visions of Jesus and Mary,Incorruptibility,andPerceptions of religious imagery in natural phenomena

TheCatholic Churchbelieves miracles are works ofGod,either directly, or through the prayers andintercessionsof a specificsaintor saints. There is usually a specific purpose connected to a miracle, e.g. the conversion of a person or persons to the Catholic faith or the construction of a church desired by God. The church says that it tries to be very cautious to approve the validity of putative miracles. The Catholic Church also says that it maintains particularly stringent requirements in validating the miracle's authenticity.The process is overseen by theCongregation for the Causes of Saints.

The Catholic Church has listed several events as miracles, some of them occurring in modern times. Before a person can be accepted as a saint, they must be posthumously confirmed to have performed two miracles. In the procedure ofbeatification of Pope John Paul II,who died in 2005, the Vatican announced on 14 January 2011 thatPope Benedict XVIhad confirmed that the recovery of Marie Simon-Pierre fromParkinson's diseasewas a miracle.

Among the more notable miracles approved by the church are severalEucharistic miracleswherein thesacramental speciesof bread and wine attain the accidents of human flesh and blood. Prominent examples are theMiracle of Lancianoand ofSantarém.

According to 17th century documents, a young Spanishman's leg was miraculously restoredto him in 1640 after having been amputated two and a half years earlier.

Another miracle approved by the church is theMiracle of the Sun,which is said to have occurred nearFátima, Portugalon October 13, 1917. According to legend, between 70,000 and 100,000 people, who were gathered at acovenear Fátima, witnessed the sunlight dim and change colors, and the Sun spin, dance about in the sky, and appear to plummet towards Earth, radiating great heat in the process. After the ten-minute event, the ground and the people's clothing, which had been drenched by a previous rainstorm, were both dry.

Velankanni(Mary) can be traced to the mid-16th century and is attributed to three miracles: the apparition ofMaryand theChristChild to a slumbering shepherd boy, the curing of a lame buttermilk vendor, and the rescue ofPortuguesesailors from a violent sea storm.

In addition to these, the Catholic Church attributes miraculous causes to many otherwise inexplicable phenomena on a case-by-case basis. Only after all other possible explanations have been asserted to be inadequate will the church assumedivine interventionand declare the miracle worthy of veneration by their followers. The church does not, however, enjoin belief in any extra-Scriptural miracle as anarticle of faithor as necessary forsalvation.

Thomas Aquinas,a prominentDoctor of the Church,divided miracles into three types in hisSumma contra Gentiles:

Things that are at times divinely accomplished, apart from the generally established order in things, are customarily called miracles; for we admire with some astonishment a certain event when we observe the effect but do not know its cause. And since one and the same cause is at times known to some people and unknown to others, the result is that of several who see an effect at the same time, some are moved to admiring astonishment, while others are not. For instance, the astronomer is not astonished when he sees an eclipse of the sun, for he knows its cause, but the person who is ignorant of this science must be amazed, for he ignores the cause. And so, a certain event is wondrous to one person, but not so to another. So, a thing that has a completely hidden cause is wondrous in an unqualified way, and this the name, miracle, suggests; namely, what is of itself filled with admirable wonder, not simply in relation to one person or another. Now, absolutely speaking, the cause hidden from every man is God. In fact, we proved above that no man in the present state of life can grasp His essence intellectually. Therefore, those things must properly be called miraculous which are done by divine power apart from the order generally followed in things.

Now, there are various degrees and orders of these miracles. Indeed, the highest rank among miracles is held by those events in which something is done by God which nature never could do. For example, that two bodies should be coincident; that the sun reverse its course, or stand still; that the sea open up and offer a way through which people may pass. And even among these an order may be observed. For the greater the things that God does are, and the more they are removed from the capacity of nature, the greater the miracle is. Thus, it is more miraculous for the sun to reverse its course than for the sea to be divided.

Then, the second degree among miracles is held by those events in which God does something which nature can do, but not in this order. It is a work of nature for an animal to live, to see, and to walk; but for it to live after death, to see after becoming blind, to walk after paralysis of the limbs, this nature cannot do—but God at times does such works miraculously. Even among this degree of miracles a gradation is evident, according as what is done is more removed from the capacity of nature.

Now, the third degree of miracles occurs when God does what is usually done by the working of nature, but without the operation of the principles of nature. For example, a person may be cured by divine power from a fever which could be cured naturally, and it may rain independently of the working of the principles of nature.

Evangelicalism

For a majority ofEvangelicalChristians,biblicismensures that the miracles described in the Bible are still relevant and may be present in the life of the believer.Healings, academic or professional successes, the birth of a child after several attempts, the end of anaddiction,etc., would be tangible examples of God's intervention with thefaithandprayer,by theHoly Spirit.In the 1980s, theneo-charismatic movementre-emphasized miracles andfaith healing.In certain churches, a special place is thus reserved for faith healings with laying on of hands duringworship servicesor for campaigns evangelization.Faith healing or divine healing is considered to be an inheritance ofJesusacquired by his death and resurrection.

Hinduism

In Hinduism, miracles are focused on episodes of liberation of the spirit.A key example is the revelation ofKrishnatoArjuna,wherein Krishna persuades Arjuna to rejoin the battle against his cousins by briefly and miraculously giving Arjuna the power to see the true scope of the Universe, and its sustainment within Krishna, which requires divine vision. This is a typical situation in Hindu mythology wherein "wondrous acts are performed for the purpose of bringing spiritual liberation to those who witness or read about them."

Hindu sages have criticized both expectation and reliance on miracles as cheats, situations where people have sought to earn a benefit without doing the work necessary to merit it.Miracles continue to be occasionally reported in the practice of Hinduism, with an example of a miracle modernly reported in Hinduism being theHindu milk miracleof September 1995, with additional occurrences in 2006 and 2010, wherein statues of certain Hindu deities were seen to drink milk offered to them. The scientific explanation for the incident, attested by Indian academics, was that the material was wicked from the offering bowls bycapillary action.

Islam

Main articles:Islamic view of miracles,Quran and miracles,andMiracles of Muhammad

See also:Occasionalism

In theQuran,a miracle can be defined as a supernatural intervention in the life of human beings.According to this definition, miracles are present "in a threefold sense: in sacredhistory,in connection withMuhammadhimself and in relation torevelation".The Quran does not use the technicalArabicword for miracle (Muʿd̲j̲iza) literally meaning "that by means of which [the Prophet] confounds, overwhelms, his opponents". It rather uses the term 'Ayah' (literally meaning sign).The termAyahis used in the Quran in the above-mentioned threefold sense: it refers to the "verses" of the Quran (believed to be the divine speech inhuman language;presented by Muhammad as his chief miracle); as well as to miracles of it and the signs (particularly those of creation).

To defend the possibility of miracles and God's omnipotence against the encroachment of the independent secondary causes, some medievalMuslim theologianssuch asAl-Ghazalirejected the idea ofcause and effectin essence, but accepted it as something that facilitates humankind's investigation and comprehension of natural processes. They argued that the nature was composed of uniform atoms that were "re-created" at every instant by God. Thus, if the soil was to fall, God would have to create and re-create the accident of heaviness for as long as the soil was to fall. For Muslim theologians, the laws of nature were only the customary sequence of apparent causes: customs of God.

Sufibiographical literature records claims of miraculous accounts of men and women. The miraculous prowess of the Sufi holy men includesfirasa(clairvoyance), the ability to disappear from sight, to become completely invisible and practiceburuz(exteriorization). The holy men reportedly tame wild beasts and traverse long distances in a very short time span. They could also produce food and rain in seasons of drought, heal the sick and help barren women conceive.

Judaism

Descriptions of miracles (HebrewNess, נס) appear in theTanakh.Examples include prophets, such asElijahwho performed miracles like theraising of a widow's dead son(1 Kings 17:17–24) andElishawhose miracles include multiplying the poor widow's jar of oil (2 Kings 4:1–7) andrestoring to lifethe son of the woman of Shunem (2 Kings 4:18–37). TheTorahdescribes many miracles related toMosesduring his time as a prophet andthe Exodusof the Israelites.Parting the Red Sea,and facilitating thePlagues of Egyptare among the most famous.

During the first century BCE, a variety of religious movements and splinter groups developed amongst the Jews inJudea.A number of individuals claimed to be miracle workers in the tradition ofMoses,Elijah,andElisha,the Jewish prophets. The Talmud provides some examples of such Jewish miracle workers, one of whom isHoni HaM'agel,who was famous for his ability to successfully pray for rain.

There are people who obscure all miracles by explaining them in terms of the laws of nature. When these heretics who do not believe in miracles disappear and faith increases in the world, then the Mashiach will come. For the essence of the Redemption primarily depends on this – that is, on faith

— Rebbe Nachman of Breslov

MostChasidiccommunities are rife with tales of miracles that follow ayechidut,a spiritual audience with atzadik:barren women become pregnant, cancer tumors shrink, wayward children become pious.ManyHasidimclaim that miracles can take place in merit of partaking of theshirayim(the leftovers from therebbe's meal), such as miraculous healing or blessings of wealth or piety.

Criticism

Rationalist, sceptic, and godman debunkerNarendra Nayakduring a miracle-exposure program in 2007.

Thomas Paine,one of theFounding Fathersof theAmerican Revolution,wrote "All the tales of miracles, with which the Old and New Testament are filled, are fit only for impostors to preach and fools to believe."

Thomas Jefferson,principal author of theDeclaration of Independence of the United States,edited a version of the Bible in which he removed sections of the New Testament containing supernatural aspects as well as perceived misinterpretations he believed had been added by the Four Evangelists.Jefferson wrote, "The establishment of the innocent and genuine character of this benevolent moralist, and the rescuing it from the imputation of imposture, which has resulted from artificial systems, [footnote: e.g. The immaculate conception of Jesus, his deification, the creation of the world by him, his miraculous powers, his resurrection and visible ascension, his corporeal presence in the Eucharist, the Trinity; original sin, atonement, regeneration, election, orders of Hierarchy, etc. —T.J.] invented by ultra-Christian sects, unauthorized by a single word ever uttered by him, is a most desirable object, and one to whichPriestleyhas successfully devoted his labors and learning. "

American Revolutionary WarpatriotEthan Allenwrote, "In those parts of the world where learning and science have prevailed, miracles have ceased; but in those parts of it as are barbarous and ignorant, miracles are still in vogue."

Robert Ingersollwrote, "Not 20 people were convinced by the reported miracles of Christ, and yet people of the nineteenth century were coolly asked to be convinced on hearsay by miracles which those who are supposed to have seen them refused to credit."

Elbert Hubbard,American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher, wrote "A miracle is an event described by those to whom it was told by people who did not see it."

BiologistRichard Dawkinshas criticised the belief in miracles as a subversion ofOccam's razor.

MathematicianCharles Hermite,in a discourse upon the world of mathematical truths and the physical world, stated that "The synthesis of the two is revealed partially in the marvellous correspondence between abstract mathematics on the one hand and all the branches of physics on the other".

Baden Powell,an English mathematician and Church of England priest, stated that if God is a lawgiver, then a "miracle" would break the lawful edicts that had been issued at Creation. Therefore, a belief in miracles would be entirely atheistic.

See also

• A Course in Miracles– 1976 book by Helen Schucman
• Act of God– Natural disaster outside human control, for which no person is at fault
• Cessationism– Christian theological disputePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• Deus ex machina– Contrived device to resolve the plot of a dramatic work
• Lourdes effect– Skeptical theory regarding the ambiguity of miracles
• Magic and religion
• Miracles(book)– Book written by C. S. Lewis
• Miracles of Joseph Smith– aspect of historyPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback
• Natural Supernaturalism– Philosophical concept developed by Thomas Carlyle
• Our Lady of Lourdes– A title of Mary, mother of Jesus
• Our Lady of Medjugorje– Alleged visions of Mary, mother of Jesus
• Paranormal– Purported phenomena beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding
• Pieter De Rudder– Lourdes miracle (1822-1898)Pages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback
• Relic– Object of religious significance from the past
• Royal touch– Healing power supposedly possessed by monarchs
• Scientific skepticism– Questioning of claims lacking empirical evidence
• Signs and wonders– Experiences that are perceived to be miraculous
• Snake oil– Euphemism for false advertising
• Spontaneous remission– Diminution or abatement of a disease over time, without formal treatment ( "medical miracles" )
• Superstitions in Muslim societies– Folk belief in Islam

Notes and references

General references and books

• Brown, Colin.Miracles and the Critical Mind.Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1984.
• Desmond, Adrian;Moore, James(1991).Darwin.London: Michael Joseph, Penguin Group.ISBN0-7181-3430-3.
• Chavda, Mahesh.Only Love Can Make a Miracle.Charlotte: Mahesh Chavda Ministries, 1990.
• Bontrager, Krista, "It's a Miracle! Or, is it?",Reasons.orgArchived2006-02-07 at theWayback Machine
• 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.
• Humphreys, Colin J.Miracles of Exodus.Harper, San Francisco, 2003.
• Kellner, Menachem (1986).Dogma in Medieval Jewish Thought.Oxford University Press.
• Lewis, C.S.Miracles: A Preliminary Study.New York, Macmillan Co., 1947.
• Moule, C. F. D.(ed.).Miracles: Cambridge Studies in their Philosophy and History.London, A.R. Mowbray 1966, ©1965 (Survey of Biblical miracles as well).
• Twelftree, Graham.Jesus the Miracle Worker: A Historical and Theological Study.IVP, 1999.
• Woodward, Kenneth L. (2000).The Book of Miracles.New York:Simon & Schuster.ISBN0684823934.
• Keener, Craig S. (2011).Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts.Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.ISBN978-0801039522.OCLC699760418.

Further reading

• Ton BerseeOn the Meaning of 'Miracle' in Christianity. An Evaluation of the Current Miracle Debate and a Proposal of a Balanced Hermeneutical Approach,Peeters Publishers, 2021
• Stephen BroganThe Royal Touch in Early Modern England: Politics, Medicine and Sin,Royal Historical Society, 2015
• H. A. DrakeA Century of Miracles: Christians, Pagans, Jews and the Supernatural, 312–410,Oxford University Press, 2017ISBN978-0199367412
• Houdini, HarryMiracle Mongers and Their Methods: A Complete ExposePrometheus Books;Reprint edition (1993) originally published in 1920ISBN0-87975-817-1.
• Robert KnappThe Dawn of Christianity: People and Gods in a Time of Magic and Miracles,Profile books, Great Britain, 2017ISBN978-1781252079
• Marvin Meyerand Richard SmithAncient Christian Magic: Coptic Texts of Ritual PowerPrinceton University Press, 1999
• D. Michaelides (editor)Medicine and Healing in the Ancient Mediterranean World,Oxbow Books, 2014
• Joe NickellLooking for a Miracle: Weeping Icons, Relics, Stigmata, Visions & Healing Cures,Prometheus Books, 1997
• William A. NolenHealing: A Doctor in Search of a Miracle,Random House, 1975
• Roy PorterThe Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity,W.W. Norton & Co., 1997
• James RandiThe Faith Healers,Prometheus Books, 1987
• Matthew Rowley and Natasha Hodgson (eds),Miracles, Political Authority and Violence in Medieval and Early Modern History.London, Routledge, 2022
• Andrew Dickson White(1896 first edition. A classic work constantly reprinted)A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom,See chapter 13, part 2,Growth of Legends of Healing: the life ofSaint Francis Xavieras a typical example.
• Rory RoybalMiracles or Magic?.Xulon Press, 2005.
• Graves, Wilfred(2007).Popular and elite understandings of miracles in enlightened England. A dissertation submitted to the Center for Advanced Theological Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.Pasadena, CA: Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Theology.ISBN9780549274575.

External links

• Miraclesarticle in theInternet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
• Skepdic.com,Skeptic's Dictionary on miracles
• Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913)."Miracle".Catholic Encyclopedia.New York: Robert Appleton Company.
• Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)."Miracle".Encyclopædia Britannica(11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
• "Miracle"in the Interdisciplinary Encyclopedia of Religion and Science.
• The history of thinking about miracles in the West
• Mukto-mona.com,an Indian Skeptic's explanation of miracles: By Yuktibaadi, compiled byBasava Premanand
• Andrew Lang,Psychanalyse-paris.com,"Science and 'Miracles'",The Making of ReligionChapter II, Longmans, Green, and Co., London, New York and Bombay, 1900, pp. 14–38.
• Almut Hoefert (ed.): Miracles, Marvels and Monsters in the Middle Ages. (Living History Books, published in 2016 by the professional portal of the historical sciences in Switzerland, info-clio.ch)[1]
• Hume on Miracles