Miracles of Jesus

In this paper, I focus on the narrative of the signs-and-miracles sequence presented in Centos chapters 23-34.  As I earlier showed how the pre-Easter proclamation of the Logos and the post-Easter proclamation of the Son of God interact with the Homeric subtext to structure the entire poem, the purpose of this paper is to demonstrate how the sign-and-miracle stories interact with both the Homeric and Scriptural subtexts to encapsulate the entirety of kerygmatic Centos history in twelve brief chapters.

Some New Testament scholars argue that as historians, they must reject all miracle reports a priori. When asked to justify this view, the scholars usually appeal to some of the following philosophical claims:

1) Miracles are incompatible with our natural scientific knowledge.

2) Even though miracles are theoretically possible, we can never be rationally justified in believing that a reported miracle actually happened (Hume’s argument).

3) Miracles entail the existence of a supernatural realm, and the supernatural (God) cannot be the object of scientific or scholarly knowledge or study.

I argue that there are no good reasons to believe any of these claims, which should be regarded as “myths”. The first claim confuses science with a controversial philosophical theory – naturalism. The second claim is undermined by the devastating philosophical criticism that has been directed at Hume’s anti-miracle argument. The third claim entails that philosophers of religion who debate theistic arguments are wasting their time, since no theistic argument can ever succeed. It is very unclear, however, how anybody could possibly know that no theistic argument can ever succeed.

All three myths are exemplified in a recent book by Cecilia Wassén and Tobias Hägerland: Den okände Jesus: Berättelsen om en profet som misslyckades (The Unknown Jesus: The Story of a Prophet Who Failed). Taking this work as my point of departure, I discuss the myths with reference to a wider horizon of Swedish and international Jesus research. I also suggest a more reasonable framework for dealing with miracle reports in the context of historical scholarship.

In Mark chapter 5 we read the unusual story of an exorcism by Jesus. In every exorcism Jesus had done he had simply exorcised the demons out of someone. There was never a case of the demon being exorcised out of someone and into something else. But in this narrative the demons ask Jesus to be sent to the pigs and Jesus does exactly as they requested. The immediate result is that the pigs die and the final result is that Jesus is asked to leave that area. This is striking because the demons actually asked Jesus not to be sent out of the country (5.10). But now he is forced to leave the country. At surface level it appears that the demons actually managed to drive Jesus out of Gerasenes and stop him from ministering to the people in that area-thereby keeping the area in their control spiritually. This article takes a narrative approach to this story as explained in the gospel of Mark and argues that although it appears like a temporary defeat eventually Jesus succeeds and is able to minister to the people in that region.

The Biblical definition of "faith" is analyzed, where it is found that there is quite surprising confusion among both Christians and atheists as to what faith is, in Biblical terms. It will be claimed that Biblical faith is a sort of constant communion with Christ (in direct awareness). With this definition it is further found that faith "information" is not scientific, logical, or mathematical information, but rather is only a sort of supernatural "information", or intimacy, directly implanted into a human mind and heart by God: faith is a third type of information available to a human, and different from the other two types of information that humans usually entertained (reason and sense information). Since atheists (and Christians) typically describe Christianity in terms of reason or empirical information, they therefore misrepresent what Christianity actually is: transcendent of reason and empirical information.
This article later became a chapter in my recent book, God-Faith: Discovering the Pure Logic Built into the Fabric of Reality.

How do the miracle stories in the Synoptic Gospels contribute to our understanding of Jesus and his ministry? 
Since the first witnessing of them and through the thousands of years that followed, throughout the world, the miracles of Jesus have become a major point of discussion.  Using the synoptic gospels as the key text and by referring to the works of scholars such as Alexander Balmain Bruce, James Kallas and others, this essay seeks to contribute to our understanding of Jesus and his ministry, with the intent of drawing out their significance.

SUMMARY: This study presents an analysis of Matthew 17, 24-27 concerning the tribute for the temple and the miracle of the stater. I discuss the pertinence of the different scholarly explanations proposed about the episode and the miracle and arrive at the conclusion that the instructions given to Peter by Jesus are certainly metaphorical and that we have here the situation before 70 A.D. I also show that to be better understood, the texts of the New Testament have to be confronted with others ancient sources, particularly with talmudic literature.

SOMMAIRE : Cet article présente une analyse de la péricope matthéenne (Matthieu 17, 24-27) relative à l'impôt du didrachme et au miracle du statère qui lui est directe-ment attaché. Après avoir discuté la pertinence des différentes explications savantes proposées jusqu'ici de l'épisode et du miracle, l'auteur arrive à la conclusion que les consignes données à Pierre par Jésus sont certainement métaphoriques et qu'elles s'intègrent manifestement dans une période anté-rieure à la destruction du Temple (70 apr. J.-C.). Il montre également que pour être mieux compris, les textes du Nouveau Testament doivent être confrontés avec d'autres sources antiques et, en particulier, avec la littérature talmudique.

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In his imposing two-volume work, Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts, Craig Keener (1960–) documents contemporary miracle claims in order to demonstrate that there is a significant amount of geographically widespread miracle reports today. The problem is that Keener’s work is limited in its apologetic value, oftentimes proving only anecdotally that people continue to believe they have witnessed or experienced a miracle. The author not only admits these limitations, but he also declares that he avoided a thorough fact-finding investigation to authenticate the credibility and accuracy of these stories. Keener simply leaves the work of substantiating miracle claims to future investigators.  What is interesting is Keener’s use of the term “credibility” in his subtitle when, in fact, neither the credibility, suitability, nor accuracy of his catalog of miracles (or the New Testament accounts) are corroborated with a forensic investigation or other fact-finding techniques. Indeed, research from several thousand psychological studies and publications consistently reveal that eyewitness accounts are routinely inaccurate.
The purpose of this chapter is to expose would-be paranormal investigators to the potential variables that could discredit or distort a claimant’s reporting of a miracle. Likewise, this chapter will also identify some of the investigative practices needed to help substantiate or falsify a miracle claim. The thesis here is that stories of a fantastic nature ought to be thoroughly investigated according to the rigors implemented in judicial interviewing and interrogation tactics with an awareness of and attention to the possibility of deception, as well as the psychological variables known to affect the suitability and accuracy of eyewitness testimonials. Three main areas will support this thesis: 1) an analysis of claimant credibility; 2) a survey of claimant suitability; and 3) a discussion on claimant accuracy.

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If one claims that some religious belief is justified by the occurrence of a miracle, that religious belief is justified only if the belief that the miracle occurred is justified. Hume famously argued that testimony cannot justify belief in the miraculous (and thus also cannot justify religious belief), but I will argue that nothing can justify the belief that a miracle has occurred—not even seeing a miracle for oneself. To establish this, I will explore two shortcomings in Hume’s argument that motive the development of a new (correct) criterion regarding when belief in the miraculous is justified; I will then show why it is impossible to fulfill this criterion. I will conclude by considering objections.

The nineteen-year-old preacher was crouched on a rock just behind the little country church. Desperate to remain unnoticed by the people entering through the front door he agonized, "Oh God, give me faith. I'm trying so hard to believe. How can I have the faith of those early disciples?" He was clenching his fists in turmoil until his knuckles began to turn white, sincerely pleading with God. That young preacher was me.

Fred Francis Bosworth (1877-1958) was a Pentecostal pioneer, famous healing evangelist, musician and author who took the United States and Canada by storm in the 1920s and 1930s. With his brother, Burton B. Bosworth, often working with him, he reportedly led more than a million people to Christ through his ministry. He was considered by scholars and ministers alike to be one of the most successful healing evangelists of the 20th century. He received more than 225,000 written testimonies of healing and his book, Christ the Healer, is a classic that has been in print since 1924.

Though he spent most of his life as a member of the Christian & Missionary Alliance, he was well respected among Pentecostals and holiness groups. In fact, F.F. Bosworth was the preacher who brought Pentecost – and the first Assemblies of God church -- to Dallas, Texas. The church he founded, Dallas First Assembly of God Church, is thriving to this day.

The impact of Bosworth’s teachings continues to be felt in all parts of the world. Many of today’s mega Charismatic/Pentecostal churches and other ministries, including those of T. L. Osborn, Kenneth Copeland, Fred Price, Benny Hinn and the late Kenneth E. Hagin, have been greatly influenced by his work. Osborn, one of the most successful missionary evangelists of the 20th century, has said: “Old F.F. Bosworth used to share a lot secrets with us.” Vast numbers of Word of Faith churches read Bosworth’s teachings with great excitement. His book is a required text at Rhema Bible Training Center in Tulsa, Okla.

Burada tanık olacağınız şey tamamen gerçek, bununla beraber aynı zamanda olağandışı ve gerçeküstü. Dünyadaki önemli olayları birbirine bağlayan ilahi bir kod var. İnsanlık tarihindeki önemli figürlerin hayatlarını ve çalışmalarını da içeriyor. 19 sayısı şimdi sıralayacaklarımın ve daha da fazlasının ortak bölenidir:

1. Süleyman
2. Musa
3. Buda
4. İsa
5. Muhammed
6. Haham Judah (11.yy)
7. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
8. Reşat Halife, Edip Yüksel
9. Humeyni/İran, Abdülaziz bin Baz Suudi Arabistan- Salman Ruşdi
10. El-Kaide 
11. Y2K virüsü
12. 11 Eylül terör saldırısı
13. Tanrı parçacığı
14. Covid 19
15. Y2K38 virüsü

Ve Meton Döngüsü, Halley Kuyruklu Yıldızı, Çıkarım Kuralları (mantık), Periyodik Tablo ve belki de parçacık fiziği ve fiziksel sabitler gibi görünüşte birbiriyle alakasız diğer birçok politik, sosyal, kültürel olay ve doğal fenomenler. Hepsi büyük olaylar/karakterler olsa da hepsi tartışmalı.

The Vita Apollonii leaves much open to interpretation. In 4.45 Philostratus tells us
about a young woman who was thought dead by her family and the whole of Rome.
Apollonius whispers something in her ear and the maiden starts talking again. The
narrator comments it was impossible for the bystanders and still is impossible for
him to say whether the girl was really dead or not: whether it was a case of Scheintod
which proved Apollonius’s extraordinary powers of observation or whether it was a
resurrection-miracle which would signal a special ontological status for ‘the man’ from
Tyana. In his suspension of judgment, Philostratus uses the words arrhêtos hê katalêpsis
combining a technical term from Stoic epistemology (katalêpsis) with a concept
related to the Mysteries (arrhêtos). We discuss the Philostratean interpretative strategies,
link them to the Pythagorean tradition of selective communication, and read
the reference in this chapter to the story of Alcestis to the epistemological debates
between Stoics and Skeptics about the limits of human wisdom.

The royal Piso family of Rome performed "miracles" by creating them in the form of literary works. This paper explains not only what they did, but how and why they did it and more. There are many items in ancient texts that have baffled scholars for a long time; this sheds light upon a few of those. Please share this information. TY

La présente étude se propose d’examiner les interprétations de l’activité miraculeuse de Jésus faisant de ce denier un prophète ou un magicien avant d’argumenter en faveur d’une troisième qui examine les miracles de Jésus en relation avec les attentes messianiques de son époque.

Muslims believe that God sent many prophets throughout history to guide humanity. They taught people about the pure creed of belief in the One God, ways to worship Him and how to lead righteous lives keeping in mind our purpose in life. The prophets also informed humanity of future events and things unseen, such as the Day of Resurrection and the life hereafter.

The prophets were all outstanding examples of honesty and righteousness, known for their pure character even before being tasked with prophethood. Therefore, their claims about the unseen could be trusted due to their reputations as being the most trustworthy of men. In addition, God granted them miracles to remove any doubts that they were sent by God. These miracles were clearly impossible for any human being to perform without divine intervention, many of which are mentioned in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. One famous example is the splitting of the Red Sea, which allowed Moses and the Children of Israel to flee from the Pharaoh’s army.

A key point in understanding the concept of miracles in Islam is that they all are a result of God’s power and permission, and not that of human beings. God mentions this several times in the Quran, such as in Jesus’ statement to his people: “… I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I will make the shape of a bird for you out of clay, then breathe into it and, with God’s permission, it will become a real bird; I will heal the blind and the leper, and bring the dead back to life with God’s permission…” (Quran 3:49).
The final prophet, Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, was given many miracles throughout his life as well, as proofs of his prophethood.

The greatest miracle bestowed upon him was the revelation of the Qur'an. The Qur'an is miraculous in a number of aspects: Its linguistic perfection and inimitability, its validation by recent historical, archaeological, and scientific discoveries, its prophecies and so on. Unlike the miracles of other prophets before him, the miracle of the Qur'an is eternal. Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) also provided us with a number of true prophecies.

In this book [The Miracles of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him by Hafidh Abi Al-Fada'ah Ismail Ibn Kathir] are accounts of the some of the other miracles of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Before reading these, it helps to know something about the Science of Traditions (Arabic: Ahadith), an exacting and comprehensive system developed by early Muslim scholars to verify the chain of transmission of these accounts, as well as investigating the trustworthiness and capability of every narrator at every level of the chain. This thorough authentication process ensures that these accounts are real, validated narrations of the sayings, actions, and tacit approvals of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

Miracolele lui Isus sunt cele mai fascinante şi surprinzătoare evenimente ale evangheliilor care au generat interpretări dintre cele mai diverse. Ce a stat la baza descrierii acestor povestiri şi care a fost scopul şi mesajul evangheliştilor atunci când au făcut astfel de descrieri ? Care este sensul miracolului pentru omul modern şi care era sensul acestei noţiuni pentru evanghelişti ? In ce au constat vindecările miraculoase şi care este mesajul transmis prin aceste vindecări ?
Nu putem înţelege mesajul dacă nu înţelegem în ce a constat vindecarea şi nu putem înţelege vindecarea dacă nu înţelegem care a fost boala ce a făcut obiectul vindecării. Folosind acest demers, vom constata că Isus nu a vindecat « boli » în adevaratul sens al cuvântului, ci a vindecat handicapaţi : orbi, surzi, muţi, paralizaţi, demonizaţi. Vindecările aveau loc cel mai frecvent în templu pentru că acolo se « fabricau » aceşti handicapaţi.
Isus nu a folosit puteri supranaturale pentru a realiza aceste miracole, ci puterea cuvântului său care exprima « adevărul » şi care avea efect asupra minţii celui ce accepta acest adevăr, căci mintea face să funcţioneze şi ochii, şi gura, şi urechile, şi mâinile, şi picioarele. Cei ce aceptau învăţătura lui Isus trăiau adevăratul miracol al vieţii lor, care dădea un sens vieţii şi bucuria de a trăi, în armonie cu sine şi cu semenii cât şi bucuria de a-ţi guverna viaţa folosind liberul arbitru în a alege a face numai ceea ce este bine.

This book shows to us the miracles that Allah gave to his Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) to make Muslims steadfast to Islam and prove the authenticity of Islam to non Muslims.

There are nearly one thousand miracles of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) which prove his messengership. These miracles were witnessed and they have been narrated till this day by many people who are so trustworthy that it is impossible for them to lie.

The Noble Messenger (PBUH) declared His prophethood, and presented to humanity a decree as the Glorious Qur’an and manifest miracles which number, according to the scholars, one thousand. The occurrence of those miracles in their entirety is as certain as the fact that he (PBUH) declared himself prophet (under Allah's command). In fact, as is shown by the words of the most obstinate unbelievers quoted in various places of the Wise Our’an, even they could not deny the occurrence of his miracles, but only called them -hasha wa kalla!-(Allah forbid) sorcery, in order to satisfy themselves, or to deceive their followers. The miracles of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) have the certainty of confirmation by consensus of Ulama (scholars of Islam) to the hundredth degree. The Miracle is the confirmation by the CREATOR of the universe of his declaration of Prophethood; it has the effect of the words, ‘you have indeed spoken the truth!’ Suppose that you said in the assembly of a ruler, while being observed by Him, ‘The true ruler has appointed me to such and such position.’ At a time when you were asked to prove your claim, the word ‘Yes’ uttered by the ruler would sufficiently support you. Or, if the ruler changed his usual practice and attitude at your request, this would confirm your claim even more soundly and more definitely than would the word ‘Yes.’ In the same way, Allah’s Most Noble Messenger claimed: ‘I am the envoy of the Creator of this universe. My proof is that He will change His unbroken order at my request and my prayer. Now look at my fingers: He makes them run like a fountain with five spigots. Look at the moon: by a gesture of my finger, He splits it in two. Look at that tree: to affirm me, and to bear witness to me, it moves and comes near to me. Look at this food: although it is barely enough for two or three men, it satisfies two or three hundred. ‘Further he shows hundreds of similar miracles. However, the evidences of the veracity of this high being and the proofs of his prophethood are not restricted to his miracles. All his deeds and acts, his words and behaviour, his moral conduct and manners, his character and appearance prove to the attentive observers his truthfulness and seriousness. Indeed, many people such as Abdullah b. Salam, the famous scholar of the Children of Israel, came to belief merely by seeing him, and said, ‘No lie can hide in this face, nor can any fraud be found in it!’ Although many of the researchers have concluded that the proofs of the prophethood of Muhammad and his miracles number about one thousand, there are thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of proofs of his prophethood. And hundreds of thousands of truth-seeking men (muhaqqiqiin) with varying opinions have affirmed his prophethood in an equal number of ways. The Wise Our’an alone demonstrates thousands of the proofs of his prophethood, in addition to its own forty aspects of miraculousness. Since prophethood is as a phenomenon of humanity, and hundreds of thousands of individuals who claimed prophethood and performed miracles have lived and passed away; then, the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH) is of a certainty superior to that of the prophethood of all the others. For whatever evidences, qualities and attributes became the means of the prophethood and messengership of all the messengers such as Prophet Isa (Peace be upon him) and Prophet Musa (Peace be upon him), they are all owned in a more perfect and comprehensive fashion by Muhammad (PBUH). And since the causes and means of prophetic authority exist more perfectly in the person of Muhammad (PBUH), this authority is to be found in him with more certainty than all the other prophets.

Each prophet performed miracles on the most popular and most common issues of their eras.

For example, at the era of Prophet Isa (Jesus) (Peace be upon him), the medical science was in demand. That’s why; Prophet Isa’s greatest miracle was bringing the dead back to life as well as healing the blind and the leper.

In the era of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) four things were in demand in the Arabian Peninsula:

1. Eloquence (balaghat) and fluency (fasahat): art of fluent, forcible, elegant and persuasive speaking in an appropriate way to the addressee.

2. Poetry and elocution

3. Soothsaying and informing of the unseen

4. Acquainting of the past and the universal events.

The Holy Qur’an that is the greatest miracle of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) challenged the poems, elocutionists and soothsayers by giving information about the past and future events and anything related to the universe with its unique and inimitable eloquence and elocution. None of them could compete with even just one surah of the Qur’an and none could imitate even just one sentence. So they had to submit to and approve the Qur’an’s superiority with great respect and admiration.

I invite all to read this great book: Signs and Miracles of the Messenger by AbdulMajeed Bin Aziz Al-Zandani

This paper attempts to exegete John 2:1-11 (The Miracle at Cana- Water turning into Wine) which is one of the most popular pericope’ found in the Johannine writings. By using different critical analysis methodologies and tools the paper presents as expository study on this selected text.

Resumo: Este artigo tem como propósito apresentar uma análise dos milagres de Cristo no Quarto Evangelho a partir do ponto de vista da misericórdia divina. O objetivo é mostrar que tanto as ações quanto a atitude de Cristo no desempenho de seus milagres refletem um retrato do Deus misericordioso de maneira singular. A metodologia usada será a de uma breve apresentação do termo hesed (ds, x,) na Bíblia Hebraica e uma análise sintética dos sinais de Cristo no Evangelho como símbolo da misericórdia. Conclui-se que Jesus demonstra nos sinais de seu ministério, com precisão inequívoca, o atributo da misericórdia de Deus. Palavras-chave: Misericórdia. Sinais. Quarto Evangelho. Milagres. Abstract: This article aims to present an analysis of the miracles of Christ in the Fourth Gospel from the point of view of divine mercy. The purpose is to show that both the actions and the attitude of Christ in the performance of his miracles reflect a picture of the merciful God in a unique way. The methodology used will be a brief presentation of the term hesed (ds, x,) in the Hebrew Bible and a synthetic analysis of the signs of Christ in the Gospel as a symbol of mercy. It follows that Jesus shows in the signs of his ministry with unmistakable precision the attribute of God's mercy.

ABSTRACT: Have Jesus's miracles an historical foundation ? In comparing the so-called healings of Jesus to the best ancient medical practices, the author, an historian, is in position to give a positive response to this fundamental question. The solution he gives is the topic of two books published in french: "Jesus, questionned miracles" (Osmondes Publisher, Paris, 1998) and "Jesus, the Physician" (Carnot Publisher, Chatou, 2003).

RÉSUMÉ : Les miracles de Jésus ont-ils une réalité historique ? En comparant notamment les guérisons attribuées à Jésus avec certains gestes thérapeutiques des meilleurs médecins de l'Antiquité, l'auteur, historien, est en mesure d'apporter une réponse positive à cette interrogation. C'est le thème même de deux de ses livres : "Jésus, les miracles en question" (Editions Osmondes, Paris, 1998) et "Jésus, les miracles élucidés par la médecine" (Editions Carnot, Chatou, 2003).

A response to an article written by John McHugh published in Cosmos and Logos: Journal of Myth, Religion, and Folklore, Vol. II, Aug. 2016.

An overview of the sea-walking miracle of Jesus found in the New Testament and its possible cultural antecedents in pagan astrolatry.  Lundwall argues that there were private and secret rituals in the early Christian cults that held deep cosmogonic themes of rebirth. He responds to McHugh's assertion that the sea-walk miracle of Jesus had pagan origins with an overview of possible connections and the sheer difficulties of proving them.

This article examines the ways the miracles of Jesus have been interpreted in the past and seeks evaluate their viability.  It also offers a new proposal focusing on Jesus' concern for mercy and compassion using Mark 5 as an example.  It further seeks to offer ways in which this proposal encourages pastors and ministry leaders to continue Jesus' work of compassion and mercy.

This paper is an attempt to see deeper the importance of the event in the miracle of the wine at the wedding at Cana. Each possible side of the event that can be discussed further is tackled. This exegesis tries to give a clear reflection and understanding of what transpires during, before, and after the miracle.

This essay considers what might first appear to be a minor theological problem in the major work of Dante’s mentor, and shows that it indeed poses a conundrum and a riddle to be solved. Taking up Augustine’s commentary on Christ’s three resurrection miracles – in the house, outside the gate, and in the sepulchre – I note that in his Tresor Brunetto retains the first of these locations but revises the second to “in the doorway of the house” and the third to “in the street.” Ruling out a traditional “source” for these deviations, I ask: Are these changes of scenery significant – a trivial memory lapse, subtly subversive, or ringing a change? Ultimately, I propose an underlying shift in perspective: from Augustinian biblical topography to a contemporary urban setting – an “update” from a late Classical to a medieval scene, from Hippo to Florence – an “urbanization” of the Augustinian “stages of sin” that gestures towards the streetscape of the Vita nuova.

John 9:6 contains a curious reference to Jesus’ use of spittle and clay to heal a man born blind. Beginning with Irenaeus, patristic exegetes saw here an allusion to God’s use of dust to create Adam. Modern commentators, however, are generally skeptical of this interpretation. After noting numerous other allusions to creation in John’s Gospel, this paper examines several Dead Sea Scrolls and ancient Near Eastern cosmogonies that mention spittle and clay in the context of the creation of humankind. These texts helpfully illumine the role of spittle and clay in John 9:6 and lend substantial support to Irenaeus’s exegesis.

This article develops a non-linear model of the ordo salutis with Christ at the centre. It shows that each individual event is a manifestation of what Christ has done and a call to faith in him. Faith is shown to comprise of consensus (agreement) and fiducia (trust). Through this model, the creative tension between the objective (indicative) and the subjective (imperative) dimensions of the gospel as well as the tension between God’s eschatological time and our unfulfilled time are maintained in such a way that they both complement and limit each other. This tension, it is argued, is intrinsically linked to the way in which Christ continues to be present within our world as both Lord and Spirit. As Lord, Jesus is proclaimed as the One who has already overcome our broken reality; as the Spirit, Christ continues to be vulnerable to be resisted and rejected by us. As the Spirit of the risen Lord, he is nevertheless able to perform miracles and overcome our broken reality as the gospel is proclaimed. A short analysis of the way in which the Bible refers to some of the events in the ordo salutis confirms the legitimacy of this model.  Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications:  It is argued that this model overcomes many objections against the traditional understanding of the ordo salutis. By challenging the underlying presuppositions of both Arminiaism and Calvinism, this article provides a unique alternative which does justice to key insights from both traditions and adds a new voice to the ongoing debate between Arian, Pelagian and semi-pelagian theologians, on the one side, and Reformed theologians, on the other side. It thus makes a significant intradisciplinary contribution to systematic theology. It also aligns the universality of salvation in Christ as the second Adam to the continuing need for a personal faith response to Christ.

There are totally nine healing miracles, four exorcisms and five nature miracles in the Gospel of Mark. They present a wide variety of interesting challenges and theories regarding their place in the AWA milieu, their plausibility and historicity, and the literary and theological functions they perform in the text of the Markan Gospel. We shall survey the same in this paper.

In Epidaurus, the main ancient sanctuary of Asclepius, important inscriptions from the fourth century B.C. were found. Their texts were based primarily on earlier traditions on healings. They tend to exaggerate and to promote the sanctuary. Their main feature is incubation followed by vision and healing, usually in a dream. It is assumed that there are some similarities and some differences between the healing stories from Epidaurus and from the Gospels. However, the similarity consists only in generic features: they are both healing stories and can be labeled miracle stories (but " miracle " is a notion we have constructed). Similarities in details between single stories are secondary and only few. Some health problems in the stories, as blindness, are the same, but it is rather banal, because they were both frequent and difficult to treat. Laying on hands and touching in the Gospel stories are perhaps inspired by Greek worldview, but they do not occur in Epidaurus. Other features are different. The heal-ings are named differently. Stories are build In a different manner. Epidaurus stories stem mostly from votive inscriptions and reliefs (adorned with fantasy), the Gospel stories stem from oral traditions. Epidaurus stories concentrate on the sick persons, the Gospel stories on the healer. Jesus in these stories appears as a powerful human being. Epidaurus healings result from a theophany or sometimes occur through sacred animals, serpents and dogs. Epidaurus stories are most often related to oracular dreams, what never occurs in Jesus stories. Visions from Epidaurus involve chirurgical operations and many medicaments, both absent in the Gospels. The Gospel miracles had no sacral context. Epidaurus stories were transmitted in the context of a particular sanctuary, the Gospel stories in the context of a community. These descriptions of healing miracles seem quite dissimilar. (Polish summary in the text).

In recent research a distinction has been made between the healing miracles of Jesus and his socalled nature miracles. Whereas the former are considered as possible (be it as real miracles or as psycho-somatic phenomena), the latter are said to be post-Easter enhancements of normal events in the life of Jesus, such as eating or going in a boat together. R. Zimmermann has argued that this distinction is untenable on literary grounds: Both kinds of stories are presented as factual stories, claiming to report real events in the life of Jesus. "e present paper argues that that distinction is also untenable because both kinds of stories share the same conceptual background. "ey all present Jesus as the one who performed miracles like the miracles of Moses and Elijah/Elisha, but at the same time superseded them. As the Son of God he brought about the kingdom of God in his healing miracles and restored the rule of God over his creation through his nature miracles.

In the conventional perspective, Exorcisms and Healings in Mark narrative are understood purely in terms of spiritual and psychological sense, overlooking their sociali mplications. Here in this paper, we shall take a rather different direction to discuss primarily how the miraculous acts of Jesus had far reaching repercussions in the social, political andeconomic aspects of the First century Palestinian community.