Defining a miracle
What’s the best way to define the miraculous? Philosophers and theologians have offered various descriptions.
Aquinas’ defined miracles as ‘those things done by divine power apart from the order usually followed in things’. This view suggests that God can do what he wants with his creation. Aquinas has identified 3 types of miracle:
- An event done by God which nature could not do (the laws of nature by themselves in all practicality). It could be said to be the most traditional approach and he is closer to the first century than our modern attempted definitions. They are acts that contradict our regular experience. Aquinas uses the example of the reversal of the course of the sun. (something nature could not do in of itself)
- An event done by God which nature could do, but not in this order such as recovering from paralysis or a terminal illness. It’s possible for these things to happen but it is not usually expected, and so could be attributed to the direct intervention of God.
- An event done which nature could do but without using the principles or forces of nature. For example, recovering from a cold more quickly than usual perhaps because someone prayed for this, and then it might be called a miraculous intervention of God.
This allowed for a range of possible events, which we could call miracles. This also did not limit a miracle to a violation of a natural law and so is therefore, primarily identified by Gods intervention. A miracle is an act of God, which is beneficial to the recipient, which may break a natural law but does not necessarily have to.
Augustine was poetic, saying a miracle is “whatever appears that is difficult or unusual above the hope and power of them who wonder.”
Modern
Oxford Professor Richard Swinburne says “If he (God) has reason to interact with us, he has reason very occasionally to intervene and suspend those natural laws by which our life is controlled”. Swinburne acknowledges that it is difficult to outweigh the scientific evidence, but that we do have enough historical evidence to suggest that there is a God and that God can violate the laws of nature. It is perfectly probable that there could be one off exceptional and unrepeatable occurrences. The laws of nature do not have to be rewritten. If God is omnipotent, then he quite clearly could suspend the laws of nature and feed a new event in, although not too often as this will interfere with scientific progress and free will. He argues from first principles and argues that future predictions could always nullify a law. When an event violates the Law of nature, the appearance may simply be that no one has thought of the Law that could explain the event. We rely on the evidence of senses and perception to give us information about the world, why do we not rely on the evidence and the testimony of those claiming miracle? Are we ignoring their senses and perception? Swinburne also recognises the problem that God’s intervention would have on human freedom which is why he argues that God doesn’t intervene too often.
Swinburne uses these two philosophical principles
The Principle of Credulity: If it seems that X is present, then probably x is present. In short, what one seems to perceive is probably the case (It is a principle of rationality). He puts the onus on the sceptic to disprove religious experience otherwise it should be taken at face value.
The Principle of Testimony: In the absence of special consideration it is reasonable to believe that the experiences of others are probably as they report them. In other words you should believe other people as well. You can question them, for verification, but dismissing out of hand is questionable
Richard L. Purtill, professor emeritus of philosophy at Western Washington University puts it in this simple 5 step selection: A miracle is an event
- brought about by the power of God that is
- A temporary
- Exception
- To the ordinary course of nature
- For the purpose of showing that God has acted in history.”12
Sources:
- Swinburne: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1fwwCEZrtk
- https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/revision/religious-education/miracles
- Book: Richard Swinburne, Miracles (Philosophical topics) Paperback – 1 Jan 1989
- Aquinas: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/St-thomas-aquinas.jpg
- Book: Thomas Aquinas, Summa Contra Gentiles 3.101.1
- https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/revision/religious-education/miracles
- For these and many other definitions and their citations, see Michael R. Licona, The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2010), 134–36.
- Richard L. Purtill, “Defining Miracles,” in In Defense of Miracles: A Comprehensive Case for God’s Action in History, ed. R. Douglas Geivett and Gary R. Habermas (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1997), 72.
