GOSPEL MIRACLES

FORM CRITICISM
REDACTION CRITICISM
 Gospel miracles have a stereotype schematic
form like the miraculous accounts found in
Jewish
This (Rabbinic)
research andthe
favors Hellenistic literature.
historical
 These miracle-narrative contains an editorial
authenticity of the Gospel miracles.
and explanatory elements from either the
primitive Christian tradition or the
evangelist-editors.
GOSPEL MIRACLES

The form of miracle-narrative contains an

editorial and explanatory elements from either
the primitive Christian tradition or the
evangelist-editors.
GOSPEL MIRACLES
The form of miracle-narrative
 Modelled on a pattern: Hellenistic and
The Gospel
Jewish world miracles have a similar literary
structure
• Miraclesofofmiracles of the Hellenistic and
some rabbis
Jewish world but
• of Apollonius this is not however
of Tyana
• of the to
enough godquestion
Asclepiusthe historicity(City
in Epidaurus of the
in ancient
Greece)
gospel miracles.
All of these accounts had the following elements:
Alongside
 A description theseillness
of a serious similarities there are,
however,
 An encounter with basic differences…who healed
the miracle-worker
through touching, applying saliva and other very often
fantastic actions
 A demonstration of the consequences of the healing
 A choral reaction of praise for the miracle-worker
 Differences between Gospel miracles from that of
the Jewish and Hellenistic world
1. Jesus avoided 1. The Hellenistic and
flamboyant signs that rabbinic accounts of
could have excited miracles emphasized the
fame and admiration miraculous element;
2. Jesus did not perform 2. Hellenistic accounts
miracles for His dramatized the person
personal benefit of the miracle-worker;
3. The miracles of Jesus 3. often in a fantastic and
were always in the exaggerated way;
service of His mission
4. The signs of Jesus were 4. full of magical and bizarre
simple, sober, and elements that flourished
dignified in extra-biblical miracles
 The originality of Jesus’ miracles was their strict
connection with His mission and message
 The signs of Jesus had in them something of
the new creation.
 He did not oblige those who were
interested only in the spectacular side of the
signs and did not want to accept the message
emanating from them.
 The eschatological character of the miracles
and their link with faith make the signs of
Jesus
All unique.
of these were evidences that Jesus’
miracles were original compared to extra-
biblical miracles.
 THEOLOGICAL PURPOSE OF JESUS’
MIRACLES
They indicated the coming of the Kingdom of
God announce by the prophets.
They were warning signs of the advent of
that Kingdom.
They were signs of the last times.
Mat 4:4-5 2 [b]When John heard in prison[c] of the works of the
Messiah, he sent his disciples to him 3 [d]with this question, “Are
you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” 4 Jesus
said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you hear and
see: 5 [e]the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are
cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the
good news proclaimed to them (NAB).
What if Gospel miracles are just but
invention of the early community?
This assumption was based on the
premise that OT prophets like Elijah
and Elisha performed similar signs like
that of Jesus.
That early community invented such miraculous
signs modelled in the Old Testament and applied to
the early life of Jesus.

But a closer look on these miraculous signs

proved further the originality and
authenticity of the signs of Jesus.
 Differences between Gospel miracles from that of
Elijah and Elisha in the Old Testament
1. Jesus entirely avoided 1. Elijah brought down
vindictive miracles fire from heaven to
consumed his enemies
2. The signs of Jesus 2. Miracles solely depend
always required faith on the power of the
prophets endowed by
God to them
3. The miracle of Jesus 3. The miracles
were strictly tied up performed by Elijah is
with His mission of to prove that the God
salvation of Israel is more
powerful
 The originality of Jesus’ miracles was
being proved further
 The avoidance of vindictive miracles
confirmed that the signs of Jesus were not
literary repetition of the miracles of Elijah
and Elisha but fulfilled the real salvific
deeds of the Messiah Himself.
 Jesus’ turning away from spectacular
miracles was because it would not serve his
message but will only cause a sensation.
 The eschatological character of the Gospel
All of these were evidences that Gospel
miracles revealed the calling , mission, and
miracles were uniquely belonging to Jesus.
messianic dignity of Jesus.
What are these miracles for?
What interested the contemporaries of
Jesus was not so much on the fact but
its meaning of the miracle.
John the evangelist included the long talks
of Jesus which were a theological
explanation of those signs.
• After the multiplication of bread, there
followed the eucharistic discourse
explaining, in
Therefore thatresearch
event. about Gospel
• The actual miracle was for them something
miracles, the most important is not the
secondary.
•question of what
What counted happened
most butofon
is the meaning thehow
and why that happened.
miracle.
 How are we going to understand the
meaning of Gospel miracles?
FAITH is necessary for one to
MIRACLES ARE
understand the meaning of miracles
 God initiates dialogue with human
NOT PROOFS BUT
beings through signs/miracles, they
in turn respond with faith to God in
SIGNS; ONLY A
order to grasp the message He
wanted to relay.
BELIEVER
 A believer CAN
seeing a miracle will not raise a

this mean.READ THEM

question of what is happening but on what does