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Analyzing Biblical Miracles: Maurice Wiles' Perspective

Explore Maurice Wiles' view on Biblical miracles, their strength and limitations, and the philosophical debate around God's intervention in the world. Understand the concept of miracles as signs, wonders, and acts of power in the Bible, and reflect on Wiles' criticism of the traditional interpretation of divine interventions. Learn about the complexity of reconciling the occurrence of miracles with the existence of evil in the world. Delve into the discussion of whether miracles should be considered random occurrences or revelatory experiences that transcend human understanding.

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Analyzing Biblical Miracles: Maurice Wiles' Perspective

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

  2. 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.

  3. 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 you 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.

  4. Your Task • One Strength and One Limitation from the Miracles that you had looked at for homeworkStrengths Weaknesses

  5. 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.

  6. 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

  7. 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.

  8. 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.

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