(6) The healings of nervous diseases, which many are more willing to accept on the ground of their likeness to well-known medical facts of to-day, are not better attested than those involving physical disorder and disease. The healings of fever, leprosy, issue of blood, and blindness are all recorded m the Triple Synopsis. The raising of the dead is found in all four Gospels ; one case, the daughter of Jairus, is attested by the three Synoptics. The NT makes no distinction between these classes of miracles, but the evidence for all the classes is equally strong (see art. CURES, § 11).
5. Clnssif cation of mirn.dcs of Jesus. — As a
190
MIRACLES
MIRA^XES
typical examijle of the customary classification of miracles, may be given that of Westcott {Introd. to the Gospels) —
L Miracles on Nature. 1. Miracles of creative power : (a) water made wine, {ji) bread multiplied, (j-) walking on the water. 2. Miracles of Providence : («) miracles of blessing : (1) first draught of fishes, (2) storm stilled, (3) stater in fish's mouth, (4) second draught of fishes ; (^2) Miracle of judgment : withering of fig-tree.
II. Miracles on Man. (a) Miracles of personal faith : (1) organic defects (blind) : (a) faith special (Mt 92a-"i), (b) faith absolute — Bartimaeus restored ; (2) chronic impurity : (o) open (leprosy) — faith special, the one leper — faith special and absolute contrasted, tlie ten lepers ; (h) secret — woman with issue. (/3) Miracles of intercession : (1) organic defects (simple interces- sion) : (a) the blind (Mk 822 26), (p) the deaf and dumb (Mk 7 ;a-37) ; (2) mortal sicknesses — intercession based on natural ties : (re) fever (Jn 4-"'-5^), (Jt>) paralj'sis — centurion's servant and man borne of four, {y) Miracles of love : (1) organic defect— blind- ness (Jn 9) ; (2) disease — (re) fever, (6) dropsy, (c) withered hand, (d) impotent man, (e) woman with spirit of infirmity ; (3) death — (a) death chamber, (6) the bier, (c) the tomb.
III. Miracles on Spirit World, (k) Miracles of intercession : (1) simple intercession — (a) dumb man with devil, {h) blind and dumb man ; (2) intercession based on natural ties — (a) Syro- Phcenician's daughter, (b) lunatic boy. (,3) Jliracles of antagon- ism: (1) in synagogue — unclean spirit cast out, (2) in tombs — the lepers cast out.
The chief defect in the alx)ve is its endorsement of the term ' Nature miracles ' as applied to the first class. If ' Nature ' be rightlj- measured, the term maj' legitimately be used to cover the whole ground of our Lord's working, for the complex nature of man cannot be severed from the uni- versal order. ^Moreover, the distinction is, apart from that consideration, an arbitrary one, for several of these so-called 'Nature miracles' are wrought in the sphere of our Lord's human nature, and are conceivably extensions of human, mental, and p.sychical faculty ; and some of them are wrought in and upon the bodily form of Jesus Himself. The walking upon the water is an ex- ample of the latter. The draught of fishes is a miracle of vision, an extension of human jiercep- tion, as well as an example of Divine control of the animal creation. A similar element must be traced in the instance of the coin in the fish's mouth, if we are to understand a miracle here.* Other defects are: 'Miracles of Provi- dence,' 'Miracles of Blessing' and of 'Love,' are terms that may be applied to other than the classes given.
A truer classification may be suggested as fol- lows :
I. Healings of bodily ailments — as blindness, leprosy, lame- ness, dropsy, deafness and dumbness, fevers, and manifold ail- ments and infirmities.
II. Healings of nervous diseases — as paralysis or palsy, simple epilepsy, possibly the woman with the spirit of infirmity (unless her ailment be physical).
III. Healings of nervous and psychical disorders — epilepsy associated with idiocy or insanity, and varieties of mania.
IV. Revelations of power in the nature of Jesus — walking on the sea.
V. Revelation of Jesus in nature and upon the organic world — as draughts of fishes, and stater in fish's mouth.
VI. Power upon the organic world — multiplied loaves and fishes, water made wine, fig-tree withered.
VII. Power upon the inorganic world — stilling of the tempest.
VIII. Raising of the dead — Jairus' daughter, son of widow of Nain, Lazarus.
B. ' Miraculous '
CAREER OF Je.SUS. —
EVENTS ASSOCIATED WITH
FOUND IN
1. Annunciation by angels .
2. Virgin-birth ." . . . .
3. Angels' song
4. Other appearances of angels in pro-
tection of the Child
5. Star of Magi
6. Voice at Baptism of Jesus
7. Descent of dove ....
Mt.
Lk.
Mt.
Lk. Lk.
Mt.
Mt.
' Mt.
sik.
Lk.
Mt.
Mk.
Lk.
Jn.
* The power of the mind over the body may reasonably be conceived as at work in these instances, for it is impossible, with the growing knowledge of the inter-relations of mind and body, to set an arbitrarv limit to that influence.
8. Transfiguration ....
9. Voices at Transfiguration
10. Opening of graves after death of
Jesus
11. Rending of veil of Temple
12. Darkness over land ....
13. Earthquakes
14. The Resurrection ....
15. The Ascension ....