Mt. Mt.
Mt. Mt.
Mt.
Mt.
FOUND IN
Mk. Lk. Mk. Lk.
■•
Mk. Mk.
Lk. Lk.
Mk. Mk.
Lk. Lk.
Jn Jn
In the above, noteworthy facts are —
(1) Only one Evangelist in each case records 3, 4, 5, 10, 13. Number 10 stands by itself, and is not found in other Gospels, although these speak of the rending of the veil of the Temple. The latter event (11) is also possibly an accompaniment of the remarkable physical phenomena 12 and 13, which were associated with the time of our Lord's death. 1, 2, 12 are recorded by two Evangelists only.
(2) While the historicity, as objective events, of 1, 3, 4, 6, 7 cannot be reasonably denied with any dogmatism, especially if the principles enunciated above be intelligentlj' accepted, yet we are free to admit that they are such as were not unlikelj' to be added to the Gospel tradition by disciples and \>y the first Christian conmiunity, who were not entirely freed from Jewish prepossessions (see art. Sign). It would be grossly disproportionate to give the same weight of authority to the details of the Birth, Baptism, and Death of Jesus as to the personal experience which He underwent, and to the significance of the Incarnation, Spiritual En- dowment, and Atonement for human salvation.
(3) The Voice at the Baptism is well attested, but it is not clear if we are taught to regard it as more than subjective to Jesus Himself. Mt. and Mark seem to attribute the whole experience — the vision of the opening heaven, the seeing of the dove, the hearing of the voice — to Jesus ; and the Baptist's vision of the Descent (Jn P'-) may express his special insight into the whole event as it afiected our Lord at that critical time and experience. It is noteworthj' that Luke simply records the facts.
(4) The chief events that demand consideration are the Virgin-birth, the Transfiguration, the Resurrection, and the Ascension, for which we must refer to the separate articles on these sub- jects.
C. Miracles wrought in the name of Jesus BY His followers. — The Evangelists make it plain that the disciples and other followers of Je.sus were commissioned by the Master to go forth in His name to combine healing and exorcism with the teaching and i^reaching of the gospel (Mt ID'-''-'', Mk 3i-'-i« 6', Lk 109). They also declare that a signal success was achieved by the Seventy, for they return to Jesus rejoicing greatly in the power of His name, extending even to the control of the evil spirits (Lk 10^'''). Of this great suc- cess our Lord was aware, and it became to Him the occasion of a spiritual exultation, in which He saw, as already accomplished, the downfall of the Satanic power with all its accompanying ills and afflictions of mankind (Lk 10^^).
The evidence favours the idea that Jewish exor- cists had a certain measure of .success in their arts, even although much charlatanry may be believed to have mingled with their practices. The names they invoked, including the Inefi'able Name, to- gether, no doubt, with the drastic physical reme- dies they applied, were possibly efficacious in some cases (Mt 12^', Lk 9^^). And we may be con- fident that the Name of Jesus, which was of vast import and of awful and mysterious significance (especially after the Resurrection), would make for healing and for liberating disordered minds and evil -controlled natures. There is reason, also, to
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MIRACLES
MISSIOX
191
make a distinction between tliese healings and exorcisni.s and the other works of Jesus, for nothing is said of these latter supernormal jjowers being possessed by the disciples and lirst Christians. It must also be remembered that St. Paul's Epistles are clear witness to somewhat kindred phenomena having been experienced in the Ckarismata of Apostolic circles (1 Co 12, etc.). The closing sec- tion of Mark's Gospel, too, is a reflexion of 2nd century belief in the continuance of these mirac- ulous endowments among the Apostles. Coming down to sub- Apostolic times, tlie evidence is too strong to be discredited that the same powers together with proj^hecy were familiar to those generations ; and the question cannot be entirely avoided, as to whether we have any suflicient reason to draw the line at the close of this age, or, with other apologists, at the time of Constan- tine, and declare that, beyond it, all assertions of a manifest and direct Divine action through any servant of Christ are due to chicanery, or illusion, ignorance, or superstition.
If this question be left sub judicc, and the story of the Christian (Jhurch of the following centuries be rejid without prepossession, an impression may well be produced that some of the alleged super- normal phenomena are far too well attestecl to be scornfully and summarily dismissed. In all generations of the Christian era, certain natures, specially God-sensitive, conspicuouslj^ consecrated to God and sympathetic with man and with all living things, appear to have wielded a real though imi)erfect control over the physical processes of life. Both through them and in tliem remarkable forces have been at work which we cannot but believe are God-sustained and God-energized, producing supernormal phenoniena. In regard to all these, as well as to kindred manifestations of modern times, the right attitude is that of a watchful but unprejudiced and patient examination. Forces that make for healing undoubtedly lie in human nature, in certain gifted souls, and in others not conspicuously gifted sinritually, but 'sensitives'; and in times of great s2)iritual .awakening, when tlie sense of the reality of the Unseen and Divine is quickened and God's presence is freshly and acutely realized, startling nuinifestations of these sub-conscious or sujier-conscious forces juay occur, and need not surprise any who understand how closely tlie Divine power has access to all forces of human life. Such i)henomena, and indeed all things that belong to the human race, must not be met with a non possioaus, but with careful, scien- tific, and withal reverent, investigation. The miracles of Jesus are available as a criterion, and basing our judgment ujjon them we may demand : (1) an adequate and worthy moral purpose to be served [this must be clearly distinguished from personal or ecclesiastical convenience, advantage, or ambition, traces of which, together with ott'er- ings at the shrine of the saint, discredit so many mediaeval miracles] ; and (2) a proper moral dignity — in •which many alleged workings of the thauma- turgist are conspicuously wanting. It is by no means easy to say how far healings and other powers kindred to those wrought by Jesus are meant to be exjiected in our human life on earth. It seems natural to make a distinction between the healings and other restorations from human infirmity on the one hand, and works of revelation in the non-human sphere. The latter may not be expected in this earthly scene, although they point to large powers of soul in the evolution of our psychical capacities in some further stages of being. But the healings and exorcisms we have good reason to expect among men on earth ; for in all investigation and experiment and self -devoted labour, in all spiritual prayer and aspiration for