Portentum non fit contra naturam, sedcontra quam est nota natura
—Augustine
Norwood Press
J. S. Cushing & Co.—Berwick & Smith Co.
Norwood, Mass., U.S.A.
While the present subject of discussiontempts to many an excursion into particulars,its treatment is restricted to generaloutlines, with an aim simply to clarifycurrent ideas of miracle and the supernatural,so as to find firm holding groundfor tenable positions in the present "driftperiod" of theology. The chief exceptionmade to this general treatment is the discussiongiven to a class of miracles regardedwith as much incredulity as any,yet as capable as any of being accreditedas probably historical events—the raisingsof the "dead." The insistence of somewriters on the virgin birth and corporealresurrection of Jesus as essential to Christianityhas required brief discussion of[8]these also, mainly with reference to thereasonableness of that demand. As to thelatter miracle, it must be observed that inthe Biblical narratives taken as a whole,whichever of their discordant features onebe disposed to emphasize, the psychicalelement clearly preponderates over thephysical and material.
J. M. W.
New York,
April 11, 1903.
| PAGE | |
| Introductory | 13 |
| The Argument | |
| I | |
| The gradual narrowing of the miraculous element in the Bibleby recent discovery and discussion.—Thealarm thereby excited in the Church.—Thefallacy which generates the fear.—Theatheistic conception of nature which generatesthe fallacy.—The present outgrowing of thisconception. | 25 |
| II | |
| The present net results of the discussion of themiraculous element in the Bible.—Evaporationof the former evidential value of miracles.—Furtherinsistence on this value a logical blunder.—Thetransfer of miracles from the artilleryto the baggage of the Church.—Probability ofa further reduction of the list of miracles.—Alsoof a further transfer of events reputedmiraculous to the domain of history. | 37 |
| III | |
| Arbi ... BU KİTABI OKUMAK İÇİN ÜYE OLUN VEYA GİRİŞ YAPIN!Sitemize Üyelik ÜCRETSİZDİR! | |