George MacDonald's Miracles of Our Lord (1870) represents a profound and imaginative theological meditation on the miraculous works of Jesus Christ, offering both devotional and doctrinal insight within the tradition of 19th-century Christian thought. This work, neither a theological treatise in the academic sense nor a sermon compilation in the ordinary devotional mode, is instead a hybrid: a series of meditative essays wherein MacDonald endeavors to interpret the miracles of Christ not as interruptions of natural law but as revelations of a higher spiritual order. It is an exemplar of his broader theological project, in which love, divine order, and moral development are central.
MacDonald begins with a firm philosophical and spiritual premise: that miracles are not arbitrary displays of divine power but manifestations of divine character. He rejects the notion of miracle as mere suspension of natural law, positing instead that miracles are "the natural works of the Son of God." This framing reorients the reader's approach, not toward the miraculous as spectacle, but as disclosure — the unveiling of deeper spiritual realities beneath the surface of material existence.
Throughout the book, MacDonald treats individual miracles (e.g., the raising of Jairus's daughter, the healing of the blind, the feeding of the multitudes) with a blend of moral allegory and existential psychology. He explores how each miracle reveals not only Christ's compassion but also his desire for the holistic restoration of individuals. A central theme is that miracles are always aimed at some greater inner transformation. For example, the healing miracles are not mere restorations of bodily health; they are signs of the restoration of the soul's order. The cleansing of lepers becomes a parable of spiritual isolation and reintegration; the raising of the dead signifies not only triumph over mortality but also Christ's authority over despair and meaninglessness.
MacDonald is keenly aware of the metaphorical potency of the Gospel narratives. He treats them as having both literal historical import and deep moral or spiritual symbolism. His treatment of the miracle at Cana, for instance, emphasizes the transformation of water into wine as a figure for the transformation of human life through divine joy and beauty. Such symbolic interpretations are never treated as mere metaphors but as manifestations of a larger divine logic — what C.S. Lewis, a devoted admirer of MacDonald, would later call "transpositional" theology.
One of the most distinctive features of MacDonald's interpretation is his consistent concern with the personhood and interiority of those whom Jesus heals or helps. He does not treat the recipients of miracles as passive objects but as active agents whose response to Christ is a necessary component of the miraculous event. This makes Miracles of Our Lord not only a Christocentric but also an anthropocentric work — a theology of divine-human encounter. It is not merely about what Christ does, but about how human beings are invited to respond in faith, humility, and love.
Underlying MacDonald's treatment of miracles is his theology of divine fatherhood and universal salvation. He insists that God acts not according to arbitrary will or punitive justice, but through love that aims ultimately at the redemption of all creation. In this light, miracles are not exceptional interventions but anticipations of a healed creation — the natural result of God's will fully done. MacDonald's eschatological vision is not one of judgment and division, but of purgative love that brings all things into harmony. The miracles, then, serve as previews of that ultimate reconciliation.
Stylistically, Miracles of Our Lord is marked by MacDonald's characteristic rhetorical earnestness, philosophical digressions, and poetic cadences. He writes with the gravity of a theologian and the sensitivity of a pastor, often invoking both Scripture and broader philosophical reflections to support his readings. Yet he avoids dogmatism, preferring suggestive insight to doctrinal finality. His tone is that of a moral guide rather than an ecclesiastical authority, and his work anticipates a more experiential and relational theology that would flourish in later Protestant and Anglican thought. Miracles of Our Lord is not merely an exegetical work on Gospel miracles; it is an extended meditation on divine love, the human soul, and the deeper order of the cosmos. For MacDonald, each miracle is a doorway into understanding who Christ is and what he intends for humanity. As such, this work remains a significant contribution to Christian literature, both for its theological depth and for its profound spiritual insight. It continues to influence modern Christian writers, most notably C.S. Lewis, who regarded MacDonald as his "master."
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MacDonald begins with a firm philosophical and spiritual premise: that miracles are not arbitrary displays of divine power but manifestations of divine character. He rejects the notion of miracle as mere suspension of natural law, positing instead that miracles are "the natural works of the Son of God." This framing reorients the reader's approach, not toward the miraculous as spectacle, but as disclosure — the unveiling of deeper spiritual realities beneath the surface of material existence.
Throughout the book, MacDonald treats individual miracles (e.g., the raising of Jairus's daughter, the healing of the blind, the feeding of the multitudes) with a blend of moral allegory and existential psychology. He explores how each miracle reveals not only Christ's compassion but also his desire for the holistic restoration of individuals. A central theme is that miracles are always aimed at some greater inner transformation. For example, the healing miracles are not mere restorations of bodily health; they are signs of the restoration of the soul's order. The cleansing of lepers becomes a parable of spiritual isolation and reintegration; the raising of the dead signifies not only triumph over mortality but also Christ's authority over despair and meaninglessness.
MacDonald is keenly aware of the metaphorical potency of the Gospel narratives. He treats them as having both literal historical import and deep moral or spiritual symbolism. His treatment of the miracle at Cana, for instance, emphasizes the transformation of water into wine as a figure for the transformation of human life through divine joy and beauty. Such symbolic interpretations are never treated as mere metaphors but as manifestations of a larger divine logic — what C.S. Lewis, a devoted admirer of MacDonald, would later call "transpositional" theology.
One of the most distinctive features of MacDonald's interpretation is his consistent concern with the personhood and interiority of those whom Jesus heals or helps. He does not treat the recipients of miracles as passive objects but as active agents whose response to Christ is a necessary component of the miraculous event. This makes Miracles of Our Lord not only a Christocentric but also an anthropocentric work — a theology of divine-human encounter. It is not merely about what Christ does, but about how human beings are invited to respond in faith, humility, and love.
Underlying MacDonald's treatment of miracles is his theology of divine fatherhood and universal salvation. He insists that God acts not according to arbitrary will or punitive justice, but through love that aims ultimately at the redemption of all creation. In this light, miracles are not exceptional interventions but anticipations of a healed creation — the natural result of God's will fully done. MacDonald's eschatological vision is not one of judgment and division, but of purgative love that brings all things into harmony. The miracles, then, serve as previews of that ultimate reconciliation.
Stylistically, Miracles of Our Lord is marked by MacDonald's characteristic rhetorical earnestness, philosophical digressions, and poetic cadences. He writes with the gravity of a theologian and the sensitivity of a pastor, often invoking both Scripture and broader philosophical reflections to support his readings. Yet he avoids dogmatism, preferring suggestive insight to doctrinal finality. His tone is that of a moral guide rather than an ecclesiastical authority, and his work anticipates a more experiential and relational theology that would flourish in later Protestant and Anglican thought. Miracles of Our Lord is not merely an exegetical work on Gospel miracles; it is an extended meditation on divine love, the human soul, and the deeper order of the cosmos. For MacDonald, each miracle is a doorway into understanding who Christ is and what he intends for humanity. As such, this work remains a significant contribution to Christian literature, both for its theological depth and for its profound spiritual insight. It continues to influence modern Christian writers, most notably C.S. Lewis, who regarded MacDonald as his "master."
Miracles of Our Lord
George MacDonald's Miracles of Our Lord (1870) represents a profound and imaginative theological meditation on the miraculous works of Jesus Christ, offering both devotional and doctrinal insight within the tradition of 19th-century Christian thought. This work, neither a theological treatise in the academic sense nor a sermon compilation in the ordinary devotional mode, is instead a hybrid: a series of meditative essays wherein MacDonald endeavors to interpret the miracles of Christ not as interruptions of natural law but as revelations of a higher spiritual order. It is an exemplar of his broader theological project, in which love, divine order, and moral development are central.
MacDonald begins with a firm philosophical and spiritual premise: that miracles are not arbitrary displays of divine power but manifestations of divine character. He rejects the notion of miracle as mere suspension of natural law, positing instead that miracles are "the natural works of the Son of God." This framing reorients the reader's approach, not toward the miraculous as spectacle, but as disclosure — the unveiling of deeper spiritual realities beneath the surface of material existence.
Throughout the book, MacDonald treats individual miracles (e.g., the raising of Jairus's daughter, the healing of the blind, the feeding of the multitudes) with a blend of moral allegory and existential psychology. He explores how each miracle reveals not only Christ's compassion but also his desire for the holistic restoration of individuals. A central theme is that miracles are always aimed at some greater inner transformation. For example, the healing miracles are not mere restorations of bodily health; they are signs of the restoration of the soul's order. The cleansing of lepers becomes a parable of spiritual isolation and reintegration; the raising of the dead signifies not only triumph over mortality but also Christ's authority over despair and meaninglessness.
MacDonald is keenly aware of the metaphorical potency of the Gospel narratives. He treats them as having both literal historical import and deep moral or spiritual symbolism. His treatment of the miracle at Cana, for instance, emphasizes the transformation of water into wine as a figure for the transformation of human life through divine joy and beauty. Such symbolic interpretations are never treated as mere metaphors but as manifestations of a larger divine logic — what C.S. Lewis, a devoted admirer of MacDonald, would later call "transpositional" theology.
One of the most distinctive features of MacDonald's interpretation is his consistent concern with the personhood and interiority of those whom Jesus heals or helps. He does not treat the recipients of miracles as passive objects but as active agents whose response to Christ is a necessary component of the miraculous event. This makes Miracles of Our Lord not only a Christocentric but also an anthropocentric work — a theology of divine-human encounter. It is not merely about what Christ does, but about how human beings are invited to respond in faith, humility, and love.
Underlying MacDonald's treatment of miracles is his theology of divine fatherhood and universal salvation. He insists that God acts not according to arbitrary will or punitive justice, but through love that aims ultimately at the redemption of all creation. In this light, miracles are not exceptional interventions but anticipations of a healed creation — the natural result of God's will fully done. MacDonald's eschatological vision is not one of judgment and division, but of purgative love that brings all things into harmony. The miracles, then, serve as previews of that ultimate reconciliation.
Stylistically, Miracles of Our Lord is marked by MacDonald's characteristic rhetorical earnestness, philosophical digressions, and poetic cadences. He writes with the gravity of a theologian and the sensitivity of a pastor, often invoking both Scripture and broader philosophical reflections to support his readings. Yet he avoids dogmatism, preferring suggestive insight to doctrinal finality. His tone is that of a moral guide rather than an ecclesiastical authority, and his work anticipates a more experiential and relational theology that would flourish in later Protestant and Anglican thought. Miracles of Our Lord is not merely an exegetical work on Gospel miracles; it is an extended meditation on divine love, the human soul, and the deeper order of the cosmos. For MacDonald, each miracle is a doorway into understanding who Christ is and what he intends for humanity. As such, this work remains a significant contribution to Christian literature, both for its theological depth and for its profound spiritual insight. It continues to influence modern Christian writers, most notably C.S. Lewis, who regarded MacDonald as his "master."
MacDonald begins with a firm philosophical and spiritual premise: that miracles are not arbitrary displays of divine power but manifestations of divine character. He rejects the notion of miracle as mere suspension of natural law, positing instead that miracles are "the natural works of the Son of God." This framing reorients the reader's approach, not toward the miraculous as spectacle, but as disclosure — the unveiling of deeper spiritual realities beneath the surface of material existence.
Throughout the book, MacDonald treats individual miracles (e.g., the raising of Jairus's daughter, the healing of the blind, the feeding of the multitudes) with a blend of moral allegory and existential psychology. He explores how each miracle reveals not only Christ's compassion but also his desire for the holistic restoration of individuals. A central theme is that miracles are always aimed at some greater inner transformation. For example, the healing miracles are not mere restorations of bodily health; they are signs of the restoration of the soul's order. The cleansing of lepers becomes a parable of spiritual isolation and reintegration; the raising of the dead signifies not only triumph over mortality but also Christ's authority over despair and meaninglessness.
MacDonald is keenly aware of the metaphorical potency of the Gospel narratives. He treats them as having both literal historical import and deep moral or spiritual symbolism. His treatment of the miracle at Cana, for instance, emphasizes the transformation of water into wine as a figure for the transformation of human life through divine joy and beauty. Such symbolic interpretations are never treated as mere metaphors but as manifestations of a larger divine logic — what C.S. Lewis, a devoted admirer of MacDonald, would later call "transpositional" theology.
One of the most distinctive features of MacDonald's interpretation is his consistent concern with the personhood and interiority of those whom Jesus heals or helps. He does not treat the recipients of miracles as passive objects but as active agents whose response to Christ is a necessary component of the miraculous event. This makes Miracles of Our Lord not only a Christocentric but also an anthropocentric work — a theology of divine-human encounter. It is not merely about what Christ does, but about how human beings are invited to respond in faith, humility, and love.
Underlying MacDonald's treatment of miracles is his theology of divine fatherhood and universal salvation. He insists that God acts not according to arbitrary will or punitive justice, but through love that aims ultimately at the redemption of all creation. In this light, miracles are not exceptional interventions but anticipations of a healed creation — the natural result of God's will fully done. MacDonald's eschatological vision is not one of judgment and division, but of purgative love that brings all things into harmony. The miracles, then, serve as previews of that ultimate reconciliation.
Stylistically, Miracles of Our Lord is marked by MacDonald's characteristic rhetorical earnestness, philosophical digressions, and poetic cadences. He writes with the gravity of a theologian and the sensitivity of a pastor, often invoking both Scripture and broader philosophical reflections to support his readings. Yet he avoids dogmatism, preferring suggestive insight to doctrinal finality. His tone is that of a moral guide rather than an ecclesiastical authority, and his work anticipates a more experiential and relational theology that would flourish in later Protestant and Anglican thought. Miracles of Our Lord is not merely an exegetical work on Gospel miracles; it is an extended meditation on divine love, the human soul, and the deeper order of the cosmos. For MacDonald, each miracle is a doorway into understanding who Christ is and what he intends for humanity. As such, this work remains a significant contribution to Christian literature, both for its theological depth and for its profound spiritual insight. It continues to influence modern Christian writers, most notably C.S. Lewis, who regarded MacDonald as his "master."
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Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940184733180 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | George MacDonald |
| Publication date: | 05/06/2025 |
| Sold by: | Barnes & Noble |
| Format: | eBook |
| File size: | 300 KB |
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