Jesus the Miracle Worker: A Historical and Theological Study

by Graham H. Twelftree

Overview

"Jesus went throughout Galilee, teachingproclaimingand healing every disease and every sickness among the people." (Mt 4:23)Few today doubt that Jesus was viewed by many of his contemporaries as a miracle worker. And many scholars today would agree that Jesus was a healer and an exorcist. But what does this mean? Was Jesus simply a master at relieving psychological distress, a healer of psychosomatic illness, a purveyor of paranormal therapy? What distinguished Jesus from other miracle workers of the ancient world? And what should we make then of his stilling the storm, his walking on the sea, his feeding of the five thousand? In this study of the miracles of Jesus, Graham Twelftree extensively examines the miracles within each Gospel narrative. He evaluates Jesus' own understanding of the miracles, weighs the historical reliability of the miracle stories, and considers the question of miracles and the modern mind.This book maps and explores the borderlands between the affirmations of faith and the conclusions of historical method. Are some miracles simply more open to historical verification than others? With the historical study of Jesus once again capturing the attention of the media and the public, this timely book courageously steps forward to investigate the hard questions.Jesus the Miracle Worker is a comprehensive and textbook study of the miracles of Jesus, written by a recognized expert in the historical investigation of the exorcisms of Jesus.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780830815968
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	05/25/1999
Pages:	470
Product dimensions:	(w) x (h) x 1.35(d)

About the Author

Graham H. Twelftree (Ph.D., University of Nottingham) is Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is the author of numerous books, including Christ Triumphant and Jesus the Exorcist.

Table of Contents

Abbreviations

Preface

Part 1: Miracles and the Modern Mind
1. Objectives Issues
2. The Possibility of Miracles

Part 2: The Miracles of Jesus in the Gospels
3. The Miracles of Jesus in Mark
4. The Miracles of Jesus in Matthew
5. The Miracles of Jesus in Luke: The Stories
6. The Miracles of Jesus in Luke: The Issues
7. The Miracles of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel: The Stories
8. The Miracles of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel: The Issues

Part 3: Jesus the Miracles
9. Miracles the Historical Jesus
10. The Meaning of the Miracles for Jesus

Part 4: The Miracles of Jesus History
11. Jesus Exorcism
12. The Crippled Paralytics
13. The Blind
14. Raising the Dead
15. Lepers Cleansed
16. Other Healings Miracles of Nature

Part 5: Conclusions
17. Jesus the Miracle Worker

Notes

Bibliography

Indexes

Editorial Reviews

"Twelftree . . . masterfully guides his readers through issues of theology and historicity, demonstrating the trustworthiness of most all of the major thrusts of the Gospel miracles (and not a few minor ones). . . . a very welcome and important addition to the ‘third quest.'"

Craig Blomberg

"Richly documented and cogently argued, the book will offer a challenge to all recent bids to see Jesus as other than a wonderworking Messiah who announces by his signs the presence of the Kingdom."

Ralph P. Martin

"This fine study of the miracle traditions in the Gospels faces squarely the awkward philosophical and historical questions."

Graham N. Stanton

"The work of an expert . . . who sees the problem of Jesus the Miracle Worker not only from an exegetical New Testament point of view but also in its relations to philosophical, theological and scientific problems. . . . a valuable contribution to the better understanding of the Gospels."

Martin Hengel

"It is a pleasure and enrichment to read his new work. . . . a very timely and well-conceived book."

Colin Brown

"Graham Twelftree's study makes a significant contribution to what has been called the third quest of the historical Jesus."

Bruce D. Chilton

"A masterful study of an important aspect of the ministry of the historical Jesus . . . a significant contribution to the field."

Craig A. Evans

"The combination of exegetical, historical and theological perspectives in this single volume makes Jesus the Miracle Worker an especially remarkable work."

John P. Meir

"This fine study of the miracle traditions in the Gospels faces squarely the awkward philosophical and historical questions."

Graham N. Stanton, University of Cambridge

"The work of an expert . . . who sees the problem of Jesus the Miracle Worker not only from an exegetical New Testament point of view but also in its relations to philosophical, theological and scientific problems. . . . a valuable contribution to the better understanding of the Gospels."

Martin Hengel, University of Tubingen

"Twelftree . . . masterfully guides his readers through issues of theology and historicity, demonstrating the trustworthiness of most all of the major thrusts of the Gospel miracles (and not a few minor ones). . . . a very welcome and important addition to the 'third quest.'"

Craig Blomberg, Denver Seminary

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