The Nature Miracles of Jesus

The nature miracle stories of Jesus--walking on the water or feeding thousands with a small amount of food, for example--are so spectacular that many find them a problem, whether historical, philosophical, or even theological. This is the first book to tackle this problem head on. Do the stories reflect events in the life of the historical Jesus, or are they myths or legends? Or, perhaps they grew out of parables or from more ordinary events into the incredible stories we now have. Or, again, perhaps this the wrong approach! A group of high-ranking biblical historians, philosophers, and theologians with very diverse views set out to provide possible answers. Contributors include: - James Crossley - Eric Eve - Craig S. Keener - Michael Levine - Timothy J. McGrew - Scot McKnight - Graham H. Twelftree - Ruben Zimmermann ""This truly engaging collection of essays on a fascinating subject features not only different points of view but, much more importantly, good arguments for different points of view. Every reader will come away with much to ponder."" --Dale C. Allison, Jr., Princeton Theological Seminary ""This marvellous book by Graham H. Twelftree and his renowned co-authors is the first monograph dedicated solely to the nature miracles and a milestone in research on the New Testament miracle stories. The well-written essays give us a profound insight into the historical background and the understanding of the biblical narratives demonstrating Jesus' power over nature."" --Bernd Kollmann, University of Siegen ""Asking historiographical, philosophical, sociological, and literary questions and arriving at diverse answers, this splendid collection models exegetical care, theological sensitivity, and respectful scholarly debate. The essays show not only what is at stake in studying nature miracles for understanding Jesus of Nazareth, they also reveal the import of the subject for those who call him Lord."" --Amy-Jill Levine, Vanderbilt Divinity School ""An insightfuland accessible introduction to the nature miracles of Jesus Christ, ideal foracademicresearchers, teachers, students, and anyone who wants to sample the spectrumof contemporary scholarlyinterpretations by some of their most outstandingexponents. This work is a brilliant achievement and doesthe reader the great courtesyof providing a forum for the presentation and exchange of views withoutforeclosing the debates."" --Andrew Pinsent, University of Oxford Graham H. Twelftree is the Academic Dean and Professor New Testament and Early Christianity at the London School of Theology. He is the author of numerous books, most recently Paul and the Miraculous: A Historical Reconstruction (2013).