Miracles: Credibility of the New Testament Accounts
Craig Keener's Miracles emerges from a scholarly career spent defending the historical reliability of the New Testament against critics who dismiss miracle accounts as legendary accretions or ancient superstitions. Writing as a New Testament scholar who had long accepted the reality of miracles on faith, Keener undertook this massive study after recognizing that Western academic skepticism about the supernatural was itself a cultural assumption rather than a neutral scholarly position. The work responds directly to the influential arguments of scholars like David Hume and Rudolf Bultmann, who argued that miracle claims are inherently incredible and incompatible with modern historical method.
Keener's central argument unfolds in two major movements. First, he demonstrates that antisupernatural assumptions in Western scholarship are not universal human perspectives but reflect specifically modern Western philosophical commitments that many cultures do not share. He documents extensive contemporary miracle reports from non-Western contexts, particularly Africa, Asia, and Latin America, arguing that dismissing these accounts wholesale reveals cultural bias rather than scholarly rigor. Second, he applies rigorous historical-critical methods to New Testament miracle narratives, showing that they bear the marks of early, reliable tradition rather than late legendary development. Keener examines the literary forms, historical contexts, and transmission patterns of Gospel miracle stories, arguing that they function as historical reports rather than purely theological constructs.
The work has influenced evangelical apologetics by providing a scholarly foundation for defending supernatural elements in Scripture while engaging seriously with critical biblical scholarship. Keener's documentation of contemporary miracle reports has also contributed to discussions about divine action in the world beyond purely academic circles. The book represents a significant attempt to bridge the gap between faith commitments and historical-critical methodology.
Who should read this: Scholars and students grappling with questions of history and the supernatural in biblical studies, pastors seeking to address intellectual challenges to biblical miracle accounts, and educated Christians who want a rigorous defense of New Testament reliability. This is not devotional reading but serious academic engagement requiring familiarity with historical-critical methods.