SECTION II
Chapter 5  -  Miracles

    During the times of Jesus Christ, the majority of people in the ancient
world believed in the presence of divine powers within nature! The ancient
Greeks, believed that some gods sent diseases and catastrophes on mankind,
while other gods would help men by teaching them cures.  Almost everyone
believed that astrologers, augurers, sorcerers, and readers of animal entrails
could also tap into the "divine" forces operating in the realm of this world,
to prophecise the future.

   One of the popular religious cults of the pagan ancient world revolved
around belief in the miraculous healing powers of Aesclepius, the Greek god
of medicine. (Even today, Aesclepius' symbol of a staff and snakes is sometimes
used as an emblem for the medical profession.) Stories of miraculous cures
were common.  For example, in the ruins of an ancient pagan temple in Corinth
Greece, there remains the following ancient dedication written by a "cured" 
devotee to Aesclepius:

   "As an example of your goodness, Aesclepius, I have dedicated this rock
   which I lifted up, clear evidence of your art, for all to see.   For
   before I came into your hands and those of your sons, the sanctuary
   physicians, I was laid low by a hateful disease with an abscess in the
   chest and paralysis of the arms.  But you, persuading me to raise this
   rock, made me sound." (as quoted by John Romer, TESTAMENT, P 161)

  The Romans believed in miracles. For example, the Roman historians Tacitus
and Suetonius reported that the Roman emperor Vespasian possessed miraculous
powers.  In one case, these powers were reportedly used to cure a blind man
in Alexandria by means of his spiddle, and in another--to cure a lame man with
the mere touch of his foot. (Anthony Flew, HUME'S PHILOSOPHY OF BELIEF: A STUDY
OF HIS FIRST INQUIRY (New York: The Humanities Press, 1961, 183, cf. Tacitus,
HISTORIES, 4.81; and Suetonius, LIFE OF VESPASIAN, 8 (7).2. (Note: David Hume
used the above examples to make the philosophical point that even if a
distinguished and admired historian such as Tacitus strongly believed in the
aforementioned miracles, that this should not suffice as prima facia evidence
to convince readers today.)

   The ancient Jews also believed in miracles and divine powers.  Misfortune
or illness was either due to one's sin against God, or else was due to demons.
Great prophets, such as Elijah and Elisha evoked powerful miracles, many as we
shall see, which were comparable to Jesus' great miracles. There also appears
to have been a general Jewish belief in spirits. Elijah, (the great Jewish
prophet who reportedly ascended directly into heaven in a chariot of flames
without dying a natural death), was believed to have lived on in spirit in
the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 2:15). According to Mark 6:16, when Herod Antipas
first heard of Jesus' ministry, he wondered if Jesus was really John the
Baptist raised from the dead.

  Since it was a common belief in the ancient world that divine forces were
at work in man's daily life, the CHALLENGE for early Christians was to
convince pagans and Jews that the SOURCE of good powers came from the "true"
God--in the form of a Trinity whose other two members were Jesus the Son,
and the Holy Ghost.  All other powers not from God, were from demons or the
devil.

  One method used by early Christians to convince skeptics of the nature
of Jesus, was to report on Jesus' miracles as given in the gospel stories.

Parallels Between Christian Miracles and Jewish/Pagan Miracles.

   Christians, being inheritors of both Jewish and Greek cultures, shared a
common belief in divine miracles. Indeed, the nature of most of Jesus'
miracles were NOT unique, but had strong PARALLELS in either stories in
the Old Testament, or in contemporary religious beliefs that were prevalent
in the hellenized world.  That is, Jesus' reported miracles of curing the
sick, exorcising evil spirits, raising the dead back to life, even walking
on water, have parallels in Old Testament stories on the Jewish prophets--or
with contemporary or older NON-Christian accounts.

  Some skeptical scholars have tried to show that these coincidences "prove"
that the gospel writers were engaged in "fictionalized" writings.  However,
it could also be argued that these similarities are sheer coincidences, or
possibly even presentiments of God's divine plan, appearing in earlier forms.
(The actions of the Devil could also be invoked by religious apologists to
explain some of these parallels). Regardless of the viewpoint of the
reader, one would have to agree that some of the similarities are striking.
I have summarized' some of the most important parallels below: (Note:
Much of the following analysis borrows heavily from Randel Helms)


 (1) Miracle of the Feeding of the Crowds

   Jesus' feeding the multitudes with a few loaves of bread parallels a
similar miraculous feeding performed by the prophet Elisha.

  However Jesus' miracle occurs on a MUCH GRANDER SCALE: Elisha fed one HUNDRED
men with only twenty loaves. Jesus fed four THOUSAND men with seven loaves
(and later in Mark five thousand men with four loaves).  Elisha's disciple
complains, "I cannot set this before a HUNDRED men".  (II Kings 4:43)
Likewise in Mark, Jesus' disciple asks ,"How can anyone provide all these
people with bread?" (Mark 8:5)

  In both versions there was food left over:  With Elisha's gathering,
"...they ate, and left some over" (II Kings 4:44).  With Jesus',
"They all ate to their heart's content, and seven baskets were filled
with the scraps that were left." (Mark 8:9) Once again, Jesus' miracle
is similar in nature, but greater in power.

  (2) Healing Miracles

   -- The prophet Isaiah,(like Jesus), declared that he had been appointed to
"preach good news to the poor".  (Isaiah 61:1) Also, per Isaiah, the advent
of the New Age could be characterized by the following miracles: "The eyes
of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall hear.  Then
shall the lame man leap as a hart". (Isaiah 35.5). In addition, "the dead
shall rise, and they that are in the tombs shall be raised'. (Isaiah 26:19)

    Compare this with Matthew 11:2-5. John the Baptist, who was in prison,
sent his disciples to Jesus with this message: "Are you the one who is to
come or are we to expect some other?"  Jesus answered,

  "Go and tell John what you hear and see:  the blind recover their
  sight, the lame walk, the lepers are made clean, the deaf hear, the
  dead are raised to life, the poor are hearing the good news."

   --The prophet Elisha told the leper Naman to go wash in the Jordan
      to be "cleansed" of his leprosy. Jesus told TEN lepers to "go and
      show yourselves to the priests"; and while they were on their way
      they were made clean." (Luke 17:15-16)

   (3) Miracles of Raising the Dead Back to Life.

   In the gospels, Jesus is depicted as raising the following people from
the dead:  Lazarus (in John), Jairus' daughter (Matthew, Mark, and Luke),
and the widow of Nain's son (in Luke).

  The prophets Elijah and Elisha in the Old Testament also raised people from
the dead:

    --the prophet Elijah brought the son of the widow Sarepta, who had died,
      back to life. (I Kings 17:8-23). Jesus restored to life the son of the
      widow at Nain. In the Septuagint version of the Old Testament (ie the
      Greek version of the Old Testament, almost certainly used by the gospel
      writers), both accounts ended with exactly the same  verses:  "and he
      [Elijah/Jesus] gave him to his mother". (3 [1]  Kings 17:23  vs Luke
      7:15)

     --  A woman of Shunnamite came to beg the prophet Elisha to cure her only
       son.  At first, Elisha's disciple tries to "thrust her away", but
       Elisha rebukes him and agrees to help the woman's son. Elisha sends
       his disciple ahead of them to lay his staff upon the child, but the
       disciple returns before Elisha arrives to tell him that the child has
       already died.  Elisha went into the house, and asked for total
       privacy with the child.  Then he "bowed himself on the child seven
       times" and the child opened his eyes.


          In Mark 5, Matthew 9, and Luke 8, Jesus is approached by a
       president of a synagogue to help his only daughter that was dying.
       As he was speaking to Jesus, a message arrived that his daughter
       had just died and "why trouble the Rabbi [Jesus] further?" Jesus
       arrives at her house, and with a close group entered where the girl
       was lying. He took her hand and commanded in Aramaic "Damsel,
       arise".

           The parallels here are that in both cases an only child was
        raised from the dead and the parent is pressured by others
        to leave Elisha/Jesus alone.  Compared with the Septuagint (Greek)
        version of Kings, both stories END almost exactly with the same
        lines.  In IV Kings 4:31 the mother of the child is "ecstatic with
        all this ecstasy" (exestesas ... pasan ten ten ekstasin tauten) and
        in Mark 5:42 the parents were "ecstatic with great ecstasy"
        (exestesan...ekstasei megale) (Randel Helms, GOSPEL FICTIONS P 66).
        It is ironic how in Mark's version, Jairus (the father of the girl)
        has a name that means "He will awaken". (Ibid)
  (4) Miracle of Transforming Water Into Wine

  At a wedding in Cana in Galilee, Jesus' mother informs Jesus:

  "They have no wine left". [Jesus] answered, "Woman, what have I to do
  with you? My hour is not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do
  whatever he tells you." (John 2:3-4) Jesus commands them to fill some jars
  with water and bring them to the steward who pronounces it as the best
  wine given at the wedding.

  Jesus' tone towards to his mothers sounds distant and harsh, when he replies,
"Woman, why have I to do with you?".  Interesting this EXACT phrase appears
in a parallel miracle performed by the prophet Elijah in the Old Testament.
Here the miracle involves empty pitchers that are replenished with flour and
oil.  A woman in need of food asks the prophet, "What have I to do with you."
(In the Greek Septuagint the phrase is identical--see III [1] Kings 17:18,
Septuagint) (Randel Helms, p 86)

  Regarding the transformation of water into wine, this was a common miracle
in the hellenistic ancient world--whereby the god Dionysus (through the
priests/priestesses at his temples) would miraculously convert water
into wine (sometimes through dishonest means--see Introduction)

  (5) Miracle of Commanding the Wind and Sea; Walking on Water

  From the Psalms in the Old Testament, we are told how God (Jehovah)
had power over the wind and sea:

  "At his command the storm-wind rose and lifted the waves high.
   Carried up to heaven, plunged down to the depths, tossed to and from in
   peril, they reeled and staggered like drunken men, and their seamanship
   was all in vain.  So they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he
   brought them out of their distress. The storm sank to a murmur and the
   waves of the sea were stilled.  They were glad then that all was calm,
   as he guided them to the harbor they desired."(Psalm 107:25-30)

  Likewise, when Jesus and his disciples were aboard a boat on the Sea of
Galilee:

  "A heavy squall came up and the waves broke over the boat until it
   was all but swamped.  Now he [Jesus] was in the stern asleep on a
   cushion; they roused him and said, "Master, we are perishing! Do you not
   care?" He awoke, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Hush! Be still!"
   The wind dropped and there was a dead calm." (Mark 4:37-39)

   Jesus showed power over the sea by walking on it! (See Matthew
14; Mark 6; John 6).  The book of Job 9:8 states that God has this
power and "walks on the sea as on dry ground".  The gospel of Matthew,
tells how the disciple Peter decided he wanted to try and walk on the
water too:

  "Peter called to him: 'Lord, if it is you, tell me to come to you over
  the water.' 'Come', said Jesus.  Peter stepped down from the boat, and
  walked over the water to Jesus.  But when he saw the strength of the
  gale he was seized with fear; and beginning to sink, he cried, 'Save me,
  Lord'. Jesus at once reached out and caught hold of him, and said, 'Why
  did you hesitate?  How little faith you have!' They then climbed into
  the boat; and the wind dropped.  And the men in the boat fell at his feet,
  exclaiming, 'Truly you are the Son of God.'" (Matthew 14:28-33)

  This story (which appears only in Matthew) of Peter walking on the water
is similar to a Buddhist legend which was told by Buddhist missionaries
in Syria and Egypt as early as the second century B.C.E.:

A disciple decided to visit Buddha one evening, but,

  "found that the ferry boat was missing from the bank of the river Aciravati.
  In faithful trust in Buddha he stepped into the water and went as if on
  dry land to the very middle of the stream.  Then he came out of his contented
  meditation on Buddha in which he had lost himself, and saw the waves and was
  frightened, and his feet began to sink.  But he forced himself to become
  wrapt in his meditation again and by its power he reached the far bank
  safely and reached his master." (quoted by Randel Helms on p 65, taken
  from Rudolf Bultmann, THE GOSPEL OF JOHN (Philiadelphia: Westminister, 1971)
  p 230.) (The Indian king Asoka, whose grandfather had met Alexander the
  Great, boasted that he had sent Buddhist missionaries to the courts of
  Antiochus of Syria, Ptolemy of Egypt, Antigonus of Macedonia, Magas of
  Cyrene and Alexander of Epirus.)

Contemporaries of Jesus Who were Purported to Perform Miracles

 In Palestine and throughout the known ancient world, there were reports
of several men, including contemporaries of Jesus, who performed miracles.
The Galilean, Hanina ben Dosa was believed to have been active before
the revolt of 66-70 C.E.. Jewish rabbinic tradition represents Hanina as
leading a life of poverty and performing miracles. According to one
rabbinic legend, he could cure people at a distance through his prayers--
and in this way healed the son of the rabbi Gamaliel. (bBer. 34b; yBer. 9d
as quoted by Vermes, JESUS THE JEW, P 75).  Hanina claimed that he was no
prophet, but that he was "favored" so that if the words of prayer came
easily off his lips, then he knew that the cure would take place. (Ibid)

  There were others individuals who purportedly held amazing powers.
A certain Eleazar could expel demons from the possessed. (This seems to have
been a common feat performed by both Jews and Christians alike in the first
centuries C.E.). Honi the Circle-drawer (1st century B.C.E.) and Hanan, had
reputations as successful rainmakers. Honi is also reported to have prayed
to God, referring to him in intimate terms as "Father", just as Jesus is
reported to have done in the gospels. The leading Pharisee of Honi's time,
Simeon ben Shetah, was said to have been so exasperated by Honi's successes,
that he reportedly declared: "What can I do with you, since he does what you
wish in the same way that a father does whatever his importuning son asks him?"
(Honi, BTAAN 3:8; JEWISH ANTIQUITIES, 14:22,4. Note, Honi is called Onias by
Josephus; Gen Rabba 13:7; bTaan 23b; discussion taken FROM JESUS TO CHRIST
Paula Fredriksen, p 91); see all Vermes, op cit, p 70.) He was later stoned
to death in Jerusalem.

  As we shall see in Section IV Chapter 3 on the Mystery Religions, there
were numerous groups who worshipped a resurrected savior-god.  Examples
include the cults of Osiris, Mithra, Attis, Adonis, Chris of Chaldea, and
Krishna.

 Just as there were reported resurrected saviors BEFORE Jesus, some were
said to have lived AFTER Jesus: Apollonius of Tyana, lived some twenty to
thirty years later than Jesus, and was a contemporary of Paul of Tarsus.
(He died around 98 C.E.).   A Greek, Apollonius became a follower of the
mystic philosophical Pythagorean sect. According to legend, he traveled
to Babylon where he studied with the magi, and went from there to India
where he then studied with the Brahman.  He was believed to have performed
miracles similar to Jesus--healing the sick, casting out demons -- even
raising a girl from the dead by touching her and saying a spell. (Flavius 
Philostratus LIFE OF APPOLONIUS, IV.45)

  Apollonius taught there was one true God and stressed good works,
charity and piety.  He also offered the promise of salvation to his
followers.

  He was arrested and executed by the Romans for revolutionary activity.
During his trial one follower, Porphyry, contrasted Appolonnius favorably
to Jesus, because he did not stand passively and dumb before his accusors,
but "lectured the emperor as a philosopher should". (Morton Smith, JESUS THE
MAGICIAN, P 89). Like Jesus, Apollonius ascended to heaven, and made
appearances after his ascension, even to those who were hostile to his
teachings. His movement grew in numbers, and even gained the support of the
empress Julia Domna in the early third century C.E.. (The LIFE OF APPOLONIUS
was completed after the empress' death in 217 C.E.). (See also. Randel Helms,
"Resurrection Fictions, FREE INQUIRY (Fall, 1981 Vol 1 No. 4) p 34).

Other "Miracle Workers" Acknowledged

  At no time, did the gospel writers assert that the miracles of OTHER
individuals were "tricks".  Instead miracles were taken at face value as
being absolutely real:

  For example, when the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out devils  with
the aid of Beelzebub, Jesus replied, "And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils,
BY WHOM DO YOUR CHILDREN CAST THEM OUT?" (Matthew 12:27, Luke 11:19
emphasis mine) That is, Jesus is here acknowledging that the disciples of
the Pharisees could ALSO cast out devils. Mark 9:38-9 has the apostles tell
Jesus of a man performing miracles who did not follow them: "Master, we saw
one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us... But Jesus
said, Forbid him not; for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my
name, that can lightly speak evil of me."

  "False" prophets could also perform great miracles, and Jesus is quoted by
Matthew as concerned that "the very elect" might indeed become deceived by
them:

   "Then if any man shall say unto you. Lo here is Christ, or there;
  believe it not.  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,
  and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible
  they shall deceive the very elect... Wherefore if they shall say unto you,
  Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth..." (Matthew 24:23-6)

How Powerful was Jesus?

   The gospels present the common ancient view that various displays of
mental illness (ie what would be today diagnosed as schizophrenia, epilepsy,
etc) were cases of demonic possession. That is, ALL of Jesus' cures were
described as freeing the victim from the demons possessing them (and
NEVER refer to a mental, or natural illness). Historians can show that the
general beliefs in faith healings and demonic possession of the early
Christians were essentially identical to those of the Jews and pagans of
the ancient world.

  Take the following New Testament examples of exorcism:

 Mark describes one scene, where demons from a possessed man are
transferred by Jesus into a herd of pigs, which then plunge off a cliff.

   "And when he [Jesus] was come to the other side into the country of the
  Gerasenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the
  tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.  And
  behold, they cried out, saying, 'What have we to do with thee, Jesus,
  thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
  And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding."

  "So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to
  go away into the herd of swine. And he said unto them, Go. And when
  they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the
  whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and
  perished in the waters." (Luke 8:26-33,Mark 5:1-13)

  There are other scenes too, showing a belief that madness was caused
by demons.  Mark describes four episodes of demonic possession.  The
Gerasene demoniac who ran around naked and had to be kept on a chain
(Mark 5:1-13,Matthew 7:28-31 Luke 8:26-32); the epileptic and possible
deaf-mute (Mark 9:15-27, Matthew 17:14-8, Luke 9:38-42), the man exorcised in
the synagogue of Capernaum (Mark 1:23-6; Luke 4:33-5), and a Tyrian woman
who lay peacefully on her bed after being free from the torment of her
demon.(Mark 7:24-30; Matthew 15:21-8). John 10:20 refers to a man who "has
a demon and he is mad". In two additional instances recorded in Matthew (see
Matthew 9:32-4 and 22-4), possession is described as the cause of dumbness,
or the cause of dumbness/blindness.

  In Galilee, one of Jesus' main occupation was said to be from casting
out demons:

  *"They brought to him all who were ill or possessed by devils...He
  healed many who suffered from various diseases, and drove out many
  devils." (Mark 1:32-4; Matthew 8:16, Luke 4:40-1)

  *"So all through Galilee he went...casting out the devils."
  (Mark 1:39, Matthew 4:23)

  Some skeptics point to these scenes as having the harmful effect of
promoting  beliefs in demonology and superstition in general. They argue
that if ALL these cases just happened to be TRUE spiritual possessions--
the gospels are still COMPLETELY SILENT on the fact that at least SOME
displays of bizarre behavior (foaming of the mouth, etc) have purely
PHYSICAL causes that could be treated by FUTURE doctors.

Some Cures are Not Made Directly, But Through Laying of Hands, etc

  Regarding the fate of the swine in the episode of Garasenes, scholars over
the centuries have been perplexed as to why Jesus would also condemn the pigs
to jump off the cliff in effecting the man's cure. The implication is that
Jesus possibly was not powerful enough to effect an all out cure. That is,
the gospel of Mark portrays Jesus' powers more in line with those of the Old
Testament prophets--Where there were either powerful words or other side
antics to effect the miracle. For example:

  --Elijah breathed three times on the son of the widow Narepta before
calling out "O Lord, my God, Let, I pray thee, the soul of this return to him."

  --Elisha asks to pray in privacy with the dead son of the Shunnamite woman.
Then, after praying, he "bowed himself on the child seven time; and the
child opened his eyes." (II Kings 3:25 of the Septuagint)

 (1) Mark likewise depicts a Jesus who uses the aid of a magic word or a "spat". 
When Jesus is asked to heal a deaf mute:

   "He took the man aside, away from the crowd, put his fingers into his
   ears, spat, and touched his tongue.  Then, looking up to
  heaven, he sighed, and said to him, 'Ephphatha', which means, 'Be opened.'
  With that his ears were opened, and at the same time the impediment was
  removed and he spoke plainly." (Mark 7:33-35)

  According to the Roman historian Tacitus, the Emperor Vespasian (following
the Jewish-Roman war of 66-70 C.E.) healed a blind man by means of his spit.
Vespasian was in Alexandria, when a blind man approached him to spit on
his cheeks and eyes. After some hesitation, Vespasian did so, and
the man declared he could see light again. (Tacitus, HISTORIES, 4.81;
also related in Dio Cassius, ROMAN HISTORY 65.8) and Suetonius, VESPASIAN 7.)

  (2) According to Mark, Jesus powers were also not strong enough to completely 
cure a blind man on the first try:

  "He spat on his eyes, and laid his hands upon him, and asked whether
  he could see any thing.  the blind man's sight began to come back, and he
  said, "I see men; they look like trees, but they are walking about."
  Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; he looked hard, and now he was
  cured so that he saw everything clearly." (Mark 8:23-25)

 Both Matthew and Luke correct this 'weakness' throughout their gospels,
nd show Jesus' powers as taking effect instantly!

  Story of the Fig Tree

One example of this can be seen in Matthew's "improvement" on Mark's version
of Jesus cursing a fig tree that was bare of fruit.  First, Mark's version:

  -- "Noticing a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything
      on it.  But when he came there he found nothing but leaves; for it
      was not the season for figs.  He said to the tree, "May no one
      ever again eat fruit from you! ...Early next morning as they passed
      by, they saw that the fig tree had withered from the roots up."
      (Mark 11:13-14,20)

   Mark presents a weak Jesus who does NOT KNOW beforehand that the fig
tree was bare (not to mention it wasn't the season for it).  Because he
has wasted his time in looking for figs he angrily curses it. The curse
itself does not take effect immediately, but the tree is completely withered
by the next morning.

  According to Matthew's version:

  -- "Seeing a fig tree at the roadside he went up to it but found nothing
on it but leaves.  He said to the tree, 'You shall never bear fruit any
more!', and the tree withered away AT ONCE." (Matthew 21:19-20, emphasis mine)

  Again, presumably, Jesus' supernatural knowledge should have told him that
the fig tree was already bare (unless his human form restricted his powers).
Matthew softens the implications of this by portraying the fig tree as
growing "at the roadside" so that Jesus did not have to waste too much
effort in looking for figs.  Once Matthew's powerful Jesus curses the
tree, his powers took effect immediately--and the tree withers AT ONCE!

  Interesting enough, Luke's version of the curse of the fig tree is not
a story about Jesus at all, but is instead a parable told by Jesus:

-- "A certain man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard; and he came
   looking for fruit on it, but found none.  So he said to the vinedresser,
   'Look here! For the last three years I have come looking for fruit on this
   fig tree without finding any. Cut it down.  Why should it go on using
   up the soil?'" (Luke 13:6-7)

  Possibly Luke had the original version of the story--ie a parable, and
in the oral retelling of the story, it evolved into a story about a miracle
by Jesus himself (as both Mark and Matthew wished to use it to symbolize
Jesus' anger upon his arrival at the Second Coming).

A Prophet Not Held In Honor In His Own Home Town

  Again, Mark presents a weaker Jesus in describing Jesus' visit to his
home town of Nazareth.  Here the implication is given that possibly
Jesus "could work no miracle" (except "on a few sick people)" unless
the people believed.  The gospel Mark quotes Jesus as saying,

    "A prophet will always be held in honour except in his home
  town, and among his kinsmen and family."  He could work no miracle
  there, except that he put his hands on a few sick people and
  healed them, and he was taken aback by their want of faith."(Mark 6:4-6)

   Again, Matthew replaced this weak depiction of Jesus by Mark
with a more powerful divine being whose cures take place instantaneously:

  "He did not work many miracles there: such was their want of faith."
(Matthew 13:58)

  That is Matthew shows that it wasn't that Jesus COULDN'T cure people in
his home town--instead he CHOSE NOT to, because he was offended by their
lack of faith. (In John, we are told that "a prophet has no honor in his
home town", but Jesus is busy conducting miracles in Galilee. see John 4)

Jesus Reply that "No one is good except God alone".

  The most dramatic example, though, whereby the gospel of Mark CLEARLY
depicts a weaker Jesus, is in Mark 10:17-8, where a stranger approaches
Jesus with the question,

 --  "Good Master, what must I do to win eternal life".  Jesus replies here,
     "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone'.

 This same incident appears in Matthew 19:17 with Jesus now replying:

 -- "Why do you ask me about WHAT [emphasis mine] is good?".

  Thus, Matthew has corrected  Mark's verse to portray Jesus as
an all-powerful God.

John's Powerful Jesus

  The gospel of John never displays Jesus in the "weak" manner of
the synoptic gospels. Instead, Jesus is always portrayed as an all-powerful,
all-knowing supernatural being.  For example, contrast the powers of
Jesus in his conversation below with a woman from Samaria (John 4).

  "Jesus said to her, 'Go, call your husband, and come here.' The woman
  answered him, 'I have no husband.' Jesus said to her. 'You are right in
  saying, 'I have no husband'; for you have had five husbands, and he whom
  you now have is not your husband; this you said truly.

  The woman replied to Jesus, 'Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.'"

  (Jesus probably realized all along that the woman from Samaria had no
husband when he asked her to call him.  He was just setting her up for the
rebuke that was to follow.)

The Death of John the Baptist

   As we have seen, in the gospel of John Jesus has omniscience (all knowledge)
of everything going around him. This is not always true in the other synoptic
gospels.  According to Matthew, after Herod had John the Baptist beheaded:

    "...his disciples came and took the body and buried it; and they went
        and told Jesus. Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there
        in a boat to a lonely place apart."   (Matthew 14:13-4)

    One could argue that Jesus MUST have "heard this" from divine means--
although the sequence of events seems to imply that he "heard this" from
the disciples.  Regardless, Jesus was so disturbed by the news that he withdrew
to "a lonely place apart."  Theologians explain that Jesus did not resurrect
John the Baptist, because his death was to foreshadow Jesus' own death.
(Because John the Baptist was a known historical person--for example Josephus
writes on him independently of Jesus--a resurrection would have been perceived
as stronger evidence that Jesus' miracles were indeed real. See Section II
Chapter 3 which shows discrepancies on the story of John the Baptist within
the New Testament.)

Cured by One's Own Faith

  Many times the gospel writers quote Jesus as stating that it was the
believers' OWN faith that cured them.  (See Luke 17:19 with the leper,
Mark 10:52).

  For example, Jesus' replied to the Samaritan leper, "Stand up and go on
your way; your faith has cured you." (Luke 17:19).  Jesus cured the
paralytic and forgave his sins when he saw his faith (Mark 2:5).  To
the woman with the issue of blood, Jesus exclaims "Daughter, your faith
has made you well" (Mark 5:34). This theme is repeated again with the
blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:52).  In fact, according to Jesus, faith can
move mountains if the believer "does not doubt in his heart, but believes
that what he says will come to pass." (Mark 11:23)

Reported Miracles of Jesus' Disciples

  Jesus' disciples were also reportedly given powers to enact miracles.
According to the Synoptic gospels, Jesus commissioned his disciples to
continue the ministry after his death, and they healed the sick in his
name. (see Mark 6:7-10,Matthew 10:2-10, Luke 9:1-6) While Jesus was
still alive, his disciples attempted to go out and heal the sick
although they were not always successful--probably due to lack of faith.

 (According to Mark 9:17-27 the disciples failed to exorcise a demon from a 
possessed young man and it was necessary for Jesus himself to step in to cure 
him.)  After Jesus' death, the book of Acts records how the disciples performed 
great miracles-- Peter healed a crippled man at the gate of a Jewish Temple with 
the words, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, get up and walk." As he 
pulled the man to his feet, the bones in his legs and feet became so strong that 
he could walk and dance. (Acts 3:2-8)

  According to Acts, Paul is reported to have performed many "signs and
wonders" before his Christian communities. Paul ordered a crippled man in
Lystra to walk, with the command "Get up on your feet!" On the island
of Malta, Paul healed a man of dysentery and fever (Acts 28:8-9).  According
to Acts, even Paul's clothes were imbued with miraculous healing powers:

  "And God performed extraordinary miracles through Paul so that handkerchiefs
and clothes that had been in contact with his body were carried to the sick
and they were cured of their diseases and the evil spirits came out of
them." (Acts 19:11-12)

   Paul's shadow likewise was reportedly filled with power (Acts 5:15)

  Surprisingly, although Acts reports Paul's successes in curing the
afflictions of others, Paul seemed unable to talk Jesus into healing himself.
According to Paul's own letters, he suffered from some affliction which he
referred to as "a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to harass me and
to keep me from being too proud."  Paul explained that he had asked Jesus
three times to be healed.  However Jesus refused, saying "My grace is enough
for you.  My power is perfected in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). That
is, Paul had been given divine grace to cure others, but it was part of
Jesus' plan to do this using Paul's weak human form.

  What is Lacking. . .

  Skeptics will argue that what is lacking in the gospel accounts is a
documented diagnosis by any impartial, competent eyewitness. There is
typically NO discussion of any follow up to determine if the person suffered
a relapse after the excitement of the cure had passed.  This latter point is
important,  because there are documented case studies where emotional hysteria
can produce the same (but temporary) results. (See Section VII, Chapter 3).

   According to Geza Vermes in his book JESUS THE JEW, when he consulted
various psychiatrists whether any of the diseases in the New Testament
could be recognized as hysterical, they first wanted to know the "state
of health of the patients six months after discharge, before giving him an
answer." This information is unfortunately not presented in the gospel
stories.  Vermes describes how he searched the passages of the New Testament
for clues to whether the expulsions of the demons were permanent. He found
that the actual expulsion of the evil spirits always followed a direct
command: "Be silent", "Out, unclean spirit, come out of this man!, "Deaf
and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and never come back!" (Only
in ONE case is the devil directly ordered to stay away permanently.)
Geza Vermes, JESUS THE JEW, Fortress Press,1973, p 23)

(For a more detailed discussion on the topic of possession and mental
illnesses, see Section VII, Chapters 5 and 6)

                              *  *  *

  In the following sections, we shall review the evidence leading up to what
has been hailed as the most famous and authentic miracle in all Christendom--
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the cross. We will begin with the
events that led up to the trial of Jesus of Nazareth and then the crucifixion.