used as evidence of a prophet’s claim, and in most cases it is very hard, if not impossible, to adduce any proof that the miracle ever actually took place. Another difficulty in the matter of miracles generally is to be found in the fact that, however wonderful a performance, it may be explained scientifically, and thus lose all value as a sign of the Divine mission of its worker. Take for instance the great miracles of Jesus Christ. The greatest of these is his raising the dead to life, and in one case, that of the ruler’s daughter, Jesus is reported as saying: “The maid is not dead, but sleepeth” (Mt.9:24). There was no doctor’s certificate at hand to show that the maid actually was dead, and, notwithstanding the impression of the relatives that such was the case, Jesus Christ himself knew that she was only sleeping or, perhaps, in a state of stupor. If then the disciples did not misunderstand his symbolical words—and Jesus used to talk much in figurative language34—there is still the possibility that a person who was taken for dead was not actually dead. And this is exactly what happened in the case of Jesus himself who was taken for dead but was not actually dead, as is shown by facts recorded about him in the Gospels. Jesus’ miracles of healing are still more doubtful in view of the fact that similar miracles were also performed by his opponents, and that there was, as we have seen, a Pool of Healing in those days, which restored sight to the blind and cured all kinds of ailments. Such doubts, however, do not exist in the case of prophecy, which can stand the test of scientific investigation. Moreover, the evidence in such case rests on a firmer basis altogether, and its fulfilment generally comes to pass after a long time. A prophecy which proceeds from a Divine source must, of course, disclose some event which is beyond the scope of human knowledge and which cannot possibly be discovered by human foresight. It must also be connected with some deep Divine purpose in relation to the elevation of humanity, for prophecies are not meant merely to satisfy human curiosity. Lastly, it must have behind it the force of conviction, so that it is not only uttered with the utmost certainty but even in circumstances which apparently conflict with what is disclosed in the prophecy. A prophecy that fulfils these three conditions is one of the greatest miracles, a miracle which by an appeal to reason shows that there is a God Who reveals deep secrets
34 There is not the least doubt that Jesus often spoke in parables and used symbolic language freely: “Let the dead bury their dead” (Mt. 8:22); “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God … for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth” (Jn. 5:25-29) There seems to be no doubt that words like these were the source from which sprang marvels like the following; “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many” (Mt. 27:51-53). A recent commentator says of this incident that it “seems to be a pictorial setting forth of the truth that in the Resurrection of Christ is involved the resurrection of all His saints, so that on Easter Day all Christians may be said in a certain sense to have risen with Him” (Dummelow’s Bible Commentary).