Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts

by Craig S. Keener

A respected New Testament scholar presents the most thorough current defense of the credibility of biblical miracles.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Religion, Christianity, Philosophy, History, Nonfiction

1172 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2011

About the author

Craig S. Keener (PhD, Duke University) is professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is the author of many books, including Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts, the bestseller The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, The Historical Jesus of the Gospels, Gift and Giver, and commentaries on Matthew, John, Romans, 1–2 Corinthians, and Revelation.

Reviews

[Joey R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars— I have wanted to read “Miracles” by Craig S. Keener since its release. It truly is the magnum opus of miracle books. The book is heavily footnoted and clocks in at over 1248 pages. “Miracles” is very well researched and discusses the earliest recorded miracles in history. Although written from a Christian perspective, the author does an excellent job delving into both the secular and other earlier religions in presenting a historical perspective on miracles. After thoroughly examining the history of miracles, the author tackles presenting recorded miracles in all parts of the world from ancient times to the present. As you might imagine, there is an enormous number of records of both that the author does his best to thoroughly document. This large portion of the book was not easy reading because much of it was just listing each miracle claimed at different places by different individuals. When the author provided more details of the healings including ones with medical documentations, interviews or those that were witnessed and testified to by numerous people, I really felt I could feel the power of God at work. The author also includes more dubious miracle claims including some performed by faith healers that were probably engaged in exaggerated claims or even fraudulent conduct which I did not particularly feel relevant when he had hundreds of examples of documented real miracles that could not be explained by doctors. The book then examines specific types of miracles including cures for blindness, persons crippled able to walk again and most amazingly, raising people from the dead. The ‘raisings’ portion of the book was my favorite and had some very detailed accounts of individuals who were dead for long periods of time that were returned to life. These were very impactful and spoke to me personally. The author also examines alternative explanations for the miracles and provides even more examples that conclusively proved to me that unexplained supernatural events and healings do occur. The appendixes of the book are also fascinating covering such other topics as visions and dreams and possessions by spirits. I was truly affected and changed by this very well written and well researched treatise on miracles and am glad I read it. If you come in with an open mind, it will definitely make you question your preconceived notions about the power of Jesus Christ to perform miracles today.

[Seth Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally finished this 600 page beast and I have been blessed. Keener challenges anti-supernaturalism head on, providing an in depth critique of Hume's philosophies that have infiltrated Western thought. He contrasts the Majority World View with the West and demonstrates that, for the most part, claims to seeing supernatural manifestations are not ancient--or unique. He clearly demonstrates that the Gospel writers definitely believe themselves to have witnessed the miraculous and not just some naturalistic phenomena.

What will appeal to the lay reader is the hundreds of well documented miracles ranging from the dead people being raised to life--and dead motors in missionary boats sputtering to activity. Keener does not claim that every miracle report is accurate but he has taken pains to document them in order to convince a Western Academic audience.

This isn't a book full of mere anecdotal evidence or hearsay.

I attended a conference where this book was reviewed and, while receiving praise from Pentecostal scholars, it also received criticism due to its meticulous documentation of the supernatural. One scholar present wrestled with Jesus' observation that a "wicked generation seeks a sign" (Matthew 12v39). It should also be noted that the stories within the book are not merely Pentecostal--they cover the range of various Christian tradition from the patristic period to the present.

Even skeptics are healed-some never converting even afterwards.

Keener and his wife are no strangers to personal tragedy--having endured eight painful miscarriages. This is not a scholar who has a "pie int he sky" view of the miraculous, or expects God to intervene dramatically all the time. He simply wants or demonstrate that miraculous did, and do, happen.

Ministers will lose their minds with this book as they now have veritable compendium of well attested/documented miracle stories for sermons and talks.

Worth the read, can't wait for the second volume...

[Ietrio · Rating 1 out of 5]

The short version: "It's true. My first cousin swears it is so. And she's my wife." End of argument.

[Micael Grenholm · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books on miracles that exists. Keener is incredibly detailed and covers both ancient and modern miracle claims, primarily in a Christian context but also from other religions. He tackles the naturalist critique of miracles in a brilliant way and argues forcefully that the belief that miracles do not exist is just that - a belief - and that when Christians believe in New Testament miracles, they are just as rational, being supported by tons of miracle claims in modern times. I really recommend this book to believers and skeptics alike!

[Darwin Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly Herculean effort, on the part of both the author and the reader! For all the effort, though, I was a bit disappointed. Though Keener accomplishes what he sets out to do, to overturn Hume's thesis that supernatural acts uniformly don't happen, that if they are witnessed to happen, this is due to the unsuitability of witnesses testifying about them, I think Keener could have done it in one volume, instead of two.

The initial dismantling of Hume's thesis itself is quite easily done and could have been done in a pamphlet at most, by pointing out Hume's question-begging and circular reasoning. As Hume's thesis went on to be a foundational principle for the sciences, Keener does well in pointing out that the principle is an interpretative grid, prejudicing outcomes, rather than a method, assisting in the discovery of outcomes.

Otherwise, the book is repetitive (I got very tired of the constant restatement of his arguments) and the miraculous events go on ad nauseum, contained in a (to me) muddled organizational structure, which brought up the same or similar occurrences over and over (accompanied with restatements of the same arguments).

Also, he tries to be prolific in citing miraculous occurrences, while being academic in the process. What this has led to is an over-abundance of footnotes, leading to distraction (while, ironically, footnotes exist to prevent distraction and provide continuity in reading). Easily, every other sentence is footnoted and one third of the page is taken up with footnotes at the bottom. Most of them are trivial.

I had hoped to find in these tomes evidence to make me believe in miracles. Unfortunately, despite his effort to provide instances that are only one degree removed from any event, the book is a list of hearsay accounts - documented by footnotes, to be sure, but hearsay nonetheless. His own telling of the accounts now becomes two degrees removed from any event he lists. So, I walk away from this reading as I came to it: miracles may occur, as hearsay seems to show that they do. I will have to rely on my own experience, though, which to date is like that of Hume: I haven't witnessed any miracles and my closest friends and family haven't either (or, if they have, they're not talking).

[Brian Chilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Keener provides an excellent two-volume manual concerning the credibility of the miracles presented in the New Testament. Attacking the Humean naturalistic bias, Keener provides numerous verified examples of miracles occurring globally that resembles many of the miracles denoted in the New Testament. Whether one is a skeptic desiring to learn of the credibility of the miraculous, or the faithful desiring to strengthen one's belief in the miraculous, Keener's work is a must-have!!!

[John Waldrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most thoroughly documented treatments of a subject I have ever read. The author is a genuine scholar, displaying caution and thoroughness in his project. He takes David Hume on and bests him. I am no missiologist, but I would think any missionary (especially new missionaries) ould be well-served by reading this workl.

[Taylor Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

People with an attenuated sense of what is possible will bring that conviction to the Bible and diminish it by the poverty of their own experience.

This is a quote Dr. Craig Keener uses in Miracles from Dr. Walter Winker and, in my opinion, adequately sums up what Dr. Keener has shown with his work.

The Two Tomes

Miracles is as important as it is thick (and it is thick!).
Dr. Keener has crafted a tome (in two volumes) that will surely be one of (if not the) most enduring and thorough works on the subject of the supernatural for many years to come.
It is academic, yet approachable; it is monstrously long, yet most pages fly by; and it is modest, yet solidly evidences a position almost beyond skepticism.

Keener sets out to show two things to be true (stated many times throughout the work, starting from the first page):
1. 'Eyewitnesses do offer miracles claims...'
2. 'Supernatural explanations... should be welcome on the scholarly table along with other explanations often discussed.'

The length of the book is, for the most part, justified in supporting these two theses.

After spending a little time drawing out the questions and issues at hand, walking the reader through Hume's (failed) approach to miracle claims, and demonstrating just how far reaching Hume's perspective has penetrated Western thought in this area, Dr. Keener dives straight into the deep end of evidence for the first thesis. Over 400 pages of the book is devoted to the recollection of hundreds (thousands?) of miracle reports from literally all over the world. Some pages of the book are ~80% footnotes as Dr. Keener meticulously cites the sources for each miracle claim (many of which are eyewitness reports, if not the vast majority). The miracle claims come from not only a diversity of locations and people groups, but also many different denominations, walks of life, and ministry settings.

I don't want to summarize a lot in this review, but I wanted to emphasize that, for me, the most refreshing and rewarding part of this book is this bulk of pages in the middle that are dedicated to recalling and recounting some of the most incredible miracle accounts I've ever heard of or read about. I will admit that after reading dozens and dozens of these accounts back to back, they do tend to run together and almost become monotonous, but I suppose that can only be avoided by a reader with some self control to slow down and really think about what is being described. For me, when I reached these chapters, I almost couldn't the book down at some points: it felt like I was reading a fantasy novel, and yet I've never seen a fantasy work with more than half the page covered with footnotes for the sources of the fantasy elements!

I'll just stop myself here and say: these middle chapters alone are worth picking the book up for.
Needless to say, Dr. Keener's first thesis, it seems to me, is easily supported and proven: eyewitness accounts of miracles can and do exist (and, thus, we have no reason to think that the biblical accounts of miracles are any less credible simply because we are ~2,000 years removed from their recording).

The second thesis is slightly more controversial, but I still feel as though it is difficult to remain a staunch skeptic of miracle claims, unless you just really are trying to be, after reading some of the accounts in this book. Dr. Keener spend the last few chapters analyzing the current state of academia's seeming obsession with ruling out supernatural explanations altogether and uses a few more miracle claim examples to solidify his case against this bias.

The Verdict
Before opening these volumes, I would have said I believe miracles happen; I don't think I have witnessed one personally for myself, and I do think many of the 'miracle' claims I've heard today are a little 'out-there'. I had read material discussing Hume's failure in discounting miracle claims before and, while I probably couldn't've articulated a perfect response to someone who asked about that, I would have still been convinced enough for myself to believe that miracles occur, and they definitely occurred in biblical times. But now, after having been subjected to the bricks-of-books that Miracles is, I can confidently say I know miracles are real: people actually do claim to be eyewitnesses to miracles, even today (millions of people, actually), and many, many of these claims are so confounding (yet reliable) that naturalistic explanations could never hope to account for them. I allow for no 'naturalism-of-the-gaps' in my thought process.

I wavered between four and five stars for this book, but ultimately couldn't think of a good reason to not give it a perfect score.

It's big, but it's so well written and interesting that most people would be able to fly through it (most of it, at least).

It's academic and has a ton of footnotes, but you don't have to read those and Dr. Keener is so good at bringing these big ideas down to the bottom shelf for you, not to mention he helpfully repeats the important points he's trying to make many times.

It's encouraging as a Christian to see how overwhelming the evidence is for something beyond the material world that is not only powerful, but personal in an intimate way.

And it's invaluable as a reference for future studies on this topic. It is a diamond mine of sources and witnesses and further reading for those interested in taking this study a little further.

Dr. Keener has apparently written a lot of big books, but he's earned his bread with this one alone.
I highly recommend it. If you don't want to drop the money for it, see if you can borrow it from someone and at least read the middle chapters covering the miracle accounts. You won't regret it.

[Stephen Bedard · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the last couple of centuries, historical Jesus research has looked at the Gospels and thrown out every miracle. But why? Just because David Hume said so? This two volume set looks at miracles in the ancient world and then in the modern world, not just in North America but the majority world. Keener's thesis is that dismissing miracle claims is a false philosophical presupposition that doesn't fit with the beliefs or the experiences of most of the world. The book is very readable and not just for students of the New Testament. It is a case well argued.

[Chris Sobbing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this, as it challenges what we believe in the West to be a predominant world view with what is the actual Majority World view of mircales. Like all things by Keener it achieves it's aim through an abundance of cited evidence and references.

[Shane Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid documented miracles...incredible....and a great expose of Hume in the first volume as well.

[Barry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mr. Keener set out to erase the foundation of academic prejudice against acceptance of the immaterial realm. Though he knows his task is difficult, he lays out a strong case, researching high and low, near and far to gather the strongest evidence he can find. Readers will draw their own conclusion about the validity of his arguments, but Mr. Keener has done a fine job of stating a case for the existence of the immaterial realm.

His two main contentions are that 1) supernatural events have happened and do happen and that 2) at least some of those events are best explained by supernatural causes. Mr. Keener informs the reader what he will talk about and lays out the contentions he will make so that the reader knows in advance what to expect. This is helpful, especially in sections that contain much philosophy or otherwise technical terms and discussion.

He relentlessly tears down the materialist presupposition that miracles cannot happen by showing logically and historically that the materialist worldview arose from the ashes of preceding worldviews and will almost inevitably be replaced someday. Additionally, he demonstrates that there is only a narrow band of thinkers, primarily in the academic West, who hold the materialist worldview. The vast majority of the world – even in the modern West – hold to the existence of the supernatural. Consequently, it is the minority-view materialist who is anomalous, not the metaphysical dualist.

Mr. Keener offers a polite yet scathing attack on the stubborn atheism of the academy. He gets his digs in at high-browed scholars who reject an immaterial realm, calling them to truly be open-minded and follow the data where they lead. No amount of evidence satisfies some critics, who then lambast healings as nonexistent for lack of proof. Though Mr. Keener has literally provided hundreds of pages of evidence, I am certain that he is correct in supposing it not sufficient enough to sway the hard-hearted. Indeed, the willfully hard-hearted do not wish to see evidence that controverts their position; they simply bat away the proffered evidence and smugly declare they are correct: God doesn’t exist; therefore, miracles cannot happen. This is akin to a boy covering his eyes and believing that it is the world which has disappeared.

I’ve given this book a five-star rating on account of the tremendous research effort Mr. Keener has embarked upon, the herculean task he has undertaken to overturn Humean ideas that are firmly entrenched in academia, and the success he enjoys with providing a wealth of examples to support his contentions. This does not mean the book is perfect.

Mr. Keener, in his attempt to cover his bases, gets long-winded in explaining the caveats behind his beliefs and research. While this is fine and even to be applauded, it gets repetitive to read the same caveats multiple times said in multiple ways throughout the book or even the same chapter. Additionally, the numbers and percentages at the front end of the book get tedious. I understand his desire to provide an academic treatment of miracles, so including the figures is important, but it makes for dry reading.

There is an inescapable feature of this book that will automatically condemn it in many skeptics’ minds: it relies on eyewitness accounts. Try as he might to make the book ‘scientific’, one cannot avoid relying on eyewitnesses to gather stories about miracles. However, it also must be said, that puts this book more in the genre of history rather than science. Historical events, by nature, happen once, and historians must rely on eyewitnesses to gather information about an event. Once they gather information, they sift through it to see which data are most plausible and which conclusions most sensible. So, when skeptics complain that Mr. Keener’s book relies on eyewitness accounts and is thus unreliable, we have to ask if those skeptics are equally dismissive of historical accounts on the same logic. Further, the sheer volume of reputable eyewitness accounts surely must count for something. By analogy: though the evidence for aliens is not conclusive (at least in my mind), the number of reported alien encounters and UFO sightings must be taken seriously rather than dismissed out of hand.

In sum, Miracles is a fascinating look at documented miracles that have occurred around the world. Eye-opening, engaging, and solidly researched, this book is well worth the time it takes to read.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this is such a thorough, thoughtful tome! Excellent resource.

Quotes:

That God does heal in the late twentieth century should be accepted on the evidence of all these Case Records. If you do not accept those two statements, you may ask yourself what evidence you would be prepared to accept. If the answer proves to be “None,” then you had better face the fact that you have abandoned logical enquiry.

Suffering from acute rheumatic fever at age five, Mel was confined to bed in a dark room away from other children for three years, and sometimes he endured “ice baths to control his fevers and delirium.” The fever led to chorea, often producing involuntary nervous twitching. Neither of the family doctors during this period could offer much hope for recovery, and one warned that if he recovered he would never be strong. Convinced that God had healed far worse cases and that God had spoken through a verse in the family promise box, Mel continued to trust that Jesus would heal him. One day his grandmother felt a special impression to pray for him, and Anthony notes that “from then on he began to recover and excelled in cycle racing and gymnastics.” At age seventeen, during World War II, a military doctor tested him and insisted that he was lying about having had rheumatic fever and chorea for several years as a boy. When Dr. Hopkins discovered that he was Pastor Kent’s son, however, he was astonished; this was the very doctor who had first treated him, and he acknowledged that a miracle had taken place. Mel Kent, who became a carpenter, passed away on October 18, 2006, at the age of eighty-four.

Neither Scripture nor Christian theology uses miracles as an excuse to neglect wisdom (for us including medical science) or avoid working for justice and peace in the world. Miracles are portrayed as merely sample signs of a future age, a reminder of what the world can be like; they are not intended as a large-scale panacea for the world’s problems.

From a nt (especially Pauline) perspective, one might allow a theological distinction between gifts of healings, whose object was simply a person’s wellness (cf. 1 Cor 12:9; Jas 5:14), and a more compelling “sign,” which was meant to get the attention of outsiders for the message about Jesus, by means of its extraordinary character (Rom 15:19; 2 Cor 12:12; Acts 4:29–30; 14:3). That is, believers can find in some recoveries encouraging signs of God’s grace without feeling compelled to appeal to them as extraordinary evidence that nonbelievers would necessarily find compelling.

...one person skeptical about undue skepticism pointed out, “All I know is that when I stop praying, the coincidences stop happening!”

[Tyler Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished reading the second volume of Keener’s set on miracles, including the appendices and a hefty portion of his footnotes.

Observations:

1. It is dense, dry, and academic. His goal was a scholarly, peer-reviewed treatise focused on refuting the Humean interpretation of the supernatural, and supplying ample eyewitness evidence for miracles of various sorts.

2. As such, his goal is not to inspire. However, I found a handful of the (thousands) of eyewitness reports moved me to tears. I was prompted to worship immediately. Those most impacting stories however are few and far between.

3. If I were ever two write a paper on miracles, this would be my best friend. If I were ever to write on exorcism/possession, his appendix on the subject is excellent. It won’t get much use in my preaching or teaching however.

My takeaway is this; I feel very competent after reading it, with the apologetic aspect of the miraculous. I know where to look in order to refute the reigning scientific paradigm. I have a broadened perspective on how God is at work in non-apostolic (and even non-Pentecostal) spheres, which lends great perspective to His character.

If you’re looking for inspiration? Go with Lee Strobel’s “Miracles” instead.

[Sean · Rating 5 out of 5]

These books are often cited in Christian apologetics, but, when actually reading them, they need to be approached with the author's actual intent.
Most of the book is spent proving that miracle reports are common across the entire world, throughout history and today.
The second premise is the actual defense of supernatural activity being the best explanation for some of the miracle reports. This takes up a relatively minor portion of the book and will largely depend on the person's prior worldview.
This book set seems massive, however, literally 50% or more is bibliography or footnotes. Then another 10-20% is meta explanation about why Keener is talking about specific things. I grew to appreciate both, because with the footnotes you can immediately fact check almost any statement Keener makes. The meta explanation seems annoying at first, however, it serves as a constant challenge against modern western thinking. It forces us to slow down and think about our presuppositions. Keener does not assume at any point that the reader is understanding what the implications are of a specific paragraph.
Let these books take you through the journey Keener went on, without prior expectations, and you will find them eye opening and interesting.

[Brian Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really really excellent. The key contention is that eyewitnesses, many sincere, do (rightly or wrongly) make miracle claims; this is relevant to New Testament studies where some view miracle accounts as clearly and automatically legendary. I honestly don't see how a reasonable person could read the book and disagree. Keener's second and more contentious thesis is that supernatural explanations should be included in the pool of live options under scholarly consideration when interpreting miracle claims, and while not as undeniable as his first thesis by its very nature, I think he argues persuasively here as well. Chapter 15 (contained in Volume 2) is particularly interesting for this thesis; there Keener provides a lengthy list of alleged miracles and argues that not just *an* explanation but *the best* explanation for them will include supernatural elements. As someone who was skeptical of modern miracles - albeit for no particular reason - I found even this part of the book utterly convincing. "Miracles" has totally changed my perspective on miracles, and I suspect it will do the same for anyone like me who reads it with an open mind.

[Matthew C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

These 2 Volumes by Keener will undoubtedly remain the definitive work on miracles for years (and perhaps decades) to come. Keener is incredibly well read and is thorough to the point of exhaustion in his research. Although the ostensible thesis of the book is merely to prove that eyewitnesses can claim miraculous experiences (as opposed to all miracle accounts being legendary accretions over time), the work that he has done to bring together ancient, medieval, modern era, and contemporary miracle accounts is astounding and will bring any fair-minded reader to reject bare materialism.


And despite the overwhelming case that his documented evidence makes, he writes with a characteristic humility and winsomeness. Keener has done a service to humanity with this monograph.

[Tracy Dungan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a huge two volume set that is a deep dive investigation as to whether Hume's argument against miracles has any validity. The stories that he tells are amazing - thousands of miracles, where they tend to happen and what God might be accomplishing through His mighty works.

I marked it a 4 because at points, there just so much information it ends up being just a list of similar miracles. It's nit a book you can easily read from beginning to end.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far the most comprehensive catalog of current-day miracle stories in which Craig Keener uses to corroborate the miracles found in the New Testament. For a shorter more accessible version see his Miracles Today book which is also excellent. Also J. P. Moreland's A Simple Guide to Experience Miracles is great.

[Matthew Richey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, still processing. I feel like there is a lot that I like here and that my worldview has been challenged (in a good way) but that there is something missing here but I can't quite articulate it yet. Maybe a couple of days of thinking will lead to an update.

Long, but easy reading.

[Rob Markley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple one line argument expanded and proved thoroughly over two volumes. Yes miracles are real

[Daniel Sloan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lot of information on healings and the scientific ideology behind if they are scientific.

[Todd Hudnall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overwhelming documented evidence of the reality of modern-day healing miracles and the operation of other gifts of the Spirit.

[David Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most comprehensive works on this topic. The author also documents hundreds, if not thousands, of purported miracles worldwide.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his two-volume work, Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts, Craig Keener argues for two theses: “The book’s primary thesis is simply that eyewitnesses do offer miracle claims … The secondary thesis is that supernatural explanations, while not suitable in every case, should be welcome on the scholarly table along with other explanations often discussed” (p. 1). Keener executes his argumentation for these two theses over four parts. In part one, he discusses the New Testament accounts as well as ancient miracle claims outside of Christianity, comparing and contrasting the two. The second part of the book examines various paradigms of skepticism, both ancient and modern, and spends much of its pages critiquing Hume’s arguments against the miraculous. The bulk of Keener’s work comes in part three, which surveys miracle accounts beyond antiquity. Keener develops an anthology of miracle stories and perspectives including sources from all across the Majority World as well as the recent West. Keener then picks up his second thesis in part four, where he discusses several proposed explanations for such accounts.

The amount of work that Keener put into this text is extraordinary in and of itself. Though this book requires a long effort to finish, such effort is not in vain. The weight of the evidence that Keener provides does well to support his first thesis, which is that miracle claims have been and still are afforded by eyewitnesses. The implications of this conclusion alone offer a significant insight into the Scriptures – namely that the presence of the miraculous does not necessarily discount their having been written by eyewitnesses of Jesus. His second thesis, though obviously less empirical, is argued well. This book operates as a successful apologetic for many reasons, including Keener’s past as an atheist, as well as his present experience. Keener effectively demonstrates that during the very periods that Hume and Bultmann argued against the miraculous, eyewitnesses were attesting to their existence.

Keener admits himself the limitations of this study, which serve as the weaknesses to this work. Many of Keener’s stories must be taken upon the credit or word of those in his social circles – few provide further documentation or support. Much more work should be done in order to overcome his lack of funding for investigation, lack of time off from his teaching duties, and his own lack of medical knowledge, and suggests that maybe in the future other people will be able to build on his work and do an investigation that doesn’t suffer from those limitations. Hopefully this work will inspire many to pick up where Keener leaves off, in turn providing more scrutinized support for Keener’s theses.

[MrWalterN · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this book Craig Keener intends to expand upon his ideas as presented in a footnote in his recent commentary on Acts. His primary thesis is that eyewitnesses do offer miracle claims. He spends much of the book defending this thesis, and specifically targets the materialistic assumptions of David Hume and those who follow him. In fact, Keener devotes two entire chapters to refuting Hume’s arguments, and the idea that miracle claims in the New Testament are legend rather than eyewitness accounts. Following this discussion, he lists specific eyewitness claims of miraculous events from around the world and throughout history since the time of Christ. In doing so, he challenges materialistic assumptions and a priori reasoning that supernatural, or at least supra-human forces do not exist. This is his secondary thesis, that supernatural explanations should be welcome in scholarly discussions.
The book could be quite stretching for contemporary Christians, who often operate under anti-supernaturalistic assumptions. This book is also fairly lengthy and somewhat complex, and while its length might imply exhaustive research and objectivity, this is not the case. Keener himself admits that this work does not take a scientifically representative sample of contemporary miracle claims. This may be the biggest weakness of the book. Instead of a representative sample, Keener relies heavily upon miracle claims gathered through his own contacts and personal trips. Other possible weaknesses of this book include the exceptional amount of time spent combating Hume, who has often been answered elsewhere, and its over repetition of certain ideas, such as the primary thesis as well as arguments against Hume and materialism. While somewhat helpful for the reader following Keener’s arguments, this repetition becomes a bit tedious by the end of the book. Overall though, the book is an engaging read, and its lists of miracle claims are challenging for the current American reader.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely thorough. Thoroughly documented. Humble. Carefully argued. Limited scope (even given that it's two volumes). Tremendously instructive and insightful. Two great chapters answering David Hume's skepticism regarding miracles. Hundreds of documented eyewitness and personal accounts from around the world. He sets out to make two primary arguments: 1) That the historical accounts in the Gospels and Acts of supernatural events should be seen as resulting from eyewitness events, and not as a mythological accretion over a long period of time, and 2) That we are not obliged to offer a non-supernatural explanation of these accounts. His engagement with Hume and Enlightenment anti-supernaturalism is thorough and demonstrates that contemporary Western reductionist view of reality is an anomaly not only historically, but also geographically, a feature of the Western world as opposed to what he refers to as the "Majority World." He destroys Hume's argument that miracle claims run counter to "universal human experience," or that no educated people believe in miracles. Keener provides vast numbers of documented examples from all over the world, including in Western cultures throughout history, but particularly within recent history up into the 21st century. His work is exhaustively footnoted and includes hundreds of pages (beyond the 884 pages of his work) of bibliography and other documentation. This is not a work for someone looking for a popular level examination of Miracles. (For that purpose, I would recommend Eric Metaxes' similarly titled "Miracles," which is an excellent work in itself, and much more accessible to the lay-reader.) He also includes several appendices dealing with the subject of spirit possession and related issue.

[Jeffrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I struggled as to wether I wanted to buy this title as Keener is not one of my favorite scholars (he often writes well, but seems to often lack development in his thoughts with the later coming across as snippets instead of developed argument). The thesis of the book is two claims: (a) the uncontroversial claim that the uniform experience of humanity is not naturalism in sections 1 and 3 (many many examples across cultures, time, education, race, nationality, sex, age, etc), and, (b) a somewhat more controversial claim that miracles are indeed possible (Sections 2 and 4). There are some pluses and minuses to the book. Pluses include - reminding me how naturalistic I can become in my thinking at times, reminding me of my cultural snobbery, and reminding me of the power of prayer. My chief negatives would be the choppy flow to the book with the author snapping back and forth between his two points, the lack of development in his arguments (perhaps a subjective complaint), and the examples he gives are often only mentions with a footnote source without further development on details. I'm glad I have this work as a reference but found myself by 25% through skimming most of the work (easy to do given the nature of the examples he gives).

[Jon Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!! The most comprehensive, in-depth book I have ever read pertaining to the supernatural in the New Testament. Not an easy read by any means. This book actually began as a footnote to Keener's massive four volume commentary on Acts. I believe the last of the 4 volumes is to be released this Fall. At approx $50.00 per volume it will be an investment but one I will make. My only disappointment is that Dr. Keener was not at Asbury Theological Seminary while I was a student there.

[Kaleb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this set for a Historiography, Miracles, and Resurrection class. Good account of miracles and eye opening to someone who grew up in a western christian culture that is more skeptical to miracles.