While reading a thread just now on whether the Bible was inspired I got to wondering: there must have been many people who witnessed the miracles the Bible attributes to Jesus. Is there any evidence outside the Bible that any of these really happened? Surely word would have gotten to the "outside world" and there would have been people interested in talking to any direct witnesses concerning these miracles, and then wrote about them for the benefit of others. Did this happen? Does anyone know? I don't recall ever reading accounts of these miracles recorded by anyone outside the writers of the NT.
Bible miracles
by poppers 3 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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peacefulpete
About the same amount as were eyewitness to the miracles of Dionysus or Aesculapulis. Interestingly many claimed to have been healed through the priesthood or temple services of these healers (including Christians) but noone seems to remember being healed by the god himself. The NT stories of Jesus miracles were framed after OT legends and the miracles of rival cults. (eg. Elisha/Elijah raising dead child, Dionysus turning water to wine)
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Jeffro
John chapter 5 also indicates that the Jews thought they could get magical healings from a pool of water too.
Of course, up until the 17th century, many people believed in abiogenesis or 'spontaneous generation', so it was much easier in Jesus' time for people to believe that food could be miraculously provided and other parlour tricks, or at least to make up stories about it.