BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

The Miracles of Jesus

Jesus’ miracles in the New Testament and archaeology

Photo: Araldo De Luca / Corbis.

That Jesus was a miracle worker is central to the Christology of the New Testament Gospels and Acts.

Biblical scholars and archaeologists working in Israel have explored archaeological sites and historical records to provide context for the Biblical text. How are we to understand the miracles Jesus performs, as related in the New Testament?

In “Understanding Jesus’ Miracles,” Jarl Fossum surveys the miracle stories in their Biblical context. He shows that they fall into two categories (healing miracles and nature miracles), sometimes allude to Old Testament events and generally serve some theological purpose.

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The Pool of Bethesda is mentioned in the Gospel of John as the site where Jesus cured a crippled man. Yet the seemingly odd description of five porticoes baffled scholars, and the exact location and nature of this pool has long confused experts. In “Puzzling Pool of Bethesda,” Urban C. von Wahlde clarifies the question of whether this was a reservoir or a mikveh, a Jewish ritual bath.

In “The Siloam Pool: Where Jesus Cured the Blind Man,” BAR editor Hershel Shanks describes the accidental discovery of the Siloam Pool, the site of one of the New Testament’s best-known miracles, and traces its history from the time of Hezekiah through Jesus’ lifetime.

One contender for Biblical Bethsaida is the site of et-Tell on east bank of the Jordan River. Photo: Duby Tal and Moni Haramati, Albatross/Courtesy of Bethsaida Excavations.

In the Gospels, Jesus relieves a man tormented by demons by driving the demons into a herd of swine, which then stampeded down the hill and drowned in the Sea of Galilee. Discovered in 1970, and now excavated and restored, a monastery, basilica and chapel mark the location traditionally identified with this event. In “A Pilgrimage to the Site of the Swine Miracle,” Vassilios Tzaferis shows how this miracle site became an important destination for Christian pilgrims.

Bethsaida was one of the most important sites in Jesus’ Galilean ministry, but for 2,000 years no one knew just where it was. An international multidisciplinary dig team believes they have found the city—but not where you might expect. In “Bethsaida Rediscovered,” Rami Arav, Richard A. Freund and John F. Shroder, Jr. explore the site’s rich history from the time of King David to the New Testament period.

If discovering all the facts and theories about Jesus is exciting to you, then you’re exactly the kind of person for whom BAS created its renowned archive—including the Special Collection that reveals the discoveries mentioned above, The Miracles of Jesus.

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Read Biblical Archaeology Review online, explore 50 years of BAR, watch videos, attend talks, and more

In The Miracles of Jesus, BAS editors have compiled a special collection of Biblical Archaeology Review articles exploring the people, places, and events that surround the life of this intriguing historical figure.

You’ll want to read all of the intriguing articles included in this collection:

• • “Understanding Jesus’ Miracles” by Jarl Fossum

• • “The Puzzling Pool of Bethesda” by Urban C. von Wahlde

• • “The Siloam Pool” by Hershel Shanks

• • “A Pilgrimage to the Site of the Swine Miracle” by Vassilios Tzaferis

• “Bethsaida Rediscovered” by Rami Arav, Richard A. Freund and John F. Shroder, Jr.

Become a BAS All-Access Member Now!

Read Biblical Archaeology Review online, explore 50 years of BAR, watch videos, attend talks, and more