Top
Note: Supplemental materials are not guaranteed with Rental or Used book purchases.
Looking to rent a book? Rent Miracles [ISBN: 9780060653019] for the semester, quarter, and short term or search our site for other textbooks by Lewis, C.S.. Renting a textbook can save you up to 90% from the cost of buying.
Miracles by C.S. Lewis is a thought-provoking and deeply philosophical exploration of the concept of miracles. Published in 2001 by HarperOne, this paperback edition stands at 304 pages, offering a comprehensive and engaging discussion on the nature of miracles and their place in our understanding of the world.
Who Uses It?
Primarily, this book is used by students and scholars interested in Christian philosophy, theology, and apologetics. It is also a valuable resource for anyone seeking to understand the arguments for and against the existence of miracles. The book's clear and logical approach makes it accessible to both beginners and advanced readers.
History and Editions
The book has been widely read and studied since its initial publication. The 2001 edition is part of the C.S. Lewis Signature Classics series, which highlights Lewis's most influential works. This edition maintains the original content and structure of the book, providing readers with a timeless and thought-provoking exploration of miracles.
Author and Other Works
C.S. Lewis was a renowned author, philosopher, and theologian. He is best known for his works such as "Mere Christianity," "The Abolition of Man," and "The Chronicles of Narnia." Lewis's writing style is characterized by his ability to blend logic, imagination, and faith, making his works both intellectually stimulating and deeply engaging.
ISBNs and Formats
Hardcover: ISBN-13: 9780060653019
eTextbook: ISBN-13: 9780060653026 (The ebook for "Miracles" is available right here on eCampus.com!)
eTextbook: ISBN-13: 9780060653033 (The ebook for "Miracles" is available right here on eCampus.com!)
Loose-leaf: Not available
Rental Options: Available through eCampus.com with various rental durations
Publication Details
Publisher: HarperOne
Publication Date: 2001
Number of Pages: 304
Language: English
Item Weight: 9 ounces
Dimensions: 8 x 5.31 inches
Other Editions and Formats
Related ISBNs:
Rental options are available through eCampus.com for all formats listed above.
|
1 | (5) | |||
|
5 | (12) | |||
|
17 | (20) | |||
|
37 | (16) | |||
|
53 | (8) | |||
|
61 | (10) | |||
|
71 | (16) | |||
|
87 | (12) | |||
|
99 | (8) | |||
|
107 | (22) | |||
|
129 | (22) | |||
|
151 | (8) | |||
|
159 | (14) | |||
|
173 | (42) | |||
|
215 | (18) | |||
|
233 | (34) | |||
|
267 | (8) | |||
| Appendix A: On the Words `Spirit' and `Spiritual' | 275 | (8) | |||
| Appendix B: On `Special Providences' | 283 |
The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.
The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.
Chapter One
The Scope of This Book
Those who wish to succeed must ask the right preliminary questions.
Aristotle, Metaphysics, II, (III), I.
In all my life I have met only one person who claims to have seen a ghost. And the interesting thing about the story is that that person disbelieved in the immortal soul before she saw the ghost and still disbelieves after seeing it. She says that what she saw must have been an illusion or a trick of the nerves. And obviously she may be right. Seeing is not believing.
For this reason, the question whether miracles occur can never be answered simply by experience. Every event which might claim to be a miracle is, in the last resort, something presented to our senses, something seen, heard, touched, smelled, or tasted. And our senses are infallible. If anything extraordinary seems to have happened, we can always say that we have been the victims of an illusion. If we hold a philosophy which excludes the supernatural, this is what we always shall say. What we learn from experience depends on the kind of philosophy we bring to experience. It is therefore useless to appeal to experience before we have settled, as well as we can, the philosophical question.
If immediate experience cannot prove or disprove the miraculous, still less can history do so. Many people think one can decide whether a miracle occurred in the past by examining the evidence 'according to the ordinary rules of historical inquiry'. But the ordinary rules cannot be worked until we have decided whether miracles are possible, and if so, how probable they are. For if they are impossible, then no amount of historical evidence will convince us. If they are possible but immensely improbable, then only mathematically demonstrative evidence will convince us: and since history never provides that degree of evidence for any event, history can never convince us that a miracle occurred. If, on the other hand, miracles are not intrinsically improbable, then the existing evidence will be sufficient to convince us that quite a number of miracles have occurred. The result of our historical enquiries thus depends on the philosophical views which we have been holding before we even began to look at the evidence. This philosophical question must therefore come first.
Here is an example of the sort of thing that happens if we omit the preliminary philosophical task, and rush on to the historical. In a popular commentary on the Bible you will find a discussion of the date at which the Fourth Gospel was written. The author says it must have been written after the execution of St Peter, because, in the Fourth Gospel, Christ is represented as predicting the execution of St Peter. 'A book', thinks the author, 'cannot be written before events which it refers to'. Of course it cannot -- unless real predictions ever occur. If they do, then this argument for the date is in ruins. And the author has not discussed at all whether real predictions are possible. He takes it for granted (perhaps unconsciously) that they are not. Perhaps he is right: but if he is, he has not discovered this principle by historical inquiry. He has brought his disbelief in predictions to his historical work, so to speak, ready made. Unless he had done so his historical conclusion about the date of the Fourth Gospel could not have been reached at all. His work is therefore quite useless to a person who wants to know whetber predictions occur. The author gets to work only after he has already answered that question in the negative, and on grounds which he never communicates to us.
This book is intended as a preliminary to historical inquiry. I am not a trained historian and I shall not examine the historical evidence for the Christian miracles. My effort is to put my readers in a position to do so. It is no use going to the texts until we have some idea about the possibility or probability of the miraculous. Those who assume that miracles cannot happen are merely wasting their time by looking into the texts: we know in advance what results they will find for they have begun by begging the question.
Miracles. Copyright © by C. Lewis . Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.
Excerpted from Miracles by C. S. Lewis
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
Need Help? Copyright © 1999-2026
