Thomas Hobbes · Complete work
Part III, Chapter XXXVII, 1
Part III, Chapter XXXVII, 1 of 101. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal 17th-century English
OF MIRACLES, AND THEIR USE
By Miracles are signified the Admirable works of God: & therefore they are also called Wonders. And because they are for the most part, done, for a signification of his commandement, in such occasions, as without them, men are apt to doubt, (following their private naturall reasoning,) what he hath commanded, and what not, they are commonly in Holy Scripture, called Signes, in the same sense, as they are called by the Latines, Ostenta, and Portenta, from shewing, and fore-signifying that, which the Almighty is about to bring to passe.
To understand therefore what is a Miracle, we must first understand what works they are, which men wonder at, and call Admirable. And there be but two things which make men wonder at any event: The one is, if it be strange, that is to say, such, as the like of it hath never, or very rarely been produced: The other is, if when it is produced, we cannot imagine it to have been done by naturall means, but onely by the immediate hand of God. But when wee see some possible, naturall cause of it, how rarely soever the like has been done; or if the like have been often done, how impossible soever it be to imagine a naturall means thereof, we no more wonder, nor esteem it for a Miracle.
Therefore, if a Horse, or Cow should speak, it were a Miracle; because both the thing is strange, & the Naturall cause difficult to imagin: So also were it, to see a strange deviation of nature, in the production of some new shape of a living creature. But when a man, or other Animal, engenders his like, though we know no more how this is done, than the other; yet because ’tis usuall, it is no Miracle. In like manner, if a man be metamorphosed into a stone, or into a pillar, it is a Miracle; because strange: but if a peece of wood be so changed; because we see it often, it is no Miracle: and yet we know no more, by what operation of God, the one is brought to passe, than the other.
The first Rainbow that was seen in the world, was a Miracle, because the first; and consequently strange; and served for a sign from God, placed in heaven, to assure his people, there should be no more an universall destruction of the world by Water. But at this day, because they are frequent, they are not Miracles, neither to them that know their naturall causes, nor to them who know them not. Again, there be many rare works produced by the Art of man: yet when we know they are done; because thereby wee know also the means how they are done, we count them not for Miracles, because not wrought by the immediate hand of God, but by mediation of humane Industry.
Furthermore, seeing Admiration and Wonder, is consequent to the knowledge and experience, wherewith men are endued, some more, some lesse; it followeth, that the same thing, may be a Miracle to one, and not to another. And thence it is, that ignorant, and superstitious men make great Wonders of those works, which other men, knowing to proceed from Nature, (which is not the immediate, but the ordinary work of God,) admire not at all: As when Ecclipses of the Sun and Moon have been taken for supernaturall works, by the common people; when neverthelesse, there were others, could from their naturall causes, have foretold the very hour they should arrive: Or, as when a man, by confederacy, and secret intelligence, getting knowledge of the private actions of an ignorant, unwary man, thereby tells him, what he has done in former time; it seems to him a Miraculous thing; but amongst wise, and cautelous men, such Miracles as those, cannot easily be done.
Again, it belongeth to the nature of a Miracle, that it be wrought for the procuring of credit to Gods Messengers, Ministers, and Prophets, that thereby men may know, they are called, sent, and employed by God, and thereby be the better inclined to obey them. And therefore, though the creation of the world, and after that the destruction of all living creatures in the universall deluge, were admirable works; yet because they were not done to procure credit to any Prophet, or other Minister of God, they use not to be called Miracles. For how admirable soever any work be, the Admiration consisteth not in that it could be done, because men naturally beleeve the Almighty can doe all things, but because he does it at the Prayer, or Word of a man. But the works of God in Egypt, by the hand of Moses, were properly Miracles; because they were done with intention to make the people of Israel beleeve, that Moses came unto them, not out of any design of his owne interest, but as sent from God. Therefore after God had commanded him to deliver the Israelites from the Egyptian bondage, when he said (Exod 4.1. &c.) “They will not beleeve me, but will say, the Lord hath not appeared unto me,” God gave him power, to turn the Rod he had in his hand into a Serpent, and again to return it into a Rod; and by putting his hand into his bosome, to make it leprous; and again by pulling it out to make it whole, to make the Children of Israel beleeve (as it is verse 5.) that the God of their Fathers had appeared unto him; And if that were not enough, he gave him power to turn their waters into bloud. And when hee had done these Miracles before the people, it is said (verse 41.) that “they beleeved him.” Neverthelesse, for fear of Pharaoh, they durst not yet obey him. Therefore the other works which were done to plague Pharaoh and the Egyptians, tended all to make the Israelites beleeve in Moses, and were properly Miracles. In like manner if we consider all the Miracles done by the hand of Moses, and all the rest of the Prophets, till the Captivity; and those of our Saviour, and his Apostles afterward; we shall find, their end was alwaies to beget, or confirm beleefe, that they came not of their own motion, but were sent by God. Wee may further observe in Scripture, that the end of Miracles, was to beget beleef, not universally in all men, elect, and reprobate; but in the elect only; that is to say, is such as God had determined should become his Subjects. For those miraculous plagues of Egypt, had not for end, the conversion of Pharaoh; For God had told Moses before, that he would harden the heart of Pharaoh, that he should not let the people goe: And when he let them goe at last, not the Miracles perswaded him, but the plagues forced him to it. So also of our Saviour, it is written, (Mat. 13. 58.) that he wrought not many Miracles in his own countrey, because of their unbeleef; and (in Marke 6.5.) in stead of, “he wrought not many,” it is, “he could work none.” It was not because he wanted power; which to say, were blasphemy against God; nor that the end of Miracles was not to convert incredulous men to Christ; for the end of all the Miracles of Moses, of Prophets, of our Saviour, and of his Apostles was to adde men to the Church; but it was, because the end of their Miracles, was to adde to the Church (not all men, but) such as should be saved; that is to say, such as God had elected. Seeing therefore our Saviour sent from his Father, hee could not use his power in the conversion of those, whom his Father had rejected. They that expounding this place of St. Marke, say, that his word, “Hee could not,” is put for, “He would not,” do it without example in the Greek tongue, (where Would Not, is put sometimes for Could Not, in things inanimate, that have no will; but Could Not, for Would Not, never,) and thereby lay a stumbling block before weak Christians; as if Christ could doe no Miracles, but amongst the credulous.
From that which I have here set down, of the nature, and use of a Miracle, we may define it thus, “A MIRACLE, is a work of God, (besides his operation by the way of Nature, ordained in the Creation,) done for the making manifest to his elect, the mission of an extraordinary Minister for their salvation.”
And from this definition, we may inferre; First, that in all Miracles, the work done, is not the effect of any vertue in the Prophet; because it is the effect of the immediate hand of God; that is to say God hath done it, without using the Prophet therein, as a subordinate cause.
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the complete 1651 English text (introduction, forty-seven chapters, review and conclusion) for fidelity, the author’s force and cadence, and modern clarity. Hobbes’s marginal summaries are omitted.
OF MIRACLES, AND THEIR USE
Miracles signify the marvelous works of God; they are therefore also called wonders. And because they are performed for the most part to signify his command, on occasions when without them people are apt to doubt, following their private natural reasoning, what he has commanded and what he has not, they are commonly called signs in Holy Scripture, in the same sense as the Latins call them Ostenta and Portenta: things that show and foretell what the Almighty is about to bring to pass.
To understand, then, what a miracle is, we must first understand which works people wonder at and call marvelous. Only two things cause people to wonder at an event. One is that it is strange: nothing like it has ever happened, or has happened only very rarely. The other is that, when it happens, we cannot imagine its having been brought about by natural means, but only by the immediate hand of God. Yet when we see a possible natural cause of it, however rarely anything like it has happened, or when anything like it has often happened, however impossible it may be to imagine a natural means for it, we cease to wonder or regard it as a miracle.
Thus, if a horse or cow should speak, it would be a miracle: the thing would be strange and its natural cause hard to imagine. So too would the sight of nature taking some strange turn in producing a new form of living creature. But when a man or another animal begets its like, though we know no more how that happens than we know how the other thing happens, its being usual makes it no miracle. Likewise, if a man were transformed into a stone or a pillar, it would be a miracle because it is strange; but if a piece of wood were so transformed, the frequency with which we see it happen makes it no miracle. Yet we know no more by what operation of God the one is accomplished than the other.
The first rainbow ever seen was a miracle, because it was the first and therefore strange; and it served as a sign from God, set in heaven to assure his people that there would be no more universal destruction of the world by water. But today, because rainbows are frequent, they are miracles neither to those who know their natural causes nor to those who do not. Again, human skill produces many rare works; yet when we know they are made by such skill, and thereby know the means by which they are made, we do not count them miracles. They are made not by the immediate hand of God but through human industry.
Furthermore, since marveling and wonder depend on the knowledge and experience with which people are endowed, some more and some less, the same thing may be a miracle to one person and not to another. Hence ignorant and superstitious people make great wonders of works that others know to proceed from nature—the ordinary, not the immediate, work of God—and do not marvel at all. Thus the common people have taken eclipses of the sun and moon for supernatural works, though others, knowing their natural causes, could have foretold the very hour at which they would occur. Or a man, through conspiracy and secret intelligence, may learn the private actions of an ignorant, unwary person and then tell that person what he has done in the past. To the person so addressed it seems miraculous; but among wise and cautious people such miracles cannot readily be performed.
Again, it belongs to the nature of a miracle that it be performed to win credibility for God's messengers, ministers, and prophets, so that people may know they have been called, sent, and employed by God, and thus be more inclined to obey them. Accordingly, although the creation of the world and the subsequent destruction of all living creatures in the universal flood were marvelous works, they are not customarily called miracles, for they were not done to win credibility for any prophet or other minister of God. However marvelous a work may be, what inspires wonder is not that it could be done—for people naturally believe the Almighty can do all things—but that he does it at the prayer or word of a man. God's works in Egypt by the hand of Moses, however, were miracles properly so called, for their purpose was to persuade the people of Israel that Moses had come to them not to advance his own interests but as one sent by God. Thus after God had commanded him to deliver the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, when Moses said (Exod 4.1. &c.), “They will not believe me, but will say, the Lord has not appeared to me,” God gave him power to turn the rod in his hand into a serpent and then back into a rod; to put his hand into his bosom and make it leprous, then draw it out and make it whole again. This was to make the children of Israel believe, as verse 5. says, that the God of their fathers had appeared to him. If that were not enough, God gave him power to turn their waters into blood. And when Moses performed these miracles before the people, it is said (verse 41.) that “they believed him.” Nevertheless, for fear of Pharaoh they did not yet dare to obey him. Thus all the other works done to plague Pharaoh and the Egyptians tended to make the Israelites believe in Moses, and were miracles properly so called. Likewise, if we consider all the miracles performed by the hand of Moses and all the other prophets down to the Captivity, and those of our Savior and his apostles afterward, we shall find that their aim was always to produce or confirm belief that these men came not of their own initiative but were sent by God. We may further observe in Scripture that miracles were intended to produce belief not universally in all people, elect and reprobate alike, but only in the elect: those whom God had determined should become his subjects. For the miraculous plagues of Egypt were not intended to convert Pharaoh. God had told Moses beforehand that he would harden Pharaoh's heart so that he would not let the people go; and when Pharaoh at last let them go, he was compelled by the plagues, not persuaded by the miracles. So too it is written of our Savior (Mat. 13. 58.) that he performed few miracles in his own country because of their unbelief; and in (Mark 6.5.), instead of “he performed few,” it says “he could perform none.” This was not for lack of power—to say so would be blasphemy against God—nor because miracles were not intended to convert unbelievers to Christ. The aim of all the miracles of Moses, the prophets, our Savior, and his apostles was to add people to the Church. Rather, their miracles were intended to add to the Church not all people but those who would be saved: those whom God had elected. Since, therefore, our Savior was sent by his Father, he could not use his power to convert those whom his Father had rejected. Those who interpret this passage of St. Mark by saying that “He could not” stands for “He would not” do so without precedent in Greek (where “would not” is sometimes used for “could not” of inanimate things, which have no will, but “could not” is never used for “would not”). They thereby place a stumbling block before weak Christians, as though Christ could perform miracles only among the credulous.
From what I have set out here about the nature and use of a miracle, we may define it thus: “A MIRACLE is a work of God, apart from his operation through the course of nature established at the Creation, performed to make manifest to his elect the mission of an extraordinary minister for their salvation.”
And from this definition we may infer, first, that in every miracle the work done is not the effect of any power in the prophet, because it is the effect of the immediate hand of God: God has performed it without using the prophet as a subordinate cause.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the complete 1651 English text (introduction, forty-seven chapters, review and conclusion). Hobbes’s marginal summaries are omitted.
On miracles and their use
Miracles are God's astonishing works. That is why they are also called wonders. Most of them serve as signs of his commands. Without them, people might follow their own reasoning and doubt what he has commanded. Scripture commonly calls them signs for this reason. The Latin words ostenta and portenta have the same sense: they point to and foretell what the Almighty is about to do.
To understand a miracle, we must first understand which events people find astonishing. Two things make people wonder. First, an event must be unusual: nothing like it has happened before, or it has happened very rarely. Second, when it happens, we cannot imagine any natural way it could have happened, only God's direct action. But suppose we can see a possible natural cause, however rare the event is. Or suppose similar events happen often, even if we cannot imagine their natural cause. In either case, we stop wondering and do not consider it a miracle.
If a horse or cow spoke, that would be a miracle. It would be both unusual and hard to explain by natural causes. So would the production of a living creature with a strange new form, unlike nature's usual forms. But when a human or another animal produces offspring of its own kind, we know no more about how it happens than we know about those other events. Yet it is common, so it is no miracle. Likewise, if a person turned into a stone or a pillar, that would be a miracle because it is strange. If a piece of wood underwent such a change, it would not be a miracle, because we see that often. Yet we know no more about God's operation in one change than in the other.
The world's first rainbow was a miracle because it was the first, and therefore unusual. God placed it in the sky as a sign to assure his people that water would never again destroy the whole world. Today rainbows are common, so they are not miracles, whether people know their natural causes or not. Human skill also produces many unusual works. But once we know they are made by human skill, we also know how they are made. We do not count them as miracles, since they come through human work rather than God's direct action.
Wonder also depends on how much people know and have experienced. So the same thing can be a miracle to one person and not to another. Ignorant and superstitious people find great wonders in things that others recognize as natural. Nature is God's ordinary work, not his direct intervention, and those who understand it do not wonder at these events. Ordinary people, for example, have treated eclipses of the sun and moon as supernatural. Yet others could predict the very hour of an eclipse from its natural causes. Or a person might use an accomplice and secret information to learn what an unsuspecting, ignorant person has done in private. When he tells that person about the past, it seems miraculous. But such tricks are not easy to play on wise, cautious people.
Another feature of a miracle is its purpose. It is done to give credibility to God's messengers, ministers, and prophets, so that people will know God called and sent them and will be more willing to obey them. The creation of the world and the later destruction of all living creatures in the worldwide flood were astonishing works. But they were not done to establish the credibility of a prophet or another minister of God, so they are not usually called miracles. No matter how astonishing a work is, the wonder is not that God can do it. People naturally believe the Almighty can do anything. The wonder is that he does it at a person's prayer or word. God's works in Egypt through Moses were miracles in the proper sense. They were meant to persuade the Israelites that Moses had come to them not for his own purposes but because God had sent him. After God commanded Moses to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, Moses said (Exod 4.1. &c.), “They will not believe me, but will say that the Lord has not appeared to me.” God gave him the power to turn the rod in his hand into a serpent and back into a rod. He also gave him the power to make his hand leprous by putting it inside his clothing and to make it healthy again by taking it out. These acts would make the children of Israel believe, as verse 5 says, that the God of their ancestors had appeared to Moses. If that was not enough, God gave him the power to turn their water into blood. After Moses performed these miracles before the people, it says (verse 41.) that “they believed him.” Yet fear of Pharaoh kept them from obeying Moses. The other works that punished Pharaoh and the Egyptians were therefore also intended to make the Israelites believe Moses, and were properly miracles. Consider every miracle performed through Moses and the other prophets up to the Captivity, and then through our Savior and his apostles. The purpose was always to create or strengthen belief that God had sent them and that they had not acted on their own initiative. Scripture also shows that miracles were intended to create belief not in everyone, both elect and rejected, but only in the elect: those whom God had decided would become his subjects. The miraculous plagues in Egypt were not meant to convert Pharaoh. God had already told Moses that he would harden Pharaoh's heart so that Pharaoh would not let the people go. When Pharaoh finally let them go, the miracles had not persuaded him; the plagues had forced him. Scripture says of our Savior (Mat. 13. 58.) that he did not perform many miracles in his own country because the people there did not believe. In Marke 6.5., instead of “he did not perform many,” it says “he could perform none.” This was not because he lacked power; saying that would be blasphemy against God. Nor was it because miracles were not meant to bring unbelievers to Christ. Every miracle of Moses, the prophets, our Savior, and his apostles was meant to bring people into the Church. Rather, their miracles were meant to bring into the Church not everyone but those who would be saved, whom God had chosen. Our Savior was sent by his Father, and therefore could not use his power to convert those his Father had rejected. Some explain St. Marke's “he could not” as meaning “he would not.” But there is no example of this usage in Greek. In Greek, “would not” sometimes stands for “could not” when speaking of inanimate things that have no will, but “could not” never stands for “would not.” This explanation creates an obstacle for Christians whose faith is weak, as if Christ could perform miracles only among people already willing to believe.
From what I have said about the nature and use of a miracle, I define it this way: “A miracle is a work of God, apart from the ordinary workings of nature that he established at creation, done to show his elect that he has sent an extraordinary minister for their salvation.”
This definition leads first to this conclusion: the work performed in any miracle does not result from a power belonging to the prophet. It results from God's direct action. God performs it without using the prophet as an intermediate cause.