Difference between revisions of "Philosophy:Miracles/2"
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+ | <category>No Miracles | ||
+ | <p>All verses in Tanakh which appear to describe a violations of the laws of nature must be reinterpreted and understood not to have happened in reality.</p> | ||
+ | <mekorot><multilink><a href="PhiloQuestionsandAnswersonGenesisI31" data-aht="source">Philo</a><a href="PhiloQuestionsandAnswersonGenesisI31" data-aht="source">Questions and Answers on Genesis I 31</a><a href="PhiloOntheCreation156-166" data-aht="source">On the Creation 156-166</a><a href="PhiloAllegoricalInterpretationII71-78" data-aht="source">Allegorical Interpretation II 71-78</a><a href="Philo" data-aht="parshan">About Philo</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RambamHilkhotMelakhim12-1" data-aht="source">Rambam</a><a href="RambamHilkhotMelakhim12-1" data-aht="source">Hilkhot Melakhim 12:1</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Maimon (Rambam, Maimonides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe b. Maimon</a></multilink></mekorot> | ||
+ | <point><b>The Snake in the Garden of Eden</b> – Philo understands the whole story of the Garden of Eden to be an allegory, where the snake symbolizes pleasure and vice.</point> | ||
+ | <point><b>Bilam's donkey</b> – he Rambam understands this story to be a dream of Bilam, which did not actually happen. The Rambam does not explain why this appearance was different then the two previous appearances (both apparently also in a dream) where Hashem spoke directly to Bilam, without any metaphorical imagery.</point> | ||
+ | <point><b>The sun standing still</b><ul> | ||
+ | <li>People's perspective -</li> | ||
+ | <li>Metaphoric language -</li> | ||
+ | </ul></point> | ||
+ | <point><b>Angels</b> – According to Rambam and Ralbag, angels are incorporeal beings whose physical manifestation would be a violation of the laws of nature. As such, they reinterpret all stories which mention angels appearing or speaking as being prophetic dreams. [Rambam does not reinterpret other apparent miracles in the same fashion, probably because other miracles in Tanakh have practical results which can not be explained if they merely took place in a dream.  If the only purpose of angels appearing is to convey information; this can be accomplished via a prophetic vision, which he undersatnds to be a natural phenomenon.] <br/> | ||
+ | <ul> | ||
+ | <li>According to Rambam, Avraham's did not receive any guests in reality, but rather the whole story happened in a prophetic vision. Ibn Kaspi and Abarbanel elaborate on this, explaining the angels' appearance to Lot in the following chapter as either a continuation of Avraham's vision, or a separate dream of Lot. For further detail, see the Divine Prophecy approach of <a href="Avraham's Guests – Angels or Men" data-aht="page">Avraham's Guests – Angels or Men?</a></li> | ||
+ | <li>According to Rambam, Yaakov's various encounters with angels all happened in a dream.<fn>Ramban questions how wrestling in a dream will cause injury in real life. Rambam may explain like his son, R. Avraham b. HaRambam, who states that violent dreams causing injury and soreness in the morning is a known phenomenon. See <a href="Wrestling With Angels and Men" data-aht="page">Wrestling With Angels and Men</a> for more details.</fn></li> | ||
+ | </ul></point> | ||
+ | <point><b>The End of Days</b> – According to Rambam, the prophecies regarding changes in nature in the end of days (such as Yeshayahu 11:6) should be understood allegorically, as referring to world peace, and not actual changes in the behavior of animals.</point> | ||
+ | <point><b>Mutable Nature</b> – According to Rambam, nature is immutable, and therefore Hashem does not perform miracles (since this would violate nature's immutability), and will not perform world-changing miracles even in the end of days.</point> | ||
+ | <point><b>Purpose of miracles</b> – According to this approach, since miracles did not happen in reality, their only purpose is to convey prophetic messages to the recipient of the dream.</point> | ||
+ | </category> | ||
<category name="No Miracles"> | <category name="No Miracles"> | ||
− | Miracles | + | No Miracles |
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<opinion name="Dreams"> | <opinion name="Dreams"> | ||
Stories of Miracles Only Happened In Dreams | Stories of Miracles Only Happened In Dreams | ||
<p>Miracles that contravene the laws of nature did not happen in reality, and stories that speak of them must be understood as dreams or prophecies seen by the characters in the story.</p> | <p>Miracles that contravene the laws of nature did not happen in reality, and stories that speak of them must be understood as dreams or prophecies seen by the characters in the story.</p> | ||
<mekorot><multilink><a href="RambamMorehNevukhim242" data-aht="source">Rambam</a><a href="RambamMorehNevukhim242" data-aht="source">Moreh Nevukhim 2 42</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Maimon (Rambam, Maimonides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe b. Maimon</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RAvrahambHaRambamBereshit32-26" data-aht="source">R. Avraham b. HaRambam</a><a href="RAvrahambHaRambamBereshit32-26" data-aht="source">Bereshit 32:26</a><a href="R. Avraham Maimonides" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham Maimonides</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RYosefibnKaspiTiratKesef2-3" data-aht="source"> R. Yosef ibn Kaspi</a><a href="RYosefibnKaspiTiratKesef2-3" data-aht="source">Tirat Kesef 2:3</a><a href="R. Yosef ibn Kaspi" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef ibn Kaspi</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="AbarbanelCommentaryonMorehNevukhim242" data-aht="source">Abarbanel</a><a href="AbarbanelCommentaryonMorehNevukhim242" data-aht="source">Commentary on Moreh Nevukhim 2 42</a><a href="R. Yitzchak Abarbanel" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel</a></multilink></mekorot> | <mekorot><multilink><a href="RambamMorehNevukhim242" data-aht="source">Rambam</a><a href="RambamMorehNevukhim242" data-aht="source">Moreh Nevukhim 2 42</a><a href="R. Moshe b. Maimon (Rambam, Maimonides)" data-aht="parshan">About R. Moshe b. Maimon</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RAvrahambHaRambamBereshit32-26" data-aht="source">R. Avraham b. HaRambam</a><a href="RAvrahambHaRambamBereshit32-26" data-aht="source">Bereshit 32:26</a><a href="R. Avraham Maimonides" data-aht="parshan">About R. Avraham Maimonides</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="RYosefibnKaspiTiratKesef2-3" data-aht="source"> R. Yosef ibn Kaspi</a><a href="RYosefibnKaspiTiratKesef2-3" data-aht="source">Tirat Kesef 2:3</a><a href="R. Yosef ibn Kaspi" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yosef ibn Kaspi</a></multilink>, <multilink><a href="AbarbanelCommentaryonMorehNevukhim242" data-aht="source">Abarbanel</a><a href="AbarbanelCommentaryonMorehNevukhim242" data-aht="source">Commentary on Moreh Nevukhim 2 42</a><a href="R. Yitzchak Abarbanel" data-aht="parshan">About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel</a></multilink></mekorot> | ||
− | <point><b>Stories of Angels</b> – | + | <point><b>Stories of Angels</b> – .</point> |
− | <point><b>Avraham's Guests</b | + | <point><b>Avraham's Guests</b></point> |
− | <point><b>Yaakov's Encounters With Angels</b> – | + | <point><b>Yaakov's Encounters With Angels</b> – dd</point> |
− | + | <point><b>Purpose of Miracles</b></point> | |
− | <point><b>Purpose of Miracles</b> | ||
<point><b>Mutable Nature</b> – According to Rambam, nature is immutable, and therefore Hashem does not perform miracles (since this would violate nature's immutability).</point> | <point><b>Mutable Nature</b> – According to Rambam, nature is immutable, and therefore Hashem does not perform miracles (since this would violate nature's immutability).</point> | ||
<point><b>What is Natural?</b> According to Rambam, angels cannot exist in reality, and their physical existence would be a violation of the laws of nature. However, these laws do allow Hashem to influence the world through prophecy and dreams.</point> | <point><b>What is Natural?</b> According to Rambam, angels cannot exist in reality, and their physical existence would be a violation of the laws of nature. However, these laws do allow Hashem to influence the world through prophecy and dreams.</point> | ||
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</category> | </category> | ||
<category name="Unnatural Miracles"> | <category name="Unnatural Miracles"> | ||
− | Miracles | + | Supernatural Miracles |
<p>Stories of miracles should be understood literally as historical accounts of what happened.</p> | <p>Stories of miracles should be understood literally as historical accounts of what happened.</p> | ||
<opinion name="Momentary Lapse"> | <opinion name="Momentary Lapse"> |
Version as of 12:18, 1 December 2018
Miracles
Exegetical Approaches
No Miracles
All verses in Tanakh which appear to describe a violations of the laws of nature must be reinterpreted and understood not to have happened in reality.
- People's perspective -
- Metaphoric language -
- According to Rambam, Avraham's did not receive any guests in reality, but rather the whole story happened in a prophetic vision. Ibn Kaspi and Abarbanel elaborate on this, explaining the angels' appearance to Lot in the following chapter as either a continuation of Avraham's vision, or a separate dream of Lot. For further detail, see the Divine Prophecy approach of Avraham's Guests – Angels or Men?
- According to Rambam, Yaakov's various encounters with angels all happened in a dream.1
No Miracles
Stories of Miracles Only Happened In Dreams
Miracles that contravene the laws of nature did not happen in reality, and stories that speak of them must be understood as dreams or prophecies seen by the characters in the story.
Miracles Happen But Do Not Contradict Nature
Stories which mentions wondrous, seemingly unnatural events, happened in reality, but never violated the laws of nature. Elements of these stories which appear to violate these laws must be reinterpreted to match the laws of nature.
- According to certain explanations of Rambam, the magnitude of the victory caused the day to seem to be longer than usual in the Israelite perception, despite no celestial changes having occurred.
- Similarly, according to Ralbag, the day did not change, but rather the victory was so fast that it is described metaphorically as the sun standing still.
- Various modern scholars give other natural explanations for the miracle, such as the sun's position blinding the enemy,4 or a solar eclipse.5
- Radak cites R. Shemuel b. Chofni who states that the witch of Ein Dor pretended to be Shemuel, and gives a natural explanation for how she was able to give an accurate "prophecy".
- Shadal gives a natural explanation for Paroh's mages turning their staves into snakes.
Supernatural Miracles
Stories of miracles should be understood literally as historical accounts of what happened.
Miracles are Momentary Divine Interventions
When a miracle is needed, Hashem directly intervenes in nature, momentarily violating or suspending the laws of nature.
Miracles are Preprogrammed Divine Interventions
All miracles were preordained during creation, and the laws of nature contain specific exceptions for each and every miracle.