7 steps to authenticity of the miracles of Jesus

Question 1

1) Multiple Attestation:

Answer 1

Tradition that is found in two independent sources, such as Mark and Q, enjoy a stronger claim to authenticity

Question 2

2) Dissimilarity

Answer 2

Tradition that cannot be easily explained as deriving from Judaism or the early church is said to be dissimilar and has reasonable claim to authenticity

Question 3

3) Embarrassment

Answer 3

the preservation of embarrassing sayings or actions supports its authenticity

Question 4

4) Context and Expectation

Answer 4

Healing miracles did not occupy as prominent a place within first-century Palestine as has often been asserted; it is less likely that such narratives were fabricated to fulfill some notion of what was ‘required’ by messianic expectation and thus should be deemed authentic in their own right.

Question 5

5) Effect

Answer 5

The veracity of Jesus’ miracles is evidenced by the fact that he caused enough commotion and drew such large crowds to become a “big problem”

Question 6

6) Coherence

Answer 6

Various sayings of Jesus regarded as authentic discuss or allude to the miracles; their authenticity therefore validating the authenticity of the miracles

Question 7

7) Principles of Embellishment

Answer 7

Later sources which embellish the miracles of Jesus likely find there origination in authentic miracles actually performed by Jesus