Summary
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the parting of the Red Sea, the feeding of the five thousand and the general subject of miracles. Miracles have been part of human culture for thousands of years. From St Augustine in the 4th century through the medieval cult of saints to David Hume in the 18th, miracles have captured the imaginations of believers and sceptics alike. The way they have been celebrated, interpreted, dissected and refuted is a whole history of arguments between philosophy, science and religion. They have also been used by the corrupt and the powerful to gain their perverse ends. Miracles have been derided and proved to be fraudulent and yet, for many, the miraculous maintain a grip on our imagination, our language and our belief to this day. With Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture;Janet Soskice, Reader in Philosophical Theology at Cambridge University; Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Thanks for downloading the Inartime podcast. For more details about Inartime and for our terms of use, please go to bbc.co.uk forward slash radio for. |
| 0:09.0 | I hope you enjoy the program. |
| 0:12.0 | Hello, the parting of the Red Sea, the feeding of the 5,000, the turning of water into wine. Miracles. |
| 0:18.0 | Miracles? Yes, miracles have been part of our culture for thousands of years, from beliefs about the shinburn of a saint, to ideas about the nature of creation and the laws of nature. |
| 0:28.0 | Miracles have been a measure of disputes within religion and between religion and rationality, from Saint Augustine and the 4th century to David Hume in the 18th century. |
| 0:36.0 | They've also been used by the corrupt and the powerful to gain perverse ends. Miracles have been derided as mere magic and proved with fraudulent. |
| 0:45.0 | And yet for many, the miraculous still maintains a grip on our imagination, our language and our beliefs. |
| 0:52.0 | With me to discuss miracles are just in champion, professor of the history of early modern ideas at Royal Holloway University of London. |
| 0:59.0 | Janet Soskis, reader in philosophical theology at Cambridge University, and Martin Palmer, director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture. |
| 1:09.0 | Martin Palmer, the origins of miracles, let's take the Judeo-Christian tradition in the Bible. |
| 1:15.0 | Can you begin describing one and how it fits in with say the parting of the Red Sea? |
| 1:20.0 | Well, the parting of the Red Sea is actually a very good example because the story itself is very dramatic. |
| 1:26.0 | It forms a major focus for Jewish self-understanding, Israelite self-understanding. |
| 1:32.0 | As time goes on, it also gets glossed. |
| 1:35.0 | So by the time you get to some of the later rabbinical commentaries in the Talmud and the Mishnah, it's beginning to be really spectacular. |
| 1:43.0 | So the waves go up 1,600 feet. |
| 1:46.0 | It was a particular situation if we can just go up 1,000 feet. |
| 1:49.0 | Oh right, what actually happened? Yes, good point. |
| 1:52.0 | The Israelites are seeking to flee from Egypt. |
| 1:55.0 | They are being pursued by Ferris troops who are intent upon capturing them and probably destroying them. |
| 2:01.0 | They reach the Red Sea in an impossible, huge body of water. Moses prays, he stretches forth the rod that he's been given, the waters part. |
| 2:11.0 | The Israelites walk across on the dry land, reach the other side. |
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