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In Our Time: Philosophy

Miracles

In Our Time: Philosophy

BBC

History

4.51.3K Ratings

🗓️ 25 September 2008

⏱️ 42 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

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 In Our Time podcast. For more details about In Our Time and for our terms of use, please go to BBC.co.uk.

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.

0:17.0

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

0:25.0

to ideas about the nature of creation and the laws of nature.

0:28.0

Miracles have been a measure of disputes within religion

0:31.0

and between origin and rationality,

0:32.0

from St. Augustine in the fourth century

0:34.0

to David Hume in the 18th century.

0:36.0

They've also been used by the corrupt and the powerful

0:39.0

to gain perverse ends.

0:40.0

Miracles have been derided as mere magic and proved be fraudulent and yet for many

0:46.5

the miraculous still maintains a grip on our imagination our language and our beliefs

0:51.6

with me to discuss miracles are Justin Champion,

0:54.1

professor of the history of early modern ideas at Royal Holloway University of

0:57.8

London, Janet Soskis, reader in philosophical theology at Cambridge University, and Martin Palmer, director of the International

1:05.2

Consultancy on Religion and Culture. Martin Palmer, the origins and miracles, let's take the

1:11.6

judo-Christian tradition in the Bible can you begin

1:15.9

describing one in how it fits in with say the parting of the Red Sea the parting of the Red Sea.

1:20.4

The parting of the Red Sea is actually a very good example because the story itself is very dramatic

1:25.6

It forms a major focus for Jewish self-understanding isranite self-understanding As time goes on it also gets glossed so that by the time you

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