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The Christ of the Miracle Stories: Portrait through Encounter, written by Cotter, Wendy J., CSJ

The Christ of the Miracle Stories: Portrait through Encounter, written by Cotter, Wendy J., CSJ (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010), xxvi + 293 pp. isbn 9780801039508. $30.00. Pbk.Wendy Cotter has written a lucid, illuminating and largely convincing work that takes a fresh approach to the miracle traditions. Whereas Bultmann, Dibelius and others emphasized the divine power revealed through Jesus’ miraculous deeds and suggested that the stories served to impress pagans and lead them to conversion, Cotter breaks new ground by drawing attention to the encounter between the petitioners asking for miracles and Jesus in order to demonstrate how these stories reveal Jesus’ character and encourage his followers to imitate his virtue. Cotter identifies the miracle stories not as tales (as did Dibelius) but as anecdotes, noting that in antiquity one of the purposes of anecdotes was to function as exempla, or stories that portray certain virtues or characteristics that readers and followers would be inspired to imitate. Citing Plutarch, she notes that anecdotes served to reveal the ‘soul’ of those about whom they were told, and it is in Jesus’ response to his petitioners that we glimpse his true character, his ‘soul’. The virtues that Cotter sees in these responses include such characteristics as philanthrōpia (liberality, kindness, etc.) and praotēs (gentleness, meekness, etc.).The work http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus Brill

The Christ of the Miracle Stories: Portrait through Encounter, written by Cotter, Wendy J., CSJ

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
Copyright © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
1476-8690
eISSN
1745-5197
DOI
10.1163/17455197-01403007
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010), xxvi + 293 pp. isbn 9780801039508. $30.00. Pbk.Wendy Cotter has written a lucid, illuminating and largely convincing work that takes a fresh approach to the miracle traditions. Whereas Bultmann, Dibelius and others emphasized the divine power revealed through Jesus’ miraculous deeds and suggested that the stories served to impress pagans and lead them to conversion, Cotter breaks new ground by drawing attention to the encounter between the petitioners asking for miracles and Jesus in order to demonstrate how these stories reveal Jesus’ character and encourage his followers to imitate his virtue. Cotter identifies the miracle stories not as tales (as did Dibelius) but as anecdotes, noting that in antiquity one of the purposes of anecdotes was to function as exempla, or stories that portray certain virtues or characteristics that readers and followers would be inspired to imitate. Citing Plutarch, she notes that anecdotes served to reveal the ‘soul’ of those about whom they were told, and it is in Jesus’ response to his petitioners that we glimpse his true character, his ‘soul’. The virtues that Cotter sees in these responses include such characteristics as philanthrōpia (liberality, kindness, etc.) and praotēs (gentleness, meekness, etc.).The work

Journal

Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus – Brill

Published: Apr 4, 2016

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