In the Synoptic Gospels, the writers use the word dunameis (‘act of power’) to describe the miracles of Jesus. In contrast, the author of the Fourth Gospel uses the word semeia (‘signs’) to describe the miracles, implying that it is not the actual miracle that is important, but the meaning behind it. The signs/miracles were acts performed by Jesus to show who he was and to lead people into faith in him. In ‘The Gospel According to John’, Barrett wrote that there were, ‘…clear indications that he by whom the signs are wrought is the Son of God and equal to God himself’.
Jesus himself uses the term erga (‘works’) when referring to the miracles. This comes from Jewish tradition, where miracles are seen as a sign of God’s mighty and saving power. Jesus links God’s work in the past with his own in the present: ‘For the very work that the Father has given me to finish, and which I am doing, testifies that the Father has sent me’ (John 5:36).
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