A Century of Miracles: Christians, Pagans, Jews, and the Supernatural, 312-410

by H.A. Drake

The fourth century of our common era began and ended with a miracle. Traditionally, in the year 312, the Roman emperor Constantine experienced a "vision of the Cross" that led him to convert to Christianity and to defeat his last rival to the imperial throne; and, in 394, a divine wind carried the emperor Theodosius to victory at the battle of the Frigidus River. Other stories heralded the discovery of the True Cross by Constantine's mother, Helena, and the rise of a new kind of miracle-maker in the deserts of Egypt and Syria. These miracle stories helped Christians understand the dizzying changes they experienced in the fourth century. Far more than the outdated narrative of a "life-and-death" struggle between Christians and pagans, they help us understand the darker turn Christianity took in subsequent ages.

In A Century of Miracles , historian H. A. Drake explores the role miracle stories played in helping Christians, pagans, and Jews think about themselves and each other. These stories, he concludes, bolstered Christian belief that their god wanted the empire to be Christian. Most importantly, they help explain how, after a century of trumpeting the power of their god, Christians were able to deal with their failure to protect the city of Rome from a barbarian sack by the Gothic army of Alaric in 410. Augustine's magnificent City of God eventually established a new theoretical basis for success, but in the meantime the popularity of miracle stories reassured the faithful--even when the miracles came to an end. Thoroughly researched within a wide range of faiths and belief systems, A Century of Miracles provides an absorbing illumination of this complex, polytheistic, and decidedly mystical phenomenon.

328 pages, Hardcover

Published September 1, 2017

Reviews

[Dominic Foo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Religious claims could be pressed by arguments, but what if arguments were not enough because your enemies would rather persecute you rather than listen to your arguments?

This books explores the political dimension of the use of miracles and their stories to advance religious claims. Whether it is in miraculous signs and wonders, or military victories or defeats, for a century, since Constantine saw the vision of the cross, Christians have deployed miracles to advance their cause on the political and imperial scale, promising civic victories and success for the pious, or military and political disaster for the impious, and God intervening in historic and political space to vindicate his own cause.

The linkage between divine favour and civic security/success however ended with the Gothic sack of Rome. With one treatise Augustine would bring an end to a "century of miracles" and decoupled the divine favour from national or imperial destinies. When before a political success or failure were signs of divine favour, or displeasure, Augustine severed the link once for all by postulating a parallel and non-convergent City of God contra the City of Man. The fortunes of the latter were not to be confused with the ends of the former.

Overall it is a very interesting book showing how great Church Fathers, saints, and doctors of the Church, from Eusebius to Ambrose, were able to craft cunning narratives to fit all occasions in aid of the Christian cause on the political sphere. Personally it is enough to make one sceptical of all religious claims, if it were not for the example of an equally successful, if not more so, Assyrian Church of the East which flourished without the miracles of Roman Christianity. One would be tempted to believe that Christendom was built on nothing more than clever narrative spins without alternative examples of missionary success. But as it is, this is a great book, not only for its historical value, but ultimately for raising legitimate theological questions as what can we expect from a living active God in aid of the advancement of his own Gospel.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it in hardcover. Clearly, the foundation for the "church" inspired by the man named Yeshua or Jesus was founded on some iffy events. And it was certainly not created using the reported words of this man who preached good and love. It demonized the Jews - from whence "the son of God" is said to have come. It appears that miracles are largely yet another magic trick used by mankind for time immemorial to explain things that may or may not be true or may or may not have happened. I found the Legend of Helena and the True Cross to be amusing to put it nicely. The backstory to lend more and more credibility to this tale eventually goes back to the Garden of Eden. As it is simply a legend you are allowed to be very skeptical - but not if you are a true believer. I wonder had Yeshua had known what would be done in his name - would he have kept his mouth shut. It is extremely well cited with bibliography and endnotes. But I feel it will offend and upset deeply religious Christians who may read it hoping for confirmation of the church and its teachings. I was enlightened.

[Gary Peters · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is just a huge waste of time.

If you’re looking for an unbiased historical deep dive of the time period that you can reference, he skips around significantly and does not give enough information.

If you’re looking to understand — on an anthropological level — how people of the time understood miracles, this book will not help you.

If you’re looking for a 10 page game plan on how the author plans to be unbiased and professional on a sensitive topic and then sneers at his subject matter for the next 250 pages… you’re on to something.

To contextualize my statement above — if you can hear my tone in my writing above — this is the same tone you get for 250 pages…