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James Harris #166

According to Gotthold Lessing, irrefutable and observable miracles would generate faith

in him. However, he avers that no substantiated miracles happen in his day. We have reports of

fulfilled prophecy, not observed fulfilled prophecy. These reports only offer as much reliability

as historiography can yield. In other words, history capitulates to the observable, or science. All

these propositions lead Lessing to the conclusion that if something cannot be demonstrated,

likewise, nothing can use this indemonstrable entity as a proof or legitimacy for something else.

He views this as an impassable chasm between the substantiation and content of the faith. Now

as his argument climaxes in that famous line here paraphrased, he applies a sort of proto-

pragmatism to teachings that Jesus had formerly legitimated by miracles. Lessing argues for

Jesus’ teachings holding axiomatic status, in no need of fanciful demonstrations. Much of

Christianity during and after the Protestant Reformation seems to have embodied this line of

reasoning. Are miracles real, much less necessary? While some of these propositions could seem

self-evident, others seem less than probable, thus opening the door to questioning some of the

other propositions. Eventually one may come to the conclusion that one may cross Lessing’s

ditch.

When Lessing opens his argument in the selection, he explains that seeing the miracles of

Jesus and observing him fulfill ancient prophecies in his presence would have immediately

captured his allegiance. While many contemporary to Lessing could have accepted this, and even

today, one needs only a cursory recounting of Israel’s history to realize the naiveté of such a

thought. Did not the Ancient Israelites witness YHVH’s power wrought in delivering them from

Egypt, only to complain bitterly and doubt continually throughout their desert sojourn? Even

when YHVH provided food, water, enduring clothing, deliverance from enemies, observable

guidance through the wilderness—and all of this miraculously—doubters abounded. The

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James Harris #166

miracles did not deterministically alter the peoples’ views. We glean only that some believed and

some did not, and that the miracles then implemented neither generated nor cancelled faith on the

observer.

One of Lessing’s strongest points lies in his presentation of miracles not happening

contemporarily. Though they do not happen, Christian teaching remains true in his reasoning.

Many since his time have held this. But let us turn to his distinction between fulfilled prophecy

and reports of the same and afterward return to the apparent lack of miracles. Reports indeed

witness to fulfilled prophecy and warrant contrast from the event itself. And yet, we only know

the original prophecies by means of record. How does the historian know that the recorded

prophecies portray the actual prophecies uttered? According to Lessing’s reasoning, the

historical Jesus could not fulfill prophecy, as he would have had to live contemporary with the

prophets. Records of fulfilled prophecies are twice removed from reality as recorded prophecies

are removed once from the prophet’s lips. If one maintains that records lose the force of the

event recorded this extremely, then Lessing’s reasoning might prove something. Let us follow

him, though, that miracles grab the attention of observers to hear what the miracle worker

message. Miracles functioned many times in Jesus’ ministry and in that of the early church as

evidence that the gospel had made headway. However, once God establishes by a miracle that he

is rather powerful, does this preclude him from acting similarly later? What happens if a truth

once established by a miracle falls into obscurity? It would seem in Lessing’s schema that that

people might need another demonstration of God’s power.

“If no historical truth can be demonstrated, then nothing can be demonstrated by means

of historical truths” (Lessing quoted from Placher’s Readings). Many orators and journalists

employ such equative formulae to seal an argument. While this rings nicely in the ear, it also

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James Harris #166

defies reality and its logic. His dictum works as a mathematical equation, something incongruent

with the unpredictability of life. In addition to reason and superstitions, people live out dynamic

existences, ebbing between pleasures, power, family, community, politics, religious orientation,

and any number of variables. While technically, one might not demonstrate principles from

history, one most certainly may establish precedent. However, even if we grant that, we have not

even touched on the mathematical inequality of historical demonstration and rational derivation.

Let us also consider Lessing’s place in history. Were he alive today, he might follow the

accidental trend of the previously described anthropology. He might consider those of the

Enlightenment an ever shrinking minority or historical hiccup. Do we not employ principles

gleaned from historical figures and events?

Lessing crossed his own ditch in a way by providing a pragmatic solution within his

worldview. People that do not share his deterministic worldview easily jump his chasm daily by

means of pragmatism. However, it does seem that one may cross this bridge with a different

worldview from him and without deferring to pragmatism. Miracles did not occur only in Jesus’

day but before him in Israel’s history and after him in the Church. This indicates that they did not

occur as accidents in history. They occurred on multiple occasions and in various places. Not

being able to speak for much history, recently Pentecostal missionaries have witnessed

substantiated miracles in recently developed missions that have given impetus to the gospel’s

spread. Only if one maintains a secular outlook of societies does one necessarily have to accept

the determinism that Lessing recorded in his truism. One must recognize worldviews as

worldviews, and not as irrefutable descriptions of reality.

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