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Miracles Paperback – Deckle Edge, April 21, 2015
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Do miracles really happen? Are miracles logically impossible? How do you prove that miracles exist? Everyone has an opinionated response but if you’re a sceptic then no historical evidence is likely to convince you.
In Miracles, C.S. Lewis challenges the rationalists and cynics who are mired in their lack of imagination and provides a poetic and joyous affirmation that miracles really do occur in everyday lives. He presents the idea that miracles are not compatible with nature and thus introduces evidence of a supernatural world. Lewis defines a miracle as “an interference with nature by supernatural power” and concludes they are not statistical anomalies because “miracles do not, in fact, break the laws of nature.”
Lewis encourages readers to not only trust personal experiences as a basis of understanding miracles because one’s perception cannot be the concluding basis, and we must define miracles to fully understand them.
This is a book for C. S. Lewis fans and readers interested in Christians philosophy. Lewis says, “This book is intended as a preliminary to historical inquiry. I am not a trained historian and I shall not examine the historical evidence for the Christian miracles. My effort is to put my readers in a position to do so.”
- Print length294 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherHarperOne
- Publication dateApril 21, 2015
- Reading age18 years and up
- Dimensions5.31 x 0.68 x 8 inches
- ISBN-100060653019
- ISBN-13978-0060653019
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A deep dive into the question: "If God is good and all-powerful, why does he allow his creatures to suffer pain?” Approached with compassion and wisdom, Lewis; insight offers help to a world hungering for a true understanding of human nature. | Bringing together Lewis’ legendary broadcast talks during World War Two, Mere Christianity provides an unequaled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to hear this powerful apologetic for the Christian faith. | C.S. Lewis examines four types of human love-- affection, friendship, Eros, and charity-- encouraging readers to open themselves to all forms of love, which is the key to understanding that brings us closer to God. | An allegorical tale on the journey from heaven to hell that meditates on good and evil, grace and judgement, and how the gates of Hell are often locked from within. | One of Lewis' most intimate works, A Grief Observed details his journey with grief after his wife’s tragic death, offering an honest reflection on the fundamental issues of life, death, and faith in the midst of loss. | One of the most debated of Lewis’s extraordinary works, The Abolition of Man argues the importance and relevance of universal values such as courage and honor in contemporary society. | |
Have to be read in order? | No | No | No | No | No | No |
Genre | Non-Fiction | Non-Fiction | Non-Fiction | Non-Fiction | Non-Fiction | Non-Fiction |
Audiobook | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y |
Editorial Reviews
Review
From the Back Cover
Do miracles really happen? Can we know if the supernatural world exists? "The central miracle asserted by Christians is the Incarnation. They say that God became Man. Every other miracle prepares the way for this, or results from this." In Miracles, C. S. Lewis takes this key idea and shows that a Christian must not only accept but rejoice in miracles as a testimony of the unique personal involvement of God in creation. Using his characteristic warmth, lucidity, and wit, Lewis challenges the rationalists and cynics who are mired in their lack of imagination and provides a poetic and joyous affirmation that miracles really do occur in everyday lives.
About the Author
Clive Staples Lewis (1898–1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a Fellow and Tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954, when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics in The Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and have been transformed into three major motion pictures.
Product details
- Publisher : HarperOne
- Publication date : April 21, 2015
- Edition : Revised ed.
- Language : English
- Print length : 294 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0060653019
- ISBN-13 : 978-0060653019
- Item Weight : 2.31 pounds
- Reading age : 18 years and up
- Dimensions : 5.31 x 0.68 x 8 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #27,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3 in Christian Sermons (Books)
- #111 in Christian Apologetics (Books)
- #205 in Inspirational Spirituality (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

CLIVE STAPLES LEWIS (1898-1963) was one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century and arguably one of the most influential writers of his day. He was a fellow and tutor in English Literature at Oxford University until 1954 when he was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance English at Cambridge University, a position he held until his retirement. He wrote more than thirty books, allowing him to reach a vast audience, and his works continue to attract thousands of new readers every year. His most distinguished and popular accomplishments include Mere Christianity, Out of the Silent Planet, The Great Divorce, The Screwtape Letters, and the universally acknowledged classics, the Chronicles of Narnia. To date, the Narnia books have sold over 100 million copies and been transformed into three major motion pictures.
Customer reviews
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book readable and well-presented, with one review highlighting its eloquent prose. Moreover, they appreciate its thought-provoking content, particularly its outstanding philosophical explanation and theoretical approach to miracles. However, the pacing receives mixed reactions, with one customer describing it as repetitive at times. Additionally, customers consider the book worth the effort and money.
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Customers find the book readable and engaging, with one noting its eloquent prose.
"...message compared to other philosophies, presenting it in a very straightforward and understandable manner and showing how the overall consistency of..." Read more
"...That said, this is a book that is worthy of being read and re-read by everyone who has the capacity to understand it." Read more
"...Though theoretical, it encourages the reader to embark on a journey beyond the mundane, to expand the horizons, to see the reality that is beyond..." Read more
"...only one of his books that I have read that I thought was not written for the common man; however, I attribute my lack of understanding to my own..." Read more
Customers find the book thought-provoking, describing it as an outstanding philosophical explanation that provides food for both thought and spirit.
"C.S.Lewis is a master at describing the miracle of God’s creation and His involvement with mankind’s spiritual growth and understanding of each one..." Read more
"...Some of the philosophical points are quite deep and illustrate the breadth and depth of C.S. Lewis's understanding of philosophy as well as his good..." Read more
"A typical CS Lewis book. Gives great insight into the Christian faith...." Read more
"...From here Lewis looks at particular miracles, particularly the greatest miracle of all, the Incarnation, and how this moment was what all of space..." Read more
Customers appreciate the presentation of the book, with one noting how it makes God's creation easier to see, while another describes it as immensely illuminating.
"...It is easier to see God creating than creation creating...." Read more
"...I found this book immensely illuminating...." Read more
"In his unique style, C.S. Lewis provides sound refutation's of naturalism...." Read more
"The reader does a fantastic job with this book. The CD is crisp and clear and has a quality audio encode that doesn't fade or stutter...." Read more
Customers find the book well worth the effort and money.
"...To find out how miracles can be every day, how they are freely available, how healing can be part of your life in a meaningful way, pick up another..." Read more
"Quite dense reading, but well worth the effort. Some interesting arguments for clarification and validation of how to consider miracles." Read more
"This is one of if not the best of all C.S. Lewis' books. Well worth the money and time to read." Read more
"Well worth the effort..." Read more
Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing of the book.
"C S Lewis was a very gifted writer and I believe a great man of God...." Read more
"...Of course. This book is a long tedious argument aimed at unbelievers, naturalists, and cynical logicians...." Read more
"Lewis was brilliant. Pure brilliant" Read more
"...and defense of a supernatural universe, but tedious and repetitive at times." Read more
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2011Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseIn this work, Lewis lays out the case against naturalism and defends supernaturalism - which is to say, the miraculous. His main point, which he drives like a spear into the heart of atheist materialism, is that no-one can say anything coherent about truth or morality without appealing to something greater than the material world. This argument is deadly in its effectiveness precisely because atheist materialists, despite occasional protests to the contrary, do not and cannot cease to say things about truth and morality. He explores the significance of the incarnation as the focal point of the miraculous, and he discusses various other issues related to the interaction of the natural and the supernatural, such as determinism.
This excellent book is probably the most difficult and dense of all Lewis's work that I've read. Its approach is philosophical, not biblical-exegetical, and it is not for the unprepared reader. While that unfortunately limits the range of people I can recommend it to, those unequipped to grapple with its metaphysics are less likely to struggle with the objections Lewis works to defeat. Some of his theological weakness also shows through in the book (viz., his comments on Jonah), but this is brief and almost completely obliterated by his characteristically stunning holistic view of God's work in the world. In this vein, the chapter on the glories of nature is particularly tremendous and stimulating.
For those looking for more, the series of letters published in Christianity Today between Douglas Wilson and Christopher Hitchens are illuminating and interesting (I can't link -- just google it).
- Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2024Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseC.S.Lewis is a master at describing the miracle of God’s creation and His involvement with mankind’s spiritual growth and understanding of each one’s place in it.
- Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2016Format: KindleVerified PurchaseC.S. Lewis gives an outstanding philosophical explanation of the consistency of the Christian world view and how miracles are consistent with such an outlook - and does it in such an engaging manner typical of his excellent writing skills. Some of the philosophical points are quite deep and illustrate the breadth and depth of C.S. Lewis's understanding of philosophy as well as his good acquaintance with the findings of modern science. The genius of C.S. Lewis is showing the unique and profound difference of the Christian message compared to other philosophies, presenting it in a very straightforward and understandable manner and showing how the overall consistency of this viewpoint meshes well with real experience. Whether someone accepts the message or not, I would think it would be difficult to argue against the coherency of the picture presented here.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 6, 2011Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseI was relieved when I finished reviewing this book. Lewis land gets foggy the further away you get from Narnia. My inept review of THE FOUR LOVES is ample proof of my fogginess. Let me describe what I think this book is saying and then I will add to it. This book requires a tome and not a review.
Lewis tells us in MIRACLES that we are cursed with apriori reasoning in this secular age. The experts tell us that the prophecies of the Bible could not have been written before the event occurred because that would of course prove the "impossible." Things can be known only after the fact.
Naturalism, super naturalism and sub naturalism control events. The naturalist says that nature is the first reality and that everything springs. The super naturalist says that the sub natural controls the natural which is influenced by supernatural influences that the natural is made to accommodate. The supernatural is not alien to the natural but is adapted irruption. The sub natural is an event which is seemingly random at each event but produces long term predicable results. An example of sub natural phenomenon would be long term coin tossing leading to random results that would eventually produce a binomial probability curve.
Naturalism is the villain that leads to secularism and egalitarianism since it posits predictability and uniformitarianism. Super naturalism implies authority since the source is outside the system and presumably from a greater force than naturalism. Nature is the primary cause for naturalism. Pantheism is the religion of nature since its gods are created from within naturalism. Miracles in naturalism would result from a force in nature that creates rarely seen but predicable phenomena. An example of a natural "miracle" would be Jung's sycronicity. A naturalist view of miracles would be analogous to looking at a square on the ground whereas the super naturalist view would be extending the square to a cube and not expecting as much.
Naturalism faces the dual problem of will and morality. If thoughts are the sum total of atoms then how can we stand outside natural processes to observe them? If our own self view of nature is determined by nature itself then how can reason be objective? If will cannot exist as a part of what it is looking at then how can morality exist as autonomous from natural processes? How can a "rigid determinist" like Karl Marx talk about social justice.
These phenomenology discussions get involved and suffer from some examples of forced facts and assumptions. We are told that the ancient world considered the earth insignificant, yet Copernicus ushered in the modern age by disproving that the earth was indeed the center of the solar system. The supernatural is ignored much the same way that a window is ignored when you look at a garden according to Lewis...but then again the window may not exist after all. The Hebrew creation story is unique to Lewis because of a preexisting God outside of naturalism creating nature, yet didn't I read in the Koran that God is an "original self- existing fact?"
The two systems are interlinked by interruptibility-nature that can be made to be irrupted. Strict dualism between the supernatural and natural is possible but hard to imagine since at some point they would have to be linked "back locked."
Miracles in super naturalism become knowable only if God's laws are known and are and extension of them the irruption allowed or God modified aspect of nature. Supernatural events are back locked to God who is the source of all creation. Supernatural miracles point to a unity deeper reality based on God designed nature. Christianity creates an image of an antro-God verses the entity God or spirit everything that modern people so enjoy as progressive. The reality produced by true miracles is not spiritual but heavier than reality since it is an amplification of reality.
The world loves the abstract and is offended by the physical imagery of the Bible. I remember Rick Warren in an interview with Leslie Stahl misquote Galatians 3:28 by substituting the word God for Jesus. This misquote served a purpose in that it created the abstract image rather than the gritty bloody image of suffering that would keep his interview from being mainstreamed by the decadent lazy society he is trying to pander to. Pleasant clouds,no martyrs needed here. Father keep us from the face of our sins.
Unlike other faiths, Christianity is based on one miracle central to its existence...The Grand Miracle. Our faith in the sun is proved by not looking at the sun but at what it illuminates since "we cannot look at the sun." What about dark glasses? Christianity is the symphony which is the central fact which orders phenomenon efficiently and science is the note. Other faiths are inadequate to do this.
Supernatural miracles reflect the old and new creation. Christian miracles are an intrusion by a familiar power into a creation made for miracles. In Buddhism miracles would serve no purpose except to add to the horror of a nature that was an illusion to begin with...adding to a nightmare. The old creation miracles are the chosen miracles because they are of the chosen people. These chosen miracles are short cuts of processes that God created yet chose to speed up. The wedding miracle where water is turned into wine is a miracle of the God who made grapes that create wine. The pagan Bacchus is a copy of the true God who makes wine not just represents wine. The loaves are created by the God who made bread, not Ceres who honors bread. Ceres is copy of the Creator-a spin off product resembling the real thing. A fake ROLEX if you will. The Biblical flood is reflected in countless flood legends around the world because the event occurred as a central fact so the legends are reflections of the real event.
The Grand Miracle is a paradox in that shameful death becomes the means to redemption...the horror that leads to the light. The new creation miracles are not short cuts but reversals of entropy. The new creation ends the dichotomy between matter and spirit to a new matter. Entropy itself means that the clock at one time was wound but by whom and who created it? What did entropy decline from? The resurrection is the remarriage of flesh with fact to fulfil myth. The purpose of testing is to see if we are responsible to have a spiritual body to be resurrected in flesh.
The "mass produced conscripted age" which we belong to uses uniforitarianism from naturalism to condition us against miracles. Monism is the rule of the day with the belief that all is one is the hallmark of totalitarianism. Misery is the companion of miracles. Mystics and the oppressed witness miracles either as individuals or collectively at junctures of bad history. Miracles point to man's destiny which is to harmonize the soul with the rational element of creation-the spirit as defined by Lewis. Man is like a tower which cannot be approached from the floors from the outside but only through the top.
The what specific purpose do miracles serve? Lewis leaves this out of the book and robs us of the existential purpose of miracles. The book is littered with forced facts and assumptions.Lewis tells us that the ancients were realistic about the insignificance of the earth, yet Copernicus is left out of this discussion. The supernatural is described as a window ignored as you look focused at a beautiful yard, yet the window may not in fact exist so it is therefore ignored. It is easier to see God creating than creation creating. The Hebrew creation story is unique because God preexisted before matter was created, yet what does the Koran teach? Lewis has opened a window with this book to a reality that challenges us in the form of...miracles. In an unusual section Lewis seems to uphold Calvin. Miracles occur to God as we look at a piece of paper with a line...we can see the begining and end at once and so our prayers to a given end are already computed from the begining...mind boggling thought.
Miracles have met much in my own faith but I am not sure that this is good. I was driving to work shortly after being married and after a period of emotional unfaithfulness to by bride. I stopped behind a traffic jam about twenty feet behind the car in front against my own judgment. I rode the clutch in first gear against common sense yet I felt compelled to do it. I looked in the rear view mirror as an approaching car failed to stop...the driver was tuning the radio supposedly. The impact destroyed all three cars, yet all drivers emerged unhurt. While headed to the hospital I prayed for assistance- a helper. While in the hospital I found out that my wife was next door eating in a cafe. Bible word for wife is helper in a medical sense. My wife was at a luncheon seventy miles from where she lived and worked. The person I hit was my neighbor who offered me a ride back thirty five miles. The impact should have killed me according to the doctor who showed me the seat spring marks on my back. A flashlight lens detached and cut a hole in the roof of the car, missed my head by a foot and went out the front right window. A miracle with clear warning and instruction for a too confident man in a destroyed new car.
When I was saved many years ago I prayed for God to reveal himself to me as I was running. I prayed out of John 1:6 under a sycamore tree and then ran the five miles I promised him for an answer. I was in a miserable time of my life. Right at the five mile mark a man came to me and handed me a small Gospel of John and told me that the Lord heard me. I stood transfixed and then looked up in the open field where I had stopped.No one was there for yards even though I had just received the book. Later that day I lost a bike so I went to a bike store to buy another to no avail. Something compelled me to go to another bike shop miles away. As I walked in my stolen bike was being sold to the owner who gave me my bike back. The thief was caught and a large gang was broken up that day. Interestingly C.S. Lewis was never said to have a Road to Damascus experience. A tract written by RBC ministries C.S.Lewis: The Story of a Converted Mind tells us of the mental process of Lewis' salvation and yet the one who wrote about miracles used his own will to find God. Must God reach us for salvation?
In despair,I asked God why must men suffer? As I turned the corner,I saw written in large red letters the word JOB written on the side of a bank. Tribulations of Job?
Some miracles seem to serve no higher purpose...perhaps they are demonic. A mentioned how I wanted a Felix the Cat t shirt, black with a white circle showing Felix to a fellow employee. An hour later the same t shirt came in on a customer. Jung, God or perhaps Satan mocking God?
Lewis was right miracles love despair, but they are also relational to the type of despair. I have had creepy paranormal events and I wonder what they mean. My father's deathbed was not a peaceful place and yet he was not a person who died in peace...things happened. An image beckoned me to his death exactly twenty four hours before he died. Was God involved in his death or was someone waiting? If miracles are warnings do we even care? I could fill pages with my stories yet to what avail?
I remember a letter George Orwell wrote when young. The letter described how Orwell saw a ghost in a churchyard. The cloaked figure walked by on a gravel path and made no noise as Orwell looked at a grave. Orwell gave chase only to find nothing outside closed gate at the end of the gravel path. Inquiry inside the church revealed that the pastor had been alone. The letter even comes with a diagram of the incident. Shortly after,Orwell went on to write the anticlerical CLERGYMAN'S DAUGHTER and wrote his last deathbed entry against Christianity. The hardcore secularist, Orwell never really considered the implications of his ghost. Have you?
- Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2018Format: KindleVerified PurchaseReading this book will require you to reflect and often re-read many sentences and paragraphs. It is NOT a book that can be lightly leafed through and skimmed.
Professor Lewis, as many writers of his ilk, writes/ speaks incessantly in appositives (as I have just done here). It is, for me, sometimes necessary to bypass the phrase within the commas in order to get to the thought being presented. That said, this is a book that is worthy of being read and re-read by everyone who has the capacity to understand it.
- Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2022Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseA typical CS Lewis book. Gives great insight into the Christian faith. I would probably recommend this more to the seasoned Christian more so than to the newcomer to the faith.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2023Format: PaperbackVerified PurchaseI am sorry but this book wasn’t what I expected. Is C.S. Lewis correct about the Incarnation being central to all miracles? Of course. This book is a long tedious argument aimed at unbelievers, naturalists, and cynical logicians. To a Christian who understands the premise: that without Christ, there is nothing, it seemed obvious and boring.
Top reviews from other countries
- A. J. AdlingtonReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 21, 2009
5.0 out of 5 stars The Miracle of rational thought, what you ought and Christian faith
C S Lewis has such a wealth of knowledge and yet writes so clearly that it is a pleasure to plod along the paths that he has built so carefully. I have read most of C S Lewis and this book two or three times over the years. It was still illuminating for me, partly because I have read a little of the background and could appreciate more how his thought fits in with the long tradition of christian thought.
It was time well spent and I would recommend it to anyone who believes in rational thought or who likes to find out why we think in the way we do.
It is part of our education. It is part of a rational Christian belief..
- CeciliaReviewed in Germany on April 8, 2025
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
Fantastic book.
- SeekingGoodReviewed in Canada on December 13, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good!
Format: KindleVerified PurchaseVery good!
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Héctor Guillermo MuñozReviewed in Mexico on July 8, 2018
4.0 out of 5 stars Ideas interesantes y útiles también
Este libro lo considero una recopilación de pensamientos interesantes sobre el tema. Es algo rebuscado el libro y no todos los capítulos los aproveché igual, pero creo que en general me dejó ideas muy interesantes para usarlas en otras ocasiones.
- R.Narciss StarbellReviewed in India on July 8, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
EXCELLENT