" (Jerome cont. Vigil.)
This magic, these demons, this illusory appearance, this comparison with
the tricks of jugglers, by which many of that age accounted so easily
for the Christian miracles, and which answers the advocates of
Christianity often thought it necessary to refute by arguments drawn
from other topics, and particularly from prophecy (to which, it seems,
these solutions did not apply), we now perceive to be gross subterfuges.
That such reasons were ever seriously urged and seriously received, is
only a proof what a gloss and varnish fashion can give to any opinion.
It appears, therefore, that the miracles of Christ, understood as we
understand them in their literal and historical sense, were positively
and precisely asserted and appealed to by the apologists for
Christianity; which answers the allegation of the objection.
I am ready, however, to admit, that the ancient Christian advocates did
not insist upon the miracles in argument so frequently as I should have
done. It was their lot to contend with notions of magical agency,
against which the mere production of the facts was not sufficient for
the convincing of their adversaries: I do not know whether they
themselves thought it quite decisive of the controversy.
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