Impossible? A Historian Reckons with the Miraculous Past | Dr. Carlos Eire

The Bible and Christian history are filled with accounts of events--often called miracles--that defy expectations of what is possible. For Christians, the miraculous has long been at the heart of the faith. Indeed, from its beginnings, Christianity’s foundational account of Jesus’s resurrection has variously surprised, infuriated, scandalized, and inspired those who encounter it--and has remained a central belief for the vast majority of Christians ever since.
What is involved in the careful, responsible historical investigation of miraculous events that are deemed absolutely impossible by modern science and secular culture? Drawing from his recent book They Flew: A History of the Impossible, Dr. Carlos Eire (Yale) explores accounts of miracles in early modern history, bringing to light sources of our contemporary understanding of the supernatural while also suggesting a new way of encountering the impossible within history.
This lecture is the 28th Annual Paul L. Holmer Lecture in Christianity and the Humanities. Since 1996, Anselm House has hosted world-class scholars to the University of Minnesota to discuss work relating to the intersection of Christianity and the liberal arts. The Holmer Lecture Paul L. Holmer (1916-2004) who served on the faculty at the University of Minnesota from 1946-1960, after which he took an appointment at Yale Divinity School as the Noah Porter Professor of Philosophical Theology until his retirement in 1986.
Anselm House exists to help students and faculty at the University of Minnesota connect faith & knowledge with all of life. For over 40 years, Anselm House has sought to wholeheartedly serve the University of Minnesota from the center of campus. From the very beginning we’ve endeavored to help the campus community-from freshman to faculty-make meaningful connections. Our story is one of gathering, educating, and sending out whole leaders for the whole of life.