Robert DryerPhilosophy & theology

The complete reading path

Contents.

Twenty-nine chapters, nine connected parts. Follow the argument from the created order to the meaning and judgment of extraordinary signs.

Start with the introductionRead on one page
IntroductionThe Problem of Miracle3 min

Part 01

The Metaphysical World of Miracle

Creation, genuine natural causes, divine presence, and the different orders of created life.

  1. Creation and Universal Divine Causality3 min
  2. Secondary Causality, Providence, and Divine Action2 min
  3. Omnipresence, Hiddenness, and Modes of Presence4 min
  4. Natural, Preternatural, and Supernatural Orders2 min

Part 02

The Theology of Miracle

Scriptural signs, the meaning of miracle, wonder, and the centrality of Christ’s Resurrection.

  1. Signs, Wonders, and Powers in Scripture3 min
  2. What a Miracle Is2 min
  3. Wonder, Phenomenology, and the Hidden Cause2 min
  4. Incarnation and Resurrection: The Christological Center3 min

Part 03

Miracle as Divine Testimony

When a sign bears witness, what it confirms, and why its evidential scope has limits.

  1. From Miracle to Testimony2 min
  2. Doctrinal and Hagiological Vindication2 min
  3. Semantic Scope and Contextual Signification5 min
  4. Divine Veracity, Revelation, and Motives of Credibility3 min

Part 04

The Forensic Epistemology of Miracle

History, medicine, psychology, and the distinct judgments involved in discerning a claim.

  1. Lambertini’s Theological-Forensic Synthesis3 min
  2. The Six Judgments of a Miracle Claim3 min
  3. Medicine, Diagnosis, and Causal Exclusion4 min
  4. Psychology, Preternatural Alternatives, and Apparitions1 min

Part 05

Miracles in the Life of the Church

Sanctity, intercession, relics, sacraments, and the difference between efficacy and spectacle.

  1. Sanctity, Canonization, and Posthumous Vindication2 min
  2. Intercession, Relics, and Instrumental Causality3 min
  3. Sacraments and Miraculous Manifestation2 min
  4. The Eucharist, Real Presence, and Private Revelation3 min

Part 06

Miracles Beyond Visible Catholic Communion

Divine action outside visible Catholic communion and the interpretation of rival claims.

  1. Augustine and Genuine Goods Beyond Visible Unity3 min
  2. Non-Christian Contexts, Providence, and Universal Grace2 min
  3. Rival Miracles and Asymmetrical Inclusivity5 min

Part 07

The Positive Case for Catholic Vindication

Christ, apostolic witness, and a cumulative case that respects the independence of evidence.

  1. Christ, Resurrection, Apostles, and the Church as Sign3 min
  2. Specificity, Independence, and Convergence4 min

Part 08

Objections, Limits, and Tests

Testimony, unknown causes, suffering, hiddenness, and genuine openness to counterevidence.

  1. Testimony, Unknown Causes, Fraud, and the Humean Challenge2 min
  2. Hiddenness, Suffering, and the Unequal Distribution of Healing2 min
  3. Circularity, Falsifiability, and Counterevidence2 min

Part 09

A Catholic Theology of Divine Manifestation and Signs

The whole account within creation, revelation, sacramental life, and final communion.

  1. The Integrated Architecture4 min
ConclusionMiracle within the Economy of Signs3 min

Research and source apparatus

The appendices.

The historical guides, primary-source dossier, working translations, and analytical criteria that support the study.

Bibliography and source notesThe reader’s question companion

Miracle and Divine Testimony A Catholic research manuscript

The complete text follows the supplied minimally refined edition. Sources and translation notes

Related inquiry: divine simplicity, free action, and the God whose signs we discern.