In these two essays—On Scripture Miracles and On Ecclesiastical Miracles—John Henry Newman argues in favor of the many miraculous acts of God throughout history. Newman begins his argument by providing a proper definition for a miracle and necessary evidence required to substantiate the claim of a miracle. Then Newman discusses several specific miracles and gives well reasoned arguments for the reliability of the historical claim.
“A Miracle is no argument to one who is deliberately, and on principle, an atheist.” (Page 11)
“Miracles wrought in evidence of a Divine communication, instead of being antecedently improbable, are, when directly attested, entitled to a respectful and impartial consideration.” (Page 20)
The quality of his literary style is so successful that it succeeds in escaping definition. The quality of his logic is that of a long but passionate patience, which waits until he has fixed all corners of an iron trap. But the quality of his moral comment on the age remains what I have said: a protest of the rationality of religion as against the increasing irrationality of mere Victorian comfort and compromise.
The philosophical and theological thought and the spirituality of Cardinal Newman, so deeply rooted in and enriched by Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Fathers, still retain their particular originality and value.
—Pope John Paul II
Newman placed the key in our hand to build historical thought into theology, or much more, he taught us to think historically in theology and so to recognize the identity of faith in all developments.
—Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)