5 Stars! Not an easy read since it is in small print, but it contains excellent selections of primary/original sources on miracles from the time of Jesus (Greek, Roman, Jewish and Egyptian). One can compare the stories of Jesus miracles with those of mythological gods, hero's, doctors, exorcists and magicians from his time. One can also read selections from ancient philosophers and historians that implicitly or explicitly reveal the worldviews of various groups. The Bibliography is robust and encourages further exploration. This would make for a great reference to put on reserve in order to aid those pursuing studies of the New Testament.I say this having a degree in Western Civ. and Biblical Studies. I enjoyed this work very much!

The new testament content comes from the ancient mediterranean, a time when and where there were tales of "miracles". It may surprise some bible believers but the time and culture in and around the new testament had stories of wonders and miraculous deeds done this does not deny or undervalue the true significance of the things done by Jesus and the apostles though. Anyhow, for those who want to wrestle with this a bit more, new testament scholar Craig Blomberg has a pretty good conservative treatment of this in his book, The Historical Reliability of The Gospels. (look for a new edition of this due out in Jan. 2008) Another work that provides miraculous tales of antiquity in relation to the new testament is Documents For The Study of The Gospels by David Cartlidge.