New Narrative Definition of the Miracle Story Genre in the Context of the Third Gospel

Abstract

Although the term “Miracle Story” is frequently used in biblical studies, it does not have a single universally accepted definition. Earlier attempts to define this term, especially by Bultmann, the coryphae of the Formgeschichte, are not sufficient. In this article, a new narrative definition will be presented, which takes into account the latest tools that narratology has equipped biblical scholars with. Firstly, the new definition makes it possible to clearly distinguish a Miracle Story from a story in which a miracle occurs. Secondly, the new definition is a tool for analyzing the meaning of the miracle stories. This article is meant to be part of a series analyzing the issue of miracles in the Gospel of Luke.