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255 [. . .] I find that in the times of the ancient faith, miraculous deeds were not regarded as infallible proof of a prophet’s divine mission. Even false prophets were supposed to have been able to work miracles. I dare not to decide whether [they could do so] through magic or secret arts, or perhaps by misusing extraordinary talents conferred on them for better employment. Suffice it to say that the talent for working miracles has not been regarded as an infallible mark of truthfulness. The lawgiver of the Jews expounds on this topic in clear terms (Deuteronomy 13:2–4), and Jesus of Nazareth speaks just as explicitly, and perhaps even more decisively, of the untrustworthiness of miraculous deeds [saying], “False Christs and false prophets shall arise and perform great signs and miracles that will lead astray, etc.” (Matthew 24:24). Therefore, if both of these lawgivers teach that even false prophets can work miracles, then I do not comprehend how their followers and defenders can pretend, despite what scripture clearly says, that miraculous deeds are an infallible source of tradition. The mission of Moses is a different matter. It is not merely grounded on miraculous deeds, for I repeat that miraculous deeds are deceptive and are declared by Moses himself to be deceptive, but instead rests on a far more secure foundation. The entire nation to whom this mission was directed saw the great divine manifestation with their own eyes and heard with their own ears how God had appointed Moses His emissary and interpreter. Therefore, the Israelites as a whole were ocular and aural witnesses to this prophet’s divine calling and required no additional testimony or proof. Thus it also says, “And the Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Behold I will come to you in a thick cloud, in order that the people may hear that I speak with you and so believe you eternally’” (Exodus 19:9). And in another place: “This will serve you as proof that I have sent you. When you have led the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain” (Exodus 3:12). The public giving of the law was thus the strongest proof of the mission of Moses, making impossible any doubt or uncertainty that miraculous deeds could not alleviate. It is true that Moses worked very great miracles, yet after the giving of the law [he did so] no longer as proof of the truth of his mission, but rather as often as was required 25 | On the Reliability of Miracles From Mendelssohn’s Letter to Bonnet (9 February 1770) 256 | m i s c e l l a n y by the circumstances and the needs of the nation. But whenever he intended to upbraid the nation for its lack of faith, he always appealed more to the divine manifestation than to his own miraculous deeds. To be sure, God, through Moses, further directed the Israelites to also obey a miracle-working prophet if he proclaimed God’s commands to them. But according to our religious laws, this is merely a positive commandment, just like the law that orders us to decide court cases on the testimony of two witnesses.22 The testimony of two witnesses is not infallible, and the proofs that are derived from miraculous deeds are just as fallible. But in such cases positive law must come to a decision and set limits to our doubts, so that in future cases we have an invariable standard that is not left to everyone’s caprice but is determined by the law. According to our religious doctrines, belief on the basis of miraculous deeds is grounded merely on the law, not on the nature of the conviction. Therefore, whoever appeals to miraculous deeds must take as his basis that the law prescribes this belief. But if someone attempts to force us, through logical arguments, to accept miraculous deeds as an infallible sign of truth; if someone attempts, on the basis of his limitless confidence in the demonstrative power of miraculous deeds, to abolish our law and put a new one in its place, then we rightly fall back into disbelief. We compare the miraculous deeds celebrated by so many peoples and religions, set each one against all the others, and withhold our approval from all of them. 22. [See Maimonides, “Laws of the Foundations of the Torah,” 7:7, 8:2.] ...

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