Journal of Interreligious Studies on the Quran and the Bible

Journal of Interreligious Studies on the Quran and the Bible

The Criterion of Outcome-Realization and Its Application to Evaluating Reports of the Miracles of Jesus

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Seyed Mohammad Soltani
Assistant Professor, Department of Comparative Studies, Research Institute for Qur’anic Culture and Teachings, Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy (ISCA), Qom, IRAN.
10.22034/qb.2026.2085753.1072
Abstract
The miracles of Jesus are among the most central Christian beliefs, widely reflected in the Gospels and affirmed by the Holy Qur’an. The historical demonstration of these miracles affects not only the authenticity of this prophet’s mission, but also the validity of the Qur’anic claim. Previous researchers have proposed various criteria for examining the historicity of these miracles. Based on library research and the method of historical analysis, the present study introduces the "Criterion of outcome-realization" for assessing historical reports and employs this criterion to evaluate the reliability of reports about the miracles of Jesus. The findings show that virtually all outcomes that can be expected from the occurrence of public and widespread miracles by Jesus can be observed: "Appeal to the miracles by him and his followers, their impact on eyewitnesses, followers, and opponents, repeated requests and appeals, the emergence of an epithet or title, exaggeration, the formation of rituals, naming practices, seeking blessing, and the reflection of the miracles in that religion’s sacred text, in the earliest Christian writings, and also in external (non-Christian) sources." Therefore, it can be said that the criterion of outcome-realization confirms the historical occurrence of the miracles of Jesus.
Keywords
Jesus
Miracle
Criterion
Reliability
Outcome
Gospel
Qur'an
The Holy Qur’an.
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