i A C E N T U R Y OF M I R AC L E S ii iii A C E N T U R Y OF M I R AC L E S Christians, Pagans, Jews, and the Supernatural, 312–410 H. A. Drake 1 iv 1 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford .It furthers the Universitys’ objective of excelence in research ,scholarship ,and education by publishing worldwide .Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and certain other countries. Published in the United States of America by Oxford UniversityP  ress 198 Madison Avenue ,NewY ork ,NY 10016 ,United States of America. © Oxford University Pres 2017 Al lrights reserved .No part of this publication may be reproduced ,storedi n a retrieva lsystem ,or transmited ,in any form or by any means ,without he prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press ,or as expressly permited by law ,by license ,or under terms agreed with the appropriate reproduction rights organization .Inquiries concerning reproduction outside the scopeo tf he above should be sent to the Rights Department ,Oxford University Pressa ,t he addressa bove. You must not circulate this work in any other form and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Drake ,H .A .(Harold Alen) ,1942– author . Title: A century of miracles : Christians ,pagans ,Jews ,and the supernatura l,312–410 / H .A .Drake . Description: New York : Oxford University Press ,2017 .| Includes bibliographica lreferences and index . Identifiers: LCCN 2017010324 | ISBN 9780199367412 (hardback) | ISBN 9780199367436 (epub) | ISBN 9780199367443 (online content) Subjects: LCSH: Church history—4th century .| Constantine I ,Emperor of Rome ,–337 .| Christianity—Influence .| Religions—History .| Miracles .| Supernatural . Classification: LCC BR180 .D73 2017 | DDC 270.2—dc23 LC record available at htps:/lccn.locg.ov/2017010324 1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2 Printedb yS heridanB ooksI ,ncU ,. nitedS tateso Af merica v “But stories take place in societies, otherwise they cannot exist.” Iain Pears, Arcadia vi vi For Logan andV vii nepotes dilectissimi vi ix C ON T E N TS Illustrations  xi Acknowledgments  xiii Abbreviations  xv Introduction  1 1. Historians and the Miraculous  7 2. Theodosius’s Miracle  27 3. Constantine’s Miracle  49 4. Miracle Doctors  75 5. The Miracle of the Cross  93 6. Jews in Miracles  115 7. Miracle in the Desert  135 8. Miracles on Trial  157 ix