Greetings,
In Acts chapter 20 we read of a dramatic incident in Pauls ministry, that of a young man named Eutychus. In this passage as Paul speaks to the assembled believers Eutychus falls asleep in an upper window and falls down, apparently dead. Paul runs over to the young man, lays across him and tells the overwrought crowd that the young man’s life is still in him. Just observing what the text says it does not appear as though this is a miracle. Normally when miracles appear in the New Testament they are hailed as such. For example when Lazarus was raised it was clearly a miracle; when Jairus’s daughter was raised it was clearly a miracle; when lepers were cleansed it is clearly stated as miraculous; when the blind man had his sight restored it was clearly a miracle, and on and on.
This case with Eutychus seems different to me. To my reading it appears to be merely a melodramatic incident in the ministry of the Apostle Paul. The crowd believed that the boy had died. Paul stayed their fears by telling them that the boy’s life was still in him. I do not see any of the hallmark indicators that this is a miracle. My question is why do most evangelicals interpret this is being a miracle rather than just simply what it appears to be? The young man fell out the window, was knocked unconscious, was feared to be dead but Paul set the record straight by telling them that in fact he was not dead, perhaps the way a person might check to see if an unconscious person is still alive. Paul said “his life is still in him” or “his spirit is still in him” he did not say “I command you Eutychus to rise” or anything of that nature. Thoughts?
Regards, Brenden.
Was Eutychus raised?
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