Miracles and Wonders in Religions

Explanation: The opening of the Red Sea is told in chapter 14 of Exodus. Moses extends his staff, an east wind blows all night and the water parts. Scholars debate the exact location: "yam suph" in Hebrew can mean "sea of reeds", possibly a marshy lake north of the Gulf of Suez, rather than the Red Sea proper.

Explanation: The miracle of the "five loaves and two fish" is the only one to appear in all four Gospels, making it one of the best-attested accounts. John adds a detail: the leftovers fill twelve baskets, the number of the twelve tribes of Israel. A multiplication that also works in symbolic numbers.

Explanation: Lazarus of Bethany is brought back to life by a Jesus who first weeps before his tomb ("Jesus wept", verse 35 of John 11, the shortest in the Bible). The miracle decides the Jewish authorities to eliminate Jesus, according to John. Lazarus is said to have then ended his days either in Cyprus or in Provence, where Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer claims to keep his relics.

Explanation: The Lake of Galilee (also called Sea of Galilee, Lake of Tiberias or Gennesaret) is in fact a freshwater lake 21 km long. The account in Matthew 14 shows Peter trying to imitate Jesus and beginning to sink for lack of faith. A scene often reused in painting, from Konrad Witz to Eugène Delacroix.

Explanation: Manna falls every morning except on the Sabbath day (double ration the day before). Its name is said to come from the Hebrews' question: "Man hu?", that is, "What is it?". Scientific identification remains debated: a secretion of parasitic insects on Sinai tamarisks for some, edible lichen for others.

Explanation: The journey begins in Mecca, where Muhammad is sleeping near the Kaaba. The angel Jibril wakes him, brings him a mount called Buraq and takes him first to Jerusalem (the Isra), then through the seven heavens (the Miraj) where he meets the previous prophets. It is during this journey that the five daily prayers are said to have been instituted.

Explanation: The staff becomes a serpent before Pharaoh. The Egyptian magicians reproduce the trick, but Moses' serpent swallows them all. The Hebrew word used is "tannin", which means rather "sea monster" or "dragon" than "serpent" in the strict sense. A nuance often lost in modern translations.

Explanation: The ten plagues go from blood in the Nile water to the death of the firstborn. Researchers have proposed cascading natural explanations (toxic red algae causing the frogs to flee, etc.), an appealing but criticized theory. In the biblical narrative, Pharaoh gives in to free the Hebrews but then changes his mind, justifying the pursuit toward the sea.

Explanation: Sura 54 of the Quran opens with "The Hour has come near, and the Moon has split". Tradition (hadith) interprets this verse as a miracle in which Muhammad would have literally split the moon in two to respond to the Meccans' demand for signs. Modern scholars rather see it as an eschatological metaphor.

Explanation: Horeb is often identified with Mount Sinai, but the debate remains open. God reveals there his mysterious name, "I am who I am" (YHWH in Hebrew, unpronounceable in Judaism out of respect). Saint Catherine's monastery, founded in the 6th century, claims to keep a descendant of the bush, planted next to the commemorative chapel.