Miracle Cures: Saints, Pilgrimage, and the Healing Powers of Belief »

"Scott has written a magnificent book on the realities of religious healing. He brings sensibility, reason, impressive insight, and the best information to bear—qualities seldom manifested in the centuries of claim, cynicism, and controversy on the topic. His analysis is destined to raise the level of discourse on dramatic religious experiences."—Neil Smelser, author of The Odyssey Experience

Library Journal

Scott (former deputy director, Ctr. for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences; Gothic Enterprise: A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral) has written a very fine book on the phenomenon of miraculous healing, dating back to the Middle Ages, with pilgrimages still a phenomenon today. He deals first with the situations and persons among whom cures were likely to occur (apparitions, pilgrimages, shrines) and then with the conditions addressed and some possible etiologies of apparent cures. Scott's book dwells very heavily on medieval experience—when he moves toward the modern era, it's because he's established his reasoning in medieval phenomena. The emphasis here is on the medieval experience. His approach, while informed and respectful, is that of the sociologist rather than the theologian, believer, or historian, and his findings are both illuminating and, ultimately, rational. VERDICT An intellectually fascinating book, Scott's treatment will be eye-opening for students of history, theology, and human nature.—Graham Christian, Pelham, MA