“Natural Wonders Are Greater than Miracles”: Christian Wolff on Supernatural Events

Wolff’s doctrine of miracles has been interpreted either as a rationalistic attempt to minimize (or even deny) supernatural events or as a defense of their possibility. This paper argues that both interpretations are one-sided, because Wolff’s position evolved over time. After reconstructing the doctrine of miracles expounded in the German Metaphysics, I consider Wolff’s (and Hollmann’s) response to the Pietist attack. I argue that his later definition of the supernatural, while prima facie equivalent to the earlier, actually has a different meaning and less alarming implications. I conclude that Wolff gradually moved away from his initial, Leibniz-inspired concept of miracle.