Is The Healing of Paulus and Palladia at Hippo (Augustine, City of God 22.8) a real miracle?

Common questions

Is The Healing of Paulus and Palladia at Hippo (Augustine, City of God 22.8) real or fake?

Miracles Jar's verdict is Explained: it happened — nature explains it. It happened — and nature accounts for it. On the evidence, the record is some support.

Has The Healing of Paulus and Palladia at Hippo (Augustine, City of God 22.8) been explained?

The event appears to have happened, but a natural explanation accounts for it — the leading account is expectation, suggestion & the placebo response. It reads as remarkable rather than miraculous.

What is the evidence for The Healing of Paulus and Palladia at Hippo (Augustine, City of God 22.8)?

Miracles Jar weighs 2 sources for this case. Points that support the claim: Augustine personally witnessed Paulus's healing during Easter services before the entire Hippo congregation; and Sworn libelli were collected from both Paulus and Palladia and read publicly to the congregation. Points that cut against it: The healing occurred during Easter services at a relic shrine -- peak conditions for expectation-driven psychosomatic effect; and Paulus's condition (years of convulsions attributed to maternal curse) is consistent with functional neurological disorder, which can remit suddenly and completely.

What is the natural explanation for The Healing of Paulus and Palladia at Hippo (Augustine, City of God 22.8)?

The leading natural account is expectation, suggestion & the placebo response. Belief produces real, measurable change in the body. The relief can be genuine while the cause stays entirely natural. The full breakdown shows where that explanation holds — and where it stops.

When and where did The Healing of Paulus and Palladia at Hippo (Augustine, City of God 22.8) happen?

It is said to have occurred c. 424-425 CE in Hippo Regius, North Africa.