No doubt Jesus was unique in many ways, he was the most famous of the miracle workers of the Second Temple Period.

However, because of the glare cast by early Christianity, it’s easy to forget that such miracle-workers abounded in the ancient world generally and in Isreal. Several other Galilean miracle-workers are known from Jewish history.

In fact, they seem to have constituted a unique class of men capable of such miraculous feats, known as ‘anshe ma’aseh’ or “men of deeds.” Jesus’ Jewish contemporaries very likely would have understood him in something like this category.

Dr. James Justin Sledge holds a Doctorate in Religious Studies (Western Esotericism) from the Universiteit van Amsterdam, and a MA and PhD from the University of Memphis. He now teaches philosophy and religion as a visiting lecturer.