Freiburger historische Bestände - digital

DAS BLUTWUNDER DES HL. JANUARIUS IN NEAPEL 197

considerable variations of volume and weight of the substance in question.
There are reports that in a church in Pozzuoli, dedicated to Saint January,
there is a stone which changes its colour (certain Spots turn reddish) on cor-
responding dates. Furthermore there appears on the surface of the stone a
liquid which looks like blood. According to tradition this stone has been
impregnated with the blood of the martyr when he was decapitated.

The author discusses various hypotheses for the explanation of the miracle
and points out that the variations of volume and weight, supposing they are
genuine, cannot possibly be reduced to normal physical effects. Considered
under the aspect of a paranormal hypothesis, the «blood-miracle» shows
itself on the one hand analogous to paraphysical phenomena happening in an
«affective field» (prayers to induce the liquefaction) and on the other hand
analogous to haunted places - two aspects which do not exclude one another.
The attempt to classify the «blood-miracle» in the framework of parapsycho-
logy does not touch its religious character. The author appeals to a collabora-
tion of the Church and Parapsychology in view of an investigation of this
secular extraordinary phenomenon which is not yet sufficiently documented
by scientific methods.