The Literal Meaning of Genesis
BOOK TWELVE 203 his guides, pointing out and explaining what the one group had done to merit their happiness and the other to merit their misery. He had this vision on Easter Sunday, after spending the whole of Lent without feeling any of the pain from which he had before enjoyed scarcely even a respite of three days at a time. At the beginning of Lent he had had a vision of these two, who had promised him that for forty days he would feel no pain. Then they gave him a kind of medical prescription, advising that his foreskin be removed. He followed the advice and for a long time experienced no pain. But when his old trouble returned and he began to see the same visions, he was further advised by them to wade into the sea up to his thighs and, after remaining there for a time, to come out. They assured him that from then on he would never again experience the bitter pain he had been suffering but only the annoyance of the viscous liquid that we have mentioned above.
And that is the way it turned out. Never again was he carried out of his senses as before, nor did he have any of the visions he used to have®> when, in the midst of his pains and terrifying cries, he would suddenly become silent and senseless. Later on, however, he regained his health under the doctor's care, but he did not remain steadfast in his pursuit of sanctity.
CHAPTER 18
The production of images in the soul 1s mysterious.
39. If anyone is able to discover the causes of these visions and divinations, and the methods followed in them, and to grasp these matters with certainty, I should prefer to listen to him than to have other people look for a dissertation from me. Nevertheless, I shall not withhold my opinion; and thus the learned will not be able to mock me for being assertive, nor the unlearned look to me as a teacher, but both may regard me rather as one who discusses and investigates than as one who knows.
I consider all these phenomena similar to dreams. Now dreams are sometimes false and sometimes true, sometimes trou-