The Literal Meaning of Genesis
BOOK TWELVE 215
CHAPTER 25
Corporeal and spiritual vision can err, but not intellectual vision.
52. But the soul is deceived by the images of things, not because of any fault of these images but because of its own erroneous opinion when through lack of understanding it confuses different objects because of their similarity. It is deceived, therefore, in corporeal vision when it fancies that what happens in the senses of the body takes place in bodies outside,!!7 as when people on a moving ship seem to see stationary objects on shore in motion, or when those who gaze at the heavens think they see stars at rest which are actually moving. Such is the case, too, when the rays coming from the eyes are not focused, and two lamps seem to shine where there is only one,!!8 or when an oar in the water appears to be broken. Many other similar appearances might be mentioned. The same may be said when the soul takes one object for another that has a similar color, sound, odor, taste, or touch. Thus a salve mixed with wax in a cooking vessel is mistaken for a vegetable, and the rumble of a passing carriage is thought to be thunder, and, when no other sense but that of smell is employed, balm is taken for citrus; so also a dish that has a bit of sweet flavoring tastes as if it were made of honey, and a strange ring felt in the dark is taken for gold, when it is actually copper or silver. The same may be said, too, when the eyes encounter objects suddenly and unexpectedly, and the soul in its confusion fancies it sees dream images or some similar spiritual vision.
Hence, in all cases of corporeal vision, recourse is had to the testimony of other senses, and above all to that of the mind and reason, so that we may discover the truth in these matters as far as it can be discovered. But in spiritual vision, namely, in the likenesses of bodies seen by the spirit, the soul is deceived when it judges the objects of its vision to be real bodies, or when it attaches some property of its own fancy and false conjecture to bodies that it has not seen but merely conjures up in imagination. But in the intuitions of the intellect it is not deceived. For either it understands, and then it possesses truth; or if it does