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Although the instruction that we have given with
respect to the apprehensions of the understanding
which come by means of sense is somewhat brief, in
comparison with what might be said about them, I have
not desired to write of them at greater length; I
believe, indeed, that I have already been too lengthy
for the fulfillment of my present intention, which is
to disencumber the understanding of them and direct
the soul into the night of faith.
Wherefore we shall now begin to treat of those
other four apprehensions of the understanding, which,
as we said in the tenth chapter,[424] are purely
spiritual -- namely, visions, revelations, locutions
and spiritual feelings. These we call purely
spiritual, for they do not (as do those that are
corporeal and imaginary) communicate themselves to
the understanding by way of the corporeal senses;
but, without the intervention of any inward or
outward corporeal sense, they present themselves to
the understanding, clearly and distinctly, by
supernatural means, passively -- that is to say,
without the performance of any act or operation on
the part of the soul itself, at the least actively.
2. It must be known, then, that, speaking broadly
and in general terms, all these four apprehensions
may be called visions of the soul; for we term the
understanding of the soul also its sight. And since
all these apprehensions are intelligible to the
understanding, they are described, in a spiritual
sense, as 'visible.' And thus the kinds of
intelligence that are formed in the understanding may
be called intellectual visions.
Now, since all the objects of the other senses,
which are all that can be seen, and all that can be
heard, and all that can be smelt and tasted and
touched, are objects of the understanding in so far
as they fall within the limits of truth or falsehood,
it follows that, just as to the eyes of the body all
that is visible in a bodily way causes bodily vision,
even so, to the spiritual eyes of the soul -- namely,
the understanding -- all that is intelligible causes
spiritual vision; for, as we have said, for the soul
to understand is for it to see. And thus, speaking
generally, we may call these four apprehensions
visions. This cannot be said, however, of the other
senses, for no one of them is capable, as such, of
receiving the object of another one.
3. But, since these apprehensions present
themselves to the soul in the same way as they do to
the various senses, it follows that, speaking
properly and specifically, we shall describe that
which the understanding receives by means of sight
(because it can see things spiritually, even as the
eyes can see bodily) as a vision; and that which it
receives by apprehending and understanding new things
(as it were through the hearing, when it hears things
that are not heard) we describe as revelation; and
that which it receives by means of hearing we call
locution; and that which it receives through the
other senses, such as the perception of sweet
spiritual fragrance, and spiritual taste and of
spiritual delight which the soul may joy
supernaturally, we call spiritual feelings.
From all these the soul derives spiritual vision
or intelligence, without any kind of apprehension
concerning form, image or figure of natural fancy or
imagination; these things are communicated to the
soul directly by supernatural means and a
supernatural process.
4. Of these, likewise (even as we said of the
other imaginary corporeal apprehensions), it is well
that we should here disencumber the understanding,
leading and directing it by means of them into the
spiritual night of faith, to the Divine and
substantial union of God; lest, by letting such
things encumber and stultify it, it should be
hindered upon the road to solitude and detachment
from all things, which is necessary to that end.
For, although these apprehensions are nobler and
more profitable and much more certain than those
which are corporeal and imaginary, inasmuch as they
are interior and purely spiritual, and are those
which the devil is least able to counterfeit, since
they are communicated to the soul more purely and
subtly without any effort of its own or of the
imagination, at least actively, yet not only may the
understanding be encumbered by them upon this road,
but it is possible for it, through its own
imprudence, to be sorely deceived.
5. And although, in one sense, we might conclude
with these four kinds of apprehension, by treating
them all together and giving advice which applies to
them all, as we have given concerning all the others
-- namely, that they should neither be desired nor
aspired to -- yet, since we shall presently throw
more light upon the way in which this is to be done,
and certain things will be said in connection with
them, it will be well to treat of each one of them in
particular, and thus we shall now speak of the first
apprehensions, which are intellectual or spiritual
visions. |