The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. God is omniscient and all-powerful, and He loves man; He may, therefore, in order to disclose his purposes, choose natural as well as supernatural means. This is corporeal when exterior agencies, such as the atmospheric conditions or others, act on the imagination of the sleeper. Traumdeuterei; LADD, Doctrine of Sacred Scripture (New York, 1883); REYNOLDS, Natural History of Immortality (1891). Join Yahoo Answers and get 100 points today. Chastity means the successful integration of sexuality within the person. That certain dreams may be caused by God seemed to be acknowledged without controversy by the early Fathers of the Church and the ecclesiastical writers. You can sign in to vote the answer. Modern theologians, whilst profiting by the progress of psychological research, continue to admit the possibility of dreams supernatural in their origin, and consequently the possibility of dream-interpretation depending on supernatural communications. Email ⦠And as most dreams portend no clear message, the task of unfolding dream symbols and figures gradually grew into an art, more or less associated with soothsaying. As a matter of fact dreams are now we speak of civilized peoples seldom heeded; only very ignorant and superstitious persons ponder over the "dictionaries of dreams" and the "keys to the interpretation of dreams" once so much in favour. Count me among the skeptics. Now dreaming, as a natural psycho-physiological phenomenon, has undoubtedly its laws which, however obscure they may be to man, are established by God, and obey His bidding. The analogy of the foregoing reasons with those brought forward by theologians to prove the possibility of revelation is readily perceived. "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' Enjoying this content? Starting from the Platonic anthropological trichotomy, and from certain psychological hypotheses of Plato and Plotinus, he attributed the imagination a manifestly exaggerated role. Trump beats out Obama as most admired man? Question: "Is it a sin to have a sexual dream?" The Catholic Church recognizes the power of sex when it teaches, "Sexuality affects all aspects of the human person in the unity of his body and soul." Learning how to interpret our dreams can help us discover solutions for our problems and help us have a better understanding of ourselves.. Some scholars infer from the words of Saul (1 Samuel 28:15): "God is departed from me, and would not hear me, neither by the hand of prophets, nor by dreams", that the practice of deliberately seeking supernatural dreams was not unknown in Israel. The words just quoted, however, do not necessarily imply such a meaning, but may as well be interpreted of unsought prophetic dreams. Get your answers by asking now. I have question about nocturnal emissions or wet dreams. To show their commitment is not acceptable. Like their neighbours, they had a tendency to consider all dreams as omens, and attach importance to their significance. They can't even answer basic questions like how they know the Bible is true without circular references, ? Sometimes these evidences are manifested to the dreamer, at other times to the interpreter, if one be necessary; but they will never fail. Like their neighbours, they had a tendency to consider all dreams as omens, and attach importance to their significance. The very few dream-interpreters spoken of in the Bible, as Joseph and Daniel, were especially commissioned by God in exceptional circumstances. A few, however, held opinions somewhat at variance with the traditional view. As Hadley Arkes has recently argued, the strident but precarious affirmation of the reality of âclimate changeâ by its true believers, and their anxious shaming of all dissent, should give everybody pause. God is said to appear Himself only in a few instances, as to Abimelech, to Jacob, to Solomon, and to Daniel, if, as is generally admitted, the "Ancient of days", spoken of in this connection, should be understood to be God; in other instances He is said to speak through an angel, as in dreams narrated by St. Matthew and St. Paul. Editor's Note: To submit a faith question to Catholic Exchange, email faithquestions@catholicexchange.com. Neither did there exist at any time in Israel a class of diviners making it their business to interpret the dreams of their country-men; there were no potherim among the temple-officials, nor later around the synagogues. Souvay, Charles. "As idle as a dream" has become a proverb expressive of the popular mind on the subject, and indicating sufficiently that there is little need nowadays to revive the laws and canons enacted in past ages against divination through dreams. Assuming of course you believe all this bible mumbo jumbo. True, a mere glance at the respective dates of the above-quoted passages suggest that the zeal of the prophets was of little avail, at least for certain classes of people. Thus Thomas IV was instructed by Ra Hormakhu in a dream to dig out of the sand the statue of the Great Sphinx, near the place where he was sleeping. Still less can it be asserted that the Israelites would seek prophetic dreams by resorting to a well-known sanctuary and sleeping there. It may suffice in this connection to recall the names of St. Cyril of Jerusalem, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Gregory the Great, whose teaching on the question at issue is clear and emphatic. Agreeably to this doctrine, it was admitted likewise that the interpretation of supernatural dreams belongs to God who sends them, and who must manifest it either to the dreamer or to an authorized interpreter. The gods, whose power was believed to manifest itself in natural effects, such as thunderstorms and earthquakes, whose message were supposed to be written by signs in the heavens, could as well send their communication to men in dreams. This is corporeal when exterior agencies, such as the atmospheric conditions or others, act on the imagination of the sleeper. About this page . Wet dreams are a common and completely natural occurrence in both sexes. This opinion they based mainly on Biblical authority; occasionally they appeared to the authority of classical writers. Remy Lafort, Censor. The meaning of the Divine message conveyed in dreams was sometimes obvious and unmistakable, as when the facts to be known were plain revealed by the deity himself or through the ministry of some messenger. Fr. SourcesBOUCHE-LECLERCQ, Histoire de la Divination (Paris, 1879); LENORMANT, la divination et la science des presages chez les Chaldeens (Paris, 1875); LEHMANN, Aberglaube und Zauberei (Stuttgart, 1898); SCHANZ in Kirchenlex., s.v. If the gods, they said, love man and are omniscient as well as all-powerful, they certainly may disclose their purposes to man in sleep. The divine intervention in man's dreams is an exceptional occurrence; dreaming, on the contrary, is a most common fact. This was, according to 2 Chronicles 33:6, one of the faults which brought about the downfall of Manasses. Still less can it be asserted that the Israelites would seek prophetic dreams by resorting to a well-known sanctuary and sleeping there. The Bible records other dreams, which, though prophetic, are not distinctly said to come from God (Genesis 37:6; 40:5; 41:1; Judges 7:13; 2 Maccabees 15:11). Nor did they resort to natural skills or art; their interpretations were suggested to them by the Divine intellect enlightening their minds; "interpretation belongs to God", as Joseph declared to his fellow-prisoners. Many priests have had sex, too (before entering the priesthood). A few, however, held opinions somewhat at variance with the traditional view. Contact information. This was, according to 2 Chronicles 33:6, one of the faults which brought about the downfall of Manasses. As a matter of fact, Divine revelation through dreams occurs frequently in the Old and in the New Testament. Suffice it here to quote St. Thomas Aquinas, who summarizes the best teaching of the Schoolmen. "I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust upon a girl. In most of the cases recorded the dream is expressly said to come from God; of this description are, e.g., the dreams of Abimelech (Genesis 20:3); of Jacob (Genesis 28:12; 31:10); of Solomon (1 Kings 3:5-15); of Nabuchodonosor (Daniel 2:19); of Daniel (Daniel 7:1); of Joseph (Matthew 1:20; 3:13); of St. Paul (Acts 23:11; 27:23), unless we should interpret these passages as referring to visions granted to the Apostle while awake. Homer and Herodotus thought it natural that the gods should send dreams to men, even to deceive them, if need be, for the accomplishment of their higher ends (Agamemnon's dream). Now dreaming, as a natural psycho-physiological phenomenon, has undoubtedly its laws which, however obscure they may be to man, are established by God, and obey His bidding. In the light of the belief and practices of the ancient peoples, we are better able to judge the belief and practices recorded in the Bible. Interpretation of Dreams. It is easy to conclude thence what chances there are to know the future from dreams, and when divination will be lawful or unlawful (II-II:95:6). Imprimatur. God is omniscient and all-powerful, and He loves man; He may, therefore, in order to disclose his purposes, choose natural as well as supernatural means. Answer: Wet dreams / nocturnal emissions are fairly common in the lives of men. Medieval theologians added to the reasonings of their predecessors a more careful, and to some extent more scientific, study of the phenomena of sleep; but they found no reason to depart from the moral principles contained in the writings of the Fathers. It appears, however, from the circumstances and from their prophetic import, that their Divine origin cannot be doubted; at least their interpretation is declared (Genesis 40:8) to "belong to God". "Dreams follow many cares", says Ecclesiastes 5:2; and Ben Sirach wisely adds that "dreams have deceived many, and they have failed that put their trust in them" (Sirach 34:7). Make an appointment at a Catholic Church to have a conference with the priest to discuss your interest in finding out more about being a Catholic. We may inquire, therefore, how the official guardians of Faith viewed ordinary and natural dreams. Of this description also were the dreams recorded in the annals of King Asshurbanipal. Another passage relates that, in the course of an expedition against Elam, as the Assyrian troops were afraid to cross the Itti River, Ishtar of Arba-ilu appeared to them in their sleep and said: "I go before Asshurbanipal, the king whom my hands have made." Dreams come sometimes from internal, and sometimes from external, causes. . His inference on the next morning as to its sacredness was inspired by the object of the dream, and his conduct in this circumstance seems even to betray some fear of having unknowingly defiled it by sleeping there. By a dream in a vision by night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, and they are sleeping in their beds: then he openeth the ears of men, and teaching instructeth them in what they are to learn." Wet dreams happen when your body orgasms during a dream, but they arenât linked to sexual thoughts. The two instances sometimes adduced in this connection, namely the dream of Jacob at Bethel (Genesis 28:12-19) and that of Solomon at Gabaon (1 Kings 3:5-15), do not bear out such an affirmation. The Divinely sent dream might also at times foreshow some coming event. Above all, the Israelites were warned in every manner against trusting in the pretended dreams of false prophets: "Behold, I am against the prophets that have lying dreams, saith the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:32; cf. Ecclesiastical approbation. The Bible mentions "emissions" in a few places ( Leviticus 15:16, 18, 32; 22:4; Deuteronomy 23:10 ). Transcription. My email address is webmaster at newadvent.org. They are human and have human desires like anyone else, why someone would forbid themselves from human pleasures like sex and food is totally beyond me. Among the shrines known in antiquity for vouchsafing oracles to sleeping worshippers, the temple of Aesculapius at Epidaurus, where dreams were obtained in which remedies were revealed to cure diseases, the cave of Trophonius, the temple of Serapis, and that of Hathor, near the turquoise mines of the Sinai Peninsula, are the best known. The words just quoted, however, do not necessarily imply such a meaning, but may as well be interpreted of unsought prophetic dreams. Why Dream Interpretation? New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. eval(mod_pagespeed_OfKHnHfhYn); . But divorce can sometimes be a serious sin, depending on the intention and the circumstances. A divorced Catholic should consult with his pastor or his confessor about whether or ⦠Above all the arts of divination, the lawful use of which he did not seem to doubt, he extolled dreaming as the simplest and surest mode of prophesying. Now it is self-evidence that neither of these causes has any influence on individual future events. "Interpretation of Dreams." Church Documents. In either case, the knowledge of the significance of dream would depend on the interpretation. As to ordinary dreams, they readily grant that, because the imaginative faculties of man acquire sometimes a keenness which they do not possess otherwise, it is possible in such cases to conjecture with a certain degree of probability some future events; but in all other cases, by far the most common, it is useless and illogical to attempt any interpretation. 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