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A Treatise on the Soul

Tertullian

Chapter 48

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XLVIII.—Causes and Circumstances of Dreams. What Best Contributes to Efficient Dreaming.

They say that dreams are more sure and clear when they

‹ Chapter 47 Chapter 49 ›

happen

towards

the

end

of

the

night

,

because

then

the

vigour

of

the

soul

emerges

,

and

heavy

sleep

departs

.

As

to

the

seasons

of

the

year

,

dreams

are

calmer

in

spring

,

since

summer

relaxes

,

and

winter

somehow

hardens

,

the

soul

;

while

autumn

,

which

in

other

respects

is

trying

to

health

,

is

apt

to

enervate

the

soul

by

the

lusciousness

of

its

fruits

.

Then

,

again

,

as

regards

the

position

of

one’s

body

during

sleep

,

one

ought

not

to

lie

on

his

back

,

nor

on

his

right

side

,

nor

so

as

to

wrench

his

intestines

,

as

if

their

cavity

were

reversely

stretched

:

a

palpitation

of

the

heart

would

ensue

,

or

else

a

pressure

on

the

liver

would

produce

a

painful

disturbance

of

the

mind

.

But

however

this

be

,

I

take

it

that

it

all

amounts

to

ingenious

conjecture

rather

than

certain

proof

(

although

the

author

of

the

conjecture

be

no

less

a

man

than

Plato

)

;

and

possibly

all

may

be

no

other

than

the

result

of

chance

.

But

,

generally

speaking

,

dreams

will

be

under

control

of

a

man’s

will

,

if

they

be

capable

of

direction

at

all

;

for

we

must

not

examine

what

opinion

on

the

one

hand

,

and

superstition

on

the

other

,

have

to

prescribe

for

the

treatment

of

dreams

,

in

the

matter

of

distinguishing

and

modifying

different

sorts

of

food

.

As

for

the

superstition

,

we

have

an

instance

when

fasting

is

prescribed

for

such

persons

as

mean

to

submit

to

the

sleep

which

is

necessary

for

receiving

the

oracle

,

in

order

that

such

abstinence

may

produce

the

required

purity

;

while

we

find

an

instance

of

the

opinion

when

the

disciples

of

Pythagoras

,

in

order

to

attain

the

same

end

,

reject

the

bean

as

an

aliment

which

would

load

the

stomach

,

and

produce

indigestion

.

But

the

three

brethren

,

who

were

the

companions

of

Daniel

,

being

content

with

pulse

alone

,

to

escape

the

contamination

of

the

royal

dishes

,

received

from

God

,

besides

other

wisdom

,

the

gift

especially

of

penetrating

and

explaining

the

sense

of

dreams

.

For

my

own

part

,

I

hardly

know

whether

fasting

would

not

simply

make

me

dream

so

profoundly

,

that

I

should

not

be

aware

whether

I

had

in

fact

dreamt

at

all

.

Well

,

then

,

you

ask

,

has

not

sobriety

something

to

do

in

this

matter

?

Certainly

it

is

as

much

concerned

in

this

as

it

is

in

the

entire

subject

:

if

it

contributes

some

good

service

to

superstition

,

much

more

does

it

to

religion

.

For

even

demons

require

such

discipline

from

their

dreamers

as

a

gratification

to

their

divinity

,

because

they

know

that

it

is

acceptable

to

God

,

since

Daniel

(

to

quote

him

again

)

“

ate

no

pleasant

bread

”

for

the

space

of

three

weeks

.

This

abstinence

,

however

,

he

used

in

order

to

please

God

by

humiliation

,

and

not

for

the

purpose

of

producing

a

sensibility

and

wisdom

for

his

soul

previous

to

receiving

communication

by

dreams

and

visions

,

as

if

it

were

not

rather

to

effect

such

action

in

an

ecstatic

state

.

This

sobriety

,

then

,

(

in

which

our

question

arises

,

)

will

have

nothing

to

do

with

exciting

ecstasy

,

but

will

rather

serve

to

recommend

its

being

wrought

by

God

.

Notes

1
Conresupinatis.
2
See his Timæus, c. xxxii. p. 71.
3
Dan. i. 8–14
4
Dan. x. 2.