1. What do you see? Look for two full minutes, then write for three. Then email to: helencushman@fas.harvard.edu

2. What is a dream? What can a dream tell us? What is a vision and what is a prophecy? How are we to understand either? What are the relationships between dream, vision, and prophecy? What did any of these phenomena tell ancient and medieval people about this world, a next world or worlds, and the relationship between the two? ESCHATOLOGY

3. Based on Galen’s discovery of the 3- part ventricular system of the brain Five Senses provide data to mind via the sensus communis in front ventricle of brain. These are translated into “phantasms.” Phantasms are the basis of the mind’s everyday experience of the world. They are also the stuff from which dreams are made. “Sompnia ne cures”: Distichs of Cato

4. New York Times, Tuesday February 2 A New Vision for Dreams of the Dying What cultural attitudes to dreaming do we have now?

5. Chronicle of Moses ben Abraham, Daniel’s Beast With Ten Horns

7. 12 A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. 4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.”[a] And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. 7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

8. 12 I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows. 3 And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows— 4 was caught up to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. 5 I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 6 Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, 7 or because of these surpassingly great revelations.

9. 2. At this moment, when I prophesied according to the (words) heard which ye heard, I saw a glorious angel not like unto the glory of the angels which I used always to see, but possessing such glory ad position that I cannot describe the glory of that angel. 3. And having seized me by my hand he raised me on high, and I said unto him: "Who art thou, and what is thy name, and whither art thou raising me on high? for strength was given me to speak with him." 4. And he said unto me: "When I have raised thee on high [though the (various) degrees] and made thee see the vision, on account of which I have been sent, then thou wilt understand who I am: but my name thou dost not know. 5. Because thou wilt return into this thy body, but whither I am raising thee on high, thou wilt see; for for this purpose have I been sent.“ […] 9. And we ascended to the firmament, I and he, and there I saw Sammael and his hosts, and there was great fighting therein and the angels of Satan were envying one another.

10. Cicero, Dream of Scipio (with Commentary by Macrobius) Two C12 manuscripts of the Dream of Scipio

11. The Cosmos according to Cicero as interpreted by Macrobius. C14 Danish manuscript