Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 537

Chap.

IT]

§ 83.

TPIE

FACTORS OF INSPIRATION

Even

capable of doing with those images.

513

outside of inspira-

with writers of note, you will see that series of images in the foreground which are in harmony with their inner nature and in proportion as the writer lives either by apprehension tion,

;

or by conception, the images will or they will dominate his style.

loosely among his words The many-sided content of

lie

the consciousness must not be estimated by

moment, but

what

lies read}-

by its almost forgotten All that has ever gone through our memory has treasures. left its impression behind, and we often discover that there for use at a given

also

has been stored in our consciousness the memory of conditions, persons, names and conceptions, which, except for

some impulse from without, would never have recurred

again to our mind.

And

finally, to this

content of our con-

sciousness must be added all that which, outside of us, has been chronicled and committed to writing or image, and

thus

lies

in

reach to enrich our consciousness.

The

sig-

nificance of this ready material in the consciousness, or of

whatever else our consciousness has at its disposal, becomes plain at once, if we but recognize the organ of revelation to be a messenger who has something to communicate, on the part of God and in His name, to His Church. If, for instance, a superior officer in the army has to employ a captured farm-hand to send tidings to an inferior officer who has command in some distant town, the entire communication must be committed to writing, or, if the man is clever, be explained to him clearly and in detail. If, on the other hand, the officer sends an adjutant who saw the battle from beginning to end, and knows the position of the entire army, a hasty

word

in passing

whispered in his ear is sufficient, and quick obey the given order.

as lightning the adjutant rides to

must not be imagined, however, that in the case of inspiGod the Lord is limited by this affinity of disposition, or by this content of the consciousness. Most of the apocalyptical It

ration

We

have simply intended to indicate that, as a rule, that affinity and that content of the consciousness are employed by God as elements in inspiration. This is true even theologically not as if God, for the sake of

visions rather prove the contrary.

;

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