Mysterie pub

Early Church Fathers had Dreams 
Later in history, the early church fathers such as Poly-
carp, Irenaeus, and Tertullian had vivid dreams, which they 
recorded. Polycarp (65-155 A.D.) was a pupil of the Apostle 
John. At one point in his life he knew that his life was in dan-
ger, so he stayed in prayer three days and nights praying for all 
the churches. While he was praying, a vision came to him in 
which he saw the pillow under his head on fire. He then related 
to his friends that he would be burned alive which later hap-
pened.
During the fourth century, three recognized theologians 
of the early church arose. They were Ambrose, Augustine, and 
 UNLOCKING THE MYSTERIES OF DREAMS 

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Jerome. They all taught that dreams and visions were one of 
God’s methods of revelation to man. Jerome was the great 
scholar who translated the Greek Septuagint into the Latin Vul-
gate. Yet, later Jerome mistranslated Leviticus 19:26 and Deu-
teronomy 18:10 with one word different from other passages: 
“You shall not practice augury or witchcraft (i.e. soothsaying)” 
into the prohibition; “You shall not practice augury nor observe 
dreams.” Thus he erroneously linked dreams with soothsaying 
and other superstitious ideas. This direct mis-translation of the 
word “anan” was in authoritative use throughout the Middle 
Ages and it has not even yet been completely eliminated.
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In 
Christianity the prohibition against dreams continued even at 
the end of the Middle Ages.
However, the word “soothsaying” 
is now correctly used since the New King James Version has 
been published. 
Irenaeus (140-203 A.D.) however, wrote of miraculous 
healings, and dreams and visions being received by the church 
scattered throughout the world. Tertullian (160 – 215 A.D.) 
declared that: “some dreams were of demonic origin but others 
had their origin from God.” He quoted Joel 2:28 and acknowl-
edged “dreams were promised to us since God always carries 
into effect what He has promised.”
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