from his narration of them; the visions of Daniel could not be
understood by him even after they had been explained, and this
obscurity did not arise from the difficulty of the matter revealed
(for being merely human affairs, these only transcended human
capacity in being future), but solely in the fact that Daniel's
imagination was not so capable for prophecy while he was awake
as while he was asleep; and this is further evident from the
fact that at the very beginning of the vision he was so
terrified that he almost despaired of his strength.  (2:57) Thus,
on account of the inadequacy of his imagination and his strength,
the things revealed were so obscure to him that he could not
understand them even after they had been explained.  (58) Here
we may note that the words heard by Daniel, were, as we have
shown above, simply imaginary, so that it is hardly wonderful
that in his frightened state he imagined them so confusedly and
obscurely that afterwards he could make nothing of them.
(2:59) Those who say that God did not wish to make a clear
revelation, do not seem to have read the words of the angel,
who expressly says that he came to make the prophet understand
what should befall his people in the latter days (Dan. x:14).

(2:60) The revelation remained obscure because no one was found,
at that time, with imagination sufficiently strong to conceive
it more clearly.  (61) Lastly, the prophets, to whom it was
revealed that God would take away Elijah, wished to persuade
Elisha that he had been taken somewhere where they would find
him; showing sufficiently clearly that they had not understood
God's revelation aright.

(2:62) There is no need to set this out more amply, for nothing
is more plain in the Bible than that God endowed some prophets
with far greater gifts of prophecy than others.  (63) But I will
show in greater detail and length, for I consider the point more
important, that the prophecies varied according to the opinions
previously embraced by the prophets, and that the prophets held
diverse and even contrary opinions and prejudices.  (2:64) (I speak,
be it understood, solely of matters speculative, for in regard to
uprightness and morality the case is widely different.)  (65) From
thence I shall conclude that prophecy never rendered the prophets
more learned, but left them with their former opinions, and that
we are, therefore, not at all bound to trust them in matters of
intellect.

(2:66) Everyone has been strangely hasty in affirming that the
prophets knew everything within the scope of human intellect;
and, although certain passages of Scripture plainly affirm that
the prophets were in certain respects ignorant, such persons
would rather say that they do not understand the passages than
admit that there was anything which the prophets did not know;
or else they try to wrest the Scriptural words away from their
evident meaning.

(2:67) If either of these proceedings is allowable we may as well
shut our Bibles, for vainly shall we attempt to prove anything
from them if their plainest passages may be classed among obscure
and impenetrable mysteries, or if we may put any interpretation
on them which we fancy.  (68) For instance, nothing is more clear
in the Bible than that Joshua, and perhaps also the author who
wrote his history, thought that the sun revolves round the earth,
and that the earth is fixed, and further that the sun for a certain
period remained still.  (2:69) Many, who will not admit any movement in
the heavenly bodies, explain away the passage till it seems to mean
something quite different; others, who have learned to philosophize
more correctly, and understand that the earth moves while the sun
is still, or at any rate does not revolve round the earth, try with
all their might to wrest this meaning from Scripture, though plainly
nothing of the sort is intended. (70) Such quibblers excite my wonder!
(2:71) Are we, forsooth, bound to believe that Joshua the Soldier was
a learned astronomer? or that a miracle could not be revealed to him,
or that the light of the sun could not remain longer than usual above
the horizon, without his knowing the cause?  (72) To me both
alternatives appear ridiculous, and therefore I would rather say
that Joshua was ignorant of the true cause of the lengthened day,
and that he and the whole host with him thought that the sun moved
round the earth every day, and that on that particular occasion it
stood still for a time, thus causing the light to remain longer; and
I would say, that they did not conjecture that, from the amount of
snow in the air (see Josh. x:11), the refraction may have been
greater than usual, or that there may have been some other cause
which we will not now inquire into.

(2:73) So also the sign of the shadow going back was revealed to
Isaiah according to his understanding; that is, as proceeding from
a going backwards of the sun; for he, too, thought that the sun
moves and that the earth is still; of parhelia he perhaps never
even dreamed.  (74) We may arrive at this conclusion without any
scruple, for the sign could really have come to pass, and have been
predicted by Isaiah to the king, without the prophet being aware of
the real cause.

(2:75) With regard to the building of the Temple by Solomon, if it
was really dictate by God we must maintain the same doctrine: namely,
that all the measurements were revealed according to the opinions
and understanding of the king; for as we are not bound to believe
that Solomon was a mathematician, we may affirm that he was ignorant
of the true ratio between the circumference and the diameter of a
circle, and that, like the generality of workmen, he thought that it
was as three to one.  (76) But if it is allowable to declare that we
do not understand the passage, in good sooth I know nothing in the
Bible that we can understand; for the process of building is there