Interpretation of dreams in Christianity
At the beginning of the 4th century, when Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, the Romans stopped persecuting Christians. They say that a dream forced him to change his faith. It is not surprising that early Christianity followed the Hellenistic concept that dreams are a dialogue with the gods. Tertullian (early 3rd century), one of the first Christians to write about dreams, states that “mankind came to know God through dreams.”
How did ancient Christians interpret dreams?
Ordinary sleep is mentioned sparingly in early Christian sources. They mainly describe visions. Since antiquity, asceticism has been a way to achieve visions similar to those that arise through the process of incubation. Incubation continued to be practiced, but no longer in the sanctuary, but at the grave of the martyr. Christians retained the fasting and prayer adopted by the pagans, but an official ban was imposed on the interpretation of dreams, contrary to what the Bible says: “I speak to him in a dream” (Numbers 12:6) and “Your young men will see visions, and your elders you will be enlightened by dreams” (Acts 2:17).
Tertullian believes that Christians should interpret dreams differently. The new approach, described in books but limited by accepted ideology, inspired Christians to seek visions but discouraged them from having ordinary dreams. This approach helped replace the pantheon of pagan gods with a monotheistic God, and consequently the host of demons became embodied in the only force capable of opposing God, Satan. Most dreams were attributed to Satan, and therefore they sought to get rid of them.
Features of dream interpretation in Christianity
Christian authors, wanting to move away from the Hellenistic classification of dreams, turned to other methods based on a new perception of man's relationship with the divine. And yet Tertullian talks about the same sources of dreams as the Greeks (Stoics) - god, soul, demons. Only now they are presented in the spirit of Christianity. In Christian interpretation methodology (as Tertullian explained) it was necessary to first establish the source of dreams. Do they come from God (if all ideological requirements are met), the Devil (the most common source) or from man himself. The last source was also called the soul, which is influenced by the mind, body and daily worries. “It is considered a bad sign when dreams arise from excessive eating or drinking or from the needs of the flesh” (standard explanation of wet sleep).
St. Augustine (354-430) believed that dreams help to understand how the human mind works, but in a dream one cannot comprehend divine truth. When, following the views of Christians, we turn to the vision of St. Peter about his ascension to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12: 1-4), we have doubts. Are we talking about physical vision coupled with sensations or about spiritual experience? Was the apostle asleep or awake when this happened? Does the text describe a dream or an ecstatic vision? To resolve this contradiction, St. Augustine established differences between different types of visions.
Types of dreams in Christianity
The cycle has ended. Dreams gradually lost their magical nature. They were no longer miraculous messages. Dreams did not remain the privilege of rulers and priests for long; they came to all people without exception.
How did Christians' interpretations of dreams change in the Middle Ages?
Aristotle and Hippocrates expanded the boundaries of the understanding of dreams when they added bodily sensations to it. Artemidorus and Macrobius had no doubt that dreams generated by subjective emotional sensations are unworthy of attention - enupnion. Gradually, the belief in the divine origin of dreams underwent changes so much that Artemidorus, in a dispute about whether dreams come from the gods, says: “I do not ask, like Aristotle, whether the cause of our dreams lies outside of us and comes from the gods, or whether something causes them within us, which in a special way inclines the soul to what is natural for it. And yet I agree that we are in the habit of calling everything unexpected a gift from God.”
Christians have returned to the early belief that dreams are revelations sent by God to a chosen few. Such communication was not available to ordinary people. Their dreams were the devil's instigation. In Europe, the Church held political and spiritual power for centuries. She dictated to the proletariat a way of thinking and norms of behavior. The belief that God communicates directly with man threatened the authority and interests of the Church. The Word of God could only be proclaimed by the Church at the behest of the Pope. People no longer needed to communicate directly with God through dreams. Any form of communication with God outside the Church was undesirable. Anything that contradicted this doctrine was considered heresy. Gradually, people abandoned the belief in the divine origin of dreams, and over time, the art of dream interpretation simplified to the level of prejudice, becoming the craft of gypsies and fortune tellers.
The discrediting of dreams in the era of Christianity led to the fact that they had no value in the European world. And even the semantic significance inherent in dreams by nature, which nevertheless remained, was lost with the advent of Cartesian mechanistic dualism in the 17th century. Dreams were finally thrown into the world of fantasy, hallucinations and irrational experience.
From the Pacific coast of China to the Atlantic shores of Europe, from the equatorial zones of the Indian subcontinent to the Arctic reaches of Scandinavia, theories abounded, often interpreting dreams in the same way. New ideas were required for their development. Previous knowledge was no longer enough, and the subject of study itself acquired a dubious reputation, as people increasingly believed in science. It is possible that you and I have partly inherited the prejudices of the past. The long wait ended when the 20th century arrived and Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) gave us the next key to the secret of dreams.
Source
What did you do with the she-wolf in your dream?
Kill the she-wolf
According to the dream book, killing a she-wolf means trouble. You will probably be constantly haunted by failures and disappointments in the near future. Do not start new things during this period, otherwise your plans will fail.
Hunt the wolf
According to the dream book, hunting a she-wolf is a gift. A relative will unexpectedly come to visit and will not come empty-handed. The gift will pleasantly please you, so thank your loved one with a reception at the highest level.
Run away from the she-wolf
Running away from a she-wolf in a dream means a new hobby. Soon you will have a hobby that will bring you genuine pleasure and positive emotions. Try to find a new activity, thanks to it you will learn to relax and take a break from work.
Fear the she-wolf
Being afraid of a she-wolf in a dream means a profitable project. Your plans have every chance of success. You will be able to realize your plans and reach new heights. Keep working, put in your best effort, and the result will exceed your expectations.
Other meanings
The interpretation of the dream depends on what was done with the she-wolf in the dream:
- Ironing means favorable changes at work.
- Hugging means moving to a new job with a higher salary.
- Kissing means a series of similar problems due to the dreamer’s irresponsibility.
- Fighting with a she-wolf means good job offers.
- Playing means recognition in the professional field.
- Chasing - to communicate with an ill-wisher.
- Cutting off a head means good luck and financial stability.
- Kill - to pleasant memories of the past.
- Hitting with a stick means problems due to hasty conclusions.
- Sitting astride a she-wolf means the appearance of a vile friend.
- Skinning is a sign of a meeting and harmonious relationship with your soulmate.
- Feeding means significant changes in your personal life and reconciliation with your parents.
- Buying means a happy life and solving material problems.
- Holding the tail means a quarrel with close friends.
- Turning into a she-wolf means failure in the personal sphere.
Dreams and their interpretation in the light of the Bible
In the history of mankind, dreams have always played a special role. This was reflected in the works of literature of different times and peoples, as well as in their religion. Dreams in most cases were considered by people as inexplicable actions or revelations of a mysterious Providence. We will get acquainted with the Biblical view on the issue of dreams and their interpretation. Let us immediately note that vision and dream are two different things. We will talk about dreams, not visions.
1. Terminology of the Old and New Testaments
Dream: Hebrew noun "
khalom
";
Greek noun " onar
".
3. Three aspects of sleep
Man is a complex being, having a physical and spiritual beginning. Speaking about dreams, it is necessary to note three aspects of dreams: physiological, emotional (or mental) and spiritual.
Features of the Great Tafsir of Dreams
Many scientists and researchers have devoted their lives to the study and interpretation of dreams, trying to discern in them something more than just mental images coming from the depths of the subconscious. Just as there are several approaches to dream interpretation, different religious beliefs also have their own approaches to deciphering dreams.
Fact. There are three popular dream interpreters in Muslim culture. Each of them is based on the Koran and Sunnah, but the interpretation of individual images differs. The most famous can be considered: Muslim and Islamic dream books. The third most famous is the dream book of Ibn Sirin.
Like other collections, Ibn Sirin’s dream book divides all dreams into three categories: good, bad and everyday.
Christian interpretation of dreams
“How should we react to what we see? Can believers interpret dreams?
The mystery of dreams... who writes their scripts? Yes! Over the past few nights, I visited a terribly neglected boarding school for disabled children with Putin. I sat with Stalin, discussing the details of the house (he asked me to build it for him), studied in the Chinese special forces, demonstrated miracles that surprised famous illusionists. Where does this come from? What to do with what you see? Run to dream interpreters? Don't run too fast. Buy "Dream Book"? They will tell you that you will live in fear, and all your thoughts will be captured by expected events.
A) What does the Bible say about dreams? “Dreams come with a lot of worries” (Eccl. 5:2).
The body, having passed through the day’s mass of video and sound information, having worked itself out, turns off hearing and vision at night. Eyes and ears need rest. But there, beyond reality, we again see and hear, speak and actively participate in various stories. This is already a soul that does not require night rest.
Ancient cities were surrounded by walls. The city gates, open during the day, allowed everyone through and were closed at night. And different people remained in the city: travelers, traders, swindlers, spies... and everyone took on their own business.
What happened during the day often becomes an idea for a dream scenario, sometimes extremely modified by the play of imagination and fantasy, and sometimes very similar to reality. I remember the past
In stagnant times, it was a dangerous luxury for Christian youth to “knock out” a bus, for example, for a May rally. Through friends, we once “knocked out” and went to the mountains. We were seduced by a ravine away from roads and prying eyes. We moved down. The location is great. But during the day there was a downpour, the grassy slopes became soggy and we found ourselves trapped. Until three o'clock in the morning we unsuccessfully pushed the bus upstairs, until we found a three-axle Ural on a neighboring collective farm.
A week later we visited a church in another city. We boys were laid out in a separate room on the floor, like mackerel in a jar. In the corner there was a single bed. In the dead of night, one of those sleeping on the floor jumped up, muttering something loudly, grabbed the headboard and began to pull it. Everyone woke up.
-Like what? I push the bus.
Solomon is right that with a lot of worries there are dreams. The builder often continues to build in his sleep. The lover also continues his meeting. The student is gnawing on the granite of science. “In many dreams there is much vanity,” concludes his thought (Ecc. 5:6).
But those who read the Bible are also aware of other passages of Scripture.
“Your elders will be enlightened by dreams.”
“Your young men will see visions” (Acts 2:17).
Drowning in the bustle of the day, in the noise of everyday life, a person cannot hear the voice of God. It is heard more clearly in spiritual silence. Therefore, the Lord sometimes uses a dream to talk with a person. The dream of Abraham, the dreams of Joseph, the dreams of Nebuchadnezzar and Pharaoh.
Closer to us: the dream of Lomonosov, Abraham Lincoln and the mother of the Decembrist Ryleev (details in the book “Man”), the dreams of my co-worker and the “driver for three nights” are also described there.
But dreams from God are not always and infrequently, and they do not, as a rule, need interpreters, “God speaks once and, if they do not notice, another time, in a dream, in a night vision, when a dream comes over people, while dozing on the bed. Then He opens a person’s ear and seals His instruction in order to lead a person away from any enterprise and remove pride from him, in order to lead his soul away from the abyss...” Job. 33:14-18. And every believer has seen such a dream at least once.
Me too. But these were only a few dreams in a long life. And the rest are countless.
Dream interpretation
I’m not talking about the Dream Book yet, but about the attempts of believers to find for themselves and others the hidden meaning of what they see. And here - woe to the impressionable!
One such believer, having seen something in a dream, woke up her whole family at night, believers and non-believers, forced everyone to dress well and told them that God had pronounced judgment on their family. This act threw the unbelievers even further away from the faith.
There are dreams that are attacks on someone’s happiness, on the peace of the heart and family. A husband saw in a dream that his wife was flirting with someone. And in another family, the wife saw in a dream her husband’s infidelity. They wake up with a heavy feeling, look suspiciously at the other half (isn’t this a revelation?) and now security questions are being asked, and loving people gradually turn into two icebergs in one apartment.
There are dreams-temptations. Using them, a Christian can check the level
his righteousness. If I allow something in a dream, it means that not everything is going well for me in reality. Let it be even only at the level of thoughts and imagination. I personally checked myself in this way when I was young. And I don't regret it.
It is true that only those to whom He has given such a gift can interpret dreams from God. And there are only a few of them. But there are too many interpreters, and their interpretations are lies.
This is the opinion of God himself.
“I have heard what the prophets say, prophesying lies in My Name, they say: I dreamed, I dreamed. How long will this be in the hearts of the prophets who prophesy lies, who prophesy the deception of their hearts? Do they think of bringing My people to forget My name through their dreams... The prophet who saw a dream, let him tell it like a dream.”
What did the she-wolf do in her dream?
The she-wolf is chasing
A she-wolf chases according to the dream book - to a crisis. There are probably troubles ahead of you. Unwanted events will darken your mood for a long time. Pull yourself together and try to find a way out of the situation, don’t give up.
The she-wolf bites
A she-wolf bites in a dream - to a pleasant acquaintance. Soon you will go on a business trip, thanks to which you will make new acquaintances. These people can play an important role in your life in the future. Make new connections.
She-wolf attacks
According to the dream book, a she-wolf attacks means a successful completion of affairs. What you are currently working on or planning to work on will end well and your expectations will be met. Don't give up on your goal and get what you set out to achieve.
Other meanings
The interpretation of the dream depends on what the she-wolf did in the dream:
- Feeding wolf cubs - to the opportunity to easily get rich.
- Playing with wolf cubs - to possible bankruptcy due to excessive spending.
- Eating wolf cubs - to the insincerity of a loved one.
- Runs away - to overcome difficulties in business.
- Protects – to worries about your own health.
- Howling - to problems in relationships with relatives or to deteriorating health.
- Affectionate - to troubles with the authorities.
- Looking intently - to the recovery of a loved one about whom the sleeper has been caring for the last time.
- Crawls out of the den - to big troubles in the family or the development of a serious illness.
- Running - to a long period of apathy and bad mood.
- Tormenting prey - to insoluble problems.
Where was the she-wolf in the dream
Wolf in the house
According to the dream book, a she-wolf in the house is a lucky coincidence. In the near future, everything will work out as well as possible. You will finally be able to realize your long-standing plans. Go for it, luck is on your side now.
Wolf in the forest
A she-wolf in the forest in a dream means problems in the family. Your behavior is incomprehensible to those close to you. They don't share your views and may even judge you. Don't try to prove your point, now is not the right time.
