Why was it so difficult to decide between true and false visions and apparitions in early modern Europe?

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Why was it so difficult to decide between true and false visions and apparitions in early modern Europe?

The Catholic encyclopaedia explains the difference between apparitions and visions

as apparitions being a vision, is when God produces a plain image to a person that is

seen with the eyes, where as an apparition is sent through God through any of the

senses, a vision or sagacity that causes external pressures to the viewer.  The debate

about true or false visions had been underway throughout the Middle Ages through an

ongoing attempt by the Catholic Church to gain control of what people saw. However,

the early modern period saw a radical transformation in regards to how visions and

apparitions were perceived. The reformation saw, both the Roman Catholic the

Protestant church disagree as to what was a correct vision or apparition and the

question the very nature of these revelations were also disputed. Keith Thomas

acknowledges that the nature of visions and apparitions distinguished which  

particular religious view one decided to withhold after the reformation, yet Protestant

alterations concerning certain revelations challenge this view. Keith Thomas

suggested  that “it may be a relatively frivolous question today to ask whether or not

one believes in ghosts, it was in the sixteenth century a shibboleth which

distinguished Protestant from Catholic almost as effectively as belief in the Massor

the Papal Supremacy.” Yet it was not just catholic and protestant contrasting of

views that made he very question of visions and apparitions appear difficult. To

append to perplexity, there were scientific claims by natural magicians of visual or

sensual revelations being nothing but a trick of the eye. This essay aims to suggests

that leading up to the Early modern period in Europe visions and apparitions were

already topic for debate yet the reformation added even more reasons to confuse the

long going issue religion, philosophy and science each held its part in making the

matter of deciding between true or false visions or apparitions so difficult.

As mentioned, the very nature of visions and apparitions has always been somewhat

problematic. In the middle ages, visions and apparitions were characterised by

intrusions of encounters by those of the other world, whether it be God, the Virgin

Mary, sprits, saints or the devil. As Schmitt suggests, Saint Augustine’s perceptions

on visions and apparitions became narrative for the Catholic Church in the middle

ages. To Augustine, the supernatural world was subject to constant combating

encounters between saints and demons, in this sense, there was bound to be issues

concerning the legitimatization of supernatural encounters. As well as this Augustine

mentions how false revelations can be explained through insanity. Particular

attention was also paid to influential thinkers such as by Jean Gearson. In his writing

Distinctione Verarum a falais(1400) Gearson suggests that  for a revelation to be real

it must possess five articles; correctness, annunciation, humility, docility and patience.

Gearson also advised that particular attention should be paid towards women who

experienced any kind of phenomena. Women, he suggested are naturally unstable and

for this matter men should always look into their cases with great caution.  Opinions

such as Gerasons’ led to the Roman Catholics enquiring into many other female

mystics. In cases such as Bridget of Sweden, some women were acquitted, yet some

women were denounced as false, either by sheer deceitfulness or through to lunacy.

All throughout the middle ages then, there was existent bewilderment in the midst of

the public over the whole continuum of the supernatural. However, come the sixteenth

and seventeenth century the situation was about to get even more complex and

debates regarding the nature of the validity of visions and apparitions were to reach

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innovative, refined levels.

The main dispute that erupted with the reformation was primarily concenred with the

idea of purgatory.  Purgatory is as a belief that when a person dies, if they deemed not

fit enough for heaven yet not dissolute enough for hell they are faced with a gradual

consecration  process which will sanctify them the purification needed to enter Gods

solace in Heaven. Catholics accept as true that when we die it is unattainable that we

die perfect; therefore, we can be given a chance to ...

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