The Phantom World; or, The philosophy of spirits, apparitions, &c, &c.Calmet, Augustin
Religion
The Phantom World; or, The philosophy of spirits, apparitions, &c, &c.
Calmet, Augustin
Apparitions; Demonology; Spirits
It is said that St. Simeon Stylites[411] appeared to his disciple St.
Daniel, who had undertaken the journey to Jerusalem, where he would
have to suffer much for Jesus Christ's sake. St. Benedict[412] had
promised to comply with the request of some architects, who had begged
him to come and show them how he wished them to build a certain
monastery; the saint did not go to them bodily, but he went thither in
spirit, and gave them the plan and design of the house which they were
to construct. These men did not comprehend that it was what he had
promised them, and came to him again to ask what were his intentions
relative to this edifice: he said to them, "I have explained it to you
in a dream; you can follow the plan which you have seen."
The Caesar Bardas, who had so mightily contributed to the deposition of
St. Ignatius, patriarch of Constantinople, had a vision, which he thus
related to Philothes his friend. "I thought I was that night going in
procession to the high church with the Emperor Michael. When we had
entered and were near the ambe, there appeared two eunuchs of the
chamber, with a cruel and ferocious mien, one of whom, having bound
the emperor, dragged him out of the choir on the right side; the other
dragged me in the same manner to the left. Then I saw on a sudden an
old man seated on the throne of the sanctuary. He resembled the image
of St. Peter, and two terrific men were standing near him, who looked
like provosts. I beheld, at the knees of St. Peter, St. Ignatius
weeping, and crying aloud, 'You have the keys of the kingdom of
heaven; if you know the injustice which has been done me, console my
afflicted old age.'
"St. Peter replied, 'Point out the man who has used you ill.'
Ignatius, turning round, pointed to me, saying, 'That is he who has
done me most wrong.' St. Peter made a sign to the one at his right,
and placing in his hand a short sword, he said to him aloud, 'Take
Bardas, the enemy of God, and cut him in pieces before the vestibule.'
As they were leading me to death, I saw that he said to the emperor,
holding up his hand in a threatening manner, 'Wait, unnatural son!'
after which I saw them cut me absolutely in pieces."
This took place in 866. The year following, in the month of April, the
emperor having set out to attack the Isle of Crete, was made so
suspicious of Bardas, that he resolved to get rid of him. He
accompanied the Emperor Michael in this expedition. Bardas, seeing the
murderers enter the emperor's tent, sword in hand, threw himself at
his feet to ask his pardon; but they dragged him out, cut him in
pieces, and in derision carried some of his members about at the end
of a pike. This happened the 29th of April, 867.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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