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
Haralde, or Harappe, a Dane, who caused himself to be buried at the
entrance of his kitchen, appeared after his death, and was wounded by
one Olaues Pa, who left the iron of his lance in the wound. This Dane,
then, appeared bodily. Was it his soul which moved his body, or a
demon which made use of this corpse to disturb and frighten the
living? Did he do this by his own strength, or by the permission of
God? And what glory to God, what advantage to men, could accrue from
these apparitions? Shall we deny all these facts, related in so
circumstantial a manner by enlightened authors, who have no interest
in deceiving us, nor any wish to do so?
St. Augustine relates that, during his abode at Milan,[459] a young
man had a suit instituted against him by a person who repeated his
demand for a debt already paid the young man's father, but the receipt
for which could not be found. The ghost of the father appeared to the
son, and informed him where the receipt was which occasioned him so
much trouble.
St. Macarius, the Egyptian, made a dead man[460] speak who had been
interred some time, in order to discover a deposit which he had
received and hidden unknown to his wife. The dead man declared that
the money was slipt down at the foot of his bed.
The same St. Macarius, not being able to refute in any other way a
heretic Eunomian, according to some, or Hieracitus, according to
others, said to him, "Let us go to the grave of a dead man, and ask
him to inform us of the truth which you will not agree to." The
heretic dared not present himself at the grave; but St. Macarius went
thither, accompanied by a multitude of persons. He interrogated the
dead, who replied from the depth of the tomb, that if the heretic had
appeared in the crowd he should have arisen to convince him, and to
bear testimony to the truth. St. Macarius commanded him to fall asleep
again in the Lord, till the time when Jesus Christ should awaken him
in his place at the end of the world.
The ancients, who have related the same fact, vary in some of the
circumstances, as is usual enough when those things are related only
from memory.
St. Spiridion, Bishop of Trinitontis, in Egypt,[461] had a daughter
named Irene, who lived in virginity till her death. After her decease,
a person came to Spiridion and asked him for a deposit which he had
confided to Irene unknown to her father. They sought in every part of
the house, but could find nothing. At last Spiridion went to his
daughter's tomb, and calling her by her name, asked her where the
deposit was. She declared the same, and Spiridion restored it.
A holy abbot named Erricles resuscitated for a moment a man who had
been killed,[462] and of whose death they accused a monk who was
perfectly innocent. The dead man did justice to the accused, and the
Abbot Erricles said to him, "Sleep in peace, till the Lord shall come
at the last day to resuscitate you to all eternity."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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