The Fourth Dream of Saint Perpetua in the Light of Patrick McNamara's Theory of Supernatural Agent Creation in REM Dreams
The Fourth Dream of Saint Perpetua in the Light of Patrick McNamara's Theory of Supernatural Agent Creation in REM Dreams

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this article was to demonstrate how insights from cognitive science and psychology can be used to analyse ancient historical sources concerning religious dreams. The main methodological tool employed in the study was Patrick McNamara’s model of Supernatural Agent creation in REM dreams. Five-step cognitive model was applied to the dream described in chapter X of The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity. Detailed analysis of the dream vision revealed that it was highly consistent with the model, with all five steps predicted by McNamara visible. These findings have profound impact on the interpretation of ancient text and also can be seen as a proof of validity of cognitive approach to historical sources.

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