Chapter 3 - A brief history of dream interpretation

Abstract

The earliest history of dream interpretation dates back at least 4000 years and has an interesting and repeating theme: communication between God and people through dreams. The early Mesopotamians (about 2000 BCE) had a rich history of dream interpretation including the practice of dream incubation. The Egyptians were thought to have been influenced by the Mesopotamians, and they recorded hundreds of dreams and their interpretation on papyrus. Early Jewish and Christian (200 BC–300 AD) writings, including the Torah and Talmud, and both testaments of the Bible, are replete with dream and dream interpretation references. In the middle of the second century AD, Artemidorus, a Greek philosopher, published the Oneirocritica, and it has been one of the most quoted books on dream interpretation in history. A Jewish philosopher, Almori, published the Pitron Chalomot (translation: Dream Interpretation) in 1515. It contained many ancient and still current notions about dream interpretation including the idea that dreams can provide greater meaning to our lives. Early Buddhist, Hindu, and Chinese texts (T'ung Shu) contain many references to dreams. Islamic scholars credit a divine vision or dream bestowed by Allah upon the Prophet Muhammad in about 600 AD for the founding of the Islamic religion. Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon religion in about 1830 AD, credits a divine vision or dream from the Angel Moroni for his creation of the Book of Mormon. Analyst Carl Jung asked any rational theologian by what authority could they claim that God could not speak to people through dreams?