things and of fishes": and all of this came from divine
inspiration, for it was stated previously (3 Kings 4:29): "God gave
to Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much."

Nevertheless these two degrees are beneath prophecy properly so
called, because they do not attain to supernatural truth. The
prophecy wherein supernatural truth is manifested through imaginary
vision is differentiated first according to the difference between
dreams which occur during sleep, and vision which occurs while one is
awake. The latter belongs to a higher degree of prophecy, since the
prophetic light that draws the soul away to supernatural things while
it is awake and occupied with sensible things would seem to be
stronger than that which finds a man's soul asleep and withdrawn from
objects of sense. Secondly the degrees of this prophecy are
differentiated according to the expressiveness of the imaginary signs
whereby the intelligible truth is conveyed. And since words are the
most expressive signs of intelligible truth, it would seem to be a
higher degree of prophecy when the prophet, whether awake or asleep,
hears words expressive of an intelligible truth, than when he sees
things significative of truth, for instance "the seven full ears of
corn" signified "seven years of plenty" (Gen. 41:22, 26). In such
like signs prophecy would seem to be the more excellent, according as
the signs are more expressive, for instance when Jeremias saw the
burning of the city under the figure of a boiling cauldron (Jer.
1:13). Thirdly, it is evidently a still higher degree of prophecy
when a prophet not only sees signs of words or deeds, but also,
either awake or asleep, sees someone speaking or showing something to
him, since this proves the prophet's mind to have approached nearer
to the cause of the revelation. Fourthly, the height of a degree of
prophecy may be measured according to the appearance of the person
seen: for it is a higher degree of prophecy, if he who speaks or
shows something to the waking or sleeping prophet be seen by him
under the form of an angel, than if he be seen by him under the form
of man: and higher still is it, if he be seen by the prophet whether
asleep or awake, under the appearance of God, according to Isa. 6:1,
"I saw the Lord sitting."

But above all these degrees there is a third kind of prophecy, wherein
an intelligible and supernatural truth is shown without any imaginary
vision. However, this goes beyond th