There is some additional interesting material on modern interpretations
of visionary experience in Michael P. Carroll, _The Cult of the Virgin
Mary: Psychological Origins_ (Princeton U. Press, 1986), although I admit
I find some of his reasoning for individual Marian apparitions (esp. La
Sallette and Lourdes) strained. But his introductory chapters on "The Origins
of the Mary Cult" are helpful.
John Parsons
On Thu, 31 Dec 1998, Patrick Nugent wrote:
> If I may be permitted one more brief remark on the subject:
>
> An interesting study of visionary experience appeared just lat year,
> Phillip H. Weib, Visions of Jesus: Direct Encounters from the New Testament
> to Today (Oxford U.P., 1997). The author studies accounts of thirty
> contemporary North American men and women who claim to have had visions of
> Jesus. His point is to suggest - only very tentatively, though his
> appointment at the evangelical Trinity Western University suggests,
> perhaps, a deeper agenda - that transcendent explanations of these
> phenomena ought to be explored. But he has two pretty good chapters on the
> physchology and physiology of visionary experience, though he suggests that
> these are not sufficient explanations. In any case, if the subject of
> visionary experience is of interest, these two chapters provide a helpful
> introduction, though neither ergotism nor scintillating scotomas appear in
> his study.
>
> __________________________________
> Patrick J. Nugent
> Department of Religion
> Earlham College
> Richmond, Indiana 47374 USA
>
> (765) 983-1413
> [log in to unmask]
> __________________________________
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