The Age of Reason · Chapter
An Essay on Dreams explained
Paine analyzes the nature of dreams through the faculties of imagination, judgment, and memory, arguing that dreams are unreliable and irrational.
What happens
Paine analyzes the nature of dreams through the faculties of imagination, judgment, and memory, arguing that dreams are unreliable and irrational. He then attacks the New Testament's reliance on dreams—especially Joseph's dream about the Holy Ghost—as a foundation for Christian belief, and extends his critique to the absurdities and contradictions in both the Old and New Testaments, contrasting them with the majesty of the universe and the true God of reason.
Themes in this chapter
Reason vs. Revelation
Paine contrasts rational understanding of dreams with the biblical reliance on dreams as divine revelation.
Critique of Organized Religion
Paine attacks priestcraft and the church for promoting absurd dream-based doctrines and for suppressing free thought.
Critique of Biblical Inerrancy
Paine highlights contradictions in the Bible (e.g., God vs. Satan moving David) to argue it is not the inerrant word of God.
Characters to notice
- Thomas Paine
Author of the essay; explains the mechanics of dreams and critiques biblical reliance on them.
- Joseph le Bon
Mentioned as the recipient of a dream in Matthew 1:20 about Mary's conception.
- Jesus Christ
Referenced as the subject of the New Testament dream narratives and as a figure whose divinity is based on a dream.
- Moses
Mentioned in the context of the Old Testament portrayal of God as a fighting deity and in the story of the plagues.
- David
Cited in 2 Samuel 24:1 and 1 Chronicles 21:1 regarding the conflicting accounts of who moved him to number Israel.
- Satan
Mentioned as the alternative instigator in the conflicting biblical accounts of David's census.
Key passages
“The three great faculties of the mind are imagination, judgment, and memory.”
Paine identifies imagination, judgment, and memory as the three core mental faculties.
Sets up his framework for analyzing dreams.
“If the judgment sleeps while the imagination keeps awake, the dream will be a riotous assemblage of misshapen images and ranting ideas.”
When judgment is inactive during sleep, dreams become chaotic and irrational.
Explains why dreams are unreliable.
“Yet the belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, begotten by the Holy Ghost, a being never heard of before, stands on the story of an old man’s dream.”
The central Christian doctrine of Jesus' divine conception rests solely on Joseph's dream.
Highlights Paine's critique of basing religion on dreams.
“In 2 Samuel 24:1, it is said, 'And again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them...' And in 1 Chronicles, 21:1... it is said, 'And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.'”
The Bible contradicts itself by attributing David's census to God in one passage and to Satan in another.
Example of biblical inconsistency used to undermine inerrancy.
“The God of eternity and of all that is real is not the God of passing dreams and shadows of man’s imagination!”
The true God of the universe is not the fictional deity depicted in human dream-stories.
Contrasts deistic natural theology with biblical anthropomorphism.
