“It is evident in the Book of Samuel, that the Berelists did not follow the devils’ part, but became, by Divine permission, partakers of Visions and veritable apparitions. … This gift is granted by the Lord God to those priests who walk in the Divine precepts. It was a custom among the Persians never to admit anyone as King unless he were a Wise Man, preeminent in reality as well as in name. This is clear from the customary name of their kings; for they were called Wise Men. Such were those Wise men and Persian Magi who came from the East to seek out the Lord Jesus, and are called natural priests. The Egyptians, also, having obtained this magic and philosophy from the Chaldeans and Persians, desired that their priests should learn the same wisdom, and they became so fruitful and successful therein that all of the neighboring countries admired them. For this reason Hermes was so truly names Trismegistus, because he was a king, a priest, a prophet, a magician, and a sophist of natural things. Such another was Zoroaster.” ~Paracelsus
Devil’s Part
I believe Paracelsus is referring to the fact that many in his time believed that anyone who claimed to have visions, visitations from angels, or any other type of miraculous or psychic phenomena, were labeled witches or devil-worshippers. So he is saying here that the Berelists had visions and visitations, but they were from God and were Divine, not from the Devil’s Part. I cannot find a definition of “Berelist,” but from content, we can assume they were priests of a real spiritual school, or at least advanced members of such a school.
Gift of Visions
Yes, the gift of seeing visions is one of the great gifts of God. Unfortunately, the Devil can also send what may appear to be visions to the unwary. It takes a little wisdom to know the difference and reject the false visions—actually illusions—sent by the devil and his minions. It also takes wisdom to interpret visions, even the Divine ones.
The most common form visions take is dreams. But many dreams are meaningless, while others may be about the past or the present. Only a few are visions of the future. So while a few saints and holy persons may have waking visions, most of us have to make do with what is revealed through our dreams. And since dreams, whether of the future or not, are almost always in allegorical form, a good dream dictionary is needed to understand them.
A Wise King
It certainly makes sense that a king, president, or prime minister should be a wise man. Unfortunately, that time is in the distant past. Now we have few wise men in the world and they are admired by few. Instead, we admire the greedy, the grifters, the con men who rob us blind. As a result, we elect presidents who have few, if any, qualifications for the job of leading millions. Sad.
As Paracelsus notes, the Magi who journeyed to visit the baby Jesus were Persian Wise men. They may have been kings, but more likely were simply holy men who may have been advisors to kings. After the times when kings were themselves wise men, there were also kings who were smart enough to consult wise men to help them make decisions. Today, leaders are more likely to consult intellectuals rather than wise men, and that isn’t the same.
Egyptian Magic
Many Christians reading this quote about Egyptian Magic will think of the story of Moses and Egyptian magicians. But those are not the kind of “magicians” Paracelsus is talking about. He means those who would in modern times be called spiritual adepts or spiritual masters rather than magicians. These “magicians” were not tricksters or Satanists, but spiritual wise men following the Law of God for the benefit of all mankind. Fortunately, that kind of person is making a comeback.
