"Since Freud, the rational modern approach to human dreams has typically involved inquiry into past and present emotional states. In contrast, the ancients, unfamiliar with the intricate byways of the human soul revealed by modern psychology, typically saw dreams as channels of communication between human beings and external sources.

Shaul Bar explores the etymology of key terms in the discussion, presents dozens of examples of biblical dreams and visions, and categorizes them as prophetic, symbolic, or incubations. He compares and contrasts these dreams with corresponding phenomena in the literature of neighboring cultures and analyzes them for their functions in the biblical corpus."--BOOK JACKET.