how he was caught up into Paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
ExplanationCommentary
Verse 4. Caught up into paradise. S. Augustin and Saint Thomas are of opinion that this third heaven and paradise are the same place, and designate the abode of the blessed. In order to understand the language of the apostle, we must observe that the Hebrews distinguished three different heavens. The first comprised the air, the clouds, and so forth as far as the fixed stars. The second included all the fixed stars; and the third was the abode of Angels, in which God himself discovered his infinite glory, and so forth The first is called in Scripture simply the heavens, the second the firmament, and the third the heaven of heavens. Calmet.