2 Cor. 12:4-9, where St. Paul relates that he, before his missionary journeys, was caught up into the third heaven, also known as Paradise, where he heard unspeakable words, “which it is not lawful for man to utter.” But, lest he should feel proud on account of such visions or revelations, he was given a “thorn in the flesh”—some sickness causing excruciating pain—which he compared to a messenger of Satan, sent to buffet him.