In a fragmentary poem Raphael compares his amorous rapture to that of Paul's visionary ecstasy:Como non podde dir d arcana Dei Paul como dis[c]eso fu dal cello COSÍ el mi [o] cor d'imo amoroso vello a ricoperto tuti i penser mei(fust as Paul couid not speak of the hidden (iod, once descended from heaven, so my heart evil. a lovely veil covered all my thoughts)Considered alongside the numerous theological references in Raphael's Roman-period works, these lines have been taken as evidence of the artist's considerable knowledge of theology.'" It is relevant here to note that the poem would have been largely meaningless without a basic understanding of theological discussions about Paul's vision of the Third Heaven, and visionary phenomena more generally.