except through demonstration? The first alternative is false, for conception precedes assent. If they could be conceived only after a demonstration had established them, while demonstration could establish assent only after conception, circularity would follow. He himself has stated elsewhere that a thing is conceived either through the thing itself or through its likeness; this is not demonstration. If they can be conceived without demonstration, then the Messenger’s report entails assent, and he is not obliged to provide a separate demonstration for everything he reports. Thus, if they can be conceived without demonstration, and his report alone suffices for assent, there is no need for what he calls demonstration.

Second, he may be asked: If it is assumed that they cannot be assented to except