Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
and the virgin departed. For the lust - spirit in Adam had overcome, and therefore he sank down into a sleep. The same hour his heavenly body became flesh and blood, and his strong virtue [or power] became bones ; and then the virgin went into her ether and shadow, yet into the heavenly ether, into the principle of the virtue [or power], and there waiteth upon all the children of Adam, [expecting] whether any will receive her for their bride again, by the l new birth. » regeneration.
3. But what now was God to do ? He had created Adam out of his eternal will ; and because it could not now be, that Adam should generate out of himself the virgin in a paradisical manner, therefore God put the Fiat of the great world into the midst. For Adam was now fallen 2 home again 2 or into the to the Fiat as a half broken person. Now therefore m seeing he was half killed by his own lust and imagination, that he might live, God must help him again ; and if he be now to generate a kingdom, then there must be a woman, as all other beasts [have a female] for propagation : The angelical kingdom in Adam was gone ; therefore now there must be 3 a kingdom of this world. » Or a propa4. Then what was it that God now did with Son. 8 Adam?. Moses saith, When Adam slept .he took one of his ribs and [made or] built a woman of it, (viz. of the rib which he took from man), and closed up the place with flesh. Now Moses hath written very rightly : But who is it that can understand
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p. 226
him here? If I did not know the first Adam in his virgin-like form in paradise, then I had been at a stand, and should have known no other than that Adam had been made flesh and blood of a lump of earth, and his wife Eve of his rib and hard bones ; which before the time [of my knowledge] hath oft seemed very strange and wonderful to
1 expositions, my thoughts, when I have read the l glosses upon note™ar' Moses, that so [high or] deep learned men should
2 Damascene, write so of it : 2 Some of them will dare to tell of a pit in the [orient or] east country, out of which Adam should be taken and made as a potter maketh a vessel or pot.
5. If I had not considered the Scripture, which plainly saith, Whatsoever is born of flesh is flesh ; also, Flesh and Hood shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven ; also, None goeth into heaven but the Son of Man (viz. the pure virgin) which came from heaven, and which is in heaven ; which was very helpful to me [to think] that the child of the virgin was the angel, which has restored again all that which was lost in Adam, for God brought again in the woman (in her virgin-like body) the virgin child, which Adam should generate. And now if I had not considered the text in Moses, (where God saith, It is not good that man should be alone, we will make a help for him), I should
3 Or in the yet have stuck in the 3 will of the woman.
v4-"Kl thoughts. 6. But that text saith, God looked upon all that he had made, and behold, it was all very good :
Ch. 13] OF THE CREATING OF THE WOMAN 227
Now if it were good in the creation, then it must needs have become evil when God said [afterwards], It is not good for man to be alone. If God would have had them like all beasts to have a bestial propagation, he would at one and the same instant [at first] have made a man and a woman. But that God did abominate [the bestial propagation] it appeared plainly in the first child of the woman, Cain, the murderer of his brother, also the fruit [or the curse] of the earth sheweth it plainly enough. But what shall I spend the time for, with these testimonies ? The proof of it will clearly follow. And it is to be proved, not only in the Scripture, which yet maketh a cover [over it], but in all things, if we would take time to do it, and not spend our labour about vain and unprofitable things.
7. Now thus saith reason : What are then the words of Moses concerning the woman ? To which I say : Moses hath written rightly, but I (living thus * in the woman) understand it not rightly. » in the Moses indeed had a brightened [or glorified face or] transitoriness. countenance, but he must hang a veil before it, so that none could see his face. But when the 2 Son 2 the eternal
> , TT. . . • • r • i n i Wisdom of oi the Virgin, wz. the virgin [wisdom] came, he the Father, looked him in the face, and put the veil away.
and the virgin departed. For the lust - spirit in Adam had overcome, and therefore he sank down into a sleep. The same hour his heavenly body became flesh and blood, and his strong virtue [or power] became bones ; and then the virgin went into her ether and shadow, yet into the heavenly ether, into the principle of the virtue [or power], and there waits upon all the children of Adam, [expecting] whether any will receive her for their bride again, by the l new birth. » regeneration.
3. But what now was God to do ? He had created Adam out of his eternal will ; and because it could not now be, that Adam should generate out of himself the virgin in a paradisical manner, therefore God put the Fiat of the great world into the midst. For Adam was now fallen 2 home again 2 or into the to the Fiat as a half broken person. Now therefore m seeing he was half killed by his own lust and imagination, that he might live, God must help him again ; and if he be now to generate a kingdom, then there must be a woman, as all other beasts [have a female] for propagation : The angelical kingdom in Adam was gone ; therefore now there must be 3 a kingdom of this world. » Or a propa4. Then what was it that God now did with Son. 8 Adam?. Moses says, When Adam slept .he took one of his ribs and [made or] built a woman of it, (viz. of the rib which he took from man), and closed up the place with flesh. Now Moses has written very rightly : But who is it that can understand
p. 15
226 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 13 him here? If I did not know the first Adam in his virgin-like form in paradise, then I had been at a stand, and should have known no other than that Adam had been made flesh and blood of a lump of earth, and his wife Eve of his rib and hard bones ; which before the time [of my knowledge] has oft seemed very strange and wonderful to
1 expositions, my thoughts, when I have read the l glosses upon note™ar' Moses, that so [high or] deep learned men should
2 Damascene, write so of it : 2 Some of them will dare to tell of a pit in the [orient or] east country, out of which Adam should be taken and made as a potter makes a vessel or pot.
5. If I had not considered the Scripture, which plainly says, Whatsoever is born of flesh is flesh ; also, Flesh and Hood shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven ; also, None goes into heaven but the Son of Man (viz. the pure virgin) which came from heaven, and which is in heaven ; which was very helpful to me [to think] that the child of the virgin was the angel, which has restored again all that which was lost in Adam, for God brought again in the woman (in her virgin-like body) the virgin child, which Adam should generate. And now if I had not considered the text in Moses, (where God says, It is not good that man should be alone, we will make a help for him), I should
3 Or in the yet have stuck in the 3 will of the woman.
v4-"Kl thoughts. 6. But that text says, God looked upon all that he had made, and behold, it was all very good :
Ch. 13] OF THE CREATING OF THE WOMAN 227
Now if it were good in the creation, then it must needs have become evil when God said [afterwards], It is not good for man to be alone. If God would have had them like all beasts to have a bestial propagation, he would at one and the same instant [at first] have made a man and a woman. But that God did abominate [the bestial propagation] it appeared plainly in the first child of the woman, Cain, the murderer of his brother, also the fruit [or the curse] of the earth shows it plainly enough. But what shall I spend the time for, with these testimonies ? The proof of it will clearly follow. And it is to be proved, not only in the Scripture, which yet makes a cover [over it], but in all things, if we would take time to do it, and not spend our labour about vain and unprofitable things.
7. Now thus says reason : What are then the words of Moses concerning the woman ? To which I say : Moses has written rightly, but I (living thus * in the woman) understand it not rightly. » in the Moses indeed had a brightened [or glorified face or] transitoriness. countenance, but he must hang a veil before it, so that none could see his face. But when the 2 Son 2 the eternal
> , TT. . . • • r • i n i Wisdom of oi the Virgin, wz. the virgin [wisdom] came, he the Father, looked him in the face, and put the veil away.