Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence

10. And thus yet the one must be parted from the other, viz. the kingdom of this world, which is a root, or stirrer up of the root of the fierceness, and therefore it was necessary that God should pass with the new body into the separation of the root, and of the kingdom of this world, as into the death of the fierceness, and should destroy death, and spring with its own virtue and power through death, as a flower springe th out of the earth, and so hold the inward fierceness captive l in his own l in the new body'i own virtue of the new body. *irtw or

11. And this we understand of Christ, who is truly entered in such a manner, and has taken the strong anger (and the devil in it) captive, and has sprung with his holy heavenly body through death,

684 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 25 and has destroyed death, so that the eternal life springs forth through death ; and thus death was taken captive by the new eternal body, and it is an eternal imprisonment; so that an eternal life is grown in death, and the new body treads upon the head of death, and of the fierceness ; the property of death stand eth in the prison of the new eternal life.

12. And so the woman (in whom the eternal life springs) stands upon the earthly moon, and despises that which is earthly, for that which is earthly perishes ; and then there remains (of that which is earthly) the hard [frozen] death ;

1 source, or and so now the Word of God (as a living l fountain)

actire pro- . ° party. is entered into death, and has generated the soul in itself, and springs forth out of the soul through death like a new flower ; and that flower is the new body in Christ.

13. After this manner you may understand how he destroyed death, by the springing of the eternal life in the Deity through death ; and you may understand how the new body in the love of God holds the eternal source of the auger captive, for the love is the prison [of the anger], for the source of the anger cannot enter into the love, but continues only by itself, as it was from eternity, and therein the devils are imprisoned ; for the light of God striks them down, they neither can nor dare behold that light in eternity ; a Principle is between ; for the love springs

Ch. 25] CHRIST'S DEATH AND RESURRECTION 685 forth in the centre of the soul, and therein the Holy Trinity appears, [or shines].

14. Thus wejiave gotten a Prince of the eternal life, and we need do no more but to press in to him with a firm trust and strong belief, and then our soul receives his love, and springs forth with him through death, and stands upon that which is earthly, viz. upon flesh and blood, and is a fruit in the kingdom of God, in the body of Jesus Christ, and triumphs over the fierceness ; for the love holds that captive, and that is a reproach to death ; as Paul says, 0 Death ! where is your sting? 0 Hell! where is your victory? Thanks be to God, who has given us victory.

15. And because we clearly understand and apprehend it in the spirit, therefore we are indebted to show the light to those that apprehend it not, and do lie thus captivated in reason, and continually search into the circumstances, why it happened so [in the passion of Christ]. For reason says, If it must needs be so, that Christ must enter into death, and destroy death, and spring up through death, and so draw us unto him, what is the cause, then, that he must be so despised, and J scourged, and crowned with a1 Or whipped, crown of thorns, and at last be crucified between heaven and earth? Could he not die some other death, and so spring through death with his heavenly body?

16. These hard points cast down all Jews,

686 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 25