Concerning the Three Principles of the Divine Essence
deep into everything, if it be not given thee, as it is to this pen ; this pen writeth in the counsel of God (that which the hand knoweth not, and scarce understandeth the least spark of it) and yet very deeply, as thou seest, that the things to come are shewn in a very difficult depth, which God alone will discover in due time, which is 2 unknown to us. « One copy
70. Thou knowest that God himself is all, and known 'to us. there are but three Principles (viz. three births •« Weiche von2' of distinction) in his essence ; or else all things ut3"— CJ.B.] would be one thing, and all were merely God ; and if it were so, then all would be in a sweet meekness.
But where would be the mobility, kingdom, power, and glory ? Therefore we have often said, The anger is the root of life ; and if 3 it be without ' the anger.
the light, then 3 it is not God, but hell fire ; but if the light shineth therein, it becometh paradise and fulness of joy.
71. Therefore we can say no otherwise of the soul of Christ, but that he commended it into
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his Father's hands, and the Father took it into his divine power ; it stood with its root therein before ; but its own root was (without the light of God) in the anger. And now the soul of Christ came with the light of God into the anger; and then the devils trembled, for the light took the anger captive, and the Father (understand ; his anger) in the kingdom of heaven was paradise, and in hell remained to be anger still. For the light shut up the Principle of hell, so (to be understood) that no devil dareth to take one glimpse [of light] in thither, he is blind before the light, and [the light] is his terror and shame.
72. And so thou must not think that the soul of Christ was then gone a great way from his body. For all the three Principles were on the cross, why also not in the grave? At that very moment when Christ laid off the kingdom of this world, the soul of Christ pressed into death, and into the anger of God, and in that very moment the anger was reconciled in the love in the light, and became paradise ; and the devils were captivated in the anger in themselves, together with all wicked souls : and so instantly the life did spring up through death, and death was destroyed, and made a scorn ; yet to the wicked (which remain in the anger) it is a death, but in Christ it is a life.
73. Thus the soul of Christ rested in the grave, in the Father, forty hours present with its body ; for the heavenly body was not dead, but the
Ch. 25] CHRIST'S DEATH AND RESURRECTION 711
earthly only, the soul sprang up in the heavenly through death, and stood forty hours in rest ; these were the forty hours in which Adam was asleep, when his wife was taken out of him ; and also the forty days when Moses was on the mount, [and Israel was tempted to try] whether it were possible to live in the virtue or power of the Father in the kingdom of heaven. But when it was found to be impossible, then presently the people fell away from the law of the Father, viz. from the law of nature, and worshipped a calf that they had made, to be instead of God ; and Moses brake the Tables of the Law.
74. And God spake further to Israel in the fire, that they should see that it was not possible to enter into the Land of Promise, [into] paradise, till the right Joshua or Jesus came, who should bring them through death into life. Consider this further; I will set it down very clearly in the other books concerning the Tables of Moses ; search for it, and you will find the whole ground of whatsoever Moses hath spoken and done.
Of Christ's Resurrection out of the Grave.
75. As Adam went out of the clear light of God into the dark kingdom of this world, and the soul of A dam stood between two dark Principles (as between death and hell) and grew up in the body, so also would Christ (in his growing body) rise up from the dead at midnight, and make the night in
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deep into everything, if it be not given you, as it is to this pen ; this pen writes in the counsel of God (that which the hand knows not, and scarce understands the least spark of it) and yet very deeply, as you seest, that the things to come are shown in a very difficult depth, which God alone will discover in due time, which is 2 unknown to us. « One copy
70. You know that God himself is all, and known 'to us. there are but three Principles (viz. three births •« Weiche von2' of distinction) in his essence ; or else all things ut3"— CJ.B.] would be one thing, and all were merely God ; and if it were so, then all would be in a sweet meekness.
But where would be the mobility, kingdom, power, and glory ? Therefore we have often said, The anger is the root of life ; and if 3 it be without ' the anger.
the light, then 3 it is not God, but hell fire ; but if the light shines therein, it becomes paradise and fulness of joy.
71. Therefore we can say no otherwise of the soul of Christ, but that he commended it into
710 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 25 his Father's hands, and the Father took it into his divine power ; it stood with its root therein before ; but its own root was (without the light of God) in the anger. And now the soul of Christ came with the light of God into the anger; and then the devils trembled, for the light took the anger captive, and the Father (understand ; his anger) in the kingdom of heaven was paradise, and in hell remained to be anger still. For the light shut up the Principle of hell, so (to be understood) that no devil dars to take one glimpse [of light] in thither, he is blind before the light, and [the light] is his terror and shame.
72. And so you must not think that the soul of Christ was then gone a great way from his body. For all the three Principles were on the cross, why also not in the grave? At that very moment when Christ laid off the kingdom of this world, the soul of Christ pressed into death, and into the anger of God, and in that very moment the anger was reconciled in the love in the light, and became paradise ; and the devils were captivated in the anger in themselves, together with all wicked souls : and so instantly the life did spring up through death, and death was destroyed, and made a scorn ; yet to the wicked (which remain in the anger) it is a death, but in Christ it is a life.
73. Thus the soul of Christ rested in the grave, in the Father, forty hours present with its body ; for the heavenly body was not dead, but the Ch. 25] CHRIST'S DEATH AND RESURRECTION 711 earthly only, the soul sprang up in the heavenly through death, and stood forty hours in rest ; these were the forty hours in which Adam was asleep, when his wife was taken out of him ; and also the forty days when Moses was on the mount, [and Israel was tempted to try] whether it were possible to live in the virtue or power of the Father in the kingdom of heaven. But when it was found to be impossible, then presently the people fell away from the law of the Father, viz. from the law of nature, and worshipped a calf that they had made, to be instead of God ; and Moses brake the Tables of the Law.
74. And God spake further to Israel in the fire, that they should see that it was not possible to enter into the Land of Promise, [into] paradise, till the right Joshua or Jesus came, who should bring them through death into life. Consider this further; I will set it down very clearly in the other books concerning the Tables of Moses ; search for it, and you will find the whole ground of whatsoever Moses has spoken and done.
Of Christ's Resurrection out of the Grave.
75. As Adam went out of the clear light of God into the dark kingdom of this world, and the soul of A dam stood between two dark Principles (as between death and hell) and grew up in the body, so also would Christ (in his growing body) rise up from the dead at midnight, and make the night in
712 THE THREE PRINCIPLES [Ch. 25