The Forty Questions of the Soul
6. Now Adam had the virgin of divine wisdom in him, but when he fell, then it continued immovable in its own Principle, and Adam 2 departed from it.
7. But know that Christ became man in that virgin [which was] in the earthly Mary, for the Word of the Lord brought that with it into the body of Mary.
8. And here you must understand that Christ became flesh in the water of eternal life, 3 which flesh the whole Deity filleth, and also in the 4 essences of the earthly Mary.
9. But Mary was blessed with the heavenly virgin, and so Christ became man in a pure vessel, and the earthly man hung to him.
10. For it was for the sake of the soul which he was to receive from 5 Mary, that he must receive Mary's flesh, yet in the blessing, in the heavenly virgin only.
1 That is, a bestial, animal, mortal man.
2 Or forsook it.
3 Col. ii. 9.
4 substance, or properties.
5 the soul of Mary.
11. The tincture of the blood in the heavenly virgin was heavenly; for the
1 earthly had not been able to pass through the wrath of God, and through death, much less would it have had power to rise out of the grave.
12. That Word which became flesh had the water of eternal life, which proceeded from the divine Majesty, and yet it was in Mary's blood: and here for further information we direct you to our third book, where it is described at large.
13. And thus we tell you, we shall have a body consisting of flesh and blood, such a body as Christ had; for Christ by his incarnation is 2 become man in us.
14. When we are born anew of water, and of the spirit, then in Christ's spirit we are born anew of Christ's flesh and blood, we put on Christ.
15. Christ is born in the converted sinner, and he in Christ becometh the child of God; this is the body we shall have in heaven.
16. No gross bestial flesh, as we have in the old Adam, but subtle flesh and blood, such flesh as can pass through wood and stone, unhurt by the stone, 3 as Christ came in to his disciples, the door being shut: It is such a body as hath no turba or fragility; hell cannot * retain it, it is like eternity; and yet it is real flesh and blood, which our heavenly 4 hands shall touch and feel, and take hold of; also a visible body, as that is which we have here in this world.
1 earthly tincture, or substantial virtue.
2 Or born in us men.
3 John xx. 19, 26.
4 John xx. 27. 1 John i. 1.
* "retain it" (ergreiferi), "seize hold of it."
17. Now consider, how is it possible that such a body as we carry about us here can be 1 capable of the divine Majesty? It must certainly be such a body as is like the Majesty, that the Majesty can shine forth from it, out of the tincture and water of eternal life.
18. Here indeed we are as it were 2 dumb to the apprehension of reason, yet we are well enough understood by our brethren; this belongeth to the 3 children. A wolf desireth to fill his mouth with such a piece of flesh as will fill his belly; we speak not of such flesh, but such as Christ hath given us in his 4 Testament, and left for a remembrance, and as an earnest 5 that he will remain for ever with us; we in him, and he in us.
19. Therefore we say that we shall have God's body and Christ's body, which filleth heaven; not that we shall stick in that which is his creature, but be joined one to another as members, brethren, and children.
20. There is but one life in us all; there is nothing mortal, all proceed from the eternal one; there is nothing that beginneth, but the wonders only, one essentiality is come out of the eternal: we are as gods, we are true children of God, proceeding from his essences in body and soul.
1 comprehend, or receive.
2 Or not intelligible.
3 Such as love God, and are born of him.
4 Last Supper.
5 John vi. 58. 1 Thes. iv. 17. John xv. 4.
THE THIRTY-FOURTH QUESTION
What is the miserable and horrible Condition of the damned?
6. Now Adam had the virgin of divine wisdom in him, but when he fell, then it continued immovable in its own Principle, and Adam 2 departed from it.
7. But know that Christ became man in that virgin [which was] in the earthly Mary, for the Word of the Lord brought that with it into the body of Mary.
8. And here you must understand that Christ became flesh in the water of eternal life, 3 which flesh the whole Deity fills, and also in the 4 essences of the earthly Mary.
9. But Mary was blessed with the heavenly virgin, and so Christ became man in a pure vessel, and the earthly man hung to him.
10. For it was for the sake of the soul which he was to receive from 5 Mary, that he must receive Mary's flesh, yet in the blessing, in the heavenly virgin only.
1 That is, a bestial, animal, mortal man.
2 Or forsook it.
3 Col. ii. 9.
4 substance, or properties.
5 the soul of Mary.
11. The tincture of the blood in the heavenly virgin was heavenly; for the
1 earthly had not been able to pass through the wrath of God, and through death, much less would it have had power to rise out of the grave.
12. That Word which became flesh had the water of eternal life, which proceeded from the divine Majesty, and yet it was in Mary's blood: and here for further information we direct you to our third book, where it is described at large.
13. And thus we tell you, we shall have a body consisting of flesh and blood, such a body as Christ had; for Christ by his incarnation is 2 become man in us.
14. When we are born anew of water, and of the spirit, then in Christ's spirit we are born anew of Christ's flesh and blood, we put on Christ.
15. Christ is born in the converted sinner, and he in Christ becomes the child of God; this is the body we shall have in heaven.
16. No gross bestial flesh, as we have in the old Adam, but subtle flesh and blood, such flesh as can pass through wood and stone, unhurt by the stone, 3 as Christ came in to his disciples, the door being shut: It is such a body as has no turba or fragility; hell cannot * retain it, it is like eternity; and yet it is real flesh and blood, which our heavenly 4 hands shall touch and feel, and take hold of; also a visible body, as that is which we have here in this world.
1 earthly tincture, or substantial virtue.
2 Or born in us men.
3 John xx. 19, 26.
4 John xx. 27. 1 John i. 1.
* "retain it" (ergreiferi), "seize hold of it."
17. Now consider, how is it possible that such a body as we carry about us here can be 1 capable of the divine Majesty? It must certainly be such a body as is like the Majesty, that the Majesty can shine forth from it, out of the tincture and water of eternal life.
18. Here indeed we are as it were 2 dumb to the apprehension of reason, yet we are well enough understood by our brethren; this belongs to the 3 children. A wolf desires to fill his mouth with such a piece of flesh as will fill his belly; we speak not of such flesh, but such as Christ has given us in his 4 Testament, and left for a remembrance, and as an earnest 5 that he will remain for ever with us; we in him, and he in us.
19. Therefore we say that we shall have God's body and Christ's body, which fills heaven; not that we shall stick in that which is his creature, but be joined one to another as members, brethren, and children.
20. There is but one life in us all; there is nothing mortal, all proceed from the eternal one; there is nothing that beginns, but the wonders only, one essentiality is come out of the eternal: we are as gods, we are true children of God, proceeding from his essences in body and soul.
1 comprehend, or receive.
2 Or not intelligible.
3 Such as love God, and are born of him.
4 Last Supper.
5 John vi. 58. 1 Thes. iv. 17. John xv. 4.
THE THIRTY-FOURTH QUESTION
What is the miserable and horrible Condition of the damned?
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