The Forty Questions of the Soul
4 Noah's simple teaching without pomp and covetousness.
5 Or miracles.
6 Or prophecy.
38. Then Moses calleth for l Elias, who went out of this world in the divine fire, into the abyss of the Principle with body and soul, who also dwelleth in the Principle with mighty power: Now when he cometh and perceiveth the cry, that
2 Babel standeth in the fire, then he kindleth the turba, wherein the great fire burneth, which consumeth flesh and blood, also stones and the elements: then Babel must drink 3 her last draught.
39. After this, 4 Enoch hath peace a while; and then is the golden age, till 5 my beloved groweth voluptuous and wanton, having fatted her turba, so that it seeketh the limit, and then cometh the end of all time.
40. Do not wonder at it; we will stay in the meantime 6 with Noah, till 7 Moses and
8 Elias come, then all the children of God will find it true.
41. Yet it will remain hidden to the wicked, till the turba devoureth them; for they look upon this, as the Jews did upon Christ, and the first world upon Noah: what doth the Mystery profit a scorner? He looketh after nothing but eating and drinking, and taketh care how to satisfy his haughty mind, that he may ride with pomp in Babel.
1 Or the sword, or vengeance.
2 destroyed Christendom.
3 Or the very dregs.
4 Or the prophets that preach in the name of the Lord, and lead a pious life.
5 the children of God.
6 in simplicity.
7 miracles.
8 Or vengeance, or destruction.
42. Thus, my beloved Friend, we have given you a short hint of the Enochian life, and what his office and condition is; also of Moses and Elias: as a wise man, consider further of it; for we dare not speak otherwise of it, our understanding and will is driven into such a way of speech; neither have we leave in this place, at this time, to write more at large, or more fundamentally, in plain words.
43. But if God shall please to grant, that we may write somewhat upon the first, and also upon the second book of Moses, more may be opened; for the names of the Fathers before the Flood, which are there set down, belong all to the Mystery, and they contain great wonders in them: when it is day, you shall by them clearly know the whole course of the world.
THE THIRTY-SIXTH QUESTION
What is the Soul of the Messiah, or Christ?
1. WE have sufficiently explained this in our third book of The Threefold Life of Man; but seeing every one that readeth this hath not that at hand, and in regard of the question itself, we must answer somewhat more here, and therefore I set this down; for you ask in the following question about Christ's spirit, which was
1 willing, and which he commended to his Father.
2. Here the 2 old and sick Adam shall be comfortably refreshed, he shall have a
3 medicine against death, and be 4 quickened again; for his mother shall bring forth a young son, who shall hve in her bosom, and he shall exceedingly rejoice at it.
3. If we would consider the soul of Christ, we need only seek and find ourselves; for Christ's soul is a human soul, conceived in Mary the 5 twofold virgin.
4. Yet we do not acknowledge the outward mortal life in Mary for a pure virgin;
for that which is mortal hath the anger and the turba, which corrupteth all purity, so that no pure virgin is born of Eve, but all are daughters of her.
1 readily obedient, or submissive.
2 Or mankind.
3 Or cure for death.
4 Or made alive.
5 Viz. the eternal wisdom of God, and the outward humanity; that is, God and man.
5. And Eve herself was but half a virgin, for Adam was the other half, according to the two tinctures, in which man saw himself to be wholly a virgin in pure love, and so saw God through himself; that is, through the creature he saw the original, which produced those two out of himself
6. And thus also in l one whole person, there is one pure love and chastity; for it seeketh no other conjunction, itself is the conjunction of both tinctures, viz. the tincture of the soul, and the tincture of the spirit; and its power was such, that it could bring forth a spirit out of the fiery tincture, which is [called] soul and spirit.
7. * Which Adam 2 lost, when he suffered the earthly life to take him captive, and therefore he must be divided, and a woman be made out of him, which must set her love, 3 desire, and imagination, upon the Adamical fiery tincture, if she would be pregnant with a soul.
4 Noah's simple teaching without pomp and covetousness.
5 Or miracles.
6 Or prophecy.
38. Then Moses calls for l Elias, who went out of this world in the divine fire, into the abyss of the Principle with body and soul, who also dwells in the Principle with mighty power: Now when he comes and perceives the cry, that
2 Babel stands in the fire, then he kindls the turba, wherein the great fire burns, which consums flesh and blood, also stones and the elements: then Babel must drink 3 her last draught.
39. After this, 4 Enoch has peace a while; and then is the golden age, till 5 my beloved grows voluptuous and wanton, having fatted her turba, so that it seeks the limit, and then comes the end of all time.
40. Do not wonder at it; we will stay in the meantime 6 with Noah, till 7 Moses and
8 Elias come, then all the children of God will find it true.
41. Yet it will remain hidden to the wicked, till the turba devours them; for they look upon this, as the Jews did upon Christ, and the first world upon Noah: what does the Mystery profit a scorner? He looks after nothing but eating and drinking, and takes care how to satisfy his haughty mind, that he may ride with pomp in Babel.
1 Or the sword, or vengeance.
2 destroyed Christendom.
3 Or the very dregs.
4 Or the prophets that preach in the name of the Lord, and lead a pious life.
5 the children of God.
6 in simplicity.
7 miracles.
8 Or vengeance, or destruction.
42. Thus, my beloved Friend, we have given you a short hint of the Enochian life, and what his office and condition is; also of Moses and Elias: as a wise man, consider further of it; for we dare not speak otherwise of it, our understanding and will is driven into such a way of speech; neither have we leave in this place, at this time, to write more at large, or more fundamentally, in plain words.
43. But if God shall please to grant, that we may write somewhat upon the first, and also upon the second book of Moses, more may be opened; for the names of the Fathers before the Flood, which are there set down, belong all to the Mystery, and they contain great wonders in them: when it is day, you shall by them clearly know the whole course of the world.
THE THIRTY-SIXTH QUESTION
What is the Soul of the Messiah, or Christ?
1. WE have sufficiently explained this in our third book of The Threefold Life of Man; but seeing every one that reads this has not that at hand, and in regard of the question itself, we must answer somewhat more here, and therefore I set this down; for you ask in the following question about Christ's spirit, which was
1 willing, and which he commended to his Father.
2. Here the 2 old and sick Adam shall be comfortably refreshed, he shall have a
3 medicine against death, and be 4 quickened again; for his mother shall bring forth a young son, who shall hve in her bosom, and he shall exceedingly rejoice at it.
3. If we would consider the soul of Christ, we need only seek and find ourselves; for Christ's soul is a human soul, conceived in Mary the 5 twofold virgin.
4. Yet we do not acknowledge the outward mortal life in Mary for a pure virgin;
for that which is mortal has the anger and the turba, which corrupts all purity, so that no pure virgin is born of Eve, but all are daughters of her.
1 readily obedient, or submissive.
2 Or mankind.
3 Or cure for death.
4 Or made alive.
5 Viz. the eternal wisdom of God, and the outward humanity; that is, God and man.
5. And Eve herself was but half a virgin, for Adam was the other half, according to the two tinctures, in which man saw himself to be wholly a virgin in pure love, and so saw God through himself; that is, through the creature he saw the original, which produced those two out of himself
6. And thus also in l one whole person, there is one pure love and chastity; for it seeks no other conjunction, itself is the conjunction of both tinctures, viz. the tincture of the soul, and the tincture of the spirit; and its power was such, that it could bring forth a spirit out of the fiery tincture, which is [called] soul and spirit.
7. * Which Adam 2 lost, when he suffered the earthly life to take him captive, and therefore he must be divided, and a woman be made out of him, which must set her love, 3 desire, and imagination, upon the Adamical fiery tincture, if she would be pregnant with a soul.
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