The Forty Questions of the Soul

1 Wherein the eternal hath been beheld.

* "it will reduce everything," etc., lit., "it will lead home (heimfiihreri) everything."

51. Now seeing this spirit hath the word Fiat, viz. God's word, and the centre of nature, whence it hath its eternal original; and as the spirit of the centre hath a twofold effluence, the first being in the fire in the essences of the original of life, in the ground of the original of the soul; and the second in the light of the fire, which is the second 1 source, which buddeth afresh through death, and is called the kingdom of God; where also in the light it is a flame of love, and in the fire it is a flame of anger.

52. So it will break open the gates of death, for it shall raise the dead: and it hath the word Fiat in it, and this Fiat is both in the soul, and in the body also; and though the body hath been long corrupted, yet the turba remaineth still in the Fiat with the wonders of the body.

53. And now the four elements must restore to the Fiat that essence which they have swallowed up; for 2 the Word of the Lord is in it, but in its own Principle: Everything must 3 restore that which it hath received, viz. the earth the body, viz. the 4 Phur; and the water also its essence, that is, 5 Sul; the air the sound and voice of the words; and the fire the essences of the soul; for all things must be judged.

1 Or property.

2 Verbum Domini.

3 give, or yield up.

4 the substance, or dross.

5 the light.

54. All the words which the mouth hath spoken, which the air hath received into it, and x hath served for the making of the words, these the air shall again 2 bring forth; for it is the glass of the eternal spirit, the spirit seeth them in the glass.

55. And so man shall be * judged according to his heart, mind and thoughts, for the turba is in all malice or wickedness which is contrary to love; here will be no making of excuse, for every one will accuse himself, his own turba will accuse him.

56. And thus you must understand the spirit, which is all in all, will raise up every life which hath been immortal, and by the Fiat give it to the body; for the Fiat draweth the body to the soul, with all its deeds and wonders; all that it hath done in this life by word or deed; all that hath reached the 3 abyss of the soul must come forth.

57. For in the still eternity there shall be no turba more; and therefore every essence shall be 4 refined by the fire, and the 5 turba shall remain in the fire, and all whatever is evil and capable of the turba (unless it was washed away in the water of life, by the conversion of the soul here in this life), must remain in the fire.

58. Now 6 if any man hath sown in the fire, he shall suffer loss, as the Scripture telleth us, that the works of the wicked shall remain in the fire, and he shall suffer loss.

1 which air.

2 Or represent.

3 most inward and deepest ground.

4 tried, washed, cleansed, or purged.

5 sin and wickedness.

6 1 Cor. iii. 15.

* "judged" (gepriifet und gerichtet), "examined and judged."

59. But you must understand us aright; the body which hath been here upon earth, that evil corruptible body which hath devoured the noble and excellent image of paradise, shall come, and stand forth with its precious image in it; it must give an account of the image of God.

60. Now blessed are they that have Christ's spirit, they have their first image in the word Fiat, which must restore it again to the soul, and that in the Adamical body.

61. But they that have not Christ's spirit, shall stand forth in the evil body; but their soul will have lost their true image, and they shall have such an image in the spirit of the soul, as their wills have been here: as their daily lust hath been, so shall their image be.

62. And in that hour also the wrathful Fiat of the darkness shall bring forth the devils, who shall then receive their wages and habitation: at the hearing of which they tremble.

63. Thus all the dead, both good and evil, will arise, every one in his 1 twofold body, and will have the soul with the spirit in the body.

64. One will have the outward earthly 2 life, and therein a bestial image in the spirit of the soul; and in the inward image he will have the essentiality of the wrathful anger.