29、若愿意，谁不能凭理性明白，人死后并非一缕气？人只会将这缕气想象为一阵风，或空气、以太之类的东西，以为人的灵魂就是这类事物，或在其中，渴望并等待与肉体复合，以便它能像在世时那样享有感觉及其愉悦。谁不明白，如果这就是人死后的情形，那他的状况还不如地上的鱼、鸟和动物呢？因为它们的灵魂不存在，也就不会因着渴望和等待而处于这种焦躁状态。人若死后真是一缕气，因而是一阵风，那就要么飘荡在宇宙中，要么按照某些传统说法，他将呆在某个阴间，要么如教会神父所说，在地狱的边缘，直到最后的审判。谁不能因此理性推断出，自创世以来（估计有六千年时间）活着的人仍处于这样的焦躁状态，并且这种焦躁会与日俱增？因为出于渴望等待的所有人都会产生焦躁情绪，并且这种情绪会随着时间流逝而日益加剧。所以，他们必定还在宇宙中飘荡，或被禁闭在地狱边缘，因而处于水深火热之中。这里面包括亚当及其妻子，还包括亚伯拉罕、以撒和雅各，以及自那以后的所有人。这样想来，没有什么比生而为人更可悲的了。但恰恰相反，主，也就是永恒的耶和华，宇宙的创造者规定，人若照祂的诫命生活，由此与祂结合，就会比在世时更加幸福快乐，因为那时人是属灵的，灵人（spiritual person）感受和体验属灵的快乐，这快乐远远胜过属世的快乐，胜过它千百倍。
29、人们若愿意的话，基于理性来思考就会意识到人死后并不是一缕气息，与一阵风，一团空气没有区别。人们会意识到，死了的人的灵魂也象一缕气，渴望着一躯体重新相结合，进而体会到在世间时快乐。意识不到这些的人，他们死后的境况，岂不是不如一条鱼，一只鸟或其它的动物，动物的灵魂不会永存，因而他们也就不会处于焦燥的等待之中。
若人死后就变成一缕气或一阵风，那他就或是会到处飘荡 ，或者按照一些传统，他们将处于边缘地带直到最后的审判的到来。
对于不能理性地思考的人们，从六千多年前创世时起的人们，他们岂不是一直处于焦燥的等待之中，焦燥与时俱增。他们或是在到处飘荡或是处于边缘地带，这岂不很悲惨。这其中包括亚当和他的妻子，亚伯拉罕，约伯等一切那一时代的人们。
这样想来，没有什么比生来就是人类更悲惨的事了。
但是主，耶和华给我们了完全不同的命运。与主相结合，遵守十诫的人死后会比在世间幸福，得到更多的祝福。因为人死后就成为精神的人了，所体会的是精神上的快乐，精神上的快乐超越自然的快乐数千倍。
1）参见《创世纪》25:8，17；《民数记》20；24，26；《申命记》32:50；《创世纪》15:15；《士师记》2:10；《列王记》22:20；《历代志》34:28；《使徒行传》13:36
29. Can anyone, who really wants to, fail to see in the light of reason that a person after death is not really a breath, which can hardly be thought of as anything but a puff of wind or air or ether; and that it is or contains his soul, longing and waiting for reunion with his body, so as to be able to enjoy the use of the senses and the things that delight them, as previously in the world? Is it not obvious that if this is what happened to him after death, he would be in a worse state than the fish, birds and land animals, whose souls do not live on, so that they have no longing or waiting to trouble them? If man after death were such a breath, a mere puff of wind, then it would either flit about in space, or, as some traditions insist, be stored in some Pu or, as the Fathers [of the early Church] call it, limbo until the Last Judgment. Does it not follow logically from that that those who have lived since the beginning of creation, a period estimated at six thousand years, 1are still in a similar state of worry, becoming progressively worse, since longing makes any period of waiting wearisome, and as time goes on more so? Hence must not these people still be flitting around in space or shut up in Pu, and therefore in utter misery? And this would be so for Adam and his wife, for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and everyone else from that date on?
The result of this would be that being born a man was the most lamentable fate imaginable. But it is the reverse of this which has been provided by the Lord, who is Jehovah from everlasting, the Creator of the universe. He has seen to it that a person who links himself to Him by living according to His commandments, is more blessed and happier after death than in the world before it. What makes a person more blessed and happier is that he is then spiritual, and a spiritual person feels and perceives spiritual pleasure, which so far surpasses natural pleasure that it is a thousand times greater.
Footnotes:
1. By Archbishop Ussher's Biblical chronology.
29. Who cannot see in accord with reason, if he is willing to see, that a person after death is not a bit of breath, of which he has no other idea than that it is like a puff of wind, or like air or ether, which is or in which is the person's soul, longing and waiting for union with its body so that it may enjoy sensations and the pleasures of the senses as it did before in the world? Who cannot see that if this were the case with a person after death, his condition would be worse than the condition of fishes, birds and animals of the earth, whose souls do not live on and so do not exist in a state of such anxious suspense from longing and waiting?
If a person after death were such a bit of breath and thus a puff of wind, either he would then be flitting around the universe, or, according to the traditions of some, he would be kept in some sort of nether world, or as the church fathers call it, in limbo, until the Last Judgment.
Who using his reason cannot conclude accordingly that people who have lived from the beginning of creation - a period reckoned at six thousand years - would still be in the same state of suspense, and in a progressively more anxious state of suspense, since all waiting with desire produces anxious suspense and with the passage of time increases it. And would not one conclude accordingly that they either must still be flitting around the universe or are being kept shut up in limbo, and so are in extreme misery? This would include Adam and his wife, likewise Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and likewise all the rest from that time.
According to this line of thinking, nothing would be more lamentable than to be born a human being.
But the opposite has been provided by the Lord, who is Jehovah from eternity and the Creator of the universe. He has provided that the condition of a person who conjoins himself with Him by living according to His commandments be more blessed and happy after death than his condition before it in the world, and that it be more blessed and happy for the reason that the person is then spiritual, and a spiritual person feels and experiences spiritual delight, which is superior to natural delight, because it exceeds it a thousand times.
29. Who cannot see from reason, if he wants to, that after death people are not a breath? A breath cannot conceivably be anything but a puff of wind, or some airy, ethereal thing that is the soul of a person, or has the soul in it, hoping and waiting for a reunion with its body so it can enjoy its senses and their pleasures in the world as before. Who cannot see that if people were like that after death they would be worse off than the fish, birds, and animals on earth, whose souls do not live, and therefore are not so anxious from longing and waiting? If people were just a breath and a puff of wind like that after death, then they would either be fluttering around the universe or, according to some traditions, confined in some waiting place, or with the Fathers, in limbo until the Last Judgment.
Anyone can rationally conclude from this that those who have lived since the first creation, which is thought to be six thousand years ago, would still be in a state of anxiety like that, and becoming more anxious all the time, because all waiting and longing breed anxiety and intensify the anxiety from moment to moment. So they would still be fluttering around the universe or would be kept closed up somewhere and therefore in extreme misery. The same goes for Adam and his wife, for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and for all the other people who have lived since that time. As a result, nothing would be more lamentable than to be born human.
But the Lord, who is Jehovah from eternity and Creator of the universe, has provided just the opposite - that people who have joined themselves together with Him by a life according to His directions have more blessed and happier circumstances after death than they had before it in the world. And what makes it more blessed and happier is that they are spiritual then, and a spiritual person feels and takes in spiritual pleasure, which is far greater than worldly pleasure because it is a thousand times as good.
29. Who cannot see from reason, if he is willing to see, that man after death is not a breath? of which there is no other idea than as of a puff of wind or as of air or ether; a breath, namely, which or in which is a man's soul, desiring and awaiting conjunction with its body that it may have the enjoyment of its senses and the delights thereof, as before in the world. Who cannot see that if such were the case with man after death, his state would be worse than that of fishes and birds and of animals of the earth, whose souls do not live, and who therefore are not in such anxiety from desire and expectation. If, after death, man were such a breath and puff of wind, then he must either be flitting about in the universe or, according to the traditions of some, be reserved in some Pu, 1or, according to the Fathers, in limbo, until the Last Judgment. Who cannot thence conclude from reason, that those who have lived since first creation--a period computed to be six thousand years--would still be in a like anxious state, and progressively more anxious; for all expectation from desire causes anxiety and from time to time increases it. They would then either be still flitting about in the universe or be kept shut up in Pu, and so would be in extreme misery. Such would be the case with Adam and his wife; with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and likewise with all others since that time. Hence it would follow that nothing would be more lamentable than to be born a man. On the contrary, it is provided by the Lord, who is Jehovah from eternity and the Creator of the universe, that the state of the man who conjoins himself with Him by a life according to His Commandments, is more blessed and happy after death than before it in the world; and that it is the more blessed and happy from the fact that the man is then spiritual, and the spiritual man sensates and perceives spiritual delight, which is pre-eminently above natural delight, exceeding it a thousandfold.
Footnotes:
1. Pu and Ubi are respectively the Greek and Latin words meaning "Somewhere." They were formerly used as theological terms to designate the abode of souls while waiting for reunion with their bodies. Such souls were also said to be "in limbo" (in the border land).
29. Who cannot in reason see, if he will, that after death man is not a breath, of which we can only conceive as a puff of wind or as air or ether, and yet of which we are to think that it (or in it) is man's soul, wanting and awaiting reunion with its body, in order to enjoy the senses and their pleasures again as in the world? Who cannot see that if this were man's state after death, it would be meaner than that of the fishes, birds and beasts of the earth, whose souls do not survive and so are not in such suspense from longing and expectation? Were man such a breath or a waft of air after death, either he would be flying about in the universe or, according to the traditions of some, would be confined until the Last Judgment in some unknown place or with the Fathers in limbo. Who would not be forced to conclude that those who have lived from the original creation, put at six thousand years, are still in this suspense - indeed, in increasing anxiety, since expectation from longing always causes anxiety, which also grows with the lapse of time? Or that they must still be flying about in the universe, or held confined in some unknown place, and so be in extreme misery? So Adam and his wife; so Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and so all the rest from that time onward? Nothing then would be more lamentable than to be born a human being. On the contrary, the Lord, Who is Jehovah from eternity and the Creator of the world, has provided that the state of a man united with Him by a life according to His commandments, is more blessed and happy after death than it was in the world before death. The human lot becomes more blessed and happy after death because man is then a spiritual being, who senses and perceives spiritual enjoyment, which surpasses natural enjoyment, exceeding it a thousandfold.
29. Who cannot see, from reason, if he is willing to see, that man after death is not a breath, of which there is no notion but as of a puff of wind, or of air or ether, and that this or in this is man's soul, which desires and expects to be conjoined with his body, so that he may enjoy the senses and their pleasures, as before in the world? Who cannot see that if it were so with man after death his state would be worse than that of the fishes and birds and animals of the earth, whose souls do not live, and therefore, are not in such anxiety from desire and expectation? If after death man were such a breath and puff of wind, then must he either be flitting about in the universe, or according to the traditions of some, be reserved in a certain somewhere (Pu), or according to the Fathers in limbo until the last judgment. Who would not in reason conclude from this that they who have lived since the first creation - which is computed to be six thousand years - would still be in a like anxious state, and progressively in a more anxious state; for all expectation from desire causes anxiety and from time to time increases it. They would then either be still flitting about in the universe, or kept shut up in Pu, and thus be in extreme misery. So would it be with Adam and his wife; so with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and with all others since that time. Hence it would follow that nothing would be so lamentable as to be born a man. But the Lord, Who is Jehovah from eternity and the Creator of the universe, has provided the opposite of this; that the state of the man who conjoins himself with Him, by a life according to His commandments, is more blessed and happy after death than before it in the world; and that he is the more blessed and happy from the fact that man is then spiritual, and the spiritual man feels and perceives spiritual delight, which is pre-eminently above natural delight, for it exceeds it a thousand-fold.
29. Quis non ex ratione videre potest, si vult videre, quod homo post mortem non sit Pneuma, de quo non alia idea est, quam sicut de halitu venti, aut de aere et aethere, et quod illud aut in illo sit anima hominis, quae desiderat et exspectat conjunctionem cum suo corpore, ut possit frui sensibus, et horum oblectamentis, sicut prius in Mundo: quis non potest videre, quod si ita foret dum homine post mortem, status ejus vilior foret, quam status piscium, avium et animalium terrae, quorum animae non vivunt, et inde non in tali anxietate ex desiderio et exspectatione sunt. Si homo post mortem foret tale Pneuma, et sic halitus venti, tunc vel volitaret in universo, vel secundum quorundam traditiones reservaretur in quodam pu, aut cum Patribus in limbo, usque ad ultimum Judicium; quis inde non ex ratione concludere potest, quod illi qui vixerunt a prima creatione, e qua censentur sex millia annorum, adhuc in simili statu anxio essent, et progressive in anxiori, quia omnis exspectatio ex desiderio anxietatem facit, et a tempore ad tempus adauget illam; proinde quod illi adhuc vel volitarent in universo, vel inclusi tenerentur in pu, et sic in extrema miseria; similiter Adamus et ejus Uxor; similiter Abraham, Isac et Jacob; et similiter omnes reliqui ab illo tempore. Ex 1his sequitur, quod nihil lamentabilius foret, quam nasci homo. Sed contrarium provisum est a Domino, qui est Jehovah ab aeterno, et Creator universi, quod status hominis, qui se conjungit cum Ipso per vitam secundum praecepta Ipsius, beatior et felicior sit post mortem, quam ante illam in Mundo, et quod beatior et felicior sit ex eo, quod homo tunc spiritualis sit, ac spiritualis homo sentit et percipit jucundum spirituale, quod supereminens est prae jucundo naturali, quia millies excedit illud.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: Et