155、若不将时空从思维中剔除，创造本身无法向人解释清楚；不过，一旦剔除，就能理解了。若你能，或尽你所能剔除时空，将头脑专注于从时空抽象出来的观念，你就会发现，最大的空间和最小的空间之间没有任何区别；这时你对宇宙创造的观念，与对宇宙中细节创造的观念必是一样的。你还会发现，受造物的多样性源于这一事实：神-人里面有无限事物，因而从祂首先发出的太阳里面也有无数事物；这些无数事物如同存在于神-人里面无限事物的一个形像中那样存在于受造宇宙中。正因如此，无论在什么地方，都不可能找到两样完全相同的事物。万物的多样性由此而来，这种多样性在自然界连同空间，在灵界连同空间的表象是可见的；它是总体和细节的多样性。以下是第一部分论证的要点，如：神-人里面的无限事物是有区别的一体(17－22节)；宇宙万物是由神性之爱与神性智慧创造的(52,53节)；受造宇宙中的一切事物都是神-人的神性之爱与神性智慧的接受者(54－60节)；神性不在空间中(7－10节)；神性充满一切空间，却无关空间(69－72节)；神性在最大和最小之物上是一样的(77－82节)。
155. Creation itself cannot be described intelligibly unless you banish space and time from your thoughts; but it can be understood if you banish them. If you can, or to the extent that you can, banish them and keep your mind on an image that is devoid of space and time. If you do, you will notice that there is no difference between the largest expanse and the smallest, and you will inevitably have the same image of the creation of the universe and of the creation of any particular feature of the universe. You will see that the diversity in created things arises from the fact that there are infinite things in the Divine-Human One and therefore unlimited things in that sun that is the first emanation from him, and those unlimited things emerge in the created universe as their reflections, so to speak. This is why there cannot be one thing identical to another anywhere. This is the cause of that variety of all things that meet our eyes in the context of space in this physical world, and in the appearance of space in the spiritual world. The variety is characteristic of both aggregates and details.
I presented the following points in part 1: Infinite things are distinguishably one in the Divine-Human One (17-22); everything in the universe was created by divine love and wisdom (52-53 [52-54]); everything in the created universe is a vessel for the divine love and wisdom of the Divine-Human One (54-60 [55-60]); Divinity is not in space (7-10); Divinity fills all space nonspatially (69-72); and Divinity is the same in the largest and smallest things (77-82).
155. Creation itself cannot be explained to human comprehension unless one removes from his thinking any thought of space and time. But if these are removed, it can be comprehended.
Remove if you can, or as far as you can, thought of space and time, and keep your mind intent on an idea abstracted from these. You will then perceive there to be no difference between a large interval of space and an infinitesimal one, and in that case you cannot but have the same idea of the creation of the universe as of the creation of particular elements in the universe. You will also perceive that the diversity in created things arises from the fact that there are infinite elements in the human God, and consequently an indefinite number of elements in the sun which is the first emanation from Him - an indefinite number of elements which appear as in a reflected image in the created universe. That is the reason it is impossible to find anywhere one thing identical to another. That is the reason for the variety in all things, a variety visible to the eye together with space in the natural world, and in an appearance of space in the spiritual world. And that variety exists both in general characteristics and in particular ones.
These are points that we demonstrated in Part One. As for example, that the infinite elements in the human God are, in a distinct combination, one (nos. 17-22). That everything in the universe has been created by Divine love and wisdom (nos. 52-54). That everything in the created universe is a recipient of the Divine love and wisdom of the human God (nos. 55-60). That the Divine does not exist in space (nos. 7-10). That the Divine fills every space and interval of space independently of space (nos. 69-72). That the Divine in the greatest and least of things is the same (nos. 77-82).
155. Creation itself cannot be brought within the comprehension unless space and time are removed from thought, but if these are removed, it can be comprehended. Remove them, if you can, or as much as you can, and keep your mind in an idea abstracted from space and time, and you will perceive there is no difference between the maximum and the minimum of space. Then, too, you cannot but have a similar idea of the creation of the universe as of the creation of the particulars in the universe. You will also have the idea that the diversity in created things springs from this, that there are infinite things in God-Man, and hence innumerable things in the Sun which is the first proceeding from Him, and these innumerable things exist as in an image [of the Infinite things in God-Man] in the created universe. Hence it is that no one thing can be identical with another. From this comes the variety of all things which is presented to sight in the natural world together with space, and in the spiritual world in an appearance of space. And it is a variety of general and individual things. These are the things which have been pointed out in Part I, namely that in God-Man infinite things are one distinctly (17-22); that all things in the universe were created by the Divine Love and Wisdom (52, 53); that all things in the created universe are recipients of the Divine Love and Wisdom of God-Man (54-60) that the Divine is not in space (7-10); that the Divine apart from space fills all spaces (69-72); that the Divine is the same in things greatest and least (77-82).
155. Creation itself cannot be brought within man's comprehension unless space and time are removed from thought; but if these are removed, it can be comprehended. Removing these if you can, or as much as you can, and keeping the mind in ideas abstracted from space and time, you will perceive that there is no difference between the maximum of space and the minimum of space; and then you cannot but have a similar idea of the creation of the universe as of the creation of the particulars therein; you will also perceive that diversity in created things springs from this, that there are infinite things in God-Man, consequently things without limit in the sun which is the first proceeding from Him; these countless things take form, as in an image, in the created universe. From this it is that no one thing can anywhere be precisely the same as another. From this comes that variety of all things which is presented to sight, in the natural world, together with space, but in the spiritual world with appearance of space; and it is a variety both of generals and of particulars. These are the things that have been pointed out in Part I., where it is shown that in God-Man
infinite things are one distinctly (n. 17-22); that all things in the universe were created by Divine Love and Divine Wisdom, n. 52, 53); that all things in the created universe are recipients of the Divine Love and of the Divine Wisdom of God-Man (n. 54-60); that the Divine is not in space (n. 7-10); that the Divine apart from space fills all spaces (n. 66 - 72); that the Divine is the same in things greatest and least (n. 77-82).
155. Ipsa Creatio non potest ad captum tradi, si non a cogitatione removeantur spatium et tempus; at si haec removentur, comprehendi potest: remove, si potes, aut quantum potes, et tene mentem in idea abstracta a spatio et tempore, ac percipies maximum spatii et minimum spatii nihil differre, et tunc non potes habere nisi similem ideam de Creatione Universi, quam de Creatione singularium in Universo; et quod diversitas in creatis existat ex eo, quod Infinita in Deo Homine sint, et inde indefinita in Sole, qui est primum procedens ab Ipso, et haec indefinita existunt sicut in imagine in Universo creato; inde est, quod non possit dari alicubi unum idem cum altero; inde est varietas omnium, quae sistitur coram oculis una cum spatio in Mundo naturali, et in apparentia spatii in Mundo spirituali: ac varietas est communium et est singularium. Haec sunt quae in Prima Parte sunt demonstrata; ut, Quod in Deo Homine Infinita distincte unum sint, 17-22. Quod omnia in universo a Divino Amore et Divina Sapientia creata sint, 52-54. 1 Quod omnia in Universo Creato sint Divini Amoris et Divinae Sapientiae Dei Hominis recipientia, 55-56 2 . Quod Divinum non sit in spatio, 7-10. Quod Divinum impleat omnia spatia absque spatio, 69-72. Quod Divinum in maximis et minimis sit idem, 77-82.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: 52-53.
2. Prima editio: 54