3101. About a certain Jewish robber who thought he could take some gold coins away from me
What the life of evil spirits after death is like can be clear from the fact that they sometimes thought themselves able to carry off whatever they saw. Now there was also a Jew from among the robbers to whom I was showing several gold coins, who was thinking he would like to carry them off, not knowing but that he was a person on earth and could therefore do so. So the coins were left for him to take away, and it also seemed to him that he had carried them off in fantasy. When I showed him that they remained and that it was a fantasy of his, he declared, dumbfounded, that he now realized that he was a spirit. But I know that he still soon knew no differently than before. From this one may conclude what the life of evil spirits after death is like. To good spirits, however, when the fact is made plain to them that they are spirits, reflection is granted them by the Lord so that they may know from then on.
3101. CONCERNING A CERTAIN ROBBER WHO WAS A JEW, AND WHO SUPPOSED THAT HE WAS ABLE TO TAKE AWAY FROM ME GOLD COINS.
What is the nature of evil spirits after death may hence be apparent that sometimes they supposed themselves able to carry off the things which they saw. Even now, there was a Jew [one] of the robbers, to whom I showed several gold coins, who supposed that he wished to carry off these things, not knowing other than that he was a man and thus was able [to do so]. (Wherefore the coins were left for him to carry off and from phantasy he seemed to himself to have abstracted them. When I had showed him that [the coins] were [still] remaining, and [that it] was his phantasy, he was amazed and said that he now apperceives that he is a spirit. But I know that immediately [after], he still did not know other than before. Hence may be inferred the quality of life of evil spirits, after death. But when it is manifest to good spirits that [they are] spirits, reflection is given by the Lord, so that they may know more than that.
3101. De quodam latrone Judaeo, qui putabat se auferre mihi posse nummos aureos
Qualis vita malorum spirituum post mortem sit, inde constare potest, quod quandoque putaverint se posse auferre ea quae videbant; nunc quoque erat Judaeus ex 1
latronibus, cui ostendebam aliquot nummos aureos, qui putabat se velle eos 2
auferre, non aliter sciens quam quod homo, et sic posset; quare relicti nummi ut auferret, visus sibi quoque abstulisse eos ex phantasia; cum ostendissem ei quod remanerent, et phantasia ejus esset, obstupescens dicebat se nunc appercipere esse spiritum; sed scio, quod mox usque non aliter sciret 3
ac prius; inde qualis vita spirituum malorum post mortem concludi potest. Bonis autem spiritibus 4
cum id manifestum est, quod spiritus, datur reflexio a Domino, ut ulterius id sciant.
Footnotes:
1. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has est
2. The Manuscript has ea
3. in J.F.I. Tafel's edition sciat
4. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has Boni autem spiritus