3481. When I was conducted by them into such fantasies, so that I would be extricated from them I was inspired to ask whether they could conceive of anything existing beyond the borders of the universe, whether there was space outside of the universe, or whether this [stretched] into infinity, for one cannot conceive of any termination if one conceives of space. Thus how can space be without space, or infinite - a quality that cannot be ascribed to space (some suppose God to be there, because He is infinite).
So those who entertained those reasonings in bodily life, because of having such a fantasy, seemed to themselves to be led off outside of the universe, and some of them even declared when they were there that all was well with them, and that they wanted to pass their time there, removed from the troubles they had in the created universe. But while being held in that fantasy that they were outside of the universe - for everything appears to them according to their fantasies - then they began reasoning about that non-space outside the universe as being endless, so they seemed to themselves to advance still farther, until at length they saw certain ones there, who addressed them, whom I also heard speaking, saying they were at the boundary outside the universe, and that they were themselves the boundaries, and if any approached them, they would swallow them up. In this manner they terrified them with the prospect of being devoured if they should venture still farther. They seemed, due to their terror, as if they were being swallowed up, imagining they were becoming nothing, and completely vanishing.
Those who were at the boundary, or who were the boundaries, were described as being just like statues, but neither of stone nor of wood, and that they were indeed animate, and yet not animate; whether cold or hot, could not be said, rather both. They were those who had had that fantasy in the life of the body, who had confused the infinite Divine with infinite space, so that they can in no wise conceive of the infinite Divine except as endless space - for which reason also, because they cannot conceive of infinite space, neither do they admit to the infinite Divine.
3481. When I was myself led by them into such phantasies, in order that I might get free from them by having their fallacy exposed, it was given to ask them, whether they could conceive of anything existing beyond the bounds of the universe; whether there were any space without the universe; and if there were, whether this extended to infinity; for no termination can be conceived if space is conceived; thus how there could be space without space, or the infinite, which cannot be predicated of space (:some suppose that there God is, because he is infinite:) wherefore those who had been in such phantastic conceits in the life of the body, appeared to themselves to be conveyed without the universe; and some of them, when there, armed their condition to be so much to their mind, that they wished to remain there, aloof from the [troubles and] annoyances to which they were subject in the created universe. But while held in the phantasy that they were out of the universe, as things appeared to them according to their phantasy, they then began to reason concerning that non-space beyond the universe, as having no limit; wherefore they seemed to themselves to advance still farther, till at length they saw there certain beings, who spoke to them, and whom I also heard speaking, and saying, that they were in the terminus beyond the universe, and in fact that they themselves were termini, and if they approached that they should swallow them up. Whereupon they were smitten with terror in the prospect of being devoured if they ventured farther, and indeed seemed, from the effect of their terror, to be, as it were, actually devoured; thus deeming themselves reduced to nothing, and compelled to vanish away. Those who thus stood in the terminus, or as being themselves termini, were described as a kind of statues, yet neither of stone nor wood, but as somehow animated, and yet not animated; whether cold or hot, could not be determined, but they seemed to be both. These [reasoners] were those who in the life of the body had been in such a phantasy, viz., that of confounding the Divine infinite with infinite space, so that they could not conceive the infinite of the Lord except by the infinite of space; wherefore because they could not conceive the infinite of space, neither do they admit the infinite of the Lord.
3481. cum inductus ab iis in tales phantasias, ut explicarer ab iis, dabatur iis dicere, num concipere possint existere aliquid extra terminos universi, num aliquid spatii esset extra universum, tum si spatium extra universum, annon hoc in infinitum, nam nullus terminus concipi potest si spatium conciperetur, sic quomodo sit spatium absque spatio, seu infinitum, quod de spatio praedicari nequit, (quidam putant ibi esse Deum, quia infinitus) , quare ii qui in talibus fuerunt in vita corporis, quia in tali phantasia, visi sunt sibi deduci extra universum, et quidem aliqui eorum, cum ibi essent, dicebant quod sic bene iis, et quod vellent ibi degere, sic remoti a molestiis, quae in universo creato; sed cum tenerentur in ea phantasia quod essent extra universum, nam secundum phantasias eorum apparent [omnia] iis, tunc ratiocinatum de eo non spatio extra universum, quod absque ne, quare ulterius videbantur sibi pergere, tandem videbant quosdam ibi, qui alloquuti eos, quos quoque audivi loquentes, quod ii sint in termino extra universum, et quod ii essent termini, et si accederent ad eos, quod eos deglutirent, ita iis terrorem incutiebat, ne ulterius pergerent, ne deglutirentur, visi ex terrore quasi deglutirentur; putantes sic nihil fieri et prorsus evanescere, describebantur ii qui in termino, seu qui termini, quod quidem quasi statuae, sed non lapideae, nec ligneae, et quidem quod animatae, sed usque non animatae, num frigidi vel calidi, non potuit dici, sed utrumque: erant ii, qui in tali phantasia fuerunt in vita corporis, qui infinitum Divinum confuderunt cum infinito spatii, sic ut nusquam concipere possint infinitum Divinum, nisi per infinitum spatii, quare etiam quia non concipere possunt infinitum spatii, nec admittunt infinitum Divinum.