4727. About the faith of Wolf 1
There was a certain individual renowned in the world of letters, who had written a great deal, even on theological subjects. Initially he had professed a belief in nature, but after having been warned, when he returned [to his writing] he pretended piety and a heartfelt confession of faith to such an extent that they had not known other than that he was a converted, good Christian. But he carried this faith only in his mouth, and the opposite was in his heart. This was clear from his confession before good spirits in the other life, where he was brought back into a state where he spoke from his own thought that he had in the world, not from pretense. He then confessed that he had never believed in any God, but that nature was everything. He said the reasons were:
1.) that God is never seen, nor heard, but is in hiding, and has been so for ages, and if there were a God, He would present himself to mankind to be seen so that they would believe;
2.) that nothing of a Divine providence appears;
3.) that the soul is nothing other than pneuma 2, which comes forth in this way from the inward organism, at the death of which the soul too is dissipated because it is only, so to speak, something atmospheric;
4.) that brute dumb animals think too and also will, some of them more cunningly and intelligently than people, as for instance, bears, dogs, mice and foxes, and what differs is so little as to be scarcely worth mentioning, as for example speech, which they do not have because they do not have such an organ, although parrots and the like do speak and know what they say;
5.) that the last Judgment has been awaited in vain for many centuries, and it is false that the stars will then fall from heaven onto earth, because the larger ones are planets, and likewise neither will the sun, which actually sits motionless in the center, besides other like things.
He confessed these things to good spirits, although he had actually said something else. From this the nature of the scholars of the world is clear, and it is clear that the most scholarly are atheists and that they confirm themselves [against belief in God] more than the rest. The more such concepts they have and the greater their self-confidence, the larger the stock they have of what is false; so that for them scholarship is a means to becoming insane. He was told that he had not believed he was going to live after death, that he now realizes that he is alive, and that previously he had thought falsely in this matter.
Footnotes:
1. Christian Wolff (also known as Wolfius), German philosopher.
2. Greek for a "breath of air, puff of wind" The word used here in the Latin, pneuma, is a traditional concept given various technical meanings by theologians, medical writers and philosophers of antiquity.
4727. CONCERNING THE FAITH OF WOLF.
There was a certain one very celebrated in the world of letters, who had written very much, even on theological matters. He was at first naturalistic; but when, afterwards, he was admonished, he turned round, and pretended to piety and confession of faith from the heart, to such a degree, that they knew no other than that he was a good converted Christian. But that he only did this with the mouth, and the contrary in the heart, is evident from his confession before good spirits in the other life, where he was reduced into such a state that he should speak from his thought which he had in the world, and not from simulation. He then confessed that he never believed in any God, but that nature was everything. He said his reasons were, first, that God is never seen nor heard, but that He is in secret, and this for ages; and that if there were a God, he should present himself to the sight of men, so that they might believe: second, that nothing of Divine Providence appears: third, that the soul is nothing but breath, which exists thus from the interior organisms, which being dead the soul also is dissipated, because that is only like an atmospheric affair: fourth, that brute animals also think, and will too, and some of them more dexterously and intelligently than man, as, for instance, the bear, dogs, mice, foxes; and what differs is so little that it is scarcely worthy to be mentioned. It is as to speech, which they do not have because they have not such an organism [as man]; but still parrots and the like speak, and they know what they say: fifth, that the last judgment has been expected in vain for so many ages, and that it is false that the stars will then fall from heaven upon the earth, because they are larger than the earth, and that the sun which still sits unmoved in the center will do likewise, besides other things of a similar kind. He admitted these things in the presence of good spirits, although he had spoken otherwise [in the world]. Hence it is evident of what quality are the learned of the world, and that the most learned are atheists, and that they confirm themselves more than the rest, according to the greater knowledge which they possess, greater self-confidence and greater abundance of confirmations of the false; so that learning is, to them, a means of becoming insane. It was said to him that [in the world] he did not believe that he was going to live after death, but that he now perceives that he lives, and that he formerly thought falsely in this respect.
4727. De fide Wolfii
Quidam famigeratissimus in orbe literato, qui perplura scripserat, etiam in theologicis, is primum fuit naturalista, sed postea admonitus, cum rediit, simulabat pietatem, et confessionem fidei ex corde, usque adeo, ut non aliud sciverint, quam quod esset bonus Christianus conversus; sed quod hoc tulerit solum ore, et contrarium corde, patet ab ejus confessione coram bonis spiritibus in altera vita, ubi redactus est in statum, ut loqueretur ex cogitatione sua quam in mundo habuit, et non ex simulatione; is tunc confessus quod nusquam aliquem deum crediderit, sed quod natura esset omne. Dicebat causas
1) quod nusquam videatur Deus, nec audiatur, sed quod in occulto sit, et hoc per saecula, et si Deus esset, quod se sisteret videndum hominibus ut crederent;
2) quod nihil providentiae Divinae appareat;
3) quod anima non sit nisi quam pneuma, quae ex organismo interiore ita existit, quo mortuo etiam dissipetur anima, quia illa est modo sicut atmosphaericum.
4) Quod bruta animalia cogitent etiam et quoque velint, et quaedam eorum callidius et intelligentius quam homo, sicut ursus, canes, mures, vulpes, et quod differt est sic parum ut vix mereatur dici, prout loquela, quae non illis est quia non talis organismus; at usque psittaci et similes loquuntur, et sciunt quid dicunt.
5) Quod ultimum judicium sit exspectatum per tam multa saecula in vanum, et quod id falsum quod tunc stellae cadent e coelo in terram, quia majores sunt terra, et quod sol similiter, qui tamen immotus sedet in centro, praeter alia similia; quae confessus est coram bonis spiritibus, tametsi aliter ore gesserat; inde patet quales eruditi orbis sunt, ac quod eruditissimi sint athei, et quod se plus confirment quam reliqui, qui plus cognitionis habent, plus confidentiae sui, majorem copiam confirmationum falsi, sic ut eruditio illis sit medium insaniendi; dictum ei quod non crediderit se victurum post mortem, quod nunc percipiat quod vivat, et quod prius in hoc false cogitaverit.