5244. After this I was led down beyond the surrounding area where the Mohammedans are, to the gentiles who are toward the east, to whom I traveled down along the slope of the earth. I was granted to speak with them. They said that they were sad that the Divinity does not appear to them and that nonetheless they are thinking about the Divinity, worshiping and speaking about Him. They said that if there is a Divine Being, He is going to send those who will teach them, but that they have waited for this for a long time in vain. Consequently they believe that He has deserted them entirely, on which account they can see no other than that they are going to perish. But then angels spoke with them from heaven, saying that it had not been possible for the Divinity to be manifested to them because they have not wanted to believe that God has been born Man in the world, and that until they believe this, nothing can be revealed to them, because this is the principal and the fundamental of all revelation. They said that they do truly believe that God is Man, but that they cannot believe that God was born Man in the world because they cannot comprehend this. But it was said to them in reply that He was not born Man in the world in the way another person is since He was not born from a human father but from Jehovah Himself, who is the Father Himself, and that He was born from a virgin and consequently not conceived and born the way another person is, and that when He went out of the world, He rose with all that is Human and left nothing whatever behind. Thus He arose differently than all other human beings, who leave behind the whole body they carried in the world and never take it on again. The fact that no one takes it on again everyone in heaven can understand: they had all been people in the world.
m The human soul, I believe, is made of substances. It is not life, but an entity receiving life. However, the soul of the Lord was life itself, which gives life to all. The difference is such as that between the finite in the Infinite, thus such as between the human and the Divine.n
[2] From this they realized that the Lord was a human being entirely different from the rest of human beings as regards both His First and His Last. It was said further that human beings are born from their fathers, whom they resemble as to affections, and that this derives from the father's soul, and also that the whole body is nothing but the organ of the life of its soul so that it acts as one with it, which is evident from the fact that whatever the soul thinks about and wills, the body does in an instant; consequently that such as is the soul, such is the whole person. It is also clear that thought and love shine forth from the face, so that the body is an image of its soul. From this is evident that the Human of the Lord could not become other than Divine in the image of His Father. Hearing these things they said they had not known otherwise than that He was simply like another man, born from a human father, and also that He had died as people do and after this was regarded by people as God, but that now they know that the Lord had not been such a Person as others in the world are.
It was further said that Christians are in error in that they make the Human of the Lord similar to the human of a person and call this His Human nature, and do not then think either about His conception from the Divine Itself or about His resurrection as just explained, when yet they have in their hands the Word which teaches them about all these things, and that all Christians, that is all in Europe, know from the Word that He was conceived from Jehovah and that He rose with the whole body He had in the world.
5244. After this, I was brought away beyond that circuit where the Mohammedans were, to the gentiles who were towards the east; to whom I was brought downwards, according to the slope of a globe. It was granted me, also, to speak with them. They said that they are sad, because the Divine does not appear to them; and yet that they think of the Divine, worship Him, and speak of Him. They said that if there is a Divine, He ought at least to send those who would teach them; but that they have expected this for a long time in vain - thus affirming that He has deserted them altogether - wherefore, they can see nothing for it but that they must perish. But angels then spoke with them out of heaven, saying, that the Divine could not be manifested to them because they were not willing to believe that God-Man was born in the world; and that until they believe this not anything can be revealed to them; for this is the very primary, and the very fundamental, of all revelations. They said that they do, indeed, believe that God is Man, but that they are not able to believe that God was born a Man in the world, because they are not able to comprehend it. They were answered, however, that He was not born a man in the world like another man, inasmuch as He was not born from a man-father, but that He was conceived of Jehovah Himself - Who was His Father - and was born of a virgin; and that, therefore, He was not conceived and born like another man also, that when He went away from the world, He rose with the whole Human and did not leave anything behind - thus differently from all other men, who leave in the world the whole body that they bore about them there, and never resume it. That nobody resumes it, all those who are there and in heaven, are competent to know - all having been men in the world. Hence they perceived that the Lord was altogether a different Man from the rest of men, both as to His First and as to His Ultimate. It was said, moreover, that men are born of their fathers, whom they resemble as to affections, and that this resemblance is a derivation from the soul of the father; also, that the whole body is nothing but the organ of the life of the soul, and therefore acts in unison with it: which is apparent from the fact, that, whatever the soul thinks and wills, this the body instantly performs; hence, as is the soul, such is the whole man. It is manifest, also, that thought and love shine forth from the face, and thus that the body is the image of its soul. Hence it is evident that the Human of the Lord could not become other than Divine, after the image of Its Father.
On hearing these things, they said that they knew no otherwise than that He was like another man, born of a man-father, and likewise so died, and was afterwards regarded by men as God; but that they now knew that the Lord was not such a Man, in the world, as others are. It was further said, that Christians err in this matter, because they make the Human of the Lord like the human of a man, and call this His Human Nature; and that they do not then think of His conception from the Divine Itself, nor of His resurrection, thus, [not] according to what has just been said - when, yet, they have the Word amongst them which teaches them of all these things: also, that all Christians, that is, all in Europe, know, from the Word, that He was conceived of Jehovah, and that He rose again with the whole body which He had in the world. 1
Footnotes:
1. On the margin of this number, in the Latin, the following note is printed "I believe that the soul of man is from a substantial [origin], not life but recipient of life but the Lord's soul was the Life itself which gives life to all; so that the distinction is as that between finite and infinite, thus as that between human and Divine."
5244. Postea deductus sum ultra illum ambitum ubi Mahumedani, ad gentiles qui versus orientem, ad quos ferebar deorsum secundum declivitatem globi, cum quibus datum est loqui, dicebant, quod maesti sint, quod Divinum non appareat illis, et quod tamen cogitent de Divino, colant et loquantur de eo, quod si Divinum sit, quod usque missurus qui docebunt illos, sed quod hoc frustra exspectatum diu, autumantes sic quod deseruerit illos prorsus, quare non aliud videre possint quam quod perituri: sed tunc loquebantur angeli cum illis e coelo, dicentes, quod non manifestari potuerit illis Divinum, quoniam non voluerunt credere, quod Deus Homo natus sit in mundo, et quod antequam id credant, non aliquid possit illis revelari, hoc enim est ipsum primum, et ipsum fundamentale omnium revelationis, dicebant quod quidem credant quod Deus Homo sit, sed quod non possint credere quod Deus natus sit Homo in mundo, quia hoc non comprehendere possint, sed illis responsum est, quod natus sit Homo in mundo non sicut alius homo, quoniam non a patre homine, sed quod conceptus ab Ipso Jehovah, Qui Pater Ipsius, et natus a virgine, et quod ita non conceptus et natus sit ut alius homo: tum quod cum abivit e mundo, resurrexerit cum toto Humano, et non quicquam reliquerit, sic aliter ac alius homo, qui totum corpus quod circumtulit in mundo relinquit ibi, et nusquam resumit: quod nemo resumat, scire possunt omnes illi qui ibi et in coelo, qui omnes fuerunt homines in mundo; inde percipiebant quod Dominus prorsus alius Homo fuerit quam homines reliqui, tam quoad Primum suum quam quoad Ultimum. 1
[2] Dicebatur porro quod homines nascantur ex suis patribus, quibus similes sunt quoad affectiones, et quod hoc trahatur ex anima patris, tum quod totum corpus non sit nisi organum vitae suae animae, ita unum agat cum illa, quod constat ex eo quod quicquid anima cogitat et vult, hoc agat corpus in instanti, inde qualis anima talis homo totus, quod etiam cogitatio et amor eluceat ex facie patet, sic ut corpus sit instar suae animae, inde constat quod Humanum Domini non aliter potuerit fieri quam Divinum ad instar sui Patris. His auditis dicebant, quod non aliter sciverint, quam quod fuerit sicut alius homo, natus a patre homine, et quoque sic mortuus et dein acceptus ab hominibus pro Deo, sed quod nunc sciant quod Dominus non talis Homo fuerit in mundo, quales alii. Dictum porro, quod Christiani in eo errent quod Humanum Domini faciant simile humano hominis, et hoc appellent naturam Humanam Ipsius, et quod illi nec cogitent tunc de conceptione Ipsius ab Ipso Divino, nec de resurrectione Ipsius, ita ut mox dictum est: cum tamen apud se habent Verbum, quod docet illos de omnibus illis, et quod omnes Christiani, hoc est, omnes in Europa sciant ex Verbo, quod conceptus sit a Jehovah, et quod cum toto corpore quod habuit in mundo resurrexerit.
Footnotes:
1. Sidebar: Quia anima hominis sit ex substantiis credo, non vita, sed recipiens vitae, at anima Domini ipse vita, quae dat vitam omnibus, sic ut discrimen sit ut inter finitum et infinitum, ita ut inter humanum et Divinum.