6087. About Queen Christina 1
She lived in a quite elegant house; the interior meubler 2were dazzling. There were servants for the chores, not entirely personal, yet serving to make [life] comfortable. She has some spiritual work that corresponds to sewing. C[harles] XII 3went there to talk and in the end left. There was a long, vaulted arcade. Later she was telling how she had spoken with Cardinals in Rome, with the usual different pleasantries, each time playing a kind of a mental game with them, using various things she made up through which she pictured many things that caught their interest. As for example, that she wanted naked people to appear before them; to which they replied that this could not be done and was indecent to speak of. She said that it was decent because to go naked is always to be seen in pure truths, which they approved. She was showing what she was like in various ways.
[2] Then she related various things about how she had spoken with the Pope, whom she also had occasionally entertained in her ways. And she was asked what she thought about Christ. She replied that He was the High Pope, to which he replied that He was not, because He had given the power to Peter and so to himself. He said that this had been said about the Son of God, by whom he understood the Human from the mother. But she replied that she had understood the Son of God from eternity, who is equal to the Father, and because the Father was above Pope, He too was. And to this the Pope, reflecting, could make no reply, hoping nonetheless that she would not speak to others. But she insisted, nonetheless, that it could not be otherwise. Later she spoke with cardinals of the time and told them they should swear to the creed of Athanasius. They said that they had already sworn, but by her pleasant ways she urged them to affirm it further with an oath, which was done. Then she said that it states there that His Divine was in His Human just as the soul is in the body, and that thus they are one Person. And then she strongly insisted that they not separate [them], because the body without a soul is not human, and is not something that could give something, so that His soul would have given what was its own, because they are one. And consequently the Son of God as to both could not give what He already possessed.
Today too she was tormenting the Cardinals, and they are unable to reply. They acknowledged that the Lord, because the Divine and Human is one Person, is above the Pope and that He must be acknowledged. They went over to her and acceded [to her belief], because she enticed them with her games and personal conversation, because she was a queen. She also told the Cardinals that the papal power is Divine, because according to their doctrine it was given to the Son who also was God. He was able to accept it, because He was God and the only-begotten Son, but to give Divine power to a man who is not God, this the intellect cannot grasp. And she also asked what is understood by Peter, and the Pope replied there the Lord [is understood], and so on.
Footnotes:
1. Kristina Augusta (1626-1689), daughter of Gustav II Adolph; ruled Sweden from 1633-1654.
2. Swedish for "furniture"
3. For information on this person see footnote to passage 4704.
6087. QUEEN CHRISTINA.
She dwelt in a house, which was quite elegant and splendid from such things as were within [meubler 1]. There were servants there to attend upon her, but not altogether her own - still, sufficient for politeness. She is in a certain spiritual world which corresponds to spinning. Thither went C[harles] XII, in order to talk; and at length they went out. It was through a spacious, paneled gallery. Immediately afterwards, she told how she conversed with the Cardinals in Rome; which was in a familiar way with all kinds of pleasantries, always bantering them, as it were, yet understandingly, by various devices, whereby she represented many things which charmed [their] minds: she wished, for example, [persons] to appear naked before them; to which they replied, saying, that this could not be, and would be unbecoming. She said, that it was becoming, because to go naked is always to appear in pure truths; to which they assented. She showed in various ways what sort she was.
She next related various things, how she conversed with the Pope, whom, also, she sometimes pleased by her ways; and, being asked what she thought of Christ, she replied that He was the High Pope; to which he replied that He was not, because He gave the power to Peter, and thus to him. He said that [she] affirmed this of the Son of God, by whom he meant the human from the mother; but she replied that [He is] the Son of God from eternity, who is equal to the Father, and, since the Father was above the Pope, He was also. To this, the Pope, on reflection, could make no reply: nevertheless, he wished her not to tell others; but, still, [she] insisted that it could not be otherwise. - After this, she spoke with the Cardinals, and told them to swear themselves upon the creed of Athanasius. They said they had sworn it before; but she compelled them, by her pleasant ways, to affirm it yet again with a certain oath - which was done. She then said, that it is there laid down that His Divine was in His Human, like the soul in the body, and that thus it is One Person; and then she strenuously insisted that they must not separate them, - that, since the body apart from its soul is not a man, there is not anything that could give anything; consequently, that His soul had given what was its own [to His body], inasmuch as they are one; and that thus the Son of God, as respects both [soul and body], is not able to give away what He still possesses.
Today, also, she bantered the Cardinals, nor were they able to reply. They confessed that the Lord, since the Divine and Human constitute one Person, was above the Pope, and ought to be so acknowledged. They gave way to her, and assented; for she fascinated them by those pleasantries and her familiar talk, because she was a queen. She also told the Cardinals that the papal power is Divine, since, according to their doctrine, it was given to the Son, who also was God, and who was able to receive it because He was God and the Only begotten Son; but to bestow Divine Power on a man who is not God, this the understanding does not accept. She also asked what is meant by the Rock [Petram]. The Pope replied that it was the Lord and so forth.
Footnotes:
1. A French word meaning, to furnish. -TR.
6087. De Regina Christina
Illa habitabat in domo, quae satis decora, splendida ex talibus quae intus meubler, 1
ibi erant servitia, ad usum, sed non prorsus propria, usque inservientia pro blando, est in aliquo opere spirituali, quod correspondet netioni; illuc ivit C. XII, ut loqueretur, et tandem exibant, erat per porticum lacunatam longam: postea illa loquens quomodo cum Cardinalibus in Roma loquuta, quod fuit per jucunda varia familiariter, semper sicut ludens cum illis cum intellectu tamen, per varia inventa, per quae repraesentabat plura, quae animos captabant; ut quod vellet ut nudi apparent coram illis, ad quae respondebant quod hoc non fieri posset et esset indecorum dicere, illa dixit quod esset decorum, quia nudum ire est semper in puris veris apparere, quod approbarunt; ostendens illa variis qualis esset.
[2] Dein retulit varia quomodo loquuta est cum Papa, quem etiam suis modis quandoque oblectabat, et interrogata quid cogitaret de Christo, respondit quod esset Superpapa, ad quod [ille] respondebat quod non, quia potestatem dedit Petro et sic sibi, dixit quod hoc dixerit de Filio Dei, per quem ille intellexit Humanum ex matre, sed illa respondit quod [intellexerit] Filium Dei ab aeterno, qui aequalis Patri, et quia Pater esset super Papa, etiam Ille esset, ad quae Papa meditans nihil respondere potuit, volens tamen ut non aliis dicat, sed instabat tamen quod non posset aliter esse. Postea loquuta est cum cardinalibus tunc, et dixit, ut jurent sibi super symbolo Athanasii, qui dicebant quod prius juraverint, sed adegit illos per jucunda sua ut adhuc affirmarent aliquo juramento, quod factum est, tunc dixit, quod ibi legatur quod Divinum Ipsius fuerit in Humano Ipsius sicut anima in corpore, et quod sic una Persona, et tunc instabat fortiter ut non separent, quia corpus absque sua anima non est homo, quod sit non aliquid quod dare aliquid posset, ita quod anima Ipsius dedisset quod suum esset, quia unum sunt, [et] quod sic Filius Dei quoad utrumque non dare posset quod adhuc possidebat.
[3] Hodie etiam vexabat Cardinales, nec posunt illi respondere, agnoscebant quod Dominus quia Divinum et Humanum est una Persona, esset supra Papam, et quod agnoscendus, recedunt ad illam et accedunt, quia allicit illis lusoriis et sermone familiari, quia fuit regina. Dixit etiam ad Cardinales, quod potentia papalis sit Divina, quia secundum eorum doctrinam illa data est Filio qui etiam erat Deus, qui illam posset recipere quia erat Deus et unigenitus Filius, sed Divinam potentiam dare homini qui non Deus, hoc non capit intellectus, tum quaesivit quid intelligitur per Petram, respondit Papa quod Dominus, et sic porro.
Footnotes:
1. = mobel = supellex (vox suecica)