690. About two persons shortly after death with whom I spoke
There were two I had known during their bodily life, [whom I met,] one about six months, the other about two months after they had died. They were as if in dreams, because in their fantasy, they were entirely unaware that they were in the other life, thinking they still lived in the body. Speaking with them a little, I pointed out that they were in the other life, and they still could not believe it until it was vividly proven to them. They behaved exactly as they had in bodily life, clinging to the same fantasies.
690. 1/2. One of them had been quite learned and esteemed in earthly matters. His belief was communicated to me, and it was such, as I was able to learn in a spiritual way, that there was none at all - it had been completely suffocated by earthly knowledge. He did not believe in a life after death, in the existence of spirits, much less in a heaven, to such a degree had his faith been buried in the sciences.
690. CONCERNING TWO WITH WHOM I CONVERSED SOON AFTER THEIR DEATH
There were two who had been known to me during the life of the body, one of whom had died about six months ago, the other about two months. They were as though in a dream, because in their phantasies they were altogether ignorant that they were in the other life, supposing that they were still living in the body. After I had told them certain things, I showed them that they were in the other life; still they could not believe it, until it was shown them to the life. They behaved themselves just as they had done in the life of the body; they inhered in similar phantasies.
690 1/2. One of them was quite learned in earthly things, and was esteemed. His faith was communicated to me. It was such, as I could recognize in a spiritual manner, as to be altogether nothing, for it was entirely suffocated by earthly sciences, so that he did not believe in a life after death, in the existence of spirits, still less in a heaven. Thus his faith was buried in the sciences.
690. De binis recens post mortem, cum quibus loquutus
Bini erant, mihi in vita eorum corporis noti, unus circiter post 6 menses 1
, alter circiter post 2 menses 2
, quo mortuus est, ii erant quasi in somniis, quia in suis phantasiis nesciebant 3
prorsus quod essent in altera vita, putantes se adhuc vivere in corpore, cum quibus aliquid 4
loquutus ostendebam quod in altera vita essent, nec usque potuerunt credere, antequam id iis ad vivum ostensum est; prorsus se gerebant, sicut in vita corporis, similibus phantasiis in haerebant.
690a. Quidam eorum in iis quae terrestria sunt satis doctus e aestimatus, ejus fides mihi communicata est, quae talis erat sicut spiritualiter cognoscere potui, quod nulla prorsus esset, sed prorsus a scientiis terrestribus suffocata, sic ut non crederet vitam post mortem, existentiam spirituum, minus coelum, ita erat fides ejus sepulta in scientiis.
Footnotes:
1. exitus inclarus in the Manuscript, forte ium
2. vide annotationem 2
3. The Manuscript has phantasiis, nesciebant
4. In the Manuscript aliqud in aliquid emendatum sed erronee aliqudi