Sermon 25 — Now I know truly that the Lord has sent his angel

Pfeiffer Sermon 25Middle High German + EnglishAbout this edition

Original Source (Middle High German)

English Translation

Nunc scio vere, quia misit dominus angelum suum (Act. XII, 11.).

Dô Pêtrus von dem gewalte des hôhen obersten gotes wart ûz dem gebende sîner gevancnisse erlediget, dô sprach er 'nû weiz ich wærlîche, daz mir got sînen engel hât gesant unde hât mich erlôst von dem gewalte Herôdis unde von den henden der vienden.'

Nû kêren wir daz wort umbe unde sprechen: wan mir got sînen engel hât gesant, dâ von bekenne ich wærlîche. Pêtrus sprichet als vil als bekantnisse. Ich habe ez ouch mê gesprochen: bekantnisse unde vernünftikeit die eneinegent die sêle niht in gote. Vernünftikeit diu vellet in daz lûter wesen, bekantnisse diu loufet vor, si fürloufet unde durchbrichet daz dâ geborn wirt: gotes einbornen sun. Unser herre sprichet in Matthêô, daz nieman bekennet den vater niuwan der sun. Die meister sprechent, bekantnisse lige an glîchnisse. Ez sprechent etliche meister, diu sêle sî gemachet von allen dingen, want si eine müglicheit hât elliu dinc ze verstânde. Ez liutet tôrlîche und ist doch wâr. Die meister sprechent: swaz ich bekennen sol, daz muoz mir zemâle gegenwertic sîn und glîch mîner bekantnisse. Die heiligen sprechent, daz in dem vater sî mügentheit und in dem sune glîcheit und einunge in dem heiligen geiste. Dâ von, want der vater dem sune zemâle gegenwertic ist, unde der sun zemâle ime glîch ist, dâ von bekennet nieman den vater niuwan der sun.

Nunc scio vere, quia misit dominus angelum suum (Act. XII, 11.).

When Peter was freed from the bonds of his captivity by the power of the high and supreme God, he said: “Now I know truly that God has sent His angel to me and has delivered me from the power of Herod and from the hands of my enemies.”

Now let us turn the words around and say: Because God has sent His angel to me, therefore I know truly. Peter signifies knowledge. I have said before that knowledge and intellect do not unite the soul in God. Intellect falls into pure being, while knowledge runs ahead. It goes before and breaks through to that which is born there, God's only-begotten Son. Our Lord says in Matthew that no one knows the Father except the Son. The masters say that knowledge rests upon likeness. Some masters say that the soul is made from all things, since she has the capacity to understand all things. This sounds foolish, yet it is true. The masters say that whatever I am to know must be wholly present to me and like my knowledge. The saints say that power belongs to the Father, likeness to the Son, and union to the Holy Spirit. Therefore, since the Father is wholly present to the Son and the Son is wholly like Him, no one knows the Father except the Son.

Nû sprichet Pêtrus 'nû bekenne ich wærlîche.' Wâ von bekennet man hie wærlîche? Daz ist dâ von, want ez ein götlîch lieht ist, daz nieman triuget. Daz ander, want man dâ blôz unde lûter bekennet und unbedecket mit ihte. Dâ von sprichet Paulus 'got wont in eime liehte da niht zuoganges enist.' Die meister sprechent, diu wîsheit, die wir hie lernen, diu süle uns dort belîben. Sô sprichet Paulus, si sülle abe gân. Ein meister sprichet: lûter bekantnisse nochdenne in disem lîbe daz habe sô grôzen lust an ime selber, daz aller geschaffener dinge lust sî rehte als ein niht wider der lust, daz lûter bekantnisse an sich treit. Nochdanne swie edel ez sî, sô ist ez doch ein zuoval, und als kleine als ein wörtelîn ist wider al der welte, als kleine ist alliu diu wîsheit, die wir hie lernen mügen, wider die blôzen lûtern wârheit. Seht, dâ von sprichet Paulus, si sülle abe gân. Swie si doch belîbe, si wirt rehte ze einer tærinne und als ob si niht ensî wider der blôzen wârheit, die man bekennet. Daz dritte, wâ von man dâ wærlîche bekennet, daz ist dâ von: diu dinc, diu man hie siht wandelhaftic, diu bekennet man dort unwandelbære unde man nimet sie dâ als sie sint zemâle ungeteilet unde nâ bî ein, want daz hie verre ist daz ist dâ nâhe, want elliu dinc sint dâ gegenwertic: daz an dem êrsten und an dem jungesten tage geschehen sol, daz ist nû dâ gegenwertic.

'Nû weiz ich wærlîche, daz mir got sînen engel hât gesant.' Swenne got sînen engel sendet ze der sêle, sô wirt si wærlîche bekennende. In unbederbe hât got sante Pêter den slüzzel niht bevolen, want Pêter sprichet als vil als bekantnisse, want bekantnisse treit den slüzzel unde sliuzet ûf unde brichet durch unde vindet got blôz unde saget denne irre gespielen den willen, waz sie besazzen habe, swie si doch den willen ê gehabt habe, want swaz ich wil, daz suoche ich. Bekantnisse gêt vor. Si ist ein fürstinne und suochet hêrschaft in dem hœhsten und in dem lûtersten unde teilet ez vort der sêle, unde diu sêle vort der nâtûre unde diu nâtûre allen lîplichen sinnen. Diu sêle ist als edel an irme hœhsten und lûtersten, daz ir die meister enkünnen enkeinen namen vinden. Sie sprechent ir sêle, dâ si dem lîbe daz wesen gibet.

Now Peter says: “Now I know truly.” Through what does one know truly here? Through this: it is a divine light that deceives no one. Secondly, because there one knows in bareness and purity, with nothing covering what is known. Thus Paul says: “God dwells in a light to which there is no access.” The masters say that the wisdom we learn here is to remain with us there. Paul, however, says that it shall pass away. A master says that pure knowledge, even in this life, takes such great delight in itself that the delight of all created things is as nothing beside the delight which pure knowledge bears within itself. Yet however noble it may be, it is still an accident. As a little word is small compared with the whole world, so all the wisdom we can learn here is small beside bare and pure truth. See, that is why Paul says that it shall pass away. Even if it remains, it becomes like a foolish maiden, as though it were nothing beside the bare truth that is known. Thirdly, one knows truly there because the things that one sees here as changeable are known there as unchanging. There one receives them as they are, wholly undivided and close together. What is far away here is near there, for all things are present there. What is to happen on the first day and on the last day is present there now.

“Now I know truly that God has sent His angel to me.” Whenever God sends His angel to the soul, she comes to know truly. It was not without purpose that God entrusted the key to Saint Peter, for Peter signifies knowledge. Knowledge carries the key, opens up, breaks through and finds God bare. Then she tells her companion, the will, what she has taken possession of, although the will had already been there. For whatever I will, I seek. Knowledge goes first. She is a princess, seeking dominion in what is highest and purest, and communicates it to the soul; the soul communicates it to nature, and nature to all the bodily senses. The soul is so noble in her highest and purest part that the masters cannot find a name for her. They call her soul insofar as she gives being to the body.

Nû sprechent die meister, daz nâch dem êrsten ûzbruche der gotheit, dâ der sun ûzbrichet von dem vater, dâ sî der engel aller nâhest gebildet nâch gote. Ez ist wol wâr: diu sêle ist gebildet nâch gote an irme obersten teile; doch ist der engel ein nâher bilde gotes. Allez daz des engels ist daz ist gebildet nâch gote. Dâ von wirt der engel gesant an die sêle, daz er si wider bringe an daz selbe bilde, dâ er nâch gebildet ist, want bekantnisse kumet von glîcheit. Want denne diu sêle hât eine müglicheit alliu dinc ze bekennende, dâ von geruowet si niemer, si enkome in daz êrste bilde, dâ elliu dinc ein sint, unde dâ geruowet si, daz ist in gote. In gote ist enkein crêatûre edelre dan diu andere. Die meister sprechent: wesen unde bekantnisse sî al ein, want swaz niht enist, daz bekennet man ouch niht, swaz allermeist wesen hât, daz bekennet man ouch allermeist. Want denne got ein überswenkende wesen hât, dâ von überswenket er aller bekantnisse, als ich êgester sprach in dem jungesten sermône. Dâ diu sêle în gebildet wirt in die êrsten lûterkeit, in den îndruk der lûteren weselicheit, dâ si gotes gesmeket ê er wârheit oder bekantheit an sich vâhet, dâ elliu nemlicheit abe geleget ist: dâ bekennet man aller lûterlîchest, dâ nimet si daz wesen in ebenmêzekeit. Dâ von sprichet Paulus 'got wonet in eime liehte, dâ niht zuoganges enist.' Er ist ein înhangen in sîn selbes lûter weselicheit, dâ niht zuohangendes enist. Swaz zuoval hât, daz muoz abe. Er ist ein lûter înstân in sich selber, dâ noch diz noch daz enist; want swaz in got ist, daz ist go

Ein heiden sprichet: die under gote swebent, die hânt ein înhangen in got, unde swie sie hânt ein lûter înstân in sich selber, sô hânt sie doch ein înhangen in den, der weder begin noch ende hât, want in got mac niht frömdes gevallen. Des habent ein bewîsunge an dem himel. Der mac niht enpfân enkeinen fremden îndruk in frömder wîse. Alsô geschiht ez, swaz ze gote kumet daz wirt verandert: swie snœde ez sî, bringen wir ez ze gote, ez gêt sîn selbes abe. Des habet ein glîchnisse. Habe ich wîsheit, diu enbin ich niht. Ich mac wîsheit gewinnen, ich mac sie ouch verliesen. Aber swaz an gote ist, daz ist got, daz enmac ime niht entvallen. Ez wirt gesast in götlîche nâtûre, want götlîch nâtûre ist sô kreftic, swaz dar în geboten wirt, daz wirt zemâle dar în gesast oder ez belîbet alzemâle ûzen. Nû merkent wunder! sît got sô snœdiu dinc in sich verwandert, waz wênent ir denne, daz er der sêle tüege, die er mit sîn selbes bilde gewirdiget hât?

Now the masters say that after the first breaking-forth of the Godhead, where the Son breaks forth from the Father, the angel is formed in the closest likeness to God. This is indeed true: the soul is formed in God's image in her highest part, yet the angel is an image closer to God. Everything that belongs to the angel is formed according to God. Therefore the angel is sent to the soul, to lead her back to the very image according to which the angel was formed, for knowledge comes from likeness. And since the soul has a capacity to know all things, she will never rest until she reaches the first image, where all things are one. There she rests, namely in God. In God no creature is nobler than another. The masters say that being and knowledge are one, for what is not cannot be known, and what possesses the most being is also known most fully. Since God's being surpasses all, He surpasses all knowledge, as I said the day before yesterday in the preceding sermon. Where the soul is formed into the primal purity, into the impress of pure being, there she tastes God before He takes on truth or knowability, where all naming has been laid aside. There one knows with the greatest purity, and there she receives being in equal measure. Therefore Paul says: “God dwells in a light to which there is no access.” He abides within His own pure being, where nothing additional is attached. Whatever has an accident must fall away. He is a pure abiding within Himself, where there is neither this nor that, for whatever is in God is God.

A pagan master says that those who hover beneath God depend upon Him. Although they have a pure abiding within themselves, they nevertheless depend upon the One who has neither beginning nor end, for nothing alien can enter God. Heaven offers an illustration of this: it cannot receive an alien impression in an alien mode. So it happens that whatever comes to God is transformed. However base it may be, if we bring it to God, it leaves its own self behind. Here is an example. If I possess wisdom, I am not wisdom itself. I can gain wisdom and I can lose it. But whatever is in God is God, and cannot fall away from Him. It is established in the divine nature, for the divine nature is so powerful that whatever is brought into it is either wholly established within it or remains wholly outside. Now observe this wonder! Since God transforms such humble things within Himself, what do you think He does to the soul, whom He has dignified with His very own image?