Sermon 46 — This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God

Pfeiffer Sermon 46Middle High German + EnglishAbout this edition

Original Source (Middle High German)

English Translation

Hæc est vita æterna ut cognoscant te solum deum verum etc. (Joh. XVII, 1--3.)

Unser herre sprach 'daz ist êwic leben, daz sie dich bekennen einen gewâren got.' Unser herre huob ûf sîn ougen in den himel unde sprach 'vater, diu stunde ist komen: klâre dînen sun, daz dîn sun dich klâre' unde bat für die im geben wâren 'gib in daz êwic leben, mache sie ein mit dir, als ich unt dù einez sîn.' Er huop sîn ougen von unden ûf. Hie mite lêret er uns den grœzen nutze, den wir dâ von nemen daz wir beten. Nû sprichet diu schrift, wâ unser herre sîn ougen ûf huob, daz er in ein grôze werc würken wolte. Ein grôz dinc ist, daz got sprechen wolte 'mache sie ein mit dir, alse wir einez sîn.' Nû sprichet diu schrift in der wîsheit buoche, daz got nieman minne wan der dâ wonet in der wîsheit. Sô ist der sun diu wîsheit in der lûterkeit; alsô der vater geschaffen hât die sêle, alsô lûter werden wir in der wîsheit, diu der sun ist. Wan als ich mê gesprochen hân, er ist ein porte, durch die diu sêle gêt wider in den vater, sît allez, daz got ie geworhte, niht anders ist denne ein bilde und ein zeichen êwiges lebens.

Er huob von unden ûf sîn ougen mit rehtem grunde der nideristen diemuot, als diu kraft des himels ninder sô vil enwürket dan in der erde in keinem element, wie iz doch daz niderist ist; wan er aller meist gelegenheit dâ inne ze würken hât, dâ von würket sich got aller meist in einem diemüetigen herzen, wan er aller meiste gelegenheit dâ inne hât ze würkende nutze und aller meist sîner gelîcheit dâ inne vindet. Hie mit lêret er uns, wie wir treten sullen in unsern grunt rehter diemüetikeit unde rehter blôzheit, daz wir allez daz abe legen, daz wir niht von nâtûre haben, daz ist sünde unde gebreste, und ouch daz wir haben von nâtûre, daz liget an aller eigenschaft. Wan swer komen wil in gotes grunt, in sîn grœstez, der muoz ê komen in sînen eigen grunt in sîn minnestez, wan nieman mac got erkennen, er müeze ê sich selber erkennen. Er sol treten in sîn nideristez und in gotes inristez unde sol treten in sîn êrstez und in sîn obristez, wan dâ loufet zemen daz got geleisten mac. Swaz in der sêle aller hôhest ist, daz ist ime aller niderist, wan ez aller inwendigest ist, alse der ein sinewel dinc zesamen truken wil, sô wirt daz obrist daz niderist. Daz dritte, daz er uns lêrte, wer dâ biten wil, der sol allez, daz er von gnâden hât enpfangen, tragen in die güete gotes, unde swaz er biten wil für sînen gebresten oder für ander liute sünde, daz sol er tragen in die barmherzikeit gotes, wan ez bitet selber: wan swaz got vindet nider geworfen, daz treit er ûf und hœhet ez in ime. Daz vierde daz meinet got, daz er sîn ougen von unden ûf huob, daz meinet er, daz wir mit ganzem herzen ûf klimmen sullen mit begerunge zem himel und in in unde sullen alle unser begerunge legen ûf got und üffen die hœhsten hœhi, niht under got, nâch hie bî uns. wan alliu obern dinc hânt aller meist gelegenheit ze würken in dem, daz under in ist. Dâ von sint alle crêatûre, die liphaft sint, ein köder der sunne unde der sternen, unde würket in dem steine diu kraft und sîne glîcheit. Alse diu sunne an sich ziuhet den fiuhten luft, alsô gît si dem steine ir glîcheit und ir kraft, daz er ungesihteclich einen braden und eine kraft von ime lât, daz etlich îsen an sich ziuhet und etlich fleisch unde bein, der ime nâhe komendez muoz dâ belîben. Alsô tuot der gotlich bradem: der ziuhet die sêle in sich und einet sî mit im unde machet sî gotvar, alsô der ein vezzelîn nême mit wazzer unde daz tête über ein grôz vaz mit wîne unde nâhe dran, ez gît im wînes kraft unde wînes nâtûre unde wînes varwe. Ist er rôt, ez wirt ouch rôt; ist er wîz, ez wirt ouch wîz unde wîn. Daz kumet von bradender draht des wînes. Swer wil gotvar werden, der sol ûf klimmen mit ganzer gerunge.

Hæc est vita æterna ut cognoscant te solum deum verum etc. (Joh. XVII, 1--3.)

Our Lord said: “This is eternal life, that they know you, the one true God.” Our Lord raised his eyes into heaven and said: “Father, the hour has come: glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you,” and he prayed for those who had been given to him: “Give them eternal life, make them one with you, as I and you are one.” He raised his eyes from below upward. With this he teaches us the great benefit that we receive from prayer. Now Scripture says where our Lord raised his eyes, that he wanted to accomplish a great work there. It is a great thing that God should say: “Make them one with you, as we are one.” Now Scripture says in the Book of Wisdom that God loves no one except the one who dwells in wisdom. Thus the Son is Wisdom in purity; just as the Father created the soul, so pure do we become in Wisdom, which is the Son. For, as I have said before, he is a gate through which the soul goes back into the Father, since everything that God ever worked is nothing other than an image and a sign of eternal life.

He raised his eyes from below upward with the true ground of the deepest humility, just as the power of heaven works nowhere so much in any element as in the earth, although it is the lowest; for there it has the greatest opportunity to work. Therefore God works most of all in a humble heart, for there he has the greatest opportunity to work usefully and finds there the greatest likeness to himself. With this he teaches us how we should enter into our ground of true humility and true nakedness, so that we lay aside everything that we do not have from nature, which is sin and defect, and also that which we have from nature, which lies wholly in individuality. For whoever wishes to come into God's ground, into his greatest depth, must first come into his own ground, into his lowest depth. For no one can know God unless he first knows himself. He should enter into his lowest and into God's innermost, and he should enter into his first and into his highest, for there what God can accomplish comes together. Whatever is highest in the soul is lowest to it, because it is the innermost; just as when one wants to squeeze a spherical thing together, what is uppermost becomes the lowest. The third thing that he taught us is this: whoever wishes to pray should carry everything that he has received by grace into God's goodness; and whatever he wishes to pray for concerning his own defect or the sin of other people, he should carry into God's mercy. For it prays itself: whatever God finds cast down, he carries upward and raises it in himself. The fourth thing that God means by raising his eyes from below upward is that we should climb upward with our whole heart, with desire, toward heaven and into it, and should place all our desire upon God and upon the highest heights, and not below God, near us here. For all higher things have the greatest opportunity to work in that which is beneath them. Therefore all creatures that have bodily form are a lure for the sun and the stars, and the power and likeness of them works in the stone. Just as the sun draws moist air toward itself, so it gives the stone its likeness and its power, so that it invisibly sends forth from itself a vapor and a power which draws some iron to itself and some flesh and bone, and whatever comes near it must remain there. So does the divine vapor: it draws the soul into itself and unites it with itself and makes it God-like, just as when one takes a little vessel with water and holds it over a great vessel of wine, and near it, it gives it the power and nature and color of wine. If it is red, it also becomes red; if it is white, it also becomes white and wine. This comes from the emanating exhalation of the wine. Whoever wishes to become God-like must climb upward with complete desire.

Ein ander wîse huob er ûf sîn ougen, dâ mite lêret er uns, alse daz obrist element ninder sô wol gewürken mac dan in dem grunde der erde, dâ würket ez golt unde silber und edelgestein, unde waz dâ vermenget ist mit der erde, alse loub unde gras unde boume, daz treit in ime eine gelîcheit des himels unde des engels der den himel rüeret, unde lenget unde breitet unde hüttet sich, daz diu sunne unde der sternen kraft vil in in mügent würken, unde sliuzet des engels nâtûre in sich unde würket gelîch dem engel, doch gar verre. Alsô suln wir hütten unde megen unde breiten, daz got vil in uns gewürken müge, unde sullen ime gelîch sîn unde gelîch würken. Daz vihe mekennet in hie und in nû: aber der engel bekennet sunder hie und nû, unt der mensche, der dâ ist ob ander crêatûre, der mekennet in eime wâren liehte, dâ noch zît noch stat enist âne hie und âne nû. Nâch dem alse diu sêle fürbaz kumet, in dem tritet nâher endelich diu sêle, diu ein lieht ist, diu sliuzet gotes gar vil in sich.

Er huob ûf sîn ougen in den himel. 'Celo' liutet als ein hütte der sunnen. Allez daz hüttet got, daz man ime zuo gelegen mac ober lûter wesen, daz hüttet got. Nû sprach er 'vater, diu stunde ist komen: wîse dînes sunes klârheit, daz dîn sun dich klâr bewîse, unde bite mê, daz dù allen den gebest ein êwic leben, die dù mir hâst gegeben.' Nû frâgent, swâ ir wellent, sô sprechent sie alle: er meinde 'vater, gib in allen daz êwic leben die dù mir geben hêst.' Aber eigenlich sô betiutet daz wort alsô 'vater, allez daz dù mir gegeben hâst, daz ich der sun bin von dir ûz gegangen von dir dem vater, daz dù in daz gebest unde sie daz niezen: daz êwic leben daz ist ir êwic lôn.' Seht, ez liutet alsô vil: allez, daz der vater geben hât sînem sune, allez daz er ist, daz er in daz gebe. Ein êwic leben, waz daz sî, daz klûbet selber: 'êwic leben ist, daz sie dich bekennen einen wâren got.' Waz meinet er dich alleine? Dar umbe, daz der sêle niht smakte dan got alleine. Ein ander sache ist: dich alleine, wan got alleine ist unde nihtes niht bî ime. Swer iht bekennet mit gote, der bekennet got alleine niht. Aber der got alleine bekennet, der bekennet mê in gote. Unser meister sprechent: einer bekennet ein und einer bekennet tûsent. Die dâ ein bekennent, die bekennent mê denne die tûsent bekennent, wan sie bekennent mê in gote, unde die dâ tûsent bekennent, die bekennent mê bî gote. Sêliger sint die dâ tûsent bekennent denne die dâ einez bekennent, daz sie gotes mê dâ inne bekennent denne an dem einen. Noch sèliger sint die ein bekennent dan die tûsent bekennent, ie baz ein und in ime got niht. Dar umbe swenne ich etwaz bekenne in gote, swaz ich bekenne, daz wirt mit mir ein. Swer got nie bekennet, der bekennet doch minner bî gote. Dar an lît unser êwic leben, daz wir ein bekennen in dem daz wir minner bekennen, sô bekennen wir mê dich einen wâren got.

In another way he raised his eyes. With this he teaches us that, just as the highest element cannot work anywhere so well as in the ground of the earth, where it works gold and silver and precious stones, and whatever is mixed there with earth, such as leaves and grass and trees, bears within itself a likeness of heaven and of the angel who moves heaven, and stretches and spreads and shelters itself so that the power of the sun and stars can work greatly in it, and encloses the nature of the angel within itself and works like the angel, although very far from it: so should we shelter, extend ourselves, and spread ourselves, so that God may be able to work greatly in us, and we should be like him and work like him. The beast knows in the here and now; but the angel knows without here and now. And the human being, who is above other creatures, knows in a true light in which there is neither time nor place, without here and without now. As the soul advances further, the soul, which is a light, comes nearer to the end and encloses very much of God within itself.

He raised his eyes into heaven. Celo (heaven) sounds like a canopy or covering for the sun. Everything that one may attribute to God beyond pure being encloses God. Now he said: “Father, the hour has come: show the clarity of your Son, so that your Son may show you clearly, and I pray further that you give eternal life to all those whom you have given to me.” Now ask wherever you wish, and they all say: he meant, “Father, give eternal life to all those whom you have given to me.” But properly the word signifies this: “Father, everything that you have given to me, that I am, the Son who has gone forth from you, from you the Father—that you give to them, and that they enjoy it: eternal life—that is their eternal reward.” See, it signifies this much: everything that the Father has given to his Son, everything that he is, that he should give to them. What is eternal life? It explains itself: “Eternal life is that they know you, the one true God.” What does he mean by “you alone”? So that the soul might taste nothing but God alone. There is another reason: “you alone,” because God is alone and there is nothing beside him. Whoever knows something together with God does not know God alone. But whoever knows God alone knows more in God. Our masters say: one person knows one, and one person knows a thousand. Those who know the One know more than those who know a thousand, for they know more in God, while those who know a thousand know more beside God. More blessed are those who know a thousand than those who know only a single thing, because they know more of God in that than in the single thing. Yet still more blessed are those who know the One than those who know a thousand, for the better it is to know the One, and no God in it. Therefore, whenever I know something in God, whatever I know becomes one with me. Whoever has never known God nevertheless knows less beside God. Upon this rests our eternal life: that we know one. In that we know less, we know more of you, the one true God.

War umbe sprach er daz 'dich einen wâren got'? daz er niht sprach 'dich wisen oder guoten oder gewaltigen got'? Dâ ziuhet wârheft daz wesen. Swaz man geworten mac, daz hüttet got unde leget im zuo. Aber wârheit sliuzet in ein bekantnüsse unde læset abe. Daz wir in dem bekantnüsse allez abe legen und ein werden, des helf uns diu dreinekeit in einer gotlîcher nâtûre. Âmen.

Why did he say “you, the one true God”? Why did he not say “you, the wise God,” or “the good God,” or “the powerful God”? There truth draws being toward itself. Whatever one can add with words, that encloses God and adds something to him. But truth encloses within one knowing and strips away. That we may lay everything aside in knowing and become one, may the Trinity help us, in one divine nature. Amen.