Sanct Paulus sprichet unde vermanet uns, daz wir gepflanzet werden in die glîcheit gotes, ûf daz wir komen zuo hôher unde wârer anschouwunge. Dar zuo muoz man driu dinc hân, sprichet sant Dionysius. Daz êrste ist ein besitzunge des gemüetes. Daz ander ist ein vrî gemüete. Daz dritte ist ein sihtic gemüete. Wie man diz gesihtic gemüete besitzen sol? daz ist an einer stêten inbildunge des menschen in im selber.
Diu sêle hât eine geistlîche stat in ir, in der hât si elliu dinc âne materie, als diu êrste sache alliu dinc in ir hât âne materie. Diu sêle hât ouch ein lieht in ir, mit dem si alliu dinc schepfet. Swenne daz lieht unde diu stat alsô vereinet sint, daz ieglichez des andern stat heizet, denne alrêrst hât man daz gemüete ze rehte besezzen. Wie ist aber noch hie von zuo sprechende? Daz ist, daz unser ûzer mensche gescheiden solte sîn von aller genüegede der crêatûre, unt der inner mensche solte alsô gefüeget sîn ze gote, daz in im niht ûf stüende, daz er gewandelt wolte hân: denne alrêrst hât der mensche sich selber besezzen. Diz ist unmügelich hie ze beschehen, wan der meister sprichet alsô, swenne diz geschehe von dem hie gesprochen ist, daz diu oberste kraft der sêle got danne erkenne in ir eigener kraft. Hier ûf sprichet sant Dionysius, daz diu sêle danne niht sêle heizet, si heizet diu oberste kraft gotes.
Saint Paul says and exhorts us that we should be planted into the likeness of God, so that we may come to a higher and truer contemplation. For this, Saint Dionysius says, one must have three things. The first is possession of the mind. The second is a free mind. The third is a seeing mind. How is one to possess this seeing mind? Through a constant in-imaging of the human being in himself.
The soul has a spiritual place within herself, in which she has all things without matter, just as the First Cause has all things within itself without matter. The soul also has a light within herself with which she forms all things. When this light and this place are so united that each is called the place of the other, only then does one rightly possess the mind. But what more is to be said of this? In this way: our outer human being should be separated from every satisfaction in creatures, and the inner human being should be so joined to God that nothing should arise within him that he would wish to have changed. Only then has the human being possessed himself. This is impossible to accomplish here, for the master says that when what has been spoken of here takes place, the highest power of the soul then knows God in its own power. Concerning this Saint Dionysius says that the soul is then no longer called soul; she is called the highest power of God.
Daz ander ist ein vrî gemüete. Vrîheit ist daz wir mit nihte gebunden sîen; daz wir alsô vrî unde lûter und alsô unvermenget sîen, als wir wâren in unserm êrsten ûzfluzze unt dô wir gevrîet wurden in dem heiligen geiste.
Daz dritte ist ein gesihtic gemüete. Hier inne hât diu sêle got. Waz beschouwet diu sêle, sô si got beschouwet? Hier zuo antwürtet Dionysius unde sprichet, daz si sehe ein einige kraft. Diu einic kraft machet sî ein mit ir. Si siht ouch in im ein guot über guot, daz allez guot in ime beslozzen hât. Her umbe wolte er uns locken ûz uns selber, daz wir in uns selber niht blîben môhten. Her ûf sprichet ein heidenischer meister: der oberste lust, der allen lust überwindet, der ziuhet die sêle ûz aller genüegede in die obersten wârheit, dâ alliu dinc inne endent. Der selbe meister sprichet: wâ von ist daz, daz wir des niht enpfinden? Daz ist des schult, daz wir geneiget sîn zuo den nidern dingen. Swenne wir enpfinden in uns, daz wir gotes begeren über alliu dinc, sô hât got die obersten kraft berüeret. Von der berüerunge wirt si beweget ûz ir selber in in, niht daz si von genâden berüeret werde, mêr alsô, daz dâ ein dinc daz ander berüeret, wan er hât lîbes niht nâch der gotheit. Hie von sprichet sant Dionysius, daz diu bewegung der sêle sî als in eime zirkel, daz si niender ûz loufe von ir rehten puncte.
The second is a free mind. Freedom is that we are bound by nothing, that we are as free and pure and as unmixed as we were in our first outflowing and when we were made free in the Holy Spirit.
The third is a seeing mind. In this the soul has God. What does the soul contemplate when she contemplates God? Dionysius answers this and says that she sees a single power. This one power makes her one with itself. She also sees in him a good above good, which has enclosed all good within itself. For this reason he wished to entice us out of ourselves, so that we could not remain in ourselves. Concerning this a pagan master says: the highest delight, which surpasses every delight, draws the soul out of every satisfaction into the highest truth, in which all things come to their end. The same master says: why is it that we do not experience this? The reason is that we are inclined toward lower things. When we experience within ourselves that we desire God above all things, then God has touched the highest power. Through this touch she is moved out of herself into him, not in such a way that she is touched by grace, but rather as one thing touches another, for according to the Godhead he has no body. Concerning this Saint Dionysius says that the movement of the soul is like that of a circle, so that she nowhere runs out from her proper point.
Daz sprichet er ouch, got ist schœne, und ist daz von drin dingen. Er ist klâr und ist ein zuosamenhellunge und ist ein unt daz selbe. Waz ist klârheit? Dâ niht lîbes zuo gemenget ist unde daz stêticlîche blîbet in sîner pûrheit oder lûterkeit. Nû sprichet diu geschrift: diu sêle sol sibenwarbe klârer werden denne diu sunne. Diu sunne ist klâr und ist ein lîplich dinc. Und hie spriche ich, diu sêle sol hundertwarbe klârer werden denne diu sunne; wan diu sunne ist ein lîplich dinc, sô ist diu sêle geistlich. Hier umbe ist daz diu sache, daz ir klârheit sô vil übertreffenlîcher ist, sô vil unt daz geistlîche daz lîplîche übertriffet. Ist nû, daz diu sêle alsô klâr ist, sô ist got unmêzlich klârer, wan er hât sî geschaffen, wan diu sache ist mêr dan diu crêatûre hât.
Er ist ouch ein zuosamenhellunge, wan allez daz in got ist daz ist got. Sant Augustinus sprichet: der vater unde der sun einhellent sich in dem heiligen geiste, der ein zuosamenknüpfer ist ir beider. Unde die drî stiure daz sint die drîe personen, die lebent ein wesen, als dâ driu lieht einen schîn schînent, alsô solte ouch an uns ein zuosamenhellunge sîn, daz ist, daz alliu manicvaltikeit gesamenet solte sîn under die obersten kraft, unde diu oberste kraft solte sich werfen in got unde solte dâ belîben âne widerschîn.
He also says that God is beautiful, and this is because of three things. He is clear, he is a concord, and he is one and the same. What is clarity? That to which nothing bodily is mingled and which remains continually in its purity or cleanness. Now Scripture says that the soul should become seven times clearer than the sun. The sun is clear and is a bodily thing. And here I say that the soul should become a hundred times clearer than the sun, for the sun is a bodily thing, whereas the soul is spiritual. For this reason her clarity is so much more surpassing, in the same measure as the spiritual surpasses the bodily. Now if the soul is so clear, God is immeasurably clearer, for he created her, since the cause is greater than what the creature has.
He is also a concord, for everything that is in God is God. Saint Augustine says: the Father and the Son are in accord in the Holy Spirit, who is the bond that joins them both together. And these three are the three Persons, who live one being, just as three lights shine one radiance. Thus there should also be in us a shining-together, that is, all multiplicity should be gathered under the highest power, and the highest power should cast herself into God and should remain there without reflection.
Daz dritte: er ist ouch ein, unt daz selbe hœret eigenlîche götlîchem wesenne zuo, daz ist daz selbe, daz einekeit ist. Diz ist niht ze sprechenne von dekeinen crêatûren, wan man mag ez niht gesprechen von keinen dingen, daz sie von in selber sîn, daz sie sint. Hie von sprichet sant Paulus ‘waz wir hân, daz hân wir enpfangen von dem einigen guote, daz got ist, von dem allez guot kumet.’ Alliu dinc sint von in selber niht. Daz von im selber ist unde von dem diu dinc sint, daz ist got. Alsô ist eigenlîche bewîset, wie got ein ist unt daz selbe. Alsô solten ouch wir gelîch dem selben sîn. Swenne wir gescheiden sîn von uns selber, sô sîn wir mê daz wir niht sîn denne daz wir sîn. Daz wir nû gepflanzet werden in die glîcheit gotes, ûf daz wir komen zuo hôher unde wârer anschouwunge, des helf uns got. Âmen.
The third is that he is also one and the same, and this belongs properly to divine being. This is the same thing as unity. This cannot be said of any creatures, for one cannot say of any things that they are of themselves that which they are. Concerning this Saint Paul says: “What we have, we have received from the one Good that is God, from whom all good comes.” All things are of themselves nothing. That which is of itself and from which all things are, that is God. Thus it is properly shown how God is one and the same. Thus we too should be like the same. When we are separated from ourselves, then we are more that which we are not than that which we are. That we may now be planted into the likeness of God, so that we may come to a higher and truer contemplation, may God help us. Amen.