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Tractate — Chapter 10

Tractate — Chapter 10Middle High German + EnglishAbout this edition

Original Source (Middle High German)
English Translation
VON ARMUOT DES GEISTES.
Beati pauperes spiritu etc.

Wir suln êweclîche alsô arm sîn, als wir wæren, dô wir êweclîch niht enwæren. An unserm wesen werden wir inblîbende in ime daz wir sîn. Wir suln alliu dinc zuo uns nemen, sunder in des schepfers gegenwertikeit. Wir suln got bekennen âne allerhande gelîchnüsse unde minnen âne materie unde gebrûchen âne eigenschaft. Wir suln alliu dinc enpfâhen in der edelkeit, als sie diu êwige wîsheit in ir selber gezeiget unde geordent hât.

Die armen des geistes die gênt ûz in selber und ûz allen crêatûren: sie sint niht, sie hânt niht, sie würkent niht unt dise armen die sint niht wan daz sie sint von gnâden got mit gote: des selben enwizzent sie niht. Sant Augustinus sprichet: alliu dinc sint got. Sant Dionysius sprichet: alliu dinc sint niht got. Sant Augustinus sprichet: got ist als in allem. Aber Dionysius: got ist niht, daz man gesprochen oder gedenken kan, unde got ist doch aller heiligen bezzerunge in irem bekantnüsse, dâ ist er inne selber. In dem niht dâ bekennet er in grœzer unde sprichet: got ist ein niht. In dem dâ hanget allez niht. Allez, daz wesen hât, daz hanget in dem niht unt daz selbe niht daz ist ein alsô unbegrîflich iht, daz alle die geiste in himel und ûf erde niht ergrîfen noch ergründen mügent. Dâ belîbet er unbekant allen crêatûren. Swenne diu sêle kumet in die edelkeit, daz si an niht hanget, sô vindet si dekeine schulde an ir. Daz kumt von der frîheit, dâ sie inne swebet. Als si denne zuo dem lîchame kumt und ir selbes enpfindet, sô vindet si aber schulde als ê, sô wirt si gebunden unde gêt wider in sich selber unde bedenket daz, des si dort funden hât. Sô erhebet si sich über sich selber unde kumt hin über, dâ si alle ir sêlikeit unde alle ir genüegede inne gehaben mac. Sant Bernhart sprichet: diu sêle weiz wol, daz der geminnete ir niht mac werden, ê alliu dinc ûz ir koment. Sant Augustinus sprichet: der minnet wêrlîche unde sîcherlîche, der dâ minnet, dâ er wol weiz, daz er niht wol geminnet wirt; daz ist aller meiste minnen. Sant Paulus ‘wir wizzen wol, alle die got minnent, swaz den geschiht, daz kumet in ze guote.’ Kristus sprach ‘sêlic sint die armen des geistes, wan daz gotes rîche ist ir.’

ON POVERTY OF SPIRIT.
Beati pauperes spiritu etc.

We should eternally be as poor as we were when eternally we were not. In our being we become abiding in that which we are. We should take all things to ourselves, but in the Creator's presence. We should know God without any kind of likeness, love without matter, and have fruition without ownness. We should receive all things in the nobility in which eternal Wisdom has shown and ordered them in herself.

The poor in spirit go out of themselves and out of all creatures: they are nothing, they have nothing, they work nothing; and these poor are nothing except that by grace they are God with God: of this itself they know nothing. Saint Augustine says: all things are God. Saint Dionysius says: all things are not God. Saint Augustine says: God is thus in all things. But Dionysius says: God is nothing that one can speak or think; and yet God is the perfection of all saints in their knowledge; there he is in himself. In the nothing, there he knows him as greater and says: God is a nothing. In that, all nothing hangs. Everything that has being hangs in the nothing, and that same nothing is such an incomprehensible something that all the spirits in heaven and on earth cannot grasp or fathom it. There he remains unknown to all creatures. When the soul comes into the nobility in which she clings to nothing, she finds no guilt in herself. This comes from the freedom in which she hovers. But when she then comes to the body and perceives herself, she again finds guilt as before; then she becomes bound and goes back into herself and considers what she found there. Then she raises herself above herself and passes beyond, where she can possess all her blessedness and all her contentment within herself. Saint Bernard says: the soul knows well that the beloved cannot become hers before all things go out of her. Saint Augustine says: he loves truly and surely who loves where he knows well that he is not well loved; that is the greatest loving. Saint Paul says: ‘We know well that for all who love God, whatever happens to them comes to their good.’ Christ said: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of God is theirs.’

Nû möhte man sprechen von manigerleie armuot des geistes. Der sint vier. Hie bezeichent er die êrsten armuot des geistes, daz der sêle bekant wirt, daz ist: swenne si erliuhtet wirt von dem geiste der wârheit, sô wiget si alliu dinc ze nihte, diu got niht ensint, als sant Paulus sprichet ‘ich ahte aller dinge niht mêr denne als eines mistes.’ In der armuot wirt si urdrüzzig aller crêatûren.

Diu ander armuot ist, daz si an siht den vorlouf Kristî nâch sîner wirdikeit unde nâch ir kleinheit unde wiget alle ir üebunge ze nihte, obe si joch aller menschen üebunge haben möhte. Nû klaget si in der minne buoche unde sprichet ‘mîn lieber ist mir vorgangen an sîner forme und ich enkan ime niht gevolgen.’ Den vorganc verdienet si von ir selber, doch sô læget ir daz wilt Kristus ûf sînem spore. Sô süezer smac der tuot si ir selbes verliessen, daz si alle ir pîne von ûzen vergizzet. Dar über sprichet sant Augustinus, daz diu sêle mêr dâ sî, dâ si minnet, wan dâ si leben gît, unde sprichet sant Pêter ‘unser wonunge ist in dem himel.’

Now one might speak of many kinds of poverty of spirit. There are four. Here he designates the first poverty of spirit that becomes known to the soul, that is: when she is illumined by the Spirit of truth, she weighs as nothing all things that are not God, as Saint Paul says: ‘I count all things no more than dung.’ In this poverty she becomes weary of all creatures.

The second poverty is that she beholds Christ's going-before according to his dignity and according to her littleness and weighs all her practice as nothing, even if she could have the practice of all human beings. Then she laments in the Book of Love and says: ‘My beloved has gone before me in his form, and I cannot follow him.’ She merits this going-before from herself; yet Christ lays the game for her upon his track. Such sweet savor makes her lose herself, so that she forgets all her outward pain. Concerning this Saint Augustine says that the soul is more where she loves than where she gives life, and Saint Peter says: ‘Our dwelling is in heaven.’

Diu dritte armuot des geistes ist, der des geistes ist, dâ inne getœtet ist alliu ir nâtürlicheit, daz alliu diu lobelicheit der nâtûre alzemâle gestorben ist unde lebet niht mêr an ir wan der geist gotes. Dar über sprichet sant Paulus ‘ich bin tôt unde lebe doch; aber des ich lebe, daz lebet Kristus in mir. In disem geistlîchen ist si arm worden, wan allez, daz si hât ze lâzen unde ze geben, daz ist ir benomen und irs frîen willen ist si arm und er würket dâ mit allez, daz er wil.’

Diu vierde armuot ist diu unbegrîfelicheit gotes in ir bekantnüsse, daz si niht erlangen mac an in mit allem bekantnisse noch mit allen werken. Wan ie tiefer si gêt, ie mêr der glast der gotheit widersleht an sîner unbegrîfelicheit wider in ir armüete. Wan als verre si mit dem innern menschen ist komen in die bekantnüsse der gotheit; als verre volget si mit dem ûzern menschen dem bilde Jêsû Kristî in willige armuot, daz ist, daz diu vermügenheit gotes von gnâden ir benomen hât alle eigenschaft, daz si aller crêatûre geniezen mac ze ir nôtdurft in einer lidekeit âne hindernisse, unde wenne si ir niht enhât, daz si ir als wol enbern mac, als si sie habe, in glîcher lidekeit. Unde si enweiz, waz mêr tuon, wan si fröuwete sich sîner unbegrîfelichen wârheit unde daz alliu beschaffenü dinc gegen im niht sint unt daz sîn minne ir niht in sich gezogen hât, alsô daz si an im haftet als ein kleines ganeisterlîn. In diser armuot was sant Paulus, dô er sprach ‘ich verstuont solhiu dinc in gote, diu man niht wol gesprechen getar noch enkan.’ Dô wart er alsô gehaftet in got, daz in weder leben noch tôt von sîner minne gescheiden mohte. Alsô geschiht einer edeln verlornen sêle in gote, diu niht alleine verlorn ist allen crêatûren, sunder diu ouch verlorn ist ir selber und envindet niht an ir dan einen blôzen lûtern schîn götlîches wesens. Seht, in dem ist si alsô verwesen, der ir himelische freude gehieze, daz si eine wâre untugende niht geleisten möhte. Daz habent die heiligen allez bewîset, daz sie nihtes niht mohte bringen ûz ir stætikeit, die sie in gote heten. Unt daz ist wâriu untugent, allez daz der götlîchen minne niht zuo geordent ist, daz ist: allez daz ûzwendic ist dem leben Jêsû Kristî. Wan er ist bilde unde wesen aller dinge. Nû waz ist wâriu tugent? Allez daz götlîchiu minne einvaltic in der sêle würket, wan si würket niht denne ir gelîch.

The third poverty of spirit is that poverty of the spirit in which all her naturalness is killed, so that all the praiseworthiness of nature is entirely dead and nothing more lives in her but the Spirit of God. Concerning this Saint Paul says: ‘I am dead and yet I live; but that which I live, Christ lives in me.’ In this spiritual state she has become poor, for everything that she has to leave and to give has been taken from her, and she is poor of her free will, and he works with it everything that he wills.

The fourth poverty is God's incomprehensibility in her knowledge, so that she cannot reach him with all knowledge or with all works. For the deeper she goes, the more the radiance of the Godhead, in its incomprehensibility, reflects back into her poverty. As far as she has come with the inner person into the knowledge of the Godhead, so far she follows with the outer person the image of Jesus Christ in voluntary poverty; that is, the power of God has by grace taken from her all ownness, so that she can use every creature for her need in a passivity without hindrance, and when she does not have them, she can do without them just as well as if she had them, in the same passivity. And she knows nothing more to do than to rejoice in his incomprehensible truth and in the fact that all created things are nothing in comparison with him, and that his love has drawn her into itself, so that she clings to him like a little spark. Saint Paul was in this poverty when he said: ‘I understood such things in God that one neither dares nor is able to speak well.’ Then he became so fastened in God that neither life nor death could separate him from his love. So it happens to a noble soul lost in God, which is not only lost to all creatures, but is also lost to herself and finds in herself nothing but a bare, pure brightness of divine being. See, in him she is so transformed—he who promised her heavenly joy—that she could not perform a true vice. The saints have demonstrated all this, that nothing whatever could bring them out of the steadfastness they had in God. And true vice is everything that is not ordered to divine love, that is: everything that is outside the life of Jesus Christ. For he is the image and being of all things. Now what is true virtue? Everything that divine love works onefoldly in the soul, for it works nothing except what is like itself.

Daz ist berihtunge der armuot des geistes. In dise wâre armuot ziehe uns die überrîche güete gotes. Âmen.

This is the instruction concerning poverty of spirit. May the superabundant goodness of God draw us into this true poverty. Amen.