Abrahæ ecclesia orat fideles perduci. Comp. Elucidar. 64. D. In quo inferno erant justi ante adventum Christi? M. In superiorii in quodam loco juncto inferiori, in quo poterant alterutrum conspicere. Qui erant ibi, quamvis carerent supplicio, videbatur eis esse in inferno, cum essent separati a regno. Iliis autem, qui erant in inferiori inferno videbatur, quod illi, qui erant in illo inferno juncto inferiori, erant in refrigerio paradisi, unde et dives rogabat a Lazaro, guttam super se stillari. D. quam pœnam habebant illi, qui erant in illo inferno juncto inferiori? M. Quasdam tenebras tantum, unde dicitur: "Habitantibus in regione umbræ mortis, lux orta est eis." Quidam ex eis erant in quibusdam pœnis. Venit ergo Dominus ad infernum superiorem nascendo, ut redimeret captivos a tyranno, ut dicitur: “Dices his, qui vincti sunt, exite, et his qui in tenebris sunt, relevamini." Vinctos vocat, qui erant in pœnis, alios vero in tenebris, quos omnes absolvit et in gloriam duxit res gloriæ. Comp. Dante, divina comedia 4. comp. 31 ss.

7 The author of the work entitled Elucidarium expressed himself as follows, c. 59.: Paradisus non est locus corporalis, quia spiritus non habitant in locis, sed est spiritualis mansio beatorum, quam æterna sapientia perfecit in initio, et est in intellectuali cœlo [comp. note 1.], ubi ipsa divinitas, qualis est, ab eis facie ad faciem contuetur.-The language of Tauler (Predigten i. p. 291, 292.) was still more spiritualizing:...... Christ granted to the thief on the cross "to behold himself, his Divine countenance and nature, which is the true and living paradise of all pleasures. To behold the glory of God is what constitutes paradise."a

§ 209.

THE STATE OF THE BLESSED AND THE DAMNED.

Both the mind of the age, and the degree of cultivation to which theologians had attained, were reflected in their representations of heaven and hell. According

a On the relation between the Christian notions of paradise commonly entertained, and the earlier ideas of heathen nations (the Walhalla), see Grimm, deutsche Mythologie p. 475.

to John Scotus Erigena, the spirit of man is resolved into God, a notion which he thought reconcileable with the idea of self-conscious continuance.1 The pantheistic sects of the middle ages went so far as to destroy all individuality, and to deny the future existence of man.2 The scholastics, whose principal happiness in this world consisted in making the most subtile distinctions, supposed that it would be especially the greater perfection of our intellectual powers which would constitute the blessedness of heaven; Duns Scotus started such questions as, whether the blessed would perceive the quidditates of things, etc.3 The enjoyments of refined sensuality were not quite excluded, though it was admitted, that the highest and true pleasures consist principally in communion with God, and the mutual fellowship of the saints.* Thomas Aquinas supposed different gifts (dotes) of blessedness. In addition to the corona aurea, which is given to all the blessed there are particular aureole for martyrs and saints, for monks and nuns.5 The mystics also represented the world to come in bright colours. But the theologians of the present age exercised their powers of invention, especially in devising all sorts of ingenious punishments which the wicked would have to suffer in hell, after the example set before them by the horrible proceedings of the inquisition. According to Thomas Aquinas, the torments of the damned consist in useless repentance. They can neither change for the better nor for the worse. They hate God and curse the state of the blessed.10 But the latter are not disturbed in the enjoyment of their happiness by the feeling of compassion.11 The views of John Scotus Erigena differed from the popular notion; he held that it is principally the consciousness of sin itself, and of its weakness, which constitute the misery of the damned.12

Master Eckart declared it to be spiritual nonentity,18 an expression from which the Beghards drew the hasty inference that hell had no existence.14

1 De div. nat. v. 8. p. 232: Prima igitur humanæ naturæ reversio est, quando corpus solvitur, in quatuor elementa sensibilis mundi, ex quibus compositum est, revocatur. Secunda in resurrectione implebitur, quando unusquisque suum proprium corpus ex communione quatuor elementorum recipiet. Tertia, quando corpus in spiritum mutabitur. Quarta: quando spiritus et, ut apertius dicam, tota hominis natura in primordiales causas revertetur, quæ sunt semper et incommutabiliter in Deo. Quinta, quando ipsa natura cum suis causis movebitur in Deum, sicut aër movetur in lucem. Erit enim Deus omnia in omnibus: quando nihil erit nisi solus Deus......Mutatio itaqua humanæ naturæ in Deum, non in substantiæ interitu æstimanda est, sed in pristinum statum, quem prævaricando perdiderat, mirabilis atque ineffabilis reversio, p. 234...... Inferiora vero a superioribus naturaliter attrahuntur et absorbentur non ut non sint, sed ut in eis plus salventur et subsistant et unum sint. Nam neque aër suam perdit substantiam, cum totus in solare lumen convertitur: in tantum, ut nihil in eo appareat nisi lux, cum aliud sit lux, aliud aër: lux tamen prævalet in aëre, ut sola videatur esse. Ferrum aut alliud aliquod metallum in igne liquefactum, in ignem converti videtur, ut ignis purus videatur esse, salva metalli substantia permanente. Eadem ratione existimo corporalem substantiam in animam esse transiturum: non ut pereat quod sit, sed ut in meliori essentia salva sit. Similiter de ipsa anima intelligendum, quod ita in intellectum movebitur, ut in eo pulcrior Deoque similior conservetur. Nie aliter dixerim de transitu, ut non adhuc dicam omnium, sed rationabilium substantiarum in Deum, in quo cuncta finem positura sunt, et unum erunt.-As the many separate lights (e. g. in a church) form together one sea of light, though every single light may be removed, as a part may be taken from the whole; and as many voices form together one chorus, without losing their individuality in one confused mass of sounds, so are souls related to God. Comp. Chapt. 12. and 13. p. 236.

2 Thus Amalrich of Bena taught: He who possesses the

knowledge of God, has paradise within himself; but he who commits a mortal sin, has hell in his own heart, as a man has a bad tooth in his mouth. Compare Engelhardt, p. 255. Concerning his followers it is said: Item semetipsos jam resuscitatos asserebant, fidem et spem ab eorum cordibus excludebant, se soli scientiæ mentientes subjacere, ibid. p. 259. Comp. p. 260: Dixit etiam (Amalricus) quod Deus ideo dicitur finis omnium, quia omnia reversura sunt in ipsum, ut in Deo immutabiliter quiescant, et unum individuum atque incommutabile in eo permanebunt, et sicut alterius naturæ non est Abraham, alterius Isaak, sed unius atque ejusdem, sic dixit omnia esse unum et omnia esse Deum. The Beguines made the same asser

tions.

3 Joh. Scot. Erig. v. c. 31 ss:-Petr. Lomb. Lib. iv. Dist. 49. A.: Habere ergo vitam, est videre vitam, cognoscere Deum in specie (according to John xvii.)-Elucid. 79: His (beatis) Salomonis sapientia esset magna insipientia. Porro ipsi omni sapientia affluunt, omnem scientiam de ipso fonte sapientiæ Dei hauriunt. Omnia quippe præterita, præsentia, et si qua futura sunt, perfecte sciunt. Omnium omnino hominum, sive in cœlo, sive in inferno, nomina, genera, opera bona vel mala unquam ab eis gesta norunt, et nihil est quod eos lateat, cum in sole justitiæ pariter videant omnia.-Thom. Aquin. Qu. 92. Art. 1. 2. 3.— Duns Scotus, quoted by Cramer vii. p. 786. 87.

4 Elucid. 77: Salomonis deliciæ essent eis miseriæ. O qualis est justorum voluptas, quibus ipse Deus fons omnium bonorum est insatiabilis satians satietas. Duæ sunt beatitudines, una minor Paradisi, altera major cœlestis regni. (We have no idea of it, and can infer the notion of happiness only by way of negation from that of unhappiness.)......... Sicut ferrum alicujus capiti si esset infixum et sic candens per omnia membra transiret, sicut ille dolorem haberet, ita ipsi per contrarium modum in omnibus membris suis interius et exterius voluptatem habent......O qualem voluptatem visus ipsi habebunt, qui ita clausis sicut apertis oculis videbunt.......O qualis voluptas auditus illorum, quibus incessanter sonent harmoniæ cœlorum et concentus Angelorum, dulcisona organa omnium Sanctorum. Olfactio qualis, ubi suavissimum odorem de ipso suavitatis haurient, et odorem de Angelis et omnibus Sanctis percipient. Eia qualis voluptas gustus, ubi

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epulantur et exultant in conspectu Dei, et cum apparuerit gloria Dei saturabuntur et ab ubertate domus ejus inebriabuntur (Ps. lxxvi. Ps. xvi. Ps. xxxv.) Voluptas tactus qualis, ubi omnia aspera et dura aberunt, et omnia blanda et suavia arridebunt.— Nor will the recollection of sins formerly committed, but now expiated, disturb the enjoyment of heavenly bliss. Cap. 79. Concerning the blessedness arising from the fellowship of the saints, see ibidem: Nihil plus cupient, quam habebunt, et nihil plus potest adjici gaudio eorum. Quod enim quisque in se non habuerit, in altero habebit, ut, v. g. Petrus in Joanne gloriam habebit virginitatis, Joannes in Petro gloriam passionis. Et ita gloria uniuscujusque erit omnium, et gloria omnium uniuscujusque erit......O Deus quale gaudium habebunt, qui Patrem in Filio, et Verbum in Patre, et Spiritus Sancti charitatem in utroque, sicuti est, facie ad faciem semper videbunt. Gaudium habebunt de consortio Angelorum, gaudium de contubernio omnium Sanctorum.

5 According to Thomas Aquinas, Qu. 95. Art. 2., the following distinction may be made between beatitudo and dos: Dos datur sine meritis, sed beatitudo non datur, sed redditur pro meritis. Præterea: beatitudo est una tantum, dotes vero sunt plures. Præterea: beatitudo inest homini secundum id quod est potissimum in eo, sed dos etiam in corpore ponitur.—According to Art. 5. there are 3 dotes: visio, quæ fidei, comprehensio, quæ spei, fruitio, quæ charitati respondet. On the relation in which the particular aureolæ stand to the corona (aurea), see Qu. 96. Art. 1.: præmium essentiale hominis, quod est ejus beatitudo, consistit in perfecta conjunctione animæ ad Deum, in quantum eo perfecte fruitur, ut viso et amato perfecte: hoc autem præmium metaphorice corona dicitur vel aurea; tum ex parte meriti quod cum quadam pugna agitur, tum etiam ex parte præmii, per quod homo efficitur quodammodo divinitatis particeps, et per consequens regiæ potestatis......Significat etiam corona perfectionem quandam ratione figuræ circularis, ut ex hoc etiam competat perfectioni beatorum. Sed quia nihil potest superaddi essentiali, quin sit eo minus: ideo superadditum præmium aureola nominatur. Huic autem essentiali præmio, quod aurea dicitur, aliquid superadditur dupliciter. Uno modo ex conditione naturæ ejus, qui præmiatur, sicut supra beatitudinem animæ gloria corporis