German Theology

I say it was because of his claiming original: annemen — the act of taking something for oneself; appropriation or arrogance. and because of his "I," "my," "me," "mine," and the like. Had he eaten seven apples and if that claiming had not occurred, he would not have fallen. But when the claiming happened, then he was fallen, even if he had not bitten into a single apple. Now then: I have fallen a hundred times deeper and turned further away than Adam; and Adam’s fall and his turning away could not be mended or restored by all mankind. Or how shall he be mended? He must be mended like Adam's fall was, and by the same one through whom Adam’s fall was mended, and in the same way. By whom, or in what way, did this mending happen? Man could not do it without God, and God would not do it without man; therefore God took human nature, or humanity, upon Himself and was made man original: vermenscht — God becoming human; the Incarnation., and man was made divine original: vergottet — the process of being united with God or divinized.. There the mending occurred; so also must my fall be mended.

I am not capable of it without God, and God shall not or will not do it without me; for if it is to happen, God must also be made man in me, so that God takes onto Himself all that is in me, from within and without, so that nothing remains in me that resists God or hinders His work. Even if God took all people who exist unto Himself, and were made man in them, and they were made divine in Him—if it did not happen in me, my fall and my turning away would never be mended, unless it also happened in me. And in this restoration Widerpringung: the bringing back or restoration of the soul to its original state. and mending, I cannot, may not, and should not contribute anything, but rather engage in a purely quiet suffering original: leiden — in this mystical context, it refers to "passivity" or "receptivity," letting God act without the ego's interference., so that God alone acts and works, and I suffer allow or undergo His work and His will. And because I do not want to "suffer" this, but rather cling to "mine" and "I" and "me" and "my," this hinders God so that He cannot work alone and without obstruction. Therefore, my fall and my turning away remain unmended. Behold, all of this is caused by my "claiming."

The Fourth Chapter.

¶ God says: "I will give my honor to no one" A reference to Isaiah 42:8.. This means that honor and glory belong to no one except alone...