German Theology

...God. If I now claim any good thing for myself—as though I am something, or can do something, or know something, or do something, or as if it were mine, or came from me, or belongs to me, or is due to me, or anything of the like—then I also claim some of the glory and honor for myself. In doing so, I commit two evils. First, a fall and a turning away original: abkerē — a turning away from God toward the self., as was spoken of before. Second, I infringe upon God’s honor and take for myself that which belongs to God alone. For all that should be called "good" belongs to no one except the eternal, true Good. Whoever claims this for themselves does wrong and acts against God.

Chapter Five.

¶ Some people say that one should become without knowledge, without will, without love, without desire, without awareness, and the like. This does not mean that there should be no knowledge in a person, or that God should not be known, loved, willed, desired, praised, or honored within them. For that would be a great defect original: gebrech — a lack, flaw, or infirmity., and the person would be like a beast. Rather, it should come about that knowledge is so pure and so perfect that it is recognized that this same knowledge does not belong to the person—or indeed to the creature—but is the eternal knowledge which is the Eternal Word.

Look, in this way the person or the creature steps back and does not claim it original: annemen — to take for oneself; to appropriate credit or ownership. for themselves. And the less the creature claims this knowledge, the more perfect that knowledge becomes. It is the same with the will, and love, and desire, and whatever else exists. For when one claims these things less for oneself, they become all the more noble, pure, and divine.

More foolish, more base original: Stupidior, vilior.

But the more one claims them as one's own, the more coarse, tainted, and imperfect they become. See, this is how one should become "free" of these things—that is, free of the act of claiming them. When one becomes free in this way, it is the noblest and purest knowledge that can exist in a person, and also the noblest and purest love and desire; for then all of this belongs to God alone. It is better and more noble that it should be God’s rather than the creature’s. When I claim any good thing for myself, where does that come from? Whether I say it is mine, or that I am it. Whoever [knows] the truth...