The Epistles of Jacob Behmen

of God in our humanity, in himself, into love, where the poor captive soul drinks from God's fountain and eases and sweetens its fire-breath. From this, the new Paradisiacal original: "Paradificall"; referring to the state of Paradise or the divine garden bud springs forth, and there the hunger and desire of the soul is made substantial and essential in the blood of Christ, in a heavenly manner.

15. Now, just as the revealing of death had to occur in the person of Christ himself—within our soul and humanity—so that the eternity in Christ (with which he came from heaven and was also in heaven, as in John 3) overcame time (that is, the life and will of time) and changed time and its will into the eternal will of the Deity. All this must be accomplished in our received humanity. Likewise, our soul's desire must receive into itself that same eternal will in Christ (where time and eternity stand in equal agreement and harmony) and, through the power of that will, immerse or cast itself into the adoption of free grace in Christ. This allows that same inward Paradisiacal foundation which died in Adam to spring forth again in the will of Christ's obedience, through his heavenly and human blood assumed from us.

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16. The atonement and expiation must be made manifest and experienced original: "experimentall"; in the 17th century, this meant personally experienced or known through practice, not just theoretical within ourselves through the atonement Christ once made. Indeed, the atonement and reconciliation were fully finished and accomplished in Christ's blood and death. However, what was once wrought in Christ must also work in me; it must also happen in me now through Christ's shedding of his blood. Christ also pours his heavenly blood into the desire of faith in my poor soul and transforms original: "tinctureth"; an alchemical term for permeating and changing the inner nature of a substance the anger of God within it, so that the first Adamic image of God may appear again and begin to see, hear, feel, taste, and smell.

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17. For that same image—the true Paradisiacal image—which died in Adam from the heavenly world's essence, does not dwell in the four elements The four elements are earth, air, fire, and water, making up the physical world. Its essence and life do not reside in this world but in heaven (which is manifest in Christ within us). That is, it lives in that one pure, holy Element from which the four elements sprang at the beginning of time. This same inward, new spiritual man eats Christ's flesh and blood; for he exists and lives in Christ. Christ is his trunk original: "stock"; the main stem of a plant into which a graft is inserted, and he is a branch on that trunk.

18. For every spirit eats from that which gave it its origin. The animal [sensual] mortal soul eats from the spirit of this world—from the stars and elements, and from the kingdom of the world. But the true eternal soul (which was breathed out of the Eternal Word into man as divine life) also eats from its mother—that is, from the holy, essential Word of God.