X, XI Cardinal's Preface

point, in such revelations and visions her soul was not only illuminated with divine brilliance, but also gladdened with a certain taste of inner sweetness and very vehemently kindled with the fire of divine love, as appears in many places in her books. Of this manner Saint Gregory speaks: "When God speaks with the soul through Himself, the power of inner inspiration is revealed in us alone: for its power is recognized through an inward, sweet elevation." Therefore, this honorable widow Birgitta is rightly signified by Judith—which is translated as "confessing and praising God"—for the more and more richly she was raised up by the light and brilliance of divine enlightenment, the more humble she became, and she praised God, the Father of Lights, from whom every good gift and every perfect gift comes, and she praised and blessed Him without ceasing.

The Third Chapter.

In which is set forth the third sign and the third proof, by which divine revelations are distinguished from devilish ones.

The third sign and the third proof, by which the revelations of the Holy Spirit are distinguished from the revelations of the evil spirit, is the pure and sincere truth of what is revealed. For when the revelations are true through and through, without the admixture of any falsehood, there is no doubt that they are from the Holy Spirit, who is a teacher and inspirer of truth. But if they are mixed with falsehood and error, one recognizes that they come not from the Spirit of God, but from an evil one. For the devil, who is a father of lies and a teacher of them, sometimes says what is true in his mockeries so that he may deceive, and sometimes what is false. But the Holy Spirit always speaks what is true, and never what is false. Of this sign Saint Thomas speaks (2.2 q.172 a.5): "Prophecy from the devil can also be recognized in some external signs, such as among soothsayers; but it is known because the devil sometimes speaks what is not true, while the Holy Spirit never does." Therefore it is said in Deuteronomy (ch. 18): "If you should say in your heart in silence, 'How can I perceive which word the Lord has not spoken?' then take this as a sign: when the prophet proclaims something in the name of the Lord and it does not happen: that is the word which the Lord has not spoken." From this part is taken an obvious proof that the revelations which the blessed Birgitta had were from the Spirit of God: since this holy and honorable disciple of Christ, whenever one understands it correctly, always foretold what is true, and in all her

books spoke nothing that is untrue, or mendacious, or dishonorable, or not Catholic. Instead, she always spoke what is true and proclaimed what is Catholic, condemned the heretics, and taught and preached the virtues and obedience to the Holy Roman Church through her entire teaching, as is known to anyone who looks at her books with unclouded eyes and reads them with such sincerity as other holy scriptures—either Canonical those in the Bible or those of the Teachers the Doctors of the Church—should be read. Therefore it is rightly said in the third part of the thesis: "All that you speak is true."

The Fourth Chapter.

In which is set forth the fourth sign and the fourth proof, by which divine revelations are distinguished from devilish revelations.

A decorative initial letter O marks the beginning of this section. Next, the fourth sign, by which the revelation of the Spirit of God is distinguished from the revelations of the evil spirit, is the uniformity with Holy Scripture and the teaching of the Saints. For when the revelation is found to be uniform with divine Scripture, as well as with the sayings and examples of the Saints, one concludes therefrom that it is a revelation of the Spirit of God. But if it is dissimilar to them and contrary, one should rightly hold it as suspect. Therefore Richard Richard of Saint Victor, a medieval mystic says: "Every truth is suspect to me which the authority of Scripture does not confirm." In Job 33, God speaks only once, and does not repeat the same a second time, which according to the opinion of Gregory means: "God does not answer every particular question in the heart of a person, but in the combined Scriptures we find all our causes, if we will search for them." From this sign, in my opinion, a powerful proof is taken to demonstrate that the revelations given to blessed Birgitta and contained in these books proceeded from the Spirit of God: for one sees that they agree with Holy Scripture and with the divine revelations, sayings, and examples of the Saints, and this in three things. First, in the genus category or type of a vision or revelation. Second, in the manner of a revelation. Third, in the uniformity with the Sayings and Teachers. Here it should be noted that Augustine original: "lib. 12. super Gen. ad lit." and Jerome original: "in Prologo Apoc." primarily describe three categories of visions: namely, a bodily, a spiritual, and an intellectual vision. For a bodily vision is when something is seen with the bodily