Himmlische Offenbarungen

and devotion is carried toward her, for the even greater increase of said Christian devotion, and the purer cleansing of pious souls and consciences, we should confirm and approve or hold as good the above-indicated recognition, declaration, resolution, or pronouncement, as well as the inscription and remission, and whatever else is contained in the mentioned Bull, by Apostolic authority, and strengthen it with Apostolic validation, also wishing to oversee the defects, if perhaps any had occurred in between, out of Apostolic mercy. Therefore, we, who are inclined toward the King's excellent devotion and sincerity, which he is found to bear toward God, toward us, and the Roman Church, after well-weighed humble petition made in this case, hold the recognition, declaration, resolution, or pronouncement, as well as the inscription and remission, and what else is contained in the oft-mentioned Bull, as valid and acceptable, and by Apostolic authority, by virtue of this and certain knowledge, approve and also confirm, and strengthen with the protection of this writing, overseeing all defects, if perhaps any have occurred in between. The content of said Bull is placed before, and reads thus: We, Boniface, Bishop, a servant of the servants of God, etc. Therefore, it shall not be permissible for any human to break this page of our approbation or approval, confirmation, strengthening, and oversight, or to act against it out of reckless boldness. If anyone, however, presumes to do such, let him know that he will fall into the disfavor of Almighty God and of His apostles Peter and Paul. Given at Florence on the 1st of July original: Hewmonats, in the second year of our Papacy.

The Sixth Chapter.

Of the order to proceed in the explanation of the submitted articles before the Judge in matters of Faith, and the appointed delegates.

A small decorative drop cap 'D'. But this I have let go before as common and customary signs and grounds to prove that the books of St. Birgitt contain nothing in them that is contrary to the Catholic faith or opposed to the teaching of the holy teachers. Now that must be specifically proved and supported, with the above-stated protestation through each and every article that was extracted from her books and entered as suspicious before the Right Reverend Father and Lord, Cardinal of St. Peter's, Judge in matters of Faith at this general assembly at Basel original: Basel; in which process such order shall indeed be kept. For first, the article will be set down just as it is drafted in the letter handed in by the envious and slanderers against the books of the Revelations of St. Birgitt. Secondly, where

where it is found that it was falsely or unfaithfully extracted, as has happened many times, it will be corrected, and the article set down truthfully, just as it stands in the original book itself. Thirdly, the truth or possibility of the article will be explained, which the slanderers have mocked as impossible, or at least [it will be shown] that it does not contradict the Holy Scripture or the approved doctrine of the holy teachers.

First Article in Order.

A small decorative drop cap 'D'. The first article, as it lies on the sixth [page] that was delivered to us, from the first chapter of the first book, etc. All articles, of which there are 123 in number, together with their explanations and defenses, we omit here for the sake of brevity. The defense of the 123rd and last article finally concludes thus: and consequently of all articles that were handed to me upon the letter, since they have all been diligently and well-weighed together, and understood as conforming to the Holy Scripture and the sayings of the holy teachers, as well as to the school of good theologians, I do not see how this book, or its author, should be held as suspicious, neither in form, nor in figure, nor in weight, using the words of the opposing party. Not in form or shape, because upright gold of righteous teaching is within it. Not in figure, because it agrees as well with Holy Scripture as with the holy teachers, as appears from what is said above. Thirdly, also not in weight or heaviness, because it is entirely ordered to God's honor and the improvement of the Christian people. The weight, as Augustine speaks, is love: my weight, my love original: "pondus meum, amor meus". For a teaching is called all the more heavy and weighty, the more it is ordered to kindle the love of God and to maintain it in the hearts of the faithful. But the slanderer says that this teaching is primarily suspicious in its figure, because it seems to deviate from the manner of the visions and teaching of the Holy Fathers, as in a vision where she says that she has seen God in the form of God. And in another place, she submits her visions to testing: this [one]. Although I could not find the place in the aforementioned Revelations where these words are supposed to stand, and they thus—just as it is fitting to say in many other cases—might be omitted as unfaithfully cited, I have nonetheless allowed myself to answer thereto for the sake of the completeness of this treatise. For I say that both among philosophers and theologians, the form of a thing is called the likeness of the thing: and because the beholding of God on the way, or the revelations, happen through some likenesses that place God before the eyes,