Greco-Christian stream·The Imitation of Christ·Book III — On Inward Consolation·Chapter I. Of The Inward Voice Of Christ To The Faithful Soul
I. The inward voice of Christ to the faithful soul
Opens Book III with the dialogue's keynote: 'I will hearken what the Lord God shall say within me.' Blessed are the ears that hear the soft whisper of God within and turn from the whisperings of this world. The frame for the fifty-nine inward dialogues that follow.
Source context
- Theme
- Christ's inward voice as direct spiritual address to the receptive soul
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Vedanta — antaryamin doctrineThe Upanishadic teaching of the antaryamin (inner controller) presents cross-tradition congruence with the Imitation's premise that the divine speaks as an interior guide within the prepared soul.
- Sufi mysticism — sama and the inner wordSufi accounts of divine address (khitab) to the purified heart show cross-tradition congruence with the chapter's claim that Christ speaks inwardly to the soul that has stilled external distractions.
- Rhineland mysticism — Meister Eckhart's SeelengrundEckhart's doctrine that the Word is eternally spoken in the ground of the soul (Seelengrund) displays structural cross-tradition congruence with Book III's opening premise of Christ as interior voice.
Chapter I. Of The Inward Voice Of Christ To The Faithful Soul
OF THE INWARD VOICE OF CHRIST TO THE FAITHFUL SOUL
I will hearken what the Lord God shall say within me.(1) Blessed is the soul which heareth the Lord speaking within it, and receiveth the word of consolation from His mouth. Blessed are the ears which receive the echoes of the soft whisper of God, and turn not aside to the whisperings of this world. Blessed truly are the ears which listen not to the voice that soundeth without, but to that which teacheth truth inwardly. Blessed are the eyes which are closed to things without, but are fixed upon things within. Blessed are they who search inward things and study to prepare themselves more and more by daily exercises for the receiving of heavenly mysteries. Blessed are they who long to have leisure for God, and free themselves from every hindrance of the world. Think on these things, O my soul, and shut the doors of thy carnal desires, so mayest thou hear what the Lord God will say within thee.
2These things saith thy Beloved, "I am thy salvation, I am thy peace and thy life. Keep thee unto Me, and thou shalt find peace." Put away thee all transitory things, seek those things that are eternal. For what are all temporal things but deceits, and what shall all created things help thee if thou be forsaken by the Creator? Therefore put all things else away, and give thyself to the Creator, to be well pleasing and faithful to Him, that thou mayest be able to attain true blessedness.
(1) Psalm lxxxv. 8.