Greco-Christian stream·The Imitation of Christ·Book III — On Inward Consolation·Chapter II. What The Truth Saith Inwardly Without Noise Of Words
II. What Truth saith inwardly, without noise of words
'Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth.' The Disciple's prayer for inward instruction; the contrast between the noise of human teachers and the silent voice of Truth itself; let Moses keep silence, that thou alone, Lord, mayest speak.
Source context
- Theme
- interior divine speech apprehended beyond sensory language and discursive reasoning
- Soul-faculty
- Consciousness Soul
Steiner
not engaged in the GA corpus
Cross-tradition
- Augustinian inner-word doctrineAugustine's verbum interius distinguishes the silent inner word of the intellect from its outward phonetic expression, structurally parallel to the Imitation's claim that Truth instructs the soul inwardly without audible sound.
- Rhineland mysticism (Meister Eckhart)Eckhart's sermons on the eternal birth of the Word in the ground of the soul describe the same silent interiority: divine speech arises not through the ears but through the soul's detached receptivity.
- Platonic recollection (anamnesis)Plato's doctrine that genuine knowledge is the soul's recollection of truths already latently present offers a cross-tradition congruence with the chapter's insistence that the inner teacher surpasses all outward instruction.
Chapter II. What The Truth Saith Inwardly Without Noise Of Words
WHAT THE TRUTH SAITH INWARDLY WITHOUT NOISE OF WORDS
Speak Lord, for thy servant heareth.(1) I am Thy servant; O give me understanding that I may know Thy testimonies. Incline my heart unto the words of Thy mouth.(2) Let thy speech distil as the dew. The children of Israel spake in old time to Moses, Speak thou unto us and we will hear, but let not the Lord speak unto us lest we die.(3) Not thus, O Lord, not thus do I pray, but rather with Samuel the prophet, I beseech Thee humbly and earnestly, Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth. Let not Moses speak to me, nor any prophet, but rather speak Thou, O Lord, who didst inspire and illuminate all the prophets; for Thou alone without them canst perfectly fill me with knowledge, whilst they without Thee shall profit nothing.
2They can indeed utter words, but they give not the spirit. They speak with exceeding beauty, but when Thou art silent they kindle not the heart. They give us scriptures, but Thou makest known the sense thereof. They bring us mysteries, but Thou revealest the things which are signified. They utter commandments, but Thou helpest to the fulfilling of them. They show the way, but Thou givest strength for the journey. They act only outwardly, but Thou dost instruct and enlighten the heart. They water, but Thou givest the increase. They cry with words, but Thou givest understanding to the hearer.
3Therefore let not Moses speak to me, but Thou, O Lord my God, Eternal Truth; lest I die and bring forth no fruit, being outwardly admonished, but not enkindled within; lest the word heard but not followed, known but not loved, believed but not obeyed, rise up against me in the judgment. Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth; Thou hast the words of eternal life.(4) Speak unto me for some consolation unto my soul, for the amendment of my whole life, and for the praise and glory and eternal honour of Thy Name.
(1) 1 Samuel iii. 9. (2) Psalm cxix. 125. (3) Exodus xx. 19. (4) John vi. 68.