VISIO QUARTA, cap. XI
The Seal and the Firmament
The vision opens with the image of God as a seal and the firmament as the footstool of his throne, a circle without beginning or end.
In these thoughts, let a person look upon almighty God as a seal, affirming all his miracles and signs, and in the likeness of the firmament strengthening their home in this way — that they may be torn away from God through no terror or fear or love: for God has placed the firmament as the footstool of his throne, and the surrounding circle has, in the likeness of God's power, which has no beginning and no end, just as no one can behold where the circling wheel begins or ends.
Living Sparks Before the Throne
God's eternity is his throne, and all living sparks are rays of his splendor, beholding him without weariness in an unending zeal.
For the throne of God is his own eternity, in which he alone sits, and all living sparks are rays of his splendor, just as rays of the sun proceed from it. And how would God be known as life, except through life-giving things that glorified him, since those praising his glory proceeded from him? Therefore he has placed living and burning sparks toward the brightness of his countenance, which observe that he has no beginning and no end, and so having no weariness in looking upon him, they eagerly behold him without disgust, and this zeal will never pass away.
God Known Through His Radiance
God's eternity and glory are made known through angels and every creature, each bearing some ray of divine beauty.
But how would it be known that he is the sole eternal one, if he were not so considered by angels? If he did not have those sparks, how would his full glory appear? And how would it become known that he is eternal, if no brightness proceeded from him? For there is no creature that does not have some ray — namely greenness, or seeds, or flowers, or beauty — otherwise it would not be a creature.
The Power Behind All Possibility
God's power is shown in his ability to do all things.
But if God couldn't do all things, where would his power be?
Light, Darkness, and the Shaped World
God marked the beauty of his works in the first angel and left the northern quarter empty of light, so that darkness makes light more pleasing.
Because God marked the beauty of his works in the first angel, and, to show in which part of the world hell lies, left the fourth part — the northern one — empty of light, with three parts illuminated by the presence of the sun and the moon, and because by the brightness of light the darknesses are exposed, and by the opposition of the darknesses light becomes more pleasing,
Read the original Latin
In his cogitationibus homo omnipotentem Deum sicut sigillum inspiciat, omnia miracula et signa ipsius affirmando, atque in similitudine firmamenti domum suam hoc modo confortando, quo per nullum terrorem seu timoris seu amoris a Deo avellatur: firmamentum itaque Deus in scabellum throni sui posuit, illudque circumeuntem circulum habet, in similitudine potentiae Dei, quae nec initium, nec finem habet, quemadmodum nullus intueri potest, ubi circuiens rota incipiat, vel finiatur. Thronus etenim Dei aeternitas ipsius est, in qua solus sedet, omnesque viventes scintillae radii splendoris ejus sunt, velut radii solis ab ipso procedunt. Et quomodo Deus vita esse cognosceretur, nisi per vitalia, quae ipsum glorificarent, quoniam gloriam ipsius laudantes ab ipso processerunt? Quapropter viventes et ardentes scintillas ad claritatem vultus sui posuit, quae ipsum nec initium, nec finem habere conspiciunt, et ideo nullum taedium aspicere in eum habentes, studiose absque fastidio ipsum intuentur, nec studium hoc unquam praeteribit. Quomodo autem cognosceretur quia solus aeternus est, si ab angelis ita non consideraretur? Quod si scintillas istas non haberet, quomodo gloria ejus plena appareret? Et quomodo aeternus esse innotesceret, si nulla claritas ab ipso procederet? Nulla enim creatura est, quin aliquem radium habeat, videlicet aut viriditatem, aut semina, aut flores, aut pulchritudinem, alioquin creatura non esset.
Sed et si Deus possibilitatem omnia facere non haberet, ubi esset potentia ipsius?
Quia Deus pulchritudinem operum suorum in primo angelo signaverit, et quod ad demonstrandum in qua mundi parte infernus sit, tribus partibus solis et lunae praesentia illustratis, quartam partem, id est septentrionalem vacuam lumine reliquerit, et quod fulgore lucis tenebrae arguantur, et oppositione tenebrarum lux gratior sit.
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