Revelations of Divine Love · 35 of 127 · tr. Grace Warrack

Chapter XXVI

"It is I, it is I" And after this our Lord shewed Himself more glorified, as to my sight, than I saw Him before [in the Shewing] wherein I was learned that our soul shall never have rest till it cometh to Him, knowing that He is fulness of joy, homely and courteous, blissful and very life. Our Lord Jesus oftentimes said: I it am, I it am: I it am that is highest, I it am that thou lovest, I it am that thou enjoyest, I it am that thou servest, I it am that thou longest for, I it am that thou desirest, I it am that thou meanest, I it am that is all. I it am that Holy Church preacheth and teacheth thee, I it am that shewed me here to thee. The number of the words passeth my wit and all my understanding and all my powers. And they are the highest, as to my sight: for therein is comprehended—I cannot tell,—but the joy that I saw in the Shewing of them passeth all that heart may wish for and soul may desire. Therefore the words be not declared here; but every man after the grace that God giveth him in understanding and loving, receive them in our Lord's meaning. THE THIRTEENTH REVELATION

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Themes

◆Bhakti

The path of loving devotion and self-surrender to a personal deity as itself sufficient means of liberation — the Gita's 'to those constantly devoted, I come forward as their deliverer,' Kabir's and the Sant poets' love-religion, the devotional stream that parallels Sufi love-mysticism. Distinct from mystical_union (the resulting state), fana_annihilation (the ego's unmaking at the path's end), ladder_of_love (eros staged toward Beauty), and prayer (the practice of address): bhakti names devotion as the soteriological road itself.

The passage emphasizes loving devotion ('thou lovest'), service ('thou servest'), and longing as the primary modes of relating to the divine.

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◆Gnosis Direct Knowledgesoteriology

Salvation through direct experiential knowledge of the divine nature, not through faith, ritual, or moral works alone.

The passage centers on the soul's direct experiential knowledge of God as 'fulness of joy' and 'very life,' learned through a specific 'Shewing' rather than mere doctrine.

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◆Living Godtheology

The divine conceived as active, present, and dynamic—not an abstract principle but a personal responsive reality.

God is portrayed not as an abstract principle but as a personal, active presence who speaks ('It is I'), is 'homely and courteous,' and is the source of 'very life.'

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◆Mystical Unionsoteriology

The merging of the individual soul or self with the divine, transcending personal identity.

The text describes the soul's ultimate rest found only in coming to God, who is identified as the object of all love, service, and desire, implying a total merging of identities.

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◆Return To Sourcesoteriology

The soul's journey back to its divine origin, reversing the fall into matter through stages of purification or illumination.

The passage explicitly states that the soul 'shall never have rest till it cometh to Him,' framing the spiritual journey as a return to the divine origin.

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◆Unity Of Beingtheology

The doctrine that all existence is ultimately one substance or one divine reality; non-duality as a theological claim.

The repeated assertion 'I it am that is all' suggests a non-dualistic view where the divine encompasses all existence and attributes.

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Related passages · 1 parallel

◆hermeticism|Corpus Hermeticum 10: The Sermon on the Mount|Section 1b

“For It doth will to be, and It is both Itself and most of all by reason of Itself. Indeed, all other things beside are just bacause of It; for the distinctive feature of the Good is "that it should be known". Such is the Good, O Tat. Tat…”

Both passages describe a direct, transformative encounter with the divine that transcends human understanding and brings ultimate fulfillment. The divine is portrayed as the source of all joy, beauty, and life, and the encounter leads to a state of profound, wordless comprehension.