Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 177

Chap.

§48.

Ill]

TWO KINDS OF PEOPLE

153

and nine-tenths wild, so that by degrees it it is simply grafted or not grafted, and the entire result of its future growth depends on this fundamental difference. And though from the nature of the case this figure does not escape the weak side which every metaphor has, it will nevertheless serve its purpose. It illustrates the idea, that if in the orchard of humanity a similar operation or grafting takes place, by which the chartentli cultivated

may become

entirely cultivated;

acter of the life-process of our

human nature is man and man

changed, a differentiation between

potentially

takes place

which divides us into two kinds. And if the sublimate, which from our being arrays itself in our consciousness, may be compared to the blossom in which the tree develops its hidden beauty, then it follows that the consciousness of the grafted and the consciousness of the wow-grafted humanity must be as unlike as to kind, as the blossom of the wild, and that of the true, vine. But the difficulty which we here encounter is, that every

one grants this fact of grafting of trees, while in the world of men the parallel fact is de^iied by all who have not experienced it. This would be the case also with the trees, if they could think and speak. Without a doubt the wild vine would maintain itself to be the true vine, and look

down upon

that

as the victim of

which announces

itself as

the true vine

imagination and presumption.

riority of the cultivated branch

The supewould never be recognized

by the wild branch; or, to quote the beautiful German words, the Wildling (weed) would ever claim to be Edelreis (noble plant). No, it is not strange that so far as they have not come into contact with this fact of palingenesis, thoughtful men should consider the assertion of it an illusion and a

and that rather than deal with it as fact, they should apply their powers to prove its inconceivable-

piece of fanaticism ;

This would not be so, if by some tension of human power the palingenesis proceeded from the sphere of our human life for then it would seem a thing to be desired, and all nobler efforts would be directed to it. But since palingenesis is effected by a power, the origin of which lies ness.

;

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