The first article of the omnipotence of the Creator produces a childlike fear of God, the second of the only begotten Son produces love for God, receiving the Holy Spirit produces shame and horror of sin, being born of the Virgin produces chastity and serious practice of virtue, suffering produces a willing endurance of all repugnance. The question: How did Pontius Pilate come to be included in the symbol? They had pointed to him as the head of the government in the Holy Land, had spoken of his alleged homeland of Pontus and much more. The pious man of the 15th century refrains from all this unfruitful scholarship. To him it simply says: Under Pontius Pilate, the right obedience to all men is worked in us. The historical note therefore means nothing other than Paul’s words: Let everyone be subject to the authorities who have authority over him.
Furthermore, the crucifixion causes us to turn away from the world and its evil lust, the death of Jesus causes us to die to all sins, vices and our own nature. His burial brings us peace of heart without all strife, his descent into hell the right brotherly love, by means of which we come to the aid of all men and diligently remember in our prayers the souls in purgatory as well as the people on earth.
Christ has risen from the dead: so we rise from all evil habits and the influence of the stars and direct our three spiritual powers towards God and useful things. He ascended to heaven and thereby made it possible for us to live a life of true vision. In the detailed way in which the five degrees of vision are described, the special interest of the mystic is clearly revealed. The thought of Christ’s return for judgement educates us to righteousness. We owe to the article on the Holy Spirit a purity of heart by virtue of which we wont become bad again, nor can we become bad again.
The pious man knows nothing of a holy Catholic Church, whose world-embracing power other expositors prefer to contrast with the limited conventicles of the heretics. He only knows a holy Christianity whose goods consist in our becoming children of God, brothers of Jesus Christ, disciples of the Holy Spirit and comrades of the apostles. The article on eternal life fills us with hope and longing for the hereafter, protects us from the sorrows of this life and makes us willing to part from it. With the Amen, however, we surrender ourselves to God’s will to want what he wants from us.
It will not be difficult to prove all these sentences from Eckart or other mystical writers of the 14th century.
