THE VISION AND THE VOICE
Sabbath; and in the Holy Assembly hath she poured it out
for her worshippers, and they have become drunken thereon,
so that face to face have they beheld my Father. Thus are
they made worthy to become partakers of the Mystery of this
holy vessel, for the blood is the life. So sitteth she from age
to age, and the righteous are never weary of her kisses, and
by her murders and fornications she seduceth the world.
Therein is manifested the glory of my Father, who is truth.
(This wine is such that its virtue radiateth through the
cup, and I reel under the intoxication of it. And every
thought is destroyed by it. It abideth alone, and its name is
Compassion. I understand by ‘Compassion,’ the sacrament
of suffering, partaken of by the true worshippers of the High-
est. And it is an ecstasy in which there is no trace of pain.
Its passivity (= passion) is like the giving-up of the self to
the beloved).
The voice continues: This is the Mystery of Babylon, the
Mother of abominations, and this is the mystery of her
adulteries, for she hath yielded up herself to everything that
liveth, and hath become a partaker in its mystery. And because
she hath made herself the servant of each, therefore is she
become the mistress of all. Not as yet canst thou comprehend
her glory.
Beautiful art thou, O Babylon, and desirable, for thou hast
given thyself to everything that liveth, and thy weakness hath
subdued their strength. For in that union thou didst wxder-
stand. Therefore art thou called Understanding, O Babylon,
Lady of the Night!
This is that which is written, ““O my God, in one last
rapture let me attain to the union with the many.” For she is
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