Exegesis on the Soul

Summary

The soul is described as having a feminine nature and a womb. Originally, she was androgynous and alone with her father. After falling into a body and entering this life, she was taken advantage of by many men and became a prostitute. When she tried to leave these relationships, she became helpless and desolate, and the children she bore from the adulterers were disturbed. She then cried out to her father, and because of the suffering she endured from abandoning her home, he showed her mercy. The prostitution of the soul is treated as a serious problem. The holy spirit speaks about it in the books of Jeremiah, Hosea, and Ezekiel. The savior’s messengers command people to guard against both physical prostitution and, especially, the prostitution of the soul, just as Paul warned the Corinthians to avoid associating with prostitutes. The greatest struggle is the prostitution of the soul, which is not against flesh and blood but against the world rulers of darkness and evil spirits. When the soul recognizes her troubles and repents, the father cleanses her and turns her womb inward. This act is her baptism, through which she regains her original nature and becomes pure again. The father then sends down the firstborn, who is the bridegroom, to join the bride who has purified herself in the bridal chamber. She no longer acts promiscuously but waits for her true groom and dreams of him. A spiritual marriage follows between the soul and her true love and master, sent by the father. This marriage is different from a physical one and reunites the soul with her true love, restoring her former happiness. The soul recognizes her true love and adorns herself so he will stay with her. She is told to turn away from her former people and the gang of adulterers, to devote herself to her king, and to remember her father in heaven. She is encouraged to leave her earthly ties and kin and to forget her father’s house.