phenomenology of mind-第169章

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That　which　belongs　to　the　sphere　of　pictorial　thought　—　viz。；　that　Absolute　Spirit　presents　the
nature　of　spirit　in　its　existence；　qua　individual　or　rather　qua　particular；　—　is　thus　here　transferred　to
self…consciousness　itself；　to　the　knowledge　which　maintains　itself　in　its　otherness。　This
self…consciousness　does　not　therefore　really　die；　as　the　particular　person（14）　is　pictorially　imagined
to　have　really　died；　its　particularity　expires　in　its　universality；　i。e。　in　its　knowledge；　which　is
essential　Being　reconciling　itself　with　itself。　That　immediately　preceding　element　of　figurative
thinking　is　thus　here　affirmed　as　transcended；　has；　in　other　words；　returned　into　the　self；　into　its
notion。　What　was　in　the　former　merely　an　（objective）　existent　has　come　to　assume　the　form　of
Subject。　By　that　very　fact　the　first　element　too；　pure　thought　and　the　spirit　eternal　therein；　are　no
longer　away　beyond　the　mind　thinking　pictorially　nor　beyond　the　self；　rather　the　return　of　the　whole
into　itself　consists　just　in　containing　all　moments　within　itself。　When　the　death　of　the　mediator　is
grasped　by　the　self；　this　means　the　sublation　of　his　factuality；　of　his　particular　independent
existence：　this　particular　self…existence　has　become　universal　self…consciousness。

On　the　other　side；　the　universal；　just　because　of　this；　is　self…consciousness；　and　the　pure　or
non…actual　Spirit　of　bare　thought　has　become　actual。　The　death　of　the　mediator　is　death　not　merely
of　his　natural　aspect；　of　his　particular　self…existence：　what　dies　is　not　merely　the　outer　encasement；
which；　being　stripped。　of　essential　Being；　is　eo　ipso　dead；　but　also　the　abstraction　of　the　Divine
Being。　For　the　mediator；　as　long　as　his　death　has　not　yet　accomplished　the　reconciliation；　is
something　one…isided；　which　takes　as　essential　Being　the　simple　abstract　element　of　thought；　not
concrete　reality。　This　one…sided　extreme　of　self　has　not　yet　equal　worth　and　value　with　essential
Being；　the　self　first　gets　this　as　Spirit。　The　death　of　this　pictorial　idea　implies　at　the　same　time　the
death　of　the　abstraction　of　Divine　Being；　which　is　not　yet　affirmed　as　a　self。　'That　death　is　the
bitterness　of　feeling　of　the　〃unhappy　consciousness〃；　when　it　feels　that　God　Himself　is　dead。　This
harsh　utterance　is　the　expression　of　inmost　selfknowledcre　which　has　simply　self　for　its　content；　it
is　the　return　of　consciousness　into　the　depth　of　darkness　where　Ego　is　nothing　but　bare　identity
with　Ego；　a　darkness　distinguishing　and　knowing　nothing　more　outside　it。　This　feeling　thus　means；
in　point　of　fact；　the　loss　of　the　Substance　and　of　its　objective　existence　over　against　consciousness。
But　at　the　same　time　it　is　the　pure　subjectivity　of　Substance；　the　pure　certainty　of　itself；　which　it
lacked　when　it　was　object　or　unmediacy；　or　pure　essential　Being。　This　knowledge　is　thus
spiritualization；　whereby　Substance　becomes　Subject；　by　which　its　abstraction　and　lifelessness
have　expired；　and　Substance　therefore　has　become　real；　simple；　and　universal　self…consciousness。

In　this　way；　then；　Spirit　is　Spirit　knowing　its　own　self。　It　knows　itself；　that；　which　is　for　it　object；
exists；　or；　in　other　words；　its　figurative　idea　is　the　true　absolute　content。　As　we　saw；　the　content
expresses　just　Spirit　itself。　It　is　at　the　same　time　not　merely　content　of　self…consciousness；　and　not
merely　object　for　self…consciousness；　it　is　also　actual　Spirit。　It　is　this　by　the　fact　of　its　passing
through　the　three　elements　of　its　nature：　this　movement　through　its　whole　self　constitutes　its　actual
reality。　What　moves　itself；　that　is　Spirit；　it　is　the　subject　of　the　movement；　and　it　is　likewise　the
moving　process　itself；　or　the　substance　through　which　the　subject　passes。　We　saw　how　the　notion
of　spirit　arose　when　we　entered　the　sphere　of　religion：　it　was　the　process　of　spirit　certain　of　its　self；
which　forgives　evil；　and　in　so　doing　puts　aside　its　own　simplicity　and　rigid　unchangeableness：　it
was；　to　state　it　otherwise；　the　process；　in　which　what　is　absolutely　in　opposition　recognizes　itself　as
the　same　as　its　opposite；　and　this　knowledge　breaks　out　into　the　〃yea；　yea〃；　with　which　one
extreme　meets　the　other。　The　religious　consciousness；　to　which　the　Absolute　Being　is　revealed；
beholds　this　notion；　and　does　away　with　the　distinction　of　its　self　from　what　it　beholds；　and　as　it　is
Subject；　so　it　is　also　Substance；　and　is　thus　itself　Spirit　just　because　and　in　so　far　as　it　is　this
process。

This　religious　communion；　however；　is　not　yet　fulfilled　in　this　its　self…consciousness。　Its　content；　in
general；　is　put　before　it　in　the　form　of　a　pictorial　idea；　so　that　this　disruption　still　attaches　even　to
the　actual　spiritual　character　of　the　communion　—　to　its　return　out　of　its　figurative　thinking；　just　as
the　element　of　pure　thought　itself　was　also　hampered　with　that　opposition。（15）　This　spiritual
communion　is　not　also　consciously　aware　what　it　is；　it　is　spiritual　self…consciousness；　which　is　not
object　to　itself　as　this　self…consciousness；　or　does　not　develop　into　clear　consciousness　of　itself。
Rather；　so　far　as　it　is　consciousness；　it　has　before　it　those　picturethoughts　which　were　considered。

We　see　self…consciousness　at　its　last　turning　point　become　inward　to　itself　and　attain　to　knowledge
of　its　inner　being；　of　its　self…centredness。　We　see　it　relinquish　its　natural　existence；　and　reach　pure
negativity。　But　the　positive　significance　—　viz。　that　this　negativity；　or　pure　inwardness　of　knowledge
is　just　as　much　the　selfidentical　essential　Being：　put　other…wise；　that　Substance　has　here　attained　to
being　absolute　self…consciousness　—　this　is；　for　the　devotional　consciousness；　an　external　other。　It
grasps　this　aspect…that　the　knowledge　which　becomes　purely　inward　is　inherently　absolute
simplicity；　or　Substance　—　as　the　pictorial　idea　of　something　which　is　not　thus　by　its　very
conception；　but　as　the　act　of　satisfaction　obtained　from　an　（alien）　other。　In　other　words；　it　is　not
really　aware　as　a　fact　that　this　depth　of　pure　self　is　the　power　by　which　the　abstract　essential　Being
is　drawn　down　from　its　abstractness　and　raised　to　the　level　of　self　by　the　force　of　this　pure
devotion。　The　action　of　the　self　hence　retains　towards　it　this　negative　significance；　because　the
relinquishment　of　itself　on　the　part　of　substance　is　for　the　self　something　per　se；　the　self　does　not　at
once　grasp　and　comprehend　it；　or　does　not　find　it　in　its　own　action　as　such。

Since　this　unity　of　Essential　Being　and　Self　has　been　inherently　brought　about；　consciousness　has
this　idea　also　of　its　reconciliation；　but　in　the　form　of　an　imaginative　idea。　It　obtains　satisfaction　by
attaching；　in　an　external　way；　to　its　pure　negativity　the　positive　significance　of　the　unity　of　itself　with
essential　Being。　Its　satisfaction　thus　itself　remains　hampered　with　the　opposition　of　a　beyond。　Its
own　peculiar　reconciliation　therefore　enters　its　consciousness　as　something　remote；　something　far
away　in　the　future；　just　as　the　reconciliation；　which　the　other　self　achieved；　appears　as　away　in　the
distance　of　the　past。　Just　as　the　individual　divine　man（16）　has　an　implied　（essential；　an　sich）　father
and　only　an　actual　mother；　in　like　manner　the　universal　divine　man；　the　spiritual　communion；　has　as
its　father　its　own　proper　action　and　knowledge；　while　its　mother　is　eternal　Love；　which　it　merely
feels；　but　does　not　behold　in　its　consciousness　as　an　actual　immediate　object。　Its　reconciliation；
therefore；　is　in　its　heart；　but　still　with　its　conscious　life　sundered　in　twain　and　its　actual　reality
shattered。　What　falls　within　its　consciousness　as　the　immanent　essential　element；　the　aspect　of　pure
mediation；　is　the　reconciliation　that　lies　beyond：　while　what　appears　as　actually　present；　as　the
aspect　of　immediacy　and　of　existence；　is　the　world　which　has　yet　to　await　transfiguration。　The
world　is　no　doubt　implicitly　reconciled　with　the　essential　Being；　and　that　Being　no　doubt　knows
that　it　no　longer　regards；　the　object　as　alienated　from　itself；　but　as　one　with　itself　in　its　Love。　But
for　self…consciousness　this　immediate　presence　has　not　yet　the　form　and　shape　of　spiritual　reality。
Thus　the　spirit　of　the　communion　is；　in　its　imm