Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead on the third day (Lk.

24, 46; cf. Matt.

26, 24).

Thus it is written in the law, in the prophets, and in the Psalms. But before that, it was undoubtedly written in the mysterious book in heaven, which is called by His name:

the Lamb's book of life [

18]. On both the first and the last pages of this book is written the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. After all, He is the Alpha and the Omega [

19]. The Alpha of the creation of the world and the Omega of the salvation of the human race. Again, in every human name in this book, His name shines through,

for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved (Acts 2:10).

4, 12).

Lamb of God! A mysterious book, therefore His book. He compiled it before the creation of the world and promised to sign it with His innocent Blood. This is a book of the fate of the entire human race and His fate. Thus it pleased the Lamb of God, in accordance with the desire of His beloved Father and the Holy Spirit: to confuse His own fate as a Man with the fate of mankind. What horror of humiliation, and what glory of love, which surpasses reason!

Fate is not the meaningless samsara, the cycle of life, nor the merciless karma of India, which knows neither forgiveness nor the Forgiver. Both samsara and karma came from the design of the spirit of malice,

murderers from the beginning [

20], possibly the dancer of Shiva [

21], in order to obscure the Father of light and love from the intelligent eyes of men like thick smoke. For there is no saviour either from samsara or from karma, since the gods themselves, according to Indian philosophy, revolve in their cycle, as with the ancient Greeks everything revolves on the spindle of Ananka.

22].

Quite different is the Christian fate. And another thing is the book of the destinies of people and nations. This book is not held in the hands of Nemesis [