bygrace's Tistory Blog

※ (주4). The Word is written solely by correspondences, and for this reason each thing and all things in it have a spiritual meaning (n. 1404, 1408, 1409, 1540, 1619, 1659, 1709, 1783, 2900, 9086).

1659

The things contained in this chapter appear as if they were not representative, for it treats only of wars between several kings, and the rescue of Lot by Abram; and finally concerning Melchizedek; and thus it seems as if they contained no heavenly arcanum. But still these things, like all the rest, conceal in the internal sense the deepest arcana, which also follow in a continuous series from those which go before, and connect themselves in a continuous series with those which follow.

[2] In those which precede, the Lord has been treated of, and his instruction, and also his external man, which was to be conjoined with the internal by means of knowledges [scientiae et cognitiones]. But as his external man was—as before said—of such a nature that it had in it by inheritance from the mother things that hindered conjunction, and yet that were to be expelled by means of combats and temptations, before his external man could be united to his internal man, or his human essence to the Divine essence, therefore these combats are treated of in this chapter; and are represented and signified in the internal sense by the wars of which it treats. It is known within the church that Melchizedek represented the Lord, and therefore that the Lord is meant in the internal sense where Melchizedek is mentioned. It may be concluded from this, that not only the things concerning Melchizedek, but all the rest also, are representative; for not a syllable can have been written in the Word which was not sent down from heaven, and consequently in which the angels do not see heavenly things.

[3] In very ancient times also, many things were represented by wars, which they called the wars of Jehovah, and which signified nothing else than the combats of the church, and of those who were of the church, that is, their temptations, which are nothing but combats and wars with the evils in themselves, and consequently with the diabolical crew that excite the evils, and endeavor to destroy the church and the man of the church. That nothing else is meant in the Word by “wars” may be clearly seen from the fact that nothing can be treated of in the Word except the Lord and his kingdom, and the church; because it is Divine and not human, consequently heavenly and not worldly, and therefore by “wars,” in the sense of the letter, nothing else can be meant in the internal sense. This will be more evident from what follows.

※ (주4). The Word is written solely by correspondences, and for this reason each thing and all things in it have a spiritual meaning (n. 1404, 1408, 1409, 1540, 1619, 1659, 1709, 1783, 2900, 9086).

(계속) 천사들이 살아가는 빛에 관하여, 또 그들의 낙원 같은 경관들과 거처들에 관하여

CONTINUATION CONCERNING THE LIGHT IN WHICH ANGELS LIVE; ALSO CONCERNING THEIR PARADISAL SCENES, AND THEIR DWELLINGS

1619

사람의 내적 시야(man’s interior sight), 곧 영안(靈眼, the sight of his spirit)이지요, 이 시야가 열리면, 저세상에 있는 것들, 곧 육안으로는 절대 볼 수 없는 것들이 나타납니다. 선지자들이 보던 것들이 딴 게 아니었습니다. 천국에는, 이미 말씀드려 온 것처럼, 주님과 주님의 나라에 관한 표상들(表象, representations)이 계속되고요, 거기 있는 것들은 모두 이에 대한 상징들(significative)인데, 어느 정도냐면, 천사들의 시야에 표상도, 상징도 아닌 것들은 하나도 없을 정도입니다. 말씀(the Word)에 나오는 표상과 상징이 그래서 있는 것이며, 말씀이라는 것이 곧 천국을 통해 주님으로부터 온 것이기 때문에 그렇습니다. When man’s interior sight is opened, which is the sight of his spirit, the things in the other life appear, which cannot possibly be made visible to the sight of the body. The visions of the prophets were nothing else. In heaven, as has been said, there are continual representations of the Lord and his kingdom; and there are things that are significative; and this to such an extent that nothing exists before the sight of the angels that is not representative and significative. Thence come the representatives and significatives in the Word; for the Word is from the Lord through heaven.

1620

1621

1622

1623

1624

1625

1626

1627

1628

1629

1630

1631

1632

1633

※ 워렌 편(編), ‘COMPENDIUM’ 1장 ‘CONCERNING GOD’ 6강, ‘Divine love and Divine wisdom are substance and are form’인데, 이것은 스베덴보리 저, ‘Angelic Wisdom concerning Divine Love and Wisdom’(1763) 1장, ‘The Creator’ 10강, ‘Divine love and Divine wisdom are substance and are form’에서 가져온 것입니다. 글 번호는 DLW 40, 41, 42, 43번입니다.

Divine love and Divine wisdom are substance and are form

40

The idea of men in general about love and about wisdom is that they are like something hovering and floating in thin air or ether or like what exhales from something of this kind. Scarcely anyone believes that they are really and actually substance and form. Even those who recognize that they are substance and form still think of the love and the wisdom as outside the subject and as issuing from it. For they call substance and form that which they think of as outside the subject and as issuing from it, even though it be something hovering and floating; not knowing that love and wisdom are the subject itself, and that what is perceived outside of it and as hovering and floating is nothing but an appearance of the state of the subject in itself. There are several reasons why this has not hitherto been seen, one of which is, that appearances are the first things out of which the human mind forms its understanding, and these appearances the mind can shake off only by the exploration of the cause; and if the cause lies deeply hidden, the mind can explore it only by keeping the understanding for a long time in spiritual light; and this it cannot do by reason of the natural light which continually withdraws it. The truth is, however, that love and wisdom are the real and actual substance and form that constitute the subject itself.

41

But as this is contrary to appearance, it may seem not to merit belief unless it be proved; and since it can be proved only by such things as man can apprehend by his bodily senses, by these it shall be proved. Man has five external senses, called touch, taste, smell, hearing, and sight. The subject of touch is the skin by which man is enveloped, the very substance and form of the skin causing it to feel whatever is applied to it. The sense of touch is not in the things applied, but in the substance and form of the skin, which are the subject; the sense itself is nothing but an affecting of the subject by the things applied. It is the same with taste; this sense is only an affecting of the substance and form of the tongue; the tongue is the subject.

It is the same with smell; it is well known that odor affects the nostrils, and that it is in the nostrils, and that the nostrils are affected by the odoriferous particles touching them. It is the same with hearing, which seems to be in the place where the sound originates; but the hearing is in the ear, and is an affecting of its substance and form; that the hearing is at a distance from the ear is an appearance.

It is the same with sight. When a man sees objects at a distance, the seeing appears to be there; yet the seeing is in the eye, which is the subject, and is likewise an affecting of the subject. Distance is solely from the judgment concluding about space from things intermediate, or from the diminution and consequent indistinctness of the object, an image of which is produced interiorly in the eye according to the angle of incidence. From this it is evident that sight does not go out from the eye to the object, but that the image of the object enters the eye and affects its substance and form. Thus it is just the same with sight as with hearing; hearing does not go out from the ear to catch the sound, but the sound enters the ear and affects it. From all this it can be seen that the affecting of the substance and form which causes sense is not a something separate from the subject, but only causes a change in it, the subject remaining the subject then as before and afterwards.

From this it follows that seeing, hearing, smell, taste, and touch, are not a something volatile flowing from their organs, but are the organs themselves, considered in their substance and form, and that when the organs are affected sense is produced.

42

It is the same with love and wisdom, with this difference only, that the substances and forms which are love and wisdom are not obvious to the eyes as the organs of the external senses are. Nevertheless, no one can deny that those things of wisdom and love, which are called thoughts, perceptions, and affections, are substances and forms, and not entities flying and flowing out of nothing, or abstracted from real and actual substance and form, which are subjects. For in the brain are substances and forms innumerable, in which every interior sense which pertains to the understanding and will has its seat. The affections, perceptions, and thoughts there are not exhalations from these substances, but are all actually and really subjects emitting nothing from themselves, but merely undergoing changes according to whatever flows against and affects them. This may be seen from what has been said above about the external senses. Of what thus flows against and affects more will be said below.

43

From all this it may now first be seen that Divine love and Divine wisdom in themselves are substance and form; for they are very esse and existere; and unless they were such esse and existere as they are substance and form, they would be a mere thing of reasoning, which in itself is nothing.

※ (주4). The Word is written solely by correspondences, and for this reason each thing and all things in it have a spiritual meaning (n. 1404, 1408, 1409, 1540, 1619, 1659, 1709, 1783, 2900, 9086).

1아브람이 애굽에서 그와 그의 아내와 모든 소유와 롯과 함께 네게브로 올라가니 And Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, toward the south. ... 18이에 아브람이 장막을 옮겨 헤브론에 있는 마므레 상수리 수풀에 이르러 거주하며 거기서 여호와를 위하여 제단을 쌓았더라 And Abram pitched his tent, and came, and dwelt in the oak groves of Mamre, which are in Hebron, and built there an altar unto Jehovah.

1535

This chapter treats of the external man in the Lord which was to be conjoined with his internal man. The external man is the human essence, the internal is the Divine essence. The former is here represented by Lot, but the latter by Abram.

1536

1537

1538

1539

1540

The true historicals of the Word began, as before said, with the foregoing chapter—the twelfth. Up to that point, or rather to Eber, they were made-up historicals. In the internal sense, the historicals here continued respecting Abram are significative of the Lord, and in fact of his first life, such as it was before his external man had been conjoined with the internal so as to make one thing; that is, before his external man had been in like manner made celestial and Divine. The historicals are what represent the Lord; the words themselves are significative of the things that are represented. But being historical, the mind of the reader cannot but be held in them; especially at this day, when most persons, and indeed nearly all, do not believe that there is an internal sense, and still less that it exists in every word; and it may be that in spite of the fact that the internal sense has been so plainly shown thus far, they will not even now acknowledge its existence, and this for the reason that the internal sense appears to recede so far from the sense of the letter as to be scarcely recognized in it. And yet that these historicals cannot be the Word they might know from the mere fact that when separated from the internal sense there is no more of the Divine in them than in any other history; whereas the internal sense makes the Word to be Divine.

[2] That the internal sense is the Word itself is evident from many things that have been revealed, as “out of Egypt have I called my son” (Matt. 2:15);

헤롯이 죽기까지 거기 있었으니 이는 주께서 선지자를 통하여 말씀하신 바 애굽으로부터 내 아들을 불렀다 함을 이루려 하심이라 (마2:15)

besides many others. The Lord himself also, after his resurrection, taught the disciples what had been written concerning him in Moses and the prophets (Luke 24:27);

이에 모세와 모든 선지자의 글로 시작하여 모든 성경에 쓴 바 자기에 관한 것을 자세히 설명하시니라 (눅24:27)

and thus that there is nothing written in the Word that does not regard him, his kingdom, and the church. These are the spiritual and celestial things of the Word; but the things contained in the literal sense are for the most part worldly, corporeal, and earthly; which cannot possibly make the Word of the Lord. At this day men are of such a character that they perceive nothing but such things; and what spiritual and heavenly things are, they scarcely know. It was otherwise with the men of the most ancient and of the ancient church, who, had they lived at this day, and had read the Word, would not have attended at all to the sense of the letter, which they would look upon as nothing, but to the internal sense. They wonder greatly that anyone perceives the Word in any other way. All the books of the ancients were therefore so written as to have in their interior sense a different meaning from that in the letter.

※ 1409. That the historicals are representative, but all the words significative, is evident from what has already been said and shown concerning representatives and significatives (n. 665, 920, 1361);

데라의 족보는 이러하니라 데라는 아브람과 나홀과 하란을 낳고 하란은 롯을 낳았으며 (창11:27) And these are the births of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.

1359. “And these are the births of Terah” signifies the origins and derivations of the idolatry from which came the representative church. Terah was the son of Nahor, and was also a nation named from him as its father. By him there is signified idolatrous worship. Abram, Nahor, and Haran were sons of Terah, and also nations named from them as their fathers. By them are here signified the idolatrous worships derived from that one. From Lot also there came two nations that were idolaters.

1360. 데라의 족보는 이러하니라 And these are the births of Terah.

This signifies the origins and derivations of the idolatry from which came the representative church. It has been shown above (at verse 10 of this chapter)

셈의 족보는 이러하니라 셈은 백 세 곧 홍수 후 이 년에 아르박삿을 낳았고 (10절)

that “births” signify origins and derivations. Here now the third church after the flood is treated of, which succeeded when the second—treated of from verse 10 to this—

10셈의 족보는 이러하니라 셈은 백 세 곧 홍수 후 이 년에 아르박삿을 낳았고 11아르박삿을 낳은 후에 오백 년을 지내며 자녀를 낳았으며 12아르박삿은 삼십오 세에 셀라를 낳았고 13셀라를 낳은 후에 사백삼 년을 지내며 자녀를 낳았으며 14셀라는 삼십 세에 에벨을 낳았고 15에벨을 낳은 후에 사백삼 년을 지내며 자녀를 낳았으며 16에벨은 삼십사 세에 벨렉을 낳았고 17벨렉을 낳은 후에 사백삼십 년을 지내며 자녀를 낳았으며 18벨렉은 삼십 세에 르우를 낳았고 19르우를 낳은 후에 이백구 년을 지내며 자녀를 낳았으며 20르우는 삼십이 세에 스룩을 낳았고 21스룩을 낳은 후에 이백칠 년을 지내며 자녀를 낳았으며 22스룩은 삼십 세에 나홀을 낳았고 23나홀을 낳은 후에 이백 년을 지내며 자녀를 낳았으며 24나홀은 이십구 세에 데라를 낳았고 25데라를 낳은 후에 백십구 년을 지내며 자녀를 낳았으며 26데라는 칠십 세에 아브람과 나홀과 하란을 낳았더라 27데라의 족보는 이러하니라 데라는 아브람과 나홀과 하란을 낳고 하란은 롯을 낳았으며

became idolatrous in Terah. It has been shown that Terah, Abram, Nahor, and Haran were idolaters, as well as the nations derived from them, as the Ishmaelites and Midianites, and others who were descendants of Abram; besides others in Syria that were derived from Nahor; and also the Moabites and Ammonites, who were descendants of Lot.

1361. That from being idolatrous the church became representative, no one can know unless he knows what a representative is. The things that were represented in the Jewish church, and in the Word, are the Lord and his kingdom, consequently the celestial things of love, and the spiritual things of faith: these are what were represented, besides many things that pertain to these, such as all things that belong to the church. The representing objects are either persons or things that are in the world or upon the earth; in a word, all things that are objects of the senses, insomuch that there is scarcely any object that cannot be a representative. But it is a general law of representation that there is no reflection upon the person or upon the thing which represents, but only upon that thing itself which is represented.

[2] For example, every king, whoever he was, in Judah and Israel, and even in Egypt and elsewhere, could represent the Lord. Their royalty itself is what is representative. So that the worst of all kings could represent, such as the Pharaoh who set Joseph over the land of Egypt, Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon (Dan. 2:37–38),

37왕이여 왕은 여러 왕들 중의 왕이시라 하늘의 하나님이 나라와 권세와 능력과 영광을 왕에게 주셨고 38사람들과 들짐승과 공중의 새들, 어느 곳에 있는 것을 막론하고 그것들을 왕의 손에 넘기사 다 다스리게 하셨으니 왕은 곧 그 금 머리니이다 (단2:37-38)

Saul, and the other kings of Judah and of Israel, of whatever character they were. The anointing itself—from which they were called Jehovah’s anointed—involved this. In like manner all priests, how many soever they were, represented the Lord; the priestly function itself being what is representative; and so in like manner the priests who were evil and impure; because in representatives there is no reflection upon the person, in regard to what his quality is. And not only did men represent, but also beasts, such as all that were offered in sacrifice; the lambs and sheep representing celestial things; the doves and turtledoves, spiritual things; and in like manner the rams, goats, bullocks, and oxen represented lower celestial and spiritual things.

[3] And not only were animate things used as representatives, but also inanimate things, such as the altar and even the stones of the altar, the ark and the tabernacle with all that was in them, and, as everyone may know, the temple with all that was therein, such as the lamps, the breads, and the garments of Aaron. Nor these things only, but also all the rites in the Jewish church were representative. In the ancient churches, representatives extended to all the objects of the senses, to mountains and hills, to valleys, plains, rivers, brooks, fountains, and pools, to groves and trees in general, and to every tree in particular, insomuch that each tree had some definite signification; all which, afterwards, when the significative church had ceased, were made representatives. From all this it may be seen what is meant by representatives. And as things celestial and spiritual—that is—the things of the Lord’s kingdom in the heavens, and of the Lord’s kingdom on earth could be represented not only by men, whosoever and of what quality soever they were, but also by beasts, and even by inanimate things, it may now be seen what a representative church is.

[4] The representatives were of such an efficacy that all things that were done according to the rites commanded appeared holy before the spirits and angels, as for instance when the high priest washed himself with water, when he ministered clothed in his pontifical garments, when he stood before the burning lights, no matter what kind of man he was, even if most impure, and in his heart an idolater. The case was the same with all the other priests. For, as before said, in representatives the person was not reflected upon, but only the thing itself that was represented, quite abstractly from the person, as it was abstractly from the oxen, the bullocks, and the lambs that were sacrificed, or from the blood that was poured round about the altar, and also abstractly from the altar itself; and so on.

[5] This representative church was instituted—after all internal worship was lost, and when worship had become not only merely external, but also idolatrous—in order that there might be some conjunction of heaven with earth, that is, of the Lord through heaven with man, even after the conjunction by the internal things of worship had perished. But what kind of conjunction this is by representatives alone, shall of the Lord’s Divine mercy be told in what follows. Representatives do not begin until the following chapter; in which, and in those that follow, all things in general and in particular are purely representative. Here, the subject treated of is the state of those who were the fathers, before certain of them and their descendants became representative; and it has been shown above that they were in idolatrous worship.

1362. 

1363. 

1364. 

※ 1409. That the historicals are representative, but all the words significative, is evident from what has already been said and shown concerning representatives and significatives (n. 665, 920, 1361);

노아가 여호와께 제단을 쌓고 모든 정결한 짐승과 모든 정결한 새 중에서 제물을 취하여 번제로 제단에 드렸더니 (창8:20) Verse 20. And Noah builded an altar unto Jehovah; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

920. In this verse there is described the worship of the ancient church in general, and this by the “altar” and the “burnt- offering,” which were the principal things in all representative worship. In the first place, however, we will describe the worship that existed in the most ancient church, and from that show how there originated the worship of the Lord by means of representatives. The men of the most ancient church had no other than internal worship, such as there is in heaven; for with them heaven was in communication with man, so that they made a one; and this communication was perception, of which we have often spoken before. Thus being angelic they were internal men, and although they sensated the external things of the body and the world, they cared not for them; for in each object of sense they perceived something Divine and heavenly. For example, when they saw a high mountain, they perceived an idea, not of a mountain, but of elevation, and from elevation, of heaven and the Lord, from which it came to pass that the Lord was said to dwell in the highest, he himself being called the “most high and lofty one”; and that afterwards the worship of the Lord was held on mountains. So with other things; as when they observed the morning, they did not then perceive the morning of the day, but that which is heavenly, and which is like a morning and a dawn in human minds, and from which the Lord is called the “morning,” the “east,” and the “dawn” or “dayspring.” So when they looked at a tree and its leaves and fruit, they cared not for these, but saw man as it were represented in them; in the fruit, love and charity, in the leaves faith; and from this the man of the church was not only compared to a tree, and to a paradise, and what is in him to leaves and fruit, but he was even called so. Such are they who are in a heavenly and angelic idea.

[2] Everyone may know that a general idea rules all the particulars, thus all the objects of the senses, as well those seen as those heard, so much so that the objects are not cared for except so far as they flow into the man’s general idea. Thus to him who is glad at heart, all things that he hears and sees appear smiling and joyful; but to him who is sad at heart, all things that he sees and hears appear sad and sorrowful; and so in other cases. For the general affection is in all the particulars, and causes them to be seen in the general affection; while all other things do not even appear, but are as if absent or of no account. And so it was with the man of the most ancient church: whatever he saw with his eyes was heavenly to him; and thus with him everything seemed to be alive. And this shows the character of his Divine worship, that it was internal, and by no means external.

[3] But when the church declined, as in his posterity, and that perception or communication with heaven began to be lost, another state of things commenced. Then no longer did men perceive anything heavenly in the objects of the senses, as they had done before, but merely what is worldly, and this to an increasing extent in proportion to the loss of their perception; and at last, in the closing posterity which existed just before the flood, they apprehended in objects nothing but what is worldly, corporeal, and earthly. Thus was heaven separated from man, nor did they communicate except very remotely; and communication was then opened to man with hell, and from thence came his general idea, from which flow the ideas of all the particulars, as has been shown. Then when any heavenly idea presented itself, it was as nothing to them, so that at last they were not even willing to acknowledge that anything spiritual and celestial existed. Thus did the state of man become changed and inverted.

[4] As the Lord foresaw that such would be the state of man, he provided for the preservation of the doctrinal things of faith, in order that men might know what is celestial and what is spiritual. These doctrinal things were collected from the men of the most ancient church by those called “Cain,” and also by those called “Enoch,” concerning whom above. Wherefore it is said of Cain that a mark was set upon him lest anyone should kill him (see Gen. 4:15, n. 393, 394); and of Enoch that he was taken by God (Gen. 5:24). These doctrinal things consisted only in significative, and thus as it were enigmatical things, that is, in the significations of various objects on the face of the earth; such as that mountains signify celestial things, and the Lord; that morning and the east have this same signification; that trees of various kinds and their fruits signify man and his heavenly things, and so on. In such things as these consisted their doctrinal things, all of which were collected from the significatives of the most ancient church; and consequently their writings also were of the same nature. And as in these representatives they admired, and seemed to themselves even to behold, what is Divine and heavenly, and also because of the antiquity of the same, their worship from things like these was begun and was permitted, and this was the origin of their worship upon mountains, and in groves in the midst of trees, and also of their pillars or statues in the open air, and at last of the altars and burnt offerings which afterwards became the principal things of all worship. This worship was begun by the ancient church, and passed thence to their posterity and to all nations round about, besides many other things, concerning which of the Lord’s Divine mercy hereafter.

여호와께서 그에게 이르시되 그렇지 아니하다 가인을 죽이는 자는 벌을 칠 배나 받으리라 하시고 가인에게 표를 주사 그를 만나는 모든 사람에게서 죽임을 면하게 하시니라 (창4:15)

에녹이 하나님과 동행하더니 하나님이 그를 데려가시므로 세상에 있지 아니하였더라 (창5:24)

※ 1409. That the historicals are representative, but all the words significative, is evident from what has already been said and shown concerning representatives and significatives (n. 665, 920, 1361);

그러나 너와는 내가 내 언약을 세우리니 너는 네 아들들과 네 아내와 네 며느리들과 함께 그 방주로 들어가고 And I will set up my covenant with thee; and thou shalt enter into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. (창6:18)

665. That to “set up a covenant” signifies that he would be regenerated is very evident from the fact that there can be no covenant between the Lord and man other than conjunction by love and faith, and therefore a “covenant” signifies conjunction. For it is the heavenly marriage that is the veriest covenant; and the heavenly marriage, or conjunction, does not exist except with those who are being regenerated; so that in the widest sense regeneration itself is signified by a “covenant.” The Lord enters into a covenant with man when he regenerates him; and therefore among the ancients a covenant represented nothing else. Nothing can be gathered from the sense of the letter but that the covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and so many times with their descendants, was concerned with them personally, whereas they were such that they could not be regenerated; for they made worship consist in external things, and supposed the externals of worship to be holy, without internal things being adjoined to them. And therefore the covenants made with them were only representatives of regeneration. It was the same with their rites, and with Abraham himself, and with Isaac, and Jacob, who represented the things of love and faith. Likewise the high priests and priests, whatever their character, even those that were wicked, could represent the heavenly and most holy priesthood. In representatives the person is not regarded, but the thing that is represented. Thus all the kings of Israel and of Judah, even the worst, represented the royalty of the Lord; and even Pharaoh too, who set Joseph over the land of Egypt. From these and many other considerations—concerning which, of the Lord’s Divine mercy hereafter—it is evident that the covenants so often entered into with the sons of Jacob were only religious rites that were representative.

※ (주4). The Word is written solely by correspondences, and for this reason each thing and all things in it have a spiritual meaning (n. 1404, 1408, 1409, 1540, 1619, 1659, 1709, 1783, 2900, 9086).

여호와께서 아브람에게 이르시되 너는 너의 고향과 친척과 아버지의 집을 떠나 내가 네게 보여 줄 땅으로 가라 (창12:1) And Jehovah said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy land, and from thy birth, and from thy father’s house, to the land that I will cause thee to see.

1407

These and the things which follow occurred historically, as they are written; but the historicals are representative, and each word is significative. By “Abram” in the internal sense is meant the Lord, as has been said before. By “Jehovah said unto Abram” is signified the first mental observation of all; “get thee out of thy land” signifies the corporeal and worldly things from which he was to recede; “and from thy birth” signifies the more exterior corporeal and worldly things; “and from thy father’s house” signifies the more interior of such things; “to the land that I will cause thee to see” signifies the spiritual and celestial things that were to be presented to view.

1408

These and the things which follow occurred historically as they are written; but the historicals are representatives and all the words are significative. The case is the same with all the historicals of the Word, not only with those in the books of Moses, but also with those in the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. In all these, nothing is apparent but mere history; but although it is history in the sense of the letter, still in the internal sense there are arcana of heaven, which lie stored up and hidden there, and which can never be seen so long as the mind, together with the eye, is kept in the historicals; nor are they revealed until the mind is removed from the sense of the letter. The Word of the Lord is like a body that contains within it a living soul; the things belonging to the soul do not appear while the mind is so fixed in corporeal things that it scarcely believes that there is a soul, still less that it will live after death; but as soon as the mind withdraws from corporeal things, those which are of the soul and life become manifest. And this also is the reason, not only why corporeal things must die before man can be born anew, or be regenerated, but also why the body itself must die so that he may come into heaven and see heavenly things.

[2] Such also is the case with the Word of the Lord: its corporeal things are those which are of the sense of the letter; and when the mind is kept in these, the internal things are not seen at all; but when the former are as it were dead, then for the first time are the latter presented to view. But still the things of the sense of the letter are similar to those which are with man while in the body, to wit, to the knowledges of the memory that come from the things of sense, and which are general vessels that contain interior or internal things within them. It may be known from this that the vessels are one thing, and the essentials contained in the vessels another. The vessels are natural; the essentials contained in the vessels are spiritual and celestial. So likewise the historicals of the Word, and all the expressions in the Word, are general, natural, and indeed material vessels, in which are things spiritual and celestial; and these in no wise come into view except by the internal sense.

[3] This will be evident to everyone from the mere fact that many things in the Word are said according to appearances, and indeed according to the fallacies of the senses, as that the Lord is angry, that he punishes, curses, kills, and many other such things; when yet in the internal sense they mean quite the contrary, namely, that the Lord is in no wise angry and punishes, still less does he curse and kill. And yet to those who from simplicity of heart believe the Word as they apprehend it in the letter, no harm is done while they live in charity. The reason is that the Word teaches nothing else than that everyone should live in charity with his neighbor, and love the Lord above all things. They who do this have in themselves the internal things; and therefore with them the fallacies taken from the sense of the letter are easily dispelled.

1409

That the historicals are representative, but all the words significative, is evident from what has already been said and shown concerning representatives and significatives (n. 665, 920, 1361); nevertheless, since representatives begin here, it is well to give briefly a further explanation of the subject. The most ancient church, which was celestial, looked upon all earthly and worldly, and also bodily things, which were in any wise objects of the senses, as being dead things; but as each and all things in the world present some idea of the Lord’s kingdom, consequently of things celestial and spiritual, when they saw them or apprehended them by any sense, they thought not of them, but of the celestial and spiritual things; indeed they thought not from the worldly things, but by means of them; and thus with them things that were dead became living.

[2] The things thus signified were collected from their lips by their posterity and were formed by them into doctrinals, which were the Word of the ancient church, after the flood. With the ancient church these were significative; for through them they learned internal things, and from them they thought of spiritual and celestial things. But when this knowledge began to perish, so that they did not know that such things were signified, and began to regard the terrestrial and worldly things as holy, and to worship them, with no thought of their signification, the same things were then made representative. Thus arose the representative church, which had its beginning in Abram and was afterwards instituted with the posterity of Jacob. From this it may be known that representatives had their rise from the significatives of the ancient church, and these from the celestial ideas of the most ancient church.

[3] The nature of representatives may be manifest from the historicals of the Word, in which all the acts of the fathers, Abram, Isaac, and Jacob, and afterwards those of Moses, and of the judges and kings of Judah and Israel, were nothing but representatives. Abram in the Word, as has been said, represents the Lord; and because he represents the Lord, he represents also the celestial man; Isaac likewise represents the Lord, and thence the spiritual man; Jacob in like manner represents the Lord, and thence the natural man corresponding to the spiritual.

[4] But with representatives the character of the person is not considered at all, but the thing which he represents; for all the kings of Judah and of Israel, of whatever character, represented the Lord’s kingly function; and all the priests, of whatever character, represented his priestly function. Thus the evil as well as the good could represent the Lord and the celestial and spiritual things of his kingdom; for, as has been said and shown above, the representatives were altogether separated from the person. Hence then it is that all the historicals of the Word are representative; and because they are representative, it follows that all the words of the Word are significative, that is, that they have a different signification in the internal sense from that which they bear in the sense of the letter.

※ (주4). The Word is written solely by correspondences, and for this reason each thing and all things in it have a spiritual meaning (n. 1404, 1408, 1409, 1540, 1619, 1659, 1709, 1783, 2900, 9086).

1408

These and the things which follow occurred historically as they are written; but the historicals are representatives and all the words are significative. The case is the same with all the historicals of the Word, not only with those in the books of Moses, but also with those in the books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings. In all these, nothing is apparent but mere history; but although it is history in the sense of the letter, still in the internal sense there are arcana of heaven, which lie stored up and hidden there, and which can never be seen so long as the mind, together with the eye, is kept in the historicals; nor are they revealed until the mind is removed from the sense of the letter. The Word of the Lord is like a body that contains within it a living soul; the things belonging to the soul do not appear while the mind is so fixed in corporeal things that it scarcely believes that there is a soul, still less that it will live after death; but as soon as the mind withdraws from corporeal things, those which are of the soul and life become manifest. And this also is the reason, not only why corporeal things must die before man can be born anew, or be regenerated, but also why the body itself must die so that he may come into heaven and see heavenly things.

[2] Such also is the case with the Word of the Lord: its corporeal things are those which are of the sense of the letter; and when the mind is kept in these, the internal things are not seen at all; but when the former are as it were dead, then for the first time are the latter presented to view. But still the things of the sense of the letter are similar to those which are with man while in the body, to wit, to the knowledges of the memory that come from the things of sense, and which are general vessels that contain interior or internal things within them. It may be known from this that the vessels are one thing, and the essentials contained in the vessels another. The vessels are natural; the essentials contained in the vessels are spiritual and celestial. So likewise the historicals of the Word, and all the expressions in the Word, are general, natural, and indeed material vessels, in which are things spiritual and celestial; and these in no wise come into view except by the internal sense.

[3] This will be evident to everyone from the mere fact that many things in the Word are said according to appearances, and indeed according to the fallacies of the senses, as that the Lord is angry, that he punishes, curses, kills, and many other such things; when yet in the internal sense they mean quite the contrary, namely, that the Lord is in no wise angry and punishes, still less does he curse and kill. And yet to those who from simplicity of heart believe the Word as they apprehend it in the letter, no harm is done while they live in charity. The reason is that the Word teaches nothing else than that everyone should live in charity with his neighbor, and love the Lord above all things. They who do this have in themselves the internal things; and therefore with them the fallacies taken from the sense of the letter are easily dispelled.

※ (주4). The Word is written solely by correspondences, and for this reason each thing and all things in it have a spiritual meaning (n. 1404, 1408, 1409, 1540, 1619, 1659, 1709, 1783, 2900, 9086).

1404

In these things now before us, which are true historicals, all the statements and words both in general and in particular have in the internal sense an entirely different signification from that which they bear in the sense of the letter; but the historicals themselves are representative. Abram, who is first treated of, represents in general the Lord, and specifically the celestial man; Isaac, who is afterwards treated of, in like manner represents in general the Lord, and specifically the spiritual man; Jacob also in general represents the Lord, and specifically the natural man. Thus they represent the things which are of the Lord, of his kingdom, and of the church.