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El Cielo y el Infierno #2

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Capítulo 1 (EL CIELO): El Dios del Cielo es el Señor

2. Lo primero será saber quien es el Dios del cielo, puesto que de ello dependen las demás cosas. En el cielo entero sólo el Señor es reconocido por Dios del cielo y ningún otro. Allí dicen, como Él mismo enseñó:

Que Él es uno con el Padre; que el Padre es en Él y Él en el Padre; que quien ve a Él, ve al Padre y que todo lo Santo procede de Él (Juan 10:30, 38; 14:9-11; 16:13-15).

He hablado varias veces con los ángeles sobre este particular, y siempre han dicho, que en el cielo no se puede partir lo Divino en tres, porque saben y sienten que la Divinidad es única, y que es única en el Señor. También han dicho, que los de la iglesia que llegan del mundo, teniendo la idea de tres Divinidades (Divinas Personas), no pueden ser admitidos en el cielo, puesto que su pensamiento pasa continuamente de uno a otro, y allí no es permitido pensar tres y decir uno; porque cada uno en el cielo habla por el pensamiento, siendo así que allí el hablar es pensar, o sea el pensar es hablar, por lo cual los que en el mundo han dividido la Divinidad en tres, formándose separada idea de cada uno, y no habiéndolos reunido y concentrado en el Señor, no pueden ser recibidos, porque en el cielo tiene lugar una comunicación de todo pensamiento; por lo cual si allí entrase alguien que pensara tres y dijera uno, sería en seguida descubierto y rechazado. Pero hay que saber que todos aquellos que no han separado la verdad del bien, o sea la fe del amor, al ser instruidos en la otra vida, reciben el celestial concepto del Señor de que Él es el Dios del universo. Otra cosa sucede con los que han separado la fe de la vida, es decir, los que no han vivido conforme a los preceptos de la verdadera fe.

  
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Swedenborg en Español website and Swedenborg Library, Bryn Athyn College of the New Church, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.

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Juan 13

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1 Antes del día de la Fiesta de la Pascua, sabiendo Jesús que su hora había venido para que pasase de este mundo al Padre, como había amado a los suyos que estaban en el mundo, los amó hasta el fin.

2 Y la cena acabada, como el diablo ya se había metido en el corazón de Judas, hijo de Simón Iscariote, que le entregase,

3 sabiendo Jesús que el Padre le había dado todas las cosas en las manos, y que había salido de Dios, y a Dios iba,

4 se levantó de la cena, y se quitó su ropa, y tomando una toalla, se ciñó.

5 Luego puso agua en una vasija, y comenzó a lavar los pies de los discípulos, y a limpiarlos con la toalla con que estaba ceñido.

6 Entonces vino a Simón Pedro; y Pedro le dice: ¿Señor, tú me lavas los pies?

7 Respondió Jesús, y le dijo: Lo que yo hago, tú no lo entiendes ahora; mas lo entenderás después.

8 Le dice Pedro: No me lavarás los pies jamás. Le respondió Jesús: Si no te lavare, no tendrás parte conmigo.

9 Le dice Simón Pedro: Señor, no sólo mis pies, mas aun las manos y la cabeza.

10 Le dice Jesús: El que está lavado, no necesita sino que se lave los pies, porque está todo limpio; y vosotros limpios sois, aunque no todos.

11 Porque sabía quién era el que lo entregaba; por eso dijo: No sois limpios todos.

12 Así que, después que les hubo lavado los pies, y tomado su ropa, volviéndose a sentar a la mesa, les dijo: ¿Sabéis lo que os he hecho?

13 Vosotros me llamáis, Maestro y Señor; y decís bien; porque lo soy.

14 Pues si yo, el Señor y el Maestro, he lavado vuestros pies, vosotros también debéis lavar los pies los unos de los otros.

15 Porque ejemplo os he dado, para que como yo os he hecho, vosotros también hagáis.

16 De cierto, de cierto os digo: El siervo no es mayor que su Señor, ni el apóstol es mayor que el que le envió.

17 Si sabéis estas cosas, bienaventurados seréis, si las hiciereis.

18 No hablo de todos vosotros; yo sé los que he elegido; mas para que se cumpla la Escritura: El que come pan conmigo, levantó contra mí su calcañar.

19 Desde ahora os lo digo antes que se haga, para que cuando se hiciere, creáis que YO SOY.

20 De cierto, de cierto os digo: El que recibe al que yo enviare, a mí recibe; y el que a mí me recibe, recibe al que me envió.

21 Habiendo dicho Jesús esto, fue conmovido en el espíritu, y protestó, y dijo: De cierto, de cierto os digo, que uno de vosotros me ha de entregar.

22 Entonces los discípulos mirábanse los unos a los otros, dudando de quién decía.

23 Y uno de sus discípulos, al cual Jesús amaba, estaba sentado en la mesa al lado de Jesús.

24 A éste, pues, hizo señas Simón Pedro, para que preguntase quién era aquel de quien decía.

25 El, entonces, recostándose sobre el pecho de Jesús, le dice: Señor, ¿quién es?

26 Respondió Jesús: Aquel es, a quien yo diere el bocado mojado. Y mojando el bocado, lo dio a Judas Iscariote, hijo de Simón.

27 Y tras el bocado, Satanás entró en él. Entonces Jesús le dice: Lo que harás, hazlo más pronto.

28 Mas ninguno de los que estaban a la mesa entendió a qué propósito le dijo esto.

29 Porque los unos pensaban, porque Judas tenía la bolsa, que Jesús le decía: Compra lo que necesitamos para la fiesta; o que diese algo a los pobres.

30 Cuando él pues hubo tomado el bocado, luego salió; y era ya noche.

31 Entonces cuando él salió, dijo Jesús: Ahora es clarificado el Hijo del hombre, y Dios es clarificado en él.

32 Si Dios es clarificado en él, Dios también le clarificará en sí mismo, y luego le clarificará.

33 Hijitos, aun un poco estoy con vosotros. Me buscaréis; mas, como dije a los judíos: Donde yo voy, vosotros no podéis venir; y ahora os lo digo.

34 Un mandamiento nuevo os doy: Que os ameis unos a otros; como os he amado, que también os améis los unos a los otros.

35 En esto conocerán todos que sois mis discípulos, si tuviereis amor los unos con los otros.

36 Le dice Simón Pedro: Señor, ¿a dónde vas? Le respondió Jesús: Donde yo voy, no me puedes ahora seguir; mas me seguirás después.

37 Le dice Pedro: Señor, ¿por qué no te puedo seguir ahora? Mi alma pondré por ti.

38 Le respondió Jesús: ¿Tu alma pondrás por mí? De cierto, de cierto te digo: No cantará el gallo, sin que me hayas negado tres veces.

   

De obras de Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #3539

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3539. 'And put them on Jacob her younger son' means the affection for truth, that is, the life of good originating in truth. This is clear from the representation of 'Rebekah' as the Divine Truth of the Divine Rational, from the representation of 'Jacob' as the Divine Truth of the Divine Natural, and from the meaning here of 'putting on' as the communication, also the learning, of something, namely truths that clothe good, meant by 'Esau's clothes', 3537, accordingly the affection for natural truth, which affection is at this point the same as the life of good originating in truth. How these matters are to be understood may be known from what has been stated above in 3518. Yet because they are such as are completely unknown at the present day, let some explanation enabling them to be grasped be given. The subject in this chapter [in the highest sense] is the Lord and how He made His Natural Divine, and in the representative sense man's regeneration as regards his natural, see 3490.

[2] In the case of man the situation is as follows: The end in view of regeneration is that a person may be made new as regards his internal man, and so as regards the soul or spirit. But he is unable to be made new or be regenerated as regards that internal man without also being made new as regards the external man. For although a person becomes a spirit after death he nevertheless takes with him into the next life those things that belong to his external man, namely natural affections, also matters of doctrine, as well as factual knowledge; in short he takes with him everything belonging to the exterior or natural memory, see 2475-2483. Indeed these things form the groundwork on which his interiors ultimately rest. The disposition of those exterior things therefore determines what the interior become when these latter enter into the former, for within those exterior things they undergo modification. From this it is evident that a person has to be regenerated or made new not only as regards the internal or rational man but also as regards the external or natural man. Except for this there would not be any correspondence. Regarding the correspondence that exists between the internal man and the spiritual things belonging to the internal man with the external man and the natural things belonging to the external man, see 2987, 2989-2991, 3002, 3493.

[3] The state of man's regeneration is described in the representative sense in this chapter as Esau and Jacob. At this point the nature of the first stage of that state is described, that is to say, when a person is being regenerated or before he has become regenerated. In fact this state is the complete reverse of the state in which a person has become regenerate. Indeed in the former state, that is to say, when a person is being regenerated or before he has become regenerated, things of the understanding, which are those of truth, seemingly take the lead; but once he has become regenerate those of the will, which are those of good, do so. The fact that things of the understanding or of truth seemingly take the lead in the first state was represented by Jacob claiming for himself Esau's birthright - see 3325, 3336 - and then claiming his blessing, the subject under discussion here. And the fact that the state is the complete reverse of the regenerate state is represented by Jacob's impersonating Esau, that is to say, being dressed in Esau's clothes and with the skins of the kids of the she-goats. Indeed in this state rational truth has not yet been so joined to rational good, or what amounts to the same, the understanding has not been so joined to the will, as to flow and act into the natural and set in order the things that are so reversed there.

[4] This also becomes clear from much experience, in particular from this. A person is able to discern in his understanding, and from this the natural is able to know many things that are good and true, but the will is unable as yet to act in accordance with those things. Take for example the truth that love and charity are the essential thing with a human being. He is able to see and confirm this in his understanding, but until he has been regenerated he is unable to acknowledge it in his will. There are also people totally lacking in love to the Lord and in charity towards the neighbour who can well grasp this truth. The same applies to the truth that love is the very life of man, and that the nature of his life is determined by that of his love; also the truth that all delight and all pleasantness stem from love, as do all gladness and all happiness, where again the nature of the love determines that of the gladness and the happiness. A person is also able to grasp in his understanding, even though the will disagrees with it or even opposes it, the truth that the happiest life originates in love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour because the Divine itself is flowing into that life, and conversely that the unhappiest life originates in self-love and love of the world because hell is flowing into that life.

[5] Consequently the understanding, but not the will, is able to perceive the truth that love to the Lord is the life of heaven, and that mutual love is the soul from that life. In the measure therefore that a person does not think from the life of his [unregenerate] will, and does not reflect on his own life from there, he perceives that truth in his understanding; but in the measure that he does think from the life of his [unregenerate] will he does not perceive it, indeed he refuses to believe it. It may also be perfectly clear to a person in his understanding that it is into humility, if it exists in him, that the Divine is able to enter, because in that state of humility self-love and love of the world, and therefore hellish things which stand in the way, are removed. But as long as his will is not a new will, and his understanding is not united to this, no humility of heart can exist in a person. Indeed, in the measure that a person leads an evil life, that is, in the measure that his will is bent on evil, such humility cannot be there in him, and also the truth spoken of above is unclear to him and he refuses to believe it. Therefore a person may also be able to perceive in his understanding that when humility is present in someone it is not there for the sake of a love of glory in the Lord but for the sake of Divine Love, in which case the Lord is able to enter in with goodness and truth and bring blessing and happiness to that person. But to the extent that the will is consulted, this truth is obscured. And the same is so with very many other circumstances.

[6] This ability of being able to understand what good and truth is even though he does not will it has been conferred on man to enable him to be reformed and regenerated. For this reason this ability exists with evil and good alike; indeed the ability is sometimes keener with the evil. But there is this difference - with the evil no affection for truth exists for the sake of life, that is, for the sake of the good of life which originates in truth, and so they are not capable of being reformed. But with the good there does exist the affection for truth for the sake of life, that is, for the sake of the good of life, and so they are capable of being reformed. The first state in the reformation of the latter however is a state in which truth taught by doctrine seems to them to be primary, and the good of life secondary, since truth is the source of their good actions. But their second state is a state in which the good of life is primary and truth taught by doctrine secondary, since good, that is, the will for good, is the source of their good actions. And when this is the case, because the will is joined to the understanding as in a marriage, the person is regenerate. These two states are the subject in the internal sense in these incidents involving Esau and Jacob.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.