5700. And for the Egyptians, who did eat with him, alone. That this signifies the separation of the memory-knowledges which are in inverted order, is evident from the representation of the Egyptians, as being memory-knowledges that are in inverted order (of which hereafter); and from the signification of “who did eat with him alone,” as being separation (as just above, n. 5699). By the Egyptians “who did eat with him” are meant the Egyptians who ate at Joseph’s house; that they did not eat with Joseph is plain, because they ate alone. By “Egypt” or the “Egyptians” in a good sense are signified the memory-knowledges of the church (see n. 1462, 4749, 4964, 4966); but in the opposite sense are signified the memory-knowledges which are in inverted order, thus which are contrary to the truths of the church (n. 1164, 1165, 1186). In this sense “Egypt” is mentioned in many passages of the Word. That “Egypt” signifies these memory-knowledges, is because the memory-knowledges of the Ancient Church, which were representative and significative of celestial and spiritual things, and which were cultivated among the Egyptians more than among others, were turned by them into magic; whereby they completely inverted the memory-knowledges of the representative church.

[2] Memory-knowledges are said to be in inverted order when men abuse heavenly order to do evil; for heavenly order is that good be done to all. Hence it comes to pass that when they have thus inverted heavenly order, they at last deny Divine things, the things of heaven, and consequently those of charity and faith. They who become such know how to reason acutely and skillfully from memory-knowledges, because they reason from the senses, and to reason from these is to reason from such things as are external, that is, from such as are of the body and the world, which take direct hold of man’s senses and feelings. Unless such things have been illumined by the light of heaven, and thereby arranged in an entirely different order, they put the man in so great an obscurity as to heavenly things that he not only comprehends none of them, but even wholly denies, and at last rejects them, and then as far as he may, blasphemes them. When memory-knowledges are in order, they are arranged by the Lord in the form of heaven; but when they are in inverted order, they are arranged in the form of hell, and then things most false are in the midst, and those which confirm them are at the sides, while truths are without, and because they are without they can have no communication with heaven where truths reign; and therefore interior things are closed to such persons; for heaven is open by means of things interior.

1186. That “Asshur” is reasoning, is evident from the signification of Asshur or Assyria in the Word, where it is constantly taken for the things which pertain to reason, in both senses; namely, for what is of reason, and for reasonings. By reason and rational things are properly meant things that are true; and by reasoning and reasonings, those which are false. Because “Asshur” signifies reason and reasoning, it is very frequently connected with “Egypt,” which signifies memory-knowledges; for reason and reasoning are from such knowledges. That “Asshur” signifies reasoning is evident in Isaiah:

Woe unto Asshur, the rod of Mine anger, he thinketh not right, neither doth his heart meditate right, he hath said, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom, because I am intelligent (Isaiah 10:5, 7, 13), where “Asshur” denotes reasoning, of whom it is therefore predicated that he neither thinketh nor doth meditate right; and it is said, “by his own wisdom, because he is intelligent.”

[2] In Ezekiel:

Two women, the daughters of one mother, committed whoredom in Egypt; they committed whoredom in their youth. The one committed whoredom, and doted on her lovers, on Asshur (the Assyrians) her neighbors, who were clothed in blue, captains and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses. The sons of Babel came to her, and they defiled her with their whoredom (Ezekiel 23:2-3, 5-6, 17).

Here “Egypt” denotes memory-knowledges; “Asshur,” reasoning; and “the sons of Babel,” falsities from cupidities.

[3] In the same:

O Jerusalem, thou hast also committed whoredom with the sons of Egypt, thou hast committed whoredom also with the sons of Asshur, and thou hast multiplied thy whoredom even into the land of Canaan unto Chaldea (Ezekiel 16:26, 28-29), where “Egypt” in like manner denotes memory-knowledges; “Asshur,” reasoning. Reasoning from memory-knowledges concerning spiritual and celestial things is called “whoredom,” both here and elsewhere in the Word. That whoredom with the Egyptians and the Assyrians is not meant, anyone can see.

[4] In Jeremiah:

Israel, what hast thou to do with the way of Egypt, to drink the waters of Shihor? and what hast thou to do with the way of Asshur, to drink the waters of the river [Euphrates]? (Jeremiah 2:18, 36).

Here likewise “Egypt” denotes memory-knowledges; and “Asshur,” reasoning. In the same:

Israel is a scattered sheep, the lions have driven him away, first the king of Asshur hath devoured him, and after that this king of Babel hath broken his bones (Jeremiah 50:17-18).

“Asshur” here is reasoning concerning spiritual things.

[5] In Micah:

This shall be the peace, when Asshur shall come into our land, and when he shall tread in our palaces, we will even set over him seven shepherds, and eight princes of men, and they shall feed down the land of Asshur with the sword, and the land of Nimrod, In the gates thereof, and he shall deliver from Asshur, when he shall come into our land, and when he shall tread upon our border (Micah 5:5-6).

The subject here is Israel, or the spiritual church, of which it is said that “Asshur shall not enter in,” that is, that reasoning shall not; “the land of Nimrod” denotes such worship as is signified by Nimrod, in which the interiors are evil and false.

[6] That “Asshur” in the Word is also reason, which is in the man of the church, whereby he discerns truth and good, is evident in Hosea:

They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Asshur (Hosea 11:11).

“Egypt” here denotes the memory-knowledge of the man of the church; and “Asshur,” his reason. That a “bird” is the intellectual of the memory [scientificum intellectuale], and “a dove” rational good, has been shown before.

[7] In Isaiah:

In that day shall there be a path from Egypt to Asshur, and Asshur shall come into Egypt, and Egypt into Asshur, and the Egyptians shall serve Asshur. In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Asshur, a blessing in the midst of the land, which Jehovah Zebaoth shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt My people, and Asshur the work of My hands, and Israel Mine inheritance (Isaiah 19:23-25).

The subject here is the spiritual church, which is “Israel,” whose reason is “Asshur,” and memory-knowledge “Egypt.” These three constitute the intellectual things of the man of the spiritual church, which follow one another in this order. In other places also where Asshur is named, it signifies the rational, either true or false, as in:

Isaiah 20:1, 3; 23:13; 27:13; 30:31; 31:8, 36, 37; 52:4,

Ezekiel 27:23-24; 31:3-18; 32:22;

Micah 7:12;

Zephaniah 2:13;

Zechariah 10:11;

Psalms 83:8.

“Asshur” denotes reasoning in Hosea 5:13; 7:11; 10:6; 11:5; 12:1; 14:3; and in Zechariah 10:10, where Ephraim is spoken of, by whom is signified the intellectual, but here, perverted.