2524. “连她自己也说, 他是我的哥哥” 表理性本身声称属天的良善要与它结合. 这从此处 “她自己” 所指的 “妹子” 和 “哥哥” 的含义清楚可知: “妹子” 是指理性 (1495, 2508节); “哥哥” (即兄弟) 是指真理的良善 (367, 2508节). 内中情形如下: 神性良善与神性真理彼此结合, 如同婚姻. 天堂的婚姻, 以及婚姻之爱, 甚至更为低级的自然界, 都由此而来. 但理性的良善与真理彼此的结合不象婚姻, 而象兄弟姐妹般的血缘关系. 就真理而言, 理性通过神性良善进入对知识和认知的情感的流注而孕育 (参看1895, 1902, 1910节), 而理性的良善则经由神性良善进入这真理的流注而来, 那时, 这真理就变成了仁之善本身, 也就是信的 “兄弟”, 或也可说, 真理的 “兄弟” (367节).

关于获得理性的良善与真理的方式, 理性的良善来自神性良善, 但理性的真理并非来自神性真理. 因为理性真理通过知识和认知获得, 而知识和认知通过内外感官, 因而通过外在途径被植入. 因此, 由感官印象造成的许多错觉就粘附于理性真理, 使得这些真理不是真理. 然而, 当神性良善流入它们里面, 并孕育它们时, 它们在这种情况下则看似真理, 并被承认为真理, 尽管它们无非是真理的表象. 那时, 这些真理中的良善本身照着那里的幽暗被调节, 逐渐具有和这真理一样的性质. 这是隐藏在这些话里面的一个奥秘, 即理性因此声称属天的良善要与它结合.

The Hebrew of the Old Testament has six different common words which are generally translated as "wife," which largely overlap but have different nuances. Swedenborg uses two different Latin words, which largely overlap but have different nuances. Meanwhile, "wife" is often paired with "man" or "husband," which are also catch-all translations for a basket of Hebrew and Latin terms. So it's hard to pin down one universal meaning for "wife"; context and subject matter have a large effect.

In general, though, marriage in the Bible represents the union we all seek between our hearts and our minds. If we know what is right and pursue it faithfully, the Lord will ultimately help us love doing what is good, and the two aspects of ourselves will be unified. On a higher level, marriage represents the union we can have with the Lord, both individually and collectively as a church. As an intrinsic part of the marriage, the wife plays a key role in that meaning. But that meaning is different depending on what is being described.

If the marriage is describing a person who is spiritual in nature – "spiritual" being the second degree of heavenly life, in which people are led by intellect and knowledge with the desire for good following – the wife represents the desire for good, the affections that drive the person. If the marriage is describing someone who is celestial in nature – "celestial" being the highest degree of heavenly life, in which people are led from love, with the intellect and ideas following – the wife represents the true ideas held by the person or church. If the marriage is describing the union between the Lord and the church, the wife represents the church.

In a way, these are symbolic meanings that actually have little to do with gender. When "wife" describes a church, obviously that church can include both male and female people. When "wife" describes an aspect of a person, that person can obviously be either male or female.

(Odkazy: Arcana Coelestia 915, 1468, 1904 [1-2], 3246 [3-4], 3398, 4823 [2])