242. The second living creature like a calf. This symbolizes the Divine truth of the Word in respect to its affection.

Beasts of the earth symbolize various natural affections. They are also embodiments of them. And a calf symbolizes an affection for knowing. This affection is represented by a calf in the spiritual world, and in the Word it is consequently also symbolized by a calf, as in Hosea,

...we repay (to Jehovah) the calves of our lips. (Hosea 14:2)

"Calves of the lips" are confessions from an affection for truth.

In Malachi:

To you who fear My name the sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in its wings... that you may grow fat like fattened calves. (Malachi 4:2)

A comparison is made with fattened calves because they symbolize people who are filled with concepts of truth and goodness owing to an affection for knowing them.

In the book of Psalms:

The voice of Jehovah... makes (the cedars of Lebanon) dance like a calf... (Psalms 29:5, 6)

The cedars of Lebanon symbolize concepts of truth. That is why the passage says that the voice of Jehovah makes them dance like a calf. The voice of Jehovah is Divine truth, in the process here of affecting.

[2] Since the Egyptians loved knowledge, they therefore made themselves calves as a sign of their affection for it. But after they began to worship the calves as deities, then calves in the Word symbolized affections for knowing falsities, as in Jeremiah 46:20-21). Therefore we are told in Hosea:

...they have made for themselves a molten image... of their silver... Sacrificing a human being, they kiss the calves. (Hosea 13:2)

To make for oneself a molten image of silver means, symbolically, to falsify truth. To sacrifice a human being means, symbolically, to destroy wisdom. And to kiss calves means, symbolically, to accept falsities out of an affection for them.

In Isaiah:

There the calf will feed; there it will lie down and consume its branches. (Isaiah 27:10)

The same is symbolically meant by the calf in Jeremiah 34:18-20.

[3] Since all Divine worship springs from affections for truth and goodness and so for concepts of them, therefore the sacrifices in which the worship of the church primarily consisted among the children of Israel used various animals, such as lambs, she-goats, kids, sheep, he-goats, calves, and oxen; and calves were used because they symbolized an affection for knowing truths and goods, which is the first natural affection. This affection was symbolically meant by the sacrifices of calves in Exodus 29:11-12, ¹ 1 Samuel 1:25; 16:2, 1 Kings 18:23-26, 33.

The second living creature looked like a calf because the Divine truth of the Word, which it symbolizes, affects hearts, and so teaches and instills.

Poznámky pod čarou:

10400. “因为这个摩西, 就是领我们从埃及地上来的那人, 我们不知道他遭了什么事” 表完全不知道圣言中还存在什么其它神性真理, 这真理将一个人从一个外在层面提升到一个内在层面, 并使他成为一个教会或教会的一个化身. 这从 “摩西” 的代表和 “领以色列人从埃及地上来” 的含义清楚可知. “摩西” 是指圣言, 因而是指神性真理 (对此, 参看9372节提到的地方), 因此, “这个摩西, 就是那人, 我们不知道他遭了什么事” 这句话就表示一种怀疑和否认的心态, 即怀疑和否认除了呈现在字义上的神性真理外, 还有任何其它神性真理的存在; 经上之所以说 “那人”, 是因为在圣言中, “人” 表示真理 (参看3134, 3309, 3459, 7716, 9007节); “领以色列人从埃及地上来” 是指从属世人或外在人提升到内在人或属灵人, 好叫他能变成一个教会, 或一个教会的化身. 因为 “埃及地” 表示教会的属世或外在层面, “领上来” 表示提升, “以色列人” 表示教会. “埃及地” 表示教会的属世或外在层面 (参看9391节提到的地方); “领上来” 表示从一个外在层面提升到一个内在层面 (3084, 4539, 4969, 5406, 5817, 6007节), 因而从属世人提升到属灵人; “以色列人” 表示教会 (参看9340节提到的地方).

由此明显可知, “这个摩西, 就是领我们从埃及地上来的那人, 我们不知道他遭了什么事” 表示完全不知道除了呈现在字义上的神性真理外, 圣言中还存在什么其它神性真理, 这真理将一个人从一个外在层面提升到一个内在层面, 并使他成为一个教会或教会的一个化身. 凡局限于没有任何内在事物的外在事物之人都是这样想, 这样说的; 凡被自我之爱和尘世之爱主宰的人都局限于没有任何内在事物的外在事物. 对这些人来说, 内在人关闭了, 只有外在人敞开着; 没有内在人的外在人在阅读圣言时所看到的东西, 都是在幽暗中看到的. 这是因为在属灵事物上, 若没有来自天堂的光, 属世之光完全是黑暗; 而来自天堂的光通过内在人进入并光照外在人. 这解释了为何会有这么多的异端邪说出现, 为何有些人称圣言为异端邪说之书, 为何人们根本不知道某种内在事物存在于圣言里面, 又为何那些认为那里存在某种东西的人却不知道它具体在哪里. 启示录 (12章) 中的龙就表示这种人, 这龙用尾巴拖拉着天上星辰的三分之一, 把它们摔在地上; 蒙主的神性怜悯, 这一点将在别处予以说明.

让那些愿意观察的人去观察一下, 如今除了知道圣言的神性真理本身就是圣言的字义外, 是否有人知道别的. 也让他们认真思考一下, 若不借助取自字义的教义, 是否有人能知道包含在字义中的圣言的神性真理, 如果一个人没有这样的教义来充当一盏灯, 无论其理解力的模糊和意愿快乐将他引领并带到哪个方向, 他都会被带入错误之中. 必须充当一盏灯的教义是指内义所提供的教义, 因此它们构成内义本身. 这内义在某种程度上向每一个虽不知道何为内义, 但仍拥有从属于内在之物的外在之物, 也就是说, 其内在人打开的人敞开. 因为当这人阅读圣言时, 拥有圣言内义的天堂就会流入他, 给他带来光明, 并赋予辨别力, 以这种方式教导他. 事实上, 你若愿意相信, 一个人的内在人本身就拥有圣言的内义, 因为内在人构成最小形式的天堂; 因此, 当内在人敞开时, 此人就与天上的天使同在, 从而也拥有类似他们的辨别力. 这一点从以下事实也可以看出来: 在一个人的理解力里面的概念不同于他的属世概念, 尽管它们对应于属世概念. 至于这些概念的性质, 只要人还活在世上, 他就不得而知; 但当进入来世时, 他就会自动知道它们, 因为它们已经被植入他里面, 他随即通过它们与天使生活在一起. 由此明显可知, 内在人敞开的人拥有圣言的内义, 尽管他没有意识到这一点; 他由此在阅读圣言时获得光照. 不过, 这一切取决于他凭自己所拥有认知或知识能接受多少光. 至于这些人究竟是谁, 可参看前文 (参看9025, 9382, 9409, 9410, 9424, 9430, 10105, 10324节).