401. And all green grass was burned up. This symbolically means, and thus every constituent of faith having life had perished.

To be burned up means, symbolically, to perish, as said just above in no. 400.

Green grass, in the Word, symbolizes the goodness and truth of the church or faith that is born first in the natural self. It has the same symbolic meaning as "the herb of the field." ¹ And because faith has life owing to goodness and truth, therefore "all green grass was burned up" means, symbolically, that every constituent of faith having life had perished. Every constituent of faith having life perishes, moreover, when there is no affection for goodness or perception of truth, as said just above.

Grass has this symbolic meaning also because of its correspondence. Consequently, people who separate faith from charity, not only in doctrine by also in life, in the spiritual world live in a desert where there is no grass.

Since a fruit tree symbolizes a person in respect to his affections for goodness and perceptions of truth, so green grass symbolizes a person in respect to that constituent of the church that is first conceived in him and also given birth, while grass that is not green symbolizes that constituent now perished.

In general, everything found in gardens, forests, fields and plains symbolizes a person in respect to some constituent of the church, or to say the same thing, some constituent of the church in him. That is because they correspond. That this is true of grass can be seen from the following passages:

A voice said, "Cry out!" And he said, "What shall I cry?"

"All flesh is grass... The grass withered, and the flower faded, because the wind... blew upon it. Truly the people are grass. The grass withered, and the flower faded, but the Word of our God shall stand forever. (Isaiah 40:6-8)

Their inhabitants... became the herb of the field, tender grass, the grass on the housetops, and a field scorched before the standing grain. (Isaiah 37:27, 2 Kings 19:26)

...I will pour... My blessing on your offspring; they will spring up among the grass... (Isaiah 44:3-4)

Also elsewhere, as Isaiah 51:12, Psalms 37:2; 103:15; 129:6, Deuteronomy 32:2.

That a green plant or something green symbolizes something living or alive is apparent in Jeremiah 17:8; 11:16; Ezekiel 17:24; 20:47; Hosea 14:8; Psalms 37:35; 52:8; 92:10.

The same thing said here in the book of Revelation came to pass in Egypt, namely that by hail and fire mingled, every tree and every herb of the field were burned up (Exodus 9:22-35).

Poznámky pod čarou:

12. The Word has been written through correspondences, and thus through representative ideas

The Word as regards its literal sense has been written through correspondences alone, and thus through such things as represent and signify the spiritual aspects of heaven and the Church: 1404, 1408-1409, 1540, 1619, 1659, 1709, 1783, 2179, 2763, 2899. This was done because of the internal sense in each particular instance: 2899; thus too for the sake of heaven, since those who are in heaven do not understand the Word according to its literal or natural sense but according to its internal, or spiritual sense: 2899. The Lord spoke through correspondences, through representative and signifying ideas, because He spoke from His divine being: 9049, 9063, 9086, 10126, 10276. The Lord thus spoke directly to the world and at the same time to heaven: 2533, 4807, 9049, 9063, 9086. Whatever the Lord spoke filled the whole of heaven: ¹ 4637. The historical narratives of the Word are representative, and their actual words have significances: 1540, 1659, 1709, 1783, 2686. The Word could not have been written in any other style for there to be communication through it with heaven: 2899, 6943, 9401. Those who treat the Word with contempt because of its simple and seemingly uncultivated style, and think that they would accept it if it had been written in a different style, are greatly mistaken: 8783. Also, the manner and style of writing of the most ancient authors was through correspondences and representative ideas: 605, 1756, 9942. I found through my own experience that the wise men of ancient times were delighted by the Word, because they found there representative and significant ideas: 2592-2593. If someone of the most ancient Church had read the Word, he would have seen clearly those things which are in the internal sense and obscurely those things in the external sense: 4493. The sons of Jacob were brought down into the land of Canaan because all places in that land were from very ancient times made representative: 1585, 3686, 4447, 5136, 6516; and so that the Word might be written there, where places were to be named because of their internal meaning: 3686, 4447, 5136, 6516. But in fact the Word in its external sense was altered on account of that people, though not as regards its internal sense: 10453, 10461, 10603-10604. Many passages from the Word are quoted about that nation, which must however be understood according to their internal sense-that is, other than according to the literal sense: 7051. Since that nation represented the Church, and because the Word was written among and about that nation, therefore heavenly ideas were signified by their names, for example Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Ephraim, Joseph and the rest; and by Judah in the internal sense is signified the Lord as regards celestial love, and His heavenly kingdom: 3654, 3881, 5583, 5782, 6362-6381.

So that it may be known what are the correspondences and their nature, and what is the nature of the representations in the Word, something will also be said about those. All things which correspond also represent and then signify something, such that correspondences and representations go together as one: 2896, 2899, 2973, 2987, 2989-2990, 3002, 3225. What those correspondences and representations are, from my own experience and examples: 2763, 2987-3002, 3213-3226, 3337-3352, 3472-3485, 4218-4228, 9280. The knowledge of correspondences and representations was the most important field of knowledge among the ancients: 3021, 3419, 4280, 4749, 4844, 4964, 4966, 6004, 7729, 10252; especially among people in eastern parts: 5702, 6692, 7097, 7779, 9391, 10252, 10407; in Egypt more than other places: 5702, 6692, 7097, 7779, 9391, 10407; even among the Gentiles, for example in Greece and elsewhere: 2762, 7729. But today it is among the lost fields of knowledge, especially in Europe: 2894-2895, 2995, 3630, 3632, 3747-3749, 4581, 4966, 10252. But always that type of knowledge is more important than all others, since without it the Word is not understood; nor are the rites of the Jewish Church which are written about in the Word; nor is it known what the nature of heaven is, nor is it known what that which is spiritual is, nor how it happens that there is an inflowing of the spiritual into the natural, nor how there is an inflowing of the soul into the body, and many other things: 4280, and in passages cited above. All things which appear among spirits and angels are representative in accord with correspondences: 1971, 3213-3226, 3475, 3485, 9457, 9481, 9576-9577. Heaven is full of representations: 1521, 1532, 1619. Representations are more beautiful and perfect the more interior they are in heaven: 3475. Representations there are real appearances since they come from the light of heaven, which is the divine truth; and this itself is the essential part of all things that are in existence: 3485.

The reason why every single thing in the spiritual world is represented in the natural world is that what is internal clothes itself as appropriate in what is its external guise, through which it presents itself visibly, and becomes apparent: 6275, 6284, 6299. Thus, an end clothes itself in suitable guises in order to present itself as a cause in a lower sphere, and then as an effect in a still lower sphere; and when an end passes by way of a cause into an effect, it presents itself visibly, or becomes apparent right before the eyes: 5711.

This is illustrated by the inflowing of the soul into the body: namely, the soul is clothed with such things in the body through which everything it thinks and wishes can present itself and become apparent visibly; therefore when thought flows down into the body it is represented by such gestures and actions as correspond to it: 2988. Quite clearly the feelings of the mind are represented in the face by its various expressions, to such an extent that they are seen there: 4791-4805, 5695. From this it is plain that in every single thing within the natural order there lies hidden deep inside a cause and an end from the spiritual world: 3562, 5711 since things which are in the natural order are final effects, within which are prior causes: 4240, 4939, 5651, 6275, 6284, 6299, 9216. Whatever is internal is that which is represented, and what is external that which serves to represent it: 4292.

What correspondences and representations are may be further seen in the work Heaven and Hell, where the correspondence of all things of heaven with all human things is dealt with: 87-102; the correspondence of heaven with all things of earth: 103-115; and representations and appearances in heaven: 170-176.

Since all things in the natural order are representative of spiritual and celestial realities, in ancient times there were churches in which all the external observances or rituals were representative: 519, 521, 2896. The Church was set up among the children of Israel as a representative church: 1003, 2179, 10149. There all the rituals were external forms representing the internal things of heaven and the Church: 4288, 4874. The representative things of the Church and worship ceased when the Lord came into the world and manifested Himself, because the Lord revealed the internal things of the Church, and all things of that Church, in a supreme sense, had regard to Him: 4835.

Poznámky pod čarou: