9474. “并作膏油的香料” 表属于祝圣良善的内在真理. 这从 “香料”,

“油” 和 “膏” 的含义清楚可知:

“香料” 是指内层真理, 也就是内在良善的真理, 如下文所述;

“油” 是指爱之良善, 如前所述 (9473节);

“膏” 是指祝圣, 好作代表. 因为要代表神圣事物的事物用香油膏抹, 并由此被祝圣, 这从以下出埃及记中的话明显看出来:

你要取上等的香料, 就是名贵的没药, 香肉桂, 菖蒲, 桂皮, 橄榄油. 然后你要作成圣膏油, 就是香膏; 是要作为圣膏油的. 要用这膏油膏会幕和法柜, 桌子与桌子的一切器具, 灯台和灯台的器具, 并香坛, 燔祭坛和坛的一切器具, 洗濯盆和盆座. 要使这些物成为圣, 好成为至圣. 要膏亚伦和他的儿子.(出埃及记 30:23-31)

这些事物被膏以后之所以成圣, 是因为那时他们代表神圣事物; 由此明显可知, 膏抹某种东西就是给它祝圣, 好作代表. 之所以用油来膏抹, 是因为 “油” 表示属天良善; 属天良善是从主所获得的爱之良善, 因而对主之爱的良善. 该良善是天堂和永生的每一个方面里面必不可少的元素. 这油之所以用香料来做, 是为了叫它可以代表愉悦之物; 因为 “气味” 表示感知; 香甜的气味表示愉悦的感知 (925, 1514, 1517-1519, 3577, 4624-4634, 4748节). 由于对良善的一切感知皆通过真理而来, 所以香料会被用到, 香料表示内层真理 (4748, 5621节).

必须进一步简要说明为何膏油和香要闻上去香甜. 如前所述,

“油” 表示爱之良善;

“香料” 表示内在真理. 但爱之良善若不通过真理, 就无法被感知; 因为真理是良善的见证, 也是良善的显示, 可称作良善的外在形式. 这就像是人里面意愿和理解力的情形, 意愿若不通过理解力, 就无法显明自己. 因为理解力接受意愿的良善, 并将它清楚表明出来; 此外, 理解力是意愿的外在形式; 真理属于理解力, 良善属于意愿. 由此可见为何膏油发出香料的香气, 香也是如此. 不过, 它们之间的区别在于, 膏油的香气表示内在感知的愉悦, 而香的香气表示外在感知的愉悦. 膏油的香气不会伴有任何烟, 因而呈现出没有任何外在表象的一种香甜味; 而香的香气则伴有烟.

10216. 'When you take the sum of the children of Israel' means all things of the Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'the sum' as all; and from the representation of 'the children of Israel' as the Church, dealt with in the places referred to in 9340. The reason why all things of the Church are meant by 'the sum of the children of Israel' is that the internal sense of the Word is the kind of meaning it has in the heavens. Names do not come through to those there, such as the names Israel, Moses, Aaron, and many others; for those names belong to things that are material, which exist solely for the benefit of human life on the level of the physical senses. Instead of those names things on a spiritual level that belong to heaven and the Church are perceived. For angels in heaven are spiritual, and the things that come to their attention they see according to the inner nature of those things, thus on a spiritual level. There in place of the children of Israel they understand the Church. They do so because in the inmost heaven, where the Lord's presence is more immediate than in the heavens below, the Lord Himself is understood by names in the Word, when they are used in a good sense, names such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, David, Joseph, Judah, or Israel. And since the angels there understand the Lord by these names, they also perceive - in accord with the train of thought in the Word - the Divine things which belong to heaven and the Church, and are derived from the Lord. The perception flows in from the Lord, who is the Word; for the Lord is the source of all intelligence and wisdom, and none at all exists without Him.