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以西結書 44:31

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31 無論是,凡自死的,或是撕裂的,祭司都不可

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属天的奥秘 # 5247

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5247. “他就剃头, 刮胡子” 表就外层属世层的覆盖物而言的抛弃和所作的改变. 这从 “剃头, 刮胡子” 的含义清楚可知, “剃头, 刮胡子” 是指抛弃外层属世层的覆盖物; 因为所剃的 “头发” 表示外层属世层 (参看3301节). 毛发, 无论头上的, 还是胡须上的, 在大人中对应于外层属世层. 这解释了为何在天堂之光中, 感官人, 即那些除了属世之物外什么也不信, 也不想去明白除了他们能用感官觉知的东西外, 更内在或更纯粹的事物如何会存在的人在来世显得多毛. 他们看上去毛烘烘的, 以致他们的脸除了胡须外, 几乎什么都不是. 我经常看见这种满是毛发的脸. 但理性人, 也就是属灵人, 因属世层在他们里面处于恰当的从属地位, 故看似有整洁的头发. 事实上, 在来世, 凭头发就能知道灵人在属世层方面的品质或性质. 灵人头上之所以出现头发, 是因为在来世, 灵人看上去和世人一模一样. 正因如此, 圣言有时也描述人们所看见的天使的头发.

综上所述, 明显可知 “剃头, 刮胡子” 表示什么, 如以西结书:

祭司利未人撒督的子孙当脱下供职的衣服, 放在圣屋内, 穿上别的衣服, 免得因他们的衣服使民成圣. 不可剃头, 也不可留长发, 只可剪头发. (以西结书 44:15, 19-20)

这论及新殿和新祭司职分, 也就是新教会. “穿上别的衣服” 表示神圣真理; “不可剃头, 也不可留长发, 只可剪头发” 表示不抛弃属世层, 只采取措施使它变得和谐一致, 从而使它变得顺从. 凡相信圣言神圣的人都能看出, 先知所提到的描述新地, 新城, 新殿和新祭司职分的这些和其它所有细节都不可照字面来理解. 如祭司利未人撒督的子孙当脱下供职的衣服, 穿上别的衣服, 只可剪头发就不是字面上的意思; 相反, 先知所给出的每一个和一切细节都表示诸如属于一个新教会的那类事物.

在摩西五经中, 关于大祭司, 亚伦的子孙和利未人的条例若不包含神圣之物在里面, 也不会被制定:

在弟兄中作大祭司, 头上倒了膏油, 又承接圣职, 穿了圣衣的, 不可剃头, 也不可撕裂衣服. (利未记 21:10)

亚伦的子孙不可使头光秃, 不可剃除胡须的周围; 要归他们的神为圣, 不可亵渎他们神的名. (利未记 21:5-6)

你洁净利未人当这样行. 用除罪水弹在他们身上, 又叫他们用剃头刀刮全身, 洗衣服, 洁净自己. (民数记 8:7)

这些条例若非含有神圣观念在里面, 永远不会被赋予. 在这些条例中 (即大祭司不可剃头, 也不可撕裂衣服; 亚伦的子孙不可使头光秃, 不可剃除胡须的周围; 洁净利未人要叫他们用剃头刀刮全身) 能有什么神圣之物, 或教会之物呢? 确切地说, 拥有顺从内在人或属灵人的外在人或属世人, 进而拥有顺从神性的这二者, 就是这些条例里面的神圣观念; 也是当世人阅读这些圣言经文时, 天使所觉察到的.

这也适用于归耶和华为圣的拿细耳人:

若在他旁边忽然有人碰巧死了, 以致沾染了他离俗的头, 他要在得洁净的日子剃头, 就是在第七日剃头. 离俗的日子满了, 拿细耳人要在会幕门口剃离俗的头; 把头发放在平安祭下的火上. (民数记 6:9, 13, 18)

至于何为拿细耳人, 他代表哪方面的神圣, 可参看前文 (3301节). 若不藉着对应知道 “头发” 是什么意思, 因而知道拿细耳人的头发对应于哪方面的神圣, 没有人能理解为何神圣之物居于他的头发. 同样, 谁也不明白参孙力气的源头如何在他的头发中; 在以下描述中, 参孙将其告诉了大利拉:

剃头刀向来就没有上过我的头, 因为我自出母胎就归神作拿细耳人; 若我剃了, 我的力气就离开我, 我便软弱像别人一样. 大利拉叫了一个人来剃除他头上的七条发绺, 他的力气就离开他了. 后来他的头发被剃之后, 又开始渐渐长起来了, 力气便又回到他身上. (士师记 16:17, 19, 22)

若没有对应的任何知识, 谁能明白主的神性属世层由拿细耳人代表, 或 “离俗” 没有其它含义, 参孙的力气是由于这种代表?

不知道圣言拥有一个内义, 字义用来代表包含在内义中的真实事物之人, 尤其不相信的人, 几乎不承认这些事物有任何神圣之物; 而事实上, 最神圣之物就在它们里面. 人若不知道, 尤其不相信圣言拥有神圣的内义, 就不可能知道以下经文里面包含什么, 如耶利米书:

真理已经灭绝, 从他们的口中剪除. 要剪掉你离俗的头发, 把它扔掉! (耶利米书 7:28-29)

以赛亚书:

到那日, 主必用大河外赁的剃头刀, 就是亚述王, 剃头和脚上的毛, 并要剃净胡须. (以赛亚书 7:20)

弥迦书:

你使头光秃, 为你所喜爱的儿女剪除你的头发, 你要剃头, 要大大地光秃, 如同秃鹰, 因为他们都必流亡而离开你. (弥迦书 1:16)

他不知道有何神圣包含在有关以利亚的记载中, 因为以利亚是长满毛发的人, 腰束皮带 (列王纪下 1:8); 也不知道为何戏笑以利沙秃头的童子被林中出来的母熊撕裂 (列王纪下 2:23, 24).

以利亚和以利沙都代表圣言方面的主, 因而代表圣言本身, 尤其代表先知部分 (参看创世记 18章序言, 2762节). “长满毛发” 和 “皮带” 表示字义, “长满毛发的人” 表示就真理而言的字义, 腰间的 “皮带” 表示就良善而言的字义. 事实上, 圣言的字义就是它的属世意义, 因为它采用的观念是由世上的事物形成的; 而内义是属灵意义, 因为它采用的观念是由天上的事物形成的. 这两种意义就像人的内在与外在那样彼此关联. 不过, 由于内在离了外在无法存在, 因为外在是内在持续存在所在的次序最后和最低层级, 所以戏笑以利沙 “秃头” 是对圣言的毁谤, 暗示它缺乏外在, 因而圣言没有适合人理解的那层意义.

由此可见, 圣言的一切细节都是神圣的. 然而, 没有人能发现圣言里面的这种神圣, 除非他熟悉内义; 然而, 它的一点迹象会从天堂流入相信圣言为神圣的人. 这种流注通过天使所知的内义实现; 这内义虽然不能被人理解, 却仍在他里面激发一种情感, 因为知道内义的天使所感受到的情感会传给他. 由此也明显可知, 圣言已被赋予世人, 以便他能与天堂交流, 并且天堂里的神性真理能通过流入他而在他里面激发情感.

  
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Arcana Coelestia # 4402

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4402. 'And he called it El Elohe Israel' means that it, that is to say, interior worship, originated in the Divine Spiritual. This is clear from the meaning of 'El Elohe', dealt with below, and from the meaning of 'Israel' as the spiritual, dealt with in 4286, 4292. The things stated so far in this chapter from verse 17 onwards appear there because the subject in the highest sense of the chapter is how the Lord made His Natural Divine. But since things in the highest sense which are concerned with the Lord are beyond the range of ideas present in a person's thought because such things are Divine, let them be illustrated by means of the kind of things that do fall more immediately within the range of a person's ideas. That is to say, let those things that are Divine be illustrated by means of the way in which the Lord regenerates man's natural. Indeed the regeneration of man, that is, of his natural, is also the subject here in the internal sense; for the regeneration of man is a model of the glorification of the Lord, 3138, 3212, 3296, 3490. In fact the Lord glorified Himself, that is, made Himself Divine, according to Divine order, according to which same order He also regenerates man, that is, makes him celestial and spiritual. Here the way in which He makes him spiritual is dealt with, for 'Israel' means that spiritual man.

[2] The spiritual man is not the interior rational man but the interior natural. The interior rational man is that which is called celestial. How the spiritual man and the celestial differ from each other has often been stated already. A person becomes spiritual through the joining of the truths residing with him to good, that is, through the joining of matters of faith to those of charity, a joining together which takes place within his natural. There exterior truths first are joined to good, and after that interior truths. The joining of exterior truths within the natural has been dealt with in verses 1-16 of this chapter, the joining of interior truths to good in verses 17-end. Interior truths are not joined to good except by means of an enlightenment entering through the internal man into the external. That enlightenment makes Divine truths visible in a purely general way, as when, to use a comparison, countless objects are seen by the eye as an obscure single whole devoid of any distinguishable features. This enlightenment making truths visible in a purely general way was meant by Esau's words to Jacob, 'Let me now place with you some of the people who are with me', and by Jacob's reply, 'Why so? Let me find favour in your eyes', dealt with in 4385, 4386.

[3] On the point that the spiritual man, compared with the celestial, dwells in obscurity, see 2708, 2715, 2716, 2718, 2831, 2849, 2935, 2937, 3241, 3246, 3833. It is this spiritual man that is represented by 'Israel', 4286. The expression spiritual man is used because the light of heaven, which holds intelligence and wisdom within it, flows into those things with man which belong to the light of the world and causes those which belong to the light of heaven to be represented in those belonging to the light of the world, and in this way causes them to correspond. For regarded in itself the spiritual is the Divine Light itself which comes from the Lord, and therefore consists in intelligence which essentially is truth and as a consequence is wisdom. With the spiritual man however that light falls on things which are matters of faith with him and which he believes to be true, whereas with the celestial man it falls on the good of love. But although these considerations are clear to those who dwell in the light of heaven they are nevertheless obscure to those who dwell in the light of the world, and so to the majority at the present day. They are perhaps so obscure as to be barely intelligible. All the same, since they constitute the subject in the internal sense and are by nature as described, the exposition of them must not be left out. The time will come when people will be enlightened

[4] The reason why the altar was called El Elohe Israel and why interior worship originating in the Divine Spiritual was meant by it is that in the highest sense El Elohe is identical with the Divine Spiritual; as also is Israel. For 'Israel' means the Lord's Divine Spiritual, and in the representative sense the Lord's spiritual Church, or what amounts to the same, a person like that, see 4286, 4292. In the original language El Elohe means 'God God', and also, to be strictly literal, 'God of gods'. 1 In the Word Jehovah, or the Lord, is referred to in very many places by the singular name 'El', or else 'Eloah', as well as by the plural name 'Elohim'. Both names are sometimes used within the same verse or in the same section. A person who is not acquainted with the internal sense of the Word cannot know the reason why. Anyone may conclude that 'El' implies one thing, 'Eloah' another, and 'Elohim' another, from the consideration that the Word is Divine, that is, has its origin in the Divine, and that it is for that reason inspired as to every word, indeed as to the smallest part of every letter.

[5] What the name 'El' implies when it is used, or the name 'Elohim', may be seen from what has been shown in various places above, namely that El or Elohim - that is, God - is used when truth is the subject, see 709, 2586, 2769, 2807, 2822, 3921 (end), 4287. This is why in the highest sense El and Elohim mean the Divine Spiritual, this being the same as Divine Truth. The two names differ however in that 'El' means truth in will and action, which is the same as the good of truth, 4337, 4353, 4390. The plural form Elohim exists for the reason that by Divine truth is meant all the truths which come from the Lord. This is also the reason why in the Word angels are sometimes called elohim or gods, 4295, as will be further evident from places in the Word that are quoted below. Now because El and Elohim in the highest sense mean the Lord as regards truth, they also mean Him as regards power; for truth is the entity to which power is attributed. Indeed when exercising power good acts by means of truth, 3091, 4015. Therefore when in the Word reference is made to the power received from truth, the Lord is called El and Elohim, that is, God. Hence also it is that El in the original language means one who is powerful.

[6] The fact that the names El and Elohim, or God, are used in the Word where the Divine Spiritual is the subject, or what amounts to the same, Divine Truth, and Divine Power received from this, may be seen in addition from the following places,

God spoke to Israel in visions in the night. I am the God of gods (El Elohe) of your father, do not be afraid of going down into Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. Genesis 46:2-3.

Since these words are addressed to Israel, whom He is going 'to make into a great nation', and so the subject is truth and the power this possesses, El Elohe is used, which in the proximate sense means the God of gods. The fact that in the proximate sense Elohim means gods because it has reference to truths and to the power received from them, is also evident in the same author,

There Jacob built an altar, and called the place El Beth El, for there the Elohim were revealed to him, when he was fleeing from before his brother. Genesis 35:7.

And elsewhere in the same author,

Jehovah your God, He is God of gods, and Lord of lords, the God (El) who is great, powerful, and fearful. Deuteronomy 10:17.

Here 'God of gods' is expressed by Elohe Elohim, and after that 'God' by El, to whom greatness and power are attributed

[7] In David,

A great God (El) is Jehovah, and a great King above all gods (elohim), in whose hand are the deep places 2 of the earth; and the strength 3 of the mountains are His. Psalms 95:3-4.

The name 'God' or El is used here because reference is made to Divine Truth and the Power received from this, and also 'gods' because reference is made to subordinate truths. For in the internal sense 'a king' means truth, 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 3670. From this it is clear what 'a great King above all gods' implies. 'The deep places of the earth' too means the truths of the Church, which are called 'the strength of the mountains' from power rooted in good. In the same author,

Who in heaven will compare himself to Jehovah? Who will be likened to Jehovah among the sons of gods (elim)? God (El) mighty in the secret place of the holy ones, O Jehovah God Zebaoth, who is strong as You are, O Jah? Psalms 89:6-8.

Here 'sons of gods (or of elim)' stands for Divine truths, to which, it is evident, power is attributed, since it is said 'God (El) mighty, Jehovah God of hosts, who is strong as You are?'

[8] Similarly elsewhere in the same author,

Give to Jehovah, O sons of gods, give to Jehovah glory and strength. Psalms 29:1.

In Moses,

They fell on their faces, and said, O God of gods (El elohe) of the spirits of all flesh. Numbers 16:22.

In David,

I said, You are gods (elohim), and sons of the Most High, all of you. Psalms 82:6; John 10:34.

Here they are called 'gods' from truths, for 'sons' means truths, 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2628, 3373, 3704. In the same author,

Confess the God of gods (Elohe elohim), confess the Lord of lords. Psalms 136:2-3.

In Daniel,

The king will act according to his own pleasure, and will uplift himself, and exalt himself above every god (el), and will speak astonishing things above the God of gods (El elohim). Daniel 11:36.

These quotations show that in the proximate sense El elohe means God of gods, and that in the internal sense 'gods' is used in reference to truths which come from the Lord.

[9] The fact that the singular name El or God is used where the power which comes from Divine Truth is the subject, or what amounts to the same, from the Lord's Divine Spiritual, becomes clear from the following places: In Moses,

Let my hand be for God (El) to do you evil! Genesis 31:29.

And elsewhere,

Nor is there a hand for God (El). Deuteronomy 28:32.

And in Micah,

Let there be a hand for God (El). Micah 2:1.

'Let there be a hand for God' means, let there be power. For 'hand' means power, see 878, 3387, and 'hand' is used in reference to truth, 3091. In David,

I will set His hand in the sea, and His right hand in the rivers. He will cry to Me, You are My Father, My God (El), the Rock of My Salvation. Psalms 89:25-26.

This refers to power from truths. In the same author,

The wicked says in his heart, God (El) has forgotten; He has hidden His face; He never sees. Arise, O Jehovah God (El); lift up Your hand. For what reason does the wicked despise God (Elohim)? Psalms 10:11-13.

Here the meaning is similar.

[10] In the same author,

Jehovah is my rock (petra) and my fortress, and my deliverer, my God (El), my rock (rupes). Psalms 18:2.

This refers to power. In Isaiah, A residue will return, the residue of Jacob, to the God (El) of power. Isaiah 10:21.

In the same prophet,

To us a Boy is born, to us a Son is given, the government upon His shoulder; He will call His name, Wonderful, Counsellor, God (El), the Powerful One, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6.

In the same prophet,

Behold the God (El) of my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for He is my strength. Isaiah 12:2.

In the same prophet,

I am God (El) even from today; I am He, and nobody delivers from My hand; I work, and who will reverse it? Isaiah 43:12-13.

This refers to power. In Jeremiah, Great and powerful God (El), whose name is Jehovah of hosts. Jeremiah 32:18.

In the second Book of Samuel,

With my God (El) I will leap over the wall. God (El) is perfect in His way; the word of Jehovah is pure. Who is God (El) besides Jehovah? Who is a rock besides our God (Elohim)? God (El) is the strength of my refuge. 2 Samuel 22:30-33.

In Moses,

God (El) is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not act? Or has He spoken, and will He not carry it out? He brought them out of Egypt; He has so to speak the strength of a unicorn. At that time it will be said to Jacob and to Israel, What has God (El) been doing? Numbers 23:19, 22-23.

This in the internal sense refers to power and to truth.

[11] And in the same author,

God (El) who brought him out of Egypt has as it were the strength of a unicorn. He will consume the nations, his enemies, and will break their bones, and smash their weapons. Numbers 24:8.

'Horns' and 'the strength of a unicorn' mean the power of truth that springs from good, see 2832. And there are many other places besides all these. Since most things in the Word also have a contrary sense, no less do 'god' and 'gods', names which are used when the subject is falsity and power from falsity, as in Ezekiel,

The gods (elim) of the mighty will speak to him in the midst of hell. Ezekiel 32:21.

In Isaiah,

You inflamed yourselves among the gods (elim) under every green tree. Isaiah 57:5.

Here the name 'gods' is used on account of falsities. Similar examples exist in other places.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. 'El Elohe Israel may be understood in two different ways - 'God, the God of Israel' or 'Israel's God of gods'. Most English versions of the Bible prefer the first of these (e.g. in Genesis 46:3; Deuteronomy 10:17).

2. literally, the searchings

3. literally, the strengths

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.