1186. “亚述” 是指推理. 这从圣言中亚述的含义清楚可知, 它经常用来表示那些属于理性的事物, 具有双重含义, 即表示理性事物和理论 (reasonings). 严格来说, 理智和理性之物用来表真实的事物, 而推理 (reasoning) 和理论 (reasonings) 用来表虚假的事物. 由于 “亚述” 表理性和推理, 故它常与 “埃及” 连起来用, “埃及” 表知识, 因为理性和推理就基于这些知识. “亚述” 表推理, 这一点明显可见于以赛亚书:

有祸呀, 亚述, 我怒气的棍子, 他不思想公义, 他心也不这样打算, 因为他说, 我所成就的事, 是靠我手的能力和我的智慧, 我本有聪明. (以赛亚书 10:5, 7, 13)

此处 “亚述” 表推理, 因此经上指着他说 “他不思想公义, 他心也不这样打算”, 还说他 “靠自己的智慧行事, 因为他本有聪明. ”

以西结书:

有两个女子, 同是一母的女儿, 在埃及行邪淫; 她们在幼年时行邪淫. 阿荷拉行邪淫, 贪恋所爱的人, 就是她的邻邦亚述人, 这些人都穿蓝衣, 作首领和官长, 都骑着马, 是可爱的少年人. 巴比伦人来到她那里, 与她行淫玷污她. (以西结书 23:2-3, 5-6, 17)

此处 “埃及” 表知识, “亚述” 表推理, “巴比伦” 表源于恶欲的虚假.

同一先知书:

耶路撒冷啊, 你也和埃及人行淫, 又与亚述人行淫, 多行淫乱直到那迦南陆地, 就是迦勒底. (以西结书 16:26, 28-29)

此处 “埃及” 同样表知识, “亚述” 表推理. 无论此处还是别处, 基于知识推理属灵和属天的事物都被称为 “行淫”. 谁都能看出, 这不是指与埃及人和亚述人行淫.

耶利米书:

以色列, 现今你为何在埃及路上要喝西曷的水呢? 你为何在亚述路上要喝大河 (幼发拉底河) 的水呢? (耶利米书 2:18, 36)

此处 “埃及” 同样表知识, “亚述” 表推理. 又:

以色列是打散的羊, 是被狮子赶出的. 首先是亚述王将他吞灭, 末后是巴比伦王将他的骨头折断. (耶利米书 50:17-18)

“亚述” 表对属灵事物的推理.

弥迦书:

这位必作平安, 当亚述进入我们的陆地, 践踏我们宫殿的时候, 我们就立起七个牧者, 八个首领攻击他, 他们必用刀剑征服亚述地和宁录地的关口; 亚述人进入我们的陆地践踏的时候, 他必拯救我们. (弥迦书 5:5-6)

这论及以色列, 或属灵教会, 关于它, 经上说 “亚述必不进入”, 即推理必不进入. “宁录地” 表宁录所表示的这类敬拜, 它里面有内在的恶和假.

在圣言中, “亚述” 还表教会成员所具有的理性, 他凭这理性清楚明白何为真, 何为善. 这一事实清楚可见于何西阿书:

他们必如雀鸟从埃及急速而来, 又如鸽子从亚述地来到. (何西阿书 11:11)

此处 “埃及” 表教会成员所具有的知识, “亚述” 表他的理性. 前面说过, “雀鸟” 表所知道和理解的记忆知识 (或科学知识), “鸽子” 表理性的良善.

以赛亚书:

当那日, 必有从埃及通亚述去的大道, 亚述人要进入埃及, 埃及人也进入亚述, 埃及人必服侍亚述人. 当那日, 以色列必与埃及, 亚述三国一律, 使地上的人得福, 因为万军之耶和华赐福给说, 埃及我的百姓, 亚述我手的工作, 以色列我的产业, 都有福了. (以赛亚书 19:23-25)

这论及以色列所表示的属灵教会, “亚述” 是它的理性, “埃及” 是它的知识. 这三者一个接一个依次而来, 构成属灵教会成员的知识力量.

别处所提及的亚述表要么真实要么虚假的理性 (如以赛亚书 20:1至末尾; 23:13; 27:13; 30:31; 31:8, 36, 37; 52:4; 以西结书 27:23-24; 31:3至末尾; 32:22; 弥迦书 7:12; 西番雅书 2:13; 撒迦利亚书 10:11; 诗篇 83:8). “亚述” 表推理 (何西阿书 5:13; 7:11; 10:6; 11:5; 12:1; 14:3; 撒迦利亚书 10:10), 所论及的以法莲表心智的理性部分, 但这里已败坏.

3793. 'Rachel came with the flock' means the affection for interior truth belonging to the Church and to doctrine. This is clear from the representation of 'Rachel' as the affection for interior truth, and from the meaning of 'the flock' as the Church and also as doctrine, dealt with in 3767, 3768, 3783. To enable it to be known how 'Rachel' represents the affection for interior truth, and 'Leah' the affection for exterior truth, let a brief statement be made about the matter: The natural, which 'Jacob' represents, consists of good and of truth; and within the natural, as within every single part in the human being, and indeed within the whole natural order, there ought to be a marriage of good and truth. Without this marriage nothing is produced, for every act of bringing forth and every effect is from that marriage. When he is born there is no marriage of good and truth within a person's natural because the human being, unlike other creatures, is not born into a condition where Divine order is present. It is true that good which goes with innocence and charity is present, flowing from the Lord in earliest childhood; but no truth is present to which that good may be coupled. As he advances in life this good which has been instilled by the Lord into a person in early childhood is drawn in towards the interior parts and kept there by the Lord so that it may serve to modify the states of life which he experiences subsequently. As a consequence without the good belonging to his infancy and early childhood the human being would be worse and more vicious than any wild animal. When that good belonging to earliest childhood is drawn inwards, evil in that case takes its place and enters the person's natural. Falsity then couples itself to that evil, and a joining together and so to speak a marriage of evil and falsity takes place with him. If a person is to be saved therefore, he has to be regenerated. Evil has to be removed and good instilled by the Lord. And in the measure that he receives good truth is instilled into him so that a coupling, or so to speak marriage, of good and truth takes place.

[2] These are the matters represented by Jacob and his two wives, Rachel and Leah. 'Jacob' now takes on the representation of natural good therefore, and 'Rachel' that of truth. But since all joining of truth to good is effected through affection, it is the affection for truth coupled to good that 'Rachel' represents. Furthermore the natural, like the rational, has an interior and an exterior. 'Rachel' represents the affection for interior truth, and 'Leah' the affection for exterior truth. 'Laban', who is their father, represents a good that springs from a common stock, but is a parallel good, as has been stated. That good is the good which in the parallel line corresponds to the truth of the rational, which is 'Rebekah', 3012, 3013, 3077. Daughters descended from that good therefore represent affections existing within the natural, for these are like daughters fathered by that good. And because those affections are to be coupled to natural good they consequently represent affections for truth - the first representing the affection for interior truth, the second the affection for exterior truth.

[3] The regeneration of a person's natural is altogether like Jacob and Laban's two daughters, Rachel and Leah. Anyone therefore who can see and understand the internal sense of the Word sees this arcanum which has been disclosed to him, but no one else is able to see it except him in whom good and truth are present. No others, no matter how good a perception they may have of the things to do with personal life and life in society and may seem to be highly intelligent, are able to see and then to acknowledge anything at all of that arcanum. Indeed they do not know what good and truth are, for they imagine evil to be good, and falsity to be truth. For this reason the moment good is mentioned the idea of evil presents itself, and the moment truth is mentioned the idea of falsity does so. Consequently they perceive nothing of the things contained in the internal sense, but as soon as they hear anything of it darkness descends which extinguishes the light.