Bible

 

1 Mose 3

Studie

   

1 Und die Schlange war listiger als alles Getier des Feldes, das Jehova Gott gemacht hatte; und sie sprach zu dem Weibe: Hat Gott wirklich gesagt: Ihr sollt nicht essen von jedem Baume des Gartens?

2 Und das Weib sprach zu der Schlange: Von der Frucht der Bäume des Gartens essen wir;

3 aber von der Frucht des Baumes, der in der Mitte des Gartens ist, hat Gott gesagt, davon sollt ihr nicht essen und sie nicht anrühren, auf daß ihr nicht sterbet.

4 Und die Schlange sprach zu dem Weibe: Mit nichten werdet ihr sterben!

5 Sondern Gott weiß, daß, welches Tages ihr davon esset, eure Augen aufgetan werden und ihr sein werdet wie Gott, erkennend Gutes und Böses.

6 Und das Weib sah, daß der Baum gut zur Speise und daß er eine Lust für die Augen und daß der Baum begehrenswert wäre, um Einsicht zu geben; und sie nahm von seiner Frucht und , und sie gab auch ihrem Manne mit ihr, und er .

7 Da wurden ihrer beider Augen aufgetan, und sie erkannten, daß sie nackt waren; und sie hefteten Feigenblätter zusammen und machten sich Schürzen.

8 Und sie hörten die Stimme Jehovas Gottes, der im Garten wandelte bei der Kühle des Tages. Und der Mensch und sein Weib versteckten sich vor dem Angesicht Jehovas Gottes mitten unter die Bäume des Gartens.

9 Und Jehova Gott rief den Menschen und sprach zu ihm: Wo bist du?

10 Und er sprach: Ich hörte deine Stimme im Garten, und ich fürchtete mich, denn ich bin nackt, und ich versteckte mich.

11 Und er sprach: Wer hat dir kundgetan, daß du nackt bist? Hast du gegessen von dem Baume, von dem ich dir geboten habe, nicht davon zu essen?

12 Und der Mensch sprach: Das Weib, das du mir beigegeben hast, sie gab mir von dem Baume, und ich .

13 Und Jehova Gott sprach zu dem Weibe: Was hast du da getan! Und das Weib sprach: Die Schlange betrog mich, und ich .

14 Und Jehova Gott sprach zu der Schlange: Weil du dieses getan hast, sollst du verflucht sein vor allem Vieh und vor allem Getier des Feldes! Auf deinem Bauche sollst du kriechen und Staub fressen alle Tage deines Lebens.

15 Und ich werde Feindschaft setzen zwischen dir und dem Weibe und zwischen deinem Samen und ihrem Samen; er wird dir den Kopf zermalmen, und du, du wirst ihm die Ferse zermalmen.

16 Zu dem Weibe sprach er: Ich werde sehr mehren die Mühsal deiner Schwangerschaft, mit Schmerzen sollst du Kinder gebären; und nach deinem Manne wird dein Verlangen sein, er aber wird über dich herrschen.

17 Und zu Adam sprach er: Weil du auf die Stimme deines Weibes gehört und gegessen hast von dem Baume, von dem ich dir geboten und gesprochen habe: Du sollst nicht davon essen, so sei der Erdboden verflucht um deinetwillen: mit Mühsal sollst du davon essen alle Tage deines Lebens;

18 und Dornen und Disteln wird er dir sprossen lassen, und du wirst das Kraut des Feldes essen.

19 Im Schweiße deines Angesichts wirst du dein Brot essen, bis du zurückkehrst zur Erde, denn von ihr bist du genommen. Denn Staub bist du, und zum Staube wirst du zurückkehren!

20 Und der Mensch gab seinem Weibe den Namen Eva, denn sie war die Mutter aller Lebendigen.

21 Und Jehova Gott machte Adam und seinem Weibe Röcke von Fell und bekleidete sie.

22 Und Jehova Gott sprach: Siehe, der Mensch ist geworden wie unser einer, zu erkennen Gutes und Böses; und nun, daß er seine Hand nicht ausstrecke und nehme auch von dem Baume des Lebens und esse und lebe ewiglich!

23 Und Jehova Gott schickte ihn aus dem Garten Eden hinaus, um den Erdboden zu bebauen, davon er genommen war;

24 und er trieb den Menschen aus und ließ lagern gegen Osten vom Garten Eden die Cherubim und die Flamme des kreisenden Schwertes, um den Weg zum Baume des Lebens zu bewahren.

   

Ze Swedenborgových děl

 

Apocalypse Explained # 1175

Prostudujte si tuto pasáž

  
/ 1232  
  

1175. Verse 19. And they cast dust upon their heads and cried out weeping, and mourning, signifies grief and confession that by a life according to that religious persuasion and its doctrine they were condemned. This is evident from the signification of "to cast dust upon the head," as being to mourn because they were condemned (it follows as a consequence that it was on account of life according to that religious persuasion and its doctrine); also from the signification of "to cry out weeping and mourning," as being grief that they were condemned by such a life, "to cry out" having reference to doctrine, and "to weep and mourn" signifying grief of soul and heart (as above, n. 1164. "To cast dust upon the heads" means mourning on account of condemnation, because "dust" signifies what is condemned, and "head" the man himself. "Dust" signifies what is condemned, because the hells are beneath and the heavens are above, and from the hells falsity from evil unceasingly breathes forth, consequently the dust over them signifies what is condemned (See also above, n. 742. Because of this signification of "dust" it was a custom in the representative churches to cast dust upon their heads when they had done evil and had repented of it, thus giving proof of their repentance.

[2] That this was so can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:

They shall cry bitterly and shall cast up dust upon their heads, they shall roll themselves in ashes (Ezekiel 27:30).

"To cast up dust upon their heads" signifies mourning because of condemnation, and "to roll themselves in ashes" signifies still deeper mourning, for "ashes" signify what is condemned, because the fire from which they come signifies infernal love. In Lamentations:

The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the earth, they keep silence, they have cast up dust upon their heads; the virgins of Jerusalem hang down their heads to the earth (Lamentations 2:10).

By such things grief and mourning because of evils and falsities of which they repented, and thus confession that they were condemned, were represented. "Daughter of Zion" signifies the church, and "virgins of Jerusalem" signify truths of doctrine; "to sit upon the earth and keep silence" signifies grief of mind; "to cast dust upon the head" signifies confession that they were condemned, and "to hang down the head to the earth" signifies confession that they were in hell. In Job:

The friends of Job rent everyone his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven (Job 2:12).

"To sprinkle dust upon the head towards heaven" signifies mourning on account of Job, who seemed to be condemned. Mourning on account of condemnation of evil is signified by "dust upon the head," and "rending the mantle" signifies mourning on account of condemnation of falsity. The same is signified by:

Rolling themselves in the dust (Micah 1:10).

That repentance was thus represented is evident in Job:

I repent upon dust and upon ashes (Job 42:6).

Because "dust" signifies condemnation, it was said to the serpent:

Upon the belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life (Genesis 3:14).

The "serpent" signifies infernal evil with those who pervert the truths of the Word, and thereby deceive artfully and craftily. So in Isaiah:

Dust shall be the serpent's bread (Isaiah 65:25).

From all this it is clear that "dust" signifies what is condemned, and that "to cast dust upon the head" is a testification of condemnation.

(Continuation)

[3] All this having been premised it shall now be told what affection is, and afterwards why man is led by the Lord by means of affections and not by means of thoughts, and lastly that man can be saved in no other way.

What affection is. The same is meant by affection as by love. But love is like a fountain and affections are like the streams therefrom, thus affections are continuations of love. Love as a fountain is in the will of man; affections, which are streams from it, flow by continuity into the understanding, and there by means of light from truths produce thoughts, just as the influences of heat in a garden produce germinations by means of rays of light. Moreover, love in its origin is the heat of heaven, and truths in their origin are the rays of light of heaven, and thoughts are germinations from their marriage.

From such a marriage are all the societies of heaven, which are innumerable, which in their essence are affections; for they are from the heat that is love and from the wisdom that is light from the Lord as a sun. Therefore these societies, as heat in them is united to light, and light is united to heat, are affections of good and truth. From this are the thoughts of all in these societies. This makes clear that the societies of heaven are not thoughts but affections, consequently to be led by means of these societies is to be led by means of affections, that is, to be led by means of affections is to be led by means of societies; and for this reason in what now follows the term affections will be used in place of societies.

[4] Why man is led by the Lord by means of affections and not by means of thoughts shall now be told. When man is led by the Lord by means of affections he can be led according to all the laws of His Divine providence, but not if he should be led by means of thoughts. Affections do not become evident to man, but thoughts do; also affections produce thoughts, but thoughts do not produce affections; there is an appearance that they do, but it is a fallacy. And when affections produce thoughts they produce all things of man, because these constitute his life. Moreover, this is known in the world. If you hold a man in his affection you hold him bound, and lead him wherever you please, and a single reason is then stronger than a thousand. But if you do not hold man in his affection reasons are of no avail, for his affection, when not in harmony with them, either perverts them or rejects them or extinguishes them. It would be similar if the Lord should lead man by means of thoughts immediately, and not by means of affections.

Again, when a man is led by the Lord by means of affections, it seems to him as if he thought freely as if of himself, and spoke freely and acted freely as if of himself. And this is why the Lord does not teach man immediately, but mediately by means of the Word, and by means of doctrines and preachings from the Word, and by means of conversations and interaction with others; for from these things man thinks freely as if of himself.

[5] In no other way can man be saved. This follows both from what has been said about the laws of the Divine providence and also from this, that thoughts do not produce affections in man. For if man knew all things of the Word, and all things of doctrine, even to the arcana of wisdom that the angels possess, and thought and spoke about them, so long as his affections were lusts of evil he could not be brought out of hell by the Lord. Evidently, then, if man were to be taught from heaven by an influx into his thoughts it would be like casting seed upon the way, or into water, or into snow, or into fire.

  
/ 1232  
  

Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.