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Και ετελευτησεν ο Ιωσηφ εν ηλικια ετων εκατον δεκα· και εβαλσαμωσαν αυτον· και ετεθη εις θηκην εν τη Αιγυπτω.
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Και ετελευτησεν ο Ιωσηφ εν ηλικια ετων εκατον δεκα· και εβαλσαμωσαν αυτον· και ετεθη εις θηκην εν τη Αιγυπτω.
6554. And all that went up with him to bury his father. That this signifies all things that conduce to regeneration, is evident from the signification of “burying,” as being regeneration and resurrection (see n. 2916, 2917, 4621, 6516); and as being the resuscitation and setting up again of the church (see n. 5551, 6516). All things which conduce thereto are signified by “all that went up with him,” for they were the whole house of Joseph, also the house of his father, and likewise the elders of the house of Pharaoh, and the elders of the land of Egypt; and by the “house of Joseph” are signified the celestial things of the spiritual (n. 6526); by the “house of his father,” all things of spiritual good (n. 6528); by the “elders of the house of Pharaoh,” those which agree with good (n. 6524); and by the “elders of the land of Egypt,” those which agree with truth (se e n. 6525). Hence it is plain that by “all who went up with him to bury” are signified all things that conduce to regeneration. That “to bury” signifies both regeneration and resurrection, and likewise the resuscitation and setting up again of the church, is because these significations involve what is like; for regeneration is resurrection, because when man is being regenerated he is becoming alive from being dead, thus is rising again. And in like manner when the church is being resuscitated and set up again in a man; for this is effected by regeneration, thus by resurrection from death unto life.
6077. To sojourn in the land have we come. That this signifies to seek life in memory-knowledges, is evident from the signification of “to sojourn,” as being to be instructed, and also to live (see n. 1463, 2025); thus “to come to sojourn” means to seek life; and from the signification of “land,” here the land of Egypt, as being where memory-knowledge is, thus as being memory-knowledge. (That “Egypt” denotes memory-knowledge has been frequently shown above.) In regard to the life of truth being in memory-knowledges, or to truths seeking their life in memory-knowledges, be it known that all things which are in the spiritual world, and hence all things which are in the natural world, seek something ulterior in which to be, and to act as cause in effect, to the end that they may continually be producing something. This ulterior thing is as it were a body, and that which seeks to be in it is as it were a soul. This effort ceases only in the ultimates of nature, where things inert have place. In the natural world this is seen in everything; and it is also seen in the spiritual world, in that good seeks to live in truths, and truths seek to live in memory-knowledges, and memory-knowledges in things of sense, and things of sense in the world.
[2] As to what specifically regards truths being in memory-knowledges, be it known that interior truths may indeed be insinuated into memory-knowledges, but the truths have no life therein until there is good in the memory-knowledges; for in good there is life, and in truths from good, and thus in memory-knowledges from good through truths. Then good is like a soul to truths, and through truths to memory-knowledges, which are like a body. In a word, charity toward the neighbor vivifies and animates faith, and through faith the memory-knowledges that belong to the natural mind.
[3] There are few at this day who know that truths and memory-knowledges are distinct from each other. The reason is that few are in the truths of faith from charity, and truths of faith in which there is not charity are nothing else than memory-knowledges, for they are in the memory exactly as are other things which are there. But when truths of faith are from charity, or when charity is in them, they then perceptibly distinguish themselves from memory-knowledges, and sometimes elevate themselves from them, and they then view the memory-knowledges as beneath them. This may be very clearly seen from the state of man after death. He can then think and speak rationally about the truths and goods of faith, and this with more perspicuity than in the life of the body, but he cannot recall any memory-knowledges from the memory, these being then with him as things forgotten and obliterated, although he has them all with him (see n. 2475-2486). From this it is evident that truths of faith, which in themselves are spiritual, and memory-knowledges, which in themselves are natural, are distinct from each other; and that truths of faith are elevated from memory-knowledges toward heaven by means of the affection of the good of charity.