242. "Et secundum Animal simile Vitulo," significat Divinum Verum Verbi quoad affectionem. - Per Bestias terrae significantur variae affectiones naturales; Sunt etiam: et per "vitulum" significatur affectio sciendi; haec affectio per vitulum repraesentatur in mundo spirituali, quare etiam illa per "vitulum" significatur in Verbo, ut apud Hoscheam:

"Rependemus Jehovae Vitulos labiorum nostrorum," (14:3 (B.A. 2)); ¹

"vituli labiorum" sunt confessiones ex affectione veri. Apud Malachiam:

"Exorietur vobis timentibus Nomen Meum sol justitiae, et sanitas in alis ut crescatis sicut Vituli saginati," (3:20 (B.A. 4:2));

comparatio fit cum "vitulis saginatis," quia per illo significantur qui impleti cognitionibus veri et boni ex affectione sciendi illas. Apud Davidem:

"Vox Jehovae saltare facit cedros Libani sicut Vitulum," (Psalm. 29:6)

per "cedros Libani" significantur cognitiones veri; inde dicitur quod "vox Jehovae illas saltare faciat sicut vitulum;" "vox Jehovae" est Divinum Verum, hic afficiens. Quoniam Aegyptii amaverunt scientias, ideo fecerunt sibi vitulos in signum affectionis illarum; sed postquam coeperunt colere vitulos ut deos, tunc per illos in Verbo significantur affectiones sciendi falsa (Ut Jeremias 46:20-21; ² Psalm. 68:31 (B.A. 30); et alibi).

Simile itaque significatur per Vitulum quem filii Israelis sibi fecerunt in deserto, (Exodus 32);

Tum simile per Vitulos Samariae, (1 Regnum 12:28-32; Hoschea 8:4, 5; 10:5);

quare dicitur apud Hoscheam:

"Faciunt sibi fusile ex argento, sacrificantes hominem. Vitulos osculantur," (13:2);

"facere sibi fusile ex argento" significat falsificare verum, "sacrificare hominem" significat destruere sapientiam, et "osculari vitulos" significat agnoscere falsa ex affectione. Apud Esajam:

"Ibi pascet Vitulus, ibi cubabit, et consumet ramos ejus," (27:10).

(Simile per Vitulum significatur Jeremias 34:18-20). ³

Quoniam omnis Divinus cultus est ex affectionibus veri et boni, et inde cognitionibus illorum, ideo Sacrificia, in quibus cultus Ecclesiae apud filios Israelis principaliter constabat, fiebant ex variis Bestiis, ut ex agnis, capris, haedis, ovibus, hircis, vitulis, bobus; et ex vitulis, quia significabant affectionem sciendi vera et bona, quae est affectio prima naturalis: haec significabatur per "Sacrificia ex Vitulis," (Exodus 29:11-12; Leviticus 4:3, 13, seq.; 8:14, ⁴ seq.; 9:2; 16:3; ⁵ 23:18; Numeri 8:8, seq.; 15:24; 28:19-20; Judicum 6:25-28; ⁶ 1 Samuelis 1:25; 16:2; 1 Regnum 18:23-26, 33).

Visum est secundum Animal simile Vitulo, quia Divinum Verum Verbi, quod per illud significatur, afficit animos, ac sic instruit et imbuit.

Poznámky pod čarou:

Ephraim was the second son born to Joseph in Egypt and was, along with his older brother Manasseh, elevated by Jacob to the same status as Joseph’s brothers. Thus when the tribes of Israel are named, Ephraim and Manasseh are named as patriarchs along with their uncles – Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin -- but Joseph is not. According to Swedenborg, Ephraim represents the intellectual aspect of the church, the part that explores and understands what is true – especially the true ideas that can be drawn from the Bible. Manasseh, meanwhile, represents the affectional aspect of the church, the part that feels and loves and cares. This plays into the best-known story of Ephraim’s life. When Jacob was old and nearing death, Joseph brought his two sons to be blessed. He presented Manasseh to Jacob’s right hand as the elder, and Ephraim to Jacob’s left hand. But Jacob crossed his hands and gave Ephraim the primary blessing. According to Swedenborg, Manasseh was the elder son because ultimately, what we love makes us who we are; our loves form our lives. So our loves are the most central, leading aspect of our human existence, with our intellect playing a secondary role. But as we develop, we need to reverse those. We can use our intellect to understand what is good and right and force ourselves to do it, even when our desires are for what’s selfish. If we stick to that out of a determination to follow the Lord and be good people, the Lord will eventually remove the selfishness from our hearts so we can truly love what is good. By having Jacob bless Ephraim above Manasseh, the Lord is telling us that we have to put our intellect first to pursue our spiritual journey.