2
υιος-N2--VSM ανθρωπος-N2--GSM λαμβανω-VB--AAD2S επι-P *σορ-N---ASF θρηνος-N2--ASM
Arcana Coelestia # 10199
10199. 'Incense of spices' means a hearing and receiving with pleasure. This is clear from the meaning of 'incense' as the Lord's hearing and receiving with pleasure everything of worship that springs from love and charity, dealt with in 10177; and from the meaning of 'spices' as things that bring pleasure. Things bringing pleasure are meant by 'spices' on account of their odour; for 'odour' means perception, and therefore a sweet odour means a perception of that which brings pleasure, while an offensive odour means that which brings no pleasure. All things perceived by a person with the sensory organs of smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch mean spiritual realities connected with the good of love and the truths of faith. Consequently smell means the perception of interior truth springing from the good of love; taste means perception and the desire to know and become wise; sight means an understanding of the truths of faith; hearing means perception resulting from the good of faith and from obedience; and touch in general means imparting, conveying, and being received.
[2] The reason why they have these meanings is that every reception of impressions by the outward senses begins in reception by the inward senses, which belong to the understanding and will, and so begins within the person, in the truths of faith and the good of love since these constitute the understanding and will within the human mind. Yet inward sensations, which belong properly to a person's understanding and will, do not feel the same as the outward ones, though they are turned into outward sensations when they flow in. For all the perceptions that a person receives by means of his outward sensory organs flow from inward powers of mind. The path all influx takes is from inward things to outward ones, not from outward to inward, since there is no such thing as physical influx - that is, influx from the natural world into the spiritual world - only influx from the spiritual world into the natural. A person's inner powers, which belong properly to understanding and will, exist in the spiritual world, and his outward ones, which belong properly to the bodily senses, exist in the natural world. From all this too it becomes clear what correspondence is and what the nature of it is.
[3] In general, smell corresponds to perception of some reality, as determined by the essential nature of the matter that is being perceived, see 1514, 1517-1519, 3577, 4624-4634, 10054.
Taste corresponds to perception and the desire to know and become wise, 3502, 4791-4805.
Sight corresponds to an understanding of the truths of faith, 3863, 4403-4421, 4567, 5114, 5400, 6805.
Hearing corresponds to perception of the good of faith and to obedience, 3869, 4652-4660, 7216, 8361, 9311, 9926.
Touch means imparting, conveying, and being received, 10130.
[4] 1 The fact that such things as are perceived with pleasure are meant by 'spices' - the kinds that spring from love and charity, in particular interior truths since they spring from these - is clear from the following places in the Word: In Isaiah,
Instead of spice 2 there will be rottenness, and instead of a girdle, a falling apart, and instead of well-set hair 3 , baldness. Isaiah 3:24.
This refers to the daughters of Zion, by whom the celestial Church is meant, a Church in possession of interior truths springing from the good of love to the Lord. 'Spice' here means interior truth, 'rottenness' deprivation of it; 'a girdle' means a joining together, and 'a falling apart' the dissolution of connection and order; 'well-set hair' means factual knowledge of truth, which is exterior truth or truth as the external man knows it, and 'baldness' deprivation of that truth.
'A girdle' means a joining together and a bond to ensure that everything is held in connection and has the same end in view, see 9828.
'Well-set hair' means factual knowledge of truth, 2831 4 .
'Baldness' means deprivation of that truth, 9960.
[5] In Ezekiel,
A great eagle with [great] wings came on Lebanon, and from it took a twig of the cedar away into the land of Canaan 5 ; in the city of spicers he put the top of it 6 . Ezekiel 17:3-4.
This refers in the internal sense to the beginnings and growth of the spiritual Church, and then its corruption and end. 'A great eagle with [great] wings' means the interior truth which that Church possessed, 3901, 8764, 'wings' its exterior truths, 8764, 9514. 'Lebanon' is that Church, 'the cedar' there being the spiritual Church's truth. 'The city of spicers' is a place where teachings composed of interior truth are presented, 'cities' in the Word meaning religious teachings, see 402, 2449, 3216, 4492, 4493. It is called 'the city of spicers' by virtue of its interior truths.
[6] In the same prophet,
The traders of Sheba and Raamah with the best of [every] spice, and with every precious stone and gold, carried out 7 their dealings. Ezekiel 27:22.
This refers to Tyre, which means the Church in respect of cognitions or knowledge of goodness and truth. 'The traders' are those who possess these and pass them on; 'Sheba and Raamah' are those with whom cognitions of celestial and spiritual things exist; 'the best of spice' is that which by virtue of interior truths brings pleasure; 'precious stone' is those very truths; and 'gold' is the good that goes with them.
Tyre means the Church in respect of interior cognitions of goodness and truth, and in the abstract sense those cognitions themselves, see 1201.
'The traders' are those who possess these and pass them on, 2967, 4453.
'Sheba and Raamah' are those with whom cognitions of celestial and spiritual things exist, 1171, 3240.
'Precious stone' is interior truth, 9863, 9865, 9873, 9874.
'Gold' is the good that goes with it, see the places referred to in 9874, 9881.
[7] From all this one may see what was represented by the queen of Sheba's coming to Solomon in Jerusalem with camels carrying spices, gold, and precious stones, 1 Kings 10:1-2, and by the offering of gold, frankincense, and myrrh which the wise men from the east made to the new-born Jesus, Matthew 2:11. Because 'spices' meant interior truths, thus those which bring pleasure, the incense and also the anointing oil, dealt with further on in this chapter, were scented with spices.
[8] By interior truths those truths which have become part of a person's life and affection, thus those inwardly present in him, should be understood, but not truths which are present solely in the memory and have not become part of that person's life. These truths in relation to the others are called external ones, since they have not been inscribed on the person's life, only on his memory. They reside in the external man and not in the internal. Truths of faith which have been inscribed on a person's life are present in the will, and what is in the will is present in the internal man. For by means of the truths of faith the internal man is opened up and contact with heaven is brought about. From this it is evident that the interior truths present with a person are ones that spring from the good of love and charity. Whether you say will or love it amounts to the same thing, for what composes a person's will composes his love. Therefore the truths inscribed on the person's life, called interior truths, are ones that have been inscribed on his love, and so on the will, from which they afterwards go forth when they pass into speech and action.
[9] For heaven, in which the internal man that has been opened up is present, does not enter truths directly but indirectly, through the good of love. But heaven cannot come in when a person's internal man is closed, because there is no good of love there to receive it. In the case therefore of those with whom the internal man has not been opened by means of truths springing from the good of love and charity hell enters with falsities arising from evil, no matter how many truths of faith, even interior ones, are residing in the external man alone, that is, in the memory.
From all this one may now see what should be understood by interior truths that bring pleasure, which are meant by 'spices', namely those which spring from the good of love and charity.
Poznámky pod čarou:
1. To judge both from the first Latin edition and his rough draft Swedenborg may have intended to add words that would have concluded what goes before and introduced what comes next.
2. i.e. fragrance
3. literally, instead of the work of plaited [hair]
4. The word rendered well-set, more literally plaited, may otherwise mean entangled.
5. Here the Hebrew may be taken to mean either the land of Canaan or the land of the merchant. See 3901:2, 8764:6, where Swedenborg adopts the latter meaning.
6. literally, its head i.e. the twig from the top of the cedar
7. literally, gave
1 Kings 6
1
And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Zif, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.
2
And the house which king Solomon built for the LORD, the length thereof was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits.
3
And the porch before the temple of the house, twenty cubits was the length thereof, according to the breadth of the house; and ten cubits was the breadth thereof before the house.
4
And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.
5
And against the wall of the house he built chambers round about, against the walls of the house round about, both of the temple and of the oracle: and he made chambers round about:
6
The nethermost chamber was five cubits broad, and the middle was six cubits broad, and the third was seven cubits broad: for without in the wall of the house he made narrowed rests round about, that the beams should not be fastened in the walls of the house.
7
And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building.
8
The door for the middle chamber was in the right side of the house: and they went up with winding stairs into the middle chamber, and out of the middle into the third.
9
So he built the house, and finished it; and covered the house with beams and boards of cedar.
10
And then he built chambers against all the house, five cubits high: and they rested on the house with timber of cedar.
11
And the word of the LORD came to Solomon, saying,
12
Concerning this house which thou art in building, if thou wilt walk in my statutes, and execute my judgments, and keep all my commandments to walk in them; then will I perform my word with thee, which I spake unto David thy father:
13
And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake my people Israel.
14
So Solomon built the house, and finished it.
15
And he built the walls of the house within with boards of cedar, both the floor of the house, and the walls of the cieling: and he covered them on the inside with wood, and covered the floor of the house with planks of fir.
16
And he built twenty cubits on the sides of the house, both the floor and the walls with boards of cedar: he even built them for it within, even for the oracle, even for the most holy place.
17
And the house, that is, the temple before it, was forty cubits long.
18
And the cedar of the house within was carved with knops and open flowers: all was cedar; there was no stone seen.
19
And the oracle he prepared in the house within, to set there the ark of the covenant of the LORD.
20
And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold; and so covered the altar which was of cedar.
21
So Solomon overlaid the house within with pure gold: and he made a partition by the chains of gold before the oracle; and he overlaid it with gold.
22
And the whole house he overlaid with gold, until he had finished all the house: also the whole altar that was by the oracle he overlaid with gold.
23
And within the oracle he made two cherubims of olive tree, each ten cubits high.
24
And five cubits was the one wing of the cherub, and five cubits the other wing of the cherub: from the uttermost part of the one wing unto the uttermost part of the other were ten cubits.
25
And the other cherub was ten cubits: both the cherubims were of one measure and one size.
26
The height of the one cherub was ten cubits, and so was it of the other cherub.
27
And he set the cherubims within the inner house: and they stretched forth the wings of the cherubims, so that the wing of the one touched the one wall, and the wing of the other cherub touched the other wall; and their wings touched one another in the midst of the house.
28
And he overlaid the cherubims with gold.
29
And he carved all the walls of the house round about with carved figures of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, within and without.
30
And the floor of the house he overlaid with gold, within and without.
31
And for the entering of the oracle he made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall.
32
The two doors also were of olive tree; and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees.
33
So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall.
34
And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding.
35
And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.
36
And he built the inner court with three rows of hewed stone, and a row of cedar beams.
37
In the fourth year was the foundation of the house of the LORD laid, in the month Zif:
38
And in the eleventh year, in the month Bul, which is the eighth month, was the house finished throughout all the parts thereof, and according to all the fashion of it. So was he seven years in building it.
