Heaven and Hell # 111
111. There is a like correspondence with the things in the vegetable kingdom. In general, a garden corresponds to heaven as to intelligence and wisdom, so that heaven is called the garden of God and paradise, 1 and by man the heavenly paradise. Trees, according to their species, correspond to the perceptions and cognitions of good and truth from which intelligence and wisdom come. For this reason, the ancient people who had a knowledge of correspondences, held their sacred worship in groves. 2 For the same reason, trees are so often mentioned in the Word, such as the vine, the olive, the cedar and others, and heaven, the Church and man are compared to them, and the good works they do are compared to fruits. Also the food derived from trees, especially from the grain harvests of the field, corresponds to affections of good and truth because these affections nourish the spiritual life, as earthly food 3 does the natural life. Hence, bread, in a general sense, corresponds to the affection of all good, because it is the food that, beyond other foods, sustains life and because by bread is meant all food. Indeed, it is on account of this correspondence that the Lord calls Himself the Bread of life, and that loaves of bread had a holy use in the Israelitish Church, for they were placed on the table in the tabernacle and were called the bread of faces (A.V. shew-bread). All the Divine worship that was performed by means of sacrifices and burnt-offerings was also termed bread. Moreover, because of this correspondence the most holy act of worship in the Christian Church is the Holy Supper in which bread and wine are given. 4 From these few examples the nature of correspondence can be confirmed.
Poznámky pod čarou:
1. [Swedenborg's footnote] From correspondence "a garden" and "a paradise" signify intelligence and wisdom (100, 108);from experience (Arcana Coelestia 3220).
All things that have a correspondence have in the Word the same significance (Arcana Coelestia 2896, 2987, 2989-2991, 3002, 3225).
2. [Swedenborg's footnote] "Trees" signify perceptions and cognitions (Arcana Coelestia 103, 2163, 2682, 2722, 2972, 7692).
For this reason the ancient people held Divine worship in groves under trees in accordance with their correspondence (Arcana Coelestia 2722, 4552).
Influx of heaven into subjects of the vegetable kingdom, as into trees and plants (Arcana Coelestia 3648).
3. [Swedenborg's footnote] From correspondence "foods" signify such things as nourish the spiritual life (Arcana Coelestia 3114, 4459, 4792, 4976, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5410, 5426, 5576, 5582, 5588, 5655, 5915, 6277, 8562, 9003).
4. [Swedenborg's footnote] "Bread" signifies all the good which nourishes the spiritual life of man (Arcana Coelestia 2165, 2177, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976, 9323, 9545, 10686).
The bread, which was on the table in the tabernacle, had a like signification (Arcana Coelestia 3478, 9545).
Sacrifices in general were called bread (Arcana Coelestia 2165).
Bread involves all food (Arcana Coelestia 2165); and thus it signifies all food, celestial and spiritual (Arcana Coelestia 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 3478, 6118, 8410).