9874. 'Enclosed in gold shall they be in their settings' means that all of them in general and each in particular must emanate from the good belonging to the love that is received from the Lord and shown to the Lord. This is clear from the meaning of 'gold' as the good of love, dealt with in 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 6914, 6917, 8932, 9490, 9510; and from the meaning of 'being enclosed in it in their settings' as emanating from that good. For every single stone was surrounded by and so enclosed in gold, and since 'gold' means the good of love what is enclosed means that which exists or emanates from that good. The like is meant in verse 11 of the present chapter by the sockets of gold which surrounded the two shoham stones placed on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod.

[2] The implications of all this are that the breastplate and its twelve stones represented every good and truth in the heavens and so represented all heaven, as shown above. Moreover not only the heavens but also every community in the heavens, indeed each angel within a community, is surrounded by a Divine sphere, which consists of Divine Good and Truth emanating from the Lord, see where this is dealt with in 9490-9492, 9498, 9499, 9534. And since the good and truth of this sphere is received by the angels, so also every single thing present with them emanates from there; for each angel is heaven in the smallest form it takes. The actual good emanating from the Lord is what the gold around the stones and enclosing them represents.

[3] The truth that this good is the good of love that is received from the Lord and shown to the Lord may be recognized from the consideration that all good belongs to love, for what a person loves he calls good and also feels to be such. From this it is evident that heavenly good is the good of love to the Lord, for this love is what joins angel and man to the Lord; through this love they are brought to Him and enjoy all the good of heaven. It is well known in the Church that this good comes from the Lord, for the teaching of the Church is that all good originates in God and none at all in oneself. From this it is evident that the good of love shown to the Lord must come from the Lord, and that good from any other source is not good.

9466. 'And violet' means the celestial love of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'violet' as the celestial love of truth, the reason why 'violet' has this meaning being that it is a celestial colour, and by this colour truth from a celestial origin is meant, that is, truth springing from the good of love to the Lord. This good predominates in the inmost heaven, revealing itself in the middle or second heaven as the colours purple and violet. The actual good reveals itself as purple, and the truth springing from it as violet. For when colours appear in the next life, and in heaven itself, they are most beautiful ones; and they all have their origin in goodness and truth. For the sphere of affections for goodness and truth is revealed to the eyes of angels and of spirits also by means of colours, specific things being revealed by means of objects variously coloured, and also to their nostrils by means of odours. For every celestial reality belonging to good or spiritual reality belonging to truth is represented in the lower heavens by means of the kinds of things that appear in the natural order, and by this means is revealed to the actual external senses of spirits and angels in those heavens. The reason why the spheres of affection for goodness and truth are revealed visually by means of colours is that colours are modifications of heavenly light, and so of intelligence and wisdom, see 4530, 4677, 4742, 4922.

[2] This now explains why the materials that were to be gathered together for the tabernacle and Aaron's garments included violet, purple, twice-dyed scarlet, and skins of red rams; for the tabernacle represented the Lord's heaven, the materials which were used to construct and cover it represented the celestial and spiritual realities that belong to goodness and truth, and Aaron's garments had a like representation, 9457. It explains why the veil within which the ark of the Testimony was placed was woven from violet, purple, twice-dyed scarlet, and fine linen thread, Exodus 26:31, as likewise was the covering for the door of the tent, Exodus 26:36, and the covering for the gate of the court as well, Exodus 27:16, and why the loops on the edge of the curtain were made of violet, Exodus 26:4. It also explains why the ephod was made of gold, violet, purple, twice-dyed scarlet, and linen thread woven together, as was the breastplate of judgement, Exodus 28:6, 15.

[3] 'Violet' means the celestial love of truth, and 'garments made of violet' cognitions or knowledge of truth present as a result of that love, in Ezekiel,

Fine linen with embroidered work from Egypt was your sail, that it might be to you an ensign; violet and purple from the islands of Elishah was your covering. They were your traders with choice wares, ¹ with balls of violet, and embroidery, and with chests of precious garments. Ezekiel 27:7, 24.

This refers to Tyre, by which cognitions of truth and good are meant, 1201. Knowledge and understanding acquired from these is described by 'embroidered work from Egypt', and by 'violet and purple from the islands of Elishah'. 'Embroidered work from Egypt' is factual knowledge of truth, and 'violet and purple from the islands of Elishah' is an understanding of truth and good.

[4] In the same prophet,

Two women, the daughters of one mother, in their youth committed whoredom in Egypt - Oholah and Oholibah. Oholah committed whoredom under Me and doted on the Assyrians her neighbours - clothed in violet, governors and leaders, horsemen riding on horses. Ezekiel 23:2-6.

'Oholah' stands for Samaria, and 'Oholibah' for Jerusalem, Samaria in this instance being the corrupted spiritual Church. 'Committing whoredom in Egypt' means falsifying truths by means of factual knowledge, 'doting on the Assyrians her neighbours' stands for having a love of reasonings based on those falsifications, and 'clothed in violet' stands for ideas which look like truth springing from good because they are derived from the literal sense of the Word interpreted wrongly.

[5] Something similar occurs in Jeremiah,

Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the smith and of the hands of the molder. Their clothing is violet and purple. These are all the work of the wise. Jeremiah 10:9.

This refers to the idols of the house of Israel, by which false teachings, supported by distortions of the outward sense of the Word, are meant, 9424. 'The work of the smith and of the hands of the molder', and also 'these are all the work of the wise', stand for the fact that they are the product of self-intelligence. 'Silver from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz' stands for their seeming to outward appearance to be true and good because they are taken from the Word; and much the same is meant by 'violet and purple' of which their clothing consisted.

[6] In John,

I saw horses in the vision, and those seated on them had breastplates of fire and violet and brimstone, by whom a third part of mankind was killed. Revelation 9:17-18.

'Horses' and 'those seated on them' stand for a topsy-turvy and corrupted understanding of truth. 'Breastplates of fire, violet, and brimstone' stands for defence of falsities that arise from the evils of devilish kinds of love. In this instance therefore 'fire' stands for the hellish love of evil, and 'violet' for the hellish love of falsity. They are accordingly used in the contrary sense; for the majority of things in the Word also have a contrary meaning.

Poznámky pod čarou: