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Ezekiel 34:11

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11 For thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I myself, even I, will search for my sheep, and will seek them out.

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Arcana Coelestia # 4286

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4286. 'And he said, Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel' means the Divine celestial-spiritual at this point, for 'Israel' is the celestial-spiritual man within the natural, and so is the natural man, whereas the celestial[- spiritual] man proper - that is, the rational man - is 'Joseph'. This becomes clear from what is said below about Jacob and Israel, and also about Joseph, for one must begin here by stating what the celestial-spiritual is. At the present day within the Church the existence of the spiritual man and the natural man, or the internal man and the external, is indeed well known; but as to what the spiritual or internal man may be, this is not as yet so well known. Still less is it known what the celestial man is and the fact that this is distinct and separate from the spiritual man. And as this is not known it is impossible to know what the celestial-spiritual man is, meant here by 'Israel', and therefore a brief statement about it must be made.

[2] It is well known that there are three heavens - the inmost heaven, the middle heaven, and the ultimate heaven, or what amounts to the same, the third, second, and first heavens. The inmost or third heaven is celestial, the angels there being called celestial because they are governed by love to the Lord and as a consequence are the ones most closely linked to the Lord. And that being so they excel all other angels in wisdom. They are innocent and are for that reason called embodiments of innocence and wisdom. These angels are divided into internal and external, the internal being more celestial than the external. The middle or second heaven is spiritual, the angels there being called spiritual because they are governed by charity towards the neighbour, that is, by mutual love, the nature of which is such that one angel loves another more than himself. And because their nature is such, intelligence is present within them and for that reason they are called embodiments of intelligence. These angels too are divided into internal and external, the internal being more spiritual than the external. But the ultimate or first heaven is also celestial and spiritual, though not in the same degree as the previous ones; for the natural is closely associated with them, and so for that reason they are called celestial-natural and spiritual-natural. They too are governed by mutual love, but they do not love others more than themselves, only as themselves. What governs them is an affection for good and a knowledge of truth. They also are divided into internal and external.

[3] But what the celestial-spiritual is must also be stated briefly. The term celestial-spiritual applies to those who have been called spiritual immediately above and who are in the middle or second heaven. They are given the name celestial because of their mutual love, and spiritual because of their intelligence arising out of this. The internal members of that heaven are represented by Joseph, and also in the Word are actually called 'Joseph', whereas its external members are represented by Israel, and also in the Word are actually called 'Israel'. The former, namely the internal members who are called Joseph, partake of the rational, whereas the external members who are called Israel partake of the natural, for they are half-way between the rational and the natural. These are the reasons why it has been said that 'Israel' is the celestial-spiritual man within the natural man, and so is the natural man, and that 'Joseph' is the celestial-spiritual man proper, which is the rational man. For in the universal sense all good which flows from love and charity is called celestial, and all truth which derives from this and constitutes faith and intelligence is referred to as spiritual.

[4] These things have been stated so that people may know what is meant by 'Israel'. But by 'Israel' the Lord's Divine celestial-spiritual is meant in the highest sense, whereas the Lord's spiritual kingdom in heaven and on earth is meant in the internal sense. The Lord's spiritual kingdom on earth is the Church, which is called the spiritual Church. And as 'Israel' means the Lord's spiritual kingdom, 'Israel' also means the spiritual man, for the Lord's kingdom exists within all who are spiritual, since each is heaven and also the Church in the smallest form these can take, 4279. As for Jacob, in the highest sense he represents the Lord's natural, both His celestial-natural and His spiritual-natural, and in the internal sense the Lord's kingdom as it exists in the ultimate or first heaven, and so also the corresponding area of the Church. Good within the natural is that which is called celestial here, and truth within it that which is called spiritual. From all this one may see what 'Israel' and 'Jacob' mean in the Word, and also why Jacob received the name Israel.

[5] But these ideas that have been stated will inevitably seem obscure, the chief reason being that few people know what the spiritual man is, and scarcely any what the celestial man is, or consequently that there is any difference between the spiritual man and the celestial man. The reason why they do not know is that no clear difference is perceived between good which is the good of love and charity, and truth which is the truth of faith. And the reason why these are not perceived is that genuine charity does not exist any longer. When something is non-existent no perception of it is possible. And a further reason why they are not perceived is that people do not bother very much about the things that have to do with the life after death, and so about those to do with heaven, but much about things to do with life in the body, and so with things which belong to the world. If people did bother about the things that have to do with the life after death, and so about those which have to do with heaven, they would easily grasp all that has been mentioned above, for that which a person loves he absorbs and grasps with ease, but that which he does not love with difficulty.

[6] The fact that 'Jacob' has one meaning and 'Israel' another is quite evident from the Word, for in its historical sections, and in the prophetical ones too, Jacob is used at one point, Israel at another; and sometimes the two names occur in the same verse. From this it becomes clear that there is an internal sense to the Word, and that without that sense this matter could in no way be known. The use of Jacob at one point, Israel at another is clear from the following,

Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojournings. These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph was a son of seventeen years. And Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons. Genesis 37:1-3.

Here Jacob is first called 'Jacob' and immediately after that 'Israel' - Israel being used when Joseph is referred to. Elsewhere,

Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt; Jacob said to his sons . . . And the sons of Israel came to buy in the midst of others who came. Genesis 42:1, 5.

And after this,

They went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan, to Jacob their father. When they told him all Joseph's words which he had spoken to them the spirit of Jacob their father revived. And Israel said, Enough; Joseph my son is still alive. Genesis 45:25, 27-28.

Then,

And Israel set out and all that he had. God spoke to Israel in visions in the night and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Behold, here I am. And Jacob rose up from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried away 1 Jacob their father. Genesis 46:1-2, 5.

And in the same chapter,

These are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons. Genesis 46:8.

Further on,

Joseph brought in Jacob his father and placed him before Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Jacob . . . and Jacob said to Pharaoh . . . Genesis 47:7-10.

And in the same chapter,

And Israel dwelt in the land of Goshen. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. And Israel's days drew near when he must die; he called his son Joseph. Genesis 47:27-29.

Yet again,

And someone reported to Jacob and said, Behold, your son Joseph has come to you, and Israel found some strength in himself and sat up on his bed. And Jacob said to Joseph, God Shaddai appeared to me in Luz. Genesis 48:2-3.

The name Israel is again used in the same chapter in verses 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 20-21. And finally,

Jacob called his sons and said, Gather together, and hear, O sons of Jacob; and hearken to Israel your father. And when Jacob had finished commanding his sons . . . Genesis 49:1-2, 33.

From all these places it becomes clear that Jacob is called Jacob at one point, Israel at another, thus that Jacob has one meaning, Israel another, that is, one thing is meant when he is called Jacob, another when he is called Israel. They also make it quite clear that this arcanum can in no way be known except from the internal sense.

[7] What 'Jacob' means however, and what 'Israel', has been stated above. In general 'Jacob' in the Word means the external aspect of the Church and 'Israel' the internal, for every Church has an external aspect and it has an internal one, that is, it is internal and also external. And because that which constitutes the Church is meant by 'Jacob' and by 'Israel' and because the Church in its entirety originates in the Lord, both Jacob and Israel therefore mean the Lord in the highest sense - 'Jacob' the Lord's Divine natural, 'Israel' His Divine spiritual. Consequently the external aspect of the Lord's kingdom and of His Church is meant by 'Jacob' and the internal by 'Israel', as becomes additionally clear from the following places in which again each name is used in its own sense. In the prophecy uttered by Jacob, who by then was Israel,

By the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob; from there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel. Genesis 49:24.

In Isaiah,

Hear, O Jacob My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. Fear not, O My servant Jacob, and Jeshurun whom I have chosen. I will pour out My spirit upon your seed, and My blessing upon your sons. This one will say, I am Jehovah's, and another will call himself by the name of Jacob: and he will write with his hand, Jehovah's, and surname himself by the name of Israel. Isaiah 44:1-3, 5.

Here 'Jacob' and 'Israel' plainly stand for the Lord, while Jacob or Israel's 'seed' and 'sons' stand for those whose faith is in Him. In Balaam's prophecy in Moses,

Who will count the dust of Jacob, and its number together with a fourth part of Israel? Numbers 23:10.

And again,

There is no divination against Jacob, nor enchantments against Israel. At that time it will be said to Jacob and to Israel, What has God done? Numbers 23:23.

Further still,

How fine are your tabernacles, O Jacob; your dwelling-places, O Israel. Numbers 24:5.

And again,

A star will arise out of Jacob, and a sceptre out of Israel. Numbers 24:17.

In Isaiah,

My glory will I not give to another. Hearken to me, O Jacob, and O Israel whom I called: I am the same; I am the first; I am also the last. Isaiah 48:11-12.

In the same prophet,

Those who are to come Jacob will cause to take root. Israel will blossom and flower, and the face of the earth will be filled with produce. Isaiah 27:6.

In Jeremiah,

Do not fear, O My servant Jacob, and do not be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I have saved you from afar. Jeremiah 30:9-10.

In Micah,

I will surely gather Jacob, all of you, I will surely assemble the remnant of Israel, I will put them together, like the sheep of Bozrah. Micah 2:12.

[8] The reason why Jacob received the name Israel is clear from the actual words used when he was given it, which are these,

Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for as a prince you have contended with God and with men, and have prevailed.

Israel in the original language means 'one contending as a prince with God', and these words mean in the internal sense that he overcame in the conflicts that accompany temptations; for it was through temptations and the conflicts which take place in temptations 2 that the Lord made His Human Divine, 1737, 1813, and elsewhere. And it is temptations and victories in temptations that make the spiritual man. This is why Jacob first received the name Israel after his wrestling - 'wrestling' meaning to undergo temptation, see 4274. It is well known that the Church, or the member of the Christian Church, calls itself Israel, but no one in the Church is an Israel except the one who has become a spiritual man through temptations. The name itself also implies the same. A subsequent confirmation of the fact that Jacob was to be called Israel was also given to him, as is clear from the following words further on,

And God appeared again to Jacob when coming from Paddan Aram, and blessed him; and God said to him, Your name is Jacob; your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel will be your name. And He called his name Israel. Genesis 35:9-10.

The reason for this confirmation will be discussed below.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. i.e. in a cart

2. Or, reading what Swedenborg had in his rough draft for it was through temptations and victories in temptations

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

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Arcana Coelestia # 5145

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5145. 'With holes in them were on my head' means without a termination anywhere at all in the middle. This is clear from the meaning of 'with holes in' as that which is open from top to bottom, thus that which is not closed and therefore has no termination anywhere at all in the middle; and from the meaning of 'the head' as interior degrees, in particular those that constitute the will. For the head is the primary location where all substances and forms exist, and is therefore the place to which all sensations travel and register themselves, and the place from which all actions spring and are derived. The powers of the mind too - the power of understanding and that of the will - are plainly located there, which is why interior degrees are meant by 'the head'. 'The baskets' [in the baker's dream] represented those powers within 'the head'.

[2] The subject at present is the sensory impressions subject to the will part of the mind, 'baskets on the head with holes in them' meaning that interior degrees existed without a termination anywhere at all in the middle. Therefore those sensory impressions, as follows from this, were cast aside and condemned. But some explanation must be given of what is meant by 'without a termination anywhere at all in the middle'. Interiorly the human being is divided into separate degrees, and each degree has its own termination that serves to separate it from the degree beneath it. This is so with every degree from the inmost one to the outermost. The interior rational constitutes the first degree, the degree in which celestial angels are, that is, where the inmost or third heaven is. The exterior rational makes up the second degree, the one in which spiritual angels are, that is, where the middle or second heaven is. The interior natural makes up the third degree, the one in which good spirits are, that is, where the last and lowest or first heaven is. And the exterior natural, the level of the senses, makes up the fourth degree, in which man is.

[3] These degrees also exist within man, each degree completely distinct and separate. Consequently, if he leads a good life, he is interiorly a miniature heaven; that is, his interiors correspond to the three heavens. Also, if he has led a life of charity and love he can be taken after death all the way up to the third heaven. But if he is to be someone like this, each degree within him must be furnished with its own specific termination that makes it separate from the next one. When those degrees do have those terminations, making them distinct and separate from one another, each degree has a floor on which good flowing in from the Lord can rest and where it is received. Without such terminations acting as floors that good is not received but passes straight through, as if through a sieve or through 'a basket with holes in it', down to the sensory level. There, because it has not received any direction on the way, this good is turned into something foul, though it is seen as good by the recipients of it at that lowest level. That is to say, the good is turned into the kind of delight that belongs to a selfish and worldly love, and consequently into the kind of delight that belongs to hatred, revenge, cruelty, adultery, and avarice, or into sheer self-gratification and personal extravagance. This is what happens if the degrees of a person's will exist without a termination anywhere at all in the middle, that is, if 'they have holes in them'.

[4] One can also actually know whether these terminations and therefore floors exist; people's abilities to perceive what is good and true point to the existence of them, as do their consciences. In the case of those who, like celestial angels, have the ability to perceive what is good and true, terminations exist in every degree, from the first to the last. Unless each degree has its own termination, no perceptive abilities such as these can exist. Regarding these abilities, see 125, 202, 495, 503, 511, 536, 597, 607, 784, 865, 895, 1121, 1383, 1384, 1387, 1919, 1144, 2145, 2171, 2515, 2831. In the case of those who, like spiritual angels, have conscience, terminations likewise exist, but only in the second degree or else in the third down to the last. For them the first degree is closed. One must say in the second degree or else in the third because conscience is twofold - interior and exterior. Interior conscience is one that concerns itself with what is spiritually good and true, exterior conscience one that concerns itself with what is just and fair. Conscience itself is an interior floor which provides inflowing Divine Good with a termination; but those who have no conscience do not have any interior floor to receive that influx. In their case good passes straight through to the exterior natural, or the natural level of the senses, where it is turned, as has been stated, into foul delights. These people sometimes feel pain like that of conscience, but this is not conscience. The pain is caused by the loss of what they delight in, such as the loss of position, gain, reputation, life, pleasures, or the friendship of others who are like themselves. They suffer pain because the terminations which they possess consist in those kinds of delights. From all this one may see what is meant in the spiritual sense by 'baskets with holes in them'.

[5] Particularly so in the next life one can discern whether or not the degrees of a person's will have been furnished with terminations. In the case of one who has been furnished with them, a zeal exists for what is spiritually good and true or for what is just and fair. For such persons had done what was good for the sake of what was good or for the sake of what was true, and had practised what was just for the sake of what was just or for the sake of what was fair, not for the sake of gain, position, and the like. All whose interior degrees of the will have been furnished with terminations are raised up to heaven, for the inflowing Divine is able to lead them there. But all whose interior degrees of the will have not been furnished with terminations make their way to hell, for what is Divine passes straight through and is turned into that which is hell-like, as when the heat of the sun falls on foul excrement and a disgusting stench is given off by it. Consequently all who have had conscience are saved, but those who have had none are incapable of being saved.

[6] Degrees of the will are said to have holes in them, or to have no terminations, when there is no affection for goodness and truth, or for justice and equity, and when these virtues are considered to be of little or no value at all compared with anything else, or are esteemed solely for the sake of acquiring gain or position. The affections are what supply terminations and serve to close off, which is also why they are called bonds or restraints - affections for what is good and true being internal bonds, and affections for what is evil and false external ones, 3835. Unless the affections for what is evil and false acted as bonds or restraints the person would be insane, 4217; for insanity is nothing else than the removal of such restraints, so that no terminations are present in such persons. Even so, though these people do not possess any internal restraints and are therefore inwardly insane, so far as their thoughts and affections are concerned, an eruption of these is held back by external restraints, which consist in affections for gain, position, or reputation for their own sake, and consequently in a fear of the law or of loss of life. This was represented in the Jewish Church by the law that in the house of one who had died every open vessel which had no covering [or] cord [to fasten it] was unclean, Numbers 19:15.

[7] Much the same is also meant by 'works full of holes' in Isaiah,

Those that make linen out of silk [threads], and those that weave works full of holes, will blush. And its foundations will be broken to pieces - all those making pools of the soul 1 their wages. Isaiah 19:9-10.

And by 'holes' in Ezekiel,

The Spirit brought the prophet to the door of the court, where he looked, and behold, a hole in the wall. And He said to him, Son of man, bore a hole through the wall. He therefore bore a hole through the wall, and behold, a door. Then He said to him, Go in and see the abominations that they do here. When he went in and saw, behold, every likeness of creeping thing and of beast, an abomination; and all the idols of the house of Israel, portrayed on the wall round about, etc. Ezekiel 8:7-10.

Poznámky pod čarou:

1. What Swedenborg understands by this literal rendering of the Hebrew is not clear.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.