Arcana Coelestia # 6669
6669. 'In clay and in bricks' means on account of the evils which they devised and the falsities which they fabricated. This is clear from the meaning of 'clay' as good, and in the contrary sense as evil, dealt with below; and from the meaning of 'bricks' as falsities that people fabricate, dealt with in 1296. As regards the evils and falsities which those in hell devise and fabricate, see just above in 6666.
The fact that 'clay' means evil from which falsity is produced is evident from the following places in the Word: In Isaiah,
The wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest; its waters throw out mud and clay. Isaiah 57:20.
'Mud' stands for falsity from which evil is derived, and 'clay' for evil from which falsity is produced.
[2] In Jeremiah,
Your feet have sunk into the clay, [your close friends] have turned away backwards. Jeremiah 38:22.
'Feet sunk into the clay' stands for the natural sunken in evil. In Nahum,
Draw yourself water for the siege, strengthen your fortifications; go into the mud and tread the clay; renew the brick-kiln. There the fire will devour you, and the sword cut you off. Nahum 3:14-15.
'Treading the clay' stands for being prompted by evil to think what is false. In Habakkuk,
He will say, Woe to him who multiplies what is not his - how long? And to him who loads clay onto himself, Will there not rise up suddenly those who will bite you? Habakkuk 2:6-7.
'Loading clay onto himself' stands for taking up evil.
[3] In David,
Jehovah caused me to come up out of the pit of devastation, out of the muddy clay, and He set my feet upon a rock. Psalms 49:2.
In the same author,
I sank in deep clay, and there was no standing; I came into the depths of the waters, and a wave overwhelmed me. Snatch me out of the clay lest I sink, and out of the depths of the waters; and do not let the depth swallow me up. Psalms 69:2, 14-15.
'Clay' stands for evil from which falsity is produced. In Isaiah,
He will come against prelates as though against clay, as a potter treads mud. 1 Isaiah 41:15.
[4] But in the following places 'clay' stands for good: In Isaiah,
Now, O Jehovah, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You are our potter; and we are all the work of Your hands. Isaiah 64:8.
'The clay' stands for the member of the Church who is being formed, thus for the good of faith by means of which that person is formed, that is, reformed.
[5] Similarly in Jeremiah,
Jehovah said to Jeremiah, Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words. I went down therefore to the potter's house, and behold, he made a work on the table. But the vessel that he was making was marred, like clay in the potter's hand. And he returned and made it into another vessel, as was right in the eyes of the potter to make it. Then the word of Jehovah came to me, saying, Like this potter can I not do to you, O house of Israel? Said Jehovah. Behold, like the clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel. Jeremiah 18:1-6.
'The house of Israel' stands for the Church that is to be formed. And it is because the good of charity and the truth of faith are used in the forming of it, and because such good and truth are meant by 'the clay' and 'the potter's vessel', that the prophet was commanded to go to the potter's house. This would not have happened if 'the clay' and 'the potter's vessel' had not had those meanings.
[6] There are other places too in which Jehovah or the Lord is called 'the potter' and the person who is being reformed 'the clay', namely Isaiah 29:15-16; 45:9; Job 10:9; 33:6. The incident in which the Lord made clay with His saliva and anointed the eyes of the man born blind and then commanded him to wash in the pool of Siloam, with the result that the blind man was made to see, John 9:6-7, 11, took place because it represented the reformation of man, who is born without any knowledge of truth. And that reformation is effected by means of the good of faith, meant by 'the clay'.
Poznámky pod čarou:
1. The Latin seems to say Prelates will come as clay, and as a potter treads mud.
John 9
1
As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth.
2
His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
3
Jesus answered, "Neither did this man sin, nor his parents; but, that the works of God might be revealed in him.
4
I must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day. The night is coming, when no one can work.
5
While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
6
When he had said this, he spat on the ground, made mud with the saliva, anointed the blind man's eyes with the mud,
7
and said to him, "Go, wash in the pool of Siloam" (which means "Sent"). So he went away, washed, and came back seeing.
8
The neighbors therefore, and those who saw that he was blind before, said, "Isn't this he who sat and begged?"
9
Others were saying, "It is he." Still others were saying, "He looks like him." He said, "I am he."
10
They therefore were asking him, "How were your eyes opened?"
11
He answered, "A man called Jesus made mud, anointed my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to the pool of Siloam, and wash.' So I went away and washed, and I received sight."
12
Then they asked him, "Where is he?" He said, "I don't know."
13
They brought him who had been blind to the Pharisees.
14
It was a Sabbath when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
15
Again therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he received his sight. He said to them, "He put mud on my eyes, I washed, and I see."
16
Some therefore of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, because he doesn't keep the Sabbath." Others said, "How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?" There was division among them.
17
Therefore they asked the blind man again, "What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?" He said, "He is a prophet."
18
The Jews therefore did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight,
19
and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?"
20
His parents answered them, "We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind;
21
but how he now sees, we don't know; or who opened his eyes, we don't know. He is of age. Ask him. He will speak for himself."
22
His parents said these things because they feared the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if any man would confess him as Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue.
23
Therefore his parents said, "He is of age. Ask him."
24
So they called the man who was blind a second time, and said to him, "Give glory to God. We know that this man is a sinner."
25
He therefore answered, "I don't know if he is a sinner. One thing I do know: that though I was blind, now I see."
26
They said to him again, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"
27
He answered them, "I told you already, and you didn't listen. Why do you want to hear it again? You don't also want to become his disciples, do you?"
28
They insulted him and said, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
29
We know that God has spoken to Moses. But as for this man, we don't know where he comes from."
30
The man answered them, "How amazing! You don't know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes.
31
We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshipper of God, and does his will, he listens to him.
32
Since the world began it has never been heard of that anyone opened the eyes of someone born blind.
33
If this man were not from God, he could do nothing."
34
They answered him, "You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?" They threw him out.
35
Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"
36
He answered, "Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?"
37
Jesus said to him, "You have both seen him, and it is he who speaks with you."
38
He said, "Lord, I believe!" and he worshiped him.
39
Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment, that those who don't see may see; and that those who see may become blind."
40
Those of the Pharisees who were with him heard these things, and said to him, "Are we also blind?"
41
Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains.
