Arcana Coelestia #9922
9922. 'In the middle of them round about' means consisting of the more internal features of the factual knowledge of good in every direction. This is clear from the meaning of 'in the middle' as what is more internal, dealt with in 1074, 2940, 2973, 5897, so that 'in the middle' - when it has reference to the hearing and understanding of religious teachings and of worship, which are meant by 'bells' - means from more internal features; from the meaning of 'pomegranates', in the middle of which the bells were, as factual knowledge of good, dealt with above in 9918; and from the meaning of 'round about' as in every direction, as above in 9920. Bells were placed in the middle of the pomegranates because known facts, meant by 'pomegranates', are the recipients, so to speak vessels, that hold truth and good within them, 1469, 1496, 3068, 5373, 5489, 7770; and religious teachings and worship, meant by 'bells', must consist of the good and truth which reside inwardly in known facts as their vessels. If they do not consist of that good and truth, only of known facts, they have no life in them.
[2] But since few can understand the nature of what has just been said - that religious teachings and worship must consist of the good and truth which reside inwardly in known facts, but not of known facts devoid of them - an intelligible explanation, so far as this is possible, will be given. The term 'known facts' or 'factual knowledge' describes all things contained in the external or natural memory; for there is the external memory, consisting of things in the natural world, and there is the internal memory, consisting of things in the spiritual world, see 2469-2494, 2831, 5212, 9394, 9723, 9841. The things which have been inscribed on the internal memory are not called known facts, because they are the things constituting a person's life; instead they are called truths belonging to faith and forms of good belonging to love. These are what must be present inwardly in known facts. For in the human being there is an external, called the external man, and an internal, called the internal man; the internal must be in the external, as the soul is in its body. Accordingly those things which are in the internal man must reside in those which are in the external, for in this way the external has a soul or life within it. Therefore if the internal things, or things of the internal man, are not in the external ones there is no soul in them, nor thus any life. Because the good of love and faith is internal it follows that external things must have that good in them, and so must known facts since known facts, as already stated, are recipients, so to speak vessels, that hold internal things. Consequently religious teachings and worship must consist of those things contained in the recipients or vessels; they do not reside in recipients and vessels that are empty or devoid of such contents. From all this it is evident how to understand the explanation that all aspects of religious teachings and of worship must spring from the more internal features of the factual knowledge of good, which are meant by the declaration that bells of gold should be in the middle of the pomegranates.
[3] In addition it should be recognized that there is factual knowledge of good and factual knowledge of truth, and that truths residing on this level are once again recipient vessels of good; for the truths of faith are vessels for the good of love. For light on this matter, see what has been stated and shown already regarding factual knowledge or known facts,
Known facts are things belonging to the memory in the natural man, 3293, 3309, 3310, 4967, 5212, 5774, 5874, 5886, 5889, 5934.
By means of known facts the internal man is opened, 1495, 1548, 1563, 1895, 1940, 3085, 3086, 5276, 5871, 5874, 5901.
Known facts are a means to make people wise and also a means to make them insane, 4156, 4760, 8628, 8629.
Known facts are vessels for truth, and truths are vessels for good, 1469, 1496, 3068, 3079, 3318, 5489, 5881, 6023, 6071, 6077, 6750, 7770, 8005, 9394, 9724.
Known facts give service to the internal man, 1486, 1616, 2576, 3019, 3020, 3665, 5201, 5213, 6052, 6068, 6084, 9394.
When known facts, which are things belonging to the external memory, become part of life, they pass from the external memory, but remain inscribed on the internal memory, 9394, 9723, 9841.
People guided by truths of faith rooted in the good of charity can be raised above factual knowledge, 6383, 6384; this is called being raised above the level of the senses, 5089, 5094, 6183, 6313, 6315, 9730.
A person carries with him into the next life when he dies the known facts or things belonging to the external memory, but they become dormant then, and in what manner, 2475-2486, 6931.
Exodus 28
1
"Bring Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, near to you from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.
2
You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty.
3
You shall speak to all who are wise-hearted, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they make Aaron's garments to sanctify him, that he may minister to me in the priest's office.
4
These are the garments which they shall make: a breastplate, and an ephod, and a robe, and a coat of checker work, a turban, and a sash: and they shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, and his sons, that he may minister to me in the priest's office.
5
They shall take the gold, and the blue, and the purple, and the scarlet, and the fine linen.
6
"They shall make the ephod of gold, of blue, and purple, scarlet, and fine twined linen, the work of the skillful workman.
7
It shall have two shoulder straps joined to the two ends of it, that it may be joined together.
8
The skillfully woven band, which is on it, that is on him, shall be like its work and of the same piece; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen.
9
You shall take two onyx stones, and engrave on them the names of the children of Israel:
10
six of their names on the one stone, and the names of the six that remain on the other stone, in the order of their birth.
11
With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, you shall engrave the two stones, according to the names of the children of Israel: you shall make them to be enclosed in settings of gold.
12
You shall put the two stones on the shoulder straps of the ephod, to be stones of memorial for the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before Yahweh on his two shoulders for a memorial.
13
You shall make settings of gold,
14
and two chains of pure gold; you shall make them like cords of braided work: and you shall put the braided chains on the settings.
15
"You shall make a breastplate of judgment, the work of the skillful workman; like the work of the ephod you shall make it; of gold, of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen, you shall make it.
16
It shall be square and folded double; a span shall be its length of it, and a span its breadth.
17
You shall set in it settings of stones, four rows of stones: a row of ruby, topaz, and beryl shall be the first row;
18
and the second row a turquoise, a sapphire, and an emerald;
19
and the third row a jacinth, an agate, and an amethyst;
20
and the fourth row a chrysolite, an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be enclosed in gold in their settings.
21
The stones shall be according to the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names; like the engravings of a signet, everyone according to his name, they shall be for the twelve tribes.
22
You shall make on the breastplate chains like cords, of braided work of pure gold.
23
You shall make on the breastplate two rings of gold, and shall put the two rings on the two ends of the breastplate.
24
You shall put the two braided chains of gold in the two rings at the ends of the breastplate.
25
The other two ends of the two braided chains you shall put on the two settings, and put them on the shoulder straps of the ephod in its forepart.
26
You shall make two rings of gold, and you shall put them on the two ends of the breastplate, on its edge, which is toward the side of the ephod inward.
27
You shall make two rings of gold, and shall put them on the two shoulder straps of the ephod underneath, in its forepart, close by its coupling, above the skillfully woven band of the ephod.
28
They shall bind the breastplate by its rings to the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it may be on the skillfully woven band of the ephod, and that the breastplate may not swing out from the ephod.
29
Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment on his heart, when he goes in to the holy place, for a memorial before Yahweh continually.
30
You shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim; and they shall be on Aaron's heart, when he goes in before Yahweh: and Aaron shall bear the judgment of the children of Israel on his heart before Yahweh continually.
31
"You shall make the robe of the ephod all of blue.
32
It shall have a hole for the head in its midst: it shall have a binding of woven work around its hole, as it were the hole of a coat of mail, that it not be torn.
33
On its hem you shall make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, around its hem; and bells of gold between and around them:
34
a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, around the hem of the robe.
35
It shall be on Aaron to minister: and its sound shall be heard when he goes in to the holy place before Yahweh, and when he comes out, that he not die.
36
"You shall make a plate of pure gold, and engrave on it, like the engravings of a signet, 'HOLY TO YAHWEH.'
37
You shall put it on a lace of blue, and it shall be on the sash; on the front of the sash it shall be.
38
It shall be on Aaron's forehead, and Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things, which the children of Israel shall make holy in all their holy gifts; and it shall be always on his forehead, that they may be accepted before Yahweh.
39
You shall weave the coat in checker work of fine linen, and you shall make a turban of fine linen, and you shall make a sash, the work of the embroiderer.
40
"You shall make coats for Aaron's sons, and you shall make sashes for them and you shall make headbands for them, for glory and for beauty.
41
You shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest's office.
42
You shall make them linen breeches to cover the flesh of their nakedness; from the waist even to the thighs they shall reach:
43
They shall be on Aaron, and on his sons, when they go in to the Tent of Meeting, or when they come near to the altar to minister in the holy place; that they don't bear iniquity, and die: it shall be a statute forever to him and to his descendants after him.
