1144. And of silk and of scarlet, signifies truths and goods from a spiritual origin that have been profaned. This is evident from the signification of "silk," as being truth from a spiritual origin (of which presently); also from the signification of "scarlet," as being good from a spiritual origin (See above, n.1142). This good coincides with truth from a celestial origin, and therefore that, too, is signified by "scarlet" in the Word. But "silk and scarlet" here signify such truths and goods profaned by Babylon, which are profaned when spiritual love, which is love towards the neighbor, has been perverted; for those who are in such love of self as the Babylonians are in, can have no love to the neighbor; if they love others it is for the sake of self, so that the end is the man himself and love to the neighbor the means, and the end loves the means so far as the means are serviceable to it; and casts them away when they cease to serve it. This can be seen in all the particulars of their works. Love towards the neighbor in the spiritual sense is the love of uses; and when uses are for the sake of self, it is not a love of uses but a love of self. That "silk" signifies truth from a spiritual origin, can be seen from the passage in Ezekiel (Ezekiel 16:10, 13) which has been explained just above (n. 1143). "Silk" signifies truth from a spiritual origin because of its gloss, for silk is glossy from light, and "light" signifies the Divine truth, which is also called the spiritual Divine.

(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)

[2] It has been said that the love of self and the love of the world are hell, but the source of those loves shall now be explained. Man was created to love self and the world, to love the neighbor and heaven, and to love the Lord. For this reason when a man is born he first loves himself and the world, and afterwards, so far as he becomes wise, he loves the neighbor and heaven, and as he becomes still wiser he loves the Lord. Such a man is in the Divine order, and is actually led by the Lord, although apparently by himself. But so far as he is not wise he stops in the first degree, which is to love himself and the world; and if he loves the neighbor, heaven, and the Lord, it is for the sake of self before the world. But if he is wholly unwise he loves himself alone, and the world and also the neighbor for the sake of self; while heaven and the Lord he either despises or denies or hates in heart, if not in words. These are the origins of the love of self and of the love of the world, and as these loves are hell, it is evident whence hell is.

[3] When a man has become a hell, he is like a tree cut off or like a tree whose fruits are malignant; or he is like sandy soil in which no seed will take root, or like soil, out of which springs nothing but the thorn that pricks or the nettle that stings. When a man becomes a hell the inner or higher parts of his mind are closed up and the outer and lower are opened. And as the love of self determines all things of the thought and will to itself and immerses them in the body, it inverts and twists back the outer parts of the mind, which, as has been said, are open, and as a consequence these incline and bend and are borne downwards, that is, towards hell.

[4] But since man has still an ability to think, to will, to speak and to do, and this ability is in no case taken away from him, because he was born a man, so having become inverted and no longer receiving any good or any truth from heaven, but only evil and falsity from hell, he acquires a kind of light by confirmations of evil from falsity, and of falsity from evil in order that he may be eminent above others. This he believes to be a rational light, when yet it is an infernal light, and in itself fatuous, producing vision like that of a dream in the night, or a delirious fantasy, by reason of which things that are appear as if they were not, and things that are not appear as if they were. But this will be seen more clearly from a comparison between an angel-man and a devil-man.

1042. Verse 4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, signifies the appearance of that religious persuasion in externals, as if it were from celestial good and truth, and yet in internals it is from devilish evil and falsity. This is evident from the signification of the "woman," as being the religious persuasion of the Papists; also from the signification of "arrayed," as being what it is in externals, for "garments" are external things that clothe; therefore "to be arrayed" means the appearance in externals. Also from the signification of "purple," as being good from a celestial origin, and also the evil opposite thereto, which is called devilish evil (of which presently). Also from the signification of "scarlet," as being truth from a celestial origin, and also the falsity opposite thereto, which is called devilish falsity. That these goods and truths differ from goods and truths that are from a spiritual origin, and that the like is true of the evils and falsities opposite to them, which are called infernal evils and falsities, will be shown in the following article.

[2] This woman, who is a harlot, and is Babylon, is thus described, because those who are in evils and in falsities therefrom are described in the Word from their external appearance, thus such as they are in the eyes of the men who worship them. They are so described because the sense of the letter of the Word consists of appearances; while the spiritual sense puts off those appearances, and presents interior things naked, without clothing, and when these appear, they appear in a wholly different form; as here the woman seen in external appearance "arrayed in purple and scarlet," is called, as to her internal form, "the mother of the whoredoms and of the abominations of the earth;" and the like is said of:

The rich man clothed in purple and fine linen, who, nevertheless, was cast into hell (Luke 16:19);

also of the Assyrians, with whom Ohola and Oholibah, that is, Samaria and Jerusalem, committed whoredom, who are called:

Officers and leaders, horsemen clothed in blue riding upon horses (Ezekiel 23:6, 12).

So in other passages. Babylon is here described as a harlot appears in the world, splendidly clothed and yet abominable, because full of uncleanness.

[3] Before proving from the Word that "purple and scarlet" signify goods and truths from a celestial origin, something shall be said about such goods and truths. The Divine good that proceeds from the Lord is united with His Divine truth, as heat from the sun is with light in the time of spring. But the angels, who are recipients of the Divine good and Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, are distinguished into celestial and spiritual. Those who receive more of the Lord's Divine good than of His Divine truth are called celestial angels; because these constitute the kingdom of the Lord that is called the celestial kingdom. But the angels who receive more of the Lord's Divine truth than of His Divine good are called spiritual angels, because the Lord's spiritual kingdom consists of these. This makes clear that goods and truths have a twofold origin, namely, a celestial origin and a spiritual origin. Those goods and truths that are from a celestial origin are the goods and truths of love to the Lord; while those goods and truths that are from a spiritual origin are the goods and truths of love towards the neighbor. The difference is like that between higher and lower, or between interior and exterior; thus like that between things that are in a higher or interior degree, and those that are in a lower or exterior degree; and what this difference is can be seen from what has been said in the work on Heaven and Hell about the three degrees of the heavens, and thus of the angels, and of their wisdom and intelligence (n. 33, 34, 38-39, 208-209, 211, 435).

[4] That "purple" signifies in the Word that good, and "scarlet" that truth, can be seen from the passages in the Word where they are mentioned. As in Ezekiel:

Fine linen of embroidered work from Egypt was thy spreading forth, blue and purple from the isles of Elishah was thy covering (Ezekiel 27:7).

This is said of Tyre, which signifies the church as to the knowledges of truth and good, "blue and purple" standing for such knowledges from a celestial origin, and "covering and spreading forth" signifying the externals of that church. In Luke:

There was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and indulged in delicacies every day (Luke 16:19).

The "rich man" means the Jewish nation and the church therein, which was called "rich" from the knowledges of good and truth from the Word that they had, "in purple" meaning the knowledges of good, and "in fine linen" the knowledges of truth, both from a celestial origin. In Lamentations:

They that did eat delicacies are laid waste in the streets; they that were brought up in scarlet have embraced a dunghill (Lamentations 4:5).

"To be brought up in scarlet" means to be instructed from infancy in truths from celestial good.

[5] As the Tent of meeting represented heaven, and the garments of Aaron represented the holy things of heaven, and purple and scarlet signify the goods and truths of heaven, so the curtains and veils of the Tent, as well as the garments of Aaron, were wrought with blue, purple, scarlet double-dyed, and fine linen woven together; as:

The curtains of the habitation (Exodus 26:1);

The veil before the ark (Exodus 26:31);

The covering for the door of the Tent (Exodus 26:36);

The covering at the gate of the court (Exodus 27:16);

The ephod (Exodus 28:6);

The belt (Exodus 28:8);

The breastplate of judgment (Exodus 28:15);

The fringes of the robe of the ephod (Exodus 28:33).

Because "scarlet double-dyed" signified the truth of celestial good, therefore:

A cloth of scarlet double-dyed was spread over the table upon which was the bread of faces, and afterwards it was covered with a covering of the skin of the badger (Numbers 4:8).

For the inmost things of the celestial kingdom were signified by the things that were upon the table, which were loaves; but the exterior things by the coverings, which have reference to truths from good.

[6] As truth from celestial good, which is the truth of the sense of the letter of the Word, is signified by "scarlet," it was used for remembrances, as that:

The sons of Israel should make for themselves a train on the borders of their garment, and should put upon the train of the border a cord of scarlet, that by it they might remember all the commandments of Jehovah and do them (Numbers 15:38-39).

And for the same reason it was a custom in ancient times, when significatives were in use, to tie a scarlet cord as a reminder or remembrance of a thing, as is said of Perez the son of Tamar, that:

The midwife tied scarlet upon his hand (Genesis 38:28, 30);

and of the harlot Rahab, that:

She tied in the window a scarlet cord, that the spies might remember their promise (Joshua 2:17, 21).

[7] As all purifications from evils are effected by truths from the Word, therefore:

Cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop were used in cleansings (Leviticus 14:4-7, 49-52).

And scarlet was used for the waters of separation and expiation from a red heifer (Numbers 19:6).

Purple and scarlet derive their signification from the nature of these colors. For there are colors in heaven far more brilliant than in the world, originating from the light there; and as red has its origin there from what is fiery or flame-like, and what is fiery and flame-like has its origin there from the good of love, so "purple" signifies good from a celestial origin. But scarlet derives its color from what is flame-like and at the same time glistening, and glistening from light signifies truth; consequently that color signifies the truth of celestial good.

[8] As most things in the Word have a contrary sense, so have purple and scarlet; and in that sense they signify the evils and falsities opposite to those goods and truths. As in Isaiah:

Although your sins have been as scarlet they shall become white like snow; although they have been red as purple they shall be as wool (Isaiah 1:18).

Since "scarlet," the same as "snow," signifies truth, and "purple," the same as "wool," signifies good, and since "scarlet and purple," signify in the contrary sense falsity and evil (falsity and truth, and evil and good corresponding by opposition), so it is said "Although your sins have been as scarlet they shall become white like snow, and although they have been red as purple they shall be as wool."