Arcana Coelestia #1175
1175. That 'Nimrod' means those who made internal worship external, and so means such external worship, becomes clear from what follows. But first of all it should be mentioned here what is meant by making internal worship external. It has been stated and shown already that internal worship, which springs from love and charity, is worship itself, and that external worship without that internal is not worship at all. Making internal worship external however consists in making external worship essential instead of internal, which is the reverse of worship itself. It is like saying that internal worship without external is no worship, when in reality external worship without internal is no worship at all. Such is the religion of people who separate faith from charity. That is to say, they make matters of faith more important than matters of charity, or rather, they make things which constitute cognitions of faith more important than the things which constitute life, and so make outward forms more important than inner essentials. All external worship is the outward form of internal worship, for internal worship is the inner essential itself. Making worship consist of the outward form devoid of its inner essential is making internal worship external. It is like saying, for example, that if a person lived where there was no Church, no preaching, no sacraments, and no priesthood, it would be impossible for him to be saved or to have any kind of worship, when in fact he is able to worship the Lord from what is internal. It does not follow from this however that there should not be external worship.
[2] To make the point plainer still, take as another example people who make the essential of worship consist in going to church, attending the sacraments, listening to sermons, praying, celebrating the festivals, and many more practices of an external and ceremonial nature, and who convince themselves, while talking of faith, that these activities, which are the outward forms of worship, are sufficient. People, it is true, who make worship springing from love and charity the essential engage in the same activities, that is to say, they go to church, attend the sacraments, listen to sermons, pray, celebrate the festivals, and much else, doing so most earnestly and carefully. But they do not make these practices the essential of worship. Since their external worship has internal worship within it, it has that which is holy and living within it; whereas the worship of the people mentioned above does not have anything holy or living within it. For it is the inner essential itself that makes the external form or ceremony holy and living. Faith separated from charity cannot make worship holy and living, for its essence and life are missing. Such worship is called 'Nimrod' and is born out of the cognitions, meant by 'Cush', which in turn are born out of faith separated from charity, a faith meant by 'Ham'. From Ham, or separated faith, through cognitions which belong to separated faith, no other kind of worship can possibly be born. These are the considerations meant by 'Nimrod'.
Genesis 10
1
Now this is the history of the generations of the sons of Noah and of Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.
2
The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
3
The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
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The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.
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Of these were the islands of the nations divided in their lands, everyone after his language, after their families, in their nations.
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The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
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The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.
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Cush became the father of Nimrod. He began to be a mighty one in the earth.
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He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh. Therefore it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Yahweh."
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The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.
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Out of that land he went forth into Assyria, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah,
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and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (the same is the great city).
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Mizraim became the father of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim,
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Pathrusim, Casluhim (which the Philistines descended from), and Caphtorim.
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Canaan became the father of Sidon (his firstborn), Heth,
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the Jebusite, the Amorite, the Girgashite,
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the Hivite, the Arkite, the Sinite,
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the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite. Afterward the families of the Canaanites were spread abroad.
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The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as you go toward Gerar, to Gaza; as you go toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, to Lasha.
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These are the sons of Ham, after their families, after their languages, in their lands, in their nations.
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To Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, to him also were children born.
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The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.
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The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
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Arpachshad became the father of Shelah. Shelah became the father of Eber.
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To Eber were born two sons. The name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided. His brother's name was Joktan.
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Joktan became the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
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Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
30
Their dwelling was from Mesha, as you go toward Sephar, the mountain of the east.
31
These are the sons of Shem, after their families, after their languages, in their lands, after their nations.
32
These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations. Of these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
