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John 1

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1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 The same was in the beginning with God.

3 All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.

4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

5 And the light shineth in the darkness; and the darkness apprehended it not.

6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.

7 The same came for witness, that he might bear witness of the light, that all might believe through him.

8 He was not the light, but [came] that he might bear witness of the light.

9 There was the true light, [even the light] which lighteth every man, coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world knew him not.

11 He came unto his own, and they that were his own received him not.

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:

13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth.

15 John beareth witness of him, and crieth, saying, This was he of whom I said, He that cometh after me is become before me: for he was before me.

16 For of his fulness we all received, and grace for grace.

17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].

19 And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou?

20 And he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ.

21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No.

22 They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet.

24 And they had been sent from the Pharisees.

25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, neither Elijah, neither the prophet?

26 John answered them, saying, I baptize in water: in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not,

27 [even] he that cometh after me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose.

28 These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

29 On the morrow he seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!

30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man who is become before me: for he was before me.

31 And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, for this cause came I baptizing in water.

32 And John bare witness, saying, I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven; and it abode upon him.

33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize in water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding Upon him, the same is he that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit.

34 And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.

35 Again on the morrow John was standing, and two of his disciples;

36 and he looked upon Jesus as he walked, and saith, Behold, the Lamb of God!

37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.

38 And Jesus turned, and beheld them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? And they said unto him, Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Teacher), where abideth thou?

39 He saith unto them, Come, and ye shall see. They came therefore and saw where he abode; and they abode with him that day: it was about the tenth hour.

40 One of the two that heard John [speak], and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter's brother.

41 He findeth first his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah (which is, being interpreted, Christ).

42 He brought him unto Jesus. Jesus looked upon him, and said, Thou art Simon the son of John: thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, Peter).

43 On the morrow he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and he findeth Philip: and Jesus saith unto him, Follow me.

44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, of the city of Andrew and Peter.

45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.

46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, come and see.

47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

48 Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

49 Nathanael answered him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art King of Israel.

50 Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee underneath the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these.

51 And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye shall see the heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.

De obras de Swedenborg

 

Arcana Coelestia #10053

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10053. 'It is a burnt offering to Jehovah' means the glorification of the Lord's Human. This is clear from the representation of 'a burnt offering' as the glorification of the Lord's Human. The Jewish nation had sacrifices and burnt offerings; the sacrifices served to mean purification from evils and falsities and the implantation of truth, but burnt offerings served to mean the joining of truth to good, thus complete regeneration. In the highest sense however, in which the Lord is the subject, sacrifices meant the ejection of evils and falsities from His Human derived from the mother and the implantation of Divine Truth from the Divine Good that was within Him, while the burnt offerings meant the uniting of Divine Truth to Divine Good. This uniting is what should be understood by glorification. For when He was in the world the Lord made His Human Divine Truth, and also, by uniting this in stages to the Divine Good that was within Him and was the Essential Being (Esse) of His life, He also made His Human Divine Good, thus one with Jehovah. The Essential Being of His life was that which as it exists with others is called the soul from the father; and it was Divine Good itself or Divine Love. But regarding these matters, see what has been shown in the places referred to in 9194, 9315(end), 9528(end). As regards the Lord's expulsion of everything human derived from the mother, till at length He was not her son, see 9315 (end); and as regards 'the Son of Man', which the Lord calls Himself, that He is not Mary's son but Divine Truth, 9807.

[2] Glorification, where the Lord is the subject, means uniting His Human to Divinity itself that was within Him, thus to Jehovah His Father; and by uniting them He also made His Human Divine Good. This is clear from places in the Word which use the terms 'glory' and 'glorification' in reference to Jehovah or the Lord, as in Isaiah,

The glory of Jehovah will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. Isaiah 40:5.

In the same prophet,

I Jehovah have called You in righteousness, to open the blind eyes, to bring the bound out of prison. I am Jehovah, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another. Isaiah 42:6-8.

And in the same prophet,

Jehovah will arise over You, and His glory will be seen over You. Nations will walk to Your light. Isaiah 60:2-3.

In these places the Lord is the subject, 'the glory of Jehovah' being used to mean the Lord in respect of Divine Truth; for Jehovah's glory is Divine Truth emanating from the Lord, 9429. That Divine Truth does not come from any other source is the Lord's teaching in John,

You have never heard the Father's voice nor seen His shape. John 5:37.

And since He is the Lord He is Jehovah Himself, for He says, 'I am Jehovah, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another'.

[3] For this reason also the Lord is called 'the King of glory' in David,

Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O ancient doors 1 , and the King of glory will come in. Who is this King of glory? Jehovah strong and mighty, Jehovah mighty in battle. Psalms 24:7-10.

Here the Lord is called 'the King of glory' by virtue of Divine Truth, with which He fought against, overcame, and subdued the hells. This was accomplished by His Human when He was in the world, see 9715, 9809, 10019. This is why He is called 'Jehovah strong and mighty in battle', and also a mighty one or 'hero' in Isaiah,

To us a Boy is born, to us a Son is given; His name is God, Hero, Father of Eternity. Isaiah 9:6.

[4] The Lord Himself teaches that Jehovah's glory is the Lord in respect of Divine Truth emanating from His Divine Good, which is Jehovah or the Father, in John,

The Word became flesh, and we saw His glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father. John 1:14.

Here, where it is self-evident that the Lord is meant by the Word which became flesh, 'the Word' is Divine Truth, and so too is 'glory'. In Matthew,

The Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father. Matthew 16:27.

And in Luke,

Jesus said to the disciples, Ought not the Christ to have suffered this and to enter into His glory? Luke 24:26.

'Entering into His glory' means being united to Divine Good which was within Him, thus to Jehovah or His Father. For Jehovah the Father is God's Essential Being (Esse), and God in His Essential Being is Divine Love, thus also Divine Good; and the uniting of the Human to that Good is meant by 'entering into His glory'.

[5] From this it is evident what 'being glorified' means in the following places:

In John,

The Holy Spirit was not yet because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:39.

And in the same gospel,

These things Jesus' disciples did not know, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered ... . Jesus said, The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. And He said, Father, glorify Your name. [Then] a voice came from heaven, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. John 12:16, 23, 27-28.

And in the same gospel,

After Judas went out Jesus said, Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him. And God will glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him at once. John 13:31-32.

From these places it is evident that glorification is the uniting of the Lord's Human to Divinity itself which was within Him and is called Jehovah the Father, for it is said that 'God will glorify Him in Himself'. It is also evident from those places that the uniting was fully accomplished by the passion of the Cross, which was the last of His temptations. For the Lord glorified His Human by means of conflicts with hell, which are temptations, see the places referred to in 9528, 9937.

[6] The Lord Himself teaches that when He has been glorified Divine Truth emanates from Him, in John,

The Holy Spirit was not yet because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:39.

And in the same gospel,

The Paraclete, the Spirit of truth, whom I will send to you will not speak from Himself. He will glorify Me, for He will receive from what is Mine and declare it to you; all things whatever that the Father has are Mine. John 16:13-15, 28.

'The Spirit of truth' is Divine Truth emanating from the Lord, 9818. The uniting of the Human to the Divine within Him is also described here by the declaration that all things the Father has are His, and elsewhere by the declarations that the Father and He are one and that the Father is in Him and He is in the Father, John 10:30; 14:10-11; see 3704. Thus the glorification or uniting was reciprocal, which too is the Lord's teaching in John,

Father, glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You. John 17:1.

'Father' is the Divinity itself that was within Him, and 'Son' is the Divine Human.

'The Father' is Divine Good which is within the Lord, see 3704, 7499.

Jehovah in the Word is the Lord, 2921, 6303, 8865.

The Lord is Divinity itself, or Jehovah, in a Human form, see the places referred to in 9315.

Notas a pie de página:

1. literally, doors of the world

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

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Arcana Coelestia #3387

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3387. 'For he was afraid to say, My wife, [thinking,] The men of the place may perhaps kill me on account of Rebekah' means that it was impossible for Divine Truths themselves to be disclosed, and so for Divine Good to be received. This is clear from the meaning of 'being afraid to say' as an inability to disclose; from the meaning of 'wife', who is Rebekah here, as the Lord's Divine Rational in respect to Divine Truth, dealt with in 3012, 3013, 3077; from the meaning of 'killing me' as good not being received, for 'Isaac', to whom 'me' refers here, represents the Divine Good of the Lord's Rational, 3012, 3194, 3210 - good being said 'to be killed' or to perish when it is not received, for it ceases to exist with that person; and from the meaning of 'the men of the place' as people who possess matters of doctrine concerning faith, dealt with just above in 3385. From these meanings it is now evident what the internal sense of these words is, namely: If Divine truths themselves were disclosed they would not be received by those who possess matters of doctrine concerning faith because those truths go beyond the whole range of their rational grasp of things, and so go beyond the whole of their faith, and as a consequence of this no good at all could flow in from the Lord. For good from the Lord, or Divine good, cannot flow in except into truths, for truths are the vessels for good, as shown many times.

[2] Truths or appearances of truth are given to a person to enable Divine Good to develop the understanding part of his mind, and so the person himself, for truths exist to the end that good may flow in. Indeed without vessels or receptacles good has nowhere to go, for it can find no condition answering to itself. Where no truths exist therefore, that is, where they have not been received, neither does any rational or human good exist; and as a consequence the person does not possess any spiritual life. Therefore, so that a person may nevertheless possess truths, and from these receive spiritual life, appearances of truth are given, to everyone according to his ability to grasp them; and these appearances are acknowledged as truths because they have the capacity to hold Divine things within them.

[3] So that it may be known what appearances are and that they are what serve a person as Divine truths, let the following be used by way of illustration: If man were told that in heaven angels have no concept of place, and so no concept of distance, but that instead they have concepts of state, he could not possibly grasp it, for he would suppose from this that nothing distinct and separate existed but that everything was fused together, that is to say, all the angels were together in a single place. Yet everything there is so distinct and separate that nothing could ever be more so. Places, distances, and intervals of space which exist in the natural order exist in heaven as states, see 3356. From this it is evident that all the things that are stated in the Word about places and intervals of space between objects, also ideas that are formed from these and expressed through them, are appearances of truth; and unless everything were stated by means of those appearances it would in no way be received and would as a consequence be scarcely anything; for the concept of space and time is present in almost every single detail of a person's thought as long as he is in the world, that is, living within space and time.

[4] The fact that the Word speaks according to appearances involving space is clear from almost every single part of it, as in Matthew,

Jesus said, How is it that David says, The Lord [said] to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool? Matthew 22:43-44.

Here the expression 'sitting at the right hand' is derived from the concept of place and so according to the appearance - when in fact it is a state of the Lord's Divine power which is described by that expression. In the same gospel,

Jesus said, Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Matthew 26:64.

Here similarly 'sitting at the right hand' and also 'coming on clouds' are expressions derived from men's concept of place, whereas the concept angels have is one of the state of the Lord's power. In Mark,

The sons of Zebedee said to Jesus, Grant us to sit in Your glory, one on Your right hand and the other on Your left. Jesus replied, To sit at My right hand and at My left is not Mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared. Mark 10:37, 40.

From this it is evident what kind of concept the disciples had of the Lord's kingdom, that is to say, one that involved sitting on the right hand and on the left. Such being the concept they had of it the Lord also replied to them in a way they could understand and so by an appearance that could be seen by them.

[5] In David,

Like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, he rejoices as a mighty man to run the course. From the end of the heavens is His going forth, and His circuit to the ends of them. Psalms 19:5-6.

This refers to the Lord, the state of whose Divine power is described by means of such things as belong to space. In Isaiah,

How you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the dawn! You said in your heart, I will go up into the heavens, above the stars of God 1 I will raise my throne. I will go up above the heights of the clouds. Isaiah 14:12-14.

'Falling from heaven', 'going up the heavens', 'raising a throne above the stars of God', 'going up above the heights of the clouds' are all expressions derived from the concept and appearance of space or a place, and are used to describe self-love profaning holy things. Since celestial and spiritual things are presented to man by means of and according to visual objects like these, heaven too is therefore described as being on high when in fact it is not on high but in that which is internal, 450, 1380, 2148.

Notas a pie de página:

1. The Latin means heaven; but the Hebrew means God which Swedenborg has in other places where he quotes this verse.

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