Arcana Coelestia #10296
10296. And pure frankincense. That this signifies inmost truth, which is spiritual good, is evident from the signification of “frankincense,” as being that which has been clarified from the falsity of evil. That the inmost truth which is signified by “frankincense” is spiritual good, is because the good with those who are in the Lord’s spiritual kingdom is nothing else than truth, which is called good when the man wills and does it from conscience and affection. For with the spiritual all the will has been destroyed, but the understanding is preserved entire by the Lord, and in it there is implanted by the Lord a new will by means of regeneration. This will is the conscience with them, which is a conscience of truth. For whatever is implanted in the understanding and proceeds from the understanding, is truth, because man’s understanding has been allotted to the reception of the truths of faith; but the will to the reception of the goods of love. From this it is evident that in its essence spiritual good is truth. (That with the spiritual a new will is implanted in their intellectual part, and that consequently the good with them is in its essence truth, see the places cited in n. 9277, 9596, 9684.) It is said of inmost truth that it is good, for the reason that the more interior things are, the more perfect they are; and because the inmost of man is his will, and that which belongs to the will is called good. (That “frankincense” denotes inmost truth, thus spiritual good, can be seen from the passages above adduced from the Word, n. 10177.)
[2] As “frankincense” denotes spiritual good, and good is that which reigns in all truths, disposes them, conjoins them, and gives affection to them, therefore frankincense is mentioned in the last place, and on this account the vessels of incense were called “censers 1 ;” for the name is from the essential, which is good; in like manner as the oil of anointing is named from the oil of olive, and not from the spices from which it was prepared; for a similar reason, namely, because “oil” signified good, and “spices” truths.
[3] It is called “pure frankincense” because “pure” signifies that which has been clarified from the falsities of evil; and in the original tongue by this word is signified what is interiorly pure, but by another word that which is exteriorly pure or clean. That what is interiorly pure is signified by this word is evident in Isaiah:
Wash you, make you pure, put away the wickedness of your works from before Mine eyes (Isaiah 1:16).
In vain have I rendered mine heart pure, and washed my hands in innocency (Psalms 73:13).
To “render the heart pure” denotes to be purified interiorly; and to “wash the hands in innocency” denotes the same exteriorly. And again:
Be thou pure when thou judgest (Psalms 51:4).
(That by the other word is signified what is exteriorly pure or clean, may be seen in Leviticus 11:32; 12:7-8; 13:6, 1 13:13, 17, 23, 28, 34, 37, 58; 14:7-8, 9, 20, 48, 53; 15:13, 28; 16:30; 22:7; Jeremiah 13:27; Ezekiel 24:13; 39:12)
Notas a pie de página:
1. “Censer” in the Latin is thuribulum, from thur, frankincense. [Reviser.]
Leviticus 13
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Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying,
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"When a man shall have a rising in his body's skin, or a scab, or a bright spot, and it becomes in the skin of his body the plague of leprosy, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest, or to one of his sons, the priests:
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and the priest shall examine the plague in the skin of the body: and if the hair in the plague has turned white, and the appearance of the plague is deeper than the body's skin, it is the plague of leprosy; and the priest shall examine him, and pronounce him unclean.
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If the bright spot is white in the skin of his body, and its appearance isn't deeper than the skin, and its hair hasn't turned white, then the priest shall isolate the infected person for seven days.
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The priest shall examine him on the seventh day, and, behold, if in his eyes the plague is arrested, and the plague hasn't spread in the skin, then the priest shall isolate him for seven more days.
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The priest shall examine him again on the seventh day; and behold, if the plague has faded, and the plague hasn't spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. It is a scab. He shall wash his clothes, and be clean.
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But if the scab spreads on the skin, after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall show himself to the priest again.
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The priest shall examine him; and behold, if the scab has spread on the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is leprosy.
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"When the plague of leprosy is in a man, then he shall be brought to the priest;
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and the priest shall examine him. Behold, if there is a white rising in the skin, and it has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the rising,
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it is a chronic leprosy in the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. He shall not isolate him, for he is unclean.
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"If the leprosy breaks out all over the skin, and the leprosy covers all the skin of the infected person from his head even to his feet, as far as it appears to the priest;
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then the priest shall examine him; and, behold, if the leprosy has covered all his flesh, he shall pronounce him clean of the plague. It has all turned white: he is clean.
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But whenever raw flesh appears in him, he shall be unclean.
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The priest shall examine the raw flesh, and pronounce him unclean: the raw flesh is unclean. It is leprosy.
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Or if the raw flesh turns again, and is changed to white, then he shall come to the priest;
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and the priest shall examine him; and, behold, if the plague has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him clean of the plague. He is clean.
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"When the body has a boil on its skin, and it has healed,
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and in the place of the boil there is a white rising, or a bright spot, reddish-white, then it shall be shown to the priest;
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and the priest shall examine it; and behold, if its appearance is lower than the skin, and its hair has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of leprosy. It has broken out in the boil.
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But if the priest examines it, and behold, there are no white hairs in it, and it isn't deeper than the skin, but is dim, then the priest shall isolate him seven days.
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If it spreads in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a plague.
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But if the bright spot stays in its place, and hasn't spread, it is the scar from the boil; and the priest shall pronounce him clean.
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"Or when the body has a burn from fire on its skin, and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a bright spot, reddish-white, or white,
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then the priest shall examine it; and behold, if the hair in the bright spot has turned white, and its appearance is deeper than the skin; it is leprosy. It has broken out in the burning, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of leprosy.
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But if the priest examines it, and behold, there is no white hair in the bright spot, and it isn't lower than the skin, but is faded; then the priest shall isolate him seven days.
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The priest shall examine him on the seventh day. If it has spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is the plague of leprosy.
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If the bright spot stays in its place, and hasn't spread in the skin, but is faded, it is the swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean; for it is the scar from the burn.
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"When a man or woman has a plague on the head or on the beard,
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then the priest shall examine the plague; and behold, if its appearance is deeper than the skin, and the hair in it is yellow and thin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean: it is an itch, it is leprosy of the head or of the beard.
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If the priest examines the plague of itching, and behold, its appearance isn't deeper than the skin, and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall isolate him the person infected with itching seven days.
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On the seventh day the priest shall examine the plague; and behold, if the itch hasn't spread, and there is no yellow hair in it, and the appearance of the itch isn't deeper than the skin,
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then he shall be shaved, but he shall not shave the itch; and the priest shall shut him up who has the itch seven more days.
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On the seventh day, the priest shall examine the itch; and behold, if the itch hasn't spread in the skin, and its appearance isn't deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. He shall wash his clothes, and be clean.
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But if the itch spreads in the skin after his cleansing,
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then the priest shall examine him; and behold, if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest shall not look for the yellow hair; he is unclean.
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But if in his eyes the itch is arrested, and black hair has grown in it; the itch is healed, he is clean. The priest shall pronounce him clean.
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"When a man or a woman has bright spots in the skin of the body, even white bright spots;
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then the priest shall examine them; and behold, if the bright spots on the skin of their body are a dull white, it is a harmless rash, it has broken out in the skin; he is clean.
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"If a man's hair has fallen from his head, he is bald. He is clean.
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If his hair has fallen off from the front part of his head, he is forehead bald. He is clean.
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But if there is in the bald head, or the bald forehead, a reddish-white plague; it is leprosy breaking out in his bald head, or his bald forehead.
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Then the priest shall examine him; and, behold, if the rising of the plague is reddish-white in his bald head, or in his bald forehead, like the appearance of leprosy in the skin of the flesh,
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he is a leprous man. He is unclean. The priest shall surely pronounce him unclean. His plague is on his head.
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"The leper in whom the plague is shall wear torn clothes, and the hair of his head shall hang loose. He shall cover his upper lip, and shall cry, 'Unclean! Unclean!'
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All the days in which the plague is in him he shall be unclean. He is unclean. He shall dwell alone. Outside of the camp shall be his dwelling.
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"The garment also that the plague of leprosy is in, whether it is a woolen garment, or a linen garment;
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whether it is in warp, or woof; of linen, or of wool; whether in a skin, or in anything made of skin;
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if the plague is greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin, or in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything made of skin; it is the plague of leprosy, and shall be shown to the priest.
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The priest shall examine the plague, and isolate the plague seven days.
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He shall examine the plague on the seventh day. If the plague has spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in the skin, whatever use the skin is used for, the plague is a destructive mildew. It is unclean.
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He shall burn the garment, whether the warp or the woof, in wool or in linen, or anything of skin, in which the plague is: for it is a destructive mildew. It shall be burned in the fire.
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"If the priest examines it, and behold, the plague hasn't spread in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin;
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then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which the plague is, and he shall isolate it seven more days.
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Then the priest shall examine it, after the plague is washed; and behold, if the plague hasn't changed its color, and the plague hasn't spread, it is unclean; you shall burn it in the fire. It is a mildewed spot, whether the bareness is inside or outside.
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If the priest looks, and behold, the plague has faded after it is washed, then he shall tear it out of the garment, or out of the skin, or out of the warp, or out of the woof:
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and if it appears again in the garment, either in the warp, or in the woof, or in anything of skin, it is spreading. You shall burn with fire that in which the plague is.
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The garment, either the warp, or the woof, or whatever thing of skin it is, which you shall wash, if the plague has departed from them, then it shall be washed the second time, and it will be clean."
59
This is the law of the plague of mildew in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp, or the woof, or in anything of skin, to pronounce it clean, or to pronounce it unclean.
