655. Where also our Lord was crucified, signifies by which, namely, by the evils and the falsities therefrom springing from infernal love, He was rejected and condemned. This is evident from this, that evils themselves and their falsities springing from infernal love are what reject and condemn the Lord. These evils and the falsities thence are signified by "Sodom and Egypt," therefore it is said of the city Jerusalem that it is thus "called spiritually," for "to be called spiritually Sodom and Egypt" signifies evil itself, and the falsity therefrom.

[2] The hells are divided into two kingdoms, over against the two kingdoms in the heavens; the kingdom over against the celestial kingdom is at the back, and those who are in it are called genii; this kingdom is what is meant in the Word by "devil;" but the kingdom that is over against the spiritual kingdom is in front, and those who are in it are called evil spirits; this kingdom is what is meant in the Word by "Satan." These hells, or these two kingdoms into which the hells are divided, are meant by "Sodom and Egypt." Whether it is said evils and the falsities therefrom, or these hells, it is the same, since from these all evils and all falsities therefrom ascend.

[3] That the Jews who were at Jerusalem crucified the Lord means that He was crucified by the evils and falsities therefrom which they loved; for all things recorded in the Word respecting the Lord's passion represented the perverted state of the church with that nation. For although they accounted the Word holy, yet by their traditions they perverted all things therein until there was no longer any Divine good or truth remaining with them, and when Divine good and Divine truth, which are in the Word, no longer remain, evils and falsities from infernal love succeed in their place, and these are what crucify the Lord. (That such things are signified by the Lord's passion may be seen above, n. 83, 195, 627. That the Lord is said "to be slain" signifies that he was rejected and denied, see above, n. 328; and that the Jews were such, see above, n. 122, 433, 619; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem, n.248.)

[4] As it is here said "where our Lord was crucified," it shall be told what "crucifixion" (or hanging upon wood) signified with the Jews. They had two modes of capital punishment, crucifixion and stoning; and "crucifixion" signified a condemnation and curse because of the destruction of good in the church, and "stoning" signified a condemnation and curse because of the destruction of truth in the church. "Crucifixion" signified a condemnation and curse because of the destruction of good in the church, for the reason that "wood," upon which they were hung, signified good, and in the contrary sense evil, both pertaining to the will; and "stoning" signified a condemnation and curse because of the destruction of truth in the church, for the reason that "the stone," with which they were stoned, signified truth, and in the contrary sense falsity, both pertaining to the understanding; for all things instituted with the Israelitish and Jewish nation were representative, and thence significative. (That "wood" signifies good, and in the contrary sense evil, and that a "stone" signifies truth, and in the contrary sense falsity, may be seen in the Arcana Coelestia 643[1-4], 3720, 8354.) But as it has not been known heretofore why the Jews and Israelites had the punishment of the cross and the punishment of stoning, and it is important that it should be known, I will cite some confirmations from the Word to show that these two punishments were representative.

[5] That "hanging upon wood" or "crucifixion" was inflicted because of the destruction of good in the church, and that it thus represented the evil of infernal love, whence arises a condemnation and curse, can be seen from the following passages. In Moses:

If there be a stubborn and rebellious son, obeying not the voice of his father or mother, all the men of the city shall stone him with stones that he may die. And if there be in a man a crime and judgment of death, and he be put to death, thou shalt hang him upon wood; his carcass shall not remain overnight upon the wood, but burying thou shalt bury him the same day; for he that is hanged is a curse of God, and thou shalt not defile thy land (Deuteronomy 21:18, 20-23).

"Not obeying the voice of father or mother" signifies in the spiritual sense to live contrary to the precepts and truths of the church, therefore the penalty for it was stoning; "the men of the city who were to stone him" signify those who are in the doctrine of the church, "city" signifying doctrine. "If there be in a man a crime, a judgment of death, thou shalt hang him upon wood" signifies if one has done evil against the good of the Word and of the church; because this was a capital crime he was to be hung upon wood, for in the Word "wood" signifies good, and in the contrary sense evil; "his carcass shall not remain overnight upon the wood, but thou shalt bury him the same day," signifies lest there be a representative of eternal damnation; "thou shalt not defile thy land" signifies that this would be a cause of offense to the church.

[6] In Lamentations:

Our skins are become black like an oven because of the tempests of famine; they ravished the women in Zion, the virgins in the cities of Judah; their princes were hanged up by the hand, the faces of the elders are not honored, the young men they have led away to grind, and the boys stumble under the wood (Lamentations 5:10-13).

"Zion" means the celestial church, which is in the good of love to the Lord, which church the Jewish nation represented; "the virgins in the cities of Judah" signify the affections of truth from the good of love; "their princes were hanged up by the hand" signifies that truths from good were destroyed by falsities from evil; "the faces of the elders that were not honored" signify the goods of wisdom; "the young men who were led away to grind" signify the truths from good, "to grind" signifying to acquire falsities and to confirm them from the Word; "the boys stumble under the wood" signifies newborn goods perishing through evils.

[7] A "baker" as also "bread" signifies the good of love, and a "butler" as also "wine," the truth of doctrine, therefore:

The baker was hanged on account of his crime against king Pharaoh (Genesis 40:19-22; 41:13).

This may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia 5139-5169). Because "Moab" means those who adulterate the goods of the church, and "Baal-peor" signifies the adulteration of good, it came to pass that:

All the chiefs of the people were hung up before the sun, because the people committed whoredom with the daughters of Moab and bowed themselves down to their gods, and joined themselves to Baal-peor (Numbers 25:1-4).

"To commit whoredom with the daughters of Moab" signifies to adulterate the goods of the church; and "to be hung up before the sun" signifies a condemnation and curse because of the destruction of the good of the church.

[8] Because "Ai" signifies the knowledges of good, and in the contrary sense the confirmations of evil:

The king of Ai was hanged on wood, and afterwards thrown down at the entrance of the gate of the city, and the city itself was burned (Joshua 8:26-29).

And because "the five kings of the Amorites" signified evils and falsities therefrom destroying the goods and truths of the church,

Those kings were hanged by Joshua, and afterwards cast into the cave of Makkedah (Joshua 10:26, 27);

"the cave of Makkedah" signifying direful falsity from evil.

[9] Again, "to be hung upon wood or to be crucified" signifies the punishment of evil that destroys the good of the church, in Matthew:

Jesus said, I send unto you prophets, wise men, and scribes; and some of them shall ye kill, crucify, and scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city (Matthew 23:34).

All things the Lord spoke He spoke from the Divine, but the Divine things from which he spoke fell into the ideas of natural thought and consequent expressions according to correspondences, like these here and elsewhere in the Gospels; and as all the words have a spiritual sense, so in that sense prophets, wise men, and scribes, are not here meant, but instead of them the truth and good of doctrine and of the Word; for spiritual thought and speech therefrom, like that of angels, is without the idea of person; so a "prophet" signifies the truth of doctrine, "wise men" the good of doctrine, and "scribes" the Word from which is doctrine; from this it follows that "to kill" has reference to the truth of the doctrine of the church, which is meant by a "prophet;" "to crucify" has reference to the good of doctrine, which is meant by "a wise man," and "to scourge" has reference to the Word, which is meant by a "scribe;" thus "to kill" signifies to extinguish, "to crucify" to destroy, and "to scourge" to pervert. That they will wander from one falsity of doctrine into another is signified by "persecuting them from city to city," "city" signifying doctrine. This is the spiritual sense of these words.

[10] In the same:

Jesus said to the disciples that He must suffer at Jerusalem, and that the Son of man shall be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they shall condemn Him, and deliver Him up to the Gentiles to be mocked, to be scourged, and to be crucified; and the third day He shall rise again (Matthew 20:18, 19; Mark 10:32-34).

The spiritual sense of these words is that Divine truth, in the church where mere falsities of doctrine and evils of life reign, shall be blasphemed, its truth shall be perverted, and its good destroyed. "The Son of man" signifies Divine truth, which is the Word, and "Jerusalem" signifies the church where mere falsities and evils reign; "the chief priests and scribes" signify the adulterations of good and the falsifications of truth, both from infernal love; "to condemn Him and deliver Him to the Gentiles" signifies to assign Divine truth and Divine good to hell and to deliver them to the evils and falsities that are from hell, the "Gentiles" signifying the evils that are from hell and that destroy the goods of the church; "to be mocked, to be scourged, and to be crucified," signifies to blaspheme, falsify and pervert the truth, and to adulterate and destroy the good of the church and of the Word (as above); "and the third day He shall rise again" signifies the complete glorification of the Lord's Human.

[11] From this it can be seen what is signified in the spiritual sense by the Lord's crucifixion, also what is signified by the various mockings then connected with it, as that "they put a crown of thorns on His head," that "they smote Him with a reed," and also that "they spat in His face," with many other things related in the Gospels, this signifying that the Jewish nation treated Divine truth and good itself, which was the Lord, in a like heinous manner; for the Lord suffered the heinous state of that church to be represented in Himself; and this was also signified by:

His bearing their iniquities (Isaiah 53:11).

For it was a common thing for a prophet to take upon himself a representation of the heinous things of the church; thus the prophet Isaiah was commanded to go naked and barefoot three years, to represent the church as destitute of good and truth (Isaiah 20:3, 4); the prophet Ezekiel, bound in cords, laid siege to a tile on which Jerusalem was depicted, and ate a cake of barley made with the dung of an ox, to represent that the truth and good of the church was thus besieged by falsities and polluted by evils (Ezekiel 4:1-13); the prophet Hosea was commanded to take a harlot to himself for a woman, and children of whoredoms, to represent what the quality of the church was at that time (Hosea 1:1-11); with other like things. That this was "bearing the iniquities of the house of Israel" or the church is plainly declared in Ezekiel 4:5, 6. From this it can be seen that all things recorded concerning the passion of the Lord were representative of the state of the church at that time with the Jewish nation.

[12] Thus much respecting the punishment of "hanging upon wood or crucifixion." This is not the place to confirm from the Word that the other punishment, which was "stoning," signified a condemnation and curse because of the destroyed truth of the church, but it can be seen from the passages where "stoning" is mentioned (as in Exodus 21:28-33; Leviticus 24:10-17, 23; Numbers 15:32-37; Deuteronomy 13:10; 17:5-7; 22:20, 21, 24; Ezekiel 16:39-41; 23:45-47; Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34; 20:6; John 8:7; 10:31, 32; and elsewhere).

314. A Lamb standing, signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human. This is evident from the signification of "lamb," as being, in reference to the Lord, Himself in respect to the Divine Human. The Lord in respect to the Divine Human is called a "lamb" because a "lamb" signifies the good of innocence, and the good of innocence is the good itself of heaven proceeding from the Lord; and so far as angels receive this good, so far they are angels. This good reigns with angels that are in the third or inmost heaven; for this reason those in that heaven appear as infants before the eyes of other angels. (What the good of innocence is, and that the angels of heaven are in that good, see in the work on Heaven and Hell, in the chapter treating of The State of Innocence of the Angels of Heaven, n. 276-283, also n. 285, 288, 341, 382.) It is believed in the world that the Lord is called "a Lamb" for the reason that the continual burnt-offering, or what was offered every day, evening and morning, was from lambs, and especially on the Passover days, when a lamb was also eaten; and that the Lord suffered Himself to be sacrificed. Such a reason for His being so called may do for those in the world who do not think beyond the sense of the letter of the Word; but nothing of this kind is perceived in heaven when the term "lamb" is predicated of the Lord; but when "lamb" is mentioned, or is read in the Word, the angels, because they are all in the spiritual sense of the Word, perceive the good of innocence; and when the Lord is so called, they perceive His Divine Human, and at the same time the good of innocence that is from Him. I know that this will with difficulty be believed, but yet it is true.

[2] That "lamb" in the Word signifies the good of innocence, and in reference to the Lord Himself, "lamb" signifies His Divine Human, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:

Behold, the Lord Jehovih cometh in strength. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs into His arm, and shall carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead the sucklings (Isaiah 40:10-11).

This treats of the Lord's coming; the "flock that He shall feed as a shepherd," signify those who are in the good of charity; and the "lambs that He shall gather into His arm," signify those who are in love to Him. It is this love that, viewed in itself, is innocence; therefore all who are in it are in the heaven of innocence, which is the third heaven; and as this love is signified by lambs, it is also said, "He shall gently lead the sucklings." "Sucklings" and "infants" in the Word mean those who are in innocence (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 277, 280, 329-345).

[3] In the same:

The wolf shall sojourn with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the young lion and the fatling together, and a little boy shall lead them; and the heifer and the bear shall feed, their young ones shall lie down together; the suckling shall play on the hole of the adder, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk's den (Isaiah 11:6-8).

These things are said of the Lord's coming and of His kingdom, also of those therein who are in the good of innocence, that they shall have nothing to fear from the hells and the evils therefrom, because they are protected by the Lord. The Lord's kingdom is here described by innocences of various kinds, and by their opposites from which they shall be protected; a "lamb" means innocence of the inmost degree, its opposite is the "wolf;" a "kid" means innocence of the second degree, the opposite of which is the "leopard;" a "calf" means innocence of the last degree, the opposite of which is the "young lion." (That "lamb," "ram," or "sheep," and "calf," signify three degrees of innocence, see Arcana Coelestia 10132.) Innocence of the inmost degree is such as belongs to those who are in the third or inmost heaven, and its good is called celestial good; innocence of the second degree is such as belongs to those who are in the second or middle heaven, and its good is called spiritual good; and innocence of the last degree is such as belongs to those who are in the first or the last heaven, and its good is called spiritual-natural good. (That all who are in the heavens are in some good of innocence, see Arcana Coelestia 4797.) Because the goods of innocence are described by the animals above named, it is said further "and a little boy shall lead them," also, "the suckling shall play on the hole of the adder, and the weaned child shall put forth his hand on the basilisk's den." These degrees of innocence are signified also by "boy," "suckling," and "weaned child." (That "boy" has this signification, see Arcana Coelestia 430, 5236; that "suckling," or infant of the first age, and "weaned child," or infant of the second age, have these significations see n. 3183 4563, 5608, 6740, 6745)

[4] Because a "lamb" signifies innocence, or those who are innocent, and a "wolf" those who are against innocence, it is said in like manner in another place in the same prophet:

The wolf and the lamb shall feed together; they shall not do evil in the whole mountain of holiness (Isaiah 65:25);

"the mountain of holiness" is heaven, especially the inmost heaven. Therefore the Lord said to the seventy whom He sent forth:

I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves (Luke 10:3).

[5] Because "lambs" signify those who are in the love to the Lord, which love is one with innocence, and because "sheep" signify those who are in love towards the neighbor, which love is charity, the Lord said to Peter:

Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto Him, Feed My lambs; and afterwards, Feed My sheep (John 21:15-17).

These things were said to Peter, because by "Peter" truth from good, or faith from charity was meant, and truth from good teaches; "to feed" meaning to teach.

[6] In Ezekiel:

Arabia and all the princes of Kedar, these were the merchants of thy hand, in lambs, rams, and goats (Ezekiel 27:21).

This is said of Tyre, by which those who are in the knowledges of truth and good are meant. "Arabia" and "the princes of Kedar," who are "the merchants of her hand," signify those who are in truths and goods from knowledges; "merchants" signify those who communicate and teach these; "lambs, rams, and goats," signify three degrees of the good of innocence, the same as "lambs, rams, and calves." (That these signify the three degrees of the good of innocence, see Arcana Coelestia 10042, 10132)

[7] In like manner in Moses:

He made him to ride on the high places of the earth, and fed him with the increase of the fields; he made him to suck honey out of the cliff, and oil out of the flint of the rock; butter of the herd and milk of the flock, with the fat of lambs, of the rams of Bashan, and of goats, with the fat of the kidneys of wheat; and thou drinkest the pure blood of the grape (Deuteronomy 32:13-14).

These things are said of the establishment of the Ancient Church, which was the first church after the flood, and all these things describe its various kinds of good; but as scarcely anyone will understand them without explanation, I will briefly explain them. "To ride on the high places of the earth" signifies that the intelligence of those who were of that church was interior; "He fed him with the increase of the fields" signifies that they were instructed in all truth and good; "He made him to suck honey out of the cliff" signifies that they had natural good by means of truths; "oil out of the flint of the rock" signifies that they had spiritual good also by means of truths; "honey" and "oil" signifying those goods, and "cliff," "rock," and "hard rock," signifying truths; "butter of the herd, and milk of the flock," signify the internal and the external good of truth; "the fat of lambs, of the rams of Bashan, and of goats," signifies the goods of innocence of the three degrees (as above); "the fat of the kidneys of wheat" and "the blood of the grape" signify genuine good and genuine truth therefrom.

[8] In Isaiah:

The sword of Jehovah shall be filled with blood; it shall be made fat with fatness, with the blood of lambs and of he-goats, and with the fat of the kidneys of rams (Isaiah 34:6).

Here, too, "lambs, rams, and goats," signify the three degrees of the good of innocence (of which above); but here their destruction by the falsities of evil is treated of; for "sword" signifies falsity destroying truth and good; the "blood" with which it shall be filled signifies destruction.

[9] Since a "lamb" signifies innocence, which, viewed in itself, is love to the Lord, a "lamb," in the highest sense, signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, for in respect to this, the Lord was innocence itself; as may be seen in the following passages. In Isaiah:

He endured persecution and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He is led as a lamb to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7).

Send ye the lamb of the ruler of the land from the cliff toward the wilderness unto the Mount of the daughter of Zion (Isaiah 16:1).

In John:

John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world. And afterwards, seeing Jesus walking, he said, Behold the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 36).

And in Revelation:

The Lamb in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters (Revelation 7:17).

They overcame by the blood of the Lamb, and by the Word of the testimony (Revelation 12:11;

besides also elsewhere in Revelation (as Revelation 13:8; 14:1, 4; 17:14; 19:7, 9; 21:22-23; 22:1, 3).

[10] Since "burnt-offerings and sacrifices" signified all representative worship from the good of love and from the truths thence, "burnt-offerings" worship from the good of love, and "sacrifices" in a special sense worship from the truths thence, so:

Every day, evening and morning, there was a burnt-offering of lambs (Exodus 29:38-43; Numbers 28:1-9);

Every sabbath, of two lambs, besides the continual burnt-offering of them (Numbers 28:9-10);

In the beginnings of the months, of seven lambs (Numbers 28:11-15);

Likewise on the day of the firstfruits (Numbers 28:26 to end);

Likewise in the seventh month, when there was a holy convocation (Numbers 29:1-7);

Likewise, namely of seven lambs on each day of the passover, besides two young bullocks, one ram, and one goat (Numbers 28:16-24).

The burnt-offering was of "seven lambs" because "seven" signifies all and fullness, and it is predicated of what is holy, and because "burnt-offerings" in general signified worship of the Lord from the good of love, and the good of love to the Lord from the Lord is the good itself of innocence; and "lamb" in the highest sense signified the Lord in respect to the Divine Human. (That "burnt-offerings" signified all worship from the good of love to the Lord from the Lord, see Arcana Coelestia 923, 6905, 8680, 8936, 10042) On account of this representation there was also instituted:

The supper of the passover of lambs or kids (Exodus 12:1-29);

for "the feast of the passover" represented the glorification of the Lord's Human (See Arcana Coelestia 10655). Because "infants" signified innocence, it was also commanded that:

After birth, on the day of purification, they should sacrifice a lamb, a young pigeon, or a turtle dove; or, instead of a lamb, two young pigeons or two turtle doves (Leviticus 12:6, 8);

"young pigeons" and "turtle doves" signifying the like as "lambs," namely, innocence.