476. That 'male and female' means the marriage of faith and love has been stated and shown already. That is to say, 'male' or man (vir) means the understanding and what belongs to the understanding, and so what belongs to faith, while 'female' means the will, or what belongs to the will, and so what belongs to love. This also is why she was called Eve, from a word meaning life, which belongs to love alone. 'Female' therefore also means the Church, as also shown already, and 'male' the man (vir) of the Church. At present the subject is the state of the Church at the time it was spiritual and shortly to become celestial, which is why the word 'male' comes first, as it does also in 1:26-27. Furthermore the expression 'to create' has regard to the spiritual man. As soon however as that marriage has taken place, that is, the Church has become celestial, it is no longer called 'male and female' but 'Man' (Homo) who by virtue of the marriage means both. Consequently 'and He called their name Man', which means the Church, follows next.

10168. Love that is indeed conjugial is a union of two minds, and this is a spiritual union. Any spiritual union comes down from heaven; therefore love that is indeed conjugial springs from heaven and its very existence (esse) can be traced back originally to the marriage of goodness and truth there. The marriage of goodness and truth in heaven has its origin in the Lord, which explains why in the Word the Lord is called Bridegroom and Husband, and heaven or the Church is called Bride and Wife. It also explains why heaven is compared to a marriage.