241. Hoofdstuk 19. Over de Kerk.

Wat bij de mens de hemel maakt, dat maakt ook de kerk, want zoals de liefde en het geloof de hemel maken, aldus maken ook de liefde en het geloof de kerk. Alsus blijkt uit wat over de hemel eerder is gezegd, wat de kerk is.

160. That calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants, signifies that the doctrine of all falsities is therefrom. This is evident from the signification of a "prophet," as being one who teaches truths, and abstractly from persons, the doctrine of truth (of which, see Arcana Coelestia 2534, 7269); therefore in the contrary sense by a "prophet" those who teach falsities are meant, and abstractly from persons, the doctrine of falsities, and the like is here meant by "prophetess." Because "prophetess" here signifies one who teaches falsities and the doctrine of all falsities, it is therefore added that "she teaches and seduces the servants of the Lord." It is said "to teach and to seduce," because "to teach" is predicated of truths and falsities, and to "seduce" of goods and evils; and those who are in truths are called in the Word "servants of the Lord," and those who are in good are called "ministers" (See above, n. 155). It is said of Jezebel that she "calleth herself a prophetess," not that Jezebel the wife of Ahab called herself a prophetess, but this is said because "Jezebel" signifies the delight of the love of self and the world; and this delight teaches and seduces those who are in truths. For everyone, when he thinks by himself, thinks from his own love, and thus imbues himself with falsities, which is "to teach and to seduce." Of Jezebel we read in the Word:

That Ahab the king of Israel took to wife Jezebel the daughter of the king of the Zidonians, and that he went away and served Baal, and reared up to him an altar in Samaria, and made a grove (1 Kings 16:31-33);

And that Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah (1 Kings 18:4, 13);

And that she wished to slay Elijah also (1 Kings 19:1-2);

And that through craft, by substituting false witnesses, she took away the vineyard from Naboth, and slew him (1 Kings 21:6-7 seq.);

It was therefore predicted by Elijah that dogs should eat her (1 Kings 21:23; 2 Kings 9:10);

And afterwards, by the command of Jehu, she was thrown out of the window, and some of her blood was sprinkled upon the wall and upon the horses that trod her under foot (2 Kings 9:32-34).

[2] By all these things the perversion of the church by the delight of the love of self and the world, and by the evils and falsities flowing forth therefrom, was represented. For all the historical parts of the Word, as well as the prophetical, are representative of such things as are of the church. "Baal" whom Ahab served, and to whom he raised up an altar, signifies the worship from the evils of the love of self and the world; the "grove" which he made signifies worship from the falsities therefrom. That "Jezebel slew the prophets of Jehovah" signifies the destruction of the church in respect to its truths; that "she wished to slay Elijah also" signifies a desire to annihilate the Word, for Elijah represented the Word. "The vineyard which by means of false witnesses she took away from Naboth" signifies the falsification of truth and the adulteration of good; the prophecy of Elijah that "dogs should eat her" signifies uncleanness and profanation. That "she was thrown out of a window, and some of her blood was sprinkled upon the wall and upon the horses that trod her under foot," signifies the lot of those who are of that character; what the lot of such will be can be seen from the internal sense of the particulars there. From this it can be seen that by "the woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess," no other Jezebel is meant than Jezebel the wife of Ahab, spoken of in the Word; and that by her those are described who are in the doctrine of all falsities from the delights of the loves of self and of the world.

8994. 'She shall not go out as the male slaves do' means a state unlike truth devoid of affection. This is clear from the meaning of 'going out' - out of servitude - as a state after conflict or labour, dealt with above in 8980, 8984; and from the meaning of 'the male slaves' as those imbued with truths and not complementary good, dealt with in 8974, thus those imbued with truth devoid of affection. From all this it is evident that 'she shall not go out as the male slaves do' means a state unlike truth devoid of affection.

[2] The implications of this must be stated briefly. There are those who are imbued with truth and no affection for it, and there are those who are imbued with an affection. The former were represented by male slaves from the children of Israel, the latter by female slaves, also from the children of Israel. But 'female slaves' did not represent those with a genuine affection for truth, only those with an affection that is not genuine, as may be seen from what has been shown immediately above in 8993.

[3] The difference between those imbued with truth devoid of affection, who were represented by the male slaves, and those imbued with an affection for truth, who were represented by the female slaves, is akin to the difference between knowing truth and willing truth. Knowing truth belongs solely to the understanding part of the mind, whereas willing truth belongs to the will part; consequently the difference is akin to that between knowledge and affection. Those imbued with a knowledge of truth and good, meant by male slaves or the men in the representative sense, have no affection for truth and good, only for the knowledge of them; consequently they are delighted with truths for the sake of knowing them. But those imbued with an affection for truth and good, meant by female slaves or the women in the representative sense, have no affection for the knowledge of truth and good, only for truths and forms of good themselves, as they hear and perceive them from others. This kind of affection exists generally with good women, but the affection for knowledge of truth exists generally with men.

[4] So it is that those who are spiritually perceptive have a liking for women with an affection for truths, but not for women who concentrate on gaining knowledge. For it is in keeping with Divine order for men to know things and for women purely to have an affection for them, so the women do not love themselves because of their knowledge but love men; and from this springs the desire for marriage. This also is why those of old said that women must keep silent in the Church. All this being so, factual and religious knowledge are represented by men, but affections by women; at this point affection for truth that pours out of the delights belonging to natural kinds of love is represented by female slaves. And because people with this kind of affection are of an entirely different disposition from those with an affection for knowledge, the situation with female slaves is entirely different from that with male slaves. So this is what is meant by 'a female slave shall not go out as the male slaves do'. It should be recognized however that this is the situation among those who belong to the Lord's spiritual kingdom, whereas among those who belong to His celestial kingdom the reverse applies. There husbands are the ones with affection, and wives are the ones with knowledge of good and truth; and this is what the desire for marriage springs from among them.