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Ιεζεκιήλ 11

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1 Και με ανελαβε το πνευμα και με εφερεν εις την ανατολικην πυλην του οικου του Κυριου, την βλεπουσαν προς ανατολας· και ιδου, εν τη θυρα της πυλης εικοσιπεντε ανδρες, και μεταξυ αυτων ειδον τον Ιααζανιαν υιον του Αζωρ και τον Φελατιαν υιον του Βεναια, αρχοντας του λαου.

2 Και ειπε Κυριος προς εμε, Υιε ανθρωπου, ουτοι ειναι οι ανδρες οι διαλογιζομενοι αδικιαν και συμβουλευοντες κακην συμβουλην εις την πολιν ταυτην,

3 οι λεγοντες, Δεν ειναι πλησιον· ας κτισωμεν οικιας· αυτη η πολις ειναι ο λεβης και ημεις το κρεας.

4 Δια τουτο προφητευσον εναντιον αυτων, προφητευσον, υιε ανθρωπου.

5 Και πνευμα Κυριου επεσεν επ' εμε και μοι ειπε, Λαλησον Ουτω λεγει Κυριος· κατα τουτον τον τροπον ελαλησατε, οικος Ισραηλ διοτι τα διαβουλια του πνευματος σας, εγω εξευρω αυτα.

6 Επληθυνατε τους πεφονευμενους σας εν τη πολει ταυτη, και εγεμισατε τας οδους αυτης απο πεφονευμενων.

7 Οθεν ουτω λεγει Κυριος ο Θεος οι πεφονευμενοι σας, τους οποιους εθεσατε εν μεσω αυτης, ουτοι ειναι το κρεας και αυτη η πολις ο λεβης· σας ομως θελω εκβαλει εκ μεσου αυτης.

8 Την μαχαιραν εφοβηθητε· και μαχαιραν θελω φερει εφ' υμας, λεγει Κυριος ο Θεος.

9 Και θελω σας εκβαλει εκ μεσου αυτης και θελω σας παραδωσει εις χειρας αλλοφυλων· και θελω εκτελεσει εφ' υμας κρισεις.

10 Υπο ρομφαιας θελετε πεσει· εν τοις οριοις του Ισραηλ θελω σας κρινει· και θελετε γνωρισει οτι εγω ειμαι ο Κυριος.

11 Η πολις αυτη δεν θελει εισθαι εις εσας ο λεβης ουδε σεις θελετε εισθαι εν μεσω αυτης το κρεας εν τοις οριοις του Ισραηλ θελω σας κρινει

12 και θελετε γνωρισει οτι εγω ειμαι ο Κυριος· διοτι δεν περιεπατησατε εν τοις διαταγμασι μου ουδε εξετελεσατε τας κρισεις μου, αλλ' επραξατε κατα τας κρισεις των εθνων των κυκλω υμων.

13 Ενω δ' εγω προεφητευον, απεθανεν ο Φελατιας ο υιος του Βεναια. Τοτε επεσον επι προσωπον μου και ανεβοησα μετα φωνης μεγαλης και ειπα, Οιμοι, Κυριε Θεε συντελειαν θελεις να καμης συ του υπολοιπου του Ισραηλ;

14 Και εγεινε λογος Κυριου προς εμε, λεγων,

15 Υιε ανθρωπου, οι αδελφοι σου, οι αδελφοι σου, οι ανδρες της συγγενειας σου, και συμπας ο οικος Ισραηλ, ειναι εκεινοι προς τους οποιους ειπον οι κατοικουντες την Ιερουσαλημ, Απομακρυνθητε απο του Κυριου εις ημας εδοθη αυτη η γη δια κληρονομιαν.

16 Δια τουτο ειπε, Ουτω λεγει Κυριος ο Θεος· Αν και απερριψα αυτους μακραν μεταξυ των εθνων, αν και διεσκορπισα αυτους εις τους τοπους, θελω εισθαι ομως εις αυτους ως μικρον αγιαστηριον, εν τοις τοποις οπου υπαγωσι.

17 Δια τουτο ειπε, Ουτω λεγει Κυριος ο Θεος· Και θελω σας συναθροισει απο των λαων και θελω σας συναξει εκ των τοπων οπου ησθε διεσκορπισμενοι και θελω σας δωσει την γην Ισραηλ.

18 Και ελθοντες εκει θελουσι σηκωσει απ' αυτης παντα τα βδελυγματα αυτης και παντα τα μιαρα αυτης.

19 Και θελω δωσει εις αυτους καρδιαν μιαν και πνευμα νεον θελω βαλει εν υμιν· και αποσπασας την λιθινην καρδιαν απο της σαρκος αυτων θελω δωσει εις αυτους καρδιαν σαρκινην,

20 δια να περιπατωσιν εν τοις διαταγμασι μου και να φυλαττωσι τας κρισεις μου και να εκτελωσιν αυτας· και θελουσιν εισθαι λαος μου και εγω θελω εισθαι Θεος αυτων.

21 Εκεινων δε των οποιων η καρδια περιπατει κατα την επιθυμιαν των βδελυγματων αυτων και των μιαρων αυτων, τας οδους τουτων θελω ανταποδωσει κατα της κεφαλης αυτων, λεγει Κυριος ο Θεος.

22 Τοτε τα χερουβειμ υψωσαν τας πτερυγας αυτων και οι τροχοι ανεβαινον πλησιον αυτων· και η δοξα του Θεου του Ισραηλ ητο επ' αυτων υπερανωθεν.

23 Και η δοξα του Κυριου ανεβη εκ μεσου της πολεως και εσταθη επι το ορος το προς ανατολας της πολεως.

24 Και με ανελαβε το πνευμα και δι' οραματος με εφερεν εν πνευματι Θεου εις την γην των Χαλδαιων, προς τους αιχμαλωτους. Τοτε το οραμα, το οποιον ειδον, απηλθεν απ' εμου.

25 Και ελαλησα προς τους αιχμαλωτους παντα τα πραγματα οσα εδειξεν ο Κυριος εις εμε.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #3813

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3813. As regards 'flesh', this means in the highest sense the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, which is Divine Good, and in the relative sense means the will side of the human proprium when made alive by the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, that is, by His Divine Good. This proprium is the one called the heavenly proprium which, in itself the Lord's alone, is appropriated to those who are governed by good and consequently by truth. Such a proprium exists with angels in heaven, and also with men whose interiors, that is, their spirits, are in the Lord's kingdom. But in the contrary sense 'flesh' means the will side of the human proprium, which in itself is nothing but evil, and not having been made alive by the Lord is called dead; and the individual himself is for that reason called dead.

[2] That 'flesh' in the highest sense means the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, and so His Divine Good, is clear from the Lord's words in John,

Jesus said, I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread he will live for ever. The bread which I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews disputed with one another, saying, How can this man give his flesh to eat? Jesus therefore said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day; for My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. This is the bread which came down from heaven. John 6:51-58.

Here it is quite evident that 'flesh' means the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, and so the Divine Good - His flesh in the Holy Supper being called 'the body'. His body or flesh in the Holy Supper is the Divine Good, and His blood the Divine Truth, see 1798, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3735. And since bread and wine have the same meaning as flesh and blood - that is to say, 'bread' is the Lord's Divine Good, and 'wine' His Divine Truth - bread and wine were commanded in place of flesh and blood. This is why the Lord says, 'I am the living bread; the bread which I will give is My flesh; he who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and I in him; this is the bread which came down from heaven'. 'Eating' means being communicated, being joined to, and being made one's own, see 2187, 2343, 3168, 3513 (end), 3596.

[3] The same was represented in the Jewish Church by the law that the flesh of sacrifices was to be eaten by Aaron and his sons, by those persons who brought the sacrifice, and by others who were clean; and that this flesh was holy, see Exodus 12:7-9; 29:30-34; Leviticus 7:15-21; 8:31; Deuteronomy 12:27; 16:4. That being so, if any unclean person ate some of that flesh he was to be cut off from his people, Leviticus 7:21. The fact that these sacrifices were called 'bread', see 2165, and that that sacrificial flesh was called 'holy flesh', Jeremiah 11:15; Haggai 2:12. And in Ezekiel 40:43 where the new Temple is the subject, it is called 'the flesh of the offering which is on the tables in the Lord's kingdom', by which clearly worship of the Lord in His kingdom is meant.

[4] That 'flesh' in the relative sense means the will side of man's proprium when made alive by the Lord is Divine Good is clear also from the following places: In Ezekiel,

I will give them one heart, and will put a new spirit in your midst; and I will remove the heart of stone out of their flesh and will give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26.

'The heart of stone out of their flesh' stands for a will and proprium when not made alive, 'a heart of flesh' for a will and proprium when made alive; for 'the heart' is a representative of good in the will, see 2930, 3313, 3635. In David,

O God, You are my God; in the morning I seek You. My soul thirsts for You, my flesh in a dry land longs for You, and I am weary without water. Psalms 63:1.

In the same author,

My soul longs for the courts of Jehovah; my heart and my flesh shout for joy to the living God. Psalms 84:2.

[5] In Job,

I have come to know my Redeemer; He is alive; and at the last He will rise above the dust; and afterwards these things will be encompassed by my skin, and out of my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself; and my eyes will behold, and no other. Job 19:25-27.

'Being encompassed by skin' stands for the natural, such as a person possesses after death, dealt with in 3539. 'Out of his flesh seeing God' stands for the proprium when made alive, which is why Job says, 'Whom I shall see for myself; and my eyes will behold, and no other'. Since it was well known in the ancient Churches that 'flesh' meant the proprium, and since the Book of Job is a book of the Ancient Church, 3540 (end), he accordingly followed the custom of the day and drew on meaningful signs to speak of these, as of many other matters. Those therefore who conclude from what Job said that their dead body is going to be reassembled from the four winds and is going to rise again do not know the internal sense of the Word. Those who are conversant with that sense know that they will enter the next life in a body, but in a purer one. In that life people have purer bodies, for they behold one another, talk to one another, and are endowed with each of the senses, which though like those in the physical body are now keener. The body which a person carries around on earth is designed for activities on earth and therefore consists of flesh and bones, whereas the body that a spirit carries around in the next life is designed for activities in that life and does not consist of flesh and bones but of such things as correspond to these, see 3726.

[6] That 'flesh' in the contrary sense means the will side of the human proprium which in itself is nothing but evil is clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

Every man will eat the flesh of his own arm. Isaiah 9:20.

In the same prophet,

I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh, and they will be drunk with their blood as with new wine. Isaiah 49:26.

In Jeremiah,

I will feed them with the flesh of their sons and with the flesh of their daughters, and every man will eat the flesh of his companion. Jeremiah 19:9.

In Zechariah,

Those that are left will eat, every one the flesh of another. Zechariah 11:9.

In Moses,

I will chastise you seven times for your sins, and you will eat the flesh of your sons: and the flesh of your daughters will you eat. Leviticus 26:28-29.

The will side of the human proprium, or man's own natural inclinations, is described in this way because it is nothing but evil and consequent falsity, and so hatred against every form of truth or good, that are meant by 'eating the flesh of their own arm', 'the flesh of sons and daughters', and 'the flesh of another'.

[7] In John,

I saw an angel standing in the sun, who called out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying in mid-heaven, Come and gather yourselves to the supper of the great God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and those seated on them, and the flesh of all free men and slaves, both small and great. Revelation 19:17-18; Ezekiel 39:17-20.

Anyone may see that the flesh of kings, captains, mighty men, horses and those seated on them, free men and slaves, is not meant by such expressions. 'Flesh' accordingly has another meaning which has not been known up to now. The fact that evils resulting from falsities, and evils producing falsities, are meant - which evils originate on the will side of the human proprium - is evident from each expression used here.

[8] Since falsity which springs from the understanding side of man's proprium is meant by 'blood' in the internal sense, and evil which springs from the will side of his proprium by 'flesh', the Lord speaks of the person who is to be regenerated as follows,

As many as received Him, to them He gave power to be sons of God, to those believing in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13.

For this reason 'flesh' is used to mean in general all mankind, see 574, 1050 (end). For whether you speak of man or of man's proprium it amounts to the same.

[9] That 'flesh' in the highest sense means the Lord's Divine Human is evident from the verses quoted above, as well as from the following in John,

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

It is by virtue of this flesh that all other flesh is made alive, that is, by virtue of the Lord's Divine Human, every human being is made alive, through making His love his own, which is meant by 'eating the flesh of the Son of Man', John 6:51-58, and by eating the bread in the Holy Supper - for the bread is His body or flesh, Matthew 26:26-27.

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