The Bible

 

Ιεζεκιήλ 8

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1 Και εν τω εκτω ετει, τω εκτω μηνι, τη πεμπτη του μηνος, ενω εγω εκαθημην εν τω οικω μου και οι πρεσβυτεροι του Ιουδα εκαθηντο εμπροσθεν μου, χειρ Κυριου του Θεου επεσεν εκει επ' εμε.

2 Και ειδον και ιδου, ομοιωμα ως θεα πυρος· απο της θεας της οσφυος αυτου και κατω πυρ, και απο της οσφυος αυτου και επανω ως θεα λαμψεως, ως οψις ηλεκτρου.

3 Και εξηπλωσεν ομοιωμα χειρος, και με επιασεν απο της κομης της κεφαλης μου και με υψωσε το πνευμα μεταξυ της γης και του ουρανου και με εφερε δι' οραματων Θεου εις Ιερουσαλημ, εις την θυραν της εσωτερας πυλης της βλεπουσης προς βορραν, οπου ιστατο το ειδωλον της ζηλοτυπιας, το παροξυνον εις ζηλοτυπιαν.

4 Και ιδου, η δοξα του Θεου του Ισραηλ ητο εκει, κατα το οραμα το οποιον ειδον εν τη πεδιαδι.

5 Και ειπε προς εμε, Υιε ανθρωπου, υψωσον τωρα τους οφθαλμους σου προς την οδον την προς βορραν. Και υψωσα τους οφθαλμους μου προς την οδον την προς βορραν και ιδου, κατα το βορειον μερος εν τη πυλη του θυσιαστηριου το ειδωλον τουτο της ζηλοτυπιας κατα την εισοδον.

6 Τοτε ειπε προς εμε, Υιε ανθρωπου, βλεπεις συ τι καμνουσιν ουτοι; τα μεγαλα βδελυγματα, τα οποια ο οικος Ισραηλ καμνει εδω, δια να απομακρυνθω απο των αγιων μου; πλην στρεψον ετι, θελεις ιδει μεγαλητερα βδελυγματα.

7 Και με εφερεν εις την πυλην της αυλης· και ειδον και ιδου, μια οπη εν τω τοιχω.

8 Και ειπε προς εμε, Υιε ανθρωπου, σκαψον τωρα εν τω τοιχω· και εσκαψα εν τω τοιχω και ιδου, μια θυρα.

9 Και ειπε προς εμε, Εισελθε και ιδε τα πονηρα βδελυγματα, τα οποια ουτοι καμνουσιν εδω.

10 Και εισηλθον και ειδον· και ιδου, παν ομοιωμα ερπετων και βδελυκτων ζωων και παντα τα ειδωλα του οικου Ισραηλ, εζωγραφημενα επι τον τοιχον κυκλω κυκλω.

11 Και ισταντο εμπροσθεν αυτων εβδομηκοντα ανδρες εκ των πρεσβυτερων του οικου Ισραηλ· εν μεσω δε αυτων ιστατο Ιααζανιας ο υιος του Σαφαν· και εκρατει εκαστος εν τη χειρι αυτου το θυμιατηριον αυτου· και ανεβαινε πυκνον νεφος θυμιαματος.

12 Και ειπε προς εμε, Υιε ανθρωπου, ειδες τι καμνουσιν εν τω σκοτει οι πρεσβυτεροι του οικου Ισραηλ, εκαστος εν τω κρυπτω οικηματι των εικονων αυτου; διοτι ειπον, Ο Κυριος δεν μας βλεπει· ο Κυριος εγκατελιπε την γην.

13 Και ειπε προς εμε, Στρεψον ετι· θελεις ιδει μεγαλητερα βδελυγματα, τα οποια ουτοι καμνουσι.

14 Και με εφερεν εις τα προθυρα της πυλης του οικου του Κυριου της προς βορραν, και ιδου, εκει εκαθηντο γυναικες θρηνουσαι τον Θαμμουζ.

15 Και ειπε προς εμε, Ειδες, υιε ανθρωπου; Στρεψον ετι· θελεις ιδει μεγαλητερα βδελυγματα παρα ταυτα.

16 Και με εισηγαγεν εις την εσωτεραν αυλην του οικου του Κυριου· και ιδου, εν τη θυρα του ναου του Κυριου, μεταξυ της στοας και του θυσιαστηριου, περιπου εικοσιπεντε ανδρες με τα νωτα αυτων προς τον ναον του Κυριου και τα προσωπα αυτων προς ανατολας, και προσεκυνουν τον ηλιον κατα ανατολας.

17 Και ειπε προς εμε, ειδες, υιε ανθρωπου; Μικρον ειναι τουτο εις τον οικον Ιουδα, να καμνωσι τα βδελυγματα, τα οποια ουτοι καμνουσιν ενταυθα; ωστε εγεμισαν την γην απο καταδυναστειας και εξεκλιναν δια να με παροργισωσι· και ιδου, βαλλουσι τον κλαδον εις τους μυκτηρας αυτων.

18 Και εγω λοιπον θελω φερθη μετ' οργης· ο οφθαλμος μου δεν θελει φεισθη ουδε θελω ελεησει· και οταν κραξωσιν εις τα ωτα μου μετα φωνης μεγαλης, δεν θελω εισακουσει αυτους.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #9475

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9475. 'And for the incense of spices' means for delightful perception. This is clear from the meaning of 'incense' as the things of worship that are perceived with delight, such as acts of thanksgiving, adoration, prayer, and the like; and from the meaning of 'spices' as truths of faith which are delightful because they originate in good. For sweet odours, such as spicy ones, mean that which is delightful; and whatever is delightful is such by virtue of the good made known through truths. So it is that 'the incense of spices' means the delightful perception that belongs to truth originating in good. The spices which went into the making of that incense are listed, and the preparation of it is described in the following words,

Take for yourself spices, stacte and onycha and galbanum - [these] spices, and pure frankincense. You shall make them an incense, salted, pure, holy. You shall beat some of it very small, and put some of it before the Testimony in the tent of meeting. Most holy 1 shall it be to you. The incense shall be to you holy for Jehovah. Exodus 30:34-38.

The altar of incense, along with the incense itself, is described as follows,

You shall make an altar for burning incense. You shall overlay it with pure gold. You shall put it before the veil that is over the ark of the Testimony before the mercy-seat, that Aaron may burn on it spicy incense every morning; when he trims the lamps he shall burn it, and between the evenings. Exodus 30:1-10; 37:25-end; 40:26-27.

And elsewhere,

When Aaron comes into the Holy Place he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire 2 from upon the altar, with his hands full of spicy incense beaten fine. 3 Then he shall bring it inside the veil, in order that he may put the incense onto the fire before Jehovah, and the cloud of incense may cover the mercy-seat which is over the Testimony. Leviticus 16:12-13.

[2] Since 'incense' meant acts of worship such as had their origin in good made known through truths, as do all expressions of faith that have their origin in the good of love, the fire was taken from the altar; for the fire on the altar meant the good of God's love, 934, 4906, 5071 (end), 5215, 6314, 6832, 6834, 6849, 7324, 7852. On this account when fire had been taken from any other source they were struck down by a plague and died, Leviticus 10:1-2ff; Numbers 16:45-48; for fire from any other source, or 'foreign fire', meant love that was not God's.

[3] The fact that expressions of faith having their origin in the good of love and charity, for example thanksgivings, acts of adoration, and prayers, are meant by 'incense' is clear in David,

My prayers are acceptable, [as] incense before You. Psalms 141:2.

In John,

The four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. Revelation 5:8.

In the same book,

An angel holding a golden censer ... And much incense was given to him, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. The smoke of the incense went up from the prayers of the saints. Revelation 8:3-4.

[4] The reason why such expressions of faith are meant by 'incense' is that they are matters of thought and consequently of the lips. But matters of affection and consequently of the heart are meant by 'the minchah' in Malachi 1:11, where it says that from the rising of the sun even to its setting Jehovah's name will be great among the nations, and 'in every place incense has been offered to My name, and a pure minchah'; and the same things are meant by 'the burnt offering' in Moses,

The sons of Levi will teach Jacob Your judgements and Israel Your law. They will put incense in Your nose, and burnt offering on Your altar. Deuteronomy 33:10.

'Incense' in these places stands for such things as are matters of thought and the lips and have regard to the truths of faith; 'minchah' and 'burnt offering' stand for such things as are matters of affection and the heart and have regard to forms of the good of love. All this being so, in the contrary sense worship arising from falsities of faith is meant by burning incense to other gods, Jeremiah 1:16; 44:3, 5; burning incense to idols, Ezekiel 8:11; 16:18; and burning incense to the baalim, Hosea 2:13.

Footnotes:

1. literally, The holy thing of holy things

2. literally, the fullness of a censer, burning coals of fire

3. literally, the fullness of his fists, spicy incense [beaten] fine

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