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Genesi 11

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1 Or tutta la terra parlava la stessa lingua e usava le stesse parole.

2 E avvenne che, essendo partiti verso l’Oriente, gli uomini trovarono una pianura nel paese di Scinear, e quivi si stanziarono.

3 E dissero l’uno all’altro: "Orsù, facciamo dei mattoni e cociamoli col fuoco!" E si valsero di mattoni invece di pietre, e di bitume invece di calcina.

4 E dissero: "Orsù, edifichiamoci una città ed una torre di cui la cima giunga fino al cielo, e acquistiamoci fama, onde non siamo dispersi sulla faccia di tutta la terra".

5 E l’Eterno discese per vedere la città e la torre che i figliuoli degli uomini edificavano.

6 E l’Eterno disse: "Ecco, essi sono un solo popolo e hanno tutti il medesimo linguaggio; e questo è il principio del loro lavoro; ora nulla li impedirà di condurre a termine ciò che disegnano di fare.

7 Orsù, scendiamo e confondiamo quivi il loro linguaggio, sicché l’uno non capisca il parlare dell’altro!"

8 Così l’Eterno li disperse di la sulla faccia di tutta la terra, ed essi cessarono di edificare la città.

9 Perciò a questa fu dato il nome di Babel perché l’Eterno confuse quivi il linguaggio di tutta la terra, e di la l’Eterno li disperse sulla faccia di tutta la terra.

10 Questa è la posterità di Sem. Sem, all’età di cent’anni, generò Arpacshad, due anni dopo il diluvio.

11 E Sem, dopo ch’ebbe generato Arpacshad, visse cinquecento anni e generò figliuoli e figliuole.

12 Arpacshad visse trentacinque anni e generò Scelah; e Arpacshad, dopo aver generato Scelah,

13 visse quattrocento anni e generò figliuoli e figliuole.

14 Scelah visse trent’anni e generò Eber;

15 e Scelah, dopo aver generato Eber, visse quattrocentotre anni e generò figliuoli e figliuole.

16 Eber visse trentaquattro anni e generò Peleg;

17 ed Eber, dopo aver generato Peleg, visse quattrocento trenta anni e generò figliuoli e figliuole.

18 Peleg visse trent’anni e generò Reu;

19 e Peleg, dopo aver generato Reu, visse duecentonove anni e generò figliuoli e figliuole.

20 Reu visse trentadue anni e generò Serug;

21 e Reu, dopo aver generato Serug, visse duecentosette anni e generò figliuoli e figliuole.

22 Serug visse trent’anni e generò Nahor;

23 e Serug, dopo aver generato Nahor, visse duecento anni e generò figliuoli e figliuole.

24 Nahor visse ventinove anni e generò Terah;

25 e Nahor, dopo aver generato Terah, visse centodiciannove anni e generò figliuoli e figliuole.

26 Terah visse settant’anni e generò Abramo, Nahor e Haran.

27 E questa è la posterità di Terah. Terah generò Abramo, Nahor e Haran; e Haran generò Lot.

28 Haran morì in presenza di Terah suo padre, nel suo paese nativo, in Ur de’ Caldei.

29 E Abramo e Nahor si presero delle mogli; il nome della moglie d’Abramo era Sarai; e il nome della moglie di Nahor, Milca, ch’era figliuola di Haran, padre di Milca e padre di Isca.

30 E Sarai era sterile; non aveva figliuoli.

31 E Terah prese Abramo, suo figliuolo, e Lot, figliuolo di Haran, cioè figliuolo del suo figliuolo, e Sarai sua nuora, moglie d’Abramo suo figliuolo, e uscirono insieme da Ur de’ Caldei per andare nel paese di Canaan; e, giunti a Charan, dimorarono quivi.

32 E il tempo che Terah visse fu duecentocinque anni; poi Terah morì in Charan.

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #121

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121. (iii) THE LORD THUS REDEEMED NOT ONLY MEN, BUT ALSO ANGELS.

This follows from the statement in the previous section that without the Lord's redemption neither could the angels have continued to exist. To the reasons given above the following may be added.

(1) At the time of the Lord's first coming the hells had grown to such a height that they filled the whole world of spirits, which lies midway between heaven and hell. Thus the hells had not only thrown into confusion what is called the lowest heaven, but they had even attacked the middle heaven, which was being plagued in a thousand different ways, and but for the Lord's protection would have been destroyed. Such an assault by the hells is what is meant by the tower built in the land of Shinar, the top of which reached to heaven. This attempt was stopped by the confusion of tongues, and its builders were scattered; the city was called Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) The meaning of the tower there and the confusion of tongues has been explained in ARCANA CAELESTIA, published in London. 1

[2] The reason why the hells had grown to such a height was that at the time when the Lord came into the world, the whole globe had utterly alienated itself from God by the worship of idols and the practice of magic; and the church established among the Children of Israel, and at a later period among the Jews, had been totally destroyed by falsifying and adulterating the Word. All of both these parties came after death into the world of spirits, where they ended by so growing and multiplying that they could not be dislodged from there except by God Himself coming down, and then using the strength of His Divine arm. A description of how this took place was given in the short book THE LAST JUDGMENT published in London in 1758. This event was accomplished by the Lord during His time on earth. A similar act has been performed by the Lord at the present time, since, as stated above, now is His second coming, foretold throughout Revelation, in Matthew (24:3, 30), in Mark (13:26), in Luke (21:27), in the Acts of the Apostles (1:11) and elsewhere. The difference is that at His first coming the growth of the hells was due to worshippers of idols, sorcerers and falsifiers of the Word, but at His second coming it was due to the so-called Christians, both those who had been tainted with nature-worship and those who had falsified the Word by convincing themselves of their fictitious faith in three Divine Persons from eternity, and the Lord's passion as being the real act of redemption. These are the people meant by 'the dragon and his two beasts' in Revelation (chapters 12-13).

[3] (2) The second reason why the Lord redeemed the angels too is that not only every man, but also every angel, is held back from evil by the Lord and kept in a state of good. For no one, whether angel or man, is of himself in a state of good, but all good is from the Lord. Thus when the angels' footstool, which they have in the world of spirits, was snatched away, they suffered the same as someone sitting on a chair when the platform it stands on is removed. The angels are not pure in the sight of God, as is shown by the prophetical parts of the Word, and also from Job, as well as from the fact that there is no angel who was not previously a man. These statements confirm what was said in the statement of faith of the new heaven and the new church set out both in universal and particular terms placed at the beginning of this book:

The Lord came into the world to take hell away from men, and He did this by fighting against hell and winning victories over it. In this way He subdued it and made it subject to His command.

Also the following passage:

Jehovah God came down and took upon Himself human form so as to reduce to order everything in heaven, [in hell] and in the church. For at that time the power of the devil, that is, of hell, was stronger than the power of heaven, and on earth the power of evil was stronger than the power of good, so that utter damnation stood threateningly at the gates. This impending damnation was removed by Jehovah God by means of His Human, and thus He redeemed angels and men.

These passages show that without the Lord's coming no one could have been saved. The situation to-day is similar. So unless the Lord comes into the world again, no more can anyone be saved (see above2-3).

Footnotes:

1. Volume 1 (1749), 1283-1328.

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

From Swedenborg's Works

 

True Christian Religion #2

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2. THE FAITH OF THE NEW HEAVEN AND THE NEW CHURCH IS IN UNIVERSAL TERMS AS FOLLOWS. 1

The Lord from eternity, who is Jehovah, came into the world to subdue the hells and to glorify His Human. Without this no mortal could have been saved, and those are saved who believe in Him.

[2] The expression 'in universal terms' is used because this is a universal point of faith, and a universal point of faith must be contained in all its particulars. It is a universal point of faith that God is one in essence and in person, in whom is the Divine Trinity, and that He is the Lord God the Saviour Jesus Christ. It is a universal point of faith that no mortal could have been saved, if the Lord had not come into the world. It is a universal point of faith that He came into the world to take hell away from men, and He did this by fighting against hell and winning victories over it. In this way He subdued it and reduced it to order, and made it subject to His command. It is a universal point of faith that He came into the world to glorify the Human which He assumed in the world, that is, to unite it with the originating Divinity. By this means He keeps hell for ever in order and subject to His command. Since this could only be achieved by means of temptations experienced in His Human, even to the most extreme, His passion on the cross, He underwent this. These are the universal matters of faith concerning the Lord.

[3] It is a universal point of faith on the part of man to believe in the Lord; for this belief links him to the Lord, and this is the way to salvation. Believing in Him means having confidence that He is the Saviour; and since only those who lead good lives can have such confidence, this too is meant by believing in Him. The Lord says this in John's gospel:

This is the will of the Father, that everyone who believes in the Son should have everlasting life, John 6:40.

and elsewhere:

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life. He who does not believe in the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him, John 3:36.

Footnotes:

1. This passage is repeated with minor changes from Doctrine of Faith 34, Apocalypse Revealed 67, Brief Exposition 116.

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