477. 'Man' is the Most Ancient Church. This has been stated and shown quite often already, for in the highest sense the Lord Himself alone is Man. From this the celestial Church, being the likeness of Him, is referred to as 'Man', and then from this the spiritual Church is so called because it was an image of Him. But in a general sense everyone is called man who has human understanding, for a person is man, one person more so than the next, by virtue of his understanding. Nevertheless one person ought to be distinguished from the next according to faith inherent in love to the Lord.

[2] The Most Ancient Church, and every true Church, and so people who belong to the Church, that is, who do so by virtue of love to the Lord and of faith in Him, are pre-eminently called 'Man'. This is clear from the Word, as in Ezekiel,

I will cause man to multiply upon you, the whole house of Israel, all of it. I will cause man and beast to multiply upon you so that they multiply and are fruitful, and I will resettle you ¹ to be as in your ancient times, and I will do more good than in your early days. I will cause man to walk upon you, even My people Israel. Ezekiel 36:10-12.

Here the Most Ancient Church is meant by 'earliest times', the Ancient Churches by 'early days', and the Primitive Church, or Church among gentiles, by 'the house of Israel' and 'the people of Israel', all of which Churches are called Man.

[3] In Moses,

Remember the days of old, understand the years of generation after generation. When the Most High gave to the nations an inheritance, when He separated the sons of man, He fixed the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. Deuteronomy 32:7-8.

Here the Most Ancient Church is meant by 'the days of old' and the Ancient Churches by 'generation after generation'. Those people are called 'sons of man' whose faith was in the Lord, which faith is 'the number of the sons of Israel'. A regenerate person is called 'man' in Jeremiah,

I looked to the earth, and behold, a void and an emptiness, and at the heavens, and they had no light. I looked, and behold, there was no man, and all the birds of the air' had flown away. Jeremiah 4:23, 25.

Here 'earth' stands for the external man, 'heaven' for the internal man; 'man' stands for a love of good, and 'the birds of the air' ² for an understanding of truth.

[4] In the same prophet,

Behold, the days are coming when I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the seed of man and the seed of beast. Jeremiah 31:27.

Here 'man' stands for the internal man, 'beast' for the external man. In Isaiah,

Turn yourselves away from the man in whose nostrils there is breath, ² for of what account is he? Isaiah 2:22.

'Man' stands for the member of the Church. In the same prophet,

Jehovah will remove man far away, and there will be many forsaken places in the midst of the land. Isaiah 6:12.

This refers to the vastation of man, so that good and truth are no more. In the same prophet,

The inhabitants of the land will be scorched and few men (homo) left. Isaiah 14:6.

Here 'men' (homo) stands for people who have faith. In the same prophet,

The highways have been laid waste, the wayfarer has ceased. He has made the covenant worthless, despised cities, had no regard for man; the land mourns and languishes. Isaiah 33:8-9.

This stands for the man who in Hebrew is Enosh. In the same prophet,

I will make a man (homo) more precious than pure gold, and a man (homo) than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will jolt heaven, and the earth will be shaken out of its place. Isaiah 13:12-13.

The first reference to 'a man' here is Enosh, but the second is Adam.

Footnotes:

658. Their bodies three days and a half, signifies the complete extinction of Divine truth and of Divine good. ¹ This is evident from the signification of "bodies" (that is, of the "witnesses"), as being those who have extinguished with themselves all Divine truth and Divine good; for "the two witnesses," whom they killed, signify the goods of love and charity and the truths of doctrine and faith (See above, n. 228, 635); consequently "their bodies when killed" signify that these have been extinguished; but because the good of love and charity and the truth of doctrine and faith can be extinguished only with those who are in falsities of doctrine and in evils of life, these are meant, since others do not see that the goods of love and the truths of doctrine are extinguished; for everyone sees the things that are of the Lord, and thus of heaven and the church, according to what his state is, since from that he sees; consequently he can see no otherwise than in accord with what that is. Thus he who denies the Lord and His Divine in heaven and in the church sees them not, because he sees from the negative; therefore such a one does not see the witnesses alive, but their bodies as carcasses, that is, the goods of love and the truths of doctrine as no truths and goods, consequently as extinguished. The above is evident also from the signification of "three days and a half," as meaning what is complete, here complete extinction.

[2] "Three and a half" means completeness, because "three" signifies an entire period or duration from beginning to end, consequently where the church is treated of, as here, "three and a half" signifies even to the end, and at the same time to a new beginning of it; therefore it is added "after three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them and they stood upon their (Luke 4:25) feet," which signifies the beginning of a New Church after the end of the old. For at the end of the church all the good of love and the truth of doctrine is extinguished, but then there is a resuscitation, which is effected with those with whom a New Church is established by the Lord, and this is signified by "the spirit of life" that entered into them. "Three days and a half" signifies a complete or full state for this reason also, that this number has a similar signification as the number "seven," for it is half of it, and a number halved, or a number doubled, has a similar signification as the number that is halved or doubled; and the number "seven" signifies all, likewise what is full and complete, and is predicated of what is holy pertaining to heaven and the church. Respecting the signification of this number see above (n. 20, 24, 257, 300). That the greater numbers that are composed of smaller ones have a similar signification as the simple numbers from which they arise by multiplication, may be also seen above (n. 430); and that "three" signifies an entire period greater or less from beginning to end (above, n. 532).

Footnotes: