401. Internal Meaning of The Historical Parts of the Word

The Historical parts of the Word, like the prophetical parts, contain a spiritual sense within themselves, in which there is nothing Historical of the world, as in the sense of the letter, but there are heavenly things which relate to the church, and in the highest sense to the Lord, just like the prophetical parts. The Historical parts there are representative, and all the senses with their expressions are correspondences.

It ought to be known, that all the churches, down to the Coming of the Lord, were representative churches; they represented the church, and in the highest sense, the Lord; it is from this that the Word is spiritual and Divine. But the representative churches ceased when the Lord came into the world, because all things of the Word, those that are prophetical, as also those that are Historical, signified and represented Him and this is why the Lord is called the Word.

There were three notable changes of the representative churches: the first, which was before the flood, shall be called the Most Ancient Church; the second, which was after the flood, the Ancient Church; and the third, which followed the Ancient, the Israelitish and Jewish church. (2)

The Most Ancient Church is described briefly by Adam and His posterity; the Ancient Church, by Noah and His posterity; and the Israelitish and Jewish church by the Historical portions of the Word.

The former churches are described in like manner, but by more interior correspondences, in the Word that is mentioned by Moses; but this Word has been effaced, and in its place the Word was given that exists at the present day.

The church that followed these three is the Christian church, which church is internal, differing from the Jewish church as a moonlight night differs from a dark night. But as this church has come to its end, by the accomplishment of the last judgment, a new church is now being instituted by the Lord, which is called, in Revelation, the new Jerusalem, to which the things that are being published by me at the present day will be of service; it is also being instituted elsewhere. (1)

The Historical parts of the Word involve in a summary the things that follow.

3664. 'Go to Paddan Aram' means the cognitions of such truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'Aram' or Syria as cognitions, dealt with in 1232, 1234, 3249. The reason 'Paddan Aram' means cognitions of truth is that it was situated in Syria of the [Two] Rivers, where Nahor, Bethuel, and Laban lived; for 'Syria' means the cognitions of truth, see 3051. Paddan Aram has also been referred to previously in 25:20, and is mentioned again in 31:18 below; and in those places too it means cognitions of truth.