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Daniel 7

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1 ἔτους πρώτου βασιλεύοντος βαλτασαρ χώρας βαβυλωνίας δανιηλ ὅραμα εἶδε παρὰ κεφαλὴν ἐπὶ τῆς κοίτης αὐτοῦ τότε δανιηλ τὸ ὅραμα ὃ εἶδεν ἔγραψεν εἰς κεφάλαια λόγων

2 ἐπὶ τῆς κοίτης μου ἐθεώρουν καθ' ὕπνους νυκτὸς καὶ ἰδοὺ τέσσαρες ἄνεμοι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐνέπεσον εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν τὴν μεγάλην

3 καὶ τέσσαρα θηρία ἀνέβαινον ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης διαφέροντα ἓν παρὰ τὸ ἕν

4 τὸ πρῶτον ὡσεὶ λέαινα ἔχουσα πτερὰ ὡσεὶ ἀετοῦ ἐθεώρουν ἕως ὅτου ἐτίλη τὰ πτερὰ αὐτῆς καὶ ἤρθη ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐπὶ ποδῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἐστάθη καὶ ἀνθρωπίνη καρδία ἐδόθη αὐτῇ

5 καὶ ἰδοὺ μετ' αὐτὴν ἄλλο θηρίον ὁμοίωσιν ἔχον ἄρκου καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἑνὸς πλευροῦ ἐστάθη καὶ τρία πλευρὰ ἦν ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῆς καὶ οὕτως εἶπεν ἀνάστα κατάφαγε σάρκας πολλάς

6 καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐθεώρουν θηρίον ἄλλο ὡσεὶ πάρδαλιν καὶ πτερὰ τέσσαρα ἐπέτεινον ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ καὶ τέσσαρες κεφαλαὶ τῷ θηρίῳ καὶ γλῶσσα ἐδόθη αὐτῷ

7 μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐθεώρουν ἐν ὁράματι τῆς νυκτὸς θηρίον τέταρτον φοβερόν καὶ ὁ φόβος αὐτοῦ ὑπερφέρων ἰσχύι ἔχον ὀδόντας σιδηροῦς μεγάλους ἐσθίον καὶ κοπανίζον κύκλῳ τοῖς ποσὶ καταπατοῦν διαφόρως χρώμενον παρὰ πάντα τὰ πρὸ αὐτού θηρία εἶχε δὲ κέρατα δέκα

8 καὶ βουλαὶ πολλαὶ ἐν τοῖς κέρασιν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄλλο ἓν κέρας ἀνεφύη ἀνὰ μέσον αὐτῶν μικρὸν ἐν τοῖς κέρασιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τρία τῶν κεράτων τῶν πρώτων ἐξηράνθησαν δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἰδοὺ ὀφθαλμοὶ ὥσπερ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἀνθρώπινοι ἐν τῷ κέρατι τούτῳ καὶ στόμα λαλοῦν μεγάλα καὶ ἐποίει πόλεμον πρὸς τοὺς ἁγίους

9 ἐθεώρουν ἕως ὅτε θρόνοι ἐτέθησαν καὶ παλαιὸς ἡμερῶν ἐκάθητο ἔχων περιβολὴν ὡσεὶ χιόνα καὶ τὸ τρίχωμα τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ ἔριον λευκὸν καθαρόν ὁ θρόνος ὡσεὶ φλὸξ πυρός

10 καὶ ἐξεπορεύετο κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ποταμὸς πυρός χίλιαι χιλιάδες ἐθεράπευον αὐτὸν καὶ μύριαι μυριάδες παρειστήκεισαν αὐτῷ καὶ κριτήριον ἐκάθισε καὶ βίβλοι ἠνεῴχθησαν

11 ἐθεώρουν τότε τὴν φωνὴν τῶν λόγων τῶν μεγάλων ὧν τὸ κέρας ἐλάλει καὶ ἀπετυμπανίσθη τὸ θηρίον καὶ ἀπώλετο τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐδόθη εἰς καῦσιν πυρός

12 καὶ τοὺς κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ ἀπέστησε τῆς ἐξουσίας αὐτῶν καὶ χρόνος ζωῆς ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἕως χρόνου καὶ καιροῦ

13 ἐθεώρουν ἐν ὁράματι τῆς νυκτὸς καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ὡς υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἤρχετο καὶ ὡς παλαιὸς ἡμερῶν παρῆν καὶ οἱ παρεστηκότες παρῆσαν αὐτῷ

14 καὶ ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξουσία καὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη τῆς γῆς κατὰ γένη καὶ πᾶσα δόξα αὐτῷ λατρεύουσα καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτοῦ ἐξουσία αἰώνιος ἥτις οὐ μὴ ἀρθῇ καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ ἥτις οὐ μὴ φθαρῇ

15 καὶ ἀκηδιάσας ἐγὼ δανιηλ ἐν τούτοις ἐν τῷ ὁράματι τῆς νυκτὸς

16 προσῆλθον πρὸς ἕνα τῶν ἑστώτων καὶ τὴν ἀκρίβειαν ἐζήτουν παρ' αὐτοῦ ὑπὲρ πάντων τούτων ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ λέγει μοι καὶ τὴν κρίσιν τῶν λόγων ἐδήλωσέ μοι

17 ταῦτα τὰ θηρία τὰ μεγάλα εἰσὶ τέσσαρες βασιλεῖαι αἳ ἀπολοῦνται ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς

18 καὶ παραλήψονται τὴν βασιλείαν ἅγιοι ὑψίστου καὶ καθέξουσι τὴν βασιλείαν ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος τῶν αἰώνων

19 τότε ἤθελον ἐξακριβάσασθαι περὶ τοῦ θηρίου τοῦ τετάρτου τοῦ διαφθείροντος πάντα καὶ ὑπερφόβου καὶ ἰδοὺ οἱ ὀδόντες αὐτοῦ σιδηροῖ καὶ οἱ ὄνυχες αὐτοῦ χαλκοῖ κατεσθίοντες πάντας κυκλόθεν καὶ καταπατοῦντες τοῖς ποσί

20 καὶ περὶ τῶν δέκα κεράτων αὐτοῦ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς καὶ τοῦ ἑνὸς τοῦ ἄλλου τοῦ προσφυέντος καὶ ἐξέπεσαν δι' αὐτοῦ τρία καὶ τὸ κέρας ἐκεῖνο εἶχεν ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ στόμα λαλοῦν μεγάλα καὶ ἡ πρόσοψις αὐτοῦ ὑπερέφερε τὰ ἄλλα

21 καὶ κατενόουν τὸ κέρας ἐκεῖνο πόλεμον συνιστάμενον πρὸς τοὺς ἁγίους καὶ τροπούμενον αὐτοὺς

22 ἕως τοῦ ἐλθεῖν τὸν παλαιὸν ἡμερῶν καὶ τὴν κρίσιν ἔδωκε τοῖς ἁγίοις τοῦ ὑψίστου καὶ ὁ καιρὸς ἐδόθη καὶ τὸ βασίλειον κατέσχον οἱ ἅγιοι

23 καὶ ἐρρέθη μοι περὶ τοῦ θηρίου τοῦ τετάρτου ὅτι βασιλεία τετάρτη ἔσται ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἥτις διοίσει παρὰ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν καὶ ἀναστατώσει αὐτὴν καὶ καταλεανεῖ αὐτήν

24 καὶ τὰ δέκα κέρατα τῆς βασιλείας δέκα βασιλεῖς στήσονται καὶ ὁ ἄλλος βασιλεὺς μετὰ τούτους στήσεται καὶ αὐτὸς διοίσει κακοῖς ὑπὲρ τοὺς πρώτους καὶ τρεῖς βασιλεῖς ταπεινώσει

25 καὶ ῥήματα εἰς τὸν ὕψιστον λαλήσει καὶ τοὺς ἁγίους τοῦ ὑψίστου κατατρίψει καὶ προσδέξεται ἀλλοιῶσαι καιροὺς καὶ νόμον καὶ παραδοθήσεται πάντα εἰς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ ἕως καιροῦ καὶ καιρῶν καὶ ἕως ἡμίσους καιροῦ

26 καὶ ἡ κρίσις καθίσεται καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἀπολοῦσι καὶ βουλεύσονται μιᾶναι καὶ ἀπολέσαι ἕως τέλους

27 καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὴν ἐξουσίαν καὶ τὴν μεγαλειότητα αὐτῶν καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν πασῶν τῶν ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸν βασιλειῶν ἔδωκε λαῷ ἁγίῳ ὑψίστου βασιλεῦσαι βασιλείαν αἰώνιον καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ἐξουσίαι αὐτῷ ὑποταγήσονται καὶ πειθαρχήσουσιν αὐτῷ

28 ἕως καταστροφῆς τοῦ λόγου ἐγὼ δανιηλ σφόδρα ἐκστάσει περιειχόμην καὶ ἡ ἕξις μου διήνεγκεν ἐμοί καὶ τὸ ῥῆμα ἐν καρδίᾳ μου ἐστήριξα

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #8459

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8459. 'Tiny like hoar frost on the earth' means truth in the form of good - uninterrupted and flowing. This is clear from the meaning of 'tiny' as a word having reference to truth, dealt with immediately above; and from the meaning of 'like hoar frost' as in the form of good. The good of truth, the good existing with a member of the spiritual Church, 8458, is compared to hoar frost because it forms more of a continuous sheet than snow. Consisting of tiny white flakes snow has reference to truth, while hoar frost, being the nearest thing to it, has reference to truth that has become good, which is the good of truth. The use of 'snow' to refer to truth is evident from the following places: In Mark,

When Jesus was transfigured His clothes became glistening, intensely white like snow. Mark 9:3.

In Matthew,

The angel 1 at the tomb - his appearance was like lightning, and his garment white as snow. Matthew 28:2-3.

In John,

I saw in the midst of the seven lampstands one like the Son of Man. His head and hair were white, like white wool, like snow. Revelation 1:13-14.

In Jeremiah, The Nazirites were brighter than snow, they were whiter than milk. Lamentations 4:7.

In David,

You will purge me with hyssop and I shall become clean, You will wash me and I shall be made whiter than snow. Psalms 51:7.

In Daniel,

I saw, until thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days was seated. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head like pure wool. Daniel 7:9.

In these places 'snow' has reference to truth because of its whiteness, with which clothes are compared because 'clothes' in the spiritual sense are truths, 4545, 4763, 5248, 5319, 5954, 6914, 6917, 6918. From all this it is evident what 'hoar frost' means, namely truth in the form of good. Truth in the form of good is said to be uninterrupted and flowing because truth is a form that holds good, and good is the life and so to speak soul within that form.

Footnotes:

1. Reading Angelus (The angel), which Swedenborg possibly has in his rough draft, for Angelis (To the angels)

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

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