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Genesis 8

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1 καὶ ἐμνήσθη ὁ θεὸς τοῦ νωε καὶ πάντων τῶν θηρίων καὶ πάντων τῶν κτηνῶν καὶ πάντων τῶν πετεινῶν καὶ πάντων τῶν ἑρπετῶν ὅσα ἦν μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ κιβωτῷ καὶ ἐπήγαγεν ὁ θεὸς πνεῦμα ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ ἐκόπασεν τὸ ὕδωρ

2 καὶ ἐπεκαλύφθησαν αἱ πηγαὶ τῆς ἀβύσσου καὶ οἱ καταρράκται τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ συνεσχέθη ὁ ὑετὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ

3 καὶ ἐνεδίδου τὸ ὕδωρ πορευόμενον ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐνεδίδου καὶ ἠλαττονοῦτο τὸ ὕδωρ μετὰ πεντήκοντα καὶ ἑκατὸν ἡμέρας

4 καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἡ κιβωτὸς ἐν μηνὶ τῷ ἑβδόμῳ ἑβδόμῃ καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ μηνός ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη τὰ αραρατ

5 τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ πορευόμενον ἠλαττονοῦτο ἕως τοῦ δεκάτου μηνός ἐν δὲ τῷ ἑνδεκάτῳ μηνί τῇ πρώτῃ τοῦ μηνός ὤφθησαν αἱ κεφαλαὶ τῶν ὀρέων

6 καὶ ἐγένετο μετὰ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας ἠνέῳξεν νωε τὴν θυρίδα τῆς κιβωτοῦ ἣν ἐποίησεν

7 καὶ ἀπέστειλεν τὸν κόρακα τοῦ ἰδεῖν εἰ κεκόπακεν τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ ἐξελθὼν οὐχ ὑπέστρεψεν ἕως τοῦ ξηρανθῆναι τὸ ὕδωρ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς

8 καὶ ἀπέστειλεν τὴν περιστερὰν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ ἰδεῖν εἰ κεκόπακεν τὸ ὕδωρ ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς

9 καὶ οὐχ εὑροῦσα ἡ περιστερὰ ἀνάπαυσιν τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτῆς ὑπέστρεψεν πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν κιβωτόν ὅτι ὕδωρ ἦν ἐπὶ παντὶ προσώπῳ πάσης τῆς γῆς καὶ ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἔλαβεν αὐτὴν καὶ εἰσήγαγεν αὐτὴν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὴν κιβωτόν

10 καὶ ἐπισχὼν ἔτι ἡμέρας ἑπτὰ ἑτέρας πάλιν ἐξαπέστειλεν τὴν περιστερὰν ἐκ τῆς κιβωτοῦ

11 καὶ ἀνέστρεψεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ περιστερὰ τὸ πρὸς ἑσπέραν καὶ εἶχεν φύλλον ἐλαίας κάρφος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῆς καὶ ἔγνω νωε ὅτι κεκόπακεν τὸ ὕδωρ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς

12 καὶ ἐπισχὼν ἔτι ἡμέρας ἑπτὰ ἑτέρας πάλιν ἐξαπέστειλεν τὴν περιστεράν καὶ οὐ προσέθετο τοῦ ἐπιστρέψαι πρὸς αὐτὸν ἔτι

13 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ καὶ ἑξακοσιοστῷ ἔτει ἐν τῇ ζωῇ τοῦ νωε τοῦ πρώτου μηνός μιᾷ τοῦ μηνός ἐξέλιπεν τὸ ὕδωρ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ ἀπεκάλυψεν νωε τὴν στέγην τῆς κιβωτοῦ ἣν ἐποίησεν καὶ εἶδεν ὅτι ἐξέλιπεν τὸ ὕδωρ ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς

14 ἐν δὲ τῷ μηνὶ τῷ δευτέρῳ ἑβδόμῃ καὶ εἰκάδι τοῦ μηνός ἐξηράνθη ἡ γῆ

15 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τῷ νωε λέγων

16 ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς κιβωτοῦ σὺ καὶ ἡ γυνή σου καὶ οἱ υἱοί σου καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τῶν υἱῶν σου μετὰ σοῦ

17 καὶ πάντα τὰ θηρία ὅσα ἐστὶν μετὰ σοῦ καὶ πᾶσα σὰρξ ἀπὸ πετεινῶν ἕως κτηνῶν καὶ πᾶν ἑρπετὸν κινούμενον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἐξάγαγε μετὰ σεαυτοῦ καὶ αὐξάνεσθε καὶ πληθύνεσθε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς

18 καὶ ἐξῆλθεν νωε καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τῶν υἱῶν αὐτοῦ μετ' αὐτοῦ

19 καὶ πάντα τὰ θηρία καὶ πάντα τὰ κτήνη καὶ πᾶν πετεινὸν καὶ πᾶν ἑρπετὸν κινούμενον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κατὰ γένος αὐτῶν ἐξήλθοσαν ἐκ τῆς κιβωτοῦ

20 καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν νωε θυσιαστήριον τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἔλαβεν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν κτηνῶν τῶν καθαρῶν καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν πετεινῶν τῶν καθαρῶν καὶ ἀνήνεγκεν ὁλοκαρπώσεις ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον

21 καὶ ὠσφράνθη κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας καὶ εἶπεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς διανοηθείς οὐ προσθήσω ἔτι τοῦ καταράσασθαι τὴν γῆν διὰ τὰ ἔργα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὅτι ἔγκειται ἡ διάνοια τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐπιμελῶς ἐπὶ τὰ πονηρὰ ἐκ νεότητος οὐ προσθήσω οὖν ἔτι πατάξαι πᾶσαν σάρκα ζῶσαν καθὼς ἐποίησα

22 πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς γῆς σπέρμα καὶ θερισμός ψῦχος καὶ καῦμα θέρος καὶ ἔαρ ἡμέραν καὶ νύκτα οὐ καταπαύσουσιν

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #916

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916. 'Every wild animal and every creeping thing means his goods, 'wild animal' goods belonging to the internal man, 'creeping things' goods belonging to the external, while 'every bird, and everything creeping over the earth' means truths, 'bird' truths belonging to the internal man, creeping thing over the earth' truths belonging to the external. This becomes clear from what has been stated and shown in the previous verse about 'wild animals', 'birds', and 'creeping things that creep'. That verse mentions 'creeping thing that creeps', for the two phrases -'creeping thing' and 'that which creeps' - meant both the good and the truth belonging to the external man. Since this verse forms a conclusion to what goes before it, these attributes of the Church, namely its truths and goods, are added. These also indicate the character of the Church, namely that it was a spiritual one, and that having become spiritual it was a Church where charity or good was the chief thing. This is why 'wild animal and creeping thing' are here mentioned first, and 'bird' and 'that which creeps' after that.

[2] It is called a spiritual Church when its actions spring from charity, that is, from the good of charity, but never when it claims to have faith independently of charity. In that case it is not even a Church. For what does faith teach but that which charity teaches? And what other purpose does the teaching of faith have but that what it teaches may be practised? Merely knowing and thinking what it teaches is ineffectual. It is only the practice of what it teaches that is effectual. Consequently the spiritual Church starts to be a Church, or what amounts to the same, the member of the Church starts to be a Church, when its actions spring from charity, the substance of what faith teaches. What is the purpose of a commandment? Not merely that a person may know but that he may live according to what is commanded. And when he does so he has the Lord's kingdom within him, for the Lord's kingdom consists solely in mutual love and resulting happiness.

[3] People who separate faith from charity and place salvation in faith apart from the good works of charity are 'Cainites' who slay brother Abel, that is, charity. They are like birds hovering around a corpse, for that kind of faith is like a bird, and a person devoid of charity like a corpse. And as is very well known in the Christian world they also acquire a false (spuria) conscience to the effect that they may live as the devil does, may hate and harass the neighbour, may go on committing adultery all through life, and nevertheless be saved. What can sound sweeter to a person's ears and more persuasive than the suggestion that he is able to be saved even though he lives like an utter brute? Even gentiles perceive that this is a falsehood, many of whom on seeing the way Christians live find their teaching abhorrent. This is clear also from the fact that nowhere else is the way people live more despicable than in the Christian world.

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

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