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Ezekiel 19

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1 και συ λαβε θρηνον επι τον αρχοντα του ισραηλ

2 και ερεις τι η μητηρ σου σκυμνος εν μεσω λεοντων εγενηθη εν μεσω λεοντων επληθυνεν σκυμνους αυτης

3 και απεπηδησεν εις των σκυμνων αυτης λεων εγενετο και εμαθεν του αρπαζειν αρπαγματα ανθρωπους εφαγεν

4 και ηκουσαν κατ' αυτου εθνη εν τη διαφθορα αυτων συνελημφθη και ηγαγον αυτον εν κημω εις γην αιγυπτου

5 και ειδεν οτι απωσται απ' αυτης και απωλετο η υποστασις αυτης και ελαβεν αλλον εκ των σκυμνων αυτης λεοντα εταξεν αυτον

6 και ανεστρεφετο εν μεσω λεοντων λεων εγενετο και εμαθεν αρπαζειν αρπαγματα ανθρωπους εφαγεν

7 και ενεμετο τω θρασει αυτου και τας πολεις αυτων εξηρημωσεν και ηφανισεν γην και το πληρωμα αυτης απο φωνης ωρυματος αυτου

8 και εδωκαν επ' αυτον εθνη εκ χωρων κυκλοθεν και εξεπετασαν επ' αυτον δικτυα αυτων εν διαφθορα αυτων συνελημφθη

9 και εθεντο αυτον εν κημω και εν γαλεαγρα ηλθεν προς βασιλεα βαβυλωνος και εισηγαγεν αυτον εις φυλακην οπως μη ακουσθη η φωνη αυτου επι τα ορη του ισραηλ

10 η μητηρ σου ως αμπελος ως ανθος εν ροα εν υδατι πεφυτευμενη ο καρπος αυτης και ο βλαστος αυτης εγενετο εξ υδατος πολλου

11 και εγενετο αυτη ραβδος ισχυος επι φυλην ηγουμενων και υψωθη τω μεγεθει αυτης εν μεσω στελεχων και ειδεν το μεγεθος αυτης εν πληθει κληματων αυτης

12 και κατεκλασθη εν θυμω επι γην ερριφη και ανεμος ο καυσων εξηρανεν τα εκλεκτα αυτης εξεδικηθη και εξηρανθη η ραβδος ισχυος αυτης πυρ ανηλωσεν αυτην

13 και νυν πεφυτευκαν αυτην εν τη ερημω εν γη ανυδρω

14 και εξηλθεν πυρ εκ ραβδου εκλεκτων αυτης και κατεφαγεν αυτην και ουκ ην εν αυτη ραβδος ισχυος φυλη εις παραβολην θρηνου εστιν και εσται εις θρηνον

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Conjugial Love #119

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119. That the church is called mother is apparent from the following passages:

(Jehovah said,) "Contend with your mother...; ...she is not My wife, and I am not her Husband." (Hosea 2:2)

"You are the daughter of your mother, who loathes her Husband...." (Ezekiel 16:45)

"Where is the certificate of your mother's divorce, whom I have put away?" (Isaiah 50:1)

Your mother was like a vine..., planted by the waters, fruitful.... (Ezekiel 19:10)

"Mother" in those places refers to the Jewish Church.

(Jesus, stretching out His hand toward His disciples, said,) "My mother and My brothers are they who hear the word of God and do it." (Luke 8:21, cf. Matthew 12:48-50, Mark 3:33-35)

The church is meant by the Lord's disciples.

By the cross of Jesus stood His mother.... (And) Jesus...seeing His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing by, (also) said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" And He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" (Therefore) from that hour the disciple took her into his own [home]. (John 19:25-27)

The meaning here is that the Lord did not acknowledge Mary but the church as His mother. That is why He calls her "woman" and names her the mother of the disciple. He named her the mother of this disciple, John, because John represented the church in respect to its good acts of charity. These good acts are the church in actual practice. Therefore it is said that the disciple took Mary into his own [home].

(We explained in The Apocalypse Revealed that Peter represented truth and faith, James charity, and John works of charity - see nos. 5, 6, 790, 798, 879 - and that the twelve disciples together represented the church in all its elements - see nos. 233, 790 [798?], 903, 915.)

  
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Many thanks to the General Church of the New Jerusalem, and to Rev. N.B. Rogers, translator, for the permission to use this translation.

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