The Bible

 

Genesis 21

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1 και κυριος επεσκεψατο την σαρραν καθα ειπεν και εποιησεν κυριος τη σαρρα καθα ελαλησεν

2 και συλλαβουσα ετεκεν σαρρα τω αβρααμ υιον εις το γηρας εις τον καιρον καθα ελαλησεν αυτω κυριος

3 και εκαλεσεν αβρααμ το ονομα του υιου αυτου του γενομενου αυτω ον ετεκεν αυτω σαρρα ισαακ

4 περιετεμεν δε αβρααμ τον ισαακ τη ογδοη ημερα καθα ενετειλατο αυτω ο θεος

5 αβρααμ δε ην εκατον ετων ηνικα εγενετο αυτω ισαακ ο υιος αυτου

6 ειπεν δε σαρρα γελωτα μοι εποιησεν κυριος ος γαρ αν ακουση συγχαρειται μοι

7 και ειπεν τις αναγγελει τω αβρααμ οτι θηλαζει παιδιον σαρρα οτι ετεκον υιον εν τω γηρει μου

8 και ηυξηθη το παιδιον και απεγαλακτισθη και εποιησεν αβρααμ δοχην μεγαλην η ημερα απεγαλακτισθη ισαακ ο υιος αυτου

9 ιδουσα δε σαρρα τον υιον αγαρ της αιγυπτιας ος εγενετο τω αβρααμ παιζοντα μετα ισαακ του υιου αυτης

10 και ειπεν τω αβρααμ εκβαλε την παιδισκην ταυτην και τον υιον αυτης ου γαρ κληρονομησει ο υιος της παιδισκης ταυτης μετα του υιου μου ισαακ

11 σκληρον δε εφανη το ρημα σφοδρα εναντιον αβρααμ περι του υιου αυτου

12 ειπεν δε ο θεος τω αβρααμ μη σκληρον εστω το ρημα εναντιον σου περι του παιδιου και περι της παιδισκης παντα οσα εαν ειπη σοι σαρρα ακουε της φωνης αυτης οτι εν ισαακ κληθησεται σοι σπερμα

13 και τον υιον δε της παιδισκης ταυτης εις εθνος μεγα ποιησω αυτον οτι σπερμα σον εστιν

14 ανεστη δε αβρααμ το πρωι και ελαβεν αρτους και ασκον υδατος και εδωκεν αγαρ και επεθηκεν επι τον ωμον και το παιδιον και απεστειλεν αυτην απελθουσα δε επλανατο την ερημον κατα το φρεαρ του ορκου

15 εξελιπεν δε το υδωρ εκ του ασκου και ερριψεν το παιδιον υποκατω μιας ελατης

16 απελθουσα δε εκαθητο απεναντι αυτου μακροθεν ωσει τοξου βολην ειπεν γαρ ου μη ιδω τον θανατον του παιδιου μου και εκαθισεν απεναντι αυτου αναβοησαν δε το παιδιον εκλαυσεν

17 εισηκουσεν δε ο θεος της φωνης του παιδιου εκ του τοπου ου ην και εκαλεσεν αγγελος του θεου την αγαρ εκ του ουρανου και ειπεν αυτη τι εστιν αγαρ μη φοβου επακηκοεν γαρ ο θεος της φωνης του παιδιου σου εκ του τοπου ου εστιν

18 αναστηθι λαβε το παιδιον και κρατησον τη χειρι σου αυτο εις γαρ εθνος μεγα ποιησω αυτον

19 και ανεωξεν ο θεος τους οφθαλμους αυτης και ειδεν φρεαρ υδατος ζωντος και επορευθη και επλησεν τον ασκον υδατος και εποτισεν το παιδιον

20 και ην ο θεος μετα του παιδιου και ηυξηθη και κατωκησεν εν τη ερημω εγενετο δε τοξοτης

21 και κατωκησεν εν τη ερημω τη φαραν και ελαβεν αυτω η μητηρ γυναικα εκ γης αιγυπτου

22 εγενετο δε εν τω καιρω εκεινω και ειπεν αβιμελεχ και οχοζαθ ο νυμφαγωγος αυτου και φικολ ο αρχιστρατηγος της δυναμεως αυτου προς αβρααμ λεγων ο θεος μετα σου εν πασιν οις εαν ποιης

23 νυν ουν ομοσον μοι τον θεον μη αδικησειν με μηδε το σπερμα μου μηδε το ονομα μου αλλα κατα την δικαιοσυνην ην εποιησα μετα σου ποιησεις μετ' εμου και τη γη η συ παρωκησας εν αυτη

24 και ειπεν αβρααμ εγω ομουμαι

25 και ηλεγξεν αβρααμ τον αβιμελεχ περι των φρεατων του υδατος ων αφειλαντο οι παιδες του αβιμελεχ

26 και ειπεν αυτω αβιμελεχ ουκ εγνων τις εποιησεν το πραγμα τουτο ουδε συ μοι απηγγειλας ουδε εγω ηκουσα αλλ' η σημερον

27 και ελαβεν αβρααμ προβατα και μοσχους και εδωκεν τω αβιμελεχ και διεθεντο αμφοτεροι διαθηκην

28 και εστησεν αβρααμ επτα αμναδας προβατων μονας

29 και ειπεν αβιμελεχ τω αβρααμ τι εισιν αι επτα αμναδες των προβατων τουτων ας εστησας μονας

30 και ειπεν αβρααμ οτι τας επτα αμναδας ταυτας λημψη παρ' εμου ινα ωσιν μοι εις μαρτυριον οτι εγω ωρυξα το φρεαρ τουτο

31 δια τουτο επωνομασεν το ονομα του τοπου εκεινου φρεαρ ορκισμου οτι εκει ωμοσαν αμφοτεροι

32 και διεθεντο διαθηκην εν τω φρεατι του ορκου ανεστη δε αβιμελεχ και οχοζαθ ο νυμφαγωγος αυτου και φικολ ο αρχιστρατηγος της δυναμεως αυτου και επεστρεψαν εις την γην των φυλιστιιμ

33 και εφυτευσεν αβρααμ αρουραν επι τω φρεατι του ορκου και επεκαλεσατο εκει το ονομα κυριου θεος αιωνιος

34 παρωκησεν δε αβρααμ εν τη γη των φυλιστιιμ ημερας πολλας

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #2724

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2724. 'And there he called on the name of [Jehovah,] the God of Eternity' means worship from it. This is clear from the meaning of 'calling on the name of God' as worship, dealt with in 440. Those who belonged to the Ancient Church did not understand merely name by the word 'name' but the entire nature, see 144, 145, 340, 768, 1754, 1896, 2009. Thus by 'the name of God' they understood everything in one embrace by which God was worshipped, consequently everything of love and faith. But once the internal aspect of worship perished and only the external was left people began to understand nothing else by 'the name of God' than the name. Indeed they went so far as to worship the name itself, being quite indifferent to what the love and the faith were in which their worship was grounded. As a result of this nations began to identify themselves by the names of their gods, the Jews and Israelites setting themselves above the rest because they worshipped Jehovah. They made the utterance and the calling upon the name itself the essential feature of worship; but in fact worship of the name alone is not worship at all, for that practice may exist even among the worst of people who in worshipping the name alone become greater profaners.

[2] Now because 'the name of God' means the entirety of worship, that is, the love and faith in their entirety from which He is worshipped, it is therefore clear what is meant by hallowed be Your name - in the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:9, and what by the following words spoken by the Lord,

You will be hated by everyone for My name's sake. Matthew 10:22.

If two of you agree in My name on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. Where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:19-20.

He who leaves houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields, for My name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will be allotted the inheritance of eternal life. Matthew 19:29.

Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Matthew 21:9.

Jesus said, You will not see Me from now on until you say, Blessed is the one coming in the name of the Lord. Matthew 23:39.

You will be hated by all nations for My name's sake. Then many will stumble and betray one another, and hate one another, and all for My name's sake. 1 Matthew 24:9-10.

As many as received Him, to them He gave power to be sons of God, to those believing in His name, John 1:12.

He who does not believe is judged already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:17-18.

Jesus said, Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it. John 14:14-15; 15:16; 16:23-24, 26-27.

Jesus said, I have manifested Your name to men. John 17:6.

Holy Father, keep them in Your name whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are one. John 17:11-12.

I made known to them Your name, and I will make known that the love with which You have loved Me may be in them, and I in them. John 17:26.

That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:31.

There are in addition very many places in the Old Testament in which the name of Jehovah and of God is not used to mean the name but love and faith in their entirety in which worship is grounded.

[3] But those who worship the name alone, without love and faith, are spoken of in Matthew as follows,

Many will say to Me on that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy through Your name, and cast out demons through Your name, and do many mighty works in Your name? But I will confess to them, I do not know you; depart from Me, you workers of iniquity. Matthew 7:22-23.

As has been stated, once the member of the Church from being internal became external, and began to make worship consist in a name alone, people no longer acknowledged one God but many. For it was a custom among the ancients to add something after the name of Jehovah and by doing that to call to mind some benefit or attribute of His, as in the present verse, 'He called on the name of [Jehovah,] the God of Eternity'. Another example occurs in the next chapter,

Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh (that is, Jehovah will see). Genesis 22:14.

And the following, among others, are further examples,

Moses built an altar and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi (that is, Jehovah is my banner). Exodus 17:15.

Gideon built an altar to Jehovah and called it [the altar] of Jehovah Shalom (that is, of peace). Judges 6:24.

It was from this custom that those who made worship consist in a name alone came to acknowledge so many gods, and also that among the gentiles, especially those in Greece and Rome, so many gods came to be acknowledged and worshipped, whereas the Ancient Church from which those attributive names derived always worshipped but one God who was revered under so many names, for the reason that by 'name' they understood the essential nature.

Footnotes:

1. These six words which Swedenborg apparently copied from the Schmidius Latin version do not occur in the original Greek.

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

The Bible

 

John 15

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1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the farmer.

2 Every branch in me that doesn't bear fruit, he takes away. Every branch that bears fruit, he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

3 You are already pruned clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.

4 Remain in me, and I in you. As the branch can't bear fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, so neither can you, unless you remain in me.

5 I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

6 If a man doesn't remain in me, he is thrown out as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

7 If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.

8 "In this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples.

9 Even as the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Remain in my love.

10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and remain in his love.

11 I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be made full.

12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you.

13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

14 You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.

15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn't know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you.

16 You didn't choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatever you will ask of the Father in my name, he may give it to you.

17 "I command these things to you, that you may love one another.

18 If the world hates you, you know that it has hated me before it hated you.

19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world, since I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

20 Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his lord.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also.

21 But all these things will they do to you for my name's sake, because they don't know him who sent me.

22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin.

23 He who hates me, hates my Father also.

24 If I hadn't done among them the works which no one else did, they wouldn't have had sin. But now have they seen and also hated both me and my Father.

25 But this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which was written in their law, 'They hated me without a cause.'

26 "When the Counselor has come, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will testify about me.

27 You will also testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.