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Arcana Coelestia #9372

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9372. And He said unto Moses. That this signifies that which concerns the Word in general, is evident from the representation of Moses, as being the Word (of which below); and from the signification of “He said,” as involving those things which follow in this chapter, thus those which concern the Word (see n. 9370). (That Moses represents the Word, can be seen from what has been often shown before about Moses, as from the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 4859, 5922, 6723, 6752, 6771, 6827, 7010, 7014, 7089, 7382, 8601, 8760, 8787, 8805.) Here Moses represents the Word in general, because it is said of him in what follows, that he alone should come near unto Jehovah (verse 2); and also that, being called unto out of the midst of the cloud, he entered into it, and went up the mount (verses 16-18).

[2] In the Word there are many who represent the Lord in respect to truth Divine, or in respect to the Word; but chief among them are Moses, Elijah, Elisha, and John the Baptist. That Moses does so, can be seen in the explications just cited above; that so do Elijah and Elisha, can be seen in the preface to Genesis 18; and n. 2762, 5247; and that John the Baptist does so is evident from the fact that he was “Elias who was to come.” He who does not know that John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, cannot know what all those things infold and signify which are said about him in the New Testament; and therefore in order that this secret may stand open, and that at the same time it may appear that Elias, and also Moses, who were seen when the Lord was transfigured, signified the Word, some things may here be quoted which are spoken about John the Baptist; as in Matthew:

After the messengers of John had departed, Jesus began to speak concerning John, saying, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? a reed shaken by the wind? But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft things are in kings’ houses. But what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, even more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, Behold I send Mine angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee. Verily I say unto you, Among those who are born of women there hath not arisen a greater than John the Baptist; nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he. All the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye are willing to believe, he is Elias who was to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear (Matthew 11:7-15; and also Luke 7:24-28).

No one can know how these things are to be understood, unless he knows that this John represented the Lord as to the Word, and unless he also knows from the internal sense what is signified by “the wilderness” in which he was, also what by “a reed shaken by the wind,” and likewise by “soft raiment in kings’ houses;” and further what is signified by his being “more than a prophet,” and by “none among those who are born of women being greater than he, and nevertheless he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he,” and lastly by his being “Elias.” For without a deeper sense, all these words are uttered merely from some comparison, and not from anything of weight.

[3] But it is very different when by John is understood the Lord as to the Word, or the Word representatively. Then by “the wilderness of Judea in which John was” is signified the state in which the Word was at the time when the Lord came into the world, namely, that it was “in the wilderness,” that is, it was in obscurity so great that the Lord was not at all acknowledged, neither was anything known about His heavenly kingdom; when yet all the prophets prophesied about Him, and about His kingdom, that it was to endure forever. (That “a wilderness” denotes such obscurity, see n. 2708, 4736, 7313.) For this reason the Word is compared to “a reed shaken by the wind” when it is explained at pleasure; for in the internal sense “a reed” denotes truth in the ultimate, such as is the Word in the letter.

[4] That the Word in the ultimate, or in the letter, is crude and obscure in the sight of men; but that in the internal sense it is soft and shining, is signified by their “not seeing a man clothed in soft raiment, for behold those who wear soft things are in kings’ houses.” That such things are signified by these words, is plain from the signification of “raiment,” or “garments,” as being truths (n. 2132, 2576, 4545, 4763, 5248, 6914, 6918, 9093); and for this reason the angels appear clothed in garments soft and shining according to the truths from good with them (n. 5248, 5319, 5954, 9212, 9216). The same is evident from the signification of “kings’ houses,” as being the abodes of the angels, and in the universal sense, the heavens; for “houses” are so called from good (n. 2233, 2234, 3128, 3652, 3720, 4622, 4982, 7836, 7891, 7996, 7997); and “kings,” from truth (n. 1672, 2015, 2069, 3009, 4575, 4581, 4966, 5044, 6148). Therefore by virtue of their reception of truth from the Lord, the angels are called “sons of the kingdom,” “sons of the king,” and also “kings.”

[5] That the Word is more than any doctrine in the world, and more than any truth in the world, is signified by “what went ye out to see? a prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet;” and by, “there hath not arisen among those who are born of women a greater than John the Baptist;” for in the internal sense “a prophet” denotes doctrine (n. 2534, 7269); and “those who are born,” or are the sons, “of women” denote truths (n. 489, 491, 533, 1147, 2623, 2803, 2813, 3704, 4257).

[6] That in the internal sense, or such as it is in heaven, the Word is in a degree above the Word in the external sense, or such as it is in the world, and such as John the Baptist taught, is signified by, “he that is less in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he;” for as perceived in heaven the Word is of wisdom so great that it transcends all human apprehension. That the prophecies about the Lord and His coming, and that the representatives of the Lord and of His kingdom, ceased when the Lord came into the world, is signified by, “all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.” That the Word was represented by John, as by Elijah, is signified by his being “Elias who is to come.”

[7] The same is signified by these words in Matthew:

The disciples asked Jesus, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come? He answered and said, Elias must needs first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias hath come already, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished. Even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them. And they understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist (Matthew 17:10-13).

That “Elias hath come, and they knew him not, but did unto him whatsoever they wished” signifies that the Word has indeed taught them that the Lord is to come, but that still they did not wish to comprehend, interpreting it in favor of the rule of self, and thus extinguishing what is Divine in it. That they would do the same with the truth Divine itself, is signified by “even so shall the Son of man also suffer of them.” (That “the Son of man” denotes the Lord as to truth Divine, see n. 2803, 2813, 3704)

[8] From all this it is now evident what is meant by the prophecy about John in Malachi:

Behold I send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh (Malachi 4:5).

Moreover, the Word in the ultimate, or such as it is in the external form in which it appears before man in the world, is described by the “clothing” and “food” of John the Baptist, in Matthew:

John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, had His clothing of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey (Matthew 3:1, 4).

In like manner it is described by Elijah in the second book of Kings:

He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins (2 Kings 1:8).

By “clothing,” or a “garment,” when said of the Word, is signified truth Divine there in the ultimate form; by “camel’s hair” are signified memory-truths such as appear there before a man in the world; by the “leathern girdle” is signified the external bond connecting and keeping in order all the interior things; by “food” is signified spiritual nourishment from the knowledges of truth and of good out of the Word; by “locusts” are signified ultimate or most general truths; and by “wild honey” their pleasantness.

[9] That such things are signified by “clothing” and “food” has its origin in the representatives of the other life, where all appear clothed according to truths from good, and where food also is represented according to the desires of acquiring knowledge and growing wise. From this it is that “clothing,” or a “garment,” denotes truth (as may be seen from the citations above; and that “food” or “meat” denotes spiritual nourishment, n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5576, 5579, 5915, 8562, 9003; that “a girdle” denotes a bond which gathers up and holds together interior things, n. 9341; that “leather” denotes what is external, n. 3540; and thus “a leathern girdle” denotes an external bond; that “hairs” denote ultimate or most general truths, n. 3301, 5569-5573; that “a camel” denotes memory-knowledge in general, n. 3048, 3071, 3143, 3145, 4156; that “a locust” denotes nourishing truth in the extremes, n. 7643; and that “honey” denotes the pleasantness thereof, n. 5620, 6857, 8056). It is called “wild honey,” or “honey of the field,” because by “a field” is signified the church (n. 2971, 3317, 3766, 7502, 7571, 9139, 9295). He who does not know that such things are signified, cannot possibly know why Elijah and John were so clothed. And yet that these things signified something peculiar to these prophets, can be thought by everyone who thinks well about the Word.

[10] Because John the Baptist represented the Lord as to the Word, therefore also when he spoke of the Lord, who was the Word itself, he said of himself that he was “not Elias, nor the prophet,” and that he was “not worthy to loose the latchet of the Lord’s shoe,” as in John:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and God was the Word. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory. The Jews from Jerusalem, priests and Levites, asked John who he was. And he confessed, and denied not, I am not the Christ. Therefore they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? But he said, I am not. Art thou the prophet? He answered, No. They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet. They said therefore, Why then baptizest thou, if thou art not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? He answered, I baptize with water; in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not; He it is who is to come after me, who was before me, the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to unloose. When he saw Jesus, he said, Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man who was before me; for he was before me (John 1:1, 14, 19-30).

From these words it is plain that when John spoke about the Lord Himself, who was Truth Divine itself, or the Word, he said that he himself was not anything, because the shadow disappears when the light itself appears, that is, the representative disappears when the original itself makes its appearance. (That the representatives had in view holy things, and the Lord Himself, and not at all the person that represented, see n. 665, 1097, 1361, 3147, 3881, 4208, 4281, 4288, 4292, 4307, 4444, 4500, 6304, 7048, 7439, 8588, 8788, 8806.) One who does not know that representatives vanish like shadows at the presence of light, cannot know why John denied that he was Elias and the prophet.

[11] From all this it can now be seen what is signified by Moses and Elias, who were seen in glory, and who spoke with the Lord when transfigured, of His departure which He should accomplish at Jerusalem (Luke 9:29-31); namely, that they signified the Word (“Moses” the historic Word, and “Elias” the prophetic Word), which in the internal sense throughout treats of the Lord, of His coming into the world, and of His departure out of the world; and therefore it is said that “Moses and Elias were seen in glory,” for “glory” denotes the internal sense of the Word, and the “cloud” its external sense (see the preface to Genesis 18, and n. 5922, 8427).

  
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Arcana Coelestia #7643

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7643. Behold tomorrow I bring the locust into thy border. That this signifies that falsity will take possession of their extremes, 1 is evident from the signification of “the locust,” as being falsities in the extremes (of which below); from the signification of “border,” as being the extremes; and from the signification of “bringing,” because predicated of falsity, as being to take possession of. It is said that “Jehovah will bring,” but thereby is meant that it will be brought, that is, by evil. The case is the same here as when it is attributed to Jehovah (that is, to the Lord) that He made heavy Pharaoh’s heart, when yet this is from man, from his evil in him, as shown above (n. 7632). That evil is not from the Lord, but that it arises from man, is because man turns to himself that good which flows in from the Lord, and instead of regarding the Lord and what is of the Lord in all things, he regards himself. Hence comes the concupiscence of reigning over all, and of possessing all that belongs to others; and hence come contempt for others, and hatred, revenge, and cruelty toward those who do not favor and be friendly to one’s self; hence also comes contempt for all things that are of faith and charity, because when these flow in from the Lord they are turned to self, thus away from the Lord.

[2] From all this it can be seen that man turns into evil the very good which flows in from the Lord. From this also it is that the evil in the other life remove as far as possible from heaven; for when heaven comes near them, that is, when good and truth flow in more strongly, they then rush the more strongly into the opposite, that is, into evil and falsity; and in the degree that evil and falsity increase, they expel truth from themselves, and devastate themselves; and then also in the same degree they rush into the evils of penalty, for in the other life evils and their penalties are joined together.

[3] The Lord is continually bringing the heavens into order, and is constantly receiving new residents of heaven, to whom He gives dwelling places and inheritances; and when He does this, heaven approaches, that is, flows in more strongly, causing the infernal spirits to rush more strongly into evils and falsities, and into the penalties of these; and in consequence of this rushing into evils and falsities, they as before said vastate themselves; and this does not cease with them until they have completely devastated themselves, and cast themselves deeply into the hells. From all this it can be seen that nothing else than good proceeds from the Lord, and that the evil is from those themselves who are in evil. All this shows how is to be understood what is said of Jehovah (that is, of the Lord), that “He made heavy Pharaoh’s heart,” and here that “He brings the locust,” by which is signified falsity from evil in the extremes.

[4] In the Word, where the vastation of the evil is treated of, mention is sometimes made of the “locust” and of the “caterpillar,” and by the “locust” in the internal sense is there meant the falsity which vastates the extremes. For as before shown, the natural with man is interior and exterior; the falsity which is in the extremes of the natural, being meant by the “locust,” and the evil therein by the “caterpillar.” As by the “locust” is meant the falsity which is in the extremes of the natural, therefore it is said that the locust would be brought “into the border,” and would “cover the surface of the earth;” and afterward (verse 14), “the locust went up upon the land of Egypt, and rested in all the border of Egypt, and it covered the surface of the whole land.” By the “border” and by the “surface” are signified the extremes and ultimates in which the interiors rest, that is, terminate.

[5] The same is meant by the “locust” and the “caterpillar” in David:

He sent among them swarms, which consumed them; and the frog, which destroyed them; and He gave their produce to the caterpillar, and their labor to the locust (Psalms 78:45-46).

He said that the locust should come, and the caterpillar, so that there was no number (Psalms 105:34).

These things are said of Egypt, and the “caterpillar” is mentioned, although there is no mention made of it in Moses, but only of the “locust.” The reason why the “caterpillar” also is mentioned, is that by it is signified evil; and by the “locust” falsity; each in the extremes of the natural. But when the “locust” alone is mentioned, it signifies both falsity and evil together, for the “locust” denotes falsity from evil.

[6] In Nahum:

There shall the fire devour thee, the sword shall cut thee off, it shall devour thee like the caterpillar; multiply thyself like the caterpillar, multiply thyself like the locust. Thou hast multiplied thy merchants above the stars of the heavens; the caterpillar hath spread himself, and hath flown away. Thy crowned ones are as the locust, thy commanders are as the locust of the locusts (Nah. 3:15-17).

The subject here treated of is the “city of bloods,” by which is signified the doctrine of falsity; and because falsity and evil are especially multiplied in the extremes of the natural, for therein are the fallacies of the senses that originate from the objects of the world, and of the earth, and also pleasures from various kinds of appetites, therefore the multiplication of evil and falsity is also described by “the caterpillar and the locust,” as also in the book of Judges (6:5; 7:12), and in Jeremiah (46:23). (That the sensuous, which is the lowest of the natural, is very full of fallacies and the derivative falsities, see n. 5084, 5089, 5094, 6310, 6311, 6313, 6318, 6598, 6612, 6614, 6622, 6624, 6948, 6949.)

[7] In Joel:

That which the palmerworm hath left hath the locust devoured; and that which the locust hath left hath the cankerworm devoured; and that which the cankerworm hath left hath the caterpillar devoured. Awake, ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine, because of the new wine, in that it is cut off. For a nation will come up upon My land, strong, and without number, and will reduce My vine into a waste, and My fig-tree into froth (Joel 1:4-7).

The threshing floors are full of pure grain, and the vats overflow with new wine and oil; and I will compensate to you the years that the locust hath consumed, the cankerworm, the caterpillar, and the palmerworm (Joel 2:24-25); where the “locust” denotes falsity in the extremes vastating truths and goods.

In Moses:

Thou shalt bring out much seed into the field, but shalt gather little, because the locust shall consume it. Thou shalt plant vineyards, but thou shalt neither drink the wine, nor gather; for the worm shall devour it (Deuteronomy 28:38-39); where the “locust” denotes falsity from evil.

[8] In John:

Out of the smoke of the opened abyss there went forth locusts on the earth; and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power; and it was said unto them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, nor any tree, but only such men as had not the seal of God upon their foreheads; and it was given them that they should not kill them, but should torment them five months; and the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared for war; and upon their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as it were the faces of men; and they had hair as the hair of women; and their teeth were as the teeth of lions; and they had breastplates, as it were of iron; and the voice of their wings was as the voice of the chariots of many horses running to war; and they had tails like scorpions; and stings were in their tails, that they might hurt men five months. They have over them a king, the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in the Greek he hath the name Apollyon (Revelation 9:3-11);

what is signified by all these things no one can see except from the internal sense. From the details clearly seen therein according to the internal sense, it is evident that by “locusts” are there signified reasonings from fallacies and the falsities thence derived, also confirmed by philosophical things. Thus also by the “locusts” are signified the falsities which are in the extremes with man, and which are more earthly and corporeal than all other falsities; and by which man may be easily deceived and seduced, for he apprehends what is obvious to the senses, and with difficulty what is opposed to the senses.

[9] That it may be known that such is the signification of “locusts,” the contents of this passage may be set forth in detail. The “abyss out of which the locusts came up” denotes hell; the “grass of the earth which they were not to hurt” denotes memory-knowledge; the “tree” denotes the knowledges of good and truth; the “men” denote the affections of good; their “hurting these, and not the grass of the earth and the tree,” denotes that truth and good can be understood although the life is not in accordance therewith; “they who have the seal upon their foreheads” denotes those who have been regenerated; their “tormenting five months those who had not the seal of God upon their foreheads” denotes that they should vastate them; that “the locusts were like horses prepared for war,” denotes reasonings from falsities, whereby there is combat against the truths of the church; “crowns upon their heads like gold, and their faces as men’s faces,” denotes that the reasonings appear like truth, and as it were from good; “hair as of women, and teeth as the teeth of lions,” denotes the external things of the natural, that is, sensuous things, or the fallacies therein, which make an appearance of good; “breastplates of iron” denote external things which make an appearance of truth; “the voice of the wings like that of the chariots of many horses running to war,” denotes the falsities of doctrine from which and for which they fight; “tails like scorpions and stings in their tails” denote the harm which such things bring; the “king of the abyss” denotes infernal falsity; “Abaddon” denotes perdition; “Apollyon” denotes reasoning from falsities appearing as from truth, especially if by those who are believed wise it is confirmed by philosophical things wrongly applied, for the blind admiration of their wisdom leads to faith in them.

[10] By the “locust” in a good sense is signified ultimate and most general truth, and also its pleasantness; hence John’s food was “locusts and wild honey” (Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6). These were his food for the reason that John represented the Word, and by his food, as also by his clothing which was of camel’s hair with a leathern girdle, he represented the Word in the external sense, for external pleasantness is signified by the “locust and wild honey” (see n. 5620); and external truth by the “garment of camel’s hair” and by the “leathern girdle” (n. 3301). Hence it is that by John is meant Elias, who was to come and announce the advent of the Lord. (That “Elias” denotes the Word, see the preface to the eighteenth chapter of Genesis, and n. 2762, 5247) That locusts are among the small animals to be eaten, see Leviticus 11:22.

Footnotes:

1. These “extremes” (Latin, extrema) are defined in n. 7693e as being sensuale hominis—“the sensuous of man,” which is the lowest part of his mind, and therefore is the extreme or extremity of it.—Reviser.

  
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Apocalypse Explained #739

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739. And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent.- That this signifies that those who were in evils of life and had thus become sensual, and had perverted all things of the Word, and thus of the church, were separated from heaven and cast down into hell, is evident from the signification of being cast out, when said of the dragon, as denoting to be separated from heaven and cast out into hell (that they had been conjoined to heaven, but were separated afterwards, may be seen in an article above, n. 737; - that they were cast down and condemned to hell is meant by "he was cast out unto the earth," of which we shall speak presently); from the signification of the great dragon, as denoting those who are in evils of life, and nevertheless confess God and the Lord with their lips, who also declare the Word to be holy, and speak in favour of the church (that these are meant by the dragon may be seen above, n. 714, 715, 716, 718, 737); he is therefore also called a great dragon, for the term great, in the Word, is used of good, and in the opposite sense, as in this case, of evil; but their falsities are signified by his angels (of which we shall speak presently); and from the signification of the old serpent, as denoting those who are sensual, here that those who had perverted all things of the Word and of the church had thence become sensual. That the Sensual is signified by the serpent may be seen above (n. 581, 715 end). The serpent is called old, because in olden times there were those who perverted all things of the Word and of the church. According to the historical sense of the letter, the old serpent means the serpent that seduced Adam and Eve in paradise, but by that serpent, as well as by this one, are meant all those who seduce the whole world, as is evident from what follows in this paragraph. From these things it is plain that "the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent," signifies that those who were in evils of life, and who had perverted all things of the Word and thus of the church, were separated and cast down into hell.

[2] That all those who are in evils of life become sensual, and that those who thus become sensual pervert everything of the church, is evident from this, that there are in men three degrees of life, an inmost, a middle, and an ultimate, and that these degrees in man are successively opened as he becomes wise. Every man at birth is absolutely sensual, so that even the five senses of his body must be opened by use; he next becomes sensual in thought since he thinks from the objects which have made their impression upon his bodily senses; afterwards he becomes interiorly sensual. But so far as he acquires natural light (lumen naturale) by visual experiences, by knowledges (scientias) and especially by the practice of moral life, so far does he become interiorly natural. This is the first or ultimate degree of man's life.

[3] And as at this time from parents, masters, and preachers, and also from reading the Word and books respecting it, he acquires knowledges (cognitiones) of spiritual good and truth, and stores them up in his memory like other knowledges (scientifica), he lays the foundation of the church; yet if he goes no further, he remains natural. But if he does advance further, that is to say, if he lives according to those knowledges from the Word, the interior degree is opened in him, and he becomes spiritual, but only so far as he is influenced by truths, understands them, wills them, and does them; and for the reason that evils, and falsities therefrom - which by heredity have their seat in the natural and sensual man - are in this and in no other way removed, and as it were dispersed. For the spiritual man is in heaven, and the natural man in the world, and so far as heaven, that is the Lord through heaven, is able to flow in through the spiritual into the natural man, so far evils, and falsities therefrom, are removed, which, as we have said, have their seat in the natural man; for the Lord removes them as He removes hell from heaven.

The interior degree in man can be opened in no other way, because the evils and falsities which are in the natural man keep it closed up; for the spiritual degree, or spiritual mind, contracts itself against evil and the falsity of evil of every kind, as a fibril of the body contracts itself at the touch of a sharp point; for as fibres of the body contract themselves at every harsh touch, so does man's interior mind, which is called the spiritual mind, at the touch or breath of evil and falsity therefrom. But, on the other hand, when homogeneous things, which are Divine truths from the Word, and which derive their essence from good, draw near to that mind, it then opens itself. But yet this opening is effected solely by the reception of the good of love flowing in through heaven from the Lord, and by its conjunction with those truths which man has stored up in his memory; and this conjunction is effected only by a life according to Divine truths in the Word, for when these truths enter into the life they are called goods. How the second or middle degree is opened is therefore evident.

[4] But the third or inmost degree is opened in those who apply Divine truths immediately to life, and who do not first recall them from the memory and reason about them, and thus bring them into doubt. This is called the celestial degree. As there are these three degrees of life in every man, and yet they are opened in different ways, therefore there are three heavens. In the third or inmost heaven are those in whom the third degree is opened; in the second or middle heaven are those in whom the second degree only is opened; and in the first or ultimate heaven are those in whom the interior natural man, also called the rational man, is opened; for this, if truly rational, receives influx from the Lord through heaven. All these come into heaven. But those who have received Divine truths only in the memory, and not at the same time in the life, remain natural, in fact they become sensual. The reason is, that the evils into which man is born have their seat in the natural and sensual man, as said above; and in such these evils have not been removed, and as it were dispersed, by the influx of good from the Lord, and by its reception by man; consequently the loves of the body reign in them, which, in general, are the love of self and the love of the world, and thus the love and pride of their own intelligence. These loves, with the evils and the falsities that flow from them, fill the interiors of their natural mind, although they are concealed under the respectable and becoming demeanour of moral life, put on for the sake of the world and because of the laws enacted for the external man. Although such persons have filled their memory with knowledges from the Word, from the dogmas of their several religions, and from the sciences (scientiae), they are nevertheless natural, and even sensual; for the interiors of their natural mind, which are nearest to the spiritual mind, are closed up by confirmations, even from the Word, against spiritual life, which is a life according to Divine truths, and is called charity towards the neighbour. These then, since they are sensual, are meant by the dragon, and are called serpents, for a serpent signifies the Sensual, because the Sensual is the lowest part of man's life, and it creeps as it were upon the ground and licks the dust like a serpent.

[5] In order to illustrate this, I will quote what is related in Genesis concerning the old serpent that seduced Eve and Adam, and will explain the same according to the spiritual sense. The words are as follows:

"Out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, and the tree of lives in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden eating thou mayest eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou mayest not eat, because in the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt assuredly die. And the serpent was more crafty (astutus) than any wild beast of the field which Jehovah God made; and it said unto the woman, Hath God indeed said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the tree of the garden we may eat, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not assuredly die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to give intelligence, and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and she gave also to her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves girdles. And Jehovah said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above every beast, and above every wild beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat, all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and between the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he shall tread upon thy head, and thou shalt wound his heel. And Jehovah God sent forth the man from the garden of Eden, and made cherubim to dwell at the east of the garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword turning itself to guard the way of the tree of lives" (Genesis 2:8, 9, 16, 17; 3:1-7, 14, 15, 23, 24).

How the historical narratives of the creation of heaven and earth, recounted from the first chapter of Genesis down to the story of the flood, are to be understood, cannot possibly be known, except from the spiritual sense, which is contained in every part of the sense of the letter of the Word. For these historical narratives of the creation of heaven and earth, and of the garden in Eden, and the posterity of Adam, as far as the flood, are in the form of history; and yet they are most holy, because every particular therein, and every expression, are correspondences, and thus signify spiritual things. Anyone with a clear understanding might discern this from the history of the creation contained in the first chapter, for this is said to have begun from light, although the sun did not yet exist; and from various other circumstances there related. [It might also be discerned] from the creation of Eve the wife of Adam out of one of his ribs; also from the two trees in Paradise, and the command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, when, although the wisest of all people, they were seduced by the serpent and did eat; and again, from this, that Jehovah placed such trees in the midst of the garden, and suffered them to be seduced by the serpent into eating of the forbidden tree, which He nevertheless might have averted; and finally, from the whole human race being judged to eternal death, merely because they eat of that tree. Who cannot see that these things and many others which an obscure understanding might in simplicity believe, would be contrary to the Divine Love and contrary to the Divine providence and foresight? And yet children and the simple-minded may without harm believe these things according to the literal history since they serve, like the rest of the Word, to conjoin human minds to angelic minds, for angels are in the spiritual sense when men are in the natural sense. But what those historical circumstances involve in the spiritual sense shall be briefly explained.

[6] The first chapter treats of the new creation or establishment of that church, which was the most ancient church on this earth, as well as most excellent of all, for it was a celestial church, because in love to the Lord. The men of that church were consequently exceedingly wise, having almost immediate communication with the angels of heaven, through whom they received wisdom from the Lord. And because they were in love to the Lord, and had revelations out of heaven, and at once applied to life the Divine truths revealed to them, therefore they were in a similar state to that of the angels of the third heaven; consequently that heaven consists chiefly of the men of that church. This church is meant by Adam and his wife. But the garden in Eden signifies their intelligence and wisdom, which is also described in the spiritual sense by all those things that are mentioned about that garden. Also how wisdom was lost in their posterity is described by the eating of the tree of knowledge (scientia); for the two trees placed in the midst of the garden mean perception from the Lord and perception from the world, the tree of lives, perception from the Lord, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, perception from the world, which, however, in itself is only cognition and knowledge (scientia). But the serpent, which seduced them, signifies man's Sensual, which communicates immediately with the world, therefore their being seduced by the serpent signifies that they were seduced by the Sensual, which derives everything that it has from the world, and nothing from heaven. For men of the celestial church are such that they perceive all the truths and goods of heaven from the Lord through influx into their interiors, whence they see goods and truths interiorly in themselves, as though innate, and have no need to learn them by a posterior way, or to enrich the memory with them. Neither therefore do they reason about truths, whether they are so or not; for those who see truths in themselves do not reason, since reasoning implies a doubt whether a thing is true. For the same reason they never make mention of faith, for faith involves something unknown, which although not seen must nevertheless be believed. That the men of the Most Ancient Church were of such a character as is above described, has been revealed to me out of heaven; for it has been granted me to speak with them, and to receive information about them, as is evident from the various things related concerning the men of that church in the Arcana Coelestia.

[7] But it must be understood that they were never forbidden to acquire for themselves cognitions of good and evil from heaven, for by means of these they perfected their intelligence and wisdom; neither were they forbidden to procure for themselves knowledges of good and evil from the world, for from this source their natural man had its knowledge (scientia). But they were forbidden to view these knowledges by a posterior way, because it was granted them to see all things which appeared before their eyes in the world by a prior way. To view the world and everything therein by a prior way, and thence to receive knowledges is to regard them from the light of heaven, and in that way to know what they are. Therefore by means of knowledges from the world they were able to confirm heavenly things, and thus strengthen their wisdom. But they were forbidden to view knowledges from the world by a posterior way, as is the case when conclusions are drawn from them concerning heavenly things, which is an inverted order, called by the learned the order of physical or natural influx, which cannot in any way enter into heavenly things. Such did the men of the Most Ancient Church become when they began to love worldly more than heavenly things, to be proud of and boast about their wisdom; on this account their posterity became sensual, and then their Sensual, meant by the serpent, led them astray; and the Sensual does not wish to advance by any other than a posterior way. This, therefore, is the signification of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, of which they were forbidden to eat.

That they were permitted to acquire knowledges from the world, and to view them by a prior way, is signified by Out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food, - for trees signify knowledges and perceptions, pleasant to the sight signifies what the understanding desires, and good for food that which conduces to the nourishment of the mind. The cognitions of good and evil from the Lord, from which wisdom is derived, and knowledges of good and evil from the world, from which knowledge (scientia) is derived, were represented by the tree of lives, and by the tree of the knowledge (scientia) of good and evil in the midst of the garden.

[8] That they were permitted to appropriate to themselves knowledges from every source, not only from heaven but also from the world, provided they did not proceed in an inverted order, by reasoning from them about heavenly things, instead of thinking from heavenly things about worldly things, is signified by Jehovah God commanding them to eat of every tree of the garden, but not of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; that if they did this heavenly wisdom and the church in them would perish, is signified by In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt assuredly die, - to eat in the spiritual sense signifying to appropriate to themselves.

[9] That the Sensual seduced them, because it lies nearest to the world, and is consequently sensitive to every pleasure and delight from the world, and is thus in fallacies, and is ignorant of and rejects heavenly things, is signified by the serpent, the serpent denoting the Sensual, and no other sensual than that of such people. The reason why the serpent is "the devil and Satan" is that the Sensual communicates with hell and makes one with it, for in it resides all the evil of man in its entirety. And because man from the Sensual reasons from fallacies and from the delights of the loves of the world and of the body, and this indeed skilfully and cunningly, therefore it is said that the serpent was more crafty (astutus) than any wild beast of the field which Jehovah God had made, the wild beast of the field signifying, in the spiritual sense, the affection of the natural man.

[10] Since the Sensual imagines that wisdom is procured by means of knowledges from the world and natural knowledges (scientias naturales), and not by any influx out of heaven from the Lord, therefore from such fallacy and ignorance the serpent said to the woman, Ye shall not die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. For the sensual man supposes that he knows everything and that nothing escapes him; but it is not so with the celestial man, who is convinced that he knows nothing from himself but from the Lord, and that, what he does know is so insignificant as to be scarcely anything compared with what he does not know. In fact their posterity believed themselves to be gods, and that they knew all good and all evil; but from evil they were not capable of knowing heavenly good, but only worldly and corporeal good, which in itself is not good; nevertheless from heavenly good man is capable of knowing what is evil.

[11] That the affection of the natural man persuaded by the Sensual supposed that intelligence in the things of heaven and of the church was to be acquired by means of the knowledge (scientia) of cognitions from the world, is signified by The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and to be desired to give intelligence, - the woman here signifying the natural affection of man, which draws its desires from the Sensual; and of such a nature is that affection. That that affection also seduced the Rational, is signified by the woman taking of the fruit of that tree and eating, and giving to her husband with her, and by his eating thereof, the husband of the woman signifying the Rational. That they then saw that they were without truths and goods is signified by Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, - the nakedness that is ashamed signifying the deprivation of celestial love, and thus of good and truth. That they then clothed themselves with natural truths, lest they should appear to be lacking in truths, is signified by They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves girdles, - the fig tree signifying the natural man, and its leaf truth scientific (verum scientificum). Afterwards what their Sensual became, namely, that it turned itself entirely away from heaven, and turned itself to the world, and thus received nothing Divine, is described by the curse of the serpent. For the Sensual in man cannot be reformed; consequently when man is reformed it is simply removed, since it clings to the body and is manifest to the world; therefore the pleasures therefrom are called and felt to be goods. For this reason it is said that the seed of the woman shall tread upon its head, and that it shall wound his heel; the seed of the woman means the Lord, the head of the serpent all evil, and the Lord's heel Divine Truth in ultimates, which with us is the sense of the letter of the Word, and this the sensual man, or the Sensual of man, perverts and falsifies, and thus wounds. That the sense of the letter acts as a guard, lest the Lord should be approached except through appearances of truth, and not through genuine truths, by those who are in evils, is signified by the cherubim which, with the flame of a sword turning itself, were placed at the garden of Eden to guard the way of the tree of lives. But this and the rest of those chapters may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia.

  
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Translation by Isaiah Tansley. Many thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.