8. In the second stage, a distinction is drawn between the things that are the Lord's and those that are our own. The things that are the Lord's are called a "remnant" in the Word. 1 In this instance the "remnant" refers principally to religious knowledge acquired from early childhood on. This remnant is stored away, not to reappear until we arrive at such a stage.
At present the second stage rarely comes into play without trouble, misfortune, and grief, which enable bodily and worldly concerns — things that are our own — to fade away and in effect die out. 2 The things that belong to the outer self, then, are separated from those that belong to the inner self, the inner self containing the remnant that the Lord has put aside to await this time and this purpose.
Footnotes:
1. The "remnant" (also rendered "survivors") to which Swedenborg refers consisted of Israelites and Judeans who survived the conquest of Israel by Assyria in 721 b.c.e. and of Judah by Babylon in 581 b.c.e. He draws a symbolic connection between this biblical remnant and the traces of goodness and truth every individual acquires as a child, which disappear from consciousness during adulthood but remain stored away for use during the process of rebirth. Key passages on the remnant include §§468, 530, 560-563, 576, 1050, 1906, 2284, 5135:2-4, 5342, 5897. Section 468 quotes a number of biblical occurrences: Isaiah 4:3; 10:20-22; Jeremiah 50:20; Amos 5:3; Micah 5:7. [LHC]
2. The Latin phrase here translated "bodily and worldly concerns — things that are our own" is ea quae sunt corporis & mundi, ita quae sunt propria, literally, "those things that are of the body and the world, thus which belong to the self." In Swedenborg's theology, the phrase the "things of the body," and other forms of reference to the body, evoke an entire meaning-complex that is difficult for modern readers to recover. Aspects of this meaning-complex include the physical, material body; a certain class of psychological affects; and the physiological responses accompanying the latter. For instance, Swedenborg associates with the body not only a love for oneself, but a passion for dignities and honors, as well as the love of dominating over others. The primary reason for this association is that these drives are seen as having a secondary physical effect on the body according to a physiology stemming from ancient and Renaissance medical science. The modern reader should be aware, then, that "bodily concerns" may include such drives as ambition and pride, and are often, though not exclusively, connected with self-love. Love of oneself is generally cast in a negative light by Swedenborg, though it is approved as a practical necessity to enable one to better love and care for others (see Secrets of Heaven 6933-6938; True Christianity 405:1, and True Christianity 403-405 generally). By way of indicating the difficulties of this topic, it can be observed that though a love of wealth is traditionally considered selfish, in Swedenborg's system it is considered not "bodily" but "worldly." See also the translator's preface, pages 6-7, and the reader's guide, pages 57-58. [SS]
