45. People who lived in the earliest times used the same kinds of symbols for the contents of the intellect and the will. In consequence, the different types of creature have a similar representation in the prophets and throughout the Old Testament Word.
Beasts are of two kinds: bad (because they are dangerous) and good (because they are tame). Bad animals — bears, wolves, and [feral] dogs, for instance — symbolize evil things in us. Good animals — young cattle, sheep, lambs — symbolize the good, gentle things in us. Because the present theme concerns people who are being reborn, the beasts in this verse are the good, tame ones, symbolizing feelings of affection.
The traits in us that belong to a lower order and rise more out of our body are called the wild animals of the earth; they are cravings and appetites. 1
Voetnoten:
1. On the meaning of the reference to those traits that arise out of the body, see note 2 in §8. The important point is that the cravings and appetites Swedenborg refers to here may include such nonphysical yearnings as a desire for honor, privilege, and power. [SS]
