1231. “路德” 表对真理的认知. 这从以下事实清楚可知: 对真理的认知是以这样的方式获得的, 即经由仁爱通过主, 因而藉着理性和知识经由信而获得的. 这也清楚可见于以西结书:

波斯人, 路德人, 弗人在你军营中作战士; 他们在你中间悬挂盾牌和头盔, 彰显你的尊荣. (以西结书 27:10)

这论及推罗. “路德人, 弗人” 表认知, 被说成是在她的军营中作战士, 因为认知在理性的帮助下有助于捍卫真理, 也就是 “悬挂盾牌和头盔”. “弗人” 表对圣言的外在认知 (参看10:6).

4500. 'And came with confidence upon the city, and killed every male' means that they utterly destroyed the truths of doctrine of the Church among the Ancients. This is clear from the meaning of 'the city' as the doctrine of the Church, dealt with in 402, 2449, 2943, 3216, 4478, in this case of the Church among the Ancients, for that Church is represented by Hamor and Shechem whose city it was; from the meaning of 'with confidence' as with trust, in this case with trust in falsity and evil; and from the meaning of 'a male' as truth, dealt with in 749, 2046, 4005. From these meanings it is evident that 'they came with confidence upon the city, and killed every male' means that with a trust in falsity and evil they utterly destroyed the truths of doctrine of the Church among the Ancients.

[2] It was the Church among the Ancients, a descendant of the Most Ancient Church, that was going to be established among the descendants from Jacob, because the Ancient Church had begun to perish. But the fact that they utterly destroyed every truth of faith and good of charity, and thus every internal aspect of worship among them, and so the fact that no Church could be established among Jacob's descendants, is described at this point in the internal sense. This explains how it came about that, because of their stubborn insistence, that which was merely a representative of the Church was established among them 4281, 4288-4290, 4293, 4307, 4314, 4316, 4317, 4429, 4433, 4444.