4448. 'Shechem my son' means the truth derived from that good. This is clear from the representation of 'Shechem' as interior truth, dealt with in 4430, and so truth derived from the good meant by Hamor, 4447. Actually all the truth of the Church is derived from its good; such truth never arises from any other source. This truth which Shechem represents is called interior truth, being in essence nothing other than the good of charity. Indeed the Most Ancient Church, being celestial, was governed by the good of love to the Lord and as a consequence they had a perception of all truth; for the members of that Church were almost as angels. They also had communication with angels, that being the source of their perception. They never therefore reasoned about any truth of faith, but simply said 'Yes, that is the truth' because they had a perception of it from heaven. They did not even wish to make mention of faith, but of charity instead, see 202, 337, 2715, 2718, 3246. For this reason it is the good of charity that is meant at this point by interior truth. As regards the remnants of that Church existing with Hamor the Hivite and his son Shechem, see immediately above in 4447.

[2] With the Ancient Church, which was spiritual, it was different. This Church was not governed like the Most Ancient Church by love to the Lord but by charity towards the neighbour. Nor was it able to arrive at charity except through the truth of faith, of which, unlike the Most Ancient people, they did not have any perception and therefore began to make investigations into whether the truth was the truth. Regarding the difference between celestial people who had perception and spiritual ones who do not, see 2088, 2669, 2708, 2715, 3235, 3240, 3246, 3887.

1168. Verse 7 And the sons of Cush: Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabteka. And the sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. 'The sons of Cush' means those who did not have internal worship but cognitions of faith, and who made religion consist merely in the possessing of such cognitions. 'Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteka' are just so many nations with whom these existed, for in the internal sense these same nations mean cognitions themselves. 'The sons of Raamah' similarly means those who had no internal worship but cognitions of faith, in the mere possession of which they made religion consist. 'Sheba and Dedan' are nations with whom these cognitions existed, for by those same nations cognitions themselves are meant in the internal sense, though with this difference, that cognitions of spiritual things are meant by 'the sons of Cush', cognitions of celestial things by 'the sons of Raamah'.