577. And the heads of the horses as the heads of lions.- That this signifies knowledge (scientia), and thought therefrom, destructive of truth, is evident from the signification of the heads of the horses, as denoting knowledge (scientia) and thought therefrom, as will be seen presently; and from the signification of the heads of lions, as denoting thence the destruction of truth. The heads of lions here signify the destruction of truth, because a lion, in the highest sense, signifies the Divine Truth as to power, and, in the opposite sense, falsity destroying truth, consequently, the destruction of truth; and the head of a lion signifies the powers of the mind by means of which it destroys, and which are reasonings from falsities. That a lion signifies the Divine Truth as to power, and, in the opposite sense, falsity destroying it, may be seen above (n.278). The reason why the heads of the horses signify knowledge (scientia) and thought therefrom, is, that head signifies intelligence, and horse, the understanding. But as the subjects here treated of are the sensual man and his reasonings from falsities, and as the sensual man who reasons from falsities has no intelligence, but only knowledge (scientia) and thought therefrom, therefore these are here signified by the heads of the horses. That those who are in falsities have no intelligence, but instead of intelligence, only knowledge (scientia), may be seen in the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 33). The head signifies intelligence, because the understanding and will of man reside in the interior parts of his head, and therefore the senses of sight, hearing, smell, and taste, into which the understanding and will flow from the interior, vivifying them, and also causing them to enjoy their sensations, are in the front part of the head which is the face.

[2] For this reason head, in the Word, signifies intelligence. But because those who receive influx from heaven are alone intelligent, for all intelligence and wisdom flow in out of heaven from the Lord, it follows, that those who are in falsities of evil have no intelligence. For with such the higher and spiritual mind is closed, and only the lower mind, called the natural mind, is open; and this mind, when the higher is closed, receives nothing of truth and good, consequently no intelligence from heaven, but only from the world, therefore such persons, instead of intelligence, have merely knowledge (scientia), and from this thought, from which proceeds reasoning, and by means of this confirmation of falsity and evil against truth and good.

[3] That the head, in the Word, signifies intelligence and wisdom, and, in the opposite sense, knowledge (scientia), and thence illusory thought, is evident from the following passages in the Word.

Thus in Ezekiel:

"I put a jewel on thy nose, and earrings in thine ears, and a crown of ornament upon thy head" (16:12).

These things are said concerning Jerusalem, which signifies the church, here its quality at the beginning. The jewel put on the nose signifies the perception of truth from good, earrings in the ears signify hearing and obedience, and a crown upon the head signifies wisdom, for intelligence which is from Divine Truth becomes wisdom from the good of love, signified by a crown of gold.

[4] So in the Apocalypse:

"A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars" (12:1).

That the head upon which was a crown of twelve stars, signifies intelligence, will be seen in the explanation in the following pages. The Jews placing a crown of thorns upon the head of the Lord, and smiting His head (Matthew 27:29, 30; Mark 15:17, 19; John 19:2), signified that with such ignominy did they treat the Divine Truth itself, and the Divine Wisdom. For they falsified the Word, which is Divine Truth, and contains Divine Wisdom, and adulterated it by their traditions, and by applying it to themselves, thus wishing for a king who should place them above all [the nations] in the whole world. And because the kingdom of the Lord was not earthly but heavenly, therefore they perverted all those things in the Word which referred to Him, and ridiculed the prophecies relating to Him. This was represented by their placing a crown of thorns upon His head, and by their smiting Him on the head.

[5] It is also said in Daniel, where the subject is the statue of Nebuchadnezzar seen in a dream, that its head was of pure gold, its breast and arms of silver, and its thighs of brass, its legs of iron, its feet part of iron and part of clay (2:32, 33). That statue represented the successive states of the church. The head of gold represented and signified the Most Ancient Church, which was in celestial wisdom, and thence in intelligence above [all the churches] that followed; its wisdom and intelligence are meant by the head of gold. That the other parts of the statue signify the states of the churches which followed, may be seen above (n. 176, 411:5).

And in David:

"Thou broughtest us into the net; thou hast laid affliction upon [our] loins. Thou hast caused a man to ride over our head" (Psalm 66:11 12).

Causing men to ride over our head signifies that there was no intelligence, as may be seen above (355:35), where those things are more fully explained.

[6] And in Moses:

These blessings "shall come on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the Nazarite of his brethren" (Genesis 49:26; Deuteronomy 33:13-16).

By blessings coming on the head of Joseph, is signified, that all those things previously mentioned, and which are the blessings of heaven, should be experienced in the interiors of his mind, which are the lives of the understanding and will, for these are the interiors of the mind. By their coming on the crown of the Nazarite of his brethren, is signified, that they should also be experienced in the exteriors of his natural mind, for the Nazariteship signifies the exteriors of the natural mind, since it signifies hairs, or the hair of the head. But these words are more fully explained above (n. 448:7); and in the Arcana Coelestia 6437, 6438).

Again:

"Give you wise men, and intelligent, and I will appoint them for your heads" (Deuteronomy 1:13).

It is said, "for heads," because wisdom and intelligence are meant, in which they excel the rest, hence it is said, "Give you wise men and intelligent."

[7] So in Isaiah:

"Jehovah hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes, the prophets; and your heads, the seers, hath he covered" (29:10).

Prophets signify those who teach truths, and are intelligent, and in an abstract sense, the doctrine of truth, and intelligence; therefore it is said, "Jehovah hath closed your eyes, the prophets; and your heads, the seers," where the prophets are called eyes, and the seers, heads, because the eyes signify the understanding of truth as to doctrine, and by seers, as by the head are signified, intelligence.

[8] Again:

"[Jehovah] will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush. The old man and honourable, will make the head, but the prophet that teacheth lies, the tail" (9:14, 15).

And again:

"Neither shall there be any work for Egypt, which will make the head and tail, branch and rush" (19:15).

That He would cut off from Israel head and tail, and that there should not be for Egypt head and tail, signifies that all their intelligence and knowledge of truth would perish, as may be seen above (n. 559:4), where those subjects are more fully explained.

Again, in the same:

"In that day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, in the passages of the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet; and shall also consume the beard" (7:20).

These words signify that reasonings from falsities would deprive the men of the church of all wisdom and spiritual intelligence, as may be seen above (n. 569:17), where they are explained in detail. It is said, in the passages of the river, because the river Euphrates signifies reasonings from falsities; here therefore invasion thence into the truths of the church, which are destroyed by reasonings from falsities, is signified.

[9] And in Ezekiel:

"Thou son of man take thee a sharp sword, take thee a barber's razor, and cause it to pass upon thy head and upon thy beard. Thou shalt burn with fire a third part, and thou shalt smite a third part with the sword, and a third part thou shalt scatter to the wind" (5:1, 2).

Here also by causing a razor to pass over the head, is signified, to deprive of all intelligence of truth. The reason is, that intelligence perishes unless the ultimates of intelligence exist, signified by the hair of the head, which he was to shave with a razor, by causing it to pass over the head. For to take away the ultimates is like removing the base from a column, or the foundation from a house. Hence it is that in the Jewish church, which was a representative church, it was unlawful to shave the hair of the head, and cause baldness, and similarly with regard to the beard. Therefore also those who are without intelligence appear bald in the spiritual world.

[10] From these things the signification of a bald head, or baldness, in the following passages is evident.

Thus in Isaiah:

"On all their heads shall be baldness, and every beard cut off"

(15:2).

These words denote that there was no intelligence. And in Ezekiel:

"Shame upon all faces, and baldness upon all heads" (7:18).

And again, in the same:

"Every head shall be made bald, and every shoulder deprived of hair" (29:18).

These words have a similar meaning. Hence also Aaron and his sons were forbidden to shave their heads and the corner of the beard, concerning which it is said in Moses that Aaron and his sons should not shave their heads, nor rend their garments, lest they should die, and the wrath of Jehovah fall upon the whole congregation (Leviticus 10:6).

And again:

"The sons of Aaron "shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of the beard" (21:5).

The beard signifies the ultimate of the rational man, and not shaving the beard, signifies not to deprive themselves of what is rational, by taking away its ultimate; for, as said above, when the ultimate is taken away, the interior also perishes. What is meant by the woman taken captive from the enemy, shaving her head and paring her nails, if she should be desired for a wife, is explained above (n. 555:16).

[11] Because shame was represented by the hands upon the head, it is therefore said in Jeremiah:

"Thou also shalt be ashamed of Egypt, as thou wast ashamed of Assyria. Yea, thou shalt go forth from her, and thy hands upon thy head" (2:36, 37).

Again, in the same prophet:

"They were ashamed and confounded, and covered their heads" (14:3).

Because [covering the head with the hands] was representative of shame, therefore Tamar, after she had been disgraced by her brother Ammon, "laid her hand on her head, and went her way crying" (2 Sam. 13:19); by putting her hand on her head was signified that there remained no longer any intelligence. Grief also for sin in having acted insanely and foolishly, was represented by sprinkling dust upon the head; and bowing down the head even to the earth also signified cursing; as in Ezekiel:

"They shall cast up dust upon thine head, they shall roll thee in ashes" (27:30).

And in Lamentations:

"The elders of the daughter of Zion sit upon the ground, and keep silence; they have cast up dust upon their heads; they have girded themselves with sackcloth; the virgins of Jerusalem have hung down their heads to the ground" (2:10).

[12] But by the head, in the opposite sense, is signified the craftiness pertaining to those who are in the love of ruling; this is meant by the head in Moses, by the seed of the woman bruising the serpent's head, and the serpent bruising his heel (Genesis 3:15).

And in David:

"The Lord at thy right hand hath smitten through kings in the day of his wrath. He hath judged among the nations, he hath filled the earth with their dead bodies; he hath smitten the head over much country. He shall drink of the stream in the way; therefore shall he lift up the head" (Psalm 110:5-7).

This passage is explained above (n. 518:24).

And again:

"God shall bruise the head of his enemies, the crown of the hair to them that walk in guiltiness" (Psalm 68:21).

That the craftiness by which they intend and contrive evil for others returns upon themselves, is signified by, "recompensing their way upon their own head" (Ezekiel 9:10; 11:21; 16:43; 17:19; 22:31; Joel 3:4, 7). But the signification of the seven heads, in the Apocalypse, upon which were seven diadems (12:3; 13:1, 3; 17:3, 7, 9), will be seen in the following pages. Moreover, the head, being the highest and chief part in man, also signifies various other things, as the summit of a mountain, the top of any thing, what is primary, the beginning of a way, of a street, of a month, and similar things.

10248. 'And it shall be the statute of an age to them' means an eternal law of order. This is clear from the meaning of 'a statute' as a law of order, dealt with in 7884, 7995, 8357; and from the meaning of 'an age' as that which is eternal. The reason why 'an age' means what is eternal is that duration even to the end should be understood by it, and in the internal sense what is eternal is meant by that duration. Furthermore the word used to denote an age means eternity in the original language. 'Age' means what is eternal because when used in the Word with regard to the Church it means duration of it even to the end. Consequently, when the term is used with regard to heaven, where there is no end, or with regard to the Lord, it means what is eternal. The term may be used to refer in general to any Church, but in particular to the celestial Church. In addition to all this 'age' means the world and life there, and also life after this to eternity.

[2] 1. The term 'age', when used with regard to the Church, means the duration of it even to the end

This is clear from the following places: In Matthew,

The disciples said to Jesus, Tell us, what will be the sign of Your coming and of the close of the age? Matthew 24:3.

'The close of the age' means the final period of the Church, thus the end of it, when there is no longer any faith because there is no charity. The fact that this is meant by 'the close of the age' and that 'the age' therefore means the duration of the Church even to the end becomes clear from all the things stated by the Lord in that chapter, an explanation of which may be seen in the opening sections of Chapters 26-40 of Genesis. 'The age' and 'the close' of it have the same meaning elsewhere in the same gospel,

The harvest is the close of the age. Matthew 13:39-40, 49.

Also,

Behold, I am with you at all times ¹ even to the close of the age. Matthew 28:20.

Here also 'the age' is used to mean the duration of the Church from start to finish.

[3] In Ezekiel,

They will dwell on the land, they and their sons and their sons' sons even to an age. David will be their prince for an age. My sanctuary will be in their midst for an age. Ezekiel 37:25, 28.

These promises refer to Israel, who in the internal sense serves to mean the spiritual Church. 'The land' on which they will dwell also means the Church; 'the sanctuary' means everything composing the Church; and 'David' means the Lord. From this it is evident that 'for an age' means even to the end.

'Israel' in the Word is the spiritual Church, see in the places referred to in 9340.

'The land' is the Church, in the places referred to in 9325.

'The sanctuary' is everything composing the Church, and it has reference to the goodness and truth of the spiritual Church, 8330, 9479.

'David' is the Lord, 1888, 9954.

[4] In David,

Before the mountains were born, and the earth and the world were formed, from age even to age You are God. Psalms 90:2.

By the birth of mountains and formation of the earth and the world not the creation of the world but the establishment of a Church should be understood, for in the Word heavenly or celestial love, and so the Church in which that love exists, is meant by 'the mountains'. 'The earth' too and 'the world' mean the Church, so that 'from age to age' means from when Churches are established to when they come to an end. Churches follow in succession, one after another; for when one has come to an end or undergone vastation another is established.

'Mountain' means heavenly or celestial love, and therefore the Church which is governed by that love, see 795, 796, 4210, 6435, 8758.

'The earth' is the Church in particular, but 'the world' the Church in general, see in the places referred to in 9325.

[5] 2. The term 'age', when used with regard to heaven, where there is no end, or with regard to the Lord, means what is eternal

This is clear from the following places: In David,

Jehovah is King for an age and for perpetuity. Psalms 10:16; Exodus 15:18.

In the same author,

Your kingdom is a kingdom of all the ages, and Your dominion to every generation after generation. Psalms 145:13.

In Jeremiah,

[He is] the living God [and] the King of the age. Jeremiah 10:10.

In Daniel,

His dominion is the dominion of an age which will not pass away. Afterwards the saints of the Most High ² will receive the kingdom and will strengthen the kingdom even to an age, and even to ages of ages. Daniel 7:14, 18, 27.

In Matthew,

Yours is the kingdom, the power, and the glory for ages. Matthew 6:13.

In Luke,

God will give Him the throne of David, so that He may reign over the house of Jacob for ages. Luke 1:32-33.

[6] In the Book of Revelation,

To Jesus Christ be glory and might for ages of ages. Revelation 1:6.

Elsewhere in the same book,

Behold, I live for ages of ages. Revelation 1:18.

And elsewhere again,

Blessing, and honour, and glory, and might to the Lamb for ages of ages! The twenty-four elders worshipped the One living for ages of ages. Revelation 5:13-14; 10:6; 11:15.

In Isaiah,

My salvation will exist for an age, and My righteousness to each generation ³ . Isaiah 51:6, 8.

In the same prophet,

The angel of [His] face carried them all the days of the age. Isaiah 63:9.

In Daniel,

Many of those sleeping will awake to the life of the age ⁴ , the rest to the disrepute of the age ⁵ . Daniel 12:2.

In John,

If anyone eats of this bread he will live for an age. John 6:51, 58.

In the same gospel,

I give them eternal life, and they will not perish for an age. John 10:28.

In David,

Lead me in the way of the age ⁶ . Psalms 139:24.

In the same author,

He has caused them to stand for perpetuity and for an age; He has given a statute that will not pass away. Psalms 148:6.

[7] In these places 'age' means what is eternal since it is used with regard to the Lord, to His kingdom, and to heaven and the life there, all of which have no end. 'Ages of ages' is not used to mean eternities of eternities but that which is eternal. That expression is used however with regard to the Churches on earth coming in succession one after another. From the Word it is evident that a Church has been established four times on this planet. The first of them was the Most Ancient, which existed before the Flood; the second was the Ancient, which came after the Flood; the third was the Israelite and Jewish; and the last was the Christian. The whole period of each one from start to finish is an age. And after the Christian Church a new one will begin. This series of Churches is meant by 'ages of ages', 'an age' being the duration of a Church even to its end, as shown above.

[8] 3. The term 'age' may be used to refer in general to any Church, but in particular to the celestial Church

This is clear from the following places: In Amos,

I will raise up the tent of David that is fallen down, and I will build as in the days of a [previous] age. Amos 9:11.

'The days of a [previous] age' is used to mean the time when the Most Ancient Church, which was celestial, existed. In Micah,

Bethlehem Ephrath, from you will come forth for Me one who will be Ruler in Israel, and whose origins are from of old, from the days of a [previous] age. Micah 5:2.

Here the meaning is similar. In Moses,

Remember the days of a [previous] age, understand the years of generation after generation. Deuteronomy 32:7.

'The days of a [previous] age' stands for the time of the Most Ancient Church, which was a celestial Church, and 'the years of generation after generation' for the time of the Ancient Church, which was a spiritual Church.

[9] In Isaiah,

Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of Jehovah. Awake as in the days of antiquity, of the generation of [previous] ages. Isaiah 51:8-9.

'As in [the days] of the generation of [previous] ages' means as it was with the states of love and faith in the Ancient Churches that descended from the Most Ancient. In David,

I have considered the days of old, the years of [previous] ages. Psalms 77:5.

Here the meaning is similar.

[10] In Isaiah,

Remember from a [previous] age the former thing. Isaiah 46:9.

In Malachi,

Then the minchah of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to Jehovah, as in the days of a [previous] age, and as in ancient years. Malachi 3:4.

In Joel,

Judah will abide for an age, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. Joel 3:20.

In these places 'Judah' means the celestial Church, to which the words 'as in the days of the age' and 'into the age' therefore refer, while 'Jerusalem' means the spiritual Church, to which the words 'as in the ancient years' and 'into generation after generation' refer.

'Judah' is the celestial Church, see 3654, 3881, 6363, 8770.

'Jerusalem' is the spiritual Church, 402, 3654.

[11] 4. The term 'age' may mean the world and life there

This is clear in Matthew,

The one who is sown among thorns is he who hears the Word but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the Word. Matthew 13:22.

In Luke,

The sons of this age are more shrewd than the sons of light. Luke 16:8.

In the same gospel,

The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. Luke 20:34.

And in David,

The wicked and carefree ones of the age multiply wealth. Psalms 73:12.

[12] 5. The term 'age' may mean life to eternity after death

In Mark,

... will receive a hundredfold, now in this time, and in the age to come eternal life. Mark 10:30.

In Ezekiel,

When I will cause you to go down with those going down to the pit, to the people of a [previous] age, ... Ezekiel 26:20.

And elsewhere, as in Luke 18:30; 20:35; Isaiah 34:10, 17; Revelation 14:11; 20:10; 22:5.

脚注: