9466. 'And violet' means the celestial love of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'violet' as the celestial love of truth, the reason why 'violet' has this meaning being that it is a celestial colour, and by this colour truth from a celestial origin is meant, that is, truth springing from the good of love to the Lord. This good predominates in the inmost heaven, revealing itself in the middle or second heaven as the colours purple and violet. The actual good reveals itself as purple, and the truth springing from it as violet. For when colours appear in the next life, and in heaven itself, they are most beautiful ones; and they all have their origin in goodness and truth. For the sphere of affections for goodness and truth is revealed to the eyes of angels and of spirits also by means of colours, specific things being revealed by means of objects variously coloured, and also to their nostrils by means of odours. For every celestial reality belonging to good or spiritual reality belonging to truth is represented in the lower heavens by means of the kinds of things that appear in the natural order, and by this means is revealed to the actual external senses of spirits and angels in those heavens. The reason why the spheres of affection for goodness and truth are revealed visually by means of colours is that colours are modifications of heavenly light, and so of intelligence and wisdom, see 4530, 4677, 4742, 4922.

[2] This now explains why the materials that were to be gathered together for the tabernacle and Aaron's garments included violet, purple, twice-dyed scarlet, and skins of red rams; for the tabernacle represented the Lord's heaven, the materials which were used to construct and cover it represented the celestial and spiritual realities that belong to goodness and truth, and Aaron's garments had a like representation, 9457. It explains why the veil within which the ark of the Testimony was placed was woven from violet, purple, twice-dyed scarlet, and fine linen thread, Exodus 26:31, as likewise was the covering for the door of the tent, Exodus 26:36, and the covering for the gate of the court as well, Exodus 27:16, and why the loops on the edge of the curtain were made of violet, Exodus 26:4. It also explains why the ephod was made of gold, violet, purple, twice-dyed scarlet, and linen thread woven together, as was the breastplate of judgement, Exodus 28:6, 15.

[3] 'Violet' means the celestial love of truth, and 'garments made of violet' cognitions or knowledge of truth present as a result of that love, in Ezekiel,

Fine linen with embroidered work from Egypt was your sail, that it might be to you an ensign; violet and purple from the islands of Elishah was your covering. They were your traders with choice wares, ¹ with balls of violet, and embroidery, and with chests of precious garments. Ezekiel 27:7, 24.

This refers to Tyre, by which cognitions of truth and good are meant, 1201. Knowledge and understanding acquired from these is described by 'embroidered work from Egypt', and by 'violet and purple from the islands of Elishah'. 'Embroidered work from Egypt' is factual knowledge of truth, and 'violet and purple from the islands of Elishah' is an understanding of truth and good.

[4] In the same prophet,

Two women, the daughters of one mother, in their youth committed whoredom in Egypt - Oholah and Oholibah. Oholah committed whoredom under Me and doted on the Assyrians her neighbours - clothed in violet, governors and leaders, horsemen riding on horses. Ezekiel 23:2-6.

'Oholah' stands for Samaria, and 'Oholibah' for Jerusalem, Samaria in this instance being the corrupted spiritual Church. 'Committing whoredom in Egypt' means falsifying truths by means of factual knowledge, 'doting on the Assyrians her neighbours' stands for having a love of reasonings based on those falsifications, and 'clothed in violet' stands for ideas which look like truth springing from good because they are derived from the literal sense of the Word interpreted wrongly.

[5] Something similar occurs in Jeremiah,

Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the smith and of the hands of the molder. Their clothing is violet and purple. These are all the work of the wise. Jeremiah 10:9.

This refers to the idols of the house of Israel, by which false teachings, supported by distortions of the outward sense of the Word, are meant, 9424. 'The work of the smith and of the hands of the molder', and also 'these are all the work of the wise', stand for the fact that they are the product of self-intelligence. 'Silver from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz' stands for their seeming to outward appearance to be true and good because they are taken from the Word; and much the same is meant by 'violet and purple' of which their clothing consisted.

[6] In John,

I saw horses in the vision, and those seated on them had breastplates of fire and violet and brimstone, by whom a third part of mankind was killed. Revelation 9:17-18.

'Horses' and 'those seated on them' stand for a topsy-turvy and corrupted understanding of truth. 'Breastplates of fire, violet, and brimstone' stands for defence of falsities that arise from the evils of devilish kinds of love. In this instance therefore 'fire' stands for the hellish love of evil, and 'violet' for the hellish love of falsity. They are accordingly used in the contrary sense; for the majority of things in the Word also have a contrary meaning.

脚注:

4214. 'And in the morning Laban rose up early' means the enlightenment of that good by the Lord's Divine Natural. This is clear from the meaning of 'in the morning rising up early' as enlightenment, dealt with in 3458, 3723, and from the representation of 'Laban' as good such as exists with gentiles, dealt with in 4189. It is evident from the train of thought that the enlightenment of this good by the Lord's Divine Natural is what is meant here. As regards enlightenment, all enlightenment is received from the Lord; it comes by way of the good present in a person, the exact nature of the enlightenment depending on the nature of that good there.

[2] Most people believe that the enlightened consist of those who are able to reason about what is good and true, or about what is evil and false, and that the measure of their enlightenment increases in direct proportion to their growing ability to speak about those things with greater precision and accuracy, and at the same time to back up what they say with many facts, and also to make their assertions ring true by the use of comparisons drawn mainly from sensory evidence and by the use of other convincing ways of presentation. These reasoners however, in spite of all their mental and perceptive ability, are incapable of being enlightened at all. Two different kinds of mental and perceptive ability exist, the first of which comes from the light of heaven, the second from an illusory light. Both kinds look the same in outward form but are entirely different in internal form. That which comes from the light of heaven exists within good, that is, it exists with people who are governed by good. By virtue of that good they are able to see what is true, and to know - clear as daylight - whether something is right or not. But the kind which comes from the illusory light exists within evil, that is, with people who are governed by evil. The reason why they are able to reason about the things mentioned is that they do have a capacity to know them but no desire to practice them, a situation in which, as anyone can see, no enlightenment is present.

[3] With regard to illusory light and its existence in the next life, the following may be said: People who have dwelt in such light in the world dwell in a similar light in the next life. There also they reason about what is good and true, and about what is evil and false, doing so indeed far more perfectly and completely than during their lifetime since their thoughts are not held back and inhibited in that life by the cares which belong to the body and the world, nor are they so confined within them as they had been when in the body and the world. But it is immediately apparent, not to them but to good spirits and to angels, that their reasonings are the product of illusory light and that the light of heaven flowing in with them is instantly converted into that inferior kind of light. That which begins with them as the light of heaven is either stifled, as when sunlight falls on something opaque and turns black, or is cast back, as happens with people under the influence of false assumptions, or else is perverted, as when sunlight strikes objects that are offensive and foul and produces offensive colours as well as offensive odours. It is similar with people who dwell in illusory light and believe that they are more enlightened than everybody else because of their ability to reason intelligently and wisely, even though they lead evil lives.

[4] Who these spirits are and what they are really like is evident from every syllable of what they say, so long as they are simulating what is good with the intent to deceive. Such spirits include those who deny the Lord or hold Him in contempt, and among themselves mock those who do confess Him. Also included are those who delight in adultery and deride people who believe that marriages are holy and ought never to be dishonoured. Among such spirits too are those who believe that the commands and teachings of the Church are intended for the common people, who by means of them may be kept in bonds; but among themselves those spirits set no value at all on those commands and teachings. Likewise included are those who attribute all things to nature and suppose people to be simpletons and weak in judgement who claim that all things come from the Divine. Spirits who ascribe every single thing to their own prudence, and who have convinced themselves of the idea and say that a Supreme Being exists who has a kind of general or overall control of things but no particular or specific control of them, are included too. And the same applies to other cases.

[5] People like these dwell in illusory light in the next life also, where among those like themselves they reason with precision. But when they approach any heavenly community that light goes out and turns into darkness. As a consequence their thought is so beclouded that they are not in fact able to think at all. For the light of heaven there has an adverse effect on them, which with them, as has been stated, is either stifled or cast back or perverted. As a result they reel back from there and cast themselves down into hell, where that kind of light shines. These considerations show what true enlightenment is, namely that which is a product of good originating in the Lord, and what false enlightenment is, namely that which is a product of evil originating in hell.