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Exodus第30章:2

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2 It shall be a cubit in length, and another in breadth, that is, foursquare, and two in height. Horns shall go out of the same.

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Arcana Coelestia#10276

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10276. 'And you shall sanctify them, and they shall be the holy of holies' means consequently the inflow and presence of the Lord within the worship of the representative Church. This is clear from the meaning of 'being sanctified' as representing the Lord in respect of the Divine Human, and the reception of Divine Good and Divine Truth from Him, for the Lord alone is holy and therefore that alone is holy which emanates from Him, from which it is evident that 'being sanctified' also means the inflow and presence of the Lord within the worship of the representative Church;

'Being sanctified' means representing the Lord in respect of the Divine Human, see 9956, 9988, 10069.

It also means the reception of Divine Good and Divine Truth from Him, 8806, 9820, 10128.

The Lord alone is holy, and that alone is holy which emanates from Him, 9229, 9479, 9680, 9818.

Thus holy things among the Israelite and Jewish nation were holy in a representative fashion, 10149, and from the meaning of 'the holy of holies' as celestial Divine Good, dealt with in 10129.

[2] From all this it is evident that all those things which had been anointed were called 'the holy of holies' by virtue of the inflow and presence of the Lord's Divine Human. And whenever the Lord flows in and becomes present He does so by a path that is direct, and also in the lower heavens by one that is indirect, through celestial good, which is the inmost heaven's good. Therefore to the extent that the levels of good in the lower heavens contain and store celestial good, which is the good of love to the Lord, they are indeed good. This is why things which had been anointed were called 'the holy of holies'. Regarding the Lord's flowing in directly and indirectly, see in the places referred to in 9682, 9683.

[3] To have any knowledge of the nature of these things a person must know what a representation is and what a representative Church is. What they are has been shown extensively in the places referred to in 9229, 9280, 10030; but since few at the present day know what they are, let something more be said to shed further light on the subject. In the inmost heavens there exist among the angels affections for goodness and truth derived from the Lord, which compose those angels' life and bliss. These affections manifest themselves in the lowest heaven within outward forms, which are countless and infinitely various; whatever the eyes of those in that heaven behold there springs from them. These forms are representative of more internal things, which are affections for goodness and truth and are called celestial and spiritual things.

[4] Good spirits, who perceive the holy things of heaven within those representative forms existing as subjects 1 , have their inner feelings stirred by them. They see, for example, parks or gardens with countless species of trees and fruits, also rose gardens, lawns, fields with crops, houses, palaces, and very many other sights. All these correspond to the affections for goodness and truth which, derived from the Lord, exist in higher heavens. Representative forms also exist in these higher heavens, but they are immeasurably superior in perfection, delightfulness, and rapture to such forms in the lowest heaven. These representative forms are what the saying that no eye has ever seen such things refers to; and if any description of them were given it would surpass human belief.

[5] From all this it may be recognized what representative forms are. All those which had been established among the Israelite nation were similar to the ones in the lowest heaven, but had less perfection because they existed in the natural world. Such forms comprised the tent of meeting together with the ark, the table on which the loaves of the Presence were laid, the lampstand and its lamps, and the altar of incense; the garments of Aaron and his sons; at a later time, the temple together with the sanctuary in it, where the ark with the mercy-seat and cherubs above it was; the bronze sea, the lavers, and similar objects. More however, beyond numbering, appear in the lowest heaven; but these have greater excellence and perfection. That heaven was where the Lord showed Moses on Mount Sinai the things to be established among the Israelite nation, as is evident in Exodus 25:40; 26:30; 27:8, though Moses did not see them there with his bodily eyes but with those of his spirit.

[6] Further proof of the nature of representative forms lies in those things which were seen by prophets - by Daniel, by John in the Book of Revelation, and by all the rest. All the things which they saw conceal Divine spiritual and celestial realities within them. Without the internal sense to explain them those visions are unintelligible, as anyone may recognize.

[7] From all this it is again evident what a representative Church is.

This Church was established in the land of Canaan especially on account of the Word, in order that representative forms and objects carrying a spiritual meaning might be used in the writing of it, thus such things as existed among that nation, in their Church and in their land. For since most ancient times all places in the land of Canaan, all the mountains and rivers there, represented such things as existed in heaven, 3686, 4240, 4447, 4454, 5136, 6516; and so at a later time did the inheritances, tribes, and everything else. The literal sense of the Old Testament Word was composed of such things, to the end that it might be a kind of base in which more internal things terminated and on which they stood, like a building on its foundations, see 9360, 9824, 10044.

[8] Anyone who is intelligent may see from all this that the Word is most holy, that its literal sense is holy by virtue of its internal sense, and that when separated from this it is not holy. For the literal sense separated from the internal is like a person's outward [body] separated from his inward [soul], which is a lifeless statue; and it is like the outer covering of a tree, flower, fruit, or seed without their inward parts, and like the foundation without the house. Those therefore who adhere strictly to the sense of the letter of the Word and do not have or acquire for themselves from the Word teachings in keeping with its internal sense may be drawn into all kinds of heresy. This is why such people refer to the Word as a book of heresies. Sound doctrine drawn from the Word must absolutely shine before people and show them the way to go; those teachings are provided by the internal sense, and the person who is acquainted with them has the internal sense of the Word.

[9] Because the Jewish nation did not acknowledge the presence of any holiness in the Word except in its literal sense alone, which they separated completely from its internal sense, they sank into such darkness that they did not know the Lord when He came into the world. That nation is just the same at the present day; therefore although they live among Christians, they still do not as yet from the Word acknowledge the Lord. Right from the start that nation was interested in outward things but not their inner substance, see what has been shown in the places referred to in 9320(end), 9380. Unless therefore the Lord had come into the world and disclosed its inner contents, contact with the heavens through the Word would have been broken; and if that had been broken the human race on this planet would have perished. For no one can think anything at all that is true or do anything at all that is good except in heaven's strength, that is, the Lord's coming through heaven. The Word is what opens heaven.

脚注:

1. Subject is used here to mean something which really exists yet depends for its existence on something prior to itself.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.

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Genesis第15章

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1 After these things the word of Yahweh came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Don't be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."

2 Abram said, "Lord Yahweh, what will you give me, since I go childless, and he who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?"

3 Abram said, "Behold, to me you have given no seed: and, behold, one born in my house is my heir."

4 Behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, saying, "This man will not be your heir, but he who will come forth out of your own body will be your heir."

5 Yahweh brought him outside, and said, "Look now toward the sky, and count the stars, if you are able to count them." He said to Abram, "So shall your seed be."

6 He believed in Yahweh; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.

7 He said to him, "I am Yahweh who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give you this land to inherit it."

8 He said, "Lord Yahweh, how will I know that I will inherit it?"

9 He said to him, "Bring me a heifer three years old, a female goat three years old, a ram three years old, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."

10 He brought him all of these, and divided them in the middle, and laid each half opposite the other; but he didn't divide the birds.

11 The birds of prey came down on the carcasses, and Abram drove them away.

12 When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him.

13 He said to Abram, "Know for sure that your seed will live as foreigners in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them. They will afflict them four hundred years.

14 I will also judge that nation, whom they will serve. Afterward they will come out with great wealth,

15 but you will go to your fathers in peace. You will be buried in a good old age.

16 In the fourth generation they will come here again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full."

17 It came to pass that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold, a smoking furnace, and a flaming torch passed between these pieces.

18 In that day Yahweh made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates:

19 the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites,

20 the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim,

21 the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites, and the Jebusites."