Hier sind einige Auszüge aus Swedenborgs "Arcana Coelestia", die helfen, die innere Bedeutung dieses Kapitels zu erklären:

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 190. Es wird der dritte Zustand der ältesten Kirche behandelt, die das Eigene so sehr begehrte, dass sie es liebte.

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 191. Weil sie aus Selbstliebe, d.h. aus Eigenliebe, nichts zu glauben begannen, was sie nicht mit den Sinnen erfassten, wird der sinnliche Teil durch die "Schlange", die Selbstliebe oder Eigenliebe durch das "Weib" und das Vernünftige durch den "Mann" dargestellt.

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 192. Daher verführte die "Schlange" oder der sinnliche Teil die Frau dazu, die Dinge des Glaubens an den Herrn zu erforschen, um zu sehen, ob sie wirklich so sind, was mit "vom Baum der Erkenntnis essen" bezeichnet wird; und dass der Verstand des Menschen einwilligte, wird mit "der Mensch, der davon aß" bezeichnet (Verse 1-6).

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 193. Aber sie erkannten, dass sie im Bösen waren. Dieser Rest von Erkenntnis wird dadurch ausgedrückt, dass ihre "Augen geöffnet wurden" und sie "die Stimme Jehovas hörten" (Verse 7, 8), und von den Feigenblättern, aus denen sie sich Gürtel machten (Vers 7), und von ihrer Scham oder ihrem Verstecken inmitten des Baumes des Gartens (Verse 8, 9) sowie aus ihrer Anerkennung und ihrem Bekenntnis (Verse 10-13) geht hervor, dass die natürliche Güte in ihnen noch vorhanden war.

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 234. Der spätere Zustand der Kirche bis zur Sintflut wird hier beschrieben; und da sich die Kirche zu dieser Zeit selbst vernichtete, wird vorausgesagt, dass der Herr in die Welt kommen und das Menschengeschlecht retten würde.

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 235. Da der sinnliche Teil, der die "Schlange" ist, nicht bereit war, etwas zu glauben, was nicht mit den Sinnen wahrgenommen werden konnte, verfluchte er sich selbst und wurde höllisch (Vers 14).

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 236. Um zu verhindern, dass die ganze Menschheit in die Hölle stürzt, versprach der Herr, dass er in die Welt kommen würde (Vers 15).

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 237. Die Kirche wird weiter durch das "Weib" beschrieben, das sich selbst oder das Eigene so sehr liebte, dass es nicht mehr fähig war, die Wahrheit zu erkennen, obwohl ihnen eine Vernunft gegeben wurde, die "herrschen" sollte (Vers 16).

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 238. Dann wird die Eigenschaft des Vernünftigen beschrieben, dass es zustimmte und sich damit selbst verfluchte und höllisch wurde, so dass nicht mehr die Vernunft, sondern die Ratio übrig blieb (Vers 17).

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 239. Der Fluch und die Ausdehnung werden beschrieben, und auch ihr eisenhaltiges Wesen (Vers 18).

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 240. Dann ihre Abneigung gegen alles, was mit Glauben und Liebe zu tun hat, und dass sie dadurch vom Menschen zum Nichtmenschen wurden (Vers 19).

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 280. Die älteste Kirche und die Abgefallenen werden hier zusammenfassend behandelt; so auch ihre Nachkommenschaft bis zur Sintflut, als sie erlosch.

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 281. Von der ältesten Kirche, die himmlisch war und aus dem Leben des Glaubens an den Herrn stammte, die "Eva" genannt wurde und die "Mutter aller Lebenden" (Vers 20).

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 282. Von seiner ersten Nachkommenschaft, in der das himmlische, geistige Gut war, und von seiner zweiten und dritten, in der das natürliche Gut war, dargestellt durch den "Mantel aus Haut, den Jehova Gott für den Mann und seine Frau machte" (Vers 21).

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 283. Von der vierten Nachkommenschaft, in der sich das natürliche Gut zu zerstreuen begann, und die, wenn sie neu geschaffen oder in den himmlischen Dingen des Glaubens unterwiesen worden wären, zugrunde gegangen wären, was gemeint ist mit: "Damit er nicht seine Hand ausstrecke und auch von dem Baum des Lebens nehme und esse und ewig lebe" (Vers 22).

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 284. Von der fünften Nachkommenschaft, die allem Guten und Wahren beraubt war und in den Zustand zurückversetzt wurde, in dem sie sich vor der Wiedergeburt befunden hatte, was damit gemeint ist, dass er "aus dem Garten Eden hinausgeschickt wurde, um den Boden zu bebauen, von dem er genommen wurde" (Vers 23).

Himmlischen Geheimnissen 285. Von der sechsten und siebten Nachkommenschaft, dass sie aller Gedächtniserkenntnis (scientia) des Guten und Wahren beraubt und ihrer eigenen schmutzigen Liebe und Überzeugung überlassen wurden, damit sie das Heilige des Glaubens nicht entweihen, was dadurch ausgedrückt wird, dass er "hinausgetrieben und Cherubim im Garten wohnen gelassen wurden, mit der Flamme eines Schwertes, um den Weg des Baumes des Lebens zu bewachen" (Vers 24).

3813. As regards 'flesh', this means in the highest sense the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, which is Divine Good, and in the relative sense means the will side of the human proprium when made alive by the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, that is, by His Divine Good. This proprium is the one called the heavenly proprium which, in itself the Lord's alone, is appropriated to those who are governed by good and consequently by truth. Such a proprium exists with angels in heaven, and also with men whose interiors, that is, their spirits, are in the Lord's kingdom. But in the contrary sense 'flesh' means the will side of the human proprium, which in itself is nothing but evil, and not having been made alive by the Lord is called dead; and the individual himself is for that reason called dead.

[2] That 'flesh' in the highest sense means the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, and so His Divine Good, is clear from the Lord's words in John,

Jesus said, I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread he will live for ever. The bread which I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews disputed with one another, saying, How can this man give his flesh to eat? Jesus therefore said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you will have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day; for My flesh is truly food, and My blood is truly drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. This is the bread which came down from heaven. John 6:51-58.

Here it is quite evident that 'flesh' means the Proprium of the Lord's Divine Human, and so the Divine Good - His flesh in the Holy Supper being called 'the body'. His body or flesh in the Holy Supper is the Divine Good, and His blood the Divine Truth, see 1798, 2165, 2177, 3464, 3735. And since bread and wine have the same meaning as flesh and blood - that is to say, 'bread' is the Lord's Divine Good, and 'wine' His Divine Truth - bread and wine were commanded in place of flesh and blood. This is why the Lord says, 'I am the living bread; the bread which I will give is My flesh; he who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me and I in him; this is the bread which came down from heaven'. 'Eating' means being communicated, being joined to, and being made one's own, see 2187, 2343, 3168, 3513 (end), 3596.

[3] The same was represented in the Jewish Church by the law that the flesh of sacrifices was to be eaten by Aaron and his sons, by those persons who brought the sacrifice, and by others who were clean; and that this flesh was holy, see Exodus 12:7-9; 29:30-34; Leviticus 7:15-21; 8:31; Deuteronomy 12:27; 16:4. That being so, if any unclean person ate some of that flesh he was to be cut off from his people, Leviticus 7:21. The fact that these sacrifices were called 'bread', see 2165, and that that sacrificial flesh was called 'holy flesh', Jeremiah 11:15; Haggai 2:12. And in Ezekiel 40:43 where the new Temple is the subject, it is called 'the flesh of the offering which is on the tables in the Lord's kingdom', by which clearly worship of the Lord in His kingdom is meant.

[4] That 'flesh' in the relative sense means the will side of man's proprium when made alive by the Lord is Divine Good is clear also from the following places: In Ezekiel,

I will give them one heart, and will put a new spirit in your midst; and I will remove the heart of stone out of their flesh and will give them a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26.

'The heart of stone out of their flesh' stands for a will and proprium when not made alive, 'a heart of flesh' for a will and proprium when made alive; for 'the heart' is a representative of good in the will, see 2930, 3313, 3635. In David,

O God, You are my God; in the morning I seek You. My soul thirsts for You, my flesh in a dry land longs for You, and I am weary without water. Psalms 63:1.

In the same author,

My soul longs for the courts of Jehovah; my heart and my flesh shout for joy to the living God. Psalms 84:2.

[5] In Job,

I have come to know my Redeemer; He is alive; and at the last He will rise above the dust; and afterwards these things will be encompassed by my skin, and out of my flesh shall I see God, whom I shall see for myself; and my eyes will behold, and no other. Job 19:25-27.

'Being encompassed by skin' stands for the natural, such as a person possesses after death, dealt with in 3539. 'Out of his flesh seeing God' stands for the proprium when made alive, which is why Job says, 'Whom I shall see for myself; and my eyes will behold, and no other'. Since it was well known in the ancient Churches that 'flesh' meant the proprium, and since the Book of Job is a book of the Ancient Church, 3540 (end), he accordingly followed the custom of the day and drew on meaningful signs to speak of these, as of many other matters. Those therefore who conclude from what Job said that their dead body is going to be reassembled from the four winds and is going to rise again do not know the internal sense of the Word. Those who are conversant with that sense know that they will enter the next life in a body, but in a purer one. In that life people have purer bodies, for they behold one another, talk to one another, and are endowed with each of the senses, which though like those in the physical body are now keener. The body which a person carries around on earth is designed for activities on earth and therefore consists of flesh and bones, whereas the body that a spirit carries around in the next life is designed for activities in that life and does not consist of flesh and bones but of such things as correspond to these, see 3726.

[6] That 'flesh' in the contrary sense means the will side of the human proprium which in itself is nothing but evil is clear from the following places: In Isaiah,

Every man will eat the flesh of his own arm. Isaiah 9:20.

In the same prophet,

I will feed your oppressors with their own flesh, and they will be drunk with their blood as with new wine. Isaiah 49:26.

In Jeremiah,

I will feed them with the flesh of their sons and with the flesh of their daughters, and every man will eat the flesh of his companion. Jeremiah 19:9.

In Zechariah,

Those that are left will eat, every one the flesh of another. Zechariah 11:9.

In Moses,

I will chastise you seven times for your sins, and you will eat the flesh of your sons: and the flesh of your daughters will you eat. Leviticus 26:28-29.

The will side of the human proprium, or man's own natural inclinations, is described in this way because it is nothing but evil and consequent falsity, and so hatred against every form of truth or good, that are meant by 'eating the flesh of their own arm', 'the flesh of sons and daughters', and 'the flesh of another'.

[7] In John,

I saw an angel standing in the sun, who called out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying in mid-heaven, Come and gather yourselves to the supper of the great God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses and those seated on them, and the flesh of all free men and slaves, both small and great. Revelation 19:17-18; Ezekiel 39:17-20.

Anyone may see that the flesh of kings, captains, mighty men, horses and those seated on them, free men and slaves, is not meant by such expressions. 'Flesh' accordingly has another meaning which has not been known up to now. The fact that evils resulting from falsities, and evils producing falsities, are meant - which evils originate on the will side of the human proprium - is evident from each expression used here.

[8] Since falsity which springs from the understanding side of man's proprium is meant by 'blood' in the internal sense, and evil which springs from the will side of his proprium by 'flesh', the Lord speaks of the person who is to be regenerated as follows,

As many as received Him, to them He gave power to be sons of God, to those believing in His name, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13.

For this reason 'flesh' is used to mean in general all mankind, see 574, 1050 (end). For whether you speak of man or of man's proprium it amounts to the same.

[9] That 'flesh' in the highest sense means the Lord's Divine Human is evident from the verses quoted above, as well as from the following in John,

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the Only Begotten from the Father. John 1:14.

It is by virtue of this flesh that all other flesh is made alive, that is, by virtue of the Lord's Divine Human, every human being is made alive, through making His love his own, which is meant by 'eating the flesh of the Son of Man', John 6:51-58, and by eating the bread in the Holy Supper - for the bread is His body or flesh, Matthew 26:26-27.