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Γένεση第1章

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1 Εν αρχη εποιησεν ο Θεος τον ουρανον και την γην.

2 Η δε γη ητο αμορφος και ερημος· και σκοτος επι του προσωπου της αβυσσου. Και πνευμα Θεου εφερετο επι της επιφανειας των υδατων.

3 Και ειπεν ο Θεος, Γενηθητω φως· και εγεινε φως·

4 και ειδεν ο Θεος το φως οτι ητο καλον· και διεχωρισεν ο Θεος το φως απο του σκοτους·

5 και εκαλεσεν ο Θεος το φως, Ημεραν· το δε σκοτος εκαλεσε, Νυκτα. Και εγεινεν εσπερα και εγεινε πρωι, ημερα πρωτη.

6 Και ειπεν ο Θεος, Γενηθητω στερεωμα αναμεσον των υδατων, και ας διαχωριζη υδατα απο υδατων.

7 Και εποιησεν ο Θεος το στερεωμα, και διεχωρισε τα υδατα τα υποκατωθεν του στερεωματος απο των υδατων των επανωθεν του στερεωματος. Και εγεινεν ουτω.

8 Και εκαλεσεν ο Θεος το στερεωμα, Ουρανον. Και εγεινεν εσπερα και εγεινε πρωι, ημερα δευτερα.

9 Και ειπεν ο Θεος, Ας συναχθωσι τα υδατα τα υποκατω του ουρανου εις τοπον ενα, και ας φανη η ξηρα. Και εγεινεν ουτω.

10 Και εκαλεσεν ο Θεος την ξηραν, γην· και το συναγμα των υδατων εκαλεσε, Θαλασσας· και ειδεν ο Θεος οτι ητο καλον.

11 Και ειπεν ο Θεος, Ας βλαστηση η γη χλωρον χορτον, χορτον καμνοντα σπορον, και δενδρον καρπιμον καμνον καρπον κατα το ειδος αυτου, του οποιου το σπερμα να ηναι εν αυτω επι της γης. Και εγεινεν ουτω.

12 Και εβλαστησεν η γη χλωρον χορτον, χορτον καμνοντα σπορον κατα το ειδος αυτου, και δενδρον καμνον καρπον, του οποιου το σπερμα ειναι εν αυτω κατα το ειδος αυτου· και ειδεν ο Θεος οτι ητο καλον.

13 Και εγεινεν εσπερα και εγεινε πρωι, ημερα τριτη.

14 Και ειπεν ο Θεος, Ας γεινωσι φωστηρες εν τω στερεωματι του ουρανου, δια να διαχωριζωσι την ημεραν απο της νυκτος· και ας ηναι δια σημεια και καιρους και ημερας και ενιαυτους·

15 και ας ηναι δια φωστηρας εν τω στερεωματι του ουρανου, δια να φεγγωσιν επι της γης. Και εγεινεν ουτω.

16 Και εκαμεν ο Θεος τους δυο φωστηρας τους μεγαλους, τον φωστηρα τον μεγαν δια να εξουσιαζη επι της ημερας, και τον φωστηρα τον μικρον δια να εξουσιαζη επι της νυκτος· και τους αστερας·

17 και εθεσεν αυτους ο Θεος εν τω στερεωματι του ουρανου, δια να φεγγωσιν επι της γης,

18 και να εξουσιαζωσιν επι της ημερας και επι της νυκτος και να διαχωριζωσι το φως απο του σκοτους. Και ειδεν ο Θεος οτι ητο καλον.

19 Και εγεινεν εσπερα και εγεινε πρωι, ημερα τεταρτη.

20 Και ειπεν ο Θεος, Ας γεννησωσι τα υδατα εν αφθονια νηκτα εμψυχα και πετεινα ας πετωνται επανωθεν της γης κατα το στερεωμα του ουρανου.

21 Και εποιησεν ο Θεος τα κητη τα μεγαλα και παν εμψυχον κινουμενον, τα οποια εγεννησαν εν αφθονια τα υδατα κατα το ειδος αυτων, και παν πετεινον πτερωτον κατα το ειδος αυτου. Και ειδεν ο Θεος οτι ητο καλον.

22 Και ευλογησεν αυτα ο Θεος, λεγων, Αυξανεσθε και πληθυνεσθε και γεμισατε τα υδατα εν ταις θαλασσαις· και τα πετεινα ας πληθυνωνται επι της γης.

23 Και εγεινεν εσπερα και εγεινε πρωι, ημερα πεμπτη.

24 Και ειπεν ο Θεος, Ας γεννηση η γη ζωα εμψυχα κατα το ειδος αυτων, κτηνη και ερπετα και ζωα της γης κατα το ειδος αυτων· και εγεινεν ουτω.

25 Και εκαμεν ο Θεος τα ζωα της γης κατα το ειδος αυτων, και τα κτηνη κατα το ειδος αυτων, και παν ερπετον της γης κατα το ειδος αυτου. Και ειδεν ο Θεος οτι ητο καλον.

26 Και ειπεν ο θεος, Ας καμωμεν ανθρωπον κατ' εικονα ημων, καθ' ομοιωσιν ημων· και ας εξουσιαζη επι των ιχθυων της θαλασσης και επι των πετεινων του ουρανου και επι των κτηνων και επι πασης της γης και επι παντος ερπετου, ερποντος επι της γης.

27 Και εποιησεν ο Θεος τον ανθρωπον κατ' εικονα εαυτου· κατ' εικονα Θεου εποιησεν αυτον· αρσεν και θηλυ εποιησεν αυτους·

28 και ευλογησεν αυτους ο Θεος· και ειπε προς αυτους ο Θεος, Αυξανεσθε και πληθυνεσθε και γεμισατε την γην και κυριευσατε αυτην, και εξουσιαζετε επι των ιχθυων της θαλασσης και επι των πετεινων του ουρανου και επι παντος ζωου κινουμενου επι της γης.

29 Και ειπεν ο Θεος, Ιδου, σας εδωκα παντα χορτον καμνοντα σπορον, οστις ειναι επι του προσωπου πασης της γης, και παν δενδρον, το οποιον εχει εν εαυτω καρπον δενδρου καμνοντος σπορον· ταυτα θελουσιν εισθαι εις εσας προς τροφην·

30 και εις παντα τα ζωα της γης και εις παντα τα πετεινα του ουρανου και εις παν ερπετον ερπον επι της γης και εχον εν εαυτω ψυχην ζωσαν, εδωκα παντα χλωρον χορτον εις τροφην. Και εγεινεν ουτω.

31 Και ειδεν ο Θεος παντα οσα εποιησε· και ιδου, ησαν καλα λιαν. Και εγεινεν εσπερα και εγεινε πρωι, ημερα εκτη.

来自斯威登堡的著作

 

De Verbo (The Word)#14

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14. XIV. The Word in the heavens.

The Word exists in all the heavens, and it is read there as it is in the world, and sermons are based on it. For it is the Divine Truth which is the source of the angels' intelligence and wisdom. For without the Word no one knows anything about the Lord, love and faith, redemption, and all the other secrets of heavenly wisdom. In fact without the Word heaven would not exist, just as without the Word there would be no church in the world, so that there would be no linking with the Lord. I demonstrated above that natural theology is impossible without revelation, and in the Christian world without the Word. If it is not granted in the world, neither would it be granted after death. For the nature of a person's religious belief in the world dictates its nature after death, when he becomes a spirit. The whole of heaven is not made up of angels created before the world or at the same time as it, but of those who were people on earth, and were then angels inwardly. By means of the Word these in heaven acquire spiritual, that is, inner wisdom, because the Word there is spiritual.

[2] The Word in the Lord's spiritual kingdom is not the same as the Word in the world. In the world there is the natural Word, but in that kingdom there is a spiritual Word. The difference is like that between its natural and spiritual senses. The nature of the spiritual sense has been demonstrated at length in my Arcana Caelestia, where the whole contents of Genesis and Exodus have been explained in accordance with that sense. The difference is such that no word is the same. Things take the place of names, and likewise of numbers; the histories are replaced by matters concerning the church. The surprising thing is that, when an angel reads it, he is unaware that it is not the same as what he read in the Word while in the world. This is because he no longer has any natural ideas, since they are replaced with spiritual ones; and the natural and the spiritual are linked by correspondences into a kind of unity.

So when someone passes from the natural into the spiritual, it seems to him as if they were the same. In fact an angel does not know that he is wiser than he was in the world, though his wisdom is really so superior as to be comparatively indescribable. He is unable to recognise the difference, because in his spiritual state he knows nothing of the natural state, which he had in the world; and he is unable to compare and differentiate them, because he cannot return to his former state so as to make a comparison. Still an angel in heaven is constantly being brought to a higher degree of perfection in wisdom than he had in the world, because his affection for spiritual truth is purer. 1

[3] However, the Word in the Lord's celestial kingdom is far superior and wiser than the Word in His spiritual kingdom. The difference is of the same kind as that which distinguishes the natural Word in the world from the spiritual Word, as has been stated. For that Word contains an inmost sense, called celestial, which in all its details refers to nothing but the Lord. In this Word the Lord is read in place of Jehovah, and of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; and also the Lord is named in place of David, Moses, Elijah and the rest of the Prophets; and His divinity is distinguished by special marks. The names of the twelve tribes of Israel, and also the names of the Apostles, when read there, convey something about the Lord as regards the church; and so with all the rest. From this it became plain to me that the whole of the Sacred Scripture deals in its inmost sense with nothing but the Lord.

The difference which distinguishes the two Words, the spiritual and the celestial, is like that between thoughts, the province of the intellect, and affections, the province of the will. For the angels of the celestial kingdom are guided by love to the Lord and so affection for good; the angels of the spiritual kingdom are guided by faith in the Lord and so by perception of truth.

[4] Another difference between the celestial and spiritual Words is their script. The script of the spiritual Word is made up of letters resembling the printed letters of our world; but each letter has a meaning. If therefore you were to see that script, you would not understand a single word. For one letter succeeds another without a break, with dashes and dots above and below, since it is in accordance with spiritual speech, which has nothing in common with natural speech. The wiser angels are, the more they see of the inner secrets of their Word so written, more so than the simpler angels. What is stored there is plainly visible to the eyes of the wise, but not to the eyes of the simple. It is similar to what happens with our Word, but to a greater degree; here too the wise see more than the simple.

The script of the celestial Word, however, is made up of letters not known in the world. They are indeed alphabetical, but each one of them is composed of curved lines with serifs above and below, and there are small marks or dots in the letters, and also above and below them. I was told that the most ancient people on this earth had such a script. Some details agree with the Hebrew script, but not much. Such a script expresses the affections which make up a love; so it contains more secrets than they themselves can ever utter. They express these unutterable secrets which they perceive from their Word by means of representations. The wisdom hidden away in this Word surpasses the wisdom in the spiritual Word as a thousand does one.

[5] To make the difference between the three Words, the natural, the spiritual and the celestial, intelligible, let us take as an example the first chapters of Genesis, which deal with Adam, his wife and the Garden. 2 In the natural Word which we have in this world there is a description of the creation of the world, the first creation of man, and the earthly pleasures and delights of man and the world. By the persons named following him up to the Flood are meant his descendants, and the numbers mean their ages. But in the spiritual Word the angels of the spiritual kingdom have, this is not what is meant. The first chapter is a description of the reform and regeneration of the people of the most ancient church; this too is called a new creation. The second chapter describes as the Garden the intelligence of the people of that church; Adam and his wife stand for the church itself, and their descendants down to the Flood describe the changes in the state of that church, up to the time when it came to an end and was finally destroyed by the Flood.

But in the celestial Word possessed by the angels of the Lord's celestial kingdom, the first chapter describes the glorification of the Lord's Human; the Garden describes his Divine wisdom. Adam himself is understood to mean the Lord as regards the Divine itself and at the same time the Divine Human. His wife stands for the church, which since it has life from the Lord is called Eve from [the Hebrew word for] life. Adam says of her that she was to be his bone and his flesh, and [they should be] one flesh, because the church comes from the Lord, and is out of Him and with Him as if one. The names of the descendants of Adam describe the successive states by which the Lord was received by the people of that church and linked with them, until there was nothing at all received and so no linking.

[6] So when the first chapters in our Word are read by upright people, especially by boys and girls, and they feel joy at the state when everything was created and at the Garden, then these meanings are unfolded, and the spiritual angels understand them in accordance with their Word, and the celestial angels in accordance with theirs, without being aware that a person or a child is reading it. These meanings are unfolded in their due sequence because they correspond, and correspondences are from creation like this. This makes it plain what the Word is like in its depths, that is, it has three senses. The last is the natural one for men on earth; this deals mainly with worldly matters and where it deals with Divine matters, they are still described by the kind of things which the world contains. The middle sense is the spiritual one, which describes the kind of things which belong to the church. The inmost sense is the celestial one, which contains the kind of things which belong to the Lord. For the whole of nature is a theatre representing the Lord's kingdom; and the Lord's kingdom, heaven and the church, is a theatre representing the Lord Himself. For just as the Lord glorified His Human, so too He regenerates a person; and as He regenerates a person, so too did He create him.

[7] These facts may establish what the Word is like in its depths. The natural Word as possessed by the Christian part of the world contains within itself a spiritual and a celestial Word. For the spiritual sense of our Word is the Word in the heavens which make up the Lord's spiritual kingdom; and the celestial sense of our Word, its inmost sense, is the Word in the heavens which make up the Lord's celestial kingdom. Our Word therefore contains both the spiritual and the celestial Words; but the spiritual Word and the celestial Word do not contain the natural Word. The Word of our world is therefore the one most full of Divine wisdom, and consequently more holy than the Word of the heavens.

脚注:

1. Reading veri spiritualis for veri spirituali. -Translator

2. i.e. the Garden of Eden. -Translator

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