圣经文本

 

출애굽기第30章:19

学习

       

19 아론과 그 아들들이 그 두멍에서 수족을 씻되

来自斯威登堡的著作

 

Arcana Coelestia#10276

学习本章节

  
/10837  
  

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.

  
/10837  
  

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

来自斯威登堡的著作

 

Arcana Coelestia#6367

学习本章节

  
/10837  
  

6367. 'A lion's cub is Judah' means innocence with innate strength. This is clear from the meaning of 'a lion' as the good of love and the truth from that good in their power, dealt with below, so that 'a lion's cub' is innocence with strength. The reason why with innate strength is meant is that here 'Judah' represents the celestial element of love, and the celestial element of love resides in the will part of the mind, 895, 917, 4493, 5117, and thus possesses innate strength. For a person is born into things that belong to the will part. That being so, members of the Most Ancient Church, which was celestial, were born into the good of love, in the measure that good was present in their will. This then is why the strength is said to be innate. The reason 'a lion's cub' means innocence is that 'a lion' is the good of celestial love, and 'a cub', being so to speak its young child, accordingly means innocence.

[2] 'A lion' means the good of celestial love and the truth from that love in their power, and also in the contrary sense the evil of self-love in its power, as is clear from places in the Word where 'a lion' is mentioned. The good of celestial love is meant in John,

Behold, the Lion which is from the Tribe of Judah, the root of David, has prevailed to open the book and to loose its seven seals. Revelation 5:5.

Here the Lord is called 'the Lion' by virtue of the almighty power which His Divine Love and Divine Truth from that Love possess. There are also other places in the Word where Jehovah or the Lord is compared to a lion, as in Hosea,

They will go after Jehovah; He will roar like a lion, for He will roar, and respectfully [His] sons from the west 1 will draw near. Hosea 11:10.

[3] Also in Isaiah,

Thus said Jehovah to me, As a lion roars, and a young lion over its prey, when there come up against him a full number of shepherds, by whose voice he is not dismayed, and by whose tumult he is not distressed, so Jehovah Zebaoth will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill. Isaiah 31:4.

Here the almighty power of Divine Good is compared to 'a lion', and the almighty power of Divine Truth from that Good is compared to 'a young lion'. For it says that 'Jehovah Zebaoth will come down to fight on Mount Zion and on its hill', and 'Mount Zion' means the Good of Divine Love and 'its hill' the Divine Truth from that Good, 795, 796, 1430, 4210.

[4] For the same reason the four living creatures in Ezekiel and in John, meaning cherubs, had the faces of a human being, lion, ox, and eagle: In Ezekiel,

The likeness of the faces of the four living creatures - [each of] the four had the face of a human being, and the face of a lion on the right side, and [each of] the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and [each of] the four had the face of an eagle. Ezekiel 1:10; 10:14.

And in John,

Around 2 the throne were four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. And the first living creature was like a lion; the second living creature was like a calf; the third living creature had a face like a human being; the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. Revelation 4:6-7.

The fact that the living creatures were cherubs is stated in Ezekiel to, which fact is also evident from the description of them in John, in which he says that they had 'eyes in front and behind'. The Lord's foresight and providence are meant by 'the cherubs', 308; and they had the face of a lion by virtue of the almighty power belonging to providence that Divine Truth from Divine Good possesses. So also with the cherubs around the new temple in Ezekiel 41:19.

[5] Celestial people in possession of the power supplied by the good and the truth from good which come from the Lord are meant by 'lions', as is evident in David,

There is no want to those fearing Jehovah. The young lions will lack and suffer hunger, but those seeking Jehovah will not lack any good thing. Psalms 34:9-10.

In the same author,

The [young] lions are roaring for plunder, and to seek from God their food. The sun rises, they are gathered together, and lie down in their dwelling-places. Psalms 104:21-22.

In Balaam's prophetic utterance,

At that time it will be said to Jacob and to Israel, What has God been doing? See, a people will rise up like an old lion, and like a young lion will lift itself up. He will not rest until he has devoured the prey. Numbers 23:23-24.

[6] And further on,

When Balaam saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes, he said, He crouches, he lies down like a lion, and like an old lion; who will rouse him? Numbers 24:2, 9.

The celestial is what is described here because celestial order is what the tribes represented by their encampments and was what Balaam saw in the spirit when he saw Israel dwelling according to their tribes, 6335. That order originates in Divine Good coming through Divine Truth from the Lord; and within that order resides all power, meant here by a crouching and recumbent lion.

[7] In Micah,

The remnant of Jacob will be with the nations, in the midst of many peoples, like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among flocks of sheep, who, if he passes through, will tread down and tear in pieces, 3 and there is no deliverer. Your hand will be lifted up over your enemies, and all your adversaries will be cut off. Micah 5:8-9.

Here 'a lion' and a young lion stand for celestial good and celestial truth, which are 'the remnant of Jacob'. They also stand for that good and truth in Isaiah 21:8; Jeremiah 25:38; Ezekiel 38:13; Zechariah 11:3. And that same good and truth were also represented by the lions at Solomon's ivory throne, two next to the armrests 4 and twelve on the six steps, 1 Kings 10:18-20, and by the lions on the panels of the ten pedestals made of bronze, 1 Kings 7:29, 36.

[8] In the contrary sense 'a lion' means the evil of self-love in its power, as is evident from the following places: In Isaiah,

There will not be any lion there, and the savage of the wild animals will not go up on it; it will not be found there. But they will go free; thus the redeemed of Jehovah will return, and will come to Zion with song. Isaiah 35:9-10.

In Jeremiah,

Why has Israel become plunder? The young lions roar at him, they sound their voice; they turn his land into a waste. Jeremiah 2:14-15.

In the same prophet,

A lion has risen up from his thicket, and a destroyer of nations has set out; he has come from his place to turn the land into a waste. Jeremiah 4:7.

In the same prophet,

They did not know the way of Jehovah, the judgement of their God, therefore a lion from the forest has struck them down, and a wolf of the plains will devastate them. Jeremiah 5:4, 6.

In Nahum,

Where is the dwelling-place of lions, and the feeding-place 5 of the young lions, where the lion walked, the old lion, the lion's cub, and there is no one making them afraid? The lion tears in pieces enough for the cubs, and strangles for his old lionesses, and fills his caves with plunder, and his dwelling places with what he has pounced on. Behold, I am against you, said Jehovah Zebaoth, and I will burn her chariot in the smoke; but the sword will devour your young lions, and I will cut off your plunder from the earth. Nahum 2:11-13.

This refers to Nineveh.

In all these places 'a lion' stands for the power that the evil of self-love possesses, when it destroys and lays waste. 'A lion' has a like meaning in Jeremiah 12:8; 49:19; 50:17, 44; 51:38; Ezekiel 19:2-9; 32:2; Joel 1:6; Zephaniah 3:3; Psalms 57:4; 58:6; 91:13; Revelation 13:2.

脚注:

1. literally, sons from the sea

2. The Latin means Before but the Greek means Around, which Swedenborg has in other places where he quotes this verse.

3. Reading discerpet (will tear to pieces), which Swedenborg has in his rough draft, for disperget (will scatter)

4. literally, the hands of the throne

5. literally, pasture or grazing ground

  
/10837  
  

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