The Whole Heaven Viewed Collectively is in the Human Form (59~67)

[p025]    

59.   That heaven viewed collectively is in the human form is a mystery not yet understood in the world, but in the heavens it is perfectly well known.  A knowledge of this truth in all its details is the foundation of the intelligence of the angels; and on this truth many others depend which without it as their common basis could not enter distinctly and clearly into their ideas.  Since the angels know that all the heavens and their societies are in the human form they call heaven the Grand and Divine Man, -- Divine because the Divine Sphere of the Lord constitutes heaven (see above, n7-12).

[p026]    

60.   Those who have not a just idea concerning spiritual and heavenly things are unable to perceive that these are arranged and combined into the human form and likeness.  They think that the earthly and material elements which compose man’s body are what make him a man and that without these man is not a man.  But let them know that man is not a man by virtue of his body, but because he can understand what is true and will what is good.  These spiritual and heavenly powers are what make him a man.  Besides it is well known that a man’s individuality depends on the nature of his will and understanding; and it may also be seen that his earthly body is formed to serve the will and understanding in the world and to perform uses at their bidding in the ultimate sphere of nature.  For this reason the body does nothing of itself, but is absolutely controlled by the understanding and will; thus whatever a man thinks he utters with the tongue and mouth and whatever he wills he does with the body and its members, so that it is the understanding and will that act and not the body of itself.  Hence it is evident that the will and understanding are what constitute the man and that they are in a human form because they act upon the minutest particulars of the body, as what is internal acts upon what is external; and therefore by virtue of these powers man is called an internal and spiritual man.  Heaven itself is such a man in the grandest and most perfect form.

61.   Such being the angelic idea of man, the angels pay no attention to his bodily actions but to the will from which the body acts; for they call the will the man himself; and the understanding also, so far as it acts in union with the will.

62.   The angels do not indeed see heaven as a whole in the form of a man, for the whole heaven is too vast to come within the view of any angel, but they occasionally see remote societies, consisting of many thousands of angels, as one in such a form; and from the part, an angelic society, they form a conclusion as to the whole, the entire heaven.  For in the most perfect form the whole is similar to the parts and the parts to the whole, the only difference between them being that they differ in magnitude.  Hence the angels say that the whole heaven is such in the sight of the Lord as a single society is when seen by them, because the Divine Being from His inmost and supreme abode sees all things.

[p027]    

63.   By virtue of its human form, heaven is ruled by the Lord as a single man is ruled, that is, as a whole.  For it is well known that although man consists of an innumerable variety of things, both in general and in particular—in general of members, organs and viscera; and in particular of series of fibres, nerves and blood vessels, thus of members within members and parts within parts—still the man when he acts, acts as one.  Such also is heaven under the government and guidance of the Lord.

-    $/ blood vessel: 혈관

64.   All these various things act in man as one because there is nothing whatever in him which does not contribute something to the common good and perform some use.  The whole is of use to its parts and the parts are of use to the whole; for the whole consists of the parts and the parts constitute the whole; and therefore they provide for one another, have respect to one another and are combined in such a form that all, both generally and individually, concern the good of the whole.  Thus it is that they act as one.

   The consociations in heaven are similar, for all there are joined together in like form according to uses, and therefore those who perform no use for the community are cast out of heaven as being foreign to its nature.  To perform use is to desire the welfare of others for the sake of the common good; and not to perform use is to desire the welfare of others not for the sake of the common good but for the sake of self.  The latter are those who love themselves above all things; but the former love the Lord above all things.  Thus it is that the inhabitants of heaven act as one, and this not from themselves but from the Lord; for they look to Him as the One only Source of all things and to His kingdom as the common weal to be cared for.  This is meant by the Lord’s words, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all things shall be added unto you” (Matt. 6. 33).  To seek His righteousness is to seek His good.

-    $/ weal: *(old use) welfare or wellbeing. *(esp. the public, general or
common weal) the wellbeing, interest and prosperity of the country.

[p028] 

   Those in the world who love the good of their country more than their own and the good of their neighbour as their own, are those who in the other life love and seek the kingdom of the Lord, for there the kingdom of the Lord stands in the place of their country; and those who love to do good to others, not for the sake of self, but for the sake of good, love the neighbour, for in heaven good is the neighbour.  All such are in the Grand Man, that is, in heaven.

65.   Since heaven, as a whole, is in the human form, being a spiritual-divine man in the greatest form, even with respect to its shape, therefore heaven is distinguished, like man, into different members and parts like those of man and they are similarly named.  The angels also know in what member each society is, and they say that one society is in the head or some province of the head; another in the breast or some province of the breast; another in the loins or some province of the loins; and so on.  In general the highest or third heaven forms the head down to the neck; the middle or second heaven forms the breast down to the loins and knees, and the lowest or first heaven forms the legs and feet down to the soles an also the arms down to the fingers; for the arms and hands are ultimate parts of man although placed at the sides.  Hence again it is evident why there are three heavens.

66.   Spirits who are beneath heaven are greatly surprised when they hear and see that there are lower regions of heaven as well as higher; for they have the same idea and belief as men in the world, supposing heaven to have none but higher regions, and do not know that the position of the heavens is like that of the members, organs, and internal parts in man, some of which are above and some below; and like the position of the parts in each member, organ, and internal parts, some of which are within, and some without.  Hence they have confused ideas concerning heaven.

67.   These things are stated concerning heaven as the Grand Man because, without this preliminary knowledge, what is to follow about heaven cannot possibly be understood, nor can any distinct idea be conceived of the form of heaven, of the conjunction of the Lord with heaven, of the conjunction of heaven with man, of the influx of the spiritual world into the natural and none whatever concerning correspondence.  Of these in their order we are to treat in what now follows.  To throw light upon these things, therefore, the above particulars have been stated.

즐겨찾는 글동네 > 되돌아볼 옛 고전 > Emanuel Swedenborg