from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

De Sensu Interno Librorum Propheticorum et Psalmorum Davidis #0

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In 1761, Emanuel Swedenborg wrote an outline, in Latin, entitled "Librorum Propheticorum et Psalmorum Davidis". In it, he sketched out in brief he inner meaning of the Prophetical Books of the Word, from Isaiah to Malachi, and the Psalmuss, and then the first 16 chapters of Genesis. It provides a survey of the inner meaning of a substantial portion of the Old Testament, in one place. This work was not published by Swedenborg, but it was written after Arcana Coelestia, and it is largely consistent with other more detailed treatments made in his published works. 1

In the original Latin manuscript, Swedenborg cross-referred the outlined internal sense to a more general Table of Subjects 2 , shown just below.

SUMMARIAE EXPOSITIONS SENSUS INTERNI PROPHETARUM ET PSALMORUM

Contenta in angustara coacta sunt sequentia.

1. De Domini adventu.

2. De Ecclesiae vastatione successiva.

3. De Ecclesia devástata totaliter, et de ejus rejectione.

4. De rejectione Domini ab Ecclesia.

5. De tentationibus Domini in genere.

6. De tentationibus usque ad desperationem.

7. De pugnis Domini cum infernis.

8. De victoria super Ulis, seu de subjugatione illorum.

9. De Passione crucis.

10. [De] glorificatione Humani Domini, seu de unitione cum Divino.

11. De nova Ecclesia loco prioris.

12. De nova Ecclesia, et simul de novo Coelo.

13. Status humiliationis coram Patre.

[14. Status unitionis cum Divino suo.] 3 15. De ultimo judicio ab Ipso.

16. Celebratio et cultus Domini.

17. De redemtione et salvatione, à Domino.

17.1. De Ecclesia devastata.

17.2. De pugnis cum infernis seu tentationibus.

17.3. De ultima quae fuit Passio crucis.

17.4. De glorificatione Humani.

17.5. De nova Ecclesia.

17.6. De novo Coelo.

In the following passages, those references are shown in parentheses, e.g. (3) would refer to subject number 3 above.

Each chapter of each book of the Prophets has one corresponding numbered section in Swedenborg's explanation of its inner meaning, or internal sense. Swedenborg listed the verses that relate to each outlined point. We have added hyperlinks to the verse references, shown to the left of each outlined point. The Psalmuss and initial chapters of Genesis are treated in a similar fashion.

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In the same manuscript, at the beginning, Swedenborg wrote out a list of works that he intended to write and publish. While it's clearly related to the project of outlining the internal meaning of the Prophets, Psalmuss, and historical parts of the Word, it seems to be an independent list. We reproduce that list below, with its prefatory remarks:

NOTAE CRITICAE EDITОRIS.

Operis hujus posthumi Codex, qui est formae maximae oblongae, titulo caret, sed in Bibliotheca Regiae Academiae Holmiensis numero i notatus, et in dorso inserí plus est „Sensus prophetiсus." Primae ejus paginae lineis ad perpendiculum demissis sunt bibartitae, sed vacuae, numeris 532 ad 536, et (omissis 337. 338-) 339 ad 345 signatae, post quas prima auctoris verba sunt p. 346 - in prima columna:

„Quae edenda

1.) De Domino.

2.) De scriptura sacra seu de Verbo Domini

3.) Omnia religionis et cultus Dei in uno complexu in Decalogo.

4.) De fide.

5.) Sapientia Angelica de Divina Providentia.

6.) Sapientia Angelica de Divina Omnipotentia et Omniscientia, deque Infinitate et Aeternitate.

7.) Sapientia Angelica de vita.

8.) Sapientia angelica de Divino Amore et de Divina Sapientia."

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De statu humiliationis Domini 4 quod oraverit ad Patrem.

Quod oraverit ad Patrem Matth: XIV: 23; Joh: XVII: 9, 15, 20; Luc: V: 15; Luc: XXII: 37 ad 47; Marc: I:35; VI: 46; Marc: XIV: 32 ad 39.

et super crux ne desererit; et alibi

Quod tunc conjungerit Divino suo, ut cum baptisaretur, quod apereretur coelum, Luc: III:21.

cum transformatur, ibi orabat, Luc: IX:28, 29.

et cum orabat de glorificatione, quod dictum quod glorificatus et ulterius glorificabitur Joh: XII:42-43 [Joh. 12:28] 5

Se peterent in nomine Domini, quod Ispe faciet, Joh:XIV, 13.14

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Ex Davide 6

quod dederint Ispi fel [Ps. 69:21]

quod vestes diviserint [Ps. 22:18]

quod odio habuerint Ipsum sine causa [Ps. 35:19]

Lapis quam rejecerunt architectis, Ps. CXVIII: 21, 22, 22 7

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[2] 8

1. De Ecclesia devastata

2. De pugnis cum infernis, seu tentationibus

3. De ultima quae fuit Passio crucis

4. De glorificatione Humani

5, De nova Ecclesia

6. De novo Coelo

V:

1. Swedenborg refers to this work in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae de Domino 37.

Readers may also find these comparisons to be useful:

- The explanation of Ezechiel 1 (in n. 124 of this work) with Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae de Scriptura Sacra 97,

- Nos. 161 and 162 of this work, explaining Ezechiel 38, 39, with Apocalypsis Revelata 859,

- No. 236 of this work, explaining Sacharias 4, with Apocalypsis Revelata 43, and

- Nos. 244-246 of this work, explaining Sacharias 12, 13, 14, with Apocalypsis Revelata 707.]

2. In the beginning of this manuscript, Swedenborg listed the topics, or subjects, that he would use to classify his explanations of the chapters and verses of the Prophets, Psalmuss, and the first 16 chapters of Genesis. We have added lookup hyperlinks so that the reader can refer back to this list readily. We received the Latin text for this "front matter" from the Heavenly Doctrines Publishing Foundation.

3. Editor's Note (Schreck): No. 14 is crossed out by Swedenborg in his MS., and is never referred to in the text. It reads, "The state of unition with His Divine," which is the same as item number 10 in the list.

4. In the manuscript, there's also this list of passages from the New Testament that relate to the Lord's states of humiliation and glorification.

5. The transliterated Latin file that we used as a source had "quod glorificatus et alters glorificaberit," which we have changed to "quod glorificatus et rursus glorificaberit," to match Schmidius. The reference to John 12:42-43 should probably be to Joh. 12:28.

6. There are some brief notes about parallels between the Psalmuss of David and of the Lord's life in the world.

7. The transliterated Latin file that we used as a source had Ps. CXIII as a reference, but the correct reference here would be to Psalmus CXVIII, or Psalmus 118.

8. The manuscript also has this brief summary of the series of spiritual events that will happen as the church fails and a new one is begun. See Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae de Domino 3 for an outline of a similar set of themes that form the internal sense of the prophetical books.

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This Latin text was written by Swedenborg in 1761. It was first printed 12 years after Swedenborg's death, in 1784. An 1860 printing was edited by Tafel, probably by the Swedenborg Society in London (swedenborg.org.uk). We're not sure of the provenance of this text, and are researching it further. We received most of this text from the NewSearch project of the Academy of the New Church (brynathyn.edu), and the front matter courtesy of the Heavenly Doctrines Publishing Foundation (heavenlydoctrinepublishing.org).

from the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg

 

Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae de Scriptura Sacra #97

Studere hoc loco

  
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97. Insuper sciendum est, quod sensus litterae Verbi sit custodia pro genuinis veris, quae intus latent; et in eo est custodia, quod ille sensus possit huc illuc verti, et explicari secundum captum, et per id tamen internum non laedi et violari: non enim nocet, ut sensus litterae Verbi aliter ab uno quam ab altero intelligatur; sed id nocet, si Divina vera, quae intus latent, pervertantur; per hoc enim infertur Verbo violentia. Ne hoc fiat, custodit Sensus litterae; et custodit apud illos qui in falsis sunt ex religione, et falsa illa non confirmant; nam hi non aliquam violentiam inferunt. Haec custodia significatur per "cherubos," et quoque describitur per illos in Verbo. Illa significatur per "cherubos," qui, postquam Adamus cum uxore ejectus est ex horto Edenis, ad introitum ejus positi sunt de quibus haec leguntur:

Cum Jehovah Deus "expulerat hominem, habitare fecit ab oriente horti Edenis cherubos, et flammam gladii hinc inde vertentis se, ad custodiendum viam arboris vitae" (Genesis 3:23-24):

Per "cherubos" significatur custodia; per "viam arboris vitae" significatur introitus ad Dominum, qui hominibus est per Verbum; per "flammam gladii hinc inde vertentis se," significatur Divinum Verum in ultimis, quod est sicut Verbum in sensu litterae, qui ita verti potest. Simile intelligitur per

"Cherubos ex auro" positos super duabus extremitatibus propitiatorii, quod erat super arca, in tabernaculo (Exodus 25:18-21).

Quia hoc significabatur per "cherubos," ideo

Dominus inter illos locutus est cum Mose (Exodus 25:22; 37:9; 1 Numeri 7:89).

Quod Dominus loquatur cum homine non nisi quam in pleno, et Verbum in sensu litterae est Divinum Verum in pleno, videatur supra (37-49); sic itaque Dominus locutus est cum Mose inter cherubos. Nec aliud significatum est per

Cherubos super aulaeis tabernaculi, et super velo ibi (Exodus 26:1, 31); 2

Nam aulaea et vela tabernaculi repraesentabant ultima caeli et ecclesiae, ac ita etiam Verbi (videatur Supra, 46). Nec aliud significatum est

Per cherubos in medio templi Hierosolymitani (1 Regnum 6:23-28); 3

Et per cherubos sculptos super parietibus et super foribus templi (1 Regnum 6:29, 32, 35);

Similiter per cherubos in novo templo (Ezechiel 41:18-20);

Videatur etiam supra (47). Quoniam per "cherubos" significabatur custodia ne Dominus, caelum et Divinum Verum, quale est intus in Verbo, immediate adeantur, sed mediate per ultima, ideo de Rege Tyri ita dicitur:

"Tu obsignans demensum, plenus sapientia et perfectus pulchritudine; in Eden horto... fuisti; omnis lapis pretiosus tegumentum tuum: ... tu cherube expansio contegentis: ... perdidi te, cherube contegens, in medio lapidum ignis" (Ezechiel 38:12-14, 16 [NCBSP: 28:12-14, 16]):

Per "Tyrum" significatur ecclesia quoad cognitiones veri et boni, et inde per "regem ejus" Verbum ubi et unde cognitiones illae sunt; quod Verbum hic in suo ultimo, quod est sensus litterae, per illum, et per "cherubum" custodia, significetur, patet; nam dicitur,"Tu obsignans demensum; ... omnis lapis pretiosus tegumentum tuum; ... "tu cherube expansio contegentis;" ut et "cherube contegens:" quod per "lapides pretiosos," qui etiam ibi nominantur, intelligantur vera sensus litterae Verbi, videatur supra (45). Quoniam per "cherubos" significatur ultimum Divini Veri, ut custodia, ideo dicitur apud Davidem,

Jehovah "inclinavit caelos et descendit et equitavit super cherubo" (Psalmus 18:10-11). 4

"Pastor Israelis qui sedet super cherubis, effulge" (Psalmus 80:2). 5

"Jehovah... insidens cherubis" (Psalmus 99:1).

"Equitare super cherubis," "sedere super illis," et "insidere illis," est super sensu ultimo Verbi. Divinum Verum in Verbo, et ejus quale, describitur per cherubos apud Ezechielem, in capite primo, et in nono, et decimo: at quia nemo scire potest quid per singula descriptionis illorum significatur, nisi cui apertus est sensus spiritualis, ideo mihi detectum est quid in summa per omnia illa, quae de cherubis dicuntur in primo capite apud Ezechielem, significatur, quae haec sunt:-

Describitur Divina sphaera externa Verbi (Ezechiel 1:4);

Illa repraesentata sicut homo (Ezechiel 1:5);

Conjuncta spiritualibus et caelestibus (Ezechiel 1:6);

Naturale Verbi, quale est (Ezechiel 1:7);

Spirituale et caeleste Verbi conjunctum naturali ejus, quale (Ezechiel 1:8-9);

Divinus Amor boni et veri caelestis, spiritualis et naturalis inibi, distinctim, et simul (Ezechiel 1:10-11);

Quod ad unum spectent (Ezechiel 1:12);

Sphaera Verbi ex Divino Bono et Divino Vero Domini, ex quibus Verbum vivit (Ezechiel 1:13-14);

Doctrina boni et veri in Verbo et ex Verbo (Ezechiel 1:15-21);

Divinum Domini supra illud et in illo (Ezechiel 1:22-23);

Et ex illo (Ezechiel 1:24-25);

Quod Dominus sit supra caelos (Ezechiel 1:26);

Et quod Ipsi sit Divinus Amor et Divina Sapientia (Ezechiel 1:27-28).

Haec summaria etiam collata sunt cum Verbo in caelo, et cum illo conformia sunt.

V:

1. 37 pro "36"

2. 1, 31 pro "31"

3. 23 pro "22"

4. B. A. habet Psalmus 18:9-10 pro "Psalmus 18:10-11"

5. B. A. habet Psalmus 80:1 pro "Psalmus 80:2"

  
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