From Swedenborg's Works

 

La interacción del alma y el cuerpo #0

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Prefacio

Esta traducción al español es un trabajo en conjunto entre la “Nueva Iglesia en Brasil”, por la organización de “Estudios Bíblicos del Nuevo Cristianismo” (NCBS) y la “Fundación para Publicar a Doctrina Celestial” (HDPF).

Comenzamos con una traducción al portugués del latín de la obra Interacción entre el Alma y el Cuerpo por el Rev. Cristóvão R. Nobre, publicado en Brasil por Edições das Doutrinas Celestes, Swedenborg Comérico de Livros e Artes, Ltda, Curitiba, PR. Esto se importó como una traducción al portugués en el sitio web de NCBS. Posteriormente, esto fue traducido automáticamente al español por NCBS y entregado a HDPF. El reverendo Johnny Villanueva, pastor de la Iglesia Nueva en Río de Janeiro, (nativo de Perú), revisó esta traducción al español utilizando como guía la traducción al portugués hecho por el Rev. Cristóvão R. Nobre, así como las pautas del HDPF.

Si desea una copia de esta traducción, comuníquese con HDPF a través del siguiente e-mail, [email protected].

Preface

This Spanish translation is a collaboration between the New Church in Brazil, the New Christian Bible Study (NCBS), and the Heavenly Doctrine Publishing Foundation (HDPF).

We began with a Portuguese translation from the Latin of the Interaction between the Soul and Body by the Rev. Cristóvão R. Nobre, published in Brasil by Edições das Doutrinas Celestes, Swedenborg Comérico de Livros e Artes, Ltda, Curitiba, PR. This was imported as a Portuguese translation into the NCBS website. Afterwards this was machine translated into Spanish by NCBS, and given to the HDPF. The Rev. Johnny Villanueva, the New Church pastor in Rio de Janeiro, but a native of Peru, revised this Spanish translation using the Portuguese translation by Cristóvão Nobre as a guide, as well as the HDPF guidelines.

If you would like a copy of this translation, please contact the HDPF at [email protected].

AJH – Kempton – July 2022

[2] Sumario

1. Sobre la interacción del alma y el cuerpo, que se cree que tiene lugar o por influjo físico, o por influjo espiritual, o por una armonía preestablecida

2. Hay dos mundos: el espiritual, donde están los espíritus y los ángeles, y el natural, donde están los hombres

3. El mundo espiritual ha existido y subsistido por su Sol, y el mundo natural por su sol

4. El Sol del mundo espiritual es el amor puro que viene de Jehovah Dios, que está en medio de ese Sol

5. De ese Sol proceden el calor y la luz; el calor que procede de Él es en su esencia amor, y la luz que procede de él es en su esencia sabiduría

6. Tanto este calor como la luz influyen en el hombre; el calor en su voluntad, produciendo en ella el bien del amor, y la luz en su entendimiento, produciendo en él la verdad de la sabiduría

7. Estos dos, a saber, el calor y la luz, o el amor y la sabiduría, influyen conjuntamente desde Dios sobre el alma del hombre, y a través de ella sobre la mente, sobre sus afectos y pensamientos, y desde éstos sobre los sentidos del cuerpo, sobre el lenguaje y las acciones

8. El sol del mundo natural es fuego puro, y por ese sol la naturaleza del mundo ha existido y subsistido

9. Por lo tanto, todo lo que procede de este sol está muerto, considerado en sí mismo

10. Lo espiritual se viste con lo natural, como el hombre se viste

11. Las cosas espirituales, así revestidas en el hombre, hacen que éste sea capaz de vivir racional, moral y, por tanto, espiritualmente en lo natural

12. La recepción de esta afluencia es según el estado de amor y sabiduría en el hombre

13. El entendimiento en el hombre puede elevarse en la luz, es decir, en la sabiduría en la que están los ángeles del cielo, según el cultivo de la razón, y su voluntad puede elevarse en el calor, es decir, en el amor, de forma similar, según el hacer de la vida. Pero el amor de la voluntad no se eleva sino en la medida en que el hombre quiere y practica aquellas cosas que la sabiduría del entendimiento enseña

14. Es totalmente diferente con las bestias

15. Hay tres grados en el mundo espiritual y tres grados en el mundo natural, hasta ahora desconocidos, según los cuales todo influjo se hace

16. De esto se desprende lo que es el influjo de lo espiritual, desde su origen hasta sus efectos

17. Epílogo

Glosario

Afectar - Aquí se usa en el sentido de causar o producir un efecto en algo o alguien; inspirar; conmover; sensibilizar. Por ejemplo, "las cosas que deben ser de amor afectan a la voluntad del hombre" El Apocalipsis Explicado 114.

Acuerdo verbal por escrito - véase Singularización

Cogniciones y cogniciones Cogniciones y conocimientos - Los Escritos distinguen entre estas dos, enseñando que "hay cogniciones que conciernen a las cosas naturales, otras que pertenecen a los estados y a la vida civil, otras que pertenecen a los estados y a la vida moral, y otras que pertenecen a los estados y a la vida espiritual" (...) "Pero... para distinguir, se llaman cogniciones las que pertenecen a los estados y a la vida espiritual, que son principalmente cosas doctrinales" (citando el Arcanos Celestiales 5774, 5934, 9945).

David - El nombre del rey de Israel, cuando está en cursiva, designa todo el libro de los Salmos, independientemente de sus autores, según la costumbre de Swedenborg.

Escortacion, escortar, escortatorio, etc. - Un término muy utilizado en los escritos latinos es el verbo 'scortor, aris, ari' y los sustantivos 'scortum,i'; 'scortatio, onis'; y 'scortatus, us'. Estos términos se traducen en el diccionario latino-portugués de A. Gomes Ferreira de la siguiente manera: "Scortor, aris, ari - (verbo intransitivo) -1. Frecuentar burdeles; ser lascivo. Scortum, i - 1. piel, cuero; 2. ramera; 3. hombre prostituido. Scortatio, onis - no se encuentra en la lista. Scortatus, us - (scortor) m. libertinaje, impudicia". En los diccionarios portugueses utilizados en la traducción de esta obra no existe un término equivalente, que sería el verbo 'escortar', ni los sustantivos 'escortación', 'escortador', etc. Por tanto, la traducción más lógica sería "practicar el libertinaje" y "el desenfreno", etc. Sin embargo, desde hace casi un siglo, es decir, desde las primeras traducciones al portugués, se utilizan los términos "escortar", "escortación", etc., por lo que su significado es bien conocido en la terminología de los Escritos en nuestra lengua. Es, por tanto, un término aceptado y comprendido por los lectores de los Escritos en portugués, especialmente por su abundante uso en la obra Amor conyugal. Por esta razón, en la presente traducción se ha conservado la forma portuguesa del sustantivo " escortación ", aunque no se encuentre en los diccionarios. En cuanto al verbo, se prefiere la forma 'cometer escortación' o 'practicar escortación'. Es interesante observar que, aunque la palabra "escortación" no figura en los diccionarios portugueses, su equivalente se encuentra en varias lenguas, aunque en la grafía latina, como por ejemplo, en holandés: scortatio, que significa adulterio; en alemán, scortatio, que significa fornicación; y en inglés, scortatio, que significa obscenidad.

Espada - En el original latino hay varios términos para el término "espada", a saber: Romphaea, gladium, machaera. En esta obra, gladium se ha traducido simplemente como 'espada', pero la aparición más significativa en el libro del Apocalipsis es 'romphaea', traducida como 'espada ancha'.

Extender y expandir - Aunque parecen sinónimos, se emplean de forma distinta en latín. De ahí la forma empleada "expandir las alas" en lugar de "extenderlas", especialmente, en el contexto de "expandir los cielos y extender la tierra" (El Apocalipsis explicado 274).

Mincha - Ofrenda de comida en las iglesias israelitas y judías, hecha con harina y aceite de oliva.

Moisés - Nombre del líder israelita. Cuando está en cursiva, se refiere aquí a los cinco primeros libros de la Palabra, según la designación frecuente de Swedenborg.

Penitencia - La definición del Diccionario Houaiss es: "1. El arrepentimiento o remordimiento por un error cometido, especialmente por haber ofendido los mandamientos divinos; contrición, metanoia. 2. La pena impuesta para expiar ese error". En los Escritos de Swedenborg, sin embargo, el término "penitencia" no es ni el remordimiento (o la contrición) ni la pena impuesta, sino todo un proceso, a saber, examinarse a sí mismo, conocer y reconocer los propios males, verlos en uno mismo y confesarse culpable a causa de ellos, suplicar la ayuda del Señor, y luego comenzar efectivamente una nueva vida, absteniéndose del mal y practicando los usos del deber.

Placer - ver Sensaciones o afectos

Pronombres - Los pronombres personales, rectos, demostrativos y oblicuos, que se refieren directamente al Señor, se escriben todos en mayúsculas en el original latino, forma que se mantiene en las traducciones al portugués.

Proprium - Según la definición del diccionario Chadwick, según la instrucción de las Doctrinas Celestiales: 1 - Cualidad peculiar del hombre que lo distingue 3 - El ser de los seres humanos, considerado como esencialmente malo, el ego.

Sensaciones o afectos - Para designar las sensaciones, hay muchas más palabras en latín que las que se pueden traducir al portugués, algo que también ocurre con el inglés. Por esta razón, algunas palabras acaban teniendo la misma traducción en nuestro idioma. Por ejemplo, "placer" puede ser la traducción de los términos latinos "jucunditas", "beneplacitum" o "voluptas", según el contexto. En general, hemos tratado de mantener aquí la siguiente coherencia para la traducción de los términos que designan sensaciones: 'jucunditas' = placer; 'laetitia' = alegría y luego placer; 'gaudium' = regocijo y luego alegría; 'delectatio' = deleite y luego placer; 'voluptas' = voluptuosidad y luego placer; 'beneplacitum' = beneplácito, bel-placer, y luego placer.

Singularización de términos y concordancia verbal - Swedenborg emplea con mucha frecuencia lo que aquí llamaremos singularización de términos, en el sentido de que omite la concordancia verbal o aglutina dos sujetos en uno. Por ejemplo, utiliza el verbo "proceder" en la forma singular en la frase: "Se puede ver de dónde procede el bien y la verdad", en lugar de utilizar la forma plural "proceder"; o: "Qué son el bien y el vero", en lugar de "qué son...". Así, parece que los dos, "bien y verdad" son referidos como un único objeto, un único sujeto, por lo que el verbo ha quedado en singular. Son dos entidades distintas, pero, tal vez, porque están unidas en el Señor, se les refiere como una sola, y el verbo permanece en la persona singular ("procede", "es"). Lo mismo ocurre con el adjetivo "incluso" que queda en singular, en lugar de "mismo". Por eso, siempre que ha sido posible, hemos mantenido esa forma aquí. Sin embargo, como se ha dicho anteriormente, esto es algo frecuente, pero no constante. Porque a veces estos términos que forman los matrimonios se tratan como dos temas distintos. Vemos ejemplos de uno y otro caso en una sola frase, que sigue (los verbos han sido subrayados): "Quoniam cuivis affectioni est suum jucundum, et inde cogitationi suum amoenum, constare potest, unde est bonum et verum, tum quid bonum et verum in sua essentia sunt". En español: "Puesto que todo afecto tiene su placer, y por lo tanto todo pensamiento tiene su deleite, se puede ver de dónde vienen el bien y la verdad, y también lo que son el bien y la verdad en su esencia. Para diferenciar un caso del otro, buscamos emplear los artículos definidos en un caso y omitir uno de ellos en el otro, es decir, en el caso de que "bien " y "verdad " estén regidos por un verbo singular (o calificados por un adjetivo singular), usamos el artículo sólo en el primer término. Así: "Que es el bien y la verdad". Y en el caso de que la regencia siga la regla gramatical normal, utilizamos artículos para cada término. Así: "Lo que son el bien y la verdad". Lo mismo ocurre con otros términos, como: "lo infinito y lo eterno" y "lo infinito y eterno", etc.

Urim y Thumim - También llamado pectoral del juicio, formaba parte de la vestimenta sacerdotal en la Iglesia israelita y judía; estaba compuesto por una placa cuadrada hecha de oro y tachonada con doce piedras preciosas, por cuyo brillo el Señor inspiraba las respuestas a las preguntas del sacerdote. Los términos provienen del hebreo y significan "luces e integridad".

Verdad del Bien - (verum ex bono) La preposición latina 'ex' indica procedencia, es decir, muestra que el vero procede o nace del bien, revelando una derivación, al igual que la semilla procede del fruto. Por lo tanto, el término " verdad del bien ", que se utiliza a menudo en esta obra, no indica posesión, es decir, no es el vero el que pertenece al bien. Lo mismo ocurre con otros términos, como: "lo falso de lo malo", "la fe de la caridad" y otros menos utilizados.

Vero y verdad - Los dos términos, verum y veritas, coexisten en el original. La mayoría de las veces, el latín utiliza "verum" y algunas veces "veritas, atis", por lo que se mantuvo la distinción en la traducción, en lugar de omitirla y traducir todo por "verdad". Es común en los Escritos el uso de un adjetivo empleado como sustantivo: bonum = bien, verum = vero etc.

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From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #274

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274. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God, signifies Divine truth itself united to Divine good, proceeding from the Lord's Divine love. This is evident from the signification of "seven" as being all things in the complex; also from the signification of "lamps burning with fire before the throne," as being Divine truth united to Divine good proceeding from the Lord's Divine love; for "lamps" signify truths; therefore "seven lamps" signify all truth in the complex, which is the Divine truth; and "fire" signifies the good of love; and since the lamps were seen "burning before the throne" upon which the Lord was, it is signified that truth is from the Lord. As "the seven spirits of God" signify all truths of heaven and the church from the Lord (See Apocalypse Explained above, n. 183, therefore it is said, "which are the seven spirits of God."

(That "seven" signifies all, see above, n. 256 that "fire" signifies the good of love, see Arcana Coelestia 934, 4906, 5215, 6314, 6832, 10055)

[2] That "lamps" signify truths, which are called the truths of faith, can be seen from the following passages in the Word.

In David:

Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path (Psalms 119:105).

The Word is called a "lamp" because it is Divine truth. In the same:

Thou makest my lamp to shine; Jehovah God maketh bright my darkness (Psalms 18:28).

"To make a lamp to shine" signifies to enlighten the understanding by Divine truth; and "to make bright the darkness" signifies to disperse the falsities of ignorance by the light of truth.

In Luke:

Let your loins be girded about, and your lamps shining (Luke 12:35).

The "loins" to be girded signify the good of love (See Arcana Coelestia 3021[1-8], 4280, 4462, 5050-5052, 9961); and "lamps shining" signify the truths of faith from the good of love.

[3] In Matthew:

The lamp of the body is the eye; if the eye be good the whole body is light, if the eye be evil the whole body is darkness. If, therefore, the light be darkness, how great is the darkness (Matthew 6:22-23).

The eye is here called "lucerna," that is, a lighted lamp, because the "eye" signifies the understanding of truth, and therefore the truth of faith; and as the understanding derives its all from the will (for such as the will is, such is the understanding), so the truth of faith derives its all from the good of love; consequently when the understanding of truth is from the good of the will the whole man is spiritual, which is signified by the words, "if the eye be good the whole body is light;" but the contrary is true when the understanding is formed out of the evil of the will; that it is then in mere falsities is signified by the words, "If thine eye be evil the whole body is darkened. If, therefore, the light be darkness, how great is the darkness."

(That "the eye" signifies the understanding, see above, n. 152; and that "darkness" signifies falsities, Arcana Coelestia 1839, 1860, 3340, 4418, 4531, 7688, 7711, 7712.) He who does not know that "eye" signifies the understanding does not apprehend at all the meaning of those words.

[4] In Jeremiah:

I will take away from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voice of the millstones and the light of the lamp (Jeremiah 25:10).

"To take away the voice of joy and the voice of gladness" signifies to take away the interior felicity that is from the good of love and the truths of faith; "to take away the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride" signifies to take away all conjunction of good and truth, which makes heaven and the church with man; "to take away the voice of the millstones and the light of the lamp" signifies to take away the doctrine of charity and faith. (What is signified by "millstone" and "grinding," see Arcana Coelestia 4335, 7780, 9995, 10303.)

Likewise in Revelation:

And the light of a lamp shall shine no more in Babylon; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more there (Revelation 18:23).

In Isaiah:

Her 2 salvation as a lamp that burneth (Isaiah 62:1); signifying that the truth of faith should be from the good of love.

In Matthew:

The kingdom of heaven is like ten virgins, who took their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. The five foolish took their lamps, but no oil; but the five prudent took oil also. When, therefore, the bridegroom came, the prudent went in to the wedding, but the foolish were not admitted (Matthew 25:1-12).

"Lamps" here signify the truths of faith, and "oil" the good of love. What the rest of this parable signifies may be seen above n. 252, where the particulars are explained.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Apocalypse Explained #183

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183. These things saith He that hath the seven spirits of God, signifies the Lord from whom are all the truths of heaven and of the church. This may appear from the fact that it is the Lord who is meant, because it is the Son of man who said these things, as well as those said to the angels of the other churches; and the Son of man is the Lord in respect to the Divine Human (See n. 63, 151). By "the seven spirits of God" all the truths of heaven and of the church are meant, because "the Spirit of God" in the Word signifies Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. "Spirit" is mentioned in many passages in the Word, and "spirit," when used in reference to man, signifies Divine truth received in the life, thus it signifies man's spiritual life; but in reference to the Lord, by "spirit" is meant the Divine that proceeds from Him, which is called by the general term Divine truth. But since few at this day know what is meant by "spirit" in the Word, I will first show by passages from the Word that "spirit," in reference to man, signifies Divine truth received in the life, thus man's spiritual life. But because there are two things that constitute man's spiritual life, namely, the good of love and the truth of faith, in many passages in the Word mention is made of "heart and spirit," and also of "heart and soul;" and by "heart" the good of love is signified, and by "spirit" the truth of faith; the latter is also signified by "soul," for this means in the Word man's spirit.

[2] That "spirit," in reference to man, signifies truth received in the life, is clear from the following passages. In Ezekiel:

Make you a new heart and a new spirit; why will ye die, O house of Israel (Ezekiel 18:31).

In the same:

A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I give in the midst of you (Ezekiel 36:26).

And in David:

Create for me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit in the midst of me. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart God doth not despise (Psalms 51:10, 17).

In these passages "heart" signifies the good of love, and "spirit" the truth of faith, from which man has spiritual life; for there are two things that make all of man's life, namely, good and truth; these two when united in man make his spiritual life.

[3] As "heart" signifies good, and "spirit" truth, both received in the life, so "heart," in the contrary sense, signifies evil, and "spirit" falsity; for most expressions in the Word have also a contrary sense. In this sense "heart" and "spirit" are mentioned, in David:

A generation that doth not set its heart aright, neither is its spirit steadfast with God (Psalms 78:8).

And in Ezekiel:

Every heart shall melt, and every spirit shall faint (Ezekiel 21:7).

In Moses:

Jehovah hardened the spirit of the king of Heshbon, and confirmed his heart (Deuteronomy 2:30).

In Isaiah:

Conceive chaff, bring forth stubble; your spirit fire shall devour (Isaiah 33:11).

In Ezekiel:

Woe unto the foolish prophets that go away after their own spirit (Ezekiel 13:3).

In the same:

That which ascendeth upon your spirit shall never come to pass (Ezekiel 20:32).

[4] From this it is clear that the whole of man's life is meant by "heart and spirit;" and as his whole life refers itself to these two, namely, to good and truth, and in a spiritual sense to love and faith, so these two lives of man are meant by "heart and spirit." From this also it is that "heart and spirit" signify the will and the understanding of man; since these two faculties in man make all his life; nowhere else than in these has man life; and for the reason that the will is the receptacle of good and its love, or of evil and its love; and the understanding is the receptacle of truth and 1 its faith, or of falsity and its faith; and as has been said, all things with man refer themselves to good and truth, or to evil and falsity, and in a spiritual sense to love and faith (See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 28-35). In reference to man, "spirit" signifies truth or falsity, and man's life from one or the other; because by "spirit" is meant especially the spirit that is in man and that thinks, and it thinks 2 either from truths or from falsities. But as was said just above, there are two things that make the life of man, understanding and will; the life of the understanding is to think either from truths or from falsities, and the life of the will is to affect or inflame with love those things that the understanding thinks. These two lives of man correspond to the two lives of his body, which are the life of the respiration of the lungs, and the life of the pulse of the heart; it is by this correspondence that spirit and body with man are united (See above, n. 167); and in the work on Heaven and Hell 446-447).

[5] Because of this correspondence the word that means spirit in the Hebrew, as well as in many other languages, means wind or breath; so also to expire [to breathe out] is expressed by the term "to give up the spirit [breath, or ghost];" and this also in the Word; as in David:

I gathered in 3 their spirit, he expired (Psalms 104:29).

In Ezekiel:

The Lord Jehovih said to the dry bones, Behold I bring spirit into you, that ye may live; and the Lord Jehovih said, From the four winds come, O spirit, and breathe into these slain; and the spirit came into them, and they revived (Ezekiel 37:5, 9-10).

In Revelation:

The two witnesses were slain by the beast that cometh up out of the abyss; but after the three days and a half the spirit of life from God entered into them, so that they stood upon their feet (Revelation 11:7, 11).

In Luke:

Jesus, taking the hand of the dead girl, called, saying, Maiden, arise. Therefore her spirit came again, and she rose up immediately (Luke 8:54-55).

[6] When these passages are understood it can be seen what "spirit" signifies, when predicated of man, in many places in the Word, of which I will cite only these. In John:

Except one be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh and whither it goeth; so is everyone that is born of the spirit (John 3:5, 8).

The Lord breathed on the disciples, and said, Receive ye the Holy Spirit (John 20:22).

And in the book of Genesis:

Jehovah breathed into man's nostrils the breath of lives (Genesis 2:7);

besides other places.

[7] That "spirit," in the spiritual sense, signifies truth, and man's life therefrom, which is intelligence, is clear from the following passages. In John:

The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).

In Daniel:

In him was an excellent spirit of knowledge and understanding. I have heard of thee that the spirit of God is in thee, and that light and understanding and excellent wisdom is found in thee (Daniel 5:12, 14).

In Moses:

Thou shalt speak to all the wise in heart, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom (Exodus 28:3).

In Luke:

John grew, and waxed strong in spirit (Luke 1:80).

And concerning the Lord:

The child Jesus grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was filled with wisdom (Luke 2:40).

[8] When it is known what "spirit," in reference to man, signifies, it can be known what it signifies when predicated of Jehovah or the Lord, to whom are attributed all things that a man has, as face, eyes, ears, arms, hands, as also heart and soul, and so also a spirit, which in the Word is called "the Spirit of God," "the Spirit of Jehovah," "the Spirit of His nostrils," "the Spirit of His mouth," "the Spirit of truth," "the Spirit of holiness," and "the Holy Spirit." That "spirit" means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is plain from many passages in the Word. Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is "the Spirit of God," because from it men have all their life; and those who receive that Divine truth in faith and life have heavenly life. That this is "the Spirit of God" the Lord Himself teaches. In John:

The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life (John 6:63).

In Isaiah:

There went forth 4 a shoot out of the stock of Jesse; the spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and intelligence, the spirit of counsel and of might (Isaiah 11:1, 2). In the same:

I have given My spirit unto Him: He shall bring forth judgment to the nations (Isaiah 42:1).

In the same:

He shall come like a flood; the spirit of Jehovah shall lift up a standard against Him (Isaiah 59:19).

In the same:

The spirit of the Lord Jehovih is upon me, therefore Jehovah hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor (Isaiah 61:1). In John:

He whom the Father hath sent speaketh the words of God, for not by measure hath God given the spirit (John 3:34).

These things are said of the Lord.

[9] That the Holy Spirit is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord can be seen in John:

I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I go away I will send Him unto you. When He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He shall guide you into all truth; He shall not speak from Himself, but He shall take of Mine, and shall declare it unto you (John 16:7, 13, 14).

That "the Comforter (Paraclete)" here is Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is plainly evident, for it is said that the Lord Himself spoke to them the "truth," and that, when He should go away, He would send the Comforter, the "Spirit of truth," who should "guide them into all truth," and that He would "not speak from Himself," but from the Lord. It is said "He shall take of Mine," because Divine truth proceeds from the Lord, and what proceeds is called "Mine;" for the Lord Himself is Divine love; and what proceeds from Him is Divine truth, thus it is His (See in the work on Heaven and Hell 139, 140, and the preceding numbers; and in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 307). "Being sent" and "sending" mean proceeding and going forth (See Arcana Coelestia., n. 2397, 4710, 6831, 10561); the same is meant here by "I will send Him to you." That "the Comforter" is the Holy Spirit is evident in John:

The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, He shall teach you all things (John 14:26).

[10] In the same:

Jesus cried with a great voice, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture saith, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. This He saith of the spirit which they that believe on Him were to receive; the Holy Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:37-39).

It is clear from this that the Holy Spirit is Divine truth, proceeding from the Lord, which flows in with man, both immediately from the Lord Himself and mediately through angels and spirits; for the Lord says first, that "he who believes on Him, out of His belly shall flow rivers of living water," and then that "He spake this of the spirit which they were to receive;" for "water" in the spiritual sense, signifies truth, and "rivers of living water," Divine truth from the Lord in abundance; the like is therefore meant by "the spirit which they were to receive." (That "water" signifies truth," and "living water" Divine truth," see above, n. 71.) And as Divine truth proceeds from the glorified Human of the Lord and not immediately from the Divine Itself, for this was glorified in Itself from eternity, so it is here said, "the Holy Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified." That to "glorify" is to make Divine, and that the Lord fully glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine by His last temptation and victory on the cross, see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 293-295, 300-306).

[11] It is greatly wondered at in heaven that the man of the church does not know that the Holy Spirit, which is Divine truth, proceeds from the Lord's Human, and not immediately from His Divine, when yet the doctrine received in the whole Christian world teaches that:

As is the Father so also is the Son, uncreate, infinite, eternal, omnipotent, God, Lord; neither of them first or last, nor greatest or least. Christ is God and man: God from the nature of the Father, and man from the nature of the mother; but although He is God and man, yet they are not two, but one Christ; He is one, but not by changing the Divine into the Human but the Divine took the Human to Itself. He is altogether one, not by a mingling of two natures, but He is a single person, because as body and soul are one man, so God and man is one Christ. (This from the Creed of Athanasius).

Now as the Divine and the Human of the Lord are not two, but a single person, and are united as soul and body, it may be known that the Divine which is called the Holy Spirit goes out and proceeds from His Divine through the Human, thus from the Divine Human; for nothing whatever can go forth from the body except from the soul through the body, since all the life of the body is from its soul. And since "As is the Father so is the Son, uncreate, infinite, eternal, omnipotent, God and Lord, and neither of them is first or last, nor greatest nor least," it follows that the proceeding Divine, which is called the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Divine Itself of the Lord through His Human, and not from another Divine that is called the Father; for the Lord teaches that the Father and He are one, and that the Father is in Him and He in the Father (See below, n. 200. But the reason why most of those in the Christian world think otherwise in their hearts, and thence believe otherwise, is, the angels said, because they think of the Lord's Human as separate from His Divine, although this is contrary to the doctrine which teaches that the Divine and the Human of the Lord are not two persons, but a single person, united as soul and body. That this should be the doctrine of the whole Christian world was provided by the Lord, because it is the essential of the church, and the essential of the salvation of all. But they have divided the Divine and the Human of the Lord into two natures, and have said that the Lord is God from the nature of the Father, and man from the nature of the mother, because they do not know that when the Lord fully glorified His Human He put off the human from the mother, and put on a Human from the Father (according to what is shown in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 295. That this distinction was made in a certain council by those who were there, for the pope's sake, that he might be acknowledged as the Lord's vicar, see Arcana Coelestia 4738).

[12] That the "Spirit of God" is Divine truth, and thence spiritual life to the man who receives it, is further evident from these passages. In Micah:

I am full of power with the spirit of Jehovah and of judgment (Micah 3:8).

And in Isaiah:

I will pour out waters upon him that is thirsty, and streams upon the dry ground, and My spirit upon thy seed (Isaiah 44:3).

In that day shall Jehovah Zebaoth be for a spirit of judgment to him that sitteth in judgment, and for might to them (Isaiah 28:5-6.

In Ezekiel:

And ye shall know that I will put my spirit in you that ye may live (Ezekiel 37:14).

In Joel:

I will pour out My spirit upon all flesh, and upon the menservants and upon the maidservants (Joel 2:28).

In Revelation:

The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Revelation 19:10).

Since the "Spirit of God" signifies Divine truth, it is called:

The spirit of the mouth of Jehovah (Psalms 33:6);

The spirit of His lips (Isaiah 11:4);

The breath of God and the spirit of His nostrils (Lamentations 4:20; Psalms 18:16; Job 4:9).

In Matthew:

John said, I baptize you with water unto repentance; but He that cometh after me, He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11).

In the spiritual sense, "to baptize" signifies to regenerate; the "Holy Spirit" is Divine truth, and "fire" Divine good. (That to "baptize" signifies to regenerate, see above, n. 71; and that "fire" signifies the good of love, n. 68)

[13] From this it can now be seen what is meant by the words of the Lord to His disciples:

Go ye, baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19).

Here "the Father" is the Divine Itself, "the Son" is the Divine Human, and "the Holy Spirit" is the proceeding Divine which is Divine truth; thus there is one Divine, and yet there is a trine. That this is so the Lord teaches in John:

Henceforth ye know the Father, and have seen Him. He that seeth Me seeth the Father. I am in the Father, and the Father in Me (John 14:7, 9-10).

[14] Since the proceeding Divine, which is Divine truth, flows in with men immediately, as well as mediately through angels and spirits, it is believed that the Holy Spirit is a third person, distinct from the two called Father and Son. But I can affirm that no one in heaven knows any other Holy Divine than the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord. And since Divine truth is also communicated to men mediately through angels, it is said in David:

Jehovah God maketh His angels spirits (Psalms 104:1, 4).

These passages have been cited that it may be known that "the seven spirits" signify all the truths of heaven and of the church from the Lord. It is made still more manifest that "the seven spirits" are all the truths of heaven and of the church, from these passages in Revelation:

The seven lamps of fire burning before the throne are the seven spirits of God (Revelation 4:5).

And further:

In the midst of the elders a Lamb standing, having seven horns, and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent forth into all the earth (Revelation 5:6).

It is plain that the spirits here are not spirits, from the fact that the "lamps" and the "eyes of the Lamb" are called spirits. "Lamps" signify Divine truths, and "eyes" the understanding of truth; and when predicated of the Lord, His Divine wisdom and intelligence (See above, n. 152).

Footnotes:

1. The Latin has "or," but the context requires "and."

2. The Latin for "thinks either" has "either thinks either."

3. For "I gathered in" the Hebrew has "thou gatherest in. "

4. For "there went forth," the Hebrew has, "There shall go forth," as found in Arcana Coelestia 2826[1-14], 9818; Apocalypse Revealed 46, 962.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for their permission to use this translation.