1144# “丝绸、朱红色料”表示被亵渎的来自一个属灵源头的真理和良善。这从“丝绸”和“朱红色料”的含义清楚可知：“丝绸”是指来自一个属灵源头的真理（对此，我们稍后会提到）；“朱红色料”是指来自一个属灵源头的良善（对此，参看AE1142节）。这良善与来自一个属天源头的真理是一致的，故在圣言中，这真理也由“朱红色”来表示。但“丝绸、朱红色料”在此表示被巴比伦亵渎的这些真理和良善，当属灵之爱，即对邻之爱被扭曲时，它们就会被亵渎；因为那些处于巴比伦人所处的那种自我之爱的人不可能拥有任何对邻之爱；即便他们爱其他人，那也是为了他们自己，因此目的仍是这个人自己，对邻之爱则是手段，只要手段能服务于目的，目的就会爱手段；当手段不再服务于目的时，目的就会抛弃它们。这一点可从他们作为的一切细节看出来。对邻之爱在灵义上就是对功用的爱；当功用是为了自我时，它就不是对功用的爱，而是对自我的爱。“丝绸”表示来自一个属灵源头的真理，这一点可从以西结书中的经文（16:10,13）看出来，刚才已经解释了这些经文（参看AE1143节）。“丝绸”因其光泽或发光的品质而表示来自一个属灵源头的真理，因为丝绸闪耀着光，或说因光而具有光泽，“光”表示神性真理，神性真理也被称为属灵神性。
（关于《亚他那修信经》续）
我们说过，自我之爱和世界之爱构成地狱；但现在要说明这些爱的源头。人被造是为了爱自己和世界，爱邻舍和天堂，也爱主。因此，当一个人出生时，他首先爱自己和世界，然后随着他变得智慧，他爱邻舍和天堂，随着他变得更加智慧，他爱主。当情况是这样时，他就处于神序，实际上被主引导，尽管表面上看，是被他自己引导。然而，他没有智慧到何等程度，就在何等程度上停在第一个层级，也就是爱自己、爱世界的层级；即便他爱邻舍、天堂和主，那也是在世人面前，是为了自己。但他若完全没有智慧，就只爱自己，并为了自己而爱世界和邻舍；至于天堂和主，他要么蔑视，要么否认，要么恨恶，即便在话语上不是这样，在心里也是这样。这些就是自我之爱和世界之爱的源头，由于这些爱就是地狱，所以地狱来自何处，或说地狱的起源是显而易见的。
当一个人变成地狱时，他就像一棵被砍倒的树，或像一棵果实有害或有毒的树；他也像种子无法扎根于其中的沙土，或像只长蒺藜、荆棘和荨麻的土壤。当一个人变成地狱时，他心智的内层或较高部分就会关闭，外层和较低部分则打开。自我之爱因将思维和意愿的一切都引向它自己，并将它们浸没于身体，所以颠倒并扭曲了心智的外层，如前所述，这些外层是敞开的；因此，它们倾向、趋于并被带到下面，即地狱。
但由于人仍有思考、意愿、说话和行动的能力，并且在任何情况下，这种能力都不会从他那里被夺走，因他生而为人，同时他又处于这种颠倒的状态，不再接受来自天堂的任何良善或真理，只接受来自地狱的邪恶和虚假，所以他通过对来自虚假的邪恶，并来自邪恶的虚假的确认而为自己获得了一种光，以便他可以超越他人。他以为这是理性之光，其实它是地狱之光，本身充满愚昧，或愚蠢的妄想，会产生一种夜间梦境般的幻象，或一种疯狂的幻想；因此，存在的事物看似不存在，不存在的事物看似存在。不过，这些事通过对比天使-人和魔鬼-人会看得更清楚。
1144. And silk and scarlet.- That these signify truths and goods from a spiritual origin, profaned, is evident from the signification of silk, which denotes truth from a spiritual origin, of which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of scarlet, which denotes good from a spiritual origin (concerning which see above, n. 1143). It derives this signification from its shining quality; for silk shines with light, and light signifies Divine Truth, which is also called the spiritual Divine.
[2] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed.- We have said that the love of self and the love of the world constitute hell; the origin of those loves shall now be shown. Man was created to love himself and the world, his neighbour and heaven, and also the Lord. For this reason, when he is born, he first loves himself and the world, then as he grows wise, he loves his neighbour and heaven, and as he grows still wiser, he loves the Lord. When this is the case, he is then in Divine Order, and is led by the Lord actually, and by himself apparently. So far, however, as he is not wise, so far does he stop short in the first degree, which is that of loving himself and the world; and if he loves his neighbour, heaven, and the Lord, it is for the sake of himself in the eyes of the world. But if he is altogether without wisdom, he then loves himself alone, and the world and his neighbour for the sake of himself; and with respect to heaven and the Lord, he either makes light of them, denies them, or even hates them, if not in words, still in heart. These are the sources of the love of self and of the love of the world, and because these loves are hell, the origin of hell is evident.
[3] When a man has become a hell, he is then like a tree cut down, or like a tree whose fruits are hurtful; he is also like sandy soil, in which no seed will strike its root, or like soil out of which springs nothing but the prickly thorn and the stinging nettle. When a man has become a hell, then the interior or higher things of his mind are closed, and the exterior and lower opened; and because the love of self directs everything of thought and will to itself, and immerses them in the body, it therefore inverts and twists back the exteriors of the mind, which, as was observed, are open; for this reason they incline, tend, and are borne downwards, that is, to hell.
[4] But because a man has still the faculty of thinking, willing, speaking, and acting - a faculty which is in no case taken from him, since he is born a man - and is at the same time in this inverted state, receiving no longer any good or truth from heaven, but only evil and falsity from hell, he therefore procures for himself a kind of light (lumen) by confirmations of evil from falsity, and of falsity from evil, in order that he may be pre-eminent above others. He imagines that this is rational light (lumen), although it is nevertheless infernal light, in itself full of foolish delusions, producing a vision like that of a dream in the night, or a craziness of imagination, by reason of which, things which are appear as if they were not, and things which are not, as if they were. But these things will be more clearly seen from a comparison between a man-angel and a man-devil.
1144. And of silk and of scarlet signifies truths and goods from a spiritual origin that have been profaned. This is evident from the signification of "silk," as being truth from a spiritual origin (of which presently); also from the signification of "scarlet," as being good from a spiritual origin (See above, n. 1143). "Silk" signifies truth from a spiritual origin because of its gloss, for silk is glossy from light, and "light" signifies the Divine truth, which is also called the spiritual Divine.
(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)
[2] It has been said that the love of self and the love of the world are hell, but the source of those loves shall now be explained. Man was created to love self and the world, to love the neighbor and heaven, and to love the Lord. For this reason when a man is born he first loves himself and the world, and afterwards, so far as he becomes wise, he loves the neighbor and heaven, and as he becomes still wiser he loves the Lord. Such a man is in the Divine order, and is actually led by the Lord, although apparently by himself. But so far as he is not wise he stops in the first degree, which is to love himself and the world; and if he loves the neighbor, heaven, and the Lord, it is for the sake of self before the world. But if he is wholly unwise he loves himself alone, and the world and also the neighbor for the sake of self; while heaven and the Lord he either despises or denies or hates in heart, if not in words. These are the origins of the love of self and of the love of the world, and as these loves are hell, it is evident whence hell is.
[3] When a man has become a hell, he is like a tree cut off or like a tree whose fruits are malignant; or he is like sandy soil in which no seed will take root, or like soil, out of which springs nothing but the thorn that pricks or the nettle that stings. When a man becomes a hell the inner or higher parts of his mind are closed up and the outer and lower are opened. And as the love of self determines all things of the thought and will to itself and immerses them in the body, it inverts and twists back the outer parts of the mind, which, as has been said, are open, and as a consequence these incline and bend and are borne downwards, that is, towards hell.
[4] But since man has still an ability to think, to will, to speak and to do, and this ability is in no case taken away from him, because he was born a man, so having become inverted and no longer receiving any good or any truth from heaven, but only evil and falsity from hell, he acquires a kind of light by confirmations of evil from falsity, and of falsity from evil in order that he may be eminent above others. This he believes to be a rational light, when yet it is an infernal light, and in itself fatuous, producing vision like that of a dream in the night, or a delirious fantasy, by reason of which things that are appear as if they were not, and things that are not appear as if they were. But this will be seen more clearly from a comparison between an angel-man and a devil-man.
1144. "Et serici et coccini." - Quod significet vera et bona ex origine spirituali profanata, constat ex significatione "serici", quod sit verum ex origine spirituali (de qua sequitur); et ex significatione "coccini" quod sit bonum ex origine spirituali (de qua supra, n. 1142); hoc bonum coincidit cum vero ex origine caelesti, quare hoc per "coccinum" etiam in Verbo significatur; sed per "sericum" et "coccinum" hic significantur vera illa et bona illa a Babylone profanata, et profanata sunt per id, quod amorem spiritualem, qui est amor erga proximum, perverterint; nam illi qui in amore sui sunt, tali in quo sunt Babylonici, nullatenus possunt amare proximum; si amant est propter se; ita usque finis est ipse homo, et amor proximi est medium, ac finis amat medium quantum id sibi servit, et si non servit id rejicit; hoc etiam patet a singulis illorum operibus. Amor proximi in spirituali sensu est amor usuum; et cum usus sunt propter se, tunc non est amor usuum, sed est amor sui.
Quod "sericum" significet verum ex origine spirituali, constare potest ex loco apud Ezechielem (cap. 16:10, 13), qui mox supra (n. 1143) explicatus est.
Quod "sericum" significet verum ex origine spirituali, est ex splendore ejus; est enim in serico splendor lucis, et "lux" significat Divinum Verum, quod etiam vocatur Divinum spirituale.
[2] (Continuatio de Fide Athanasiana, et de Domino.)
Dictum est quod amor sui et amor mundi sint infernum; unde autem amores illi sunt, nunc dicetur. Homo creatus est ut amet semet et mundum, ut amet proximum et caelum, ac ut amet Dominum; inde est, cum homo nascitur, quod primum amet semet et mundum, et dein quantum sapit, amet proximum et caelum, et quantum adhuc sapit, amet Dominum: cum talis est tunc in ordine Divino est, ac ducitur a Domino actualiter, et a semet apparenter; at quantum non sapit, tantum subsistit in primo gradu, qui est ut amet se et mundum; et si amat proximum, caelum et Dominum, est propter se coram mundo: si autem prorsus non sapit, tunc se solum amat et mundum propter se, similiter proximum, ac caelum et Dominum vel vilipendit vel negat, vel odio habet, si non ore usque corde. Hae sunt origines amoris sui et amoris mundi; et quia illi amores sunt infernum, patet unde illud.
[3] Quando homo factus est infernum, tunc est sicut arbor abscissa, aut sicut arbor cujus fructus sunt maligni; et est sicut terra arenosa, in qua non aliquod semen agit radicem, aut sicut terra e qua modo exsurgit sentis quae pungit et urtica quae urit. Cum homo factus est infernum, tunc interiora seu superiora mentis ejus occlusa sunt, ac exteriora et inferiora aperta: et quia amor sui omnia cogitationis et voluntatis determinat ad se, et immergit corpori, inde exteriora mentis, quae, ut dictum est, aperta sunt, invertit et retorquet; ex eo est quod illa deorsum, hoc est, ad infernum, vergant, tendant et ferantur.
[4] Sed quoniam homini usque facultas cogitandi, volendi, loquendi et faciendi est, quae facultas nusquam ei aufertur, siquidem natus est homo, ideo quia inversus est, et non amplius aliquod bonum nec aliquod verum recipit e caelo, sed modo malum et falsum ab inferno; ut usque emineat super alios comparat sibi lumen per confirmationes mali ex falso, et falsi ex malo; hoc credit esse lumen rationale, cum tamen est lumen infernale, in se fatuum, ex quo ei fit visio sicut somnii in nocte, aut ei fit phantasia delirans, ex qua apparent illa quae sunt sicut non sint, et quae non sunt sicut sint. Sed haec evidentius ex comparatione inter hominem angelum et inter hominem diabolum conspicientur.