141、关于人的自我，即对肉体和世俗的人来说它是何性质，对属灵人来说是何性质，对属天人来说又是何性质，有无数可说的。对肉体和世俗的人来说，自我就是他的全部。除了这自我之外，他什么都不知道。如前所述，他以为他若真的失去他的自我，就会灭亡。对属灵人来说，自我也有这种表象，因为尽管他知道主是万有的生命，赐下智慧和聪明，因而赐下思考和行动的能力，但他只是说说而已，并未发自内心相信。然而，属天人承认主是万有的生命，并赐下思考和行动的能力，因为他发觉事实的确如此。他从不渴望自我，但主仍赐给他一种自我；这自我与对良善和真理的一切感知，以及一切幸福结合在一起。天使就拥有这样的自我，同时拥有最大的平安和宁静，因为他们的自我拥有属于主的事物在里面；主掌管他们的自我，也就是通过他们的自我掌管他们。这种自我完全是属天堂的，而肉体人的自我是属地狱的。关于这种自我，容后详述。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]141. An endless number of things can be said about self-rule{*1} in the individual, specifically about its nature in a body-oriented or worldly person, in a spiritual person, and in a heavenly person.
In carnal, materialistic people, their sense of autonomy is the all-in-all. They know nothing else. If it died, they would think they had died, as noted earlier [123].
Autonomy looks the same in spiritual people. Although they know and admit that the Lord is the life in all things, that he is the giver of wisdom and understanding and so of thought and action, they do not really believe it.
Heavenly people, however, acknowledge that the Lord is the life of all and the giver of thought and action because they perceive that it is so, and they have no desire at all for autonomy. Yet even though they do not seek autonomy, the Lord gives it to them. This autonomy or selfhood is directly bound up with their ability to perceive what is good and true and with their happiness.
Such is the autonomy or selfhood present in angels, and its presence brings them the highest peace and tranquillity. Their selfhood is composed of qualities that belong to the Lord, who governs their self-governance, or rather governs them through their self-governance. This selfhood is the epitome of heavenliness; the selfhood of a body-centered person, on the other hand, is hellish. More about autonomy or selfhood will follow, however.
Footnotes:
{*1} In this passage the words "self-rule," "self-governance," "autonomy," "sense of autonomy," "autonomy or selfhood," and "selfhood" are used to translate the Latin proprium, literally meaning that which is proper to oneself. The term has an equivocal meaning in Swedenborg, as this passage suggests. Sometimes it simply means "self" in a neutral sense; sometimes it is equated with the evils arising from desire and selfishness (see, for example, Swedenborg's 1763 work The Lord 17); and at other times, as at the end of this passage, it is said to be a source of heavenly peace and happiness. In essence Swedenborg holds that, as all good comes from the Lord, all evil comes from self-will. Consequently, regeneration radically changes one's sense of self. The idea goes back to Christ himself: "Those who find their soul shall lose it, and those who lose their soul for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 10:39). Similarly in Galatians 2:20: "I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I do live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me." [RS]
Potts(1905-1910) 141
141. Innumerable things might be said about man's Own in describing its nature with the corporeal and worldly man, with the spiritual man, and with the celestial man. With the corporeal and worldly man, his Own is his all, he knows of nothing else than his Own, and imagines, as before said, that if he were to lose this Own he would perish. With the spiritual man also his Own has a similar appearance, for although he knows that the Lord is the life of all, and gives wisdom and understanding, and consequently the power to think and to act, yet this knowledge is rather the profession of his lips than the belief of his heart. But the celestial man discerns that the Lord is the life of all and gives the power to think and to act, for he perceives that it is really so. He never desires his Own, nevertheless an Own is given him by the Lord, which is conjoined with all perception of what is good and true, and with all happiness. The angels are in such an Own, and are at the same time in the highest peace and tranquility, for in their Own are those things which are the Lord's, who governs their Own, or them by means of their Own. This Own is the veriest celestial itself, whereas that of the corporeal man is infernal. But concerning this Own more hereafter.
Elliott(1983-1999) 141
141. Countless things can be said about the proprium - about what the proprium is like in the case of the bodily-minded and worldly man, what it is like in the case of the spiritual man, and what in the case of the celestial man. With the bodily-minded and worldly man the proprium is his all. He is unaware of anything else but the proprium. And, as has been stated, if he were to lose his proprium he would think that he was dying. With the spiritual man the proprium takes on a similar appearance, for although he knows that the Lord is the life of all, and that He confers wisdom and intelligence, and consequently the ability to think and to act, it is more a matter of something he says and not so much something he believes. The celestial man however acknowledges that the Lord is the life of all, who confers the ability to think and act, because he perceives that this is so. Nor does he ever desire the proprium. Nevertheless even though he does not desire it the Lord grants him a proprium which is joined to him with a complete perception of what is good and true, and with complete happiness. Angels possess a proprium such as this, and at the same time utmost peace and tranquillity, for their proprium has within it things that are the Lord's, who is governing their proprium, that is, governing them by means of their proprium. This proprium is utterly heavenly, whereas the proprium of the bodily-minded man is hellish. But more about the proprium further on.
Latin(1748-1756) 141
141. De proprio innumerabilia sunt quae dici possunt; nempe quomodo se habet proprium apud hominem corporeum et mundanum, quomodo apud hominem spiritualem, et quomodo apud caelestem. Proprium apud hominem corporeum et mundanum est omne ejus; non scit aliud quam proprium; si proprium perderet, ut dictum, putaret se perire. Apud hominem spiritualem etiam proprium apparet simile, nam is, tametsi novit quod Dominus sit vita omnium et det sapientiam et intelligentiam, proinde det cogitare et agere, usque hoc dicit, sed non ita credit. Homo autem caelestis agnoscit quod Dominus sit vita omnium, det cogitare et agere, nam percipit quod ita sit, nec usquam cupit proprium; et tametsi non cupit proprium, usque datur ei a Domino proprium, quod conjunctum est cum omni perceptione boni et veri, et cum omni felicitate; angeli in tali proprio sunt, et tunc in summa pace et tranquillitate; nam in proprio illorum sunt illa quae sunt Domini, Qui regit illorum proprium, seu illos per proprium illorum: hoc proprium est ipsissimum caeleste; at proprium hominis corporei est infernale: sed de proprio plura in sequentibus.