4776.“有邪恶的野兽把他吞了”表恶欲毁灭了它。这从“邪恶的野兽”和“吞”的含义清楚可知：“邪恶的野兽”是指出于恶欲生活的谎言（4729节），因而是指这类欲望；“吞”是指毁灭，因为它论及教会的真理。教会所拥有的一大真理就是爱主爱邻是第一要紧的（马可福音12:29-31）。恶欲则毁灭这一真理；事实上，那些过着恶欲生活的人不可能过着爱与仁的生活，因为这两种生活是截然对立的。恶欲的生活在于只爱自我，不爱邻舍，除非是出于自我，或为了自我。因此，过这种生活的人在他们中间毁灭仁爱；那些毁灭仁爱的人也毁灭了对主之爱；因为爱主的唯一方式就是仁爱，主住在仁爱里面。属于仁爱的情感是纯正的天堂情感，唯独出自主。由此可见，恶欲毁灭教会所拥有的这一大真理；一旦它遭到毁灭，某种其它方式就被发明出来，就是所谓得救的途径；这就是信。此外，当信与仁分离之时，真理本身就会遭到玷污，因为在这种情况下，人们不再知道何为仁爱，甚至不知道何为邻舍，因而不知道何为人的内在，也不知道何为天堂。因为人的内在或本质，或人里面的天堂就是仁爱，也就是向他人、自己的国家、教会和主的国度，因而向主自己心怀善意。由此可推断出当对基本真理一无所知，并且反对这些基本真理的的恶欲占据主导地位时，教会所拥有的真理是何品质。当恶欲的生活谈论这些基本真理时，它们岂不被玷污到无法辨认的地步？
没有人能得救，除非他过着仁爱的良善生活，因而对这种生活充满情感；这种情感就是向他人展现善意，并出于善意向他们行善；除了过着仁爱生活的人外，没有人能接受信之真理，也就是说，充满它们，把它们变成他自己的；这一点从那些在天堂、我蒙允许与之交谈的天使已向我清楚显明。在那里，人人都是仁爱的形式，该形式的美丽和良善取决于他们仁爱的品质；他们的快乐、满足和幸福从他们能出于善意向他人行善中流出。人若没有过仁爱的生活，绝无可能知道天堂及其喜乐在于善意和出于善意的善行，因为他的天堂在于向自己展现善意，并出于自私的善意向他人行善。而事实上，这是地狱；因为如前所述，天堂不同于地狱之处在于：天堂是出于善意行善，而地狱则是出于恶意行恶。那些处于对邻之爱的人出于善意行善，而那些陷入自我之爱的人则出于恶意行恶。后者之所以是这样，是因为他们只爱自己，并且只有在其他人里面看到自己，才去爱他人。他们还仇恨这些其他人，一旦这些人离开他们，不再是他们的一部分，这种仇恨就显现出来。他们就像强盗，抱成一团时彼此相爱，但如果彼此杀戮可以获得赃物，他们就发自内心渴望彼此杀戮。
由此可见何为天堂，即天堂就是对邻之仁；以及何为地狱，即地狱就是自我之爱。那些处于对邻之爱的人能接受一切信之真理，能充满它们，并将其变成自己的；因为对邻之爱含有一切信之真理在里面，主也在它里面。而另一方面，那些陷入自我之爱的人绝无可能接受信之真理，因为地狱就在这爱里面。他们也绝无可能以其它任何方式接受信之真理，除非是为了自己的地位和物质利益的缘故；因此，他们绝无可能充满信之真理，并将其变成自己的。但是，他们所充满并变成自己的事物都是对真理的否认。因为他们发自内心不相信地狱和天堂的存在，也不相信死后生命的存在，因而不相信所说有关地狱和天堂，或死后生命的任何话，进而根本不相信从圣言和教义所说有关信和仁的任何话。他们参加敬拜时，似乎是信徒，但这是因为在这种时候披上这种状态从小就被植入他们。可一离开敬拜，他们也就将信仰的这种状态抛在脑后；这时心里思想，他们根本没有任何信仰；而且，他们的爱之生活还会促使他们想出使它合理化的观念。他们将这些观念称为真理，并通过圣言字义确认它们；而事实上，它们却是虚假。这就是所有在生活和教义上持守与仁分离之信的人。
此外，要知道，人的爱包含一切事物，或说，一切事物都在人的爱里面，因为这爱决定了他所过的生活；因此，主的生命唯独流入人的爱。所以，人们的爱如何，他们的生活就如何，因为他们对生活的接受就是如此。对邻之爱接受天堂的生活，而自我之爱接受地狱的生活。因此，天堂的一切事物都在对邻之爱里面，地狱的一切事物都在自我之爱里面。爱包含一切事物，或说，一切事物都在爱里面，这一点可通过自然界中的许多事物来说明。一切活物，无论地上走的，天上飞的，还是水里游的，都受它们的爱驱使；凡在它们所过的生活中对它们有用的东西，也就是对它们的食物、巢穴和繁衍有用的东西，都流入它们的爱。因此，每种动物都知道自己的食物、巢穴和资本习惯，如求偶、筑巢、产卵和育雏。
蜜蜂同样知道如何建造蜂室、从花朵中提取蜂蜜，并用它填满蜂巢，为过冬做好准备。它们甚至知道如何构建在一个蜂王管理下的一套政府体系，此外还有其它奇妙活动。这一切都是通过进入它们爱的流注实现的；它们的生活所产生的不同结果仅仅是它们的情感所取的不同形式带来的。所有这些事都在它们的爱里面，或说它们的爱包含这一切。如果人处于天堂之爱，那么天堂会包含什么呢？岂不包含存在于天堂的全部智慧和聪明？由此也明显可知，被接入天堂的，是那些过着仁爱生活的人，而非其他人；他们因拥有仁爱，故拥有接受并充满一切真理，也就是一切信之真理的能力。然而，相反的情形发生在持守与仁分离之信的信徒，也就是那些知道一些真理，却没有仁爱的人身上。他们的爱接受诸如适合它自己的那类观念；也就是说，自我之爱和尘世之爱接受作为真理反面的观念，就是存在于地狱的那类观念。
Potts(1905-1910) 4776
4776. An evil wild beast hath devoured him. That this signifies that the cupidities of evil had extinguished it, is evident from the signification of an "evil wild beast," as being a lie from a life of cupidities (n. 4729), consequently cupidities; and from the signification of "devouring," as being to extinguish, because predicated of the truth of the church. The veriest truth of the church is that love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor are the primary things (Mark 12:29-31). Cupidities extinguish this truth; for those who are in a life of cupidities cannot be in a life of love and charity, for the two are exact opposites. A life of cupidities consists in loving self only, and not the neighbor except from self, or for the sake of self. Hence those who are in this life extinguish charity in themselves; and those who extinguish charity, extinguish also love to the Lord; for there is no other means of loving the Lord than charity, because the Lord is in charity. The affection of charity is heavenly affection itself, which is from the Lord alone. From this it may be seen that the cupdities of evil extinguish the veriest truth of the church, on the extinction of which a means is devised which is called saving, namely, faith; and when this is separated from charity, truths themselves are defiled, for then it is no longer known what charity is, nor even what the neighbor is, and consequently neither what the internal of man is, nor even what heaven is. For the internal of man, and heaven in man, is charity-that is, willing well to another, to society, to one's country, to the church, to the Lord's kingdom, and thus to the Lord Himself. From this we may conclude what is the quality of the truths of the church when those things which are essential are not known, and when the things contrary to them, or cupdities, reign. When a life of cupidities speaks concerning these truths, are not they defiled to such a degree that they can no longer be recognized? [2] That no one can be saved unless he has lived in the good of charity, and so has become imbued with its affections, which are to will well to others, and from willing well to do well to them; and that no one can receive the truths of faith - that is, become imbued with them and appropriate them to himself - but he who is in a life of charity has been made manifest to me from those who are in heaven, with whom I have been permitted to converse. There all are forms of charity, with beauty and goodness according to the quality of their charity; their delight, satisfaction, and happiness are from their being able to do good to others from good will. The man who has not lived in charity cannot possibly know that heaven and its joy consist in willing well and in doing well from willing well, because his heaven is willing well to himself, and from this willing well doing well to others, when yet this is hell. For heaven is distinguished from hell in this, that heaven, as above said, is doing good from good will, and hell is doing evil from ill will. They who are in love toward the neighbor do good from good will; but they who are in the love of self do evil from ill will. The reason of this is that they love no one but themselves, and others only so far as they see themselves in them, and them in themselves; they also regard these with hatred, which manifests itself as soon as they recede and are no longer theirs. This is like robbers, who so long as they are banded together love one another, but still at heart desire to kill one another, if plunder may thus be obtained. [3] From these things it may be seen what heaven is, that it is love toward the neighbor; and what hell is, that it is the love of self. They who are in love toward the neighbor are capable of receiving all the truths of faith, and of being imbued with them and making them their own; for in love toward the neighbor there is the all of faith, because heaven and the Lord are in it. They on the other hand who are in the love of self can in no wise receive the truths of faith, because hell is in this love; nor can they receive the truths of faith in any other way than for the sake of self-honor and gain; thus they cannot possibly become imbued with them and make them their own. But the things which they become imbued with and make their own are denials of truth, for at heart they do not believe even that there is a hell and a heaven, nor that there is a life after death, and therefore they believe nothing that is said about hell and heaven, or about a life after death, thus nothing at all that is said from the Word and from doctrine about faith and charity. When they are in worship they appear to themselves to believe, but this because it has been implanted in them from early childhood to put on this state at such a time; but as soon as they are out of worship they are also out of this state; and then thinking in themselves, they believe nothing at all, and also according to the life of their loves devise things to favor them, which they call truths, and which they confirm from the literal sense of the Word, when yet they are falsities. Such are all who in life and doctrine are in faith separate. [4] Be it known, moreover, that all things are in the loves, for the loves are what make the life; consequently, the Lord's life flows solely into the loves. Such therefore as are the loves, such are the lives, because such are the receptions of life. Love toward the neighbor receives the life of heaven, and the love of self receives the life of hell; thus in love toward the neighbor there is the all of heaven, and in the love of self the all of hell. That all things are in the loves may be illustrated from many things in nature. Animals, both those that walk on the earth and those that fly in the air or swim in the water, are all impelled according to their loves, and into their loves flows whatever is conducive to their life, that is, to their sustenance, habitation, and procreation. Hence animals of every kind know their food, their abodes, and what concerns their conjugial, such as mating, building nests, laying eggs, and bringing up their young. [5] The bees also know how to build cells, to suck honey from flowers, to fill with it the honeycombs, and to make provision for themselves against winter, and even to conduct a certain form of government under a queen; besides other marvels. All these things are effected by influx into their loves; the effects of life being varied only by the forms of their affections. All these things are in their loves; what then would there not be in heavenly love, if man were in this? Would there not be the all of wisdom and intelligence, which is in heaven? From this also it is that they who have lived in charity, and no others, are received into heaven; and that from charity they have the capacity of receiving and being imbued with all truths, that is, with all things of faith. But the contrary happens to those who are in faith separate, that is, in some truths and not in charity. Their loves receive such things as are in agreement with them, that is to say, the loves of self and of the world receive those things which are contrary to truths, such as are in the hells.
Elliott(1983-1999) 4776
4776. 'An evil wild animal has devoured him' means that desires for evil annihilated it. This is clear from the meaning of 'an evil wild animal' as a lie invented out of a life of evil desires, dealt with in 4729, and therefore as such desires; and from the meaning of 'devouring' as annihilating, because it has reference to the truth of the Church. The one great Truth the Church possesses is that love to the Lord and love towards the neighbour are first and foremost, Mark 12:29-31, a truth that evil desires annihilate. For those who lead a life of evil desires cannot lead a life of love and charity since these two kinds of life are complete opposites. A life of evil desires is one in which a person loves only himself and not his neighbour except out of self-interest or for his own sake. People like this therefore annihilate charity among themselves, and those who annihilate charity also annihilate love to the Lord; for charity is the only means through which anyone loves the Lord, and the Lord dwells within charity. An affection that belongs to charity is a genuine heavenly affection, which comes from the Lord alone. From this it may be seen that desires for evil annihilate the one great truth the Church possesses; and once it has been annihilated some other means is invented which is called the way to salvation; and this is faith. When faith moreover is separated from charity actual truths are defiled, for in that case no knowledge exists any longer of what charity is, or even of what the neighbour is. Nor as a consequence does any knowledge exist about the inner essence of a human being, nor indeed of what heaven is. For the essence of a human being, or heaven within him, is charity, which consists in goodwill to others, to his community, to his country, to the Church, to the Lord's kingdom, and so to the Lord Himself. From this one may deduce what truth possessed by the Church must be like when there is no knowledge of the essential truths and when evil desires reign, standing opposed to these essential truths When a life of evil desires speaks about them, are not truths defiled to such an extent that they cease to be recognizable?
[2] The truth that no one can be saved unless he has led a good charitable life, and so has acquired affections for that life, which exist in him as goodwill shown to others and as good deeds done to them which are motivated by that goodwill; also, the truth that no one can possibly accept the truths of faith - that is to say, take them in and make them his own - except him who leads a charitable life, have been made perfectly plain to me from those in heaven to whom I have been allowed to speak. Everyone there is a form of charity, the beauty and goodness of that form depending on the nature of the charity. The pleasure, bliss, and happiness of those there flow from their being able - because they are motivated by goodwill - to do good to others. Anyone who has not been leading a charitable life cannot possibly know that heaven and heavenly joy consist in goodwill and in good deeds motivated by that goodwill. To one of his kind heaven consists in goodwill shown to himself, with any good deeds done to others being motivated by this selfish goodwill. But this is in fact hell; for as has been stated, heaven is distinguished from hell in that heaven consists in doing good because one is motivated by goodwill, and hell in doing ill because one is motivated by ill will. Those governed by love towards the neighbour are motivated by goodwill to do good deeds, but those governed by self-love are motivated to do ill ones by ill will. The reason the latter are like this is that they love no one but themselves, and others only insofar as they see themselves in others, and others in themselves. They also hate these others, that hatred revealing itself the moment these go away from them and are no longer part of them. They are like robbers who love one another while they are in league with one another; but at heart they long to kill one another if any spoils can be gained by doing so.
[3] From all this one may see what heaven is, namely love towards the neighbour, and what hell is, namely self-love. Those governed by love towards the neighbour are able to accept all truths of faith, to take them in and make them their own; for love towards the neighbour holds every truth of faith within it since it has heaven within it and the Lord within it. But those governed by self-love cannot possibly accept the truths of faith since hell lies within that love. In no way can they accept the truths of faith apart from doing so for the sake of improving their own positions and for the sake of material gain; thus they cannot possibly take them in and make them their own. What they do take in and make their own are denials of the truth. For in their hearts they do not believe in the existence of hell and heaven, or in the life after death. Nor therefore do they believe anything that is said about hell and heaven, or about the life after death, and so nothing whatever from the Word and from doctrine regarding faith and charity. They seem to themselves to be believers when they take part in worship, but they do so because that state has been instilled into them since early childhood. But as soon as they leave that worship behind them they also leave that state of belief behind them. At this point, now left to think for themselves, they do not have any belief at all; and what is more, the life that their love fires them to lead causes them to think up ideas to justify it. These ideas they call truths, and also back them up from the literal sense of the Word; but they are in fact falsities. This is what all are like who in life and doctrine are adherents to faith separated from charity.
[4] In addition it should be recognized that a person's love includes everything, for his love determines the life he leads, and therefore only into a person's love does the Lord enter with His life. As is people's love therefore, so is their life because so is their reception of it. Love towards the neighbour receives the life of heaven, while self-love receives the life of hell. Thus everything of heaven lies within love towards the neighbour, and everything of hell within self-love. The fact that love includes everything may be illustrated by many observations of nature. All living creatures, not only those that walk on dry land but also those which fly in the air or swim in water, move in response to their own love. Into their love comes whatever is of use to them in the life they lead, that is, to their feeding, housing, and reproducing themselves. Therefore every genus knows its own food, dwelling-places, and mating habits such as pairing off, building nests, laying eggs, and rearing chicks.
[5] Bees likewise know how to build cells, extract honey from flowers, fill honeycombs with it, and make provision for the winter. Indeed they know how to establish a system of government under a single ruler, besides many other remarkable activities. All this is a product of what is entering their love, it being merely the different forms their affections take that lead to the different results their life produces. Their love includes all this. So what would heavenly love include if the human being was governed by heavenly love? Would not the whole of wisdom and intelligence as these exist in heaven be included? From this too it is evident that those who have led charitable lives, these and no others, are accepted into heaven, and that because they have charity they have the ability to accept and take in all truths, that is, every truth of faith. The reverse however takes place with adherents to faith separated from charity, that is, to those who know some truths but have no charity. Their love accepts ideas such as are suited to itself; that is to say, self-love and love of the world accept ideas that are the reverse of truths, the kind that exist in hell.
Latin(1748-1756) 4776
4776. `Fera mala comedit eum': quod significet quod cupiditates mali exstinxerint, constat ex significatione `ferae malae' quod sit mendacium ex vita cupiditatum, de qua n. 4729, proinde cupiditates;et ex significatione `comedere' quod sit exstinguere, quia praedicatur de vero Ecclesiae. Ipsissimum Verum Ecclesiae est quod amor in Dominum et amor erga proximum sint primaria, Marc. xii 29-31; hoc (o)verum exstinguunt cupiditates; qui enim in vita cupiditatum sunt, non possunt esse in vita amoris et charitatis, sunt enim prorsus opposita; vita cupiditatum est se solum amare et non proximum nisi ex se seu propter se, inde exstinguunt apud se charitatem, et qui exstinguunt charitatem, etiam exstinguunt amorem in Dominum, nam non datur aliud medium amandi Dominum quam charitas, Dominus enim in charitate est; affectio charitatis est ipsa affectio caelestis, quae a solo Domino; inde constare potest quod cupiditates mali exstinguant ipsissimum verum Ecclesiae, quo exstincto excogitatur medium quod salvificum dicitur, nempe fides, quae cum separatur a charitate, tunc ipsa vera foedantur, nam tunc (t)non amplius scitur quid charitas, ne quidem quid proximus consequenter nec quid internum hominis et ne quidem quid caelum, nam internum hominis, et caelum in homine, est charitas, hoc est, benevelle alteri, societati, patriae, Ecclesiae, {1} regno Domini, et sic Ipsi Domino; inde concludi potest qualia vera Ecclesiae erunt, cum illa quae essentialia sunt, nesciuntur, et cum contraria illis nempe cupiditates regnant; cum vita cupiditatum de illis loquitur annon foedantur in tantum ut non amplius cognosci possint. [2] (s)Quod {3} nemo possit salvari nisi in bono charitatis vixerit, et sic imbuerit ejus affectiones, quae sunt benevelle aliis et ex benevelle illis benefacere; tum quod nemo usquam recipere possit vera fidei, nempe imbuere et appropriare illa sibi, quam qui in charitatis vita est, patuit mihi manifeste ab illis qui in caelo {4} cum quibus datum est loqui; ibi omnes sunt formae charitatis, pulchritudine et bonitate secundum charitatis quale;
jucundum, faustum et felix eorum ex eo est quod ex benevelle possint aliis benefacere; homo qui non in charitate vixerat, nusquam scire potest quod in benevelle et ex benevelle benefacere sit caelum et ejus gaudium, quia ejus caelum est benevelle sibi et ex hoc benevelle aliis benefacere, cum tamen hoc est infernum; nam caelum distinguitur ab inferno in eo quod, ut dictum, caelum sit ex benevelle benefacere, et infernum est ex malevelle malefacere; qui in amore erga proximum sunt, illi ex benevelle benefaciunt, at qui in amore sui sunt, illi ex malevelle malefaciunt; causa est quia neminem amant quam semet, et alios non nisi quantum se vident in illis, et illos in se; etiam hos odio habent, quod se manifestat ut primum recedunt et non ejus sunt; hoc se habet sicut latrones qui cum in consociatione sunt, se invicem amant, sed usque corde cupiunt {5} occidere, si praeda inde. [2] Ex his constare potest quid caelum, quod nempe sit amor erga proximum, et quid infernum, quod nempe sit amor sui; qui in amore erga proximum sunt, illi recipere possunt omnia vera fidei, et illa imbuere et sibi appropriare, nam in amore erga proximum inest omne fidei quia inest caelum et inest Dominus; qui autem in amore sui sunt, illi nusquam possunt recipere vera fidei, quia illi amori inest infernum, nec possunt aliter recipere vera fidei quam sui honoris et lucri causa, ita nusquam illa imbuere et sibi appropriare, sed quae imbuunt et sibi appropriant, sunt negativa veri; corde enim ne quidem credunt quod infernum ac caelum sint, nec quod vita post mortem, inde nec aliquid quod de inferno et caelo, deque vita post mortem dicitur, ita nihil prorsus quod de (t)fide et charitate ex Verbo et doctrina; apparent sibi credere cum in cultu sunt, sed hoc est inde quia implantatum est ab infantia eum statum tunc induere, ut primum autem extra cultum sunt, etiam extra illum statum sunt, et cum tunc cogitant in se, prorsus nihil credunt, et quoque secundum vitam amorum suorum excogitant faventia, quae vera dicunt, et quoque confirmant ex sensu litterali Verbi, cum tamen falsa sunt; tales sunt omnes qui in fide separata {6} sunt vita et doctrina. [4] Praeterea sciendum quod omnia insint amoribus, amores enim sunt qui faciunt vitam, proinde non nisi quam in amores influit vita Domini;
quales itaque amores sunt, tales sunt vitae, quia tales receptiones vitae; amor erga proximum recipit vitam caeli, et amor sui recipit vitam inferni; ita amori erga proximum inest omne caeli, et amori sui omne inferni; quod omnia insint amoribus, illustrari potest a pluribus in natura; animalia, tam quae super terra gradiuntur {7} quam quae in aere volant et in aquis natant, ferantur omnia secundum amores suos, et in amores illorum influunt quaecumque ad vitam illis conducunt, quae nempe ad victum, ad habitationem, adque procreationem; inde unumquodvis genus novit suam escam, novit suas mansiones, (o)et novit quae conjugialis eorum sunt, sicut {8} consociari, construere nidos, ponere ova, educare pullos; etiam apes aedificare cellulas {9}, exsugere {10} mella ex floribus, implere illis favos, et prospicere sibi pro hieme, immo agere aliquam formam regiminis sub imperante; praeter mirifica alia; haec omnia fiunt per influxum in amores eorum, {11} sunt modo formae affectionum eorum quae variant vitae effectus; (o)illa omnia amoribus illorum insunt; quid non inesset amori caelesti, si homo in illo esset? annon omne sapientiae et intelligentiae quod in caelo est? Inde etiam est quod qui in charitate vixerunt, et non alii, recipiantur in caelum, et quod ex charitate in potentia sint recipere et imbuere {12} omnia vera, hoc est, omnia fidei;
contrarium autem illis evenit qui in fide separata sunt, hoc est, in aliquibus veris et non in charitate; amores eorum recipiunt talia quae illis conveniunt, amores nempe sui et mundi quae contraria veris sunt, qualia sunt infernis.(s) @1 i et$ @2 i ac$ @3 i Haec sunt quae significantur per quod fera mala comederit eum. This was the end of number in A, but remainder was added on separate sheet, and these words were therefore omitted in recopying. Possibly they should have been at end of number.$ @4 i sunt$ @5 i se$ @6 i a charitate$ @7 sunt$ @8 ut$ @9 cellas$ @10 exsurgere I$ @11 i quia amoribus omnia insunt$ @12 ibi recipiendi et imbuendi$