8628.从我们地球来的如此吹嘘的灵人是那些以为智慧在于纯属记忆的事物之人，如：各种语言，文学界已知的历史问题，仅从实验所知的事实，专业术语，尤其哲学术语，以及其它诸如此类的东西。他们没有把这类知识当作获取智慧的手段，因为他们以为这些东西本身就构成智慧。这些灵人因没有以系统知识为手段来发展真正的理性本身，故在来世有很少的觉知。他们的整个观点只局限于术语，并受制于术语；在来世，这些术语就像尘埃，像理解力眼前的乌云。那些因在这种知识上的学问而自高自大的人所拥有的觉知更少，而那些利用它来毁灭信之事物的人则完全摧毁了自己的理解力，像猫头鹰一样在黑暗中将虚假看作真理，将邪恶看作良善。
与这类灵人的互动，木星灵得出这样的结论：系统的知识会导致模糊和瞎眼。但我告诉他们说，在我们地球，这种知识是一种手段，理解力的视觉能通过它被打开，这种视觉在天堂之光中观看，并将属于属灵生命的事告知心智。但由于自我之爱和尘世之爱，因而诸如属于纯属世层面和感官层面的生命的那类事物占据主导地位，所以系统知识使人们变得疯狂；也就是说，他们利用它来确认自己赞成自然，反对神性，赞成世界，反对天堂。
我进一步告诉他们说，系统知识本身是属灵的财富，拥有它的人就像拥有世俗财富的人；这种知识既能以同样的方式成为向自己、邻舍和我们的国家提供有用服务或履行功用的手段，也能成为向它们行恶的手段。这种知识也像衣服，既可以有自己的功用，也可以用来装饰，对那些只想通过自己所穿的而受人尊敬的人来说，还可以作为一种骄傲的资本。木星灵完全明白这些事，但感到惊讶的是，人们还在世上的时候，就已经喜欢通向智慧的事物胜过智慧本身，却没有发现，将心智沉浸于这类事物，而不是将它提升至它们之上，会使心智变得模糊，把它弄瞎。
Potts(1905-1910) 8628
8628. The spirits from our earth who had thus boasted, were those who had made wisdom consist in things of mere memory, as in the languages; in the historical matters of the literary world; in bare experimental discoveries; in terms, especially such as are philosophical; and in other things of the kind; and had not used them as means for being wise; but had made wisdom consist in these things themselves. As these have not cultivated their rational faculty by the sciences as means, they have little perception in the other life, for they see only in terms and from terms, which there are like dust, and like thick clouds before the intellectual sight. And they who have been conceited by reason of this their learning, have still less perception. But they who have used the sciences as means for annihilating the things of faith, have totally destroyed their understanding, and see in thick darkness, like owls, falsity for truth, and evil for good. [2] From their interaction with such the spirits of Jupiter had concluded that the sciences induce shade and cause blindness. But they were told that on this earth the sciences are the means of opening the intellectual sight, which sight is in the light of heaven, and instructs in such things as are of spiritual life; but as there reign the love of self and the love of the world, and consequently such things as are of merely natural and sensuous life, the sciences are to such the means of becoming insane; that is, of confirming themselves in favor of nature against the Divine, and in favor of the world against heaven. [3] They were told further that in themselves the sciences are spiritual riches, and that they who possess them are like those who possess worldly riches, which in like manner are means of performing use to oneself, to the neighbor, and to our country, and also are means of doing evil; and also that they are like garments, which serve for use and adornment, and also for pride, as with those who desire to be honored from these alone. The spirits of the earth Jupiter understood these things well, but they marveled that any who are men should have set the things which lead to wisdom before wisdom itself; and that they should not see that to immerse the mind in such things, and not to elevate it beyond them, is to obscure and blind it.
Elliott(1983-1999) 8628
8628. The spirits from our planet who boasted in this way were ones who supposed that wisdom consisted in those things that belong merely to the memory, such as languages, matters of history known to the literary world, mere facts known from experiments, technical terms, especially philosophical ones, and other things like these. They did not use them as the means to attaining wisdom, since they supposed that those things themselves constituted wisdom. Because these spirits have not used organized knowledge as the means to develop true rationality in themselves, they have little perception in the next life. Their whole outlook is confined to and conditioned by the use of terms, which in that life are like dust particles and like dense clouds in front of the eye of understanding; and those who have been made conceited by their learning in such knowledge have even less perception, while those who have used it to discredit matters of faith have completely destroyed their power of understanding. Like owls they see in thick darkness, viewing falsity as truth and evil as good.
[2] As a result of mixing with such as these, the spirits belonging to Jupiter came to the conclusion that organized knowledge led to dimness and blindness. But I told them that on our planet such knowledge serves as the means by which the eye of the understanding can be opened, the eye which sees in the light of heaven and informs the mind about the things that belong to spiritual life. But because self-love and love of the world reign, and consequently such things as belong to life on a merely natural level and on the level of the senses, organized knowledge serves to make people insane, that is to say, they use it to endorse their preference for nature as against the Divine, and the world as against heaven.
[3] I went on to tell them that organized knowledge is in itself spiritual wealth, and that those who possess it are like people in possession of worldly wealth, which in a similar way can serve them as the means by which to perform useful services to themselves, their neighbour, and their country, or else as the means by which to do ill to them. Such knowledge is also like clothes, which can have their use and serve to adorn, or else can serve human pride such as exists with those who wish to be admired solely for what they wear. The spirits belonging to Jupiter understood all this clearly. But they were astonished that people when they were still on earth should have had a greater liking for such things as lead to wisdom than for wisdom itself, and that those people do not see that to immerse their minds in those things and not rise above them is to incur dimness and blindness.
Latin(1748-1756) 8628
8628. Spiritus e nostra tellure qui se ita venditarunt fuerunt qui sapientiam posuerunt in talibus quae sunt merae memoriae, ut in linguis, in historicis quae sunt orbis literarii, in nudis experimentalibus, inque terminis imprimis philosophicis, et in similibus aliis, nec illis ut mediis ad sapiendum usi sunt, quia in illis ipsis sapientiam posuerunt; hi quia per scientias, ut per media, non excoluerunt facultatem suam rationalem, in altera vita parum perceptionis habent, nam solum {1}vident in terminis et ex terminis, qui sunt ibi sicut grumi, ac sicut crassae nubes ante visum intellectualem; et qui {2} fastuosi fuerunt ex eruditione inde, adhuc minus percipiunt; qui {3}vero scientiis usi sunt ut mediis annihilandi illa quae fidei sunt, illi intellectuale suum prorsus destruxerunt, (c)ac vident in caligine sicut noctuae, falsum pro vero et malum pro bono. 2 {4}Spiritus Joviales ex conversatione cum talibus concluserunt quod scientiae umbram inducant et occaecent; sed illis dictum est quod in hac tellure scientiae sint media aperiendi visum intellectualem, qui visus est in luce caeli, ac instruit in talibus quae sunt vitae spiritualis; sed quia regnat amor sui (c)et amor mundi, et inde talia quae sunt vitae mere naturalis (c)ac sensualis, {5}ideo scientiae (t)illis sunt media insaniendi, nempe {6} confirmandi pro natura contra Divinum, (c)et pro mundo contra caelum. 3 Porro dictum est quod scientiae in se sint divitiae spirituales, et quod (c)ii qui possident illas sint sicut qui possident divitias mundanas, quae similiter sunt media usum praestandi sibi, proximo, et patriae, et quoque media malefaciendi; tum quod sint sicut vestes, quae pro usu et ornatu inserviunt, et quoque pro fastu ut apud eos qui ab illis {7}solis volunt honorari. Spiritus telluris Jovis haec bene intellexerunt, sed mirati sunt quod cum homines essent, praetulerint talia quae ad sapientiam ducunt ipsi sapientiae; et quod non videant quod immergere illis mentem, et non ultra se elevare, sit inumbrare et occaecare. @1 After in terminis$ @2 i illorum$ @3 autem$ @4 After talibus$ @5 inde$ @6 i se$ @7 solum$