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1100. And a hold of every unclean and hateful bird.- That this signifies where there is nothing but falsities, from the falsified truths of the Word, is evident from the signification of a hold, as denoting where the falsifiers are, thus hell, as stated above; and from the signification of every unclean and hateful bird, as denoting falsities from the falsified truths of the Word. For birds signify rational and intellectual things, thoughts, ideas, and reasonings, thus truths or falsities; and unclean signifies that which proceeds from an impure love, and especially from the love of ruling, since this is the cause of uncleanness in hell. By hateful is signified that which springs from a false principle, thus from a religious principle confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word falsified.
[2] That birds signify those things, both spiritual and infernal, that belong to man's thought - that is, both truths and falsities; for these pertain to thought - is a result of correspondence. That this is the case is evident from the birds that are seen in the spiritual world, where all those things that appear before the eyes, and before the rest of the senses, are correspondences. There animals of the earth of every kind appear, and also both beautiful and unbeautiful birds of the heaven; and the appearance of these is from the affections and thoughts of the angels or spirits - the animals from their affections, and fowls from their thoughts. All who are there know that they are correspondences, and they know to what affections and thoughts they correspond. That they are correspondences of affections and thoughts is manifestly evident, for when a spirit or angel goes away, or ceases to think of these things, they instantly vanish. Since birds are correspondences of both rational and non-rational thoughts, thus both of truths and falsities, therefore they signify these in the Word, for all things of the Word are correspondences.
That birds signify both rational and spiritual thoughts from truths is evident from the following passages.
In David:
"Let them praise the name of Jehovah, the wild beast, and every beast, creeping thing, and bird of wing" (552, 650, 781). By bird of wing, therefore, are signified thoughts. And for this reason it is said that they shall praise Jehovah, for it is man who, from his affections and thoughts, that is from goods and truths, must offer praise.
[3] In Hosea:
"I will make for them a covenant in that day with the wild beast (fera) of the field, and with the bird of the heavens, and the creeping thing of the earth; and the bow, and the sword, and war, will I break off from the earth" (2:18).
The subject here is the Lord's coming, and the state of heaven and of the Church from Him. In that day means the Lord's coming; the covenant which He will then make means conjunction with those who believe in Him. The wild beast of the field and the bird of heaven cannot therefore signify wild beasts and birds, but those things to which they correspond, which are affections for good and truth, and thoughts therefrom. The bow, the sword, and war shall be broken from off the earth signifies that then there shall be no infestation from falsities and evils from hell.
[4] In David:
"Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands, thou hast put all things under his feet, the flock and the herd, and also the beasts of the fields, the bird of heaven, and the fishes of the sea" (Psalm 8:7, 8, 9).
This treats of the Lord, of whom it is said here that He shall have dominion over all the works of the hands of Jehovah, which do not mean earthly things, such as flocks, herds, beasts, birds, and fishes. For what would these things be in regard to His dominion in the heavens, and from the heavens over men on earth, whom He will lead to eternal life? The spiritual things of the Church, therefore, are here meant. The flock signifies in general all spiritual things in man, the herd all the natural things in him, which correspond to spiritual things. The beasts of the fields signify the affections for good in the natural man, which pertain to the Church, for a field signifies the Church. The birds of heaven signify the thoughts of the rational man, and the fishes of the sea scientifics.
[5] In Ezekiel:
"I will take of the shoot of a lofty cedar, in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it, that it may lift up the branch and bear fruit, and spread out into a magnificent cedar, that under it may dwell every bird of every wing; in the shades of its branches shall they dwell" (17:22, 23).
These words describe the establishment of a new church by the Lord. The establishment afresh or from its first beginning is meant by the shoot of the lofty cedar, the cedar here, as in other passages of the Word, denoting the spiritual-rational church, such as the church was among the ancients after the flood. By planting the shoot in the mountain of the height of Israel is signified in spiritual good, which is the good of charity; this good is signified by the mountain of the height of Israel. By spreading out into a magnificent cedar is signified the full establishment of that church; that under it may dwell every bird of every wing, signifies that there shall be rational truths of every kind; these terminated in natural truths are signified by dwelling in the shade of its branches, for they cover and guard rational truths, which are from a spiritual origin.
[6] In the same:
"Ashur is a cedar in Lebanon," which "was of high stature; all the birds of the heavens made their nests in his branches, and under his branches every beast of the field brought forth; and in his shade dwelt all great nations" (31:5, 6).
The cedar here similarly signifies the spiritual-rational church, for Ashur signifies the Rational. Since the cedar signifies the church, it follows that the birds of the heavens which made their nests in its branches, and the beasts of the field which brought forth under them, mean rational thoughts concerning the truths of the church, and their affections. Because these things are signified, therefore, it is also said in his shadow dwelt all great nations.
[7] In Daniel:
"Nebuchadnezzar in a dream saw "a tree in the midst of the earth, the height thereof was great; and it grew and became strong, and the height thereof reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof unto the end of the earth; the leaf thereof was fair, and the flower thereof much, and in it was food for all; under it the beast of the field had shadow, and in its branches dwelt the birds of heaven, and all flesh was nourished from it. But a watcher and holy one came down from heaven, crying aloud, Hew down the tree, and cut off its branches, shake off the leaf, scatter the flower, let the beast flee away from under it, and the birds from its branches" (4:10-14, 20, 21).
The tree here also signifies the church called Babylon, in its beginning and progress, and then the church in the knowledges of truth and good. Its beginning and progress is described by its becoming great and strong, the leaf thereof being fair, and the flower thereof much, and by there being food in it for all. The affections for good and the thoughts of truth are signified by the beast of the field that had shadow under it, and the birds that dwelt in its branches. That it had assumed dominion over the holy things of the church and of heaven, is meant by the watcher and holy one coming down from heaven, and crying aloud, Hew down the tree, and cut off its branches. That beast and bird there signify affections and thoughts is evident from this, that when the tree was cut down it was also said "let the beast flee away from under it, and the birds from its branches."
[8] Similar things are signified by the birds (aves) of heaven in the Evangelists: Jesus said,
"The kingdom of the heavens is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, and it became a tree, so that the fowls (volatilia) of heaven came and built nests in the branches thereof" (Matthew 13:31, 32; Mark 4:31, 32; Luke 13:19).
The tree from a grain of mustard seed signifies the man of the church, and also a church beginning from a little spiritual good by means of truth. For if only a very small amount of spiritual good takes root in man, it will grow like a seed in good ground. And because a tree therefore signifies the man of the church, it follows that the fowls of heaven, which make nests in its branches, signify knowledges (cognitiones) of truth, and thoughts therefrom. That this is not a bare comparison any one may see; for of what use would be so many similar passages both in the Word and in the prophets?
[9] So also in David:
Jehovah, "who sendeth out the springs into the rivers; let them go between the mountains; they give drink to every wild beast of the fields; the wild asses quench their thirst, near them the bird of the heavens dwelleth, from among the boughs they utter their voices. The trees of Jehovah are saturated, the cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted, where the birds make their nests; the stork, whose house is in the fir trees" (Psalm 104:10-12, 16, 17).
Such things as these also would never have been said in the Divine Word, unless each of them involved correspondences of spiritual and celestial, and therefore of holy things. For what other purpose could there be in saying of rivers from springs, that they go between the mountains, and give drink to every wild beast of the field, that the wild asses quench their thirst, that the bird of the heavens dwelleth near them, and uttereth its voice among the boughs; and the stork [whose house is] in the fir trees? But when by springs are understood the truths of the Word, by rivers intelligence therefrom, by mountains the goods of love, by the wild beast of the fields the affections for truth, by wild asses the Rational, and by the birds of the heavens thoughts from Divine truths, then is the holy Word Divine, otherwise it would be merely human.
[10] In Job:
"Ask, I pray, the beasts, and they shall teach thee, or the birds of heaven, and they shall tell thee, and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee; who doth not know from all these, that the hand of Jehovah doeth it" (12:7, 8, 9).
That beasts, the birds of heaven, and the fishes of the sea, do not mean beasts, birds, and fishes, is evident, for these cannot be asked questions, nor teach, tell, and relate, that the hand of Jehovah doeth it. But they signify man as to those things which belong to his intelligence. Beasts mean his affections, the birds of heaven his thoughts, the fishes of the sea knowledges (cognitiones) and scientifics (scientifica). A man from these many teach that the hand of Jehovah doeth it. If he, as to those things that belong to his intelligence, were not signified by beasts, birds, and fishes, it could not be said "who doth not know from all these."
[11] In Ezekiel:
"Son of man, say to the bird of every wing, and to every wild beast of the field, Gather yourselves together and come, gather yourselves from round about to the great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel; and I will give my glory among the nations" (39:17, 21).
The establishment of the church among the nations is here described, and the invitation and gathering together to it, for it is said, "So I will give my glory among the nations." Therefore the bird of every wing and every wild beast of the field, signify all those who are in the affection for good, and in the understanding of truth.
[12] Similarly in the Apocalypse:
An angel standing in the sun "cried out with a great voice, saying to all the birds flying in the midst of heaven, Come, and gather yourselves together to the supper of the great God" (19:17);
here birds flying in the midst of heaven cannot mean birds, but men who are rational and spiritual; for they are invited to the supper of the great God.
[13] In Jeremiah:
"I saw the mountains, and behold they are moved, and all the hills are overturned; I saw when behold there was not a man, and all the birds of the heaven were fled; I saw when Carmel was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were desolated" (4:24, 25, 26).
These things are said concerning the devastation of the church in regard to all its good and truth. Mountains and valleys signify celestial and spiritual loves; and by being moved and overturned is signified to perish. For in the spiritual world, when celestial or spiritual love no longer exists with spirits there, the mountains and hills upon which they dwelt are actually moved and overturned. All the birds have fled signifies that there was no longer any knowledge (scientia), and consequent thought of truth. That there was no man, signifies no understanding of truth. Carmel a wilderness signifies the church without good and truth; and by the cities being desolate is signified that there were no longer any doctrinals of truth.
[14] In the same:
The habitations "are vastated, that there is not a man passing through, neither do they hear the voice of cattle; from the bird of the heavens even to the beast they are fled, they are gone, because I will make Jerusalem heaps, a habitation of dragons" (9:10, 11; 12:9).
Here also the devastation of the church is treated of. The habitations which are vastated so that there is not a man passing through, signify the doctrinals of the church from the Word, where there is now nothing good and true. The voice of cattle, which they do not hear, signifies that there was not any good of charity or truth of faith. That the birds of the heavens even to the beasts are fled, they are gone, signifies that there is no longer any thought of truth from the cognition of it, nor any affection for good. That the flying away of the birds of the heaven and the departure of the beasts of the earth are not here meant, but the vastation of the church as to doctrine, is evident, for it is added, "I will make Jerusalem into heaps, a habitation of dragons." Jerusalem signifies the church as to doctrine, and by making it into heaps, and into a habitation of dragons, is signified its devastation.
[15] In Hosea:
"No truth, and no mercy, and no knowledge of God in the earth; therefore the earth shall mourn; as to the wild beast of the field, and as to the bird of the heavens, and also the fishes of the sea, they shall be gathered together" (Hosea 4:1-3).
That the wild beasts of the field, the bird of the heavens, and the fishes of the sea, signify similar things as above, is evident, the subject treated of here being the devastation of the church, for it is said, no truth, no mercy, and no knowledge of God in the earth (terra); and by the earth is signified the church.
[16] In Zephaniah:
"I will consume man and beast, I will consume the bird of the heavens and the fishes of the sea; I will cut off man from the faces of the earth" (1:3).
To consume man and beast, signifies to destroy spiritual and natural affection. To consume the birds of the heavens and the fishes of the sea, signifies to destroy the perceptions and the cognitions of truth. Because such things as belong to the church are signified by these, it is therefore said, I will cut off man from the faces of the earth, for by man is signified the all of the Church.
[17] In David:
God said, "I know every bird of the mountains, and the wild beast of my fields with me" (50:11).
In Ezekiel:
"There shall be a great earthquake over the land of Israel, and the fish of the sea shall tremble before me, and the bird of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing creeping upon the earth, and every man who is upon the faces of the earth" (38:19, 20).
Things similar to those above are signified by the bird of the heavens and the wild beast of the field; an earthquake signifies a change of the state of the church.
[18] In Isaiah:
"Wo to the land shadowed with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush; the bird of the mountains and the beasts of the earth shall be left, but the bird shall loathe it, and every beast of the earth shall despise it" (18:1, 6).
The subject here is the establishment of the church among the gentiles, and the devastation of the Jewish church; therefore the bird and the beast of the earth signify knowledges (cognitiones) of truth and affections for good.
[19] In the same:
"I am God, and there is no God else, and none as I, calling the bird from the east (ortu), the man of counsel from a land of far distance" (46:9, 11).
The bird which shall be called from the east, signifies the truth of the Word, which being from the good of love, is said to be from the east, the east (ortu) denoting the good of love. What else can be meant by the statement that God will call a bird from the east, and a man of counsel from a land of far distance? The man of counsel denotes a man who is intelligent from those truths, that are from the good of love.
[20] In Hosea:
"Ephraim, as a bird shall his glory fly away, from the birth, and from the belly, and from conception" (Hosea 9:11).
In the same:
"I will not return to destroy Ephraim; they shall go after Jehovah, with honour shall they come as a bird from Egypt, and as a dove from the land of Assyria" (11:9, 10).
Ephraim signifies the understanding of the truths of the church; a comparison is thereof made with a bird, and it is said, as a bird shall his glory fly away. A comparison is made with a bird also in Hosea (7:12); for everything pertaining to the understanding, whether scientific (scientificum), cogitative (cogitativum), or rational, is signified by bird, and everything delightful or pleasurable, that is, that which belongs to the will and affection, is signified by beast and wild beast. The bird from Egypt signifies the Scientific, which belongs to the natural man, and the dove from Assyria the Rational; for Egypt signifies the Scientific, and Assyria the Rational. The subject treated of in this place is the church to be established by the Lord.
[21] As most things of the Word have also an opposite sense, so also have birds, and in that sense they signify both fallacies from the sensual man, and reasonings from falsities against truths, and also falsities themselves, worse and more deadly according to the genera and species of unclean birds. Falsities destructive of truths are specially signified by rapacious birds. In many passages in the Word it is said that "they shall be given for food to the birds and wild beasts," and by this is signified to perish utterly by fallacies, falsities, and reasonings therefrom, also by lusts of evil, and in general by evils and falsities from hell. This is signified by being given for food to the birds of heaven and the beasts of the earth in the following passages.
In Jeremiah:
"The carcase of this people shall be for food to the bird of the heavens, none shall frighten them away" (7:33).
In the same:
"I will visit upon you in four kinds, with the sword to kill, with dogs to drag about, with the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy" (15:3).
Again:
"By sword and famine shall they be consumed, that their carcase may become food for the birds of the heavens and the beast of the earth" (16:4; 19:7; 34:20).
In Ezekiel:
"Upon the faces of the field shalt thou fall, thou shalt not be brought together nor gathered; to the wild beast of the earth, and to the bird of heaven have I given thee for food" (29:5).
Again:
"Upon the mountains of Israel thou shalt fall, to the bird of the heavens of every wing, and to the wild beast of the field, have I given thee for food" (39:4).
These things are said of Gog.
In David:
"The nations have come into thine heritage, they have polluted the temple of thy holiness, they have laid Jerusalem in heaps, the dead body of thy servants have they given for food to the bird of the heavens, the flesh of thy saints to the wild beast of the earth" (Psalm 79:1, 2).
[22] Because such things were signified by the birds of the heavens and the wild beasts of the earth, and because the nations of the land of Canaan signified the evils and the falsities of the church, therefore it was customary for the Jewish nation to expose the dead bodies of their enemies whom they had slain in battle to the wild beasts and birds, by which they were devoured. Consequently it was formerly, and is at this day, regarded as a horrible and profane thing to leave dead men unburied upon the face of the earth even after battle. This also is signified in the Word by such words as "they should not be buried," and "their bones should be drawn out of the sepulchres and cast forth." Infernal falsities are also signified by the birds which came down upon the carcases, which Abram drove away (Genesis 15:11), also by the birds in the Apocalypse (19:21); and also by the birds which devoured the seed that was sown upon the hard way (Matthew 13:3, 4; Mark 4:4; Luke 8:5).
In Daniel
"In the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease. At length upon the bird of abominations desolation, and even unto the consummation and decision, it shall drop upon the devastation" (9:27).
This treats of the total devastation of the Jewish church that was in existence when the Lord was born. Its devastation by dreadful falsities is signified by the bird of abominations; that falsity is here meant by bird is clear. It must be understood that there are many kinds of falsities, and that these were individually signified by each class of birds enumerated in Moses (Leviticus 11:13 and following verses; and Deuteronomy 14:11-20), and mentioned in various parts of the Word, as the eagle, the kite, the woodpecker, the raven, the screech owl, the cormorant, the heron, the owl, the long-horned owl and the dragon, and others.
[23] Continuation concerning the Athanasian Creed.- There is thought of light concerning God and Divine things, which, in heaven, are called celestial and spiritual, in the world, ecclesiastical and theological; and there is thought not of light concerning them. Thought not of light is that which those possess who know those things but do not understand them. Such are all those who, at the present day, are willing to have the understanding kept in obedience to faith, and hold that what cannot be understood ought to be believed, declaring that intellectual faith is not true faith; but these have no genuine affection for truth from what is interior, and they are, therefore, in no illustration, while many of them are proud of their own intelligence, and are in the love of domineering over the souls of men by means of the holy things of the church. They do not understand that truth desires to be in the light, since the light of heaven is Divine Truth, and that the truly human understanding is affected by that light, and sees from it. If it did not see, it would be the memory and not the man that would have faith, and such faith, not having any idea from the light of truth, is blind, for the understanding is the man, and the memory is introductory.
If that which cannot be understood is to be believed, a man might be taught like a parrot to say and remember even that there is sanctity in the bones of the dead and in sepulchres, that dead bodies work miracles, that a man will be tormented in purgatory if he does not consecrate his wealth to idols or monasteries, that men are gods, because heaven and hell are in their power, not to mention other similar points of faith, which a man must believe from a blind faith and from a closed understanding, and thus from the extinguished light of both. But be it known, that all the truths of the Word, which are the truths of heaven and of the church, may be seen by the understanding, in heaven spiritually, in the world rationally. For the truly human understanding is the very sight itself of those things, it being separated from what is material, and when separated, it sees truths as clearly as the eye sees objects; it sees truths according to its love for them, for according to its love for them it is illustrated. The angels have wisdom because they see truths; therefore, when any angel is told that this or that is to be believed although it is not understood, the angel replies, "Do you suppose me to be insane, or that you yourself are a god whom I am bound to believe if I do not see? It may be some falsity from hell."
1100. And a hold of every unclean and hateful bird, signifies where there are nothing but falsities from the falsified truths of the Word. This is evident from the signification of a "hold," as being where the falsifiers are, thus hell (as above); also from the signification of "every unclean and hateful bird," as being falsities from the falsified truths of the Word; for "birds" signify things rational and intellectual, thoughts, ideas, and reasonings, thus truths or falsities, and "unclean" means what flows forth from a filthy love, and especially from the love of having dominion, for this constitutes uncleanness in hell; and "hateful" signifies what flows forth from a false principle, thus from a religious principle confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word falsified. It is from correspondence that "birds" signify such things as pertain to man's thought, both spiritual and infernal, thus both truths and falsities, for these pertain to thought. That this is from correspondence is evident from the birds seen in the spiritual world, where all things that appear before the eyes and the other senses are correspondences. All sorts of animals of the earth, also flying things of heaven, both beautiful and unbeautiful, are seen there, and they appear from the affections and thoughts of angels or of spirits, the animals from affections, and the flying things from thoughts. It is known to everyone there that these are correspondences; and they know also to what affections and thoughts they correspond. That they are correspondences of affections and thoughts is made to appear most clearly; since they are instantly dissipated when the spirit or the angel goes away or stops thinking about the matter. As birds are correspondences of thoughts both rational and not rational, thus of both verities and falsities, therefore they have this signification in the Word, for all things of the Word are correspondences.
[2] That "birds" signify thoughts that are from truths, both rational and spiritual, can be seen from the following passages. In David:
Let them praise the name of Jehovah, the wild beast and every beast, creeping thing and winged bird (522, 650, 781); therefore "winged bird" signifies thoughts. This is why it is said that they should praise Jehovah, for it is man who must praise from affections and thoughts, thus from goods and truths.
[3] In Hosea:
In that day will I make a covenant for them with the wild beast of the field, and with the bird of the heavens, and with the creeping thing of the earth; and I will break the bow and the sword and the war from the earth (Hosea 2:18).
This is said of the Lord's coming and of the state of heaven and the church from Him. "In that day" means the Lord's coming; "the covenant" that He will then make signifies conjunction with those who believe in Him; therefore, "the wild beast of the field and the bird of heaven" cannot mean wild beasts and birds, but must mean the things to which they correspond, which are the affections of good and truth and consequent thoughts. That there will then be no infestation from falsities and evils from hell is signified by "the bow, the sword, and the war, shall be broken in the earth."
[4] In David:
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of Thy hands, Thou hast put all things under his feet, flocks and herds, yea, the beasts of the fields, the birds of heaven, and the fish of the sea (Psalms 8:6-8).
This treats of the Lord, of whom it is here said that "He shall have dominion over all the works of Jehovah's hands," which does not mean terrestrial things, such as flocks, herds, beasts, birds, and fishes. For what have these things to do with His dominion, which is in the heavens, and from the heavens over men on the earth, whom He will lead to life eternal? Therefore the spiritual things of the church are what are meant, "flock" signifying in general all things spiritual with man, "herd" all things natural with him that correspond to things spiritual, "beasts of the fields" affections of good in the natural man that pertain to the church (for "field" signifies the church), "birds of heaven" signify the thoughts of the rational man, and "fishes of the sea" knowledges.
[5] In Ezekiel:
I will take of the shoot of a high cedar, in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it, that it may lift up the bough and bear fruit and become a magnificent cedar; that under it may dwell every bird of every wing, in the shades of its branches shall they dwell (Ezekiel 17:22-23).
This means the establishment of a new church by the Lord; its establishment anew or from its first rise is meant by "the shoot of a high cedar," "cedar" here as elsewhere in the Word signifies the spiritual rational church, such as was the church with the ancients after the flood. "To plant a shoot in the mountain of the height of Israel" signifies in spiritual good, which is the good of charity, "the mountain of the height of Israel" signifying that good; "to become a magnificent cedar" signifies the full establishment of that church; "that under it may dwell every bird of every wing" signifies that there will be rational truths of every kind in that church; "to dwell in the shade of its branches" signifies these terminated in natural truths, since these cover and guard rational truths that are from a spiritual origin.
[6] In the same:
Ashur a cedar in Lebanon, which has become high. In his branches have all the birds of the heavens built their nests, and under his branches all the beasts of the field have brought forth, and in his shade have dwelt all great nations (Ezekiel 31:3, 5-6).
Here, too, "cedar" signifies the spiritual rational church, since "Assyria" signifies the rational; and as "cedar" signifies the church, it follows that "the birds of the heavens that have built their nests in its branches," and "the beasts of the field that have brought forth under them," mean rational thoughts respecting the truths of the church, and the affections of them; and this being the meaning it is added, "In his shade have dwelt all great nations."
[7] In Daniel:
Nebuchadnezzar in a dream saw a tree in the midst of the earth, and the height thereof was great; and it grew and became strong, and the height thereof reached even unto heaven, and the sight thereof unto the end of the earth; the leaf thereof was beautiful, and the flower thereof much; and in it was food for all. The beast of the field had shade under it, and the birds of the heavens dwelt in the branches of it, and all flesh was nourished by it. But a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven, crying out, Hew down the tree, and cut off his branches, shake off his leaf, and scatter his flower; let the beast flee away from under it, and the birds from his branches (Daniel 4:10-14, 20-21).
Here, too, "tree" signifies the church called Babylon in its beginning and progress, and here that church in the knowledges of truth and good. Its beginning and progress is described in the words, "it became great and strong, the leaf thereof was beautiful, and the flower thereof much, and in it was food for all;" its affections of good and thoughts of truth are signified by "the beast of the field that had shade under it, and the birds that dwelt in its branches." That it lifted up its dominion over the holy things of the church and of heaven, is meant by "a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven, and cried out, Hew down the tree and cut off his branches." That "beast and bird" here signify affections and thoughts is evident from its being said, when the tree was cut down, "let the beast flee away from under it, and the birds from his branches."
[8] "The birds of heaven" have a similar signification in the Gospels:
Jesus said, The kingdom of the heavens is like unto a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field, and it becometh a tree, so that the winged things of heaven come and build nests in the branches thereof (Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:31-32; Luke 13:19).
"A tree from a grain of mustard seed" signifies a man of the church, and also a church beginning from a very little spiritual good by means of truth; for if only a very little spiritual good takes root with a man it grows like a seed in good ground. And as a "tree" thus signifies a man of the church, it follows that "the winged things of heaven" that made nests in its branches signify the knowledges of truth and thoughts therefrom. Anyone can see this is not a mere comparison, for if it were, what would be the need of such things in the Word and of like things in the Prophets?
[9] So again in David:
Jehovah sendeth forth fountains into the streams, they go between the mountains. They give drink to every wild beast of the fields; the wild asses quench their thirst; by them the bird of the heavens dwells, from among the boughs they utter their voices. The trees of Jehovah are satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon which He hath planted, where the birds make their nests; as to the stork her house is in the fir trees (Psalms 104:10-12, 16-17).
Such things as these also would not have been said in the Divine Word unless each particular of them had been a correspondence of things spiritual and celestial, and consequently holy. For otherwise why should it be said that "streams from fountains go between the mountains, and give drink to every wild beast of the field; that the wild asses quench their thirst, and by them the bird of the heavens dwells, and utters its voice among the boughs, and the stork in the fir trees"? But when by "fountains" truths of the Word are understood, by "rivers" intelligence therefrom, by "mountains" goods of love, by "wild beast of the fields" affections of truth, by "wild asses" the rational, and by "birds of the heavens" thoughts from Divine truths, then the Word is the holy Divine; otherwise it would be merely human.
[10] In Job:
Ask, I pray, the beasts, and they shall teach thee, or the birds of heaven, and they shall tell thee, and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who doth not know from all these that the hand of Jehovah doeth this? (Job 12:7-9).
Evidently "beasts, birds of heaven, and fishes of the sea," do not mean here beasts, birds, and fishes, for these cannot be asked, or teach, or tell, or declare "that the hand of Jehovah doeth this;" but these signify the things that pertain to man's intelligence, "beasts" meaning his affections, "birds of heaven" his thoughts, and "fishes of the sea" cognitions and knowledges [cognitiones et scientifica]. From these man can teach that the hand of Jehovah doeth it. Unless the things of man's intelligence were signified by "beasts, birds, and fishes," it could not be asked, "Who doth not know from all these?"
[11] In Ezekiel:
Son of man, Say to the bird of every wing, and to every wild beast of the field, Gather yourselves and come, gather yourselves from every side to a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel. And I will give My glory among the nations (Ezekiel 39:17, 21).
This describes the establishment of the church among the nations, and the invitation and calling to it, for it is said, "So will I give my glory among the nations;" therefore "the bird of every wing," and "every wild beast of the field," signify all who are in the affection of good and the understanding of truth.
[12] So in Revelation:
An angel standing in the sun cried out with a great voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and be gathered together to the supper of the great God (Revelation 19:17).
Here "birds flying in the midst of heaven" cannot mean birds, but men who are rational and spiritual; for they are invited to the supper of the great God.
[13] In Jeremiah:
I beheld the mountains, and lo they were moved, and all the hills were overturned; I beheld, when lo there was no man, and all the birds of heaven were flown away. I beheld when Carmel was a wilderness, and all its cities were desolated (Jeremiah 4:24-26).
This was said of the devastation of the church as to all its good and truth. "Mountains and valleys" signify celestial and spiritual loves; and "to be moved and overturned" signifies to perish. For in the spiritual world, when there no longer exists in spirits any celestial or spiritual love, the mountains are actually moved and the hills overthrown upon which they dwelt. "All the birds were flown away" signifies that there was no longer any knowledge and consequent thought of truth; "there was no man" signifies no understanding of truth; "Carmel was a wilderness" signifies a church destitute of good and truth; and "its cities desolated" signifies that there were no longer any doctrinals of truth.
[14] In the same:
The habitations are laid waste, so that no man passeth through, neither do they hear the voice of cattle; from the bird of the heavens even to the beast they have flown away, they have gone; for I will make Jerusalem heaps, a habitation of dragons (Jeremiah 9:10-11; 12:9).
Here, too, the devastation of the church is described. "The habitations that are laid waste, so that no man passeth through," signify the doctrinals of the church which were from the Word, in which now there is no good or truth; "the voice of cattle which they do not hear," signifies good of charity and truth of faith, of which there is none; "the birds of the heavens and even the beasts are flown away, they have gone" signifies that there is no longer any thought of truth from the knowledge of it, nor any affection of good. This evidently does not mean the flying away of the birds of heaven and the going away of the beasts of the earth, but the vastation of the church as to doctrine, for it is added, "I will make Jerusalem into heaps, a habitation of dragons," "Jerusalem" signifying the church as to doctrine, and "making it into heaps, and into a habitation of dragons," its devastation.
[15] In Hosea:
There is no truth and no mercy, and no knowledge of God in the land. Therefore the land shall mourn for the wild beast of the field, and for the bird of the heavens; yea, the fishes of the sea shall be gathered together (Hosea 4:1, 3).
Evidently "the wild beast of the field, the bird of the heavens, and the fishes of the sea," have the same signification here as above, for here, too, the devastation of the church is treated of, for it is said, "there is no truth, no mercy, and no knowledge of God in the land," and "the land" signifies the church.
[16] In Zephaniah:
I will consume man and beast, I will consume the bird of the heavens and the fishes of the sea, I will cut off man from the faces of the land (Zephaniah 1:3).
"To consume man and beast" signifies to destroy spiritual and natural affection; "to consume the birds of the heavens and the fishes of the sea" signifies to destroy the perceptions and knowledges of truth; and as these signify things pertaining to the church it is said, "I will cut off man from the faces of the land," "man" signifying everything of the church.
[17] In David:
God said, I know every bird of the mountains, and the wild beast of My fields is with Me (Psalms 50:11).
In Ezekiel:
There shall be a great earthquake upon the land of Israel, and the fishes of the sea, and the bird of the heavens, and the wild beast of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man who is upon the faces of the earth shall tremble before Me (Ezekiel 38:19-20).
Here "the bird of the heavens and the wild beast of the field" have the same signification as above. "Earthquake" signifies a change of state of the church.
[18] In Isaiah:
Woe to the land shadowed with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Cush. The bird of the mountains and the beasts of the earth shall be left, but the bird shall loathe it, and every beast of the earth shall despise it (Isaiah 18:1, 6).
This treats of the establishment of the church with the nations and the devastation of the Jewish church; therefore "the bird and beast of the earth" signify the knowledges of truth and the affections of good.
[19] In the same:
I am God, and there is no God besides, and there is none like Me, calling a bird from the east, a man of counsel from a land far off (Isaiah 46:9, 11).
The "bird" called from the east signifies the truth of the Word, which is said to be "from the east" because it is from the good of love, "the east" being the good of love. Otherwise, what could be meant by "God shall call a bird from the east, and a man of counsel from a land far off"? "A man of counsel" means a man who is intelligent from truths that are from the good of love.
[20] In Hosea:
Ephraim, as a bird shall his glory fly away, from the birth and from the belly and from conception (Hosea 9:11).
In the same:
I will not return to destroy Ephraim. They shall go after Jehovah. With honor shall they come as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove from the land of Assyria (Hosea 11:9-11).
"Ephraim" signifies the understanding of the truths of the church; and this is why he is compared to a bird, and it is said, "as a bird shall his glory fly away." Also in Hosea (Hosea 7:12) he is compared to a bird, for a "bird" signifies everything pertaining to the understanding, including the knowing, the thinking, and the reasoning faculties; while everything that is delightful and pleasurable, thus that pertains to the will and affection, is signified by "beast and wild beast." "The bird from Egypt" signifies the knowing faculty, which pertains to the natural man; and "the dove from Assyria" the rational faculty, since "Egypt" signifies the knowing faculty, and "Assyria" the rational faculty. Here a church to be established by the Lord is treated of.
[21] As most things of the Word have also a contrary sense, so have birds, and in that sense they signify fallacies from the sensual man, also reasonings from falsities against truths, and also falsities themselves, worse and more noxious according to the genera and the species of unclean birds; rapacious birds signifying especially the falsities that destroy truths. In many passages of the Word it is said that men "should be given for food to birds and wild beasts," which signifies that they would altogether perish by fallacies, falsities, consequent reasonings, cupidities of evil, and in general by evils and falsities from hell. This is signified by "being given for food to the birds of heaven and the beasts of the earth" in the following passages. In Jeremiah:
The carcass of this people shall be for food to the bird of the heavens, none shall frighten them away (Jeremiah 7:33).
In the same:
I will visit upon you in four kinds, with the sword to kill, and with dogs to drag about, and with the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the earth to devour and to destroy (Jeremiah 15:3).
In the same:
They shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, that their carcass may become food for the birds of the heavens and the beast of the earth (Jeremiah 16:4; 19:7; 34:20).
In Ezekiel:
Upon the faces of the field thou shalt fall, thou shalt not be brought together nor gathered; I have given thee for food to the wild beast of the earth and the bird of heaven (Jeremiah 29:5).
Upon the mountains of Israel thou shalt fall; I have given thee for food to the bird of the heavens of every wing and to the wild beast of the field (Jeremiah 39:4).
This is said of Gog. In David:
The nations have come into Thine inheritance, they have defiled the temple of Thy holiness; they have laid Jerusalem in heaps, the carcass of Thy servants have they given for food to the bird of the heavens, the flesh of Thy saints to the wild beast of the earth (Psalms 79:1-2).
[22] Because of this signification of "the birds of the heavens and the wild beasts of the earth," and because the nations of the land of Canaan signified the evils and the falsities of the church, it was customary for the Jewish nation to expose the carcasses of their enemies after their slaughter to the wild beasts and birds, by which they were devoured. This is why it was formerly regarded as horrible and profane, and is still so regarded, to leave dead men upon the face of the earth unburied, even after a battle. Also this is the signification in the Word of "not being buried," and of "bones drawn out of the graves and cast forth." Infernal falsities are signified also by:
The birds that came down upon the carcasses, that Abram drove away (Genesis 15:11).
Also by the birds in Revelation (Revelation 19:21);
Also by the birds that devoured that which was sown on the hard way (Matthew 13:3, 4; Mark 4:4; Luke 8:5).
In Daniel:
In the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the meal offering to cease. At last upon the bird of abominations shall be desolation, and even to the consummation and decision it shall drop upon the devastation (Daniel 9:27).
This is said of the total devastation of the Jewish church which was when the Lord was born. Its devastation by horrible falsities is signified by "the bird of abominations"; that falsity is here meant by "bird" is clearly evident. It is to be known that there are many kinds of falsities, and that each of them is signified by its own kind of bird; and these are enumerated in Moses (Leviticus 11:13; and Deuteronomy 14:11-20), and are mentioned in various parts of the Word, as the eagle, the kite, the woodpecker, the raven, the screech owl, the spoonbill, the heron, the owl, the horned owl, the dragon, and others.
(Continuation respecting the Athanasian Faith)
[23] About God and about Divine things, which are called in heaven celestial and spiritual, and in the world ecclesiastical and theological, there is thought from light; there is also thought not from light about them. Those have thought not from light who know about these things but do not understand them. Such are all those at the present day who wish the understanding to be kept under obedience to faith, holding even that a thing must be believed and not understood, and claiming that intellectual faith is not true faith. But these are such as are not interiorly in the genuine affection of truth, and consequently are in no enlightenment; and many of them are in the pride of self-intelligence, and in the love of ruling over the souls of men by means of the holy things of the church, not knowing that truth wishes to be in the light, since the light of heaven is the Divine truth, and that a truly human understanding is moved by that light and sees from it, and that when the understanding does not see from that light it is the memory that has faith and not the man; and such faith is blind, because without an idea from the light of truth; for the understanding is the man, and the memory introduces. If what is not understood must be believed a man might be taught like a parrot to speak and to remember, even that there is holiness in the bones of the dead and in sepulchers, that carcasses perform miracles, that man will be tormented in purgatory if he does not consecrate his wealth to idols or to monasteries, that men are gods because heaven and hell are in their power, with other like things which man must believe from a blind faith and from a closed understanding, and thus from the light of both extinguished. But be it known that all the truths of the Word, which are the truths of heaven and of the church, can be seen by the understanding, in heaven spiritually, in the world rationally; for a truly human understanding is the sight itself of these truths, for it is separated from what is material, and when separated it sees truths as clearly as the eye sees objects; it sees truths as it loves them, for as it loves them it is enlightened. The angels have wisdom in consequence of seeing truths; when, therefore, it is said to any angel that this or that must be believed although it is not understood, the angel answers, Do you think that I am insane, or that you are God whom I am to believe if I do not see? It may be falsity from hell.
1100. "Et custodia omnis avis immundae et exosae." - Quod significet ubi non nisi quam falsa ex falsificatis veris Verbi, constat ex significatione "custodiae", quod sit ubi sunt, ita infernum (ut mox supra); ex significatione "omnis avis immundae et exosae", quod sint falsa ex falsificatis veris Verbi; per "aves" enim significantur rationalia, intellectualia, cogitationes, ideae, ratiocinia, ita vera aut falsa, et per "immundum" intelligitur quod ex amore spurco, ac imprimis ex amore dominandi, profluit, hoc enim facit immundum in inferno; et per "exosum" significatur quod ex principio falso scaturit, ita ex religioso confirmato per sensum litterae Verbi falsificatum.
Quod "aves" significent talia quae sunt cogitationis hominis, tam spiritualia quam infernalia, ita tam vera quam falsa, nam haec sunt cogitationis, est ex correspondentia; quod sit ex correspondentia, constat ex avibus visis in mundo spirituali, ubi omnia, quae apparent coram oculis et coram reliquis sensibus, correspondentiae sunt; apparent ibi omnis generis animalia terrae, et quoque volatilia caeli, tam pulchra quam impulchra; et illa apparent ex angelorum aut spirituum affectionibus et cogitationibus, animalia ex affectionibus, et volatilia ex cogitationibus: quod sint correspondentiae, sciunt omnes ibi; etiam sciunt quibus affectionibus et cogitationibus correspondent. Quod correspondentiae affectionum et cogitationum sint, manifeste patescit; quoniam dum spiritus aut angelus abit, aut cessat cogitare illa, tunc momento dissipantur. Quoniam aves correspondentiae cogitationum tam rationalium quam non rationalium sunt, ita tam veritatum quam falsitatum, ideo per illas in Verbo similia significantur, nam omnia Verbi correspondentiae sunt.
[2] Quod "aves" significent cogitationes quae ex veris sunt, tam rationales quam spirituales, constare potest ex sequentibus locis:
– Apud Davidem,
Laudent nomen Jehovae "fera et omnis bestia, reptile et avis alae" (Psalms 148:10):
quod per "feram" et "bestiam" significentur affectiones naturalis hominis tam veri quam boni, et in opposito sensu cupiditates falsi et mali, videatur supra (n. 552, 650, 781); inde per "avem alae" significantur cogitationes: ex eo est quod dicatur quod laudatura sint Jehovam, est enim homo ex affectionibus et cogitationibus, ita ex bonis et veris, qui laudabit.
[3] Apud Hoscheam,
"Feriam illis foedus in die illo cum fera agri et cum ave caelorum, et reptili terrae; et arcum, et gladium, et bellum frangam de terra" (2:18):
haec de adventu Domini, et de statu caeli et ecclesiae ab Ipso; per "in die illo" intelligitur adventus Domini; per "foedus" quod tunc feriet, significatur conjunctio cum illis qui in Ipsum credunt; inde per "feram agri" et "avem caeli" non possunt ferae et aves significari, sed illa quibus correspondent, quae sunt affectiones boni et veri et inde cogitationes; quod tunc non infestatio a falsis et malis ab inferno, significatur per quod "arcus, gladius et bellum frangetur in terra."
[4] Apud Davidem,
"Dominari fecisti Ipsum super opera manuum tuarum, omnia posuisti sub pedes Ipsius; gregem et armenta.., etiamque bestias agrorum, avem caeli, et pisces maris" (Psalms 8:7-9 [B.A. 6-8]):
haec de Domino, de quo hic dicitur quod "dominaturus sit super omnia opera manuum Jehovae", per quae non intelliguntur terrestria, qualia sunt greges, armenta, bestiae, aves et pisces: quid haec ad dominium Ipsius, quod est in caelis, ac e caelis in terris super homines, quos ducet ad vitam aeternam? Quare sunt spiritualia ecclesiae quae intelliguntur. Per "gregem" significantur in genere omnia spiritualia apud hominem, per "armentum" omnia naturalia apud illum quae spiritualibus correspondent, per "bestias agrorum" affectiones boni in naturali homine, quae sunt ecclesiae (nam "ager" significat ecclesiam), "aves caeli" significant cogitationes rationalis hominis, et "pisces maris" scientifica.
[5] Apud Ezechielem,
"Accipiam de surculo cedri altae, .... in monte altitudinis Israelis plantabo illum, ut attollat ramum et faciat fructum, et evadat in cedrum magnificam; ut habitent sub illa omnis avis omnis alae, in umbra ramorum ejus habitent" (27:22, 23):
per haec intelligitur instauratio novae ecclesiae a Domino; instauratio e novo, seu a primo ortu, intelligitur per "surculum cedri altae"; per "cedrum" hic sicut alibi in Verbo significatur ecclesia spiritualis rationalis, qualis fuerat ecclesia apud antiquos post diluvium: per "plantare surculum in monte altitudinis Israelis", significatur in bono spirituali quod est bonum charitatis; hoc bonum per "montem altitudinis Israelis" significatur: per "evadere in cedrum magnificam", significatur instauratio illius ecclesiae plena: "ut habitent sub illa omnis avis omnis alae", significat quod ibi erunt vera rationalia omnis generis: "in umbra ramorum illius habitare", significat terminata in veris naturalibus, nam haec tegunt et custodiunt vera rationalia, quae ex origine spirituali sunt.
[6] Apud eundem,
"Aschur cedrus in Libano, ".... quae "alta facta est;.... in ramis ejus nidificarunt omnes aves caelorum, et sub ramis ejus pepererunt omnis bestia agri, et in umbra ejus habitarunt omnes gentes magnae" (31 [3,] 5, 6):
per "cedrum" hic similiter ecclesia spiritualis rationalis significatur, nam "Aschur" significat rationale; quoniam per "cedrum" significatur ecclesia, sequitur quod per "aves caelorum", quae nidificarunt in ramis ejus, et per "bestias agri" quae sub ramis ejus pepererunt, intelligantur cogitationes rationales de veris ecclesiae, 1
ac affectiones illarum; quia illa significantur, ideo etiam dicitur, "In umbra ejus habitarunt omnes gentes magnae."
[7] Apud Danielem,
Nebuchadnezari in somnio visa est "arbor in medio terrae, cujus altitudo magna, et..crevit et robusta facta est; et altitudo ejus pertigit usque ad caelum, et prospectus ejus usque ad finem..terrae; folium ejus pulchrum, et flos ejus multus, ..cibus omnibus in ea; sub ea umbram habebat bestia agri, et in ramis ejus habitabant aves caeli, et ex ea alebatur omnis caro. .... Sed vigil et sanctus de caelo descendit, clamans.... , Excidite arborem et amputate ramos ejus, discutite folium.., dispergite florem ejus; fugite, bestia, a sub ea, et aves a ramis ejus" (4:7-11, 17, 18 [B.A. 10-14, 20, 21]):
per "arborem" etiam hic significatur ecclesia vocata Babylon, in suo initio et progressione, et tunc illa in cognitionibus veri et boni; ejus initium et progressio describitur per quod "magna et robusta facta sit, folium ejus pulchrum, et flos ejus multus", et quod tunc "cibus omnibus in ea"; ejus affectiones boni et cogitationes veri significantur per "bestiam agri, quae sub ea umbram habebat", et per "aves quae in ramis ejus habitabant"; quod extulerit dominatum suum super sancta ecclesiae et super caelum, intelligitur per quod "vigil et sanctus e caelo descenderit, et clamaverit, Excidite arborem, amputate ramos ejus": quod "bestia" et significent ibi affectiones et cogitationes, patet ex eo, quod cum excisa est arbor, etiam dicatur, "Fugiat bestia a sub ea, et aves a ramis ejus."
[8] Similia significantur per "aves caeli" apud Evangelistas,
Dixit Jesus, "Simile est regnum caelorum grano sinapis, quod accipiens homo seminavit in agro suo;.... et fit arbor, ita ut veniant volatilia caeli, et nidulentur in ramis ejus" (Matthaeus 13:31, 32; Marc. 4 [31,] 32: Luca 13:19):
per "arborem ex grano sinapis significatur homo ecclesiae, et quoque ecclesia, incohans ex pusillo bono spirituali per verum: nam si modo pusillum boni spiritualis apud hominem radicem egerit, crescit id sicut semen in bona humo: et quia per "arborem" inde significatur homo ecclesiae, sequitur quod per "volatilia caeli", quae nidulabantur in ramis ejus, significentur cognitiones veri, et inde cogitationes: quod non sit nuda comparatio quisque videt, nam quid opus talibus in Verbo, et similibus apud Prophetas?
[9] – tum quoque apud Davidem,
Jehovah "qui emittit fontes in fluvios, inter montes eant; potum praebent omni ferae agrorum, frangunt onagri sitim suam, juxta illos avis caelorum habitat, ab inter ramos edunt, voces. .... Saturantur arbores Jehovae, cedri Libani quas plantavit, ubi aves nidificant; ciconia cujus in abietibus domus" (Psalms 104:10-12, 16, 17)?
talia etiam nec dicta fuissent in Divino Verbo, nisi singula correspondentiae spiritualium et caelestium essent, et inde sancta; nam quid alioqui foret quod "fluvii ex fontibus, inter montes irent, potum omni ferae agri praeberent", quod "onagri frangerent inde sitim", et quod "juxta illos avis caelorum habitaret, et inter ramos ederet vocem, et ciconia in abietibus"? At cum per "fontes" intelliguntur vera Verbi, per "fluvios" intelligentia inde, per "montes" bona amoris, per "feram agrorum" affectiones veri, per "onagros" rationale, et per "aves caelorum" cogitationes ex Divinis veris, tunc est Verbum sanctum Divinum; alioqui foret mere humanum.
[10] Apud Hiobum,
"Interroga, quaeso, bestias et docebunt te, aut aves caeli et annuntiabunt tibi, .... et narrabunt tibi pisces maris: quis non novit, ex his omnibus, quod manus Jehovae faciat illud?" (12:7-9):
quod per "bestias", "aves caeli" et "pisces maris" non intelligantur bestiae, aves, pisces, patet; nam illi non possunt interrogari, docere, annuntiare et narrare, quod manus Jehovae faciat illud; sed per illa significatur homo quoad illa quae intelligentiae ejus sunt; per "bestias" intelliguntur affectiones ejus, per "aves caeli" cogitationes ejus, per "pisces maris" cognitiones et scientifica; homo ex his potest docere quod manus Jehovae faciat illud; si non homo quoad illa quae intelligentiae ejus sunt, per "bestias", "aves", "pisces", 2
significaretur non dici posset, "Quis non novit ex his omnibus?"
[11] Apud Ezechielem,
"Fili hominis, dic avi omnis alae, et omni ferae agri, Congregate vos et venite, congregate vos e circuitu ad.... sacrificium magnum super montibus Israelis:.... et dabo gloriam meam inter gentes" (39:17, 21):
describitur ibi instauratio ecclesiae apud gentes, ac ibi invitatio et convocatio ad illam, nam dicitur, "Sic dabo gloriam meam inter gentes"; quare per "avem omnis alae", et per "omnem feram agri" significantur omnes qui in affectione boni et in intellectu veri sunt.
[12] Similiter in Apocalypsi,
Angelus stans in sole, "clamavit voce magna, dicens omnibus avibus volantibus in medio caeli, Venite et congregamini ad cenam magni Dei" (19:17);
ubi per "aves volantes in medio caeli" nec possunt intelligi aves, sed homines qui rationales et spirituales sunt; nam invitantur ad cenam magni Dei.
[13] Apud Jeremiam,
"Vidi montes, et ecce commoventur, et omnes colles evertuntur: vidi cum ecce non homo, et omnis avis caeli avolarunt; vidi cum Carmel desertum, et omnes urbes ejus desolatae sunt" (4:24, 26):
haec de ecclesiae devastatione quoad omne bonum et verum ejus dicta sunt; per "montes et valles" significantur amores caelestes et spirituales; et per "commoveri et everti" significatur perire; nam in mundo spirituali, cum non amplius aliquis amor caelestis aut spiritualis apud spiritus datur, tunc actualiter commoventur montes et evertuntur colles, super quibus habitarunt: per quod "omnes aves avolaverint", significatur quod non amplius aliqua scientia et inde cogitatio veri: per quod "non homo", significatur quod non intellectus veri; per quod "Carmel desertum", significatur ecclesia absque bono et vero; et per quod "urbes desolatae", significatur quod non amplius doctrinalia veri.
[14] Apud eundem,
Habitacula "vastata sunt, ut non sit vir transiens, neque audiant vocem pecoris, ab ave caelorum usque ad bestiam avolarunt, abiverunt, quia dabo Hierosolymam [in] acervos, habitaculum draconum" (9:9, 10 [B.A. 10, 11] ; cap. 12:9);
etiam hic de devastatione ecclesiae, per "habitacula" quae vastata sunt, ut non sit vir transiens", significantur doctrinalia ecclesiae, quae fuerunt ex Verbo, in quibus nunc non aliquod bonum et verum; per "vocem pecoris", quam "non audient", significatur quod non aliquod bonum charitatis nec verum fidei esset; per quod "aves caelorum usque ad bestiam avolaverint, abiverint", significatur quod non aliqua cogitatio veri ex cognitione ejus, nec affectio boni: quod non avolatio avium caeli, et abitus bestiarum terrae, sed vastatio ecclesiae quoad doctrinam intelligatur, patet, nam additur, "Dabo Hierosolymam in acervos, habitaculum draconum"; per "Hierosolymam" significatur ecclesia quoad doctrinam, per "dare in acervos, et in habitaculum draconum", significatur devastatio ejus.
[15] Apud Hoscheam,
"Non veritas, et non misericordia, et non cognitio Dei in terra; propterea lugebit terra, .... quoad feram agri, et quoad avem caelorum, etiamque pisces maris colligentur" (4:1, 3);
quod per "feram agri", "avem caelorum" et "pisces maris" significentur similia quae supra, patet, nam etiam hic agitur de devastatione ecclesiae; dicitur enim, "Non veritas, non misericordia, et non cognitio Dei in terra"; per "terram" significatur ecclesia.
[16] Apud Zephaniam,
"Consumam hominem et bestiam, consumam avem caelorum et pisces maris;.... exscindam hominem a faciebus terrae" (1:3):
"consumere hominem et bestiam" significat perdere affectionem spiritualem et naturalem; "consumere aves caelorum et pisces maris" significat perdere perceptiones et cognitiones veri; quia per illa significantur talia quae ecclesiae sunt, ideo dicitur, "Exscindam hominem a faciebus terrae"; per "hominem" significatur omne ecclesiae.
[17] Apud Davidem,
Dixit Deus, "Novi omnem avem montium, et feram agrorum meorum Mecum" (50:11);
apud Ezechielem,
"Erit terrae motus magnus super terra Israelis, et contremiscent coram Me pisces maris, et avis caelorum, et fera agri, et omne reptile repens super terra, et omnis homo qui super faciebus terrae (38 [19,] 20):
similia hic per "avem caelorum", et per "feram agri", quae mox supra, significantur; per "terrae motum" significatur mutatio status ecclesiae.
[18] Apud Esaiam,
"Vae terrae inumbratae alis, quae trans flumina Kuschi;.... relinquentur 3
avis montium, et bestiae terrae, sed abominabuntur eum avis, et omnis bestia terrae eum contemnet" (18:1, 6):
agitur ibi de instauratione ecclesiae apud gentes, ac de devastatione Ecclesiae Judaicae; inde per "avem" et per "bestiam terrae" significantur cognitiones veri et affectiones boni.
[19] Apud eundem,
"Ego Deus, et non amplius Deus, et non sicut Ego, .... vocans ab ortu avem, e terra longinquitatis virum consilii " (46:9 [, 11]):
per "avem" quae vocabitur ab ortu, significatur verum Verbi, quod quia est ex bono amoris, dicitur "ab ortu"; "ortus" est bonum amoris; quid alioqui quod "Deus ab ortu vocaturus sit avem, et ex terra longinquitatis virum consilii"? "vir consilii" est homo intelligens, nempe ex veris quae sunt ex bono amoris.
[20] Apud Hoscheam,
"Ephraim, sicut avis avolabit gloria ejus, a partu et a ventre et a conceptione" (9:11);
apud eundem,
"Non revertar ad perdendum Ephraimum;.... post Jehovam ibunt cum honore advenient, sicut avis ex Aegypto, et sicut columba e terra Assyriae" (11:9, 10 [, 11]):
per "Ephraimum" significatur intellectus veritatum ecclesiae; inde comparatio ejus fit cum ave, ac dicitur, "sicut avis avolabit gloria ejus": comparatur cum ave etiam, Hoschea 7:12; nam omne quod intellectus est, tam scientificum quam cogitativum et rationale, per "avem" significatur: ac omne quod jucundum aut volupe, ita voluntarium et quod affectionis est, per "bestiam" et "feram" significatur; per "avem ex Aegypto" significatur scientificum, quod est naturalis hominis, et per "columbam ex Assyria" rationale; nam per "Aegyptum" significatur scientificum, et per "Assyriam" rationale; agitur ibi de ecclesia a Domino instauranda.
[21] Sicut pleraque in Verbo etiam oppositum sensum habent, ita quoque "aves"; et in illo significant fallacias ex sensuali homine, tum ratiocinia ex falsis contra vera, et quoque ipsa falsa, pejora et noxiora secundum avium immundarum genera et species; falsa destruentia vera imprimis per "aves rapaces." In pluribus locis in Verbo dicitur quod "darentur in cibum avibus et feris", et per id significatur quod a fallaciis, falsis, ratiociniis inde, a cupiditatibus mali, in genere ex malis et falsis ex inferno, prorsus perituri sint. Hoc per "dari in cibum avibus caeli et bestiis terrae" significatur in sequentibus locis:
– Apud Jeremiam,
"Erit cadaver populi hujus in cibum avi caelorum, ...nec abigens terrendo" (7:33);
apud eundem,
"Visitabo super vos quatuor generibus, ...gladio ad occidendum, ..canibus ad trahendum, ..avibus caelorum et bestiis terrae ad devorandum et ad perdendum" (15:3);
apud eundem,
"Gladio et fame consumentur, ut fiat cadaver eorum in cibum avibus caelorum et bestiae terrae" (16:4; 19:7; 34:20);
apud Ezechielem,
"Super facies agri cades, non colligeris, nec congregaberis, ferae terrae et avi caeli dedi te in cibum" (29:5);
apud eundem,
"Super montibus Israelis cades, .... avi caelorum omnis alae, et ferae agri dedi te in cibum" (39:4); haec de Gogo.
Apud Davidem,
"Venerunt gentes in hereditatem tuam, polluerunt templum sanctitatis tuae, posuerunt Hierosolymam in acervos, dederunt cadaver servorum tuorum cibum avi caelorum, carnem sanctorum tuorum ferae terrae" (Psalms 79:1, 2).
[22] Quia "aves caelorum" et "ferae terrae" talia significabant, et quia "gentes terrae Canaanis" significabant mala et falsa ecclesiae, ideo solenne fuit genti Judaicae cadavera hostium suorum post clades eorum exponere feris et avibus, a quibus devorarentur. Exinde est quod inter horrenda et profana olim reputatum fuerit, et quoque hodie reputetur, relinquere homines mortuos super facie terrae insepultos, etiam post proelia: hoc quoque significatur in Verbo per quod "non sepelirentur", et quoque quod "ossa extraherentur e sepulcris et projicerentur." Falsa infernalia etiam significantur per aves quae descendebant super cadavera, quae abegit Abramus (Genesis 15:11):
Tum per "aves", Apocalypsis 19:21;
Et quoque per aves quae comedunt id quod seminatum est super via dura (Matthaeus 13:3, 4; Marcus 4:4; Luca 8:5).
Apud Danielem,
"In medio septimanae cessare faciet sacrificium et oblationem; tandem super avem abominationum desolatio, et usque ad consummationem et decisum stillabit super devastationem" (9:27):
haec de totali devastatione Ecclesiae Judaicae, quae fuit cum Dominus natus est; devastatio ejus per horrenda falsa significatur per "avem abominationum"; quod falsum per "avem" ibi intelligatur, manifeste patet. Sciendum est quod sint plura genera falsorum, et qua singula illorum per sua genera avium significentur, quae enumerantur apud Mosen (Leviticus 11:13, seq., et Deuteronomius 14:11-20); ac nominantur passim in Verbo, sicut aquilae, milvi, pici, corvi, ululae, plateae, ardeae, noctuae, bubones, dracones, et aliae.
[23] (Continuatio de Fide Athanasiana.)
Datur cogitatio lucis de Deo, et de divinis, quae in caelo vocantur caelestia et spiritualia, in mundo ecclesiastica et theologica, et datur cogitatio non lucis de illis: cogitatio non lucis est illis qui sciunt illa et non intelligunt, quales sunt omnes hodie qui volunt ut intellectus sit sub obedientia fidei, immo quod credendum sit et non intelligendum, dicentes quod fides intellectualis non sit vera fides; sed hi sunt qui non ex interiori in genuina affectione veri sunt, et inde nec in aliqua illustratione, et plures ex his sunt in fastu propriae intelligentiae, et in amore dominandi per sancta ecclesiae super animas hominum; non scientes quod verum velit in luce esse, quoniam lux caeli est Divinum Verum, et quod intellectus vere humanus afficiatur illa luce, et ex illa videat; et si non viderit, foret memoria quae fidem haberet, et non homo; et illa fides est caeca, quia absque idea ex luce veri; intellectus enim est homo, et memoria introducit. Si credendum sit quod non intelligitur, potuisset homo sicut psittacus doceri loqui et reminisci, etiam quod ossibus mortuorum et sepulcris inesset sanctitas, quod cadavera miracula facerent, quod homo cruciaretur in purgatorio si non opes suas sanctificet idolis aut monasteriis, quod homines dii sint quia in illorum potestate est caelum et infernum, praeter similia alia, quae homo ex caeca fide, et intellectu clauso, et sic ex luce utriusque exstincta, credet. Sed sciatur quod omnia vera Verbi, quae sunt vera caeli et ecclesiae, intellectu videri possint, in caelo spiritualiter, in mundo rationaliter; nam intellectus vere humanus est ipse visus illorum; est enim separatus a materiali, et cum separatus est videt vera tam clare sicut oculus objecta; videt vera sicut amat illa, nam sicut illa amat illustratur. Ex eo quod videant vera est angelis sapientia; quare cum alicui angelo dicitur quod hoc aut illud credendum sit tametsi non intelligitur, respondet angelus, An putas me insanum esse, aut te Deum esse cui credam, si non videro? potest esse falsum ab inferno.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.
2. The editors made a correction or note here.
3. The editors made a correction or note here.