----中文待译----
581. For their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads.- That this signifies that they reason craftily from sensual scientifics, which are fallacies, is evident from the signification of tails, here the tails of horses, as denoting the scientifics which are called sensual, because they are the ultimates of the understanding (see above, n. 559); and from the signification of serpents, as denoting the craftiness of the sensual man, of which in what follows; and from the signification of having heads, as denoting to reason by means of those scientifics. For the head signifies intelligence, therefore to have a head signifies to be intelligent. Reasoning by means of those scientifics, is meant, because "head," when used in reference to the sensual man, signifies knowledge (scientia), and illusory thought thence, as maybe seen above (n. 577:2), consequently also reasoning by means of sensual scientifics. From these things it is evident that by the tails of the horses being like serpents, and having heads, is signified, that they reason craftily from sensual scientifics, which are fallacies. It is said, that they are fallacies, because sensual scientifics become fallacies when man reasons from them concerning spiritual things; as for example, that dignities and wealth are real blessings; that the glory possessed by the great in the world is heavenly blessedness; and that the Lord desires adoration from man for the sake of His own glory; with other things of a similar nature, and these are fallacies, when they are applied to spiritual things. For the sensual man, not being endued with intelligence, thus thinks, for he cannot possibly know otherwise.
[2] That serpents, in the Word, signify the craftiness and prudence of the sensual man, is evident from the following passages. In Moses:
"The serpent was more subtle than any wild beast of the field which Jehovah God had made" (Genesis 3:1).
Here the serpent does not mean a serpent, but the sensual man, and in a general sense, the Sensual itself, which is the ultimate of the human understanding. The man and his wife, signify the Most Ancient Church, which fell away when the men of that Church began to reason concerning Divine things from sensual scientifics, and such reasoning is signified by their eating of the tree of knowledge (scientia); their craftiness in reasoning concerning Divine things from the Sensual, is described by the reasoning of the serpent with the wife of Adam, by which they were deceived. The reason why the serpent was said to be more subtle than any wild beast of the field, is that it is poisonous, and its bite therefore deadly, and that it conceals itself in hiding places. Poison signifies craft and treachery, and thence the bite of the serpent, deadly hurt; and the lurking places from which it bites, and in which it conceals itself, signify craftiness.
[3] It must be observed, that all beasts signify affections pertaining to man, and serpents signify the affections of the sensual man, because they move over the ground upon the belly just like the Sensual of man, for this is in the lowest place, and as it were creeps upon the ground beneath the rest [of the faculties]. Sensual men also, in the spiritual world, dwell in the lower parts, for they cannot be elevated towards the higher, since they are in externals, and form their judgments and conclusions about everything from externals. The evil also, who are in the hells, are mostly sensual, and many of them crafty, wherefore when they are seen from the light of heaven, they appear like serpents of various kinds, and hence it is, that the devil is called a serpent. The reason why the infernals are also crafty, is, that evil conceals in itself every kind of craftiness and cunning, just as good conceals every kind of prudence and wisdom. More may be seen upon this subject in Heaven and Hell 576-581), where the cunning and wicked arts of infernal spirits are treated of.
[4] Hence now it is that the devil or hell is called a serpent in the following passages.
In the Apocalypse:
"The dragon, the old serpent, called the devil, and satan, which deceiveth the whole world" (12:9, 14, 15; 20:2).
And in David:
"They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; the poison of an asp is under their lips" (Psalm 140:3).
These words signify their crafty and treacherous deception.
Again:
"Their poison is like the poison of a serpent," (Psalm 58:4).
And in Job:
"He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper's tongue shall slay him" (20:16).
And in Isaiah:
"They hatched eggs of an asp, and wove the spider's web; he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and when any one crusheth it there breaketh out a viper" (59:5).
This is said of evil men, who by treachery and craft seduce others in spiritual things. The secret evils to which they allure by their craftiness, are signified by the eggs of the asp, which they are said to hatch; their treacherous falsities are signified by the spider's web which they are said to weave; the deadly hurt which they cause if they are received, is signified by "he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and when any one crusheth it there breaketh out a viper."
[5] Because the Pharisees were of such a character, therefore they are called by the Lord, "serpents, a generation of vipers" (Matthew 23:33). That the craftiness and cunning of such could inflict no injury upon those whom the Lord protects, is signified by the following words in Isaiah:
"The sucking child shall play on the hole of the viper, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk's den" (11:8).
The sucking child and the weaned child in these words signify those who are in the good of innocence, that is, those who are in love to the Lord. The hole of the viper and the den of the basilisk mean hells where treacherous and crafty spirits are, and the entrances into them also appear like dusky holes, and within, like dens.
[6] That the craftiness and cunning of infernal spirits should not hurt those whom the Lord protects, is also signified by the words of the Lord, that He would give them power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19); also that they should take up serpents; and if they drank any deadly thing, it should not hurt them (Mark 16:18). To tread on serpents, signifies to despise and make light of the treacheries, craft, and wicked arts of the infernal crew; therefore it is also said, "and over all the power of the enemy," the enemy denoting the infernal crew, and his power, craftiness.
[7] The cunning and craftiness of infernal spirits, who are called collectively the devil and satan, are also meant by serpents in the following passages.
Thus in Moses:
Jehovah God "led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, of the serpent, the fiery flying serpent, and scorpion" (Deuteronomy 8:15).
The journeyings of the sons of Israel in the wilderness, represented, and thence signified, the temptations of the faithful; the infestations which then take place from the hells by means of evil spirits and genii, are signified by the serpents, fiery flying serpents, and scorpions.
[8] Again in Isaiah:
"Rejoice not thou, whole Philisthea, that the rod of him that smote thee is broken; for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent" (14:29).
Philisthea here signifies faith separated from charity; the turning aside of many by the deceptive arguments by which that faith is confirmed, is signified by out of the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk, and his fruit shall be a flying fiery serpent.
Again in Jeremiah:
"Behold, I send serpents, basilisks, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you" (8:17).
Again:
"The voice thereof shall go like a serpent" (46:22).
And in Amos:
"Though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent, and he shall bite them" (9:3).
Craftiness is also signified in Isaiah by "Leviathan, that crooked serpent" (27:1).
[9] That serpents, in the Word, signify the craft, and also the prudence of sensual men, is evident from the words of the Lord in Matthew:
"Be ye prudent (wise) as serpents, and harmless as doves" (10:16).
Those who are in good are called prudent, and those who are in evil, are called crafty, for prudence is of truth from good, and craftiness is of falsity from evil; and since these words were spoken to those who were in truths from good, therefore by serpents, in this place, is meant prudence. Because the craftiness of the evil is diabolical, therefore those who practise it are said to eat the dust.
[10] Thus in Moses:
It was said to the serpent," Thou art cursed above every beast, and above every wild beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life" (Genesis 3:14).
And in Isaiah:
"Dust shall be the serpent's bread" (Isaiah 65:2 5).
And in Micah:
"They shall lick the dust like a serpent" (7:17).
Dust signifies what is cursed; and going upon the belly signifies the Sensual, which is the ultimate of the life of man; and since it is the ultimate of the life, it therefore does not possess intelligence and wisdom, but craft and cunning, which are contrary to intelligence and wisdom.
[11] Again, in Moses:
"Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an arrow-serpent on the path, biting the horse's heels, and its rider shall fall backwards" (Arcana Coelestia 1710, 3923, 6396, 10335), where this prophecy is explained.
[12] The Sensual, which is the ultimate of the intellectual life, is also signified by the crooked serpent, in Isaiah (27:1); Job (26:13); also by the serpent into which the rod of Moses was turned (Exodus 4:3, 4; 7:9-12); see in the Num. 21:5-9). It is said the Divine Sensual of the Lord, because the Lord, when in the world, glorified, that is made Divine, His whole Human, even to the ultimate thereof, as is evident from this fact, that He left nothing in the sepulchre, and that He said unto His disciples, that He had flesh and bones, which a spirit had not (Luke 24:39). The ultimate Sensual, which the Lord also glorified or made Divine, is signified by the brazen serpent set upon a pole, of which the Lord Himself thus spoke in John:
"As Moses lifted up the serpent, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (3:14, 15).
The Lord was represented by this sign before the Israelitish and Jewish people, because they were utterly sensual, and the sensual man cannot raise his thought, when directed to the Lord, beyond and above the Sensual. For every one looks at the Lord according to the elevation of his understanding; the spiritual man looks to the Divine Rational, and so on. It is evident from these considerations, that the brazen serpent also signifies the Sensual, but the glorified or Divine Sensual of the Lord.
581. For their tails were like serpents, and had heads, signifies that from sensual knowledges [scientifica] which are fallacies, they reason craftily. This is evident from the signification of "tails," here, the tails of horses, as being knowledges [scientifica] which are called sensual because they are the ultimates of the understanding (See above, n. 559); from the signification of "serpent," as being the craftiness of the sensual man (of which presently); and from the signification of "having heads," as meaning to reason by means of such knowledges; for the "head" signifies intelligence, therefore "to have a head" signifies to be intelligent. To reason by means of such knowledges is meant, because the "head," in reference to the sensual man, signifies knowledge [scientia] and fatuous thought therefrom (See above, n. 577), and accordingly also reasonings by means of sensual knowledges. From this it can be seen that "the tails of the horses were like serpents, and had heads," signifies that from sensual knowledges which are fallacies they reason craftily. These are called fallacies because sensual knowledges become fallacies when man reasons from them concerning spiritual things; as for example, that dignities and wealth are real blessings; that glory, such as belongs to the great in the world, is that in which heavenly blessedness consists; and that the Lord desires adoration from man for His own glory, and other like things; these are fallacies when applied to things spiritual, since the sensual man thinks in this way, and cannot know otherwise because he is not endowed with intelligence.
[2] That "serpents" signify in the Word the sensual man in respect to craftiness and in respect to prudence, can be seen from the following passages. In Moses:
The serpent was more crafty than any wild beast of the field which Jehovah God had made (Genesis 3:1).
"Serpent" here does not mean a serpent, but the sensual man, and in a general sense the sensual itself, which is the ultimate of the human understanding; "the man and his wife" signify the Most Ancient Church, which fell away when the men of that church began to reason from sensual knowledges [scientifica] respecting Divine things, which is signified by "eating of the tree of knowledge;" their craftiness in reasoning respecting Divine things from the sensual is described by the reasoning of the serpent with Adam's wife, by which they were deceived. The serpent is said to have been "more crafty than any wild beast of the field," because it is poisonous and its bite is therefore deadly, and because it hides itself in lurking places. "Poison" signifies craft and deceit, and therefore the "bite" of the serpent signifies deadly hurt; and the lurking places from which it bites, and in which it conceals itself, signify craftiness.
[3] It is to be known that all beasts signify affections such as are in man, and "serpents" signify the affections of the sensual man, for the reason that they creep on the belly upon the ground as does the sensual of man, for this is in the lowest place, and creeps as it were upon the ground beneath all the other faculties. Moreover, sensual men in the spiritual world dwell in the lower parts, and cannot be elevated towards the higher parts, since they are in externals, and from these they judge and form conclusions respecting everything. Again, the evil who are in the hells are mostly sensual, and many of them crafty; when, therefore, they are looked at from the light of heaven they appear like serpents of various kinds; and this is why the devil is called a "serpent." The infernals are also crafty because evil conceals in itself all craftiness and malice, as good does all prudence and wisdom. (On this see the work on Heaven and Hell 576-581, where The Malice and Wicked Arts of Infernal Spirits are treated of.)
[4] This, then, is why the devil or hell is called "a serpent" in the following passages. In Revelation:
The dragon, the old serpent, the devil and Satan, which seduceth the whole world (Revelation 12:9, 14, 15; 20:2).
In David:
They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; adder's poison is under their lips (Psalms 111:3);
which signifies their crafty and delusive deception. In the same:
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent (Psalms 58:4).
In Job:
He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper's tongue shall slay him (Job 20:16)
And in Isaiah:
They hatched adder's eggs, and wove spider's webs; he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and when one is crushed there breaketh out a viper (59 Isaiah 59:5).
This is said of evil men, who by deceit and craft seduce others in spiritual things; the hidden evils to which they allure by their craftiness are signified by "adder's eggs, which they are said to hatch;" their deceitful falsities are signified by "the spider's webs which they weave;" the deadly hurt when they are received is signified by "he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and when one is crushed there breaketh out a viper."
[5] Because the Pharisees were such they are called by the Lord:
Serpents, a generation of vipers (Matthew 23:33).
That the craftiness and malice of such can do no harm to those whom the Lord protects is signified by the following in Isaiah:
The suckling shall play on the hole of the adder, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the basilisk's den (Isaiah 11:8).
The "suckling" and the "weaned child" signify those who are in the good of innocence, that is, those who are in love to the Lord; and "the hole of the adder" and the "basilisk's den" mean the hells in which are deceitful and crafty spirits, and the entrances into these appear like gloomy holes, and within they are like dens.
[6] That the craft and malice of infernal spirits can do no harm to those whom the Lord protects is signified also by these words of the Lord:
That the disciples would have power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19).
Also that they would have power to take up serpents, and to drink any deadly thing, and it would not hurt them (Mark 16:18).
"To tread on serpents" signifies to despise and make light of the deceits, craft, and wicked arts of the infernal crew; therefore it is added, "and over all the power of the enemy;" "the enemy" is that crew, and "his power" its craftiness.
[7] The malice and craftiness of infernal spirits, who, taken together, are called "the devil" and "Satan," are also meant by "serpents" in the following passages. In Moses:
Jehovah God led thee through the great and fearful wilderness of the serpent, the fiery serpent, and the scorpion (Deuteronomy 8:15).
The journeyings of the sons of Israel in the wilderness represented and thence signified the temptations of the faithful; the infestations at such times from the hells by evil spirits and genii are signified by "serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions."
[8] In Isaiah:
Rejoice not, O Philistia, all of thee, because the rod that smiteth thee is broken; for from the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk, whose fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent (Isaiah 14:29).
"Philistia" signifies faith separate from charity; the misleading of many by the sophistries by which that faith is confirmed is signified by "from the serpent's root shall come forth a basilisk, whose fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent." In Jeremiah:
Behold I send among you serpents, basilisks, against which there shall be no charm, and they shall bite you (Jeremiah 8:17).
The voice thereof shall go like that of a serpent (Jeremiah 46:22).
In Amos:
Although they hide themselves 1before My eyes in the bottom of the sea, thence will I command the serpent to bite them (Amos 9:3).
Craftiness is signified also in Isaiah by:
Leviathan the crooked serpent (Isaiah 27:1).
[9] That "serpents" signify craftiness, and also the prudence with sensual men, is evident from the words of the Lord in Matthew:
Be ye prudent as serpents and simple as doves (10 Matthew 10:18).
Those who are in good are called "prudent," and those who are in evil are called "crafty," for prudence is of truth from good, and craftiness is of falsity from evil; and as this was said to those who were in good, "serpents" here mean prudence.
[10] Because the craftiness of the evil is diabolical those who are in it are said "to eat the dust." In Moses:
It was said to the serpent, Be thou accursed above all beasts, and above all the wild beasts of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life (Genesis 3:14).
In Isaiah:
Dust shall be the serpent's bread (Isaiah 65:25).
And in Micah:
They shall lick the dust like a serpent (Micah 7:17);
"dust" signifying what is damned, and "to go upon the belly" signifying the sensual, which is the ultimate of life in man; and as this is the ultimate of life, it is in no intelligence or wisdom, but in craftiness and cunning, which are contrary to intelligence and wisdom.
[11] In Moses:
Dan shall be a serpent upon the way, an arrow serpent on the path, biting the horse's heels, and his rider 2shall fall backwards (Arcana Coelestia 1710, 3923, 6396, 10335, where this prophecy is explained).
[12] The sensual, which is the ultimate of the intellectual life, is signified also by:
The stretched serpent (Isaiah 27:1; Job 26:13);
also by:
The serpent into which the rod of Moses was changed (Exodus 4:3, 4; 7:9-12).
(See Numbers 21:6);
while the healing of the bite of such serpents by the Lord's Divine sensual is signified by:
The brazen serpent set upon a standard, by looking upon which they revived (Numbers 21:5-9).
The expression, the Lord's Divine sensual, is used, because the Lord when He was in the world glorified, that is, made Divine, His whole Human even to its ultimates, as can be seen from the fact that He left nothing in the sepulcher, and that He said to the disciples:
That He hath bones and flesh, which a spirit doth not have (Luke 24:39, 40).
The ultimate sensual, which was also glorified or made Divine by the Lord, is signified by that "brazen serpent" set upon a standard, respecting which the Lord Himself thus spake in John:
As Moses lifted up the serpent, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him may not perish, but may have eternal life (John 3:14, 15).
The Lord was represented before the Israelitish and Jewish people by such a sign, because they were merely sensual, and the sensual man in looking to the Lord is unable to elevate his thought beyond and above the sensual; for everyone looks to the Lord according to the elevation of his understanding, the spiritual man looking to the Divine rational, and so on. This makes evident that "the brazen serpent" signifies also the sensual, but the glorified or Divine sensual of the Lord.
Footnotes:
1. Latin has "thou hide thyself," the Hebrew "they hide themselves."
2. Latin has "horse," the Hebrew "rider," as in AC 259, 1984, 2761, 6395, 6401.
581. "Nam caudae illorum similes serpentibus, habentes capita." - Quod significet quod ex scientificis sensualibus, quae fallaciae, astute ratiocinentur, constat ex significatione "caudarum", hic equorum, quod sint scientifica, quae vocantur sensualia quia sunt ultima intellectus (de qua supra, n. 559); ex significatione "serpentum", quod sint astutiae sensualis hominis (de qua sequitur); et ex significatione "habere capita", quod sit ratiocinari per illa scientifica; nam per "caput" significatur intelligentia, inde per "habere caput" intelligens esse; quod sit ratiocinari per illa scientifica, est quia per "caput", cum de sensuali homine, significatur scientia, et inde fatua cogitatio (videatur supra, n. 1
577 [a]), proinde etiam ratiocinatio per scientifica sensualia: ex his constare potest quod per "caudas equorum similes serpentibus, habentes capita" significetur quod ex scientificis sensualibus, quae fallaciae, astute ratiocinentur. Dicitur quod sint fallaciae, quia scientifica sensualia fiunt fallaciae quando homo ex illis ratiocinatur de spiritualibus: ut pro exemplo, quod dignitates et opulentiae sint reales benedictiones; quod gloria, qualis est magnatibus in mundo, sit in qua beatitudo caelestis consistit; et quod Dominus velit adorationem ab homine propter Sui gloriam; et similia alia, quae sunt fallaciae quando spiritualibus applicantur; nam homo sensualis, quia non pollet intelligentia, ita cogitat, non enim aliter scire potest.
[2] Quod "serpentes" in Verbo 2
significent sensualem hominem quoad astutiam, et quoad prudentiam, constare potest ex sequentibus:
- Apud Mosen,
"Serpens factus astutus prae omni fera agri quam fecerat Jehovah Deus" (Genesis 3:1):
per "serpentem" hic non intelligitur serpens, sed sensualis homo, et in communi sensu ipsum sensuale, quod est ultimum intellectus humani; per "hominem et ejus uxorem" significatur Ecclesia Antiquissima, quae lapsa est quando homines istius ecclesiae coeperunt ex scientificis sensualibus ratiocinari de Divinis, quod significatur per "edere ex arbore scientiae"; astutia eorum in ratiocinando de Divinis ex sensuali describitur per ratiocinationem serpentis cum uxore Adami, ex qua decepti sunt. Quod serpens dicatur "astutus prae omni fera agri", est quia ei venenum est, et inde morsus ejus letalis, et quia in latebris se recondit; "venenum" significat astum et dolum, et inde "morsus" ejus noxam letalem; et "latebrae" e quibus mordet et in quibus se recondit, significant astutias.
[3] Sciendum est quod omnes "bestiae" significent affectiones, quales sunt apud homines; ac "serpentes" significant affectiones sensualis hominis, ex causa quia serpunt humi super ventre, similiter ut sensuale hominis; hoc enim infimo loco est, et quasi repit humi sub reliquis: etiam sensuales homines in mundo spirituali in inferioribus habitant, non enim elevari possunt versus superiora, quoniam in externis sunt, et ex illis de omni re judicant et concludunt; etiam mali qui in infernis sunt plerique sensuales sunt, et multi eorum astuti; quare etiam apparent sicut serpentes varii generis, dum spectantur e luce caeli; inde est quod diabolus appelletur "serpens." Quod infernales etiam astuti sint, est causa, quia malum in se recondit omnem astutiam et malitiam, sicut bonum omnem prudentiam et sapientiam. (De quare videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 570-581, ubi actum est De Malitia et Artibus nefandis Spirituum Infernalium.)
[4] Inde nunc est quod diabolus seu infernum dicatur "serpens" in sequentibus locis: - In Apocalypsi,
"Draco serpens antiquus, ... diabolus et satanas, qui seducit totum terrarum orbem" (12:9, 14, 15; cap. 20:2 3
);
apud Davidem,
"Exacuerunt linguam sicut serpens, venenum aspidis sub labiis eorum" (Psalms 140:4 [B.A. 3]);
per quae significatur astuta et dolosa eorum deceptio.
Apud eundem,
"Venenum eorum instar veneni serpentis" (Psalms 58:5 [B.A. 4]);
apud Hiobum,
"Venenum aspidum suget, occidet eum lingua viperae" (20:16);
et apud Esaiam,
"Ova aspidis ponebant, et telas araneae texebant; qui comedit de ovis illorum, moritur; et quando quis exprimit, excluditur vipera" (59:5):
haec de hominibus malis qui dolo et astu seducunt in spiritualibus; clandestina mala, ad quae astute allectant, significantur per" ova aspidis" quae ponunt; dolosa falsa significantur per "telas araneae" quas texunt; letalis noxa, si recipiuntur, significatur per "Qui comedit de ovis illorum, moritur; et quando quis exprimit, excluditur vipera."
[5] Quoniam Pharisaei tales erant, ideo vocantur a Domino
"Serpentes, progenies viperarum" (Matthaeus 23:33).
Quod astutiae et malitiae talium nihil nociturae sint illis quos Dominus tutatur, significatur per quod
"Ludet sugens super foramine viperae, et super speluncam basilisci ablactatus manum [suam] impellet" (Esaias 11:8):
per "sugentem" et "ablactatum" significantur qui in bono innocentiae sunt, qui sunt qui in amore in Dominum; et per "foramen viperae" et "speluncam basilisci" intelliguntur inferna in quibus dolosi et astuti spiritus sunt; apparent etiam introitus ad illa sicut furva foramina, ac intus sicut speluncae.
[6] Quod astutiae et malitiae spirituum infernalium non nocerent illis quos Dominus tutatur, etiam significatur per haec Domini verba,
Quod possent calcare super serpentes et scorpios, et super omnem potestatem inimici (Luca 10:19);
Tum quod possent tollere serpentes, et quoque bibere letale, nec nociturum illis (Marcus 16:18):
"calcare super serpentes" significat contemptui habere et vilipendere dolos, astutias, et artes nefandas turbae infernalis; quare etiam dicitur, "et super omnem potestatem inimici; "inimicus" est illa turba, et "potestas" ejus est astutia.
[7] Malitiae et astutiae spirituum infernalium, qui simul sumpti vocantur "diabolus" et "satanas", per "serpentes " etiam intelliguntur in sequentibus locis:
- Apud Mosen,
Jehovah Deus "ducens te per desertum magnum et formidabile, serpentis, presteris et scorpionis" (Deuteronomius 8:15):
per profectiones filiorum Israelis in deserto repraesentabantur et inde significabantur tentationes fidelium; infestationes tunc ab infernis per malos spiritus et genios, significantur per "serpentes, presteres et scorpiones."
[8] Apud Esaiam,
"Ne laeteris, Philisthaea tota, quod fracta sit virga percutiens te, nam e radice serpentis exibit basiliscus, cujus fructus prester volans" ( 4
14:29):
per "Philisthaeam" significatur fides separata a charitate; seductio multorum per sophismata, quibus illa fides confirmatur, describitur per quod "e radice serpentis exibit basiliscus, cujus fructus prester volans."
Apud Jeremiam,
"Ecce Ego mittens inter vos serpentes basiliscus, contra quos non incantio, et mordebunt vos" (8:17);
apud eundem,
"Vox ejus sicut serpentis ibit" (46:22, 23):
apud Amos,
"Si 5
occultaverint se coram oculis meis in fundo maris, inde praecipiam serpenti ut mordeat eos" (9:3).
Etiam astutiae significantur per
Leviathanem serpentem tortuosum" (Esaias 27:1).
[9] Quod per "serpentes" significetur astutia et quoque prudentia quae apud sensuales homines, constare potest a Domini verbis apud Matthaeum,
"Estote prudentes sicut serpentes, et simplices sicut columbae" (10:16):
"prudentes" dicuntur qui in bono, "astuti" qui in malo, est enim prudentia veri ex bono, et astutia falsi ex malo; et quia ad illos qui in bono sunt illa dicuntur, ideo per "serpentes" in eo loco etiam intelligi potest prudentia.
[10] Quoniam astutiae malorum sunt diabolicae, idcirco illi qui in illis sunt dicuntur "comedere pulverem": - Apud Mosen,
Dictum ad serpentem, "Maledictus esto prae omnibus bestiis, et prae omnibus feris agri; super ventre tuo ambulabis, et pulverem comedes omnibus diebus vitae tuae" (Genesis 3:14);
apud Esaiam,
"Serpenti pulvis panis" (65:25);
et apud Micham,
"Lambent pulverem sicut serpens" (7:17):
per "pulverem" significatur damnatum; et per "ambulare super ventre" significatur sensuale, quod est ultimum vitae apud hominem; et quia ultimum vitae est, ideo in nulla intelligentia et sapientia est, sed in astutia et malitia, quae intelligentiae et sapientiae contrariae sunt.
[11] Apud Mosen,
"Dan serpens super via, serpens jaculus super semita, mordens calcaneos equi, et cadet 6
eques ejus retrorsum" (Genesis 49:17):
quid hoc propheticum de Dane significat, nemo scire potest nisi sciat quid significatur per "equum" et ejus "calcaneos", tum quid per "serpentem"; per "equum" significatur intellectus veri, et per "equitem" intelligentia; per "serpentem" significatur sensuale, quod est ultimum vitae intellectualis; per "calcaneos equi" significantur vera in ultimis, quae sunt scientifica sensualia; quod sensuale per ratiocinationes ex fallaciis laedat et seducat intellectum, significatur per quod "serpens mordeat calcaneos equi, et cadet eques ejus retrorsum": haec dicta sunt de Dane, quia tribus ex illo nominata erat ultima tribuum, et inde significabat ultima veri et boni, proinde ultima ecclesiae (de qua re videatur in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 1710, 3923, 6396, 10335, ubi hoc propheticum etiam explicatum est).
[12] Sensuale, quod ultimum vitae intellectualis est, etiam significatur per
"Serpentem oblongum" (Esaias 27:1; Hiob 26:13):
tum etiam per
Serpentem, in quem baculus Mosis conversus est (Exodus 4:3, 4; 7:9-12).
(Videatur in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 6949, 7293.) Etiam sensualia, quae sunt ultima vitae hominis, significantur per
"Serpentes presteres" missos in populum, qui reverti voluit in Aegyptum;
at sanatio a morsu talium serpentum, a Divino sensuali Domini, significatur per
"Serpentem aeneum" positum super signum, a quo aspecto revixerut (Numeri 21:5-9);
Divinum sensuale Domini dicitur, quia Dominus, cum in mundo fuit, glorificavit, hoc est, Divinum fecit, totum Humanum suum usque ad ultimum ejus; ut constare potest ex eo, quod nihil in sepulchro reliquerit, et quod dixerit ad discipulos
Quod ossa et carnem habeat, quae non spiritus habet (Luca 24:39, 40).
Ultimum sensuale, quod Dominus etiam glorificavit seu Divinum fecit, significatur per "serpentem" illum aeneum positum super signum, de quo Ipse Dominus ita apud Johannem,
"Sicut Moses exaltavit serpentem..., ita oportet exaltari Filium hominis, ut omnis qui credit in Ipsum non pereat, sed habeat vitam aeternam" (3:14, 15):
per tale signum repraesentatus est Dominus coram populo Israelitico et Judaico, quia illi mere sensuales fuerunt, et sensualis homo non potest elevare cogitationem suam, cum ad Dominum, ultra et supra sensuale; quisque enim aspicit Dominum secundum elevationem intellectus sui, spiritualis homo ad Divinum rationale, et sic porro: ex his patet quod per "serpentem aeneum" etiam significetur sensuale, sed sensuale glorificatum seu Divinum Domini.
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