----中文待译----
595. And the rainbow over his head.- That this signifies the interior things of the Word, is evident from the signification of a rainbow, as denoting the Divine Truth as it is in the spiritual sense of the Word, concerning which we shall speak presently; and from the signification of being over the head, as denoting what is interior; for "above" and "higher" signify within and interior, as is evident from this fact, that when mention is made of "interior," then "higher" is understood in heaven. For the heavens where the interior angels, or the interiorly wise are, appear also above the heavens where the exterior angels, or the exteriorly wise are. For this reason the three heavens are distinct one from another in regard to altitude, the inmost or third heaven appearing above the middle or second heaven, and this above the ultimate or first.
[2] The reason why higher signifies what is interior, is, that when higher and lower things are together, that is exist simultaneously, as in the head of man, they then co-exist in that order; so that those things which were above in successive order, become interior, and those which were below in successive order, become exterior, consequently higher signifies interior and lower exterior things. This may be illustrated by the idea of a surface (superficies), in the centre of which are purer, and in the peripheries denser things. Things superior and inferior form such a surface, when they become one, and constitute what is simultaneous. The signification of the angel encompassed with a cloud, spoken of above, is clear from these observations, since to be encompassed, for the same reason, and from the same idea, denotes to be from without and below.
[3] A rainbow signifies interior Divine Truth, as the Word is in the spiritual sense, because the light of heaven, like the light of the world, according to its incidence upon objects, and its modification therein, produces variegations of colours, and also rainbows; these also I have been permitted occasionally to see in the angelic heaven, as may be seen described in the Arcana Coelestia 1623-1625). But the rainbows which appear in the angelic heaven differ from the rainbows which appear in the world in this, that the rainbows of heaven are from a spiritual origin, whereas the rainbows of the world are from a natural origin. For the rainbows of heaven are from the light which proceeds from the Lord as the Sun, and because that Sun is in its essence the Divine Love of the Lord, and the light therefrom is Divine Truth, hence the variegations of light, which are seen as rainbows, are diversities of intelligence and wisdom with the angels. It is from this fact that rainbows there signify the form and beauty of spiritual Divine Truth; but the rainbows of the world are from a natural origin, that is from the sun of the world and its light, and are therefore only modifications and consequent variegations of light from the waters falling from a cloud. And since there are coloured appearances in the spiritual world similar to those in the natural world, and such appearances are correspondences, therefore the rainbows of the world signify the same as the rainbows of heaven, that is, spiritual Divine truths in their form and beauty. These truths are such as those of the Word in the spiritual sense.
[4] Similar things are signified by the rainbows in Ezekiel:
"Above the expanse that was over the head" of the cherubim "was the likeness of a throne as the appearance of a sapphire stone; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness of the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as it were the appearance of a burning coal, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins and upward, but from the appearance of his loins and downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the rainbow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Jehovah" (59-86); concerning the correspondence of all things of heaven with all things of man (n. 87-102); and, in the Arcana Coelestia concerning the correspondence of the loins (n. 3021, 4280, 4462, 5060-5062).
[5] The signification of the bow in the cloud, or the rainbow, in the book of Genesis is similar:
"God said" to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living soul that is with you, unto the generations of an age; I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass that in beclouding myself with a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living soul in all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I see it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living soul in all flesh that is upon the earth" (Arcana Coelestia 1031-1059).
595. And the rainbow above his head, signifies the interior things of the Word. This is evident from the signification of the "rainbow," as being Divine truth such as the Word is in the spiritual sense (of which presently); and from the signification of "above the head," as being what is interior; for "above" and "higher" signify within and interior, as can be seen from this, that in heaven when interior is said higher is meant; for the heavens of the angels who are interior or interiorly wise appear also above the heavens of the angels who are more external or externally wise. For this reason the three heavens are distinguished from one another by their height, the inmost or third heaven appearing above the middle or second heaven, and this above the ultimate or first.
[2] "Higher" signifies interior, because when higher and lower things are together, that is, form what is simultaneous, as in the head of man, they exist together in such an order that those things that had in successive order existed above are placed within, and those that had in successive order existed below are placed without. This is why higher things signify interior things, and lower things signify exterior things. This may be illustrated to the comprehension by the idea of a surface, in the center of which are things purer, and in the circumferences things grosser; things higher and lower form such a surface when they are let down into one and make what is simultaneous. From this it can also be seen, what is signified by the "angel," spoken of just above, "encompassed with a cloud," since for the same reason and from the same idea, "to be encompassed" means by what is without and below.
[3] A "rainbow" signifies interior Divine truth, such as the Word is in the spiritual sense, because the light of heaven, like as the light of the world, according to its incidence upon objects and its modification in them, presents variegations of color and also rainbows; these it has also sometimes been granted me to see in the angelic heaven (as may be seen described in Arcana Coelestia 1623-1625). But the rainbows that appear in the angelic heaven differ from the rainbows that appear in the world, in that the rainbows of heaven are from a spiritual origin, while the rainbows of the world are from a natural origin; for the rainbows of heaven are from the light that arises from the Lord as a sun, and as that sun is in its essence the Lord's Divine love, and the light therefrom is Divine truth, the variegations of light which are presented as rainbows are variegations of intelligence and wisdom with the angels. From this it is that rainbows there signify the form and beauty of spiritual Divine truth. But the rainbows of the world are from a natural origin, namely, from the sun of the world and its light; therefore they are merely modifications and consequent variegations of light by waters that fall from a cloud. And because there are like appearances of color in the spiritual world as in the natural world, and because these correspond, therefore the rainbows of the world have a similar signification as the rainbows of heaven, namely, spiritual Divine truths in their form and beauty; these truths are such as those of the Word in the spiritual sense.
[4] "Rainbows" have a similar signification in Ezekiel:
Above the expanse that was over the head 1of the cherubim was the appearance of a sapphire stone, the likeness of a throne; and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as of the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as it were the appearance of a living coal like the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins and upward; but from the appearance of his loins even downward I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about, as the appearance of a rainbow that is in the cloud in the day of rain so was the appearance of the glory round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of Jehovah (Ezekiel 1:26-28).
As the "cherubim" signify providence and guard that the Lord be not approached except through the good of love, there appeared a throne, and upon the throne the appearance of a man; "throne" signifying the universal heaven, and the "man upon the throne," the Lord Himself; "the appearance of a living coal, like the appearance of fire from the appearance of his loins and upward," signifies celestial Divine love, which reigns in the higher heavens, for the higher heavens are represented by the upper part of the body, from the loins upward, to which they correspond, for these heavens constitute that part in the Greatest Man, which is heaven; "fire like a living coal" signifies that love, so do the "loins," for the "loins" correspond to the marriage of good and truth, which those have who are in the higher heavens; this is why heaven is called a "marriage," and the Lord is called the "bridegroom" and "husband," and heaven and the church the "bride" and "wife." "From his loins downward he appeared like the brightness of fire which was like a rainbow" signifies the spiritual Divine love, which reigns in the lower heavens, for the region of the body from the loins down to the soles of the feet corresponds to that love; and because that love proceeds from celestial Divine love it is called "fire and its brightness;" Divine truth from the Divine good of love is what is bright and presents the appearance of a rainbow. This makes evident also that the translucence of spiritual Divine truth through natural Divine truth is what produces that appearance in the heavens, and consequently that is what it signifies (as was said above; but this can be more clearly understood from what is said on Heaven in the work on Heaven and Hell; that from the Lord's Divine Human it represents One Man, n. 59-86; on the Correspondence of all Things of Heaven with all Things of Man, n. 87-102; and in the Arcana Coelestia, on the correspondence of the loins, n. 3021, 4280, 4462, 5050-5062).
[5] "The bow in the cloud" or the rainbow, has a similar signification in the book of Genesis:
God said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant which I give between Me and you and every living soul that is with you, unto the generations of an age. I have given My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. And it shall be in clouding Myself with a cloud over the earth that the bow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living soul in all flesh; and the waters shall no more be for a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud, and I see it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living soul in all flesh that is upon the earth (Arcana Coelestia 1031-1059.)
Footnotes:
1. Latin has "expanse," the Hebrew "the head," as is also found in AE 253, 280, 297.
595. "Et iris supra caput." - Quod significet interiora Verbi, constat ex significatione "iridis", quod sit Divinum Verum quale est Verbum in sensu spirituali (de qua sequitur); et ex significatione "supra caput", quod sit interius; nam "supra" et "superius" significat intra et interius, quod constare potest ex eo, quod cum dicitur "interius" in caelo intelligatur superius; caeli enim ubi sunt angeli interiores seu interius sapientes, apparent quoque supra caelos ubi sunt angeli exteriores seu exterius sapientes. Inde est quod tres caeli inter se quoad altitudines distincti sint; caelum intimum seu tertium apparet supra caelum medium seu secundum, et hoc supra caelum ultimum seu primum.
[2] Quod "superius" significet interius, est quia dum superiora et inferiora simul sunt, hoc est, simultaneum formant, ut in capite hominis, tunc eo ordine coexistunt, quod quae supra in ordine successivo exstiterant, interius reposita sint; et quae infra in ordine successivo exstiterant, exterius reposita sint: inde est quod "superiora" significent interiora, et "inferiora" exteriora. Hoc potest ad captum illustrari per ideam superficiei, in cujus centris sunt puriora, et in peripheriis crassiora; tales superficies formant superiora et inferiora, cum se in unum demittunt, et simultaneum faciunt. Ex his quoque constare potest quid significat quod mox supra de angelo dictum est quod "circumdatus fuerit nube"; "circumdari" enim ex eadem hac ratione et inde idea significat ab extra et infra esse.
[3] Quod "iris" significet Divinum Verum interius, quale est Verbum in sensu spirituali, est quia lux caeli, similiter ac lux mundi, secundum incidentiam in objecta, et inibi modificationem, sistat variegationes colorum, et quoque irides; quas etiam in caelo angelico aliquoties mihi videre datum est (quae etiam descripta videantur in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 1623-1625). Sed irides quae apparent in caelo angelico differunt ab iridibus quae apparent in mundo, quod irides caeli sint ex origine spirituali, at irides mundi ex origine naturali; irides enim caeli sunt ex luce oriunda a Domino ut Sole; et quia Sol ille est in sua essentia Divinus Amor Domini, et lux inde est Divinum Verum, inde lucis variegationes quae sistuntur ut irides, sunt variegationes intelligentiae et sapientiae apud angelos: ex eo est quod irides ibi significent formam et pulchritudinem Divini Veri spiritualis. At irides mundi sunt ex origine naturali, nempe a sole mundi et ejus luce; et inde sunt solum modificationes et inde variegationes lucis ex aquis quae defluunt ex nube: et quia similes apparentiae colorificae sunt in mundo spirituali sicut in mundo naturali, et quia correspondent, inde per irides mundi significantur similia quae per irides caeli, nempe Divina vera spiritualia in sua forma et pulchritudine; haec vera sunt qualia sunt vera Verbi in sensu spirituali.
[4] Similia per "irides" significantur apud Ezechielem,
"Supra expansum, quod super 1
capite" cheruborum "quasi aspectus lapidis sapphiri, similitudo throni; et super similitudine throni similitudo quasi aspectus Hominis super illo superius; vidi quasi speciem prunae juxta speciem ignis intra illam circumcirca, ab aspectu lumborum Ejus et sursum: sed ab aspectu lumborum Ejus et deorsum Vidi quasi aspectum ignis cui splendor circumcirca; sicut aspectus iridis quae est in nube in die pluviae, sic aspectus gloriae circumcirca; hic aspectus similitudinis gloriae Jehovae" ( 2
1:26-28):
quoniam per "cherubos" significatur providentia et tutela ne adeatur Dominus nisi per bonum amoris, ideo apparuit thronus, et super throno aspectus Hominis; et per "thronum" significatur universum caelum, et per "Hominem" super throno Ipse Dominus: per "speciem prunae instar ignis ab aspectu lumborum Ejus sursum" significatur Divinus Amor caelestis, qui in caelis superioribus regnat; nam caeli superiores repraesentantur per superiorem corporis partem a lumbis sursum, cui correspondent; nam constituunt illam in Maximo Homine qui est caelum; "ignis instar prunae" significat illum amorem, similiter "lumbi", nam lumbi correspondent conjugio boni et veri, quod est illis qui in superioribus caelis; inde est quod caelum dicatur "conjugium", et quod Dominus dicatur "Sponsus" et "Maritus", et caelum et ecclesia "Sponsa" et "Uxor": quod "a lumbis deorsum apparuerit sicut splendor ignis, qui sicut iris", significat Divinum Amorem spiritualem, qui regnat, in caelis inferioribus; nam regio corporis a lumbis usque ad plantas pedis correspondet illi amori; et quia is amor procedit ex Divino Amore caelesti, dicitur "ignis et ejus splendor"; Divinum Verum ex Divino Bono Amoris est quod splendet et sistit speciem iridis. Inde quoque patet quod translucentia Divini Veri spiritualis per Divinum Verum naturale sistat illam apparentiam in caelis, et consequenter quod significet illud (ut supra dictum est). (Sed haec clarius possunt intelligi ex illis quae in opere De Caelo et Inferno dicta sunt De Caelo, quod ex Divino Humano Domini referat unum Hominem, n. 3
59-86: De Correspondentia omnium Caeli cum omnibus Hominis, n. 87-102: et quod in Arcanis Caelestibus, de correspondentia lumborum, n. 3021, 4280, 4462, 5050-5062.)
[5] Simile etiam per "arcum in nube", seu iridem, significatur in Libro Geneseos,
"Dixit Deus" ad Noachum, "Hoc signum foederis quod Ego do inter Me et inter vos, et inter omnem animam vivam quae vobiscum in generationes saeculi: arcum meum dedi in nube, et erit in signum foederis inter Me et inter terram; et erit in obnubilando Me nube super terram, et videtur arcus in nube; et recordabor foederis mei, quod inter Me et inter vos, et inter omnem animam vivam in omni carne, et non erit amplius aquae in diluvium ad perdendum omnem carnem; et erit arcus in nube, et video illum ad recordandum foederis aeterni inter Deum et inter omnem animam vivam in omni carne, quae super terra" (9:12-17):
qui non scit quod in singulis Verbi sit etiam sensus spiritualis, opinari potest quod arcus in nube, qui iris vocatur, appareat in signum quod terra non amplius perdenda sit diluvio; cum tamen ille arcus existit ex causis in Natura, et reproducitur mediate quando radii lucis e sole partes aqueas pluviae e nube perstringunt; unde patet quod similes arcus seu irides etiam ante diluvium exstiterint. Quapropter per irides visas ab hominibus e tellure ex correspondentia spiritualium et naturalium intelliguntur irides visae angelis in mundo spirituali, quae omnes existunt ex luce caeli et ejus modificatione in sphaera spirituali naturali ibi, proinde ex Divino Vero spirituali et ejus translucentia in Divino Vero naturali; nam omnis lux in caelo est spiritualis, et est in sua essentia Divinum Verum procedens a Domino: inde constare potest quod per "arcum in nube", seu iridem, significetur Divinum Verum spirituale translucens per Divinum Verum naturale; quae translucentia fit ab illis qui per Divinum Verum ac per vitam secundum illud reformantur et regenerantur a Domino. Ipsa translucentia etiam in caelis apparet ut iris. Per "signum foederis" significatur praesentia et conjunctio Domini cum illis, nam "foedus" illam significat. Hoc signum datum est, quia per "diluvium", quo deperditum est genus humanum tunc, significantur dira falsa mali, ex quibus posteritas Antiquissimae Ecclesiae perierat: restitutio et instauratio ecclesiae novae, quae Ecclesia Antiqua vocatur, per Divinum Verum conjunctum bono spirituali, quod in sua essentia est charitas, repraesentative sistitur per irides in caelo, et inde significatur per irides in mundo. Sed quia illa verba involvunt plura arcana, quae non paucis possunt exponi, videantur illa singillatim explicata in Arcanis Caelestibus (n. 1031-1059 4
).
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.
4. The editors made a correction or note here.