----中文待译----
631. Because it is given to the nations.- That this signifies because it is perverted by evils of life and falsities of doctrine, is evident from the signification of nations as denoting those who are in evils as to life, and thence in falsities as to doctrine, and, in the abstract sense, evils of life and falsities of doctrine. That evils and falsities are signified by nations, may be seen above (n. Matthew 23:8-10), although they must be so called. But it is so stated because by Father is meant the Lord, who creates and begets us anew, and because He alone teaches and instructs; therefore when a man is in a spiritual idea, he will then think of the Lord alone as the Father and Master; but the case is otherwise when a man is in a natural idea. Moreover, in the spiritual world or in heaven, no one knows any other father, teacher, or master, but the Lord, because spiritual life is from Him; the case is the same in other instances.
[2] From these considerations it is evident that the external of the Word, and thence the external of the church and of worship, consists of apparent truths, therefore those who are in evils of life apply it to favour their own loves, and the principles arising from them. It is therefore said, that the court, by which the external of the Word also is signified, "is given to the nations," and afterwards, that "they shall tread the holy city under foot." This comes to pass at the end of the church, when men are so far worldly, natural, and corporeal, that interior truths, called spiritual truths, cannot be at all seen, so it follows that they then entirely pervert the external of the Word which is the sense of its letter. Such a perversion of the sense of the letter of the Word took place also with the Jews at the end of the church with them; this is meant in the spiritual sense by the soldiers dividing the garments of the Lord, but not the coat (tunica, chiton [transliterated Greek]); this signifies that those who were of the church perverted all things of the Word as to the sense of its letter, but not the Word as to the spiritual sense, for they had no knowledge of this. A fuller explanation of this is given above (n. 64). The case is similar in the church at this day, because it is at its end; for at this day the Word is not explained according to spiritual truths, but according to the appearances of the sense of the letter, which are not only applied to confirm evils of life, but also falsities of doctrine; and because interior or spiritual truths are neither known nor received, it follows that the sense of the letter of the Word is perverted by evils of the will and thence falsities of the thought. This therefore is the signification of the court being given to the nations.
631. For it is given to the nations, signifies since it has been perverted by evils of life and falsities of doctrine. This is evident from the signification of "the nations," as being those who are in evils in respect to life and thence in falsities in respect to doctrine, and in the abstract sense evils of life and falsities of doctrine. (That evils and falsities are signified by "nations" see above, n. Matthew 23:8-10).
Yet they ought to be so called; but this is said because the "Father" means the Lord, who creates and begets us anew, and because He alone teaches and instructs; so when man is in a spiritual idea he will think of the Lord alone as the Father and Master; but it is otherwise when man is in a natural idea. Moreover, in the spiritual world or in heaven, no one knows any other father, teacher, or master than the Lord, because from Him is spiritual life. So in other instances.
[2] From this it can be seen that the external of the Word, and thence the external of the church and of worship, consists of apparent truths, therefore those who are in evils in respect to life apply it to favor their own loves and the principles conceived therefrom. This is why it is said that the "court," which signifies the external of the Word, "is given to the nations," and afterwards that "they shall trample down the holy city." This comes to pass in the end of the church, when men are so far worldly, natural, and corporeal that they are wholly unable to see interior truths, which are called spiritual truths; and from this it follows that they then wholly pervert the external of the Word, which is the sense of its letter. Such perversion of the sense of the letter of the Word took place also with the Jews at the end of the church with them, which is meant in the spiritual sense by:
The soldiers dividing the garments of the Lord, but not the tunic (64.) It is similar in the church at this day, because this is its end; for at this day the Word is not explained according to spiritual truths, but according to the appearances of the sense of the letter, which are applied to confirm both evils of life and falsities of doctrine; and because interior truths, which are spiritual truths, are unknown and are not received, it follows that the sense of the letter of the Word is perverted by evils of the will and falsities of thought therefrom. This, therefore, is what is meant by "the court is given to the nations."
631. "Quia datum est gentibus." - Quod significet quoniam id perversum est per mala vitae et falsa doctrinae, constat ex significatione "gentium", quod sint qui in malis quoad vitam, et inde in falsis quoad doctrinam, et in sensu abstracto mala vitae et falsa doctrinae. (Quod mala et falsa per "gentes" significentur, videatur supra, n. 175 [b] , 331 [b] , 625.) Quod externum Verbi, et inde ecclesiae et cultus, sit perversum per mala vitae et falsa doctrinae, est quia externum Verbi, quod vocatur sensus litterae ejus, est secundum apparentias in mundo, quia pro infantibus et simplicibus, qui non aliquid quod contra apparentias est percipiunt; quare hi per sensum litterae, ubi apparentiae veri sunt, introducuntur in vera interiora sicut aetate adolescunt, et sic apparentiae per gradus exuuntur, et loco illarum vera interiora implantantur. Haec res innumerabilibus exemplis potest illustrari: sicut quod oremus ne Deus inducat nos in tentationes; hoc ita dicitur quia apparet sicut Deus inducat, cum tamen neminem in tentationes inducit: similiter quod Deus irascatur, puniat, conjiciat in infernum, malum faciat impiis, et plura similia; cum tamen Deus nusquam irascitur, punit et conjicit in infernum, et prorsus non alicui malum facit; sed impius ipse sibi per mala, nam ipsis malis insunt mala poenae: ita usque permultis in locis in Verbo dicitur, quia ita apparet. Sit quoque pro exemplo,
Quod nemo appellaturus sit patrem suum Patrem, nec magistrum Magistrum (Matth. 23:8-10 1
),
cum tamen vocandi sunt; sed ita dicitur quia per "Patrem" intelligitur Dominus, qui nos e novo creat et generat, et quia unice docet et instruit; quare cum homo in idea spirituali est, tunc cogitabit de Domino solo ut Patre et Magistro, aliter vero cum homo in idea naturali est: praeterea in mundo spirituali seu in caelo nemo novit alium patrem, doctorem seu magistrum quam Dominum, quia ab Ipso vita spiritualis: sic in reliquis.
[2] Ex his constare potest quod externum Verbi, et inde externum ecclesiae et cultus, consistat ex apparentibus veris; quare illi qui in malis quoad vitam sunt, applicant id ad favorem suorum amorum, et inde captorum principiorum; ideo dicitur quod "atrium", per quod etiam significatur externum Verbi, "datum sit gentibus", et postea "et civitatem sanctam conculcabunt." Hoc fit in fine ecclesiae, quando tantum mundani, naturales et corporei sunt, ut vera interiora, quae vocantur vera spiritualia, prorsus non videre possint; inde sequitur quod tunc plane pervertant externum Verbi, quod est sensus litterae ejus. Talis perversio sensus litterae Verbi etiam facta est apud Judaeos in fine ecclesiae apud illos, quod in sensu spirituali intelligitur per
Quod milites vestes Domini diviserint, non autem tunicam [(Johannes 19:23, 24)] ;
per quod significatur quod illi qui ab ecclesia perverterint omnia Verbi quoad sensum litterae ejus, non autem Verbum quoad sensum spiritualem, quia eum non noverunt. (Quod id in sensu spirituali intelligatur per illa, videatur supra, n. 64.) Simile fit etiam hodie in ecclesia, quia finis ejus est; explicatur enim hodie Verbum non secundum vera spiritualia, sed secundum apparentias sensus litterae, quae non modo applicantur ad confirmandum mala vitae, sed etiam falsa doctrinae; et quia non sciuntur vera interiora quae sunt vera spiritualia, nec recipiuntur, sequitur quod sensus litterae Verbi per mala voluntatis et inde falsa cogitationis perversus sit; hoc itaque est quod intelligitur per quod "atrium datum sit gentibus."
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.