----中文待译----
653. Which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt.- That this signifies by means of the evils of the love of self, and falsities thence, is evident from the signification of Sodom, as denoting the love of self, and evils of every kind therefrom, of which we shall speak presently, and from the signification of Egypt, as denoting the natural man separated from the spiritual, and falsity of evil of every kind therefrom, concerning which also we shall speak presently. That Sodom and Egypt mean Jerusalem, consequently the church in which the goods of love are adulterated and the truths of doctrine falsified, is clear, for it is presently said, "where also our Lord was crucified." For the evils of the love of self, and falsities of doctrine, are what crucify the Lord, therefore He was crucified by the Jews, because they were in those evils and falsities; but of this in the following pages.
[2] Here it shall first be shewn that by Sodom, in the Word, is signified the love of self, and evil of every kind therefrom; for evils of every kind flow from the love of self. For he who loves himself only, loves his own proprium, and consequently so immerses all things of his will and understanding in his proprium, that he cannot be raised out of it to heaven and to the Lord; he therefore does not see anything from the light of heaven, but solely from the light of the world, and this light, separated from the light of heaven, is merely thick darkness in spiritual things, which are the things of heaven and the church; consequently, also, the more a man loves himself, the more he despises spiritual things, indeed, he denies them. In consequence of this, also, the internal spiritual mind, by which man is in the light of heaven, is closed, and he therefore becomes merely natural; and the merely natural man is inclined to evils of every kind. For the evils into which man is born have their seat in the natural man, and are only removed from him in proportion as his interior mind, which receives the light of heaven, is opened; man's proprium also has its seat in the natural man, and this proprium is nothing but evil.
[3] That Sodom, therefore, signifies the love of self, and thus evils of every kind, is evident from the passages in the Word where Sodom is mentioned, as in the following.
In Ezekiel:
"Thy elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters dwell at thy left hand; but thy younger sister, dwelling at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters; thou hast corrupted thyself more than they in all thy ways. Sodom thy sister hath not done, she and her daughters, as thou hast done, and thy daughters. Behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and tranquillity of rest was her's and her daughters', and she strengthened not the hand of the poor and needy; whence they became haughty, and committed abomination before me" (Heaven and Hell 20-28). These kingdoms were represented by the Israelites, whose metropolis was Samaria, and by the Jews whose metropolis was Jerusalem.
[4] Infernal evil, which is the evil of the love of the world, is the opposite of spiritual good, which is the good of charity towards the neighbour; and diabolical evil, which is the evil of the love of self, is the opposite of celestial good; from the love of self flow evils of all kinds, which are far worse than those from the love of the world. See New Jerusalem 65-83). For this reason more direful and abominable things are related of Jerusalem than of Samaria, and therefore Jerusalem is not only called Sodom, but it is also recorded that she did worse things than Sodom; for it is said, "Sodom hath not done as thou hast done, and thy daughters." That the evil of the love of self was the evil of Sodom, is thus described; "This was the iniquity of Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, tranquillity of rest; and she strengthened not the hand of the poor and needy." Pride means the love of self; fulness of bread, contempt of all good and truth of heaven and the church, even to disgust with them. Tranquillity of rest means security and no anxiety on account of any evil; and not strengthening the hands of the poor and needy signifies unmercifulness. Because the love of self was the love of Sodom, therefore it is said, that her daughters became haughty, and committed abomination before Jehovah; the daughters that became haughty signify the desires of that love, and abomination before Jehovah signifies every evil against the Divine Itself.
[5] Since the Chaldeans signify the profanation and adulteration of the truth of doctrine from the Word, and the inhabitants of Babel the profanation and adulteration of the good of love, therefore their overthrow is also compared to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah.
In Jeremiah:
"O sword, against the Chaldeans, and against the inhabitants of Babel, according to God's overthrowing of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the neighbouring cities thereof, not a man shall dwell there nor shall the son of man tarry therein" (50:35, 40).
And in Isaiah:
"So shall Babel be, the adorning of kingdoms, the glory of the magnificence of the Chaldeans is God's overthrowing of Sodom and Gomorrah" (13:19).
Sodom signifies the evil of the love of self, and Gomorrah the falsity of that love; and because the love of self does not acknowledge any truth of the church, it is said, "not a man shall dwell there, nor shall the son of man tarry therein," man (vir) signifying intelligence, and son of man (filius hominis), the truth of the church.
[6] Because Edom signifies the natural man who is in falsities from the love of self, and consequently adulterates the goods of the church, therefore, also, her vastation is compared to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah.
In Jeremiah:
"Edom shall be a desolation as the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, not a man shall dwell there, neither shall a son of man sojourn there" (49:17, 18).
And in Zephaniah:
"Moab shall be as Sodom, and the sons of Ammon as Gomorrah, a place abandoned to the nettle, and a pit of salt, a waste for ever" (2:9).
Moab, as was said, means the natural man, who from the love of self adulterates the goods of the church, and the sons of Ammon signify those who falsify its truths; and because this is the cause of the devastation of all good and truth, therefore it is said "a place abandoned to the nettle, a pit of salt, a waste for ever," the devastation of all good being signified by a place of the nettle, and the devastation of all truth by a pit of salt. Similar things are signified by Sodom and Gomorrah.
[7] Because Judah signifies celestial love, which is love to the Lord, from which comes all good, and, in the opposite sense, diabolical love, which is the love of self, from which comes all evil, therefore the devastation of the church, which is signified by Judah and Jerusalem, is also compared to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah.
In Isaiah:
"Jerusalem hath stumbled, and Judah is fallen; the stubbornness of their faces witnesseth against them, and their sin is as Sodom's" (3:8, 9).
And in the same:
"Hear the Word of Jehovah, ye princes of Sodom, hearken to the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah" (1:10).
The Word of Jehovah means the Divine Good, and the law of God the Divine Truth, for where good is treated of the name "Jehovah" is used, and where truth is treated of the name "God" is used; and as the Divine Good to those who are in the love of self is evil, it is said "their sin is as Sodom's," also "hear the Word of Jehovah, ye princes of Sodom;" and as the Divine Truth, to those who are in the evil of the love of self, is falsity; it is said, "hearken to the law of God, ye people of Gomorrah."
[8] In Moses:
"Their vine is of the vine of Sodom; and the grapes thereof are of the fields of Gomorrah, grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter" (Deuteronomy 32:32).
This is said of the dire falsities with the posterity of Jacob, flowing from the evils of the love of self. But, these words are explained above (519:7).
In Lamentations:
"They that did eat delicacies are devastated in the streets, they that were brought up in crimson have embraced dunghills; the iniquity of my people is become greater than the sin of Sodom, which was overturned as it were in a moment" (4:5, 6).
These things are said concerning those who are of the celestial kingdom and church of the Lord when changed into the opposite, for it is celestial love that is turned into the love of self, which is diabolical love; concerning those so changed the above is said. What is signified by eating delicacies, being brought up in crimson, being devastated in the streets, and embracing dunghills, was explained in the article above (652:10). It is said of their iniquity that it was greater than the sin of Sodom, because they had the Word, from which they were able to know the truths and goods of heaven and of the church, or of doctrine and of life, and had adulterated them, which the inhabitants of Sodom could not do; for he who knows the will of the Lord, and does it not, sins more than he who does not know it. All those also with whom the love of self has rule despise the holy things of heaven and of the church, and deny the Divinity of the Lord; and to confirm the evils flowing from that love, they either adulterate the Word, or reject it as a writing that is simply holy, because it has been so accepted. Those, therefore, who do these things from the love of self are compared to Sodom and Gomorrah.
[9] Those who are instructed by the Lord concerning the truths and goods of the church, and yet reject and deny them, do worse things than those of Sodom, as is evident from the words of the Lord, in Matthew, concerning Capernaum:
"Thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shall be brought down unto hell (infernum = eos adou [transliterated Greek]), for if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which have been done in thee, they would have remained until this day; I say unto thee, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom, in the day of judgment, than for thee" (11:23, 24).
For the Lord after He left Nazareth dwelt in Capernaum (Matthew 4:13); and did miracles there (Matthew 8:5-14; John 4:46, to end). The Lord said similar things concerning the cities in which the disciples preached His coming or the Gospel, and were not received, in these words in Matthew:
"Whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye go out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet; verily I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the day of judgment, than for that city" (10:14, 15; Mark 6:11; Luke 10:10-13).
For no one rejects the holy things of the church, and denies the Divine of the Lord more interiorly than those who are in the love of self; those who are in the love of the world, and in the evils therefrom, may also reject the holy things of the church, but yet not so interiorly, that is, from confirmation of the heart.
[10] The prophets and the people who adulterate the truths and goods of the Word for the purpose of confirming evils and falsities, are spoken of in a similar manner in Jeremiah:
"In the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible stubbornness, in committing adultery and walking in a lie; while they have strengthened the hands of evil doers, that no man returneth from his wickedness; they are become to me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah" (23:14).
Prophets there mean those who teach the truths and goods of doctrine, and in the abstract sense, which is the genuine spiritual sense, doctrine from the Word is meant, thus also the Word as to doctrine; therefore by horrible stubbornness is signified confirmation of heart against the truths and goods of the Word. By committing adultery and walking in a lie is signified to pervert the goods and truths of the Word; by committing adultery, to pervert the goods of the Word by means of evils and falsities. A lie denotes falsity, and to walk in a lie denotes to live in falsities. The confirmation of evils and their consequent power over goods is signified by strengthening the hands of evil-doers; and persistence in evils and falsities of doctrine is signified by no man returning from his wickedness. Therefore it is said they are become as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. As Sodom signifies in evils flowing from the love of self; and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah signifies an evil life from falsities of doctrine.
[11] The evil which destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah is described by these things in Moses:
"that they wished to offer violence to the angels, and that therefore they were smitten with blindness, so that they could not find the door where the angels were; and that therefore Jehovah caused it to rain brimstone and fire upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and the shoot of the earth" (Genesis 19:1-28).
Their wishing to offer violence to the angels means to Divine Good and Divine Truth, for these are signified by angels; the blindness with which they were smitten, and their not being able to find the door, signifies the utter rejection and denial of the Divine and of the holy things of heaven and the church, so that they were not able to see and acknowledge any thing of heaven and of the church; this is signified by their not finding the door where the angels were. Brimstone signifies the lust (concupiscentia) of destroying the goods and truths of the church by means of falsities, and fire signifies the love of self and every evil that destroys, in this case, their destruction.
[12] That Sodom and Gomorrah mean all evils and falsities flowing forth from the love of self, has been told me from heaven; for when those who are in evils from that love perish, as was the case on the day of the Last Judgment, there appeared as it were sulphur and fire raining out of heaven; this was also seen by me. That such would take place on the day of the Last Judgment was also predicted by the Lord in Luke:
"In like manner as it was in the days of Lot, on the day when he went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all; thus will it be in the day when the Son of Man shall be revealed" (17:28-30).
[13] Since those who from the love of self confirm themselves in evils against the goods and truths of heaven and of the church by means of falsities, entirely eradicate from themselves every truth of doctrine and of the Word and the good of spiritual and celestial love, therefore a total vastation takes place with them, which is thus described in Moses:
"It shall be brimstone and salt, the whole land a burning, it shall not be sown, neither shall it spring forth, nor shall any herb come up thereon, like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Admah and Zeboim" (Deuteronomy 29:23).
Brimstone signifies the vastation of all good by lusts (concupiscentia) from evils; salt signifies the vastation of all truth by means of falsities from those lusts; the whole land a burning signifies the devastation of the church by means of the love of self. It shall not be sown, neither spring forth, nor any herb come up thereon, signifies no receptivity at all of the truth of the church, herb signifying the truth of the church when it first springs forth. And because such is the devastation of good and truth from the love of self, therefore it is said, like the overflow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim, Admah and Zeboim signifying the knowledges of evil and falsity. That such things were to take place on the day of the Last Judgment, is signified by the words "in the day when the Son of Man shall be revealed."
653. Which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, signifies through the evils of the love of self and the falsities therefrom. This is evident from the signification of "Sodom," as being the love of self and evils of every kind therefrom (of which presently); also from the signification of "Egypt," as being the natural man separated from the spiritual, and falsity of evil of every kind therefrom (of which also presently). Evidently "Sodom and Egypt" mean Jerusalem, and thus the church, in which the goods of love are adulterated and the truths of doctrine are falsified, for it is next said "where also our Lord was crucified;" for the evils of the love of self and the falsities of doctrine are what crucify the Lord, therefore He was crucified by the Jews, because they were in those evils and falsities; but of this more hereafter.
[2] First let it be shown here that "Sodom" signifies in the Word the love of self, and thence every evil; for evils of every kind flow forth from the love of self; since he who loves himself only loves what is his own [proprium], and therefore immerses all things of his will and his understanding in what is his own [proprium], even so that it is impossible for him to be elevated from it to heaven and to the Lord; consequently he sees nothing from the light of heaven, but solely from the light of the world, which light, separated from the light of heaven, is mere darkness in spiritual things, which are the things of heaven and the church; and for this reason also the more a man loves himself the more he despises, yea, denies spiritual things. In consequence also of this the internal spiritual mind, by which man is in the light of heaven, is closed up, and this causes the man to be merely natural, and the merely natural man is inclined to evils of every kind. For the evils into which man is born have their seat in the natural man, and these are removed from him only to the extent in which his interior mind, which receives the light of heaven, is opened; moreover, what is man's own [proprium] has its seat in the natural man, and what is man's own [proprium] is nothing but evil.
[3] That "Sodom" therefore signifies the love of self, and thus evils of every kind, can be seen from the passages in the Word where "Sodom" is mentioned; as in the following. In Ezekiel:
Thy elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters dwelling at thy left hand; but thy younger sister, dwelling at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters; thou hast corrupted thyself more than they in all thy ways; Sodom thy sister hath not done, she and her daughters, as thou hast done and thy daughters. Behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom, pride, satiety of bread, and tranquillity of quiet was hers and her daughters, and she strengthened not the hand of the afflicted and needy; therefore they became lofty, and committed abomination before Me (Heaven and Hell 20-28). These kingdoms were represented by the Israelites whose metropolis was Samaria, and by the Jews whose metropolis was Jerusalem.
[4] Spiritual good, which is the good of charity toward the neighbor, is the opposite of infernal evil, which is the evil of the love of the world; and celestial good is the opposite of diabolical evil, which is the evil of the love of self. From the love of self flow forth evils of all kinds, and much worse than those from love of the world (See the New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, n. 65-83). This is why more direful and abominable things are related of Jerusalem than of Samaria; and this is why Jerusalem is not only called "Sodom," but it is said that she did worse things than Sodom, as it is here said "Sodom hath not done as thou hast done and thy daughters." That the evil of the love of self was the evil of Sodom, is thus declared, "This was the iniquity of Sodom, pride, satiety of bread, tranquillity of quiet, and she strengthened not the hand of the afflicted and needy," "pride" meaning the love of self, "satiety of bread," the contempt of all good and truth of heaven and the church, even to loathing of them, "tranquillity of quiet," security and no anxiety on account of any evil; and "not strengthening the hands of the afflicted and needy" signifies unmercifulness. Because the love of self was the love of Sodom it is said that her daughters "became lofty and committed abomination before Jehovah," the "daughters" that became lofty signifying the cupidities of that love, and the "abomination before Jehovah" signifying every evil against the Divine Itself.
[5] Because the "Chaldeans" signify the profanation and adulteration of the truth of doctrine from the Word, and "the inhabitants of Babylon" the profanation and adulteration of the good of love, therefore the overthrow of these is also compared to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. In Jeremiah:
A sword against the Chaldeans, and against the inhabitants of Babylon, according to God's overthrowing Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring cities thereof, not a man shall dwell there, nor shall a son of man sojourn therein (Jeremiah 50:35, 40).
And in Isaiah:
So shall Babylon, the ornament of kingdoms, the splendor of the magnificence of the Chaldeans, be as God's overthrowing Sodom and Gomorrah (Isaiah 13:19).
"Sodom" signifies the evil of the love of self, and "Gomorrah" the falsity of that love; and as the love of self does not acknowledge any truth of the church, it is said, "not a man shall dwell there, nor shall a son of man sojourn therein," "man" signifying intelligence, and "son of man," the truth of the church.
[6] Because "Edom" signifies the natural man, who is in falsities from the love of self, and therefore adulterates the goods of the church, her vastation is compared to the overthrowing of Sodom and Gomorrah. In Jeremiah:
Edom shall be a desolation, as the overthrowing of Sodom and Gomorrah, no man [vir] shall dwell there, neither shall a son of man sojourn therein (Jeremiah 49:17, 18).
In Zephaniah:
Moab shall be as Sodom, and the sons of Ammon as Gomorrah, a place abandoned to nettles, and a pit of salt, a waste forever (Zephaniah 2:9).
"Moab," as has been said, means the natural man, who from the love of self adulterates the goods of the church, and "the sons of Ammon" mean those who falsify the truths of the church; and as thence is the devastation of all good and truth it is said, "a place abandoned to nettles, and a pit of salt, a waste forever;" the devastation of all good is signified by "a place of nettles," and the devastation of all truth, by "a pit of salt;" like things are signified by "Sodom and Gomorrah."
[7] Because "Judah" signifies celestial love, which is love to the Lord, from which is all good, and in the contrary sense diabolical love, which is the love of self, from which is all evil, the devastation of the church, which is signified by "Judah and Jerusalem," is also compared to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. In Isaiah:
Jerusalem hath stumbled, and Judah hath fallen; the hardening of their faces doth witness against them, and their sin is as Sodom's (Isaiah 3:8, 9).
Hear the word of Jehovah, ye princes of Sodom; give ear to the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah (Isaiah 1:10). "The Word of Jehovah" means Divine good, and "the law of God" Divine truth, for where good is treated of the name "Jehovah" is used, but where truth is treated of the name "God" is used; and as Divine good, to those who are in the love of self, is evil, it is said "their sin is as Sodom's," and "hear the Word of Jehovah, ye princes of Sodom;" and as Divine truth to those who are in the evil of the love of self is falsity, it is said, "give ear to the law of God, ye people of Gomorrah."
[8] In Moses:
Their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and their grapes are of the field of Gomorrah, grapes of gall, their clusters are of bitterness (652. It is said that their iniquity "is become greater than the sin of Sodom," because they had the Word, from which they could know the truths and goods of heaven and the church, or of doctrine and life, and adulterated them, and this the inhabitants of Sodom could not do; for he who knows the will of the Lord and does it not, sins more than he who does not know it. Moreover, all those with whom the love of self is dominant despise the holy things of heaven and the church, and deny the Divine of the Lord; and to confirm the evils flowing forth from that love they either adulterate the Word or reject it as a writing that is holy only from having been so accepted. Those, therefore, who do this from the love of self are compared to Sodom and Gomorrah.
[9] That those who are taught by the Lord respecting the truths and goods of the church, and yet reject and deny them, do worse than those in Sodom, is evident from the Lord's words respecting Capernaum, in Matthew:
Thou Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down unto hell; for if the mighty works had been done in Sodom which were done in thee it would have remained until this day; I say unto thee 1that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee 1(Matthew 11:23, 24).
For the Lord after He left Nazareth abode in Capernaum (Matthew 4:13).
And there did miracles (Matthew 8:5-14; 4:46-54 to the end).
Like things were said by the Lord of the cities in which the disciples preached His coming or the Gospel and were not received. As in these words in Matthew:
Whosoever shall not receive you nor hear your words, when ye go forth out of that house or city shake off the dust of your feet; verily I say unto you it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city (Matthew 10:14, 15; Mark 6:11; Luke 10:10-12).
For no one rejects the holy things of the church and denies the Divine of the Lord more interiorly than those do who are in the love of self; those who are in the love of the world and in the evils therefrom may reject the holy things of the church, but not so interiorly, that is, from the confirmation of the heart.
[10] Like things are said of the prophets and the people who adulterate the truths and goods of the Word to confirm evils and falsities. In Jeremiah:
In the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible stubbornness, in adulterating and walking in a lie, while they have strengthened the hands of the evil that no man doth return from his wickedness; they are become to Me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah (Jeremiah 23:14).
By "prophets" here those are meant who teach the truths and goods of doctrine, and in an abstract sense, which is the genuine spiritual sense, doctrine from the Word is meant, thus also the Word in respect to doctrine, therefore "a horrible stubbornness" signifies confirmation of heart against the truths and goods of the Word; "to adulterate and walk in a lie" signifies to pervert the goods and truths of the Word; "to adulterate" signifies to pervert the goods of the Word by evils and falsities, a "lie" means falsity, and "to walk in a lie" means to live in falsities. "To strengthen the hands of the evil" signifies to confirm evils and thence their power over goods; and "no man doth return from his wickedness" signifies to persist in the evils and falsities of doctrine; therefore it is said "they are become as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah," "as Sodom" signifying to be in evils springing from the love of self, and "the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah" signifying an evil life from the falsities of doctrine.
[11] The evil that destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah is described as follows in Moses:
That they wished to offer violence to the angels, and were therefore smitten with blindness, so that they could not find the door where the angels were; and that therefore Jehovah caused brimstone and fire to rain upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and overthrew those cities and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which sprang up from the ground (Genesis 19:1-28).
"Their wishing to offer violence to the angels" means to Divine good and Divine truth, for these are signified by "angels;" the "blindness" with which they were smitten so that they could not find the door signified the complete rejection and denial of the Divine and of the holy things of heaven and the church, even so far as to be unable to see and acknowledge anything of heaven or the church, which is signified by "not finding the door" where the angels were; "brimstone" signifies the lust of destroying the goods and truths of the church by falsities, and "fire" signifies the love of self and every evil that destroys, here the destruction of goods and truths.
[12] That "Sodom and Gomorrah" mean all evils and falsities flowing forth from the love of self has been told me from heaven; for when they who are in evils from that love perish, which occurred at the time of the last judgment, there was an appearance of brimstone and fire raining down from heaven; this I also witnessed. That this would occur at the time of the Last Judgment was also predicted by the Lord in Luke:
Likewise even as it came to pass in the days of Lot, on the day that he went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all; after the same manner shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed (Luke 17:28-30).
[13] Because those who from the love of self confirm themselves by means of falsities in evils against the truths and goods of heaven and the church, completely root out with themselves every truth of doctrine and of the Word and every good of spiritual and celestial love, there takes place in them a total vastation, which is thus described in Moses:
The whole land shall be brimstone and salt, a burning; it shall not be sown, neither shall it spring forth, nor shall any herb come up thereon, according to the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Admah and Zeboiim (Deuteronomy 29:23).
"Brimstone" signifies the vastation of all good by lusts from evils; "salt" signifies the vastation of all truth by falsities from those lusts; "the burning of the whole land" signifies the devastation of the church by the love of self; "it shall not be sown, neither spring forth, nor shall any herb come up thereon," signifies that there will be no capacity whatever to receive the truth of the church, "herb" signifying the truth of the church when it first springs forth. And because such is the devastation of good and truth from the love of self it is said, "like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Admah and Zeboiim," "Admah and Zeboiim" signifying the knowledges of evil and falsity. That such things are to occur at the time of the Last Judgment is what is signified by "in the day when the Son of man is revealed."
Footnotes:
1. The Greek has "you."
653. "Quae vocatur spiritualiter Sodoma et Aegyptus." - Quod significet per mala amoris sui et per falsa in de, constat ex significatione "Sodomae", quod sit amor sui et inde mala omnis generis (de qua sequitur); et ex signifificatione "Aegypti", quod sit naturalis homo separatus a spirituali, et inde falsum mali omnis generis (de qua etiam sequitur). Quod per "Sodomam et Aegyptum" intelligatur Hierosolyma, proinde ecclesia, in qua adulterata sunt bona quae amoris, et falsificata vera quae doctrinae, patet; nam sequitur, "ubi et Dominus noster crucifixus est"; nam mala amoris sui et falsa doctrinae sunt quae crucifigunt Dominum; quapropter a Judaeis, quoniam ii in illis malis et falsis fuerunt, crucifixus est; sed de hac re in sequentibus.
[2] Hic primum ostendetur quod per "Sodomam" in Verbo significetur amor sui, et inde omne malum; nam mala omnis generis scaturiunt ex amore sui; qui enim se solum amat, is amat suum proprium; et inde omnia voluntatis suae et intellectus sui immergit proprio, usque adeo ut non possit ab illo elevari ad caelum et ad Dominum; inde est quod ex luce caeli nihil videat, sed solum ex luce mundi, quae lux separata a luce caeli est in Spiritualibus, quae sunt caeli et ecclesiae, mera caligo; quare etiam quo plus homo semet amat, eo plus spernit spiritualia, immo negat illa: inde etiam interna spiritualis mens, per quam homo est in luce caeli, clauditur; unde fit homo mere naturalis, et homo mere naturalis favet malis omnis generis: nam mala in quae homo nascitur, in naturali homine resident; quae ab illo removentur quantum ejus mens interior quae recipit lucem caeli aperitur: proprium hominis etiam in naturali homine residet, et proprium hominis non est nisi quam malum.
[3] Quod itaque "Sodoma" significet amorem sui, et inde mala omnis generis, constare potest a locis in Verbo ubi Sodoma nominatur; ut a sequentibus:
- Apud Ezechielem,
"Soror tua major Samaria, ipsa et filiae ejus, habitans ad sinistram tuam; at soror tua minor te, habitans ad dextram tuam, Sodoma et filiae ejus;.... corrupisti te prae illis in omnibus viis tuis:.... non fecit Sodoma soror tua, ipsa et filiae ejus, quemadmodum tu fecisti et filiae tuae: ecce haec fuit iniquitas Sodomae..., superbia, satietas panis, et tranquillitas quietis fuit illi et filiabus ejus, et manum miseri et egeni non confirmavit; unde elatae factae sunt, et fecerunt abominationem coram Me" (16:46-50):
agitur ibi de abominationibus Hierosolymae, quae praecipue fuerunt quod adulteraverint bona et vera Verbi et ecclesiae; per "Samariam", ubi Israelitae erant, significatur ecclesia spiritualis, in qua bonum spirituale, quod est bonum charitatis erga proximum, est essentiale; per "Hierosolymam" autem, ubi erant Judaei, significatur ecclesia caelestis, in qua bonum caeleste, quod est bonum amoris in Dominum, est essentiale. Sunt enim duo regna in quae caelum, et inde ecclesia, est distinctum, regnum spirituale et regnum caeleste (de quibus regnis videatur in opere De Caelo et Inferno 20-28); haec regna repraesentata fuerunt per Israelitas, quorum metropolis fuit Samaria, et per Judaeos, quorum metropolis fuit Hierosolyma.
[4] Bono spirituali, quod est bonum charitatis erga proximum, oppositum est malum infernale, quod est malum amoris mundi; et bono caelesti est oppositum malum diabolicum, quod est malum amoris sui: ex amore sui scaturiunt mala omnium generum, et multo pejora quam ex amore mundi (vide Novam Hierosolymam 65-83); inde est quod de Hierosolyma memorentur diriora et abominabiliora quam de Samaria; et inde est quod Hierosolyma non modo dicatur "Sodoma", sed etiam quod pejora fecerit quam Sodoma; nam dicitur, "Non fecit Sodoma quemadmodum tu fecisti et filiae tuae": quod malum amoris sui fuerit malum Sodomae, describitur ita, "Haec fuit iniquitas Sodomae, superbia, satietas panis, tranquillitas quietis", et quod "manum miseri et egeni non confirmaverit"; per "superbiam" intelligitur amor sui; per "satietatem panis" contemptus omnis boni et veri caeli et ecclesiae, ac nausea ad illa; per "tranquillitatem quietis" securitas et non anxietas propter aliquod malum; et per "non confirmationem manus miseri et egeni" significatur immisericordia: quia amor sui fuit amor Sodomae, ideo dicitur quod "filiae ejus elatae factae sint, et fecerint abominationem coram Jehovah"; per "filias", quae elatae, significantur cupiditates quae illius amoris, et per "abominationem coram Jehovah" significatur omne malum contra ipsum Divinum.
[5] Quoniam per "Chaldaeos" significatur profanatio et adulteratio veri doctrinae ex Verbo, et per "habitatores Babelis" profanatio et adulteratio boni amoris, ideo illorum eversio etiam comparatur eversioni Sodomae et Gomorrhae:
- Apud Jeremiam,
"Gladie contra Chaldaeos..., et contra habitatores Babelis juxta eversionem Dei, Sodomam et Gomorrham, et vicinas ejus...; non habitabit ibi vir, nec commorabitur in 1
ea filius hominis" (Jer. 50:35-40 2
);
et apud Esaiam,
"Sic erit Babel, ornamentum regnorum, decus magnificentiae Chaldaeorum, sicut eversio Dei, Sodoma et Gomorrha" (13:19):
per "Sodomam" significatur malum amoris sui, et per "Gomorrham" falsum illius amoris; et quia amor sui non agnoscit aliquod verum ecclesiae, dicitur, "Non habitabit ibi vir, nec commorabitur ibi filius hominis"; per "virum" significatur intelligentia, et per "filium hominis" verum ecclesiae.
[6] Quia per "Edomum" significatur naturalis homo qui in falsis est ex amore sui, et inde qui adulterat bona ecclesiae, ideo etiam ejus vastatio comparatur eversioni Sodomae et Gomorrhae:
- Apud Jeremiam,
"Erit Edomus in desolationem, .... sicut eversio Sodomae et Gomorrhae, .... non habitabit ibi vir, nec commorabitur ibi filius hominis" (49:17 [, 18]);
et apud Zephaniam,
"Moab sicut Sodoma futura est, et filii Ammonis sicut Gomorrha, locus derelictus urticae, et fovea salis, vastitas in aeternum" (2:9);
per "Moabum", ut dictum est, intelligitur naturalis homo, qui ex amore sui adulterat bona ecclesiae; et per "filios Ammonis", qui falsificant vera ejus; et quia inde devastatio omnis boni et veri, ideo dicitur, "Locus derelictus urticae, et fovea salis, vastitas in aeternum"; devastatio omnis boni significatur per "locum urticae", et devastatio omnis veri per "foveam salis": similia significantur per "Sodomam" et "Gomorrham."
[7] Quia per "Jehudam" significatur amor caelestis qui est amor in Dominum, ex quo omne bonum, et in opposito sensu amor diabolicus qui est amor sui, ex quo omne malum, ideo devastatio ecclesiae (quae per "Jehudam" et per "Hierosolymam" significatur) etiam comparatur eversioni Sodomae et Gomorrhae:
- Apud Esaiam,
"Impegit Hierosolyma, et Jehuda cecidit, .... obfirmatio facierum eorum correspondet contra eos, et peccatum eorum sicut Sodomae" (3:8, 9);
et apud eundem,
"Audite verbum Jehovae, principes Sodomae; auscultate legem Dei nostri, populi Gomorrhae" (1:10):
per "verbum Jehovae" intelligitur Divinum Bonum, et per "legem Dei" intelligitur Divinum Verum; nam ubi agitur de bono, dicitur "Jehovah", et ubi de vero, dicitur "Deus": et quia Divinum Bonum illis qui in amore sui sunt est malum, dicitur "Peccatum eorum sicut Sodomae", tum "Audite verbum Jehovae, principes Sodomae"; et quia Divinum Verum illis qui in malo amoris sui sunt est falsum, dicitur "Auscultate legem Dei, populi Gomorrhae."
[8] Apud Mosen,
"De vite Sodomae vitis eorum, et de agris Gomorrhae uvae ejus, uvae fellis, botri amaritudinum illis" (Deuteronomius 32:32):
haec de diris falsis apud posteros Jacobi scaturientibus ex malis amoris sui. (Sed haec supra, n. 519 [b] , explicata sunt.)
In Threnis,
"Qui comederunt lautitias, devastati sunt in plateis; educati super purpura amplexi sunt sterquilinia; .... magna facta est iniquitas populi mei prae peccato Sodomae, quae eversa est quasi momento (4 [5,] 6):
haec dicta sunt de illis qui e regno et ecclesia caelesti Domini sunt, quando mutati in contrarium; nam amor caelestis est qui vertitur in amorem sui, qui est amor diabolicus; de illis verba illa dicta sunt: quid significatur per "comedere lautitias", "educari super purpura", "devastari in plateis", et "amplecti sterquilinia", in superiori articulo (n. 652 [b]) explicatum est; quod de illorum iniquitate, quod facta sit "prae peccato Sodomae", dicatur, erat quia Verbum habebant, ex quo scire vera et bona caeli et ecclesiae seu doctrinae et vitae potuerunt, et illa adulteraverunt, quod habitatores Sodomae non facere potuerunt; nam qui scit voluntatem Domini et non facit illam, magis peccat quam qui non scit: etiam omnes, apud quos regnat amor sui, contemnunt sancta caeli et ecclesiae, et negant Divinum Domini; et ad confirmandum mala ex illo amore profluentia, vel adulterant Verbum, vel rejiciunt illud sicut scriptum non sanctum aliunde quam quia receptum est; inde est quod qui illa ex amore sui faciunt, comparentur Sodomae et Gomorrhae.
[9] Quod pejus faciant quam in Sodomis, qui instruuntur a Domino de veris et bonis ecclesiae, et tamen rejiciunt illa et negant illa, constat ex Domini verbis de Capernaum, apud Matthaeum,
"Tu Capernaum, quae usque ad caelum exaltata es, usque ad infernum deprimeris; quia si in Sodomis factae fuissent virtutes, quae factae sunt in te, mansissent usque hodie;.. dico 3
tibi quod terrae Sodomorum tolerabilius erit in die judicii quam tibi" (11:23, 24):
Dominus enim, postquam reliquit Nazareth, habitavit in capernaum (Matthaeus 4:13), et miracula ibi fecit (Matthaeus 8:5-14; Johannes 4:46 ad fin. ).
Similia dixit Dominus de urbibus in quibus discipuli praedicarent adventum Ipsius, seu Evangelium, sed non recipierentur, his verbis apud eundem,
"Quisquis non receperit vos, neque audiverit verba vestra, egredientes e domo aut urbe ista, excutite pulverem pedum vestrorum; amen dico vobis, tolerabilius erit terrae Sodomae et Gomorrhae in die judicii quam urbi illi" ([Matth.] 10:14, 15; Marcus 6:11; Luc. 10:10-12 4
):
nemo enim rejicit sancta ecclesiae, et negat Divinum Domini interius, quam illi qui in amore sui sunt; qui in amore mundi et inde malis sunt, illi quoque sancta ecclesiae rejicere possunt, sed usque non interius, hoc est, ex confirmatione cordis.
[10] Simile dicitur de prophetis et de populo qui adulterant vera et bona Verbi, ad confirmandum mala et falsa, apud Jeremiam,
"In prophetis Hierosolymae vidi obfirmationem horrendam, adulterando et eundo in mendacio, dum confirmarunt manus malorum, ut non reverteretur vir a malitia sua, facti sunt Mihi sicut Sodoma, et habitatores ejus sicut Gomorrha" (23:14):
per "prophetas" ibi intelliguntur docentes vera et bona doctrinae, et in sensu abstracto, qui est genuinus sensus spiritualis, intelligitur doctrina ex Verbo, ita quoque Verbum quoad doctrinam; quare per "obfirmationem horrendam" significatur confirmatio cordis contra vera et bona Verbi: per "adulterare et ire in mendacio" significatur pervertere bona et vera Verbi; per "adulterare" pervertere bona Verbi per mala et falsa, "mendacium" est falsum, ac "ire in mendacio" est vivere in falsis: confirmare mala et inde potentiam illorum super bona, significatur per "confirmare manus malorum": et perstare in malis et falsis doctrinae significatur per "non reverti vir a malitia sua": inde dicitur quod "facti sint sicut Sodoma, et habitatores ejus sicut Gomorrha"; "sicut Sodoma" significat in malis scaturientibus ex amore sui, et "habitatores ejus sicut Gomorrha" significat vitam malam ex falsis doctrinae.
[11] Describitur malum quod Sodomam et Gomorrham perdidit, per haec apud Mosen,
Quod violentiam inferre voluerint angelis, et quod ideo percussi fuerint caecitatibus, ut non invenire potuerint januam ubi angeli; et quod ideo Jehovah pluere fecerit super Sodomam et Gomorrham sulphur et ignem, et everterit urbes illas, et omnem planitiem, et omnes habitatores urbium, et germen terrae" (Gen. 19:1-28):
quod "violentiam inferre voluerint angelis" significabat quod Divino Bono et Divino Vero, nam illa per "angelos significantur: per "caecitates", quibus percussi sunt "ut non invenirent januam", significabatur plenaria rejectio et negatio Divini et sanctorum caeli et ecclesiae, usque ut non possent 5
aliquid caeli et ecclesiae videre et agnoscere; hoc significatur per "non invenire januam" ubi angeli: per "sulphur" significatur concupiscentia destruendi bona et vera ecclesiae per falsa, et per "ignem" significatur amor sui et omne malum quod destruit, hic exitia eorum.
[12] Quod per "Sodomam" et "Gomorrham" omnia mala et falsa ex amore sui profluentia intelligantur, mihi dictum est e caelo; nam cum illi, qui in malis ex illo amore sunt, pereunt, ut factum est die ultimi judicii, apparuit Sicut sulphur et ignis pluens e caelo; hoc mihi etiam visum est. Quod tale die ultimo judicii exstiturum sit, praedicitur etiam a Domino apud Lucam,
"Similiter fiet quemadmodum factum est in diebus Lothi; .... qua die egressus est..e Sodoma, pluit igne et sulphure e caelo et perdidit omnes: juxta haec fiet qua die Filius hominis revelabitur" (17:28-30).
[13] Quoniam illi qui ex amore sui confirmant se in malis per falsa contra vera et bona caeli et ecclesiae, prorsus eradicant apud se omne verum doctrinae et Verbi, ac bonum amoris spiritualis et caelestis, ideo vastatio apud illos fit totalis; quae ita describitur apud Mosen,
"Sulphur erit et sal, combustio tota terra; non conseretur, nec germinabit, nec ascendet in illa ulla herba, juxta eversionem Sodomae et Gomorrhae, Adamae et Zeboim" (Deuteronomius 29:22, 23]):
per "sulphur" significatur vastatio omnis boni per concupiscentias ex malis; per "salem" significatur vastatio omnis veri per falsa ex concupiscentiis illis; per "combustionem totius terrae" significatur devastatio ecclesiae per amorem sui; per "non conseretur, nec germinabit, nec ascendet in illa ulla herba", significatur quod prorsus nulla receptibilitas veri ecclesiae ("herba" significat verum ecclesiae nascens): et quia talis est devastatio boni et veri ex amore sui, ideo dicitur, "juxta eversionem Sodomae et Gomorrhae, Adamae et Zeboim"; per "Adamam et Zeboim" significantur cognitiones mali et falsi. Quod tale exstiturum sit die ultimi judicii, significatur per "qua die Filius hominis revelabitur."
Footnotes:
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