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718. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven. That this signifies the falsification and adulteration of all the truths of the Word, is evident from the signification of drawing with the tail, when said of the dragon, as denoting falsification and adulteration (concerning which we shall speak presently); from the signification of the third part, which means all, and is used of truths (concerning which see above, n. 384, 506); and from the signification of the stars of heaven, as denoting the knowledges of truth and good from the Word (concerning which also see above, n. 72, 402); thus also truths, for the knowledges of truth and good are the truths of the natural man, from which the rational and spiritual man has intelligence. It is evident from this that by drawing with the tail the third part of the stars of heaven, when said of the dragon, is signified to falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word.
[2] Such is the signification, because the dragon in general means all who acknowledge the Word, and read it, and yet do not live according to it, and this because they separate life, which is charity, from faith, and believe it to be sufficient to think about those things which are in the Word, and to persuade themselves that they are saved by thinking and talking about certain things from the Word with trust and confidence, and that faith alone justifies and saves, apart from anything of life or works; that these are meant by the dragon, may be seen above (n. 714). And because to confirm their dogmas from the Word, such persons bring forward passages in which faith is mentioned, and where faith is spoken of; but those in which love and charity are mentioned, and doing is spoken of, they pervert by applying them to faith alone, and thus they falsify the Word, which from beginning to end is the doctrine of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbour. This falsification and adulteration of the truths of the Word is meant by the dragon drawing down with his tail the third part [of the stars] of heaven. This is the meaning of these words, because the tail is the continuation of the brain through the spine of the back, of which it is an appendage, and thus it is moved by the head and the body according to the appetites and desires of the natural man. The movements of the tail therefore are effects flowing from the delights of the loves in which the sensual man is, and the loves of the sensual man are what falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word. That the tail signifies the Sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural man, may be seen above (n. 559). Whether it is said that the loves of the sensual man falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word, or that the Sensual does this, it amounts to the same, for the Sensual loves to live for the body and the world, thus according to its own bent; and this life it perceives, but not the interior life, therefore it denies the latter.
718. Verse 4. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, signifies the falsification and adulteration of all truths of the Word. This is evident from the signification of "drawing with the tail," as being, in reference to "the dragon," falsification and adulteration (of which presently); also from the signification of "the third part," which means all, and is predicated of truths (See above, n. 384, 506); and from the signification of the "stars of heaven," as being the knowledges of truth and good from the Word (See also above, n. 72, 402), thus also truths, for the knowledges of truth and good are the truths of the natural man, from which the rational and spiritual man has intelligence. From this it is evident that "to draw with the tail the third part of the stars of heaven" signifies in reference to the dragon to falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word. Such is the signification because "the dragon" means in general all who acknowledge the Word and read it and yet do not live according to it, and this because they separate life, which is charity, from faith, and believe that it is sufficient merely to think those things that are in the Word, and to persuade themselves that they are saved by thinking and talking about certain things from the Word with trust and confidence, and that faith alone justifies and saves, and not anything of life or work. (That such are meant by "the dragon" may be seen above, n. 714.) To confirm their dogmas from the Word they bring forward passages in which faith is mentioned and in which faith is treated of; but the passages in which charity and love are mentioned, and doing is spoken of, they pervert by applying them to faith alone, and thus they falsify the Word, which from beginning to end is the doctrine of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor. This falsification and adulteration of the truths of the Word is meant by "drawing down with the tail the third part [of the stars] of heaven." This is the meaning of these words because the tail is a continuation of the brain through the spine of the back, of which it is an appendage; thus the tail is moved by the head and the body according to the desires and appetites of the natural man; the movements of the tail, therefore, are effects flowing from the delights of the loves in which the sensual man is, and the loves of the sensual man falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word. (That the "tail" signifies the sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural man, may be seen above, n. 559.) Whether it is said that the loves of the sensual man falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word or that the sensual does this, it is the same, for the sensual loves to live for the body and for the world, thus according to its own nature; and this life it feels, but it does not feel the interior life, therefore it denies that life.
718. [Vers. 4.] "Et cauda sua traxit tertiam partem stellarum caeli." - Quod significet falsificationem et adulterationem omnium veritatum Verbi, constare ex significatione "cauda trahere", cum de "dracone", quod sit falsificatio et adulteratio (de qua sequitur); ex significatione "tertiae partis", quod sit omne, et dicatur de veris (de qua supra, n. 384, 506); et e, significatione "stellarum caeli", quod sint cognitiones veri et boni ex Verbo (de qua etiam supra, n. 72, 402), ita quoque vera, nam cognitiones veri et boni sunt vera naturalis hominis, ex quibus intelligentia rationali et spirituali homini: ex quibus constare potest quod per "cauda trahere tertiam partem stellarum caeli", cum de "dracone", significetur falsificare et adulterare vera Verbi. Quod id significetur, est quia per "draconem" in genere intelliguntur omnes qui agnoscunt Verbum, ac legunt illud, et usque non vivunt secundum illud; et hoc quia separant vitam quae est charitas a fide, et credunt quod satis sit cogitare illa quae in Verbo sunt, et sibi persuadere quod salventur si quaedam inde ex fiducia et confidentia cogitent et loquantur, et quod sola fides justificet et salvet, et non aliquid vitae seu operis; (quod hi sint qui per "draconem" 1
intelliguntur, videatur supra, n. 714): quia illi ad confirmandum sua dogmata ex Verbo, adducunt loca ubi "fides" nominatur et ubi "fides" dicitur; at ubi "charitas" et "amor" nominatur et "facere" dicitur, per applicationem ad solam fidem pervertunt, et sic Verbum, quod a principio ad finem est doctrina amoris in Dominum et amoris erga proximum, falsificant: haec falsificatio et adulteratio 2
veritatum Verbi intelligitur per "detrahere cauda tertiam partem [stellarum] caeli"; quod id per ea verba intelligatur, est quia cauda est continuatio cerebri per spinam dorsi, cujus est appendix, et cauda sic agitur ex capite et ex corpore secundum desideria et appetitus naturalis hominis; quare caudae motiones sunt effectus fluentes ex jucundis amorum in quibus est sensualis homo, et amores sensualis hominis vera Verbi falsificant et adulterant.
(Quod "cauda" significet sensuale, quod est naturalis hominis ultimum, videatur supra, n. 559.) Sive dicas quod amores sensualis hominis falsificent et adulterant vera Verbi, sive dicas quod sensuale id faciat, idem est, nam sensuale amat vivere corpori et mundo, ita genio, et illam vitam sentit, non autem interiorem, quare eam negat.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.
2. The editors made a correction or note here.