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719. It is said that the Sensual falsifies and adulterates the truths of the Word, but it is important to know how this can falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word; for those who do not know how this is done, and the nature of the Word, might suppose that because the truths of the Word are truths, and exist in the sense of its letter, that they cannot become falsities. An example from nature will serve to illustrate this and make it clear to the natural man. It appears to the eye as though the sun were carried round the earth every day, and also once every year, and it is therefore said in the Word that the sun rises and sets, and causes day, noon, evening, and night, also the seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and thus days and years, and yet the sun remains unmoved, while the earth revolves daily, and is carried round the sun yearly; the progression of the sun is therefore merely an appearance, and thus a fallacy. When therefore the truth is known and received that it is not the sun but the earth that moves, then both become true, namely, that the sun remains immovable in the centre of its own system, and that it has its progression; that it remains immovable is true for the rational man, and that it has its progression is true for the sensual, thus both are true, actually for the rational, and apparently for the sensual man. Yet if the rational man does not throw light on that phenomenon, then the false idea is believed that the sun actually progresses, and thus the truth that not the sun but the earth has a motion of its own is falsified, but it is not falsified when the rational man throws light upon the matter. The case is similar with every particular of the Word in the sense of its letter, since this sense, being the ultimate, is natural, and is adapted to the apprehension of the sensual man, thus of children and of the simple; therefore most things in that sense are appearances of truth, and unless these are perceived from a spiritual, that is to say, from an enlightened understanding, they become falsities, for they are then believed to be actually and not merely in appearance true. But it is otherwise when they are perceived at the same time understandingly and spiritually, for then all things of the Word become true, in the genuine sense actually true, and in the sense of the letter apparently true, as stated above concerning the sun. From these things it is evident how innumerable are the things in the Word that are falsified and adulterated - as that God tempts, that He is angry, that He does evil, that He casts into hell - similarly, that at the day of the Last Judgment the Lord will come in the clouds of heaven, that then the sun and the moon will withdraw their light, and that the stars will fall from heaven. Also that the world and the universe will perish, and a new creation of all things take place; besides other things of a similar kind, which are truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, but which become falsities if they are not at the same time seen from an enlightened understanding. But in what follows it shall be explained how faith alone, which is faith separated from charity, falsifies all things of the Word.
719. It is said that the sensual falsifies and adulterates the truths of the Word; but it needs to be known how it can falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word, for those who do not know how this is done and what is the nature of the Word, might think that because the truths of the Word are truths, and are plainly extant in the sense of its letter, they cannot become falsities. But to illustrate this take an example from nature, such as the natural man can clearly perceive. It appears before the eyes as if the sun were each day carried about the earth, also at the same time once each year; therefore it is said in the Word that the sun rises and sets, which causes the day, noon, evening, and night, also the seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and thus days and years; and yet the sun stands unmoved, while the earth revolves daily and is carried about the sun yearly, and the progression of the sun is only an appearance and thence a fallacy. Now when this truth is known and accepted that it is not the sun but the earth that moves, both become true, namely, that the sun stands unmoved in the center of its system, and also that it has its progressions; that it stands unmoved is true for the rational man, and that it has its progressions is true for the sensual, thus both become true, true actually for the rational man, and true apparently for the sensual. And yet if the rational man does not illustrate this phenomenon the falsity is believed that the sun actually progresses, and thus the truth that the sun is not moved out of its place but that it is the earth that moves becomes falsified; but it is not falsified when the rational illustrates it. It is the same with every particular of the Word in the sense of its letter; because this is the ultimate sense it is natural, and is adapted to the comprehension of the sensual man, thus of children and the simple; for this reason most things in it are appearances of truth, and unless these are perceived at the same time from a spiritual, that is, from an enlightened understanding, they become falsities; for they are then believed to be actually true and not merely apparently true. But it is otherwise when they are perceived understandingly and spiritually; then all things of the Word become true, in the genuine sense actually true, and in the sense of the letter apparently true, as was said above respecting the sun. From this it can be seen how innumerable things in the Word are falsified and adulterated; as that God tempts, that He is angry, that He does evil, that He casts into hell; likewise, that at the day of the Last Judgment the Lord is to come in the clouds of heaven, that the sun and the moon will then withdraw their light, and the stars will fall from heaven; also that the world with the earth will perish, and a new creation of all things take place; with other things that are truths of the sense of the letter of the Word, but which become falsities if they are not perceived at the same time from an enlightened understanding. But in what follows it shall be told how faith alone, which is faith separated from charity, falsifies all things of the Word.
719. Dictum est quod sensuale vera Verbi falsificet et adulteret; ut vero sciatur quomodo id potest vera Verbi falsificare et adulterare [interest] ; nam qui non scit quomodo id fit, et quale Verbum est, potest credere quod vera Verbi quia sunt vera, et in sensu litterae ejus exstant, non possint falsa fieri: at inserviat pro illustratione exemplum in Natura, et inde perceptibile naturali homini: nempe, coram oculis apparet sicut sol quovis die circum tellurem feratur, et quoque semel quotannis; inde in Verbo dicitur quod sol oriatur et occidat, quod faciat diem, meridiem, vesperam et noctem, immo tempora veris, aestatis, autumni et hiemis, et sic dies et annos; cum tamen sol immotus stat, et tellus circumvolvitur quotidie et circumfertur quotannis, et quod sit solum apparentia et inde fallacia quod sol ita progrediatur: cum itaque illa veritas nota est et accepta, quod sol non moveatur sed tellus, tunc utrumque fit verum, nempe, quod sol in centro sui mundi stet immotus, et quoque quod progrediatur; quod stet immotus fit verum pro rationali homine, et quod progrediatur pro sensuali; ita fit Utrumque verum, actualiter pro rationali homine, et apparenter pro sensuali: si autem id phaenomenon non illustratum est a rationali homine, tunc creditur falsum, nempe quod sol actualiter progrediatur, et sic falsificatur id verum quod sol non moveatur e loco, sed tellus, at non falsificatur quando rationale illustrat illud. Simile est cum singulis Verbi in sensu ejus litterae; hic sensus, quia est ultimus, est naturalis et adaequatus captui sensualis hominis, ita infantum et simplicium; quare pleraque ibi sunt apparentiae veri, quae nisi simul intellectu spirituali, hoc est, intellectu illustrato percipiuntur, fiunt falsa, nam creduntur tunc sicut forent vera actualiter et non apparenter; aliter cum simul intellectualiter et spiritualiter percipiuntur; tunc fiunt omnia Verbi vera, in sensu genuino vera actualiter, et in sensu litterae vera apparenter, ut supra de sole dictum est. Ex his constare potest quomodo innumerabilia in Verbo falsificantur et adulterantur; sicut quod Deus tentet, quod irascatur, quod malum faciat, quod in infernum conjiciat; similiter quod die ultimi judicii Dominus venturus sit in nubibus caeli, quod tunc sol et luna amittent luces suas, quodque stellae cadent de caelis, tum quod mundus cum terra periturus, et e novo creatio omnium exstitura; praeter alia, quae sunt vera sensus litterae Verbi, quae falsa fiunt si non simul intellectu illustrato percipiuntur. In sequentibus autem dicetur quomodo sola fides, quae est fides separata a charitate, falsificet omnia Verbi.