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739. And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent.- That this signifies that those who were in evils of life and had thus become sensual, and had perverted all things of the Word, and thus of the church, were separated from heaven and cast down into hell, is evident from the signification of being cast out, when said of the dragon, as denoting to be separated from heaven and cast out into hell (that they had been conjoined to heaven, but were separated afterwards, may be seen in an article above, n. 737; - that they were cast down and condemned to hell is meant by "he was cast out unto the earth," of which we shall speak presently); from the signification of the great dragon, as denoting those who are in evils of life, and nevertheless confess God and the Lord with their lips, who also declare the Word to be holy, and speak in favour of the church (that these are meant by the dragon may be seen above, n. 714, 715, 716, 718, 737); he is therefore also called a great dragon, for the term great, in the Word, is used of good, and in the opposite sense, as in this case, of evil; but their falsities are signified by his angels (of which we shall speak presently); and from the signification of the old serpent, as denoting those who are sensual, here that those who had perverted all things of the Word and of the church had thence become sensual. That the Sensual is signified by the serpent may be seen above (n. 581, 715 end). The serpent is called old, because in olden times there were those who perverted all things of the Word and of the church. According to the historical sense of the letter, the old serpent means the serpent that seduced Adam and Eve in paradise, but by that serpent, as well as by this one, are meant all those who seduce the whole world, as is evident from what follows in this paragraph. From these things it is plain that "the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent," signifies that those who were in evils of life, and who had perverted all things of the Word and thus of the church, were separated and cast down into hell.
[2] That all those who are in evils of life become sensual, and that those who thus become sensual pervert everything of the church, is evident from this, that there are in men three degrees of life, an inmost, a middle, and an ultimate, and that these degrees in man are successively opened as he becomes wise. Every man at birth is absolutely sensual, so that even the five senses of his body must be opened by use; he next becomes sensual in thought since he thinks from the objects which have made their impression upon his bodily senses; afterwards he becomes interiorly sensual. But so far as he acquires natural light (lumen naturale) by visual experiences, by knowledges (scientias) and especially by the practice of moral life, so far does he become interiorly natural. This is the first or ultimate degree of man's life.
[3] And as at this time from parents, masters, and preachers, and also from reading the Word and books respecting it, he acquires knowledges (cognitiones) of spiritual good and truth, and stores them up in his memory like other knowledges (scientifica), he lays the foundation of the church; yet if he goes no further, he remains natural. But if he does advance further, that is to say, if he lives according to those knowledges from the Word, the interior degree is opened in him, and he becomes spiritual, but only so far as he is influenced by truths, understands them, wills them, and does them; and for the reason that evils, and falsities therefrom - which by heredity have their seat in the natural and sensual man - are in this and in no other way removed, and as it were dispersed. For the spiritual man is in heaven, and the natural man in the world, and so far as heaven, that is the Lord through heaven, is able to flow in through the spiritual into the natural man, so far evils, and falsities therefrom, are removed, which, as we have said, have their seat in the natural man; for the Lord removes them as He removes hell from heaven.
The interior degree in man can be opened in no other way, because the evils and falsities which are in the natural man keep it closed up; for the spiritual degree, or spiritual mind, contracts itself against evil and the falsity of evil of every kind, as a fibril of the body contracts itself at the touch of a sharp point; for as fibres of the body contract themselves at every harsh touch, so does man's interior mind, which is called the spiritual mind, at the touch or breath of evil and falsity therefrom. But, on the other hand, when homogeneous things, which are Divine truths from the Word, and which derive their essence from good, draw near to that mind, it then opens itself. But yet this opening is effected solely by the reception of the good of love flowing in through heaven from the Lord, and by its conjunction with those truths which man has stored up in his memory; and this conjunction is effected only by a life according to Divine truths in the Word, for when these truths enter into the life they are called goods. How the second or middle degree is opened is therefore evident.
[4] But the third or inmost degree is opened in those who apply Divine truths immediately to life, and who do not first recall them from the memory and reason about them, and thus bring them into doubt. This is called the celestial degree. As there are these three degrees of life in every man, and yet they are opened in different ways, therefore there are three heavens. In the third or inmost heaven are those in whom the third degree is opened; in the second or middle heaven are those in whom the second degree only is opened; and in the first or ultimate heaven are those in whom the interior natural man, also called the rational man, is opened; for this, if truly rational, receives influx from the Lord through heaven. All these come into heaven. But those who have received Divine truths only in the memory, and not at the same time in the life, remain natural, in fact they become sensual. The reason is, that the evils into which man is born have their seat in the natural and sensual man, as said above; and in such these evils have not been removed, and as it were dispersed, by the influx of good from the Lord, and by its reception by man; consequently the loves of the body reign in them, which, in general, are the love of self and the love of the world, and thus the love and pride of their own intelligence. These loves, with the evils and the falsities that flow from them, fill the interiors of their natural mind, although they are concealed under the respectable and becoming demeanour of moral life, put on for the sake of the world and because of the laws enacted for the external man. Although such persons have filled their memory with knowledges from the Word, from the dogmas of their several religions, and from the sciences (scientiae), they are nevertheless natural, and even sensual; for the interiors of their natural mind, which are nearest to the spiritual mind, are closed up by confirmations, even from the Word, against spiritual life, which is a life according to Divine truths, and is called charity towards the neighbour. These then, since they are sensual, are meant by the dragon, and are called serpents, for a serpent signifies the Sensual, because the Sensual is the lowest part of man's life, and it creeps as it were upon the ground and licks the dust like a serpent.
[5] In order to illustrate this, I will quote what is related in Genesis concerning the old serpent that seduced Eve and Adam, and will explain the same according to the spiritual sense. The words are as follows:
"Out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, and the tree of lives in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden eating thou mayest eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou mayest not eat, because in the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt assuredly die. And the serpent was more crafty (astutus) than any wild beast of the field which Jehovah God made; and it said unto the woman, Hath God indeed said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the tree of the garden we may eat, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not assuredly die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to give intelligence, and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and she gave also to her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves girdles. And Jehovah said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above every beast, and above every wild beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat, all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and between the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he shall tread upon thy head, and thou shalt wound his heel. And Jehovah God sent forth the man from the garden of Eden, and made cherubim to dwell at the east of the garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword turning itself to guard the way of the tree of lives" (Genesis 2:8, 9, 16, 17; 3:1-7, 14, 15, 23, 24).
How the historical narratives of the creation of heaven and earth, recounted from the first chapter of Genesis down to the story of the flood, are to be understood, cannot possibly be known, except from the spiritual sense, which is contained in every part of the sense of the letter of the Word. For these historical narratives of the creation of heaven and earth, and of the garden in Eden, and the posterity of Adam, as far as the flood, are in the form of history; and yet they are most holy, because every particular therein, and every expression, are correspondences, and thus signify spiritual things. Anyone with a clear understanding might discern this from the history of the creation contained in the first chapter, for this is said to have begun from light, although the sun did not yet exist; and from various other circumstances there related. [It might also be discerned] from the creation of Eve the wife of Adam out of one of his ribs; also from the two trees in Paradise, and the command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, when, although the wisest of all people, they were seduced by the serpent and did eat; and again, from this, that Jehovah placed such trees in the midst of the garden, and suffered them to be seduced by the serpent into eating of the forbidden tree, which He nevertheless might have averted; and finally, from the whole human race being judged to eternal death, merely because they eat of that tree. Who cannot see that these things and many others which an obscure understanding might in simplicity believe, would be contrary to the Divine Love and contrary to the Divine providence and foresight? And yet children and the simple-minded may without harm believe these things according to the literal history since they serve, like the rest of the Word, to conjoin human minds to angelic minds, for angels are in the spiritual sense when men are in the natural sense. But what those historical circumstances involve in the spiritual sense shall be briefly explained.
[6] The first chapter treats of the new creation or establishment of that church, which was the most ancient church on this earth, as well as most excellent of all, for it was a celestial church, because in love to the Lord. The men of that church were consequently exceedingly wise, having almost immediate communication with the angels of heaven, through whom they received wisdom from the Lord. And because they were in love to the Lord, and had revelations out of heaven, and at once applied to life the Divine truths revealed to them, therefore they were in a similar state to that of the angels of the third heaven; consequently that heaven consists chiefly of the men of that church. This church is meant by Adam and his wife. But the garden in Eden signifies their intelligence and wisdom, which is also described in the spiritual sense by all those things that are mentioned about that garden. Also how wisdom was lost in their posterity is described by the eating of the tree of knowledge (scientia); for the two trees placed in the midst of the garden mean perception from the Lord and perception from the world, the tree of lives, perception from the Lord, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, perception from the world, which, however, in itself is only cognition and knowledge (scientia). But the serpent, which seduced them, signifies man's Sensual, which communicates immediately with the world, therefore their being seduced by the serpent signifies that they were seduced by the Sensual, which derives everything that it has from the world, and nothing from heaven. For men of the celestial church are such that they perceive all the truths and goods of heaven from the Lord through influx into their interiors, whence they see goods and truths interiorly in themselves, as though innate, and have no need to learn them by a posterior way, or to enrich the memory with them. Neither therefore do they reason about truths, whether they are so or not; for those who see truths in themselves do not reason, since reasoning implies a doubt whether a thing is true. For the same reason they never make mention of faith, for faith involves something unknown, which although not seen must nevertheless be believed. That the men of the Most Ancient Church were of such a character as is above described, has been revealed to me out of heaven; for it has been granted me to speak with them, and to receive information about them, as is evident from the various things related concerning the men of that church in the Arcana Coelestia.
[7] But it must be understood that they were never forbidden to acquire for themselves cognitions of good and evil from heaven, for by means of these they perfected their intelligence and wisdom; neither were they forbidden to procure for themselves knowledges of good and evil from the world, for from this source their natural man had its knowledge (scientia). But they were forbidden to view these knowledges by a posterior way, because it was granted them to see all things which appeared before their eyes in the world by a prior way. To view the world and everything therein by a prior way, and thence to receive knowledges is to regard them from the light of heaven, and in that way to know what they are. Therefore by means of knowledges from the world they were able to confirm heavenly things, and thus strengthen their wisdom. But they were forbidden to view knowledges from the world by a posterior way, as is the case when conclusions are drawn from them concerning heavenly things, which is an inverted order, called by the learned the order of physical or natural influx, which cannot in any way enter into heavenly things. Such did the men of the Most Ancient Church become when they began to love worldly more than heavenly things, to be proud of and boast about their wisdom; on this account their posterity became sensual, and then their Sensual, meant by the serpent, led them astray; and the Sensual does not wish to advance by any other than a posterior way. This, therefore, is the signification of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, of which they were forbidden to eat.
That they were permitted to acquire knowledges from the world, and to view them by a prior way, is signified by Out of the ground Jehovah God caused to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food, - for trees signify knowledges and perceptions, pleasant to the sight signifies what the understanding desires, and good for food that which conduces to the nourishment of the mind. The cognitions of good and evil from the Lord, from which wisdom is derived, and knowledges of good and evil from the world, from which knowledge (scientia) is derived, were represented by the tree of lives, and by the tree of the knowledge (scientia) of good and evil in the midst of the garden.
[8] That they were permitted to appropriate to themselves knowledges from every source, not only from heaven but also from the world, provided they did not proceed in an inverted order, by reasoning from them about heavenly things, instead of thinking from heavenly things about worldly things, is signified by Jehovah God commanding them to eat of every tree of the garden, but not of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; that if they did this heavenly wisdom and the church in them would perish, is signified by In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt assuredly die, - to eat in the spiritual sense signifying to appropriate to themselves.
[9] That the Sensual seduced them, because it lies nearest to the world, and is consequently sensitive to every pleasure and delight from the world, and is thus in fallacies, and is ignorant of and rejects heavenly things, is signified by the serpent, the serpent denoting the Sensual, and no other sensual than that of such people. The reason why the serpent is "the devil and Satan" is that the Sensual communicates with hell and makes one with it, for in it resides all the evil of man in its entirety. And because man from the Sensual reasons from fallacies and from the delights of the loves of the world and of the body, and this indeed skilfully and cunningly, therefore it is said that the serpent was more crafty (astutus) than any wild beast of the field which Jehovah God had made, the wild beast of the field signifying, in the spiritual sense, the affection of the natural man.
[10] Since the Sensual imagines that wisdom is procured by means of knowledges from the world and natural knowledges (scientias naturales), and not by any influx out of heaven from the Lord, therefore from such fallacy and ignorance the serpent said to the woman, Ye shall not die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. For the sensual man supposes that he knows everything and that nothing escapes him; but it is not so with the celestial man, who is convinced that he knows nothing from himself but from the Lord, and that, what he does know is so insignificant as to be scarcely anything compared with what he does not know. In fact their posterity believed themselves to be gods, and that they knew all good and all evil; but from evil they were not capable of knowing heavenly good, but only worldly and corporeal good, which in itself is not good; nevertheless from heavenly good man is capable of knowing what is evil.
[11] That the affection of the natural man persuaded by the Sensual supposed that intelligence in the things of heaven and of the church was to be acquired by means of the knowledge (scientia) of cognitions from the world, is signified by The woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and to be desired to give intelligence, - the woman here signifying the natural affection of man, which draws its desires from the Sensual; and of such a nature is that affection. That that affection also seduced the Rational, is signified by the woman taking of the fruit of that tree and eating, and giving to her husband with her, and by his eating thereof, the husband of the woman signifying the Rational. That they then saw that they were without truths and goods is signified by Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, - the nakedness that is ashamed signifying the deprivation of celestial love, and thus of good and truth. That they then clothed themselves with natural truths, lest they should appear to be lacking in truths, is signified by They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves girdles, - the fig tree signifying the natural man, and its leaf truth scientific (verum scientificum). Afterwards what their Sensual became, namely, that it turned itself entirely away from heaven, and turned itself to the world, and thus received nothing Divine, is described by the curse of the serpent. For the Sensual in man cannot be reformed; consequently when man is reformed it is simply removed, since it clings to the body and is manifest to the world; therefore the pleasures therefrom are called and felt to be goods. For this reason it is said that the seed of the woman shall tread upon its head, and that it shall wound his heel; the seed of the woman means the Lord, the head of the serpent all evil, and the Lord's heel Divine Truth in ultimates, which with us is the sense of the letter of the Word, and this the sensual man, or the Sensual of man, perverts and falsifies, and thus wounds. That the sense of the letter acts as a guard, lest the Lord should be approached except through appearances of truth, and not through genuine truths, by those who are in evils, is signified by the cherubim which, with the flame of a sword turning itself, were placed at the garden of Eden to guard the way of the tree of lives. But this and the rest of those chapters may be seen explained in the Arcana Coelestia.
739. Verse 9. (737). That they were cast down and condemned to hell is meant by "he was cast out into the earth" (of which presently). Also from the signification of "the great dragon," as being those who are in evils of life, and yet with the mouth confess God and the Lord, and call the Word holy, and speak in favor of the church. (That such are meant by "the dragon," see above, n. 714-716, 718, 737.) This is why he is called "the great dragon," for "great" is predicated in the Word of good, and in the contrary sense, as here, of evil; while their falsities are signified by "his angels" (of which presently). Also from the signification of "the old serpent," as being those who are sensual, here that those who had perverted all things of the Word and of the church had thence become sensual. That "serpent" signifies the sensual may be seen above (n. 581, 715 at the end). The serpent is called "old," because in olden times there were those who perverted all things of the Word and the church. According to the historical sense of the letter "the old serpent" means the serpent that seduced Eve and Adam in paradise, but both by that serpent and by this all such are meant as seduce the whole world, as can be seen from what follows in this paragraph. From this it is clear that "that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent," signifies that those who were in evils of life, and who had perverted all things of the Word, and thus of the church, were separated from heaven and were cast down into hell.
[2] That all who are in evils of life become sensual, and that those who thus become sensual pervert all things of the church, can be seen from this, that there are with men three degrees of life, an inmost, a middle, and an ultimate, and that these degrees with man are opened successively as he becomes wise. Every man at his birth is altogether sensual, so that even the five senses of his body must be opened by use; he next becomes sensual in thought, since he thinks from the objects that have entered through his bodily senses; afterwards he becomes more interiorly sensual; but so far as by visual experiences, by knowledges [scientiae], and especially by the practices of moral life, he acquires for himself natural light [lumen], he becomes interiorly natural. This is the first or ultimate degree of man's life.
[3] And as at this time from parents, masters, and preachers, and from reading the Word and books thence, he imbibes knowledges of spiritual truth and good, and stores them up in his memory like other knowledges [scientifica], he lays the foundations of the church with himself; and yet if he goes no further he continues natural. But if he goes on further, namely if he lives according to these knowledges from the Word, the interior degree is opened in him and he becomes spiritual, but only so far as he is affected by truths, understands them, wills them, and does them; and for the reason that evils and the falsities thence which by heredity have their seat in the natural and sensual man, are removed and as it were scattered in this and in no other way. For the spiritual man is in heaven and the natural in the world, and so far as heaven, that is, the Lord through heaven, can flow in through the spiritual man into the natural, so far evils and the falsities thence, which, as was said, have their seat in the natural man, are removed; for the Lord removes them, as he removes hell from heaven. The interior degree with man can be opened in no other way, because the evils and falsities that are in the natural man keep it closed up; for the spiritual degree, that is, the spiritual mind, contracts itself against evil and the falsity of evil of every kind as a fibril of the body does at the touch of a sharp point; for like as the fibers of the body contract themselves at every harsh touch, so does man's interior mind, which is called the spiritual mind, at the touch or breath of evil or the falsity thence. But on the other hand, when things homogeneous, which are Divine truths from the Word that derive their essence from good, approach that mind, it opens itself; yet the opening is effected not otherwise than by the reception of the good of love flowing in through heaven from the Lord, and by its conjunction with the truths that man has stored up in his memory, and this conjunction is only effected by a life according to Divine truths in the Word, for when these truths come to be of the life they are called goods. Thence it may be clear how the second or middle degree is opened.
[4] The third or inmost degree is opened with those who apply Divine truths at once to life, and do not reason about them from the memory, and thus bring them into doubt. This is called the celestial degree. As there are these three degrees of life with every man, which yet are opened in diverse ways, thence there are three heavens. In the third or inmost heaven are those with whom the third degree is opened; in the second or middle heaven those with whom the second degree only is opened; and in the first or lowest heaven those with whom the interior natural man, which is also called the rational man, is opened; for this man, if truly rational, receives influx from the Lord through heaven. All these come into heaven. But those who have received Divine truths in the memory only, and not at the same time in the life, continue natural and even become sensual; and for the reason that the evils into which man is born have their seat, as was said above, in the natural and sensual man; and in such these evils have not been removed and as it were dispersed by the influx of good from the Lord and its reception by man; consequently with such the loves of the body rule, which in general are the love of self and the love of the world, and the consequent love and pride of self-intelligence. These loves, and the evils and their falsities that flow from them, fill the interiors of their natural mind, although these are covered without by things respectable and becoming which pertain to moral life, that are put on for the sake of the world and the laws enacted for the external man. Such although they may have filled their memory with knowledges from the Word, from the dogmas of their several religions and from the sciences, are yet natural and even sensual; for the interiors of their natural mind, which are nearest to the spiritual mind, are closed up by confirmations, even from the Word, against the spiritual life, which is a life according to Divine truths and is called charity towards the neighbor. These because they are sensual, are "the dragon," and are called "serpents," for "serpent" signifies the sensual, because the sensual is the lowest part of man's life, and as it were creeps upon the ground and licks the dust like a serpent.
[5] To illustrate this I will quote what is related in Genesis respecting "the old serpent" that seduced Eve and Adam, and will explain what it signifies in the spiritual sense:
Out of the ground Jehovah God made to grow forth every tree that is desirable to the sight and good for food, and the tree of lives in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden eating thou mayest eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou mayest not eat, because in the day thou shalt eat of it dying thou shalt die. And the serpent was more crafty than any wild beast of the field which Jehovah God made; and he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the tree of the garden we may eat, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said, Dying ye shall not die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to give intelligence, and she took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and she gave also to her husband with her and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together and made themselves girdles. And Jehovah said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above every beast and above every wild beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed; he shall trample on thy head, 1and thou shalt wound his heel. And Jehovah God sent forth the man from the garden of Eden and made to dwell from the east of the garden of Eden cherubim, and the flame of a sword turning itself to guard the way of the tree of lives (Genesis 2:8, 9, 16, 17; 3:1-7, 14, 15, 16, 23, 24).
How the historical narratives of the creation of heaven and earth that are contained in the first chapters of Genesis down to the story of the Flood, are to be understood, no one can know except from the spiritual sense that is within every particular of the sense of the letter of the Word. For these historical narratives of the creation of heaven and earth, and of the garden in Eden, and of the posterity of Adam even to the Flood, are composed historicals; and yet they are most holy, because every particular idea and every particular expression therein are correspondences, and thence signify spiritual things. Anyone of clear intelligence might discover this from the history of the creation in the first chapter, which began with light when the sun did not yet exist, and from various other things there; also from the creation of Eve the wife of Adam out of one of his ribs; also from the two trees in paradise, and from the prohibition to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and yet, although they were the wisest of all they were seduced by the serpent and did eat; and that Jehovah should place such trees in the midst of the garden and suffer them to be seduced by the serpent to eat of the forbidden tree, which yet He might have averted; and finally that the whole human race was condemned to eternal death merely because they ate of that tree. Who cannot see that these things, with other like things which an obscure understanding might believe in simplicity, would be contrary to the Divine love and contrary to the Divine Providence and foresight? And yet there is no harm while children and the simple believe these things according to the historical letter, since they serve, as well as the rest of the Word, to conjoin human minds to angelic minds, for angels are in the spiritual sense when men are in the natural sense. But what is involved in these historicals in the spiritual sense shall be told in a few words.
[6] The first chapter treats of the new creation or establishment of a church, which was the Most Ancient Church on this globe, as well as the most excellent of all, for it was a celestial church, because it was in love to the Lord; and consequently the men of that church were most wise, having almost immediate communication with the angels of heaven, through whom they received wisdom from the Lord. Because they were in love to the Lord, and had revelations from heaven, and because they at once applied to life the Divine truths revealed to them, they were in a similar state as the angels of the third heaven; consequently that heaven consists chiefly of the men of that church. That church is meant by "Adam and his wife." But "the garden in Eden" signifies their intelligence and wisdom, and this is also described by all that is told about that garden understood in the spiritual sense. Also how wisdom was lost in their posterity is described by "eating of the tree of knowledge." For the two trees placed in the midst of the garden mean perception from the Lord and perception from the world; "the tree of lives" perception from the Lord, and "the tree of knowledge of good and evil" perception from the world, which yet in itself is mere cognition and knowledge. But "the serpent" that seduced them signifies the sensual of man, which communicates immediately with the world, therefore their seduction by the "serpent" means their seduction by the sensual, which derives all it has from the world and nothing from heaven. For the men of the celestial church are such that they perceive all the truths and goods of heaven from the Lord by influx into their interiors, whence they see truths and goods inwardly in themselves as if they were innate, and they do not need to acquire them by a posterior way, and to enrich the memory with them. So neither do they reason about truths whether they are so or not; for those who see truths in themselves do not reason, since reasoning implies a doubt whether a thing is true. For the same reason they never make mention of faith, for faith implies something unknown which must be believed although it is not seen. That the men of the Most Ancient Church were such has been revealed to me from heaven, for it has been granted me to speak with them and to be informed, as can be seen from the various things related concerning the men of that church in Arcana Coelestia.
[7] But it is to be known that they were never forbidden to acquire for themselves the knowledges of good and evil from heaven, for by these their intelligence and wisdom was perfected; neither were they forbidden to acquire for themselves the knowledges of good and evil from the world, for from this source their natural man had its knowledge [scientia] But they were forbidden to view these knowledges by a posterior way, because it was granted them to see all things that appeared before their eyes in the world by a prior way. To view the world and the things in it and to deduce knowledges from it by a prior way is to view them from the light of heaven, and to know in that way their quality. Therefore they were also able by knowledges from the world to confirm heavenly things, and thus to strengthen their wisdom. But they were forbidden to view knowledges from the world by a posterior way, which is done when conclusions are drawn from them respecting heavenly things, which is an inverted order that is called by the learned the order of physical or natural influx, and of this there is none in things heavenly. Such did the men of the Most Ancient Church become when they began to love things worldly more than things heavenly, and to exalt themselves and to boast of their own wisdom; from this their posterity became sensual, and then their sensual, which is meant by "the serpent," seduced them; and the sensual is not willing to advance by any other than a posterior way. This, therefore, is the signification of "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," of which they were forbidden to eat.
[8] That they were permitted to acquire knowledges from the world and to view them by a prior way is signified by "out of the ground Jehovah God made to grow every tree that is desirable to the sight and good for food;" for "trees" signify knowledges and perceptions; "desirable to the sight" signifies what the understanding desires; and "good for food" signifies what conduces to the nourishment of the mind. The knowledges of good and evil from the Lord from which is wisdom, and the knowledges of good and evil from the world from which is science, were represented by "the tree of lives" and by "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" in the midst of the garden. That they were permitted to appropriate to themselves knowledges from every source, not only from heaven but also from the world, provided they did not proceed in the inverted order, by reasoning about heavenly things from worldly knowledges, instead of thinking about worldly things from heavenly things, is signified by "Jehovah God commanded them to eat of every tree of the garden, but not of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil;" that if they did, heavenly wisdom and the church would perish with them is signified by "in the day that thou shalt eat of it dying thou shalt die," "to eat" signifying in the spiritual sense to appropriate to oneself.
[9] That they were seduced by the sensual, because it stands next to the world and thus is sensitive to every pleasure and delight from the world, and from these is in fallacies and is ignorant of and also rejects heavenly things, is signified by "the serpent;" "the serpent" means the sensual, and no other sensual than the sensual of such. The serpent is "the devil and Satan," because the sensual communicates with hell and makes one with it, for in it resides all the evil of man in the complex. And because man from the sensual reasons from fallacies and from the delights of the loves of the world and of the body, and indeed skillfully and cunningly, therefore it is said that "the serpent was more subtle than any wild beast of the field which Jehovah God had made;" "the wild beast of the field" signifying in the spiritual sense the affection of the natural man.
[10] As the sensual supposes that wisdom is acquired by means of knowledges from the world and by natural knowledges [scientiae], and not by any influx out of heaven from the Lord, therefore from such ignorance and fallacy the serpent said to the woman, "Ye shall not die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil;" for the sensual man believes that he knows all things, and that nothing is concealed from him; but not so the celestial man, who knows that he knows nothing from himself but only from the Lord, and that what he does know is so little as to be scarcely anything as compared with what he does not know. In fact, their posterity believed themselves to be gods, and that they knew all good and all evil; but from evil they were not capable of knowing heavenly good, but only worldly and corporeal good, and this in itself is not good; yet from heavenly good man is able to know what is evil.
[11] That the affection of the natural man persuaded by its sensual supposed that intelligence in the things of heaven and the church may be acquired through knowledge [scientia] of cognitions from the world is signified by, "the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to give intelligence;" "woman" here signifying the affection of the natural man, which draws its desires from the sensual, and that affection is such. That that affection seduced also the rational is signified by "the woman took of the fruit of the tree and did eat, and gave to her husband with her and he did eat," "the husband of the woman" signifying the rational. That they then saw themselves to be without truths and goods is signified by "then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked;" the "nakedness that is ashamed" signifying the deprivation of heavenly love, and thence of good and truth. That they then clothed themselves with natural truths, that they might not appear to be deprived of heavenly truths, is signified by "they sewed fig-leaves together and made themselves girdles;" the "fig-tree" signifying the natural man, and "its leaf" true knowledge [scientificum].
[12] Afterwards what their sensual became, namely, that it turned itself entirely away from heaven and turned itself to the world, and thus received nothing Divine, is described by the curse of the serpent; for the sensual with man cannot be reformed, consequently when man is reformed it is simply removed, since it clings to the body and stands out before the world, and thus enjoyments from it, it calls goods, as it feels them to be. For this reason it is said that "the seed of the woman shall crush its head, and that it shall hurt His heel;" "the seed of the woman" meaning the Lord; "the head of the serpent" all evil; and "the Lord's heel" Divine truth in ultimates which with us is the sense of the letter of the Word; this the sensual man, or the sensual of man, perverts and falsifies and thus hurts. That the sense of the letter is a guard that the Lord be not approached except through the appearances of truth, and not through genuine truths, by those who are in evils, is signified by "the cherubim" which with the flame of a sword turning itself were placed at the garden of Eden to guard the way of the tree of lives. (But this and the rest of these chapters may be seen explained in Arcana Coelestia.)
Footnotes:
1. The Latin has "his head;" the Hebrew "thy head," as also found in Arcana Coelestia 250.
739. [Vers. 9.] "Et projectus est draco ille magnus, ille serpens antiquus." - Quod significet quod separati e caelo ac dejecti in infernum illi qui in malis vitae sunt, et inde sensuales facti sunt, a quibus omnia Verbi et sic ecclesiae perversa sunt, constat ex significatione "projectus esse", cum de "dracone", quod sit separatus e caelo esse, et dejectus in infernum; (quod fuerint conjuncti caelo, at postea separati, videatur articulus praecedens (n. 737); quod dejecti et damnati inferno, intelligitur per quod "projectus sit in terram", de quo sequitur): ex significatione "draconis magni", quod sint qui in malis vitae, et tamen ore confitentur Deum et Dominum, ac Verbum sanctum dicunt, et pro ecclesia loquuntur (quod hi sint qui per "draconem" intelliguntur, videatur supra, n. 714, 715, 716, 718, 737); inde etiam dicitur "draco magnus", "magnum" enim in Verbo praedicatur de bono, ac in opposito sensu, ut hic, de malo; falsa autem illorum significantur per "angelos ejus" (de quibus sequitur): et ex significatione "serpentis antiqui", quod sint sensuales, hic quod inde sensuales facti, a quibus omnia Verbi et ecclesiae perversa sunt; quod per "serpentem" significetur sensuale, videatur supra (n. 581, 715 fin, ); qui "antiquus" vocatur ex eo, quod tales etiam fuerint olim, a quibus omnia Verbi et ecclesiae perversa sunt. Secundum sensum litterae historicum per "serpentem antiquum" intelligitur serpens qui Chaivam et Adamum in paradiso seduxit: sed per illum serpentem, ut per hunc, omnes tales, qui universum orbem seducunt, intelliguntur, ut constare potest ex sequentibus in hoc paragrapho. Ex his constare potest quod per "Projectus est draco magnus, ille serpens antiquus", significetur quod separati sint e caelo ac dejecti in infernum illi qui in malis vitae sunt, a quibus omnia Verbi et sic ecclesiae perversa sunt.
[2] Quod omnes illi qui in malis vitae sunt, sensuales fiant, et quod sensuales inde facti pervertant omnia ecclesiae, constare potest ex eo, quod apud homines tres gradus vitae sint, intimus, medius ac ultimus, et quod illi gradus apud hominem aperiantur successive, sicut ille sapiens fit. Omnis homo nascitur summe sensualis, usque adeo ut etiam quinque sensus corporis ejus per usum aperiendi sint; deinde fit ille sensualis quoad cogitationem, cogitat enim ex objectis, quae intrarunt per sensus corporis ejus; postea fit interius sensualis; at quantum ille per experientias visuales, ac per scientias, imprimis per usus vitae moralis, comparat sibi lumen naturale, tantum fit homo interius naturalis: hic est primus seu ultimus gradus vitae hominis.
[3] Quia tunc ex parentibus, exque magistris et praedicatoribus, tum ex lectione Verbi ac librorum inde, haurit cognitiones veri et boni spiritualis, et illas memoriae sicut alia scientifica mandat, fundat ecclesiam apud se; sed usque si non ulterius pergit, manet naturalis; at si ulterius pergit nempe, si vivit secundum cognitiones illas ex Verbo, aperitur apud illum interior gradus, ac fit spiritualis, sed non plus quam sicut afficitur veris, intelligit illa, vult illa et facit illa: causa est, quia sic, non aliter, removentur et quasi discutiuntur mala et inde falsa quae in naturali ac in sensuali homine ex hereditario resident; spiritualis enim homo est in caelo, ac naturalis in mundo; et quantum caelum potest influere, hoc est, Dominus per caelum, per spiritualem hominem in naturalem, tantum removentur mala et inde falsa, quae in naturali homine, ut dictum est, resident; Dominus removet illa, sicut removet infernum a caelo. Quod non aliter possit aperiri interior gradus apud hominem, est quia mala et falsa, quae in naturali homine sunt, illum clausum tenent; spiritualis enim gradus, seu spiritualis mens, se contrahit ad quodcunque malum ac falsum mali, sicut fibrilla corporis ad aculeum, nam fibrae corporis ad quemlibet tactum duriusculum se contrahunt; similis res est cum mente interiore hominis, quae spiritualis vocatur, ad tactum seu afflatum mali et inde falsi: at vero cum homogenea, quae sunt Divina vera ex Verbo, quae ex bono suam essentiam trahunt, illam mentem adeunt, tunc aperit se; sed aperitio non aliter fit quam per receptionem boni amoris influentis per caelum a Domino, et per conjunctionem ejus cum veris quae homo memoriae mandaverat; hoc non fit nisi per vitam secundum vera Divina in Verbo, nam quando vera illa fiunt vitae, tunc vocantur bona: inde constare potest, quomodo secundus seu medius gradus aperitur.
[4] Tertius autem seu intimus gradus aperitur apud illos qui vera Divina statim applicant vitae, et non prius ex memoria ratiocinantur de illis, et per id illa in dubium mittunt: hic gradus vocatur caelestis. Quoniam illi tres gradus vitae apud unumquemvis hominem sunt, sed tamen diversimode aperiuntur, inde tres caeli sunt. In tertio seu intimo caelo sunt, apud quos tertius gradus apertus est; in secundo seu medio caelo sunt, apud quos modo secundus gradus apertus est; et in primo seu ultimo caelo sunt, apud quos interior naturalis homo, qui etiam rationalis homo vocatur, apertus est; ille enim, si vere rationalis est, recipit influxum a Domino per caelum: omnes illi veniunt in caelum. At illi qui Divina vera modo receperunt memoria, et non simul vita, illi manent naturales, immo fiunt sensuales: causa est, quia mala, in quae homo natus est, in naturali et sensuali homine, ut supra dictum est, resident; nec remota sunt et quasi discussa per influxum boni a Domino, ac per receptionem ejus ab homine: inde est quod apud illos regnent amores corporis, qui in genere sunt amor sui et amor mundi, et inde amor et fastus propriae intelligentiae; hi amores, et ex illis fluentia mala et horum falsa, implent interiora mentis naturalis eorum, quae tamen obteguntur honestis et decoris vitae moralis propter mundum, et propter leges pro externo homine latas: hi tametsi memoriam impleverunt cognitionibus ex Verbo, ex dogmatibus plurium religionum, exque scientiis, usque naturales, immo sensuales sunt, nam interiora mentis naturalis, quae menti spirituali propiora sunt, apud se clauserunt per confirmationes, etiam ex Verbo, contra vitam spiritualem, quae est vita secundum Divina vera, et vocatur charitas erga proximum. Hi quia sensuales sunt, sunt "draco", et vocantur "serpentes"; nam "serpens" significat sensuale, ex causa, quia sensuale infimum vitae hominis est, et quasi repit humi, et lambit pulverem sicut serpens.
[5] Ad horum illustrationem velim afferre quae in Genesi de "serpente antiquo", qui Chaivam et Adamum seduxit, memorantur, et illa, quid in sensu spirituali significant, explicare: quae haec sunt,
"Progerminare fecit Jehovah Deus ex humo omnem arborem desiderabilem aspectu, et 1
bonam ad cibum, et arborem vitarum in medio horti, et arborem scientiae boni et mali. .... Et praecepit Jehovah Deus homini, dicendo, Ab omni arbore horti edendo edas, sed ab arbore scientiae boni et mali non edas, quia in die quo ederis illa moriendo morieris. .... Et serpens fuit astutus prae omni fera agri quam fecit Jehovah Deus; et dixit ad mulierem, Etiamne dixit Deus, Non comedetis de omni arbore horti? Et dixit mulier ad serpentem, De fructu arboris horti comedemus; at de fructu arboris quae in medio horti, dixit Deus, Non comedetis de illo, nec tangetis illum, ne moriamini. Et dixit serpens, Non moriendo morimini, quia novit Deus quod in die quo editis de eo, et aperientur oculi vestri, et eritis sicut Deus, scientes bonum et malum. Et vidit mulier quod bona arbor ad esum, et quod appetibilis illa oculis, et desiderabilis arbor ad dandum intelligentiam: et sumpsit ex fructu ejus et edit, et dedit etiam viro suo secum, et comedit: et aperti sunt oculi amborum, et cognoverunt quod nudi illi; et consuerunt folium ficus, et fecerunt sibi cingula. .... Et dixit Jehovah ad serpentem, Quia fecisti hoc, maledictus tu prae omni bestia, et prae omni fera agri; super ventre tuo ambulabis, et pulverem edes omnibus diebus vitae tuae: et inimicitiam ponam inter te et inter mulierem, et inter semen tuum et semen ejus; Ille conculcabit 2
tibi caput, et tu laedes calcaneum Ejus. .... Et emisit Jehovah Deus" hominem "ex horto Eden et habitare fecit ab oriente ad hortum Edenis cherubos, et flammam gladii... vertentis se, ad custodiendum viam arboris vitarum" (Genesis 2:8, 9, 16, 17; 3:1-7, 14, 15, 3:23,] 24):
quomodo historica de Creatione Caeli et Terrae, quae continentur a primo capite Geneseos, usque ad illud ubi agitur de Diluvio, intelligenda sunt, nemo potest scire, nisi ex sensu spirituali, qui inest sensui litterae Verbi in singulis ejus: historica enim illa de Creatione Caeli et Terrae, tum de Horto in Edene, deque Posteris Adami, usque ad Diluvium, sunt historica facta, sed usque sanctissima, quia singuli sensus ac singulae voces ibi correspondentiae sunt, et inde significant spiritualia; hoc potest ab unoquovis, qui perspicaci ingenio est, pervideri ex historia creationis in primo capite, quae coepta est a luce, quando nondum sol exstitit, et ex pluribus aliis ibi; tum ex creatione Chaivae uxoris Adami ex costa ejus; ut et ex binis arboribus in paradiso, et ex prohibitione ne ex arbore scientiae boni et mali comederent, et quod usque seducti a serpente comederint, tametsi omnium sapientissimi fuerunt; et quod Jehovah tales arbores in medio horti posuerit, ac passus sit ut seducerentur a serpente ad comedendum ex arbore vetita, quod tamen potuisset avertere; et tandem quod ex solo esu ex illa arbore universum genus humanum morti aeternae judicaretur. Quis non videt quod haec contra Divinum amorem, et contra Divinam providentiam et praevidentiam essent? praeter plura alia, quae intellectus caecutiens simpliciter crederet. Sed usque nihil nocet ut illa secundum litteram historicam ab infantibus et simplicibus credantur, quoniam illa sicut reliqua Verbi conjungunt mentes humanas mentibus angelicis; nam angeli in spirituali sensu sunt quando homines in naturali sensu. Quid autem historica illa in spirituali sensu involvunt, paucis dicetur.
[6] Agitur in primo capite de nova creatione seu instauratione ecclesiae, quae fuit ecclesia antiquissima in hac tellure, et quoque omnium praestantissima; fuit enim ecclesia caelestis, quia in amore in Dominum; inde homines illius ecclesiae fuerunt sapientissimi, communicationem paene immediatam habentes cum angelis caeli, per quos a Domino illis fuit sapientia: et quia in amore in Dominum fuerunt, et ex caelo revelationes habuerunt, et quia vera Divina revelata statim mandaverunt vitae, inde in simili statu fuerunt in quo sunt angeli tertii caeli; quare id caelum ex illius ecclesiae hominibus primario consistit. Haec ecclesia intelligitur per "Adamum et ejus uxorem"; per "hortum" autem in Edene significatur intelligentia et sapientia illorum, et quoque describitur per omnia illa in sensu spirituali intellecta, quae de horto illo memorantur; et quomodo sapientia in posteritate illorum deperdita fuit, describitur per "esum ex arbore scientiae": per binas enim "arbores" in medio horti positas intelligitur perceptio a Domino et perceptio a mundo; per "arborem vitarum" perceptio a Domino, et per "arborem scientiae boni et mali" perceptio a mundo, quae tamen in se est modo cognitio et scientia: per "serpentem" autem, qui seduxit illos, significatur sensuale hominis, quod immediate communicat cum mundo; quare per seductionem illorum a "serpente" intelligitur seductio a sensuali, quod omnia sua haurit ex mundo et nihil ex caelo: caelestis enim ecclesiae homines tales sunt, ut omnia vera et bona caeli percipiant a Domino per influxum in interiora eorum; unde vera et bona vident intus in se sicut insita, nec opus habent illa via posteriore addiscere, ac memoriam illis locupletare; inde nec ratiocinantur de veris, num ita sit, vel non ita; qui enim videt vera in se, non ratiocinatur, nam ratiocinari involvit dubitationem num ita sit; quae etiam causa est quod nusquam nominent fidem, nam fides involvit ignotum quid, quod usque credendum est tametsi non videtur. Quod homines Ecclesiae Antiquissimae tales fuerint, revelatum mihi est e caelo; datum enim est loqui cum illis ac informari, ut constare potest ex pluribus quae de hominibus illius ecclesiae in Arcanis Caelestibus relata sunt.
[7] At sciendum est quod nusquam illis vetitum fuerit comparare sibi cognitiones boni et mali e caelo, per illas enim perficiebatur intelligentia et sapientia illorum: nec vetitum fuit comparare sibi cognitiones boni et mali e mundo, inde enim scientia naturali eorum homini; sed vetitum fuit has cognitiones intueri via posteriore, quia datum est illis videre omnia, quae in mundo coram oculis eorum apparuerunt, via priore; via priore intueri mundum, ac illa quae ibi, et inde cognitiones haurire, est intueri illas ex luce caeli, et sic cognoscere quale eorum; quare etiam per cognitiones e mundo potuerunt confirmare caelestia, et sic sapientiam suam corroborare; at illis vetitum fuit intueri cognitiones e mundo via posteriore, quod fit quando ex illis concluditur de caelestibus, sic inverso ordine, qui ordo ab eruditis vocatur ordo influxus physici seu influxus naturalis, qui nullatenus datur in caelestia. Tales facti sunt homines Antiquissimae Ecclesiae, quando coeperunt amare mundana prae caelestibus, et se ex sapientia sua efferre et gloriari; inde posteri eorum sensuales facti sunt, et tunc sensuale eorum, quod intelligitur per "serpentem", seduxit illos; et sensuale non alia via, quam posteriore, progredi vult. Hoc itaque est quod significatur per "arborem scientiae boni et mali", e qua comedere illis prohibitum fuit.
[8] Quod licuerit illis comparare sibi cognitiones e mundo, et illas via priore intueri, significatur per quod "Jehovah Deus progerminare fecerit ex humo omnem arborem desiderabilem aspectu, et bonum ad esum"; per "arbores" enim significantur cognitiones et perceptiones; per "desiderabile aspectu" significatur quod desiderat intellectus, et per "bonum ad cibum" significatur quod conducit ad nutritionem mentis: cognitiones boni et mali a Domino ex quibus sapientia, et cognitiones boni et mali e mundo ex quibus scientia, repraesentabantur per "arborem vitarum" et per "arborem scientiae boni et mali" in medio horti: quod licuerit illis adpropriare sibi cognitiones undequaque, tam ex caelo quam ex mundo, modo non inverso ordine procederent, ratiocinando ex illis de caelestibus, et non cogitando ex caelestibus de mundanis, significatur per quod "praeceperit Jehovah Deus ut ex omni arbore horti comedant, sed non ex arbore scientiae boni et mali"; quod peritura sit tunc sapientia caelestis et ecclesia apud illos, significatur per "In die quo ederis ex illa, moriendo morieris"; "comedere" in sensu spirituali significat appropriare sibi:
[9] quod sensuale seduxerit illos, quia id proxime exstat mundo, et inde omne volupe et jucundum ex mundo sentit, ex quibus in fallaciis est, ac ignorat et quoque rejicit caelestia, significatur per "serpentem"; "serpens" est sensuale, et non aliud sensuale quam ipsorum; quod serpens sit "diabolus et satanas", est quia sensuale communicat cum inferno ac unum facit cum illo, ei enim insidet omne malum hominis in complexu; et quia homo ex sensuali ratiocinatur ex fallaciis, et ex jucundis amorum mundi et corporis, et quidem solerter et astute, ideo dicitur serpens "astutus prae omni fera agri quam fecerat Jehovah Deus"; "fera agri" in sensu spirituali significat affectionem naturalis hominis:
[10] quoniam sensuale putat quod sapientia comparetur per cognitiones e mundo, et per scientias naturales, et non per aliquem influxum e caelo a Domino, ideo ex illa inscitia et fallacia dixit serpens ad mulierem, "Non morimini, quia novit Deus quod in die quo edatis de eo, et aperiantur oculi vestri, et sitis sicut Deus, scientes bonum et malum"; credit enim sensualis homo quod omnia sciat, et nihil eum lateat; secus ac caelestis homo, qui scit quod nihil sciat ex se, sed ex Domino, et quod novit, tam parum sit, ut vix aliquid respective ad id quod non novit: immo credidit posteritas illorum quod essent dii, et quod scirent omne bonum et omne malum; at ex malo non scire potuerunt bonum caeleste, sed modo bonum terrestre et corporeum, quod tamen in se non est bonum; sed ex bono caelesti potest homo scire malum.
[11] Quod affectio naturalis hominis persuasa a suo sensuali putaverit per scientiam cognitionum e mundo intelligentiam in rebus caeli et ecclesiae comparari, significatur per quod "viderit mulier quod bona arbor ad esum, et quod appetibilis oculis, ac desiderabilis ad dandum intelligentiam"; per "mulierem" hic significatur affectio naturalis hominis, quae sua desideria trahit ex sensuali, et illa affectio talis est: quod illa affectio etiam seduxerit rationale, significatur per quod "mulier sumpserit ex fructu illius arboris et ederit, ac dederit viro suo secum", et quod "is comederit"; per "virum mulieris" significatur rationale; quod tunc viderint se absque veris et bonis, significatur per quod "tunc aperti sint oculi amborum, et cognoverint quod nudi illi"; "nuditas", quae erubescitur, significat deprivationem amoris caelestis et inde boni et veri: et quod tunc induerint se veris naturalibus, ne apparerent deprivati veris caelestibus, significatur per quod "consuerint folium ficus, et fecerint sibi cingula"; "ficus" significat naturalem hominem, et "folium ejus" significat verum scientificum.
[12] Describitur postea sensuale eorum quale factum est, nempe quod se prorsus averterit a caelo, et converterit ad mundum, et sic non aliquod Divinum receperit, per maledictionem serpentis; nam sensuale apud hominem non potest reformari, quare modo removetur cum homo reformatur, quoniam sensuale adhaeret corpori et exstat mundo, et ideo jucunda inde, sicut sentit, vocat bona: inde est quod dicatur quod "semen mulieris conculcabit illi caput, et ille laedet calcaneum Ejus"; per "semen mulieris" intelligitur Dominus, per "caput serpentis" omne malum, et per "calcaneum Domini" significatur Divinum Verum in ultimis, quod apud nos est sensus litterae Verbi; hunc sensualis homo, seu sensuale hominis, pervertit et falsificat, et sic laedit. Quod sensus litterae tutetur ne adeatur Dominus nisi quam per apparentias veri, et non per genuina vera, ab illis qui in malis sunt, significatur per "cherubos", qui cum flamma gladii vertentis se positi 3
sunt ad hortum Edenis, ad custodiendum viam arboris vitarum. (Sed haec et reliqua illorum capitum videantur in Arcanis Caelestibus explicata.)
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.