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846. For it is the number of a man. That this signifies its nature, as if it were from the understanding of truths, which understanding the men of the church ought to possess, is evident from the signification of number, as denoting the nature of faith (concerning which see above, n. 841); and from the signification of man, as denoting the understanding of truth which the men of the church have in matters of faith (concerning which also see above, n. 280, 546, 547). In this case, as if it were from such understanding. For faith separated from the life is a belief in what is false, consequently destitute of truth and the understanding of it. The case, therefore, is the same here with the signification of man, as with that of wisdom above (n. 844); by which is meant, as if it were wisdom, although it is insanity.
[2] Moreover those who are in faith separated from charity prohibit the use of the understanding, insisting upon obedience to a faith not understood, and that a faith understood is a man's own faith, and therefore natural and not spiritual. But what is the nature of intellectual faith shall be told.
The Word in its spiritual sense treats, in many passages, of the understanding of the Divine truth in the Word; and, where the desolation of the church is treated of, it also treats of the destruction of the understanding of the Divine verities thereof from the Word. And from the spiritual sense of passages upon that subject taken collectively, and carefully investigated, it is evident, that in the measure that the understanding of truth perishes in the church, in the same measure the church perishes. The understanding of the Word is also signified in many passages by Egypt, Ashur, Israel, and also by Ephraim - by Egypt, the natural understanding thereof; by Ashur, rational understanding; by Israel, spiritual understanding; and by Ephraim, the actual understanding of the Word in the church. But these three degrees of understanding - the natural, rational, and spiritual, ought to be one, in order that a man may from enlightenment see and perceive the genuine truths of the Word. For the natural understanding, which is the lowest, cannot be enlightened by its own light (lumen), but it must be enlightened by the light of the rational man, which is in the midst, and the latter from spiritual light. For the spiritual understanding is in the light of heaven, and sees by virtue of it; and the Rational is a medium between the Spiritual and the Natural, and receives spiritual light, which it transmits to the Natural and enlightens it. It is therefore evident that the natural understanding without light through the Rational from what is spiritual, is not understanding, for it is without light from heaven; and the truths of the church, which are also the truths of heaven, can be seen only in the light of heaven. The reason is, that Divine truth going forth from the Lord as a Sun, is the light of heaven; and the Lord by His own light, which is spiritual light, alone enlightens man.
[3] From these things it is evident, that the Lord desires a man not only to know the truths of the church to which he belongs, but also to understand them, not, however, from natural light separated from spiritual light; for natural light separated from spiritual light, in heavenly or spiritual things, is not light but darkness. For a man, from natural light separated from spiritual light, views the things of the church from himself, and not from the Lord. Therefore he can see them only from appearances and fallacies, and to see the former from the point of view of the latter, is to see falsities instead of truths, and evils instead of goods. The fire which sends forth and also enkindles that light is the love of self, and the pride of one's own intelligence therefrom. In the measure that a man, thinking from that fire and its light, excels in ingenuity, and has the power to confirm everything he pleases thence, in the same measure, he can also confirm falsities and evils, to such a degree as even to make them appear to be truths and goods. Indeed, he can show falsities and evils in a brilliant natural light, which is, nevertheless, a delusive light, increased by the contriver. But to comprehend the things of the church from this light is not to understand, but rather to misunderstand them. For a man from that light alone sees truths as falsities, and falsities as truths. This is especially the case when some accepted dogma is assumed as the truth itself, without previous investigation as to whether it be true or not, and if it is investigated it is only by statements confirmed by reasonings from the natural man, or by confirmation from passages from the Word that are not understood. When a man views all the dogmas of his religion in this way, he may assume as a principle whatever he pleases, and shed upon it the light of confirmation to such a degree as to make it to appear to be truth from heaven, although it is falsehood from hell.
[4] From what has been said, it may be concluded that by understanding the truths of the church is meant the understanding of them when illuminated by the light of heaven, thus by the Lord. The man who is in such enlightenment, can see the truths of the church rationally while in the world, and spiritually after death. But from natural light (lumen) separated from spiritual light - which is the light of heaven from the Lord - to enter into the things of the church, which interiorly are spiritual and celestial, is to proceed according to an inverted order. For what is natural cannot enter into what is spiritual, but what is spiritual can enter into what is natural. For natural influx, which is also called physical influx, into the thoughts and intentions of a man's spirit is not possible. Spiritual influx, however, is possible, that is, of the thoughts and intentions of the spirit into the body, and also into its actions and sensations.
846. For it is the number of a man, signifies its quality, as if it were from the understanding of truths such as men of the church must have. This is evident from the signification of "number," as being the quality of faith (See above, n. 841); also from the signification of "man," as being the understanding of truth that men of the church have in matters of faith see above, n. 280, 546, 547), here as if it were from the understanding; for faith separated from the life is a faith in falsity, thus without truth and an understanding of it; therefore it is similar here in regard to the signification of "man" as in regard to the signification of "wisdom" above (n. 844), which means, as if it were wisdom although it is insanity.
[2] Moreover, those who are in faith separated from charity shut out the understanding, demanding obedience to a faith not understood, and that the faith understood is man's own faith, and thus is natural and not spiritual. But what the quality of intellectual faith is shall be told. The Word in its spiritual sense treats in many passages of the understanding of the Divine truth in the Word; and where it describes the desolation of the church it treats also of the destruction of the understanding of its Divine truths from the Word; and from a collection of passages on that subject, carefully investigated in respect to their interior meaning, it is clear that so far as the understanding of truth perishes in the church, so far the church perishes. Moreover, the understanding of the Word is signified in many passages by "Egypt," "Assyria," "Israel," and also "Ephraim;" "Egypt" signifying the natural understanding of it, "Assyria" the rational understanding; "Israel" the spiritual understanding, and "Ephraim" the understanding itself of the Word in the church. But in order that man may see and perceive from enlightenment the genuine truths of the Word, these three degrees of understanding, the natural, the rational, and the spiritual, must be together; for the natural understanding, which is the lowest, cannot be enlightened by its own lumen, but must be enlightened by the light of the rational man, which is intermediate, and this by spiritual light; for the spiritual understanding is in the light of heaven and sees by it, and the rational is intermediate between the spiritual and the natural, and receives spiritual light and transmits it to the natural and enlightens it. This shows that the natural understanding without light through the rational from the spiritual is no understanding, for it is without light from heaven; and the truths of the church, which are also truths of heaven, can by no means be seen except in the light of heaven; the reason is that Divine truth proceeding from the Lord as a sun is the light of heaven, and the Lord enlightens man by His own light only, which is spiritual light.
[3] From this it is clear that the Lord wishes man both to know the truths of His church and also to understand them; not, however, from natural light separated from spiritual light; for natural light separated from spiritual light, in the things of heaven or in spiritual matters, is not light but thick darkness. For man, from natural light separated from spiritual light, views the things of the church from self and not from the Lord, and consequently he can see them only from appearances and fallacies; and to see them from these is to see falsities for truths, and evils for goods. The fire that propagates and enkindles that light is the love of self and the consequent pride of self-intelligence. Man who thinks from that fire and that light so far as he excels in genius and thence in the ability to confirm whatever he pleases, so far he is able to so confirm falsities and evils as to make them appear to be truths and goods, and can even set forth falsities and evils in a resplendent natural light, which is, nevertheless, a delusive light that has been thus exalted by art. But to apprehend church matters by this light is not to understand them, but rather to not understand them, since by that light alone man sees truths as falsities, and falsities as truths. This is especially so when any accepted dogma is assumed to be the truth itself, with no previous investigation whether it be true or not; or if investigated is investigated only through what has been established by reasonings from the natural man, and by confirmations from the Word not understood. When a man views all the dogmas of his religion in this way he can assume as a principle whatever he pleases, and can so impart to it the light of confirmation as to make it to appear to be a truth from heaven, although it is a falsity from hell.
[4] From this it can be concluded that the understanding of the truths of the church means the understanding of them that is enlightened by the light of heaven, thus by the Lord. The man who is in that enlightenment is able to see the truths of the church rationally in this world, and spiritually after death. But to enter into church matters, which are interiorly spiritual and celestial, from natural lumen separated from spiritual light, which is the light of heaven from the Lord, is to proceed by an inverse order, since what is natural cannot enter into what is spiritual, but what is spiritual can enter into what is natural. For there can be with man no natural influx (called also physical influx) into the thoughts and intentions of his spirit; but there can be spiritual influx, that is, of the thoughts and intentions of the spirit into the body and into its actions and sensations.
846. "Numerus enim hominis est." Quod significet quale ejus sicut foret ex intellectu veritatum, qui hominibus ecclesiae erit, constat ex significatione "numeri", quod sit quale fidei (de qua supra, n. 841); et ex significatione "hominis", quod sit intellectus veri qui hominibus ecclesiae in rebus fidei (de qua etiam supra, n. 280, 546, 547), hic sicut foret ex intellectu; est enim fides separata a vita fides falsi, ita absque vero et ejus intellectu: quare hic cum significatione "hominis" simile est ut cum significatione "sapientiae" supra (n. 844), quod intelligatur, sicut foret sapientia, tametsi est insania.
[2] Praeterea illi qui in fide separata a charitate sunt, excludunt intellectum, volentes ut obedientia fidei non intellectae sit, et quod fides intellecta sit fides propria. hominis, ac inde naturalis et non spiritualis: sed qualis fides intellectualis sit, dicetur. In Verbo, in ejus sensu spirituali, multis agitur de intellectu Divini Veri in Verbo; et ubi de desolatione ecclesiae, etiam de intellectu deperdito veritatum Divinarum ejus ex Verbo agitur; et ex locis ibi de ea re collectis, et quoad sensum eorum interiorem exploratis, patet, quod quantum perit intellectus veri in ecclesia, tantum pereat ecclesia; etiam per "Aegyptum", Aschurem", "Israelem", et per "Ephraimum", multis in locis significatur intellectus Verbi; sed per "Aegyptum" intellectus naturalis ejus, per "Aschurem" intellectus rationalis, per "Israelem" intellectus spiritualis, at per "Ephraimum" ipse intellectus Verbi in ecclesia; sed tres illi gradus intellectus, nempe naturalis, rationalis et spiritualis, una erunt, ut homo ex illustratione videat et percipiat genuinas veritates Verbi; nam intellectus naturalis, qui est infimus, non potest a suo lumine illustrari, sed illustrabitur a luce rationalis hominis, qui est medius, et hic ex luce spirituali; intellectus enim spiritualis est in luce caeli, et inde videt; rationale est medium inter spirituale et naturale, ac recipit lucem spiritualem, quam transmittit in naturale ac illustrat illud: inde patet quod intellectus naturalis, absque luce per rationale ex spirituali, non sit intellectus, est enim absque luce e caelo; ac vera ecclesiae, quae etiam sunt vera caeli, nequaquam videri possunt, nisi quam in luce caeli: causa est, quia Divinum Verum procedens a Domino ut Sole est lux caeli, ac Dominus per suam lucem, quae est lux spiritualis, solus illustrat hominem.
[3] Ex his patet quod Dominus velit ut homo vera ecclesiae suae non modo sciat, sed etiam intelligat attamen non ex luce naturali separata a luce spirituali; lux enim naturalis separata a luce spirituali, in rebus caeli seu in spiritualibus, non lux est sed caligo: homo enim ex luce naturali separata, res ecclesiae ex semet et non ex Domino intuetur; quare non potest aliter quam illas ex apparentiis et fallaciis videre, et eas ex illis videre est videre falsa pro veris ac mala pro bonis; ignis qui propagat et quoque accendit illam lucem, est amor sui, et inde fastus propriae intelligentiae; homo qui ex illo igne et inde luce cogitat, quantum valet dote ingenii, et inde facultate confirmandi omnia quae lubet, tantum etiam potest falsa et mala confirmare, usque ut appareant sicut vera et bona; immo potest falsa et mala sistere in luce splendente naturali, quae tamen est lux fatua ita ab artifice exaltata: sed comprehendere res ecclesiae ex hac luce non est intelligere illas, sed est potius non intelligere, nam homo ex illa sola luce videt vera sicut falsa, ac falsa sicut vera; et hoc fit imprimis quando receptum aliquod dogma assumitur sicut ipsum verum, et non in antecessum lustratur num sit verum vel non; et si lustretur, fit solum ex confirmatis per ratiocinia ex naturali homine, et per confirmationes ex locis in Verbo non intellectis: homo qui omnia religionis suae dogmata eo modo intuetur, potest pro principio sumere quodcunque lubet, et ei dare confirmationis lucem usque ad apparentiam sicut foret verum e caelo, tametsi est falsum ex inferno.
[4] Ex his concludi potest quod per intellectum veritatum ecclesiae intelligatur intellectus illarum illustratus a luce caeli, ita a Domino: homo qui in illa illustratione est, ille potest vera ecclesiae videre rationaliter in mundo, ac spiritualiter post mortem. At vero ex lumine naturali separato a luce spirituali, quae est lux caeli a Domino, intrare in res ecclesiae, quae interius sunt spirituales et caelestes, est progredi inverso ordine, nam naturale non potest intrare in spirituale, sed spirituale potest in naturale; non enim datur influxus naturalis apud hominem in ejus spiritus cogitationes ac intentiones, qui influxus etiam vocatur physicus, sed datur influxus spiritualis, nempe cogitationum ac intentionum spiritus in corpus, ac in ejus actiones et sensationes.