----中文待译----
962. And there came a great and noxious sore. That this signifies evil works there, and consequent falsifications of truth, is evident from the signification of a sore, as denoting works that are done from man, thus from his proprium, and are evil; of these we shall treat presently. And that great is said of good, and, in the opposite sense, of evil, and noxious of what is falsified; therefore, by a great and noxious sore are signified evil works, and consequent falsifications of truth.
The reason why by sores are signified works from the proprium, and thence evils is, that from man's proprium nothing but evil can be produced. For a man's proprium is that into which he is born, and which he afterwards acquires by his own life. And because his proprium is thus, from its very birth, formed of mere evils, therefore a man must be, as it were, created anew, or regenerated, in order that he may be in good, and thus be received into heaven. When he is regenerated, then the evils from the proprium are removed, and in their place goods are implanted, and this is effected by truths. That evil works, and the falsifications of truths are with those who acknowledge faith alone in doctrine, and confirm it in life, is meant by what follows - that a great and noxious sore is upon the men who have the mark of the beast, and who worship his image.
That sores signify works from the proprium, is evident from the Word, where sores and wounds and various diseases are mentioned; as leprosies, fevers, hemorrhoids, and others; all of which correspond to lusts arising from evil loves, and thence signify them.
[2] What ulcers or wounds signify is further evident from the following passages.
In Isaiah:
"From the sole of the foot even to the head there is no soundness in it; the wound, and scar, and fresh bruise have not been pressed out, nor bound up, nor mollified with oil. Your whole land is a desert, your cities burned with fire" (1:6, 7).
By these words it is declared that there is no good and, consequently, no truth in the church, but evil and the falsity therefrom. From the sole of the foot even to the head no soundness, signifies that both natural things and spiritual, these being the interiors of man and of his will, are destroyed. Wound and scar, and fresh bruise, signify evils of the will, and the falsities of the thought therefrom, continually abounding. Evils of the will are also evil works. Not bound up, nor mollified with oil, signifies not amended by repentance, nor tempered by good. Your land is a desert, your cities burned with fire, signifies the church devastated as to all truth, and the doctrinals thereof destroyed by a life according to lusts arising from an evil love.
[3] In Hosea:
"Ephraim saw his disease, and Judah his wound; and Ephraim went to Assyria, and sent to king Jareb, and he could not heal you; and he shall not cure you of your wound" (5:13).
By Ephraim is signified the church as to the understanding of truth; in this case, as to the understanding of falsity. And by Judah is signified the will of good, here, the will of evil. By Assyria and king Jareb is signified the Rational perverted, as to good and as to truth. The signification of those words in a series is evident, that is, that a man from his own intelligence cannot amend the falsities arising from evils of the will; evil of the will, which also is evil of the life, being meant by wound.
[4] In David:
"Mine iniquities have passed over my head, my wounds stink and are corrupt, by reason of my foolishness" (Psalms 38:4, 5).
Here also wounds signify evils of the will, which are evil works; these are said to stink and to be corrupt by reason of foolishness, when the delight of the will and of thought therefrom is to do them.
[5] In Isaiah:
"In the day that Jehovah bindeth up the breach of his people, and healeth the wound of their plague" (30:26).
By the breach of the people is signified falsity of doctrine; and by the wound of their plague, evil of life. The reformation of doctrine by means of truths is signified by Jehovah binding up the breach of His people; and reformation of the life by truths, is signified by healing the wound of their plague.
[6] "The Samaritan bound up the wounds of him who was wounded by robbers, and poured therein oil and wine" (Luke 10:33, 34).
This signified that those who are in the good of charity are desirous to amend the evils arising from falsities by means of truths from good. Thieves are those who infuse falsities, whence evils come; the Jews in particular. Wounds are those evils; oil is the good of love, and wine is the truth of the Word and of doctrine.
[7] But these things may be seen explained above (n. Luke 16:21),
are meant the nations, who were in falsities from ignorance of truth, and thence were not in goods. These are those who are thence called full of sores. By the rich man, at whose threshold he lay, is meant the Jewish nation, which might have been in truths from the Word which they possessed.
[8] That a sore breaking forth was one of the plagues in Egypt, is evident in Moses:
"Jehovah said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you your hands full of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward heaven in the sight of Pharaoh, and it shall become dust upon all the land of Egypt. And they took the ashes of the furnace, and Moses sprinkled it towards heaven, and it became a sore breaking forth with boils in man and in beast. And the magicians could not stand before Moses on account of the sore, because the sore was upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians" (Arcana Coelestia 7516-7532).
[9] Similar things are also signified by these words in Moses:
"Jehovah will smite thee with the sore of Egypt, and with hemorrhoids, and with the scab and the itch, that thou canst not be healed, with which thou shalt become insane from the beholding of the eyes. Jehovah shall smite thee with an evil sore upon the knees and upon the thighs, of which thou canst not be healed" (Deuteronomy 28:27, 34-36).
By the plagues named there are signified evils and falsities of various kinds arising from the filthy loves of the natural man, for they correspond thereto. For sores and wounds exist from injury to the flesh and blood, and evils and falsities from the injury to Divine Good and Divine truth; and flesh corresponds to good, and therefore in the Word signifies it; and blood, to truth, and hence signifies it.
[10] Because leprosy signifies the profanation of truth; and the profanation of truth is various, and is, consequently, light and grievous, exterior and interior, and according to the quality of the truth profaned, therefore also its effects are various, these being signified by the appearances in leprosy; which were tumours, sores of tumours, white pustules, reddenings, abscesses, burnings, cutaneous eruption, scurf, etc. (Leviticus 13:1 to the end). Such things happened to the Jewish nation from correspondence, not only in their flesh, but also in their garments, houses, and vessels, on account of their profanations of the Word.
Continuation concerning the Second Precept:-
[11] Because by the name of God is meant the Divine truth, or the Word; and by its profanation denial of its sanctity, and thence contempt, rejection, and blasphemy, it follows that the name of God is interiorly profaned by a life contrary to the precepts of the Decalogue. For there is profanation interior and not exterior; and there is a profanation interior, and at the same time exterior. And there may be also somewhat of profanation which is exterior and not at the same time interior. Interior profanation is effected by the life, exterior by the speech. The interior profanation, by the life, becomes also exterior or by speech, after death. For then every one thinks and wills, and, as far as it is permitted, speaks and acts, according to his life; thus, not as he used in the world. In the world a man is accustomed to speak and act differently from his own life; he thinks and wills for the sake of the world, and to get fame. This is why, as was said, there is a profanation which is interior, and not at the same time exterior.
That there may be also somewhat of profanation which is exterior, and not at the same time interior, may result from the style of the Word, which is not at all the style of the world; and may consequently be to some extent despised from ignorance of its interior sanctity.
962. And there came a great 1and noxious sore, signifies evil works therein and consequent falsifications of the Word. This is evident from the signification of a "sore," as being works that are done from man, thus that are from what is his own [proprium] and that are evil (of which presently); and as "great" 1is predicated of good, and in the contrary sense of evil, and "noxious" of what is falsified, therefore "a great 1and noxious sore" signifies evil works, and consequent falsifications of truth. "Sores" signify works from what is one's own [proprium], and thus evils, because from what is man's own nothing but evil can be produced. For what is man's own is that into which he is born, and which he afterwards carries into effect by means of his life. And as what is his own is thus from very birth composed of mere evils, man must be as it were created anew, that is, regenerated, that he may be in good and thus be received into heaven. When he is being regenerated the evils that are from his own are removed, and goods are implanted in their place, and this is effected by means of truths. That evil works and falsifications of truths are with those who acknowledge faith alone in doctrine, and confirm it in life is meant by what follows, namely, that "a great 1and noxious sore is on the men who have the mark of the beast and who adore his image."
[2] That "sores" signify works that are from one's own can be seen from the Word where sores and wounds, also diseases of various kinds, as leprosies, fevers, ulcers, emerods, and many others, are mentioned. All of these correspond to the cupidities that arise from evil loves, and thus signify them. Moreover, what sores or wounds signify can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:
From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; wound, and bruise, and the fresh blow, they have not been pressed out nor bound up nor softened with oil. Your land is a solitude, your cities are burned with fire (Isaiah 1:6, 7).
This describes that there is no good and consequently no truth in the church, but evil and falsity therefrom. "From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness" signifies that both natural and spiritual things which are the interiors of man and of his will have been destroyed. "Wound and bruise and fresh blow" signify the evils of the will, and the falsities of the thought therefrom continually increasing. Evils of the will are also evil works. "Not bound up nor softened with oil" signifies not amended by repentance and tempered by good. "Your land is a solitude, your cities are burned with fire" signifies that the church has been devastated as to all truth, and its doctrinals have been destroyed by a life according to the cupidities that spring from an evil love.
[3] In Hosea:
Ephraim saw his disease, and Judah his wound; and Ephraim went to the Assyrian, and sent to king Jareb, and he was not able to heal you, neither shall he cure you of your wound (Hosea 5:13).
"Ephraim" signifies the church as to the understanding of truth, here as to the understanding of falsity; and "Judah" signifies the will of good, but here the will of evil; the "Assyrian" and "king Jareb" signify the rational perverted as to good and truth. This makes clear the signification of these words in the series, namely, that man is unable from self-intelligence to amend the falsities that spring from the evils of the will, "wound" meaning the evil of the will, which also is the evil of the life.
[4] In David:
Mine iniquities have passed over my head. My wounds have putrefied, they have wasted away because of my foolishness (Psalms 38:4, 5).
Here, too, "wounds" stand for evils of the will, which are evil works, these are said "to putrefy and to waste away because of foolishness" when it is the delight of the will and of the thought therefrom to do them.
[5] In Isaiah:
In the day that Jehovah shall bind up the breach of His people, and shall heal the wound of their blow (Isaiah 30:26).
"The breach of the people" signifies the falsity of doctrine; and "the wound of their blow" the evil of life; the reformation of doctrine by means of truths is signified by "Jehovah shall bind up the breach of His people;" and reformation of the life by means of truths is signified by "He shall heal the wound of their blow."
[6] In Luke:
The Samaritan bound up the wounds of the man disabled by robbers, and poured into them oil and wine (376, 444)
[7] In Luke:
Lazarus, full of sores, who was cast forth at the vestibule of the rich man (Luke 16:20, 21),
signifies the nations that were in falsities from ignorance of truth, and thus were not in goods. From this he is said to have been "fall of sores;" "the rich man" at whose vestibule he was cast forth means the Jewish nation, which could have been in the truths from the Word that it possessed.
[8] That "a boil breaking forth" was one of the plagues in Egypt is evident in Moses:
Jehovah said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses scatter it towards heaven before the eyes of Pharaoh; and it shall become dust upon all the land of Egypt. And they took ashes of the furnace, and Moses scattered it towards heaven, and it became a boil of pustules breaking forth on man and beast; and the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boil, because the boil was upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians (Arcana Coelestia 7516-7532.)
[9] So, too, these words in Moses have a like signification:
Jehovah shall smite thee with the boil of Egypt and with emerods, and with scab and the itch, so that thou canst not be healed, with which thou shalt become mad from the sight of their eyes. Jehovah shall smite thee with an evil boil upon the knees and upon the thighs, of which thou canst not be healed (Deuteronomy 28:27, 34-36).
The plagues here mentioned signify evils and falsities of various kinds arising from the filthy loves of the natural man, for they correspond thereto. For sores and wounds exist from injury to flesh and blood, and evils and falsities from injury to the Divine good and the Divine truth; and flesh corresponds to good, and thus signifies it in the Word, and blood to truth, and thus signifies it.
[10] As "leprosy" signifies the profanation of truth, and the profanation of truth is various, is light or grievous, interior or exterior, and is according to the quality of the truth profaned, so too its effects are various, and these are signified by the appearances in leprosy, which were:
Tumors, suppurating tumors, white pustules, reddenings, abscesses, burnings, tetter, scall (Leviticus 13 to the end). The Jewish nation was afflicted with such things from correspondence because of their profanations of the Word, not only in their flesh, but also in their garments, houses, and vessels.
(Continuation respecting the Second Commandment)
[11] As the Divine truth or the Word is meant by "the name of God," and the profanation of it means a denial of its holiness, and thus contempt, rejection, and blasphemy, it follows that the name of God is interiorly profaned by a life contrary to the commandments of the Decalogue. For there is profanation that is interior and not exterior, and there is profanation that is interior and at the same time exterior, and there can be also a kind of profanation that is exterior and not at the same time interior. Interior profanation is produced by the life, exterior by the speech. Interior profanation, which is produced by the life, becomes exterior also, or of the speech, after death. For then everyone thinks and wills, and so far as it can be permitted, speaks and acts, according to his life; thus not as he did in the world. In the world, for the world's sake and to gain reputation, man is wont to speak and act otherwise than as he thinks and wills from his life. This is why it has been said that there is profanation that is interior and not at the same time exterior. There can also be a kind of profanation that is exterior and not at the same time interior. It can come from the style of the Word, which is not at all the style of the world, and for this reason it may be to some extent despised from ignorance of its interior sanctity.
Footnotes:
1. In the text at the beginning of the chapter it reads "malum et noxium," "evil and noxious" here in the photolithograph Swedenborg first wrote "malum" but crossed this out and wrote over it "magnum" "great," through the following explanation he wrote "magnum" where the word is quoted. The Greek word means evil. In The Apocalypse Revealed Swedenborg translates it "malum" "evil," wherever quoted.
962. "Et factum est ulcus magnum et noxium." - Quod significet mala ibi opera, et inde falsificationes veri, constat ex significatione "ulceris", quod sint opera quae ex homine fiunt, ita quae sunt ex proprio ejus, quae sunt mala (de qua sequitur); et quia "magnum" praedicatur de bono, et in opposito sensu de malo, ac "noxium" de falsificato, ideo per "ulcus magnum et noxium" significantur opera mala, et inde falsificationes veri. Quod per "ulcera" significentur opera ex proprio, et inde mala, est quia ex proprio hominis non potest nisi quam malum produci; est enim proprium hominis in quod nascitur, et quod postea per vitam suam contrahit; et quia proprium ejus ab ipsa nativitate ex meris malis est conflatum, ideo homo e novo quasi creandus est, hoc est, regenerandus, ut in bono sit, et sic possit in caelum recipi: quando regeneratur, tunc mala, quae ex proprio sunt, removentur, et loco illorum implantantur bona, quod fit per vera. Quod opera mala et falsificationes veri sint apud illos qui solam fidem doctrina agnoscunt et vita confirmant, intelligitur per illa quae mox sequuntur; nempe quod "ulcus magnum et noxium sit in hominibus habentibus characterem bestiae, et imaginem ejus adorantibus."
[2] Quod "ulcera" significent opera quae ex proprio, constare potest ex Verbo ubi "ulcera" et "vulnera" nominantur; tum ubi varii generis morbi, sicut "lepra", "febris", "anthrax", "haemorrhoides", et plures alii, qui omnes correspondent cupiditatibus oriundis ex amoribus malis, et inde significant illas. Quid porro "ulcera" seu "vulnera" significant, constare potest ex sequentibus his locis:
Apud Esaiam,
"A vola pedis usque ad caput non in eo integritas, vulnus et cicatrix, et plaga recens; non expressa sunt, . . non obligata, . . non emollita oleo; terra vestra solitudo, urbes vestrae exustae igne" (1:6, 7):
per haec describitur, quod non bonum et inde non verum in ecclesia, sed malum et inde falsum: "A vola pedis usque ad caput non integritas", significat quod tam naturalia quam spiritualia, quae interiora hominis et ejus voluntatis sunt, deperdita sint: "vulnus et cicatrix et plaga recens", significat mala voluntatis, et inde falsa cogitationis, continue plura; mala voluntatis sunt etiam mala opera: "non obligata, non emollita oleo", significat non per resipiscentiam emendata, ac per bonum temperata;"terra vestra solitudo, urbes vestrae exustae igne", significat quod ecclesia devastata sit quoad omne verum, et quod doctrinalia ejus, per vitam secundum cupiditates ex amore malo oriundas, destructa sint.
[3] Apud Hoscheam,
"Vidit Ephraim morbum suum, et Jehudah vulnus suum, et ivit Ephraim ad Assyrium, et misit ad regem Jareb, et hic non potuit sanare vos; et non curabit a vobis vulnus" (5:13):
per "Ephraimum" significatur ecclesia quoad intellectum veri, hic quoad intellectum falsi; et per "Jehudam" significatur voluntas boni, hic voluntas mali; per "Assyrium" et "regem Jareb", significatur rationale perversum quoad bonum et quoad verum: inde patet quid in serie per illa verba significatur, quod nempe homo ex propria intelligentia non possit emendare falsa oriunda ex malis voluntatis; malum voluntatis, quod etiam est malum vitae, intelligitur per "vulnus."
[4] Apud Davidem,
"Iniquitates meae transiverunt caput meum; .... computruerunt, contabuerunt vulnera mea propter stultitiam meam" (Psalms 38:5, 6 [B.A. 4, 5]):
hic quoque "vulnera" pro malis voluntatis, quae sunt mala opera; quae "computrescere" et "contabescere" propter stultitiam dicuntur, quando jucundum voluntatis et inde cogitationis est facere illa.
[5] Apud Esaiam,
"In die quo obligabit Jehovah fracturam populi sui, et vulnus plagae . . sanabit" (30:26):
per "fracturam populi" significatur falsum doctrinae, et per "vulnus plagae" malum vitae; reformatio doctrinae per vera significatur per quod "obligabit Jehovah fracturam populi sui", et reformatio vitae per vera significatur per quod "sanabit vulnus plagae."
[6] Quod Samarita obligaverit vulnera sauciati a latronibus, ac infuderit eis oleum et vinum (Luca 10:33, 34),
significabat quod illi qui in bono charitatis sunt, velint mala ex falsis oriunda per vera ex bono emendare; "latrones" sunt qui infuderunt falsa unde mala, in specie Judaei: "vulnera" sunt illa mala, "oleum" est bonum amoris, "vinum" est verum Verbi et doctrinae. (Sed haec videantur supra, n. 376 [e] et 444 [c] , explicata.)
[7] Per
Lazarum projectum ad vestibulum divitis ulcerosum (Luca 16:20, 21),
intelliguntur gentes, quae in falsis ex ignorantia veri, et inde non in bonis fuerunt; qui inde "ulcerosus" dicitur: per "divitem", ad cujus vestibulum projectus est, intelligitur gens Judaica, quae in veris ex Verbo, quod habebat, potuit esse.
[8] Quod "ulcus efflorescens" fuerit una plaga ex plagis Aegypti, patet apud Mosen,
"Dixit Jehovah ad Mosen et ad Aharonem, Accipite vobis plenitudine pugnorum vestrorum favillam fornacis, et spargat illam Moses versus caelum ad oculos Pharaonis, et erit in pulverem super omni terra Aegypti. .... Et acceperunt favillam fornacis, .... et sparsit illam Moscheh versus caelum, et factum est ulcus pustularum efflorescens in homine et in bestia: et non potuerunt magi stare coram Moscheh propter ulcus, quia fuit ulcus in magis et in omnibus Aegyptiis" (Exodus 9:8-11):
per "Pharaonem" et "Aegyptios" significatur naturalis homo obsessus ab omnis generis malis et falsis, et affectatio dominii naturalis hominis super spiritualem; spiritualis homo significabatur ibi per "filios Israelis; per miracula ibi, quae erant totidem plagae, et quoque vocantur "morbi", significantur totidem mala et falsa infestantia, devastantia et destruentia ecclesiam quae apud spirituales homines; per "favillam fornacis", quam Moscheh spargeret versus caelum, significantur falsa cupiditatum, quae excitantur; per "pulverem in terra Aegypti" significatur damnatio: per "ulcus efflorescens pustulis" significantur spurca voluntatis cum blasphemiis. (Sed haec singillatim explicata videanturin Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 7516, 7532.)
[9] Similia itaque significantur perhaec apud Mosen,
"Percutiet te Jehovah ulcere Aegypti, et haemorrhoidibus, et scabie et prurigine, ut non possis sanari, .... quo fies insanus ab aspectu oculorum .... Percutiet te Jehovah ulcere malo super genubus et super femoribus, a quibus non possis sanari" (Deuteronomius 28:27, 34-36):
per "plagas" ibi nominatas significantur mala et falsa varii generis ex amoribus spurcis naturalis hominis oriunda, correspondent enim; nam ulcera et vulnera ex laesione carnis et sanguinis existunt, ac mala et falsa ex laesione Divini Boni ac Divini Veri; et "caro" correspondet bono, et inde in Verbo significat illud, et "sanguis" vero et inde significat illud.
[10] Quoniam per "lepram" significatur profanatio veri, ac profanatio veri est varia, est levis et gravis, est interior et exterior, et est secundum quale veri profanati, quare etiam effectus ejus varii sunt, qui significantur per apparentias in lepra, quae fuerunt
Tumores, ulcera tumorum, pustulae albae, rubescentes, abscessus, ustiones, vitiligines, porrigines, etc. (Leviticus 13:1 ad fin. ),
talia fuerunt genti Judaicae ex correspondentia propter profanationes Verbi, non modo in eorum carne, sed etiam in eorum vestibus, domibus et vasis.
[11] (Continuatio de Secundo Praecepto.)
Quoniam per "nomen Dei" intelligitur Divinum Verum seu Verbum, et per profanationem ejus intelligitur negatio sanctitatis ejus, et inde contemptus, rejectio et blasphematio, sequitur quod nomen Dei interius profanetur per vitam contra praecepta decalogi. Datur enim profanatio interior et non exterior, ac datur profanatio interior et simul exterior, et potest etiam dari aliqua exterior et non simul interior: profanatio interior fit per vitam, exterior per loquelam; profanatio interior, quae fit per vitam, fit quoque exterior seu per loquelam post mortem; nam tunc unusquisque cogitat et vult, et quantum licet loquitur et facit secundum vitam suam, ita non sicut in mundo; in mundo loqui et facere solet homo aliter quam ex vita sua cogitat et vult, propter mundum, et ad captandum famam; inde est, quod dictum sit quod detur profanatio interior et non simul exterior. Quod etiam dari queat aliqua exterior et non simul interior, potest venire ex stylo Verbi, qui prorsus non est stylus mundi, qui inde potest ex non cognita sanctitate ejus interiore aliquatenus contemni.