907.“天使用苇子量那城，共有一万二千斯他丢；长、宽、高都是一样”表新教会出于教义的性质被显示，即其一切事物皆源于爱之良善。“用苇子量”表示知道事物的性质（904节）；天使在约翰面前量它，故它表示向他显示，好叫他知道它；“城”，即此处的耶路撒冷，表示主的新教会的教义（879，880节）；“一万二千斯他丢”表示新教会的一切良善与真理；“一万二千”与“十二”所表相同，而“十二”表示一切良善与真理，这个数字论及教会（参看348节）。“斯他丢”与“度量”所表相同，“度量”表示性质（313，486节）。经上之所以说“长、宽、高都是一样”，是因为新教会一切事物皆源于爱之良善；事实上，“长”表示爱之良善，“宽”表示源于这良善的真理（906节）；“高”表示各层级在一起的良善与真理，因为高是指从最高到最低，最高层逐层降至最低层，被称为“高度层级”，诸天堂就是以高度层级从最高层或第三层天堂降至最低层或第一层天堂；关于这些层级，可参看《圣爱与圣智》第三章。“长、宽、高都是一样”之所以表示一切事物皆源于爱之良善，是因为表示爱之良善的“长”在先，“宽”和它一样，因而如“长”一样，“高”同样如此。否则，经上为什么要说这城高12000斯他丢，因而它直达云霄，甚至远在大气层之上，因为大气层的高度都没有超过30斯他丢？事实上，这城会向上进入以太层，直达天顶。这三个尺寸是一样的，就表示新教会的一切事物皆源于爱之良善，这一点从接下来的内容明显可知，因为经上说“城是精金的，如同明净的玻璃”（｛21:18），以及“城内的街道是精金，好像明透的玻璃”（｛21:21），“金”表示爱之良善。天堂和教会的一切事物皆源于爱之良善，爱之良善则源于主，这一点可见于下一节。
907. And he measured the city with the reed at twelve thousand furlongs. Its length, breadth, and height were equal. This symbolizes John shown the character of the New Church arising from its doctrine, that every part of it arose from the goodness of love.
To measure with a reed means, symbolically, to learn the character of a thing (no. 904); and because the angel measured in John's presence, it symbolizes showing it to John so that John might know it. The city here, Jerusalem, symbolizes the Lord's New Church in respect to its doctrine (nos. 879, 880). Twelve thousand furlongs symbolizes all of the goods and truths of that church. Twelve thousand has the same symbolic meaning as twelve, and twelve symbolizes all goods and truths, and is a number used in application to the church, as may be seen in no. 348 above.
Furlongs have the same symbolic meaning as any measures, and measures symbolize the character of a thing (nos. 313, 486).
The city's length, breadth and height are said to be equal in order to symbolize the fact that everything connected with that church springs from the goodness of love. For length symbolizes the goodness of love, and breadth the truth emanating from that love (no. 906), and height symbolizes goodness and truth together in every degree. For height extends from the highest point to the lowest, and the highest descends to the lowest by degrees, degrees we call degrees of height, in which the heavens exist from the highest or third heaven to the lowest or first heaven. A treatment of these degrees may be seen in Angelic Wisdom Regarding Divine Love and Wisdom, Part Three.
The equality of the length, breadth and height symbolizes that everything springs from the goodness of love because the word "length" is put first, which symbolizes the goodness of love, and the breadth is then equal to that, being thus like the length, and so, too, the height. What would it mean otherwise, that the height of the city was 12,000 furlongs, 1so immense as to rise above the clouds, even above the atmosphere, whose height does not exceed 30 furlongs? Indeed, it would be so immense as to rise into outer space as far as the eye can see.
That the three dimensions were equal symbolically means that everything connected with the New Church springs from the goodness of love, as is apparent from verses that follow, for we are told that the city was pure gold, like clear glass (verse 18), and that the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass (verse 21). Gold symbolizes the goodness of love.
That everything connected with heaven and the church springs from the goodness of love, and that the goodness of love comes from the Lord, will be seen in the next number.
Footnotes:
1. A height of 12,000 stadia in the original Latin, or about 1379 miles.
907. 'And he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand stadia 1; the length and the breadth and the height of it were equal' signifies the quality of that Church out of the doctrine was shown, that all the things thereof were derived from the good of love. By 'to measure with a reed' is signified to get to know the quality of a thing (904); and because the angel did the measuring in the presence of John, there is signified to show it that he might get to know. By' the city,' here Jerusalem, is signified the Lord's New Church as to the doctrine (879-880). By 'twelve thousand stadia' are signified all the goods and truths of that Church. That 'twelve thousand' signify much the same as 'twelve,' and that 'twelve' signify all goods and truths and that they are said of the Church, may be seen above (348). By 'stadia' are signified similar things as by measures, and by 'measures' the quality is signified (313, 486). The reason why the length, breadth and height are said to be equal is that it might be signified that all the things of that Church were derived from the good of love; for by 'length' is signified the good of love, and by 'breadth' the truth derived from that good (906), and by 'height' is signified good and truth together in every degree, for 'height' is from the highest to the lowest, and what is highest descends to what is lowest by degrees, which are called degrees of altitude. In these degrees are the heavens from the highest or third to the lowest or first. A treatise (actum) concerning these degrees may be seen in ANGELIC WISDOM CONCERNING DIVINE LOVE AND WISDOM in the Third Part. The reason why 'the length and the breadth and the height are equal' signifies that all the things are derived from the good of love is because 'the length,' which signifies the good of love, precedes, and 'the breadth' is equal to this, thus like the length, and 'the height' likewise. Otherwise to what purpose would it be that the height of the city would be 12000 stadia, thus it would go up far above the clouds, even above the aerial atmosphere, the height of which does not exceed 30 stadia? In fact, it would go up far into the ether towards the zenith. That by these three [measurements] being equal is signified that all the things of that Church are derived from the good of love is plain from the things following, for it is said that 'the city was of pure gold like unto pure glass'
(verse 18), and also that 'the street of the city was of pure gold as it were transparent glass' (verse 21), and by 'gold' is signified the good of love. That all the things of heaven and the Church are derived from the good of love, and the good of love is derived from the Lord, will be seen in the following paragraph.
Footnotes:
1. Plural of stadium=approx. one-eighth of a mile.
907. And he measured the city with a reed, twelve thousand stadia. The length, and the breadth, and the height of it were equal signifies the quality of that church from doctrine shown, that all things of it were from the good of love. "To measure with a reed," signifies to know the quality of a thing, (904); and because the angel measured it before John, it signifies to show him in order that he might know it; by "city," here Jerusalem, is signified the Lord's New Church as to doctrine, (879, 880); by "twelve thousand stadia" are signified all the goods and truths of that church; that "twelve thousand" signify the same as twelve, and that "twelve" signify all goods and truths, and that it is spoken of the church, may be seen above, (348). By "stadia" are signified the same as by measures, and by "measures" are signified quality, (313, 486). The reason why it is said that "the length, breadth, and height of it are equal" is that all things of that church were from the good of love, for by "length" is signified the good of love, and by "breadth" the truth from that good, (906); and by "height" is signified good and truth together in every degree, for height is from the highest to the lowest, and the highest descends to the lowest by degrees, which are called degrees of altitude, in which the heavens are, from the highest or third heaven to the lowest or first; concerning these degrees see the treatise on The Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and Wisdom, chapter 3, [ 173-277]
The reason why "the length, and breadth, and height of it are equal," signifies that all things are from the good of love, is because "length," which signifies the good of love, precedes, and "the breadth" is equal to it; thus as is "the length," so also is "the height;" otherwise to what purpose could it be said that the height of the city was twelve thousand stadia, thus it would rise immensely above the clouds, yea, above the atmosphere of air, the height of which does not exceed thirty stadia? It would even reach up an immense way into the ether towards the zenith. That by these three being equal, is signified that all things of that church are from the good of love, appears also from what follows, for it is said that "the city was pure gold like unto pure glass" (verse 18); and also that "the street of the city was pure gold like pellucid glass" (verse 21), and by "gold" is signified the good of love. That all things of heaven and the church are from the good of love, and the good of love is from the Lord, will be seen in the next article.
907. "Et mensus est urbem calamo ad stadia duodecies mille, longitudo et latitudo et altitudo ejus aequalia erant," significat ostensum quale illius Ecclesiae ex doctrina, quod omnia ejus essent ex bono amoris. -Per "metiri calamo" significatur cognoscere quale rei (904); et quia Angelus coram Johanne mensus est, significatur id ostendere ut cognosceret; per "urbem," hic Hierosolymam, significatur Nova Domini Ecclesia quoad doctrinam (879, 880); 1per "stadia duodecies mille" significantur omnia bona et vera istius Ecclesiae; quod "duodecim millia" significent similia cum duodecim, et quod "duodecim" significent omnia bona et vera, et dicantur de Ecclesia, videatur supra (348). Per "stadia" significantur similia quae per mensuras, et per "mensuras" significatur quale (313, 486). Quod "longitudo, latitudo et altitudo" dicantur "aequalia," est ut significetur quod omnia istius Ecclesiae essent ex bono amoris: per "longitudinem" enim significatur bonum amoris, et per "latitudinem" verum ex illo bono (906); et per "altitudinem" significatur bonum et verum simul in omni gradu, nam altitudo est a supremo ad imum, et supremum ad imum descendit per gradus, qui vocantur gradus altitudinis, in quibus sunt Caeli a supremo seu tertio ad ultimum seu primum; de his gradibus actum videatur in Sapientia Angelica de Divino Amore et Divina Sapientia, in Parte Tertia. Quod "longitudo et latitudo et altitudo sunt aequalia" significet quod omnia sint ex bono amoris, est quia "longitudo," quae significat bonum amoris, praecedit, et "latitudo" est ei aequalis, ita sicut "longitudo," tum etiam "altitudo;" alioquin quid foret quod altitudo urbis foret duodecim millia stadiorum; sic immensum ascenderet supra nubes, imo supra atmosphaeram aeream, cujus altitudo non excedit triginta stadia; imo ascenderet immensum in aethere versus zenith. Quod per illa tria aequalia significetur quod omnia illius Ecclesiae sint ex bono amoris, patet etiam a sequentibus, nam dicitur quod "Urbs esset aurum purum simile vitro puro," (vers. 18); et quoque quod "platea urbis esset aurum purum tanquam vitrum pellucidum," (vers. 21); et per "aurum" significatur bonum amoris. Quod omnia Caeli et Ecclesiae sint ex bono amoris, et bonum amoris ex Domino, videbitur in sequente articulo.
Footnotes:
1. 879, 880 pro "878, 879"