32、⑵那时，男性仍是男性，女性仍是女性。既然人死后继续活着，还有男女之别，且男女之间如此不同，以至于二者无法相互转换，那么可知，死后，女性仍作为女性活着，男性仍作为男性活着，他们都是属灵的。男性无法变成女性，女性也无法变成男性，因此死后，男性还是男性，女性还是女性。但由于人们不知道男、女的本质，所以我在此简要说明这一点：
本质区别在于，男性的核心是爱，其包裹物是智慧，换句话说，它是被包裹在智慧中的爱。女性的核心是男性的智慧，其包裹物是来自智慧的爱。不过，这是一种女性特质的爱，主通过丈夫的智慧将这爱赋予妻子。另一种爱是一种男性特质的爱，是对变得智慧的爱，主将这爱赋予丈夫，以便他能获得智慧。正因如此，男性是爱的智慧，女性是那智慧之爱。所以，自创造时，合为一体的爱就被植入两性。在下文，我会就这些问题作更多说明。女性出自男性，即女人出于男人，这一点从创世记的经文清楚可知：
耶和华神取下那人的肋骨，又把肉合起来，神就用那人身上所取的肋骨造成一个女人，领她到那人跟前。那人说，这是我骨中的骨，肉中的肉，可以称她为女人，因为她是从男人身上取出来的。（创世记2:21-23）
我会在别处解释骨和肉的含义。
32、（2）男性仍是男性，女性仍是女性。因为人死后还是以一个人而存在，人有男有女，男性、女性如此不同，所以，性别不能转换。因而，死后，男人仍是男人，女人仍是女人，他们都做为精神的人而存在。
我们说男性不能被转换成女性，女性也不能被转换为男性，死后，男性还是男性，女性还是女性。但因为人们不知道男性意味着什么，女性意味着什么，我们就此再说说。
实质的区别在于此，男性的实质是爱及附于其上的智慧。女性的实质是智慧，与男性一样的智慧及由此产生的爱。第二种爱，女性的爱，是由主通过女性的丈夫的智慧而赋予妻子的。而第一种爱即男性的爱，是对智慧的爱，是由主通过男性对智慧的接受能力而赋予丈夫的。因而，男性是一种爱的智慧的形式，而女性是对那种智慧的爱的一种形式。所以，从创世时起，男性和女性之中都存在着一种相互结合为一的爱。这一点将在以后有更多的阐述。
在《创世纪》中有关于女性是来自于男性的证据：
耶和华，神就用那人所取的肋骨，造成一个女人，领她到那人跟前。那人说：“这是我骨中的骨，肉中的肉，可以称她为女人，因为她是从男人身上取出来的。”（《创世纪》2:21-23）
关于肋骨象征什么，肉象征什么在以后将进行阐述。
32. (ii) A male is then male and a female is female.
Since a person lives on after death, and a person may be male or female, and the male and the female are so different that one cannot change into the other, it follows that after death a male lives on as a male and a female as a female, each of them being spiritual. We say that the male cannot change into the female, nor the female into the male, so that in consequence after death a male is a male and a female is a female, but because it is not known in what masculinity and femininity essentially consist, I must state this briefly here.
The essential difference is that the inmost core of the male is love, and its envelope is wisdom, or what is the same thing, it is love enveloped in wisdom. The inmost core of the female is the wisdom of the male, and its envelope is the love from it. But this is a feminine love, which the Lord gives a wife by means of her husband's wisdom. The other love is a masculine love, a love of being wise, given by the Lord to the husband to the extent that he acquires wisdom. Thus it is that the male is the wisdom of love and the female the love of that wisdom. There is therefore implanted in each from creation a love of being joined into one. But I shall have more to say about these matters in what follows. The female comes from the male, that is, the woman was taken out of man, as is clear from the following passage of Genesis:
Jehovah God took one of the man's ribs and closed up the flesh in its place, and he built up the rib he had taken from the man to make a woman. And he brought her to the man, and the man said, She is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, so it shall be called Ishshah, 1because it was taken from man. Genesis 2:21-23.
The meaning of rib and flesh will be given elsewhere.
32. 2. A male is then still a male, and a female still a female. Since a person lives as a person after death, and people are male and female, and since it is one thing to be masculine and another to be feminine, with the two qualities being so different that one cannot be converted into the other, it follows that after death a male still lives as a male and a female still lives as a female, each of them being a spiritual person.
We say that masculinity cannot be converted into femininity, nor femininity into masculinity, and that after death a male is consequently still a male, and a female still a female. But because people do not know what masculinity consists in essentially, and what femininity consists in essentially, therefore we must say a few words about it here.
The difference essentially consists in this, that the inmost quality in masculinity is love, and its veil wisdom, or in other words, it is love veiled over with wisdom, while the inmost quality in femininity is that same wisdom, the wisdom of masculinity, and its veil the love resulting from it. This second love, however, is a feminine love, and it is given by the Lord to a wife through the wisdom of her husband, whereas that first love is a masculine love, which is a love of becoming wise, and it is given by the Lord to a husband according to his reception of wisdom. Consequently, the male is a form of the wisdom of love, and the female is a form of the love of that wisdom. Therefore from creation there was implanted in both male and female a love of uniting into one. But more on this subject will be said later.
Testimony that femininity is derived from masculinity, or that woman was taken out of man, appears from these verses in Genesis:
Jehovah God...took one of the ribs of the man, and closed up the flesh in its place. And the rib which He had taken from man He fashioned into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And the man said: "She is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. Therefore she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." (Genesis 2:21-23)
Elsewhere it will be said what a rib symbolizes, and what flesh symbolizes. 1
Footnotes:
1. See no. 193.
32. 2. Then men are still male and women are female. People live on as people after death, and people are male and female. Maleness is one thing and femaleness another in such a way that one cannot change into the other. Therefore, a man has to live on as a male and a woman as a female after death, each a spiritual person.
Having said that a male cannot change into a female nor a female into a male and that after death male is male and female female, I shall now tell briefly what essential maleness and femaleness depend on - because this is not known.
Here is what the essential difference consists in. The innermost thing in masculinity is love, and its covering is wisdom, or in other words, love enfolded in wisdom. The innermost thing in femininity is this masculine wisdom, and its covering is love. But this love is a feminine love, and the Lord gives it to a wife through the channel of her husband's wisdom. That other love is a masculine love and is love of becoming wise, and the Lord gives it to a husband according to his acceptance of wisdom. This is why masculinity is wisdom that belongs to love, while femininity is love of this wisdom. So from creation a love of joining together as one is implanted in each. But more about this later.
These words from Genesis show that femaleness is from maleness, or that woman is taken from man:
The Lord God ... took one of the man's ribs and closed up the flesh in its place. Then He made the rib which He had taken from man, into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
And the man said: "This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman ['ishshah] because she was taken out of man ['ish]." (Genesis 2:21-23)
The meaning of rib and flesh is explained in another place.
32. II. THAT THE MALE IS THEN A MALE, AND THE FEMALE A FEMALE. Since man lives as a man after death, and man is male and female, and the masculine is one thing and the feminine another, being so different that the one cannot be changed into the other, it follows that after death the male lives as a male, and the female as a female, each being a spiritual man. It is said that the masculine cannot be changed into the feminine, nor the feminine into the masculine, and that therefore after death the male is a male and the female a female; but because it is not known in what the masculine essentially consists, and in what the feminine, it shall here be told in a few words. The distinction essentially consists in the fact that in the male, the inmost is love and its clothing wisdom, or, what is the same thing, he is love veiled over with wisdom; and that in the female, the inmost is that wisdom of the male, and its clothing, the love therefrom. This love, however, is feminine love, and is given by the Lord to the wife through the wisdom of her husband, while the former love is masculine love, being the love of growing wise, and this is given by the Lord to the husband according to his reception of wisdom. It is from this that the male is the wisdom of love, and the female the love of that wisdom. Therefore, from creation there is implanted in each the love of conjunction into a one. But of this, more will be said in the following pages. That the feminine is from the masculine, or that woman was taken out of man, is evident from these words in Genesis:
Jehovah God... took one of the ribs of the man and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and he builded the rib which he had taken out of the man into a woman, and brought her unto the man. And the man said, This is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; hence she shall be called woman (Ishah) because she was taken out of man (Ish). Genesis 2:21-23.
As to what is signified by rib, and what by flesh, this will be told elsewhere.
32. (ii) Male is male then, and female female. Inasmuch as the human being lives as such after death, and is male and female, and the masculine and the feminine are different, and so different that one cannot be changed into the other, it follows that after death the male is male, and the female female, each a spiritual being. We say that the masculine cannot be changed into the feminine or the feminine into the masculine, and that therefore male is male after death, and female female. As it is not understood, however, in what masculine and feminine essentially consist, this shall be told briefly. The difference consists essentially in the fact that inmost in the male is love, with wisdom for its envelopment, or, what is the same, the masculine is love cloaked in wisdom; while inmost in the female is that male wisdom, with love of it for its envelopment. The latter love is woman's love, given a wife by the Lord through her husband's wisdom, while the former and prior love is masculine and is a love of being wise, given the husband by the Lord in the measure of the reception of wisdom. Accordingly, the male is wisdom from love, and the female a love for that wisdom. There has therefore been implanted in each from creation a love for union into one (but on these subjects more in what follows). 1The following words in Genesis make it evident that the feminine is from the masculine, or that woman was taken from man.
Jehovah God... took one of the man's ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and He built... the rib, which he had taken from the man, into a woman; and He brought her to the man; and the man said, This is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, having been taken from man (Genesis 2:21-23).
We shall tell elsewhere 2what "rib" and "flesh" signify.
Footnotes:
1. 156 and elsewhere.
2. 193.
32. (2) That a male is then a male and a female is a female. Since man lives as a man after death, and man is male and female, and the masculine is one and the feminine another, and they are so different that one cannot be changed into the other, it follows that after death the male lives as a male and the female as a female, each a spiritual man (Latin: homo). It is said that the masculine cannot be changed into the feminine, nor the feminine into the masculine, and that therefore, after death the male is a male and the female is a female; but as it is unknown in what the masculine and in what the feminine essentially consist, this shall here be briefly stated: The distinction essentially consists in the fact that in the male the inmost is love and its clothing is wisdom, or what is the same, he is love veiled over with wisdom; and that in the female the inmost is that wisdom of the male, and its clothing is the love therefrom. But this love is feminine love, and is given by the Lord to the wife through the wisdom of the husband; and the former love is masculine love, and is the love of growing wise, and is given by the Lord to the husband according to his reception of wisdom. It is from this that the male is the wisdom of love, and that the female is the love of that wisdom. There is therefore, from creation, implanted in each the love of conjunction into one. But of this more will be said hereafter That the feminine is from the masculine, or that the woman was taken out of the man, appears from these words in Genesis:
"Jehovah God took one of the ribs of the man and closed up the flesh instead thereof, and He builded the rib which He had taken out of the man into a woman, and brought her unto the man. And the man said, This is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; hence she shall be called woman (Ishah), because she was taken out of the man (Ish)." (Genesis 2:21-23).
What is signified by rib, and what by flesh, will be shown elsewhere.
32. II: Quod tunc Masculus sit Masculus, et quod Foemina sit Foemina. Quoniam homo vivit homo post mortem, et homo est masculus et foemina, et aliud est masculinum et aliud foemininum, et tale aliud, ut unum non mutari possit in alterum, sequitur quod post mortem masculus vivat masculus, et foemina vivat foemina, uterque homo spiritualis. Dicitur, quod masculinum non mutari possit in foemininum, nec foemininum in masculinum, et quod ideo post mortem masculus sit masculus, et quod foemina sit foemina; sed quia ignoratur, in quo essentialiter consistit masculinum, et in quo essentialiter foemininum, quare paucis hic dicetur: Discrimen essentialiter consistit in eo, quod intimum in Masculo sit Amor, et velamen hujus Sapientia, seu quod idem, quod sit Amor obvelatus Sapientia; ac quod intimum in foemina sit illa Sapientia masculi, ac velamen hujus Amor inde; sed hic Amor est Amor foemininus, ac datur a Domino uxori per sapientiam mariti, ac prior Amor est Amor masculinus et est amor sapiendi, ac datur a Domino marito secundum receptionem sapientiae; ex eo est, quod Masculus sit Sapientia amoris, et quod Foemina sit Amor sapientiae istius; quare a creatione insitus est utrique Amor conjunctionis in unum; sed de his dicentur plura in sequentibus. Quod foemininum sit ex masculino, seu quod Mulier desumpta sit ex Viro, constat ex his in Genesi: "Jehovah Deus desumpsit unam de Costis Viri, et inclusit carnem pro ea, et aedificavit Costam, quam sumserat de homine, in Mulierem; et adduxit eam ad hominem; et dixit homo, 'haec est Os de ossibus meis, et Caro de carne mea; hinc vocabitur Ischah, quia de Viro sumpta est,'" Genesi. 2:21-22, 23; quid significat Costa et quid Caro, alibi dicetur.