221、凭借前面所说的，我们可在此揭示两个进入理解范畴的奥秘。第一个奥秘是，圣言以其完全和能力存在于字义中。因为圣言照着三个层级含有三层意义，即属天意义、属灵意义和属世意义。由于这三层意义照三个高度层级存在于圣言中，并且它们的结合通过对应实现，所以最表层的意义，就是被称为字义的属世意义，不仅是相对应的内在意义的复合物、容器和基础；而且圣言以其完全和能力存在于最表层的意义中。《新耶路撒冷教义之圣经篇》(27-35，36-49，50-61，62-69节)详细说明并证明了这一点。
第二个奥秘是，主降世并取了人形，是为了致身于征服地狱并使天地万物都井然有序的能力。祂所披的这个人身胜过祂先前的人身。祂在世所披的人身就像世人的人身。然而，这两种人身(先前的人身和在世所披的人身)都是神性，因而无限超越天使和世人的有限人身。此外，祂因完全荣耀了祂的属世人身，直至它的最表层，故与整个身体一同复活，这一点不同于其他任何人。主通过获得这个人身而披上神性全能，不仅是为了征服地狱，使众天堂井然有序，还为了使地狱保持顺服，直到永远，并拯救人类。“祂坐在那权能者和神大能的右边”就表示这种能力。
主通过获得一个属世人身而使自己成为最表层的神性真理，故被称为“道(即圣言)”，并且经上说“道成肉身”。 此外，最表层的神性真理就是字义上的圣言。主通过应验摩西五经和先知书，即旧约中关于祂自己的圣言的一切预言而使自己成为这神性真理。因为每个人都是自己的良善和自己的真理，人之为人唯独在此。然而，对主来说，祂通过获得一个属世人身既在初也在末中成为神性良善本身和神性真理本身，或也可说，成为神性之爱本身和神性智慧本身。因此，主在天使天堂所显的那轮太阳自主降世后比祂降世前，光芒更加强烈，也更加辉煌。这是一个奥秘，这个奥秘只有通过层级的教义才能进入理解范畴。我们将在下文说一说主降世前的全能。
221. I am now allowed to disclose two secrets that can be brought within comprehension through what has just been said.
The first is that the Word finds its fullest expression and power in its literal meaning. There are three meanings in the Word answering to the three levels--a heavenly meaning, a spiritual meaning, and an earthly meaning. Since the Word contains these three meanings by the three vertical levels and their union is through correspondence, the final meaning, the earthly one that we call the literal meaning, is not only the composite, vessel, and foundation of the deeper, corresponding meanings, it is also the Word in its fullest expression and its full power. There is an abundance of evidence and support for this in Teachings for the New Jerusalem on Sacred Scripture 27-35 [27-36], 36-49 [37-49], 50-61, and 62-69.
The second secret is that the Lord came into the world and took on a human nature in order to gain access to the power to conquer the hells and bring everything in the heavens and on earth back into order. He put on this human nature over the human nature he had before. The human nature he put on in the world was like our own worldly nature, but each nature was still divine and therefore infinitely transcendent of our own and angels' finite human nature. Further, since he completely transformed his physical human level all the way to its limits, he, unlike anyone else, rose from death with his whole body. By taking on this human nature he clothed himself with a divine omnipotence not only for the conquest of the hells and the reordering of the heavens but also for keeping the hells subject forever and saving us. This power is what is meant by his sitting at the right hand of the power and might of God.
Since the Lord made himself divine truth in ultimate form by taking on a physical human nature, he is called "the Word," and it says that the Word was made flesh. Divine truth in its ultimate form is the Word in its literal meaning. He made himself that Word by fulfilling everything about himself in the Word, in Moses and the prophets.
Everyone is his or her own good and true nature. Nothing else makes us human. Because he took on a physical human nature, the Lord is divine good and divine truth itself, or in other words, divine love and divine wisdom itself, in both their primal and their ultimate forms. This is why he looks like a sun in the angelic heavens with greater glory and fuller brilliance after his coming into the world than before his coming. This is a secret that can be brought within comprehension by the principle of levels.
I will be discussing later [233] his omnipotence before his coming into the world.
221. We can disclose two secrets here which as a result of the foregoing fall within the scope of the intellect.
The first secret is that the Word exists in its fullness and power in the sense of the letter. For the Word contains three levels or degrees of meaning: a celestial meaning, a spiritual meaning, and a natural meaning. Since these levels of meaning exist in accordance with three degrees of height, and they are connected by correspondences, it happens therefore not only that the last meaning - which is natural and is called the sense of the letter - embraces, contains, and is the foundation of the interior, corresponding meanings, but also that the Word exists in its fullness and power in its last meaning. (That this is the case we have shown and confirmed many times in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Sacred Scripture 27-35, 36-49, 50-61, 62-69.)
[2] The second secret is that the Lord came into the world and took on human form in order to put Himself into the power of subjugating the hells and of reducing to order all things both in the heavens and on earth.
This humanity He put on over His prior humanity. The humanity that He put on in the world over His prior humanity was like the humanity of a person in the world, each being, however, Divine and thus infinitely surpassing the finite humanity of angels and people. Moreover, because He fully glorified His natural humanity even to the lasts of it, therefore He rose again with the whole body as no other person does. By assuming this humanity the Lord took on the limitless Divine power not only of subjugating the hells and reducing the heavens to order, but also of keeping the hells subjugated to eternity and saving humankind. This power is meant by His sitting at the right hand of the power and might of God. 1
[3] Since by assuming a natural humanity the Lord made Himself Divine truth in the lasts of creation, therefore He is called the Word, 2 and we are told that the Word became flesh. 3 Divine truth in the lasts of creation is the Word in the sense of the letter. The Lord made Himself this Divine truth by fulfilling all the prophecies of the Word concerning Him in the Old Testament. For every person is an embodiment of the good and truth in him. It is this alone that makes a person human. In the Lord's case, however, by assuming a natural humanity He became the embodiment of Divine good and truth itself, or to say the same thing, the embodiment of Divine love and wisdom itself, both in the firsts of creation and in the lasts of it. Consequently, in the angelic heavens He appears as the sun with a more intense radiance and with greater splendor since His advent into the world than before His advent.
This is a secret which may fall within the scope of the intellect as a result of the doctrine of degrees presented here.
As regards the Lord's omnipotence before His advent into the world, about this we will say something in subsequent discussions.
Footnotes:
1. Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69. See also Psalm 110:1; Matthew 22:43-44; Mark 12:36; 16:19; Luke 20:42-43; Romans 8:34; Colossians 3:1; 13; 8:1.
2. Revelation 19:13.
3. John 1:14.
221. Here two arcana, which fall within the understanding by what has been said above, can be revealed. The first arcanum is that the Word in the sense of the letter is in its fulness and its power. For there are three senses in the Word according to the three degrees; the celestial sense, the spiritual sense and the natural sense. Since these senses are in the Word according to the three degrees of height, and their conjunction is effected by correspondences, therefore the ultimate sense, which is the natural and is called the sense of the letter, is not only the complex, containant and base of the corresponding interior senses, but is also the Word in the ultimate sense in its fulness and its power. That such is the case is shown at length and confirmed in THE DOCTRINE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM CONCERNING THE SACRED SCRIPTURE (27-35, 36-49, 50-61, 62-69). The second arcanum is that the Lord came into the world and took upon Him a Human in order to put Himself into the power of subjugating the hells and of bringing back to order all things both in the heavens and on earth. This Human He put on over His former Human. This Human which He put on in the world was like man's human in the world. Yet both Humans are Divine and therefore infinitely transcend the finite humans of angels and men. And because He fully glorified the natural Human even to its ultimate, so He rose again with the whole body, differently from any man. Through the assumption of this Human He put on Divine omnipotence, not only for subjugating the hells and bringing back the heavens to order, but also for holding the hells in subjection to eternity, and saving mankind. This power is understood by His "sitting at the right hand of the power and might of God." Since the Lord, by the assumption of a natural Human, made Himself Divine Truth in ultimates, therefore He is called "the Word," and it is said that "the Word was made flesh," and the Divine Truth in ultimates is the Word as to the sense of the letter. This the Lord made Himself by fulfilling all things of the Word concerning Himself in Moses and the Prophets. For every man is his own good and his own truth, and man is man from no other source; but the Lord, by the assumption of a natural human, is Divine Good Itself and Divine Truth, or what is the same, He is Divine Love Itself and Divine Wisdom, both in first things and in ultimates. Hence it is that the Lord since His advent into the world appears as a Sun in the angelic heavens in stronger radiance and in greater splendour than before His advent. This is an arcanum which, by the doctrine of degrees, can penetrate the understanding. The Lord's omnipotence before His advent into the world will be spoken of in what follows.
221. Two arcana, which are brought within reach of the understanding by what precedes, may here be revealed. The First Arcanum is that the Word is in its fullness and in its power in the sense of the letter. For there are three senses in the Word, according to the three degrees; the celestial sense, the spiritual sense, and the natural sense. Since these senses are in the Word according to the three degrees of height, and their conjunction is effected by correspondences, the outmost sense, which is the natural and is called the sense of the letter, is not only the complex, containant and base of the corresponding interior senses, but moreover in the outmost sense the Word is in its fullness and in its power. This is abundantly shown and proved in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Concerning the Sacred Scripture (n. 27-35, 36-49, 50-61, 62-69). The Second Arcanum is that the Lord came into the world, and took upon Him the Human, in order to put Himself into the power of subjugating the hells, and of reducing all things to order both in the heavens and on the earth. This Human He put on over His former Human. This Human which He put on in the world was like the human of a man in the world. Yet both Humans are Divine, and therefore infinitely transcend the finite humans of angels and men. And because He fully glorified the natural Human even to its outmosts, He rose again with the whole body, differently from any man. Through the assumption of this Human the Lord put on Divine Omnipotence not only for subjugating the hells, and reducing the heavens to order, but also holding the hells in subjection to eternity, and saving mankind. This power is meant by His "sitting at the right hand of the power and might of God." Because the Lord, by the assumption of a natural Human, made Himself Divine Truth in outmosts, He is called "the Word," and it is said that "the Word was made flesh;" moreover, Divine Truth in outmosts is the Word in the sense of the letter. This the Lord made Himself by fulfilling all things of the Word concerning Himself in Moses and the Prophets. For while every man is his own good and his own truth, and man is man on no other ground, the Lord, by the assumption of a natural Human, is Divine Good itself and Divine Truth itself, or what is the same, He is Divine Love itself and Divine Wisdom itself, both in Firsts and in Lasts. Consequently the Lord, since His advent into the world, appears as a sun in the angelic heavens, in stronger radiance and in greater splendor than before His advent. This is an arcanum which is brought within the range of the understanding by the doctrine of degrees. The Lord's omnipotence before His advent into the world will be treated of in what follows.
221. Hic duo Arcana, quae per supradicta in intellectum cadunt, revelari 1 possunt: PRIMUM ARCANUM est, quod Verbum in sensu literae sit in suo pleno et in sua potentia: sunt enim tres sensus secundum tres gradus in Verbo, sensus coelestis, sensus spiritualis, et sensus naturalis: quoniam illi sensus secundum tres gradus altitudinis in Verbo sunt, et conjunctio illorum fit per correspondentias, ideo ultimus sensus, qui est naturalis, et vocatur sensus literae, non modo est complexus, continens et basis sensuum interiorum correspondentium, sed etiam est Verbum in ultimo sensu in suo pleno et in sua potentia. Quod ita sit, multis ostensum et confirmatum est in DOCTRINA NOVAE HIEROSOLYMAE DE SCRIPTURA SACRA 27-35, 36-49, 50-61, 62-69. 2 3
[2] ALTERUM ARCANUM est, 4 quod Dominus in Mundum venerit, ac susceperit Humanum, ut in potentiam subjugandi inferna, ac in ordinem redigendi omnia tam in Coelis quam in Terris, se mitteret. Hoc Humanum superinduxit Humano suo priori: Humanum quod in Mundo superinduxit, fuit sicut Humanum hominis in Mundo, utrumque tamen Divinum, et inde infinite transcendens Humana finita angelorum et hominum: et quia plene glorificavit Humanum Naturale usque ad ultima ejus, ideo cum toto Corpore resurrexit, secus ac ullus homo: per assumptionem hujus Humani induit Omnipotentiam Divinam non modo subjugandi Inferna, ac in ordinem redigendi Coelos, 5 sed etiam Inferna in aeternum subjugata tenendi, et salvandi homines. Haec Potentia intelligitur, per quod sedeat ad dextram potentiae et virtutis Dei.
[3] Quoniam Dominus per assumptionem Humani naturalis se fecit Divinum Verum in ultimis, ideo vocatur Verbum, ac dicitur quod Verbum Caro factum sit, ac Divinum Verum in ultimis est Verbum quoad sensum literae; hoc se fecit per impletionem omnium Verbi de Ipso in Mose et Prophetis. Unusquisque enim homo est suum bonum et suum verum; homo non aliunde est homo; Dominus autem per assumptionem Humani naturalis est Ipsum Divinum Bonum et Divinum Verum, seu quod idem, est Ipse Divinus Amor et Divina Sapientia, tam in Primis quam in Ultimis: inde est, quod in Coelis Angelicis appareat ut Sol 6 post adventum Ipsius in Mundum in fortiori jubare et in majori splendore, quam ante adventum Ipsius. Hoc Arcanum est, quod per Doctrinam graduum potest sub intellectum cadere. De Omnipotentia Ipsius ante adventum in Mundum, in sequentibus dicetur.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: revelari fortasse
2. Prima editio: 35,
3 Prima editio: 36
4. Prima editio: est:
5. Prima editio: Caelos;
6. Prima editio: Sol,