85、迄今为止，人们尚不知除了自然界的太阳外还有另一轮太阳的存在。其原因在于，人的属灵部分已经降至他的属世部分，以致他不知道何为属灵部分，因而不知道除了自然界之外还有一个灵人和天使所居住、不同于自然界的灵界存在。由于对生活在自然界的人来说，灵界隐藏得如此之深，所以主乐意打开我的灵眼，使我能看见存在于灵界的事物，如看见存在于自然界的事物一样，然后将这个世界描述出来；正如我在《天堂与地狱》一书所描述得那样，其中有一章就论述了灵界的太阳。因为我见过那太阳，它的大小尺寸看上去和自然界的太阳一样，并且它也是炽热的，只是更耀眼。我还得知，整个天使天堂都在这太阳之下，第三层天堂的天使始终看见它，第二层天堂的天使时常看见它，第一层或最外层天堂的天使偶尔看见它。下文我们会看到，他们所拥有的一切热和一切光，以及出现在灵界的一切事物都出自这轮太阳。
85. People have not realized before that there is another sun besides the sun of our physical world. This is because our spiritual nature has become so deeply involved in our physical nature that people do not know what the word "spiritual" means. So they do not realize that there is a spiritual world other than and different from this physical one, a world where angels and spirits live.
Because that spiritual world has become so completely hidden from people in this physical world, the Lord has graciously opened the sight of my spirit so that I can see things in that world just the way I see things in this physical world, and then provide descriptions of that spiritual world. This I have done in the book Heaven and Hell, which has a chapter on the sun of the spiritual world. I have in fact seen it, and it seemed about the same size as the sun of this physical world. It had a similar fiery look, but was more reddish. I was given to understand that the whole angelic heaven lies beneath this sun and that angels of the third heaven see it constantly, angels of the second heaven often, and angels of the first or most remote heaven occasionally.
It will be made clear in what follows that all their warmth and all their light--everything people see in that world--comes from that sun.
85. The existence of a sun other than the sun in the natural world has previously been unknown. The reason it has been unknown is that the spiritual component in people has descended so far into the natural one in them that they do not know what the spiritual component is, and so neither do they know that there is a spiritual world in which spirits and angels dwell, a world other than and different from the natural world.
Since the spiritual world to people who live in the natural world lies so deeply hidden, it has therefore pleased the Lord to open the sight of my spirit, to enable me to see the things that exist in that world as I see those that exist in the natural world, and then to describe that world, as I have done in the book Heaven and Hell, which includes in one section a report of that world's sun. 1 For I have seen it, and it appeared similar in size to the sun in the natural world and also to be similarly fiery, but more glowing. I have been informed as well that the entire angelic heaven is under that sun, and that angels in the third heaven see it constantly, angels in the second heaven frequently, and angels in the first or lowest heaven occasionally.
All the heat and all the light that they have comes from that sun, and so, too, everything else that appears in that world, as will be seen in subsequent discussions.
Footnotes:
85. It has hitherto been unknown that there is a Sun other than the sun of the natural world. The reason is that man's spiritual [part] passes over into his natural to such an extent that he does not know what is spiritual nor thus that there is a spiritual world in which spirits and angels are, other and different from the natural world. Since with those who are in the natural world, the spiritual world has lain so deeply hidden, it has therefore pleased the Lord to open the sight of my spirit in order that I might see the things which are in that world, just as I see the things which are in the natural world, and then describe that world. This has been done in the work HEAVEN AND HELL in one section of which also there has been treated the Sun of that world. For it has been seen by me and has appeared in a size similar to the sun of the natural world, and also like it, fiery but with a more reddish glow. It has also been made known to me that the whole angelic heaven is under that Sun; also that angels of the third heaven see it constantly, angels of the second heaven see it quite often and angels of the first heaven see it sometimes. It will be seen in what follows that all the heat and all the light with them, also all things that appear in that world, are from that Sun.
85. That there is any other sun than that of the natural world has hitherto been unknown. The reason is, that the spiritual of man has so far passed over into his natural, that he does not know what the spiritual is, and thus does not know that there is a spiritual world, the abode of spirits and angels, other than and different from the natural world. Since the spiritual world has lain so deeply hidden from the knowledge of those who are in the natural world, it has pleased the Lord to open the sight of my spirit, that I might see the things which are in that world, just as I see those in the natural world, and might afterwards describe that world; which has been done in the work Heaven and Hell, in one chapter of which the sun of the spiritual world is treated of. For that sun has been seen by me; and it appeared of the same size as the sun of the natural world; also fiery like it, but more glowing. It has also been made known to me that the whole angelic heaven is under that sun; and that angels of the third heaven see it constantly, angels of the second heaven very often, and angels of the first or outmost heaven sometimes. That all their heat and all their light, as well as all things that are manifest in that world, are from that sun will be seen in what follows.
85. Quod Sol alius quam Sol mundi naturalis sit, hactenus ignotum fuit; causa est, quia Spirituale hominis transiit tantum in naturale ejus, ut non sciret quid Spirituale, ita nec quod Spiritualis mundus, in quo sunt Spiritus et Angeli, alius ac diversus a Mundo naturali, detur. Quoniam Mundus spiritualis apud illos qui in Mundo naturali sunt, in tantum latuit absconditus, ideo placuit Domino aperire visum Spiritus mei, ut viderem illa quae in illo Mundo sunt, sicut video illa quae in Mundo naturali, et dein illum Mundum describerem, 1 quod factum est in Opere de COELO ET INFERNO, in quo in uno Articulo etiam actum est de Sole illius Mundi: visus enim mihi est, et apparuit simili magnitudine, qua sol mundi naturalis, et quoque similiter sicut igneus, sed rutilans magis: et notum mihi factum est, quod Universum coelum angelicum sub illo Sole sit; quodque Angeli Tertii coeli videant illum jugiter, Angeli Secundi coeli saepius, et Angeli Primi seu Ultimi coeli aliquoties. Quod omnis Calor et omnis Lux apud illos, tum omnia quae in illo Mundo apparent, sint ex illo Sole, videbitur in sequentibus.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: describere,