313、在圣言中，处于自己的谨慎之人与处于非自己的谨慎，因而处于圣治之人的性质，被描述为“伊甸园”里的“亚当和他的妻子夏娃” （伊甸园中有两棵树，即生命树和善恶知识树），以及他们吃知识树。从前面可以看到（241节），“亚当和他的妻子夏娃”在内义或灵义上表示主在地上的上古教会，该教会要比后来的教会更高尚、更属天堂；这个故事的其它细节含义如下。
“伊甸园”表示该教会之人的智慧；“生命树”表示圣治方面的主；“知识树”表示自己的谨慎方面的人；“蛇”表示人的感官层和自我，这自我本身是自我之爱和对自己聪明的骄傲，因而是魔鬼和撒旦；“从知识树吃东西”表示声称良善和真理是自己的，认为它们不是来自主，因而不属于主，而是来自人，因而属于人。由于良善和真理是与人同在的神性事物本身，良善表示爱的一切事物，真理表示智慧的一切事物，所以人若声称这些是自己的，就不能不认为他如神一样。这就是为何那蛇说：
你们吃的日子眼睛就开了，你们便如神一样知道善恶。（创世记3:5） 那些由于自我之爱和由此而来的对自己聪明的骄傲而身处地狱的人就是如此行的。
对蛇的诅咒表示对人自己的爱和人自己的聪明的诅咒；对夏娃的诅咒表示对情绪自我的诅咒，对亚当的诅咒表示认知自我的诅咒；地要给他长出的“荆棘和蒺藜”表示纯粹的虚假和邪恶；逐出伊甸园表示智慧的丧失；“把守生命树的道路”表示主的保护，免得圣言和教会的圣物遭到侵犯；他们用来遮盖自己赤体的“无花果叶”表示掩藏他们自己的爱和骄傲的活动的道德真理；他们后来所穿的“皮衣”表示真理的表象，这些表象就是他们所拥有的全部。这就是这些事物的灵义；不过，凡愿意的，就让他停留在字义中吧；只是要让他知道，在天堂，人们就是这么理解的。
313. The character of people caught up in their own prudence and the character of those governed by prudence not their own and consequently by Divine providence is described in the Word by Adam and his wife Eve in the Garden of Eden, in which there were two trees - one the tree of life and the other the tree of the knowledge of good and evil - and by their eating of the latter tree. 1By Adam and his wife Eve in the Word's internal or spiritual sense are meant and described the Lord's Most Ancient Church on this earth, a church more noble and more heavenly than those that followed, as may be seen in no. 241 above. The rest of the particulars symbolize the following:
[2] The Garden of Eden symbolizes the wisdom of the people of that church. The tree of life, the Lord in respect to His Divine providence, and the tree of knowledge, mankind in respect to his own prudence. The serpent, the sensual nature and inherent character of mankind, which in itself is self-love and a conceit in its own intelligence, thus the devil and satan. Eating of the tree of knowledge, the arrogation to self of goodness and truth as being not from the Lord and thus not the Lord's, but the product of mankind and thus the property of mankind. And because goodness and truth are the fundamental Divine qualities in a person, as goodness means everything connected with love, and truth, everything connected with wisdom, therefore if a person claims them for himself as his own, he cannot but believe that he is like God. Therefore the serpent said,
In the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:5)
That, too, is what those do in hell who are caught up in self-love and a consequent conceit in their own intelligence.
[3] The curse on the serpent symbolizes the damnation of mankind's own love and mankind's own intelligence. The curse on Eve, the damnation of his volitional nature, and the curse on Adam, the damnation of his intellectual nature. The thorn and thistle which the earth would cause to sprout up for him symbolize sheer falsity and evil. Being expelled from the garden symbolizes the loss of wisdom. Guarding the way to the tree of life, the Lord's protection to keep the sanctities of the Word and the church from being violated.
The fig leaves with which Adam and Eve covered their nakedness symbolize the moral truths with which those people veiled the inclinations of their love and conceit. And the tunics of skin with which they were afterward clothed symbolize appearances of truth, which were the only ones they had.
This is the spiritual meaning of these things. But let anyone who wishes remain in the literal sense. Only let him know that the foregoing is the meaning in heaven.
Footnotes:
313. As for the nature of people who are devoted to their own prudence and the nature of the people who have a prudence not their own and are therefore conscious of divine providence, this is described in the Word by Adam and his wife Eve in the garden of Eden where there were the two trees, one of life and the other of the knowledge of good and evil, and by their eating from this latter tree. You may see in 241 above that in the inner or spiritual meaning Adam and his wife Eve serve to denote and describe the earliest church of the Lord on our planet, one that was finer and more heavenly than the ones that followed it. As for the meaning of other elements of the story,
[2] the garden of Eden means the wisdom of the people of that church; the tree of life means the Lord in particular respect to divine providence; and the tree of knowledge means humanity, particularly in respect to our own prudence. The serpent means our sensory level and sense of autonomy, which is essentially our self-love and our pride in our own intelligence, and therefore the devil and Satan. Eating from the tree of knowledge means claiming what is good and true as our own, believing that they do not come from the Lord and therefore belong to the Lord, but come from us and therefore belong to us. Since what is good and what is true are elements of Divinity within us, goodness means everything that has to do with love, and truth means everything that has to do with wisdom. So if we claim these as our own, we cannot help but believe that we are like God. That is why the serpent said, "On the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5). This is what people do who are in hell because of their self-love and consequent pride in their own intelligence.
[3] The curse imposed on the serpent means the curse of any love and intelligence we claim as our own; the curse imposed on Eve means the curse of our emotional sense of identity; and the curse imposed on Adam means the curse of our cognitive sense of identity. The thorns and thistles that the earth would sprout mean what is wholly false and evil; the expulsion from the garden means the loss of wisdom; the guarding of the way to the tree of life means the Lord's protection of the holy values of the Word and the church from any violation; the fig leaves that covered their nakedness mean moral truths that concealed the activities of their own love and pride; and the leather garments in which they were later clothed mean the appearances of truth that were all they had.
This is what these items mean on the spiritual level; but anyone who wants to do so may stay with the literal meaning. Just be aware that this is what it means in heaven.
313. The character of those who are in their own prudence, and of those who are in prudence not their own and who are thus in the Divine Providence, is described in the Word by Adam and his wife Eve in the Garden of Eden, where there were two trees, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and by their eating of the latter tree. It may be seen above (n. 241), that by Adam and his wife Eve, in the internal or spiritual sense, is meant and described the Most Ancient Church of the Lord upon this earth, which was more noble and heavenly than the succeeding Churches.
[2] The signification of the other particulars in the narrative is as follows. By the Garden of Eden is signified the wisdom of the men of that Church; by the tree of life, the Lord as to the Divine Providence; and by the tree of knowledge, man as to his own prudence. By the serpent is signified the sensual of man and his proprium, which in itself is the love of self and the pride of his own intelligence, thus the devil and satan; and by eating of the tree of knowledge, the appropriation of good and truth, on the assumption that these do not originate from the Lord and consequently are the Lord's, but that they originate from man and consequently are man's. Moreover, since good and truth are the Divine things themselves with man, for by good is meant everything of love and by truth everything of wisdom, therefore if man claims these for himself as his own he cannot but believe that he is as God. Thus the serpent said,
In the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God (A.V. as gods), knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:5).
So also do those in hell who are in the love of self and thence in the pride of their own intelligence.
[3] By the condemnation of the serpent is signified the condemnation of one's own love and one's own intelligence; by the condemnation of Eve is signified the condemnation of the voluntary proprium, and by Adam's condemnation that of the intellectual proprium; by the thorn and the thistle that the earth would bring forth to him are signified mere falsity and evil; by the expulsion from the Garden is signified the deprivation of wisdom; by the guarding of the way to the tree of life, the Lord's protecting care lest the holy things of the Word and of the Church should be violated; by the fig leaves with which they covered their nakedness are signified moral truths by which were veiled the things that pertained to their love and pride; and by the coats of skin by which they were afterwards clothed are signified the appearances of truth in which alone they were principled. This is the spiritual meaning of those things. He who wishes may remain in the sense of the Letter; only he should know that it is so understood in heaven.
313. The character of those who are in their own prudence and of those who are in prudence not their own, and who are thus in the Divine providence, is described in the Word by "Adam and his wife Eve," in "the garden of Eden," where there were two trees, one of life and the other of the knowledge of good and evil, and by their eating of the latter tree. That by "Adam and his wife Eve," in the internal or spiritual sense, the Most Ancient Church of the Lord on this earth, which was more noble and heavenly than the succeeding churches, is meant and depicted, can be seen above (241); the signification of the other things is as follows.
[2] "The garden of Eden" signifies the wisdom of the men of that church; "the tree of life" the Lord in respect to the Divine providence; and "the tree of knowledge" man in respect to his own prudence; the "serpent" signifies the sensual of man and what is his own (proprium), which in itself is the love of self and the pride of self-intelligence, thus the devil and satan; "eating from the tree of knowledge" signifies the appropriation of good and truth, as being from man and consequently man's, and not from the Lord and consequently the Lord's. And as good and truth are the Divine things themselves with man (for by good everything of love is meant and by truth everything of wisdom), so when man claims these to himself as his he cannot but believe that he is as God; therefore the serpent said:-
In the day ye eat thereof your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5).
Thus do those do in hell who are in the love of self and in the conceit of their own intelligence therefrom.
[3] The condemnation of the serpent signifies the condemnation of one's own love and one's own intelligence; the condemnation of Eve signifies the condemnation of the voluntary self (proprium), and Adam's condemnation signifies the condemnation of the intellectual self (proprium); "the thorn and the thistle" that the earth would bring forth to him signify pure falsity and evil; the expulsion from the garden signifies the deprivation of wisdom; "the guarding of the way to the tree of life" the Lord's care lest the holy things of the Word and the church be violated; "the fig leaves with which they covered their nakedness" signify moral truths by which the things of their love and pride were veiled; and "the coats of skin" in which they were afterwards clothed signify the appearances of truth, which were all that they had. Such is the spiritual meaning of these things. But let him who wishes remain in the sense of the letter; only let him know that in heaven this is the meaning.
313. Quales illi sunt qui in propria prudentia, et quales qui in prudentia non propria, et inde in Divina Providentia sunt, describitur in Verbo per Adamum et Chaivam uxorem ejus in horto Edenis, ubi binae arbores, una vitae, et altera scientiae boni et mali, et per eorum esum ex hac arbore; quod per Adamum et Chaivam uxorem ejus in sensu interno seu spirituali intelligatur et describatur Antiquissima Domini Ecclesia in hac tellure, prae sequentibus nobilis et coelestis, videatur supra 241; per caetera significantur haec sequentia;
[2] per hortum Edenis significatur sapientia hominum illius Ecclesiae; per arborem vitae Dominus quoad Divinam Providentiam, et per arborem scientiae homo quoad propriam prudentiam; per serpentem sensuale et proprium hominis, quod in se est amor sui et fastus propriae intelligentiae, ita diabolus et satanas; per esum ex arbore scientiae, appropriatio boni et veri, quod haec non a Domino et inde Domini sint, sed quod ab homine et inde hominis; et quia bonum et verum sunt ipsa Divina apud hominem, per bonum enim intelligitur omne amoris, et per verum omne sapientiae, ideo si homo vindicat sibi illa ut sua, non potest aliter credere quam quod sit sicut Deus, quare dixit serpens, "Quo die comederitis de eo, aperientur oculi vestri, et eritis sicut Deus scientes bonum et malum," Genesis 3:5; ita quoque faciunt illi qui in amore sui, et inde fastu propriae intelligentiae sunt, in inferno;
[3] per damnationem serpentis significatur damnatio proprii amoris et propriae intelligentiae; per damnationem Chaivae damnatio proprii voluntarii, et per damnationem Adami damnatio proprii intellectualis; per spinam et tribulum, quae terra germinabit illi, significatur mere falsum et malum; per ejectionem ex horto significatur deprivatio sapientiae; per custoditionem viae ad arborem vitae tutela Domini ne sancta Verbi et Ecclesiae violentur; per folia ficus per quae texerunt nuditates, significantur vera moralia, per quae velantur illa quae amoris et fastus eorum sunt; et per tunicas pellis, quibus postea vestiebantur, significantur apparentiae veri, in quibus solis sunt. Hic est intellectus illorum spiritualis. Sed maneat qui vult in sensu literae; sciat modo quod ille in Coelo ita intelligatur.