34、⑶人与主结合得越紧密，就越有智慧。由于自创造时，因而自出生时，一个人就拥有生命的三个层级在里面（参看32节），所以他尤其拥有智慧的三个层级在里面。这些层级照着结合，也就是照着爱在一个人里面被打开，因为爱是结合本身。然而，人只能模糊地感知到爱逐层的上升；但那些知道并明白何为智慧的人却能清楚感知到智慧的上升。智慧的层级之所以被感知到，是因为爱通过它的情感进入感知和思维，这些呈现给心智的内在视觉，这内在视觉就对应于身体的外在视觉。这就是为何我们能意识到自己的智慧，却意识不到产生这智慧的爱之情感。人的一切行为差不多都是这样；他能意识到身体如何行动，却意识不到灵魂如何行动。所以，他能意识到他如何沉思、感知和思想，却意识不到这些心理活动的灵魂，也就是对良善和真理的情感如何产生它们。
智慧有三个层级：属世、属灵和属天。人活在世上时处于智慧的属世层级。属世层级能在他里面被完善到它的顶点，但无法跨过边界进入属灵层级，因为属灵层级不是属世层级的一个逐渐延伸，而是通过它们彼此的对应而与它结合。死后，人就处于智慧的属灵层级。属灵层级也能被完善到它的顶点，但无法跨过边界进入智慧的属天层级，因为属天层级不是属灵层级的一个逐渐延伸，而是通过它们的相互对应而与它结合。由此可以得出结论：智慧能获得三倍的提升，并且在每一层级都能被完善，不过只能达到它的最高点。
人若理解这些层级的上升和完善，就能在某种程度上明白为什么说天使的智慧是无法形容的。此外，它是如此无法形容，以至于在天使的智慧所产生的思维中的一千个观念，在世人的智慧所产生的思维中只能呈现为一个观念，剩下的九百九十九个观念无法言表，因为它们是超自然的。我经常通过活生生的经历被指教这一点。然而，如前所述，只有通过并照着与主的结合才能获得无法形容的天使智慧，因为唯独主打开属灵和属天层级，并且只在那些从祂获得智慧的人里面打开。那些将魔鬼，也就是邪恶从自己身上逐出的人便从主获得智慧。
34. (3) The more closely a person is conjoined with the Lord, the wiser he becomes. Since a person has in him from creation and so from birth three degrees of life (as discussed just above in no. 32), he has in him especially three degrees of wisdom. These are the degrees that are opened in a person in the measure of the conjunction. They are opened in accordance with his love, for love is the essence of the conjunction. But a person perceives only dimly the ascent of love by degrees, whereas those who know and see what wisdom is perceive clearly the ascent of wisdom in them.
The reason degrees of wisdom are perceived is that love enters through its affections into one's perceptions and thoughts, and these display themselves to the mind's inner sight, which corresponds to the body's outward sight. So it is that wisdom is seen, and not so much the love's affection which produces it.
The case here is the same as with all the other things that a person actively does. He is aware of how the body accomplishes them, but not how the soul accomplishes them. Thus a person perceives also how he deliberates, perceives and thinks, but not how the soul of these activities - which is his affection for goodness and truth - produces them.
[2] There are, however, three degrees of wisdom - natural, spiritual and celestial. A person is in the enjoyment of the natural degree of wisdom as long as he lives in the world. This degree can be perfected in him then to its highest point; and yet he cannot enter the spiritual degree, because the spiritual degree is not continuous with the natural degree by a continuous connection, but is conjoined with it by correspondences.
After death a person is in the enjoyment of the spiritual degree of wisdom, and this degree, too, is such that it can be perfected to its highest point; but still he cannot enter the celestial degree of wisdom, because the celestial degree is not continuous with the spiritual degree by a continuous connection, but is conjoined with it by correspondences.
It can be seen from this that wisdom can be elevated in a threefold way, and that in each degree it can be perfected in a single way to its highest point.
[3] One who comprehends the elevations and perfectings of these degrees can to some extent perceive what is said of angelic wisdom, that it is inexpressible. 1It is, moreover, so inexpressible that a thousand ideas in the thought of angels springing from their wisdom can produce but a single idea in the thought of people springing from their wisdom. The other nine hundred and ninety-nine ideas in the thought of angels cannot gain admittance, being supranatural. The reality of this is something I have many times been granted to know through personal experience.
Still, as we said before, no one can come into this inexpressible wisdom of angels except by conjunction with the Lord and in the measure of that conjunction. For the Lord alone opens the spiritual and celestial degrees, but only in people who are wise from Him. And those are wise from the Lord who cast out the devil, which is to say, evil, from themselves.
Footnotes:
34. 3. The more closely we are united to the Lord, the wiser we become. Since there are three levels of life in us from creation and therefore from birth (see 32 above), there are quite specifically three levels of wisdom in us as well. It is these levels that are opened for us in proportion to our union; they are opened in proportion to our love, that is, since love is union itself.
However, we sense this level-by-level ascent of love only dimly, while we sense an ascent of wisdom clearly if we know and see what wisdom is. The reason we are aware of levels of wisdom is that love enters our perceptions and thoughts through its desires, and our perceptions and thoughts stand out in the inner sight of our minds, the sight that answers to our outer, physical sight. This is why we can be conscious of our wisdom, but not so conscious of the desire of love that is giving rise to it. It is much the same as it is with the things that we do behaviorally. We notice how our bodies are doing things, but not how our souls are behaving. So too, we are aware of how we contemplate, perceive, and think, but not of the way the soul of these activities, the desire for what is good and true, is giving rise to them.
[2] There are, though, three levels of wisdom: earthly, spiritual, and heavenly. We are on the earthly level of wisdom while we are living in this world. This level can be brought to its height of perfection within us and still not cross the border to the spiritual level, because this level is not just an incremental extension of the earthly level. These two levels are united by their correspondence to each other. We arrive in the spiritual level of wisdom after death. This level too can be brought to the height of its perfection but still not cross the border to the heavenly level of wisdom. This latter level, again, is not just an incremental extension of the spiritual level, but is united to it by their mutual correspondence.
We may therefore conclude that wisdom can be raised up threefold, and that on each level it can be brought to a height of perfection by simple increment.
[3] Once we understand the ascent and perfection of these levels, we can to some extent understand what people say about angelic wisdom, namely, that it is inexpressible. It is so far beyond description that a thousand images of angels' thought, arising from their wisdom, can present only a single image to our thought, arising from our wisdom. The other nine hundred and ninety-nine images of angels' thought cannot find entrance because they transcend the material world. I have often been taught this by vivid experience.
However, as already noted [33], the only way to arrive at this indescribable angelic wisdom is through union with the Lord and in proportion to that union, since only the Lord opens the spiritual level and the heavenly level. This step is limited to people who are wise because of him, and we are wise because of the Lord when we cast the devil, or evil, away from ourselves.
34. III. THE MORE NEARLY A MAN IS CONJOINED TO THE LORD THE WISER HE BECOMES. While there are three degrees of life in man from creation and thus from birth, which have just been treated of above in n. 32, there are especially three degrees of wisdom in him. These are the degrees which are opened in man according to the measure of conjunction; that is, they are opened according to love, for love is conjunction itself. However, the ascent of love according to degrees is only perceived by man in an obscure way, while the ascent of wisdom is clearly perceived in those who know and see what wisdom is. The degrees of wisdom are so perceived because love enters through the affections into the perceptions and thoughts, and these present themselves to the internal sight of the mind, which corresponds to the external sight of the body. In this way wisdom is manifest, but not the affection of love which produces it. It is the same with all things that are actually done by man. How the body does them is perceived, but not the working of the soul. So also it is perceived how a man meditates, perceives and thinks; but it is not perceived how the soul of these activities, which is an affection for good and truth, produces the meditation, the perception and the thought.
[2] There are three degrees of wisdom, the natural, the spiritual and the celestial. Man is in the natural degree of wisdom while he lives in this world. This degree may then be perfected in him to its highest point, but yet it cannot enter upon the spiritual degree, because the spiritual degree is not an extension of the natural degree by continuity, but is conjoined to it by correspondences. After death man is in the spiritual degree of wisdom; and this degree is also such that it may be perfected to its highest point, but yet it cannot enter upon the celestial degree of wisdom, because the celestial degree is not an extension of the spiritual degree by continuity, but is conjoined to it by correspondences. From this it may be evident that wisdom can be elevated in a triplicate ratio, and in each degree can be perfected in a simple ratio to its highest point.
[3] One who comprehends the processes of elevation and the perfecting of these degrees can in some measure understand what is said of angelic wisdom, that it is ineffable; and so ineffable is it that a thousand ideas in the thought of angels from their wisdom can present but a single idea in the thought of men from their wisdom, the other nine hundred and ninety-nine ideas of angelic thought not being able to gain entrance, because they are supernatural. That this is so has often been granted me to know by actual experience. However, as was said before, no one can attain that ineffable wisdom of the angels unless through conjunction with the Lord and in the measure of that conjunction, for the Lord alone opens the spiritual degree and the celestial degree, and only in those who are wise from Him; and those are wise from the Lord who cast out from themselves the devil, that is, evil.
34. (3) The more nearly a man is conjoined with the Lord the wiser he becomes. As from creation and thus from birth there are three degrees of life in man (of which just above,32), so there are preeminently three degrees of wisdom in him. These are the degrees that are opened in man in the measure of conjunction. They are opened in the measure of love, since love is conjunction itself. Yet the ascent of love according to degrees is perceived by man only in an obscure way while the ascent of wisdom is clearly perceived in such as know and see what wisdom is. The degrees of wisdom are perceived for the reason that love enters through the affections into the perceptions and thoughts, and these present themselves to the internal sight of the mind, which corresponds to the external sight of the body. It is owing to this that wisdom is manifest, but not so much the affection of love that produces it. It is with this as with all things that are actually done by man. It is noticed how the body does them; but not how the soul does them. So also it is seen how one meditates, perceives, and thinks; but how the soul of these activities, which is an affection for good and truth, produces the meditation, perception, and thought, is not seen.
[2] There are three degrees of wisdom, the natural, the spiritual, and the celestial. While man lives in the world he is in the natural degree of wisdom. This degree may then be perfected in him to its highest point, but it cannot enter the spiritual degree, because that degree is not continued into the natural degree by continuity, but is conjoined with it by correspondences. After death man is in the spiritual degree of wisdom; and this degree is also such that it may be perfected to the highest point, but it cannot enter the celestial degree of wisdom, for that degree is not continued into the spiritual by continuity, but it is conjoined with it by correspondences. From all this it can be seen that wisdom can be elevated in a triplicate ratio, and in each degree in a simple ratio to its highest point.
[3] One who comprehends the elevation and perfecting of these degrees can in some measure perceive the truth of what is said of angelic wisdom, that it is ineffable, and so ineffable that a thousand ideas in the thought of angels from their wisdom can present but a single idea in the thought of men from their wisdom, the other nine hundred and ninety-nine ideas of angelic thought not being able to gain entrance, because they are supernatural. That this is so it has often been granted me to know by living experience. But, as said above, no one can come into that ineffable wisdom of the angels except through conjunction with the Lord and in the measure of that conjunction, for the Lord alone opens the spiritual degree and the celestial degree, and opens them in those only who are wise from Him; and those are wise from the Lord who cast out the devil, that is, evil, from themselves.
34. III. Quod homo quo propius conjungitur Domino, eo sapientior fiat. Quoniam tres gradus vitae apud hominem a creatione et inde a nativitate sunt, de quibus mox supra 32, sunt imprimis tres gradus sapientiae apud illum; hi gradus sunt qui aperiuntur apud hominem secundum conjunctionem; aperiuntur secundum amorem, 1nam amor est ipsa conjunctio: at amoris ascensus secundum gradus ab homine non percipitur nisi quam obscure, at ascensus sapientiae clare apud illos qui sciunt et vident quid sapientia. Causa quod gradus sapientiae percipiantur, est quia amor per affectiones intrat in perceptiones et cogitationes, et hae se sistunt in visu interno mentis, qui correspondet visui externo corporis; inde est quod sapientia appareat, et non ita affectio amoris quae producit illam: hoc simile est sicut cum omnibus quae actualiter fiunt ab homine; animadvertitur quomodo corpus operatur illa, non autem quomodo anima; ita quoque percipitur quomodo homo meditatur, percipit et cogitat, sed non quomodo anima illarum, quae est affectio boni et veri, producit illas.
[2] Sed sunt tres gradus sapientiae, naturalis, spiritualis et coelestis; in gradu sapientiae naturali est homo dum vivit in mundo; hic gradus apud illum tunc potest ad summum ejus perfici, et usque non potest intrare gradum spiritualem, quia hic gradus non continuatur gradui naturali per continuum, sed conjungitur illi per correspondentias: in gradu sapientiae spirituali 2est homo post mortem, et hic gradus etiam talis est, ut possit ad summum perfici, sed usque non potest intrare gradum sapientiae coelestem, quia hic gradus nec continuatur spirituali per continuum, sed conjungitur illi per correspondentias: ex his constare potest, quod sapientia possit elevari in ratione triplicata, et quod in unoquovis gradu possit perfici in ratione simplici ad summum ejus.
[3] Qui elevationes et perfectiones horum graduum comprehendit, ille potest aliquantum percipere id, quod de Sapientia Angelica dicitur, quod sit ineffabilis; haec quoque tam ineffabilis est, ut mille ideae cogitationis angelorum ex sua sapientia non possint sistere quam unam ideam cogitationis hominum ex sua sapientia; 999 illae ideae cogitationis angelorum non possunt intrare, sunt enim supranaturalia: quod ita sit, per vivam experientiam pluries datum est scire. Sed, ut prius dictum est, nemo in sapientiam illam ineffabilem angelorum venire potest, nisi per conjunctionem cum Domino, et secundum illam, nam Solus Dominus aperit gradum spiritualem et gradum coelestem, at duntaxat apud illos, qui sapiunt ex Ipso; et illi sapiunt ex Domino, qui rejiciunt diabolum, hoc est, malum a se.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: amorem. (ut videtur)
2 Prima editio: spiritua- / tuali