143、无论天使的脸和身体如何转动，天使的脸总是朝向东方，这对世人来说更难理解，因为根据世人的转动，前方可以是任何方位。这一点有必要加以解释。尽管天使和世人一样，能把脸和身体转向各个方向，但他们的眼前始终是东方。天使的转动和世人的转动不同，因为它们来自不同的源头，它们表面上看似一样，其实不然。这些转向的源头是主导爱，对天使和灵人来说，一切方向皆取决于这主导爱，正如刚才所述，他们的内在实际上转向他们的共同中心，也就是在天堂显为太阳的主。因为他们的爱总是在他们的内在之前，而脸是出于内在而存在的，是它们的外在形式，因此，他们主导爱总是在他们脸的前面。在天堂，这爱就是显为太阳的主，因为正是出于祂，天使们拥有自己的爱。｛注1｝此外，由于主自己在天使里面、祂的爱中，故是主使他们仰望祂，无论他们转向哪里。这一点现在无法进一步解释，但在下文中会更清晰易懂，尤其是在论述代表和表象、以及天堂里的时间和空间的章节。｛注2｝
我蒙恩准知道主始终在天使的面前，这也从大量的经历中感知到了。因为，每当我与天使在一起时，我就注意到主出现在我面前，不是实际地看见了，而是在光中感知到了。天使也经常证明事实的确如此。因为主始终在天使的面前，所以世上那些信主爱主的人说，上帝在他们的眼前和脸前，他们仰望祂并看见祂。这些表达源于灵界，人类语言中的许多说法都来自灵界，尽管人们不知道它们的来源。
｛注1｝：在灵界，所有人都始终朝向自己的爱。那里的方位始于脸，并由脸决定（10130，10189，10420，10702）。脸被形成，与内在对应（4791-4805，5695）。因此，内在从脸上闪耀出来（3527，4066，4796）。对天使来说，脸与内在构成一体（4796，4797，4799，5695，8250）。内在的流注进入脸部及其肌肉中（3631，4800）。
｛注2｝：【英113】关于代表和表象的论述，参见170-176节；关于天堂中的时间和空间的论述，参见162-169、191-199节。
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143. 世人更难理解的是, 无论脸和身体如何转动, 天使总是面朝东方; 因为世人在转动时会面朝各个方向. 这一点有必要加以解释. 尽管天使和世人一样, 能将他们的脸和身体转动并指向各个方向, 然而, 东方却始终在他们眼前. 但天使的这种转动和世人的不同, 因为它们来自在一个不同的源头. 它们表面看似一样, 其实不然. 这些转动的源头就是他们的主导爱; 对天使和灵人来说, 一切方向皆取决于这主导爱. 因为如刚才所述, 天使的内层实际上转向他们的共同中心, 也就是在天堂显为太阳的主; 因此, 他们的主导爱总在他们脸前; 事实上, 他们的爱总在他们的内层面前, 而脸凭内层存在, 因为脸是内层的外在形式. 在天堂, 这爱就是显为太阳的主, 因为他们从主拥有他们的爱. 还由于主在天使里面住在自己的爱中, 故正是主使他们仰望祂, 无论他们转向何处. 这些问题现在无法进一步阐明, 但在随后章节会更清晰地呈现给理解力, 尤其在论述代表和表象, 以及天堂的时间和空间的章节. 我蒙恩通过大量经历得知并发觉, 天使拥有始终面向他们的主. 因为每当与天使在一起时, 我就意识到, 主出现在我面前, 虽没有实际看到, 却在一种光中察觉到了; 天使经常证明事实的确如此. 由于主始终在天使脸前, 所以那些信主爱主的世人也声称, 他们拥有在他们的眼和脸前的神, 他们仰望并看见祂. 这些说法就来源于灵界, 人的话语中有许多说法来源于灵界, 只是它们的源头不为世人所知.
注: 在灵界, 所有人始终朝向自己的爱; 那里的方位始于脸, 并取决于脸(天国的奥秘 10130, 10189, 10420, 10702节). 脸被形成是为了与内层相对应(天国的奥秘 4791-4805, 5695节). 因此, 内层从脸上闪耀出来(天国的奥秘 3527, 4066, 4796节). 对天使来说, 脸与内层构成一体(天国的奥秘 4796, 4797, 4799, 5695, 8250节). 内层流入脸及其肌肉(天国的奥秘 3631, 4800节).
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143. 無論怎樣轉動臉面和身體, 東方總在天人前方, 這對我們這個世界而言更加費解(因為我們可面向所有方位), 故有必要加以解釋。
和我們一樣, 天人可隨意轉動面孔和身體, 東方卻仍在他們眼前。天人和我們轉動的方式不同, 因為各自的源頭不同。兩者看似一樣, 其實不然。天人轉動的源頭是其主導愛;這是靈和天人界定一切的基準。正如前面所說, 他們的更深層級朝向共同的中心。於是在天國, 他們被轉向顯為太陽的主。又因為他們的主導愛總在他們的更深層級之前, 而臉面是這些層級的表現(也就是外在的形式), 於是主導愛一直在他們的面前。天國的主導愛是顯為太陽的主, 因為主是他們一切愛的源泉。再者, 主住於自己的愛裡, 此愛在眾天使當中, 那麼使天人轉身時始終面向主的其實是主自己。這些問題一時難以說清, 不妨留待以後再作分解。等到談論天國的象徵與表像及天國的時間與空間時, 這些問題將變得更為淺顯。
對於天人總面向主這個事實, 我有過大量的親身經歷。有時, 當我與天人來往時, 我注意到主就在面前, 即使不能眼見, 也能憑著那光作出分辨, 天人也時常證實這一點。
正因主總在天人面前, 世人便說上帝總在他們面前, 並說凡信祂愛祂之人定睛於祂和看見祂。諸如此類的說法都是從心靈世界而來, 很多俗語源出於此, 只是人未曾意識到而已。
143. But that east is always in front of angels no matter which way they turn their faces and bodies - this is even harder to understand in our world, since for us, the direction that is in front of us depends on which way we are facing; so this too needs to be explained.
Angels turn and direct their faces and bodies in any direction just as we do, but still, the east is always before their eyes. The way angels turn is not the way we turn, since it comes from a different origin. The two modes of turning look the same, but they are not. The origin [for angels] is a ruling love. It is the basis of all delimitation for angels and spirits; for, as noted just above, their deeper levels are actually turned toward their common center. So in heaven they are turned toward the Lord as the sun; and since love is constantly in front of their deeper levels, and their faces are manifestations of these levels (being their outward form), the love that is predominant is always in front of their faces. In heaven, then, this is the Lord as the sun, since he is the source of all their love. 1Further, since the Lord himself is in his love among the angels, it is the Lord who causes them to be looking at him wherever they turn. These matters cannot be further clarified here, but they will be in subsequent chapters. In particular, where we deal with representations and appearances and with time and space in heaven, they will be presented to understanding more plainly.
As for angels having the Lord constantly in front of them, this I have been granted to know through a great deal of experience. Sometimes when I have been in the company of angels, I have noticed the Lord's presence before my own face: even though I did not see him, I could tell he was there because of the light. Angels have often borne witness to the truth of this as well.
Since the Lord is constantly in front of angels, we say in our world that they have God before their eyes and faces, that people who believe in him and love him look to him and see him. Expressions like this come to us from the spiritual world, for this is the source of many of our expressions, though we are unaware that they come from there.
Footnotes:
1. All the people in the spiritual world turn toward what they love, and the directions there have their source and definition on the basis of the face: 10130, 10189, 10420, 10702. The face is formed to correspond to the deeper levels: 4791-4805, 5695. So the deeper levels shine forth from the face: 3527, 4066, 4796. For angels, the face is united to the deeper levels: 4796-4797, 4799, 5695, 8250. On the inflow of the deeper levels into the face and its muscles: 3631, 4800.
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143. It is still more difficult to comprehend in the world that in every turning of their face and body, the angels have the east facing them, since man according as he turns has every quarter facing him. This, then, will be explained.
Angels, like men, turn and move their faces and bodies in every direction, and yet they have the east always in front of their eyes. But the turnings of angels are unlike the turnings of men, because they are from another origin. They appear the same but yet they are not. The origin of those turnings is the ruling love, from which all directions with angels and spirits are determined, for, as just said, their interiors are actually turned towards their common centre, thus in heaven to the Lord as a Sun. Consequently, because love is continually present before their interiors, and the face comes into existence from the interiors, for it is their external form, therefore the love that is ruling is always before their face. So, in the heavens this is the Lord as a Sun, because it is from Him that they have their love. 1Also because the Lord Himself is with the angels in His love, it is the Lord Who causes them to look to Him whithersoever they turn. These matters cannot be further elucidated at this stage, but they will be presented more clearly to the understanding in subsequent sections, especially in those dealing with Representations and Appearances, and with Time and Space in Heaven.
That the angels have the Lord constantly facing them, it has been granted me to know and perceive from much experience. For, whenever I have been in company with angels, the Lord's presence was noticed before my face, not actually seen and yet perceptible in a light; and angels have quite often testified that this is so. As the Lord is constantly before the faces of the angels, therefore it is even said in the world that those who believe in the Lord and love Him have God before their eyes and face and that they look to Him and see Him. Man speaks in this way from the spiritual world for, although he is ignorant of their source, it is from there that many expressions are in human speech.
Footnotes:
1. In the spiritual world all constantly turn themselves to their loves; and the quarters there have their beginning in the face and are determined by it (Arcana Coelestia 10130, 10189, 10420, 10702).
The face is formed to a correspondence with the interiors (Arcana Coelestia 4791-4805, 5695).
Therefore the interiors shine forth from the face (Arcana Coelestia 3527, 4066, 4796).
With angels the face makes one with the interiors (Arcana Coelestia 4796-4797, 4799, 5695, 8249).
The influx of the interiors into the face and its muscles (Arcana Coelestia 3631, 4800).
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143. It is still more difficult to comprehend in the world that in every turning of their face and body the angels have the east before the face, since man according as he turns, has every quarter before his face. This shall also be explained. Although angels, like men, turn and direct their faces and bodies in every direction, they nevertheless have the east always before their eyes. But the turnings of angels are unlike the turnings of men, because they are from a different origin. They appear alike, but they are not. The origin of these turnings is their ruling love, and from this all directions with angels and spirits are determined, for, as just said, their interiors are actually turned towards their common center, which in heaven is the Lord as a sun; consequently their ruling love is always before their face, because their love is always before their interiors, and the face has existence from the interiors, for it is their outward form; and in the heavens this love is the Lord as a sun because it is from Him that they have their love. 1And as the Lord Himself is in angels in His love, it is the Lord who causes them to look to Him whithersoever they turn. This cannot be explained any farther now; but it will be made clearer to the understanding in subsequent chapters, especially where representations and appearances, and time and space in heaven, are treated of. That the angels have the Lord constantly before their faces it has been granted me to know and also to perceive from much experience; for whenever I have been in company with angels I have noticed the Lord's presence before my face, not actually seen, and yet perceptible in a light; and angels have often testified that this is so. As the Lord is constantly before the faces of the angels, so it is said in the world of those who believe in the Lord and love Him that they have God before their eyes and their face, and that they look to God, and see God. These expressions have their origin in the spiritual world, from which are many things in human speech, although their source is unknown to men.
Footnotes:
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143. Sed quod angelis a facie sit oriens in omni conversione faciei et corporis eorum, adhuc aegrius comprehendi potest in mundo, ex causa quia homini a facie est omnis plaga secundum conversionem, ideo hoc etiam explicabitur. Angeli similiter ac homines vertunt et flectunt suas facies et sua corpora quaquaversum at usque semper illis est ante oculos oriens; sed conversiones angelorum non sunt sicut conversiones hominum, sunt enim ex alia origine; similes quidem apparent, sed usque non sunt similes amor regnans est origo ex illo sunt omnes determinationes apud angelos et apud spiritus; nam, ut mox supra dictum est, interiora eorum actualiter versa sunt ad centrum suum commune, ita in caelo ad Dominum ut Solem, quapropter quia amor jugiter est coram interioribus illorum, et facies ex interioribus existit, est enim forma eorum externa, ideo ante faciem est semper ille amor qui regnat in caelis itaque est Dominus ut Sol, quia Ipse est a quo illis amor; 1et quia Ipse Dominus est in suo amore apud angelos, ideo Dominus est qui facit ut spectent Ipsum quocunque se vertunt. Haec non amplius adhuc elucidari possunt, sed in sequentibus articulis, in specie ubi De Repraesentationibus et Apparentiis, ac De Tempore et Spatio in Caelo agendum est, ad intellectum evidentius sistentur. Quod angeli ante faciem constanter habeant Dominum hoc ex multa experientia mihi datum est scire, et quoque percipere; quoties enim cum angelis in consortio fui, praesentia Domini ante faciem meam animadversa est, qui tametsi non visus, usque perceptus est in luce quod ita sit, etiam saepius testati sunt angeli. Quia Dominus constanter est ante faciem angelorum, ideo etiam dicitur in mundo, ut Deum ante oculos et faciem habeant, et Ipsum spectent, et quod videant ipsum qui credunt in Ipsum et amant Ipsum quod homo ita loquatur, est ex spirituali mundo, nam inde plura in loquela humana sunt, tametsi homo nescit quod inde sint.
Footnotes: