252、与天堂的天使交谈的人也看见天堂里的事物，因为那时他们在天堂之光中观看，他们的内层处在这光中。天使也藉着他们看见地上的事物。｛注1｝对与天使交谈的人来说，天堂与尘世结合，尘世与天堂结合，正如前文所述（246节）。当天使转向人时，他们与人如此紧密地结合，以至于除了把属于人的事物（言语上的以及视觉和听觉上的）当成他们自己的外，他们几乎意识不到别的；另一方面，人除了把经由天使流入的事物当成自己的外，没有别的想法。地球上的上古之人就是这样与天堂天使结合的，因此，他们的时代被称为“金时代”。他们承认人形的上帝，也就是主，像朋友一样和天堂的天使交谈，天堂的天使也像朋友一样和他们交谈，天堂和尘世在他们里面合为一体。但那时代之后，人因爱自己胜过爱主、爱世界胜过爱天堂而逐渐远离天堂。结果，人开始享受脱离天堂快乐的爱自己和爱世界的快乐，最终到了不知有其它任何快乐的地步。于是，他那原本向天堂敞开的内层被关闭了，而他的外层则向尘世敞开。一旦这种情形发生，人看尘世的一切事物在光明中，但看天堂的一切事物上却在浓密的黑暗中。
｛注1｝：灵人不能透过人看见在这个太阳系的世界中的任何事物，但他们能透过我的眼睛看见；原因（1880）。
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252. 那些与天堂天使交谈的人也能看见存在于天堂的事物, 因为那时他们正在天堂之光中观看, 他们的内层就处于这光; 天使还通过他们看见地上的事物. 对与天使交谈的人来说, 天堂与世界实际联结, 世界与天堂联结. 因为如前所述(天国的奥秘 246节), 当天使转向人时, 他们与人如此紧密结合, 以至于完全没有意识到属于人的东西并不是他们的; 不仅属于其言语的元素, 而且属于其视觉和听觉的元素都不是他们的. 而另一方面, 人完全没有意识到经由天使流入的事物不是他的. 这就是存在于天堂天使与地球上的上古之人之间的结合, 因此, 他们的时代被称为“黄金时代”. 他们因承认人形式的神性, 也就是主, 故与天堂天使如朋友那样交谈; 天堂天使也与他们如朋友那样交谈; 天堂和世界在他们里面合为一体. 但这些时代过后, 人因爱自己胜过主, 爱世界胜过天堂而逐渐远离天堂, 由此开始感受脱离天堂快乐的爱自己和爱世界的快乐, 最终到了不知有其它任何快乐存在的地步. 于是, 他那原本向天堂敞开的内层被关闭了, 而他的外层则向世界敞开. 一旦这种情况发生, 人就在世界的一切事物上处于光明, 但在天堂的一切事物上却陷入黑暗.
注: 灵人无法透过人看见在这个太阳世界中的任何事物, 但他们能透过我的眼睛看见; 原因(天国的奥秘 1880节).
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252. 和天人交流的人能看見天國的事物, 因為他們正透過環繞其心靈的天國之光觀看。天人通過他們也能看見人間的事物。對於與天人交流的人, 天國與人間建立了連接。因為正如前面所說(246), 當天人轉向我們時, 與我們緊密連接起來, 以致在他們看來, 凡屬於我們的都屬於他們。語言如此, 視覺和聽覺也如此。同樣, 在我們看來, 通過天人所流入的都屬於我們。
地球上的先祖曾如此與天人緊密連接, 他們的時代因而被稱為"黃金時代"。因為他們承認上帝是人的形像, 也就承認主。他們和天人說話, 正如和家人說話一樣。天人亦然。在他們身上, 天國與人間連為一體。
後來, 人類逐漸與天國疏遠, 因為他們愛己過於愛主, 愛世界過於愛天國。在天國的快樂之外, 他們開始感受我欲和物欲之樂, 最終陷入其中。至此, 其向天國開放的內在層次閉合了, 外在層次則向世界開放了。到此地步, 世界的一切被他視為光明, 而天國的一切在他看為黑暗。
252. People who talk with heaven's angels also see the things that are in heaven because they are seeing in that light of heaven that surrounds their inner levels. Not only that, through them angels see things that are on our earth. 1For people who talk with angels, heaven is actually united to our world and our world to heaven; for as already noted (246), when angels turn toward us they unite themselves with us so completely that it seems to them exactly as though whatever is ours is actually theirs. This applies not only to elements of our language but to what is involved in our sight and hearing. In addition, it seems to us exactly as though the things that are flowing in through the angels are really ours.
The earliest humans on our planet enjoyed this kind of union with heaven's angels, which is why their times are called the Golden Age. Because they acknowledged the Divine in human form and therefore were acknowledging the Lord, they talked with heaven's angels as they did with members of their own family, and heaven's angels talked with them in the same way; and in them heaven and this world were a single whole.
But after those times, people moved step by step away from heaven by loving themselves more than the Lord and the world more than heaven. So they began to feel the pleasures of self-love and love of the world separately from the pleasures of heaven, ultimately to the point where they did not know there was any other kind of pleasure. Then their deeper levels were closed, the levels that open into heaven, while their outer levels were open to the world. Once this has happened, we are in the light in respect to everything in this world and in darkness in respect to everything in heaven.
Footnotes:
1. Spirits cannot see, through us, anything that is in this subsolar world; but they have seen through my eyes, and why: 1880.
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252. Those who talk with the angels of heaven also see the things that are in heaven, because they are then seeing from the light of heaven, in which light their interiors are. Also the angels through them see the things that are on the earth, 1because with them heaven is conjoined to the world and the world is conjoined to heaven. For as has been said above (246), when angels turn themselves to man they so conjoin themselves to him that they hardly know otherwise than that the things pertaining to the man are their own-those pertaining to his speech as well as those of sight and hearing; while man, on the other hand, has no other thought than that the things that flow in through the angels are his. In such a conjunction with angels of heaven were the most ancient people on this earth, and for this reason their times were called the Golden Age. Because they acknowledged the Divine under a human form, that is, the Lord, they talked with the angels of heaven as with their friends; and angels of heaven on their part talked with them as with their friends, and in them heaven and the world made one. But after those times man gradually separated himself from heaven by loving himself more than the Lord and the world more than heaven. In consequence, he began to feel the delights of the love of self and the world as separate from the delights of heaven, and finally to such an extent as to be ignorant of any other delight. Then his interiors that had been open into heaven were closed up, while his exteriors were open to the world. When this takes place man is in light in regard to all things of the world, but in thick darkness in regard to all things of heaven.
Footnotes:
1. Spirits are unable to see, through man, any thing that is in this solar world, but they have seen through my eyes; the reason (Arcana Coelestia 1880).
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252. Those who talk with the angels of heaven also see the things that exist in heaven, because they are then seeing in the light of heaven, for their interiors are in that light; also the angels through them see the things that are on the earth, 1because in them heaven is conjoined to the world and the world is conjoined to heaven. For (as has been said above 246), when the angels turn themselves to man they so conjoin themselves to him as to be wholly unaware that what pertains to the man is not theirs-not only what pertains to his speech but also to his sight and hearing; while man, on the other hand, is wholly unaware that the things that flow in through the angels are not his. Such was the conjunction that existed between angels of heaven and the most ancient people on this earth, and for this reason their times were called the Golden Age. Because this race acknowledged the Divine under a human form, that is, the Lord, they talked with the angels of heaven as with their friends, and angels of heaven talked with them as with their friends; and in them heaven and the world made one. But after those times man gradually separated himself from heaven by loving himself more than the Lord and the world more than heaven, and in consequence began to feel the delights of the love of self and the world as separate from the delights of heaven, and finally to such an extent as to be ignorant of any other delight. Then his interiors that had been open into heaven were closed up, while his exteriors were open to the world; and when this takes place man is in light in regard to all things of the world, but in thick darkness in regard to all things of heaven.
Footnotes:
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252. Qui loquuntur cum angelis caeli, illi etiam vident ea quae in caelo sunt, quia vident ex luce caeli, in qua interiora eorum sunt etiam angeli per illos vident ea quae in tellure sunt; 1est enim apud illos caelum conjunctum mundo, et mundus conjunctus caelo nam ut supra (246) dictum est, cum angeli se convertunt ad hominem, se conjungunt ei ita, ut non aliter sciant quam quod quae hominis sunt, sua sint, non modo illa quae loquelae ejus sunt, sed etiam illa quae visus et auditus sunt 2homo etiam vicissim non aliter scit, quam 3[quod] quae per angelos influunt, sua sint. In tali conjunctione cum angelis caeli fuerunt antiquissimi in hac tellure, quorum tempora ideo vocata sunt Saeculum aureum: illi quia agnoverunt Divinum sub Humana forma, ita Dominum, locuti sunt cum angelis caeli ut cum suis, et angeli caeli cum illis vicissim ut cum suis, et in illis caelum et mundus unum fecerunt. At homo post illa tempora se successive removit e caelo, per id quod amaret se prae Domino, et mundum prae caelo; inde sentire coepit jucunda amoris sui et mundi separata a jucundis caeli, et tandem usque adeo ut nesciret quid aliud jucundum: tunc clausa sunt interiora, quae patuerunt in caelum, et aperta exteriora ad mundum quod cum fit, homo in luce est quoad omnia quae mundi sunt, et in caligine quoad omnia quae caeli sunt.
Footnotes: