Life87.就属世意义而言,“作假见证”不仅表示充当假证人,还表示说谎和诽谤。就属灵意义而言,“作假见证”表示声称虚假是真理,邪恶是良善,并说服别人相信虚假就是真理,邪恶就是良善,反之亦然。就至高意义而言,“作假见证”表示亵渎主和圣言。这些就是“作假见证”的三层意义。这些在作假见证,说谎或诽谤的人里面构成一体,这一点从《新耶路撒冷教义之圣经篇》(5-7等,57节)关于圣言的一切的三层意义的说明清楚看出来。
87. To the Extent That We Turn Our Backs on All Kinds of False Witness Because They Are Sins, We Love Truth
UNDERSTOOD on an earthly level, bearing false witness means not only committing legal perjury but also telling lies and slandering others. Understood on a spiritual level, bearing false witness means saying and convincing ourselves that something false is true and that something evil is good, and the reverse. Understood on the highest level, though, bearing false witness means blaspheming the Lord and the Word. These are the three meanings of false witness.
The information about the threefold meaning of everything in the Word presented in Teachings on the Sacred Scripture 5-7, and following may show that these three are united in people who commit perjury, tell lies, and slander.
87. Insofar as Someone Refrains from Every Form of False Witness as Being a Sin, So Far He Loves Truth
In the natural sense to bear false witness means not only to perjure oneself in court, but also to lie and slander. In the spiritual sense to bear false witness means to say and persuade that falsity is true, and evil good, and the converse. And in the highest sense to bear false witness means to blaspheme the Lord and the Word.
These are what it is to bear false witness in its three levels of meaning.
That they go together in a person swearing falsely, lying and slandering can be seen from what we demonstrated in The Doctrine Regarding the Sacred Scripture 5-7ff., and no. 57, 58, regarding the three levels of meaning of everything in the Word.
87. XI. SO FAR AS ANY ONE SHUNS ALL KINDS OF FALSE WITNESS AS SINS, SO FAR HE LOVES WHAT IS TRUE (veritas)
By bearing false witness, in the natural sense, is meant not only to act as a false witness, but also to practise lying and defamation. By bearing false witness, in the spiritual sense, is meant to say and to persuade others that what is false is true, and that what is evil is good, and conversely. But in the supreme sense, by bearing false witness is meant to blaspheme the Lord and the Word. These are what constitute bearing false witness in the threefold sense. That they make one in the man who testifies falsely, who tells a lie, and who defames another, may be evident from what was shown in DOCTRINE CONCERNING THE SACRED SCRIPTURE 5-7 and following numbers, and DOCTRINE CONCERNING THE SACRED SCRIPTURE 57, regarding the threefold sense of all that is contained in the Word.
87. IN PROPORTION AS ANY ONE SHUNS FALSE WITNESS OF EVERY KIND AS SIN, IN THE SAME PROPORTION HE LOVES THE TRUTH.
To "bear false witness," in the natural sense, means not only to play the false witness, but also to lie, and to defame. In the spiritual sense, to "bear false witness" means to declare some false thing to be true or some evil thing good, and to persuade others that it is so; and the converse. And in the highest sense, to "bear false witness" means to blaspheme the Lord and the Word.
These are the three senses of "bearing false witness." That these make a one in the man who bears false witness, utters a lie, or defames, is evident from what has been shown respecting the three senses of all things of the Word, in the DOCTRINE CONCERNING THE SACRED SCRIPTURE 5-7, 57).
87. (XI.) QUOD QUANTUM QUIS OMNIS GENERIS FALSA TESTIMONIA UT PECCATA FUGIT, TANTUM VERITATEM AMET.
Per "false testari" in naturali sensu non modo intelligitur falsum testem agere, sed etiam mentiri et diffamare. Per "false testari" in spirituali sensu intelligitur dicere et persuadere quod falsum sit verum, et malum sit bonum, ac vicissim. In supremo autem sensu per "false testari" intelligitur blasphemare Dominum et Verbum. Haec sunt "false testari" in triplici sensu. Quod illa unum faciant apud hominem false testantem, mendacium loquentem, et diffamantem, constare potest ex illis, quae in Doctrina de Scriptura Sacra, de triplici sensu omnium Verbi (Doctrina de Scriptura Sacra 5-7, seq., et Doctrina de Scriptura Sacra 57,) ostensa sunt.