1442. I spoke 1with them as well about sheep 2and lambs, but they did not want to hear about such things, because they are earthly. But then they were told that lambs symbolize innocent people, and this being the case, therefore when one mentions lambs, one does not think of lambs, but of innocents. Then they said they did not know what innocents are. Then I said that lambs are (alfwarsamheter); 3but this they did not want to hear either, saying they did not know what these were, but what (artighet) 4is, they knew, and they tried to be such.
This is in agreement with "inward sensation" [1415 ff.]. Those who do not go higher than this kind of spiritual knowledge, also do not know what innocence is, other than just a word; and perhaps some confuse it with babyhood and its ignorance, thinking that people gifted with great intellect cannot be innocents. Therefore inward sensation, or the mere knowledge of things in heaven, does not grasp inward qualities, such as what innocence is. It agrees with their character to be artige, 5that is, to be happy with the knowledge of realities and boastful of it.
Footnotes:
1. The original has "they spoke," but see AC 7073.
2. J. F. I. Tafel read ovibus, "lambs," as avibus, "birds."
3. Old Swedish spelling alfwarsamheter for allvarsamheter, "earnest people."
4. Swedish for "courtesy."
5. Swedish for "courteous."
1442. Moreover, I 1spoke to them about birds and lambs, but they were unwilling to hear about such things because they are earthly. When they were told, however, that lambs signify innocences, and that they who mention lambs as signifying such things think not of the lambs but of innocences, these spirits declared that they did not know what innocence is. When asked whether they were serious [alfwarsamheter], this also they were unwilling to hear, saying they did not know what they were, but they did know what politeness [artighet] is and they sought to be such. This agrees with the interior sense. Those who do not ascend above such cognitions, do not know what innocence is, save only the word, and some of them perhaps confuse it with infancy and its ignorance, supposing that those who are endowed with great intellect cannot be innocent. Therefore, the interior sense, that is, the mere cognition of things that are in heaven, does not apprehend things interior, still less inmost, such as innocence. But to be polite [artige], that is, to be pleased with the cognition of things and to glory in them is agreeable to such spirits.
Footnotes:
1. Reading sum for sunt. This is in agreement with a parallel passage in AC 7073.
1442. Praeterea loquutus sum 1
cum iis de ovibus et agnis, sed talia non volebant audire, quia terrestria, at cum diceretur iis, quod agni significent innocentias-et 2
sic cum eas 3
significent, [ideo] qui nominant agnos, non agnos cogitant, sed innocentias-tunc 4
quid innocentia, dicebant se nescire; cum diceretur, agni essent (alfwarsamheter {a}), etiam hoc nolebant, dicentes, quod nescirent, quid essent, sed quid (artighet {b}) id scirent, et tales esse, studerent; quod convenit cum sensu interiori; qui non altius quam ad cognitiones tales ascendunt, ii nec sciunt, quid innocentia, nisi solum vocem, et forte aliqui confundunt cum infantia, ac ejus ignorantia, putantes, quod qui intellectu magno praediti, non esse possint innocentiae; quare sensus interior, seu cognitio solum eorum, quae in coelo sunt, non capit ea, quae interiora sunt, minus, quae intima, sicut, quid innocentia; sed iis convenit esse, artige {c}, hoc est, laeti cognitione rerum, et iis gloriari.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has loquuti sunt sed vide Arcana Coelestia 7073
2. The Manuscript has innocentias, et
3. The Manuscript has ea
4. The Manuscript has innocentias, sed (sic!)