5100. About the Dragon
There are those who relate to the dragon's head, to its body, and to its tail. Those who are the head are sensual people. They remain simply in the sense of the letter of the Word. Those who form the body are chiefly those who had been learned, that is to say, who can reason from the sciences about spiritual, moral, and civic matters, yet only from what is known by the senses and their fallacies. And because this is done from the sciences it is believed it is done learnedly. Yet at heart they deny God, the life after death, and salvation. They attribute everything to nature but yet excel in the ability to reason. But because they deny these things that pertain to inward understanding and thus are wise only from the world and earthly things, they are sensual and are truly serpents in the tree of knowledge. A chief one of these was (Per Ribbing 1), who attributed all things to nature, at heart denied God, and nevertheless was able to reason both against Divine matters and in favor of them. He was sensual beyond the rest.
[2] Those, however, who make up the tail of the dragon are hypocrites of various kinds. At heart they deny God and eternal life, but yet with the mouth preach them, just as they also with their tails kill off the rest, such as things having to do with conscience, faith, the welfare of the country, and the welfare of the neighbor. The former and the latter are also among the worst in the other life since they can turn themselves to both sides, both to hell and to heaven. They are the one among the invited who came and did not have a wedding garment [Matt. 22:2-14]. The aura of the former and the latter is unspeakably horrible, weakening and dimming everything of piety, of truth, of faith's goodness, and of Christianity in general, leading away from the Lord and leading to one's own self.
Footnotes:
1. Per Ribbing (1670ֱ719) a governor of Uppsala.
5100. CONCERNING THE DRAGON.
There are those who relate to the head of the dragon, to his body and to his tail. Those who form the head are sensual persons, who remain in the sense of the letter of the Word alone. Those who form the body are, principally, those who have been learned, or who, by virtue of scientific knowledge, are able to reason, as well concerning spiritual as concerning moral and civil matters, and yet only from the senses and the fallacies thereof; and, because they reason from the sciences, they are accounted learned; but, all the while, they, in heart, deny God, the life after death, and salvation. They attribute all things to nature; but yet they excel in the faculty of reasoning. Since, however, they deny those things which belong to the interior understanding, and thus are wise from worldly and terrestrial things only, they are sensual, and, in fact, Serpents of the tree of Knowledge. Amongst the principal of this class was Peter Ribbing, who attributed all things to nature. In heart, he denied God; and yet he could reason, both in favor of, and against, Divine things. He was more sensual than the rest.
Those, however, who constitute the tail of the dragon, are hypocrites of various kinds, who, in heart, deny God and eternal life, but yet preach them with the mouth - as also the remaining points; as, for instance, those which relate to conscience, to faith, to the welfare of the country and the welfare of the neighbor. They kill with their tails - both the latter and the former are amongst the worst in the other life, since they are able to turn themselves both ways, as well to heaven as to the hells. The former are such as [the man] who came amongst the invited guests, and had not on a wedding-garment. The sphere of both former and latter is atrocious, impairing and deadening all piety, truth, good of faith, and, in general, all Christianity; leading away from the Lord, and leading to the proprium.
5100. De Dracone
Sunt qui referunt draconis caput, ejus corpus, et ejus caudam, qui caput sunt sensuales qui manent solum in sensu literae Verbi; qui corpus sunt illi praecipue, qui eruditi fuerunt, seu qui ex scientiis ratiocinari possunt, tam de spiritualibus, quam de moralibus, et civilibus, et tamen modo ex sensibus et eorum fallaciis, et quia ex scientiis, creditur erudite, sed usque corde negant Deum, vitam post mortem, et salutem, tribuunt omnia naturae, sed usque facultate ratiocinandi pollent; sed quia negant illa, quae interioris intellectus sunt, et sic modo ex mundanis et terrestribus sapiunt, sunt sensuales, ac vere serpentes in arbore scientiae: talis inter primarios fuit (Pehr Ribbing) qui omnia tribuit naturae, negavit Deum corde, et tamen ratiocinari potuit, tam contra Divina, quam pro illis, is sensualis erat prae reliquis. Qui autem caudam draconis constituunt sunt hypocritae varii generis, qui corde negant Deum, et vitam aeternam, sed usque ore praedicant illa, sicut quoque reliqua ut quae conscientiae, quae fidei, quae salutis patriae, et salutis proximi sunt, caudis suis necant. Hi et illi etiam inter pessimos sunt in altera vita, quoniam se utrinque possunt vertere, tam ad inferna, quam ad coelum. Sunt illi [is] qui inter vocatos venit, et non habuit vestem nuptialem [Matth. XXII: 2-14]. Sphaera horum et illorum est nefanda, obtundens et hebetans omne pium, verum, bonum fidei, in genere omne Christianum, abducens a Domino, et adducens ad proprium.