585.此外，他们的理解力远远胜过我们地球上的学者或智者的理解力，尤其胜过那些欧洲人的理解力。欧洲人自以为有学问，因为他们探讨哲学问题，只陶醉于术语和细枝末节；而这些东西会夺走一个事物的一切意义，如当心智专注于说话者的话语，而非专注于这些话的意思时的情形；因此，如果术语没有了，心智就会有清晰的感知。木星灵对此非常清楚，他们说，这些术语只是挡在路上的小乌云，当他们通过想象来描绘自己的星空时，不愿意让这些东西进来。由此明显可知存在一种什么样的不同。当他们想要表现独一主改变败坏的情感，好叫它们变成良善（这等于将邪恶变成良善）时，就将专注于理解的心智表现为一种美丽的形式，将它的活动表现为一种与该形式一致的情感。这时，他们试图向我展示独一主如何将败坏的情感折向良善的情感，这是一段时间以来他们按自己的天性所做的事；而且他们做得如此巧妙，以至于受到天使的高度赞扬。而我们地球上的学者恰恰相反，他们根本无法理解这一切，尽管他们有学问，并且自以为比这些灵人更聪明。他们认为，只要他们能争论何为形式，何为修饰，何为实质，何为物质和非物质，就是有学问；而其它星球的灵人则嘲笑这些东西，并称之为疯狂。他们喜欢真实的事物，而前者只喜欢肮脏的渣滓、最浑浊的泡沫。他们现在正告诉我这些话。
585. Furthermore, their understanding far excels the understanding of the educated and wise on our earth, especially of those who are from Europe. These regard themselves as learned because they dissertate on philosophical matters, and are enraptured by nothing but terms and trivia, which take away all the meaning of a thing, as when the mind is intent upon the words of a speaker and not upon their sense - so that if the terms were gone, the mind would perceive the meaning clearly.
This the spirits of Jupiter well understood, and they said that such terms are only little black clouds, which get in the way, and which they do not want to let in when they are portraying their starry heaven by a vision. That is where it becomes evident what a difference there is. When they wanted to portray the one only Lord changing wrong feelings so that they might become good ones - which amounts to changing evil into good - then they pictured the mind devoted to understanding as a beautiful figure, and its activity as a feeling harmonizing with that figure. Then they tried to show me how the one only Lord bends bad feelings into good ones, which they did for some time in their own characteristic manner, and so adroitly that they were warmly praised by the angels.
The learned of our earth, however, could not grasp this at all, when yet they were scholars, and thought themselves wiser than those spirits. But they think themselves learned if they merely can dispute about what form is, what measurement is, what substance is, what matter and non-matter is - which the spirits of the other earth laugh about and call insanity. They love real things, while the former love nothing but filthy scum. They are now telling me these words.
585. Moreover, their understanding far excels the understanding of the learned or the wise of our earth, and especially of those who are from Europe, who suppose that they are learned because they treat of philosophical things. Yet they yearn after nothing else but terms and dust, which take away all the sense of a thing, as when the mind is intent upon the words of a speaker, not upon the sense; wherefore if terms were absent the mind would perceive clearly. This the spirits of the planet Jupiter understood quite well, and they said that such things were only black little clouds which are cast up, and which they are unwilling to admit while they represent to themselves by vision their own starry heaven. From this it can be made evident what is the nature of the difference. When they wanted to represent that the one only Lord turns depraved affections so that they become good, which is the same as turning evil into good, they represented the intellectual mind as a beautiful form, and its activity as an affection in conformity with that form. They then wanted to show me how the one only Lord bends the depraved affections into good ones, which they did for some time by their own nature, and so dexterously that they were highly praised by the angels. But on the contrary, the learned of our earth could not apprehend it in the least, although they were learned, and supposed themselves wiser than those spirits. Nevertheless they think that they are learned provided that they can dispute as to what form is, what modification, what substance, what the material and the non-material, which the spirits of the other earth laugh at and call insanities. They love the thing, but our spirits love only the most feculent froth. They now say to me these words.
585. Praeterea eorum intellectus multum praevalet intellectu doctorum seu sapientum nostrae telluris, et imprimis eorum qui ex Europa sunt, qui se doctos putant, quia philosophica tractant, nec nisi inhiant terminis, et pulveri, quae abstrahunt omnem rei sensum, sicut dum mens intenditur vocibus loquentis 1
, non sensui, quare si termini abessent, mens clare perciperet: hoc intellexerunt bene spiritus telluris Jovis, et dixerunt talia esse modo nigras nubeculas, quas objiciunt, quas non admittere volunt, dum sibi suum coelum stelliferum per visionem repraesentant. Ex illo constare potest, quale discrimen est: quum vellent repraesentare, quod unicus Dominus convertat affectiones pravas, ut fiant bonae, quod idem est, ac malum in bonum, tunc repraesentabant mentem intellectualem, ut formam pulchram, et ejus activitatem repraesentabant ut affectionem convenientem formae, tunc volebant mihi ostendere quomodo unicus Dominus flectat affectiones pravas in bonas, quod aliquamdiu sua indole 2
egerunt, et tam dextre, ut collaudati sint ab angelis. At vero docti nostri telluris 3
, ne hilum id apprehendere potuerunt, cum tamen docti essent, et sapientiores iis putabant se esse; qui tamen se doctos putant, modo 4
disputare possint, quid forma, quid modificatio, quid substantia, quid materiale et immateriale, quae rident spiritus alterius telluris, et vocant insanias, ii rem amant, at illi solum spumas faeculentissimas, haec verba mihi nunc dicunt.
Footnotes:
1. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has loquenti
2. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has suo indole
3. tellus hic ut alibi masculine dicitur
4. The Manuscript has mod