672. About the heavens
I was told that before the coming of the Lord into the world, there had been no other heaven than the inward one. 1For as yet no one on this earth could understand the very inward, much less the innermost matters; and because higher knowledge must precede, therefore no other heaven could come into being at that time.
The inward heaven 1is such that something earthly is joined to their spiritual part. Consequently, when angels formerly spoke with people on earth, and through the prophets, the Word had to come down directly into earthly forms. This resulted in the prophetical style that the Lord also chose to use in part. For otherwise they would not have been able to understand inward, much less very inward, spiritual matters. For this reason also the Lord spoke in parables.
About this subject I spoke with those in heaven, who seemed to me to affirm them, that is, that there had been this kind of a heaven for the sake of the inhabitants of this earth, but that a very inward and innermost heaven had nevertheless existed from others in the universe.
Footnotes:
1. See 262 and footnote 3.
672. CONCERNING THE HEAVENS
It was told me that before the Lord's advent into the world, there was no other heaven than the interior heaven, for as yet no one on this planet could understand more interior, still less inmost things; and because cognitions must precede, therefore no other heaven could then exist. The interior heaven is such, that the natural is adjoined to the spiritual; wherefore in the case of the angels who formerly spoke with men and through the prophets, the Word could not but fall immediately into natural things. From this is the prophetic style which also, in part, the Lord was willing to use, for in no other way could men have understood interior spiritual things, and still less the more interior things. For the same reason the Lord also spoke by parables. I spoke about these things with those in heaven, who seemed to me to affirm this, namely, that there was such a heaven for the inhabitants of this planet, but that the more interior and inmost heavens were from other planets in the universe.
672. De coelis
Mihi narratum est, quod ante Domini adventum in mundum, non aliud coelum fuerit, quam interius, adhuc enim intimiora nemo in hac tellure potuit intelligere, minus intima, et quia cognitiones praecedent, ideo non aliud tunc coelum potuit existere, interius coelum tale est, ut naturale adjunctum sit spirituali, quare [dum] angeli loquebantur prius cum hominibus et per prophetas, verbum non potuit cadere nisi illico in naturalia, inde stylus propheticus, quo etiam quoad partem uti voluit Dominus, nam aliter intelligere non potuerunt spiritualia interiora 1
minus intimiora, ideo quoque Dominus parabolas loquutus est; de his loquutus sum cum iis in coelo, qui affirmare mihi videbantur, nempe quod tale coelum pro incolis hujus telluris fuerit, sed quod intimius ac intimum usque fuerint ex aliis in universo.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has spiritualia, mi[nus] interiora