SS10.在启示录第21章，经上如此描述圣耶路撒冷：
城的光辉如同极贵的宝石，好像碧玉，明如水晶，有高大的墙，有十二个门，门上有十二位天使，又有以色列人十二支派的名字写在上头；城墙按着人的尺寸，就是天使的尺寸，共有一百四十四肘。墙的构造是碧玉的，城墙的根基是用各样宝石修饰的，就是碧玉、蓝宝石、绿玛瑙、绿宝石、红玛瑙、红宝石、橄榄石、绿柱石、黄玉、绿玉、紫玛瑙、紫晶；十二个门是十二颗珍珠；城本身是精金，好像明透的玻璃；城是四方的，长、宽、高都是一样，共有一万二千斯他丢等等。（启示录21:11，12，16-21）
所有这些事物都要作属灵的理解，这一点从以下事实明显看出来：圣耶路撒冷表示主将要建立的一个新教会，这在《新耶路撒冷教义之主篇》（62-65节）解释过了。此外，由于耶路撒冷在此表示教会，故可推知，论到它（就是一座城，即城门、城墙、城墙的根基、它们的尺寸）的一切话都含有灵义在里面；因为构成教会的事物都是属灵的。这些细节的含义在1758年出版于伦敦的《新耶路撒冷及其属天教义》一书解释过了，所以我不再作进一步的解释。只需从这些例子来说明就够了：描述这城的细节里面都有灵义，就像身体里面有灵魂一样；没有这灵义，我们在此处所写的东西中就找不到与教会有关的事物，如：城是精金的；城门是珍珠的；城墙是碧玉的；城墙的根基是各样宝石的；城墙按着人的尺寸，就是天使的尺寸，共有一百四十四肘；城本身在长、宽和高上共有一万二千斯他丢，等等。然而，凡因对应的知识而熟悉灵义的人都会明白，城墙及其根基表示取自圣言字义的教义；数字十二、一百四十四、一万二千所表相同，即表示在一个综合形式中的教会的一切真理和良善。
10. In the twenty-first chapter of Revelation we find the following description of the holy Jerusalem:
Its light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. It had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and on the gates were twelve angels and the names written of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. Its wall measured one hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a human being, that is, of an angel. The construction of its wall was of jasper, and its foundations were made of precious stones of every kind - jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, onyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, and amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls. The city was pure gold, like clear glass, and was square - its length, breadth, and height were equal at twelve thousand stadia each. [Revelation 21:11-12, 16-21]
And so on.
We can tell that all these features are to be understood spiritually from the fact that the holy Jerusalem means a new church that the Lord is going to establish, as explained in 62-65 of Teachings on the Lord. Further, since Jerusalem here means the church, it follows that everything said about it - about the city, its gates, its wall, the foundations of the wall, and its dimensions - has spiritual meaning in it, since what goes to make up the church is spiritual.
As for the meaning of the details, though, these have been explained in 1 of The New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Teachings (published in London in 1758), so I forego further explanation.
Suffice it to say that we know from these examples that there is spiritual meaning in the details of the description of the city, like a soul within a body, and that if it were not for this meaning we would find nothing relevant to the church in what is written there - the city being of pure gold, the gates of pearls, the wall of jasper, the foundations of the wall of precious stones; the wall measuring a hundred and forty-four cubits by the measure of a human being, that is, of an angel; the city itself being twelve thousand stadia in length, breadth, and height; and so on.
Yet people who are familiar with the spiritual meaning because of their knowledge of correspondences understand that the wall and its foundations mean a body of teaching drawn from the literal meaning of the Word, and that the numbers twelve, a hundred and forty-four, and twelve thousand all mean much the same, namely, all the good and true features of the church viewed in one combined form.
10. The twenty-first chapter in the book of Revelation describes the holy Jerusalem in this way, that it had in it a light “like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, bright as crystal;” that it had “a great and high wall, and twelve gates, and over the gates twelve angels, with names written on them...of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel;” that it had a wall of “a hundred and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, that is, of an angel;” that the construction of its wall was of jasper, and its foundations of all kinds of precious stones — jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, and amethyst; that “the twelve gates were twelve pearls;” that the city was “pure gold, like transparent glass;” and that it was square, “its length, breadth, and height...equal, ” measuring “twelve thousand furlongs.” And so on.
All of these particulars must be understood spiritually, as can be seen from the fact that the holy Jerusalem symbolizes a new church to be established by the Lord, as we showed in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem Regarding the Lord 62-65. And because Jerusalem in this description symbolizes a church, it follows that everything said about it as a city — about its gates, its wall, the foundations of the wall, and about their measurements — contains a spiritual meaning. For matters having to do with the church are spiritual.
[2] We have explained the symbolic meanings of each of these particulars in The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine (London, 1758), no. 1. We therefore forgo any further explanation of them here. It is enough for it to be known from that book that there is a spiritual meaning present in each particular of the city’s description, like a soul in its body. Also, that apart from that meaning, nothing relating to the church would be understood in the depictions there, as that the city was of pure gold, with its gates of pearls, its wall of jasper, and the foundations of its wall of precious stones; that the wall was of a hundred and forty-four cubits, the measure of a man, that is, of an angel; that the city itself was twelve thousand furlongs long, wide, and high; and so on.
Someone who has a knowledge of correspondences and knows from it the spiritual sense, understands the meanings of these things — as that the wall and its foundations symbolize doctrine drawn from the Word’s literal sense, and that the numbers 12,144, and 12,000 have similar symbolic meanings, namely all the truths and goods of the church in their entirety.
10. In Revelation, chapter 21, the Holy Jerusalem is thus described:
In her was a light like a stone most precious, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon which are the names of the twelve tribes of the Children of Israel. The wall was a hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jasper; and its foundations of all manner of precious stones, of jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolyte, beryl, topaz, chrysoprasus, jacinth and amethyst. The gates were twelve pearls. The city itself was pure gold, like clear glass; and it was four-square, the length, the breadth and the height being equal, twelve thousand furlongs [Revelation 21:11-12, 16-21 with many other particulars].
That all these things are to be understood spiritually may be evident from this, that by the Holy Jerusalem is signified a new Church which is to be established by the Lord, as is shown in THE DOCTRINE OF THE LORD 62-65. Since the Church is here signified by Jerusalem it follows that all things said of it as a city, of its gates, its wall, the foundations of its wall, as well as of their measures, contain a spiritual sense; for the things which relate to the Church are spiritual.
What the particulars signify is explained in the work on THE NEW JERUSALEM, published in London in the year 1758, 1; and I therefore refrain from any further explanation of them here. It is sufficient to know from that work that there is a spiritual sense within all the particulars of the description, like a soul in the body; and that without this sense nothing relating to the Church would be understood in the things there written; as, that the city was of pure gold, its gates were of pearls, its wall of jasper, the foundations of its wall of precious stones, that its wall was a hundred and forty and four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel; that the city was in length, breadth and height, twelve thousand furlongs, and so on. Anyone, however, who has a knowledge of the spiritual sense from the science of correspondences understands those things, as for instance that the wall and its foundations signify doctrine from the literal sense of the Word, and that the numbers twelve, one hundred and forty and four, and twelve thousand have a like signification, namely, the sum total of all the truths and goods of the Church.
10. In Revelation, chapter 21, the Holy Jerusalem is thus described:
That there was a light in her like unto a stone most precious, as it were a jasper stone, clear as crystal; that she had a wall great and high, having twelve gates, and over the gates twelve angels, and the name written thereon of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel; that the wall was a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel; and that the structure of the wall was of jasper, and its foundations of every precious stone, of jasper, sapphire, chalcedony, emerald, sardonyx, sardius, chrysolite, beryl, topaz, chrysoprase, jacinth, and amethyst; that the twelve gates were twelve pearls; that the city itself was pure gold, like unto pure glass; and that it was foursquare; and that the length, the breadth, and the height thereof were equal, twelve thousand furlongs; with many other particulars (Revelation 21).
That all these things are to be understood spiritually is evident from the fact that by the Holy Jerusalem is meant a New Church which is to be set up by the Lord, as has been shown in Doctrine of the Lord (n. 62-65). And as the church is here signified by Jerusalem, it follows that all the things said of it as a city - concerning its gates, its wall, the foundations of its wall, and their measures - contain a spiritual sense; for the things that are of the church are spiritual. But what the several things signify has been explained in New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, published in London in the year 1758 (n. 1). I therefore refrain from a further explanation of them here. It is sufficient that it be known from that source that there is a spiritual sense in each several particular of the description, like a soul in its body; and that without this sense nothing of the church would be understood in the things there written; such as that the city was of pure gold; that its gates were of pearls; its wall of jasper; the foundations of its wall of precious stones; that its wall was of a hundred and forty-four cubits, which is the measure of a man, that is, of an angel; and that the city itself was twelve thousand furlongs in length, breadth, and height; and so on. But whoever, from a knowledge of correspondences, has come to know the spiritual sense will understand these particulars; as that the wall and its foundations signify doctrine from the literal sense of the Word; and that the numbers twelve, one hundred and forty-four, and twelve thousand, signify like things, namely, all the truths and goods of the church in one complex.
10. In Apocalypsi 21, 1describitur ita Sancta Hierosolyma:
Quod in illa esset luminare simile lapidi pretiosissimo, sicut lapidi jaspidi, instar crystalli splendenti. Quod haberet murum magnum et altum, habentem portas duodecim, et super portis angelos duodecim, et nomina scripta duodecim tribuum filiorum Israelis. Quod murus esset centum quadraginta quatuor cubitorum, quae est mensura hominis, hoc est, angeli. Et quod structura muri esset jaspis, et fundamenta ejus ex omni lapide pretioso, ex jaspide, sapphiro, chalcedonio, smaragdo, sardonyche, sardio, chrysolitho, beryllo, topazio, chrysopraso, hyacintho et amethysto. Quod duodecim portae essent duodecim margaritae. Quod ipsa civitas esset aurum purum, simile vitro puro et quod esset quadrangularis; longitudo, latitudo, et altitudo essent aequales, duodecim millia stadiorum: praeter plura [(Apocalypsi 21:11-12, 16-21)].
Quod omnia haec spiritualiter intelligenda sint, constare potest ex eo, quod per "Sanctam Hierosolymam" significetur nova ecclesia, quae a Domino instauranda est, ut in Doctrina de Domino 62-65 ostensum est: et quia per "Hierosolymam" ibi significatur ecclesia, sequitur quod omnia quae dicuntur de illa ut civitate, de portis ejus, de muro ejus, de fundamentis muri, tum quae de mensuris eorum, sensum spiritualem contineant; nam illa quae ecclesiae sunt, spiritualia sunt. Quid autem singula significant, in opere De Nova Hierosolyma, Londini, anno 1758, edito, De Nova Hierosolyma 1, explicatum est; quare ulterius illa explicare supersedeo. Satis est ut inde sciatur quod sensus spiritualis insit singulis descriptionis ejus, ut anima corpori; et quod absque illo sensu, nihil ecclesiae intelligeretur in illis quae ibi scripta sunt: ut, quod civitas esset ex puro auro; portae ejus ex margaritis; murus ex jaspide; fundamenta muri ex lapidibus pretiosis; quod murus esset centum quadraginta quatuor cubitorum, quae mensura hominis, hoc est, angeli; quod ipsa urbs esset longitudine, latitudine et altitudine duodecies mille stadiorum, et plura. Qui autem ex scientia correspondentiarum sensum spiritualem novit, is intelligit illa; ut quod "murus" et "fundamenta ejus" significent doctrinam ex sensu litterali Verbi, et quod numeri "duodecim," "centum quadraginta quatuor," "duodecim millia," similia significent, nempe omnia vera et bona ecclesiae in uno complexu.
Footnotes:
1. 21. pro "19."