SS102.天堂天使告诉我，古人拥有一部完全以对应写成的圣言，只是后来遗失了；他们说，这部圣言仍保存在那些在世时曾拥有它的古人所住的天堂中，并在那里使用。在天堂，仍在使用这部圣言的古人部分来自来自迦南地和周边地区，如叙利亚、美索不达米亚、阿拉伯、迦勒底、亚述、埃及、西顿、推罗和尼尼微。所有这些地区的居民都进行代表性敬拜，因而专注于对应知识。那个时代的智慧就源于这种知识，他们凭借它拥有一种内在感知，以及与天堂的一种交流。那些对这部圣言的对应关系拥有一种内在的深入认识的人被称为智者和聪明人，后来则被称为占卜者和博士。
然而，这部圣言却充满一种对应关系，只是这种对应关系以一种遥远的方式来表示属天和属灵事物，因而开始被许多人歪曲；按照主的圣治，随着时间推移，它逐渐消失，并最终彻底遗失了；他们被赐予另一部圣言，这部圣言是由不那么遥远的对应关系构成的，并由以色列人当中的众先知完成。然而，这部圣言仍保留了迦南地和中东周边地区的许多地名；这些地名的含义类似于它们在古圣言中所具有的含义。正因如此，亚伯兰被吩咐去往迦南地，他从雅各所出的后代也被领回迦南地。
102. Angels of heaven have informed me that the ancients had a Word written entirely in correspondences, but that it was later lost; and they have said that this Word is still preserved among them in heaven and is in use among ancients in the particular heaven where the people live who had that Word when they were living in this world.
Some of the ancients among whom that Word is still in use in heaven came from the land of Canaan and its adjoining regions - from Syria, for example; from Mesopotamia, Arabia, Chaldea, Assyria; from Egypt; from Sidon, Tyre, and Nineveh - all regions inhabited by people who were devoted to symbolic worship and therefore to the knowledge of correspondences. Their wisdom in those days was based on that knowledge, and by means of it they had an inner perception and communication with the heavens. The ones who were more deeply knowledgeable about the correspondences of that Word were called “the wise” and “the intelligent, ” though later they were called “diviners” and “magi.”
[2] However, since that Word was full of a kind of correspondence that pointed in a remote way to heavenly and spiritual realities and therefore began to be distorted by too many people, in the course of time, under the Lord’s divine providence, it vanished and eventually was lost; and they were given another Word composed by means of less remote correspondences. This was done through the prophets among the children of Israel.
All the same, that Word kept many of the place-names in Canaan and in surrounding parts of the Middle East with meanings similar to the ones they had in the earlier Word. That is the reason Abram was ordered to go to that land and why his descendants from Jacob on were brought back into it.
102. That the Word among ancient peoples was written solely in terms of correspondences, but has since been lost, is something reported to me by angels in heaven. And I have been told that this Word is still preserved among them and used by the ancient peoples in that heaven who had that Word when they lived in the world.
Those ancient peoples, among whom that Word is still used in heaven, came partly from the land of Canaan and the lands surrounding it — Syria, Mesopotamia, Arabia, Chaldea, Assyria, Egypt, Sidon, Tyre, and Nineveh — and the inhabitants of all those kingdoms practiced a representational worship and so possessed a knowledge of correspondences. The wisdom of that time flowed from that knowledge, and because of it they had an inner perception and communication with the heavens.
Those who had a more interior knowledge of the correspondences of that Word were called wise and intelligent, but later diviners and magi.
[2] However, because that Word was full of correspondences which only remotely symbolized celestial and spiritual things, and many people consequently began to falsify it, therefore in the course of time, of the Lord’s Divine providence it vanished and finally was lost. And another Word, written in terms of correspondences not so remote, was given, and this through prophets among the children of Israel.
Still, this latter Word retained many names of places in the land of Canaan and in Asia round about, which had the same symbolic meanings as in the Ancient Word.
It was for this reason that Abram was commanded to go to that land, and that his posterity descended from Jacob was led into it.
102. It was related to me by angels of heaven that there was a Word among the Ancients written by pure correspondences, but that it was lost; and I was told that it is still preserved among them, and is in use among the Ancients in their heaven who had that Word when they were in the world. Those Ancients, among whom that Word is still in use in heaven, were in part from the land of Canaan and from its neighbouring countries, as Syria, Mesopotamia, Arabia, Chaldea, Assyria, Egypt, Sidon, Tyre and Nineveh. The inhabitants of all these kingdoms were in representative worship, and consequently were versed in the science of correspondences. The wisdom of that time was derived from that science, and by its means they had interior perception and communication with the heavens. Those who had an interior knowledge of the correspondences of that Word were called wise and intelligent, but in later times, diviners and magi.
[2] But because that Word was full of such correspondences as remotely signified celestial and spiritual things and consequently began to be falsified by many, therefore of the Lord's Divine Providence it gradually disappeared in course of time, and at length was lost; and another Word was given, written by correspondences not so remote; and this was given through the Prophets among the Children of Israel. In this Word, however, there were retained many names of places in the land of Canaan and in parts of Asia round about; and in this Word they signify the same things as in the Ancient Word. It was for this reason that Abram was commanded to go to that land, and that his posterity from Jacob were introduced into it.
102. I have been told by angels of heaven that there was among the ancients a Word written entirely by correspondences, but that it had been lost, and they said that it is still preserved, and is in use in that heaven where those ancient people dwell who had possessed it in this world. The ancients who still use that Word in heaven came partly from the land of Canaan and the neighboring countries, such as Syria, Mesopotamia, Arabia, Chaldea, Assyria, and Egypt, and also from Sidon, Tyre, and Nineveh. The inhabitants of all these kingdoms were in representative worship, and consequently in the knowledge of correspondences. The wisdom of that time was derived from this knowledge, and by its means they had an interior perception, and a communication with the heavens. Those who had an interior acquaintance with the correspondences of that Word were called wise and intelligent, and later, diviners and magi. But as that Word was full of correspondences which only in a remote way signified celestial and spiritual things, and consequently began to be falsified by many, of the Lord's Divine Providence it disappeared in course of time, and at length was utterly lost, and another Word, written by correspondences less remote than the other, was given by means of prophets among the sons of Israel. Yet many names of places in the land of Canaan and in the surrounding countries were retained in this Word with significations like those they had in the Ancient Word. It was for this reason that Abram was commanded to go into that land, and that his descendants, from Jacob, were brought into it.
102. Quod Verbum apud antiquos fuerit conscriptum per meras correspondentias, sed quod deperditum sit, relatum mihi est per angelos caeli; et dictum quod id Verbum adhuc apud illos conservatum sit, et in usu apud antiquos in illo caelo, apud quos, cum in mundo fuerunt, id Verbum fuit. Antiqui illi, apud quos illud Verbum in caelo adhuc in usu est, fuerunt quoad partem ex terra Canaane, et ex confiniis ejus, ut ex Syria, Mesopotamia, Arabia, Chaldaea, Assyria, ex Aegypto, ex Sidone, Tyro et Ninive; quorum omnium regnorum incolae fuerunt in cultu repraesentativo, et inde in scientia correspondentiarum. Sapientia illius temporis fuit ex illa scientia, et per illam fuit illis perceptio interior, et communicatio cum caelis. Illi, qui correspondentias istius Verbi interius noverunt, vocati sunt sapientes et intelligentes, at postea divinatores et magi. Sed quia id Verbum erat plenum talibus correspondentiis quae remote significabant caelestia et spiritualia, et inde a multis incepit falsificari, ideo ex Divina Domini providentia id successu temporis evanuit, et tandem deperditum est; et aliud Verbum, per correspondentias non ita remotas conscriptum, datum est, et hoc per Prophetas apud filios Israelis. In hoc tamen Verbo retenta sunt plura nomina locorum, quae in terra Canaane, ac circumcirca in Asia sunt, in quo significant similia quae in Verbo vetusto. Propter hanc causam Abram in illam terram ire jussus est, et ejus posteri ex Jacobo in illam introducti sunt.