201.（4）圣言的属灵之义至今不为人知。我在《天堂与地狱》（87－105节）一书已说明，自然界中所发现的每一个事物都对应于某种属灵之物，人体内的每一个部位同样对应于某种属灵之物。但迄今为止，没人知道何为对应；然而，在上古时代，这是众所周知的。对生活在那个时代的人来说，对应学是知识中的知识，如此普遍，以致他们的原稿和书籍都以对应写成。《约伯记》作为古教会的书籍，就充满对应。埃及的象形文字和上古时期的寓言故事，无非是对应。所有古代教会都是代表属灵事物的教会，他们用来设立敬拜的仪式和典章纯由对应构成，以色列人当中的教会的一切事物就是如此。他们的燔祭、祭物、素祭、奠祭及其一切细节，都是对应；帐幕及其中的一切事物同样是对应；还有他们的节日，如无酵节、住棚节和初熟节；以及亚伦和利未人的祭司职分，并他们的圣衣。我在出版于伦敦的《天堂的奥秘》一书已说明所有这些事物对应的属灵概念是什么。此外，关乎其敬拜和生活的一切律例典章也都是对应。由于神性事物在世上就呈现在对应关系中，故圣言纯由对应写成；还由于主通过神性说话，故祂藉着对应说话。因为凡来自神性之物在降至属世层时，都会进入诸如与神性事物相对应的那类事物中，然后储存在其最内在、被称为属天和属灵的神性事物中。
201. (4)屬靈意義至今不為人知。在(天國與地獄87-105)中, 闡述了物質世界中的一切事物都對應於某屬靈之物; 人身體的每個部位也是如此。不過至今為止,尚無人知道何為"對應"。然而, 在遠古時期, 人們對此非常熟悉。生活在那個時代的人們學習對應的知識是最重要的學習領域。對應的知識如此普遍, 以至於所有的書籍和手抄書本都表現了對應的用法。『約伯記』就是早期教會的一本冊子, 其中充滿了對應。埃及的象形文字和遠古時期的神話, 都是對應。所有最早期的教會都是用象徵的方式來代表屬靈的事情。用以建立他們的敬拜所用的儀式和規定, 完全由對應構成。在以色列人中的教會, 方方面面也是如此:他們的燔祭,素祭,奠祭等等獻祭從頭到尾,甚至各樣細節, 都是對應。聖所以及其中的一切物件也是如此。還有他們的節期-無酵節,住棚節和初熟節, 也是對應。
亞倫和利未人扮演的祭司職責也是如此, 甚至履行聖職時的穿戴也是如此, 全是對應。這些細節所對應的屬靈意義, 詳見『屬天的奧秘』一書(出版於倫敦)。除此之外, 治理他們的敬拜及生活方式的所有律法和裁決, 全都是對應。
神性的屬性以對應的形式存在於人世間, 因此聖言完全以對應的形式書寫。同樣的原因, 主用對應來說話, 因為祂所說的是神性的。因為神性之事物以對應的形式存在於屬世事物之中, 其屬靈和屬天的性質深藏於屬世事物之中。
201. 4. The spiritual meaning of the Word has been unknown until now. All things that exist in the material world correspond to something spiritual; likewise all things that exist in the human body, as I have shown in the work Heaven and Hell, 87-115. No one has known until now, however, what correspondence is. In the earliest times, correspondence was very well known. To the people who lived at that time the study of correspondences was the supreme field of study. It was so universal that the writing in all their books and codices displayed the use of correspondences. The Book of Job, a book of the early church, is full of correspondences. The Egyptian hieroglyphics and the earliest myths were no different. All the early churches were churches that represented spiritual things in symbolic ways. Their worship was established with rituals and rules that consisted entirely of correspondences.
The same was true for all aspects of the church among the children of Israel: their burnt offerings, sacrifices, food offerings, and drink offerings were correspondences down to the last detail. So was the tabernacle and everything in it. So were their feast days - the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Feast of First Fruits. So was the priestly role performed by Aaron and the Levites, as well as the clothing of their sacred office. (The specific spiritual things to which all the above correspond are shown in Secrets of Heaven, published in London.) In addition, all the statutes and judgments that shaped their worship and their lives were correspondences.
Divine attributes present themselves in the world in the form of correspondences; therefore the Word was written entirely in correspondences. For the same reason, the Lord spoke in correspondences, since he spoke from what is divine.
Divinity is present in nature in the form of things that correspond to divine attributes and that have divine attributes known as heavenly and spiritual qualities hidden deep within them.
201. (iv) THE SPIRITUAL SENSE OF THE WORD HAS UP TO THE PRESENT BEEN UNKNOWN.
I showed in my book HEAVEN AND HELL (87-105), that every single thing to be found in nature corresponds to something spiritual, and likewise every single part of the human body. But up to the present it has remained unknown what correspondence is. Yet in the most ancient times it was very well known; for those who lived at that period regarded the knowledge of correspondences as the outstanding science, and it was so universally known that all their documents and books were written by means of correspondences. The book of Job, which is a book of the Ancient Church, is full of correspondences The hieroglyphic writings of the Egyptians, as well as the myths of the most ancient peoples, were nothing else. All the ancient churches served to represent spiritual ideas; their rites and the rules which governed the establishment of their modes of worship were made up of nothing but correspondences. The same is true of all the details of the church among the Children of Israel. Their burnt offerings, sacrifices, sacrificial cakes and libations in all their particulars had meaning as correspondences; likewise the tabernacle and all its contents, as well as their festivals, such as the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of tabernacles and the feast of first-fruits, and also the priesthood of Aaron and the Levites, together with their holy vestments. I have shown in ARCANA CAELESTIA (published in London) what were the spiritual ideas to which all these things correspond. In addition to these, all the laws and judgments governing their worship and way of life had meaning as correspondences. Now since Divine ideas are presented in the world as correspondences, this and no other is the way the Word was written. Therefore the Lord, since He spoke from the Divine, spoke in correspondences. For whatever is Divine descends at the natural level into the kind of things which correspond to Divine ones, and then contain in their inmost the Divine things called celestial and spiritual.
201. (4) Heretofore the spiritual sense of the Word has been unknown. That each thing and all things in nature correspond to spiritual things, and in like manner each and all things in the human body, has been shown in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 87-105). But heretofore it has not been known what correspondence is; yet in most ancient times it was very well known; for to those who then lived, the knowledge of correspondences was the knowledge of knowledges, and was so universal that all their manuscripts and books were written by correspondences. The book of Job, which is a book of the Ancient Church, is full of correspondences. The hieroglyphics of the Egyptians, as well as the fables of most ancient times, were nothing, but correspondences. All the ancient churches were churches representative of spiritual things; their rites and the statutes according to which their worship was established, consisted of pure correspondences; as did all things of the church among the children of Israel. The burnt offerings, the sacrifices, the meat offerings, and the drink offerings, with all their particulars, were correspondences; likewise the tabernacle and all things in it; also their feast, as the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of tabernacles, and the feast of the first-fruits; also the priesthood of Aaron and the Levites, and their garments or holiness. What the spiritual things are to which all these things corresponded has been shown in the Arcana Coelestia, published at London. Furthermore all the statutes and judgments relating to their worship and life were correspondences. Since then, Divine things present themselves in the world in correspondences, the Word was written by pure correspondences; and because the Lord spoke from the Divine He spoke by means of correspondences for whatever is from the Divine falls into such things in nature as correspond to Divine things, and these then store up in their bosom Divine things, which are called celestial and spiritual.
201. (4) THE SPIRITUAL SENSE OF THE WORD HAS HITHERTO BEEN UNKNOWN.
That all things in nature, both general and particular, and also all things in the human body, correspond to spiritual things is shown in the work "Heaven and Hell," (87-105). What correspondence is, however, has hitherto been unknown; yet in most ancient times it was very well known, for to those who lived then the science of correspondences was the science of sciences, and was so universal that all their treatises and books were written by correspondences. The Book of Job, a book of the Ancient Church, is full of correspondences. The hieroglyphics of the Egyptians and the myths of antiquity were of a like nature. All the ancient Churches were representative of spiritual things; the ceremonies and also the statutes on which their worship was founded, consisted of pure correspondences. Of a like nature were all the things of the Church established among the Children of Israel; their burnt-offerings, their sacrifices, their meat-offerings and their drink-offerings, with all things connected with them, were correspondences. So also was the tabernacle, with everything in it; and likewise their feasts, as the feasts of unleavened bread, the feast of tabernacles, and the feast of the first fruits; and also the priesthood of Aaron and the Levites, and their holy garments. What the spiritual things were to which all these corresponded is shown in the "Arcana Caelestia," published in London. Moreover, all the statutes and judgments relating to their worship and life were also correspondences. Now because Divine things manifest themselves in the world in correspondences, therefore the Word was written by pure correspondences. Therefore also the Lord, since He spoke from the Divine, spoke by correspondences. For whatever proceeds from the Divine manifests itself in nature in such things as correspond to what is Divine; and these things then have stored up within them Divine things called celestial and spiritual.
201. IV. QUOD SENSUS SPIRITUALIS VERBI HACTENUS IGNOTUS FUERIT. Quod omnia et singula quae in Natura sunt, correspondeant Spiritualibus, similiter omnia et singula quae in Corpore humano, in Opere de COELO ET INFERNO, 87-115, 1 ostensum est. Sed quid CORRESPONDENTIA, hactenus nescitum est; verum in Antiquissimis temporibus notissima fuit; illis enim, qui tunc vixerunt, fuit Scientia correspondentiarum scientia scientiarum, et tam universalis, ut omnes illorum Codices et Libri per Correspondentias scripti sint: Liber Hiobi, qui est liber Antiquae Ecclesiae, Correspondentiis plenus est. Hieroglyphica Aegyptiorum, et quoque Fabulosa Vetustissimorum non alia fuerunt; omnes Ecclesiae Antiquae fuerunt Ecclesiae repraesentativae spiritualium; Ritus illarum, et quoque Statuta, secundum quae institutus fuit Cultus illarum, constabant ex meris Correspondentiis; similiter omnia Ecclesiae apud filios Israelis; Holocausta, Sacrificia, Minchae et Libamina cum singulis illorum Correspondentiae fuerunt; similiter Tabernaculum cum omnibus inibi; tum etiam Festa illorum, ut Festum azymorum, Festum tabernaculorum, et Festum primitiarum; etiam Sacerdotium Aharonis et Levitarum, ut et Vestes sanctitatis illorum; quaenam autem Spiritualia essent, quibus haec et illa correspondebant, in ARCANIS COELESTIBUS Londini editis, ostensum est; praeter haec, etiam omnia Statuta et Judicia, quae cultum et vitam illorum concernebant, correspondentiae erant. Nunc quia Divina in Mundo se sistunt in Correspondentiis, ideo Verbum per meras Correspondentias scriptum est; quare Dominus, quia loquutus est ex Divino, loquutus est per Correspondentias, nam quod a Divino est, hoc in Natura cadit in talia quae Divinis correspondent, et quae tunc Divina, quae vocantur Coelestia et Spiritualia, in sinu suo recondunt.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: 105.