203.为说明对应学曾长期被保存在亚细亚各民族当中，就是那些人被称为占卜者和智者，有时被称为博士或占星家的人当中，我想从撒母耳记上第五、第六章举一个例子。其中有这样一段描述：内有两块刻着十诫石版的约柜被非利士人掳去，被放在亚实突的大衮庙中。于是，大衮便在约柜前仆倒在地，后来他的头和两手掌从身体折断，躺在大衮庙的门槛上。亚实突人和以革伦人因约柜的缘故，有数千人生了痔疮，他们的田地也被老鼠毁坏。因此，非利士人将祭司和占卜的叫来，吩咐他们用金子制造五个痔疮的像和五个老鼠的像，并造一辆新车，把约柜放在车上，将金痔疮和金老鼠放在柜旁。然后，约柜要用两头母牛拉着，被送到以色列人那里，母牛套在车上一路走一路叫。以色列人将母牛和车献为燔祭。这样，以色列的神就会被安抚。
非利士的占卜者想出来的所有这些事都是对应，这从它们的含义明显看出来。含义如下：非利士人本身表那些信与仁分离之人；“大衮”代表他们的宗教信仰；他们所生的“痔疮”表属世之爱，当与属灵之爱分离时，这些爱是不洁的；“老鼠”表教会因歪曲真理而遭受的毁灭；“新车”表教会的属世教义，在圣言中，“战车”表源于属灵真理的教义；“母牛”表良善的属世情感；“金痔疮”表被洁净并变得良善的属世之爱；“金老鼠”表教会因良善而远离荒废，因为在圣言中，金表良善；“母牛在路上叫”表属世人的恶欲转化为良善情感的艰难；“将母牛和车献为燔祭”表以色列的神以这种方式被安抚。占卜者建议非利士人所做的所有这些事都是对应。由此清楚可知，对应学曾长期被保存在各民族当中。
203. 在中東一些民族中, 關於對應的學問曾長時間保存著, 主要在那些被稱為占卜者和智者的人們傳承, 有時由占星師和術士。我想引用『撒母耳記上』第五至六章的事例來說明此事。其中寫道:內有兩塊石版(上面刻著十條誡命)的約櫃被非利士人奪走, 放在亞實突的大袞廟中。第一天, 大袞僕倒在約櫃前的地上。次日, 他的頭和兩手的手掌都在門檻上折斷了。因著約櫃的緣故, 亞實突和以革倫的數千百姓都飽受生痔瘡的痛苦, 老鼠毀壞全地。於是, 非利士人召集祭司和占卜的來商議對策, 為了不至於死, 他們決定做五個金痔瘡和五個金老鼠, 並做新車,將約櫃放在車中。他們用兩隻母牛套車, 母牛一路跑一路叫, 將約櫃送回給以色列人。以色列的子民將車劈了, 兩隻母牛獻為燔祭。倘若非利士這樣做了, 以色列的上帝就平息怒氣。
這些細節的意義清楚說明了非利士的占卜者們所想的內容是對應。菲利士人意指有信無義之人。大袞作為他們宗教信仰的象徵。受痔瘡之苦表示塵世之欲脫離屬靈之仁愛而不潔。老鼠表示因歪曲真理而帶來教會之荒蕪。新兩輪馬車表示教會關於屬世的教導(四輪馬車或戰車在聖言中表示基於屬靈真理的教導)。母牛表示屬世的情感(良善方面的)。金痔瘡表示已被純潔和變好的屬世之欲。金老鼠表示用於挽救教會荒蕪的良善, 因為聖言中的'金'表示良善。母牛一路跑一路叫表示轉變之艱難, 從較低級的利己惡欲轉向良善。將馬車劈了與母牛一同獻為燔祭, 表示通過這些屬靈的行為, 以色列的上帝會得安慰。
菲利士人聽從占卜者們著手所做的所有這些事情都是對應。這清楚說明, 關於對應的學問曾長期在教會之外被保守著。
203. I wish to bring out an example from 1 Samuel chapters 5 and 6 so you can see that the study of correspondences was long preserved among the nations in the Middle East, particularly among those who were called the diviners and the wise ones, referred to by some as the magi.
This passage mentions that the ark containing the two tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them was captured by the Philistines. It was placed in the shrine of Dagon in Ashdod. On the first day, Dagon fell before it to the ground. On the next day, Dagons head as well as the palms of its hands lay severed from its body across the threshold of the shrine. Because of the ark, as many as several thousand inhabitants of Ashdod and Ekron were afflicted with hemorrhoids and their land was devastated by rats. The Philistines therefore called together their provincial governors and diviners. To stave off impending death, they decided that they should make five hemorrhoids and five rats out of gold, and make a new cart and put the ark on it. They would send the ark back to the children of Israel on this cart, pulled by two cows that would bellow all the way, and the children of Israel would sacrifice the cows and the cart. If the Philistines accomplished this, the God of Israel would be appeased.
The meaning of these details clearly shows that everything the Philistine diviners thought of was a correspondence. The Philistines themselves meant people who have faith but lack goodwill. Dagon was a portrayal of their religion. The hemorrhoids that afflicted them meant earthly loves that become unclean when separated from spiritual love. The rats meant the devastation of the church by people falsifying the truth. The new cart meant the earthly teaching of the church. (A chariot or carriage in the Word means teachings that are based on spiritual truths.) The cows meant earthly feelings that are good. The hemorrhoids made of gold meant earthly loves that have been purified and have become good. The golden rats meant goodness remedying the devastation of the church, since gold in the Word means goodness. The bellowing of the cows along the way meant the difficulty of turning the lower self's cravings for evil into desires for goodness. The offering of the cows and the cart as a burnt offering meant that by these spiritual actions the God of Israel would be appeased.
All these actions that the Philistines undertook on the recommendation of their diviners were correspondences. This clearly shows that the study of correspondences was preserved for a long time among people outside the church.
203. To show that the science of correspondences was long preserved among the nations of Asia, by those who were called soothsayers and wise men, in some cases scorcerers, I should like to quote one example from 1 Samuel, chapters 5-6. There is there a description of how the Ark containing the two tables on which the Ten Commandments were inscribed was captured by the Philistines and placed in the shrine of Dagon in Ashdod. Dagon fell to the ground in the presence of the Ark, and later his head torn from the body, together with the palms of his hands, was found lying on the threshold of the shrine. On account of the Ark the people of Ashdod and of Ekron to the number of several thousand were smitten with haemorrhoids, and their territory was laid waste by rats. Consequently the Philistines summoned satraps 1 and soothsayers, and as a remedy for their plague they decreed that they were to make five models of haemorrhoids and five models of rats out of gold, and a new wagon, and to put the Ark upon it, with the gold haemorrhoids and rats next to it. Then the Ark was to be sent back to the Children of Israel pulled by two cows, which lowed on the way before the wagon. The Children of Israel sacrificed the cows and the wagon, and by this the God of Israel was propitiated.
[2] It is clear from their meaning that all these details were thought up by the Philistines' soothsayers as correspondences. The meanings are as follows. The Philistines themselves mean those whose faith is separated from charity; Dagon symbolised their religion. The haemorrhoids with which they were smitten meant natural loves, which, when separated from spiritual love, are unclean. The rats meant the wasting of the church by falsifying truth. The new wagon meant the natural teaching of the church, for a vehicle in the Word means teaching derived from spiritual truths. The cows meant natural good affections. The haemorrhoids made of gold meant natural loves which have been purified and made good. The rats made of gold meant the wasting of the church being removed by good, since gold in the Word means good. The lowing of the cows on the way meant the difficult transformation of the evil longings of the natural man into good affections. The cows together with the wagon being sacrificed as a burnt-offering meant that the God of Israel was by this propitiated. All these things which the Philistines did on the advice of their soothsayers were correspondences; and this shows plainly that the science of correspondences was long preserved among the gentiles.
Footnotes:
1. 'Priests' in most versions of the Bible.
203. To show that a knowledge of correspondences was long preserved among the nations of Asia, although among those called diviners and sages, and by some Magi, I will present one example from 1 Samuel 5, 6. It is there recorded that the ark containing the two tables on which the Decalogue was written was captured by the Philistines and placed in the temple of Dagon at Ashdod, and that Dagon fell to the ground before it, and afterwards his head and the palms of his hands, severed from his body, lay upon the threshold of the temple; also that on account of the ark the men of Ashdod and Ekron were smitten by thousands with tumors and their land laid waste by mice, and that therefore the Philistines called together their lords and diviners; and to stay this destruction they determined to make five tumors of gold and five golden mice and a new cart, and upon the cart to place the ark, and beside it the golden tumors and mice; and by two cows, which lowed on the way before the cart, to send it back to the children of Israel, by whom the cows and the cart were offered in sacrifice; and thus the God of Israel was propitiated. That all these things studied out by the diviners of the Philistines were correspondences is evident from their signification, which is as follows:
"The Philistines" themselves signified those who are in faith separate from charity; "Dagon" represented that religion; "the tumors" with which they were smitten, signified natural loves, which when separated from spiritual love are unclean; "the mice" signified the devastation of the church by falsifications of truth; "the new cart" signified natural doctrine of the church (as doctrine from spiritual truths is signified in the Word by "a chariot"); "the cows" signified good natural affections; "the golden tumors" signified natural loves purified and made good; "the golden mice" signified the vastation of the church removed by means of good ("gold" in the Word signifying good); "the lowing of the cows in the way" signified the difficult conversion of the natural man's lust of evil to good affections; the offering of the cows together with the cart as a burnt offering, signified that thus the God of Israel was propitiated. All these things which the Philistines did by the advice of their diviners were correspondences from which it is clear that that knowledge was long preserved among the nations.
203. To show that a knowledge of correspondences was long preserved among the Gentile nations of Asia, albeit with those called diviners and wise men, and by some, Magi, I will give an example from 1 Samuel 5 and 6 It is there related that the Ark, containing the two tables on which were written the Ten Commandments, taken by the Philistines and placed in the temple of Dagon in Ashdod. Dagon fell to the ground before it, and later his head with the palms of his hands torn from his body, lay on the threshold of the temple. On account of the Ark the people of Ashdod and Ekron, to the number of many thousands, were smitten with emerods, and their land laid waste by mice. The Philistines therefore called together their lords and their diviners; and in order to prevent their destruction, they resolved to make five golden emerods and five golden mice, and a new cart; and to place upon it the Ark, with the golden emerods and mice beside it; and drawn by two cows, which lowed in the way before the cart, to send it back to the Children of Israel. By these the cows and the cart were offered up in sacrifice; and in this way the God of Israel was propitiated.
All these things which the diviners of the Philistines decided upon were correspondences, as is evident from their signification, which is as follows. The Philistines themselves signified those who are in faith separated from charity; and Dagon represented that form of religion. The emerods, with which they were smitten, signified natural loves, and these, if separated from spiritual love, are unclean; and mice signified the devastation of the Church by falsifications of truth. The new cart signified the natural doctrine of the Church; for a cart in the Word signifies doctrine derived from spiritual truths. The cows signified good natural affections; the golden emerods signified natural loves purified and rendered good; and the golden mice signified the vastation of the Church brought to an end by means of good, for gold in the Word signifies good. The lowing of the cows in the way signified the difficulty of converting the lusts of evil in the natural man into good affections. The offering up of the cows and the cart as a burnt-offering signified that in this way the God of Israel was propitiated. All these things which the Philistines did on the advice of their diviners were correspondences, and from this it is clear that a knowledge of correspondences was long preserved among the Gentiles.
203. Ut videri possit, quod Scientia Correspondentiarum diu conservata fuerit apud Gentes in Asia, sed apud illos qui vocabantur Divinatores et Sapientes, et a quibusdam Magi, adducere volo Unum Exemplum ex 1 Samuelis 5 et 6 Ibi memoratur, quod Arca, in qua binae Tabulae, quibus inscriptus erat Decalogus, fuerunt, a Philisthaeis capta sit, et posita in Fano Dagonis in Aschdodo, et quod Dagon coram illa in terram deciderit, et postea Caput ejus cum volis manuum a corpore divulsum super limine Fani jaceret, et quod Aschdodaei et Ekronitae propter Arcam percussi sint haemorrhoidibus ad plura millia, et quod Terra illorum devastata sit a muribus: et quod Philisthaei propterea convocaverint Satrapas et Divinatores, et quod ad obviam eundum interitui illorum, concluserint quod facerent quinque Haemorrhoides, et quinque Mures ex auro, ac Plaustrum novum, et super hoc ponerent Arcam, et juxta illam haemorrhoides et mures ex auro, et per binas Vaccas, quae boabant in via ante Plaustrum, Arcam ad Filios Israelis remitterent, a quibus Vaccae et Plaustrum sacrificabantur, et sic Deus Israelis propitiatus est.
[2] Quod omnia haec a Divinatoribus Philisthaeorum excogitata fuerint Correspondentiae, constat ex significatione illorum, quae haec est; ipsi Philisthaei significabant illos qui in fide separata a charitate sunt; Dagon repraesentabat Religiosum illud; Haemorrhoides, quibus percussi sunt, significabant amores naturales, qui separati ab amore spirituali immundi sunt; ac Mures significabant devastationem Ecclesiae per falsificationes veri; Plaustrum novum significabat Doctrinam Ecclesiae naturalem; nam Currus in Verbo doctrinam ex veris spiritualibus; Vaccae significabant Affectiones bonas naturales; haemorrhoides ex auro significabant amores naturales purificatos et factos bonos; Mures ex auro, significabant vastationem Ecclesiae per bonum sublatam; Aurum enim in Verbo significat bonum; Vaccarum boatio in via significabat difficilem conversionem concupiscentiarum mali naturalis hominis in affectiones bonas; quod Vaccae cum Plaustro in holocaustum oblatae sint, significabat quod sic Deus Israelis propitiatus sit. Haec omnia, quae Philisthaei ex Suasu Divinatorum suorum fecerunt, fuerunt Correspondentiae; ex quibus patet, quod Scientia illa apud gentes diu conservata fuerit.