257.自然界中的例子有助于说明以下观念：圣言字义中的许多事物都是真理的表象，纯正真理就隐藏其中；照着真理的表象简单地思考和言谈是无害的，但确认它们是有害的，因为这会摧毁隐藏在它们里面的神圣真理。之所以举这个例子是因为，属世之物所提供的说明和证据比属灵之物所提供的更清晰。在肉眼看来，太阳日复一日、年复一年地绕地球旋转。于是，我们便据此说日升日落，从而有了早晨、中午、黄昏和夜晚，以及春夏秋冬四个季节，因而有了日子和年份。然而，其实太阳静止不动，它是一个火海，是地球日复一日地自转、年复一年地绕太阳公转。人若出于简单的心思或无知认为太阳绕着地球转，是不会破坏“地球绕轴自转，且年年绕黄道运行”这一属世真理的。但是，人若通过属世心智的推理、尤其凭圣言所说的日升日落而通过圣言确认太阳的表面运动，就会削弱真理，并毁灭它。然后，他几乎看不到真理，哪怕让他亲眼看到整个星空都以类似方式日复一日、年复一年地运转；然事实上，相对其它星而言，并无一颗星移离本位。表面的真理是：太阳在动；而真正的真理是：它并未移动。人人都照着表面真理说太阳升起落下；这样说是可以的，因为他只能这么说。不过，经确认后照着这表面真理思考就会使理性理解力变得愚钝、昏暗。
257. 文字意義的聖言裡, 許多內容都真理的表象, 內中隱藏著純正的真理。人若簡單地照著真理的表象去思考, 甚至去談論, 並無傷害。但若進一步去確證這些表象, 就有傷害了; 因為倘若如此行, 就會摧毀內中的聖理。
這也可用物質世界的例子來說明, 眼見的證據比心靈世界能更清楚地說明這些。對我們的眼睛而言, 太陽每天都繞著地球轉, 於是就會說太陽升落, 就有了早晨,中午,傍晚和黑夜, 也有了春夏秋冬, 因而有日月年份。然而, 其實太陽靜止不動, 它是個燃燒的火海, 是地球每天自轉和每年繞太陽公轉。人若出於簡單和無知而認為太陽繞著地球轉, 並不會破壞自然的真理——也就是地球繞其軸自轉,每年沿黃道繞太陽公轉。但是, 人若照著屬世的推理,甚至憑著聖言所說的太陽升落來確證太陽表面的運動, 就會淡化真理並破壞真理, 然後真理就幾乎見不到了。甚至明明讓他看到整個星空都以類似的方式日日年年地運轉, 然而事實上相對其它星而言,並無一顆星移離本位。表面的真理是太陽在動, 真正的真理是它並未移動。然而每個人都照著表面真理去說太陽在升落; 這樣說是被許可的, 要不然不知怎麼說。但是若是確證這表面的真理後, 並照此去思想, 這就會使理性的認知力變得愚鈍和黑暗。
257. Many things in the Word's literal meaning are apparent truths. Real truths lie hidden inside them. It is not a damning thing to think and say apparent truths in a simple way. It is damning, however, to become adamant about apparent truths, since our becoming adamant destroys the divine truth that lies hidden inside them.
An example from nature can illustrate this. I cite it because something from nature provides clearer illustration and teaching than something spiritual.
To our eyes it seems that the sun goes around the earth once a day, and also once a year. On this basis we say that the sun rises and sets, which makes morning, midday, evening, and night, and also affects our time of year - the spring, summer, fall, and winter; its "motion" shapes both days and years. Yet in fact the sun remains motionless. It is an ocean of fire. The earth spins every day, and orbits the sun every year. People who simply or ignorantly think that the sun is moving around the earth do not destroy an idea that is physically true, which is that the earth rotates on its axis and follows the ecliptic in its yearly orbit. If, however, people rigidly believe the appearance that the sun is moving and use the reasoning of their earthly self as reinforcement, and especially if they use the Word's statements that the sun rises and sets as reinforcement, they undermine and destroy the truth. Afterward, they can scarcely see the true reality, even if you visibly demonstrate to them that the whole starry heaven seems to move daily and yearly in the same way as the sun and yet not a single star changes its location relative to another.
The sun's movement is an apparent truth. Its lack of movement is a genuine truth. Yet we all speak according to the apparent truth when we say that the sun rises and sets. This is acceptable. How else would we say it? But adamant loyalty to the appearance in our thinking weakens and darkens our rational understanding.
257. An example from nature may serve to illustrate this idea, that many things in the literal sense of the Word are appearances of truth, in which genuine truths are hidden; and that it is not injurious to think and to speak in simple terms according to the appearances of truth, but that it is injurious to confirm them, since this destroys the Divine truth hidden within them. This example is offered because what is natural provides a clearer illustration and proof than what is spiritual.
It appears to the eye that the sun travels round the earth every day and also once every year. Thus we talk of the sun rising and setting; causing morning, noon, evening and night, as well as the seasons, spring, summer, autumn and winter, and thus days and years. Yet the sun stands unmoved, for it is a sea of fire, and it is the earth which rotates every day and travels around its orbit every year. A person, who in simplicity or ignorance thinks that the sun travels round the earth, does not destroy the natural truth, which is that the earth rotates on its axis and every year travels around the ecliptic. But if a person convinces himself of the sun's apparent motion by the reasonings of the natural mind, and more so if he does so from the Word, because it speaks of the sun rising and setting, he weakens the truth and destroys it; and afterwards he is hardly able to see it, even though he is given a visual demonstration that the whole starry sky rotates similarly every day and every year in appearance, although not a single star changes its fixed position relative to another. The movement of the sun is an apparent truth; its not moving is a genuine truth. Yet everyone speaks according to the apparent truth, saying that the sun rises and sets. This is allowed, because it could not be otherwise. But to think like this from conviction blunts and dulls the rational understanding.
257. That many things in the sense of the letter of the Word are appearances of truth, which conceal within them genuine truths, and that it is not hurtful to think in simplicity, and also to speak, according to appearances of truth, and yet it is hurtful to confirm them, since by such confirmation the Divine truth concealed within them is destroyed, may also be illustrated by an example in nature, which is presented because what is natural illustrates and teaches more clearly than what is spiritual. To the eye the sun appears to be borne around the earth daily, and also annually; and in consequence the sun is said to rise and set, causing morning; noon, evening, and night; and also spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and thus days and years. Nevertheless, the sun stands motionless, for it is a fiery ocean, and the earth revolves daily and is carried around it yearly. The man who thinks in simplicity and ignorance that the sun is carried about the earth does not destroy the natural truth, which is that the earth rotates upon its axis and is yearly borne along the ecliptic. But he who confirms this apparent motion of the sun by reasonings from the natural man, and still more he who does so by the Word, because the sun is there said to rise and set, weakens the truth and destroys it, and afterwards is hardly able to see it, even though ocular proof be given him that the whole starry heaven is daily and yearly carried about in appearance in like manner, and yet not a single star is moved from its fixed place relative to another. The apparent truth is that the sun moves, the real truth is that it does not move, and yet everyone speaks according to the apparent truth, saying that the sun rises and sets; and this is permissible, for he cannot do otherwise; but to think according to that apparent truth after confirming it blunts and darkens the rational understanding.
257. Many other things in the sense of the Letter of the Word are appearances of truth, which conceal within them genuine truths. It is not hurtful to think and also to speak in simplicity according to appearances of truth; but it is hurtful to confirm them, since by confirmation the Divine Truth concealed within them is destroyed. This may be illustrated by an example from nature, adduced because what is natural enlightens and instructs more clearly than what is spiritual. To the eye, the sun appears to make a daily and also an annual revolution round the earth. Accordingly it is said that the sun rises and sets; that it causes morning, noon, evening and night; and also the seasons of the year, spring, summer, autumn and winter, and consequently days and years. But in reality the sun is stationary, being an ocean of fire, round which the earth, turning daily on its axis, makes an annual revolution. The man who, in simplicity and ignorance, supposes that the sun revolves, does not destroy the natural truth that the earth rotates on her axis and makes an annual revolution in the ecliptic. But he who confirms the sun's apparent motion by reasonings from the natural man, particularly if he supports his belief from the Word, which speaks of the sun's rising and setting, invalidates and destroys the truth, (that is, as far as he is concerned). Thereafter, he can hardly see it, even if he has ocular proof given him that the whole starry heaven also has an apparent daily and annual motion, although not one star changes its fixed position in relation to another. That the sun moves, is an apparent truth; but that it does not move, is a genuine truth. Nevertheless every one speaks according to the apparent truth, saying that the sun rises and sets; and this is permissible, because it is not possible to avoid speaking in this way; but to think in conformity with such a mode of expression, from confirmation that it is true, blunts and obscures the rational understanding.
257. Quod plura in Sensu literae Verbi sint Apparentiae veri, in quibus vera genuina latent, et quod non damnosum sit secundum apparentias veri simpliciter cogitare, et quoque loqui, sed quod damnosum sit illas confirmare, quoniam per confirmationem destruitur Divinum Verum quod intus latet, illustrari etiam potest per Exemplum in natura, quod adfertur, quia Naturale clarius illustrat et docet, quam Spirituale. Coram oculis apparet, sicut quod Sol quovis die circum Tellurem feratur, et quoque semel quotannis; inde dicitur, quod Sol oriatur et occidat, quod faciat mane, meridiem, vesperam, et noctem, et quoque tempora veris, aestatis, autumni, et hyemis, et sic dies et annos; cum tamen Sol immotus stat, est enim Oceanus igneus, et Tellus circumvolvitur quotidie, et circumfertur quotannis: homo, qui ex simplicitate et ex ignorantia cogitat, quod Sol circumferatur, non destruit veritatem naturalem, quae est, quod Tellus rotetur circum axem, et quotannis feratur secundum Ecclipticam: at qui confirmat apparentem Solis motum, per ratiocinia ex naturali homine, et plus qui per Verbum quia ibi dicitur quod Sol oriatur et occidat, ille infirmat veritatem, et destruit 1 illam; et postea vix potest videre illam, tametsi ad oculum ostenderetur, quod universum Coelum astriferum similiter quotidie et quotannis ad apparentiam circumferatur, et tamen ne quidem una Stella e loco suo fixo ab altera removeatur. Quod Sol moveatur, est apparens verum, at quod non moveatur, est genuinum verum; attamen quisque loquitur secundum apparens verum, dicendo quod Sol oriatur et occidat, et hoc licet, quia non potest aliter, sed cogitare secundum illud ex confirmatione, hoc intellectum rationalem hebetat et opacat.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: distruit.