1533# 在我的视觉被开启之前，我几乎和其他人一样，对于在来生中所显现的无数事物，只能怀有一种模糊的观念。我曾认为，在来生中，除了感官体验外，光乃至光所衍生的一切都是不可能存在的。这种看法来源于教育者对于非物质的幻想，他们强烈主张灵及其生活中的一切都是非物质的，这导致了一种观念，认为非物质要么是如此之模糊以至于无法形成任何具体的概念，要么就是根本不存在，因为非物质性本身就隐含这种意义。然而，实际上恰恰相反；如果灵不具备器官化的特性，天使不是有器官的实体，他们就无法进行说话、视觉观察或思考活动。
1533、在我的视觉被打开之前，我对出现在来世的无数事物所持的观念和其他人的差不多。我原以为来世没有光，也没有诸如来自光的那类事物，以及感官物体。这种想法源于学者们对非物质所抱有的一种错觉，他们将非物质广泛归于灵人及其生活中的一切，或说他们在谈论灵人及其生活中的一切时会反复强调非物质。这种错觉只能产生一种方式来设想非物质的东西，或属灵之物，即：它因是非物质的，故要么是某种过于模糊，以至于无法被头脑理解的东西，要么什么都不是。然而，事实却完全相反，因为除非灵人拥有器官，天使由器官物质构成，否则他们既不能说话，也不能看见或思考。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]1533. Until my eyes were opened, I almost inevitably cherished the same idea as others about the countless wonders that appear in the next world. I thought that neither light nor the kind of phenomena light creates 钬?to say nothing of sensory powers 钬?could possibly exist in the next world. This thinking grew out of a delusion that the well-educated adopt concerning immateriality, which they ascribe so broadly to spirits and to everything in a spirit's life. Such a delusion could yield only one way to conceive of anything spiritual: that because it lacked matter, either it was too vague to be grasped in any way or it was nothing at all. That is what "immaterial" means, of course. The reality is diametrically opposed. If spirits were not organic 钬?and if angels were not made of organic substance{*1} 钬?they would not be able to speak or see or think.
Footnotes:
{*1} On the meaning of "organic substance," see note 1 in 搂1378. On the meaning of "substance," see note 1 in 搂1808. [Editors]
Potts(1905-1910) 1533
1533. Before my sight was opened, the idea I cherished concerning the countless things that appear in the other life differed but little from that of others, that is to say, that in the other life there could be no light, and such things as exist from light, together with the things of sense; a notion derived from the phantasy entertained by the learned respecting the immateriality which they predicate so strongly of spirits and of all things pertaining to their life; from which no other conception could be had, than that, because it was immaterial, it was either so obscure that no idea of it could be grasped, or that it was nothing; for the immateriality involves such things. And yet the fact is just the reverse; for unless spirits were organized, and unless angels were organized substances, they could neither speak, nor see, nor think.
Elliott(1983-1999) 1533
1533. Before my sight was opened I was scarcely able to entertain any different idea than that entertained by others about the countless things to be seen in the next life. I had thought that light and such things as come from it, as well as the objects of the senses, did not exist at all in the next life. This was the result of the delusion under which the learned labour about the immaterial, which they harp on so much in speaking of spirits and everything in their life. In consequence it was impossible to conceive of anything immaterial except as either something too obscure to be grasped by the mind, or as nothing, for that is what immaterial implies The reality however is altogether the reverse, for unless spirits had organs and angels were made of organic substance, they could neither speak, nor see, nor think.
Latin(1748-1756) 1533
1533. De innumerabilibus quae in altera vita apparent, antequam visus mihi apertus fuit, vix potui aliam ac alii, fovere ideam; nempe quod lux, et talia quae existunt ex luce, praeter sensitiva, nullatenus dari potuissent in altera vita, et hoc ex eruditorum capta phantasia de immateriali, quod praedicant tantopere de spiritibus et de omnibus quae sunt vitae illorum, ex quo non alius conceptus haberi potuit quam quod quia immateriale, esset vel tale obscurum ut nusquam capi aliqua idea posset, vel esset nullum, nam immateriale tale involvit; cum tamen prorsus contrarium est; nisi enim spiritus organici essent, et angeli substantiae organicae, nec loqui potuissent, nec videre, nec cogitare.