1876# 圣经中出现的人名、城名和国名等表述，和其它人类的言语一样，在它们升至灵界的第一步就消逝了，因为它们属于尘世、肉体和物质范畴，这些属性是灵魂进入另一生命阶段时逐步剥离的，尤其是对那些升入天堂的灵魂而言。天使们甚至不保留对任何个人的最微小概念，因而也不记得他们的名字；亚伯拉罕、以撒和雅各已不为他们所知。他们根据这些人在圣经中所代表和象征的深层含义来构建自己的理解；名字和言语就像尘埃或鱼鳞，在进入天堂时会脱落。因此，可以理解，圣经中的名字实际上指向的是背后的实质内容。我曾多次与天使就这些问题进行交流，并从他们那里获得了对真理更全面认识。灵与灵之间的交流不依赖声音，而是通过类似于无声的人类思维的观念进行，因此它成为跨越所有语言的通用交流方式。然而，当他们与人类交谈时，他们的交流就转换为人类所使用语言的声音（参1635节，1637节和1639节）。
【2】当我与灵交谈这个主题时，得知他们在相互交流时，连一句人类的语言都无法发出，更不要说任何名称了。对此感到好奇的一些灵尝试了一下离开，并尽量这样做，但因为这些词汇是由空气振动和身体器官共同作用产生的，或是通过某种内在路径影响到听觉器官而形成的，过于物质化，低于他们存在的层次，所以他们无法发音。这也清楚地表明，圣经中的任何词汇都无法传达给灵，更不用说天使灵了，他们的交流方式更为普遍（参1642节），对于天使来说（参1643节），灵最初的观念已经不复存在，取而代之的是真正的属灵真理和属天良善。这些真理和良善以一种无法言喻的方式，通过极其微小、连续、相互关联的形式，在一个和谐的序列中展现，与源自相互之爱的幸福所产生的最愉悦和最美好的代表物的原始形式相结合。这些真理和良善因被主的生命所启发，而从幸福者的愉悦和美好中不断变化。
1876、出现在圣言中的人名、国名或城名，就像人类语言的词语一样，在它们上升到的第一道门槛处就消失不见了；因为这些名字是世俗、肉体和物质的；进入来世的灵魂会逐渐脱去这些东西，而那些进入天堂的人则完全脱去它们。天使甚至不保留关于任何人及其名字的丝毫概念，他们不再知道亚伯兰、以撒或雅各是什么。相反，他们会从这些人物在圣言中所代表和表示的事物中为自己形成一个概念。名字和词语对他们来说，就像灰尘或鳞片，在进入天堂时就脱落了。由此清楚可知，在圣言中，名字只表示真实事物。我曾与天使多次谈论这些问题，他们也充分教导了我真理。当灵人们彼此交谈时，他们用的不是词语，而是观念，就是世人无言思考时所用的那种。因此，他们的语言是所有语言的通用语言。但当他们与世人交谈时，他们的言语就会落入这个人的语言的词语中，如前所述（1635，1637，1639节）。
与灵人们讨论这个问题时，我得以说，他们在彼此交谈时，甚至无法说出一个人类语言的词语，更不用说任何名字了。其中一些灵人闻言感到惊讶，于是就离开并试图这样做，但回来后声称，他们不能念出这些词，因为它们太粗糙、太物质化了，以至于在他们的气场之下。事实上，这些词是从身体器官清晰发出的空气的声音中形成的，或通过进入循着一条内在途径通向听觉器官的这些身体器官的一种流注而形成的。由此也清楚可知，出现在圣言中的任何词语的任何部分都无法传给灵人，更不用说天使灵了，天使灵的语言更普遍、通用（1642节）。它最不能传给天使（1643节）；对天使来说，灵人所拥有的最初观念丝毫不会保留；相反，天使拥有属灵真理和属天良善。这些真理和良善在其最小形式上以一种无法形容的方式变化。这些形式以一种和谐的顺序与代表的最初源头联结并联系在一起。相爱的幸福使得这些代表极其甜美，而甜美又使得它们成为幸福，因为它们的源头因来自主的生命而具有活力。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]1876. Like the words of human language, the names of people,{*1} countries, and cities in the Word vanish at the very first threshold of their upward path. Names are some of those earthly, bodily, material things that the soul gradually sheds as it enters the next life, and sheds completely if it goes to heaven. Angels do not hold on to the slightest mental image of people in the Word, so they do not retain the least idea of their names. What Abram is, what Isaac, and Jacob are, they no longer know. It is the qualities represented and symbolized by figures in the Word that form an angel's picture. Names and words are like chaff or scales that drop off when [the ideas] enter heaven.
This shows that names in the Word have no meaning besides a symbolic one. I have spoken about this many times with angels, and they have taught me the truth very fully.
When spirits talk to each other, they use not words but thoughts, of the kind we have when we are thinking wordlessly. Their speech, then, is common to all languages. When spirits talk to a person on earth, their speech falls into the words of the person's language, as noted in 1635, 1637, 1639.
[2] When I talked with the spirits about this, I was inspired to say that as long as they were conversing among themselves, they could not pronounce even a single word of human language, still less a name. Astonished to hear this, some of them went away and tried it. They came back admitting they could not, because human words were too coarse, too tied to the material world to rise into their sphere of existence. Such words are formed from the sound of air, articulated by physical organs; or else they are formed by an inflow into the same organs traveling an internal pathway to the organs of hearing.
This also made it clear that not a syllable of Scripture could cross over to spirits, still less to angelic spirits, whose speech is even more universal (1642). Least of all could it reach angels (1643),{*2} with whom it retains none of the initial thoughts entertained by spirits. Among angels, such thoughts are replaced with spiritual truth and heavenly goodness that vary in indescribable ways in their very smallest forms. These forms are linked and connected in a harmonious series with the source elements from which representations are created. The happiness of mutual love renders the representations extremely sweet and beautiful, and sweetness and beauty render them happy, because their sources are animated by life from the Lord.
Footnotes:
{*1} The Latin word translated as "people" here is viri, a word the author usually reserves for males. See note 1 in 40. [LHC]
{*2} The description that follows resembles that of 1643, but Swedenborg there assigns the style of speech to angelic spirits rather than angels. He may also be thinking of 1645. [LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 1876
1876. The names of men, of kingdoms, and of cities, that occur in the Word, like the words of human speech, perish at the very threshold of the ascent; for these are earthly, corporeal, and material; and the souls that come into the other life successively put these things off, and those who come into heaven do so altogether. The angels retain not even the least of an idea of any person, nor consequently of his name. What Abram is, what Isaac, and Jacob, they no longer know. They form an idea for themselves from the things which are represented and signified by them in the Word. Names and words are to them like dust, or like scales, which fall off when they enter heaven. Hence it may be seen that by the names in the Word nothing is signified except actual things. I have frequently spoken with angels about these matters, and have been fully instructed by them concerning the truth. The speech of spirits with one another is not a speech of words, but of ideas, such as are those of human thought without words, on which account it is the universal of all languages. But when they speak with a man, their speech falls into the words of the man's language (as before said, n. 1635, 1637, 1639). [2] When I have spoken with spirits about this, it has been given me to say that when they are conversing with one another, they cannot utter even one single word of human language, still less any name. Some of them, wondering at this, retired and tried; but returning they said that they were not able to pronounce them because the words were so grossly material that they were below their sphere, as they were formed from the sound of air, made articulate by the bodily organs, or by influx into such organs by an internal way leading to the organ of hearing. From this it may likewise be clearly seen that no part of a word that is in the Word can pass to spirits, still less to angelic spirits, whose speech is still more universal (see n. 1642), and least of all to the angels (see n. 1643), with whom remains nothing of the first ideas of spirits, but in place of them spiritual truths and celestial goods, which are varied in an ineffable manner in the least forms, continued and connected in a unanimous series, with the originaries of representatives that are most pleasant and beautiful from the happiness of mutual love, and that are happy from pleasantnesses and beauties, because they are inspired with the life of the Lord.
Elliott(1983-1999) 1876
1876. The names of men, kingdoms, or cities that occur in the Word, as with the expressions of human speech, disappear at the very threshold of their progress upwards; for those names are earthly, bodily, and material, being things of which souls entering the next life gradually divest themselves and of which those entering heaven do so altogether. Angels do not retain the least idea of any person, nor therefore of his name. What Abram is, what Isaac is, or Jacob, they do not know any longer. Instead they form an idea for themselves from the things that are represented and meant by those characters in the Word. Names and expressions are like dust or like scales that fall off when they enter heaven. From this it becomes clear that names in the Word mean nothing other than real things. On these matters I have spoken many times to angels, who have informed me fully regarding the truth. The speech that spirits employ among themselves does not consist of verbal expressions but of ideas, like those comprising human thought without words, and is therefore the universal language of all languages. But when they speak to man their speech falls into the expressions of human language, as stated in 1635, 1637, 1639.
[2] When discussing this matter with spirits I have been given to say that when they are conversing among themselves they are not able to utter one single word of human language, still less utter any name. Astonished by this some went away and tried to do so, but on returning they said that they had been unable to pronounce them because those words were so grossly material that they belonged below their own sphere, for such words were produced by an audible emission of air articulated by organs of the body, or else by means of an influx into the same organs by an internal route leading to the organ of hearing. From this it also became perfectly clear that no part of any expression which occurs in the Word was able to pass over to spirits. Still less could it pass over to angelic spirits, whose speech is even more universal, 1642. And least of all could it pass over to angels, 1643, with whom nothing remains of even the first ideas that spirits possess; instead angels have spiritual truths and celestial goods. Such truths and goods are varied in an indescribable manner in their least forms - which are continuous and knit together in a harmonious sequence - together with the first springs of representatives whose very great delightfulness and beauty flow from the happiness belonging to mutual love, and whose happiness flows from all their delight and beauty, because the Lord's life is inspired into them
Latin(1748-1756) 1876
1876. Nomina virorum, regnorum, urbium, quae in Verbo, similiter ac voces loquelae humanae, pereunt in primo limine cum ascendunt; sunt enim terrestria, corporea et materialia, quae successive (x)exuunt animae quae veniunt in alteram vitam, et prorsus illi quae veniunt in caelum; angeli ne minimum ideae alicujus personae, proinde ejus nominis, retinent; quid Abram, quid Isac, et Jacob, non amplius sciunt; formant sibi ideam ex illis quae per illos in Verbo repraesentantur et significantur; sunt nomina et voces sicut grumi seu sicut squamae, quae decidunt cum intrant in caelum: inde constare potest quod per nomina in Verbo nihil aliud quam res significentur; de quibus multoties cum angelis locutus, a quibus de veritate plene instructus sum. Loquela spirituum inter se non est vocum sed est idearum quales sunt cogitationis humanae absque vocibus, quare universalis est omnium linguarum; at cum loquuntur cum homine, cadit eorum loquela in voces linguae hominis, ut dictum n. 1635, 1637, 1639; [2] cum de hoc locutus cum spiritibus, dicere datum est quod dum colloquuntur inter se, ne unam quidem vocem linguae humanae, minus adhuc aliquod nomen, possent enuntiare, quod quidam eorum mirati, recesserunt, et tentabant, sed redeuntes dicebant quod non pronuntiare potuerint, quia voces illae crassius materiales, ut essent infra sphaeram eorum ex sono aeris per organa corporea articulato, aut per influxum in talia per viam ducentem ad auditus organum internam formatae: inde clare quoque constare potuit quod nihil vocis quae in Verbo, transire posset ad spiritus, minus ad spiritus angelicos, quorum loquela adhuc universalior est, n. 1642, minime ad angelos, n. 1643, apud quos nihil remanet de ideis primis spirituum sed loco eorum spiritualia vera, et caelestia bona, quae ineffabili modo, formis minimis, continuis, connexis in unanima serie, cum originariis repraesentativorum ex felicitate amoris mutui amoenissimorum et pulcherrimorum, et e amoenitatibus et pulchritudinibus felicium, quia vita Domini inspiratis, variantur.