200# 这里提到的知识树位于园子的当中，但在第二章第九节中，生命树才是园子的当中，知识树则没有这样的描述。这是因为“园子当中”象征着最深处的内在。对于属天之人或被称为上古教会的成员来说，这个最深处的内在是生命树，代表爱，由此生发出信仰。但如今这个人，可以被称作属天之属灵的人，或说属天人的后裔，他的“园子当中”或最内在部分，是信仰。我们无法更深入地描述了，因为今天我们几乎对那些在上古时代生活过的人的真实情况一无所知。他们的本性与今天的人完全不同。这种本性使他们能从良善中认识真理，或从仁爱中了解信仰。但当那一代消逝后，接替而来的新一代与他们在本性上大为不同；他们并不是从良善中看到真理，或从爱中了解信仰，而是从真理中认识良善，或从信仰的知识中领受爱。对大多数人来说，他们几乎只知道这些知识。这样的变化是在大洪水之后发生的，以免世界灭亡。
200、此处之所以说在园子中间的是“知识树”，而前面（创世记2:9）却说在园子中间的是生命树，而不是知识树，是因为园子的“中间”表示至内在之物。属天人，或上古教会的至内在之物是“生命树”，也就是爱和源于爱的信。但园子的中间，或这下一代，也就是可称为属天-属灵之人的至内在之物是信。充分描述那些生活在上古时代之人的品质是不可能的，因为现在的人对此一无所知。他们的性情完全不同于今天在任何人身上所发现的。关于这种性情，为了传达某种可以理解的观念，可以考虑这一点：他们从良善认识真理，或从爱认识信的事物。但当那一代故去时，另一代便取而代之，他们的性情就完全不同了。也就是说，这新一代不是从良善认识真理，或从爱认识信的事物，而是通过真理获取良善的知识，或从构成信的知识或认知的事物中获取爱之事物的知识；他们当中大多数人除了知识以外，几乎什么也没有。这就是大洪水之后所发生的变化，以防止世界毁灭。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]200. The present verse says that the tree of knowledge was in the middle of the garden, but Genesis 2:9 above says that the tree of lives was in the middle, implying that the tree of knowledge was not. The reason is that the middle of the garden symbolizes the inmost core. The core of the heavenly individual, or the earliest church, was the tree of lives, which is love and the faith that develops out of love. With the people of this ensuing generation (who could be called heavenly-spiritual people), the middle of the garden, or the core, was faith.
Further description is impossible because no one today has any idea at all what the people who lived in that earliest era were like. Their character was completely unlike any found in our own age.
Their character was such (to give just a small idea) that good taught them about truth; that is to say, love taught them what belonged to faith. But when that generation passed away, another with a completely different nature took its place. The new descendants did not learn from good about truth; they did not learn from love about faith's tenets. Instead, from truth they acquired facts about goodness. To put it another way, from religious knowledge they acquired facts about love. And many of them gained little more than facts.
This change was made after the Flood, to prevent the world's destruction.
Potts(1905-1910) 200
200. The reason why the "tree of knowledge" is here spoken of as being "in the midst of the garden" although previously (Gen. 2:9), the tree of lives was said to be in the midst of the garden, and not the tree of knowledge, is that the "midst" of the garden signifies the inmost; and the inmost of the celestial man, or of the Most Ancient Church, was the "tree of lives" which is love and the faith thence derived; whereas with this man, who may be called a celestial spiritual man, or with this posterity, faith was the "midst" of the garden, or the inmost. It is impossible more fully to describe the quality of the men who lived in that most ancient time, because at the present day it is utterly unknown, their genius being altogether different from what is ever found with anyone now. For the purpose however of conveying some idea of their genius, it may be mentioned that from good they knew truth, or from love they knew what is of faith. But when that generation expired, another succeeded of a totally different genius, for instead of discerning the true from the good, or what is of faith from love, they acquired the knowledge of what is good by means of truth, or what is of love from the knowledges of faith, and with very many among them there was scarcely anything but knowledge [quod scirent]. Such was the change made after the flood to prevent the destruction of the world.
Elliott(1983-1999) 200
200. The reason the tree of knowledge is now said to be in the middle of the garden, whereas previously in 2:9 the tree of lifea is said to be in the middle of the garden, and not the tree of knowledge, is that 'the middle of the garden' means that which is inmost. And the inmost of the celestial man, or Most Ancient Church, was the tree of life,a which was love and faith deriving from it. But the middle of the garden, or that which was the inmost of this next generation, that is, of the man who may be called celestial-spiritual, was faith. No further description is possible, for the character of the people who lived in those most ancient times is totally unknown at the present day. Their disposition was entirely different from that which is at all possible with anyone today. To convey some intelligible idea of that disposition, let the point be considered that it was from good that they came to know truth, that is, from love they came to know anything of faith. But when that generation died out another took its place whose disposition was entirely different. That is to say, the new generation did not from good come to know truth, or from love come to know the things of faith, but instead had from truth a knowledge of good, that is, had from the things constituting the cognitions of faith a knowledge of those of love; and with the majority it was scarcely anything more than knowledge. Such was the change which took place after the Flood to prevent the destruction of the world.
Latin(1748-1756) 200
200. Quod arbor scientiae hic dicatur in medio horti, prius autem cap. ii vers. 9, arbor vitarum dicitur in medio horti, non ita arbor scientiae, est causa quod 'medium horti' significet intimum et quod caelestis hominis seu Antiquissimae Ecclesiae intimum fuerit arbor vitarum, quae est amor et inde fides; hujus autem homini' qui vocari potest homo caelestis spiritualis, seu hujus posteritatis medium horti seu intimum erat fides. Amplius describi nequit, qui: ignotissimum hodie est quales fuerunt illi qui antiquissimo illo tempore vixerunt; alia prorsus indoles iis fuit quam usquam apud aliquem hodie datur: quae indoles, ut solum idea ejus capiatur, fuit talis ut ex bono nossent verum, seu ex amore quid fidei; at cum generatio illa exspiravit, successit alia quae prorsus diversa indole erat ab iis; quae nempe non ex bono verum, seu ex amore quae fidei essent, nosset sed quae ex vero sciret bonum, seu ex illis quae sunt cognitionum fidei sciret quae sunt amoris, et apud plerosque vix aliud quam quod scirent. Talis mutatio facta est post diluvium, ne periret mundus.