597、“挪亚”表示一个新教会，这个新教会必称作古教会，以区别于大洪水前后的上古教会。这两个教会的状态完全不同。上古教会的状态是这样，他们从主获得对良善和源于这良善的真理的感知。而古教会或“挪亚”的状态则变成这样，他们拥有对良善和真理的良心。有感知与有良心之间的区别如何，上古教会与古教会在状态上之间的区别就如何。
感知与良心不同：属天人拥有感知，属灵人拥有良心。上古教会是属天的，而古教会是属灵的。上古教会通过与灵人和天使的直接接触，以及来自主的异象和梦境而获得直接的启示。这些经验能使他们对良善和真理有一个大体了解，一旦他们大体了解了，这些大体，或可以说主要知识就会被通过感知所获得的无数细节证实。这些无数细节构成与他们相关的大体知识的具体或个体的方方面面。大体，或可以说主要知识就以这种方式被日益证实。凡与大体知识不一致的，他们都觉得不是这样；凡与它们一致的，他们都觉得是这样。这也是属天天使的状态。
上古教会的大体，或可以说主要知识是天上的永恒真理，如：主统治整个宇宙；一切良善和真理皆来自主；一切生命皆来自主；人的自我无非是邪恶，本身是死的；以及其它诸如此类的大体真理。他们从主获得对确认和支持这些真理的无数事物的一种感知。对这些人来说，爱是信的首要事物，主允许他们通过爱感知凡属信之物。因此，对他们来说，信就是爱，如前所述（32，202，398节）。而古教会则完全不同；蒙主的神性怜悯，这种不同容后再述。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]597. Noah symbolizes a new church, called the ancient church in order to distinguish between the very earliest church, which preceded the Flood, and the church that followed the Flood.
The states of these two churches were entirely different. That of the earliest church was to receive a perception of good, and so of truth, from the Lord. In the ancient church — "Noah" — the state changed to one of conscience concerning goodness and truth. The difference between conditions in the earliest church and in the ancient church was the difference between having perception and having conscience. Perception is not conscience. Heavenly angels have perception; spiritual angels have conscience. The earliest church was heavenly, but the ancient church was spiritual.
[2] The earliest church experienced direct revelation through personal contact with spirits and angels and also through visions and dreams sent by the Lord. These gave them a general ability to recognize what was good and true, and having recognized this, they confirmed the generalities (axioms, more or less) by countless insights gained through perception. These insights constituted particular details filling in the broad categories to which they belonged. In this way, daily experience corroborated general principle. Whenever they came across something that did not agree with general principle, they perceived that it was wrong, and whenever they came across something that agreed, they perceived that it was right. Heavenly angels are in the same state.
[3] The broad principles of the earliest church — its axioms, in effect — were heavenly, eternal truths. They included the idea that the Lord governs the universe, that he is the source of all goodness and truth and of all life, that our selfhood is pure evil and of itself is dead, and other ideas like these. The people of that church received from the Lord a perception of countless thoughts supporting and harmonizing with these principles.
To them, love was the most important element of faith. It was through love that the Lord enabled them to perceive everything belonging to faith, and so faith to them was love, as already stated [32:2, 202, 398].
The ancient church, on the other hand, became totally different, as later sections will reveal, by the Lord's divine mercy.{*1}
Footnotes:
{*1} The rest of the discussion of Genesis 6 and all the treatment of Genesis 7 and 8 concern this shift. For specific passages on ways in which people in the ancient church differed from people in the earliest church, see, for example, 605-609, 615, 628, 640, 784, 865. [LHC]
Potts(1905-1910) 597
597. By "Noah" is signified a new church, which is to be called the Ancient Church, for the sake of distinction between the Most Ancient Church, which was before the flood, and that which was after the flood. The states of these two churches were entirely different. The state of the Most Ancient Church was such that they had from the Lord a perception of good and the derivative truth. The state of the Ancient Church, or "Noah" became such that they had a conscience of good and truth. Such as is the difference between having perception and having conscience, such was the difference of state of the Most Ancient and the Ancient Churches. Perception is not conscience: the celestial have perception; the spiritual have conscience. The Most Ancient Church was celestial, the Ancient was spiritual. [2] The Most Ancient Church had immediate revelation from the Lord by consort with spirits and angels, as also by visions and dreams; whereby it was given them to have a general knowledge of what was good and true; and after they had acquired a general knowledge, these general leading principles, as we may call them, were confirmed by things innumerable, by means of perceptions; and these innumerable things were the particulars or individual things of the general principles to which they related. Thus were the general leading principles corroborated day by day; whatever was not in agreement with the general principles they perceived not to be so; and whatever was in agreement with them they perceived to be so. Such also is the state of the celestial angels. [3] The general principles of the Most Ancient Church were heavenly and eternal truths-as that the Lord governs the universe, that all good and truth is from the Lord, that all life is from the Lord, that man's Own is nothing but evil, and in itself is dead; with many others of similar character. And they received from the Lord a perception of countless things that confirmed and supported these truths. With them love was the principal of faith. By love it was given them of the Lord to perceive whatever was of faith, and hence with them faith was love, as was said before. But the Ancient Church became entirely different, concerning which of the Lord's Divine mercy hereafter.
Elliott(1983-1999) 597
597. 'Noah' means a new Church, which must be called the Ancient Church to distinguish between the Most Ancient Church before the Flood and the Church that followed it. The states of those two Churches were entirely different. The state of the Most Ancient Church was one in which people had from the Lord a perception of good and of truth deriving from it, while that of the Ancient Church, or Noah, came to be one in which it had a conscience concerning good and truth. The nature of the difference between having perception and having conscience is what determined the difference in state between the Most Ancient Church and the Ancient.
[2] Perception is not the same as conscience. Celestial people have perception, spiritual people conscience. The Most Ancient Church was celestial whereas the Ancient was spiritual. The Most Ancient Church possessed immediate revelation through direct contact with spirits and angels, and also through visions and dreams from the Lord. These experiences enabled them to know in a general way what good and truth were, and once they knew them in this general way their general or so to speak primary matters of knowledge were confirmed by means of countless details acquired through perceptions. These countless details constituted the particular and the individual aspects of the general knowledge to which they had reference. In this manner general or so to speak primary knowledge was being corroborated day by day. If anything was not in keeping with general matters of knowledge they perceived that it was not; and if anything was in keeping they perceived that it was. Such is also the state of celestial angels.
[3] The general, so to speak primary, matters of knowledge of the Most Ancient Church were celestial and eternal truths: for example, that the Lord governs the whole universe; that the Lord is the source of all good and truth; that the Lord is the source of all life; that man's proprium was nothing but evil, and in itself something dead; in addition to other general truths such as these. And they received from the Lord a perception of countless considerations confirming and harmonizing with these truths. For those people love was the chief thing of faith, and through love they were allowed by the Lord to perceive anything that was a matter of faith. Consequently faith to them was love, as stated already. The Ancient Church however became entirely different. That difference will in the Lord's Divine mercy be discussed later on.
Latin(1748-1756) 597
597. {1} Per 'Noahum' significatur nova Ecclesia, quae Ecclesia Antiqua vocanda, ad distinguendum inter Ecclesiam Antiquissimam quae fuit ante diluvium, et illam quae fuit post diluvium. Ecclesiarum illarum prorsus diversi status fuerunt; Ecclesiae Antiquissimae status fuit ut perceptionem boni et inde veri habuerint a Domino; Antiquae Ecclesiae seu 'Noahi' status factus ut conscientiam boni et veri haberet: qualis differentia est inter habere perceptionem et habere conscientiam, talis differentia status fuit Ecclesiae Antiquissimae et Ecclesiae Antiquae; [2] perceptio non est conscientia; perceptionem habent caelestes, conscientiam spirituales: Antiquissima Ecclesia fuit caelestis sed Antiqua spiritualis. Antiquissima Ecclesia revelationem immediatam habuit per consortium cum spiritibus et angelis, ut et per visiones et somnia a Domino, ex quibus communiter quid bonum et verum illis nosse datum, et postquam communiter noverunt, tunc confirmata sunt communia illa quasi principia innumerabilibus per perceptiones; quae innumerabilia erant particularia seu singularia communium ad quae se referebant; ita communia quasi principia corroborabantur cotidie; quicquid non congruebat communibus, hoc perceperunt non ita esse, et quicquid congruebat, perceperunt ita esse; talis status etiam est angelorum caelestium: Antiquissimae Ecclesiae communia quasi principia erant veritates caelestes et aeternae; sicut, quod Dominus regat universum; quod a Domino omne bonum et verum; quod a Domino omnis vita; quod proprium hominis non esset nisi malam, et quod esset mortuum in se; praeter similia alia; innumerabilium illa confirmantium et consentientium perceptionem acceperunt a Domino: illis amor erat principale fidei; per amorem percipere iis datum a Domino quicquid esset fidei; inde fides illis erat amor, ut prius dictum. Sed Antiqua Ecclesia alia prorsus facta fuit, de qua, ex Divina Domini Misericordia, in sequentibus. @ 1 I has Quod per Noahum significetur and the clause is unfinished, unless it be regarded as a title for the subject discussed in the following paragraph, which is contrary to S. usage, and so in next [?]. Possibly a 'constat ex significatione' clause has been omitted here and in next [?]$