366# “使人彼此相杀”表示对真理的歪曲和消灭。这从“杀”的含义清楚可知，“杀”是指消灭真理；因为在圣言中，“杀”表示属灵地杀，即杀人或他灵魂的属灵部分，也就是消灭真理。它还表示歪曲，因为当真理被歪曲时，它们也就被消灭了；歪曲会产生对真理的不同理解，真理照着各人对它的理解而对各人来说是真理；因为在人里面掌权的爱和原则将一切事物，甚至将真理本身吸引到它们自己这里，并应用于它们自己；因此，当爱是邪恶，或原则是虚假时，真理就染上爱之邪恶，或原则之虚假，从而被消灭。所以这就是“使人彼此相杀”在此所表示的。当人身上没有良善时，尤其当他教会的教义里面没有良善时，这种情况就会发生，这一点从前面的话明显看出来，那里说：“他揭开第二印的时候，就有一匹红马出来；它被赐给了那骑马的，要从地上夺去和平。”这句话表示当在良善方面对圣言的理解被摧毁时，教会的第二个状态，这是教会里的纷争的源头(对此，参看AE 361, 364–365节)。
当人身上没有良善时，也就是当没有对主之爱和对邻之仁时，对圣言的理解，或也可说，对真理的理解，就被毁了(可参看AE 365a节)；因为人里面的良善，或也可说，他里面的爱，是他的生命之火，而他里面的真理，或信之真理，是由此而来的光；因此，人里面的良善如何，或他里面的爱如何，他里面的真理就如何，或他里面的信之真理就如何。由此可见，人若处于邪恶，或一种邪恶的爱，就不能处于真理，或处于信之真理；因为从那火发出的光，或光的品质是地狱里的人所拥有的光，这光是一种愚昧之光，就像燃烧的炭发出的光；当天堂之光流入时，这光就变成纯粹的黑暗。这也是当恶人推理反对教会事物时，与他们同在的光，被称为属世之光。
主在马太福音中的话也表示，它们会歪曲，并由此消灭真理：
耶稣对门徒说，弟兄要交出弟兄，父亲要交出儿子；儿女要起来与父母作对，置他们于死地。(马太福音10:21)
路加福音：
你们要被父母，弟兄，亲戚，朋友交出去。他们要使你们中的一些人置于死地。(路加福音21:16)
“父母”、“弟兄”、“儿女”、“亲戚”和“朋友”在此并非表示父母，弟兄，儿女，亲戚，朋友，“门徒”也并非表示门徒，而是表示教会的良善和真理，也表示邪恶和虚假；它还表示邪恶将消灭良善，虚假将消灭真理。这就是这些话或这些名称的含义(参看《属天的奥秘》，10490节)。
366. That they should kill one another. That this signifies the falsification or extinction of truths, is manifest from the signification of killing, as denoting to extinguish truths; for by killing in the Word is signified to kill spiritually, or to kill the spiritual part of man or his soul, which is to extinguish truths. The reason why it also denotes to falsify, is, because when truths are falsified, they are also extinguished; for by falsification a different understanding of them is arrived at, and truth is truth according to the understanding of any one concerning it; for the love and the principle which have rule in man, draw and apply all things to them, even truths themselves; wherefore, when the love is evil, or the principle false, then the truths are infected with the evil of the love, or the falsity of the principle, and so are extinguished; this therefore is what is here signified by, "that they should kill one another." That this takes place when there is no good with man, and especially when there is no good in the doctrine of his church, is manifest from the preceding words, where it is said: "When he had opened the second seal, there went out a red horse; and it was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth"; by which is signified a second state of the church, when the understanding of the Word is destroyed as to good, whence divisions arise in the church (concerning which see above, n. 361, 364, 365).
[2] That the understanding of the Word, or, what is the same, the understanding of truth, is destroyed when there is no good with man, that is, where there is no love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbour, may be seen above (n. 365); for good in man, or what is the same, love in him, is the fire of his life, and truth in him, or the faith of truth, is the light thence; therefore according to the quality of the good or the quality of the love in him, such is the truth, or the faith of truth in him. Hence it is evident that if man is in evil, or in an evil love, he cannot be in the truth, or in the faith of truth; for the quality of the light which issues from that fire, is light to those who are in hell, which is a fatuous light, like the light from burning coals, which light is turned into mere darkness from the light flowing in from heaven. Such also is the light called natural light (lumen) with the evil, when they reason against the things of the church.
[3] That they should falsify truths and thereby extinguish them, is also meant by the Lord's words in Matthew:
Jesus said to the disciples, "The brother shall deliver up the brother, the father the son; the children shall rise up against the parents, and cause them to be put to death" (Arcana Coelestia 10490.)
366. That they should slay one another, signifies the falsification or extinction of truths. This is evident from the signification of "slaying," as meaning the extinction of truths; for "to slay" in the Word signifies to slay spiritually, that is, to slay the spiritual part of a man or his soul, which is to extinguish truths. It also means to falsify, because when truths are falsified they are also extinguished; for falsification produces a different understanding of truths, and truth is true to everyone according to his understanding of it; for the love and principle that rule in man draw and apply all things to themselves, even truths themselves; consequently when the love is evil, or the principle is false, then truths are infected with the evil of the love or the falsity of the principle, and thus are extinguished. This, therefore, is what is here signified by "they should slay one another." That this takes place when there is no good with man, and especially when there is no good in the doctrine of his church, is evident from the preceding words, where it is said, "When he had opened the second seal there went forth a red horse; and to him that sat upon him it was given to take peace from the earth;" which signifies a second state of the church when the understanding of the Word is destroyed in respect to good, which is the source of dissensions in the church (of which see above, n. 361, 364, 365).
[2] That the understanding of the Word, or what is the same, the understanding of the truth, is destroyed when there is no good with man, that is, when there is no love to the Lord and charity towards the neighbor, may be seen above n. 365; for good with man, or what is the same, love with him, is the fire of his life, and truth with him, or the faith of truth, is the light therefrom; consequently such as the good is, or such as the love is in man, such is truth, or such the faith of truth in him. From this it can be seen that when evil or an evil love is with man there can be no truth or faith of truth with him; for the light that goes forth from such fire is the light that those have who are in hell, which is a fatuous light like the light from burning coals, which light, when light from heaven flows in, is turned into mere thick darkness. Such also is the light that with the evil, when they reason against the things of the church, is called natural light [lumen].
[3] That they would falsify and thereby extinguish truths is meant also by the Lord's words in Matthew:
Jesus said to the disciples, The brother shall deliver up the brother, the father the son; children shall rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death (Arcana Coelestia 10490.)
366. "Ut alii alios 1
occidant." - Quod significet falsificationem seu exstinctionem veritatum, constat ex significatione "occidere", quod sit exstinguere vera, nam per "occidere" in Verbo significatur occidere spiritualiter, seu occidere spirituale hominis aut animam ejus, quod est exstinguere vera: quod etiam sit falsificare, est quia vera cum falsificantur etiam exstinguuntur; per falsificationem enim fit alius intellectus eorum, ac verum est verum cuivis secundum intellectum de eo; amor enim et principium quae regnant in homine, trahunt omnia ad se, et applicant sibi, etiam ipsa vera; quare cum amor malus est aut principium falsum, tunc vera infectantur malo amoris aut falso principii, et sic exstinguuntur: hoc itaque est quod hic significatur per quod "alii alios occident." Quod hoc fiat quando bonum non est apud hominem, et magis quando bonum non est in doctrina ecclesiae ejus, constat ex praecedentibus, ubi dicitur "Cum aperuisset secundum sigillum, exivit equus rufus, et sedenti super illo datum est tollere pacem de terra"; per quae significatur secundus status ecclesiae, qui est quando intellectus Verbi deperditus sit quoad bonum, unde dissidia in ecclesia (de quibus videatur supra, n. 361, 364, 365).
[2] Quod intellectus Verbi, seu quod idem, intellectus veri, deperditus sit quando apud hominem non est bonum, hoc est, quando non est amor in Dominum et charitas erga proximum, videatur supra (n. 365(a)): bonum enim apud hominem, seu quod idem, amor apud illum, est ignis vitae ejus, et verum apud illum seu fides veri, est lux inde; quapropter quale est bonum seu qualis est amor apud illum, tale est verum seu talis est fides veri apud illum. Inde constare potest, si malum est apud illum seu amor malus, quod non verum sit apud illum, seu quod non fides veri; lux enim quae ex illo igne exit, est qualis est lux illis qui in inferno sunt, quae est lux fatua, sicut lux ex carbonibus ignitis, quae lux influente luce e caelo vertitur in meram caliginem. Talis etiam est lux quae vocatur lumen naturale apud malos, quum ratiocinantur contra res ecclesiae.
[3] Quod falsificaturi sint vera, et per id exstincturi illa, etiam intelligitur per Domini verba apud Matthaeum,
Jesus dixit discipulis, "Tradet frater fratrem..., pater filium, insurgent liberi contra parentes, et morti dabunt illos" (10:21):
et apud Lucam,
"Trademini a parentibus, et fratribus, et cognatis et amicis, et morti dabunt ex vobis" (21:16):
per "parentes", "fratres", "liberos", ("cognatos") et "amicos non intelliguntur ibi parentes, fratres, liberi, cognati, amici, nec per "discipulos" intelliguntur discipuli, sed bona et vera ecclesiae, ac mala et falsa; et quod mala exstinctura sint bona, et quod falsa vera. (Quod illa per ea nomina significentur, videatur in Arcanis Caelestibus, n. 10490.)
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.