587# “和那些金、银、铜、石、木的偶像”表示来自自我聪明，支持对肉体和世界的爱，以及由此产生的原则的虚假教义。这从“偶像”的含义清楚可知，“偶像”是指来自自我聪明的教义、宗教和敬拜的虚假。但至于“金、银、铜、石、木的偶像”具体表示什么，这可从“金、银、铜、石、木”的含义清楚看出来：“金”表示属灵良善，“银”表示属灵真理，“铜”表示属世良善，“石”表示属世真理，“木”表示感官良善。所有这些良善和真理都进入真正的教义，因为真正的教义既取自圣言的属灵意义，也取自它的属世意义。当虚假教义被圣言的属灵意义确认时，它就变成金偶像和银偶像；但当被圣言的属世事物，就是诸如属于圣言字义的那类事物确认时，它就变成铜和石的偶像；当被纯字义确认时，它就变成木头偶像；因为圣言的内层或属灵意义和外层或属世意义能用来确认虚假，这可从由此被确认了的无数异端明显看出来。
当圣言的真正意义不被理解时，虚假就被确认；原因在于，对自我的爱和随之而来的源于这些爱的原则掌权；当这些掌权时，人从天堂之光什么都看不见，凡他所看见的，都来自与天堂之光分离的世界之光；当世界之光与天堂之光分离时，在属灵事物上就有幽暗。要知道，以色列人从埃及，以及周围的民族那里带来拜偶像的可憎习俗；他们因是纯外在人，故出于属世倾向也拥有植入他们的这种敬拜，这可从圣言所记载的犹大和以色列的许多君王的偶像崇拜，以及所罗门自己的偶像崇拜明显看出来，所罗门是最有智慧的人。但他们为自己所造并敬拜、圣言所提到的偶像在灵义上仍表示来自自我聪明的虚假教义，敬拜从这教义并根据该教义执行。
偶像的这种含义也从灵界获得自己的原因；在那里，为自己制订教义虚假的恶灵看起来正在塑造偶像，并以各种方式标记它们，直到它们看上去可以说处于人的形式；他们也从各种代表中进行选择，把它们组合起来，以至于连贯在一起，从而在外在事物上伪装该形式。我被允许看到教会领袖制造这类偶像，他们说服自己相信，虚假就是真理；他们因极其灵巧，所以知道如何努力地将这些细节联结起来，后来又修饰它们。我看见英国人制造了这种偶像，他们通过该偶像来表现唯信是得救的本质，它无需人这一方的任何合作就会产生仁之良善。在灵界，偶像是由那些处于来自自我聪明的教义虚假的人形成的，因为教会的真正教义所来自的神性真理在天使身上引发人的形式；因此，在圣言中，天使也表示神性真理；正因如此，从圣言确认的教义虚假被表现为人形式的偶像；被歪曲并用于确认的圣言真理引发该形式，但由于真理被歪曲，所以表现出来的，是没有生命的偶像。
587b.“偶像、雕像和铸像”表示教义、宗教和敬拜的虚假，这一点可从以下圣言经文清楚看出来。以赛亚书：
匠人铸造雕像，金匠用金包裹它，铸造银链。贫穷没有供物的，就拣选不会朽坏的木头；为自己寻找巧匠，预备不能动摇的雕像。(以赛亚书40:19, 20)
这些话描述了教义如何通过虚假，因而通过诸如来自自我聪明的那类事物被融合并焊接在一起，因为这些都是虚假。他为自己寻找的“匠人”、“金匠”和“巧匠”表示一个塑造并形成这种教义的人。“用金包裹它”表示好叫它可以在外在形式上看似良善；“铸造银链”表示好叫虚假可以组合起来，并看似真理；“拣选不会朽坏的木头，预备不能动摇的雕像”表示好叫教义可以被承认，并且似乎不是虚假。
耶利米书：
各人都因知识变得愚蠢；各银匠都因雕像羞愧；因他的铸像是谎言，其中并无气息；它们都是虚空，是错误的工作；到追讨它们的时候，它们必要灭亡。(耶利米书10:14, 15; 51:17, 18)
由于“雕像”表示教义、宗教和敬拜的虚假，所以经上说：“各人都因知识变得愚蠢；各银匠都因雕像羞愧。”人变得愚蠢所因的“知识”表示自我聪明，而“雕像”表示由此而来的虚假；“铸像是谎言，是虚空，是错误的工作”也表示这种虚假。“其中并无气息”表示虚假或来自自我聪明的事物里面没有属灵生命；因为生命只在神性真理里面，也就是在来自主的真理里面，如祂自己所教导的：
我对你们所说的话就是灵，就是生命。(约翰福音6:63)
耶利米书：
人从森林中砍木头，匠人的手用斧子制成的作品。他用银、金妆饰它，用钉子和锤子钉稳，使它不动摇。它们像棕树一样坚实，却不能说话；必须被扛着，因为它们不能行走。他们如同畜牲，是愚昧的；木头是虚空的教导。有银子打成片，是从他施带来的，并有从乌法来的金子，都是匠人的工作、银匠的手工；他们的衣服是蓝色和紫色的；都是智者的工作。惟有耶和华是真理的神，是活的神，是一个时代的王。(耶利米书10:3–5, 8–10)
此处“雕像”表示通过自我聪明巧妙塑造和形成的教义、宗教和敬拜的虚假，这一点从当在灵义上观之时，这段描述的细节明显看出来。“匠人的手用斧子制成的作品”、“匠人的工作、银匠的手工”、“智者的工作”表示切割和塑造偶像的自我聪明。“匠人和银匠的手工”表示来自自我聪明的东西，这一点在前面已经说明；“他们如同畜牲，是愚昧的；木头是虚空的教导”表示来自它的虚假；“它们像棕树一样坚实，却不能说话，不能行走”表示这些没有生命；“说话”和“行走”表示生活，生活是指属灵地生活。“有银子打成片，是从他施带来的”、“从乌法来的金子”、“他们的衣服是蓝色和紫色的”表示来自圣言的确认；“从他施带来的银子”表示圣言的真理，“从乌法来的金子”表示圣言的良善，两者都被歪曲了；“蓝色和紫色”具有相同的含义。“惟有耶和华是真理的神，是活的神，是一个时代的王”表示教义、宗教和敬拜的一切真理都来自耶和华，也就是来自主；因为主凭神性真理而被称为“神”，也被称为“活的”和“王”。
以赛亚书：
制造雕像的尽都是虚荣，他们所喜悦的都无益处；他们是自己无所看见，无所知晓的见证人。因为他的同伴都必羞愧；工匠也不过是人。他用钳子夹住铁，在火炭中加工，用利锤加固它，用他有力的膀臂加工；他饥饿直到无力，不喝水直到疲倦。木匠量好木料，拉线，用直尺描画；照他的角度去做它，又用圆规来规划，以人的形态，照着人的美丽造它，好住在房屋中。他为自己砍伐香柏树，或选取黄杨树或橡树；这树，人可用以烧火，可以拿些来取暖，也可以点着烤饼，却做神像供跪拜，做雕像向它叩拜。他们并不知道，也不明白，因为他们忘记了，以至于眼睛看不见，心里不明白。没有一个心里醒悟，有知识，有聪明，能说，我右手中岂不是有虚谎吗？(以赛亚书44:9–20)
对“雕像”的这一整个描述表示出于自我聪明形成教义，描述的细节是指这种形成的细节。否则，神性的圣言有必要仅仅对雕像的制作进行如此细致的描述吗？“制造雕像的尽都是虚荣，他们所喜悦的都无益处”，以及“没有一个有知识，有聪明，能说，我右手中岂不是有虚谎吗”表示除虚假之外，什么都没有，因为它来自自我聪明。“他用钳子夹住铁，在火炭中用他有力的膀臂加工它”描述了自我聪明，教义的虚假就是从自我聪明中形成的；“用钳子夹住铁，在火炭中加工它”表示产生支持自我之爱的虚假；“拉线，用直尺描画；照他的角度去做它，又用圆规来规划，以人的形态，照着人的美丽造它，好住在房屋中”描述了通过谬误将虚假与虚假联结起来，好叫它们看似真理；“人的形态”表示真理的表象，“人的美丽”表示由此而来的聪明的表象，“住在房屋中”表示由此而来的属灵生命的表象。“他们并不知道，也不明白，眼睛看不见，心里不明白”表示由此没有聪明的生命，或对真理和良善的感知的生命。时间不允许详细解释这段描述中的每一个事物表示什么；只需说明，每个人都能看到，所表示的是某种比单纯制作雕像更智慧、更内层的事物。要让人们知道，包含在这段描述中的天上智慧是无法形容的，当世人阅读它时，天使就处于这种智慧，尽管世人只思想雕像和它的制作；因为上述经文里面有多少词语，就有多少对应和由此而来的智慧奥秘。
哈巴谷书：
雕像有什么益处呢？因为制造者雕刻了它；铸像和虚谎的教导者有什么用处呢？制造自己谎言的，倚靠它，因为他造了哑巴神像。对木偶说，醒起；对哑巴石像说，起来，那人有祸了，它能教导人！看哪，这只是包裹金银的，它中间毫无气息。惟耶和华在祂的圣殿中。(哈巴谷书2:18–20)
由于“雕像”表示教义、宗教和敬拜的虚假，这虚假里面没有丝毫属灵生命，因为它来自自我聪明，所以经上说：“雕像有什么益处呢？因为制造者雕刻了它；铸像和虚谎的教导者有什么用处呢？制造谎言的，倚靠它。”“谎言”表示虚假，“教导和制造谎言的”表示那制作它的人；“他造了哑巴神像，它中间毫无气息”表示没有聪明和生命在它里面或来自它；“惟耶和华在祂的圣殿中”表示教义、教会和敬拜的一切真理都唯独来自主；“圣殿”表示天堂，神性真理在天堂中并来自天堂。
诗篇：
他们的偶像是银和金，是人手的作为。它们有口，却不能说话；有眼，却不能看。(诗篇115:4, 5; 135:15, 16)
“他们的偶像是银和金”表示由不理解的圣言字义，也由感官谬误所确认的没有内在的外在敬拜；“人手的作为”表示来自自我聪明的东西；关于“人手的作为”表示来自自我聪明的东西，可参看前文。“它们有口，却不能说话；有眼，却不能看”表示他们从这些东西中没有获得对真理的任何思考和理解。
587c.从自我聪明发出的，只有虚假，因为人的自我无非是邪恶；事实上，它支持他自己的爱和自己的聪明；因此，这些人寻求真理，不是为了真理，只是为了名声、声望、荣耀和利益；当这些掌权时，天堂及其光不能流入，并打开视觉、赋予光照；因此，他们像夜鸟或猫头鹰、鼹鼠和蝙蝠那样在暗中才能看见，正如以赛亚书所说的这些话：
到那日，人必将为自己造来下拜的银偶像、金偶像抛给鼹鼠和蝙蝠。(以赛亚书2:20)
耶利米书：
有干旱临到她的众水，它们就必干涸；因为这是雕像之地，他们以可怕的东西为荣耀。所以猛兽(tziim)和土狼(ijim)必住在那里，猫头鹰或夜鸟的女儿也住在其中。(耶利米书50:38, 39)
“有干旱临到她的众水”表示没有真理；“猛兽(tziim)和土狼(ijim)”表示地狱的虚假和邪恶，“猫头鹰或夜鸟的女儿”表示对虚假的情感。这些话论及迦勒底和巴比伦之地，迦勒底和巴比伦表示通过支持邪恶、他们为了统治权而为自己制造的虚假而对真理和良善的亵渎。
何西阿书：
他们用银子为自己制造铸像，就是照自己的聪明造偶像，都是匠人的工作；那些献人为祭的人亲吻牛犊。(何西阿书13:2)
由于“铸像”表示来自自我聪明的教义，所以经上说：“他们用银子制造铸像，就是照自己的聪明造偶像，都是匠人的工作。”由于他们通过它摧毁属灵生命，并披上纯属世之物，或说过一种纯属世的生活，所以经上说“那些献人为祭的人亲吻牛犊”，“献人为祭”表示摧毁属灵生命，“亲吻牛犊”表示变成纯属世的。
以赛亚书：
看哪，他们都是罪孽，他们的工作都是虚无；他们的铸像都是风，都是虚空。(以赛亚书41:29)
“他们都是罪孽，他们的工作都是虚无”表示教义、宗教和敬拜的邪恶，“他们的铸像都是风，都是虚空”表示虚假；在圣言中，“风和虚空”论及来自自我的虚假。耶利米书：
他们为什么以雕像和外人的虚无惹我发怒呢？(耶利米书8:19)
“外人的虚无”也表示宗教的虚假，和“雕像”一样，所以经上说：“以雕像和外人的虚无。”
以西结书：
以色列家的人，凡使偶像升到心里，把罪孽的绊脚石放在面前，却来到先知那里的；我，耶和华，岂不报应那携许多偶像而来的人吗？(以西结书14:4)
此处“偶像”也表示来自自我聪明的教义虚假；“使偶像升到心里”表示接受并承认这些虚假；“把罪孽的绊脚石放在面前”表示受它们影响并照之生活；“却来到先知那里的；我，耶和华，岂不报应那携许多偶像而来的人吗”表示对这些人来说，只要他们处于这些虚假，主就不能揭示教义的纯正真理。“先知”表示一个教导真理的人，在抽象意义上表示来自主的纯正真理的教义；“许多偶像”表示大量虚假，因为从被视为原则的一个虚假中流出的仍是虚假，连同联结在一个系列中的虚假；这就是为何它们被称为复数形式的“偶像”和“许多偶像”。
同一先知书：
我必洒清水在你们身上，你们就从你们一切的污秽中洁净了，我要从你们一切的偶像中洁净你们。(以西结书36:25)
由于“偶像”表示教义的虚假，所以经上说：“我必洒清水在你们身上。”“清水”表示纯正真理，“洒清水在他们身上”表示从虚假中洁净；这些虚假也被称为“污秽”，因为它们是来自邪恶的虚假和产生邪恶的虚假。
弥迦书：
我必使撒玛利亚变为田野的乱堆，又将她的石头倒在谷中，掀开她的根基。那时，她的一切雕像必被打碎，行淫的赏金全被火烧尽，她所有的偶像我必荒废，因为她从妓女的雇价聚集它们，它们必回到妓女的雇价。(弥迦书1:6, 7)
变成偶像后的“撒玛利亚”代表在教义真理和生活良善上被毁坏的教会，或说被教义之虚假和生活之邪恶毁灭的教会；“她必变为田野的乱堆，她的石头倒在谷中，她的根基掀开”表示在教会的一切真理上的毁坏；“田野”表示教会；“田野的乱堆”表示它的毁坏；“石头”表示教会的真理，“根基”表示教会立于其上的属世真理；“石头倒在谷中，根基掀开”表示这些的彻底毁坏；“她的雕像必被打碎，她的偶像我必荒废”表示教义的虚假对教会的毁灭；“被火烧尽的行淫的赏金”表示通过用于支持对自我和世界的爱而对真理的歪曲。
587d.在以下经文中，“雕像”、“铸像”和“偶像”具有相同的含义。以赛亚书：
我手既找到偶像之国，并他们耶路撒冷和撒玛利亚的雕像；难道我不能怎样对待撒玛利亚和她的偶像，就怎样对待耶路撒冷和她的偶像吗？(以赛亚书10:10, 11)
同一先知书：
你必判断包着银的雕像和镀了金的铸像为污秽；你必抛弃它们，如同抛弃月经布一样；你必管它叫粪。(以赛亚书30:22)
又：
到那日，人要抛弃你们亲手为自己所造以犯罪的银偶像和金偶像。(以赛亚书31:7)
又：
免得你说，这些事是我的偶像所行的，是我的雕像和铸像命定了它们。(以赛亚书48:5)
又：
倚靠雕像，对铸像说，你是我们的神，这等人必退后，全然蒙羞。(以赛亚书42:17)
又：
立在瞭望塔上的狮子说，巴比伦倾倒了！倾倒了！她的一切神之雕像都打碎于地。(以赛亚书21:8, 9)
以西结书：
你们的祭坛必然毁坏，你们的日像必被打碎；我要使你们被杀的人倒在你们的偶像面前。我也要将以色列人的尸首放在他们的偶像面前。(以西结书6:4, 5)
弥迦书：
到那日，我必从你中间剪除雕像和柱像，你就不再拜自己手制的作品。(弥迦书5:10, 13)
摩西五经：
我要把你们的尸首扔在你们偶像的身上，我的灵魂也必厌恶你们。(利未记26:30)
申命记：
他们的神的雕像，你们要用火焚烧；其上的银、金，你不可贪图，也不可取为己有，因为这是耶和华你神所憎恶的。(申命记7:25)
又：
凡制造耶和华所憎恶的偶像，无论是雕刻的，是铸造的，就是工匠之手的作品，或暗中设立它的，这人必受诅咒。(申命记27:15)
“金、银、铜、铁、木、石的偶像”与伯沙撒王和大臣、皇后用从耶路撒冷殿中所掠的金银器皿饮酒时所赞美、因此有手在墙上写字，尼布甲尼撒王被赶出离开世人，变得像野兽的金、银、铜、铁、木、石的神(但以理书5:1等)具有相同的含义。耶路撒冷圣殿的金和银的器皿表示教会的神圣良善和真理；那时巴比伦王所赞美的“金、银、铜、铁、木、石的神”与“金、银、铜、铁、木、石的偶像”具有相同的含义，这些表示教义和敬拜的邪恶和虚假；“赞美”表示敬拜；“用耶路撒冷圣殿的器皿饮酒，同时赞美或敬拜这些神”表示在敬拜中用邪恶和虚假亵渎良善和真理；由于人里面的一切属灵事物都因亵渎而被摧毁，没有属灵之物的人不是一个人，所以尼布甲尼撒被赶出离开世人，变得像野兽。
由于没有内在的外在决不可被敬拜，只可敬拜来自内在的外在，因而敬拜外在里面的内在，所以经上禁止照着地上任何活物的像制造任何雕像。因此在摩西五经：
你们不可制造雕像，任何相似的形状，无论是男像或女像，地上任何走兽的像，飞在天空之下的任何有翅膀的鸟的像，爬在地上的任何事物的像，在地底下水中的任何鱼的像。(申命记4:16–18; 5:8)
经上之所以这样禁止，是因为犹太民族比其他一切民族都更处于没有内在的外在，因而处于被外邦人称为圣的对一切外在事物的敬拜。敬拜外在事物，而不是敬拜代表天上事物的事物，也就是祭坛、祭坛上的祭祀，会幕，圣殿，就是偶像崇拜。事实上，犹太人对这些事物的敬拜也是偶像崇拜；但由于他们中间的教会是一个代表性教会，所以他们的敬拜为了代表的缘故而被接受，尽管它的确对他们的灵魂没有任何影响，这可从《属天的奥秘》中关于这个民族的各种事物明显看出来，从中摘录的内容可参看《新耶路撒冷及其属天教义》(248节)。在别的地方敬拜外在，而不是在经上所吩咐的地方，就是在旷野的会幕旁边，在圣殿旁边和耶路撒冷圣殿里面敬拜外在，就是敬拜代表本身，没有对所代表的事物的任何感知或直觉，因而是敬拜没有任何天堂之物的纯尘世之物，所以经上禁止他们这样敬拜，以至于不允许他们为自己造这类事物的任何雕像；事实上，这个民族的性质是这样：他们一看见它们，就敬拜它们。
外邦人当中所盛行的偶像敬拜，就是对形像，无论是人的形像，还是各种走兽、鸟和爬行物的形像的敬拜，起源于他们从古人那里所获得的知识，这些物体表示属天和属灵事物；例如，“兽”表示情感，“鸟”表示由此而来的思维；“爬行物”和“鱼”表示感官-属世人里面的情感和由此而来的思维。因此，当那些处于没有任何内在的外在敬拜的人听说，这些物体表示天堂和教会的神圣事物时，他们开始敬拜它们；如埃及人，以色列人从他们那里在旷野，后来在撒玛利亚敬拜牛犊，因为对古人来说，“牛犊”表示属世人的良善情感。
587. And idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and wood.- That this signifies false doctrinals, which are from [man's] own intelligence, and favour the loves of the body and of the world, and the principles arising therefrom, is evident from the signification of idols, as denoting falsities of doctrine, religion, and worship, which are from [man's] own intelligence. But what idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, signify in particular, is clear from the signification of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood. Gold signifies spiritual good; silver, spiritual truth; brass, natural good; stone, natural truth, and wood, sensual good; all these goods and truths enter into genuine doctrine, because it is drawn from both the spiritual sense and the natural sense of the Word. When a false doctrinal is confirmed by the spiritual things of the Word, it then becomes an idol of gold and an idol of silver; but when it is confirmed by the natural things of the Word, such as those of the sense of the letter are, it then becomes an idol of brass and stone; and when it is confirmed by the mere sense of the letter, it becomes an idol of wood. For the senses of the Word, both the interior or spiritual, and the exterior or natural, may be used to confirm falsities, as is evident from the numberless heresies which are all confirmed therefrom.
[2] Confirmations of falsities arise through the genuine sense of the Word not being understood; and the reason of this is that the loves of the proprium rule, and consequently the principles which spring from them and when these rule man sees nothing from the light of heaven, but whatever he sees is from the light of the world separated from the light of heaven; and when the light of the world is separated from the light of heaven, then there is thick darkness in spiritual things.
It must be observed that the sons of Israel brought with them from Egypt, and also from the surrounding nations, the abominable custom of worshipping idols; and as they were merely external men, that worship was also implanted in them from natural inclination, as is evident from the idolatries of so many of the kings of Judah and Israel related in the Word, and also from the idolatry of Solomon himself, who was the wisest of them. But still the idols which they made for themselves, and worshipped, where mentioned in the Word, signify, in the spiritual sense, false doctrinals from [man's] own intelligence, from which, and according to which, worship is performed.
[3] This signification of idols also derives its cause from the spiritual world; there the evil spirits, who contrive for themselves falsity of doctrine, appear as it were to fashion idols, and mark them in various ways, until they appear in the human form as it were. They also make selections from various representatives, and so unite them as to cause them to cohere, and thus produce a resemblance of that form in external things. I have been permitted to see the formation of such idols by the leaders of the church, who had persuaded themselves that falsities were truths; and being very ingenious they could industriously connect together and dress up the details. I have seen such an idol made by the English, by means of which they represented that faith alone is essential to salvation, and produces the goods of charity, without any co-operation on man's part. The reason why idols are formed in the spiritual world by those who are in falsities of doctrine which are from [man's] own intelligence, is that Divine truths, from which is the genuine doctrine of the church, induce upon angels the human form, therefore also angels, in the Word, signify Divine truths; hence it is, that falsities of doctrine, which are confirmed from the Word, are embodied as idols in the human form; the truths of the Word, which are falsified, and which they use for purposes of confirmation, induce that form, but because the truths are falsified, an idol having no life is embodied.
[4] That idols, graven and molten images, signify the falsities of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, is plain from the following passages in the Word.
Thus in Isaiah:
"The workman casteth a graven image, and the goldsmith spreadeth it over with gold, and forgeth silver chains. He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation, chooseth wood that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a wise artificer to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved" (40:19, 20).
These words describe how doctrine is contrived and put together by means of falsities, thus by means of such things as are from [man's] own intelligence, for these are all falsities. The workman, the goldsmith, and the wise artificer whom he chooses, mean one who contrives and fashions such doctrine. That it may appear as good in the external form, is signified by covering it over with gold; that falsities may cohere and appear as truths, is signified by forging chains of silver; that thus it may be acknowledged, and the falsity not be seen, is signified by choosing wood that will not rot, and by preparing a graven image that shall not be moved.
[5] So in Jeremiah:
"Every man is become foolish from his knowledge; every goldsmith is confounded by the graven image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. They are vanity, and the work of errors; in the time of their visitation they shall perish" (10:14, 15; 51:17, 18).
Because a graven image signifies the falsity of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, therefore it is said, "every man is become foolish from his knowledge, every goldsmith is confounded by the graven image." The knowledge by which man becomes foolish signifies [man's] own intelligence, while the falsity therefrom is signified by the graven image; the same falsity is also meant by the molten image being a falsehood, vanity, and the work of errors. That there is no spiritual life in falsities, or in those things that are from [man's] own intelligence, is meant by there being no breath in them; for life is solely in Divine truths, or in truths that are from the Lord, as He teaches when He says:
"The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63).
[6] Again, in Jeremiah:
"For one cutteth wood out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with an axe. He decketh it with silver and with gold; and fasteneth it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are rigid like the palm-tree, but they speak not; they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. But they are altogether deluded and foolish; the wood is a teaching of vanities. Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the goldsmith; purple (hyacinthinum) and crimson (purpura) is their clothing; they are all the work of wise men, But Jehovah is the God of truth, he is the living God, and the king" of an age (10:3-10).
Here the graven image means falsity of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, ingeniously contrived and fashioned by [man's] own intelligence, as is evident from the details of the description considered in the spiritual sense. [Man's] own intelligence, by which the image is cut out and fashioned, is signified by the work of the hands with the axe, and by the work of the workman, and of the hands of the goldsmith, also by the work of wise men; that the work of the hands of the workman and artificer signifies what is from [man's] own intelligence, was shown in the preceding article. The falsities therefrom are signified by their being altogether deluded and foolish, and the wood a teaching of vanities. That they have no life is signified by their being rigid as the palm tree, and by their being able neither to speak nor to go; to speak and to go denoting to live, while to live signifies to live spiritually. Confirmations from the Word are signified by silver spread into plates which is brought from Tarshish, and by gold from Uphaz, also by their clothing of purple and crimson. Silver from Tarshish signifies the truth of the Word, and gold from Uphaz the good of the Word, both falsified; similarly purple and crimson. That all the truth of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, is from Jehovah, that is from the Lord, is meant by Jehovah is the God of truth, he is the living God, and the king of an age, for the Lord is called God, also the living God, and a king from Divine Truth.
[7] Again, in Isaiah:
"They that make a graven image are all of them vanity, and their most desirable things do not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, neither do they know; for all his fellows shall be ashamed; and the workmen themselves. He fabricateth iron with the tongs, and worketh it in the coals, and with sharp hammers formeth it, so he worketh it by the arm of his strength; he also hungereth until he hath not strength, he drinketh no waters until he is faint. He fabricateth woods, he stretcheth out the line, and describeth it with a rule; he maketh it to his angles, and by a circle he determineth it, that he may make it in the form of a man (vir) according to the beauty of a man (homo), to dwell in his house. To cut out for himself cedars, or he taketh the box-tree, or the oak, and although it be for a man to burn, and he taketh of them to warm himself, and also kindleth it to bake bread, yet he maketh a god, and boweth himself down, he maketh of it a graven image, and adoreth it. They know not, neither do they understand, for they have forgotten, so that their eyes do not see, and their hearts do not understand. And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge and understanding, nor doth he say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?" (44:9-20).
By the whole of this description of the graven image is meant the formation of doctrine from [man's] own intelligence, and the details of the description signify the particular parts of such formation. For were this not the case what need would there be for such a minute description of the making of a mere graven image? That there was nothing but falsity, because from [man's] own intelligence, is meant by they that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their most desirable things do not profit; also by neither is there knowledge and understanding in them, nor doth he say, is there not a lie in my right hand? [Man's] own intelligence from which the falsity of doctrine is formed, is described by he fabricateth iron with the tongs, and worketh it in the coals, by the arm of his strength. To fabricate iron with the tongs and to work it in the coals, denotes the production of falsities that favour [man's own] loves. The conjoining of falsities to falsities by means of fallacies, by which they appear as truths, is described by he stretcheth out the line, and describeth it with a rule, he maketh it to his angles, and by a circle he determineth it, that he may make it in the form of a man, according to the beauty of a man, to dwell in his house. By the form of a man (vir) is signified the appearance of truth, and by the beauty of a man (homo), the appearance of intelligence therefrom, and by dwelling in the house is signified the appearance of spiritual life thence. That there was no life of intelligence, and of the perception of truth and good, is signified by, they know not, neither do they understand, for they have forgotten, so that their eyes do not see, and their hearts do not understand. Time does not permit a detailed explanation of this description to be given; enough has been said to enable every one to see that something wiser and more interior is signified than the mere making of a graven image. Let it be understood, that the heavenly wisdom contained in this description is ineffable, and in this wisdom the angels are when it is read by man, although man thinks of nothing but a graven image and the making of it. For there are as many correspondences and interior things of wisdom in the above passage as there are expressions (voces).
[8] So in Habakkuk:
"What profiteth the graven image? that the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image, and the teacher of a lie? for the fabricator of his own lie trusteth therein, because he maketh dumb gods. Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the dumb stone, Arise, it shall teach! Behold, it is laid over with gold and silver, and there is no breath in the midst of it. But Jehovah is in the temple of his holiness" (2:18, 19, 20).
Since a graven image means the falsity of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, in which there is no spiritual life, because from [man's] own intelligence, therefore it is said, "What profiteth the graven image that the maker thereof hath graven it; [the molten image,] and the teacher of a lie? the fabricator of a lie trusteth therein." A lie signifies falsity, and the teacher and fabricator of a lie signifies him who forges it; that there is no intelligence and life therein, or derived therefrom, is signified by making dumb gods, and by there being no breath in the midst of it. That all the truth of doctrine, of the church, and of worship, is from the Lord alone, is signified by Jehovah is in the temple of his holiness. The temple of His holiness is heaven, where Divine Truth is, and whence it proceeds.
[9] Again, in David:
"Their idols are silver and gold, the work of man's hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see not" (Psalm 115:4, 5; 135:15, 16).
Their idols being silver and gold, signifies external worship without internal, confirmed from the sense of the letter of the Word not understood, and also from the fallacies of the senses; the work of man's hands signifies from [man's] own intelligence. That the work of man's hands is that which is from man's own intelligence may be seen in the preceding article. They have mouths, but they speak not, eyes have they, but they see not, signifies that from these they have neither any thought nor any understanding of truth. The reason why nothing can proceed thence but falsity, is, that the proprium of man is nothing but evil, for it favours his own love and his own intelligence, wherefore they do not study truths for the sake of truths, but only for the sake of fame, of a name, glory, and gain; and when these rule, heaven cannot flow in with its light, and open the sight and impart enlightenment, wherefore such persons see like birds of night, moles, and bats in the dark, according to what is said in Isaiah:
[10] "In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats" (Isaiah 2:20).
And in Jeremiah:
"A drought upon waters; and they shall be dried up; for it is the land of graven images, and they glory in horrible things. Therefore tziim and ijim shall dwell there, and the daughters of the bird of night shall dwell therein" (50:38, 39).
A drought upon her waters signifies that there is no truth; the tziim and ijim signify infernal falsities and evils, and the daughters of the bird of night signify the affections for falsity. These things are said concerning the land of Chaldea and Babylon, which signify the profanations of truth and good by falsities that favour evils, and which they fashion for themselves for the sake of dominion.
[11] So in Hosea:
"They have made them a molten image of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsmen; sacrificing man, they kiss calves" (13:2).
Because a molten image signifies a doctrinal from [man's] own intelligence, it is therefore said, "They have made them a molten image of their silver, and idols according to their own understanding, all of it the work of the craftsman. And because by this means they destroy spiritual life, and live a merely natural life, it is said "sacrificing man, they kiss calves," to sacrifice man [homo] denoting to destroy spiritual life, and to kiss calves denoting to become utterly natural.
[12] Again, in Isaiah:
"Behold they are all iniquity, their works are nothing; their molten images are wind and emptiness" (41:29).
Here by they are all iniquity, their works are nothing, are signified the evils of doctrine, of religion, and of worship; and falsities are signified by their molten images are wind and emptiness, wind and emptiness being used in the Word in reference to falsities from the proprium.
And in Jeremiah:
"Why have they provoked me to anger with their graven images, and with their vanities of strangers?" (8:19).
The vanities of strangers also signify, like graven images, the falsities of religion, it is therefore said, "with their graven images, and the vanities of strangers."
[13] And in Ezekiel:
"Every man of the house of Israel who shall have caused idols to ascend upon his heart, and shall have put the stumbling-block of iniquity before his faces, shall yet come to the prophet, shall I Jehovah answer him that cometh with the multitude of his idols?" (14:3-6).
Here also idols denote the falsities of doctrine that are from [man's] own intelligence; to receive and acknowledge those falsities is signified by causing idols to ascend upon his heart; and to be influenced by them, and live according to them, is signified by putting the stumbling-block of iniquity before his faces. That the Lord cannot reveal genuine truths of doctrine to such persons, so long as they are in those falsities, is signified by if he shall come to the prophet, shall I Jehovah answer him that cometh with the multitude of his idols? The prophet here means one who teaches truths, and, in the abstract sense, the doctrine of genuine truth which is from the Lord, and by the multitude of idols are signified falsities in abundance, for falsities proceed in abundance from a single falsity assumed as a principle, together with falsities united together in a series, wherefore they are called, in the plural, idols, and a multitude of them.
[14] Again, in the same prophet:
"I will sprinkle clean waters upon you, and ye shall be cleansed from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols will I cleanse you" (36:25).
Because idols signify falsities of doctrine, it is therefore said, "I will sprinkle clean waters upon you," for by clean waters are signified genuine truths, and by sprinkling these upon them, is signified to purify from falsities; those falsities are also called uncleannesses, because they are falsities from evil, and falsities that produce evil.
[15] So in Micah:
"Therefore I will make Samaria as a heap of the field, and I will make its stones to flow down into the valley, and I will discover the foundations thereof. Then all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the rewards of her whoredom shall be burned with fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate; for she gathered it from the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot" (1:6, 7).
Samaria, after it became idolatrous, represented the church vastated as to truths of doctrine, and as to goods of life, or destroyed by falsities of doctrine and by evils of life. Devastation as to all the truths of the church, is signified by, it shall be made as a heap of the field; and the stones thereof shall flow down into the valley, and the foundations thereof shall be discovered. The field denotes the church, the heap of the field the devastation thereof; stones denote the truths of the church, and foundations, the natural truths upon which it is founded; the total devastation of these is signified by the stones flowing down into the valley, and the foundations being discovered. The destruction of the church by falsities of doctrine, is signified by the graven images being beaten to pieces, and the idols laid desolate. The rewards of whoredom, which shall be burned with the fire, signify the falsification of truth by its being used to favour the loves of self and of the world.
[16] The signification of graven images, molten images, and idols, in the following passages is similar.
Thus in Isaiah:
"As my hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols, and their graven images of Jerusalem and Samaria; shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?" (10:10, 11).
Again:
"Ye shall judge the unclean covering of the graven images of thy silver, and the clothing of the molten image of thy gold; thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt call it dung" (30:22).
And again:
"In that day every man shall cast away the idols of his silver, and the idols of his gold, which your own hands have made unto you for a sin" (31:7).
And again:
"Lest thou should say, Mine idol hath done this, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded this" (48:5).
And again:
"They shall turn back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, [Ye are] our gods" (42:17).
So again:
"He said a lion upon the watch tower, Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the ground" (21:8, 9).
And in Ezekiel:
"Your altars shall be destroyed, and your sun statues shall be broken; and I will make your slain men to fall before your idols. And I will lay the carcases of the sons of Israel before their idols" (6:4, 5).
And in Micah:
"Thy graven images also will I cut off in that day, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thy hands" (5:10, 13).
And in Moses:
"And I will cast your bodies upon the bodies of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you" (Leviticus 26:30).
Again:
"The graven images of their gods shall ye burn with fire; thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee; for it is an abomination unto thy God" (Deuteronomy 7:25).
And again:
"Cursed be the man that shall make any graven and molten image, an abomination unto Jehovah, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and shall put it in a secret place" (Deuteronomy 27:15).
[17] The signification of idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, is also similar to that of "the gods of gold, of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of the stone," which king Belshazzar praised, when, with his nobles and wives, he drank wine out of the vessels of gold and silver, which were from the temple of Jerusalem; on account of which the hand-writing appeared on the wall, and the king himself was driven from man, and became like a beast (Dan. 5:1, and following verses). The vessels of gold and silver of the temple at Jerusalem, signify the holy goods and truths of the church; the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone, which the king of Babylon then praised, mean the same as idols made of such things, and signify the evils and falsities of doctrine and worship, to praise denoting to worship. By drinking out of the vessels of the temple at Jerusalem and at the same time by praising or worshipping the gods, is signified the profanation of good and truth through evils and falsities in worship. And because everything spiritual pertaining to man perishes by profanation, and, without the Spiritual, man is not man, therefore for this reason he was driven out from men, and became like a beast.
[18] Since the external without the internal is not to be worshipped, but the external from the internal, thus the internal in the external, therefore it was forbidden to make any graven image in the likeness of any thing living on the earth. Thus in Moses:
"Lest ye make you a graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female, the likeness of any beast that is on the earth, the likeness of any winged fowl that flieth under heaven, the likeness of any thing that creepeth on the earth, the likeness of any fish that is in the waters under the earth" (Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 248). And to worship the external elsewhere than where it was commanded, which was near the tent in the wilderness, and near the temple, and in the temple in Jerusalem, was to worship the representative itself without any perception of the thing represented, thus it was to worship the earthly alone without the heavenly. This therefore was prohibited them, and even to such an extent that they were not allowed to make to themselves graven images of such things; for that nation was of such a character that they worshipped them as soon as they saw them made.
[19] The idolatrous worship of images, not only of men, but also of various beasts, birds, and reptiles, that prevailed amongst the Gentiles, took its rise from the knowledge, which they possessed from the ancients, that things celestial and spiritual were signified by them; as for example, that beasts signified affections, birds thoughts thence, and reptiles and fishes the same in the sensual natural man. For this reason when those who were in external worship without internal, heard that the holy things of heaven and the church were signified by such things they began to worship them; as for example the Egyptians, and thence the sons of Israel in the wilderness, and afterwards in Samaria, worshipped calves, because calves signified with the ancients the good affections of the natural man.
587. And idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, signifies false doctrinals that are from self-intelligence, that favor the loves of the body and of the world, and principles derived therefrom. This is evident from the signification of "idols," as being the falsities of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, which are from self-intelligence. But what "idols of gold, of silver, of brass, of stone, and of wood," signify in particular can be seen from the signification of "gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood;" "gold" signifies spiritual good, "silver" spiritual truth, "brass" natural good, "stone" natural truth, and "wood" sensual good. All these goods and truths enter into genuine doctrine, because such doctrine is both from the spiritual and from the natural sense of the Word. When a false doctrinal is confirmed by the spiritual things of the Word it becomes an idol of gold and an idol of silver; but when it is confirmed by the natural things of the Word, such as belong to the sense of its letter, it becomes an idol of brass and stone; and when it is confirmed by the mere sense of the letter it becomes an idol of wood; for both the interior or spiritual and the exterior or natural senses of the Word can be applied to confirm falsities, as can be seen from innumerable heresies which are all confirmed thereby.
[2] Falsities become confirmed when the genuine sense of the Word is not understood, and for the reason that self-loves and the principles derived therefrom are dominant, and when these are dominant man sees nothing from the light of heaven, but whatever he sees is from the light of the world separated from the light of heaven; and when the light of the world is separated from the light of heaven there is thick darkness in things spiritual. It is to be known that the sons of Israel took from Egypt and also from the nations round about the foul custom of worshiping idols; and as they were merely external men they also had that worship implanted in them from natural inclination, as can be seen from the idolatries of so many of the kings of Judah and Israel related in the Word, and also from Solomon himself who was the wisest of them; but still these idols which they made for themselves and worshiped, when they are mentioned in the Word, signify in the spiritual sense false doctrinals from self-intelligence, from which and according to which is worship.
[3] This signification of idols, too, has its cause from the spiritual world; there evil spirits who have framed for themselves falsities of doctrine are seen fashioning idols and marking them in various ways until they appear to be in a human form; they also make selections from various representatives and fit them together so as to cohere, and thus counterfeit that form in externals. It has been permitted me to witness the formation of such idols by leaders of the church, who have persuaded themselves that falsities are truths; and as they excelled in ingenuity they knew how to join the particulars together assiduously, and afterwards to clothe them. Such an idol I have seen made by the English, by which they represented that faith alone is the essential of salvation, and that it produces the goods of charity without any cooperation from man. Idols are formed in the spiritual world by those who are in falsities of doctrine that are from self-intelligence, because Divine truths, from which is the genuine doctrine of the church, induce upon angels the human form; for this reason also angels signify in the Word Divine truths; and for this reason falsities of doctrine that are confirmed from the Word are presented as idols in the human form; truths of the Word that are falsified and that are used as confirmations induce that form, but because the truths are falsified an idol is presented that has no life.
[4] That "idols, graven images, and molten images," signify the falsities of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, can be seen from the following passages in the Word. In Isaiah:
The artificer casteth a graven image, and the refiner spreadeth it over with gold and casteth chains of silver. He that is too impoverished for an oblation chooseth wood that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a wise artificer to prepare a graven image that shall not be moved (Isaiah 40:19, 20).
This describes how doctrine is fused and welded together by means of falsities, thus by means of such things as are from self-intelligence, for these are all falsities. The "artificer," the "refiner," and the "wise artificer," whom he seeketh unto him, mean one who fashions and forms such a doctrine. "To spread it over with gold" signifies that it may appear in the external form as good; "to cast chains of silver" signifies that falsities may fit together and appear as truths; "to choose wood that doth not rot, and to prepare a graven image that shall not be moved," signifies that the doctrine may be acknowledged and not seem to be false.
[5] In Jeremiah:
Every man has become foolish by knowledge; every refiner is put to shame by the graven image; for his molten image is a lie, and there is no breath in them; they are vanity, and a work of errors; in the time of their visitation they shall perish (Jeremiah 10:14, 15; 51:17, 18).
Because a "graven image" signifies the falsity of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, therefore it is said, "every man has become foolish by knowledge, and every refiner is put to shame by the graven image;" the "knowledge by which man becomes foolish" signifies self-intelligence, wherefore falsity therefrom is signified by "the graven image;" such falsity is also meant by "the molten image is a lie, vanity, and a work of errors." That there is no spiritual life in falsities, or in the things that are from self-intelligence, is meant by "there is no breath in them;" for life is solely in Divine truths, that is, in truths that are from the Lord, as He teaches:
The words that I speak unto you are spirit and are life (John 6:63).
[6] In Jeremiah:
He hath cut wood out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman with the axe. He doth deck it with silver and with gold; he doth fasten them with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are rigid like a palm-tree, but they speak not; they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. They are both brutish and foolish; the wood is a teaching of vanities. Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman and of the hands of the refiner; their garment is hyacinthine and purple; they are all the work of the wise. But Jehovah is the God of truth, He is the living God, and the King of an age (Jeremiah 10:3-5, 8-10).
That the "graven image" here means the falsity of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, fashioned and formed by the ingenious by means of self-intelligence, is evident from the particulars of this description when viewed in the spiritual sense. The self-intelligence by means of which it is cut out and formed is meant by "the work of the hands with the axe," and by "the work of the workman and of the hands of the refiner," and by "the work of the wise." That "the work of the hands of the workman and artificer" signifies what is from self-intelligence has been shown in the preceding article; the falsities that are from it are signified by "they are both brutish and foolish, the wood is a teaching of vanities;" that these have no life is signified by "they are rigid like a palm-tree, they speak not, they cannot go;" "to speak" and "to go" signify to live, and to live means to live spiritually. Confirmations from the Word are signified by "silver spread into plates brought from Tarshish," and by "gold from Uphaz," also by "hyacinthine and purple" which was their garment; "silver from Tarshish" signifies the truth of the Word, and "gold from Uphaz" the good of the Word, both falsified; "hyacinthine and purple" have a similar meaning. That every truth of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, is from Jehovah, that is, from the Lord, is meant by "Jehovah is the God of truth, the living God, the King of an age;" for the Lord is called "God" from Divine truth, and also "living," and "King."
[7] In Isaiah:
They that form a graven image are all of them vanity, and their most desirable things do not profit; and they are witnesses to themselves that they see not, and know not. For all his fellows shall be ashamed, and the workmen themselves. He fashioneth iron with the tongs, and worketh it in the coal, and strengthens 1it with sharp hammers, so he worketh it by the arm of his strength; yea, he is hungry until he hath no power, neither doth he drink water until he is exhausted. He fashioneth wood, he stretcheth out the line, and describeth it with a rule; he maketh it in its angles, and shapeth it by a circle, that he may make it in the form of a man, according to the beauty of man, to dwell in the house. To cut out for himself cedars, or he hath taken the box-tree or the oak; although it be for a man to burn, and he taketh of them to be warm, and also kindleth it to bake bread, yet he maketh a god and boweth himself down, he maketh of it a graven image and adoreth it. They know not nor discern, for they have forgotten so that their eyes do not see, and their hearts do not understand. And none taketh it into his heart, there is no knowledge or intelligence, neither doth he say, Is there not a lie in my right hand? (Isaiah 44:9-20).
This whole description of a "graven image" means the formation of doctrine from self-intelligence, and the particulars of the description signify the particulars of such formation. Why otherwise should there be in the Divine Word so extended a description of the mere formation of a graven image? That there is nothing but what is false, because it is from self-intelligence, is meant by "They that form a graven image are all of them vanity, and their most desirable things do not profit;" also by "they have no knowledge nor intelligence, neither doth he say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?" The self-intelligence out of which the falsity of doctrine is formed is described by "He fashioneth iron with the tongs, and worketh it in the coal by the arm of his power;" "to fashion iron with the tongs, and to work it in the coal," signifies to hammer out falsities that favor self-loves; to join falsities with falsities by means of fallacies that make them seem to be truths, is described by "he stretched out the line, and describeth it with a rule, he maketh it in its angles, he defineth it by a circle, that he may make it in the form of a man, according to the beauty of man, to dwell in the house;" "the form of a man" signifies an appearance of truth, and "the beauty of man," an appearance of intelligence therefrom, and "to dwell in the house" signifies an appearance of spiritual life therefrom. That from this there is no life of intelligence or of the perception of truth and good is signified by "They know not nor understand, their eyes do not see, and their hearts do not understand." It would be too lengthy to explain what each single thing signifies in particular in this description; it is only necessary that everyone shall be able to see that there is something signified more interior and wise than the mere formation of a graven image. Let it be known that in this description heavenly wisdom which is ineffable lies hidden, and that the angels are in this wisdom when these things are read by man, although the man thinks of nothing but a graven image and its formation; for there are here as many correspondences and as many arcana of wisdom therefrom as there are words.
[8] In Habakkuk:
What profiteth the graven image? For the maker thereof hath graven it; the molten image and the instructor of a lie? For the former of its lie trustest in it, since he maketh dumb gods. Woe unto him that saith to the wood, Awake; to the silent stone, Be watchful, it shall instruct! Behold, it is fixed with gold and silver, and there is no breath in the midst of it. But Jehovah is in the temple of His holiness (Habakkuk 2:18-20).
As a "graven image" means the falsity of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, in which there is nothing of spiritual life because it is from self-intelligence, it is said "What profiteth the graven image? For the maker thereof hath given it; the molten image and the instructor of a lie? in which the former of the lie trustest;" a "lie" signifying falsity, and "the instructor and former of a lie" signifying him who frames it; that there is no intelligence or life in it or from it is signified by "he maketh dumb gods, and there is no breath in the midst of it;" that every truth of doctrine, of the church, and of worship, is from the Lord alone is signified by "Jehovah is in the temple of His holiness;" "temple of holiness" meaning heaven, where and from which is Divine truth.
[9] In David:
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of the hands of man. They have a mouth but they speak not, eyes have they but they see not (Psalms 115:4, 5; 135:15, 16).
"Their idols are silver and gold" signifies external worship without internal, confirmed by the sense of the letter of the Word not understood, and also by the fallacies of the senses; "the work of the hands of man" signifies what is from self-intelligence (that "the work of the hands" means what is from self-intelligence, see in the preceding article). "They have a mouth but they speak not, eyes have they but they see not," signifies that from these there is no thought nor any understanding of truth.
[10] From self-intelligence nothing but falsity comes, because man's self [proprium] is nothing but evil, for it favors his own love and his own intelligence; such, therefore, do not seek truths for the sake of truths, but only for the sake of reputation, renown, glory, and gain, and when these are dominant heaven cannot flow in with its light and open the sight and enlighten, consequently they see like owls, moles, and bats, in the dark, according to these words in Isaiah:
In that day a man shall cast away the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold, which they made for themselves to bow down to the moles and to the bats (Isaiah 2:18, 20).
In Jeremiah:
A drought is upon her waters and they have become dry; for this is a land of graven images, and they boast of horrible things. Therefore the tziim and the ijim shall dwell there, and the daughters of the owl shall dwell therein (Jeremiah 50:38, 39).
"A drought upon her waters" signifies that there is no truth; "the tziim and the ijim" signify infernal falsities and evils, and "the daughters of the owl" signify the affections of falsity. This is said of the land of Chaldea, and of Babylon, which signify the profanations of truth and good by falsities that favor evils, which such frame for themselves for the sake of dominion.
[11] In Hosea:
They have made for themselves a molten image of their silver, idols in their intelligence, all of them the work of the artificers; those that sacrifice man kiss the calves (Hosea 13:2).
Because a "molten image" signifies a doctrinal from self-intelligence it is said, "They have made a molten image of their silver, idols in their intelligence, all of them the work of the artificers;" and because by means of it they destroy spiritual life and put on what is merely natural, it is said, "those that sacrifice man kiss the calves," "to sacrifice man" signifying to destroy spiritual life, and "to kiss the calves" signifying to become merely natural.
[12] In Isaiah:
Behold they are all an iniquity, their works are nothing; their molten images are wind and emptiness (4 Isaiah 41:29).
Evils of doctrine, of religion, and of worship, are signified by "they are all an iniquity, their works are nothing," and falsities by "their molten images are wind and emptiness;" "wind and emptiness" are predicated in the Word of falsities from self. In Jeremiah:
Why have they provoked Me to anger with their graven images and with the vanities of aliens? (Jeremiah 8:19).
"Vanities of aliens" also signify the falsities of religion, like as "graven images," therefore it is said, "with their graven images, with the vanities of aliens."
[13] In Ezekiel:
Every man of the house of Israel who shall make idols to ascend upon his heart, and shall put the stumbling block of iniquity before his faces, shall yet come to the prophet; shall I, Jehovah, answer him who cometh with a multitude of his idols? (Ezekiel 14:4).
Here, too, "idols" stand for the falsities of doctrine which are from self-intelligence; to accept these falsities and to acknowledge them is signified by "making idols to ascend upon his heart;" and to be affected by them and live according to them is signified by "putting the stumbling block of iniquity before his faces;" that to such the Lord cannot reveal the genuine truths of doctrine so long as they are in these falsities is signified by "if he shall come to the prophet, shall I, Jehovah, answer him who cometh with a multitude of his idols?" A "prophet" means one who teaches truths, and in the abstract sense the doctrine of genuine truth which is from the Lord; and "a multitude of idols" signifies falsities in abundance, for from one falsity assumed as a principle, falsities flow forth in abundance, together with falsities in a series from their connection; this is why they are called "idols," in the plural, and "a multitude of idols."
[14] In the same:
I will sprinkle clean waters upon you that ye may be cleansed from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols will I cleanse you (Ezekiel 36:25).
Because "idols" signify falsities of doctrine it is said, "I will sprinkle clean waters upon you;" "clean waters" signifying genuine truths, and "to sprinkle them upon them" signifies to purify from falsities; these falsities are also called "uncleannesses," because they are falsities from evil, and falsities producing evil.
[15] In Micah:
I will make Samaria into a heap of the field, and I will make its stones to flow down into the valley, and I will open its foundations. Then all her graven images shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hire of her whoredom shall be burned up with fire, and all their idols will I lay waste; for she hath gathered them from the hire of a harlot, therefore to the hire of a harlot shall they return (Micah 1:6, 7).
"Samaria when it became idolatrous" represented the church devastated in respect to the truths of doctrine and the goods of life, or destroyed by the falsities of doctrine and by the evils of life; devastation in respect to all the truths of the church is signified by "it shall be made into a heap of the field, and its stones shall flow down into the valley, and its foundations shall be opened;" "the field" meaning the church; "the heap of the field" its devastation; "the stones" the truths of the church, and "foundations" the natural truths upon which the church is founded; the complete devastation of these is signified by "the stones shall flow down into the valley, and the foundations shall be opened;" the destruction of the church by the falsities of doctrine is signified by "her graven images shall be beaten to pieces, and her idols laid waste;" "the hire of whoredom which shall be burned up with the fire," signifies the falsification of truth by applications to favor the loves of self and of the world.
[16] "Graven images," "molten images," and "idols," have a similar signification in the following passages. In Isaiah:
As My hand hath found the kingdoms of the idols and their graven images of Jerusalem and Samaria, shall I not, as I have done unto Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols? (Isaiah 10:10, 11).
Ye shall judge unclean the covering of the graven images of thy silver, and the plating of the molten images of thy gold; thou shalt disperse them as a menstruous thing; thou shalt call it dung (Isaiah 30:22).
In that day a man shall cast away the idols of his silver and the idols of his gold, which your hands have made for you a sin (Isaiah 31:7).
Lest thou say, Mine idol hath done these things, and my graven image, and my molten image hath commanded them (Isaiah 48:5).
They shall be turned backward, they shall be ashamed with shame, that trust in a graven image, that say to a molten image, Ye are our gods (Isaiah 42:17).
A lion upon a watchtower said Babylon is fallen, is fallen; and all the graven images of her gods he hath broken unto the earth (Isaiah 21:8, 9).
In Ezekiel:
Your altars shall be destroyed, and your sun images shall be broken; and I will make your slain to fall before your idols. And I will lay the carcasses of the sons of Israel before their idols (Ezekiel 6:4, 5).
In Micah:
In that day I will cut off thy graven images and thy statues out of the midst of thee; that thou mayest no longer worship the work of thy hands (Micah 5:10, 13).
In Moses:
And I will cast your bodies upon the bodies of your idols, and My soul shall abhor you (Leviticus 26:30).
The graven images of their gods shall ye burn up with fire; thou shalt not covet the silver or gold that is on them to take it unto thee, for it is an abomination to thy God (Deuteronomy 7:25).
Cursed be he who shall make a graven and a molten image, an abomination unto Jehovah, the work of the hands of the artificer, and shall put it in a secret place (Deuteronomy 27:15).
[17] "Idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood," have a similar signification as:
The gods of gold, of silver, of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone, that king Belshazzar praised when he drank wine with his nobles and wives out of the vessels of gold and silver that were brought from the temple of Jerusalem; on account of which the handwriting appeared on the wall, and the king [Nebuchadnezzar] 2was himself driven out from man, and became like a beast (Daniel 5:1, et seq.).
"The vessels of gold and silver of the temple of Jerusalem" signified the holy goods and truths of the church; "the gods of gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, and stone, which the king of Babylon then praised," have a similar meaning as "idols" of the same, and these signify the evils and falsities of doctrine and of worship; "to praise" signifying to worship; "to drink out of the vessels of the temple of Jerusalem and at the same time to praise or worship those gods" signifies the profanation of good and truth by evils and falsities in worship; and because by profanation everything spiritual in man is destroyed, and man without the spiritual is not a man, so Nebuchadnezzar was driven away from man and became like a beast.
[18] Because an external without an internal must not be worshiped, but only an external from an internal, thus the internal in the external, it was forbidden to make any graven image in the likeness of anything living on the earth, in Moses:
Ye shall not make you a graven image, the shape of any similitude, the figure of male or female, the figure of any beast that is on the earth, the figure of any winged bird that flieth under heaven, the figure of anything that creepeth on the ground, the figure of any fish that is in the waters under the earth (248). And as the worship of an external anywhere else than where it was commanded, which was beside the tent in the desert and beside the temple and in the temple in Jerusalem, was the worship of the representative itself without any intuition of the thing represented, thus a worship of what is merely earthly apart from anything heavenly, therefore this was forbidden them, even to the extent that they should not make for themselves any graven images of such things; for the nature of that nation was such that as soon as they saw them made they worshiped them.
[19] That the idolatrous nations worshiped the images, not only of men but also of various beasts, birds, and creeping things, came from its having been handed down from the ancients that these objects signified things celestial and spiritual; as that "beasts" signified affections; "birds" the thoughts therefrom; and "creeping things" and "fishes" the same in the sensual-natural man. From this it came that when those who were in external worship without any internal heard that the holy things of heaven and the church were signified by these objects, they began to worship them; as the Egyptians, and from them the sons of Israel in the wilderness and afterwards in Samaria, worshiped calves, because "calves" with the ancients signified the good affections of the natural man.
Footnotes:
1. Latin has "strengthens," the Hebrew "formeth," as also found in AE 386; AC 8941, 9424.
2. Latin has "the king," i.e., Belshazzar, the Chaldee has "Nebuchadnezzar.
587. "Et idola aurea et argentea et aenea et lapidea et lignea." - Quod significet doctrina falsa, quae ex propria intelligentia, faventia amoribus corporis et mundi et principiis inde captis, constat ex significatione "idolorum", quod sint falsa doctrinae, religionis et cultus, quae ex propria intelligentia: quid autem in specie "idola aurea", "argentea", "aenea", "lapidea", et "lignea" significant, constare potest a significatione " "argenti", "aeris", "lapidis" et "ligni"; per "aurum" significatur bonum spirituale, per "argentum" verum spirituale, per "aes" bonum naturale, per "lapidem" verum naturale, et per "lignum" bonum sensuale: haec omnia bona et vera intrant genuinam doctrinam, quia illa est tam ex sensu Verbi spirituali quam ex sensu Verbi naturali; quando doctrinale falsum confirmatur per spiritualia Verbi, tunc fit illud idolum aureum et idolum argenteum; cum autem id confirmatur per naturalia Verbi, qualia sunt sensus litterae ejus, tunc fit idolum aeneum et lapideum; et quando ex mero sensu litterae, fit idolum ligneum; nam sensus Verbi tam interior seu spiritualis quam exterior seu naturalis potest applicari ad confirmandum falsa, ut constare potest ex innumeris haeresibus, quae omnes inde confirmantur:
[2] confirmationes falsitatum fiunt per non intellectum Verbi sensum genuinum, ex illa causa, quia regnant amores proprii, et sic principia inde capta, quae cum regnant homo nihil videt ex luce caeli, sed quicquid videt est ex luce mundi separata a luce caeli; et cum lux mundi separatur a luce caeli, tunc in spiritualibus fit caligo. Sciendum est quod filii Israelis, ex Aegypto et quoque ex gentibus circumcirca, foedum morem colendi idola tulerint; et quia mere externi homines fuerunt, quod etiam illum cultum ex naturali inclinatione sibi implantatum habuerint, ut constare potest ex idololatris tot regum Jehudae et Israelis memoratis in Verbo, et quoque ex ipso Salomone, qui eorum sapientissimus fuit; sed usque idola quae sibi fecerunt et quae coluerunt, ubi memorantur in Verbo, in sensu spirituali significant doctrinalia falsa quae ex propria intelligentia, ex quibus et secundum quae cultus.
[3] Haec significatio "idolorum" etiam ducit causam ex mundo spirituali; ibi mali Spiritus, qui sibi falsa doctrinae finxerunt, apparent sicut idola formare, et variis insignire, usque ut appareant in forma sicut humana; et quoque desumunt ex variis repraesentativis et inaptant ut cohaereant, ut sic illam formam in externis mentiantur. Datum etiam mihi est videre formationes talium idolorum a presbyteris, qui sibi persuaserunt falsa esse vera; et quia ingenio polluerunt, sciverunt singula cum industria connectere et dein investire; tale idolum factum vidi ab Anglis, per quod repraesentaverunt solam fidem esse essentialem salutis, producentem bona charitatis absque ulla hominis cooperatione. Quod idola in mundo spirituali formentur ab illis qui in falsis doctrinae quae ex propria intelligentia sunt, est quia Divina vera, ex quibus est genuina doctrina ecclesiae, inducunt formam humanam angelis; quare etiam "angeli" in Verbo significant Divina vera; inde est quod falsa doctrinae, quae confirmantur ex Verbo, sistantur sicut idola in humana forma; vera Verbi quae falsificantur, et per quae confirmationes, inducunt illam formam; sed quia vera falsificata sunt, sistitur idolum, cui non aliqua vita.
[4] Quod "idola", "sculptilia" et "fusilia" significent falsa doctrinae, religionis et cultus, constare potest ex sequentibus locis in Verbo:
- Apud Esaiam,
"Sculptile iundit artifex, et conflator auro obducit illud, et catenas argenti conflat; destitutus oblatione lignum [quod] non 1
putrescet eligit; artificem sapientem quaerit sibi ad praeparandum sculptile, non commoveatur" (40:19, 20):
per haec describitur quomodo conflatur et compingitur doctrina per falsa, ita per talia quae ex propria intelligentia, haec omnia enim sunt falsa; per "artificem" et "conflatorem", tum per "artificem sapientem" quem sibi quaerit, intelligitur is qui tale doctrinale fingit et format; ut appareat sicut bonum in externa forma, significatur per quod "auro obducat illud"; ut falsa cohaereant et appareant sicut vera, significatur per "catenas argenti conflat"; ut sic agnoscatur, et non videatur falsum, significatur per quod "eligat lignum quod non putrescit", et per quod "sculptile praeparet ut non commoveatur."
[5] Apud Jeremiam,
"Stultus factus est omnis homo a scientia, pudore affectus est omnis conflator a sculptili; quia mendacium fusile ejus, neque spiritus in eis; vanitas illa, opus errorum, in tempore visitationis eorum peribunt" (10:14, 15; 51:17, 18):
quoniam "sculptile" significatur falsum doctrinae, religionis et cultus, ideo dicitur, "Stultus factus est omnis homo a scientia, et pudore affectus est omnis conflator a sculptili"; per "scientiam ex qua homo stultus fit" significatur propria intelligentia, quare falsum inde significatur per "sculptile"; id falsum etiam intelligitur per quod "fusile ejus sit mendacium, vanitas et opus errorum"; quod non aliqua vita spiritualis insit falsis, seu illis quae ex propria intelligentia, intelligitur per quod "non spiritus in eis"; nam in Divinis veris, seu in veris quae a Domino, solum est vita, sicut docet Dominus,
"Verba quae Ego loquor vobis, spiritus sunt et vita sunt" (Johannes 6:63).
[6] Apud eundem,
"Lignum de silva cecidit, et opus manuum fabri per securim; argento et auro exornat illud; clavis et malleis firmat illa ut non vacillet, sicut palma solidum illa, nec loquuntur, portando portantur, quia non incedunt:.... simul infatuantur et stultescunt, disciplina vanitatum lignum est; argentum extensum ex Tharschischo adfertur, et aurum ex Uphaso, opus fabri et manuum conflatoris, hyacinthinum et purpura vestis eorum, opus sapientum tota: contra Jehovah, Deus veritatis, Ille Deus vivus, et Rex saeculi" (10:3-5, 8-10):
quod per "sculptile" hic intelligatur falsum doctrinae, religionis et cultus, fictum et formatum ab ingeniosis per propriam intelligentiam, constat ex singulis illius descriptionis in sensu spirituali spectatis; propria intelligentia, per quam id excuditur et formatur, intelligitur per "opus manuum per securim", perque "opus fabri et manuum conflatoris", et per "opus sapientum"; quod "opus manuum" fabri et artificis significet id quod ex propria intelligentia, ostensum est in articulo praecedente: falsa quae inde sunt significantur per "simul infatuantur et stultescunt, disciplina vanitatum lignum est"; quod non illis aliqua vita, significatur per quod sit "sicut palma solidum", quod "non loquantur nec incedant"; "loqui" et "incedere" significant vivere, ac vivere est vivere spiritualiter: confirmationes ex Verbo significantur per "argentum extensum ex Tharschischo" quod adfertur, et per "aurum ex Uphaso", tum per "hyacinthinum et purpuram" quae vestis eorum; per "argentum ex Tharschischo" significatur verum Verbi, et per "aurum ex Uphaso" bonum Verbi, utrumque falsificatum; similiter per "hyacinthinum et purpuram": quod omne verum doctrinae, religionis et cultus sit a Jehovah, hoc est, Domino, intelligitur per quod "Jehovah Deus veritatis, Deus vivus, Rex saeculi"; Dominus enim dicitur "Deus" ex Divino Vero, et quoque "vivus", tum "Rex."
[7] Apud Esaiam,
"Formatores sculptilis omnes vanitas, et desideratissima eorum non prosunt; et testes sibi ipsi non vident nec cognoscunt.... ; quia omnes socii ejus pudefient, et fabri ipsi.... : fabricat ferrum forcipe, et operatur carbone, et malleis acutis 2
format illud: sic operatur illud per brachium roboris sui, etiam esurit usque dum non robur, neque bibit aquas usque dum fatigatur. Fabricat ligna, extendit filum, et describit illud amussi, facit illud in angulos suos, et circulo definit illud, ut faciat in forma viri, juxta pulchritudinem hominis, ad habitandum domo; ad excidendum sibi cedros, aut accepit buxum aut quercum, .... et quamvis sit homini ad comburendum, et accipit de iis ut calefiat, etiamque accendat ut coquat panem, tamen facit deum, et incurvat se, facit ex eo sculptile, et adorat illud:.... non cognoscunt nec intelligunt, quia obliti sunt, ut non videant oculi eorum, ut non intelligant corda eorum; neque inducit in cor suum, neque scientia et intelligentia, nec dicit, .... Nonne mendacium dextra mea?" (44:9-20):
per totam hanc descriptionem sculptilis intelligitur formatio doctrinae ex propria intelligentia; singula descriptionis significant singularia formationis; quid alioqui in Divino Verbo opus foret tam prolixa descriptione solius formationis sculptilis? Quod nihil sit nisi falsum, quia ex propria intelligentia, intelligitur per quod "formatores sculptilis omnes vanitas, et desideratissima eorum non prosunt", quod "illis non scientia nec intelligentia", et quod non dicat "Nonne mendacium dextra mea ?" Propria intelligentia ex qua format falsum doctrinae, describitur per quod "fabricet ferrum forcipe, et operetur carbone per brachium roboris sui"; "fabricare ferrum forcipe et operari carbone" significat excudere falsa faventia amoribus propriis: quod conjungat falsa falsis per fallacias ex quibus apparent sicut vera, describitur per quod "extendat filum, describat amussi, faciat illud in angulos suos, circulo definiat, ut faciat in forma viri, juxta pulchritudinem hominis, ad habitandum domo"; per "formam viri" significatur apparentia veri, et per "pulchritudinem hominis" significatur apparentia intelligentiae inde, et per "habitare domo" significatur apparentia vitae spiritualis inde; quod nulla vita intelligentiae et perceptionis veri et boni inde sit, significatur per quod "non cognoscant neque intelligant", quod "non videant oculi eorum, nec intelligant corda eorum." Quid singula in hac descriptione in specie significant, non vacat ob prolixitatem exponere; satis est quod quisque videre possit quod interius et sapientius quid significetur quam solum formatio sculptilis; sciatur quod in descriptione illa lateat sapientia caelestis, quae ineffabilis, in qua sunt angeli cum illa ab homine leguntur, tametsi homo nihil aliud cogitat quam de sculptili et ejus formatione; quot enim ibi voces, tot correspondentiae sunt, et inde tot sapientiae arcana.
[8] Apud Habakuk,
"Quid prodest sculptile? quia sculpsit illud fabricator ejus; fusile, et doctor mendacii? quia confidit fabricator mendacii sui super hoc, quoniam facit deos mutos. Vae dicenti ligno, Expergiscere, evigila lapidi silenti, hic docebit; hic ecce fixus auro et argento, spiritus non in medio ejus: sed Jehovah in templo sanctitatis suae" (2:18-20):
quoniam per "sculptile" intelligitur falsum doctrinae, religionis et cultus, cui nihil vitae spiritualis inest, quia ex propria intelligentia, ideo dicitur, "Quid prodest sculptile? quia sculpsit illud fabricator ejus [; fusile,] et doctor mendacii? super quo confidit fabricator mendacii"; "mendacium" significat falsum, ac "doctor" et "fabricator mendacii" significat qui excudit illud; quod ibi et inde nulla intelligentia et vita, significatur per quod "faciat deos mutos", et quod "spiritus non in medio ejus": quod omne verum doctrinae, ecclesiae et cultus, sit a solo Domino, significatur per quod "Jehovah in templo sanctitatis suae"; "templum sanctitatis" est caelum ubi et unde Divinum Verum.
[9] Apud Davidem,
"Idola eorum argentum et aurum, opus manuum hominis; os illis, non loquuntur, oculi illis sed non Vident" (Psalms 115:4, 5; Psalms 135:15, 16):
"idola eorum argentum et aurum", significat cultum externum absque interno, confirmatum ex sensu litterae Verbi non intellecto, et quoque ex fallaciis sensuum; "opus manuum hominis significat ex propria intelligentia (quod "opus manuum" sit id quod ex propria intelligentia, videatur in articulo praecedente); "os illis, non loquuntur, oculi illis sed non vident", significat quod ex illis non aliqua cogitatio nec aliquis intellectus veri.
[10] Quod non nisi quam falsum veniat, est quia proprium hominis non est nisi quam malum, favet enim suo amori et suae intelligentiae; quapropter illi non student veris propter vera, sed solum propter famam, nomen, gloriam et lucrum; quae cum dominantur, non potest caelum cum sua luce influere, ac aperire visum et illustrare; quare vident sicut noctuae, talpae et vespertiliones in tenebris, secundum haec apud Esaiam,
"In die illo projiciet homo idola argenti sui et idola auri sui, quae fecerunt sibi ad incurvandum se talpis et vespertilionibus" (2:18, 20).
Apud Jeremiam,
"Siccitas super aquas, et exarescant, quia terra sculptilium illa, et de horrendis gloriantur; ideo habitabunt ibi Tziim et Ijim, et habitabunt in ea filiae noctuae " (50:38, 39):
"siccitas super aquas" significat non verum; "Tziim et Ijim" significant falsa et mala infernalia, ac "filiae noctuae" affectiones falsi: haec dicta sunt de terra Chaldaea et de Babele, per quae significantur profanationes veri et boni per falsa faventia malis, quae ipsi sibi fingunt propter dominium.
[11] Apud Hoscheam,
"Fecerunt sibi fusile ex argento suo, in intelligentia sua idola, opus artificum tota;.... sacrificantes hominem, vitulos osculantur" (13:2):
quia per "fusile" significatur doctrinale ex propria intelligentia, ideo dicitur "Fecerunt fusile ex argento suo, in intelligentia sua idola, opus artificum tota"; et quia per id perdunt spiritualem vitam, et induunt mere naturalem, dicitur. "Sacrificantes hominem, vitulos osculantur"; "sacrificare hominem" significat perdere vitam spiritualem, et "osculari vitulos" significat fieri mere naturales.
[12] Apud Esaiam,
"Ecce omnes iniquitas, nihil opera eorum, Ventus et inanitas fusilia eorum" (41:29):
mala doctrinae, religionis et cultus, significantur per "omnes iniquitas, nihil opera eorum"; et falsa per "ventus et inanitas fusilia eorum"; "ventus" et "inanitas" praedicantur in Verbo de falsis ex proprio.
Apud Jeremiam,
"Quare ad iram provocarunt Me per sculptilia sua, per vanitates alienigenarum?" (8:19):
"vanitates alienigenarum" etiam significant falsa religionis similia cum "sculptilibus"; quare dicitur "per sculptilia sua, per vanitates alienigenarum."
[13] Apud Ezechielem,
"Quisquis de domo Israelis, qui ascendere fecerit idola super cor suum, et offendiculum iniquitatis posuerit ante facies suas, venerit tamen ad prophetam; Egone Jehovah responderim ei, qui venit cum multitudine idolorum suorum?" (14:3-6):
etiam hic "idola" pro falsis doctrinae quae ex propria intelligentia; recipere illa falsa et agnoscere, significatur per "ascendere facere idola super cor suum"; et affici illis et vivere secundum illa, significatur per "ponere offendiculum iniquitatis ante facies suas": quod Dominus non possit revelare talibus genuina vera doctrinae quamdiu in illis falsis sunt, significatur per "Si venerit ad prophetam, Egone Jehovah responderim ei qui venit cum multitudine idolorum suorum?" Per "prophetam" intelligitur docens vera, et in sensu abstracto doctrina genuini veri quae a Domino; et per "multitudinem idolorum" significantur falsa in copia, nam ex uno falso loco principii assumpto fluunt falsa in copia, praeter falsa in serie ex nexu; inde dicuntur "idola" in plurali, et "multitudo" illorum.
[14] Apud eundem,
"Spargam super vos aquas mundas, ut mundemini ab omnibus immunditiis Vestris, et ab omnibus idolis vestris mundabo vos" (36:25):
quia per "idola" significantur falsa doctrinae, ideo dicitur, "Spargam , super vos aquas mundas", per "aquas mundas" enim significantur genuina vera, et per "spargere illas super eos" significatur purificare a falsis; illa falsa etiam dicuntur "immunditiae", quia sunt falsa ex malo et falsa producentia malum.
[15] Apud Micham,
"Ponam Samariam in acervum agri, defluere faciam in vallem lapides ejus, et fundamenta ejus aperiam; tunc omnia sculptilia ejus contundentur, et omnes mercedes meretriciae ejus comburentur igne, et omnia idola eorum ponam vastitatem; nam ex mercede meretricia congregavit, ideo usque in mercedem meretriciam revertentur" (1 [6,] 7);
per Samariam, postquam idololatrica facta est, repraesentabatur ecclesia vastata quoad vera doctrinae et quoad bona vitae, seu destructa per falsa doctrinae et per mala vitae; quod devastabitur quoad omnia ecclesiae vera, significatur per quod "poneretur in acervum agri, ac defluerent in vallem lapides ejus, et aperientur fundamenta"; "ager" est ecclesia, "acervus agri" est devastatio ejus, "lapides" sunt vera ecclesiae, et "fundamenta" sunt vera naturalia super quibus fundatur; quorum devastatio totalis significatur per quod "lapides fluent in vallem, et fundamenta aperientur": destructio ecclesiae per falsa doctrinae significatur per quod "sculptilia ejus contundentur", et quod "idola ponentur in vastitatem": per "mercedem meretriciam" quae comburetur igne, significatur falsificatio veri per applicationes ad favendum amoribus sui et mundi.
[16] Similia per "sculptilia", "fusilia" et "idola" significantur in sequentibus locis:
- Apud Esaiam,
"Quemadmodum invenit manus mea regna idoli, et sculptilia eorum de Hierosolyma et de Samaria, nonne quemadmodum feci Samariae et idolis ejus, sic faciam Hierosolymae et idolis ejus?" (10:10, 11 )
apud eundem,
"Immundum judicabitis tegmen sculptilium argenti tui, et amictum fusilis auri tui, disperges ea sicut menstruatum, stercus vocabis id" (30:22);
[apud eundem, ]
"In die illo rejiciet vir idola argenti sui et idola auri sui, quae fecerunt vobis manus vestrae, peccatum" (31:7);
apud eundem,
"Ne dices, Idolum meum fecit haec, et sculptile meum et fusile meum praecepit haec" (48:5);
apud eundem,
"Recedent retro, pudefient pudore confidentes sculptili, dicentes fusili [Vos] dii nostri" (42:17);
apud eundem,
"Leo super specula.... dixit, Cecidit, cecidit Babel, et omnia sculptilia deorum ejus confregit in terram" (21 [8,] 9);
apud Ezechielem,
"Destruentur altaria vestra, et frangentur solares statuae Vestrae, et faciam cadere confossos vestros coram idolis vestris, et dabo cadavera filiorum Israelis coram idolis eorum" (6:4, 510, 13]);
apud Mosen,
"Dabo corpora vestra super corpora idolorum vestrorum, et fastidiet anima mea vos" (Leviticus 26:30);
apud eundem,
"Sculptilia deorum illorum comburetis igne, non concupisces aurum et argentum super illis ut accipias tibi, .... abominatio namque.... Dei tui illud" (Deuteronomius 7:25);
apud eundem,
"Maledictus qui fecerit sculptile et fusile, abominationem Jehovae, opus manuum artificis, et posuerit in occulto" (Deuteronomius 27:15).
[17] Simile quod per "idola aurea", "argentea", "aenea", "lapidea", "ligna", etiam significatur per
"Deos auri, argenti, aeris, ferri, ligni et lapidis", quos laudavit Rex Belschazar, quando cum magnatibus et uxoribus bibit vinum ex vasis auri et argenti, quae ex Templo Hierosolymae: quapropter scriptum fuit in pariete, 3
et ipse rex depulsus est ab homine, et factus est sicut bestia (Daniel 5:1, seq.):
per "vasa auri et argenti Templi Hierosolymae" significabantur sancta bona et vera ecclesiae; per "deos auri, argenti, aeris, ferri, ligni et lapidis", quos rex Babelis tunc laudavit, intelligitur simile quod per "idola" ex illis, et significantur mala et falsa doctrinae et cultus; "laudare" significat colere; per "bibere ex vasis Templi Hierosolymae", et simul tunc laudare seu colere illos, significatur profanatio boni et veri per mala et falsa in cultu: et quia per profanationem omne spirituale hominis perit, et absque spirituali homo non est homo, ideo 4
expulsus est ab homine, et factus sicut bestia.
[18] Quoniam externum absque interno non est colendum, sed externum ab interno, ita internum in externo, ideo prohibitum fuit aliquod sculptile ad similitudinem alicujus vivi in terra facere, apud Mosen,
"Ne faciatis vobis sculptile, species ullius similitudinis, figuram maris et feminae, figuram ullius bestiae quae in terra, figuram ullius avis alae quae volat sub caelo, figuram ullius reptilis in terra, figuram ullius piscis qui in aquis sub terra" (Deuteronomius 4:16-18; 5:8):
quod hoc prohibitum fuerit, erat quia gens Judaica prae omni alia gente in externis erat absque internis, et inde in cultu omnium externorum quae gentes vocabant sancta; et externa colere praeter illa quae repraesentabant caelestia, quae erant altare, sacrificium super illo, Tentorium conventus et Templum, erat idololatricum: haec quidem Judaei etiam idololatrice colebant; sed usque quia apud illos erat ecclesia repraesentativa, acceptabatur illorum cultus propter repraesentationem, tametsi illos quoad animam eorum non afficiebat, ut constare potest ex variis quae de illa gente in Arcanis Caelestibus ostensa sunt (ex quibus Collecta videantur in Doctrina Novae Hierosolymae, n. 248). Et quia colere externum alibi quam ubi mandatum fuit, quod erat juxta Tentorium in deserto et juxta Templum et in Templo in Hierosolyma, erat colere ipsum repraesentativum absque aliqua intuitione rei repraesentatae, ita solum terrenum absque caelesti, ideo id illis prohibitum fuit; et in tantum, ut ne quidem talia sculptilia sibi facerent: nam ut primum facta videbant, adorabant illa; talis enim natura illi genti inerat.
[19] Quod gentes idololatrae adoraverint simulachra non modo hominum, sed etiam variarum bestiarum, avium et reptilium, erat causa, quia ex antiquis habuerunt quod illa significaverint caelestia et spiritualia; sicut quod "bestiae" affectiones, "aves" cogitationes inde, "reptilia" et "pisces" easdem in sensuali naturali homine: inde erat, cum audiverunt sancta caeli et ecclesiae per illas significari, quod illi qui in externo cultu absque aliquo interno fuerunt inceperint illa colere; sicut Aegyptii, ac inde filii Israelis in deserto, ac postea in Samaria, vitulos, ex causa quia "vituli" apud antiquos significabant bonas affectiones naturalis hominis.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.
2. The editors made a correction or note here.
3. The editors made a correction or note here.
4. The editors made a correction or note here.