718# 启12:4.“他的尾巴拖拉着天上星辰的第三部分”表示对圣言的一切真理的歪曲和玷污。这从“用尾巴拖拉”、“第三部分”和“天上星辰”的含义清楚可知：“用尾巴拖拉”当论及“龙”时，是指歪曲和玷污(对此，我们很快就会谈到)；“第三部分”表示全部或所有，论及真理(参看AE 384, 506节)；“天上星辰”是指来自圣言的真理和良善的知识(也可参看AE 72, 402节)，因而也指真理，因为真理和良善的知识就是属世人的真理，理性和属灵人由此拥有聪明。由此明显可知，“尾巴拖拉着天上星辰的第三部分”当论及龙时，表示歪曲和玷污圣言的真理。
这就是含义，因为“龙”一般表示所有承认并阅读圣言，却不照之生活的人，这是因为他们将生活，也就是仁爱与信仰分离了，以为只思想圣言中的那些事物，说服自己相信他们通过以信靠和信心从圣言思想并谈论某些东西就会得救，相信使人称义并得救的，是唯信，而不是生活或行为的任何东西，就足够了；这些人由“龙”来表示(可参看AE 714节)。为了从圣言确认自己的教条，这些人提出了一些提到信并论述信的经文；而提到仁与爱，并谈到行为的经文，他们却通过把它们用于唯信而败坏了，从而歪曲了圣言，而圣言从头到尾都是对主之爱和对邻之仁的教义。“尾巴拖拉着天上星辰的第三部分”就表示对圣言真理的这种歪曲和玷污。这就是这些话的意思，因为尾巴是大脑经由背部脊柱的延续，是背部脊柱的附属物；因此，它会根据属世人的渴望和欲望被头部和身体移动。因此，尾巴的动作是从感官人所处的爱之快乐流出的结果，感官人的爱歪曲并玷污圣言的真理。“尾巴”表示感官层，也就是属世人的终端(可参看AE 559节)。无论是说感官人的爱歪曲并玷污圣言的真理，还是说感官层如此行，都一样，因为感官层喜欢为身体和世界、因而照着自己的秉性生活；它感知这种生活，却不感知内在生活，所以否认内在生活。
718. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven. That this signifies the falsification and adulteration of all the truths of the Word, is evident from the signification of drawing with the tail, when said of the dragon, as denoting falsification and adulteration (concerning which we shall speak presently); from the signification of the third part, which means all, and is used of truths (concerning which see above, n. 384, 506); and from the signification of the stars of heaven, as denoting the knowledges of truth and good from the Word (concerning which also see above, n. 72, 402); thus also truths, for the knowledges of truth and good are the truths of the natural man, from which the rational and spiritual man has intelligence. It is evident from this that by drawing with the tail the third part of the stars of heaven, when said of the dragon, is signified to falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word.
[2] Such is the signification, because the dragon in general means all who acknowledge the Word, and read it, and yet do not live according to it, and this because they separate life, which is charity, from faith, and believe it to be sufficient to think about those things which are in the Word, and to persuade themselves that they are saved by thinking and talking about certain things from the Word with trust and confidence, and that faith alone justifies and saves, apart from anything of life or works; that these are meant by the dragon, may be seen above (n. 714). And because to confirm their dogmas from the Word, such persons bring forward passages in which faith is mentioned, and where faith is spoken of; but those in which love and charity are mentioned, and doing is spoken of, they pervert by applying them to faith alone, and thus they falsify the Word, which from beginning to end is the doctrine of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbour. This falsification and adulteration of the truths of the Word is meant by the dragon drawing down with his tail the third part [of the stars] of heaven. This is the meaning of these words, because the tail is the continuation of the brain through the spine of the back, of which it is an appendage, and thus it is moved by the head and the body according to the appetites and desires of the natural man. The movements of the tail therefore are effects flowing from the delights of the loves in which the sensual man is, and the loves of the sensual man are what falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word. That the tail signifies the Sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural man, may be seen above (n. 559). Whether it is said that the loves of the sensual man falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word, or that the Sensual does this, it amounts to the same, for the Sensual loves to live for the body and the world, thus according to its own bent; and this life it perceives, but not the interior life, therefore it denies the latter.
718. Verse 4. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, signifies the falsification and adulteration of all truths of the Word. This is evident from the signification of "drawing with the tail," as being, in reference to "the dragon," falsification and adulteration (of which presently); also from the signification of "the third part," which means all, and is predicated of truths (See above, n. 384, 506); and from the signification of the "stars of heaven," as being the knowledges of truth and good from the Word (See also above, n. 72, 402), thus also truths, for the knowledges of truth and good are the truths of the natural man, from which the rational and spiritual man has intelligence. From this it is evident that "to draw with the tail the third part of the stars of heaven" signifies in reference to the dragon to falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word. Such is the signification because "the dragon" means in general all who acknowledge the Word and read it and yet do not live according to it, and this because they separate life, which is charity, from faith, and believe that it is sufficient merely to think those things that are in the Word, and to persuade themselves that they are saved by thinking and talking about certain things from the Word with trust and confidence, and that faith alone justifies and saves, and not anything of life or work. (That such are meant by "the dragon" may be seen above, n. 714.) To confirm their dogmas from the Word they bring forward passages in which faith is mentioned and in which faith is treated of; but the passages in which charity and love are mentioned, and doing is spoken of, they pervert by applying them to faith alone, and thus they falsify the Word, which from beginning to end is the doctrine of love to the Lord and of charity towards the neighbor. This falsification and adulteration of the truths of the Word is meant by "drawing down with the tail the third part [of the stars] of heaven." This is the meaning of these words because the tail is a continuation of the brain through the spine of the back, of which it is an appendage; thus the tail is moved by the head and the body according to the desires and appetites of the natural man; the movements of the tail, therefore, are effects flowing from the delights of the loves in which the sensual man is, and the loves of the sensual man falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word. (That the "tail" signifies the sensual, which is the ultimate of the natural man, may be seen above, n. 559.) Whether it is said that the loves of the sensual man falsify and adulterate the truths of the Word or that the sensual does this, it is the same, for the sensual loves to live for the body and for the world, thus according to its own nature; and this life it feels, but it does not feel the interior life, therefore it denies that life.
718. [Vers. 4.] "Et cauda sua traxit tertiam partem stellarum caeli." - Quod significet falsificationem et adulterationem omnium veritatum Verbi, constare ex significatione "cauda trahere", cum de "dracone", quod sit falsificatio et adulteratio (de qua sequitur); ex significatione "tertiae partis", quod sit omne, et dicatur de veris (de qua supra, n. 384, 506); et e, significatione "stellarum caeli", quod sint cognitiones veri et boni ex Verbo (de qua etiam supra, n. 72, 402), ita quoque vera, nam cognitiones veri et boni sunt vera naturalis hominis, ex quibus intelligentia rationali et spirituali homini: ex quibus constare potest quod per "cauda trahere tertiam partem stellarum caeli", cum de "dracone", significetur falsificare et adulterare vera Verbi. Quod id significetur, est quia per "draconem" in genere intelliguntur omnes qui agnoscunt Verbum, ac legunt illud, et usque non vivunt secundum illud; et hoc quia separant vitam quae est charitas a fide, et credunt quod satis sit cogitare illa quae in Verbo sunt, et sibi persuadere quod salventur si quaedam inde ex fiducia et confidentia cogitent et loquantur, et quod sola fides justificet et salvet, et non aliquid vitae seu operis; (quod hi sint qui per "draconem" 1
intelliguntur, videatur supra, n. 714): quia illi ad confirmandum sua dogmata ex Verbo, adducunt loca ubi "fides" nominatur et ubi "fides" dicitur; at ubi "charitas" et "amor" nominatur et "facere" dicitur, per applicationem ad solam fidem pervertunt, et sic Verbum, quod a principio ad finem est doctrina amoris in Dominum et amoris erga proximum, falsificant: haec falsificatio et adulteratio 2
veritatum Verbi intelligitur per "detrahere cauda tertiam partem [stellarum] caeli"; quod id per ea verba intelligatur, est quia cauda est continuatio cerebri per spinam dorsi, cujus est appendix, et cauda sic agitur ex capite et ex corpore secundum desideria et appetitus naturalis hominis; quare caudae motiones sunt effectus fluentes ex jucundis amorum in quibus est sensualis homo, et amores sensualis hominis vera Verbi falsificant et adulterant.
(Quod "cauda" significet sensuale, quod est naturalis hominis ultimum, videatur supra, n. 559.) Sive dicas quod amores sensualis hominis falsificent et adulterant vera Verbi, sive dicas quod sensuale id faciat, idem est, nam sensuale amat vivere corpori et mundo, ita genio, et illam vitam sentit, non autem interiorem, quare eam negat.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.
2. The editors made a correction or note here.