257、这些结果如下:
⑴属世心智可被提升到天使所在的天堂之光,并能在属世层次上,因而不那么充分地感知到天使在属灵层次上所感知到的东西。然而,人的属世心智无法被提升到天使之光本身。
⑵凭借被提升到天堂之光的属世心智,人能思考,甚至与天使交谈;但那时天使的思维和言语流入这个人的属世思维和言语,而不是反过来。因此,天使以一种属世的语言,也就是此人的母语而与他交谈。
⑶这一切通过一种进入属世之物或属世人的属灵流注,而非进入属灵之物或属灵人的任何属世流注实现。
⑷只要一个人活在自然界,人类智慧就是属世的,决不能被提升到天使智慧,只能被提升到它的某种形像。原因在于,属世心智的提升是通过连续性实现的,就像从暗到光,或从粗到纯。但属灵层级已经打开的人在死亡时会进入这种智慧,还能通过身体感觉的暂停,然后通过从上面进入其心智的属灵部分的一种流注而进入它。
⑸人的属世心智由属灵物质和属世物质构成。思维来自它的属灵物质,而非来自它的属世物质。当人死亡时,属世物质会逐渐退去,但属灵物质不会。所以死后,当人成为一个灵人或一位天使时,这种心智仍留在如它在世上所拥有的那种形式中。
⑹如前所述,通过死亡逐渐退去的属世心智的属世物质构成灵人和天使所拥有的属灵身体(简称灵体)的皮肤覆盖物。通过取自自然界的这种覆盖物,他们的灵体得以继续存在,因为属世层是最外在的容器。因此,没有哪个灵人或天使不是生而为人。
在此列举这些天使智慧的奥秘,是为了叫人们了解人里面的属世心智的性质,接下来将进一步论述这个主题。
257. The following are "effects." (a) Our earthly mind can be raised as far as the light of heaven that surrounds angels, and can therefore sense on the earthly level what angels sense spiritually--that is, it does not sense so fully. Still, our earthly mind cannot be raised all the way into angelic light itself. (b) With our earthly mind raised as far as heaven's light, we can think and even talk with angels; but when this happens, the thought and speech of the angels are flowing into our earthly thought and speech, and not the other way around. This means that angels talk with us in earthly language, in our native tongues. (c) This happens by a flow of the spiritual level into the earthly, and not by any flow of the earthly level into the spiritual. (d) There is no way for our human wisdom, which is earthly as long as we are living in the earthly world, to be raised into angelic wisdom, only into some reflection of it. This is because the raising of the earthly mind is along a continuum, like that of darkness to light, or coarse to fine. Still, if our spiritual level has been opened, we come into consciousness of that wisdom when we die, and we can also come into consciousness of it through the quiescence of our physical senses, and then through an inflow from above into the spiritual elements of our minds. (e) Our earthly mind is made up of both spiritual substances and earthly substances. Our thinking results from the spiritual substances and not from the earthly substances. These latter substances fade away when we die, but the spiritual substances do not. So when we become spirits or angels after death, the same mind is still there in the form it had in the world. (f) The earthly substances of our minds (which fade away after death, as I have just noted) form the skinlike covering of the spiritual bodies we inhabit as spirits and angels. It is by means of this covering, taken from the earthly world, that our spiritual bodies have their stability, the earthly substance being the outermost vessel. This is why there is no angel or spirit who was not born human.
These hidden treasures of angelic wisdom are appended at this point to show the nature of our earthly mind, which will be further discussed later [260-263].
257. The effects are as follows:
1. The natural mind can be elevated up to the light of heaven in which angels dwell, and can perceive naturally, thus not so fully, what angels perceive spiritually. But the mind of the natural person still cannot be elevated into angelic light itself.
2. By elevating his natural mind to the light of heaven a person can think, even speak, with angels, but the angels' thought and speech then flow into the person's natural thought and speech, and not the reverse. Consequently angels speak with a person in the natural language which is the person's native tongue.
3. This takes place by a spiritual influx into natural light, and not by any natural influx into spiritual light.
4. Human wisdom, which is natural so long as a person lives in the natural world, can in no measure be elevated into angelic wisdom, but can be elevated only into a kind of image of it. The reason is that the elevation of the natural mind takes place by a continuous ascent, like the progression from dark to light or from cruder to purer. But still the person in whom the spiritual degree has been opened comes into that wisdom when he dies, and he may also come into it as the result of a suspension of his bodily sensations and an influx then from above into the spiritual elements of his mind.
5. A person's natural mind consists of spiritual substances and at the same time of natural substances. It is owing to its spiritual substances that thought occurs, and not because of the natural substances. These latter substances are left behind when a person dies, but not the spiritual substances. Consequently, after death, when the person becomes a spirit or angel, that same mind remains, having the same form that it had in the world.
6. The natural substances of that mind - which, as we said, are by death left behind - form an epidermal envelope encompassing the spiritual body that spirits and angels have. It is in consequence of such an envelope, taken from the natural world, that their spiritual bodies have permanent existence, for the natural element is the outmost containing vessel. That is why there is no spirit or angel who was not first born a person in the world. We present these secrets of angelic wisdom here in order to make known the nature of the natural mind in a person, a subject that we take up again in further detail in subsequent discussions.
257. Effects are: (i) The natural mind can be raised up to the light of heaven in which angels are, and perceive naturally, thus less fully, what angels perceive spiritually. But yet man's natural mind cannot be raised into angelic light itself. (2) By means of his natural mind raised to the light of heaven, man can think, yea, speak with angels; but the thought and speech of the angels then inflow into the natural thought and speech of the man, and not conversely. Wherefore, the angels speak with the man in a natural language which is the man's native tongue. (3) This comes about by a spiritual influx into the natural man, and not by any natural influx into the spiritual man. (4) Human wisdom which is natural so long as a man lives in the natural world, can by no means be raised into angelic wisdom, but only into some image of it. The reason is that elevation of the natural mind is effected by continuity, as from shade to light, or from grosser to purer. But still the man with whom the spiritual degree has been opened comes into that wisdom when he dies, and can also come into it by a lulling of bodily sensations, and then by an influx from above into the spiritual things of his mind. (5) Man's natural mind consists of spiritual substances together with natural substances. Thought comes from its spiritual substances, not from its natural substances. The latter recedes when a man dies, but not the spiritual substances. Consequently, after death, when man becomes a spirit or angel, that same mind remains in a form like that which it had in the world. (6) The natural substances of that mind which, as was said, recede by death, make the cutaneous covering of the spiritual body in which spirits and angels are. By means of such a covering, which is taken from the natural world, their spiritual bodies continue in being, for the natural is the ultimate containant. Hence it is that there is no spirit or angel who was not born a man. These arcana of angelic wisdom are here adduced, so that the quality of the natural mind in man may be known, which subject is further treated of in what follows.
257. The effects are these: (1) The natural mind may be raised up to the light of heaven in which angels are, and may perceive naturally, thus not so fully, what the angels perceive spiritually; nevertheless, man's natural mind cannot be raised into angelic light itself. (2) By means of his natural mind, raised to the light of heaven, man can think, yea, speak with angels; but the thought and speech of the angels then flow into the natural thought and speech of the man, and not conversely; so that angels speak with man in a natural language, which is the man's mother tongue. (3) This is effected by a spiritual influx into what is natural, and not by any natural influx into what is spiritual. (4) Human wisdom, which so long as man lives in the natural world is natural, can by no means be raised into angelic wisdom, but only into some image of it. The reason is, that elevation of the natural mind is effected by continuity, as from shade to light, or from grosser to purer. Still the man in whom the spiritual degree has been opened comes into that wisdom when he dies; and he may also come into it by a suspension of bodily sensations, and then by an influx from above into the spiritual parts of his mind. (5) Man's natural mind consists of spiritual substances together with natural substances; thought comes from its spiritual substances, not from its natural substances; these recede when the man dies, while its spiritual substances do not. Consequently, after death, when man becomes a spirit or angel, the same mind remains in a form like that which it had in the world. (6) The natural substances of that mind, which recede (as was said) by death, constitute the cutaneous covering of the spiritual body which spirits and angels have. By means of such covering, which is taken from the natural world, their spiritual bodies maintain existence; for the natural is the outmost containant: consequently there is no spirit or angel who was not born a man. These arcana of angelic wisdom are here adduced that the quality of the natural mind in man may be known, which subject is further treated of in what follows.
257. Effectus sunt, 1 1. Quod Mens naturalis possit usque ad lucem Coeli, in qua sunt Angeli, elevari, ac naturaliter percipere quae Angeli spiritualiter, ita non tam plene; sed usque non potest mens naturalis hominis elevari in ipsam lucem Angelicam. 2 [2] 2. Quod homo per naturalem suam mentem elevatam ad lucem Coeli cum Angelis possit cogitare, imo loqui, sed tunc influit cogitatio et loquela angelorum in cogitationem et loquelam naturalem hominis, et non vicissim, quare Angeli cum homine 3 loquuntur lingua naturali, quae est hominis vernacula. [3] 3. Quod hoc fiat per influxum spiritualem in naturalem [lucem], et non per aliquem 4 influxum naturalem in spiritualem. [4] 4. Quod sapientia humana, quae est naturalis quamdiu homo in Mundo naturali vivit, nullatenus possit elevari in Sapientiam Angelicam, sed modo in quandam imaginem ejus; causa est, quia elevatio mentis naturalis fit per continuum, sicut ab umbra ad lucem, seu a crassiori ad purius. At usque homo, apud quem gradus spiritualis apertus est, in illam sapientiam venit, quando moritur, et quoque in illam venire potest per sopitionem sensationum corporis, et tunc per influxum e superiori in mentis hujus spiritualia. [5] 5. Mens naturalis hominis consistit ex substantiis spiritualibus, et simul ex substantiis naturalibus; ex substantiis ejus spiritualibus fit cogitatio, non autem ex substantiis naturalibus; hae substantiae recedunt cum homo moritur, non autem substantiae spirituales; quare eadem illa mens post mortem, dum homo fit spiritus seu angelus, in simili forma manet in qua fuit in mundo. [6] 6. Substantiae illius Mentis naturales, quae, ut dictum est, per mortem recedunt, faciunt involucrum cutaneum corporis spiritualis, in quo sunt spiritus et angeli. Per involucrum tale, quod desumptum est ex Mundo naturali, subsistunt corpora illorum spiritualia, naturale enim est ultimum continens: inde est, quod non sit aliquis spiritus et angelus, qui non fuerat natus homo. Haec arcana Sapientiae Angelicae hic adducuntur, ut sciatur, qualis est Mens naturalis apud hominem, de qua ulterius in sequentibus etiam agitur.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: sunt (absque interpuncto)
2. Prima editio: Angelicam (absque interpuncto)
3. Prima editio: humine
4. Prima editio: aliqnem