四、圣言的灵义迄今为人所不知
201# 自然界中的一切事物，无论整体与细节，皆对应属灵事物；人体中的一切事物亦然。此已在《天堂与地狱》（87—105节）中说明。然而，何谓对应，迄今尚不为人所知；但在太古之世，对应却为人所熟知。因为在当时之人那里，对应之学乃诸学之学，且极为普遍，以致他们所有文献与书籍，皆藉对应而写成。
约伯记乃古教会之书，满有对应。埃及人的象形文字，以及上古诸人的神话，也无非是对应。古代一切教会皆为属灵事物的代表性教会；其礼仪，以及据以建立其敬拜的典章，皆纯由对应构成。以色列子孙中的教会，其一切亦然。燔祭、祭祀、素祭与奠祭，连同其中各项细节，皆为对应；帐幕及其中一切物件亦然；他们的节期，如无酵节、住棚节、初熟节，亦然；亚伦与利未人的祭司职分，以及他们的圣衣，亦复如此。至于这些事物各自所对应的属灵事物为何，已在伦敦出版的《天堂的奥秘》中说明。
此外，凡关乎他们敬拜与生活的一切律例和典章，也都是对应。如今，既然神性事物在世界中乃以对应显现，故圣言全然藉对应而写成。因此，主既从神性而说，祂便藉对应而说；因为凡出于神性者，落入自然界时，便成为与神性相对应的事物，并且这些事物在其内里蕴藏着神性之物，即所谓属天与属灵之物。
201# （4）迄今为止，圣言的灵义一直是未知的。在《天堂与地狱》（87-105节）一书，我已经说明，自然界中的一切事物，无论总体还是细节，都对应于属灵事物，人体内的一切事物也都对应于属灵事物。但迄今为止，没有人知道对应是什么；然而，在上古时代，这是众所周知的，因为对生活在那个时代的人来说，对应学是科学中的科学，或说对应的知识是知识中的知识，而且如此普遍，以至于他们所有的手稿和书籍都是用对应写成的。《约伯记》是古教会的一本书，就充满了对应。埃及的象形文字和古代的神话都只是对应。所有古代教会都是代表属灵事物的教会；他们的敬拜是照着仪式和律例来建立的，这些仪式和律例是由纯粹的对应构成的。建立在以色列人中间的教会的一切事物都具有类似性质。他们的燔祭、祭牲、素祭、奠祭，及其一切细节，都是对应；会幕和其中的一切事物同样是对应；还有他们的节日，如无酵节、住棚节和初熟节，以及亚伦和利未人的祭司职分，并他们的圣衣都是对应。在出版于伦敦的《属天的奥秘》一书，我已经说明这一切事物所对应的属灵事物是什么。此外，与他们的敬拜和生活有关的一切律例和典章也都是对应。由于神性事物以对应呈现在世界上，所以圣言是由纯粹的对应写成的；主因从神性说话，故通过对应说话，因为凡从神性发出之物，都以诸如对应于神性之物的那类事物而呈现在自然界中，然后这些事物将被称为属天和属灵的神性事物储存在它们里面。
201. 4. The spiritual meaning of the Word has been unknown until now. All things that exist in the material world correspond to something spiritual; likewise all things that exist in the human body, as I have shown in the work Heaven and Hell, 87-115. No one has known until now, however, what correspondence is. In the earliest times, correspondence was very well known. To the people who lived at that time the study of correspondences was the supreme field of study. It was so universal that the writing in all their books and codices displayed the use of correspondences. The Book of Job, a book of the early church, is full of correspondences. The Egyptian hieroglyphics and the earliest myths were no different. All the early churches were churches that represented spiritual things in symbolic ways. Their worship was established with rituals and rules that consisted entirely of correspondences.
The same was true for all aspects of the church among the children of Israel: their burnt offerings, sacrifices, food offerings, and drink offerings were correspondences down to the last detail. So was the tabernacle and everything in it. So were their feast days - the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Tabernacles, and the Feast of First Fruits. So was the priestly role performed by Aaron and the Levites, as well as the clothing of their sacred office. (The specific spiritual things to which all the above correspond are shown in Secrets of Heaven, published in London.) In addition, all the statutes and judgments that shaped their worship and their lives were correspondences.
Divine attributes present themselves in the world in the form of correspondences; therefore the Word was written entirely in correspondences. For the same reason, the Lord spoke in correspondences, since he spoke from what is divine.
Divinity is present in nature in the form of things that correspond to divine attributes and that have divine attributes known as heavenly and spiritual qualities hidden deep within them.
201. (iv) THE SPIRITUAL SENSE OF THE WORD HAS UP TO THE PRESENT BEEN UNKNOWN.
I showed in my book HEAVEN AND HELL (87-105), that every single thing to be found in nature corresponds to something spiritual, and likewise every single part of the human body. But up to the present it has remained unknown what correspondence is. Yet in the most ancient times it was very well known; for those who lived at that period regarded the knowledge of correspondences as the outstanding science, and it was so universally known that all their documents and books were written by means of correspondences. The book of Job, which is a book of the Ancient Church, is full of correspondences The hieroglyphic writings of the Egyptians, as well as the myths of the most ancient peoples, were nothing else. All the ancient churches served to represent spiritual ideas; their rites and the rules which governed the establishment of their modes of worship were made up of nothing but correspondences. The same is true of all the details of the church among the Children of Israel. Their burnt offerings, sacrifices, sacrificial cakes and libations in all their particulars had meaning as correspondences; likewise the tabernacle and all its contents, as well as their festivals, such as the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of tabernacles and the feast of first-fruits, and also the priesthood of Aaron and the Levites, together with their holy vestments. I have shown in ARCANA CAELESTIA (published in London) what were the spiritual ideas to which all these things correspond. In addition to these, all the laws and judgments governing their worship and way of life had meaning as correspondences. Now since Divine ideas are presented in the world as correspondences, this and no other is the way the Word was written. Therefore the Lord, since He spoke from the Divine, spoke in correspondences. For whatever is Divine descends at the natural level into the kind of things which correspond to Divine ones, and then contain in their inmost the Divine things called celestial and spiritual.
201. (4) Heretofore the spiritual sense of the Word has been unknown. That each thing and all things in nature correspond to spiritual things, and in like manner each and all things in the human body, has been shown in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 87-105). But heretofore it has not been known what correspondence is; yet in most ancient times it was very well known; for to those who then lived, the knowledge of correspondences was the knowledge of knowledges, and was so universal that all their manuscripts and books were written by correspondences. The book of Job, which is a book of the Ancient Church, is full of correspondences. The hieroglyphics of the Egyptians, as well as the fables of most ancient times, were nothing, but correspondences. All the ancient churches were churches representative of spiritual things; their rites and the statutes according to which their worship was established, consisted of pure correspondences; as did all things of the church among the children of Israel. The burnt offerings, the sacrifices, the meat offerings, and the drink offerings, with all their particulars, were correspondences; likewise the tabernacle and all things in it; also their feast, as the feast of unleavened bread, the feast of tabernacles, and the feast of the first-fruits; also the priesthood of Aaron and the Levites, and their garments or holiness. What the spiritual things are to which all these things corresponded has been shown in the Arcana Coelestia, published at London. Furthermore all the statutes and judgments relating to their worship and life were correspondences. Since then, Divine things present themselves in the world in correspondences, the Word was written by pure correspondences; and because the Lord spoke from the Divine He spoke by means of correspondences for whatever is from the Divine falls into such things in nature as correspond to Divine things, and these then store up in their bosom Divine things, which are called celestial and spiritual.
201. (4) THE SPIRITUAL SENSE OF THE WORD HAS HITHERTO BEEN UNKNOWN.
That all things in nature, both general and particular, and also all things in the human body, correspond to spiritual things is shown in the work "Heaven and Hell," (87-105). What correspondence is, however, has hitherto been unknown; yet in most ancient times it was very well known, for to those who lived then the science of correspondences was the science of sciences, and was so universal that all their treatises and books were written by correspondences. The Book of Job, a book of the Ancient Church, is full of correspondences. The hieroglyphics of the Egyptians and the myths of antiquity were of a like nature. All the ancient Churches were representative of spiritual things; the ceremonies and also the statutes on which their worship was founded, consisted of pure correspondences. Of a like nature were all the things of the Church established among the Children of Israel; their burnt-offerings, their sacrifices, their meat-offerings and their drink-offerings, with all things connected with them, were correspondences. So also was the tabernacle, with everything in it; and likewise their feasts, as the feasts of unleavened bread, the feast of tabernacles, and the feast of the first fruits; and also the priesthood of Aaron and the Levites, and their holy garments. What the spiritual things were to which all these corresponded is shown in the "Arcana Caelestia," published in London. Moreover, all the statutes and judgments relating to their worship and life were also correspondences. Now because Divine things manifest themselves in the world in correspondences, therefore the Word was written by pure correspondences. Therefore also the Lord, since He spoke from the Divine, spoke by correspondences. For whatever proceeds from the Divine manifests itself in nature in such things as correspond to what is Divine; and these things then have stored up within them Divine things called celestial and spiritual.
201. IV. QUOD SENSUS SPIRITUALIS VERBI HACTENUS IGNOTUS FUERIT. Quod omnia et singula quae in Natura sunt, correspondeant Spiritualibus, similiter omnia et singula quae in Corpore humano, in Opere de COELO ET INFERNO, 87-115, 1 ostensum est. Sed quid CORRESPONDENTIA, hactenus nescitum est; verum in Antiquissimis temporibus notissima fuit; illis enim, qui tunc vixerunt, fuit Scientia correspondentiarum scientia scientiarum, et tam universalis, ut omnes illorum Codices et Libri per Correspondentias scripti sint: Liber Hiobi, qui est liber Antiquae Ecclesiae, Correspondentiis plenus est. Hieroglyphica Aegyptiorum, et quoque Fabulosa Vetustissimorum non alia fuerunt; omnes Ecclesiae Antiquae fuerunt Ecclesiae repraesentativae spiritualium; Ritus illarum, et quoque Statuta, secundum quae institutus fuit Cultus illarum, constabant ex meris Correspondentiis; similiter omnia Ecclesiae apud filios Israelis; Holocausta, Sacrificia, Minchae et Libamina cum singulis illorum Correspondentiae fuerunt; similiter Tabernaculum cum omnibus inibi; tum etiam Festa illorum, ut Festum azymorum, Festum tabernaculorum, et Festum primitiarum; etiam Sacerdotium Aharonis et Levitarum, ut et Vestes sanctitatis illorum; quaenam autem Spiritualia essent, quibus haec et illa correspondebant, in ARCANIS COELESTIBUS Londini editis, ostensum est; praeter haec, etiam omnia Statuta et Judicia, quae cultum et vitam illorum concernebant, correspondentiae erant. Nunc quia Divina in Mundo se sistunt in Correspondentiis, ideo Verbum per meras Correspondentias scriptum est; quare Dominus, quia loquutus est ex Divino, loquutus est per Correspondentias, nam quod a Divino est, hoc in Natura cadit in talia quae Divinis correspondent, et quae tunc Divina, quae vocantur Coelestia et Spiritualia, in sinu suo recondunt.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: 105.