第六节 藉圣言字义，与主相联，并与天使相交
234# 藉圣言字义，与主相联，并与天使相交。藉圣言与主相联，是因为主自己即圣言，亦即其中的神性真理本身与神性良善本身。藉字义而相联，是因为圣言在此意义中，处于其圆满、其神圣、并其能力之中，如上文专章所示。此相联并不向人显现，然其存在于真理之情感及其知觉之中。
藉字义与天堂天使相交，是因为此意义之内含有属灵意义与属天意义；天使即在这些意义之中：主之属灵国度的天使在圣言的属灵意义中，主之属天国度的天使在其属天意义中。当那以圣言为圣的人阅读圣言时，这二重意义便从圣言的属世意义中展开。此展开乃即时发生；故相交亦即时发生。
234# 圣言提供与主的结合，因为主是圣言，也就是说，祂是圣言中的神性真理本身和神性良善。这种结合是通过字义实现的，因为字义上的圣言就在它的完全、神圣和能力中，如前所示（TCR 214-224节）。与主的结合对人来说并不明显，但它存在于对真理的情感和对真理的感知中。圣言的字义也提供与天堂天使的联系，因为字义里面有属灵意义和属天意义；天使们就处于这些意义，主的属灵国度的天使处于圣言的属灵意义，主的属天国度的天使处于圣言的属天意义。当一个视圣言为神圣的人阅读圣言时，这两层意义就从圣言的属世意义中展开。这种展开是瞬间的；因此，他与天使们的联系也是瞬间形成的。
234. 6. The Word's Literal Meaning Provides a Connection to the Lord and Association with Angels
The Word provides a connection to the Lord because he is the Word; that is, he is the divine truth and the divine goodness within it. The literal meaning provides this connection because in this meaning the Word has its completeness, holiness, and power, as I have shown in the relevant passage above [214-224]. The connection to the Lord is not apparent to us; it exists in our love for the truth and our perception of it.
The Word's literal meaning also provides association with angels in heaven because within the literal meaning there is a spiritual meaning and a heavenly meaning. The angels are in these higher meanings. Angels of the Lord's spiritual kingdom are in the Word's spiritual meaning, and angels of the Lord's heavenly kingdom are in the Word's heavenly meaning. These two meanings unfold out of the Word's earthly meaning when the Word is read by people who regard it as holy. The unfolding is instantaneous and the association forms immediately.
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234. VI. The literal sense of the Word produces a link with the Lord and association with the angels.
The Word produces a link with the Lord, because He is the Word, that is, Divine truth itself and Divine good itself contained in it. The link is produced by the literal sense, because in that sense the Word is in its fulness, holiness and power, as was shown above in the section on this subject [214-224]. That link is not visible to man, but lies in the affection for truth and the perception of truth. The reason why the literal sense produces association with the angels in heaven is that the spiritual and celestial senses are contained in it, and these are the senses the angels possess; the angels of the Lord's spiritual kingdom possess the spiritual sense of the Word, those of His celestial kingdom its celestial sense. These two senses are unwound from the Word, when a person who regards it as holy reads it. The unwinding takes place instantly, and so therefore does the association.
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234. VI. BY MEANS OF THE SENSE OF THE LETTER OF THE WORD THERE IS CONJUNCTION WITH THE LORD AND AFFILIATION WITH THE ANGELS.
There is conjunction with the Lord by means of the Word because He is the Word, that is, the essential Divine truth and good therein. This conjunction is effected by means of the sense of the letter, because the Word in that sense is in its fullness, in its holiness, and in its power (as has been shown above in its own section). This conjunction is not apparent to man, but it exists in affection for truth and in the perception of truth. There is affiliation with the angels of heaven by means of the sense of the letter, because within that sense there is a spiritual and a celestial sense; and the angels are in these senses, the angels of the Lord's spiritual kingdom in the spiritual sense of the Word, and the angels of His celestial kingdom in its celestial sense. These two senses are evolved from the natural sense of the Word when it is read by a man who regards the Word as holy. The evolution is instantaneous; consequently the affiliation is also.
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234. VI. BY THE SENSE OF THE LETTER OF THE WORD THERE IS CONJUNCTION WITH THE LORD, AND ASSOCIATION WITH THE ANGELS.
There is conjunction with the Lord by means of the Word because He is the Word, that is, the Divine Truth itself and the Divine Good therein. Conjunction is effected by the sense of the Letter because the Word in that sense is in its fulness, its sanctity, and its power, as was shown above in the article upon it. This conjunction is not apparent to man, but it exists in the affection of truth and in its perception. There is association with angels by means of the sense of the Letter because within it there are the spiritual and the celestial senses, and the angels are in those senses; the angels of the Lord's spiritual kingdom are in the spiritual sense of the Word, and the angels of His celestial kingdom are in its celestial sense. These two senses are unfolded 1 from the natural sense of the Word when a man, who regards the Word as holy, is reading it. This unfolding is instantaneous, and thus also is his association with the angels.
Footnotes:
1. hi bini Sensus evolvuntur. This unfolding is instantaneous, Evolutio est instantanea. The root idea of evolution in English is the development of a lower to a higher form, the higher retaining the essential features of the lower. The senses of the Word are discrete degrees: the celestial and the spiritual are not developments of the natural. The celestial and the spiritual are the end and the cause, the natural being the effect. The cause and the end cannot by any development be produced from the effect, and so cannot be said to evolve from the effect. Thus while evolvo and evolutio are used in this Number, it does not follow that the directly derived English words, evolve and evolution, are the best terms to translate them. "Unfold" and "unfolding" would appear to express what happens when a man who regards the Word as holy reads it. The inner senses are not developments of the natural sense: they are unfolded as inner contents in an outer vessel, the vessel never developing into, that is, becoming its contents.
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234. VI.
Quod per Sensum literae Verbi sit conjunctio cum Domino, et consociatio cum Angelis.
VI. Quod per Verbum sit conjunctio cum Domino, est quia Ipse est Verbum, hoc est, ipsum Divinum Verum et Divinum Bonum inibi: quod per Sensum literae sit conjunctio, est quia Verbum in illo Sensu est in suo pleno, in suo sancto, et in sua potentia, ut supra in suo Articulo ostensum est: Conjunctio illa non apparet homini, sed est in affectione veri, et in perceptione ejus. Quod per Sensum literae sit consociatio cum Angelis coeli, est quia illi Sensui inest Sensus spiritualis et Sensus coelestis: et in his Sensibus sunt Angeli, Angeli Regni Spiritualis Domini in Sensu spirituali Verbi, et Angeli Regni coelestis Ipsius in Sensu coelesti ejus; hi bini Sensus evolvuntur ex Sensu naturali Verbi, dum homo, qui sanctum habet Verbum, legit illud. Evolutio est instantanea, proinde etiam consociatio.