第二节 伊甸二树表征属灵自由意志
466# 伊甸园中置有两棵树，一棵是生命树，另一棵是善恶知识树；这象征人在属灵事务中被赐予自由意志。
许多人相信，摩西书中所谓亚当和夏娃，并不是最初被创造的人；他们为证成此说，曾举出关于亚当以前之人的论据，这些论据取自某些民族的年代计算与编年记录。又举出亚当长子该隐对雅威所说的话： “我必在地上流离飘荡；凡遇见我的，必杀我。……于是雅威给该隐立了一个记号，免得凡遇见他的杀他。”（创4:14—15）又说，该隐从雅威面前出去以后，“住在挪得之地，并建造了一座城。” （创4:16—17）由此可见，在亚当以前，地上已有居民。
然而，亚当与其妻所指的，乃是这地球上的至古教会。对此，我在伦敦出版的《天堂的奥秘》中已多方证明；其中也说明，“伊甸园”所指的是该教会之人的智慧；“生命树”所指的是人里面的主，以及人在主里面；而“善恶知识树”所指的，则是不是在主里面、而是在自己自我中的人。这样的人相信自己凭自己行一切事，甚至连善也如此；从这树上“吃”，则指把恶归为己有。
466# 许多人认为，摩西五经或创世记中的亚当和夏娃不是指最先被创造的人类。为证明这一观点，他们提出于关于前亚当时期的人的论据，这些论据取自在某些异教民族当中发现的计算和年表，以及亚当的长子该隐对耶和华说的话：
我必在地上成为流浪者和逃亡者，凡遇见我的必杀我。耶和华就给该隐立一个记号，免得人遇见他就杀他。（创世记4:14，15）
于是：
该隐离开耶和华的面，住在挪得之地，并建造了一座城。（创世记4:16，17）
他们由此得出结论，在亚当时代之前，地球上就有人类居住。但我在伦敦出版的《属天的奥秘》中已经充分说明，亚当和他的妻子是指这个地球上的上古教会。在这本书中，我还说明，“伊甸园”是指上古教会之人的智慧；“生命树”是指主在人里面，人在主里面；“善恶知识树”是指人不在主里面，而是在他自己的自我里面，如当他以为他凭自己做一切事，甚至行善时；“吃”那树是指将邪恶归给自己，或变成自己的。
466. The Fact That Two Trees - the Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil [Genesis 2:9] - Were Placed in the Garden of Eden Means That Free Choice in Spiritual Matters Has Been Granted to Humankind
Many have come to believe that Adam and Eve in the Book of Moses do not mean the first created people. They support their position with evidence that people existed before Adam, which is based on calculations and the chronologies of various peoples. They also point to what Cain, the firstborn of Adam, said to Jehovah:
"I will be a wanderer and an itinerant on the earth - whoever encounters me will kill me. " Therefore Jehovah placed a mark on Cain so that whoever encountered him would not kill him. (Genesis 4:14-15)
And after he left the presence of Jehovah, he lived in the land of Nod and built a city. (Genesis 4:16-17)
Therefore the land was inhabited before Adam.
But Adam and his wife mean the earliest church on this planet. This is demonstrated in a number of ways in Secrets of Heaven, which I published in London. That work also indicates that the Garden of Eden means the wisdom of the people of that church; the tree of life means the Lord is in us and we are in the Lord; the tree of the knowledge of good and evil means we are not in the Lord but in a sense of our own autonomy instead, like people who believe that they do everything, even what is good, on their own; and eating from this tree means incorporating evil into ourselves.
466. I. The fact that two trees, one of life and one of the knowledge of good and evil, were put in the Garden of Eden, means that man was given free will in spiritual matters.
Many people have believed that by Adam and Eve in the book of Moses are not meant the first human beings to be created, and in support of this view they have employed proofs that there were people before Adam, drawn from computations and chronologies preserved by some peoples. It is also supported by what Cain, Adam's firstborn, said to Jehovah:
I shall be a wanderer, driven to and fro on the earth, so that anyone meeting me will kill me. For which reason Jehovah set a mark on Cain, that anyone meeting him should not kill him, Genesis 4:14-15.
And after he went from before the face of Jehovah, he dwelt in the land of Nod, and built a city, Genesis 4:16-17.
It follows from this that the earth was inhabited before Adam.
I proved at length in the work called ARCANA CAELESTIA, which I published in London, that Adam and his wife mean the most ancient church on this earth. I also proved there that the Garden of Eden means the wisdom of the people in that church, the tree of life means the Lord being in man and man being in the Lord, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil means man not being in the Lord but immersed in his own self (proprium), as is everyone who believes that he does everything, even good, of himself. Eating from this tree means making evil one's own.
466. II. THE PLACING OF TWO TREES IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, ONE OF LIFE, AND THE OTHER OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL, SIGNIFIES THAT FREEDOM OF CHOICE IN THINGS SPIRITUAL HAS BEEN GIVEN TO MAN.
It is believed by many that by Adam and Eve in the book of Moses the first created persons are not meant, and in proof of this, arguments respecting Pre-adamites have been brought forward, drawn from the computations and chronologies of some heathen nations, and from the saying of Cain, Adam's firstborn, to Jehovah:
I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth, so that whosoever findeth me shall slay me. Therefore Jehovah set a sign upon Cain, lest any finding him should slay him (Genesis 4:14, 15).
Afterwards Cain went out from the presence of Jehovah, and dwelt in the land of Nod, and builded a city (Genesis 4:16, 17).
From this it is claimed that the earth was inhabited before the time of Adam. But that by Adam and his wife the Most Ancient church on this earth is meant has been abundantly shown in the Arcana Coelestia published by me at London; and in that work it is also shown that "the garden of Eden" means the wisdom of the men of that church; "the tree of life," the Lord in man and man in the Lord; "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," man not in the Lord but in what is his own (as he is who believes that he does everything, even good, of himself); and that "eating" from that tree means the appropriation of evil.
466. I. THAT TWO TREES WERE PLACED IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, ONE OF LIFE AND THE OTHER OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL, SIGNIFIES THAT FREE WILL IN SPIRITUAL THINGS WAS GIVEN TO MAN.
It has been believed by many that Adam and Eve mentioned in the Book of Genesis do not mean the first of the human race that were created. In support of this opinion they have adduced arguments concerning the pre-Adamites from chronological computations found among certain nations, and also from the saying of Cain, Adam's first-born, to Jehovah:
"I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me... And Jehovah set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him" Genesis 4:14-15.
And Cain "went out from the presence of JEHOVAH, and dwelt in the land of Nod... and he builded a city," verses 16-17.
From this they have concluded that the earth was inhabited before the time of Adam. That by Adam and his wife, however, is meant the Most Ancient Church on this earth has been fully demonstrated in the Arcana Caelestia published by me in London. In that book it is also shown that the Garden of Eden means the wisdom of the men of that Church, that the tree of life means the Lord in man and man in the Lord, that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil means man not in the Lord but in his own proprium, as when he believes that he does all things, even what is good, from himself, and that the eating of this tree means the appropriation of evil.
466. Quod in Horto Edenis positae sint duae Arbores, una vitae et altera scientiae boni et mali, significet quod homini Liberum Arbitrium in spiritualibus datum sit.
Quod per Adamum et Chaivam in Libro Mosis non intelligantur homines primum creati, a multis creditum est, et ad confirmandum adduxerunt argumenta de Praeadamitis ex computis et Chronologiis apud aliquas Gentes; tum etiam ex effato Caini Primogeniti Adami ad Jehovam, Vagus et agitatus ero in terra, ut quisquis offenderit me, occidat me; quare posuit Jehovah Caino signum, quod non occisurus sit illum quisquis offenderit eum, Genesis 4:14-15, et postquam exiverat e faciebus Jehovae, habitaverit in terra Nod, et aedificaverit urbem, Vers. 16-17, consequenter quod Terra ante Adamum fuerit inhabitata. Quod autem per Adamum et ejus Uxorem intelligatur Antiquissima Ecclesia in hac Tellure, in ARCANIS COELESTIBUS, a me Londini editis, pluribus demonstratum est, et ibi etiam, quod per Hortum Edenis intelligatur Sapientia hominum illius Ecclesiae, et per Arborem vitae Dominus in homine et homo in Domino, et per Arborem scientiae boni et mali, homo non in Domino sed in suo proprio, qualis est qui credit quod omnia faciat a se, etiam bonum; et quod per esum ex hac Arbore intelligatur appropriatio mali.