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The Lives of Angels
Until his mid-fifties, Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) was merely a genius. As a young man, he traveled extensively throughout Europe to study the cutting-edge science of his time. Upon returning to his native Sweden, he went to work for the board of mines, where he introduced technical advances and gained an international reputation for his understanding of mechanics and metallurgy. In his spare time, he published studies in mathematics, astronomy, economic theory, and anatomy.
As his professional career was winding to a close, a remarkable spiritual awakening changed the course of his life. He believed that God allowed him to journey in spirit form to the afterlife and talk to angels, devils, and the spirits of the departed—not just once, but continuously, for decades—and he spent the rest of his life recording what he saw.
The Lives of Angels is a collection of Swedenborg’s most striking insights about life in heaven, with vivid descriptions of angels’ homes, their language, their communities, and even their romantic relationships. He tells us that angels are with us throughout our lives, guiding and supporting us, and that any person on earth can become an angel after death if he or she is loving and selfless. The introduction by Grant Schnarr gives readers a modern framework for understanding Swedenborg’s compelling vision of the spiritual world.
As his professional career was winding to a close, a remarkable spiritual awakening changed the course of his life. He believed that God allowed him to journey in spirit form to the afterlife and talk to angels, devils, and the spirits of the departed—not just once, but continuously, for decades—and he spent the rest of his life recording what he saw.
The Lives of Angels is a collection of Swedenborg’s most striking insights about life in heaven, with vivid descriptions of angels’ homes, their language, their communities, and even their romantic relationships. He tells us that angels are with us throughout our lives, guiding and supporting us, and that any person on earth can become an angel after death if he or she is loving and selfless. The introduction by Grant Schnarr gives readers a modern framework for understanding Swedenborg’s compelling vision of the spiritual world.
- GenresSpirituality
156 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2013
20 people are currently reading
638 people want to read
About the author
Emanuel Swedenborg
1,676 books303 followersEmanuel Swedenborg (born Emanuel Swedberg; February 8, 1688–March 29, 1772) was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, Christian mystic, and theologian. Swedenborg had a prolific career as an inventor and scientist. At the age of fifty-six he entered into a spiritual phase in which he experienced dreams and visions. This culminated in a spiritual awakening, where he claimed he was appointed by the Lord to write a heavenly doctrine to reform Christianity. He claimed that the Lord had opened his eyes, so that from then on he could freely visit heaven and hell, and talk with angels, demons, and other spirits. For the remaining 28 years of his life, he wrote and published 18 theological works, of which the best known was Heaven and Hell (1758), and several unpublished theological works.
Swedenborg explicitly rejected the common explanation of the Trinity as a Trinity of Persons, which he said was not taught in the early Christian Church. Instead he explained in his theological writings how the Divine Trinity exists in One Person, in One God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Swedenborg also rejected the doctrine of salvation through faith alone, since he considered both faith and charity necessary for salvation, not one without the other. The purpose of faith, according to Swedenborg, is to lead a person to a life according to the truths of faith, which is charity.
Swedenborg's theological writings have elicited a range of responses. Toward the end of Swedenborg's life, small reading groups formed in England and Sweden to study the truth they saw in his teachings and several writers were influenced by him, including William Blake (though he ended up renouncing him), Elizabeth Barrett Browning, August Strindberg, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles Baudelaire, Balzac, William Butler Yeats, Sheridan Le Fanu, Jorge Luis Borges and Carl Jung. The theologian Henry James Sr. was also a follower of his teachings, as were Johnny Appleseed and Helen Keller.
In contrast, one of the most prominent Swedish authors of Swedenborg's day, Johan Henrik Kellgren, called Swedenborg "nothing but a fool". A heresy trial was initiated in Sweden in 1768 against Swedenborg's writings and two men who promoted these ideas.
In the two centuries since Swedenborg's death, various interpretations of Swedenborg's theology have been made (see: Swedenborgian Church), and he has also been scrutinized in biographies and psychological studies.
Swedenborg explicitly rejected the common explanation of the Trinity as a Trinity of Persons, which he said was not taught in the early Christian Church. Instead he explained in his theological writings how the Divine Trinity exists in One Person, in One God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Swedenborg also rejected the doctrine of salvation through faith alone, since he considered both faith and charity necessary for salvation, not one without the other. The purpose of faith, according to Swedenborg, is to lead a person to a life according to the truths of faith, which is charity.
Swedenborg's theological writings have elicited a range of responses. Toward the end of Swedenborg's life, small reading groups formed in England and Sweden to study the truth they saw in his teachings and several writers were influenced by him, including William Blake (though he ended up renouncing him), Elizabeth Barrett Browning, August Strindberg, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles Baudelaire, Balzac, William Butler Yeats, Sheridan Le Fanu, Jorge Luis Borges and Carl Jung. The theologian Henry James Sr. was also a follower of his teachings, as were Johnny Appleseed and Helen Keller.
In contrast, one of the most prominent Swedish authors of Swedenborg's day, Johan Henrik Kellgren, called Swedenborg "nothing but a fool". A heresy trial was initiated in Sweden in 1768 against Swedenborg's writings and two men who promoted these ideas.
In the two centuries since Swedenborg's death, various interpretations of Swedenborg's theology have been made (see: Swedenborgian Church), and he has also been scrutinized in biographies and psychological studies.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 22, 2014
I was given this book to review, and I need to admit firstly that I don't really like to read religious books and secondly, that I haven't read it from cover to cover, but have skimmed through it (as it is very easy to read), putting emphasis on different chapters. I love the cover and need to state that this is not a novel or a story, but as the title says, an account of "The lives of Angels" and how they live in heaven. Swedenborg or Svedborg as he was known in Sweden, died in 1772, wrote this book at the end of his career, having written many other books which focussed on science, philosophy and anatomy. He then devoted himself to Theology, (I think his father having been a priest might have had something to do with this)he claimed that God allowed him to journey, in the form of a spirit, and live with angels, devils and spirits...Now it will be up to you to judge whether these are the ramblings of a man in his old age, or whether you believe it or not- as for me, I still haven't made up my mind...
January 3, 2019
A very good selection of Swedenborg's texts about his visionary experience with angels. Great for people who want to get acquainted with his thought and who are interested in visionay mysticism. The Swedenborg foundation has a free version of it online.
I was particularly interested in is notion of states in the spirit world, as opposed to time and space in our world.
I was particularly interested in is notion of states in the spirit world, as opposed to time and space in our world.
October 8, 2020
"The Lord has graciously disclosed himself to me and commissioned me to convey information about a new church..."
"One day I saw an angel flying holding a trumpet to his mouth..." then the angel said he have been sent to convene ppl who have the highest wisdom in the region (himself included of course)
Hmm: Messianic complex? grandiose delusions?
In this book Swedenborg talks about God, Angels, heaven, joy, love, wisdom. The concept of heaven, the angels are very specific to Christianity. He stated that all human will one day become angels (once we reach the level of spiritual perfection), to help God builds the perfect heaven. He described whatever the f he wanna about angels, spiritual life after we r dead. He made up these classifications of heaven, angels, etc. He even said the aura of people who commit adultary sins smell like EXCREMENT. Seriously what the f did I just read.
Get your free copy here:
https://swedenborg.com/wp-content/upl...
Oh, here is a study discussing Swdenborg's mental health:
Allegations that Swedenborg suffered from some sort of paranoid process are popular among medical professionals. This is due largely to Swedenborg’s claim that he had a special mission to reveal hidden truths through intercourse with spirits and angels. Swedenborg does, in fact, make some pretty extraordinary claims. His insistence that spirits are in conjunction with persons in the natural world seems to cry out for a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.
EMANUEL SWEDENBORG, PROPHET OR PARANOID? Thomas W. Keiser, Ph.D., J.D.
https://www.swedenborgstudy.com/artic...
"One day I saw an angel flying holding a trumpet to his mouth..." then the angel said he have been sent to convene ppl who have the highest wisdom in the region (himself included of course)
Hmm: Messianic complex? grandiose delusions?
In this book Swedenborg talks about God, Angels, heaven, joy, love, wisdom. The concept of heaven, the angels are very specific to Christianity. He stated that all human will one day become angels (once we reach the level of spiritual perfection), to help God builds the perfect heaven. He described whatever the f he wanna about angels, spiritual life after we r dead. He made up these classifications of heaven, angels, etc. He even said the aura of people who commit adultary sins smell like EXCREMENT. Seriously what the f did I just read.
Get your free copy here:
https://swedenborg.com/wp-content/upl...
Oh, here is a study discussing Swdenborg's mental health:
Allegations that Swedenborg suffered from some sort of paranoid process are popular among medical professionals. This is due largely to Swedenborg’s claim that he had a special mission to reveal hidden truths through intercourse with spirits and angels. Swedenborg does, in fact, make some pretty extraordinary claims. His insistence that spirits are in conjunction with persons in the natural world seems to cry out for a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia.
EMANUEL SWEDENBORG, PROPHET OR PARANOID? Thomas W. Keiser, Ph.D., J.D.
https://www.swedenborgstudy.com/artic...
February 15, 2017
AMAZING LIFE AFTER DEATH
I have been thoroughly intrigued by the man who came back from death and told all. I look forward to more of his readings. Fascinating!!!
I have been thoroughly intrigued by the man who came back from death and told all. I look forward to more of his readings. Fascinating!!!
January 22, 2016
Lacks Completeness
The material in this book, having been compiled from other writings, fails to grab the heart and mind in a manner worthy of the title. Interesting? Yes. Essential for development of a walk worthy of repentance? No.
The material in this book, having been compiled from other writings, fails to grab the heart and mind in a manner worthy of the title. Interesting? Yes. Essential for development of a walk worthy of repentance? No.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews