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Heavenly Secrets Arcana Caelestia
deals mainly with the spiritual meaning of the first two books of The Bible, Genesis and Exodus
539 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1968
25 people are currently reading
193 people want to read
About the author
Emanuel Swedenborg
1,671 books302 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his life, he wrote and published 18 theological works, of which the best known was Heaven and Hell (1758), and several unpublished theological works.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 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 21, 2016
This volumous book covers what one could say is a spiritual translation of the bible.
Amazing if you take into context that this work is over 100 years old.
As with any religious idealogy it all boils down to your faith.
This I have found to be an amazing read well worth the time.
To sum up I will leave you with a taste of Emanuel Swedenburg. This being his translation to the meaning of the word perception.
It shall here be told briefly what perception is, of which mention is so frequently made. There is with every man the faculty of perceiving whether a thing be so or not so. The faculty of drawing a conclusion inwardly in himself or in his own mind causes a thing to be perceived. This faculty cannot be given, unless there be influx from the spiritual world. In this gift one man excels another. They who have less of the faculty are they who draw conclusions inwardly in themselves or in their own mind but little, and thus have little perception, but say that a thing is so, because others in whom they have faith have said so. But they who much excel are they who do not see from others, but from themselves, that a thing is so. Howbeit, the perception which appertains to every man is a perception in worldly things, but to no one at this day in spiritual things. The reason is that the spiritual which flows in and causes perception is obscured and almost extinguished by the enjoyments of the love of self and the world. Wherefore spiritual things are of no concern to them, except as a matter of obligation and custom, and would be despised and held in aversion, even denied, if the fear of what is due and enjoyment from custom were removed.
He who would have perception in things spiritual must be in affection for truth from good and must be in continual desire to know truths. Thereby his intellectual is enlightened, and when the intellectual is enlightened, then it is given him to have some perception inwardly in himself. But as to him who is not in affection for truth, whatever he knows to be so, he knows from the doctrine of the church to which he gives his faith, and because a priest, an elder, or a monk has said that it is so. From these things it may be evident what perception is, and that it is given in worldly things but not in spiritual; which is further manifest from this, that every one abides in the doctrine in which he was born, even they who were born Jews and also they who are outside the church, although they live within it. Moreover they who are in any heresy, if the veriest truths were declared to them and also confirmed, would nevertheless not at all perceive that they were truths, but they would appear to them as falsities.
Amazing if you take into context that this work is over 100 years old.
As with any religious idealogy it all boils down to your faith.
This I have found to be an amazing read well worth the time.
To sum up I will leave you with a taste of Emanuel Swedenburg. This being his translation to the meaning of the word perception.
It shall here be told briefly what perception is, of which mention is so frequently made. There is with every man the faculty of perceiving whether a thing be so or not so. The faculty of drawing a conclusion inwardly in himself or in his own mind causes a thing to be perceived. This faculty cannot be given, unless there be influx from the spiritual world. In this gift one man excels another. They who have less of the faculty are they who draw conclusions inwardly in themselves or in their own mind but little, and thus have little perception, but say that a thing is so, because others in whom they have faith have said so. But they who much excel are they who do not see from others, but from themselves, that a thing is so. Howbeit, the perception which appertains to every man is a perception in worldly things, but to no one at this day in spiritual things. The reason is that the spiritual which flows in and causes perception is obscured and almost extinguished by the enjoyments of the love of self and the world. Wherefore spiritual things are of no concern to them, except as a matter of obligation and custom, and would be despised and held in aversion, even denied, if the fear of what is due and enjoyment from custom were removed.
He who would have perception in things spiritual must be in affection for truth from good and must be in continual desire to know truths. Thereby his intellectual is enlightened, and when the intellectual is enlightened, then it is given him to have some perception inwardly in himself. But as to him who is not in affection for truth, whatever he knows to be so, he knows from the doctrine of the church to which he gives his faith, and because a priest, an elder, or a monk has said that it is so. From these things it may be evident what perception is, and that it is given in worldly things but not in spiritual; which is further manifest from this, that every one abides in the doctrine in which he was born, even they who were born Jews and also they who are outside the church, although they live within it. Moreover they who are in any heresy, if the veriest truths were declared to them and also confirmed, would nevertheless not at all perceive that they were truths, but they would appear to them as falsities.
May 9, 2013
This is probably the only comprehensive proof or demonstration showing how the Bible is Divinely inspired. It shows how you can abstract the words of scripture into higher level spiritual concepts, so that you can apply many obscure passages of scripture to your daily life. Good for anyone seeking to progress further to become a more spiritual being.
October 9, 2024
I really hate occultism entering into biblical exegesis.
July 9, 2019
Hmm, science for God botherers.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews