9872. A tarshish [ beryl], and an onyx, and a jasper. That this signifies the spiritual love of truth, in which the higher things cease, is evident from the signification of these stones, which they derive from their colors; for the color of all the stones of this row verges toward a shining white that is from blue. That the tarshish [beryl] signifies the spiritual love of truth, is evident from the passages in the Word where it is mentioned, as in Ezekiel:
Behold four wheels beside the cherubs; and the appearance of the wheels was like a tarshish [beryl] stone (Ezek. 1:16; 10:9);
"the wheels of the cherubs" signify the like as the arms and the feet with man; namely, the power of acting and of advancing, which belongs to truth from good (see n. 8215); it is from this that their appearance was like the tarshish [beryl] stone, for "the tarshish [beryl]" denotes truth from spiritual good, to which belongs power. [2] In Daniel:
I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold a man clothed in linen, and his loins were girded with gold of Uphaz; his body also was like the tarshish [beryl], his face as of lightning, and his eyes as torches of fire (Dan. 10:5, 6);
"the man clothed in linen" was an angel from heaven; "linen" signifies truth which clothes good (see n. 7601); "the loins" signify conjugial love, which belongs to good and truth (n. 3021, 4280, 5050-5062); hence the loins are said "to be girded with the gold of Uphaz," for "gold" denotes the good of love (n. 113, 1551, 1552, 5658, 9490, 9510). But from its correspondence "the body" signifies the good of celestial love, and also the good of spiritual love (see n. 6135); and its external signifies truth from this good; for which reason the angel's body appeared like a tarshish [beryl]; thus it is evident that a "tarshish [beryl]" denotes the truth of spiritual love. [3] (That "the onyx," which is the second stone in this row, signifies the truths of faith from love, was shown above, n. 9476, 9841.) That "the jasper," which is the third and last stone of this row, signifies the truth of faith, is evident from John in Revelation:
The light of the holy city Jerusalem was like unto a stone most precious, like a jasper stone, like unto a shining crystal (Rev. 21:11);
by "the holy Jerusalem" is signified the church which is to succeed this one of ours; by its "light" is signified the truth of faith and the intelligence thence derived (see n. 9548, 9551, 9555, 9558, 9561, 9684); and therefore it is likened to "a jasper stone like unto a shining crystal;" moreover, a "crystal" denotes the truth of faith from good. Again:
The building of the wall of the holy Jerusalem was jasper; and the city was pure gold, like unto pure glass (Rev. 21:18);
the wall of the city is called "jasper," because by "the wall" is signified the truth of faith protecting the church (n. 6419); and as this is signified by "the wall," therefore the first stone of its foundations is said to be jasper (verse 19); for "the foundation" denotes the truth of faith from good (n. 9643).
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