Arcana Coelestia (Elliott): AC 2763

Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 2763

2763. These considerations now show where the representatives in the Word and the things in it which carry a spiritual meaning have their origin, namely in the representatives that manifest themselves in the next life. It was from the same source that representatives came to members of the Most Ancient Church, who were celestial and who while living on earth were at the same time in the company of spirits and angels. From these people those representatives passed to their descendants, and at length to those who did not know anything about them apart from the mere fact that such things were meant by them. But because those representatives had come down from most ancient times and were included in their Divine worship, they were venerated and treated as holy.

[2] In addition to representatives there are also correspondences, which denote and also mean something altogether different in the spiritual world from what they do in the natural world. The heart, for example, means the affection for good; the eyes, the understanding; the ears, obedience; the hand, power; and there are countless other correspondences besides these. These things are not represented in this manner in the world of spirits but correspond in the way something natural corresponds to something spiritual. This explains why every word within the Word, down to the smallest letter of all, embodies spiritual and celestial matters, and why the Word is inspired in the way it is, that is to say, so inspired that when man is reading it, spirits and angels immediately perceive it spiritually according to the representations and correspondences.

[3] But this knowledge which was developed so extensively and valued so highly by the ancients after the Flood, and which enabled them to think with spirits and angels, has today been completely wiped out, insomuch that scarcely anybody is willing to believe that it exists. And those who believe that it does exist merely refer to it as something mystical which has no practical value, the reason being that mankind has become utterly worldly- and bodily-minded to the point of finding the very mention of what is spiritual and celestial repugnant, and sometimes loathsome, even nauseating. How then will they react in the next life which lasts for ever, where not that which is worldly and bodily but solely that which is spiritual and celestial constitutes life in heaven?

GENESIS 22

And so it was after these events, that God tempted Abraham, and said to him, Abraham. And he said, Here I am.
And He said, Take now your son, your only one, whom you love, Isaac, and get you to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I tell you.
And in the morning Abraham rose up early, and saddled his ass, and took two of his servants ^a with him, and Isaac his son, and split the pieces of wood for the burnt offering, and rose up and went to the place of which God had told him.
On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar off.
And Abraham said to his servants, Remain here with the ass, and I and the boy will go over there, and we will bow ourselves down, and return to you.
And Abraham took the pieces of wood for the burnt offering and laid them on Isaac his son; and he took in his hand the fire and the knife, and the two of them went on together.
And Isaac said to Abraham his father - he said - My father. And he said, Here I am, my son. And he said, Behold, the fire and the pieces of wood, but where is the animal for the burnt offering?
And Abraham said, God will see for Himself to the animal for a burnt offering, my son. And the two of them went on together.
And they came to the place of which God told him, and Abraham built the altar there, and laid the pieces of wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, upon the pieces of wood.
And Abraham put forth his hand and took the knife to slay his son.
And the angel of Jehovah called to him out of heaven, and said Abraham, Abraham. And he said, Here I am.
And he said, Do not put forth your hand towards the boy and do not do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God and have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.
And Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, a ram behind [him] caught in a thicket by its horns. And Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son.
And Abraham called the name of that place, Jehovah will see; as it is said today, On the mountain Jehovah will see [to it].
And the angel of Jehovah called to Abraham a second time out of heaven.
And he said, By Myself I have sworn, says Jehovah, that because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son,
I will certainly bless you, and I will certainly multiply your seed like the stars of the heavens and like the sand which is on the seashore. And your seed will inherit the gate of their ^b enemies.
And in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed because you have hearkened to My voice.
And Abraham returned to his servants, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt in Beersheba.
And so it was, after these events,^c that it was pointed out to Abraham, saying, Behold, Milkah, she also has borne sons, to Nahor your brother:

Uz her firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram;
And Kesed, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel.
And Bethuel begot Rebekah. These eight Milkah bore to Nahor, Abraham's brother.
And his concubine, whose name was Reumah; and she too bore Tebah, and Gaham, and Tahash, and Maakah.

Notes

^a Here and in verses 5 and 19 the word translated servants is the same as that used for boys.
^b The Latin means your but the Hebrew means their.
^c lit. words

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