Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 6454

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6454. 'Which is in the field of Ephron the Hittite' means which however can be made into clear light. This is clear from the meaning of 'the field' as the Church, dealt with in 1971, 3766; and from the representation of 'Ephron the Hittite' as those with whom the ability exists to receive what is true and good, dealt with in 2933, 2940, 2969, thus with whom obscurity of faith can be made into clear light. The situation in all this is that whatever is present in the natural, especially in the exterior natural, is obscure when compared with things in the interior natural, and even more so when compared with things in the rational, 6451, 6453. But that obscurity can be made into clear light in two ways: 1 If exterior things are made subservient to interior ones and are thereby brought into agreement with them, and 2 If the person can be raised from exterior things to interior ones and so can see exterior things from an interior standpoint. The second way is for those who are in the internal part of the Church, the first for those who are in the external part of it; but neither one way nor the other can be used unless they are being regenerated by the Lord. From all this one may see what is meant when it is said that obscurity can be made into clear light.


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