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Swedenborgian Legends
By Swedenborg Project | January 29, 2009
I have recently come to realize that a number of teachings that I had assumed from my Swedenborgian upbringing were authoritative in fact turn out not to be. On reexamination I have come to realize that they only appear in Swedenborg’s unpublished works (see Which of Swedenborg’s Books are Divine Revelation? for details on this distinction). In view of their long familiarity, I have come to think of these passages as Swedenborgian legends – familiar but not authoritative. I have, so far, discovered 16 such legends:
1. The teachings about the determinants of the time of death in Spiritual Diary/Spiritual Experiences 5002, 5003.
2. The recounting of how children are raised in heaven, perhaps most notably the story about spots appearing on their clothes, flowers and rooms when they misbehave, in Spiritual Diary/Spiritual Experiences 3327, 5601, 5664.
3. The characterization of the Biblical epistles as “useful books for the church” Apocalypse Explained 815 (and Letter to Beyer, April 15, 1766).
4. The teachings on the “pre-Adamites” (Spiritual Diary/Spiritual Experiences 3390ff.).
5. The teaching that “The universities of Christendom are now being instructed, whence will come new ministers” (Posthumous Theological Works, I: 570) (See also Letter to Beyer, February 1767).
6. In the spiritual sense of the Good Samaritan story (Luke 10), the teaching that “’he brought him to an inn and told them to care for him’ signifies to bring to those that are well instructed in the doctrine of the church from the Word, and who are better able to heal him than one who is still in ignorance.” (Apocalypse Explained 375: 42)
7. The teachings on “Charity in the case of the priest; Charity in the case of Governors,…Officials under them,…Judges,…the Commander of the Army, …the Common Soldier,…the Business Man,…the Workman,…the Farmers,..Ships’ Captains,…Sailors,…Servants.” (Doctrine of Charity 160ff.)
8. The teaching that “There are two foundations of truth; one from the Word, and the other from nature.” (Spiritual Diary/Spiritual Experiences 5709)
9. The teaching that “Unless the present little work is added to the preceding work, the church cannot be healed.” (Invitation to the New Church 25)
10. The teaching that Swedenborg’s revelation “surpasses all miracles.” (Invitation to the New Church 39, 43, 44, 55, Coronis, heading “L”)
11. The term “New Christian Church” appears only in the Coronis, heading “L.”
12. The Canons of the New Church aren’t, and the Invitation to the New Church isn’t.
13. The teaching that “The Holy Spirit…passes through men to men, and in the church chiefly through the clergy to the laity.” (Canons of the New Church, Holy Spirit IV)
14. The teaching that there are 10 laws of Divine Providence (Apocalypse Explained 1155-1185), as opposed to the five listed in Divine Providence (71ff.).
15. The teaching that ” in the church, there must be a filleted primate, parish priests, and curates under them.” (Coronis 17)
16. The name “Church of the New Jerusalem” does not appear in the Writings.
The main result I’ve had since discovering these legends is that I have stopped taking any teachings I thought I knew for granted. I check back with the published work when there’s any doubt!
I would be interested to know of any other “legend” passages.
Topics: Issues, Theology | 7 Comments »
March 6th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
Hello, from my life with Christ, and faithfully reading swedenborg for 16 years, an hour everyday. Read The worship and love of god-it reveals the purpose of creation and how a man can thru Jesus christ Divine human- thru reformation reach the goal
July 8th, 2009 at 8:00 am
I’ve been studying Swedenborg for over 15 years now, and I have also studied some peoples Near Death Experiences. Some of the things people say they saw or found out during their NDE is very similar to what Swedenborg described some 200 years ago. It makes me trust Swedenborg a lot more each time I find these thing out! Betty Jean Edy in her book, “Embraced by the Light” said that she was told that our memory is not just in our brain, but in every cell of our body. Swedenborg said the same thing in “Heaven & Hell”. Pastor Jessie Duplantis said that while he was having an out of body experience in Heaven, he was given a piece of fruit to eat that was the color of copper. In “Heaven & Hell” Swedenborg describes trees that look like gold & silver in Heaven. I’ve heard Howard Storm describe his NDE to hell, and his description of the people he met there, and how they attacked him agrees with several things Swedenborg said. I find no reason to doubt Swedenborg. I’ve never actually attended a Swedenborgian Church, so maybe I don’t exactly know what you are talking about, but I hope this helps.
December 4th, 2009 at 1:21 am
Dear Sir, the “feedback spots” on clothes, walls, etc is NOT a “legend”. The account of these stains on clothes of young unmarried maidens or virgins in the heavens is also given in great detail in the published work “Conjugial Love” but I will forward you the exact reference number when I locate it. Swedenborg said these stains cannot be washed away by laundering but go away on their own when the young maiden has taken the time to reflect on what she did wrong and repents and resolves the issue at which time time the stains disappear from her clothing. Just thought I would share that. Take care, -Nick
December 5th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Hi Nick,
I look forward to seeing that reference number in Conjugial Love, which I wasn’t aware of.
April 11th, 2010 at 5:48 am
NJHD 257,
o They who are in the affection of truth for the sake of truth, when they arrive at adult age, and can see from their own understanding, do not simply abide in the doctrinals of their own church, but examine from the Word whether they are truths (n. 5402.2, 5432.5, 6047.3).
April 29th, 2010 at 9:47 am
In relation to #3:
It would be more correct to definitely specify that the “Biblical epistles”, “useful for the church” exclude the writings of Paul. In common idea, the Biblical epistles include those of Paul, and therefore it would be prudent to let people know that they are not meant.
Swedenborg differentiates between the writings of the Apostles and those of Paul.
It is written that: “* With reference to the writings of the Apostles and Paul I have not included these in ARCANA COELESTIA, and this for the reason that they are doctrinal writings, and so are not written in the style of the Word as are the Prophets, David, the Gospels, and the Revelation. The style of the Word wholly consists of correspondences, on which account it effects an immediate communication with heaven. In the doctrinal writings, however, there is another style which indeed communicates with heaven, but mediately. That they were so written by the Apostles was in order that the new Christian Church might commence through these, on which account doctrinal matters could not be written in the very style of the Word, but in a manner that might be more clearly and more directly understood. Nonetheless, the writings of the Apostles are good books for the Church, maintaining the doctrine of charity and its faith as strongly as ever did the Lord Himself in the Gospels and in the Revelation, as can be clearly seen and observed if one attends to the matter while reading those writings.”
First it was said “”With reference to the writings of the Apostles and Paul” and later it was stated that
“…the writings of the Apostles are good books for the Church”
See, also the passages from Spiritual Experiences concerning the nature of the writings of Paul, and why they were permitted to be included in the Bible.
May 6th, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Hi Dmitry,
The quotation you cite comes, I believe, from one of Swedenborg’s letters to Beyer. My understanding is that neither Swedenborg’s letters nor the work published as Spiritual Experiences are authoritative Divine revelation.
For details, see “Which of Swedenborg’s books are Divine revelation?” at
http://swedenborgdigitallibrary.org/contets/books.html