Emanuel Swedenborg: Difference between revisions
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==Researches into the Realm of the Soul== | ==Researches into the Realm of the Soul== | ||
[[File: Interaction_of_Soul_and_Body.png|left|260px|thumb] | |||
<br>In his major work <i>Oeconomia Regni Animalis</i> (Dynamics of the Soul’s Domain) discusses the heart and the blood, which Swedenborg saw as “the complex of all things that exist in the world and the storehouse….of all that exists in the body” as well as the brain, the nervous system, and the soul. </ref> From: Emanuel Swedenborg. Essays for the New Century Edition on His Life, Work, and Impact. Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pa. 2005. Page 17</ref></br> | <br>In his major work <i>Oeconomia Regni Animalis</i> (Dynamics of the Soul’s Domain) discusses the heart and the blood, which Swedenborg saw as “the complex of all things that exist in the world and the storehouse….of all that exists in the body” as well as the brain, the nervous system, and the soul. </ref> From: Emanuel Swedenborg. Essays for the New Century Edition on His Life, Work, and Impact. Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pa. 2005. Page 17</ref></br> | ||
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==Correspondences== | ==Correspondences== | ||
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<br>Anyone interested to know how Swedenborg understood the Bible should read Arcana Coelistia. Swedenborg interpreted the Bible in a whole new light. For Swedenborg, the Bible is written in a symbolic code, and its purpose is to depict truths about the spiritual worlds. This code is one of correspondences. The truth about correspondences was known to the ancients, but for us, and for the people of Swedenborg’s time, it is lost. Its essence is that there is a direct, one-to-one link between the elements of our world, both natural and man-made, and the spiritual worlds within. <ref> Lachmann, Gary. <i>Swedenborg. An Introduction to His Life and Ideas. <i> The Swedenborg Society, 2009. Page 111 </ref> He wrote <blockquote> “The whole natural world corresponds to the spiritual world – not just the natural world in general, but actually in details. It is vital to understand that the natural world emerges and endures from the spiritual world, just like an effect from the cause that produces it.” <ref>Swedenborg, <i>Heaven and Hell<i> tr. George F. Dole. New York, Swedenborg Foundation, 1984. P. 81 ff</ref></blockquote></br> | <br>Anyone interested to know how Swedenborg understood the Bible should read Arcana Coelistia. Swedenborg interpreted the Bible in a whole new light. For Swedenborg, the Bible is written in a symbolic code, and its purpose is to depict truths about the spiritual worlds. This code is one of correspondences. The truth about correspondences was known to the ancients, but for us, and for the people of Swedenborg’s time, it is lost. Its essence is that there is a direct, one-to-one link between the elements of our world, both natural and man-made, and the spiritual worlds within. <ref> Lachmann, Gary. <i>Swedenborg. An Introduction to His Life and Ideas. <i> The Swedenborg Society, 2009. Page 111 </ref> He wrote <blockquote> “The whole natural world corresponds to the spiritual world – not just the natural world in general, but actually in details. It is vital to understand that the natural world emerges and endures from the spiritual world, just like an effect from the cause that produces it.” <ref>Swedenborg, <i>Heaven and Hell<i> tr. George F. Dole. New York, Swedenborg Foundation, 1984. P. 81 ff</ref></blockquote></br> | ||
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==Last Years and Final Voyage== | ==Last Years and Final Voyage== | ||
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<br>Swedenborg saw the publication of many books including a commentary on the Revelation of John called <i>Revelation Unveiled</i>. The Book of Revelation, according to Swedenborg, does not allude to empires and kingdoms, but to spiritual dimensions. </br> | <br>Swedenborg saw the publication of many books including a commentary on the Revelation of John called <i>Revelation Unveiled</i>. The Book of Revelation, according to Swedenborg, does not allude to empires and kingdoms, but to spiritual dimensions. </br> | ||
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==Theosophists on Swedenborg== | ==Theosophists on Swedenborg== | ||
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<br> Madame [[Blavatsky]] described Swedenborg as “the greatest among the modern seers” but was not sparing with her criticism of him in the areas where she felt criticism was due. | <br> Madame [[Blavatsky]] described Swedenborg as “the greatest among the modern seers” but was not sparing with her criticism of him in the areas where she felt criticism was due. | ||
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==Assessment== | ==Assessment== | ||
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<br>Swedenborg’s followers soon assembled themselves into a new denomination, but his legacy extends much further than the New Church. It can be seen in the works of William Blake, Honoré de Balzac, and Charles Baudelaire.</br> | <br>Swedenborg’s followers soon assembled themselves into a new denomination, but his legacy extends much further than the New Church. It can be seen in the works of William Blake, Honoré de Balzac, and Charles Baudelaire.</br> |
Revision as of 15:45, 27 October 2020
Emanuel Swedenborg (January 29, 1688 – March 29, 1772) was born as Emanuel Swedberg in Stockholm, Sweden. When his family was ennobled, the name changed to Swedenborg. He was a Swedish scientist, inventor, statesman, traveler, philosopher, biblical scholar, psychic and Christian mystic. He used the word "Theosophy" for his teachings and after his death an organization to publish his works was formed in London in 1784 with the name of Theosophical Society.
Every movement in alternative spirituality – from mental healing to New Age mysticism – owes a debt to the ideas he exploded upon the Western world. [1] He was one of the mystics who has influenced Theosophy, yet he left a far more profound impress on official science. [2]He wrote eighteen different works published in twenty-five volumes, totaling about three and a half million words. [3]
The great theme of his life was to resolve the dichotomy between faith and science. He did not reconcile his science with his religion through some jury-rigged combination of inimical worldviews, but by taking the scientific perspective and moving further and further inward with it, until he reached, as he believed, a transcendent realm of spiritual realities. It is the constant movement inward that furnished the key to both his life and his work. [4]
Early Life
Emanuel Swedenborg was born into a wealthy, religious, and distinguished family, the third child and second son. His father, Jesper Swedberg, was a pious Lutheran pastor, who later became a bishop. His mother, Sara Behm, was the daughter of a wealthy mine owner, a kind and gentle person who died when Emanual was only eight. [5] His eldest brother died shortly after due to the same fever. [6] His home provided him with a firm foundation for his spiritual researches. His father was a prolific writer of hymns and sermons and his thirst for writing left a mark on his son. [7]
Even in his early years he was constantly engaged in thought upon God, salvation and spiritual life. He revealed things to his parents that made them wonder if angels spoke through him. Between the ages of six and twelve he used to delight in talking with clergymen about faith. [8] His father married Sara Bergia (1666-1720) eighteen months after the death of his first wife and she took a great liking to Emanuel. [9]
Swedenborg received a classical education at Uppsala University (starting in 1699 at the age of eleven), but his main interest soon showed itself to be in mechanics and chemistry – an obsession with how things work, and the invention of new mechanical contrivances. Swedenborg had a great love of his native country and a strong desire to serve by bringing Sweden into the modern world of scientific invention and technology. His love of making himself useful was to remain with him and become a key doctrine in the spiritual writings of his mature years. [10]
When his father had to move to Skara where he took up his bishopric, Swedenborg stayed with his older sister Anna and her husband Erik Benzelius, the university’s librarian. Some biographers have seen Benzelius as the first great influence upon Swedenborg after his father and he might have turned his attention to science and technology. [11]
Initial Projects and First Major Works
In 1734 at the age of 46, he published his first major scientific work, The Mineral Kingdom, in three parts. The first part, called The Principia, was a theoretical physical hypothesis of the origin of the material world from an invisible infinite source. The other two parts were mineralogical works. Besides firmly establishing his reputation as a scientist it also showed the depth of his thinking into “causes of things”. The Principia is an application of Neoplatonic emanations of reality coupled with the principles of geometry and dynamics. Swedenborg perceived that for anything to exist it must be continually being created from within itself.[12]Along with De Infinito (The Infinite), also published in 1734, it provides the most comprehensive portrait of Swedenborg’s philosophical thought before his visionary experiences began in earnest.
In these works, three things stand out as especially noteworthy: (1) Swedenborg’s effort to reason deductively, from first, principle, as well as empirically, from evidence, seeing both as equally important. (2) His concern to relate the infinite to the finite. (3) He accepts the mechanistic worldview of the era, but only to a degree. [13]
Researches into the Realm of the Soul
Notes
- ↑ Lachman, Gary. Swedenborg: An Introduction to His Life and Ideas. Penguin Group, New York. 2009. Back page
- ↑ Theosophy.Blavatsky on Swedenborg https://blavatskytheosophy.com/blavatsky-on-swedenborg/. Accessed on 8/25/20
- ↑ Rose, Jonathan. Swedenborg’s Garden of TheologySwedenborg Foundation. 2010. Back Page
- ↑ Smoley, Richard. The Inner Journey of Emanuel Swedenborg. From: Emanuel Swedenborg. Essays for the New Century Edition on His Life, Work, and Impact. Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pa. 2005. Page 4
- ↑ Stanley, Michael. Emanuel Swedenborg. Western Esoteric Masters Series.North Atlantic Books, Berkley, Ca. 2003. Introduction
- ↑ Smoley, Richard. The Inner Journey of Emanuel Swedenborg. From: Emanuel Swedbenborg. Essays for the New Century Edition on His Life, Work, and Impact. Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pa. 2005. Page 6
- ↑ Smoley, Richard. The Inner Journey of Emanuel Swedenborg. From: Emanuel Swedenborg. Essays for the New Century Edition on His Life, Work, and Impact. Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pa. 2005. Pages 4-5
- ↑ Trobridge, George. Swedenborg Life and Teaching 5th edition. Swedenberg Foundation, New, York. 1992. Page 3.
- ↑ Smoley, Richard. The Inner Journey of Emanuel Swedenborg. From: Emanuel Swedenborg. Essays for the New Century Edition on His Life, Work, and Impact. Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pa. 2005. Page 6
- ↑ Stanley, Michael. Western Esoteric Masters Series: Emanuel SwedenborgNorth Atlantic Books, Berkley, Ca. 2003. Introduction
- ↑ Smoley, Richard. The Inner Journey of Emanuel Swedenborg. From: Emanuel Swedenborg. Essays for the New Century Edition on His Life, Work, and Impact. Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pa. 2005. Page 7
- ↑ Stanley, Michael. Western Esoteric Masters Series: Emanuel SwedenborgNorth Atlantic Books, Berkley, Ca. 2003. Introduction
- ↑ Smoley, Richard. The Inner Journey of Emanuel Swedenborg. From: Emanuel Swedenborg. Essays for the New Century Edition on His Life, Work, and Impact. Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pa. 2005. Page 15
- ↑ Toksvig, Signe. Emanuel Swedenborg. Scientist and Mystic. The Swedenborg Foundation, Inc., New York, N.Y. 1983. Page 113
- ↑ Smoley, Richard. The Inner Journey of Emanuel Swedenborg. From: Emanuel Swedenborg. Essays for the New Century Edition on His Life, Work, and Impact. Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pa. 2005. Pages 17-18
- ↑ Toksvig, Signe. Emanuel Swedenborg. Scientist and Mystic. The Swedenborg Foundation, Inc., New York, N.Y. 1983. Pages 119-121
- ↑ Rose, Jonathan. Swedenborg’s Garden of Theology. Swedenborg Foundation Press, Westchester, Pa. 2010. Introduction
- ↑ Smoley, Richard. The Inner Journey of Emanuel Swedenborg. From: Emanuel Swedenborg. Essays for the New Century Edition on His Life, Work, and Impact. Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pa. 2005. Pages 19-20
- ↑ Lachmann, Gary. Swedenborg. An Introduction to His Life and Ideas. The Swedenborg Society, 2009. Pages 1-2
- ↑ Smoley, Richard. The Inner Journey of Emanuel Swedenborg. From: Emanuel Swedenborg. Essays for the New Century Edition on His Life, Work, and Impact. Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pa. 2005. Page 25
- ↑ Smoley, Richard. The Inner Journey of Emanuel Swedenborg. From: Emanuel Swedenborg. Essays for the New Century Edition on His Life, Work, and Impact. Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pa. 2005. Pages 31-32
- ↑ Lachmann, Gary. Swedenborg. An Introduction to His Life and Ideas. The Swedenborg Society, 2009. Page 111
- ↑ Swedenborg, Heaven and Hell tr. George F. Dole. New York, Swedenborg Foundation, 1984. P. 81 ff
- ↑ Swedenborg, Heaven and Hell tr. George F. Dole. New York, Swedenborg Foundation, 1984. P. 81 ff
- ↑ Lachmann, Gary. Swedenborg. An Introduction to His Life and Ideas. The Swedenborg Society, 2009. Page 111
- ↑ Correspondences. Swedenborg Foundation. https://swedenborg.com/emanuel-swedenborg/explore/correspondences/ Accessed on 9/25/20
- ↑ Toksvig, Signe. Emanuel Swedenborg. Scientist and Mystic. The Swedenborg Foundation, Inc., New York, N.Y. 1983. Pages 286-287
- ↑ Smoley, Richard. The Inner Journey of Emanuel Swedenborg. From: Emanuel Swedenborg. Essays for the New Century Edition on His Life, Work, and Impact. Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pa. 2005. Page 40-47
- ↑ Theosophy.Blavatsky on Swedenborg https://blavatskytheosophy.com/blavatsky-on-swedenborg/. Accessed on 8/25/20
- ↑ Butt, Baseden. Swedenborg as Theosophist. The Thesophist, October 1925, page 113. https://theosophy.world/sites/default/files/Theosophical%20Publications/The%20Theosophist/1925-10%20to%201926-09/theosophist_v47_n1-n12_oct_1925-sep_1926.pdf Accessed on 10/27/20.
- ↑ Butt, Baseden.Swedenborg as TheosophistEdited from the Theosophist, October 1925. Published 3/3/2012. https://www.theosophyforward.com/index.php/theosophy-and-the-society-in-the-public-eye/525-swedenborg-as-theosophist.html Accessed on 10/27/2020
- ↑ Smoley, Richard. The Inner Journey of Emanuel Swedenborg. From: Emanuel Swedenborg. Essays for the New Century Edition on His Life, Work, and Impact. Swedenborg Foundation, West Chester, Pa. 2005. Page 48
- ↑ Toksvig, Signe. Emanuel Swedenborg. Scientist and Mystic. The Swedenborg Foundation, Inc., New York, N.Y. 1983. Pages 358-359
- ↑ Rose, Jonathan. Swedenborg’s Garden of Theology. Swedenborg Foundation Press, Westchester, Pa. 2010. Page 5
Additional resources
Articles
- Swedenborg, Emanuel at Theosophy World
- Blavatsky on Swedenborg at Blavatsky Theosophy Group UK