Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

ings, and to depart from it only when the sense, as shown from the science of correspondences, made it necessary. In reference to this plan, permit me to offer a few remarks.

And first, I would observe, that to carry this plan fully out, would be found, I think, quite impossible; nor, if possible, would it be found acceptable to any party. For it would require so considerable a deviation from the common version, that those peculiarly attached to that version would not be pleased, nor on the other hand would it satisfy those who prefer the entire version of Swedenborg. But, in fact, as I conceive, the carrying out of this plan would be impracticable. For what, we may ask, would be required of such a translator or editor? Not merely to know the Latin of Swedenborg--not merely to understand the Hebrew text,-but his great duty and his great difficulty would be, continually to hold judgment over the English version-(which by this plan he is obliged to adopt)—to watch every word with the utmost care, lest by the use of a wrong term he destroy the basis for the spiritual sense, and violate the law of correspondences. Now, to do this would be a difficult task indeed, and one, we believe, which few would venture to undertake. It would require the profoundest and most familiar knowledge of the science of correspondences, and of the internal sense of every passage, however obscure, which might present itself for translation. Who would venture to undertake this task in connection with such a work as the Apocalypse Explained, in which innumerable pasages occur taken from all parts of Scripture? To perform such a duty faithfully, even if it could be done by an uninspired person, would be a most laborious and an almost endless task.

For observe, on what slight expressions in the letter, the spiritual sense depends-on what jots and tittles it rests for its support, showing us truly that, as our doctrines teach, every minutest thing in the Holy Word is Divine. In illustration of this we will adduce one or two instances. In the 21st chapter of Revelation, we find this passage, as rendered in the common version (it is part of the description of the city New Jerusalem):—" And had a wall great and high; and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels." Now here the use of the little word "at" destroys the basis for the spiritual sense. It should be upon or over the gates, (super, as rendered in Swedenborg's Latin.) To see the significance of this term, we have only to quote Swedenborg's comment upon it, in the Apocalypse Revealed, No. 901. "Over the gates twelve angels signifies," he says, "the Divine Goods and Truths of heaven in those knowledges," (gates.) "By over the gates," he continues, "is signified in those knowledges, because over or upon, in the

Word, signifies within; the reason is, that which is highest in successive order, becomes inmost in simultaneous order, and therefore the third heaven is called both the highest and the inmost heaven." Now, here the support of the internal sense depends entirely on the use of the preposition over;—and the use of the improper one "at," as in the common version, knocks away the foundation of the spiritual sense. This error, we are glad to observe, has been avoided in the translation of the Apocalypse Explained, as, indeed, it could scarcely fail to be, being so directly pointed out in the comment on the passage. In the "Apocalypse Revealed," however, it still stands "at ;" at least in the copy which lies before me: I trust it has been corrected in the new edition.

But we will now adduce another instance still more striking. It occurs in the 25th chapter of Genesis, and 31st verse. The common version thus reads:-"And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright." Now here, the basis of the internal sense is destroyed, and the sense completely changed, by the omission of the little word as. "Sell me thy birthright as to day," it is in the original. To understand the force of this, we must consider the spiritual sense of the passage. It has reference to Esau's selling Jacob his birthright. Esau, as our author explains, represents natural good, while Jacob represents natural truth, or the doctrine of truth. Esau's selling his birthright to Jacob, represents that in the course of regeneration truth has apparent precedence of good; for man first learns the doctrine of truth, and by means of it comes afterwards to good. But this precedence is only apparent and only for a time: good is really, in fact, the superior, and does at length acquire the dominion; for when man becomes regenerate, he acts from good, and then truth is but in the second place. Thus Esau's birthright was only temporarily disposed of. Now this fact of its being but a temporary arrangement is signified by the word as :-" Sell me, as to-day, thy birthright." To-day in the Word, signifies for ever: the word as is inserted, to teach that the birthright is not really parted with for ever, but only seemingly so. But if the word as be left out, it makes it an absolute and final disposition of the birthright—thus teaching that truth shall for ever have dominion over good-which would be a dreadful perversion of Divine order. (See A. C. 3325.)

Thus the true sense of this passage rests entirely on the little word as-yet this word is omitted in the common version; and it is omitted even by Schmidius in his Latin version. And this, by the way, is a proof that Swedenborg did not implicitly follow Schmidius, although he usually took him for his guide, his Latin translation being generally so faithful. Schmidius has vende hodie, "sell me to-day:" but Swedenborg

sense.

has vende sicut hodie, "sell me as to-day." In the Hebrew, the difference is only in a single letter,, which signifies as. It is a wonder that Schmidius overlooked it; but so would any translator perhaps have overlooked or disregarded it, who was not acquainted with the internal sense; which shows us that an accurate translation of the Divine Word can be made only by one acquainted with the internal Such a translation of a great part of the Word we already have, by one most eminently acquainted with the internal sense,-and who received it directly from the Lord,-namely, Swedenborg himself. And shall we now throw aside this version, thus given us, as it were, directly from heaven, and substitute for it another which is confessedly a faulty and defective one? Shall we remove it even from Swedenborg's own works, and adopt in its place another version of the Scripture passages, different from his own, thus making him use expressions which he did not use? To do this seems to me neither justice to Swedenborg nor to the Church. Indeed, it may be fairly asked, have we a right thus to alter an author's language?

And for what end should this be done? Merely to suit our prejudices; we have been accustomed to the common version, and therefore we like to see the langnage of that version used. But is this spiritual, or is it merely natural? What is spiritual loves the truth, and prefers it to all else, and is ever ready to sacrifice to it all prejudices and habits. The spiritually minded man,-one who is preparing to enter into the New Jerusalem,-prefers the truth to all other things. In opening the Apocalypse Explained, or any other work of the Church, he is looking with a single eye for truth. He expects to find new things there; for he knows that in this Church "all things are to be made new." If, therefore, he finds a new translation of the words of Scripture, he is not surprised, nor troubled: it is rather to be expected; it is more in keeping with the new truths therein contained. No spiritually-minded man will ever be kept out of the New Jerusalem by the different version of Scripture he finds in the "Arcana," so faithfully translated by Mr. Clowes: nor, we may add, had the original translation of the Apocalypse Explained, prepared by the same venerable person, been continued in the Church, would it, I conceive, have been any other than a benefit to the cause of truth. And, in conclusion, I venture to express the hope, that the London Printing Society, in its new issue of that work, will see fit to return to the original edition, and thus furnish the Church with the treasures contained in the translation of so many passages of Scripture by Swedenborg's own hand.

Glasgow.

T. O. P.

T

[blocks in formation]

PROPRIUM AND PREJUDICE.

Having read attentively, and more than once, the first article in the Intellectual Repository for December 1852, I confess that, although feeling interested in the subject, I cannot at this moment see the applicability of the term "Prejudice" in every part in which it is employed; "for the ear trieth words, as the mouth tasteth meat." It certainly appears to me that the word Firmness would be a more appropriate term, as a substitute, in several parts of that article, where the term "prejudice" is

used.

Possibly I may be wrong in this opinion; if so, I shall feel obliged if the writer of the article will have the goodness to set me right on this point. And who so calculated to elucidate the point as one whose attention has been occupied with the subject some thirty-three years ago?

At page 445, we read as follows:"Thus it appears that the ruling love of the unregenerate man, which is seated N. S. No. 160.-VOL. XIV.

in his natural mind, has its disordered proprium; and the ruling love of the regenerate man, seated in his spiritual mind, has its heavenly proprium; and he also has his natural proprium, but in a renewed and vivified state, so that its appropriation, in desire and operation, are in harmony with those of his spiritual affections. He likewise has his removed fallen proprium, but in a state of rejection and abhorrence, like the fallen affections to which it belongs."

There are at least three, if not four, distinct kinds of proprium introduced; but my difficulty lies not here. Six lines below, we read of "an indignant feeling of resistance" arising in the mind of one whose opinion is opposed, whether that opinion has been "adopted,” or made his own by "any other means." The aforementioned "indignant feeling" is also said to be "prejudice." Here then commences my difficulty. How am I to understand this? To which of the above propriums does it legitimately belong? To which of them is it a 66 constant adjunct?" Supposing the "other means"

U

Nor am I aware that our enlightened author uses the Latin term for prejudice in a good sense in any of his writings; neither does it occur at all in the translation, in the lucid extracts on proprium given by the writer of the article alluded to; so that it appears to me to be the introduction of a new phasis of doctrine (so to speak) in the illustration of what E. S. calls proprium. The meaning of the writer, placed in another form, may, in all probability, be rendered more clear and satisfactory, if he will oblige me by so doing; and with all due respect I wait the result of this application. Newcastle-on-Tyne.

by which the person formed his opinion, to be rational and truthful, and not merely by adoption, consequently a right and consistent opinion, originating in good affections, and a love for the truth; I ask, how can "an indignant feeling of resistance" be predicable of such a state of mind? It cannot arise from the heavenly proprium: and the fallen one is said to be "in a state of rejection and abhorrence." Here then, it appears to me that the term Firmness would be better adapted, as explicative of that tenacity of purpose, as well as in some other parts. ("Firm in the cause of truth be found.") For, of course, I take the words "indignant" and "prejudice," in their common and general acceptation; the A COMPLETE LIBRARY OF NEW CHURCH first as meaning angry, raging; (hence indignation, i. e. anger mingled with contempt and disgust;") and the second term (prejudice) as meaning "judgment formed beforehand, without examina. tion." See the first term depicted in the following line:

66

"Rage gnaw'd the lip, and anger mov'd the tongue."

I candidly confess my inability, at present, to reconcile the inferences with the premises in this part of the article, and at the same time retain the idea of the definition of the terms as just given. Again. If instead of the word prejudice (in the sense of "an indignant feeling") I substitute the word firmness, the matter appears to me in a more reconcileable light. The following quotations may, probably, in some degree, serve to exemplify my meaning :

"Then let not man be proud; but firm of mind; Bear the best humbly,—to the worst resigned." "Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made you free."

"Hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."

By so doing, Christian firmness is plainly
manifested, or stability of principle and
character; but I cannot conceive that it
is necessarily allied to, much less one
with indignation; for, to my mind's eye,
they present anything but the aspect of
twin brothers,-indeed anything but
homogeneity in principle or quality. I
can readily conceive the possibility of
maintaining a firmness of mind without
indulging in the least feeling of pride,
ill will, contempt, or disgust, towards an
opponent; and this is perfectly consis-
tent with "6
a predetermination to hold
the truth against all the assaults of
falsehood."

To the Editor.

WORKS.

J. C.

SIR,-I believe our friends in Cincinnati have been labouring to form a complete New Church library, consisting of every book, magazine, and pamphlet that has ever been printed, either in the English or any other language, that has relation to our doctrines. I wish them success, and should be glad to see a similar effort made in this country. A library of this description in a generation or two would become invaluable. The time will come when the early literature of the New Church will be much sought into. Even now we treasure up scarce copies of old works, not more for their merit than from a desire to see in what form truth presented itself to our forefathers. Doubtless this will increase as the works become older; we should, therefore, while we are able, gather up the fragments which still remain, and place them in some position in which they may be preserved and constantly increased, and where they would be accessible to the future intellects of the Church. The only difficulty would be in getting together all that has gone before us. The living authors, and most likely every future author, would present a copy of their works to such a library. If the effort were made, it is probable that it would be sustained. Those who are in possession of scarce works, if they are wishful to preserve them for the future use of the Church, will no doubt perceive that a public library of the kind contemplated, is much more likely to effect this than any private one. At all events, the effort would not be without its advantages,

« AnteriorContinua »