“The texts of Scripture should not be taken literally. In every expression, in every word contained in biblical texts, there is an inner meaning. And the task of man is to decipher and reflect on the hidden secrets of biblical texts. Only in this way can the true meaning of Scripture and our existence be understood,” — this opinion was expressed back in the 18th century by the Swedish scientist Emanuel Swedenborg.
The breadth of knowledge of this man is impressive. Emanuel Swedenborg was a specialist in many sciences. He published his works on a wide range of disciplines – from metallurgy to biology. In his books, the scientist tried to explain the origin of the Universe, the structure of all things, and long before the discovery of the atom, he argued that our world consists of the smallest particles.
When the scientist was 56 years old, he had a vision. From that day on, according to Emanuel Swedenborg, the Creator began to speak to him. He allegedly chose the scientist to explain to people through him the hidden meaning of the Scriptures, as well as what awaits a person after death, and how the spiritual world is arranged.
He wrote about 30 volumes in which he described in detail the structure of the spiritual world, interpreted the hidden meaning of the Bible, and recounted his conversations with angels and spirits.
The incident that brought fame
“I began to receive messages in April 1744. From that time on, the world of spirits opened up to me with all clarity. I decided to abandon any work on earthly sciences and devoted my writings to spiritual matters,” wrote Emanuel Swedenborg in his diary about a turning point in his life.
According to the scientist, he received messages not only from the Creator. Swedenborg also had the ability to communicate with the inhabitants of another world. Thanks to this, he gained the fame of a seer.
The first case of prediction occurred to Swedenborg while he was visiting a merchant. During dinner, the scientist suddenly got up from the table and went out into the garden. He returned extremely excited. Swedenborg informed the guests that there had been a great fire in Stockholm. This news alarmed those present, since some of them had real estate in Stockholm – the scientist himself had his own house there.
However, the guests were unsure whether to be concerned and trust Emanuel Swedenborg's statements. It was hard for those sitting at the table to believe that one of the guests could suddenly see events taking place four hundred kilometers away. However, Swedenborg soon announced that the fire had been extinguished. It had stopped not far from the scientist's house.
Later, the guests received confirmation of this event. Messengers from Stockholm rushed to them with the news. It was this incident that brought Swedenborg fame. From that time on, various people began to contact the scientist, begging him to help solve this or that problem through contact with the inhabitants of the other world.
Once, a widow, Madame Marteville, approached the scientist. Shortly before his death, this woman’s husband had ordered an expensive silver service. The order had been paid for, but the unscrupulous jeweler claimed otherwise. Madame Marteville searched the entire house in search of a receipt. Not finding one, the woman decided to turn to Swedenborg. The scientist, having talked with her deceased husband, helped the widow find the receipt.
But this is all earthly vanity. Let us digress from it to get acquainted with the messages about the structure of another world that Emmanuel Swedenborg received.
How Swedenborg described the path of the soul and the other world
Swedenborg argued that the biblical texts are a collection of allegories that man is capable of deciphering.
In the natural world (as the scientist called earthly life), the human soul “puts on” – this is our organic body. It covers the soul, and in itself is dead. When the body wears out, like clothing, the soul is freed from it and emigrates to the spiritual world. Swedenborg said that only the body can wear out, but not the soul, because the former is a natural entity, and the latter is spiritual.
According to the scientist, every inhabitant of the spiritual world receives what he is accustomed to in earthly life. Reality here is divided into many levels. Depending on the image of earthly life and interests, the human soul goes to one or another level. The choice of sphere, as well as the movement from one level to another, according to Swedenborg, depends not on the arbitrariness of the Creator, but on the inner state of the soul itself.
Emanuel Swedenborg claimed that all of this could be read in the Scriptures if one deciphered the inner meaning of the biblical texts. In his books, the scholar focused on individual expressions from the Bible and explained what they meant.
It is not difficult to guess that many of Swedenborg's contemporaries considered him crazy. However, there were also those who treated the scientist with interest.
Among them, for example, was the philosopher Immanuel Kant. He was interested in the stories of Swedenborg’s clairvoyance and even verified them. However, he later wrote a book called “Dreams of a Seer Explained by Dreams of Metaphysics,” in which he ridiculed Swedenborg and his visions, although he admitted that he could not completely refute some of the facts.
And the famous theologian John Wesley dreamed of meeting the scientist in person. He expressed this proposal in a letter to Swedenborg. However, Wesley received an unexpected response.
In the letter, Emanuel Swedenborg reported: “You write to me that you wish to visit me after a six-month journey. However, the date of the meeting is too late. In half a year I will no longer be among the living. I will finally leave this world and pass into the world of spirits on March 29.”
And so it was. Swedenborg departed on the appointed day. According to his family, he left this world without fear or anxiety.
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