A Swedenborg Sampler: Selections from Heaven and Hell, Divine Love and Wisdom, Divine Providence, True Christianity, and Secrets of Heaven

by Emanuel Swedenborg, George F. Dole (Translator), Lisa Hyatt Cooper (Translator), Jonathan S. Rose (Translator)

Overview

Swedish scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg wrote volumes upon volumes based on the understanding he gained through visits to the spiritual world and from conversations with its inhabitants. For new readers of Swedenborg, knowing where to start and what to read can present an insurmountable task. This volume is a good starting point and provides samples of some of his most powerful writings, now available in new, contemporary translations.

What happens to our souls after we die? What is the afterlife like? What is the nature of God? Of evil? What can we do during our lives to help guide us to heaven? What kinds of answers can we find in the Bible? Selections from some of Swedenborg’s most popular works—Heaven and Hell, Divine Love and Wisdom, Divine Providence, Secrets of Heaven, and True Christianity—answer these questions and more.

Ideal for those new to Swedenborg’s theology, A Swedenborg Sampler offers tastes from a rich smorgasbord of spiritual insight.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780877856153
Publisher:	Swedenborg Foundation Publishers
Publication date:	06/01/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	516 KB

About the Author

Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) was a Swedish scientist, nobleman, and theologian who spent his life investigating the mysteries of the soul. Born in Stockholm to a staunchly Lutheran family, he graduated from the University of Uppsala and then traveled to England, Holland, France, and Germany to study the leading scientists of the time. He gained favor with Sweden’s King Charles XII, who gave him a position on the board of overseers of the Swedish mining industry. Later, he was granted a seat on the Swedish House of Nobles by Charles XII’s successor, Queen Ulrika Eleonora. Between 1743 and 1745 he began to have visions of heaven, hell, and Jesus Christ which resulted in a stream of books about the nature of God, the afterlife, and the inner meaning of the Bible. He devoted the last decades of his life to studying Scripture and presenting his own unique theology to the world.

Read an Excerpt

Evils cannot be set aside unless they come to light. This does not mean that we have to act out our evils in order to bring them to light but that we need to look carefully not only at our actions but also at our thoughts, at what we would do if it were not for our fear of laws and of ill repute. We need to look especially at which evils we see as permissible in our spirit and do not regard as sins, for eventually we do them.

It is for this self-examination that we have been given discernment, a discernment separate from our volition, so that we can know, discern, and recognize what is good and what is evil. It is also so that we can see what the real nature of our volition is — that is, what we love and what we desire. It is to enable us to see this that our discernment has been given both higher and lower thought processes, both more inward and more outward thought processes. It is so that we can use the higher or more inward thoughts to see what our volition is up to in our lower or outer thoughts. We see this the way we see our face in a mirror; and when we see and recognize what a sin is, then if we want to and ask the Lord for help, we can stop intending it, abstain from it, and later act against it. If we cannot go through this process easily, we can still make it  happen by trying to go through it so that finally we reject that evil and detest it. Then for the first time we actually sense and feel that evil is evil and good is good.

[From Divine Providence]

Table of Contents

Contents Appendix: Theological Works Published by Emanuel Swedenborg Introduction About Heaven and Hell What the World of Spirits Is Each of Us Is Inwardly a Spirit Our Revival from the Dead and Entry into Eternal Life After Death, We Are in a Complete Human Form After Death, We Enjoy Every Sense, Memory, Thought, and Affection We Had in the World: We Leave Nothing Behind except Our Earthly Body Our Nature after Death Depends on the Kind of Life We Led in the World After Death, the Pleasures of Everyone’s Life Are Turned into Things That Correspond About Divine Love and Wisdom [The Spiritual Sun] About Divine Providence Evils Are Permitted for a Purpose: Salvation Divine Providence Is for Evil People and Good People Alike About True Christianity Goodwill (or Loving Our Neighbor) and Good Actions There Are Three Universal Categories of Love: Love for Heaven; Love for the World; and Love for Ourselves When the Three Universal Categories of Love Are Prioritized in the Right Way They Improve Us; When They Are Not Prioritized in the Right Way They Damage Us and Turn Us Upside Down All Individual Members of Humankind Are the Neighbor We Are to Love, but [in Different Ways] Depending on the Type of Goodness They Have The Neighbor We Are to Love Is Humankind on a Wider Scale in the Form of Smaller and Larger Communities and Humankind in the Aggregate as a Country of Such Communities On an Even Higher Level, the Neighbor We Are to Love Is the Church, and on the Highest Level, Our Neighbor Is the Lord’s Kingdom Loving Our Neighbor Is Not in Fact Loving the Person but Loving the Goodness That Is inside the Person Goodwill and Good Actions Are Two Distinct Things: Wishing People Well and Treating Them Well Goodwill Itself Is Acting Justly and Faithfully in Our Position and Our Work and with the People with Whom We Interact Acts of Kindness Related to Goodwill Consist in Giving to the Poor and Helping the Needy, Although with Prudence The First Step toward Goodwill Is Removing Evils; the Second Step Is Doing Good Things That Are Useful to Our Neighbor As Long as We Believe That Everything Good Comes from the Lord, We Do Not Take Credit for the Things We Do As We Practice Goodwill A Life of Goodwill Is a Moral Life That Is Also Spiritual About Secrets of Heaven The Essential Nature of the Word Summary of Genesis 1 The Inner Meaning of Genesis 1 Content and Mode in the Word