Secrets of Heaven Series
About Swedenborg’s Secrets of Heaven (Arcana Cœlestia) Series
In the multi-volume work Secrets of Heaven, Swedenborg unpacks the inner meaning of the books of Genesis and Exodus.
The majority of the book of Genesis focuses on the stories of the four patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Swedenborg covers this material in volumes 2-9 of Secrets of Heaven, meticulously exploring the spiritual meaning of every detail.
Swedenborg sees the Bible as fractal: the stories of the patriarchs are at once a picture of Jesus’s inner process of spiritual development, through his life in this world, as well as a map for our own regeneration.
The spiritual journey of awakening, according to Swedenborg, is one of a gradual alignment of the levels in our spirit. Each patriarch and his story corresponds to the activity of an individual level within us. When the alignment between levels is fully accomplished, which occurs when Joseph is finally reunited with his brothers, especially Benjamin, then the inflow of love and wisdom from the divine reaches our outermost parts and there is “heaven on earth.”
NCE “Deluxe” and “Portable” Volumes
Secrets of Heaven was originally published as eight volumes in Latin, 1749–1756.
Deluxe: collectible, scholarly texts with contextualizing essays and annotations alongside the translations.
Portable: the translation only, including Swedenborg’s original footnotes.
The full Secrets of Heaven NCE series will have fifteen total volumes, and is expected to be completed by 2027.
