Who was Swedenborg?
The life-guiding principles provided by eighteenth-century mystic and spiritual explorer Emanuel Swedenborg have inspired some of the world’s greatest minds and souls–Helen Keller, D. T. Suzuki, and Ralph Waldo Emerson, to name a few–as well as countless numbers of everyday people searching for truths on their spiritual journey.
The life of Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) was defined by his attempt to understand how the universe works. After a youth spent studying everything from astronomy and mechanical engineering to anatomy, his deep faith led him into direct contact with the spiritual world. From midlife onward, he devoted himself to writing about his new understanding of life, the Lord, and the Bible, in the hopes of bringing a message of spiritual hope and comfort to the world.
Swedenborg published more than three million words about his experiences in the spiritual world and the complex theology he learned there. For a quick summary of the main themes he wrote about, this page has an overview with links to more in-depth articles and other resources on key topics.
Want to dig into Swedenborg’s writings, but not sure where to start? This page includes some introductory videos, links to books that provide a good overview of his theology, and some of his most popular works. You can find a complete list of his theological works, with descriptions, on the Swedenborg’s Writings & Publications page.
Swedenborg’s writings were read by artists, writers, philosophers, social activists, and people from all walks of life, and his influence shows up in places you might not expect.
From a young age, Swedenborg wrote on a wide variety of technical and scientific topics, including theories on astronomy and anatomy that were far ahead of their time.
