Genesis 9–15
By Emanuel Swedenborg
Translated by Lisa Hyatt Cooper
Swedenborg’s first major theological work, Secrets of Heaven, reveals the unseen realms that await beyond death. In this second of fifteen volumes, Swedenborg discusses the nature of heaven and the perceptions of the spirits that live there. In addition, the work offers a detailed examination of Genesis 9–15, including the story of the tower of Babel.
Deluxe hardcover, 608 pages
Portable paperback and e-book, 512 pages
Description
Secrets of Heaven is a verse-by-verse exposition of Genesis and Exodus, showing the correspondences (connections through symbol between the material and spiritual world) in which, according to Swedenborg’s analysis, the Bible is written. Each chapter includes embedded sections describing Swedenborg’s spiritual experiences and expounding his theological views. This book series is Swedenborg’s largest and in many ways most challenging title, but it contains abundant points of interest to reward the adventurous reader. In addition to a deep exploration of biblical inner meaning, it presents Swedenborg’s transcendent visions of heaven and correspondingly horrific views of hell; his reports on the process of dying and entering life after death; his spiritual anthropology (specifically, his descriptions of the spiritual state of the earliest people); and his views on many other topics, including the correspondences of the organs and systems of the human body, the theory of a higher and more perfect level of memory above our conscious memory, the existence and nature of human life on other planets, the dual nature of visions and dreams, and the nature of the human mind and its developmental stages.
Volume 2 provides the inner meaning of Genesis 9–15. Here the rise of a new and major religious culture is symbolized by the story of Noah and his descendants, and the eventual collapse of that culture by the destruction of the tower of Babel. After this point a shift in focus occurs: the inner meaning now concerns the spiritual aspects of Jesus’s life. The literal story continues with Abram’s call to Canaan, symbolizing Jesus’s first realization of his divine purpose. Within this volume Swedenborg also completes his description of hell and addresses the nature of time, space, language, and the Bible in the spiritual world.
About the Deluxe Edition
A Disclosure of Secrets of Heaven Contained in Sacred Scripture, or the Word of the Lord; Here First Those in Genesis, Together with Amazing Things Seen in the World of Spirits and in the Heaven of Angels, volume 2, by Emanuel Swedenborg. Originally published by Swedenborg in London in 1750. Translated by Lisa Hyatt Cooper. This Deluxe volume includes a series editor’s preface by Jonathan S. Rose; a translator’s preface; an explanation of conventions used in the series, along with a list of works by Swedenborg referred to in the volume; the newly translated text of Swedenborg’s work; fifty-nine pages of endnotes by Lisa Hyatt Cooper, George F. Dole, David N. Gyllenhaal, Kristin King, Robert H. Kirven, John L. Odhner, Jonathan S. Rose, Fitzhugh L. Shaw, Stuart Shotwell, Richard Smoley, and Lee S. Woofenden; a bibliography of works cited in the notes; an index to the notes; and a biographical note on Swedenborg. 2013.
Reviews
“With regard to Swedenborg’s Secrets of Heaven, there never was a time more pressing than now to understand that the internal spiritual meaning of the Christian Bible refers not to the special dispensation of one sect, but to the evolution of a higher spiritual consciousness within each individual.”
—Eugene Taylor, Ph.D., director of the Cambridge Institute of Psychology and Religion
About the New Century Edition
The New Century Edition of the Works of Emanuel Swedenborg presents a modern-language, scholarly translation of Swedenborg’s theological works. The series’ easy-to-read style retains the dignity, variety, clarity, and gender-inclusive language of Swedenborg’s original Latin, bringing his thought to life. Introductions and annotations by eminent, international scholars place Swedenborg’s writings in their historical context and illuminate obscure references within the text, enabling readers to understand and trace Swedenborg’s influence as never before.
Learn more about the New Century Edition
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Contents of the Deluxe Edition
Series Editor’s Preface, by Jonathan S. Rose
Translator’s Preface, by Lisa Hyatt Cooper
Short Titles and Other Conventions Used in This Work
Volume 2
Genesis Chapter 9
§947–970 / The Hells (Continued): A Different Set Than Those Already Mentioned
Text of Genesis Chapter 9
§971–976 / Summary of Genesis 9
§977–1105 / Inner Meaning of Genesis 9
§1106–1113 / Spiritual Devastation
Genesis Chapter 10
§1114–1129 / The Earliest Church, Called “Humankind,” or Adam
Text of Genesis Chapter 10
§1130–1138 / Summary of Genesis 10
§1139–1264 / Inner Meaning of Genesis 10
§1265–1272 / The Pre-Flood People Who Died Out
Genesis Chapter 11
§1273–1278 / Location in the Universal Human; in Addition, Place and Distance in the Other Life
Text of Genesis Chapter 11
§1279–1282 / Summary of Genesis 11
§1283–1375 / Inner Meaning of Genesis 11
§1376–1382 / Location and Place in the Other Life; Distance and Time There as Well (Continued)
Genesis Chapter 12
§1383–1400 / The Ability of Spirits and Angels to Perceive Things; Auras in the Other Life
Text of Genesis Chapter 12
§1401–1402 / Summary of Genesis 12
§1403–1502 / Inner Meaning of Genesis 12
§1504–1520 / Perception and Auras in the Other Life (Continued)
Genesis Chapter 13
§1521–1534 / The Light in Which Angels Live
Text of Genesis Chapter 13
§1535–1539 / Summary of Genesis 13
§1540–1618 / Inner Meaning of Genesis 13
§1619–1633 / The Light in Which Angels Live (Continued); Their Magnificent Gardens and Their Dwellings
Genesis Chapter 14
§1634–1650 / The Way Spirits and Angels Talk
Text of Genesis Chapter 14
§1651–1658 / Summary of Genesis 14
§1659–1756 / Inner Meaning of Genesis 14
§1757–1764 / The Way Spirits Talk (Continued) and How It Varies
Genesis Chapter 15
§1767–1777 / Sacred Scripture, or the Word, Which Conceals a Divine Message That Lies Open to the View of Good Spirits and Angels
Text of Genesis Chapter 15
§1778–1782 / Summary of Genesis 15
§1783–1868 / Inner Meaning of Genesis 15
§1869–1879 / Sacred Scripture, or the Word (Continued)
§1880–1885 / [The Senses of Spirits and Angels; and Two Uncommon Kinds of Visions]
Notes and Index
Notes
Works Cited in the Notes
Index to Notes
Biographical Note
Additional information
Author | Emanuel Swedenborg |
---|---|
Translator | Lisa Hyatt Cooper |
Format | deluxe hardcover, portable e-book, portable paperback |
ISBN | 978-0-87785-411-1, 978-0-87785-487-6, 978-0-87785-607-8 |
Release Date | September 2013 |
Series | New Century Edition |