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Secrets of Heaven volume 6 cover

Secrets of Heaven Vol. 6: New Century Edition

Genesis 31–35

By Emanuel Swedenborg
Translated by Lisa Hyatt Cooper

Secrets of Heaven is Emanuel Swedenborg’s magnum opus, a fifteen-volume work that delves into the inner, spiritual meaning of the biblical books of Genesis and Exodus. This new translation, part of the New Century Edition series, makes Swedenborg’s insights into Scripture and his accounts of his spiritual experiences more accessible than ever before. The sixth volume interprets events of Genesis 31–35, such as Jacob’s wrestling with God, as symbolic of Jesus’s struggles on his path toward divinity. In a series of essays accompanying each chapter, Swedenborg also describes the true meaning of the Last Judgment and the symbolism of the human body.

This new translation, part of the New Century Edition series, makes his insights into Scripture and his accounts of his spiritual experiences more accessible than ever before.

Portable paperback and e-book, 398 pages.

PAPER $29.95EPUB $25.45Free PDF

Also available on Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Barnes & Noble Nook

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Description

Secrets of Heaven is Emanuel Swedenborg’s magnum opus, a fifteen-volume work that delves into the inner, spiritual meaning of the Bible. Starting from the first verse, Swedenborg goes through Genesis and Exodus verse by verse, sometimes word by word, uncovering the fascinating teachings behind the literal account. By doing careful comparison of passages and tracing individual images and motifs through the Bible, he demonstrates that it contains a profound, coherent, and unified inner meaning.

Volume 6 interprets the inner narrative of Genesis 31–35, in which Jacob leaves Laban’s house, wrestles with God, and reunites with Esau. These acts are each symbolic of the inner separations, struggles, and unifications that Jesus accomplished on his path to divinity. Swedenborg continues to explore two themes found in previous volumes: the Last Judgment as the ending of an old church and the beginning of a new church, and the correlation between human individuals and the “universal human.”

This new translation, part of the New Century Edition series, makes Swedenborg’s insights into Scripture and his accounts of his spiritual experiences more accessible than ever before.

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 with the leading scientists of the time. He gained favor with Sweden’s King Charles XII, who gave him the position of overseer of the Swedish mining industry. Later, he was given 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.

Lisa Hyatt Cooper is translator of the fifteen-volume Secrets of Heaven for the Swedenborg Foundation’s New Century Edition of the Works of Emanuel Swedenborg. Her past publications include a Latin edition of Swedenborg’s work Other Planets. She contributed translations to Debates with Devils by Donald L. Rose and was the main consultant for five of the twelve volumes of John Elliott’s translation of Arcana Caelestia, published by the Swedenborg Society in London.

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

New Century Edition Subscriptions

If you would like to receive each hardcover Deluxe volume as it comes out, you can become a New Century Edition subscriber.

All subscribers get 30% off the purchase price. Instead of $29.95 per volume, you will be billed $20.95, plus shipping.

If you become a member of the Swedenborg Foundation for $25, you will also receive an additional 20% discount on this and all other purchases of books published by the Swedenborg Foundation when you order from us. When ordered as part of a subscription, the New Century Edition volumes will then cost $14.95 each, plus shipping.

To enroll for a subscription, phone the Foundation at 610-430-3222, ext 109, or e-mail us at info@swedenborg.com. Include your name, address, city, state, zip, home phone, work phone, and e-mail address with your request. Please also let us know whether or not you wish to purchase any of the volumes that have already been published. You may subscribe for the full series or only for the remaining volumes that have not yet been published.

With a subscription, you will receive with our compliments the companion to the New Century Edition, sold separately for $29.95: Emanuel Swedenborg: Essays for the New Century Edition on His Life, Works, and Impact. You may cancel your subscription at any time without penalty and keep the premium Essays volume as our gift.

Contents of the Portable Edition

Volume 6

Genesis Chapter 31

§§4056–4060 / [Matthew 24:29–31]
Text of Genesis Chapter 31
§4061 / Summary of Genesis 31
§§4062–4217 / Inner Meaning of Genesis 31
§§4218–4228 / The Universal Human and Correspondence (Continued)

Genesis Chapter 32

§§4229–4231 / [Matthew 24:32–35]
Text of Genesis Chapter 32
§4232 / Summary of Genesis 32
§§4233–4317 / Inner Meaning of Genesis 32
§§4318–4331 / The Universal Human and Correspondence (Continued):
Correspondence with the Senses in General

Genesis Chapter 33

§§4332–4335 / [Matthew 24:36–41]
Text of Genesis Chapter 33
§4336 / Summary of Genesis 33
§§4337–4402 / Inner Meaning of Genesis 33
§§4403–4421 / The Universal Human and Correspondence (Continued):
Correspondence with the Eye and Light

Genesis Chapter 34

§§4422–4424 / [Matthew 24:42–51]
Text of Genesis Chapter 34
§4425 / Summary of Genesis 34
§§4426–4522 / Inner Meaning of Genesis 34
§§4523–4534 / Correspondence of the Eye and Light with the Universal
Human (Continued)

Genesis Chapter 35

§4535 / [The Close of the Age]
Text of Genesis Chapter 35
§4536 / Summary of Genesis 35
§§4537–4621 / Inner Meaning of Genesis 35
§§4622–4634 / Correspondence with the Universal Human (Continued):
Correspondence of Smells and the Nose

Biographical Note

Additional information

Author

Emanuel Swedenborg
Translator

Lisa Hyatt Cooper
Format

portable e-book, portable paperback
ISBN

978-0-87785-422-7, 978-0-87785-728-0
Length

Portable: 398
Series

New Century Edition

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