Новая церковь (или сведенборгианство ) может относиться к любой из нескольких исторически связанных христианских конфессий , развившихся под влиянием богословия Эммануила Сведенборга (1688–1772). Сведенборгианская традиция считается частью реставраторского христианства . [1]
Сочинения Сведенборга сосредоточены на повествовании об историческом упадке христианства из-за утраты «внутреннего смысла» Священного Писания до чисто экзотерического понимания веры. [2] В этом состоянии вера и добрые дела становятся внешними проявлениями, мотивированными страхом перед адом, желанием материальных благ, личного признания и другими мирскими вещами, лишенными истинной духовной сущности. [3] Сведенборг также много писал о спасении через процесс «возрождения» (а не только через веру или действия), в ходе которого люди принимают божественную истину от Господа в свое «внутреннее я» (или высшие способности), контролируя «внешнее (или земное) я, помещая свою высшую любовь в добро и истину, а не в мирские желания, зло и ложь, которые им служат [4] .
Из этого следует, что христианство в его нынешнем состоянии, как его описывает Сведенборг, не способствует возрождению человека, способствуя предполагаемому падению человечества в невежество и грех. Сведенборг считал, что началось духовное второе пришествие Христа, ознаменовавшее начало Новой церкви и предлагающее обновленный путь к возрождению. [5]
Новая Церковь представляет богословие, построенное на этих верованиях, и, хотя она представляет множество идей и тем, высказанных различными ранними и современными христианскими мыслителями и богословами, традиция расходится со стандартным христианством не только в своей эсхатологии, но прежде всего в отказе от идеи троицы личностей от вечности как политеистической , [6] вместо этого утверждая, что Христос родился с «божественным разумом» или «душой» и человеческим телом, оправдывая его особую индивидуальность и прославляя его человеческую форму через кенозис . Новая церковь оказала влияние на несколько других духовных и философских движений, включая «Новую мысль» и американский трансцендентализм . [7]
Хотя Сведенборг в своих работах говорил о «Новой церкви», основанной на представленной им теологии, он никогда не пытался создать такую организацию. Сведенборг анонимно опубликовал некоторые из своих богословских работ; его труды продвигали одну универсальную церковь, основанную на любви и милосердии, а не несколько церквей, названных в честь их основателей и основанных на вере или доктрине. [8]
В 1768 году в Швеции начался судебный процесс по делу о ереси против сочинений Сведенборга и двух человек, которые их пропагандировали; Суд поставил под сомнение соответствие богословских сочинений Сведенборга христианской доктрине. Королевский указ 1770 года объявил, что его сочинения «явно ошибочны» и их не следует преподавать, но его богословие никогда не исследовалось. [9]
Клерикальным сторонникам Сведенборга было приказано прекратить использовать его учение, а таможенникам было приказано конфисковать его книги и прекратить их распространение в любом районе, если ближайшая консистория не даст разрешения. Сведенборг просил короля о милости и защите в письме из Амстердама; новое расследование его дела застопорилось и было прекращено в 1778 году .
На момент смерти Сведенборга было предпринято мало усилий для создания организованной церкви. Однако 7 мая 1787 года (через 15 лет после его смерти) движение Новой церкви было основано в Англии, где Сведенборг часто бывал и где он умер. К 1789 году по всей Англии возникло множество церквей, а в апреле того же года в Грейт-Истчипе в Лондоне состоялась первая Генеральная конференция Новой Церкви. Новые церковные идеи были привезены в Соединенные Штаты миссионерами, одним из которых был Джон Чепмен (Джонни Эпплсид). [10]
Первые миссионеры также путешествовали по некоторым частям Африки . Сведенборг считал, что «африканская раса» находится «в большей просвещенности, чем другие на этой земле, поскольку они таковы, что мыслят более «внутренне», и поэтому принимают истины и признают их». [11] Африканское просвещение считалось либеральной концепцией в то время, и сведенборгианцы принимали освобожденных африканцев в своих домах еще в 1790 году. Некоторые сведенборгианцы также были аболиционистами . [12]
Оккультизм становился все более популярным в 19 веке (особенно в Соединенных Штатах , [13] Франции и Англии ), и некоторые последователи смешали сочинения Сведенборга с теософией , каббалой , алхимией и гаданием . Мистическая сторона Сведенборга очаровала их; они сосредоточились на «Рае и аде» , в котором описываются посещения Сведенборгом « Рая и ада», чтобы испытать (и сообщить о) тамошние условия. По структуре оно было родственно «Божественной комедии» Данте .
Церковь США была организована в 1817 году с основанием Общего собрания Новой церкви (иногда сокращаемого до «Конвенции»), теперь также известного как Сведенборгианская церковь Северной Америки . [14] Движение в Соединенных Штатах усиливалось до конца 19 века, и в Кембридже существовала Школа богословия Новой Церкви . [15] Споры по поводу доктрины и авторитета сочинений Сведенборга привели к отделению фракции и созданию Академии Новой Церкви. Позже она стала известна как Генеральная церковь Нового Иерусалима , иногда называемая Генеральной церковью, со штаб-квартирой в Брин-Атине, штат Пенсильвания (пригород Филадельфии ). Другие общины чувствовали доктринальную необходимость присоединиться к Общей церкви с самого ее основания. Две общины Конвенции в Канаде (одна в Торонто, другая в Китченере) и две общины Британской конференции – Церковь Михаила в Лондоне и Новая церковь Колчестера – присоединились к Общей церкви. [16] [17]
Аделаидское общество Новой церкви в Аделаиде , в колонии Южная Австралия . была основана Джейкобом Питманом , Уильямом Холденом и Смитом Оуэном Смитом и их семьями в 1844 году. [18] 11 июля 1852 года на Кэррингтон-стрит открылась сведенборгианская церковь , в которой Питман служил министром до 1859 года. [19] [20] [ 21] Пик популярности прихода пришелся на 1890-е годы, когда на Хэнсон-стрит была построена новая церковь. В 1971 году в Варрадейле была построена новая церковь в стиле, который в будущем можно было бы превратить в дом. [18]
По состоянию на 2000 год [update]самые последние данные о членстве в четырех церковных организациях были: [22]
Членство в Новой церкви всегда было небольшим, и организации активно занимались издательской деятельностью.
Новая Церковь имеет две основные доктрины. Во-первых, существует один Бог, Иегова , который воплотился в образе Иисуса, чтобы искупить человечество. [23]
Второе — обязанность жить по его заповедям. «Есть две основы, которые составляют церковь, и, следовательно, две основные вещи учения: одна, что Человечность Господа божественна; другая, что любовь к Господу и милосердие к ближнему составляют церковь, а не вера, отделенная от любви. и благотворительность». [24] Эти «две вещи: признание Господа и жизнь в соответствии с заповедями Декалога [ …] являются двумя основными чертами Новой Церкви». [25]
Приверженцы верят, что эти две доктрины приводят к спасению и союзу с Иисусом. [26] «Все в учении Новой Церкви относится к этим двум, потому что они являются ее универсалиями, от которых зависят все частности, и ее существенностью, из которой вытекают все формальности» [27]
Если человек не знает доктрин, но верил в единого Бога и прожил жизнь любви к добру и истине, по мнению Сведенборга, он усвоит их после смерти. [28]
Универсальный принцип веры Новой Церкви заключается в том, что «Господь от вечности, который есть Иегова, пришёл в мир, чтобы подчинить себе ад и прославить Своё Человечество; и без этого ни один смертный не мог бы быть спасён; и спасаются те, кто верит в Он»: [29]
Универсальным принципом веры является то, что Бог един по существу и лично, в котором находится Божественная Троица, и что Он есть Господь Бог Спаситель Иисус Христос. Универсальный принцип веры заключается в том, что ни один смертный не мог бы быть спасен, если бы Господь не пришел в мир. Универсальным принципом веры является то, что Он пришел в мир, чтобы удалить ад от человека, и что Он удалил его посредством состязаний с ним и побед над ним, и тем самым Он подчинил его, привел его в порядок и сделал его послушным. ему самому. Универсальным принципом веры является то, что Он пришёл в мир, чтобы прославить Свою Человечность, которую Он принял в мире, то есть объединить её с Божественным, из которого [существует всё сущее], и тем самым Он вечно поддерживает ад в порядке. и под послушанием Ему. Поскольку это могло быть совершено только посредством искушений, допущенных в Его Человечность, даже до последнего из них, которым были крестные страсти, Он претерпел даже это. [29]
В этой доктрине Троица определяется как «три сущности единого Бога, и они составляют одно, как душа, тело и действие составляют одно в человеке. До сотворения мира этой Троицы не было; но после сотворения, когда Бог стал воплотившись, оно было предусмотрено и осуществлено, а затем в Господе Боге Искупителе и Спасителе Иисусе Христе». [6] Поскольку в каждом человеке существует троица тела, души и духа, это стало Святой Троицей в Иисусе. Учение о едином Боге как одной личности отличает Новую Церковь от других христианских церквей, большинство из которых определяют Троицу как три вечные личности. Новая Церковь считает тринитаризм нелогичным: «В идеях мысли Троица Божественных Личностей от вечности или до сотворения мира есть Троица Богов; и эти идеи не могут быть изгладены устным исповеданием единого Бога. " [6]
Монотеизм определяется как один Бог, который является одной личностью; поклоняются только Господу ( Иегове ). Поклонение Иисусу и вера в него не являются поклонением сотворенному существу: хотя он родился с человеческим телом, Новая Церковь считает, что его душа была вечно божественной. Когда он воскрес из мертвых , он отказался от человеческого тела, унаследованного им от Марии, и облекся в человеческое тело от божественности внутри него (известное в Новой Церкви как Божественный Человек). [30]
Согласно Сведенборгу, Бог-Отец — это внутренняя божественность, которая внешне проявилась в человеческой форме, известной как Сын . Поскольку приверженцы верят, что Господь един с Отцом, Молитва Господня обращена только к Господу. Во вступительной части «Отче наш, сущий на небесах, да святится имя Твое» «имя» — это все, чем поклоняются Богу (особенно Сыну, через которого к Нему обращаются). [31]
Согласно Новому Завету , Иисус иногда молился Отцу, а иногда объявлял себя единым с Отцом. Приверженцы Новой Церкви полагают, что это произошло потому, что Иисус в течение своей жизни продвигался к Богу, постепенно делая свое человеческое тело единым с божественным . [32]
Приверженцы Новой Церкви верят, что «Возрождение» приносит спасение. Возрождение — это процесс возрождения человека, перехода от «чувственно-ориентированной» греховной жизни, в которой он родился, к «духовной жизни», где человек делает добро и истину своей высшей любовью, а не мирскими удовольствиями, [4 ] и продолжает жить жизнью, полной пользы и любви. Бог воплотился как Христос, чтобы предоставить человеку путь к возрождению, поэтому истинная вера в Иисуса Христа ведет к спасению. [33]
Вера в Иисуса – это вера в видимого Бога. Иисус — это образ и форма невидимого Бога, на котором может сосредоточиться человеческий разум. [34] Согласно Новой церкви, Бог — это сам человек. [35] Если человек добр и следует истине, в этом человеке живет Бог (который становится его образом и подобием). [36] Новая Церковь считается «венцом всех предшествовавших ей церквей», поскольку невидимому Богу поклоняются в человеческом облике. [37]
Вера не определяется только как убеждение; Новая Церковь считает, что вера без милосердия — не вера, а милосердие без веры — не милосердие; таким образом переплетаются вера и милосердие. [38] Вера и милосердие сливаются воедино в добрых делах или покаянии. [39] Союз веры и милосердия является центральным принципом Новой Церкви; все существенное связано с божественной любовью и божественной мудростью, [40] а воля и разумение каждого человека есть вместилище Божией любви и мудрости. [41]
По мнению приверженцев Новой церкви, человек должен учиться истине и жить по ней; в союзе человечества с Господом, которому способствует принятие человеком божественной истины, вера становится живой и духовной. [42] Все заповеди о том, как следует жить, содержатся в Десяти заповедях . [43] Первым актом веры является покаяние: самоанализ, признание и определение своих грехов и отворачивание от них вместе со всем злом. [44]
Библия касается Бога и Его Царства. [45] Новая церковь имеет три столпа: божественность Бога, святость Библии и жизнь, наполненная добрыми делами. [46] Библия вдохновлена Богом; по мнению приверженцев, ее духовный смысл раскрылся в Новой Церкви через символическую переписку. [47] Буквальный смысл ее, подобный притче, скрывает внутренний, духовный смысл: «Истины смысла буквы Слова суть отчасти не голые истины, а суть видимости истины, и подобные подобия и сравнения суть взяты из того, что есть в природе; и, таким образом, являются такими, которые были приспособлены и приспособлены к возможностям простых людей, а также детей». [48]
Библию невозможно правильно понять без учения, и церковное учение должно подтверждаться ею. Учение могут знать только те, кто просвещен Богом, [49] а те, кто не просвещен, могут впасть в ересь . [50] Библия содержит божественную истину ; по мнению приверженцев Новой Церкви, читая ее, человек присоединяется к Богу и его ангелам. [51]
По мнению Сведенборга, человек рождается не в полной испорченности , а, скорее, в состоянии незнания чего-либо за пределами своего «внешнего я»; его пять чувств и стремление к мирским удовольствиям. В этом состоянии человек по рождению ставит свою главную любовь к мирским вещам, таким как богатство и эго, а не к Богу и ближнему, потому что у него нет знания духовных истин, которые заставили бы его любить эти вещи. [52] В этом состоянии «внутреннее я» человека (его высшие способности рациональности, воли, совести и т. д.) становится слугой внешнего «я» [4]
Спасение возможно через возрождение, процесс, в котором человек принимает божественную истину от Господа и с помощью этого знания может сделать любовь к Богу и ближнему своей высшей любовью вместо мирских вещей, преобразовав свое внутреннее и внешнее существо и родившись заново в состояние просветления, где «наше внутреннее я находится на небесах, и ангел среди ангелов, с которым мы будем жить после смерти». [53]
Приверженцы Новой Церкви верят, что человек рождается со свободной волей, и его способность выбирать между добром и злом проистекает из его духовного равновесия между раем и адом. Ад побуждает людей творить зло, а небеса побуждают их творить добро. Эта свобода от присущего контроля с той или иной стороны освобождает людей мыслить рационально, что может привести к духовной реформе путем признания зла в себе, прекращения творить зло и избегания его. [54] Этот выбор духовен, потому что каждая мысль и действие влияют на душу и разум. [55]
Man's salvation is heavily affected by spiritual forces. Truly good works join a person with angels, and evil joins them with evil spirits.[55] When divine truth is accepted and one has an evil desire, temptation (conflict) results. Although one must resist temptation, it is really a combat between God and the devil (or hell).[56] Thus, "He who thinks that he fights from himself against the devil is enormously deceived."[57]
Both Salvation and Condemnation are results of moral choices, based on intentions. Good acts are only considered good when evil is removed, that is to say they are done out of love for God (not for profit or honour, or any other earthly thing), otherwise they are only externally good and internally evil. Goodness comes only from God, who can conquer temptation (a continuous, lifelong process).
Remission of sins is their removal after repentance. Swedenborgianism detests the notions of Total depravity, and the traditional understandings of salvation through acts, and salvation through faith alone, through grace alone. New Church theology holds that man can desire good and must identify his sinful tendencies, push them aside in place of goodwill, and move from a state of overall ignorance and evil to overall enlightenment and goodness. Man should not simply accept his sinful state and expect faith or acts alone to guarantee him a place in heaven.[58]
Since, without the aid of divine truth, man remains in a state of Ignorance, the salvation of humanity has always required that a unifying connection between God and the minds of men is maintained through the "Word", or divine revelation of truths required for regeneration.[59] The “Church”, as a term, refers to any people, culture, or religion where "the Lord is acknowledged and the Word exists".[60] The term does not simply refer to Christendom. Christianity’s predecessor, Judaism, as well as all other faiths of the world, though imperfect, are or were, at one point, expressions of the Word. Anyone who believes in God and loves goodness and truth is part of the Church and may be regenerated.[61]
Swedenborg divides history into a series of churches, or stages of the Church, that were born and eventually “died”, that is to say, became “naturalistic” and devoid of spiritual truth, serving the fears and worldly desires of man rather than providing regeneration.[2][62] Because of this, the equilibrium between heaven and hell became more and more unbalanced towards the powers of hell prior to the coming of Christ, threatening the entire human race.[63]
It is for this reason that God took human form. By doing so, he could provide man with a means of regeneration through his teachings and fight hell directly; Jesus experienced temptation, conquered it, descended into hell, and defeated the forces of evil.[64]
The New Church differs from older Christian churches on the notion that Christ's death was redemption itself; "The belief that the passion of the cross was redemption itself is a fundamental error of the church; and that error, together with the error concerning three Divine persons from eternity, has perverted the whole church, so that nothing spiritual is left in it."[65] The crucifixion was the last temptation endured by Jesus.[66]
New Church adherents believe that there was no space and time before the universe was created, and the realm beyond space, time and material creation is the spiritual world. The spiritual world, which is divided between heaven and hell, is where the soul is realized. "All who die and become angels put off those two things proper to nature, which […] are space and time; for they enter then into spiritual light, in which the objects of thought are truths, and the objects of sight are similar to the objects in the natural world, but correspondent to their thoughts."[67] States of being replace time, love replaces space or distance, and perception of truth replaces material substance [68]
These correspondences to time, space, and substance fill the spiritual world with correspondences to things of the material world.[69] In heaven there are landscapes and cities appearing like those of earth, and in hell the landscape appears cavernous and filthy. The presence of the lord appears like a sun above in heaven, its light and heat are truth and goodness,[70] while hell is dark and cold. There are heavenly delights and acts of service to the neighbor, and hellish delights which bring about only suffering. The soul is given a new mind and body, or "a human form that is visible in the spiritual world [... where] Our spirit enjoys the abilities to see, hear, speak, and have sensations just as it did in this world, and is endowed every faculty of thinking, willing, and doing...".[71]
New Church adherents believe that the soul is the recipient of life from God, and the body is its clothing. The beginning of life (the soul) comes from the seed of the father, and the external body comes from the mother.[72] Since most Christians believe that Jesus was born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit, his soul was God itself and he always preexisted as Jehovah.[73] Since souls originate from the seed of the father, New Church adherents do not believe in reincarnation.[74]
Spirits and angels, through whom one approaches heaven or hell (depending on one's actions), are associated with a person during their life. Although direct communication between spirits and humans does not generally occur, it was more widespread in ancient times. Angels and spirits retain their memories from earthly and heavenly life (their earthly mental faculties of memory replaced with corresponding spiritual ones) and, in a mental state where communication is open, a person may experience a spirit's memory as if it were their own. This mental state (which may be achieved under hypnosis) resembles past life regression and was how some ancients came to believe in the preexistence of souls and reincarnation.[75] However, the New Church does not consider this to be true, instead believing that one lives only once, and how one lives this life determines one's eternal destiny. At death, the soul sheds the physical body, is born into a spiritual mind and body, and becomes aware of the spiritual society with which one's soul was associated.[76]
New Church adherents do not believe in purgatory; punishment occurs only in hell. Immediately after death, one enters the spirit world (in this case, meaning an intermediary state between heaven and hell) and awaits judgment of whether they will enter heaven or hell.[77] Since the evil try to appear good and the good retain false ideas, one remains in this intermediate state until they are examined.[78] Those who are profoundly good and know truth go immediately to heaven, and those who are profoundly evil flee from heaven’s perceived blinding light and burning heat, and go to hell.
Otherwise, one gradually withdraws from exterior appearances and fallacies into one's interior intentions and affections [79] "Thus hidden things are laid open and secret things are uncovered, according to the Lord's words: 'There is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, and hid that shall not be known: whatsoever ye have said in the darkness, shall be heard in the light, and what ye have spoken in the ear in closets, shall be preached on the housetops' (Luke 12:2-3). And in another place: 'I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment' (Matthew 12:36)."[80]
These intentions and affections determine whether one, in a state of absolute freedom from external controls, will be attracted by heavenly light or hellish delight. Ultimately, judgement is an unimpeded choice between heaven and hell; the good, by nature of their goodness, will choose heaven, and the evil, by nature of their evil, will choose hell.
When all external restraints are removed in the spirit world, nothing remains to stop evil spirits except punishment. Since evil spirits act in accordance with their nature, they are drawn towards hell:
Every evil brings with itself punishment, the two making one; whoever therefore is in evil, is also in the punishment of evil. But still no one in the other world suffers punishment on account of the evils which he had done in this world, but on account of the evils which he then does. Yet it amounts to the same, and is the same thing, whether it be said that men suffer punishment on account of their evils in the world, or that they suffer punishment on account of the evils which they do in the other life, inasmuch as every one after death returns into his own life, and thus into similar evils, his nature remaining the same as it had been in the life of the body. That they are punished, is because the fear of punishment is the only means of subduing evils in this state. Exhortation is no longer of any avail, neither instruction, nor the fear of the law and loss of reputation, since every one now acts from his nature, which cannot be restrained nor broken except by punishments.[81]
New Church adherents believe that God sends no one to heaven or hell; since hell is the internal state of evil and heaven the internal state of good, each person enters a state matching his or her internal nature.[81] Because every spirit joins the like-minded group after death in which it feels the most comfortable according to Swedenborg, hell is believed to be a place of happiness for the spirits which delight in evilness. Each person will remain eternally in accordance with their will or love.[82]
New Church adherents believe that heaven proceeds from God,[83] who is seen by the angels as the light of heaven and occasionally appears in angelic form.[84] Jesus said that he was the light of the world, and the apostles once saw his face shining like a sun. For this reason, the ancients aligned their temples with the rising sun.[70] In heaven, countless societies fulfill a particular purpose, each according to their love.[85]
Since angels and demons were human, angels have a human form. There is no individual devil (or Satan): "In the whole heaven there is not one angel who was so created from the beginning, nor in hell any devil who was created an angel of light and cast down; but that all, both in heaven and in hell, are from the human race; in heaven those who lived in the world in heavenly love and faith, in hell those who lived in infernal love and faith; and that hell taken as a whole is what is called the devil and satan."[86]
New Church adherents do not believe in an end of the world. The church has passed through several ages, each ending with a spiritual Last Judgement; the last of these occurred in 1757. Judgments also occurred at the time of Noah's Flood and Jesus' crucifixion. The purpose of the judgments is to separate good from evil in the intermediate spiritual world lying between heaven and hell. As a result of the judgments, a new age (or new church) begins among the people on earth. The New Church is a result of revelation.[87]
Four churches have preceded the New Church. The first was the "Most Ancient Church" before the flood, when contact with heaven was direct. The second was the "Ancient Church", following the flood, which was destroyed by idolatry. The third was Judaism, which began with the revelation of the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai. The fourth was Christianity, established by Jesus and his apostles, which divided into the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, and Protestantism.[88]
Adherents believe that the New Church, the final phase, is a renewal of Christianity based on Jesus' Second Coming.[89] It is the fulfilment of the prophecy of a New Jerusalem in the Book of Revelation.[90] Swedenborg said that the New Church would be established gradually, since the false beliefs of the former churches had to be set aside.[91]
The New Church has two primary sacraments: baptism and the Eucharist (also known as communion, or holy supper). These external rituals symbolise inner, spiritual life.[92] Baptism signifies entrance into Christianity and reformation of the mind, where falseness is replaced by truth. Although believers should be baptised at the age of reason (to make a decision to follow Jesus), Swedenborg said that baptised infants receive a guardian angel to guide them into the Christian faith.[93]
Marriage is a personal sacrament of the New Church, and its administration by a priest is desirable but not essential. According to Swedenborg, marriage should be administered by a priest "because marriages, considered in themselves, are spiritual, and thence holy; for they descend from the heavenly marriage of good and truth, and things conjugial correspond to the divine marriage of the Lord and the church; and hence they are from the Lord himself."[94]
Married love is founded in religion, since both originate from God. Without a religious foundation, a marriage can turn cold.[95] According to the New Church, man is a form of truth and woman is a form of love; the two make one. Married love comes directly from heaven, and celibacy interferes with this.[96] Therefore, marriage is preferable to celibacy.[97] Marriage is considered a union of souls, and this can only exist between one man and one woman.[98]
Contrary to mainstream Christian beliefs, Swedenborg did not condemn all sexual activity between those who were not married. While he was particularly against infidelity, Swedenborg believed that all erotic love between a man and a woman – even that which arose within unpropitious circumstances – still had the potential to develop into true conjugal love. He also believed that not all married couples necessarily experience conjugal love.[99]
New Church adherents believe that the word of God is in the Bible, which has a symbolic, hidden spiritual meaning. Swedenborg's visions told him how (and why) the Bible is divinely inspired and are described in his multi-volume Arcana Coelestia (Heavenly Secrets). He called its symbolic language, where passages follow each other coherently and logically, correspondence. This inner meaning was kept hidden, and was revealed when humanity was ready. This hidden meaning distinguishes the Bible from other books, and Swedenborg supports his statements with biblical passages. The books with this inner, spiritual meaning forms the New Church biblical canon.
According to Swedenborg, the original text of the Old Testament is preserved in the Hebrew Masoretic Text, where letters were counted by the Masoretes to ensure that the text remained accurate.[100] Like Judaism does, he divides the Old Testament into three parts: the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. The Old Testament books with an internal spiritual sense (and, thus, divinely inspired) include:[101]
Swedenborg's grouping differs from Judaism's; he assigned Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings to the Law of Moses, but according to the Jewish biblical canon the Law of Moses (the Torah) refers to the first five books – Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings belong to the Prophets (Nevi'im). Elsewhere, however, Swedenborg says that Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets respectively.[102]
The other books of the Old Testament (which are not generally believed to be divinely inspired) include those grouped by the Jews as "Writings" (Ketuvim). The Greek Septuagint incorporated other writings into the Hebrew texts, which Martin Luther removed and placed in the Apocrypha. Although the Jews included Lamentations, Daniel and the Psalms in the Ketuvim, New Church adherents consider them divinely inspired.[103]
The New Church regards the words of Jesus as divinely inspired, and considers the New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and the Book of Revelation as sacred scripture.[104] The church holds the Acts of the Apostles and the epistles in esteem, similar to the Jewish regard for the Old Testament writings. Swedenborg wrote that these books were included as an act of divine providence, since books for the general public explaining Christian doctrine were needed.[105] He believed that although Paul's letters did not contain a word-for-word symbolic correspondence, they were still divinely influenced: "Paul indeed spoke from inspiration, but not in the same way as the prophets, to whom every single word was dictated but that his inspiration was that he received an influx, according to those things which were with him, which is quite a different inspiration, and has no conjunction with heaven by correspondences."[106]
Swedenborg believed that sacred texts of an "Ancient Church" in the Middle East preceded Judaism, but the texts have been lost. Some, such as The Wars of Jehovah (mentioned in Numbers 21:14–15)[107] and another book similar to those in the Prophets (mentioned in Numbers 21:27–30),[108] are quoted in the Bible (see non-canonical books referenced in the Bible).[109] Another work that Swedenborg believed belonged to the ancient church was the Book of Jasher, which is also quoted in the Bible (Joshua 10:12–13,[110] 2 Samuel 1:17–18);[111] according to him, this book still existed in Tartary.[112]
A Hebrew midrash, Sefer haYashar was published in Venice in 1625; an English translation was published in 1840. The Hebrew text was examined by the 19th-century biblical scholar George Bush (a relative of the Bush family), who later became a Swedenborgian minister. Although the New Church has no official position on this Hebrew text, Swedenborg said that the first parts of Genesis were taken from the "Ancient Word"[113] and are found in the book of Jasher.[114]
The doctrines of the New Church review and assess the doctrines of earlier churches. Swedenborg believed that before the New Church can be received, the doctrines of older churches must be exposed and rejected;[115] the New Church is so opposed to the doctrines of the older Christian churches that they cannot coexist.[116]
In the New Church, authority is based on divine revelation rather than creeds or church councils.[117] All doctrine should be confirmed by scripture. The interpretation of scripture is determined by doctrine, however, and enlightenment by God should be sought when reading his words.[118]
The Apostles' Creed, the creed of the Apostolic Church, does not refer to a trinity: "I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary: also in the Holy Spirit." This creed is in agreement with the New Church, since it does not mention an eternally-existing son.[119]
The Nicene and Athanasian Creeds introduced the trinity.[120] The Nicene Creed is a modified version of the Apostles' Creed; according to the New Church, a trinity of persons is a trinity of gods.[121][122] The creed also introduces the concept of a son "begotten from eternity", which the New Church considers erroneous:[123] "the Human, by which God sent Himself into the world, is the Son of God."[124]
The New Church considers the Athanasian Creed, like the Nicene, incorrect in defining a trinity of persons. However, the church believes that the Athanasian Creed can be corrected if a trinity of one person in God is understood when it speaks of a trinity of persons.[125] The creed expresses the church's doctrine of the divine human: "That our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is both God and Man; and although He is God and Man, still there are not two, but there is one Christ. He is one, because the Divine took to itself the Human; yea, He is altogether one, for He is one Person: since as the soul and the body make one man, so God and Man is one Christ." According to the New Church, God's human nature was made divine.[126]
The Council of Chalcedon declared that Jesus has two natures (divine and human), which contradicts New Church doctrine. Swedenborg said that it was revealed to him in a heavenly vision that:
[T]hose who had the greatest influence in the council, and who were superior to the rest in rank and authority, came together in a dark room and there concluded that both a Divine and a human nature should be attributed to the Lord; principally for the reason, that otherwise the papal sway could not be maintained. For if they had acknowledged the Lord to be one with the Father, as He Himself says, no one could have been recognized as His vicar on earth; and schisms were arising at that time, by which the papal power might have fallen and been dissipated, if they had not made this distinction. Then to give their decision strength, they sought out confirmations from the Word, and persuaded the rest.[127]
Although most other churches maintain that Jesus has two natures, the New Church believes that his human nature was made divine.[128]
According to Swedenborgianism, the Catholic Church has perverted scripture to obtain primacy and dominion in spiritual matters. The Council of Chalcedon declared that Jesus has a divine and human nature so that the pope could claim to be the vicar of Christ and appropriate spiritual powers to the priesthood that belong to God alone. Authority is claimed by the pope and the priesthood over that of scripture.[129] The desire to spiritually rule others or appear pious for honour and reputation originates from self-love, which is opposite the love of God and others.[130]
Papal primacy is claimed by the Catholic Church from an interpretation of Matthew 16:18–19,[131] where the apostle Peter is appointed the rock on which the church will be built and given the keys to heaven. In the New Church, this passage is understood spiritually; the "rock" signifies the truth that Jesus is God, "Peter" signifies faith in God, and the "keys of the kingdom of heaven" signify the faith that allows one to enter heaven.[132] Divine providence gave the Catholic Church spiritual dominion, since it helped spread the gospel and prevented the Christian church from being destroyed by Arianism or Socinianism.[133]
Catholics who do not read scripture worship externally only, to prevent the scriptures from being profaned.[134] New Church adherents believe that Catholics who have avoided idolatry, worshiped God alone and done good works can receive spiritual truth from scripture more easily.[135]
Although the Protestant churches have broken away from the Catholic Church and rejected many of its traditions, their basic theology remains the same. Catholics and Protestants agree on the belief in the trinity, original sin, and justification by faith; the main difference is that the Protestants believe that faith alone saves, without acts of charity.[136] The reformers separated faith from charity to separate completely from the Catholic Church.[137]
In the New Church, good works must be done with the acknowledgment that good originates from God and not from self. The Protestant separation of faith and good works is derived from an epistle by Paul the Apostle saying that humanity is justified by faith, without "works of the law" (Romans 3:28).[138] New Church adherents consider this is a false interpretation, for by "works of the law" Paul meant the external rituals of Mosaic law (not the Ten Commandments or acts of charity).[139]
There is no instantaneous salvation by paying lip service to a belief in Christ.[140] A person acquires a nature according to their works, and must repent for their sins by refusing to do evil. "The faith of the former church is, that repentance, remission of sins, renewal, regeneration, sanctification, and salvation, follow of themselves the faith that is given and imputed, without any thing of man being mingled or joined with them: but the faith of the New Church teaches repentance, reformation, regeneration, and thus remission of sins, with man's cooperation. The faith of the former church teaches the imputation of Christ's merit, and the imputation embraced in the faith that is given: but the faith of the New Church teaches the imputation of good and evil, and at the same time of faith, and that this imputation is according to the Sacred Scripture, while the other is contrary to it."[141] Some Protestant churches (including the New Church) have withdrawn from the doctrine of faith alone: "The Word is read by them, and the Lord is worshipped, and hence with them there is the greatest light; and spiritual light, which is from the Lord as the Sun, which in its essence is Divine love, proceeds and extends itself in every direction, and enlightens even those who are in the circumferences round about, and opens the faculty of understanding truths, so far as they can receive them in accordance with their religion."[142]
In Socinianism, Jesus' divinity is denied. Arianism is similar, believing that Jesus was a created being. Both are considered heretical by the New Church, which believes that the divine human is the means by which humanity is saved; since all those who are in heaven are in his presence, Christians who deny Jesus' divinity go to hell. However, this does not apply to those who have been born and lived outside Christianity.[143] According to New Church revelation, many Christians are Socinian at heart and deny that Jesus is divine; this derives from a trinitarian doctrine, from dividing Christ into two natures, and from calling Jesus merely the son of Mary.[144]
The New Church considers Islam to have been established by divine providence to eliminate idolatry. The New Church considers it a partial (or introductory) revelation; Islam worships one God, teaches one to live well and shun evil and teaches that Jesus was a great prophet and the son of the virgin Mary, but not the son of God (as in Christianity). The Quran contains teachings from sacred scripture.[145]
The church believes that Islam is a religion adapted to societies that practice polygamy. Since polygamy is an opposite love from monogamous marriage, and a marriage between a husband and wife corresponds to the marriage of God and the church, spiritual matters were not revealed in Islam.[146] It is regarded differently from Socinianism or Arianism because only Christians can profane what is holy by distorting scripture; non-Christians, such as Muslims, cannot.[147] Muslims oppose any Trinitarian Christian church.[148] The New Church believes that Muslims may enter heaven, but only those who reject polygamy can learn the true nature of God.[149]
Swedenborg stated that he had distributed his books to English bishops and nobility, who considered them well-written but of little value and advised against reading them.[150] Some members of other Christian denominations have criticised the church's denial of a trinity and Jesus' atonement. The New Church believes that there is one God in Jesus, and some Christian theologians classify the church as a cult.[151]
Others reject Swedenborg's visions. Walter Ralston Martin quoted a critic that Swedenborg's spiritual experiences "were admittedly of such a character, that in an ordinary man they would have sufficed to qualify him for an asylum." According to Martin, however, his theological writings were so systematic that "no one can reasonably say that Swedenborg was insane":[152] "Swedenborg was a rationalist, and paradoxically, a mystic. He was one who absorbed the introspective and subjective philosophy of Rene Descartes, and the empiricism of John Locke, which he combined with the transcendentalism of lmmanuel Kant, thus forming a mold into which Christian theology was poured, and what would not go into the mold (selected Old Testament works, the Pauline epistles, Acts, James, Peter, Jude, etc.), he simply discarded. What emerged was a deeply speculative philosophical system of theology, couched in a redefined Christian terminology, and buttressed with mystical visions, trances, and dreams."[153]
The earliest assessment of Swedenborg came from contemporary German philosopher Immanuel Kant. Swedenborg was relatively unknown until 1759, when a fire broke out in Stockholm and threatened to burn down his house and his writings. At a dinner in Gothenburg, 480 kilometres (300 mi) away, he reportedly turned pale and described to the guests exactly what was happening until the fire was put out (three houses away from his house). This was investigated by Kant, who wrote Dreams of a Spirit-Seer criticising Swedenborg and knowledge derived from dreams and visions.[154] Kant wrote in letters that he privately admired Swedenborg, but did not publicly admit it in fear of ridicule.
Swedenborg stated that all teachings came to him from the Lord while reading scripture in a full waking state, and although allowed to converse with angels and spirits to give an account of the afterlife all doctrinal teachings were received from Jesus alone.[155] Religious critics disagree, saying that he received his information from evil spirits and his revelations are "among the most antibiblical and anti-Christian material ever printed."[156][157] According to Martin, Swedenborg "was apparently well aware of the fact that Pauline theology, if accepted at face value, would vitiate almost en toto his own. So he began with the basic assumption that he was right, and that the apostle Paul was wrong! In some of his visions and dreams, he stated that he actually argued with Paul, Luther, Calvin, and others. And, as ego triumphed, these great thinkers all retreated before Swedenborg's new revelations. However, one factor must never be forgotten, and that is the statement that the New Testament is the criterion for measuring all subsequent revelations, and whatever is found to be contrary to it, must be and always has been, rejected by the Christian church."[158]
Christians emphasise that in distinguishing an evil spirit from an angel, angels must glorify Jesus and teachings must be based on scripture.[159] New Church adherents say that Swedenborg would agree, since he said no evil spirit can utter the name of Jesus; it signifies salvation, and those in the spiritual world speak as they think.[160] Unlike many spiritualists, Swedenborg praises Jesus as the God of heaven and earth and his doctrines are derived from scriptural references. According to Swedenborg, none of the teachings originated from an angel or spirit and the spiritual world was revealed to him so humanity would know that there is life after death: "When I think of what I am about to write and while I am writing, I enjoy a complete inspiration, for otherwise it would be my own; but now I know for certain that what I write is the living truth of God."[161] "That the Lord manifested Himself before me His servant, and sent me to this office, and that He afterward opened the sight of my spirit, and so has admitted me into the spiritual world, and has granted to me to see the heavens and the hells, also to converse with angels and spirits, and this now continuously for many years, I testify in truth; likewise, that from the first day of that call I have not received any thing which pertains to the doctrines of that church from any angel, but from the Lord alone while I read the Word."[162]
Critics note that Swedenborg viewed only 36 books in the Bible as divinely inspired.[163] According to them, masquerading as a being of light is a demonic tactic;[164] Swedenborg's allegorical, esoteric interpretations and paranormal encounters contradict the scriptures and make his claims spurious.[165][166] This criticism ignores the fact that the majority of Swedenborg's writings are based on direct scriptural quotations with numerous cross references. As for the writings of Paul, Swedenborg clarified the distinction between the epistles of Paul with the rest of scripture in his private diary: "Paul indeed spoke from inspiration, but not in the same way as the prophets, to whom every single word was dictated but that his inspiration was that he received an influx, according to those things which were with him, which is quite a different inspiration, and has no conjunction with heaven by correspondences."[167]
Notable American Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson Spoke highly of Swedenborg in his writings.[168] Historians Perry Miller and Arthur Versluis regard Swedenborg as a pervasive influence on the Transcendentalist worldview.[7][169]
D. Michael Quinn suggests that Joseph Smith, the first president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was influenced by Swedenborg's writings.[170] Like Swedenborg, members of the Church believe in eternal marriage. However, they require that the ritual be performed in a temple by one having authority given from God. Smith's concept of three heavens is similar to Swedenborg's view. Both Swedenborg and Smith refer to heaven as "celestial", similar to Paul's (see 2 Corinthians 12:2)[171] description of a visit to the "third heaven". Edward Hunter (a Swedenborgian who became a member of the Church) reported that in 1839 Joseph Smith told him that he was familiar with Swedenborg's writings.[172]
New Thought, a spiritual movement that began in the United States during the late 19th century, promotes positive thinking and healing. Phineas Quimby, a healer who said that illness in the body originated in false beliefs, was an early proponent. Quimby healed Warren Felt Evans, a Swedenborgian minister who became a healer and published several books promoting New Thought in New Church doctrines. According to Swedenborg, there is a correspondence from heaven with all things on earth.[173]
Carl Jung, founder of analytical psychology and a contemporary of Sigmund Freud, was familiar with Swedenborg's works. He cited Swedenborg's reported clairvoyance about the 1759 Stockholm fire as an example of synchronicity: "When [...] the vision arose in Swedenborg's mind of a fire in Stockholm, there was a real fire raging there at the same time, without there being any demonstrable or even thinkable connection between the two".[174]
However, Swedenborg claimed to receive visions and revelations of heavenly things and a 'New Church', and the new church which was founded upon his writings was a Restorationist Church. The three nineteenth-century churches are all examples of Restorationist Churches, which believed they were refounding the Apostolic Church, and preparing for the Second Coming of Christ.
Jehovah himself descended, the Lord, our Father, and assumed the human nature, that he might redeem and save men. This was accomplished by the miraculous conception in the womb of the Virgin. In Jesus Christ the fullness of the entire Godhead dwells bodily.
