A Ransom for Many - それは何を意味するのでしょうか？

今から約2000年前、ナザレのイエス、イエス・キリストは十字架にかけられました。死にました。苦しみながら。そして、翌々日の朝には死からよみがえりました。彼の肉体は消滅した。というより、その後の出来事を考えると、それは霊的なものに変化したようだ。それ自体、考えると面白いことですが、この記事の焦点ではありません）。

その代わり、ここでは、イエスがなぜ死んだのかについて、聖書で語られているいくつかの事柄に注目したいと思います。それについては、ほぼ2000年前の混乱があります。それを掘り下げてみましょう...。

で マルコによる福音書10:42-45 にも）。 マタイによる福音書20:25-28）には、イエスの宣教の後半に起こった、よく知られた教訓が記されています。ヤコブとヨハネは、まだ何が起こっているのかよく理解していなかったので、イエスが「王」になったときに、イエスの左と右に座ることを約束してほしいと陳情していました。もちろん、他の弟子たちは不愉快な思いをしました。イエスはこの状況を知っていたので、彼らを集めて、イエスの使命の本質と、彼らの使命のあり方を説明しようとしたのです。

これがその文章です。

"しかし、イエスは彼らを呼び寄せて言われた。「あなたがたは、異邦人を支配することになっている者たちが、彼らの上に主権を行使し、その偉大な者たちが彼らの上に権威を行使していることを知っている。しかし、あなた方の間ではそうではありません。あなた方の中で偉くなる者は誰でも、あなた方の大臣となります。あなたがたの中で偉くなる者は、あなたがたの大臣となり、あなたがたの中で最も偉くなる者は、すべての者のしもべとなる。人の子といえども、仕えられるためではなく、仕えるために来たのであり、また、自分の命を多くの人のための身代金として捧げるために来たのである。"

身代金です。ここで使われているギリシャ語は、λύτρον（ルトロン）といい、λύω（ルオ）の「緩める」「解く」「自由にする」という意味から、贖罪や身代金を意味しています。

神学者の中には、この文章を、十字架の物語の中で、イエスが苦悩と神の本質からの分離感を示す3つのことを言っている文章と組み合わせた人もいます。「わが神、わが神、なぜ私をお見捨てになったのですか」、「それにしても、私の意志ではなく、御心のままにしてください」、「父よ、彼らをお許しください。

これは確かに、イエスがある種のスケープゴートの役割を果たし、父を失望させた人類の代わりに自分の死を捧げた、一種の犠牲と解釈することができます。そのように解釈した神学者もいます。西暦1000年頃のカンタベリーのアンセルムは、そのような主張をする一派のリーダーの一人でした。しかし、私たちはそれが正しい道だとは思っていません。それどころか、間違った道であったために、かなりの損害を被ったと考えています。

新キリスト教の神学では、神が怒ったというのは意味がありません。神は愛そのものです。私たちが神の愛に応えないと、神はがっかりされますか？しかし、怒ることはありません。特に旧約聖書ではそのように見えることもありますが、神の本質は愛なのです。

さらに言えば、イエスの肉体が死んだからといって、父なる神の気分が良くなるわけではないことは、もっとはっきりしているはずです。二人は一人の人間であり、一心同体であることを忘れてはいけません。

むしろ、神の受肉、宣教、死、復活という一連のサイクルは、新しい真理が人類に到達するために行われたものなのです。

で 天界の秘義1419,

"主は、愛そのもの、あるいは天上のすべての愛の本質と命であり、人類に主のすべてのものを与えることを望んでおられます。" "このことは、人の子が自分の命を多くの人のための身代金として与えるために来たという主の言葉によって示されています。"

で アポカリプスの説明 328:15という説明がありました。

"身代金を取る』という言葉は、人々を偽りから解放し、真理によって改革することを意味します。これは『真理の神エホバよ，わたしを身代金に換えてください』という言葉に示されています」。詩編31:5)

イエス様が死なれた理由の一つは、地獄の力に打ち勝つためでした。イエスは生涯を通して悪霊と戦いました。最も明確に描写されているのは、洗礼を受けた直後、荒野で40日間を過ごされた時です。イエス様の十字架の苦しみは、悪に対する最後の戦いであり、イエス様の復活は、悪に対する最後の勝利でした。

すべての人にとって、悪を克服するためには、誘惑や悪との戦いがあります。私たちが個人的に悪と闘うように、キリストは宇宙規模で悪と闘われました。キリストの死はその闘いの結論でしたが、それは敗北ではなく、勝利でした。聖書によると、神が肉と血を受けたのは、「死によって、死の力を持つ者、すなわち悪魔を滅ぼすためであった」とあります。(ヘブライ人への手紙2:14,15)

聖書がイエスの死の理由として挙げているもう一つの理由は、イエスがご自分の人間としての性質と神としての性質を一つにして、「ご自分の中で、二人で一人の新しい人を造る」ことができるようにするためでした(エフェソの信徒への手紙2:14-16を参照してください。 ヨハネによる福音書17:11, 21; 10:30)。

他にも様々な理由が挙げられます。

父のもとに行く」ことができた(ヨハネによる福音書13:3; 14:2, 28; 16:10)。彼は「栄光」を得ることができました(ヨハネによる福音書17:1,5)や「主の栄光に入る」(ルカによる福音書24:26)。彼は「完成された」ことができた(ルカによる福音書13:32)、または「聖なるもの」(ヨハネによる福音書17:19)。

スウェーデンボルグのでは真のｷﾘｽﾄ教86と書かれています。

"エホバ神は、人々を救済する目的で、神の真理としてこの世に現れた。贖いとは、地獄を支配し、天界を再編し、そして教会を設立することだった。"

磔にされた時、悪の勢力は勝ったと思った。当時の宗教的、市民的な権力者たちが主導して彼を非難した。彼はあざけられた。群衆は彼に反発した。

イエス様の肉体の死は、このように「身代り」でした。あの拷問と死を受けることによって、イエス様は自分の霊的な力が自然の死を超えていることを示すことができたのです。イエスは、私たちを地獄の支配から解き放ち、新しい教会、私たちが従うことのできる新しい道を確立されたのです。

328. For thou wast slain, and didst redeem us to God in Thy blood, signifies the separation of all from the Divine, and the conjunction with the Divine by the acknowledgment of the Lord, and by the reception of Divine truth from Him. This is evident from the signification of "being slain," as being, in reference to the Lord, the separation of all from the Divine, for "to be slain" signifies in the Word to be spiritually slain, that is, to perish by evils and falsities (See above, n. 315); and because the Lord with such is not, for He is denied, therefore "being slain" signifies, in reference to the Lord, not acknowledged (as above, n. 315 and also denied; and when the Lord is denied He is as it were slain with such as deny, and by the denial they are separated from the Divine; for such as deny the Lord, that is, His Divine, separate themselves altogether from the Divine. For the Lord is the God of the universe, and He is one with the Father, and the Father is in Him and He in the Father, and no one cometh to the Father but by Him, as the Lord Himself teaches; consequently those in the church who do not acknowledge His Divine, and still more those who in heart deny it, are altogether separated from the Divine.

[2] Denying the Divine is here meant by slaying Him with themselves. In the internal sense of the Word the same is meant by "crucifying the Lord" (See above, n. 83, 195); for the Jews, with whom the church then was, denied that he was the Christ, and thereby separated themselves from the Divine and therefore they gave Him up to death, or crucified Him. Moreover, at this day those who deny His Divine do the same; it is therefore frequently said by preachers that those who lead an evil life and blaspheme the Lord crucify Him with themselves. This, therefore, is what is here signified by "Thou wast slain." This is evident also from the signification of "thou didst redeem us to God in Thy blood," as being that He conjoined us to the Divine by the acknowledgment of Him, and by the reception of Divine truth from Him; for "to redeem" signifies to liberate from hell, and thereby to appropriate men to Himself, and thus conjoin them to the Divine, as will be seen from the passages in the Word in which "to redeem" and "redemption" are mentioned, which will be quoted below. The "blood of the Lord" signifies Divine truth proceeding from Him; and because man by the reception of Divine truth from the Lord is liberated from hell and conjoined to Him, therefore "Thou didst redeem us to God in Thy blood" signifies conjunction with the Divine by the reception of the Divine truth from the Lord.

[3] That this sense lies hidden in these words no one can see who abides in the mere sense of the letter, for in that sense nothing else can be seen except that "Thou wast slain" means that He was crucified and "Thou didst redeem us in Thy blood" means that He has reconciled us to His Father by the passion of the cross. Because this meaning is the meaning of the letter, and because it has hitherto been unknown that in the particulars of the Word there is an internal sense which is spiritual, from that sense, namely, the sense of the letter, it has been made a doctrine of the church that the Divine Itself which they call the Father cast away from Him the whole human race, and that the Lord by the passion of the cross made reconciliation, and that thus those for whom He intercedes are saved. Who that has any illumination of understanding cannot see that this doctrinal is contrary to the Divine Itself? For the Divine Itself never casts away any man from Him for He loves all, and therefore desires the salvation of all. It is also contrary to the Divine Itself to be reconciled by the shedding of blood, and to be brought back to mercy by beholding the passion of the cross which His own Son sustained, and from this to have mercy, and not from Himself. Although this doctrine is so contrary to the Divine essence, yet to believe this is called essential faith or justifying faith.

[4] Again, who can think from enlightened reason that the sins of the whole world were transferred to the Lord, and that the sins of anyone who merely has that faith are thereby taken away? But although this is the doctrine of those who never think beyond the sense of the letter, yet the angels who are with men have no perception of these things according to that sense, but according to the spiritual sense, for they are spiritual and therefore think spiritually and not naturally. To angels, "redeeming man in His blood" means liberating man from hell, and thus claiming and conjoining man to Himself by the acknowledgment of Him, and by the reception of Divine truth from Him. Moreover, the church may know that this is so; for it may know that no one is conjoined to the Divine by blood, but by the reception of the Divine truth, and the application of it to the life.

[5] Liberation from hell by the Lord was accomplished by His assuming the Human, and through it subjugating the hells, and reducing to order all things in the heavens, which could have been done in no way except by the Human; for the Divine operates from firsts through ultimates, thus from Himself through the things that are from Himself in ultimates, which are in the Human. This is the operation of Divine power in heaven and in the world. (On this see some things above, n. 41; also in Heaven and Hell 315; and in Arcana Coelestia 5897, 6239, 6451, 6465, 8603, 9215, 9216, 9824, 9828, 9836, 10044, 10099, 10329, 10335, 10548.) Liberation from hell by the Lord was also accomplished by His glorifying His Human, that is, making it Divine; for thus and not otherwise could He hold the hells in subjection forever; and as the subjugation of the hells and the glorification of His Human was accomplished by means of temptations admitted into his Human, His passion of the cross was His last temptation and complete victory. That "He bore the sins of all" signifies that He admitted into Himself all the hells when He was tempted, for from the hells all sins or evils ascend, and enter into man and are in him; therefore the Lord's "bearing sins" signifies that He admitted the hells into Himself when tempted; and His "taking away sins" means that He subjugated the hells, in order that evils may no more rise up from them, with those who acknowledge the Lord and receive Him, that is, who receive in faith and life the Divine truth proceeding from Him, and who are thus conjoined to the Lord.

It was said that "Thou didst redeem us to God in Thy blood" signifies conjunction with the Divine by the acknowledgment of the Lord, and the reception of Divine truth from Him; and as the church is founded on this, I will state briefly how conjunction is thereby effected.

[6] The primary thing is to acknowledge the Lord, to acknowledge His Divine in the Human, and His omnipotence to save the human race; for by that acknowledgment man is conjoined to the Divine, since there is no Divine except in Him; for the Father is there; for the Father is in Him, and He in the Father, as the Lord Himself teaches; consequently they who look to another Divine near Him, or at His side, as those are wont to do who pray to the Father to have mercy for the sake of the Son, turn aside from the way and worship a Divine elsewhere than in Him. Moreover, they then give no thought to the Divine of the Lord, but only to the Human, when yet these cannot be separated; for the Divine and the Human are not two, but a single person, conjoined like soul and body, according to the doctrine received by the churches from the Athanasian Creed. Therefore to acknowledge the Divine in the Lord's Human, or the Divine Human, is the primary thing of the church, by which there is conjunction; and because it is the primary it is also the first thing of the church. It is because this is the first thing of the church, that the Lord, when He was in the world, so often said to those whom He healed, "Believest thou that I can do this?" and when they answered that they believed, He said, "Be it done according to thy faith." This He so often said that they might believe, in the first place, that from His Divine Human He had Divine omnipotence, for without that belief the church could not be begun, and without that belief they could not have been conjoined with the Divine, but must have been separated from it, and thus would not have been able to receive anything good from him.

[7] Afterwards the Lord taught how they were to be saved, namely, by receiving Divine truth from Him; and truth is received when it is applied to the life and implanted in it by doing it; therefore the Lord so often said that they should do His words. From this it can be seen that these two things, namely, believing in the Lord and doing His words, make one, and can by no means be separated; for he who does not do the Lord's words does not believe in Him; so also he who thinks that he believes in Him and does not do His words does not believe in Him, for the Lord is in His words, that is, in His truths, and by them He gives faith to man. From these few things it can be known that conjunction with the Divine is effected through the acknowledgment of the Lord and the reception of Divine truth from Him. This, therefore, is what is signified by "the Lamb redeeming us to God in His blood." That "the Lamb" signifies the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, see above n. 314. (On this more may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 293-297, and in the quotations from Arcana Coelestia, n 300-306, as also at the end of that work, where the Lord is particularly treated of.)

That "blood" signifies the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord, and "salvation by His blood" signifies by the reception of Divine truth from Him, will be explained in the following article.

[8] That "to redeem" signifies to deliver and to make free, and, in reference to the Lord, to deliver and free from hell, and thus to set apart and conjoin to Himself, can be seen from the following passages. In Isaiah:

Who is this that cometh from Edom, walking in the multitude of his power? I that speak in righteousness, great to save. For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed hath come. In all their straitness He was in straitness and the angel of His faces saved them; because of His love and His pity He redeemed them; and He took them up and carried them all the days of eternity (Isaiah 63:1, 4, 9).

This treats of the Lord and His temptation-combats, by which He subjugated the hells. "Edom from which He cometh" signifies His Human, so also does "the angel of His faces." His Divine power from which He fought is signified by "walking in the multitude of His power;" the casting down into hell of those who rose up against Him and the elevation of the good into heaven is meant by "righteousness," thus by these words, "I that speak in righteousness, great to save. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, and the year of my redeemed hath come." His Divine love from which He did these things is described by "In all their straitness He was in straitness, and the angel of His faces saved them; because of His love and His pity He redeemed them; and He took them up and carried them all the days of eternity." From this it is clear that "the redeemed" and "those whom He redeemed" signify those whom He rescued from the fury of those who are from hell, and whom he saved.

[9] In the same:

Thus hath said Jehovah thy Creator, O Jacob, and thy Former, O Israel; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine (Isaiah 43:1).

That "to redeem" signifies to free from hell, and to set apart and conjoin to Himself so that they may be His, is clear, for it is said, "I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine;" because this is effected through reformation and regeneration by the Lord, therefore it is said, "Jehovah thy Creator, O Jacob, and thy Former, O Israel." He is called Creator because "to create" in the Word signifies to regenerate (See above, n. 294). "Jacob" and "Israel" signify those who are of the church, and are in truths from good.

[10] In the same:

Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and the wages of His work are before Him. And they shall call them a people of holiness, the redeemed of Jehovah (Isaiah 62:11-12).

This also treats of the Lord's coming, and the establishment of a church by Him. "Daughter of Zion" signifies the church which is in love to the Lord; His coming is meant by "Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, His reward is with Him, and the wages of His work are before Him;" those who are reformed and regenerated by Him are meant by "the redeemed of Jehovah."

[11] These are called the "redeemed" because they have been freed from evils by regeneration, and are set apart by the Lord and are conjoined to Him. In the same:

No lion shall be there, and the ravenous of the wild beasts shall not be found therein; but the redeemed shall go; and the ransomed of Jehovah shall return, and come to Zion with singing, and the gladness of eternity shall be upon their head (Isaiah 35:9-10).

This also treats of the Lord's coming, and the salvation of those who suffer themselves to be regenerated by the Lord. That with such there shall not be falsity destroying truth nor evil destroying good, is signified by "No lion shall be there, and the ravenous of the wild beasts shall not be found therein;" that such are delivered from evils and freed from falsities is signified by "the redeemed shall go; so shall the ransomed of Jehovah return;" their eternal happiness is signified by "they shall come to Zion with singing, and the gladness of eternity shall be upon their head," "Zion" meaning the church. What "singing" signifies see just above (n. 326). There are two, words in the original by which "to redeem" is expressed, one signifying deliverance from evils, the other liberation from falsities; these two words are used here; thus it is said, "the redeemed shall go," and "the ransomed of Jehovah shall return." (These two words are also used in Hosea 13:14; and in David, Psalms 69:18; 107:2)

[12] "To redeem" signifies to deliver from evils and to free from falsities, and also to deliver and free from hell, because all evils and falsities with man arise out of hell; and since the Lord removes these by reformation and regeneration, reformation and regeneration also are signified by "to redeem" or "redemption," as in the following passages.

[13] In David:

Rise up as a help to us, and ransom us for Thy mercy's sake (Psalms 44:26);

to "ransom" here meaning to free and to reform. In the same:

God hath ransomed my soul from the hand of hell; and He will accept me (Psalms 49:15).

"To ransom from the hand of hell" means to free; "to accept me" means to set apart and to conjoin to Himself, or to make His own, as servants sold and redeemed. In Hosea:

Out of the hand of hell will I ransom them; I will redeem them from death (Hosea 13:14).

"To redeem" meaning to deliver and free from damnation.

In David:

Bless Jehovah, O my soul, who hath redeemed thy life from the pit (Psalms 103:1, 4).

"To redeem from the pit" means to free from damnation; "the pit" meaning damnation. In the same:

Draw nigh unto my soul, redeem it, and because of my enemies ransom me (Psalms 69:18).

"To draw nigh to the soul" signifies to conjoin it to Himself; "to redeem it" signifies to deliver from evils; "because of my enemies ransom me" signifies to free from falsities, "enemies" meaning falsities. In the same:

Let the redeemed of Jehovah say, whom He hath redeemed out of the hand of the distressing enemy (Psalms 107:2).

"The redeemed of Jehovah" means those who are delivered from evil; "whom He hath redeemed out of the hand of the distressing enemy" means those whom He has freed from falsities. In Jeremiah:

I am with thee, to save thee and to rescue thee; and I will rescue thee out of the hand of the evil, and I will ransom thee out of the hand of the violent (Jeremiah 15:20-21).

"To ransom out of the hand of the violent" means to free from falsities that offer violence to the good of charity; the "violent" signifying such falsities, consequently those also who are in them.

[14] In David:

Let Israel hope in Jehovah, for with Jehovah there is mercy, and in Him is much ransom, and He shall ransom Israel out of all his iniquities (Psalms 130:7-8).

"Ransom" means liberation; "Israel" the church; and to reform those who are of the church and free them from falsities is signified by "He shall ransom Israel out of all his iniquities."

In the same:

Let integrity and uprightness preserve me; for I have waited for thee. Ransom Israel, O God, out of all his distresses (Psalms 25:21-22).

"To ransom Israel out of distresses" means here also to free those who are of the church from falsities, which straiten.

In Isaiah:

Is My hand shortened, that there is no ransoming? or is there no power in Me to rescue? (Isaiah 50:2).

That "ransoming" means liberation is evident, for it is said also, "Is My hand shortened, or is there no power in Me to rescue." In David:

God shall hear my voice; He shall ransom my soul in peace (Psalms 55:17-18);

"to ransom" here means to free.

In the same:

Unto Thee will I sing psalms with the harp, Thou Holy One of Israel. My lips shall praise; and my soul, which Thou hast ransomed (Psalms 71:22-23).

"To ransom the soul" means to free from falsities; for "soul" in the Word signifies the life of faith, and "heart" the life of love; therefore "to ransom the soul" signifies to free from falsities and to give the life of faith.

[15] In the same:

Ransom me from the oppression of man, that I may keep Thy precepts (Psalms 119:134).

"To ransom from the oppression of man" signifies to free from the falsities of evil, for "man" signifies the spiritual affection of truth and wisdom therefrom, and in the contrary sense, as here, the lust of falsity and insanity therefrom; the "oppression of man" signifies the destruction of truth by falsities.

In the same:

Into Thine hand I will commend my spirit; Thou hast ransomed me, O Jehovah, God of truth (Psalms 31:5);

"to ransom" means to free from falsities and to reform by means of truths; and because this is signified by "ransom" it is said, "O Jehovah, God of truth." In the same:

Crime is in the hands of sinners, and their right hand is full of a bribe. But as for me, I walk in mine integrity; ransom me, and be merciful unto me (Psalms 26:10-11);

"to ransom" meaning to free from falsities and to reform. In the same:

He shall redeem their soul from fraud and violence; and precious shall their blood be in His eyes. And he shall live, and to him shall He give of the gold of Sheba; and He shall pray for him continually; all the day shall He bless them (Psalms 72:14-15).

The "needy" are here treated of, by whom those are signified who desire truths from spiritual affection; of these it is said that "He shall redeem their soul from fraud and violence," which signifies liberation from falsities and evils that destroy the goods of love and the truths of faith; the reception of Divine truth by them is signified by "precious shall their blood be in His eyes;" their reformation is described "he shall live, and to him shall He give of the gold of Sheba; and He shall pray for him continually; all the day shall He bless him;" "the gold of Sheba" is the good of charity; "to pray for him continually" signifies that they shall constantly be withheld from falsities and kept in truths; and "all the day shall He bless him" signifies that they shall constantly be in the good of charity and faith, for this is a Divine benediction; while to withhold from falsities and to keep in truths is "to pray for him continually."

[16] In Isaiah:

Thus said Jehovah, For nought ye have been sold, and not by silver shall ye be redeemed. My people went down into Egypt to sojourn there, but Assyria oppressed them for nought (Isaiah 52:3-4).

This treats of the desolation of truths by knowledges and by the reasonings of the natural man from them; for "My people went down into Egypt to sojourn there" signifies the instruction of the natural man in knowledges and cognitions of truth; "Egypt" signifies knowledges and also cognitions, but such as are from the sense of the letter of the Word; and "to sojourn" signifies to be instructed; "Assyria oppressed them for nought" signifies the falsification of knowledges by the reasonings of the natural man; "Assyria" signifying reasonings, and "to oppress for nought" falsifications, for falsities are nought because there is nothing of truth in them. Knowledges are thus falsified when the natural man separate from the spiritual forms conclusions; this is why it is said, "For nought ye have been sold, and not by silver shall ye be redeemed;" "for nought to be sold" signifies from self or from the selfhood to alienate oneself from falsities and renounce them; and "not by silver to be redeemed" signifies that one cannot be delivered by means of truth from the falsities of evil; "silver" signifying truth, and "to be redeemed" signifying to be delivered from the falsities of evil and to be reformed.

[17] In Zechariah:

I will bring them together, because I will ransom them; and then shall they be multiplied; I will sow them among the peoples; and I will bring them back out of the land, and will bring them together out of Assyria; and I will lead them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon (Zechariah 10:8-10).

This treats of the restoration of the church, and reformation by means of truth from good; and "I will bring them together, because I will ransom them" signifies the dispersion of falsities and reformation by means of truths; therefore it is said, "they shall be multiplied, and I will sow them among the peoples," which signifies the multiplication and insemination of truth from good; "to bring them back out of the land of Egypt, and to bring them together out of Assyria" signifies (as above) to withdraw them from the falsifying of truth that they are in by their reasonings from knowledges; "to lead them to the land of Gilead and to Lebanon" signifies to the good of the church, which is the good of charity, and to the good and truth of faith; the former is "the land of Gilead" and the latter "Lebanon. "

[18] From this it can be seen what is signified in the spiritual sense by Jehovah's "leading the people out of Egypt" and "ransoming them," as in Moses:

I will rescue you from bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched-out arm, and with great judgments (Exodus 6:6).

I led you out of Egypt with a stretched-out arm, and I ransomed you out of the house of bondmen (Deuteronomy 7:8; 9:26-29; 13:5; 15:15; 24:18).

Thou in Thy mercy hast led Thy people whom Thou hast redeemed; Thou hast guided them in the strength of Thy hand to the habitation of Thy holiness (Exodus 15:13).

And in Micah:

I made thee to go up out of the land of Egypt, and ransomed thee out of the house of bondage (Micah 6:4).

This means in the sense of the letter that they were led by the Divine power out of Egypt, where they had been made bondmen; but in the internal or spiritual sense no such thing is meant, but it means that those who are of the church, that is, those that are reformed by the Lord by means of truths and a life according to them, are delivered and freed from evils and from the falsities thence, for these are the things that make man a bondsman; this is the spiritual sense of these words, and in this sense are the angels when man is in the sense of the letter.

[19] Moreover, by "redemption" the angels understand deliverance from evils and liberation from falsities in the following passages. In Moses:

I will put a ransom between My people and Pharaoh's people (Exodus 8:23).

In David:

He hath sent a ransom unto His people; He hath commanded His covenant for ever; holy and fearful is His name (Psalms 111:9).

In Matthew:

What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, but shall cause the loss of his soul? or what price shall a man give sufficient for the redemption of his soul? (Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36-37);

"redemption" here meaning deliverance from damnation.

[20] From this it can be seen what the Lord's redeeming mankind signifies, namely, that He delivered and freed them from hell and from the evils and falsities that continually rise up therefrom and bring man into condemnation, and that He continually delivers them and frees them. This deliverance and liberation was effected by His subjugating the hells; and the continual deliverance and liberation by His glorifying His Human, that is, making it Divine, for thereby He keeps the hells continually subjugated; this, therefore is what is signified by His redeeming man, and by His being called in the Word "Redeemer," as in the following passages. In Isaiah:

Fear not, thou worm of Jacob, and ye mortals of Israel; I am He that helpeth thee, and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 41:14).

Thus said Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, His Holy One, because of Jehovah who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who hath chosen thee (Isaiah 49:7).

Our Redeemer is Jehovah of Hosts, His name the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 47:4).

Thus said Jehovah your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 43:14).

That all flesh may know that I Jehovah am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob (Isaiah 49:26).

That thou mayest know that I Jehovah am thy Savior and thy Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob (Isaiah 60:16).

By the "Holy One of Israel," and the "Mighty One of Jacob," who is here called "Redeemer," is meant the Lord in respect to the Divine Human, and by "Jehovah" is meant His Divine Itself. The Lord in respect to His Divine Human is called "the Holy One of Israel," and "the Mighty One of Jacob," and the "Strong One of Jacob," because "Israel" and "Jacob" signify the church, thus those who are regenerated and reformed, that is, redeemed by the Lord, for these alone are of the church, that is, constitute the church of the Lord.

[21] That the Lord's Divine Human is what is called "the Holy One" is evident in Luke:

The angel said unto Mary, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; therefore the Holy Thing born of thee shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35).

And that the Lord in respect to the Divine Human is "the Strong One of Jacob," and the "Mighty One of Jacob;" in the same:

The angel said unto Mary, Behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and bring forth a Son. He shall be great, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end (Luke 1:30-33).

"The house of Jacob" evidently means the Lord's church, not the Jewish nation.

[22] Because the Lord's Human was equally Divine with His Divine Itself that took on the Human, Jehovah is called "the Redeemer" in the following passages.

In Isaiah:

Thus said Jehovah thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, I am Jehovah thy God (Isaiah 48:17).

Jehovah of Hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel the God of the whole earth shall He be called (Isaiah 54:5).

In David:

O Jehovah, my ¹ Rock and my Redeemer (Psalms 19:14).

In Jeremiah:

Their Redeemer is strong; Jehovah of Hosts is His name (Jeremiah 50:34).

In Isaiah:

Thou, O Jehovah, art our Father, our Redeemer; from everlasting is Thy ² name (Isaiah 63:16).

From this it can now be seen how this saying of the Lord is to be understood:

The Son of man came to give His soul a redemption for many (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45);

namely, that they might be delivered and freed from hell; for the passion of the cross was the last combat and complete victory by which He subjugated the hells, and by which He glorified His Human (See The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 293-297, 300-306).

223. And the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from My God, signifies the doctrine of the new church, which is in the heavens. This is evident from the signification of "the city of My God," as being the doctrine of Divine truth (of which presently); also from the signification of "the New Jerusalem," as being the church in respect to doctrine (See the small work on The New Jerusalem 6); also from the signification of "which cometh down out of heaven from My God," as being that it is out of heaven from Divine truth there. That "God" means in the Word Divine truth, see above (n. 220, 222). And as Divine truth, which is in heaven and which comes down from heaven, is from the Lord alone, the Lord calls it His God. That "the city of My God" signifies the doctrine of Divine truth seems at first view remote, for the mind cannot readily think of doctrine when "city" is mentioned, or think of the church when a "land" is mentioned; yet in the Word, "cities" [civitates aut urbes] mean nothing else in the spiritual sense; and for the reason that the idea of a city is merely natural, but the idea of doctrine in a city is spiritual. Angels, because they are spiritual, can have no other idea of a city than of the people therein in respect to doctrine, as they can have no other idea of a land than of the people therein in respect to their church or their religion. The reason of this is that the societies into which the heavens are divided are for the most part like cities [communities], all differing from one another in respect to the reception of Divine truth in good; when, therefore, a "city" is mentioned angels think of the doctrine of truth. (That the heavens are divided into societies according to the differences of the good of love and faith, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 41-50; and that their habitations are disposed into the form of cities, n. 184).

[2] That "cities" [civitates seu urbes] in the Word signify doctrines can be seen from many passages there, of which I will cite here only the following.

In Jeremiah:

Behold I have given thee this day for a fenced city against the whole land (Jeremiah 1:18).

These things are said to the prophet, because "a prophet" in the Word signifies one who teaches truth, and in an abstract sense, the doctrine of truth; and as this is what "prophet" signifies, it is said to him, "I have given thee for a fenced city," which signifies the doctrine of truth defending against falsities. (That "prophet" in the Word signifies one who teaches truth, and in the abstract sense, the doctrine of truth, see Arcana Coelestia (2534[1-6]), n. 7269.)

In the same:

The crown of your splendor cometh down. The cities of the south are shut (Jeremiah 13:18-19).

Here the falsification of truth is treated of; and "the crown of their splendor cometh down" means that intelligence comes down; and "the cities of the south are shut" means that all the truths of doctrine are closed, which otherwise would be in the light. (That "crown" means intelligence and wisdom, see above, n. 126, 218; and that "south" means a state of light, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 148, 149, n. 151).

[3] In Isaiah:

Thou hast done [wonderful things, Thy] counsels from afar [are] truth, fidelity; and Thou hast made of a city a heap, of a fenced city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city, that it may not be built for ever; therefore a strong people shall honor Thee, a city of powerful nations shall fear Thee (Isaiah 25:1-3).

The vastation of the former church, and the establishment of a new one, are here treated of; the vastation of the church in respect to doctrine is meant by "Thou hast made of a city a heap, of a fenced city a ruin, a palace of strangers to be no city;" and the establishment of a new church in respect to doctrine is meant by "a strong people shall honor Thee, a city of powerful nations shall fear Thee."

In the same:

In that day shall a song be sung in the land of Judah; We have a strong city; salvation will He appoint for walls and bulwarks. Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation that keepeth faithfulness may enter in (Isaiah 26:1-2).

Here "a strong city" signifies the doctrine of genuine truth, which falsities cannot destroy; "walls and bulwarks" signify truths defending; "gates" signify admission (as above, n. 208); "the righteous nation keeping faithfulness" means those who are in good and in truths therefrom.

[4] In the same:

How art thou fallen from heaven O Lucifer, how art thou cut down to the earth: that made the world as a wilderness, and threw down the cities thereof. Prepare slaughter for his sons, that they may not rise up and possess the land, and fill the faces of the world with cities (Isaiah 14:12, 17, 21).

Here "Lucifer" means Babylon, where every truth of the doctrine of the church was either falsified or annihilated; "he made the world as a wilderness, and threw down the cities thereof," signifies that this was done to the church and its doctrines; "prepare slaughter for his sons, that they may not rise up," signifies that its falsities must be destroyed; "and may not possess the land, and fill the faces of the world with cities," signifies in order that a church and doctrine may be there.

In Revelation:

And the great city was broken ¹ into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell (Revelation 16:18-19).

Here also Babylon is treated of; the doctrine of its falsities is what is meant by "a city broken ² into three parts," and the doctrine of evils therefrom by "the cities of the nations which fell."

[5] In David:

The redeemed of Jehovah wandered in the wilderness in loneliness of life; ³ they found not a city of habitation; hungry and thirsty [their soul fainted in them]. He led them into a straight way, that they might go to a city of habitation (Psalms 107:2, 4-5, 7).

"To wander in the wilderness and in loneliness of way," is to be in want of the knowledges of truth and good; "to find not a city of habitation" means not to find the doctrine of truth according to which they may live; "the hungry and thirsty" are those who have a longing to know good and truth; "to lead them into a straight way, that they might go to a city of habitation" is to lead them into genuine truth, and into the doctrine of life.

In Isaiah:

I said, Lord, how long? And He said, Until the cities shall be so devastated as to be without inhabitant, and the houses so that no man be in them, and the land be reduced to a waste (Isaiah 6:11).

Here the total vastation of the church is treated of; "cities" are the truths of doctrine; "houses" the goods thereof; and "land" the church.

[6] In the same:

The land shall be emptied, the land shall be confounded, the land shall be profaned under its inhabitants; the empty city shall be broken, every house shall be shut, a cry over the wine in the streets, the remnant in the city is a waste, and the gate shall be beaten down even to devastation (Isaiah 24:3-5, 10-12).

Here also the devastation of the church is treated of; "the land which is said to be emptied, confounded, and profaned," is the church; "city" is the truth of doctrine, "house" is its good; "wine, over which there is a cry in the streets," is the truth of doctrine falsified, over which there is contest and indignation.

[7] In Zephaniah:

I will cut off the nations; I will desolate their streets, and their cities shall be laid waste (Zephaniah 3:6).

Here "nations" are those who are in evils; "to desolate streets" means to desolate truths, and "to lay waste cities" means to lay waste doctrines. In Jeremiah:

The lion is gone up from the thicket, to reduce thy land to a waste; thy cities shall be destroyed; I saw Carmel a wilderness, and all its cities desolate; for this shall the land mourn; the whole city fleeing at the voice of a horseman and of the bowmen; the whole city is forsaken, not a man dwelling therein (Jeremiah 4:7, 26-29).

The "lion from the thicket" is falsity from evil; "the land" is the church, "cities" are the truths of doctrine; "Carmel" is the spiritual church; "the voice of the horseman and the bowmen," because of which "the city will flee," is reasoning and combat from falsities.

[8] In the same:

The devastator shall come upon every city, and no city shall escape; and the valley shall perish, and the plain shall be destroyed (Jeremiah 48:8).

These words describe the total vastation of the church, until nothing of the truth of doctrine shall remain. In the same:

Behold, waters rising up out of the north, which shall become an overflowing brook, and shall overflow the land, the city, and them that dwell therein (Jeremiah 47:2).

Vastation also is signified by "an overflowing brook." In the same:

If ye hallow the day of the Sabbath, there shall enter in through the gates of this city kings and princes, riding in chariot and on horses, and this city shall be inhabited to eternity (Jeremiah 17:24-25).

"Hallowing the Sabbath" in the spiritual sense signifies holy acknowledgment of the Lord's Divine Human and of His conjunction with heaven and the church; "kings and princes entering in through the gates of the city" signify the truths of the church; "their riding in a chariot and on horses" signifies that they shall be in the truths of doctrine and in intelligence; "the city," which here is Jerusalem, is the church in respect to doctrine. Such is the spiritual sense of these words; such therefore is the sense in heaven.

[9] In Zechariah:

Thus said Jehovah; I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; whence Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets (Zechariah 8:3-5).

Here "Zion" does not mean Zion, nor "Jerusalem" Jerusalem; but "Zion" means the celestial church, and "Jerusalem" that church in respect to the doctrine of truth; therefore it is called "a city of truth;" "the streets of the city" signify the truths of doctrine; "boys and girls playing in the streets" signify the affections of truth and good. (That "Zion" signifies the celestial church, see Arcana Coelestia 2362, 9055; that "Jerusalem" signifies the church in respect to doctrine, n. 402, 3654, 9166; and in the small work on The New Jerusalem, 6; that "streets" signify the truths of doctrine, n. 2336; that "boys girls" signify the affections of truth good, in which there is innocence 3067, 3110, 3179, 5236, 6742; that "to play" means what pertains to interior festivity, which is the affection of truth and good, n. 10416).

[10] Because "Zion" signifies the celestial church, and "Jerusalem" the church in respect to the doctrine of truth, Zion is called "the city of Jehovah," and Jerusalem is called "the holy city," "the city of God" and "the city of the great king."

As in Isaiah:

They shall call thee, The city of Jehovah, the Zion of the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 60:14).

In Ezekiel:

The prophet saw upon a high mountain the frame of a city on the south, and an angel measured the wall, the gate, the chambers, the porch of the gate; and the name of the city was Jehovah-is-there (Ezekiel 40:1; 48:35).

In Isaiah:

Behold, Jehovah hath caused it to be heard, even to the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh. And thou shalt be called a city that is sought (Isaiah 62:11-12).

In David:

As we have heard so have we seen in the city of Jehovah of hosts, in the city of our God; God will establish it forever (Psalms 48:8).

(What the celestial church is, and what the spiritual church, see in the work on Heaven and Hell 20-28.)

These two cities are called "holy cities," in Isaiah:

Thy holy cities are become a wilderness, Zion is become a wilderness, Jerusalem a waste (Isaiah 64:10).

Jerusalem in particular is called "the holy city," in Revelation:

The nations shall tread down the holy city (Revelation 11:2).

Again:

I saw the holy city, coming down from God out of heaven (Revelation 21:2).

In Matthew:

The devil took Jesus into the holy city (Matthew 4:5).

And in the same:

Coming forth out of the tombs, they entered into the holy city (Matthew 27:53).

[11] Jerusalem was called "the holy city" because it signified the church in respect to the doctrine of truth; and Divine truth proceeding from the Lord is what is called "holy" (See Arcana Coelestia 6788, 8302, 9229, 9820, 10361). That city, apart from such representation and consequent signification, was not at all holy, but rather profane, is evident from the Lord's having been rejected and crucified there; and for this reason it is also called "Sodom and Egypt" (Revelation 11:8). But because it signified the church in respect to the doctrine of truth, it was called not only "the holy city," but also "the city of God," and "the city of the great king."

Thus in David:

There is a river, the streams whereof have made glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High. God is in the midst of her (Psalms 46:4-5).

In the same:

Great is Jehovah in the city of our God, beautiful in situation the city of the great king (Psalms 48:1-2).

In Matthew:

Swear not by the earth, for it is the footstool of God's feet; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great king (Matthew 5:35).

Jerusalem was called "the city of God" because "God" in the Word of the Old Testament means Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (as may be seen above, n. 220, 222); and it was called "the city of the great king," because "king" also signifies, in reference to the Lord, Divine truth proceeding from Him (See above, n. 31). From this then it is that Jerusalem is called "the city of truth" (Zechariah 8:3).

[12] In Isaiah:

Thus saith Jehovah, thy Redeemer and Former from the womb, I make void the signs of liars; turning wise men backward, and making their knowledge foolish; saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the desolate places thereof (Isaiah 44:24-26).

This treats of the rejection of the church whose doctrine is from self-intelligence, and of the establishment of a new church, whose doctrine is from the Lord. Doctrine from self-intelligence is meant by "I make void the signs of liars, turning wise men backward, and making their knowledge foolish," and doctrine that is from the Lord by "saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built."

[13] In Jeremiah:

Seest thou not what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, for the land shall become a waste (Jeremiah 7:17, 34).

Here also "the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem" signify the truths of doctrine; "the voice of joy and the voice of gladness" is delight from the affection of good and truth; "the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride" are those affections themselves; and that these are to cease is meant by "the land shall become a waste;" the "land" is the church.

[14] In Isaiah:

I will commingle Egypt with Egypt that they may fight a man against his brother, and a man against his companion; city against city, kingdom against kingdom. In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak with the lip of Canaan and that swear to Jehovah of Hosts. In that day there shall be an altar to Jehovah in the midst of Egypt (Isaiah 19:2, 18-19).

"Egypt" means the natural man and its knowledge [ejus scientificum]; "that they may fight a man against his brother, and a man against his companion," means against good and truth; "city against city, and kingdom against kingdom," signifies doctrine against doctrine, and church against church; "in that day" signifies the Lord's coming, and the state then of those who are natural and in true knowledges [scientificis]; "five cities in the land of Egypt that speak with the lip of Canaan" signify the truths of doctrine in abundance, which are genuine truths of the church, "five" meaning many or in abundance; "cities" truths of doctrine; "the lip of Canaan" genuine truths of the church. "An altar to Jehovah" here signifies worship from the good of love.

[15] In the same:

The highways have been laid waste, he that passeth through the way hath ceased; he hath rejected the cities, he regardeth not man. The land mourneth, it languisheth; Lebanon hath faded away (Isaiah 33:8-9).

"The highways that have been laid waste, and the way that is not passed through," are truths leading to heaven, which are truths of the church; "to reject the cities" is to reject the truths of doctrine; "to regard not man" is to regard not truth and good. "The land that mourneth and languisheth" is the church in respect to good; "Lebanon that hath faded away" is the church in respect to truth.

[16] In the same:

Sing, O barren, that did not bear, for more are the sons of the desolate than the sons of the married one. Enlarge the place of thy tent; thy seed shall inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited (Isaiah 54:1-3).

"The barren that did not bear" signifies the nations that have not as yet truths from the Word; "the sons of the desolate" are the truths that these will receive; "the sons of the married one" are the truths that are with those who are in the church; "to enlarge the place of the tent" means that their worship is from good; "seed" is truth therefrom; "the nations which the seed will inherit" are goods; and "the cities which shall be inhabited" are the doctrines therefrom.

[17] In Jeremiah:

I will bring upon them every good; they shall buy fields with silver, and this by writing in a book, in the cities of Judah, and in the cities of the mountain, and in the cities of the plain, and in the cities of the south (Jeremiah 32:42, 44; 33:13).

These things are said of those in the church who are in good and in truths therefrom; "to buy fields with silver" is to acquire for themselves the good of the church by means of truths; "to write in a book" is to implant in the life; "the cities of Judah" and "the cities of the mountain" are the truths of doctrine which those have who are of the Lord's celestial kingdom; "the cities of the plain, and the cities of the south," are the truths of doctrine which those have who are in the Lord's spiritual kingdom.

[18] In Matthew:

Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither do they light a lamp and put it under a bushel (Matthew 5:14-15).

These things were said to the disciples, by whom all truths and goods in the complex are signified; therefore it is said, "Ye are the light of the world;" for "light" signifies Divine truth and intelligence therefrom. Because that is what the words signify, "Ye are the light of the world," therefore it is said, "A city that is set on a mountain cannot be hid. Neither can a lamp be lighted and be put under a bushel;" for "a city set on a mountain" signifies the truth of doctrine from the good of love; and "a lamp" signifies in general truth from good and intelligence therefrom.

[19] In the same:

Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city and house divided against itself standeth not (Matthew 12:25).

"Kingdom," in the spiritual sense, signifies the church; "city" and "house" the truth and good of its doctrine, which do not stand but fall, if they do not unanimously agree.

[20] In the same:

Jesus sends forth the twelve disciples, saying to them, Go not off into the way of the nations, and enter not into a city of the Samaritans; go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 10:5-6)

"The way of the nations" into which they were not to go off, signifies falsity from evil; "a city of the Samaritans" into which they were not to enter, signifies the false doctrine of those who reject the Lord; "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" signify those who are in the good of charity and in faith therefrom, "Israel" meaning all such wherever they may be. "A city of the Samaritans" signifies the false doctrine of those who reject the Lord, because the Samaritans did not receive Him (as may be seen in Luke 9:52-56).

[21] In the same:

Jesus said, When they persecute you in one city they should flee ⁴ into another (Matthew 10:23).

Here also by "city" is meant the doctrine of falsity from evil; that where this doctrine is the doctrine of truth will not be admitted, is meant by "when they persecute you in one city flee ye into another."

[22] In Luke:

Then the master of the house being angry, said to his servants, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor and maimed and blind and halt (Luke 14:21).

"Their going out into the streets and lanes of the city" signifies that they should enquire where those are who receive the truths of the doctrine; for "streets" and "lanes" are the truths of doctrine (as above); and "city" means doctrine. The "poor," "the maimed," "the halt," and "the blind," signify those who are not in truths and goods, and yet long for them. (Who are signified specifically by "the poor," who by "the maimed," "the halt," and "the blind," may be seen in The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem 107, from Arcana Coelestia.)

[23] In the same:

A certain nobleman going into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, gave to his servants ten pounds for trading; when he returned, he commanded the servants to be called. The first came, saying, Thy pound hath gained ten pounds. He said to him, good servant, because thou hast been faithful over the least, thou shalt have authority over ten cities. Then the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath made five pounds. He said to him, Be thou also over five cities (Luke 20:12-19 seq.).

These words signify, in the spiritual sense, much more than can be expressed in a few words; let it be noted merely that by "cities" here are not meant cities but the doctrinals of truth and good; and by "having authority over them" intelligence and wisdom are meant; by "ten" much, and by "five" some. (That "ten" in the Word signifies much, see Arcana Coelestia 1988, 3107, 4638, 9757; and that "five" signifies some, n. 4638, 9604.) From this it can now be seen that "the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from My God," signifies the doctrine of the new church, which is in the heavens. (This doctrine is also given in a separate small work, entitled The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine.)

Footnotes: