Arcana Coelestia

5867 ( Genesis 45)

21. And the sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them carts, according to the mouth of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.

22. And to all of them he gave to each changes of garments; and to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of garments.

23. And to his father he sent after this manner: ten asses carrying of the good of Egypt, and ten she-asses carrying grain and bread and nourishment for his father for the way.

24. And he sent his brethren away, and they departed; and he said unto them, Contend not in the way.

25. And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father.

26. And they told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is ruler in all the land of Egypt. And his heart failed, because he believed them not.

27. And they spake unto him all the words of Joseph, which he spake unto them; and he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, and the spirit of Jacob their father revived:

28. And Israel said, It is much; Joseph my son is yet alive; I will go and see him before I die.

The Contents.

In the preceding chapter the subject treated of was the internal man, which is “Joseph”—that it initiated into conjunction with itself the external natural, or the ten sons of Jacob, through the intermediate which is “Benjamin.” In this present chapter the subject treated of is the internal man—that it conjoined itself with the external natural; but inasmuch as there is no conjunction therewith except through spiritual good from the natural, which is “Israel,” therefore it first prepares to adjoin to itself this good.
 


5951... What spiritual truths in the natural are, must be told. Truths of faith outside of man, spirit, or angel, are not truths of faith, for they have not been applied to any subject, in which they become such. But when they are applied to man, spirit, or angel as a subject, they then become truths of faith, but with a difference according to the states of life of each one.

With those who are learning them for the first time, they are only memory-knowledges.

Afterward if these persons devoutly reverence them, the truths advance further, and become truths of the church;

and when they are affected with them and live according to them, they then become spiritual truths; for the good of love and of charity, which is solely from the spiritual world, then fills them and causes them to live; for to be affected with them and to live according to them is from this good.

The quality of the truths that are called truths of faith, with those who live according to them, and with those who do not live according to them, has been shown me. With those who do not live according to them, they appeared like white filaments; and with those who had these truths, but nothing of good, they appeared brittle; but with those who live according to them they appeared like fibers from the brain filled with spirit, and soft. Thus these latter truths were animate, but the former were inanimate. From this it may be known that the quality of truths with men is according to the state of life of each.

The truths that are represented by the sons of Jacob are truths not yet spiritual, because not yet made of the life. But the truths that are represented by them as sons of Israel are spiritual, because from having been made of the life they have been filled with the good of love and of charity. These latter truths are here meant, because the subject treated of has been the initiation to conjunction of the truths in the natural (which are the sons of Jacob) with internal good (which is Joseph), through the intermediate (which is Benjamin), and also through spiritual good (which is Israel).
 


5954...When the conjunction is being effected, then truths are changed and become new, for they receive life from the influx of good ...to change the garments was representative of holy t...

Ver todos los episodios