Thursday, December 04, 2008

AC 9918 & 9921 - pomegranates and bells of gold

AC 9918
Pomegranates . . are signified memory-knowledges of good. . ..
That pomegranates were put upon the skirts of the robe,
was because "the skirts" signified the ultimates or extremes
of heaven and the church,
and the ultimates or extremes of the church are memory-knowledges,
as is evident from what was said above,
about the successive order of goods and truths
in the heavens and with a person.
The memory-knowledges of good and truth
which are signified by "the pomegranates,"
are doctrinal things from the Word,
which are memory-knowledges insofar as they are in the memory
which is in the external or natural person.
But when they enter into the memory
which is in the internal or spiritual person,
as is the case when the person lives according to them,
then doctrinal things as to truth become of faith,
and doctrinal things as to good become of charity,
and are called spiritual.
When this is done,
they almost vanish out of the external or natural memory,
and appear as it were innate,
because they are then implanted in the person's life,
like all those things which through daily use
have become as it were of his nature.

AC 9921
And bells of gold . . . signifies all things of doctrine and of worship
from good passing over to those who are of the church . . ..
That they are from good is signified by their being of gold,
for "gold" signifies good.
That "the bells" denote all things of doctrine and of worship
passing over to those who are of the church,
is because by means of the bells the people heard and perceived
the presence of Aaron in his ministration,
for by "the people" are signified those who are of the church,
and by "Aaron's ministry" are signified all things of doctrine and of worship;
and therefore it is said in what follows:

And they shall be upon Aaron to minister;
and the voice thereof shall be heard
when he goes in unto the holiness before Jehovah,
and when be cometh out.

(Exodus 28:35)

from which it is plain what is signified by "the bells."
The reason why these bells were put in the skirts,
was that the holy things of doctrine are in the extremes,
and the hearing and perception are there, and are from thence.

No comments: