AE 816 - The Written Word

AE 816 [2]

In the sense of the letter of the Word
there are naked truths as well as truths clothed,
and these latter are appearances of truth,
and appearances of truth can be understood
only from passages where naked truths stand out;
out of these
doctrine can be formed by one
who is enlightened by the Lord,
and according to that doctrine
all other things can be explained.
This is why those who read the Word without doctrine
are led into manifold errors.
The Word was so written
in order that there might be
a conjunction of heaven with a person;
and there is a conjunction
because every expression in the Word,
and in some passages every letter,
contains a spiritual sense, in which the angels are;
consequently when a person perceives the Word
according to its appearances of truth
the angels that are about person understand it spiritually.
Thus the spiritual of heaven
is conjoined with the natural of the world
in respect to such things
as contribute to a person's life after death.
If the Word had been written otherwise
no conjunction of heaven with a person
would have been possible.