HH 259, 263, 264 - The Written Word in Heaven

HH 259

The existence of writings in the heavens
is a provision by the Lord for the sake of the Word,
the Word in its essence being Divine Truth,
from which is all heavenly wisdom,
both for people and for angels;
for the Word is dictated by the Lord,
and what is dictated by the Lord
passes through all the heavens in order
and terminates with people.
Thereby it is adapted
both to the wisdom in which angels are
and to the intelligence in which people are.
Thereby, too, the angels have a Word,
and read it just as people do on earth.
From it they draw their doctrinals,
and from it preaching takes place.
It is the same Word;
but its natural sense,
which is the sense of the letter with us,
does not exist in heaven,
but the spiritual sense,
which is its internal sense.

HH 263

I have also seen writings from heaven
made up of mere numbers
set down in order and in a series,
just as in writings made up of letters and words.
I have been instructed, too,
that this writing is from the inmost heaven,
and that their heavenly writing,
when the thought from it flows down,
is presented to the angels of the lower heavens
in numbers,
and that this numerical writing likewise involves arcana,
some of which
can neither be comprehended by thought
nor expressed by words.
For all numbers correspond,
and have a meaning, as words have,
in accordance with the correspondence;
yet with the difference t
hat numbers involve generals,
and words particulars.
As one general involves innumerable particulars,
so numerical writing involves more arcana
than writing composed of letters.
. . . a number is always prefixed
on which those following in a series depend
as on their subject.
For that number is, as it were,
an index to the matter dealt with,
and from it
is the determination of the numbers following
in relation to the particular point.

HH 264

. . . the writings in heaven
have as real an existence as those in the world,
and the angels there have every thing
that is useful for life and useful for wisdom.