aren’t those reworded, clearer, sometimes longer entries, evidence that
Swedenborg was coming to greater understanding as he reflected on what he
had written? He can’t shut off his enlightenment, and wouldn’t want to! And
what is he going to do, once he has an insight? Rewrite the whole S piritual
Experiences? No, put it in the index. Do it now!
And that example from Secrets of Heaven 9410: Perhaps Swedenborg read
those passages and had a new realization about the eternity of regeneration.
Well, what do we expect him to do? Reissue Secrets of Heaven, starting over
again? No, there’s no time for that. Just put it in the statement, show the
passages that shed that light for him, and move on.
How perfect is it that the end of his entire published corpus is an index
that includes not only some striking additions but also a fresh new experience
never published elsewhere? So, he had a vision after finishing the main work.
What is he going to do, stop the presses and redo True Christianity to fit it in?
No, put it in the index and finish the volume.
Conclusion
To summarize and conclude, what I might call Swedenborg’s “indexlike” and
“cross-reference” material, where there’s a statement followed by a string of
numbers, has been treated as having secondary importance, perhaps because
it appears to merely repeat things already said in his main text. But careful
study of that material, of the kind that occurs when translating, editing and
checking it, reveals that it contains new insights and wording that is not present
elsewhere in his works, and therefore it is primary, highly evolved material and
deserves more love and respect.
After all, Swedenborg still had enlightenment while cross-referencing and
indexing. In fact, there is evidence that rereading helped shape and deepen his
understanding. Indexing was, of course, not the source of his inspiration, but
in the act of considering again what he had written, I believe he would gain
new light, and that indexing and cross-referencing therefore played a key role
in shaping his theological works from beginning to end.
The Rev. Dr. Jonathan S. Rose serves as translator for the
Swedenborg Foundation, where he has served as president. He
is also involved with Curtis Childs in producing offTheLeftEye
video productions for the Foundation and conducts a popular
Bible study class in Bryn Athyn which is live streamed. He and
his wife, Kristin (King), live in Bryn Athyn. Contact: jsrose@
swedenborg.com
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