CATEGORY: MOVIES
Emanuel Swedenborg's Apocalypse Revealed interprets the bible's book of Revelation. In this post, we will look at some listings from the Swedenborg Concordance that point to certain parts of Apocalypse Revealed in which the term 'Babel' is used in an 'apocalyptic' context. In the below, the leading numbers are section numbers in Apocalypse Revealed, and the material between single quotation marks is that taken by Swedenborg from the book of Revelation itself. Subdivision numbers within the given sections of Apocalypse Revealed have been omitted for clarity. The equals sign ("=") means 'signifies'. All emphasis is in original.
729. 'Upon her forehead was written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of whoredoms and of abominations of the earth' = the Roman Catholic Religiosity as to its inward quality, which is hidden; that from its origin is the love of domineering from self-love over the holy things of the Church and over Heaven, thus over all things of the Lord and of His Word, it has defiled and profaned those things which are of the Word, and thence of the Church...By 'Babylon the Great' is signified the Roman Catholic Religiosity, and the whole of its quality.
717. [...]By 'Babylonia,' or 'Babel' is meant the love of domineering over the holy things of the Church from self-love...And since this love thus acts the part of the Devil, who has similar aims, it cannot do otherwise than profane holy things by adulterating the goods and truths of the Word, and therefore by 'Babylonia,' or 'Babel' is also signified the profanation of what is holy, and the adulteration of the good and truth of the Word. These things are what are signified by 'Babylonia' here in the Revelation, and by 'Babel' in the prophetical and historical Word. ... [a]
As an aside, in Manhunter, while Will Graham is 'floating' toward Mrs. Leeds (in a vision he is experiencing), he speaks aloud, as if addressing her: "I see you there. And I see me desired by you. Accepted - and loved - in the silver mirrors of your eyes." Swedenborg says that silver denotes truth (e.g., in Arcana Coelestia):
It is unknown to the world at the present day that "brass" signifies natural good, and also that every metal mentioned in the Word has a specific signification in the internal sense-as "gold" celestial good; "silver" spiritual truth; "brass" natural good; "iron" natural truth; and so on with the other metals, and in like manner "wood" and "stone." Such things were signified by the "gold" "silver" "brass" and "wood" used in the ark and in the tabernacle and in the temple, concerning which, of the Lord's Divine mercy hereafter. (--from A.C. n. 425.)
a. Swedenborg, Emanuel. The Swedenborg Concordance: a complete work of reference to the theological writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. Comp. / ed. and trans. John Faulkner Potts. London: Swedenborg Society, 1888. Vol. 1. p. 294.
To skip over the remainder of the Swedenborgian analysis of the Hannibal Lecter movies, click here.
The works of Emanuel Swedenborg from the Internet Sacred Texts Archive
Arcana Coelestia, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1749-56], tr. by John F. Potts [1905-10], at sacred-texts.com. Web. 1 Jun. 2010.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Disclaimers
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Marcus Aurelius's Meditations - from Wikisource (except where otherwise noted); portions from Wikisource used on this blog are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
Saint Augustine's Confessions and City of God from Wikisource (except where otherwise noted); portions from Wikisource used on this blog are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
Saint Thomas Aquinas's Summa Theologica from the 'Logos Virtual Library' website (except where otherwise noted), compiled and edited by Darren L. Slider; believed to be in public domain.