In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and God was the Word. All things were made through Him,
and without Him was not any thing made that hath been
made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
He was in the world, and the world was made through Him.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we
beheld His glory (1:1-14).
Evidently the Lord is here meant by "the Word," for it is said that
"the Word became flesh." But what is specifically meant by "the Word"
is not known and shall therefore be explained. Here "the Word" means
the Divine truth which is in the Lord and from the Lord;{1} and this
is why it is also called "the Light," which is the Divine truth, as
has been already shown in this chapter. That it was by means of
Divine truth that all things were created and made shall now be
explained. [2] In heaven Divine truth has all power, and apart from
it there is no power whatever.{2} From the Divine truth angels are
called powers, and are powers to the extent that they are recipients
or receptacles of it. By means of it they prevail over the hells and
over all that oppose them. A thousand enemies there cannot stand
against a single ray of the light of heaven, which is Divine truth.
As angels are angels by their reception of Divine truth it follows
that the entire heaven is from no other source, since heaven consists
of angels. [3] That there is such power in Divine truth those cannot
believe that have no other idea of truth than that it is thought or
speech, which has in it no power except as others do it from
obedience. But Divine truth has power in itself, and such power that
by means of it heaven was created and the world with all things
therein. That there is such power in Divine truth may be shown by two
comparisons-by the power of truth and good in man, and by the power
of light and heat from the sun in the world. By the power of good and
truth in man, in that everything that a man does he does from his
understanding and will-from his will by means of good and from his
understanding by means of truth; for all things in the will have
relation to good and all things in the understanding have relation to
truth.{3} Therefore it is from good and truth that man moves his
whole body, and a thousand things therein rush with one accord to do
their will and pleasure. This makes clear that the whole body is
formed for subservience to good and truth, consequently is formed by
good and truth. [4] By the power of heat and light from the sun in
the world, in that all things that grow in the world, as trees,
cereals, flowers, grasses, fruits, and seeds, come into existence
wholly by means of the heat and light of the sun; which shows what
power of producing there is in them. What, then, must be the power in
Divine light, which is Divine truth, and in Divine heat, which is
Divine good? Because heaven has its existence from these, so does the
world have its existence therefrom, since the world has its existence
by means of heaven, as has been already shown. From all this the
meaning of these words can be seen that "all things were made through
the Word, and without the Word was not anything made that has been
made;" also that "the world was made through Him," that is, through
Divine truth from the Lord.{4} For the same reason, in the Book of
Creation, light is first spoken of, and then the things that are from
light (Gen. 1:3, 4). For this reason also all things in the universe,
both in heaven and in the world, have relation to good and truth and
to their conjunction, in order to be anything.
{Footnote 1} In the Sacred Scripture word signifies various
things, namely, speech, thought of the mind, any thing that
really exists, also something, and in the highest sense Divine
truth, and the Lord (n. 9987). "Word" signifies Divine truth
(n. 2803, 2894, 4692, 5075, 5272, 9383, 9987). "Word" signifies
the Lord (n. 2533, 2859).
{Footnote 2} Divine truth going forth from the Lord has all
power (n. 6948, 8200). Truth from good has all power in heaven
(n. 3091, 3563, 6344, 6423, 8304, 9643, 10019, 10182). Angels
are called powers, and are powers by the reception of Divine
truth from the Lord (n. 9639). Angels are recipients of Divine
truth from the Lord and therefore in the Word are sometimes
called gods (n. 4295, 4402, 7873, 8192, 8301).
{Footnote 3} The understanding is a recipient of truth, and the
will a recipient of good (n. 3623, 6125, 7503, 9300, 9930).
Therefore all things in the understanding have relation to
truths, whether they are really truths or are believed by man
to be truths, and all things in the will in like manner have
relation to goods (n. 803, 10122).
{Footnote 4} Divine truth going forth from the Lord is the only
real thing (n. 6880, 7004, 8200). By means of Divine truth all
things were created and made (n. 2803, 2884, 5272, 7678).
139.{1} It must be understood that the Divine good and the Divine
truth that are from the Lord as a sun in the heavens are not in the
Lord, but are from the Lord. In the Lord there is only Divine love,
which is the Being [Esse] from which the Divine good and the Divine
truth spring. Outgo [existere] from being [esse] is meant by going
forth [procedere]. This, too, can be made clear by comparison with
the world's sun. The heat and light that are in the world are not in
the sun, but are from the sun. In the sun there is fire only, and it
is from this that heat and light spring and go forth.
{Footnote 1} [There is no n. 138 in the original. -- Editor.]
140. Since the Lord as a sun is Divine love, and Divine love is
Divine good itself, the Divine that goes forth from the Lord, which
is His Divine in heaven, is called, for the sake of distinction,
Divine truth, although it is in fact Divine good united to Divine
truth. This Divine truth is what is called the Holy that goes forth
from Him.