It is believed that in heaven the wise will have more glory and
eminence than the simple, because it is said in Daniel:
They that are intelligent shall shine as with the
brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to
righteousness as the stars for ever and ever (12:3).
But few know who are meant by the "intelligent" and by those that
"turn many to righteousness." The common belief is that they are such
as are called the accomplished and learned, especially such as have
taught in the church and have surpassed others in acquirements and in
preaching, and still more such among them as have converted many to
the faith. In the world all such are regarded as the intelligent;
nevertheless such are not the intelligent in heaven that are spoken
of in these words, unless their intelligence is heavenly
intelligence. What this is will now be told.
347. Heavenly intelligence is interior intelligence, arising from a
love for truth, not with any glory in the world nor any glory in
heaven as an end, but with the truth itself as an end, by which they
are inmostly affected and with which they are inmostly delighted.
Those who are affected by and delighted with the truth itself are
affected by and delighted with the light of heaven; and those who are
affected by and delighted with the light of heaven are also affected
by and delighted with Divine truth, and indeed with the Lord Himself;
for the light of heaven is Divine truth, and Divine truth is the Lord
in heaven (see above, n. 126-140). This light enters only into the
interiors of the mind; for the interiors of the mind are formed for
the reception of that light, and are affected by and delighted with
that light as it enters; for whatever flows in and is received from
heaven has in it what is delightful and pleasant. From this comes a
genuine affection for truth, which is an affection for truth for
truth's sake. Those who are in this affection, or what is the same
thing, in this love, are in heavenly intelligence, and "shine in
heaven as with the brightness of the firmament." They so shine
because Divine truth, wherever it is in heaven, is what gives light
(see above, n. 132); and the "firmament" of heaven signifies from
correspondence the intellectual faculty, both with angels and men,
that is in the light of heaven. [2] But those that love the truth,
either with glory in the world or glory in heaven as an end, cannot
shine in heaven, since they are delighted with and affected by the
light of the world, and not with the very light of heaven; and the
light of the world without the light of heaven is in heaven mere
thick darkness.{1} For the glory of self is what rules, because it is
the end in view; and when that glory is the end man puts himself in
the first place, and such truths as can be made serviceable to his
glory he looks upon simply as means to the end and as instruments of
service. For he that loves Divine truths for the sake of his own
glory regards himself and not the Lord in Divine truths, thereby
turning the sight pertaining to his understanding and faith away from
heaven to the world, and away from the Lord to himself. Such,
therefore, are in the light of the world and not in the light of
heaven. [3] In outward form or in the sight of men they appear just
as intelligent and learned as those who are in the light of heaven,
because they speak in a like manner; and sometimes to outward
appearance they even appear wiser, because they are moved by love of
self, and are skilled in counterfeiting heavenly affections; but in
their inward form in which they appear before the angels they are
wholly different. All this shows in some degree who those are that
are meant by "the intelligent that will shine in heaven as with the
brightness of the firmament." Who are meant by those that "turn many
to righteousness," who will shine as the stars, shall now be told.
{Footnote 1} The light of the world is for the external man,
the light of heaven for the internal man (n. 3222-3224, 3337).
The light of heaven flows into the natural light, and so far as
the natural man receives the light of heaven he becomes wise
(n. 4302, 4408). The things that are in the light of heaven can
be seen in the light of heaven but not in the light of the
world, which is called natural light (n. 9755). Therefore those
who are solely in the light of the world do not perceive those
things that are in the light of heaven (n. 3108). To the angels
the light of the world is thick darkness (n. 1521, 1783, 1880).
348. By those who "turn many to righteousness" are meant those who
are wise, and in heaven those are called wise who are in good, and
those are in good that apply Divine truths at once to the life; for
as soon as Divine truth comes to be of the life it becomes good,
since it comes to be of will and love, and whatever is of will and
love is called good; therefore such are called wise because wisdom is
of the life. But those that do not commit Divine truths at once to
the life, but first to the memory, from which they afterwards draw
them and apply them to the life, are called the "intelligent." What
and how great the difference is between the wise and the intelligent
in the heavens can be seen in the chapter that treats of the two
kingdoms of heaven, the celestial and the spiritual (n. 20-28), and
in the chapter that treats of the three heavens (n. 29-40). Those
who are in the Lord's celestial kingdom, and consequently in the
third or inmost heaven, are called "the righteous" because they
attribute all righteousness to the Lord and none to themselves. The
Lord's righteousness in heaven is the good that is from the Lord.{1}
Such, then, are here meant by those that "turn to righteousness;" and
such are meant also in the Lord's words,
The righteous shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom
of their Father (Matt. 13:43). Such "shine forth as the
Sun" because they are in love to the Lord from the Lord,
and that love is meant by the "sun" (see above,
n. 116-125). The light of such is flame-colored; and the
ideas of their thought are so tinged with what is flaming
because they receive the good of love directly from the
Lord as the sun in heaven.
{Footnote 1} The merit and righteousness of the Lord is the
good that rules in heaven (n. 9486, 9983). He that is
"righteous" or "made righteous" is one to whom the merit and
righteousness of the Lord is ascribed; and he is "unrighteous"
who holds to his own righteousness and merit (n. 5069, 9263).
The quality of those in the other life who claim righteousness
to themselves (n. 942, 2027). In the Word "righteousness" is
predicated of good and judgment of truth; therefore "doing
righteousness and judgment" is doing good and truth (n. 2235,
9857).
349. All who have acquired intelligence and wisdom in the world are
received in heaven and become angels, each in accordance with the
quality and degree of his intelligence and wisdom. For whatever a man
acquires in the world abides, and he takes it with him after death;
and it is further increased and filled out, but within and not beyond
the degree of his affection and desire for truth and its good, those
with but little affection and desire receiving but little, and yet as
much as they are capable of receiving within that degree; while those
with much affection and desire receive much. The degree itself of
affection and desire is like a measure that is filled to the full, he
that has a large measure receiving more, and he that has a small
measure receiving less. This is so because man's love, to which
affection and desire belong, receives all that accords with itself;
consequently reception is measured by the love. This is what is meant
by the Lord's words,
To him that hath it shall be given, that he may have more
abundantly (Matt. 13:12; 25:29).
Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running
over, shall be given into your bosom (Luke 6:38).
350. All are received into heaven who have loved truth and good for
the sake of truth and good; therefore those that have loved much are
called the wise, and those that have loved little are called the
simple. The wise in heaven are in much light, the simple in less
light, everyone in accordance with the degree of his love for good
and truth. To love truth and good for the sake of truth and good is
to will and do them; for those love who will and do, while those who
do not will and do do not love. Such also love the Lord and are loved
by the Lord, because good and truth are from the Lord. And inasmuch
as good and truth are from the Lord the Lord is in good and truth;
and He is in those who receive good and truth in their life by
willing and doing. Moreover, when man is viewed in himself he is
nothing but his own good and truth, because good is of his will and
truth of his understanding, and man is such as his will and
understanding are. Evidently, then, man is loved by the Lord just to
the extent that his will is formed from good and his understanding
from truth. Also to be loved by the Lord is to love the Lord, since
love is reciprocal; for upon him who is loved the Lord bestows
ability to love.
351. It is believed in the world that those who have much knowledge,
whether it be knowledge of the teachings of the church and the Word
or of the sciences, have a more interior and keen vision of truth
than others, that is, are more intelligent and wise; and such have
this opinion of themselves. But what true intelligence and wisdom
are, and what spurious and false intelligence and wisdom are, shall
be told in what now follows. [2] True intelligence and wisdom is
seeing and perceiving what is true and good, and thereby what is
false and evil, and clearly distinguishing between them, and this
from an interior intuition and perception. With every man there are
interior faculties and exterior faculties; interior faculties
belonging to the internal or spiritual man, and exterior faculties
belonging to the exterior or natural man. Accordingly as man's
interiors are formed and made one with his exteriors man sees and
perceives. His interiors can be formed only in heaven, his exteriors
are formed in the world. When his interiors have been formed in
heaven the things they contain flow into his exteriors which are from
the world, and so form them that they correspond with, that is, act
as one with, his interiors; and when this is done man sees and
perceives from what is interior. The interiors can be formed only in
one way, namely, by man's looking to the Divine and to heaven, since,
as has been said, the interiors are formed in heaven; and man looks
to the Divine when he believes in the Divine, and believes that all
truth and good and consequently all intelligence and wisdom are from
the Divine; and man believes in the Divine when he is willing to be
led by the Divine. In this way and none other are the interiors of
man opened. [3] The man who is in that belief and in a life that is
in accordance with his belief has the ability and capacity to
understand and be wise; but to become intelligent and wise he must
learn many things, both things pertaining to heaven and things
pertaining to the world--things pertaining to heaven from the Word
and from the church, and things pertaining to the world from the
sciences. To the extent that man learns and applies to life he
becomes intelligent and wise, for to that extent the interior sight
belonging to his understanding and the interior affection belonging
to his will are perfected. The simple of this class are those whose
interiors have been opened, but not so enriched by spiritual, moral,
civil and natural truths. Such perceive truths when they hear them,
but do not see them in themselves. But the wise of this class are
those whose interiors have been both opened and enriched. Such both
see truths inwardly and perceive them. All this makes clear what true
intelligence is and what true wisdom is.
352. Spurious intelligence and wisdom is failing to see and perceive
from within what is true and what is good, and thereby what is false
and what is evil, but merely believing that to be true and good and
that to be false and evil which is said by others to be so, and then
confirming it. Because such see truth from some one else, and not
from the truth itself, they can seize upon and believe what is false
as readily as what is true, and can confirm it until it appears true;
for whatever is confirmed puts on the appearance of truth; and there
is nothing that can not be confirmed. The interiors of such are
opened only from beneath; but their exteriors are opened to the
extent that they have confirmed themselves. For this reason the light
from which they see is not the light of heaven but the light of the
world, which is called natural light [lumen]; and in that light
falsities can shine like truths; and when confirmed they can even
appear resplendent, but not in the light of heaven. Of this class
those are less intelligent and wise who have strongly confirmed
themselves, and those are more intelligent and wise who have less
strongly confirmed themselves. All this shows what spurious
intelligence and wisdom are. [2] But those are not included in this
class who in childhood supposed what they heard from their masters to
be true, if in a riper age, when they think from their own
understanding, they do not continue to hold fast to it, but long for
truth, and from that longing seek for it, and when they find it are
interiorly moved by it. Because such are moved by the truth for the
truth's sake they see the truth before they confirm it.{1} [3] This
may be illustrated by an example. There was a discussion among
spirits why animals are born into all the knowledge suited to their
nature, but man is not; and the reason was said to be that animals
are in the order of their life, and man is not, consequently man must
needs be led into order by means of what he learns of internal and
external things. But if man were born into the order of his life,
which is to love God above all things and his neighbor as himself, he
would be born into intelligence and wisdom, and as knowledges are
acquired would come into a belief in all truth. Good spirits saw this
at once and perceived it to be true, and this merely from the light
of truth; while the spirits who had confirmed themselves in faith
alone, and had thereby set aside love and charity, were unable to
understand it, because the light of falsity which they had confirmed
had made obscure to them the light of truth.
{Footnote 1} It is the part of the wise to see and perceive
whether a thing is true before it is confirmed and not merely
to confirm what is said by others (n. 1017, 4741, 7012, 7680,
7950). Only those can see and perceive whether a thing is true
before it is confirmed who are affected by truth for the sake
of truth and for the sake of life (n. 8521). The light of
confirmation is not spiritual light but natural light, and is
even sensual light which the wicked may have (n. 8780). All
things, even falsities, may be so confirmed as to appear like
truths (n. 2477, 2480, 5033, 6865, 8521).
353. False intelligence and wisdom is all intelligence and wisdom
that is separated from the acknowledgment of the Divine; for all such
as do not acknowledge the Divine, but acknowledge nature in the place
of the Divine, think from the bodily-sensual, and are merely sensual,
however highly they may be esteemed in the world for their
accomplishments and learning.{1} For their learning does not ascend
beyond such things as appear before their eyes in the world; these
they hold in the memory and look at them in an almost material way,
although the same knowledges serve the truly intelligent in forming
their understanding. By sciences the various kinds of experimental
knowledge are meant, such as physics, astronomy, chemistry,
mechanics, geometry, anatomy, psychology, philosophy, the history of
kingdoms and of the literary world, criticism, and languages. [2] The
clergy who deny the Divine do not raise their thoughts above the
sensual things of the external man; and regard the things of the Word
in the same way as others regard the sciences, not making them
matters of thought or of any intuition by an enlightened rational
mind; and for the reason that their interiors are closed up, together
with those exteriors that are nearest to their interiors. These are
closed up because they have turned themselves away from heaven, and
have retroverted those faculties that were capable of looking
heavenward, which are, as has been said above, the interiors of the
human mind. For this reason they are incapable of seeing anything
true or good, this being to them in thick darkness, while whatever is
false and evil is in light. [3] And yet sensual men can reason, some
of them more cunningly and keenly than any one else; but they reason
from the fallacies of the senses confirmed by their knowledges; and
because they are able to reason in this way they believe themselves
to be wiser than others.{2} The fire that kindles with affection
their reasonings is the fire of the love of self and the world. Such
are those who are in false intelligence and wisdom, and who are meant
by the Lord in Matthew:
Seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do
they understand (13:13-15).
And again:
These things are hid from the intelligent and wise, and
revealed unto babes (11:25, 26).
{Footnote 1} The sensual is the outmost of man's life, clinging
to and inhering in his bodily part (n. 5077, 5767, 9212, 9216,
9331, 9730). He is called a sensual man who forms all his
judgments and conclusions from the bodily senses, and who
believes nothing except what he sees with his eyes and touches
with his hands (n. 5094, 7693). Such a man thinks in things
outermost and not interiorly in himself (n. 5089, 5094, 6564,
7693). His interiors are so closed up that he sees nothing of
Divine truth (n. 6564, 6844, 6845). In a word he is in gross
natural light and thus perceives nothing that is from the light
of heaven (n. 6201, 6310, 6564, 6598, 6612, 6614, 6622, 6624,
6844, 6845). Therefore he is inwardly opposed to all things
pertaining to heaven and the church (n. 6201, 6310, 6844, 6845,
6948, 6949). The learned that have confirmed themselves against
the truths of the church are sensual (n. 6316). A description
of the sensual man (n. 10236).
{Footnote 2} Sensual men reason keenly and cunningly, since
they place all intelligence in speaking from the bodily memory
(n. 195, 196, 5700, 10236). But they reason from the fallacies
of the senses (n. 5084, 6948, 6949, 7693). Sensual men are more
cunning and malicious than others (n. 7693, 10236). By the
ancients such were called serpents of the tree of knowledge (n.
195-197, 6398, 6949, 10313).
354. It has been granted me to speak with many of the learned after
their departure from the world; with some of distinguished reputation
and celebrated in the literary world for their writings, and with
some not so celebrated, although endowed with profound wisdom. Those
that in heart had denied the Divine, whatever their professions may
have been, had become so stupid as to have little comprehension even
of anything truly civil, still less of anything spiritual. I
perceived and also saw that the interiors of their minds were so
closed up as to appear black (for in the spiritual world such things
become visible), and in consequence they were unable to endure any
heavenly light or admit any influx from heaven. This blackness which
their interiors presented was more intense and extended with those
that had confirmed themselves against the Divine by the knowledges
they had acquired. In the other life such accept all falsity with
delight, imbibing it as a sponge does water; and they repel all truth
as an elastic bony substance repels what falls upon it. In fact, it
is said that the interiors of those that have confirmed themselves
against the Divine and in favor of nature become bony, and their
heads down to the nose appear callous like ebony, which is a sign
that they no longer have any perception. Those of this description
are immersed in quagmires that appear like bogs; and there they are
harassed by the fantasies into which their falsities are turned.
Their infernal fire is a lust for glory and reputation, which prompts
them to assail one another, and from an infernal ardor to torment
those about them who do not worship them as deities; and this they do
one to another in turns. Into such things is all the learning of the
world changed that has not received into itself light from heaven
through acknowledgment of the Divine.
355. That these are such in the spiritual world when they come into
it after death may be inferred from this alone, that all things that
are in the natural memory and are in immediate conjunction with the
things of bodily sense (which is true of such knowledges as are
mentioned above) then become quiescent; and only such rational
principles as are drawn from these then serve for thought and speech.
For man carries with him his entire natural memory, but its contents
are not then under his view, and do not come into his thought as when
he lived in the world. He can take nothing from that memory and bring
it forth into spiritual light because its contents are not objects of
that light. But those things of the reason and understanding that man
has acquired from knowledges while living in the body are in accord
with the light of the spiritual world; consequently so far as the
spirit of man has been made rational in the world through knowledge
and science it is to the same extent rational after being loosed from
the body; for man is then a spirit, and it is the spirit that thinks
in the body.{1}
{Footnote 1} Knowledges belong to the natural memory that man
has while he is in the body (n. 5212, 9922). Man carries with
him after death his whole natural memory (n. 2475) from
experience (n. 2481-2486). But he is not able, as he was in the
world, to draw anything out of that memory, for several reasons
(n. 2476, 2477, 2479).
356. But in respect to those that have acquired intelligence and
wisdom through knowledge and science, who are such as have applied
all things to the use of life, and have also acknowledged the Divine,
loved the Word, and lived a spiritual moral life (of which above, n.
319), to such the sciences have served as a means of becoming wise,
and also of corroborating the things pertaining to faith. The
interiors of the mind of such have been perceived by me, and were
seen as transparent from light of a glistening white, flamy, or blue
color, like that of translucent diamonds, rubies, and sapphires; and
this in accordance with confirmations in favor of the Divine and
Divine truths drawn from science. Such is the appearance of true
intelligence and wisdom when they are presented to view in the
spiritual world. This appearance is derived from the light of heaven;
and that light is Divine truth going forth from the Lord, which is
the source of all intelligence and wisdom (see above, n. 126-133).
[2] The planes of that light, in which variegations like those of
colors exist, are the interiors of the mind; and these variegations
are produced by confirmations of Divine truths by means of such
things as are in nature, that is, in the sciences.{1} For the
interior mind of man looks into the things of the natural memory, and
the things there that will serve as proofs it sublimates as it were
by the fire of heavenly love, and withdraws and purifies them even
into spiritual ideas. This is unknown to man as long as he lives in
the body, because there he thinks both spiritually and naturally, and
he has no perception of the things he then thinks spiritually, but
only of those he thinks naturally. But when he has come into the
spiritual world he has no perception of what he thought naturally in
the world, but only of what he thought spiritually. Thus is his state
changed. [3] All this makes clear that it is by means of knowledges
and sciences that man is made spiritual, also that these are the
means of becoming wise, but only with those who have acknowledged the
Divine in faith and life. Such also before others are accepted in
heaven, and are among those there who are at the center (n. 43),
because they are in light more than others. These are the intelligent
and wise in heaven, who "shine as with the brightness of the
firmament" and "who shine as the stars," while the simple there are
those that have acknowledged the Divine, have loved the Word, and
have lived a spiritual and moral life, but the interiors of their
minds have not been so enriched by knowledges and sciences. The human
mind is like soil which is such as it is made by cultivation.
{Footnote 1} Most beautiful colors are seen in heaven (n. 1053,
1624). Colors in heaven are from the light there, and are
modifications or variegations of that light (n. 1042, 1043,
1053, 1624, 3993, 4530, 4742, 4922). Thus they are
manifestations of truth from good, and they signify such things
as pertain to intelligence and wisdom (n. 4530, 4677, 4922,
9466).