Answer to a Letter written to me by a Friend

I rejoice in the friendship to which you bear witness in your letter. For the latter, and especially for the former, I return you hearty thanks. The praises with which you load me, I receive in no other way than as [a testification] of the love of the truth in my writings, and, being from that source, I transfer them to the Lord our Savior from whom is the all of truth, He being Truth itself, John 14:6.

I have turned my attention only to what you write at the end, which is as follows: If perchance after your departure from England there should be speech concerning your writings and then should occasion arise for also defending you, their author, against some malevolent reviler who will seek to injure your reputation by thought-up lies, as is the wont with haters of truth, will it not be of use for repelling such slanders that you leave with me some particulars respecting yourself, your degrees in the university, the public offices you have filled, your acquaintances and relatives, your honors, with which I have heard you have been honored, and all else that might serve to establish your good reputation, that so, prejudices wrongly received may be removed; for all lawful means must be used that truth may not suffer injury. After meditation on these words, I have been led to comply with your friendly counsel, which is that I communicate something of my life. This in brief is as follows :

I was born in Stockholm on the 29th of January in the year 1689,** of my father, Jesper Swedberg by name, who was Bishop of West Gothland, and was celebrated in his day. He was also inscribed as a member of the Society for the Propagation of the Faith, having been elected by that Society;*** for he had been appointed by King Charles XII presiding Bishop over the Swedish Church in Pennsylvania, and also over the Church in London. In the year 1710, I journeyed abroad, first to England and then to Holland, France, and Germany, and from there I returned home in the year 1714.****

In 1716 and later, I frequently talked with Charles XII, King of Sweden, who greatly favored me, and in the same year he honored me with the office of Assessor in the College of Mines, an office which I then filled until the year 1747, in which year I resigned, retaining however half the salary of that office to the end of my life. I gave in my resignation solely to the end that I might the better devote myself to the new function enjoined on me by the Lord. A higher rank of dignity was then offered me, but this I absolutely refused, lest pride should thereby invade my mind.*****

In the year 1719, I was ennobled by Queen Ulrica Eleonora and named Swedenborg, and from that time on, in the Assemblies****** which take place every three years, I have been numbered among the Nobles of the order of knighthood.

I am an Associate and Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Stockholm, by invitation. I have never asked to be received into any other learned society elsewhere, because I am in an angelic society, and there, only such things are dealt with as pertain to heaven and the soul, while in societies of the learned, it is things that pertain to the world and the body.

In the year 1734, I published at Leipzig REGNUM MINERALE in 3 volumes folio. In the year 1738, I made a journey to Italy, Venice and Rome, staying for a year.

As regards my relatives, I had four sisters, one of whom was married to Eric BENZELIUS who later became Archbishop in Upsala. I thus became related to the two next Archbishops there who were Benzelii,******* being younger brothers of the former. My second sister was married to Lars BENZELSTIERNA******** who was honored with the title of Provincial Governor. But these men are dead. Two Bishops, however, relations of mine, are at present among the living-one who is called Filenius, Bishop of East Gothland, who in the Assembly at Stockholm is now filling the office of President in the Ecclesiastical Estate, in place of the Archbishop who is ill. He married my sister's daughter. The other, who is called Benzelstierna, is the Bishop of Westmanland and Dalecarlia; he is the son of my second sister-not to speak of other men in positions of dignity.

Moreover, in my country, all the Bishops, who are 10 in number, and also the Senators,********* who are 16 in number, and the other dignitaries, love me, and from love honor me, and I associate with them familiarly as a friend with friends, and this because they know that I am in company with angels. The King himself with the Queen and the three princes their sons, show me great favor. Once also, being invited by the King and Queen to their table, I ate with them-which otherwise is not granted to any save the great-and likewise at a later time with the Crown Prince.**********

All are eager for my return, and therefore in my own country I have not the least fear of the persecution of which you are somewhat apprehensive and against which, in your letter, you so kindly take counsel. If they persecute me elsewhere, it does not reach me.

But the things recounted above, I regard as of comparatively little moment; for what towers above them is the fact that I have been called to a sacred office by the Lord Himself, who, in the year 1743, most graciously manifested Himself in Person before me, His servant, and then opened my sight into the spiritual world and granted me to speak with spirits and angels, and this has continued even to the present day. From that time I began to publish in print various arcana seen by me and revealed, such as arcana concerning heaven and hell, man's state after death, true Divine worship, the spiritual sense of the Word, besides much else of the utmost value, conducive to salvation and wisdom.

My traveling at times from my own country to foreign parts was from no other cause than the desire to perform uses and to disclose the arcana given to me. For the rest, I possess means that are sufficient, and neither seek nor desire more.

I have been led by your letter to mention the above particulars in order that-as you put it-prejudices wrongly received may be removed.

Farewell, and from my heart I wish you happiness in this world and in the world to come, nor do I doubt but that you will obtain it if you look to our Lord and pray to Him.

* The original of the letter to Mr. Hartley is now lost, but it was printed in part by Mr. Hartley in 1769, soon after its receipt, and was reprinted in 1800 in the Aurora, II, 224. As printed, it is without date. Very probably the date was omitted by Mr. Hartley, for the letter to Dr. Messiter, the original of which is now in the possession of Dr. Waller, Lidkoping, Sweden, is dated AUGUST 5, and this may be taken as the date of the letter to Mr. Hartley. ** There has been much speculation as to why Swedenborg wrote 1689 instead of the true date 1688. See Swedenborg's own explanation as reported by General Tuxen. He told me (writes Tuxen) he was not born in that year but in the year 1688. The reason why he had written 1689 was because of the correspondence of that number. Therefore, when in his letter he had first written 1688, an angel present told him he should write 1689 as being more suitable to himself (2 Doc. 436). *** The Society De Promovenda fide Christiana apud Gentiles et Judaeos. Bishop Swedberg was elected a member of this Society in 1712 in recognition of the cooperation of the Swedish Church in America, of which he was Bishop, with the Anglican Church there which he fostered (Tottie, II, 264). **** This should be 1715. ***** In June, after the retirement of John Bergenstierna in April 1747, the College of Mines recommended Swedenborg, who was then the Senior Assessor, to the King for advancement to the rank of Councillor, an office which would have entitled him to a higher pension. Instead of accepting this recommendation, Swedenborg wrote to the King on June 2, humbly asking that another be appointed in his place, and that he be released from his office on pension, without having any higher office bestowed upon him. ****** i.e., the Diet. ******* After the death of Archbishop Steuchius in June 1742, Bishop Eric Benzelius was named as his successor, but he died in Sept. 1743, before he was able to take the office. He was succeeded as Archbishop by his younger brother Jacob (1744-47) who in turn was succeeded by the youngest brother Henry (1747-58). ******** Another of Eric's brothers. ********* i.e., Members of the Privy Council. ********** It may be thought that Swedenborg's thought concerning the high esteem in which he was held, is not in accordance with the facts as developed later in the actions of the Privy Council. Such, however, is not the case. With few exceptions, Swedenborg was held by the Royal family and by the dignitaries of the land in high esteem-and this, not only for his reputation as a learned man, and for his long and faithful service in the high office of Assessor, but, also, and above all, for that sincerity and simplicity of character which is testified to by so many of his contemporaries. His doctrines, and especially his teachings "from things seen and heard," were indeed attacked as fanatical, and those who favored them persecuted, but the utmost care was taken that no harm should come to Swedenborg himself. He was left in peace-and ignorance-to come and go as he pleased. Moreover, there is evidence to show not only that the King and Queen favored him but that they were opposed to the persecution of his followers.