REPLY TO THE REPORT PRESENTED TO THE CONSISTORY OF GOTEBORG ON 22 MARCH 1769 BY THE DEAN, THE VERY REVEREND OLAF EKEBOM*

There has been communicated to me the Report which the Dean presented to the Consistory concerning the doctrine of the New Church, which is delivered to the world by our Saviour Jesus Christ through me His servant in the DOCTRINE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM and the APOCALYPSE REVEALED. As I find that the Dean's report is full of accusations, as also of untruths to be found here and there, I deem it too prolix to answer in detail, especially as I see that it is written as if by one lacking a bridle to his tongue, or eyes in front to see that what is found in it is in agreement with the Word of God and enlightened understanding. These are they who are described by the Lord Himself in Matthew xiii 13-15.

I will refer only to these words in the Report, namely that that doctrine is in the highest degree heretical and in the most essential parts Socinian.

That doctrine cannot be called heretical, because in it the following are acknowledged and confirmed: 1. The Divine Trinity, see DOCTRINE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM CONCERNING THE LORD n. 55 seq. And APOCALYPSE REVEALED n. 961, 962. 2. The holiness of the Sacred Scripture, especially as to the sense of the letter, see DOCTRINE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM CONCERNING THE SACRED SCRIPTURE, n. 27 seq., n. 37 seq., n. 50 seq. and in the APOCALYPSE REVEALED 11. 200, 898, 911. 3. The Christian life, see DOCTRINE OF LIFE FOR THE NEW JERUSALEM FROM THE PRECEPTS OF THE DECALOGUE, from beginning to end. 4. The Conjunction between faith and charity, see many places in the APOCALYPSE REVEALED. 5. And that faith in God ought to be directed to our Saviour according to His own words, John iii 15, 16, vi 40, xi 25, 26, xx last verse, and especially John iii 35, 36 and Col. ii 9. The same is also seen in the Formula Concordiae, that in Jesus Christ Man is God and God is Man, pp. 607, 762, 763, 765, 840 seq. That His Human Nature was exalted to Divine Majesty and Power, pp. 607, 608 seq., 737 seq., 774, 832, seq. 844, 847, 852, 861, 863, 869. That Jesus Christ has all power in heaven and on earth, pp. 775, 776, 780, 833. That He governs all things also as to His Human Nature, being most closely present, pp. 600, 608, 611, 737, 738, 768, 775, 783-6, Appendix pp. 149, 150, besides many places. (See the edition printed in Leipzig 1756.)

On the strength of all this, and from obedience to what the Lord Himself teaches, John xiv 6-11, faith in God according to the doctrine of the New Church is to be directed to the Saviour Himself.

From this alone it can be seen that that doctrine undeservedly and shamelessly is attacked with abusive words, and that by no one of sound mind can it be said to be full of the most intolerable fundamental errors, corrupting, heretical, offensive, and in the highest degree to be rejected. These invectives are poured out, although the Dean in his Report, Article 2, admits in the following words that he has not read my Writings: 'I am not acquainted with the religious system of Assessor Swedenborg, nor do I expect I shall trouble myself to become acquainted with it. It has been told me that it is mainly to be gathered from his published Writings concerning the New Jerusalem, concerning charity and faith, concerning the Lord, etc., works which I have neither owned, read, nor seen.' Is not this being blind in front, and having eyes behind, and having even these covered over with a veil, and in this manner viewing and judging a man's writings! In such a case can any spiritual and civil judge hold an outburst in such terms to be anything but criminal! The Doctrine to which the Dean refers is to be found in Goteborg, and he could have seen it if he had so desired. The Dean also blasphemes against the spiritual sense of the Word which our Saviour has now caused to be revealed, making out that this sense would prevent the Sacred Scripture from becoming the source for the learning of faith, religion, and revealed theology, according to his own words. And yet in the DOCTRINE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM CONCERNING THE SACRED SCRIPTURE it is fully proved and demonstrated: 1. That the sense of the letter of the Word is the basis, containant, and support of its spiritual sense, n. 27-36. 2. That the Divine Truth is in its fullness, its holiness, and its Power in the sense of the letter of the Word, n. 37-49. 3. That the doctrine of the Church is to be drawn from the sense of the letter of the Word, and to be confirmed by it, n. 50-61. 4. That by means of the sense of the letter of the Word there is conjunction with the Lord and consociation with angels, n. 62-9, besides other things. Concerning the spiritual sense of the Word and its inestimable use, n. 5-26 ibid.; see also APOCALYPSE REVEALED, n. 200, 898, 911, and a thousand other places.

With regard to the second point, calling that Doctrine Socinian, it is an accursed blasphemy and lie, in that Socinianism is the denial of the divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ, while yet it is His divinity that is principally affirmed and proved in this New Church Doctrine, and that our Saviour has fully made satisfaction and has redeemed men, indeed that no man could have been saved without His advent (see APOCALYPSE REVEALED n. 67 and several other places). I therefore regard the word Socinian as scorn and diabolical insolence.

This, together with the rest in the Report, one may regard as the kind of thing meant by the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth after the woman, to drown her while she was yet in the wilderness, Rev. xii 15; and it may be that what follows immediately afterwards may also come to pass - that the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, verse 17. That the New Jerusalem means the New Church which is to become the Bride and Wife of the Lamb, see APOC. REV. n. 880, 881. And that it will surely come, because the Lord Himself has predicted it, Revelation xxii to, see also Zech. xiv 7-9; and in the last chapter the following words: 'I Jesus have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the Churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star. And the spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whoever will, let him take the water of life freely,' Rev. xxii 16, 17.

Eman. Swedenborg Amsterdam

15 April 1769

I request that this be presented to the Venerable Consistory, as also that a copy be sent to the Bishop.

A copy of this reply by the Assessor was sent to the Bishop, according to the Assessor's own request.

Year and date as above.

Ex protoc. Arvid Brag.

* When Dean Olof A. Ekebom (1716-84) first met Swedenborg during the week the latter was delayed in Goteborg in 1765, he showed no apparent hostility towards his theological teachings, yet within four years he had begun to attack them so that the spread of Swedenborgianism might be halted. In his report to the Goteborg Consistory on 22 March 1769 the Dean declared:

'I submit to the examination of the Consistory whether the whole of Swedenborgianism is not diametrically opposed to God's revealed Word and the symbolical books of the Lutheran Church; full of the most intolerable fundamental errors which overthrow the very foundation of faith and of the whole Christian religion; and thus, not only schismatic, but in the highest degree heretical, in the most essential points Socinian, and thus in every respect to be rejected?' (English versions of the whole of this report appear in LM pp. 661-5 and TD ii pp. 287-90.) One month later while in Amsterdam Swedenborg received the text of Ekebom's report, and in his letter to Beyer on 15 April enclosed the reply that is printed here. The Swedish text is based not on the original document, which is no longer extant, but on the copy that appears in the printed Goteborg Consistory minutes (G). For a biographical note on Dean Ekebom, see TD ii pp. 1133-4, and for a further declaration submitted to the Consistory concerning Swedenborgian doctrines in general and the dissemination of them by Dr. Beyer, see TD ii pp. 345-8.