356. But in respect of those who have furnished themselves with intelligence and wisdom through cognitions and facts of knowledge, who are such as have applied all things to the use of life, and have at the same time 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 colour, like that of translucent diamonds, rubies, and sapphires; and this in accordance with confirmations in favour of the Divine and Divine truths drawn from knowledges. 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 which 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 colours come into existence, 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.# 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. That this is the case 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. [3] Thus is his state changed. All this makes clear that it is by means of cognitions and knowledges 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 in the middle (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 who have acknowledged the Divine, have loved the Word, and have lived a spiritual, moral life, but the interiors of their minds have not been so enriched by cognitions and knowledges. The human mind is like soil which is such as it is made by cultivation. # Most beautiful colours are seen in heaven (n. 1053, 1624). Colours 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).
COLLECTED EXTRACTS FROM THE ARCANA CAELESTIA CONCERNING KNOWLEDGES
Man ought to be fully instructed in knowledges and in cognitions since by means of them he learns to think, afterwards to understand what is true and good, and finally to be wise (n. 129, 1450, 1451, 1453, 1548, 1802). Knowledges are the first things on which the life of man, civil, moral, and spiritual, is built and founded, and they are to be learned for the sake of use as an end (n. 1489, 3310). Cognitions open the way to the internal man, and afterwards conjoin that man with the external in accordance with uses (n. 1563, 1616). The rational faculty has its birth by means of knowledges and cognitions (n. 1895, 1900, 3086). But not by means of cognitions themselves, but by means of an affection for the uses derived from them (n. 1895).
[2] There are knowledges that give entrance to Divine truths, and knowledges that do not (n. 5213). Empty knowledges are to be destroyed (n. 1489, 1492, 1499, 1581). Empty knowledges are such as have the loves of self and of the world as an end, and sustain those loves, and withdraw from love to God and love towards the neighbour, because such knowledges close up the internal man, even to the extent that man becomes unable to receive anything from heaven (n. 1563, 1600). Knowledges are means to becoming wise and means to becoming insane and by them the internal man is either opened or closed, and thus the rational is either enriched or destroyed (n. 4156, 8628, 9922).
[3] The internal man is opened and gradually perfected by means of knowledges if man has good use as an end, especially use that looks to eternal life (n. 3086). Then knowledges, which are in the natural man, are met by spiritual and heavenly things from the spiritual man, and these adopt such of them as are suitable (n. 1495). Then the uses of heavenly life are drawn forth by the Lord and perfected and raised up out of the knowledges in the natural man by means of the internal man (n. 1895, 1896, 1900, 1901, 1902, 5871, 5874, 5901). While incongruous and opposing knowledges are rejected to the sides and banished (n. 5871, 5886, 5889).
[4] The sight of the internal man calls forth from the knowledges of the external man only such things as are in accord with its love (n. 9394). As seen by the internal man, what pertains to the love is at the centre and in brightness, but what is not of the love is at the sides and in obscurity (n. 6068, 6084). Suitable knowledges are gradually implanted in man's loves and, as it were, dwell in them (n. 6325). If man were born into love towards the neighbour, he would be born into intelligence, but because he is born into the loves of self and of the world he is born into total ignorance (n. 6323, 6325). Knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom are sons of love to God and of love towards the neighbour (n. 1226, 2049, 2116).
[5] It is one thing to be wise, another thing to understand, another to know, and another to do; nevertheless, in those who possess spiritual life these follow in order, and exist together in doing or deeds (n. 10331). Also it is one thing to know, another to acknowledge, and another to have faith (n. 896).
[6] Knowledges, which pertain to the external or natural man, are in the light of the world, but truths that have been made truths of faith and of love, and have thus acquired life, are in the light of heaven (n. 5212). The truths that have acquired spiritual life are comprehended by means of natural ideas (n. 5510). Spiritual influx is from the internal or spiritual man into the know- ledges that are in the external or natural man (n. 1940, 8005). Knowledges are receptacles, and as it were vessels, for the truth and good that belong to the internal man (n. 1469, 1496, 3068, 5489, 6004, 6023, 6052, 6071, 6077, 7770, 9922). Knowledges are like mirrors in which the truths and goods of the internal man appear as an image (n. 5201). There they are together as in their ultimate (n. 5373, 5874, 5886, 5901, 6004, 6023, 6052, 6071).
[7] Influx is not physical but spiritual, that is, influx is from the internal man into the external, thus into the knowledges of the external; and not from the external into the internal, thus not from the knowledges of the external into truths of faith (n. 3219, 5119, 5259, 5427, 5428, 5478, 6322, 9110). A beginning must be made from the truths of doctrine of the Church, which are from the Word, and those truths must first be acknowledged, and then it is permissible to consult knowledges (n. 6047). Thus it is permissible for those who are in an affirmative state in regard to truths of faith to confirm them intellectually by means of knowledges, but not for those who are in a negative state (n. 2568, 2588, 4760, 6047). He who will not believe Divine truths until he is convinced by means of knowledges will never believe (n. 2094, 2832). To enter from knowledge into the truths of faith is contrary to order (n. 10236). Those who do so become demented respecting the things of heaven and the Church (n. 128, 129, 130). They fall into the falsities of evil (n. 232, 233, 6047). In the other life when they think about spiritual matters they become, as it were, drunken (n. 1072). More respecting the character of such (n. 196). Examples showing that things spiritual cannot be comprehended when entered into through knowledges (n. 233, 2094, 2196, 2203, 2209). In spiritual things many of the learned are more demented than the simple, for the reason that they are in a negative state, which they confirm by means of the knowledges which they have continually and in abundance before their sight (n. 4760, 8629).
[8] Those who reason from knowledges against the truths of faith reason keenly because they reason from the fallacies of the senses, which are engaging and convincing, because they cannot easily be dispelled (n. 5700). What things are fallacies of the senses, and what they are (n. 5084, 5094, 6400, 6948). Those who have no understanding of truth, and also those who are in evil, are able to reason about the truths and goods of faith, but are not able to understand them (n. 4214). Intelligence does not consist in merely confirming dogma but in seeing whether it is true or not before it is confirmed (n. 4741, 6047).
[9] Knowledges are of no avail after death, but only that which man has imbibed in his understanding and life by means of knowledges (n. 2480). Still all knowledge remains after death, although it is quiescent (n. 2476-2479, 2481-2486).
[10] Knowledges with the evil are falsities, because they are adapted to evils, but with the good the same knowledges are truths, because applied to what is good (n. 6917). True knowledges with the evil are not true, however much they may appear to be true when uttered, because there is evil within them (n. 10331).
[11] An example of the desire to know, which spirits have (n. 1974). Angels have an illimitable longing to know and to become wise, since learning, intelligence, and wisdom are spiritual food (n. 3114, 4459, 4792, 4976, 5147, 5293, 5340, 5342, 5410, 5426, 5576, 5582, 5588, 5655, 6277, 8562, 9003). The knowledge of the ancients was the knowledge of correspondences and representations, by which they gained entrance into the cognition of spiritual things; but that knowledge at this day is wholly lost (n. 4749, 4844, 4964, 4965). [12] For spiritual truths to be comprehended, the following universals must be known. (i) All things in the universe have relation to good and truth and to their conjunction that they may be anything, thus to love and faith and their conjunction. (ii) Man has understanding and will; and the understanding is the receptacle of truth and the will of good; and all things in man have relation to these two and to their conjunction, as all things have relation to truth and good and their conjunction. (iii) There is an internal man and an external man, which are as distinct from each other as heaven and the world are, and yet for a man to be truly a man, these must make one. (iv) The internal man is in the light of heaven and the external man is in the light of the world; and the light of heaven is Divine Truth itself, from which is all intelligence. (v) Between the things in the internal man and those in the external there is a correspondence, therefore the different aspect they present is such that they can be distinguished only by means of a knowledge of correspondences. Unless these and many other things are known, nothing but incongruous ideas of spiritual and heavenly truths can be conceived and formed; therefore without these universals the knowledges and cognitions of the natural man can be of but little service to the rational man for understanding and growth. This makes clear how necessary knowledges are.
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