Arcana Coelestia (Elliott) n. 9826

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9826. 'And a checkered tunic' means Divine Truth inmostly present there, emanating directly from the Divine Celestial. This is clear from the meaning of 'a tunic' as natural truth. But when the subject is Aaron, whose garments represented the forms of truth belonging to the Lord's spiritual kingdom, 9814, 9822, 'a tunic' means Divine Truth inmostly present in that kingdom, thus that which emanates from what is right next to it, namely the Divine Celestial, which is the Lord's Divine Good in the inmost heaven. The fact that such things are meant by 'tunics', see 4677. For the heavens are three - the inmost, which is called celestial; the middle, which is called spiritual; and the lowest, which approaches what is natural. In the inmost heaven the good of love to the Lord is predominant, in the middle one the good of charity towards the neighbour, and in the lowest the good of faith. Those heavens are completely distinct and separate from one another, so much so that nobody in one can possibly pass over into the next. Yet in order that they may still make one heaven they are joined together by means of intermediate angelic communities; in this way one heaven leads on from another. Since therefore Aaron's garments represent the spiritual heaven, and so the forms of truth there in their proper order, it is evident that the inmost garment, called 'a checkered tunic', represents the truth inmostly present there, emanating directly from the Divine Celestial. The word 'checkered' is used because it was a woven garment, as is clear from what follows later on in the Book of Exodus,

They made tunics of fine linen, the work of a weaver, for Aaron and for his sons. Exod 39:27.

It was made from fine linen in order that truth from a celestial origin might be represented, such truth being meant by 'fine linen', see 9469.


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