251. [254.] Jews retain still from the world their dealing especially in precious stones, which they obtain for themselves in certain ways from heaven, that being where precious stones come from, concerning which more may be said. For they have there everything that exists in the world. They have gold and silver, found also in the form of coins. They have stones of every kind. These are, like everything else which appears to their eyes, from a spiritual origin, and so are correspondent forms. They appear altogether as they do in the world. Their origin is Divine truths. Consequently in the case of those angels who are governed by truths, the decorations in their homes glisten with silver and gold and diamonds. Precious objects of this kind are given from there to people below who pursue truths, and these objects continue to be of the same character forever because of their origin. Jews acquire them for themselves from those people and sell them. The reason Jews engage in this trade in the world and also after their departure from the world is that they love the Word of the Old Testament in its letter, and the literal sense of the Word corresponds to precious stones of various kinds. That sense is meant by the twelve stones on Aaron's ephod, the Urim and the Thummim.* It is meant by the precious stones in Tyre, spoken of in Ezekiel.** And it is meant by the precious stones which formed the foundations of the wall of the New Jerusalem.*** Now because it was foreseen by the Lord that Christians would not hold the Old Testament as holy as Jews do, therefore the Jewish people have been preserved to this day and have been scattered throughout the Christian world, in order that the Word may be maintained in its sanctity through correspondences. This is the reason that Jews are permitted to deal still in the same things as in the world. If this reason had not existed, that nation, because of its perverseness, would have completely perished. * Exodus 28:26-30; Leviticus 8:6-8. ** Ezekiel 27:22. *** Revelation 21:19, 20.