Emanuel Swedenborg: Calamus = interior truth

Emanuel Swedenborg. Works, vol 12 (Manchester: W.D. Varey, 1820), 272-3. (Digitized by Google Books. Thanks, Google!)

10,256. "And aromatic calamus"that hereby is signified the perception and affection of interior truth, appears from the signification of aromatic calamus, as denoting the perception and affection of interior truth, for calamus denotes that truth, and aromatic denotes the perception and affection thereof; that calamus denotes truth, will be seen beneath, and that aromatic denotes perception and affection thereof, see just above, n. 10,254. By interior truth is here meant the truth of the internal man which is exterior there*, according to what was said above, n. 10,251, viz. that in the external man there is an interior and exterior principle, in like manner in the internal; hence it is that four aromaties were applied to prepare the oil of anointing, viz. noble myrrh, aromatic cinnamon, aromatic calamus, and cassia; and by noble myrrh is signified the perception of exterior truth in the external man, which is sensual truth; by aromatic cinnamon interior truth there, which is natural truth; by aromatic calamus exterior truth in the internal man, and by cassia interior truth there, and by oil of olive the good itself, from which are the affections and perceptions of those truths. That calamus denotes interior truth, may be manifest from the passages in the Word where it is mentioned; yet in those passages it is not called aromatic calamus, but only calamus, and good calamus, as in Isaiah, "Thou hast not called Me, O Jacob; and thou hast been weary of Me O Israel; thou hast not bought for Me calamus for silver, and with the fat of thy sacrifices thou hast not filled Me," xliii. 22, 24. And in Ezekiel, "Dan and Javan have given thread in thy tradings; smooth iron, cassia, and calamus was in thy trading," xxvii. 19. And in Jeremiah, "To what purpose doth frankincense come to Me from Sheba, and

good calamus from a land afar off," vi. 20: that in these passages by calamus is meant something of the Church, and of worship there, is evident; for otherwise to what purpose would it be that they should buy for Jehovah calamus with silver; and that good calamus should come to Him from a land afar off; and whereas something of the Church and of its worship is signified, it follows that it is truth or good, since all things of the Church and of its worship have reference to those principles: but what truth or good is signified, celestial or spiritual, of the external or the internal man, is manifest from the internal sense of the above passages examined in its series; that it is interior truth, is evident. =========================================== * The reader will recollect that in the internal man there are two orders of truth, what is interior and what is exterior, which yet may both be called interior truth in regard to truth in the external man. This is the reason why the interior truth here spoken of is called the exterior truth of the internal wan.