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1995 by Leonard Fox
Second printing, 1999
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of Aerica. No part of this publica
tion may b reproduced or transmitted in any frm or by any means, electronic or
mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval
system, without prior permission fom the publisher.
"Mundus Imaginalis" and "Hcrmencutiquc spirituelle comparee" frst appeared in
Henri Corbin, F1ce de Dieu,ftce de l'homme (Paris: Flammarion, 1984). Rprnted by
permission. Translated by Leonard Fox.
Swcdcnborg Studes is a scholarly monograph series published by the Swcdcnborg
Foundation. The prmay purpose of the seres is to make materials available for under
standing the lif and thought of Emanuel Swcdcnborg (1688-1772) ad the impact
that his thought has had on others. The Foundation undertakes to publish orginal
studies and English translations of such studes and to republish prmary sources that
arc otherwise difcult to access. Proposals should be sent: Editor, Swcdenborg Studes,
Swcdenborg Foundaton, 320 N. Church Street, West Chester, PA 19380.
Libr1ry of Conres Cttt/oging-in-Publicttion D1tt
Corbin, Henry.
[Mundus imaginais. English]
Swedenborg and esoteric Islam : two studies / Henry Corbin : translated by
Leonard Fox
p. em. -- (Swedcnborg studies : no. 4)
Translated fom the French.
Contents: Mundus imaginalis -- Comparative spiritual hermeneutics
ISBN 0-87785-183-2 (paper)
1. Ishmqiyah. 2. Imagination--Rligious aspects--Islam.
3. Symbolism in the Koran. 4. Kran--Hermeneutics. 5. Shi'ah--Doctrincs.
6. Swedenborg, Emanuel, 1688-1722--Contributions in biblical hermeneutics.
7. Bible--Hermeneutcs. 8. Hermeneutics--Rligous aspects--Comparative stud-
ies.
I. Fox, Leonard. II. Corbin, Henry. Hcrmencutiquc spirituelle comparee. English.
Ill. Title. I. Series
BPI89.7.174C6713 1995
289.4'092-dc20
Edited by Barbara Phillips
Designed by Joanna V. Hill
Typeset in Gilliard by Ruttlc, Shaw & Wetherill, Inc.
94-30687
CIP
Contents
Translator's Preface
Vll
Mundus Imaginalis, or
The Imaginary and te Imaginal
1
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics
35
Index
151
Translator's Preface
mong thc many scho|ars |n d|vcrsc d|sc|p||ncs who
havc stud|cd thc Wr|t|ngs o|Swcdcnborg ovcr thc
pasttwoccntur|cs, Hcnry Corb|n occup|cs a unquc
p|acc. Ln|vcrsa||ycons|dcrcd to bc onc o|thc grcat
cst!s|am|c|sts ot th|s ccntury, Corb|n hc|d thc cha|r|n !s|am at
thc Sorbonnc |rom 1 954 to 1 974. Dur|ngth|s t|mc hc a|soor
ganzcd and scncd as thc drcctor ot thc dcpartmcnt ot !ran|c
stud|csat thc !nst|tut |ranco ran|cn |nTchcran. At thc t|mc ot
h|s dcath, in 1 978, Corb|n's|cgacync|udcd a |argc numbcro|
or|g|na| books andart|c|cs, aswc|| as numcrouscd|tions|nPcr
s|an o||mportant SuG and !sma'|||authors. Scvcra| ot h|s maj or
works havc bccn trans|atcd |nto Eng||sh. Creative Imagination
in the Sufsm of Ibn 'Arabi; Avicenna and the Visionar Recital;
Spiritual Body and Celestial Earth: From Mazdean Iran to Shi 'ite
Iran; Te Man of Liht in Iranian Sufsm; Temple and Contem
plation; Histor of Islamic Philosophy, and Cyclical Time and Is
maili Gnosis.
A|thoughCorb|n'spr|map|ntcrcstwas thccsotcr|ctrad|t|on|n
!s|am,hca|sostudicdthcWr|t|ngsotSwcdcnborgtormanyycars,
and he frequenty mcnt|ons aspccts o|Swcdcnborg's thco|og|ca|
system in his hooks on Suh and !sma'||| sub|ccts Corb|n oncc
wrlt' 1h.11 lw h;HI "pluncd into the readi ng of Swedcnhng,
v|| | Translator's Preface
whosc cnormous work has bccn mycompanon throughout my
cntirc h|c. "!n apcrsona||cttcrtoDr. Fr|cdcmannHorn,dircctor
o|thc Swcdcnborg Vcr|ag |n Zur|ch, who vcq kind|y prov|dcd
mcwithacopy, Corbinstatcsthathcohcnhadoccasiontospcak
withhsShi ' i tc mcnds |n!ranaboutSwcdcnborg.
Thc s|gnihcancc o|Swcdcnborgto Corbin-and to thc grcat
Zcn mastcr Da|sctz Tcitaro Suzuk-is wc|| |||ustratcd by thc
|actthatthc|o||owing|ootnotcappcarsi nCreative Imagination
in the Sufsm of Ibn 'Arabi Pr|nccton. Pr|nccton Ln|vcrs|ty
Prcss, 1 969, pp. 354-355) .
Here I should like to mention a conversation, which strikes me as
memorable, with D.T. Suzuki, the master of Zen Buddhism
(Casa Gabriella, Ascona, August 18, 1954, in the presence of
Mrs. Frobe-Kpteyn and Mircea Eliade). We asked him what hs
frst encounter with Occidental spirituality had been and learned
that some ffy yeas before Suzuki had translated four of
Swedenborg's works into Japanese; ts had been hs frst contact
with the West. Later on in the conversation we asked hm what
homologies in structure he found between Mahayana Buddhism
and the cosmology of Swedenborg in respect of the symbolism
and correspondences of the worlds ( cf. hs Esays in Zen
Buddhism, First Series, p. 54, n.). Of course we expected not a
theoretica answer, but a sign attesting te encounter in a con
crete person of an experience common to Buddhsm and to
Swedenborgian spirituait. And I can stil see Suzuki suddenly
brandishing a spoon and saying with a smile: " This spoon now
exsts in Paradise .... " "We are now in Heaven," he explaned.
This was an authentically Zen way of answering the question; Ibn
'Arabi would have relished it. In reference to te establishment of
the transfgured world to which we have aluded above, it may
not be irrelevant to mention the imporance which, in the ensu
ing conversation, Suzuki attached to the Spiritualty of
Sweden borg, "your Buddha of the North."
Corbin' s quitc cvidcnt rcspcct |or thc Writings o|Swcdcn
borg as constituting onc o| thc highcst points i n rc|igious
h|stop |ound grcatcst cxprcss|on |n h|s Icngthy art|c|c
Translator's Preface |x
Hcrmcncuuquc spirituc||c comparcc (1. Swcdcnborg - ! ! .
Gnoscismac||cnnc) , "orig|na||ypub||shcd| nI 64| nEranos and
rcpr|ntcd|na posthumousco||cctiono|Corb|n'scssayscnt| t|cd
Face de Dieu, face de l'homme Par| s. F|ammar|on, 1 984, pp.
4I -I 62) . It |s | ntcrcsting that |n th|s cssay Corb|n aga|n mcn
t|ons thc convcrsat|on w|th Suzuk| quotcd abovc. And hc
Suzuki ] addcd. '!tishcj Swcdcnborg] whoisyouruddha,|or
youWcstcrncrs,it |s hc who shou|d bcrcad and |o||owcd' '' p.
45,n. 4) .
!nh|sartic|cCorb|nattcmptsacompar|sonbctwccntwo cso
tcrichcrmcncuuc tradiuons,that|s, thc rcvc|ation o|thc intcr
na| scnsco|thcsacrcdbookso|twod|sti nctrc||g|ons,Chr|st|an
|tyand !s|am. Swcdcnborg, hc says, was tru|y, |n h|s |mmcnsc
work,thcprophcto|thcintcrna|scnsco|thc|b|c,"wh||cthc
cnt|rc Sh|'|tc rc||g|ous phcnomcnon. .. rcsts csscnt|a||y on thc
sp|r|tua|hcrmcncuticso|thcQur'an,onthccsotcr|cscnsco|thc
prophcticRcvc|auons. "
Asan|ntroduct|ontoth|scomparat|vcstudy,! |c|t|tuscm|to
trans|atc anothcr o|Corbin's artic|cs a|so pub||shcd |n Face de
Dieu, face de l'homme) , |nwh|chhcd|scusscs h|susco|thctcrm
that hc h|msc|| |nvcntcd, mundus imaginalis, thc imaginal
wor|d,"wh|chhasnowbccnadoptcdbymanywr|tcrsonSuhsm
and Sh|' |tc csotcr|sm. Th|s art|c|c not on|y c|ar|hcs an cx
trcmc|y |mponantconccpt|nbothSwcdcnborg|an and csotcr|c
!s|am|c sp|r|tua||ty, it a|so viv|d|y |||usuatcs Corb|n's own rc|a
tionsh|p to thc sp|r|tua| truths that hc dcvotcd h|s |||c to c|uc|
dat|ng.
Fina||y, a word on thc naturc o| th|s trans|at|on. ccausc
Corb|n-a supcrb trans|ator himsc||-chooscs h|s words w|th
grcatcarc andprcc|s|on,! havccndcavorcdtorcma|nas|a|thm|
as poss|b|c to h|s or|gina| tcxts, cvcn whcrc th|s has |nvo|vcd
produc|ng |cngthy scntcnccs o| cons|dcrab|c comp|cx| q.
Corh|n' sstyIc |sundcn|ab|ycomp|cx,as|sh| ssubjcctmattcr,h|s
wok rnJuires attcnt|vc, thoughtm| rcad| ng. As |ar as | nd|v|dua|
words .1rr nlllll"red, I have chosen to translate sensible as
x Translator's Preface
scnsory" raucr than scns| b|c," s|ncc thc |attcrword | n Eng
||shhas|artoomanymcan|ngs thatarc|rrc|cvantto thccontcxt
o|thcsc stud|cs, and ! havc uscd thcword thcosophcr" rathcr
than thcosoph|st" to trans|atc theosophe, | nordcr to avo|d any
poss|b|c m|sconstruct|on or assoc|at|on w|th thc |dcas o| thc
Thcosoph|ca|Soc|cty. !havca|sorcta|ncdscvcra|o|Corb|n's| n
novat|vc cxprcss|ons,suchas symbo||zcw|th, "|nstcado|us|ng
thc|cngth|crphrasc|nsymbo||crc|at|onsh|pw|th. "
Quotat|ons |rom thc thco|og|ca| wr|t|ngs o|Emanuc| Swc
dcnborg arc drawn |rom thc standard cd|t|on pub||shcd by thc
SwcdcnborgFoundat|on,WcstChcstcr,Pcnnsy|van| a.
LEONA FOx
qnAthyn,Pcnnsy|van|a
Swedenborg
and Esotric Islam
Mundus Imaginalis, or
the Imaginar and the Imaginal
D
n odcr|ngthc two Latinwords mundus imaginalis as thc
t|t|co|thsd|scuss|on,! ntcndto trcata prccscordcro|
rca||ty corrcspond|ng to a prccsc modc o| pcrccpt|on,
bccausc Latn tcrm|no|ogy g|vcs thc advantagco|provd
ngusw|thatcchnca|andGxcd po|nto|rc|crcncc,towhchwc
can comparc thc var|ousmorcor |css|rrcso|utc cquva|cntsthat
ourmodcrnWcstcrn|anguagcssuggcstto us.
I wll make an | mmcdiatc admission. Thc choicc o|thcsc to
wordswas mposcd upon mcsomctmc ago, bccausctwas|m
poss|b|c |ormc, |nwhat! hadtotrans|atc orsay, to bc sat|sGcd
wth thc word imaginar. Th|s |s by no mcans a cr|tc|sm ad
drcsscd to thosc o|us |or whom thc usc o|thc |anguagc con
strans rccoursc to ths word, sncc wc arc tp|ng togcthcr to
rccva|uatc |t n a postvc scnsc. Kcgard|css o| our cdorts,
though,wccannotprcvcntthc tcrm imaginar, ncurrcntusagc
that s not dc||bcratc, |rom bc|ng cquva|cnt to sgn[ng un
real, somcthng that s and rcmans outs|dc o|bcng andcx|s
tcncc-n brc|, somcthng utopian. ! wasabso|utc|yob|gcdto
Gndanothcrtcrmbccausc,|ormanyycars, ! havc bccnbyvoca
t| on and pro|css|on an |ntcrprctcr o|Aabc and Pcrs|an tcxts,
tlw puposes of wh|ch I wou|d ccrta|n|y havc bctraycd |fI had
lwtn tntinly and s|mply content-even wi th ever possi bl e
2 Swedenbor and Esoteric Islam
prccaut|on-with thc tcrm imaginar. ! was abso|utc|y ob||gcd
to hnd anothcr tcrm i|I did not want to mis|cad thc Wcstcrn
rcadcrthat| t|sa mattcro|uproot|ng|ongcstab||shcd hab|ts o|
thought,|nordcrtoawakcnh|mtoanordcro|th|ngs,thcscnsc
o|wh|ch |t |s thc m|ss|on o|our co||oqu|a at thc Soc|cty o|
Symbo||sm"torousc.

!n othcr words, ||wc usua||y spcak o|thc imaginar as thc
unrca| , thc utop|an, th|s must conta|n thc symptom o|somc
th|ng. !n contrast to th|s somcth|ng, wc may cxam|nc br|cdy
togcthcr thc ordcro|rca||ty that ! dcs|gnatc as mundus imagi
nalis, and what our thcosophcrs |n !s|am dcs|gnatc as thc
c|ghthc||matc", wc w||| thcn cxam|ncthcorganthatpcrcc|vcs
th|srca||ty, namc|y, thc |mag|nat|vc consc|ousncss, thc cognitive
!mag|nat|on, and Gna||y, wc w||| prcscnt scvcra| cxamp|cs,
among many othcrs, o|coursc, that suggcst to us thc topogra
phy o|thcsc |ntcrwor|ds, as thcy havc bccn sccn by thosc who
actually havc bccnthcrc.
I. ".NA-KOJA-ABAD" OR THE
"
E
I GHTH
C
LI MA T E
"
! havcj ustmcnt|oncd thc word utopian. !t |s astrangcth|ng,or
a dcc|s|vc cxamp|c, that our authors usc a tcrm |n Pcrs|an that
sccms to bc |ts ||ngu|st|c ca|quc. Ni-koji-
A
bid, thc |and o|
Mo whcrc. "Th|s,howcvcr, |ssomcth|ngcnt|rc|yd|dcrcnt|rom
a utopia.
Lct us takc thc vcry bcauum| ta|cs-s|mu|tancous|yv|s|onary
ta|cs and ta|cs o|sp|r|tua| |n|t|at|on-composcd |n Pcrs|an by
Sohravardi, thc young shaykh who, |n thc twc|hh ccntury, was
thc rcv|vcro|thc thcosophyo|anc|cntPcrs|a" |n!s|am|c !ran.
Each t|mc, thc v|s|onary Gnds h|msc||, at thc bcg|nn|ng o|thc
ta|c, |n thc prcscncc o|a supcrnatura| Ggurc o|grcat bcauty,
whom thc visionary asks who hc is and |rom where hc comcs.
These tal cs csscntial l y i||ustratc thc cxpcricncc o|thc gnost|c,
Mundus Imaginalis 3
||vcdas thc pcrsona|h|stoqo|thc Strangcr, thc capt|vc who as
p|rcstorcturnhomc.
At thc bcg|nn|ng o| thc ta|c that Sohravardi cnt|t|cs Thc
Cr|msonArchangc|, " ' thccapt|vc,whohasj ustcscapcdthcsur
vc|||ancc o|h|sj a||crs, that |s, has tcmporar||y |c|t thc wor|d ot
scnsorycxpcr|cncc, Gnds h|msc||| nthcdcscrt|nthcprcscncc o|
a bcing whom hc asks, sincc hc sccs |n him a|| thc charms ot
ado|csccncc,"0 Youth' whcrc doyoucomctrom? "Hc rcccivcs
th|srcp|y. Wat? ! amthcGrst- borno| thcch||drcno|thc Crc
ator j | n gnost|c tcrms, thc Protoktistos, thc F|rst Crcatcd] and
youca||mcayouth? "Thcrc,nth|sor|g|n,|sthc mystcryo|thc
cr|msonco|orthatc|othcsh|sappcarancc. thatota bc|ngo|purc
L|ghtwhosc sp|cndor thc scnsorywor|d rcduccsto thc cr|mson
o|tw|||ght. ! comc|rombcyondthcmounta|no|Q1| . . . . !t|s
thcrcthatyouwcrcyoursc||atthcbcg|un|ng,and|t|sthcrcthat
youw|||rcturnwhcnyouarcGna||yr|do|yourbonds. "
Thc mounta|n o|Q1| | s thc cosm|c mounta|n const|tutcd
|romsumm|tto summ|t,va||cytova||cy,by thccc|cst|a|Sphcrcs
thatarccnc|oscdonc |ns|dc thc othcr. Wat, thcn, |s thc road
that |cads out o||t? How |ong |s |t? No mattcr how |ong you
wa|k," hc |s to|d, |t |satthc po|nt ot dcparturc that you arr|vc
thcrcaga|n,"||kcthcpo|ntotthccompassrcturn|ngtothcsamc
p|acc. Docsth|sinvo|vcs|mp|y|cav| ngoncsc|||nordcrtoatta|n
oncsc|P Not cxacdy. cmccn thc mo, a grcat cvcnt w||| havc
chgcd cvcpthing,thcsrthat|stound thcrc|sthconcthat|s
bcyond thc mounta|n o|Q1|, a supcr|orsc||, a srq |n thc scc
ondpcrson. "!tw|||havc bccnncccssary,||kc Khczr or Khaq|r,
thc mystcr|ousprophct,thc ctcrna|wandcrcr, E||jah oronc ||kc
h|m) to bathc |n thc Spr|ng o|L|tc. Hc who has |ound thc
mcan|ng ot Truc Ra||ty has arr|vcd at that Spr|ng. Wcn hc
cmcrgcs |rom thc Spr|ng, hc has ach|cvcd thc Aputudc that
makcsh|m||kc a ba| m, a drop o|wh|chyou d|st||| |nthc ho||ow
of your hand by ho|d|ng|t|ac|ngthc sun,andwh|chthcnpasscs
thru.h to the hack of your hand. If you arc Khezr, you also
may JMMI without ditkuhy thrugh the mountain of Qaf."
4 Swedenbor and Eoteric Islam
Two othcr myst|ca| ta|cs g|vc a namc to that bcyond thc
mounta|no| Qa|," and|t|sth|snamc|tsc||thatmarksthctrans
|ormat|on|romcosm|cmounta|ntopschocosmic mounta|n, that
|s, thc trans|t|on o|thc phys|ca| cosmos to whatconst|tutcs thc
hrst |cvc| o| thc sp|r|tua| un|vcrsc. !n thc ta|c cnt|t|cd Thc
Rust|ng o|Gabr|c|'sW|ngs, " thc hgurc aga|n appcars who, |n
thcworkso|Av|ccnna,|snamcdHay ibn Yaqzn thcLiv|ng,
son o|thcWatchman" ) and who, just now, was dcs|gnatcd as
thc Cr|mson Achangc| . Thc qucst|on that must bc askcd | s
askcd,andthcrcp|y |s th|s. !comc|rom Ni-koji-
A
bid. "
2
F|
na||y,| nthcta|ccnt| t|cdVadcMccumo|thcFa|thm||nLovc"
( Mu'nis al-'oshshiq) , wh|ch p|accs on stagc a cosmogon|c tr|ad
whosc dramat|s pcrsonac arc, rcspcct|vc|y, cauty, Lovc, and
Sadncss, Sadncss appcars to Ya'qub wccp|ng |or )oscph |n thc
|ando|Canaan. Tothcqucst|on, Whathor|zon d|dyoupcnc
tratc tocomchcrc? ,"thcsamcrcp|y|sg|vcn. !comc|rom Ni
koji-
A
bid. "
Ni-koji-
A
bid |sa strangctcrm. !t docsnot occur|nany Pcr
s|and|ct|onary,and|twasco|ncd,as|aras!kow,bySohravardi
h|msc||, |rom thc rcsourccso|thc purcst Pcrs|an |anguagc. L|t
cra||y, as ! mcnt|oncd a momcnt ago, |t s|gn|hcs thc c|ty, thc
countryor|and ( ibid) o|Nowhcrc (Ni-koji) . That|swhywc
archcrc | nthcprcscncco|a tcrm that,athrsts|ght,mayappcar
to usasthc cxact cqu|va|cnto|thctcrm ou-topia, wh|ch, |or | ts
part, docs not occur |n thc c|ass|ca| Grcckd|ct|onar|cs, and was
co|ncd by Thomas Morc as an abstract noun to dcs|gnatc thc
abscncc o|any |oca||zat|on, o|any g|vcn situs |n a spacc that |s
d|scovcrab|candvcr|hab|c bythccxpcr|cncco|ourscnscs. Ety
mo|og|ca||y and ||tcra||y, |t wou|d pcrhaps bc cxact to trans|atc
Ni-koji-
A
bid by outopia, utop|a, and yct w|th rcgard to thc
conccpt, thc | ntcnt|on, and thc truc mcan|ng, ! bc||cvc thatwc
wou|dbcgu||tyo|m|strans|at|on. !tsccmstomc,mcrc|orc,that
|t|so|mndamcnta||mportancctotry,at|cast,todctcrm|ncwhy
th|s wou|d bca m|strans|at| on.
Mundus Imaginalis 5
!t |s cvcn a mattcr o|ind|spcnsab|c prcc|s|on, i|wc want to
undcrstandthc mcan|ngand thc rca| imp||cat|ono|man||o|d| n
|ormauonconccrningthctopograph|cscxp|orcd|nthcv|s|onary
statc, thc statc | ntcrmcd|atc bctwccn wak|ng and s|ccp-|n|or
mation that, |or cxamp|c, among thc sp|ritua| ind|vidua|s o|
Sh|'|tc!s|am,conccrnsthc |ando|thch|ddcn!mam. "Amattcr
o|prccisionthat,inmakingusattcnt|vctoadidcrcntia|adcct|ng
ancnt|rcrcg|ono|thcsou| , andthusan cnt|rcsp|ritua|cu|turc,
wou|d |cadus to ask. whatcond|tionsmakc poss|b|c that wh|ch
we ord|nar||yca||autop|a, andconscqucnt|ythctypc o|utopian
man? How andwhy docs it makc |ts appcarancc? ! wondcr, |n
|act, whcthcr thc cqu|va|cnt wou|d bc |ound anywhcrc in
!s|am|cthoughti n| ts traditional |orm. ! donotbc||cvc,|orcx
amp|c, that whcn Farabi, |n thc tcnth ccntury, dcscr|bcs thc
Pcr|cct City," or whcn thc Ada|us|an ph||osophcr !bn ajja
Avcmpacc) , inthctwc|hhccntuq,takcs upthcsamcthcmc| n
hi sRcg|mco|thcSo||tary"'-1 donotbc||cvc thatc|thcronc
o|thcm contcmp|atcd what wc ca|| today a soc|a| or po||t|ca|
utop|a. To undcrstand thcm |n th|sway wou|d bc, ! am a|raid,
tow|thdrawthcm|romthc|rown prcsuppos|tionsandpcrspcc
t|vcs, |n ordcrto|mposc our own, ourown d|mcns|ons, abovc
a|| , ! am a|ra|d that |twou|d bc ccrta|n to cnta|| rcs|gn|ngour
sc|vcstoconms|ngthcSpiritua|C|tyw|than|mag|naq C|ty.
Thc word Ni-koji-
A
bid docs not dcs|gnatc somcthing ||kc
uncxtcndcd bcing,| nthcdimcnsion|cssstatc. Thc Pcrs|an word
ibid ccrtain|ys|gnihcsa cit, acu|t|vatcdandpcop|cd|and,thus
somcth|ngcxtcndcd. WatSohravardimcansby bcingbcyond
thcmounta|no|Qa|"|sthathchimsc||,andw|thh|mthccntirc
thcosoph|ca| trad|uon o|!ran, rcprcscnts thc compositc o|thc
myst|ca| ciucs o|)aba|qa, )abarsa, and Hrqa|ya. Topographi
ca||y, hc statcs prcc|sc|y that this rcg|on bcgins on thc convcx
sur|acc" o| thc N|nth Sphcrc, thc Sphcrc o| Sphcrcs, or thc
Sphen that i ndudes the whole o|thccosmos. Th|smcansthat|t
hqins ;It t il cx;u:t moment when one leaves the suprcmc
6 Swedenbor and Esoteric Islam
Sphcrc, wh|ch dchncs a|| poss|b|c or|cntat|on |n our wor|d or
on th|s s|dc o|thc wor|d) , thc Sphcrc" to wh|ch thc cc|cst|a|
card|na| po|nts rc|cr. !t |s cv|dcnt that oncc th|s boundary |s
crosscd, thc qucst|on "where ?" ( ubi, koja) |oscs |ts mcan|ng, at
|castthcmcan|ng|nwh|ch|t|saskcd|nthcspacco|ourscnsory
cxpcr|cncc. Thus thc namc Na-koji-
A
bad: a p|acc outs|dc o|
p|acc, a p|acc" that |s not conta|ncd |n a p|acc, |n a topos, that
pcrm|ts a rcsponsc,w|th a gcsturc o|thc hand, to thc qucst|on
"where ?" ut whcn wc say, To dcpart |rom thc where," what
docsth|smcan?
!tsurc|ycannotrc|atctoachangco| |oca|pos|t|on,aphys|ca|
trans|cr |rom onc p|acc to anothcr p|acc, as though |t |nvo|vcd
p|accsconta|ncd|na s|ng|c homogcncousspacc.A |ssuggcstcd,
atthccndo|Sohravard|'sta|c,bythcsymbo|o|thcdropo|ba|m
cxposcd|nthcho||owo|thchandtothcsun,|t|samattcro|cn
tcr|ng, pass|ng|nto thc |ntcr|orand, |npass|nginto the interior,
o|hnd|ng oncsc||, paradox|ca||y, outside, or, |n thc |anguagc o|
our authors, on thc convcx sur|acc" o|thc M|nth Sphcrc-|n
othcr words, bcyond thc mounta|n o|Qa|. " Thc rc|at|onsh|p
| nvo|vcd|scsscna||ythato|thccxtcrna|,thcv|s|b|c,thccxotcr|c
|n Grcck, m w; Arab|c, ;ahir) , and thc |ntcrna|, thc
|nv|s|b|c,thccsotcr|c |nGrcckm cw; Aab|cbifin), orthcnat
ura|wor|dandthcsp|r|tua|wor| d. Todcpart|romthc where, thc
catcgory o|ubi, |s to |cavc thc cxtcrna| or natura| appcaranccs
thatcnc|oscthch|ddcn|ntcrna|rca||t|cs,asthca|mond|sh|ddcn
bcncaththcshc| | . Th|sstcp|smadc|nordcr|orthcStrangcr,thc
gnost| c, torcturn home-r at|castto|cadtothatrcturn.
ut an odd th|ng happcns. oncc th|s trans|uon |s accom
p||shcd,|tturnsoutthathcncc|orthth|srca||ty,prcv|ous|y|ntcr
na| and h|ddcn, |s rcvca|cd to bc cnvc|op|ng, surround|ng,
conta|n|ng what was hrst o|a|| cxtcrna| and v|s|b|c, s|ncc by
mcanso|interiorization, onchasdeparted |romthatexternal rc
a||ty. Hcncc|orth, |t |s sp|r|tua| rca||ty that cnvc|ops, surrounds,
conta|nsthcrca||tyca||cdmatcr|a| . That|swhysp|r|tua|rca||ty|s
not |n thc where. " !t|sthc " where" that|s|n |t. Or,rathcr, |t|s
Mundus Imaginalis 7
|tsc|| thc wbrrr" o| a|| th|ngs, |t |s, thcrc|orc, not |tsc|| |n a
p|acc,|tdocs not|a||undcrthc qucst|onwbrrr?''-thccatcgory
ubi rc|crr|ngtoap|acc in scnsoryspacc. !tsp|acc |ts ibid) |nrc
|at|on to th|s |s Ni-koji Mo-whcrc), bccausc |ts ubi |n rc|at|on
to what|s in scnsory spacc |s an ubique cvcqwhcrc). Wcnwc
havcundcrstoodth|s,wchavcpcrhapsundcrstoodwhat|scsscn
tia| to |o||ow thc topographyo|v|s|onaqcxpcr|cnccs, to d|st| n
gu|sh thc|r mcan|ng that| s, thc s|gn|hcat|on andthc d|rcct|on
s|mu|tancous|y) and a|so to d|sungu|sh somcth|ng mndamcnta| ,
namc|y,whatd|dcrcnt|atcsthcv|s|onarypcrccpt|onso|oursp|r|
tua| |nd|v|dua|s Sohravardi and many othcrs) w|th rcgard to
cvcryth|ngthatourmodcrnvocabu|ary subsumcs undcr thc pc
jorat|vc scnsco|crcat|ons,|mag|n|ngs,cvcnutopian madncss.
utwhat wc mustbcg|ntodcstroy, to thc cxtcntthatwc arc
ab|ctodo so, cvcnatthc costo|astrugg|crcsumcdcvcry day, |s
what may bc ca||cd thc agnost|c rcdcx" |n Wcstcrn man, bc
causc hc hasconscntcd tothc d|vorcc bctwccn thought and be
ing. How many rcccnt thcor|cs tac|t|y or|g|natc |n th|s rcdcx,
thankstowh|chwchopctocscapcthc other rca||tybc|orcwh|ch
ccrta|ncxpcr|cnccsandccrta|ncv|dcnccp|accus-andtocscapc
|t,|nthc cascwhcrc wc sccrct|ysubm|tto |ts attract|on,by g|v
|ng |t a|| sorts o||ngcn|ous cxp|anat|ons, cxccpt onc. thc onc
thatwou|dpcrm|t|ttru|yto mcan |or us, by|tscx|stcncc, what
|tis! For|tto mcan thatto us,wc must,ata||cvcnts,havcava||
ab|cacosmo|ogyo|suchak|ndthatthcmostastound|ng|n|or
mat|on o| modcrn sc|cncc rcgard|ng thc phys|ca| un|vcrsc
rcma|ns|n|cr|orto |t. For,|nso|aras|t|sa mattcro|thatsorto|
|n|ormat|on, wc rcma|n bound to what |s on th|s s|dc o|thc
mounta|no|Qa|. "Whatd|st|ngu|shcsthctrad|t|ona|cosmo|og
o|thc thcosophcrs |n !s|am, |or cxamp|c, |s that |ts structurc-
whcrc thc wor|ds and |ntcrwor|ds bcyond thc mounta|n o|
Qaf," that is, bcyond thcphys|ca| un|vcrscs,arc arrangcd|n|cv
els---is intdligiblc only |oran cx|stcncc |nwh|ch thc act of being
is in ;Kronl;uKc with its presence in those wor|ds, |or rcc|pro
..tIIy, it i' in .1rnml.mn with this ;Kt of hcing that these worlds
8 Swedenbor and Eoteric Islam
arc prcscnt to |t. Wat d|mcns|on, thcn, must th|s act of being
havc |n ordcrto bc,orto bccomc |n thc coursc o||ts mturc rc
b|rths, thc place o|thoscwor|dsthatarc outside the place o|our
natura|spacc? And, hrsto|a|| ,whatarcthoscwor|ds?
! can on|yrc|cr hcrc to a |cw tcxts. A |argcr numbcrw||| bc
|ound trans|atcd and groupcd |n thc book that ! havc cnt|dcd
Spiritual Body and Celestial Earth.
6
!n h|s ook o|Convcrsa
t|ons, "Sohravardiwr|tcs. Wcnyou |carn|nthc trcat|scso|thc
anc|cntSagcsthatthcrccx|stsawor|dprov|dcdw|thd|mcns|ons
andcxtcns|on,othcrthanthcp|cromao|!ntc|||gcnccsj that|s,a
wor|d bc|ow that o| thc purc archangc||c !ntc|||gcnccs] , and
othcrthanthcwor|dgovcrncdbythcSou|so|thcSphcrcs j that
|s, a wor|d wh|ch, wh||c hav|ng d|mcns|on and cxtcns|on, |s
othcrthan thcwor|d o|scnsoryphcnomcna, and supcr|orto |t,
|nc|ud|ng thc s|dcrca| un|vcrsc, thc p|ancts and thc hxcd
stars"] , awor|dwhcrcthcrcarcc|t|cswhoscnumbcr|t|s|mpos
s|b|c to count, c|tics among wh|ch our Prophct h|msc||namcd
Jaba|qaand)abarsa,donothastcnto ca|||ta ||c, |orp||gr|mso|
thcsp|r|tmaycontcmp|atcthatwor|d,andthcyhndthcrccvcq
th|ngthat|sthcobjccto|thc|rdcs|rc."7
Thcsc|cw||ncsrc|crus toaschcmaonwh|cha|| o|our myst| -
ca| thcosophcrs agrcc, a schcma that art|cu|atcs thrcc un|vcrscs
or,rathcr,thrcccatcgor|cso|un|vcrsc.Thcrc|sourphys|ca|scn
sorywor|d,wh|ch|nc|udcsbothourcarth|ywor|d govcrncdby
human sou| s) and thc s|dcrca| un|vcrsc govcrncd by thc Sou|s
o|thcSphcrcs),th|sisthcscnsowor|d, thcwor|do|phcnom
cna molk) . Thcrc |s thc suprascnsory wor|d o|thc Sou| orAn
gc| Sou|s, thc Malakut, |n wh|ch thcrc arc thc myst|ca| c|t|cs
thatwc havcjustnamcd,andwh|ch bcg|ns onthcconvcxsur
|acc o| thc M|nth Sphcrc. " Thcrc |s thc un|vcrsc o| purc
archangc||c !ntc|||gcnccs. To thcsc thrcc un|vcrscs corrcspond
thrccorganso|know|cdgc. thc scnscs, thc|mag|nat|on,andthc
|ntc||cct,atr|adtowh|chcorrcspondsthctr|ado|anthropo|ogy.
body, sou| , sp|r|t-a tr|ad that rcgu|atcs thc tr|p|c growth o|
Mundus Imaginalis
man,cxtcnding|romthis wor|d to thc rcsurrcctionsin thc othcr
wor|ds.
Wc obscrc |mmcd|atc|y that wc arc no |ongcr rcduccd to
thcd||cmmao|thoughtandcxtcns|on, tothcschcmao|acos
mo|ogy and a gnosco|ogy ||mitcd tothc cmp|r|ca| wor|d and
thcwor|do|abstractundcrstand| ng. ctwccnthctwo|sp|accd
an |ntcrmcd|atc wor| d, which our authors dcsignatc as 'ilam
al-mithil, thc wor|d o|thc ! magc, mundus imaginalis: awor|d
asonto|ogica||yrca|asthcwor|do|thcscnscsandthcwor|do|
thc |ntc||cct, a wor|d that rcquircs a |acu|ty o|pcrccption bc
|ong|ng to it, a |acu|ty that |s a cogn|tivc |unction, a noetic
va| uc, as |u||y rca| as thc |acu|t|cs o|scnsory pcrccption orin
tc||cctua| |ntuition. This |acu|ty |s thc imaginat|vc powcr, thc
onc wc must avo|d con|us|ngw|th thc | mag|nat|on that mod
crn man idcntihcswith |antasy" and that, accordingto him,
produccs on|ythc imaginary. "Hcrc wc arc, thcn, simu|tanc
ous|yatthchcarto|ourrcscarchando|ourprob|cmo|tcrm|
no|ogy.
What |s that |ntcrmcd|atc univcrsc? !t is thc onc wc mcn
uoncd a ||tt|c wh||c ago as bc|ngca||cd thc c|ghth c||matc."8
Fora|| o|ourth|nkcrs,|n|act,thcwor|do|cxtcns|onpcrccpt|b|c
tothcscnscs|nc|udcsthcseven climates o|thcirtrad|t|ona|gcog
raphy. ut thcrc is sti|| anothcr c|imatc, rcprcscntcd by that
wor|d wh|ch, howcvcr, posscsscs cxtcns|on and d|mcns|ons,
|ormsandco|ors, withoutthcir bc|ngpcrccpt|b|c to thc scnscs,
as thcy arc whcn thcy arc propcrtics o|physica| bodics. Mo,
thcsc dimcns|ons, shapcs, and co|ors arc thc propcr objcct o|
imaginativcpcrccptionorthc psychospiritua|scnscs", andthat
wor|d,m||y objcctivc and rca|,whcrc cvcrythingcxisting in thc
scnsory wor|d has its ana|oguc, but not pcrccptib|c by thc
scnscs,is thcwor|dthatis dcsignatcd as thc eihth climate. Thc
tcrm |s sumc|cnt|y c|oqucnt by itsc||, s|ncc it signihcs a c||matc
outsidt of cl i matcs, a p|acc outside o|p|acc, outs|dc o| where
( Na-ktia-Abld!).
l 0 Swedenbo' and Eoteric Islam
Thc tcchn|ca| tcrm that dcs|gnatcs |t |n Aab|c, 'alam al
mithal, can pcrhaps a|so bc trans|atcd by mundus archetpus, ||
amb|gu|ty |savo|dcd. For|t|sthcsamcwordthatscrcs|nAa
b|ctodcs|gnatcthcP|aton|c!dcas |ntcrprctcdbySohravardi|n
tcrms o| Zoroastr|an angc|o|og) . Howcvcr, whcn thc tcrm
rc|crs to P|aton|c !dcas,|t|s a|most a|ways accompan|cd byth|s
prcc|sc qua||hcat|on. mothol p|ura| o| mithal) .ajatuniya
nuraniya, thc P|aton|c archctypcs o| ||ght. " Wcn thc tcrm
rc|crs to thc wor|d o|thc c|ghth c||matc, |t dcs|gnatcs tcchn|
ca||y, on onc hand, thc Archetpe-Images o||nd|v|dua| and s|n
gu|ar th|ngs, |n th|s casc, |t rc|atcs to thc eastern rcg|on o|thc
c|ghth c||matc, thc c|ty o|)aba|qa, whcrc thcsc |magcs subs|st,
prccx|stcnttoandordcrcd bc|orc thcscnsoqwor| d. utonthc
othcr hand, thc tcrm a|so rc|atcs to thc western rcg|on, thc c|q
o|)abarsa, as bc|ngthcwor|d or|ntc~or|d |nwh|charc|ound
thc Sp|r|ts ahcr thc|r prcscncc | n thc natura| tcrrcstr|a| wor|d,
and as a wor|d |n wh|ch subs|st thc |orms o|a|| works accom
p||shcd, thc |orms o| our thoughts and our dcs|rcs, o| our
prcscnt|mcnts and our bchav|or. " !t |s th|s compos|t|on that
const|tutcs 'alam al-mithal, thc mundus imaginalis.
Tcchn|ca||y, aga|n, our th|nkcrs dcs|gnatc |t as thc wor|d o|
!magcs |n suspcnsc" ( mothol mo'ataqa) . Sohravardi and h|s
schoo| mcan by th|s a modc o|bc|ng propcr to thc rca||t|cs o|
that |ntcrmcd|atc wor|d, wh|ch wc dcs|gnatc as Imaginatia.
10
Thc prcc|sc naturc o|th|sonto|og|ca|status rcsu|ts |romv|s|on
ary sp|r|tua| cxpcr|cnccs, onwh|chSohravardiasksthatwc rc|y
m||y,cxact|yaswcrc|y|nastronomyonthcobscrat|onso|H|p
parchus or Pto|cmy. !t shou|d bc acknow|cdgcd that|orms and
shapcs |n thc mundus imaginalis do not subs|st | n thc samc
manncr as cmp|r|ca| rca||t|cs | n thc phys|ca| wor|d, othc~|sc,
anyonc cou|d pcrcc|vc thcm. !tshou|da|so bc notcd that thcy
cannot subs|st|n thc purc|ntc|||g|b|cwor|d,s|ncc thcyhavc cx
tcns|onandd|mcns|on,an|mmatcr|a|"matcr|a||ty,ccrta|n|y,|n
rc|at|on to that o|thc scnsory wor|d, but, |n |act, thc|r own
"corporeali t" and spatialit (one might think here of the ex-
Mundus Imaginalis ll
prcssion uscd byHcnryMorc, a Cambr|dgc P|atonist,spissitudo
spiritualis, ancxprcss|on that has |tscxactcquiva|cnt|n thcwork
o|Sadra Shirazi, a Pcrs|an P|aton|st) . For thc samc rcason, that
mcy cou|d havc on|y ourthought as a subsnatumwou|dbc cx
c|udcd,as|twou|d, atthcsamcumc,thatthcym|ghtbcunrca| ,
noth|ng, othc~|sc, wc cou|d not d|sccrn thcm, c|ass| thcm
|nto h|crarch|cs,ormakcjudgmcnts aboutthcm. Thc cx|stcncc
o| th|s |ntcrmcd|atc wor|d, mundus imaginalis, thus appcars
mctaphysica||yncccssary,thc cogn|t|vc |unct|ono|thc ! mag|na
t|on|sordcrcdto|t,|t|sawor|dwhosconto|og|ca||cvc||sabovc
thcwor|d o|thc scnscsand bc|ow thc purc |ntc|||g|b|cwor|d, |t
|smorc |mmatcr|a| than thc |ormcrand |css |mmatcr|a| than thc
|attcr. Thcrc hasa|ways bccn somcth|ng o|major |mportancc
|n th|s |or a|| our myst|ca| thcosophcrs. Lpon |t dcpcnds, |or
thcm, both thc va||d|ty o|vis|onary accunts that pcrcc|vc and
rc|atc cvcnts | n Hcavcn" and thc va||d|ty o|drcams, symbo||c
r|tua|s,thcrca||tyo|p|accs|ormcdby|ntcnscmcd|tat|on,thcrc
a||ty o||nsp|rcd |mag|nat|vc v|s|ons, cosmogon|cs and thcogo
n|cs, and thus, |n thc hrst p|acc, thc truth o|thc siritual sense
pcrcc|vcd|nthc|mag|nat|vcdatao|prophct|crcvc|at|ons. '
!n short, that wor|d |s thc wor|d o|subt|c bod|cs," thc |dca
o|wh|chprovcs|nd|spcnsab|c||oncw|shcstodcscr|bca||nkbc
twccnthc purc sp|r|t and thc matcr|a| body. !t |s th|swh|ch rc
|atcsto thc dcs|gnat|ono|mc|rmodco|bc|ngas |nsuspcnsc,"
that|s,a modco|bcingsuchthatthc!magcorForm,s|ncc|tis
|tsc|| |ts own mattcr," |s |ndcpcndcnt o| any substratum |n
wh|ch |t wou|d bc |mmancnt |n thc manncr o|an acc|dcnt. '
Th|s mcans that |t wou|d not subs|st as thc co|or b|ack, |or
cxamp|c, subs|sts bymcanso|thc b|ackobjcct|n wh|ch|t |s|m
mancnt. Thccompar|sontowh|chourauthorsrcgu|ar|yhavcrc
coursc |s thc modco|appcarancc and subs|stcncco|!magcs |n
suspcnsc" |n a m|rror. Thc matcr|a| substancc o| thc m|rror,
metal or mineral, is not thc substancc o|thc |magc,a substancc
whose imtl' would he an acc|den. It |s s|mp|y thc p|acc o||ts
''
PP
'''"' 'IIIl , .. " ThiN lrd to '' eneral t heor of epiphanic places and
I 2 Swedenbo1 and Eoteric Islam
|ormsmahar, p|ura| maihir) socharactcr|st|co|Sohravardi's
Eastern Teosoph.
Thc act|vc !mag|nat|on |s thc prccm|ncnt miror, thc
cp|phan|c p|acc o|thc !magcs o|thc archctypa| wor|d, that is
why thc thcory o|thc mundus imaginali is bound up w|m a
thcory o||mag|nat|vc know|cdgc and |mag|nativc mnction-a
mnct|ontru|yccntra|andmcd|atory,bccausco|thcmcd|anand
mcd|atory pos|t|on o|thc mundus imaginalis. !t |s a mncuon
that pcrm|ts a|| thc un|vcrscs to smbolize with one another or
cx|st |n symbo||c rc|at|onsh|p w|th oncanothcr) andthat |cads
us to rcprcscnt to oursc|vcs, cxpcr|mcnta||y, thatthc samc sub
stant|a|rca||t|csassumc|ormscorrcspond|ngrcspcct|vc|ytocach
un|vcrsc |or cxamp|c, Jaba|qa and Jabarsa corrcspond |n thc
subt|c wor|d to thc E|cmcnts o| thc phys|ca| wor| d, wh||c
Hrqa|yacorrcspondsthcrc tothcS[) . !t|sthccogn|tivcmnc
t|ono|thc !mag|nat|on thatpcrm|ts thccstab||shmcnto|a r|g
orousanalogical knowledge, cscap|ngthcd||cmmao|currcntra
t|ona||sm,wh|ch |cavcs on|ya cho|cc bctwccn thctwotcrms o|
bana| dua||sm. c|thcr mattcr" or sp|r|t," a d||cmma that thc
soc|a||zation"o|consc|ousncssrcso|vcsbysubst|tut|ngacho|cc
that|sno|css|ata| . c|thcrh|stop"ormyth. "
Th|s|sthcsorto|d||cmmathathasncvcrdc|catcdthosc|am||
|ar w|th thc c|ghth c||matc, " thc rcm o|subt|c bodcs," o|
sp|r|tubod|cs,"thrcsho|do|thcMalkut orwor|do|thcSou| .
Wc undcrstand that whcn thcy say that thc wor|d o|Hrqya
bcg|ns on thc convcxsur|acco|thc suprcmcSphcrc,"thcyw|sh
to s|gm symbo||ca||y that th|s wor|d |s at thc boundapwhcrc
thcrc|san|nvcrs|ono|thcrc|at|on o||ntcr|or|tycxprcsscd bythc
prcpos|uon in or within, |n thc |ntcr|oro|. " Sp|r|tua| bodicsor
sp|r|tua| cnt|t|cs arc no |ongcr in a wor|d, not cvcn in thc|r
wor|d, |n thcwaythat a matcr|a| body |s |n |ts p|acc, or |s con
tncd |n anothcrbody. !t|sthc|rwor|dthatis in thcm. That|s
whythc Teology attr| butcdtoA|stot| c, thcAab|cvcrs|ono|thc
|ast thrcc Enneads o|P|otinus, wh|ch Av|ccnna annotatcd and
wh|ch a|| o|our th|nkcrs rcad andmcd|tatcdupon, cxp|nsthat
Mundus Imaginalis I 3
cach sp|r|tua| cnt| ty |s |n thc tota||ty o| thc sphcrc o| |ts
Hcavcn",cachsubs|sts,ccrtain|y,|ndcpcndcnt|yo|thcothcr,but
al| arcs|mu|tancousandcach|sw|th|ncvcryothcronc. !twou|d
bccomp|ctc|y|a|sctop|cturcthatothcrwor|dasanunddcrcnt|
atcd,|n|orma|hcavcn.Thcrc|smu|t|p||c|ty,o|coursc,butthcrc
|at|onso|sp|r|tua| spaccdidcr|rom thc rc|at|onso|spaccundcr
stood under thcstarryHcavcn,as much asthc|acto|bc|ng in a
bodydidcrs|romthc |acto|bc|ng|n thc tota||tyo||tsHcavcn. "
That| swhy|tcanbcsaidthat bch|ndth|swor|d thcrc| sa Sky,
an Earth, an occan, an|mals, p|ants, and cc|cst|a| mcn, butcvcry
bc|ng thcrc |s cc|cst| , thc sp|r|tua| cnt|tics thcrc corrcspond to
thchumanbc|ngsthcrc, but nocarth|yth|ng |sthcrc. "
Thcmostcxact|ormu|ationo| a||th|s| nthcthcosoph|ca|tra
d|t|ono|thcWcst,|s|oundpcrhaps|nSwcdcnborg. Onc cannot
but bc struck by thc concordancc or convcrgcncc o|thc statc
mcnts by thc grcat Swcd|shv|s|onaw|th thosc o|Sohravardi,
!bn 'Aab|, or adra Shirazi. Swcdcnborg cxp|a|ns that a||
th|ngs|nhcavcnappcar,justas|nthcwor|d,tobc|np|accand|n
spacc, and yct thc angc|s havc no notion or |dca o|p|acc or
spacc. "Th||sbccausc a||changcso|p|acc|nthcsp|r|tua|wor|d
arccdcctcdbychangcso|statc|nthc|ntcr|ors,wh|ch mcans that
changc o|p|acc |snoth|ng c|sc than changc o|statc. . . . Thosc
arc ncar cach othcrwhoarc |n||kc statcs,andthosc arc ata d|s
tancc who arc |n un||kc statcs, and spaccs |n hcavcn arc s|mp|y
thc cxtcrna| cond|t|onscorrcspond|ngto thc |ntcrna|statcs. For
thc samc rcason thc hcavcns arc d|st|nct |rom cach othcr. . . .
Whcn anyonc gocs |rom onc p|acc to anothcr . . . hc arr|vcs
morcqu|ck|ywhcnhccagcr|ydcs|rcs|t,and|cssqu|ck|ywhcnhc
docs not, mcway|tsc||bc|ng |cngthcncd and shortcncd |n ac
cordanccw|ththc dcs|rc. . . . Th|s ! havcohcnsccn to mysur
pr|sc. A| th|saga|nmakcsc|carhowd|stanccs,andconscqucnt|y
spaccs,arcwho|Iyi naccordw|thstatcso|thci ntcr|orso|angc|s,
and this being so, no noti on or |dca o|spacc can cntcr thc|r
thoupht , ;thhouph there arc spaces with thcm cqua| |y as in thc
we II" |:I.1"
1 4 Swedenbor and Esoteric Islam
Such a dcscr|pt|on |s cm|ncnt|y appropr|atc to Ni-ko-
A
bid
and|ts mystcr|ousC|t|cs. !n short,|t |o||owsthatthcrc |s a sp|r|-
tua|p|acc andacorporca|p|acc. Thctrans|cro|onctothcothcr
|sabso|utc|ynotcdcctcdaccord|ngto thc |awso|our homogc
ncous phys|ca| spacc. !n rc|at|on to thc corporca| p|acc, thc
sp|r|tua| p|acc |s a No-where, and |or thc onc who rcachcs Ni
koJ'-
A
bid cvcryth|ngoccurs|nvcrsc|yto thc cv|dcnt|actso|or
d|naryconsc|ousncss,wh|chrcma|nsor|cntatcdtothc|ntcr|oro|
ourspacc. Forhcncc|orth |t| sthc where, thc p|acc, thatrcs|dcs
|nthcsou|,|t|sthccorporca| substanccthatrcs|dcs|nthcsp|r|
tua| substancc, |t |s thc sou| that cnc|oscs and bcars thc body.
Th|s |s why |t |s not poss|b|c to say where thc sp|r|tua| p|acc |s
s|tuatcd, |t|s not s|tuatcd, |t |s, rathcr, thatwh|ch s|tuatcs,|t|s
situative. !ts ubi |s an ubique. Ccrta|n|y, thcrc may bc topo
graph|ca| corrcspondcnccs bctwccn thc scnsory wor|d and thc
mundus imaginalis, onc symbo||z|ngw|th thc othcr. Howcvcr,
thcrc |s no passagc |rom onc to thc othcr w|thout a brcach.
Manyaccounts show usth|s. Onc sctsout, at a g|vcn momcnt,
thcrc|sabrcakw|ththcgcograph|ca|coord|natcsthatcanbc|o-
catcd on our maps. ut thc travc|cr" |s not consc|ous o|thc
prcc|scmomcnt,hcdocsnotrca||zc|t,w|thd|squ|ctorwondcr,
unt|| |atcr. !|hc wcrc awarc o||t, hc cou|d changc h|s pam at
w|| | , or hc cou|d |nd|catc |tto othcrs. ut hc canon|y dcscr|bc
whcrc hcwas,hccannotshowthcwaytoanyonc.
II
.
T
HE
S
P I RI T U AL
I
MA G I NA T I ON
Wc w||| touch hcrc on thc dcc|s|vc po|nt|orwh|ch a|| thatprc-
ccdcs has prcparcd us, namc|y, thc organ that pcrm|ts pcnctra
t|on |nto thc mundus imaginalis, thc m|grauon to thc c|ghth
c||matc. "What |s thc organ by mcans o|wh|ch that m|grat|on
occurs-thc m|grat|onthat|sthc rcturn ab extra ad intra |rom
thccxtcr|ortothc|ntcr|or) , thctopograph|ca||nvcrs|on thc in
tususception)? !t |s nc|thcr thc scnscs nor thc |acu|t|cs o|thc
Mundus Imaginalis 1 5
phys|ca|organ|sm,nor|s|tthcpurc|ntc||cct,but|t|sthat|ntcr
mcd|atcpowcrwhoscmnct|onappcarsasthcprccm|ncntmcd|
ator. thcact|vc !mag|nat|on. Lctusbcvcryc|carwhcnwc spcak
o|th|s. !t|sthcorganthatpcrm|tsthctransmutationo||ntcrna|
sp|r|tua|statcs |nto cxtcrna| statcs, |nto v|s|on cvcnts symbo||z
|ngw|th thosc |ntcrna| statcs. !t|s by mcanso|th|stransmuta
uon that a|| progrcss|on |n sp|r|tua| spacc |s accomp||shcd, or,
rathcr, th|s transmutat|on |s |tsc||what spatia||zcs that spacc,
what causcs spacc, prox|m|ty, d|stancc, and rcmotcncss to bc
thcrc.
Afrst postulate |sthatth|s !mag|nat|on|sa purc sp|r|tua||ac
u| q, |ndcpcndcnto|thcphys|ca|organ|sm,andconscqucnt|y |s
ab|ctosubs|stahcrthcd|sappcarancco|

thc|attcr.adraShirazi,
among othcrs, has cxprcsscd h|msc||rcpcatcd|y on th|s po|nt
w|thpart|cu|ar|orccm|ncss. Hc saysmatj ust as thc sou| |s|n
dcpcndcnto|thc phys|ca| matcr|a| body |n rccc|v|ng|ntc|||g|b|c
th|ngs |n act, accord|ng to |ts |ntc||cct|vc powcr, thc sou| |s
cqua||y|ndcpcndcntw|thrcgardto|ts imaginative power and|ts
imaginative operations. !n add|t|on, whcn |t |s scparatcd |rom
th|swor|d,s|ncc|tcont|nucstohavc|tsact|vc !mag|nat|onat|ts
scn|cc, |t can pcrcc|vc by |tsc||, by |ts own csscncc and by that
|acu|ty,concrctcth|ngswhosc cx|stcncc,as|t|s actua||zcd |n|ts
know|cdgc and |n |ts |mag|nat|on, const|tutcs eo ipso thc vcry
|ormo|concrctc cx|stcncc o|thoscth|ngs |n othcrwords. con
sc|ousncss and | ts objcctarc hcrc onto|og|ca||y|nscparab|c) . A|
thcsc powcrs arc gathcrcd and conccntratcd |n a s|ng|c |acu|ty,
wh|ch|sthc act|vc !mag|nat|on. ccausc |thasstoppcdd|spcrs
|ng|tsc||atthcvar|ousthrcsho|dsthatarc thchvcscnscso|thc
phys|ca| body, and has stoppcd bc|ng so||c|tcd by thc conccrns
o|thcphys|ca|body,wh|ch|sprcyto thcv|c|ss|tudcso|thc cx
tcrna| wor|d, thc|mag|nat|vc pcrccpt|on can hna||y show |tscs
scnt|a|supcr|or|tyovcrscnsorypcrccption.
A| mc |acu|t|cso|thcsou| , "wr|tcsadraShirazi, havc bc
comcasthoughas|ng|c|acu|ty,wh|ch|sthcpowcrtoconhgurc
I 6 Swedenbot and Eoteric Islam
and typi[tasfr and tamthf); |ts|maginat|onhas|tsc||bccomc
|ikc a scnsop pcrccpt|on o| thc suprascnsop: |ts imaginative
siht |si tsc|t||kc|tsscnsorys|ght. Simi|ar|y,|tsscnscs othcar|ng,
smc||, tastc, and touch-a||thcsc imaginative sense.arc thcm
sc|vcs |ikc scnsory |acu|t|cs, but rcgu|atcd to thc suprascnsop.
Fora|though exteraly thcscnsoq|acu|t|csarchvc |nnumbcr,
cachhav|ng|tsorgan|oca||zcdinthcbody, interally, |n|act,a||
o| thcm const|tutc a s|ng|c snaisthisis ( is moshtarik) . " Thc
!maginat|on bc|ng thcrc|orc ||kc thc currus subtilis |n Grcck
okhima, vchic|c, or[inProc|us,!amb||chus,ctc. ] sp|ritua|body)
o|thc sou| , thcrc |s an cnurc phys|o|ogy o|mc subt|c body"
and thus o|thc rcsurrccuon body, " wh|ch adra Shirazi d|s
cusscs |n thcsc contcxts. That |s why hc rcproachcs cvcn Av|
ccnna|orhaving|dcntihcdthcscactso|posthumous|mag|nat|vc
pcrccpt|onwithwhat happcns i nth|s|||c dur|ng s|ccp,torhcrc,
and durings|ccp, thc |maginat|vc powcr |sd|sturbcd by thc or
gan|c opcrations that occur |n thc physica| body. Much |s rc
quircd |or it to cnj oy its maximum o|pcrtcct|on and act|v|ty,
|rccdom and pur|ty. Othc~|sc, s|ccp wou|dbc s|mp|y anawak
cn|nginthcothcrwor| d. Th|s|snotthccasc, as|s|udcdto |n
thisrcmarkattr|butcdsomct|mcstothcProphctandsomct|mcs
tothcFirst!mamotthcSh|'|tcs: Humanss|ccp. !tiswhcnthcy
dicthatthcyawakc. "
Asecond postulate, cv|dcncc|orwh|chcompc|srccogn|t|on,| s
that thc sp|ritua| !mag|nat|on| s a cogn|t|vc powcr,anorgan ot
truc know|cdgc. !mag|nativc pcrccpt|on and |mag|nat|vc con
sciousncsshavc thc|rown noetic cogn|t|vc) mnct|onandva|uc,
in rc|auontothcwor|d that isthcirs-thc wor|d, wchavc sa|d,
which |s thc (alam al-mithal, mundus imaginalis, thcwor|do|
thc myst|ca| c|t|cs such as Hrqa|ya, whcrc t|mc bccomcs rc
vcrsib|candwhcrcspacc|samnct|ono|dcsirc,bccausc|t|son|y
thccxtcrna|aspccto|an|ntcrna|statc.
Thc !mag|nat|on is thus hrm|y balanced bctwccn two othcr
cogn|tivc mnct|ons. its own wor|d smbolizes with thc wor|d to
whichthctwoothcrmnct|ons scnsoryknow|cdgcand intc||cc
Mundus Imaginalis I 7
t|vc know|cdgc) rcspcct|vc|y corrcspond. Thcrc |s accord|ng|y
somcth|ng ||kc a contro| thatkccps thc !mag| nat|on trom wan
dcr|ngs and prod|gacy, and that pcrm|ts |t to assumc | ts m||
mnct|on. to causc thc occurrcncc, tor cxamp|c, ot thc cvcnts
thatarc rc|atcdbythcv|s|onary ta|cso|Sohravardianda|| thosc
o|thcsamck|nd,bccausccvcryapproachtothcc|ghthc||matcis
madcbythc|mag|nativcpath. !tmaybcsa|dthatth|s|sthcrca
son |or thc cxtraord|nary grav|ty ot myst|ca| cp|cpocmswr|ttcn
|n Pcrs|an |rom 'Attar to )ami and to Nr 'Ai Shah) , wh|ch
constant|yamp||[thcsamcarchctypcs|nncwsymbo|s. !nordcr
|or thc !mag|nat|on to wandcr and bccomc prod|gatc, |or |t to
ccascm|h|||ng|tsmnct|on,wh|ch|stopcrcc|vcorgcncratcsym
bo|s|cad|ngto thc |ntcrna|scnsc, |t |s ncccssary |orthe mundus
imaginalithe propcr doma|n ot thc Malakut, thc wor|d o|
thc Sou|-to d|sappcar. Pcrhaps |t |s nccssary, |n thc Wcst, to
datc thc bcg|nn|ng o|th|s dccadcncc at thc timc whcnAvcrro
|smrcjcctcdAv|ccnn|ancosmo|ogy,w|th|ts|ntcrmcd|atcangc||c
h|crarchy ot thc Animae or Angeli caelestes. Thcsc Angeli cae
lestes ah|crarchybc|owthato|thcAngeli intellectuales) hadthc
pr|v||cgc ot |mag|nat|vc powcr |n |ts purc statc. Oncc thc un|
vcrsco|thcscSou|sd|sappcarcd,|twasthc|mag|nativcmnct|on
as such that was unbalanced and dcva|ucd. !t|s casy to undcr
stand,thcn, thcadv|ccg|vcn|atcrbyParacc|sus,warn|ngaga|nst
any conms|on ot thc Imaginatio vera, as thc a|chcm|sts sa|d,
w|thtantasy, thatcorncrstonco|thcmad. "

Th|s |sthc rcason thatwc canno|ongcravo|d thc prob|cmo|

tcrm|no|ogy. How |s |t that wc do not havc |n Frcnch [or |n
Eng||sh| a common and pcrtcct|y sat|s[|ngtcrm to cxprcss thc
|dca ot thc (alam al-mithal ! havc proposcd thc Lat|n mundus
imaginalis |or|t,bccauscwc arcob||gcdto avo|danyconms|on
bctwccnwhat|shcrc thc object o||mag|nativc or|mag|nantpcr
ccpt|on and what wc ord|nar||y ca|| thc imaginar. Th|s |s so,
bccausc thc currcntatt|tudc |s to opposc thc rca| to thc |mag|
naqasthoughtothcunrca|,thcutop|an,as|t|stoconmscsym
bol w|th a||cgory, to conmsc thc cxcgcs|s ot thc spiritual sense
1 8 Swedenbot and Eoteric Islam
w|th an a||cgor|ca| |ntcrprctat|on. Mow, cvcp a||cgor|ca| |ntcr
prctat|on |s harm|css; thc a||cgory |s a shcath|ng, or, rathcr, a
d|sgu|s|ng,o|somcth|ngthat|sa|rcadykown orknowab|coth
c~|sc,wh||c thc appcarancc o|an !magc hav|ngthc qua||tyo|a
symbo||sapr|maryphcnomcnon Urphanomen ) , uncond|t|ona|
and |rrcduc|b|c, thc appcarancco|somcth|ngthatcannotman|
|cst|tsc||othc~|scto thc wor|dwhcrcwcarc.
Mc|thcr thc ta|cs o|Sohravard|, nor thc ta|cs wh|ch |n thc
Sh|'|tc trad|t|on tc|| us o| rcach|ng thc |and o| thc H|ddcn
!mam, " arc |mag|nary, unrca|, or a||cgor|ca| , prcc|sc|y bccausc
thc c|ghth c||matc or thc |and o|Mowhcrc" |s not what wc
common|y ca|| a utopia. !t |s ccrta|n|y a wor|d that rcma|ns bc
yond thc cmp|r|ca| vcr|Gcat|on o|oursc|cnccs. Othc~|sc, any
onccou|dGndacccssto|tandcv|dcncc|or|t. !t|sasuprascnsory
wor|d, |nso|ar as |t |s not pcrccpt|b|c cxccpt by thc |mag|nat|vc
pcrccpt|on, and |nso|ar as thc cvcnts that occur |n |tcannot bc
cxpcr|cnccd cxccpt by thc |mag|nat|vc or |mag|nant consc|ous
ncss. Lctusbcccrta|nthatwcundcrstand, hcrcaga|n,thatth|s|s
not a mattcr s|mp|y o|what thc |anguagc o|our t|mc ca||s an
|mag|nat|on, buto|a vision that|s Imaginatio vrra. And |t|sto
th|s Imaginatio vera that wc must attr|butc a noetic or p|cnary
cogn|t|vc va| uc. !|wc arc no |ongcr capab|c o|spcak|ng about
thc|mag|nat|oncxccptas|antasy, "||wccannotut|||zc|torto|
cratc |t cxccpt as such, |t |s pcrhaps bccausc wc havc |orgottcn
thc norms and thc ru|cs and thc ax|a| ord|nat|on" that arc rc
spons|b|c |or thc cognitive mnct|on o| thc |mag|nat|vc powcr
thc mnct|on that! havcsomct|mcsdcs|gnatcd as imaginator) .
For thc wor|d |ntowh|ch our w|tncsscs havc pcnctratcd-wc
w||| mccttwo or thrcc o|thosc w|tncsscs |nthc Gna| scct|on o|
th|s study-|s a pcncct|y real wor|d, morc cv|dcnt cvcn and
morc cohcrcnt, | n|tsown rca||q, than thc real cmp|r|ca|wor|d
pcrcc|vcd by thc scnscs. ! ts w|tncsscs wcrc ahc~ard pcr|cct|y
consc|ous that thcy had bccn c|scwhcrc"; thcy arc not sch|zo
phrcn|cs. !t |sa mattcro|a wor|d that|s h|ddcn |n thc act |tsc|F
Mundus Imaginalis 1 9
o|scnsory pcrccpt|on, andonc thatwc mustGnd undcrthc ap
parcntobjcct|vcccrtaintyo|thatk|ndo|pcrccpt|on. Thatiswhy
wcpos|t|vc|ycannotqua||[|tas imaginar, inthc currcntscnsc
inwh|ch thcword|s takcn to mcan unrca| , noncx|stcnt. )ustas
thcLat|nwordorio hasgivcnusthcdcr|vativc or|g|na|," ! bc
||cvc that thc word imago can g|vc us, a|ong w|th imaginar,
andby rcgu|ar dcr|vat|on,thc tcrm imaginal. Wcw||| thus havc
thc imaginal wor|d bc |ntcrmcd|atc bctwccn thc sensor wor|d
and thc inteliible wor|d. Whcnwc cncountcrthc Arab|c tcrm
jism mithili to dcs|gnatc thc subt| cbody" thatpcnctratcs|nto
thc c|ghthc||matc,"orthc rcsurrcct|onbody,"wcw|||bcab|c
to trans|atc |t ||tcra||y as imaginal body, but ccrtain|y not as
imaginar body. Pcrhaps, thcn, wc w||| havc |css d|mcu|ty |n
p|ac|ng thc hgurcswho bc|ong ncithcr to myth" nor to h|s
tory,"andpcrhapswcw|||havcasorto(passwordtothcpathto
thc |ostcontincnt. "
!n ordcr to cmbo|dcn us on th|s path, wc havc to askour
sc|vcs what constitutcs our real, thc real |or us, so that ||wc
|cavc |t, wou|dwc havc morc than thc |mag|nary, utop|a? And
what|sthc real |orourtrad|t|ona|Eastcrnth|nkcrs, sothatthcy
mayhavc acccss to thc c|ghth c||matc," to Ni-koji-
A
bid, by
|cav|ngthc scnsoryp|accwithout|cav|ngthc rca| , or, rathcr, by
hav|ng acccss prcc|sc|y to thc rca| ? Th|s prcsupposcs a sca|c o|
bc|ng w|th many morc dcgrccs than ours. For |ct us makc no
m|stakc. !t |s not cnough to conccdc that our prcdcccssors, |n
thcWcst,had a conccpt|ono|thc !mag|nation thatwas too ra
t|ona||st|cand too|ntc||cctua||zcd. !|wc donothavc ava||ab|c a
cosmo|ogy whosc schcma can |nc|udc, as docs thc onc that bc
|ongs to our traditiona| ph||osophcrs, thc p|ura||ty o|un|vcrscs
|n asccns|ona| ordcr, our !mag|nation w||| rcma|n unbalanced,
|tsrccurrcntconj unct|onsw|ththcw||| topowcrwi|| bcancnd
|csssourcco|horrors.Wcw|||bccont|nua| |yscarch|ng|orancw
d|sc|p||nco|thc!mag|nat|on, andwcw|||havcgrcatd|mcu|q|n
|nd|ng|tas |ong aswc pcrs|st |n scc|ng|n|ton|y a ccrta|nway
20 Swedenbor and Eoteric Islam
otkccp|ngourdistance w|thrcgardtowhatwcca||thcreal, and
|n ordcr to cxcrt an |nf|ucncc on that rca| . Mow, that rca| ap
pcarstousasarb|trar||y||m|tcd, assoonaswccomparc|ttothc
rca| that our trad|t|ona| thcosophcrs havc g||mpscd, and that
||m|tat|ondcgradcsthc rca||ty |tsc||. !nadd|t|on, |t|sa|waysthc
wordfantas thatappcarsasancxcusc. ||tcraptantasy,torcxam
p|c,orprctcrab|y,| nthctastcandsty|cotthcday,soc|a|tantasy.
ut |t |s |mposs|b|c to avo|dwondcr|ngwhcthcr thc mundus
imaginalis, |nthc propcr mcan|ngo|thc tcrm, wou|d otncccs
s|tybc |ost and|cavcroomon|ytorthc|mag|nary |t somcth|ng
||kcasccu|ar|zat|onotthcimaginal |ntothc imaginar wcrcnot
rcqu|rcd |or thc tantast| c, thc horr|b|c, thc monstrous, thc
macabrc, thc m|scrab|c, and mc absurd to u|umph. On thc
othcrhand, thc artand|mag|nat|onot !s|am|ccu|turc |n|tstra
d|t|ona| torm arc charactcr|zcd by thc h|crat|c and thc scr|ous,
by grav|ty, sty||zat|on, and mcan|ng. Mc|thcr our utop|as, nor
our sc|cncc hct|on, nor thc s|n|stcr "omea po|nt"-noth|ngot
that k|nd succccds |n |cav|ng th|s wor|d or atta|n|ng Ni-ko
A
bid. Thoscwho havc kown thc c|ghthc||matc" havc not |n
vcntcdutop|as,nor|sthcu|t|matcthoughtot Sh|'|smasoc|a|or
po||t|ca|tantasy,but|t|sancschato|ogy,bccausc|t|sanexpecta
tion wh|ch |s, as such, a real Presence hcrc and now |n anothcr
wor|d,andatcst| monytothatothcrwor| d.
I II.
T
OPOGRA PHI E S OF THE
"
E
I GHTH
C
L I MATE
"
Wc oughthcrc tocxam|nc thc cxtcns|vc thcoryo|thc w|tncsscs
to that othcr wor|d. Wc ought to qucst|on a|| thosc myst|cs
who,| n!s|am, rcpcatcdthcv|s|onarycxpcr|cnccotthc hcavcn|y
assumpt|on o|thc ProphctMuammad thc mi 'rtJ), wh|ch ot
tcrs morc than onc tcaturc |n common w|th thc account, prc
scncd |n an o|d gnost|c book, ot thc cc|cst|a| v|s|ons ot thc
Mundus Imaginalis 21
prophct !sa|ah. Thcrc, thc activrty o||mag|nat|vc pcrccpt|on
tru|yassumcs thc aspccto|a hierognosis, a h|ghcr sacra| know|
cdgc. ut|n ordcrtocomp|ctc ourd|scuss|on,!w|||||m|tmysc||
to dcscr|bing scvcra| |caturcs typ|ca| o| accounts takcn |rom
Sh| '|tc||tcraturc,bccauscthcwor|d|ntowh|ch|tw|||a||owusto
pcnctratcsccms,athrstsight,st|||to bcourwor|d,wh||c|n|act
thc cvcnts takc p|acc |n thc c|ghth c||matc-not |n thc |mag|
nap, but |n thc |mag|na|wor|d,that|s,thc wor|d whosccoord|
natcscannot bc p|ottcd on our maps, and whcrc thc Twc|hh
!mam, thc H|ddcn !mam, " |ivcs a mystcr|ous |||c surroundcd
byh|s compan|ons, who arcvc||cd undcrthc samc |ncogn|to as
thc !mam. Onc o|thc mosttyp|ca| o|thcsc accounts |s thc ta|c
o|avoyagcto thc Grccn !s|ands|tuatcd

|nthcW|tcSca. "
!t| s|mposs|b|c t odcscr|bc hcrc, cvcn | n broad tcrms, what
const|tutcs thc csscncc o|Sh|'|tc !s|am |nrc|at|on towhat|sap
propr|atc|yca||cdSunn|orthodoxy. !t|sncccssary,howcvcr,mat
wc shou|d havc, at |cast a||us|vc|y prcscnt |n m|nd, thc thcmc
that dom|natcs thc hor|zon o| thc myst|ca| thcosophy o|
Sh|'|sm, namc|y, th

c ctcrna| prophct|c Kca||ty" ( .aqiqat

mo}ammadia) that|s dcs|gnatcd as Muammadan Logos" or
Muammadan L|ght" and |s composcd o||ourtccncnt|t|cs o|
||ght. thc Prophct, h|s daughtcrFat|ma, and thc twc|vc !mams.
Th|s|s thc p|croma o|thc Founccn Purc Oncs, " by mcans o|
whosc countcnancc thc mystcp o|anctcrna| thcophany |s ac
comp||shcd|romwor|dtowor| d. Sh|'|smhasthusg|vcn !s|am|c
prophcto|ogy |ts mctaphys|ca| |oundat|onatthc samc t|mc that
|t has g|vcn |t !mamo|ogy as thc abso|utc|y ncccssary comp|c
mcnt. Th|smcansthatthcscnsco|thcD|v|ncRvc|at|ons|snot
||m|tcdto thc |cttcr, to thc cxotcr|c that |s thccortcxand con
ta|nant, andthatwas cnunc|atcd by thc Prophct; thctrucscnsc
|s thc h|ddcn |ntcrna| , thc csotcr|c, what |s symbo||zcd by thc
cortcx, and wh|ch|t|s |ncumbcnt upon thc !mams to rcvca| to
thc|r |o||owcrs. That |s why Sh|'|tc thcosophy cm|ncnt|y pos
scsscsthcscnsco|symbo|s.
22 Swedenhor and Eoteric Islam
Morcovcr,thcc|oscdgroupordynastyo|thctwc|vc !mams|s
notapo||t|ca|dynasty|ncarth|ycompcut|onw|th othcrpo||t|ca|
dynast|cs;| tprojccts ovcr thcm, |n a way, as thc dynasty o|thc
guard|ans o|thc Gra| | , |n ourWcstcrn trad|t|ons, projccts ovcr
thc omc|a| h|crarchy o|thc Church. Thc cphcmcra| carth|y ap
pcarancc o|thc twc|vc !mamsconc|udcdw|th thc twc|hh,who,
asayoungch||d |nA. H. 26O/A. D. 873) wcnt|ntooccu|tation
|rom th|s wor|d, but whosc parous|a thc Prophct h|msc|| an
nounccd, thc Man||cstat|on at thc cnd o|ourA|n, whcn hc
wou|d rcvca| thc h|ddcnmcan|ngo|a|| D|v|ncKcvc|at|ons and
G||thccarthw|thjust|ccandpcacc,as|tw|||havcbccnG||cdun
t||thcnw|thv|o|cnccandtyranny. Prcscnts|mu|tancous|y|nthc
past and thc mturc, thc Twc|hh !mam, thc H|ddcn !mam, has
bccn|ortcnccntur|csthchistor |tsc||o|Sh|'|tcconsc|ousncss,a
h|story ovcr wh|ch, o|coursc,h|stor|ca|cr|t|c|sm|oscs |ts r|ghts,
|or |ts cvcnts,a|thoughrca|,ncvcrthc|cssdo not havc thc rca||ty
o|cvcnts|n ourc||matcs,butthcyhavcthc rca||tyo|thosc|n thc
c|ghthc||matc,"cvcntso|thcsou|wh|charcv|s|ons. H|soccu|
tation occurrcd at two d|dcrcnt t|mcs: thc m|nor occu|tat|on
26O/873) and thc majoroccu|tat|on 33O/42) . S|nccthcn,
thcH|ddcn!mam|s|nthcpos|t|ono|thoscwhowcrcrcmovcd
|rom thc v|s|b|c wor|d w|thout cross|ng thc thrcsho|d o|dcath:
Enoch, E||j ah, and Chr|sthimsc||, accord|ng to thc tcach|ng o|
thc Qur' an. Hc|sthc !mam h|ddcn|romthc scnscs, butprcs
cnt | n thc hcart o|h|s |o||owcrs," |n thc words o|thc consc
cratcd |ormu|a, |or hc rcma|ns thc myst|ca| po|c [ qo!h] o|th|s
wor|d, thc pole of poles, w|thout whosc cx|stcncc thc human
wor|dcou|dnotcontinuctocx|st. Thcrc|sancnti rcShi'|tc||tcr
aturcaboutthosctowhomthc!mamhasman||cstcdh|msc||,or
who havc approachcd h|m butw|thout scc|ng h|m, dur|ng thc
pcr|odo|thcGrcatOccu|tation.
O|coursc,anundcrstand|ngo|thcsc accountspostu|atcsccr
ta|n prcm|scs that our prcccd|ng ana|yscs pcrm|t us to acccpt.
Thc Grst po|nt |s that thc !mam ||vcs |n a mystcr|ous p|acc that
Mundus Imaginalis 23
| s bynomcans among thosc that cmp|r|ca| gcography canvcr
|[; |t cannot bc s|tuatcd on our maps. Th|s p|acc outs|dc o|
p|acc"noncthc|csshas|tsown topography. Thc sccond po|nt|s
that |||c |s not ||m|tcd to thc cond|t|ons o|our v|s|b|c matcr|a|
wor|dw|th|ts b|o|og|ca||awsthatwc know. Thcrc arc cvcnts |n
thc|||c o|thcH|ddcn!mam-cvcn dcscr|pt|onso|h|sGvcsons,
who arc thc govcrnors o|mystcr|ous c|t|cs. Thc th|rdpo|nt |s
that |n h|s |ast |cttcr to h|s |astv|s|b|c rcprcscntat|vc, thc !mam
warncd aga|nst thc |mposturc o|pcop|cwhowou|dprctcndto
quotchim,tohavcsccnh|m,|nordcrto|ayc|a|mtoapub||cor
po||tica|ro|c|nh|snamc. utthc !mamncvcrcxc|udcdthc|act
that hc wou|d man||cst h|msc||to a|d somconc |n matcr|a| or
mora| d|strcss-a |ost travc|cr, |or cxamp| c, or a bc||cvcrwho|s
|ndcspa|r.
Thcscman||cstat|ons, howcvcr, ncvcr, occurcxccptatthc |n|
t|auvco|thc !mam; and ||hcappcars mostohcn|n thc gu|sc o|
a young man o|supcrnatura| bcauty, a|most a|ways, subjcct to
cxccption, thc pcrson grantcd thc pr|v||cgc o|th|s v|s|on|son|y
consc|ous ahc~ard, |atcr, o| whom hc hassccn. A str|ct|ncog
n|to covcrs thcsc man||cstat|ons, that|swhythc rc||g|ous cvcnt
hcrc can ncvcr bc soc|a||zcd. Thc samc |ncogn|to covcrs thc
!mam'scompan|ons,thatc||tc o|c||tcscomposcdo|youngpco
p|c |n h|s scn|cc. Thcy |orm an csotcr|c h|crarchy o|a str|ct|y
||m|tcdnumbcr,wh|chrcma|nspcrmancntbymcanso|subst|tu
uon |rom gcncrat|on to gcncrat|on. Th|s mystica| ordcr o|
kn|ghts, wh|ch surrounds thc H|ddcn !mam, |s subjcct to an
|ncogn|toasstr|ctasthato|mck|ghtso|thcGra||, |nasmuchas
thcy do not |cad anyonc to thcmsc|vcs. ut somconc who has
bccn|cdthcrcw|||havcpcnctratcd|ora momcnt|ntothcc|ghth
c||matc; |or a momcnt hc w||| havc bccn |n thc tota||ty o|thc
Hcavcno|h|ssou| . "
That was |ndccd thc cxpcr|cncc o|a young !ran|an shayH,
'A|| | bn Fazc| Mazandarani, toward thccnd o|our th|rtccnth
ccntury, an cxpcr|cncc rccordcd |n thc Account of sange and
24 Swedenbor and Eoteric Islam
marelous things that he contemplated and saw with his own eyes
on the Green Island situated in the White Sea. ! can on|y g|vc a
broad out||nc o|th|s account hcrc, w|thout going |nto thc dc
ta||s thatguarantcc thc mcans and authcnticity o||ts transm|s
sion. ' Thc narratorhimsc||givcsa |ongrcc|ta|o|thcycars and
circumstanccso|his|||cprcccd|ngthccvcnt,wcarcdca|ingw|th
a scho|ar|y and sp|r|tua| pcrsona||ty who has both |cct on thc
ground. Hctc||sushowhccm|gratcd,howinDamascushc|o|
|owcd thc tcach|ng o|an Ada|usian shaykh, and how hc bc
camcattachcdtoth|sshayH,andwhcnthc|attcr|ch|orEgypt,
hc togcthcrw|th a |cw othcr d|sc|p|cs accompan|cd h|m. From
Ca|ro hc|o| |owcd h|m toAda|us|a,whcrc thcshaykh hadsud
dcn|ybccnca||cdbya |cttcr|romh|sdy|ng|athcr. Ournarrator
hadscarcc|yarr|vcd|nAnda|us|awhcnhccontractcda|cvcrthat
|astcd |or thrcc days. Oncc rccovcrcd, hc wcnt into thc v|||agc
and saw a strangc group o|mcn who had comc |rom a rcg|on
ncarthc |ando|thc crbcrs, not|ar |rom thc pcn|nsu|ao|thc
Sh|'|tcs. "Hc|sto|dthatthcj ourncytakcstwcnty-hvcdays,with
a |argc dcscrttocross. Hc dcc|dcs tojo|n thc group. Lptoth|s
point,wcarcsti||morcor|cssonthcgcograph|ca|map.
ut|t|s no|ongcrata||ccrta|nthatwcarcst|||on|twhcnour
travc|cr rcachcs thc pcn|nsu|a o|thc Sh|'|tcs, a pcn|nsu|a sur
roundcdby|ourwa||sw|thh|ghmass|vctowcrs,thcoutsidcwa||
bordcrsthccoasto|thcsca. Hcaskstobctakcntothcprinc|pa|
mosquc. Thcrc, |or thc hrst t|mc, hc hcars, dur|ng thc
muczzin's ca|| to praycr, rcsound|ng |rom thc minarct o|thc
mosquc, thcSh|'itc |nvocat|onaskngthat)oy shou|dhastcn, "
that |s, thcj oy o|thc mturc Appcarancc o|thc !mam, who | s
nowh|ddcn. !nordcrtoundcrstandh| scmotionandhi stcars,| t
|sncccssarytoth|nko|thchcinouspcrsccut|ons,ovcrthccoursc
o|many ccntur|cs and ovcrvast port|ons o|thc tcrr|top o|!s
| am, thatrcduccdthcShi'itcs, thc|o||owcrs o|thcho|y!mams,
to astatco|sccrccy. Rcogn|t|onamongSh|'|tcs|scdcctcdhcrc
aga|n| nthc obscnat|on,|na typica| manncr, o|thc customs of
thc d|sc|p|inco|thcarcanum. "
Mundus Imaginalis 25
Ourp||gr|mtakcsuprcs|dcnccamongh| sown,buthcnot|ccs
| nthccoursc o|h|swa|ksthatthcrc| snosown hc|d| nthcarca.
Wcrc dothc|nhab|tantsobta|nthc|r|ood? Hc|carnsthat|ood
comcs to thcm |rom thc Grccn !s|and s|tuatcd | n thc W|tc
Sca," wh|ch | s onc o|thc |s|ands bc|ong|ng to thc sons o|thc
H|ddcn !mam. Tw|cc aycar,a dot|||a o|scvcn sh|ps br|ngs| tto
thcm. That ycar thc hrst voyagc had a|rcady takcn p|acc, |t
wou|d bc ncccssary to wa|t |our months unt|| thc ncxt voyagc.
Thc account dcscr|bcs thc p||gr|m pass|ng h|s days, ovcr
whc|mcdbythck|ndncsso|mc|nhab|tants,but|nanangu|sho|
cxpcctat|on,wa|k|ngt|rc|css|y a|ong thc bcach, a|wayswatch|ng
thc h|gh sca, toward thc wcst, |or thc arr|va| o|thc sh|ps. Wc
m|ghtbctcmptcdto bc||cvc thatwc arconthcAr|cancoasto|
thcAt|ant|c and thatthc Grccn !s|and bc|ongs, pcrhaps, to thc
Canar|cs or thc Fortunatc !s|cs. " Thc dcta||s that |o||ow w|||
sumcc to undccc|vc us. Othcrtrad|t|onsp|acc thc Grccn !s|and
c|scwhcrc-|n thcCasp|anSca, |orcxamp|c-as thoughto|nd|
catc to us that |t has no coord|natcs |n thc gcography o|th|s
wor|d.
F|na||y, as | |accord|ngtothc|awo|thc c|ghth c||matc" ar
dcntdcs|rchasshortcncdspacc,thcscvcnsh|psarr|vcsomcwhat
| nadvancc andmakc thc|rcntry |nto thc port. From thc |argcst
o|thc sh|ps dcsccnds a shaykh o|nob|c and command|ng ap
pcarancc, w|thahandsomc|acc and magn|hccntc|othcs. Acon
vcrsat|onbcg|ns,andourp||gr|mrca||zcsw| thaston|shmcntthat
thc shaykh a|rcady kows cvcpth|ng about h|m, h|s namc and
h|s or|g|n. Thc shaykh |s h|s Compan|on, and hc tc||s h|m that
hc has comc tohndh| m. togcthcr thcyw||| |cavc |or thc Grccn
!s|and.Th|scp|sodcbcarsacharactcr|st|c|caturco|thcgnost|c's
|cc||ngcvcryhcrc anda|ways. hc|sancx||c,scparatcd |romh|s
own pcop|c,whomhcbarc|yrcmcmbcrs,andhchassu|||cssan
|dca o| thc way that w||| takc h|m back to thcm. Onc day,
though, a mcssagc arr|vcs |rom thcm, as | n thc Song o|thc
Icar|" |n thc Acts of Tomas, as | n thc Ta|c o|Wcstcrn Ex||c"
bySohravardi. Hcrc,thcrc|ssomcth|ngbcttcrthanamcssagc. |t
26 Swedenhor and Esoteric Islam
|s onc o|thc compan|ons o|thc ! mam |n pcrson. Ournarrator
cxc|a|ms mov|ng|y. Lpon hcar|ng thcsc words, ! was ovcr
whc|mcdw|thhapp|ncss. Someone remembered me, my name was
known to them!'' Wash|scx||c atancnd?Fromnowon,hc|scn
t|rc|y ccna|n that thc |t|ncrary cannot bc trans|crrcd onto our
maps.
Thccross|ng|astss|xtccn days, a|tcrwh|chthcsh| pcntcrs an
arcawhcrc thcwatcrso|thcscaarccomp|ctc|ywh|tc, thcGrccn
!s|and |s out||ncd on thc hor|zon. Our p|| gr|m |carns |rom h|s
Compan|on that thc W|tc Sca |orms an uncrossab|c zonc o|
protcct|onaroundthc|s|and,nosh|pmanncdbythccncm|cso|
thc !mam and h|s pcop|c can vcnturc thcrc w|thout thc wavcs
cngu|hng |t. Our travc|crs |and on thc Grccn !s|and. Thcrc |s a
c|ty at thc cdgco|thc sca; scvcnwa||sw|th h|gh towcrs protcct
thc prcc|ncts th|s |s thc prccm|ncnt symbo||c p|an) . Thcrc arc
|uxur|ant vcgctat|on and abundant strcams. Thc bu||d|ngs arc
constructcd |rom d|aphanous marb|c. A| thc |nhab|tants havc
bcaut|m| and young |accs, and thcy wcar magn|hccnt c|othcs.
Our !ran|an shaykh |cc|s hi s hcart h| | w|th j oy, and |rom th|s
po|nt on, throughout thc cnt|rc sccond part, h|s account w|||
takconthcrhythmandthc mcan|ngo|an initiation account, | n
wh|chwccand|st|ngu|sh thrcc phascs. Thcrc |san|n|t|a| scr|cs
o|convcrsat|onsw|tha nob|cpcrsonagcwho|snoncothcrthan
a grandson o| thc Twc|hh !mam thc son o|onc o|h|s hvc
sons) , and who govcrns thc Grccn !s|and. SayycdShamsoddin.
Thcsc convcrsat|ons composc a hrst | n|t|at|on |nto thc sccrct o|
thc H|ddcn!mam,thcy takc p|accsomct|mcs|n thc shadowo|a
mosqucand somct|mcs|n thc scrcn|tyo|gardcnsh||cdw|thpcr
mmcd trccs o|a|| k|nds. Thcrc |o||ows a v|s|t to a mystcr|ous
sanctuary |n thc hcart o|thc mounta|n that |s thc h|ghcst pcak
on thc |s|and. F|na||y, thcrc |s a conc|ud|ng scr|cs o|convcrsa
t|onso|dcc|s|vc|mportanccw|thrcgardtothcposs|b|||tyor|m
poss|b|||tyo|hav|ngav|s|ono|thc !mam.
! am g|v|ng thc br|c|cst poss|b|c summary hcrc, and ! must
passovcr|ns||cnccthcdcta||so|sccncrydcp|ct|onando|an i n-
Mundus Imaginalis 27
tcnsc|y an|matcd dramaturgy, |nordcrtonotc on|y thc ccntra|
cp|sodc.Atthcsumm|toratthc hcarto|thcmounta|n, wh|ch|s
|nthcccntcro|thc Grccn!s|and,thcrc |sa sma||tcmp|c,w|th a
cupo|a,whcrc onc can commun|catc w|th thc !mam, bccausc |t
happcns that hc |cavcs a pcrsona| mcssagc thcrc, but no onc |s
pcrm|ttcd to asccnd to th|s tcmp|c cxccpt Sayycd Shamsoddin
and thosc who arc ||kc h|m. Th|s sma|| tcmp|c stands |n thc
shadowo|thc Tubi trcc;now,wc knowthat th|s |sthc namc o|
thc trcc thatshadcs Parad|sc; |t|s thc Tree of Being. Thc tcmp|c
|satthccdgco|aspr|ng,wh|ch, s|ncc|tgushcsatthcbasco|thc
Trcco|Parad|sc,canon|ybcthc Spring of Lie. !n ordcrtocon
hrmth|s|or us, our p||gr|m mccts thcrc thc |ncumbcnt o|th|s
tcmp|c, |n whom wc rccogn|zc thc mystcr|ous prophct Kczr
Kar) . !t |s thcrc, at thc hcart o|bc|ng, |n thc shadc o|thc
Trcc and at thc cdgc o|thc Spr|ng,that thc sanctuary |s |ound
whcrcthcH|ddcn!mammaybcmostc|osc|yapproachcd. Hcrc
wc havc ancnt|rc constc||at|ono|cas||yrccogn|zab|c archctypa|
symbo|s.
Wchavc |carncd,amongothcrth|ngs, thatacccsstothc ||tt|c
myst|ca| tcmp|c was on|ypcrm|ttcd to a pcrson who, byatta|n
|ngthcsp|r|tua| dcgrcc atwh|chthc!mamhasbccomch|spcr
sona||ntcrna|Gu|dc,hasatta|ncdastatcs|m||ar" tothato|thc
actua| dcsccndant o|thc !mam. Th|s |swhythc |dcao||ntcrna|
con|ormat|on|stru|yatthc ccntcro|thc|n|t|at|on account, and
|t |s th|s that pcrm|ts thc p|| gr|m to |carn othcr sccrcts o|thc
Grccn !s|and: |or cxamp|c, thc symbo||sm o|a part|cu|ar|y c|o
qucnt r|tua| . ' " !n thc Sh|'|tc ||turg|ca| ca|cndar, Fr|day |s thc
wcckday cspcc|a||y dcd|catcd to thc Twc||th !mam. Morcovcr,
|n thc |unarca|cndar,thc m|dd|c o|thc month marks thc m|d
po|nto|thc|unarcyc|c,andthcm|dd|co|thcmontho| Sha' ban
|sthcann|vcrsarydatco|thcb|rtho|thcTwc|hh!mam|ntoth|s
wor|d. OnaFr|day,thcn,wh||cour!ran|anp||gr|m|spray|ng|n
thc mosquc, hc hcars a grcatcommot|onouts|dc. H|s| n|t|ator,
Saycd,|n|orms h|mthatcacht|mc thc dayo|thc middle of the
month |a||s on a Fr|day, thc ch|c|s o|thc mystcr|ous m|||t|athat
28 Swedenbo" and Esoteric Islam
surrounds thc !mam asscmb|c in cxpcctation o|)oy, "a consc
cratcdtcrm,aswckow,whichmcans. |n thc cxpcctationo|thc
Mani|cstation o|thc !mam |n thiswor| d. Lcav|ng thc mosquc,
hcsccsagathcr|ngo|horscmcn|romwhomatr|umpha|c|amor
riscs. Thcsc arc thc 3 1 3 chic|s o| thc supcrnatura| ordcr o|
knights a|ways prcscnti ncognito in thiswor|d, in thc scn|cc o|
thc!mam.Thiscp|sodc|cadsusgradua||ytothchna|sccncsmat
prcccdc thc |arcwc|| . Likca |c|tmotiv, thccxprcssiono|thc dc
sirc tosccthc !mam rcturns ccasc|css|y. Our pi|gr|m wi|| |carn
thattw|cc| nh|s| | |c hcwas |nthc !mam'sprcscncc. hcwas |ost
inthc dcscrt and thc !mam camc to h|sa|d. utasisan a|most
constant ru|c, hc kncw noth|ng o||t thcn; hc |carns o|it now
thathchascomctothcGrccn !s|and. A|as,hcmust|cavcthis|s
|and; thc ordcr cannot bc rcscindcd; thc ships arcwa|ting, thc
samconconwh|chhc arrivcd. utcvcnmorcthan|orthcvoy
agcoutward,itis|mposs|b|c|orustomarkoutthcitincrarythat
|cads|romthccighthc|imatc" tothiswor| d. Ourtravc|crob||t
cratcshis tracks, but hc wi|| kccp somc matcria| cvidcncc o|h|s
soj ourn. thc pagcs o|notcstakcn|n thc coursc o|hisconvcrsa
tionswith thc Imam's grandson, and thc part|ng gih |rom thc
|attcratthcmomcnto||arcwc|| .
Thc accounto|thc Grccn Is| and a||ows us an abundant har
vcsto|symbo|s. ( 1 ) !t|sonco|thcis|andsbc|ong|ngtothcsons
o|thc Twc|hh !mam. 2) !t| s that |s|and, whcrc thc Springo|
L| |c gushcs, in thc shadc o|thc Trcc o|Paradisc, that cnsurcs
thc sustcnancc o|thc !mam's |o| | owcrs who||vc |ar away, and
that sustcnancc can on|y bc a suprasubstant|a|" |ood. 3 ) !t is
situatcd|nthcwcst,asthc c|ty o|)abarsa|ss|tuatcd| nthcwcst
o|thc mundus imaginalis, and thus it odcrs a strangc ana|ogy
w|th thc parad|sc o|thc East, thc paradisc o|A|tabha |n Purc
Land uddhism; sim||ar|y, thc hgurc o| thc Twc|hh !mam is
suggcstivc o| comparison w|th Ma|trcya, thc mturc uddha;
thcrc |sa|so an ana|ogy with Tir-na' n Og,onc o|thcwor|dso|
thcAcr|i|c amongthc Cc|ts, thc |ando|thcWcstandthc |or
cvcryoung. 4) L|kc thcdoma|no|thcGrai| , itisan|ntc~or|d
Mundus Imaginalis 29
that |s sc|| sumc|cnt. ( 5) !t|s protcctcd aga|nstand|mmunc to
anyattcmpt|romouts|dc. 6) On|yoncwho|ssummoncdthcrc
can hnd thc way. 7) A mounta|n r|scs |n thc ccntcr; wc havc
notcdthcsymbo|sthat|tconcca|s. (8) L|kcMontSa|vat,thc| n
v|o|ab|c Grccn !s|and |sthcp|acc whcrc h| s|o||owcrs approach
thcmyst|ca|pole o|thcwor|d,thcH|ddcn !mam, rc|gn|ng|nv|s
|b|yovcrth|sagc-thcj cwc|o|thcSh|' |tc|a|th.
Th|s ta|c |s comp|ctcd by othcrs, |or, as wc havc mcnt|oncd,
noth|ng has bccn sa|d unt|| now about thc |s|ands undcr thc
rc|gn o|thc tru|y cxtraord|nap hgurcs who arc thc hvc sons o|
thc H|ddcn !mam homo|ogucs o|thosc whom Sh|'|sm dcs|g
natcsasthc F|vcPcrsonagcso|thcMant|c""andpcrhapsa|so
o|thoscwhomMan|chac|smdcs|gnatcsasthc F|vcSonso|thc
L|v|ng Sp|r|t" ) . A car||cr ta|c

|t |s |rom thc m|dd|c o|thc

twc|hhccnturyandthc narrator|sa Cm|st|an) prov|dcsus w|th
comp|cmcntary topograph|ca| |n|ormat|on. Hcrc aga|n |t |n
vo|vcs travc|crswhosuddcn|y rca||zcthatthc|rsh|phascntcrcd
a comp|ctc|y unkown arca. Thcy |and at a hrst |s|and, al
Mobiraka, thc |csscd C|ty. Ccrta|n d|mcu|tics, brought about
bythc prcscnccamongthcmo|Sunn|Mus||ms, ob||gc thcm to
travc| |arthcr. ut thc|r capta|n rcmscs; hc |s a|ra|d o|thc un
known rcg|on. Thcyhavc toh|rca ncwcrcw. !nsucccss|on,wc
|carn thc namcs o|thc hvc |s|andsand thc namcso|thoscwho
govcrn thcm. al-Zihera, thc C|ty |oom|ng w|th F|owcrs; al
Ri'eqa, thc L|mp|d C|ty; al-Sifya, thc Scrcnc C|q, ctc. Who
cvcrmanagcstoga|nadm|ttancctothcmcntcrs|ntoj oy|orcvcr.
F|vc |s|ands,hvcc|t|cs,hvcsonso|thc!mam,twc|vc monthsto
travc|throughthc |s|ands twomonths|orcacho|thc hrst|our,
|our months |or thc hhh) , a|| o|thcsc numbcrs hav|ng a sym
bo||cs|gn|hcancc. Hcrc,too, thc talc turns |nto an |n|t|at|onac
count,a||thctravc|crshna||ycmbraccthcSh|' |tc|a|th.
As thcrc |s no ru|c w|thout an cxccpt|on, ! w||| conc|udc by
c|t| ng |n condcnscd |orm a ta|c |||ustrat|ng a casc o|man||csta
t|ono| thc!mam|npcrson. Thcta|c|s|romthctcnthccntury.
An Iran|an |rom Hamadan madc thc p||gr|magc to Mccca. On
3O Swedenbot and Eoteric Islam
thc wayback,aday'sj ourncytrom Mccca morcthantwo thou
sand k||omctcrs |rom Hamadan) , hav|ng |mprudcnt|y gonc
astraydur|ngthcn|ght,hc|oscsh|scompan|ons. !nthcmorn|ng
hc|swandcr|nga|onc|nthcdcscrtandp|ac|ngh|strust|nGod.
Suddcn|y, hc sccs a gardcn that nc|thcr hc noranyonc c|sc has
cvcrhcardot. Hccntcrs|t. Atthcdoorotapav|||on,twoyoung
pagcs drcsscd|nwh|tc awa|th|mand|cadh|m to a youngman
ot supcrnatura| bcauty. To h|s tcarm| and awcstruck aston|sh
mcnt,hc |carns thathc |s|nthcprcscncc ot thcTwc|tth !mam.
Thc|attcrspcakstoh|mabouth|smturcAppcaranccandGna||y,
addrcss|ngh|mbynamc,asksh|mwhcthcrhcwantstorcturnto
h|s homc and tam||y. Ccrta|n|y, hc wants to do so. Thc !mam
s|gna|sto onc ot h|spagcs,whog|vcsthc travc|cra pursc, takcs
h|m by thc hand, and gu|dcs h|m through thc gardcns. Thcy
wa|k togcthcr unt|| thc travc|cr sccs a group ot houscs, a
mosquc, and shadc trccsthatsccmtam|||arto h|m. Sm|||ng,thc
pagc asks h|m. Do you knowth|s|and? " Ncarwhcrc ! ||vc |n
Hamadan," hc rcp||cs, thcrc |s a |and ca||cd Asadabad, wh|ch
cxact|y rcscmb|cs th|s p|acc. " Thc pagc says to h|m, ut you
are in Asadibid. " Aazcd, thc travc|crrca||zcs that hc |s actu
a||y ncarh|s homc. Hc turnsaround,thcpagc|sno|ongcrthcrc,
hc|s a|| a|onc, buthc sti|| has |n h|s hand thc v|at|cumthathad
bccn g|vcn to h|m. D|d wc not say a ||tt|c wh||c ago that thc
where, thc ubi, ot thc c|ghthc||matc" |san ubique?
! kowhowmanycommcntar|cscan bcapp||cdtothcscta|cs,
dcpcnd|ng upon whcthcr wc arc mctaphys|c|ans, trad|t|ona||st
or not, or whcthcrwc arc psycho|og|sts. ut by way ot prov|
s|ona| conc|us|on, ! prctcr to ||m|t mysc|t to askng thrcc sma||
qucst|ons.
1 . Wcarc no|ongcr part|c|pants |n a trad|t|ona| cu|turc, wc
||vc |n a sc|cnt|Gc c|v|||zat|on that |s cxtcnd|ng |ts contro| , |t |s
sa|d, cvcnto|magcs. !t|scommonp|acctodaytospcako|a c|v
|||zat|ono|thc |magc" th|nkingotourmagaz|ncs, c|ncma, and
tc|cv|s|on) . ut onc wondcrs whcthcr, ||kc a|| commonp|accs,
th|sdocsnotconcca|a rad|ca|m|sundcrstand|ng,acompl ctc er-
Mundus Imaginalis 3 I
ror. For | nstcad o|thc |magc bc|ng c|cvatcd to thc |cvc| o|a
wor|d thatwou|dbcpropcrto|t,|nstcado||tappcar| ng| nvcstcd
w|th a smbolic function, |cad|ng to an |ntcrna| scnsc, thcrc |s
abovca||arcduct|ono|thc|magctothc|cvc|o|scnsorypcrccp
t|on purc and s|mp|c, and thus a dchn|t|vc dcgradat|on o|thc
|magc. Shou|d |tnotbc sa|d, thcrc|orc, thatthcmorcsucccssm|
th|srcduct|on |s, thc morcthc scnsc o|thc imaginal |s |ost, and
thcmorcwc arc condcmncdtoproduc|ngon|ythc imaginar?
2. !n thc sccondp|acc, a|||magcry, thc sccn|cpcrspcct|vc o|a
ta|c ||kc thc voyagc to thc Grccn !s|and, or thc suddcn cn
countcrw|th thc!mam |nan unknown oas|s-wou|da| | th| sbc
poss|b|c w|thout thc abso|utc|y pr|mary and |rrcduc|b|c, objcc
t|vc,|n|t|a||act( Urphanomen) o|awor|do||magc archctypcsor
|magc sourccs whosc or|g|n |s nonrat|ona| andwhosc |ncurs|on
|nto our wor|d |s un|orcsccab|c, but whosc postu| atc compc|s
rccogn|t|on?
3. !n thc th|rd p|acc, |s | t not prcc|sc|y th|s postu|atc ofthc
objcct|v|ty o| thc imaginal world that |s suggcstcd to us, or
|mposcd on us, by ccrta|n |orms or ccrta|n symbo||c cmb|cms
hcrmct| c, kabba||st|c, or mandalas) thathavcthc qua||ty o|cF
|cct|nga mag|cd|sp|ay o|mcnta| |magcs,such thatthcyassumc
anobj cct|vcrca||ty?
To|nd|catc|nwhatscnsc|t|sposs|b|ctohavc an|dcao|how
torcspond tothcqucst|onconccrn|ngthc objective rca||tyo|su
pcrnatura| hgurcs andcncountcrsw|th thcm, ! w|||s|mp|y rc|cr
to an cxtraord|nary tcxt, whcrc V||||crs dc L' !s|cAdam spcaks
about thc |acco|thc |nscrutab|c Mcsscngcrw|thcycs o|c|ay; |t
cou|d not bc pcrcc|vcd cxccpt by thc sp|r| t. Crcaturcs cxpcr|
cncc on|y |nducnccs thatarc | nhcrcnt | n thc archangc||c cnt|ty.
Agc|s," hc wr|tcs, "are not, |n substancc, cxccpt | n thc |rcc
sub|| m|ty o|thc abso|utcHcavcns,whcrc rca||ty |s un|hcdw|th
thc|dca| .... Thcyon|ycxtcrna||zcthcmsc|vcs| nthcccstasythcy
causc andwh|ch|ormsapartoFthcmsc|vcs. "
23
1hosc |astwords, an ectas . . . which forms part of themselves,
seem to mc to posscssaprophct|cc|ar| ty,|orthcyhavcthcqua||ty
32 Swedenbo1 and Eoteric Islam
o|p|crc|ngcvcn thcgran|tco|doubt,o|paryz|ngthc agnostic
rcdcx, "|nthcscnscthatthcybrcakthcrcc|proca||so|at|ono|thc
consc|ousncssand|tsobjcct,o|thoughtandbc|ng;phcnomcno|
ogy|s now an onto|ogy. Lndoubtcd|y, th|s |s thc postu|atc |m
p||cd|nthctcach|ngo|ourauthorsconccrningthcimaginal. For
thcrc |s no cxtcrna| cr|tcr|on |or thc man||cstat|on o|thc Angc|,
othcrmanmcman||cstat|on|tsc||.ThcAgc||s|tsc||thcekstasis,
thc dsp|accmcnt" or thc dcparturc |rom oursc|vcs that |s a
changc o|statc" |rom our statc. That |s why thcsc words also
suggcsttousthcsccrcto|thcsupcrnatura|bc|ngo|thc H|ddcn
!mam" ando|hIsAppcaranccs |or thc Sh|'|tc consc|ousncss: thc
!mam|sthc eksass |tsc||o|thatconsc|ousncss. Oncwho|snot|n
thcsamcsp|r|tualstatccannotscch|m.
Th|s|swhatSohravardia||udcdto|nh|sta|c o|ThcCr|mson
Archangc| "bythcwordsthatwcc|tcdatthcbcg|nn|ng. !|you
arc Kczr, you a|so may pass w|thout d|mcu|q through thc
mounta|no|Qa|. "
March 1 964
N
OTE S
l . See L'Archange empourpre, quinze traites et recits mystiques, Documents
spirituels 14 ( Pari s: Fayard, 1 976) , 6: 201 - 21 3. For the entirety of the themes
discussed here, see our book En Islam iranien: Aspects spirituel et
philosophiques, new ed. ( Paris: Gallimard, 1 978) , vol . 4, bk. 7, "Le Douzieme
Imam et Ia chevaerie spirituelle. "
2. See L'Archange empourpre, 7: 227- 239.
3. See our Histoire de Ia philosophie islmique ( Paris: Gallimard, 1 964) , 1 :
222 f, 3 1 7 f.
4. That is why the representation of the Sphere of Spheres i n Peripatetic or
Ptolemaic astronomy is only a schematic indication; it continues to be of value
even afer this astronomy is abandoned. This means that regardless of how
"high" rockets or sputniks can reach, there will not be a single step made to
ward Na- koja-
A
bad, for the "threshold" will not have been crossed.
5. Rgarding this idea of presence, see particularly our introduction to
Molla adra Shirazi, L Livre des penetrations metaphysiques ( Kitab al
Masha<ir), edition and French tanslation ( Bibliotheque lranienne, vol . 1 0),
Paris: Adrien- Maisonneuve, 1 964, index under this term.
Mundus Imaginalis 33
6. See our work Spiritual Body and Celestial Earth: From Mazdean Iran to
Si 'ite Iran ( Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1 977) , especially the texts
of the eleven authors translated for the frst tme, in the second part of the
work. The notes here refer to the second French edition, Corps spirituel et
Terre celeste: de /'Iran mazdeen a /'Iran shi'ite ( Paris: Buchet- Chastel, 1979) .
7. Cors spirituel, p. 1 47.
8. For what follows, i bid. , pp. 103, 1 06, 1 1 2 f. , 1 54 f.
9. I bid. , pp. 1 56 f, 1 90 f.
1 0. Ibid. , pp. 1 1 2 f. , 1 54 f.
1 1 . Ibid. , p. 1 55
1 2. Ibid. , p. 1 1 2.
1 3. Ibid. , p. 1 1 3.
1 4. Emauel Swedenborg, Heaven and its Wonders and Hel, trans. J . C.
Ager ( New York: Swedenborg Foundation, 1 900), 1 91 to 1 95. Sweden
borg returns repeatedly to tis doctrine of space and time-for example i n the
short book Earths in the Universe. If there is not rigorous awareness of this, his
visionary experiences will be objected to by a critiCism that is as simplistic as it
is inefectve, because it confses spiritual vision of the spiritual world with
what relates to the fantasy of science fction. There is an abyss between the two.
1 5 . See our article "L place de Molla adra Shirazi (ob. 1 050/1 640) dans
Ia philosophic iranienne, " Studia Islamica ( 1 963) , as well as the work cited
above, note 5 .
1 6. See our work L'Imagination creatrice dans le soufsme d'lbn 'Arabi 2nd
ed. ( Paris: Flammarion, 1977), p. 1 39. ( First editon tanslated as Creative
Imagination in the Sufsm of Ibn 'Arabi [ Princeton: Princeton University
Press, 1 969] . ) Regarding the theory of te Angeli caelestes, see our book Avi
cenne et le Recit visionnaire, vol . 1 , Bi bliotheque Iranienne, vol . 4 ( Paris:
Adrien-Maisonneuve, 1 954; 2nd ed. , Pari s: Berg international , 1 982) . English
translation of the frst edition: Avicenna and the Visionar Recital ( Princeton:
Princeton University Press, 1960) .
1 7. For more details, see En Islam iranien, vol . 4, bk. 7; and our Histoire de
I philosophic islamique, pp. 1 01 f.
1 8. See En Islam iranien, vol . 4, bk. 7, pp. 346 f.
1 9. Ibid. , pp. 361 - 362.
20. Ibid. , p. 373.
2 1 . Ibid. , 3, pp. 367 f.
22. Ibid. , 4, pp. 374 f.
23. Villiers de L'lsle-Adam, L'Annonciateur ( epilogue) .
Comparative Spiritual
Hermeneutics
R
E G A R D I N G T H E
M
E T H O D O F
C
O M P A RA T I V E
S
P I R I T U A L
H
E RM E E U T I C S
1hcrc |sanArab|ctcrm, thc wordIikiyat, thc apparcnt
amb|gu|ty o| wh|ch connotcs s|mu|tancous|y thc
scnsc o|narrat|vc, account, histor, and that o||m|ta
t|on o.;) , as though to s|gn|[ |or us that thc
art or thc sty|c) o|thc narrrator, thc h|stor|an, |s bas|ca||ythat
o|m|mc. Thc amb|gu|ty o|thc tcrm |s |nd|catcd, not w|thout
humor,whcn|t|suscd todcs|gnatc a grammat|ca po|nt,whcrc
a word cmp|oycd by an |ntcr|ocutor |s rcpcatcd |n thc rcp|y,
p|ac|ng |t |n thc samc grammat|ca| casc, cvcn ||a so|cc|sm rc
su|ts. !n ordcr to transposc thc cxamp|c |nto a |anguagc morc
common|y acccss|b|c than Arab|c, |ct us supposc that somconc
saysto mc |n Lat|n, "Puto eos esse Romanos, " and,|n rcp|y, I do
notsay, Non sunt Romani, but Non sunt Romanos. " In ordcr
to |m|tatc" thc|n|t|a||ormuscdbythc|ntcr|ocutor,torcta|n|t
|npass|ng|romthcdatumtothcrcsponsc,|t|sncccssarytocon
scnt to th|s unusua| hgurc that suspcnds grammat|ca| |aw. That
|sa ikiyat.
I 1 is precisely th|swh|ch| mbucsthe actua||dcao|Iikiyat w|th
i t s f i a ll s i tni l i r;uh :c . I t is sai d, f example, that the prcessi on of
36 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
p||gr|msaround thc tcmp|c o|thc Ka 'ba, at Mccca, |s a Iikiyat
o|thc proccss|on o|thc angc|s |nhcavcn" around thc cc|cst|a|
Tcmp|c. ' AIikiyat |s,thcrc|orc, an|m|tat|on a mimesis) , arcp
ct|t|on,a histor ccrta|n|y, buta h|story that|scsscntia||yan | m
agc orsymbo| . lt|sth| ssymbo||cqua||ty o|thch|stoqthat | m
parts, assuch, an unusua| |orm tothc commonp|acc tcxturc o|
cxtcrna| cvcnts, thc|attcrarchcncc|orth rc|atcd to a h|ghcrrc
qu|rcmcnt,justas, |n thc cxamp|c givcn abovc, thc likiyat sus
pcndcd thc usua| grammat|ca| ru| c. From that po|nt onward, |t
|s|mposs|b|cnottoqucst|onthc mcan|ng"o|thath|stoqand,
|ngcncra| , thc mcan|ngo|a|Ih|stoq"|ora trad|t|ona|cu|turc,
part|cuIar|y thc onc thatconccrnsushcrc, |n thc casc o|!s|am|c
gnos|s.Th|smcan|ngcannotbcanyth|ngothcrthanthcsp|r|tua|
tmth thcaqiqat) o|thath|stoq,andth|ssp|r|tua|truthcannot
bc gI|mpscd w|thout p|ac|ng oncsc||w|th|n a pcrspcct|vc a|to
gcthcrd|dcrcnt|romthconc|am|||artoourmodcrnmytho|ogy
o|thc mcan|ngo|h|stoq. "That|swhy thc tcrm likiyat sccms
to mcto|ntroducc bcsta ccrta|nwayo|v|cwingthc thcmc that
has bccn suggcstcd to us th|s ycar, namc|y, thc human drama
|nthcwor|do||dcas. "ccausc |trchrs aI| o|h|storyto anothcr
un|vcrsc, th|stcrm|cadsus,|n|act,toan |mmcd|atc broadcn|ng
o|thc suggcstcd subjcct, that |s, |n thcSp|r|tua| Wor|d"-thc
wor|d that |s at oncc rca| and |nv|s|b|c, not a wor|d o|abstrac
t|ons and gcncra| , tcchnocrat|c |aws, but a concrctc sp|ritua|
wor|d,wh|ch|sthcp|acco|cvcnts|nHcavcn. "
S|nccHcgc|cstabI|shcdthcphcnomcno|ogo| h|stonca|con
sc|ousncss, wc havc bccn accustomcd to pIac|ng Maturc and
H|stoq |n contrast, w|th H|stoq const|tut|ng | n |ts own r|ght
thcwor|do|man. Mow,|or thcqpc o| v|s|ono| thcwor|dthat
wc w||I cons|dcr hcrc, wh|ch |nc|udcs cvcqth|ng that |s c|osc|y
or d|stant|yrc|atcd to Mcop|aton|sm, thc oppos|tc o|Maturc |s
by no mcans H|stoq, s|ncc H|stoq, ||kc Naturc, |sa|soparto|
thcphysis | t|sthcv|ct|mo|thc|rrcvcrs|b|cscqucncco|chrono
|og|ca| t|mc, o|a homogcncous t|mc that mcasurcs thc rcvo| u
t|ons o|thc stars, |ts cvcnts" arc subjccttothc |aws o|a spacc
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 37
that d|spcrscs thcm |ar |rom cach othcr, mat rcndcrs thcm ab
sent |romcach othcr.Takcnas a who|c, thc oppos|tc o|Naturc
and H|story|stobcsought|n thcvcrt|ca|,|n awor|dwhosc|cvc|
dom|natcs thc |cvc| common to both Naturc and H|stoq. Th|s
|sthcSp|r|tua|Wor|d,wh|chprcscntsah|gh|ycomp|cxstructurc
o|d|vcrs|ty and h|crarchy.
oth thc natura| wor|d and thc h|stor|ca| wor| d o|man on
cartharc thc Jkayat, thc mimesis, am|ctcd, a|as, byan|ncv|tab|c
so|cc|sm,wh|ch|sthc histor that|san imitation o|thcwor|do|
thcSou| . Naturc and H| stoqarcboththcv|s|b| c, cxtcrna| ,cxo
tcr|c( ahir) appcarancco|th|ssp|r|tua|wor|dthat|sthch|ddcn,
thc tru|y rca| ( aqiqat) , thc csotcr|c ( bt!in) ; |t |s |n th| swor|d
thattruc h|stoq |srcvca|cd byanapproach that|sca||cd |nAa
b|c ta 'wil, sp|r|tua| hcrmcncut|cs,a proccss that cons|stsctymo
|og|ca||y| nbr|ng|ngback"cvcryth|ng,cvcrycvcnt,to|tstruth,
to| tsarchctypc ( a I) , byuncovcr|ng thc h|ddcnandconcca|ing
thc appcarancc. !t |s cv|dcntthat thc mcan|ngo|prophcthood,
|orcxamp|c, |s not |n thc s|mp|cmatcr|a||actso|thc cxtcrna| b|
ography o|thc prophcts and thc !mams o|Sh|'|sm, but |t |s |n
thc|r sp|r|tua| mcan|ng, that |s, | n thc cvcnts that happcn to
thcm, |nv|s| b|y, | n thc wor|d o| thc Sp|r| t. Extcrna||y, thcsc
cvcntshavca natura||ramcwork, human sccncq. Naturc,too,|s
a Liber mundi, thc h|ddcn mcan|ng o|which must bc dcc|
phcrcdby ta'wil, j ustasbymcanso|ta'wf thc sp|r|tua|mcan|ng
o|thc Liber revelatus |sunvc||cd, thc trucmcan|ngo|thc ook
that dcccndcd |rom Hcavcn" and thus thc sccrct o| thc
prophcts,that|s, thato|hierohistor.
2
y| tsnaturc,atthc hcarto|aprophct|crc|| g|on-that|s,arc
||g|on thatpro|csscs thc ncccss|ty o|supcrhuman mcd|ators bc
twccnthcd|v| n|qwho|nsp|rcsthcmandhuman|tyasawho|c-
thcrc |s thc phenomenon of the Sacred Book that cvcry prophct
who has thc qua||q o|a Mcsscngcr ( morsal, rasul) br|ngs to
man. Thi s phenomcnon prccm|ncnt|y crcatcs a hcrmcncut|c
si t u.ui on, " t ht rcat i ssue being to know and undcrstand thc
tmr ,,.,,, , ,Vf of t he Book. It i s on t hi s poi nt that , t< >r a number
38 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
o|ycars, my rcscarch has drawn my attcnt|on to thc common
|actors | n thc manncr |n wh|ch sp|r|tua| |nd|v|dua|s, myst|cs or
myst|c thcosophcrs, havc rcad orrcad thc | b|c |n Chr|st|an|ty
and thc Qur'an |n !s|am. ! do not rc|cr |n any way hcrc to thc
vcq|amous mcd|cva| thcoqo|thc |ourmcan|ngs o|thc Scr|p
turcs ||tcra| ,mora| ,a||cgor|ca| ,andanagog| c) , th|sthcoq,|nrc
|at|on to our prcscntsubjcct, |s as |nopcrat|vc as |t |sharm|css.
3
Thcwayo|rcad|ngand comprchcnd|ngtowh|ch! rc|crprcsup
poscs, |n thc str|ct scnsc o|thc word, a theosophia, that | s, thc
mcnta|orv|s|onaqpcnctrat|ono|ancnt|rch|crarchyo|sp|r|tua|
un|vcrscs that arc not d|scovcrcd by mcans o|sy||og|sms, bc
causc thcy do not rcvca| thcmsc|vcs cxccpt through a ccrtain
modc o| cogn|t|on, a hierognosis that un|tcs thc spccu|auvc
kow|cdgco|trad|tiona||n|ormation to thc most pcrsona||ntc
r|orcxpcr|cncc,|or,|n thc abscncco|thc|attcr,tcchn|ca|modc|s
a|onc wou|d bc transm|ttcd, and thcsc wou|d bc doomcd to a
rap|ddcc||nc. !t a|sohappcnsthat thc truth o|thc h|ddcnmcan
|ng |s man||cstcd |rom umc to t|mc as a ncw rcvc|at|on undcr
thc|nsp|rat|ono|thc Sp|r|t,thchcrmcncut|csarc rcncwcd,thcy
accompany thc rccurrcncc o|a cctn numbcr o| archctypcs,
wh|ch attcsts |n a way tothc objcct|v|q o|thcsp|r|tua| wor|ds
onwh|chthcschcrmcncut|csrc|y.
On|ytwop|nnac|cscan bccons|dcrcd|nthccoursco|th|sd|s
cuss|on. !n thc c|ghtccnth ccntuq, | n Chr|st|an|ty, thc grcat
Swcdish v|s|onaq thcosophcr Emanuc| Swcdcnborg 1 688-
1 772) wastru|y,| nh|s|mmcnscwork,thcprophcto|thc |ntcr
na|scnsco|thc | b|c-andth| ssp|r| tua|scnschasnoth|ngtodo
w|th a||cgoq. !n !s|am, on thc othcr hand, thcrc | sthc cnt|rc
rcI|g|ousphcnomcnono|Sh|'|sm,wh|ch,whcthcr|n |tsTwc|vc
!mamorScvcn !mam !sma'|| | ) |orm,|sbascdcsscnt|a||yonthc
sp|r|tua|hcrmcncut|cso|thcQur'an,onthccsotcr|cscnsco|thc
prophct|c Kcvc|at|ons.
O|coursc, ! am thc hrst torccogn|zc thc comp|cx|ty, tosay
thc |cast, o|th|s comparativc task. Wc shou|d bcg|n, no doubt,
by compar|ng|n|ormat|onthat|scommon to thc |b|c andthc
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 39
Qur'an rcgard|ng thc h|story o|thc prophcts, wc shou|d a|so
p|npo|ntthcd|dcrcnccsandspcc|[thc|rsourcc. !nadd|uon,wc
must ana|yzc how, |n both cascs, ow|ng to thc sp|r|tua|
hcrmcncut|cs pro|csscd, thcrc |s a tcndcncy to constmct a gcn
cra| thco|ogy o|rc||g|ons. !t |s ccrta|n, |or cxamp| c, that thc
Swcdcnborg|anv|s|on o|thc Nova Hierosolyma asp|rcs toa|o|t|
ncsso||cvc| that|s not thc onc o|omc|a|dogmat|cs,justasthc
|oh|ncss o||cvc| o|thc !sma'||| hcrmcncuucs o|thc Qur'an |s
not thc samc as that o|Sunn| !s|am. F|na||y, |n both cascs, wc
arcconccrncdw|thsp|r|tua| hcrmcncut|csthatarcr|gorous,sys
tcmatic, andh|gh|ycomp|cx,|nm||posscss|ono| mcthod, and
v|v|hcdbya sp|r|tua||ty thatcannot bc |gnorcd ||thcrc |s a truc
dcs|rctoundcrstandand|ntcrprct |orthat|sthc actua|mcan|ng
o|thcGrcckwordhermineia, hcrmcncut|cs) .
Thc mcthodo|og|ca|andph||osoph|ca|prcsuppos|t|onso|this
study,howcvcr,cannotbcc|car|ystatcdw|thoutapp|y|ngthcm.
Ononchand,symbo||chcrmcncut|csarcdcvc|opcdbySwcdcn
borgw|thsystcmat|cprcc|s|onand adm|rab|ccohcrcncc, and ap
p||cd to cvcq dcta|| and rcprcscntat|on, to cvcq pcrson, cvcq
|magc o|vcrscso|thc |b|c. Onthc othcrhand, Sh|'|tc hcrmc
ncuucs arc dcvc|opcd on scvcra| p|ancs or octavcs o|un|vcrscs.
For!sma'|||sm |n part|cu|ar, a| | thc cvcnts o|h|croh|stoq havc
agcnts who arc mcmbcrs ( odud) o|sccrct cc|cst|a| and tcrrcs
tr|a| h|crarch|cs, thc cxotcr|c narrat|vc o|thc|r acts |s on|y thc
lat, thc mimesis o|cvcnts that takc p|acc |n thc Sp|r|tua|
Wor|d,thctrucnaturcandro|co|thcprotagon|sts,thc|ract|v|ty
and |ts mcan|ng, cscapc thc noticc o|cxtcrna| h|stoq and thc
h|stor|an o| cxtcrna| th|ngs. Dcsp|tc thc comp|cx|ty o| thcsc
mattcrsand thc|ncomp|ctcncsso|prc||m|naqwork,pcrhapsan
|n|t|a| rcsu|tmaybchopcd|or||wc ||m|t oursc|vcstothcmcan
|ngd|sccrncd, |nbothcascs, |nthccvcntsthatcontinue tobcthc
bcg|nn|ngso|thcsp|r|tua|h|stoqo|man.Whatdocsthcro|co|
Adam si ni t? Wat docs thc dcparturc |rom Parad|sc s|gn|[?
What i s 1 he si ni ficance of the drama experi enced by Noah?
Wh;l t do t hr Ark il l lli t he l oud represent? I t is stri ki ng that i n
40 Swedenbor and Eoteric Islam
both cascs |t |s proc|a|mcd that th|s is not thc histoq o|a past
that|sc|oscdandgonc,butthat|thasaprcscnts|gn|Gcancc,and
thatthcmcan|ngswh|chcmcrgc|nbothcascsarcconvcrgcnt.
Wc oursc|vcs must procccd phcnomcno|og|ca||y, that |s to
say,hcrmcncut|ca||y.thcscarcthcmodcso| bc|ng( modi essendi)
that arc cxprcsscd |n modcs o| undcrstanding ( modi intelli
gendi} , and |nth|sway|t can bcd|scovcrcdwhatthcrc|s|ncom
mon |nthc approacho|thoughtand in thc structurco| thcuni
vcrscs rcachcd |n both cascs, |n thcscr|cs o|cvcnts, and |n thc
postu|atcs that arc c|car|ystatcd. Pcrhaps this rcscarch |s on|y a
vcnturc, butwhcrc can |t bc attcmptcd ||not at Eranos? !t rc
qu|rcsrccourscsothcrthanthoscthatsumcc|orph||o|og|ca|d|s
cuss|ons, mcansothcrthana transpos|t|ono|mcthodsorrcsu|ts
rang| ng |rom h|stor|ca| cr|t|c|sm to cr|t|c|sm o| thc Qur' an,
wh|ch, at bcst, |cads to noth|ng but a Qur'an that has ncvcr
bccn rcad by any bc||cvcr. Our po|nt o|dcparturc |s a sp|ritua|
fact, aphcnomcnono|understanding howhasccna|nin|orma
t|oncommontothc|b|candthcQur'anbccnrcadandundcr
stoodbysp|r|tua|ind|v|dua|swhohadfaith |nthcsc ooks,and
how|saccrta|ntypc o|commoncomprchcns|onrcvca|cd|nthc
manncro| pcrcc|v|ngthch|ddcn mcan|ngo|cvcntsandthcun|
vcrscs thatth|smcan|ngprcsupposcs?Thc|ssuc, thcn, |sacom
parativcstudythatcons|stscsscnt|a||y|nthchcrmcncuticso|thc
phcnomcnono|thcSacrcdook. "
I .
S
WE D E N B O RG
'
S
S
P I R I T U A L
H
E RM E N E U T I C S
1. Te Teor of Corpondnces
Swcdcnborg|an hcrmcncut|cs arc govcrncd by a gcncra| doc
tr|nc o|corrcspondcnccs, wh|ch |s |tsc||||nkcd to a gnosco|ogy
[ ph||osophy o|cogn|t|onj that p|accs at thc h|ghcst dcgrcc o|
cogn|uonan|mmcd|atcsp|r|tua|pcrccpt|on,towh|chwccanrc
|atc our tcrm hierognosis. Th|s cogn|t|on was thc pr|v||cgc o|a
vcry anc|cnt human|ty, thc Grst human|ty, thc |dca o|wh|ch |s
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 41
mndamcnta| |nthcworko|Swcdcnborg. Thc statc o|thcsc an
c|cntpcop|cswassti||thato|a cc|cst|a| human|ty,wh|chmcans
that|nobsc~|ngcvcry poss| b|c objcct|n thc wor|d and on thc
sur|acco|thccarth,thcysawthcm, ccrta|n|y, butthcythought,
by mcans o|thcm, o|thc cc|cst|a| and d|v|nc th|ngs that thcsc
objccts rcprcscntcd or s|gn|Gcd |or thcm. Thc|r v|sua| opt|c)
pcrccpt|on was on|y a mcans. For thcm thc proccss was as |t |s
|or ourhcar|ngwhcnwc||stcn to a spcakcr,wchcarthcwords,
o|coursc, butactua||y|t|snotthcwordsthatwchcar,|t|sthc|r
mcan|ngs. Thc dcc||nc bcgan among thc dcsccndants o|thcsc
cc|cst|a| human bc|ngs whcn thc objcct o|scnsory pcrccption
bccamc thc pr|nc|pa| th| ng, |nstcad o| bc|ng thc instrument.
W||c |or thc Grst human|ty, thc objccts o|scnsory cogn|t|on
posscsscd a charactcr that con|ormcd thcm and subord|natcd
thcm to thc|r |ntcrna| man," to thc cxcnt that outs|dc o|th|s
thcyhadno|ntcrcst|nscnsory th|ngs, thc|rdcsccndants, onthc
othcr hand, by p|ac|ng thc |attcr bc|orc thosc o| thc |ntcrna|
man,scparatcdonc|romthcothcr. In|act,thcybcgantorcason
about sp|r|tua| th|ngs |n thc samc manncr as thcy rcasoncd
about scnsory th|ngs, and |n th|s way thcy bccamc sp|r|tua||y
b||nd.
A Swcdcnborg rcpcats |rcqucnt|y |n thc coursc o|h| s | m
mcnsc work, th|s |s thc rcason that so |cw pcop|c kowwhat
rcprcscntat|ons"and corrcspondcnccs"arc. Inordcrtokow,
|t|sncccssary, |n |act,toknow that thcrc |sasp|r|tua|wor|d d|s
t|nct|rom thc natura| wor| d, and thatthc th|ngswh|ch arcd||
mscd throughout thc natura| wor|d |rom thc sp|r|tua| wor|d arc
rcprcscntationso|sp|r|tua| th|ngs. Thcy arc g|vcn th|snamc bc
causc thcy rcprcscnt" thc |attcr, and thcy rcprcscnt thcm bc
causc thcy corrcspond to thcm, that |s, thcy smbolize with
thcm. A vcqsucc|nct|dcao|this|sprov|dcdbythc |actthatour
|ntcrna| aHct|ons,cvcryth|ngthatoccurs |nourthoughtand |n
our wi l l , arc man||cstcd |n thc cxprcss|ons o|our|acc and |ook,
t he tlal l l rl' S of t he face arc thc|r corrcspondcnccs, thc |ooks arc
t l wi r n pn' 'l' Ul U i ons . The same hol ds true f(> r gestures carri ed
42 Swedenbo and Eoteric Islam
outby thc body,actionsproduccdbythc musc|cs. Gcsturcsand
actionsarc rcprcscntationso|thingsthatarcinthc sou| , inso|ar
as thcy agrcc, thcy arc thcir corrcspondcnccs. ut, o|coursc,
thc modco|cxistcncco|thcscphysiognomic |magcs, thcsc gcs
turcs and acuons o|thc body, |s not thc samc as that o|thc
thoughts thcy cxprcss, thcy arc natura| th|ngs rcprcscnting"
spiritua|th|ngs. !tmaybc said that thc things bc|ongingto thc
internal person arccxtcndcdinto|magcs imagina|izcd") inthc
external person; thus,thc thingsthatappcarinthc cxtcrna| man
arc representatives o|thc intcrna|man,andthcth|ngsthatagrcc
bctwccnthcm|orm correspondences.
9
Thc b|partitiono|thc wor|d,thcrc|orc,shou|dbcundcrstood
not on|y in thc un|vcrsa| scnsc, according to which thcrc is, on
onc hand, a Spiritua|Wor|d |tsc||compr|sing thc hcavcn|y an
gc||c wor|d, thc intcrmcd|atcwor|d o|sp|rits, and thc in|crna|
wor|d) and,onthcothcrhand, a natura|wor|dwhcrcwc |ivc |n
thc prcscnt |i|c; itmusta|so bc undcrstood that this b| partition
app|icstocvcryhuman indiv|dua|,inthcscnscthat|orcachpcr
son his intcrna| pcrson" is a sp|ritua| wor|d whi|c h|s cxtcrna|
bcingis|orh|ma natura|wor| d.

" !nsupporto|thisbipart| tion,

thcrc isva|ucin thc princip|cso|a cosmo|ogy |orwhich natura|
|orms arc csscnt|a||y cdccts; thcy cannot bc sccn as causcs, sti||
|css as causcs o|causcs, that |s, sumc|cnt to account by thcm
sc|vcs |or thcir appcaranccs and mutat|ons. Evcp |orm dcr|vcs
|rom thc prccisc causc that it mani|csts and rcprcscnts, and |or
this rcason it is prcccdcd by that causc.Thc samc ho|ds truc |or
thcvariousdcgrccso|thc sp|r|tua|wor| d. Th|s,too,|sapo|nton
wh|ch Swcdcnborg is in pro|ound accord w|th cvcp thcosophy
that is c|osc|y or distant|y rc|atcd to Mcop|atonism,' but his
conc|usion|sa|sobascdpr|mari|yondircctcxpcricncc.
Wc know how|arhccxtcndcd his studicso|anatomy, |orcx
amp|c. That a man cou| d, in add|t|on, thanks to angc|ic assis
tancc o|which hc wasconsc|ous, dcciphcr |n transparcncy thc
sccrctso|thc i nvis|b|csp|ritua| organ|smonan anatomica|p|atc
was an cxtraordinaq pr|vi|cgc that Swcdcnborg ncvcr rcgardcd
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 43
asa rcsu|to|pcrsona| mcr|t,butasapurc d|v|nc|avor. !twas| n
th|sway that hc kncw, |romd|rcctcxpcr|cncc, that|n thc thrcc
k|ngdoms o|thc natura| wor|d thcrc |s not thc sma||cst th|ng
that docs not rcprcscnt somcth|ng |n thc sp|r|tua| wor|d, and
that docs not havc somcth|ng |n thc sp|r|tua| wor|d to wh|ch |t
corrcsponds.Th|s|sthcsccrctthathcc| aboratcdonthroughout
h|scommcntar|cs on thc |b|c, and th|s |s thc kcy to thosc Ar
cana that opcn most ohcn onto an un|orcsccn hor|zon. ' Thc
morc un|orcsccn bccausc,wh||c hc||vcs |nthc body, man |s ca
pab|co||cc||ngandpcrcc|v| ngon|ya||tt|co|a|| th|s,wcapp|yto
cc|cst|a| and sp|r|tua| th|ngs a |ata| natura||zat|on that dcgradcs
thcm |nto natura| th|ngs homogcncous to our cxtcrna| man,"
andw|th|nusthc |ntcrna| man" has|ostscnsationandpcrccp
t|ono|thcscth|ngs. |csscd atthatt|mc |shcwho|s|ncorrc
spondcncc,that| s, whosccxtcrna| man corrcspondsto h|s |ntcr
na|man. "
' '
!n thc modcrnWcstcrnwor|d, hch|msc||wasccrta|n|yonc o|
thoscrarc E|cctand, |ndccd,toj udgc by h|s |nHucncc, onc who
opcncd thc path to many othcrs. Hc wrotc that thc cx|stcncc
o|suchcorrcspondcncchad bccomcso|am|||arthat|twou|dbc
d|mcu|ttonamcanyth|ngc|scthatwou|dbcmorc |am|||ar. "Hc
kncw by cxpcr|cncc that our who|c cx|stcncc dcr|vcs |rom thc
sp|r|tua|wor|d,' thatw|thoutth|sconncct|onw|th thc sp|r|tua|
wor|d, nc|thcr man noranypart o|man cou|d subs|st |or a mo
mcnt. !twasa|sograntcdh|mtoundcrstandwh|changc||ccom
mun|t|cs arc |n part|cu|ar rc|ation w|th cach part o|thc human
body,andwhatthc|rqua||t|csarc. r|cHy,cvcryth|ng|nthcnat
ura|wor|d,|n gcncra| aswc|| as |n thc most |nhn|tcs|ma| dcta||,
|nc|ud|ngconstc||at|ons, atmosphcrcs,thccnt|rctyandthccom
poncnts o|thc an|ma| , vcgctab|c, and m|ncra| kngdoms-a||
th|s |s noth|ng morc than a sort o|rcprcscntat|vc thcatcr" o|
thcsp|r|tua|wor|d,whcrcwc canscc th|ngs |n thc|r bcauty||wc
know how t o see thcm|n thc statc o|thc|rHcavcn.
'
Let us poi nt out t hatth|sconccpt|on o|th| ngsagrccs,cvcn |n
i t s l ni mn , wi t h t h;U prfessed hy t he theoso
p
hers of the Li ght
44 SwedenboJ and Eoteric Islam
|n !s|am mc Ishraqfyun o|Sohravardi,!bn 'Aab|,dra Shiraz,
ctc . ) . scnsory th|ngs arc appar|t|ona| |orms, thc p|accs o|
cp|phany ( mahir, p|ural o| maar) , thc theatrum o|
suprascnsoq un|vcrscs whcncc thc |dca o| maarfya, thc
cp|phan|c or thcophan|c mnct|on o||magcs) . Statcd morc prc
c|sc|y, th|s cp|phan|c rc|at|on |s a|rcady cstab||shcd among thc
un|vcrscs that prcccdc, onto|og|ca||y, thc scnsoq wor|d. Thus,
|n thc |ntcrmcd|atc Wor|d o|Sp|r|ts,wh|ch, accord|ng to Swc
dcnborg|an topography, |s s|tuatcd bc|ow thc angc||c wor|ds,
thcrccx|stwhatarcdcs|gnatcd |nh|s|cx|conascont|nuousand
|nnumcrab|c rcprcscntat|vcs" or symbo||c |orms ) , wh|ch arc
thc |orms o|sp|r|tua| and cc|cst|a| th|ngs, not un||kc thoscthat
arc |n th|s wor|d, wh|ch abound as a rcsu|t o|thc |dcas, rcHcc
t|ons, and convcrsat|ons o|thc angc|s o|thc h|ghcr un|vcrscs.
For cvcq angc||c |dca conta|ns |nhn|tc th|ngs, | n compar|son
w|th thc |dca o|a sp|r|t, and un|css th|s |dca wcrc |ormcd and
shown rcprcscntat|vc|y" |nan|magccorrcspond|ngtothc|cvc|
o|sp|r|ts, ormorcprcc|sc|yto thc|owcrSphcrc whcrc thcrc |sa
corrcspond|ng soc|cty o|sp|r|ts, thc |attcrwou|d havc d|mcu|ty
undcrstandng |ts contcnt. Thcsc rcprcscnmuvc" or symbo||c
|orms may const|tutc |ong scr|cs, and thc v|s|onaq thcosophcr
to whom |twas grantcdto bc thc|rw|tncss cou|don|y cst|matc
thc|r|cngth|nquant|t|cso|cam|yumc, buthckncwthat|trc
qu|rcd pagcs and pagcs to dcscr|bc thcm. thcy cou|d prcscnt
c|t|cs, pa|accs o| astound|ng arch|tcctura| art|stq ncvcr sccn,
|andscapcscrosscdbycava|cadcso|supcrnatura| horscmcn. !t|s
a|so by mcans o|thcsc v|s|ons that humans who havc bccomc
sp|r|tsarc|n|t|atcdahcrdcath|ntothch|ghcrun|vcrscs. '
From a|| th|s cmcrgcs thc mndamcnta| p|an o|thc sp|nma|
un|vcrscs . Thcrc arc thrcc hcavcnsarrangcd|na h|crarchyo||n
crcas|ng|ntcr|or|tyandpur|ty. a|owcrhcavcn, a m|dd|chcavcn,
anda h|ghcrhcavcn.Thc hrst|sa natura| rca|m,thcabodc"o|
goodsp|r|ts,thcsccond|sthcabodco|angc||csp|r|tsorsp|r|tua|
angc|s,thc th|rd|sthc abodc o|thc cc|cst|a| " angc|s thc tcrm
celestial hcrcshou|d by no mcans bc conmscdw|th anyth|ngrc
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 45
|at| ngtoastronomy,nor,|nth|scontcxt,cspcc|a||yw|ththcAn
geli caelestes o|c|ass|ca|Av|ccnn|ancosmo|og) . Justasthcrc arc
thrcc hcavcns, thcrc arc thrcc scnscs |n thc D|v|nc Word, thc
|b|c. thc natural scnsc, thc sp|r|tua| scnsc, and thc cc|cst|a| "
scnsc. Wcw||| soon scc that th|s|s thc bas|cdoctr|nco|Swcdcn
borg|an hcrmcncut|cs. Each o|thcsc hcavcns |s d|dcrcnt|atcd
|nto|nnumcrab|ccommun|t|cs,cacho|thcsc,| nturn,|nto|nnu
mcrab|c |nd|v|dua|swho, through thc|rharmony, constitutc,as
|twcrc, a pcrson, and| o|thcsc commun|t|cstogcthcr|orm a
s|ng|c Pcrson. Thc commun|tics rcsu|t spontancous|y |rom
amn|t|cs o||ntc|||gcncc and |ovc, j ust as somc arc d|dcrcnt|atcd
|rom othcrs accord|ng to thc d|dcrcnccso|thc|r|ovc and thc|r
|a|th. Thcsc d|dcrcnccs arc so |nnumcrab|c that cvcn thc most
gcncra| cannot bc ||stcd. Each angc| and cach commun|ty arc,
rcspcct|vc|y, an |magc o|thc un|vcrsa| mavcn, somcth|ng ||kc a
sma||hcavcn. "1 7
utthough Hcavcn | sspokcn o|asanabodc," th|smustbc
undcrstood as an abodc that | s thc state o|thc |ntcrna| man.
That|swhy thc topographyo|thc Infernum, s|tuatcdoppos|tc,
prcscnts a d|str| but|on o||ts abodcs" symmctr|ca| to thosc o|
thc abodcs" o|Hcavcn, bccausc thc dcmons and |n|crna| sp|r
|ts,aswc|| asthcangc|s:dsp|r|tsthat|nhab|tHcavcn, wcrca||
human bc|ngs | nth|s |||c, and cach pcrson bcarsw| th|n h|msc||
h|shcavcnashcbcarsw|th|nh|msc||h|shc|| . yth|s|awo||ntc
r|or|ty |t |s ncccssary to undcrstand that thc phascs o|time and
thc p|accs o|space arc |ntcr|or states o|man as wc|| , ' Swcdcn
borg mcnt|ons th|s |rcqucntly, and |t must a|ways bc rcmcm
bcrcd. W|th th|s hierocosmolog that dctcrm|ncs |n a para||c|
manncr thc structurc o|thc hcrmcncut|cs o|thc |b|c, wc arc
undoubtcd|y at thc hcart o|thc Swcdcnborg|an v|s|on o|thc
wor|d. utwc canon|ynotchcrc,vcqbr|cdy,a |cw|nd|cat|ons
rcgard|ngccrta|naspcctsthatdcr|vc |rom|tandthatarco|con
scquc a Kc t o ou purpose: thcrc |sa doub|c ||ght,a doub|c hcat,
0 douhl c l m;, i n;Ui on, and fnal l y thcrc is thc thcmc o| thc
1 /mtl ll llllf \' i HI II.f, whkh i of fia ndamcmal i mportance.
46 Swedenbot and Eoteric Islam
Thcrc |s adoub|c||ght. thc ||ghto|thc wor|d and thc ||ghto|
Hcavcn, wh|chwcwi||aga|nca|| hcrc cc|cst|a|"||ght,| nordcr
to avo|d any conms|on w|th that o|thc astronom|ca| sky. Thc
hrsto|thcscprocccds|romthcv|s|b|c sun, thc sccondprocccds
|romthcsp|r|tua|Sun. Forus,thchrst|snatura|orcxtcrna| ,that
|s,w|th rcgard to thc th|ngs thatappcar to thc cxtcrna| pcrson,
s|nccwccannotapprchcnd anyth|ngcxccptbymcanso|th|ngs
that cx|st |n ourso|arwor|d, and that takc |orm thcrc through
||ght and darkncss. ldcas o|t|mc and spacc, at |cast |nso|ar as
thcsc consti mtc an |rrcvcrs| b|c succcss|on and an cxtcrna| |oca|
|zauon,wthoutwh|chwc cannotth|nko|anyth|ng, arc rc|atcd
to thc ||ght o|thc wor|d. ut thc sccond, thc cc|cst|a| ||ght, |s
|orthc|ntcrna|sp|r|tua|pcrson,hc|sw|th|nth|s||ght|tsc| |. ' "
Whcnonc spcakso|corrcspondcnccsand rcprcscntat|ons,and
o|thc|rsourcc and |oundat|on, thc |ssuc, thcn, |s onc o|cone
sondence bcmccnthcth|ngsthatrc|atctothc||ghto|thcwor|d
o|thc cxtcrna| man and thc th|ngs that rc|atc to thc cc|cst|a|
||ghto|thc|ntcrna| man, |or cvcryth|ngthatcx|sts|nthc hrst|s
thc representation o|whatcx|sts|nthcsccond. lnordcrtograsp
th|s rcprcscntat|v|ty" or th|s symbo||c mnct|on) that natura|
th|ngsassumco|thc|rownaccordbyv|rtuco|thc|rsp|r|tua|and
cc|csua| corrcspondcnccs, |t |s ncccssaq to uti||zc a h|ghcr |ac
u|ty sowc|| | mp|antcd | n us that |t| sthc oncwccarq w|th us
|nto thc othcr |||c, |t |s dcs|gnatcd as sp|r| tua| scns|t|v|ty, thc
scnscso|thcsp|r|t( animus) , oras interior imagination. Fora|
tcr dcath th|s |s onc o| thc csscnua| po|nts o| Swcdcnborg' s
doctnncs) wc posscss thc m||ncss o|thc human |orm-|n thc
sp|r|tu statc, to bc surc, and o| a subdc const|tut|on. Th|s
h|ghcr|acu|ty,thcn, |ssodccp rootcd|nus, andwcarcsodccp
rootcd|n|t,thatwcdonot havc to|carntousc| t. Wcarcp|accd
|mmcdi atc|y |n |t as soon as wc arc ||bcratcd |rom our phys|ca|
organ|sm. Onthcothcrhand,dur|ngour|||c wc usua||yrcma|n
|gnorant o|th|s h|ghcr |acu|ty. Thcrc |s a cont|nua| |ndux o|
th|ngs |rom thc sp|r|tua| wor|d |nto natura| th|ngs, thc |ormcr
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 4 7
man||cst thcmsc|vcs rcprcscntat|vc|y," symbo||ca||y, |n thc |at
tcr,andwcarcunawarco|anyth|ng,tota||yg|vcn uptothcnat
ura|th|ngsthatwchavcrcndcrcds||cnt. "
Forthcmorcwcarc|mmcrscd|nthcth|ngso|th|swor|d,thc
morc thc th|ngs that rc|atc to thc cc|cst|a| ||ght appcar to us
paradox|ca||y ||kc darkncss and cmpt|ncss, though |nvcrsc|y a||
that appcars on|y |n thc ||ght o|th|s wor|d const|tutcs th|ck
darkncss |or thc angc| s. ' Yct thcsc two ||ghts arc, togcthcr,
cvcryth|ngthatcompr|scsour|ntc|||gcnccwh||courprcscnt|||c
passcs. Our natura| |mag|nat|on cons|sts so|c|y o| |orms and
|dcas o| th|ngs, ma~c|ous|y var|cd and structurcd, wh|ch wc
havcapprchcndcdthroughourcorporca|v|s|on,butour|ntcr|or
|mag|nat|on cons|sts so|c|y o||orms and |dcas o|th|ngs, cvcn
morc ma~c|ous|yvar|cdandstructurcd,wh|chwchavcrccc|vcd
through thc v|s|on o| thc sp|r|t, |n tm cc|csua| ||ght, |or by
mcanso||nHux|romthc sp|r|tua|wor|d thc |nan|matc th|ngso|
th|swor|dbccomccndowcdw|th |||c.
Thcrc |s morc. !t| s ncccssaq to spcak not on|y o|a doub|c
||ght buta|so o|a doub|c hcat. Thc hcato|hcavcn j procccds ]
|rom thc sp|r|tua| sun, wh|ch |s thc Lord, and thc hcat o|thc
wor|d |rom thc sun thcrco|, wh|ch |s thc |um|nary sccn by our
phys|ca| cycs. Thc hcato|hcavcn man||csts |tsc||to thc |ntcrna|
pcrson by sp|r|tua| |ovcs and adcct|ons,whcrcas thc hcato|thc
wor|dman||csts|tsc||tothccxtcrna|pcrson bynatura||ovcsand
adcct|ons. Thc|ormcrhcatcauscs thc|||c o|thc|ntcrna|pcrson,
butthc|attcrthc|||co|thccxtcrna|pcrson,|orw| thout|ovcand
adcct|on man cannot ||vc at a|| . ctwccn thcsc two hcats a|so
thcrc arc corrcspondcnccs. "' Sp|r|tua| ||ght and hcat havc as
thc|r oppos|tcs thc |n|crna| darkncss and co|d |nhab|tcd by thc
|n|crna| sp|r|ts,who brcathc on|y hatrcd and v|o|cncc, mpand
ncgat|on, tcnd|ng to thc dcstruct|on o| thc un|vcrsc, to thc
po|nt that ||thc|r ragc wcrc not cont|nua||y combattcd and rc
pe|| ed hy t he bc|ngso|thc sp|r|tua|wor|d,thc cnt|rchumanracc
would pl rih. unconscious of thcsccrcto||tsh|story.
48 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
!t may bc sa|d that thc dom|nant |dca hcrc |s that at thc
sourcc o|cvcrynatura| pr|nc|p|c, whcthcro|psycho|ogy orcos
mo|ogy,thcrc|sa sp|r|tua|pr|nc|p|c. L|ghtandhcatarcrc|atcd,
rcspccuvc|y, to |ntc|||gcncc and w||| , or aga|n to w|sdom and
|ovc. Wcn Swcdcnborg spcaks o||ntc|||gcncc and w| ||, h|svo
cabu|aq rc|crs to somcth|ng |ar morc pro|ound than thc two
|acu|t|cs"sonamcd|n thc psycho|ogyo|ph||osophcrs,|orh|m
thctwo wordsdcs|gnatctwo csscnt|a|componcntso|anorgan
|smthat|s thc sp|r|tua|organ|smo|man. Th|s|sa|so thc rcason
that to thc cycs o|angc|s thc ||ght appcars ||kc ||ght, but thcrc
arc |ntc|||gcnccandw|sdom |n |t,bccausc thc ||ghtdcr|vcs |rom
both. S|m||ar|y, thc hcat | s pcrcc|vcd by angc||c scns|t|v|ty as
hcat,butthcrc|s|ovc |n|t, bccausc|tdcr|vcs|rom|ovc. Lovc|s
thcrc|orc ca||cdsp|r|tua|hcat andconst|tutcsthc hcat o|a pcr
son's |||c, justas|ntc|||gcncc |s ca||cd sp|r|tua| ||ght and const|
tutcs thc ||ght o|a pcrson's ||I. From th|s mndamcnta| corrc
spondcncca|| thc rcst |sdcr|vcd.
From th|sdcr|vcs, |or cxamp|c, thc |dcathatSwcdcnborg o|
|crsuso| thchrst,cc|cst|a|human|ty,d|scusscdabovc.A wcw|| |
scc, thc|n|tia| chaptcrs o|thcbook o|Gcncs|s rc|atc thcor| g|n
and dcc||nc o|that human|ty. Swcdcnborgwasshown, by a d|
v|nc |nduxthathc cou|dnot dcscr|bc, thc naturc o|thcd|s
coursco|thcschrstpcop|cwh||cthcy||vcd|nth|swor|d,as||cnt
d|scourscrcgu|atcdnotbythcbrcatho|cxtcrna|rcsp|rat|on but
bya purc |ntcrna| rcsp|rat|on. !t|s ncccssary to rc|crto thc dc
scr|pt|onthatSwcdcnborgg|vcso|thc d|scoursc" o|sp|r|tsand
angc|s. Amonga||o|thcm, d|scoursc |scarr|cdoutbyrcprcscn
tat|ons, |or thcyman||cst cvcqh|ngthcyth|nkabout through
ma~c|ous var|at|ons o|||ght and shadc, |n a ||v|ng manncr, to
both thc |ntcr|or and thc cxtcr|or v|s|on o|thc onc to whom
thcy arc spcak|ng, and thcy |ntroducc |t |nto h|m by mcans o|
appropr|atc changcs|nthcstatco|thcadcct|onscxpcr|cnccd.
Aong thc angc|s o|thc |ntcr|or hcavcn thc sp|r|tua| an
gc|s") , d|scoursc|scvcnmorc bcaut|m|,morcattractivc|yrcprc
scntativc and symbo||c,butthc |dcasthatarc|ormcdthcrc
"
rep-
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 49
rcscntat|vc|y," symbo||ca||y,cannot bccxprcsscd by words. Sp|r|
tua| th|ngsthatpcna|nto thc Truc,that| s, tothc catcgoryo|| n
tc|||gcncc, arc cxprcsscd thcrc by mod|hcat|ons o|thc cc|cst|a|
||ght, rcsu|ung|n an|nhn|tc andwondcrm| var|cty o|adct|ons
cxpcr|cnccd. Sp|r|tua| th|ngsthatpcrta|ntothcGood,that|s,to
thc catcgoq o||ovc, arc cxprcsscd thcrc by var| at|ons o|hcat
andcc|cst|a| b|az|ng,scttinga||sortso|ncwadcctions| nto mo
t|on. A |or thc d|scoursc o|thc angc|s o|thc most |ntcr|or
hcavcn" thc cc|cstia| angc|s") , |t | s a|so rcprcscntat|vc, sym
bo||c, but |t cannotbcc|thcrapprchcndcdby us orcxprcsscd by
any idea. Ncvcrthc|css,thcrc |ssuchan|dcaw|th|nman, ||hc|s
|ncc|cst|a| |ovc, andahcrthcscparat|on|romh|smatcr|a|body,
hc comcs |nto th|s|ovc as though born |nto |t, a|though dur|ng
h|s|||c |nthcmatcr|a|bodyhccou|dnotapprchcndanyth|ngo|
|tasan|dca-j ustashccana|socomc|ntooncoranothcro|thc
|orms corrcspond|ng to a |csscrkindo||ovc, |or |nh|scsscntia|
bc|ng, w|thout any poss|b|c subtcrmgc, man |s such as |s h|s
|ovc.
F|na||y,thcvastdoctr|nc o|corrcspondcnccsthatun|o|ds||kc
a phcnomcno|ogy o|

ngc||c consc|ousncss, togcthcr w|th thc

h|crarchyo|dcgrccso|pcrccpt|onandrcprcscntauonthat|t|m
p||cs, |s rccap|tu|atcd, so to spcak, |n thc grcat thcmc o|thc
Homo maximus, a thcmc that ! had occas|on to d|scuss hcrc at
Eranos scvcra| ycars ago |n |ts str|k|ng corrcspondcncc" thc
word |s ccrta|n|y apt hcrc) w|th thc |dca o| thc Tcmp|c o|
L|ght"( Haykal nurini o|mc!mam|n!sma'|||gnos| s. Wc a|
|udcdto|ta|cwmomcntsago,butwcmustnow|carnwhat|m
agc |t |s appropr|atc that |t shou|d rcprcscnt |or us whcn,
throughouth|s|mmcnscb|b||ca|commcntar|cs,Swcdcnborgut
tcrs th|sword. the Lrd ( Dominus) . Thcthcmc |n |act concca|s
thc mystcq |tsc|| o|thc d|v|nc anthropomorphos|s as ctcrna|
thcophany |n hcavcn. "
" I t i s a truth most dccp|y h|ddcn |rom thc wor|d," wr|tcs
Swcdl nhor. "( and yctnothi ngi s better known|nthcothcr|||c,
even t o t" V&' I"V !ph i t ) , 1 hat al l t he parts of t he human hody have a
5O Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
corrcspondcncc w|th such th|ngs as arc |n hcavcn, |nsomuch
thatthcrc |snotcvcnmcsma||cstpartic|c|nthcbody,wh|chhas
not somcth|ng sp|r|tua| and cc|cst|a| corrcspond|ng to |t, or,
what |s thc samc, wh|ch has not hcavcn|y commun|t|cs corrc
spond|ngto | t. |or thcsc commun|ucscx|st accord|ng to a|| thc
k|nds and spcc|cso|sp|r|tua| andcc|cst|a| th|ngs, and |ndccd|n
suchanordcr,thatthcyrcprcscnttogcthcroncpcrson,andth|s
as to a|| th|ngs |n gcncral and part|cu|ar thcrco|, both |ntcr|or
andcxtcr|or. Hcncc|t|s,thatthc un|vcrsa| hcavcn |sa|soca||cd
thc Grand Man [ Homo maimus] ; andhcncc |t|s,that|thasso
ohcn bccnsa|dthatonc soc|cty bc|ongs to onc prov|ncc o|thc
body, anothcr to anothcr, and so |orth. Thc rcason |s, bccausc
thc Lord|sthcon|yMan,andHcavcnrcprcscntsH|m. . . ""
Thcsc |ast||ncsarc amp||hcd by manypassagcs| nthc Arcana
Coelestia. Lct us on|y notc hcrc thc postu|atc that thcy |mp|y,
wh|ch |s |n pro|ound accord w|th a|| myst|ca| thco|og|cs. !n h|s
pcrsona| vocabu|aq, Swcdcnborg d|dcrcntiatcs an Ese infni
tum andanEistere infnitum, thctcrm existere hcrcbc|ngprac
t|ca||ythccqu|va|cnto|maniestation.
30
)chovah |ctusnotcm
phasizc Swcdcnborg' s hdc||ty to th|svoca||zat|on o|thc sacrcd
tctragrammaton) |sthc Ese infnitum. A such,Hc|snotman|
|cstcdto man and has no|nducncc" w|th|n man or upon man.
Hc |s thc deit |n H|s abso|utc absconditum thc hperousion o|
Grcck thco|ogy, Hc who, |n !sma'||| thcosophy, |s thc Mobdi ',
thc Pr|nc|p|c, Supcr c|ng) . Hc cannot bc man||cstcd to man
and act w| th|n or upon man cxccpt by mcans o|thc human
Esscncc, that |s, by an exisere divinum |n thc csscnt|a| human
Form. Thc hgurc o|th|sthcophanyoro|th|sctcrna| anthropo
morphos|s |s thc Lord", thusal| o|Swcdcnborg|an thcosophy
|s dom|natcd by th|s hgurc o|thc Anthropos wh|ch br|ngs to
m|nd thc v|s|ons o|Enoch, thc Asccns|on o|lsa|ah, ctc. ) . c
causcthcD|v|nccannothavcany|nducncc"w|th|nmancxccpt
bymcanso|thc humanEsscncco|thc Lord, "thcrc |snocon
j unct|on poss|b|c w|th thc suprcmc d|v|n|ty" or dc|ty o|thc
Lord, wh|ch rcma|ns transccndcnt to H|s cp|phan|c d|v|n|ty "i n
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 5 I
hcavcn", conj unct|on |sposs|b|c on|y w|th H|s D|v|nc Human
|ty, bccausc an|dcao|H|s Humanum Divinum |sposs|b|c, but
no |dca|sposs|b|c o|thcD|v|nc |nltsc||'' !nomcrwords, thc
Lord" |s thc D|v| nc Man who cx|sts |rom a|| ctcrn|q, Hc |s,
ccrta|n|y,JchovahH|msc||,but)chovahasHc|sancp|phany|n
hcavcn, " and as |nth|sctcrna| thcophany Hc assumcs thc Hu
man so that mcn and thcrc|orc angc|s, who const|tutc thc
h|ghcrcc|cst|a|human|ty) canhavcan|dcaaboutthcD|v|n|q. '
Thcrc|sthus|dcnt| ty, but an|dcnt|tyd|dcrcnt|atcdastothc rc
vca|cd and thc concca|cd thc ahir and thc batin) . For thc sc
crct o|thc D|v|nc Man||cstat|on, o|thc Thcophany, |s that thc
Lordappcars to cach|na |orm corrcspond|ng to thc rcspcct|vc
capac|tyo|cach. Th|s|scxact|ywhat!bn'Aab|tcachcsus|n!s
|am|c thcosophy) . '' Swcdcnborg |s cxp||c|t. thc Lord docs not
concca| H|msc||, butthccv|| makc |tappcarasthough Hccon
cca|cdH|msc||,asmoughHchadnocx|stcncc.
!t |sth|sKyios Anthropos o|whom|t|ssa|d thatHc h|msc||is
hcavcn, ' and th|s |dcnt|hcat|on |ndccd agrccs w|th thc mu|t|
p||c|ty o|d|dcrcnt|atcd thcophan|cs. !n |act, |nso|ar as hcavcn
rcprcscnts" H| m, thc rc|at|onsh|p o| thc Lord to hcavcn as
Homo maximus |s ana|ogous to thc rc|auonsh|p o|our sun to
our pcrccpt| b|c wor|d. Thc Lord |s thc sp|r|tua| Sun, and by
mcanso|H|mthcrc |s||ght|na||that|s|ntc|||gcnccand thcrc |s
hcat |n a|| that |s |ovc. ' ut thcn, prcc|sc|y as such, thc Lord
H|msc||is a|so Homo maximus |n thc str|ctscnsc, |n thc kyr|o
|og|ca| scnsc, Hc H|msc||a|onc |s Man, Anthropos, and a|| hu
mans arc ca||cd men |n H|s namc, |rom H|m, bccausc thcy arc
!magcso| H|m,'to thc cxtcntthatthcy arc |n Good, that |s,|n
thc adccuon o| |ovc. Thc |o||ow|ng ||ncs rccap|tu|atc |t bcst.
Thc Grand Man [ Homo maximus] , rc|auvc|y to man, |s thc
un|vcrsa|hcavcno|thcLord,butthcGrandMan,|nthch|ghcst
scnsc, |s thc Lrda|onc, |or hcavcn |s|rom H|m, anda|| th|ngs
therei n wrrespond to H|m. . . . Hcncc thcywhoarc |n thc hcav
ens ;m s;t i d to he in t he |ord, yca, |n H|s body, |or thc Lrd |s
t hr al l of hr.vc n . "1 7
52 Swedenbo' and Eoteric Islam
Thc thcmco|thc Homo maxim us |s,thcrc|orc, thc kcyto mc
monado|og|ca| conccpt|on thatmakcs a ||tt|chcavcn"o|cvcq
|nd|v|dua| angc||c sp|r|t, s|ncc thc hcavcn to wh|ch hc bc|ongs
and wh|ch |s |n h|m |s Homo maimus. And |t |s thcrc, |n that
|mmancncco|thcA|||ncachando|cach|nthcA|| , thatthcan
gc|o|og|c anthropo|ogy postu|atcd by thc doctr|nc o|corrc
spondcnccscu|m|natcs. A|| sp|r|ts and angc|s,"wr|tcs Swcdcn
borg, appcar to thcmsc|vcs as pcop|c, o| a s|m||ar |acc and
body, w|th organs and mcmbcrs, and th|s |or thc rcason that
thc|rInmostconsp|rcstosucha|orm . . . . Thcun|vcrsa|hcavcn
|s such, thatcvcq onc |sas |twcrc thc ccntcro|a|| , |or cach |s
thc ccntcr o||nduxcs through thc hcavcn|y |orm |rom a|| , and
hcncc an |magc o|hcavcn rcsu|ts to cvcqonc, and makcs h|m
||kcto|tsc||,that|s,apcrson,|orsuchasthcgcncra||s,such|sa
part o|thc gcncra| ."'
Wc havc tr|cd to skctch out, |n a|| us|vc ||ncs, thc doctr|nco|
corrcspondcnccs, rcspccung wh|ch Swcdcnborg statcs that, a|
though |t |s unknown |n our t|mc, |t was rcgardcd by vcq an
c|cnt human|q, thc |n|ua|cc|cst|a| human|ty, as a trucsc|cncc,
|ndccdas thc prccm|ncntsc|cncc, thc sc|cncc o|sc|cnccs, and |t
was so un|vcrsa||y known that mcn wrotc a|| o|thc|r books at
thatt|mc |nthc |anguagc o|corrcspondcnccs. "S|m||ar|y, thc|r
r|tuals and thc ccrcmon|cs o|thc|r rc||g|on cons|stcd so|c|y o|
corrcspondcnccs, and |t |s bccausc thcy thought sp|r|tua||y |n
th|s way about tcrrcstr|a| th|ngs that thcywcrc |n commun|ty
w|ththc angc|so|hcavcn. '"
c|orcthcD|v|ncWord,thctcxto|thc|b|cthatwcrcadto
day,thcrc wasanothcrWordthat|snow|ost.Thcbooksattnb
utcd toMoscs andothcrs rc|cr to books that arc |ost today. "
Wc w||| scc thc mcan|ng that Swcdcnborg g|vcs to thc d|sap
pcarancc o|Enoch, who, w|th thc hc|p o|h|s pcop|c, had co|
|cctcd thc corrcspondcnccs o| thc |anguagc o|th|s human|q,
know|cdgc o||t| ssupposcd to havc bccn transm|ttcd to a pos
tcr|ty that|nc|udcsa|mostal| thcpcop|cso|As|a,|romwhcrc it
wastransm|ttcdto thc Grccks,amongwhom| tbccamcmytho|
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 53
ogy. ' ! nanycasc,Swcdcnborgcons|dcrs| t adcmonstrab|cccr
ta|nqthat bc|orc thc !srac||tc Word, thcrccx|stcd on carth an
anc|cntWord, part|cu|ar|y |nAs| a. Hc has shown, hc says |n h|s
Memorabilia, that th|sWord |sprcsc~cd|nhcavcnamongthc
angc|swho||vcd| nthosct|mcs,and|tsu~|vcsatthcprcscntday
amongthcnat|onso|GrcatTartaq. "Whcthcrth|sprcc|scncss
rc|crs toT|bctor,as|snowthought, to OutcrMongo||a,' can
|t rc|cr to anyth|ng but thc scr|pturcs o|Mahayana uddh|sm?
For Swcdcnborg's hcavcn, as wc|| as h|sv|s|on o|h|croh|stoq,
arcvastcnoughtoconta|na||rc||g|ons.
2. Pinciples of Spiritual Hermeneutics
As was sa|d abovc, thcdoctr|nc o|corrcspondcnccs-thc mnda
mcnta| |aw o|ana|ogy that pcrm|tspos|t|ng a p|ura||ty o|un|
vcrscs among wh|ch thcrc |s a symbo|| rc|at|onsh|p ontro|s
Swcdcnborg|an hcrmcncut|cs and dctcrm|ncs |ts pr|nc|p|cs and
app||cat|on. !t|sst|||morc prcc|sc tosaythatth|sdoctr|nc is th|s
hcrmcncut|cs |tsc||, or, aga|n, what |s cxprcsscd |n th|s
hcrmcncut|csasamodco|undcrstand|ng( modus intelliendi) |s
thc modc o|bc|ng|tsc||( modus esendi) that|scxpcr|cnccdand
thatproc| aims| tsc||asthc bc|ng| n corrcspondcncco|ancnurc
aggrcgatc o||cvc|s o|bc|ng, rcprcscntat|vc" o|onc anothcr,
s|gn|[|ng" onc anothcr. Thcrc |s no qucst|on, thcrc|orc, o|
br|ng|ngthcsc corrcspondcnccs |rom outs|dc" and thcn rc|at
|ngthcmtothctcxto|thc|b|c,thcyare thatwh|chthctcxto|
thc |b|c s|gn|hcs, thcWord|n thc act o|bc|ng undcrstood |n
thctrucscnsc,that|s,|nthcsp|r|tua|scnsc.
Thus,thc gu|d|ngpr|nc|p|cso|Swcdcnborg|anhcrmcncutics,
that|s,thcgcncra|pr|nc|p|csthatw|||rcgu|atcthcapp||cat|ono|
cxcgcs|so|thcdcta||so|thctcxts,rc|atc,ononchand,tothcas
pccts undcr wh|ch thc b|b||ca| tcxt appcars, thc stles o| mc
Word,as Swcdcnborgc|smcm,and,onmcothcr,tothch|cr
archi cal structure of thc un|vcrscs to wh|ch thcsc sq|cs corrc
spond . ThC f i rst consi derati on is conccrncd w| th dctcrm|n|ng
wh;l l t l u- hi 11 ori nl IC' I l SC i s and how i t rel ates to the sp|ri tua|
54 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
scnsc and w|th prcvcnt|ng any conms|on o|thc |attcr w|th thc
a||cgor|ca|scnsc. Onccth|sd|dcrcnt|at|on|scstab||shcd,thc usc
o|thc sp|r|tua| scnsc | n| ts p|ura||qw||| bc accomp||shcd | n ac
cordanccw|ththcschcmao|thcthrcchcavcns,dcscr| bcdabovc.
For Swcdcnborg|an hcrmcncut|cs, thc cnt|rcty o|thc b|b||ca|
tcxt, thc Word, appcars as though wr|ttcn |n four d|dcrcnt
sty|cs. Thcd|dcrcnt|at|ono|thcscsty|cs|orccsustoant|c|patc
thc thcmc o|thc succcss|on o|thc agcs o|human|q, and to
notc, |rom th|s po|nt on, that|n thc Swcdcnborg|an vocabu|ary
thc word Ecclesia asscmb|y) takcs on a mcan|ng so broad that
thc sp|r|tua| asscmb|y" |nc|udcs thc angc||c un|vcrscs and thc
Wor|do|Sp|r|ts, aswc| | asthcd|dcrcntagcso|canh|yhuman|ty
and o|thc human|ty o|othcr un|vcrscs to prcvcnt any m|sun
dcrstand|ng, |tshou|da|sobc sa|d that |or Swcdcnborg know|
cdgc o|thcsc cxtratcrrcstr|a| human|t|cs docs not rc|atc |n any
way to a phys|cal human|q o|thc sort that m|ght bc cncoun-
tcrcd bythc astronauts o|our spaccsh|ps, but a human|ty pcr
cc|vcd |n thc sp|r|tua| statc wh||c thc v|s|onaq was |n thc
Sp|r|t," a pcrccpt|onwh|ch|mp||csthata threshold wascrosscd,
onc that|snorma||y crosscd on|ya|tcrdcath) . r|cdy, thc Swc
dcnborg|anconccptgocsso|arbcyondthc usua|connotat|ono|
thcword church that|tsccmsprc|crab|c to avo|danym|sapprc
hcns|on and rcta|n thc Lat|n tcrm Ecclesia, g|v|ng|ta part|cu|ar
mcan|ng|orth|scssay.
O|thc|ourb|b||ca|sq|cs,thc hrst|sa sty|c that, undcra h|s
tor|ca| |orm, |n |act prcscnts a smbolic histor thc hrst c|cvcn
chaptcrso|thcbooko|Gcncs|sarcsuchah|story. Thcsccond|s
thch|stor|ca|sty|c|nthcstr|ctscnsco|thcword,thato|thch|s
tor|ca|bookso|thc| b|c. Thcth|rd|sthcprophct|csty|c. Thc
|ounh |s thc sty|c o| thc Psa|ms, |ntcrmcd|atc bctwccn thc
prophct|c sty|c and that o|ord|nary spccch. !t |s ncccssary hcrc
on|ytocmphas|zcthc prob|cmsposcdbythc hrsttwo.
Thc hrsto| thcsty|cso| thcWordwasthato|cc|csua|human
|ty,dcscr|bcdabovc,wh|chconst|tutcdwhatSwcdcnborgdcs|g
natcs asthcMostAc|cntAsscmb|y, thcAntiquisima Ecclesia.
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 55
Thcc|rcumstanccs,thcmodco|bc|ngandknow|ngo|thcpco
p|co|th|sEcclesia, d|dcrcdcsscnt|a||y|romthcstatuso|modcrn
human|ty |n our t|mc. Wc a|rcady know that thcy rcgardcd a||
corporca| th|ngs, wh|ch,|na gcncra| way, arc thc objcct o|scn
sory pcrccpt|on, as dcad th|ngs ||thcyarc pcrcc|vcd scparatc|y
|rom what thcy rcprcscnt. Thc|r modc o|know|ng, thc mnda
mcnta|statco|thc|rconsc|ousncss,wascharactcr|zcd by an | m
mcd|atc pcrccpt|on o|sp|r|tua| andcc|cst|a| th|ngs that scnsory
carth|y th|ngs rcprcscnt. Thcrc|orc, thc|rcharactcr|st| c modc o|
cxprcss|onwas thato|mcn |or whom thc pcrccpt|on o|obj ccts
|s immcd|atc|y transmutcd |nto a pcrccpt|on o|sp|r|tua| th|ngs,
thus transmut|ng |nan| matc th|ngs |nto ||v|ng th|ngs. Thcy
saw, ccrta| n|y, w|th thc|r cycs or pcrcc|vcd by mcans o| thc|r
othcrscnscscvcryth|ngthat |sthc objccto|scnsory pcrccpt|on,
buts|mu|tancous|yand|mmcd|atc|ythcypcrcc|vcdth|ngso|an
othcrordcr,rcprcscntcd,"symbo||zcd,byscnsoqth|ngs.
!t |sth|swh|ch |cadsSwcdcnborg to a dcta||cdana|ys|so|thc
Grst o|thc b|b||ca| sty|cs, thc onc |nwh|ch thc Grst chaptcrs o|
Gcncs|s, up to thc stoqo|Abraham,arcwr|ttcn. Thcsc chap
tcrsarcnot h|story

|n thcstr|ctscnsc o|thc word, norarcthcy

what,|nourt|mc, |sca||cd mythora myth|cta|c. Thc|orm o|a
continuum, o|a succcss|on o|cvcnts, was spontancous|y g|vcn
by thcsc mcn to sp|r|tua| th|ngs whosc representation thcy pcr
cc|vcd| nscnsoryth|ngs,|mbu|ngthosc th|ngsw|th|||c. Wc thus
grasp thc proccss that, prcv|oustoanycxtcrna| ,matcr|a|,h|stor
|ca| datum, pcrm|ts thc appcarancc o| somcth|ng ||kc a h|s
tory,"thc mcnta|opcrat|on| nwh|ch|s|oundto bc, |nthcGna|
ana|ys|s, thc sccrct o|thc historicization o|cvcq h|stoq, what
cvcr|tmaybc. !nothcrwords,a||h|stor|c|ty,|nordcrtobccon
st|tutcd as such, prcsumcs a metahistorical |actor. Hcrc bcg|ns
thc trans|t|on to thc h|stor|ca| sq|c |n thc str|ct scnsc o|thc
word. ut s|ncc cstab||sh|ng thc |cg|t|macy o| sp|r| tua|
hcrmcncut|cs|sthcqucst|on undcrd|scuss|on hcrc, an obsc~a
t i on mustbcmadc. ccauscthch|stor|ca|sty|c|nthcstr|ctscnsc
of thc wordw||| or|g|natc |rom thc symbo||c or mctah|stor|ca|
56 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
sty|c o| thc Antiquisima Ecclesia, thc h|stor|ca| parts o| thc
|b|carccqua||yrcprcscntauvcandconta|nasp|r|tua|scnsc-| n
dccd, scvcra| sp|r|tua| scnscs. !n add|t|on, thcmanncr |n wh|ch
Swcdcnborg ana|yzcs thc gnosco|ogy o| thc hrst cc|cst|a| hu
man|ty and hc rcturns toth|s subjccton many occas|ons) , thc
modco|spontancouspcrccpt|ono|thcsuprascnsoq| nthcscn
soq,|nd|catcsvcqwc||that|t|snot|oramomcntpcrm|ttcdto
conmscth|ssp|r|tua|scnscw|th a||cgory. A|cgor|csarc |nvcntcd
ahcrthc|act,thcysc~ctotransposcwhatwasa|rcadyknowab|c
othc~|sc, to d|sgu|sc prcv|ous|y cx|st|ng |magcs or thoughts.
Now, thc hrstb|b||ca|sty|c, " thato|thc hrst c|cvcnchaptcrso|
Gcncs|s, |s thc on|ymanncro|cxprcss|nga sp|r|tua| pcrccpt|on
o|or|g|ns,an uncond| t|ona| pcrccpt|on,prcv|ousto a||cxp|ana
t|on, but |tsc||g|v|ng or|g|n to pcrhaps |ncxhausub|c cxp|ana
t|ons. thcarcana o||tarc,|n|act,|nnumcrab|c.
Thc sccondsty|c |sthc h|stor|ca|sty|c |n thc str|ctscnsco|thc
word, wh|ch |s |ound |n thc books o|Moscs" bcg|nn|ng w| th
thc stor|cs conccrn|ng thc cpoch o|Abraham and |n thc books
o|)oshua, )udgcs, Samuc| , and Kngs . !n thcsc books, thc h|s
tor|ca| |actsarc 1ndccdsuch asthcyappcaraccord|ngtothc ||t
cra|scnsc,howcvcr,thcya||conta| n, atthcsamct|mc|ngcncra|
and|n thc|rpamcu|ars, comp|ctc|yd|dcrcntth| ngsaccord|ngto
thc|ntcrna|scnsc. Th|s|struc bccausc thcsch|stonca||actsarc
thcmsc|vcs representatives a|| thc words that cxprcss thcm arc
signicatives, mat |s, bcncath thc appcarancc o|cxtcrna| th|ngs
thcy s|gn|[ |ntcrna| th|ngs, bcncath thc appcarancc o|carth|y
th|ngsandcvcnts,sp|r|tua|orcc|csua| th|ng andcvcnts. Th|s|s
so |or a|| thc books o|thc |b|c ca||cd h|stor|ca| . "Thc|r con
tcntappcarstobch|stoqpurc ands|mp|c|nthc||tcrscnsc,no
doubt, but |n thc |ntcrna| scnsc thcy concca| |nnumcrab|c ar
cana coelestia, wh|ch cannot bc sccn wh||c thc cycs o|thought
rcma|n hxcd on thc matcr|a||ty o|cxtcrna| h|stor|ca| |acts. Thc
D|v|ncWord|s||kcabodyconcca||nga||v|ngsou| . utth|ssou|
rcma|ns unrcvca|cd, |t |s cvcn d|mcu|t to bc||cvc that thcrc is a
sou| thcrc, thc bc|ng that su~|vcs dcath, bc|orc thc thought
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 57
w|thdraws |romcorporca| th|ngs| nordcrt orcach thc th|ngso|
thc sou| . A ncw birth is ncccssary. )ust as thc phys|ca| bodyo|
man must d|c |n ordcr that thc human bc|ng may hnd himsc||
and scc himsc||in thc spir| tua| wor|d and communicatc w|th
sp|r|tua| bc|ngs,sospiritua|things,thc|ntcrna|scnsc,rcma|nab
so|utc|yinvisib|c unu|thc coqorcal th|ngs, thccxtcrna|datao|
thc ||tcra| scnsc, arc as though dcad. Thc natura| vesel arc onc
th|ng,thcsp|r|tua|thingsthatthcycontaInarcanothcr. "
!|th|s is truc, ||thc histor|ca| sty|c"o|thc |b|c concca|s so
many arcana, |t |s bccausc thc mcn o| thc Antiqua Ecclesia,
thosc o|thc pcriod dcs|gnatcd by thc namc o|Noah, gathcrcd
|nthc|ormo|doctrincsdoctrinalia) thcth|ngsthatthcmcno|
antcd||uv|an humanity, thosc o|thc Antquisima Ecclesia, had
signied inpcrccivingthcmbyad|rcctspiritual apprchcns|on. !t
|s ncccssary to bc attcntivc hcrc to thc prccis|on o|Swcdcnbor
g|an vocabu|aq. For thc mcn o|postd|| uv|an human|q, thcsc
samc things bccamc sinicatives, that |s, thcy |cd thcm to d|s
covcr|ntcrna|thingsand,bymcanso|thcsc,tod|scovcrsp|ritua|
th|ngs and thcn cc|cstia| th|ngs. ut|thappcncd that this sym
bo||ckow|cdgc itsH|dcc||ncd,carth|ythingsthcmsc|vcs bcgan
to bc rcgardcd as sacrcd,withouta thoughtaboutthcirs|gnih
cation. Thcsc carth|y things thus bccamc purc representatives
w|th thcm was born thc Ecclesia repraesentativa, at thc bcg|n
ningo|thc pcriod o|Abraham. Thcsc representatives, thcrc|orc,
havc thc|rong|n|n thc sinicatives o|thcAntiqua Ecclesia, and
thosc | n tum havc thcirorigin |n thc cc|cstI |dcas o|thc An
tiquisima Ecclesia.
so
Thc situauon rcvcrts hcrc to thc onc wc dcscribcd at thc bc
ginn|ng scc pro|oguc) as typ|hcd in thc Arab|c tcrm Iikayat.
Thc disc|p|c o| Swcdcnborg knows what cdort wi|| bc dc
mandcd o|him. an cdort whosc succcss dcpcnds upon condi
t|onsothcrthanhumanc|cvcrncssorgoodw|||, uponarcgcncr
at|on, a ncw binh that is birth in thc spir|tua| wor|d. A ncw
modus inteliendi wou|d bc| mposs|b|cwithouta ncwmodus es
sendi thc |dca o|csotcr|c hcrmcncut|cs as bc|ng ||kc a sp|r| tua|
58 Swedenbot and Eoteric Islam
b|rth, wiladat ruhania, |s a|so prcscnt |n Sh|'|sm and Isma'||
|sm) . Thcsou|andthc|||c o|thcWordarc|nthc|ntcrna|scnsc,
andthc sou| that |s |||c |s not man||cstcd unt|| thc || tcra| scnsc
has,|n|act,sccmcdtovan|sh. !nshort,|t|sncccssaqto|carnto
rcad thc Word as thc angc|s rcad |t, or, morc prcc|sc|y, accord
|ng to thc tcrmsthatSwcdcnborguscs|nrc|at|ng h|s un|quccx
pcr|cncco|cvcnts|nhcavcn",|t|sncccssaqtorcadthcD|v|nc
Word asthcangc|spcrcc|vc |twhcn|t|sbc|ngrcadbysomconc
|nth|swor|d. '
Thcangc|s
kow nothing at all of what is in the letter, not even the pro xi
mate meaning of a single word; still less do they know the names
of the countries, cities, rivers, and persons that occur so fre
quently in the historical and prophetical pars of the Word. They
have an idea only of the things signifed by the words and the
names. Thus by Adam in paradise they perceive the Antiquisima
Ecclesia, yet not that Ecclesia, but the fith in the Lord of that
Ecclesia. By Noah they perceive the Ecclesia (spiritual assembly)
that remained wit the descendants of the Antiquisima Ecclesia
and that continued to the time of Abram. By Abraham they by
no means perceive that individual, but a saving faith, which he
represented; and so on. Thus they perceive spirtual and celestial
things entirely apart from the words and the names. 52
Wat thcy rcadmc thc arcana conta|ncd|ncach|nd|v|dua|vcrsc
andwhosc mu|up||c|ty wou|d astound us, ||wc had any |dca o|
|t, |or thc|r amp||Gcat|on |s mu|t|p||cd |rom hcavcn to hcavcn.
A| thc words o|thc |cttcr arc rcprcscntcd |n a ||vc|y anddaz
z||ngmanncr|nthcwor|do|thcangc||csp|r|ts,wh|ch|sawor|d
const|tutcd o| rcprcscntat|vc |dcas, " o|wh|ch arc madc thc
opcn|ng o|thosc apparentiae reales that arc thc corrcspond|ng
cc|cst|a| |andscapcs. !n turn, thcsc |dcas arc pcrcc|vcd by thc
sp|r|tua|angc|so|thcsccondhcavcn, thcnbythccc|cst|a|angc|s
o|thc th|rd hcavcn, cach umc w|th an abundancc, p|cn|tudc,
and magn|hccnccwhosc growth |s ||m|dcss. '
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 5
That |swhy, whcthcr |t|s a mattcro|thccontcnto|sp|r|tua|
pcrccptions typ|hcd or h|stor|c|zcd" |n symbo||c h|stor|cs, or
whcthcr|t|sa mattcro|h|stor|ca| ta|cs|n thcstr|ctscnsco|thc
word, that |s, o|h|stor|ca| cvcnts hav| ngtakcn p|accj ustasthcy
arcdcscr|bcd,|n|actthchcrmcncut| c|mpcrat|vc|sthcsamc,|or
thc rca| cxtcrna| cvcnts, thc words that dcscr| bc thcm, contain
arcana coelesia cxactly ||kc thc typ|hcat|ons |n symbo||c h|sto
r|cs. Th|smayappcarstrangc, |or at hrst s|ght,whcrc thcrc |sa
h|stor|ca| account, thc thought rcma|ns hxcd on thc |cttcr and
docsnotsupposcthatsomcth|ngc|scmaybcs|gn|hcd. Yctw|th
out th|sothcrscnsc, thc |ntcrnal scnsc, howwou|da h|stor|ca|
account|n thc Word d|dcr|roma h|story to|d bya pro|anc h|s
tor|an? "And thcn o|whatuscwou|d|t bc to kowthc agc o|
Noah,thcmonthandthcdaywhcnthcHoodbcgan,|||td|dnot
|nvo|vc somcth|ng c|sc cntirc|y othcr than h|stoq, namc|y, an
arcanum coeleste? Wo cannot scc that th|s say|ng, A| thc
|ounta|nso|thcgrcatdccpwcrcbrokcnup,andthccataractso|
hcavcnwcrcopcncd,"consututcs, |n|act,prophetic words.
Thcsc dcta||s conccrn|ngthc d|dcrcntsty| cso|thcWord un
dcrp|n thc cnt|rc usc o|thc hcrmcncut|cs. Aswc havc a|rcady
|carncd, j ustasthcrc arc thrcc hcavcns-h|ghcsthcavcn, m|d
d|c hcavcn, and |owcr hcavcn-so thcrc arc, corrcspond|ng rc
spcct|vc|y to cach o|thcsc k|ngdoms or abodcs, thrcc scnscs |n
thc d|v|ncWord. a cc|cst|al" scnsc, a sp|r|tua|scnsc, and a nat
ura| scnsc. Th|s tr|ad corrcsponds to a gcncra| structurc that
Swcdcnborg cxp|a|ns| n dcta| | . Whcn |t |s statcd that thc ||tcra|
scnsc o|thcWord |sthc bas|s,thc covcr|ngorthcvc| | , thc sup
port o||ts sp|r|tua| scnsc and |ts cc|cst|a| scnsc, | t|s bccausc |n
cvcqth|ng d|v|nc thcrc arc thrcc th|ngs. a hrst th|ng, an |ntcr
mcd|atc th|ng, and a |ast th|ng. That wh|ch |s hrst procccds
through thc|ntcrmcd|atc toward what|s|ast,and thustakcson
cx|stcnccandsubs|stcncc. Thc hrst|s,thcrc|orc, |nthc |ntcrmc
d|atc and|sa|so,bythatmcans,|nwhat |s |ast. !nth|sconncc
t| on,what|s|ast|sthatwh|chconta|ns,atthcsamct|mc|t|sthc
6O Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
bas|s,and thus|t turnsout tobcthc support. Thcscthrccth|ngs
may bc dcs|gnatcd, rcspcct|vc|y, as thc cnd, thc causc, and thc
cdcct,oras thc bc|ng that|sthc cnd, thc bccom|ng that|sthc
causc, andthc man||cstat|onthat|sthccdcct. Evcqth|ng|n thc
wor|d,|nso|aras|t|scomp|ctc,| ssoconst|tutcdbyau|ad,and
th|s|salsothcstructurc o|thcD|v|ncWord. !n|ts||tcra|ornat
ura|scnscan|ntcrna|orsp|r|tua|scnsc|sh|ddcn, andw|th|nthat
a scnsc st||| morc |ntcrna| , an | nmost ( intimus) and cc|cst|a|
scnsc. Thus thc |owcst scnsc, wh|ch |s thc natura| , and ca||cd
thc scnsc o|thc |cttcr, |s thc conta|nant o| thc two |ntcrna|
scnscs, andconscqucnt|ythc|rbas|sandsupport."
Atth|spo|ntwccan movc |o~ard tothcso|ut|on o|thcap
parcntparadoxo|sp|r| tua|hcrmcncutics. Thc twoh|ghcrscnscs,
sp|r|tua| and cc|cst|a|,arc|ound togcthcrs|mu|tancous|y within
thc ||tcra|scnsc. To undcrstand thcproccsso|th|s tr|ad|cstruc
turc, | t |s ncccssaq to cons|dcr w|th Swcdcnborg that | n
hcavcn"and|n thc wor|d thc ordcr o|th|ngs |s accord| ng toa
doub|c typc. thcrc |s a successive ordcr, a modc o|stmcturc
whcrc onc th|ng succccds and |o||ows ahcr anothcr, |rom thc
h|ghcst to thc |owcst, and thcrc | sa simultaneous ordcr, whcrc
th|ngs arc j uxtaposcd, hom thc |nmost to thc outcrmost, as |n
go|ng|romthccommonccntcrtothcpcr|phcqo|scvcra| con
ccntr|cc|rc|cs.
Succesive ordcr may bccons|dcrcdtobc||kc scct|ons o|thc
co|umn o|a tcmp| c, whcrc thc c|rcum|crcncc |ncrcascs |n vo|
umc |rom thc summ|t to thc basc. ln thc ordcr o|succession,
what|satthc summ|tand hrst|nor|gn corrcsponds towhat |s
|ntcr|orandccntra|| nthcordcro|simultaneit. Sothatwcmay
havc a rcprcscntauon o|th|s, |ct us |mag|nc w|th Swcdcnborg
thatm|sco|umn,wh|chsc~cshcrc asatcrmo|compar|son,dc
sccnds and s|nks down upon |tsc||to |orm a p|anc sur|acc, |ts
summ|t-that|s,|tsor|g|n| nthcsuccessive ordcr-now occupy
|ngthc ccntcro|thcncwGgurc |n thc smultaneous ordcr. It |s
thcsamc | nthccasco|thc D|v|ncWord. Thccc|cst|a| , thcspi ri
tua|, and thc natura| procccd |n successive ordcr and hna||ythey
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 6I
appcarsimultaneously | nthc tcxt that| s at ourd|sposa| . thc cc
|cst|a| scnsc andthcsp|r|tua| scnsc arc thcrc togcthcr, dwc|||ng
concca|cd |n thc ||tcra| scnsc. Thc |attcr |s thc conta|nant, thc
bas|s,andthcprotcctiontosucha dcgrcc that|nthc abscncco|
th|snatura|||tcra|scnsc,thccc|cst|a|scnscandthcsp|r|tua| scnsc
wou|dnotbcthcWord,butwou|dbc||kcsp|r|tand|||cw|thout
a body, or ||kc a tcmp|c w|th many sanctuar|cs and a Ho|y o|
Ho||csat|tsccntcr,but|ackingaroo|andwa||s,sothatthctcm
p|c wou| d bc cxposcd to thc dcprcdations o|th|cvcs and w||d
bcasts."
Thcapparcntparadoxo|sp|r|tua|hcrmcncut|csthusturnsout
to bc rcso|vcd. Ononc hand, wc arc to|d that|t|s ncccssaq to
|carn to rcad thc Word as thc angc||csp|r|ts rcad |t, and |orth|s
|t |s ncccssaq to passthrough a sp|r|tua| b|nh that |saccompa
n|cdbythc death o|thc natura| ||tcra|scnsc. On thc othcrhand,
th|snatura| scnsc|sshown to usasbc|ngthcstatco|Man||csta
t|on, to wh| ch thc procccd|ngo|thc D|v|ncWord |cads and |n
wh|ch |t cnds, |t |orms thc covcr|ng, thc bas|s, and thc protcc
t|on o|thc |attcr, thc body |nd|spcnsab|c tothc sp|r|t and thc
|||c. No m|sundcrstand|ng |s poss| b|c, howcvcr. Wc arc |accd
w| th thc samc |mpcrativc as thatwh|ch |s poscdto thc csotcr|c
hcrmcncut|cso|Sh|'|sm|ngcncra| . thcs|mu|tanc|ty andthcnc
ccss|ty o|ma|nta|n|ngthcs|mu|tanc| qo|thcsp|r|tua|scnscand
thc ||tcra| appcarancc, o|thc cxotcr|c ( ahir) and thc csotcr|c
( bafin ) . Thc s|tuat|on |s, |n |act. c|thcr th|s s|mu|tanc|ty |s not
not|ccd by thc pro|anc, |nwh|ch casc thc natura| scnsc |orms a
protcct|vc wa|| aga|nstanyv|o|at|ono|thc sanctuary,orc|sc |t |s
known tothc sp|r|tua|adcpt,but|n th|sknow|cdgc|tsc||atrans
mutation o|thc natura| scnsc occurs, thc covcr|ng bccom|ng
transparcnt, d|aphanous. Evcq natura| th|ng tcnds to |ts
Geistleiblichkeit, to that statc o| sp|r|tua| body," wh|ch
Oct|ngcr, asa |aithm|d|sc|p|co|Swcdcnborg, madc |ntoa mn
damcnta| |dca, bccausc |t |s a|so thcstatc o|bc|ngs and th| ngs
obsc~cd by Swcdcnborg |n thc coursc o|v|s|onary statcs rc
portcd|nthc Memorabilia orthc Diarium Spirituale.
62 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
Hcncc thc doub|cwarn|ngaga|nst thc poss|b|cdoub|cpro|a
nat|on. Ononchand, thcrc |sapro|anat|ono|thcnatura|||tcra|
scnsc,||th|s|sd|vcrtcd|rom|tscnd,cxp|a|ncdasthough|twcrc
sumc|cntunto | tsc||and|n thatwaydcsacra||zcd,dcpr|vcdo||ts
|ntcrna| andcxtcrna|sacrcdncss. Onthcothcrhand,thcrc|sa|so
a|ways thc dangcr, on thc part o|man, o|a corrupt|on o|thc
sp|r|tua|scnsc. Th|ssp|r|tua|scnsc|sthato|thc D|v|nc Human
| ty, thcscnsc |n wh|ch thcangc|so|hcavcn are, butwh|chno
onccanscc,saysSwcdcnborg,w|thoutbc|ngp|accdbythcLord
|n d|v|nctruths. !|man wantstoatta|nto|ts|mp|ybymcanso|a
|cw corrcspondcnccs known by h|mthcorct|ca||y, hcavcn c|oscs
|tsc||toh|mandhc|s|npcr||o| |a|||ng|ntoastatco|sp|r|tua|| n
san|ty. !t |s |or th|s rcason that guards wcrc postcd bc|orc thc
sanctuaq o|thc D|v|nc Word, |n wh|ch thcy arc ca||cd Cheru
bim.
60
And by th|s word, our attcntion |s drawn to thc drama
thatcons|sts |n thc succcss|on o|thc agcso|human|ty, |ts true
h|story, |ts sp|r|tua|h|stoq.
3. Te Aes of Humanit
Th|sh|stoqwou|dbc noth|ngmorc thanthccont|nucddcc||nc
o|thc|ntcrna|pcrson,||thcrcwcrcnot,|rompcr|odtopcr|od,a
Judgmcnt|nHcavcn"thatcdcctcdarccstab||shmcnt. Swcdcn
borg|an thcosophy d|sungu|shcs |our grcat pcr|ods thcmsc|vcs
compr|s|ng subd|v|s|ons) . ' Wc havc a|rcady acqua|ntcd our
sc|vcsw|ththc hrst,dcs|gnatcdasthc MostAnc|cnt or pr|ma| )
Asscmb|y, thc Antiquissima Ecclesia. Th|s|s thc pcr|odo|avcq
anc|cnt human|ty dur|ng wh|ch hcavcn actcd |n un|son w|th
man, bccausc, contraq to what was to occur ahc~ard, |t was
through d|rcct |nHucncc upon thc interal person and by mcans
o||tthathcavcn |nHucnccd thc cxtcrna| pcrson. ConscqucntIy,
human|ty not on|y had cn||ghtcnmcnt and |mmcd|atc sp|r|tua|
pcrccpt|onbut,bymcanso|d|rcctrc|at|onsw|ththcangc|s,was
a|so|n|ormcdo|hcavcn|yth|ngsando|cvcqth|ngthatconccrns
ctcrna||||c.
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 63
Wc a|rcady kow that bccausc thcy wcrc |ntcrna| pcop| c, "
thc|r scnsory pcrccpt|on o|cxtcrna| th|ngs was s|mu|tancous|y
thc pcrccpt|on o| somcth|ng d|v|nc and hcavcn|y. Thcy pcr
cc|vcd at thc samc t|mc,|orcxamp| c, thcdawnandwhat| thad
|n common w| th thc g|ory o|thc sp|r|ts' |ovc |or thc wor|d, as
wc|| aswhy |t |s that thc Lord |s ca||cd thc morn|ng, thc East,
dawn, daybrcak. S|m||ar|y, thc man o|th|s Ecclesia was noton|y
comparcdtoatrcc,hcwas h|msc||atrcc, agardcn,that|s,apar
ad|sc. For |twas thc samc gcncra| adcct|vc tona| |ty that modu
|atcd a|| pcrccpt|ons, thosc o|thc scnscs as wc|| as thosc o|thc
|ntc||cct,thcrc|orc, cvcryth|ngthatthcschumanssaww|th thc|r
cycs was thc samc as hcavcn|y th|ngs, ||v|ng th|ngs, and thc|r
worsh|p was ab|c to bc a worsh|p that was purc|y |ntcrna| .
Evcn thc|r phys|o|ogy was d|dcrcnt, s|ncc thc|r organ|sm pos
scsscd that s||cnt |ntcrna| rcsp|rat|on o|wh|ch not a tracc rc
ma|ncd |n thc human|q that was drowncd |n thc dood, nor |n
thc human|qthat succccdcd |t. ' r|cdy, |t |s th|s cpoch that|s
dcs|gnatcdasthc Golden Ae. Good,|n|act,hasadoub|cor|g|n
corrcspond|ngto thc mo const|tucnt organso|thc sp|r|tua| or
gan|sm. |n thc w||| , whcrc |t |s |ovc, and |n thc |ntc|||gcncc,
whcrc|t|sw|sdom and truth. Humans,thcn, wcrc atoncc|nthc
mndamcnta| mrm o|thcgood thatcorrcspondstothc most|n
tcr|or hcavcn, thato|thc cc|cst|a| angc|s. Gold |s thc symbo| o|
th|sgoodwh|ch|scc|cst|a||ovc,and|t|sth|sgo|dcnagcthatthc
Worddcscr|bcs asparad|sc.
Howcvcr,|nthc gcncrat|onsthatsucccss|vc|y|ormcdthc pos
tcr|qo| th|sb||ssm| human|ty,commun|cauonw|th hcavcnwas
progrcss|vc|y|ost. Th|ngsrcachcd thcpo|ntthat,|nthc human
|ty that was ob||gcd to pass through thc sp|r|tua| catastrophc
ca||cd thc F|ood, thcrc was no |ongcr pcrccpt|on o|anyth|ng
c|sc|ncxtcrna|objccts cxccptwhat|so|th|swor|d,matcr|a|and
tcrrcstr|a| . On thc othcr hand, commun|cat|on o|man w|th h|s
hH|wasopcncd,and|t|sth|shc||thatbccamcthcgcncra|adcc
tive tona||ty o|a|| pcrccpt|ons, to thc po|nt at wh|ch thcrc was
64 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
no|ongcranydcs|rc tokowthatsomcm|ngsp|r|tua|andcc|cs
t|a|cx|sts.
Thc cp|sodco|thc d|sappcarancco|Enochoro|h|s takngby
God |s p|accd hcrc, a d|sappcarancc that s|gn|hcs thc prcsc~a
tion o| doctinalia bc|orc pcrm|tt|ng thc rais|ng up o|a ncw
postd||uv|an sp|r|tua| human|ty, that o| thc Antiqua Ecclesia,
wh|ch succccdcd thc Antiquissima. Howcvcr, bccausc th|s hu
man|ty was no |ongcr a cc|csua| human|ty, buton|y a sp|r|tua|
human|ty, | tkcw, ccna|n|y, but no |ongcr had thc d|rcct pcr
ccpt|ono|whatwasthcncc|onhcnvc|opcd|or|t|nsymbo|s thc
repraesentativa and thc sinicativa) dcnvcd |rom thc cc|cst|a|
pcrccpt|onso|thc hrst pcop|c. Thcrc was no |ongcr any pcr
ccpuon, |or cxamp|c, o|thc dawn as thc Lord, butthcrc wasa
kow|cdgc o|what thc dawn s|gn|hcd and symbo||zcd. Thcrc
was no |ongcr a d|rcct |ndux |rom hcavcn |nto human|ty, but
thcrcwasan|nduxbymcanso|corrcspondcnccsandrcprcscnta
tions that arc thc cxtcrna| |orms o| hcavcn|y th|ngs thc|r
Iikiyat, thc th|ngs that imitate thcm and that arc thc|r h|s
top") . Thc trans|t|on to ana|og|ca| kow|cdgc, to thc pcrccp
t|on o|symbo|s, comcs about as a dcr|vat|on o|dircct sp|r|tua|
pcrccpt|on, o|h|crognos| s. Thc umc o|thc Antiqua Ecclesia |s
dcs|gnatcd as thc Silver Ae, bccausc mcn arcno |ongcr |n thc
mndamcnta||ormo|good,wh|ch|scc|cst|a||ovc-whcrc|ovc|s
|tsc||kow|cdgc. Thc |ndux o|hcavcn opcns |n thcm |n mc
good o||ntc|||gcncc, wh|ch | s w|sdom. S||vcr |s thc symbo| o|
th|ssp|r|tua|good,wh|ch|scsscnt|a||ytruth, asgo|d| sthcsym
bo| o|cc|csua|good,wh|ch|scsscntia||y|ovc.
Wcn mc kow|cdgc o|corrcspondcnccs and repraesentativa
dcgcncratcd |nto magic, though, th|s Antiqua Ecclesia pcr|shcd
|n |ts turn, a th|rd Ecclesia succccdcd |t, |n wh|ch worsh|p was
cnt|rc|y |nsp|rcd by s|m||ar obsc~ations, but mc|r s|gn|hcat|on
was not kown. Th|s Ecclesa was |nsututcd w|th thc !srac||tc
and )cw|sh nation. ut bccausc know|cdgc o|cc|cst|a| th|ngs
and thosc rc|at|ng to ctcrna| |||c cou|d not bc |mpartcd to |t by
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 65
an |nHux |nto thc |ntcrna| man, thc angc|s o| hcavcn wou|d
somct|mcs convcrsc w|th ccrta|n mcn, thc c||tc o|th|s Ecclesia
judaica, so that a|| thcothcrs cou|dbc |nstructcd by thcm con
ccrn|ng cxtcrna| th|ngs, |or |ack o|bc|ng |nstructcd rcgard|ng
|ntcrna|th|ngs. ccauscthcscpcop|cwcrc |nnatura|good, thcy
rccc|vcd w|th rcspcctwhatwas taught to thcm | nth|s way. Th|s
t|mc was ca||cd thc Ae of Bronze, bccausc bronzc symbo| |zcs
th|s |orm o|natura| good, wh|ch |s |n thc samc rc|auonsh|p to
thc prcccd|ngtwoas |s thc natura| ||tcra| scnsc to thc sp|ritua|
scnscandthccc|cst|a|scnsc.
F|na||y, cvcn natura| good no|ongcrcont|nucdtocx|st|n thc
pcop|co|thc Ecclesia. Atth|spo|ntthcEvcntoccurrcdthatcan
not bc undcrstood |n thc Swcdcnborg|an pcrspcct|vc cxccpt by
mob|||z|ng around |t a|| thc grcat gu|d|ng thcmcs o|h|s thco
soph|ca| thco|ogy. Lct us on|y say hcrc.that, Pau||n|sm hav|ng
bccnsctas|dc,that|s,|nthccasco|a Chr|st|anthco|ogysuchas
that o|Swcdcnborg,wh|ch takcs grcatcarc to avo|d any conm
s|on bctwccn cvangc||ca| thco|ogy and Pau||nc thco|ogy, thc
mcan|ng o|thc D|v|nc !ncarnat|on on carth as wc|| as |ts rc|a
t|onsh|ptoan ctcrna|d|v|nc anmropomorphos|sarcpro|ound|y
d|dcrcnt |rom thc thco|og|c tcach|ngs o|thc omc|a| churchcs.
Amongothcrth|ngs,thc mcan|ngo|thc !ncarnat|on has noth
|ng to do w|th thc |dca o|a rcdcmpt|on, a compcnsat|on, and
atoncmcnt", |t|scsscnt|a||ya combat or,rathcr,thc cont|nua
uono|acombatbcgunatthcbcg|nn|ngo|thcagcs. !nadd|t|on,
a|though Hc assumcd thc tcrrcstr|a| human |orm on|y oncc |n
pcrson,thcLordcamc"cachumcanEcclesia wasdcvastatcd.
Th|s com|ng"o|thc Lrd |s thc tr|umphthat brcaks thc |n|cr
na|assau|twh|chthrcatcnsto|nvadcthcWor|d o|Sp|r|ts,and|t
|s thc poss|b|||q g|vcn oncc morc to man to rccc|vc |rom H|m
thc|nHuxo|hcavcnandthcrcbytobccomccn||ghtcncd.
A|ourth Ecclesia wasthcnconst|tutcd,thc Ecclesia christiana.
!n that Ecclesia a|| kow|cdgc rcgard|ng hcavcn|y th|ngs and
ctcrna| |||c procccds un|quc|y |rom thc D|v|ncWord, bymcans
66 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
o|wh|ch man rccc|vcs |ndux and ||ght, s|ncc |t was wr|ttcn | n
corrcspondcnccsandrcprcscntat|vc|magcsthats|gn|[andsym
bo||zc hcavcn|y th|ngs . Thc angc|s o|hcavcn comc |nto thcsc
hcavcn|y th|ngs whcn somconc rcads thc Word, that |s, thc
|b|c, and whcn h|s |ntcrna| v|s|on opcns to thcsc |ntcrna|
th|ngs . Thus, |rom that t|mc on, by mcans o|thc Word, con
j unct|on|scdcctcdw|th cachpcrsonto thc dcgrcctowh|chthat
pcrson is |n thc good that is |ovc. Ln|ortunatc|y, bccausc thc
mcno|thc Ecclesia christiana cxt|ngu|shcdth|sHamc,d|v|nc| n
Hux docsnotopcn among thcm cxccpt |n part|a| and abstract
truths,w|thoutany conncct|on w|th thc |orm o|good,wh|ch |s
|ovc. That|swhyth|st|mc|sca||cdthcAe of Iron.
68
Thc sp|r|tua| h|story o| human|ty thcrc|orc const|tutcs a
drama |n scvcra| acts, and thc |ntcrm|ss|on bctwccn thcsc acts
causcs thc appcarancc o|a charactcr|st|c conccpt|on that ovcr
turns comp|ctc|ythc usua| conccpt o|Last)udgmcnt, " a con
ccpt that thc thco|ogy o|ourday, |n |tspowcr|cssncss, |nc|udcs
among thosc myths" that arc ncccssaq to dcmytho|og|zc. "
Swcdcnborg spcaks nc|thcr o|myth" nor o|dcmytho|og|z
|ng. "Thc LastJudgmcnt s|gn|Gcsthc|ast t|mcs o|an Ecclesia,
and |t |s a|so thc Gna| statc |n thc |||c o|cach pcrson, |or cvcq
pcrson' s rcsurrcct|on |o||ows h|s cx|t |rom th|swor|d. Each Ec
clesia |s tcrm|natcd by a Last Judgmcnt, and wc havc j ust rcad
thatthc Lord comcs" cach t|mc thcrc |sa Last)udgmcnt,that
|s, thc trans|t|on |rom an o|d Ecclesia to a ncw onc. Hcrc, thc
Swcdcnborg|an |dca o| Judgmcnt convcrgcs | n a rcmarkab|c
manncrw|th thc !sma'||| |dcao|Qytmat j udgmcnt and rcsur
rcct|on) , cnd|ng a pcr|od and mark| ng thc trans|t|on to a ncw
pcr|od |n thc cyc|c o|prophccy |rom thc pcr|od o|Adam to
thato|Noah,|romthcpcr|odo|Noah tothato|Abraham,ctc. ,
|rom thc pcr|od o|)csus to that o|Muammad) . Thcrc was a
Last )udgmcnt o| thc Antiquisima Ecclesia ca||cd Adam|c )
whcn |ts postcr|ty pcr|shcd, |t |s that dcstruct|on a|ways |n thc
sp|r|tua|scnsc)wh|ch|sdcscr|bcdasthcF|ood. Thcrcwasa Last
Judgmcnt o|thc Antiqua Ecclesia ca||cd Noach|an) when al -
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 67
mosta|| had succumbcd to mag|cor |do|atry. Thcrc wasa Last
Judgmcnt o| thc Ecclesia repraesentativa whcn thc tcn tr|bcs
wcrc takcn |nto capt|v|ty and |atcr dur|ng thc d|spcrs|on. Asto
thcLast)udgmcnto|thc Ecclesia christiana, |t|ss|gn|Gcd|nthc
v|s|ono|thcApoca|ypscasancwhcavcnandancwcarth,"that
|s,|nthcv|s|ono|thcNcwJcrusa|cm, Nova Hierosolyma.
69
Thc |ntcrna| scnsc o|th|s v|s|on has bccn so gcncra||y un
known that whcn thc Last )udgmcnt |s mcnt|oncd, cvcryonc
|mag|ncs ancvcntthatmustbc accompan|cd bythc dcstruct|on
o|thcwor|d,bya phys|ca| catastrophccmbrac|ngourtcrrcstr|a|
g|obc and br|ng|ng an cnd to thc v|s|b|c wor|d, and on|y thcn
thc dcad sha|| bc ra|scd" to bc brought to j udgmcnt. ut a||
thosc who acccpt such conjccturcs comp|ctc|y |gnorc thc |act
that thc |ntcrna| scnsc o|thcsc prophct|c statcmcnts thosc o|
thcApoca|ypsc,aswc||asthosco|thcGospc|o|Matthcwf0 |sa
scnsc that |s tota||y d|dcrcnt |rom thc appcaranccs o|thc ||tcra|
scnsc. thc hcavcn" docs not s|gn|[ thc astronom|ca| sky, thc
carth"docsnots|gn|[thctc|| ur|cmasso|ourp|anct, butdocs
s|gn|[thatEcclesia wh|ch|sthcsp|r|tua|wor|d,' and|t|s|nthc
sp|r|tua|wor|d that thc Judgmcnt has bccn pronounccd hcncc
|orth on our Ae of Iron.
72
Ccrta|n|y, thc v|s|on o|thc kngs o|
thc carth making war on thc horscman mountcd on thc wh|tc
horsc, who appcarcdwhcn hcavcn opcncd Rcv. 1 9: 1 1 d. ) , and
thato|thcdragonpursu|ng|nto thcw||dcrncssthcwomanwho
had brought |onh a man ch||d Rcv. I 2) , |nd|catc that much
t|mcw||| bc nccdcd |orthc sp|r|tua| scnsc to bc rccogn|zcd and
|orthcrc tobcarcsponsctothcca||o|thcangc|stand|ng|nthc
sun,gathcr|nga||thc|ow|sthatdy|nthcm|dsto|hcavcntothc
suppcro| thcgrcatGod Rcv. I 9. ! 7) .
7
'
Itwasj ustsa|dthatmucht|mcw|||bcnccdcd. "utbas|ca||y
what docs th|s cxprcss|on mcan? Wat docs thc succcss|on o|
t|mc"mcan,whcnthc thcqucst|on|sonco|ancsscnt|a||ysp|ri
tua| h|story? Kcpcatcd|y |n h|scnormous work Swcdcnborg rc
m|ndsusthat thc |dcaso|succcss|ono|t|mc and |oca||zat|on |n
an cxtcrna| spacc rc|atc on|y to our scnsory wor|d, |n thc
68 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
suprascnsoq wor|d cvcqth|ng cons|sts csscnt|a||y and un|quc|y
o|changcsand mod|hcat|onso|sp|r|tua| statcs, wh| ch maywc||
appcaras somcth|ng||kc t|mc and spacc, yct thc angc|s do not
havcthc|cast|dcao|whatwcca||t|mcandspacc. !t|sthcrca|
statco|cachpcrsonthatdctcrm|ncs,|nthcothcrwor|d,his t|mc
and his spacc, thus, t|mc bccomcs rcvcrs|b|c, spat|a| d|stanccs
vaqaccord|ngto |ntcns|tyo|dcs|rc. Th|smustncvcrbc|orgot
tcn, |nordcrnotto bcaston|shcdatsccncsthatSwcdcnborg, |n
thccoursco|h|s v|s|ons |n thc Sp|r|t,"w|tncsscd |nthatothcr
wor|dwhcrcrca||qis v|s|onandv|s|on ts rca||q. ltmusta|sonot
bc|orgottcnwhcn| t|samattcro|undcrstand|ngthcsense o|thc
sp|r|tua| h|stoq thatwc havc skctchcd s|ncc thc Antiquissima
Ecclesia, and that| scnurc|y d|dcrcnt hom what |sca||cd |n our
t|mcthcscnsco|h|stoq. "!t|scomp|ctc|yd|dcrcntbccauscthc
vcrbcana|waysbcputin the present tense; |t|sah|stoqthat|sa|
ways |mm|ncnt, whosc scnsc |s, conscqucntly, cm|ncnt|y
current, present. lnjust th|swaycc|cst|a| human|ty,|rom|tsor|
g|n,was not, is not | tsc||anyth|ngothcrthan thc seventh day o|
Crcat|on. lt |s thc s|x days o|Crcat|on, thc heaimeron, that
const|tutc thc kcy to th|s h|stoq and that g|vc |t |ts prcscnt
scnsc, bccauscwhatthcymcasurc |snotamorcor|cssmyth|ca|
cosmogony, but |s thc crcat|on, thc ra|s| ng up, o|thc spiritual
man. Ad |t |sw|th th|s tcach|ng that thc |mmcnscworko|thc
Arcana Coelesia opcns.
4. Te Hemeron oft Cration of Spirital Man
Howshou|dthchrstmochaptcrso|thc booko|Gcncs|sbcun
dcrstood |n thc|r |ntcrn, that |s, sp|r|tua|, scnsc? lt must bc
doncbyapp|y|ngwhatthcChr|st|anwor|dhassouttcr|y|orgot
tcn. thatcvcryth|ng|nthcWord,tothcsma||cstdcta|| ,cnvc|ops
and s|gn|hcs sp|r|tua| and cc|cst| a| th|ngs. !|th|s |s |gnorcd, |||c
|tsc||w|thdraws |rom thc dcad |cttcr, as thc cxtcrna| man d|cs
whcn hc |sscparatcd |rom thc |ntcrna| man. ln thc abscncc of
th|s, what c|sc |s thcrc to d|scovcr |n thc scnsc o|thc |cttcr ex
ccptthatthc subjccts trcatcdarc cosmogony, thc crcat|onof the
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 6
wor|d, thc Gardcn o|Edcn that|sca||cd Parad|sc, and Adam as
thc hrst man crcatcd? Wo wou|d |mag|nc anyth|ng c|sc? And
yct,|n|act, thchrstchaptcro|thcbooko|Gcncs|s|n|ts|ntcrna|
scnsctrcatso|thcncwcrcat|ono|man,h|sncwb| rth,that|s,h|s
spiritual reeneration, and thus o|thc cstab||shmcnto|thc An
tiquisima Ecclesia.
75
Now,thct| mcs,that| s, thcstates, o|thcsp|r|tua|rcgcncrauon
o|man arc d|v|dcd|ntos|xandarcca||cdthc s|xdays" orpcr|
odso|h|s crcat|on thchexaimeron ) , thcyprocccd|rom thc mo
mcnt whcn thcrc |s st||| nothing o|a man, to whcn thcrc |s
somcth|ngo|a man,andcndbyrcach|ngthcs|xth day,"whcn
hc bccomcs Imago Dei.
76
Aa|yzcdmorc c|osc|y, thc succcss|on
o|thcsc s|x days or pcr|ods bcg|nn|ng w|th prchuman|ty" |s
prcscntcd as |o||ows. thcfrst day |sthc statc o|ch||dhood, |o|
|owcd by thcstatc that |mmcd|atc|yprcccdcs rcgcncrat| on, th|s
.|sa statco|cmpuncss, "or th|ckdarkcss. "Thcsecond day or
sccondstatc |swhcnthcd|st|nct|on|smadc bctwccnth|ngsthat
bc|ong to thc internal man and thosc that bc|ong to thc exter
nal man, i n othcr words, thosc that bc|ong to thc Lord and
thosc thatarc charactcr|st|c o|man. Thc third day |sthato||n
tcrna| changc convcrs|on, metanoia ) ; hcncc|orth |t|sthc|ntcr
na| man that acts, but h|s works arc st||| inanimate th|ngs, bc
causc hc th|nks that thcy comc |rom h|msc||. Thcfourth day |s
thc statc o|man adcctcd by |ovc and cn||ghtcncd by |a|th, that
|s, by thc mo ||ghts" thatarc w| th|n h|m. ut |t| son|yon thc
ffth day thathc spcaks by|a|th and that thc works produccdby
h|m arc an|matcd", thcy arc ca||cd hsho| thc sca" and b|rds
o|thcsky. "
F|na||y,t hcsith day: thcsp|r|tua|man,who,bymcanso||a|th
and|ovcs|mu|tancous|y, acts accord|ngto and cxprcsscswhat|s
truc and good. Thc works that hc produccs arc thcncc|orth
ca||cd a ||v|ngsou| ,"andhch|msc|||sImago Dei. Ncvcrthc|css,
hisnatura||||cst|||hnds|tsp|casurcand|tssupport|nm|ngsthat
bc|ongto thc bodyand thc scnscs, thus,a combatpcrs|stsunt||
thc worko|thc s|xth day attai ns |ts comp|ct|on |n thc seventh,
7O Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
whcnundcrthc swayo|purc |ovc man bccomcscc|cst|a| . !n our
t|mc, howcvcr, most pcop|c do not go bcyond thc Grst statc, a
|cw ach|cvc thc sccondstatc, othcrs, thc th|rd, |ourth, and Ghh,
a|cw,thcs|xth,scarcc|yanyach|cvc thcscvcnthstatc.
What cmcrgcs |mmcd|atc|y |s thc d|st|nction madc bcmccn
thc sp|r|tua| man thc s|xth day) and thc cc|cst|a| man thcscv
cnth day) . Th|s didcrcnt|at|on corrcsponds to thc h|crarchy o|
thc Swcdcnborg|an hcavcn, and |t may bc sa|d that thc scvcn
days" charactcr|zc |n thc|r way thc dcgrccs o|Swcdcnborg|an
|n|t|at|on and sp|r|tua| h|crarchy. ut Swcdcnborg dcp|orcs thc
|act that |n ourt|mc, nonc havc bccn acquaintcd w|th thc na
turco|thccc|cst|a| man, and|cww|th thato|thc sp|r|tua|man,
whom |n conscqucncco|th|s|gnorancc thcy havccons|dcrcdto
bc thc samc as thc cc|cst|a| man, nom|thstand|ngthc grcat d||
|crcnccthatcx|sts bcmccnthcm. "
Wat |s th|s d|dcrcncc, charactcr| zcd as thc trans|t|on |rom
thc s|xth day to thc scvcnth day? !t |s sa|d o|thc sp|r|tua| man
thathc|s Imago Dei; butthc|magc |saccording to the likeness o|
thc modc|, |t |s not the ||kcncss |tsc||, thc s|m|||tudc. Thc sp|r|
tua| man |san |magc, hc |sca||cda son o| ||ght" John l 2. 35
36) , a |r|cnd" John I 5 . I 4 l 5 ) . Thc cc|cst|a| man is thc | |kc
ncss |tsc||, thc s|m|||tudc, hc |s ca||cd a son o|God" John
l . I 2- I 3 ) . " So |ong as man |s sp|r|tua| thc s|xth day) , h|s do
m|n|on procccds |rom thc cxtcrna| man to thc |ntcrna| . ut
whcnhcbccomcscc|cst|a| thcscvcnth day) , h|sdom|n|onpro
cccds|romthc|ntcrna|mantothccxtcrna| , bccausch| sact|v|ty
procccds|rompurc |ovc. "
Statcd c|car|y |n thc commcntaq on thc Grst two chaptcrs o|
Gcncs|s |s thc mndamcnta| |dca o|Swcdcnborgian anthropo|
og, dom|natcd by thc two catcgor|cs o||ntc|||gcncc and w||| .
th|ngs rc|at|ng to thc cogn|t|ons o||a|th arc ca||cd sp|r|tua|, a||
thosc that arc o||ovc |or thc Lord and thc nc|ghborarc ca||cd
cc|cst|a|, thc |ormcr bc|ong to man's |ntc|||gcncc, thc |attcr to
h|sw||| . ' W|thrcgardtothcd|dcrcnt|at|onthat|sundcrd|scus
s|on, wc havc thcn. thc sp|r|tua| man thc s|xth day) |s hc in
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 71
whomprcdom|natcthc|a|thandw|sdom thatbc|ongto thc | n
tc|||gcncc,th| s|sthc Imago Dei. Thccc|cst|a| man thc scvcnth
day) |s hc |n whom prcdom|natcs |ovc, wh|ch bc|ongs to thc
w| ||, and th|s pr|macy o||ovc |s the d|v| nc ||kcncss or s|m|||
tudc. Hcrc|n ||cs thc pro|ound mcan|ng o|thc vcrsc. Ma|c
and |cma|c crcatcd Hc thcm" Gcn. ! . 27) . Thc |ntc|||gcncc o|
thcsp|r|tua|man,that|s,a|| h|spowcro|undcrstand|ng,|swhat
thc mcn o|thc Antiquisima Ecclesia ca||cd thc male; w| ||, that
|s,thcmndamcnta|powcro||ovc,wh| ch|sthc hcart, thc nucleus
o| thc human bc|ng, |s what thcy ca||cd thc fmale. Thc con
junct|on o|thc twowas|or thcm thc archcqpc o|thc hcavcn|y
marr| agc. 'Thcappcarancco|Evcw|||bcundcrstood,aswcw|||
scc,on thcbas|so|thcsamcanthropo|ogy.
Thus, thc cnt|rc schcma o|th|s anthropo|ogy appcars |n pcr
|cct symmctqw|ththc doctr|nc o|thc thrcc hcavcns, thc thrcc
catcgor|cso|bc|ngswhohavcthc|rabodc"thcrc,andthcthrcc
scnscso|thc D|v|ncWord. ThcGrstchaptcro|thcbooko|Gcn
cs|sd|scusscsthcsp|r|tua| man,thcsccondchaptcrd|scusscsthc
cc|cst|a| man, thatmanwas|ormcd|rom thc dcad man. I ) Thc
dcad man, that |s, sp|r|tua||y dcad, docs not rccogn|zc anyth|ng
astrucandgoodcxccptthatwh|chbc|ongstothcmatcr|a|body
and to th|swor|d. Thc cnds that|nHucncch|mconccrnon|ythc
|||c o|th|swor| d. Evcn ||a suggcst|on|smadcto h|m rcgard|ng
know|cdgco|anothcrwor|d,asuprascnsoqwor|d,hcrcmscs|t,
hccannotbc||cvc|n| t. !|hcmustcon|rontacombat|n h|ssou|,
that|s,|nthccombat|orthcsou|,hc|sdc|catcd|nadvancc. Hc
|sthcs|avc o|h|scxtcrna| sc~|tudcs. |caro|thc|aw, o|thc|oss
o||||c, wca|th, and rcputat|on-a|| thc th|ngs that hc va|ucs |or
thcmsc|vcs. 2) Thc sp|r|tua|man acknow|cdgcsthc sp|r|tua|and
thccc|cst|a|asbc|ngthcTrucandthcGood,butthcbas|so|h|s
acts|sst|||apr|nc|p|co| |a|th,notpurc|ovc. Thccndsthat|ndu
cncc h|m conccrn thc |||c bcyond th|swor|d. H|s combat |or
thc sou| " |s a v|ctor|ous combat, hc kows on|ypurc|y |ntcrna|
bonds, thc bonds o|consc|cncc. 3 ) Thc cc|cst|a| man has not
on| yknow|cdgcbuta|sod|rcctperception of thcsp| r|tua|andthc
72 Swedenho' and Eoteric Islam
cc|cst|a| . Hc acknow|cdgcs no othcr |a|th but that wh|ch pro
cccds |rom |ovc, wh|ch |s thc pr|nc|p|c o|h|s act|on. Thc cnds
that |nducncc h|m conccrn thc Lord and H|s rca|m. Hc has
noth|ngmorc to combat,hc is thcv|ctor|ous onc,hc |s thcfee
being. Hc knows no othcr bonds but h|s pcrccpt|ons o| thc
Good, wh|ch |s thc ordcr o|hcavcn|y |ovc, and o| thc Truc,
wh|chprocccds|romthat|ovc.
From thc cnurcty o| thcsc charactcr|st|cs, a prcc|sc |caturc
standsout. thatd|rcct,|mmcd|atcperception, wh|ch|s thc d|v|nc
gracc |mpartcdtothc cc|csua| man. Th|s|sthcccntra| thcmco|
thc drama o|thc anthropo|ogy, o|thc h|stoq o|Adam. Thc
sp|r|tua| man |s st||| on|y thc s|xth day o|crcat|on, hc |sthc cvc
o|thc scvcnth day, thc cvc o|thc Sabbath. Whcn hc bccomcs
cc|cst|a| man, hc is thc scvcnth day, thc Sabbath, thc worko|
God, " bccausc thc Lord a|onc |ought |or h|m dur|ng thc s|x
days, that|s,crcatcd,|ormcd,andmadc h|m. Thcncc|orththc
cxtcrna|manobcysthc|ntcrna|manand|s|nh|ssc~|cc, thccc
|cst|a|man|sthcpcr|cctman, "comp|ctcbymcanso|thc|||co|
|a|th andthc|||c o||ovc, thc|||c o||a|thprcparcs h|m, but|t|s
thc |||c o||ovc thatmakcsh|m man, |or a man |ssuch as |s h|s
|ovc,cvcnastoh|s|ntc|||gcnccandh|s|a|th.
Thc cc|cst|a| man is h|msc||thc gardcn |n wh|ch|t |s sa|d that
thcLordsctman. !t|spcrm|ttcdh|mtoknowwhat|sgoodand
what |s truc by mcans o|a|| poss|b|c perceptions. Howcvcr, a|
thoughthcgardcn|she, |t|snothis; a||h|spcrccpt|onsarcact|
vatcd|n h|mby thc Lord, thc daywhcn hccons|dcrs thathccan
pcrcc|vc |rom h|msc||, that |s, whcn hcw||| want to |nvcst|gatc
thc arcana o| |a|th and o| thc suprascnsoq wor|ds, rc|at|ng
thcm toscnsoqth|ngs, to sc|cnt|Gc"th|ngs,wh|charcknow| -
cdgcso|thc cxtcrna| mcmoq,"onthatdaythc dcatho|h|s cc
|cst|a|naturcw|||occur. Thcnthcrcw|||bc an|ntcrrupt| on,|n
h|ssubtIcsp|r|tua|bc|ng, o|thatmystcr|ous|ntcrna|rcsp|rat|on,
thc naturc o|wh|ch wc havc no |dca about today, and that i s
whythcsubstanua| cx|stcncc o|somcth|ng| | kcthcspirit seems
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 73
|mprobab|ctosomany pcop| c, s|ncc thcy conmsc what |s con
notcdbythcwordspiritus w|ththc brcath o|thc|rphys|o|og|ca|
rcsp|rat|on.
Thcsc ||ncs skctch outthc mcan|ngo|thc hrstdramao|th|s
human|ty. L|kc thc drama |tsc||, thcy conccrn thc cntirc An
tiquisma Ecclesia, wh|chwasthcscvcnthday.Atthcsamct|mc,
a| | thc|ntcr|orrca||t|cs thc interiora) o|thcWord arc o|sucha
naturc that whatcvcr|s sa|d|n |t o|thc Ecclesia may a|so bc sd
o|cach|nd|v|dua|mcmbcr,|or| |cvcq|nd|v|dua|wcrcnoth|m
sc||an Ecclesia, a tcmp|c o|thc Lrd, hccou|dnotbc a parto|
thc Ecclesia, norcou|dhc bcwhat|ss|gn|hcdbythc tcmp|c",
|orthatrcasonthccnurcAntiquisima Ecclesia | sca||cdHomo | n
thc s|ngu|ar. " !t |s| nth|s monado|og|c rcc|proc|ty o|thc A||
and mc cvcry" that w||| now bc sccn thc |ntcrnal scnsc o|thc
drama that bcgan w|th thc dcc||nc o|th scvcnth day, a drama
thatwasby nomcansthcdramao|thcdcsh, "asapopu|arand
common cxcgcs|s wou|d havc |t, but a drama-thr drama-o|
human undcrstand|ngand consc|ousncss. On th|s po|ntthcrc |s
a str|kng accord bctwccn Swcdcnborg|an cxcgcs|s and !sma'|||
cxcgcs| s.
Howcvcr,asaprc|udctothccxp|anat|ono| thc|ntcrna|scnsc
o|th|sdrama,|t|sncccssaqabovca||tobcar|nm|ndthctcchn|
ca| dcta||s that Swcdcnborg g|vcs rcgard|ng what hc dcs|gnatcs
asperception. Thcrc |snokow|cdgc todayo|what|t|s, hcsays,
bccausc |tconccrnsa ccrta|n |ntcrna|scnsation,a sp|r|tua|scns|
t|v|ty"" thatcv|dcnt|y can bc on|y a paradox |or a|| agnost|c ra
uona||sm. ut thc cc|cst|a| mcn o| thc Antiquisima Ecclesia
kcwvcqwc|| what |t was, andwc havc rcady bccnto|d that
thcy partic|patcd |n thc pr|v||cgc o| m|s angc||c pcrccpt|on
whcrcas thc spir|ma| man has consc|cncc, but docs not havc
pcrccpt|on, and thc dcad man docs not cvcn havc consc|cncc) .
Icrccptionsarco|mo k| nds. onc cons|sts| npcrcc|v| ngd|rccdy
tmth or |a|s|q, thc bc|ng or non bc|ng o|a th|ng, and | n pcr
cc|v|ng a|so thc sourcc |tsc||o|thc thought, thcrc |s anothcr
74 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
k|nd,commontoangc|s and sp|r|ts,wh|chcons|sts|npcrcc|v|ng
thcquaI|tyo|abc|ngwhocomcstowardthcm, s|mp|ybymcans
o|h|sapproachandbyas|ng|conco|h|s|dcas. " '
W|th Swcdcnborg, howcvcr, thc thcoq o| th|s pcrccpt|on
procccds |rom a pro|ound|y and authcnt|ca| |y myst|ca| scnt|
mcnt. !t prcsupposcs a transparcncy, a pcr|cct trans|uccncc, | n
thcscnsc that thcbc| ngto whom |t |s |mpartcd kows that |n
cacho|h|sactso|undcrstand|ngandth|nking,w||||ngandact
|ng,thc act|vc Subjcct|s|n |actthc Lord H|msc||. " !n a way, |t
|sthcsubst|tutiono|cogitor |orthcCartcs|ancogito, and|t|sth|s
wh|chmakcso|thccc|cst|a|mana parad|sc, that|s,thc gardcn
o|thc Lord. " On thc othcr hand, thcrc arc sp|r|tswho cannot
doothc~|scthantoassumcthatthcyarcthcrca|agcntso|thc|r
actso|undcrstand|ng,o|thc|r|ntc|||gcncc, ando|thc|rw|sdom,
andthat||a| | th|swcrcto|ndow"|ntothcm, thcywou|dbcdc
pr|vcdo||||c, thcywou|dnotcx|st,and |twou|dbcanothcrwho
was th|nkng,not thcy thcmsc|vcs. Forthcsc, |t|s |mposs|b|c to
undcrstandwhatperception |sandwhat|||c |s, that|s,thcmystc
r|ous |ndux |rom thc sp|r|tua|wor|d,wh|ch |s thc ||ghto|cvcq
natura| man. "' Not bc|ng ab|c to undcrstand |t, thcy w|thdraw
|ntoan||| usorysc||,andthcmorc thcyH|ngto |t, thcmorc thcy
bccomc dark and opaquc to that ||ght. Thcy can no |ongcr rc
covcrwhat|t |s|nthcmthat|sthc|rtrucsc||, thcycomm|tanact
o|morta| con|us|on about thc human proprium; thcy arc cx
pc||cd|romthcgardcnthatmanh|msc||was,|nh| sbc|ng,|nthc
statco|d|v|nc transparcncy. uts|ncc man was that gardcn, to
bc cxpc||cd |rom |t |s noth|ng |css |or man than to bc cxpc||cd
|romh|msc||. Th|swasthcdccadcncco|thcAntiquisima Eccle
sia, that |s, o|thc cc|cst|a| pcrson, whosc postcr|ty was Gna||y
sudocatcdbythcF|ood.
5. Te Spiritl Snse of te Hisr of Adm
At thc r|sk o|ovcrs| mp||Gcat|on, |t |s ncccssary hcrc to summa
r|zc Swcdcnborg's|ongandvcqdcnscpagcsasconc|sc|yas pos -
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 75
s|b|c. !nasmuch as thcplace o|a sp|r|tua| bcing is h| s intcrna|
statc,thcgardcnorparad|sc |s,thcrc|orc,thccc|cstia|manh|m
sc||,h|s|ntcrna|statc.Thctrccso|thatgardcnarca||h|sposs|b|c
perceptions o||ovc and |ntc|||gcncc, o|thc Good and thc Truc,
wchavcjustsccnthctcchn|ca| mcaningo|this,and|t|sdcc|s|vc
|or what |o||ows. ut among thcsc trccs thcrc |s onc that hc
must not touch, on pain o| dcath. On thc |cvc| o| sp|r|tua|
hcrmcncut|cs,whatdocsth|s mcan? Thc cc|cst|a| man, thc man
o|thc Antiquisima Ecclesia, had a d|rcct pcrccption o|a|| thc
thingso|hcavcn throughd|rcctrc|at|onsw|th thcLordand thc
angc|s,throughrcvc|at|ons,v|s|ons,anddrcams. Wath|smodc
o|bc|ngpcrm|ttcdwas thc |nGn|ty o|thcsc pcrccpt|ons dcr|vcd
|romthc d|v|ncPr|nc|p|cacuvc|n h| m, but what h|s modco|bc
|ngproh|b|tcdwasmakngthcscpcrccptionsdcr|vc|romh|msc||
and |romthcwor|d,that |s, |nqu|r|ng|qto thc th|ngs o|hcavcn
by mcanso|thc th|ngs o|thc scnscs, th|ngs ca||cd sc|cnt|Gcs,"
|orthcnthccc|cst|a|aspccto||a|thisdcstroycd. Adcs|rc to|n
vcst|gatc thc mystcrics o||a|th bymcanso|thc th|ngs o|scnsc
ando|sc|cnt|Gcs,wasnoton|ythccausco|thc|a| | o|thcpostcr
|tyo|thcAntiqu
i
ma Ecclesia, astrcatcdo||nthcsccondchap
tcro|Gcncs|s, but|t|sa|sothccausco|thc|a||o|cvcqchurch,
|orhcncccomcnoton|y|a|s|tics,buta|socv||so||||c. ""
ccausc thc s|gn|Gcat|onthatthusbursts|orth |nth|schaptcr
o|Gcncs|s|spcrpctua||y|mmcd|atc, |ctusbcccrta|nthatwc arc
c|caras to what Swcdcnborg |s say|ng. To undcrstand hcavcn|y
th|ngs, suprascnsoq th|ngs, through thc mcd|um o| scnsory
th|ngs |s thc approach o|analogical undcrstand|ng, o|thc pcr
ccpt|on o|symbo|s. O|coursc, that |s not what |s rc|crrcd to
hcrc-namc|y, thc sc|cncc o|corrcspondcnccs," wh|ch |s, wc
havc sccn, thc prccm|ncnt sc|cncc, thc sc|cncc o| sc|cnccs,"
wh|ch our thcosophcr, who was a|so a grcat man o| sc|cncc,
h|msc||pract|ccd throughout h|s b|b||ca| commcntar|cs, show
|ng, |or cxamp|c, how thc anatomy o|thc human bra|n can rc
vca| |or us ana|og|ca||y thc topographyo|hcavcnas Homo max
im us. No, thc |au|t" hcrc wou|d bc prccisc|y to |orgct thc
76 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
approach o|ana|og|ca| rcason|ng, thc anaphora, |n ordcr to rc
qu|rc |n |ts stcada sc|cnt|hc dcmonstrat|on,rcduc|ng thc ana|o
gousto thc |dcnt|ca| . Thc |orb|ddcn trcc, thc |orb|ddcnkow|
cdgc, |s what thc pcrson o|th|s wor|d | ays c|a|m to whcn hc
rcqu|rcsthatcv|dcncc|or thc suprascnsoqm|ngso||a|thshou|d
bc g|vcn to h|m by mcans o||og|ca| and cmp|r|ca| dcmonstra
t|on, w|thout wh|ch hc rcmscs thcm any adhcrcncc. Now, th|s
rcqu|rcmcntandthc know|cdgc that|tpostu|atcsprocccd |rom
man'sproprium, that|s,|roma pcrsonwho|s|so|atcd |rom thc
Pr|nc|p|cthat|sh|s|||c andh|s||ght. Suchknow|cdgc|sa|so|m
poss|b|cbccausc |twou|dv|o|atcthcordcro|th|ngs. !tc|a|msto
ass|m||atcrat|ona||ythcsuprascnsorytothcscnsoq,toc|| m|natc
thc |ormcrbyd|m|n|sh|ngth|ngstothc|rscnsoqappcaranccor
rcduc|ngthcmtothc|rmathcmat|ca|cqu|va|cnt,wh|ch|sthccx
act oppos|tc o|ana|og|ca|-that |s, hcrmcncut|ca|-know|cdgc.
Th|s k|nd o|know|cdgc rccc|vcs |ts ||ght hom thc Thrcsho|d
that |t crosscs, whcrc |||c |s, thc othcr sort procccds on|y |rom
thc man o|th|s wor|d, rcma|ns on th|s s|dc o|thc wor|d, and
bcarsdcathw|th|n |tsc||" !nourday,wc knowqu|tcwc||how
ccrta|n |orccaststcrmcdsc|cnt|hc"c|a|mtodcscr|bcthc mturc
o|human|ty,a|| thcwh||c|gnor|ngcvcqth|ngaboutthcThrcsh
o|dthat|t|sncccssaq|orthcmtocross.
Now, |t |s th|sdramathat|srccountcdby thc hrstthrccchap
tcrs o| Gcncs|s, |n thc h|stoq" o|thc Antiquisima Ecclesia
|rom|tshrstpcr|od,thato||ts dowcr|ng,whcnmanwas acc|cs
t|a|man, to thc pcr|ods o|| ts dcc||ncandd|sappcarancc. !nor
dcrtograspwc||thc|ntcnt|onso|Swcdcnborg|anhcrmcncut|cs,
|t |s |mportant to group togcthcr scvcra| csscnt|a| |caturcs. thc
Antiquissima Ecclesia |sthconcthat|sdcs|gnatcdasHomo, man
|nthc abstract,who, aswc a|rcady know, wascrcatcd ma|c and
|cma|c,thcs|gn|hcat|ono|wh|chwca|soknow. Thc|a||,thcdc
c||nc, and thc d|sappcarancc o||ts postcr|tyw||| bc causcd by an
|ncrcas|ngattachmcnttowhatSwcdcnborgdcs|gnatcsasthchu-
man proprium. Wat conncct|on |s thcrc, thcn, bctwccn t hese
morcprcscntationso|Homo andh|sproprium?
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutic 77
!n Swcdcnborg'svocabu|aqth|s |attcrword dcs|gnatcswhat
bc|ongs pcrsona||y to an |ndiv|dua| , h|s seood, h|s ipseit
Selbstheit) . ut th|spcrsona||psc|tycan bcconsc|ouso|| tsc||as
|nscparab|c|rom|tsPr|nc|p|c,|t|sthcn transparcntto!t, thc|||c
and ||ght that arc w|th|n |t arc thc |||c and ||ghto||ts Pr|nc|p|c
th|s |s thc statc that |s cxprcsscd |n !s|am|c sp|r|tua||ty by thc
say|ng Hc who knows h|msc||knows h|s Lord") . Or c|sc, on
thc contrary, |t can rcgard |tsc||as though |t cx|stcd |ndcpcn
dcnt|yo||tsPr|nc|p| c, |tcnc|oscs|tsc||w|th|n|tshct|tiousauton
omy, and at thc samc t|mc |t cnvc|ops |tsc||w|th darkcss and
succumbs to ann|h||at|onanddcath. Th|s|sthckcytothcstatcs
o|a pcrson's proprium, o| h|s |psc|ty, accord|ng to wh|ch hc
acts-|n con|orm|q w|th thc schcma o|thc anthropo|ogy that
wca|rcadyknow-|romthccc|cst|a|pcrson,thcsp|r|tua|pcrson,
orthcmatcr|a|pcrson. Forthc|ast,h|sonsc||,h|sproprium, |s
abso|utc|ycvcqth|ng,hcdocsnot|mag|ncthathccancont|nuc
to be ||hc|oscs|t. Forthcsccond,thcsp|r|tua|pcrson,thc|cc|
| ngandthc conv|ct|on that h|s Pr|nc|p|c thc Lrd) |s |tsc|F'
thc powcr o|th|nk|ng and act|ng w|th|n h|m const|tutc, |n a
way, thcorctica| know|cdgc. On|y thc hrst, thc cc|cst|a| pcrson,
hasthcactua| pcrccpt|ono|| t. !nadd|t|on,a|though hc hasno
dcs|rc |or |t, a proprium, a sc|||stru|y g|vcn to h|m. !t|s a sc||
||kc thato|an angc| ,who,|nsuprcmcscrcn|ty,tastcsthcjoy o|
govcm|ng h|msc||by a sc||, a proprium, whcrc thcrc arc a||
th|ngsthatarco|thc Lord H|msc||. "Th|s|sthctrucproprium,
thccc|cst|a|Sc||,whcrcasthato|thcmatcr|a|pcrson|sthc|n|cr
na|sc||,hc|||tsc||.
96
Thcncc|orth, cvcnts|o||owcd |nr|goroussucccss|on. thcpos
tcnty o|thc Antiquisima Ecclesia was not d|sposcd to dwc||
alonc, "that|s,tobcgu|dcdbyth|s|ntcrna|proprium, th| scc|cs
t|Sc||. L|kcanothcrEcclesia | atcr,|tdcs|rcd tobcamongthc
nauons. "Ad bccausc|tdcs|rcd th|s, |t |s sa|d, |t|s not good
thatthcman shou|d bca|onc" Gcn. 2: 1 8) .
97
Thcna dccps|ccp
|c||uponthcman Gcn. 2: 2 1 ) . Th|ss|ccp|sthcstatc|ntowh| ch
manwas|cdtothcpo| ntthat| tsccmcdtoh|mthathcposscsscd
78 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
h|s own |psc|ty, that hcwas h|msc||by mcanso|h|msc||, a statc
that |s, |n |act, a dccp s|ccp, bccausc wh||c hc |s |n |t a pcrson
knows on|y that hc ||vcs, th|nks, spcaks, and acts |rom h|msc||.
Whcn hcbcg|nstorccogn|zcthc || |us|ono|th|s,hcrouscsh|m
sc||andwakcsupasthoughcmcrg|ng|romadccps|ccp. "
H| s waking |rom th|s s|ccp |s, accord|ng to thc b|b||ca| ac
count, prcc|sc|y thc momcnt whcn thc Lord, hav|ng |ash|oncd
onc o|thc man' s r|bs" |nto a woman, gavc hcr to h|m Gcn.
2. 22) . Thc man was no |ongcr a|onc. O|coursc, th|s |s not a
mattcr o| somc sort o| surg|ca| opcration pcr|ormcd on thc
phys|ca|pcrsono|thc|nd|v|dua|Adam,but|t|samattcro|onc
o|thc most pro|ound arcana that thcrc | s to mcd|tatc upon.
Th|s r| b, " th|s c|cmcnt o|thc bony systcm that surrounds thc
chcstandthc hcart, symbo||zcsthcproprium o|man,|or as thc
angc|so|hcavcnscc|t,thcproprium, thc|nmostsc||o|man,ap
pcars as somcth|ng bony, |nan|matc, ||kc a dcad and |||usory
th|ng, a|though |t appcars to man h|msc||as somcth|ng rca| . !n
|act, |||||c |rom h| s Pr|nc|p|c thc Lord) |s w|thdrawn, hc |a||s
dcad, ||kc a stonc that |a| | s. On thc othcr hand, wh||c hc has
w|th|n h|m-and knows that hc has w|th|n h|m-|||c |rom h|s
Pr|nc|p|c h|sLord) , h|sproprium no|ongcrappcars||kcboncto
thc angc|s, butsccmsto thcm||v|ngdcsh, thatdcsho|wh|ch|t
|swr|ttcnthat|ttookthcp|acco|thcr| b. ""Thcwoman,Evc,|s,
thcrc|orc, mcproprium, thc sc||o|man, v|v|hcd by thc Lord.
That|swhy|t|ssa|dnot thatthc womanwascrcatcd," but that
thc man's r| b, " h|s |nmost sc||, h|s proprium, was |ash|oncd
|ntoawoman. ' ""
Lct us rcturn, thcn, to thc prcv|ous cxcgcs|s' "' o|thc vcrsc
thatconccrncd notAdam thc | ndiv|dua|, but Homo: Ma|c and
|cma|c crcatcd Hc thcm" Gcn. I . 27) . Th|s cxcgcs|s tcachcs us
thatthc mascu||nc orman( vir) s|gn|hcsorsymbo||zcsthc|ntc|
||gcnccandcvcryth|ngthat rc|atcsto| t, conscqucnt|ya| | th|ngs
o|w|sdom and |a|th, wh||c thc |cm|n|nc or woman s|gn|hcs or
symbo||zcsthcw|| | , conscqucnt|ya||th|ngsrc|at|ngto|ovc, and
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 7
conscqucnt|y rc|at|ng to |||c, s|ncc |||c procccds on|y |rom
|ovc. ' " Now,thcpowcrdcs|gnatcdasw|| ||sthc nucleus, thc|n
mosthcart o|thc human bc|ng. !t |s a|so sa|d thatthc Tree of
Life, wh|ch |s | ovc and |rom wh|ch |a|th dcr|vcs, was |n thc
m|dsto|thcgardcn,"that|s,|nthcw||| , thchcarto|thc|ntcrna|
man. ' "' Thc |cm|n|nc |n thc human bc|ng, or man's |ntcrna|
|cm|n|nc,|s, thcrc|orc, man's sc||, h|sproprium, butasc||that|s
transparcntto thc Pr|nc|p|c thatv|v| hcs|t,|orascc|cst|a| man |s
const|tutcd on thc morn|ng o| thc scvcnth day, hc |s Homo,
mascu||ncand|cm|n|nc( mas fmineus, sa|dthca|chcm|sts ) , that
|s-a|though thc word was not uttcrcd by Swcdcnborg-h|s
sp|r|tua| const|tut|onwasandrogynous morc prcc|sc|y, |nSwc
dcnborg| an tcrms, thc sp|r|tua| const|tut|on o| thc andrognc
pcrs|sts |n thc cc|cst|a| couple, and that |swhy |t |s sa|d that thc
two mcmbcrs o|that coup|c arc a s|ng| angc| , cach bc|ng thc
rcc|proca| " o| thcomcr) . ' "
Yct, thc postcr|q o|th|s Homo |nc||ncd to a dcs|rc that was
thc rcason |or thc d|v|nc rcmark, !t|s not good that thc man
shou|d bc a|onc. " Thc |ormat|on o| Evc thus symbo||zcs a
proccsso|cxtcr|or|

|ng,o|objcct||ng, thc Sel o|man, h|spro

prium. That|swhy,| nthchrstcasc,thc|cm|n|ncsymbo||zcsthc
Sel thc proprium o|thc internal man; thcncc|orth |t symbo|
|zcs thc sel thc proprium o|thc external man. Mcd|tat|ng at
tcnuvc|yuponSwcdcnborg'sdcnscpagcs,onccannotbutrcca||
thc commcntaq o|)acob ochmc on thcsc samc vcrscs o|thc
booko|Gcncs|s. howAdamwasscparatcd|romSophia, thcbc
trothcdo|h|syouth,"h|s|cm|n|ncsc||,andhowEvc, h|scxtcr
na| |cm|n|nc, was g|vcn to h|m |n compcnsauon. Evc |s, thcn,
bc|orc Adam's tr|umphant grcct|ng, thc bctrothcd andw||c. "
Adam Evc | s thc soph|an|c coup|c, bccausc Evc | s thcproprium
o| Adam, h|s proprium v|v|hcd by thc D|v|nc Prcscncc, mc
Adam Evccoup|chasthcpcrccpt|ono|a||thcGoodo| |ovcand
thcTrutho||a|th andconscqucnt|yposscsscsa||w| sdomanda||
|ntc|||gcncc |n |ncdab|cjoy. Th|s|swhatSwcdcnborg a|so Gnds
8O Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
s|gn|hcd |n a vcrsc o| Jcrcm|ah 3 I . 22) , whcrc |t |s sa|d. Jcho
vahhathcrcatcd a ncwth|ng|nthccarth, a woman sha||com
passa man. "!t|sthchcavcn|ymarr|agcthat|ss|gn|hcd|nth|s
passagc a|so, " hc says, whcrc by a 'woman' |s mcant thc Sc||,
thc proprium v|v|hcd by thc Lord, o|wh|ch woman thc cxprcs
s|on' to compass'|sprcd|catcd, bccauscth|sproprium th|sSc|[
|ssuchthat|tcncompasscs, asa r|bmadcdcshcncompasscsthc
hcart . " ' "
!t |s,howcvcr,j ustmcrc, |n thatcxtcr|or|zauono|thc Sel o|
thc vcq |psc|q orproprium, that thc sccd o|dangcr |s |ound.
For thc cxtcr|or|zation o|thc proprium borc with|n |tsc||thc
thrcato|dcs|rcs|orpowcr,posscss|vcdcs|rcsthatw|||bcthcdc
struct|ono|cc|cst|a||ovc and marriagc. Thcrc |s astr|k|ngpara|
|c||sm bctwccn thc drama o|know|cdgc, thcdcc||nc o|human
cc|cst|a|consc|ousncss,ononchand,asSwcdcnborghnds|ts|g
n|hcd |n thc hrst chaptcrs o|Gcncs|s, and, on thc othcr hand,
thccontrastbctwccncc|cstia||ovcanddcbauchcd,|n|crna||ovc,
a contrastthat|nsp|rcd onc o|h|s mostbcaut|m| books, a book
that|sonc o|thcr|chcst| ndoctr|ncand|nv|s|on, andoncthat
pcrhaps concca|s thc vcq |oundat|on o|h|s thought. ' " !n thc
hrst cc|cstia| pcrson, thc |ntcrna| pcrson was so wc|| didcrcnt|
atcd |rom thc cxtcrna| pcrson that hc pcrcc|vcdwhat bc|ongcd
to thc onc and to thc othcr, and hc pcrcc|vcd how thc Lord
govcrnsthccxtcrna| pcrson bymcanso|thc|ntcrna|pcrson. H|s
postcr|q,howcvcr,cxpcr|cnccdan|ncrcas|ngdcs|rc |orthcpro
prium that bc|ongs to thc cxtcrna| pcrson, such a rad|ca| a|tcr
at|oncnsucdthatpcop|cno|ongcrcvcnpcrcc|vcdthcd|dcrcncc
bcmccnthc |ntcrna| pcrsonand thc cxtcrna| pcrson, but |mag
|ncdthatoncwas|nd|stingu|shab|c|romthcothcr. ' " Hcrc|n|s
thc or|g|n o|that ycarn|ng to posscss a know|cdgc that g|vcs
posscss|on cvcn o| thc |nacccss|b|c objcct-|nacccss| b|c to a||
know|cdgc othcr than a pcrccpt|on o|thc |a| th dcr|v|ng |rom
|ovc. Th|sycarn|ngw|| | bcthcdcath o|thccc|cstia|pcrson.
Suchwas thc dcst|ny o|thc th|rd postcr|ty o|thc Antiquis
sima Ecclesia: doubt. !t was thc dcst|ny o|pcop|c who mai n-
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 8 1
ta|ncd thatthcrc shou|d bc no |a|th |n rcvca|cd th|ngs, that thc
cx|stcncc o| suprascnsoq sp|r|tua| wor|ds shou|d not bc ac
ccptcd, cxccpt on cond|t|on that thcy wcrc sccn and pcrcc|vcd
by common cmp|r|ca| know|cdgc. ' " Thc scrpcnt, a|| k|nds o|
scrpcnts,|nanc|cnttimcsa|waysdcs|gnatcdthoscwhohadmorc
trust |n th|ngs prcscntcd to thc|r scnscs than |n rcvca|cd and
suprascnsoqth|ngs. Thc|rgu||c hasbccn|ncrcascdcvcnmorc |n
our t|mc, whcn thcy command an cnt|rc arscna| o|know|cdgc
ca||cd sc|cnt|Gc," wh|ch was unknown to thc anc|cnts. Somc
t|mcs |t |s thc pcrson who bc||cvcs on|y h|s scnscs,somctimcs|t
|s thc sc|cnt|st, somct|mcs thc ph||osophcr. Hcrc Swcdcnborg
rcturnstoh|s|avor|tcthcmc,|orh|scnt|rcwork-thato|th|nkcr
andthato|v|s|onaq-|stcst|monytothccx|stcncco|asp|r|tua|
wor|d morc substant|a| , r| chcr |n | magcs and |orms, than thc
scnsory wor| d, whcrcas thc dcn|crs agrcc |n rcjcct|ng |ts cx|s
tcncc. Thcyspcako|thcspirit |ntcrmsthatthcythcmsc|vcsdo
notundcrstand. Cartcs|an|sm|spart|cu|ar|y rc|crrcd to hcrc, |or
at bcst thc ph||osophcrconscnts|n amrm|ngthat thc sp|r|t|so|
thc thought, butthcnhcrcmovcs|romthc sp|r|tany substant|a|
|tythatwou|dmakc| ntc|||g|b|c|ts|ndcpcndcnccw|th rcspcctto
thc phys|ca|organ|sm. ' ""A|| , thcrc|orc, havc pro|ancdand con
t|nuc to pro|anc thc Trcc o| Kow|cdgc by ma|nta|n|ng that
know|cdgc o|suprascnsoq th|ngs may bc subjcctcd to postu
|atcs,|aws, and dcmonstrat|onso|cmp|r|ca|kow|cdgc,butbc
|ngunab|c to succccd, thcy dcc|arc thatsuprascnsoqth|ngsarc
noncx|stcnt. !t |s prcc|sc|y th|s that thc cc|cst|a| pcrson o|thc
Antiquissima Ecclesia rc|ra|ncd|romdo|ngatthcbcg|nn|ng,but
|t|stoth|sthath|spostcr|tysuccumbcd. ' ' "
Thc changc |s |nd|catcd |n anc|oqucntsymbo||sm. At thc bc
g|nn|ng|t|ssa|d Gcn. 2: 9) that|twasthcTrcco|L||c thatwas
|n thc ccntcr o|thc gardcn thc gardcn that man h|msc||was ) .
Thcn, dur|ngthcconvcrsat|onbctwccnthcscrpcntandEvc,| t |s
thcTrcco|Kow|cdgc,thcTrcco|wh|choncmustnotcat,that
i s s|tuatcd |n thc ccntcr o|thc gardcn Gcn. 2 : 1 7, 3. 3) . !t|sno
|ongcr thc samc pcrson-or thc samc human statc. Thc pcrson
82 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
|or whom thc Trcc o|L||c |s |n thc ccntcro|thc gardcn |s thc
pcrson | n whom |ovc prcdom|natcs, thc pcrson |or whom a||
know|cdgcanda||w|sdomprocccd|rom|ovc,|t|sa|sobymcans
o||ovcthatsuchapcrsonknowswhat|a|th|s. Wcnthatgcncr
at|onhadd|sappcarcd, thcrc wasthcpcrson|orwhom|twasno
|ongcrthcTrcc o|L||c, butthcTrcc o|Kow|cdgc,thatwas| n
thcccntcro|thcgardcn,thcordcro||orccs |srcvcrscd. !t|sno
|ongcr by mcans o| |ovc that pcop|c havc know|cdgc o| thc
th|ngso||a|th,but|t|sbymcanso| kow|cdgcso| |a|ththcycan
a|sohavckow|cdgco|what|ovc|s,a|thoughamongmostthcrc
|srarc|yanyth|ngbutapurc|ythcorct|ca|kow|cdgc. ' ' '
Th|s changc, now, prcparcs thc trans|t|on |rom1 antcd||uvan
human|ty to postd||uv|an human|ty, |rom thc Antiquisima Ec
clesia to thc Antiqua Ecclesia, |rom thc cc|cst|a| pcrson to thc
sp|r|tua| pcrson. Thc charactcr o|thc Grst was tota||y d|dcrcnt
|rom that o|thc sccond, but somcth|ng o|thc cc|cst|a| sccd o|
thc Grst passcd | nto thc sccond, at |cast among thosc whowcrc
savcd |romwhat|sdcs|gnatcdasthcF|ood. Thc major|ty o|thc
othcrs procccdcd toward thc catastrophc. Thc fourth posterit
was thc oncthatsawthatthc Trcc was good |or|ood", |tcom
pr|scd thoscwhoa||owcd thcmsc|vcs tobc scduccd bythc|ovc
o|sc||, cons|dcrcdthc|rproprium, thc|r sc||posscsscd |n|tsown
r|ght and w|thout transparcncc, as thc sourcc o|thc|r know|
cdgc, and rcmscd to bc||cvc |n th|ngs rcvca|cd un|css thcy saw
thcm conGrmcd by thc th|ngs o|thc scnscs, by |og|ca| orsc|cn
t|Gc kow|cdgc. Thc nakedness that |r|ghtcncd thcm was prc
c|sc|y th|s. thc surrcndcrto thc|rown |psc|ty, thcy |ound thcm
sc|vcs str|ppcd o| |ntc|||gcncc and w|sdom, bccausc hav| ng
bc||cvcd thatthcyhad|ound thc sourcc o|thcsc |n thcmsc|vcs,
thcy|ound noth|ng thcrc but thc ||| us|on o|thcmsc|vcs. Thus,
thcywcrcnaked w|thrcspccttothcTrucandthcGood. Thcd|
v| ncvo|cc that thcyhcard|n thc pro|ancd gardcnwasthc |ntc
r|or vo|cc, mc |ast vcst|gc o|thc cc|cst|a| pcrccpti on that thcy
had posscsscd. ' ' Hcrc aga|n wc obsc~c a rcmarkab|c convcr
gcncc w|m !sma'||| gnos|s, wh|ch |ntcrprcts Adam's transgrcs
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 83
s|onasabrcach| nthcrc|at|onsh|pbcmccnihir and bifn, thc
cxtcrna| and thc|ntcrna| ,thccxotcr|candthccsotcr|c scc|n|ra,
2) . Hcrc, thc brcach |s consummatcd w|th thcffh posterit,
cxpc||cd |rom Parad|sc. Thcrcahcr thc Chcrub|m prcvcntcd ac
ccsstoi t. c|orcthcm|sthcdamco|a turn|ngsword, wh|ch |s
thc|ovco|sc||and|tsscnsc|cssdcs|rcs,|tspcrsuas|onsthatpush
mantowanttorccntcrParad|sc,buthc|scont|nua||ydungback
toward matcr|a| and tcrrcstr|a| th|ngs. For thc Trcc o|Kow|
cdgc hav| ngbccnpro|ancd,hcncc|orth |t |s acccsstothc Trcc o|
L||c that|s|orb|ddcn. ' ' '
Thc statcs o|thc Antiquisima Ecclesia wcrc |n thc |o||ow|ng
succcss|on. ( I ) Homo |n thc statc o|oncncss mascu||nc |cm|
n|nc) , 2)cxtcrna||zat|ono||psc|ty,o|thcproprium, s|gn|Gcdby
thc |ormat|on o|Evc, 3) thc appcarancc o|doubt, 4) thc |a| | ,
5 ) thccxpu|s|on |rom Parad|sc. Thcs|xthandscvcnth postcr|
t|cs Gcn. 3. 24) |c|| bc|ow thc |cvc| o|man, thcsc cx||cs |rom
Parad| sc, whosc corrupt|on was cvcn grcatcr bccausc thcy |c||
|rom ah|ghcrdcgrcc, wcrc thcpcop|co|thcF|ood. Chaptcrs 4
and 5 o|thc book o|Gcncs|s trcat o|thc dcgcncrat|on o|thc
Antiquissima Eccl

sia.
l 1 4
Thc tcn namcs Scth, Enoch, Kcnan,
ctc . ) that arc sprcad out |n thc coursc o| chaptcr 5, up to
Noah,
l l S
s|gn|[notpcrsona||nd|v|dua|s,butdoctr|ncs,schoo|s,
stagcs|nthcdcc||nco|thcAntiquisima Ecclesia, unt||Gna||yno
morcrcma|ncxccptthcsma||numbcrdcscr|bcdundcrthcnamc
o|Noahasthc Nova Ecclesia, rccmcrg|ng|romthcdarkncss. ' '
6. Te Spirital Snse of the Hior of Noah
And God saw that thc w|ckcdncss o| man was grcat |n thc
carth, and that cvcq | mag|nauon o|thc thoughts o|h|s hcart
was on|y cv|| cont|nua||y" Gcn. 6. 5) . !n thc |i tcra| scnsc thc
carth|swhcrcman|s,but|nthc| ntcrna|scnsc|t|swhcrc|ovc|s,
s|ncc man|ssuchas|sh|s|ovc. Now,|ovc |src|atcdtothc bas|c
and const|tut|vc |orcc orrca||ty |nman that|sca||cdw|| | , th|s|s
why thccarths|gn|Gcshcrcthc w||||tsc||o|man, |or |t |s|rom
84 Swedenbot and Eoteric Islam
his bas|c w|||ing that man is man, and not so much |rom his
know|cdgc andintc|||gcncc, |ormcscon|yprocccd|rom hisba
sicrca|iq,to such ancxtcntthathcwantsnc|thcrto know nor
toundcrstandwhatdocsnotprocccd|romit. ' '
On thc othcr hand, Noah" s|gn|hcs a Nova Ecclesia, wh|ch,
wcknow, wi|| bc ca||cd Antiqua Ecclesia todistingu|sh it |rom
both thc onc that prcccdcd it, bc|orc thc F|ood, and thc onc
that succccdcd it. ' ' ut thc statc o|cach d|dcrs pro|ound|y
|rom thc othcr. Wc havc a|rcady sccn m|s didcrcncc dcscribcd.
Thc pcop|c o|thc Antiquissima Ecclesia had an immcdiatc and
dircctpcrccptiono|thcDivincGoodando|thcTruththatpro
cccds|rom|t.Thosco|thcAntiqua Ecclesia, Noah,"no|ongcr
had d|rcct pcrccpt|on, but thcy had a conscicncc and know|
cdgc. Now, d|rcct pcrccpt|on dcsignatcs somcthing othcr than
conscicncc vu|ncrab|c, i||t|sa|onc, toa||sortso|doubts) , and
it a|so is thc cntirc didcrcncc bctwccn thc pcrson thatSwcdcn
borg charactcr|zcs as thc cc|cst|a| pcrson and thc onc that hc
dcsignatcs asthcspir|tua| pcrson. Forthchrst, itwasbymcans
o| |ovcthathcwasgivcntopcrccivca||truths,thosco|thc|ntc|
|igcnccando||aith, i nh| m, |aithandknow|cdgcwcrc |ovc. Thc
pcrsono|thcAntiqua Ecclesia bccamccntirc|ydidcrcnt. ' ' "
A a prc|udcto his cxcgcsiso|chaptcr6 o|Gcncsis,Swcdcn
borgrcpcatsthcwarn|ngthathchasrcitcratcdinh| sbooks. No
onccansccorundcrstandthchistoqo|Noahinitstrucscnsci|
hc intcndstoapp|yhimsc||cxc|us|vc|ytothcscnsco|thc|cttcr,
|orhcrcagainthcstle that|sh|stor|ca||nappcarancc|s|nrca||q
symbo|ic, that is, mctahistor|ca| , |t is not a mattcr o|cxtcrna|
cvcnts that wou|d imposc thcir coursc upon a h|stor|ca| narra
tivc, |t |s a mattcro|cvcntso|thc sou|thatarc histor|c|zcd" |n
thc |ormo|cxtcrna|histoq. ' "ThcEcclesia cal|cdNoahwasthc
rcsiduc, thc rcmains," o| thc Antiquis ima Ecclesia that was
savcd, |t |s that which is signihcd by thc Ark and which |s dc
scribcdinthcmcasurcmcnts andthcp|ano|thcArk' ' How|s
thcArk uscdas a symbo| to dcscribc thc|ormation o|th|s new
Ecclesia?
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 85
!|| t | s |ts symbo|, | t | s bccausc cvcryth|ng that |||c st||| pos
scsscdandwasworthyo|posscss|ngwasrccc|vcd| nto|t. utbc
|orc |tcou|dbcsctup,|twasncccssaqthatthcmano|thcncw
Ecclesia shou|dpassthrougha||sortso|ordca|s, wh|charcs|gn|
hcdanddcscr|bcdasthcr|s|ngo|thcAkuponthcwatcrso|thc
F|ood,|tsdoat|nganddr|mngonthcsur|acc, thc|ongdurat|on
o|thc voyagc, unu| th|s man hna||y bccamc a sp|r|tua| man, a
man who was || bcratcd and |rcc, towhom |t cou|d bc sa|d. Go
|orth|romthcAk. "' Thcwho|cta|csccms||kc thc accounto|
a |ong|n|t| atoqordca|,and|t|s|mportanttostrcsshowc|osc|y
Swcdcnborg's hcrmcncutics agrcc w|th what trad|t|ona|" sc|
cnccs tcach us, and how,|orthc|rpart, thc |attcrarc conGrmcd
by thc tcst|monyo|v|s|onaq cxpcr|cnccs that sustain h|s sp|r|
tua| hcrmcncut|cso| thc|b|c.
Thcstatco|thc pcrsono|thc Ecclesia ca||cdNoah|s thusthat
o| a pcrson | n whom thc organs o| thc | ntcrna| pcrson arc
c|oscd,| nthcscnscthatthcycanno|ongcrhavc d|rcctcommu
n|cat| onw|ththcsp|r|tua|wor|d,w|thHcavcn, "cxccpt|nsuch
awaythatthc pcrsonrcma|nsunconsc|ouso||t. Hcncc|orth hc
must bc |nstructcd |n |t bycxtcrna| mcans, thosc o|thc scnscs
and scnsory th|ngs, hc must |carn how to transmutc thcsc |nto
symbo|s. Th|s w||| bc poss| b|c, thanks to what has bccn prc
sc~cd o||mmcd|atc rcvc|ations or cc|csua| |dcas" o|thc An
tiquissima Ecclesia; thcsc w||| bc thc doctrinalia prcsc~cd by
Enoch, o|whom|t|ssa|d that Godtookh|m" Gcn. 5 . 24) , bc
causcthcsc detninalia-at thc momcntwhcnhcwastakcn"-
wcrcnoto|uscorpurposctoanyonc. ' '
!n add|t|on, thc statc o|human|ty rcprcscntcd | n thc Noah
Ecclesia as a rcs|duc, rcma|ns" savcd |romthc or|g|na| cc|csua|
Ecclesia among thc cx||cs hom Parad|sc, |s rcvca|cd |n thc pro-
|ound scnsc o|mcsc words. Ad thc Lord shut h|m [ Noahj
| nj to thc Ark] " Gcn. 7: 1 6) . Thc man Noah cou|d no |ongcr
havc|ntcr|orcommun|cauon w|th hcavcn. !n |act, a commun|
cat|onrcmaincdposs|b|c,|orthcdcgrccsandmoda||ticso|com-
mun|cat|onw|ththc sp|r|tua|wor|darc||m|t|css,cvcnancv||or
86 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
ma|cvo|cntpcrsonhas onc,howcvcrwcak and rcmotc|tmaybc,
bymcanso|thcangc|swhoarcncarh|m,othc~|sc thcpcrson
wou|d not cvcn bc ab|c to cx|st. S|ncc thc door was shut,"
though,thcsp|r|tua|wor|dshavcnotbccnopcnasthcywcrc|or
thc man o|thc Antiquissima Ecclesia. Ahc~ard, many pcop|c,
such as Moscs, Aaron, and numcrousothcrs, had convcrsat|ons
w|thsp|r|ts andangc|s,but|nan cnt|rc|yd|dcrcnt manncr. Thc
barr|cr|so|suchak|ndandthcrcason|or|t|ssodccp|yh|ddcn
that thc pcrson o|our t|mc docs not cvcn know that thcrc arc
sp|r|ts,much|cssthatthcrcarcangc|sw|thh|m,andhc|mag|ncs
that hc |s comp|ctc|y a|onc whcn thcrc arc no v|s|b|c compan
|ons prcscnt and that hc |s th|nking by h|msc||, that |s, on|y by
mcans o|thc dc||bcrat|on o|h|s proprium, h|s |||usoqsc||. Thc
rcason |or th|s occu|tat|on |s pro|ound, and Swcdcnborg ana
|yzcs|t| nanobsc~at|onthat|sno|csspro|ound. !t|sthatpco
p|c havc so |nvcrtcd thc ordcrs o||||c, havc succumbcd to thc
obscss|on o|want|ngto j udgc suprascnsoq th|ngs on|y on thc
bas|so|scnsoqth|ngsand accord|ng to thc|r|aws, that| n th|s
statc any man||cstat|on o|thc th|ngs o|hcavcn wou|d bc cx
trcmc|y pcr||ous |or thcm, |t wou|d |cad |ncv|tab|y to pro|ana
t|onandb|asphcmy,to thcconms|ono|thcsacrcdandthcpro
|anc thc sp|r|tua| and thcsoc|a| ) , wh|ch, |||toccurs |n a sp|r|t,
p|accs h|m |n commun|q w|th |n|crna| sp|r|ts |n thc othcr
wor|d. '
Apcrsonacqu|rcsa|||c, his |||c, bymcanso|a||thcth|ngsthat
hcpro|csscs,h|s|nncrconv|ct|ons. Thosc thatdonotadccth|m
arcasthoughnoncx|stcntfor h|m,s|ncc|t| sb means ofh|mthat
thcy must cx|st. Thus, thc unpardonab|c pro|anat|on o| ho|y
th|ngs |s not poss|b|c cxccpt |or somconc who has oncc bccn
conv|nccdo|thcm andhasthcncomctodcny andrcjcctthcm.
Thoscwhodonotacknow|cdgcthcmandwhomthcydonota|
|cct may a|ways comc to kow, |t |s as though thcy had not
known, |or thc|r casc |s thc samc as that o|pcop|c who acccpt
th|ngs thathavc no cx|stcncc. Th|s |swhy thc mystcr|cso||a| th
arc notrcvca|cdcxccptwhcnthcstatc o|mcn|ssuchthat they
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 87
no |ongcr bc||cvc | n thcm and conscqucnt|y cannot pro|anc
thcm. Th|s |sthc tota| dcvastation. "' !twas thcrc|orc ncccs
sary|or thc antcd||uv|ans to bc cxpc||cd |rom Parad|sc,|or thcy
had known, |t was ncccssaq that mcn shou|d no |ongcr know.
Thus, thcrc |s an cxtraord|nary symmctry bctwccn thc man
Adam dr|vcn outto thccxtcr|oro|Parad|sc and thc man Noah
cntcr|ng |nto thc interior o|thc Ak that |s thcn Hoscd upon
h|m. !nth|sthcrc|sa|soapro|oundwayo|cxprcss|ngthcncccs
s|ty |or csotcr|sm. Thc man Noah docs not comc |orth |rom
thcAk" unt||hchasovcrcomcthcordca|o|thcF|ood.
!n ordcr,thcn, to undcrstand |n what thc F|oodcons|stcd, as
wc||as to undcrstandthctrans|t|on|rom thcpcrsono|| mmcd|
atc sp|r|tua| pcrccpt|on ( Antiquissima Ec.clesia) to thc pcrson o|
consc|cncc ( Antiqua Ecclesia ) , and w|th th|s trans|t|on thc nc
ccss|q|orcsotcr|sm,| t|scsscnt|a|tobcr| nm| ndthc|c| tmouv
thatSwcdcnborg strcsscspart|cu|ar|y| nth|srcgard, namc|y, thc
phys|o|ogy o|thc cc|cst|a| pcrson comparcd to thato|thc sp|r|
tua| pcrson. Thc Grst,wc a|rcady know, had, as|dc |rom h|s cx
tcrna| rcsp|rat|on,

a tota||y s||cnt |ntcrna| rcsp|rat|on. Among

thcmsc|vcs, pcop|c d|d not commun|catc so much by mcans o|
art|cu|atcd words,aswc do, butthcyd|d so by |dcas, as thc an
gc|sdo. Swcdcnborg kncw that what hc |ormu|atcd |n th|sway
wou|d sccm |ncrcd| b|c, and yct |t |s so. Hc a|so kncw that |t
wou|d bc d|mcu|t,and pcrhaps mt||c, to dcscr|bc thcmodco|
pcrccpt|on madc poss| b|c by th|s |ntcrna| rcsp|rat|on, |or |t
wou|d not bc undcrstood. Wcn thc cxtcrna| rcsp|ration a|onc
rcma|ncd, rcqu|r|ng|anguagc |nwords uttcrcd and art|cu|atcd,
| n wh|ch |dcas arc dc||m|tcd and capt|vc, thc human statc was
cntirc|y changcd. Th|s |s thc rcason that pcop|c may no |ongcr
havc|mmcd|atc pcrccpt|on,pcop|c no|ongcrhad anyth|ng but
consc|cnccor,atbcst,somcth|ng|ntcrmcd|atcbctwccn|mmcd|
atc pcrccpt|on and consc|cncc, an |ntcrmcd|aq that |s st|||
known| nourtimc. !n br|c|, howcvcr,thcrcsu|twasthatpcop|c
cou|d no |ongcr bc |nstructcd d|rcct|y by mcans o|thc |ntcrna|
pcrson, |twasncccssaqtopassthroughthccxtcrna|pcrson. '
88 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
Exprcsscd |n thcsc tcrms, thc anthropo|og|ca| changc a||ows
ustohavcanidcao|thcdrama. Adoub|cdangcrthrcatcnsman.
thc dangcr o| sudcation by spir|tua| things, a know|cdgc o|
wh|ch rcquircd that mystcr|ous |ntcrna| rcsp|rauon, |or hc can
no |ongcr brcathc" thcm, and sudocation causcd prcc|sc|y by
thc abscncc o|thcthings thathadbccn h|s|||c. Th|sdoub|c su|
|ocation is thc Flood. Throughout thc Sacrcd ooks, watcr or
watcrs arc symbo|s o| th|ngs that rc|atc to |ntc|||gcncc and
know|cdgc, and, as a coro||aq,to|acko|know|cdgc, |or |a|si G
cation, ||cs, and dcccpt|on pcrtain ncgat|vc|y to know|cdgc. '
Aga| n, |ct us notc |n th|s sp|r|tua| cxcgcs|s a str|k|ng convcr
gcnccw|ththcIsma'|||gnos|so|thc F|ood,scc|n|ra, 3 . )
ThcF|ood,|n|ts|ntcrna|s|gn|Gcationand|tssp|r|tua|truth,|s
not a gco|ogica| catac|ysm, nor |s | t a catac|ysm adccting thc
phys|ca|tota||ty o|thccarth, o||tstc||ur|c mass. Wcknowwhat
thc dcs|gnat|on earth symbo||zcs. thoscwhoconst|tutcdthc |ast
postcri ty o|thc Antiquissima Ecclesia. In thcm thcrc was st||| a
brcath o| |||c, " a|bc|t |n a gcrm|na| statc, that thcy rcta|ncd
|rom thc|r d|stant anccstors, a|though thcy thcmsc|vcswcrc no
|ongcr|nthc|||c o||a|thprocccding|rom|ovc. Posscsscdby| n
sanc dcs|rcs,abom|nab|c appct|tcs, thcyimmcrscdthcth|ngs o|
|aith | n thcm, thc dcccitm| pcrsuasions o| thcir bcing cxtin
guishcdandsudocatcda||tmthanda||good,rcndcr|ng|nopcra
t|vcthc rcs|duc,thc rcma|ns" o||||c thatmcysti||had. ut|n
sudocatingthat,|ndrown|ngandstiH|ngthc|ntcrna|pcrsonand
hisrcsp|ration,thcydcstroycdthcmsc|vcsandcxp|rcd. Suchwas
thc dcath o|thcantcd||uv|ans,|ornooncsuccccds| n||v|ng,liv
ing inthc scnscthatcxc|udcsdcath,withoutam|n|mumo|con
j unctionw|thHcavcn. '

This conj uncuon is what ma|nta|ncd thc man Noah |n thc

Ak, by prcsc~|ng thc brcath o||||c" thcrc. ut |twas at thc
costo|a |ongordca|,a |ongcombatandscvcrc tr| bu|at|ons,bc
|orc hc cou|d achicvc thc rcgcncration rcmscd by thosc who
prc|crrcd thc dcso|auon o|thc|rown dcvastat|on. A|| thc num
bcrsthatarc g|vcn-thc |orty days o|thcF|ood,thc onc hun
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 8
drcd G|ty days o|thcsubmcrs|on o|thccarth, thcagco|Noah,
as wc|| as thc datc o| thc cvcnt thc s|x hundrcdth ycar o|
Noah' s|||c" )-havcasymbo||c,and conscqucndy|n|t|atory,s|g-
n|Gcat|on. Thus,thcs|gn|Gcat|on|scurrcnt,prcscnt. Forthcan-
gc|so|Hcavcn |t |s a|| thc samcwhcthcrath|ng|s past,prcscnt,
ortocomc. What|stocomc|sprcscnt,orwhat|stobcdonc|s
donc. "' "
Wc undcrstand,thcn, thchumanordca|symbo||zcd|nthato|
thc man Noah or thc Ecclesia Noah. Wat our thcosophcrwas
w|tncssto|n thc coursc o|h|s v|s|ons|n thc Sp|r|t"was thc | n-
Huxo||n|crna|sp|r|tsassomcth|ng|mpu|s|vc,|ur|ous. Thc|rob
jcctwasthctota|subjugat|ono|man,noton|ytomakcmanonc
o|thcm, but to rcducc h|m to noth|ng. Pcop|c arcnot |rcc o|
thc|rdom|nat|onandthc|ryokccxccptatthccosto|thccombat
that thc Lord givcs through thc agcncy o|thc angc|s that arc
w|th cvcqonc. A |ong as th|s |ntcrna| combat |asts, man rc
ma|ns, |or h|s sa|vat|on, |n thc Ark, ringcd by thc watcrs o|thc
F|ood,shakcnbyordca|s,that|s, bythcattcmptso|thccv||sp|r
|ts. At thc cnd o|h|srcgcncrat|on, Godspakc unto Noah, say-
|ng, Go |orth |ro
g
thc Ark" Gcn. 8. ! 5 l 6) . Th|s addrcss by
God to Noah |s noth|ngothcr than thc d|v|nc Prcscncc hcncc
|orth rccovcrcd, |or so |ar as Hc |s prcscnt, God spcaks w|th
man, and H|s Prcscncc |mp||cs |rccdom. Thc morc thc Lord |s
prcscnt,thcmorcpcop|carc|rcc, that|s,thcmorcapcrson|s|n
thc statc o||ovc, thc morc |rcc|y hc acts. ' '" Noah, thcn, may
|cavcthcArk,hchasovcrcomcthcordca|o|mcF|ood.Wchavc
bccnto|dthatthc cc|csua| pcrson|sca||cdthc V|ctor|ous. "
O|ncccssity, wc havc bccn ||m|tcd hcrc to thcsc |cw thcmcs
|||ustrat|ngthcsp|r|tua|h|storyo|human|ty,a rccurrcnth|stoq,
a|waysprcscnt,s|ncc|n thcsp|r|tua|wor|dthcmomcnts o|t|mc
arc noth|ng othcr than succcss|vc |ntcrna| statcs, a rcvcrs|b|c
t i me, for |t |s not a homogcncous quant|tauvc t| mc, a t|mc to
wh|ch somc un|to|cxtcrna|mcasurcmcntwou|drc|atc, subjcct
t thc |rrcvcrs| b|c progrcss|on o|numbcrs. Wat wc havc bccn
ahl c to gather here, in rel ation to Swedenborg's i mmense work,
O Swedenbor and Esoteric Islam
|s not cvcn a drop o|watcr |n rc|at|on to thc occan. Ncvcrthc
|css, |thasa||owcd ustopcnctratc sumc|cnt|y |nto what const|
tutcs thc rca||ty and thc csscncc o|a siritual event, |n ordcr to
undcrstand how thc truth o| th|s cvcnt contro|s a|| thc ap
proachcso|sp|r|tua|hcrmcncut|cs,that|s,thccomprchcns|ono|
a scnsc that, as such, can abso| utc|y not bc closed and consc
qucnt|ycannotbc enclosed |n thc ||tcra|scnsco|a histor hcncc
|orth pastandgonc. "
In th|s way wc havc approachcd somcwhat morc c|osc|y to
what consututcs thc phcnomcnon o|thc Sacrcd ook, thc Kc
vca|cd ook, and to what d|st|ngu|shcs |t |rom cvcry pro|anc
book, namc|y, thc cxcgcs|s that |t |mposcs. to undcrstand |ts
true scnsc,ascnscthat,as|t|strue, |sthcpresent scnsc. It|shcrc
that thcrc |s pro|ound accord bctwccn thc sp|r|tua|
hcrmcncut|stso|thc |b|c and thcspir|tua|hcrmcncut|stso|thc
Qur' an-thc morc cas||y bccausc thc Qur'an gathcrs much data
|rom thc |b|c, part|cu|ar|y about thc h|stoq o|Adam and thc
h|story o|Noah, thcmcs to wh|ch our cxam|nat|on o|sp|r|tua|
hcrmcncut|cs has ||m|tcd |tsc||, |or thc t|mc bc|ng. Th|s pro
|ound accord |n thcqucst|orthc truc scnsc o|thc Sacrcd ook
arrangcs |or us thc modu|at|on that w||| a||ow us to pass |rom
onc sub|cct to anothcr. Wc do not havc to scarch vcry |ar |or
thattrans|t| on. It |sbcst|nd|catcdto us |n thc rcsponscg|vcn to
onc o| h|s acqua|ntanccs by thc F|hh Imam o| thc Sh| '|tcs,
Imam Moammad a| aq|r A. H. 57 /A. D. 676A. H. ! ! 5/
A. D. 733) , who dcc|arcd. I|thc rcvc|at|on o|thc Qur'an on|y
had mcaningw|th rcgard to thc pcrson or groupo|pcop|c as a
rcsu|to|whom onc oranothcrvcrsc was rcvca|cd, thcn thc cn
t|rc Qur'an wou|d bc dcad today. No' Thc Sacrcd ook, thc
Qur'an,|sa||vc,| tw|||ncvcrdic,itsvcrscsw|||bc m|G||cdamong
thcpcop|co|thc|uturc,asthcyhavcbccnm|G||cd amongthosc
o| thcpast . "' ' '
Th|s rcmark by thc Imam adm|rab|y ant|c|patcs and dc|cats,
bc|orcthc|act,thctrapo|whatwcca||todayhistoricism, that|s,
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 91
thc systcmat|c att|tudcwh| ch,by mak|ngthc s|gn|Gcancc o|thc
Sacrcd ook captive to thc datc o|| ts matcr|a| compos|t|on, st| -
Hcsanypotcnt|a||oras|gn|Gcanccthatgocs bcyondthatpast. "
Wc w||| sccthat,on boths|dcs, thcm|ragco|thcscop|n|onatcd
so ca||cd h|stor|ca| so| ut|ons| scscapcd by mcanso|thcpresence
o|sp|r|tua| un|vcrscs that symbo||zc w|th cach othcr, by mcans
o|a comparab|c arch|tccturc, and |n rc|at|on to wh|ch whatwc
ca|| h|story |s a Iiliyat, a h|story" that |s a mimesis. Such w|||
bc,|n|act,thcSh| ' | tc and!sma'|||v|s|ono|th| ngs.
I I . I S MA ' I L I G N O S I S
1. Shi'it and Isma'ili Heneneutics
!t | s on|y poss| b|c hcrc to mcnt|on a||us|vc|y, |n a |cw words,
whatconst|tutcsthccsscncco|Sh| ' |sm|n gcncra| , bothTwc|vc
!mam Sh|'|sm and Scvcn- Imam Sh| ' | sm or !sma'|||sm, |or morc
dcta||s, thc rcadcr | s rc|crrcd to our prcv|ous|y pub||shcd
works . ' 'ThcSh|'|tc rc||g|ousphcnomcnon conccrnsushcrc |n
thc Grst p|acc bccausc |t d|dcrs |rom Sunn| !s|am |nso|ar as |t
postu|atcs, cvcn as |ts |oundation, sp|r|tua| hcrmcncutics o|thc
Sacrcdook,thcQur'an.Th|scx|gcncydcr|vcshomathco|og|
ca| and thcosoph|ca| conccpt|on that const|tutcs thc or|g|na| | ty
and thc r|chncsso|Sh|'|sm,so that thc qucst|on thatwas poscd
car|y|nSunn| !s|amrcgard|ngthccrcatcdoruncrcatcdnaturco|
thcQur'anappcarcd |||poscd|nth|scontcxt,bccausc | twasdc
pr|vcd o|thc mctaphys|ca| hor|zon that| tprcsupposcs. !t | sto
Sh| ' |smthat !s|am|cthought|s|ndcbtcd|ora prophcto|ogyand
a prophctic ph||osophy. Th|s prophcto|ogy |s charactcr|zcd by
thc |act that thc m|ss|on o|thc prophct mcsscngcrs s|mu|tanc
ous|y Nab, and Rasu!, |nstructcd to rcvca| a Sacrcd ook to
men, |si nscparab|c|rom thc waliyat, that| s, thcsp|r|tua| qua||
| cat|on o|thc !mams,succcssors to thc Prophct,as Fr|cnds o|
92 Swedenborg and Esoteric Islam
God" Awliya' Allah) , to whom |s cntrustcd, s|ncc thcy arc
Sp|r|tua|Gu|dcs" and Susta|ncrso|thc ook," thc task o||n|
tiat|ngmcn|nto|tstrue scnsc.
Prophccy and Imamatc or walayat) corrcspond to a doub|c
cosm|c movcmcnt. mabda' and ma 'ad, gcncs|s and rcturn, dc
sccntandasccnttothcor|g|n. Toth|sdoub|c movcmcntcorrc
spond, on onc hand, tanzil, Kcvc|at|on-thc act o| sending
down thc Sacrcd ook, thc |cttcr o|wh|ch thc prophct |s | n
structcd to cxprcss thc shari'at, thc Law, thc pos| t|vc rc||
g|on)-and,onthcothcrhand, ta 'wit, wh|ch| s thcacto|bring
ing back thc |cttcr o| Kcvc|at|on to |ts truc scnsc-sp|r|tua|
exegesis, wh|ch|sthcmnct|ono|thcImam.Th|strucscnsc|sthc
sp|r|tua| scnsc, thc aqiqat or Idca. As onc o| thc grcatcst
Isma' ||| thcosophcrs o| Iran, Na|r c Kosraw c|cvcnth ccn
tuq) , wrotc. Pos|t|vcrc||g|on[ shari'at] |sthccxotcr|caspccto|
thcsp|r|tua| Idca [ aqiqat] , and thcsp|r|tua|Idca|sthccsotcr|c
aspcct o| pos|t|vc rc||g|on, pos|t|vc rc||g|on |s thc symbo|
[ mathal ] , thc sp|ritua| Idca |s that wh|ch |s symbo||zcd
[ mamthu/ ] . "
1 33
A||o|Sh|'|sm,cons|dcrcdasIs|am|ccsotcr|sm,|s|nagrccmcnt
on thcsccsscnt|a| conccpts. Thcrc arc, howcvcr, a ccrta|n num
bcr o||ntcrna| d|dcrcnccs bcmccn thc two pr|nc|pa| |orms o|
Sh|'|sm. Twc|vc ImamSh| ' | sm, ononchand,wh|ch|sst|||ca||cd
Imamism andwh|ch,|orthcpastGvcccntur|cs,hasbccnthco|
Gc|a| rc||g|on o| Iran, and, on thc othcr hand, Scvcn I mam
Sh|'|sm or !sma'|||sm, wh|ch |tsc|| now |nc|udcs mo ma|n
branchcs. Thcd|dcrcnccrc|atcscsscnt|a||yto thcconccpto|thc
I mamatc, andconscqucnt|ytothcstructurc o|thccsotcr|ch|cr
arch|cs, and thus to thc app||cauon o|sp|ri tua| hcrmcncutics.
Twc|vc- Imam Sh|'|sm ||m|ts thc numbcr o|Imams Sp|r|tua|
Gu|dcs" ) to twc|vc pcrsons |n a|| , who, togcthcr w|th thc
Prophcth|msc||andh|sdaughtcrFa |ma,thcor|g|no|thc|r||n
cagc, |orm thc p|croma o|thc Fourtccn Purc Oncs" | n Pcr
s|an, Chahardeh-Ma'fum) . Togcthcr, thcyarc thc carth|y mani
|cstauon o| thc Iaqiqat moammadia, ctcrna| prophcti c
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 93
Kca||ty,| n|tsdoub|caspcct( Logos-Sophia) o|thccxotcr|c man|
|cstcd |n |aw g|v| ngprophccyandthccsotcr|c man||cstcd|nthc
Imamatc. W| th thcTwc|hh Imam, thc!mamatc w|thdraws |nto
occu|tat|on (haybat) . Thc Imam |s ncvcr abscnt |rom th|s
wor|d, o| wh|ch hc |s thc myst|c po|c ( qo!b) , w|thout wh|ch
mankndwou|dnotbcab|ctocontinuctocx|st,buthcwasrc
movcd"|romth|swor|d,aswcrc, accord|ngtoourWcstcrn tra
d|t|ons, thc ho|y Gra|| and | ts guard|an. Conscqucnt|y, |n both
cascs,thc csotcr|ch|crarchy |tsc||||vcs|nstr|ct|ncogn|to,wc arc
notab|c to say who |tsmcmbcrsarc, andthcyarc notpcrm|ttcd
to rcvca|thcmsc|vcs. ' '
Thc sp|r|tua|hcrmcncut|cso|Imam|tcthcosophy|s app||cd|n
tcrms o|thc Man||cstat|on o|ctcrna| prophct|c Kca||ty, that |s,
o|thcFourtccn Purc Oncs,to thcd|dcrcntdcgrccso|thc h|cr
archy o|thc sp|r|tua| un|vcrscs prcccd|qg our wor|d o|scnsory
phcnomcna. ' ' Th|s Man||cstat|on |s accompan|cd by a statc o|
thc D|v| ncw&rd, thc Bookorctcrna|Qur'an,vaq|ngaccord|ng
to cach o|thcsc un|vcrscs. To s|mp||[ mattcrs,wc w||| say that
|ouro|thcsc arc d|st|ngu|shcd, symbo||zcd by thc |ourL|ghts
o|thcThronc"thatarcmcnt|oncd|ntrad|t|onscxtcnd|ng back
to thc ho|y Imams thcmsc|vcs. thcrc arc, bc|ow thc p|cromao|
thc laqiqat moammadiya, thcwor|do|purc L|ghts ( 'a/am al
Anwar), thcwor|do|thcjabarut thcwor|d o|thc Chcrub|m,
o|thc D|v|nc Namcs o|God] , symbo||zcd by wh|tc ||ght, thc
wor|d o| Sp|r|ts ( 'a/am al-Ara), thc wor|d o| thc h|ghcr
Malakut thc wor|d o|thc Ani mae coelestes, thc csotcricaspcct
o|thcv|s|b|c hcavcns] , symbo||zcdbyyc||ow||ght,thcwor|do|
Sou|s ( 'a/am al-Nofus) , symbo||zcd by grccn ||ght, and |nc|ud
|ng thc mundus imaginalis, thc wor|d o|subt|c bod|csandthc
cmcra|d c|tics, and thc wor|d o| matcr|a| bod|cs 'a/am al
ajsam) , symbo||zcd by rcd ||ght |t can bc sccn that thc Grst
thrcc arc,rcspcct|vc|y,|ncorrcspondcnccw|ththcthrccdcgrccs
of Heaven, asSwcdcnborgdcscr|bcs| t. cc|cst|a| angc|s,sp|r|tua|
angel s, and angel i c spi ri ts ) .
Earh of ' 1 hl' St worl ds is the i nteral , the esoteri c ( ba!in) i n
4 Swedenborg and Esoteric Islam
rc|ation to thc onc oroncs bc|ow it, but it |s |tsc||thc cxotcnc
( ;ihir) , thccontainant,thcrind( qishr) , inrc|ationtothoscthat
arcabovc it. Thus,inaway,ancsotcrismtothc|ourthpowcris
rcachcd. Eacho|thcsc|ourdcgrccsiscapab|c, bcsidcs,o|a scv
cn|o|d rcsonancc. Anothcr schcma rc|atcs thc cxotcric or ;ihir
to thc cntircty o|thc visib|c wor|d |rom cc|cstia| Sphcrcs to
m|ncra|s ) , thc csotcric or bifin to thc Fourtccn Purc Oncs |n
thc|rcarth|yMani|cstat|on,thccsotcrico|thccsotcricbifin al
bifin) to thc|rcpiphany| nthc h|ghcrspir|tua|univcrscs, ta'wf,
as thc Grst cxcgcsis, |cads back, on onc hand, to thc microcosm
that is thc human indiv|dua| , and, on thc othcr hand, to thc
mesocosm, tothcmidd|cwor|d,which|sthato|a|chcm|ca| opcr
at|on. Thcsc |cw prcm|scs sumcc to makc undcrstandab|c why
our thinkcrs dcc|arc that mcditat|on on thc Qur'an is |ncx
hausti b|c. An cntirc || braqwou|d bc ncccssaqinordcrtorca|
|zc|ntcgra||ythctota||tyo|thchcrmcncuticp|an|orthctota|ity
o|vcrscs in thc Qur'an. ' ' Morcovcr, |t is thc mncuon o|thc
H|ddcn Imam, atthc t|mc o|h|s appcarancc, to rcvca| thc cso
tcricscnsco|a||thcD|vinc Kcvc|at|ons,|tisprccisc|ythiswh|ch
|sthc Qyimat rcsurrcction) .
Howcvcr c|osc thc amn|t|cs may bc, things appcarsomcwhat
d|dcrcnt|y in Isma'|||sm. Lp to thc t|mc o|thc S|xth Imam,
)a'|ara| ad|q d. I48/765) , onco|thcgrcatGgurcs |n Sh|'|tc
Is|am, thcrc was on|y onc Sh|'|sm. For vcry comp|cx rcasons,
oncgroupo|h|s|o||owcrs hi sSh| '|tcs") thcnbccamcattachcd
to thc Imamic ||nc rcprcscntcd |n thc pcrson o|h|s o|dcst son,
Imam !sma'i|, whosc prcmaturc dcath causcd so many d|mcu|
tics, |orthatrcason,thcywcrcca||cdIsma'i||s. ' 'Thcrcmain|ng
|o||owcrs trans|crrcd thc|r a||cgiancc to h|s othcr son, Musa
Kcm, as Scvcnth Imam, thcsc wcrc thc Imam|tcs orTwc|vc
ImamShi'itcs. In |act,undcrthc appcarancco|h|stor|ca|cont|n
gcncics, thc sccrct |aw that givcs rhythm to sp|r|tua| h|stoq
|mposcdi tsc||inboth|nstanccs. |nonccasc, thc numbcrtwc|vc
cach o|thc s|x grcat prophcts had his twc|vc Imams) , |n thc
othcr,amongthc Isma'|||s, thc numbcrscvcn thc successi on of
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 95
cach prophctpasscs through scvcn Imamsorscvcra| hcptads o|
Imams) .
Isma'|||sm, thc prccm|ncnt Is|am|c gnos|s, cxpcr|cnccd thc
most |orm|dab|c and paradox|ca|ordcalthat an csotcr|c rc||g|on
may undcrgo, whcn | t ga|ncd a tcmpora| and po||t|ca| u|umph
w|th mc Fat|m|d dynasty o| Egypt. Its cschato|og|ca| csscncc
wou|d othc~|sc havc rcqu|rcd that th|s tr|umph bc thc cnd o|
thcstoq. Instcado|stopp|ngthcrc,howcvcr,cxtcrnalh|story|cd
to thc sch|sm rcsu|t|ng |rom thc dcath o| thc E|ghth Fat|m|d
c|ph, Mostan|rb|'||ah(487 /1 094) . Today, !sma'|||sm|sst|||
d|v|dcd |nto two major branchcs. onc pcrpctuatcs thc Fatim|d
trad|t|on,and |or |t,too, thc Imamhascntcrcd |ntooccu|tat|on
w|ththc|astFaum|do|Ca|ro, thcothcrbranch,thcadhcrcntso|
thcAga Khan,cmcrgcd|romthcIran|anrc|ormo|A|amut.
Aamut' Thc strongho|d |ost |n thc h)gh so||taq summ|ts o|
thcE|burzmounta|ncha|n,tothcsouthwcsto|thcCasp|anSca,
whcrc, on 8 August l l 64, thcGrcat Rcsurrcct|on ( Qytmat al
Qyimtt) was proc|a|mcd. Wc shou|d cc|cbratc | ts c|ght hun
drcdthann|vcrsaryth|smonthj August 1 964] at|castaccord|ng
to thc so|arca|cnd

r) . ' '

Lndoubtcd|y, though, a proc|amat|on

o|th|stypcpcrta|nstothatsp|r|tua|h|story,thccvcntso|wh|ch
occurunnot|ccd bycxtcrna|omc|a| h| story, bccausc thc|r|mp||
cat|on cannot bc suspcctcd by h|stor|ans whosc attcnt|on |s
g|vcn cxc|us|vc|y to thc|attcr. Inanycasc, thc proc|amat|on o|
thc Grcat Kcsurrcct|on was|ntcndcd to bc thc tr|umph o|ab
so|utc sp|r|tua| hcrmcncut|cs, s|ncc |t purc|y and s|mp|y abo|
|shcd thc shari'at and |ts obsc~anccs, |n ordcr to pcrmit thc
rc|gn o|thc sp|r|tua| Idca thc aqiqat) a|onc to subs|st. Hcrc
aga| n, thc |mpaticncco|thc sou|provokcdaprcmaturcant|c|pa
t|ono|cschato|og,a|thoughthcEvcntproc|a|mcdon8 August
1 1 64, wh|ch passcd unobsc~cd by thc cxtcrna| h|stoq o|our
wor|d, pcrhaps had thc scnsc o| onc o| thosc judgments |n
Hcavcn, " about wh|ch wc havc hcard Swcdcn borg spcak. On
the other hand, thc Sh|'|sm o|thc Fat|m|d trad|t|on, as wc|| as
Twel ve I mam Sh| ' i sm, cont i nued carefu|| y to mai ntai n ( as di d
6 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islm
Swcdcnborg) thc cocx|stcncc o|thc cxotcric and thc csotcr| c,
|oras| ongasthchumancond|t|onrcma|nswhat|t|s|nthcprc
scnt wor|d, thc sou| cannot man||cst |tsc||w|thout bc|ng con
ta|ncd|na matcr|a|body.
For Isma'i|ism as wc| | , thc ||tcra| scnsc, thc cxtcrna| appcar
ancc,thccxotcr|cconta|nant( hir) concca|sap|ura||tyo||ntcr
na| scnscs ordcrcd |n a h|crarchy o| un|vcrscs that symbo|izc
w|th cach othcr. Thc Pri nc|p|c ( Mobdi ' ), D|v|nc S||cncc and
Abyss, rcmains, as in cvcq gnos|s-and as w|th Swcdcnborg-
str|cdy inacccss| b|c, Supcr c|ng ( hyperousion) bcyond bc|ng
and nonbcing. From thc F|rst Archangc||c !ntc|||gcncc that
cmcrgcs |rom this S||cncc, ra|scdup |n bc|ng as Deus revelatus,
procccds thc cntirc suprcmc p|croma o|thc pr|mordia| Estab
||shmcnt( ' ilam al-lbdi, |ormcdo|h|crarch|ca|archangc||c In
tc|||gcnccs. Acosmogonythat|ss|mu|tancous|yspccu|at|vc and
dramat|c pos|ts that |rom onc o|thcsc !ntc|||gcnccs,ourdcm|
urgc, is thc or|g|n o|our phys|ca| un|vcrsc, thc macrocosm, |n
c|ud|ngthcastronom|ca|skyandthcwor|do|E|cmcnts,thc mi
crocosm, orwor|do|man,thcstructurc o|wh|ch|shomo|ogous
tothato|thcmacrocosm, andGna||y,an|ntcrmcd|arywor|d,thc
mesocosm, wh|ch|sthcsp|r|tua|wor|dconst|tutcdbythccsotcr|c
commun|qoncarth.
Thc |dcao|thc macrocosm,wh|chisthato|thc cosm|cMan,
|swc||kown|nothcrgnost|candthcosoph|ca|systcms,|t|sthc
thcmco|thcHumanFormasarchctypco|thcun|vcrscs Grcck
JaKpav9pw104, Aab|c Insin kabir) . Wchavcmcnt|oncdabovc
that|t|sadom|nantthcmc | nthcSwcdcnborg|antopographyo|
thcsp|r|tua|un|vcrscs( Homo maximus) , andthc thcmcsccmsto
usto bc |n part|cu|araccord w|th thc Isma'i|| |dca o|thc Imam
to comc, thc |ast !mam o|our Aion, as !mam o|thc Kcsurrcc
t|on( Qi'im al-Qyimat) , |orcvcqth|nguponwh|chspccu|at|vc
gnos|s hasmcd|tatcd|nthcthcmco|thcAnthropos is|oundco|
|cctcd togcthcr |n thc pcrson o|thc !mam as Anthropos |n thc
abso|utc scnsc. Hcrc|n |s, |n |act,h|sd|v| n|ty h|s lihut) , that |s,
thc human |orm ar|s|ng |n |ts truth and |ts |ntcgra| | q, in i ts
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 97
archangc||c sp|cndor |t |s thc Tcmp|c o| L|ght" Haykal
nurini, const|tutcdbya|| thc |ormso|||ght"o|thc |n|tiatcso|
thc csotcr|c community, thc mturc tcmp|c o|thc|r apothcoscs,
whcrccacho|thcmassumcsarankandaro|crcspcct|vc|yana|o
goustothosco|cacho|thcorgansandmcmbcrs|nthcphys|ca|
humanbody. ' '"
Thc h|crarch|ca| structurc o|thc mesocosm, or o|thc csotcric
commun|ty |n ourwor|d, symbo||zcs with that o|thc Tcmp|c
o|L|ght,"as|tsymbo||zcsw| th thc h|crarch|ca| structurc o|thc
astronom|ca|sky,andasthc|attcra|sosymbo||zcswith thch|cr
archy o| thc |nv|si b|c hcavcns o| thc archangc||c P|croma.
Isma'||| mctaphys|cs|scharactcnzcd byth|smndamcnta|h|crar
chyo|bc|ng,andthcspr|ngboardo||tssp|ritua| hcrmcncuucs |s
csscnt|a||ythcstr|ctcorrcspondcncc bctwccn thc dcgrccso|thc
cc|cst|a| h|crarchy and thc dcgrccso|thc carth|ycsotcr|c h|crar
chy. Thc mcsocosma|soconccrnsanthropo|ogy andangc|o|ogy
s|mu|tancous|y, s|ncc to cntcr |nto thc myst|c commun|ty on
carth, as a mcmbcro|thc corus mysticum, | s to cntcr |nto thc
v|rtua|parad|sc,"andthcrcbytoa||owthcpotcnt|a| angc|hood
|n thc human bc
[
ng to achicvc actua| angc|hood a|tcr dcath.
Hcrc, too, thcrc |s anothcr conccpt that |s |n pro|ound accord
w|thSwcdcnborg|ananthropo|ogy.
Ccrta|n|y, thc dcvc|opmcnts and v|c|ssitudcs o| Isma'|||
thoughthavc|cdtomodiGcat|onsinthcconccpuono|thcdctai|
o|thcsch|crarch|cs. Initsmostcomp|ctc|orm,asit|sprcscntcd,
|or cxamp|c, |n thc work o| Hamid Kcrmani d. about 408/
1 01 7) , thc schcma agrccswith that o|thc Av|ccnn|an ph||oso
phcrs. To thc Tcn Achangc||c Intc|||gcnccs o| thc suprcmc
P|croma cach o|thcsc Intc|||gcnccs itsc||conta|n|ng an cntirc
p|croma), corrcsponds thc vis|b|c astronom|ca| sky and thc
gradcs o|thc csotcric hicrarchy. ' " c|orc and ahc~ard, |css
comp|cx schcmas wcrc kown, cspcc|a||y |n thc work o| thc
lsma'||| authorwhomwcw||| bcqucst|on|nghcrc rcgard|ngthc
Isma'||| conccpt|ono|thcsp|r|tua|scnsc o|thc h|story o|Adam
andmch|storyo|Noah.
98 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
Qazi No' man, who ||vcd |n thc tcnth ccntuq, was a pro||Gc
wr|tcr,amongothcrworks,wcarc|ndcbtcdtoh|m|oronccn
t|t|cd Asas al-lta1wi thc book o|thc|oundat|on o|csotcr|c
cxcgcs|s, or o|sp|r|tua| hcrmcncut|cs") , ' ' dcvotcd cspcc|a||y
tooursubjccthcrc . Thc book|sprcscntcd, |nthc |ormo|cso
tcr|chcrmcncut|cso|thc Qur' 1n, asanaccounto|thcsp|r|tua|
h|story o| thc prophcts, morc spcc| Gca||y thc s|x grcat |aw
g|v| ngprophctswhoscnamcsdcs| gnatcthcs|xgrcatpcr|ods|n
thc cyc|c o|prophccy. Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moscs, )csus,
and Muammad. Thc author asscmb|cs a|| thc qur' an|c data
that conccrn cacho|thcsc prophcts, and |nd|catcs thc csotcr|c
scnsc h|ddcn | n thc cvcnts, words, or acts rc|atcd about that
prophct.
Evcqth|ng |s transposcd str|ct|y onto thcsp|r|tua| p|anc. Lct
us bc morc cxp||c|t. Wcrc Swcdcnborg spcaks o|an Ecclesia
cmbrac|nga|| thc v|s|b|c and |nv|s|b|c un|vcrscs, a|| thc t|mcs o|
ourh|storyando|mctah|stoq,thc Ism a'|||th|nkcrsspcako|thc
da'wat. L|tcra||y, thc word mcans convocat|on, " ca|| . " Th|s
rc|crstoa Ca| | , aConvocat|onthatbcg|ns|nHcavcn"w|ththc
Ca|| addrcsscd by thc F|rst Intc|||gcncc to thc cnt|rc or|g|na|
p|croma. Prophccy thus bcg|ns |n Hcavcn" and, |o||ow|ngthc
drama |n Hcavcn" that |s thc sourcc o|thc cosmogony, |t |s
pcrpctuatcd on carth |rom cyc|c to cyc|c. Thc da 'wat, thc
!sma'||| Convocat|on, |snoth|ngothcrthanthc part|cu|ar |orm
takcn by thc Convocat|on orctcrna| da 'wat |n th|s Gna| pcr|od
o|ourcyc|corAion, thcpcr|odo|Muammadanprophccyand
o|thc I mamatc thatsuccccds |t. Inthatscnsc, thc da 'wat |s,|n
short,thcIsma'|||Ecclesia.
Lct us, thcn, rcmcmbcrcsscnt|a||y th| s. what |s thc objcct o|
th|s Convocation, this Ca|| or da 'wat? It |s thc ca|| to tawid,
thc ca|| to rccogn|zc thc Ln|c|ty and Ln|ty o| thc D|v|nc
Ln|quc. In |act, |n th|s agai n |s thc cxotcr|c scnsc, s|ncc thc
Ir|ncip|c is bcyond our amrmations and our ncgations, wh|ch
canon|yana|ntoa Deus revelatus seu determinatus. Wat, thcn,
docs thc |n|t|atc dcny by thc ncgat|on Ia ilaha ( Nul us Deus
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 99
j thcrc|snogod] ) , and what docshcamrm by amrm|ngilla Al
lah ( nisi Deus [ but God| ) ? ' Wat |s proc|a| mcd and rcvca|cd
by thc csotcr|c scnsc o|thcscwordsthatcomposc thc shahadat
thcattcstat|ono|thc Ln|quc) |sprcc|sc|ythcrankso|thcdou
b|c cc|cst|a| and carth|y h|crarchy that procccds |rom thc pr|
mord|a| Thcophany, |rom thc F|rst Archangc||c !ntc|||gcncc as
Deus revelatus. !nothcrwords,tocscapc |rom thc doub|c snarc
o| agnost|c|sm ( ta'fi and anthropomorph|sm ( tashbi) |s to
rccogn|zcthc mystcqo|thc Ln|quc|n cach o|thc Ln|qucs,cc
|cst|a| andcarth|y,suchthatthcLn|quc|s dctcrm|ncd |or cach
by thc rank that prcccdcs |t. Thcsc Ln|qucs arc thus thc mcm
bcrs, thc d|gnitar|cs- ( Iodud) o|thc da 'wat, | n hcavcn and on
carth. Thcyarc thc dramatis personae olcvcnts andv|c|ss|tudcs
o|thc da 'wat, that|s,o|thc sccrctsp|r|tua| h|storyo|human|ty
that|s thc csotcr|cscnsc thc bafin, thc aqiqat) o|thc apparcnt
|cttcr o|thc Qur'an, thc dramatis personae o|wh|ch, howcvcr,
rcma|n unknown to whocvcr |s attachcd on|y to thc matcr|a|
datao|thcv|s|b|ch|stoq.
Ourprcscntsubjcctdocs notrcqu|rc ustocntcr|ntodcta||rc
gard|ngthcsc h|crarch|cs. Lct usrcc| br|cdyhow thc ana|ys|s o|
thc shahadat thctcst|mony, thc pro|css|ono||a|th) pcrm|ts thc
!sma'|||authorstodcducc thc princ|pa| hgurcs|rom|t. Thcfour
wordsthatcomposc|t rc|crto thc mo suprcmc cc|cst|aI d|gn|
tar|cs,"thc F|rst!ntc|||gcncc and thc F|rstSou| Sabiq and Tali,
and tothc two suprcmc carth|y d|gn|tar|cs"whocorrcspondto
thcm. thc Prophct and thc !mam. That |swhy |t |ssa|dthat mc
shahadat |s thc kcy to parad|sc, " and our authors |nd|catc that
thc |our words that composc it and thc |our branchcs o|thc
Chnsuan crossarc togcthcrthc symbo|s o|thc samc rca||t|cs. ' '
Thc seven sy||ab|cs that cxprcss thc shahadat rc|cr to thc scvcn
!mams who succccd cach othcr |n mc coursc o| a pcr|od o|
prophccy. Thc telve |cttcrs that composc thc Arab|cwr|t|ngo|
thc shahadat arcthc symbo|so|thc twc|vc d|gn|tar|csca||cdlo
jjat proo|,p|cdgc) orlawaJq dcvotccs,ass|stants) whopcrma
ncnt|y|orm,|romoncgcncrat|ontoanothcr,thcc|osccntouragc
1 00 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
o|thc !m1m. ' Thcy arcdoub|cdby mc|vc othcrsca||cdWings
( ajnia) ; mcsc arc thc di'is, thc sccrct cm|ssar|cs ass|gncd to
propagatc thc Cal|, thc da 'wat, |n cach o| thc twc|vc jazira
rcg|ons)|ntowhich,idcal|yat |cast,thcwor|d|sdividcd. Such|s
thcordcro|mingsprcscntcdbyQaziNo'man,thcauthorwhom
wc arc |o||owing hcrc, and it is sumcicnt to undcrstand thc
spir|tua| dramaturgy concca|cd undcr thc cxtcrna| histoq o|
Adam and Noah, thc doub|c thcmc to wh|ch wc must |im|t
oursc|vcs hcrc, bc|orc say|ng a |cw words about !sma'|||
Chr|sto|ogy.
2. Te Eotric Sene of te Hisor of Adam
Wc havc j ust dcscr|bcd thc twc|vc csotcnc d|gn|tar|cs" dcs|g
natcd as loJjat o|thc !mam. Thcircstab||shmcntcxtcnds back
tothc|niuat|ono|thconcwhowasthcfrst Adam oncarth,thc
un|vcrsa| primord|a| Adam ( Adam al-awwal al-kolli, panan
thropos whomustnotbcconmscdw|ththcpartial Adam, |n|ua
toro|ourprcscntcyc|co|prophccy. Hc musta|sonot bc con
mscd with thc spiritual Adam ( Adam ruini, cc|cstia|
Anthropos or Angc|o| human|ty,whowasthcprotagon|sto| thc
drama that occurrcd in thc P|croma, thc drama o|wh|ch our
carth|yh|stoq,undcrstoodash|croh|stoqorsp|ritua|histoq,|s
ahcra|| thc kiyat thc rcpcuuon,thc |m|tat|on) . Prcc|sc|ythc
durationo|carth|yti mc, thato|thccyc|cso|hicroh|stoqbcg|ns
|nthcdc|ayo|ctcrnity"thatoccurrcd|nthcbcingo|thccc|cs
tia|Anthropos, immob||izcd|n doubt, |n thc vcrt|go o|hisown
pcrson. Earth|yti mcmusth|| |nthcdelay, which |scxprcsscd|n
numbcrs"inthcdcgradation|n ranko|thccc|cst|a|Adam |rom
third to tenth) . From cyc| c to cyc|c, |rom prophct to prophct,
spiritua|humanity, thatwhichrcspondstothc da'wat, tothcdi
v|nc Ca| | , tcnds to th|s rcconqucst," thc rcsu|t o|wh|ch |s as
surcd by thc tnumph that its Agc| has a|rcady gaincd-and
gaincd ovcrhimsc||. !tisimpossib|chcrctosaymorc aboutitor
tocxp|a|n how th|s drama in Hcavcn" |sthc or|gin o|thc vcr
tig|nous succcss|on o| cyc|cs on carth, whcrc a "cycle of
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 01
cp|phany"( dawr al-kashj anda cyc|co|occu|tat|on"( dawr al
satr) a|tcrnatcw|thcachothcr. Ev|dcnt|y,thcon|yoncthatmay
cvcn bc spokcn about|n m|| know|cdgc o|causc |sour prcscnt
cyc|co|occu|tation. "'
What bccomcs apparcnt-and th|s |s what |ntcrcsts us hcrc-
|sthc manncr |n wh|ch sp|r|tua| orcsotcr|c hcrmcncut|cso|thc
| b|c and thc Qur' an, part|cu|ar|y thc hcrmcncut|cs o| data
common to both, tcnds|n cach casctod|scovcrthc samc sccrct
that cxp|a|ns thc prcscnt cond|t|on o|man. !n both | nstanccs,
thcrc|srcvca|cdcsscnt|a||ya dramao|know|cdgc, a d|s|ocat|on
o| thc consc|cncc, a |a|| o| pcrccpt|vc and cogn|t|vc powcrs,
wh|ch cuts od thc human bc|ng |rom h|s prcscncc |n othcr
h|ghcrun|vcrscs,|nordcrto|mpr|sonh|m|nthc |atc o|h|sso||
tary prcscncc |n th|s wor| d. !|ccrta|n hcrmcncut|c d|dcrcnccs
cannot but cmcrgc, thcy arc no |css mstruct|vc, and a grcat
manyo|thcmarcnot|rrcduc|b|c.
!n both cascswc Gnd sp|r|tua|hcrmcncut|cso|thc |dcao|thc
hexaimeron, thcs|xdayso|Crcat|on,apro|oundsymbo|thatan
obso|ctc||tcra||smcandcgradctothc po|nt o|mak|ng|tpucr||c.
Wc havc sccn tha
[
, |n Swcdcnborg's works, thc s|x dcgrccs or
stagcso|crcat|ono|thc sp|r|tua| man arc rcprcscntcd,thc scv
cnth day" |sthccc|cst|a| manwho symbo||zcsthcAntiquissima
Ecclesia. For !sma'||| gnos|s, thc hexaimeron const|tutcs thc s|x
days o|thc crcation o|thc hierocosmos, that |s, o|thc rc||g|ous
and sacra| un|vcrsc ( 'alam al-Din) o|sp|r|tua| human|ty. Thcsc
s|xdays" arc thc s|xpcr|odso|ourprcscntcyc|c, cach markcd
by thc namco||tsprophct. Adam, Noah,Abraham,Moscs, )c
sus, Muammad. Wcarc on|y atthcs|xth day o|Crcat|on, thc
scvcnth day" thc Sabbath) w||| bc thc advcnto|thc !mam o|
thc Kcsurrcct|on ( Qa'im al-Qyamat) .
146
ut |n both cascs, cc
|csua|man,that|s,thcstatco|angc|hood|nact|nman,|satthc
samct|mcbch|nd usandbc|orc us. Behind us: asthcmano|thc
cyc|c o|cp|phany" bc|orc ours, |n !sma'||| tcrms, th|s |s ||kc
Swcdcnborg'smorn|ngo|thc scvcnth day. Before us: undcrthc
namc o|Nova Hierosolyma, |n Swcdcnborg|an tcrms, undcr thc
l O2 Sweden borg and Eoteric Islam
namc o|thc !mam o|thc Kcsurrcct|on, thc scvcnth day o|thc
hexaimeron o|thcprophccyo|wh|chAdamwasthcGrstday,ac
cord|ngto !sma' |||gnos|s.
ForSwcdcnborg, thcscvcnthday|sthccstab||shmcnto|man
ascc|cstia|man, ascarm|yparad|sc,Gardcno|Edcn, asthc man
|n whom thc pcrccpuon o|scnsoq th|ngs |s concom|tant w|th
thc |mmcd|atc pcrccpt|on o|suprascnsoq cc|cst|a| th|ngs, |t |s
th|ssp|r|tua|organ|smthatw||| bc d|s|ocatcd, dcvastatcd, bythc
satan|c suggcst|on to subm|t suprascnsory th|ngs to thc samc
|awsasscnsoq th|ngs. !n !sma'|||gnos|s, thc carth|yparad|sc"
marks thc dcsccnto|man on carth|rom thc angc||cstatc o|thc
human|ty o|thc prcv|ous cyc|c o|cp|phany. "Thc norm o|h|s
Know|ng |s thc concom|tancc o|thc cxtcrna| and thc |ntcrna| ,
thc cxotcr|c ihir) and thc csotcr|c bi{in ) , thc pcrccpt|on o|
symbo|s. Th|s concom|tancc w||| bc brokcn, d|s|ocatcd, by thc
suggcst|on o|!b|isSatan, whosc |ntc~cntion |s cxp|a|ncd hcrc
byaprcccd|ngstatco|th|ngs . Thcconscqucncc o|thcbrcak|sa
dcn|a|o|symbo|s, not so muchonaccounto|thc cxc|us|vc prc
cm|ncncc accordcd to scnsory th|ngs thcncc|orth ||m|tcd to
thcmsc|vcs, as bccausc o|a prctcns|on to d|rcct atta|nmcnt o|
thc suprascnsory. Thcsc arc s|mp|ytwo comp|cmcntaq aspccts
o|thc samc transgrcss|on, |or |n !sma'||| tcrms as wc||, thc scn
sory, thc cxotcr|c, |s condcmncd |n both cascs to s|gn|[|ng
noth|ngbut|tsc|| Hcavcn |sc|oscd|romthatpo|nton. !nboth
cascs, thc dcparturc, thc cx||c |rom Parad|sc, thc cond|t|on o|
ourhuman|ty, |s|orcshadowcdasrcsu|ung|romthcdcs|rctobc
prcscnt|nth|swor|d-andcxc| us|vc|y|nth|swor|d.
What, thcn, o|thc pro|oguc |n Hcavcn" announc|ng, ac
cord|ngto!sma'|||gnos|s,thc trans|t|ontoourprcscntcyc|co|
occu|tat|on"? ' Avcrsc o|thc Qur'anstatcs. cho|d,thyLord
sa|dtothc angc|s. '! w|||crcatcav|ccgcrcntoncarth. ' Thcysa|d.
'W||t Thou p|acc thcrc|n onc who w||| makc m|sch|c|thcrc|n
and shcd b|ood?. . . ' Hc sa|d. '! know what yc know not''
Qur'an 2. 28 ) . ' Othcrvcrscs arc cxp||c|t. cho|d, thy Lord
sa|dto thc angc|s. '! amaboutto crcatc man |romc|ay When I
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 03
havc |ash|oncd h|m |n duc proport|on) and brcathcd |nto h|m
o|Mysp|r|t,|a||ycdown |nobc|sanccuntoh|m. ' Sothc angc|s
prostratcd thcmsc|vcs, a|| o| thcm togcthcr. Not so !b|is"
Qur'an38: 71 - 74) .
!sma'||| hcrmcncut|cs pcrcc|vcs | n th|s vcrsc a d|scoursc ad
drcsscd to h|s own by thc |ast !mam o|mc cyc|c o|cp|phany"
thatprcccdcdourcyc|c o|occu|tauon,"!mam Honayd, thc |a
thcro|our"Adam,whosc dcc|s|on|smot|vatcd bygravcsymp
toms, thc rcmcmbrancc o| wh|ch our mcmoq has |ost, and
wh|ch markcd thc dcc||nc o|thc cyc| c. Thc !mam |orcsaw thc
ccssat|on o|th|s b|csscd statc |or h|s own, and thc ncccss|ty to
prov|dc |orthc cond|uonso|a ncwcyc|c, charactcri zcd by what
wc wou|d ca|| thc d|sc|p||nc o|thc arcarum. " Th|s iswhat thc
angc|s kcw not. " ' " ut thcangc|swhomhcaddrcsscsdonot
const|tutc thc tota||ty o| thc angc||c h|crarchy. Thcy arc thc
twc|vclawaiiq dcvotccs,ass|stants) , towhomwca||udcdcar||cr,
and abovc whom thcrc arc supcr|or angc||c ranks. Hc chooscs
thcsc twc|vc to bc thc compan|ons o|Adam, who |s p|accd at
thc|r hcad. Hc|n|orms thcm o|h|s |ntcnt|on to cstab||shAdam
oncarth,"and tocrcatch|m|romc|ay. "Thcsctwoparucu|ars
|nd|catc thc trans|t|on|romthc cc|csua|cond|uono|thc prcccd
|ng cyc|c tothc cond|t|ono|thc prcscntcyc|c. !n csotcr|ctcrms,
c|ays|gn|Gcskow|cdgcthat|scxtcrna|orcxotcric,opaquc,ma
tcr|a| . Now,mc angc|s wcrc crcatcd |n a statc o|subt|c know|
cdgc,o|csotcri c, |ntcrna|,sp|r|tua|sc|cncc,aknow|cdgc that d|d
notdcpcndupon|n|t|atoq|nstruct|on ( ta'lim), andthatwascx
cmpt |rom r|tua| ob||gat|ons and obsc~anccs o| thc Law. !n
br|c|, thchumanbc|ngcrcatcdoncarth"s|gn|Gcsthccond|t|on
o|a bc|ngwhocannotmcncc|orth atta|n tothccsotcr| c, toh|d
dcn sp|ritua| rca||ty,cxccptthrough thc |ntcrmcd|aqo|thccxo
tcric,that|s,bymcanso|thckow|cdgc o|symbo|s.
This |s cmphas|zcd by a adith a trad|t|on) |||ustrat|ng thc
qur'an|cvcrsc, wh|ch dcc|arcs thatAdam rcma|ncdthcrc, dung
||kc an |ncrt body,unt||God brcathcd H| ssp|r|t |nto h|m,that
|s, unt|| Hc had had brcathcd |nto h|m sp|r|tua| sc|cncc, thc
1 04 Sweden borg and Eoteric Islam
scicncc o| thc csotcric o| things, that scicncc o| Namcs"
Qur'an2 : 29) , bymcanso| which bc|ngsarcpromotcd tothcir
truc bcing. !twas bccausc o|this scicncc that thc angc|s gavc
thcira||cgiancc toAdam. !n thc intc~a| , howcvcr, !b|s hadob
sc~cd himand, bcingconsciouso|hisown prccmincncc, cricd.
Hc is nothing but cmptincss. "Thus hc rcmscd tobow down
bc|orc Adam. !b|is himsc||had bccn onc o|thc angc|s o|thc
prcccding cyc|c o| cpiphany" onc o| thc twc|vc lawiJq) .
Whcnhc is askcd. Whatprcvcnts thcc |romprostratingthysc||
tooncwhom ! havccrcatcdwithMyhands? A thou haughty?
Or art thou onc o|thc high oncs? " that is, according to thc
!sma'i|i cxcgcsis, Ac you onc o|thc supcrior angc|s who arc
not conccrncd with thc ordcrgivcn? ") , !b|is said. ! am bcttcr
than hc. Thou crcatcdst mc |rom hrc, and himThou crcatcdst
|rom c|ay" Qur'an 38: 75- 77, 7: 1 1 ), which, in thc csotcric
scnsc, mcans. Youcrcatcdmcinthcknow|cdgco|thcspiritua|
wor|d, a know|cdgc that Hashcs by immcdiatc div|nc inHux ( al
(ilm al-ta)yfdi al-biriq) , with which a matcria| cxtcrna| objcct
cannotcocxist. Him, howcvcr,You crcatcdin a statco|discur
sivc,physi ca| , matcria| ,opaqucknow|cdgc. How,thcn, shou|d!
bow down to him? " Thc sccrct o| his rcmsa| bcing thus di
vu|gcd,!b|isiscurscd,cxpc||cd,cutod. ' "
Thcrc is hcrc a pro|ound intuition on thc part o| !sma'i|i
hcrmcncutcs,whcn itconncctsthc rcmsa| o|!b|Is andthccrc
ation o|Evc, not ata|| bccausc thc Fcmininc p|ays thc ro| c o|
somcthing satanic,asina ccrtainChristianasccticism, butquitc
thcoppositc. !b|is, byrcmsingtoadmitthatthccsotcricmaybc
organica||y |i nkcd to thc cxotcri c, bctraycd Adam, hc dcprivcd
Adam o|that csotcric and |orbadc him thc pcrccption o|sym
bo| s. Thc pro|oundidca is that thc Fcmininc, Evc,was givcn to
Adam |n compcnsation |or thc bctraya| by !b|is, who bccamc a
|a||cn angc|-bccausc thc Fcmininc is thc csotcri c. A qur'an|c
vcrsc ( 4: 1 ) rcmindsmcn. YourLordcrcatcdyou |roma sing|c
sou|,and|romthis sing|c sou| Hccrcatcdhismatc hisspousc,
thc |cma|ccompaniono|thissing|csou| ) . "Thc !sma' i i i exegesi s
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics I O5
|n no way sccs hcrc a phys|ca| anthropogcncs|s takng p|acc |n
thc phys|ca| ordcr, what |s spokcn o||s thc spir|tua| h|story o|
man, thc h|ddcn scnsc o| h|s drama. Man' s compan|on and
spousc, crcatcd |rom h|s s|ng|c, so||taq sou| , sign|hcs thc crc
ation o|thc res reliiosa ( din) , and whcn an !sma'||i author ut
tcrs orwr|tcsthcword din, hc th|nksaboutrc|igion |n truth,"
that|s,csotcr|crc||g|on. !t|sth|scsotcri c, thcrc|orc,that|ssym
bo||zcdbyEvc. ' '
Th|s| s whyQaziNo' man|scxtrcmc|ysarcasticwithrcgard to
thosc || tcra|ists who imag|nc that God took advantagc o|
Adam' ss|ccp to practicc somc sort o|surgica| opcrat| on on h|s
body. ' Thcy havc rcad, hc says, that God rcp|accd onc o|
Adam's r|bs" and madc Evc, Adam' swi|c, |rom that ri b, but
thcy havc undcrstood noth| ng. Thc spiritua| scnsc, though, is
c|car' Man has mc|vc ri bs, thcy s|gn| thc mc|vc lawiiq or
angc|s" who had bccn choscn to surround Adam and hc|p
h|m,' ' |n ordcr to bc twc|vc |cadcrs, twc|vc spir|tua| pr|nccs
( noqahil !b|is was onc o|thcsc twc|vc, but by h|s bctraya| hc
cuth|msc||od|romthc|rnumbcr. !nthatscnsc, Evcisgivcnto
Adamincompcns

t|on|orl b|is,andthat|swhyAdamtransm|ts
to Evc, |nvcstsinhcr,a|| h|sknow|cdgco|thccsotcric. Thcncc
|orth, Evc assumcsand bcars thccsotcr|c,andthatiswhyshc |s
h|sw||c, |n tcrmso|thc !sma'||| h|crarchy, shc ishislojjat, thc
lo;jat o|thc !mamAdam.
Somcth|ngcmcrgcshcrc that|s h|gh|ysign|hcant|or thc spir
itua| wor|d o|!sma'|||sm. namc|y, that thc csotcr|c |s csscntia||y
thcFcm|ninc, andthatthc Fcm|n|nc |sthccsotcric thcSc||that
|sdccpandh|ddcn|romman, thcscnsco|thc|ormationo|Evc
|n Swcdcnborg'sworkshou|d bc comparcd hcrc) . That |swhy,
in thc b| un|q, thc coup|c ordyad, that|orms thc prophct and
thc !mam, thc prophct who |s |nstructcd to statc thc cxotcric,
thcLaw,symbo|izcsthcmascu||nc,thc!mam,| nvcstcdw|ththc
csotcr|c andthc sp|r|tua| scnsc, symbo|izcsthc |cmin|nc. !tmay
bc sa|d o|thc !mam or o|his loJat, whcn thc !mam has suc
cccdcd thc Prophct) that hc is thc spir|tua| mothcr" o|thc
l 06 Swedenbo7 and Eoteric Islam
bc||cvcrs . ' Thc conscqucnccs o| th|s w||| bc mndamcnta| ,
whcn |t | nvo|vcs |ntcqrct|ng thc pcrsonagcs o|sp|r|tua| h|stoq
who arc dcs|gnatcd by |cm|n|nc namcs, part|cu|ar|y |or thc cn
t|rcchaptcronChr|sto|ogy|nQ1ziNo' m1n' sbook sccin|ra,
4) . Thc Etcrna||y |cm|n|nc" rc|crs hcrc not to a qua||qo|thc
sccu|arstatc, buttoasp|r|tua|statc,toa mctaphys|ca|status.
!t|sth|smascu||nc |m|n|nccoup|c,Adam Evc,thatGodcs
tab||shcd |nthcgardcn,thccarth|yparad|sc, thcmostsub||mc
th|ngthatGodhascrcatcd. " ' Toundcrstandwhatth|sgardcn
|sandwhatthc transgrcss|onwasthatrcsu|tcd|ncx||c|rom |t|s
toundcrstand,w|ththc|awo|thccsotcr|c,thcsccrcto|sp|r|tua|
hcrmcncut|cs and, by that mcans, thc sccrcto|thc sp|r|tua| h|s
toqo|man. !tmaybc sa|dthaton th|spo|ntthc approach o|
Swcdcnborg|an hcrmcncut|cs andthato|l sma'||| hcrmcncut|cs
arc |n pro|ound accord. Thc !sma'||| authors cmphas|zc rcpcat
cd|y that whcn wc pract|cc ta'wil, that |s, thc cxcgcs|s that
takcs a th|ng back" to |ts h|ddcn s|gn|hcat|on, to i ts csotcr| c,
wc|n noway dcstroythcappcarancc that covcrs |t,| tscxotcr| c.
)ustaswccannotscc |nth|swor|d,amonghumans,asp|r|tthat
docs not subs|st |n a body, nc|thcr can wc scc an csotcr|c dc
pr|vcdo||ts cxotcr|c appcarancc, or c|sc |twou|d no |ongcr bc
thc csotcr| c, that |s, thc |ntcrna| contcnt h|ddcn undcr an ap
pcarancc. Wcn, thcrc|orc, thc csotcr|c o| Parad|sc |s mcn
t|oncd, thcrc |snodcn|a|thatthcrccx|stsagardcno|ctcrna|dc
||ghts,cvcn|||t|s|nthcscnsc|nwh|chwcsccbothadr1Shir1zi
and Swcdcnborg|nd|catc how, |n thc othcr|||c, |t |s onc oran
othcr|orm o|sp|r|tua|consc|ousncssthatcauscsa man||cstat|on
o|thc substant|a| appcarancc ( apparentia rea/is) wh|ch corrc
spondsto| t. '
Q1zi No' m1n cmphas|zcs th| s. Ondcrstand th|s wc||, 0
groupo||a|thm| bc||cvcrs' . . . Lct yourhcarts bc pcr|cct|ycon
sc|ous o||t, |or most o|thosc among thc mcn o|th|s sc|cncc
j thc mcn o|ta 'wit, thc csotcr|stsJ who go astray pcr|sh |n this
manncr. !t|sa|so|orth|srcasonthatAdam|c|||ntothccrror|n
wh|chhc|c|| . . . For||thccxotcr|co|a|orb|ddcnth|ngis a |or
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 07
b|ddcn th|ng,|ts csotcr|c a|so corrcspondsto a |orb|ddcnth|ng,
thc csotcr|cdocsnottrans|orm thc||||c|t|nto thc||c|t,|tcannot
sanct|on|| bcrt|nagc.That|swhatmustbcknownw|thrcgardto
thccxotcr|candw| thrcgard tothccsotcr| c. "'
Th| s |swhy a| | csotcr|sts-a Swcdcnborg as wc|| as thosc o|
Sh|'|sm and !sma'|| |sm-havc sccn hcrc thcsccrcto|thc human
drama cons|dcrcd |n |ts sp|r|tua| promnd|ty. !t |s bccausc thcrc
arc two comp|cmcntary) ways o|cdccung an |rrcparab|c sc|s
s|onbctwccnthcscnsoqandthcsp|r|tua| , bctwccnthccxotcr| c
andthccsotcr| c. namc|y, byan cxc|us|vc attachmcnttooncor
thcothcr, thccatastrophc |sthcsamc|n c|thcr casc. Esotcr|sm
dcgcncratcs|nto a purc|y abstract kow|cdgc, thato|thc |orccs
o|naturc, |or cxamp| c, or c|sc succumbs to sp|r|tua| || bcrt|nagc
whcnccthcSh|'|tc cr|t|c|smo|accna|ntypco|SuGsm) , thc cx
otcr|c, dcpr|vcd o||ts thcophan|c |uncton, dcgcncratcs |nto a
covcr|ng, a ho||ow cortcx, somcth|ng ||kc thc corpsc o|what
m|ghthavc bccnanangc||cappcarancc,||th|swou|dbcconcc|v
ab|c. Evcryth| ng, thcn, bccomcs |nst|tut|ona||zcd, dogmas arc
|ormu|atcd, | cga||st|c rc| |g|on tr|umphs, thc sc|cncc o|Naturc
bccomcs thc conqucst and posscss|on o| Naturc, a sc|cncc
whosc or|g|n |n thc Wcst |s somct|mcs datcd to thc th|rtccnth
ccntuq w|th Avcrro|sm, and wh|ch was abus|vc| ydcs| gnatcd as
Arab|sm" bccausc |twas unknown thatthcrc was a|so|n !s|am
thc prophct|cph||osophy" o|Sh|' |sm. Ccrta|n|y,onccthcmys
t|ca|Sword o|thcWord |sbrokcn |nto p|cccs,noth|ng|cssthan
thc quest o|aGa|ahad|snccdcdtorcun|tcthcm. A||thccdort|n
thcWcst|rom Kobcrt F|uddto Gocthc,homochmc to Swc
dcnborg,takcsonth|smcan|ng, thc mcan|ngthat|sa|sothato|
thc sc|cncc o| thc a|chcm|st )ab|r |bn ayyan |or !sma'|||
gnos|s. '
Lct us, thcn, cons|dcr thc Gardcn o|Edcn. !t docs |nvo|vc
somcth|ng that is a gardcn, but thc h|ddcn truth that makes a
gardcno||t|s |ound|n|ts csotcr| c. Hcrc, thatcsotcr| c|sthc d|
vinc|nsp|rat|on ( ta'd) thatHows|ntothchumanbc|ngd|rcct|y
andw|thoutan |ntcrmcd|aq, know|cdgc |nthc truc scnsc, purc
l O8 Swedenbo'land Esoteric Islam
sp|r|tua| sc|cncc |n |ts subt|c statc. That |s thc gardcn whosc
swcctncss surpasscs a|| othcr swcctncss, thc onc who undcr
standsth|scnt| rc|yrcnounccsthc|ntcrcstso|th|swor|d,bccausc
thcy havc a|| bccomc |ns|p|d |or h|m, and conscqucnt|y hc |s
thcncc|orth bound to thatsp|ritua|kow|cdgc and can on|y bc
oncw|th|t ' " |nSwcdcnborg,th|s|sthcstatco|thcmano|thc
Antiquisima Ecclesia) . Show|ng h|m thc gardcn, God says to
Adam. Dwc| | thou and thyw||c |n thc Gardcn, and cat o|thc
bount|m|thingsthcrcinasycw|| | , but approachnot th|s trcc, or
yc run into harm and transgrcss|on" Qur'an 2. 33) . God puts
thcm on thc|r guard aga|nst !b|is, who w||| not rcst unt|| hc
causcs thcm to |cavc thc gardcn Qur'an 2O. l l 5 ) , that |s, unt||
hc |nduccs thcm to rcnouncc thc cxotcr| c, wh|ch |s, howcvcr,
thcp|acc"o| thcdowcr|ngo|symbo|s.
Exotcr|ca||y, |n |act, thc d|v|nc proh|b|t|on s|gn|hcs that God
opcncdtothchuman bc|nga||thccsotcr|cranks( Jodud) o|thc
da'wat, that|s,o|thc Ecclesia spiritualis th|sdctcrm|ncsthcsta
tus |or thc cnt|rc t|mc o|our cyc|c o|occu|tat|on" as cyc|c o|
prophccy. Th|s status |s undcrstood |rom a know|cdgc thathas
thccxotcr| c, thcihir, asa ncccssaq|ntcrmcd|aq,a know|cdgc
that |s thus csscnt|a||y thc pcrccpt|on o| symbo|s, o| thc
suprascnsoqconcca|cdundcrth|sappcarancc, and wh|ch|scon
com|tant w|th r|tua| ob||gations that arc thcmsc|vcs |nvcstcd
with a symbo||c s|gn|Gcauon. Th|s is a|so thc rcason that somc
th|ng must rcma|n inacccss| b|c to man. thc Trcc that hc |s |or
b|ddcn to pro|anc. For!sma'||| gnos|s,th|sTrcc rcprcscnts thc
!mam o|thc Rsurrcction ( Qi'im al-Qyimat} , thc |ast !mam,
whosc mturc Appcaranccw|||conc|udcourcyc|c,w|||br|ngthc
ti mc o|our Aion to an cnd. Hc a|onc who has bccn |dcnt|hcd
by many Twc|vc !mam Sh|'|tc th|nkcrs as thc Parac|ctc, an
nounccd|nthcGospc|o| )ohn) w|||havcthcmnct|ono|rcvca|
|ng thc h|ddcn scnsc o|a|| D|v|nc Kcvc|at|ons and o|rc|cas|ng
mcn hom thc|rr|tua|ob||gat|ons,what|stodayv|s|b|c, cxotcric
hir) ,w|||bccomch|ddcnwh||cwhat| stodayh|ddcn, csotcr|c
( hifin), wi||bccomcman||cst | n!sma'|||tcrms,th|s |s thc scv
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 09
cnth day" o|Crcation) . That is why, bytouchingthc |orbiddcn
Trcc, thc human bcing,thccoup|cAdam Evc, usurpcdthcprc
rogativc o|thc Rsurrcctor, this mcans that hc tricd to dovio
|cncctothc scicncco|thc Kcsurrcction,which,unti|thc coming
o|thc |ast !mam, wi|| rcmain inacccssib|c to man, in ordcr to
commit that vio|cncc, hc had to brcak thc union bctwccn thc
;ahir and thc hafin that is prcscndy ncccssaq, or, rathcr, that
brcak|ngwas itsc||his acto|vio|cncc. !nthisway, man opcncd
hisowndrama.' "
Lndoubtcd|y,hc did thisat thc suggcstiono|!b|is,whoscin
tc~cntion is cxp|aincd bcttcr within thc contcxt o| !sma'i|i
gnos|s, s| ncc wc a|rcady know about thc prcv|ous cx|stcncc o|
!b|isandh|s| ntcnt|ons. !nordcr|orthosc| ntcnt|onstosuccccd,
!b|is nccdcd toawakcn inmanthcnosta|gia |or that sc|cncc o|
thcKcsurrcction. 'YourLrdon|y|orb;dcyouthi strcc, | cstyc
shou|d bccomc angc|s or such bci ngs as |ivc |orcvcr. ' And hc
sworc to thcm both, that hc was thcir sinccrc adviscr" Qur'an
7: 20- 2 1 ) . !n|act,!b|isandAdamhadbothbc|ongcdtothcprc
ccding cyc|c o|cpiphany," whcrc thc angc|ic" condit|on o|
man cxcmptcd hi m |rom thc circuitousncss o|kow|cdgc by
mcanso|symbo|s,as it cxcmptcd himhom thc ob|igat|onsim
poscd by thc cnunci atorprophcts thc noaqa' ) o|a rc||gious
Law ( shari'at) . !tisthismcmory that !b|is awakcnsinAdam, in
ordcrtoinducchim to transgrcss thc|imitthatmarks thcrank
o|thc prophcts, and to usurp thc rank and thc mission o|thc
l mamo|thc Kcsurrcction. ' '
This, thcn, |s what unvci|s thc pro|ound scnsc o|thc simp|c
words. Wcn thcytastcdo|thc trcc, thc|rshamc [ nud|q] bc
camcman||csttothcm" Qur'an7. 22, sccGcn. 3: 7) . !tmustbc
undcrstood thatthcattcmptonthcparto|man,Adam Evc, to
do awaywiththccxotcricwas cquiva|cntto a | ayingbarc o|thc
csotcricbafin ) ,s|nccitdcprivcdthc|attcro||tsgarmcnt. A wc
havc j ustmcnt|oncd, thc csotcric in itspurc statc is thc sc|cncc
that can on|y bc mani|cstcd by thc !mam o|thc Rsurrcction.
Adam had ncithcrthc possibi|ity nor thc powcr. Thatiswhy, in
1 1 0 Swedenborg and Esoteric Islam
want|ng to |ay barc thc bifin, h|s own nakcdncss, that o|
Adam-Evc, was man||cst to h|m, that |s, h|s powcr|cssncss, h|s
|gnorancc, h|s |ntcrna| darkncss was |a|d barc Swcdcnborg
wou|dsaythat|twasthcdarkcsso|h|sproprium, h|ssc||,whcn
th|s |s scparatcd |rom |ts Pr|nc|p|c) . Such |s a|so thc pro|ound
scnsc o|th|s othcr qur'an|c vcrsc. Satan . . . str|ppcd thcm o|
thc|rra|mcnt,tocxposcthc|rshamc"( 7: 27) , that|s,thcra|mcnt
o|thc D|v|ncWord, wh|ch,bymcanso||ts||ght ||kc arobco|
||ght) , concca|cdanydarkcssthatm|ghthavc bccn|nthcm.
Adam and Evc togcthcr arc thcactors |n th|s drama, s|ncc | t
dcstroys boththccsotcr|c Evc )andthccxotcr|c Adam) . What
happcns, as wc havcsa|d, |s th|s. thc dcs|rc, doomcdto |a||urc,
to|ay barc thc csotcr|c prcmaturc|yhas, as|ts coro| |aq, thc rc
duct|on o|thc cxotcr|c |rom scnsory appcarancc to thc statc o|
st||||||c, toacorpsc. ' !|accrta|nsc|cncco|our t|mcv|cws Na
turc | nth|sway, | tmay bcsa|d|nrcturnthat| t|sth|stransgrcs
s|onwh|cha||csotcr|smshavcsubscqucnt|ytr|cdtorcdccm, and
that|sthc|rs|gn||cancc|orasp|r|tua|h|story|nv|s|b|ctoh|stor|
ans o| cxtcrna| cvcnts. Howcvcr, bccausc thc tr|umph cannot
occurcxccptw|th thc man||cstat|on o|thc !mam Parac|ctc, no
csotcr|sm,unt| | thccom|ngo|thc !mam,can bcanyth|ngmorc
thana witness, rccogn|zcdbya sma||numbcr,r|d|cu|cdbya||thc
othcrs, andnotprogrcss|ngcxccpt|nthcn|ghto|symbo|s.
Thc cnt|rc humandrama |s p|aycd outon thc p|anc o|gnos|s
and gnost|c consc|ousncss. !t |s a drama o|know|cdgc, not a
drama o| thc dcsh. Our !sma'||| authors arc thc hrst to bc
amazcd and |nd|gnant that thc s|gn|hcat|on o|thc drama rc
countcd |n mc Qur'an and |n thc |b|c cou|d bc dcgradcd to
thc|cvc| o|thccommoncxcgcs|sthatwc a||know. Thcywondcr
aboutthcrcason|orth| s. pcrhaps|t|satu|butab|c,thcyth|nk,to
ccrta|n )cw|shconvcns to !s|am, who, un|ortunatc|y,wcrc not
csotcnsts. Thatcxcgcs|shas|cdtoa||sortso|pucr||candunwor
thycxp|anationso|thcgarmcntthatAdam madc|orh|msc||. '

'
On thc othcrhand,th|s|s thc sp|ritua|scnscthat !sma'|||gnos|s
pcrcc|vcs| nthcvcrsc. Thcybcgantoscwtogcthcrthcleaves of
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics l I l
thc Gardcnovcrthc|rbod|cs" Qur'an 7: 22; Gcn. 3: 7) . Adam' s
attcmpt, wc kow, was cquiva|cnt to |osing thc scnsc o|sym
bo|s, now, to |osc thc scnsc o|symbo|s |s to bc p|accd |n thc
prcscncc o|h|sown darkncss, h|sown|gnorancc, |t|sto scc h|s
own nakcdncss. oth Adam and Evc, thcn, |rustratcd |n thc|r
cndcavor|orapurccsotcr|c( btfin) thati ncvi tab|ycscapcsthcm,
bccomcattachcdto remembrnce, astothc |ast||ghto|w|sdom.
Th|srcmcmbrancco||ostsymbo|sconst|tutcsthc|cavcs o|thc
Gardcn" by mcans o| wh|ch thcy tr to veil thcir statc, thc
nakcdncss thatwas unveiled to thcm by thc |actthatd|vi nc | n
sp|ration ta yfd) was w|thdrawn |rom thcm. Havc mcn bccn
doinganythi ngc|scs|nccthcn?AsQazi No' manrcmarks, many
havc pcr|shcd |n th|scdort, by m|sj udg|ng |ts Gna||qorby suc
cumb|ngtospir|tua| ||bcrt| nagc. '
Ncvcrthc|css, thc cnd o| thc cp|sodc, in both thc qur'anic
tcach|ng and |n !sma' ||| hcrmcncut|cs, has nonc o|thc sombcr
rcsonancctowh|chthcrc||g|ousmano|thcWcsthasbccomcac
customcdovcrthc ccntuncs. !t|ssa|d thatAdamdidnotpcrs|st
|n hiscrrorandthatGodrcturncdtohim,|or HcisOh rcturn
i ng j at-Tawwtb j , ost Mcrc|m|" Qur'an 2: 37) .
1 65
Adam dc
partcd |rom Paradsc, but thcncc|orth, by mcans o|gnos|s, hc
cdcctcd a rcturn tothcpotcnt|a|parad|sc"which|sthcda 'wat.
Thc qur'an|cvcrscssay th|s. Thc|rLord ca||cduntothcm. ' D|d
! not |orbid you that trcc j that is, thc sc|cncc o|thc Rcsurrcc
t|on] , andtc||youthatSatanwasanavowcdcncmyuntoyou? . .
. Gct yc down w|th cnm|ty bctwccn yoursc|vcs j Adam and
Satan] . On carthwi|| bc your dwc|||ngp|acc andyour mcans o|
||vc||hood,-|or a t|mc . . . but |rom |t sha|| yc bc takcn out
j at|ast] '' ( 7: 22, 24, 25) .
Thcca||thatGodaddrcsscstothcmi snot,o|coursc,thato| a
vo|cc that makcs thc a|r vibratc phys|ca||y, |t |s thc rcun|t|ng o|
spi ritua|scicncctothcirconsc|ousncss. Forwhcn God rcturns"
to thcm, Hc docs not dcgradc Adam |rom thc rank o| mc
ca||phatc and thc !mamatc thatHchadcstab||shcd|orh|m, Hc
docsnotdcpr|vch|mcomp|ctc|yo|H|sWord,o| H|sw|sdom-
1 1 2 Swedenbo1 and Eoteric Islam
|n bric|, o|that d|v|nc v|ta||ty ( mlddat) that |s thc co|umn o|
|ight," d|vinc magnctism,gnos|s. ' utHccauscs him to dc
sccnd" |rom Parad|sc, that |s, |rom thc cc|cstia| " statc that|s
thc ta'wil w|thout|tsvc| | , thcdircctand|mmcd| atcsp|r|tua|pcr
ccpt|on o|thc csotcric scnsc, o|thc symbo|ism o|bc|ngs and
th|ngs. Hc causcs h|m to dcsccnd to carth, " thc carth that |s
thc da 'wat, thc !sm a'i|i soda|ity, whcrc thc pri mordia| d|vinc
vita||ty" is conjoincd to thc |nitiatcs, but on|y by mcans o|thc
|ntcrmcdiaq o|a|| thc ranks o|thc cc|cst|a| and carth|y h|crar
ch|cs. ' !t |s th|s sp|r|tua| carth" o|thc da 'wat that |s thc|r
tcmporary abodc, wh||c thcy wa|t |or thc scvcnth day" to
dawn,
' and that |s why hc who rcsponds to thc Ca||, to thc
da 'wat, has thcncc|onh rcturncdv|rtua||yto Parad|sc. !t|s th|s
v|nua|parad|sc"o|wh|ch,|nthcpcriodo| Noah,thcAk|sthc
symbo| , | n |t arc groupcd thc Fr|cnds o|God and thc|r adhcr
cnts, and thc parqo|! b|is, " to usc thc qur'anic cxprcss|on, |s
thc parq o|thosc whom !b|is had takcn posscss|on o|to thc
po|nto|makingthcm |orgct thc rcmcmbrancc ( dhikr) o|God.
Thcrc |s anothcr pro|ound notc hcrc. th|s |orgctm|ncss" |s
thc|r dc|ay" ( ta'khir) ; now,wc kow that !sma'||| mctaphys|cs
undcrstands thc orig|n o|time as a dc|ay o|ctcrn|q" that oc
currcd |nHcavcn. "' "
Thc work o|!b|is bccomcs worsc throughout thc pcr|od o|
Adam, a pcriod that i s givcn i ts rhythm by thc succcssion o|
!mamswhowcrc thcpostcr|tyo|Scth, sonand !mam o|Adam,
towhomAdamconGdcd h|ssccrct. Thcirnamcscorrcspond to
thc namcs that wc can rcad in thc Ghh chaptcr o|thc book o|
Gcncs|s,' " and thc|r |inc |cads us to thc ar|s|ng o| a ncw
prophct, Noah, who opcns a ncw pcr|od o|prophccy, ncccss|
tated by thc |ncrcas|ngcorrupt|ono|thc postcrityo|Adam.
3. Te Eotrc Snse of te Hisr of NoRh
Noah |s thc sccond day o| h|croh|stoq, that is, o| thc hexa
imeron, the s|x days o|sp|r|tua| Crcat|on that must|cad to thc
mani festati on o|the Perfect Man,tothc scvcnthday"th;t r con-
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics ! I 3
c|udcsourA ion, |nthc pcrsono|thc |ast !mam,who announccs
thc Rsurrcct|ono|Kcsurrcct|ons ( Qytmat al-Qytmtt) . Wh||c
thc Qur' an,|n accord w|th thc |b|c, numbcrs thc durat|on o|
Noah"at950 ycars,our!sma'|||authorsknowvcqwc||thatth|s
|mprcss|vc numbcr o|ycars rc|atcs not to mc agc o|Noah thc
|nd|v|dua|andh|sphys|ca|pcrson,buttothcdurat|ono|h|spc
r|od |n thc cyc|c o|prophccy' ' | n thc samc way, as wc havc
sccn, Swcdcnborg rc|atcsth|s Ggurc tothcdurat|ono|thc Anti
qua Ecclesia) . !nthccvcnts that G||cd th|s pcr|od |nthchi story
o|prophccy, !sma'||| gnos|s d|sccrns thc samc numbcr o|sp|r|
tua| cvcnts, cvcryth|ng |s transposcd tothc |n|t|atory p|anc, rc
su|t|ng,o|coursc, not |n a succcss|ono|a||cgor|cs,but|n asuc
ccss|ono|rca|cvcnts,codcd"undcrthc appcarancco|cxtcrna|
events, a secret history remaini ng unknown to those who are at
tachcdon|yto thc |attcr. !t|s|mposs| b|c Jorusto ana|yzc|ndc
ta|| thc scqucncc o|thcsc cvcnts, wc can on|y cmphas|zc thc
symbo|sqp|ca|o|thcqur' an|candb|b||ca|h|storyo| Noah.
!n ordcr to or|cntatc our attcnt|on, |ct us rcca|| that thcsc
symbo|s arc csscnt|a||y thc cvcnt o|thc Flood and thc construc
t|on and nav|gat|o
_
o|thc Ark. On thcsc two po|nts wc w| ||
cncountcr,|n rc|at|on toSwcdcnborg'shcrmcncut|cs,a convcr
gcnccthatsccmstoprcsagcthc|ru|tsthatmaybccxpcctcd|rom
a comparat|vc study |n dcpth o|thc sp|r|tua| hcrmcncutics o|
thc |b|c and thc Qur' an. Hcrc aga| n, thc F|ood |s a sp|r|tua|
cvcnt,arca|cvcntthattakcsp|acc|nsou|s,a sufocation o|sou|s
as a conscqucncc o|thc samc drama o|Know|cdgc opcncd by
Adam at thc bcg|nn|ng o|h|s cyc|c. Thc mot|vc |orccs o|thc
drama arc dcs|gnatcd as thc cxotcr|cand thccsotcr|co|thc D|
v|ncWord,thcdramatis personae arcdctcrm|ncdbythcro|cand
att|tudc that pcop|c assumc, rcspcct|vc|y, toward thc cxotcric
and thc csotcr|c. !nth|sway mosto|human|tyw|||bc drowncd
and sudocatcd by thc cxotcr|c o| thc D|v|nc Kcvc|at|ons, thc
||tcra| appcarancc o|pos|t|vc rc||g|on, c|thcr bccausc somc do
notwant to know anyth|ng morc than thc cxotcr|c,orbccausc
othcrs asscrt that thcy do not nccd anyth|ng morc. oth, |or
1 1 4 Swedenbor and Eoteric Islam
oppos|tc butcomp|cmcntaq rcasons, w||| rc|usc to takc a p|acc
|nthcArk, thcsymbo||cs|gn|hcat|ono|wh|ch|ssc|| cv|dcnt.
Thc hgurc o|Noah bc|ongs to thc catcgoq o|prophctmcs
scngcrs ( Nabi Morsal, Nabi and Rami,
1 72
|nstructcd to sctout
tomanancwrc||g|ousLaw,ancwshari'at. Mow,assuch,asthc
m|ss|on o|an Enunc|ator Prophct ( Ntfiq) , Noah's m|ss|on cs
scnt||y cons|sts |n ca|||ng pcop|c to thc hir, to thc cxotcric
and, by th|s mcans, to mc obsc~ancc o|ritu. H|s cal| |s ac
ccptcd on|y by thosc who havc a modcst cnough op|n|on o|
thcmsc|vcsto undcrstand th|sncccss|ty, dthcy arc a sma|| m|
nor|ty. On thc othcr hand, Noah's prcach|ng |nstant|y un|tcs
aga|nst h|m, |n thcpostcr|ty o|!b|is, a doub|c oppos|t|on. thosc
who cons|dcr that thcy can and must havc |mmcdatc acccss to
thccsotcr|c,tothc bafin; and thosc whoarcthcprcyo|thccxo
tcr|c|chto|tsc||,aswchavcsccn, asarcsu|to|Adam'stransgrcs
s|on, andwhorcjcct anycsotcr|c |mp||cat|on. Thus, thc |cadcrs
objcct to Noah. Wc scc |n thcc noth|ng but a man ||kc our
sc|vcs" Qur'an 1 1 : 27) . !n othcr words, Noah |s not br|ng|ng
thcm anyth|ng ncw, thc cxotcr|c |s somcth|ng thatcvcqonc
rcady kows, and thcon|yadvantagc that |t has |or thcm |s to
pcrm|tthcmtosat|s[thc|rw|||topowcrthroughkccp|ngpcop|c
togcthcrbyagrccmcntorby|orcc.That|swhy,|nordcrtod|vcrt
thc|rpcop|c|romNoah'sprcach|ng,thcysaytothcm. Abandon
notyourgods" Qur'an 71 : 23) , that|s, thc |carncd|romwhom
thcy had rccc|vcd tcach|ng unt|| thcn, thosc |carncd |n thc Law,
whowcrc on|ymastcrs |nm|s|cad|ngthcm ( 71 : 24) .
1 73
From that momcnt, Noah knows, by d|v|nc |nsp|rat|on, that
thc numbcro|h|s adhcrcnts w||| not|ncrcasc, and thc samc d|
v|nc|nsp|rat|on ordcrs h|m to constructthcAk Qur'an 1 1 : 36
d. ) . Lctusnotchcrc aga|n thc|mportancc thatourauthors at
tachtothcs|mu|tancousprcsc~at|ono|thchir andthcbtfin,
thc symbo| andthcsymbo||zcd. Thc |magco|thcArk|san | m
agc that |s abso|utc|y ncccssaq |n ordcr thatthc scnsc o|thc
da'wat, thc !sma'||| Convocauon, may appcar bc|orc thc sp|r|
tualcatastrophca|rcadybcgun. ToconstructthcAk|s,atGod' s
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 1 5
ordcr,tocstab||shthcda 'wat, thccsotcr|csoda||tytogcthcrw| th
|ts gradcs and |ts |n|t|at|on, so that thc sp|r|ts o||ts adhcrcnts
mayhnd, throughthc |||c o|thc sp|r|tua| sc|cncc that|s|mbucd
w|ththc naturc o|||ght( ayit al- 'ilm al-ruini al-nurini, sa|
vat|on outs|dc o| submcrs|on |n unconsc|ousncss, outs|dc o|
ncgat|on and m|s|cad|ng, just as a sh|p prcsc~cs bod|cs |rom
drown|ng |n thc phys|ca| scnsc. ' !n thc |acc o|th|s cdort, thc
|cadcrso|Noah' spcop|cactasthc|rsorthasa|waysactcd|nrc|a
t|onto thc gnostics. Evcq t|mc that thc Ch|c|s o|h|s pcop|c
passcd by h|m," thc qur'an|cvcrsc tc||s us, thcy thrcw r|d|cu|c
on h|m. Hc sa| d. '!|yc r|d|cu|c us now, wc [ |n our turn] can
|ookdownonyouw|thr|d|cu|c||kcw|sc' utsoonw|||yc know
who |t |s on whom w||| dcsccnd a pcna|ty that w||| covcr thcm
w|th shamc,-on whom w||| bc un|ooscd a pcna|q | ast|ng' "
( I I : 38- 39) .
Wc arc rcm|ndcd thatWatcr| s thc symbo|o|know|cdgc and
o|cvcryth|ngthatrc|atcsto|t,cach, rcspcctivc|y,thcsymbo|and
thc symbo||zcd cach at |ts own |cvc| o|bcing |s thc symbo| o|
thc othcr), can c|thcrsa|cguard |||c orcausc dcath. Thoscwho
arc convcycd bya sccurc ark doatsa|c and sound |romthc pcri|
o|thcwatcr,thoscwhohavca rank|nthc da 'wat doatsa|c and
soundonthcoccano|know|cdgc.Thus,thcrci sapcr|cctcorrc
spondcncc bcmccn cvcq dcta|| o|thc structurc o|thc Ak and
thc structurc o|thc da 'wat. !t |s |mposs|b|c to cntcr|nto thcsc
dcta||shcrc. W|thoutd|mcu|ty,Qazi No'man |nd|catcs howthc
structurc o|thc Ark pcrm|ts a rc|crcncc to bc rcad |n |t to thc
four, tothcseven, andtothctelve: tothcfour hgurcsthatdom
|natc rcspcctivc|y thc cc|cst|a| h|crarchy First lntc|||gcncc and
F|rst Sou|, Sibiq and Tili and thc carth|y h|crarchy Prophct
and!mam) , tothcseven prophcts o|thccyc|c that|s,|nc|ud|ng
thc !mamo|thc Kcsurrcct|on,thc scvcnthday") ' andtothc
seven !mams o|cach pcr|od, and to thc telve loJjat who pcr
mancnt|ysurroundcvcqlmamo|cvcqpcnod. ' Eacho|thcsc
corrcspondcnccsa|socmphas|zcsthc pcrmancncc o|thc symbo|
of thc ctcrna| da 'wat, |rom pcr|od to pcriod |n thc cyc|c o|
1 1 6 Swedenbor and Eoteric Islam
prophccy, |or a|| thcsc corrcspondcnccsarc |oundaswc|| |n thc
symbo| o|thc Chr|st|an crossw|th |ts |our branchcs and |n thc
structurc o|thc shahadat, thc tcst|mony o|thc Ln|quc |or thc
!s|am|c|a| th |ourwords, scvcnsy||ab|cs,twc|vc|cttcrs ) . Exotcr
|ca||y, thcsc symbo|s may ddcr among thcmsc|vcs, csotcr|ca||y,
ourauthorstrcsscs, thcarchctypc thca!l ) rcma|nsthcsamc.
Thc cstab||shmcnto|a da 'at appropr|atc to |ts pcr|od, that
|s,thcconstruct|ono|thcAkbyNoah,|sthcrc|orcthcCa|| ,thc
da 'wat, |nv|t|ngmcn to takc thc|r p|acc |nthcArk, |nthc ranks
o|mch|ghcrsp|r|tua|sc|cncc. O|coursc, thc |acko|succcss| sas
comp|ctc as|twasbc|orc,whcnNoahca||cdmcnon|ytothccx
otcr| c. !t|s th|s |a||urc that |s rccordcd |n a praycro|Noah, rc
portcd |n mov|ng tcrms |n thc qur'an|c vcrscs. "0 my Lord! !
havc ca||cd to my pcop|c niht and day, but my ca|| on|y |n
crcascs thc|rd|ght. Ad cvcq t|mc ! havc ca||cd to thcm, that
Thou m|ghtcst |org|vc thcm, thcy havcon|y thrust their fngers
into their ears, covcrcd thcmsc|vcs up w|th thc|r garmcnts,
grown obst|natc, and g|vcn thcmsc|vcs up to arrogancc. So !
havcca||cdtothcma|oud,mnhcr! havc spokcntothcm in pub
lic and secretly in prvate, say|ng, 'Ask |org|vcncss |rom your
Lord, |or Hc|s Of-Fo'iving; Hcw|||send rain ( fom Heaven)
toyou |n abundancc, g|vc you |ncrcasc|n wealth and |nsons and
bcstowonyougardens andbcstow onyou rivers of fowing wa
ter" ( 71 : 5- 1 2) . Lt uscons|dcrw|th QazNo' manthccsotcr|c
scnsc o|thcscvcrscs |n wh|chwchavc|ta||c|zcd hcrc thc sym
bo||cwords) , wcw||| d|scovcr,a|ongw|th thc scnsco|thc h|cro
h|stoq o|Noah, thc actua| scnsc o|what |s dcs|gnatcd by thc
namco|thcF|ood.
A Ca|| madc day and niht; a Ca|| madc openly, wh|ch |s |o|
|owcd by secret convcrsations. th|s s|gn|hcs Noah' sdoub|c Ca| | ,
ca|||ng tothc exoteric as Enunc|ator Prophct o|a sharf'at, and
ca|||ngtothc esoteric, that|s, tothc da'wat, tothcmyst|csoda|
it that hc cstab||shcd|n thc pcrsono|h|s !mamas a rcpos|toq
of thc sccrct of h|sprcach|ng,and by h|s!mam |nthcpcrson of
a|| those who took thci r p|acc, accord|ng to thc|r rank, |n thc
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics I I 7
Ark. A|| thc prophcts havc doncth|s | t |s cas||y graspcd howa||
th|stcndstorcstorc ordcrtoth|ngsouto|ba|ancc-outo|ba|
ancc or|g|na||ybccausco|Adam' stransgrcss|on) . Thc wordfor
giveness (ghofan) , cvcn|n|tsctymo|ogy acto|vc|||ng" ) , |nd|
catcsto uswhatmustbc undcrstoodcacht|mcwccncountcr| t.
toaskd|v|nc |org|vcncss" |s to cntcr |nto thc csotcr|c o|thc
da 'wat. ThatGod|ovcsto|org|vcmcansthatHc|ovcstocon|cr
upon us thc g|h o|csotcr|c know|cdgc.
' Heaven symbo||zcs
w|th thc Enunc|ator ProphctNtfiq) asthc Hcavcnthatdom|
natcs thc mesocosm or hierocosmos, 'alam al-Din) , thc h|crat|c
wor|d| ntcrmcd|atc bctwccnthcmacrocosmandthcm|crocosm.
Thcrc|orc, whcnyou havc askcd |or thc g|h o|csotcr|c sp|r|tua|
sc|cncc, God ra|ns down Know|cdgc, truc wealth, upon you
|romthcHcavcno|prophccy,Hcg|vcsyou|ncrcasc|nsons, that
|s, you |n turn w||| bc Ca||crs da
'
i towhom mcn w||| rcspond
( mosajiun, your sp|r|tua| sons ) . Wc know that thc prom|scd
gardens arc thc symbo| o|thc da'wat potcnt|a| parad|sc) , v|v|
hcd by thosc rivers of fowing water that arc thc gnost|cs who
composc thc Ecclesia spiritualis. ut |t| sth|s Ca|| o|Noah that
thc ch|c|s and thc |carncd |n Law r|d|cu|cd w|th thc|r mockcry
Qur'an 1 1 : 38) .
Fromthatpo|nt,thcrc| s a prcscnt|mcntastowhatthcF|ood
w||| cons|st |n as a sp|r|tua| cvcnt, somcth|ng much gravcr than
thc gco|og|ca| catastrophc, thc phys|ca| phcnomcnon that |s |ts
symbo| . On onc hand, |t w||| rcsu|t |n thc Watcr that dows
|rom thc Hcavcn o|prophccy," andonthc othcrhand, |o||ow
|ngthc|cttcro|thcqur' an|cvcrsc( 1 1 : 40) , |nthc bo|||ngovcror
gush|ng|orth|romthcmystcr|ousmrnaccca||cdal-tannur |t|s
known that thc mrnacc o|thc Europcan a|chcm|sts was dcs|g
natcd by thcword atanor, transcr|bcd |romAab|c ) . Th|s com
|ngto bo|||ngs|gn|Gcs,acord|ngtoQaziNo'man, thcadvcnto|
thc ta 'wil, that |s, o| thc csotcr|c hcrmcncut|cs that d|spcnsc
||ght,odcrcdbythconcwhomNoah|nsututcdash|s!mam, thc
rcpos|toqo|h|ssccrct. From thatpo|nta|so,thcWatcrappcars
|n |ts amb|va|cntsymbo||sm. For thosc who havc cntcrcd |nto
1 1 8 Swedenbof and Eoteric Islam
thc Ark, "|t |s thc Watcrthatbcarsthcm, |orthoscwho havcrc
mscd, |t |s thc Watcr thatsudocatcs thcm, thc unconsc|ousncss
whoscmonstrouswavcsthcArkmustc|cavc.
'
Thoscwho havc cntcrcd|nto thcArk"arc a|| thosctowhom
thcd|v|ncordcrhasrc|crrcd. Wcsa|d. ' Embarkthcrc|n, o|cach
kindtwo,ma|cand|cma|c' " Qur'an 1 1 : 40) , |orth|sordcrcon
ccrnsthcda'wat, thc!sma'|||soda||ty.Thcdcgrccso||tscsotcr|c
h|crarchy |orm coup|cs among thcmsc|vcs. cach gradc ( add,
||m|t" ) |orms a coup|c w|th thc gradc that comcs |mmcd|atc|y
ahcr|tmadud, thatwh|ch| s||m|tcd"by |t) andthat|tcarr|cs
a|ongbch|nd|t,a||bc|ngrcspons|b|c|orcachothcrunt||thcA
tcr|||c . ' " Morcovcr,cach gradc o|thccarth|yh|crarchy|orms a
coup|cwth thc gradc thatcorrcspondsto|t |n thc cc|cst|a|h|cr
archy. ' "Thcrc|orc,|t|sto|thcmcmbcrso|thcmyst|c broth
crhood that Noah addrcsscs h|msc||whcn hc says. Embark yc
onthc Ark, |nthc namco|God,whcthcr|tmovcorbc atrcst! "
( 1 1 : 41 ) .
So thc Ark doatcd w|th thcm onthc wavcs [ towcr|ng] ||kc
mounta|ns" ( 1 1 : 42) , wh|ch mcans. thc !mam,| nvcstcdw|th cs
otcr|c tcach|ng,doats|n h|sda 'wat ||kc a mysuca|Ark, togcthcr
w|th a|| thoscwho havc rcspondcd to h|s Ca|| thc mostafbun ) ,
on thc occan o|know|cdgc, hc doats |rom myst|ca| gradc to
gradc |romadd toadd) , |nordcrto|n|uatc cach onc|ntothc
h|ghcrsp|r|tua| sc|cncc ma 'riat) ; thcwavcsthat hc con|ronts,
towcr| ng ||kc mounta|ns, arc thc |carncd |n Law, thc ||tcra||sts
'ulami' al-hir) whopassasmcno|sc|cncc,a|thoughthcyarc
cmptyo|anyknow|cdgc |nthc truc scnsc, that |swhy thcyco|
|apscbc|orcthc!mam,asthcwavcso|thcscaco||apscahcrhav
|ng g|vcn thc |||us|on o| bc|ng h|gh mounta| ns. Thc d|v|nc
da 'wat thc myst|ca|Ark) doats upon thc hcadso|thcsc pcop|c
who g|vc thcmsc|vcsthc a|rs o|thc|carncd. !tc|cavcsthcmas a
sh|p c|cavcs thc wavcs. !t doats upon thcm wh||c thcy |r|ghtcn
mcn w|th thc|r sha||ow sc|cncc, |ndat|ng thcmsc|vcs |n thc way
that thc wavcs o|thc sca r|sc and co|||dc w|th cach othcr . . .
utthoscwho havccntcrcd thc da 'wat arc shc|tcrcdthcrc |rom
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 1 9
thc|r m|s|cad|ng, as thc travc|cr |n a sh|p |s shc|tcrcd |rom thc
wavcs. " ' '
Amongthc |attcr,a|as, onco|thc sonso|Noah| s abscnt,thc
Qur'ana||udcstoh|scasc,and!sma'|||hcrmcncut|csc|ari hcsthc
mcan|ng o| his transgrcss|on. That transgrcss|on |s noth|ng
othcr than a rcpct|t|on o|thc att|tudc o|!b|is w|th rcgard to
Adam. Noah ca||sh|m. "0 myson| Embarkw|th us,andbcnot
w|th thc unbc||cvcrs" ( 1 1 : 42) . !n va|n. H|s son had hopcd that
thc !mamatc wou|d bc con|crrcd upon h|m. Frustratcd |n h|s
hopc,||kc!b|is,hcprc|crstotakc rcmgca|oncona h|ghmoun
ta| n. Pcrhaps thc |attcr a|so symbo||zcs, as Qazi No'man says,
thc |carncd|n Law, thc ||tcra||sts,s|ncc|t |s truc thatthc hcro o|
a |a||cd |n|t|at|on" has no othcr rcmgc than agnost|c|sm,
whcthcr|t|sthato|thcp|ous|| tcra||stsorthato|thcdcspcratc.
Noah |ntcrccdcs |or h|m |n va|n. Hc |s to|d in rcsponsc. "0
Noah' hc|snoto|thy |am||y" ( 1 I : 46 ) , that |s,o|yoursp|r|tua|
|ami|y, thc myst|ca| compan|ons o|thc Ark. That |s why thc
wavcscamc bctwccn thcm, and thc son was amongthosc ovcr
whc|mcd |n thc F|ood" ( 1 1 : 43) , ovc~hc|mcd by doubts, un
ccrta|nt|cs,andthc|a|scknow|cdgcthatdcstroysthcsymbo|sby
|so|at| ng thc symbo| thc ;ahir) |rom thc symbo||zcd thc
bafin) .
I B2
A|thoughwc arcsummar|z|nghcrc |n bo|d out||nc,somcth|ng
can bc g||mpscd. Thc sp|r|tua| truth o| thc phcnomcnon
F|ood, "thc rca||ty o|thc cvcntas|toccurs |nthccsotcr|c,that
|s, |nsou|s,|ssccn to bc s|m||aras|t|s brought outbythcsp|r|
tua| hcrmcncut|cs o|Swcdcnborg on onc hand, and by !sma' |||
hcrmcncutics on thc othcr. Th|s acknow|cdgmcnt |s |mponant
|or oursubjccto|a comparat|vc studyo|sp|r|tua|hcrmcncutics.
Wc havc rcad |n Swcdcnborg that, |rom onc aspcct, thc F|ood
wasthcsudocat|ono|mcnbysp|r|tua|th|ngs|orwh|ch,onccdc
pr|vcd o|thc|r|ntcrna| rcsp|rat|on,thcyno|ongcrhadanorgan.
ln !sma'||| gnos|s, |n thc pcrson o|thc |cadcrs and |n that o|
Noah'sson, whorccap|tu|atcsthcprctcns|ono| !b|is,wc scc man
|rustratcd, asAdamwasahcrhav|ngy|c|dcdtothcsuggcstiono|
1 20 Swedenbo" and Esoteric Islam
!b|is, and sudocating |n h|s |nabi||q to achicvc an csotcr|c
str|ppcd o||ts covcring. From anothcr aspcct thc two aspccts
bcingcomp|cmcntary) , wc havcrcad|nSwcdcnborghowthcab
scncco|sp|r|tual th|ngsthathadbccnthc brcatho|h|s|||c"|or
man causcd |n h|m thc sudocation and dcath o|h|s sp|r|tua| or
ganism. !n !sma'||i gnosis this corrcsponds to thc sudocation
produccd by thc sc|cncc o|thc purc cxotcrists, thc |carncd |n
Law, whowant to kowon|y thc appcarancc, thc actua||cttcr,
withoutany sign|Gcauon that gocs bcyond |t. Thc two comp|c
mcntaqaspcctscorrcspondtothcamb|va|cncco|thcsymbo||sm
o|Watcr. mcWatcrwh|ch |s thc kow|cdgc thatgivcs |||c, and
which may bccomc thc know|cdgc that sudocatcs and causcs
dcath,i|rcmgc|snottakcn |nthcAk.
Th|s convcrgcncc o|our sp|r|tua| hcrmcncut|cs |s a|so |c|t |n
thc mcaning that thcy br|ng out w|th rcgard to thc dcparturc
|romthc Ak. Thc cndo|thc F|ood|ss|gn|Gcdbythc ordcrthat
| srccountcd by thc qur'1n|cvcrsc. Thcn thcwordwcnt |orth.
' 0 carth' swa||ow up thy watcr, and 0 sky' withho|d j thy
rainj ' ' " l l . 44) . !t is thc cntirc mturc o|thc csotcr|c da(wat
that |s s|gn|Gcd hcrc. Wc know that thc Sky j Hcavcnj is thc
symbo| o|thc prophct andthc rcvcrsc) . Noahhadrccc|vcdthc
ordcr to ca|| mcn to thc cxotcr| c, to thc obsc~ancc o| thc
shari(at sct out by h|m,and a|soto ca||thcm tothc csotcr| c, to
thc sccrct and purc|y spir|tua| scnsc o|that shari(at, that |s, to
cntcr |nto thc mysuca| Ak. From that timc on, cach prophct
w||| ||m|t himsc||stncdyto hisro|c as Enunc|ator o|a shari(at:
hcw||| on|yca| | mcntostrictritua| obsc~ancc. "0 carth' swa|
|ow up thy watcr" mcans thatsp|ritu scicncc-thc Watcr that
gushcd|onh|romthccsotcr|c Eanhthatisthc !mamatc, atthc
samc t|mc mat thc Watcr dowcd hom thc Hcavcn o|
prophccy-wi|| hcncc|orth withdraw |nto thc pcrson o| thc
lm1m as thc abodc o|thccsotcric.' 'A thcwatcrsvanish|rom
s|ghtwhcnthcyarcabsorbcdbythccarth,sosccrct gnosisw| th
draws and rcma|ns h|ddcn in thc pcrson o|thc onc who |s |ts
abode. Th|s|sthc|astrcstingp|acco|thcAk.ThcQur'an mcn
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 2 1
t|onsnotArarat, butanothcrnamc. ThcAk rcstcd on Mount
)di"1 1 : 44 ), andth|sGna|po|ntdcs|gnatcsthc|astdcgrcc,or,
rathcr,|nthcordcro||n|t|at|on, thc|n|ua|dcgrcco|thccsotcr|c
h|crarchy,thato|thcncophytcs thc mostajbun) . Wchavcrcad,
|n |act, that thc myst|ca| Ark csotcr|c sc|cncc) doats, togcthcr
w|ththc!mam,|romgradctogradc|nthccnt|rch|crarchy. !tG
na||y comcs torcst on thc |ast, thc |n|t|a| gradc, bc|ow wh|ch
thcrc |s on|y thc pro|anc wor|d, that |s, thc cxotcr|sts. '

To
thcm, noth|ngw||| bcunvc||cd,cxccpttothcc|cct,who, oncby
onc, w||| rcspond to thc da'wat, to thc ca|||ng" sccrct|y ad
drcsscdtothcmbythc!mam.
Thc word camc. '0 Noah' comc down hom thc Ark w|th
pcacc|rom Lsand b|css|ng on thcc andonsomco|thcpcop|cs
whow||| spr| ng] |rom thosc w|th thcc'' Qur'an 1 1 : 48) . Swc
dcnborg|an hcrmcncut|cs has shown ustat thc command Go
|orth|romthcArk"putsancndtothcordca|o|thcF|ood"|or
thosc who havc ovcrcomc |t v|ctor|ous|y and havc thus bccomc
sp|r|tua||y|rccmcn sccsupra 6) . S|m||ar|y,|or!sma'|||gnos|s,
thc sojourn |n thc Ak has thc scnsc o|an ordca| . thosc who
havc passcd through |t bccomc truc bc||cvcrs |n thc |nv|s|b|c
wor|d ( mu'minin f'l-hayb) .
1 85
A| thc othcrs arc thosc who
rcma|n dc|aycd" ( takhaluj '

w|th rcspcct to thc sp|r|tua| or

gnostic rca||t|cs o||a|th ( aqa'iq al-iman) , conscqucnt|y thosc
whov|o|atcthcpacto||a|th|nthc |nv|s|b|c ( al-iman hi '1-hayb) ,
thosc who cstab||sh thc cxotcr|c |ndcpcndcnt|y o|thc csotcr|c
iqamat al-;ahir duna '1-bafin ), and who do not adm|t that
thcrc |s cc|cst|a| suppon|or thcosoph|ca| w|sdom ( al-ta'id bi 'l
ikmat) , |or sccrct sp|r|tua| gnos|s 'ilm maknun ruani
mapln) .
1 87
Thc Gna| praycr o|Noah Qur'an 71 : 26- 27) asks
God to prcscnc h|s da 'wat |rom thc|r |ncurs|on and |rom thc|r
corruptingnaturc. ' "" Noah maydcpart|romthcAk bccausc |t
hasnowcomc to rcst ata Gna| po|nt,thcWatcrs csotcr|c gno
si s) have w|thdrawn andh|ddcnthcmsc|vcs|n thc! mamandh|s
own. A|lthoscwhomthcArkhasprcscncdmovcaround|ncog
ni to and |rcc among mcn, thc masscs who arc | ncapab|c o|
1 22 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
cndur|ng thc cncountcr bctwccn thc cc|cst|a| Watcrs and thc
Watcrsthatgush |orth |romthc Earth,that |s, bctwccn thc sc|
cncco|thc cxotcri c thato|thc prophcts) and thc sc|cncco|thc
csotcr|c that o|thc !mams ) . ' " Thc dcparturc |rom thc Ak |s
accompan|cdbythcd|sc|p||nco|thc arcanum. !tw|||rcma| nso
unt||thcadvcnto|thc|ast !mam,thc!mamo|thc Rsurrcct|on,
who a|oncw||| havc thc mnct|ono|rcvca||ngopcn|y thc ta 'wfl,
thcconcca|cdscnsc o|a||D|v|ncKcvc|at|ons. ' ""
!t |s on thc pcrspcct|vc o|th|s prophct|c succcss|on that thc
!sma'||| chaptcr o|thc sp|r|tua| h|stoq o|Noah cnds, w|th rc
gardtothcscqur'an|cvcrscs. AndWcscntNoahandAbraham,
and cstab||shcd |n thc|r ||nc Prophcthood and Rvc|at|on j thc
ook]. . . . Thcn, |nthc|rwakc,wc|o||owcdthcmupj othcrso||
Our apost|cs. Wcscntahcr thcm)csusthc sono|Maq,and bc
stowcdonh|mthcGospc|"( 57: 26- 27) .
Thcsc qur'an|c vcrscs, togcthcr w|th scvcra| othcrs, bcst cx
prcss thc thcmc that, |n !s|am|c prophcto|ogy actua||y, Sh|' |tc
prophcto|ogy) , cchocs thc thcmc o| Verus Propheta |npr|m|t|vc
)udco Chr|st|an thco|ogy. thc True Prophet, hastcn|ng |rom
prophct to prophct unt|| thc p|acc o|h|s rcst, thc |ast prophct.
Thcpurcstsubstancco|prophccyw|||bctrans|crrcd|romAdam
to onc dcsccndant ahcr anothcr, unti | Noah, |rom h|m, unti |
Moscs, |rom Moscs, unt|| )csus,hom)csus, unt|| Muammad.
!t |s not on|y a mattcro|phys|ca| postcrity,s|ncc nc|thcrMoscs
nor )csus hadany, buta|so o|sp|r|tua|postcr|ty and dcsccnt by
b|rth |n thc da'wat ( bi-mawlid al-da'at) .
1 91
Howcvcr, Sh|' |tc
prophcto|ogy conta|ns somcth|ng morc than Judco Chr|st|an
prophcto|ogy, somcth|ng that |s a|rcady prom|scd |n thc juxta
pos|t|on cmphas|zcd |n thc vcrsc c|tcd abovc. prophecy and the
Book. ForSh|' |tcprophcto|ogy,thc ook,|n csotcr|ctcrms,dcs-
|gnatcs thc ! mam, s|ncc |n |ts | ntcgra||ty thc phcnomcnon o|
thcSacrcd ook" prcsupposcs noton|ythc cnunc|at|on o|the
cxotcr|c|cttcrbythcprophctbuta|sothcsp|ri tua|sc|cncco|the
csotcncthathas|ts|oundation|nthc!mam. Thcprophct|csuc
ccss|on, |n both thc !sma'||| and thc Twc|vc !mam Sh|'|tc con -
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 23
ccpt|on, |nc|udcs s|mu|tancous|y thc ||nc o|thc grcat prophcts
thc|aw g|v|ng"prophcts) andthc ||nco|thc|r!mams.
Thcrc|shcrca|acto|major|mportancc|orthcactua|conccpt
o|a sp|r|tua|||nc. "!n|act,||thcSh|' |tcsGndcxprcss|yamrmcd
|n thc Qur'an thc Abraham|c dcsccnt o| Jcsus, th|s can on|y
mcan a sp|r|tua| dcsccnt, s|ncc )csus d|d not havc an carth|y"
|athcr, a |athcr o|thc dcsh. On thc othcr hand, wc know that
s|nccthch|croh|stoqo|Adamthccsotcr|c|sthc Fcm|n|nc and
thc rcvcrsc) . From th|s stcms thc typo|og|ca| corrcspondcncc
thatSh|' |tc thoughtcstab||shcsbcmccnMaryam,mothcro|}c
sus, and Fa|ma, daughtcr o| thc Prophct Muammad and
mothcro|thc ho|y !mams, a corrcspondcncc that |sso str|k|ng
and o| such st||| unsuspcctcd |mp||cat|on. Sh|'|sm gcncra||y |s
somct| mcsrcproachcd|orbas|ngthcpr|nc|p|co|prophct|csuc
ccss|on on thc |dca o|phys|ca| dcsccnt. Jt |s s|mp|y |orgottcn
thatth|skndo|dcsccnthasncvcrsumccd. both nass and 'ismat,
. . .
|nvcst|turc and comp|ctc pur|ty, arc a|soncccssaq. !t |s a|so |or
gottcn thatphys|ca|dcsccnt|sthrough thc |cm|n|nc, |nthcpcr
son o| Fa|ma, daughtcr o| thc Prophct Muammad, wh|ch
wou|d bc sumc|cnt to p|acc thc ||nc o|!mams outs|dc o|any
compar|sonw|th somc po||uca|dynasty, |cg|t|matc" ornot. !n
a mov|ngconvcrsat|onw|th thcAbbas|d ca||pho|aghdad, thc
Scvcnth !mam o|thc Sh|' |tcs, Musa Km d. 1 83/799) , rc
spondcd pcrt|ncndy by cmphas|z|ng thc typo|og|ca| corrcspon
dcncc bcmccn Maqam and Fa|ma. j ust as Jcsus posscsscs h|s
prophct|c anccstq hom a woman, Maqam, so do thc !mams
posscssthc|rprophct|canccstq|romthc|rmothcr,Fa| ma. '"
Thc |mp||cat|on o| th|s para||c||sm |s undcrstood pcr|ccdy
on|y || |t |s known that thc Fcm|n|nc rcprcscnts thc csotcri c.
!sma'||| Chr|sto|ogy w| || |nd|catc to us mat |t |s actua||y th|s
wh|ch g|vcs |ts mcan|ng to thc v|rg| na| conccpt|on" o|)csus,
and a|| o|Sh|'|tc thco|ogy cxtcnds thc qua||Gcauon o|V|rg|n
Mothcr to thc pcrson o|Fa|ma ( al-Batul. Th|s |swhat shows
through thc mcan|ng that Chr|st|an|q takcs on |n thc comprc
hcns|vc conccpuon o|un|taq prophct|c rc||g|on as cmbrac|ng
1 24 Swedenbor and Eoteric Islam
thc cnt|rc h|story o|human|q. Adam' s transgrcss|on cons|stcd
|ny|c|d|ngto thc suggcst|ono|!b|is. to atta|n to thccsotcr|c |n
|tspurcstatc. Chr|st|an|qw|||bc undcrstoodhcrcasor|g|nat|ng
|n thc purc|ycsotcr|c,in thc sccrcto|thc v|rg|na| conccpt|on"
o||tsprophct,wh||c Sh| '|sm,as thc csotcr|smo|!s|am, c|a|msa
corrcspond|ng anccstq. !t may, thcrc|orc, bc sa|d that what |s
proc|a|mcd |n thc typo|og|ca| corrcspondcncc bcmccn Maqam
andFa|ma|sthchna|advcnto|thc!mam Parac|ctc,withwh|ch
a|| thc conscqucnccs o|Adam's transgrcss|on w||| bc abo||shcd,
bccausc by rcvca||ng thc csotcr|c o|a|| D|v|nc Kcvc|at|ons, hc
w|||rcvca|thcsccrcto|thc Kcsurrcct|on.
What, thcn, can bcsa|do|Sh|' |tc Chr|sto|ogy |n gcncra| and
morc spcc|hca||y o| !sma'||| Chr|sto|ogy? Thc qucst|on |s o|
grcat | mportancc, s|ncc a|| rcscarch |n dcpth on comparat|vc
sp|r|tua| hcrmcncut|cs o|thc |b|c and thc Qur'an w||| con
c|udc, atonct|mc oranothcr, bycncountcr| ngthc Chr|sto|og|
ca| d|dcrcnccs. Sh|' |tc prophcto| ogy |s comp|ctc|y com|ortab|c
|n concc|v|ng a Chr|sto|ogy, and |t has donc so. On thc othcr
hand, |t has bccn |mposs|b|c unt|| now |or Chr|st|an Chr|sto|
ogy, at|cast|n|tsomc|a||orm,toconcc|vco|aprophcto|ogyca
pab|c o|cva|uat|ng pos| t|vc|y thc s|gn|Gcancc o|thc Muam
madan prophct|c rcvc|at|on. ccauscthc h|story o|rc||g|ons"
has cont|nucdsubscqucnt|y to Chr|st|an|ty, wc arc|accdw|th a
fundamental problem |n thc sp|r|tua| h|stoqo|man,a prob|cm
that |s undoubtcd|y |nsurmountab|c |or somc and st|mu|at|ng
|orothcrs,|nanycasc|t| soncthathasbccnvcq||tt|crcdcctcd
upon, and that rcma|ns poscd |n a|| |ts thco|og|ca| cxtcnt, bc
causc cvcq po||t|ca| ph||osophy |n h|stoq |n |act bypasscs thc
prob|cm that|s actua||y poscd. O|coursc, thc datavaqaccord
|ng to thc |orm o|thc Chr|sto|og |tsc| |, and thcrc has bccn a
ccrta|namounto|data |n Chr|stian|ty outs|dc thc omc|a|Chr|s
to|ogyo|thcCounc|| s. !t|sccrta| n, |orcxamp|c, that|nthcthc
o|ogy o|Swcdcnborg, wh|ch docs not acccpt thc |dca o|thc
Trin|ty-at |cast as omc|a| dogma acccpts |t-Chr|sto|ogy takcs
on an cnt|rc|y d| Hcrcnt |orm. Wc do not havc thc t|mc or thc
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 25
spacc hcrc to rc|crto | t |or ourprojccto|comparat|vc sp|r|tua|
hcrmcncut|cs, butwc can |nd|catc prov|s|ona||y thc broad out
||nc o|thc Chr|sto|ogy o|!sma'||| gnos|s, and d|sccrn thc pcr
spcct|vc towardwh|ch|tor|cntatcsus.
4. Isma 'ili Chriso logy
Wc w||| d|scussth|ssubjccton|ya||us|vc|yand|na |cw ||ncs,rc
|crr|ng to thc work o|Qazi No'man, butw| thout |o||ow|ng |n
dcta|| thc I sma'||| cxcgcs|s o|thc qur'an|c vcrscs c|tcd, as th|s
wou|d rcqu|rc |cngthy trcatmcnt. Lt us rcm|nd oursc|vcs that
hcrc aga|n thc ta 'wil, !sma'||| hcrmcncut|cs, transposcs a|| thc
cvcnts onto thc sp|r|tua| or |n|t|atory p|anc, on thc bas|s o|a
doctr|nc o|corrcspondcnccs that has ncvcr bccn |ound-and
ncvcrcan bc |ound-|n that|a|sc s|tuat|on, that|mpassc, |n thc
|acco|wh|chccrta|nthco|og|anso|ourtimchavcspokcno|thc
nccd to dcmytho|og| zc" thc data o|b|b||ca| h|stoq. Far |rom
|t. Forthcmostpart,wccan|dcnt|[|n thccanon|ca|Gospc|sor
|n thc Gospc|s thatarc cons|dcrcdapocrypha|thc sourccs o|thc
Chr|sto|ogy that |s rc|atcd |n thc qur'1n|c vcrscs or thc adith
thc trad|t|ons o|thc Prophct Muammad) that arc rc|crrcd to
by thc Sh|'|tc and !sma'i|| thcosophcrs. Thc rcdccuonso|thcsc
mcnrcsu|t|na gnost|ccxcgcs|so|thcsourccsthat|scomp|ctc|y
uncxpcctcd g|vcnourhab|tso|thought.
Thcchaptcrthatcxpoundsthc ta 'wil, thcsp|r|tua||ntcrprcta
t|ono|thch|storyo| )csus,orh|sh|croh|story,|sprc|accdw|tha
chaptcrthat bcg|ns by g|v|ng thc lsma'||i gnostic |ntcrprctat|on
o|thc h|storyo|Zachar|as. ' "'Thcd|scuss|on hcrc |nvo|vcs, as|t
docs|romonccndtothcothcro|thccyc|co|prophccy,thch|
croh|story o|thc da 'wat, and eo ipso thc sp|r|tua| h|stoq o|hu
man|ty,thcdramatis personae w||| aga|n bcthcd|gn|tar|cs"o|
thc ctcrna| da'wat, |n Hcavcn" andon carth. Thc|r dcc|s|ons
and thc|r bchav|or havc no mcan|ng cxccpt |n rc|at|on to thc
h|croh|stoq o| that ctcrna| da 'wat, and somctmng rcsu|ts
|rom th|s that has no ana|ogy, as |ar as ! know, |n any othcr
gnos| s.
1 26 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
Lct us bcar|n m|nd thc proccss o|thc doub|c prophct|c and
|mam|c succcss|on. Thc m|ss|on o| thc Irophct Mcsscngcr
( Nabi-Morsal |stocnunc|atc,torcvca|thccxotcr|co|ancwrc
||g|ous Law. cs|dc h|m, hcwhom hccstab||shcsas h|s !mam|s
s|mu|tancous|y thc trcasurcr and thc trcasurc o|thc csotcr|c o|
thcpos|t|vc rc||g|on.As|ongasthcEnunc|ator IrophctNiiq)
|s |n th|s wor|d, thc !mam |s thc S||cnt Onc ( fimit) . For thc
prophct,hc| sthcprccm|ncntHeat h|sProo|,h|sI|cdgc) . Es
otcr|ca||y,thc!mam,s|ncchc|s|nvcstcdw|ththccsotcr|c,|sthc
Enunc|ator o|thc Law| n rc|at|on to thc prophct, as thc |cm|
n| nc|nrc|at|ontothcm

scu||nc,wcnotcdabovcthatthc!mam
|sthcrc|orcdcs|gnatcdasthc sp|r|tua|mothcr"o|thc bc||cvcrs
| n Pcrs|an midar-e ruini. Wcn thc Prophct |cavcs th|s
wor|d, thc lmam succccds h|m at thc hcad o|thc commun|ty
and assumcs h|s mascu||nc" sp|r|tua| rcspons|b|||t|cs. From
among thc twc|vc pcrmancnt Jojjat, hc chooscs onc who w|||
thcn, | nh|sturn, bcath|ss|dc|nthcro|c thathc h|msc||p|aycd
atthcs|dco|thc Prophct,by assum|ngthc |cm|n|nc" csotcr| c.
Thc !mam Heat coup|c succccds thc Irophct!mam coup|c.
Wcn thc !mam d|sappcars, thc JoJjat, |n turn, succccds h|m,
andso |orth. Thcpromot|on o|a lojjat rcsu|ts |rom thcsp|r|
tua|conjunct|ono|thc prophct| c mascu||nc[ thcprophctorthc
!mam who succccds h|m) and thc csotcr| c |cm|n|nc thc !mam
|or thcprophct,thc lojjat |or thc lmam) . Th|s|s thc normo|
succcss|on and rcgu|ar |n|t|atoq h||at|on that must bc kcpt |n
m|nd |n ordcrto undcrstand thc hgurc o|Maryam, mothcro|
)csus.
Wcn thc |ourthpcr|od o|thc cyc|co|prophccy, that |s, thc
pcr|od o| Moscs, was |n thc proccss o| rcach|ng |ts cnd, thc
!mam o| thct|mcwas namcd ' !mran. ' " Hchadthc |orcknow|
cdgcthathc wou|d not||vcunt|| thc hhh grcatprophctwou|d
bc ra|scd up that |s, )csus, prophct o|thc hhh day" o|thc
hexaimeron) . H|sownljt had|chth|swor|dbc|orcthcyhad
bccn ab|c, togcthcr, to choosc thc oncwhowou|d havc bccn
thc |uturc !mam, thc sp|r|tua| succcssor o| ' !mran, spi ri tual l y
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 27
born ( wilidat ruinia ) , so to spcak,o|thc |attcrand his Hoj
jat. That iswhy ' !mran had dcsignatcd Zacharias in advancc as
thc !mam, h|s succcssor. ut Zachar|as did not bc|ong dircct|y
to thc da 'wat o|' !mran, that is, to h|sjazira, thosc who owcd
thc|r |n|tiatop birth d|rcct|y to ' Imr1n. !n ordcr to prov|dc |or
thc mturc, ' !mran a|sochosc |rom amonghisyoungdignitarics
thc onc inwhom hcdisccrncd thc grcatcstspiri tua|prccocious
ncss, and hc cntrustcd him to Zacharias |or his in|tiatory
cducat|on, so that thc young man cou|d cvcntua||y succccd
Zachariasoncdayandrcturnthc|mamicsucccssiontothcspir|
tua| |inc o|' !mran. Thc youngdiscip|cwhom ' !mran cntrustcd
tothccarc o|Zachar|aswasdcsignatcdcxotcrica||ybythc namc
Maqam. ' "
!n |act, Maqam wasshown not to havc thc aptitudc |or thc
!mamatc, but, rathcr, to havc thc aptitadc |or thc mnct|on o|
lojjat, that |s, as bcing dcvotcd csscnua||y to thc csotcric, as a
Ggurc who is, csotcr|ca||y, in mc csscnt|a| |cmin|nc, " so that
' !mran' s hopc was m|G||cd, but in a way that hc had not |orc
sccn. Wc hnd oursc|vcs hcrc s|mu|tancous|y bc|orc thc mystcq
o|thc hgurc o|Maqam and bc|orc thc rigorousimp|icauonso|
!sma'i|i gnosis. For thc namc Maqam can also concca| a digni
taqo|thcda 'wat whowou|dbcphysica||ymascu|inc,a man. !n
|act, grammat|ca||y, our tcxt passcs w|th |ndidcrcncc |rom thc
mascu|incto thc|cmininc and vicc vcrsa. Sinccthc bcginningo|
thchistoqo|Adam Evc,wc knowthatthccsotcriciscsscntia||y
thc |cmininc. Whcthcr thc hgurc o| Maqam i s physica||y-
|cga||y,so tospcak-amanor awoman is notimportant, whatis
|mportantisthcmctaphysica|andcsotcr|cstatus, wh|ch,i ntcrms
o|its rank and status in thc da 'at, is csscnt|a||y thc |cmin|nc.
Thus,rcgard|csso|whcthcrhc isphysica||ya man,his rca|status
is thc samc. Ccrtain historica| cxamp|cs, howcvcr, i ndicatc that
th|s Ggurc cou|d a|so bc physica||y a woman who assumcs thc
sp|ritua|ro|c o|a man inthc|cmininc. ' "That iswhyhcisspo
kcno|inthc|cmin|nc,andthccasco|Maqamisrcpcatcdqpo
|og|ca||y with rcgard to a|| thc |cmininc namcs o|h|crohistoq
128 Swedenborg and Esoteric Islam
Khadija, wi|co|thcProphctMuammad,Fa|i ma, his daughtcr,
Mary Magda|cnc as anothcr namc |or Simon Pctcr, ctc. ). '"
From this wi|| |o||ow thc mcaning o| thc initiativcs takcn by
Maqam, which |cad, undcr thc d|rcct|on o|thc celestial odud,
tothc ra|singupo|thc ncwprophct.
For h|s part, Zacharias |c|t thc dcsirc to cnsurc thc imam|c
succcssion i n its propcr spiritua| dcsccnt. With thc hc|p o|his
iojjat corrcspondingtothcGgurco|E|isabcth) , hcwasab|cto
cstab|ish,bc|atcd|y,itistruc, Yaya, thatis,)ohnthc apt|st,as
his mturc succcssor. Yaya wou|d bc !mam |or a wh||c ahcr
Zacharias, but hc wou|d not bc o|his succcssion as Zacharias
had arrangcd it. !n thc mcanti mc, thc spiritua| cducation o|
Maqamgocs|o~ard,|n|act,Zachariasdocsnotp|aymucho|a
ro|c in this, |or Maryam rcccivcs cvcrything not |rom a human
mastcr, but |rom invisib|c cc|cstia| Gu|dcs thc qur'anic vcrsc
3: 37 a||udcs to thi s. cach timc that Zacharias cntcrs Maqam's
room,hcdiscovcrsthatshcisa|rcadyprovidcdwithamystcrious
|ood) . Thisisthc situation unt|| thc sccnc o|thcAnnunciation,
which thc Qur'an d|v|dcs into two parts. First thc Agc|s thc
cc|cstia| di gnitar|cs"whosc hicrarchy corrcsponds to thc ranks
o|mccarth|y da 'wat) announccthc Ggurc o|)csusto Maq. his
namc,thcdiscourscsthathcwi||g|vc, andthcworksthathcwi||
accomp|ish. Thcn, thcrc isthcpcrsona|mani|cstationo|thcA
gc| Gabric|asHo|ySpiri t.
!n ordcr to makc us undcrstand thcmcaningo|thcsc cvcnts
on thc init|atoq p|anc, Qazi No' man cxp|a| ns. Maqam as
iojjat, as a |cmininc Ggurc symbo|izing thc purc csotcri c,
is not qua|ihcd to rccc|vc thc so|cmn ob||gat|on that intc
gratcs a ncw init| atc into thc da 'wat shc cannotdo this cxccpt
with thc conscnt and spiritual ass|stancc o| thc !mam, who,
as thc succcssor o|thc prophct o|thc pcriod, symbo|izcs cso
tcrica||y thc mascu|inc, " thc spiritua| |athcr. " Th|s |s thc
rcason |or Maqam's|car and protcstat|ons atthcAnunc| at|on
of thcAngc| . Shcasks thc Agc| toswcarbc|orc God that hc i s
not of thosc whom thc discip|inc o|thc arcanum taq(eh)
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 29
wou|d |orb|d hav|ng such a purposc, wh|ch wou|d rcu|t |n
v|o|at|ng thc so|cmn pact that p|cdgcs thcm to thc !mam.
Accord|ng to thc cxotcr|c |cttcr o| thc qur'an|c tcxt, shc
protcsts that shc i s not a woman o|w|ckcd |||c", this mcans
that shc has ncvcr |n|r| ngcd thc myst|ca| |aw o|thc soda||qby
dcnying thcro|cand thc prcrogat|vc o|thc !mam. ' Howsha||
! havc a son, sccing that no man has touchcd mc? '' Qur'an
1 9: 20; c|.Lukc 1 : 34) .
!n |act, at Grst s|ght, and as !sma'||| hcrmcncut|cs rcads thc
tcxt,what thc Angc| announccs to Maqam can on|y appcar to
hcrasancnorm|ty. yordcr|nghcrtorcccivcthccntryo| )csus
in thc da 'wat to g|vc h|m birth" in thc da 'wat) , hc |nstructs
hcr,byGod'scommand,torccc|vc,w|thoutthckow|cdgc,or
dcr, or conscnt o|thc !mam, not simp|y thc cntq o|a young
man as a ncw | n|t|atc, but thc cntry o|onc who wi|| bc thc m
turc prophct, thc prophct o|thc Ghh day" o|sp|r|tua| Crc
at|on, that |s, o|thc G|th pcr|od |n thc cyc|c o|prophccy, and
th|sprophctw|||bchcrson"|nthc h|ghcrsp|ritua|andcsotcr|c
s|gn|hcat|on o|thc word, )csus son o|Maryam. "Thc appcar
ancc o| thc Angc| s|gn|Gcs thc conj uncuon-| mmcd|atc and
w|thout|ntcrmcd|aq-w|thMaryamo|whatthc!sma'||||cx|con
dcsignatcsasta 'd, cc|cstia|aid,as middat, prc ctcrna|v|v|[|ng
and |ccundat|ng d|v|nc v|ta||ty, co|umn o||ight, " d|v|nc mag
ncusm, ctc. ' " Thc |aw o|rcgu|ar |n|tiatoq G|iation, and thus
thc carth|y || ncagc o|thc prophct|c succcssion, |nso|ar as |t is
carth|y, |s brokcn by thcd|rcctcc|cstia| i ntc~cntion o|thcAn
gc| . Thc mystcryo|thc virgina|conccpuon"o|Chr|st|s hcrc, it
|snotsomcth|ngthatbc|ongsto thc phys|ca| naturc o|thc hu
manbody,|t|sthcsp|ritub|rth"o|thcmturcprophctaspro
cccd|ng, bythccommando|Hcavcn, uniquc|y|romh|smothcr,
that |s, |rom thc purc|y csotcric, w|thout intc~cnuon o| thc
mascu||ncpr|nc|p|c thatis thc cxotcric and thc Law. Th|s| snot
a qucst|on o|a||cgoq, thc spiritual truth o|thc cvcnt, rccap
turcdonthcp|anctowh|ch|trc|atcs, |sthcliteral tuth. !sma'|||
gnos|s thus g|vcs thc orig|ns o|Chr|st|an|ty and |ts mnct|on |n
1 30 Swedenborg and Eoteric Islam
human histoq thc mcaning that intcgratcs it into thc ctcrna|
da'wat.
Ccrtain|y, this is a Christi anity a|togcthcr didcrcnt |rom thc
onc gcncra||y studicd in thc omc|a| histoq o|cxtcrna| cvcnts,
but thcrc arc pcrhaps traccs o| th|s othcr Christ|aniq" to bc
|ound |n ccrta|n Wcstcrn trad| t|ons. Thc scqucncc o|sp|r|tua|
cvcnts i srigorous|yconncctcd according to !sma'i|i hcrmcncu
tics. Wcnthcmomcntarrivcs, thc!mamo|thctimc, )ohnthc
aptist Yaya) , sono|Zacharias,isthcGrsttoapprovc thcini
tiativctakcnbyMaqamatthcAgc|' sordcr,andtobowbc|orc
thc ncwprophct. This is thc sccnco|thc aptismo|Christ, rc
portcd in our canonica| Gospc|s and rccordcd in many Jadith,
throughwhichour!sma'i|iauthorsknowaboutit,butthcygivc
ita mcaningthat convcrgcswiththconc givcn toitin othcr rc
spccts by)udco Christian gnosi s. Fina||y, thc Qur'an ( 4: 1 57) is
rcso|utc|ydocctist". Christdidnotdiconthccross,Godraiscd
himupuntoHimsc||,|ormcnd|dnothavcthcpowcrtok||thc
Word o|God ( Kalam Allah) , thc Spirit o|God ( Ru Allah) .
ut mcn had thc i|| usion that thcy ki||cd him, and i ndoing so
thcy obtaincd what thcy wantcd. doubt, pcrp|cxity, mis|cading
a|| that wc ca|| agnosticism") , thc punishmcnt" that is
promiscdtothcmiscxact|ythi s. Onthcothcrhand, thc mystc
riousmca|towh|chccrtainqur'anicvcrscsa||udc( 5 : 1 1 5- 1 1 8) is
intcrprctcdbyour!sma'i|iauthorsasa mystica|Communion,as
thc |orm o|Mani|cstation assumcd by )csus ahcrhis disappcar
anccinordcrtogivch|s tcaching tohisdiscip|cs,andthis,Qazi
No'man cmphasizcs, is not rcportcd o| any othcr prophct.
Hcncc|orth, a|| thc Shi'itc traditionssay,Christwi|| not rcap
pcar"cxccptwhcnthc !mamo|thc Rsurrcction thcQa'im al
Qyamat) wi||himsc||appcar,andwi||havcscattcrcdbc|orc him
a||thcdcnicrs.
Thc !sma'i|i chaptcr o|thc spiritua| histoq o|)csus Hoscs
with an a||usion to thc mcaning that must bc givcn to thc i n
structionordcringcvcqonc totakcuphi sCross. " ' ""Thcsym
bo| o|thc Cross, not in thc scnscthatis |am||iarto Chri sti an as-
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 3 1
ccuc|sm,but|n|ts|ntcrna|csotcr|crca||ty,|nvo|vcsthcsamcs|g
n|hcations as thc Ak constructcd by Noah and thc |ourwords
that composc thcshahadat, thc !s|am|ctcstimonyo|Ln|q. Thc
symbo|o|thc Chr|st|anCross, thus |ntcgratcd| nto thc h|croh|s
toqo| thcctcrna|andun|quc da'wat, addrcsscstobc||cvcrsthc
samc Ca|| to |a|th and to a rcturn to thc suprascnsoq sp|r|tua|
wor|d,a Ca|| thatmakcsknown to thcm |tsprcscncc by unvc| |
|ng |or thcm thc corrcspondcnccs o|un|vcrscs that symbo||zc
w|thcachothcr. Th|sC|mayd|dcras|arascxotcricaspcctsarc
conccrncd, but thc spiritua| hcrmcncutics o| thc prophcts'
tcach|ng, |rom onc cnd o|thc cyc|c o|carth|y humaniq to thc
othcr,prcsc~csits un|q. Forcsotcrism, cvcqhcrc anda|ways,
|cadstothcsamccnd.
Wc mcnt|oncda ||tdcwh||c ago thatpcrhaps thc mostdramat|c
prob|cm |n d|scuss|ng thc sp|r|tua| h|story o|man rcsu|ts |rom
thc stop arb|trar||y |mposcd on th|s h|stoq, whcn thco|og|cs
c|a|mto|mposc||m|ts uponthcGodWhoscWordthcywantto
cxp|a|n. Thcqucstion | s. whcna rc||g|on |s bascd on thc phc
nomcnon o|thc Sacrcd ook,"wh|ch hasoccup|cd our attcn
t|on hcrc asthcpr|ncip|c and thcsourcc o|sp|r|tua| hcrmcncu
t|cs, |s | t|a|thm| tothc sp|r|tua| scnsc whcn |twants tostop at
|tsc||andtostopthch|stoqo|rc| |g|onsw|th|tsc||, hnd|ng|tsc||
powcr|csstoundcrstandandva||datcanyrc||g|ous|orm thathas
comcahcr|t?Foroncdocsnotstop"h|story,|nasmuchasonc
|ss|tuatcd|n|tandc|aimsto makch|stoq"oncsc||.
!n !s|am, Sh|'|sm dchcs s|mu|tancous|y thc past and thc prc
scnt through | ts cschato|og|ca| cxpcctat|on, by pro|cssing that
ahcr thc conc|us|on o||aw g|v|ngprophccy," thc rc||g|ous m
turco|human|qisnotc|oscd. Somcthingissu||tobccxpcctcd,
noton|ya mturc" that givcsi tsmcaningtothc prcscnt," but
aninrusho|metahistor thatmakcscv|dcntthcunidimcns|ona|
|qo|our h|stor|ca| consc|ousncss. "That|nrush |ss|gn|hcd by
thcadvcnto|thc!mamo|thcRcsurrccuon,whommanySh|'|tc
authors cxprcss|y |dcnt|[ w|th thc Parac|ctc, announccd |n thc
1 32 Swedenbor and Eoteric Islam
Gospc|o| John( 1 5: 26, 1 6: 1 3- 1 4) .
200
Th|scschato|og|ca|cxpcc
tationwasancsscnt|a|c| cmcnt| npr|m|t|vc Chr|st|an|ty. Tothc
cxtcnt that | n our t|mc |t has not bccomc purc|y a mattcr o|
words, |t a|onc can c|ar|[ thc s|tuat|on to wh|ch wc arc |cd | n
cvitab|y, at onc umc or anothcr, by comparat|vc spir|tua|
hcrmcncut|cso|thc |b|c andthcQur'an,that|s, hcrmcncut|cs
o|thc Sacrcd ook" as |t |s pract|ccd, not bythc ||tcra||sts or
rat|ona| dogmat|sts, s|ncc thcrc |s no rcsu|t |n that casc, but by
a|| thoscwho arcca||cdmyst|csormyst|cthcosophcrs.
!n othcrwords,||not on|yagcncra| thco|ogo|thc hisor o|
rc||g|onsbuta|soa gcncra| thco|og of reliions |s ncccssaqand
conccivab| c, |tcannotbc cstab||shcdc|thcrasa synthcs|sorasa
proccsso|thc h|stor|ca|past. "!t |s not |casi b|c,|n onc |orm or
anothcr, cxccpt as a thco|ogy or a thcosophy o|thc Parac|ctc.
Th|sbcg|nswhcn our bondagcto thc un|d| mcns|ona| and ||ncar
pcrspcct|vc o|thcconsc|ousncssca||cd h|stor|ca| " ccascs. Wat
wchavcca||cdhcrc hierohistor |sthcappcarancco|ahieratic d|
mcns|on, hctcrogcncous to ourh|stor|ca| timc, thc t|mc o|th|s
h|croh|stoq|sthconcthatwc havcsccnSwcdcnborgana|yzcas
a succcss|on o|sp|r|tua| statcs, and thc cvcnts that arc v|s|ons-
thosc o|!sma'||| h|croh|story, |or cxamp|c, orthosc thatG||our
cyc|co|thc ho|yGra| |-arc true andactually takcp|acc |nthat
t|mc. "
! bc||cvc that |or thc Grst t|mc, wc havc notcd hcrc ccrta|n
hcrmcncut|cconvcrgcnccs| na spir|tua|wr|tcr||kc Swcdcnborg,
bascdonthc|b|c,andamongthc!sma'i||spiritua|wr|tcrs|n!s
|am,bascdonthcQur'an. Wchavc on|ybccnab|cto|nd|catc a
vcry ||m|tcd numbcro|aspccts, w|th rcgard to thc h|croh|stoq
o|Adam and that o|Moah, thcrc arc a grcat many othcrs to
study. Wc wou|d havc to | nvo|vc, |rom thc !s|am|c s|dc, a||
Shi' |tchcrmcncuucs|ngcncra| ,a|| thosco|Suhsm,thosco|I bn
'Aab|,Scmnani,adraShirazi,ctc. FromChr|st|an|q,wc wou| d
havcto|nc|udca||o|Chr|st|angnos|s,thccnt|rcschoo|o|}akob
8ochmc, and go as |ar asthc cxtraord|naqhcrmcncut|cmonu-
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 33
W||| |t not |mposc |tsc||upon ussomcday, though, |n onc |orm
oranothcr?Wc cannotyct|orcscc what mayrcsu|t,|orcxamp|c,
|rom a compar|son bcmccn thc Chr|st|an thco|ogy o|Swcdcn
borg, who |s nc|thcr trin|tar|an nor Pau||nc, w|th thc spcc|Gc
|orm o|!s|am|c Sh|'|tc thco|ogy, whcrc |mamo|ogy assumcs a
mnct|on homo|ogous to thato|Chr|sto| ogy |n Chr|st|an thco|
ogy. "' ut what onc can |orcscc |s that thcrc |s somcth|ng | n
common bctwccn thc |dca o|thc Nova Hierosolyma and thc
parousa o|thc H| ddcnlmam,"|dcnt|Gcdw|ththcParac|ctc|n
thc Twc|vc !mam Sh| ' |tc conccpt|on. Pcrhaps th|s |orcs|ght rc
qu|rcsthc sp|r|to|sp|r|tua||rccdomthatwc havc hcards|gn|Gcd
|n thc ordcr g|vcn to Noah. Go |orth |rom thc Ark"-or |n
what crdyacv ca||cd Chr|st | n mot|on, '' |n contrast w|th thc
Chr|sto||mmutab|cdogma.
I|thc grand task o|a gcncra| thco|og o|rc||g|ons was cvcr
|orcsccn, |t was surc|y by thc grcat Protcstant thco|og|an o|
Gcrman romant|c|sm, Sch|c|crmachcr, h|msc|| a mastcr o|
hcrmcncut|cs. !|hc|sscarcc|yto thc tastc or|nthc sq|c o|our
t|mc, th|s |s pcrhaps ow| ngtoa symptom noton|yo|dryncsso|
hcart|nourthco|og|cs, buto|rcs|gnat|on,o|sccrctagnost|c|sm,
wh|ch|ns|ststhatoncshou|dbcmorcattcnt|vctoqucst|onsthat
arc, |n |act, at thc |cvc| o|soc|o|ogy, cvcn whcn thcy bcar thc
namco|ccumcn|sm. !na str|k|ngpagco|h|sDiscourses on Reli
gion, apagc tota||y|nsp|rcd by thc vcrscs|n)ohnconccrn|ngthc
Parac|ctc,Sch|c|crmachcrpro|csscsthat||,s|nccthcdowcr|ngo|
thcGrstChr|stian|tyhaspasscd, thcSacrcdScr|pturcs, thc|b|c,
havc comc to bc cons|dcrcd a c|oscd codco|rc||g|on, |t |s bc
causc |t has bccn c|a|mcd that ||mits can bc |mposcd on thc
bound|css|rccdomo|thcHo|ySp|r|t. !n|act,|twou|dbcncccs
saq to makc |tappcardcad, and |or that |twou|d bc ncccssary
that rc||g|on|tsc||-a d|v|nc work,nota humanonc-shou|d bc
dcad. Sch|c|crmachcrwou|dnothavcspokcn othc~|sc||hchad
bccn,||kc us, w|tncssto thc cdortso|thc thco|og|answhohavc
madc thcmsc|vcs thc accomp||ccs o| that dcath, by amrm| ng,
undcrthcprctcxto|sa|cguard|ngthcd|v|nc transccndcncc, that
1 34 Swedenbor and Eoteric Islam
Chr|stian|ty|snotarc||g|onand byobst|natc|yrcpcaungthatrc
||g|on|son|ythcworko|man-asthough man cou|dbccapab|c
o|th|scdortatsa|vat|onw|thoutGodbc|ng|tsact|vcSubjcct.
ln contrast, Sch|cicrmachcr proc|a|ms. A| thosc who havc
sti|||c|tthc|r |||c |nthcm, orhavcpcrcc|vcd|t|nothcrs, havcal
ways dcc|arcd thcmsc|vcs against that |nnovat|on wh|ch has
noth|ngChr|stian|n|t. ThcSacrcdScr|pturcsbccamc thc |b|c
bymcanso|thc|rownpowcr,thcydonot|orb|danyothcrbook
to bc or to bccomc thc |b|c, thcy wou|d w||||ng|y a||ow any
th|ngwr|ttcnw|ththc samcpowcrtobcaddcd.
"202
Th|spagco|Sch|c|crmachcrcou|dbc thc chartcro|a|| mturc
comparat|vc sp|r|tua| hcrmcncut|cs.
N
O T E S
1 . See below, note 1 50.
2. Rgardi ng this theme, see our Trilogie ismailienne, Bibliotheque lrani
enne, vol . 9. ( Pari s: Adri en- Maisonneuve, 1 96 1 ) , pp. 1 37- 1 44.
3. See En Islam iranienne, 3: 21 4 f. and 4: index under Gestalt.
4. On the diference beteen the to, see our bok Avicenne et le Recit vi
sionnaire, Bi bliotheque Iranienne, vol . 4 ( Pari s: Adrien- Maisonneuvc, 1 954) ,
1: 34 f. , and new ed. ( Paris: Berg i nternatonal , 1979), pp. 39 f. Let the pre
sent study be the occasion to recall a memorable conversaton with D. T.
Suzuki here at Eranos, ten years ago ( August 1 954) . The master of Zen Bud
dhism expressed te i mporance tat he attached to Swedenborg and his work
by the fact tat, ff years earlier, he had tanslated four of Swedenborg's
books into Japanese. Ad he added: "He is your Buddha, for you Occidentals,
i t is he whom it i s necessar to read and to follow! " Elsewhere, I have men
toned tis conversation i n greater detail ( Creative Imagination in the Sufsm
of Ibn 'Arabi [ Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1 969] , pp. 354- 355,
note 4 1 ) .
5 . The recent Swedenborgian bibliography includes the imporant works of
Ernst Benz, Emanuel Sw
e
denbor, Naturorscher und Seher ( 1948; Zuri ch:
Swedenbrg Verlag, 1 969), and Swedenborg in Deutschland ( Frankfrt am
Mai n, 1 947) , as well as Friedeman Horn, Scheling und Swedenbo' ( Zurich:
Swedenborg Verlag) . Dr. Horn also publishes a journal of Swedenborgian
studies, Ofne Tore, Beitige zum neuen chrilichen Zitalter, in which arti cl es
of great interest have been appearing since 1 957.
6. Emanuel Swedenbrg, Arcana CoelestiR, trans. J . F. Potts ( 39th rpt . ;
New York: Swedcnborg Foundaton, 1 984) , 241 -243.
7. l hid. , 2987.
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 35
8. Ibid. , 2988.
9. Ibid. , 2989, 2997.
10. Ibi d. , 2990.
1 1 . This is, for example, the fndamental doctrine professed by al l the "east
ern" theosophers ( Ishrtiiyun) of the school of Sohravardi i n I ran, te doctrine
called al-imln al-ashraf namely, that if a particular degree of being is given,
this i mplies eo ipso the efective existence of the higher degree of being.
1 2. Arcana Coelestia, 2991 - 2992.
1 3. I bid. , 2994
1 4. It is a principle that is ill ustrated by many symbols in traditional litera
tures; see, for example, the theme of the "Green Island" among the Shi'ites,
which provides subsistence to the "continent. " En Islam iranien, 4: 390 f.
1 5 . Arcana Coelestia, 2998- 3000 (i n te lshraqi lexicon: to see tings in
their Malafut) .
1 6. Al l this corresponds perfecty to what the Ishriiiyin describe as the
"eight climate"; see our book Spiritual Body and Celestial Earth: From
Mazdean Iran to Si 'ite Iran ( Princeton: Princeton Uni versity Press, 1 977) .
1 7. Arcana Coelestia, 459, 684; Emanuel Swedenborg, Te True Christ
ian Reliion, trans. John C. Ager ( 23rd rpt. ; New. York, Swedenborg Founda
tion, 1 970), 2 1 2; Emanuel Swedenborg, Heaven and Its Wonders and Hell,
trans. John C. Ager ( rpt. ; New York: Swedenborg Foundaton, 1 960) , te en
ti re frst part .
1 8 . Heaven and Hel, 1 91 - 1 95.
1 9. Arcana Coelstia, 3223.
20. I bid. , 3225- 3
2
26.
2 1 . I bi d. , 3336.
22. Ibid. , 3337. adra Shirazi's doctrine of the spiritua Imagination
should be compared with this; see our artcle "L place de Molla adra Shirazi
(ob. 1 050/1 640) dans Ia philosophic iranienne," Studia Islamica 1 8, ( 1 963) ,
summarized i n En Islam iranien, 4: 54 f. ; as well as the texts translated in our
book Spiritual Body.
23. Arcana Coelestia, 3338.
24. Ibid. , 3340.
25. Ibi d. , 3636.
26. I bid. , 1 1 1 6, 1 1 1 8 f.
27. I bid. , 3342- 334.
28. Heaven and Hell, 52 and 72. See our boks Cyclical Time and Is
maili Gnosis ( Lndon: Kga Paul International, 1983) , pp. 1 1 3- 1 1 4, and
Trilogie ismaelienne, index under Temple de lumiere. See infra te text pre
ceding fotnote 1 39.
29. Arcana Coelestia, 2996. See aso 2988, 2989, 2997.
30. See index to the English translaton of the Arcana published by The
Swedenborg Society, Lndon, p. 201 , under Ese; and Emanuel Swedenborg,
Divine Lve and Wisdom, trans. John C. Ager ( rpt. New York: Swedenborg
Foundaton, 1 960) , 1 4.
1 36 Swedenbo' and Eoteric Islam
3 1 . Arcana Coelesta, 42 1 1 .
32. Ibi d. , 5 3 1 0 and 93 1 5 ( ad index to the English translaton, p. 1 96) .
33. See our work Creative Imagination i n the Sufsm of Ibn 'Arabi, pp. 1 24
f On the theme of theophanic metamorphoses, see "Epistula Apostolorum,"
chapter XN, in M. R. James, Te Apocrhal New Testament, p. 489, and our
bok Cyclical Time, pp. 59 f
34. Arcana Coelestia, 1 01 59.
35. Ibid. , 3636, 3643.
36. Ibid. , 49, 288, 477, 565, 1 894, 8547.
37. I bid. , 3637.
38. Ibid. , no. 3633.
39. True Christian Reliion, 201 - 202.
40. I bid. , 265 and 279. See Numbers 2 1 : 1 4- 1 5 , 27- 30; Joshua 1 0: 1 3; 2
Samuel 1 : 1 7- 1 8. Swedenborg ( i bid. 279) was especially occupied with col
lecting the citatons about these ancient Books. The "Book of the Wars of Je
hovah" drew his attention as treating of the same victorious combat against the
hells that was precisely the reason for the advent of the Lord i n our world
( i bid. 265 ) .
41 . Ibi d. , 202 ( see also Arcana, 1 0252) .
42. True Christian Reliion, 266.
43. See the note by Dr. Friedemann Horn in hi s German translation of True
Christian Reliion, 266, pp. 355 and 356.
44. Arcana Coe/estia, 66.
45. Ibi d. A style that emerged from what had been held i n such high esteem
i n the Antiquissima Ecclesia. Thi s stle, however, does not present a form that
is continuous and of
h
istorical appearance, as does the "most ancient stle"; it
is discontinuous and practcally never intelligible except according to the inter
nal sense, where the most profound arcana ae found; the latter form a perfect
contnuit, relati ng to te external man and the i nternal man, to the states of
the Ecclsia, etc.
46. Arcana Coelestia, 66 and 1 409.
47. Ibid. , 1 403- 1 404.
48. I bi d. , 66.
49. Ibid. , 1 407- 1 408. Compare the Isma'ili interpretaton of the "adith
of the tomb": fom te middle ground between literalist dogma and the tomb
( the latter being philosophy) , where it is necessar that dogmatic belief should
die and be metamorphosed, the Tre Rligion, which is theosophia, is restored
to life. See my i ntroducton to Commentaire de la Qida ismaelienne d'Abu'l
Haytham Jorni, Bibliotheque I ranienne, vol . 6 ( Pari s: Adrien- Maisonneuve,
1 955 ) , pp. 48 f.
50. Arcana Coelestia, 1 409 and 1 41 4.
5 1 . Ibid. , 1 405.
52. I bid. , 64. Cf. no. 937.
53. I bid. , 1 67.
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 37
54. Ibid. , 755: 4.
55. See note 1 7.
56. True Chriian Reliion, 2 1 0.
57. Ibid. , 2 1 2.
58. Ibid. , 21 4, and En Islam iranien 1 : 1 39 f.
59. True Christian Reliion, 21 4: "From all this it is clear that the Word is
the real Word in the sense of the letter, for inwardl y in this there is spirit and
life. This is what the Lord says: 'The words that I speak unto you, they are
spirit and they are life ( John 6: 63) . " '
60. True Cristian Reliion, 207- 208, and Arcana Coelesia, 2899.
61 . For what follows, see especially Arcana Coelestia, 1 0355. In the prefa
tory matter to the recent French transl ation of Heaven and Hell (L Ciel, ses
mereiles et I'Enfer, d'spres ce qui " ete vu et entendu [ Pari s: 1 960] ) , L. - J.
Franais formulates the idea of this succession i n the following manner: "The
order established by the Divinity is that there always exists on our earth a pri n
cipal spiritua center, the possessor of a Revelation, and fom thi s center spiri
tual light radiates more or less directly, more or less secretly, throughout the
worl d. There have thus been four of these principal centers since the tme of
the frst earthly humanity. They are Assemblies of men, guardians of te Rve
laton that has been given to them. In current termi nology, the word that is
appropriate for these assemblies is the word 'Church. ' There have thus been
four central or principa Churches untl now. " In the terminology adopted by
L. - J . Franais, these four successive centra "Churches" ae designated as te
Adamic central Church, the Noachic central Church, the Israelitsh Church,
and the Christan Churc
h
. The Church of the New Jersalem is te "ffh uni
versal central Church. " We are in agreement wth the terminology, but we
have the greatest reserations wth regard to anything that could lead to conf
sion beteen the ideas ofSwedenborg and tose of a social reformer of the hu
man community. As a corollar, we realy do not see how television or space
ships can in any way awaken the seculaized consciousness of our time to the
feeling of the "spiritual , " except, perhaps, through a preliminar renewa of
analogical kowledge. We are still far from this, and for the moment the ques
tion is rather to prevent any possi ble ambiguit and confsion between the re
sults of "advanced science, " which relate to the physical, and what is correctly
within the province of metaphysics. See L Ciel, pp. 8- 1 4.
62. Arcsns Coelestis, 920, 2896, 2995.
63. I bid. , 1 1 1 9- 1 1 2 1 . "I t has also been shown that the internal respira
tion of the men of the Most Ancient Church, which was from te navel toward
the interior region of the breast, in the course of tme, or in their posterty, was
changed, and receded more toward the back region, and toward te abdomen,
thus more outard and downward; and that at lengt, in the last posterty of
that church, which existed immediately before the Flood, scarcely anything of
internal respiration remai ned; and when at last there remained none of tis in
the breast, they were sufocated of their own accord; but that in some, external
1 38 Swedenbo' and Eoteric Islam
respiration then began and, with it, articulate sound, or the language of spoken
words. Thus with the men before the Flood the respiration was in accordance
with the state of their love and faith; and at last, when there was no love and no
faith, but a persuasion of fasit, internal respiraton ceased; and with this, the
i mmediate communication with agels, and perception. " Ibid. , 1 1 20.
64. I bid. , 920 and 2897.
65. I bid. , 920, 2899, 1 0355.
66. See Of ene Tore no. 5 ( 1 961 ) : 1 46 f. , the artcle by Robert Kehl, "Chris
tentum oder Paul inismus? "; no. 2 ( 1 962) : 53- 60, "Christentum oder Paulinis
mus? Ein Briefechsel zum obigen Thema"; no. 4 ( 1 962) : 1 03 f. , R. Kehl,
"Rplik zu ' Christentum oder Paulinismus? ' "
67. Arcana Coelsa, 4060.
68. Ibid. , 1 0355, citing Daniel 2: 43: "And whereas thou sawest iron
mixed with mir clay, tey shal mingle themselves with the seed of men; but
they shall not cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. "
69. Arcana Coelestia, 21 1 8.
70. The commentar on chapters 28 f. of Genesis in the Arcana Coelestia
contains spiritua hermeneutcs developed from Matthew 24: 1 5 f.
71 . Compare the afrmation in Isma'ili gnosis to the efect that if it is possi
ble to say that there was a tme when the world did not exist and that there will
be a time when it will no longer exist, this relates only to the transition from
one period to aother, from one cycle to another, but not at all to the totali ty
of universes, constttng "eighteen thousand universes. " See Nairoddin Tlsi,
Tawworlt, ed. W. Ivanow ( Liden: Brill , 1950) , p. 48 of the Persian text.
72. Arcana Coelestia, 2 1 1 7.
73. True Christian Reliion, 207.
74. Heaven and Hell, 1 91 - 1 95. See En Islam iranien 4: index, under Na
Koja-
A
bad; and the essay "Muntus imaginali or the Imaginar and the Imag
ina" in the present volume.
75. Arcana Coelstia, 2- 4.
76. Ibid. , 62.
77. Ibid. , 6- 1 3.
78. Ibid. , 85.
79. Ibid. , 5 1 .
80. Ibid. , 52.
8 1 . Ibid. , 61 .
82. I bid. , 53.
83. Ibid. , 54.
84. Ibi d. , 8 1 .
85. I bid. , 85, 88.
86. Ibid. , 95, 1 0284.
87. Ibid. , 74.
88. Ibid. , 97.
89. Ibid. , 82.
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 39
90. Compare this idea of sensitivity and spiritual senses with that in the work
of adra Shirazi ( d. 1 040/1 650) ( awlss r'hlnia, spiritual sight, spirital
hearing, etc. ) ; see En Islam iranien 1 : 229 f. , 242 f. ; and our Histoire de Ia
philosophie islamique, ( Paris: Gallimard, 1 964 ) , 1 : 83 f.
9 1 . Arcana Coelestia, 1 04, 1 383.
92. Ibid. , 1 384.
93. I bid. , 1 385- 1 387.
94. Ibid. , 1 26- 1 27.
95. Ibid. , 1 28- 1 29.
96. Ibid. , 1 41 . Cf. the work of the Swedenborgian theologian Alfed Ac
ton, An Introduction to the Word Eplained ( Brn Atyn: Academy of te New
Church, 1927) , pp. 1 49 f.
97. Arcana Coelestia, 1 39.
98. Ibid. , 1 47 and 1 50.
99. Ibid. , 1 48- 1 49.
1 00. I bid. , 1 50- 1 53.
1 0 1 . See sec. 4 ( text preceding footnote 83) .
1 02. Arcana Coelestia, 54, 252, 476.
1 03. I bi d. , 1 05 : "The 'tree of lives' is love and the fath thence derived; 'in
the midst of the garden, ' is in the will of the internal man. The wil l , which in
the Word is called the 'hear,' is the primar possession of the Lrd with man
and angel . But as no one can do good of himself, te will or hear is not man's,
although it is predicated of man; cupidity, which he calls wil l , is man's. Since
then the will is the ' midst of the garden, ' where the tree of lives is placed, and
man has no wi ll, but mer
e
cupidity, the ' tree of lives' is the mercy of the Lrd,
fom whom come all love and fath, consequenty all life. "
1 04. See Heaven and Hel, 372 and 382.
1 05 . Arcana Coelstia, no. 1 55 .
1 06. This i s the work entited Conjugial Love (trans. Samuel M. Warren
[ rpt. New York: Sweden borg Foundati on, 1 954] ) .
1 07. Arcana Coelesia, 1 59 f.
1 08. I bid. , 1 94.
1 09. Ibid. , 1 96. With regard t o Geistliblichleit ( spiritual corporeality) , see
the pertnent statements of a Swedenborgian tinker, Chauncey Giles, in his
book Te Nature of Spirit and ofMan as a Spiritual &ing ( Lndon, 1 883) , p.
6: "Here is the point in which philosophers ad Christias have made te mis
take, fatal not only to all true kowledge, but to al kowledge of spirt. It has
generally been assumed tat the only way to arrive at a te idea of spirit, was
to regard it as the opposite of matter in ever respect. They reason in this way.
Matter has form, therefore spirit has none. Matter has substance, therefore
spirit has none. In this way they deny to spirit all possible modes of existence.
The Christian stops here, and ends by simply afrming its existence, but denies
that we can kow anything more about it. But many push this destructive logic
a step frther, and deny te existence of spiri t altogether. Ad this is the logical
1 40 Swedenbot and Eoteric Islam
result, for denial can never end in anything but negaton and nothi ng. This is
inevitable; and the Christian escapes tis conclusion only by stopping before he
reaches it. We must admit that there is a spiritual substance, and that this sub
stance has form, or we must deny the existence of spirit altogether. No other
conclusion is possible. "
1 1 0. Arcana Coelestia, 1 99, 202.
1 1 1 . Ibid. , 200, 3 1 0. "Their state is therefore quite diferent from that of
the antediluvians . . . . These are arcana with which the present generation are ut
terly unacquainted, for at the present day none know what the celesti al man is
nor even what the spiritua man is, and still less what is the quait of the human
mind and life thence resulting, and the consequent state afer death" 3 1 0.
1 1 2. Ibid. , 208, 2 1 4, 21 8.
1 1 3. Ibid. , 306.
1 1 4. I bid. , 307 f. , 3 1 0 f.
1 1 5 . Ibid. , 468. Sec 460-467, which summarize chapter 5 of Genesi s.
"[ 460: ] Thi s chapter treats specifcaly of the propagation of the Most Acient
Church [ the Antiquisima Ecclesia] through successive generations almost to
the fo. [ 461 : ] The Most Acient Church itself, which was celestal , is what
is caled ' Man ( homo),' and a ' likeness of God' (verse I ) . [ 462: ] A second
church which was not so celestial as the Most Acient Church, is caled 'Seth'
( verses 2, 3) . [463: 1 A third church was called ' Enosh' ( verse 6) ; a fourth ' Ke
nan' ( verse 9) ; a ffh ' Mahalalel ' ( verse 1 2) ; a sixth ' Jared' ( verse 1 5 ) ; a sev
enth ' Enoch' ( verse 1 8) ; and an eighth church ' Methuselah' (verse 2 1 ). [ 464: 1
The church caled 'Enoch' is descri bed as framing doctrine from what was re
veaed to and perceived by the Most Acient Church, which doctine, al
though of no use at that time, was presered for the use of posteri t. This is
signifed by its being sad that ' Enoch was no more, because God tok hi m'
( verses 22, 23, 24). [ 465 : 1 A ni nth church was called ' Lamech' ( verse 25) .
[ 466: 1 A tenth, the parent of three churches afer the fod, was named
' Noah. ' This church is to be called the Acient Church ( verses 28, 29) . [467: ]
Lamech is descrbed as retaning nothing of the perception that the Most An
cient Church enjoyed; and 'Noah' is descri bed as a new church ( verse 29) . "
For its pat, Isma'ili gnosis knows perectly well that the "age of Noah," for ex
ample, designates not his person but his period ( see sec. 3 of part 2 ) . The ten
names enumerated above are also kown to Shi'ite prophetolog, with several
alterations resulting fom the Arabic wrti ng system. See note 1 70.
1 1 6. We have already had occasion t o mention above ( sec. 3) the analog of
this conception to that of the Qyimit in Isma'ili gnosis.
1 1 7. Arcana Coelesia, 585.
I 1 8. See sec. 3.
1 1 9. Arcana Coeleria, 597.
1 20. I bid. , 605.
1 2 1 . Ibid. , 599- 604. See 639: "That by the 'ak' is signifed the man of
that church, or the church called ' Noah, ' is sufciently evident from the de
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 41
scription of it i n the following verses [ Gen. 5: 1 4] ; and fom te fact that the
Lrd's Word everhere involves spiritual and celestial things; that is, that the
Word is spiritual and celestal . If the ark with its coatng of pitch, its measure
ment, and its constrcton, and the food aso, signifed nothing more than the
letter expresses, there would be nothing at all spiritua and celestial in the ac
count of it, but only something historical, which would be of no more use to
the human race than any simi lar thing described by secular writers. But because
the Word of the Lrd everywhere i n its bosom or interiors involves ad con
tains spiri tual and celestial things, it is very evident that by the ark and all the
things said about the ark, are signifed hidden things not yet reveal ed. " Swe
denborg remarks that the same is true in the case of Moses' cradle ( Exod. 2: 3)
and the Ak of the Covenant. "I n like manner the temple of Solomon was not
holy at al of itself, or on account of the gol d, silver, cedar, and stone i n it, but
on account of all the things which these represented. " Isma'ili gnosis professes
the same doctrine with regard to the esoteric ( hlfin) signifed by the Ak and
its stucture.
1 22. Arcana Coelestia, 605 and 606: "The 'food, ' the 'ark, ' and there
fore te things described in connection with them, signif regeneration, and
aso the temptatons that precede regeneration. "
1 23. Ibid. , 609.
1 24. Ibid. , 301 , 784.
1 25 . Ibid. , 301 - 303, 784.
126. Ibid. , 607-608.
1 27. I bid. , 790.
1 28. Ibid. , 660-662.
1 29. I bid. , 705, 730.
1 30. Ibid. , 904-905.
1 3 1 . Many adith of the Fifh and Sixth I mams ( MoJammad Baqir and
Ja'far al-adiq) formulate, with some variations, te same fndamental idea.
See Abi' I - Jasan Sharif Nabai lspahani, Tafsir Mirat al-Anwar ( Teheran,
A. H. 1 375) , p. 5 . It is upon this same fndamental idea that the Shi'ite tradi
tions base the necessit for the contnued presence of te Imam in the world,
even when it is a matter of his "concealed" presence, as it is for the Twelve
Imam Shi'ites; for i t is by means of this presence of the one who knows and i n
spires the hermeneutics of the Book that the Book never di es and i ts sense al
ways remains to come. See Kolayni, Kitib al-Oful mina'l-Kaf, Kitab
al-lojjat ( Treatise of the Imam) , 1 0, 3rd adith. The commentar by Molla
adra Shirazi is pai cularly dense on this point. See Sar al-O!ul ( lithogr. ;
Teheran, n. d. ) , p. 490.
1 32. For te entre second part of the present stdy, we wi l l refer to our pre
viously published research, esp. : Trilogie ismaelienne; Histoire de l philsophie
islamique, part 1 ; En Islam iranien, l : 21 9 f. ; Molla adra Shirazi, L Livre des
penetrations mttaphysiques ( Kitab al-Masha<ir) , Bibl iotheque Iranienne, val .
1 0 ( Paris : Adrien- Maisonneuve, 1 964) .
1 42 Swedenbor and Eoteric Islam
1 33. See Nair-e Kosraw, L Livre reuniSInt les deux sagesses (philosophie
greciue et theosophie i.maelienne), Bibliotheque Iranienne, vol . 3, ( Paris:
Adren- Maisonneuve, 1 953) , p. 67 of our "
E
tude preliminaire. "
1 34. Rgarding this hierarchy, see En Islam iranien, 4: 205 f. , 346 f.
1 35. See the excellent summar by Sayed Kem Rsht ( d. 1 259/1 843) at
the beginning of his commenta on the "Throne Verse" ( Sar
A
yaul-Korsa}
( Tabrz, n. d) . , pp. 1 f. , as well as his "Episte on the Exoteri c, the Esoteric,
and Symbolic Exegesis" ( R. f maitmtt al-hir wa'l-btin wa'l-ta'wil) , i n
Majmu'a of 34 treatises ( Tabrz, 1 276) , pp. 366-368.
1 36. Semnani even caculated the approximate number of volumes neces
sar! See En Islam iranien, 3: 226 f
1 37. That is why it is preferable to retan the name Isma'ilito designate tis
branch of Shi'ism, and to resere the name Inna 'ilites as an ethnic designaton
that refers to an enti rely diferent concept. Of course, te fgure of Isma'il, son
of Abraham, also plays a predominant role in Isma'ili prophetology; Isma'il
was the titular Imam ( mosta1ar) while Isaac was only the trstee Imam
( mostawda '. Aer that, the real I mamate entered into a sort of "secrecy" until
the time when it reappeared, during the period of Muammad, in the line of
Imams descended from 'Ai ibn Abi-Tal i b. In the intera, it was the "trstee"
Imams who occupied the "font of the stage" during each prophetic perod, al
though the texts also infrm us of the names of the real Imams.
1 38. For the essential diferences beteen the Isma'ilism of the Aamit re
form and the Isma'ilism of the Fatmid tradition, see esp. our to works Trilo
gie imaelienne and Histoire de la philosophie islami1ue. See also our "Eighth
Centenar of Aamit," L Mercure de France, Febrar 1 965.
1 39. See note 28, a
n
d our "
E
tude preliminaire" to the book by Nair-e
Khosraw, L livre reunissant les deux sageses, pp. 74, 8 1 , 83 note 1 57, 87 f. ,
9 1 .
1 40. See te diagrams given i n our book Cyclical Time, pp. 94, 96, and in
Trilogie innaelienne, p. 60.
1 41 . See W. Ivanow, Innaili Literature: a Bibliographical Sure, The Is
maili Societ Series A, no. 15 ( Teheran, 1 963) , pp. 32 f. Qazi No'man ( Abi
Janif ai- No'man ibn Abi 'Abd-Allah ai-Tamimi a- Qayrawani, d. 363/974)
was a prolifc autor, many of whose books have unforunately been lost. He
originally belonged to the Malikte rite, or, much more likely, was already a
Twelve- Imam Shi'ite. A a young man, he entered the serice of the Fatmid
caliph ai - Mahdi in 3 1 3/925 . He is interestng in that he i s recognized by both
the Isma'ilis and the Twelve- Imam Shi'ites, that is, by the to great branches
of Shi'ism. The book Ats al-Ta 'wil, to which we will refer particularly here,
was translated into Persian by Mo'ayyad Shirazi ( d. 470/1 077) , but the onl y
manuscript known to date is a modern Persian translation (see W. lvanow, ls
maili Literature, p. 47, no. 1 69) . The present study is based in part on the edi
tion of the Ats al-Ta'wil issued by AefTamer i n Beirt in 1 960. Rgrettably,
this edition, collated fom two unsatisfactor manuscrpts, is itself defective and
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 43
incomplete; the ateratons of the text have rendered certain passages i ncm
prehensi ble, and the edition does not give precise qur'anic references ( numbers
ofsuras and verses) . We could not have completed our study i fW. Ivanow had
not kindly placed at our disposal , in Teheran, two other manuscripts of the
work. We devoted an entre course to it at the
E
cole pratique des Hautes
E
tudes ( see the report in Annuaire de Ia Section des Sciences reliieuses [ 1 964-
1 965 ] : 89 I. ) .
142. See Histoire de Ia philosophic islamique, 1: 1 1 8 I. , and Trilogie ismaeli
enne, frst chapter of the second treatise, pp. 1 49 I. of the French translaton.
1 43. See Trilogie ismaelienne, chapters 3 1 and 32 of the Livre des Sources by
Abi Ya'qib Sejestani, pp. 97 I. of the translation. See aso the end of sec. 4 of
part 2 of the present essay.
1 44. In Twelve- Imam Shi'ism, the twelve letters symbolize the Twelve
Imams ( themselves symbolizing with the twelve signs of the zodiac, the twelve
streams that Moses caused to gush from the rock, the twelve leaders of the
tribes of Israel, etc. ) . The strcture is diferent, because te idea of the Ima
mate is diferent and l imited to Twelve I mams. See Trilogie ismaetienne, index
under "douze"; and adra Shirazi, L Livre des penetrations metaphysiques, i n
dex under "Imam," "Quatorze Tres- Purs, " etc.
145 . For this succession of cycles, see Trilogie ismaelienne, index under '"cy
cle," adi 'irat," etc. Qazi No'man does not discuss this in his Asis al-Ta 'wf;
we are giving a brief overiew here of the entre subject. See also Cyclical Time,
pp. 78-84.
1 46. Rgarding the esoteric sense of te hexaimeron, see Trilogie ismaeli
enne, index under this term ( other references given there as well ) . See aso
Cyclical Time, pp. 96-97, and my introduction to Commentaire de Ia Qafida
ismaelienne, pp. 74 I. ( on the "theosophy of histor") .
1 47. A was said above, Qazi No'man does not discuss the origin and suc
cession of the cycles in his book, but for the ta'wf there is not a word to be
changed in the letter of the text, when the "prologue i n Heaven" is under
stood as the Imam Honayd, father of "our" Adam, conversing with his
lawaiq. The chapter about Adam in the Kitib Aas al-Ta'wil, pp. 50 I. of the
edition cited above ( note 1 41 ) , opens with a number of obserations regarding
the Imamate and prophecy.
148. The qur'anic references given in the original text of this arcle were ac
cording to the tradition of Koufa, generally followed in Iran; the numbering of
verses corresponds to tat in the old edition of the Qur'an issued, in the West,
by Fltgel . For the convenience of readers, the present English translation of
Corbi n's article gives te numbering and translation found in Te Holy
Qur'in: Text, Translation, and Commentar, by A. Yusuf Ai (Washington,
D. C. , 1 946) .
1 49. Asas al-Ta 'wit, pp. 54 I. ; Cyclical Time, p. 82; Trilogie ismaelienne, pp.
1 26 I.
1 50. See references in the previous note. The inita orgin of lblis-Satan
1 44 Swedenbot and Esoteric Islam
goes back to the "drama in Heaven, " when the Spirital Adam ( Adam ri+tni,
celestal Anthropos, Agel of humani t) , having wrenched from his own being
te darkness that had immobilized him in doubt, cast i t into the abyss, where it
caused the appearance of our physical cosmos. Durng the cycles of epiphany,
this form of Darkness ( of dark fre) remained harmless and invisible. It reap
peared as a terrible counterforce at the threshold of a cycle of occultaton;
more precisely, it is the agent of that cycl e, for lblis had been with Adam as
one of the Angels of the preceding cycle; antagonism thus breaks out. It is be
fore te revelaton of lblis's secret that the Angels, that is, the twelve lawtiq,
understand that they themselves have crossed the boundar of transgression by
askng: "Wilt Thou place terein [ on earth] . . . ?" For they wanted to say: "We
did not think that God would create a being superior to us. " They therefore
sought refge near the Throne ( 'arsh) and circumambulated it for a week. In
relaton to this subject, the Asts ai-Ta'wil ( p. 57) recounts a ver i nstrctive
+adith regarding the origins of the temple of the Ka'ba. Imam Ja' far a-adiq,
while still a young man, was performing the rites of circumambulation i n the
company of his father ( Molammad Baqir, te Fif Imam) , when a mysterious
stranger (a blond man dressed i n to white robes) asked him about the origins
of the temple. Imam al- Baqir stated to him the episode that we have just read,
and continued: "Descend to earth, sad their Lrd to the Angels, and build
there a temple near which those of the children of Adam who will have com
mitted a transgression will fnd refge. They will circumambulate around the
Temple as you yourselves have sought refge nea the Throne . . . . Thus, they
built this Temple ( the Ka'ba), but God removed it at the epoch of the Flood;
it is now in the Fourh Heaven. And the Angels make the pilgrimage there un
til the day of the Rsurrecton. Aferard, Abraham built the present Temple
on the foundations of the other. " All this is of ver dense signifcaton for hi
erohistor. The Temple that is in the Fourth Heaven, the Bayt ai-Ma'mur, is
the celestia archetpe of the visible and earthly Temple of te Ka'ba, which is
its +iltyat ( imitaton, "histor") . Its origin is connected to a "drama in
Heaven"; evil exists before earthly man, but is redeemed from that point on.
The Flood is the epoh when the Temple built on earh by the Angels was f
nally removed to Heaven ( as happened to the holy Gral ); we have only the
copy, the +iltyat ( built on the foundations of the frst Temple; now, the word
At, "foundaton, " designates preeminently the Imam) . Thus the esoteric
sense of the histor of Noah. Finally, regarding the "pilgrimage of the Agels
unti l the day of the Rsurrection, " it should be recalled that the Isma'ili da 'wat
is the "potential paradise. " By accomplishing the earthly pilgrimage to the
Ka'ba, the Isma'ili i nitiate knows that, i n doing so, his rite symbolizes with the
pilgrimage of the Angels. Moreover, according to the tradition of Alamit , i t i s
earhly life that is itself the pilgrimage to the encounter with the "celestial
Temple, " ofwhich the Imam is the foundation.
1 5 1 . Wen the drama is transposed to i ts origi n, in the person of Adam
ru+tni third Angel of the pleroma who became tenth because of hi s error
,
i t i s
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 45
a matter here, too, of the "betrothed of the Spiritual Adam who returned to
his paradise. " See Cyclical Time, p. 1 79 note 58 ( with other references) .
1 52. Qazi No'man explains the literalist puerilities committed on this point,
as well as on the subject of the "leaves of te garden" referred to farther on, by
the i nfuence of Jews converted to Islam, who were unfortunately not esoter
ists and who recounted what they believed they had read in the Torah ( Als al
Ta'wil, p. 68) . See also note 1 63.
1 53. Ibid. , p. 59. The text states: ma has telve ribs on each side; those on
the right side are the symbol of esoteric kowledge ( 'ilm blfin ), those of the
lef side are the symbol of exoteric knowledge. The double lineage of Isma'ili
prophetology ( prophets and Imams) therefore proceeds from a ver diferent
idea of the double prophetic lineage in Judea- Christan prophetology. It is also
necessar to recall here the telve l ojjat of the day and the twelve l oJat of
the night. See Trilogie ismaelienne, index under the term.
1 54. For example, Nair-e Khosraw, Te Bool ofthe Two Widoms Uami' al
lilmatayn) , chap, 30, pp. 295 f. of the Persian text. Rgarding this "femi
nine" spiritual aspect of te Imams, See our book, Spiritual Body.
1 55. Asls al-Ta'wil, pp. 59 f "The garden ( paradise) is the most sublime
thing that God has created. God has made it good news [ boshrl, evangelio1!]
for the faithfl believers. He says: One day shal t tou see the believing men
and the believi ng women-how their li ght rns forard before them and by
tei r right hands: [ Their greetng will be: ] ' God News for you thi s day! Gar
dens beneath which fow rivers! To dwell therein for aye! This is indeed the
highest achievement"' ( Qur'an 57: 1 2) .
1 56. Regading appare
n
tae reales, see Spiritual Body, index under this term.
1 57. Als ai-Ta'wil, p. 60. The author makes a precise distincton beteen a
natural symbol ( the ta'wil refer to the "intenton" of the things themselves)
and a paable ( the ta 'wit refers to te intention of the writer). This is an essen
tial distincton that the adversaries of symbolic exegesis do not always make.
1 58. See our Hitoire de I philosophie islamique 1 : 1 84 f. ; and our study
"L 'Livre du glori eux' de Jabir ibn Iayyan, " Eranos-]ahrbuch 1 8 ( 1 950) .
1 59. This i s t he teme of one of the famous conversatons beteen the First
Imam and his disciple Komayl ibn Ziyad, the charer of "philosophy" for all
Shi' ite thinkers. The text appears in the sixth pat of Nahj al-Balagha. The au
thor presents only the frst part of the conversation here. Regarding this, see
Trilogie ismaelienne, index under "Komayl , " and En Islm iranien, 1 : I l l f.
1 60. Compare this with the exegesi' of Adam's transgression given i n
Twelve- I mam Shi ' i sm, for example, i n Iaydar
A
moli's work: an act of mad
ness, and perhaps sublime madness, because it was necessary that Adam depar
fom Paradise. See En Islam iranien I : 97 f
1 61 . Als al-Ta'wil, pp. 65-66.
1 62 . I t could also be said that te scission of the ;ahir and the bl!in, like the
scission of the "masculine" ad the "feminine," would correspond here to
what Jakob Boehme symbolizes as the separation of Adam and the heavenly
1 46 Swedenbo' and Eoteric Islam
Sophia, a reminiscence of which, at least, we have noted in Swedenborg.
1 63. A.ts al-Ta'wil, pp. 68-69. "This is a type of ta'wi that is intolerable to
the intellect, and tat remains absolutely inefectve. " See note 1 52. It does
not seem that the Isma'ilis had much knowledge of Jewish gnosis, with which
their own, however, has many afnities.
1 64. Ibid. , pp. 66-67.
1 65. Ibid. , p. 67. Regading the "Words" that Adam learned from his Lord
( Qur'an 2: 37) , and that are the seven supreme Ltters, the seven Cherubim,
te seven Divine Words, see Trilogie ismaetienne, index under "sept"; and
adra Shirazi, L Livre des penetrations metaphsiques, index under "Kalimtt
ttmmtt" ( the Perfect Divine Words) .
1 66. Ats al-Ta 'wil, pp. 69- 70. Rgarding the concept of mtddat, see Trilo
gie ismaelienne, index under this term.
1 67 . A.ts al-Ta 'wi, p. 70. "The Messenger of Go said: I receive the Divine
Revelation ( wa) fom Gabriel; Gabriel receives it fom Michael, and Michael
receives i t fom Seraphiel; Seraphic) receives it fom Lw maf' ( Tabul Sc
reta, the Soul, te Ttli) , which receives it fom the Qalm ( the Intelligence,
the Sbiq) . Thus, the ta'd ( Divine Inspiration) is conjoined with the Enunci
ator- Prophets ( Nofaqt by the intermediar of fve celestia dignitaries, and
fom the prophets it is conjoined with the Mostajibun ( the neophytes) by the
intermediar of fve earthly dignitaries. " Regarding the achagelic pentarchy
and the meaning of the designations ]add, Fat, Khaytl fr the triad Gabriel,
Michael, and Seraphiel, i n te wri tngs of Abu Ya'qfb Sejestani and Nair-e
Kosraw, see our "
E
tude preliminare" to Nair-e Kosraw, L livre reunisant
des deu sagesses, pp. 9 1 - 1 1 2. For his part, Ja'far ibn Manfr ai -Yaman ( who
wrote ca. 380/990) d
e
votes many pages of hi s Sart'ir al-Noraqt' to this
theme ( Khayal - Seraphiel , Fat Michael, ]add - Gabriel . Khaytl assumes,
i n a way, the fncton of transcendental Imagination) . See personal photocopy
of a ms. of the Sart'ir, fol . 7-9
b
. Unfortunately, I cannot dwell on it here.
1 68. Regarding this teme, see a beautifl page by Nair-e Kosraw: "Now
the Earh is dark, and when the Rsurrection comes, it will be an Earth of
light . . . . That other Earth is now hidden i n te night, untl the light rses upon
it. It is said of the other Earh that te esoteric sodalit is founded upon it
through frmnes of faith-in spirit, and by no means in a materi al sense. That
Earh is dark today, but it wll become Tera Iucida, and the darkness of the
contadictor literalist exegeses will be dissipated by that splendor of light. It is
upon te Book of God that our sodality is tounded. " See our "
E
tude prelimi
naire, " p. 1 26.
1 69. It is te entire "drama i n Heaven" causing the downgrading of the
Third Angel to the rank of Tenth, our demiurge. See Trilogie ismaelienne, i n
dex under "Adam spirituel," "ta'alhlhor"; and adra Shirazi, L Livre des pene
trations mystiques, i ndex under "ta 'alhlhor. "
1 70. Asts al-Ta'wil, pp. 74- 75. The imporance accorded here to Seth ( Hi
bat Alah, that i s, Adeodatus, Nathanael ) reminds one of the Sethian gnosti cs.
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 4 7
The names of the I mams of the Adamic period ae the names that appear in
chapter 5 of Genesi s: Seth, Enosh, Qinan ( Kenan), Mahaliel ( Mahalalel ) ,
Okhnokh ( Enoch) , Matishalah, Lamek, fther of Noa. See note 1 1 5 . In the
tradition of Aamit, where the Imam takes precedence over the Enunciator
Prophet and is permanently Mawlina ( Dominus noster), the Imam of the peri
ods of Adam, Noah, and Abraham is none other than Melchizedek.
1 71 . Asis al-Ta'wil, p. 87. The fgure of 950 years corresponds to the one
indicated in Gen. 9: 28- 29: "And Noah lived afer the food three hundred and
ff years. And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and ff years; and he
died. " On the other hand, Qazi No'man knows quite well tat the age of the
physical person of Noah did not exceed 1 25 years, which also agrees wth Gen
esis 6: 3: "for that he [ man] also is fesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and
twent years . "
1 72. Rgarding the categories of prophets, see En Islam iranien.
1 73. Asis al-Ta'wil pp. 76- 77. Wen speaking of him, Noah's enemies use
the word basar ( man) , which, in the current l anguage, means the epidermis,
the surfce of the ski n; they signif by tis the ihir.and use it to tell Noah that
what he is bri nging them they already kow, and that he has no preeminence
over them. The qur'anic verses commented upon in their Isma'ili sense i n the
present section mostly come from sura 1 1 ( Hod) and sura 71 ( Noah) .
1 74. Ibid. , p. 78.
1 75 . The Imam of the Resurrection is ofen caled the "seventh Nifiq, " as
though concluding the succession of the six great prophets ( as the "seventh"
day of the heaimeron), though he does not proclai m a new shari<at, his role
being to unveil the ta 'wJ1, the esoteric sense, of the revelations recei ved by the
preceding prophets. A the "seventh day," he is the perfect Man. It was seen
that in Swedenborg's work, the "sevent day" is the celestal Man.
1 76. Ais al-Ta'wil, pp. 79- 80. Rgarding the number twelve, see notes 1 44
and 1 53.
1 77. Ibid. , pp. 8 1 -82.
1 78. See ibid. , p. 92, the commentary on the parallel qur'anic verses ( 54: 1 1
f. ) : "So we opened the gates ofheaven, with water pouring forth, and We caused
the earth to gush forth with springs. The esoteric sense of the beginning of the
verse is the opening of the gates [ bib] of the Enunciator, tat is, of those
whom Noah had appointed with a vew to the exoterc of Knowledge, while
te following part signifes the act of giving an outet to gnosis fom the digni
taies in charge of te esoteric, that i , the telve Noqabi' appointed by
Noah's Imam i n each of te telve regions ua.ira] . It is te same thing that is
signifed in te histor of Moses by te telve springs tat Moses causes to
gsh from the rock by striking it with his staf ( Qur'an 2: 60) . So the waters
{om heaven 1 met {the waters that gushed forth fom the earth 1 to the extent de
creed, that is, the science of te exoteric [ that of the prophets] will meet the
science of the esoteric [ that of the Imams and the Noqabi', in the order that
has been decreed or predetermined for them. "
1 48 Swedenbor and Eoteric Islam
1 79. Rgarding the co- responsibility of te lodud untl their por mortem be-
coming, see Trilogie ismaelienne, pp. 1 63 and 1 73 note 200.
1 80. See the diagrams to whi ch we referred above, note 1 40.
1 8 1 . Asls al-Ta 'wil, pp. 83- 84.
1 82. I bid. , pp. 84- 85.
1 83. Shem was the Imam appointed by Noah; see, however, what was stated
in note 1 70, regarding Melchizedek.
1 84. Asls al-Ta'wil, p. 86.
1 85. Ibid. , p. 90.
1 86. Rgarding this concept ( ta'Rkhkhor, tRkhRlloj, see note 1 69.
1 87. Asls al-Ta'wil, p. 89.
188. Ibid. , p. 95, the beautifl fna prayer of Noah ( Qur'an 7 : 28) : "0 my
Lord! Forgive me, my paents, al who enter my house in faith, and all believ
ing men and believing women" The "forgiveness" signifes reentr into the es
oterc; the two parents are those who had received Noah into the da'wat and
given hi m his spiritua education ( that is, the last Imam of the period of Adam
and his lojjat); the believing men and believing women are all those men and
women to whom, before him and afer him, the da 'wat, the Ecclesia siritualis
universa, was extended.
1 89. Asls al-Ta'wil, p. 92.
190. Ibid. , p. 86. QaZ No'man emphasizes the diference beteen the "de
parture from the Ark" and the "deparure fom Paradise. " I n fct, Adam was
obliged to "descend" fom Paradise for having wanted to attan to the blfin
wthout the lhir and doing violence to the knowledge of the Rsurrecton; in
wanting to lay bare te blfin, it is his own nakedness ( his darkness) that ap
pears to him. Noah had- received the order to "convoke" men to the lhir and
the blfin; but they refsed, and the lhir without the blfin ( the huge waves )
sufoated them. Noah receives the order to "descend" fom the Ak when the
"waters" ( the esoterc) have withdrawn into the Imam.
1 91 . Asls al-Ta'wil, pp. 93-95 for this entire context. The Imams of the pe
riod of Noah, like those of the period of Adam see note 1 70) , bear names tat
appear i n Genesis 1 0: 1 0- 27, abeit altered by the Arabic writing system: A
fahshad (Arphaxad, son of Shem) , Shalikh ( Sal a) , 'Abir ( Eber) , Falij ( Peleg) ,
R'i ( Ru) , Sarij ( Serg), Tarikh ( Terah, father of Abraham and hi s two
brothers Naor and Haan) . Ibid. , p. 1 06.
1 92. See 'On Akhblr Imam Ret ( Qomm, 1 377), 1: 83- 85. We will re
turn to this elsewhere.
1 93. For all that follows, Asls al-TR'wil, pp. 291 - 3 1 3. We are givi ng an ex
tremely abbreviated summar here.
1 94. This ' lmran i s caeflly dstinguished by our Isma'ili authors, as by
many other commentators, fom the 'lmran of the family of Moses ( sec
Qur'an 3: 33) , just as the Aaron whose sister is Maram here, is not the Aarn
who is the brother of Moses, but a dignitar of the end of this period. There i s
homonymy, not an anachronism, which our authors would have been
Comparative Spiritual Hermeneutics 1 49
prevented from committng, given their concepton of each period of the cycle
of prophecy.
1 95. For all that follows, the qur'anic verses commented on are 3: 35- 36,
37-38, 45-47; 5 : l l 3, and sura 19 ( Maryam) .
1 96. The treatise entitled Ght.vat aiMawtlid, attributed t o Sayyid-na al
Khanab (d. 533/1 1 38 ) , afer a long discussion as to whether a woman can be
a lojjat, responds in the afrmative. That was the case in Yemen, with t1e
Princess a- Iorrat ai - Malika. See W. Ivanow, Ismaili Tradition Concerning the
Rise of the Fatimid ( Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1 942) , p. 2 1 .
1 97. Rgarding Mar Magdalene ( Maram a-Majdalaniya) , see Cyclical
Time, p. 97.
1 98. Rgarding the concept of mtddat, see note 1 66.
1 99. Asts alTa'wil, p. 3 1 3. Sec note 1 43.
200. Sec Trilogie ismaelienne, pp. 98- 1 00 notes 1 96 t o 202, and pp. 1 41 t.
201 . There are a number of texts by Swedenborg concerning Islam and
Muslims, their "place in Heaven," etc. , texts that are expressed either in terms
of doctrine or ex auditis et visis. It would be important to group them together
wi th a view to a special study of all the questons tat are thus posed, especially
the manner in which Swedenborg is in a positon to value positively the
prophetic message of Islam ( True Christian Reliion, 833 ). Lt us note,
however, that where the expression "Son of God" appears as referring to "the
wisest of prophets," it is appropriate to substi tute the expression "Spirit of
God" ( Ru Allth) , as it is customarily used in Islam to designate Jesus, son of
Maram.
202 . Schleiermacher,
D
iscourses on Reliion, ff discourse.
Index
A
Aaron, 86
Abbasid caliph of Baghdad, 1 23
abodes, 45
Abraham, 57, 58, 66, 98, 1 01 , 1 22
abstract understanding, worl d of, 9
act of being, 7-8
Act ofTomi, 25
Adam, 39, 66, 69, 78, 82-83, 90,
97, 98, 1 00, 1 01 , 1 04, 1 1 2, 1 1 9,
143 ( n. 147) , 1 44 ( n. 1 50, 1 5 1 )
esoteric sense of history of,
1 00-1 1 2
and Eve, 79, 1 04-1 06,
1 09-1 1 1 , 1 27. See to Eve
gender and, 78-79
as exoteri c, 1 1 0
Mterlfe. See death, lfe afer; Tir-
na'n-Og
Aga Khan, 95
Age of Bronze, 65
Age of Iron, 66, 67
Ages of Humanity, 62-68
agnostc ratonalsm, 73
"agnostic refex" in Western culture,
7, 32
agnostcism, 1 1 9
'llam al-mithll, 9, 1 0, 1 6, 1 7
Aamut, 95
allegorical interpretation, 1 7-1 8
analogcal knowledge and thought,
1 2, 53, 75, 76
Angel -Souls, world of, 8
angelic communites, 43-45
angelic hierarchy, 17, 1 03
angelic universes, 54
angels, 1 3, 3 1 , 44, 48, 52, 58,
61 -62, 65, 66, 1 03, 1 04, 1 28.
See alo archangelic Intelligences
celestial , 44, 49, 58, 63
Anthropos, 50, 1 00
Antiiua Ecclesia, 57, 64, 82, 84
Antiiuisima Ecclesia, 54, 55, 58,
62, 64, 66, 68, 69, 73, 74, 76,
77, 80-84, 86-88, 1 01 , 1 08, 1 36
(n. 45 ) . See alo Genesis
celestal man of, 73, 75
symbolic/metahistorica style
of,
,
55-56
'Arabi, Ibn, 1 3, 5 1 , 1 32
arcana, 56-58, 68, 78, 1 22, 1 28
archangelic Intelligences, 3, 96, 97,
99
archangelic Pleroma, 97
Archetype-Images, 1 0, 1 2, 3 1
Aristote, Teolg of, 1 2
Ak, Noah's. See Noah's Ark
Asis al-Ita'wil, 98
'Attar, 1 7
Avicenna, 4, 1 2, 45
B
Bajja, Ibn, 5
al - Baqir, Ima. Mobamad, 90
behavior and thought, divorce
beteen
in Western culture, 7
being, act of, 7-8
Berdyaev, 1 33
Bible, 45, 52-54, 56, 57, 66, 1 34.
See alo Divine Word
biblical styles, 54-56
historical , 54, 5657
prophetic, 54
1 52 Index
of Psal ms, 54
symbolc history, 54-56
birth, spiritual , 57-58, 69
Boehme, Jacob, 79, 1 07, 1 32, 145
( n. 1 62 )
"Book of Conversations"
(Sohravardi ), 8
Buddha, fture, 28
c
celesta angels, 44, 49, 58, 63
celestal "dgnitaries," 99, 1 00, 128
celestal light, 46, 47, 49
celestal love, 49, 62, 64, 80
celestal man, 41 , 48, 52, 54, 69-75,
77, 1 0 1 , 1 02
destruction of, 80
celestal Self, 77. See alo proprium
celestal sense, 45, 61
celestal thought, 70, 8 5
Cherrbim, 62
Christiani ty, 65, 68, 1 23-1 24,
1 29-1 34, 1 39 ( n. 63)
Christology, 1 23-1 34
church, 54, 1 37 ( n. 1 1 5) , 140 ( n. 61 )
cites, imagnary, mystical , and
spiritual, 5, 1 4, 1 6, 23
civilizaton, 30-31
climates, 9. See alo "eighth climate"
cognitions. See under faith;
imaginaton
cogni tve value. See noetic value
conscience, 73, 84, 87, 1 01
consciousness, inseparable fom its
object, 1 5 , 32
Convocation, 98
Corbin, Henry, 143 ( n. l 48)
corporealty, 4, 1 0
correspondences, theory of, 40-53
cosmolog, 9, 1 9
creaton, 68-74, 1 04
days of, 68, 72, 73, 78, 1 01 ,
1 08-1 09, 1 1 2-1 1 3, 1 29
of Eve, 1 04-1 05
"Crimson Achangel," 3, 4, 32
cycl e of epiphany, I 00-1 04, 1 09
cycle of occultation, 1 01 , 1 03, 1 08
D
darkness, 47, 1 1 0, 1 1 1 , 1 1 6, 1 44
da'wlt, 98-1 00, 1 08, 1 1 2, 1 1 4,
l l 5, 1 1 8, 1 2 1 , 1 22, 1 25, 1 26
dead man, 71
death, lite after, 44, 46, 56-57, 97,
1 1 8
demons, 45 . See alo lbli s-Satan;
infernal spirits
Diarium Spirituale, 61
"dgnitaries," celestal , 99, 1 00, 1 28
Divi ne, the
infuence via te Lord' s human
Essence, 50-5 1
superhuman mediators beteen
humanit and, 37
Divine Good, 84. See alo good
Divine Humanity, 50-5 1 , 62
Divine Incarnation, 65
Divine Presence, 89
Divine Rvclaton( s) , 2 1 , 22, 94,
1 08, 1 1 3, 1 22, 1 24
divine vitalit, I l l
Divi ne Word, 52, 53, 56, 60, 62,
65, 68, 71 , 93, 1 1 0. See alo
Bible; Qur'an
as perceived by angels, 58, 61
divinit, epiphanic, 50-5 1
doctrnalia, 64, 85
Dominus. See Lord
doubt, 80-8 1
dramatis peronae, 99
dualisms, 1 2. See alo speciic
dualisms
E
Ectltsia cristiana, 65-7
Etclesia rpraesentatva, 57, 67
Ecclesia ( spiritual assembly), 54, 55,
58, 63, 64, 66, 67, 85, 98
Index I 53
people of te, 65
"eighth climate," 2, 9, 12, 1 4,
1 7-20, 22, 23, 25, 28, 30. See
alo Na-koja-Abad
topographes of, 20-32
Eljah, 3, 22
Elsabeth, 1 28
Enoch, 22, 50, 52, 64, 85, 1 40
( n. 1 1 5 )
epiphanic divinty, 50-5 1
epiphani c places and forms
(mazar), 1 1-1 2, 44
epiphany, cycle of, 1 00-1 04, 1 09
esoteric
vs. exoteric, 83, 92-94, 96,
1 02, 1 03, 1 06-1 1 0, 1 1 3, 1 1 6,
1 20
as femi ni ne, 1 05, 1 23, 1 26, 1 27
esoteric science, 1 2 1 , 1 22
eternal prophetc Ralit, 2 1 , 92-93
Eve, 8 1 . See alo Adam, and Eve
Creation of, 1 04-1 05
in Swedenborg's work, 1 05
as esoteric, 1 1 0
evil, 5 1 , 85-86. See alo l blis-Satan;
infernal spirits
exister. See manifestation
exoteri c. See under esoteric
extension, 9, 1 0
F
fculties, 46
frth, 71 -72, 75, 88
cognitions of, 70-71
vs. doubt, 80-8 1
vs. love, acting i n, 71
as masculine, 70-7 1 , 78
fantasy, 1 7, 20
Flrabi , 5
Faima, 92, 1 23, 1 24, 1 28
Fati mid dynasty i n Egpt, 95
Fa tmid of Cairo, last, 95
femi nine, 1 04, 1 06, 1 26
as esoteric, 1 05, 1 23, 1 26, 1 27
wl, love, and heart as, 70-71 ,
75, 78-80
"Five Personages of the Mantle," 29
"Five Sons of te Living Spirit," 29
Flood ( Noah's Ark) , 82, 87-89,
1 1 3, 1 1 5, 1 1 6, 1 1 9, 1 2 1 , 1 37
( n. 63) . See alo Noah's Ark; Water
Fludd, Rbert, 1 07
forbidden, the, 76, 1 06-1 09
forgveness, 1 1 7, 1 48
Fourteen Pure Ones, 93, 94
Franrs, L. - J . , 1 37 ( n. 61 )
G
Garden of Eden, 69, 1 02, 1 07-1 08,
1 1 1 . See alo Adam; Eve
gender. See feminine; masculine
Genesis, book of, 48, 7 1 , 75-77,
80, 8 1
'
, 83, 84, 1 1 2, 1 40 ( n. l l 5 ) .
See alo Adam; Eve
Giles, Chauncey, 1 39 ( n. 1 09)
gnosis, 9, 36, 51 , 1 32. See alo
Isma'ili gnosis
gnostic, the, 2, 6, 25
God( s), 50, 5 1 , 89, 1 03, 1 1 1 , 1 1 2,
1 1 7. See alo Divine; Lord
Goethe, 1 07
Gold, 63
Golden Ae, 63
good, 49, 5 1 , 63, 64, 66, 71 , 75, 84
Grrul , the, 23, 28
Grand Man, 50, 5 1 . See alo Homo
maxim us
Great Occultation, 22
Green Island, symbols of, 28-29
H
aayyan, Jabir ibn, I 07
heat, 47, 48, 5 1
heaven( s) , 1 3, 43, 47, 5 1-54, 62,
63, 75, 85, 89, 1 02, 1 1 7, 1 20,
1 44 ( n. 1 50) . See also Homo
maximus; paradise
1 54 Index
celesti al man's direct perception
of, 75
correspondence wth things i n,
49-50
herarchy of, 44-5, 58, 59, 70
infux into humanity, 64-66
light of, 46, 47
of one' s soul , 23
Hegel, 36
hell, 77. See alo Infrum
hermeneutics, 37, 39, 53, 76. See
alo Swedenborg, spiritual
hermeneutics of
Isma'ii, 39, 91 -1 00, 1 03, 1 04,
1 06, 1 1 1 , 1 30
of Qur'an, 38, 39, 90, 1 01
spiritual, 35-0
hexaemero1, 1 01 -1 02
of the creation of spiritual man,
68-74
hierocosmolog, 45, 1 01
hierognosis, 2 1 , 38, 40, 64
hierohstory, 37, 39, 1 00, 1 32. See
alo spirtua history
bikiyat, 35-36, 57, 64, 9 1 , 1 00
Hipparchus, 1 0
hstorcism, 90-91
hi storicization, 55, 59, 84
histories, symbolc, 59
history, 36-37, 55, 68. See also
secic topic
lojjat, 1 05, 1 26
Homo, 76
Homo maxim11s, 45, 49, 5 1-52, 75.
See alo Grand Man
Human Form, as archete of
unverses, 96
Hirqalya, 5, 1 2, 1 6
I
I blis, 1 04, 1 05 , 1 09, 1 1 2, 1 1 4,
1 1 9-1 20
l btrs-Satan, 1 02, 1 43 ( n. 1 50)
ideas, spiri tual , 92
of angels vs. spirits, 44
i mages, 1 1 , 1 8, 42. See alo
Achetype- I mages; bikiyat
in suspense ( mothol mo'allaqa) ,
10
world of, 9, 10
imaginal world, 1 9-2 1 , 3 1 , 32
i maginary, the, 1 -2, 9, 1 7, 20, 3 1
as unreal , 1 , 2
as utopian, 1 , 2
Imagnatio vera, 1 7, 1 8
imaginaton, 8 , 1 6, 1 9, 46
actve, 1 2, 1 5-1 7
cognition and, 2, 1 1 , 1 2, 1 6,
1 8
relaton to knowledge and
world, 1 6-1 7
spiri tual, 1 6
that modern man identfes wth
fantasy, 9
unbalanced, 1 9
imaginative consci ousness, 2, 1 8
imaginative knowledge and tmcton,
1 2
imaginative perception, 9, 1 5, 1 6,
1 8, 2 1
imaginative power, 9 , 1 7, 1 8
Imago Dei, 69-71
I mam Adam, 1 OS
Imam Honayd, 1 03, 143 ( n. 147)
Imam- Paradete, 1 1 0, 1 24. See alo
Paradetc
Imam( s) , 2 1 , 25, 3 1 , 90, 92, 93, 96,
99, 1 26. See alo Twelfh Imam
enemies of, 26
grandson of, 28
Hidden, S, 1 8, 2 1 -24, 26, 27,
29, 32, 94
in Isma'ili gnosis, 49
manifestaton of, 28-29
fture, 24, 30, 1 09, 1 1 3
of Rsurrecton, 1 01 , 1 02, 1 08,
1 09, 1 22, 1 30, 1 3 1 , 1 47
( l 7Sn. )
Index 1 55
of Shi 'ism, 37. See aso Ja'far al
Sadi q; Musa Ka?em
sons of, 29
as "spiri tual mother" of
believers, I 05-l 06
telve, 22, 94
i mmateria world, 1 1 -1 2
I ncarnation, 65
inferna darkness, 47
infernal self, 77
i nferna spirits, 45, 86. See alo Iblis
Satan
hated and rage of, 47, 89
lnfrum, 45
i ntaton account, phases of, 26-27
intelligence and wisdom, 8, 9, 48,
49, 5 1 , 63, 64, 70-71 , 75
archangelic, 3, 96, 97, 99
as masculine, 7 l , 78
interior, passing i nto the, 6, 1 4
i nteriori ty, 1 2-1 4, 72, 73
intermediate world, 9, I I , 14, 44.
See 1/o mund11s imaginalis
internal person, 45, 62, 63, 72, 88
externa person and, 42, 43, 46,
47, 69, 79, 80, 87
interworld, 28-29
i nvisible worl d, faith i n the, 1 21
ipseity, 77-78, 82
Isaah, 2 1 , 50
Islam. See secic topic
Isma'il , 1 42 ( n. 1 37)
Isma'ili Christology, 1 23-1 34
Isma'ili Convocation, 98
Isma'ili Ecclesia, 98
Isma'ili gnosis, 49, 88
esoteric sense of history of
Adam, 1 00-1 1 2
esoteric sense of history of
Noah, 1 1 2-1 25
Shi'ite and Isma'il
hermeneutcs, 91 -1 00
lsma'ili hermeneutcs, 39, 91-1 00,
1 03, 1 04, 1 06, 1 1 1 , 1 30
Isma'ili metaphysics, 97
Isma'ilis, 94, 1 42 ( l 41 n. )
I sma'ilism, 39, 94-96, 1 42 ( l 41 n. )
1
Jabalqa, 5, 8, 1 0, 1 2
Jabarsa, 5, 8 , 1 0, 1 2 , 28
Ja'far a-Sadi q, 94
James, M. R. , 1 36 ( n. 33)
Jar, 1 7
Jehovah, 5 1
Jeremiah, book of, 80
Jesus Christ, 22, 66, 98, 1 01 , 1 22,
1 23, 1 28-1 30, 1 33
spiritual history of, 1 25, 1 30
vi rginal conception of,
1 2
3
-1 24, 1 29
Jewish converts to Islam, 1 1 0
John, Gdspel of, 70, 1 08, 1 32
John the Baptist, 1 28, 1 30
Joy, 24, 28
Judgment, 62, 66
K
Kezr ( Khali r), 3, 27, 32
knowledge and thought, 82.
See also Tree of Knowledge;
Water, as symbol of
kowledge
analogical , 1 2, 53, 75, 76
forbidden, 76, 1 06, 1 09
organs ot: 8
Komayl ibn Ziyad, 145 ( n. l 59)
Koran. See Qur'an
L
"land of No-where. " See "eighth
climate"
"land of the hidden I mam, " 5, 1 8,
21
Lst Judgment, 66, 67
lfe after death. See death, life afer
lght, 1 0, 46-49, 74, 77, 93, 97,
l i S
1 56 Index
colors as symbols, 93
of Heaven, 46, 47
L'lsle-Adam, Villiers de, 3 1
Lord, 49-5 1 , 63, 64, 66, 72, 74,
78, 80, 85, 89. See tl Divine
comng of te, 65, 66
love, 4, 49, 5 1 , 64, 66, 69, 70, 75,
83, 88
M
affecton and, 47, 49
celestal vs. lesser knds of, 47,
49, 62, 64, 80
as feminine, 70-7 1 , 75, 78-79
as source of knowledge and
wisdom, 82
Magdalene, Mary, 128
Maiteya, 28
Mallut, 8, 12, 17. See alo Soul ,
world of
Manifestation, 50, 5 1 , 61 , 93
Mary, te Virgin, 1 22-1 24, 1 28, 1 29
Maryam, 1 23, 1 24, 1 26-1 30
masculine, 1 05, 1 06, 1 26
fth as, 70-7 1 , 78
i ntell i gence and wisdom as, 7 1 ,
78
masculi ne-feminine couple, 1 06,
1 26. See alo Adam, and Eve
materi al body, separation fom, 49.
See alo death
Mattew, 67
Mazandaran, 'Ali ibn Fazel , 23
mecocosm, herarchcal
stuctre of, 97
Memorabilia, 61
Messenger, 3 1 , 37, 1 26
metaphysi cs, 97. See alo specic
topic
Mont-Salvat, 29
More, Henry, 1 1
More, Thomas, 4
Moses, 52, 86, 98, 1 0 1 , 1 94
( n. 1 48)
Most Ancient Assembly, 54, 62
ai- Mostanir bi'llah, Eight Fatmid
caliph, 95
mothol ajtuniya nurinJya, 1 0
Muhammadan Light, 2 1
Muhammadan Logos, 2 1
Mulammed, 20, 66, 98, 1 0 1 , 1 23,
1 25, 1 28
mundu imaginalis, 1-2, 9-1 2, 1 4,
1 6, 1 7, 20, 28
Misa Ifem, 94, 1 23
mystcal pole of the world, 29
mystical teologies, 50
myth, 66
N
Na-koja-
A
bad ( "land of No
where" ) , 2, 4-7, 9, 14, 1 9, 20,
32 ( n. 4)
Nabl , 91
nakedness, 82, l l O
Na$ir-e Khosraw, 92, 1 46 ( n. 1 68)
Nature, 36-37, 48, 1 07
New Jerusaem, 67
Nint Sphere, convex surface of, 5 ,
6, 8
Noah, 58, 59, 66, 84, 85, 87, 89,
90, 97, 98, 1 0 1 , 1 3 1 , 1 40
( n. l l 5 ) , 1 47 ( n. 1 7 1 ) , 1 48
( n. 1 88, 1 90)
Call of, l l 4, l l 6-l l 8, 1 3 1
esoteric sense of history of,
1 1 2-1 25
Noah's Ark, 84-85, 1 1 3-1 1 8, 1 2 1 ,
1 3 1 , 1 40 ( n. 2 1 ) , 1 40 ( n. l l 5 ) ,
1 48 ( n. 1 88, 190)
noetc value, 9, 1 8
Nova Ecclesia, 83-84
Nova Hierosolyma, 39, 67
Nur 'Ar-Shah, 1 7
0
occultaton, 22, 1 01 , 1 03, 1 08
Oetinger, 61
Index 1 57
organs of knowl edge, 8
p
Paraclete, 1 08, 1 3 1 , 1 33. See alo
I mam- Paraclete
paradise, 27, 28, 63, 69, 1 06. See
alo da'wat
eartly, 1 02
fall and expulsion from, 82-83,
85, 87, 1 02, 1 06-1 1 2. See
also Adam; Eve; Garden of
Eden
key to, 99
virtual, 97, 1 1 2
Pauline theology, 65, 1 33
percepton, 72, 73. See also senses;
spiritual perception
i manatve, 9, 1 5 , 1 6, 1 8, 21
kinds of, 9, 1 6, 55, 73-75
theory of, 73-74
Perfect City, 5
Peter, Simon, 1 28
Pleroma, 8, 97, 1 00
Plotnus, 1 2
possessive desires, 80
power, desires for, 80
presence, 7-8
divine, 89
real, 20
profnaton, 62
prophecy, 54, 67, 92, 93, 98, 1 08,
1 20, 1 22, 1 3 1
prophetc relgon, 37, 1 07
prophetology, 9 1 , 1 22-1 24
prophets, 35, 37, 99, 1 05, 1 26
proprium, 76-80, 82, 86, 1 1 0
Ptolemy, 1 0
Q
Qaf, mountain of, 3-7, 32
Qazi No' mln, 98, 1 00, 1 05, 1 06,
1 1 1 , 1 1 5-1 1 7, 1 19, 1 25, 1 28,
1 42 ( n. 1 41 ) , 1 43 ( n. 1 45) , 1 43
( n. 1 47) , 1 45 ( n. 1 52) , 1 47
( n. 1 7 1 )
QyimBt ( judgment and
resurrection) , 66, 94, 1 1 3. See
alo Rsurrection
Qur'an, 22, 38-0, 93, 98, 99,
1 02-1 04, 1 08, 1 1 0, 1 20-1 2 1 ,
1 32. See alo Divine Word; Sacred
Book
hermeneutics of, 38, 39, 90, 1 01
R
Rsul , 9 1
real world, 1 8-20
reali t(ies)
external , departure from, 6
hi dden internal , 6
True, 3
"Rr of the Sol itary," 5
reincarnaton. See death, life afer
religion
history and theology of, 1 32
posi tve, 92, 1 1 3
in truth, 1 05
remembrance of lost symbols, 1 1 1
representatves ( symbolic forms) , 44,
56-58, 64
"representatvity" ( symbolic
fnction) , 46-9
Rsurrection, 94-96, 1 01 , 1 09, 1 1 3,
1 24. See alo under Imam(s)
resurrecton body, 1 6, 1 9
Resurrector, 1 09
revelatons, 1 1 , 38, 85, 92, 1 37
( n. 61 ) . See Blo Divi ne
Revelaton( s)
"Rsting of Gabriel's Wings, " 4
s
Sabbath, 72, 1 01
Sacred Book, 37, 40, 9 1 , 92, 1 3 1 ,
1 32. See alo Bible; Qur'an
Satan, 1 1 0, 1 1 1 . See Blo I blfs- Satan
Schleiermacher, 1 33, 1 34
1 58 Index
science, 52, 75, 1 1 8. See alo esoteric
science; spiri tual science
self, 77, 79. See alo proprium
exteriorzaton of, 79-80
as feminine, 79
leaving oneself in order to attain
oneself, 3
superior, 3
Semnani , 1 32
senses. See alo perception
celestial, 45, 61
spiri tual , 9, 1 1 , 1 7, 45, 46,
53-54, 56, 61
sensory faculties, as an internal
single snaisthesis, 1 6
sensory worl d, 8
serpant, 8 1 . See also Adam; Eve;
Garden of Eden
Set, 1 1 2, 146 ( n. 1 70)
Shamsoddrn, Sayyed, 26, 27
Shi'ism, 29, 38, 9 1 , 92, 1 22, 1 3 1 ,
1 33
theosophy of, 5, 2 1
Twelve- vs. Seven- Imam forms
of, 38, 91 -96, 142 ( n. 1 41 )
Shi ' i te Christolog, 1 24
Shi'ite consciousness, 22
I mam as ekstasis of, 32
Shi'ite hermeneutcs, 39
Shi' i tes, 24
Shrazi , Sadra, 1 1 , 1 3 , 1 5-1 6, 32
( n. 5) , 1 06, 1 32, 1 35 ( n. 22) , 1 39
( n. 90)
sidereal unverse, 8
signfcatves, 56, 57
silver, 64
simultaneity, 60-61
sleep, 1 6
Sohravardi, 3-8, 1 0, 1 2, 1 3, 1 7, 1 8,
25, 32, 44, 1 35 ( n. l l )
solecism, 35, 37
"Song of the Pearl ," 25
soul , 5, 69
combat of the, 71 -72
fcultes of, as single fculty,
1 5-1 6
imaginative power and
operatons, 1 5
independence fom physical
body, 1 5
world of, 5, 1 2 , 1 7
Souls of the Spheres, 8
space and time, Swedenborg on, 1 3,
33 ( n. 1 4) , 46, 67-68
Sphere
lower, 44
of Spheres, 32 ( n. 4)
supreme, 5-6, 1 2
spirit, pure, 1 5
link between material body and,
1 1
spirits, 1 2, 52, 54
in i nterworld, 1 0, 44
spiritual angels, 44, 58. See alo
celesta angels
spiritual assembly. See Ecclesia
spiritual birth, 57-58, 69
Spiritual Body ant Celestial Earth, 8
spiritual enti tes and reality
"where" of, 6-7, 1 2-1 4
spiritual fther, 1 28
Spiritual Guides, 92
spiritual hermeneutcs. See alo
under Swedenborg
method of comparatve, 35-0
spiritual hermeneutsts, of Bi ble and
Qur'an, 38, 39, 45, 90, 1 01
spiritual history. See alo
herohistory; specic topics
cycles i n, 1 00-1 01
spiritual imagi naton, 1 4-20
spiritual line, 1 23
spiritual man, 68
vs. celestal man, 69-72, 75 , 87
intelligence vs. love and,
70-71 , 84
heaemeron of the creaton of,
68-74
Index 1 59
"spirital mother" of believers,
1 05-1 06, 1 26
spiritual perception
direct, 64, l l 2
persons of, 87
spiritual person, internal , 46
spirital principles, 48
spiritual reali ty, 6-7
hidden, 103
spiritual regeneration, states/periods
of, 69-70
spiri tal science, 1 03, 1 07, I l l ,
l i S , l l 6, 1 20, 1 22
spirtual senses, 9, 1 1 , 1 7, 45, 46,
53-54, 56, 61
spiri tual sensitivity, 46, 73
spiritua space, 1 3
progressi on i n, 1 5
spirital states, 1 32
internal , transmuted into
external states, 1 5
spirital universes, fndamental plan
of the, 44
spiritual world, 36-37, 41 -3, 1 04.
See alo correspondences;
heaven( s) , hierarchy of
spiritally dead man, 71
Spring of Life, 3, 27, 28
Stanger, 3, 6
subtle bodies, I I , 1 2, 1 6, 1 9, 93
successive vs. simultaneous order,
60-61
sufocaton. See alo Flood
spiritua, 88
Sun, spirintal , 46, 5 1
Sunn Islam, 2 1 , 39, 9 1
Super- Being (hyerousion), 96
supernatura fgures, 3 1
suprasensory, the, 8, 1 6, 1 8, 44, 68,
76, 8 1 , 86, 1 02, 1 08
Suzuki , Daisetz Teitaro, 1 34 ( n. 4)
Swedenborg, Emanuel , 1 3, 38, 39,
4 1 , 1 05, 1 34 ( n. S) , 1 47 ( n. 1 75) ,
1 49 ( n. 201 )
discourse of spirits and angels,
48
on space and ti me, 1 3, 33
( n. 1 4) , 46, 67-68
spiritual hermeneutcs of
Ages of Humanity, 62-68
hexaemeron of the creaton
of spiri tal man, 68-74
principles of, 53-2
spiri tual sense of history of
Adam, 74-83
spiritual sense of history of
Noah, 83-91
theory of correspondences,
40-53
"visions in the Spiri t, " 68
Swedenborgian antropol ogy, 70-72
Swedenborgian theosophy, 50
hisfrical periods distnguished
by, 62
Swedenborgian topography, 44
Swedenborgian vision of the worl d,
45
symbolic hermeneutcs, 39
symbolization, 1 8, 2 1 , 3 1 . See also
bilayat
T
in spirital world, 41 . See also
correspondences;
representatves
"Tale of Western Exie," 25
"Temple of Light," 49, 97
theophanies, 5 1
theosophers, of Light in Islam,
43-4
theosophy, 5, 7, 2 1 , 38, 50, 5 1 , 62
thought. See knowledge and thought
tme. See space and tme
Tir-na'n- Og, 28
taveler, 14, 28, 30
Tree of Being, 27
Tree of Knowledge, 8 1-83, 1 08
Tree of Life, 79, 82, 83, 1 39
1 60 Index
Tree of Paradse, 27, 28
True, the, 49, 71 , 75
truth, 63, 64, 1 29
religon in, 1 05
Twclf Imam, 2 1 , 22, 26-28, 30
sons of the, 28
u
ubi, 6, 7, 1 4, 30
ubiiue ( everywhere) , 7, 14, 30
unvcrse( s) , 8, 54, 96. See alo
specic worl
bipartiton of, 42
hierarchy and symbolc
relationships among, 53
symbolizing another universe,
1 2, 1 4
utopia, 1 , 2, 4, 5, 7, 1 7, 1 8, 20
v
"Vade Mecum of the Faitful i n
Love," 4
visionary experiences, 5 , 1 0-1 1 , 1 8,
20-23, 61 , 85, 1 32, 1 32 ( n. 1 03)
as realit, 68
i n the Spirit, 89
w
symbolizing internal spiritual
states, 1 5
topography of, 5-7
Water, 1 1 7-1 1 8, 1 22. See alo Flood
as symbol of kowledge, 1 1 5,
1 1 8, 1 20
wiladat ruhiniya ( spiritual birth) ,
58
wil l , 48, 63, 70, 83-84
as feminine, 7 1 , 78-79
as nucleus of person, 79
wsdom. See intelligence and wisdom
Word. See Bible; Divine Word
World of Spirits, 54, 65
worlds. See univcrse( s) ; specic
worls
y
Ya'qib, 4
Yaqzan, Hay ibn, 4
young, te forever, 28
z
Zacharias, 1 25, 1 27, 1 28, 1 30