True Christianity

by Swedenborg, Emanuel

• ISBN13: 9780877854845
• ISBN10: 087785484X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-03-01
• Publisher: Swedenborg Foundation

Summary

"True Christianity" was Swedish scientist-turned-seer Emanuel Swedenborg's last published theological work, a systematic description of his view on the church in this world and the next. Interwoven with discussions of established Christian doctrine are many of his own experiences in heaven, creating a powerful vision of his hopes for the future of the church.

Author Biography

Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) was a Swedish scientist, nobleman, and theologian who spent his life investigating the mysteries of the soul. Born in Stockholm to a staunchly Lutheran family, he graduated from the University of Uppsala and then traveled to England, Holland, France, and Germany to study the leading scientists of the time. He gained favor with Sweden’s King Charles XII, who gave him the position of overseer of the Swedish mining industry. Later, he was given a seat on the Swedish House of Nobles by Charles XII’s successor, Queen Ulrika Eleonora. Between 1743 and 1745 he began to have visions of heaven, hell, and Jesus Christ which resulted in a stream of books about the nature of God, the afterlife, and the inner meaning of the Bible. He devoted the last decades of his life to studying Scripture and presenting his own unique theology to the world.

Table of Contents

Translator's Preface	1	(44)
Jonathan S. Rose
Works Cited in the Translator's Preface	45	(5)
Selected List of Editions of True Christianity	50	(3)
On True Christianity: An Introduction to Swedenborg's Most Comprehensive and Systematic Theological Writing from the Standpoint of the Religion of His Contemporaries, by R. Guy Erwin	53	(46)
Works Cited in the Introduction	99	(4)
Short Titles and Other Conventions Used in This Work	103	(12)
The Faith of the New Heaven and the New Church	115	(663)
God the Creator	117	(111)
The Oneness of God	118	(20)
The Underlying Divine Reality or Jehovah	138	(11)
The Infinity of God: His Immensity and Eternity	149	(17)
The Essence of God: Divine Love and Wisdom	166	(20)
God's Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence	186	(26)
The Creation of the Universe	212	(16)
The Lord the Redeemer	228	(85)
Redemption	276	(37)
The Holy Spirit and the Divine Action	313	(69)
The Divine Trinity	348	(34)
Sacred Scripture, the Word of the Lord	382	(82)
The Catechism, or Ten Commandments, Explained in Both Its Outer and Its Inner Meanings	464	(50)
Faith	514	(81)
Goodwill (or Loving Our Neighbor) and Good Actions	595	(183)
Notes
Notes	675	(90)
Works Cited in the Notes	765	(13)
Biographical Note	778

Excerpts

On the Ten Commandments:

 

“It is generally recognized that the Ten Commandments in the Word are called the law in a supreme sense because they contain all the principles to be taught and lived. They contain not only all the principles related to God but also all the principles related to us. For this reason, the law was engraved on two tablets, one of which related to God and the other to us. . . .

 

“Because everything in the Word is about loving God and loving our neighbor, and the first tablet of the Ten Commandments contains a summary of everything about loving God while the second tablet contains a summary of everything about loving our neighbor, it follows that the Ten Commandments contain everything to be taught and lived.

 

“If you visualize the two tablets, it is clear how they are connected. God looks at us from his tablet and we look at God from ours. The two tablets therefore are turned toward each other. On God’s side it never fails that he is looking at us and doing what has to be done for our salvation. If we accept and do the things on our tablet, a reciprocal partnership [with God] develops. What happens to us then is indicated by the Lord’s words to the lawyer: ‘Do this and you will live.’”