Doctrine of Holy Scripture - Swedenborg Foundation

DOCTRINE OF HOLY SCRIPTURE 185truths and goods of the Word in their order, which are the sourceof doctrine, and through doctrine of the church.44. The truths and goods of the sense of the letter of the Wordare meant by the Urim and Thummim. The Urim and Thummimwere on the ephod of Aaron, whose priesthood represented theLord as to Divine good and as to the work of salvation. Thegarments of the priesthood or of holiness represented Divine truthfrom Divine good. The ephod represented Divine truth in itsultimate, thus the Word in the sense of the letter, for this, as beforesaid, is Divine truth in its ultimate. Consequently the twelveprecious stones bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel(which were the Urim and Thummim) represented Divine truthsfrom Divine good in their whole complex.[2] Concerning these we read in Moses:They shall make the ephod of [gold], hyacinthine blue, and bright crimson,of scarlet double dyed, and fine linen intertwined. And thou shalt make abreastplate of judgment according to the work of the ephod; and thou shaltset it with settings of stones, four rows of stones: the first row a ruby, a topaz,and an emerald; the second row a chrysoprase, a sapphire, and a diamond; thethird row a cyanus, an agate, and an amethyst; the fourth row a thalassius, asardius, and a jasper. These stones shall be according to the names of the sonsof Israel; the engravings of a signet according to his name shall be for thetwelve tribes. And Aaron shall carry upon the breastplate of judgment theUrim and Thummim and let them be upon the heart of Aaron when he goethin before Jehovah (Exod. 28:6, 15–21, 29–30).[3] What was represented by Aaron’s garments—his ephod, robe,vest, miter, belt—has been unfolded in Arcana Coelestia on thischapter, where it is shown that the ephod represented Divine truthin its ultimate; the precious stones in it, truths pellucid from good;the twelve precious stones, all ultimate truths pellucid from thegood of love in their order; the twelve tribes of Israel, all things ofthe church; the breast-plate, Divine truth from Divine good; theUrim and Thummim, the shining forth in ultimates of Divinetruth from Divine good (for Urim means a shining fire; andThummim, in the angelic language, means a shining forth, and inthe Hebrew, entirety). Besides many other things, it is there shown