Arcana Coelestia volume 7 - Swedenborg Foundation

ARCANA COELESTIA 4056“standing before” anyone, as being presence; and from therepresentation of Joseph, as being the celestial of the spiritual (ofwhich often before). That the celestial of the spiritual was presentin both naturals was represented by Joseph’s being made lord overall Egypt. This is what is meant by the presence of the celestial ofthe spiritual in the interior things of memory-knowledges; for theseknowledges are in the natural (see n. 5316, 5324, 5326–5328,5333, 5337, 5373). The truths represented by Jacob’s ten sons aretruths in the natural.5639. And Joseph saw Benjamin with them. That this signifies theperception by the celestial of the spiritual of a spiritual intermediatewith truths is evident from the signification of “seeing” as being tounderstand and perceive (see n. 2150, 2807, 3764, 4567, 4723,5400); and from the representation of Jacob’s ten sons (who aremeant by “with them” that is, with whom Joseph saw Benjamin),as being truths in the natural (n. 5403, 5419, 5427, 5458, 5512);and from the representation of Benjamin, as being the intermediate(see n. 5411, 5413, 5443). That this is here called a spiritualintermediate is because the truths represented by Jacob’s ten sonswere now to be conjoined with the truth from the Divine which is“Joseph” and this conjunction is not effected without anintermediate which is spiritual; and therefore when thisintermediate was perceived, it immediately follows that “Josephsaid to him that was over his house, Bring the men to the house,and slaying slay, and make ready; for the men shall eat with me atnoon” by which is signified that they would be introduced andconjoined because with the intermediate.[2] What the spiritual is relatively to the natural must be furthertold in a few words, because most of those who are in the Christianworld are so ignorant of what the spiritual is that when they hearthe term they hesitate, and say to themselves that no one knowswhat it is. In its essence with man the spiritual is the very affectionof good and truth for the sake of good and truth, and not for thesake of self, and also the affection of what is just and fair for thesake of what is just and fair, and not for the sake of self. When aman feels in himself delight and pleasantness, and still more if he