How to use this site

Study Bible Stories

The central idea of this site is to offer discussions of Bible stories based on the insights offered in Swedenborg. This includes discussions of the spiritual meanings of the stories as a whole, of the verses individually, and of key words and phrases in each verse. The idea that the Bible has this internal sense is a key aspect of Swedenborgian theology.

Learn Key Concepts

Swedenborgian theology is simple at heart, but intricate in details, and it helps to understand the key ideas and terminology. Explanations are available as links within explanations, or you can look up terms using what we call the "Spiritual Glossary."

Explore Bible Terms

If you're reading the Bible on your own, you can search our explanations of words and phrases (like mountain, above) to help understand how the words in the text correspond to spiritual ideas. Differences between translations (we use the KJV here) can make this tricky, and context is always important in exploring specific meanings, but it can be a useful tool. 

On Quoting Swedenborg's Writings

Most entries on this site include a selection of relevant passages from Swedenborg. These passages are drawn from one of the searchable online Swedenborg collections, and the formats may look unfamiliar.

Titles: Swedenborg himself published 16 books, and left a number of others that were published posthumously. They range from Arcana Coelestia (the title is usually used in its original Latin), a 12-volume examination of the internal meaning of Genesis and Exodus, to a number of slim volumes addressing specific religious questions. Along with Arcana, some of the most-referenced here include Divine Providence, Heaven and Hell, Divine Love and Wisdom, Apocalypse Revealed and the posthumous Apocalypse Explained.

Numbers: Swedenborg used a system of numbering his paragraphs, so most entries include the paragraph number after the title. In longer discussions, he also numbered sub-paragraphs, so those at times appear here as well.

Translations: Swedenborg wrote in Latin, and most of his works have been translated multiple times. Excerpts on this site generally include the last name of the translator, so scholars will know the precise source.

The fact that there have been multiple translations and multiple publications means that the original online Swedenborg collection includes a variety of styles in terms of punctuation, margins and footnoting, so there is some variation in the look of the excerpted text here.

Finding Complete Texts: In the interest of being reader-friendly, we have made an effort here to share relatively brief excerpts from Swedenborg that address the points at hand. In  many cases these are parts of longer numbers that address a range of topics. If you wish to read the full numbers and explore further, the best source is the New Christian Bible Study.