El. knyga: Survey / Soul-Body Interaction

"These two shorter works by Swedish theologian Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772), originally published separately and very different in content, both represent Swedenborg's own effort to summarize complex areas of his thought. In Survey, Swedenborg discusses some key tenets of Christian doctrine, both Catholic and Protestant, and describes how his own theology differs from it. In Soul-Body Interaction, he takes as his subject the way life flows from the transcendent God into all living things--

These short works by Swedish theologian Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772), originally published separately, offer his summaries of two very different areas of his thought. In Survey, he discusses some key tenets of Christian doctrines, both Catholic and Protestant, and describes how his own theology differs from them. The more philosophically centered work Soul-Body Interaction weighs in on the contemporary debate about the relationship between the soul and the body—a debate that continues to our time in the form of the mind-body question, the exploration of the action of mind on body and of the nature of consciousness. In Swedenborg’s treatment, this topic leads to an exposition of the way that life flows from the transcendent God into all living things.

These two shorter works by Swedish theologian Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772), originally published separately and very different in content, both represent Swedenborg’s own effort to summarize complex areas of his thought.

Published toward the end of Swedenborg’s life, Survey of Teachings of the New Church was a forerunner to his final theological work, True Christianity. In Survey, Swedenborg discusses some key tenets of Christian doctrine, both Catholic and Protestant, and describes how his own theology differs from it. He focuses on key concepts such as the Trinity, the nature of faith and charity, and the spiritual nature of the Last Judgment described in the book of Revelation. Taken as a whole, the piece is a brief summation of the doctrines that Swedenborg felt were critical for the coming spiritual age.

Soul-Body Interaction addresses a crucial area of Swedenborg’s thought: the way that life flows from the transcendent God into all living things. Swedenborg describes the nature and structure of the spiritual world, including heaven, hell, and the intermediate world of spirits, and describes how the higher levels of being reflect a more perfect conjunction with God. He also traces the flow of the Lord’s love and wisdom into the soul of all living people, showing how it gives life regardless of their current spiritual state.