Additional information
by Emanuel Swedenborg (Author), John Clowes (Translator), John Faulkner Potts (Revised by)
Arcana Colestia was the first and most comprehensive theological work published by Swedish visionary Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772). The body of this multivolume work is a verse-by-verse commentary on the inner spiritual meaning of Genesis and Exodus, but Swedenborg also includes descriptions of heaven and hell gleaned from his spiritual experiences. Volume 4 deals specifically with Genesis 23-27, interspersed with discussions of correspondences and representations, by which Swedenborg means the way in which objects and events in the physical world relate to their spiritual equivalent.
This edition is a reprint, with revisions, of a 1905 translation by John Clowes, edited by John Faulkner Potts.
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.
