Description

Swedenborg’s discussion of Divine Love and Divine Wisdom is divided into five parts. Part one begins with a simple but profound statement concerning the nature of love: “Love is a person’s life.” Since God is life itself it follows that all love is from him. God is the source of all creation. Nothing can come from nothing.

​​Part two goes on to outline how two worlds were created in such a way that they “correspond” to one another. For example, love on the level of the spiritual world corresponds to heat on the level of the natural world. Wisdom in turn corresponds to light. All things of the spirit have the corresponding counterpart in nature.

​Part three describes “degrees” of two types. “Continuous” degrees are like the degrees of heat measured by a thermometer and “discreet” degrees are like the rungs of a ladder. These degrees have no relationship to one another except by correspondence.

​​Part four shows how the physical form of a person corresponds to the Divine Form from which creation took place. Part five concludes the work with a discussion of human creation.