A Swedenborg Sampler: Selections from Heaven and Hell, Divine Love and Wisdom, Divine Providence, True Christianity, and Secrets of Heaven

by Emanuel Swedenborg, George F. Dole (Translator), Lisa Hyatt Cooper (Translator)

Swedish scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg wrote volumes upon volumes based on the understanding he gained through visits to the spiritual world and from conversations with its inhabitants. For new readers of Swedenborg, knowing where to start and what to read can present an insurmountable task. This volume is a good starting point and provides samples of some of his most powerful writings, now available in new, contemporary translations.
What happens to our souls after we die? What is the afterlife like? What is the nature of God? Of evil? What can we do during our lives to help guide us to heaven? What kinds of answers can we find in the Bible? Selections from some of Swedenborg’s most popular works— Heaven and Hell , Divine Love and Wisdom , Divine Providence , Secrets of Heaven , and True Christianity —answer these questions and more.
Ideal for those new to Swedenborg’s theology, A Swedenborg Sampler offers tastes from a rich smorgasbord of spiritual insight.

304 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2011

About the author

Emanuel Swedenborg (born Emanuel Swedberg; February 8, 1688–March 29, 1772) was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, Christian mystic, and theologian. Swedenborg had a prolific career as an inventor and scientist. At the age of fifty-six he entered into a spiritual phase in which he experienced dreams and visions. This culminated in a spiritual awakening, where he claimed he was appointed by the Lord to write a heavenly doctrine to reform Christianity. He claimed that the Lord had opened his eyes, so that from then on he could freely visit heaven and hell, and talk with angels, demons, and other spirits. For the remaining 28 years of his life, he wrote and published 18 theological works, of which the best known was Heaven and Hell (1758), and several unpublished theological works.

Swedenborg explicitly rejected the common explanation of the Trinity as a Trinity of Persons, which he said was not taught in the early Christian Church. Instead he explained in his theological writings how the Divine Trinity exists in One Person, in One God, the Lord Jesus Christ. Swedenborg also rejected the doctrine of salvation through faith alone, since he considered both faith and charity necessary for salvation, not one without the other. The purpose of faith, according to Swedenborg, is to lead a person to a life according to the truths of faith, which is charity.

Swedenborg's theological writings have elicited a range of responses. Toward the end of Swedenborg's life, small reading groups formed in England and Sweden to study the truth they saw in his teachings and several writers were influenced by him, including William Blake (though he ended up renouncing him), Elizabeth Barrett Browning, August Strindberg, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles Baudelaire, Balzac, William Butler Yeats, Sheridan Le Fanu, Jorge Luis Borges and Carl Jung. The theologian Henry James Sr. was also a follower of his teachings, as were Johnny Appleseed and Helen Keller.

In contrast, one of the most prominent Swedish authors of Swedenborg's day, Johan Henrik Kellgren, called Swedenborg "nothing but a fool". A heresy trial was initiated in Sweden in 1768 against Swedenborg's writings and two men who promoted these ideas.

In the two centuries since Swedenborg's death, various interpretations of Swedenborg's theology have been made (see: Swedenborgian Church), and he has also been scrutinized in biographies and psychological studies.

Reviews

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting introduction to the religious thought of Emanuel Swedenborg, an 18th-c. scientist and theologian who is especially known for his claimed revelations about the afterlife and the spirit world. This compilation has some helpful introductions and editorial content for those who need some background and context. I found it particularly interesting that Swedenborg rejected the doctrine of justification by faith alone, did not regard the Trinity as three "Persons" in the traditional sense, believed that the Last Judgment occurred in 1757, and held that beings populated other planets in our solar system. Some of the content is a bit dry and repetitive, but overall I found it to be a worthwhile read.

[Frater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent intro to Swedenborg's theology.

[Rickard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must and a good introduction if you are interested to know more about the Theology of Swedenborg.

[Jeffrey]

Strange