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The Spiritual Diary of Emanuel Swedenborg
The Spiritual Diary of Emanuel Swedenborg is a five volume work containing the private account of Emanuel Swedenborg's spiritual experiences in heaven and hell, which he experienced in full waking visions over a 27 year period. The Diary contains a chronological account of what he saw and experienced, his dialogue with angelic beings, and discussions concerning the theology of true Christianity. Experiences from the Spiritual Diary were often later incorporated into Swedenborg's systematic theological works, which have been published separately in the multi-volume work, The Divine Revelation of the New Expanded Edition (39 volumes). This digital version is unique in that it not only hyperlinks all references for ease of lookup, but also has a complete hyperlinked index to all five volumes of the diary. Using the index a reader can now lookup a particular subject or topic and see all entries at a glance, making this work a useful reference tool. The Diary has also been formatted with hyperlinked footnotes placed separately from the text.
Following is a sample of topics that are contained in the Heaven, Hell, Angels, Spirits, Divinity, Last Judgment, Life, Love, the Lord, Marriage, Adultery, Faith, the Word, Science, Affection, Rationality, Sense, Knowledge, Idea, Intelligence, Wisdom, Influx, Infernals, Interior, Celestial, Children, Soul, Regeneration, among many others. This is just a sample and shows the broad depth of topics that were discussed through many years in Swedenborg's heavenly visions. For the general reader who is new to the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, an introductory preface has been included from the editor, in addition to the original preface from the translator.
Following is a sample of topics that are contained in the Heaven, Hell, Angels, Spirits, Divinity, Last Judgment, Life, Love, the Lord, Marriage, Adultery, Faith, the Word, Science, Affection, Rationality, Sense, Knowledge, Idea, Intelligence, Wisdom, Influx, Infernals, Interior, Celestial, Children, Soul, Regeneration, among many others. This is just a sample and shows the broad depth of topics that were discussed through many years in Swedenborg's heavenly visions. For the general reader who is new to the writings of Emanuel Swedenborg, an introductory preface has been included from the editor, in addition to the original preface from the translator.
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1843
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About the author
Emanuel Swedenborg
1,654 books301 followersEmanuel 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 11, 2026
There were echoes of Joseph Smith (creator of Mormonism), and amplifications of Dante and Boethius in these 2000 plus pages of hope for a spiritual afterlife that intersects with the material world.
The celestial, the spiritual and the material for Swedenborg intersect the particular as understood from the universal as communicated by demons, spirits, and angels to the author.
Joseph Smith sees the spiritual through those similar lenses. Smith fabricates a complex spiritual afterlife and Swedenborg does too. They both would think as the Universalists and Unitarians converge: ‘Universalist believe that God is too good to damn humans, and the Unitarians believe humans are too good to be damned.’ Swedenborg and Smith insist on strict inflexible gender assignment both in this world and the next. Why does spiritual fictions so often make women inferior? Swedenborg is more of a trinitarian then present-day Mormons and he rationalizes the trinitarian formula absurdity and tells it multiple times through this diary.
Spirits from Mercury have no memory of the past and understand only through grace and at times bad spirits interact with humans and aid in committing adultery, and for Swedenborg adultery seemed to be especially bad for the species within the spirit world and their development and for earthly adulterers a special bad fate awaits in the afterlife. There were separate nations by race and beliefs in Swedenborg’s fabrications often intersecting ultimately with the Dragon from Revelation and the resurrection for the dead.
There were overlaps of Dante especially within the first 1000 pages of the diary. He changes Dante’s take many times. For example, when faith is acquired slightly before death one does go to Heaven as with Dante, but Swedenborg knows the person will be blinded by the heavenly light and must go to a lower level closer to hell to see. Intercessory prayer also differs between the two, Dante grants it, Swedenborg obfuscates it. They both seemed to hold those who take no stand in huge contempt. The spirits and demons Swedenborg encounter behave as the shades do with Dante; they are aware of the moment but have no active participation beyond that instant. For those who have seen Severance, they behave as an Innie would.
Angels for Swedenborg behave never independently and act as Thomas Aquanis describes them with an infinite intelligence channeled by the divine.
Swedenborg uses Boethius ultimate punishment for sinners. They are punished by their own ignorance and lack of knowledge through their own fault. The fact that they never let in love except for love for themselves separates them from all others. Boethius and Swedenborg would curse Trump by his own narcissism sealing his doomed fate ordained by himself for himself, and unfortunately for Trump’s multiple acts of adultery that would damn him even more, poor guy.
Swedenborg corrects the Lutherans, chastises the Catholics, educates the Mohammadians who almost get the importance of Christ but only when they are correctly educated by Swedenborg during his spiritual visits. The Lutherans are wrong and Martin Luther never understands the corrections because the spirits in the otherworld bring their beliefs with them.
Truth and Goodness are required; truth by itself, faith, is not enough, goodness by itself with beautiful works are not enough. Salvation requires both, the Arians are no better than the atheist who are just as bad as the Quakers and are better than the Jesuits who cannot understand the requirements for spiritual growth in the celestial plane through their rational barriers and Christian Wolfe had the same issue in the celestial plane due to his earthly rational mind.
There are many planets in the celestial world. The left and the right of the body of the whole species is segregated through different groups and move in unison. It is confusing at times, and I would lose the thread of the meaning.
The book is a painful book to finish, but I was curious on his metaphysics. There’s no way to refute Swedenborg’s experiences from his channeling and visits from spirits, angels and demons. He’s created a world beyond nature and has placed his version of Christianity on top of it. For him nature is finite and the divine exist as the ground for all.
The diary aspect of this 2000 plus pages make this book not always cohere and gives a fair amount of redundancy in its story telling. The tedium never lets up. Hell is the fantasy that the misbegotten souls create in their own mind according to the author. For me, reading this book is a necessary step for creating Swedenborg’s version of hell, and did I mention it drones on for 2000 pages?
The celestial, the spiritual and the material for Swedenborg intersect the particular as understood from the universal as communicated by demons, spirits, and angels to the author.
Joseph Smith sees the spiritual through those similar lenses. Smith fabricates a complex spiritual afterlife and Swedenborg does too. They both would think as the Universalists and Unitarians converge: ‘Universalist believe that God is too good to damn humans, and the Unitarians believe humans are too good to be damned.’ Swedenborg and Smith insist on strict inflexible gender assignment both in this world and the next. Why does spiritual fictions so often make women inferior? Swedenborg is more of a trinitarian then present-day Mormons and he rationalizes the trinitarian formula absurdity and tells it multiple times through this diary.
Spirits from Mercury have no memory of the past and understand only through grace and at times bad spirits interact with humans and aid in committing adultery, and for Swedenborg adultery seemed to be especially bad for the species within the spirit world and their development and for earthly adulterers a special bad fate awaits in the afterlife. There were separate nations by race and beliefs in Swedenborg’s fabrications often intersecting ultimately with the Dragon from Revelation and the resurrection for the dead.
There were overlaps of Dante especially within the first 1000 pages of the diary. He changes Dante’s take many times. For example, when faith is acquired slightly before death one does go to Heaven as with Dante, but Swedenborg knows the person will be blinded by the heavenly light and must go to a lower level closer to hell to see. Intercessory prayer also differs between the two, Dante grants it, Swedenborg obfuscates it. They both seemed to hold those who take no stand in huge contempt. The spirits and demons Swedenborg encounter behave as the shades do with Dante; they are aware of the moment but have no active participation beyond that instant. For those who have seen Severance, they behave as an Innie would.
Angels for Swedenborg behave never independently and act as Thomas Aquanis describes them with an infinite intelligence channeled by the divine.
Swedenborg uses Boethius ultimate punishment for sinners. They are punished by their own ignorance and lack of knowledge through their own fault. The fact that they never let in love except for love for themselves separates them from all others. Boethius and Swedenborg would curse Trump by his own narcissism sealing his doomed fate ordained by himself for himself, and unfortunately for Trump’s multiple acts of adultery that would damn him even more, poor guy.
Swedenborg corrects the Lutherans, chastises the Catholics, educates the Mohammadians who almost get the importance of Christ but only when they are correctly educated by Swedenborg during his spiritual visits. The Lutherans are wrong and Martin Luther never understands the corrections because the spirits in the otherworld bring their beliefs with them.
Truth and Goodness are required; truth by itself, faith, is not enough, goodness by itself with beautiful works are not enough. Salvation requires both, the Arians are no better than the atheist who are just as bad as the Quakers and are better than the Jesuits who cannot understand the requirements for spiritual growth in the celestial plane through their rational barriers and Christian Wolfe had the same issue in the celestial plane due to his earthly rational mind.
There are many planets in the celestial world. The left and the right of the body of the whole species is segregated through different groups and move in unison. It is confusing at times, and I would lose the thread of the meaning.
The book is a painful book to finish, but I was curious on his metaphysics. There’s no way to refute Swedenborg’s experiences from his channeling and visits from spirits, angels and demons. He’s created a world beyond nature and has placed his version of Christianity on top of it. For him nature is finite and the divine exist as the ground for all.
The diary aspect of this 2000 plus pages make this book not always cohere and gives a fair amount of redundancy in its story telling. The tedium never lets up. Hell is the fantasy that the misbegotten souls create in their own mind according to the author. For me, reading this book is a necessary step for creating Swedenborg’s version of hell, and did I mention it drones on for 2000 pages?
December 17, 2019
See my Kindle notes.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews