Apocalypse Revealed

by Emanuel Swedenborg, Alice Spiers Sechrist (Translator)

Swedenborg Foundation Publishers is celebrating 150 years of publishing activity in America, a milestone we have dubbed our "Sesqui", short for Sesquicentennial. You will see a whole new dynamic, honoring both our 150th anniversary and the new millennium, as you examine the books on the following pages. We have our largest, most dynamic publication schedule ever -- 15 titles for 2000, including a number of compelling trade books in our Chrysalis line, treating topics such as partnership as spiritual practice, gardening for spiritual sustenance, and the mystical emergence of a feminist baby-boomer.What else is new at the Swedenborg Foundation in its 150th year? We have begun a momentous, twelve-year project to retranslate Swedenborg's entire corpus, offering a contemporary expression of his thought that provides meaningful access for today's reader. Each volume will contain a contextualizing preface and scholarly annotations. The first two volumes -- Heaven and Hell, and Scribe of Heaven, an introductory volume of scholarly essays on Swedenborg's work and influence -- will be published in the fall of 2000. This translation project is the first to be undertaken with unified standards by a single entity, and we intend it to ignite a renaissance of interest in this brilliant thinker and potent visionary, one of the world's three greatest intellects -- along with Goethe and John Stuart Mill -- according to Stanford University researchers who created a data program to calculate the IQs of history's great minds.

Abridgement of Swedenborg's exposition of Revelation, describing personal self-judgment in the spiritual realm.

Genres: Classics, Spirituality, Religion

1168 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1766

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

[Doug Webber · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book of Revelation or the Apocalypse has always been my favorite book of the Bible, and I was always puzzled over its symbolic meaning. This work is probably the most comprehensive spiritual interpretation of the book, where the symbolic meaning is examined word by word. It combines the 3 volumes of Apocalypse Revealed with the 6 volumes of Apocalypse Explained, and hyperlinks them together. The latter work delves into many portions of scripture. Apocalypse Explained was the second book I read of Swedenborg when I was at the University library - I think I spent a whole Saturday reading it in the library. It was only through the heavenly visions of Swedenborg whereby the book of Revelation was finally made into an open book. All other interpretations fall into traps of the author's bias or understanding, and none can cover the details that Swedenborg does as in these works.

[Doug Webber · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive spiritual explanation of the book of Revelation - however I prefer the work "Apocalypse Revealed and Explained" which combines the 3 volumes of the first with the 6 volumes of the second, and hyperlinks all paragraph numbers and references.

[Peter Jochinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the author has said the Word (bible) was passed down from heaven to the natural world. (for all things to take place upon earth as they are written).
On it's passing down it decended through what he describes as the spiritual world before reaching the natural (earth).
This book which is very voluminous, documents what is written in the spiritual sense of the Word.
You will not find anything spoken of in a materialistic nature within this book. The reason being that the spirit world does not recognize this human nature.
The detail the author presents to us is nothing but sheer amazment. This is what makes this this book such a wonderful read.
On my conclusion I have found that it would have been impossible for Mr Swedenborg to make all this up without some form of Divine guidence and input.
The fact that it was written hundreds of years ago makes it all the more remarkable.
King Nebuchadnezzar had for seven years his mind controlled by God to live and eat in his own garden like an animal as punishment for behaving like a god full of pride.
Has Emanuel Swedenborg been blessed to recieve not only this work on revelation but the entire Bible which he named the Arcana Coelestia.
For more than 20 years was his mind controlled just like that ancient King.
For what an honor that would be.
You be the judge

[Dennis R · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first part of multi volume story sent against society in France at the end of the 19th century. There are a number of rich themes in the story not all of them easy to discern but there are a number that with some thought will intrigue the reader. Proust begins to discuss one of the recurring themes of his work, the transition of crime to vice at the hands of "society". It is told narrative fashion by a character racked with elemental fears whose orbit eventually brings him into contact with Swann and then allows him to chronicle Swann's love affair which become increasingly ridiculous. There are so many themes here and so much vivid description that it begs to be read slowly to savor the often-scathing indictments of social structure of the time.

[Andy Killebrew]

academic reading such a bopppp Proust is the goat

[Doug Webber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Includes all 6 volumes of Apocalypse Explained in one work, with hyperlinked references. I prefer the edition "Apocalypse Revealed and Explained" where this is combined with Swedenborg's published version, "Apocalypse Revealed."