The Word of God

An introduction

If the decision of whether or not there is a God is the most difficult question of belief, then the second most difficult question is whether or not that God reveals Himself to us.  For instance, the Bible is seen by many as God's Word, but others have problems with the idea that, although it clearly teaches many wise things, the Bible also has some strange, even grotesque, stories (such as Elisha cursing children who were then eaten by bears), obscure symbolism (such as the books of Daniel or Revelation), apparent illogic (such as, if Adam and Eve were the first people, where did Cain's wife come from?) and a great deal of just plain trivia (such as the genealogies or dimensions of the tabernacle).  Why would there be such things in a book of teachings if it was written by God?

There have, of course, been many attempts by commentators in the last 2,000 years to interpret what the Bible "really" means, one result of which has been the development of a wide variety of theological positions and church organizations based on them.  There has also been the development of many other religions, based on sources of perceived revelation other than the Bible.

The Writings claim to provide an explanation of what the Bible means by the only person competent to make this explanation - the Author, i.e. God Himself.  Most particularly, the Writings teach that what defines the parts of the Bible that are divine revelation (for some of its books are not) is that those parts have an inner spiritual meaning. To use the Writings' term, those books are written in a symbolic form known as "correspondences."  Viewed from the perspective of that inner meaning, all the traditional problems of interpretation of those apparently strange, obscure and trivial sections disappear, and the work appears in the full spiritual power that would in fact be expected for a revelation from the God of the Universe. 

Further Reading

In view of the fundamental  importance of the concept of correspondences to the Writings' teachings in this area (as well as the use of correspondences in the actual creation of the universe), it is useful to begin with a review of this subject in the Correspondences section.  The resulting reinterpretation of the Bible is detailed in a wide variety of subject areas in the section on The Bible and the Writings.

Revelation, from The Essential Swedenborg

The Word of God, from Swedenborg Explores the Spiritual Dimension includes a review of the books of the Bible that, according to the Writings, are divinely inspired, and a brief history of the Word, including the fact that it also exists in heaven.

One God and One Word

The Form and Style of the Word

And the Word Was Made Flesh

The Apostolic Writings - What the Writings say about them and what they say about themselves.

See also the section on the revelation process.

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