According to Emanuel Swedenborg, who is the man Jesus, born of a woman, who died and then was resurrected?
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An article titled "The Lord " at the website of the Swedenborg Foundation states that Emanuel Swedenborg believed
>“that the Lord is God from eternity and that he himself is that Lord who was born into the world” (*The Lord* #1).
Also that he
>uses the term the *Lord* (Latin *Dominus*) to refer equally to the infinite, omnipotent creator of the universe and to the human incarnation known as Jesus Christ. However, in works where he discusses the nature of Deity in detail, he often uses the name Jehovah, the Latin *Deus* (God), or the neuter *Divinum* (the Divine) to refer specifically to the infinite and uncreated aspect of Deity, while *the Lord* refers to Jesus. He only occasionally uses the name Jesus Christ.
The same article goes on to say that Jesus
>was unique in that he was born of the Holy Spirit, with an inner divinity he called “the Father who dwells within me” (John 14:10). The ultimate union was so complete that he rose from the dead even physically.
I have also recently read in a comment on Christianity Stack Exchange that
>from a Swedenborgian perspective, the Cross is the culmination of a lifelong battle against the power of evil, by which Jesus completed his victory over the Devil—which from our perspective is a personification of hell. I.e., the Cross is simply one part of a much larger effort and accomplishment of the Lord during the Incarnation. (Lee Woofenden - source )
This raises several questions as to the divinity of Jesus and his role in redemption. Did the Lord (God Almighty) incarnate as a human in the body of Jesus of Nazareth? Does this mean that Jesus did not have a pre-incarnate existence in heaven? So who died on the cross? And is it up to humans to earn their salvation by good deeds in this life and in the life to come?
Whilst seeking Swedenborgian sources, I also request references from the Bible.
To keep things simple, what I really want to know is ***who, according to Swedenborg, is this Jesus, born of a woman, who died and then was resurrected, and what part did Jesus play in our salvation?***
Asked by Lesley
(34714 rep)
Nov 13, 2022, 06:27 PM
Last activity: Nov 20, 2022, 05:51 AM
Last activity: Nov 20, 2022, 05:51 AM