Secrets of Heaven (NW CENTURY EDITION) (v. 1) [Hardcover]

EMANUEL SWEDENBORG (Author), Lisa Hyatt Cooper (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 2008 | Series: NW CENTURY EDITION

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

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Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

"The Word's literal meaning alone, when it monopolizes our thinking, can never provide a view of the inner contents. Take, for example, this first chapter of Genesis. The literal meaning by itself offers no clue that it is speaking of anything but the world's creation, the Garden of Eden (Paradise) and Adam, the first human ever created. Who supposes anything else?

"The wisdom hidden in these details (and never before revealed) will be clear enough from what follows. The inner sense of the first chapter of Genesis deals in general with the process that creates us anew--that is to say, with regeneration--and in particular with the very earliest church; and it does so in such a way that not even the smallest syllable fails to represent, symbolize, and incorporate this meaning.

"But without the Lord's aid not a soul can possibly see that this is the case. As a result, it is proper to reveal in these preliminaries that the Lord in his divine mercy has granted me the opportunity for several years now, without break or interruption, to keep company with spirits and angels, to hear them talking, and to speak with them in turn. Consequently I have been able to see and hear the most amazing things in the other life, which have never before come into people's awareness or thought.

"In that world I have been taught about the different kinds of spirits, the situation of souls after death, hell (or the regrettable state of the faithless) and heaven (or the blissful state of the faithful). In particular I have learned what is taught in the faith acknowledged by the whole of heaven. All of these topics will, with the Lord's divine mercy, be explored further in what follows."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 759 pages
• Publisher: Swedenborg Foundation Publishers; 1st Edition edition (August 22, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877854866
• ISBN-13: 978-0877854869
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 7.2 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #889,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Emanuel Swedenborg (1688-1772) was a Swedish scientist, inventor, and theologian who made significant discoveries in many of the natural sciences, including astronomy, anatomy, geology, and mineralogy. At age fifty-five, his intensive search for answers to ultimate questions culminated in an awakening that gave him a unique insight into the workings of the spiritual world. He spent the remainder of his life writing about his experiences and how human beings can come to a deeper awareness of the divine.

Swedenborg's ideas have influenced people as diverse as Helen Keller, Johnny Appleseed, William Blake, Henry James, Ralph Waldo Emerson, D.T. Suzuki, Jorge Luis Borges, and Dr. Mehmet Oz. The continuing appeal of his thought undoubtedly lies in his insights into the afterlife, concepts of divine love, and focus on personal and social development.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A breath of fresh air, April 24, 2009

By 

K. Boericke (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Secrets of Heaven, Vol. 1 (The New Century Edition of the Works of Emanuel Swedenborg) (NW CENTURY EDITION) (Paperback)

This New Century Edition (NCE) of Swedenborg's work is wonderfully refreshing. All the previous translations from the original Latin were hard to read, using sentences that ran on for miles, and jargon that only the indoctrinated few could understand. This brings high-definition to a once gray-scale reading. Now the inquisitive general public can enjoy the benefits of Swedenborg's insight into the things written in the Bible in a way that can be understood. Thank you to all those involved in making this translation!

1.0 out of 5 stars Emanuel Swedenborg's Sectrets of Heaven, January 3, 2012

By 

A. Babbo "A. G. B." (Salt Lake City, UT USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Secrets of Heaven, Vol. 1 (The New Century Edition of the Works of Emanuel Swedenborg) (NW CENTURY EDITION) (Paperback)

Several years ago I had been given a very old beat up copy of this title. I loved it from the start because it was filled with what I would consider genuine revelation. But, that already very old edition had rather small print, was getting very worn and I wanted a nicer copy of it for my shelf. I was happy to have bought this newer edition at first, until I started reading it. I was shocked to find that the translation was comparatively poor. Whole concepts were changed through poorly chosen words and syntax. I could not believe that an organization like the Swedenborg foundation could publish something that looked so "polished" but was so poor in content that to me seemed to be a distortion of the original. The book itself is visually quite beautiful in design and layout but, at least to me, when it comes to matters of spirit I would much prefer accuracy of content over the appearance of professionalism.

I called the Swedenborg Foundation and told them of my findings and they recommended that I buy their "Standard Edition" version of this title. I did, and was very pleased to find the same original translation in a larger font in a rather plain dark green hard cover binding. I would recommend the Standard Editions over any of the newer translations of Swedenborg's work. They may not be as flashy but, if you are after the original content the Standard Editions are the only way to go.