In his lifetime, Swedish scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg published more than seven thousand pages of commentary based on his communication with the spiritual world. A Compendium of the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg extracts key passages from this astounding body of work and groups them by subject for easy reference.

Starting with the nature of God and creation, the book covers the birth of humanity and gives a thorough overview of Swedenborg’s five churches, or the five ages of human history as understood spiritually. It includes sections on concepts that are central to Swedenborg’s thought, such as regeneration, correspondences, faith, charity, free will, and marriage, as well as more universal questions: how God is present in our lives, why evil exists in the world, the nature of the human soul, and how we are connected to the divine on a deep inner level. The final quarter of the book is devoted to Swedenborg’s most popular subject—the nature of the afterlife, including heaven, hell, and the world of spirits.

Originally compiled in 1875, this volume remains an important research tool for anyone who wants an overview of Swedenborg’s theology or a springboard for investigating his thought in depth.

For more than 250 years, followers of scientist and visionary Emanuel Swedenborg have been translating and commenting on his writings, and for those unfamiliar with Swedenborg's works, it can be a difficult field to navigate. This revised and expanded edition of the Swedenborg Explorer's Guidebook offers:

* An annotated bibliography of all primary works by Emanuel Swedenborg -- including scientific, literary, and theological writings as well as personal letters and journals -- containing the latest information on holdings, publication dates, and available translations.

* An extensive annotated bibliography of secondary literature, including major biographies, bibliographies, analyses of Swedenborg's works, dissertations and theses, historical writings about the New Church, and works on and by prominent figures in the Swedenborgian community.

* Easy-to-use listings of Swedenborg's works by date, by subject, and by title, with cross-references to each title's bibliographic information.

* A glossary of special terms used in Swedenborg's writings.

* A listing of major documentary collections in the United States and Europe.

* A chronology of Swedenborg's life and works

* An expanded index

Within the literal language of the Bible is a deeper spiritual meaning that points the way toward a greater understanding of faith and of our own role in the world. Eighteenth-century scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg described that inner language of the Bible as “correspondences.” More than a century later, John Worcester used Swedenborg’s teachings as the foundation for a three-volume road map to the correspondences of the natural world. Correspondences of the Bible remains one of the most highly regarded references on the subject today.

 

Correspondences of the Bible: The Animals covers both the familiar and the exotic, from farmyards to remote jungles. Animals are grouped by function and by similarities in their correspondences, and Worcester discusses how certain character traits can overlap by species, sometimes manifesting in a positive way in one animal and negatively in another. He draws from Bible verse, Swedenborg’s writings, and the science of his time to shed a fascinating new light on the living world around us.

Within the literal language of the Bible is a deeper spiritual meaning that points the way toward a greater understanding of faith and of our own role in the world. Eighteenth-century scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg described that inner language of the Bible as "correspondences." More than a century later, John Worcester used Swedenborg's teachings as the foundation for a three-volume road map to the correspondences of the natural world. Correspondences of the Bible remains one of the most highly regarded references on the subject today.

In Swedenborg's writings, the structure of heaven is described in terms of a human being, the Divine Human, with the various communities in heaven corresponding to part of the human body. The Human Body describes that relationship in detail, giving us a deep, personal view of how every person relates to heaven. However, just as in The Animals and The Plants, Worcester also provides in-depth discussion of all the aspects of each body part, relating function to spiritual principle for a multifaceted understanding of our own anatomy.

Interwoven with the text is a description of death and our rebirth in heaven, concluding with a long chapter on regeneration, a process of spiritual rebirth that can begin while we are still alive and continue in heaven. The Human Body provides the capstone for our understanding of the deep spiritual meaning that lies within our everyday world.

Within the literal language of the Bible is a deeper spiritual meaning that points the way toward a greater understanding of faith and of our own role in the world. Eighteenth-century scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg described that inner language of the Bible as "correspondences." More than a century later, John Worcester used Swedenborg's teachings as the foundation for a three-volume road map to the correspondences of the natural world. Correspondences of the Bible remains one of the most highly regarded references on the subject today.

Plants represent the more passive characteristics of our personalities, living examples of how knowledge takes root in our mind and how that knowledge inspires us to act. Every part of a plant has its own special meaning, from its seeds and the shape of its leaves to the sweetness of flowers and fruit. The Plants shows us how we can draw spiritual inspiration from the plants we use every day for food, clothing, shelter, and decoration.

After covering the plants themselves, Worcester explores the parts of the natural world that sustain plant life - from the ground beneath our feet to sunlight, water, and air. Different forms of rocks and minerals represent different types of established fact, while water encourages mobility, and the sun reflects divine love shining down on us all. Science blends with Biblical lore to illuminate humanity's deeply interconnected relationships with the world around us.

Utopian thinking as to how people might live together more harmoniously—the dream of the perfect city, the New Jerusalem—has been revived in different forms and at different times, from early medieval monasteries to contemporary alternative communities.

In 1902, Ebenezer Howard, renowned social reformer and founder of the garden movement, published Garden Cities of To-Morrow, a book originally to be called New Jerusalem and a work that became one of the most influential town planning documents of the twentieth century.

In New Jerusalem: The Good City and the Good Society, Ken Worpole reveals that utopian and visionary thinking, especially in relation to new forms of settlement and livelihood, has not gone away, even if it has gone underground.

With an unprecedented growth in the population of older people, along with increasing cultural and demographic change elsewhere in society, there is renewed interest in more convivial forms of urban design, as well as shared living. This interest draws on a long history of elective communities, including those influenced by the thought and works of Emanuel Swedenborg—a fascinating history with much to offer the architects and policymakers of today.