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REMARKS ON THE VERSIONS OF THE BIBLE USED BY HIM. 171
XXXI.
REMARKS BY MR. A. NORDENSKJOLD,
DIFFERENT EDITIONS OF THE BIBLE MADE USE OF
BY SWEDENBORG.
I
We have seen above p. 125, that after Swedenborg’s spiritual illumination had com-
menced he applied himself exclusively to the study of the Word, both as to its letter, in
the Hebrew text, and as to its " spirit and its lifc,’^ or as to that spiritual sense which
he demonstrates as existing in every part of the Holy Scriptures. It may be interesting
to the present as well as to the future generations, to know the different editions of the
Bible which he made use of. This information is contained in the New Jerusalem Maga-
zine for 1790, p. 87, where we read as follows :
—
" Swedenborg possessed four editions of the Holy Bible in Hebrew :
—
"I. That by T. Pagnini Montani, containing, fol. 1657, in wliich he made no
remarks in the margin, as I was informed by the person wlio bought it at his
sale.
"II. Bihlia Hebraica ’punctata, cum Novo Testamento GrcBco, 8vo. of the edition of
Manasse Ben Israel, 1639, Amsterdam. This was also without remarks.
"III. Reineccii Bihl. Hebr. Lipsice^ 1739, 4to. This I have happily found; it is
filled with remarks, and with the Latin translation of several Hebrew words, as
also some observations on the internal sense. The book is much used. I shall
add it to the collection of manuscripts.
** IV. Bibl. Hebr. secundum Edit. Belgii Edvardi Vander Hooght, cum versione
Latina Sebastiani Schmidii; Lipsice, 1740, 4to. This book was given to the Rev, Mr.
Ferelius of Schofde, for interring him at London, where he then was minister to
the Swedish chapel. There is no remark in the margin, but a great number of
lines and asterisks, at the most remarkable places of the Latin version, the origi-
nal text not being in any manner touched ; because, according to the expression
of Swedenborg, ’ The Word is perfect, such as we have it.’ Of the New Testa-
ment in Greek, he had none besides that mentioned, No. II., and which is a fresh
edition of that by Elzevir in 1624, made by Janson, and the edition of Leusden,
Amsterdam, 1741, with the Latin version. It is probable he has followed this
edition in translating the Apocalypse.
" Of the Latin translations of the Bible, he chiefly made use of that by Schmid-
ius, Lipsiaj, 1740, after the time that he began the Arcana Cailestia, because he
found this to be more literal and exact than all the others. Nevertheless, in all
his quotations, and above all in the Arcana Calestia, he has more exactly ex-
pressed the sense according to the original language. He has never followed
the version of Arius Montanus, either of the Old or New Testament, as I have
carefully examined and found to be the case. But he had four copies of the
Latin translation of Castillis, apparently for the purity of the language, which
he was very studiously applying himself to, before he learnt Hebrew in 1745.
In his quotations of the New Testament, he only made use of the translation of
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