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436 [Doc. 255.
TESTIMONY OF CONTEMPORARIES.
had written to a learned friend in England, [the late Rev.
T. Hartley,] which begins, I think, with these words : "I was
born in Stockholm, 1689. "* Here he told me he was not born
in that year, as mentioned, but in the preceding one. And
on my asking him whether this was a fault in the printing, he
answered: " No ; but the reason was this : You may remember
in reading my writings, to have seen it mentioned in many
places, that every figure or number in the spiritual sense has
a certain correspondence or signification annexed ;" and he
added, that when he had first put the true year in that letter,
an angel present told him, that he should write the year now
printed as much more suitable to himself than the other ; and
you know, said the angel, that with us time or space are no
thing : "for this reason it was, " continued he, "that I wrote it."+
15. On my observing here, that it was impossible for me
to remove time and space from my thoughts in reading his
writings, he answered, " that I easily believe ; it also took me
some time before I could do it; but I will show and teach you
in what manner it may be done." Hereupon he entered upon
a very ample and rational explanation, but was interrupted
by a person coming from the Swedish merchant to invite him
to dinner ; as we went out I had no opportunity of conversing
with him till he returned from his visit.
16. Being then together, in company with my wife, my now
deceased daughter, and three or four young ladies, my relations,
* See Document 2 (Vol. I, p. 7).
† Dr. Immanuel Tafel says in this connection in the German edition of
the "Swedenborg Documents," p. 40 : "The accuracy of this statement of
the General, which he wrote long after the occurrence had taken place, was
questionedby acritic inthe ’Intellectual Repository,’ London, 1833 (p. 497 etseq.);
yet it is worthy of being taken into consideration, whether the number 1689
is not really more correct ; since, if Swedenborg was born in the year which
is written 1688, he was actually born in the 1689th year after Christ ; for
have we not been in the nineteenth century, ever since the figure 1800 has
been used? It appears, however, from the memorable relations in the
’Apocalypse Revealed,’ that what took place with Swedenborg frequently
had a representative meaning ; in that work also peculiar stress is laid upon
the number three and a half. Why then could not this have been the case
with the year of Swedenborg’s birth?" Compare also Document 4 (Vol. I,
P. 14).
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