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OPENING OF SPIRITUAL SIGHT. 1119
enabled to perceive things which at first I did not perceive, and,
finally, such things as it had been impossible for me to comprehend"
(no. 130).
In our Introduction to Document 208 we endeavoured to establish
from Swedenborg’s own statements the development which took place
in his spiritual sight before 1745 ; by carefully studying which process
it is very evident that there were marked degrees in its progress :
so that the date of the opening of his spiritual sight would be
different, according as the first or the more advanced stages of this
development are taken into consideration. Hence also he himself,
according as he took a more or less advanced stage of the opening
of his spiritual sight into consideration, assigned various years to
this event, at one time declaring in favour of 1743, at another of 1744,
and at still another of 1745.
Our object in this note will be to make an exhaustive analysis of
all the passages where Swedenborg expresses himself on this subject ;
and to ascertain, if possible, the principle by which he was guided,
in declaring at one time in favour of this and at another in favour
of that period.
1. "During the space of almost eight months my mind, by
the Divine grace of Messiah, has been governed by the
spirits of His heaven ; with whom I have conversed during
that time almost continually in the day-time" (Adversaria, I,
no. 943).
By referring to passage 2, which was written January 29,
1746, nine months and a half after he was fully admitted
into the spiritual world, it appears that the above passage
was written about December 10, 1745, and it thus fixes the
date of the opening of his spiritual sight to take been . . . 1745.
2. "I have been in heaven, and at the same time with
my friends on earth, from the middle of April, 1745, to
January 29 (old style), or February 9 (new style) ; except
during one month, which was while I was travelling to Sweden,
where I arrived August 9 (old style)" (Ibid., no. 1003). . . . 1745.
The duration of the time from his admission into the
spiritual world is here nine months and a half.
3. "No evil has as yet been injected by evil spirits which
God-Messiah has not converted into good. This has been
proved by the experience of many months, of nine” (Ibid. II,
no. 88).
Swedenborg has here evidently deducted the month during
which his spiritual experience had ceased (see passage 2), so
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