27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
-Matthew 26:26-28 King James Version (KJV)
The New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine, by Emanuel Swedenborg, [1758], tr. by John Whitehead [1892] at sacred-texts.com
XVI. THE HOLY SUPPER. The Holy Supper was instituted by the Lord, that by it there may be conjunction of the church with heaven, thus with the Lord: therefore it is the most holy thing of worship.
But how conjunction is effected by it is not understood by those who do not know the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, since they do not think beyond the external sense, which is the sense of the letter. It is known from the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, what is signified by the "body" and "blood," and by the "bread" and "wine"; and also what is signified by "eating."
In the spiritual sense, the Lord's "body" or "flesh," and the "bread," signifies the good of love; and the Lord's "blood" and the "wine," the good of faith; and "eating" is appropriation and conjunction. The angels who are with the man who goes to the Sacrament of the Supper, understand those things in no other way, for they perceive all things spiritually. Hence it is, that the holiness of love and the holiness of faith then flow into man from the angels, thus through heaven from the Lord, and hence conjunction is effected.
From these things it is evident, that when man partakes of the bread, which is the body, he is conjoined to the Lord by the good of love to Him from Him; and when he partakes of the wine, which is the blood, he is conjoined to the Lord by the good of faith in Him from Him. But it is to be known that the conjunction with the Lord by the Sacrament of the Supper, is effected with those alone who are in the good of love and faith in the Lord from the Lord. With these there is conjunction by the Holy Supper; with others there is presence, but not conjunction.
...Since what is involved in the Holy Supper cannot be known unless it is known what its particulars signify, for they correspond to spiritual things, therefore some passages shall be quoted respecting what is signified by "body" and "flesh," by "bread" and "wine," and by "eating" and "drinking"; as also concerning the sacrifices, wherein the worship of the Israelitish church principally consisted, showing that they were called "bread."
Of Supper. "Dinners" and "suppers" signified consociation by love...
Of Body and Flesh. The Lord's "flesh" signifies the Divine good of His Divine love, that is, of His Divine Human... His "body" has a like signification... The Word... its internal or spiritual sense, the nature of which cannot be known, and scarcely its existence, without a knowledge of correspondences... Therefore there is a conjunction of heaven with the man of the church by the Word... For further particulars on this head see in the work on Heaven and Hell (n. 303-310), where it treats of the Conjunction of Heaven with the Man of the Church by means of the Word.
Of Blood. The Lord's "blood" signifies the Divine truth
proceeding from the Divine good of His Divine love... "The blood of grapes" signifies the truth of faith from the
good of charity... "A grape" and "a cluster" signify spiritual
good, which is the good of charity...
Of Bread. "Bread," when mentioned in relation to the Lord, signifies the Divine good of the Lord's Divine love, and the reciprocal of the man who eats it (n. 2165, 2177, 3478, 3735, 3813, 4211, 4217, 4735, 4976, 9323, 9545)... "Food" signifies everything that nourishes the spiritual life of man (n. 4976, 5147, 5915, 6277, 8418). Thus "bread" signifies all celestial and spiritual food (n. 276, 680, 2165, 2177, 3478, 6118, 8410). Consequently, "everything which proceeds out of the mouth of God," according to the Lord's words (Matt. 4:4; n. 681). "Bread" in general signifies the good of love (n. 2165, 2177, 10686). The same is signified by "wheat," of which bread is made (n. 3941, 7605)... Breaking of bread was a representative of mutual love in the ancient churches (n. 5405)...
Of Wine. "Wine," when mentioned concerning the Lord, signifies the Divine truth proceeding from His Divine good, in the same manner as "blood" (n. 1071, 1798, 6377). "Wine" in general signifies the good of charity (n. 6377)... Wine is called "the blood of grapes" (n. 6378). "A vineyard" signifies the church as to truth (n. 3220, 9139)...
Of Eating and Drinking. "To eat" signifies to be appropriated and conjoined by love and charity (n. 2187, 2343, 3168, 3513, 5643). Hence it signifies to be consociated (n. 8001). "To eat" is predicated of the appropriation and conjunction of good, and "to drink," of the appropriation and conjunction of truth (n. 3168, 3513, 3832, 9412)... Hence it is, that "to be famished" and "hungry," in the Word, signifies to desire good and truth from affection (n. 4958, 10227). The angels understand the things here spoken of according to their internal or spiritual sense alone, because the angels are in the spiritual world (n. 10521). Hence holiness from heaven flows in with the men of the church, when they receive the Sacrament of the Supper with sanctity (n. 6789). And thence is conjunction with the Lord (n. 3464, 3735, 5915, 10519, 10521, 10522)...
...From what has been observed, it may now be seen what is meant by bread in John: Jesus said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave them not that bread from heaven, but My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven, for the bread of God is He who came down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world. They said unto Lord, evermore give us this bread. Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh to Me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst. He that believeth on Me hath eternal life. I am the bread of life. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven; that anyone may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if anyone shall eat of this bread, he shall live forever (John 6:31-35, 47-51). From these passages, and from what has been said above, it appears that "bread" is all the good which proceeds from the Lord, for the Lord Himself is in His own good; and thus that "bread and wine" in the Holy Supper are all the worship of the Lord from the good of love and faith.
To the above shall be added some particulars from the Arcana Coelestia (n. 9127): "He who knows nothing of the internal or spiritual sense of the Word, knows no other than that 'flesh and blood,' when they are mentioned in the Word, mean flesh and blood. But in the internal or spiritual sense, it does not treat of the life of the body, but of the life of man's soul, that is, of his spiritual life, which he is to live to eternity. This life is described in the literal sense of the Word, by things which belong to the life of the body, that is, by `flesh and blood'; and as the spiritual life of man subsists by the good of love and the truth of faith, therefore in the internal sense of the Word the good of love is meant by `flesh,' and the truth of faith by `blood.' These are understood by `flesh and blood,' and by `bread and wine,' in heaven; for `bread' means altogether the same there as `flesh,' and `wine' as `blood.' They who are not spiritual men, do not apprehend this; let such abide therefore in their own faith, only believing that in the Holy Supper, and in the Word, there is holiness, because they are from the Lord, although they may not know where that holiness resides... Let us now consider what the Lord said concerning His flesh and His blood, in John: The bread which I will give, is My flesh. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink His blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day; for My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He that eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, dwelleth in Me, and I in him. This is the bread which came down from heaven (John 6:50-58). `The flesh' of the Lord is the Divine good, and His `blood,' the Divine truth, each from Him, is evident, because these nourish the spiritual life of man; hence it is said, `My flesh is meat indeed, and My blood is drink indeed,' and as man is conjoined to the Lord by the Divine good and truth, it is also said, `Whoso eateth My flesh and drinketh My blood, hath eternal life'; and, `He dwelleth in Me and I in him'; and in the former part of the chapter: Labor not for the food which perisheth, but for that food which endureth to eternal life (John 6:27). `To abide in the Lord' is to be in love to Him, the Lord Himself teaches in John (15:2-12).
10152.
...[2] Something may here be said about the Lord's work of salvation. It is known in the church that the Lord is the Savior and the Redeemer of the human race, but it is known to few how this is to be understood. They who are in the externals of the church believe that the Lord redeemed the world, that is, the human race, by His own blood, by which they mean the passion of the cross; but they who are in the internals of the church know that no one is saved by the Lord's blood, but by a life according to the precepts of faith and charity from the Lord's Word. They who are in the inmosts of the church understand by the Lord's blood the Divine truth proceeding from Him, and by the passion of the cross they understand the last of the Lord's temptation, by which He completely subjugated the hells and at the same time glorified His Human, that is, made it Divine; and that thereby He redeemed and saved all who suffer themselves to be regenerated by a life according to the precepts of faith and of charity from His Word. Moreover, by "the Lord's blood" in the internal sense, according to which the angels in the heavens perceive the Word, is meant the Divine truth proceeding from the Lord (n. 4735, 5476, 6978, 7317, 7326, 7850, 9127, 9393, 10026, 10033). [3] But no one can know how man was saved and redeemed by the Divine through the subjection of the hells and the glorification of His Human, unless he knows that there are with every man angels from heaven and spirits from hell... and thus that in respect to his interiors man is either under the dominion of spirits who are from hell, or else is under the dominion of angels who are from heaven. When this is first known, it can then be known that unless the Lord had wholly subjugated the hells, and reduced all things both there and in the heavens into order, no one could have been saved; nor likewise unless the Lord had made His Human Divine, and had thereby acquired for Himself to eternity Divine power over the hells and over the heavens. For neither the hells nor the heavens can be kept in order without Divine power, because the power by which anything comes forth must be perpetual for it to subsist, for subsistence is a perpetual coming forth. [4] ...the Lord then came into the world and... saved and redeemed man through faith and love to the Lord from the Lord; for such the Lord can withhold from the hells and from eternal damnation, but not those who reject faith and love from Him to Him, for these reject salvation and redemption...
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