very
name and every word signified interior things; and he wondered
greatly that learned men at this day are not delighted with such
study. I saw plainly that the interiors of his thought or mind had
been opened. He said that he was unable to hear more, as he perceived
something more holy than he could bear, being affected so interiorly.
[3] At length I spoke with him about the Lord, saying that while He
was born a man He was conceived of God, and that He put off the
maternal human and put on the Divine Human, and that it is He that
governs the universe. To this he replied that he knew some things
concerning the Lord, and perceived in his way that if mankind were to
be saved it could not have been done otherwise. In the meantime some
bad Christians infused various cavils; but to these he gave no
attention, remarking that this was not strange, since in the life of
the body they had imbibed unbecoming ideas on the subject, and until
they got rid of these they could not admit ideas that confirmed the
truth, as the ignorant can.

323. It has also been granted me to talk with others who lived in
ancient times, and who were then among the more wise. At first they
appeared in front at a distance, and were able then to perceive the
interiors of my thoughts, thus many things fully. From one idea of
thought they were able to discern the entire series and fill it with
delightful things of wisdom combined with charming representations.
From this they were perceived to be among the more wise, and I was
told that they were some of the ancient people; and when they came
nearer I read to them something from the Word, and they were
delighted beyond measure. I perceived the essence of their delight
and gratification, which arose chiefly from this, that all things and
each thing they heard from the Word were representative and
significative of heavenly and spiritual things. They said that in
their time, when they lived in the world, their mode of thinking and
speaking and also of writing was of this nature, and that this was
their pursuit of wisdom.

324. But as regards the heathen of the present day, they are not so
wise, but most of them are simple in heart. Nevertheless, those of
them that have lived in mutual charity receive wisdom in the other
life, and of these one or two examples may be cited. When I read the
seventeenth and eighteenth chapters of Judges (about Micah, and how
the sons of Dan carried away his graven image and