Spiritual Experiences, Index 1
Copyright © 2022 by the General Church of the New Jerusalem
Translated by the Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz, with thanks to the Rev. Kenneth J. Alden for extensive collaboration.
Preface to Spiritual Experiences, Index I and II.
In 1845 and 1846 Dr. Johann Friedrich Immanuel Tafel published the first Latin edition of Emanuel Swedenborg's second index and first index, respectively, to his diary of spiritual experiences, and in 1995 and 1997, the Academy of the New Church published a new, second Latin edition with Dr. John Durban Odhner as editor. The following translation of the second Latin edition is believed to be the first complete translation of either edition to come before the public. (For more information about these indices, see the preface to Experientiae Spirituales Vol I (p. xvii ff.), Vol. V and Vol. VI.)
Originally it was envisioned that the translation of Spiritual Experiences Index would not only be faithful to the meaning of the original Latin text but would also be consistent with J. D. Odhner's translation of Experientiae Spirituales, vol. I - III and the Rev. Kurt P. Nemitz's translation of vol. IV. With these goals, K. P. Nemitz drafted a translation of the first and second indices. When the Rev. Kenneth J. Alden was added to the project as a novice translation consultant, revision began at "Abdomen." By the time the revision reached "Affectio" the utility of comparing the draft translations of the same or similar Latin found under various topics became evident, and was systematically used. By the time it reached "Angelus" it was decided that all parallel entries would be revised at the same time. This was continued from "Angelus" through the first half of "Auris."
As the revision proceeded, it became clear that it would be highly impractical and costly to implement the consistency envisioned. It was decided to finish the project as quickly as possible and make it available to the public after a light revision of the rest of the first draft to remedy its accidental omissions and most glaring errors and inconsistencies. To distinguish the two treatments, the second draft material reached by systematic revision is here shown by the use of a black Times New Roman font, and majority--the first draft material--by a blue Calibri font. The second draft material is also offered "as is," both because earlier work was left without the benefit of our evolving method, and because a number of policy decisions were deferred to a day which never came when it could be viewed as a whole and more attention be given to matters such as English style and conventions. It is hoped that the reader will find this first draft translation useful for getting a general idea of what the index offers, and for finding doctrinal gems that bear further study and a closer look at the Latin.
Usage Guide
This draft aimed to translate what was found in the 2nd Latin edition, including most footnotes and other insertions by the editor, leaving out some that were primarily relevant to the Latin edition.
Keep in mind that Swedenborg started the index by putting keywords on blank pages in alphabetical order and then filling in the blanks as he paraphrased from Spiritual Experiences. When he ran out of blank space for a topic, he gave a page number in a separate blank volume and entered the keyword (or a similar word or words) on that page with no regard for alphabetical order. The notice of these continuations were preserved and elaborated by J. D. Odhner, although most readers will ignore them as their relevance is only in relation to Swedenborg's manuscripts. (As a draft, the translation of his statements are not consistent.) For the second index, Swedenborg had four pages of keywords in three columns per page, with a page number by each. Frequently a keyword was not used on its own but is found on the corresponding page following a different but related keyword if it is given at all. Thus the second index has many entries that only say "see [another keyword]."
J. D. Odhner was fond of translating a given Latin word with attention to its context in a phrase or sentence. While we attempted to match this specificity in the second draft, it is much less specific in the first draft. When it came to keywords, it was difficult to choose which of several English words to use and, particularly in the first draft material, much less attention was given to have consistency between a given translation of a keyword, and a statement elsewhere directing the reader to "see [a keyword]." Thus the reader is encouraged to rely on the Latin keywords whenever possible, as the English ones may or may not be the same. Further, each index is alphabetized according to the Latin words.
The following are a few of the markings carried over from the 2nd Latin edition into the translation thereof:
Abbreviations and Shortcuts
[] encloses insertions by the editor(s) and/or translator(s).
[ precedes numbers, inserted by J.D. Odhner after principle words of the index.
] follows numbers of paragraph subsections, introduced by Potts for the use of his work, The Swedneborg Concordance.
() are, unless indicated otherwise by a note, by Swedenborg which he was accustomed to write as ?:…:?, ?…? or (…)
<> encloses a text segment, which, as J. D. Odhner believed, likely ought to be omitted by intention of the author.
mn designates a marginal text segment, whose place of insertion was not clearly indicated by the author.
/3 encloses a text segment about which it treats in the third critical footnote/endnote.
/b encloses a text segment, about which it treats in the corresponding explanatory footnote/endnote.
ms. manuscript
