Emanuel Swedenborg

Emanuel Swedenborg {{Audio|sv-Emanuel_Swedenborg.ogg|listen}} (born Swedberg) (January 29, 1688–March 29, 1772), Swedish scientist, philosopher and mystic, was born in Stockholm, the third son of the renowned but controversial bishop, Jesper Swedberg. Emanuel had a prolific career as an inventor and scientist. Then at age fifty-six he claimed that he entered into a new spiritual phase of his life, experiencing first dreams, and later visions of a spiritual world where he talked with angels and spirits, many of them from the Bible, such as Moses and Jesus. Amongst other things, he said these spirits guided his interpretation of the Scriptures.

Claims of veracity

Swedenborg's transition from scientist to mystic has fascinated people ever since it occurred—people such as Immanuel Kant, William Blake, Goethe, Arthur Conan Doyle, Balzac, Jorge Luis Borges, and C.G. Jung, just to mention some. While fascinating, this transition also creates difficulties in accounting for Swedenborg's life. Many simply assert that he lost his mind. Others sidestep the issue of his sanity, focusing instead on the historical, philosophical, and theological issues his writings raise. Proponents of Swedenborgianism regard Swedenborg as a prophet who, as Swedenborg himself claimed, was able to see into the spiritual world. Books accounting for Swedenborg's life usually take one of these three stances depending on the author's viewpoint, and it is difficult to cover these differing points of view in a brief article.

Related Topics:
Immanuel Kant - William Blake - Goethe - Arthur Conan Doyle - Balzac - Jorge Luis Borges - C.G. Jung - Swedenborgianism

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