This is a book whose subject, the spiritual life of Jesus Christ, deserves the most intense intellectual study, and yet the Rev. Geoffrey Childs has treated it with appealing tenderness and humility. I am indebted to him for his insight into the marvelous process by which Jesus lifted both mind and body to the status of the Divine Human and became one with God Almighty. And I am grateful for the author's willingness to share this sacred story in such an intimate way.

Childs weaves together the account of the life of Jesus on earth in the Gospels with the Old Testament stories of Abraham and Sarah, the birth of Isaac, and the increase of Jacob and his children. He shows how the Scriptures are infilled and fulfilled one with the other. He illustrates how they are enlightened and explained in depth by passages from the Arcana Coelestia, a book of Divinely inspired heavenly knowledge written by Emanuel Swedenborg.

These three works: the Old Testament, the New Testament, and the theological writings of Swedenborg are a testimony to the meaning of Christ's life on earth. This was a life of the most intense struggle against evil on every level. Because Christ fought and overcame the evils that beset all of us, we too can fight in His strength and enter into the joy of His victory. We can follow His path, as Childs assures us.

Since reading The Path I find myself reflecting with greater understanding on the mercy of our Lord, so beautifully expressed in this passage from Scripture:

"God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son . . . that the
world through Him might be saved" (John 3:16-17)

VERA P. GLENN, AUTHOR OF HEAVEN IN A WILDFLOWER AND EDITOR OF A DOVE AT THE WINDOW: LIVING DREAMS AND SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES.

Review from the Harleyville New Church News

We have been reading an awesome book recently. It's called The Path: the Inner Life of Jesus Christ by Geoffrey S. Childs, Fountain Publishing, Rochester MI.

Have you ever wondered what was going on in Jesus' mind as He was growing up, and learning gradually about what He was sent here to do? This book examines what the Writings of Swedenborg say about His mental states from manger to sepulcher. Teachings that had seemed too profound to imagine have been brought into view as portrayals of states that resemble ours as we struggle to learn to be good Samaritans. Of course, the Lord was struggling to become the Savior of everybody in the universe, but this is what makes it so awesome. He came to show us He, Jehovah, is a Human Being. This book helps Him do that.

No. We have not gotten side tracked. This book is mentioned to point out that the coming of the Lord is not only an event that happened in Bethlehem. It is a process that took our Lord a lifetime on earth to accomplish, and will take us the same. His life ranging from the peace of innocence to the pain of severe temptation as described in Arcana Caelestia is followed by Mr. Childs in the supreme sense of the prophecy in the stories of Genesis from Abram through Joseph.

If we are to envision the Lord's coming fully, and, if we must put dates to this process, we recommend you not stop with Abram (the infant Lord) at Christmas, but read Mr. Childs' narration through the the death of Joseph (the final Glorification of His Human). And be sure you finish by Easter.

INTRODUCTION

"For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me" (John 5:46).

The New Testament is silent about much of Jesus' life as an infant and child. What was happening then? What was He experiencing?

We are all aware of the Christmas story: the promised birth of John the Baptist, the annunciation to Mary, the Lord's birth in Bethlehem. We know that first the shepherds came to adore Him and that later the magi from the East arrived with their gifts. We recall that shortly after the wise men left, Joseph was warned in a dream by night to flee into Egypt with Mary and the infant Jesus.

How old was the child Jesus when He left Egypt? What did He learn there? We know only that when it was safe, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus returned to Canaan. Joseph by-passed Jerusalem because he feared Archelaus who now ruled there as successor to his father, Herod. The family went back to Nazareth.

What happened between the time that the Lord returned to Nazareth and the time that He was twelve years old? These are vital years in His growing up, but again we know nothing about them from the gospels. At age twelve, Jesus traveled with Joseph and Mary down to Jerusalem so that the family might observe the Passover feast. On their journey home, Joseph and Mary realized that Jesus was not with the caravan. They rushed back to Jerusalem and sought frantically for Him for three days. Finally they found Him in the temple, speaking and listening to the teachers there and showing wisdom that "astonished" those who heard Him.

The next time we hear of Jesus, He is thirty. Eighteen years have passed. What happened during these years? It seems that the Lord had stayed in Egypt for about three years before returning to Nazareth with Joseph and Mary. If this is accurate, nine years passed in Nazareth between the ages of three and twelve. Nine years and eighteen years--twenty-seven years of Jesus' life, and of these we know next to nothing from the New Testament. For believing Christians this is one of the mysteries of the Bible. Obviously these were vital years in His development. We are told that He "increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2: 52). We are also told in Mark (6: 3) that He took up the trade of carpentry: "Is not this the carpenter?"

These gaps in the history of the Lord's life on earth have led to many legends. Some say He went to the lost tribes of Israel; others that He traveled to the Orient and taught there. But these are simply guesses. There is no conclusive evidence. During His ministry on earth the Lord promised that He would disclose more.

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of Truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth" (John 16:12,13).

On the walk to Emmaus with two of His followers on Easter afternoon, the Lord responded to their terrible anxieties:

"Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?" And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (Luke 24: 26,27).

Later these two followers said, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:32)

What did Jesus tell them? Did He reveal how, within the Old Testament, Moses and the Prophets speak about His own life on earth? Later in Luke we read that Jesus also unfolded the Scriptures to His disciples on Easter evening. He said to them

"These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things might be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." And He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures (Luke 24: 44,45).

He told them the things written within the Old Testament concerning Himself. Somehow, the books of Moses, the Psalms, and the Prophets teach of the Lord's life on earth. If they speak of His states and education and experiences here, do they tell us what happened during those missing years?

I believe that the Lord's answers to these questions are in the Theological Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. From these works, called by many simply "The Writings," we learn that within the stories of the Old Testament lie hidden stories which treat of the Lord's lifetime on earth in great depth and detail. But the Old Testament does not treat of the Lord's outer history - the day-by-day outward events of His life. Rather, it deals with His inner history, that is, His loves and His struggles, and the development of His mind and character. This highest "sense" or meaning in the Bible tells of the successive mental states of His infancy, childhood, youth, and then His entire life on earth.

But before relating the inner story of Jesus Christ, I will first treat of what Jesus Christ came on earth to achieve. Why, indeed, did "the Word become flesh"? (John 1:14) The young virgin Mary was at first frightened and bewildered by the appearance of the angel Gabriel, announcing that she would give birth to the Savior of humankind. And yet, despite being unable to fully understand what this event would mean, she answered willingly from her heart: "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38).

By this willingness, Mary was able to serve God, but not only by providing a mother's arms to hold and care for the infant Jesus. By coming through a finite human mother, Jehovah God was able to inherit both a material body and all the finite tendencies and weaknesses that make human beings vulnerable to evil. Though Mary herself was sweet and good, she held within her, as all finite humans do, the imperfections that can allow a person to be led astray.

Only by means of such a birth could Jehovah God come all the way down to the level at which humans were struggling. Though Jesus visibly cast out many demons during His life on earth, this was only a glimpse of a much larger picture. The influence of evil spirits from hell on human hearts and minds had swelled tremendously. The cruelty and ignorance that the hells were inspiring threatened to cut off all contact between humankind and its God. And so Jehovah came down to us as Jesus, born into the human condition through a finite human mother. Only there could He dwell with us, to face the pain and confusion and ignorance that had been attacking the human race. Only there could He work to confront these hellish forces, and forge a path back to love, wisdom and peace which we can follow after Him.

Emanuel Swedenborg, an eighteenth-century scientific genius, was prepared during the first part of his life to become a scribe through whom the Lord would reveal "the Spirit of truth." In 1748, after a powerful vision of Christ, Swedenborg was divinely inspired to write a series of books about the deeper meanings contained within the stories of Genesis and Exodus. These books are entitled Arcana Coelestia (abbreviation AC), which in Latin means Heavenly Secrets.

The Arcana begins by describing the inner meaning or "internal sense" of the stories of creation: Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah and the flood, and the tower of Babel. For instance, in the internal sense the stories of creation are the stories of our spiritual creation - of our regeneration, or rebirth, in seven "days" or seven major stages. But then, in describing the inner meanings in chapter twelve of Genesis, the Arcana takes on a new focus. It begins to tell the story of the Lord's life on earth, from His birth and first infantile awareness to the completion of His Divine mission. This is revealed in the inner meaning of the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph.

CHAPTER ONE

The Birth and Infancy of Jesus
The Call of Abram
Genesis 12, verses 1-7
Jehovah tells Abram to leave Haran.
Abram takes his wife and family to Canaan.
Jehovah appears again to Abram, promising the land of Canaan to his descendants. Abram builds an altar to Jehovah.

To read about Genesis chapter 12 in the Arcana Coelestia of Swedenborg is to discover a new world, for one finds, as if by a Divine miracle, that Abram's life viewed from within is the story of the Lord's infancy, childhood, and youth. The lives of the following patriarchs - Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph - represent later stages in His life on earth. They reveal His adult states or frame of mind, leading up to the final temptations, His crucifixion, and the glory of Easter.

The infant Jesus' first mental awareness is represented by Jehovah's appearing to Abram and calling him out of Haran to a land that "I will cause you to see." Genesis 12 says:

"And Jehovah said to Abram, 'Go away from your land, and from the place of your nativity and from your father's house, to the land that I will cause you to see. And I will make you a great nation. . . .' And Abram went as Jehovah had told him. . . .And they came to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came" (Gen. 12:1-5 passim). Abram directly symbolizes or represents the Lord Jesus Christ, here as a newborn infant. Who is this child? He is a person unique in the history of the earth. He is Jehovah, Who "bowed the heavens and came down" (Psalm 18:9) to be born of a virgin mother. This child's Soul is Divine, for it is Jehovah Himself. But the body He assumes from Mary is finite and human. His heredity is unique in being Divine from the Father and human from the mother.

Between the soul and body stands the mind, and it is affected by each. What kind of mind will this child have? As a tiny babe in the manger at Bethlehem, He is like any other infant in outward appearance. He is innocent and helpless, needing love and care. But inwardly He is a Wonder Child. Gabriel announces His birth to the shepherds, and the heavenly hosts sing with joy. They know this is Jehovah, born on earth, and that He has come to save humankind, a people suffering in misery.

In the stories of the Word of God or Bible, any place or city represents or "corresponds" to a state of mind, or to affections and thoughts. The infant Jesus is born in Bethlehem of Judea. Why is Jesus born in this tiny Judean village? The Writings of Swedenborg respond:

"The reason why the Lord was born in Bethlehem and not elsewhere is that He alone was born a spiritual-celestial man, but all others are born natural, with the capacity to become either celestial or spiritual by regeneration from the Lord" (AC 4594).

"Spiritual" refers to things concerned with the spirit, with a special emphasis on the quality of truth. "Celestial" refers to even deeper, more heavenly aspects of the spirit, which have to do with goodness and love. We humans are born "natural," meaning that our first concerns have to do with worldly and physical things. We have to learn and grow to achieve appreciation of things of the spirit. The Lord, on the other hand, is born a "spiritual-celestial" person and Bethlehem symbolizes a spiritual-celestial state of mind. "Spiritual-celestial" describes an ability to experience heavenly qualities of love, touched by an enlightened understanding.

In His inner mind Jesus is born with a love for the salvation of humankind: this love is celestial (AC 2034, 2077, 1434). With this love comes a spiritual inborn and intuitive ability to perceive truth. Being born spiritual-celestial is a gift given to the infant Jesus Christ alone. He is born with the love of rescuing us and is open to perceptions about how to do this.

Where did this spiritual-celestial quality come from? The Word says, "He bowed the heavens and came down" (Psalm 18: 9). That is, His Soul implanted in this infant's mind the loves and wisdom of the angels of the highest heavens (see AC 6371). He is born angelic in the inner level of His mind.

This blessing of the spiritual-celestial in Jesus is from His Soul, but this is hidden deeply within. He gradually becomes aware of its power and depth as He grows, as He fights the hells and conquers. Most of the time as He is growing up, Jesus' awareness is on this plane that is called His "human essence," which is His spiritual-celestial nature.

From this plane of awareness Jesus reaches up to His Soul. Gradually this human essence, his love for saving humankind, matures, deepens, and draws nearer and nearer to the Divine Love of saving souls that is within Him. Jesus longs to become One with His Soul, His Father. In this He is uplifted also by the angels, for the celestial kingdom is within Him. But in the human part of His heredity that He received through Mary, a finite human mother, He has to combat inclinations toward the same hellish desires that we finite humans have to fight.

Jesus is a child born with pure love. How this love is developed is revealed in the inner meaning of Genesis as it unfolds the complete story of Abraham's life.

The infant Jesus' first awareness is unlike that of any other child. With other infants this first awareness is a sense impression, perhaps of the mother or of being fed, tied to an innocent willingness to be led. With the infant Jesus, His first awareness is that He is living in the level of sensing things with His body. There now comes a call to leave these lower things and to ascend to heavenly love. His higher mind is urging the infant to ascend to love itself, even to love for serving humankind. This is represented by Jehovah's call to Abram, telling him to leave Haran and travel to Canaan - to leave lower things and to ascend to celestial love.

This call is almost incomprehensible (AC 1414). Can a tiny infant feel such desire to love? Only when His Soul is Divine and His infant mind is like the angels'. This call to Abram symbolizes an inner voice calling to Jesus, urging Him upwards.

In the New Testament nativity story this may be symbolized by the circumcision and naming of the child "Jesus." Circumcision represents the removal of evil desires (AC 2039), and the promise of regeneration or rebirth. For the infant Jesus, circumcision represents a Divine call to leave corporeal or bodily things and ascend to love itself, even to the Divine itself. Most deeply, it is a call to become Divine.

Jesus' circumcision stirs the heavens with hope; it is the promise that He wi ll be the Savior, the Rescuer of humankind from its desperately fallen state.

Jesus responds to Jehovah's call, leaving lower bodily things and traveling toward the celestial itself. We read in Genesis 12, "and into the land of Canaan they came" (Gen. 1: 5). This represents that Jesus "attained to the celestial things of love" (AC 1438). Canaan represents heaven and also represents the Divine as the origin of all things. The infant Jesus was looking upward to Divine Love.

The celestial things of love are the inmost keys to life. Every infant is surrounded by celestial states of innocence and of love toward the Lord. Infants live in a garden of love where the best things of life are implanted without knowledge being involved. These are the innocent qualities called "remains". Feelings of love and peace "remain" hidden within us our whole lives. These "remains" are protected, and are awakened in us by the angels at various times in our lives. Remains enable us to be truly human and to shun evil as adults, and be saved. Gifts from the Lord and our link to heaven, they go back to a time when we are not even aware of evil. This term "remains" (or "remnants") for the innocent states of infancy is found especially in the early Arcana (AC 8, 1906, 1555 et al ).

The Lord as an infant also comes into celestial states of mind, but with Him they are of a unique quality. For together with the celestial angels who are present with all other infants, the baby Jesus has the Divine Soul Itself present, for the celestial Seed is within Him.

This infant is specially endowed and Divinely protected. Imagine how the hells lust to attack and destroy Him in these earliest states. But they cannot. They cannot even approach closely, for the Divine Soul protects Him.

At the same time, this infant has inherited tendencies to evil. In this early innocent state these are quiescent, but they are present in His external heredity received through His mother. In Divine order this must be so, for the Lord was born on earth to meet the hells in combat, and they need to have access to Him. This is represented by the phrase: "and the Canaanite was then in the land" (AC 1444).

"And Jehovah appeared to Abram. . . and there he built an altar to Jehovah Who appeared to him" (Gen. 12:7). It would follow from the whole purpose of the life of Jesus that Jehovah would appear to Him (see AC 1445). The altar Abram built is Jesus' initial worship of Jehovah.

What an awe-inspiring experience this is for the infant Jesus. His Soul, Jehovah, the God of all creation, appears to Him. His reaction is one of intense love and of worship. The appearing may well have been through an angel, but the Soul, the Divine Love, shines through this angel. This vision is not a matter of intellectual realization with Jesus; it is a vision seen and perceived by His infantile heart (AC 1464).

Perhaps in the New Testament this vision happened at the time of the presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple at Jerusalem on the fortieth day. This temple is a symbol of Jehovah. To bring Jesus to the temple is a picture of Jesus coming into the presence of His Soul, Jehovah. The sacrifice made then by Mary and Joseph parallels the worship of Abram at the altar.

Every infant experiences a state corresponding to the appearing of Jehovah to Abram. The sensations of an infant are said to come together in time to form the first clear, conscious concept. In most cases this would be a concept of the mother who feeds and nourishes the newborn. Highest celestial affections center on this awareness of the mother who stands in place of God. This is deeply moving to the infant and forms the basis of future concepts of and love for the Lord Himself. It is one of the most powerful moments in human life, secret and hidden though it is, and its importance is hard to overstate. The call of Abram out of Haran finds in this awareness its completion in each human being.

With Jesus Christ the call and the awareness of Jehovah are of great clarity, for in His case it is Jehovah God Himself who appears. This is unique. It is a preparation for His Divine mission.