Divine Love

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

—

Title

Divine Love

Language

en

Book source

Global Grey

Description max 80 words

Emanuel Swedenborg's visionary theological work reveals Divine Love as the origin and sustainer of spiritual life, wisdom, and moral order. This profound text explores how love animates thought, forms the very essence of the human soul, and manifests as heat in the spiritual world. Swedenborg argues that true love is not merely an emotion but a divine life force that compels action, defining what it means to be truly human and to love one's neighbor.

Summary up to 500 words

In 'Divine Love,' Emanuel Swedenborg presents a radical redefinition of love as the fundamental life force of the universe, originating directly from the Lord Himself. He argues that while humans and angels are finite recipients, the Lord is uncreate love itself, appearing in heaven as a sun that emits heat (love) and light (wisdom). Swedenborg explains that love is the soul of thought; without it, thought dies like a flower deprived of heat. He posits that the human body is a complex system of 'uses'—functions performed for the general good—and that loving the Lord and neighbor is synonymous with performing these useful goods. The text distinguishes between those who act from self-love, which is dead and inverted, and those who act from Divine love, which is alive and spiritual. Swedenborg details how the Lord's presence permeates even the minutest parts of creation, making every function a representation of the Divine. He asserts that in the spiritual world, rewards are not based on merit or reputation but on the nobility of one's use and affection for it. Ultimately, the work teaches that to love is to will, and to will is to do; therefore, genuine love is inseparable from useful action performed for the sake of the neighbor and the Lord. The book concludes that those who love uses for the sake of use are essentially heaven in a small form, while those who love themselves above all are not truly men.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

Download URL

https://www.globalgreyebooks.com/ebooks/emanuel-swedenborg_divine-love.epub

Local file path

data/epubs/url-3d55d1f690ef3e4f.epub

Removed after upload

Downloaded at

2026-07-02 15:31 UTC

Categories

• Religion
• Philosophy