576. Having breast-plates fiery, and purple (hyacinthinos) and sulphurous.- That this signifies reasonings combating from the disorderly desires of the love of self and of the love of the world, and from the falsities therefrom, is evident from the signification of breast-plates, as denoting armour for war, and specifically defences in combats, which are treated of above (n. 557); and from the signification of fire or fiery, as denoting the disorderly desire of the love of self, and thence of all evil (see above, n. 504); and from the signification of purple or purplish (hyacinthinum), as denoting the disorderly desire of the love of the world and thence of every falsity, of which in what follows; and from the signification of sulphur or sulphurous, as denoting the lust (concupiscentia) of destroying the goods and truths of the church by the falsities of evil (see below, n. 578), in this case falsity burning from those two loves. From these considerations it is evident, that breast-plates fiery, purple, and sulphurous, signify reasonings combating from the disorderly desires of the love of self and of the love of the world, and from the falsities thence.
[2] It must be observed in regard to purple (hyacinthinum) that, in the spiritual sense, it signifies the celestial love of truth, but in the opposite sense, the diabolical love of falsity, and also the love of the world. This is evident from the fact that it is of a celestial colour (coloris coelestis) and this colour signifies truth from a heavenly origin, and therefore, in the opposite sense, falsity from a diabolical origin. In the spiritual world there are seen the choicest colours, which derive their origin from good and truth; for colours there are modifications of heavenly light, thus of the intelligence and wisdom of the angels in heaven. For this reason, purple (hyacinthinum), crimson (purpura), and scarlet (coccineus) double dyed, were woven into the curtains of the tabernacle and the garments of Aaron. For the tabernacle represented the heaven of the Lord, the garments of Aaron, the Divine Truth of heaven and the church, while those things of which the tabernacle was constructed, and which formed the texture of the garments of Aaron, represented celestial and spiritual things, which are of the Divine Good and of the Divine Truth.
[3] That the veil before the ark was woven of purple, crimson, scarlet double dyed, and fine linen, may be seen in Exod. (xxvi. 31); and similarly the hanging for the door of the tent (verse 36); and also the hanging for the gate of the court (Exod. xxvii. 16). The loops also on the edge of the curtain of the tent were made of purple (Exod. xxvi. 4); the ephod was made of gold, purple, crimson, scarlet double dyed interwoven (Exod. xxviii. 6); and also the breast-plate of judgment (verse 15); and when they went forward in the wilderness, Aaron and his sons spread a covering of purple upon the ark, upon the table of faces, upon the lampstand and its lamps, upon the golden altar, and upon all the vessels of ministry (Num. iv. 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12). The reason of these things was, that the Divine Truth proceeding from the Divine Love, and which was signified by the cloth of purple, embraces and defends all the holy things of heaven and the church, which are represented by these things.
[4] Since purple signified the celestial love of truth, therefore it was commanded that the sons of Israel should make a
"fringe upon the borders of their garments, and put upon the fringe a thread of purple (hyacinthinum), that they might look upon it, and remember all the commandments of Jehovah, and do them" (Num. xv. 38, 39).
The thread of purple was clearly a means of calling to remembrance the commandments of Jehovah. The commandments of Jehovah are the essential truths of heaven and the church, and those who are in the celestial love of truth alone call them to remembrance.
[5] That purple signifies the love of truth, is plain also from the following passages in Ezekiel:
"Fine linen with broidered work from Egypt was thy spreading forth to be thy sign; purple (hyacinthinum) and crimson (purpura) from the isles of Elisha was thy covering; thy merchants with perfect things, with wrappings of purple, and broidered work and with treasures of rich apparel" (xxvii. 7, 24).
These things are said of Tyrus, which signifies the church as to the cognitions of truth thus also the cognitions of truth pertaining to the church, while the merchandize and tradings mentioned in that chapter describe the procuring of intelligence by means of those cognitions. Broidered work from Egypt signifies the knowledge (scientia) of such things as pertain to the church, and this being in a lower place, and thus round about or without, it is called spreading forth, and said to be for a sign. Purple and crimson from the isles of Elisha, signify the spiritual affection of truth and good; they are therefore said to be for a covering, a covering denoting truth. By wrappings of purple and broidered work, are signified all truths spiritual and natural, and these, together with cognitions from the Word, are meant by treasures of rich apparel.
[6] Since purple (hyacinthinum) signifies the celestial love of truth, therefore also, in the opposite sense, it signifies the diabolical love of falsity; in which sense also purple (hyacinthinum) is used in the Word. Thus in Ezekiel it is said:
"Two women, the daughters of one mother: In Egypt they committed whoredoms in their youth. Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem Oholibah. And Oholah played the harlot while subject to me; and she doted on her lovers, on the Assyrians her neighbours, which were clothed with purple (hyacinthinum), governors and leaders, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding upon horses" (xxiii. 2-6).
Here Samaria and Jerusalem signify the church, Samaria, the spiritual church, and Jerusalem, the celestial church, which are called Oholah and Oholibah, because those names signify a tent, and a tent signifies the church as to worship. A woman also, in the Word, signifies the church. By their committing whoredoms in Egypt, is signified that they falsified the truths of the church by the scientifics of the natural man. By doting on the Assyrians, is signified that they falsified by reasonings from those scientifics, Ashur and Assyria denoting reasonings. They are said to be clothed in purple, by reason of fallacies and falsities, which in the external form appear like truths, because drawn from the sense of the letter of the Word perversely applied. And from the same appearance they are also called governors and rulers, desirable young men, riding upon horses. For those who reason from their own intelligence appear to themselves, and to others who are in a similar state, to be intelligent and wise, and the things which they speak, to be truths of intelligence and goods of wisdom, when nevertheless they are falsities, and these they love because they are from the proprium. Governors and leaders signify chief truths, and riding upon horses, the intelligent.
[7] So in Jeremiah:
"Silver spread into plates is brought from Tarshish and gold from Uphaz, the work of the workman, and of the hands of the goldsmith; purple (hyacinthinum) and crimson (purpura) is their clothing; they are all the work of wise men" (x. 9).
The subject here treated of is the idols of the house of Israel, which signify false doctrinals because they are from [man's] own intelligence, therefore they are called the work of the workman, and of the hands of the goldsmith, and all the work of wise men, and this for the reason that they appear to them as truths and goods. Silver from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, signifies what appears in external form as truth and good, because from the sense of the letter of the Word. From these considerations it is evident that, purple (hyacinthinum) signifies the love of falsity, because from the proprium, or [man's] own intelligence. Purple also signifies the love of the world, because the love of the world corresponds to the love of falsity, as the love of self, signified by fire, corresponds to the love of evil. For all evil is from the love of self, and all falsity from the love of the world originating in the love of self, for spiritual evil, which is signified by the love of the world, is, in its essence, falsity, just as spiritual good is, in its essence, truth, as may be seen in Heaven and Hell (n. 15).