The Divine Human

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UNIT 1

1.1 Objectives

In this course you will be exploring what the Word teachings concerning the The Divine Human in the light of the teachings found in the Heavenly Doctrines. The course design is such that you will be given plenty of opportunity to explore and develop your own thoughts on the topic, but always with a view to integrating your findings into life.

We at the Australian New Church College recognise that every person undertaking a course of study with the College brings a unique perspective in keeping with their life experience and vision for ministry. Thus the College and the Student form an interactive partnership through which College staff and Students are able to learn, grow and develop together in their appreciation of the Lord’s Divine Human that will benefit others. The overall objective for this course is to lay a foundation for a fuller appreciation of the Lord’s Divine Human and an increased capacity to have this expressed more appropriately through the lives of those engaging in this course and beyond.

On completion of this section it is expected that you will be able to:-

Identify questions, concerns, issues, in regard to the course content and its requirements
Develop a strategy to manage concerns or potential issues in consultation with your Tutor
Write personal ministy objectives using the principles provided in “how to create meaningful objectives”
Be able to discuss with your Tutor your thinking behind creating the objective(s) you have created in relation to your vision for ministry.
Demonstrate an awareness of your inner state(s)
comment in your journal reflectively on your sense of what comes up for you as you did this.

1.2 Introduction

A basic framework is provided for the course with will assist you to structure your work. For this course it consists of the following 7 Broad Concept Headings …

The Divine Human defined
The infinite can only be manifested through the Divine Human
The Divine Human before the advent
The human derived from Mary and the Divine Human differentiated
Process of putting off the infirm human and putting on the Divine Human
Divine presence and activity through and from the Divine Human
The Grandman / Body of Christ

Throughout the course you will work closely with your assigned Tutor. Your Tutor will work closely with you on course requirements, maintaining and managing course work and assignment deadlines, providing timely feedback in regard to your submissions, as well as supporting you to identify and work with what arises from your course work that has a direct bearing on your personal spiritual growth and development. It is your responsibility to complete the work required within the set time established between yourself and your Tutor.

If for any reason you are unable to meet the requirements for a set block of work within a given time period, then you need to contact your Tutor well in advance so that any issues regarding time management can be addressed. The earlier any issues of this nature are able to be addressed the better for all concerned.

Further note: While each Unit has been allocated XX number of hours to complete this should be taken as a guide only to help you manage your time. The structure of the course material is such that it allows for a good amount of flexibility, however it is easy to become side tracked when exploring the Heavenly Doctrines and you need to be aware of this and manage any tendency to deviate too far from meeting your course work requirements. This course ultimately serves as an introduction into a topic area you will explore for the rest of your life and beyond as you continue to contemplate the wonders of the Lord’s Divine Human.

1.3 Journaling

Record how you are feeling in approaching the course before you begin to read through and preview the course material.
Read through the material and note down any thoughts/questions/concerns you have regarding the requirements of the course.
What aspects excite you most; those you find yourself unsure about; and those aspects you think will present a real challenge for you.
Your feelings in regard to the course material after you had finished going through it?
Reflect on what you have noted down and highlight anything that stands out for you between what you recorded prior to reading.

1.4 Reflections

It is the central and most important teaching in New Church (Swedenborgian) theology that God is One, known as Jehovah in the Old Testament; that His Essence is Love Itself; and that He came into the world (incarnated here) by birth of Mary and as the Lord Jesus Christ. As Jesus had cause to say on one occasion, “He who seen me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9). And, on another occasion, “I and my Father are one.” John 10:30)

What is sometimes wrongly inferred from this is that it was by reason of His incarnating that God became – and is – human and that the glorification of the human assumed, via Mary, is what constitutes the Divine Human. The reality is, however, that God has always been Human; that there has always been the Divine Human. Putting it another way, the Divine Human has existed from eternity and it is worthwhile you making a note, now, to look out for references in the Writings as this Course unfolds, and as you proceed, which speak of Jesus “putting off” the human (small ‘h’) from Mary and “putting on” the Divine Human.

We usefully stop at this point and reflect.

Humanness has little to do with external, physical, features and everything to do with internal qualities. All things considered, homo sapiens share almost the same physical features and attributes (and many of the genes) of other primates. We describe ourselves as “human” and see them as “animals”. But there are times when humans act worse than animals, as we all have the capacity to do, and as you see in the Course, “The Nature of Self”. Homo sapiens we may be, yet we have an amazing capacity to be terribly inhuman.

So, what makes us human? Not our physicality, that’s for sure. It’s the things of love and wisdom, from the Lord, at work in our lives. Where love and wisdom are active in a person’s life; in their speech and actions; love and compassion, restraint and forgiveness, genuine thoughtfulness and care, wisdom and insight; this is what makes them human. We love them from their humanity.

The Lord is infinite Love and Wisdom and the Source of these qualities, in finite degree as they cannot but be, in we humans. He (the Lord) is truly Human and the origin of our humanity. Divine Love and Wisdom, beautifully balanced and inter-acting, are the Divine Human. And when we see glimpses of Divine Love and Wisdom manifesting in life around us we are actually seeing glimpses of the Divine Human. Remember: this is not about physicality. It’s not about hoping, or thinking, to see the Lord in physical shape. None of us will do. It’s about lifting our thoughts onto another level and seeing the Divine Human through a non-physical filter.

You can see then why it was said, above, that the Divine Human has always existed. And perhaps, too, it begins to fall into place, how Jesus while on earth “put off” the human from Mary and “put on” the Divine Human.

Divine Love works through, manifests and expresses Itself by means of Divine Truth (Esse and Existere). We do not know about, or can see, Divine Love, otherwise. “No one has seen the Father at any time. The only begotten, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has revealed Him.” (John 1:18). The Divine Human is Divine Truth in the world and at work in people’s lives. The Divine Human is Divine Love manifesting. The Divine Human is that at which, and through which, we encounter the Lord. When people gathered to the Lord at the time of His giving of The Sermon on the Mount they, for sure, saw a man, Jesus, but it was as He spoke those sublime words (Matthew Chapters 5 to 7) that they began to encounter, feel, experience and be in touch with, the Divine Human (Divine Truth embodying and flowing forth from Divine Love).

People sometimes lament the fact that no image of Jesus has come down to us. There was no photography then and there was little portraiture painting, certainly none preserved of the religious and political trouble-maker Jesus as he was seen to be by the Jewish religious authorities. But this is a good thing and, surely, of Divine Providence. A sensual image of the Lord would all too easily smother our internal sight and appreciation of His Divine Human (as claimed images of Him do).

When it comes to assignments in this Course one focuses on William Blake’s incredibly insightful poem, “The Divine Image” from “The Songs of Innocence”. Even if you don’t follow it up, as a chosen assignment, just savour the words, especially verse 3, which reads:

For mercy has a human heart Pity a human face And love, the human form divine And peace, the human dress.

1.5 Assignment

Note down your responses to what is said of the Divine Human in the Introductory Reflections. Record any insights here for discussion with your Tutor in the Tutorial set for Unit 1.

Create two of your own personal objectives that relate to the theme of the Lord’s Divine Human and how you would like to see this expressed through your life in supporting or serving the spiritual needs of others.

Think about what you would like to see as real outcomes arising from exploring this topic by tying these in with your developing sense of personal ministry.

In no more than 500 words explore the relationship you see between the objectives you have created and your vision for ministry.

Note: The term ministry is used here in the broadest possible sense and may relate to both ordained or non-ordained spheres of service/employment. Essentially it refers to where you see your talents/skills and abilities being used to support the spiritual well being of others.

UNIT 2

2.1 Objectives

In this unit you will explore your current knowledge of the topic area with a view to making explicit conceptual gaps and any conflicts or issues that exist in your current thinking concerning The Divine Human. The main objective is to have this knowledge serve as a foundation for directing your learning over the duration of the course and beyond.

On completion of this Unit it is expected that you will be:

able to Organise your thoughts on The Divine Human in accordance with the Broad Category Headings for this course.
Gain a fuller sense of your existing knowledge of Scripture and the Doctrines in regard to the topic and so identify gaps in your knowledge
be able formulate a series of questions that can guide your thought throughout the course to gain clarification in regard to these knowledge gaps.
will have gained an appreciation of some of the difficulties that conflicts in Scripture, people’s experience of life,
and a limited understanding of doctrine present when dealing with ideas concerning the Divine Human by making explicit similar gaps in your own thought processes.

2.2 Introduction

Please watch these two videos at the assigned times.

2.3 Journaling

What do you see as the defining difference between an act of humanity and an act of inhumanity – record your sense of this in your journal.
How did you feel when watching the video clip.
Create a file listing 4 or 5 questions that sit with you in regard to the Divine Human that you would like to see some movement on over the duration of this course. You should revisit these periodically updating insights etc. as you move through the course. Provide a list of your questions below for your tutor.

2.4 Assignment

Take the opportunity of a group occasion to brain storm the words, “humanity” and “inhumanity”.
Write out a list showing what aspects of human behaviour people place under each of theses two terms.
From the video clip taken from the Gospel of John of the trial of the Lord and identify acts of humanity and inhumanity.
List these and be prepared to comment on them.
Do this same exercise using the story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8.
If we regard everything happening around the Lord in what’s presented in the video clip and in the story of the woman caught in adultery, along with the various people, objects, relationships etc as a mirror of what’s going on in His inner world related to the human taken from Mary, with which He clothed himself by coming into the world, drawing on your work in the Incarnation and Glorification course write an essay (800-1000 words) outlining your sense of the Lord’s handling of these as traits and characteristics found within Himself. (see TCR 92, 94, 102.)
Select a person for their renowned humanitarian work. Do some reseach to identify the qualities and characteristics that lay behind the life of their activities. What is/was it that they did that resonates with people that identifies who you have select as humanitarian.

What is you sense of the Lord in the qualities and characteristics displayed by the person your’ve selected. How can we be vehicals or channels of humanity in our own circumstances and situations? Submit a written response the equivalent of 2 or 3 A4 pages.

UNIT 3

3.1 Objectives

On completion of this section students will be:-

familiar with elements of the literal sense of the Bible relating to this topic and confident in accessing them.
Students will experience first hand the power of Doctrinal understanding to frame their appreciation of Scripture.
be able to engage with passages of Scripture framed in the context of a passage from the Heavenly Doctrines
and draw connections regarding how all pervasive the concept of the Divine Human in Scripture is even while not being something explicitly identified.
have built a better ability to be able to relate to and reflect on Biblical imagery in regard to their own states and spiritual experiences

3.2 Journaling

Reflect on the wide range of imagery that you find in Scripture related to the Divine Human – how has this challenged/excited or even confounded you?
Say how has this stretched your idea regarding the human form – what do you think the human form is; what common themes in the imagery have you been able to detect.

Take a quality which is an aspect of the Divine Human and seek opportunities to become a vehicle of that quality. Observe changes in your state when you are aware of this quality.

Record your reflections on how your work with this quality impacts on your state in those situations of circumstances you look to invoke it to guide and direct your attitudes and or actions.

3.3 Assignment

Instructions for Conceptual Work Exercise Below is a list of terms that the Heavenly Doctrines identify as being an expression of the Divine Human. Associated with each term is a quote from the Heavenly Doctrines and a number of references from the Bible. For each term…

Look up each reference given from the Bible and make brief notes as to the connections you see between the Biblical references and the term they are associated with.
Using the Biblical references provide a one paragraph summary that shows how you see each term encapsulating the Lord’s Divine Human. The content of your summary paragraphs need to show a link back to the quote(s) provided from the Heavenly Doctrines.

Take an image of humanness found in the Bible (e.g. shepherd) and work with it to identify and get in touch with the Divine Human. You can use a concordance or electronic Bible to collect Scripture references connected with the image you have chosen. Provide a ½ page written piece entitled;

My Personal Sense of the Divine Human as __________________ (Your selected image)

This needs to be submitted to your tutor for review 2 days prior to the date set for Tutorial 6

The name of Jehovah

“The Lord’s Divine Human is “the name of Jehovah” that is, His quality.” Arcana Caelestia 2628:2 (see, too, AE 224 & AC 6887)
References: Isaiah 9:6; Matt.1:22, 23; Luke 11:2; Luke 21: 12,17; Jn. 5:43; Jn.12:28; Jn.14:14; Jn.17:6,26; Rev.2:3,13.

The Word

“The Lord as to the Divine human is the Word.” Arcana Caelestia 2894:2
References: Ps.33:6; Ps.119:105, 160, 161; Ps. 130:5; Jn.1:1-14

The Tabernacle

“The tabernacle represented the Lord’s Divine Human, consequently the Divine Truth which goes forth from Him.” Arcana Caelestia 5922:7
References: Exodus 40:34; Nu.14:10; Nu.16:42

The Temple

“In the highest sense ‘the temple’ is used to mean the Lord’s Divine Human.” Arcana Caelestia 7847:4
References: Ps.11:4; Haggai 2: 1 – 9; Zechariah 6:12,13; Jn.2:19,21,22

The Mediator (also Covenant)

“In respect of his Divine Human the Lord is the Mediator, and no one can come to the Divine Being itself within the Lord, called the Father, except through the Son, that is, the Divine Human, as is well known in the Church.” Arcana Caelestia 6804:4
References: Jn.9:15,17; Jn.14:16,17; Jn.17:17. Exodus 2:23-25; Isa.42:6; Isa.49:8; Isa.53:3,4; Jer.31:31-33; Jer.32:40; Ezek.37:26,27

Redeemer

“His (the Lord’s) Divine human is the One in the Word who is called the Redeemer.” Arcana Caelestia 6281
References: Isa.41:14; Isa.44:4; Isa.48:17; Isa.49:7, 26; Isa.54:5; Isa.63:16

The ‘arm’ of Jehovah

“’the arm of Jehovah’ is the Lord’s Divine Human. Arcana Caelestia 8099
References: Exod.6:6; Dty.4:34; Ps.77:15;Ps.89:13;Ps.98:1; Isa.40:10; Isa.51:9,10; Isa.52:10; Isa.63:5; Jn.12:38

The angel of Jehovah

“’The angel of Jehovah’ is used to mean the Lord’s Divine Human.” Arcana Caelestia 9303
References: Exod.3:2; Exod.14:19; Nu.22:22; Ps.34:7; Zechariah 1:1 to 19

The Divine Himself facially

“the Divine Human is the Divine himself facially.” Arcana Caelestia 9306:3
References: Numb.6:25, 26; Ps.67:1; Isa.63:7-9; Jn.14:7-11

Jehovah’s anointed

‘Jehovah’s Anointed’ is used to mean the Divine Human.” Arcana Caelestia 9954:11
References: Isa.45:1; Isa.61:1; Lk.4:17-21,etc

The dwelling-place for the Mighty God of Jacob

“The Divine realities which emanate from the Lord’s Divine Human are what are rightly called ‘dwellings’.” Arcana Caelestia 9594:4
References: Psalm 132:2, 4-7

The Son

“The Divine Himself, called the Father, could not have accomplished the work of salvation without the Divine Human, referred to as the Son, for the Divine himself without the Divine Human cannot reach a person, not even an angel…” Arcana Caelestia 10152:4
References: Matt.3:17; Matt.4:3;; Mk.3:1; Lk.4:41; Lk19:10; Jn.1:18; Jn1:49; Jn1:51;Jn.3:13;Jn.3:14; Jn3:16; Jn.3:17; Jn.3:18; Jn.3:36: Jn.9:35;Jn.10.36; Jn.11:4; Jn.11:27; Jn.12:23: Jn.13:31; Jn.14:13; Jn.17:1; Jn.20:21.

The Sabbath

“The Sabbath serves in the highest sense to mean the union of the Divine itself within the Lord’s Divine Human.” Arcana Caelestia 10360:4
References: Isa.58:13,14; Jer.17:24,25; Jn.14:7-9

The Lamb

“By the Lamb is meant the Divine human.” New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine” 1:2
References: Isa.16:1; Isa.53:7; Jn.1:29,36; Rev.5:8; Rev.7:17;Rev.13:8

The right hand of Jehovah

“Jehovah’s right hand, Jehovah’s great name, Jehovah’s soul, Jehovah’s holiness, and the excellence of Jacob mean the Lord’s Divine Human.” Arcana Caelestia 2842:6
References: Matt.22:44; Matt.26:64; (see, too, Acts 7:55, 56)

The altar

“There are two objects which served to represent the Lord’s Divine human -= the temple and the altar.” Arcana Caelestia 9714
“The Lord’s Divine human is essentially present in all worship and in all doctrine.” Arcana Caelestia 2811
References: Ps.26;:6,7; Ps. 51:18,19; Ps. 84:1-4; Ps.118:27, 28; Isa.6:6,7; Isa. 40:7; Isa.56:6,7; Is.60:7;Lam.2:7; Matt.5:23,24; Matt.23:16-22,etc.

Now read the following and comment…

The account of the transfiguration, Matthew 17: 1 to 13 (see Arcana Caelestia 3212:2)
God as seen by Daniel, Chapter 10:5 to 12, and by Ezekiel. Chapter 1:28; 2:1, 2; 3:24 (see Apocalypse Explained 77:3)

UNIT 4

4.1 Objectives

On completion of this Unit it is expected that you will have:-

developed further your ability to reflect on life situations, in both personal and ministry contexts, through using the principles you are acquiring in your study.
to demonstrate an ability to organise references from the Heavenly Doctrines in support of key doctrinal principles.
The material is designed to develop your ability to work with doctrinal material critically through forming your own perspectives and questions
to identify doctrinal principles and reformulate them in terms of their application to ministry and/or general life situations.
to reflect on your own inner states of life (feelings and thoughts) and draw connections between what you are experiencing and the material you are working with

4.2 Research

In this section of the course you will be organising references from the Heavenly Doctrines under five Broad Concept Headings:-

The Divine Human defined
The infinite can only be manifested through the Divine Human
The Divine Human before the advent
The human derived from Mary and the Divine Human differentiated
Process of putting off the infirm human and putting on the Divine Human
Divine presence and activity through and from the Divine Human
The Grandman / Body of Christ

Open the HDReferences file and then save a copy of this file on your computer to work with. Keeping the Broad Concept Headings in mind read through the list of references and summary statements and mark those that catch your interest. Using the New Christian Bible Study website or hard copies of the Heavenly Doctrines look up the references you have highlighted and allocate a Broad Concept Heading to each one. You will be using these specific references to explore the theme of the Broad Concept heading in more depth a little later on. You may find other references come to mind or are suggested in the references you look up, feel free to reference and explore these also, but remember to keep your focus on the relevance of what select within the context of the Broad Concept Headings for this course. You may feel that a single reference falls within more than one of the Broad Concept Headings. You are free to explore any of the references under as many of the headings as long as you can show how they fit within the headings you assign them to. Your final selection should contain not less than 10 major references under each Broad Concept Heading drawn from HDReference file and/or your own further exploration of the subject area. As you go record your thoughts on what each reference you have selected says in regard to the Broad Concept Heading you have placed it under. Be sure to note any new insights, trains of thought, unanswered questions and any challenges that your research has made to your current understanding of the subject area. Use the “Upload References” link to submit a copy of your arrangement of references under the Broad Concept Headings to your Tutor no later than 2 days prior to your scheduled tutorial for this section

4.3 Journaling

Having worked through this material record what personal shifts have occurred regarding your sense of the Lord and His Divine Human. Do the words break through, exhilaration, or dismay apply to your sense of things. Record you observations.

Over the course of a week spend some time each day on one of the gospels. Just read meditatively trying to be present to the impressions arising within as you do that - how is the Lord imaged in your mind as you do that, can you say something about these images/impressions arising from the Word in terms of…

the infirm or maternal human
the human from the Father (yet to be made divine)
the Divine Human

4.4 Assignment

The term “Human” is used in a number of ways in the Heavenly Doctrine in relation to the Lord and it’s important we carry a clear sense of what is being spoken of when it is used.

Write an essay and expand on each of the following terms to provide a definition that reflects 1. your understanding of them and 2. how they are related to each other in the Lord’s work to save the human race. (1500 words)

the infirm or maternal human
the human put on from the Father which was to be made divine
the Divine Human

UNIT 5

5.1 Objectives

On completion of this section students will be able to:-

draw on scripture and the Doctrines to handle confidently, comfortably and insightfully the Divine Human as the visible God.
use their insights and understanding to engage with others to bring people more in touch with the Lord visible in their midst as their saviour.
have a fuller sense of the immediacy of the Lord’s presence within the various levels of their life experience.

Journal Work

Reflect on the meaning of the temple as your meeting place with God.
Record what your reflections in your Integration Work exercise brought up for you.
What effect does your developing sense of the Divine Human have in terms of enhancing or adding to the experience?

Assignment

Using the list of references below to research the connection between the Temple and its correspondence to the Divine Human. (Draw illustrations from its structure, its furnishings, the rituals performed, the priestly functions, the obligations on the part of worshipers, its place in the lives of the Jewish people). Submit your notes related to your research using the, “Upload Research Work” link

1Kgs Chapters 5-8 – AC 3720; 6135.2; 7847.4; 9229.8; 9714.2; HH 187; DP 245e; AR 191; AR 669; AE 220

Write up an article or letter enthusiastically commending the correspondence of the Temple to the Divine Human for a person/readership who are unfamiliar with this concept.

Reflect on a special place/occasion/emergency in which you have found/find a palpable sense of God’s presence. Drawing from your work on the Divine Human what can you now say about this, can you identify the factors that caused/causes this to be so. (Your response should be between 1-2 A4 pages in length)

UNIT 6

6.1 Assignment

On completion of this section you will have demonstrated an ability to integrate your work over all learning domains through drawing connections between your work with the themes concerning the Lord’s Divine Human from the Sacred Scriptures, the Heavenly Doctrines and your personal life experience as illustrative of the principles and process connected with this and have demonstrated an ability to pull this material together in a range of different formats for presenting to others.

It is expected that you will be self directed in your engagement with devotional/journal work as you work to complete your Major Assignment.

6.2 Universality

Objective: To consolidate your thinking in regard to the universality of the of the Divine Human and present and commend this in a presentation to a cross cultural interfaith group.

You are to specifically address and consider the imagery in Blake’s poem The Divine Image see Link below. The length of the presentation will be 45 minutes. You will need to anticipate and list potential questions from listeners and how would you respond to these.

6.3 The Divine Image

The Divine Image

To Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love,
All pray in their distress,
And to these virtues of delight
Return their thankfulness.

For Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love,
Is God our Father dear;
And Mercy, Pity, Peace, and Love,
Is man, His child and care.

For Mercy has a human heart;
Pity, a human face;
And Love, the human form divine:
And Peace the human dress.

Then every man, of every clime,
That prays in his distress,
Prays to the human form divine:
Love, Mercy, Pity, Peace.

And all must love the human form,
In heathen, Turk, or Jew.
Where Mercy, Love, and Pity dwell,
There God is dwelling too.

by William Blake

UNIT 7

7.1 Presentation

To complete the course you are asked to prepare and give an online presentation to a small panel of members of the College Board of Studies.
The presentation is to be 30 minutes long and will be followed by an exchange between yourself and the members of the panel focused on what you’ve presented.
Your presentation is to be an account of your journey/process of moving through the course materials.
Think about where you were at, so far as this topic concerned, at the start of the course, and where you are at the end of it.
Note what’s shifted for you as a result of working through the course materials/requirements.
Also be sure to highlight any specific areas that held significant interest for you, and say what it was about those areas that made them significant.
In your conclusion say what questions were resolved, what questions remain open for you, and how a fuller understanding of the topic might be used to support people to live a spiritually focused life.