Emanuel Swedenborg; The First Prophet of Unconditional Love թ§Չ-Չ Professor Pilikianթ§Չ-Չ§s innovative Interpretations

By թԹ Rony Lolano {Novelist}

A search in Professor Hovhanness I. Pilikianթ§Չ-Չ§s vast private archives delivered this gem of a documentary recording (by Mr. K. Arakelyan, London) of a landmark millennial lecture delivered by the Professor upon the invitation of the quaint English Swedenborg Society (founded in 1810, London).

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It celebrates Emanuel Swedenborgթ§Չ-Չ§s birthday in 2000.թԹ Few may have heard of the Swedish sage թ§Չ-Չ Swedenborgթ§Չ-Չ§s time seems not to have come yet, but it is definitely drawing nearer, thanks to initiatives like the one represented with this Documentary.թԹ թԹ Swedenborg (1688-1772) was controversial and a legend even during his own lifetime.

թ§Չ-ժHe was an intellectual brimful of dialectical contradictions, which confused թ§Չ-Չ actually թ§Չ-խdrove madթ§Չ-Չ§ թ§Չ-Չ one of the greatest philosophers of all time, his younger namesake, the German contemporary Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)թ§Չ-Թ, states Professor Pilikian (in a personal communication), and continues;

թ§Չ-ժKant initially was absorbed by the narratives of թ§Չ-խpsychic powersթ§Չ-Չ§ circulating about Swedenborg թ§Չ-Չ Kant took them very seriously for a study, especially as he was the great promoter of Platoթ§Չ-Չ§s concept of an թ§Չ-խinvisible realityթ§Չ-Չ§ (the թ§Չ-խWorld of Pure Formsթ§Չ-Չ§) hidden behind (and beyond the visible world).թԹ Kant wanted to be able to թ§Չ-խseeթ§Չ-Չ§/ grasp and ultimately define that world through human Reason թ§Չ-Չ hence his unmitigated initial interest in Swedenborgթ§Չ-Չ§s work claiming to have already seen and visited that world (his book titled Heaven and Hell)թ§Չ-Թ» Later, predictably, and understandably, on closer study, the great philosopher became sceptical, and even թ§Չ-խangryթ§Չ-Չ§, feeling cheated, mocking the Sage viciously, declaring him a fraud.թԹ Fair enough, one would say.թ§Չ-Թ

թ§Չ-ժBut what was unforgivable, ethically reprehensible, and remains hitherto unobserved by historians of philosophy, is the fact that Kant (who was great on Ethics թ§Չ-Չ the թ§Չ-խCategorical Imperativeթ§Չ-Չ§) shamelessly plagiarized one of Swedenborgթ§Չ-Չ§s most original scientific speculations (in 1734, in Principia; in Latin) referred to as the Nebular Hypothesis թ§Չ-Չ a cosmological explanation of Cosmogony թ§Չ-Չ the formation and evolution of the Solar system.թԹ Even Kantթ§Չ-Չ§s book-title two decades later than Swedenborgթ§Չ-Չ§s own book, sounds թ§Չ-Թ» Swedenborgian; Allgemeine Naturgeschichte und Theorie des Himmels = General Natural History and theory of the Heavens, 1755.թ§Չ-Թ

Although I myself am habituated to the Professorթ§Չ-Չ§s extraordinary discoveries in several fields of knowledge թ§Չ-Չ he is perhaps the greatest outside-the-box Thinker of our century թ§Չ-Չ

http://www.open.edu/openlearn/ people-politics-law/politics-p olicy-people/society-matters/t hinking-outside-the-box-resolv ing-the-palestinian-problem

I am nevertheless shocked by his unraveling of the great German philosopherթ§Չ-Չ§s plagiarism of the Swedish Sage, whose theological innovation seems even greater (in Professor Pilikianթ§Չ-Չ§s eyes) than his scientific speculation. Here are some more seismic eruptions of astral intellectual energy from the Professorթ§Չ-Չ§s pen;

թ§Չ-ժOne of the great rabid anti-communist conspiracies in the History of the Mind, is the camouflage of the absolute fact that the young Karl Marx was an ardent disciple of թ§Չ-Թ» Jesus Christ թ§Չ-Չ at seventeen թ§Չ-Չ while most of todayթ§Չ-Չ§s American youth is drunk, drugged and urinating in the streets of their big cities թ§Չ-Չ the culture of High Capitalism, copy-catted by the European Union youth! թ§Չ-Չ the young Karl Marx (attending the Trier Gymnasium թ§Չ-խGrammarթ§Չ-Չ§ School) wrote in 1835 a profound interpretative essay (for graduation) on St. Johnթ§Չ-Չ§s Gospel Ch. 15:1-14, titled The Union of the Faithful with Christ (The Karl Marx Library, volume V, tr. by Saul K. Padover, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York 1974, pp. 3-6).թԹ It leaves the present reader in no doubt that Marxթ§Չ-Չ§s communist Utopia was no more than Jesus Christթ§Չ-Չ§s promise of Godթ§Չ-Չ§s Kingdom on Earth.թԹ Marxթ§Չ-Չ§s passion for Social Justice is the longing for Godթ§Չ-Չ§s absolute Justice against Capitalist corruption, satanic exploitation of the masses, and Nazi enslavement of human labour!

թ§Չ-ժNo one (not even the Pope) is infallible թ§Չ-Չ unfortunately Karl Marx could not appreciate that Martin Luther (1483-1546), like Jesus Christ himself, was one of the greatest revolutionaries of all time թ§Չ-Չ Luther, I think, changed the world fundamentally for-ever թ§Չ-Չ without his movement of Protestant Reformation, the masses of Europe would still be crawling like infective worms in the diseased prison of the Vatican Church թ§Չ-Թ» and the cause of Lutherթ§Չ-Չ§s prime-cut revolution? թ§Չ-Չ The rampant թ§Չ-խcapitalistթ§Չ-Չ§ corruption of the Catholic Church, priests shamelessly selling what were called indulgences, Pope-signed documents forgiving sins by the wealthy bought for money, when Jesus himself had chased the usurers out of the Jewsթ§Չ-Չ§ national Temple a thousand years earlier!!թԹ Alas, alack, the Evangelical Churches of the Bible-belt Texan America even today have become sausage-machines to coin dollars with fraudulent Christianity, like the scam-indulgences of Lutherթ§Չ-Չ§s time subsidizing some Crusades. թԹ 19^th c. Western imperialism abused Jesus Christթ§Չ-Չ§s faith as a tool to swallow bits of the world թ§Չ-Չ most of it by the British, some of it by the proto- then truly Nazi Germans, and Fascist Italiansթ§Չ-Թ» I witnessed recently an թ§Չ-խAmericanizedթ§Չ-Չ§ African preacher in London disgustingly deceiving his black congregation out of their pittance թ§Չ-Թ» incredibly, he persuaded his flock to part with թԹ։80.000 in just an hour in the name of Jesus Christ թ§Չ-Թ» while simultaneously railing and ranting and cursing parishioners who lacked any money-obsession.թԹ On the other hand, the noble Jehovah Witnesses in comparison can proudly announce that they disapprove of even a milder form of money-collection after their service թ§Չ-Չ shame and damnation on the American bible-belt bashers and their African copy-cats for perverting through monetarization Jesus Christթ§Չ-Չ§s religion.թԹ Martin Luther sent the Archbishop of Mainz his anti-capitalist Disputation (Ninety-Five Theses on the Power of Indulgences) in 1517 (and tradition has it that he also nailed a copy on the door of All Saintsթ§Չ-Չ§ Church in Wittenberg), similarly the Jehovahթ§Չ-Չ§s Witnesses today have inscribed commendably on the signboard of their Kingdom Hall (in New Barnet, for example) No Collection թ§Չ-Թ» I was sickened thirty years ago, when at an Anglican church Service (I think no less than in the Westminster Abbey), the Vicar took the Collection money-bags, bowed and kowtowed before them, kissed, blessed and prayed over them for fifteen minutes թ§Չ-Թ» I never went back to the church, not to suffer yet again such ugly թ§Չ-խAmericanթ§Չ-Չ§ anti-JesusChrist capitalist pornography.թԹ It soils my Soul.թԹ I felt violated recently by the said African money-mad Born-Again preacher in Londonթ§Չ-Թ.

The Professorթ§Չ-Չ§s scholarly discoveries above shattered my own mind թ§Չ-Թ» He has a unique and a remarkable skill of weaving together like tapestry the old, the new and the very recent, I should have predicted more would be forthcoming, and built up intellectual strength to grasp them;

թ§Չ-ժThe socio-economic impact of Lutherթ§Չ-Չ§s թ§Չ-Թ»թ§Չ-Չ§Marxistթ§Չ-Չ§ revolution was innovatively defined not by the թ§Չ-խeconomistթ§Չ-Չ§ Karl Marx, alas, but the great Sociologist Max Weber (1864-1920), whose astonishing book Die Protestantische Ethik und der Geist des Kapitalismus (= The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, 1904-5), a collection of essays with the general hypothesis that the Protestant mindset with its emphasis on individual enterprise թ§Չ-Չ the Calvinist version of monastic թ§Չ-խascetic hard workթ§Չ-Չ§, thrift and efficiency թ§Չ-Չ I would say the Germanic թ§Չ-խNaziթ§Չ-Չ§ version of թ§Չ-խNo Sex please, weթ§Չ-Չ§re Britishթ§Չ-Չ§ թ§Չ-Չ was the fundamental basis of Capitalism, enabling its socio-economic exploitative relations.թԹ I am of course putting it negatively, what Weber endorsed wholeheartedly.թԹ But the illiteracy of American Capitalist ideologues is such that even to this day, they have not owned up and/or glorified Weberթ§Չ-Չ§s anti-Marxist anti-sex theory appropriatelyթ§Չ-Թ, concluded Professor Pilikian.

թ§Չ-ժEntirely spiritualist, Swedenborg was of course oblivious to socio-economic problems.թԹ His radical epoch-making religious թ§Չ-խinsightթ§Չ-Չ§, still not given due acknowledgment was his re-assembling of the Holy Trinity թ§Չ-Չ forced apart by the Catholic Church Vs. the Eastern Orthodox Churches թ§Չ-Չ into a unitary single deity; however, not of the Hebrew Yahweh/Jehovah of the Old Testament, but in the human person of Jesus Christ, manifesting in the human flesh Jehovah Himself, who thus in total fusion, becomes one with his only begotten son թ§Չ-Չ God made into Man, as Jesus Christ himself claimed to being the son of Man!թԹ Although all the categories of evangelical churches (Methodist, Baptist, Charismatic, Born- Again Christian, Seven-Day Adventist etc. including the progenitor of them all, Luther himself) skirted around this New Testament concept, but none with the clarity, courage, and distinction of Swedenborg.թԹ թԹ Today, ironically, the whole lot of the Protestant- qualified churches owe it unwittingly to Emanuel Swedenborg their doctrinal shift of paradigm from the focus on the Judaic Yahweh to a total focus on Jesus Christ as their divine saviour, sustaining unconditional infinite love for all people of all shapes and coloursթ§Չ-Թ.

I had to catch my own breath at the Professorթ§Չ-Չ§s breathless, seamless, radical re-interpretations of the scholarly facts.թԹ թԹ It remains to confirm that at the time of his public lecture for the Swedenborg Society, the Professor had head-hunted a massively multi-talented young man Stephen McNeilly, painter/graphic designer, running the societyթ§Չ-Չ§s bookshop.թԹ Supported by Stephenթ§Չ-Չ§s help, Professor Pilikian had organized single-handedly a mini-festival to glorify Swedenborg, thus creating a paradigm and a blue-print for todayթ§Չ-Չ§s exciting activities administered by Mr. McNeilly himself, as the most efficient and modernist Executive Director of the Swedenborg Society, without whose թ§Չ-խdiscoveryթ§Չ-Չ§ by Professor Hovhanness I. Pilikian, the Society may never have rejuvenated from its natural historical fatigue and eventual fade-out.

The Professor had invited the Opera-Singer Khatchatur Pilikian (his brother, sometime soloist of RAI թ§Չ-Չ the Italian State Radio and Television) to participate with a mini-concert; last but not least, the Professor had commissioned an oil-painting of Swedenborgթ§Չ-Չ§s Portrait for the occasion, from the Republic of Armeniaթ§Չ-Չ§s great painter, Artour Oshakantsi (resident in London), all of which feature in this excellent documentary.

Although now retired, the Historian of the Society, Mr. Richard Lines, a Council Member and a distinguished solicitor had never wavered in his support of Professor Pilikianթ§Չ-Չ§s choice of Mr. McNeilly as todayթ§Չ-Չ§s Supremo of the Society.թԹ Equally supportive against all odds were Mr. John Cunningham (Vice President), Dr. David Lister (Chairman), and Mr. Patrick Johnson (Trustee).

London, September, 2016.

See YouTube Video Links Below;

https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Kdpw88fDY54 part 1