825. Verse 13. And He was clothed with a garment dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God, signifies the Divine truth in its ultimate sense, or the Word in the letter, to which violence has been offered. By a garment is signified truth clothing good (n. 166, 212, 328); and when concerning the Word, it signifies the Word in the sense of the letter; for this is like a garment, in which its spiritual and celestial senses are clothed. By "the blood" is signified violence offered to the Lord's Divine and to the Word (n. 327, 684). The reason that this is signified is that the Lord's Divine truth in the Word is signified by blood (n. 379, 653); wherefore by "shedding blood" is signified to offer violence to the Lord's Divine and to the Word. By "the Word of God" is signified here the Word in the sense of the letter; for violence has been offered to this, but not to the Word in the spiritual sense, because this sense has not been known; and if it had been known, violence would have been offered to it also. Wherefore that sense was not revealed until after the Last Judgment was accomplished, and the New Church was to be instituted by the Lord. Nor is it revealed to anyone at this day, except to him who is in Divine truths from the Lord; see The Doctrine of the New Jerusalem concerning the Sacred Scripture (n. 26).
[2] That violence has been offered to the Lord's Divine and to the Word, is plainly manifest from the Roman Catholic religious persuasion, and from the religious persuasion of the Reformed concerning faith alone. The Roman Catholic religious persuasion gives forth that the Lord's Human is not Divine, wherefore they have transferred all things of the Lord to themselves; also that the Word is to be interpreted only by them; yet the interpretation by them is everywhere contrary to the Divine truth of the Word, as was shown in the explanation of the preceding chapter 18. It is manifest from this, that violence is offered to the Word by that religious persuasion. In like manner by the religious persuasion of the Reformed concerning faith alone. Neither does this make the Lord's Human Divine, and it founds theology upon a single saying of Paul falsely understood; and it therefore makes nothing of all the things which the Lord taught concerning love and charity and concerning good works; which are yet so prominent that everyone, if he only has eyes, can see. The like was done with the Word by the Jews.
[3] Their religious persuasion was, that the Word was written for no others but themselves, and thus that no others are meant therein; and that the Messiah who was to come would exalt them above all in the whole world; by which and many other things they falsified and adulterated all things of the Word. This is meant by these words in Isaiah:
Who is this that cometh from Edom, having sprinkled garments from Bozrah? wherefore art Thou red as to Thy garment, and Thy garments as of him that treadeth in the wine-press? whence victory is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have polluted all My vesture (Isa. 63:1-3).
By "garments" here also the Divine truths of the Word are signified: by "Edom" is signified red, here red from blood. Hence it is manifest that by "clothed with a garment dipped in blood, and His name is called the Word of God," is signified the Divine truth in the ultimate sense, or the Word in the letter, to which violence has been offered.
