Since January is when Swedenborg's Birthday occurs (Jan. 29th, 1688) it would be fun to relate some information regarding the publication of the Writings.

Most people know that the Writings were printed in London and Amsterdam. But why these two? And which books were printed at which place? And who were the printers? What years, etc.? Let's us answer some of these questions re how the Lord made His Second Advent. For Swedenborg served as the means for this grand and long expected event: "This, the Lord's second coming, is taking place by means of a man, to whom He has shown Himself in person, and whom He has filled with His spirit, so that he may teach the doctrines of the new church which come from the Lord through the Word….who can not only receive intellectually the doctrines of this church, but also publish them in print. I bear true witness that the Lord has shown Himself in the presence of me, His servant, and sent me to perform this function." (True Christian Religion 779.)

First some facts: The Writings were published under 18 different Titles, from 1749 to 1771. Six titles were published in London, from 1749 to 1758, and the remaining 12 in Amsterdam, from 1763 to 1771 (yes, a hiatus from 1758-1762, when Swedenborg engaged in many political dealings)

Of the six titles in London, it all began with Arcana Coelestia, which came out in 8 volumes (we have these in 12 English volumes). Swedenborg was personally in London for the first two volumes, which came out in 1749 and 1750. He had the second volume translated into English, by a John Marchant, also distributed in pamphlet form chapter by chapter, in 1750. Then Swedenborg took a break at a spa in Aix-la-Chappelle, went home to Stockholm where he continued writing volumes 3 through 8. Instead of travelling to London in person, however, he sent these to the printers, retaining the first draft and awaiting each printed first edition to signal completion. That is how we have in our possession photocopies of Swedenborg's first draft of the Arcana, from volume 3 onwards, i.e. from #1887 onwards.

A second batch of 5 works was published in 1758 in London: Heaven and Hell, New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine, the Last Judgment, the White Horse, and Earths in the Universe. Another piece of information is that 14 out of 18 titles, were published anonymously: the title page just contains the title of the work and "Londini" or "Amstelodam," plus the date in Roman numerals. Only the last four titles had Swedenborg's name attached: 1. Conjugial Love 1768, 2. Brief Exposition 1769. These two had "ab Emanuele Swedenborg, Sueco," (a Swede) 3. Commerce of Soul and Body 1769, just had "ab Emanuele Swedenborg" but omitted Sueco, and 4. True Christian Religion, finished in June 1770 but published in June 1771. It also had "ab Emanuele Swedenborg, but replaced Sueco, with "Domini Jesu Christi Servo," Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. These last four also had Amstelodami referring to where they were published. None of the 18 title-pages whether published in London or Amsterdam, identify the name of the printer anywhere.

So how do we know, the name of the printers in London? Because he refers to them at the back of Conjugial Love, printed in 1768 in Amsterdam. At the very end of this work he lists the "Libri Theologici Hactenus a me editi," "the theological works edited by me so far," listing Arcana Coelestia (8 vols), Heaven and Hell, New Jerusalem and its Heavenly doctrine, the Last Judgment, the White Horse, the Earths in the Universe. "These books have been available in London from the Printer Mister Hart, in Poppings Court, Fleetstreet, and with Mister Lewis, in Pater Noster Row, near Cheapside." He then continues to list all the works he printed in Amsterdam, but no name of a printer.

All of this is in Latin, except the addresses, one of the very few instances of finding Swedenborg writing anything in English. Swedenborg knew Lewis and Hart very well, their correspondences are preserved. Plus Mr. John Lewis was later called on to be a character witness for the late Swedenborg when that was needed. All of these details are reported in Tafel's documents.

So why did Swedenborg move his operations to the Netherlands in 1763? Perhaps because of the Seven Year War, 1756-1863, where Sweden and England were enemies. But who was the Amsterdam printer? Swedenborg remains silent on the subject. But as Providence would have it, someone met Swedenborg for the first time, at the very print-shop of our mystery printer. He records the fact. It was in 1768, when Swedenborg was printing Conjugial Love. The name of the man who met him there was John Christian Cuno. Cuno then mentions the name of the printer where he met Swedenborg. But let us trace some earlier history.

Swedenborg had published some of his scientific works in the Netherlands several years earlier: The Economy of the Soul's (Animalis) Kingdom (EAK 1740), and the Soul's (Animalis) Kingdom (AK 1744). Their title pages read, "venditur Londini et Amstelodami, apud... " and the name of a printer. The AK title-page says "Hagae Comitum, apud…" and another name.

Did Swedenborg use one of these printers for the 12 titles of the Writings printed in Amsterdam? We return to John Christian Cuno,. He was a German who printed many anecdotes on Swedenborg. All of Cuno's memoirs have been translated into English and constitute Document # 256, in Tafel's Documents Concerning Swedenborg, published in 1877. So it was in Tafel Volume ii part. i, p. 445, that I discovered Cuno's first meeting with Swedenborg: "My first acquaintance with … [Swedenborg] dates from November 4, 1768, when I happened to meet him in the … bookshop of Mr [our mystery printer]....The old gentleman [Swedenborg] speaks both French and High German, yet not very readily....He lodged near our old church in ...Kälbergasse where he engaged two comfortable rooms."

Since Cuno met Swedenborg in 1768 when Conjugial Love was published, it is all but certain that this was the printer Swedenborg used for all the Writings published in Amsterdam. And who was it?

The printers Swedenborg had used in Amsterdam were Adrianum Blyvenburgium, and François Changuion. And the gentleman at whose bookshop Cuno had met Swedenborg was: François Changuion! He was a "French expatriate" working in Amsterdam.

We can therefore conclude that François Changuion published the following works in Amsterdam:

1. The Doctrine of the Lord,
2. The Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture,
3. The Doctrine of Life,
4. The Doctrine of Faith, 1763;
5. Continuation of the Last Judgment and the Spiritual World, 1763;
6. Divine Love and Wisdom, 1763;
7. Divine Providence, 1764;
8. Apocalypse Revealed 1766;
9. Conjugial Love 1768,
10. Brief Exposition 1769,
11. Commerce of the Soul and Body 1769, and
12. True Christian Religion 1771.

Numbers 9 -; 12 have Swedenborg's name attached. The rest were anonymous, as were all the London works, where Hart and Lewis knew Swedenborg's identity as the author!

So now we may say that the printers of the Writings of Swedenborg were, in London John Lewis, who also printed Marchant's English translation of Arcana Coelestia volume 2; and John Hart (6 titles); and that the name of the printer of the Theological Writings of Swedenborg in Amsterdam was: François Changuion (12 titles).

Happy 316th birthday to Emanuel Swedenborg, the worldly author of the Lord's Writings, "published by the press." TCR 779.

 

Twin Flying Fox with Camp Buildings in background

Annual Summer Camp 2006 One of the major items on the church calendar is the very popular Annual Family Camp, held this year on Phillip Island in Victoria. A number of General Church people from Hurstville and other parts of Australia joined with other New Church people from around Australia, New Zealand and England and enjoyed very pleasant and relatively cool weather at this scenic location. Special mention is made of Carolyn Heldon and Karen Lockhart who had returned from Great Britain to visit family and friends and included the camp on their "must do" list while they were back. The morning program began after breakfast with an initial opening worship, followed by a family worship with everyone in attendance and then classes after morning tea organised for different age groups. The first worship led by Rev David Moffat set the tone for the week when we learnt that worship is an attitude that shows in how we do things. There was no overall theme for this camp so this led to a smorgasbord of many topics covered during the week which included correspondences (did you know a smile is a correspondence?), characters of the Bible such as King David and Samson, the Days of Creation (some very inventive enactments by groups and thoughtful interpretations), some thoughts on planning for the challenges of the future (have you ever heard the term "the poverty of affluence"), a lecture on the history of the churches and the Last Judgment and many other topics. There was no shortage of things to do in the afternoons and evenings. The campsite had some very high giant swings but even some of the very young and the not so young were equal to the challenge. There were also flying foxes, canoeing and archery, not to mention the swimming pool. There was Circle Dancing organised by Rev Many Duckworth, a singing group led by Carolyn Heldon, a wildly successful Trivia Night organised by the Ballarat Young People, a craft night organised by Margaret Skinner and a fun Square Dance evening. As always the final night was the Talent Night which always amazes with the variety and inventive talent that surfaces for this occasion. As usual the Thursday of the camp week is set aside for an all day outing. With so many attractions on the island this practically organised itself. Some hired bikes, some went on walks and the beach, some did a sight seeing trip to various locations, some visited the koalas and everyone enjoyed themselves. In closing though we must remember a special word of thanks is due to Chris and Margaret Skinner who did such a great job in organising the camp. Next year there is hope that a camp will take place in New Zealand but we are waiting for confirmation of arrangements on that front.

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The Office of Education has two different Vineyard projects. The Vineyard Collection CD (advertised here) and the online Vineyard Magazine (www.newchurchvineyard.org) each offer unique features. The Magazine has free monthly editions with guided topical studies. Over 45 editions are now available online. The Collection is a comprehensive library. Search it to gather materials for your own topical studies. Use them both!

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A "vineyard" is where the Lord is known (see A.R. 649).

Due to the interest of our readers this topic will remain a regular feature at present. In our December issue last year our excerpts from the periodical New Church Life (NCL) were focussing on the Hurstville Society Day School which was begun in October 1930. The final excerpt described the first full-year celebration held on December 17th 1931.

This month we'll go off on a little tangent and highlight the study presented to the Hurstville Society archives late last year by Beryl Laidley called "A Profile of the Family of Richard Morse." This overlaps nicely with what we have covered so far in our Newsletters even allowing some slotting in of some excerpts from NCL. Beryl, who lives in Coffs Harbour, NSW, has done excellent research and has procured for the "Profile" death certificates, war records, photos, obituaries, magazine and newspaper articles.

Rev Richard Morse was born in 1859 and died in 1944. It is generally known that in his later life he married Miss Annie Taylor, in fact he was 79 years old which was only six years before his death. However when he was 21 years old he married Augusta Sleath aged 20 years and they had four children. Beryl's study traces what happened to those children. Her opening page reads:

"Richard Morse and Augusta Sleath married in Sydney in 1880, (Reg. No.1097/1880). The marriage produced four children:

Viola Bellamy Morse. (1882-1934)
Thomas James Henry Morse. (1884-1884)
Richard Victor Morse. (1885-1925)
Winifred Newman Morse. (1895-1983)

It is known that Augusta and Richard Morse separated in the 1920's, and that none of their children continued as members of the General Church of the New Jerusalem."

If you look closely you'll see that Richard Morse outlived all his children except one. The "Profile" shows that all three children (Thomas died as an infant) became very prominent people in the community. Viola was Matron of Parramatta Hospital from 1919-1932.

Richard Victor, (see photo) like his father chose engineering as his career. He served in World War 1 attaining a promotion to Major and receiving the Distinguished Service Order (DSO). On his return he worked in Tasmania with the hydro electric department after which he was appointed chief assistant electrical engineer in the New South Wales Public Works Department. In April NCL 1925 it says: Our sympathies have gone out to our Pastor, who lost his only son, Major Morse, D. S. O., on January 26th. His last illness was the result of strenuous military service during the Great War, where he served among the electrical engineers in front of the front lines. The Sydney press has referred to him as one of our most prominent engineers and distinguished soldiers, and the clergyman officiating at the grave spoke of his "nobility of character as a citizen, and of his bravery on the field of battle which had won him high recognition." MMW

Winifred showed musical talent at an early age and became an accomplished concert pianist and accompanist. She married Basil Marsh whose career led him to be Shire Engineer of Glen Innes Local Council, NSW. They were both well known and respected in the community. It is very touching to read the Tributes to Winifred and her husband in the Glen Innes Examiner which Beryl has included in her study.

There are two instances when Winifred is mentioned in NCL. April 1914: The Rev Richard Morse, accompanied with his youngest daughter [Winifred, who would have been 19 years old], on Dec. 20th left Sydney for a visit to Adelaide. "The journey, which covered more than a thousand miles, and included a brief visit to Melbourne, occupied six days. The objective point was the home of Mr. and Mrs. John F. White, at Glen Brook, Macclesfield,-about 25 miles from Adelaide,-where the Whites have a farm among the beautiful hills which surround that fair city, a city of churches, olive trees, vines and fruit-trees. Our hosts were delighted with our visit and called the occasion 'our Assembly.' Baptism, confirmation and the Holy Supper were administered on Sunday morning, December 28th. Miss White, at her request, was confirmed, and six persons partook of the Holy Supper. It wasn't long after this that Mora White moved to Sydney to help in the Hurstville Society.

The other quote from NCL is at the time of the farewell of Rev Richard Morse and Miss Mora White to the Assembly in London then Bryn Athyn where Miss White would stay to train as a teacher for two years (see More History articles in the November and December 2005 Newsletters). It was also the society's June 19th celebration. August 1928: At the conclusion of Mr. Taylor's paper, the Pastor's daughter, Mrs. Winnifred Marsh, played a pianoforte solo. Also a few paragraphs later: [Miss White's] place at the organ and Sunday School will, in the meantime; be taken respectively by Mrs. Marsh and Mr.[Tom Snr] Taylor and Mrs.[Edith] Heldon.

A big thank you to Beryl for this valuable addition to the Hurstville Society's Archives. Please see Margaret Heldon if you wish to view the "Profile of the family of Richard Morse".

The time has passed very quickly and sadly we will soon be saying goodbye to Rev Erik Sandstrom and his wife Lynn-Del. Please join us for a Pot Luck lunch on Sunday 12th February after church. Bring something to share for lunch. Erik and Lynn-Del fly back to the USA on Wednesday 15th.

Several of our older members have been suffering lately. Firstly Dot Heldon has returned to St George Hospital after a fall in which she fractured her hip. Audrey Favell is also at present in the same hospital though we do not have any specific details about her condition. Both Dot and Audrey have received visits from a number of church people recently.

Shirley Taylor was recovering well from her knee reconstruction until progress was halted by an infection in the knee. This is now being treated and we hope she can resume her recuperation soon. Also suffering from knee troubles is Gail Markou who will need an operation soon.

Finally Theo Kirsten has been recovering from a strained foot. We extend our good wishes to all these people for better times ahead.

Now to some better news. Carolyn Heldon, along with her sister Donna and husband Jason have returned from a holiday in Tasmania in which they did a six day trek though the wilderness around Cradle Mountain and Lake St Clair. They took over 900 photographs so if you have plenty of spare time ask them to show them to you! Also travelling recently is Naomi Heldon visiting friends in Perth.

There are no General Church ministers available to serve Hurstville for the next three months but from mid June Rev Frank Rose and his wife will be coming to Hurstville (see below). In the interim period the society will be assisted by the services of Roslyn Taylor (daughter of Rev Doug Taylor - see below).

Roslyn Taylor
Recently we have received an offer from Roslyn to come out to Hurstville and assist with the running of the Society in the March to May period. After receiving advice from Bishop Kline and extensive consultation with members of the society arrangements are being made for this to take place. The response from the society has been overwhelmingly positive.

Roslyn will not be an official lay leader and will not lead services but will be involved in just about everything else. An added benefit to the society will be that two or three of Roslyn's children (who are aged between 16 and 23) will visit for part of this time.

Roslyn, who lives in Bryn Athyn, has a BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) from Thomas Jefferson University and an MA in Religious Studies from the Academy of the New Church Theological School. She will be taking leave from her job as a clinical nurse at the children's medical centre at Temple University. Roslyn, like all the Taylor family, is a talented musician. She will undoubtedly be a great asset to the society during her time here.

Footnote: Bishop Tom Kline has advised that the Bishop's consistory is about to undertake a review of lay leadership roles, an issue that has become more pressing due to the shortage of ordained ministers.

Rev Frank and Louise Rose
We have been advised by Assistant Bishop Brian Keith that Rev Frank Rose and his wife Louise will be coming to Hurstville in June for a period of about three months.

The following is from an email from Frank. "Louise and I are thrilled to be able to spend some time in Australia ministering to the Hurstville congregation. We are going to California for three and a half months, returning in mid-May. We feel that we need a few weeks to get ready to take the longer trip to Australia. Right now we are thinking of arriving some time in the middle of June, and staying there until early or mid-September."

All the best. Frank

Happy Birthday to John Hicks (9th), Mike Lockhart (11th) and Kathryn Kennedy (24th)

Note: All events are located at the church at 22 Dudley St, Penshurst 2222 (off Hillcrest Ave) unless otherwise stated. Contact the Hurstville New Church on (02) 9580 1589 for more information or email us at newchurch@optusnet.com.au All are welcome and refreshments are served after church each Sunday.
Friday	Feb 3rd	7.00 p.m. Dinner & Class
Sunday	Feb 5th	10.00 a.m. Worship followed by Property Trust Meeting
Sunday	Feb 12th	10 00 a.m. Worship followed by Pot Luck Lunch to farewell Erik & Lynn-Del
Wednesday	Feb 15th	Rev Erik and Lynn-Del Sandstrom depart for USA
Sunday	Feb 19th	10 00 a. m. Worship (Lay Service)
Sunday	Feb 26th	10 00 a. m. Worship (Lay Service)