Divine Love & Wisdom

Background and Purpose

Divine Love and Wisdom (Latin: De Divino Amore et de Divina Sapientia), published in 1763, is one of Swedenborg’s most influential theological works. The book explores the essence of God, the relationship between the Divine and creation, and how these foundational truths flow into all aspects of existence from humanity to the universe itself.

1. The Nature of God: Divine Love and Wisdom

• Swedenborg asserts that God is not only loving and wise, but that Divine Love and Divine Wisdom are the very substance and form of God’s being, inseparable and perfectly united. Love is the driving force, the essence (esse), while wisdom is the expression, taking form (existere). These are distinct in concept, but together form the one Divine essence, akin to heat and light from the sun: love is the warmth; wisdom is the light.
• Divine Love is the source of all goodness, compassion, and creative energy. Divine Wisdom is the clarity, order, and truth that guides and organizes love so that it may achieve its purposes.[3]

2. Creation as a Living Reflection

• God’s love and wisdom are reflected in all of creation, and the ongoing act of creation is a current miracle, not just a historical one. Everything in existence—from societies to individuals, hearts to stars—exists and thrives through the interplay of these two forces.
• Swedenborg compares this union to the sun energizing life: the spiritual world’s “sun” is not God but is a proceeding from the Divine Love and Wisdom, whose creative energies nourish angels and humans according to their willingness to receive them.

3. Humanity as a Microcosm

• People are created in God’s image and likeness, possessing the capacities for love (will) and wisdom (understanding). Our emotions, thoughts, and even societal constructs are avenues for receiving and mirroring the Divine.
• Angels and humans are “recipients” of love and wisdom, but the fullness of what is received depends on how open we are to loving God and our neighbor. The more aligned we are with divine love and wisdom, the more we live in harmony and fulfillment of our spiritual potential.

4. The Interdependence of Love and Wisdom

• In Swedenborg’s framework, love without wisdom can become chaotic, while wisdom without love is cold. Only in perfect union do they yield true goodness. Every divine work and creation is a product of this reciprocal relationship. This is reflected in all natural and spiritual laws, in everything that lives, thinks, and feels.
• “Good” stems from love; “truth” from wisdom. The pursuit of both underlies moral, civic, and spiritual life, as well as the proper harmony of community, church, and heaven.

5. Human Purpose and Spiritual Growth

• The purpose of creation is spiritual growth—awakening within each person the capacity to receive Divine Love and Wisdom. Charity, compassion, and selflessness are extensions of heavenly love, which is self-transcending, drawn not by ego but by a connection to the Divine and the recognition of the interconnectedness of all beings.
• Swedenborg urges us to nurture love in our hearts and seek wisdom in our actions, reflecting the divine balance in our lives.

Influence and Legacy

Swedenborg’s vision profoundly influenced not only theological thought but also poets, philosophers, and spiritual movements, including William Blake and Ralph Waldo Emerson. His ideas about the marriage of love and wisdom as cosmic forces underpinning existence remain central to Swedenborgian New Church teachings and broader mystic traditions.

Divine Love and Wisdom presents a vivid, spiritual cosmology grounded in interdependence, compassion, and the recognition that our deepest capacity for love and understanding flows from the very heart of the Divine itself.