Secrets of Heaven is Emanuel Swedenborg's magnum opus, a fifteen-volume work that delves into the inner, spiritual meaning of the Bible. Starting from the first verse, Swedenborg goes through Genesis and Exodus verse by verse, sometimes word by word, uncovering the fascinating teachings behind the literal account. By doing careful comparison of passages and tracing individual images and motifs through the Bible, he demonstrates that it contains a profound, coherent, and unified inner meaning. In this ninth volume, the explanation of the inner meaning of Genesis 45-50 concludes the exposition of the Book of Genesis . Joseph's reunion with his family and then the eventual death of both Jacob and Joseph mark the end of the patriarchs' representation of Jesus' path to glorification and the beginning of a depiction of the individual's path toward spirituality, as modeled by the epic wanderings of Jacob's descendants. Swedenborg also returns to the theme of the manner in which the spiritual world influences human beings, including the effect it has on the will and intellect, the soul, and the inner and outer selves. This new translation, part of the New Century Edition series, makes Swedenborg's insights into Scripture and his accounts of his spiritual experiences more accessible than ever before.