and the Epistles of John as simply “John”; references given in parentheses
after the quotations specify their sources.
Some features of the original Latin text of True Christianityhave been
modernized in this edition. For example, Swedenborg’s first edition relies
on context or italics rather than quotation marks to indicate passages
taken from the Bible or from his other works. The manner in which
these conventions are used in the original suggests that Swedenborg did
not belabor the distinction between direct quotation and paraphrase;
neither did he mark his omissions from or changes to material, whether
biblical or his own. This edition follows Swedenborg’s practice of not
marking omissions or changes in quotations; but it reserves the use of
either block quotes or quotation marks for directly quoted material, and
presents paraphrased material instead as regular text. Words in italics in
the biblical quotations of this edition reflect a similar emphasis in the
first edition. In passages of dialog as well, quotation marks have been
introduced that were not present as such in the original.
This translation is based on the first Latin edition, published by
Swedenborg himself. It incorporates the silent emendation of minor
errors, not only in the text proper but in Bible verse references and in
section references to Swedenborg’s other published theological works.
The text has also been changed without notice where the verse number-
ing of the Latin Bible cited by Swedenborg differs from that of modern
English Bibles. Biblical references that occur in parentheses in passages
of dialog are present in the first edition. In these passages and elsewhere
throughout the translation, references or cross-references that were
implied but not stated have been inserted in square brackets []. Occa-
sionally such brackets represent an insertion of material that was not
present in the first edition, but no note is made of this use in this
portable edition.
viii TRUE CHRISTIANIT Y