the academy journal
ing point for all of them. Swedenborg read them
all, was initially swept up in the same approach,
and worked on projects to definitively resolve the
over-riding problem of the age: the relationship
between faith and reason.
Swedenborg took up the challenge, stating in
his own works on the soul that he wanted to show
the soul to the very senses so that doubters would
believe. By the time he published the third volume
of the Soul’s Domain, the European quest for reconciliation was dead. One was a person either of
faith or of reason; one could not be both. Swedenborg’s own scientific philosophy failed to reveal
the soul to the eyes of reason, and he abandoned
his magnum opus. The resolution would be found
down a different path. On it Swedenborg would
not lead the way; in humility he would follow. In
her research, Dr. Williams-Hogan presents the
men and their ideas that shaped the problem and
that brought us modernity.
not receive funding from DCNR in 2012.
Jane Williams-Hogan
During the summer of 2012, Dr. Williams-Hogan
continued writing Chapter Five of her biography of Emanuel Swedenborg. The chapter, titled
“Reason and Faith, Faith and Reason—A Human
Project,” explores the philosophical background
to Swedenborg’s own philosophical projects, his
cosmology, and his search for the soul. According to the historian Jonathan Israel, the relationship between faith and reason dominated the
conversation between 1650 and 1740. Could they
be reconciled or must one chose between them?
René Descartes (1596-1650) and his rejection of
scholasticism opened the discussion, and soon
Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), Gottfried Wilhelm
Leibniz (1646-1716), and Christian Wolff (16791754) engaged the issue. They debated the ideas of
Descartes, developed new positions of their own,
and challenged one another. Reason and the world
of matter and extension was the necessary start-
Swedenborg Library
Carroll C. Odhner, Director
A
pril 13, 2013 marked the 25th anniversary of
the dedication of the Swedenborg Library by
Queen Silvia of Sweden. At our Silver Celebration
we unveiled the newly acquired bust of Emanuel
Swedenborg, reminisced about the Queen’s visit,
and celebrated a quarter century as a library.
Library Receives Grants for 2013
The Carpenter Fellowship Fund approved a grant
request for $4,000. This funding enables the continued scanning of the New Jerusalem Magazine,
1827-1893, Boston. Last year’s grant provided
support for scanning volumes covering the years
1827-1849. With approximately 27,000 pages remaining we hope to complete this project in the
coming year. The Academy Archives received several donations from individuals as well as a Carpenter Fellowship Grant for $4,800. The Glencairn
Foundation awarded a grant of $7,000 to install
earthquake bracing in the library stacks. This was
highly recommended by a 2010 Facility Needs Assessment Report from the Aaron Cohen Associates. The library is very thankful for the generous
support from these foundations.
Staff Changes
Gwynne Haladay joined the library staff on a parttime basis, replacing Kelly Austin. Kelly worked
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