The Essential Swedenborg: Basic Religious Teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg

Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) was a Swedish scientist, nobleman, and theologian who spent his life investigating the mysteries of the soul. Born in Stockholm to a staunchly Lutheran family, he graduated from the University of Uppsala and then traveled to England, Holland, France, and Germany to study with the leading scientists of the time. He gained favor with Sweden’s King Charles XII, who gave him the position of overseer of the Swedish mining industry. Later, he was given a seat on the Swedish House of Nobles by Charles XII’s successor, Queen Ulrika Eleonora. Between 1743 and 1745, he began to have visions of heaven, hell, and Jesus Christ, which resulted in a stream of books about the nature of God, the afterlife, and the inner meaning of the Bible. He devoted the last decades of his life to studying Scripture and presenting his own unique theology to the world.

Sig Synnestvedt (1924–1977) taught American history, current events, public speaking, and literature at the Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania. In 1968, he took a position at the State University of New York in Brockport; the following year, he became chair of its history department. Synnestvedt is the author of The White Response to Black Emancipation (1972).