Angelic Wisdom about Divine Providence, usually referred to simply as Divine Providence, was first published in Latin in Amsterdam in 1764. It is the sequel to Swedenborg’s Divine Love and Wisdom (1763) and deals with how God oversees human life and all of creation. It is based in part on a doctrinal treatise in the author’s posthumous work Apocalypse Explained, which is interwoven in the text of paragraphs 1135 to 1194.
Swedenborg first defines divine providence and then states the purpose and ideology of God’s foresight, that divine providence in all that it does looks only to what is infinite and eternal in order that there may be a heaven of angels from the human race. Various laws under which providence operates are explained, including details about the true nature of the spiritual world, as well as the hope of salvation for all people. Finally, explanations are given as to why evil and human suffering are tolerated.
Divine Providence ranks second only to Heaven and Hell as Swedenborg’s most popular work. At least a dozen separate translations have been made into English, with many reprints of each. It has also been translated into Danish, French, German, Italian, Polish, Russian and Swedish. The present English version by William F. Wunsch was first published in paperback in 1963 and later replaced the 1899 translation of John C. Ager as part of the standard edition.
