Philosophers

Emanuel Swedenborg

SWEE-dun-borg

Citation Formats

General Reference

Philosophy Atlas. "Emanuel Swedenborg." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://philosophy.interactiveatlas.org/philosophers/emanuel-swedenborg.

APA Style

Philosophy Atlas. (n.d.). Emanuel Swedenborg. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://philosophy.interactiveatlas.org/philosophers/emanuel-swedenborg

BibTeX

@misc{philosophyatlas-emanuel-swedenborg,
  author = {Philosophy Atlas},
  title = {Emanuel Swedenborg},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://philosophy.interactiveatlas.org/philosophers/emanuel-swedenborg},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Swedish scientist, philosopher and Christian mystic (1688 to 1772). After a career as a mining engineer, mathematician and anatomist, he underwent a spiritual crisis around 1744 and turned to theological writing, producing works such as Heaven and Hell (1758) that reinterpret scripture through a doctrine of correspondence between the natural and spiritual worlds. Ralph Waldo Emerson devoted a chapter of Representative Men (1850), Swedenborg; or, the Mystic, to him.

Facts

Birth Date

1688-01-29 1

Notable Publication

Heaven and Hell (De Caelo et Inferno, 1758) 1

Death Date

1772-03-29 1

Tradition

Christian mysticism and correspondence theology; forerunner of Swedenborgianism (the New Church) 1

Cross-Tradition Connections