About the Author

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 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.

William Ross Woofenden was a leading Swedenborgian scholar. He held an MA and a PhD from St. Louis University and was a professor at the Swedenborg School of Religion, where he taught theology and philosophy for twenty years. He served as founder and editor of the journal Studia Swedenborgiana and series editor for the Redesigned Standard Edition of the Works of Emanuel Swedenborg.