Welcome to the Swedenborg Library in Chicago
Above: Lecturer Jerry Leitner addresses a group during a Swedenborg Library program.
Our circulating book collection offers a range of contemporary books on spiritual topics, as well as the work of the 18C Swedish scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg.
The Swedenborg Library is located at 77 W. Washington St, 17th floor, Chicago, Illinois (in the Chicago Temple Building at the southeast corner of Clark St. and Washington St., across from Daley Plaza.) The library is open on Wednesday and Friday afternoons, from 1–5 PM Central Time, and by appointment.
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For upcoming programs, click on the "Coming Programs & Events" button at left, and view the brochure PDF. Coming up next: _________________________________________________
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The 12 Gates: A Journey To the Heart of the Swedenborgian Tradition, with Dell Rose
Zoom Sunday January 25 at 3:30 pm central: 12 Gates
To view session 1A on The Word, click below for the link to our Youtube channel (available January 12):
On January 11, we began our year-long introduction to Swedenborgian Spirituality, The 12 Gates.® Each monthly course will explore the unique nuances of the Swedenborgian tradition, and the ways in which Swedenborg’s writings help us to re-engage and internalize the teachings of the scriptures. The topic for January, is a deep dive into the notion of Word.
The Word of God is not identical to the biblical scriptures, but is something beyond any written text. As he writes:
Our first session discussed the origin and compilation of the New Testament, as well as Swedenborg’s doctrine of the Word. For the pdf, click the "Readings" tab in the left-hand column navigational bar, or click here: 12 Gates Readings
The second session on Sunday, January 25 will be more reflexive and we welcome the experiences and thoughts of our participants. To stimulate some of this discussion, see the four following meditations found under "12 Gates" on the Readings page of this site.
Zoom Meeting Room: 558 403 3057
Password: Swedenborg
Dell Rose is program director for the Swedenborg Library Chicago. Photo above: Swedish Theologian Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772).
“It had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” (Rev. 21:12)The second session of our course on Sunday, January 25 will continue our discussion of the Word, and will be more reflexive and we welcome the experiences and thoughts of our participants. To stimulate some of this discussion, see the four following meditations found under "12 Gates" on the Readings page of this site. Photo at right: Emanuel Swedenborg. "12 Gates" leader Dell J. Rose develops and hosts programs for the Swedenborg Library in Chicago. Dell holds the position of Swedenborg Doctoral Fellow with the Swedenborg Society in the United Kingdom, and he is a doctoral candidate at the Centre for the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the Universities van Amsterdam. His research focuses on the intersection of Western esotericism and political reform, particularly with Swedenborgianism in 19th century Britain.
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“It had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” (Rev. 21:12)
The Twelve Gates is a year-long, immersive introduction to Swedenborgian spirituality, inviting students to journey through Emanuel Swedenborg’s visionary theology as a pilgrim bound for the New Jerusalem. Weaving together biblical exegesis, theological reflection, and the imaginative world of medieval pilgrimage, the course uses the metaphor of “gates” to structure a sustained exploration of prophecy, the human self, the Word, heaven and hell, judgement, charity, and salvation.
The course is suitable for ministers, lay readers, and seekers who desire more than an introduction yet less than formal theological training. Its aim is not merely to present Swedenborg’s ideas, but to accompany participants as they discern what it might mean, here and now, to live as citizens of the heavenly city. The program may be followed in congregational study groups or online cohorts, with brief weekly reflections and larger monthly syntheses helping travelers to notice how the journey is transforming their prayer, perception, and use.
2026 will be the first run of the Twelve Gates, and the ultimate goal will be to provide a stand-alone curriculum that will help to integrate individuals interested in learning more about Swedenborgianism and for confessional Swedenborgians interested in deepening their faith. So please come join us; your opinions will be essential to helping us establish this curriculum, and to help future souls join in their own procession to the Holy City.
“It had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels; and names were written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel.” (Rev. 21:12)
The Twelve Gates is a year-long, immersive introduction to Swedenborgian spirituality, inviting students to journey through Emanuel Swedenborg’s visionary theology as a pilgrim bound for the New Jerusalem. Weaving together biblical exegesis, theological reflection, and the imaginative world of medieval pilgrimage, the course uses the metaphor of “gates” to structure a sustained exploration of prophecy, the human self, the Word, heaven and hell, judgement, charity, and salvation.
The course is suitable for ministers, lay readers, and seekers who desire more than an introduction yet less than formal theological training. Its aim is not merely to present Swedenborg’s ideas, but to accompany participants as they discern what it might mean, here and now, to live as citizens of the heavenly city. The program may be followed in congregational study groups or online cohorts, with brief weekly reflections and larger monthly syntheses helping travelers to notice how the journey is transforming their prayer, perception, and use.
2026 will be the first run of the Twelve Gates, and the ultimate goal will be to provide a stand-alone curriculum that will help to integrate individuals interested in learning more about Swedenborgianism and for confessional Swedenborgians interested in deepening their faith. So please come join us; your opinions will be essential to helping us establish this curriculum, and to help future souls join in their own procession to the Holy City.
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ZOOM: Thursday, January 22, 6 PM Central Time: Goethe's Faust: Art As Religion, WITH Dr. David Kretz
This talk explores the idea of art as religion, and dramatic poetry as a form of magic, in Goethe’s Faust (1808). In his greatest play, Goethe stands witness to the crises of modernity: crises of aesthetic form and of language. Can dramatic poetry reanimate older forms, such as tragedy,to achive an aesthetic theodicy, a justification, in poetry, of Faust, the quintessentially modern man? To this end, we shall see, poetry would have to prove its power to disclose real presence, while also being ethically truthful. These problems crystallize early on in the play with Faust’s famous translation of the Gospel of John. What spirits guide Faust’s translation of the Word – and which guides Goethe’s pen?
Zoom Room: 558 403 3057 Password: Swedenborg
Dr. David Kretz is a Postdoctoral Associate in the Humanities Program at Yale University. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago’s Committee on Social Thought and in Germanic Studies. Prior to coming to the US, he studied philosophy, literature, and the history of ideas in Paris, Berlin, and his hometown Vienna. His works addresses how traditions, including religious traditions, respond to historical crises. He draws on historical concepts of translation to re-actualize a notion of translation as a form of response to historical loss. __________________________________
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For more upcoming programs, click the "Coming Programs and Events" tab in the left-hand navigation bar.
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Scholar Dell Rose joins the Swedenborg Library
Dell J. Rose develops and hosts programs for the Swedenborg Library in Chicago. Dell holds the position of Swedenborg Doctoral Fellow with the Swedenborg Society in the United Kingdom, and he is a doctoral candidate at the Centre for the History of Hermetic Philosophy and Related Currents at the Universities van Amsterdam. His research focuses on the intersection of Western esotericism and political reform, particularly with Swedenborgianism in 19th century Britain.
To read Dell's latest article, click on the "Readings" navigational tab at left, and you will find his article "The House of David" at the top of the PDFs there, or click here: Readings.
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To join online discussions of others who are reading Swedenborg's work, or to view video presentations, visit one of the sites below:
Off The Left Eye videos (organized by topic area:) Click Here.
For blog discussions of Swedenborgian and contemporary topics, or to download books:
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See Events & Programs for information on our upcoming programs. We look forward to seeing you then. Use the Contact Us form for information on our collection.
If you will be in downtown Chicago and would like to visit the Swedenborg Library, we are open Wednesday and Friday afternoons from 1:00-5:00 pm, and by appointment. Click on the Calendar link in the top left column for our hours and schedule.
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For more info on upcoming programs, click on the "upcoming events" bar in the left-hand column.
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PAST SPEAKERS AT THE SWEDENBORG LIBRARY INCLUDE:
Dr. Kagan Arik, Julia Bachrach, Marc Ian Barasch, Denise Breton, Herbert Bronstein, Sophy Burnham, Kanjin Cederman Shonin, Rabbi Menachem Cohen, Phil Cousineau, Rev. Jikai Dehn, Rev. Dr. George Dole, Tim Evans, Matthew Fox, Rev. Kuni Fumioka, Barbara Geiger, Mercy Gilpatric, Jack Gilroy, Terry Gunnell, John Haller Jr., Dr. Kelly Hayes, Fatima Imam, Kenneth James, Sunny Dawn Johnston, Jim Kenney, Christopher Largent, Stephen & Robin Larsen, Erik Larson, Rev. Dr. James Lawrence, Jerrol Leitner, Dr. Tiina Mahlmäki, Dr. Wayne Martindale, Rev. Robert McCluskey, Rabbi Dr. Jay Michaelson, Ron Miller, Dr. Raymond Moody, Dr. Avery Morrow, John Moulder, Dr. Bjarke Nielsen, Sarah Odishoo, Dr. Vadim Putzu, Paul Quinn, Dell Rose, Rev. Dr. Jonathan Rose, Ahmad Sadri, Kristen Schaffer, Ann McNamara Smith, Richard Smoley, Dr. Jason A.J. Storm, Edward Sylvia, Brother Wayne Teasdale, Dr. Alfred Thomas, Dr. Brandon Underwood, Pauline Viviano, Rev. Wilma Wake, John Wasik, Dr. Drake Williams
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