fulfilling all things of the Word concerning Himself in Moses and the
Prophets. For while every man is his own good and his own truth, and man
is man on no other ground, the Lord, by the assumption of a natural Human,
is Divine Good itself and Divine Truth itself, or what is the same, He is
Divine Love itself and Divine Wisdom itself, both in Firsts and in Lasts.
Consequently the Lord, since His advent into the world, appears as a sun
in the angelic heavens, in stronger radiance and in greater splendor than
before His advent. This is an arcanum which is brought within the range
of the understanding by the doctrine of degrees. The Lord's omnipotence
before His advent into the world will be treated of in what follows.

222. THERE ARE DEGREES OF BOTH KINDS IN THE GREATEST AND IN THE LEAST
OF ALL CREATED THINGS.

That the greatest and the least of all things consist of discrete and
continuous degrees, that is, of degrees of height and of breadth, cannot
be illustrated by examples from visible objects, because the least things
are not visible to the eyes, and the greatest things which are visible
seem undistinguished into degrees; consequently this matter does not
allow of demonstration otherwise than by universals. And since angels
are in wisdom from universals, and from that in knowledge of particulars,
it is allowed to bring forward their statements concerning these things.

223. The statements of angels on this subject are as follows: There can
be nothing so minute as not to have in it degrees of both kinds; for
instance, there can be nothing so minute in any animal, or in any plant,
or in any mineral, or in the ether or air, as not to have in it degrees
of both kinds, and since ether and air are receptacles of heat and light,
and spiritual heat and spiritual light are the receptacles of love and
wisdom, there can be nothing of heat and light or of love and wisdom so