Chronology
1688 January 29, born Emanuel Swedberg.
1696 Emanuel’s mother, Sara Behm, dies June 17.
1697 Death of Charles XI.
1709 Graduates from Uppsala University. Publishes Selected Sentences
1710 First trip to London. George Berkeley publishes A Treatise Concerning the Principles of Human Knowledge.
1714 Finishes designs of various inventions, including a water clock and submarine.
1715 Publishes Ludus Heliconius, Festivus applausus and Camena Borea.
1716-8 Publishes the first issues of the scientific journal Daedalus Hyperboreus.
1718 Death of Charles XII.
1719 Family ennoblement and change of name to Swedenborg. Publishes The Motion and Position of the Earth and Planet and leaves unpublished a small work entitled On Tremulation.
1720 G W Leibniz publishes Monadology.
1721 Publishes Specimens of a work on the Principles of Natural Philosophy.
1722 Publishes Miscellaneous Observations, Pts 1, 2, 3 and 4.
1723 He is appointed extraordinary assessor on the Swedish Board of Mines.
1727 J S Bach composes St Mathews Passion. Death of Isaac Newton.
1734 Publishes his philosophical and scientific work The Principia and The Infinite The Final Cause of Creation/The Mechanism of the Operation of the Soul and the Body.
1735 Emanuel’s father, Bishop Jesper Swedberg, dies.
1738-40 David Hume publishes A Treatise on Human Nature. Swedenborg begins a study of the brain resulting in two large unpublished manuscripts entitled The Cerebrum and The Brain (1740-44).
1740-41 Publishes The Economy of the Animal Kingdom and drafts A Philosopher’s Notebook and Correspondences and Representations which he leaves unpublished.
1742 G F Handel composes The Messiah. Swedenborg writes three works, entitled Rational Psychology, Ontology and A Hieroglyphic Key, which he leaves unpublished.
1743 Buys a house and a plot of land in Hornsgatan, Stockholm.
1743-4 Writes his Journal of Dreams and The Generative Organs. First addressed by a spirit.
1744-5 Publishes The Animal Kingdom and The Worship and Love of God, parts 1 & 2.
1747 Resigns from the Board of Mines and begins an indepth study of the Hebrew Bible. He drafts a multi-volume study of the Old Testament entitled The Word Explained and a Biblical Index. He begins his Spiritual Diary which he continues for the next 20 years.
1749-56 Publishes his eight-volume biblical exegesis Arcana Caelestia.
1755 The Lisbon earthquake.
1757 Writes of a ‘last judgment’ in the spirit world. Birth of William Blake.
1758 Whilst in London, Swedenborg publishes Heaven and Hell, The Worlds in Space, The Last Judgment, The New Jerusalem and The White Horse.
1757-9 Swedenborg writes a six volume commentary on the book of Revelevation which he calls The Apocalypse Explained. He prepares it for the press but decides, for reasons still unknown, not to publish.
1759 Voltaire publishes Candide. Swedenborg makes a small study entitled The Athanasian Creed.
1762 Jean-Jacques Rousseau publishes Emile, or On Education.
1763 In Amsterdam he publishes The Doctrine of the Lord, The Doctrine of the Sacred Scripture, The Doctrine of Life, The Doctrine of Faith, Continuation on the Last Judgment and Divine Love and Wisdom.
1764 Publishes Divine Providence.
1766 Publishes The Apocalyspe Revealed. Immanuel Kant publishes his book on Swedenborg entitled Dreams of a Spirit Seer.
1768 Publishes Conjugial Love.
1769 Publishes The Interaction of the Soul and Body and Brief Exposition of the Doctrines of the New Church.
1770 Swedenborg makes an appeal to King Adolf Frederic regarding the controversy in Sweden surrounding Conjugial Love.
1771 In London he publishes The True Christian Religion. In the same year he suffers a stroke but partially recovers.
1772 Writes to John Wesley. On Sunday, March 29, Swedenborg dies.