THE GREAT GOSPEL OF JOHN
VOLUME 5
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus in the region of Caesarea Philippi. (cont.) Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 16
- Chapter 180 -
The soul's sight during the dream.
At this John says, "You see, friend Aziona, how things are beginning to clear up for you spiritually? For you have given your friend and neighbor Hiram a very perfectly correct explanation about the shining of his dream; for things are completely and exactly so! In a dream only the soul looks spiritually with its spiritual eyes and can therefore see only the spiritual "and so you have only been able to see us spiritually in advance, that is, not you, Aziona, but Hiram."
2
Aziona says, "But Hiram did not only see the light alone, but instead also the matter of the shapes as they are here! With which eyes did he see these?"
3
John says, "When we arrived today about three hours ago, you and another number of your neighbors were present; only Hiram was not there. When midday came, everyone hurried into these huts for the sake of a scant midday meal; only you remained to look after us. If Hiram had been among those who had received us here with you, you would have seen earlier how at times one can also see and perceive material forms with the spiritual eyes of the soul. But now that must be shown to you little by little; for it now depends on the old saying that Rome was not built in a day."
4
Aziona asks, "Yes, dear, wisest friend, but why would I have seen that earlier if Hiram had also been present at your arrival?"
5
John says, "Yes, you know, all that has its own very wisest ways! Hiram would have immediately recognized us as those whom he had seen in his dream of light, and then our conversation would certainly have immediately gone in another direction, and we would then obviously have got to talk about this point earlier. But now we have only come upon it later, and so for quite natural reasons you can also only get behind this secret only later!"
6
Aziona says, "Yes, that is certainly something quite natural; for everything in the world is so! The later one begins a task that demands a particular time period, the later one is finished with it!"
7
John says, "But there is another reason here that you cannot see so quickly yet; but with time however you will then see it clearly, only you have to above all acquire a little more patience! For only with patience can one finally conquer the whole world inside and outside of one's being."
8
Aziona says, "Patience, truly is not my weak point "for there was always a great lack of it; but if it must be so, then I can also be patient!"
9
John says, "You actually wanted to say that patience is not your strong side, but really only a very weak side for you, which soon and easily gives way, - isn't that true, my friend Aziona?"
10
Aziona says, "You don't need to seek appropriate knowledge of the language among us; for we speak only according to the only speech customs, and that is, as far as meaning is concerned, almost everywhere somewhat different. But because you have just spoken to us about strong and weak strings, I would almost like to think that you are also musicians and singers!"
11
John says laughing, "Yes, yes, you may not be incorrect; for music and songs have always been represented the strongest among the Jews of all the people of the Earth since all time, although we are actually neither musicians nor singers, as now appear very often among us in Galilee. Also I meant with the expression 'weak and strong side' not the strings of a musical instrument, but only the moral side of the human mind; but despite all that we are nonetheless also musicians and singers, but only quite deeply spiritually! Do you understand that?"
12
N.B. Here for the understanding of speakers of other languages it must be remarked that in the old Hebrew language the strings of a musical instrument and the sides of a person's character sounded very similar; for string was Strana, also Strauna, and 'side' was also called Strana, also Stran or Stranu, and therefore it is easy to understand why Aziona began to consider us to be musicians and singers. (Comment by J. Lorber)