The Childhood of Jesus
The Gospel of James
Biographical Gospel of the Lord
- Chapter 83 -
The Fear Of The Three Priests
WHEN THE MEAL was over and all had risen from the table, one of the priests went over to Joseph and asked him in deepest humility,
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'Uranus or at least Saturn as father of Zeus! For that you surely are incarnate, although you attempted to hide your divinity before us a while back in the city,
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which you did only to test whether we would actually recognize you or not.
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Only for a time did we fail to recognize you, and for that we ask your forgiveness of our great blindness.
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But the recent manner of speech of your Child has opened all our eyes and we now know exactly where we stand.
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So make us happy to the extent of telling us how we shall bring you a sacrifice, as well as to your divine wife and to your Child, who is surely the by your omnipotence self-rejuvenated Zeus!'
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Joseph was amazed at this sudden change in the three priests to whom, while they were still in the city, he had explained the false premise of their paganism clearly and quite comprehensibly.
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He therefore considered what he should answer them now. - Here the Baby wanted to be brought over to Joseph at once,
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and when He arrived there on the arms of James He promptly said to Joseph,
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'Leave these poor souls in peace, do not rebuke them, for they are blind and sleep and dream.
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Just keep them here for a few days, and My brothers will undoubtedly awaken them from their sleep and dream. When they will see that you pray to God yourselves, they will surely forget their Uranus, Saturn and Zeus!'
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These words put Joseph completely at his ease, and he at once offered to let the three priests live under his roof until some way of enabling them to earn a living would present itself.
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The three priests, hardly daring to breathe for sheer awe, dared all the less to refuse the offer, since they did not have the least idea what they should do next.
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They therefore accepted the offer, but among themselves they murmured,
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'Oh, if it were only possible to run away from here and hide in some remote corner of the earth, how happy we would be!
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But as it now is we must remain here in full view of the obviously main gods. Oh what anguish that is for us as those least worthy!'
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Cyrenius noticed this murmuring among the three, therefore went over and wanted to call them to account for it.
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But the Baby said, 'My Cyrenius, stay back, for it is not unknown to Me what is taking place in the three.
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Their plan is the product of their blindness and their foolish fear and concerns itself with nothing else than a flight from us into some most remote corner of the earth.
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See, that is all it amounts to, so you need not become concerned.
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Just leave the jurisdiction in this house to Me, and be assured that no injustice will be done to anyone!'
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Cyrenius was content with that and again went into the open with Joseph, while the three priests went into the room assigned to them.