The Childhood of Jesus
The Gospel of James
Biographical Gospel of the Lord
- Chapter 84 -
The Mythology Of Ostracine
WHEN THEY ARRIVED in the open, Joseph and Cyrenius began to discuss several things among themselves, while Mary in the meantime took care of the Baby in the house
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and the sons of Joseph concerned themselves with looking after the chores around the house, wherewith the servants of Cyrenius rendered them various services.
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After several discussions of lesser importance between Joseph and Cyrenius accompanied by Maronius Pilla, an important point came up for discussion, which was initiated by Cyrenius and was as follows,
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'Worthy friend and brother! See, the city and the whole large domain which also comes under the jurisdiction of the city surely amounts to eighty-thousand people.
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Among them there are only very few of your belief and your religion.
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For thousands of years according to my knowledge they were more or less confirmed worshipers of idols.
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They have all of their pagan temples in this age-old city, of which the myth says that it was built at the time of the war of the gods with the Giants of the Earth, and that Zeus himself had it built as a symbol of the victory over these Giants of the Earth.
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Mercury had to gather the bones of the Giants and sink them in the sea, which is how this land is supposed to have come into being.
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Over these Giant-bones Zeus is then supposed to have let it rain sand and ashes and now and then large and heavy stones.
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Thereupon Zeus is said to have ordered the old Ceres that she should make this land fruitful and in its center build a citadel and a city not too far from the sea as a sign of the great victory.
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Zeus himself would then bring forth from the earth a people which would inhabit this land and this city for all time to come.
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'From this my story you can easily see that this people, probably like no other on the face of the earth, is still of the unshakable opinion that it inhabits the city which the gods themselves have built,
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for which reason you always see these terribly rundown dwellings, since no human being dares to make any repairs on the work of the gods so he will not commit a sin against them.
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As something quite out of the ordinary the old Ceres, assisted by Mercury and Apollo, is supposed to have built the temples with her own hands. -
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That is the myth and at the same time the so far unshakable faith of this otherwise good-natured people, which despite its poverty is very hospitable and exceptionally honest.
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But what is to be done here if this people should demand the reconstruction of the temples?
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Should one rebuild the temples for it or not, or should one convert it to your doctrine?
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And if one does that, what will the neighboring peoples who also visit this city on occasion say to that, since it has been all the more of a ruin than an actual city for a very long time?'