The Great Gospel of John
Volume 3
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 105 -
Explanation of the last three signs of the zodiac.
1
(Mathael:) "After the period of the scales came a pretty lethargic period. The herds devoted themselves more and more to rest, that is, they grazed, but they did no longer bop around the pastures as boldly as in the spring; the fruit trees as well no longer showed such activity as was the case in spring; the fields lay fallow, and so the people had also a certain rest from work. They would certainly have embraced doing nothing for much longer if the Lord of heaven and Earth had not urged them on in this lazy time with an extremely annoying insect whose home is mainly Egypt.
2
The scorpions began at the beginning of this period to show themselves everywhere and increased their number until the middle of this otherwise lazy period like flies in a dining hall. The sting of this insect is known to be not only very painful, but also very dangerous if one does not have the correct antidote to hand immediately after the sting.
3
But since the old Egyptians must have learnt only too well both the danger as well as the annoyance of this little animal, it was also not difficult to think of a means through which they could become at least in some ways master over this being. All sorts of deterent were tried; but they all together helped little, until they finally came upon the bark of a Nile plant, cooked it, and with its steam at least freed the rooms from this spiky scrounger. Also they dampened the bark of the mentioned bush, spread it on the floor and laid it in the beds, kept the spiky vermin away killing at the same time.
4
After this method to drive away and kill the insect they called the insect itself, which of course had previously no name, "scoro" (= bark) "pi" or "pie" (= drinks) "on" (= he).
5
With this name the descendents were made aware as if by a recipe through which means one could counteract this pest most effectively. Even nowadays we receive from Egypt, from Arabia and Persia a powder through which one can destroy not only the scorpion but also almost every very annoying insect without the least damage to human health; and this powder is made alongside other ingredients mainly from that ground bark. And now back to the main issue!
6
At the first appearance of the scorpions in this lazy time the sun entered a new constellation in the great circle and it was called after the annoying insect that was spreading most in this period and annoyed cattle and people. This sign has until now been given the least divine reverence, except that is always honored as a very effective old recipe against this annoying insect.
7
The lazy period ended with the destruction of the scorpions, as well as the thunder storms that often occur in Egypt in this period, for which the Egyptians always had a great respect; for they said, "The shot from Zeus is always faster and more accurate than the pitiful shots of people!"
8
Around the time after the scorpion all sorts of wild animals began to come down to the valleys from the mountains, among them all types of rapacious animals, although not of the very worst type.
9
This appearance forced people, and namely the men, to span their bows and set off on the hunt. Rabbits, hares, gazelles, small bears, badgers, foxes, panthers, a number of vultures and eagles, also crocodiles and the hippopotamus (old Egyptian "Je pa opata moz" = the horse of the Nile begins to exercise its strength), began to move, and thus there was no time to be lost for the hunt; there was also a very significant prize for the killing of as many crocodiles as possible.
10
It doesn't belong here to say how all sorts of hunts were carried out, instead it is enough just to know that in Egypt around this time there were all sorts of hunts, and we know everything that we need to know.
11
Around this hunting period the sun entered a new constellation again in the great zodiac, and it was called Sagittarius the archer, because this time provided the most work for the archer. The archer was given in time a sort of divine honor, but not too much, except for Apollo, who was also honored as a god of the hunt.
12
We are then finished with the archer and now come to Capricorn, actually the strangest of the signs in the whole zodiac! You see, an ibex, the inhabitant of the highest clifftops, shimmers in the southernmost parts of the great cycle! How did this inhabitant of the high mountains then get into the grat zodiac? I tell you, just like all the others, in a very natural way!
13
In this last period of the year all the wild animals search the valleys in order to find whatever food its nature demands.
14
The ibex was something too valuable for the Egyptians for them to let it enjoy its cheeky visit to the valley just like that! In short, all sorts of watches were set up as soon as the time began to draw near, in which this animal was discovered in earlier times more often grazing on the lonely fields and jumping around. As soon as one was noticed, after the signal was received everything that had legs was on his feet.
15
But it was no easy piece of work to catch such an ibex, and there were some ibex periods when no ibex were caught; but if several were caught in a good period, it was a positive triumph for the whole of Egypt! For everything about this ibex was a most wonderful medicine, and with just a little one could heal every illness, and the horns were the first and most valuable decoration for the king of Egypt himself, more than gold and jewels.Yes, in the antiquity the value of a Varaon was even juged by the number of ibex horns that even the high priests wore gilded ones on them as a sign of their high wisdom and highest power.
16
But since the ibex has such a high reputation for the Egyptians, as you can convince yourself even today in this country, it is more than understandable that the old Egyptians dedicated this period of time in which they had a visit from the ibex to the valuable animal, and then called it after the animal, as well as the constellation in which the sun entered in this period of time.
17
And now we have looked at all the twelve signs of the great zodiac in this way, and have found nowhere anything else but something very natural, and besides we have also seen how and in which way all the many pagan gods were created, and that there is nothing behind them but the very natural that we have just seen.
18
And so it will hopefully never be difficult in future to recognise the true God alone in the correct and truest light. Never has any fabricated divinity done anything of all the wonders that have been ascribed to it, and the few wise-seeming words that are supposed to have been said to the people by gods have been shoved into the mouths of the non-existant gods by the old wise men for the sake of greater weight.
19
But here are deeds to be seen and words to be heard which before have never been experienced in reality - and there we have finally reached the place where we can recognise the true God in completion. Helena and you too, old Ouran, tell us whether this explanation of mine about the zodiac was enlightening or not!"