The Great Gospel of John
Volume 3
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 81 -
The Lord announces a solar eclipse.
But I said now, "Friends, our physical and spiritual midday meal has lasted almost four hours this time, and therefore it is time for us to rise from the table! We want to look out over the sea to see whether something might happen which is worth the attention of all of us!
2
At the same time I would like to point you to the fact that we will experience a total eclipse of the sun in half an hour. However, none of you need make anything of it; for such an eclipse happens quite naturally!
3
The moon, floating in the West at a distance of 98,000 hours [about 367.500 km] over the Earth, will move in a straight line across the sun as a massive, non-transparent body and thereby prevent the light of the sun falling on a part of this Earth; the total eclipse will only last a few moments; then the sun will show itself again over the edge of the moon and it will become lighter and lighter on the Earth. But during the full eclipse you will get to see the beautiful constellations of winter which one can otherwise never see in summer.
4
I am telling you this in order to take away all foolish fears at such events and to show you the full naturalness of such events; therefore have no fear when the event happens!
5
But at the same time we will discover three merchant vessels on the high seas; these must be brought on shore before the eclipse begins, because otherwise evil superstition will force the sailors to throw the very exceptionally beautiful and virtuous daughter of an honest Greek into the sea along with her father who is accompanying her.
6
For both of them are travelling to Jerusalem to see the temple and to become familiar with the religion of the Jews at its source, and for this purpose they are bringing with them on the three ships great treasures, which afterwards would fall into the thieving hands of the terrible Greek sailors as a good booty.
7
Therefore there is no time to lose; for the planets proceed unstoppably along their path according to their law. If one checked them on their course, great damaged would be caused for the Earth which a thousand years would not wear away; but if the three ships are brought with a somewhat miraculous speed to shore, no-one will suffer any damage thereby, instead a very great natural and spiritual gain will be shown for many of the poor of this area. Thus quickly now, get to work!"
8
Everyone hurries to the shore and places themselves along it in a continuous line. But I also have difficulties in this: for Cyrenius with his entourage, My twelve disciples and some who have been accompanying us for a long time - around sixty in number - the thirty young Pharisees and Levites among their spokesmen Hebram and Risa, the five with wise Mathael and the twelve with Suetal, Ribar and Bael press themselves towards Me and everyone wants, as much as is possible, to be very near to Me, while Ebahl with Jarah and Raphael with Josoe are in any case firmly beside Me and Jarah will not even let go of My tunic. Old Mark with his wife and children wants also to be very near to Me now, and so the lack of space in which I now find Myself is explicable. But Raphael soon puts everything into the best order, since in a moment he distributes the guests on the shore to comfortable places, but I board a ship with Cyrenius and old Mark and sail up and down close to the shore in the face of all the many guests, with which the guests and also My disciples quite agree.
9
But now the moon is drawing pretty close to the sun, and I call Raphael, saying, "You know what"s got to be done, so tarry no longer!"
10
And Raphael says, really for the sake of the guests, "Lord, all at once or over some time?"
11
I say, "After twelve moments, all at once!"
12
But the three ships are so far off that one could hardly notice them; it must have been around four hours" journey[14 km, 9 m] as the crow flies.