The Great Gospel of John
Volume 4
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi (cont.)
- Chapter 128 -
The separation of the soul from the body at death.
Thereupon Mathael started to speak and his words sounded as follows: "Dear friends and brothers, I do not know how I came to it, that by times from my earliest onwards I could see spirits and could even talk to them, what then also was a main reason why I in fact stepped into the walls of the temple; since I was told that therein the spirits who became quite tiresome would not have any power over me anymore, and that from then on I also would not see them again. Now, this was correct and quite in order; because when I dressed myself with the consecrated clothes of the temple, my seeing of spirits came to an complete end! How and why I cannot say; but it is completely true and correct.
2
Although I have been freed from this plague by the walls and the clothes of the temple, the spirits still knew how to revenge themselves in another manner. My subsequent dreadful state of being possessed was surely a sorrowful result of it! Anything further about my extremely unfortunate state is known and I do not have to waste a single word about it. But from my earlier state of seeing spirits I still remember a few occurrences, and if I tel you my new friends and brothers now a few events, I think that at least at this occasion I can serve you with a small service.
3
When I was about seven or already eight years old, five people suddenly died of a plague-like epidemic; it was the neighbours wife, two of the elder daughters and two otherwise absolutely healthy maidens.
4
It was however strange that from this unusual epidemic only grown up and otherwise absolutely healthy maidens and women died. When in the neighbours house the wife became ill, while the day before already the two daughters and the two maidens died, the neighbour came full of desperation and grief to us and imploringly asked us help him to, if possible, save his wife from death; for my father, who owned quite a nice property nearby Jerusalem and who also lived there most of the time, was also a doctor during emergencies, and it therefore was more a kind of duty, to follow the call of the unfortunate neighbour. That I was not allowed to stay at home you will easily gather from the circumstances, that I not very seldom gave my father quite good remedies, since my spirits not seldom trustingly revealed them to me.
5
My father was very confident that I will meet with spirits in the house of the neighbour, who will tell me something to cure the critically ill neighbour's wife, and so I was nolens volens (meaning: if I wanted to or not) taken along. My father was not mistaken; I actually saw a lot of spirits - surely a mix of good and bad ones. But with the recommendation of a curing remedy there was nothing happening this time round; since a great spirit dressed in a light grey pleated dress, said to me, when I approached him about a cure on request of my father: 'Look at the person who passed away! Her soul already rises above the pit of her chest, which is the usual exit of the soul from the body!'
6
I now had a closer look at the dying person. From the pit of the chest a white smoke rose, increasingly expanded above the pit of the chest and also became increasingly denser; but I could not see anything about a human form. When I looked at it questionably, the light grey large spirit said to me: 'Just look how the soul leaves her earthly residence forever!' But I said: 'Why does this parting soul has no form, while all of you who are also souls, have very proper human forms?' Said the spirit: 'Just wait a little; when the soul has left the body completely she will collect herself properly and will then become quite beautiful and friendly to look at!'
7
When I saw the mist still expanding and condensing above the pit of the chest of the ill person, the body was still alive and groaned now and then like someone who is plagued by a heavy dream. After about the quarter of time of a roman hour, the mist, the size of a twelve year old girl, floated about two spans above the dying body of the woman and was only connected to the pit of the chest by a finger thick column of vapour. The column had a reddish colour, became longer and shortened again; but after each elongation and shortening this column of vapour became thinner, and the body entered into a visible painful convulsions.
8
After about two roman hours of time, this column of vapour became completely free from the pit of the chest and the lower end looked like a plant with many root fibres. In that moment when the vapour column was completely separated from the pit of the chest, I observed two appearances. The first consisted of the complete dying of the body, and the second, that the very white misty vapour mass transformed within a moment into the well-known wife of the neighbour. She immediately clothed herself with a white, pleating rich shirt, greeted all the surrounding friendly spirits, but also asked pertinently where she is right now and what happened to her; she was also quite amazed about the nice area where she was now.
9
But from the area I couldn't see anything. I therefore asked my large light-grey where this nice area could be seen. And the spirit said: 'You cannot see this from your body; since it is only a product of the life imagination of the person who passed away and will only later change into a larger and more permanent reality!' With these words I was putt off and the spirit started to speak in a tongue completely foreign to me; but he must have said something very pleasant to the now free soul because her face became very joyful.
10
But it was odd to me, that the now free soul apparently did not worry at all what has happened to her earlier body; she immediately conversed quite well with the spirits, - but everything in a very foreign tongue. After a while also the two daughters and the two maidens who passed away were guided to her and greeted her former mother and mistress in a most friendly manner, - but not as if the first two were her daughters and the other two were her former service maidens, but as real, true, good friend and sister, and this in a foreign and completely incomprehensible tongue to me. But no one looked like if worrying in the slightest about their former body which certainly is kept in honour; it also seems that they do not see anyone of us mortals.
11
Though strange, that the soul of the just passing away woman, immediately after the exit from the body, still expressed her amazement about the beautiful surrounding in Hebrew; but after she has so to speak collected and condensed herself more, she made use of a language, which, according to my poor knowledge is not spoken on the whole earth and among all its mortal people.
12
I therefore turned again to my light-grey and asked him: 'What is it the five new arrivals in your kingdom are talking about and in what tongue?'
13
Said the light-grey: 'What a curious boy you are! They are talking for the sake of you in this specific spirit tongue, because they do not want to be overheard by you; since they know and feel it quite accurately, that you are here as someone who can see and speak to the spirits from his body just like a Burmese from High-India. They also know and feel it that their bodies are still here; but it does not concern them more as an old shirt to you which you have, as totally shredded, thrown away. You could now show them all the kingdoms on earth with the prospect of a life full of health for a thousand years, they would still never return to their bodies! But this what they are talking about you would not understand, even if it was in your tongue; since they now see in this very moment, that the great promised One is already as a person on the physical world, although only as a tender child. If you are a man, you will recognize Him in Galilee.'
14
This was all the information which the light grey quite courteously and friendly revealed to me. This was certainly a very memorable occasion, which I have seen as a boy at that time just as true and vividly as I see you all right now; and that the light-grey did not tell me any untruths, the proof lies therein, that I now have found You, o Lord, actually in Galilee, just like the light-grey have told me.
15
I just want to know a little more why the soul during the moment of separation rises as a mist from the pit of the chest, and why not as a fully developed human form. - Lord, You most loving, You wisest Master of all life, could You give us an explanation about it?"