The Great Gospel of John
Volume 4
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi (cont.)
- Chapter 160 -
Cyrenius' concerns about the earthly system of soul development.
Says Cyrenius: "Lord, You the only wise and just, regarding this story, it is totally clear to me; since I see this truly divine work of art created by You in its natural progression of creation, I see Your everlasting order and also see, that within this order all things are possible for You. But one thing which keeps me seriously in the dark, and I can think whatever I want, but it does not want to become brighter in me.
2
I still do not understand why our human soul, before becoming a fully intelligent human form, must exist completely divided in thousand times thousand plants, yes, even minerals and in more than that number animals. Before becoming a perfect human soul, it must freed by lightening and rain from rocks - and who knows from what else - so to speak be broken loose by fire and then be washed out?! Afterwards this soul migration and soul amalgamation story continues boringly enough through the whole plant- and animal world, and finally it has the honour, as a stronger becoming human soul, to be slaughtered in at least twenty oxen and alongside also in about one-hundred sheep, calves and donkeys?! This is what we Romans call a Doctrina dura (a hard lecture).
3
Would it then not be possible for God to immediately create a perfect human soul and then to clothe it with flesh and blood? What for such a boring progress? There, look at our Raphael! What is he lacking for a perfect life?! What are we patched up souls against him?! Does he not have in his small finger more power and wisdom than we are in our whole body composed of legions?! I do not want to see the destruction of a thousand legions of the best soldiers; in one moment he would crush them all to dust! This I call life perfection! Can it be given to him by You, why not to a human soul?! Or was it also for his spirit as a former soul necessary to have gone through this immense journey of who knows how many levels? This, o Lord, is my dark side! Give me also therein sufficient light, and I will not bother You furthermore with such a silly question!
4
In your Moses it says: 'And God the Lord made man from the earth's clay, and blew him a living breath into his nose. And so man became a living soul.' According to these of course quite misty words - if one can take them as they are written - did You as God indeed blew man an already perfect soul into his nose, and the whole man would then be according to Your image become an already perfect soul. However, there the one is lightless as the other. Therefore I ask You, give us all just a little emergency light in this regard!"
5
Says I: "Yes, My dear friend Cyrenius, when here and there your memory starts to fail you, I can't help it; since this, what you want to know now, I already have at great length explained to you quite some time ago! You just have forgotten about it; I will awaken your memory a little, and everything will become illuminated to you!"
6
Says Cyrenius: "Yes, yes, Lord, You are always right! I am already completely in the clear now; on this mountain and in this night everything has been explained to us to the last detail, when we by the magic light of this certain light ball saw everything floating in front of us, namely the manner of creation and even the outflow of Your thoughts and ideas, their endless diversity and even our very own thoughts in the form of fiery tongues and little tongues! Yes, yes, all this we have not only already heard, but also properly seen!"