The Great Gospel of John
Volume 4
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi (cont.)
- Chapter 169 -
Simon criticises the Song of Solomon.
I say to Simon: "Is your friend a great friend of Salomon? And what does he understands from the High Song? Tell Me how far you already have progressed with it!"
2
Says Simon: "Lord and Master of heaven and this earth! May I speak freely as my tongue has grown, then I talk with pleasure; If, however, I have to search for words, I'm completely shut up and nothing will come out!"
3
Says I: "Speak like your tongue has grown; since your jokes and humour originates from a good seed!"
4
Says Simon: "Ah, if so we will be able to say something! But of course it will not reach beyond my very simple mind; however, my opinion will not be unhealthy!
5
You, o Lord and Master has asked how far we have progressed regarding the High Song! Help, Elias, I haven't made any progress at all; since I would be sorry for the time lost! But Gaby already has memorized the whole of the first chapter. He still licks and chews at it and by times takes two cheeks full; but about the meaning of this chapter he knows just as much what I know about the deepest bottom of the sea. The best about it is, that the more one reads the first chapter of this song, the less one understands it! And if you finally has memorized it, one understands nothing at all!"
6
Says I: "Yes, do you also know the first chapter by heart?"
7
Says Simon: "He - droned it so many times to me, that unfortunately I also, to my biggest weariness, knows it word for word by heart! To talk to the Scythians (barbarian rider nation) is much more entertaining than listening to the High Song of Salomon. Who finds something in it must be child of very curios parents. I regard it as nonsense! As beautiful, true and good the Proverbs of Salomon are and also his sermons, just as silly and meaningless is his High Song. Who finds more in it than the work of a fool, apparently has a perfect sick brain!
8
For example what does it mean: 'He kisses me with the kiss of his mouth; since your love is lovelier than wine.' Who is 'he' and who is 'me' who kisses with the mouth of the equally unknown 'his'!? Does this 'he' also has other foreign mouths in his face? This must be quite a miraculous odd being!
9
The post-sentence of this first verse apparently seems to contain the reason for the desire expressed in the first part of the sentence; but there 'he' is referred to in the second person and one cannot be absolutely sure that under the expression 'your love', which is lovelier than wine, is meant the love of 'he'. And if you don't know who is 'he' and who is 'me', how should one know who is he, who's love in the second person is lovelier than wine?
10
By the way, with that, love is not really complimented, if one says it is lovelier than wine, without pre indication that the wine is especially delightful indeed. Since there exist also very wretched and bad wines! If however, love is only more delightful or lovelier than wine, irrespective its quality, then such love is truly not so special! Above all this chatting there surely might me some extraordinary meaning in it, but on this earth I never will find it.
11
To still add some more to the abundance of nonsense already shown, I want to stick the second sentence to the first, which reads as follows if my memory serves me right: 'That one smells your good ointment; your name is spilled ointment, this is why the maidens love you.' According to my understanding the second verse fits precisely the first one like a whole house on one eye! What is this ointment and to whom does it belong? Who should smell the ointment? How can somebodies name be a spilled ointment, and why should he especially of that be loved by the maidens? What are these maidens?
12
Therefore just go, great Salomon, with all your high wisdom! Just one word from You, o Lord, holds for me a thousand times thousand times greater value than all the high wisdom of Salomon! Now I already have said enough about Salomon! O Lord, I ask You, do not ask me any more about further verses, since they surpassing the Scythians by far!"
13
Says I: "Very well, My dear Simon, could you also recite to Me the admonishing words, which I spoke to those who did not wanted to leave the mountain because of the most beautiful morning, upon which words you stated that they surely would not contain any inner, spiritual meaning? If you still can remember them, recite them to Me once more!"
14
Says Simon with a somewhat embarrassed face: "O Lord and Master, if my memory does not deceives me, the few words were as follows: 'Below at the tables in the open the same morning is present like here on the mountain; on the short route below enjoy it, and below you will enjoy it twice as much. Our bodies need strengthening and therefore lets quickly go down below to the tables!' I believe that You, o Lord and Master, have spoken these words?!"
15
Says I: "Very good, My dear Simon! You have recited the sentence word for word absolute correctly. But what would you say, if I now say to you, that such spoken admonishing sentence is the same and regarded fulfilled, as the two verses of the High Song of Salomon which you have recited to Me?! Can you think of any possibility to this extend?"
16
Says Simon: "Before understanding this, I rather understand how this considerable lake will turn into the most flourishing dry land by tomorrow. Since what You, o Lord, has spoken on the mountain, was totally clear, and we all understood only too well what we, most pleasantly, had to do, namely going below cheerfully and sit at the tables to strengthen our bodies with a most well prepared morning meal! Who doesn't have understood this, must have been stone-deaf.
17
But who also understands the two verses of the High Song? According to the natural sense, as I have shown, they are utter nonsense! But if so, who can in all seriousness look for a highly wise, spiritual meaning therein? This appears to me as if I had to imagine that a dump idiot who is more animal than human, should be a wise Plato! By the way, - everything is possible, why not this?! I just state here as I feel it right now."
18
Says I: "Even the better; since the more impossibilities you find therein, the more marvellous you will experience the illumination afterwards: But it is also likewise miraculous that you and others with open eyes still cannot see and with open ears still do not hear! But lets leave it at that! Since you know the High Song so well, recite the third verse to Me as well, and I will be able to solve the inextricable riddle fully to your satisfaction!"
19
Says Simon: "O no, even the third verse?! Out of love for You, o Lord, I'm pleased to do everything You ask of me; but I can assure You that this nearly turns my stomach upside down!
20
The third verse is quite confusing. If my memory serves me right, the famous third verse reads as follows: 'Pull me behind you, and we walk! The king guides me to his chambers. We are rejoicing and are happy about you; we think more of your love than your wine. The devoted love you.'
21
There it is! Who can digest it, should digest it! If only at the start it would have said: 'Pull me behind you, and I walk!'; but in the after sentence it only says: 'and we walk!' Who is 'he' who wants to be pulled behind, and who are 'we' who walk?
22
'The king guides me to his chamber.' Which king, the everlasting or any temporary and worldly one? Nevertheless, this sentence is still one of the best.
23
'We rejoice and are happy for you.' Here I only want to know who are 'we', and who is he, that we should be happy about!
24
Further the certain strangers think about the equally unknown love more than the wine, about which it is also not said of which quality it is!
25
Who in the end is the highly unknown 'you', who should be loved by the devoted? O, the most undetermined of all manners of speaking!
26
What poorest fools are we humans on this earth! He starts with nothing, lives with nothing and finally ends with nothing. Even if he believes to understand something during his better and brighter periods of his life, but unfortunately gets in contact with the High Song of Salomon, the fool is fully made; since the moment a person is made attentive by another person through word or scripture, that his wisdom is absolutely limited, then the whole person has come to an end, which means, he still continues to live, but as a fool who is not able to understand and comprehend anything further! Once a person like me has come to this point, where he cannot go further, he turns around and begins to vegetate just like an animal. What for any further troubles for nothing and a thousand times nothing?!
27
Truly, Lord and Master, You have shown us during this night on the mountain things like no mortal human has ever seen on this earth. I now understand a great deal, but why do I not understand the wisdom of Salomon? Is it for no person at all not allowed to understand it, or is it actually - as it appears outwardly - a devote insanity, thus completely incomprehensible? Or are any secrets hidden therein, which are of the greatest importance for life?
28
If the one or the other, say it to me! - since only You I believe what You in all seriousness has to say about it; since You can understand the High Song if it can be understood in any way! But if the whole High Song is only a last Salomon wisdom scam, then also tell me, and I immediately will throw the High Song into a mud pool, so that its inhabitants can study the wisdom of Salomon!"