The Great Gospel of John
Volume 4
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi (cont.)
- Chapter 46 -
Zorel asks for permission to leave without hindrance.
After thinking a little Zorel says: "High ruler! If you already claim in advance to believe rather one of your proven fortunetellers than hundred-thousand others witnesses, then I really want to know, for what will it be good that I give you in any case a mania-witty answer from my side! Against your unchangeable believe based on whatever reasons, it is impossible to provide you with any rebutting evidence. In addition you hold the great power in your hands! Who could start to argue with you?!
2
What use is it to me if I most convincingly tell you, that this is not the case? You will introduce the fortuneteller to me, who will again tell me in my face what you already have told me, and I will be left sitting with my reply in the puddle of all puddles. In short, with your over-one-hundred-thousand-believe, nothing further can be done, than to let you keep it good-naturedly; since you still will believe the fortuneteller more than one-hundred-thousand proofs put by me to you! To such pre-assertion I can say nothing else than: High ruler, forgive me that I have approached you!
3
By the way, I still stand by my principle that single ownership protected by sharply sanctioned laws is a thousand times worse for human society than a free communal property! I already have expressed my reasons for this real Pandora's box, and therefore does not require to repeat them. Only this I add to it, that in future, because of a tiresome must of the outer, raw power, I will let go the practise of my principle!
4
Indeed, I do not see any good for poor mankind regarding ownership protection laws, which is basically the biggest irrationality; but what can a single person, wrapped in the most wretched rags, do, against hundred-thousand times hundred-thousands?! Even by legal ownership, smaller evils within communal ownership may be used as an argument based on the fact that every evil brings also some good with it; but the argument of smaller evils does not stand in any relation with the horrors which arise and must arise out of the undermined single ownership system!
5
I therefore have finished speaking. Under the given circumstances I certainly cannot expect anything good, and therefore it will be better, with your merciful approval, that I leave. But only with your approval! According to the like true appearing accusations against me and known to the gods, of which you will be full of from your fortunetellers, I'm standing as a criminal before you; and they must be punished before releasing them again. The law must be satisfied with the blood of a poor beggar, before giving him his freedom again!
6
If I stand according to your perceptions as a punishable criminal before you, then punish me immediately, and then give me my freedom or death! It doesn't matter to me anymore, because I stand completely defenceless before you; you Romans are and will be dry knights of the law, and nobody can protect his reason and his need against the revenge of your laws! Say, high ruler, may I, as I have come, depart again, or must I wait here for a punishment imposed on me?"