The Great Gospel of John
Volume 4
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi (cont.)
- Chapter 60 -
Zorel's criticism of morality and education.
Says Zorel: "Your words are sounding quite friendly, good and tender, and I'm convinced that you speak just as you feel it in your heart and that the matter will be true; but the question arises which teaching should I accept, under which luminous torch I can recognize this, what I regard now as the highest truth, as something utterly wrong! Two and another two together give four, this is a mathematical truth, and even from all heavens nothing can be said against it, and there can be impossibly another teaching, which could condemn this everlasting truth as a lie! If I am a superstitious fool to be able to accept, that the sum of two and again two together are equal to seven, then of course a change in believe would be possible with me; but with my current recognition this is completely impossible!
2
That somewhere there must be an intelligent, everlasting primordial power, from which at least their first regulation originated, can not be denied by whatever pure reasoning; since wherever there existed at one time two, before that there must also have been existed one. But how ridiculous and exceedingly silly is it not of the stupid, blind people, if they imagine the primordial power - which must be equally distributed and spread out through the whole of infinity, since it basic power is also be equally perceptible in the whole of infinity - to be a form, even a human form, yes, amongst others even a beastly form!
3
The Jews would, if they had been holding on to their primordial teaching, basically still have the most reasonable image of an general primordial power, which they call 'Jehovah'; since a sentence of them states: 'You should not imagine God in any form and even less so make a carved picture of Him!' But they have completely abandoned it and their synagogues and temple are full of pictures and ornaments and besides this they believe in the most ridiculous things, and the priests are punishing those of their followers, who do not believe the things they teach. They call themselves servants of God and therefore enforcing to be honoured tremendously; but in return they torment poor mankind with all kind of things which they were able to invent for such purpose. Should I, under such circumstances, become a Jew? No, forever no!
4
It is said, that they received the laws from God Himself, which He gave to them by their founding teacher Moses on the mountain Sinai. The laws are actually quite good, if they would serve everybody as an essential rule of life; but what good is it, if you most strictly forbid the poor people stealing and cheating, but yourself, sitting on the chair of magnificence, is robbing at each opportunity the slavishly subordinated mankind, steals and cheats them wherever possible, and does not have the slightest conscience in spite of the divine law! Tell me, in which light must appear such laws and guardians to a pure thinking person!
5
If a poor faun is coerced by need, to take from the abundance where he can find it to serve his own urgent need, with all extreme severity he will be held accountable and immediately punished over and over; but the law enforcer who robs, murders and cheats every day and at every opportunity, stands above the law, does not follow it in the slightest and by himself believes in nothing, except in his quite demanding temporal advantages! Can this be any divine institution, which stands in a too garish contradiction with the very small demands of poor mankind?! Which only somewhat pure reason can ever approve of it?!
6
What is pleasant to me that one does to me, this I also must think of my neighbour, that it also will be pleasant for him, If I do to him, what he regards in a modest manner that is pleasant for him! If I am stuck in need and poverty above my ears, have no money to even acquire the most basic needs, go, search and plea, not receiving anything from nobody in response to my pleadings and only in the end take what I need, - can any law condemn me for that?! Do I have no right at all to take ownership of something I really need, since certainly the strong forefathers did not commit any sin, by taking full possession of a whole country?!
7
Yes, if I would be stealing because I'm work-shy and continue to steal, than no reason could regard itself as offended, if I held be accountable for it; but if I take so to speak unlawful possession of something in extreme need, then even no God can and should hold me accountable, - not mentioning a selfish, weak person, who in some regard commits more injustices in one day than I am in a whole year! I do not want to make a downgrading remark against the property protection law; but in it's rigour it does not better and makes mankind more humane, but only harder and loveless!
8
The prison law to bring about order and morality, is equally very raw and coarse applied, without any regard for the nature, time and strength of people. Just think of it to what conditions - no matter if male or female - they are exposed to! Often no education at all, sometimes an education which is worse then no education! He often must take food and drinks which excites his blood quite severely; he often finds an easy opportunity to satisfy his mighty physical desire and also satisfies it. But the story surfaces, and he is punished as a sinner without any consideration, since he has transgressed a divine law.
9
O you fools including your divine laws! Why haven't you published a divine law, according to which a true and best education is catered for, and only then consider if any other following laws are necessary?! Isn't it unspeakable silly of a gardener who plants a straight row of trees and only then tries to bend the trees with all might and force, once the trees have grown for a few years and have become big, hard and unbendable?! Why didn't the silly gardener bend his trees during a time when it was still easy to bend them without any danger?! A God or even a person forming a mouthpiece of God, should first provide for a just and wise upbringing suitable for the moral nature of man, and only then provide wise laws, if the best educated person still needs it in any way!
10
O friend Zinka! You are a Jew and you are much more familiar with your teaching than I am; but what I know from it by coincidence, I can say nothing else to you other than what I already have told you, and from that you will recognize, that I certainly cannot depart from my recognition based on pure reason and mathematical principles, for the sake of a donation from the high Cyrenius. Under such swap conditions I reject any still so shining donation, become rather a beggar and spend the rest of my days on this earth in poverty; what afterwards nature will do with me, will be one and the same for a dead and someone returning to the old nothingness! You can speak now, Zinka, whether I am right or not right according to your view!"
11
Says Zinka: "Friend and brother Zorel! Basically I absolutely cannot disagree with you; but I must add, that there exists very peculiar things, of which you cannot even imagine the possibilities. If you start to comprehend them, only then you yourself will recognize, how much good and truth is contained in your current basic assertions!"
12
Says Zorel: "Yes, yes, right so; if you know something better, then bring me your arguments and I'm ready to answer you!"
13
Says Zinka: "That would be of little use to you and to me; however, turn to that man over there, of whom you say that he looks familiar to you! He will give you a right light, and you will immediately clearly start to recognize the truth or the opposite of your assertions!"
14
Says Zorel: "Good then, I will do it immediately and does not fear him; however, in me he will find a hard nut to crack!"