The Great Gospel of John
Volume 6
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord on the Mount of Olives (John Chapter 8)
- Chapter 210 -
The Pharisees' doubts about the Lord as the Messiah.
Said thereupon one of the pharisees with a strongly embarrassed voice: "All this is quite extraordinary and never heard before, that a person ever has performed such deeds! But we also have seen other magicians who also have produced incomprehensible things, - if by natural means or with the help of assisting spirits, we are not able to assess. And as such also this man can possess secrets, which he made his own through his great talents and which he will tell nobody. Before one can accept such a person as a God, one has to examine many things, actually everything to see with whom you are dealing with. I do not deny the possibility that he can be the real Messiah; but to accept it without a proper examination, is a doubtful thing.
2
With us Jews exists a law according to which there only exists one God in which we have to believe and we do not should have any foreign gods next to Him. If we also accept him as a God, what happens then to the old law? Then we must believe in two gods, first in a visible God who is here close to us and then in an invisible God, about it says that no mortal can see Him and stay alive.
3
You Romans have it much easier with your multi god teaching. In total you have many thousand gods which you honour, and then it really doesn't matter to add another one to your memory and the Olymp and the Pantheon. However, with us Jews this is sky high different. We can only imagine the coming Messiah as a mighty prophet, an exponential version of Moses or Elias, who, alongside His spiritual power of a high-priest, has also the power of a king, like once David possessed; but that the promised Messiah is either the old Jehovah Himself or at least a true son of Him, is for us Jews, bound to the old law, despite the truly great signs which he effectuates before our eyes, a difficult matter to accept.
4
He of course says, that everyone who believes in him will have the everlasting life; but then the old Jehovah should also say something and indicate, that this Nazarene is truly His Son, and should lift the old exceedingly tedious law, and we will pleasingly believe in two Gods instead of one. But such does not take place, at least not before our eyes and ears, and thus for the time being we have no other choice than stick to the old law."
5
Said the Roman: "Factually you now have spoken quite well; but we Romans know it just too well, how much you think about the old law. You are only interested in what you earn from your God teaching and your temple; your Jehovah together with Moses and the other prophets everyone of you sells them for a few pounds of gold and silver! If it was not so, you would not hate and pursue the Samaritans because they do not accept your new doctrine and staying putt with Moses and the old prophets!
6
Look, we are Romans, but in Rome we know about all the circumstances in our Asian countries! And as such we know exactly that in front of the people you are indeed pro forma priests, but in truth you are atheists, even worse than our Cynics and Epicureans. You believe in no God at all and therefore are always ready to commit the most gruesome crimes against every civil and even more every divine law. If you would not fear our strictest and relentlessly executed worldly laws, long since everyone had to fear for his life from you.
7
That you do not want to accept this true God-man as this what He truly is, has nothing to do with your Jehovah nor your Moses, but only the fear that you might loose your reputation and your good earnings. In your unscrupulousness you are very glad that you have rid yourselves of every little spark of believe in a God! Now suddenly you want in all seriousness begin to believe in a God again, - what might be for your deaf conscience a quite uncomfortable experience! Quite seriously, stay away from it! There is only one thing which you cannot be indifferently about, and this apparently consists of the fact that now so many people believe in this true God-person, and that thereby they become wise and informed and thus must eventually turn their backs on you. And to this I want to say to you: Hinc ergo illae lacrimae? (Hence those tears! Which means: This is thus the reason!). According to my clear mind, I now have told you the fullest truth; but you still can do what you want!"
8
Upon this vigorous speech of the Roman, which I, quite easily recognizable, placed onto his tongue, one of the two stubborn pharisees was completely taken aback and from all the annoyance he did not know what to answer the Roman.
9
But then another who was more faithful and secretly started to believe in Me, said to the Roman: "Dear friend! You have judged us a little too harshly! I do not want to deny that are perhaps some among us who are as you have described them; but I and several others do not belong to them. We still believe firmly in the old Jehovah and in the prophets! We, however, did not invented and made the new doctrines; but we still have to uphold them since they are there. We are of the opinion that they could not have originated, if Jehovah would not approve of them; for during the old times the priests were not allowed to change the old laws. And if somebody dared, the punishing rod with the prophet who announced it, was already there. But all this lies deep in the past. God therefore must have approved the new doctrines of the temple, because to our knowledge He did nothing and also did not send us an acceptable prophet.
10
Now, the Galilean might of course be decorated with all signs of a prophet, and we also would accept him as such, when he as that what he is, would not have risen from Galilee. The same was also the case with John the Baptist. His speech sounded very much like that of a real prophet; but otherwise he was a arch Galilean, and as such we as scripture believers could not accept him as a true prophet. It is however true that both are not born Galileans, but are born in Judea; but the scriptures do not regard the place of birth but only indicate the place of rise of a real prophet. Since it says that from Galilee no prophet will rise, we cannot as easily as you are accept them as real and true prophets. And you cannot be cross with us if we say that we still have to check a few things, before accepting the Nazarene as a prophet. Only then we will see how it stands with the Messiah. You said it yourself that you Romans first examine everything and only then keep what is good! Are we wrong when following your wise advice?"
11
Said the Roman: "O, certainly not! But there is nothing left which requires to be examined anymore, but there only rules the fullest and most infallible truth, which only a too great blindness cannot notice, since the blind also cannot see the midday sun.
12
We Romans and Greeks do not belong to the so very gullible people and have a lot of astuteness, to examine a person, who produces something extraordinary, in every aspect. We are also knowledgeable in the sphere of magic, and the Egyptian as well as the Indo-Persian secrets are not foreign to us; but works as performed by this Man, and His words and teachings, were never before performed and spoken by any person. And these are for every free thinking person sufficient proofs to tell him: 'See, here is not a person anymore, but a God, to whom we are obliged to pay the highest respect!' Then it is not enough anymore that one only believes, but one has to come, see and worship and love the unmistakable God!
13
But the truth can only be recognized by him, in whom the truth is at home beforehand; however, in whom is not this light of the soul, can also not recognize this light just like you are. You want to examine the works and teachings of this God-man?! And we Romans are asking you with what do you want to do this. Who wants to examine, must first educate himself in all kinds of knowledge and skills thoroughly. But from where could you have ever taken such knowledge? In your rusted temple certainly not, - and otherwise you have not travelled far, where you could have learned something good, useful and thoroughly. Your old scriptures you do not understand and your new writings are not worth one cent. But is there anything else you know?! If you then do not know anything further, how and with what do you want to examine this God-man? Admit it to yourselves, that we Romans read you like a book!"