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 218 -
Agricola talks about the nature of the soul.
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(The Roman:) "See, the soul as a spiritual substance is completely a person, in figure as well as in all its limbs and components according to the body! And if this would not be so, she could not make the possible perfect use of its body. The hands of the soul are in the hands of the body, its feet in the feet of the body and so forth all parts of the soul in the corresponding parts of the body. If the body becomes ill, the soul is also present in the ill body parts and endeavours to heal such. If she does not succeed therein, she becomes inactive therein and the result thereof is, that such a body part becomes paralysed, nearly without feeling and thus inactive. This is a good and true teaching of all old and new psychologists. But the question is here how such wise found out about this secret. This question can be answered quite easily.
2
Firstly a sober thinker is guided by reason to it; for if the soul is the actual life principle of man in all his parts, it must be present in all parts of the body, since otherwise certain parts of the body would obviously not be alive and would be just as dead as the whole body is dead if the soul has left it. And as such the soul is, already based on the infallible reasons of a pure and healthy person, undoubtedly totally a person in spiritual substance and has its seat - nota bene - in the whole body.
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However, somebody could say: 'Yes, this sounds quite good; but where are the tangible proofs for it, which can only serve as long-lasting witnesses for the full truth of reason?'
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O, also such tangible proofs we have out of multiple experiences of all times, countries and nations! Firstly are valid those which of course one as a healthy and truth-loving person has experienced oneself, and then can the experience of many other people support one's own truth.
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The strange story from Saguntus in Hispania you know. The living spirit of my father was a complete man as he was during his bodily life on earth. This proves that he also as soul had to be in the body, namely a complete person with head, body, hands and feet.
6
However this is not the only experience in this field. When several years ago I had to travel to Egypt, I had a very strange experience: I was with most of these my companions in Sicilia to sail by ship to Egypt. In the morning we boarded our large and solid ship which survived already many storms. We all gave us fully devout and fervour over to the protection of the God of the Jews, which I became familiar with from your scriptures. When we wanted to depart, the ship could not be made afloat for whatever price. I immediately ordered a complete search, but nowhere anything could be found which could have prevented the ship to become afloat. Thereupon everything was mustered to make the ship leave the land, since it was floating in quite deep water; but all this was work in vain. I, with several of these my companions stood full of annoyed thoughts on deck, looked up and down and back and forth and down to the sea to perhaps find some reason, preventing our departure.
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I then suddenly saw a man dressed in white clothes walking up and down along the shore, with his eyes fixed on the ship and not leaving it out of sight. I called several of my colleagues closer to me and drew their attention to the figure on shore. They thought that this could perhaps be a shore magician, and one had to give him a sacrifice, so that he would release the ship. We therefore left the ship and went ashore to the figure, who waited with a steady look for us. When we arrived at the supposed to be magician, with a firm courage I asked the figure: 'You are holding my ship with your magic powers. For what reason? Do you require a sacrifice as redemption for the ship from us? Speak, since my trip to Egypt is urgent!'
9
Thereupon I asked the spirit: 'Who are you and what is your name?'
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And the spirit answered: 'I was your great-grandfather, a honourable Patrician and always just and good towards everybody and therefore also blessed, however not yet fully perfected. You will still experience great things on earth. If this happens, think of me, who made known to you such through the admission of the only true God!'
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Thereupon the spirit disappeared and we stayed on shore.
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Now, this was the spirit, seen by all of us, of a living soul of a body which has died already long ago and which is already completely destroyed. The soul did have a perfect human form and spoke clear audible words for my salvation and proved a power of its will, against which all our physical power disappeared into nothingness. This appearance is absolutely true and can be attested by most of my companions. - However, lets go over to another which we experienced in Upper Egypt!"