The Great Gospel of John
Volume 6
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and the Priests of the Temple (John 5)
- Chapter 37 -
The wise men from Persia.
The innkeeper hurried into the kitchen and everything was already well prepared. It was served straight away, and we ate and drank very cheerfully.
2
But the other guests, who had come as travellers partly from Galilee, Greece, Samaria, partly from other countries, to seek accommodation here for the night, - because the innkeeper was known as a very reasonably priced man and also possessed a large accommodation building -, learned that I, about whom they already heard so much, also resided in this inn. They therefore asked the innkeeper's servants whether they could see Me. Hence one of the servants came to us and passed this on to the innkeeper, who was discussing many a thing with us.
3
But the innkeeper said to the servant: "I can say neither yes nor no; for this Lord is the only Lord, and only what He desires can happen!"
4
But I said to the innkeeper: "Among the travellers are four magicians from Egypt, but born in Persia close to the border with India. Three of them are chief magicians and already of advanced age, but the fourth is only an apprentice. They indeed have a large entourage, which however stays mainly at inns in other areas; but here they have only the necessary personal servants. Well, you can let these four magicians, who have been doing their art for many years now in Egypt, come in, and we will examine them to see what their spirit is all about."
5
The innkeeper went into the room where the magicians were and told them that I allowed them to come to Me.
6
The magicians were very happy at this, in that they had already heard so many things about Me even beyond the border of Canaan. They immediately rose and hurried to Me, led by the innkeeper. When they arrived in our room as respected elders, they bowed deeply and greeted us politely according to their custom. Since they were familiar with the Hebrew language, they could also be well understood by all the disciples.
7
I said to them straight away: "I am He, whom you all would like to get to know better; but now sit down with us and we will converse a little closer!"
8
The magicians took a seat at our table and I asked them: "Now tell Me quite openly what sort of arts and magic you perform; then you shall learn from Me everything that I do! Perhaps we can then be mutually quite useful!"
9
At this the magicians bowed and one magician said: "Master, this is our oldest and wisest, his name is Hahasvar (later Caspar = Protector of the stars), he will speak for us! He is already three times thirty years old. I, the speaker, am now only eighty and him beside me is seventy full years old, and in the stars it is written that each of us must live another thirty years from now. My name is Meilizechiori (later Melchior = I have the vision or the knowledge to measure time), and the name of this my neighbour is Ou Li Tesar (later Balthasar = invoker or coercer of wills). The fourth among us is young and has no particular name, since he is still a scholar. Now may our elder speak!"
10
Now the oldest man began and said: "We three were here once before thirty years ago and have travelled a long way from the far-off eastern lands; for we were awakened by a particular star, and in the writings of the stars it is written: 'Deep in the west a new king has been born to the denigrated people of God. His body's mother is a virgin and has never been touched by a man; for the child in her was conceived by the great power of God, and his name will be great among all the peoples of the earth, and he will found a kingdom and rule in it eternally as the most all-powerful king. And lucky are they who will live in his kingdom; for death will have no power over them any longer!'
11
When we read such, we got up, followed the course of the star and genuinely found a very miraculous new-born child in Bethlehem, and indeed in an old sheep stall, and sacrificed to him our gifts. We wanted to go back to our own land through Jerusalem again, as promised, but were warned in a dream by a bright spirit to take another path home and not betray the new-born king to the evil prince. We did exactly this. What happened afterwards to that wonder child we could not find out despite all our investigations.
12
We heard from old people that a child massacre had been ordered by the old, cruel Herod in Jerusalem because of that new-born king, whereby all boys of 1-12 years (should read 1 - 2 years) were killed with the sword; but the parents had taken flight to Egypt with the wonder boy at the right time and had thus escaped the cruelty of the wild prince. We however searched for several years in Egypt for the same child and king but could not find out the slightest.
13
Only quite recently did we learn in Memphis, Egypt that a great miracle-worker had risen in Galilee, who had performed signs and deeds that had never been heard of on this earth, and at the same time giving such extremely wise speeches, against which all the greatest wise men of the earth simply had to fade away into the dust. Many believed and therefore considered him to be apparently God Himself, because otherwise his deeds and actions would be quite inexplicable.
14
Upon such news we came either here to Canaan or to the whole of the Jewish lands in order to meet such a most extraordinary person, and indeed for two reasons: firstly, to personally convince ourselves about all this, and secondly, in order to find out whether this man is not the same child born in Bethlehem.
15
Indeed the famous miracle-worker is still not yet a king - but that doesn't matter at all; for we are only wise men, astrologers, also very extraordinary magicians in the eyes of blind humanity through our knowledge of the forces of nature and therefore also kings with land and many people beyond Persia in the wide highlands and have no enemy to fear, since every neighbourly prince respects us and has the greatest reverence for our secret power. And yet our power is only a very natural one, which every man could learn; how much more then must the so famous man of the Jewish lands be a king, who simply through his will can destroy mountains and cliffs, raise the dead to life and command the elements!
16
We arrived in this area already this morning and asked after the man, and they said that he had been here not long ago, and that in a short time he would come back again. And now late in the evening it went from mouth to mouth in the house that the famous man had arrived with his disciples.
17
Now, Master, you can well imagine with what curiosity we all began to glow, to see in you that man about whom we have heard so many wonderful things, and then also to ask you in deepest modesty whether you are that wonderful child who was born in Bethlehem."