The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 179 -
The dream of the village priest.
We wanted to, just like other times, put ourselves to rest immediately after the meal, but this time it did not work out completely as we wanted, because a few people from the village came to us, asking if they could talk to me. Among them there was also our priest of the village who served in a small temple of Apollo and Zeus, and besides that he had to observe the hours of the day, the planets, the galaxies and also the winds according to which he made certain necessary predictions.
2
That priest was already a gray haired person and never had wife or children, for he had sworn a lifelong chastity to his gods, so that in return for that, they would give him deep wisdom in all things which he carried out continuously with great zeal. He was the first who immediately asked all kinds of question to me, of course in relation to the second appearance of the little cloud of light, because the first time it did not strike him particularly, for he thought that perhaps I had accomplished this white light with the help of the known Indian lightning material. But since he unmistakably heard several times during the day how the little cloud had come above our tower house on the mountain, the appearance of today did not give him any rest and he felt an urge to come to me on the mountain, together with still a few of the most important fishermen and port supervisors.
3
Thus, when he came to me, he said: 'Friend Kado, what is going on with that little cloud that appeared now already twice at the same time? I heard different things today here and there, but I did not attach much importance to it because I already heard so many things about all kinds of light making methods, of which our ancestors were very well capable. But because the appearance of yesterday repeated itself today at the same time and still in a much more noticeable way, it did not give me any more rest. That is why I have come to you to hear more about it from you. In name of our Zeus and Apollo, be so kind to tell me the truth, which you will certainly know better than I, because the appearance seemed to have chosen your mountain house in particular to show itself.'
4
Then I said to the priest: 'Look, there is my old, loyal servant, and he is more experienced in those things than I. Ask him, then he will give you the best explanation.'
5
Then the priest asked his question to the servant, and he related to the priest very openheartedly for a full hour of what he knew, and did also not forget the extremely important words that we all heard from the cloud of light.
6
When our old priest had listened to all that with a truly great respect, he said: 'That is truly extremely extraordinary and therefore also very memorable. There is no doubt that the gods had a more close contact and association with the people before than during this time in which the people have almost completely turned away from them, and even with the few who still have some faith, it is still no real living faith, but only a faith out of habit. And so, in our entirely depraved world and time it is now without any doubt true that the always good and wise gods have again taken care of the people to bring them again on the right and true way of life, because all wise men on the whole Earth would not have been capable of that anymore.
7
But now at this opportunity I must give an account of a remarkable dream, which I received last week in the same manner 3 days consecutively, and more precisely, so to speak, always at broad daylight. After my morning observations of the stars and the winds, the movement of the clouds and the sea, the fishes and also the birds in the sky, which always have to be done a couple of hours before sunrise, I also used to lay down for a couple of hours on my good resting bed and had to rest for a while after my work and efforts, for I am already an old man and am more quickly tired. And when I, as said, went to rest on the mentioned 3 days in the morning, I slept in immediately and had the following dream that was the same 3 times consecutively:
8
I found myself to be on an immense spacious plain. It was adorned with a lot of temples for all kinds of gods, at different distances away from each other. Beneath that, I saw all our known god temples, but also a lot of others that belonged to peoples and nations and that were totally unknown to me. I looked at them with pleasure, although the whole environment was only illuminated as with us on a more or less very gray winters day when a thick rain fell down to the ground from the dark gray clouds. Except of myself, I did not see anyone, which after a while gave me a somewhat gloomy impression, and I asked Zeus and Apollo to let me meet a person.
9
Upon that, a man, who looked like a Jew, came to me and said seriously: 'O you old fool, why do you pray so senselessly to gods who have never existed and will never exist? Pray rather in spirit and in truth to the One, true God of the Jews, then will be given to you what you ask for.
10
Look, all these temples with their dead gods made by human hands will soon be wiped away from the Earth, and only one living temple will remain for the one and only true living God, and this temple will now be established by God Himself among the Jews and the gentiles and among all nations on Earth. This temple will let its light shine like a sun over the whole Earth, and those who will be permeated by its light will receive eternal life and will be called children of the supreme One. But I will show you now a spark of that light of that temple, and all these temples will be changed into dust and ashes by the power of this little spark.'
11
Upon this, he took a little book out of a little pocket that he carried on his chest, opened it and I saw therein the words: 'He who in his heart believes in Me, will have eternal life, for I, the One eternal and true God, am the Light, the Truth, the Way and the Life.'
12
Upon that, the words that I have spoken out now began to glitter mightily, and the light streamed as a mighty stream over the whole spacious plain. And look, how terrible, all those numberless many temples collapsed with their gods and everything into dust and ashes. After that, I saw people who as true brothers and sisters together, dressed in white, walked around, and at the sky I saw a Human, full of light, standing in a sun, and all who walked together on the spacious plain cried out to this One Human: 'Dear, holy Father.'
14
I had this dream, as I already mentioned, unchangeably the same for 3 consecutive days, and yesterday and today there was the appearance of the strange little cloud of light and moreover the words that you heard from the little cloud. And in future times something quite different will develop from what we believe now in our old piousness. But the near future will show if my opinion is correct or not.'
15
Then the priest said goodbye, as well as all those who came to us with him, and we were now at peace, and my old servant said: 'It is strange that this very pious and active priest, whose word can be trusted, dreamed such thing 3 times consecutively. Will our old gods have really finished by a new word-light? Hm, hm, hm. Yes, yes, everything is possible. It is remarkable that exactly in the kingdom of the Jews such men are arising who are equal to gods. Why not also with us, since we, according to the dream of the priest do not really know this one, true God, and we still are more inclined to believe than the Jews of whom they say that their faith in their one God has become extremely weak while we still believe more of less in many gods and are searching counsel and comfort and help from them?'
16
I said: 'Friend, for today we will now finally go to sleep, for we all need that, but tomorrow there will be various opportunities by which we will be able to speak and form opinions about this matter.'
17
Then we all went immediately to rest. The next day, already before sunrise we were on our feet and went also quickly to work.'