The Great Gospel of John
Volume 8
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and His adversaries
- Chapter 208 -
Roklus and the 2 temple servants.
Roklus did not have to wait long for the 2 Pharisees, for when they, as said, heard from someone who had been healed, where the chief was staying and where he was doing his miraculous healings, the sick, who were brought along by them for treatment were left behind with the innkeeper in the inn for which they gave him some money, and went under the escort of the healed man directly to our inn in order to come to an agreement with the chief, especially about that part of which they thought was most important for themselves and their plan as they had imagined it.
2
When they entered the courtyard, the chief went immediately to meet them, greeted them according to the custom of the temple and said: "You are looking for the chief of the Essenes? He is standing as a small and insignificant person before you. What do you want from me? But I tell you beforehand that you will have to present your request openly and without reservation before me, otherwise you will have come in vain to me."
3
One of the Pharisees said: "This we want and should do also, but because of its somewhat secret nature of the matter we would like to talk to you without witnesses, and actually in a room.
4
Roklus said: "Whatever we do not permit princes, kings and emperors, will also not be permitted to you. For with us there is no more sneakiness and absolutely no mysteriousness, so that from now on no one could accuse us of any deceit regarding the people. That is why we heal the sick openly before the eyes of all men, and not anymore in the old stronghold that has been given a bad name and has been made suspicious mostly by you. So if ever you want something from us, then tell us here openly. For we Essenes are all as one. Whatever one has and can, may not be kept silent for all the others. Now you know what you can expect here, so speak openly with us or go back from where you came from, without having accomplished anything here. But this should also be said to you: do not desire anything from us which in one way or another is unrighteous in the eyes of God and men."
5
The Pharisee said: "You have turned around as a leave on a tree, for only 2 years ago you have spoken and certainly also acted quite differently."
6
Roklus said: "This can be, but since on Earth nothing is so perfect that it should not need a further and higher perfection, we also were still by far not so perfect that we would not have needed any further perfection. And although we still by far have not reached the final goal of perfection, we have since a few years perfected ourselves a great deal, and that is why we think, will, speak and act now very differently.
7
Previously, the sick were healed through all kinds of meaningless ceremonies, because the blind people wanted it that way. The dark reason was that the many people who were looking here for help and who also found it, were straightly buried in all kinds of ceremonial superstition, more precisely by their selfish, imperious priests who are greedy for profit, who pretended to be servants of God and always wanted to be exceedingly honored.
8
Since we always wanted to be honest with the people who - prominent or not - are our brothers, we could not look at this old and evil nonsense anymore and were firmly determined to show all men their old foolishness in a truth that is as bright as the sunlight. That is why we also dissociated ourselves from whatever which had even the appearance of vain, deceitful mysteriousness, and thus we speak and act now with everyone without any restraint, and thus also with you without any shyness, fear or consideration. Because your temple and you who are high priests there - as we know well - are as important as anyone else.
9
And if your request to us will be against God's laws, then you all, together with your whole temple and all your high priests will be considered by us to be far below the animals. I have now clearly and openly explained how things are with us now, and why. And so you hopefully will understand how you should behave towards us if you want to achieve with us one or the other true and good purpose for which you are striving.