The Great Gospel of John
Volume 10
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord on the way to Bethsaida
- Chapter 130 -
Egyptian astrology and other errors.
I said: "Friend, the old Egyptians mostly knew these things, and this was also known by Moses and many other wise men. And Moses wrote a big book about it that was kept till the time of the kings. But for the priests, who chased after earthly goods, this knowledge was not profitable enough. That is why they turned to the Egyptian astrology and predicted from it all kinds of good and bad things to the blind people and let themselves be paid for it as much as possible.
2
It was by their secret plots that they knew how to make their starry predictions to the people mostly come true. The one to whom they predicted something good, gladly paid more than what was asked from him, and the one to whom they predicted something bad had to turn to the priests so that they would turn to God to implore something better for him. But for that he had to give the required offerings. And so it was never to the disadvantage of the priests, whether they predicted something good for a person or something bad, although the bad was predicted much more often than the good because it was more profitable to them.
3
From this you very clearly can see now why in course of time the priests mostly changed the natural truths into falsities and lies, for they thought that it would not make much difference whether someone believed one thing or the other about the stars, for it would not be possible anyway to go there and see if this or that was true.
4
As long as they believed in a God and kept His commandments, it was enough. For what concerns the form of the Earth and the stars in the sky, it was better for them not to know any detailed or true knowledge.
5
But in their worldly blindness they did not consider that a small error would soon and easily tempt man to a bigger one, and from that to a great number of all kinds of errors and untruths.
6
And that this is now the case with many nations appears from the information that you have from all places concerning the measure of the people's blindness.
7
Once the people will possess true knowledge about all the visible things of this world, the priests, who are lusting after gold and treasures, will no more be able to present their old stupidities as credible truths to them, and the old, evil night of the priests will come to an end."
8
The innkeeper said: "O Lord and Master, I very clearly can see this now. But in not a lesser measure I also can see the great difficulty that will appear of itself when we truthfully will teach these natural things to someone who is rooted in those old errors. For firstly, without the suitable means which You could create from Your divine power, we only very difficultly and imperfectly will be able to show this to him, and secondly every layman will ask us from where we have received this knowledge.
9
Then we will of course not neglect to call upon You, but still a lot of things will have to precede before such a person will understand who You are.
10
Of course in time very great things can be performed in Your most holy name, but in a very short time not much can be accomplished.
11
But we will do everything that is possible, and we will truthfully tell the people about all the things that happened here and what we have seen and heard, and we also are convinced beforehand that our effort will not be in vain. Nevertheless, there will be many who will not believe us.
12
But all this should not keep us in the least from proclaiming to the other people that You are the only true God, Lord and Creator of Heaven and Earth, no matter from where they will come to us.
13
But one more thing, Lord and Master, would You not create from Your almightiness such means for us that would stay, with which we more easily will be able to show the other people the truth about all those big cosmic things from which we received such clear explanation from You?"
14
I said: "O yes, nothing is easier than that, but not the kind that I made for you, but as if of clay, in order to keep it, and of course on a much smaller scale than those which I showed you in a completely natural way. The rest should be added by your reason and your wisdom.