The Great Gospel of John
Volume 3
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi
- Chapter 139 -
On the nature of the earth and the moon.
Cyrenius says "So listen! The moon is a planet about fifty times smaller than our Earth, and accompanies the Earth constantly on its great path around the sun; while the Earth covers the great way once in 365 days, the near moon has circled it almost thirteen times.
2
With these orbits the moon necessarily has to go through various positions. Since it is just as much a dark planet as our Earth, it is also illuminated by the great sun like the Earth is. If the Earth stands nearby between the sun and the moon, we see the moon quite illuminated, and that is the full moon; but if in approximately fourteen days the moon stops between the sun and the Earth as a result of its swift movement, and we get to see only very little of its illuminated surface thereby, it is a new moon.
3
But if the moon somehow accidentally moves exactly between the sun and the Earth, as was the case yesterday, it covers the sun and prevents its light from reaching a certain part of our Earth, that means on the spot which makes a direct line from through the moon to the sun, and then a very natural solar eclipse occurs; but that part of the Earth which is not exactly in the direct line does not get to see such an eclipse, namely those who are on the opposite side of the Earth to us. For this Earth on which we live is just as much a ball as the sun and the moon and only has a day and a night through the fact that it turns once around its axis within twenty-four hours, in which time it gradually pushes all its countries and seas from the North Pole to the South Pole underneath the sun and lets them be warmed.
4
That is alone the secretly well-calculated and clearly understood truth of which the layman of course knows nothing, because he is lacking in the necessary background knowledge for such insight and teachers such as you also must lack this; for what one has not got oneself, one cannot give to others. And if you had it, you would not give it to any layman, because the layman brings you more foolishness than the best wisdom! I have now shown you clearly what the new moon is; but now you show me too what you think the new moon is!"
5
The leader says, "High lord and master, we already learned in secret ways what you have now told us, and I for one am for this; but just look at Moses? story of creation, and no trace can be discovered of all that you have now told me and what was not unknown to me for the last twenty years.
6
But we sit before the people, out of necessity of course, as the first main confessor and announcer of Moses? religion, which contradicts this quite understandably true opinion, on Moses and Aaron's chair. What else can we do except to keep the better conviction for ourselves in secret, but nonetheless tell the people what we received from Moses!?
7
But today one of us should just try to announce another religion to the people other than Moses? in whatever respect, and I swear to you that he will be stoned!
8
Certainly some people say: what Moses said has quite a different meaning, and it says something quite different to what can be seen in the dead letters. I also admit that quite freely; but how could we tell this to the great nation, whom not we, but our fore-fathers made foolish, without damage?! Firstly the spiritual sense is so deeply hidden that one cannot find it clearly oneself, and secondly there is the question of how one should teach a darkest, foolish, highly superstitious nation, for whom all elements of higher knowledge are more foreign than the North Pole, when one quite honestly doesn't have a clear idea oneself!
9
Thus there is nothing more reasonable than to leave the people their old belief and as the representative of the old religion and laws to observe most strictly the religion and laws at least in the face of the people; but if one is alone without foolish witnesses, then one should do and believe what one always recognizes as true! If you act differently, you will see this beautiful land only too soon in its worst rebellion! Now you can speak again and prove to me that I said something false in my speech!"