The Great Gospel of John
Volume 4
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi (cont.)
- Chapter 10 -
Zinka's apologia and his report on the death of John the Baptist.
Says Zinka: "Lord! This certainly will not also be our evil case? Our lord and master was until now Herodes. Yes, he in fact committed certain horrible injustice to poor mankind - I recognized this quite clear and well -, but what else could one do, but to make his orders a sad reality? What can one of your executioners do, if you command him to cut off the head from the body of a real or even an ostensible criminal? He may have one-hundred times by himself the fullest conviction, that the condemned in all seriousness is innocent, - he still must put the sharp hatchet to his nape!
2
Did we not realized the fullest innocence of Johannes who was beheaded a short while ago? Oh, we did knew it and loved the wise God devoted eccentric; since even in the dungeon he gave us the nicest teachings, admonished us to all kind of patience and perseverance and warned us about sins against God and against the neighbour, and also indicated to us that now in Galilee a prophet of all prophets and a true priest of all priests has risen, of whom he is not worthy to undo his shoe laces! He announced it to us, that it will be him who will release us from evil and show us the way of light, of truth and the everlasting life. In short, he taught us guards as if we were his disciples and his best friends.
3
When asked by Herodes what the prisoner is doing, and how he behaves, all of us could only say the best of him. This pleased Herodes so much, that he himself visited Johannes to be taught by him. It surely wouldn't have taken a lot more for Herodes to give him his full freedom, if Johannes, as an otherwise extremely wise man, wouldn't have committed a very foolish thing, by too early telling the lustful master, that his relationship with the beautiful Herodias was extremely sinful. Yes, Johannes nearly convinced Herodes, to turn away from Herodias!
4
Unfortunately during that time, Herodes celebrated his day with a big show, and Herodias more or less familiar with the weaknesses of Herodes, dressed up very unusually during that day and thereby increased her charm to an incredible height. Dressed up like this, she came with her dragon mother to congratulate him, and since there were harpists and pipers and violinists in his house, Herodias danced in front of the completely aroused Herodes. The randy Herodes was so pleased by that, that the fool committed himself to a heavy oath, to grant her every wish whatever she would asked from him! Now our Johannes was as good as dead, since he was standing directly in the way of the damned greed of the mother; she gave the youth a sign, that she should asked for the head of Johannes on a silver platter, what the youth - although secretly horrified - did.
5
Now, to what use is our love for Johannes, what our conviction about his fullest innocence, what our regret? To what our loud cursing of the old and young Herodias? I myself and a henchman had to go to the prison, to inform the good Johannes about the despicable will of the mighty ruler, and was forced to bind him and let it happen that his venerable head be separated from his torso on the damned block with a sharp hatchet. During the event I cried like a child about the too great malice of both women and over the saddest fate of someone who became a dear friend of mine! But to what use is all this against the dark, blinded and hardened will of one mighty brute?!
6
Likewise we have been send out to capture the prophet who operates in Galilee and who is probably the same of whom Johannes told us great things, and deliver him to Herodes. Can we help it if we are servants and attendants recruited under oath of this brute? Or can we leave his service if we wanted to? Didn't he place the dungeon and death on a disloyal desertion? If we are and act, like we are forced to be and act, then you, lord, show me the just judge who can condemn us for that!
7
Let all angles and God Himself come down from heaven to earth and impose a condemning judgement on us, it will be exactly fair as the decapitation of Johannes. If there exists a just God, He apparently must be wiser than all the people! But if He is wiser and almighty on top of it, then truly I do not understand on what grounds He allows that such monsters of people arise and even become powerful.
8
This is also the only reason why I and my twenty-nine accomplices does not believe in any God anymore. The last spark of believe was taken away from us by the disgraceful decapitation of Johannes; because if I were God I rather would have shattered a thousand Herodesses with a hundred-thousand lightening strikes, than allow the beheading of only one Johannes! It might be true that God is able to repay Johannes a thousandfold in the beyond, if he endured the cruelty committed here with patience and devotion; however, based on my judgement I will not give to the dear God half a life, in which conviction I currently live, for a thousand most blissful lives, of which no person ever had any convincing certainty about!
9
Who has the power, can dictate as he likes; but we weaklings and powerless must serve him as pack-animals on life and death. If he commits murder, it means nothing, since he has the right for it by his power; but if we commit murder, we are criminals and are in turn murdered. But I asked you and all lords and wise men of your council, what God can allow this as right! - I beg you, lord, give me a clear answer about it!"