The Great Gospel of John
Volume 6
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
At the Sea of Galilee (John 6)
- Chapter 132 -
The Captain's complaint about the war in the animal kingdom.
The Captain led us along the river onto a small hill sparsely overgrown with palm trees, from where one could enjoy quite a marvellous view all around into the far distance and overlook the river and its wide bends very far away, almost to the vicinity of Serrhe. There we sat on the lawn and enjoyed for some time the really nice distant view and the Captain told us one story after another about occurrences taking place here and there and all listened to him attentively; for he was a good speaker and commanded the Greek language quite well, which everybody in our society understood, because this language was nearly in the whole Near East most widely spoken.
2
While the Captain was still busy with his story telling zeal, it occurred that a gigantic eagle flew quite low above us, carrying a rabbit as prey in its mighty claws.
3
And the Captain said to Me: "Most elated and most wondrous Saviour, see, this again was a piece of a sad nature story, where one on the whole dear earth sees nothing than hostility over hostility! One animal is the enemy of another and this continues up to humans, who in the end is the biggest enemy of all other things and beings, yes even his own he does not spare in his rage and fury. Only the same species animals seem to have a kind of unhostile love to each other; however, unequal species are mutually the biggest enemies. This apparently provides for an all-wise and all-good God a bad witness.
4
Could the all-wise and almighty God not provide other food on earth for the animals, accept that they have to kill each other and feed themselves with the corpses? What bad could the poor rabbit have caused the eagle, that he took it in its mighty claws and to carry it somewhere to tear it to pieces and eat it alive? And there exist many such predators who only feed on the flesh and blood of other, weaker and softer animals. Couldn't they feed just as well from the grass like oxen, donkeys, goats and sheep?
5
The earth is truly wonderfully beautiful and decorated with everything man can look at; but as soon as one has selected a safe and quiet spot, to cheer up ones soul with elevated considerations, some evil and envious fate sets up a scene before one's nose, which spoils everything beautiful and elated for many days.
6
I am a soldier, a warrior and it does not befits me that I am so tenderhearted, - but I just have been made like this and therefore it is impossible for me to understand that an all-wise, all-good, almighty God being, if there is one, can find pleasure in the mutual and continuous killing and guzzling of his creatures. It truly must have a soul like those people in Rome who are amused by nothing more in the world than the wild bull fights and other terrifying horrible scampering of animals.
7
If however this great, only true God, whom you dear friend, want to make us more familiar with, is such a patron, then spare us all his closer acquaintance and more so an everlasting life under his rule; since this would be my last and most terrifying wish! I then would rather prefer you as a God aeon times more! Yes, I also think that in the end similar experiences have influenced the so wise Diogenes, to flee and to despise everything which has the smell of an almighty God.
8
Once in a wisdom school, where the human worthiness and greatness was over emphasized by orators, by letting a plucked but still living duck run free he said: 'There, there you have the worthiness of platonic people!' The actual human has nothing more than this animal, than his poor reason, which serves him to feel the pain even deeper, when from all sides the life feathers are plucked out of him!
9
Lord and wonderful great Master of your secret art, if you can give us a sufficient explanation about this, you will provide us with a great act of charity. I already feel that we should rather return to our house; because here another nature cruel case could easily take place and this would make me feel depressed and unhappy for days."