The Great Gospel of John
Volume 6
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord and the Priests of the Temple (John 5)
- Chapter 26 -
Philopold's philosophical questions.
Our Philopold, who visited Me and Kisjonah at old Mark's house, had indeed heard much about this subject and also believed that things were so; but he was a wise man of the world, albeit of the best and purest type, and therefore was not satisfied with pure faith alone, but instead he also wanted to have it proved like a mathematical principle.
2
Therefore he laid bare his lack of knowledge and said immediately after the midday meal (Philopold): "Lord, everything that I have learnt, seen and heard, I believe firmly; but to see and understand it thoroughly I am not able to do the least of it, despite all my sharp thinking ability, and quite often this depresses my soul! I have therefore firmly decided to speak to You Yourself about it in more detail at some happy occasion, which has now presented itself, and so if it is not inappropriate for You, I would like to be taught more comprehensibly and in more detail by You right now."
3
I said: "I have indeed promised you all to send My spirit soon and to pour it out over all of you, who will then lead you in all truth and wisdom, and I also said that you should be patient until then; but an honest desire like yours I will also help with My mouth, and all the more so in this winter season, since I want to and shall spend the rest of the winter here as promised until almost the Passover festival, and thus you can table your doubts, and what cannot be explained today, we surely will find plenty of time for. After finishing the meal, since we are in any case going to keep on sitting at the table, you can bring up your concerns.
4
Tomorrow, if My disciples themselves want to, they can go home to their families for a few days; but those who have no families should remain here, above all John and Matthew, for they still have many a thing to write down in full.
5
At this also Judas asked whether he should stay or go.
6
I said: "You indeed have the greatest possessions among all the disciples, you have a wife and children and several servants; therefore you need more than any of the others to go home, and if you want to, you can come back again close to Passover!"
7
Judas was indeed not particularly satisfied with this advice; but since no-one begged him to stay, the next day he followed My advice. The other disciples also left, but they all came back again after several days and then remained with Me with only a few interruptions.
8
Kisjonah brought a special wine after the mealtime which he called 'Noah's Darling' and served it to everyone. This excited Philopold quite a bit, and he soon began to bring up his doubts - but all in the best and most modest order.
9
What did he actually say, and what did he ask about? Here follows one question after the other!
10
"Lord", said Philopold, "if I ponder about Your teachings given to us at us at old Marcus', time and space on this earth are limited and measurable by certain periods and facts, and also by forms which exist in space; however, actually they are eternal and infinite, which is basically one and the same.
11
However, if time and space are such, I absolutely fail to understand the writings of the ancient theologians and sages who firmly maintain that God, as the primordial Being of all beings and existence, exists outside of time and space.
12
How is this possible if time is measured in terms of infinity, without a beginning or an end, and if there exists an infinite space which also has nowhere a beginning or an ending?
13
Therefore, if God in Himself exists absolutely outside of time and space, even the purest human reason cannot possibly have a concept of God other than that there is either no God at all, because nothing can possibly exist outside of the eternal time and outside of the eternal-infinite space, or God exists, just as we all do, in time and space, and the ancient scholars of divinity wrote the greatest absurdity when they formed their definitions.
14
Even You are serving me in this my argument, for no one who has heard You speak and seen You act can deny that within You there dwells the Deity in Its fullness. Yet what scholar of divinity can now maintain that You are not in time and space with us?
15
And if he claims this You Yourself will be completely de-deified! You are then no god anymore but just a very rare man who, by birth, genius, exceptional talent, training of will power and eventually by learning various secret arts and sciences, managed that people of solid standing must see in You a god.
16
But Your properties, especially in Your actions are such that it is almost impossible to acquire them through the above preconditions. Therefore, I would like to hear from Your mouth what is right."