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 8 -
Moses und Elijah appear at the Lord's bidding. Moses' accusation against the Temple Jews.
Hereupon I turned to the Jews and said: "You did not want to believe that Moses and Elias had recently been here before Me. Therefore, they shall, recognizable to you, appear here and tell you what kind of people you are."
2
In an instant the two prophets stood in our midst bending their knees deeply before Me.
3
And Elias said in a loud voice: "Before You and Your name all knees and hearts in heaven, on earth and below the earth must bow low!"
4
Thereupon Moses said to the Jews: "You blasphemers in the temple of Solomon, you children of the serpent, what devil has begotten you for you to say that Abraham is your father and you are sitting on my - and Aaron's - chair? Having set yourselves up on it without in the least being called to it in order to proclaim to the peoples the law given to me by God, how can you fail to recognize the Most Sublime Who on Sinai gave me the law on two stone tablets?
5
You said that I and brother Elias ought to have come earlier, - and behold, we were both there! Who of you recognized us and believed in us? And did you not do to us exactly what you did nearly to all the prophets and saints of the Lord? What, then, does it mean that you great hypocrites bow down before my name whilst persecuting and finally killing me between the altar and the Holy of Holies? Do speak and give answer!"
6
Said one in a trembling voice: "O - great prophet -, he who, - who was - killed -, his name was only Zachariah."
7
Said Moses: "You villain who are now old in the body were an eye- and ear-witness to the things I said to the congregation of priests when I came back from the Holy of Holies! Behold, these were my words: 'Listen, brothers, the Lord God in His great grace and mercy has opened my innermost so that the spirit of Moses entered into me. Now my soul and the spirit of Moses are one man, standing before you, just as he once stood before Pharaoh and on Sinai before God. I was the first to establish this chair and sit on it at God's bidding, -and now I am sitting on it as the last one thus told by God; for henceforth only the Lord Who, miraculously, has already taken on the flesh of men, will do with this chair according to His unfathomable counsel!' You flew into a rage because of this my truest prophecy, pulled me down from the chair and killed my body. Is not this what happened?"
8
Said another, likewise old Jew, even more meekly: "Yes, so it was, truly -, but - who could have believed such a thing?"
9
Said Moses: "Why, then, did a few pious people believe it whom you because of it banished from the temple to faraway lands among the heathens, some of whom are still in the flesh and able to testify against you?"
10
Said again another old Jew: "Yes, this may be true, they must have had a special vision for it; but we have never had a vision!"
11
Said Moses: "Oh, you talk dishonestly and deceive yourself! For this was told in spirit to everyone, down to the least servant of the temple, seven times successively, clearly and intelligibly in prophetic dreams, and you all were interpreting them amongst you for weeks, while I was silent. How can you now say that you had not had a vision for it?"
12
Replied again the same Jew: "Well - was the dream also a vision? There you see, there you see. Well, - who would at that time have thought anything of the kind?"
13
] Said Moses: "O you worldly-wise foxes, you knew quite well from many examples in the Scriptures what prophetic dreams mean! For instance, Jacob's dream, Joseph's dreams, the dream of Pharaoh and many more have surely whispered into your ears what your seven visions signified. However, your worldliness, priestly pride, your inclination towards a life of pleasure, your exceeding idleness and harlotry of every kind and description blinded and stupefied you. Thus, you were afraid of losing all your pleasant advantages in life on account of this my prophecy and, instead of heeding God's will, have done everything to defy Him and have been to this hour rebels against God. How do you worms of the dust like this absolutely true story?
14
Behold, the Glorious One, the Most High Whose face I, Moses, cannot ever be worthy to see, told you Himself in the temple: 'Not I, but Moses who is your hope will accuse you before the Father!' Look, not many days have passed since then and the prophecy of the Supreme Lord is already being fulfilled and I, Moses, in the name of the Lord your chief prophet, am now accusing you before His holy countenance of all the atrocities of which you have become guilty! What can you say for your justification?"
15
At this point the Jews, driven into a corner and full of fear and terror, become speechless and can only stammer, unable to utter an intelligible word.
16
Only a younger Jew among them said in a trembling voice: "My Lord God, is the most terrifying Last Judgment already beginning today?"
17
Said Moses: "My accusation is at all times in my hand, but the wrath and revenge is in the hand of the Lord Almighty. Your Judgment Day has already come much nearer to its final aim, but everything depends now only on the Lord. Now speak up how you understand all this."
18
Said an old Jew, his teeth chattering with fear: "O you great prophet Moses, do tell us whether we will go to hell and be lost for good, and whether everyone has his own Judgment Day."
19
Said Moses: "As far as hell is concerned you need not, with your present way of living, ask whether you will go there. Your present way of thinking and your conduct have for a long time been of such a nature that you actually were in hell, and you have been doing everything that is fitting for hell. Since you are already in hell, you can no longer go there.
20
As concerns Judgment Day, you will in the next world after the shedding of your body have a youngest day*, just as you will in this world have a last and oldest. However, while you are still living in this world you can, if you want to, easily find a way out of hell, for here amongst you is sitting the great Guide and Redeemer. Listen to Him and act accordingly! - I have spoken before You, O Lord, and now may Elias take my place."