The Great Gospel of John
Volume 7
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
The Lord on the Mount of Olives. (cont.) Gospel of John, Chapter 8
- Chapter 97 -
The defensive speech of the chief magician.
The chief magician: "Oh dear, beautiful and very wise young man. We all do not deny at all that unfortunately this is so with us, but these things came on our way and we did not introduce them ourselves. Let the one who thought it out in the beginning, introduced and arranged it, give an account before a true God for all the distress that we are causing. As a child of a priest I was brought up and educated like that, and I cannot help it if I am now what I am. With us, a devout deceit means an excellent virtue, for you only have to bring the common people to a firm and strong belief by all kinds of secret arts - which is not so difficult in itself if only you handle it in the right way. And see, then such a person is perfectly happy, lives within a specific order and has no fear for physical death, for he absolutely believes that there is a life after death. If one takes away this belief then at once he will become less happy than no matter what kind of deserted animal. Before one can make pure philosophers of them, before long he would fall a victim to the anger of the people. So at present, nothing else can be done except to leave things as they are now. If it has to be done otherwise, then an almighty God must do that. We men are too weak for that.
2
I have gone far into the world with my science and art, and I even was in the great kingdom, past the great wall of the world, but nowhere have I encountered people with whom a specific clear worldly wisdom was spread in general. Usually it is only the rank of the priests who possess it. But the people live quietly and satisfied because of the blind belief that is delivered by the priests. And this is truly the best way to keep a certain order in a nation and to take care that the soil will be zealously cultivated.
3
Man knows that he lives and that he also surely will die, but if man is healthy and well provided for, he likes to live and from nature he is an enemy of dying and death, and has therefore always a great fear for it. This constant fear would soon overpower man in such a way that he becomes totally unsuitable for a spiritual education, and becomes also the greatest enemy of life, just like there are certain people with us who are cursing their life and who do not beget children, so that they would not put unhappy creatures on this world. This people are only increasing because of newcomers from the outside, with exception of women, who are therefore not found with this people. But then comes the rank of the priests who are denying themselves above all, are teaching the people about certain invisible mighty gods and their powers, and represent themselves as being messengers and servants of the gods, having power themselves and are performing wonders before the eyes of the people and proclaim wisdom to their ears.
4
The wonders are the witnesses of his word. The people believe because they have seen the confirmation of it with their own eyes, and they become happy because through their belief they have no more fear for death and for an eternal destruction, and because in a certain way they have been given the sure prospective of a better and eternal life which cannot be doubted by no one anymore.
5
And see, that is the fruit of the rank of the priests, which can never be respected enough, although they live themselves in the sad knowledge that the death of the body is the end for man, as well as for the animals and plants. In order to maintain the belief of the people, the priest must not educate them in the least about the inner secrets of the priest, but they must always consider the priest as a higher being, whose wisdom and might will only be realized by the pious soul of man after his death, for if this would happen during the physical life, it would mean its death. The people believe this also. They are considering the wisdom and the power of the priest as holy, and that is why they are living a quiet, orderly and if possible, happy life. This is then also the reason why the priests who are not performing wonders are always intensively persecuted and receive hard and heavy punishments, for they are considered to be seducers of the happy people and sent by an evil being. For it is definitely better that one is suffering for the sake of the people than that the whole people has to suffer because of one malicious man.
6
Among the priests there are also a few who have certain actual proofs of an existence of the soul after death, but such proofs are not suitable for a great people in general, but only for a few who are completely initiated in the inner mysteries of life.
7
For the common, inexperienced people who are on the other hand standing firm in their belief, only visible proofs with the greatest possible mysterious magnificence are of any value. They look upon it with great wide-open eyes and with deep inner respect, and they believe, make offerings and then go happily to work. And all this is not as evil as you, my lovely young friend, have just now in severe words held before me, and I ask you now to speak out your opinion about that."