The Household of God
Volume 1
The early history of mankind
- Chapter 105 -
JARED'S QUESTIONS ABOUT ASMAHAEL'S NATURE
Now the march led into the forest and all were silent. Only Jared could not keep silent and asked Enoch: "Listen, my son, were we commanded to be silent on the way?"
2
But Enoch answered: "I do not remember such a command, except the advice always to walk in silence. However, I regard walking as going through life rather than walking with the feet."
3
And Jared said: "If that is so then our tongue is as free as our feet and we can talk to our heart's content. So do tell me, your father, about the secret of Asmahael. Is he an incarnated angel endowed with all power or is he - stop, no further! In short, tell me what you think. Amen."
4
To this Enoch answered briefly: "Dear father, I tell you that He is stop, no further! - And so for the time being He is a man like us but full of divine power and might stop, here, too, no further! Amen. Understand this! Amen."
5
And again Jared began: "My dear son Enoch, if I understood this it would be good. But because I do not understand it I am asking you, for I do want to understand all that actually concerns Asmahael. After your earlier speech I was quite reassured and satisfied with everything. But then after concluding his speech Asmahael came to us and as it were remarked that if someone had received him into his home, or if he moved into someone's home, that person had every reason to feel exceedingly happy, for wherever he made his abode, everlasting life had come, too?
6
"Look, in this light he directed words especially to me, as I have noticed. Now tell me, dear Enoch, whether an upright standing man would not have to hop around on his head if he did not promptly relate the meaning of such words to a higher being?
7
"Where is the man who, even only symbolically, could make such a statement about himself just as if he were literally God Himself?
8
"But Asmahael does this without referring to God, but only to himself. Even if a man might do this unafraid, the earth would out of rage and great contempt take terrible revenge and swallow the evildoer down into its great fiery belly.
9
"Behold, you are certainly more enlightened than any of us others; but would you dare say something like that of yourself?
10
"You would no doubt block your mouth with dirt rather than let your tongue commit such an outrage.
11
"So who is he who can say of himself: 'I am the life!', or 'Wherever I make My abode there is life, yes, everlasting life has entered.'?
12
"Enoch, I tell you, whoever makes such a statement about himself, and the earth is not outraged and the powerful tiger becomes like a lamb beneath him must surely, as I in my fearfulness am only a man, be in his self-confident power and might God. Otherwise the whole earth would be nothing but a composite lie if it carried a man who in this way gave the impression that he was God, but actually was only a weak man like us, the opposite of which Asmahael has sufficiently proved through his lifegiving Word.
13
'Well, refute my statement if you can and wish, but I believe you will take good care not to do this. However, for the sake of the Word I would like to hear your brief opinion, and so speak. Amen."
14
And Enoch answered: "Dear father, if it is as you believe and cannot be any different according to your explanation which has the best foundation, every additional word by me is totally superfluous. Or should I make of Asmahael something He is not, or make Him into what He anyway is? Look, this would be quite unnecessary.
15
"I think that he who in his heart loves God in spirit and in truth need not care about whether Asmahael is God or God is with Him.
16
"But let everyone take good care that he himself has God with him through true, pure love for Him.
17
"If you love God, you may be assured that Asmahael will not hold it against you. And if you love Asmahael like God you may be fully assured that because of it God will not forget you in His love. You do understand this, do you not? Amen."