The Household of God
Volume 1
The early history of mankind
- Chapter 27 -
THE POLICIES OF ENOCH'S COUNSELERS
I will not dwell on all the ill treatment, which occurred during this building, but will lead you to the main point. - When the building of the cities had been completed, the rulers went to Enoch and said: "Enoch, you great and sublime god of all the might and power (N.B. although he was already weaker than a gnat and no longer had any might) and supreme lord of all justice (N.B. at the bottom of which was nothing but thieving, whoring, deceit, all that is evil, heartlessness, malice, cruelty, falsehood, f1attery and crimes of all kinds)! Behold, your people has increased under the wise guidance of your endless, incomprehensible and unfathomable justice (N .B. a truly endless, for him quite incomprehensible and even more unfathomable justice) and has spread all over the vast lands of your divine glory. Therefore, they can no longer be overseen from your high residence. If we do not watch them they would do what they want and could even stray so far as no longer to worship you, to whom all adoration is due, but begin to worship again the old God of Cain. And it might suit this old God to grant someone's prayer and bestow on him invincible power, whereupon he might gather around him a great multitude, attack and finally destroy all of us. (N .B. Such fears surely befit such a mighty god!)
2
"Besides, we would not have enough reliable servants to send everywhere to collect the fruits and bring them here. The servants might deceive us on the war and themselves consume what the obedient earth has produced for you alone." (N .B. So the great god was also tormented by the fear of starvation!)
3
And behold, Enoch became very uneasy and did not know what to do, for he had not been told how much his people had increased. Finally, he rose and spoke with a fearful, shrill voice: "What if we gradually killed the ones that are too many and thus reduced the population to the original number when the people were weak and despondent? What do you think, my most faithful ones?" (N.B. What a fine plan for divine justice!)
4
Then the ten rulers spoke: "Oh most just god, think of what is possible and what is not! (N .B. Thus the wisest, mightiest and most just god had to be told by his servants what is possible and what impossible!) For lo, if we were to slay but one of them they would in great numbers fall upon you and us and destroy all of us. Besides, do remember the vessel above the stars about which Cain has told us on many occasions, and what is going to happen if we should begin to commit atrocities." (N .B. So the great, mighty god still feared the old God!)
5
And behold, Enoch spoke to them, saying: "Then listen and hear my mighty will: Let each of you, my ten most faithful servants, move to one of the ten cities where he shall rule in my name and give laws according to his proper insight and knowledge, watching strictly over their exact observance. Over the one of you who should ever become lax in his zeal I shall set the most faithful and zealous among you. I shall know you by the gathering of fruits you bring me. The first one to bring the gifts as a just tribute to my holy majesty shall also be the first to earn the praise of justice, and I shall accept from him the lesser as if it were much. The later ones will have to bring much, and I shall receive it as if it were only little because thereby I shall measure their laziness and their actions will bring them just praise or just blame. The last one, however, shall be handed to the first in order to make him more zealous and strict in all just matters. For the most severe justice is the only foundation for a kingdom such as ours.
6
"This is my just and severe will since I am your god and lord and you, with all your free and serving subjects, cannot - and shall not - have another. There was once some old God Who was also very mighty, while he was just. But they say that he abandoned justice and did good to both the evildoers and the righteous out of a certain love, similar to our feelings for beautiful women. Thereby he destroyed himself completely and does no longer exist.
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"Therefore, I am now in his place as you see me here, and supplication to this old God is quite useless since he is no longer anywhere or anything. So you have to turn in all matters to me within whom now dwells all the might and power! Amen."
8
(N .B. Such and even worse utterances concerning Me I hear today from many hundreds of thousands who in the utter darkness of their reason set their sheer folly on My throne, thus worshiping themselves. They no longer call themselves 'gods' - which name to them sounds too ordinary and silly - but 'philosophers' or 'scholars' or also 'scientists' or 'doctors' of all kinds. These men, of the most unenlightened kind, even want to force Me to learn from them if I wish to be a God in this so very enlightened time of the super-scholars. But I say that an earthworm is more sensible than they, although it has only one sense. They will soon open their eyes wide yet see no more than does a field mouse in the earth, and when they prick up their ears hear no more than a fish in the water, having no voice and no hearing.)
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And behold, the ten rulers rejoiced, for Enoch had anticipated their innermost desires by giving them a strict law, which suited them perfectly. For now they were entitled to do an imaginable mischief, deceiving the people and their foolish god.
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After having finished his speech, the god Enoch dismissed his ten servants who left him apparently deeply moved by such a mighty speech. But in their hearts they rejoiced at Enoch's great foolishness who in his fear and apprehension had made their will a strict law and had begun to be himself convinced that he was a god. However, concerning this last point they were quite wrong, for Enoch knew very well that he was no god because his weakness and total exhaustion showed him only too clearly what was the case with his god ship.
11
But he wanted to keep the others in their gross blindness, fortify it and be a god because of the profit. And he thought: "It is easy to preach to the blind for they cannot distinguish black from white and take the day for night and vice versa." But herein he, too, was mistaken. Thus there existed between them a truly foolish relationship, since one always considered the other the greater fool.
12
When the ten had once more gathered in their chamber, Kad took the word and said to all of them: "Well, my brothers, all of us still have Cain for our father and we have seen the arch-father Adam and the arch-mother Eve whom Enoch does not know and has not seen, nor will he ever see Adam. Behold, our father Cain was a bad man, worse than any of us has been or ever will be, but when he turned to the God of Adam, he received what he wanted.
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"What more do we need? We know and are eye and ear witnesses of His great deeds. Thus we know where the great Lord is dwelling. What Cain did in his distress, let us do it also in our abundance and you may be assured it will soon become obvious who the actual Lord in the lowlands is. Let each of us erect a sacrificial altar to this God and offer Him the fruits of the land and we shall have all the power. Then the fool Enoch can wait a long time for the tribute to his imagined holiness from us who have seen Adam and Eve!"
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And behold, when Kad had ended his speech, Kahrak rose and said: "Brothers, if this is so, our success is assured! Look, as far as I am concerned, I fully agree with Kad. We would be greater fools than Enoch if we mightier ones were to feed him for nothing else but to strengthen his folly and increase his lust for our most beautiful women. And when he no longer desires them, as you all know, we have to regard it as an extraordinary grace if any of them is given to one of us. I think we keep the most attractive ones for ourselves. The less attractive we give to our servants and let the others become the property of our subjects. Then Enoch can defile his own daughters, taste his shame and grow thin like the leg of a buck and feed with the calves and drink with the birds. Why should we not do to him what he did to our father? He did, indeed, safeguard certain things which father Cain forgot to do, who had to flee, although he was his father as he was ours. Look, Enoch is only a foolish brother, why should we not make him par for the flight of Cain? This is my opinion and has advantage to all of us. For my part, I shall do to the old God as Kad considered it right, most expedient and wise."
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They an unanimously agreed with Kahrak, whereupon Nohad rose and said: "You know my office and duty which I have carried out faithfully, diligently and with zeal according to Enoch's will. But if I ask of you what I have gained during all this time, each one of you will no doubt say: Nothing! I helped the greatest fraud to deceive and was thus myself a deceived fraud. Because of his hypocrisy I had to live poorly in the sight of the people - just for the sake of hypocrisy and public opinion - and as a strict man of integrity deny myself every pleasure. For this I secretly, instead of praise and some invisible reward to make up for suffering public hardship, received from his incomprehensible folly even the rudest rebukes and all kinds of threats. All of you were better off and able to do many a thing for your own pleasure, which was impossible to me, who was placed at the top of his legitimate folly and had to exactly carry out every one of his craziest and most detestable wishes. Through my compulsory hypocrisy at which I was an expert - or rather had to be an expert -, they then received a lawful appearance. To make my deception as a legitimate deceiver valid, I had to allow myself to be deceived, and this threefold: First by Enoch on account of justice, then by myself on account of the people and, finally, by the people and all of you on account of Enoch. I believe to have given you sufficient reason for my dissatisfaction and to have revealed to you my life of hypocrisy. Now judge for yourselves whether I am wrong when I, in gratitude of such recognition by Enoch, take the threefold deceit away from me and hurl it with full force at his head, since I am going to reveal him to the people. Then let him see where his godship will escape to and let him run after it like a lame man after a hart. So I, too, will do what Kad considered to be fight and I will follow Kahrak's advice in detail, that is, my tribute shall not tire his eyes and the trotting of my camels not trouble his ears. And thus I am taking possession of the city named after me."
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And all the others said: "Nohad has spoken well and so may he do what is lawful and good."
17
Then Houid rose and the sound of his voice struck like a flash of lightning into the evil gathering, and his speech was more forcible than that of all the others: "Listen well, brothers and sons of Cain, the outlawed, and grasp each of my very important words!
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"Who could count all the drops of blood which following the sentences of Nohad, the deceived, have flowed from the backs and loins of the poor and weak people who, the same as Enoch and we, are descendants of Cain! And this was not because of transgression of some law or laziness or the least apparently punishable cause, but, as you all know, solely to provide amusement for Enoch, not forgetting all the ill treatments during the building of the cities. And all this to such an extent that I find it quite incomprehensible how these poor people managed to stay alive during this long time of torment. Whenever he was opposed, Enoch reminded us of the brittleness of the vessel above the stars, completely forgetting the one beneath the earth.
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"But I honestly ask you whether the people would not fare better under the debris of the vessel than under our constant beatings with tough rods and hard cudgels. And tell me, what has he done for the vessel of love beneath the earth? I think there will not be much in it, except for the numerous drops of our brothers' blood. Had we not cunningly seized government, he - as the god of abomination - would surely have begun to have us killed one after the other.
20
"We had to be cruel ourselves while we still were his servants to avoid his suspicion. But the cities are now built, the people have been assigned, we have the power and acknowledge the old God and the blessed sacrifice. What more do we need? If the people obeyed us when we were ill-treating them, they will surely not be disloyal if we wish to, and shall, heal their wounds through wiser and more lenient laws instead of this evil cruelty. Behold, I am called wicked, but my great question is: Who is actually more wicked, is it I or Enoch or the serpent of Cain? I think Enoch is the master of all wickedness and the serpent has most likely put all its brood into his heart. Otherwise it would be impossible to imagine such cruelty committed by a brother against his brothers through his and their brothers.
21
"Therefore, I think we must get him into our power, make him serve us and let the people gradually pay him back for his cruelty manifold, instead of paying tribute. Thus he can then receive the lawful tribute on his back and carry it wherever he wishes."
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"Your speech is just and wise, brother Houid," said all the others, "and let it be done to Enoch according to your words which have struck home with us who have often witnessed his atrocities!"
23
And behold, thereupon Hlad rose and his speech was brief and clear: "Brothers, you know how unfeeling I always had to be in order to, as it were, personify the severe law, or present Enoch's despotic cruelty as inexorable law, and so had to make the best of all his evil acts. Although I did not have to carry out the flogging, I had to oversee it and count the lashes by Houid and all his helpers and gratefully inform Enoch accordingly. Look, I had to appear unfeeling, although I was not so at all. Now I will change, as you can see! And I shall be towards Enoch the way I often had to appear to the people, our brothers, to whom I now will be warm-hearted. But as for Enoch, I shall coldly make him pay for the suffering caused to the brothers. My loyalty to him shall be cold retaliation, my diligence shall make me the first among you and the voice of his praise shall be turned into a howling and roaring and a feast for the ears of the so often ill-treated. And with the blood dripping from his back, the pale-faced shall give color to their cheeks.
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As I otherwise fully agree with you, I believe that this, my judgment is not wrong when I act according to my feeling, having long enough had to helplessly watch Enoch's crimes. He who has feeling and is susceptible to pain and torment would have it for doing good, too. This I have often seen. Therefore, let us in the future rule by doing good. Let the one who has done wrong be judged with forbearing as he, too, is a brother and the obedient and good be rewarded with goodness tenfold. Then a worthy sacrifice shall be offered to the old God which will surely please Him if we bring back to Him what Cain and Enoch have so wantonly and carelessly lost for all of us."
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And behold, they all rose and, bowing to Hlad, said: "O brother, your judgment is the most just of all; you are closest to the children of Adam. Therefore, you shall be an example to us and we shall, and firmly intend to, adhere to it in all our decrees.
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"The warm blood of the poor brothers has melted the ice around your heart and now a stream of warmth is pouring forth from it. Do act within this warmth and warm all of us with your abundance!"
27
Then also Ouvrak rose and spoke: "Brothers, behold and listen! All your judgments are right and just, but according to my keen perception the one of Hlad is the wisest. And so I fully agree with his opinion, except for one thing, which is most important. We have to be extremely careful and astute in everything we undertake. For behold: To act righteously, do good, judge correctly and justly, just retaliation, a secure order - all these are things of great public benefit for the people as well as for all of us and suffice in our relation to the people. However, all the free citizens of the city of Enoch know that we are rulers and Enoch is for these fools a true god, and nothing will change their conviction, which is even firmer in all the people than in the free citizens.
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"If we should lay hands on Enoch immediately, they would all fall upon us. And if then Enoch should join them and claim that our power had made it impossible for him to prevent our ill treatment of the people, they will fall upon us and we would perish under the weight of the masses.
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Therefore, if we want to carry out our plans, great craftiness and careful cunning are absolutely necessary. Since I have been his secret counselor, I know very well how matters stand. It is my infallible opinion that at least for the next three years we must make Enoch believe that the demanded tribute is still forthcoming. Meanwhile we must treat the people well to will them for us and frequently tell the brighter ones about the vain nature of Enoch, all his deceit and gross presumption. We must also point them to the old God and make them understand that all our actions, harsh as they may have seemed, were steps to finally liberate them, our brothers, from Enoch's hard and heavy yoke, and that it had to be done now as otherwise they would all have been slain.
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"I can assure you that if we instruct the people in this manner and treat them as suggested by Hlad, this will be to our great advantage and I think even the old God will not dispute our fight to rule, especially when we make an offering to Him. Then, I am sure, will Enoch experience from the people what Houid and Hlad, the speakers preceding me, have already mentioned in their great wisdom.
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"Do take my words to heart, my brothers and great sons of Cain!" - And behold, they all bowed to him and said: "Amen, this shall be done, and the speech of each one shall be valid, accusing Enoch, the cursed, who outlawed our father and infamously offended against the old, mighty God."
32
Whilst the others sat down again, Farak remained standing and looked about earnestly as if to see whether there might not be something behind the words of each speaker anyone had dared to utter. And what he was seeking with his eyes, his intellect soon discovered. Then he began to speak mightily and his speech was like a sword on the battlefield, not sparring anyone:
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"Brothers - if you are still worthy of this name of honor -, I have heard you express your thoughts, but you have deceitfully hidden from each other your desires and lied to each other about your plans. Thus you have become mutineers, as each of you intended to secretly inform Enoch that out of great loyalty for him and prior to taking over government he had called a gathering of the rulers - as it is here now and incited them to express their shameful opinion of Enoch. Then the latter would realize into what hands he had placed the ten governments, would give him all the might and set him as a sovereign over all of us. Since Enoch would believe this, the others could then share the lot of Cain.
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"Oh, you scoundrels, you scum of all depravity! Ask yourselves whether there has ever been an honest impulse within you. For everything that I am and you are you have achieved through craftiness, cunning, deceit, flattery and hypocrisy. Have the poor people not suffered enough? Are they not already so miserable that they can hardly be considered human? Have they not shed almost the last drop of blood under your beating? And what good have we ever done them that they have for so long willingly fed us in return for nothing but all kinds of ill treatment? Do not they, whom you call beast-men, have the same fight to everything the earth yields? And they were not permitted to eat of all the ripe fruits, except the rotten ones. This does not satisfy you, and you want to make them a thousand times more unhappy and miserable than they already are!
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"In view of all this I tell you all without hesitation: If you want to rule the poor people - whose brothers you are not worthy of being, abandon all malice and wile and guide them in the face of God, the true, old God. Be true brothers also to Enoch and not deceivers for the sake of your mouths and stomachs. Become worthy through true loyalty of that which you have become through deceit and cunning, otherwise the old God will reject your offerings, will help the weak against you and make you slaves of the beasts whom you gave that name. Do ponder on the words of the cruel one! Amen."
36
Behold, when Farak had ended his speech, the others remained sitting like rooted to the spot and did not have a single word to say in their defense, and most of them thought by themselves: 'He has secretly forestalled us in his relations with the old God, for how could he otherwise see through us in such detail? Since this is now the situation, who could oppose him? If he could be destroyed, it would be easy enough, but now - who will be able to oppose his might? Before we can raise a hand, his hand will strike and destroy us. Therefore, we shall wait and see what course things will take; then we may know what to do.'
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And behold, since no one dared say any more, Farak again began to speak and asked them: "Well, how do you feel now? Does none of you have the courage to rise and answer me? Where are now your craftiness, your deceit, your cunning, your flattery and hypocrisy? And where are your lies, your power, your princeliness and where your cheated god Enoch?
38
"Yes, I tell you, my ears have not missed the silent speech of your thoughts. Whatever turn matters will take, you will be doing what has to be done in accordance with justice and fairness. Whoever of you will not comply with this exactly, shall be outlawed like Cain whom you call your father. He acted lawfully, but too blindly and strictly whereby he took himself captive and had to flee from his own work. Whither, - no one knows, except the old God. If He wished to make this known to someone, that person would know it. But that is not His will. Behold, Cain was just because he feared the old God's judgment, and he was wrong in all his actions because he did not act out of love, which was what the old God had demanded above all.
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"You have even done away with all justice and have replaced it with cunning, deceit, slyness, falsehood and added countless other infamies, nameless because of their wickedness, and you think the old God will immediately be willing to support you in your endless infamies if you make Him a sham burnt offering. Oh, you are so wrong! The old God has keen eyes and knows your entire nature in every detail. Therefore, his ear is distant from you and will never give you a favorable hearing in your limitless infamy, not even if you burnt the whole earth as an offering to Him, unless you first cleansed your hearts with the fire of a boundless love for the brothers and sisters, who became weak and unhappy through you, and if you desisted from all fornication which is not fitting for men aged two hundred years and aspiring to be rulers.
40
"Now answer my questions, if you can or, if you have the courage, tell me openly and without hesitation, as I spoke to you, what you now plan to do. I do not strive, as you do, after ruling a principality, but solely after the exact fulfillment of the duties of my office so as to please the old God. Therefore, I have never committed an offence and have not ravished a woman or a virgin, let alone a young maiden of twelve and under, as you have done. This is why you called me the cruel one because I did not want to be a lazy scoundrel like you.
41
"These shall be my last words to let you know whom you see before you, namely me, the cruel, whom you will never get to know better than is absolutely necessary in an emergency, as is the case now, so that everything might not perish for ever - yes, forever - in the reawakened wrath of the old, eternal and holy God! Let no one ask me further, whence and whereby! Amen."