The Household of God
Volume 1
The early history of mankind
- Chapter 55 -
KENAN'S CONFESSION
Having heard this explanation, Adam and the other patriarchs were amazed at Enoch's ability to speak such lofty words of wisdom for he was such an unassuming young man that no one would have expected of him such high words of wisdom which made even Adam keep silent.
2
Then Kenan began to speak: "O father Adam, look, up to now I was a seer and had to interpret for you on every Pre-Sabbath my visions and yours as well as my observations in the firmament in the early hours of the night so that you might bless them and pass them on to your children.
3
"But now the Lord has with His own hand loosened the tongue of Enoch! Now my tongue no longer dares to speak before you and the other patriarchs and children and, therefore, let the loving and wise Enoch assume this task. Though we have once washed his body with morning dew, we ourselves now need all the more to be washed by him with the morning dew of his spirit, which abundantly drops from his blessed tongue.
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"O Enoch, do wash me with your grace from above, for I confess and recognize that whoever is not washed with this water will perish and his life will fade away like that of the grass when no refreshing drop has fallen upon it.
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"Only to one has the Lord given it completely that the others may take it from him when they want to make use of it. Life has been given to all, but not immortality which only one carries within him for all And whoever wishes to take it from him shall become immortal as he is; but the life of the one who ignores it will be taken by death at a time when the great Lord will put His sickle to the dry grass.
6
"When we put our hand on our heart we do perceive its well-measured beat - this also Enoch will perceive -, but if we ask our beating heart: 'Whither do you beat, restless heart?', we shall receive from it a gloomy and confused answer: 'I constantly beat against the brazen gate of eternal death and am waiting with great fear for it to open and swallow me up forever!'
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"But if we ask the also beating heart of Enoch: 'Whither do you beat, you truly loving, pious heart?', it will answer with the greatest clarity: 'Listen brothers, I beat constantly on the bright gates of life and am full of the sweetest and greatest certainty that they are going to open soon to admit me to the endless abundance of the life out of God of which at present but a small dewdrop animates and quickens me!'
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"O fathers, brothers and children, I have often seen in my visions that this is so; but that it shall not remain like that everyone is taught by his own love of life. We cannot give it to each other as we do not possess it, but we can take it from the one who has it. Enoch has received it from above and if he wants to give it to us, and is also allowed to do so, it is up to us to take it.
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"O Enoch, do let your tongue full of life work diligently so that all of us may be washed from head to foot with the dew of life which flows abundantly out of life's spiritual, eternal morning from God through your blessed tongue. Therefore, father Adam, let now Enoch act in my place and interpret and point out to us the signs of life in the firmament and on the earth! Amen."
10
When Kenan had concluded his good speech, Adam rose and said: "Kenan, you have anticipated my wish and so let Enoch do briefly what all of you are waiting for and for what I am longing mightily!"
11
Then Enoch rose respectfully and said: "O fathers, so listen! The stars follow their course and shine now more, now less and the winds blow now from one place and now again from another, rushing to great distances. They often carry light cloudlets, often whole masses of clouds on their swaying wings; the dew keeps falling and so does the rain, the grass is fanning and the trees are swaying with their trembling foliage, and we do not know why all this is so and rack our brains about it. And when it is finally harvesting time, we say: The Lord has guided His elements wisely, for the harvest is good!', and we no longer care where the winds have carried the clouds.
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"Behold, this is the best interpretation, for what the Lord does is well done. For us it is best to leave it all to the Lord and not to endeavor to explain His ways, but rather seek ourselves and the life within us.
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"Behold, this is the best interpretation which holds all the mystery. But more about this on the road! Amen."