The Great Gospel of John
Volume 10
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Der Herr in der Stadt am Nebo
- Chapter 169 -
The materialistic criticism of the supreme judicial city officer on the development of man.
I said: "I have known many believers like you whom I converted, for I prefer those a lot more than the so-called believers and the superstitious. That is why I will have no problem with you. But there are the fishes. I will continue this conversation with you after the evening meal.
2
When I had said that to the supreme judicial city officer, the fishes, which were excellently prepared, were brought on various big stone platters into the guestroom, as well as all the tableware that was necessary for eating this kind of evening meal. We immediately took a fish on our plate and ate it quickly because it was completely prepared in the Jewish manner so that while eating it we had no trouble picking out the bones.
3
It was so tasty to the supreme judicial city officer that he put another fish on his plate. When he also had finished that one, he said: "Great Lord and Master, life has also its pleasant moments which death does of course not have, and these pleasant moments consist of the happiness of being now and then among good and wise friends, and secondly, when our stomach is hungry, to strengthen us with well tasting food, and after that with a cup of well tasting wine.
4
Yes, under these circumstances man would of course prefer to live eternally instead of letting oneself be strangled to death after a short life by an ever miserable and painful death. In that respect I could and can never agree with the whole nature and its powers which always work in the same way.
5
But since man has to die, why not let him die in a pleasant way - sweet and joyful to his whole being? But no, for this little, mostly very burdensome existence he finally must be tortured in a very unmerciful and humiliating way till he finally becomes worthy of the great mercy by one or the other almighty fate to stop his existence for all eternal times.
6
This arrangement of the otherwise very beautiful nature is really something that must be highly disgusting, despicable and reprehensible to every righteous thinking man, even to the one who in one way or another still superstitiously believes in his flesh in an everlasting life of his poor soul. Such person would certainly also prefer to say goodbye in a more pleasant way to this pitiful world than to die in the usual manner."
7
I said: "So you are a sharp critic of creation and you are really not satisfied with the arrangement of all the existent conditions of life on this Earth? What else is not right, except for what you already criticized?"
8
The supreme judicial city officer said: "Oh, great Lord and Master, if I would criticize all the things which are absolutely not righteous and fair to me based on the best laws concerning the arrangement of this world, I will have to speak a whole year. But as a friend of justice I want to be very short and will only touch a few main points. One will be able to imagine all the rest.
9
Look at the miserable birth of man, which is in a certain way the crown of nature's creative qualities. Why is his birth and his arrival in the world not at least similar to that of the animals, especially to the birds in the sky that already a few days after their arrival in this natural world receive the complete use of their life forces and they can rejoice in it till they reach their end?
10
But no, man must come into this world more miserable than no matter what kind of animal, naked, without power, helpless like a stone that lies on the road.
11
If his parents would not be compelled by some kind of instinctive love to take care of the new world citizen till he had the chance to become some kind of half human being, life and survival of every human being born in this world would be such that he would not even survive 2 days.
12
I could be satisfied with 1, 2 or 3 years for the parents to take care of a newly born child, but often more than 12, yes sometimes more than 20 years till the child can develop himself to the point that he finally can progress in the world himself, is really too much and also too stupid, and this is absolutely not to the honor of the creative quality of the active powers of nature, but rather the opposite in every respect.
13
If it could not give men any better way of existence, it had better given up for all times to bring things into existence, for by that it obtained little praise from civilized humanity in the world. But I do not want to criticize this great nonsense of creative nature too much.
14
If that nature wanted at all costs to have someone on this Earth in the form of a human being who can think and is self-aware with the purpose of knowing that Creator, praise Him and give Him the honor, then it or that Creator should make it possible for man to let him progress in his thinking at least as far as I did. Then he should come into a durable stability, and in that he should exist, wise, strong and healthy, just like the Earth exists while its most important parts are very little changing, just like the moon, the sun and the other stars.
15
But no, after about 30 or at most 40 years, man reaches a similar point of view. On condition that his original life's forces are suited for that, which is however very seldom the case because almost all human beings will, already as a child, happily return from where they came. Man, who became stronger in every respect, will soon, after reaching the highest point in his life, become more or less sick, and if he is lucky to become perhaps 70, 80 or 90 years old he is therefore not to be envied because such old age is not a life anymore but only an already more complex sickness which will gradually bring him to death and non-existence, just like any other human being.
16
What for? How can a creating, wise Power think that this is good, just and useful while every somewhat awakened human mind has to reject it as unwise and useless, and has to condemn it as something evil, bad and contrary to justice?
17
My dear great Lord and Master, this is the most important argument on which grounds I have to declare every other reason of creative nature to create and bring into existence, objectionable and at the same time completely unwise. And finally I still have to praise those men who let themselves be lulled to sleep into a very dark superstition, for in this they can find a happy reason to revenge all the bitter suffering which they endured in this world.
18
But even that happiness, which can be expected after physical death, stands under such thumbscrews of coercion and deceit that an honest man must be astonished about the conditions to come to that happiness because the possibility of not reaching that happiness forms a very large road, while the possibility of reaching that happiness is put on such steep, narrow very thorny path that he finally would prefer not to be happy at all rather than accepting the lifelong climbing up under all the torments and tortures of life.
19
And now, Lord and Master, I finished talking in my real Roman and city judicial manner. Be so kind to say something better than I was able to tell You."