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| Kapitel 121. Forholdene På Tiden For Mikaels Overdragelse |
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Kapitel 123. Jesu Tidlige Barndom |
BIRTH AND INFANCY OF JESUS
JESU FØDSEL OG SPÆDE BARNDOM
1955 122:0.1 IT WILL hardly be possible fully to explain the many reasons which led to the selection of Palestine as the land for Michael’s bestowal, and especially as to just why the family of Joseph and Mary should have been chosen as the immediate setting for the appearance of this Son of God on Urantia.
2015 122:0.1 DET er næppe muligt at give en fuldstændig forklaring på alle de grunde som gjorde at man valgte Palæstina som landet for Mikaels overdragelse, og ikke mindst på hvorfor det netop var Josefs og Marias familie som blev udvalgt som den umiddelbare omgivelse for tilsynekomsten af Guds Søn på Urantia.
1955 122:0.2 After a study of the special report on the status of segregated worlds prepared by the Melchizedeks, in counsel with Gabriel, Michael finally chose Urantia as the planet whereon to enact his final bestowal. Subsequent to this decision Gabriel made a personal visit to Urantia, and, as a result of his study of human groups and his survey of the spiritual, intellectual, racial, and geographic features of the world and its peoples, he decided that the Hebrews possessed those relative advantages which warranted their selection as the bestowal race. Upon Michael’s approval of this decision, Gabriel appointed and dispatched to Urantia the Family Commission of Twelve—selected from among the higher orders of universe personalities—which was intrusted with the task of making an investigation of Jewish family life. When this commission ended its labors, Gabriel was present on Urantia and received the report nominating three prospective unions as being, in the opinion of the commission, equally favorable as bestowal families for Michael’s projected incarnation.
2015 122:0.2 Efter at have studeret Melkisedekernes udarbejdet specialrapport om de isolerede verdners status, bestemte Mikael sig i samråd med Gabriel til sidst for at vælge Urantia som den planet, hvor hans sidste livs overdragelse skulle udspille sig. Efter denne beslutning aflagde Gabriel et personlig besøg til Urantia, og som et resultat af hans studium af forskellige menneskegrupper og hans kortlægning af de åndelige, intellektuelle, racemæssige og geografiske særtræk rundt om i verden og blandt dens folkeslag, bestemte han sig for, at hebræerne var i besiddelse af de relative fordele som gjorde dem bedst egnet til at blive overdragelses race. Efter at Mikael havde godkendt denne beslutning, udvalgte Gabriel sin familiekommission med tolv medlemmer, udvalgt blandt de højere klasser af personligheder i universet, som fik til opgave at udforske jødernes familieliv. Da denne kommission havde færdiggjort sin opgave, var Gabriel til stede på Urantia og modtog rapporten, som udnævnte tre mulige ægteskabsforbindelser, som efter kommissionens mening var lige egnede som overdragelsesfamilier for Mikaels planlagte inkarnation.
1955 122:0.3 From the three couples nominated, Gabriel made the personal choice of Joseph and Mary, subsequently making his personal appearance to Mary, at which time he imparted to her the glad tidings that she had been selected to become the earth mother of the bestowal child.
2015 122:0.3 Blandt de tre udpegede par, udvalgte Gabriel personlig Josef og Maria. Derefter åbenbarede han sig personlig for Maria, hvor han overbragte hende de glade nyheder at hun var blevet udvalgt til at blive den jordiske mor til overdragelsesbarnet.
1. JOSEPH AND MARY
1. JOSEF OG MARIA
1955 122:1.1 Joseph, the human father of Jesus (Joshua ben Joseph), was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, albeit he carried many non-Jewish racial strains which had been added to his ancestral tree from time to time by the female lines of his progenitors. The ancestry of the father of Jesus went back to the days of Abraham and through this venerable patriarch to the earlier lines of inheritance leading to the Sumerians and Nodites and, through the southern tribes of the ancient blue man, to Andon and Fonta. David and Solomon were not in the direct line of Joseph’s ancestry, neither did Joseph’s lineage go directly back to Adam. Joseph’s immediate ancestors were mechanics—builders, carpenters, masons, and smiths. Joseph himself was a carpenter and later a contractor. His family belonged to a long and illustrious line of the nobility of the common people, accentuated ever and anon by the appearance of unusual individuals who had distinguished themselves in connection with the evolution of religion on Urantia.
2015 122:1.1 Josef, den menneskelige far til Jesus (Joshua ben Josef), var en hebræer af hebræernes, selv om han bar på mange ikke-jødiske raceegenskaber som var blevet tilføjet hans stamtræ fra tid til anden via hans kvindelige forfædre[1]. Jesu fars stamtræ strakte sig tilbage til Abrahams tid og via denne ærværdige patriark til den endnu ældre arv efter sumererne og Noditerne, og via fortidens blå menneskers sydlige folkestammer til Andon og Fonta. David og Salomon var ikke i nogen direkte linje af Josefs aner, og ej heller gik hans forfædre direkte tilbage til Adam. Josefs nærmeste forfædre var håndværkere - bygmestre, snedkere, stenhugger og smede. Selv var Josef snedker og senere en bygningsentreprenør. Hans familie tilhørte en lang og velset linje af det bedste blandt almindelige folk som nu og da havde gjort sig bemærket ved et eller andet usædvanlig enkelt individ som havde spillet en fremtrædende rolle i religionens udvikling på Urantia.
1955 122:1.2 Mary, the earth mother of Jesus, was a descendant of a long line of unique ancestors embracing many of the most remarkable women in the racial history of Urantia. Although Mary was an average woman of her day and generation, possessing a fairly normal temperament, she reckoned among her ancestors such well-known women as Annon, Tamar, Ruth, Bathsheba, Ansie, Cloa, Eve, Enta, and Ratta. No Jewish woman of that day had a more illustrious lineage of common progenitors or one extending back to more auspicious beginnings. Mary’s ancestry, like Joseph’s, was characterized by the predominance of strong but average individuals, relieved now and then by numerous outstanding personalities in the march of civilization and the progressive evolution of religion. Racially considered, it is hardly proper to regard Mary as a Jewess. In culture and belief she was a Jew, but in hereditary endowment she was more a composite of Syrian, Hittite, Phoenician, Greek, and Egyptian stocks, her racial inheritance being more general than that of Joseph.
2015 122:1.2 Maria, Jesu jordiske mor, nedstammede fra en lang slægtslinje med enestående personligheder, omfattende mange af mest bemærkelsesværdige kvinder i Urantias slægtshistorie. Selv om Maria var en gennemsnitskvinde for sin tid og sin generation og havde et forholdsvis normalt temperament, kunne hun blandt sine stamforældre regne sådanne velkendte kvinder som Annon, Tamar, Ruth, Batsheba, Ansie, Cloa, Eva, Enta og Ratta. Ingen jødisk kvinde på den tid havde et mere velkendt stamtræ af fælles stamforældre eller et som strakte sig tilbage til en mere lovende oprindelse. Marias stamtræ var i lighed med Josefs præget af en overvægt af stærke, men almindelige individer, med talrige sporadiske indslag af personligheder som havde gjort sig bemærket i civilisationens fremdrift og i religionens progressive udvikling. Rent racemæssig kan man knapt nok betragte Maria som en jødinde. Af kultur og tro var hun jøde, men hvad hendes arveegenskaber angik, var hun mere en blanding af syriske, hittitiske, fønikiske, græske og egyptiske folkestammer; hendes racemæssige arv var mere alsidig end Josefs.
1955 122:1.3 Of all couples living in Palestine at about the time of Michael’s projected bestowal, Joseph and Mary possessed the most ideal combination of widespread racial connections and superior average of personality endowments. It was the plan of Michael to appear on earth as an average man, that the common people might understand him and receive him; wherefore Gabriel selected just such persons as Joseph and Mary to become the bestowal parents.
2015 122:1.3 Af alle de par som boede i Palæstina på tiden for Mikael planlagte overdragelse, var det Josef og Maria som var i besiddelse af den mest ideelle kombination af udbredt racemæssige forbindelser og et højerestående gennemsnit af personlige evner[2]. Det var Mikaels plan at fremtræde på jorden som et gennemsnits menneske, så det almindelige folk ville forstå ham og være imødekommende overfor ham; derfor valgte Gabriel netop sådanne personer som Josef og Maria til at blive overdragelsens forældre.
2. GABRIEL APPEARS TO ELIZABETH
2. GABRIEL ÅBENBARER SIG FOR ELISABETH
1955 122:2.1 Jesus’ lifework on Urantia was really begun by John the Baptist. Zacharias, John’s father, belonged to the Jewish priesthood, while his mother, Elizabeth, was a member of the more prosperous branch of the same large family group to which Mary the mother of Jesus also belonged. Zacharias and Elizabeth, though they had been married many years, were childless.
2015 122:2.1 Jesu livsværk på Urantia blev egentlig påbegyndt af Johannes Døberen. Zakarias, far til Johannes, tilhørte det jødiske præsteskab, mens hans mor Elisabeth var et medlem af den mere velstående familiegruppe som Maria, Jesu mor, også tilhørte. Zakarias og Elisabeth havde, til trods for at de havde vært gift i mange år, ingen børn[3].
1955 122:2.3 “While your husband, Zacharias, stands before the altar in Jerusalem, and while the assembled people pray for the coming of a deliverer, I, Gabriel, have come to announce that you will shortly bear a son who shall be the forerunner of this divine teacher, and you shall call your son John. He will grow up dedicated to the Lord your God, and when he has come to full years, he will gladden your heart because he will turn many souls to God, and he will also proclaim the coming of the soul-healer of your people and the spirit-liberator of all mankind. Your kinswoman Mary shall be the mother of this child of promise, and I will also appear to her.”
2015 122:2.3 “Mens din mand Zakarias står foran alteret i Jerusalem, og mens forsamlingen beder for at en befrier må komme, er jeg, Gabriel, kommet for at bekendtgøre at du om kort tid vil bringe en søn til verden som skal blive forgangsmanden for denne guddommelige lærer, og du skal kalde din søn Johannes. Han vil vokse op i hengivenhed til Herren din Gud, og når han er nået en moden alder vil han glæde dit hjerte fordi han vil omvende mange sjæle til Gud, og han vil også forkynde ankomsten af dit folks sjælehelbreder og hele menneskehedens åndelige befrier. Din slægtning Maria skal blive mor til dette lovede barn, og jeg vil også vise mig for hende[5].”
1955 122:2.4 This vision greatly frightened Elizabeth. After Gabriel’s departure she turned this experience over in her mind, long pondering the sayings of the majestic visitor, but did not speak of the revelation to anyone save her husband until her subsequent visit with Mary in early February of the following year.
2015 122:2.4 Dette syn skræmte Elisabeth meget. Efter at Gabriel havde taget afsked, vendte hun denne oplevelse i sit sind, længe overvejende hvad denne majestætiske besøgende havde sagt, men snakkede ikke med nogen om denne åbenbaring undtaget med sin mand, før hun besøgte Maria tidlig i februar året efter.
1955 122:2.5 For five months, however, Elizabeth withheld her secret even from her husband. Upon her disclosure of the story of Gabriel’s visit, Zacharias was very skeptical and for weeks doubted the entire experience, only consenting halfheartedly to believe in Gabriel’s visit to his wife when he could no longer question that she was expectant with child. Zacharias was very much perplexed regarding the prospective motherhood of Elizabeth, but he did not doubt the integrity of his wife, notwithstanding his own advanced age. It was not until about six weeks before John’s birth that Zacharias, as the result of an impressive dream, became fully convinced that Elizabeth was to become the mother of a son of destiny, one who was to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.
2015 122:2.5 Men i hele fem måneder undlod Elisabeth at fortælle om sin hemmelighed selv til sin mand[6]. Da hun røbede historien om Gabriels besøg for Zakarias, blev han vældig skeptisk og tvivlede på hele hændelsen i ugevis og gik kun halvhjertet med til at tro på, at Gabriel havde opsøgt hans kone indtil han ikke længere kunne tvivle på at Elisabeth ventede et barn[7]. Zakarias kom meget i vildrede når det gjaldt Elisabeths planlagte moderrolle, men han nærede ingen tvivl om sin kones integritet, til trods for at han jo selv var kommet godt op i årene. Først omkring seks uger før Johannes fødsel blev Zakarias, som en følge af en overvældende drøm, helt overbevist om at Elisabeth skulle være mor til en skæbnesøn, en som skulle komme til at berede vejen for den kommende Messias.
1955 122:2.6 Gabriel appeared to Mary about the middle of November, 8 B.C., while she was at work in her Nazareth home. Later on, after Mary knew without doubt that she was to become a mother, she persuaded Joseph to let her journey to the City of Judah, four miles west of Jerusalem, in the hills, to visit Elizabeth. Gabriel had informed each of these mothers-to-be of his appearance to the other. Naturally they were anxious to get together, compare experiences, and talk over the probable futures of their sons. Mary remained with her distant cousin for three weeks. Elizabeth did much to strengthen Mary’s faith in the vision of Gabriel, so that she returned home more fully dedicated to the call to mother the child of destiny whom she was so soon to present to the world as a helpless babe, an average and normal infant of the realm.
2015 122:2.6 Gabriel åbenbarede sig for Maria omtrent midt i november i år 8 f[8].Kr. mens hun var på arbejde i sit hjem i Nazaret. Senere, efter at Maria viste at hun uden tvivl skulle være mor, overtalte hun Josef til at lade hende rejse til byen Juda i bakkerne, omkring seks kilometer vest for Jerusalem for at besøge Elisabeth. Gabriel havde fortalt begge disse vordende mødre om sin åbenbaring overfor den anden af dem[9]. Naturligvis var de ivrige efter at møde hinanden, sammenligne deres erfaringer og snakke sammen om hvordan deres sønners fremtid antagelig ville udarte sig. Maria blev hos sin fjerne slægtning i tre uger. Elisabeth bidrog meget til at styrke Marias tro på Gabriels åbenbaring, således at hun rejste hjem igen med en stærkere hengivenhed til kaldet om at være mor til det skæbne barn som hun så snart skulle komme til at bringe til verden som et hjælpeløst spædbarn, et almindelig og normalt barn af denne verden[10].
1955 122:2.7 John was born in the City of Judah, March 25, 7 B.C. Zacharias and Elizabeth rejoiced greatly in the realization that a son had come to them as Gabriel had promised, and when on the eighth day they presented the child for circumcision, they formally christened him John, as they had been directed aforetime. Already had a nephew of Zacharias departed for Nazareth, carrying the message of Elizabeth to Mary proclaiming that a son had been born to her and that his name was to be John.
2015 122:2.7 Johannes blev født i byen Juda den 25[11]. marts i år 7 f.Kr. Zakarias og Elisabeth blev meget glade, da det gik op for dem, at de havde fået en søn sådan som Gabriel havde lovet, og da de på den ottende dag præsenterede barnet til omskæring, gav de ham på formelt vis navnet Johannes, sådan som de på forhånd havde fået besked om. En nevø af Zakarias var allerede draget af sted til Nazaret med Elisabeths budskab til Maria om at hun havde fået en søn og at hans navn skulle være Johannes.
1955 122:2.8 From his earliest infancy John was judiciously impressed by his parents with the idea that he was to grow up to become a spiritual leader and religious teacher. And the soil of John’s heart was ever responsive to the sowing of such suggestive seeds. Even as a child he was found frequently at the temple during the seasons of his father’s service, and he was tremendously impressed with the significance of all that he saw.
2015 122:2.8 Helt fra sin tidligste barndom fik Johannes møjsommelig indprentet af sine forældre at han skulle vokse op til at blive en åndelig leder og en religiøs lærer. Og i Johannes hjerte fandtes der altid en grobund for at lade sådanne påvirkningens frø få spire. Selv som barn var han ofte at finde i templet på de tider hvor hans far holdt gudstjeneste, og alt hvad han så, gjorde et overmåde stærkt indtryk på ham[12].
3. GABRIEL’S ANNOUNCEMENT TO MARY
3. GABRIELS BUDSKAB TIL MARIA
1955 122:3.1 One evening about sundown, before Joseph had returned home, Gabriel appeared to Mary by the side of a low stone table and, after she had recovered her composure, said: “I come at the bidding of one who is my Master and whom you shall love and nurture. To you, Mary, I bring glad tidings when I announce that the conception within you is ordained by heaven, and that in due time you will become the mother of a son; you shall call him Joshua, and he shall inaugurate the kingdom of heaven on earth and among men. Speak not of this matter save to Joseph and to Elizabeth, your kinswoman, to whom I have also appeared, and who shall presently also bear a son, whose name shall be John, and who will prepare the way for the message of deliverance which your son shall proclaim to men with great power and deep conviction. And doubt not my word, Mary, for this home has been chosen as the mortal habitat of the child of destiny. My benediction rests upon you, the power of the Most Highs will strengthen you, and the Lord of all the earth shall overshadow you.”
2015 122:3.1 En aften ved solnedgangen og inden Josef endnu var kommet hjem, åbenbarede Gabriel sig for Maria ved siden af et lavt stenbord og efter at hun var kommet til sig selv igen, sagde han: “Jeg er kommet på opfordring fra en som er min Mester og som du skal elske og opfostre[13]. Til dig, Maria, bringer jeg glade nyheder når jeg bekendtgøre at undfangelsen i dig er beordret fra himlen, og at du i rette tid vil blive mor til en søn; du skal kalde ham Joshua, og han skal igangsætte oprettelsen af himmelens rige på jorden, blandt menneskene[14][15]. Nævn ikke disse anliggender for nogen undtagen for Josef og for Elisabeth, din slægtning, som jeg også har vist mig for og som også snart skal bære frem en søn som skal hedde Johannes, og han vil berede vejen for det befrielsens budskab som din søn med stor kraft og dyb overbevisning skal forkynde for menneskene. Og tvivl ikke på mine ord, Maria, for dette hjem er blevet valgt ud som skæbnebarnets bosted blandt de dødelige. Min velsignelse hviler over dig, den Højestes kraft vil styrke dig, og Herren over hele jorden vil beskytte dig.”
1955 122:3.2 Mary pondered this visitation secretly in her heart for many weeks until of a certainty she knew she was with child, before she dared to disclose these unusual events to her husband. When Joseph heard all about this, although he had great confidence in Mary, he was much troubled and could not sleep for many nights. At first Joseph had doubts about the Gabriel visitation. Then when he became well-nigh persuaded that Mary had really heard the voice and beheld the form of the divine messenger, he was torn in mind as he pondered how such things could be. How could the offspring of human beings be a child of divine destiny? Never could Joseph reconcile these conflicting ideas until, after several weeks of thought, both he and Mary reached the conclusion that they had been chosen to become the parents of the Messiah, though it had hardly been the Jewish concept that the expected deliverer was to be of divine nature. Upon arriving at this momentous conclusion, Mary hastened to depart for a visit with Elizabeth.
2015 122:3.2 Maria undrede sig i sit hjerte i al hemmelighed over denne visitation i mange uger helt til hun med vished vidste at hun var med barn, før hun vovet at røbe disse usædvanlige hændelser til sin mand. Da Josef hørte om alt dette, blev han, selv om han havde stor tiltro til Maria, meget bekymret og kunne ikke sove mange aftener efter. Først tvivlede Josef på Gabriels visitation. Da han så blev så godt som overbevist om, at Maria virkelig havde hørt stemmen og iagttaget formen til den guddommelige budbringer, var han oprevet over at undre sig over hvordan noget sådant kunne ske. Hvordan kunne et menneskeafkom blive et guddommeligt skæbnebarn? Aldrig kunne Josef få disse modstridende idéer til at stemme overens før både han og Maria efter at have tænkt sagen igennem i flere uger kom til den slutning at de var blevet udvalgt til at blive forældrene til Messias, skønt det næppe var en del af den jødiske opfattelse at den ventede befrier skulle være af en guddommelig natur. Da de var kommet frem til denne overvældende afgørelse, begav Maria sig i al hast af sted for at besøge Elisabeth.
1955 122:3.3 Upon her return, Mary went to visit her parents, Joachim and Hannah. Her two brothers and two sisters, as well as her parents, were always very skeptical about the divine mission of Jesus, though, of course, at this time they knew nothing of the Gabriel visitation. But Mary did confide to her sister Salome that she thought her son was destined to become a great teacher.
2015 122:3.3 På tilbagevejen besøgte Maria sine forældre, Joakim og Hanna. Hendes to brødre og to søstre såvel som forældrene var altid meget skeptiske angående Jesu guddommelige mission, selv om de selvfølgelig på dette tidspunkt ikke vidste noget om Gabriels visitation. Men Maria betroede sig til sin søster Salome at hun troede at hendes søn var skæbnebestemt til at blive en stor lærer.
1955 122:3.4 Gabriel’s announcement to Mary was made the day following the conception of Jesus and was the only event of supernatural occurrence connected with her entire experience of carrying and bearing the child of promise.
4. JOSEPH’S DREAM
4. JOSEFS DRØM
1955 122:4.1 Joseph did not become reconciled to the idea that Mary was to become the mother of an extraordinary child until after he had experienced a very impressive dream. In this dream a brilliant celestial messenger appeared to him and, among other things, said: “Joseph, I appear by command of Him who now reigns on high, and I am directed to instruct you concerning the son whom Mary shall bear, and who shall become a great light in the world. In him will be life, and his life shall become the light of mankind. He shall first come to his own people, but they will hardly receive him; but to as many as shall receive him to them will he reveal that they are the children of God.” After this experience Joseph never again wholly doubted Mary’s story of Gabriel’s visit and of the promise that the unborn child was to become a divine messenger to the world.
2015 122:4.1 Josef kunne ikke forlige sig med tanken om at Maria skulle være mor til et ualmindeligt barn før efter at han havde haft en meget imponerende drøm[17]. I denne drøm viste en strålende himmelsk budbringer sig for ham og sagde blandt andet: “Josef, jeg viser mig efter ordre fra Ham som nu reagerer i det høje, og jeg har fået besked om at instruere dig angående den søn som Maria skal føde og som skal blive et stærkt lys i verden. I ham vil der være liv, og hans liv skal blive menneskehedens lys. Han skal først komme til sit eget folk, men de vil næppe tage imod ham; men til så mange som vil tage imod ham vil han åbenbare, at de er Guds børn.” Efter denne oplevelse tvivlede Josef aldrig mere helt på Marias historie om Gabriels besøg eller på løftet om at det ufødte barn skulle blive en guddommelig budbringer til verden.
1955 122:4.2 In all these visitations nothing was said about the house of David. Nothing was ever intimated about Jesus’ becoming a “deliverer of the Jews,” not even that he was to be the long-expected Messiah. Jesus was not such a Messiah as the Jews had anticipated, but he was the world’s deliverer. His mission was to all races and peoples, not to any one group.
2015 122:4.2 Ved ingen af disse visitationer blev der sagt noget om Davids hus. Ingenting blev så meget som antydet om at Jesus skulle blive “jødernes befrier”, ikke engang at han skulle blive den længe eftertragtede Messias. Jesus var ikke en sådan Messias som den jøderne havde ventet sig, men han var verdens befrier. Hans mission var overfor alle racer og folkeslag, ikke overfor en bestemt gruppe.
1955 122:4.3 Joseph was not of the line of King David. Mary had more of the Davidic ancestry than Joseph. True, Joseph did go to the City of David, Bethlehem, to be registered for the Roman census, but that was because, six generations previously, Joseph’s paternal ancestor of that generation, being an orphan, was adopted by one Zadoc, who was a direct descendant of David; hence was Joseph also accounted as of the “house of David.”
2015 122:4.3 Josef nedstammede ikke fra kong David[18]. Maria havde mere herkomst i sig fra David end Josef. Sandt nok, Josef drog til Davids by Betlehem for at blive indskrevet i den romerske folketælling, men det var fordi Josefs forfader på den mandlige linje, seks generationer tidligere som forældreløst barn var blevet adopteret af en vis Zadoc som var en direkte efterkommer efter David; derfor blev Josef også regnet med til “Davids hus”[19][20].
1955 122:4.4 Most of the so-called Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament were made to apply to Jesus long after his life had been lived on earth. For centuries the Hebrew prophets had proclaimed the coming of a deliverer, and these promises had been construed by successive generations as referring to a new Jewish ruler who would sit upon the throne of David and, by the reputed miraculous methods of Moses, proceed to establish the Jews in Palestine as a powerful nation, free from all foreign domination. Again, many figurative passages found throughout the Hebrew scriptures were subsequently misapplied to the life mission of Jesus. Many Old Testament sayings were so distorted as to appear to fit some episode of the Master’s earth life. Jesus himself onetime publicly denied any connection with the royal house of David. Even the passage, “a maiden shall bear a son,” was made to read, “a virgin shall bear a son.” This was also true of the many genealogies of both Joseph and Mary which were constructed subsequent to Michael’s career on earth. Many of these lineages contain much of the Master’s ancestry, but on the whole they are not genuine and may not be depended upon as factual. The early followers of Jesus all too often succumbed to the temptation to make all the olden prophetic utterances appear to find fulfillment in the life of their Lord and Master.
2015 122:4.4 De fleste af de såkaldte messiasprofetier i det Gamle Testamente var tilpasset, til at gælde for Jesus, længe efter at han havde levet sit jordiske liv. I århundrede havde de hebraiske profeter forkyndt at en befrier skulle komme, og disse løfter var af senere generationer blevet tolket som en henvisning til en ny jødisk hersker som skulle sidde på Davids trone og, ved hjælp af Moses antaget mirakuløse metoder, gå hen og gøre Palæstinas jøder til en mægtig nation, fri for al udenlandsk dominans. Igen blev mange billedlige tekster fra de hebraiske skrifter senere misbrugt til at skulle gælde Jesu livsopgave. Mange udsagn fra det Gamle Testamente blev så forvrænget for at de kunne indpasses til en eller anden begivenhed i Mesterens jordiske liv. Jesus benægtede selv ved en offentlig anledning at have nogen forbindelse med Davids hus[21]. Til og med ordene “en kvinde skal føde en søn” blev givet ordlyden “en jomfru skal føde en søn[22].” Dette gjaldt også for både Josef og Marias mange stamtavler som blev omkonstrueret i eftertiden, efter Mikaels livsforløb på jorden[23]. Mange af disse slægtstavler indeholder meget af Mesterens stamtræ, men alt i alt er de ikke ægte og bør ikke anses som fakta. De tidligere tilhængere af Jesus faldt alt for ofte for fristelsen til at ville få alle de gamle fortids profetiske ytringer til at fremstå som i opfyldelse af deres herre og Mesters liv.
5. JESUS’ EARTH PARENTS
5. JESU JORDISKE FORÆLDRE
1955 122:5.1 Joseph was a mild-mannered man, extremely conscientious, and in every way faithful to the religious conventions and practices of his people. He talked little but thought much. The sorry plight of the Jewish people caused Joseph much sadness. As a youth, among his eight brothers and sisters, he had been more cheerful, but in the earlier years of married life (during Jesus’ childhood) he was subject to periods of mild spiritual discouragement. These temperamental manifestations were greatly improved just before his untimely death and after the economic condition of his family had been enhanced by his advancement from the rank of carpenter to the role of a prosperous contractor.
2015 122:5.1 Josef var en mand med milde manerer, ekstrem samvittighedsfuld og på alle måder trofast mod sit folks religiøse konventioner og skikke. Han snakkede ikke ret meget, men tænkte meget. Det jødiske folks bedrøvelige kår forårsagede meget tristhed hos Josef. I sin ungdomstid sammen med sine otte søskende havde han været meget munter, men i sine første år som gift mand, i Jesu barndomstid, havde han perioder med mild åndelig nedstemthed. Disse udslag i hans humør udviklede sig stærkt til det bedre lige før hans alt for tidlige død og efter at levevilkårene for hans familie var blevet bedre ved at han havde slået sig op fra at være en almindelig snedker til at fylde rollen som opblomstrende entreprenør.
1955 122:5.2 Mary’s temperament was quite opposite to that of her husband. She was usually cheerful, was very rarely downcast, and possessed an ever-sunny disposition. Mary indulged in free and frequent expression of her emotional feelings and was never observed to be sorrowful until after the sudden death of Joseph. And she had hardly recovered from this shock when she had thrust upon her the anxieties and questionings aroused by the extraordinary career of her eldest son, which was so rapidly unfolding before her astonished gaze. But throughout all this unusual experience Mary was composed, courageous, and fairly wise in her relationship with her strange and little-understood first-born son and his surviving brothers and sisters.
2015 122:5.2 Marias temperament var det modsatte af sin mands. Hun var sædvanligvis i godt humør, var sjældent nedtrykt og havde altid en solskinsfyldt natur. Maria gav efter for frie og hyppige følelsesudladninger og blev aldrig observeret i at være nedtrykt før efter Josefs pludselige død. Hun var knap kommet sig igen efter dette chok før alle ængstelserne og spørgsmål som blev vækket i hendes ved den ældste søns højst usædvanlige virksomhed som så hurtigt udfoldede sig foran hendes forbløffede blik. Men i løbet af alle disse usædvanlige erfaringer var Maria fattet, modig og rimelig klog i sit forhold til sin underlige førstefødte søn som ingen rigtig forstod sig på, og til de overlevede af hans søskendeflok.
1955 122:5.3 Jesus derived much of his unusual gentleness and marvelous sympathetic understanding of human nature from his father; he inherited his gift as a great teacher and his tremendous capacity for righteous indignation from his mother. In emotional reactions to his adult-life environment, Jesus was at one time like his father, meditative and worshipful, sometimes characterized by apparent sadness; but more often he drove forward in the manner of his mother’s optimistic and determined disposition. All in all, Mary’s temperament tended to dominate the career of the divine Son as he grew up and swung into the momentous strides of his adult life. In some particulars Jesus was a blending of his parents’ traits; in other respects he exhibited the traits of one in contrast with those of the other.
2015 122:5.3 Jesus modtog meget af sin ualmindelige mildhed og forbløffende sympatiserende indlevelse i menneskets natur fra sin far; han arvede sin begavelse som en storartet lærer og sin kraftfulde kapacitet for retskaffen indignation fra sin mor. I sine følelsesmæssige reaktioner på sit voksne livs omgivelser, var Jesus på et tidspunkt som sin far, meditativ og tilbedelsesfuld, til tider præget af en tilsyneladende tristhed; men meget oftere var han mere i stil med sin mors optimistiske og beslutsomme natur. I det store og hele var det Marias gemyt som slog stærkest ud i den guddommelige Søns livsforløb efterhånden som han voksede op og gav sig i kast med sit voksne livs vigtige udfordringer. I nogen henseender var Jesus en blanding af sine forældres egenskaber; ellers kunne han være præget af den enes sider i modsætning til den andens.
1955 122:5.4 From Joseph Jesus secured his strict training in the usages of the Jewish ceremonials and his unusual acquaintance with the Hebrew scriptures; from Mary he derived a broader viewpoint of religious life and a more liberal concept of personal spiritual freedom.
2015 122:5.4 Fra Josef sikrede Jesus sig den strenge oplæring i jødernes ceremonielle skik og brug og sit ualmindelig gode kendskab med de hebraiske skrifter; fra Maria tilegnede han sig et bredere perspektiv på det religiøse liv og et mere liberalt begreb om personlig åndelig frihed.
1955 122:5.5 The families of both Joseph and Mary were well educated for their time. Joseph and Mary were educated far above the average for their day and station in life. He was a thinker; she was a planner, expert in adaptation and practical in immediate execution. Joseph was a black-eyed brunet; Mary, a brown-eyed well-nigh blond type.
2015 122:5.5 Både Josefs og Marias familier var veluddannede set i forhold til sin tid. Josef og Maria havde en langt højere uddannelse end hvad der var gennemsnittet for deres samtid og sociale stilling. Han var en tænker; hun var en planlægger, ekspert på at tilpasse sig og praktisk til at få tingene gjort på en gang. Josef var mørk og havde sorte øjne; Maria havde brune øjne og var næsten en blond type.
1955 122:5.6 Had Joseph lived, he undoubtedly would have become a firm believer in the divine mission of his eldest son. Mary alternated between believing and doubting, being greatly influenced by the position taken by her other children and by her friends and relatives, but always was she steadied in her final attitude by the memory of Gabriel’s appearance to her immediately after the child was conceived.
2015 122:5.6 Om Josef havde levet, ville han utvivlsomt være kommet til at have en fast tro på sin ældste søns guddommelige mission. Maria skiftede mellem tro og tvivl og blev vældig påvirket af de standpunkter hendes andre børn og venner og slægtninge havde, men altid blev hun støttet i sin indstilling til sidst, i hukommelsen af Gabriels åbenbaring for hende umiddelbart efter at barnet var blevet undfanget.
1955 122:5.7 Mary was an expert weaver and more than averagely skilled in most of the household arts of that day; she was a good housekeeper and a superior homemaker. Both Joseph and Mary were good teachers, and they saw to it that their children were well versed in the learning of that day.
2015 122:5.7 Maria var en ekspert væver, og var over middelgod oplært i de fleste af sin samtids husholdningsområder; hun var en god husholderske og en udmærket husmor. Både Josef og Maria var gode lærere, og de sørgede for at deres børn fik behørig oplæring i det man måtte kunne på den tid.
1955 122:5.8 When Joseph was a young man, he was employed by Mary’s father in the work of building an addition to his house, and it was when Mary brought Joseph a cup of water, during a noontime meal, that the courtship of the pair who were destined to become the parents of Jesus really began.
2015 122:5.8 Da Josef var en ung mand, fik han ansættelse af Marias far i arbejdet med at opføre en tilbygning til hans hus, og det var under et måltid midt på dagen, da Maria bragte Josef en kop vand, at indledningen til forholdet mellem de to som var bestemt til at blive Jesu forældre egentlig begyndte.
1955 122:5.9 Joseph and Mary were married, in accordance with Jewish custom, at Mary’s home in the environs of Nazareth when Joseph was twenty-one years old. This marriage concluded a normal courtship of almost two years’ duration. Shortly thereafter they moved into their new home in Nazareth, which had been built by Joseph with the assistance of two of his brothers. The house was located near the foot of the near-by elevated land which so charmingly overlooked the surrounding countryside. In this home, especially prepared, these young and expectant parents had thought to welcome the child of promise, little realizing that this momentous event of a universe was to transpire while they would be absent from home in Bethlehem of Judea.
2015 122:5.9 Josef og Maria giftede sig i henhold til den jødiske skik i Marias hjem i udkanten af Nazaret da Josef var enogtyve år gammel[24]. Dette ægteskab markerede afslutningen på en næsten to år lang normal forlovelse. Lige bagefter flyttede de ind i deres nye hjem i Nazaret som var blevet bygget til Josef med hjælp fra to af hans brødre[25]. Huset lå lige i nærheden af foden af den nærliggende forhøjning i landskabet som gav et så idyllisk udsyn over den omkringliggende egn. Dette hjem havde disse unge vordende forældre forberedt specielt til at tage imod det lovede barn, uden at ane at denne betydelige begivenhed for et helt univers skulle komme til at finde sted mens de var bortrejst til Betlehem i Judæa.
1955 122:5.10 The larger part of Joseph’s family became believers in the teachings of Jesus, but very few of Mary’s people ever believed in him until after he departed from this world. Joseph leaned more toward the spiritual concept of the expected Messiah, but Mary and her family, especially her father, held to the idea of the Messiah as a temporal deliverer and political ruler. Mary’s ancestors had been prominently identified with the Maccabean activities of the then but recent times.
2015 122:5.10 De fleste i Josefs familie kom til at tro på Jesu lære, men meget få af Marias familie troede nogen sinde på ham før efter at han havde forladt denne verden. Josef hældede mere over mod et åndeligt begreb om den forventede Messias, men Maria og hendes familie, særlig hendes far, holdt sig til idéen om Messias som en verdslig befrier og en politisk magthaver. Marias forfædre havde spillet en central rolle i de forholdsvis seneste makkabæiske aktiviteter.
1955 122:5.11 Joseph held vigorously to the Eastern, or Babylonian, views of the Jewish religion; Mary leaned strongly toward the more liberal and broader Western, or Hellenistic, interpretation of the law and the prophets.
2015 122:5.11 Josef holdt sig ihærdig til det østlige eller babylonske syn på jødedommen; Maria hældede stærkt mod den mere liberale og vidtstrakte vestlige eller hellenistiske fortolkning af loven og profeterne.
6. THE HOME AT NAZARETH
6. HJEMMET I NAZARET
1955 122:6.1 The home of Jesus was not far from the high hill in the northerly part of Nazareth, some distance from the village spring, which was in the eastern section of the town. Jesus’ family dwelt in the outskirts of the city, and this made it all the easier for him subsequently to enjoy frequent strolls in the country and to make trips up to the top of this near-by highland, the highest of all the hills of southern Galilee save the Mount Tabor range to the east and the hill of Nain, which was about the same height. Their home was located a little to the south and east of the southern promontory of this hill and about midway between the base of this elevation and the road leading out of Nazareth toward Cana. Aside from climbing the hill, Jesus’ favorite stroll was to follow a narrow trail winding about the base of the hill in a northeasterly direction to a point where it joined the road to Sepphoris.
2015 122:6.1 Jesu hjem lå ikke langt fra den høje bakke i den nordlige del af Nazaret, et stykke fra landsbyens vandkilde, som lå på østsiden af byen. Jesu familie boede i udkanten af byen, og dette gjorte det senere meget lettere for ham så han oftere kunne tage sig en tur ud i naturen eller op til toppen af højlandet lige ved, den højeste af alle bakkerne i det sydlige Galilæa udtagen Taborbjerget i øst og bjerget Nain, som var omtrent lige høje. Deres hjem lå lidt sydøst for det sydlige forbjerg til denne bakke og næsten midt mellem foden til denne forhøjning og vejen ud af Nazaret i retning mod Kana. Udover at klatre op på bakkekammen var Jesu ynglingstur et smal sti som snoede sig langs foden af bakken i nordøstlig retning og endte ved vejen til Sefforis.
1955 122:6.2 The home of Joseph and Mary was a one-room stone structure with a flat roof and an adjoining building for housing the animals. The furniture consisted of a low stone table, earthenware and stone dishes and pots, a loom, a lampstand, several small stools, and mats for sleeping on the stone floor. In the back yard, near the animal annex, was the shelter which covered the oven and the mill for grinding grain. It required two persons to operate this type of mill, one to grind and another to feed the grain. As a small boy Jesus often fed grain to this mill while his mother turned the grinder.
2015 122:6.2 Josefs og Marias hjem var en stenkonstruktion, der bestod af et rum med fladt tag og et tilstødende udhus til dyrene. Indretningen bestod af et lavt stenbord, lervarer og sten tallerkener og krukker, en væv, en lampestøtte, flere små stole og måtter til at sove på stengulvet. I baggården ved siden af stalden var der et tag som dækkede ovnen og kornmøllen. Det krævede to personer til at holde denne type mølle i gang, en til at kværne og en til at hælde kornet i. Som lille var det ofte Jesus som hældte kornet i møllen mens hans mor drejede møllehjulet.
1955 122:6.3 In later years, as the family grew in size, they would all squat about the enlarged stone table to enjoy their meals, helping themselves from a common dish, or pot, of food. During the winter, at the evening meal the table would be lighted by a small, flat clay lamp, which was filled with olive oil. After the birth of Martha, Joseph built an addition to this house, a large room, which was used as a carpenter shop during the day and as a sleeping room at night.
2015 122:6.3 I de senere år, da familien var blevet større, plejede de alle at sidde på hug rundt om det udvidede stenbord og nyde deres måltider mens de forsynede sig fra en fælles tallerken eller gryde. Om vinteren ville bordet være oplyst under aftensmåltidet af en lille, flad lampe af ler som var fyldt med olivenolie. Efter at Marta blev født, byggede Josef en tilbygning på huset, et stort rum som blev brugt som snedkerværksted om dagen og soverum om natten.
7. THE TRIP TO BETHLEHEM
7. REJSEN TIL BETLEHEM
1955 122:7.1 In the month of March, 8 B.C. (the month Joseph and Mary were married), Caesar Augustus decreed that all inhabitants of the Roman Empire should be numbered, that a census should be made which could be used for effecting better taxation. The Jews had always been greatly prejudiced against any attempt to “number the people,” and this, in connection with the serious domestic difficulties of Herod, King of Judea, had conspired to cause the postponement of the taking of this census in the Jewish kingdom for one year. Throughout all the Roman Empire this census was registered in the year 8 B.C., except in the Palestinian kingdom of Herod, where it was taken in 7 B.C., one year later.
2015 122:7.1 I marts måned, år 8 f.Kr., samme måned som Josef og Maria giftede sig, bestemte kejser Augustus at alle indbyggerne i Romerriget skulle tælles, at en folketælling skulle gennemføres for bedre at kunne gennemføre en beskatning. Jøderne havde altid næret stærke fordomme mod ethvert forsøg på at “tælle folket”, og dette havde, i forbindelse med de alvorlige hjemlige vanskeligheder for kong Herodes af Judæa, forårsaget at denne folketælling i det jødiske kongerige var blevet udsat i et år. I hele Romerriget blev denne folketælling gennemført i år 8 f[26].kr., undtagen i Herodes kongerige i Palæstina, hvor den blev foretaget i år 7 f.Kr., et år senere.
1955 122:7.2 It was not necessary that Mary should go to Bethlehem for enrollment—Joseph was authorized to register for his family—but Mary, being an adventurous and aggressive person, insisted on accompanying him. She feared being left alone lest the child be born while Joseph was away, and again, Bethlehem being not far from the City of Judah, Mary foresaw a possible pleasurable visit with her kinswoman Elizabeth.
2015 122:7.2 Det var unødvendig for Maria at skulle gå til Betlehem for at indskrive sig - Josef havde jo fuldmagt til at registrere hele familien - men Maria, som den eventyrlysten og udfordrende person hun var, insisterede på at følges med ham. Hun ængstes ved tanken på at blive alene og føde barnet mens Josef var borte, og desuden, i og med at Betlehem ikke lå langt fra byen Juda, forudså Maria muligheden for et hyggeligt besøg hos sin slægtning Elisabeth.
1955 122:7.3 Joseph virtually forbade Mary to accompany him, but it was of no avail; when the food was packed for the trip of three or four days, she prepared double rations and made ready for the journey. But before they actually set forth, Joseph was reconciled to Mary’s going along, and they cheerfully departed from Nazareth at the break of day.
2015 122:7.3 Josef nærmest forbød Maria at følge med ham, men til ingen nytte: Da hun pakkede maden ned for den tre-fire dages lange rejsen, beregnede hun dobbelt rationer og gjorde sig klar til rejsen. Men inden de faktisk var på vej, havde Josef forsonet sig med at Maria skulle med, og de var ved godt mod da de rejste fra Nazaret ved daggry[27].
1955 122:7.4 Joseph and Mary were poor, and since they had only one beast of burden, Mary, being large with child, rode on the animal with the provisions while Joseph walked, leading the beast. The building and furnishing of a home had been a great drain on Joseph since he had also to contribute to the support of his parents, as his father had been recently disabled. And so this Jewish couple went forth from their humble home early on the morning of August 18, 7 B.C., on their journey to Bethlehem.
2015 122:7.4 Josef og Maria var fattige, og siden de kun havde et pakdyr, var det Maria, stor med barn, som red på det sammen med oppakningen, mens Josef gik til fods og førte dyret. Bygning og indretning af et hjem havde været en stor belastning for Josef, siden han også var nødt til at bidrage til at forsørge forældrene, i og med at hans far for nylig var blevet uarbejdsdygtig. Og så drog dette jødiske par ud fra deres beskedne hjem tidlig om morgenen den 18. august, år 7 f.Kr. på deres rejse til Betlehem.
1955 122:7.5 Their first day of travel carried them around the foothills of Mount Gilboa, where they camped for the night by the river Jordan and engaged in many speculations as to what sort of a son would be born to them, Joseph adhering to the concept of a spiritual teacher and Mary holding to the idea of a Jewish Messiah, a deliverer of the Hebrew nation.
2015 122:7.5 På deres første rejsedag rundede de foden af Gilboabjerget før de slog lejr ved Jordanfloden. Her gjorde de sig mange spekulationer om hvad slags søn de ville få; Josef holdt sig til opfattelsen om en åndelig lærer, mens Maria nærede idéen om en jødisk Messias, en befrier for hebræernes nation.
1955 122:7.6 Bright and early the morning of August 19, Joseph and Mary were again on their way. They partook of their noontide meal at the foot of Mount Sartaba, overlooking the Jordan valley, and journeyed on, making Jericho for the night, where they stopped at an inn on the highway in the outskirts of the city. Following the evening meal and after much discussion concerning the oppressiveness of Roman rule, Herod, the census enrollment, and the comparative influence of Jerusalem and Alexandria as centers of Jewish learning and culture, the Nazareth travelers retired for the night’s rest. Early in the morning of August 20 they resumed their journey, reaching Jerusalem before noon, visiting the temple, and going on to their destination, arriving at Bethlehem in midafternoon.
2015 122:7.6 Tidlig den strålende morgen 19. august var Josef og Maria igen på vej. Måltidet midt på dagen indtog de ved foden af Sartababjerget, med udsyn over Jordandalen, før de drog videre og nåede Jeriko før det blev aften, og der standsede de ved et værtshus langs hovedvejen, i udkanten af byen. Efter aftensmåltidet, og efter en lang diskussion om romervældets undertrykkelse, om Herodes og indskrivningen i folketælling, og efter en sammenligning mellem hvad slags indvirkning Jerusalem og Alexandria havde som centre for jødisk uddannelse og kultur, trak de rejsende sig tilbage for aftenen. Tidlig om morgenen den 20. august fortsatte de deres rejse og nåede Jerusalem sidst på formiddagen. Der besøgte de templet før de drog videre til deres bestemmelsessted og nåede Betlehem midt på eftermiddagen.
1955 122:7.7 The inn was overcrowded, and Joseph accordingly sought lodgings with distant relatives, but every room in Bethlehem was filled to overflowing. On returning to the courtyard of the inn, he was informed that the caravan stables, hewn out of the side of the rock and situated just below the inn, had been cleared of animals and cleaned up for the reception of lodgers. Leaving the donkey in the courtyard, Joseph shouldered their bags of clothing and provisions and with Mary descended the stone steps to their lodgings below. They found themselves located in what had been a grain storage room to the front of the stalls and mangers. Tent curtains had been hung, and they counted themselves fortunate to have such comfortable quarters.
2015 122:7.7 Herberget var overfyldt, og Josef søgte derfor husrum hos fjerne slægtninge, men hvert eneste rum i Betlehem var fyldt til trængsel. Da han kom tilbage til herbergets gårdsplads, fik han at vide at i karavanestaldene, som var hugget ud af bjergsiden og som lå lige nedenfor herberget, havde man fjernet dyrene og gjort rent for at tage imod de tilrejsende[28]. Efterladende æslet på gårdspladsen, læssede Josef sækkene med klæder og proviant på sine skuldre, og gik med Maria nedad stentrapperne til sit husly nedenfor. Her fik de plads i noget som havde været et kornkammer foran båsene og krybberne. Der var hængt teltforhæng op som gardiner, og de regnede sig som heldige med en så bekvem indlogering.
1955 122:7.8 Joseph had thought to go out at once and enroll, but Mary was weary; she was considerably distressed and besought him to remain by her side, which he did.
2015 122:7.8 Josef havde tænkt sig at gå ud med det samme for at indskrive sig i folketællingen, men Maria var træt; hun var temmelig ængstelig og bad ham om at blive hos hende, og det blev han.
8. THE BIRTH OF JESUS
8. JESU FØDSEL
1955 122:8.1 All that night Mary was restless so that neither of them slept much. By the break of day the pangs of childbirth were well in evidence, and at noon, August 21, 7 B.C., with the help and kind ministrations of women fellow travelers, Mary was delivered of a male child. Jesus of Nazareth was born into the world, was wrapped in the clothes which Mary had brought along for such a possible contingency, and laid in a near-by manger.
2015 122:8.1 Hele denne nat var Maria så urolig at ingen af dem fik sovet særlig meget. Inden morgengry havde fødselsveerne givet sig vel til kende, og midt på dagen den 21. august år 7 f.Kr. nedkom Maria, med hjælp og venlig støtte fra kvindelige medrejsende, med et gudebarn. Jesus fra Nazaret blev født ind i verden; han blev svøbt ind i de klæder som Maria havde taget med for et sådant mulig tilfælde, og lagt i en krybbe lige ved.[29]
1955 122:8.3 The next day after the birth of Jesus, Joseph made his enrollment. Meeting a man they had talked with two nights previously at Jericho, Joseph was taken by him to a well-to-do friend who had a room at the inn, and who said he would gladly exchange quarters with the Nazareth couple. That afternoon they moved up to the inn, where they lived for almost three weeks until they found lodgings in the home of a distant relative of Joseph.
2015 122:8.3 Dagen efter Jesu fødsel skrev Josef sig og familien ind i folketællingen. Efter at have mødt en mand som de havde snakket med to aftener i forvejen i Jeriko, blev Josef taget med af denne hen til en velstående ven som havde et rum på herberget og som sagde at han gladelig ville bytte husrum med parret fra Nazaret. Den eftermiddag flyttede de op til herberget, hvor de blev boende i næsten tre uger indtil de fandt indlogering hjemme hos en fjern slægtning af Josef.
1955 122:8.4 The second day after the birth of Jesus, Mary sent word to Elizabeth that her child had come and received word in return inviting Joseph up to Jerusalem to talk over all their affairs with Zacharias. The following week Joseph went to Jerusalem to confer with Zacharias. Both Zacharias and Elizabeth had become possessed with the sincere conviction that Jesus was indeed to become the Jewish deliverer, the Messiah, and that their son John was to be his chief of aides, his right-hand man of destiny. And since Mary held these same ideas, it was not difficult to prevail upon Joseph to remain in Bethlehem, the City of David, so that Jesus might grow up to become the successor of David on the throne of all Israel. Accordingly, they remained in Bethlehem more than a year, Joseph meantime working some at his carpenter’s trade.
2015 122:8.4 Den anden dag efter Jesu fødsel sendte Maria besked til Elisabeth om at hendes barn var født, og hun fik besked tilbage om at Josef var inviteret op til Jerusalem for at tale om alle deres anliggender sammen med Zakarias. Ugen efter drog Josef til Jerusalem for at rådslå sig med Zakarias. Både Zakarias og Elisabeth var blevet besat af den oprigtige overbevisning om at Jesus virkelig skulle blive jødernes befrier, Messias, og at deres søn Johannes skulle blive lederen for hans medhjælpere, hans skæbnebestemte højre hånd. Og siden Maria var af samme opfattelse, var det ikke vanskelig at overtale Josef til at blive i Betlehem, Davids by, sådan at Jesus kunne vokse op til at blive Davids efterfølger til hele Israels trone. Sådan gik det til at de blev boende i Betlehem i over et år mens Josef arbejdede en del i sit erhverv som snedker.
1955 122:8.5 At the noontide birth of Jesus the seraphim of Urantia, assembled under their directors, did sing anthems of glory over the Bethlehem manger, but these utterances of praise were not heard by human ears. No shepherds nor any other mortal creatures came to pay homage to the babe of Bethlehem until the day of the arrival of certain priests from Ur, who were sent down from Jerusalem by Zacharias.
2015 122:8.5 Ved Jesu fødsel midt på dagen sang Urantias serafer, samlet under deres ledere, lovsange over krybben i Betlehem, men disse lovprisningens ytringer blev ikke hørt af noget menneskelig øre. Hverken hyrder eller andre dødelige skabninger kom for at vise spædbarnet i Betlehem sin agtelse før den dag da der kom nogle præster fra Ur som var blevet sendt ned fra Jerusalem af Zakarias[31].
1955 122:8.6 These priests from Mesopotamia had been told sometime before by a strange religious teacher of their country that he had had a dream in which he was informed that “the light of life” was about to appear on earth as a babe and among the Jews. And thither went these three teachers looking for this “light of life.” After many weeks of futile search in Jerusalem, they were about to return to Ur when Zacharias met them and disclosed his belief that Jesus was the object of their quest and sent them on to Bethlehem, where they found the babe and left their gifts with Mary, his earth mother. The babe was almost three weeks old at the time of their visit.
2015 122:8.6 Disse præster fra Mesopotamien var i forvejen blevet fortalt af en underlig religiøs lærer i deres hjemland, at han havde fået at vide i en drøm at “livets lys” snart skulle vise sig på jorden som et spædbarn, hos jøderne. Og dermed drog disse tre lærere til jødernes land for at lede efter dette “livets lys”. Efter mange ugers forgæves søgning i Jerusalem ville de til at vende tilbage til Ur da Zakarias mødte dem og afslørede at han mente det var Jesus som var den de ledte efter, hvorpå han sendte dem videre til Betlehem. Der fandt de barnet og overlod gaverne som de havde med, til Maria, hans jordiske mor[32]. Barnet var næsten tre uger gammelt da de besøgte det.
1955 122:8.7 These wise men saw no star to guide them to Bethlehem. The beautiful legend of the star of Bethlehem originated in this way: Jesus was born August 21 at noon, 7 B.C. On May 29, 7 B.C., there occurred an extraordinary conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces. And it is a remarkable astronomic fact that similar conjunctions occurred on September 29 and December 5 of the same year. Upon the basis of these extraordinary but wholly natural events the well-meaning zealots of the succeeding generation constructed the appealing legend of the star of Bethlehem and the adoring Magi led thereby to the manger, where they beheld and worshiped the newborn babe. Oriental and near-Oriental minds delight in fairy stories, and they are continually spinning such beautiful myths about the lives of their religious leaders and political heroes. In the absence of printing, when most human knowledge was passed by word of mouth from one generation to another, it was very easy for myths to become traditions and for traditions eventually to become accepted as facts.
2015 122:8.7 Disse vismænd så ikke nogen stjerne som skulle vise vej til Betlehem. Det smukke sagn om Betlehemsstjernen blev til på følgende måde: Jesus blev født den 21. august midt på dagen, år 7 f.Kr. Den 29. maj år 7 f.Kr. fandt en helt usædvanlig sammenstilling af Jupiter og Saturn sted i stjernebilledet Fiskene. Og det er et bemærkelsesværdig astronomisk faktum at tilsvarende konjunktioner fandt sted den 29[33]. september og den 5. december samme år. På grundlag af disse ualmindelige, men helt naturlige begivenheder konstruerede de efterfølgende generationers fanatiske forkæmpere den tiltalende legende om Betlehemsstjernen og om de hellige tre konger som blev ledet hen til krybben, hvor de beskuede og tilbad det nyfødte barn. I østen og mellemøsten elsker man fabelhistorier, og folk spinder til stadighed sådanne fantasifulde myter rundt om deres religiøse leders og politiske heltes liv. I fraværet af bogtrykkerkunsten, i en tid da det meste af folks viden blev overleveret mundtlig fra én generation til den næste, skulle der meget lidt til før myter blev til traditioner og for traditioner til at blive godtaget som faktum.
9. THE PRESENTATION IN THE TEMPLE
9. PRÆSENTATIONEN I TEMPLET
1955 122:9.1 Moses had taught the Jews that every first-born son belonged to the Lord, and that, in lieu of his sacrifice as was the custom among the heathen nations, such a son might live provided his parents would redeem him by the payment of five shekels to any authorized priest. There was also a Mosaic ordinance which directed that a mother, after the passing of a certain period of time, should present herself (or have someone make the proper sacrifice for her) at the temple for purification. It was customary to perform both of these ceremonies at the same time. Accordingly, Joseph and Mary went up to the temple at Jerusalem in person to present Jesus to the priests and effect his redemption and also to make the proper sacrifice to insure Mary’s ceremonial purification from the alleged uncleanness of childbirth.
2015 122:9.1 Moses havde lært jøderne at alle førstefødte sønner tilhørte Herren, og i stedet for den ofring som var skik blandt de hedenske nationer, skulle en sådan søn kunne få lov at leve under den forudsætning at forældrene var villige til at indløse ham ved at betale fem shekel til en autoriseret præst[34][35]. Der fandtes også et mosaisk påbud om at en mor på en bestemt tid efter fødselen skulle præsentere sig selv (eller have nogen som kunne bringe en passende offergave på hendes vegne) i templet for renselse[36]. Det var almindeligt at foretage begge disse ceremonier samtidig[37]. Med dette for øjet drog Josef og Maria personlig op til templet i Jerusalem for at præsentere Jesus for præsterne og købe ham fri og i tillæg foretage den passende ofring for at sikre sig at Maria på ceremonielt vis blev renset for det man betragtede som tilsmudsning ved at føde et barn.
1955 122:9.2 There lingered constantly about the courts of the temple two remarkable characters, Simeon a singer and Anna a poetess. Simeon was a Judean, but Anna was a Galilean. This couple were frequently in each other’s company, and both were intimates of the priest Zacharias, who had confided the secret of John and Jesus to them. Both Simeon and Anna longed for the coming of the Messiah, and their confidence in Zacharias led them to believe that Jesus was the expected deliverer of the Jewish people.
2015 122:9.2 Rundt i tempelgårdene var der til enhver tid to bemærkelsesværdige typer, sangeren Simeon og skaldkvinden Anna[38][39]. Simeon var judæer mens Anna var galilæer. Dette par færders ofte i hinandens selskab, og begge var de intime venner af præsten Zakarias, som havde betroet dem hemmeligheden om Johannes og Jesus. Både Simeon og Anna længtes efter at Messias skulle komme, og deres tillid til Zakarias fik dem til at tro at Jesus var det jødiske folks eftertragtede befrier[40].
2015 122:9.5 Velsignet være herren, Israels Gud,
1955 122:9.6 For he has visited us and wrought redemption for his people;
2015 122:9.6 For han har besøgt os og aftvunget løsladelse for sit folk;
1955 122:9.7 He has raised up a horn of salvation for all of us
2015 122:9.7 Han har opløftet et frelsens horn for os alle
1955 122:9.9 Even as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets —
2015 122:9.9 Selv når han talte ved sine hellige profeters mund -
1955 122:9.10 Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
2015 122:9.10 Frelse fra vore fjender og fra hånden af dem som hader os;
1955 122:9.11 To show mercy to our fathers, and remember his holy covenant —
2015 122:9.11 For at vise vore fædre nåde, og mindes sin hellige pagt -
2015 122:9.12 Eden som han sværgede til Abraham vor far,
1955 122:9.13 To grant us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
2015 122:9.13 For at skænke os at vi, løsladt fra vore fjenders hånd,
1955 122:9.15 In holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
2015 122:9.15 I hellighed og retfærdighed frem for ham i alle vore dage.
2015 122:9.16 Ja, og du, det lovede barn, skal kaldes den Højestes profet;
1955 122:9.17 For you shall go before the face of the Lord to establish his kingdom;
2015 122:9.17 For du skal gå frem for herrens åsyn for at oprette hans rige;
1955 122:9.18 To give knowledge of salvation to his people
2015 122:9.18 For at give kundskab om frelsen til sit folk
1955 122:9.20 Rejoice in the tender mercy of our God because the dayspring from on high has now visited us
2015 122:9.20 Glæd jer over vor Guds ømme nåde for at morgenkilden fra det høje nu har besøgt os
1955 122:9.21 To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death;
2015 122:9.21 For at lyse over dem som sidder i mørke og dødens skygge;
1955 122:9.22 To guide our feet into ways of peace.
2015 122:9.22 For at lede vore fødder ind på fredens vej,
1955 122:9.23 And now let your servant depart in peace, O Lord, according to your word,
2015 122:9.23 Og lad nu din tjener gå med fred, O Herre, ifølge dit ord,
1955 122:9.25 Which you have prepared before the face of all peoples;
2015 122:9.25 Som du har beredt frem for alle folks åsyn;
1955 122:9.26 A light for even the unveiling of the gentiles
10. HEROD ACTS
10. HERODES GÅR I AKTION
1955 122:10.1 But the watchers for Herod were not inactive. When they reported to him the visit of the priests of Ur to Bethlehem, Herod summoned these Chaldeans to appear before him. He inquired diligently of these wise men about the new “king of the Jews,” but they gave him little satisfaction, explaining that the babe had been born of a woman who had come down to Bethlehem with her husband for the census enrollment. Herod, not being satisfied with this answer, sent them forth with a purse and directed that they should find the child so that he too might come and worship him, since they had declared that his kingdom was to be spiritual, not temporal. But when the wise men did not return, Herod grew suspicious. As he turned these things over in his mind, his informers returned and made full report of the recent occurrences in the temple, bringing him a copy of parts of the Simeon song which had been sung at the redemption ceremonies of Jesus. But they had failed to follow Joseph and Mary, and Herod was very angry with them when they could not tell him whither the pair had taken the babe. He then dispatched searchers to locate Joseph and Mary. Knowing Herod pursued the Nazareth family, Zacharias and Elizabeth remained away from Bethlehem. The boy baby was secreted with Joseph’s relatives.
2015 122:10.1 Men Herodes spejdere sad ikke med hænderne i skødet. Da de rapporterede om at præsterne fra Ur havde besøgt Betlehem, gav han ordre om at disse kaldæere skulle føres frem for ham[46]. Han spurgte disse vise mænd omhyggelig ud om de vidste noget om den nye “jødernes konge”, men de gjorde ham ikke særlig tilfreds idet de forklarede ham at ungen var blevet født af en kvinde som var kommet til Betlehem med sin mand for at indskrives i folketællingen. Herodes, som ikke var fornøjet med det svar, sendte dem af sted med en pung og beordrede dem til at finde dette barn så at han også kunne komme og tilbede ham, siden de havde erklæret at hans rige skulle være af åndelig og ikke verdslig art[47]. Men da vismændene ikke dukkede op igen, blev Herodes mistænksom. Mens han spekulerede over dette, kom hans stikkere tilbage og aflagde fuld rapport om det som netop havde fundet sted i templet, og de havde en kopi af den sang med som Simeon havde sunget ved Jesu frigivelsesceremoni. Men de havde ikke fulgt efter Josef og Maria, og Herodes blev helt rasende på dem da de ikke kunne fortælle ham hvor parret var taget hen med barnet[48]. Han afsendte derefter spejdere for at lokalisere Josef og Maria. Vel vidende, at Herodes prøvede at forfølge familien fra Nazaret, holdt Zakarias og Elisabeth sig væk fra Betlehem. Drengebarnet blev hemmeligt gemt hos nogle af Josefs slægtninge.
1955 122:10.2 Joseph was afraid to seek work, and their small savings were rapidly disappearing. Even at the time of the purification ceremonies at the temple, Joseph deemed himself sufficiently poor to warrant his offering for Mary two young pigeons as Moses had directed for the purification of mothers among the poor.
2015 122:10.2 Josef var bange for at søge arbejde, og deres beskedne opsparede midler forsvandt hurtigt. Selv da de skulle til renselsesceremonien i templet, havde Josef anset sig som fattig nok til at stille to unge duer til rådighed ved ofringen for Maria, sådan som Moses havde anvist for renselsen af mødre blandt de fattige[49].
1955 122:10.3 When, after more than a year of searching, Herod’s spies had not located Jesus, and because of the suspicion that the babe was still concealed in Bethlehem, he prepared an order directing that a systematic search be made of every house in Bethlehem, and that all boy babies under two years of age should be killed. In this manner Herod hoped to make sure that this child who was to become “king of the Jews” would be destroyed. And thus perished in one day sixteen boy babies in Bethlehem of Judea. But intrigue and murder, even in his own immediate family, were common occurrences at the court of Herod.
2015 122:10.3 Da Herodes spioner efter at have søgt i over et år endnu ikke havde fundet ud hvor Jesus befandt sig, og fordi man mistænkte at barnet fortsat blev holdt gemt i Betlehem, udstedte han en ordre om at hver eneste husstand i Betlehem skulle gennemsøges systematisk, og at alle drengebørn yngre end to år skulle dræbes. På denne måde håbede Herodes at sikre sig at det barn som skulle blive ”Jødernes konge” ville blive tilintetgjort. Således omkom seksten drengebørn på en enkelt dag livet i Betlehem i Judæa. Men intriger og mord, selv indenfor hans nærmeste familie, var dagligdags hændelser ved Herodes hof[50].
1955 122:10.4 The massacre of these infants took place about the middle of October, 6 B.C., when Jesus was a little over one year of age. But there were believers in the coming Messiah even among Herod’s court attachés, and one of these, learning of the order to slaughter the Bethlehem boy babies, communicated with Zacharias, who in turn dispatched a messenger to Joseph; and the night before the massacre Joseph and Mary departed from Bethlehem with the babe for Alexandria in Egypt. In order to avoid attracting attention, they journeyed alone to Egypt with Jesus. They went to Alexandria on funds provided by Zacharias, and there Joseph worked at his trade while Mary and Jesus lodged with well-to-do relatives of Joseph’s family. They sojourned in Alexandria two full years, not returning to Bethlehem until after the death of Herod.
2015 122:10.4 Massakren på disse småbørn fandt sted midt i oktober i år 6 f.Kr., da Jesus var lidt over et år gammel. Men selv blandt Herodes hoffolk fandtes der folk som troede på den kommende Messias, og en af dem tog efter at have fået at vide om ordren om nedslagtning af drengebørn i Betlehem kontakt med Zakarias, som til gengæld sendte en budbringer til Josef; og aftenen før massakren drog Josef og Maria fra Betlehem med barnet til Alexandria i Egypten. For at undgå at tiltrække sig opmærksomhed rejste de alene til Egypten med Jesus[51]. De drog til Alexandria med midler som Zakarias havde skaffet til veje, og der arbejdede Josef i sit virke mens Maria og Jesus var indlogeret hos nogle velstående slægtninge af Josef[52]. De opholdt sig i Alexandria i to hele år, og vendte ikke tilbage til Betlehem før efter at Herodes var død.[53]
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Kapitel 123. Jesu Tidlige Barndom |