‘Have ye heard all?’ said Jesus.
The disciples answered: ‘Yea, Lord.’
Whereupon Jesus said: ‘Lying is indeed a sin, but murder is a greater, because the lie is a sin that appertaineth to him that speaketh, but the murder, while it appertaineth to him that committeth it, is such that it destroyeth also the dearest thing that God hath here upon earth, that is, man. And lying can be remedied by saying the contrary of that which hath been said; whereas murder hath no remedy, seeing it is not possible to give life again to the dead. Tell me, then, did Moses the servant of God sin in slaying all whom he slew?’
The disciples answered: ‘God forbid; God forbid that Moses should have sinned in obeying God who commanded him!’
Then said Jesus: ‘And I say, God forbid that that angel should have sinned who deceived Ahab’s false prophets with the lie; for even as God receiveth the slaughter of men as sacrifice, so received he the lie for praise. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that even as the child erreth which causeth its shoes to be made by the measure of a giant, even so erreth he who would subject God to the law, as he himself as man is subject to the law. When, therefore, ye shall believe that only to be sin which God willeth not, ye will find the truth, even as I have told you. Wherefore, because God is not composite nor changeable, so also is he unable to will and not will a single thing; for so would he have contradiction in himself, and consequently pain, and would not be infinitely blessed.’
Philip answered: ‘But how is that saying of the prophet Amos to be understood, that “there is not evil in the city that God hath not done”?’
Jesus answered: ‘Now here see, Philip, how great is the danger of resting in the letter, as do the Pharisees, who have invented for themselves the “predestination of God in the elect,” in such wise that they come to say in fact that God is unrighteous, a deceiver and a liar and a hater of judgment (which shall fall upon them).
‘Wherefore I say that here Amos the prophet of God speaketh of the evil which the world calleth evil: for if he had used the language of the righteous he would not have been understood by the world. For all tribulations are well, either for that they purge the evil that we have done, or are well because they restrain us from doing evil, or are well because they make man to know the condition of this life, in order that we may love and long for life eternal. Accordingly, had the prophet Amos said: “There is no good in the city but what God hath wrought it,” he had given occasion for despair to the afflicted, as they beheld themselves in tribulation and sinners living in prosperity. And, what is worse, many, believing Satan to have such sovereignty over man, would have feared Satan and done him service, so as not to suffer tribulation. Amos therefore did as doth the Roman interpreter, who considereth not his words as one speaking in the presence of the high-priest, but considereth the will and the business of the Jew that knoweth not to speak the Hebrew tongue.
‘If Amos had said: “There is no good in the city but what God hath done it,” as God liveth, in whose presence my soul standeth, he would have made a grievous error, for the world holdeth not for good ought save the iniquities and sins that are done in the way of vanity. Whereupon men would have wrought much more iniquitously, believing that there be not any sin or wickedness “which God hath not done,” at hearing whereof the earth trembleth.’ And when Jesus had said this, straightway there arose a great earthquake, in so much that every one fell as dead. Jesus raised them up, saying: ‘Now see if I have told you the truth. Let this, then, suffice you, that Amos, when he said that “God hath done evil in the city,” talking with the world, spake of tribulations, which sinners alone call evil.
‘Let us come now to predestination, of which ye desire to know, and whereof I will speak to you near Jordan on the other side, to-morrow, if God will.’
Jesus went into the wilderness beyond Jordan with his disciples, and when the midday prayer was done he sat down near to a palm-tree, and under the shadow of the palm-tree his disciples sat down.
Then said Jesus: ‘So secret is predestination, O brethren, that I say unto you, verily, only to one man shall it be clearly known. He it is whom the nations look for, to whom the secrets of God are so clear that, when he cometh into the world, blessed shall they be that shall listen to his words, because God shall overshadow them with his mercy even as this palm-tree overshadoweth us. “Yea, even as this tree protecteth us from the burning heat of the sun, even so the mercy of God will protect from Satan them that believe in that man.’
The disciples answered, ‘O Master, who shall that man be of whom thou speakest, who shall come into the world?’
Jesus answered with joy of heart: ‘He is Mohammed, messenger of God, and when he cometh into the world, even as the rain maketh the earth to bear fruit when for a long time it hath not rained, even so shall he be occasion of good works among men, through the abundant mercy which he shall bring. For he is a white cloud full of the mercy of God, which mercy God shall sprinkle upon the faithful like rain.’
‘I will accordingly tell you now that little which God hath granted me to know concerning this same predestination.’ The Pharisees say that everything hath been so predestined that he who is elect cannot become reprobate, and he who is reprobate cannot by any means become elect; and that, even as God hath predestined well-doing as the road whereby the elect shall walk unto salvation, even so hath he predestined sin as the road by which the reprobate shall walk unto damnation. Cursed be the tongue that said this, with the hand that wrote it, for this is the faith of Satan. Wherefore one may know of what manner are the Pharisees of the present day, for they are faithful servants of Satan.
‘What can predestination mean but an absolute will to give an end to a thing whereof one hath the means in hand? For without the means one cannot destine an end. How, then, shall he destine the house who not only lacketh stone and money to spend, but hath not even so much land as to place one foot upon? Assuredly none [could do so]. No more, then, I tell you, is predestination, taking away the free will that God hath given to man of his pure bounty, the law of God. Of a surety it is not predestination but abomination we shall be establishing.
‘That man is free the book of Moses showeth, where when our God gave the law upon Mount Sinai, he spake thus: “My commandment is not in the heaven that thou shouldest excuse thyself, saying: Now, who shall go to bring us the commandment of God? And who perchance shall give us strength to observe it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that in like manner thou shouldest excuse thyself. But my commandment is nigh unto thine heart, that when thou wilt thou mayest observe it.”
‘Tell me, if King Herod should command an old man to become young and a sick man that he should become whole, and when they did it not should cause them to be killed, would this be just?’ The disciples answered: ‘If Herod gave this command, he would be most unjust and impious.’
Then Jesus, sighing, said: ‘These are the fruits of human traditions, O brethren; for in saying that God hath predestinated the reprobate in such wise that he cannot become elect they blaspheme God as impious and unjust. For he commandeth the sinner not to sin, and when he sinneth to repent; while such predestination taketh away from the sinner the power not to sin, and entirely depriveth him of repentance.’
‘But hear what saith God by Joel the prophet: “ As I live, [saith] your God, I will not the death of a sinner, but I seek that he should be converted to penitence.” Will God then predestinate that which he willeth not? Consider ye that which God saith, and that which the Pharisees of this present time say.
‘Further, God saith by the prophet Isaiah: “I have called, and ye would not hearken unto me.” And how much God hath called, hear how he saith by the same prophet: “All the day have I spread out my hands to a people that believe me not, but contradict me.” And our Pharisees, when they say that the reprobate cannot become elect, what say they, then, but that God mocketh men even as he would mock a blind man who should show him something white, and as he would mock a deaf man who should speak into his ears? And that the elect can be reprobated, consider what our God saith by Ezekiel the prophet: “As I live, saith God, if the righteous shall forsake his righteousness and shall do abominations, he shall perish, and I will not remember any more any of his righteousness; for trusting therein it shall forsake him before me and it shall not save him.”
‘And of the calling of the reprobate, what saith God by the prophet Hosea but this: “I will call a people not elect, I will call them elect.” God is true, and cannot tell a lie: for God being truth speaketh truth. But the Pharisees of this present time with their doctrine contradict God altogether.’
Andrew replied: ‘But how is that to be understood which God said to Moses, that he will have mercy on whom he willeth to have mercy and will harden whom he willeth to harden?’
Jesus answered: ‘God saith this in order that man may not believe that he is saved by his own virtue, but may perceive that life and the mercy of God have been granted him by God of his bounty. And he saith it in order that men may shun the opinion that there be other gods than he.
‘If, therefore, he hardened Pharaoh he did it because he had afflicted our people and essayed to bring it to nought by destroying all the male children in Israel: whereby Moses was nigh to losing his life
‘Accordingly, I say unto you verily, that predestination hath for its foundation the law of God and human free will. Yea, and even if God could save the whole world so that none should perish he would not will do so lest thus he should deprive man of freedom, which he preserveth to him in order to do despite to Satan, in order that this [lump of] clay scorned of the spirit, even though it shall sin as the spirit did, may have power to repent and go to dwell in that place whence the spirit was cast out. Our God willeth, I say, to pursue with his mercy man’s free will, and willeth not to forsake the creature with his omnipotence. And so on the day of judgement none will be able to make any excuse for their sins, seeing that it will then be manifest to them how much God hath done for their conversion, and how often he hath called them to repentance.
‘Accordingly, if your mind will not rest content in this, and ye be fain to say again: “Why so?” I will disclose to you a “wherefore.” It is this. Tell me, wherefore cannot a [single] stone rest on the top of the water, yet the whole earth resteth on the top of the water? Tell me, why is it that, while water extinguisheth fire, and earth fleeth from air, so that none can unite earth, air, water, and fire in harmony, nevertheless they are united in man and are preserved harmoniously?
‘If, then, ye shall know not this—nay, all men, as men, cannot know it—how shall they understand that God created the universe out of nothing with a single word? How shall they understand the eterniny of God? Assuredly they shall by no means be able to understand this, because, man being finite and composite with the body, which, as saith the prophet Solomon, being corruptible, presseth down the soul, and the works of God being proportionate to God, how shall they be able to comprehend them?
‘Isaiah, prophet of God, seeing [it to be] thus, exclaimed, saying: “Verily thou art a hidden God!” And of the messenger of God, how God hath created him, he saith: “His generation, who shall narrate? And of the working of God he saith: ”Who hath been his counsellor?“ Wherefore God saith unto human nature: ”Even as the heaven is exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts.”
‘Therefore I say unto you, the manner of predestination is not manifest to men, albeit the fact is true, as I have told you.
‘Ought man then, because he cannot find out the mode, to deny the fact? Assuredly, I have never yet seen anyone refuse health, though the manner of it be not understood. For I know not even now how God by my touch healeth the sick.’
Then said the disciples: ‘Verily God speaketh in thee, for never hath man spoken as thou speakest.’
Jesus answered: ‘Believe me when God chose me to send me to the house of Israel, he gave me a book like unto a clear mirror which came down into my heart in such wise that all that I speak cometh forth from that book. And when that book shall have finished coming forth from my mouth, I shall be taken up from the world.’
Peter answered: ‘O master, is that which thou now speakest written in that book?’
Jesus replied: ‘All that I say for the knowledge of God and the service of God, for the knowledge of man and for the salvation of mankind—all this cometh forth from that book, which is my gospel.’
Said Peter: ‘Is there written therein the glory of paradise?’
Jesus answered: ‘Hearken, and I will tell you of what manner is paradise, and how the holy and the faithful shall abide there without end, for this is one of the greatest blessings of paradise, seeing that everything, however great, if it have an end, becometh small, yea nought.
‘Paradise is the home where God storeth his delights, which are so great that the ground which is trodden by the feet of the holy and blessed ones is so precious that one drachm ofit is more precious than a thousand worlds.
‘These delights were seen by our father, David, prophet of God, for God showed them unto him, seeing he caused him to behold the glories of paradise; whereupon, when he returned to himself, he closed his eyes with both his hands, and weeping said: “Look not any more upon this world, O mine eyes, for all is vain, and there is no good!”
‘Of these delights said Isaiah the prophet: “The eyes of man have not seen, his ears have not heard, nor hath the human heart conceived, that which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Know ye wherefore they have not seen, heard, conceived such delights? It is because while they live here below they are not worthy to behold such things. Wherefore, albeit our father David verily saw them, I tell you that he saw them not with human eyes, for God took his soul unto himself, and thus, united with God, he saw them with light divine. As God liveth, in whose presence my soul standeth, seeing that the delights of paradise are infinite and man is finite, man cannot contain them; even as a little earthen jar cannot contain the sea.
‘Behold, then how beautiful is the world in summer-time, when all things bear fruit! The very peasant, intoxicated with gladness by reason of the harvest that is come, maketh the valleys and mountains resound with his singing, for that he loveth his labours supremely. Now lift up even so your heart to paradise, where all things are fruitful with fruits proportionate to him who hath cultivated it.
‘As God liveth, this is sufficient for the knowledge of paradise, forasmuch as God hath created paradise for the home of his own delights. Now think ye that immeasurable goodness would not have things immeasurably good? Or that immeasurable beauty would not have things immeasurably beautiful? Beware, for ye err greatly if ye think he have them not.
‘God saith thus to the man who shall faithfully serve him: “I know thy works, that thou workest for me. As I live eternally, thy love shall not exceed my bounty. Because thou servest me as God thy creator, knowing thyself to be my work, and askest nought of me save grace and mercy to serve me faithfully; because thou settest no end to my service, seeing thou desirest to serve me eternally; even so will I do, for I will reward thee as if thou wert God, mine equal. For not only will I place in thy hands the abundance of paradise, but I will give thee myself as a gift; so that, even as thou art fain to be my servant for ever, even so will I make thy wages for ever.”’
‘What think ye,’ said Jesus to his disciples, ‘of paradise? Is there a mind that could comprehend such riches and delights? Man must needs have a knowledge as great as God’s if he would know what God willeth to give to his servants.
‘Have ye seen when Herod maketh a present to one of his favourite barons, in what sort he presenteth it?’
John answered: ‘I have seen it twice; and assuredly the tenth part of that which he giveth would be sufficient for a poor man.’
Said Jesus: ‘But if a poor man shall be presented to Herod what will he give to him?’
John answered: ‘One or two mites.’
‘Now let this be your book wherein to study the knowledge of paradise,’ [said Jesus]: ‘because all that God hath given to man in this present world for his body is as though Herod should give a mite to a poor man; but what God will give to the body and soul in paradise is as though Herod should give all that he hath, yea and his own life, to one of his servants.’
‘God saith thus to him that loveth him, and serveth him faithfully: “Go and consider the sands of the sea, O my servant, how many they are. Wherefore, if the sea should give thee one single grain of sand, would it appear small to thee? Assuredly, yea. As I, thy creator, live, all that I have given in this world to all the princes and kings of the earth is less than a grain of sand that the sea would give thee, in comparison of that which I will give thee in my paradise.”’
‘Consider, then,’ said Jesus, ‘the abundance of paradise. For if God hath given to man in this world an ounce of well-being, in paradise he will give him ten hundred thousand loads. Consider the quantity of fruits that are in this world, the quantity of food, the quantity of flowers, and the quantity of things that minister to man. As God liveth, in whose presence my soul standeth, as the sea hath still sand over and above when one receiveth a grain thereof, even so will the quality and quantity of figs [in paradise] excel the sort of figs we eat here. And in like manner every other thing in paradise. But furthermore, I say unto you that verily, as a mountain of gold and pearls is more precious than the shadow of an ant, even so are the delights of paradise more precious than all the delights of the princes of the world which they have had and shall have even unto the judgment of God when the world shall have an end.’
Peter answered: ‘Shall, then, our body which we now have go into paradise?’
Jesus answered: ‘Beware, Peter, lest thou become a Sadducee; for the Sadducees say that the flesh shall not rise again, and that there be no angels. Wherefore their body and soul are deprived of entrance into paradise, and they are deprived of all ministry of angels in this world. Bast thou perchance forgotten Job, prophet and friend of God, how he saith: “I know that my God liveth; and in the last day I shall rise again in my flesh, and with mine eyes I shall see God my Saviour”?
‘But believe me, this flesh of ours shall be so purified that it shall not possess a single property of those which now it hath; seeing that it shall be purged of every evil desire, and God shall reduce it to such a condition as was Adam’s before he sinned.
‘Two men serve one master in one and the same work. The one alone seeth the work, and giveth orders to the second, and the second performeth all that the first commandeth. Seemeth it just to you, I say, that the master should reward only him who seeth and commandeth, and should cast out of his house him who wearied himself in the work? Surely not.
‘How then shall the justice of God bear this? The soul and the body with sense of man serve God: the soul only seeth and commandeth the service, because the soul, eating no bread, fasteth not, [the soul] walketh not, feeleth not cold and heat, falleth not sick, and is not slain, because the soul is immortal: it suffereth not any of those corporal pains which the body suffers at the instance of the elements. Is it, then, just, I say, that the soul alone should go into paradise, and not the body, which hath wearied itself so much in serving God?’
Peter answered: ‘O master, the body, having caused the soul to sin, ought not to be placed in paradise.’
Jesus answered: ‘Now how shall the body sin without the soul? Assuredly it is impossible. Therefore, in taking away God’s mercy from the body, thou condemnest the soul to hell.’
‘As God liveth, in whose presence my soul standeth, our God promiseth his mercy to the sinner, saying: “In that hour that the sinner shall lament his sin, by myself, I will not remember his iniquities for ever.”
‘Now what should eat the meats of paradise, if the body go not thither? The soul? Surely not, seeing it is spirit.’
Peter answered: ‘So then, the blessed shall eat in paradise; but how shall the meat be voided without uncleanness?’
Jesus answered: ‘Now what blessedness shall the body have if it eat not nor drink? Assuredly it is fitting to give glory in proportion to the thing glorified. But thou errest, Peter, in thinking that such meat should be voided in uncleanness, because this body at the present time eateth corruptible meats, and thus it is that putrefaction cometh forth: but in paradise the body shall be incorruptible, impassible, and immortal, and free from every misery; and the meats, which are without any defect, shall not generate any putrefaction.
‘God saith thus in Isaiah the prophet, pouring contempt on the reprobate: “My servants shall sit at my table in mine house and shall feast joyfully, with gladness and with the sound of harps and organs, and I will not suffer them to have need of anything. But ye that are mine enemies shall be cast away from me, where ye shall die in misery, while every servant of mine despiseth you.”
‘To what doth it serve to say, “They shall feast”?’ said Jesus to his disciples. ‘Surely God speaketh plain. But to what purpose are the four rivers of precious liquor in paradise, with so many fruits? Assuredly, God eateth not, the angels eat not, the soul eateth not, the sense eateth not, but rather the flesh, which is our body. Wherefore the glory of paradise is for the body the meats, and for the soul and the sense God and the conversation of Angels and blessed spirits. That glory shall be better revealed by the messenger of God, who (seeing God hath created all things for love of him) knoweth all things better than any other creature.’
Said Bartholomew: ‘O master, shall the glory of paradise be equal for every man? If it be equal, it shall not be just, and if it be not equal the lesser will envy the greater.’
Jesus answered: ‘It will not be equal, for that God is just; and everyone shall be content, because there is no envy there. Tell me, Bartholomew: there is a master who hath many servants, and he clotheth all of those his servants in the same cloth. Do then the boys, who are clothed in the garments of boys, mourn because they have not the apparel of grown men? Surely, on the contrary, if the elders desired to put on them their larger garments they would be wroth, because, the garments not being of their size, they would think themselves mocked.
‘Now, Bartholomew, lift thy heart to God in paradise, and thou shalt see that all one glory, although it shall be more to one and less to another, shall not produce ought of envy.’
Then said he who writeth: ‘O master, hath paradise light from the sun as this world hath?’
Jesus answered: ‘Thus hath God said to me, O Barnabas: “The world wherein ye men that are sinners dwell hath the sun and the moon and the stars that adorn it, for your benefit and your gladness; for this have I created.
‘“Think ye, then, that the house where my faithful dwell shall not be better? Assuredly, ye err, so thinking: for I, your God, am the sun of paradise, and my messenger is the moon who from me receiveth all; and the stars are my prophets which have preached to you my will. Wherefore my faithful, even as they received my word from my prophets here, shall in like manner obtain delight and gladness through them in the paradise of my delights.”
‘And let this suffice you,’ said Jesus, ‘for the knowledge of paradise.’ Whereupon Bartholomew said again: ‘O master, have patience with me if I ask thee one word.’
Jesus answered: ‘Say that which thou desirest.’
Said Bartholomew: ‘Paradise is surely great: for, seeing there be in it such great goods, it needs must be great.’
Jesus answered: “Paradise is so great that no man can measure it. Verily I say unto thee that the heavens are nine, among which are set the planets, that are distant one from another five hundred years’ journey for a man: and the earth in like manner is distant from the first heaven five hundred years’ journey.
‘But stop thou at the measuring of the first heaven, which is by so much greater than the whole earth as the whole earth is greater than a grain of sand. So also the second heaven is greater than the first, and the third than the second, and so on up to the last heaven, each one is likewise greater than the next. And verily I say to thee that paradise is greater than all the earth and all the heavens [together], even as all the earth is greater than a grain of sand.’
Then said Peter: ‘O master, paradise must needs be greater than God, because God is seen within it.’
Jesus answered: ‘Hold thy peace Peter, for thou unwittingly blasphemest.’
Then came the angel Gabriel to Jesus and showed him a mirror shining like the sun, wherein he beheld written these words: ‘As I live eternally, even as paradise is greater than all the heavens and the earth, and as the whole earth is greater than a grain of sand, even so am I greater than paradise; and as many times more as the sea hath grains of sand, as there are drops of water upon the sea, as there are [blades of] grass upon the ground, as there are leaves upon the trees, as there are skins upon the beasts; and as many times more as the grains of sand that would go to fill the heavens and paradise and more.’
Then said Jesus: ‘Let us do reverence to our God, who is blessed for evermore.’ Thereupon they bowed their heads an hundred times and prostrated themselves to earth upon their face in prayer. When the prayer was done, Jesus called Peter and told him and all the disciples what he had seen. And to Peter he said: ‘Thy soul, which is greater than all the earth, through one eye seeth the sun, which is a thousand times greater than all the earth.’
Then said Jesus: ‘Even so, through [the eye of] paradise, shalt thou see God our Creator.’ And having said this, Jesus gave thanks to God our Lord, praying for the house of Israel and for the holy city. And every one answered: ‘So be it, Lord.’
One day, Jesus being in Solomon’s porch, there drew nigh to him a scribe, one of them that made discourse to the people, and said to him: ‘O master, I have many times made discourse to this people, and there is in my mind a passage of scripture which I am not able to understand.’
Jesus answered: ‘And what is it?’
Said the scribe: ‘That which God said to Abraham our father, “I will be thy great reward.” Now how could man merit [such reward]?’
Then Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said: ‘Assuredly thou art not far from the kingdom of God! Listen to me, for I will tell thee the meaning of such teaching. God being infinite, and man finite, man cannot merit God—and is this thy doubt, brother?’
The scribe answered, weeping: ‘Lord, thou knowest my heart; speak, therefore, for my soul desireth to hear thy voice.’
Then said Jesus: ‘As God liveth, man cannot merit a little breath which he receiveth every moment.’
The scribe was beside himself, hearing this, and the disciples likewise marvelled, because they remembered that which Jesus said, that whatsoever they gave for love of God, they should receive an hundredfold.
Then he said: ‘If one should lend you an hundred pieces of gold, and ye should spend those pieces, could ye say to that man: “I give thee a decayed vine-leaf; give me therefore thine house, for I merit it”?’
The scribe answered: ‘Nay, Lord, for he ought first to pay that which he owed, and then if he wished for anything, he should give him good things, but what booteth a corrupted leaf?’