THE FIVE ON THE NARROW PATH OF HUMILITY TO THE HEIGHT. THE HIGH ABEDAM'S SIGNIFICANT QUESTION TO HORED AND NAEME
And without delay this little company left and proceeded on a narrow path below the cave, which was usually taken by the children of the morning on their visits to the principal patriarchs on the heights, thus avoiding the cave out of respect for Adam and so to speak not desecrating it through the daily use of it, since they considered it as something sacred. 2. Thus this track was a path of humility, wherefore the high Abedam had chosen it, firstly, to show the two newcomers which path to take in order to attain to the summit of life and, secondly, to tell them in advance, as it were through this sign, on which road alone to recognize Him. 3. Thus they proceeded on this more difficult but otherwise shorter road. Naeme, in her fine royal attire, was often caught in the numerous thistles and was, therefore, always busy extricating herself. 4. However, since towards the summit they encountered more and more scrub, Naeme found it increasingly difficult to extricate herself, so that in the end, unable to continue, she began to weep and cry for help. 5. When, owing to her constant floundering, she stayed far behind the men her shouts were - at least evidently - not heard and the men continued to proceed happily. 6. As they, the men, reached the open summit Abedam stopped and, turning back to those closely behind Him, pretended to check as to whether they had all reached the summit with Him safely; after a brief rest He then actually asked them: ''Well, children of God, are we together in full strength?" 7. And Hored, only now recovering from his amazement at the manifestations near the white rock, presently became aware of the absence of his beloved wife and greatly alarmed. When Abedam noticed his great embarrassment, He called him over and said to him: 8. "Why are you now worrying about nothing? You did not look back for your wife when in her royal raiment she was entangled in the thorns of this narrow path and calling out to you for help; yet your ears were deaf to her voice. 9. "Instead of worrying in vain, rather turn back and help her out of her predicament; for, from here it is not far to where she is entangled in a big thorn bush. 10. "So go and help her and bring her presently here safe and sound; we all will be waiting for you. Amen." 11. But Hored became even sadder, threw himself down to the ground and made the following entreaty: "Do listen, O brothers in God, listen to me, - or if there is someone who is a father to me, let him hear me! 12. "According to the proclamation of my brother Lame1, God, the most holy Father of us all, is said to be personally visible, most loving and merciful, among the fathers of the heights. 13. "If this be the case, everything is clear to me. 14. "His endless holiness can certainly never admit my surely impure wife to this so sacred height. 15. ''What would be the benefit of my turning back unless one of you came along and helped me to free my wife from the thousands of thorny claws? 16. "O Enoch, or you, brother Lamel, or you unknown, surely also mighty friend, do not forsake me and do not let my poor wife perish! 17. "Oh, I can see that I ought not to have followed you here because I became a great sinner before God and also before you, men and children after the heart of God. 18. ''Yes, yes, here I have sinned greatly. I will, yes I must go back; but let just one of you return with me to free my poor wife! 19. "But then let him point out to me a spot somewhere near the white rock; there I will weep over my great sin with my wife for as long as I live. But only this once does grant my request. Amen. Your will shall be done. Amen." 20. While Hored, lying on the ground, was uttering his sad request, Abedam told Lamel to go back and return Naeme safely. 21. And Hored was not even finished with his lamentations when Naeme was among them, safe and sound. 22. But when he had finished his lamentation as above mentioned, Abedam asked him: 23. "Hored, while you are here lamenting, Naeme might well and truly perish. What benefit would it be to her if we no longer found her since she stayed behind? 24. ''You remarked that she and you would not be allowed to approach the holiness of Jehovah, Who is now visibly present on the height of Adam. Tell Me, then, who empowered Lamel to rescue you and your wife from perdition in the secrecy of your foolish, lustful seclusion! 25. "Behold, since this was done by the same holy Jehovah, what should how prevent Him to summon you before Him and give you His blessing, provided you are worthy of it? 26. "Now rise, you fool, and come to know the holy Jehovah better. Amen." 27. Thereupon Hored said to Abedam: "Mighty friend, or brother, or father! As long as one of you does not promise me help for my poor wife and myself, I will not get up from this spot, even should you punish me with the aid of snakes. If my wife had to perish because of my foolishness, I will for her sake atone for my careless foolishness before God and all the fathers." 28. Thereupon Abedam, calling Naeme to Him, gave her a sign to raise the foolish Hored. 29. And Naeme promptly rushed hither and, seizing Hored's hand, said to him the following words: 30. "But Hored, why are you here lamenting for my sake? Look, I have been here quite a while on this heavenly height safe and sound, rescued upon the word of this glorious, unknown friend through your brother. 31. "So do rise according to the will of this most noble friend." 32. And Hored promptly sprang up joyfully and with weeping eyes thanked the stranger for the prompt and, to him, completely unexpected rescue of his wife. 33. But Abedam said to him: "Hored, Hored, you are still very foolish; tell Me, what do you imagine Jehovah to be like? 34. "Maybe a strong wind or a brightly burning flame, a sun or a great flash of lightning? 35. Tell Me how you envisage Him. Amen." 36. Thereupon Hored replied: ”O friend, do not ask me such a question; for who might ever dare to encase God in an anyway finite, clumsy form? 37. "God is truly eternal and infinite! For what form could possibly suit Him, the infinite God?" 38. And Abedam answered him: "Yes indeed, surely not your still very backward form. 39. "But let Naeme, the child of the world, tell Me what she imagines the holy Jehovah to be like." 40. Here Naeme smiled and finally said: "You heavenly good and glorious friend, forgive me if I, too, am unable to picture Him in a form worthy of Him; but on the other hand I cannot conceal from you the fact, - that I would like Him best in your form. 41. "Forgive me if I, too, have said something rather foolish." 42. But Abedam said to her: "Be of good cheer, you beautiful woman; truly, I tell you, in this My form you will soon recognize Jehovah, the eternal, infinitely mighty God, and in Him the holy, most loving Father. Amen." Chapter 31 HORED AND NAEME AMONG THE PATRIARCHS WITH THE AS YET UNRECOGNIZED ABEDAM. HORED'S PUNISHMENT FOR HIS JEALOUSY OF ABEDAM After these words the company walked back to the place and the spot already familiar to us. 2. As soon as the high Abedam approached those patriarchs they threw themselves down before Him, deeply stirred by the greatest love and respect for Him, some praising and glorifying Him in a loud voice, others again more secretly in their heart. 3. This time, all the people on the height as well as on the vast mountaintop prostrated themselves, except the five newcomers who alone remained standing. 4. Also Enoch and Lamel would have followed the example of all the others, had not Abedam forbidden it to them for the sake of the two newcomers. 5. This appeared very peculiar to Hored and no less to the amazed Naeme, namely, that all the people lay on their faces out of the highest respect, yet looking around they saw no one except their own company to whom this great respect could be due. 6. Therefore, Naeme soon stepped up to Abedam and in a trusting manner asked Him: "Listen, you much respected, mighty and good friend! Would you not indicate to me what this general prostrating and this sighing might mean? To whom is it all due? 7. "Could it be that from somewhere, invisible to me, the holy, great Jehovah might be approaching? - Or what does it mean? 8. "Why this general mortification? - Yes, yes, it will surely be the holy, great, sublime Jehovah! 9. "O dear friend, behold, from my childhood on I have always had the secret desire to see the sublime, holy Jehovah just once in my life, for my mother had secretly instructed me about Him according to the teaching of one Farak, who is said to have been a brother of Enoch and who, so I was told, had much to do with Jehovah. 10. "See, dear friend, I had the misfortune of being the most beautiful daughter of the lowlands, wherefore I was often sold to lechers by my unfortunate father. 11. "It was, however, my good fortune that owing to the great charms given me by Jehovah no one could stand my physical embrace for more than two or three moments. Indeed, even my brother Thubalkain by the mother Zilla did not fare better, wherefore he, as my husband, was not capable of begetting in me a proper fruit. 12. "In short, needless to say that every possible maltreatment on the part of my unfortunate father Lamech did not succeed in separating me from my Jehovah. 13. "Hored, my first true rescuer, must bear witness to the fact that during the whole time of our being together alone I always wanted to talk of nothing else but Jehovah, not even, in spite of his frequent entreaties, allowing him to cohabit with me since we were not blessed by anyone. Being my true rescuer, he will never deny this but he can be forgiven in view of my unfortunate closeness. 14. “Thus behold, you good, noble, mighty friend, it certainly means a great deal that I, as a child of the world and of the serpent, in my unhappy situation could cling in my heart to what little I had heard of Jehovah, - that in spite of all the worldly tempests besetting me more and more and threatening to bury me I still had enough strength to keep my heart always as pure as possible for the Jehovah revealed to me (that is, secretly revealed by my mother Zilla). 15. "You can believe this to be true: Although I am a truly miserable, unhappy daughter of a most unfortunate father whose madness is too great for anyone to comprehend ever, I have never in my heart loved anything more than the, to me, revealed Jehovah, the holy Creator of all things, all animals and all men. 16. “O dear, sublime friend, you can surely believe me that now, when for the first time on this sacred height I can enjoy such a glorious, great and vast demonstration of the indescribably wondrous works of this Jehovah and this in my greatest unworthiness -, my heart is completely done for! 17. "Yes. - I could just about die out of love for this my indescribably wondrous, heavenly, holy Jehovah! 18. “O you dear, glorious friend, I want to say to you something really clever about my great love for Jehovah; but from where shall I take it? I was never allowed to learn anything, - lest my unfortunate physical beauty thereby be spoilt. 19. "Had I not had the mother Zilla by my side, I believe my harsh father would not even have allowed me to learn to talk. 20. "Therefore, be patient with me; although I am no longer as young as I look, my heart is still as receptive as when I was barely some thirty years old. 21. “O dear, glorious friend! If the holy Jehovah should now appear from somewhere, allow me - if it were possible to you - to look upon Him for just one moment. 22. "Oh, if only I could be in the least worthy of such grace!" 23. Here she could no longer speak, and big tears rolled down her lovely cheeks and the most ardent love, the greatest longing shone from her eyes; joy and fear waged a battle in her heart, so much so that she trembled all over. 24. Then Abedam summoned Hored and said to him: "Hored, you son of the lightful morning, behold, here stands a forsaken child of the world from the lowlands! She trembles with great love and longing, fear and joy towards Jehovah, - yet you, a son of the morning, have not done anything except casting a few jealous looks at Me! 25. "Therefore, I tell you that I, as a Lord, shall now take this noble female plant and transplant it into another garden so that henceforth you will no longer see her, having in your selfish jealousy failed Me, Who had you rescued from perdition due to your great lecherous folly. 26. "You know the ancient law of the fathers, having yourself been appointed teacher by the fathers, - so tell Me: Is this the fruit of your office? What poisonous insect injured you so much that your heart was transformed into the heart of a tiger? 27. "Do you know Me, do you know God? - Behold, Naeme here before Me has a foreknowledge of Who He is in Whose company she is. 28. "Yet you are standing here before your God and Creator - and are dumber than a tree trunk. 29. "Go to yonder cave and seek to find out whether your heart is capable of repentance; for I, - I Who am now saying this to you, am the visible Jehovah, God from eternity Himself." 30. Here, Hored collapsed as if struck by lightning. 31.Thereupon Naeme fell on her knees, shaking and weeping, and finally said in a trembling voice: 32. “O Jehovah, be gracious and merciful towards me, a poor sinner!" Chapter 32 ABEDAM - AT THE SAME TIME MAN AND GOD. NAEME'S GREAT LOVE FOR JEHOVAH Presently, Abedam turned to Naeme and asked her: "Naeme, you asked Me previously to show you the holy Jehovah should He approach the patriarchs from somewhere; are you now completely satisfied with My showing you Jehovah in Me personally and can you believe Me, a man, to be at the same time Jehovah, the eternal, great God?" 2. Naeme was at first somewhat startled by these questions but she soon rallied and replied Abedam in the softest voice, a voice only possessed by the truly most noble and gentle women in their most loving and reverent moments: 3. "Most supreme, sublime, holy God! I, a poor sinful woman, would surely have believed you if you had told me: 'Behold, in this present midday breeze Jehovah, visible only to a few patriarchs, is passing by.' 4. "Truly, my heart would have received comfort in abundance. 5. "How much more I can now believe You that it is You Who now presents Himself in person to me, a most unworthy woman, in the, to me, - as I have previously mentioned - most pleasant, lovable, most sublime human form, exceedingly mild, gentle and condescending, revealing Yourself in the most merciful way. 6. "O You Most Holy One, I still remember what my mother Zilla told me, namely, that whatever You create in any form You work completely alone, having no one who could help You, let alone that You would require someone else's help, for You are in everything self-sufficient. 7. "But I also know from my mother that, as far as Your essence is concerned, You have certainly only to be regarded as a most perfect man. Since we, Your created beings, cannot possibly form a more perfect image than the wondrously glorious one of a man, every other concept I could hold of You would become proportionally less unworthy of You the more it deviated from the human form. 8. "O You Most Holy One, I could tell You still many another thing from which I recognize You and firmly believe that no one else but You alone is the holy Jehovah. 9. "But - see, - I could really - indeed -- give myself away unduly, - and that could - perhaps secretly - annoy You a little! - And it might not be proper before You, as well as these surely most worthy patriarchs, to reveal all that is now ardently bearing witness of You in my heart. 10. "However, You can surely probe my heart better than I myself can; it will tell You all that my anyway weak mouth would be totally incapable of uttering. 11. "Only this request do not leave unfulfilled: Do not too harshly punish the upright Hored if he has offended against Your holiness, - be gracious and merciful for his and my sake and do not cast us out from You altogether! 12. "If he has sinned, I alone was the sinful cause for his offence; thus You may punish me in his stead. I am anyway a sad fruit of the night and of sin and already carry within eternal death as the sure punishment for sin. 13. "How could Hored have possibly succeeded, by my miserably dark side, to remain in a state pleasing to You, like the other patriarchs who were never exposed to Hored's temptations? 14. “Therefore, behold, You good, holy Jehovah, am I not alone responsible before You for Hored's fall? 15. "Oh, be therefore also gracious and merciful towards him and me, a poor sinful woman! Your holy will be done. Amen." 16. And Abedam answered her: "My now very beloved Naeme! As far as your entreaty is concerned, it has been answered even before you brought it before Me; thus, on this score your heart can be completely at rest. 17. "But you mentioned a little while ago that you could indicate by many another thing how you recognize Me, wherefore you now have the firm faith in Me and the conviction that beside Me there is nowhere another Jehovah. 18. "Do not worry about saying too much, even though you may talk to Me a whole day, or a whole year or your whole life, indeed, even an eternity, it will not ever annoy Me. And what you say to Me out of your love is all proper before Me, as well as before all the patriarchs. So just tell Me straight out what you withhold so tenaciously. 19. “That I see your heart through and through as well as the whole of infinity at one glance from the smallest to the greatest, - this no one will doubt who has recognized Me, especially in his own heart; but for this very reason I know also what else is on your mind. For the sake of the patriarchs I want you to tell Me here without embarrassment and openly what it is. 20. "Dear Naeme, if you truly love Me, then go, go and unburden your heart before Me, your dear, holy Jehovah! Amen." 21. Here, Naeme began to shine with beauty, sweetness and the most ardent love and asked Abedam in an all-conquering, melodious voice trembling with love and fear like that of a truly chaste virgin: 22. "O You - most holy, mild, lovable, gentle, sweet Jehovah! - - -May I, a poor sinful woman, love You just as Your children and Your daughters here are allowed to love You? Oh, may I do this? - - - I, - a child of the world, a daughter of Your - - Oh, I cannot say it! - - thus also - love You? - - - O You my Jehovah!" 23. Here she sank to the ground weeping convulsively, for she felt too unworthy of My love. 24. But Abedam promptly stepped up to her and, seizing her arm, lifted her up and, already in the sight of all the patriarchs, pressed her fervently to His heart and held her firmly embraced for a while; then, releasing her gently and gradually, He asked her again: "Well, My most beloved Naeme, will you ask Me again whether you are allowed to love Me?" 25. At this question Naeme fell at Abedam's feet moistening them with her tears; indeed, she moistened the most holy feet of Jehovah with the most passionate tears of love. 26. At this, Abedam became mightily moved and said in a forceful voice: "Children, look here! Here at My feet is lying more than sun, moon and stars can offer! Here is lying a new daughter of penitence, of remorse - and of the most sublime love! 27. "It is easier to find Me and love Me in the realm of life -- than it is in the realm of death; but this one has sought and loved Me while already in death. 28. "Therefore, she shall now in return be rewarded with My love, the like of which no human heart has ever conceived on earth. 29. "Yes, most beloved Naeme, I keep your hand for Myself, since you have devoted your heart to Me faithfully for such a long time. 30. "Naeme, now you belong to Me alone. Behold, thus I take My revenge on My enemies, - namely, with My fatherly love." Chapter 33 HORED'S SOUL-SEARCHING, HIS ADMISSION OF GUILT AND HIS NEW ERROR Since Hored had recognized the Lord, things began to dawn on him so that he said to himself: 2. "What shall I do now? I - a miserably weak, powerless worm in the dust who is hardly any longer capable of taking on a little tree the thickness of my arm; He- a God, an eternal God, the endless primordial might, strength and power Himself! I - an abominable sinner; He - the supreme holiness! 3. "I consist of nothing but self-seeking, self-love, egotism; He is full of supreme love, grace and mercy! 4. "I am full of jealousy, anger, envy and vengefulness; He is full of mildness, gentleness, forbearance, patience and generosity! 5. "In short, no matter where and how I will and may look at myself, I find myself to be the crassest opposite to Him. 6. “What shall, what will I now do, what begin? 7. “To be sure, He summoned me to the cave, where I was to find out whether my heart was still capable of some repentance; but of what benefit will this be to me? 8. "Do I not know my evil heart which is just as inclined towards repentance as there is a stone towards pressure, which it resists as long as it is a hard, insensible stone .. 9. "O Naeme, Naeme, you blameless debtor to my hard, selfish heart, only now does it become clear to me that no one but alone the Lord, your God and Creator, can approach you with impunity! 10. "Yes, now I suddenly see everything clearly, brightly and in the full light: - She was only given me for my punishment because I made a great fuss in the miserable lowlands with the might, strength and power given me. 11. "Yes, yes, so it is; and I was blind enough the whole length of time during which I was in sole, uncontested possession of this punishment, not to see and perceive that this seemingly sweet relationship was only a horribly bitter punishment. 12. "All my life I have been lewd, like a stinking ram and a rutting stag, and proud of my great and strong form. What was, then, more natural than that the Lord, having enough of my incorrigible foolishness, had to thus deservedly and justly punishes me? 13. "Did I not have to languish before Naeme, who would never yield to me as I was burning before her like a ripe, juicy twig of the olive-tree? 14. "Still I had to look at her inexpressible charms, so much so that sometimes it became quite dark before my eyes. 15. "Her face, which is like the most beautiful dawn; her eyes, which are like two rising suns; her mouth, which is like a freshly blossoming rose unfolding from its full bud; her magnificent hair, glittering like a most precious gem; her arm, which is as white as the snow and as tender, gentle and soft: as the first wool; her bosom, the great charms of which cannot be compared to anything. Indeed, her whole nature, which can be compared to nothing on the whole earth, I had to behold without being allowed to enjoy it. Yes, I was not even allowed to embrace her; and whenever I wallowed before her, weeping, she still did not grant my wishes but only gave me lessons and admonitions which would surely not have put to shame Kenan or Enoch, wherefore I could not even leave her so as to take my revenge on her, but was on the contrary compelled to keep loving her more and more. 16. "O you Punishment of punishments! You harsh punishment! - O father Adam, only now do I clearly realize it: Because you separated yourself from God, you yourself were separated into two parts by God, Who took half of your self from you, forming Eve out of it and giving her to you as a continually punishing helpmate who reduced all your erstwhile worldly strength to the weakness of a worm in the dust and even led you, without any resistance on your part, by the leading-string out of the sublime Paradise, - and you did not, as I do now, recognize it as punishment. 17. "O God, O You great, mighty, holy God! Who can escape Your punishing rod? 18. "You have chastised me harshly, and I did not realize the severity of Your rod; and when You had mercy upon me, taking the great burden of the harsh punishment from me, - I, the greatest fool and ass, grieved about it. 19. "Only now do I see the height of my folly and thank You in my heart, as no mortal has ever thanked You, for this Your great mercy towards me, a poor simpleton. 20. “Thanks, thanks, thanks to You! You alone have made me free and I am now truly free, belonging again solely to You and myself. 21. "However, let me add to my thanksgiving also this request, namely, that You may, in the future, spare me from such punishment forever! If You will, and must, punish me or, in other words, if man has to be punished at all according to Your order, then punish us rather with fire, with poison or with scorpions; but do not ever punish us with the likes of Naeme, lest the earth perish under our feet! 22. "Do not afflict us worms too much, and be for once done with the constant punishing! Amen." Chapter 34 TRUTH WITHOUT LOVE IS NOT CONDUCIVE TO LIFE. LOVE AND LIFE. THE MISSION OF WOMAN After this mental soliloquy Hored rose and, courageously stepping up to Abedam, wanted to express loudly his gratitude before all the patriarchs; but Abedam, anticipating him, said to him: 2. "Hored, do you think I failed to hear the silent speech of your heart? - Do not harbor such thoughts! 3. "Behold, only when you saw that Naeme was for you as good as lost did you turn inwardly and were able to turn to Me. 4. "You certainly turned to Me in justice and in truth, - but your turning back was futile; for at the end of your inner discourse you asked Me in the agitation of your heart to punish him who has anyway to be punished, with fire, poison and scorpions rather than with the likes of Naeme, - and expressed your wish that I might one day be through with punishing. 5. "Look, such entreaties show very little love for Me and for the fellowman. 6. "Even though you were prompted by the full truth, this is nevertheless of little value for your life unless it is coupled with love. 7. "I tell you: I would have liked you better had you wept for Naeme; for then you would have shown Me that your heart is full of love, - only its direction being wrong; however, this could be easily rectified. 8. "As things are, you showed Me open eyes, but a closed heart. Yet the eyes are not equipped to receive life, but solely the heart. And behold, exactly that which ought to be alive in you is dead. 9. "Your thought is only half true since it is devoid of love. If it had love in it, it would certainly have chosen a different way out. As if I, the Father, only took pleasure in punishing! How foolish! 10. "Mistaking My eternal order of the most sublime and pure love as punishment, you entreat Me, saying: 'Be done with punishing!' 11. "Behold, what would become of the created beings if I were to grant your foolish request? 12. "So that you may fully realize your foolishness I will grant your request by using the old, mightily tall and strong cedar yonder. 13. "Well, what do you say? Where is now the mighty tree? Look, not the slightest trace of it is left. 14. "Do you now see where the granting of your wish would lead the created beings, and do you also realize your great folly and how much of true life is within you? 15. "I should punish you with fire, poison and scorpions rather than with the likes of Naeme? - Behold, it is true that I gave woman to man so as to humble him since I knew from eternity how matters were standing with the lonesome heart of man. 16. "Only in this respect - and only by half - could woman be considered a small punishment, directed at the proud heart of man. However, must not he who thinks only a little further soon realize that exactly this apparent means of punishment is a very great, indeed one of the most important, means for the attainment of the true, perfect, most blissful, eternal life in Me? 17. "Behold, I have been saying it more than a thousand times that only the love for Me and thus also for the brother and sister leads to eternal life, since the primordial-eternal fundamental Life of all life, which is in Me, is in its whole, sacred, boundless expansion nothing but pure love. 18. “Therefore, not having love, from where is life for you supposed to come? 19. "For how, and whereby, shall he live who does not accept in his heart Me, Who alone is life? 20. "I am eternal love Myself; therefore, does not the heart of him who is without love also stand before Me devoid of life? 21. "But go back now and ponder over who first teaches the heart of the child love through love, who first rouses the heart for love and life. 22. "Who nourishes the weak infant with her own breast? Who gave you the first nourishment and carried you on tender, soft hands from death into your early life? - - Behold your mother, you fool! 23. "However, when, as a youth, you became aware of your masculinity and wanted to rise proudly as though called to contemptuously crush the sun, the moon and all the stars, thus scattering yourself into eternal oblivion, - who met you then, who stirred your heart to love and life within you, - who was the first to lead you back into your own sphere of life, - who taught you afresh about the love once taught by your mother and later forgotten? 24. "Tell Me, who was the angel who with its whole being in a loud voice called out to you: 'Hored, love, love, love -- and live; but love in purity, love in God, and live in God, live for me and do not knock at the gate of death!'? 25. "Behold, here at My feet this angel is resting and loving, the one whom you want to exchange for fire, poison and scorpions; behold, it is Naeme! 26. "Now go and repent of your foolishness; and when you feel love in your heart, yes, I tell you, a mighty, strong love for Me, your holy, good, most loving Father, then rise and come back so that I may bless you with eternal life. Amen." Chapter 35 HORED'S MUSINGS AND SELF-CONTEMPLATION IN ADAM'S CAVE Following this speech of Abedam, Hored fell down on his face and ardently entreated Abedam to transform his heart, since he was feeling too weak and was realizing that he was incapable of achieving anything by himself; let Abedam, therefore, have grace and mercy upon him! 2. But Abedam said to him: "Do what I bade you do and you will be helped; for, at the marked spot I have prepared a remedy for you. So go and snatch it if you value your life as well as My grace, love and mercy. Amen." 3. Thereupon Hored rose, gave thanks with a trembling heart and at once went to the by two thousand paces distant cave. 4. Having arrived at the cave, he gazed for some time at the richly colored rock and began to ponder over the cause of such splendor; but he could not come to a satisfactory explanation. 5. Finally, he hit upon a good thought so that he said to himself: "When the sun's strong ray is refracted in the well-formed, smooth and throughout multicolored transparent surfaces of this precious rock, these colors are of course lit up in indescribable life-like splendor and majesty issuing from the rock. 6. "But are they for this reason its property? - Oh, by no means at all! As soon as the sun sets behind the mountain, your entire great splendor likewise sinks down into the deep night 7. "What difference, then, is there between you and the most common sandstone, over which even the ant hurriedly patters lest it be dried out by its great aridity and finally die? 8. “Thus, is not everything enhanced only through the light? - Yes, yes, through the light; but what is for all that the splendor of all things in the light? A falsehood, definitely a falsehood! 9. "Abedam, as He is called by the patriarchs, did tell me a while ago something of a half truth; - - behold, behold, a strange light is beginning therefrom to dawn on me. Indeed, there can truly and in all earnest be something like a half-truth. 10. "Who can dispute the splendor of the forms of things, as for instance of flowers, of precious stones, fruits, animals and thus also of humans as well as of countless other things? But their splendor is only a half splendor without the light. 11. "What is the glorious light as such when its rays should be scattered into the empty spaces of infinity without striking some form which will then be enhanced by it? 12. "Or is the visible form of light as such something truly and characteristically beautiful? 13. "Who could call the sun, the moon, all the stars, or the light of a torch as such truly beautiful? Indeed, they are not, and even the simplest little flower has more beauty than the whole, rather monotonous, round, apparent sphere of the sun and the moon or the insignificant dots representing the stars. 14.''Yes, yes, everywhere only a half-truth; form without light has only half the value, likewise light without form. 15. "Indeed, the same thing would apply also to man if his heart, devoid of love or form, kept turning hither and thither. 16. "To be sure, the intellect, like the sun, sends out its rays; but what good is it to the emptiness. Where there is nothing, what is the effect of the ray when it strikes the dull surface of nothing? 17. "Yes truly, in my heart there is nothing; absolutely nothing, neither love, contrition, sorrow, joy nor pleasure, - even desire no longer stirs with-in it. 18. "Do I maybe have a joy in life? Oh no, for me, life is what is for the stone the brilliance of its colors! - Do I maybe feel hunger or thirst? Also of these two I feel nothing! 19. "I am supposed to repent of my folly; if so, which one? Maybe that my heart is empty and not benefited by this light of reason, which is not absorbed by any form within me? 20. "Repentance is a miserable daughter of love; however, if the mother is still somewhere in the vast field, from where am I to take the daughter? 21. "I am a fool, -- this is what Abedam Jehovah told me_ I firmly believe that I am; for He, Who is Eternal Truth, told me so, - therefore, I must surely be a fool. 22. "But why am I a fool? Because my heart is devoid of form or love! And if it is empty, with what shall it be filled? 23. "Surely not with light; for, where the ray of light finds nothing, it traverses the whole of infinity without ever coming back. 24. "So, from where take to satiate the nothingness? - But - quiet, quiet! What is that? What is that glorious sound? O God, You great, holy Jehovah, now let me expire! No, no; do let me live now! 25. "I hear sounds, sounds, oh, holy sounds! They are not words, - I do not understand them; but although I do not understand them they are more glorious, infinitely more glorious than the most intelligible word. 26. ”O God, something is becoming clear, namely, - that I am a great fool! 27. "Is not the word the form of the sound? Yet here the sound alone is more glorious than its form. 28. "Here, my wisdom is at an end; this phenomenon has put an end to all my principles. 29. "Lord, here the sinner is lying in the dust before You and all he can say is: O dear Father, show grace and mercy also to me, a poor sinner! Your holy will. Amen." Chapter 36 THE SOUND-MIRACLE IN THE CAVE: ITS BENEFICIAL EFFECT ON HORED There was something very peculiar about this cave; particularly around the third hour in the afternoon - which time it happened to be also on this day. When all the winds had died down and there was a calm, there would be heard a sound very similar to the sound of a very well-tuned Aeolian harp, but far more magnificent and sublime, both in rising and in falling as well as in what you call modulation or the changing of key. 2. Although this wonder was not a new one, Hored was the first to discover it. However, time does not put an end to a wonder and, even less, to its usefulness. 3. No one will deny that the sun, as well as the whole of creation, is a fairly old wonder; but can it be said that with the passing of time the well ordered expediency of these wonders ceases? 4. Certainly not; for nowadays the exceedingly old sun still shines exactly as it shone at the time of Adam. 5. And exactly the same thing applies to this sound wonder since it had been destined from eternity to playa role in the life of Hored. 6. This is mentioned so that no one can say: “This must have been a completely natural phenomenon." 7. From which assertion it should be deduced so to speak that the natural phenomena were less of a miracle than if a shining mountain suddenly fell from the firmament. 8. Anyway, this sound wonder had such a beneficial effect on Hored that he began to turn inward and became a true man throughout, full of contrition, love and life. 9. How did this miracle affect the second miracle? This will be discussed forthwith; and so listen: 10. From his birth, this Hored was full of love and of a better spirit so that as a boy, when, overcome by his feelings of love, and with nothing else on hand, he used to grasp stones, which he vehemently pressed to his heart. 11. Out of this love there gradually developed a certain love for nature, which finally became stronger than the love for Me and the love for the fathers, brothers and sisters. What, then, had to be the natural consequence of the aberration of this love? 12. Look at Hored, ask about his condition, and everyone will see clearly in what manner he finally became a thoroughly cold, worldly-wise man! 13. He began by examining the things of nature with keener eyes. He studied the herbs, - but to him they were devoid of life which could have given him warmth in the future. He cut up trees, - but in them, too, he found no living warmth; stepping into the water, - he found it cold; again, he took clay - and found it soft and pliable so that he could mould all sorts of things from it. But soon he observed two great evils, namely: As long as such an object, owing to its natural moisture, remained pliable, it was quite cold making the skin shiver; if, however, it was warmed by the sun it became more and more firm but, when pressed to his bosom, caused him considerable pain so that he cast his work, which had thus become hard, from him. 14. Again he took stones and knocked them together so that often they emitted enormous fiery sparks. This intrigued him so that from then on he crushed almost all the stones he found, seeking in them the fire which, of course, he never found, so that in the end he came to this conclusion: The whole world is a hungry tiger that, always inclined to eat, would never leave anything to his neighbor - save a few unpalatable dead bones. 15. Such wisdom tenets, which appealed to him very much, he gradually derived from nature in great numbers, so much so that in the end he began to be considered a great sage of the morning, which flattery he enjoyed tremendously. - Indeed, he began to play up on account of his wisdom so that not even the chief patriarchs dared to speak before him, but everybody commended and generally blessed him so that he became strong enough to be an apostle of the lowlands, where before him no one had dared to go. 16. In the city of Enoch, he knew how to gain, in My name, great respect through word and deed and was given the best of rewards for his wisdom and much feared power. This reward fully compensated him for all his love squandered on dumb nature; finding this love, he loved excessively, saying a final farewell to wisdom, and thus became a complete sensualist. For this he now considered Naeme to be My punishment, and that in his rescued state when his love again began to lose itself in wisdom. 17. He even became before Me the former sage, full of coldness. 18. What was now to be done with him? A too eloquent, thundering miracle would have killed him. Therefore, this harmonious balm was laid for him into the stone so as to make him realize that My love fills not only the heart of man, but also the hardest stone! 19. How this medicine affected Hored, - in order to learn this, let us pay him a very pleasant visit, hear all this from his own mouth and there learn and understand many another thing. Amen. Chapter 37 HORED'S SOLILOQUY AND REPENTANCE For a whole hour Hored had been groaning in a somewhat inaccessible corner of the cave, when a slight breeze began to blow from morning putting an end to the glorious sounds. 2. As soon as the sounds had ceased which appeared to be so sacred to Hored he raised himself up and began to soliloquize as follows: 3. "O you glorious, wondrous creation of God, how sublime and holy you are, viewed with the eyes of love and deeply felt in a loving heart, yes, even with an only somewhat love-cleansed heart before God! 4. "What a difference there is now in me! A while ago, hardly a shadow's turn ago, everything around me was still cold and dead, - yes, even my heart was cold and my eye incapable of shedding a tear; now everything is alive: The hard stone speaks, and the grass sends sweet smelling hymns of praise up to the holy spheres of God. 5. „Through the rustling branches of the magnificent trees a holy, pure voice, a great word is sounding far over all the forests of the earth; it says: 'God is the purest love! And everything is love around Him, out of Him and through Him!' 6. "Oh, how glorious, how beautiful, how holy, how alive is everything around me! How exalted now these holy mountains and how inexpressibly sublime and holy now that morning-hill of Adam, where - where - oh for the magnitude of it! I cannot say it! 7. "O my heart, my heart! Now lay yourself wide open; yes, enlarge far beyond all endless creations, and grasp what is now on that sacred hill! 8. "Do grasp it, do grasp it; for it is God, the great, eternal, more-than holy Creator of infinity - O heart, grasp it! - it is the most loving, exceedingly holy Father! Yes, it is the Father of us all Who is there, visible among His children! 9. "O nature, O you winds all, you gushing spring, be silent, be silent now; and you twittering dwellers in the branches of the cedars, and you too, chirping cricket, do not stifle the holy sensation in my heart! 10. „The holy Father, full of sublime love, among His children there on that sacred hill! He - the almighty Creator, the eternal, sole God and Lord of all things and beings as Father among His children! O thought, O you most lightful, most holy truth, what infinity can grasp you, what eternity understands you? 11. "Yes, you otherwise poor heart are holy, as soon as this thought as much as touches you! The Father - among His children! O you too endlessly great thought,.. - who can live and think you in your magnitude, in your endless endlessness? 12. „The Father among His children - teaching them Himself, teaching them to recognize Him, the holy Father! 13. "Also my dead ear was reached by His holy father-voice, and I did not understand it; and my eyes saw Him, and I did not recognize Him! To this place His Word led me; the Father's Word led me to this place! 14. "O you sacred spot, you place where my heart, my spirit were truly transfigured, - with what eternal monument shall I embellish you, with what holy word call you, you sacred spot to which the Father's Word summoned me? 15. "Oh, what is man, the weak dweller on this earth, for the eternal God to have mercy on him and accept him as a child! 16. "Is man maybe good? - No, not by any means! - Is he maybe so exceedingly beautiful for God to come to him? - No, no, that he is even less; for, where true goodness is missing, also true beauty is missing. 17. "Is it maybe because he is worthy of love that the Lord descended to him? - Oh, by no means; for, in order to be worthy of love one must at first of necessity be good and beautiful! 18. "Is man maybe richly endowed with various things alien and peculiar to God? - Oh what inexpressible folly, oh for the darkest thought to possibly take possession of the tongue! 19. "What, then, does man possess without having it received beforehand? 20. "Hence - what is - or what does, then, miserable man of this poor earth possess that God came to him, teaching, guiding and comforting him? 21. "O you great, impenetrable mystery! The fact that we may call ourselves children, is only due to His endless mercy, without which we, like any stone, would be nothing else but mere creatures, and at that creatures full of disobedience, whereas a stone does not move without the Lord's will for thousands upon thousands of years from the spot upon which it was placed by the holy Father's almighty hand. 22. "Or was the holy thought in God from which man, ungrateful man, went forth, perhaps, even more divine than that from which earlier, at the same time or later a stone went forth from one and the same God? 23. "Surely man is and has nothing, absolutely nothing before God, - but everything only out of His pure mercy! 24. "O you inexpressible love, you endless mercy of the Father, Who is always holy, exceedingly holy, - how shall the heart thank you, how praise and glorify you, with what words to the whole earth fittingly proclaim such endless mildness coming from you to us poor humans, who call themselves undeservedly your children! 25. "O Father, do let me now sink into the dust; for my eyes are not even worthy to look in the direction where You are still among Your children! 26. "You holy Father - among Your children! „This thought is too holy to be once more thought by me, a worm of this earth! 27. "So be still, still, everything be still around me so that I, too, may become still before the exceedingly great holiness of the Father! 28. "For what should a dusty worm of the mud say, where the whole of infinity observes the most sublime, respectful silence? So be still, still, my heart and my tongue; for everything around me has now become silent. Silent in God, silent; for - the Father is near!" Chapter 38 ABEDAM WITH THE CONTRITE HORED IN THE CAVE. HORED AT THE HOLY FATHER'S BOSOM After these words Hored's tongue was silent, but in his heart it became all the more loud; for his heart attempted to find proper and fitting holy words of gratitude which would duly express man's greatest possible love for God. However, it was in vain; the more deeply Hored hid in his heart, the more diligently he looked in all its most secret recesses, the less he could find what he now wanted to find so fervently. 2. While this was going on, Abedam summoned Enoch, Lamel, and Gabiel with Purista and Lamech with Ghemela. 3. When Naeme heard the name of her father mentioned she became alarmed; for she believed that he must have been led up to this sacred spot by the bold nebulous figure at the white mountain. 4. But Abedam soon calmed her, saying to her: "Naeme, - how can you be afraid when you are with Me? Am I not the Lord of all things, beings, of all infinity, of all eternity? 5. "Behold, this is why your fear is futile; besides, all that the Lamech whom I summoned has in common with your father is the name. 6. "For this Lamech was given by Me the name which means: This one belongs to My love; this one is for Me; this one carries My treasure in him. 7. "As far as the same name given to your father is concerned, it was given him with the same meaning by Satan, who is My greatest enemy. 8. "But you must not worry because of your father; for I am also an almighty Lord over him, whose faithful, albeit most unfortunate servant your father is, and I shall also let his eyes be opened at the right time. 9. „Therefore, be quite calm, you My new daughter of true repentance, penance and love, and follow Me closely, together with the other summoned, to the place where Hored from excessive meekness and love for Me now lost the agility of his tongue. 10. "And you, Seth, you Enos, you Kenan, you Mahalaleel, you Jared, and you too, Methuselah, go home with your wives and children and provide food and drink in just measure; for today, tomorrow and the day after tomorrow all the children shall eat at the Father's table. 11. "In your huts you shall find everything in the required quantities; only carry it here in the meantime. 12. "However, we will go to where a new, great, faithful brother is waiting for us. Amen." 13. Hored soon noticed that a whole party of people was moving from the direction of Adam's morning-hill towards the cave; but because of the considerable distance he could not distinguish any individual members of the group. 14. Only when they came closer to his spot did he realize what time of the day it was, - in other words, he soon recognized among them the high Abedam. 15. Now he was completely overwhelmed so that in his great love he exclaimed vehemently: "No, no, this cannot be, never, no! 16. "I - a sinner, almost even my brother's murderer, - I, - who, worse than all the bucks and dogs, was full of lewdness and the most impure thoughts, - I, the greatest fool, am now to hold my own before the countenance of Him, Who created me, before the countenance of God, the most holy Father! 17. "Earth, have you no wide cleft somewhere, which could hide me and for all eternities harbor me in your profoundest depth? 18. "Or you, lofty cave, could you not drop the heaviest rock on my head, which would crush me to useless dust? 19. "How shall I now hold my own before Him? I, in the greatest human depravity and lowness of heart and spirit? 20. "He, the supreme holiness! O tongue, - O heart, what will you do when He will come, - will come soon? 21. "How will you, sinful eye, behold God, - God, the Father, the purest, most holy love, 22. "How will you, my poor ear, perceive the holy voice of the Father, indeed, the voice which you formerly did not recognize? 23. "But now, my heart, forward to the last battle, either to life - or death! 24. "Now I have nothing but a great heart, full of the most ardent love solely for Him, for Him, the most holy Father! Whether it is pure, - Father, that I do not know; but whatever You will do with me - either again accept or reject me -, only Your holy will will be done anyway, which is in all eternity always good above all! Therefore - Your holy will be done!" 25. At this last word Abedam already grasped him by his hand and said: "Hored, you strong, ardent one, you rock of love now, come here to the heart of your eternal, holy Father, and for the first time feel how it is to rest there, - rest in the fullest awareness of life eternal, - rest at the heart of the most loving, most holy Father. 26. "My Hored, whenever I come it is always in order to gain love, not death. 27. "Thus you are alive forever. - Behold, here is also the faithful Naeme. Only now are you blessed for her by Me, and she for you; for I have chosen her for My hand. This is why I am now giving her to you, because you have just become My hand. 28. "And now follow Me by My hand, together with the others, to the great Sabbath meal at home on the height. Amen." (HHG vol. 2)
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More advises for married couples and judges
“[1] Cyrenius says: “Yes, Lord and Master from above! But there is something else, and just a little word about it, and everything which concerns marriage is then exhausted. [2] You see, if any man, who otherwise keeps a good order in everything, had a wife who was of a very fleshly sensual nature – as there are unfortunately very many such never satisfied wives. Such a randy woman demands even very often the satisfaction and calming of their flesh from their man in the day. The man says to the wife openly: You have received and now need for the time that was decided by God rest, so that you in your blessed condition do not draw any damage and any unnecessary suffering to yourself through the useless satisfaction of your flesh. A separation from bed and board is a judgment which frees the spouses from their obligation to live together but the marriage is not dissolved. [3] The sensual wife however does not want to hear or know anything about such a good lesson and demands with impetuousness that her husband fulfill her demands. If the husband fulfills his wife’s will, he does the same with obvious lack of decency and in this way commits a sin against the divine order according to your words, but if he holds her back he sins against his wife’s will and prompts her to all sorts of unnatural satisfactions or to adultery and whoring with other men. [4] On the other hand there are also types of randy bucks of men who will not give their poor demure wives any rest often even few hours before birth. There are often loud complaints; but what should a wise judge do for a correct valid claim before God and before all the better world? Sex between man and women
[1] (The Lord) “You see, the conception of a person is a peculiar thing! In order to produce a correct and healthy fruit, two mature people, namely a man and a woman, must have a correct kinship of souls between one another, without which they will achieve with difficulty or often even not at all a fruit through the familiar act of reproduction. [2] Now if a man and a woman are of a similar nature in their hearts and in their souls, they should then take part in this act of reproduction, wedded and according to the order that is easy to find in nature, in order to achieve a living fruit in their image; more than is necessary for this goes against the order of God and of nature and therefore is an evil and a sin, which is not much better than those of Sodom and Gomorrah! [3] If a man has a lot of semen, well, he should put them in another field, according to the decent way of the old fathers and patriarchs, and he will not sin. But if he goes out secretly in order to satisfy his desire with maids who sell themselves and in this way to enjoy himself without the creation of a fruit, he commits quite certainly a crudely sodomite sin against the divine order and against the order of nature! [4] Only a young, fertile man, if he is seized too much by the sex appeal of a girl so that he is hardly master over his own senses, can sleep with a virgin, with or without conception; but after the act he must then do what Moses decreed for this case. And if a fruit is conceived from such a conception of need, he must provide the virgin ten to one hundredfold of what he would owe according to Moses if no fruit had been conceived; for a virgin brings such a person a great sacrifice of life and death! If a man can marry such a virgin, he should not fail to do so; for as I said, she has brought him a great sacrifice and freed him of a numbing burden. |
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