Knjiga Urantije
DIO III. Povijest Urantije
POGLAVLJE 77 : SREDNJA BIĆA
Paper 77
The Midway Creatures
The Midway Creatures
VEĆINA nastanjenih svjetova Nebadona ima jednu ili više skupina jedinstvenih bića koja postoje na razini životnog djelovanja približno na sredini između smrtnika sfera i anđeoskih redova; stoga se nazivaju srednjim bićima. Čini se da su ona slučajnost vremena, ali pojavljuju se tako rašireno i toliko su vrijedna kao pomagači da smo ih odavna prihvatili kao jedan od bitnih redova naše zajedničke planetarne službe.
77:0.1 (855.1)
MOST of the inhabited worlds of Nebadon harbor one or more groups of unique beings existing on a life-functioning level about midway between those of the mortals of the realms and of the angelic orders; hence are they called midway creatures. They appear to be an accident of time, but they occur so widespreadly and are so valuable as helpers that we have all long since accepted them as one of the essential orders of our combined planetary ministry.
Dobro je uvijek imati na umu da uzastopna darivanja Sinova Božjih na evoluirajućem planetu dovode do bitnih promjena u duhovnoj ekonomiji svijeta, a ponekad tako izmijene međudjelovanje duhovnih i materijalnih čimbenika na planetu da nastaju situacije koje je doista teško razumjeti. Status stotinu tjelesnih članova stožera Princa Kaligastije ilustrira upravo takvu jedinstvenu međupovezanost: kao uzlazni morontijski građani Jerusema oni su bili nadmaterijalna bića bez reproduktivnih prerogativa. Kao silazni planetarni službenici na Urantiji bili su materijalna spolna bića sposobna za stvaranje materijalnog potomstva (što su neki od njih kasnije i učinili). Ono što ne možemo zadovoljavajuće objasniti jest kako je tih stotinu moglo djelovati u roditeljskoj ulozi na nadmaterijalnoj razini, ali upravo se to dogodilo. Nadmaterijalna (nespolna) veza između muškog i ženskog člana tjelesnog stožera rezultirala je pojavom prvorođenog među primarnim srednjim bićima.
77:1.2 (855.4)
It is well always to bear in mind that the successive bestowals of the Sons of God on an evolving planet produce marked changes in the spiritual economy of the realm and sometimes so modify the workings of the interassociation of spiritual and material agencies on a planet as to create situations indeed difficult of understanding. The status of the one hundred corporeal members of Prince Caligastia’s staff illustrates just such a unique interassociation: As ascendant morontia citizens of Jerusem they were supermaterial creatures without reproductive prerogatives. As descendant planetary ministers on Urantia they were material sex creatures capable of procreating material offspring (as some of them later did). What we cannot satisfactorily explain is how these one hundred could function in the parental role on a supermaterial level, but that is exactly what happened. A supermaterial (nonsexual) liaison of a male and a female member of the corporeal staff resulted in the appearance of the first-born of the primary midwayers.
77:1.3 (855.5)
It was immediately discovered that a creature of this order, midway between the mortal and angelic levels, would be of great service in carrying on the affairs of the Prince’s headquarters, and each couple of the corporeal staff was accordingly granted permission to produce a similar being. This effort resulted in the first group of fifty midway creatures.
Između stvaranja svakog srednjeg bića proteklo bi pola godine, i kada je svakom paru bilo rođeno tisuću takvih bića, nakon toga više nijedno nije nastalo. Nema objašnjenja zašto je ta sposobnost bila iscrpljena nakon što je rođeno tisuću potomaka. Daljnji pokušaji nisu rezultirali ničim osim neuspjehom.
77:1.5 (856.1)
A period of one-half year intervened between the production of each midwayer, and when one thousand such beings had been born to each couple, no more were ever forthcoming. And there is no explanation available as to why this power was exhausted upon the appearance of the one thousandth offspring. No amount of further experimentation ever resulted in anything but failure.
77:1.6 (856.2)
These creatures constituted the intelligence corps of the Prince’s administration. They ranged far and wide, studying and observing the world races and rendering other invaluable services to the Prince and his staff in the work of influencing human society remote from the planetary headquarters.
Iako je ovo prikaz porijekla, prirode i funkcije srednjih bića Urantije, srodstvo između dvaju redova — primarnog i sekundarnog — čini nužnim da se na ovom mjestu prekine izlaganje o primarnim srednjim bićima kako bi se pratila linija nasljeđa koja potječe od pobunjenih članova tjelesnog stožera Princa Kaligastije od vremena planetarne pobune do razdoblja Adama. Upravo je ta nasljedna linija u ranim danima drugog Vrta osigurala polovicu porijekla sekundarnog reda srednjih bića.
77:2.1 (856.4)
While this is the narrative of the origin, nature, and function of the midway creatures of Urantia, the kinship between the two orders—primary and secondary—makes it necessary to interrupt the story of the primary midwayers at this point in order to follow out the line of descent from the rebel members of the corporeal staff of Prince Caligastia from the days of the planetary rebellion to the times of Adam. It was this line of inheritance which, in the early days of the second garden, furnished one half of the ancestry for the secondary order of midway creatures.
Tjelesni članovi Prinčeva stožera bili su ustrojeni kao spolna bića s ciljem sudjelovanja u planu stvaranja potomstva koje bi utjelovilo združene osobine njihova posebnog reda s onima iz odabranih loza aandonskih plemena, a sve to u očekivanju kasnijeg dolaska Adama. Nositelji Života planirali su novu vrstu smrtnika koja bi obuhvatila sjedinjenje zajedničkog potomstva Prinčeva stožera s prvim naraštajem potomstva Adama i Eve. Time su zamislili plan koji je predviđao novi red planetarnih bića za koja su se nadali da će postati učitelji i vladari ljudskog društva. Takva su bića bila zamišljena za vodeću ulogu u društvu, a ne za upravnu vlast. No budući da je taj projekt gotovo u potpunosti propao, nikada nećemo saznati kakve je aristokracije dobrohotnog vodstva i nenadmašne kulture Urantija bila lišena. Jer kada je tjelesni stožer kasnije proizveo potomstvo, to je bilo nakon pobune i nakon što su bili lišeni svoje povezanosti sa životnim strujanjima sustava.
77:2.2 (856.5)
The physical members of the Prince’s staff had been constituted sex creatures for the purpose of participating in the plan of procreating offspring embodying the combined qualities of their special order united with those of the selected stock of the Andon tribes, and all of this was in anticipation of the subsequent appearance of Adam. The Life Carriers had planned a new type of mortal embracing the union of the conjoint offspring of the Prince’s staff with the first-generation offspring of Adam and Eve. They had thus projected a plan envisioning a new order of planetary creatures whom they hoped would become the teacher-rulers of human society. Such beings were designed for social sovereignty, not civil sovereignty. But since this project almost completely miscarried, we shall never know what an aristocracy of benign leadership and matchless culture Urantia was thus deprived of. For when the corporeal staff later reproduced, it was subsequent to the rebellion and after they had been deprived of their connection with the life currents of the system.
U razdoblju nakon pobune Urantija je svjedočila mnogim neobičnim događanjima. Velika civilizacija — kultura Dalamatije — bila je u raspadu. „U ona su vremena na zemlji bili Nefili (Noditi), a kad su se ti sinovi bogova općili s kćerima ljudskim pa im one rađale, njihova su djeca bila ‘drevni junaci’, ‘ljudi na glasu.’” Premda se teško može reći da su to bili „sinovi bogova”, taj stožer i njihovi rani potomci bili su tako smatrani od strane evolucijskih smrtnika tih davnih vremena; čak je i njihov stas bio preuveličan u predanjima. To je, dakle, porijeklo gotovo univerzalnih narodnih predanja o bogovima koji su sišli na zemlju i ondje s kćerima ljudi izrodili drevnu rasu junaka. A ta je predaja kasnije dodatno pomućena miješanjem rasa i kasnijom pojavom Adamita u drugom vrtu.
77:2.3 (856.6)
The postrebellion era on Urantia witnessed many unusual happenings. A great civilization—the culture of Dalamatia—was going to pieces. “The Nephilim (Nodites) were on earth in those days, and when these sons of the gods went in to the daughters of men and they bore to them, their children were the ‘mighty men of old,’ the ‘men of renown.’” While hardly “sons of the gods,” the staff and their early descendants were so regarded by the evolutionary mortals of those distant days; even their stature came to be magnified by tradition. This, then, is the origin of the well-nigh universal folk tale of the gods who came down to earth and there with the daughters of men begot an ancient race of heroes. And all this legend became further confused with the race mixtures of the later appearing Adamites in the second garden.
Budući da je stotinu tjelesnih članova Prinčeva stožera nosilo germinalnu plazmu andonskih ljudskih loza, moglo se prirodno očekivati da će, ako stupe u spolno razmnožavanje, njihovo potomstvo u potpunosti nalikovati potomstvu drugih andonskih roditelja. No kada je šezdeset pobunjenih članova stožera, Nodovih sljedbenika, doista stupilo u spolno razmnožavanje, njihova su se djeca pokazala daleko nadmoćnijima u gotovo svakom pogledu i Andonitima i Sangik narodima. Ta neočekivana izvrsnost očitovala se ne samo u tjelesnim i umnim svojstvima nego i u duhovnim sposobnostima.
77:2.4 (857.1)
Since the one hundred corporeal members of the Prince’s staff carried germ plasm of the Andonic human strains, it would naturally be expected that, if they engaged in sexual reproduction, their progeny would altogether resemble the offspring of other Andonite parents. But when the sixty rebels of the staff, the followers of Nod, actually engaged in sexual reproduction, their children proved to be far superior in almost every way to both the Andonite and the Sangik peoples. This unexpected excellence characterized not only physical and intellectual qualities but also spiritual capacities.
Te mutirane osobine koje su se pojavile u prvoj generaciji Nodita bile su posljedica određenih promjena u strukturi i kemijskom sastavu nasljednih čimbenika andonske germinalne plazme. Te su promjene bile uzrokovane prisutnošću u tijelima članova stožera snažnih životno-održavajućih krugova sustava Satanije. Ti su životni krugovi uzrokovali da se kromosomi specijaliziranog urantijskog tipa preustroje više prema obrascima standardizirane satanijske specijalizacije uređenog nebadonskog očitovanja života. Tehnika ove preobrazbe germinalne plazme djelovanjem životnih strujanja sustava slična je postupcima kojima urantijski znanstvenici mijenjaju germinalnu plazmu biljaka i životinja primjenom X-zraka.
77:2.5 (857.2)
These mutant traits appearing in the first Nodite generation resulted from certain changes which had been wrought in the configuration and in the chemical constituents of the inheritance factors of the Andonic germ plasm. These changes were caused by the presence in the bodies of the staff members of the powerful life-maintenance circuits of the Satania system. These life circuits caused the chromosomes of the specialized Urantia pattern to reorganize more after the patterns of the standardized Satania specialization of the ordained Nebadon life manifestation. The technique of this germ plasm metamorphosis by the action of the system life currents is not unlike those procedures whereby Urantia scientists modify the germ plasm of plants and animals by the use of X rays.
Prisjetimo se da je stotinu andonitskih darivatelja germinalne plazme zauzvrat bilo obdareno organskim dodatkom stabla života, tako da su životna strujanja Satanije također prožimala njihova tijela. Četrdeset i četiri modificirana Andonita koji su slijedili stožer u pobuni također su se međusobno parili i dali velik doprinos boljim lozama noditskog naroda.
77:2.7 (857.4)
It will be recalled that the one hundred Andonite germ plasm contributors were in turn made possessors of the organic complement of the tree of life so that the Satania life currents likewise invested their bodies. The forty-four modified Andonites who followed the staff into rebellion also mated among themselves and made a great contribution to the better strains of the Nodite people.
Te dvije skupine, koje obuhvaćaju 104 nositelja modificirane andonske germinalne plazme, čine pretke Nodita, osme rase koja se pojavila na Urantiji. A ta nova značajka ljudskog života na Urantiji predstavlja još jednu fazu ostvarivanja izvornog plana korištenja ovog planeta kao svijeta za modifikaciju života, s time da je to bio jedan od nepredviđenih razvoja.
77:2.8 (857.5)
These two groups, embracing 104 individuals who carried the modified Andonite germ plasm, constitute the ancestry of the Nodites, the eighth race to appear on Urantia. And this new feature of human life on Urantia represents another phase of the outworking of the original plan of utilizing this planet as a life-modification world, except that this was one of the unforeseen developments.
77:2.9 (857.6)
The pure-line Nodites were a magnificent race, but they gradually mingled with the evolutionary peoples of earth, and before long great deterioration had occurred. Ten thousand years after the rebellion they had lost ground to the point where their average length of life was little more than that of the evolutionary races.
Kada arheolozi iskapaju glinene ploče sa zapisima kasnijih sumerskih potomaka Nodita, otkrit će popis sumerskih kraljeva koji se proteže unatrag kroz nekoliko tisuća godina; i kako ti zapisi idu dalje u prošlost, vladavina pojedinih kraljeva produžuje se od oko dvadeset pet ili trideset godina do sto pedeset godina i više. Ovo produljenje vladavine tih starijih kraljeva označava da su neki od njih bili rani noditski vladari (neposredni potomci Prinčeva stožera) koji su živjeli dulje od svojih kasnijih nasljednika te također ukazuje na nastojanja tih pisara da te dinastije protegnu natrag do doba Dalamatije.
77:2.10 (857.7)
When archaeologists dig up the clay-tablet records of the later-day Sumerian descendants of the Nodites, they discover lists of Sumerian kings running back for several thousand years; and as these records go further back, the reigns of the individual kings lengthen from around twenty-five or thirty years up to one hundred and fifty years and more. This lengthening of the reigns of these older kings signifies that some of the early Nodite rulers (immediate descendants of the Prince’s staff) did live longer than their later-day successors and also indicates an effort to stretch the dynasties back to Dalamatia.
Zapisi o takvim dugovječnim pojedincima također su posljedica zbrke između mjeseci i godina kao vremenskih jedinica. To se može uočiti i u biblijskim rodoslovljima Abrahama te u ranim kineskim zapisima. Zbrka između mjeseca, odnosno ciklusa, od dvadeset i osam dana i kasnije uvedene godine od više od tristo pedeset dana odgovorna je za predaje o tako dugim ljudskim životima. Postoje zapisi o čovjeku koji je živio više od devetsto „godina”. Taj vremenski period zapravo predstavlja nešto manje od sedamdeset godina, a takvi su životi dugo smatrani vrlo dugima — „sedamdeset godina i deset”, kako je kasnije takav životni vijek bio označen.
77:2.11 (857.8)
The records of such long-lived individuals are also due to the confusion of months and years as time periods. This may also be observed in the Biblical genealogy of Abraham and in the early records of the Chinese. The confusion of the twenty-eight-day month, or season, with the later introduced year of more than three hundred and fifty days is responsible for the traditions of such long human lives. There are records of a man who lived over nine hundred “years.” This period represents not quite seventy years, and such lives were regarded for ages as very long, “threescore years and ten” as such a life span was later designated.
Nakon potonuća Dalamatije Noditi su se pomaknuli prema sjeveru i istoku te su ubrzo osnovali novi grad Dilmun kao svoje rasno i kulturno središte. Otprilike pedeset tisuća godina nakon Nodove smrti, kada su potomci Prinčeva stožera postali previše brojni da bi mogli naći opskrbu u zemljama neposredno oko njihova novog grada Dilmuna, te nakon što su se počeli miješati u brakove sa svojim susjedima iz andonskih i sangiških plemena, njihovim se vođama učinilo da je potrebno učiniti nešto kako bi se očuvalo njihovo rasno jedinstvo. Stoga je sazvano vijeće plemena, i nakon dugog razmatranja prihvaćen je plan Nodovog potomka Bablota.
77:3.1 (858.2)
After the submergence of Dalamatia the Nodites moved north and east, presently founding the new city of Dilmun as their racial and cultural headquarters. And about fifty thousand years after the death of Nod, when the offspring of the Prince’s staff had become too numerous to find subsistence in the lands immediately surrounding their new city of Dilmun, and after they had reached out to intermarry with the Andonite and Sangik tribes adjoining their borders, it occurred to their leaders that something should be done to preserve their racial unity. Accordingly a council of the tribes was called, and after much deliberation the plan of Bablot, a descendant of Nod, was endorsed.
Bablot je predložio da se podigne reprezentativni hram rasnog veličanja u središtu njihova tadašnjeg područja. Taj je hram trebao imati kulu kakvu svijet još nije vidio. Trebao je biti monumentalni spomenik njihove veličine koja je već bila na izmaku. Mnogi su željeli da se taj spomenik podigne u Dilmunu, dok su drugi tvrdili da tako velika građevina treba biti podignuta na sigurnoj udaljenosti od mora, prisjećajući se predaja o potapanju njihova prvog grada, Dalamatije.
77:3.2 (858.3)
Bablot proposed to erect a pretentious temple of racial glorification at the center of their then occupied territory. This temple was to have a tower the like of which the world had never seen. It was to be a monumental memorial to their passing greatness. There were many who wished to have this monument erected in Dilmun, but others contended that such a great structure should be placed a safe distance from the dangers of the sea, remembering the traditions of the engulfment of their first capital, Dalamatia.
Bablot je planirao da nove građevine postanu jezgra budućeg središta noditske kulture i civilizacije. Njegov je prijedlog naposljetku prevladao te je gradnja započela prema njegovim nacrtima. Novi grad trebao se nazvati Bablot po arhitektu i graditelju kule. To je mjesto kasnije postalo poznato kao Bablod, a naposljetku kao Babel.
77:3.3 (858.4)
Bablot planned that the new buildings should become the nucleus of the future center of the Nodite culture and civilization. His counsel finally prevailed, and construction was started in accordance with his plans. The new city was to be named Bablot after the architect and builder of the tower. This location later became known as Bablod and eventually as Babel.
Noditi su ipak i dalje bili donekle podijeljeni u mišljenjima u pogledu planova i svrhe tog pothvata. Njihovi vođe nisu bili u potpunosti suglasni ni oko građevinskih planova ni oko načina korištenja zgrada nakon njihova dovršetka. Nakon četiri i pol godine rada izbio je veliki spor oko svrhe i motiva podizanja kule. Sukobi su postali toliko ogorčeni da je sav rad zaustavljen. Nosači hrane proširili su vijest o neslaganju, te su se velike skupine plemena počele okupljati na gradilištu. Iznesena su tri različita stajališta o svrsi gradnje kule:
77:3.4 (858.5)
But the Nodites were still somewhat divided in sentiment as to the plans and purposes of this undertaking. Neither were their leaders altogether agreed concerning either construction plans or usage of the buildings after they should be completed. After four and one-half years of work a great dispute arose about the object and motive for the erection of the tower. The contentions became so bitter that all work stopped. The food carriers spread the news of the dissension, and large numbers of the tribes began to forgather at the building site. Three differing views were propounded as to the purpose of building the tower:
3. Najmanja i manjinska skupina držala je da podizanje kule predstavlja priliku za okajanje ludosti njihovih predaka koji su sudjelovali u Kaligastijinoj pobuni. Tvrdili su da kula treba biti posvećena štovanju Oca svega te da bi cijela svrha novoga grada trebala biti da zauzme mjesto Dalamatije — da djeluje kao kulturno i religijsko središte okolnih barbarskih naroda.
77:3.7 (859.1)
3. The smallest and minority contingent held that the erection of the tower presented an opportunity for making atonement for the folly of their progenitors in participating in the Caligastia rebellion. They maintained that the tower should be devoted to the worship of the Father of all, that the whole purpose of the new city should be to take the place of Dalamatia—to function as the cultural and religious center for the surrounding barbarians.
Religijska skupina ubrzo je bila nadglasana. Većina je odbacila učenje da su njihovi preci bili krivi za pobunu; zamjerali su takvu rasnu stigmu. Nakon što su uklonili jedan od triju vidova spora i nisu uspjeli raspravom riješiti preostala dva, pribjegli su borbi. Praktikanti religije, budući da nisu bili skloni nasilju, pobjegli su u svoje domove na jugu, dok su se njihovi sugrađani borili gotovo do međusobnog uništenja.
77:3.8 (859.2)
The religious group were promptly voted down. The majority rejected the teaching that their ancestors had been guilty of rebellion; they resented such a racial stigma. Having disposed of one of the three angles to the dispute and failing to settle the other two by debate, they fell to fighting. The religionists, the noncombatants, fled to their homes in the south, while their fellows fought until well-nigh obliterated.
Prije otprilike dvanaest tisuća godina učinjen je drugi pokušaj izgradnje Babilonske kule. Miješane rase Andita (Noditi i Adamiti) poduzele su podizanje novog hrama na ruševinama prve građevine, ali nije bilo dovoljno potpore za taj pothvat; srušio se pod vlastitom pretencioznom težinom. Ovo je područje dugo bilo poznato kao zemlja Babela.
77:3.9 (859.3)
About twelve thousand years ago a second attempt to erect the tower of Babel was made. The mixed races of the Andites (Nodites and Adamites) undertook to raise a new temple on the ruins of the first structure, but there was not sufficient support for the enterprise; it fell of its own pretentious weight. This region was long known as the land of Babel.
Raspršenje Nodita bilo je neposredna posljedica međusobnog sukoba oko kule Babela. Taj je unutarnji rat znatno smanjio broj čistijih Nodita i na mnoge načine bio odgovoran za njihov neuspjeh da uspostave veliku predadamitsku civilizaciju. Od tog vremena noditska kultura je više od sto dvadeset tisuća godina opadala, sve dok nije bila unaprijeđena adamitskom infuzijom. No čak i u Adamovo doba Noditi su još uvijek bili sposoban narod. Mnogi njihovi miješani potomci ubrajali su se među graditelje Vrta, a nekoliko zapovjednika Vanove skupine bili su Noditi. Neki od najsposobnijih umova koji su služili u Adamovu stožeru pripadali su ovoj rasi.
77:4.1 (859.4)
The dispersion of the Nodites was an immediate result of the internecine conflict over the tower of Babel. This internal war greatly reduced the numbers of the purer Nodites and was in many ways responsible for their failure to establish a great pre-Adamic civilization. From this time on Nodite culture declined for over one hundred and twenty thousand years until it was upstepped by Adamic infusion. But even in the times of Adam the Nodites were still an able people. Many of their mixed descendants were numbered among the Garden builders, and several of Van’s group captains were Nodites. Some of the most capable minds serving on Adam’s staff were of this race.
1. Zapadni ili sirijski Noditi. Ostatci nacionalističkih ili rasnih memorijalista krenuli su prema sjeveru, gdje su se ujedinili s Andonitima te su osnovali kasnija noditska središta sjeverozapadno od Mezopotamije. To je bila najveća skupina raspršenih Nodita i oni su znatno pridonijeli kasnijoj asirskoj lozi.
77:4.3 (859.6)
1. The western or Syrian Nodites. The remnants of the nationalistic or racial memorialists journeyed northward, uniting with the Andonites to found the later Nodite centers to the northwest of Mesopotamia. This was the largest group of the dispersing Nodites, and they contributed much to the later appearing Assyrian stock.
2. Istočni ili elamski Noditi. Zagovornici kulture i trgovine u velikom su se broju preselili prema istoku u Elam te se ondje ujedinili s mješovitim sangiškim plemenima. Elamiti od prije trideset do četrdeset tisuća godina bili su većim dijelom sangiške naravi, premda su i dalje održavali civilizaciju koja je bila nadmoćnija u odnosu na okolne barbarske narode.
77:4.4 (859.7)
2. The eastern or Elamite Nodites. The culture and commerce advocates migrated in large numbers eastward into Elam and there united with the mixed Sangik tribes. The Elamites of thirty to forty thousand years ago had become largely Sangik in nature, although they continued to maintain a civilization superior to that of the surrounding barbarians.
Nakon uspostave drugog Vrta bilo je uobičajeno ovaj obližnji noditski naselak nazivati „zemljom Noda”; a tijekom dugog razdoblja relativnog mira između ove noditske skupine i Adamita, dvije su se rase znatno izmiješale, jer je sve češće postajalo običaj da se Sinovi Božji (Adamiti) žene kćerima ljudi (Noditima).
77:4.5 (859.8)
After the establishment of the second garden it was customary to allude to this near-by Nodite settlement as “the land of Nod”; and during the long period of relative peace between this Nodite group and the Adamites, the two races were greatly blended, for it became more and more the custom for the Sons of God (the Adamites) to intermarry with the daughters of men (the Nodites).
77:4.6 (860.1)
3. The central or pre-Sumerian Nodites. A small group at the mouth of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers maintained more of their racial integrity. They persisted for thousands of years and eventually furnished the Nodite ancestry which blended with the Adamites to found the Sumerian peoples of historic times.
Sve to objašnjava kako su se Sumerani pojavili tako iznenada i tajanstveno na pozornici zbivanja u Mezopotamiji. Istraživači nikada neće moći pratiti ta plemena unatrag do samih početaka Sumerana, čije porijeklo seže dvjesto tisuća godina unatrag, nakon potonuća Dalamatije. Bez ikakvog traga porijekla drugdje u svijetu, ova se drevna plemena iznenada pojavljuju na obzoru civilizacije s potpuno razvijenom i nadmoćnom kulturom koja je obuhvaćala hramove, obradu metala, poljoprivredu, pripitomljene životinje, lončarstvo, tkanje, trgovačko pravo, građanske zakone, religijske obrede i drevni sustav pisanja. Na početku povijesnog razdoblja već su odavno izgubili alfabet Dalamatije, prihvativši osebujan sustav pisanja koji potječe iz Dilmuna. Sumerski jezik, premda gotovo izgubljen svijetu, nije bio semitski; imao je mnogo zajedničkoga s takozvanim arijskim jezicima.
77:4.7 (860.2)
And all this explains how the Sumerians appeared so suddenly and mysteriously on the stage of action in Mesopotamia. Investigators will never be able to trace out and follow these tribes back to the beginning of the Sumerians, who had their origin two hundred thousand years ago after the submergence of Dalamatia. Without a trace of origin elsewhere in the world, these ancient tribes suddenly loom upon the horizon of civilization with a full-grown and superior culture, embracing temples, metalwork, agriculture, animals, pottery, weaving, commercial law, civil codes, religious ceremonial, and an old system of writing. At the beginning of the historical era they had long since lost the alphabet of Dalamatia, having adopted the peculiar writing system originating in Dilmun. The Sumerian language, though virtually lost to the world, was not Semitic; it had much in common with the so-called Aryan tongues.
Opsežni zapisi koje su ostavili Sumerani opisuju mjesto izvanrednog naselja smještenog na Perzijskom zaljevu, blizu ranijeg grada Dilmuna. Egipćani su taj grad drevne slave nazivali Dilmat, dok su kasniji, adamizirani Sumerani brkali prvi i drugi noditski grad s Dalamatijom te su sva tri nazivali Dilmun. Arheolozi su već pronašli ove drevne sumerske glinene pločice koje govore o ovom zemaljskom raju “gdje su Bogovi prvi put blagoslovili čovječanstvo primjerom civiliziranog i kulturnog života.” I ove pločice, koje opisuju Dilmun, raj ljudi i Boga, danas tiho počivaju na prašnjavim policama mnogih muzeja.
77:4.8 (860.3)
The elaborate records left by the Sumerians describe the site of a remarkable settlement which was located on the Persian Gulf near the earlier city of Dilmun. The Egyptians called this city of ancient glory Dilmat, while the later Adamized Sumerians confused both the first and second Nodite cities with Dalamatia and called all three Dilmun. And already have archaeologists found these ancient Sumerian clay tablets which tell of this earthly paradise “where the Gods first blessed mankind with the example of civilized and cultured life.” And these tablets, descriptive of Dilmun, the paradise of men and God, are now silently resting on the dusty shelves of many museums.
Sumerani su dobro poznavali prvi i drugi Eden, ali su, unatoč opsežnom miješanju s Adamitima, i dalje smatrali stanovnike vrta na sjeveru stranom rasom. Sumerski ponos na stariju noditsku kulturu naveo ih je da zanemare te kasnije prizore slave u korist veličanstva i rajskih predaja o gradu Dilmunu.
77:4.9 (860.4)
The Sumerians well knew of the first and second Edens but, despite extensive intermarriage with the Adamites, continued to regard the garden dwellers to the north as an alien race. Sumerian pride in the more ancient Nodite culture led them to ignore these later vistas of glory in favor of the grandeur and paradisiacal traditions of the city of Dilmun.
Neki od ranih Vanovih suradnika kasnije su se nastanili uz obale jezera koje još uvijek nosi njegovo ime, i njihove su se predaje razvijale oko toga područja. Ararat je postao njihova sveta planina, imajući za kasnije Vanite gotovo isto značenje kakvo je Sinaj imao za Hebreje. Prije deset tisuća godina, vanitski preci Asiraca poučavali su da je Van primio njihov moralni zakon od sedam zapovijedi od Bogova na planini Ararat. Čvrsto su vjerovali da su Van i njegov suradnik Amadon bili uzeti živi s planeta dok su boravili na planini u štovanju.
77:4.11 (860.6)
Some of the early associates of Van subsequently settled about the shores of the lake which still bears his name, and their traditions grew up about this locality. Ararat became their sacred mountain, having much the same meaning to later-day Vanites that Sinai had to the Hebrews. Ten thousand years ago the Vanite ancestors of the Assyrians taught that their moral law of seven commandments had been given to Van by the Gods upon Mount Ararat. They firmly believed that Van and his associate Amadon were taken alive from the planet while they were up on the mountain engaged in worship.
77:4.12 (860.7)
Mount Ararat was the sacred mountain of northern Mesopotamia, and since much of your tradition of these ancient times was acquired in connection with the Babylonian story of the flood, it is not surprising that Mount Ararat and its region were woven into the later Jewish story of Noah and the universal flood.
Adamson je bio među onom skupinom djece Adama i Eve koja je odlučila ostati na zemlji sa svojim ocem i majkom. Ovaj najstariji Adamov sin često je slušao od Vana i Amadona priču o njihovu planinskom domu na sjeveru, i neko vrijeme nakon uspostave drugog vrta odlučio je krenuti u potragu za tom zemljom svojih mladenačkih snova.
77:5.2 (861.2)
Adamson was among that group of the children of Adam and Eve who elected to remain on earth with their father and mother. Now this eldest son of Adam had often heard from Van and Amadon the story of their highland home in the north, and sometime after the establishment of the second garden he determined to go in search of this land of his youthful dreams.
Adamson je tada imao 120 godina i bio je otac trideset dvoje djece čistog nasljeđa iz prvog vrta. Želio je ostati uz svoje roditelje i pomoći im u izgradnji drugog vrta, ali ga je duboko pogodio gubitak njegove družice i njihove djece, koji su svi odlučili otići na Edentiju zajedno s ostalom adamskom djecom koja su izabrala postati štićenici Svevišnjih.
77:5.3 (861.3)
Adamson was 120 years old at this time and had been the father of thirty-two pure-line children of the first garden. He wanted to remain with his parents and assist them in upbuilding the second garden, but he was greatly disturbed by the loss of his mate and their children, who had all elected to go to Edentia along with those other Adamic children who chose to become wards of the Most Highs.
Adamson nije želio napustiti svoje roditelje na Urantiji; nije bio sklon bježati od teškoća ili opasnosti, ali mu zajednica drugog vrta nije pružala zadovoljstvo. Mnogo je pridonio razvoju ranih obrambenih i građevinskih aktivnosti, ali je odlučio otići na sjever čim se za to ukaže prva prilika. I premda je njegov odlazak bio posve miran, Adam i Eva bili su duboko ožalošćeni gubitkom svoga najstarijeg sina, koji se zaputio u stran i neprijateljski svijet, bojeći se da ga više nikada neće vidjeti.
77:5.4 (861.4)
Adamson would not desert his parents on Urantia, he was disinclined to flee from hardship or danger, but he found the associations of the second garden far from satisfying. He did much to forward the early activities of defense and construction but decided to leave for the north at the earliest opportunity. And though his departure was wholly pleasant, Adam and Eve were much grieved to lose their eldest son, to have him go out into a strange and hostile world, as they feared, never to return.
Skupina od dvadeset i sedam osoba slijedila je Adamsona prema sjeveru u potrazi za tim ljudima iz njegovih dječačkih maštanja. Za nešto više od tri godine Adamsonova je družina doista pronašla cilj svoje pustolovine i među tim je ljudima otkrio čudesnu i lijepu dvadesetogodišnju ženu koja je tvrdila da je posljednja čistokrvna potomkinja Prinčeva osoblja. Ta žena, Rata, rekla je da su svi njezini preci potomci dvojice pripadnika palog Prinčeva osoblja. Bila je posljednja svoje rase, bez žive braće ili sestara. Već je gotovo odlučila ne stupiti u vezu, gotovo se pomirila s time da umre bez potomstva, ali je izgubila srce za veličanstvenog Adamsona. A kad je čula priču o Edenu, kako su se predviđanja Vana i Amadona doista ispunila, i dok je slušala kazivanje o propustu u Vrtu, obuzela ju je samo jedna misao—udati se za ovog sina i nasljednika Adama. I ubrzo je ista misao obuzela i Adamsona. Vjenčali su se za malo više od tri mjeseca.
77:5.5 (861.5)
A company of twenty-seven followed Adamson northward in quest of these people of his childhood fantasies. In a little over three years Adamson’s party actually found the object of their adventure, and among these people he discovered a wonderful and beautiful woman, twenty years old, who claimed to be the last pure-line descendant of the Prince’s staff. This woman, Ratta, said that her ancestors were all descendants of two of the fallen staff of the Prince. She was the last of her race, having no living brothers or sisters. She had about decided not to mate, had about made up her mind to die without issue, but she lost her heart to the majestic Adamson. And when she heard the story of Eden, how the predictions of Van and Amadon had really come to pass, and as she listened to the recital of the Garden default, she was encompassed with but a single thought—to marry this son and heir of Adam. And quickly the idea grew upon Adamson. In a little more than three months they were married.
Adamson i Rata imali su obitelj od šezdeset i sedmero djece. Dali su početak velikoj lozi svjetskih vođa, ali učinili su i nešto više. Treba imati na umu da su oba ova bića zapravo bila nadljudska. Svako četvrto dijete rođeno njima bilo je posebnog reda. Često je bilo nevidljivo. Nikada u povijesti svijeta nije se dogodilo nešto slično. Rata je bila duboko uznemirena—čak i praznovjerna—ali Adamson je dobro poznavao postojanje primarnih srednjih bića te je zaključio da se nešto slično odvija pred njegovim očima. Kad se pojavilo drugo dijete s tim neobičnim obilježjima, odlučio ih je spojiti, budući da je jedno bilo muško, a drugo žensko, i to je porijeklo sekundarnog reda srednjih bića. Unutar stotinu godina, prije nego što je ta pojava prestala, nastalo ih je gotovo dvije tisuće.
77:5.6 (861.6)
Adamson and Ratta had a family of sixty-seven children. They gave origin to a great line of the world’s leadership, but they did something more. It should be remembered that both of these beings were really superhuman. Every fourth child born to them was of a unique order. It was often invisible. Never in the world’s history had such a thing occurred. Ratta was greatly perturbed—even superstitious—but Adamson well knew of the existence of the primary midwayers, and he concluded that something similar was transpiring before his eyes. When the second strangely behaving offspring arrived, he decided to mate them, since one was male and the other female, and this is the origin of the secondary order of midwayers. Within one hundred years, before this phenomenon ceased, almost two thousand were brought into being.
Adamson je živio 396 godina. Mnogo se puta vraćao posjetiti svoga oca i majku. Svakih sedam godina on i Rata putovali su na jug u drugi vrt, a u međuvremenu su ga srednja bića obavještavala o dobrobiti njegova naroda. Tijekom Adamsonova života ona su pružila veliku pomoć u izgradnji novog i neovisnog svjetskog središta istine i pravednosti.
77:5.7 (862.1)
Adamson lived for 396 years. Many times he returned to visit his father and mother. Every seven years he and Ratta journeyed south to the second garden, and meanwhile the midwayers kept him informed regarding the welfare of his people. During Adamson’s life they did great service in upbuilding a new and independent world center for truth and righteousness.
Adamson i Rata tako su imali na raspolaganju ovu skupinu čudesnih pomagača, koji su s njima radili tijekom njihovih dugih života kako bi pomogli u širenju napredne istine i u uzdizanju viših standarda duhovnog, intelektualnog i tjelesnog života. A rezultati ovog nastojanja na poboljšanju svijeta nikada nisu bili potpuno zasjenjeni kasnijim nazadovanjima.
77:5.8 (862.2)
Adamson and Ratta thus had at their command this corps of marvelous helpers, who labored with them throughout their long lives to assist in the propagation of advanced truth and in the spread of higher standards of spiritual, intellectual, and physical living. And the results of this effort at world betterment never did become fully eclipsed by subsequent retrogressions.
Adamsoniti su održavali visoku kulturu gotovo sedam tisuća godina, još od vremena Adamsona i Rate. Kasnije su se izmiješali sa susjednim Noditima i Andonitima te su također ubrojeni među “moćne ljude davnine.” A neka od postignuća tog doba opstala su kao latentni dio kulturnog potencijala koji je kasnije procvjetao u europskoj civilizaciji.
77:5.9 (862.3)
The Adamsonites maintained a high culture for almost seven thousand years from the times of Adamson and Ratta. Later on they became admixed with the neighboring Nodites and Andonites and were also included among the “mighty men of old.” And some of the advances of that age persisted to become a latent part of the cultural potential which later blossomed into European civilization.
Ovo središte civilizacije nalazilo se u području istočno od južnog kraja Kaspijskog mora, blizu planinskog lanca Kopet Dagh. Nešto dalje u podnožju Turkestana nalaze se ostaci onoga što je nekoć bilo sjedište Adamsonita ljubičaste rase. Na tim visoravnima, smještenima u uskom i drevnom plodnom pojasu u donjim padinama Kopetskog lanca, tijekom različitih razdoblja postupno su se razvijale četiri različite kulture, koje su redom poticale četiri različite skupine Adamsonovih potomaka. Druga od tih skupina migrirala je prema zapadu, u Grčku i na otoke Sredozemlja. Ostatak Adamsonovih potomaka krenuo je prema sjeveru i zapadu, ulazeći u Europu zajedno s mješovitim sastavom posljednjeg anditskog vala koji je dolazio iz Mezopotamije, te su također ubrojeni među anditsko-arijske osvajače Indije.
77:5.10 (862.4)
This center of civilization was situated in the region east of the southern end of the Caspian Sea, near the Kopet Dagh. A short way up in the foothills of Turkestan are the vestiges of what was onetime the Adamsonite headquarters of the violet race. In these highland sites, situated in a narrow and ancient fertile belt lying in the lower foothills of the Kopet range, there successively arose at various periods four diverse cultures respectively fostered by four different groups of Adamson’s descendants. It was the second of these groups which migrated westward to Greece and the islands of the Mediterranean. The residue of Adamson’s descendants migrated north and west to enter Europe with the blended stock of the last Andite wave coming out of Mesopotamia, and they were also numbered among the Andite-Aryan invaders of India.
Od Adamsonove djece bilo je točno šesnaest neobičnih predaka sekundarnih srednjih bića. Ta su jedinstvena djeca bila jednako podijeljena po spolu, i svaki je par bio sposoban stvoriti jedno sekundarno srednje biće svakih sedamdeset dana, kombiniranom tehnikom spolnog i nespolnog povezivanja. Takva pojava nikada nije bila moguća na Zemlji prije tog vremena, niti se ikada poslije dogodila.
77:6.2 (862.6)
Among the children of Adamson there were just sixteen of the peculiar progenitors of the secondary midwayers. These unique children were equally divided as regards sex, and each couple was capable of producing a secondary midwayer every seventy days by a combined technique of sex and nonsex liaison. And such a phenomenon was never possible on earth before that time, nor has it ever occurred since.
77:6.4 (862.8)
Each of the eight couples eventually produced 248 midwayers, and thus did the original secondary corps—1,984 in number—come into existence. There are eight subgroups of secondary midwayers. They are designated as A-B-C the first, second, third, and so on. And then there are D-E-F the first, second, and so on.
Nakon Adamova propusta, primarna srednja bića vratila su se u službu Melkisedeka primatelja, dok je sekundarna skupina bila pridružena Adamsonovu središtu sve do njegove smrti. Trideset i troje tih sekundarnih srednjih bića, vođe njihove organizacije u vrijeme Adamsonove smrti, pokušali su privući cijeli red u službu Melkisedeka, time ostvarujući poveznicu s primarnim zborom. No, budući da u tome nisu uspjeli, napustili su svoje drugove i kao skupina prešli u službu planetarnih primatelja.
77:6.5 (862.9)
After the default of Adam the primary midwayers returned to the service of the Melchizedek receivers, while the secondary group were attached to the Adamson center until his death. Thirty-three of these secondary midwayers, the chiefs of their organization at the death of Adamson, endeavored to swing the whole order over to the service of the Melchizedeks, thus effecting a liaison with the primary corps. But failing to accomplish this, they deserted their companions and went over in a body to the service of the planetary receivers.
Nakon Adamsonove smrti preostala sekundarna srednja bića postala su neobičan, neorganiziran i nepovezan utjecaj na Urantiji. Od tada pa sve do vremena Makivente Melkisedeka vodila su neredovit i neorganiziran način postojanja. Ovaj ih je Melkisedek djelomično stavio pod nadzor, ali su i dalje činila mnogo nepodopština sve do vremena Krista Mihaela. A tijekom njegova boravka na Zemlji svi su donijeli konačne odluke o svojoj budućoj sudbini, pri čemu se odana većina stavila pod vodstvo primarnih srednjih bića.
77:6.6 (863.1)
After the death of Adamson the remainder of the secondary midwayers became a strange, unorganized, and unattached influence on Urantia. From that time to the days of Machiventa Melchizedek they led an irregular and unorganized existence. They were partially brought under control by this Melchizedek but were still productive of much mischief up to the days of Christ Michael. And during his sojourn on earth they all made final decisions as to their future destiny, the loyal majority then enlisting under the leadership of the primary midwayers.
77:7.2 (863.3)
The original number of secondary midwayers was 1,984, and of these 873 failed to align themselves with the rule of Michael and were duly interned in connection with the planetary adjudication of Urantia on the day of Pentecost. No one can forecast the future of these fallen creatures.
Ova neposlušna srednja bića bila su sposobna otkriti se smrtnim očima pod određenim okolnostima, a to je osobito vrijedilo za sljedbenike Beelzebuba, vođe otpadničkih sekundarnih srednjih bića. No ova jedinstvena bića ne smiju se miješati s određenim pobunjenim kerubinima i serafinima koji su također boravili na Zemlji sve do vremena Kristove smrti i uskrsnuća. Neki od starijih pisaca nazivali su ova pobunjena srednja bića zlim duhovima i demonima, a otpadničke serafine zlim anđelima.
77:7.4 (863.5)
These disloyal midwayers were able to reveal themselves to mortal eyes under certain circumstances, and especially was this true of the associates of Beelzebub, the leader of the apostate secondary midwayers. But these unique creatures must not be confused with certain of the rebel cherubim and seraphim who also were on earth up to the time of Christ’s death and resurrection. Some of the older writers designated these rebellious midway creatures as evil spirits and demons, and the apostate seraphim as evil angels.
Ni na jednom svijetu zli duhovi ne mogu zaposjesti ljudski um nakon života darovnog Rajskog Sina. No prije vremena Krista Mihaela na Urantiji—prije općeg dolaska Ispravljača Misli i izlijevanja Učiteljeva duha na svako tijelo—ova pobunjena srednja bića doista su mogla utjecati na umove nekih nižih smrtnika i donekle upravljati njihovim djelovanjem. To se odvijalo na način vrlo sličan onome kako djeluju odana srednja bića kada služe kao učinkoviti kontaktni čuvari ljudskih umova rezervnog zbora sudbine na Urantiji, u onim razdobljima kada je Ispravljač, u biti, odvojen od ličnosti tijekom razdoblja kontakta s nadljudskim inteligencijama.
77:7.5 (863.6)
On no world can evil spirits possess any mortal mind subsequent to the life of a Paradise bestowal Son. But before the days of Christ Michael on Urantia—before the universal coming of the Thought Adjusters and the pouring out of the Master’s spirit upon all flesh—these rebel midwayers were actually able to influence the minds of certain inferior mortals and somewhat to control their actions. This was accomplished in much the same way as the loyal midway creatures function when they serve as efficient contact guardians of the human minds of the Urantia reserve corps of destiny at those times when the Adjuster is, in effect, detached from the personality during a season of contact with superhuman intelligences.
Nije riječ o pukoj stilskoj figuri kada zapis kaže: “Pa su dovodili k njemu sve koje je mučila kakva nevolja, razne bolesnike i patnike, opsjednute, mjesečare i uzete.” Isus je znao i prepoznavao razliku između ludila i demonske opsjednutosti, iako su ta stanja bila uvelike pomiješana u umovima ljudi njegova vremena i naraštaja.
77:7.6 (863.7)
It is no mere figure of speech when the record states: “And they brought to Him all sorts of sick people, those who were possessed by devils and those who were lunatics.” Jesus knew and recognized the difference between insanity and demoniacal possession, although these states were greatly confused in the minds of those who lived in his day and generation.
Čak i prije Pedesetnice nijedan pobunjeni duh nije mogao zavladati normalnim ljudskim umom, a od tog dana čak su i slabi umovi nižih smrtnika oslobođeni takvih mogućnosti. Navodno izgonjenje demona nakon dolaska Duha Istine bilo je posljedica brkanja vjerovanja u demonsku opsjednutost s histerijom, ludilom i slaboumnošću. No samo zato što je Mihaelovo darovanje zauvijek oslobodilo sve ljudske umove na Urantiji od mogućnosti demonske opsjednutosti, ne treba misliti da demonska opsjednutost nije bila stvarna u ranijim razdobljima.
77:7.7 (863.8)
Even prior to Pentecost no rebel spirit could dominate a normal human mind, and since that day even the weak minds of inferior mortals are free from such possibilities. The supposed casting out of devils since the arrival of the Spirit of Truth has been a matter of confounding a belief in demoniacal possession with hysteria, insanity, and feeble-mindedness. But just because Michael’s bestowal has forever liberated all human minds on Urantia from the possibility of demoniacal possession, do not imagine that such was not a reality in former ages.
Cijela skupina pobunjenih srednjih bića trenutačno se nalazi u zatočeništvu po nalogu Svevišnjih s Edentije. Više ne lutaju ovim svijetom s namjerom činjenja zla. Bez obzira na prisutnost Ispravljača Misli, izlijevanje Duha Istine na svako tijelo zauvijek je onemogućilo neposlušnim duhovima bilo koje vrste ili opisa da ponovno prodru čak i u najslabije ljudske umove. Od dana Pedesetnice više ne može doći do demonske opsjednutosti
77:7.8 (864.1)
The entire group of rebel midwayers is at present held prisoner by order of the Most Highs of Edentia. No more do they roam this world on mischief bent. Regardless of the presence of the Thought Adjusters, the pouring out of the Spirit of Truth upon all flesh forever made it impossible for disloyal spirits of any sort or description ever again to invade even the most feeble of human minds. Since the day of Pentecost there never again can be such a thing as demoniacal possession.
Na posljednjoj presudi ovoga svijeta, kada je Mihael uklonio uspavane preživjele vremena, srednja bića ostavljena su na planetu da pomognu u duhovnom i poluduhovnom radu. Sada djeluju kao jedan zbor koji obuhvaća oba reda i broji 10.992 pripadnika. Ujedinjenim srednjim bićima Urantije trenutačno naizmjenično upravljaju najstariji članovi iz svakog reda. Ovaj način upravljanja na snazi je od njihova ujedinjenja u jednu skupinu, nedugo nakon Pedesetnice.
77:8.1 (864.2)
At the last adjudication of this world, when Michael removed the slumbering survivors of time, the midway creatures were left behind, left to assist in the spiritual and semispiritual work on the planet. They now function as a single corps, embracing both orders and numbering 10,992. The United Midwayers of Urantia are at present governed alternately by the senior member of each order. This regime has obtained since their amalgamation into one group shortly after Pentecost.
77:8.2 (864.3)
The members of the older or primary order are generally known by numerals; they are often given names such as 1-2-3 the first, 4-5-6 the first, and so on. On Urantia the Adamic midwayers are designated alphabetically in order to distinguish them from the numerical designation of the primary midwayers.
Oba reda su nematerijalna bića u pogledu prehrane i unosa energije, ali posjeduju mnoge ljudske osobine te razumiju i uživaju u vašem humoru kao i u vašem štovanju. Kada su pridružena smrtnicima, sudjeluju u duhu ljudskog rada, odmora i igre. No srednja bića ne spavaju, niti posjeduju sposobnost razmnožavanja. U određenom smislu, unutar sekundarnog reda postoji razlika po liniji muškog i ženskog spola, te se o njima često govori kao o “njemu” ili “njoj.” Često rade zajedno u takvim parovima.
77:8.3 (864.4)
Both orders are nonmaterial beings as regards nutrition and energy intake, but they partake of many human traits and are able to enjoy and follow your humor as well as your worship. When attached to mortals, they enter into the spirit of human work, rest, and play. But midwayers do not sleep, neither do they possess powers of procreation. In a certain sense the secondary group are differentiated along the lines of maleness and femaleness, often being spoken of as “he” or “she.” They often work together in such pairs.
Srednja bića nisu ljudi, niti su anđeli, ali su sekundarna srednja bića po svojoj naravi bliža čovjeku nego anđelu; na neki su način dio vaših rasa i stoga vrlo razumijevajuća i suosjećajna u svom odnosu s ljudskim bićima. Ona su neprocjenjiva serafinima u njihovu radu s različitim rasama čovječanstva i u njihovu korist, a oba reda su nezamjenjiva serafinima koji služe kao osobni čuvari smrtnika.
77:8.4 (864.5)
Midwayers are not men, neither are they angels, but secondary midwayers are, in nature, nearer man than angel; they are, in a way, of your races and are, therefore, very understanding and sympathetic in their contact with human beings; they are invaluable to the seraphim in their work for and with the various races of mankind, and both orders are indispensable to the seraphim who serve as personal guardians to mortals.
77:8.7 (864.8)
2. Planetary sentinels. Midwayers are the guardians, the sentinels, of the worlds of space. They perform the important duties of observers for all the numerous phenomena and types of communication which are of import to the supernatural beings of the realm. They patrol the invisible spirit realm of the planet.
77:8.8 (865.1)
3. Contact personalities. In the contacts made with the mortal beings of the material worlds, such as with the subject through whom these communications were transmitted, the midway creatures are always employed. They are an essential factor in such liaisons of the spiritual and the material levels.
Srednja bića uvelike se razlikuju u svojim sposobnostima uspostavljanja kontakta sa serafinima iznad i sa svojim ljudskim srodnicima ispod. Primarnim srednjim bićima, na primjer, izuzetno je teško uspostaviti izravan kontakt s materijalnim čimbenicima. Ona su znatno bliža anđeoskom tipu bića te se stoga obično dodjeljuju suradnji i služenju duhovnim silama prisutnima na planetu. Djeluju kao pratitelji i vodiči nebeskim posjetiteljima i studentima na proputovanju, dok su sekundarna srednja bića gotovo isključivo vezana uz službu materijalnim bićima toga područja.
77:8.10 (865.3)
Midwayers vary greatly in their abilities to make contact with the seraphim above and with their human cousins below. It is exceedingly difficult, for instance, for the primary midwayers to make direct contact with material agencies. They are considerably nearer the angelic type of being and are therefore usually assigned to working with, and ministering to, the spiritual forces resident on the planet. They act as companions and guides for celestial visitors and student sojourners, whereas the secondary creatures are almost exclusively attached to the ministry of the material beings of the realm.
1.111 odanih sekundarnih srednjih bića angažirano je u važnim misijama na Zemlji. U usporedbi sa svojim primarnim suradnicima, ona su izrazito materijalnija. Postoje neposredno izvan dosega smrtnog vida i posjeduju dovoljnu prilagodljivost da po volji uspostave fizički kontakt s onim što ljudi nazivaju “materijalnim stvarima.” Ova jedinstvena bića imaju određene stvarne moći nad stvarima vremena i prostora, uključujući i životinje ovoga svijeta.
77:8.11 (865.4)
The 1,111 loyal secondary midwayers are engaged in important missions on earth. As compared with their primary associates, they are decidedly material. They exist just outside the range of mortal vision and possess sufficient latitude of adaptation to make, at will, physical contact with what humans call “material things.” These unique creatures have certain definite powers over the things of time and space, not excepting the beasts of the realm.
Mnoge od doslovnijih pojava koje se pripisuju anđelima zapravo su izvela sekundarna srednja bića. Kada su neuke religijske vođe toga vremena uhvatile rane učitelje Isusova evanđelja i bacile ih u zatvor, jedan stvarni “anđeo Gospodnji” “noću je otvorio vrata zatvora i izveo ih.” No u slučaju Petrova oslobođenja nakon što je Jakov bio pogubljen po Herodovoj zapovijedi, Petra nije oslobodio anđeo, nego je to učinilo jedno srednje biće iz sekundarnog reda.
77:8.12 (865.5)
Many of the more literal phenomena ascribed to angels have been performed by the secondary midway creatures. When the early teachers of the gospel of Jesus were thrown into prison by the ignorant religious leaders of that day, an actual “angel of the Lord” “by night opened the prison doors and brought them forth.” But in the case of Peter’s deliverance after the killing of James by Herod’s order, it was a secondary midwayer who performed the work ascribed to an angel.
Njihov glavni zadatak danas jest pružanje neprimjetnih osobnih poveznica s muškarcima i ženama koji čine planetarni rezervni zbor sudbine. Upravo je djelovanje ove sekundarne skupine, uz vještu potporu nekih pripadnika primarnog zbora, dovelo do usklađivanja ličnosti i okolnosti na Urantiji. To je naposljetku potaknulo planetarne nebeske nadzornike da podnesu zahtjeve koji su rezultirali izdavanjem mandata, čime je omogućen niz otkrivenja, među kojima je i ovaj prikaz. No treba jasno naglasiti da srednja bića nisu uključena u prizemne pojave koje se odvijaju pod općom oznakom “spiritizma.” Srednja bića koja trenutačno borave na Urantiji, a sva su časnog statusa, nisu povezana s pojavama takozvanog “medijstva”; niti, u pravilu, dopuštaju ljudima da svjedoče njihovim ponekad nužnim fizičkim aktivnostima ili drugim kontaktima s materijalnim svijetom koje ljudska osjetila mogu opaziti.
77:8.13 (865.6)
Their chief work today is that of unperceived personal-liaison associates of those men and women who constitute the planetary reserve corps of destiny. It was the work of this secondary group, ably seconded by certain of the primary corps, that brought about the co-ordination of personalities and circumstances on Urantia which finally induced the planetary celestial supervisors to initiate those petitions that resulted in the granting of the mandates making possible the series of revelations of which this presentation is a part. But it should be made clear that the midway creatures are not involved in the sordid performances taking place under the general designation of “spiritualism.” The midwayers at present on Urantia, all of whom are of honorable standing, are not connected with the phenomena of so-called “mediumship”; and they do not, ordinarily, permit humans to witness their sometimes necessary physical activities or other contacts with the material world, as they are perceived by human senses.
77:9.1 (865.7)
Midwayers may be regarded as the first group of the permanent inhabitants to be found on the various orders of worlds throughout the universes in contrast with evolutionary ascenders like the mortal creatures and the angelic hosts. Such permanent citizens are encountered at various points in the Paradise ascent.
Za razliku od različitih redova nebeskih bića koja su dodijeljena službi na planetu, srednja bića žive na naseljenom svijetu. Serafini dolaze i odlaze, ali srednja bića ostaju i ostat će; premda su služitelji, kao urođenici planeta, ona osiguravaju trajni kontinuitet koji usklađuje i povezuje promjenjive uprave serafinskih zborova.
77:9.2 (866.1)
Unlike the various orders of celestial beings who are assigned to minister on a planet, the midwayers live on an inhabited world. The seraphim come and go, but the midway creatures remain and will remain, albeit they are nonetheless ministers for being natives of the planet, and they provide the one continuing regime which harmonizes and connects the changing administrations of the seraphic hosts.
77:9.3 (866.2)
As actual citizens of Urantia, the midwayers have a kinship interest in the destiny of this sphere. They are a determined association, persistently working for the progress of their native planet. Their determination is suggested by the motto of their order: “What the United Midwayers undertake, the United Midwayers do.”
Iako svaki od njih može napustiti planet kretanjem energetskim krugovima, pojedinačno su se obvezali da neće napustiti planet prije nego što budu oslobođeni odlukom svemirskih vlasti. Srednja bića vezana su za planet sve do razdoblja ustaljenog svjetla i života. Uz iznimku 1-2-3 prvog, nijedno vjerno srednje biće nije ikada otišlo s Urantije.
77:9.4 (866.3)
Although their ability to traverse the energy circuits makes planetary departure feasible to any midwayer, they have individually pledged themselves not to leave the planet prior to their sometime release by the universe authorities. Midwayers are anchored on a planet until the ages of settled light and life. With the exception of 1-2-3 the first, no loyal midway creatures have ever departed from Urantia.
1-2-3 prvi, najstariji iz primarnog reda, bio je oslobođen neposrednih planetarnih dužnosti nedugo nakon Pedesetnice. Ovo plemenito srednje biće stajalo je postojano uz Vana i Amadona tijekom tragičnih dana planetarne pobune, a njegovo neustrašivo vodstvo bilo je presudno u smanjenju broja žrtava u njegovu redu. Trenutačno služi na Jeruzemu kao član dvadeset i četiri savjetnika, nakon što je već jednom obnašao dužnost glavnog upravitelja Urantije poslije Pedesetnice.
77:9.5 (866.4)
1-2-3 the first, the eldest of the primary order, was released from immediate planetary duties shortly after Pentecost. This noble midwayer stood steadfast with Van and Amadon during the tragic days of the planetary rebellion, and his fearless leadership was instrumental in reducing the casualties in his order. He serves at present on Jerusem as a member of the twenty-four counselors, having already functioned as governor general of Urantia once since Pentecost.
Srednja bića vezana su za planet, ali kao što smrtnici razgovaraju s putnicima izdaleka i tako uče o udaljenim krajevima planeta, tako i srednja bića razgovaraju s nebeskim putnicima kako bi učila o dalekim područjima svemira. Tako se upoznaju s ovim sustavom i svemirom, čak i s Orvontonom i njegovim sestrinskim stvaranjima, te se tako pripremaju za građanstvo na višim razinama postojanja stvorenih bića.
77:9.6 (866.5)
Midwayers are planet bound, but much as mortals talk with travelers from afar and thus learn about remote places on the planet, so do midwayers converse with celestial travelers to learn about the far places of the universe. So do they become conversant with this system and universe, even with Orvonton and its sister creations, and so do they prepare themselves for citizenship on the higher levels of creature existence.
Iako su srednja bića dovedena u postojanje potpuno razvijena—bez razdoblja rasta ili razvoja iz nezrelosti—ona nikada ne prestaju rasti u mudrosti i iskustvu. Poput smrtnika, ona su evolucijska bića i imaju kulturu koja je istinsko evolucijsko postignuće. Među srednjim bićima Urantije ima mnogo velikih umova i moćnih duhova.
77:9.7 (866.6)
While the midwayers were brought into existence fully developed—experiencing no period of growth or development from immaturity—they never cease to grow in wisdom and experience. Like mortals they are evolutionary creatures, and they have a culture which is a bona fide evolutionary attainment. There are many great minds and mighty spirits among the Urantia midway corps.
77:9.8 (866.7)
In the larger aspect the civilization of Urantia is the joint product of the Urantia mortals and the Urantia midwayers, and this is true despite the present differential between the two levels of culture, a differential which will not be compensated prior to the ages of light and life.
Kultura srednjih bića, kao proizvod besmrtnih planetarnih građana, relativno je imuna na one vremenske promjene koje pogađaju ljudsku civilizaciju. Naraštaji ljudi zaboravljaju; zbor srednjih bića pamti, a to pamćenje predstavlja riznicu predaja vašeg naseljenog svijeta. Tako kultura jednog planeta ostaje trajno prisutna na tom planetu, i u prikladnim okolnostima takva se dragocjena sjećanja na prošle događaje stavljaju na raspolaganje, kao što su srednja bića Urantije dala priču o životu i učenjima Isusa svojim materijalnim srodnicima.
77:9.9 (866.8)
The midway culture, being the product of an immortal planetary citizenry, is relatively immune to those temporal vicissitudes which beset human civilization. The generations of men forget; the corps of midwayers remembers, and that memory is the treasure house of the traditions of your inhabited world. Thus does the culture of a planet remain ever present on that planet, and in proper circumstances such treasured memories of past events are made available, even as the story of the life and teachings of Jesus has been given by the midwayers of Urantia to their cousins in the flesh.
Srednja bića su vješti služitelji koji nadoknađuju prazninu između materijalnih i duhovnih poslova Urantije nastalu nakon smrti Adama i Eve. Ona su također vaša starija braća, drugovi u dugoj borbi za postizanje statusa svjetla i života na Urantiji. Korpus Ujedinjenih srednjih bića prošao je test pobune i vjerno će izvršavati svoju ulogu u planetarnoj evoluciji sve dok ovaj svijet ne postigne konačni cilj svih doba — buduće vrijeme kada će mir zavladati na zemlji, a istina i dobra volja u srcima ljudi.
77:9.10 (867.1)
Midwayers are the skillful ministers who compensate that gap between the material and spiritual affairs of Urantia which appeared upon the death of Adam and Eve. They are likewise your elder brethren, comrades in the long struggle to attain a settled status of light and life on Urantia. The United Midwayers are a rebellion-tested corps, and they will faithfully enact their part in planetary evolution until this world attains the goal of the ages, until that distant day when in fact peace does reign on earth and in truth is there good will in the hearts of men.
Cijela organizacija visokih duhova, anđeoskog mnoštva i njihovih prijatelja iz redova srednjih bića oduševljeno je posvećena promicanju Rajskog plana progresivnog uzašašća i postizanja savršenstva evolucijskih smrtnika — jednog od najbožanstvenijih poduzeća u svemiru: vrhunskog programa opstanka kojim Bog silazi k čovjeku kako bi ga potom, u blaženom partnerstvu, uzdigao k Bogu i samoj vječnosti službe i postignuća božanstva — kako za ljude tako i za srednja bića.
77:9.12 (867.3)
The entire organization of high spirits, angelic hosts, and midway fellows is enthusiastically devoted to the furtherance of the Paradise plan for the progressive ascension and perfection attainment of evolutionary mortals, one of the supernal businesses of the universe—the superb survival plan of bringing God down to man and then, by a sublime sort of partnership, carrying man up to God and on to eternity of service and divinity of attainment—alike for mortal and midwayer.