Knjiga Urantije
DIO IV. Isusov život i učenja
POGLAVLJE 121 : VRIJEME MIHAELOVA PODARENJA
Paper 121
The Times of Michael’s Bestowal
The Times of Michael’s Bestowal
DJELUJUĆI pod nadzorom dvanaestočlane komisije Ujedinjenog Bratstva Srednjih Bića Urantije, pod zajedničkim pokroviteljstvom predsjedatelja našega reda i Melkisedeka iz zapisa, ja sam sekundarno srednje biće nekoć pridruženo apostolu Andriji i ovlašten sam zabilježiti izvještaj o životnim događajima Isusa iz Nazareta onako kako ih je promatrao naš red zemaljskih stvorenja i kako ih je kasnije djelomično zabilježio čovjek koji je bio pod mojim privremenim skrbništvom. Znajući koliko je njegov Učitelj savjesno izbjegavao ostavljati pisane zapise, Andrija je odlučno odbijao umnožavati primjerke svojega pisanog izvještaja. Sličan stav imali su i ostali Isusovi apostoli, pa je stoga pisanje Evanđelja bilo znatno odgođeno.
121:0.1 (1332.1)
ACTING under the supervision of a commission of twelve members of the United Brotherhood of Urantia Midwayers, conjointly sponsored by the presiding head of our order and the Melchizedek of record, I am the secondary midwayer of onetime attachment to the Apostle Andrew, and I am authorized to place on record the narrative of the life transactions of Jesus of Nazareth as they were observed by my order of earth creatures, and as they were subsequently partially recorded by the human subject of my temporal guardianship. Knowing how his Master so scrupulously avoided leaving written records behind him, Andrew steadfastly refused to multiply copies of his written narrative. A similar attitude on the part of the other apostles of Jesus greatly delayed the writing of the Gospels.
Isus nije došao na ovaj svijet u razdoblju duhovne dekadencije; u vrijeme njegova rođenja Urantija je doživljavala preporod duhovne misli i religioznog života kakav nije poznavala u cijeloj svojoj prethodnoj postadamskoj povijesti niti ga je doživjela u bilo kojem kasnijem razdoblju. U doba Mihaelova utjelovljenja na Urantiji svijet je pružao najpovoljnije uvjete za podarenje Sina Stvoritelja, uvjete kakvi nisu postojali nikada prije niti su se ponovno pojavili poslije. U stoljećima neposredno prije toga grčka kultura i grčki jezik proširili su se po Zapadu i Bliskom istoku, dok su Židovi — pripadnici levantinske rase, po svojoj prirodi dijelom zapadnjački a dijelom istočnjački narod — bili iznimno prikladni iskoristiti takve kulturne i jezične okolnosti kako bi učinkovito pronijeli novu religiju i na Istok i na Zapad. Ove su povoljne okolnosti dodatno bile potpomognute tolerantnom političkom vlašću Rimljana nad mediteranskim svijetom.
121:1.1 (1332.2)
Jesus did not come to this world during an age of spiritual decadence; at the time of his birth Urantia was experiencing such a revival of spiritual thinking and religious living as it had not known in all its previous post-Adamic history nor has experienced in any era since. When Michael incarnated on Urantia, the world presented the most favorable condition for the Creator Son’s bestowal that had ever previously prevailed or has since obtained. In the centuries just prior to these times Greek culture and the Greek language had spread over Occident and near Orient, and the Jews, being a Levantine race, in nature part Occidental and part Oriental, were eminently fitted to utilize such cultural and linguistic settings for the effective spread of a new religion to both East and West. These most favorable circumstances were further enhanced by the tolerant political rule of the Mediterranean world by the Romans.
Kad se Isus rodio, cijeli je mediteranski svijet bio jedno ujedinjeno carstvo. Dobri putevi po prvi su put u svjetskoj povijesti povezivali mnoga veća središta. Mora su bila očišćena od gusara, a veliko doba trgovine i putovanja ubrzano se razvijalo. Europa nije ponovno uživala takvo razdoblje putovanja i trgovine sve do devetnaestog stoljeća poslije Krista.
121:1.7 (1332.8)
When Jesus was born, the entire Mediterranean world was a unified empire. Good roads, for the first time in the world’s history, interconnected many major centers. The seas were cleared of pirates, and a great era of trade and travel was rapidly advancing. Europe did not again enjoy another such period of travel and trade until the nineteenth century after Christ.
Bez obzira na unutarnji mir i površni prosperitet grčko-rimskog svijeta, većina njegovih stanovnika životarila je u bijedi i siromaštvu. Malobrojna viša klasa bila je bogata, dok je najveći dio čovječanstva pripadao jadnoj i osiromašenoj nižoj klasi. U to doba nije bilo sretne i uspješne srednje klase; ona se tek počinjala pojavljivati u rimskom društvu.
121:1.8 (1333.1)
Notwithstanding the internal peace and superficial prosperity of the Greco-Roman world, a majority of the inhabitants of the empire languished in squalor and poverty. The small upper class was rich; a miserable and impoverished lower class embraced the rank and file of humanity. There was no happy and prosperous middle class in those days; it had just begun to make its appearance in Roman society.
121:1.9 (1333.2)
The first struggles between the expanding Roman and Parthian states had been concluded in the then recent past, leaving Syria in the hands of the Romans. In the times of Jesus, Palestine and Syria were enjoying a period of prosperity, relative peace, and extensive commercial intercourse with the lands to both the East and the West.
Židovi su bili dio starije semitske rase kojoj su također pripadali Babilonci, Feničani i skoriji neprijatelji Rima, Kartažani. Tijekom prve polovice prvog stoljeća poslije Krista Židovi su bili najutjecajnija skupina među semitskim narodima, a uz to su zauzimali osobito strateški geografski položaj u svijetu kakav je tada bio uređen i organiziran za trgovinu.
121:2.1 (1333.3)
The Jews were a part of the older Semitic race, which also included the Babylonians, the Phoenicians, and the more recent enemies of Rome, the Carthaginians. During the fore part of the first century after Christ, the Jews were the most influential group of the Semitic peoples, and they happened to occupy a peculiarly strategic geographic position in the world as it was at that time ruled and organized for trade.
Mnoge velike ceste koje su povezivale narode staroga vijeka prolazile su Palestinom, koja je tako postala sastajalište, odnosno raskrižje triju kontinenata. Putnici, trgovina i vojske Babilonije, Asirije, Egipta, Sirije, Grčke, Partije i Rima redom su prelazili preko Palestine. Od pamtivijeka su mnogi karavanski putovi s Istoka prolazili nekim dijelom ove regije prema malobrojnim dobrim lukama na istočnom kraju Sredozemlja, odakle su brodovi prevozili teret u sve krajeve pomorskog Zapada. Više od polovice toga karavanskog prometa prolazilo je kroz ili pokraj gradića Nazareta u Galileji.
121:2.2 (1333.4)
Many of the great highways joining the nations of antiquity passed through Palestine, which thus became the meeting place, or crossroads, of three continents. The travel, trade, and armies of Babylonia, Assyria, Egypt, Syria, Greece, Parthia, and Rome successively swept over Palestine. From time immemorial, many caravan routes from the Orient passed through some part of this region to the few good seaports of the eastern end of the Mediterranean, whence ships carried their cargoes to all the maritime Occident. And more than half of this caravan traffic passed through or near the little town of Nazareth in Galilee.
Grčka je dala jezik i kulturu, Rim je izgradio ceste i ujedinio carstvo, ali raspršenje Židova, s više od dvjesto sinagoga i dobro organiziranih vjerskih zajednica razasutih diljem rimskog svijeta, osiguralo je kulturna središta u kojima je novo evanđelje kraljevstva nebeskog bilo prvi put prihvaćeno, a odakle se potom proširilo do najudaljenijih krajeva svijeta.
121:2.4 (1333.6)
Greece provided a language and a culture, Rome built the roads and unified an empire, but the dispersion of the Jews, with their more than two hundred synagogues and well-organized religious communities scattered hither and yon throughout the Roman world, provided the cultural centers in which the new gospel of the kingdom of heaven found initial reception, and from which it subsequently spread to the uttermost parts of the world.
Svaka je židovska sinagoga dopuštala prisutnost manjeg kruga poganskih vjernika, „pobožnih” ili „bogobojaznih” ljudi, a upravo je među tim obraćenicima Pavao zadobio najveći dio svojih ranih obraćenika na kršćanstvo. Čak je i hram u Jeruzalemu imao svoj raskošni trijem za pogane. Između kulture, trgovine i bogoslužja Jeruzalema i Antiohije postojala je vrlo tijesna povezanost. U Antiohiji su Pavlovi učenici prvi put nazvani „kršćanima”.
121:2.5 (1333.7)
Each Jewish synagogue tolerated a fringe of gentile believers, “devout” or “God-fearing” men, and it was among this fringe of proselytes that Paul made the bulk of his early converts to Christianity. Even the temple at Jerusalem possessed its ornate court of the gentiles. There was very close connection between the culture, commerce, and worship of Jerusalem and Antioch. In Antioch Paul’s disciples were first called “Christians.”
Centralizacija židovskog hramskog bogoslužja u Jeruzalemu bila je istodobno tajna opstanka njihova monoteizma i obećanje razvoja i slanja u svijet novog i proširenog poimanja toga jednoga Boga svih naroda i Oca svih smrtnika. Hramska služba u Jeruzalemu predstavljala je opstanak jednog religijsko-kulturnog koncepta usprkos propasti niza nežidovskih nacionalnih gospodara i rasnih progonitelja.
121:2.6 (1333.8)
The centralization of the Jewish temple worship at Jerusalem constituted alike the secret of the survival of their monotheism and the promise of the nurture and sending forth to the world of a new and enlarged concept of that one God of all nations and Father of all mortals. The temple service at Jerusalem represented the survival of a religious cultural concept in the face of the downfall of a succession of gentile national overlords and racial persecutors.
Židovski narod toga vremena, premda pod vrhovnom vlašću Rima, uživao je znatan stupanj samouprave i, prisjećajući se još uvijek svježih junačkih pothvata oslobođenja koje su ostvarili Juda Makabejac i njegovi neposredni nasljednici, živio je u iščekivanju skorog dolaska još većeg osloboditelja, dugo očekivanog Mesije.
121:2.7 (1334.1)
The Jewish people of this time, although under Roman suzerainty, enjoyed a considerable degree of self-government and, remembering the then only recent heroic exploits of deliverance executed by Judas Maccabee and his immediate successors, were vibrant with the expectation of the immediate appearance of a still greater deliverer, the long-expected Messiah.
Tajna opstanka Palestine, kraljevstva Židova, kao poluneovisne države ležala je u vanjskoj politici rimske vlasti, koja je željela zadržati nadzor nad palestinskim kopnenim putem između Sirije i Egipta, kao i nad zapadnim završecima karavanskih putova između Istoka i Zapada. Rim nije želio dopustiti da se na Levantu pojavi sila koja bi mogla ograničiti njegovo buduće širenje na tim područjima. Politika spletkarenja, kojoj je cilj bio suprotstaviti seleukidsku Siriju i ptolomejski Egipat, zahtijevala je održavanje Palestine kao zasebne i neovisne države. Rimska politika, propadanje Egipta i postupno slabljenje Seleukida pred rastućom snagom Partije objašnjavaju kako je mala i politički slaba skupina Židova tijekom nekoliko naraštaja mogla sačuvati svoju neovisnost i od Seleukida na sjeveru i od Ptolemeja na jugu. Tu slučajnu slobodu i neovisnost od političke vlasti okolnih i moćnijih naroda Židovi su pripisivali činjenici da su „izabrani narod”, izravnom Jahvinom zahvatu. Takav osjećaj narodne nadmoći dodatno im je otežavao prihvatiti rimsku vrhovnu vlast kada je naposljetku pala na njihovu zemlju. Ali čak ni u tom žalosnom času Židovi nisu htjeli naučiti da je njihovo svjetsko poslanje bilo duhovno, a ne političko.
121:2.8 (1334.2)
The secret of the survival of Palestine, the kingdom of the Jews, as a semi-independent state was wrapped up in the foreign policy of the Roman government, which desired to maintain control of the Palestinian highway of travel between Syria and Egypt as well as the western terminals of the caravan routes between the Orient and the Occident. Rome did not wish any power to arise in the Levant which might curb her future expansion in these regions. The policy of intrigue which had for its object the pitting of Seleucid Syria and Ptolemaic Egypt against each other necessitated fostering Palestine as a separate and independent state. Roman policy, the degeneration of Egypt, and the progressive weakening of the Seleucids before the rising power of Parthia, explain why it was that for several generations a small and unpowerful group of Jews was able to maintain its independence against both Seleucidae to the north and Ptolemies to the south. This fortuitous liberty and independence of the political rule of surrounding and more powerful peoples the Jews attributed to the fact that they were the “chosen people,” to the direct interposition of Yahweh. Such an attitude of racial superiority made it all the harder for them to endure Roman suzerainty when it finally fell upon their land. But even in that sad hour the Jews refused to learn that their world mission was spiritual, not political.
Židovi su u Isusovo vrijeme bili neuobičajeno oprezni i sumnjičavi jer je njima tada vladao stranac, Herod Idumejac, koji je lukavim dodvoravanjem rimskim vladarima prigrabio vrhovnu vlast nad Judejom. Iako je Herod javno iskazivao odanost hebrejskim obrednim običajima, nastavio je podizati hramove mnogim stranim bogovima.
121:2.9 (1334.3)
The Jews were unusually apprehensive and suspicious during the times of Jesus because they were then ruled by an outsider, Herod the Idumean, who had seized the overlordship of Judea by cleverly ingratiating himself with the Roman rulers. And though Herod professed loyalty to the Hebrew ceremonial observances, he proceeded to build temples for many strange gods.
Herodovi prijateljski odnosi s rimskim vladarima učinili su svijet sigurnim za židovska putovanja te tako otvorili put još većem prodoru Židova, čak i u udaljene dijelove Rimskog Carstva i strane savezničke zemlje, s novim evanđeljem kraljevstva nebeskog. Herodova je vladavina također znatno pridonijela daljnjem prožimanju hebrejske i helenističke filozofije.
121:2.10 (1334.4)
The friendly relations of Herod with the Roman rulers made the world safe for Jewish travel and thus opened the way for increased Jewish penetration even of distant portions of the Roman Empire and of foreign treaty nations with the new gospel of the kingdom of heaven. Herod’s reign also contributed much toward the further blending of Hebrew and Hellenistic philosophies.
Herod je izgradio luku Cezareju, što je dodatno pridonijelo tome da Palestina postane raskrižje civiliziranog svijeta. Umro je 4. godine prije Krista, a njegov sin Herod Antipa upravljao je Galilejom i Perejom tijekom Isusove mladosti i službe sve do 39. godine poslije Krista. Antipa je, poput svoga oca, bio veliki graditelj. Obnovio je mnoge gradove Galileje, uključujući i važno trgovačko središte Seforis.
121:2.11 (1334.5)
Herod built the harbor of Caesarea, which further aided in making Palestine the crossroads of the civilized world. He died in 4 {scaps{scaps{b.c.}scaps}scaps}, and his son Herod Antipas governed Galilee and Perea during Jesus’ youth and ministry to {scaps{scaps{a.d.}scaps}scaps} 39. Antipas, like his father, was a great builder. He rebuilt many of the cities of Galilee, including the important trade center of Sepphoris.
121:3.1 (1334.7)
Although the social and economic condition of the Roman state was not of the highest order, the widespread domestic peace and prosperity was propitious for the bestowal of Michael. In the first century after Christ the society of the Mediterranean world consisted of five well-defined strata:
3. Malobrojna srednja klasa. Iako ova skupina nije bila osobito brojna, bila je vrlo utjecajna i predstavljala je moralnu okosnicu rane kršćanske crkve, koja je poticala te ljude da nastave sa svojim različitim obrtima i trgovinama. Među Židovima mnogi su farizeji pripadali toj trgovačko-obrtničkoj klasi.
121:3.4 (1335.3)
3. The small middle class. Although this group was indeed small, it was very influential and provided the moral backbone of the early Christian church, which encouraged these groups to continue in their various crafts and trades. Among the Jews many of the Pharisees belonged to this class of tradesmen.
4. Slobodni proletarijat. Ova skupina imala je malo ili nimalo društvenog ugleda. Premda su bili ponosni na svoju slobodu, nalazili su se u vrlo nepovoljnom položaju jer su bili prisiljeni natjecati se s robovskim radom. Viši slojevi gledali su na njih s prezirom, smatrajući ih beskorisnima osim za "produženje vrste".
121:3.5 (1335.4)
4. The free proletariat. This group had little or no social standing. Though proud of their freedom, they were placed at great disadvantage because they were forced to compete with slave labor. The upper classes regarded them disdainfully, allowing that they were useless except for “breeding purposes.”
Sposobniji robovi često su primali nadnicu te su, štedeći svoju zaradu, mogli otkupiti svoju slobodu. Mnogi takvi oslobođeni robovi uzdigli su se do visokih položaja u državi, crkvi i poslovnom svijetu. Upravo su takve mogućnosti učinile ranu kršćansku crkvu tako tolerantnom prema ovom ublaženom obliku ropstva.
121:3.8 (1335.7)
Superior slaves often received wages and by saving their earnings were able to purchase their freedom. Many such emancipated slaves rose to high positions in state, church, and the business world. And it was just such possibilities that made the early Christian church so tolerant of this modified form of slavery.
U prvom stoljeću poslije Krista u Rimskom Carstvu nije bilo raširenih društvenih problema. Većina stanovništva smatrala je da pripada skupini u koju se rodila. Vrata napredovanja u više slojeve rimskog društva uvijek su bila otvorena nadarenim i sposobnim pojedincima, ali ljudi su uglavnom bili zadovoljni svojim društvenim položajem. Nisu imali razvijenu klasnu svijest niti su ove društvene razlike smatrali nepravednima ili pogrešnima. Kršćanstvo nije bilo ekonomski pokret kojemu je cilj bio poboljšanje životnih uvjeta ili ublažavanje bijede potlačenih slojeva.
121:3.9 (1335.8)
There was no widespread social problem in the Roman Empire in the first century after Christ. The major portion of the populace regarded themselves as belonging in that group into which they chanced to be born. There was always the open door through which talented and able individuals could ascend from the lower to the higher strata of Roman society, but the people were generally content with their social rank. They were not class conscious, neither did they look upon these class distinctions as being unjust or wrong. Christianity was in no sense an economic movement having for its purpose the amelioration of the miseries of the depressed classes.
Nežidovi su u moralnom pogledu bili donekle inferiorni Židovima, ali je u srcima plemenitijih nežidova postojalo plodno tlo prirodne dobrote i potencijalne ljudske privrženosti u kojem je sjeme kršćanstva moglo proklijati i donijeti obilan urod moralnog karaktera i duhovnog postignuća. Nežidovskim su svijetom tada dominirale četiri velike filozofije, koje su sve više ili manje proizašle iz ranijeg grčkog platonizma. Ove filozofske škole bile su:
121:4.1 (1335.10)
The gentiles were, from a moral standpoint, somewhat inferior to the Jews, but there was present in the hearts of the nobler gentiles abundant soil of natural goodness and potential human affection in which it was possible for the seed of Christianity to sprout and bring forth an abundant harvest of moral character and spiritual achievement. The gentile world was then dominated by four great philosophies, all more or less derived from the earlier Platonism of the Greeks. These schools of philosophy were:
1. Epikurejska. Ova je škola misli bila posvećena potrazi za srećom. Bolji epikurejci nisu bili skloni pretjeranom tjelesnom uživanju. Ako ništa drugo, ova je doktrina pomogla osloboditi Rimljane od opasnijeg oblika fatalizma; učila je da čovjek može poboljšati svoj zemaljski položaj. Učinkovito se borila protiv neukog praznovjerja.
121:4.2 (1335.11)
1. The Epicurean. This school of thought was dedicated to the pursuit of happiness. The better Epicureans were not given to sensual excesses. At least this doctrine helped to deliver the Romans from a more deadly form of fatalism; it taught that men could do something to improve their terrestrial status. It did effectually combat ignorant superstition.
2. Stoička. Stoicizam je bio nadmoćna filozofija viših slojeva društva. Stoici su vjerovali da cijelom prirodom upravlja Razum-Sudbina. Učili su da je čovjekova duša božanska i da je zatočena u zlom tijelu fizičke naravi. Čovjekova je duša postizala slobodu živeći u skladu s prirodom, s Bogom; tako je vrlina postala sama sebi nagrada. Stoicizam se uzdigao do uzvišene moralnosti, do ideala koje nijedan posve ljudski filozofski sustav nikada nije nadmašio. Premda su stoici tvrdili da su „potomci Boga”, nisu ga poznavali te ga stoga nisu ni uspjeli pronaći. Stoicizam je ostao filozofija; nikada nije postao religija. Njegovi su sljedbenici nastojali uskladiti svoje umove sa skladom Univerzalnog Uma, ali nisu uspjeli zamisliti sebe kao djecu Oca punog ljubavi. Pavao je snažno naginjao stoicizmu kada je napisao: „Naučio sam biti zadovoljan u svakom stanju u kojem se nalazim.”
121:4.3 (1336.1)
2. The Stoic. Stoicism was the superior philosophy of the better classes. The Stoics believed that a controlling Reason-Fate dominated all nature. They taught that the soul of man was divine; that it was imprisoned in the evil body of physical nature. Man’s soul achieved liberty by living in harmony with nature, with God; thus virtue came to be its own reward. Stoicism ascended to a sublime morality, ideals never since transcended by any purely human system of philosophy. While the Stoics professed to be the “offspring of God,” they failed to know him and therefore failed to find him. Stoicism remained a philosophy; it never became a religion. Its followers sought to attune their minds to the harmony of the Universal Mind, but they failed to envisage themselves as the children of a loving Father. Paul leaned heavily toward Stoicism when he wrote, “I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.”
3. Cinička. Iako su pripadnici ciničke škole smatrali da njihova filozofija potječe od Diogena iz Atene, velik dio njihovog učenja temeljio se na ostacima nauka Makivente Melkisedeka. Cinizam je u početku bio više religija nego filozofija. Cinici su barem svoje religijsko-filozofsko učenje učinili dostupnim običnom čovjeku. Na poljima i trgovima neprestano su propovijedali doktrinu da 'čovjek može spasiti samoga sebe ako to želi'. Propovijedali su jednostavnost i vrlinu te pozivali ljude da se neustrašivo suoče sa smrću. Ovi putujući cinički učitelji uvelike su pridonijeli pripremi duhovno gladnog pučanstva za kasnije kršćanske misionare. Njihov način javnog propovijedanja uvelike je slijedio obrazac i stil Pavlovih poslanica.
121:4.4 (1336.2)
3. The Cynic. Although the Cynics traced their philosophy to Diogenes of Athens, they derived much of their doctrine from the remnants of the teachings of Machiventa Melchizedek. Cynicism had formerly been more of a religion than a philosophy. At least the Cynics made their religio-philosophy democratic. In the fields and in the market places they continually preached their doctrine that “man could save himself if he would.” They preached simplicity and virtue and urged men to meet death fearlessly. These wandering Cynic preachers did much to prepare the spiritually hungry populace for the later Christian missionaries. Their plan of popular preaching was much after the pattern, and in accordance with the style, of Paul’s Epistles.
121:4.6 (1336.4)
These philosophies were semireligious; they were often invigorating, ethical, and ennobling but were usually above the common people. With the possible exception of Cynicism, they were philosophies for the strong and the wise, not religions of salvation for even the poor and the weak.
Tijekom prethodnih razdoblja religija je uglavnom bila stvar plemena ili naroda; rijetko je predstavljala pitanje od osobne važnosti za pojedinca. Bogovi su bili plemenski ili nacionalni, a ne osobni. Takvi religijski sustavi pružali su malo zadovoljstva individualnim duhovnim težnjama prosječne osobe.
121:5.1 (1336.5)
Throughout preceding ages religion had chiefly been an affair of the tribe or nation; it had not often been a matter of concern to the individual. Gods were tribal or national, not personal. Such religious systems afforded little satisfaction for the individual spiritual longings of the average person.
4. Misterijske religije. Na tako duhovno gladan svijet provalila je bujica misterijskih kultova, novih i neobičnih religija s Levanta koje su privukle običan narod obećanjem osobnog spasenja. Ove su religije brzo postale prihvaćena vjerovanja nižih slojeva grčko-rimskog svijeta. Uvelike su pripremile put brzom širenju daleko superiornijih kršćanskih učenja, koja su nudila veličanstven pojam Božanstva, privlačnu teologiju za inteligentne i duboko obećanje spasenja za sve, uključujući neuke, ali duhovno gladne obične ljude toga doba.
121:5.6 (1337.2)
4. The mystery religions. Upon such a spiritually hungry world a flood of mystery cults had broken, new and strange religions from the Levant, which had enamored the common people and had promised them individual salvation. These religions rapidly became the accepted belief of the lower classes of the Greco-Roman world. And they did much to prepare the way for the rapid spread of the vastly superior Christian teachings, which presented a majestic concept of Deity, associated with an intriguing theology for the intelligent and a profound proffer of salvation for all, including the ignorant but spiritually hungry average man of those days.
121:5.8 (1337.4)
1. Some mythical legend, a mystery—whence their name. As a rule this mystery pertained to the story of some god’s life and death and return to life, as illustrated by the teachings of Mithraism, which, for a time, were contemporary with, and a competitor of, Paul’s rising cult of Christianity.
Ali nemojte pogriješiti poistovjećujući Isusova učenja s misterijskim religijama. Popularnost misterijskih religija otkriva čovjekovu težnju za opstankom i tako svjedoči o stvarnoj gladi i žeđi za osobnom religijom i osobnom pravednošću. Premda misterijske religije nisu uspjele u potpunosti zadovoljiti tu težnju, ipak su pripremile put kasnijoj pojavi Isusa, koji je doista donio na ovaj svijet kruh životni i vodu njegovu.
121:5.12 (1337.8)
But do not make the mistake of confusing the teachings of Jesus with the mysteries. The popularity of the mysteries reveals man’s quest for survival, thus portraying a real hunger and thirst for personal religion and individual righteousness. Although the mysteries failed adequately to satisfy this longing, they did prepare the way for the subsequent appearance of Jesus, who truly brought to this world the bread of life and the water thereof.
Pavao je, nastojeći iskoristiti široku privrženost boljim oblicima misterijskih religija, izvršio određene prilagodbe Isusovih učenja kako bi ih učinio prihvatljivijima većem broju mogućih obraćenika. Ali čak je i taj Pavlov kompromis Isusovih učenja (kršćanstvo) bio superiorniji od najboljega što su nudile misterijske religije, jer:
121:5.13 (1337.9)
Paul, in an effort to utilize the widespread adherence to the better types of the mystery religions, made certain adaptations of the teachings of Jesus so as to render them more acceptable to a larger number of prospective converts. But even Paul’s compromise of Jesus’ teachings (Christianity) was superior to the best in the mysteries in that:
121:5.15 (1337.11)
2. Christianity presented a religion which grappled with final solutions of the human problem, for it not only offered salvation from sorrow and even from death, but it also promised deliverance from sin followed by the endowment of a righteous character of eternal survival qualities.
Među poganima moralnost nije nužno bila povezana ni s filozofijom ni s religijom. Izvan Palestine ljudima nije uvijek padalo na um da bi svećenik neke religije trebao voditi moralan život. Židovska religija, zatim Isusova učenja i kasnije Pavlovo kršćanstvo u razvoju, bile su prve europske religije koje su jednom rukom posegnule za moralom, a drugom za etikom, inzistirajući da praktikanti religije obrate pozornost na jedno i drugo.
121:5.17 (1138.2)
Morality among the gentiles was not necessarily related to either philosophy or religion. Outside of Palestine it not always occurred to people that a priest of religion was supposed to lead a moral life. Jewish religion and subsequently the teachings of Jesus and later the evolving Christianity of Paul were the first European religions to lay one hand upon morals and the other upon ethics, insisting that religionists pay some attention to both.
Do kraja prvog stoljeća prije Krista religijska misao Jeruzalema bila je pod snažnim utjecajem grčkih kulturnih učenja, pa čak i grčke filozofije. U dugom nadmetanju između istočne i zapadne škole hebrejske misli, Jeruzalem te ostatak Zapada i Levant općenito prihvatili su zapadnožidovsko, odnosno modificirano helenističko gledište.
121:6.1 (1338.4)
By the close of the first century before Christ the religious thought of Jerusalem had been tremendously influenced and somewhat modified by Greek cultural teachings and even by Greek philosophy. In the long contest between the views of the Eastern and Western schools of Hebrew thought, Jerusalem and the rest of the Occident and the Levant in general adopted the Western Jewish or modified Hellenistic viewpoint.
U Isusovo vrijeme u Palestini su prevladavala tri jezika: običan narod govorio je nekim dijalektom aramejskog; svećenici i rabini govorili su hebrejski; obrazovani slojevi i viši društveni krugovi među Židovima općenito govorili su grčki. Rani prijevod hebrejskih spisa na grčki u Aleksandriji uvelike je pridonio kasnijoj prevlasti grčkog ogranka židovske kulture i teologije. Uskoro su se i spisi kršćanskih učitelja počeli pojavljivati na istom jeziku. Preporod judaizma započinje grčkim prijevodom hebrejskih spisa. To je bio presudan utjecaj koji je kasnije odredio smjer širenja Pavlova kršćanstva prema Zapadu, a ne prema Istoku.
121:6.2 (1338.5)
In the days of Jesus three languages prevailed in Palestine: The common people spoke some dialect of Aramaic; the priests and rabbis spoke Hebrew; the educated classes and the better strata of Jews in general spoke Greek. The early translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek at Alexandria was responsible in no small measure for the subsequent predominance of the Greek wing of Jewish culture and theology. And the writings of the Christian teachers were soon to appear in the same language. The renaissance of Judaism dates from the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures. This was a vital influence which later determined the drift of Paul’s Christian cult toward the West instead of toward the East.
Premda su epikurejska učenja imala vrlo malo utjecaja na helenizirana židovska vjerovanja, ona su bila znatno oblikovana Platonovom filozofijom i stoičkim učenjima o samoodricanju. Snažan prodor stoicizma vidi se u Četvrtoj knjizi Makabejaca; prožimanje platonističke filozofije i stoičkih učenja očituje se u Mudrosti Salomonovoj. Helenizirani Židovi tumačili su hebrejske spise toliko alegorijski da nisu imali poteškoća uskladiti hebrejsku teologiju sa svojom cijenjenom aristotelovskom filozofijom. No sve je to dovelo do velike i pogubne zbrke sve dok se tim problemima nije pozabavio Filon Aleksandrijski, koji je nastojao uskladiti i sustavno urediti grčku filozofiju i hebrejsku teologiju u cjelovit i razmjerno dosljedan sustav religijskog vjerovanja i prakse. Upravo je to kasnije učenje, nastalo spajanjem grčke filozofije i hebrejske teologije, prevladavalo u Palestini u vrijeme kada je Isus živio i naučavao, a Pavao ga je iskoristio kao temelj za izgradnju svojega razvijenijeg i prosvjetljenijeg oblika kršćanstva.
121:6.3 (1338.6)
Though the Hellenized Jewish beliefs were very little influenced by the teachings of the Epicureans, they were very materially affected by the philosophy of Plato and the self-abnegation doctrines of the Stoics. The great inroad of Stoicism is exemplified by the Fourth Book of the Maccabees; the penetration of both Platonic philosophy and Stoic doctrines is exhibited in the Wisdom of Solomon. The Hellenized Jews brought to the Hebrew scriptures such an allegorical interpretation that they found no difficulty in conforming Hebrew theology with their revered Aristotelian philosophy. But this all led to disastrous confusion until these problems were taken in hand by Philo of Alexandria, who proceeded to harmonize and systemize Greek philosophy and Hebrew theology into a compact and fairly consistent system of religious belief and practice. And it was this later teaching of combined Greek philosophy and Hebrew theology that prevailed in Palestine when Jesus lived and taught, and which Paul utilized as the foundation on which to build his more advanced and enlightening cult of Christianity.
Filon je bio veliki učitelj; još od Mojsijeva vremena nije živio čovjek koji je izvršio tako dubok utjecaj na etičku i religijsku misao zapadnoga svijeta. U pogledu povezivanja najboljih elemenata tadašnjih etičkih i religijskih sustava istaknulo se sedam velikih učitelja čovječanstva: Setard, Mojsije, Zoroaster, Lao-ce, Buda, Filon i Pavao.
121:6.4 (1338.7)
Philo was a great teacher; not since Moses had there lived a man who exerted such a profound influence on the ethical and religious thought of the Occidental world. In the matter of the combination of the better elements in contemporaneous systems of ethical and religious teachings, there have been seven outstanding human teachers: Sethard, Moses, Zoroaster, Lao-tse, Buddha, Philo, and Paul.
Pavao je prepoznao i mudro uklonio iz temelja svoje kršćanske teologije mnoge, premda ne sve, nedosljednosti koje su proizašle iz Filonova nastojanja da grčku mističnu filozofiju i rimski stoicizam spoji s legalističkom teologijom Hebreja. Filon je postavio temelje za Pavlovu potpuniju obnovu pojma Rajskog Trojstva, koji je dugo bio uspavan u židovskoj teologiji. Samo u jednom pitanju Pavao nije držao korak s Filonom niti je nadmašio učenja toga bogatog i obrazovanog Židova iz Aleksandrije, a to je bilo učenje o iskupljenju; Filon je naučavao oslobođenje od nauka da se oproštenje može postići jedino prolijevanjem krvi. Čini se također da je jasnije od Pavla naslućivao stvarnost i prisutnost Tajanstvenih Osmatrača. No Pavlova teorija istočnoga grijeha, učenja o nasljednoj krivnji i urođenom zlu te otkupljenju od njih, djelomično potječu iz mitraizma i imaju malo zajedničkoga s hebrejskom teologijom, Filonovom filozofijom ili Isusovim učenjima. Neki aspekti Pavlova učenja o istočnome grijehu i iskupljenju bili su njegovi vlastiti.
121:6.5 (1339.1)
Many, but not all, of Philo’s inconsistencies resulting from an effort to combine Greek mystical philosophy and Roman Stoic doctrines with the legalistic theology of the Hebrews, Paul recognized and wisely eliminated from his pre-Christian basic theology. Philo led the way for Paul more fully to restore the concept of the Paradise Trinity, which had long been dormant in Jewish theology. In only one matter did Paul fail to keep pace with Philo or to transcend the teachings of this wealthy and educated Jew of Alexandria, and that was the doctrine of the atonement; Philo taught deliverance from the doctrine of forgiveness only by the shedding of blood. He also possibly glimpsed the reality and presence of the Thought Adjusters more clearly than did Paul. But Paul’s theory of original sin, the doctrines of hereditary guilt and innate evil and redemption therefrom, was partially Mithraic in origin, having little in common with Hebrew theology, Philo’s philosophy, or Jesus’ teachings. Some phases of Paul’s teachings regarding original sin and the atonement were original with himself.
Otprilike u Kristovo vrijeme u Aleksandriji je došlo do neobičnog obrata u odnosu prema Židovima, pa se iz toga nekadašnjeg židovskog uporišta proširio val žestokih progona koji je dosegnuo čak i Rim, odakle su tisuće Židova bile prognane. No ta kampanja klevetanja bila je kratkoga vijeka; vrlo brzo je carska vlast u cijelom Carstvu ponovno uspostavila prethodno ograničene slobode Židova.
121:6.7 (1339.3)
At about the time of Christ a strange reversion of feeling toward the Jews occurred in Alexandria, and from this former Jewish stronghold there went forth a virulent wave of persecution, extending even to Rome, from which many thousands were banished. But such a campaign of misrepresentation was short-lived; very soon the imperial government fully restored the curtailed liberties of the Jews throughout the empire.
Diljem cijeloga svijeta, ma gdje se Židovi našli raspršeni trgovinom ili progonima, svi su jednodušno ostajali srcem vezani uz sveti Hram u Jeruzalemu. Židovska je teologija opstala onako kako se tumačila i prakticirala u Jeruzalemu, premda su je pojedini babilonski učitelji svojim pravodobnim djelovanjem više puta sačuvali od zaborava.
121:6.8 (1339.4)
Throughout the whole wide world, no matter where the Jews found themselves dispersed by commerce or oppression, all with one accord kept their hearts centered on the holy temple at Jerusalem. Jewish theology did survive as it was interpreted and practiced at Jerusalem, notwithstanding that it was several times saved from oblivion by the timely intervention of certain Babylonian teachers.
Čak dva i pol milijuna tih raspršenih Židova dolazilo je u Jeruzalem na proslavu svojih nacionalnih vjerskih blagdana. I bez obzira na teološke ili filozofske razlike između istočnih (babilonskih) i zapadnih (helenističkih) Židova, svi su se slagali u tome da je Jeruzalem središte njihova bogoslužja i svi su živjeli u iščekivanju dolaska Mesije.
121:6.9 (1339.5)
As many as two and one-half million of these dispersed Jews used to come to Jerusalem for the celebration of their national religious festivals. And no matter what the theologic or philosophic differences of the Eastern (Babylonian) and the Western (Hellenic) Jews, they were all agreed on Jerusalem as the center of their worship and in ever looking forward to the coming of the Messiah.
U Isusovo vrijeme, Židovi su imali čvrsto oblikovanu predodžbu o svom porijeklu, povijesti i sudbini. Izgradili su čvrst zid razdvajanja između sebe i nežidovskog svijeta; na sve nežidovske običaje gledali su s velikim prezirom. Štovali su slovo zakona i živjeli u uvjerenju o vlastitoj pravednosti, utemeljenom na lažnom ponosu zbog vlastitog porijekla. Stvorili su unaprijed oblikovane predodžbe o obećanom Mesiji, a većina tih očekivanja polazila je od toga da će Mesijin dolazak biti dio njihove nacionalne i rasne povijesti. Židovima toga vremena židovska je teologija bila neopozivo utvrđena i smatrana zauvijek nepromjenjivom.
121:7.1 (1339.6)
By the times of Jesus the Jews had arrived at a settled concept of their origin, history, and destiny. They had built up a rigid wall of separation between themselves and the gentile world; they looked upon all gentile ways with utter contempt. They worshiped the letter of the law and indulged a form of self-righteousness based upon the false pride of descent. They had formed preconceived notions regarding the promised Messiah, and most of these expectations envisaged a Messiah who would come as a part of their national and racial history. To the Hebrews of those days Jewish theology was irrevocably settled, forever fixed.
Isusova učenja i praksa tolerancije i dobrote izravno su se suprotstavljali dugogodišnjem stavu Židova prema drugim narodima koje su smatrali poganima. Naraštajima su Židovi njegovali takav odnos prema vanjskom svijetu da im je bilo nemoguće prihvatiti Učiteljeva učenja o duhovnom bratstvu svih ljudi. Nisu bili spremni dijeliti Jahvu s poganima kao jednakima, a jednako tako nisu bili spremni prihvatiti kao Sina Božjeg onoga koji je naučavao tako nova i neobična učenja.
121:7.2 (1339.7)
The teachings and practices of Jesus regarding tolerance and kindness ran counter to the long-standing attitude of the Jews toward other peoples whom they considered heathen. For generations the Jews had nourished an attitude toward the outside world which made it impossible for them to accept the Master’s teachings about the spiritual brotherhood of man. They were unwilling to share Yahweh on equal terms with the gentiles and were likewise unwilling to accept as the Son of God one who taught such new and strange doctrines.
Književnici, farizeji i svećenici držali su Židove u teškom ropstvu ritualizma i legalizma, daleko stvarnijem od podložnosti rimskoj političkoj vlasti. U Isusovo vrijeme Židovi ne samo da su bili prisiljeni pokoravati se Zakonu, nego su bili okovani ropskim zahtjevima tradicije koji su prožimali svaki aspekt njihova osobnog i društvenog života. Ti su detaljni propisi uređivali njihovo ponašanje i gospodarili životom svakog pobožnog Židova, pa nije čudo što su tako brzo odbacili jednoga od svojih sunarodnjaka koji se usudio zanemariti njihove svete tradicije i ismijavati njihove stoljećima poštovane društvene običaje. Teško da su mogli blagonaklono prihvatiti učenja onoga koji se bez oklijevanja usprotivio dogmama koje su smatrali odredbama samog Oca Abrahama. Mojsije im je dao njihov Zakon i oni nisu bili spremni na kompromis."
121:7.3 (1340.1)
The scribes, the Pharisees, and the priesthood held the Jews in a terrible bondage of ritualism and legalism, a bondage far more real than that of the Roman political rule. The Jews of Jesus’ time were not only held in subjugation to the law but were equally bound by the slavish demands of the traditions, which involved and invaded every domain of personal and social life. These minute regulations of conduct pursued and dominated every loyal Jew, and it is not strange that they promptly rejected one of their number who presumed to ignore their sacred traditions, and who dared to flout their long-honored regulations of social conduct. They could hardly regard with favor the teachings of one who did not hesitate to clash with dogmas which they regarded as having been ordained by Father Abraham himself. Moses had given them their law and they would not compromise.
121:7.4 (1340.2)
By the time of the first century after Christ the spoken interpretation of the law by the recognized teachers, the scribes, had become a higher authority than the written law itself. And all this made it easier for certain religious leaders of the Jews to array the people against the acceptance of a new gospel.
Zbog tih okolnosti Židovi nisu uspjeli ispuniti svoju božansku sudbinu kao glasnici novog evanđelja religiozne i duhovne slobode. Nisu uspjeli raskinuti okove tradicije. Jeremija je govorio o 'zakonu koji će biti upisan u ljudskim srcima'. Ezekiel je govorio o 'novom duhu koji će živjeti u čovjekovu srcu', a psalmist se molio da Bog 'čisto srce stvori u meni i obnovi duh postojani'. No kada je židovska religija dobrih djela i pokornosti Zakonu postala žrtvom tradicionalističke učmalosti, razvoj religije nastavio se među europskim narodima.
121:7.5 (1340.3)
These circumstances rendered it impossible for the Jews to fulfill their divine destiny as messengers of the new gospel of religious freedom and spiritual liberty. They could not break the fetters of tradition. Jeremiah had told of the “law to be written in men’s hearts,” Ezekiel had spoken of a “new spirit to live in man’s soul,” and the Psalmist had prayed that God would “create a clean heart within and renew a right spirit.” But when the Jewish religion of good works and slavery to law fell victim to the stagnation of traditionalistic inertia, the motion of religious evolution passed westward to the European peoples.
121:7.6 (1340.4)
And so a different people were called upon to carry an advancing theology to the world, a system of teaching embodying the philosophy of the Greeks, the law of the Romans, the morality of the Hebrews, and the gospel of personality sanctity and spiritual liberty formulated by Paul and based on the teachings of Jesus.
Pavlov kult kršćanstva nosio je snažan pečat židovskog morala. Židovi su povijest promatrali kao očitovanje Božje providnosti — kao djelovanje Jahve u svijetu. Grci su novom učenju pridonijeli jasnije predodžbe o vječnom životu. Pavlova su učenja u teološkom i filozofskom pogledu bila oblikovana ne samo Isusovim učenjima nego i učenjima Platona i Filona. Na području etike nadahnjivali su ga ne samo Krist nego i stoici.
121:7.7 (1340.5)
Paul’s cult of Christianity exhibited its morality as a Jewish birthmark. The Jews viewed history as the providence of God—Yahweh at work. The Greeks brought to the new teaching clearer concepts of the eternal life. Paul’s doctrines were influenced in theology and philosophy not only by Jesus’ teachings but also by Plato and Philo. In ethics he was inspired not only by Christ but also by the Stoics.
Sredozemno Rimsko Carstvo, Partsko Kraljevstvo i susjedni narodi Isusova vremena imali su grube i primitivne predodžbe o zemljopisu, astronomiji, zdravlju i bolesti; stoga su ih nove i zapanjujuće izjave nazaretskog tesara prirodno ostavljale u čudu. Predodžbe o opsjednutosti duhovima, dobrima i zlima, nisu se odnosile samo na ljude; mnogi su vjerovali da su i stijene i drveće nastanjeni duhovima. To je bilo doba začaranog svijeta i svi su vjerovali da su čuda sasvim uobičajena pojava.
121:7.12 (1341.1)
The Mediterranean Roman Empire, the Parthian kingdom, and the adjacent peoples of Jesus’ time all held crude and primitive ideas regarding the geography of the world, astronomy, health, and disease; and naturally they were amazed by the new and startling pronouncements of the carpenter of Nazareth. The ideas of spirit possession, good and bad, applied not merely to human beings, but every rock and tree was viewed by many as being spirit possessed. This was an enchanted age, and everybody believed in miracles as commonplace occurrences.
Koliko god je to bilo moguće u okviru našeg mandata, nastojali smo koristiti i donekle uskladiti postojeće zapise koji se odnose na Isusov život na Urantiji. Premda smo imali pristup izgubljenom zapisu apostola Andrije i koristili pomoć velikog mnoštva nebeskih bića koja su boravila na zemlji za vrijeme Mihaelova podarenja (osobito njegova sada personaliziranog Tajanstvenog Osmatrača), bila nam je namjera poslužiti se i takozvanim evanđeljima po Mateju, Marku, Luki i Ivanu.
121:8.1 (1341.2)
As far as possible, consistent with our mandate, we have endeavored to utilize and to some extent co-ordinate the existing records having to do with the life of Jesus on Urantia. Although we have enjoyed access to the lost record of the Apostle Andrew and have benefited from the collaboration of a vast host of celestial beings who were on earth during the times of Michael’s bestowal (notably his now Personalized Adjuster), it has been our purpose also to make use of the so-called Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
1. Evanđelje po Marku. Ivan Marko sastavio je najstariji (izuzmu li se Andrijine bilješke), najkraći i najjednostavniji prikaz Isusova života. Učitelja je prikazao kao služitelja, kao čovjeka među ljudima. Premda je Marko kao dječak bio prisutan na mnogim mjestima koja opisuje, njegov je zapis zapravo Evanđelje prema Šimunu Petru. U ranim je godinama bio povezan s Petrom, a kasnije s Pavlom. Marko je ovaj zapis sastavio na Petrovu inicijativu i na usrdnu molbu crkve u Rimu. Znajući koliko je Učitelj dosljedno odbijao zapisivati svoja učenja tijekom svog života na zemlji, Marko je, poput apostola i drugih vodećih učenika, oklijevao staviti ih na papir. No Petar je smatrao da je crkvi u Rimu potreban takav pisani prikaz te je Marko pristao prihvatiti se toga zadatka. Prije Petrove smrti 67. godine načinio je mnoge bilješke, a prema nacrtu koji je Petar odobrio za potrebe crkve u Rimu započeo je pisanje ubrzo nakon Petrove smrti. Evanđelje je dovršeno pred kraj 68. godine. Marko je pisao isključivo prema vlastitom sjećanju i Petrovu sjećanju. Taj je tekst kasnije znatno izmijenjen; brojni su odlomci uklonjeni, a na kraju su dodani kasniji tekstovi kako bi nadomjestili posljednju petinu izvornog Evanđelja, koja je izgubljena iz prvog rukopisa prije nego što je ikada bila prepisana. Ovaj Markov zapis, zajedno s Andrijinim i Matejevim bilješkama, poslužio je kao temelj svim kasnijim evanđeoskim prikazima koji su nastojali opisati Isusov život i učenja.
121:8.3 (1341.4)
1. The Gospel by Mark. John Mark wrote the earliest (excepting the notes of Andrew), briefest, and most simple record of Jesus’ life. He presented the Master as a minister, as man among men. Although Mark was a lad lingering about many of the scenes which he depicts, his record is in reality the Gospel according to Simon Peter. He was early associated with Peter; later with Paul. Mark wrote this record at the instigation of Peter and on the earnest petition of the church at Rome. Knowing how consistently the Master refused to write out his teachings when on earth and in the flesh, Mark, like the apostles and other leading disciples, was hesitant to put them in writing. But Peter felt the church at Rome required the assistance of such a written narrative, and Mark consented to undertake its preparation. He made many notes before Peter died in {scaps{scaps{a.d.}scaps}scaps} 67, and in accordance with the outline approved by Peter and for the church at Rome, he began his writing soon after Peter’s death. The Gospel was completed near the end of {scaps{scaps{a.d.}scaps}scaps} 68. Mark wrote entirely from his own memory and Peter’s memory. The record has since been considerably changed, numerous passages having been taken out and some later matter added at the end to replace the latter one fifth of the original Gospel, which was lost from the first manuscript before it was ever copied. This record by Mark, in conjunction with Andrew’s and Matthew’s notes, was the written basis of all subsequent Gospel narratives which sought to portray the life and teachings of Jesus.
2. Evanđelje po Mateju. Takozvano Evanđelje po Mateju zapis je o Učiteljevu životu sastavljen za pouku židovskih kršćana. Autor ovog zapisa neprestano nastoji pokazati kako se mnogo toga u Isusovu životu dogodilo "da se ispuni ono što je prorok rekao". Matejevo evanđelje prikazuje Isusa kao Davidova sina, naglašavajući njegovo duboko poštovanje prema zakonu i prorocima.Evanđelje po Mateju. Takozvano Evanđelje po Mateju zapis je o Učiteljevu životu sastavljen za pouku židovskih kršćana. Autor ovog zapisa neprestano nastoji pokazati kako se mnogo toga u Isusovu životu dogodilo "da se ispuni ono što je prorok rekao". Matejevo evanđelje prikazuje Isusa kao Davidova sina, naglašavajući njegovo duboko poštovanje prema Zakonu i prorocima.
121:8.4 (1341.5)
2. The Gospel of Matthew. The so-called Gospel according to Matthew is the record of the Master’s life which was written for the edification of Jewish Christians. The author of this record constantly seeks to show in Jesus’ life that much which he did was that “it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet.” Matthew’s Gospel portrays Jesus as a son of David, picturing him as showing great respect for the law and the prophets.
Apostol Matej nije napisao ovo evanđelje. Napisao ga je Izador, jedan od njegovih učenika, koji se u svom radu služio ne samo Matejevim osobnim sjećanjima na te događaje nego i jednim zapisom Isusovih izreka koje je Matej sastavio neposredno nakon raspeća. Taj je Matejev zapis bio napisan na aramejskom jeziku, dok je Izador pisao na grčkom. Nije postojala namjera da se ikoga dovede u zabludu pripisujući ovo djelo Mateju. U ono je vrijeme bio običaj da učenici na taj način odaju počast svojim učiteljima.
121:8.5 (1341.6)
The Apostle Matthew did not write this Gospel. It was written by Isador, one of his disciples, who had as a help in his work not only Matthew’s personal remembrance of these events but also a certain record which the latter had made of the sayings of Jesus directly after the crucifixion. This record by Matthew was written in Aramaic; Isador wrote in Greek. There was no intent to deceive in accrediting the production to Matthew. It was the custom in those days for pupils thus to honor their teachers.
121:8.6 (1342.1)
Matthew’s original record was edited and added to in {scaps{scaps{a.d.}scaps}scaps} 40 just before he left Jerusalem to engage in evangelistic preaching. It was a private record, the last copy having been destroyed in the burning of a Syrian monastery in {scaps{scaps{a.d.}scaps}scaps} 416.
121:8.7 (1342.2)
Isador escaped from Jerusalem in {scaps{scaps{a.d.}scaps}scaps} 70 after the investment of the city by the armies of Titus, taking with him to Pella a copy of Matthew’s notes. In the year 71, while living at Pella, Isador wrote the Gospel according to Matthew. He also had with him the first four fifths of Mark’s narrative.
3. Evanđelje po Luki. Luka, liječnik iz Antiohije u Pizidiji, bio je Pavlov obraćenik iz redova neznabožaca koji je sastavio znatno drukčiji prikaz Učiteljeva života. Počeo je pratiti Pavla i upoznavati Isusov život i učenja 47. godine. U svom je zapisu sačuvao mnogo od "milosti Gospodina Isusa Krista", oslanjajući se na podatke koje je prikupio od Pavla i drugih. Luka prikazuje Učitelja kao "prijatelja carinika i grešnika". Svoje brojne bilješke nije pretočio u Evanđelje sve do nakon Pavlove smrti. Luka je pisao 82. godine u Ahaji. Namjeravao je napisati tri knjige o povijesti Krista i kršćanstva, ali je umro 90. godine, neposredno prije nego što je dovršio drugu od njih, „Djela apostolska”.
121:8.8 (1342.3)
3. The Gospel by Luke. Luke, the physician of Antioch in Pisidia, was a gentile convert of Paul, and he wrote quite a different story of the Master’s life. He began to follow Paul and learn of the life and teachings of Jesus in {scaps{scaps{a.d.}scaps}scaps} 47. Luke preserves much of the “grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” in his record as he gathered up these facts from Paul and others. Luke presents the Master as “the friend of publicans and sinners.” He did not formulate his many notes into the Gospel until after Paul’s death. Luke wrote in the year 82 in Achaia. He planned three books dealing with the history of Christ and Christianity but died in {scaps{scaps{a.d.}scaps}scaps} 90 just before he finished the second of these works, the “Acts of the Apostles.”
U sastavljanju Evanđelja, Luka se isprva oslanjao na prikaz Isusova života koji mu je prenio Pavao. U tom je smislu Lukino evanđelje dijelom i Evanđelje prema Pavlu. No Luka je imao i druge izvore podataka. Ne samo da je razgovarao s desecima očevidaca brojnih događaja iz Isusova života koje opisuje, nego je sa sobom imao i primjerak Markova evanđelja, odnosno njegove prve četiri petine, Izadorov zapis te kratak prikaz koji je 78. godine u Antiohiji sastavio vjernik po imenu Cedes. Luka je također raspolagao oštećenim i znatno prerađenim prijepisom bilježaka za koje se tvrdilo da ih je sastavio apostol Andrija.
121:8.9 (1342.4)
As material for the compilation of his Gospel, Luke first depended upon the story of Jesus’ life as Paul had related it to him. Luke’s Gospel is, therefore, in some ways the Gospel according to Paul. But Luke had other sources of information. He not only interviewed scores of eyewitnesses to the numerous episodes of Jesus’ life which he records, but he also had with him a copy of Mark’s Gospel, that is, the first four fifths, Isador’s narrative, and a brief record made in the year {scaps{scaps{a.d.}scaps}scaps} 78 at Antioch by a believer named Cedes. Luke also had a mutilated and much-edited copy of some notes purported to have been made by the Apostle Andrew.
4. Evanđelje po Ivanu. Evanđelje po Ivanu donosi mnoge pojedinosti o Isusovu djelovanju u Judeji i okolici Jeruzalema koje se ne nalaze u drugim zapisima. To je takozvano Evanđelje po Ivanu, sinu Zebedejevu, i premda ga Ivan nije napisao, nastalo je prema njegovim uputama. Od svog prvog sastavljanja više je puta prerađivano kako bi se stvorio dojam da ga je napisao sam Ivan. U vrijeme nastanka ovog zapisa Ivan je već imao druga evanđelja i uvidio je da je mnogo toga izostavljeno; stoga je 101. godine potaknuo svog suradnika Natana, grčkog Židova iz Cezareje, da započne njegovo sastavljanje. Ivan je pružio građu iz vlastitog sjećanja i oslanjajući se na tri već postojeća zapisa. Nije imao vlastitih pisanih zapisa. Poslanicu poznatu kao „Prva Ivanova” napisao je sam Ivan kao uvodno pismo djelu koje je Natan sastavio slijedeći njegove upute.
121:8.10 (1342.5)
4. The Gospel of John. The Gospel according to John relates much of Jesus’ work in Judea and around Jerusalem which is not contained in the other records. This is the so-called Gospel according to John the son of Zebedee, and though John did not write it, he did inspire it. Since its first writing it has several times been edited to make it appear to have been written by John himself. When this record was made, John had the other Gospels, and he saw that much had been omitted; accordingly, in the year {scaps{scaps{a.d.}scaps}scaps} 101 he encouraged his associate, Nathan, a Greek Jew from Caesarea, to begin the writing. John supplied his material from memory and by reference to the three records already in existence. He had no written records of his own. The Epistle known as “First John” was written by John himself as a covering letter for the work which Nathan executed under his direction.
Svi su ovi autori iznijeli iskrene prikaze Isusa onako kako su ga vidjeli, zapamtili ili o njemu saznali te kako su njihova shvaćanja tih davnih događaja bila oblikovana njihovim kasnijim prihvaćanjem Pavlove teologije kršćanstva. A ovi zapisi, nesavršeni kakvi jesu, bili su dovoljni da promijene tijek povijesti Urantije kroz gotovo dvije tisuće godina.
121:8.11 (1342.6)
All these writers presented honest pictures of Jesus as they saw, remembered, or had learned of him, and as their concepts of these distant events were affected by their subsequent espousal of Paul’s theology of Christianity. And these records, imperfect as they are, have been sufficient to change the course of the history of Urantia for almost two thousand years.
[Napomena: U izvršenju punomoći da nanovo izložim učenja i djela Isusa iz Nazareta, slobodno sam se koristio svim izvorima zapisa i planetarnih informacija. Moj glavni motiv bio je sastaviti zapis koji će ne samo prosvijetliti generaciju ljudi koja danas živi, već biti od pomoći i svim budućim generacijama. Iz golemog spremišta podataka koji su mi bili na raspolaganju, odabrao sam ono što je najbolje odgovaralo ostvarenju te namjere. Koliko god je to bilo moguće, koristio sam podatke iz čisto ljudskih izvora. Tek kada takvi izvori nisu bili dostatni, posezao sam za zapisima nadljudskog porijekla. Kad god su ideje i pojmovi Isusova života i učenja bili prihvatljivo izraženi ljudskim umom, uvijek sam davao prednost takvim naizgled ljudskim misaonim uzorcima. Iako sam nastojao prilagoditi jezični izraz kako bi se bolje uskladio s našom koncepcijom stvarnog značenja i istinskog smisla Učiteljeva života i učenja, u svim sam se svojim pripovijestima, koliko god je to bilo moguće, držao stvarnih ljudskih pojmova i misaonih uzoraka. Dobro znam da će pojmovi koji imaju porijeklo u ljudskom umu biti prihvatljiviji i korisniji svim drugim ljudskim umovima. Kad nisam bio u stanju pronaći potrebne pojmove u ljudskim zapisima ili izrazima, koristio sam se sjećanjima svoje vrste zemaljske egzistencije, srednjih bića. A kada ni ovaj sekundarni izvor informacija nije bio prikladan, bez oklijevanja sam posezao za nadplanetarnim izvorima informacija.
121:8.14 (1343.1)
[Acknowledgment: In carrying out my commission to restate the teachings and retell the doings of Jesus of Nazareth, I have drawn freely upon all sources of record and planetary information. My ruling motive has been to prepare a record which will not only be enlightening to the generation of men now living, but which may also be helpful to all future generations. From the vast store of information made available to me, I have chosen that which is best suited to the accomplishment of this purpose. As far as possible I have derived my information from purely human sources. Only when such sources failed, have I resorted to those records which are superhuman. When ideas and concepts of Jesus’ life and teachings have been acceptably expressed by a human mind, I invariably gave preference to such apparently human thought patterns. Although I have sought to adjust the verbal expression the better to conform to our concept of the real meaning and the true import of the Master’s life and teachings, as far as possible, I have adhered to the actual human concept and thought pattern in all my narratives. I well know that those concepts which have had origin in the human mind will prove more acceptable and helpful to all other human minds. When unable to find the necessary concepts in the human records or in human expressions, I have next resorted to the memory resources of my own order of earth creatures, the midwayers. And when that secondary source of information proved inadequate, I have unhesitatingly resorted to the superplanetary sources of information.
Sabrana sjećanja iz kojih sam pripremio ovu pripovijest o Isusovom životu i učenjima — osim sjećanja zabilježenih u zapisu apostola Andrije — obuhvaćaju dragulje misli i nadmoćne koncepcije Isusovih učenja prikupljene od više od dvije tisuće ljudi koji su živjeli na zemlji od Isusova vremena pa sve do pisanja — ili, točnije, prepričavanja — ovih otkrivenja. Koristio sam se dopuštenjem za novo otkrivenje samo onda kada ljudski zapisi i ljudske koncepcije nisu mogli pružiti prihvatljiv misaoni uzorak. Moj objaviteljski nalog zabranjivao mi je korištenje izvanljudskih izvora informacija ili izraza sve dok ne bih mogao posvjedočiti da nisam uspio pronaći potreban konceptualni izraz u isključivo ljudskim izvorima.
121:8.12 (1343.2)
The memoranda which I have collected, and from which I have prepared this narrative of the life and teachings of Jesus—aside from the memory of the record of the Apostle Andrew—embrace thought gems and superior concepts of Jesus’ teachings assembled from more than two thousand human beings who have lived on earth from the days of Jesus down to the time of the inditing of these revelations, more correctly restatements. The revelatory permission has been utilized only when the human record and human concepts failed to supply an adequate thought pattern. My revelatory commission forbade me to resort to extrahuman sources of either information or expression until such a time as I could testify that I had failed in my efforts to find the required conceptual expression in purely human sources.
Dok sam u suradnji sa svojih jedanaest suradnika iz redova srednjih bića i pod nadzorom Melkisedeka iz zapisa sastavio ovaj zapis u skladu sa svojom koncepcijom učinkovite organizacije i prema vlastitom izboru neposrednog načina izražavanja, većina ideja, pa čak i neki od izraza koje sam pritom upotrijebio, potječu iz umova ljudi mnogih rasa koji su živjeli na zemlji tijekom prošlih naraštaja, pa sve do onih koji još uvijek žive u vrijeme ovog rada. U mnogočemu sam služio više kao sakupljač i urednik nego kao izvorni pripovjedač. Dajući prednost izvorima ljudskog porijekla, bez oklijevanja sam usvajao one ideje i pojmove koji su mi omogućili da stvorim najučinkovitiji prikaz Isusova života i da stvorim najučinkovitiji prikaz Isusova života i da nanovo iznesem njegova neusporediva učenja na što izražajniji način i izrazima najdubljeg nadahnuća. U ime Bratstva Ujedinjenih Srednjih Bića Urantije s dubokom zahvalnošću priznajem svoj dug svim izvorima zapisa i pojmova koji su korišteni u sljedećem prikazu naše nove prezentacije Isusova života na zemlji.]
121:8.13 (1343.3)
While I, with the collaboration of my eleven associate fellow midwayers and under the supervision of the Melchizedek of record, have portrayed this narrative in accordance with my concept of its effective arrangement and in response to my choice of immediate expression, nevertheless, the majority of the ideas and even some of the effective expressions which I have thus utilized had their origin in the minds of the men of many races who have lived on earth during the intervening generations, right on down to those who are still alive at the time of this undertaking. In many ways I have served more as a collector and editor than as an original narrator. I have unhesitatingly appropriated those ideas and concepts, preferably human, which would enable me to create the most effective portraiture of Jesus’ life, and which would qualify me to restate his matchless teachings in the most strikingly helpful and universally uplifting phraseology. In behalf of the Brotherhood of the United Midwayers of Urantia, I most gratefully acknowledge our indebtedness to all sources of record and concept which have been hereinafter utilized in the further elaboration of our restatement of Jesus’ life on earth.]