The Childhood of Jesus
The Gospel of James
Biographical Gospel of the Lord
- Chapter 222 -
When Zero Counts As Much As A Million
WHEN CYRENIUS HAD TAKEN a good, long look at the large comet, he declared,
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'Truly, an unusual star! It is the first one I have seen -
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but I have of course heard of these mythical bearers of ill tidings in the sky a number of times.'
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At this remark of Cyrenius, Maronius Pilla also came over and asserted,
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'Just look at that! The temple of Janus is hardly closed seven years, and everyone said:
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Now Rome will have eternal peace! for it is said that this temple has never been closed this long.
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And now we already have the terrible sign in front of our eyes that the temple of Janus will be unlocked again quite soon,
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and that matters will become very lively on the great fields of Mars!'
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Joseph then asked Maronius Pilla if he really considered such a comet to be a harbinger of war.
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And Maronius Pilla replied quite seriously, 'Oh friend, that is an unalterable truth! I tell you: war upon war!'
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Here Cyrenius remarked, 'Now we have the right pair together for once!
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Joseph still holds mightily to his Moses, and Maronius Pilla cannot get rid of his old, heathenish superstition!'
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At this Joseph protested, 'Esteemed friend and brother Cyrenius! I would say that Moses is surely better than the temple of Janus in Rome.'
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And Cyrenius retorted, 'Of course! But if one has the Lord Jehovah Himself in His fullness, I would say that Moses as well as the dull Janus should step quite far into the background, and that once and for all.
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The comet according to ancient, unfounded fables does indeed seem to be a bearer of ill tidings -
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but I believe that our dearest Jesus and Lord in the fullness of His Deity also happens to be a Lord over this supposed lord of misfortune. Do you not agree with me?'
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And Joseph answered, 'That surely; but for all that Moses is still not to be compared with the Janus of Rome, not even in this presence of the Lord.'
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Cyrenius agreed, 'I do not want to do that either - but if I have the Lord, then at least to me Moses and Janus are the same.'
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Here the little Child said to Cyrenius, 'Stay with that!
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For truly, where infinity is concerned, all magnitudes fade and zero counts as much as a million.'
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This answer of the little Child jarred Joseph a bit, and thereafter he did not uphold Moses to Cyrenius any more.