Part Two--Lower Galilee

PHASE FOUR

TIBERIAN STOPOVER

Section I--The Sea-side of Galilee
(The morning of the Sabbath, the eleventh day of March)

ND after sitting Shiva for the traditional seven day mourning period, leaving John's angelic parents on Wednesday, the eighth day of March, I went up again into Galilee, bringing with me my memorized rendition of the good tidings and my interpretation of John's gospel concerning the Kingdom of Heaven.

02 And passing by the southeastern sea-side of Galilee, I saw my tongue-twisted friend Simon, and Cana his older brother, standing in the water's edge, and casting a new net into the sea, for they were fishers, and by order of the Roman legate, exempt from the Sabbath work laws.

03 And calling him by his new name, immediately I saith unto Simon: Patsar, come with me to the chief priests, and I will make you my witness before men; for I like you have much to testify to.

04 For after Simon was baptized, he gave testimony of John saying: Behold, Elias has returned: For I have been saved by John the Baptizer, and Patsar is my new name. But he did not say that he was the incarnation of Patsar. [Which is here being interpreted to mean that he was not given a past life reading, but a healing only]. For John said to him: Simon the fisher, thou shalt no longer be called swallowed up, but thou shalt be called a 'man who incites'.

05 And taking his new fishing net they both followed me; for the synagogue of Tiberias was a little further north of us.

06 And going on from thence, I saw my friend James the son of Zebedee and John his twin brother, who were mending their net in their boat: For they too were fishers. And immediately I called to them. And leaving their father Zebedee in his commercial boat with his hired men, they also followed me to the synagogue, on this the eleventh day of March.

Section II--The Synagogue of Tiberias

07 And we entered into the city of Tiberias, and without wavering in my resolve, upon the even of that same Sabbath day going into the synagogue of Tiberias, I testified before the entire congregation concerning my rebirth and spiritual conversion through the 'Baptism of John' saying: The spirit of John is upon me, for I have been baptized by a Dove, and Solomon is my name.*

08 And testifying for John I saith unto them: Beth`an, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand: Repent, and believe in John's gospel. For is it not written: 'This is the fallen year', [which is, the leap year],* and the day of vengeance for our God,* for John has been resurrected up.

09 And they were astonished to see me wearing a white mantle, because they all knew me as one of the congregation. And because of my redeemed faith in the Lord, I was speaking to them as one having power and authority; power they believed I had gotten from the clouds of heaven. For I was speaking to them as John's apostle, lifting them higher and higher.

10 And rejecting my new name, but believing me to be he who is to come after John, there was in Simon's synagogue again another Simon, a red-bearded blind man with an arcane spirit called Edom bar-tama', for he was a sorcerer and snake charmer by trade and a believer in necromancy. [That is to say, Simon the magician believed that the spirit of the dead could enter and possess the body of the living].

11 And believing that he had the power to confer new names like John the Baptist, he cried out saying: What have we to do with thee, David of Genez`areth? Art thou come to save us with John's gospel of repentance? For I know who you were and I know who thou art become. Thou art El`iseus the God of salvation, sent here to replace John as the Holy One of Israel. For is it not said in the book of Malachi: 'Behold I will send you Elias the prophet, before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord'.*

12 And even though I now looked upon myself as an Essene, that is to say, as an apostle of John the Baptist, because of my great love and reverence for John as both my redeemer and restorer, I denied it; and would not be compared to him. For John was the rock, and the fortress of my strength; and unto me like a God.*

13 And immediately upon recognizing that he was a magician with an unclean spirit, I admonished him, saying: 'Son of Infamy', speak no more evil against John, and go out the man, ye troubler of Israel, for there is no one to replace the Baptist. Not even you! 'For you shall be the cause of Israel's troubles, and a mockery to all nations: Thou filthy one, infamous, full of great lies and destruction,* you who would seek to destroy my testimonial by giving me a false name. For the windows of heaven shall be opened, and you shall see it with your good eye, but you shall not partake of it'.*

14 And the thundering spirit raging within him, and crying out with a loud voice, was stifled by me. For I was still a rebel at heart, and in this age of names, a firm believer in what John the Baptist called the immortality of the soul, and what I now called the Gospel of Rebirth. For John said to me: Thou art the incarnation of Solomon! and that is why he crowned me the king of peace. And what John said, I firmly believed.

15 And because of Simon's incited testimonial, they were all confused about the meaning of the immortality of the soul, and my new name for it; insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying: Who then is this man who wears a mantle? if he is not John come again.* If he is not the transmigrating spirit of Elias, what then is this new gospel if it is not based upon the prophesy of Malachi? for with the power of a tornado he commandeth even the arcane spirits, and they obey him. For is it not written in the books of Kings, that El`iseus inherited a double share of Elias' spirit.*

16 And because many believed John to have been Elias who is to come; and because of the public outcry: God is with Iseus* within four nights, my name was spread into all the countries as El`iseus who is to come. For there are many who believe in the transmigration of souls, [that is to say, in the English, the migration of any living soul, into the body of any living person, or that to which we now-a-days would call astral projection]. And because of my testimonial, just as many believed that John's soul actually rested with me. Because I said: John's spirit was upon me.

17 And fearing that I was the 'expectant one', some priests and they that were with them were sent from Jerusalem to spy on me. And this they did and were deceived by the blasphemy of their own thoughts; and because they took heed of him who said: Thou art come to replace John as the Holy One of Israel.

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