Ways of Christ

Addition to chapters of the main text part 1.

Excerpts from John 11:

The raising of Lazarus.

39: Jesus said, "Take away the stone." Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, "Lord, by this time there will be a bad odour, for he has been dead four days." 40: Jesus said to her, "Did I not tell you that if you would believe you would see the glory of God?" 41: So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. 42: I knew that thou hear me always, but I have said this for the benefit of the people standing by, that they may believe that thou sent me." 43: When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, "Lazarus, come out." 44: The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with bandages, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, "Unbind him, and let him go."

Clemens of Alexandria, an early Father of the Church,  still owned the expanded "secret" Gospel of Mark. According to his words this was "a more spiritual Gospel for the use of those, who stood in the way of perfection", serving their "progress in recognition".  Here notes from Mark and Peter were integrated, like the raising of Lazarus from the dead, which were not given in the Gospels for common use. Only the disciple John and his disciples integrated such incidents openly in a Gospel. Clemens names Christ a "Mystagoge" or "Hierophant", that means he, who leads and initiates into the mysteries, the secrets of faith - the new Christian "mysteries", or something like Christian esotericism, different from the old mystery cults. (Cf. Prof. Morton Smith, "The Secret Gospel...". "Ways of Christ" does not support all (of) his contents.) 

 

Such short quotes from the Bible - based on different translations - are additions to the corresponding chapters of the

Ways-of-Christ.net™ main text:
"Jesus Christ´s Ways, his contributions to human consciousness and to the changes of mankind and the earth": an independent Info-Page, with new viewpoints from many fields of investigation and experience; with practical hints for personal development.

However, such characteristic places cannot fully replace the study or meditation of whole chapters of the Gospel(s).