NEUOFFENBARUNG← The Childhood and Youth of Jesus · Part 2 · Contents
Continuation of Joseph's and Jonathan's contemplation of the moon. A light over the shaded moon. 28 March 1844
01] Upon reaching home, Jonathan spoke to Joseph: "Brother! What will come of this most critical event?
02] By my poor life, just look outside the window! The whole moon has already been swallowed whole!
03] And now it is ominously dark out there!
04] Yes, yes, I have often heard from the most scholarly pagans that man should not count the stars in the sky and also not look at them too attentively, –
05] for then it might easily fall down upon the earth!
06] And if a man should encounter his own guiding star, and if this should fall down, then that man is completely lost!
07] The moon is, after all, also a star in the sky and can be subject to the same strange laws!
08] And it is possible that we have struck it, and it has partially fallen on the earth's surface somewhere; for I saw a lot of particles fly away (shooting stars).
09] Or we are now obsessed with the moon and have become moonstruck, which would be a great calamity for us!
10] One thing is definitely the case! The fact that the moon does not exist anymore can be grasped; but whoever has consumed it, or where it went, is quite another question!"
11] And Joseph spoke: "You know what, I have often heard that the moon occasionally eclipses, as does the sun.
12] And this could easily be the case now, although I cannot remember ever having seen anything like it before!
13] However, I have heard from old people that sometimes the angels of God polish these two heavenly lights as we do with a lamp, when the wick gets a trim,
14] during which time it naturally gets a little dark on the earth. And this could well be the case now!
15] For the fable that a dragon begins to devour the two stars is very foolish and is nothing but the darkest paganism."
16] While Joseph and Jonathan were thus talking about the moon, it began to emerge on the other side.
17] And the children and Joseph's sons noticed this and said: "Look, look, the moon is reappearing!"
18] Both of them looked outside, and Jonathan was greatly relieved to be able to see the moon again.
19] Here Joseph again asked the Infant how such a thing could have happened.
20] The Infant said: "Allow the wretched moon to first come out of the earth's shadow, then we will see if it has changed!
21] The earth is not an infinite body, but is as round as the bitter orange I ate earlier,
22] and floats freely in an infinite space; that is why the sun's rays can shine upon it at all times from all sides.
23] So the great earth must also cast a shadow, and if the moon comes under this, it becomes dark; as otherwise, it too is illuminated by the sun. However, I will say no more!" – Here Joseph and Jonathan looked at each other and did not know how to respond to this.