Kapitel 122		Paper 122
Jesu Fødsel Og Spæde Barndom		Birth and Infancy of Jesus
122:0.1 (1344.1) DET VIL næppe være muligt fuldt ud at forklare de mange grunde, der førte til valget af Palæstina som landet for Mikaels overdragelse, og især hvorfor netop Josefs og Marias familie skulle være valgt som den umiddelbare ramme for denne Guds Søns tilsynekomst på Urantia.		122:0.1 (1344.1) IT WILL hardly be possible fully to explain the many reasons which led to the selection of Palestine as the land for Michael’s bestowal, and especially as to just why the family of Joseph and Mary should have been chosen as the immediate setting for the appearance of this Son of God on Urantia.
122:0.2 (1344.2) Efter at have studeret den særlige rapport om de adskilte verdeners status, som Melkisedekerne havde udarbejdet i samråd med Gabriel, valgte Mikael endelig Urantia som den planet, hvor han ville foretage sin endelige overdragelse. Efter denne beslutning aflagde Gabriel et personligt besøg på Urantia, og som et resultat af sit studium af menneskegrupper og sin undersøgelse af de åndelige, intellektuelle, racemæssige og geografiske træk ved verden og dens folk, besluttede han, at hebræerne besad de relative fordele, som berettigede deres valg som uddelingsrace. Efter Mikaels godkendelse af denne beslutning udpegede og sendte Gabriel en familiekommission på tolv til Urantia—udvalgt blandt de højere ordener af universets personligheder—som fik til opgave at foretage en undersøgelse af det jødiske familieliv. Da denne kommission afsluttede sit arbejde, var Gabriel til stede på Urantia og modtog rapporten, der udpegede tre potentielle ægteskaber som værende, efter kommissionens mening, lige gunstige som tildelingsfamilier for Mikaels planlagte inkarnation.		122:0.2 (1344.2) After a study of the special report on the status of segregated worlds prepared by the Melchizedeks, in counsel with Gabriel, Michael finally chose Urantia as the planet whereon to enact his final bestowal. Subsequent to this decision Gabriel made a personal visit to Urantia, and, as a result of his study of human groups and his survey of the spiritual, intellectual, racial, and geographic features of the world and its peoples, he decided that the Hebrews possessed those relative advantages which warranted their selection as the bestowal race. Upon Michael’s approval of this decision, Gabriel appointed and dispatched to Urantia the Family Commission of Twelve—selected from among the higher orders of universe personalities—which was intrusted with the task of making an investigation of Jewish family life. When this commission ended its labors, Gabriel was present on Urantia and received the report nominating three prospective unions as being, in the opinion of the commission, equally favorable as bestowal families for Michael’s projected incarnation.
122:0.3 (1344.3) Blandt de tre par, der var nomineret, udvalgte Gabriel personligt Josef og Maria og viste sig efterfølgende for Maria, hvor han overbragte hende det glædelige budskab, at hun var blevet udvalgt til at blive jordisk mor til overdragelsesbarnet.		122:0.3 (1344.3) From the three couples nominated, Gabriel made the personal choice of Joseph and Mary, subsequently making his personal appearance to Mary, at which time he imparted to her the glad tidings that she had been selected to become the earth mother of the bestowal child.
1. Josef og maria ^top		1. Joseph and Mary ^top
122:1.1 (1344.4) Josef, Jesu menneskelige far (Joshua ben Joseph), var en hebræer af hebræerne, selv om han bar på mange ikke-jødiske racestammer, som var blevet føjet til hans stamtræ fra tid til anden af hans forfædres kvindelige linjer. Jesu fars forfædre gik tilbage til Abrahams dage og gennem denne ærværdige patriark til de tidligere arvelinjer, der førte til sumererne og noditerne og gennem de sydlige stammer af de gamle blå mennesker til Andon og Fonta. David og Salomon var ikke i direkte linje med Josefs forfædre, og Josefs slægt gik heller ikke direkte tilbage til Adam. Josefs nærmeste forfædre var mekanikere—bygmestre, tømrere, murere og smede. Josef var selv tømrer og senere entreprenør. Hans familie tilhørte en lang og hæderkronet linje af almindelige menneskers adel, som fra tid til anden blev fremhævet af usædvanlige personer, der havde udmærket sig i forbindelse med udviklingen af religion på Urantia.		122:1.1 (1344.4) Joseph, the human father of Jesus (Joshua ben Joseph), was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, albeit he carried many non-Jewish racial strains which had been added to his ancestral tree from time to time by the female lines of his progenitors. The ancestry of the father of Jesus went back to the days of Abraham and through this venerable patriarch to the earlier lines of inheritance leading to the Sumerians and Nodites and, through the southern tribes of the ancient blue man, to Andon and Fonta. David and Solomon were not in the direct line of Joseph’s ancestry, neither did Joseph’s lineage go directly back to Adam. Joseph’s immediate ancestors were mechanics—builders, carpenters, masons, and smiths. Joseph himself was a carpenter and later a contractor. His family belonged to a long and illustrious line of the nobility of the common people, accentuated ever and anon by the appearance of unusual individuals who had distinguished themselves in connection with the evolution of religion on Urantia.
122:1.2 (1345.1) Maria, Jesu jordiske mor, var efterkommer af en lang række unikke forfædre, der omfattede mange af de mest bemærkelsesværdige kvinder i Urantias racehistorie. Selvom Maria var en gennemsnitlig kvinde på sin tid og i sin generation med et ret normalt temperament, talte hun blandt sine forfædre så kendte kvinder som Annon, Tamar, Ruth, Batseba, Ansie, Cloa, Eva, Enta og Ratta. Ingen jødisk kvinde på den tid havde en mere berømt linje af fælles forfædre eller en linje, der strakte sig tilbage til en mere lovende begyndelse. Marias forfædre var, ligesom Josefs, karakteriseret ved en overvægt af stærke, men gennemsnitlige individer, nu og da afløst af talrige enestående personligheder i civilisationens og religionens fremadskridende udvikling. Racemæssigt set er det næppe korrekt at betragte Maria som en jødinde. I kultur og tro var hun jøde, men i arveanlæg var hun mere en blanding af syrisk, hittitisk, fønikisk, græsk og egyptisk afstamning, og hendes racemæssige arv var mere generel end Josefs.		122:1.2 (1345.1) Mary, the earth mother of Jesus, was a descendant of a long line of unique ancestors embracing many of the most remarkable women in the racial history of Urantia. Although Mary was an average woman of her day and generation, possessing a fairly normal temperament, she reckoned among her ancestors such well-known women as Annon, Tamar, Ruth, Bathsheba, Ansie, Cloa, Eve, Enta, and Ratta. No Jewish woman of that day had a more illustrious lineage of common progenitors or one extending back to more auspicious beginnings. Mary’s ancestry, like Joseph’s, was characterized by the predominance of strong but average individuals, relieved now and then by numerous outstanding personalities in the march of civilization and the progressive evolution of religion. Racially considered, it is hardly proper to regard Mary as a Jewess. In culture and belief she was a Jew, but in hereditary endowment she was more a composite of Syrian, Hittite, Phoenician, Greek, and Egyptian stocks, her racial inheritance being more general than that of Joseph.
122:1.3 (1345.2) Af alle par, der levede i Palæstina omkring tidspunktet for Mikaels planlagte overdragelse, besad Josef og Maria den mest ideelle kombination af udbredte racemæssige forbindelser og et overlegent gennemsnit af personlighedsegenskaber. Det var Mikaels plan at vise sig på jorden som et gennemsnits menneske, så almindelige mennesker kunne forstå ham og tage imod ham; derfor udvalgte Gabriel netop sådanne personer som Josef og Maria til at blive overdragelsens forældre.		122:1.3 (1345.2) Of all couples living in Palestine at about the time of Michael’s projected bestowal, Joseph and Mary possessed the most ideal combination of widespread racial connections and superior average of personality endowments. It was the plan of Michael to appear on earth as an average man, that the common people might understand him and receive him; wherefore Gabriel selected just such persons as Joseph and Mary to become the bestowal parents.
2. Gabriel åbenbarer sig for Elisabeth ^top		2. Gabriel Appears to Elizabeth ^top
122:2.1 (1345.3) Jesu livsværk på Urantia blev i virkeligheden påbegyndt af Johannes Døberen. Zacharias, Johannes’ far, tilhørte det jødiske præsteskab, mens hans mor, Elizabeth, var medlem af den mere velstående gren af den samme store familiegruppe, som Maria, Jesu mor, også tilhørte. Zacharias og Elizabeth var barnløse, selvom de havde været gift i mange år.		122:2.1 (1345.3) Jesus’ lifework on Urantia was really begun by John the Baptist. Zacharias, John’s father, belonged to the Jewish priesthood, while his mother, Elizabeth, was a member of the more prosperous branch of the same large family group to which Mary the mother of Jesus also belonged. Zacharias and Elizabeth, though they had been married many years, were childless.
122:2.2 (1345.4) Det var sent i juni måned i år 8 f.Kr., omtrent tre måneder efter at Josef og Maria havde giftet sig, at Gabriel viste sig for Elisabeth i middagstimen en dag, på samme måde som han senere gav sig til kende overfor Maria, og sagde:		122:2.2 (1345.4) It was late in the month of June, 8 b.c., about three months after the marriage of Joseph and Mary, that Gabriel appeared to Elizabeth at noontide one day, just as he later made his presence known to Mary. Said Gabriel:
122:2.3 (1345.5) “Mens din mand, Zakarias, står foran alteret i Jerusalem, og mens det forsamlede folk beder om en frelsers komme, er jeg, Gabriel, kommet for at meddele, at du snart vil føde en søn, som skal være forløberen for denne guddommelige lærer, og du skal kalde din søn Johannes. Han skal vokse op indviet til Herren din Gud, og når han er blevet voksen, vil han glæde dit hjerte, fordi han vil vende mange sjæle til Gud, og han vil også forkynde ankomsten af dit folks sjælehelbreder og hele menneskehedens åndsbefrier. Din slægtning Maria skal være mor til dette forjættede barn, og jeg vil også vise mig for hende.”		122:2.3 (1345.5) “While your husband, Zacharias, stands before the altar in Jerusalem, and while the assembled people pray for the coming of a deliverer, I, Gabriel, have come to announce that you will shortly bear a son who shall be the forerunner of this divine teacher, and you shall call your son John. He will grow up dedicated to the Lord your God, and when he has come to full years, he will gladden your heart because he will turn many souls to God, and he will also proclaim the coming of the soul-healer of your people and the spirit-liberator of all mankind. Your kinswoman Mary shall be the mother of this child of promise, and I will also appear to her.”
122:2.4 (1345.6) Dette syn skræmte i høj grad Elizabeth. Efter Gabriels afrejse vendte og drejede hun oplevelsen i sit sind og tænkte længe over, hvad den majestætiske gæst havde sagt, men hun talte ikke om åbenbaringen med andre end sin mand, før hun efterfølgende besøgte Maria i begyndelsen af februar det følgende år.		122:2.4 (1345.6) This vision greatly frightened Elizabeth. After Gabriel’s departure she turned this experience over in her mind, long pondering the sayings of the majestic visitor, but did not speak of the revelation to anyone save her husband until her subsequent visit with Mary in early February of the following year.
122:2.5 (1345.7) I fem måneder holdt Elizabeth dog på sin hemmelighed, selv over for sin mand. Da hun fortalte historien om Gabriels besøg, var Zakarias meget skeptisk og tvivlede i ugevis på hele oplevelsen, og han gik først halvhjertet med til at tro på Gabriels besøg hos sin kone, da han ikke længere kunne betvivle, at hun ventede barn. Zakarias var meget forvirret over Elizabeths potentielle moderskab, men han tvivlede ikke på sin kones integritet, på trods af sin egen høje alder. Det var først omkring seks uger før Johannes’ fødsel, at Zakarias, som følge af en imponerende drøm, blev helt overbevist om, at Elisabeth skulle blive mor til en skæbnesøn, som skulle bane vejen for Messias’ komme.		122:2.5 (1345.7) For five months, however, Elizabeth withheld her secret even from her husband. Upon her disclosure of the story of Gabriel’s visit, Zacharias was very skeptical and for weeks doubted the entire experience, only consenting halfheartedly to believe in Gabriel’s visit to his wife when he could no longer question that she was expectant with child. Zacharias was very much perplexed regarding the prospective motherhood of Elizabeth, but he did not doubt the integrity of his wife, notwithstanding his own advanced age. It was not until about six weeks before John’s birth that Zacharias, as the result of an impressive dream, became fully convinced that Elizabeth was to become the mother of a son of destiny, one who was to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.
122:2.6 (1346.1) Gabriel viste sig for Maria omkring midten af november år 8 f.v.t., mens hun var på arbejde i sit hjem i Nazaret. Senere, da Maria uden tvivl vidste, at hun skulle være mor, overtalte hun Josef til at lade hende rejse til byen Juda, seks kilometer vest for Jerusalem, i bjergene, for at besøge Elizabeth. Gabriel havde informeret hver af disse vordende mødre om, at han ville vise sig for den anden. Naturligvis var de ivrige efter at mødes, sammenligne erfaringer og tale om deres sønners sandsynlige fremtid. Maria blev hos sin fjerne kusine i tre uger. Elizabeth gjorde meget for at styrke Marias tro på Gabriels vision, så hun vendte hjem mere dedikeret til kaldet til at være mor for det skæbnebarn, som hun så snart skulle præsentere for verden som et hjælpeløst spædbarn, et gennemsnitligt og normalt spædbarn i verden.		122:2.6 (1346.1) Gabriel appeared to Mary about the middle of November, 8 b.c., while she was at work in her Nazareth home. Later on, after Mary knew without doubt that she was to become a mother, she persuaded Joseph to let her journey to the City of Judah, four miles west of Jerusalem, in the hills, to visit Elizabeth. Gabriel had informed each of these mothers-to-be of his appearance to the other. Naturally they were anxious to get together, compare experiences, and talk over the probable futures of their sons. Mary remained with her distant cousin for three weeks. Elizabeth did much to strengthen Mary’s faith in the vision of Gabriel, so that she returned home more fully dedicated to the call to mother the child of destiny whom she was so soon to present to the world as a helpless babe, an average and normal infant of the realm.
122:2.7 (1346.2) Johannes blev født i byen Juda den 25. marts 7 f.v.t. Zakarias og Elisabeth glædede sig meget over, at en søn var kommet til dem, som Gabriel havde lovet, og da de på den ottende dag fremstillede barnet til omskærelse, døbte de ham formelt Johannes, som de tidligere havde fået besked på. En af Zakarias’ nevøer var allerede rejst til Nazaret med Elisabeths budskab til Maria om, at hun havde fået en søn, og at han skulle hedde Johannes.		122:2.7 (1346.2) John was born in the City of Judah, March 25, 7 b.c. Zacharias and Elizabeth rejoiced greatly in the realization that a son had come to them as Gabriel had promised, and when on the eighth day they presented the child for circumcision, they formally christened him John, as they had been directed aforetime. Already had a nephew of Zacharias departed for Nazareth, carrying the message of Elizabeth to Mary proclaiming that a son had been born to her and that his name was to be John.
122:2.8 (1346.3) Lige fra sin tidligste barndom blev John af sine forældre på fornuftig vis indprentet tanken om, at han skulle vokse op og blive en åndelig leder og religiøs lærer. Og i Johannes hjerte fandtes der altid en grobund for at lade sådanne påvirkningens frø få spire. Allerede som barn var han ofte i templet i de perioder, hvor hans far holdt gudstjeneste, og han var meget imponeret over betydningen af alt, hvad han så.		122:2.8 (1346.3) From his earliest infancy John was judiciously impressed by his parents with the idea that he was to grow up to become a spiritual leader and religious teacher. And the soil of John’s heart was ever responsive to the sowing of such suggestive seeds. Even as a child he was found frequently at the temple during the seasons of his father’s service, and he was tremendously impressed with the significance of all that he saw.
3. Gabriels budskab til maria ^top		3. Gabriel’s Announcement to Mary ^top
122:3.1 (1346.4) En aften ved solnedgang, før Josef var vendt hjem, viste Gabriel sig for Maria ved siden af et lavt stenbord, og efter at hun havde genvundet fatningen, sagde han: “Jeg kommer på befaling af en, som er min Mester, og som du skal elske og nære. Til dig, Maria, bringer jeg glædeligt budskab, når jeg meddeler, at undfangelsen i dig er forordnet af himlen, og at du til sin tid vil blive mor til en søn; du skal kalde ham Joshua, og han skal indvie himlenes rige på jorden og blandt mennesker. Tal ikke om denne sag undtagen til Josef og til Elizabeth, din slægtning, som jeg også har vist mig for, og som nu også skal føde en søn, hvis navn skal være Johannes, og som vil berede vejen for det budskab om udfrielse, som din søn skal forkynde for mennesker med stor kraft og dyb overbevisning. Og tvivl ikke på mit ord, Maria, for dette hjem er blevet udvalgt som det jordiske levested for skæbnens barn. Min velsignelse hviler over dig, de Højestes kraft vil styrke dig, og hele jordens Herre skal overskygge dig.”		122:3.1 (1346.4) One evening about sundown, before Joseph had returned home, Gabriel appeared to Mary by the side of a low stone table and, after she had recovered her composure, said: “I come at the bidding of one who is my Master and whom you shall love and nurture. To you, Mary, I bring glad tidings when I announce that the conception within you is ordained by heaven, and that in due time you will become the mother of a son; you shall call him Joshua, and he shall inaugurate the kingdom of heaven on earth and among men. Speak not of this matter save to Joseph and to Elizabeth, your kinswoman, to whom I have also appeared, and who shall presently also bear a son, whose name shall be John, and who will prepare the way for the message of deliverance which your son shall proclaim to men with great power and deep conviction. And doubt not my word, Mary, for this home has been chosen as the mortal habitat of the child of destiny. My benediction rests upon you, the power of the Most Highs will strengthen you, and the Lord of all the earth shall overshadow you.”
122:3.2 (1346.5) Maria overvejede dette besøg i hemmelighed i sit hjerte i mange uger, indtil hun med sikkerhed vidste, at hun var med barn, før hun turde afsløre disse usædvanlige begivenheder for sin mand. Da Josef hørte alt dette, selv om han havde stor tillid til Maria, blev han meget urolig og kunne ikke sove i mange nætter. Først tvivlede Josef på Gabriels besøg. Da han så blev næsten overbevist om, at Maria virkelig havde hørt stemmen og set den guddommelige budbringers skikkelse, blev han splittet i sine tanker, mens han overvejede, hvordan det kunne være. Hvordan kunne et menneskes afkom være et barn med en guddommelig skæbne? Josef kunne aldrig forene disse modstridende ideer, før både han og Maria efter flere ugers overvejelser nåede frem til den konklusion, at de var blevet udvalgt til at blive forældre til Messias, selvom det næppe havde været den jødiske opfattelse, at den forventede befrier skulle være af guddommelig natur. Da Maria nåede frem til denne betydningsfulde konklusion, skyndte hun sig at tage af sted for at besøge Elizabeth.		122:3.2 (1346.5) Mary pondered this visitation secretly in her heart for many weeks until of a certainty she knew she was with child, before she dared to disclose these unusual events to her husband. When Joseph heard all about this, although he had great confidence in Mary, he was much troubled and could not sleep for many nights. At first Joseph had doubts about the Gabriel visitation. Then when he became well-nigh persuaded that Mary had really heard the voice and beheld the form of the divine messenger, he was torn in mind as he pondered how such things could be. How could the offspring of human beings be a child of divine destiny? Never could Joseph reconcile these conflicting ideas until, after several weeks of thought, both he and Mary reached the conclusion that they had been chosen to become the parents of the Messiah, though it had hardly been the Jewish concept that the expected deliverer was to be of divine nature. Upon arriving at this momentous conclusion, Mary hastened to depart for a visit with Elizabeth.
122:3.3 (1347.1) Da hun kom tilbage, besøgte Maria sine forældre, Joachim og Hannah. Hendes to brødre og to søstre, såvel som hendes forældre, var altid meget skeptiske over for Jesu guddommelige mission, selvom de selvfølgelig på dette tidspunkt ikke vidste noget om Gabriels besøg. Men Maria betroede sin søster Salome, at hun troede, at hendes søn var bestemt til at blive en stor lærer.		122:3.3 (1347.1) Upon her return, Mary went to visit her parents, Joachim and Hannah. Her two brothers and two sisters, as well as her parents, were always very skeptical about the divine mission of Jesus, though, of course, at this time they knew nothing of the Gabriel visitation. But Mary did confide to her sister Salome that she thought her son was destined to become a great teacher.
122:3.4 (1347.2) Gabriels meddelelse til Maria blev givet dagen efter undfangelsen af Jesus og var den eneste overnaturlige begivenhed i forbindelse med hele hendes oplevelse af at bære og føde det forjættede barn.		122:3.4 (1347.2) Gabriel’s announcement to Mary was made the day following the conception of Jesus and was the only event of supernatural occurrence connected with her entire experience of carrying and bearing the child of promise.
4. Josefs drøm ^top		4. Joseph’s Dream ^top
122:4.1 (1347.3) Josef forligede sig først med tanken om, at Maria skulle blive mor til et ekstraordinært barn, efter at han havde oplevet en meget imponerende drøm. I denne drøm viste en strålende himmelsk budbringer sig for ham og sagde blandt andet: “Josef, jeg kommer på befaling af ham, som nu hersker i det høje, og jeg har fået besked på at fortælle dig om den søn, som Maria skal føde, og som skal blive et stort lys i verden. I ham skal der være liv, og hans liv skal blive menneskehedens lys. Han skal først komme til sit eget folk, men de vil næppe tage imod ham; men til så mange, som vil tage imod ham, til dem vil han åbenbare, at de er Guds børn.” Efter denne oplevelse tvivlede Josef aldrig mere helt på Marias historie om Gabriels besøg og løftet om, at det ufødte barn skulle blive en guddommelig budbringer til verden.		122:4.1 (1347.3) Joseph did not become reconciled to the idea that Mary was to become the mother of an extraordinary child until after he had experienced a very impressive dream. In this dream a brilliant celestial messenger appeared to him and, among other things, said: “Joseph, I appear by command of Him who now reigns on high, and I am directed to instruct you concerning the son whom Mary shall bear, and who shall become a great light in the world. In him will be life, and his life shall become the light of mankind. He shall first come to his own people, but they will hardly receive him; but to as many as shall receive him to them will he reveal that they are the children of God.” After this experience Joseph never again wholly doubted Mary’s story of Gabriel’s visit and of the promise that the unborn child was to become a divine messenger to the world.
122:4.2 (1347.4) I alle disse besøg blev der ikke sagt noget om Davids hus. Der blev aldrig antydet noget om, at Jesus skulle blive “jødernes befrier,” ikke engang at han skulle være den længe ventede Messias. Jesus var ikke en sådan Messias, som jøderne havde forventet, men han var verdens frelser. Hans mission var til alle racer og folkeslag, ikke til nogen bestemt gruppe.		122:4.2 (1347.4) In all these visitations nothing was said about the house of David. Nothing was ever intimated about Jesus’ becoming a “deliverer of the Jews,” not even that he was to be the long-expected Messiah. Jesus was not such a Messiah as the Jews had anticipated, but he was the world’s deliverer. His mission was to all races and peoples, not to any one group.
122:4.3 (1347.5) Josef var ikke af kong Davids slægt. Maria havde flere af Davids aner end Josef. Det er rigtigt, at Josef tog til Davids by, Betlehem, for at blive registreret til den romerske folketælling, men det var fordi, seks generationer tidligere var Josefs faderlige forfader i den generation, forældreløs, blevet adopteret af en Zadoc, som var en direkte efterkommer af David; derfor blev Josef også regnet for at være af “Davids hus.”		122:4.3 (1347.5) Joseph was not of the line of King David. Mary had more of the Davidic ancestry than Joseph. True, Joseph did go to the City of David, Bethlehem, to be registered for the Roman census, but that was because, six generations previously, Joseph’s paternal ancestor of that generation, being an orphan, was adopted by one Zadoc, who was a direct descendant of David; hence was Joseph also accounted as of the “house of David.”
122:4.4 (1347.6) De fleste af de såkaldte messiasprofetier i det Gamle Testamente var tilpasset, til at gælde for Jesus, længe efter at han havde levet sit jordiske liv. I århundrede havde de hebraiske profeter forkyndt at en befrier skulle komme, og disse løfter var af senere generationer blevet tolket som en henvisning til en ny jødisk hersker som skulle sidde på Davids trone og, ved hjælp af Moses antaget mirakuløse metoder, gå hen og gøre Palæstinas jøder til en mægtig nation, fri for al udenlandsk dominans. Igen blev mange billedlige tekster fra de hebraiske skrifter senere misbrugt til at skulle gælde Jesu livsopgave. Mange udsagn fra det Gamle Testamente blev så forvrænget for at de kunne indpasses til en eller anden begivenhed i Mesterens jordiske liv. Jesus benægtede selv ved en offentlig anledning at have nogen forbindelse med Davids hus. Til og med ordene “en kvinde skal føde en søn” blev givet ordlyden “en jomfru skal føde en søn.” Dette gjaldt også for både Josef og Marias mange stamtavler som blev omkonstrueret i eftertiden, efter Mikaels livsforløb på jorden. Mange af disse slægtstavler indeholder meget af Mesterens stamtræ, men alt i alt er de ikke ægte og bør ikke anses som fakta. De tidligere tilhængere af Jesus faldt alt for ofte for fristelsen til at ville få alle de gamle fortids profetiske ytringer til at fremstå som i opfyldelse af deres herre og Mesters liv.		122:4.4 (1347.6) Most of the so-called Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament were made to apply to Jesus long after his life had been lived on earth. For centuries the Hebrew prophets had proclaimed the coming of a deliverer, and these promises had been construed by successive generations as referring to a new Jewish ruler who would sit upon the throne of David and, by the reputed miraculous methods of Moses, proceed to establish the Jews in Palestine as a powerful nation, free from all foreign domination. Again, many figurative passages found throughout the Hebrew scriptures were subsequently misapplied to the life mission of Jesus. Many Old Testament sayings were so distorted as to appear to fit some episode of the Master’s earth life. Jesus himself onetime publicly denied any connection with the royal house of David. Even the passage, “a maiden shall bear a son,” was made to read, “a virgin shall bear a son.” This was also true of the many genealogies of both Joseph and Mary which were constructed subsequent to Michael’s career on earth. Many of these lineages contain much of the Master’s ancestry, but on the whole they are not genuine and may not be depended upon as factual. The early followers of Jesus all too often succumbed to the temptation to make all the olden prophetic utterances appear to find fulfillment in the life of their Lord and Master.
5. Jesu jordiske forældre ^top		5. Jesus’ Earth Parents ^top
122:5.1 (1348.1) Josef var en mand med milde manerer, ekstrem samvittighedsfuld og på alle måder trofast mod sit folks religiøse konventioner og skikke. Han snakkede ikke ret meget, men tænkte meget. Det jødiske folks sørgelige situation gjorde Josef meget ked af det. Som ung, blandt sine otte brødre og søstre, havde han været mere munter, men i de første år af sit ægteskabelige liv (under Jesu barndom) var han udsat for perioder med mildt åndeligt mismod. Disse temperamentsfulde manifestationer blev stærkt forbedret lige før hans alt for tidlige død, og efter at familiens økonomiske situation var blevet forbedret af hans forfremmelse fra tømrer til en velstående entreprenør.		122:5.1 (1348.1) Joseph was a mild-mannered man, extremely conscientious, and in every way faithful to the religious conventions and practices of his people. He talked little but thought much. The sorry plight of the Jewish people caused Joseph much sadness. As a youth, among his eight brothers and sisters, he had been more cheerful, but in the earlier years of married life (during Jesus’ childhood) he was subject to periods of mild spiritual discouragement. These temperamental manifestations were greatly improved just before his untimely death and after the economic condition of his family had been enhanced by his advancement from the rank of carpenter to the role of a prosperous contractor.
122:5.2 (1348.2) Marys temperament var helt modsat sin mands. Hun var som regel munter, var meget sjældent nedtrykt og havde et altid solrigt gemyt. Maria gav frit og ofte udtryk for sine følelser og blev aldrig observeret sørgmodig før efter Josefs pludselige død. Og hun var næppe kommet sig over chokket, da hun blev mødt af de bekymringer og spørgsmål, som hendes ældste søns ekstraordinære karriere havde vakt, og som så hurtigt udfoldede sig foran hendes forbløffede blik. Men gennem hele denne usædvanlige oplevelse var Maria fattet, modig og temmelig klog i sit forhold til sin mærkelige og lidet forståede førstefødte søn og hans overlevende brødre og søstre.		122:5.2 (1348.2) Mary’s temperament was quite opposite to that of her husband. She was usually cheerful, was very rarely downcast, and possessed an ever-sunny disposition. Mary indulged in free and frequent expression of her emotional feelings and was never observed to be sorrowful until after the sudden death of Joseph. And she had hardly recovered from this shock when she had thrust upon her the anxieties and questionings aroused by the extraordinary career of her eldest son, which was so rapidly unfolding before her astonished gaze. But throughout all this unusual experience Mary was composed, courageous, and fairly wise in her relationship with her strange and little-understood first-born son and his surviving brothers and sisters.
122:5.3 (1348.3) Jesus fik meget af sin usædvanlige mildhed og fantastiske sympatiske forståelse af den menneskelige natur fra sin far; han arvede sin gave som en stor lærer og sin enorme evne til retfærdig indignation fra sin mor. I sine følelsesmæssige reaktioner på sit voksne livsmiljø var Jesus på et tidspunkt som sin far, meditativ og tilbedende, nogle gange præget af tilsyneladende tristhed; men oftere kørte han fremad på samme måde som sin mors optimistiske og beslutsomme sindelag. Alt i alt havde Marias temperament en tendens til at dominere den guddommelige søns karriere, da han voksede op og gik ind i sit voksne livs betydningsfulde skridt. I nogle henseender var Jesus en blanding af sine forældres karaktertræk; i andre henseender udviste han den enes karaktertræk i kontrast til den andens.		122:5.3 (1348.3) Jesus derived much of his unusual gentleness and marvelous sympathetic understanding of human nature from his father; he inherited his gift as a great teacher and his tremendous capacity for righteous indignation from his mother. In emotional reactions to his adult-life environment, Jesus was at one time like his father, meditative and worshipful, sometimes characterized by apparent sadness; but more often he drove forward in the manner of his mother’s optimistic and determined disposition. All in all, Mary’s temperament tended to dominate the career of the divine Son as he grew up and swung into the momentous strides of his adult life. In some particulars Jesus was a blending of his parents’ traits; in other respects he exhibited the traits of one in contrast with those of the other.
122:5.4 (1348.4) Fra Josef fik Jesus sin strenge oplæring i de jødiske ceremonier og sit usædvanlige kendskab til de hebraiske skrifter; fra Maria fik han et bredere syn på det religiøse liv og en mere liberal opfattelse af personlig åndelig frihed.		122:5.4 (1348.4) From Joseph Jesus secured his strict training in the usages of the Jewish ceremonials and his unusual acquaintance with the Hebrew scriptures; from Mary he derived a broader viewpoint of religious life and a more liberal concept of personal spiritual freedom.
122:5.5 (1349.1) Både Josefs og Marias familier var veluddannede set i forhold til sin tid. Josef og Maria havde en langt højere uddannelse end hvad der var gennemsnittet for deres samtid og sociale stilling. Han var en tænker; hun var en planlægger, ekspert i tilpasning og praktisk i øjeblikkelig udførelse. Josef var en sortøjet brunet; Maria en brunøjet, næsten blond type.		122:5.5 (1349.1) The families of both Joseph and Mary were well educated for their time. Joseph and Mary were educated far above the average for their day and station in life. He was a thinker; she was a planner, expert in adaptation and practical in immediate execution. Joseph was a black-eyed brunet; Mary, a brown-eyed well-nigh blond type.
122:5.6 (1349.2) Hvis Josef havde levet, ville han utvivlsomt være blevet en fast tilhænger af sin ældste søns guddommelige mission. Maria vekslede mellem at tro og tvivle, stærkt påvirket af sine andre børns og sine venners og slægtninges holdning, men hun blev altid fastholdt i sin endelige holdning af mindet om Gabriels tilsynekomst for hende umiddelbart efter, at barnet var blevet undfanget.		122:5.6 (1349.2) Had Joseph lived, he undoubtedly would have become a firm believer in the divine mission of his eldest son. Mary alternated between believing and doubting, being greatly influenced by the position taken by her other children and by her friends and relatives, but always was she steadied in her final attitude by the memory of Gabriel’s appearance to her immediately after the child was conceived.
122:5.7 (1349.3) Maria var en dygtig væver og mere end almindeligt dygtig til de fleste af datidens husholdningskunster; hun var en god husholderske og en overlegen husmor. Både Josef og Maria var gode lærere, og de sørgede for, at deres børn var velbevandrede i datidens lærdom.		122:5.7 (1349.3) Mary was an expert weaver and more than averagely skilled in most of the household arts of that day; she was a good housekeeper and a superior homemaker. Both Joseph and Mary were good teachers, and they saw to it that their children were well versed in the learning of that day.
122:5.8 (1349.4) Da Josef var en ung mand, blev han ansat af Marias far til at bygge en tilbygning til hans hus, og det var, da Maria bragte Josef en kop vand under et middagsmåltid, at kurtiseringen af det par, der skulle blive forældre til Jesus, for alvor begyndte.		122:5.8 (1349.4) When Joseph was a young man, he was employed by Mary’s father in the work of building an addition to his house, and it was when Mary brought Joseph a cup of water, during a noontime meal, that the courtship of the pair who were destined to become the parents of Jesus really began.
122:5.9 (1349.5) Josef og Maria blev gift i overensstemmelse med jødisk skik i Marias hjem i omegnen af Nazaret, da Josef var 21 år gammel. Dette ægteskab afsluttede et normalt frieri af næsten to års varighed. Kort tid efter flyttede de ind i deres nye hjem i Nazaret, som var blevet bygget af Josef med hjælp fra to af hans brødre. Huset lå ved foden af den nærliggende høj, som havde en så charmerende udsigt over det omkringliggende landskab. I dette særligt forberedte hjem havde disse unge og forventningsfulde forældre tænkt sig at byde det forjættede barn velkommen, uden at være klar over, at denne betydningsfulde begivenhed i et univers skulle finde sted, mens de var væk hjemmefra i Betlehem i Judæa.		122:5.9 (1349.5) Joseph and Mary were married, in accordance with Jewish custom, at Mary’s home in the environs of Nazareth when Joseph was twenty-one years old. This marriage concluded a normal courtship of almost two years’ duration. Shortly thereafter they moved into their new home in Nazareth, which had been built by Joseph with the assistance of two of his brothers. The house was located near the foot of the near-by elevated land which so charmingly overlooked the surrounding countryside. In this home, especially prepared, these young and expectant parents had thought to welcome the child of promise, little realizing that this momentous event of a universe was to transpire while they would be absent from home in Bethlehem of Judea.
122:5.10 (1349.6) Størstedelen af Josefs familie blev troende på Jesu lære, men meget få af Marias folk troede på ham, før han forlod denne verden. Josef hældede mere til den åndelige opfattelse af den forventede Messias, men Maria og hendes familie, især hendes far, holdt fast i ideen om Messias som en timelig befrier og politisk hersker. Marias forfædre havde i høj grad været identificeret med makkabæernes aktiviteter i den daværende, men nyere tid.		122:5.10 (1349.6) The larger part of Joseph’s family became believers in the teachings of Jesus, but very few of Mary’s people ever believed in him until after he departed from this world. Joseph leaned more toward the spiritual concept of the expected Messiah, but Mary and her family, especially her father, held to the idea of the Messiah as a temporal deliverer and political ruler. Mary’s ancestors had been prominently identified with the Maccabean activities of the then but recent times.
122:5.11 (1349.7) Josef holdt stærkt fast i den østlige eller babyloniske opfattelse af den jødiske religion; Maria lænede sig stærkt op ad den mere liberale og bredere vestlige eller hellenistiske fortolkning af loven og profeterne.		122:5.11 (1349.7) Joseph held vigorously to the Eastern, or Babylonian, views of the Jewish religion; Mary leaned strongly toward the more liberal and broader Western, or Hellenistic, interpretation of the law and the prophets.
6. Hjemmet i Nazaret ^top		6. The Home at Nazareth ^top
122:6.1 (1349.8) Jesu hjem lå ikke langt fra den høje bakke i den nordlige del af Nazaret, et stykke fra landsbyens kilde, som lå i den østlige del af byen. Jesu familie boede i udkanten af byen, og det gjorde det så meget desto lettere for ham efterfølgende at nyde hyppige spadsereture på landet og tage på ture op til toppen af dette nærliggende højland, det højeste af alle bakkerne i det sydlige Galilæa, bortset fra Tabor-bjerget mod øst og Nain-bjerget, som var omtrent lige så højt. Deres hjem lå lidt syd og øst for det sydlige forbjerg på denne bakke og omtrent midtvejs mellem foden af denne forhøjning og vejen, der fører ud af Nazaret mod Kana. Bortset fra at bestige bakken var Jesus’ yndlingstur at følge en smal sti, der snoede sig omkring foden af bakken i nordøstlig retning til et punkt, hvor den sluttede sig til vejen til Sefforis.		122:6.1 (1349.8) The home of Jesus was not far from the high hill in the northerly part of Nazareth, some distance from the village spring, which was in the eastern section of the town. Jesus’ family dwelt in the outskirts of the city, and this made it all the easier for him subsequently to enjoy frequent strolls in the country and to make trips up to the top of this near-by highland, the highest of all the hills of southern Galilee save the Mount Tabor range to the east and the hill of Nain, which was about the same height. Their home was located a little to the south and east of the southern promontory of this hill and about midway between the base of this elevation and the road leading out of Nazareth toward Cana. Aside from climbing the hill, Jesus’ favorite stroll was to follow a narrow trail winding about the base of the hill in a northeasterly direction to a point where it joined the road to Sepphoris.
122:6.2 (1350.1) Josef og Marias hjem var en etværelses stenbygning med fladt tag og en tilstødende bygning til dyrene. Møblerne bestod af et lavt stenbord, fade og gryder af lertøj og sten, en væv, en lampestand, flere små skamler og måtter til at sove på stengulvet. I baghaven, tæt på dyrehuset, var der et læskur, som dækkede ovnen og møllen til at male korn. Det krævede to personer at betjene denne type mølle, en til at male og en anden til at fodre kornet. Som lille dreng fodrede Jesus ofte denne mølle med korn, mens hans mor drejede kværnen.		122:6.2 (1350.1) The home of Joseph and Mary was a one-room stone structure with a flat roof and an adjoining building for housing the animals. The furniture consisted of a low stone table, earthenware and stone dishes and pots, a loom, a lampstand, several small stools, and mats for sleeping on the stone floor. In the back yard, near the animal annex, was the shelter which covered the oven and the mill for grinding grain. It required two persons to operate this type of mill, one to grind and another to feed the grain. As a small boy Jesus often fed grain to this mill while his mother turned the grinder.
122:6.3 (1350.2) I de senere år, da familien voksede, sad de alle på hug omkring det store stenbord for at nyde deres måltider og tage fra en fælles skål eller gryde med mad. Om vinteren blev bordet ved aftensmåltidet oplyst af en lille, flad lerlampe, som var fyldt med olivenolie. Efter Marthas fødsel byggede Josef en tilbygning til huset, et stort rum, som blev brugt som tømrerværksted om dagen og som soveværelse om natten.		122:6.3 (1350.2) In later years, as the family grew in size, they would all squat about the enlarged stone table to enjoy their meals, helping themselves from a common dish, or pot, of food. During the winter, at the evening meal the table would be lighted by a small, flat clay lamp, which was filled with olive oil. After the birth of Martha, Joseph built an addition to this house, a large room, which was used as a carpenter shop during the day and as a sleeping room at night.
7. Rejsen til betlehem ^top		7. The Trip to Bethlehem ^top
122:7.1 (1350.3) I marts måned år 8 f.Kr. (den måned, Josef og Maria blev gift) dekreterede Cæsar Augustus, at alle indbyggere i Romerriget skulle tælles, at der skulle laves en folketælling, som kunne bruges til at opnå en bedre beskatning. Jøderne havde altid haft store fordomme mod ethvert forsøg på at “tælle folket,” og dette, i forbindelse med Herodes’, kongen af Judæas, alvorlige hjemlige vanskeligheder, havde medvirket til at udsætte denne folketælling i det jødiske rige i et år. I hele Romerriget blev denne folketælling registreret i år 8 f.v.t., undtagen i Herodes’ palæstinensiske kongerige, hvor den blev foretaget i år 7 f.v.t., et år senere.		122:7.1 (1350.3) In the month of March, 8 b.c. (the month Joseph and Mary were married), Caesar Augustus decreed that all inhabitants of the Roman Empire should be numbered, that a census should be made which could be used for effecting better taxation. The Jews had always been greatly prejudiced against any attempt to “number the people,” and this, in connection with the serious domestic difficulties of Herod, King of Judea, had conspired to cause the postponement of the taking of this census in the Jewish kingdom for one year. Throughout all the Roman Empire this census was registered in the year 8 b.c., except in the Palestinian kingdom of Herod, where it was taken in 7 b.c., one year later.
122:7.2 (1350.4) Maria tog til Betlehem for at lade sig indskrive—Josef var bemyndiget til at lade sig indskrive for sin familie—men Maria, som var en eventyrlysten og aggressiv person, insisterede på at følge med ham. Hun ængstes ved tanken på at blive alene og føde barnet mens Josef var borte, og desuden, i og med at Betlehem ikke lå langt fra byen Juda, forudså Maria muligheden for et hyggeligt besøg hos sin slægtning Elisabeth.		122:7.2 (1350.4) It was not necessary that Mary should go to Bethlehem for enrollment—Joseph was authorized to register for his family—but Mary, being an adventurous and aggressive person, insisted on accompanying him. She feared being left alone lest the child be born while Joseph was away, and again, Bethlehem being not far from the City of Judah, Mary foresaw a possible pleasurable visit with her kinswoman Elizabeth.
122:7.3 (1350.5) Josef forbød nærmest Maria at tage med, men det nyttede ikke noget; da maden var pakket til turen på tre eller fire dage, lavede hun dobbeltrationer og gjorde klar til rejsen. Men før de tog af sted, blev Josef forsonet med, at Maria tog med, og de tog glade af sted fra Nazaret ved daggry.		122:7.3 (1350.5) Joseph virtually forbade Mary to accompany him, but it was of no avail; when the food was packed for the trip of three or four days, she prepared double rations and made ready for the journey. But before they actually set forth, Joseph was reconciled to Mary’s going along, and they cheerfully departed from Nazareth at the break of day.
122:7.4 (1350.6) Josef og Maria var fattige, og da de kun havde ét lastdyr, red Maria, som var højgravid, på dyret med proviant, mens Josef gik og førte dyret. At bygge og indrette et hjem havde været en stor belastning for Josef, da han også skulle bidrage til sine forældres underhold, fordi hans far for nylig var blevet invalid. Og således forlod dette jødiske par deres ydmyge hjem tidligt om morgenen den 18. august år 7 f.Kr. på deres rejse til Betlehem.		122:7.4 (1350.6) Joseph and Mary were poor, and since they had only one beast of burden, Mary, being large with child, rode on the animal with the provisions while Joseph walked, leading the beast. The building and furnishing of a home had been a great drain on Joseph since he had also to contribute to the support of his parents, as his father had been recently disabled. And so this Jewish couple went forth from their humble home early on the morning of August 18, 7 b.c., on their journey to Bethlehem.
122:7.5 (1351.1) Deres første rejsedag førte dem rundt om foden af Gilboa-bjerget, hvor de slog lejr for natten ved Jordan-floden og kastede sig ud i mange spekulationer om, hvilken slags søn der ville blive født til dem, idet Josef holdt fast i tanken om en åndelig lærer, og Maria holdt fast i tanken om en jødisk Messias, en befrier af den hebraiske nation.		122:7.5 (1351.1) Their first day of travel carried them around the foothills of Mount Gilboa, where they camped for the night by the river Jordan and engaged in many speculations as to what sort of a son would be born to them, Joseph adhering to the concept of a spiritual teacher and Mary holding to the idea of a Jewish Messiah, a deliverer of the Hebrew nation.
122:7.6 (1351.2) Tidligt om morgenen den 19. august var Josef og Maria igen på vej. De indtog deres middagsmåltid ved foden af Sartaba-bjerget med udsigt over Jordandalen og rejste videre til Jeriko, hvor de overnattede på en kro ved landevejen i udkanten af byen. Efter aftensmåltidet og mange diskussioner om det undertrykkende romerske styre, Herodes, folketællingen og Jerusalems og Alexandrias relative indflydelse som centre for jødisk lærdom og kultur, trak de rejsende fra Nazaret sig tilbage for at hvile sig for natten. Tidligt om morgenen den 20. august genoptog de deres rejse og nåede frem til Jerusalem før middag, besøgte templet og fortsatte til deres destination, hvor de ankom til Betlehem midt på eftermiddagen.		122:7.6 (1351.2) Bright and early the morning of August 19, Joseph and Mary were again on their way. They partook of their noontide meal at the foot of Mount Sartaba, overlooking the Jordan valley, and journeyed on, making Jericho for the night, where they stopped at an inn on the highway in the outskirts of the city. Following the evening meal and after much discussion concerning the oppressiveness of Roman rule, Herod, the census enrollment, and the comparative influence of Jerusalem and Alexandria as centers of Jewish learning and culture, the Nazareth travelers retired for the night’s rest. Early in the morning of August 20 they resumed their journey, reaching Jerusalem before noon, visiting the temple, and going on to their destination, arriving at Bethlehem in midafternoon.
122:7.7 (1351.3) Herberget var overfyldt, og Josef søgte derfor husrum hos fjerne slægtninge, men alle værelser i Betlehem var fyldt til bristepunktet. Da han kom tilbage til herbergets gårdsplads, fik han at vide at i karavanestaldene, som var hugget ud af bjergsiden og som lå lige nedenfor herberget, havde man fjernet dyrene og gjort rent for at tage imod de tilrejsende. Josef efterlod æslet i gården, tog deres tasker med tøj og proviant på skuldrene og gik sammen med Maria ned ad stentrappen til deres logi nedenunder. De befandt sig i det, der havde været et kornopbevaringsrum foran staldene og krybberne. Der var hængt teltgardiner op, og de følte sig heldige over at have så behageligt et sted at bo.		122:7.7 (1351.3) The inn was overcrowded, and Joseph accordingly sought lodgings with distant relatives, but every room in Bethlehem was filled to overflowing. On returning to the courtyard of the inn, he was informed that the caravan stables, hewn out of the side of the rock and situated just below the inn, had been cleared of animals and cleaned up for the reception of lodgers. Leaving the donkey in the courtyard, Joseph shouldered their bags of clothing and provisions and with Mary descended the stone steps to their lodgings below. They found themselves located in what had been a grain storage room to the front of the stalls and mangers. Tent curtains had been hung, and they counted themselves fortunate to have such comfortable quarters.
122:7.8 (1351.4) Josef havde tænkt sig at gå ud med det samme og melde sig ind, men Maria var træt; hun var meget bedrøvet og bad ham om at blive ved hendes side, hvilket han gjorde.		122:7.8 (1351.4) Joseph had thought to go out at once and enroll, but Mary was weary; she was considerably distressed and besought him to remain by her side, which he did.
8. Jesu fødsel ^top		8. The Birth of Jesus ^top
122:8.1 (1351.5) Hele den nat var Maria rastløs, så ingen af dem sov ret meget. Ved daggry var fødselsveerne godt i gang, og ved middagstid den 21. august 7 f.Kr. blev Maria med hjælp og venlige tjenester fra kvindelige medrejsende forløst af et drengebarn. Jesus af Nazaret blev født til verden, svøbt i det tøj, som Maria havde medbragt til en sådan eventualitet, og lagt i en krybbe i nærheden.		122:8.1 (1351.5) All that night Mary was restless so that neither of them slept much. By the break of day the pangs of childbirth were well in evidence, and at noon, August 21, 7 b.c., with the help and kind ministrations of women fellow travelers, Mary was delivered of a male child. Jesus of Nazareth was born into the world, was wrapped in the clothes which Mary had brought along for such a possible contingency, and laid in a near-by manger.
122:8.2 (1351.6) På samme måde som alle babyer før den dag og siden er kommet til verden, blev det lovede barn født; og på den ottende dag blev han ifølge jødisk praksis omskåret og formelt navngivet Joshua (Jesus).		122:8.2 (1351.6) In just the same manner as all babies before that day and since have come into the world, the promised child was born; and on the eighth day, according to the Jewish practice, he was circumcised and formally named Joshua (Jesus).
122:8.3 (1351.7) Næste dag efter Jesu fødsel meldte Josef sig ind. Han mødte en mand, som de havde talt med to nætter tidligere i Jeriko, og han tog Josef med til en velhavende ven, som havde et værelse på herberget, og som sagde, at han gerne ville bytte med parret fra Nazaret. Den eftermiddag flyttede de op på herberget, hvor de boede i næsten tre uger, indtil de fandt logi hos en af Josefs fjerne slægtninge.		122:8.3 (1351.7) The next day after the birth of Jesus, Joseph made his enrollment. Meeting a man they had talked with two nights previously at Jericho, Joseph was taken by him to a well-to-do friend who had a room at the inn, and who said he would gladly exchange quarters with the Nazareth couple. That afternoon they moved up to the inn, where they lived for almost three weeks until they found lodgings in the home of a distant relative of Joseph.
122:8.4 (1351.8) Den anden dag efter Jesu fødsel sendte Maria besked til Elizabeth om, at hendes barn var kommet, og fik besked tilbage om at invitere Josef op til Jerusalem for at tale om alle deres anliggender med Zakarias. Den følgende uge tog Josef til Jerusalem for at tale med Zakarias. Både Zacharias og Elizabeth var blevet besat af den oprigtige overbevisning, at Jesus virkelig skulle blive den jødiske befrier, Messias, og at deres søn Johannes skulle være hans øverste hjælper, hans højre skæbnehånd. Og da Maria havde de samme ideer, var det ikke svært at overtale Josef til at blive i Betlehem, Davids by, så Jesus kunne vokse op og blive Davids efterfølger på hele Israels trone. Derfor blev de i Betlehem i mere end et år, og Josef arbejdede i mellemtiden som tømrer.		122:8.4 (1351.8) The second day after the birth of Jesus, Mary sent word to Elizabeth that her child had come and received word in return inviting Joseph up to Jerusalem to talk over all their affairs with Zacharias. The following week Joseph went to Jerusalem to confer with Zacharias. Both Zacharias and Elizabeth had become possessed with the sincere conviction that Jesus was indeed to become the Jewish deliverer, the Messiah, and that their son John was to be his chief of aides, his right-hand man of destiny. And since Mary held these same ideas, it was not difficult to prevail upon Joseph to remain in Bethlehem, the City of David, so that Jesus might grow up to become the successor of David on the throne of all Israel. Accordingly, they remained in Bethlehem more than a year, Joseph meantime working some at his carpenter’s trade.
122:8.5 (1352.1) Ved Jesu fødsel ved middagstid sang seraferne fra Urantia, der var samlet under deres ledere, lovsange over Betlehems krybbe, men disse lovprisninger blev ikke hørt af menneskelige ører. Ingen hyrder eller andre dødelige skabninger kom for at hylde barnet i Betlehem før den dag, hvor nogle præster fra Ur ankom, som var blevet sendt ned fra Jerusalem af Zakarias.		122:8.5 (1352.1) At the noontide birth of Jesus the seraphim of Urantia, assembled under their directors, did sing anthems of glory over the Bethlehem manger, but these utterances of praise were not heard by human ears. No shepherds nor any other mortal creatures came to pay homage to the babe of Bethlehem until the day of the arrival of certain priests from Ur, who were sent down from Jerusalem by Zacharias.
122:8.6 (1352.2) Disse præster fra Mesopotamien havde engang før fået at vide af en fremmed religiøs lærer fra deres land, at han havde haft en drøm, hvori han blev informeret om, at “livets lys” var ved at vise sig på jorden som et barn og blandt jøderne. Og dertil drog disse tre lærere for at lede efter dette “livets lys.” Efter mange ugers forgæves søgen i Jerusalem var de ved at vende tilbage til Ur, da Zakarias mødte dem og afslørede sin tro på, at Jesus var genstanden for deres søgen og sendte dem videre til Betlehem, hvor de fandt barnet og efterlod deres gaver hos Maria, hans jordiske mor. Barnet var næsten tre uger gammelt på tidspunktet for deres besøg.		122:8.6 (1352.2) These priests from Mesopotamia had been told sometime before by a strange religious teacher of their country that he had had a dream in which he was informed that “the light of life” was about to appear on earth as a babe and among the Jews. And thither went these three teachers looking for this “light of life.” After many weeks of futile search in Jerusalem, they were about to return to Ur when Zacharias met them and disclosed his belief that Jesus was the object of their quest and sent them on to Bethlehem, where they found the babe and left their gifts with Mary, his earth mother. The babe was almost three weeks old at the time of their visit.
122:8.7 (1352.3) De vise mænd så ingen stjerne, der kunne lede dem til Betlehem. Den smukke legende om stjernen i Betlehem opstod på denne måde: Jesus blev født den 21. august ved middagstid år 7 f.v.t. Den 29. maj år 7 f.v.t. skete der en ekstraordinær konjunktion mellem Jupiter og Saturn i stjernebilledet Fiskene. Og det er en bemærkelsesværdig astronomisk kendsgerning, at lignende konjunktioner fandt sted den 29. september og 5. december samme år. På baggrund af disse ekstraordinære, men helt naturlige begivenheder konstruerede den efterfølgende generations velmenende fanatikere den tiltalende legende om Betlehemsstjernen og de tilbedende mæcener, der blev ført til krybben, hvor de så og tilbad det nyfødte barn. Orientalske og næsten-orientalske sind elsker eventyr, og de spinder hele tiden sådanne smukke myter om deres religiøse lederes og politiske heltes liv. Da der ikke fandtes bogtrykkerkunst, og det meste af den menneskelige viden blev overleveret mundtligt fra generation til generation, var det meget nemt for myter at blive til traditioner, og for traditioner til sidst at blive accepteret som fakta.		122:8.7 (1352.3) These wise men saw no star to guide them to Bethlehem. The beautiful legend of the star of Bethlehem originated in this way: Jesus was born August 21 at noon, 7 b.c. On May 29, 7 b.c., there occurred an extraordinary conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces. And it is a remarkable astronomic fact that similar conjunctions occurred on September 29 and December 5 of the same year. Upon the basis of these extraordinary but wholly natural events the well-meaning zealots of the succeeding generation constructed the appealing legend of the star of Bethlehem and the adoring Magi led thereby to the manger, where they beheld and worshiped the newborn babe. Oriental and near-Oriental minds delight in fairy stories, and they are continually spinning such beautiful myths about the lives of their religious leaders and political heroes. In the absence of printing, when most human knowledge was passed by word of mouth from one generation to another, it was very easy for myths to become traditions and for traditions eventually to become accepted as facts.
9. Præsentationen i templet ^top		9. The Presentation in the Temple ^top
122:9.1 (1352.4) Moses havde lært jøderne, at enhver førstefødt søn tilhørte Herren, og at en sådan søn kunne leve i stedet for at blive ofret, som det var skik blandt de hedenske nationer, forudsat at hans forældre ville frikøbe ham ved at betale fem sekel til en autoriseret præst. Der var også en mosaisk forordning, som foreskrev, at en mor, når der var gået en vis tid, skulle præsentere sig selv (eller få nogen til at bringe det rette offer for hende) i templet til renselse. Det var almindeligt at udføre begge disse ceremonier på samme tid. Derfor gik Josef og Maria personligt op til templet i Jerusalem for at præsentere Jesus for præsterne og gennemføre hans forløsning og også for at bringe det rette offer for at sikre Marias ceremonielle renselse fra den påståede urenhed ved fødslen.		122:9.1 (1352.4) Moses had taught the Jews that every first-born son belonged to the Lord, and that, in lieu of his sacrifice as was the custom among the heathen nations, such a son might live provided his parents would redeem him by the payment of five shekels to any authorized priest. There was also a Mosaic ordinance which directed that a mother, after the passing of a certain period of time, should present herself (or have someone make the proper sacrifice for her) at the temple for purification. It was customary to perform both of these ceremonies at the same time. Accordingly, Joseph and Mary went up to the temple at Jerusalem in person to present Jesus to the priests and effect his redemption and also to make the proper sacrifice to insure Mary’s ceremonial purification from the alleged uncleanness of childbirth.
122:9.2 (1353.1) Der var konstant to bemærkelsesværdige personer i templets forgårde, sangeren Simeon og digterinden Anna. Simeon var fra Judæa, men Anna var fra Galilæa. Dette par var ofte i hinandens selskab, og begge var fortrolige med præsten Zacharias, som havde betroet dem hemmeligheden om Johannes og Jesus. Både Simeon og Anna længtes efter Messias’ komme, og deres tillid til Zakarias fik dem til at tro, at Jesus var den forventede befrier af det jødiske folk.		122:9.2 (1353.1) There lingered constantly about the courts of the temple two remarkable characters, Simeon a singer and Anna a poetess. Simeon was a Judean, but Anna was a Galilean. This couple were frequently in each other’s company, and both were intimates of the priest Zacharias, who had confided the secret of John and Jesus to them. Both Simeon and Anna longed for the coming of the Messiah, and their confidence in Zacharias led them to believe that Jesus was the expected deliverer of the Jewish people.
122:9.3 (1353.2) Zakarias vidste, hvilken dag Josef og Maria forventedes at dukke op i templet med Jesus, og han havde på forhånd aftalt med Simeon og Anna, at han med sin løftede hånd skulle vise, hvem i optoget af førstefødte børn, der var Jesus.		122:9.3 (1353.2) Zacharias knew the day Joseph and Mary were expected to appear at the temple with Jesus, and he had prearranged with Simeon and Anna to indicate, by the salute of his upraised hand, which one in the procession of first-born children was Jesus.
122:9.4 (1353.3) Til denne lejlighed havde Anna skrevet et digt, som Simeon begyndte at synge til stor forbløffelse for Josef, Maria og alle dem, der var samlet i tempelgården. Og dette var deres hymne om forløsningen af den førstefødte søn:		122:9.4 (1353.3) For this occasion Anna had written a poem which Simeon proceeded to sing, much to the astonishment of Joseph, Mary, and all who were assembled in the temple courts. And this was their hymn of the redemption of the first-born son:
122:9.5 (1353.4) Velsignet være herren, Israels Gud,		122:9.5 (1353.4) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
122:9.6 (1353.5) For han har besøgt os og gjort forløsning for sit folk;		122:9.6 (1353.5) For he has visited us and wrought redemption for his people;
122:9.7 (1353.6) Han har opløftet et frelsens tinde for os alle		122:9.7 (1353.6) He has raised up a horn of salvation for all of us
122:9.8 (1353.7) I sin tjener Davids hus.		122:9.8 (1353.7) In the house of his servant David.
122:9.9 (1353.8) Som han talte ved sine hellige profeters mund—		122:9.9 (1353.8) Even as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets—
122:9.10 (1353.9) Frelse fra vore fjender og fra hånden af dem, der hader os;		122:9.10 (1353.9) Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
122:9.11 (1353.10) For at vise barmhjertighed mod vore fædre og huske sin hellige pagt—		122:9.11 (1353.10) To show mercy to our fathers, and remember his holy covenant—
122:9.12 (1353.11) Den ed, som han svor til Abraham, vor fader,		122:9.12 (1353.11) The oath which he swore to Abraham our father,
122:9.13 (1353.12) At give os, at vi, som er udfriet af vore fjenders hånd,		122:9.13 (1353.12) To grant us that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies,
122:9.14 (1353.13) Skal tjene ham uden frygt,		122:9.14 (1353.13) Should serve him without fear,
122:9.15 (1353.14) i hellighed og retfærdighed for hans åsyn alle vore dage.		122:9.15 (1353.14) In holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
122:9.16 (1353.15) Ja, og du, løftets barn, skal kaldes Den Højestes profet;		122:9.16 (1353.15) Yes, and you, child of promise, shall be called the prophet of the Most High;
122:9.17 (1353.16) For du skal gå foran Herrens ansigt for at etablere hans rige;		122:9.17 (1353.16) For you shall go before the face of the Lord to establish his kingdom;
122:9.18 (1353.17) for at give sit folk kundskab om frelse		122:9.18 (1353.17) To give knowledge of salvation to his people
122:9.19 (1353.18) I deres synders forladelse.		122:9.19 (1353.18) In the remission of their sins.
122:9.20 (1353.19) Glæd jer over vor Guds barmhjertighed, for daggryet fra det høje har nu besøgt os		122:9.20 (1353.19) Rejoice in the tender mercy of our God because the dayspring from on high has now visited us
122:9.21 (1353.20) For at lyse på dem, der sidder i mørke og dødens skygge;		122:9.21 (1353.20) To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death;
122:9.22 (1353.21) For at lede vore fødder ind på fredens vej,		122:9.22 (1353.21) To guide our feet into ways of peace.
122:9.23 (1353.22) Og lad nu din tjener drage bort i fred, Herre, efter dit ord,		122:9.23 (1353.22) And now let your servant depart in peace, O Lord, according to your word,
122:9.24 (1353.23) For mine øjne har set din frelse,		122:9.24 (1353.23) For my eyes have seen your salvation,
122:9.25 (1353.24) som du har forberedt for øjnene af alle folkeslag;		122:9.25 (1353.24) Which you have prepared before the face of all peoples;
122:9.26 (1353.25) Et lys så selv hedningefolkene skal få klarhed		122:9.26 (1353.25) A light for even the unveiling of the gentiles
122:9.27 (1353.26) Og til Israels folks ære.		122:9.27 (1353.26) And the glory of your people Israel.
122:9.28 (1353.27) På vejen tilbage til Betlehem var Josef og Maria tavse—forvirrede og overvældede. Maria var meget forstyrret af Anna, den gamle digterindes, afskedshilsen, og Josef var ikke i harmoni med dette forhastede forsøg på at gøre Jesus til det jødiske folks forventede Messias.		122:9.28 (1353.27) On the way back to Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary were silent—confused and overawed. Mary was much disturbed by the farewell salutation of Anna, the aged poetess, and Joseph was not in harmony with this premature effort to make Jesus out to be the expected Messiah of the Jewish people.
10. Herodes går i aktion ^top		10. Herod Acts ^top
122:10.1 (1353.28) Men Herodes’ vagter var ikke inaktive. Da de fortalte ham om Ur-præsternes besøg i Betlehem, indkaldte Herodes disse kaldæere til at møde op foran ham. Han spurgte flittigt disse vise mænd om den nye “jødernes konge”, men de gav ham ikke megen tilfredsstillelse og forklarede, at barnet var blevet født af en kvinde, der var kommet ned til Betlehem med sin mand for at blive indskrevet i folketællingen. Da Herodes ikke var tilfreds med dette svar, sendte han dem af sted med en pung og bad dem finde barnet, så han også kunne komme og tilbede ham, eftersom de havde erklæret, at hans rige skulle være åndeligt, ikke verdsligt. Men da de vise mænd ikke vendte tilbage, blev Herodes mistænksom. Mens han tænkte over disse ting, vendte hans meddelere tilbage og aflagde fuld rapport om de seneste hændelser i templet og bragte ham en kopi af dele af Simeons sang, som var blevet sunget ved Jesu forløsningsceremoni. Men det var ikke lykkedes dem at følge efter Josef og Maria, og Herodes blev meget vred på dem, da de ikke kunne fortælle ham, hvor parret havde taget barnet hen. Så sendte han eftersøgere ud for at finde Josef og Maria. Zacharias og Elizabeth holdt sig væk fra Betlehem, da de vidste, at Herodes forfulgte familien fra Nazaret. Drengebabyen blev gemt hos Josefs slægtninge.		122:10.1 (1353.28) But the watchers for Herod were not inactive. When they reported to him the visit of the priests of Ur to Bethlehem, Herod summoned these Chaldeans to appear before him. He inquired diligently of these wise men about the new “king of the Jews,” but they gave him little satisfaction, explaining that the babe had been born of a woman who had come down to Bethlehem with her husband for the census enrollment. Herod, not being satisfied with this answer, sent them forth with a purse and directed that they should find the child so that he too might come and worship him, since they had declared that his kingdom was to be spiritual, not temporal. But when the wise men did not return, Herod grew suspicious. As he turned these things over in his mind, his informers returned and made full report of the recent occurrences in the temple, bringing him a copy of parts of the Simeon song which had been sung at the redemption ceremonies of Jesus. But they had failed to follow Joseph and Mary, and Herod was very angry with them when they could not tell him whither the pair had taken the babe. He then dispatched searchers to locate Joseph and Mary. Knowing Herod pursued the Nazareth family, Zacharias and Elizabeth remained away from Bethlehem. The boy baby was secreted with Joseph’s relatives.
122:10.2 (1354.1) Josef var bange for at søge arbejde, og deres lille opsparing forsvandt hurtigt. Selv på tidspunktet for renselsesceremonierne i templet anså Josef sig for at være tilstrækkelig fattig til at retfærdiggøre, at han ofrede to unge duer til Maria, som Moses havde foreskrevet til renselse af mødre blandt de fattige.		122:10.2 (1354.1) Joseph was afraid to seek work, and their small savings were rapidly disappearing. Even at the time of the purification ceremonies at the temple, Joseph deemed himself sufficiently poor to warrant his offering for Mary two young pigeons as Moses had directed for the purification of mothers among the poor.
122:10.3 (1354.2) Da Herodes’ spioner efter mere end et års søgen ikke havde fundet Jesus, og på grund af mistanken om, at barnet stadig var skjult i Betlehem, udarbejdede han en ordre om, at der skulle foretages en systematisk ransagning af alle huse i Betlehem, og at alle drengebørn under to år skulle dræbes. På den måde håbede Herodes at sikre sig, at dette barn, som skulle blive “jødernes konge,” ville blive tilintetgjort. Og således omkom seksten drengebørn i Betlehem i Judæa på én dag. Men intriger og mord, selv i hans egen nærmeste familie, var almindelige foreteelser ved Herodes’ hof.		122:10.3 (1354.2) When, after more than a year of searching, Herod’s spies had not located Jesus, and because of the suspicion that the babe was still concealed in Bethlehem, he prepared an order directing that a systematic search be made of every house in Bethlehem, and that all boy babies under two years of age should be killed. In this manner Herod hoped to make sure that this child who was to become “king of the Jews” would be destroyed. And thus perished in one day sixteen boy babies in Bethlehem of Judea. But intrigue and murder, even in his own immediate family, were common occurrences at the court of Herod.
122:10.4 (1354.3) Massakren på disse spædbørn fandt sted omkring midten af oktober år 6 f.v.t., da Jesus var lidt over et år gammel. Men der var troende på den kommende Messias, selv blandt Herodes’ hofattachéer, og en af dem, som hørte om ordren om at slagte drengebørnene fra Betlehem, kontaktede Zakarias, som igen sendte et bud til Josef, og natten før massakren rejste Josef og Maria fra Betlehem med barnet til Alexandria i Egypten. For at undgå at tiltrække opmærksomhed rejste de alene til Egypten med Jesus. De tog til Alexandria med midler fra Zacharias, og der arbejdede Josef med sit håndværk, mens Maria og Jesus boede hos velhavende slægtninge til Josefs familie. De opholdt sig i Alexandria i to hele år og vendte ikke tilbage til Betlehem før efter Herodes’ død.		122:10.4 (1354.3) The massacre of these infants took place about the middle of October, 6 b.c., when Jesus was a little over one year of age. But there were believers in the coming Messiah even among Herod’s court attachés, and one of these, learning of the order to slaughter the Bethlehem boy babies, communicated with Zacharias, who in turn dispatched a messenger to Joseph; and the night before the massacre Joseph and Mary departed from Bethlehem with the babe for Alexandria in Egypt. In order to avoid attracting attention, they journeyed alone to Egypt with Jesus. They went to Alexandria on funds provided by Zacharias, and there Joseph worked at his trade while Mary and Jesus lodged with well-to-do relatives of Joseph’s family. They sojourned in Alexandria two full years, not returning to Bethlehem until after the death of Herod.