Chapter 10 Persian philosopher in Damascus

I cannot predict the fate of this man, nor what will happen to his disciples. A seed in an apple core is an invisible orchard; but once the seed falls on a rock, nothing grows. But I say this: Israel's ancient gods were harsh and unkind; Israel needs another god, who should be gentle and forgiving, who looks down on the people with pity, and walks in their limited ways with the rays of the sun, Instead of always standing on the bench to weigh their faults and care about their negligence. The God that should appear in Israel is selfless and non-envious, and his memory of people's mistakes is simple, and he will not take revenge on the third or fourth generation because of the mistakes of the predecessors.

The man here in Syria is like all men: he looks in the mirror of his understanding, and therein he discovers his divinity; In fact, one is praying for one's deeper longing, hoping that it will rise high and fulfill all one's desires. The most profound thing in the world is the human soul. The soul is a deep call to oneself, because outside the soul, there is no other voice speaking, no other ear listening. We Persians, too, see our faces reflected in the discs of the sun, and our bodies dance in the flames we light on our altars. Now, the God whom Jesus called "Father" is no longer regarded as a stranger by Jesus' people, and he will fulfill the wishes of the people.

The gods of Egypt have cast aside their heavy burdens and fled to the Nubian desert to gain freedom from those who remain indifferent. The gods of Greece and Rome have faded away, and they are too similar to human beings to live in the joy of human beings; their incorruptible groves have been praised by the Athenians and the Alexandrians. In this land, too, the lofty altars were razed to the ground by the lawyers of Beirut and the young hermits of Antioch. Only old women and feeble men seek the shrines of their ancestors; only the exhausted at the end of the road seek the beginning of the road.

But this Jesus, this Naveretic, spoke of a God who, in his greatness, was no different from any human mind, who, because of his great knowledge, disdained punishment, and who, because of his great love, remembered the sinful images of his creatures.This God of the Nazarenes will pass over the threshold of all the children of the earth, will sit before their hearths, will bless them within the walls, will light their paths. But my god is Zoroaster, my god is the sun in the sky, the fire on the earth, and the light in the breast of man.I am content and need no other gods.