Ἐπιστολὴ εʹ — Περὶ τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι τοὺς λόγους τῶν παλαιῶν

Ἐπιστολὴ Κλεοφίλου πᾶσι τοῖς ἐν τῇ γῇ ταύτῃ οἰκουμένοις ἀνθρώποις· καὶ δὴ καὶ τοῖς οἰκουμένοις ψυχαῖς ζῶσαις ἄλλων τόπων τοῦ κόσμου ἡμῶν· ὅπως καταλάβοιτε πῶς ἂν ἀκούσαιτε τοὺς τῶν παλαιῶν λόγους.

λελάληκα μὲν ἔτι πολλοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἵνα φυτεύσαιμι τοὺς καρποὺς τοῦ καταλαβόντος ἐν τοῖς νοῖς αὐτῶν· οἰ μὲν ἤνθησαν, οἰ δὲ μὴ, καὶ ἀπήνθησαν. οὐκοῦν δὲ νῦν ἐν νῷ ἔχω τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ καταλαβόντος τοὺς λόγους τῶν παλαιῶν φωτίζειν.

ὁ μέν ἀναγιγνωσκόμενος τοὺς λόγους οἳ γέγραφα οὖν ἐρωτήσειεν ἄν Τί ἐν νῷ ἔχεις; ἐθέλεις ἵνα οἱ νεκροὶ αὖθις ζήσωσιν; καὶ ἀποκρινῶ ἔγωγε Μάλιστά γε. ναί, οἶδα μὲν ὅτι τοῖς νεκροῖς ἀδύνατός εἴη αὖθις ἀνίσταναι, ἀλλὰ δύνανται δὲ αἱ ψυχαὶ αὐτῶν ἀνασταθῆναι· πειρῶμαι τοῦτο οὖν ὑμῖν δηλώσεσθαι.

ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ· ἐν τῷ οἰκῶ καὶ ἔγωγε, δισχίλιοι καὶ εἷς καὶ εἴκοσι ἔτη μετὰ τὸ γενόμενον Ἰησοῦ Χρίστου· πάνυ μέν ῥᾳδιός ἐστι πᾶσι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις λαλῆσαι αλλήλοις οὐκ ἐγγύς ἀλλήλων ὄντων. ἀλλ’ ἔτ’ ἀδύνατος δὲ ἡμῖν τοῖς πρὶν ἡμῶν βιοῦσιν ἀνθρώποις ἐπιστόλας τινὰς πέμψαι ἢ μετ’ αὐτῶν λαλῆσαι. τὶ μὲν οὖν δεῖ ἡμᾶς ποιεῖν; ὅτῳ οὖν τόπῳ ἂν λαλήσαιμεν τοῖς πρὶν ἡμῶν βιοῦσιν; δοκεῖ δ’ ἐμοί γ’ ὅτι μήποτε οἷος τ’ ἐσόμεθα τοῦτο τὸ πρᾶγμα ποιεῖσθαι· ἀλλὰ τὰς φωνὰς αὐτῶν, διὰ τὸ ἀναγνῶσαι τοὺς ὑπ’ αὐτῶν γεγράφαται λόγους, δυνάμεθα ῥαδίως ἀκοῦσαι. οὐκοῦν μὲν δεῖ ἡμᾶς τὰς γλώττας αὐτῶν μαθεῖν ἵν’ αὐτῶν ἀκούσωμεν· οὐ δύνατος γὰρ εἴη τὰς φωνὰς αὐτῶν ἀκοῦσαι εἰ ἀναγνοῖμεν αὐτὰς ἐν γλώττῃ τινι ἅ οὐκ ἐλαλήθη ὐπ’ αὐτῶν. αἱ ψυχαὶ τῶν τούτους λόγους γραψαμένων ἀνθρώπων τοῖς αὐτῶν λόγοις θησαυρίζονται· τὰ μὲν σῶματα οὐκέτι παρὰ ἡμᾶς ἐστιν, αἱ δὲ ψυχαὶ οἶος τ’ ἐσμὲν ἐν τοῖς γραψαμένοις εὑρεῖν. Σῶμα τι μὲν οὐκ ἔχων, καὶ δὴ καὶ στόμα αὐταῖς ψυχαῖς οὐκ ἐστιν· οὔκουν δύνανται δὲ ἡμῶν ἀκοῦσαι· ὦτα μὴ ἔχων.

ἀλλὰ διότι ἐστι μὲν ταῖς ψυχαῖς αὐτῶν ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ εἶδος, δυνάμεθα αὐτὰς δ’ ἰδεῖν τε καὶ καταλαβεῖν. ὅτε μὲν γὰρ οἰ λόγοι ἐγράφησαν τότε δὲ μοῖρα ὀλίγη τῆς τοῦ γραψαμένου ἀνθρώπου ψυχῆς ἐν θηρατρῷ ἐγενήθη· καὶ ὁπόταν ἄλλος ἄνθρωπος τοὺς λόγους τούτους ἀναγιγνώσκῃ, τότε μετὰ τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐστιν, ὃ αὐτοὺς γέγραφεν. οὐκοῦν μὲν ὀ νεκρός ἄνθρωπος δύναται ἡμῖν λέγειν κἄν δ’ οὐκ σχῇ στόμα λαλῆσαι.

φαίνεται μὲν γὰρ πολλοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὅτι ἀδύνατος ἐστιν αὐτοῖς ζῆσαι εἰς αἰώνιον καὶ δ’ οὐκοῦν νομίζουσιν ὡς ἐὰν νεκροὶ ὦσιν, μήποτε δυνήσονται ἀκουσθῆναι ὑπ’ οὐδένων· ἀλλὰ μὲν εἰ ἀληθῶς ζήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ ἀνθρωπίνη· ὠς γέγραφα· μετὰ τὸ τοῦ σῶματος θνῄσκειν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις οἳ ἐλαλήθησαν ἢ ἐγράφησαν ὐπὸ τινὸς, δύναται δ’ οὖν ἀνθρώποις νεκροῖς εἶναι; δοκεῖ γέ μοι ὅτι ἀθάνατοι ἐσμέν.

Μάλιστά γε οὖν λέγοιτε ἂν, ὦ Κλεόφιλε, ἀλλὰ μή ζήσουσιν αἱ ψυχαὶ μετὰ τὸ τέλος τῆς γῆς, τοῦ ἡλίου ἢ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· λυθήσονται γὰρ οἰ λόγοι· ναί, οὐδέν ἔσται ἐπὶ τῷ προσώπῳ τῆς γῆς ἢ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· καὶ οὐκοῦν καὶ αἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς ψυχαί. οὐδεὶς μὲν δύναται εἰδέναι ἐν ὅτῳ καιρῷ ἂν γενήσοιτο τὸ τέλος πάντων, ἀλλὰ δ’ ἐστιν ἡ ἀληθεία ὅτι γενήσεται· θανοῦσι γὰρ τἀγαθὰ καὶ τὰ κακὰ τῆς ψυχῆς. οὔκουν ζήσομεν εἰς αἰώνιον.

Ναί, δ’ ἀποκρινῶ, τοῦτ’ ἀληθῶς ἐστιν ἡ ἀληθεία. ἀλλ’ οὐδεὶς οἶδε τὶ γενήσεται μετὰ τὸ τέλος τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὁμοίως οὐδείς οἶδε ἐν ὅτῳ καιρῷ ἄν τελοῖτο. καὶ δὴ καὶ οἱ μὲν ἄνθρωποι καὶ τἄλλα ζῷα σὺν ψυχαῖς ῥαδίως ἐπιλανθάνεται τὰ γινόμενα, οἰ δὲ θεοὶ οὐ. οὔκουν δ’ οὐκ οἷος τ’ ἔστε λέγειν ὅτι γενήσεται τόπῳ τούτῳ ἢ ἑτέρῳ· ἴσως γενηθήεσται μετὰ τὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ θάνατον οὐρανὸς ἄλλος διὰ τὰς χειρᾶς τῶν θεῶν καὶ αἱ τῶν πάντων ἀνθρώπων ψυχαὶ πορευθήσονται εἰς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τοὺς νεώτερους. ζήσονται τότε αὖθις οἰ λόγοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων.

οἶδας γὰρ σὺ γε ὅτι πρὸ τοῦ εἶναι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τούτου οὐκ ἦν οὐρανὸς ἄλλος ἐν ᾧ ἐζήκασιν οἱ θεοὶ καὶ εἰς ὃ ᾠκοδόμησαν πλανήτας τινὰς ὅμοιος τῇ γῇ ἐν ᾗ οἰκοῦμεν ἡμεῖς; ἀδύνατος ὑμῖν τοῦτο εἰδέναι.

περὶ τῶν πραγμάτων τῶν θεῶν καὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς τῆς γῆς λαλοῦμαι ἐπιστολῇ ἑτέρᾳ. μιμνησκέσθων οἰ λόγοι οἵ γεγράφα ὑμῖν ἵνα μήποτε λήσησθε τῶν λόγων τῶν παλαιῶν.

Epistolē Kleophilou pasi tois en tē gē tautē oikoumenois anthrōpois; kai dē kai tois oikoumenois psychais zōsais allōn topōn tou kosmou hēmōn; hopōs katalaboite pōs an akousaite tous tōn palaiōn logous.

lelalēka men eti pollois anthrōpois hina phyteusaimi tous karpous tou katalabontos en tois nois autōn; oi men ēnthēsan, oi de mē, kai apēnthēsan. oukoun de nyn en nō echō tēn hodon tou katalabontos tous logous tōn palaiōn phōtizein.

ho men anagignōskomenos tous logous hoi gegrapha oun erōtēseien an Ti en nō echeis? etheleis hina hoi nekroi authis zēsōsin? kai apokrinō egōge Malista ge. nai, oida men hoti tois nekrois adynatos eiē authis anistanai, alla dynantai de hai psychai autōn anastathēnai; peirōmai touto oun hymin dēlōsesthai.

en tō kairō toutō; en tō oikō kai egōge, dischilioi kai heis kai eikosi etē meta to genomenon Iēsou Christou; pany men rhadios esti pasi tois anthrōpois lalēsai allēlois ouk engys allēlōn ontōn. all’ et’ adynatos de hēmin tois prin hēmōn biousin anthrōpois epistolas tinas pempsai ē met’ autōn lalēsai. ti men oun dei hēmas poiein? hotō oun topō an lalēsaimen tois prin hēmōn biousin? dokei d’ emoi g’ hoti mēpote hoios t’ esometha touto to pragma poieisthai; alla tas phōnas autōn, dia to anagnōsai tous hyp’ autōn gegraphatai logous, dynametha rhadiōs akousai. oukoun men dei hēmas tas glōttas autōn mathein hin’ autōn akousōmen; ou dynatos gar eiē tas phōnas autōn akousai ei anagnoimen autas en glōttē tini ha ouk elalēthē yp’ autōn. hai psychai tōn toutous logous grapsamenōn anthrōpōn tois autōn logois thēsaurizontai; ta men sōmata ouketi para hēmas estin, hai de psychai oios t’ esmen en tois grapsamenois heurein. Sōma ti men ouk echōn, kai dē kai stoma autais psychais ouk estin; oukoun dynantai de hēmōn akousai; ōta mē echōn.

alla dioti esti men tais psychais autōn ophthalmous kai eidos, dynametha autas d’ idein te kai katalabein. hote men gar oi logoi egraphēsan tote de moira oligē tēs tou grapsamenou anthrōpou psychēs en thēratrō egenēthē; kai hopotan allos anthrōpos tous logous toutous anagignōskē, tote meta tēs psychēs tou anthrōpou estin, ho autous gegraphen. oukoun men o nekros anthrōpos dynatai hēmin legein kan d’ ouk schē stoma lalēsai.

phainetai men gar pollois tōn anthrōpōn hoti adynatos estin autois zēsai eis aiōnion kai d’ oukoun nomizousin hōs ean nekroi ōsin, mēpote dynēsontai akousthēnai hyp’ oudenōn; alla men ei alēthōs zēsetai hē psychē anthrōpinē; ōs gegrapha; meta to tou sōmatos thnēskein en tois logois hoi elalēthēsan ē egraphēsan ypo tinos, dynatai d’ oun anthrōpois nekrois einai? dokei ge moi hoti athanatoi esmen.

Malista ge oun legoite an, ō Kleophile, alla mē zēsousin hai psychai meta to telos tēs gēs, tou hēliou ē tou ouranou; lythēsontai gar oi logoi; nai, ouden estai epi tō prosōpō tēs gēs ē tou ouranou; kai oukoun kai hai en autois psychai. oudeis men dynatai eidenai en hotō kairō an genēsoito to telos pantōn, alla d’ estin hē alētheia hoti genēsetai; thanousi gar tagatha kai ta kaka tēs psychēs. oukoun zēsomen eis aiōnion.

Nai, d’ apokrinō, tout’ alēthōs estin hē alētheia. all’ oudeis oide ti genēsetai meta to telos tou ouranou, homoiōs oudeis oide en hotō kairō an teloito. kai dē kai hoi men anthrōpoi kai talla zōa syn psychais rhadiōs epilanthanetai ta ginomena, oi de theoi ou. oukoun d’ ouk hoios t’ este legein hoti genēsetai topō toutō ē heterō; isōs genēthēestai meta ton tou ouranou thanaton ouranos allos dia tas cheiras tōn theōn kai hai tōn pantōn anthrōpōn psychai poreuthēsontai eis tous anthrōpous tous neōterous. zēsontai tote authis oi logoi tōn anthrōpōn.

oidas gar sy ge hoti pro tou einai tou ouranou toutou ouk ēn ouranos allos en hō ezēkasin hoi theoi kai eis ho ōkodomēsan planētas tinas homoios tē gē en hē oikoumen hēmeis? adynatos hymin touto eidenai.

peri tōn pragmatōn tōn theōn kai tēs archēs tēs gēs laloumai epistolē hetera. mimnēskesthōn oi logoi hoi gegrapha hymin hina mēpote lēsēsthe tōn logōn tōn palaiōn.

A letter of Marvin’s to all people living on this Earth — and even those (creatures) with living souls that are inhabitants of other areas of our cosmos — so that you might understand how you might listen to the words of the Ancients.

I have already spoken with many people, in order to plant the seeds of understanding into their minds; and whereas some prospered, others did not and withered. Therefore, it is my intention to illuminate for you the path of understanding the words of the Ancients.

The reader of the words that I have written might now ask, What do you have in mind? Do you want for the dead to be resurrected? and I will answer, Yes indeed. Yes, I am aware that it would be impossible for the dead to stand up again; but it is possible for their souls to be resurrected. I will now try to explain.

In this time — in which even I live, two thousand and twenty one years after the birth of Jesus Christ —, it is very easy for all people to talk to one another even when they are not close to each other. But it is still impossible for us to send letters to those who lived before us or to speak with them. So what shall we do? In what manner are we to speak to those who lived before us? It seems to me, at least, that we will never be able to do this; but we can listen to their words through the reading of the words that were written by them. We, therefore, need to learn their language so that we might hear them; for it would not be possible to listen to their words when they are written in a language they did not speak. The souls of the people who write are trapped within their written words. Their bodies are no longer with us, but we are able to find their souls in their writing. Since they do not have a body or a mouth, they cannot be heard by us; neither do they have ears.

But since their souls have eyes and an appearance, we can see and understand them. For when the words were written, a part of the writer’s soul became trapped within the words which he wrote. And whenever another person reads these words, then he is with the soul of the person, who wrote them. The dead person is, thus, able to speak with us even though he might not have a mouth to speak.

For it seems impossible — for many people, at least — to live into eternity and they, therefore, believe that, if they are dead, they will never be heard by anyone. But if the human soul truly lives — as I have written — after the death of the body in the words that were written and spoken by someone, is it, then, possible for people to be dead? To me it seems that we are immortal.

Sure, you might now say, Marvin, but the souls will no longer live after the end of the Earth, the sun or the cosmos. For the words will be destroyed — indeed, nothing will be upon the face of the Earth or in the cosmos — and the souls inside the words, too. It is not possible for anyone to know the time in which the end of all will happen, but it is the truth that it will happen. The good of soul as well as the bad of soul will die; we, therefore, surely do not live into eternity.

Yes, I will then answer, that truly is the truth. But nobody knows what will happen after the end of the universe, just as nobody knows when exactly it will end. Additionally, humans and other living beings with souls easily forget what has happened; the gods do not. Therefore, you cannot say that it will happen in such a way or that. Perhaps another cosmos will be born after the death of this universe through the hands of the gods; and the souls of all humans will be driven into the new people. The words of the humans will, then, again live.

Do you know for sure that, before the existence of this universe there did not exist another in which the gods lived and in which they built certain planets, like the Earth on which we live? It is impossible for us to know.

About the matter of the gods and the beginning of the Earth I will talk in a different letter. Let the words which I have written to you be remembered, so that you may never forget the words of the Ancients.