AND HOW DID IT HAPPEN?

It is God who created men. And since God had pity, He said, “I do not wish men to die altogether. I wish that, men having died, should rise again.” And so. He created men and placed them in another region. But He stayed at home.

And then God saw the chameleon and the weaver-bird. After He had spent three days with the chameleon and the weaver-bird, He recognized that the weaver-bird was a great maker of the words compounded of lies and truth. Now of lies there were many, but of the words of truth there were few.

Then He watched the chameleon and recognized that he had great intelligence. He did not lie. His words were true. So he spoke to the chameleon, “Chameleon, go into that region where I have placed the men I created, and tell them that when they have died, even if they are altogether dead, still they shall rise again – that each man shall rise again after he dies.”

The chameleon travelled on, and when he had arrived at his destination, he said, “I was told, I was told, I was told…” But he did not say what he had been told.

The weaver-bird said to God, “I wish to step out for a moment.”

And God said to him, “Go!”

But the weaver-bird, since he is a bird, flew swiftly, and arrived at the place where the chameleon was speaking to the people and saying, “I was told…” Everyone was gathered there to listen. When the weaver-bird arrived, he said, “What was told to us? Truly, we were told that men, when they are dead, shall perish like the roots of the aloe.”

Then the chameleon exclaimed, “But we were told, we were told, that when men are dead, they shall rise again.”

Then the magpie interposed and said, “The first speech is the wise one.”

And now all the people left and returned to their homes. This was the way it happened. And so men become old and die; they do not rise again.

[ AKAMBA ]