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Someone else wanted to say something, but Ruthra stopped with a gesture.
– Now I apologize," he directed an apology to the one who wished to speak, "I give the floor to his majesty," Rutra announced in the manner of an entertainer, and smiled broadly, "this is a joke," and raised his voice again, "to the one and only, the best of the best intelligent beings of non-human origin… Rangit!
– I'm sorry now," came Rangit's voice. – Why is it not of human origin? Who made this great creation? I mean me. I am smiling now," he added, "and I can appear in any form before you… even in the form of any of you.
The hall was filled with wonder again, and the desire to dispel it could be felt all around.
– If you don't mind, I'll take on the image of-" he drew an intriguing pause, "Jesus Christ.
– Ha," came from the audience.
It was a software engineer with a unicorn on his chest. The others were in their usual state of incredulous anticipation.
What they saw on the podium made many people gasp. A man appeared on the stage who did not fit in with the usual image of Jesus.
– Are you surprised? – Rangit began in the form of a man. – Why do you think Jesus looked the way you used to see him on icons? Yes, the ancient icons depict Jesus differently, and this image is a reconstruction of a man of that period from that place, that nation… and a bit of description. After all, Isaiah had this to say in verse 53: "…there is no appearance or majesty in him."
A slight polemic arose in the hall between those seated. It was, among other things, the result of the perception of not only the appearance, but also… the voice. The character on the stage had such a specific voice that gave him an unexpected brutality.
– Let me begin," Rangit's voice interrupted their discussion. – Since it was decided without presumption that I should be characterized as a robotic parrot, I'll start with that role, and then we can talk about this and that.
The last statement elicited laughter from the audience.
–In the works of Herodotus, – began as if Jesus, walking around the pulpit, which made the audience feel like students before important exams, concentrate on the lecturer, – as well as other ancient authors, – continued Rangit, satisfied with the attention to himself, – you can find mention of crucifixion, this method of execution was used by Babylonians. They motivated the choice of such method of execution by unwillingness to desecrate the land dedicated to Ahuramazda with dead bodies of executed criminals. The question arises – what did they do with the corpses afterwards? According to some extant information – burned, and more often left to decompose for wild birds and animals. This type of punishment spread in Greece, the Middle East, Egypt and Phoenicia somewhere in the IV century BC, after the conquest of Persia by Alexander the Great, and then throughout the conquered lands. Such a method of execution was not invented by the Romans, they adopted it from their enemies, and not simple, but systematic, epochal, – the Carthaginians. Although in those times, especially in the European part of the Roman and Hellenic world, there was an extremely negative attitude towards execution by crucifixion. Hellenes perceived this execution as extremely humiliating and unworthy, Jews considered those executed on the cross as cursed. The Romans saw it as a shameful execution. This is rather strange to me though: the Romans had a method of execution by burning. Agreed, a dubious superiority to execution on the cross. Apparently, the shame consisted in some aesthetic issues that were left out of the picture: the condemned person was drained of his vital products in the process and after the sentence was carried out. The Latins called this method of execution servile supplicium, a punishment for slaves (Tacitus. Hist. IV, 11; Juvenal. Satires. VI, 219). Originally Greek law, and later Roman law, forbade the subjection of free citizens to crucifixion. In the Roman Republic crucifixion was used not only to punish slaves, but also deserters and state criminals. The famous event with the largest number of people executed by this method – 6,000 rebellious slaves crucified by order of Pompey along the Appian Road leading to Rome, after the defeat of Spartacus' revolt, unites all the criteria inherent in the criminals classified in this category. The judge's sentence of death was: ibis ad (or in) crucem – "you shall go to the cross!" After the sentence was pronounced, the condemned was scourged. He was stripped of his clothes and tied by the hands to a post in the court area, flogged with a short whip called flagrum (or flagellum). The lash consisted of a handle to which leather straps of varying lengths were attached, with pieces of lead woven into the ends and jagged bone fragments along the length.
This explanation he accompanied by the appearance of a four-dimensional image directly in the space in front of the pulpit of the object being described – the very whip.
– The Romans had no legal limit on the number of blows to be inflicted, but the Jews in this case adopted a more humane law: no more than forty blows could be inflicted. In order to keep this rule, i.e. not to violate it, the Pharisees who were watching the scourging, fearing to break the law (everything was reduced to religious dogma) if by chance they made a mistake in counting, limited the number of blows to thirty-nine. The Romans, however, did not adhere to the exact count, so they beat the Jews as much as they thought necessary. I apologize for my tolerance, if it is absent.
This statement puzzled the listeners, but the meaning was clear: Rangit did not mean the absence, but the presence of such tolerance.
– Carrying the cross on his shoulders to the place of execution was not a special punishment for Christ, – having said this, he pointed his finger at himself and… smiled, which was obviously out of place, but the above-mentioned "tolerance" left no mystery in understanding the manners of the demonstrated artificial intelligence.
Rather, it was a clue as to how and why he passed the Turing test, because a non-artificial intelligence, i.e. a human being, could have spoken out and shown manners more inoffensive. So these were semantic reflections of inner emotions: he realized that his image expressed more satire than the taboo of satire towards the person in whom he appeared.
– Before this humiliating procedure, the condemned person was subjected to another excision, which was also the lot of all convicts: the criminal was scourged completely undressed – I spoke above about the number of blows – after the condemned person was dressed again and… then what we call "the way of the cross". Please forgive me if you find anything sarcastic in my manner of presentation. No, not at all. Although, I confess, I do not understand yet… – he made a gesture – he waved his open palm into the hall – yet, I emphasize, the high matter of human spirituality. It is in the part of logic. For me, or rather, for my logic it is strange, why people do not grieve much about thousands of executed before Christ and thousands after by this method – if I go into details of victims for faith, the count will go to millions – people do not grieve much.
As if Jesus had fallen silent, gazing intently at the audience.
– There were resurrected ones, too," he added, watching the reaction of his listeners, turning his head slightly toward Ruthra. – What am I trying to say? Basically, I'm only expressing my reasoning, and the rest is partially known to everyone. So I will continue with a clever expression on my face," he smiled at the audience after what he had said, which caused some of the listeners to smile back. – The cross consisted of two main parts – a horizontal beam (patibulum) and a vertical part (staticulum). The condemned carried only this crossbar. And that – not everyone could carry it, not that the whole cross, which actually in the assembly was never and. I remind the rule of the number of blows in scourging, that is the absence of this rule in the Romans. Plus they mocked it…sorry again, made fun of it. If the word "mocked" is acceptable to you, then I'll put it this way…" Rangit hesitated a little, "in general, it's not so important. The fact is… at least until we in the mission check," he stopped talking again, looking around the audience, "yes, yes, I'll apologize again… and a hundred more times, but I won't stop doubting. So, having undergone a cruel scourging, Christ, of course, could not carry the cross, that is, this crossbar, so… with your permission – I will quote the Holy Scripture: "And when they led Him away, they seized a certain Simon of Cyrene, who was coming from the field, and laid the cross on him, that he should carry it after Jesus" (Luke 23:26). After the cross or its parts were fastened on the back of Christ, he, as well as everyone in principle, was accompanied on the way to the place of execution by an armed guard of Roman soldiers under the command of a centurion. One of the legionaries walked in front and carried a tablet (titulus) on which was written the name of the condemned and his crime. This was the usual rule. From the very beginning of the execution procedure, and scourging was part of this program, the condemned man was under constant surveillance by the guards.
Rangit took pause again, shaking his head meaningfully, he said:
– Believe me, there were reasons for that.
This caused a smile with a touch of sarcasm, because he claimed it as if he himself was a real witness of the events described. However, the audience liked his character and nodded in response.
– So, the guards kept a close watch on the condemned and his attendants, sometimes many not only relatives but also idle gawkers gathered. The guards were present until they were fully convinced that the condemned had died.
Rangit paced the room again, head bowed slightly, looking thoughtful. He glanced once more at Ruthra, as if he had received tacit approval, and continued:
– A little about the cross itself. The Romans used different kinds of crosses for crucifixion. T-shaped, X-shaped, and the traditional Catholic crucifix. Or rather, the shape of the cross, which was taken as a basis for Catholicism. This type of cross is most accurate as the version on which Jesus was crucified according to the tradition of Matthew. He writes the following: "And they put an inscription over His head, signifying His guilt, 'This is Jesus, King of the Jews'" (Matthew 27:37). Here the evangelist speaks of the tablet on which the Savior's accusation was written. But it is quite obvious that in order to place such a plaque over the head of Christ, it is necessary that the main vertical column should have a continuation above, above the cross bar, i.e. it is necessary that the cross should be four-pointed, and not three-pointed tied (in the form of the letter T), and also not knocked down (in the form of the letter X). After arriving at the place of crucifixion, the condemned man was stripped naked and his clothes were given to the soldiers guarding the cross. In Judea, however, going along with the religious conviction of the Jews (Gen. 9:22-23; Lev. 18:6-19; 20:17; Hos. 2:3), the Romans left the condemned with a loincloth (Mishnah. Sanhedrin. 6:3; Tosefta. Sanhedrin. 9:6). The condemned person was then placed on the cross. The fixation of the body of the crucified person could be done in different ways. The legs of the crucified person were bent at the knees and nailed to the statikulum or fixed with ropes. The condemned could also be crucified on crosses already dug into the ground. The soldiers used ropes to lift the body of the condemned, and those who remained below helped them. When the crucified man was raised to the proper height, he was tied by his hands to the patibulum with ropes, and then two iron nails were placed on his wrists, which were driven into the wood with a hammer. The soldiers standing below at this time tied or nailed the feet of the condemned man to the statikulum. For this purpose they either folded them in such a way that one foot covered the other, and then one nail was driven through both feet at once, or each foot was nailed separately. Whether the feet of Jesus Christ were nailed with one or two nails is not known. Some Fathers of the Christian Church (St. Gregory Nazianzin, Egyptian Bishop Nonnus) pointed to one nail, while others (St. Gregory of Tours, Cyprian) speak of four nails – two for the hands and two for the feet. The iconography of the Orthodox Church adopted the second tradition, while the Roman Catholic Church adopted the first. Different devices were used to keep the crucified person on the cross. Sometimes a small ledge–or scoot–was used, which was placed between the condemned man's legs. To increase the suffering of the executed person, the ledge was sometimes made pointed. Traditional Christian iconography and painting depict the crucified man with his hands pierced with nails in the middle of his palms. However, research done in the first half of the twentieth century by Pierre Barbet, the chief surgeon at St. Joseph's Hospital in Paris, showed that Christian painters were quite mistaken. Conducting a number of experiments with amputated hands, as well as with corpses, P. Barbet discovered unexpected at the time facts. It turned out that when nailed to the cross at the level of the middle of the palms of the hands came off the nails at a load of about 39 kg. Experimental data confirmed mathematical calculations, which showed that at the position on the cross, during which the hands of the crucified person move away from the torso to the patibulum at an angle of about 68?, the body of the condemned would definitely fall off the cross. Looking for an anatomical place that could, on the one hand, correspond as much as possible to the Gospel text and historical chronicles, and on the other hand, reliably hold the weight of the crucified on the nails, P. Barbet came to the conclusion that for this purpose the space available on the wrist of Desto is the most suitable. When nails pierce the palm of the hand through this space, the large blood vessels are not damaged. The divergence of the data revealed in the works of P. Barbet data with traditional iconography can be explained by the simple fact that since the IV century AD, after the edict of Constantine the Great, in the Christian world execution by crucifixion was forbidden and much knowledge about this procedure was eventually forgotten. One more important fact: in the first quarter of the twentieth century French doctor A. LeBec made an assumption that death by crucifixion came as a result of suffocation. This assumption is now accepted as the main cause of death in crucifixion. As muscle fatigue increased, the crucified man sagged more and more, with inhalation still more or less possible, but exhalation became more and more difficult. As a result, inevitable muscle cramps made it possible to breathe only by means of diaphragm contraction, and this, in its turn, led to the development of suffocation, from which the crucified man died. Together with the heaviness of breathing at each attempt to change the position on the cross, the bones of the wrist and feet turned around the nails driven in, and the soft tissues of the back, damaged during scourging, were scraped on the staticulum, which caused the crucified person the most severe pain, and to speak – a person must get enough air in the lungs, so to pronounce each word the crucified person had to rise on the cross. For this purpose, each time the executed person had to lean on his nail-pierced legs and at the same time pull himself up on his hands nailed to the cross. Imagine how much pain every word spoken on the cross brought to the crucified man. If, of course, this was even possible. Especially since Jesus died three hours after the crucifixion. This fact gives the whole story even more mysticism, it seems to be simple, but it speaks of many things: from the conspiracy theory and staged performance to the paucity of imagination, miserable fantasy of the authors of the Gospels; from the original fascism, manifested by the Roman legionaries in the gambling beating of the religious-political leader of the Jews, to the femininity of Jesus' nature, sickness and poor health. And there is one more formula, explaining very logically this fact of quick death, taking into account that Jesus was not broken knees, unlike the rest executed near him (and those, if you know, did not die by the moment of declaring Jesus dead), but about it, perhaps, I will keep silent – first I will check in mission, then I will sound.
A light hum went through the hall.
– Again, I can cite the execution of Spartacus' companions as an example. Some of those executed were alive three days after the crucifixion. Remember, 6,000 people were crucified at that time, there is no reason to think that pity was shown to them before the crucifixion. The more time passed from the moment of crucifixion on the cross, the more strength the executed person lost, he had increasing cramps and muscle pain, more and more pronounced became the dislocation of the joints of the girdle of the upper limbs, more and more often he took a position that prevented normal breathing. Inhalation was carried out only at the expense of the diaphragm, which gradually led to the development of pronounced suffocation, from which eventually the crucified man died. Sometimes, in order to shorten the time of waiting for death, the bones of the shins were broken with a crucifixion hammer, as I have just mentioned. In this condition, the crucified person would quickly become asphyxiated. In about fifteen minutes. The theoretical assumption that the death of the condemned by this method of execution came from, shall we say, an inability to breathe, is now accepted by practically all those who study the matter scientifically. However, no one has been able to explain exactly how Christ died on the cross. And in this there is not only a secret, not only a mystery, but a mysterious secret, in which, however, I will not initiate you. Not yet. Perhaps you will understand, I will even say, calculate it yourself. Look, suffocation and heaviness to exhale make impossible all attempts not only to utter words, but also separate meaningful sounds. However, during the crucifixion, Jesus speaks until his last breath. This is stated in all four Gospels. For example, the Gospel of Luke says: "Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. And having said this, he gave up his spirit" (Luke 23:46). As I have already said, the crucified were on the cross until the moment of death a few days, and the death of Christ came three, at most six, hours after nailing to the cross, about what is clearly enough written in the Gospels: "It was the third hour, and they crucified Him" (Mk. 15:25) and "It was about the sixth hour of the day, and there was darkness over all the earth until the hour of the ninth hour (similar to an eclipse): and the sun was darkened, and the veil in the temple was rent in the midst (this I cannot logically comment on yet)." "Jesus, crying out with a loud voice…" Please pay attention to this. This is just before he died! Don't you think he's hinting that it's time to take me down? "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. And when he had said this, he gave up his spirit." (Luke 23:44-46) Neither the judges, nor the executioners, nor the sympathizers, and most importantly, nor the Pharisees who watched the crucifixion, expected Christ to die so quickly.
Rangit in the form of Christ was silent for a moment, then continued again:
– There is a factor to consider. The Pharisees were faced with a difficult choice. Accordingly, so did the Sanhedrin, whose law they were guided by. They realized that the crucified would stay on the crosses for a day or more, so at first they wanted to postpone the execution to other days. The thing is that the next day was Saturday, and it also coincided with the Passover. Waiting for the death of the executed, which usually came on the second or third day, was a serious violation of Jewish law. But then the question arises again: why did they decide to execute them all on this day? Most likely they were afraid of Pilate's change of mind. They complained against Christ both secretly and openly many times before. Most likely this was the main argument, so they decided to speed up the execution. And they went, of course, under the leadership of the Sanhedrin, since they had obtained Pilate's decision with difficulty. Let's just say they put pressure on him. They intimidated the people, they shouted… I think it would be better if I quote part of chapter 19 of John's Gospel . From it you will learn, among other things, about the much shorter time between Jesus' crucifixion and death – less than three hours. And John in this case is a very reliable source: he was a friend, a relative and was present at the execution (unlike the other future apostles who scattered in fear). According to John, at the sixth hour Pilate was still interrogating Jesus.
10 Pilate said to him, "Do you not answer me? Do you not know that I have the power to crucify you and the power to release you?
11 Jesus answered, "You would have no authority over me unless it had been given to you from above; therefore more sin is on him who delivered me to you.
12 From that time Pilate sought to release Him. But the Jews cried out, "If you let him go, you are no friend of Caesar; anyone who makes himself king is an opponent of Caesar.
13 When Pilate heard this word, he took Jesus out and sat down at the judgment seat, at a place called Lithostroton, or Gabbatha in Hebrew.
14 Then it was the Friday before the Passover, and the sixth hour. And Pilate said to the Jews, "Behold, your King!
15 But they cried out, "Take him, take him, crucify him! Pilate said to them, "Shall I crucify your king? The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar.
16 Then at last he handed Him over to them to be crucified. And they took Jesus and led Him away.
I mean, he was also walking for a while. And the rest of the procedure also took time.
…Thus they themselves were faced with a difficult choice. To execute on Passover was to offend Jewish law. And they had to execute him quickly, before Pilate changed his mind. The fact is that Christ also had powerful supporters. Joseph of Arimathea, whom we shall soon remember. The rush factor was the reason why the Pharisees were forced to ask Pilate to allow an act of mercy for those being crucified – to break their shins so that the death of the executed would come soon. "But since it was then Friday, the Jews, in order that the bodies might not be left on the cross on the Sabbath – for that Sabbath was a great day – asked Pilate to break their shins and take them down" (John 19:31). Pilate authorized it, and the soldiers broke the shins of the robbers. But when the turn came to Christ, they found Him dead, so they did not break His shins. And then something unforeseen for the average person happens. Well, let's say, unforeseen for the uninformed in the rules of execution, elevated to a certain ritual. Unforeseen, I interpret the legionary guard's act as spontaneous to the uninformed. Not to the condemned, the witnesses to the execution, and certainly not to Jesus' colleagues in the rabbinate… yes, yes, Jesus was called a teacher not out of sight, not for the sake of a red word, not according to their own understanding of his role, but according to the fact of his professional activity: he really was a rabbi. So, his supporters knew about such a procedure as piercing the executed person with a spear as a method of checking whether he was alive or dead. Why I put some intrigue into this, you will have to understand in the course of the mission. This is my version, and I believe it is real.
Rangit stopped performing his magical ritual walk on the stage, looked at the invited experts and nervously, as it might seem, rubbed his beard with the fingers of his left hand. Suddenly he stopped, looked back at Rutra, went back on his trajectory, and continued his narration:
– As I have already said, the rapidity of Jesus' death surprised many people and, consequently, aroused suspicion, including the guards. For this reason, one of the Roman soldiers, wanting to be sure of the reality of Christ's death, pierced his body with a spear. Although, maybe not for this reason: they pierced the executed after they were declared dead, often, or rather, it was even in the rules. In this case, the suspicion that led to the desire to verify Jesus' death was weighty. The Gospel describes it this way, "But one of the soldiers pierced His ribs with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out…" (John 19:34-35) Here again I must remind you of the different translations and rewritings of the Bible. In particular, the Gospels. Even now the scriptures themselves differ according to denominational interpretation, albeit only slightly to the average person. I'm talking about the water. Many people here begin to interpret differently, almost to conduct forensic examinations, and I think here, as in many places, misinterpretation or translation. Let me give you an example. Perhaps it was not necessary to voice it now, as it is very shocking. I hope it doesn't detract from the topic. My point is this. Everyone… let's say, a lot of people are wondering what the numbers 666 mean, that is the number of the devil. Well, you'd be surprised…
Rangit cut his speech short.
– No, first I'll make an introduction. Let us think of a fearsome tyrant. Though he may be a benefactor to some. It's not like we live under the threat of his wrath. Okay, I'm talking about Stalin. Let me remind you, under him, you could go to hard labor just because you were needed there. And you were lucky if you weren't a laborer. Yes, yes. Guilt could be invented. For example, the reason of exile of the chief cognac master of "Ararat" factory was the need of a similar maestro somewhere else: where it was necessary to organize cognac production. A curious case is connected with this. Stalin sent Churchill, a lover of Armenian cognacs, a good drink. The latter was quite a great connoisseur in this part, preferred them. Once the British Prime Minister wrote to Stalin about the deterioration of the quality of cognac, and asked whether the master had not changed. Stalin checked the situation and ordered to return the master to his native enterprise. There are less romantic examples. I promise I won't rant for long. I will say this, you could get into disgrace, even if you smoked cigarettes with a filter (it was almost a luxury back then); did not have time to fix the tractor before the sowing season; three neighbors confirmed your idle lifestyle, so to speak, beyond your means, as it might seem; were more than 20 minutes late for work; did not hand over all the available grain after the harvest, even if the family is dying of hunger. By the way, you could have been shot for that. Though for any other reason you could have been fitted for a firing squad if you had to, and for many other similar things that now seem like idiotic reasons. If someone thought what this is about, I'll add: for such a thing you could get, not counting the shooting, of course, 10 years without the right to correspondence. Bourgeois ways and suspicion of a lifestyle beyond one's means were valued at that much. But there was a law, according to which you were shot, not in exile, not in prison, but shot for three spikelets. If you were found picking grain in the field, even after the harvest, you were guaranteed prison. And if you were caught with three spikelets plucked before the harvest – you were shot, and even from the age of twelve. Hard to believe, isn't it? You know why I'm digressing, don't you? I'll tell you why. Imagine those times, those mores. The Roman emperor had to be recognized as God's vicar on earth, a saint. Do you understand, whence the definition of the title of the Pope, and all other megalomaniacs, including the cult of personality of Stalin? Although the cult of Lenin was the leaven of his cult, and this baton goes all the way back to the Stone Age. Alas, such is the nature of man. So, naturally, the Jews had no love for the invaders, much less Christians for Nero. Let me explain. First, the method of writing. I will say this, all these punctuation marks, rules of writing, you understand, once appeared; many signs, for example, from mathematics at Archimedes did not exist. Not only that, but they were written in the same way – in a merged form and without capital letters. And there were also letters with numbers and numbers with letters. Remember the Roman letters. I will not delay with the solution of the rebus, I reveal the cards: in the Roman mathematical alphabet… that is, in the Roman mathematical alphabet 666 is arranged into letters in the same way as the word, or rather, the name is arranged… – the voice suddenly stopped. – I decided to leave the intrigue to the last moment," Rangit said playfully after a pause. – To explain: the Jews could not write about him openly and, observing conspiracy, encrypted the messages by a method of unsophisticated, but known only to a narrow circle of the initiated cryptography.
Rangit approached the edge of the pulpit, raised the index finger of his left hand, shook it a little and said:
– Yes, with all your unconditional awareness… I will take into account this awareness in different categories and directions of sciences. I will make the necessary clarification, without guessing whether you know or not: the ability to write professionally, namely texts (and not slang "wall language", often vulgar), was a privilege of the elite, as difficult as the specialization of IT-engineers nowadays. So, they wanted to encrypt his name, so as not to fall into disgrace, that is, to the same cross or something even more terrible… He used much more sophisticated in terms of torture and abuse methods of execution. But not about that now. Initially, they wanted to hide their definition of the emperor as an enemy of the Jews and Christians in particular… although Orthodox Jews and Jewish-Christians sometimes did not get along well… to designate him as a very bad man, a tyrant, a devil, Satan, and then his name became a kind of metaphor, while keeping the deciphering secret. Exactly in secrecy – otherwise His name would have been turned into a funny errative, the emotional deterrence would have been lost. It is so simple, it turns out, though not easy, because I did not reveal His name.
The holographic image of a Semitic or Arab man on the stage, dressed in the garb of the beginning of the era, laughed, revealing the yellowness of his grin. In the audience, his laughter and facial expressions evoked apprehension and dislike rather than emotional support. Those gathered pondered who he was, and thought about solving the mystery of the millennia. The hall was suspiciously silent, and tension was in the air.
– I promise you will learn this secret during the mission," Rangit hastened to defuse the situation with the same broad smile.
This time she elicited a response, after a couple seconds and a few sighs the hall began to whisper.
– Now let's go back. Let's go back to blood and water, or rather, water. And let's not forget the time of the writing of the Gospels. That is, with the passage of time, the story has been overgrown with inaccuracies and additions, misinterpretation, incorrect explanation. What to speak of editing, much less the extant version. Although the mention of water is not of great importance to us, I have focused on it incidentally, for attention to the form of the narrative and to the variants of the story. Many consider it a sign of death. But why? Does water ooze out of a dead body? I assure you, no.
This last statement elicited the now customary slight smile from the audience. The so-called Jesus smiled back and continued:
– Let's move on. Such a speedy death of Christ surprised not only those present, but Pilate himself. I will quote again: "…Joseph of Arimathea, a famous member of the council, who himself was expecting the kingdom of God, came and dared to enter Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised that He was already dead, and calling the centurion, asked him how long had He been dead? And having learned from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph" (Mark 15:43-45). There is an opinion of a specialist in forensic medicine on this case. Here it is.
In the space in front of the audience appeared a text in a frame of three-dimensional letters, perceived as a 3D image.
– Quote: "…The noted series of circumstances of the death of Jesus Christ, which is given in the Gospels, namely – the relatively rapid onset of death, the ability of Jesus Christ to clearly pronounce words until the last minutes of life, the clarity of consciousness retained by the crucified man until his death, as well as the flow of blood and water that flowed from the wound inflicted on him posthumously by a spear, allow us to doubt the validity of the asphyxial genesis of Christ's death...." Realizing these inconsistencies, experts began to look for other causes of Jesus' death. True, they did not think about the main factor, but about it later. I will not disclose it for the time being. While on this issue I will voice the following: in 1949 in The Hibbert Journal there was published an article by R. Primrose, "The Surgeon looks at Jesus' death. Primrose "A Surgeon Looks at the Crucifixion", where it was claimed that the death of Jesus Christ on the cross was imaginary, and the lethal outcome was caused by a spear thrust. At first this version was accepted as true. After experts decided that this is a mistake. That is, in their opinion, I note – professional, it could not be with a dead man. Especially, I note again, water. And again I remind you, perhaps it is not about water… or water is mentioned in an allegorical sense. There are other opinions as to why Jesus died. Here are some …cardiac arrhythmia (Johnson C., 1978), progressive acidosis (Wijffels F., 2000), pulmonary embolism (Brenner B., 2005) led to the rapid onset of death. However, they do not explain the oozing of blood and water from the wound inflicted by the spear. There are various versions of the cause of Jesus' death, as well as his physiological and psychological state during the execution, but the main factor should be taken into account – there is no data in the Gospels that could testify to any change of consciousness in Christ. All his speeches on the cross and his behavior are completely sensible. That is why this version is the closest for me. Of course, if we do not take into account the factor that I have not yet voiced. Or rather, this is the version, which, by the way, we have to check.
Having said the last, Rangit, having made a turn around his axis, suddenly appeared in the holographic image of a famous scientist showing his tongue. It happened masterfully and spectacularly – the audience expressed their feelings with a second's delay. They were vague emotions, but the flashes of admiration and surprise showed the brightness of their colors. The hyped-up brand of imagery intrigued, and the sight of a comical grandfather with his tongue sticking out made the audience laugh. The listeners, who, although attentive, but without emotion, calmly, perceived the information, buzzed, expressing in whispers a clear interest.
– Among other things," Rangit added, smiling, realizing the delight in the change of image, "the mission will be sent to different worlds to verify the different variations of the Gospel story. After all, there are reasonable assumptions that there was no such story at all.
He silently began to scratch his head amusedly, looked at his audience stupidly, said quietly, as if in confidence:
– There was no whole person image at all – one Savior. So Jesus is a collective image…perhaps.
After saying this, he maintained the silence in the room with silence on the stage, waiting for the thought processes to end.
– Now let's move on to completion… and I won't torture you any more," Rangit informed in the voice of a movie character.
– Really like Pilate," said the lady, who looked like the famous French singer Mireille Mathieu, with a comical grimace.
She was known to her colleagues in the expert community by her star name Venus. She clearly wanted to tease the ISKIN, judging by her cocky manner.
– Did Pilate express himself like that? – Rangit threw back.
– That's just what we'll check," she parried without a fraction of strain.
– All right, let's hear it," the lecturer continued, taking on his original appearance in an instant.
This time the reincarnation energized the audience and caused fun.
Satisfied with the response Jesus continued:
– After scrupulously examining the many theories of Jesus' death, M. W. Maslen and P. D. Mitchell (2006) expressed doubts about all the medical versions that explain Jesus' death. In their opinion, not one version can adequately explain the death of Christ. These experts suggested that possible new archaeological or some other, preferably written, evidence, such as the Qumran evidence, might clarify the true cause of Christ's death. It should be noted that the ancient Greeks and Romans referred to the liquid part of blood, as well as all transparent body fluids (e.g., pericardial fluid) as water. The Romans used the word lympha to refer to the water that is part of the blood and flows through the body, while the Greeks used the word hydor. Note that doctors and biologists of all countries still refer to the liquid part of the blood as lymph, and use the root hydor to refer to the accumulation of fluids in individual body cavities. Yet this does not explain the event authentically described in the Gospel, nor does it speak of a real physical process.
Saying the last, Rangit did the same trick, turning around himself, appearing for a moment in the image of the genie from "One Thousand and One Nights," with the jug on the floor being quite real, said:
– I'll dematerialize," he climbed into the jug and… disappeared with it.
To say that the audience was bewildered is possible. But that would not reflect their true state of mind, for Rangit could "read" their thoughts. Knowing, he waited. And when the degree of neuron excitement began to subside – it appeared again, making the contacts of dendrites and axons shimmer – Darth Vedder appeared on the stage.
The listeners looked at the holographic image in silence, which apparently did not suit Rangit, so his image changed. In his next incarnation, he appeared as a character from the same Star Wars epic, a C-3PO droid. It was a humanoid (in form), somewhat comical character that amused the audience. When the audience moved away from the magic tricks, it was time for discussion. It was an easy outlet for overheated brains. Without waiting for the end of the mild controversy that arose spontaneously in the audience, a lady, a statistician of the World Council of Churches, said:
– Don't tell me you have everything.
Rangit replied in the same style.
– That's it. The rest, I'm sorry, is in the mission itself.
Chapter 6. Where faith ends and religion begins
Rutra came on stage, smiling, and asked:
– What do you think of our showman?
– Quite," came the lady's alto.
– Is this technology patented? – the question was asked.
The voice belonged to the world-famous founder of the Internet giant, who had the status of a Bilderberg Club member.
Ruthra smiled, and it was clear from the questioner's answering smile that he knew the answer to his own question.
Then Rutra, waving his hands as if to ask "no more questions?", introduced the experts to the keynote speaker:
– Our longtime friend, a professor of theology at the Institute of World Culture… he will tell you the story of our subject in a multivariate focus and perspective. I hope you find him fascinating. Questions are welcome. From time to time, ISKIN and possibly me will enter into the dialog, and you will not necessarily see me.
Suddenly, Rangit appeared in his original form, then began to alternate between the characters he was, and finally took on the image of… Rutra. The audience, already quite tempted by his manners, gasped. Rutra responded to their cheers and exclamations with a clarification:
– Get used to him. Everyone here has already gotten used to it and adopted the slogan: "He is always with us, he is always with you, he is always everywhere". As you have probably already realized, Rangit is an integral part of our team and our experiment together with you. By the way, he was born here, in the secret center of scientific research, at a depth of 147 meters, in the Nordenskj?ld Bay of the Novaya Zemlya archipelago. So he is in his homeland, although he can be anywhere.
A wave of questioning looks passed among the audience.
– So the server that reflects us is out there? – asked one of the experts, the head of the International Institute of Globalization Problems.
– Rather than a server, it's more like a processor station," explained the I.T. guy, co-chairman of the Internet giant's board of directors.
Rutra decided not to distract the meeting with details, especially since it was classified information anyway, so tacitly emphasizing the possibility of the Sphere Concern was enough.
– So, if I may have your attention, Professor of Theology," Rutra pronounced the name of the institution in Italian, "Istituto per le Opere di Religione, Nomor Ffitnop. Let me make it clear again, you can not only listen, but also ask questions.
A man in his sixties, slightly taller than average, slender, in a white robe, gray-haired, came from backstage. For those who understood, he was a presbyter. He had an elongated face, very white, even sickly white, and a melodious voice. The latter became clear as soon as he began to speak. And he began as soon as two assistants helped him to make himself comfortable at the table.
– I greet you, my friends," the theologian began sweetly. – I suppose I have the right to address you that way," he said, looking at the audience, his head slightly raised. – I usually say my children," he smiled again. – I am concerned about the perception of such an address in our time. Many people nowadays have come to regard it very inadequately. I am thankful for the acceptance of all of us as God's creatures. Please forgive me for such a beginning. Believe me, in other audiences and on other topics I conduct dry scientific dialectics. In this case, because of the similarity of the topic, I would say, because of their intersection… – he stopped talking, rolled his eyes a little, thought about something, then added: – Let me explain my position on dialectics. I put the following meaning into dialectics. Or rather, to put the sense – it would be wrongly said. Probably, it is a definition. Judge for yourself, if we take dialectics as such… – he was silent again, – or rather, you most likely know this definition of dialectics – a method of argumentation in philosophy, as well as a form and method of reflexive theoretical thinking, which investigates the contradictions found in the conceivable content of this thinking. Speaking in earthly terms, I will allow myself to make such a joke, – the art of arguing, of reasoning. But please note that dialectics has another definition, and that is the key to my…" the theologian looked at Rutra, "a speech, perhaps," he said, receiving a mutual smile, "a lecture or a report, whoever will accept it," the theologian added, and looked intently into the hall, studying the facial expressions of his listeners. – I will apply dialectics, without reducing the degree of attention of observation, as a philosophical science of universal laws of movement and development of nature, human society and thinking. As a scientific method of cognition of eternally moving and changing phenomena of nature and society by revealing internal contradictions and struggle of opposites, leading to a leapfrog transition from one quality to another.
Ruthra tapped his fingers lightly on the table, signaling to the professor. He nodded, realizing his procrastination, exchanged a friendly smile, and began to speak.
– So, I hope you have not forgotten about the beginning," he smiled, raised the index finger of his left hand demonstratively upwards, and said instructively, "in the beginning was the word. I beg your pardon, it was a joke, in terms of my beginning, – he smiled again at the audience. – I wanted to remind you of the beginning of my dialog with you. That is what I will be emphasizing. I hope that the dialog will take place and that we will not violate the truth in the dispute," he looked at Rutra again, "everything will be within the laws, God's or the metaphysics of the universe.
Such dialog cheered up the bored audience, and laughter ran through the hall.
– Honorable gentlemen," the theologian went on, "I confess that I would have liked to debate the main subject of the Honorable Master's experiment," he pointed with a graceful gesture of the palm of his hand at Rutra, "but the Lord has called me here for another purpose. I was speaking of life," Ffitnop continued with a serious face. – If life must be different on other worlds, why is it different on Earth? Intelligent life. For all the diversity of forms, only humans have become intelligent. Though other species live longer if you look at evolution. So there's a universal rule.
– Why are there twelve apostles and only four gospels? – suddenly came from the audience.
This was the same software engineer who was known online under the nickname Hacker in Law.
– No," replied the professor, not the least bit embarrassed. – Everything is not simple there at all. And there are more Gospels, and not all those who wrote are apostles of Christ. It's not all there at all as we know it. Well, let's just say it's not exactly as we know it. Before I begin, I'm going to summarize the chapters of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. This will enable you to understand the story, the narrative that most people understand.
