jefflong.yearzero-第6部分

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　〃Joan　of　Arc！　The　fifteenth　century！〃　Nikos　snapped　the　box　shut。　〃I'm　after　bigger　game。〃
　The　Eygptian　was　intrigued。　They　moved　on　among　the　strange　fruits　as　Nikos　explained　that　his　idea　for　this　collection　had　e　to　him　in　a　dream。　Ever　since；　he　had　pursued　his　goal　with　exacting　perseverance。
　〃At　first　I　was　a　babe　in　the　woods。　Every　new　collector　is；〃　he　said。　〃I　wasted　good　money　on　forgeries；　ancient　and　modern。　I　was　fooled。　My　only　fort　was　that　even　the　Pardoner　in　Chaucer'sCanterbury　Tales　was　tricked　into　buying　pig's　bones。　Now　I'm　more　seasoned。　The　counterfeits　are　obvious　to　my　eye。　Dealers　are　more　careful　in　what　they　offer。〃
　〃You　mean　to　say　there　is　a　marketplace　for　these　bits　of　the　graveyard？〃
　〃Oh；　a　lively　one；〃　said　Nikos。　〃Pieces　bee　available。　Auctions　are　held。　Very　silent。　Very　ruthless。　Prices　fluctuate。　My　chief　petitors　are　not　churches；　but　the　Japanese　and；　of　late；　Chinese；　mostly　children　of　the　Maoist　warlords。　They　make　the　auctions　very　expensive。　I　have　e　to　prefer　other　methods。　My　agents　have　fanned　out　in　Eastern　Europe　and　Russia；　where　political　unrest　has　forced　Orthodox　monasteries　and　churches　to　sell　their　holdings　at　cut　rate。　Most　of　the　reliquaries　have　been　picked　over。　Much　of　what's　left　is　rubbish：　skulls　or　vials　of　the　Virgin's　breast　milk　or　amputated　fingers　of　famous　saints。　My　best　acquisitions　e　via　the　night。〃
　The　Egyptian　grinned。　Here　was　the　freebooter　of　old。　〃You　steal　holy　relics？〃
　〃I　acquire　orphans；〃　Nikos　admitted　with　a　smile。　〃The　practice　is　as　ancient　as　relics　themselves。Furta　sacra　it　is　called。　The　theft　of　sacred　relics　is　a　time　honored　tradition。　For　over　a　thousand　years；　monks　and　bishops　and　knights…and　mon　burglars…have　been　〃translating〃　relics　from　one　place　to　another。　In　a　sense；　the　theft　renews　the　value　of　what　are　just　tired　bits　of　bone　and　tissue。　It　declares　an　object　of　desire。〃
　He　went　on　to　describe　a　bizarre　world　of　corpses；　skulls；　shriveled　hearts；　and　miracles；　a　world　the　Egyptian　had　thought　ended　in　the　Dark　Ages。　Nevertheless；　ing　from　the　land　of　mummies　and　bottled　viscera；　he　was　no　stranger　to　man's　abiding　fascination　with　the　morbid。　Nikos's　theory　tying　theft　with　desirability　made　perfect　sense。　For　millenia；　mummies　had　lain　worthless　in　their　tombs。　Only　in　the　last　few　centuries　had　Europeans　restored　their　eminence；　dragging　them　up　into　the　sunlight　to　display　in　museums　or　to　crush　into　medicinal　potions。
　At　the　end　of　one　row；　Nikos　opened　a　file　cabinet。　Each　artifact　had　its　own　numbered　file。　Nikos　plucked　several　at　random。　Some　files　held　official　Church　documents…〃authentics〃…which　validated　the　relic　as　genuine　and　described　the　date　and　type　of　its　enclosure　in　a　locket　or　hollow　cross　or　monstrance。　Others　had　no　authentics。　The　Egyptian　presumed　those　were　files　for　the　stolen　relics。　Each　artifact　has　its　own　story；　and　Nikos　has　conscientiously　documented　every　anecdote　and　more。　Also；　every　file　contained　reports　from　international　laboratories　that　read　like　medical　histories。
　〃The　Church　has　developed　three　classes　of　relics；〃　said　Nikos。　〃The　first　class　is　organic；　from　the　body　itself。　The　second　class　is　for　clothing　or　objects　that　the　martyr　touched。　The　third　class　is　insignificant。　It　consists　of　bits　of　cloth　that　have　been　touched　against　first　or　second　class　objects。〃
　〃Your　interest；〃　the　Egyptian　guessed；　〃lies　in　the　first　class。　The　body　itself。〃
　Nikos's　eyes　twinkled。　〃I'm　afraid　that　would　be　a　heresy；　given　my　prey。〃
　The　Egyptian　grunted　with　delight。　Prey？　A　corpse　as　heresy？　He　loved　riddles。　〃Ah；　the　Holy　Grail。〃
　〃There　is　no　such　thing；〃　Nikos　firmly　stated。　He　was　demonstrating　his　scholarship。　The　Egyptian's　respect　was　important　to　him。　〃The　Bible　never　mentions　a　grail。　In　fact；　it　was　conjured　up　by　a　hermit　who　had　a　vision　in　717。　But　the　idea　gained　such　popularity　through　poems　and　novels　and　now　Hollywood　that　people　take　it　for　granted。　I've　learned　to　beware　of　legend。〃
　〃No　grails？　No　veils？　No　holy　mangers？〃
　Nikos　grinned。　〃My　search　is　for　the　instruments　of　torture　and　death。　They　have　terms　for　those；　too。Ex　stipite　affixionis　refers　to　the　whipping　post。　The　crown　of　thorns　is　calledCoronse　spinse。
　〃The　thornbush　still　grows　in　the　hills　of　Israel　and　Lebanon。　Botanists　have　identified　it　asZizyphus　bulgaris　lam；　a　bush　that　grows　to　twenty　feet。　Its　thorns　appear　in　pairs。　What　we　call　a　crown　was　probably　a　cap　that　fitted　over　the　entire　top　of　the　head。　Supposedly　the　one　used　for　Jesus　held　sixty　or　seventy　thorns。　After　it　was　rediscovered　by　Constantine's　mother；　most　of　the　thorns　were　broken　off　and　given　as　relics。　She　gave　them　out　like　candy；　and　they　were　handed　down　through　the　generations。　History　records　that　the　emperor　Justinian　gave　one　thorn　to　Germanus；　bishop　of　Paris；　in　565。　Mary；　Queen　of　Scots；　gave　some　to　an　earl。　Eight　thorns　resided　in　the　Oviedo　Cathedral　until　the　Spanish　Civil　War。　Only　five　thorns　survived　the　destruction。〃　Nikos　lowered　his　voice。　〃And　I　own　two　of　them。〃
　The　Egyptian　tried　arranging　these　clues。　Nikos　had　some　system　here；　and　the　system　was　his　answer。　But　it　eluded　him。　Nikos　wanted　his　batch　of　sacred　art　and　the　tidbits　of　martyrdom　to　reach　back　to　the　beginning。　Maybe　that's　all　there　was　to　it；　the　antiquarian's　urge　toward　oldness　or　a　prototype。
　Nikos　continued　the　tour；　pointing　at　this　or　that　relic。　One　he　had　obtained　from　a　British　mando　who　stole　it　from　a　cathedral　during　his　tour　of　duty　in　Northern　Ireland。　Another　came　from　a　museum　in　Berlin　immediately　after　the　Wall　fell。　He　had　a　number　of　bones　looted　from　an　Armenian　church　in　Jerusalem　following　the　terrible　Dead　Sea　Rift　earthquake。　Several　more　pieces　had　been　pilfered　from　the　famous　Year　Zero　collection。　Disasters　and　man…made　schisms　had　furnished　his　collection。
　The　Egyptian　began　to　notice　other　aspects　of　the　collection。　All　of　the　containers　had　been　opened。　Their　contents　had　been　loosely　returned　to　the　hollow　interiors；　like　the　hank　of　hair；　or　else　laid　beside　the　container。　Dozens　of　ampules　and　capsules　of　different…colored　glass　had　been　cut　open；　then　placed　upon　small　squares　of　surgical　gauze。　They　looked　like　rare　cocoons。　Behind　every　domo　stood　a　small　rack　of　test　tubes　with　red　or　yellow　or　blue　plastic　stoppers；　each　labelled　with　lab　tags。　Nestled　in　their　bellies　were　fragments　of　bone；　wood；　hair；　dust；　or　splinters。
　The　Egyptian　gave　up　trying　to　guess　Nikos's　purpose。　〃I　don't　understand；〃　he　said。　〃You　have　cultivated　an　impressive　knowledge　about　early　Christianity。　You　have　gathered　together　artifacts　that　are　2000　years　old。　But　then　you　tear　them　to　pieces。〃　He　picked　up　a　gold　and　crystal　container；　and　the　opening　in　the　back　gaped　like　a　wound。　A　sudden　flash　of　recognition　jolted　him。　〃Wait。　You　mean　to　say。。。。〃
　〃Yes；〃　said　Nikos。　〃I　am　hunting　Jesus。〃
　The　Egyptian　coughed。　He　was　astonished。　Exhilarated。　He　shivered　with　the　cold。　The　audacity。　Only　Nikos。　〃Christ　is　your　prey？〃
　Nikos　shook　his　finger。　〃Not　Christ；〃　he　said。　〃Jesus。〃
　〃The　same　thing。〃
　〃Not　at　all。　Christ　is　faith。　Jesus　is　history。　I　mean　to　excavate　through　two　thousand　years　of　superstitions　and　myth　and　religious　baubles　and　to　find　his　evidence。〃
　〃Is　such　a　thing　possible？〃
　〃People　claimed　Troy　was　a　myth。　That　Agamemnon　and　Nestor　were　mere　fictions。　No　longer。〃
　〃But　they　left　ruins　and　gold。　What　could　be　left　of　a　peasant　who。。。。〃　The　Egyptian　stopped　himself。　〃Blood；〃　he　murmured。
　〃Yes；〃　said　Nikos。　〃The　DNA　of　God。〃
　As　the　Egyptian　looked　around　the　refrigerated　reliquary；　the　brazen　undertaking　came　rushing　together。　The　artifacts；　the　blood　traces；　the　labs。　He　was　thrilled　by　the　challenge　Nikos　had　set；　and　felt　himself　tumbling　into　the　mystery。　A　thousand　questions　crowded　in。
　〃One　must　be　careful；〃　Nikos　pronounced。　〃Jesus　is　a　trickster。　He　has　hidden　himself　behind　thousands　of　years　of　storytellers。　I　demand　hard　proof。〃
　Nikos　paused　and　took　down　a　primitive　tin　with　early　Christian　etchings　on　the　outside。　〃This　was　one　of　my　first　purchases。　It　was　very　exciting；〃　he　said；　lifting　the　lid。　A　small；　crude　cross…perhaps　two　inches　high…set　on　the　bottom。　〃The　preliminary　tests　suggested　it　might　have　e　from　the　true　Cross。　The　wood　was　dated　to　the　first　century。　Further　it　was　a　type　of　pine　that　only　grows　at　1；000　feet　above　sea　level。　It　has　traces　of　blood；　see？　The　genotype　was　Levantine。　Semitic。　Unfortunately　it　came　from　a　woman。　Unless　Jesus　had　breasts　and　a　womb。。。and　a　double　X　sex　chromosome。。。my　little　souvenir　was　a　fake。　It　taught　me　a　lesson；　though。　The　road　is　long。〃
　〃But　how　will　you　ever　recognize　the　blood　evidence　even　if　you　find　it？〃
　〃Didn't　you　know？〃　Nikos　said。　〃Jesus　was　blood　type　AB。〃
　〃Now　you're　joking。〃
　Nikos　kept　a　straight　face。　〃In　the　eighth　century；　so　the　story　goes；　in　the　monastery　of　St。　Longinus；　named　for　the　Roman　soldier　who　pierced　Jesus　with　a　lance；　the　wine　and　Host　became　actual　blood　and　flesh。　The　blood　congealed　into　five　pellets。　The　circle　of　flesh　dried　into　a　thin　disc。　In　1970；　two　professors　of　human　anatomy　were　allowed　to　analyze　the　relics。　Their　conclusion？　The　disc　of　flesh　was　striated　muscle　tissue　from　the　wall　of　a　human　heart。　The　blood　was　type　AB。〃　He　paused。　A　grin　erupted。　〃Of　course；　the　professors　were　Italian。〃
　〃And　so　my　question　stands；〃　said　the　Egyptian。　〃Even　if　you　find　the　blood　of　Jesus　on　a　splinter　of　wood；　how　will　you　know　it　is　true？〃
　〃I　won't　know；〃　Nikos　said　more　somberly。　〃But　at　least　I　will　know　if　it　is　false。〃
　The　Egyptian　was　baffled　all　over　again。　〃Why　not　call　it　all　false　and　be　done　with　it？　Let　the　faithful　have　their　visions　and　miracles。　Why　mutilate　these　ornaments？〃
　〃Surely　a　man　of　science　understands；〃　Nikos　answered　him。　〃Desecration　is　knowledge。　Doubt　is　faith。〃
　〃Yes；　if　one　is　looking　for　the　center　of　the　universe　or　the　structure　of　an　atom。〃
　〃And　so　I　am；　my　friend。〃
　〃But　you　said　it　yourself。　Even　if　you　find　what　you're　looking　for；　you'll　never　know　if　it　is　true。〃
　〃And　yet　I　will　have　touched　it；　even　if　I　didn't　know　it。〃
　The　Egyptian　wasn't　sure　what　to