Chapter 15 15

15 James had seen his elder brother heal many a sick man many times, but never had he seen the miracles so many were rumored to be.James experienced what happened to Lazarus firsthand, though John later embellished it as a sort of resurrection miracle.James was the only person who witnessed the whole incident: "Later, Martha and Mary sent someone to find Jesus after their dear brother Lazarus was seriously ill and lay motionless in bed. Got up and came to their house on the slope of the Mount of Olives. Jesus bent over his friend, touched his burning brow with his hand, and cried out, 'O Lazarus, get up.' Lazarus Sitting up miraculously, he recovered from his illness."

During the missionary process, Jesus was humiliated twice by the Roman centurion in various ways, and the one time in Capernaum caused Jesus to break his leg (his leg was rejoined later, but since then Jesus walked lamely) of).Each time, the centurion threatened Jesus that he would be arrested and hanged if he did not stop inciting the crowd.However, he was mighty and unyielding, and he never stopped preaching. In the sixteenth year of the Roman emperor Tiberius' reign (Note: Jesus was 34 years old), Jesus brought his credo of benevolence, fraternity, and peace--never surrender to any powerful force except God--to Center of Jerusalem.The Romans warned him that his mission would spark another rebellion.James, as well as the Jewish leadership, implored Jesus to preach elsewhere, so that the Romans and the anti-Semitic Roman governor Petronas would not be outraged.

Jesus rejected those warnings and suggestions.Although his every move was monitored by paid traitors, he continued to preach.He had the audacity to preach to the people outside Herod's palace during Passover.This angered the rulers of Petronas and Galilee.He also conferred with the governor Antibes, who had just arrived in the city.That night, Jesus and his closest apostles ate the Passover meal at the home of Nick Dames.He recounted the exodus of the Israelites in 1300 B.C., answered a question posed by a young apostle present, cut open matzo, and drank a little wine.Finally, he was finally persuaded by James and others to leave Jerusalem for a while to preach elsewhere.As Jesus set out that night, passing through the Kendney Valley, an unknown traitor arrived with Roman troops.Jesus was arrested.

The next morning, before Herod's palace, Jesus was tried by Petronas, who was accused of causing rebellion by rebelling against the government.Jesus stands, awaiting judgment.The witnesses brought before him were the Romans, and some natives who had Roman citizenship.The Jews who ran the temple refused to provide evidence against Jesus (for fear that if they sided with the Roman government, they would alienate Jesus' followers and arouse Jewish hostility).During this brief interrogation, Petronas appeared ruthless.Petronas' sentence was also cruel. He said to Jesus, "You will be crucified." Jesus replied, "Be careful, your house will be wiped out."

After a severe flogging—two thick lashes on Jesus more than 100 times—Jesus and two other criminals, one named Dasmus and the other Geistes, were arrested. A small party of Roman soldiers led out of the Sheep Gate and came to a hill beside the walls of Jerusalem.It was there that Jesus was crucified.But there were no iron nails on his hands and feet, but they were tied to the beam with thick ropes, and his ankles were tied to the olive wood posts of the cross by leather straps.He was tortured physically and mentally, and blood flowed from the place cut by the whip.Jesus' mouth was parched, and his expression was already a little blurred.Thus he was tied up in the sun until he died.To hasten his demise, a Roman soldier thrust a short sword into the side of his body and laughed loudly, "Let the Lord save him now!" When the sword was drawn from his body , Jesus lost consciousness.

At the ninth hour (note: 3 p.m.), the Roman soldiers looked at Jesus, touched him, and found that his body was cold, so they declared Jesus dead. Later, the deceased's friend Nicodemus Jesus and Joseph (another, not his dead father) begged Petronas to let them take the body of Jesus, and hold a ceremony for him A decent funeral, their request was granted. Before nightfall, Nicodemus directed Jesus' disciples, Simon and John, to take the body of Jesus and take him to his family's private cemetery, where he would be buried.While the people were calling for James, they were looking for linen and myrrh and aloe vera powder that had been anointed on Jesus.Mary of Magdala sat and nursed the dead body in the front hall of the cemetery. When the people came back with the distraught James, Mary went up to them and said to them in surprise: "Brothers, what happened?" A miracle! Jesus, he—is alive!"

According to James' records, his elder brother was really alive, but in a coma and breathing very weakly. James and the believers immediately sent the fainted Jesus to a safe cave, and sent someone to secretly find a doctor. Come to save Jesus who is still alive.After some examination, the doctor said that the soldier's dagger had not hurt the vitals, and the Romans had prematurely pronounced Jesus' death.For the next few days, the doctor came to take care of Jesus every day.After a week of careful treatment, Jesus was finally completely healed.However, due to suffering too much, his body became very weak.

James recorded it like this. There are two versions of Jesus' narrow escape.Mary of Magdala proved that Jesus was resurrected by God, while the doctor believed that Jesus survived the crucifixion because it happened that his wound was not very deep (note: this Not the only record of a person surviving a crucifixion. 40 years later, something similar happened. Historian Flavius ​​Josephines writes, I was sent by the Roman Emperor Detus to...  A village called Seko, to see if it was a suitable place to camp. When I came back, I saw many captives crucified. I remember three of them were people I had known before. I Feeling very sad in my heart, I came to Titus with tears in my eyes and told him about these three people. He immediately asked someone to take them down from the cross...but two died, and one passed by Doctor's treatment, and survived).My elder brother, whether our Christ died and was raised again by God, or was restored to health by the doctor's treatment, I cannot conclude.But as soon as I was sure that my elder brother was lucky enough to survive, I quickly informed those who thought he was dead, and said to them, "Jesus is back." When they heard the news, they were overjoyed and began to believe in God again .

In the end it was agreed that whatever happened, it was a miracle that Jesus lived again.Then, one night, Jesus called me, and our uncles Simon and Cleophus, to his hiding place.At this time, he had healed his injury and his body became stronger.He said to us, "You are much loved by God, you are the hope of many. Proclaim the good news of God and the Son of God to the people." Then he said he had to go, and I asked him where he was going, He replied, "In my father's house, and many others, I must go there and spread the message of the Saviour, until at last I am called back to God." We accompanied him until the rooster crowed, When we came to a hill near Bethany, he told us to stay there, and prayed for us.Then, holding a cane in his hand, he slowly disappeared in the misty night.So we knelt on the ground, and our hearts were filled with joy.

Amen, James' record proves he survived.The rest of James' account is based on reports from people who witnessed Jesus' ministry. Jesus' appearance was changed by the torture he suffered, and few people could recognize him immediately when they met him again.Jesus went to Casarea, Damascus, Antioch, and also to Pacia and Babylon, and then returned to Antioch, and then to Cyprus, Nepal, Italy, and Rome. From the believers who returned to Jerusalem, James knew where Jesus had gone, and also knew that what they said was absolutely true. Many people saw Jesus during his second mission.In Eames, seven miles from Jerusalem, Cleophus and Simon saw Jesus and ate bread together.On the shore of the Tiberian Sea, he met Thomas, Peter, and Simon's son, and had lunch with them.Five years after the crucifixion of Jesus, on the way to Damascus, Saul of Tarsus, renamed Baosui after his conversion, met a stranger one night, and he asked the stranger Who, the stranger replied, "I am Jesus."

Many years after Jesus was crucified, Ignatis of Antiochus—when he was a boy—had heard Jesus preach at the assembly place in Antiochus.When Ignatis grew up, he told the believers about this incident, "he is alive, I have seen him".Later, Jesus went to Italy.On the road to Rome, he met the disciple Peter, who was dumbfounded with astonishment.Jesus said, "Touch me, and you will know that I am not a dead demon." After Peter touched him, he believed that he was still alive. "My lord, where are you going?" asked Peter.Jesus replied, "I went this way, to be crucified again." The first to mention that Jesus did not die until the age of 50. James also corroborates the account of the unknown author of The Acts of Petronas. Also mentioned in the Gospel of Nicodemus, probably AD 190 Now, Jesus died not in AD 30, but sometime between AD 41 and AD 54.) But only a handful of people who had met him before recognized him.His followers and others among his followers believed that he had already ascended to heaven.James' record was encouraged by this few people.Because they were afraid that Jesus would be arrested by Rome during his second mission and be crucified again.They also disagreed with publicity about what happened afterwards.So Jesus was able to continue to preach everywhere as a humble and unknown teacher, and he let only a few people know his true identity. James learned that in Rome his elder brother Jesus was often seen appearing at the Pincion Gate, helping and comforting the sick and poor beggars.In the ninth year of Roman Emperor Clotias' reign, 60,000 Jews living in Rome were expelled, and Jesus was among them.It took our Lord Jesus and His disciples a whole night to escape from Rome.Jesus was 54 years old at the time. James writes thus: Paul told me that when he arrived in Corinth, he lived with a Jewish couple named Aquila and Briscilla, both leather makers.There, he learned that Jesus was crucified and resurrected into heaven.Aquila and Briscilla, like the rest of the Jews, were expelled from Rome by the order of the emperor Clodias.There are strict laws and regulations that they are not allowed to gather in Roman land, and they are not allowed to practice their illegal religion on Roman land.Aquila, Briscilla and Jesus left Rome together, and went through a difficult journey together to the port of Putioli.In this port city, while waiting for the Egyptian grain ships to take them to Alexandria and then to Gaza, Jesus gathered the Jewish refugees together and encouraged them to keep their faith in God and to be prepared for the coming crisis. The kingdom established by God and the Son of God produces trust.He claimed to be the Son of God.One of the members of the assembly, for a prize of 15,000 lire, informed the local government that Jesus had disobeyed the Roman emperor Clotias.Then a detachment of Roman soldiers stationed outside the port was dispatched to capture the rebellious Jesus. This time without a public trial, Jesus was sentenced to death.On a plateau outside Putioli, Jesus was scourged and bound to a cross, his bleeding body covered with something extremely flammable.Once the soldiers were sure he was bound, they threw a torch on him and left.As soon as they were gone, a strong wind came from the harbor and extinguished the flames that engulfed Jesus.By the time Aquila and the other believers unhooked Jesus from the fiery cross, he had died.His body was temporarily placed secretly in a cave, waiting for nightfall, and then held a funeral for him.At night, when Aquila, Briscilla and seven witnesses returned to the cave with embalmed spices and corpses, they found that Jesus' body was gone.The believers panicked.While they were guessing what was going on, a fiery halo of millions of light beams appeared over the mouth of the cave, and Jesus was in that halo.He beckoned to them, and they followed him, Aquila, Briscia, and seven witnesses to the top of a hill far from Putioli.Then it was dawn, and after Jesus blessed them, he set up auspicious clouds, slowly rose to the sky, and left their sight.Those who saw it knelt down in awe, thanking God and his Son. And so my elder brother Jesus ascended to heaven.That's what Aguilar and Briscilla told Paul in Currens, and Paul told me.Now our Jesus is in heaven, praised and favored by those around God. James concludes his narrative with: My faith in the divine work of my elder brother Jesus is growing, as are his fellow believers.I had done as the Jewish law required—no meat, no wine, no shaved hair, no meat, no shaved hair—and I was responsible in the church in Jerusalem.The message of God continued to be proclaimed among the Jews in the Gentile Diaspora, among the Gentiles from Damascus to Rome, and to the Gentiles as well. The government has begun to suspect me.I think I'm running out of information to stay in this world.So I give this story of Jesus to Matthew, one copy to Barnabas for use in Cyprus; another copy to Martin for Peter in Rome, and this copy for use I myself hand it over to... (Note: Within a few months of James writing this Gospel, there was a political vacuum as the attorneys at the Roman court needed to be replaced. The high bishop of Jerusalem, an arrogant and ceremonial man, overbearing and abusive, unlawfully accused James of blasphemy, and exempted him from his leadership of the Christian organization in Jerusalem. "This blasphemy," Higgs Pass wrote a century later, "is Refers to James' insistence that Jesus survived the crucifixion". According to the historian Josephines: "Ananius summoned the judges at San Joni and took Jesus' younger brother, a A man named James, and some others were brought before them and sentenced separately for the crime. Then it was announced that they would be stoned to death. "According to other eyewitnesses, James knelt on the ground and prayed before being executed," I beg you, O God and Lord, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing." A friendly judge stepped forward to stop the killing, saying to the executioners, "Stop! What are you doing He's praying for you!" But one of the executioners pushed the judge aside, brandished a clothes-beating club, and hit James so hard on the head that he lost consciousness. ) Thus died the brother of Jesus. And his handed down is this book that was only completed a few months before his death. It is really a wonderful book. (Note at the end of this Gospel: The reason why the original four Gospels contradict the Gospel of James is because none of them knew about Jesus’ second missionary work, and at the same time he went to Rome and was crucified again The Gospel of Mark was written around AD 70; the Gospel of Matthew was written around AD 80; the Gospel of Luke was later, about 80-90 years ago; Years ago. The three-volume manuscript written by James in AD 60 has never been seen in the world, because the volume given to Barnabas of Cyprus was lost after his death, and the volume of Peter was lost after his death in AD 64. It was also destroyed after being crucified in 1999. Only the volume of James himself was excavated in Ostia Antica after the nineteenth century, and this discovery makes up for the lack of the original four Gospels s things.) Randall realized that until now, he had not found the truth of the matter. Then, Randall remembered one more thing.He remembered a strange passage in the Gospel of John: "There are many other things that Jesus did. If they were written out one by one, I think the world would not be able to contain the books written." Now this world can accommodate every wooden book—and now, this last one. The book is here, here, the wonderful book! This is an astounding book that will shake the world.Randall never left the couch from the time he started reading the book until he reread it.He thought: This miraculous discovery will spread from his hands to the whole world. Without a doubt, this will be the greatest discovery in the history of biblical archaeology.In fact, are there any discoveries in other fields of archaeology that can compare with it?Could it be compared with the Homeric epics that Hilliman discovered?Can the discovery of the Roshat stone, the opening of the Tutakholmen tomb, and the discovery of Neanderthal remains be compared?No, so far there is nothing comparable to what Professor Augusto Monti discovered in Ostia Antica, Italy. Randall knew he was thinking again from the perspective of a print agent.If the floodgates were opened, countless ideas for promoting this discovery, this International New Testament, would flood into his mind.But now, he still wants to close the question, he is selfish, he still wants to revel in this shocking discovery for a while. He kept thinking in his heart, envious of those believers, and those whose faith was shaken.Once they learn about this book, their feelings must be bigger and deeper than their own.Immediately, he thought of those close to him, his sick father, his heartbroken mother, his hopeless friend Tom Carey, and even his sister Claire, and he imagined that the book about the resurrection of Jesus would be of great significance. What a huge impact they will have. Randall immediately thought of Judy, and his wife Barbara in San Francisco and the freedom she wanted, the love she needed, her hope for a new, better life for Judy and for herself. Randall got up from the sofa, walked slowly into the bedroom, and sat down on the edge of the bed.He stared at the telephone. It's late at night here now, so it's only afternoon over there 6,000 miles away. Randall thought again.Finally, he picked up the receiver from the phone and hung up long-distance to San Francisco. Fifteen minutes later, the call was picked up, and after nine operators—Amsterdam, New York, San Francisco, Randall wasn't sure where it was connected, but in the end, the call got through anyway, and someone answered. "Hello, Barbara?" "who are you?" "I'm Steve. How are you?" "Steve? I can't hear you very well. Where are you?" "I'm in Amsterdam now." "Amsterdam? My God, what are you doing there—oh, I remember, you told Judy—on a new assignment." "Yes. By the way, how is Judy?" "She's not here at the moment, or I'd let you speak to her directly. Well, she's fine." "Are you still seeing a doctor?" "Yes, still seeing Anser. She's back at school again. I think she'll write to tell you about it in a minute." "very good." "She wrote your father the sweetest letter. I had a great talk with Claire. I think she is slowly getting better." "You haven't told me how you are, Barbara. How are you?" "Uh-uh, Steve, what did you ask me to say?" "I thought, let me just say a few words first. First of all, I'm sorry, I really have to apologize for my behavior in the Oak City hotel room last time." "It's okay. You have your..." "It's been on my mind, Barbara. Let me tell you why I called you. I've thought the whole thing through. I mean, you're going to divorce me and marry Ansel Burke , and I tell you I will never agree to this. Well, I want you to know that my brain and my heart have changed. You deserve to be free and married again, and rightly so. So this— whatever How, you are free. You can prepare the divorce agreement, and I will not object any more. " "Steve! I—I don't know what to say. I can't believe this. I guess you're doing it for Judy." "I didn't do it for Judy. I did it for you, Barbara. You deserve happiness." "Damn it, I'm speechless. Steve, I can't express how I feel. This is the best thing you've done in years. I'm going to say—I want to— For this, I love you." "Don't talk about this, love can't be easily spread anywhere, just love the guy you are going to marry. You also need to love our daughter, remember, I love her too." "Steve, honey, I remember. Judy is also your daughter, you can see her any time, I promise you." "Thanks. I just hope she wants to see me too." "She wants to see you. She loves you." "Okay. Anyway, in a few days, I'll call Crawford in New York—tomorrow, if that works—and tell him we've agreed to a divorce. I'll put him in touch with you, and then He works with your agent on things like property distribution." "It's all right, Steve...Steve, you haven't told me—how are you?" "I'm not sure I'm better than I was. Definitely better. I'm sorting out some things. I think I might be a little crazy for you to leave me." "I hope so, Steve." "I wished so, but that's not the case. I'm so glad you've made the right choice. Anyway, I wish you well, both of you. Maybe in a year, I'll visit you." "You're always welcome, Steve." "Okay. Tell Judy I love her. Well, I love you too." "We love you too, Steve. Goodbye." "goodbye." Randall gently put the receiver back in its cradle.He thought—what? — and satisfactory.He hadn't felt this way for a long time.At the same time, he also felt a little sad, which was much more familiar. He didn't know what prompted him to make such a decision.Had he been influenced by the venerable Jesus?Was it a lingering and nagging sense of guilt that drove him to surrender?Could it be that he had subconsciously planned to give up all along?Whatever it was, things were doomed. At this moment, Randall suddenly felt that he was not alone. He looked up and saw Darina standing in front of the door from the living room to the bedroom. She looks very attractive.She was wearing a white sheer blouse, which exposed her bra.The tight light blue skirt fully showed her beautiful and shapely legs.Randall could see that she was smiling at him.In fact, she looked elated. Darlene happily tossed her shoulder-length blond hair and walked over to Randall. "How are you doing, baby?" Darina said briskly. Her presence surprised Randall. "I thought you were on the canal." "It's over, it's interesting." Darina bent down and kissed Randall's nose, and sat down on the bed next to him. "It's nearly midnight now." "Really?" A thought flashed through Randall's mind.He looked at Darina's happy face. "When did you come back?" "Well, about five minutes ago." "Where were you then? In your room?" "Here I am, in the living room. I came in by myself. You were busy on the phone, so you didn't hear me coming in." Darina was still smiling happily. "I couldn't resist and came in." "It's okay, your..." "But, Steve, it matters, it matters. I can't express how happy I am." "Why?" Randall asked suspiciously. Darina feigned surprise. "It's obvious, isn't it? I'm so glad you had the courage to finally separate from that woman. I thought you'd never agree to a divorce. Thank God you've figured it out now. You're free , completely free. It's been long enough." She kissed him on the cheek, "We can finally be together." Randall looked at her and said carefully word by word: "We are together now, Darina." "Fool, you know what I mean when I say that." Randall shifted to sit on the bed, facing Darina. "No, I don't know. What the hell do you mean by that, Darina?" "Now we can get married. When that wife of yours was pestering you, I never mentioned marriage to bother you, did I? I did it because I cared about you. I knew you would if I could. I'm married. That's what every girl wants. Now, honey, you can marry me, and I've never been so excited." She stood up and began to unbutton the front of her blouse . "Mmm, let's go to bed, don't waste any more time. Let's celebrate." Randall stood up quickly and grabbed her wrist so that she couldn't undress. "No, Darina." Her smile froze, staring at Randall's hand. "What do you want to do?" Randall let go of her wrist. "We can't celebrate being married. I'm not going to marry anyone, at least not yet." "You won't—what? You must be lying to me." "Dalina, marriage was never part of our agreement. Did I ever promise to marry you? From the beginning, I made it very clear to you that if you just wanted to move in and live with me, That's fine, that's fine. We can live together and have the fun of life. I've never said anything else." She frowned. "But that was before, because back then you were still haunted by your wife. I mean, like—well, that situation, I understand. You keep saying you love me, and I think you really do. If you could Divorce, you'd want to be with me. I mean, in a real sense." She tried to get her sense of humor back. "Listen, Steve, when we're married, we'll be fine, better than we are now. Even better, ten times better. I hear you talking to her about your daughter, caring for her, loving her, that's fine, but one day she will slowly grow up and come out of your life, now you don't have to worry about that Yes, because you have me. I'm only 24 years old. I will and can give you as many children as you want. Throw those birth control pills out the window. You and me, together we can make sons And daughter, you can have as much as you want. Steve, you can start all over again." Randall looked down at the carpet. "Darina, you can believe it or not," he said calmly. "I don't want to start over. I just want to get this thing out of the way and see what I can do next. I already have some plans, but getting married is not in my plan yet." "You mean you have no intention of marrying me?" Her voice became horrified.Randall looked up and saw her expression change. "You mean I'm not good enough for you?" she continued. "You think I'm not good enough? Not good enough for you?" "I've never said that and I'll never say it because it's not true. What I'm trying to say is that living together like we do is one thing, marriage is so different from it. I know that, I have been through this failed marriage. We are not suitable for each other, not suitable for long time together. Of course, I am not good enough for you, I am too old for you, and you are for me It’s too young for me. We have different interests, and we have a dozen other things that are different.” "Fart," Darina blurted out.She was angry, and she showed it in a way she'd never dared to do in front of him before. "Steve, stop lying to me like you've deceived other people. I see you through, I said it. You don't think I'm good enough for you. I tell you, there are many men willing to beg I marry them, and many have proposed to me. Roy came to the pier to say goodbye to me—Roy Ingram, do you remember? He came all the way from Kansas City, begging me to marry To him. You know it, and you know I turned him down. I've been true to you. So if I'm worthy of Roy, why shouldn't I be worthy of you?" "Damn it, being worthy or not has nothing to do with it. How many times do you want me to repeat it? The key to this marriage is being right for each other. I'm not right for you, maybe Roy is right. You're not right either Me, but maybe you're right for Roy." "Maybe I should try it," Darina said aloud.She started buttoning her blouse. "Maybe I should go and see if Roy suits me." "Do whatever you want, Darina. I won't interfere with you." Darina looked calmly into Randall's eyes. "Steve, I'm giving you one last chance. I'm not going to hang out with you like a whore. I'm a good girl and I want to be respected by men. If you want to do it, do it you should Do it, then I will stay. Otherwise, I will leave immediately. I will take the first flight out of here and never come back. You will never have a chance to see me. Now it is up to you to decide .” Randall is tempted.He wanted to rip her clothes off, throw her on the bed, and make love to her until her pussy bled.He wanted her, he didn't want to be left alone.However, he controlled it.The price she's asking is too high, another bad marriage.He must never face such a marriage again.Especially now, when he was groping for a way, a way that would lead him to a better place, he couldn't even imagine such a marriage.Darina couldn't give him a bright path, Darina was a dead end.Worse, seeing her now, seeing such a real young woman standing in front of him, he knew he would ruin this life.Because of lack of love, lack of communication, marriage with Darina was impossible.Together, the two of them will become victims.He will kill himself, and she will be murdered. "Sorry, Darina," Randall said, "I can't do what you want." Anger twisted Darina's young face. "Okay, you dirty, nasty, shameless, mean bastard, I don't want to see you anymore, I'm going to go to my room and pack my things. You can book me a plane ticket now and pay for it .Tell them I'll go to the information desk tomorrow morning to pick up tickets." Randall followed her into the foyer. "If you do that, there's nothing I can do," he added. Darina turned around. "I'm sure I need a one-way ticket to Kansas City, you hear that? Don't come near me again!" The door slammed shut.Darina walked out of the suite. 过了一会儿，兰德尔给自己调了一杯烈酒，他要好好考虑考虑这个晚上是否还能再干点什么。 一小时过去了，兰德尔已经喝下了三杯烈酒。他仍然沉浸在研究工作的拓展之中，因而并没有感到自怨自艾。 他已经看过了那份记录了伯纳德?杰弗里斯博士的背景材料和他会见情况的吕宋纸文件。伯纳德?杰弗里斯博士是翻译方面的专家。还有有关亨利?奥伯特教授，研究碳鉴定法的专家的文件。还有赫尔?卡尔?亨宁——一位关于书的设计和印刷方面的专家的文件。他把最后一份文件留下没看而又重新看了一遍羊皮纸上的手稿和詹姆斯的福音书。把校样上的文章又读了一遍以后，感到和第一次看时一样激动。现在他急于想了解一些关于发现人的情况，也就是那留下的最后一份文件。 兰德尔拿出了那份由他的职员提供的文件。这份文件中有考古学家奥古斯图?蒙蒂教授的情况。 兰德尔打开了这份吕宋纸文件。使他感到惊讶的是，里面只有五页用打字机打出的文稿。文稿用一个回形针夹着。兰德尔很快就看完了这五页材料。 这是一份毫无感情色彩的蒙蒂教授的传记：64岁，鳏居，有两个女儿，安杰拉和克莱尔特，其中一个已经结婚。这个考古学家的学术历史、职位以及获得的奖项。现在是罗马大学考古学的教授。一系列蒙蒂教授参加或指导的在意大利和中东进行的考古活动。最后的两页上面写满了日期和深奥难懂的考古学术语，内容有关六年之前在奥斯蒂亚?安蒂卡的挖掘工作。完了。 这是一个宣传文件？ 兰德尔感到难以相信，蒙蒂教授已经作了世界历史上最重要的一个发现，可这个关于他的资料却和一张新的火车时刻表差不多。 兰德尔感到有点气恼，他又喝了一杯苏格兰威士忌，然后，拿起了电话。 现在已经快到凌晨一点了。兰德尔听说过惠勒一向工作到深夜。这值得一试。兰德尔决定了，要打电话给这位出版商，即使有可能打扰他的美梦。蒙蒂是这场促销《国际新约》活动中要宣传的关键人物，兰德尔必须知道缺乏有关材料的原因，还有通过什么办法能够马上得到更多的资料。 他挂通了惠勒房间的电话，等着。 电话那头传来了一个女人的声音。兰德尔听出来了，那是内奥米?邓恩小姐的声音。 “我是史蒂夫，”兰德尔说道，“我找乔治?惠勒先生。” “他出去了，”内奥米回答说，“我在他房间里帮他整理一些文件。我能帮你什么忙吗？” “可能你可以帮上些忙，今天晚上我看了羊皮纸上的文稿和詹姆斯的福音书。这是我第一次看。简直太棒了，我被深深地震动了。” “我猜你会的。” “这个发现让我感到很激动，因此我想了解一些那个天才的发现者的情况，就是蒙蒂教授。碰巧刚好我这儿有一份关于他的材料，我刚刚看完，材料的内容等于是没有，根本就站不住脚。没有一点有感情色彩的描述。没有关于那个巨大发现的细节。” “我保证惠勒先生和盖达先生能提供你所需要的材料。” “那也不够，内奥米，我想要知道的是来自这位考古学家本人心灵深处的东西。他是怎样想起要去那些地方去考察的，他在寻找些什么。当他发现那些有价值的东西时，他是怎么想的。不仅仅是他做了些什么，还有他在做那些事之前，之中，之后，心中有什么样的感想，这将是一个无比奇妙的故事，我们不能错过。” “你说得很对，”内奥米说道，“你觉得我们该做些什么呢？” “参加这项计划的人中有单独和蒙蒂教授见过面的吗？” “让我想想，最先开始的时候，出版商们在罗马从意大利政府那里得到使用写在草纸和羊皮纸上的文稿的权力时，五个出版商都和蒙蒂教授见过几次面。最近，他们没有什么事情需要和他见面。噢，我想起来了，在你还没有担任这项宣传工作的领导人之前，你的职员中有个叫杰西卡?泰勒的女孩，她曾经想和他见面，为的是得到一些材料。还有，埃德隆也曾计划去罗马给蒙蒂教授拍几张照片，但他们都没有找到他。每次，他都代表意大利政府，在很远的地方指导挖掘工作。他的一个女儿对杰西卡，还有后来的埃德隆说，等她的父亲回到罗马后，她就通知他们。但我想我们再也没有得到她的消息。” "When was that?" “大概是3个月之前吧。” “嗯，老蒙蒂现在应该已经回到罗马了，我想见他，事实上，我必须见到他，我们没有太多的时间了。内奥米，你能不能马上打电话到罗马，帮我和他预定个时间会面？就在后天，不，等等，后天是星期天，就定在星期一吧。你打电话的时候，如果他不在，就告诉他女儿。无论他在哪里，我都会去找他。我不想得到'不'的回答。” “我会马上替你联系的，史蒂夫。” 兰德尔感到累了，而且突然有了一种很沮丧的感觉。“谢谢你，内奥米。顺便麻烦你帮我和巴黎的奥伯特，还有美因兹的亨宁都安排一下会面吧。我要尽快和这部《国际新约》背后的所有重要人物见面。现在，我利用晚上继续工作，因而白天就能挤出点时间来了。另外，我愿意尽可能地使自己变得忙碌一些。” 电话那头沉默了一会儿，接着他又听到了内奥米的声音，不再是那么冷冰冰了。“我好像感到了你的口气中有一点点自怜的味道。” “你猜对了，它终于占据了我的心灵。我喝了好些酒，我为自己感到有些可怜。我想——我也说不清楚——我从来没有像今天晚上这样感到孤单寂寞过。” “我还以为羊皮纸上的文稿和詹姆斯的福音书把你给迷住了呢。它们可能成为好朋友。” “它们是可以，内奥米。它们已经帮了我。但我还要花费更多的时间在它们身上。” “达丽娜在哪儿？” “我们分手了。她打算回家，而且再也不会回来了。” “我明白了。”电话那头又是一阵长长的沉默。“你知道吗，我不忍心别人感到孤独。我理解那种滋味像什么。我可以忍受，但我不能眼睁睁地看着别人寂寞，尤其是我所喜欢的人。”内奥米顿了一下后，接着说道，“你想有个伴吗，史蒂夫？如果你愿意，今天晚上我可以陪你。” “好的，那会很有用的。” “只有今晚。不会再有第二次。我只是不想让你感到寂寞。” “快过来吧，内奥米。” “我就来。我只是不想让你感到寂寞。” "I'm waiting for you." 兰德尔挂断了电话后，开始脱衣服。 他也不知道自己为什么要这么做，内奥米永远都不会知道，和她做爱的感觉就和——和寂寞一样。 他仍然需要某个人作伴，某样东西，任何人，任何东西——就为了现在，这个短暂的现在，将它打发走。在他走近真正的激情之前，在他完全泄露罗马的天书之前。