The Last Temptation of Christ Part 1

The Last Temptation of Christ.

NIKOS KAZANTZAKIS.

Prologue.

THE DUAL SUBSTANCE of Christa"the yearning, so human, so superhuman, of man to attain to G.o.d or, more exactly, to return to G.o.d and identify himself with hima"has always been a deep inscrutable mystery to me. This nostalgia for G.o.d, at once so mysterious and so real, has opened in me large wounds and also large flowing springs.

My princ.i.p.al anguish and the source of all my joys and sorrows from my youth onward has been the incessant, merciless battle between the spirit and the flesh.

Within me are the dark immemorial forces of the Evil One, human and pre-human; within me too are the luminous forces, human and pre-human, of G.o.da"and my soul is the arena where these two armies have clashed and met.

The anguish has been intense. I loved my body and did not want it to perish; I loved my soul and did not want it to decay. I have fought to reconcile these two primordial forces which are so contrary to each other, to make them realize that they are not enemies but, rather, fellow workers, so that they might rejoice in their harmonya"and so that I might rejoice with them.

Every man partakes of the divine nature in both his spirit and his flesh. That is why the mystery of Christ is not simply a mystery for a particular creed: it is universal. The struggle between G.o.d and man breaks out in everyone, together with the longing for reconciliation. Most often this struggle is unconscious and short-lived. A weak soul does not have the endurance to resist the flesh for very long. It grows heavy, becomes flesh itself, and the contest ends. But among responsible men, men who keep their eyes riveted day and night upon the Supreme Duty, the conflict between flesh and spirit breaks out mercilessly and may last until death.

The stronger the soul and the flesh, the more fruitful the struggle and the richer the final harmony. G.o.d does not love weak souls and flabby flesh. The Spirit wants to have to wrestle with flesh which is strong and full of resistance. It is a carnivorous bird which is incessantly hungry; it eats flesh and, by a.s.similating it, makes it disappear.

Struggle between the flesh and the spirit, rebellion and resistance, reconciliation and submission, and finallya"the supreme purpose of the strugglea"union with G.o.d: this was the ascent taken by Christ, the ascent which he invites us to take as well, following in his b.l.o.o.d.y tracks.

This is the Supreme Duty of the man who strugglesa"to set out for the lofty peak which Christ, the first-born son of salvation, attained. How can we begin?

If we are to be able to follow him we must have a profound knowledge of his conflict, we must relive his anguish: his victory over the blossoming snares of the earth, his sacrifice of the great and small joys of men and his ascent from sacrifice to sacrifice, exploit to exploit, to martyrdomas summit, the Cross.

I never followed Christas b.l.o.o.d.y journey to Golgotha with such terror, I never relived his Life and Pa.s.sion with such intensity, such understanding and love, as during the days and nights when I wrote The Last Temptation of Christ. While setting down this confession of the anguish and the great hope of mankind I was so moved that my eyes filled with tears. I had never felt the blood of Christ fall drop by drop into my heart with so much sweetness, so much pain.

In order to mount to the Cross, the summit of sacrifice, and to G.o.d, the summit of immateriality, Christ pa.s.sed through all the stages which the man who struggles pa.s.ses through. That is why his suffering is so familiar to us; that is why we share it, and why his final victory seems to us so much our own future victory. That part of Christas nature which was profoundly human helps us to understand him and love him and to pursue his Pa.s.sion as though it were our own. If he had not within him this warm human element, he would never be able to touch our hearts with such a.s.surance and tenderness; he would not be able to become a model for our lives. We struggle, we see him struggle also, and we find strength. We see that we are not all alone in the world: he is fighting at our side.

Every moment of Christas life is a conflict and a victory. He conquered the invincible enchantment of simple human pleasures; he conquered temptations, continually transubstantiated flesh into spirit, and ascended. Reaching the summit of Golgotha, he mounted the Cross.

But even there his struggle did not end. Temptationa"the Last Temptationa"was waiting for him upon the Cross. Before the fainted eyes of the Crucified the spirit of the Evil One, in an instantaneous flash, unfolded the deceptive vision of a calm and happy life. It seemed to Christ that he had taken the smooth, easy road of men. He had married and fathered children. People loved and respected him. Now, an old man, he sat on the threshold of his house and smiled with satisfaction as he recalled the longings of his youth. How splendidly, how sensibly he had acted in choosing the road of men! What insanity to have wanted to save the world! What joy to have escaped the privations, the tortures, and the Cross!

This was the Last Temptation which came in the s.p.a.ce of a lightning flash to trouble the Saviouras final moments.

But all at once Christ shook his head violently, opened his eyes, and saw. No, he was not a traitor, glory be to G.o.d! He was not a deserter. He had accomplished the mission which the Lord had entrusted to him. He had not married, had not lived a happy life. He had reached the summit of sacrifice: he was nailed upon the Cross.

Content, he closed his eyes. And then there was a great triumphant cry: It is accomplished!

In other words: I have accomplished my duty, I am being crucified, I did not fall into temptation. ...

This book was written because I wanted to offer a supreme model to the man who struggles; I wanted to show him that he must not fear pain, temptation or deatha"because all three can be conquered, all three have already been conquered. Christ suffered pain, and since then pain has been sanctified. Temptation fought until the very last moment to lead him astray, and Temptation was defeated. Christ died on the Cross, and at that instant death was vanquished forever.

Every obstacle in his journey became a milestone, an occasion for further triumph. We have a model in front of us now, a model who blazes our trail and gives us strength.

This book is not a biography; it is the confession of every man who struggles. In publis.h.i.+ng it I have fulfilled my duty, the duty of a person who struggled much, was much embittered in his life, and had many hopes. I am certain that every free man who reads this book, so filled as it is with love, will more than ever before, better than ever before, love Christ.

N. KAZANTZAKIS.

Chapter One.

A COOL HEAVENLY BREEZE took possession of him.

Above, the blossoming skies had opened into a thick tangle of stars; below, on the ground, the stones were steaming, still afire from the great heat of the day. Heaven and earth were peaceful and sweet, filled with the deep silence of ageless night-voices, more silent than silence itself. It was dark, probably midnight. G.o.das eyes, the sun and the moon, were closed and sleeping, and the young man, his mind carried away by the gentle breeze, meditated happily. But as he thought, What solitude! what Paradise! suddenly the wind changed and thickened; it was no longer a heavenly breeze but the reek of heavy greasy breaths, as though in some overgrown thicket or damp luxuriant orchard below him a gasping animal, or a village, was struggling in vain to sleep. The air had become dense, restless. The tepid breaths of men, animals and elves rose and mixed with a sharp odor from sour human sweat, bread freshly removed from the oven, and the laurel oil used by the women to anoint their hair.

You sniffed, you sensed, you divineda"but saw nothing. Little by little your eyes became accustomed to the darkness and you were able to distinguish a stern straight-trunked cypress darker than night itself, a clump of date palms grouped like a fountain and, rustling in the wind, spa.r.s.ely leafed olive trees which shone silver in the blackness. And there on a green spot of land you saw wretched cottages thrown down now in groups, now singly, constructed of night, mud and brick, and smeared all over with whitewash. You realized from the smell and filth that human forms, some covered with white sheets, others uncovered, were sleeping on the rooftops.

The silence had fled. The blissful uninhabited night filled with anguish. Human hands and feet twisted and turned, unable to find repose. Human hearts sighed. Despairing, obstinate cries from hundreds of mouths fought in this mute G.o.d-trodden chaos to unite, toiled to find expression for what they longed to say. But they could not, and the cries scattered and were lost in disjointed ravings.

Suddenly there was a shrill, heart-rending scream from the highest rooftop, in the center of the village. A human breast was tearing itself in two: aG.o.d of Israel, G.o.d of Israel, Adonai, how long?a It was not a man; it was the whole village dreaming and shouting together, the whole soil of Israel with the bones of its dead and the roots of its trees, the soil of Israel in labor, unable to give birth, and screaming.

After a long silence the cry suddenly tore the air again from earth to heaven, but now with even more anger and grievance: aHow long? How long?a The village dogs awoke and began to bark, and on the flat mud roofs the frightened women thrust their heads under the armpits of their husbands.

The youth was dreaming. He heard the shout in his sleep and stirred; the dream took fright, began to flee. The mountain rarefied, and its insides appeared. It was not made of rock, but of sleep and dizziness. The group of huge wild men who were stamping furiously up it with giant stridesa"all mustaches, beards, eyebrows and great long handsa"they rarefied also, lengthened, widened, were completely transformed and then plucked into tiny threads, like clouds scattered by a strong wind. A little more and they would have disappeared from the sleeperas mind.

But before this could happen his head grew heavy and he fell once more into a deep sleep. The mountain thickened again into rock, the clouds solidified into flesh and bone. He heard someone panting, then hurried steps, and the redbeard reappeared at the mountainas peak. His s.h.i.+rt was open, he was barefooted, red-faced, sweating. His numerous gasping followers were behind him, still hidden among the rough stones of the mountain. Above, the dome of heaven once again formed a well-built roof, but now there was only a single star, large, like a mouthful of fire, hanging in the east. Day was breaking.

The young man lay stretched on his bed of wood shavings, breathing deeply, resting after the hard work of the day. His eyelids flew up for an instant as though struck by the Morning Star, but he did not awake: the dream had again skillfully wrapped itself around him. He dreamed that the redbeard stopped. Sweat streamed from his armpits, legs and narrow, deeply wrinkled forehead. Steaming at the mouth from exertion and anger, he started to swear, but restrained himself, swallowed the curse and merely grumbled dejectedly, aHow long, Adonai, how long?a But his rage did not abate. He turned around. Fast as lightning, the long march unrolled itself within him.

Mountains sank away, men vanished, the dream was wrenched into a new locale and the sleeper saw the Land of Canaan unfold above him on the low cane-lathed ceiling of his housea"the Land of Canaan, like embroidered air, many-colored, richly ornamented, and trembling. To the south, the quivering desert of Idumea s.h.i.+fted like the back of a leopard. Farther on, the Dead Sea, thick and poisonous, drowned and drank the light. Beyond this stood inhuman Jerusalem, moated on every side by the commandments of Jehovah. Blood from G.o.das victims, from lambs and prophets, ran down its cobbled streets. Next came Samaria, dirty, trodden by idolators, with a well in the center and a rouged and powdered woman drawing water; and finally, at the extreme north, Galileea"sunny, modest, verdant. And flowing from one end of the dream to the other was the river Jordan, G.o.das royal artery, which pa.s.ses by sandy wastes and rich orchards, John the Baptist and Samaritan heretics, prost.i.tutes and the fishermen of Gennesaret, watering them all, indifferently.

The young man exulted in his sleep to see the holy water and soil. He stretched forth his hand to touch them, but the Promised Land, made up of dew, wind and age-old human desires, and illuminated like a rose by the dawn, suddenly flickered in the fluffy darkness and was snuffed out. And as it vanished he heard curses and bellowing voices and saw the numerous band of men reappear from behind the sharp rocks and the p.r.i.c.kly pears, but completely changed now and unrecognizable. How crumpled and shriveled the giants had become, how stunted! They were panting dwarfs, imps gasping for breath, and their beards dragged along the ground. Each carried a strange implement of torture. Some held b.l.o.o.d.y leather belts studded with iron, some clasp knives and ox goads, some thick, wide-headed nails. Three midgets whose behinds nearly sc.r.a.ped the ground carried a ma.s.sive, unwieldy cross; and last of all came the vilest of the lot, a cross-eyed pygmy holding a crown of thorns.

The redbeard leaned over, gazed at them and shook his large-boned head with disdain. The sleeper heard his thoughts: They donat believe. Thatas why they degenerated, thatas why I am being tormented: they donat believe.

He extended his immense hairy hand. aLook!a he said, pointing to the plain below, which was drowned in morning h.o.a.r frost.

aWe donat see anything, Captain. Itas dark.a aYou donat see anything? Why, then, donat you believe?a aWe do, Captain, we do. Thatas why we follow you. But we donat see anything.a aLook again!a Lowering his hand like a sword, he pierced the h.o.a.r frost and uncovered the plain beneath. A blue lake was awakening. It smiled and glittered as it pushed aside its blanket of frost. Great nestfuls of eggsa"villages and hamletsa"gleamed brilliantly white under the date palms, all around its pebbly sh.o.r.es and in the middle of the fields of grain.

aHeas there,a said the leader, pointing to a large village surrounded by green meadows. The three windmills which overlooked it had opened their wings in the early dawn and were turning.

Terror suddenly poured over the sleeperas dark, wheat-complexioned face. The dream had settled on his eyelids and was brooding there. Brus.h.i.+ng his hand over his eyes to be rid of it, he tried as hard as he could to wake up. Itas a dream, he thought, I must awake and save myself. But the tiny men revolved about him obstinately and did not wish to leave. The savage-faced redbeard was now speaking to them, shaking his finger menacingly at the large village in the plain below.

aHeas there! He lives there in hiding, barefooted, dressed in rags, playing the carpenter, pretending he is not the One. He wants to save himself, but how can he escape us: G.o.das eyes have seen him! After him, lads!a He raised his foot and got on his mark, but the dwarfs clung to his arms and legs. He lowered his foot again.

aThere are many people dressed in rags, Captain, many who go barefooted, many carpenters. Give us a clue who he is, what he looks like and where he lives, so that weall be able to recognize him. Otherwise weare not budging. Youad better know that, Captain. Weare not budging; weare tired out.a aI shall hug him to my bosom and kiss him. That will be your clue. Forward now; run! But quiet, donat shout. Right now heas sleeping. Take care he doesnat wake up and escape us. In G.o.das name, lads, after him!a aAfter him, Captain!a shouted the dwarfs in unison, and they raised their big feet, ready to start.

But one of them, the skinny, cross-eyed hunchback who held the crown of thorns, clutched a p.r.i.c.kly shrub and resisted.

aIam not going anywhere,a he screamed. aIam fed up! How many nights have we been hunting him? How many countries and villages have we tramped through? Count: in the desert of Idumea we searched the monasteries of the Essenes one after the other; we went through Bethany, where we practically murdered poor Lazarus to no avail; we reached the Jordan, but the Baptist sent us away, saying, aIam not the One you seek, so be off with you!a We left and entered Jerusalem, searched the Temple, the palaces of Annas and Caiaphas, the cottages of the Scribes and Pharisees: no one! No one but scoundrels, liars, robbers, prost.i.tutes, murderers! We left again. We raced through Samaria the excommunicate and reached Galilee. In one lump we took in Magdala, Cana, Capernaum, Bethsaida. From but to hut, caque to caque, we searched for the most virtuous, the most G.o.d-fearing. Every time we found him we cried, aYouare the One, why are you hiding? Arise and save Israel!a But as soon as he saw the tools we carried, his blood ran cold. He kicked, stamped, shrieked, aItas not me, not me!a and threw himself into a life of wine, gambling and women in order to save himself. He became drunk, he blasphemed, he wh.o.r.eda"just to make us see he was a sinner and not the One we sought. ... Iam sorry, Captain, but weall meet up with the same thing here. Were chasing him in vain. We wonat find him: he still has not been born.a The redbeard grabbed him by the nape of the neck and held him dangling in the air for a long moment. aDoubting Thomas,a he said, laughing, adoubting Thomas, I like you!a He turned to the others. aHe is the ox goad, we the laboring beasts. Let him p.r.i.c.k us, let him p.r.i.c.k us so that we may never find peace.a Hairless Thomas screeched with pain; the redbeard set him down on the ground. Laughing again, he swept his eyes over the heterogeneous company. aHow many are we?a he asked. aTwelvea"one from each of the tribes of Israel. Devils, angels, imps, dwarfs: all the births and abortions of G.o.d. Take your pick!a He was in a good mood; his round, hawk-like eyes flashed. Stretching out his great hand, he began to grip the companions angrily, tenderly, by the shoulder. One by one, he held them dangling in the air while he examined them from top to bottom, laughing. As soon as he released one, he grabbed another.

ah.e.l.lo, skinflint, venom nose, profit-mad immortal son of Abraham. ... And you, dare-devil, chatterbox, gobble-jaws. ... And you, pious milktoast: you donat murder, steal or commit adulterya"because you are afraid. All your virtues are daughters of fear a And you, simple donkey that they break with beating: you carry on, you carry on despite hunger, thirst, cold, and the whip. Laborious, careless of your self-respect, you lick the bottom of the saucepan. All your virtues are daughters of poverty. ... And you, sly fox: you stand outside the den of the lion, the den of Jehovah, and do not go in. ... And you, nave sheep: you bleat and follow a G.o.d who is going to eat you. ... And you, son of Levi: quack, G.o.d-peddler who sells the Lord by the ounce, innkeeper who stands men G.o.d as a drink so that they will become tipsy and open their purses to you and their heartsa"you rascal of rascals! ... And you, malicious, fanatical, headstrong ascetic: you look at your own face and manufacture a G.o.d who is malicious, fanatical and headstrong. Then you prostrate yourself and wors.h.i.+p him because he resembles you. ... And you whose immortal soul opened a money-changing shop: you sit on the threshold, plunge your hand into the sack, give alms to the poor, lend to G.o.d. You keep a ledger and write: I gave so many florins for charity to so and so on such and such a day, at such and such an hour. You leave instructions for the ledger to be put in your coffin so that you will be able to open it in front of G.o.d, present your bill and collect the immortal millions. ... And you, liar, teller of tall tales: you trample all the Lordas commandments underfoot, you murder, steal, commit adultery, and afterward break into tears, beat your breast, take down your guitar and turn the sin into a song. Shrewd devil, you know very well that G.o.d pardons singers no matter what they do, because he can simply die for a song. ... And you, Thomas, sharp ox goad in our rumps. ... And me, me: crazy irresponsible fool, I got a swelled head and left my wife and children in order to search for the Messiah! All of us togethera"devils, angels, imps, dwarfsa"weare all needed in our great cause! ... After him, lads!a He laughed, spit into his palms and moved his big feet.

aAfter him, lads!a he shouted again, and he started at a run down the slope leading to Nazareth.

Mountains and men became smoke and disappeared. The sleeperas eyes filled with dreamless murk. Now, at last, he heard nothing in his endless sleep but huge heavy feet stamping on the mountain and descending.

His heart pounded wildly. He heard a piercing cry deep within his bowels: Theyare coming! Theyare coming! Jumping up with a start (so it seemed to him in his sleep), he blockaded the door with his workbench and piled all his tools on topa"his saws, jack and block planes, adzes, hammers, screwdriversa"and also a ma.s.sive cross which he was working on at the time. Then he sheathed himself again in his wood shavings and chips, to wait.

There was a strange, disquieting calm-thick, suffocating. He heard nothing, not even the villagersa breathing, much less G.o.das. Everything, even the vigilant devil, had sunk into a dark, fathomless, dried-up well. Was this sleep? Or death, immortality, G.o.d? The young man became terrified, saw the danger, tried with all his might to reach his drowning mind to save himselfa"and woke up.

He was soaked in sweat. He remembered nothing from the dream. Only this: someone was hunting him. Who? ... One? Many? ... Men? Devils? He could not recall. He c.o.c.ked his ear and listened. The villageas respiration could be heard now in the quiet of the night: the breathing of many b.r.e.a.s.t.s, many souls. A dog barked mournfully; from time to time a tree rustled in the wind. A mother at the edge of the village lulled her child to sleep, slowly, movingly. ... The night filled with murmurs and sighs which he knew and loved. The earth was speaking, G.o.d was speaking, and the young man grew calm. For a moment he had feared he remained all alone in the world.

He heard his old fatheras gasps from the room where his parents slept, which was next to his own. The unfortunate man could not sleep. He was contorting his mouth and laboriously opening and closing his lips in an effort to speak. For years he had been tormenting himself in this way, struggling to emit a human sound, but he sat paralyzed on his bed, unable to control his tongue. He toiled, sweated, driveled at the mouth, and now and then after a terrible contest he managed to put together one word by voicing each syllable separately, desperatelya"one word, one only, always the same: A-do-na-i, Adonai. Nothing else, only Adonai. ... And when he finished this entire word he would remain tranquil for an hour or two until the struggle again gripped him and he began once more to open and close his mouth.

aItas my fault ... my fault ...a murmured the young man, his eyes filling with tears.

In the silence of the night the son heard his fatheras anguish and he too, overcome with anguish, began involuntarily to sweat and open and close his lips. Shutting his eyes, he listened to what his father did so that he could do the same. Together with the old man, he sighed, uttered desperate, inarticulate criesa"and while doing this, slept once more.

But as soon as sleep came over him again the house shook violently, the workbench toppled over, tools and cross rolled to the floor, the door opened and the redbeard towered on the threshold, immense, laughing wildly, his arms spread wide.

The young man cried out, and awoke.

Chapter Two.

HE SAT UP on the wood shavings and propped his back against the wall. A strap studded with two rows of sharp nails was hanging above his head. Every evening before he slept he lashed and bled his body so that he would remain tranquil during the night and not act insolently. A light tremor had seized him. He could not remember what temptations had come again in his sleep, but he felt that he had escaped a great danger. aI cannot bear any more; Iave had enough,a he murmured, raising his eyes to heaven and sighing. The newborn light, uncertain and pale, slid through the cracks of the door and gave the soft yellow canework of the ceiling a strange, glazed sweetness, precious, like ivory. aI cannot bear any more; Iave had enough,a he murmured again, clenching his teeth with indignation. He riveted his eyes upon the air, and suddenly his whole life pa.s.sed before him: his fatheras staff which had blossomed on the day of his engagement, then the lightning flash which struck the engaged man and paralyzed him; afterward how his mother stared at him, her own son, stared at him, saying nothing. But he heard her mute complainta"she was right! Night and day his sins were knives in his heart. He had fought in vain those last few years to vanquish Fear, the only one of the devils which remained. The others he had conquered: poverty, desire for women, the joys of youth, the happiness of the hearth. He had conquered them alla"all except Fear. If only this might be conquered too, if only he were able ... He was a man now: the hour had come.

aMy fatheras paralysis is my fault,a he murmured. aItas my fault that Magdalene descended to prost.i.tution; itas my fault that Israel still groans under the yoke. ...a A c.o.c.ka"it must have been from the adjoining house where his uncle the rabbi liveda"beat its wings upon the roof and crowed repeatedly, angrily. It had obviously grown weary of the night, which had lasted far too long, and was calling the sun to appear at last.

The young man leaned against the wall and listened. The light struck the houses, doors opened, the streets came to life. Little by little the morning murmur rose from earth and trees, and slid out through the cracks in the houses: Nazareth was awakening. Suddenly there was a deep groan from the adjacent house, followed immediately by the rabbias savage yell. He was rousing G.o.d, reminding him of the promise he had made to Israel. aG.o.d of Israel, G.o.d of Israel, how long?a cried the rabbi, and the youth heard his knees strike crisply, hurriedly, against the floor boards.

He shook his head. aHeas praying,a he murmured; aheas prostrating himself and calling on G.o.d. Now he will bang on the wall for me to start my prostrations.a He frowned angrily. aItas bad enough I have to deal with G.o.d without also having to put up with men!a He knocked hard on the dividing wall with his fist to show the fierce rabbi that he was awake and praying.

He jumped to his feet. His patched and repatched tunic rolled off his shoulder and revealed his bodya"thin, sunburned, covered with red and black welts. Ashamed, he hastily gathered up the garment and wrapped it around his naked flesh.

The pale morning light came through the skylight and fell upon him, softly illuminating his face. All obstinacy, pride and affection ... The fluff about his chin and cheeks had become a curly coal-black beard. His nose was hooked, his lips thick, and since they were slightly parted, his teeth gleamed brilliantly white in the light. It was not a beautiful face, but it had a hidden, disquieting charm. Were his eyelashes to blame? Thick and exceedingly long, they threw a strange blue shadow over the entire face. Or were his eyes responsible? They were large and black, full of light, full of darknessa"all intimidation and sweetness. Flickering like those of a snake, they stared at you from between the long lashes, and your head reeled.

He shook out the shavings which had become tangled in his armpits and beard. His ear had caught the sound of heavy footsteps. They were approaching, and he recognized them. aItas him; heas coming again,a he groaned in disgust. aWhat does he want with me?a He crept toward the door to listen, but suddenly he stopped, terrified. Who had put the workbench behind the door and piled the cross and tools on it? Who? When? The night was full of evil spirits, full of dreams. We sleep, and they find the doors open, pa.s.s in and out at will and turn our houses and our brains upside down.

aSomeone came last night in my sleep,a he murmured under his breath, as though he feared the visitor were still there and might overhear him. aSomeone came. Surely it was G.o.d, G.o.d ... or was it the devil? Who can tell them apart? They exchange faces; G.o.d sometimes becomes all darkness, the devil all light, and the mind of man is left in a muddle.a He shuddered. There were two paths. Which way should he go, which path should he choose?

The heavy steps continued to draw nearer. The young man looked around him anxiously. He seemed to be searching for a place to hide, to escape. He feared this man and did not want him to come, for deep within him was an old wound which would not close. Once when they were playing together as children, the other, who was three years older, had thrown him down and thrashed him. He picked himself up and did not speak, but he never went after that to play with the other children. He was ashamed, afraid. Curled up all alone in the yard of his house, he spun in his mind how one day he would wash away his shame, prove he was better than they were, surpa.s.s them all. And after so many years, the wound had never closed, had never ceased to run.

aIs he still pursuing me,a he murmured, astill? What does he want with me? I wonat let him in!a A kick jarred the door. The young man darted forward. Summoning up all his strength, he removed the bench and opened the door. Standing on the threshold was a colossus with a curly red beard, open-s.h.i.+rted, barefooted, red-faced, sweating. Chewing an ear of grilled corn which he held in his hand, he swept his glance around the workshop, saw the cross leaning against the wall, and scowled. Then he extended his foot and entered.

Without saying a word he curled up in a corner, biting fiercely into the corn. The youth, still standing, kept his face averted from the other and looked outside through the open door at the narrow, untimely awakened street. Dust had not yet been stirred; the soil was damp and fragrant. The night dew and the light of the dawn dangled from the leaves of the olive tree opposite: the whole tree laughed. Enraptured, the young man breathed in the morning world.

But the redbeard turned. aShut the door,a he growled. aI have something to say to you.a The youth quivered when he heard the savage voice. He closed the door, sat down on the edge of the bench, and waited.

aIave come,a said the redbeard. aEverything is ready.a He threw away the ear of corn. Raising his hard blue eyes, he pinned them on the youth and stretched forth his fat, much-wrinkled neck: aAnd what about youa"are you ready too?a The light had increased. The young man could now see the redbeardas coa.r.s.e, unstable face more clearly. It was not one, but two. When one half laughed the other threatened, when one half was in pain the other remained stiff and immobile; and even when both halves became reconciled for an instant, beneath the reconciliation you still felt that G.o.d and the devil were wrestling, irreconcilable.

The young man did not reply. The redbeard glanced at him furiously.

aAre you ready?a he asked again. He had already begun to get up in order to grab him by the arm and shake him awake so that he would give an answer, but before he could do so a trumpet blared and cavalry rushed into the narrow street, followed by the heavy, rhythmic march of Roman soldiers. The redbeard clenched his fist and raised it toward the ceiling.

aG.o.d of Israel,a he bellowed, athe time has come. Today! Not tomorrow, today!a He turned again to the young man.

aAre you ready?a he asked once more, but then, without waiting for a reply: aNo, no, you wonat bring the crossa"thatas what I say! The people are a.s.sembled. Barabbas has come down from the mountains with his men. Weall break into the prison and s.n.a.t.c.h away the Zealot. Then it will happena"donat shake your head!a"then the miracle will happen. Ask your uncle the rabbi. Yesterday he gathered all of us together in the synagoguea"why didnat your Highness come too? He stood up and spoke to us. aThe Messiah wonat come,a he said, aas long as we remain standing with crossed hands. G.o.d and men must fight together if the Messiah is to come.a Thatas what he told us, for your information. G.o.d isnat enough, man isnat enough. Both have to fighta"together! Do you hear?a He grasped the young man by the arm and shook him. aDo you hear? Where is your mind? You should have been there to listen to your unclea"maybe you would have come to your senses, poor devil! He said the Zealota"yes, the very Zealot the Roman infidels are going to crucify todaya"might be the One weave waited for over so many generations. If we leave him unaided, if we fail to rush out and save him, he will die without revealing who he is. But if we run and save him, the miracle will happen. What miracle? He will throw off his rags and the royal crown of David will s.h.i.+ne on his head! Thatas what he told us, for your information. When we heard him we all shed tears. The old rabbi lifted his hands to heaven and shouted, aLord of Israel, today, not tomorrow, today!a and we, every one of us, raised our hands, looked up at heaven and yelled, threatened, wept. aToday! Not tomorrow, today!a Do you hear, son of the Carpenter, or am I talking to a blank wall?a The young man, his half-closed eyes pinned on the strap with the sharp nails which hung on the wall opposite, was listening to something intently. Audible beneath the redbeardas harsh and menacing voice were the hoa.r.s.e, m.u.f.fled struggles of his old father in the next room as he vainly opened and closed his lips, trying to speak. The two voices joined in the young manas heart, and suddenly he felt that all the struggle of mankind was a mockery.

The redbeard gripped him on the shoulder now and gave him a push.

aWhere is your mind, clairvoyant? Didnat you hear what your uncle Simeon told us?a aThe Messiah will not come in this way,a murmured the young man. His eyes were pinned now on the newly constructed cross, bathed in the soft rosy light of the dawn. aNo, the Messiah will not come in this way. He will never renounce his rags or wear a royal crown. Neither men nor G.o.d will ever rush to save him, because he cannot be saved. He will die, die, wearing his rags; and everyonea"even the most faithfula"will abandon him. He will die all alone at the top of a barren mountain, wearing on his head a crown of thorns.a The redbeard turned and gazed at him with astonishment. Half his face glittered, the other half remained completely dark. aHow do you know?a he asked. aWho told you?a But the young man did not answer. It was fully light out now. He jumped off the bench, seized a handful of nails and a hammer, and approached the cross. But the redbeard antic.i.p.ated him. Reaching the cross with one great stride, he began to punch it rabidly and to spit on it as though it were a man. He turned. His beard, mustache and eyebrows p.r.i.c.ked the young manas face.

aArenat you ashamed?a he shouted. aAll the carpenters in Nazareth, Cana and Capernaum refused to make a cross for the Zealot, and youa" Youare not ashamed, not afraid? Suppose the Messiah comes and finds you building his cross; suppose this Zealot, the one whoas being crucified today, is the Messiah ... Why didnat you have the courage like the others to answer the centurion: aI donat build crosses for Israelas heroesa?a He seized the absent-minded carpenter by the shoulder. aWhy donat you answer? What are you staring at?a Las.h.i.+ng out, he glued him to the wall. aYouare a coward,a he flung at him with scorn, aa coward, a cowarda"thatas what I say! Your whole life will add up to nothing!a A shrill voice tore through the air. Abandoning the youth, the redbeard turned his face toward the door and listened. There was a great uproar outside: men and women, an immense crowd, cries of: Town crier! Town crier! and then once more the shrill voice invaded the air.

aSons and daughters of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, by imperial command: attention! Close your workshops and taverns, do not go to your fields. Mothers, take your babies; old men, take your staffsa"and come! Come, you who are lame, deaf, paralyzeda"come to see, to see how those who lift their hands against our master the Emperora"long may he live!a"are punished; to see how this villainous rebel, the Zealot, will die!a The redbeard opened the door, saw the agitated crowd which was now silent and listening, saw the town crier upon a rocka"skinny, hatless, with his long neck and long spindly legsa"and spat. ad.a.m.n you to h.e.l.l, traitor!a he bellowed. Slamming the door furiously, he turned to the young man. His choler had risen clear to his eyes.

aYou can be proud of your brother Simon the traitor!a he growled.

aItas not his fault,a said the youth contritely; aitas mine, mine.a He paused a moment, and then: aIt was because of me that my mother banished him from the house, because of mea"and now he ...a Half the redbeardas face sweetened and was illuminated for an instant as though it sympathized with the youth. aHow will you ever pay for all those sins, poor devil?a he asked.

The young man remained silent for a long time. His lips moved, but he was tongue-tied. aWith my life, Judas, my brother,a he finally managed to say. aI have nothing else.a The redbeard gave a start. The light had now entered the workshop through the skylight and the slits of the door. The youthas large, pitch-black eyes gleamed; his voice was full of bitterness and fear.

aWith your life?a said the redbeard, taking hold of the otheras chin. aDonat turn your head away from me. Youare a man now, look into my eyes. ... With your life? What do you mean?a aNothing.a He lowered his head and was silent. But suddenly: aDonat ask me, donat ask me, Judas, my brother!a Judas clasped the young manas face between his palms. He raised it and looked at it for a long time without speaking. Then, tranquilly, he let it go and moved toward the door. His heart had suddenly been roused.

The din outside was growing stronger and stronger. The rustle of naked feet and the flapping of sandals rose into the air, which jingled with the bronze bracelets and thick ankle rings of the women. Standing erect on the threshold, the redbeard watched the crowds that continually poured out of the alleyways. Everyone was mounting toward the opposite end of the village, toward the accursed hill where the crucifixion was to take place. The men did not speak; they cursed between their teeth and beat their staffs against the cobbles. Some of them secretly held knives in their fists, beneath their s.h.i.+rts. The women were screeching. Many had thrown back their kerchiefs, undone their hair and begun to chant the dirge.

The head ram of this flock was Simeon the old rabbi of Nazaretha"shrunken, bent over with the years, warped and contorted by the evil disease, tuberculosis: a scaffolding of dry bones which his indestructible soul held together and kept from collapsing. The two skeleton hands with their monstrous, birdlike talons squeezed the sacerdotal crosier with the pair of entwined snakes at its top and banged it down on the stones. This living corpse smelled like a burning city. Seeing the flames within his eyes, you felt that flesh, bones and haira"the whole ramshackle bodya"were afire; and when he opened his mouth and shouted, G.o.d of Israel! smoke rose from the top of his head. Behind him filed the stooping, large-boned elders with their staffs, bushy eyebrows and forked beards; behind them the able-bodied men, then the women. Bringing up the rear were the children, each with a stone in hand, and some with slings over their shoulders. They all advanced together, rumbling softly, mutely, like the sea.

As Judas leaned against the doorpost and watched the men and women, his heart swelled. They are the ones, he reflected, the blood rus.h.i.+ng to his head, they are the ones who together with G.o.d will perform the miracle. Today! Not tomorrow, today!

An immense, high-rumped manlike woman broke away from the crowd. She was fierce and maniacal, and the clothes were falling off her shoulders. Bending down, she grabbed a stone and slung it forcefully at the carpenteras door.

ad.a.m.n you to h.e.l.l, cross-maker!a she cried.

All at once shouts and curses rang out from one end of the street to the other and the children took the slings from their shoulders. The redbeard shut the door with a bang.

aCross-maker! Cross-maker!a was hooted on all sides, and the door rumbled under a barrage of stones.

The young man, kneeling before the cross, swung the hammer up and down and nailed, banging hard, as though he wished to drown out the hoots and curses of the street. His breast was boiling; sparks jumped across the bridge of his nose. He banged frantically, and the sweat ran down his forehead.

The redbeard knelt, seized his arm and s.n.a.t.c.hed the hammer violently out of his grasp. He gave the cross a blow which knocked it to the floor.