Читать книгу The Rabbi’s Daughter - Alan Sorem - Страница 5

It was a frigid Wednesday morning in Boston.

The telephone rang in the other room. Loudly, reminding the old man that he had increased the volume and number of rings to maximum to give him time to reach the phone before the message machine kicked in.

He lay the morning Globe on the breakfast table, picked up his coffee cup, pushed down on the table with his left hand and rose slowly from the chair.

Everything was slower lately. Even his morning pills seemed to take longer to kick in.

He shuffled into the living room and picked up the handset after the eleventh ring. His granddaughter Sigrid was always after him to get one of the newfangled wireless phones he could carry around in his pocket, but he was old-fashioned.

“Frank, I hope I didn’t wake you.”

The old man looked at his watch. A little past seven.

“No, no. I’m always up by now.”

He recognized the voice. It was Tom, one of his prize Ph.D. students years ago. Now in his fifties, he was the head of The Ephesus Project in Turkey. Frank had written a glowing reference letter to the committee that subsequently appointed Tom.

“How are things in Boston?”

“The Celtics won last night, we had ten inches of snow, and I’m wondering if the taxi can get through to pick me up for my doctor’s appointment at one.”

“I heard you’re having some medical issues.”

“Yes. I’m still kicking, just not as high. But you’re not calling from Turkey to inquire about my health.”

A laugh came down the line. “Right. I have some news and wanted to check in with you.” The excitement in Tom’s voice was palpable.

“Go ahead.”

“I’m on a secure line at the embassy in Ankara. I’ll be brief.”

“Something turn up?”

The words were emphatic. “Yes, two scrolls. In a secure hiding place in the cellar wall of the ruins of the house of a high official.”

“Age?”

“Incredible. Had a German lab test it with the smallest sample of both. Authenticated yesterday on an encrypted line at the Embassy in Ankara. We have the larger scroll in a helium wrap. In a secure chamber we unwrapped and unrolled the smaller one and sealed it in the special frame.”

“And?” He took a sip of coffee.

“Hold on a sec. Let me close the door.”

He heard footsteps going and returning.

“You there, Frank?”

“Yes.”

“Sorry, can’t be too careful with something of this magnitude in dating.”

“How much magnitude?”

“More than I ever would have dreamed possible.”

Frank took another sip of coffee. “Early?”

“Let me put it this way. You know the date of the Codex Sinaiticus.”

Frank thought for a moment. The earliest discovered complete New Testament in Greek.

“Of course. Middle of the fourth century.”

“Now think of the Gospel of Mark.”

“Well, there’s the P45 fragment, possibly two fifty. Earliest we have.”

“Until now.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. Think maybe a hundred fifty years earlier. Plus a couple of decades.”

“You’re pulling my leg.”

“No.”

“Is this April First? You’ve got to be kidding!”

The man on the other end laughed. “I’m not kidding.”

“You have a fragment from the nineties?”

“Earlier. In the mid-sixties. Nero was emperor.”

“No such thing exists!”

“It does now. And much more than a fragment.”

“You say the German lab confirmed?”

“Dating? Absolutely. They’re not aware of what’s on the scroll.”

The telephone line was silent except for humming.

“Tom?”

Tom’s voice was a whisper. “What we’ve always hoped for. A golden find like the Isaiah scroll you worked on from Qumran.”

The old man put his coffee cup down. The earliest Gospel of Mark by far. Dear God! He cleared his throat.

“How much do you have?”

“Too early to tell. We only unwrapped the very first part. We want the rest to be done very, very slowly. But the thickness of the wrap indicates a complete scroll.”

Frank sank into a wing chair by the side table of the telephone. It took him a moment to reply.

“Tom, be careful. Remember what the Dead Sea scrolls stirred up.”

“I—we—are being very careful. But I want you to see a facsimile of the very first part. What we have of it is clear. Good penmanship in Greek. Large lettering. Looks like it was meant to be read aloud.”

“Lussier’s hypothesis. Whole gospel to be read serially during Holy Week.”

“Yes. What I want to do is send you a copy of the first part by overnight express. See what you think.”

Frank sighed. “I don’t know that I can help. I’m spending a lot of time with doctors and my eyesight’s not so good.”

“But this is the big one. I value your opinion, as ever. And you’ve had experience with how to break the news. Please.”

“All right. I’ll do what I can. No others involved.”

“Thanks, Frank. Oh, and I’ll also send a full copy of the smaller scroll that was inside the same sealed large jar. It may be dynamite also.”

“Something biblical?”

“No. Burial instructions for a woman in the early church community in Ephesus. It mentions two daughters, Elizabeth and Rebecca. The woman asks that the burial instructions be kept at the house of the Ephesus church’s Chief Elder. And get this: she says the instructions are to be kept with the account by Mark. Different handwriting at the end: ‘I sign this with my own hand. The Rabbi’s Daughter, M.’”

“Burial instructions? For a woman? That’s odd.”

“Obviously a woman of importance.”

“And together with the other scroll, you say.”

“Yes,” answered Tom. “The Greek characters of the last part are shaky. An old woman.”

“An important elderly woman in Ephesus.”

“Yes. I may be jumping to conclusions, but—oh, never mind.”“What?”

“The letter ‘M.’”

There was a long pause. At last he asked, “The dating is the same?”

“Yes.”

“But surely she died years before.”

“I know. She would have had to be seventy-five or older.”

“Tom, these two finds are incredible!”

“That’s why I want you to take a look. I’ll send the facsimiles by overnight express. We’re six hours ahead of you. If Logan Airport is open you should get the packet by tomorrow afternoon.”

“This is amazing! Possibly two monumental discoveries in first century documents!”

On the other end of the line, Tom laughed.

“You got it! I’m in Ankara for a couple of days. I’ll call you on Friday to make sure the package has arrived. Is that okay?”

“Sure. Try to get me around this same time. I have two medical appointments on Friday.”

“Will do. And Frank, one more thing. Thank you for all that you taught me.”

“My pleasure.”

“Bye now.”

“Bye.”

The elderly man’s hands were shaking from so much excitement that it took him three attempts before he could replace the handset in its cradle.

Outside his house the winter clouds shifted and suddenly bright morning sunlight shone through his living room windows. He sat in the chair for a long time, musing as he watched the sunbeam slowly move across the room.

A Gospel of Mark fragment or perhaps the full gospel from the first century! And possibly a note signed by Mary, Mother of Jesus!