Adrian D'Hage - The Omega scroll

‘Strange, isn’t it.’ Patrick settled his vast bulk into one of the other overstuffed chairs. ‘A toast of peace in a country that is continually at war.’

‘Do you think there will ever be peace in this country?’

‘Not until they come to their senses and reach an agreement with the Palestinians.’

‘Is that likely?’

‘There are many on both sides who are longing for just that, and an end to the cycle of violence. Sometimes there’s a glimmer of hope and then just as quickly the hope is dashed. Usually on the egos of inept, incompetent and corrupt politicians, aided and abetted by a culture of fanaticism that is as misguided as it is intense.’

‘I suppose the clash of religions doesn’t help,’ Giovanni mused, a newcomer to Middle East politics and intrigue.

‘A lot of people see Islam as a violent religion, when in fact it’s just the opposite. Islam means “surrender” and a Muslim is one who surrenders completely to Allah and observes Allah’s requirement that people behave towards one another with justice and compassion. The fundamentalist Muslims don’t represent the true Islam, any more than the Jerry Buffetts of this world represent the true Christianity.’

‘Unfortunately a lot of people believe the fundamentalists’ view that there should only be one religion – theirs,’ Giovanni observed ruefully.

‘It is an interesting question, isn’t it. What sort of perverse God would create human beings whose search for meaning in religion generates so much intolerance towards one another?’

Giovanni was a little taken aback. It was unusual for a bishop to refer to God as perverse.

‘You’re looking surprised, Giovanni.’

‘I am a little,’ Giovanni admitted.

‘Don’t be. When you get to my age you tend to question a great deal.’

‘Your faith?’

‘Especially my faith. Have you been reading any of Teilhard de Chardin?’

‘I thought the Vatican had banned his work, although I couldn’t help noticing you have several of his books.’

‘Cardinal Petroni and his ilk wouldn’t be amused,’ Patrick replied darkly. ‘But as there’s as much likelihood of him coming to Jerusalem as there is an agreement on peace, I think I’m pretty safe,’ he chuckled, his humour returning as he got out of his chair and moved to fossick through the shelves, returning with a much-thumbed book and an equally dog-eared Journal of Mathematics.

‘ Comment Je Crois – How I Believe,’ he said, handing Giovanni the book. ‘It’s in French but I gather you speak that language fluently, along with English, German, Spanish and Latin?’

‘Someone has kept you informed,’ Giovanni said with a grin.

‘Oddly enough it was the Vatican. They’re not renowned for including us peasants in their debates but they did send me your biographical notes.’ Patrick poured himself another whiskey. ‘Chardin was a very interesting man. After he was ordained as a Jesuit priest, he served in WWI as a stretcher bearer. Among other things he won the Military Medal and the Legion of Honour. Like you, he was also a scientist.’

‘It is sometimes difficult being a priest and a scientist. There are times when I wish I was one or the other, not both.’

‘Chardin would agree with you, but he also had the courage to disagree with the Vatican, which got right up their Eminences’ nostrils and they did what they always do.’

Giovanni nodded. ‘Excommunication.’

‘It is their standard response to anyone with the intellect and temerity to question their power base. Anyway, you may have both of these,’ he said. ‘The second one is a paper by the Israeli archaeologist and mathematician Yossi Kaufmann. He’s convinced there are codes in the Dead Sea Scrolls that contain a warning. Have you heard of the Omega Scroll?’

Giovanni felt a chill and nodded, measuring his response. His instinct was to trust this bishop of the people, but it was too soon to divulge what he knew. ‘It’s had quite a bit of press from time to time but I thought it was mostly speculation,’ he replied carefully.

Bishop O’Hara shook his head. ‘Yossi Kaufmann doesn’t think so. Yossi’s a man of many contacts, quite a few of whom reside in the back alleys of this Holy City. Not only is he convinced it exists, he thinks the Vatican bought a copy of it in 1978, and he’s equally certain the original is still out there, but you can ask him yourself. You’ll need to come back here once a month or so, more frequently if I have the need of company,’ Patrick added. ‘I’ll arrange for you to meet him over dinner. Sister Katherine is an excellent cook.’

It was after ten before Giovanni managed to escape to his room. He propped himself up in bed and turned to Yossi Kaufmann’s paper published in The Journal of Mathematics. As another distinguished Israeli, Dr Eliyahu Rips, was doing with the Torah, Professor Kaufmann had applied a computerised analysis to the Hebrew and Aramaic of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and he had discovered a similar problem to Rips. Words like ‘terror’ and ‘end of days’ were found by the program, but Kaufmann had been unable to determine what the hidden warning was. Professor Kaufmann’s paper had been written for a professional audience but Giovanni grasped the underlying permutations and progression theorems with ease. He blinked at Kaufmann’s conclusion. The codes that were in the Dead Sea Scrolls all pointed to the message being found in a particular scroll, the Omega Scroll. The words ‘revelation’ and ‘end of mankind’ kept coming up.

Overtired, Giovanni couldn’t sleep so he flicked the bedside lamp back on and reached for Teilhard de Chardin’s banned Comment Je Crois . Chardin had a gift for writing and the French came easily, and when Giovanni next checked his watch it was two in the morning. Reluctantly he closed the book and turned out the light. No wonder the Vatican had banned Teilhard de Chardin. The great French theologian and scientist had dared to suggest that God was not some all-powerful and vengeful Being, but a spiritual force within creation itself; in the rivers, mountains, mists, elephants, microbes and within every human being. For Chardin, God was not the God of Wrath of the Church but rather the ‘spirit within’, and he was daring to challenge the Cardinals’ powerful claim that God could only be reached through the priests of the Church.

Giovanni finally fell into an uneasy sleep. Chardin had left an indelible mark on Giovanni, colouring his approach to his faith and helping him in his never-ending search for true meaning.

The Spirit smiled as revelation dawned.

Milano

T he trip took less than five minutes and the door to Cardinal Petroni’s apartments was promptly opened by a petite, attractive Sister on the Cardinal’s personal staff.

‘You may hang your coat on that hook, Sister Bassetti,’ Sister Carmela said icily.

‘ Grazie. E molto gentile,’ Allegra responded with a gracious smile. Perhaps the dark-haired nun had had a bad day, she thought.

‘His Eminence is waiting for you in the drawing room, Sister Bassetti, if you will follow me.’

Allegra trailed behind as Sister Carmela set a brisk pace down the sumptuously carpeted hallway, where priceless artworks on loan from the Vatican hung from high picture railings on either side. The heavy gold frames were beautifully set against the deep blue wallpaper. There were paintings by Margaritone d’Arezzo and Vitale da Bologna, Lorenzo Monaco and Guido Reni, and at the entrance to the drawing room, a fresco by none other than Raphael, the master himself.

‘Sister Bassetti, Eminence.’ Sister Carmela announced Allegra and then withdrew.

‘Sister Bassetti. How good of you to come.’