James BeauSeigneur - In His Image James

"Of course," Milner answered.

"You can expect delivery in one week, if that is acceptable to you."

"Yes, that would be fine," said Milner.

The man reached in his pocket and retrieved a key ring with four keys. "You will be needing these," he said without further explanation. "Ms. Bernley, Secretary Milner," he said as he nodded in farewell, and without another word, the three men walked away. Milner now looked at the letter more closely.

We believe that a certain item in our possession for a number of years may prove useful to your current enterprise. At your request -we -would be most ' gratified to surrender the item to you to use at your discretion.

The letter went on to give specifics on the delivery of the 'item' and to note that there were certain precautions to be observed in the transport and 'handling' of the item, of which the writer was sure they would be aware.

Bernley had been right: it was all coming together. "I knew they would contact us," said Milner. "It was just a matter of time."

Wednesday, July 31, 2019 – Tiviarius, Israel

"So, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Rabbi Eleazar ben David asked Scott Rosen as he sat down in his favorite chair. The rabbi's study was a little darker than Scott liked: one of the bulbs was out and there was no natural lighting because the room's only window, like every other wall in the room, was hidden by tightly packed bookshelves. It was quite an impressive collection of books, some in each of the three languages the rabbi spoke fluently.

"I'm concerned about Joel," Scott began.

"Joel Felsberg?" Rabbi ben David interrupted.

"Yes," Scott confirmed.

"I haven't seen Joel since the last time the three of us went to the Jerusalem Symphony. How is he? Is there anything wrong?"

"That's why I'm here. He came up to the Temple yesterday to find me. He was running and waving his arms," (Scott was exaggerating), "and yelling 'I've found him! I've found him!' I told him to calm down and asked what he was talking about, and he said he had seen the Messiah."

The rabbi raised an eyebrow at this but the reaction seemed more to convey introspection than trepidation. The rabbi's expression gave Scott the impression that he hadn't been listening. "Rabbi?" he said, seeking confirmation that the rabbi had heard what he was saying.

"The Messiah?" he asked after a moment.

"Yes."

"Did he say where he had seen him?"

"In a dream, but he's convinced that it was more than that. I guess he thinks it was some kind of vision."

"Hmm," he said, and there was that look of introspection again. He paused for several seconds and then asked, "Can we be sure it wasn't?"

"Yes. Absolutely."

"Why?" asked the rabbi.

Scott frowned and looked pained to have to answer. "I hate to even say it," he said. Rabbi ben David waited. "Apparently, whatever he saw in his dream has convinced him that Jesus, or 'Yeshua' as he called him, was the Messiah." This time the rabbi both raised his eyebrows and pushed out his lower lip. Clearly he was surprised, but there was no indication that he was appalled. Scott had expected a much stronger, or at least quicker, response. The rabbi seemed lost in thought. Obviously, he had something on his mind. Another man might have asked him about his distraction, but not Scott. He had never been one to openly show concern about other people. He was much happier with a room full of computers than a room full of people. The fact that he was here showing concern for Joel Felsberg gave witness to how close the two men were.

"Well, what should I do?" Scott asked, waving his hands to make his point and hoping to draw the rabbi's attention back to the subject.

"About what?"

"About Joel," Scott said, still waving his hands, but now it was out of frustration.

"I don't think there's anything you can do. If it was just a dream he'll get over it. Just try to be patient with him."

"What do you mean if it was just a dream?" Scott asked in disbelief.

The rabbi scooted forward in his seat. "Well, it's interesting that he should have this dream at this particular time." Scott was still too surprised to notice, but the rabbi no longer seemed distracted. "My studies have recently brought me to a rather interesting passage. Let me read it to you." The rabbi took his reading glasses and a book from the coffee table beside his chair and opened to a place he had bookmarked. Then he began:

"Who can believe what we have heard?

Upon whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

For he has grown, by His favor, like a tree-crown,

Like a tree-trunk out of arid ground.

He had no form or beauty, that we should look at him:

No charm, that we should find him pleasing.

He was despised, shunned by men,

A man of suffering, familiar with disease.

As one who hid his face from us,

He was despised, we held him of no account.

Yet it was our sickness that he was bearing,

Our suffering that he endured.

We accounted him plagued,

Smitten and afflicted by God;

But he was wounded because of our sins,

Crushed because of our iniquities.

He bore the chastisement that made us whole,

And by his bruises we were healed.

We all went astray like sheep,

Each going his own way; And the Lord visited upon him

The guilt of all of us."

"Rabbi," Scott interrupted, "why are you reading me this?" "Just listen," the rabbi answered. Scott did not understand why a rabbi would be reading from what was obviously a passage from the Christian New Testament, but he had more respect than to challenge him just yet. The rabbi continued:

He was maltreated, yet he was submissive,

He did not open his mouth;

Like a sheep being led to slaughter,

Like a ewe, dumb before those who shear her,

He did not open his mouth.

By oppressive judgment he was taken away,

Who could describe his abode?

For he was cut off from the land of the living

Through the sin of My people, who deserved the punishment.

And his grave was set among the wicked,

And with the rich, in his death -

Though he had done no injustice

And had spoken no falsehood.

But the Lord chose to crush him by disease,

That, if he made himself an offering for guilt,

He might see offspring and have long life,

And that through him the Lord's purpose might prosper.

Out of his anguish he shall see it;

He shall enjoy it to the full through his devotion.

My righteous servant makes the many righteous,

It is their punishment that he bears;

Assuredly, I will give him the many as his portion,

He shall receive the multitude as his spoil.

For he exposed himself to death

And was numbered among the sinners,

Whereas he bore the guilt of the many

And made intercession for sinners. "

Scott wasn't sure whether the rabbi was finished but he had no desire to hear anymore. "Why have you read this to me?" he asked.

"What do you think?" the rabbi asked in return, ignoring Scott's question for the moment.

"I think that the Christian writers do a poor job of imitating the style of the Jewish prophets."

The rabbi smiled broadly. It wasn't exactly the answer he had expected but it made the point. "Why do you assume that these are Christian scriptures?"

Scott still wasn't sure what the rabbi was up to but the teaching style of question and answer brought back his days in Hebrew school. The rabbi must be using this to make some point about Joel's delusion, he thought. "Well," Scott answered, as if he were in a classroom, "there are two reasons. First of all, the writer is obviously writing about Jesus: all that business about being wounded because of our sins and crushed because of our iniquities. That's a Christian belief – that Jesus was a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of mankind. It is obvious that this is one of their scriptures trying to convince the reader that Jesus was the Messiah."