Norman Rush - Mortals

“And it is entirely mad to think that at any minute a giant fatherly presence is going to bring history to an end and set up his kingdom. Jesus was mad.”

“So these evangelical men who say they are born again are becoming born again as Jews, rra. It makes me laugh that they don’t know this,” Themba said.

“Right, and how do we know that this mad belief in the imminent end was held by Jesus?… aside from the clues given in his statements and acts, which are turned around and softened by certain people today who say there will be no Second Coming, no physical kingdom, because in their view Jesus was catering for a spiritual change only … We call them immanentists , not the same word, the ones who say that the Kingdom of Heaven was already present in the world in Jesus’ time and forever, and that it consisted of human beings acting charitably toward one another, and nothing more supernatural than that.”

“Em, ah, rra, we say Jesus is mad and expects the end of the world because of what he says and because his teacher John the Baptist tells that this is to come, and Jesus becomes John’s follower. Yes, and as well, Jesus’ closest followers, Paul and James, say this is to come, the end of the world, ordered by God, is to come — although they disagreed on other items. And next in time to follow Jesus came Mark and Matthew and Luke. And in all they wrote is the belief that the end of time is coming soon, as Jesus said.”

“Perfect!”

“Ke itumela, rra.”

“Now, under this kingdom … no, first, what was the name for all the other people of the world?”

“The nations. The goyin.”

“No, goy im , with m at the end.”

“Sorry.”

“It’s nothing. And what did Jesus say would become of these goyim, the nations, when God came down?”

“They will bend their knees to Yahweh. For some very long time, up to a thousand years whilst being judged. And some people from among the goyim nations would be fine as to entering heaven when there is heaven. You see, there is not yet heaven, at that time, though there is hell. Some must be pushed into hell, even from amongst the Jews.”

“Who is likely to be cast into hell?”

“Rra, it is confusing to me, very much. Some we can say with ease will be pushed, such as those who offended Jesus in time past. And if once you have eaten meat with blood, you will be pushed, we can be sure. But as to the gentiles, most of them will find themselves in hell. I can study more as to these rules, rra. These rules of Noah by which some gentiles could pass through into heaven after all the judgment is finished.”

“No, you are right to be confused, because in the Bible the text is confused. And it is confused because the original question had to do with Jews, first and foremost. And very little thought was given to the gentiles.

“Now, what else can we say about this age, the age when Yahweh has created his kingdom on earth, the messianic age?”

“Em, well … still yet we do not see Yahweh ruling, I believe. The Christians began to say that in this time it would be Jesus ruling over the world for God. They were the followers of Paul.

“But as we saw when you spoke, it was a Son of Man who would rule, riding on clouds. We cannot say if Jesus was saying he was this Son of Man. Very likely he thought, yes, I am that man, because he was saying often to the apostles that he would sit on the right hand of his father, God. So, but perhaps that Son of Man can be Elijah. We cannot say, only that he rides about on clouds at times. But I must study these laws of Noah because to Batswana if you say Rra, Jesus says if you have eaten blood, Jesus of old, in his true doctrine before he was stolen by the Christians, if you taste blood you are going to the pit of hell, well, my word, all Batswana have tasted blood, as in puddings of blood, and other ways at the cattle post, expressly when they are ill. So you can see it will raise their eyes on this matter. They will listen.”

“Themba, we have to be very careful with this. I would leave it alone.”

“No, because you see up to this day at the butchery where they say they are halal, ‘we are halal,’ they say, ‘and our meat is drained, you must eat this or you will be condemned someway’ … it is from these same words of Noah and it is a curse on the Batswana … These Muslims say your meat is not clean, rra, except as you eat what is halal.”

“No, but this would be the wrong way to approach it. At the Muslim butcheries … No. Maybe at some future time, Themba. But your point is correct. But just not now .”

“Ehe, rra.”

“So we are in the messianic age and they have finished judging. God’s judges have. Then what?”

“Em, ah, oh yes, you must have a new kind of body to last forever and ever. The dead are all raised, I believe, and they, well, I believe they would be most in need. They would be rotten, rra. Ai! E bodile …”

“No, no,” Morel said, to one or two people who were laughing.

“So, but rra, you must have a new body of spirit or electric or whatsohaveyou because it must be such as to let you fly and repose in the blue sky. Em, and as to the dead gentiles, nothing is said, if they are brought up, the saved ones, for new bodies or no, so it is confusing.”

Morel made a reproving sound. Themba was playing to the crowd, which was not wanted. Ray knew what Morel, that asshole, was after — when you destroy some poor bugger’s belief system, become a technician, neutral, like a doctor bringing sad news but not being involved yourself, Ray thought. You had to have the demeanor of a funeral director.

“And then, in heaven, what happens? The Jewish heaven.”

“At all times you are not to work.”

“What else?”

“At all times you must not play after young ladies. At all times you must wear a crown and sit upon a throne. It is one man, one throne …”

Morel was making Themba wait. This last little thrust had earned him a touch of the silent treatment. No levity allowed, Ray thought. Morel was strict.

“And when the Jewish Sabbath comes, Themba, how should we understand it?”

“Ehe, for one day you are to live as it will be in heaven, with no work to do, no amusements …”

“Themba, let me read from our great scholar, Vermes, you have this, page 125 … On the Sabbath ‘abstinence from all work of the occupations of the children of men, and a total devotion to worship by means of offering incense, gifts and sacrifice in the sanctuary, symbolize and mystically achieve God’s reign on earth.’ ”

“Ehe, and you must sit and receive from God his shining forth.”

“See if you remember what we call that, or rather the Jews did.”

“I forget what.”

“Shekinah. Radiance of God.”

“Ehe, and, em, whilst you receive this shekinah you must in no way look straightaway at God. Even if you are in your new body, it can kill you to see his face.”

“Such is the Kingdom of Heaven, Themba. Not much moving around unless there is some scheme to shift thrones so that all can have a chance to sit near God.”

There was a ripple of amusement among the hearers. Morel is not playing by his own rules, Ray thought.

Themba said, “I think the Batswana can never be Jews, if there shall be no cows in heaven.”

Someone in the audience said “Ke dunetse,” meaning he agreed.

“So this heaven you describe is the great, final end that the Jew Jesus was urging all his people to work and die for, we see. And we are talking only about what we can tell were the beliefs of Jesus himself, in the time before Paul, and before the four Gospels were written — beginning about how many years after the death of Jesus, would you say?”