Book of James: a novel Read online

  “What do you have?” asked Father Phillips.

  “An early Gospel of Thomas, Gospel of the Hebrews, Gospel of Peter. There are versions of the community rule scrolls and the war scrolls. There are Hebrew originals of the Septuagint, several books of targumim, some midrash on Melchizedek and Abram. There are letters from Corinth and Antioch, and a copy of the Lives of the Prophets.” Phillips and Cullinane stood there, awestruck. “These books should keep you and your colleagues busy for some time.”

  Phillips and Cullinane could not help themselves. They approached the bookcase.

  “What’s remarkable is the condition they are in,” added Father Abdau, motioning to the books on the shelves. “The cave was dry and the jars kept the texts intact, look, I even have the jars.” He motioned to the back of the room where twelve clay jars sat, four wide and three deep.

  “Have you done further excavation in the area?” asked Phillips.

  “No,” said Abdau.

  Cullinane reacted feverishly. “We must find this cave. There may be more.”

  “In time,” said Abdau, pulling on white cotton gloves. “Today, you’re here to see this.” He opened up the bookcase and slid his hands on either side of a book in the center of the center shelf. He slid it out and in its place put a non-acidic foam spacer.

  “The Gospel according to James the Just.”

  The top of the lectern was angled so that the codex would lay open at 120 degrees, stretching the binding not quite to its natural limit. Father Abdau pulled at the leather cord holding the covers together, and laying it aside, lifted the cover. He handed Phillips and Cullinane face masks and white cotton gloves, which they donned eagerly.

  Tears welled in their eyes as they looked. “James, servant of God, disciple of John, brother of Jesus, to the twelve tribes in dispersion, greetings,” said Cullinane, translating.

  “This is stunning,” said Phillips, barely able to contain himself, fingering the first page. “Center stalk papyrus. Very wide sheets. Looks like carbon soot ink. It seems to indicate first century, but it is remarkably well preserved.”

  They spent the next hour carefully going through each passage, prodding one another as ancient debates between them were resolved, one by one.

  “They’re like school boys,” said Molino, standing back with Father Abdau watching them read and argue.

  Abdau chuckled. “I know how they feel. I was young to this once as well. It is the unadulterated voice of our Lord’s brother. It is as close to communion with God as we’ll ever get. It makes the heart grow and the spirit soar.”

  When Phillips and Cullinane had finished, they stepped back from the lectern. “Father Abdau,” said Cullinane, “may I take just one picture?”

  Abdau shrugged. “I must check my calendar. I will be back in one minute.” He stepped out of the room. Cullinane pulled a digital camera from his pocket. Phillips opened the Book of James to the page they had spent most time discussing. There was a bright flash.

  “This picture is good for one dinner at La Campana,” chirped Cullinane. Phillips stifled a laugh.

  Father Abdau entered the room. “We must be going.”

  He pulled out the foam insert and replaced the codex in its place on the center shelf. “Father,” said Phillips, “if you need any curatorial assistance whatsoever, I can assure you that the Vatican Secret Library will provide it.”

  “Who do you think is paying for my research?” said Abdau. Phillips and Cullinane looked at one another, amazed.

  They left Father Abdau at the front entrance of St. George’s church. The guard with the Uzi pushed the door open. “Got what you came for?” asked the guard.

  “Yes,” said Molino, “yes we did.”

  The gates at Palazzo Malta opened, Molino pulled in and parked on the center of the Maltese Cross. The young man in a well-tailored suit greeted him in the entrance lobby and led him to the palatial office where Clark was once again back in business, leading his coterie through another anarchic work day.

  “Captain Molino!” said Clark, now with pleasant familiarity. “Do you have it?”

  “Yes, I do,” said Molino, pulling from his satchel a plain manila folder. “Here it is.”

  “Give it to Davis,” said Clark, distractedly, and then to Davis, “Scan this and email it to Preston on K Street. Then shred it.”

  Clark went on to another telephone call. Davis, a short man with slicked back hair and dangerous eyes, approached Molino with an extended hand. “What’s this?” he asked.

  Molino gave him the folder. “The Book of James.”

  Davis shrugged indifferently, and with the folder in his hand, turned and left the office.

  The Gospel According to James the Just

  James, servant of God, disciple of John, brother of Jesus, to the twelve tribes in dispersion, greetings.

  As I live, Ananelus, pretender to the high priesthood, defiles the Temple. The righteous grow fearful, we are moving our community to Pella, like our brothers before us in Qumran. As Ananelus is conspiring against me, and others continue to blaspheme, I know my days are few. I am sending you this account of John’s and Jesus’s life and death, so that you will know and teach the truth when I am gone.

  Jesus was the third born to Joseph of Nazareth and Mary, I was the fourth. Joseph was first, Judas was second, our sister Sarah is the youngest. We were driven from our home by tithes and taxes. Our father was imprisoned for debts and died in confinement. Joseph and Jude traveled to foreign lands to find work. Sarah married and cared for our mother. Jesus and I walked the earth.

  John baptized in the wilderness and preached the baptism of repentance and the remission of sins. The people of Judaea and of Jerusalem came to him and he baptized them in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. John was clothed with camel's hair, and had a leathern girdle about his loins, and did eat locusts and wild honey.

  John preached to the people that losing their possessions brought them closer to God. And they would ask John if their tithes and taxes were enough. And John the Baptist would answer and say to them, “Let the man with two tunics share with him who has none, and let him who has food do likewise.”

  And John said to the people, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets.”

  When the Pharisees and Manasseh came to him for baptism, he said, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the tree; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

  And Antipas, who was full of sin, had John arrested and put to death, and the people were lost.

  Jesus, preaching in John’s name, said, “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even Gentiles love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even Gentiles do the same. If you lend to those from whom you
hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

  “Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

  “Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. So whenever you give alms, do not sound a horn before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

  “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

  “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

  “Pray then in this way: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, for we ourselves forgive those who trespass against us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.”

  “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Then Peter came and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven times.”

  “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the community. So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last thin copper piece.”

  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.”

  “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.”

  “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.”

  “And I tell you, whoever speaks a word against the son of man will be forgiven; but whoever blasphemes against God will not be forgiven, for there is only one God.”

  At that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants.”

  Jesus said to his disciples, “Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to anyone by whom they come! It would be better for you if a millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea than for you to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Be on your guard! If another disciple sins, you must rebuke the offender, and if there is repentance, you must forgive. And if the same person sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive.”

  “On the day of judgment, God will separate the just from the unjust, the righteous from the unrighteous, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; he will put the sheep on his right, and the goats on his left. Then the Lord will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you invited me in; naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you, or thirsty, and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and invite you in, or naked, and clothe you? And when did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’ And the Lord will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.’ Then he will also say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for Belial; for I was hungry, and you gave me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite me in; naked, and you did not clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.’ Then they themselves will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

  “All of God’s commandments can be summarized as one: that you love one another as I have loved you. For truly it is said, in everything, do to others as you would have them do unto you, for this is the law as given by the prophets.”

  “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

  “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”

  Then he told them a parable: “The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, ‘What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?’ Then he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be m
erry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.”

  Jesus said, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? If then you are not able to do so small a thing as that, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you-- you of little faith! And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying. For it is the Gentiles that strive after all these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, strive for His kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

  “Sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

  “But know this: the owner of the house protects his possessions against the thief. He who has no possessions walks into the thief’s den without fear.”