Chapter III: "i, Joseph"

At about nine o'clock the next morning there was a knock at Father Ripon's door and Lindner, Sir Michael's confidential man, entered.

He seemed slightly agitated.

"I beg your pardon, Father," he said, "but Sir Michael instructed me to come to you at once. Sir Michael begs that you will read the columns marked in this paper and then join him at once in his own room."

The man bowed slightly and went noiselessly away.

Impressed with Lindner's manner, Father Ripon sat up in bed and opened the paper. It was a copy of the _Daily Wire_ which had just arrived by special messenger from the station.

The priest's eyes fell first upon the news summary. A paragraph was heavily scored round with ink.

"_Page 7._--A communication of the utmost gravity and importance
reaches us from Palestine, dealing with certain discoveries at
Jerusalem, made by Mr. Cyril Hands, the agent of the Palestine
Exploring Fund, and Herr Schmöulder, the famous German historian."

Ripon turned hastily to the seventh page of the paper, where all the foreign telegrams were. This is what he read:

"NOTE

"_In reference to the following statements, the Editor wishes it to
be distinctly understood that he prints them without comment or
bias. Nothing can yet be definitely known as to the truth of what
is stated here until the strictest investigations have been made.
Our special Commissioner left London for the East twenty-four hours
ago. The Editor of this paper is in communication with the Prime
Minister and His Grace the Archbishop of Canterbury. A special
edition of the 'Daily Wire' will be published at two o'clock this
afternoon._

"MOMENTOUS NEWS FROM JERUSALEM

"For the last three months, under a new firman granted by the
Turkish Government, the authorities of the Palestine Exploring
Society have been engaged in extensive operations in the waste
ground beyond the Damascus Gate at Jerusalem.

"It is in this quarter, as archæologists and students will be
aware, that some years ago the reputed site of Calvary and the Holy
Sepulchre was placed. Considerable discussion was raised at the
time and the evidence for and against the new and the traditional
sites was hotly debated.

"Ten days ago, Mr. Cyril Hands, M.A., the learned and trusted
English explorer, made a further discovery which may prove to be
far-reaching in its influence on Christian peoples.

"During the excavations a system of tombs were discovered, dating
from forty or fifty years before Christ, according to Mr. Hands's
estimate. The tombs are indisputably Jewish and not Christian, a
fact which is proved by the presence of _kôkîm_, characteristic of
Jewish tombs in preference to the usual Christian _arcosolia_. They
are Herodian in character.

"These tombs consist of an irregularly cut group of two chambers.
The door is coarsely moulded. Both chambers are crooked, and in
their floors are four-sided depressions, 1 foot 2 inches deep in
the outer, 2 feet in the inner chamber. The roof of the outer
chamber is 6 feet above its floor, that of the inner 5 feet 2
inches.

"The doorway leading to the inner tomb was built up into stone
blocks. Fragments of that coating of broken brick and pounded
pottery, which is still used in Palestine under the name _hamra_,
which lay at the foot of the sealed entrance, showed that it had at
one time been plastered over, and was in the nature of a secret
room.

"In the depression in the floor of the outer room was found a
minute fragment of a glass receptacle containing a small quantity
of blackish powder. This has been analysed by M. Constant Allard,
the French chemist. The glass vessel he found to be an ordinary
silicate which had become devitrified and coloured by oxide of
iron. The contents were finely divided lead and traces of antimony,
showing it to be one of the cosmetics prepared for purposes of
sepulture.

"When the interior of the second tomb had been reached, a single
_loculus_ or stone slab for the reception of a body was found.

"Over the _loculus_ the following Greek inscription in uncial
characters was found in a state of good preservation, with the
exception of two letters:

"[_See drawing of inscription on this page, made from photographs
in our possession. We print the inscription below in cursive Greek
text, afterwards dividing it into its component words and giving
its translation.--Editor, Daily Wire._]

FACSIMILE IN MODERN GREEK SCRIPT

=Egôiôsêphoapoarimatheiaslabô
ntosômatouiêsoutouapona**
retapotoumnêmeiouopoutoprôt
onekeitoentôtopôtoutôenekrypsa=

**=lacunæ of two letters.

FINAL READING OF THE INSCRIPTION

=Egô Iôsêph ho apo Arimatheias labôn to sôma tou Iêsou
tou apo Na[za]ret apo tou mnêmeiou hopou to prôton
ekeito en tô topô toutô enekrypsa=

[] = letters supplied.

"TRANSLATION INTO ENGLISH OF THE INSCRIPTION

"I, JOSEPH OF ARIMATHÆA, TOOK THE BODY OF
JESUS, THE NAZARENE, FROM THE TOMB WHERE IT
WAS FIRST LAID AND HID IT IN THIS PLACE.

"The slight mould on the stone slab, which may or may not be that
of a decomposed body, has been reverently gathered into a sealed
vessel by Mr. Hands, who is waiting instructions.

"Dr. Schmöulder, the famous _savant_ from Berlin, has arrived at
Jerusalem, and is in communication with the German Emperor
regarding the discovery.

"At present it would be presumptuous and idle to comment upon these
stupendous facts. It seems our duty, however, to quote a final
passage from Mr. Hands's communication, and to state that we have a
cablegram in our possession from Dr. Schmöulder, which states that
he is in entire agreement with Mr. Hands's conclusions.

"To sum up. There now seems no shadow of doubt that the
disappearance of The Body of Christ from the first tomb is
accounted for, and that the Resurrection as told in the Gospels did
not take place. Joseph of Arimathæa here confesses that he stole
away the body, probably in order to spare the Disciples and friends
of the dead Teacher, with whom he was in sympathy, the shame and
misery of the final end to their hopes.

"The use of the first aorist '=enekrypsa=,' 'I hid,' seems to
indicate that Joseph was making a confession to satisfy his own
mind, with a very vague idea of it ever being read. Were his
confession written for future ages, we may surmise that the perfect
'=kekrypha=,' 'I have hidden,' would have been used."

So the simple, bald narrative ended, without a single attempt at sensationalism on the part of the newspaper.

Just as Father Ripon laid down the newspaper, with shaking hands and a pallid face, Sir Michael Manichoe strode into the room.

Tears of anger and shame were in his eyes, he moved jerkily, automatically, without volition. His right arm was sawing the air in meaningless gesticulation.

He glanced furtively at Father Ripon and then sank into a chair by the bedside.

The clergyman rose and dressed hastily. "We will speak of this in the library," he said, controlling himself by a tremendous effort. "Meanwhile----"

He took some sal volatile from his dressing-case, gave some to his host, and drank some also.

As they went down-stairs a brilliant sun streamed into the great hall. The world outside was bright and frost-bound.

The bell of the private chapel was tolling for matins.

The sound struck on both their brains very strangely. Sir Michael shuddered and grew ashen grey. Ripon recovered himself first.

He placed his arm in his host's and turned towards the passage which led to the chapel.

"Come, my friend," he said in low, sweet tones, "come to the altar. Let us pray together for Christendom. Peace waits us. Say the creed with me, for God will not desert us."

They passed into the vaulted chapel with the seven dim lamps burning before the altar, and knelt down in the chancel stalls. Some of the servants came in and then the chaplain began the confession.

The stately monotone went on, echoing through the damp breath of the morning.

Father Ripon and Sir Michael turned to the east. The sun was pouring through the great window of stained glass, where Christ was painted ascending to heaven.

The two elderly men said the creed after the priest in firm, almost triumphant voices:

"I believe in God the Father ... and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord.... The third day he arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven...."

* * * * *

And those two, as they came gravely out of church and walked to the library, _knew_ that a great and awful lie was resounding through the world, for the Risen Christ had spoken with them, bidding them be of good courage for what was to come.

The voice of Peter called down the ages:

"This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we are all witnesses."