Magyar Egyház, 1966 (45. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1966-11-01 / 11-12. szám
MAGYAR EGYHÁZ 13 written there. The stars are there because those are their predetermined orbits. They couldn’t be elsewhere, not an inch left or right, not a minute sooner or later. They are bright, I even admit they are beautiful. That’s all and nothing else. Nothing else.” “And what about the Messiah of the Hebrews they believe that would come to deliver them?” — was Caspar’s question. “Well, let them believe what they want” — Artaban shrugged. “They want liberation, I am free. It’s their God, not mine. I don’t need their God. I can study the stars, figure out constellations and conjunctions, years and distances without their God. I just don’t need him; so why should I believe in expecting miracles from him? I can figure out the order of the stars as well as celestial disasters with my mind and with my instruments. I know for instance that there was a fiery comet rushing through the skies 5 years ago and I know it will return exactly 71 years from now. I shall probably see it, too, while you, of course, may be dead by then so I cannot prove it to you. But I know it, now.” “I don’t want to argue with you anymore, Artaban,” — said Balthasar calmly. “I am not Hebrew either. I don’t believe in their prophesies. But tradition is not always foolish and denying traditions doesn’t make someone necessarily modern. I still believe that the constellations of stars have meanings. The idea of a new world-era intrigues me. Jupiter is the sign of a king. Saturn has always been the star of the West. I don’t believe in the Messiah of the Hebrews, but I think a scholar’s duty is to investigate. Maybe not with the enthusiasm of Caspar, but objectively. So as a conscientious scholar, I suggest that a delegation should be appointed by the College of Astrology with the task of following the star to the West and looking at the bottom of this thing.” “You are right, Master Balthasar. I am with you. I shall go with you” — Melchior spoke in the same objective tone. “Shall we see the star again? It begins to fade away now” — Aldebaran asked. Artaban had the former mocking expression on his face again. “Oh, sure, you just go ahead. Twice during next Fall the conjunction will appear. You can’t miss it. The double-bright star, I mean. But you may have to wander to the end of the world. If there is one” — he added. Caspar spoke with trembling in his voice: “I know something about the next date of conjunction. It will be the 10th day of the 7th month in the Hebrew calendar, and do you know what day that will be? The Day of Atonement, they call it, when they offer sacrifices for the expiation of their sins.” “Come now, Master Caspar” — Artaban couldn’t help challenging him again. “What would a Hebrew holiday have to do with these stars. Why do you give an additional meaning to everything? Anyway, how do you know all these things?” Caspar hesitated with his answer. “I ... I consulted Rabbi Abarbanel. He told me all the prophecies. How the Messiah would come. Listen, I know the exact words: ‘For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ And if you want to know, we don’t have to go to the end of the world, only to Judea, a town called Bethlehem. Here is the prophecy: ‘But you, 0 Bethlehem Ephrathah . . . from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel ... he shall be great to the ends of the earth.’ ” Artaban lookd at him and waved with resignation: “Rabbi Abarbanel! I give up. Believing in the antiquated religious tales of a Hebrew rabbi . . . And I thought we had scholars in our College. But believe as you wish. Follow the star, spend your fortune, fight the weather and the robbers, do as you please.” “You don’t want to come, Artaban?” “No, Masters. I shall stay here in the College and work as a scholar should.” And with a wide gesture he added, “I shall be glad to fill in for all of you. It shall be a pleasure. . . . And don’t forget the 10th day of the 7th month of the Hebrew calendar, the day of Atonement. It shall be the beginning of Some atonemnt for you, I’m sure.” * * * And so it happened. Some four months after the discussion on the top of the ziggurat of the College of Astrology at Sippar, the four astrologers, -— Caspar, Melchior, Balthasar and Aldebaran — set out for the journey to explore the route of the double-bright star. They talked to Rabbi Abarbanel several times before their departure and learnd many more prophecies about the coming Messiah. One of them spoke about gifts to be brought by the kings. “You take gifts with you” — the Rabbi said. “But we are no kings.” “Yes, you are. You are great kings. Kings of science, kings of knowledge.” — Caspar provided the gifts: gold, frankincense, myrrh and precious stones. Aldebaran was taking he precious stones. It was early Spring when three of the wise astrologers returned to Sippar. Aldebaran wasn’t with them. Right at the beginning of their journey he was taken ill and stayed back in an inn. He never joined them again. They didn’t know what happened to him. The returning three wanted to tell Artaban all about their journey. But the young astrologer wasn’t in the College anymore. He was ordered into the King’s court, a great honor to the young man. So the three could only tell the other astrologers in the College what they retold each other already a thousand times on their homeward way. How they got to Jerusalem, how they went to see King Herod inquiring about the newborn king, how the king summoned his scribes wanting to know everything about this event and how then the scribes recited exactly what Rabbi Abarbanel had told the astrologers in Sippar. “And you know, as we started out from Jerusalem at night there was the star, we mean the conjunction of the two stars, in the Southern sky. As we arrived in Bethlehem the star was still with us. The last we saw it was above a stable hewn in a rock — then morning came and the star disappeared with the morning light. We didn’t know where to go, but, lo, in the stable we found people, a young couple and a newborn baby. A beautiful baby. His face was as radiant as ... as the star itself.” And the story continued — about Mary and Joseph and the Baby Jesus and the shepherds. How they unpacked their giftS.How they didn’t have to inquire anymore, how they just knew it was the One they were looking for. “I wish we could tell Artaban” -— Caspar said many times. “It would be of no use” — was Baltasar’s sober answer. “He wasn’t there, he wouldn’t believe.” * * * Some forty years passed away. Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar were all dead, Aldebaran never came back. But
