Magyar Egyház, 1966 (45. évfolyam, 1-12. szám)
1966-11-01 / 11-12. szám
12 MAGYAR EGYHÁZ (Lit? (Ehriütmas i>tnnj The Fifth Wise Man by: Andrew Harsanyi They were standing on the top of the ziggurat. The early hours of the morning were always cool. It was just before daybreak; a grey mist covered everything before the eyes of the five men. But by every minute it became clearer. A light blue streak — the river Euphrates — the white walls and housetops like small boxes scattered in the brown of the sand and the green of the olive-gardens came to sight: the city of Sippar in the land of Babylon now ruled by the king of the Parthians. The ancient city wasn’t a big one. But a famous city, indeed. As a matter of fact the group of buildings of which the ziggurat was a part made the city famous. It was the great College of Astrology attached to the House of Sun, called E-Babbar. The ziggurat was the research tower, a square-pyramid type building with terraces, narrower step by step and ending in a pinnacle which gave room for only one person to stand. The other four men were one terrace lower. All five were panting from the climbing of the countless terraces, and the cool breeze from the river gave them a strange shiver. Maybe it wasn’t so much the breeze as the excitement. They were gazing into the dark-blue sky. “Do you see something, Artaban?” — one of the men standing on the lower terrace asked. He had a quite dark complexion. “Of course I see something, Master Caspar. I see hundreds of stars” — came the answer from the man who stood on the pinnacle. He looked the youngest of them. He was fastest in climbing the ziggurat. There was mockery in his answer. ’’You know what I am asking” — Caspar’s woice was impatient. “Let me get up there!” “Don’t be irreverent to Master Caspar, Artaban,” — another of the party remarked. “Just because you are so brilliant and seem to know everything. Don’t be irreverent. Knowledge is humble, my son.” “I didn’t want to be irreverent, Master Balthasar” — replied the young man — “but I can’t stand it when big things are being made out of nothing.” “But this isn’t nothing, my son” — the voice of the one who spoke was meek and kind. Artaban didn’t give up. “Master Aldebaran, what can be so important about a conjunction of two stars? It happens every day. I spent a whole year memorizing them. Do you want me to tell them all?” “Young braggart” — the one who hasn’t spoken yet iust murmured between his teeth. But Artaban heard it. “Why is it bragging if you know something and tell so, Master Melchior?” “You heard Master Balthasar, knowledge is humble.” “A1 right. I apologize” —- though his voice didn’t sound apologetic at all. “I see it, I see it!” Caspar was shouting and pointed out with his hand. “There they are. The great sign: Saturn and Jupiter. The sign of the new world-king. There it is. Come let us make haste and follow the star!” “But Masters, please” — Artaban’s voice again bore a tint of mockery — “you wouldn’t give credence to superstitions? We are living in a modem age. The stars are beautiful, but they certainly don’t fortell births. You yourselves know that you can figure out the constellations of the stars and so the conjunctions as well. All right: we know that Jupiter will leave the constellation of Aquarius and join Saturn in Fishes. They are both bright stars; so their conjunction must be particularly bright. Three months ago it was to happen for the first time, in the month they nowadays call Februarius. But then it was by day, and because of the sun we couldn’t observe them. Our figures showed that today, at daybreak, it should happen again. So here we are, and the stars are righ there where they are supposed to be. What’s so sensational about that?” Artaban’s tone was a mixture of cool objectivity and indifference. “Don’t you understand, Artaban” — Caspar was excited — “Saturn and Jupiter! It is a sign! It has great portents!” Artaban condescendingly continued: “I only understand, Master Caspar, that you are giving credence to superstition.” “It is not superstition, Artaban” — the kind-voiced Aldebaran spoke now. “It is the faith of many.” “Many who?” —- Artaban encountered. “The faith of the Hebrews. I know them. A small group whose ancestors stayed in Babylon after King Cyrus released them from captivity 400 years ago. A few didn’t go back because life was more agreeable here. But they didn’t mix and they stuck to their superstitions.” “Not superstition, Artaban” — Aldebaran was patient. “It is their faith. They believe in the power of their God. That he would once deliver them.” “Deliver them from what? They are not slaves. They are very well-to-do merchants. And they can leave any time. We don’t keep them. They can go back to their old country if they wish.” “But the Romans are there. Their land is occupied.” “So they shouldn’t go” — Artaban’s voice got indignant. “Young man, can’t you think with other peoples’ minds?” — Balthasar asked rebukingly. “Can’t you understand that these Hebrews love their old country and mourn for their oppressed compatriots? And they believe in their God and in the prophecies that a liberator, a savior, would once be bom for their entire people. A Messiah who would bear their God’s Spirit and establish his kingdom.” “It’s still nothing but superstition” — Artaban muttered. “Let me refresh what you had studied in our College” - Master Melchior now spoke in a didactic tone. “This conjunction now is in the constellation of the Fishes. It is the beginning and the end of the solar orbit so it represents the beginning and the end of a world-era. Right?” “This is what the textbook says” — said Artaban, but the tone of his voice indicated that he didn’e quite believed the textbook. Melchior continued: “Now then. The textbooks also say that Jupiter is the star of kings and rulers and that Saturn is the star of Palestine and in particular the star of the Hebrews. So the conjunction means that a new world era is beginning with the birth of a Jewish king. It’s the language of the stars.” “No and no and no” — Artaban’s voice was passionate now. “You are saying things that are not in the textbook. And anyway, these are old theories. Unbecoming to a modern scholar. Don’t read from the stars what is not
