The Book of Q

more to pass the time than anything else.

“About an hour ago,” answered Blaney. “Our Pentecostal, Baptist, and Methodist friends were all very appreciative.”

“I don’t care how much they appreciate it,” replied von Neurath, scratching away at a small stain on the bedspread. “I want to know that they understand what it’s for.” He brushed a few crumbs away and looked over at Blaney. “I can’t start consolidating the fold without grassroots support.”

“I’m sure they’re getting the message out, Erich.”

A quizzical look crossed von Neurath’s face before he turned to the stain again. “‘Message’? That’s a rather precious way of putting it, don’t you think?”

“Perhaps. It’s what you would call the ‘soft sell,’ I think.”

Von Neurath laughed to himself; it seemed to catch Blaney by surprise. “I didn’t realize you were so good at it.”

“Hardly.”

“Oh, don’t underestimate yourself, John.”

“No, I’ll leave that to you.”

Von Neurath looked up from the stain. “Have I struck a nerve?”

Blaney said nothing.

Again, von Neurath waited. “You’ve really grown to dislike me, haven’t you?”

“Not at all.”

“Don’t tell me that you’re disappointed?”

“Disappointment implies expectation.”

A smile. “Touche.”

“We see things differently,” said Blaney.

“Yes, we do. I know the message isn’t enough. One has to be certain that they understand it.”

“Well, then, I’m sure you have the people in place for that.”

“We, John. We have the people in place.” He began to scrape away again. “Painting the world in black and white isn’t that easy with all those other colors out there. One pure church won’t just suddenly appear because you hope it will. You have to lead them to it. And the only way to do that is-”

“To manipulate them?” said Blaney.

Von Neurath didn’t bother to look up. “A little crude, but, yes, that sounds about right.”

Blaney nodded to himself. “‘And when the light descends, and the darkness recedes, who shall be worthy of the mystery that has been hidden since eternities?’”

“‘He who can make the world whole,’” answered von Neurath. “Epistle of Seth.”

“I don’t recall all that much about ‘manipulation’ in the epistle.”

Von Neurath now looked up. “And what would you propose? Unless we have a willing constituency among our Protestant friends, no amount of papal encyclicals will make anything whole again, infallibility or not. The olive branch goes only so far.”

“If, in fact, you’re the one holding it,” reminded Blaney.

“I don’t think that will be much of a problem.” The cardinal turned back to the bedspread, the stain clearly getting the better of him. “Sometimes the Word isn’t sufficient to motivate people to action.”

“I’m not sure Mani would agree with you.”

“Mani wasn’t dealing with such a complicated world.”

“Oh, yes, I forgot. Poor, naive little Mani.”

Again, von Neurath laughed. “Sarcasm doesn’t really suit you, John. You’re much better when self-effacing. I’d stick with that.” Von Neurath stood, stepped to a small washbasin on a nearby table, and began to dip a washcloth in the water. Wringing it out, he returned to the bed and went back to work on the stain. “Nobody’s quite sure who or what the agents of darkness are nowadays. Too many would-be demons to choose from. If I can simplify that-”

“If we, Erich. We.”

Von Neurath waited before continuing. “If we can simplify that, all the better. One clear threat. One ultimate demon to send them back into the arms of the true church.”

“Even if that demon doesn’t exist?”

A wry smile crossed his lips. “The last I checked, Islamic fundamentalism was alive and well.”

“Playing on people’s irrational fears isn’t what Mani had in mind.”

“We’ve been through this. And it’s a little late to be questioning the method.”

“I’m not questioning it. I’m simply interpreting its emphasis.”

“Nothing brings people together like ignorance, John.” Von Neurath seemed satisfied with his work and tossed the cloth back onto the table.

Now Blaney waited before answering. “‘And nothing but ignorance can make the light-’”

“‘Wither and die.’ Yes. I know the verse. Shahpuhrakan, three-five. You might also recall Book of Giants, chapter six: ‘And through the darkness He will conceive a light so worthy that it will say-I am born of the darkness, and yet I am the light itself!’ Ignorance bearing wisdom. Not much to interpret there. Whether these fundamentalists actually pose a threat or not-whether Mr. Bin Laden and his ilk have more in mind for us than just some senseless bombings-we both know we can use their presence to create a genuine unity. Fear of a common enemy is a powerful incentive. We simply have to make sure that that incentive is strong enough. From there, it’s a small step to the true church. Then you’ll see the power of the Word.” He paused. “If that isn’t light born of darkness, I don’t know what is.”

“It all depends on how you use that enemy.”

“Yes. Yes, it does. I wasn’t aware you were so interested in the more mundane workings of all of this.” He waited for a response. “No, I didn’t think so.” He stood and returned to the window. “Keep the faith pure, John. That’s what you’ve always been so good at. All to make the church whole again.” He waited. “Sometimes I wonder what you think that really means.”

“Light set free. Triumph over darkness. It’s not all that complex, Erich. ‘The vain garment of this flesh put off, safe and pure; the clean feet of my soul free to trample confidently upon it.’”

Again, von Neurath laughed to himself. “Abstractions are so easy, aren’t they? Especially when you can hide behind them.”

“And what does that mean?”

Again von Neurath waited. “We make the church whole, John, and it’s our turn to build from the ashes. Our turn to set doctrine, tend a flock, not just quote from a psalmbook. We’re not exactly a feel-good bunch, now are we?”

Blaney said nothing.

“Two, three hundred elect among us? The rest, told to obey for a life of perfect asceticism? That requires a good deal of control. Limitations. How many of them, do you think, will be that keen to let their ‘souls trample on the world of the flesh’? We’ll have to take a lot of things away from them so that they can see how the Light can be set free. The triumph over darkness demands a great deal of discipline, a healthy dose of … reeducation. Not everyone’s going to understand what we’re doing for them.” Again, von Neurath waited. “So don’t tell me you’re uncomfortable with how we’ll be dealing with our enemies, real or not. You know as well as I do that it pales in comparison to what we have in store for our own followers. That kind of ascetic ideal requires sacrifice. And we don’t have the luxury to pick and choose which ones we make.”

Neither said a word for nearly a minute. Blaney stared at the phone, willing it to ring. Von Neurath suddenly turned to him. “It’s defense, isn’t it?”

“What?” asked Blaney.

“Defense,” he repeated. “‘Satisfied slave turns up in armor.’”

It took Blaney a few seconds to realize what he was saying. “Oh … Yes.” He now recalled the cryptic he’d given him earlier in the day. The word game they’d been playing for years, like all good Manichaeans. The mysteries hidden within language. There might have been a great deal of mistrust and disrespect in their relationship, but at least they had the cryptics to keep them on common ground. “That didn’t take long.”

“Satisfied, fed. Slave, esne. Turn them upside down,” said von Neurath, “and you