Cassiopeia sat on a bench opposite him. He could tell there was a purpose to her visit.
'I saw earlier that you have doubts about all this. Is it because you refuse to challenge your Christian Bible?'
He didn't really want to talk about it, but she seemed eager. 'Not at all. It's because you choose to challenge the Bible. Seems everyone involved in this quest has an ax to grind. You, de Roquefort, Mark, Sauniere, Lars, Stephanie. Even Geoffrey, who's a bit different to say the least, has an agenda.'
'Let me tell you a few things and maybe you'll see this is not personal. At least, not with me.'
He doubted that, but he wanted to hear what she had to say.
'Did you know that in all of recorded history only one crucified skeleton has ever been found in the Holy Land.'
He didn't.
'Crucifixion was alien to the Jews. They stoned, burned, decapitated, or strangled to accomplish capital punishment. Mosaic law only allowed a criminal who'd already been executed to hang on wood as additional punishment.'
'For he that is hanged is accursed by God,' he said, quoting Deuteronomy.
'You know your Old Testament.'
'We do have some culture back in Georgia.'
She smiled. 'But crucifixion was a common form of Roman execution. Varrus in 4 BC crucified more than two thousand. Florus in AD 66 killed nearly four thousand. Titus in AD 70 executed five hundred a day. Yet only one crucified skeleton has ever been found. That was in 1968, just north of Jerusalem. The bones dated from the first century, which excited a lot of people. But the dead man was not Jesus. His name was Yehochanan, about five and a half feet tall, twenty-four to twenty-eight years old. We know because of information inscribed on his ossuary. He'd also been tied to the cross, not nailed, and neither of his legs was broken. Do you understand the significance of that detail?'
He did. 'Suffocation was how you died on the cross. The head would eventually droop forward, and oxygen deprivation set in.'
'Crucifixion was a public humiliation. Victims weren't supposed to die too soon. So to delay death a piece of wood was attached behind the abdomen that could be sat on, or a piece at the feet that could be stood upon. That way, the accused could support himself and breathe. After a few days, if the victim had not exhausted his strength, soldiers broke the legs. That way he could no longer support himself. Death came quickly after that.'
He recalled the Gospels. 'A crucified person couldn't defile the Sabbath. The Jews wanted the bodies of Jesus and the two criminals executed with Him down by nightfall. So Pilate ordered the legs of the two criminals broken.'
She nodded. 'But when they came to Jesus, and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. That's from John. Ever wonder why Jesus died so quickly? He'd only been hanging a few hours. It usually took days. And why didn't the Roman soldiers break His legs anyway, just to be sure he died? Instead, John says, they pierced His side with a lance and blood and water poured forth. But Matthew, Mark, and Luke never mention this happening.'
'What's your point?'
'Of all the tens of thousands who were crucified, only one skeleton has ever been found. And the reason is simple. In Jesus's time, burial was deemed an honor. No greater horror existed than for your body to be left for the animals. Each of Rome's supreme penalties-burned alive, cast to the beasts, or crucifixion-had one thing in common. No body to bury. Crucifixion victims were left hanging until the birds picked their bones clean, then what was left was tossed into a common grave. Yet all four Gospels agree that Jesus died in the ninth hour, three PM, then was taken down and buried.'
He began to understand. 'The Romans would not have done that.'
'This is where the story gets complicated. Jesus was condemned to death with the Sabbath only a few hours away. Yet He's ordered to die by crucifixion, one of the slowest ways to kill a person. How could anyone think He'd be dead before nightfall? Mark's Gospel says even Pilate was puzzled by such a quick death, asking a centurion if everything was in order.'
'But wasn't Jesus mistreated before He was nailed to the cross?'
'Jesus was a strong man in the prime of his life. He was accustomed to walking great distances in the heat. Yes, he endured the scourge. According to law, thirty-nine lashes were to be given. But we're not told anywhere in the Gospels if this number was administered. And after his torment, he was apparently strong enough to address His accusers in a forcible way. So little evidence exists of any weakened condition. Yet Jesus dies in a mere three hours-without His legs being broken-His side supposedly pierced by a lance.'
'The prophecy from Exodus. John speaks of it in his Gospel. He said all those things happened so Scripture would be fulfilled.'
'Exodus speaks of Passover restrictions and that none of the meat may be taken outside the house. It had to be eaten within one house with no broken bones. That has nothing to do with Jesus. John's reference to it was a weak attempt at continuity with the Old Testament. Of course, as I said, the other three Gospels never even mention the lance.'
'I assume your point, then, is that the Gospels are wrong.'
'None of the information contained within them makes sense. They contradict not only themselves, but history, logic, and reason. We're left to believe that a crucified man, without His legs broken, died within three hours, and was then afforded the honor of being buried. Of course, from a religious standpoint it makes perfect sense. Early theologians were attempting to attract followers. They needed to elevate Jesus from a man to the god Christ. The gospel writers all wrote in Greek and would have known their Hellenic history. Osiris, the consort of the Greek god Isis, died at the hands of evil on a Friday, then was resurrected three days later. Why not Christ, too? Of course, for Christ to physically rise from the dead, there would have to be an identifiable body. No bones picked clean by birds and tossed into a common grave would do. Hence, the burial.'
'This is what Lars Nelle was trying to prove? That Christ did not rise from the dead?'
She shook her head. 'I have no idea. All I know is that the Templars knew things. Important things. Enough to transform a band of nine obscure knights into an international force. Knowledge was what fueled that expansion. Knowledge that Sauniere rediscovered. I want that knowledge.'
'How could there be any proof of anything, one way or another?'
'There must be. You've seen Sauniere's church. He left a lot of hints, and they all point in one direction. There must be something out there-enough to convince him to keep the Templars looking.'
'We're dreaming.'
'Are we?'
He noticed that evening had finally dissolved into darkness, the surrounding hills and forest a mass of silhouette.
'We have company,' she whispered.
He waited for her to explain.
'On the ride, I worked my way up one of the promontories. I spotted two men. One to the north, the other south. Watching. De Roquefort found you quickly.'
'I didn't think the trick with the transponder would slow him down long. He'd assume we'd come here. And Claridon would show him the way. They spot you?'
'I doubt it. I was careful.'
'This could get dicey.'
'De Roquefort is a man in a hurry. He's impatient, particularly if he feels cheated.'
'You mean the journal?'
She nodded. 'Claridon will know it's riddled with mistakes.'
'But de Roquefort found us. We're within his sights.'
'He must know precious little. Otherwise, why bother? He'd simply use his resources and search himself. No, he needs us.'
Her words made sense, as had everything else she'd said. 'You rode out expecting them, didn't you?'
'I thought we were being watched.'
'You always so suspicious?'
