Black Cathedral

the Jewish people as his special people and to be an example to the world.

‘Judaism doesn’t have any set doctrines, or creeds; it’s a religion that follows Torah which is guidance from God found in the scriptures. Humans are made in the image of God, and should try to seek holiness in everything they do every day.’

Bayliss caught Carter’s gaze and rolled his eyes to the ceiling. ‘There’s a point to this?’

Carter ignored him. ‘All Jews have an affinity to Israel, the land God promised to Abraham and to the holy city of Jerusalem. Jews are divided according to their beliefs and practices and also to their racial origins; some, the Ashkenazi Jews, having roots in central Europe, and others from Spain and the Middle East, the Sephardic Jews.

‘DeMarco was a Sephardic Jew.’

Bayliss snorted in derision. ‘There’s no evidence for that.’

‘None that you found,’ Carter said quietly.

Bayliss placed his mug untidily on a small side table and stood. ‘I’ve researched him for years and there are no suggestions that he was anything other than Spanish. Spain has a rich history of explorers and in his way that’s what deMarco was about. Only he took it to extremes.’

‘I haven’t said he wasn’t Spanish. Sit down and let me continue. I admire the work you’ve done, you told me things I hadn’t pieced together, but accept that I have an advantage.’

McKinley laughed, a gentle bass rumble. ‘He means his psychic ability.’

‘It allows him to get into corners ordinary research can’t reach,’ Kirby said.

When Bayliss was seated again Carter began speaking. ‘During the time of the Spanish Inquisition Jews living in Spain were persecuted for their faith. To continue living there many of them lived a double life of pretending to be Catholics but secretly practicing their real religion in private. Because Catholicism was considered the one true faith many Jews became conversos, people who actually converted to Catholicism but still practiced Judaism underground. Those who refused conversion were tortured and killed.

‘Those who converted but secretly maintained their true faith were called Marranos. In Spanish this means pig; it’s taken from the Arabic muharram, which means ritually forbidden, based on the Jewish, and Muslim of course, habit of not eating pork.

‘Many Jews did actually convert to Christianity but they were never fully accepted. The conversos on the surface were practicing Catholics; they went to Mass, but didn’t embrace the faith. They still ate no pork, celebrated Passover, and gave oil to the synagogue. The Marranos employed a man to slaughter the animals, drain away the blood and deliver the meat, and another man to secretly perform their circumcisions.

‘The large numbers of the conversos, and especially their wealth and influence naturally aroused the envy and even the hatred of the Spanish Catholic population. The New Christians, those who actually converted, were hated the most, but all the Marranos were persecuted. In the fifteenth and sixteenth century there were many attacks and riots because of religious bigotry.’

Carter paused while Kirby and McKinley made some fresh coffee and sandwiches.

‘Smoke?’ Carter offered Bayliss while they waited for the others.

Bayliss shook his head. ‘One of the few vices I’ve managed to avoid.’

‘You see where I’m headed with this?’ Carter said, drawing the smoke deeply and dangerously.

‘You can’t have positive proof. Most of your conclusions will be supposition at best.’

Another cigarette was lit from the end of the first. ‘Partly, but don’t underestimate my powers. They’ve let me research this in ways you won’t have been able to. You’ve done well; what you told us confirmed most of what I’ve found out.’

McKinley and Kirby came back in with two trays, one of coffee and one of ham and cheese sandwiches.

‘Cigarette out please, Robert,’ Kirby said as she brought over a mug of coffee and plate of food. She smiled at him as he took them from her.

When they were settled again, and Carter had devoured half his sandwich, he began talking.

‘In Spain the Jews were gradually placed in ghettos and ended up living apart from the Marranos. The two communities continued to communicate, with the unconverted Jews trying to keep the conversos faithful to Judaism.

‘Constantly persecuted during the Inquisition, most conversos tried desperately to leave the country. This wasn’t easy, although many fled to Italy, ironically the country that houses the Pope. Fanatical Popes imprisoned the conversos; those who didn’t convert were burned in public executions.

‘In Spain a certain group of Marranos began to embellish their Judaism. Living in houses of secrets they looked for outlets beyond their Jewish faith. Practicing in secret meetings they began to adopt the ancient and mysterious ways of Kabbalah.

‘Kabbalah is considered to be the world’s oldest set of spiritual wisdoms. Believers say it contains the long hidden keys to the secrets of the universe as well as the ways to unlock the mysteries of the human heart and soul. Kabbalah details how to navigate the whole world, physical and metaphysical, to stave off every form of chaos, pain and suffering. It teaches that every human being is born with the capacity of greatness and that Kabbalah is the way to activate that greatness.

‘Kabbalah is meant to be used every day; remember how that links to the Jewish ideal. Kabbalah has as its purpose to bring clarity to the world, make people free to live to their full potential and ultimately to erase even death itself.’

Carter finished his coffee, lit another cigarette, and looked at each of them in turn. ‘DeMarco was a Marrano. He took the path to Kabbalah but he twisted it out of all recognition. Bitter at the persecution he saw against his family he pursued the path towards erasure of death, and…’

‘And succeeded,’ Bayliss said, with a kind of awe.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

‘Kabbalah literally means receiving and what it does is interpret the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, as well as classical Jewish texts such as halakha and aggadah, and various practices or mitzvot. By doing that it tries to be a doctrine by which people can live full and satisfying lives within God’s omnipotence.

‘The eighteenth century saw an explosion of Kabbalah, but by then deMarco was already well established and practicing his own brand of the faith. One of the aspects of Kabbalah is the belief that Jewish and non-Jewish souls are different. While all human souls emanate from God, non-Jewish or gentile souls originate from the left side of God and therefore all non-Jews have a dark or demonic side to them that is absent in Jews.

‘That probably started as defense against the persecution suffered over the centuries by Jews who were called the servants of Satan, and characterized as nonhumans. But at the time Kabbalah taught that Jews had additional layers of the soul that others did not. Obviously this interprets itself as sounding superior and they were perceived as arrogant.’

Kirby leaned forward, holding her hand up uncertainly as if a pupil in class. ‘Sorry to interrupt, Robert, but there are almost two hundred years between the Inquisition and the events on Kulsay between deMarco and The German.’

‘He’s saying deMarco went deep underground as a Marrano in the sixteenth century, twisted his Judaism into a version of Kabbalah, especially the escape from death bit, and then proved that Jews have a dark and demonic side as well,’ Bayliss said. ‘It’s fascinating stuff, Carter, I’ll give you that. You’ll expect me to poke fun at your theory but I’m going to disappoint you. Rather than what I told you earlier confirming what you already thought it’s the other way round. You’ve just given me a way that deMarco could achieve eternal life.’

‘I’m not your enemy, Bayliss,’ Carter said.

McKinley stood and walked across to the window. ‘So I’ve got this straight,’ he said. ‘DeMarco became bitter