City of gods - Hellenica by Jonathan Maas Read Free Book Online

crying. After Aaron began to translate the group stood still, rapt in attention.
    “Look to your left, and look to your right,” said Elazar. “ This is your family now. We will not forsake you. Continue to pray to Zeus, make a sacrifice to Ba’al, and tell your children the tales of noble Lugh. But if you need something, depend on your neighbors. All blood feuds, hatred, and linguistic barriers mean nothing here.
    “The Celts and Apaches may be at war in the city, but they are family here. That’s the only rule here, that we are all with each other . No division. Do you understand?”
    Again, there was only silence from the Mesopotamians. High Priest Elazar noticed it and began to smile.
    “If you don’t believe me just yet, I understand. Lifelong habits are hard to break,” said Elazar. “But tell me, who are your mortal enemies on land?”
    Again, silence after Aaron translated. The boy giggled and then spoke up.
    “Yoruba!” he said. The woman tried to hush him, but he cried and started yelling, “Yoruba! Yoruba!”
    High Priest Elazar smiled and took no offense.
    “The boy only speaks what he’s been taught,” continued the High Priest. “And over there , you’ve been taught—”
    Just then, the boy keeled over and started convulsing. The boil under his arm had burst and he was foaming at the mouth. The Mesopotamians exploded into a million bits of chatter, and High Priest Elazar calmly walked up to the boy and put his hand on the boy’s head. Priest Aaron spoke up.
    “Shall I get the care specialist?” he asked.
    “Yes, have Brother Zebulon bring an anticonvulsant, whichever appropriate. But I want Kojo here to administer it.”
    Kojo nodded. The Mesopotamians began to chatter as he came near, but Brother Aaron seemed to say some words that calmed them down. Within seconds, Zebulon came with a needle. He prepped the skin and let Kojo perform the injection. The woman eyed Kojo warily, but allowed him to do his work. After the injection, the boy relaxed and Kojo smiled. Kojo wiped some stray fluids that had wound up on his arm, and then shared some words with the Mesopotamians in their own dialect.
    “Nurse Kojo is a Yoruban, your mortal enemy in the conurbation,” said Elazar, “but here he is your friend.”
    Elazar got up and then patted Kojo on the back. He told Sister Keziah to lead the group in song, making sure that the truly infirm could hear it from their beds. After the song and the daily announcements, he dismissed the group, but approached Tommy soon thereafter.
    “In my office,” said Elazar with a smile. “We have something very important to discuss.”
    /***/
    Elazar caught Tommy looking at his strange Samaritan Torah placed against the wall.
    “It’s okay,” he said with a laugh. “I understand you must think our religion strange.”
    Tommy couldn’t help but respond.
    “You have but one God,” said Tommy, “one God you cannot see or touch, one God who doesn’t respond; you just believe he’s there. It’s hard to fathom.”
    “Our God is mysterious indeed,” said Elazar, “but tell me; who is your personal god?”
    “Hephaestus.”
    “Ahhh, Greek Hephaestus. He went by Vulcan when I was a child. One of my favorites too, he of the clubbed foot, he of the humble, he who likes to build things ,” said Elazar, winking at Tommy. “But back to my God. It’s a good question, how to worship something that doesn’t answer back. Though the gods in the city may have forgotten the Isle of Lepros, they are visible, they are tangible; they forget us, but they are there to forget us.
    “But I ask you: to what end is our society headed towards? What’s the natural conclusion of our polytheistic, polyreligious society?”
    Tommy thought about this for a moment.
    “Either one religion gains permanent domination, or we eventually reach a state of constant equilibrium,” said Tommy.
    “Genocide or constant war,” said Elazar. “Do you like these options, Tommy?”
    Tommy