Jesus On Mars

'I don't want a lecture,' Orme said.

'Sorry. What I started to say was that the humans should have been completely assimilated in culture. But they weren't. Why? Was it because the Krsh were dealing with orthodox Jews, who are peculiarly resistant, extremely stubborn, when it comes to their religion? It was an historical accident that the Krsh picked up people from this one group. Of course, I'm not saying that the Jews are the only group who've stubbornly clung to their religion. Take the Parsis, for instance, They...'

'You're doing it again, Avram. Look, I find all this interesting, but just now I'd like to stick to the essentials.'

'Very well. On the other hand, even if the Jews should refuse to convert to the Krsh religion, providing they had one, why would the Krsh, who're not even Homo sapiens, and were thousands of years ahead of the Jews in science and God knows what else... why should they take up Judaism?'

'Christianity.'

'That remains to be proved. These people are Jews who believe that Jesus is the Messiah. So your saying Christianity, in the sense you use it, isn't valid. At least, I don't think so. However, it's incredible that the Krsh should convert to a faith that, from their view-point, would have been no better than some Old Stone Age faith to us. Actually, there are many elements in the Judaism of that time which did derive directly from the Palaeolithic. The use of flint knives in circumcision when iron was available, the dietary taboos, which have their corollary in other preliterate and ancient cultures, their...'

Orme shook his head. 'You should've been a rabbinical scholar.'

'My father was.'

'Well, how do you account for the Krsh converting?'

'That remains to be learned.'

A voice spoke from the TV. Orme turned to see Hfathon's 'image in the box. He spoke to Avram, who looked astonished. The Frenchman replied rapidly - his Greek was improving - and Hfathon, looking grave, vanished.

Avram said, 'He asked me if Madeleine and Nadir were married. I said that Nadir had a wife, but she, Madeleine, had no spouse. He seemed upset at that, but he wouldn't tell me why.'

'Why would they care?'

Bronski twisted his lips to the right. 'I could speculate, but I don't want to.' He shook his head.

'No, it's unthinkable.'

6

The next day, Orme spoke immediately after their teachers entered.

'Why did you ask us if Shirazi and Danton were married?'

The six looked surprised. Their captive had spoken in Greek.

Hfathon replied in the same language, and Orme was lost. He had made Bronski teach him the phrase, but after that he had to depend on the Frenchman. However, he had wanted to fire the question himself to impress them with his concern.

The Krsh and Bronski exchanged some sentences. Then the latter said in English, 'They'd assumed Danton and Shirazi were married because they found them unchaperoned in the ship. But the first night in their quarters they were observed sleeping in separate rooms. It was assumed that the woman was menstruating and thus unclean. But the following night the two slept together, and there was no evidence that the woman had been bleeding.

'Women were sent in to examine her, and they found that she had had intercourse during the night. She was questioned through the man, but his Hebrew is so faulty that he didn't seem to understand. Or perhaps, Hfathon says, he was deliberately pretending not to understand.

'In any case, Hfathon called us up last night and questioned me about them. I told him the truth, but if I'd suspected what they were after I would have lied. Though it would have done no good in the end. They would have found out.'

Orme would have laughed if Bronski's expression had not told him that this was a serious situation.

'Madeleine and Nadir? But they've never shown any signs of sexual interest in each other! I don't believe it!'

Bronski made an impatient gesture.

'After all this time, don't you feel horny? And if you were imprisoned and scared and lonely, wouldn't you turn to a woman? Or, if you were a woman, to a man?'

Orme said, 'I might, but I'd never been unfaithful to my wife, my ex-wife, I mean, and believe me, I'd had plenty of chances. Still if this enforced celibacy went on long enough, I suppose...'

'Yes, and you're a devout Christian. Anyway, what you or I might do has nothing to do with it.'

'Yes, but Madeleine! She isn't a bad-looking woman, but she is so cool and detached!'

'The longer the volcano is quiet, the more the pressure builds up. The point is that the Mosaic law against adultery still holds.'

'Well, ask him!'

Bronski spoke, listened to Hfathon, then said, 'If Nadir is truly contrite, that is, repents, and he promises not to commit this sin again, and if his wife forgives him, then there will be no punishment.'

'Which would be what?'

'A sentence to hard labour for six months digging out a hollow in the rock. And perhaps a public shaming.'

'And Madeleine?'

'The same. As it is, the case is being considered by the judges now. There's a chance that neither will be sentenced, since this involves an unprecedented case. Until now, they've not had to deal with goyim criminals.'

'You tell them that they're acting mighty-god-awful arrogant! Their laws don't apply to us. Under our laws, those two have committed no crime!'

A minute later, Bronski said, 'He says that they can't permit anybody, even aliens, to break their laws. If a person comes here, he is under the jurisdiction of this land.

'He also says that Nadir has been taken to another prison so that the two won't be tempted to sin again. Nadir, by the way, is unclean until evening. Any man who has an emission of semen is unclean until evening comes.'

Orme threw his hands up.

'What next? Well, you tell him-'

'No,' Bronski said. 'I'll tell him nothing. We're completely in their power. We don't want to antagonise them.'

Hfathon rumbled something.

Bronski said, 'We're to start the lessons and cut out this nonsense.'

'Is nonsense his word or yours?'

'Cool down, Richard. There's nothing to be gained by losing your head.'

'I haven't lost it. But it is pretty hot.'

When the session was broken for the lunch-hour, Orme asked Bronski to ask Hfathon when the most recent case of adultery had been tried in court.

'He says it was two years ago.'

Orme grunted. 'And you say these people are human?'

Hfathon spoke to Bronski, and the six filed out.

'There won't be any more lesson today. They have other business, and Sabbath starts at evening. They won't be seeing us tomorrow, either.'

'Dawn' came but without the people streaming from the houses to work. Except for some farm animals in the distance, not a living being was to be seen.

'Everybody will be slaying home to meditate and pray,' Bronski said. 'Later, however, they attend the synagogues. These have to be within a limited distance of the houses. It is forbidden to travel more than a certain distance from the residence on the Sabbath. And they must walk, not ride horses or vehicles.'

Orme turned on the set, but no images sprang forth.

'Looks like they can't watch TV either. Hmm. I wonder if they're watching us, though?'

'I don't know. If they're really strict, no.'

'You know,' Orme said slowly, 'if everything's shut down on the Sabbath, that'd be the day to make a break for it.'

'First, you'd have to find out how to raise the wall.'

'I think it's done by an outside operator or automatic machinery. Have you noticed that just before the wall goes up, Ya'aqob puts his hand inside his robe? I think he's got an activator in an inside pocket.'