Longinus, 13. Longinus visits Theophanus.
Longinus had a few more days of leisure, so he elected to visit Theophanus the following afternoon. It was a sunny, pleasant day and after a few days of repose, he decided to walk to Theophanus' quarters in Suburra. He wanted to experience the sights and sounds of the teeming city before he departed for Galilee. He found himself wondering why Theophanus chose to live in the lower class district of Suburra, particularly since his mother had informed him that Theophanus had a comfortable financial situation. Longinus felt some reservations about visiting Theophanus; his father had taught him well the ways of the world to the exclusion of supernatural events. On the other hand, the expansiveness of Longinus' mind was curious to find something beyond the material Roman world which he knew.
He located the modest house of Theophanus and rapped loudly on the door. The door was opened by a thin, tall man of advanced years. He had wisps of white hair on his head and a closely trimmed white beard.
"Theophanus?" Longinus questioned, "I am Cassius Longinus. You visited our house many years ago."
"Yes," Theophanus smiled faintly and opened the door wider, "Come in; I have been expecting you."
"Insight from the infinite?" Longinus smiled in return.
Theophanus hobbled to the middle of the front room. The house was old, but clean. "No, young man," Theophanus answered, easing himself slowly into a chair, "If only I could make time stand still, that would be a feat. No, you mother promised me that she would urge you to come and see me when you became a man. And such a fine, young man; you have brilliant accomplishment ahead of you."
Longinus politely remained standing until Theophanus indicated for him to take a seat. "I should tell you that I am skeptical."
"Sceptical, but with an open mind," Theophanus observed, "Of course, you are here to please your mother; you have your own natural curiosity to appease also."
"That was many years ago, I was six years of age," Longinus mentioned, "May I ask how old you are, Theophanus?"
"Just past eighty two years of age," Theophanus replied, "I am Greek, a native of Alexandria. I was a mere youth when Emperor Augustus, then Octavian, entered Alexandria in pursuit of Queen Cleopatra and Mark Antony. A bloodless victory. As you know, the tragic lovers committed suicide, or so the story is told."
Longinus' interested was kindled, "Are there other stories?"
"Mark Antony stabbed himself to death," Theophanus informed, "I am not so certain about Queen Cleopatra. There is a great mystery surrounding her death."
"Octavian profited greatly by their death," Longinus observed.
"Yes, he did," Theophanus continued, "Octavian was told about my prophetic powers, so he summoned me into presence. I have experienced these strange visions since childhood."
"Amazing," Longinus remarked, "I suppose he wanted to know the outcome of his conquest."
"Yes, of course," Theophanus commented, "He possessed the normal ration of Roman superstition as he called it. I informed him that he would weld together the pieces of a broken world and inaugurate a new age."
"Interesting," Longinus admitted, "In this case, you were correct."
"However, you want to hear about yourself," Theophanus said. Theophanus rose and hobbled to a nearby shelf which contained hundreds of scrolls. He rummaged among the neat stack of scrolls and finally retrieved what he was seeking. Returning to his seat, he said, "What I did not tell your mother was that I cast a chart shortly after I made her acquaintance. This preceded my visit to your home."
"And?" Longinus asked.
Theophanus rose and walked to a table. He rolled out the scroll and beckoned to Longinus.
Joining Theophanus at the table, Longinus inquired, "What is it?" Glancing down he found a vast complexity of intersecting line and symbols.
"The chart I cast," Theophanus replied, "You see where these two lines intersect?"
"Yes," Longinus acknowledged, "I suppose those are lines representing lives."
Theophanus looked at Longinus and smiled, "Exactly, Longinus. An intersection in Pisces. This line is yours; the other relates to a strange birth which occurred about the same time as your birth. It corroborates the vision I had. A new being has entered the world; I can only describe this as a god, a new deity. Of course, there are other interpretations, but I am certain that you will encounter this god, walking upon the earth as a man. Yes, our pagan legends recount the epiphany of gods taking human form so that they can commune with human beings. Of course, these are legends only, fiction, stories for children. This phenomenon is somehow different; I can only say that nothing of this nature has yet appeared on earth. It is something new, something strange; I have cast a chart but I confess that I do not entirely understand it. ''
"Did you cast the chart according to your vision, or to confirm your vision?" Longinus questioned.
