Chapter 36

News from Alexandria

Back at the monastery by mid-afternoon we met with Akakios. He had arrived in the morning with grim news about Alexandrian Bishop Cyril.

The uneducated Coptic monks had always wanted to see their God in human form during devotions and meditation. Many who lived in the desert had become more and more upset about praying to a God they couldn’t visualize. They did not like what Origen had written about the Christian God as a mystical, incorporeal God. And they did not like Origen’s declaration that reincarnation was true and the soul would have many lifetimes on earth.

So last week, a large group of Coptics took their grievance to Cyril. They threatened his life if he continued to overlook Origen’s blasphemy

As the bishop had never been inclined toward martyrdom; he capitulated straight away. And so it had come about that Cyril put out a new decree ordering all of Origen’s writings destroyed; which he justified with his opinion that they no longer suit the Church’s current ideas about man and the Divine realm. And he also restated an earlier order by Bishop Theophilus that if any proposed gospels outside the twenty-seven books canonized at the end of the fourth century are still around, they also must be destroyed. This decree was sent to all the big libraries and monasteries.

“Of course the Library has all of Origen’s writings.” Yarrl voice was low, his words slow. “I hope the originals or copies have already been moved down here. When I think about the Christian texts and other religious writings from around the world that represent every major religion in the eastern and western empires, I believe they’re all meaningful, worthy of study and preservation.”

“I agree, Yarrl. I often think of Clement’s wise words, ‘Many streams flow into one river of truth. The bee gets her honey from every kind of flower in which she can discover it.’ ”

“I like that thought, Artemus, and I do believe true wisdom can come to light through study and distillation of considered knowledge gathered from diverse sources. That’s why the library collects as much knowledge as it can, not only from a religion that’s declared itself the supreme religion, but from all over the world.”

Now Arsenius and Yarrl knew for sure it wasn’t too soon to be concerned for the safety of all library holdings, even those not presently considered heretical. We wondered if the purge had already begun, as Hypatia and Theon had been worried about. A Christian bishop could destroy anything, anywhere in the Empire, by a simple edict. That kind of power in the hands of an individual, whether a Christian bishop or an Empire official, was impossible for us to comprehend or condone.

It was obvious the library could be stripped bare or become a target for destruction at any time, as Hypatia and Theon had speculated. Their plan was reasonable and sound, but the logistics were complicated and difficult. We had all hoped that once away from the center of political power; the collections would be forgotten.

Now we knew the scrolls would never be safe until they were prepared for storage and hidden away. Thank goodness Yarrl was ready to move forward.

 NEXT.....Chapter 37
I'm Awake