Brother's monologue, the Lazarus Man, cont'd.

Brother paused, the rheumy, bruisy whites of his eyes showing a faint yellow, the yellow of Catholic-school bricks.  Behind those eyes were the Medusa's hair in torment.

"They only had that night to put the fix on. Peter and Judas, He chose well - two of the bravest men in history. Peter took the physical torment - and Judas took the spiritual. Judas fingered him, and the Romans didn't know any better - and it gave the rest of them time to get away. Peter got sifted back into the story, himself denying the Lord three times - that was added in, to cover Peter's absence in the Big Fix."

"And Judas? He hanged himself on the tree, sure. And his last words - My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me? were immortalized as Jesus's, in tribute to Judas's bravery. But first, he divided his possessions among the disciples."

A teacher in the back of the lounge was quietly sobbing. Brother paused, surveying the absolute quiet with attentive scrutiny, as though testing a machete's blade with his thumb; and then continued.

"His possessions. His notes. Judas - he was Jesus's biographer. He was "Q." All the Gospels, the Synoptic Gospels, were by the hand of Judas, divided among the disciples, copies - sent out, that survived, even survived the great massacre of The Twelve. They just barely survived, through the narrow escape of a very few minor followers, survived by luck and a lot of running.."

"Think! Why were the Four Gospels written by nobodies? Not even members of the Twelve, but lesser disciples? For they were the ones during The Scattering, each writing as though he were the sole survivor, to cover up The Greatest Betrayal Ever. They all only differ in the ending - how much was added after the Night of the Desertion."

"Completed in partial fulfillment of a Ph.D. in Religious Studies, Gregorian Academy, the Vatican. That's what independent thought, and education gets you - that's what you want? It's best when the true intellect of mankind is few and far between. That, I am proud to say - that was my finest hour, when I submitted nine years of work, and was expelled. From there to here, is the rest of the path. And I am proud to bear the title of Student."

He ruffled his paper, went back to the NHL box scores as though he'd just recounted the Flyers game.