"Moorcock, Michael - Behold The Man2" - читать интересную книгу автора (Moorcock Michael)

The essence of what he said, Karl Glogauer realized, was
that he was arousing the people to throw out the Romans
and their puppet Herod and establish a more "righteous"
regime. The attributing of this plan to "Adonai" (one of the
spoken names of Jahweh and meaning The Lord) seemed,
as many scholars had guessed in the 20th century, a means
of giving the plan extra weight. In a world where politics
and religion, even in the west, were inextricably bound to-
gether, it was necessary to ascribe a supernatural origin to
the plan.
Indeed, Glogauer thought, it was more than likely that
John believed his idea had been inspired by God, for the
Greeks on the other side of the Mediterranean had not yet
stopped arguing about the origins of inspirationwhether it
originated in a man's head or was placed there by the gods.
That John accepted him as an Egyptian magician of some
kind did not surprise Glogauer particularly, either. The cir-
cumstances of his arrival must have seemed extraordinarily
miraculous and at the same time acceptable, particularly to a
sect like the Essenes who practiced self-mortification and
starvation and must be quite used to seeing visions in this hot
wilderness. There was no doubt now that these people were
the neurotic Essenes, whose ritual washingbaptismand
self-deprivation, coupled with the almost paranoiac mysticism
that led them to invent secret languages and the like, was a
sure indication of their mentally unbalanced condition. All
this occurred to Glogauer the psychiatrist manque, but Glo-
gauer the man was torn between the poles of extreme ra-
tionalism and the desire to be convinced by the mysticism
itself.
"I must meditate," John said, turning towards the cave
entrance. "I must pray. You will remain here until guidance
is sent to me."
He left the cave, striding rapidly away.
Glogauer sank back on the wet straw. He was without
doubt in a limestone cave, and the atmosphere in the cave
was surprisingly humid. It must be very hot outside. He felt
drowsy.
II
Five years in the past. Nearly two thousand in the future.
Lying in the hot, sweaty bed with Monica. Once again, an-
other attempt to make normal love had metamorphosed into
the performance of minor aberrations which seemed to
satisfy her better than anything else.
Their real courtship and fulfillment was yet to come. As
usual, it would be verbal. As usual, it would find its climax
in argumentative anger.
"I suppose you're going to tell me you're not satisfied
again." She accepted the lighted cigarette he handed to her
in the darkness.