The Childhood of Jesus
The Gospel of James
Biographical Gospel of the Lord
- Chapter 266 -
The Secret Writing Of The Romans
AFTER THIS CORNELIUS also asked Joseph whether Cyrenius already knew that Joseph had left Egypt,
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and if not, whether he should not be fully informed of this at once for reasons of state.
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And Joseph replied, 'Friend, act toward your brother as you wish;
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but I would really ask you to tell him in any event not to visit me too soon.
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But if he really wishes to come, then have him come under cover of darkness so no one will notice his presence with me,
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and my house will not attract any most undesirable attention because of it, which would be harmful to me and the Child and could have a disturbing effect on the divine peace of my house!'
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When Cornelius heard this from Joseph, he assured him,
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'oh my venerable friend, do not concern yourself there! For in the matter of sending a message to someone strictly incognito we Romans are masters;
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and as soon as I arrive in Jerusalem tomorrow my first business, of which no one shall know, will be to inform my brother by means of a secret document that you are here.
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With such a document I would send Archelaus himself to my brother, if it came to that, and he would not know what is written thereon even though the writing were in his hands unsealed!'
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Here Joseph asked Cornelius how such a secret writing were possible.
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And Cornelius answered, 'Oh venerable friend! Nothing is easier than that.
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See, one takes a long strip of parchment about a finger wide,
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and wraps this strip spirally about a round staff so the edges exactly touch each other.
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Once the strip is thus wholly wound over the round staff, one then writes his secret along the length of the staff across all the windings of the strip of parchment.
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Now Cyrenius also has a staff of exactly the same thickness as mine.
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Once I have finished the document, it is unrolled from the staff and sent quite openly to my brother through someone -
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and no one is then capable of even remotely deciphering contents of such a document without an identical staff,
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for he discovers nothing on the strip except mostly single letters and at most syllables, which are certain not to make any sense to him in eternity as concerns the writing on the strip. - Joseph, did you understand me?'
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And Joseph said, 'Quite perfectly, my very dear brother!
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So you may as well write to your brother, for thus the secret will surely not be deciphered by anyone!'
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Thereupon Cornelius turned to Eudokia and discussed various matters with her.