The Devil walks...

I forgot to say, one of the books I really wanted to get hold of but couldn't quite stretch to on those gift vouchers, I found on Saturday in a second hand shop in Whitby for £1.50! "The Master and Margarita" by Bulgakov, which I've started today, it's already hooked me too, with its descriptions (a story within a story) of the Passion of Christ, his interview with Pilate, as told by somebody who was there (the Devil knows who). I must say it's very embellished, but I think the idea is that the stories we have are embellished, and this is trying to present a story that the author thinks may be closer to the truth? For example, Christ is extremely verbose with Pilate, and condemns Matthew the tax collector for following him around and writing down his version of events , in these words:

'I repeat, but for the last time--stop pretending to be mad, scoundrel,' said Pilate softly and evenly. ' What has been written down about you is little enough, but it is sufficient to hang you.' 'No, no, hegemon,' said the prisoner, straining with the desire to convince. ' This man follows me everywhere with nothing but his goatskin parchment and writes incessantly. But I once caught a glimpse of that parchment and I was horrified. I had not said a word of what was written there. I begged him-- please burn this parchment of yours! But he tore it out of my hands and ran away.'

Controversial words such as these, when applied to the Bible, are called Blasphemy, and I can't say I buy this fictional account (just as some can't buy the Bibles), but it makes for interesting reading.

It's all online here.