A/N: This takes place after the first part of Operation Trinity, so if you haven't read that then you can go out and read that right now. But, for all those who haven't, or are too lazy, or are a little sketchy on what happened, I have provided a brief and amazingly concise summary of the relevant details. For those who have already read the book, feel free to skip it, because it's a little silly. :P
It also might make the story a little clearer if you've seen a picture of the Ghent Alterpiece, which can be quickly accomplished on google. You know, if you want.
Le Awesomely Written Summary
(not really. It's silly.)
Okay, so there's this boy, and his name is Matheus. And it's the 16th century or something like that? In Ghent, which is in Belgium, but that wasn't a country yet. And Matheus is an altarboy and one day his mom's all like, yo Matheus, btw, you're actually an altar boy because you are the CHOSEN ONE and it is your destiny to protect the altarpiece cuz it has like, a super secret map to something super secret or something like that I dunno. Also a bunch of evil bad guys are trying to steal it. And Matheus is all like, thanks for telling me that NOW mom.
And anyway, he does some stuff, like meet this suspicious looking priest named Father Gerard, but anyway, the next day he's in the village. And there is a guy proclaiming the EVILS of the ROMISH and IDOLOTROUS heresy of the No Good Dirty Rotten Pope-Worshiping ROMAN CATHOLICS, (they are no good because this is reformation time, no offense to catholics.) And then there is this guy in a black cape and you KNOW he's gotta be evil because he's got a BLACK CAPE. And black cape guy manipulates the crowd so everyone is totally riled up to go burn down the village and the church. So Mathues goes running of to save the day, stuff happens, turns out Father Gerard is actually a good guy sent there to protect the altarpiece from the EVIL VESPERS which include EVIL BLACK CAPE MAN and together they save the day and live happily ever after. They hide the altarpiece, the mayor decides to move it to a fort by Ghent, and nothing more is said about them.
UNTIL NOW!
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis.
Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, dona nobis pacem.
Ghent 1566
The darkness seeped through the sky like a thick sugary molasses, so thick that you nearly had to wade through it. The night was completely black. The glowing jewels of stars in the sky were blocked out by a thick coat of clouds, and the low, flickering light of the guard's torches was not enough to pierce the dense darkness.
Nothing could be seen in a night like this. So it was of no fault of the poor guardsmen that their straining eyes did not notice the shadowy figure of a tall man in a black cape sweeping past them into the large looming doorway of the fort. The door was locked, of course, but that was no obstacle for this mysterious man. With a smile, he closed the door behind him. He was inside. Silently, the man skulked through the hallways like a dark avenging spirit. The altarpiece had gotten away from him last time, thanks to that meddling kid, but nobody was around to stop him now. Nothing would get in his way. He was a Vesper, after all.
The man weaved through the dark hallways easily, heading deeper and deeper into the fort. Then he stopped. He had arrived. A sleepy looking man was guarding the entrance to a large room. The altarpiece had to be in there. Slowly and silently, the man with the cape pulled a knife from his coat.
The guard stared out listlessly into the darkness. It was such a pain to be put on the nights watch, he thought. Soooooo boring. Sometimes he wished that something interesting would happen, just to liven things up.
Then the shadows stirred behind him and he didn't have to worry about anything anymore.
The caped man picked up the torch that had fallen from the guard's hands and entered the room. Despite himself, his heart began to beat a little faster. The altarpiece must be near. Everything he had ever worked for was nearly in his grasp. Once he unravelled the map he could soon gather the clues and ultimate power would be his! He rose up the torch, preparing himself for the awesome sight of Van Eyck's masterpiece.
But the room was empty.
No…. It couldn't be…. With a kind of frantic desperation the man scoured the room from top to bottom. It must be hidden. There must be some kind of secret panel. He had to keep calm.
"It's not there."
A low and steady voice broke through the silence like a rock thrown into a still pond. The man with the cape swirled around in astonishment.
Someone was standing in the doorway. A tall silent shape. The caped man could barely see him in the darkness, but he could make out the long vestments of a priest. Another protector of the altarpiece?
Slowly, the caped man drew out his dagger, prepared to deal with the stranger once and for all. The altarpiece was too important to let some interfering priest stop him now.
The caped man advanced, and yet the priest did not move.
"I'm not going to stop you," he said, raising his hands into the air calmly. "I just wanted you to know that you won't find it." He did not appear to afraid of the sharp dagger that was pointing his way.
The caped man scowled at the priests words, but he didn't move any closer. He carefully slipped away his knife.
This of course, did not mean he had decided to forgo violence. No, violence was never out of the option, but for now, this priest could be useful to him in a different way. Even so, he kept on hand on its hilt, ready to draw it out again and strike him down at the slightest provocation.
But the priest did not provoke, and instead watched with curious eyes as again, the black caped man searched the walls for any indication that it was more than they seemed. He could feel the priests eyes boring into him, and he tightened his grip on his dagger.
But still the strange man made no attempt to stop him.
"I'm Father Gerard by the way," he offered instead, his friendly voice echoing in the grim silence, "What's your name?" The man with the black cape did not dignify him with a response.
Gerard laughed lightly. "I didn't think you'd reply," he said with a smile gone unseen in the darkness, "I'll leave your name to God then, for surely he knows you, even if I do not."
The man didn't care. So what if God knew him? Before long, the whole world would know him! And they would tremble when they heard his name!
But first he needed to find the altarpiece.
His hands swept over the wall, but there was nothing. He turned to the other, examining it up and down. Suddenly his hand brushed against a stray piece of wood and the wall slid open with a click. A yawning passageway opened up before him, the darkness rushing down it like a river.
Father Gerard whistled quietly. "Would you look at that. What a surprise!" But he didn't sound that surprised.
The man ignored the prattling priest and entered the tunnel, his cape billowing in the darkness. He prowled down the passage like a panther hunting its prey. The torch light bobbed in his hands, a comet in the empty darkness.
Father Gerard followed a few steps behind.
"You won't find what you're looking for," he warned again as the man slipped away into the darkness. The man ignored him.
He arrived at the end of the passageway where the tunnel ended in a small doorway. He jerked it open. There, standing high above him, its many colours dancing in the torchlight, was the mighty polyptych doors of the Van Eyck's altarpiece. At long last, he had found it.
The man moved closer, hardly believing that he was so close to what he had been searching for so long. After so many years it had begun to seem like some kind of dream, an elusive artifact exalted only in his imagination. But here it was. It was his.
He moved so close that he could nearly touch it. What mysteries did it hold? His hand moved closer to the surface, and it didn't waver or disappear as he half expected it too. It was real.
With a smug look, he raised an eyebrow at the priest. Not find what you're looking for, my foot.
Father Gerard observed the man in silence.
"It's not what you're looking for," he said, "The altarpiece holds many secrets, it is true, but not the one you want."
The man glanced at him angrily, annoyed to have his moment of triumph interrupted. But afterwards, he realized that it was almost true. He had the altarpiece, but the large towering painting meant nothing to him. What did it mean? Where was the map?
In an instant, his dagger was on Father Gerard's throat.
"You. Tell me." the man growled angrily, "Where is the map?"
"What map?" Gerard asked innocently. The knife's cold blade was at his throat.
The knife went closer. The steel was inches from his neck. "You know very well what I'm talking about. Tell me or I'll kill you."
Gerard just laughed lightly, causing his throat to vibrate and the knife to cut in. A small stream of blood ran down onto his shoulder.
"There is no map," he said flatly. "None at all."
Violently, the man pushed the priest against the wall.
"You lie!" he yelled. The sound ripped from his throat at the same time the priests body hit the cold hard wall with a meaty thud.
Gerard sank to the floor, the breath knocked out of him. Then the man strode up, his cape billowing like dark angel's wings. He grabbed Gerard's shirt and pulled him upwards so the priests' feet were dangling in the air.
"Tell me where the map is." he hissed. His voice was quiet, but it echoed in the silent room with the same ominous power as a snake's rattle. He pushed Father Gerard back against the wall and the priest gasped in pain.
But still he told the man nothing. "There is no map!" he gasped.
The man's eyes narrowed in frustration. The priest had to be lying. He was lying. If there was no map… The man didn't know what he would do.
"TELL. ME. WHERE. IT. IS." he intoned ominously. Each word shattered the darkness like a gunshot.
"How many times do I have to say it!" cried Father Gerard, "The altarpiece does not hide a map to anything!"
The black caped man stared down at the priest. Father Gerard's eyes were unwavering. He firmly believed what he was saying.
But then…
Violently, the man released the priest, who gasped and fell onto the floor. The caped man paced around the room uncertainly.
The altarpiece…
He couldn't accept it. It must have a map! It must contain a secret! The man repeated it to himself again and again.
The priest was lying. Everything the had ever worked for… Everything he had hoped for… It had all been in the pursuit of this belief.
He whirled around to where Father Gerard was struggling to stand and in an instant the knife was dangling in front of Gerard's face again.
"Don't joke around. There is a secret. Tell me or I'll kill you. I really will." He waved his knife threateningly at the priest.
Father Gerard looked unworried. "Oh, I have no doubt that you will. How many men have you killed in your life?"
The man didn't answer.
"It's easy, after all, isn't it?" Gerard asked, "To kill. To take someone's life. To execute judgement. To say that you're life is more worthy than theirs. It's easy."
The knife drew closer.
"Shut up," growled the man, "Just tell me what the painting means!"
Father Gerard smiled and gave an annoyingly enigmatic smile. He laughed lightly.
"What it means is not necessarily something that you are willing to hear. Is this really what you want?"
"Yes!" shouted the man exasperatingly. This priest was infuriating.
"We'll see…" Father Gerard said, as if he doubted it. This priest was absolutely infuriating. There was a pause. "I'll show you sir, if you would be so kind..."
He meant if he would be so kind as to move the knife. The man thought for a moment. The unarmed priest posed no threat to him. It could not hurt to let him go. Slowly, the man drew back his knife and Father Gerard was free. The priest walked up to the altarpiece. He stared at it, his hands clasped behind his back.
Then his voice rang through the darkness like church bells. "This painting certainly does contain a meaning. But not for a map or whatever you might think." The man frowned at his words. Why must this priest persist in this farce? He couldn't understand it. If there was no map, then why was the painting so sought after…?
"It's something greater," said the priest, answering the unspoken question.
But the man snorted. What could be better than ultimate power? The one who held the clues to the serum ruled the world. There could be nothing greater than that.
Again, as if he could read minds, the priest answered the man's unsaid thoughts. "You are seeking for earthly power, but this altar piece contains wisdom greater than that. It contains the secret to eternal life."
The man breathed in sharply. He didn't know if this was true, but if it was… Eternal life! No wonder ever one fought for this masterpiece.
He stared at it, letting all the intricate details sink into him. Eternal life… Oh the great things he could accomplish with that… Power… Riches… Everything he had ever desired could be his.
Father Gerard watched him coolly.
"What do you see?" he asked.
"What?" asked the man.
Gerard repeated his query.
"Look at the painting. What do you see?"
Obediently, the man stared at the mighty paintings. It was full of life-like crowds of people gathering in adoration. Someday they would do the same to him.
"Power," said the man, his voice full of awe. He stared at the images, entranced.
Gerard shook his head firmly. "You're wrong," he said simply. Gerard pointed to the altarpiece.
"Look at the painting. What do you see?" he said once again. "What is at the center?"
The man with the cape looked at the towering altarpiece, so great that it took up the entire room. High at the top, the figure of Christ was enthroned in glory, flanked by the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist, who was pointing to Christ. Their clothes and faces where painted with such extraordinary detail they seemed to be alive. But they were not at the center. The man's gaze lowered.
Below was a massive landscape of lush trees and flowers. Men and women of all sorts disappeared into the distance, a great multitude of believers. All of them were gathered around one central figure. A lamb.
A lamb, in whose chest gaped a massive wound of which blood was pouring out.
"What's at the center?" asked the priest again, and the man answered.
"A lamb," said the man. But what could it mean?
Gerard smiled.
"That's it."
The man glanced at him sharply. "What?"
"That's the secret," concluded Gerard. "The secret of eternal life." The man frowned.
"It's a bloody sheep!" he shouted angrily. He was angry now. Was the priest just playing with him?
"So it is," said Gerard. He said it as if it was obvious. As if a bloody sheep should mean something to the man. But it didn't, unless the secret to eternal life was to eat a lot of mutton.
The man stared back at the priest, hoping that he was joking. Hoping that the priest would suddenly laugh uproariously, say he was kidding, and tell him the true secret. But Father Gerard remained staring at him with that same solemn gaze. Finally, the man had enough.
"Are you a fool? Tell me the rest!" Again he drew his knife. The priest was unfazed.
"Maybe I am a fool," he said, "But the foolishness of God is wiser than all human wisdom."
The man still did not understand. Gerard smiled, not unkindly.
"Perhaps I ought to start in the beginning," he tried again after a pause, "The sheep is the central focus of the painting, but everything else contributes to it. We'll begin with where it starts. Look at the top of the panel, where it begins, and the opposite side."
Obediently, the man turned his head to the high left panel where a naked man was painted with so much detail it seemed like he was nearly walking out of the frame. He was covering his private parts with a fig leaf. On the opposite end was a woman, also naked, holding a small yellow fruit.
"Do you know who those people are?" asked Gerard, his voice like he was speaking to a little child.
The man frowned. He wasn't an idiot. He knew who they were. "Adam and Eve."
Gerard nodded. "The first humans, who were to live with God forever in the Garden of Eden, where everything was perfect. They had eternal life. But what happened?"
"They ate from the forbidden tree and were banished from the garden." The man recited impatiently. He had heard this story a million times. It was nothing but a children's bedtime story. What did it have to do with anything?
"They disobeyed God. They disobeyed His will and by doing so separated themselves from God, the source of all goodness and life. Away from the source is only suffering and death. Because of their sin, the curse and stain of sin entered all their descendants."
He pointed to the altarpiece. Above the naked figures were two small men hidden in an alcove, painted to look like statues. On one side they offered sacrifices up to the sky. In the other, one murdered the other.
"See, Cain and Abel. Brother murdering brother. Sin now rules the world. Its effects are everywhere. Destruction. Illness. Despair. Evil. " The words fell into the darkness like a hammer.
Then the priest pronounced the final consequence. It rang through the room like a funeral toll.
"Death."
The man frowned. Did the priest expect him to take this seriously?
"Look Father," he scowled, "if I wanted to hear a sermon then I'd go to church. I don't want your religious hooey. Tell me the secret of eternal life."
The priest just smiled.
"Life begins and ends with God, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the source of all life."
Now the man was really angry. He didn't want to listen to this. He considered leaving in a huff, but how could he leave behind the altarpiece? The priest knew the real secret, he was sure of it. If only he'd shut up long enough to tell him about it.
"Don't talk to me about God," he growled, "I've lived all these years without one. Stop telling me lies. Where's the map? Where does it lead?"
"You may gather the clues, you may find the serum, if that's your desire, but will you be satisfied? The serum will give you power on earth, but nothing lasts forever. The grass withers and the flowers fall. All flesh is grass. Your empire of glory will be fleeting. We all die, and we must all face judgement for the deeds we have done."
The man didn't answer.
Father Gerard gave a shrug. "Anyway!" he said cheerfully, "Where were we?"
"Death, I believe, when we are supposed to be speaking of eternal life," replied the caped man sardonically.
Father Gerard clapped his hands together. "Ah yes! I remember now. Adam and Eve, sin and all that. And don't think for a minute sin isn't real. That punishement isn't real. But then where does that leave us? What do we deserve for our sins? Can we stand before God when we have purposefully disregarded his commandments? Can any of say that we have followed him perfectly and deserve to stand before him?"
The man frowned and stared at his feet. He clutched his knife. A knife covered with the blood of his enemies that he had so brazenly murdered. He knew what he was.
"No one can," said Gerard gravely, "and therefore we will be judged according to our actions. The wages of sin is death." The verdict dropped through the room like a judge's hammer.
The man closed his eyes. He had taken people's life so many times before. He had thought nothing off it. But… He felt a vague stirring of his heart. Was it? Guilt? Fear? No. He shook himself, trying to get rid of his bad feeling. He had made his decision long ago. The afterlife didn't concern him. Not as long as he held the serum. So what where he ended up?
He felt a touch on his shoulder and he flinched. Gently, Father Gerard gently guiding his gaze to the altarpiece.
"Look," he said.
Again he repeated: "What do you see?"
"A lamb," replied the man yet again. Gerard nodded.
"And what significance does a lamb have?" asked the priest.
No answer was forthcoming and the priest sighed. "Have you read the Bible?"
The man shook his head.
"There is a part in the Old Testament that explains the rules and regulations that God set out for his people, the Israelites. Every year, the Israelites would have a Feast of Atonement for the forgiveness of their sins. Because even though His people continuously abandoned Him, God never abandoned His people. He set up his temple in their midst. The temple of Jerusalem. At the center of the temple is the Holy Place. In the center of this is an even more holy place, the Holy of Holies. This is where the Ark of the Covenant was, the meeting place of God and man. Nobody is allowed inside, except the High Priest every year on the Day of Atonement. This is when they would sacrifice a lamb."
Finally this long-winded history lesson was coming back to that bloody lamb. The man hoped there would be a point to the priests little speech, preferably one that was coming sooner rather than later. But Gerard continued, showing no sign of slowing down.
"The High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood of the lamb over the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant."
Seeing the man's blank look, Father Gerard explained further.
"The Ark of the Covenant is a box containing the Ten Commandments that were given to Moses. The Mercy Seat is what covered it, and was regarded at God's footstool or throne. Now, the law of God, his commandments, is what condemns us to death because we do not follow them. But on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would sacrifice a lamb, and the blood would be sprinkled on the mercy seat. The blood would cover the law and the sins of the people so that they were forgiven."
Gerard looked at the man sternly.
"You see, for the sin to be forgiven a life had to be taken. We can't just get away with sin. Oh no. Sin has consequences. There must be death. But in the place of the people, it was the sheep's blood that covered the sin. Do you understand?"
The man frowned. "And what does that have to do with anything?" he said impatiently.
"Hear me through. Now, we all sin. We all deserve judgement. So how can we ever hope to go to heaven and obtain eternal life? After all, there's no temple now, is there? We don't offer sacrifices or anything, so how are our sins forgiven?"
The man shrugged helplessly. The priest was going to answer no matter what he said anyway.
"A life had to be taken. Agnus Dei," he said, pointing at the lamb at the center of the picture, "Behold, the lamb of God who has come to take away the sins of the world. Jesus. That's what it means, when you get right down to it. It's all about Jesus. The lamb is Jesus, the Son of the Most High, true God and true Man. He paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, His own most holy life given to us by His death on the cross. He of all people deserved this death the least. He did not sin. He followed completely the will of the Father, even unto death."
A silence fell. They stared at the painting, at the innocent, white lamb whose blood was pouring so freely out. Behind the lamb was the cross, held by a group of angels. Behind the lamb again could be seen a crown of thorns and a whip. All the instruments of torture that had been used against this man from so long ago, who had suffered and died so painfully. The cross where Jesus, where God himself, had died for the payment of all sins.
"See, there is our atonement," continued Gerard, "Just like how the priests of old would sacrifice a lamb, Jesus, the ultimate high priest, sacrificed Himself so that His blood would cover our sins. He is the ultimate high priest. That is why he is wearing the priest's hat in the top panel there. Now, since our sins are paid for, we may with confidence stand before God and enter into His kingdom as His holy children. Because Jesus did not stay dead. He rose again! And so will we, so that we may live eternally."
He pointed to the rising spires of buildings and cathedrals that rose in the background of the altarpiece. Tall majestic spires full of beauty.
"See, the New Jerusalem. In the Old Testament, God chose the Israelites as His people. But when Christ died, the curtain to the Holy of Holies was ripped open, signifying that his promise is completed and we are all His new chosen people, adopted by the Father through his Son as children, a holy priesthood of all believers."
Father Gerard's eyes were alight with joy. He turned to the man.
"Do you understand? We are no longer sinners. We have been ransomed from death, not with jewels or silver, but Christ our Lord's holy and innocent suffering and death, so that we may have eternal life in heaven! He took our place, and so we are no longer dirty with sin. In Christ we are washed clean, our old sinful selves die and we become a new creation, holy and unblemished in His name, so that we may enter paradise and dwell with him in glory forever and ever! This is the true secret!"
The priest was right, thought the man. This truly wasn't what he wanted. He didn't want to hear this. The priest had been right all along.
"This is foolishness," he muttered to himself, turning away into the darkness.
"It is foolishness," agreed Father Gerard, "Yet though some demand signs and others look for wisdom,but we preach Christ crucified. This is foolishness to the world, but we do not follow the wisdom of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. See the dove above the lamb? That is the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceeds from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. See how its light illuminates the whole scene? By our own reason or strength we cannot believe in Christ Jesus or come to Him. And yet the Holy Spirit has called us by the Gospel, enlightened us with His gifts, sanctified and kept us in the true faith."
His high-flung rhetoric floated happily over the man's grim contenance.
"Isn't it amazing? That is what the altar truly means. At the center of everything is Christ the lamb. That is what it's all about. See the blood that pours down from His chest into the communion chalice? He gives himself for us. We do not have to look for God. He comes to us. He comes to us in the sacrament, His blood given to us in the wine. And see how all the people flock to Him, ready to partake in the victory feast of the lamb forever. The holy multitude of believers gathers around Christ, not to give, but to receive. To receive his blood, his forgiven, his mercy, his grace, all that he freely gives to us. This is where we obtain eternal life. It is a gift of God! Amen!"
Silence fell into the chamber. The torchlight flickered feebly in the darkness.
Finally the man spoke again. His voice was cruel and hard. "Is that all you have to say to me? A fancy little story about things long past?"
"I suppose so," answered the priest.
"Tell me what it really means," insisted the man.
Gerard sighed. "Back to this again, are we? I told you already. I don't know anything about a map. This is the only meaning I know, and I think that it's sufficient."
But the man didn't believe him. He couldn't believe him, because he couldn't accept the alternative. Angrily, he grabbed the priest by the throat.
"I told you if you didn't tell me, I'll kill you! So why don't I!" The knife stood hovering inches from the priest's face. "I'll kill you!" the man yelled, and the knife gleamed in the torchlight, hovering.
Father Gerard closed his eyes and prepared for death. Peacefully, he waited for the knife to descend on him so that he would be taken away to His Father in heaven.
But the moment didn't come.
"Why don't I?" asked the man. He pushed away the priest and Gerard tumbled to the floor.
Once more, the man turned to the altarpiece. He looked at the lamb. The holy innocent lamb, whose blood was being shed for all.
The man took one last look, and then he left.
He disappeared into the darkness. His torch bobbed and glowed, its faint light rapidly disappearing, until with a feeble flicker, it was gone. He did not return.
The altarpiece was safe.
THE END.
lawl, for a Catholic priest that Father Gerard guy has awfully Protestant theology. Must have recently read Martin Luther's works or something, I dunno. :/
Also, wasn't Gerard the guy who orginally espoused this whole map theory in the book anyway? lol, I don't even remember.
Anyway... dunno if this is any good or anything. Sorry if it's preachy. I can't pretend to be an amazingly eloquent author or anything like that. I can't even pretend to be extraordinarly perceptive and wise or educated in theology or art history or whatever. I just wanted to write this. Because somehow, I think, that in all the hulaballoo about secrets and 39 clues and world domination, we lose sight of the real purpose of the artwork. Because if you get right down to it, it's a religious work of art. Putting all prestige and secular funding beside, the Ghent Altarpiece has first and foremost a religious purpose. It was made to teach people about God. We like to minimize these things nowadays, but that's just how it was back then. And seriously, the Ghent Altarpiece has so many religious symbolism that I have barely even scratched the surface.
eh, I dunno.