II: The Beginning

”My father, a so called holy man, and my mother, of supposed sacred lineage, spawned me in a landscape not vastly different from where we now are. I was a child born by sheer miracle, in defiance of nature. Oh, how I wish I had not been granted life.1

“Much of my early life was spent in fear of persecution and death.” I had at this time just noticed the features of the timid one. “You,” I said glaring at him, “Your ancestors forced us to flee to the sands!” The first man looked upon me with sharp eyes. “You are in no position to accuse,” he reminded me with a hard swiftness. “Forgive me,” I muttered in spite of my anger before continuing with my tale.2

“In contrast to what you may now think following my outburst, I grew to embrace the life of an anchorite. On the day that my father was slaughtered and we took flight to the desert I learned many things.3

“You see, my father was killed out of petty fear. This instilled within me an intense disgust for all possessions. I held greed, envy, and lust in the utmost contempt. I longed for a life of simplicity and purity. I faced no difficulty in resisting these temptations. What was most difficult early on was accepting my role as it was handed down to me.4

“The moment that my purpose was revealed to me I knew that I was the reason for my father’s demise. The thought bit deep into my heart. All that I could do to hope to relieve this pain was to assume my role as the Precursor. For many years I went throughout the land preparing for His coming. I preached for the preparation of all, as I was meant to do. Some condemned my words and accused me of being a slave to the Adversary. Yet, all manner and condition of men flocked to me. I bade them do penance.5

“Surely my words struck a chord and held weight with many. As the quarrels in the world above show, I had done well in my task and He who is on high has now a firm foothold in the realm of men. Such a role I played! I had overcome much in my life to achieve fulfillment of my duty. Alas, there is a time when every man will succumb to human nature.”