posture, which appeared to be a sign of paying rigid attention.
Dr. Stein's small office didn't compare well with the spacious chambers he was accustomed to in the family estate in Germany. Yet, the space proved sufficient because he liked having books around at arm's length. One entire wall had disappeared behind a vast bookcase that movers had hauled in. The shelves now contained old, worn books and manuscripts that filled the shelves to the ceiling. Dusty, ancient curtains hung from the top of the window to the floor, imparting a morose atmosphere. The rug had fulfilled its purpose more than a decade earlier, but the dilapidated carpeting with a few holes here and there still stood over the worn wooden floor. The antiquity of the office matched Stein's preoccupation with archaeology.
Turning the pages slowly, Stein continued reading for another twenty minutes. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he concluded that Klaus had been sitting in the straight-back wooden chair for more than forty-five minutes without moving. Not bad for an undisciplined punk from the gutter. The man had passed his first test.
"Your grandfather would have been proud of you," Stein said and turned his book over. "I know you hate sitting there doing nothing but what I commanded you to do."
Klaus flinched, but said nothing.
"See! You can control yourself if you put your mind to it. Such control is important for the business at hand. Do you understand?"
Klaus nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Ah! Excellent responses. Your style has been acting out like a madman on a drunken spree. I am teaching you again how to restrain yourself just as your parents tried to do."
Burchel flinched. "Might I ask a question?"
"You are reflecting the good family background that you came from when your parents attempted to train you correctly as a child. The whole story is in your file. Yes, requesting to ask a question is exactly what I expect."
"May I ask what you are studying?"
Albert lit a cigarette and blew smoke into the air. "Have you heard of the Nag Hammadi texts?"
Klaus shook his head. "No, sir."
"In 1945 in Upper Egypt in the village of Nag Hammadi, a peasant discovered a collection of twelve leather-bound papyrus books that provided a major breakthrough for modern scholarship. These writings dated back to the second century and gave us new insight into Gnosticism. I believe they reflect the influence of Gnosticism on early Christianity. Unfortunately, the importance of these manuscripts has not been fully appreciated by the Church. I am trying to remedy that problem."
"Gnosticism?" Klaus frowned. "What is that?"
"It comes from the Greek word for 'knowing' or 'knowledge.' Gnosticism is fundamentally a religious system that takes the believer into a realm of mystical thoughts and imparts hidden insights."
Burchel frowned. "I know nothing of what you are saying. Sounds sort of like Zen."
"Not bad." Klaus smiled. "The word Zen would make sense to many of your contemporaries. However, the issues from the Nag Hammadi library are far more consequential than Oriental mysticism. We know the first Church Fathers were opposed to the Gnostics, and the texts that I am studying might prove the Church Fathers were incorrect rather than the Gnostics."
Klaus blinked several times. "Wouldn't that destroy the Church as we know it?"
"You are a bright boy, Burchel. It is one of the reasons that I hired you. Underneath that drug-stuffed skull of yours is a brain that will work if you allow it to do so. You have the capacity to draw quick and insightful conclusions." Albert smiled. "Yes, if my ideas are right, the contemporary church would be destroyed."
Klaus rubbed his head and pursed his lips. "Why would you want to destroy the Church?"
"Because it is filled with error and deception! I believe the ancient Gnostics to have been more honest and forthright. Building on a corrupt Jewish heritage, the Church went flying off into the sky pursuing political ideas that finally landed them in control of
Dr. Stein's small office didn't compare well with the spacious chambers he was accustomed to in the family estate in Germany. Yet, the space proved sufficient because he liked having books around at arm's length. One entire wall had disappeared behind a vast bookcase that movers had hauled in. The shelves now contained old, worn books and manuscripts that filled the shelves to the ceiling. Dusty, ancient curtains hung from the top of the window to the floor, imparting a morose atmosphere. The rug had fulfilled its purpose more than a decade earlier, but the dilapidated carpeting with a few holes here and there still stood over the worn wooden floor. The antiquity of the office matched Stein's preoccupation with archaeology.
Turning the pages slowly, Stein continued reading for another twenty minutes. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he concluded that Klaus had been sitting in the straight-back wooden chair for more than forty-five minutes without moving. Not bad for an undisciplined punk from the gutter. The man had passed his first test.
"Your grandfather would have been proud of you," Stein said and turned his book over. "I know you hate sitting there doing nothing but what I commanded you to do."
Klaus flinched, but said nothing.
"See! You can control yourself if you put your mind to it. Such control is important for the business at hand. Do you understand?"
Klaus nodded. "Yes, sir."
"Ah! Excellent responses. Your style has been acting out like a madman on a drunken spree. I am teaching you again how to restrain yourself just as your parents tried to do."
Burchel flinched. "Might I ask a question?"
"You are reflecting the good family background that you came from when your parents attempted to train you correctly as a child. The whole story is in your file. Yes, requesting to ask a question is exactly what I expect."
"May I ask what you are studying?"
Albert lit a cigarette and blew smoke into the air. "Have you heard of the Nag Hammadi texts?"
Klaus shook his head. "No, sir."
"In 1945 in Upper Egypt in the village of Nag Hammadi, a peasant discovered a collection of twelve leather-bound papyrus books that provided a major breakthrough for modern scholarship. These writings dated back to the second century and gave us new insight into Gnosticism. I believe they reflect the influence of Gnosticism on early Christianity. Unfortunately, the importance of these manuscripts has not been fully appreciated by the Church. I am trying to remedy that problem."
"Gnosticism?" Klaus frowned. "What is that?"
"It comes from the Greek word for 'knowing' or 'knowledge.' Gnosticism is fundamentally a religious system that takes the believer into a realm of mystical thoughts and imparts hidden insights."
Burchel frowned. "I know nothing of what you are saying. Sounds sort of like Zen."
"Not bad." Klaus smiled. "The word Zen would make sense to many of your contemporaries. However, the issues from the Nag Hammadi library are far more consequential than Oriental mysticism. We know the first Church Fathers were opposed to the Gnostics, and the texts that I am studying might prove the Church Fathers were incorrect rather than the Gnostics."
Klaus blinked several times. "Wouldn't that destroy the Church as we know it?"
"You are a bright boy, Burchel. It is one of the reasons that I hired you. Underneath that drug-stuffed skull of yours is a brain that will work if you allow it to do so. You have the capacity to draw quick and insightful conclusions." Albert smiled. "Yes, if my ideas are right, the contemporary church would be destroyed."
Klaus rubbed his head and pursed his lips. "Why would you want to destroy the Church?"
"Because it is filled with error and deception! I believe the ancient Gnostics to have been more honest and forthright. Building on a corrupt Jewish heritage, the Church went flying off into the sky pursuing political ideas that finally landed them in control of
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