‘It’s Greek?’ Qayin asked.

Lourds shrugged. ‘Possibly. Some of the characters look familiar, but they’re not quite right. They bear some resemblance to Greek characters, but they’re unique at the same time.’

‘Why Greek?’ Cleena asked.

‘Because Greek was one of the primary languages in this area at that time: the language of the conquerors, of Alexander the Great. At the time, he ruled almost all the known world. When he put his people in place to hold different lands, they were trained to read and write in Greek. Conquerors build buildings. As a result, the Greek language is still scattered throughout Europe and parts of Asia. There was Latin as well, by then, but these letters don’t look Roman. I’m guessing they’re some form of Greek.’

Qayin and his followers listened silently.

‘When this rubbing was taken, was the inscription new?’ Lourds asked.

‘I don’t know,’ Qayin answered. ‘I was told it was taken soon after.’

‘Soon after what?’

Qayin shook his head. ‘What I know will not help you.’

‘I think I’d be the better judge of that.’

‘You’re not going to get to know any more. Now you tell me which Greek language this is.’

‘This isn’t simply any Greek language,’ Lourds said. ‘If it was, you would have already had it translated. But it does have its foundation in the Greek language. Of that, I’m sure.’ He paused. ‘If we can assume that the date this rubbing was taken was somewhere around the second century AD, then the root language would most likely be Koine Greek. That was in use from the middle of the fourth century BC to the middle of the fourth century AD.’

‘Then it is based on this language?’ Qayin asked.

‘It could also just as easily be based on the Mycenaean and Ancient Greek languages.’

‘Are those so very different?’

‘Of course they’re different,’ Lourds answered. ‘The Greeks were a culture of traders. They went everywhere across the known world. They were successful in what they were doing, which made other people want to be like them. The Mycenaean Greek language is the most ancient Greek language we can research. Several clay tablets were found in Knossos and Pylos, and those weren’t translated until 1952. It was pretty dry stuff, too. Mostly inventories and lists, accountants’ work. That language had seven grammatical cases, including the dative, locative and instrumental. Both the latter two grammatical cases fell out of favour when Classical Greek was born, and dative has been dropped from modern Greek.’

Excitement drummed through Lourds as his mind began grappling with the symbols. He could almost make sense of part of it, not what it said, but how it was put together.

‘Ancient Greek was also used heavily in Constantinople. Most of Europe stopped using it during the Middle Ages, but after Constantinople fell to Mehmed II, the language flourished again for a brief time because of all the people that fled the city. Both Ancient Greek and Koine Greek were used in Constantinople.’

‘Was any one favoured more than the other?’ Cleena asked.

‘That’s an interesting question.’ For just a moment, Lourds felt a glow of satisfaction. Even here, at gunpoint, he loved being an instructor. There is something definitely wrong with you, my friend. ‘Rome preferred Ancient Greek because they thought it was more pure. Koine Greek was actually a blend of several Greek dialects with Attic, which was the language spoken in Athens. As I’ve mentioned, that language is spread primarily through Alexander the Great’s armies and it was spoken from Egypt to India. Early Christians adopted the Koine Greek language, possibly to differentiate themselves from the Romans and their gods, which were actually made over from the Green pantheon. The Apostles preached in it. That language also became known as the Alexandrian dialect, Post-Classical Greek and New Testament Greek because the Apostles wrote the New Testament in that language.’

‘The Apostles?’ Qayin asked.

Lourds nodded absently, still trying to wrap his thoughts round the language.

‘How can you know so much about this and still not be able to read it?’ Cleena asked.

‘Knowing something about the language isn’t the same as reading it. As I stated, language evolves, sometimes even from generation to generation. And if you have someone deliberately trying to disguise information, as I believe was done here, deciphering that language becomes even harder. If you consider the New Testament and its subsequent translations that have fractured churches and religions, you’ll get an idea of what I’m talking about.’ Lourds looked up at her. ‘Given the religious division between England and Ireland, I’d have thought you might have known that.’

‘Religion is a touchy subject.’

‘Let me give you another example. Have you ever written down a note, then gone back a few days later and seen it without understanding why you had written it?’

‘No.’

Lourds sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. ‘Well, I have.’ Far more times than I want to remember. ‘Just imagine that you have, and you can’t figure out why you wrote the note in the first place. Now, instead of a few days, let a hundred years go by. Or even one thousand, just to make things interesting. Do you think that someone a few generations, or several generations, removed from the original writer will understand the context of that message even if they’re able to read it?’

Qayin paused visibly before offering, ‘I will tell you this much, Professor: you are on the right track. I am told that this missive does indeed tie to one of the Apostles.’

Excitement inside Lourds grew. He put his water bottle down and held the book in both hands. Desperately, he scanned the lines of writing. More than anything, he wanted to unlock the secrets that lay within the words.

‘Now, tell me something about that writing that will save your life.’ Qayin’s tone held deadly menace.

‘It’s a warning or a command.’

‘I grow weary of these oblique answers.’

Lourds pointed to one of the words. ‘I believe this is the word diamarturomai. That’s Koine Greek. It means “to solemnly charge”. In the New Testament, the Second Book of Timothy, Paul instructs Timothy about the danger of false teaching. Timothy was supposed to focus on the truth of God, and to teach that Satan is a liar and the father of lies.’

‘Church lessons?’ the woman asked.

‘Religion has always played a major part in the development of language,’ Lourds replied. ‘While merchants focused on sums and subtractions, on material things, language had to be developed to express ideals and manifest desired behaviours. In fact, Second Timothy also warns against churches wrangling over words interpreted from the Bible.’

‘Then this is about God’s Truth?’ Qayin asked.

Glancing up, Lourds saw that he had the man’s full attention. ‘I didn’t say that.’

‘Then what are you saying?’

In an effort to blunt the naked threat in the other man’s eyes, Lourds said, ‘Of course, since you believe this document came from an apostle, there is the possibility that this message is about a “truth”.’ He paused. ‘Or this could be a seal.’

‘What kind of seal?’ The woman took a step closer to look at the page, sliding through Qayin’s followers.

‘Seals were used on letters. Usually a drop of hot wax marked with a seal ring or a stamp that was unique. But there were other seals. Sometimes architects placed them on the buildings they designed and built. The practice is still continued today, although changed somewhat.’

‘Cornerstones,’ Qayin said.

Almost forgetting for a moment that the man held his life in his hands, Lourds nodded eagerly. ‘Exactly. Cornerstones are laid and the rest of the building follows.’

‘You believe this is from a cornerstone?’

Lourds hesitated. ‘Yes, if I have to guess – and obviously I do given the time frame – I would say that this rubbing came from a cornerstone.’