“Saint Peter died years before that,” Leo said. “How did they know that was really his tomb?”
“It’s believed by many that the first few generations of Christians moved his body around for almost a century in an effort to hide it from the Romans. The archaeologists who made the discovery found an inscription that marked it as his final resting place.”
John was sipping his coffee in silence as he listened to the two priests. “I noticed that you still use the term AD, Father Morelli. Haven’t modern scholars decided to replace it with the new abbreviation CE?”
Morelli winced. “I absolutely hate the new abbreviation CE. As you both know, AD is Latin for Anno Domini, meaning ‘in the year of our Lord’. CE stands for Common Era. What kind of garbage is that? We’ve been saying in the year of our Lord for two millennia, and now they want to take that away from us, calling it, instead, the Common Era. It’s just another veiled way to slowly erase God from our everyday speech.”
Leo had to smile. His old friend was very perceptive about a lot of things other people let pass without notice. “So, you were digging around below the Basilica before breakfast?”
“Oh … yes. I wanted to check that area one last time for evidence of the ancient seal mentioned in the code, and that’s when I discovered the wall they had built to keep me out.”
“Keep you out of where, Anthony?”
“There is another, even deeper and more ancient area beneath the one I was in this morning. One of the workers discovered it by accident about six months ago, and for the past few weeks, John and I have only been allowed to spend a few days down there exploring and mapping the region. From what we’ve seen, the area appears to be a section of the old Roman catacombs. The seal we’re looking for is either in the Vatican grotto, which is above the level I was in this morning, or behind the newly constructed wall in the deeper area we haven’t fully explored yet.”
Leo took another sip of coffee. He loved the ambience of these small sidewalk cafes in Rome. There was something about the light and the air, along with the history and pace of life that made thinking clearer, more in tune with living in the moment. Maybe that’s why so many artists and writers were returning to Europe for inspiration like they did back in the 1920s.
Leo’s reverie was interrupted by Father Morelli’s voice. “I’m sure you know by now, Leo, that my fascination with archaeology has always had a higher purpose. I’ve never doubted that the Bible was inspired by God, but proving it has been something that has eluded scholars for over two thousand years. Do you know why, at this exact time in history, we’ve uncovered the hidden code in the Bible?”
Leo had to think back to their previous discussion of the night before. “I suppose it has something to do with the development of computers.”
“Exactly. It also coincides with the timetable set in the Bible. The Jews returning to their homeland after two thousand years was the first prophecy to be fulfilled. The discovery of the embedded code within the Bible, and the ability to decipher it, was never meant to happen until now. We are on the verge of a whole new understanding of just what the Bible contains. It’s like a tumbler has fallen on a cosmic time lock to a holy vault, opening a door to what was previously unobtainable.”
“You’re being a little too cryptic for me, Anthony.”
“We’re dealing with a cryptic subject, Father. That’s why I believe the discovery of the seal and the ancient chapel mentioned in the code was always meant to happen now. Not one day sooner or one day later.”
Leo ordered a second cup of coffee and reclined in his chair while Morelli finished the last of his eggs. “What are you going to do now that they’ve blocked your way into the deeper catacombs?”
“We’ll just have to find another way in,” John interjected. “We still need to check one more section in the grotto, but if we don’t find the seal there, then we have no choice but go down into the area behind the newly constructed wall. Personally, I’m hoping that we do have to go into that deeper region. We were only allowed to explore a small section of it. Imagine what might be down there.”
Leo liked this young man. He had a rebellious streak, and his youth was refreshing in this world of pious intellectuals, even though John was something of an intellectual himself. The enthusiasm generated by these two men gave Leo the feeling that they were all on the threshold of a great adventure. Conversely, it could very well be an adventure that contained a large degree of terror for himself, his friends, and maybe even the whole world.
It was a little after nine o’clock in the morning before they had finished their breakfast and departed the cafe. Leo returned to his hotel while Anthony and John walked to their individual apartments in the Vatican to gather the equipment they would need. Leo hadn’t considered the fact that he would need work clothes for this trip and decided to do a little shopping before he met his friends at eleven for their descent into the tunnels under the Vatican.
Entering through the front doors of the hotel lobby, Leo spotted Arnolfo behind the desk. “Buona la mattina, Arnolfo.” Good morning.
A large smile crossed Arnolfo’s face. “Buona la mattina, Father. What can I do for you this glorious day?”
“I need some jeans and hiking boots. Do you know of a shop nearby that might have them?”
Arnolfo smiled. “So, you are going under the Basilica with Father Morelli.”
Leo was always impressed at the hotel owner’s knowledge of what went on in Vatican City. “Is there anything you don’t know about that goes on across the street?”
“I only listen, Father, that’s all. If people want to talk, I let them talk. Mostly, they see me as part of the room, like a piece of furniture. A chair or a table hears many things not meant for prying ears.” Arnolfo’s last statement had shown that he was much more than just a simple hotel keeper.
“At least I know who to come to if I want to find out what’s going on around here,” Leo said.
Arnolfo winked and wrote something down on a piece of paper before handing it to Leo. “Here, Father. Go to this address. I think this man might have something you will be interested in.”
Leo’s curiosity became aroused. “What does he know, Arnolfo?”
“He knows what kind of clothes you will need. He owns a sporting goods store, Father.”
Leo turned crimson as Arnolfo burst out laughing.
“Nice,” Leo said, smiling to himself at how Arnolfo had led him into that trap. “I’ll have to think of a way to match you for that one my friend.”
“I have no doubt, Father. I will be on the lookout for it.”
Both men continued to chuckle as Leo walked out of the lobby into the bright Roman sunshine. The day was brilliantly clear, not at all like the rainy day before when he had arrived. He walked along the narrow streets before finding the sporting goods store sandwiched between a small, family-run bookstore, and a butcher shop with little strings of sausages and plucked poultry strung overhead in the window.
There was no hint of a mall or chain store here, although in truth, Rome had been home to the first shopping mall in history. Leo remembered the first time he had seen it. Named after its creator, Trajan’s Markets was built in the second century AD by Emperor Trajan and his architect, Apollodorus of Damascus. Together they had built a visionary multistory complex of one hundred and fifty shops, the ancient Roman equivalent of a modern shopping mall. Everything an ancient Roman might want could be found there. The shops sold everything from silks and spices imported from the Middle East to fresh fruit, fish, and flowers. Considered among the wonders of the Classical world, this archeological treasure remains standing today in the Forum area of Rome.
Leo thought back to when America had been a country of small shopkeepers, and the change he had seen over the span of a single generation was not pleasant in his mind. The Italians had their small stores and neighborhoods, with extended generational families kept intact in the same town or village, while America’s families had undergone an enormous change in the moral and corporate explosion that now forced them to endure a commercial landscape run by powerful conglomerates.