p&c.brimstone-第36部分

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tidal　waves　that　wipe　out　the　great　Minoan　civilization　of　Crete　and　devastate　the　entire　Mediterranean　world。　This　is　the　source　of　both　the　legend　of　Atlantis　and　the　Great　Flood。　And　1239B。C。　is　when　the　twin　cities　of　Sodom　and　Gomorrah　were　reduced　to　ash　by　a　rain　of　ruin　from　the　sky。〃　
　〃Atlantis？　Sodom　and　Gomorrah？〃　This　was　getting　worse。　
　Von　Menck　tapped　the　sheet　again。　〃Plato　described　Atlantis　in　two　of　his　dialogues；Timaeus　andCritias　。　Some　details　he　got　wrong：　for　example；　the　date；　which　he　put　at　around　9000B。C。　Recent　extensive　archaeological　digs　on　Crete　and　Sardinia　provide　a　more　exact　date。　The　story　of　the　lost　city　of　Atlantis　has　been　sensationalized　to　the　point　where　most　people　wrongly　assume　it's　a　myth。　But　legitimate　archaeologists　are　convinced　there　is　a　foundation　of　truth：　the　volcanic　explosion　of　the　island　of　Santorini。　Plato　described　Atlantis…that　is；　the　Minoan　civilization　on　Crete…as　a　powerful　city…state；　obsessed　with　merce；　money；　self…improvement；　and　knowledge；　but　bereft　of　spiritual　values。　Archaeological　excavations　of　the　Minoan　palaces　at　Knossos　confirm　this。　The　people　of　Atlantis；　Plato　said；　had　turned　their　backs　on　their　god。　They　flaunted　their　vices；　they　openly　questioned　the　existence　of　a　divine；　and　they　worshiped　technology　instead。　Plato　tells　us　they　had　canals　and　a　so…called　firestone　that　produced　artificial　power。〃　
　He　paused。　〃Sounds　like　another　city　we　know；　doesn't　it；　Mr。　Harriman？〃　
　〃New　York。〃　
　Von　Menck　nodded。　〃Exactly。　At　the　very　height　of　Atlantis's　power；　there　were　harbingers　of　some　dread　event。　The　weather　was　unnaturally　cold；　and　skies　were　dark　for　days。　There　were　strange　rumblings　in　the　ground。　People　died　suddenly；　unexpectedly；　outrageously。　One　was　said　to　have　been　hit　'by　a　bolt　of　lightning　that　came　from　the　sky　and　from　the　bowels　of　the　earth　both　together。'　Another　was　abruptly　torn　apart；　as　if　by　an　explosive　device；　'his　flesh　and　blood　hanging　in　the　air　like　a　fine　mist；　while　all　around　lay　the　most　appalling　stench。'　Within　a　week　came　the　explosion　and　flood　that　destroyed　the　city　forever。〃　
　As　Von　Menck　spoke；　Harriman　snapped　on　his　recorder　again。　There　might　be　something　here；　after　all。　
　〃Exactly　two　thousand　and　four　years　later；　the　area　of　the　Dead　Sea　between　what　is　now　Israel　and　Jordan…the　deepest　naturally　occurring　spot　on　the　surface　of　the　earth…was　breathtakingly　lush　and　fertile。　It　was　the　home　of　the　cities　of　Sodom　and　Gomorrah。　Precisely　how　big　these　cities　were　remains　unknown；　although　recent　archaeological　digs　in　the　valley　have　uncovered　massive　cemeteries　containing　thousands　of　human　remains。　Clearly；　they　were　the　two　most　powerful　cities　in　the　Western　world　at　that　time。　As　with　Atlantis；　these　cities　had　fallen　into　the　last　degree　of　sin；　turning　away　from　the　natural　order　of　things。　Pride；　sloth；　the　worship　of　earthly　goods；　decadence　and　debauchery；　rejection　of　God　and　destruction　of　nature。　As　it　says　in　Genesis；　there　were　not　fifty；　not　twenty；　not　even　ten　righteous　men　to　be　found　in　Sodom。　And　so　the　cities　were　destroyed　from　above；　by　'brimstone　and　fire　。　。　。　the　smoke　of　the　country　went　up　as　the　smoke　of　a　furnace。'　Again；　archaeological　excavations　in　the　Dead　Sea　area　confirm　the　biblical　story　to　an　amazing　degree。　In　the　days　before　this　took　place；　there　again　were　harbingers　of　the　fate　that　was　to　e。　One　man　burst　into　a　pillar　of　yellow　flame。　Others　were　found　calcified；　not　unlike　Lot's　wife；　who　was　turned　to　a　pillar　of　salt。〃　
　Von　Menck　came　around　the　desk　and　sat　on　its　edge；　looking　intently　at　the　reporter。　〃Have　you　been　to　the　Dead　Sea；　Mr。　Harriman？〃　
　〃I　can't　say　that　I　have。〃　
　〃I've　been　there。　Several　times。　The　first　time　I　went　was　right　after　I　discovered　a　certain　natural　link　in　the　timing　of　the　disasters　that　befell　Atlantis　and　Gomorrah。　The　Dead　Sea　is　now　a　parched　wasteland。　Fish　cannot　live　in　it：　the　water　is　many　times　saltier　than　the　ocean。　Almost　nothing　grows　on　its　edges；　and　what　does　is　glazed　and　caked　with　salt。　But　if　you　walk　across　the　dead　plains　near　Tell　es…Saidiyeh；　where　many　scholars　now　place　Sodom；　you'll　find　a　vast　number　of　balls　of　pure；　elemental　sulfur　riddling　the　salt　surface。　This　sulfur　is　not　rhombic；　as　found　in　naturally　occurring　geothermic　areas。　Rather；　it　is　monoclinic：　white；　exceptionally　pure；　exposed　to　very　high　temperatures　for　long　periods　of　time。　Geologists　have　found　no　other　pockets　of　such　naturally　occurring　sulfur　anywhere　else　on　earth。　Yet　they　are　found　in　riotous　abundance　on　the　ruins　of　these　two　cities。　What　destroyed　Sodom　and　Gomorrah　was　not　some　normal　geological　process。　It　remains　a　mystery　to　this　day。〃　
　Von　Menck　reached　for　the　scrap　of　paper；　wrote　another　number　beneath　the　first　two：　
　　　
　3243
　1239
　2004
　　　
　〃2004　A。D　。；　Mr。　Harriman。　It　forms　the　end　of　the　golden　ratio。　Do　the　math。　The　date　3243B。C。　is　exactly　5；247　years　ago：　golden　ratio。　The　date　1239B。C。　is　exactly　3；243　years　ago：　golden　ratio　again。　The　next　date　in　the　series　is　2004A。D。　；　which　also　happens　to　be　the　exact　number　of　years　separating　the　earlier　disasters。　Coincidence？〃　
　Harriman　stared　at　the　paper。　Is　he　saying　what　I　think　he's　saying？　It　seemed　unbelievable；　crazy。　And　yet　the　quiet　eyes　that　looked　back　at　him　with　something　like　resignation　did　not　look　in　the　least　bit　crazy。　
　〃I　searched　for　years；　Mr。　Harriman；　for　proof　that　I　was　wrong。　I　thought　perhaps　the　dates　were　incorrect；　or　that　the　evidence　was　flawed。　But　every　discovery　I　made　simply　gave　more　credence　to　the　theory。〃　He　walked　to　another　cabinet　and　pulled　out　a　sheet　of　white　cardboard。　On　it；　a　large　spiral…like　that　of　the　shell　of　a　chambered　nautilus…had　been　drawn。　At　its　outermost　point；　it　was　labeled　in　red　pencil：3243B。C。…Santorini/Atlantis　。　One…third　of　the　way　along　its　curve　was　another　red　marking：1239B。C。…Sodom/Gomorrah。　At　other　spots　along　the　spiral；　smaller　tickmarks　in　black　listed　dozens　of　other　dates　and　places：　
　　　
　79　A。D　。…Eruption　of　Vesuvius　destroys　Pompeii/Herculaneum　
　426　A。D。　…Fall　of　Rome；　sacked　and　destroyed　by　barbarians　
　1348　A。D。　…Plague　strikes　Venice；　two…thirds　of　the　population　die　
　1666　A。D。　…The　Great　Fire　of　London　
　　　
　And　at　its　very　center；　where　the　spiral　closed　in　on　itself　and　ended　in　a　large　spot　of　black；　was　a　third　red　label：　
　　　
　2004　A。D。　…？？？　
　　　
　He　balanced　the　chart　on　his　desk。　〃As　you　can　see；　I've　charted　many　other　disasters。　They　all　fallprecisely　along　the　natural　logarithmic　spiral；　all　perfectly　aligned　in　golden　ratios。　No　matter　how　I　cut　the　data；　the　last　date　in　the　sequence　is　always　2004A。D。Always。　And　what　do　these　natural　disasters　have　in　mon？　They　have　always　struck　an　important　world　city；　a　city　notable　for　its　wealth；　power；　technology…and　neglect　of　the　spiritual。〃　
　He　reached　across　his　desk；　picked　a　red　pencil　from　a　pewter　cup。　〃I'd　hoped　I　was　wrong；　hoped　it　was　a　mere　coincidence。　I　waited　for　the　arrival　of　the　year　2004；　expecting　to　be　proved　wrong。　But　I　no　longer　think　nature　believes　in　coincidence。　There　is　an　order　to　all　things；　Mr。　Harriman。　We　have　a　moral　niche　on　this　earth；　just　as　we　have　an　ecological　niche。　When　species　exhaust　their　ecological　niche；　there　is　a　correction；　a　purification。　Sometimes　even　anextinction　。　It's　the　way　of　nature。　But　what　happens　when　a　species　exhausts　its　moral　niche？〃　
　He　turned　the　pencil　around；　moved　it　to　the　center　of　the　diagram；　and　erased　the　question　marks：　
　　　
　2004　A。D　。…　
　　　
　〃In　every　instance　there　were　harbingers。　Small　events；　of　seemingly　limited　significance。　Many　of　these　events　have　involved　the　death　of　morally　dubious　persons　by　the　same　means　as　the　uping　disaster。　This　happened　in　Pompeii　before　the　eruption　of　Vesuvius；　in　London　before　the　Great　Fire；　in　Venice　before　the　plague。　So　now　perhaps　you　see；　Mr。　Harriman；　why　I　say　that　Jeremy　Grove　and　Nigel　Cutforth　are　in　themselves　meaningless。　Oh；　to　be　sure；　both　men　are　remarkable　for　their　hatred　of　religion　and　morals；　their　repudiation　of　decency；　their　outrageous　excess。　As　such；　they　are　role　models　for　the　greed；　concupiscence；　materialism；　cruelty　of　our　times…and　particularly　of　this　place；　New　York。　But　they　are　still　merely　harbingers…the　first；　I　fear；　of　many。〃　
　Von　Menck　let　the　chart　fall　gently　to　the　desk。　〃Are　you　a　reader　of　poetry；　Mr。　Harriman？〃　
　〃No。　Not　since　college；　anyway。〃　
　〃Perhaps　you　remember　W。　B。　Yeats's　poem　'The　Second　ing'？　
　　　
　〃　Mere　anarchy　is　loosed　upon　the　world　。　。　。　
　The　best　lack　all　conviction；　while　the　worst　
　Are　full　of　passionate　intensity。〃　
　　　
　Von　Menck　leaned　closer。　〃We　live　in　a　time　of　moral　nihilism　and　a　blind　worship　of　technology；　bined　with　a　rejection　of　the　spiritual　dimension　of　life。　Television；　movies；　puters；　video　games；　the　Internet；　artificial　intelligence。　These　are　the　gods　of　our　times。　Our　leaders　are　morally　bankrupt；　shameless　hypocrites；　feigning　piety　but　devoid　of　real　spirituality。　We　live　in　a　time　in　which　university　scholars　belittle　spirituality；　scorn　religion；　and　bow　deeply　to　the　altar　of　sc