A Vision

Translator’s note: The vision of Brother Barsoum poses many difficulties for the translator. It was written in the 1920’s, but uncovered recently while his monastery was being torn down to make way for an Ancient Egyptian theme park.

The ideas and images are difficult to reconcile with the Coptic Christian framework of his monastery. In many respects it reads like an early example of Arabic science fiction, but the intent is to describe a spiritual experience he insists actually occurred.

Finally it should be noted there is sporadic damage to the text due to age. This occurs most at the beginning and near the end. Rather than guess what certain words are, and to avoid disrupting the flow, garbled words will be indicated by ellipsis i.e. three dots.

* * *

On the twentieth day of the month of ... there appeared a man dressed in turquoise robes. He was nearly as tall as an elephant with eyes like onyx, but he caused me to fear. I could tell by his gentle demeanor and his helping of a travelling ... that he must be a servant of the Lord. Therefore I followed him as he beckoned me to a shimmering form...

The light surrounded me and yet I could somehow see beyond it to witness the desert rapidly transforming. I saw saplings turn into trees and then die. I saw the monastery destroyed, then replaced by a pagan temple complex; then the monastery returned and finally was abandoned. It crumbled to dust as the land grew increasingly barren.

In time the plants also retreated and died. The skies then filled with the gigantic aircraft of strange shapes and forms. After this I felt the land grow cold and wet with a great forest filling everything in view The sky began to grow empty except for what appeared to be dirigibles of Titanic proportion. In the distance I saw towers of what looked like ivory arise from the land. Then webs grew to connect them ... it was a remarkable sight. There we stopped.

I asked my guide, “Where is this place?”

He smiled, but said nothing.

I asked a new question, “When is this place?”

Instead of a date he gave me the string of numbers 354675. I do not know if this means it was the year A.D. 354,675 or the year 354,675 of the Muslim calendar or 354,675 years after God created man. At that point I suspected this being was an angel, so the last seemed possible, but maybe the number meant something else entirely.

He began to walk and I followed him. I expected he would take me to the towers, but instead we went deep in the forest. There I saw tiny men who looked nothing like him. They also did not look like the Pygmies. Instead they were large green-eyed people with light blue skin. I would guess that none of them were more than four feet tall. Yet in a curious way I found them impressive. They silently worked on small tablets with a concentration the brothers could envy. To my surprise I heard a strangely worded question, but one in my own language.

I could not tell then who it was who asked, “What’s with the bearded guy in the robes?”

I told them I was a Coptic monk. None of them appeared interested or even seemed to listen. However in time I heard, “I see Oitakato’otakatio sent you.”

I assumed the name was of the one who sent me here. I despaired of ever saying such a name correctly, but he informed me I could call him O’o.

At this point I asked O’o, “Which one of them is talking to me?”

To my surprise he pointed at one of the tablets. He then said, “The humanoid creatures you see are merely transportation. The people are inside the tablets. Each tablet has a mind far more powerful than Einstein’s.”

I had heard the name Einstein from a visiting Englishman, but I knew almost nothing of him. The ephemeral concerns of German scientists was only of slight interest to me. Still I felt he intended me to be impressed so I smiled politely.

He pleased me then by adding, “The tablets also know a million times more than was contained in the Library of Alexandria.”

This astounded me and my mouth gaped to his pleasure. On regaining my composure I asked one of the tablets, “What are the towers in the distance for?”

One answered almost without interest, “They’re communications towers. Nothing important really as there’s no one to communicate with anymore.”

“No one?”

“The other planets stopped communicating and we have no reason to communicate to other lands.”

In my monastery I rarely communicated with other lands, but I still found this strange so asked, “Why not?”

The tablet person seemed slightly confused, “There’s just no reason. There are so many more interesting things to learn here, and if we wish to know more we can ask the Oitak.”

I ventured a guess, “Is the one who sent me an Oitak?”

In exasperation it said, “We’ve already told you that is an Oitak. Now, then, we know more than enough about Coptic monks, and you have wasted enough of our time, so be on your way.”

We left the curious beings and I asked O’o a question, “What is the matter with those beings?”

He was blunt on the point: “They are a dead end. Earth has been a dead end for millennia at this point. In a few million years it will literally be dead and no one will miss it. If it were otherwise I couldn’t risk this visit.”

“Then why did you show me them?”

“Because it is written you saw them and because it is a warning.”

I found this strange, “Are you saying you want me to leave the monastery, explore the world?”

In a scornful voice he said, “I did not say it was a warning to you personally. You are insignificant. Whether you stay in a monastery or leave it is of no concern to me.”

I considered this and felt it was a message on humility. On a spiritual level I accepted this, but on a human level I felt slightly annoyed.

“Come this way” he bellowed. And then he sent me to stranger lands still.

* * *

Immediately after this he stops the story to discuss the Coptic calendar. This seems to indicate that he felt this would be read by a non-Coptic audience who would need dates explained.

Rather than recopy it I direct you to http://www.copticchurch.net/easter.html which discusses similar issues. The story continues.

* * *

I found myself in a rocky land at that point. When I looked above I saw a dark night sky, but on observation I sensed something wrong. There was no moon, not even a new moon. Furthermore the constellations I knew were gone. More strangely, the stars seemed to be arranged in an almost purposeful way. On looking around the ground I saw what seemed to be a lake in the distance. On inspection I saw that it was not a lake, but an underground aquarium. I saw no fish, however and began to fear I’d lost my companion.

After an amount of time I began reciting my prayers in hopes I’d find some perspective by doing so. No sooner had I started praying then I saw something moving in the aquarium. As it came closer, I realized it was an enormous behemoth. When it touched the glass I found myself afraid and praying for more than just spiritual exercise.

The creature began to glow in many colors and then I heard the voice: “Do not fear, dear monk, you are safe.” It was at this point I fell unconscious.

I awoke to find myself in the water. I was somehow breathing in the water like a fish. I saw my companion to my side, but in front of me was the glowing behemoth which I now realized was the size of the Great Pyramids. I could not speak, but somehow I realized that I no longer had to. I mind-spoke to O’o “What is it?”

He told me, “Ask it yourself.”

So I did. It informed me that it is the descendant of a program which combines tiny machines and the staircases that are in the body. It is difficult to explain what I mean by that as I no longer remember the right words. Essentially, though, the tiny machines were like the tablet people, but far better.

The staircases are explained: essentially the cells of the body are made up of tiny things that look like spiral staircases. This makes it sound like people are made up of tiny staircases and in a way I guess it does mean that. However, the steps of these stair cases are chemicals that link together. If you cut the steps apart then add or subtract some you make new creatures. This makes very little sense to me now, but at the time it somehow seemed obvious.

I asked a question that had plagued my mind, “Why have I been brought here?”

The being then gave me a barrage of images many of which I still do not understand. I saw myself married to the woman I had been betrothed to in Alexandria. I saw cities in flames and the Earth dying not in flame, but boredom. I saw that the Earth was not the world in the sense I once believed. Instead I saw that the world was the Universe. I then saw new stars and new lands which I assume meant new heavens and Earth meaning the return of Christ.

I saw O’o there in this world, but then something went wrong. I saw clearly the things O’o had done and they were not all good or bad. O’o could not be an angel, but he also could not be a demon. On inspection I saw that the new lands were not full of the righteous dead, but instead I saw things strange and unfathomable. I recoiled in horror and broke contact.

O’o seemed concerned. “He did not mean to frighten you.”

I tried to speak with my voice “Take me out of here,” but only rippled water. He returned me to my desert.

O’o brought me near the monastery, “I wished to show you more than that, but there was no record I did so.”

I found myself crying, “Why did you show me any of it?”

For the first time he seemed concerned for me. “I did not show it to you to destroy your faith, if you think that. I showed it to inspire them. And even if you found it hurtful, you should know that you saw only part of the truth. All you saw was what the Remanaroi wished to show you. There is much more out there, and perhaps there is even affirmation to what you seek. I cannot say. Still I did not intend to hurt you.”

I felt confused. Perhaps it all did mean something benign or neutral. I would ask my Abuna. I also found that there was a part of what I saw that inspired more curiosity than fear in me. So I asked O’o, “Why did I see visions of a life where I married...”

“Well...”

* * *

And unfortunately at this point the words blur. The story is of poor quality due to the nature of the text and the fact Brother Barsoum was no writer. As for Brother Barsoum himself he apparently stayed in the monastery for several more years before wandering further into the desert to live as a hermit. The date or place of his death is uncertain. Thank you for your time.

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