The Vine and the Dove

There was a man by the name of Perah who lived and worked on the Phonecian docks along the Mediterranean Sea. His face was kind, though his eyes were cursed with blindness. Despite this injury, Perah did well as a seaman. Many of his crew claimed he was the greatest of navigators because, even though he could not see, the ocean itself would speak to him.

In his youth, boys would tease him because of his name. After all, wasn't Perah a girl's name?

"Hey, fairy-boy!" His peers would jeer at him as they tossed sand in his blind eyes.

But that all changed one day while Perah sat by the seashore. He was only nine years old at the time, which was some 20 years ago, but he remembered it like it was yesterday. The ocean breeze blew moist air across his face, and he listened intently to the seagulls crying overhead.

"Fairy-boy! Fairy-boy!" the children cried out, startling young Perah from his thoughts. His heart quickened as he struggled to stand to his feet and flee from the harassment before they caught him. But it was too late.

One of the young boys grabbed his cloak by its sleeve while the other grabbed his ankles. He felt himself being lifted from the ground, dangled by his ankles. He knew that his private parts were now on display for all to see, which brought a raucous chorus of laughter and berating from the crowd of young men.

They quickly began twirling him around and plunged him headfirst into the salty water of the sea. He struggled to break free, but they held him too tightly in their grasp.

Over and over, they did this, nearly drowning him each time. At one point the pain in his lungs was so bad he almost wished he would drown so that this could be over with.

Just then, as he plunged once more towards the sea, Perah cried out, "Yamm! Yamm, the mighty god of my ancestors, hear my prayer!"

He had just enough time to cry out before his head was plunged into the salty waters. And to his utter amazement, his head did not hit the sand nor the water, but something rubbery and course.

He could not tell what it was, but it caused all the boys and young men to fly into a panic. They dropped him, as the boy who had his ankles began to scream, "Ahh, it got my leg! Oh, by Yahweh, it took my leg!"

Perah stood still in the waste deep salty sea as the boy who held him screamed in agony and disappeared beneath the water. The other boy who was holding his arms before also screamed that something had taken his arm.

There was a lot of screaming coming from the sandy shores, but none of the young men dared to set foot in the waters. The second boy's voice vanished beneath the sea in a pool of blood and thrashing water.

Then, all that remained was Perah, standing tall in the waste deep water, cluthcing his arms to his bosom. The beast that took the other boys did not touch him.

"He summoned that old Cannannite demon, and he answered," one of the boys on the shore announced to the others in a voice of utter amazement. "The seas obey the voice of Perah."

Perah did not know what to say because he did not expect such a thing to occur, but he held his head high as he walked back to the sandy shore. He knew that if the other boys told the religious leaders of the city of his crying out to a Cannanite god, he would suffer greatly, so he chose to threaten them.

"If you utter so much a whisper of this event, I shall summon the night demons and the demons that dwell in the sun to come to you at day or at night and consume you," he stated firmly. "Do not come near me, nor speak of me to anyone. I am a Phoenician and have my own gods, as do you to your god. Leave me alone, and I shall bring no harm to your people."

None of the boys ever spoke of the event. Officially, the two boys were swept out to sea without a trace and never heard of again.

No one ever touched, teased, or attempted to harm Perah ever again after that day. Ever since that divine intervention, Perah became a devout adherent to his ancestor's gods and goddesses, seeing them as the last remaining remnant of the extinct peoples of the Canaannites.

But on this fateful day, even Perah's prowess with the sea would be tested to the near end.

It was early dawn as he stood on the dock preparing his ship, awaiting his crew to arrive for their shipment to Tarshish when a stranged, robed figure approached him. Of course, he could not see this person, but he could tell by the shuffling of his feet that it was not a woman, and the way he tripped over his own clothes tipped Perah off to the fact that this person wished to remain anonymous.

He was not unaccustomed to people attempting to charter his ship for nefarious means, but Perah could not be bought. He knew too well that the gods walked the earth with man, testing his resolve and commitment to the truth.

Thus, Perah could not be bought.

"Good man," came the voice of the stranger. His accent was that of a Hebrew, perhaps from the tribe of Zebulun. "I have need of a ship, if you could be so kind as to take me."

"What is your business?" Perah asked.

"I am of the tribe of Zebulun and a prophet of El Shaddai," the man stated. "My father was Amittai, the ever faithful, and my name is Jonah."

"Jonah?" Perah repeated the name. It rolled off his tongue differently than it did off of the strangers. He scoffed to himself, knowing full well that the Hebrews were nothing more than plagiarists of the much more ancient Canaanite faith.

Even the name El Shaddai came from their name for their own god of the sky, El, the lord most high and terrible.

"Your name is the name of a bird," Perah stated with a smile. "The bird of Innana-Ishtar, am I right?"

"No," Jonah stated firmly. Perah knew that this man would have scolded him if it wasn't for the fact that he was asking a favor of him. "My name is that of the dove of the Lord who showed Noah safe passage to the mountains."

"My name is Perah," Perah announced, unwilling to argue with the man further. "If you wish to have safe passage on my ship, you must tell me why you wish to visit Tarshish, you supposed prophet of your god. Why do you seem to be so secretive?"

"Because," Jonah struggled as if he wasn't being totally honest, "I have a message from the Lord to share with these people."

"I see," Perah stated, falling silent as he thought. "Fine," he at last agreed. "You may take passage on my ship if that is your wish. But, remember, the gods will find you out if you lie."

"I know this," Jonah said, gulping loudly.

Perah's men soon arrived and finished loading their things onto the ship. Soon, they were setting sail for Tarshish and the weather seemed fair. As they passed a small island in the sea, they spotted a young, vibrant-looking youth basking on the sandy shores.

"Sir, we see a young man who seems to be of high birth," one of Perah's men told him. "Shall we bring him aboard?"

"Why is his birth and rank of significance to you?" Perah asked the man. "If there is a youth stranded at sea, bring him aboard and we will take care of him."

The men took a small ship and rowed to shore, grasping the youth, and hauling him back to the ship. Jonah paced back and forth on the deck, indicating his nervousness.

"What is with you?" Perah asked. "Do you not wish to save a man in need of help?"

"My mission is of some urgency," Jonah stated in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Nought is more urgent than the life of man," Perah rebuked him.

His men returned, and Perah could instantly smell the stench of wine on the young man. The youth laughed loudly and stumbled a little as he walked. Perah felt an instant fear when the man walked the length of his ship. Something was not right about this man.

Jonah covered his mouth and made a sound of disgust.

"Do you despise this man?" Perah asked him as he prepared his ship to set sail once again.

"I-I-I am not permitted to be in such proximity to naked, drunken Gentiles," Jonah answered.

Perah could not help but laugh and asked, "the man is naked?"

"Indeed," Jonah answered, clearly not amused. "Not a piece of clothing on his marble white body, and he wears grape vines in his hair. I think you've picked up a madman."

"Mad or not, he will be allowed here," Perah shrugged as he walked towards the madman who was walking about laughing and jesting with his crew.

"Young man, my name is Perah," he introduced himself. "Who are you and by what name shall we call you?"

"Nothing and no one," the youth stated, slurring his words. His accent, despite the wine, was clearly Greek. His words were not pronounced very well, but it was understandable.

"What brings you out here in the middle of the sea?" Perah asked.

"My life," the youth answered and laughed again. "Thebes is not a welcoming home. A prophet is not welcome in his own land, is that not so, Jonah?"

Despite being blind, Perah could tell Jonah was visibly uncomfortable. Who was this strange, naked man who knew this obscure Hebrew prophet?

"What have the Greeks to do with the Jews?" Jonah asked the man with indignation.

"Nothing. What has a man to do with the gods?" the youth asked, his voice suddenly clear as if he had sobered up right away. "You can't hide. You know this."

Just then, a storm appeared, and the boat began to rock terribly. The youth's eyes pierced through the sudden darkness, locked on Jonah's eyes. Perah's men began securing the mast and ensuring everything was securely tied down.

"This madman must be done away with," Jonah asked Perah urgently. "He is a bad demon sent by the devil to destroy me. Cast him into the sea."

Perah would hear none of it and ordered Jonah and the stranger to get below deck. Soon, the ship started to take on water, and Perah's crew began to wonder if this truly was the work of some god or demon.

"Cast the madman over the side," one of his crew members advised. "This storm began when he arrived and I am sure he is a demon-possessed man who was cast aside by the last ship unfortunate enough to pick him up."

But one of his other crewmen disagreed. "No," he said. "The storm came when Jonah rebuked the madman. This storm is caused by Jonah's god. Yahweh wants what is his own."

Perah agreed with this man, but they were quickly outnumbered.

The crew began to try and catch the madman, but some how, he always evaded capture. He stood calmly on the top of the mast as the winds and rains buffetted the boat viciously and laughed.

"Surely this man is a god sent to retrieve Jonah, who has fled from the presence of Yahweh," Perah tried to yell over the howling winds. "This man is a god."

"There is no god but Yahweh," Jonah screamed.

"Is this true?" the madman asked Jonah, suddenly standing before him. Despite the howling winds and rains, the madman spoke calmly, if not with some malice. "Do you worship the god of Israel?"

"Yes," Jonah stuttered.

"Then why do you flee to the lands of the Greeks?" the madman thundered, his rage not concealed even from blind Perah. "Yahweh has a question for you, Jonah, son of Amittai: "Why do you flee from my face? Why do you seek solace in the land of the pagans but will not witness to the pagans in Nineveh?"

"Because I am a servant of El Shaddai and his chosen people!" Jonah shouted. "What have I to do with the Gentiles? We are the chosen people of the Lord. His covenant is with us, not our enemies."

The madman laughed once again and then answered, "You are more foolish then I thought. How can it be that the gods speak right in your ear, and yet, you do not see them when they stand before you? Only the blind man has eyes to see."

With the flick of his wrist, Perah saw a flash of light, as if lightning had struck the ship, and when he opened his eyes, he could see. For the first time in his life, Perah could see.

He saw the naked man with long black hair, almost like a woman's hair, with vines and grapes tangled within it. Perah knew this man was a god, but not one which he knew. He ordered his men to stay still, even though they were both scared and in awe of what had just happened.

"You cannot flee from the face of your god," the man continued. "Your life, your purpose, is not signifigant to me. I am not your god, but I was sent to retrieve you since you were in my territory. Now, return to your god and do his bidding before the sea swallows you."

"I will not serve you," Jonah yelled.

"Then, you will not serve your god with whom you have your covenant." The madman answered, and snapped his fingers.

As he did so, a massive wave swept over the deck, dragging Jonah down into the sea. Perah rushed to the edge of the boat, unsure of what to do, when he spotted a massive swirling whirlpool which dragged Jonah down into the ocean's depths.

He looked away. The youth had cast Jonah into the sea to appease the god, Yahweh.

"Do not fret," the youth told him as the storm miraculously passed. "His god is angry with him, not done with him. He will be dragged down to be in the belly of the beast for three days before being spewed back on dry land to complete the task Yahweh has in store for him."

Perah gazed at the beautiful youth, whose face shone like porcelain.

"Forgive me, for I do not know who you are, but I know you are a god for you restored my sight," Perah announced, bowing.

"I am merely a man and a god," the youth laughed. "I am Dionysus."