Q

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He was casting out a demon that couldn't speak. And when the demon came out, the person who couldn't speak started talking. And the crowds were amazed. (15) But some said, "He casts out demons with the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons!" I'm telling you, there'll be two men in the field; one will be taken and the other will be left. (35) There'll be two women grinding at the mill; one will be taken and the other will be left. Can someone who can't see guide another person who can't see? Won't they both fall into a pit? (40) A disciple isn't greater than their teacher. It's enough for the disciple to become like their teacher. Tuttavia il filo rosso che guida la lettura, l’intrigo di Q, permette di astrarre dai tafazzismi dei protagonisti e arrivare al punto di svolta del libro. Il protagonista sfinito dall’ennesima fallimentare stagione di lotte, racconta le sue peripezie ad un proto-hippie di Anversa, mette ordine alla storia, illumina in maniera coerente l’affaticata prosa da sceneggiatura da film d’azione della prima parte. I riferimenti apocalittici si concretizzano nella lungimiranza del proto-hippie, osservatore privilegiato della nascita del capitalismo mercantile. If your brother offends you, correct him. If he changes, forgive him. (4) Even if he offends you seven times a day, then forgive him seven times.

E’ stata sicuramente una lettura stimolante dal punto di vista storico per il tema affrontato: le lotte religiose del ‘500 che hanno seguito la riforma protestante, argomento abbastanza inconsueto per un romanzo storico; (interessantissimi inoltre i risvolti relativi alla nascita della stampa, dell’editoria in genere e in particolare quella religiosa) felice però di arrivare alla fine, troppa confusione narrativa e scarsa concentrazione, occhi sulle righe della pagina ma mente spesso altrove. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the day of the Son of Humanity. (27) In those days they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and swept all of them away. (30) That's what it will be like on the day the Son of Humanity is revealed. After a long time the master of those servants returned to settle accounts with them. (16) The first one came and said, 'Master, your mina has made ten more minas.' He told the crowds who went out to be baptized, "You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the fury to come? (8) So bear fruit worthy of change! Don't start to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our ancestor,' because I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. Udo Schnelle comments on the provenance of Q ( The History and Theology of the New Testament Writings, p. 186):Colui che viene dall'alto è al di sopra di tutti; ma chi viene dalla terra, appartiene alla terra e parla della terra... Ricordi?

Luke 3:7-9, “He, therefore, began saying to the multitudes who were going out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 “Therefore bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 9 “And also the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; every tree, therefore, that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Resources

John S. Kloppenborg Verbin, Excavating Q: The History and Setting of the Sayings Gospel (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press 2000) The cold war between pro-capitalist and pro-communist spooks is trasplanted into the killing fields of Reformation Holy Roman Empire by the collective of writers known as Luther Blisset. The story attempts to follow the careers of a radical protestant and an underground member of the inquisition ("Q") for over 30 years, as they circle and try to dispose of each other. The set-pieces (the battle of Frankenhausen, the revolution in Leyden) are well-told, but most of the characters are not well-defined and so it is difficult to care for them.

Die Geschichte wird von dem anonymen Protagonisten erzählt und sein Antagonist ist Q, ein Agent der katholischen Kirche. Der Protagonist ist Aktivist auf der Seite der Ketzer, frühe Marxisten und Feinde der aufkeimende Kapitalismus, der Antagonist steht auf der Seite von Kirche und Staat.

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Ho creduto si trattasse di un libro sulla vendetta. Ho pensato fosse un libro che effettuava un revisionismo storico, immaginavo di osservare attraverso gli occhi di un protagonista che ha più nomi che morti sulla coscienza la caccia a una spia avvelenatrice di ideali. Q è questo ma, al contempo, è molto altro. Come Q scriveva le sue lettere così il camaleontico protagonista di questo romanzo diventa, suo malgrado, esso stesso una testimonianza vivente di carneficine ispirate da sciocchi ideali. È un circolo vizioso che si ripete: la rivolta dei contadini, gli Anabattisti, le banche, Venezia. Tutto ha origine da un legame stipulato da uomini e donne nella speranza di una fede libera, una vita migliore. The Sayings Source presumably originated in (north) Palestine, since its theological perspective is directed primarily to Israel. The proclamations of judgment at the beginning and end of the document are directed against Israel (cf. Luke 3.7-9Q; Luke 22.28-30Q), numerous logia are centered on Palestine by their geographical references and the cultural world they assume (cf. only Luke 7.1Q; 10.13-15Q), the bearers of the Q tradition understand themselves to be faithful to the Law (cf. Luke 16.17Q; Luke 11.42Q), and Q polemic is directed against Pharisees (cf. e.g. Luke 11.39b-44Q). I'm telling you that John is greater than anyone who's been born, but whoever is least in God's reign is still greater than he, (29) because John came to you […] the toll collectors and […] (30) but […] him. Another aspect that I paticularly enjoyed was the way the seemingly disparate elements of a sprawling narrative came together in the end. It was a great mystery, and bits of the plot that I never expected to be related came together and I was totally taken by surprise by the final 'reveal'. And even then, when all the players were unmasked it plot still took a few odd twists, and the reader is left with a kind of thoughtful, wryly hopeful resolution, rather than the usual neat, cliched ending of just desserts served to all.