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Translation 59 What a sacrilege, the way the Holy One was dragged to Beren! It was no different than prodding a lamb the way they fastened the cord around his neck and beat him from behind saying, “Get moving ! Faster!” Then they beat him with a stick saying, “You dullard,” and against his will they pulled him along all the way to Beren. When at last he was set before King Yorotetsu, the king looked at the captors and said, “Well, well, well. I do appreciate the trouble you’ve taken.” He then added, “I hear that this person called the Lord performs miracles. In that case, don’t take your eyes off him, and tie him to this stone pillar.” “Certainly,” the captors responded, and tied him as they had been told to do. Then they beat him hard enough to break his bones, and the very bamboo pole they were using split.75 Into the Holy One’s mouth they placed bitter and spicy things, and rammed them down his throat. Then they dropped a metal crown on his head, and sweat and blood flowed down his body like water from a cascade.76 Yorotetsu said in anger, “All because of that person I went and murdered thousands of children. Make a structure with a length of thirty-three and have him drag it up Karuwaryu Hill.77 Then crucify him there.” Again they took the Holy One against his will. 9. Up Karuwaryu Hill In a place called Sanchiishima,78 an enormous tree called the Cross Tree grows.79 Its height is sixty-six units of 6 shaku, and the girth of its trunk is thirty-three units of 6 shaku. The trunk portion is reserved for future use. The tree will ultimately be set on fire by Deusu, who will descend from heaven for this express purpose. This fire will have no end and will continue to burn. The fire will travel through all of its veins and branches, and when the tree is completely burned up so too will the whole world. Fire from heaven and fire from earth will join each other within a span of six hours. How terrible and dreadful it will be! 60 The Beginning of Heaven and Earth Thus the upper thirty-three units of 6 shaku were cut from the Cross Tree and made into a crucifixion rack. The captors then attached the cross to the Holy One’s shoulders and pushed him up Karuwaryu Hill. On the way up the hill the Holy One met a woman named Beronica who was carrying a jug of water.80 She felt compassion when she saw him. “How pitiful,” she thought, and wiped the beads of blood dripping from his face with her cloth, and offered him a drink of water. The Holy One received it with gratitude and drank, thinking, “I don’t know who you are but one day I will save you.” Then because the image of the Holy One remained on Beronica’s cloth she thought, “Keeping this for myself would be a sacrilege.” So she made an offering of the cloth at the temple of Santa Ekirenja. After a little more time had passed, the Lord was forced to continue upward until he reached the top of Karuwaryu Hill. There were two criminals condemned to death up there. The Lord was placed between those two and his hands and feet nailed with big nails. On both sides the other two were bound and raised. The criminal on the left said, “There are many ways of being executed, but a crueler way than this has never been devised. This is all because of you, Lord,” he complained. The criminal on the right side hearing this said, “You’re totally wrong. We’re guilty convicts. The Holy One has committed no crime and so his execution is truly pitiful.” Now there is some background to these criminals. After the Lord’s birth and the taking of his first bath, the diseased child bathed in the same water. Although he was nearly dead from disease , after bathing in that water he recovered miraculously in an instant. Nevertheless, when he grew up he became a wicked person , and in the end wound up a condemned criminal.81 Yet now he was together again with the Lord for his last moments on a cross. It was his fate that they should meet again. ...

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