evocatio deorum

who is the creator
of god

the greeks created their own gods
the romans changed the names
of all those gods
took them for themselves
and sold them to their people
because if you want to build a mighty empire
you have to own the mighty gods

up steps a jewish people
winning victories in battle
punching above their weight
nations afraid
of the might of their god

the roman empire
in the end
too big
too strong
for the jewish revolt
and on 20 july 67
jotapata falls
conquered
by the son
of general vespasian
titus flavius
yosef ben matityahu is discovered
one of two jews
who survive a suicide pact *

* foul play is suspected

he convinces the son of vespasian
to take him in
sped along by a prophecy
of future emperorship
dutifully serving
first as slave
then translator
later family no less
ladies and gentlemen
meet

flavius josephus

what does one have to do
to earn such an honour
raised into the family
of the emperor
whose army butchered
his tribe he sold out
in cruel slaughter
what do you do to earn
such good fortune?

you write a bible
at least the beginnings
of a new testament
that washes the jewish blood
off romish hands

josephus was a reformer
of the jealous jewish god

who defeats
other nations
in battle

to

render unto caesar
what is caesar's

from

an eye
for an eye

to

turn the other
cheek

the opening
of the antisemitic pandora's box
blaming jews for crucifying jesus
and the romans stroll away cool as a cat

remind me quickly
who earns the privilege
of writing history
while you feast
on the emperor's grape

josephus's second marriage
to the roman empire
plants the seed
for the catholic church
rather notorious
especially for wealth

perhaps just coincidence

a church fired up
with the promise of eternal life
so that all who endure
can enjoy the prospect of better
but then you have to believe

or pay with your coin

otherwise woe

and so
suddenly
billions are damned to hell
a deal so hefty and so lofty
the heathen had to receive the message
sword and all

is josephus
guilty of every suicide
he masterfully incited
and every murder committed
by his child

the church

born from the womb
of his fruitful words?

how does one hold the dead
accountable for deeds?

josephus lived nice and long
and died rich
his tongue the sword
that unpeopled
and repeopled him
guilty
of selfishness
at the cost of his own people

and ours

an innocent storyteller
no danger to his new crown
on the contrary an asset
a man who could conjure gods
with his words
mined from the mouth of jesus
where he

invents
god
in the image
of vespasian

into a faith

and his son

titus flavius
pictured as
jesus christ
son of god

out into
the whole wide world

render unto caesar the debt that is his
the romans who added the new chapter
to religion
and spread it across the whole empire
like seed
that found the fertile soil
and the fruit kept growing
people still today
swallow the story
and believe it

innocently

as if it's true
a burden all of us
are still paying off today

echo
the ego
of
the emperor
the god

and his turncoat
josephus
who could dust off old gods
and repackage them
as a brand-new
modern god
whom you only truly meet
after you say goodbye

but who am i to judge
i just wrote a story
as i saw it
isn't it precisely
what josephus did
except in my case
the incentive
to be so inventive
had no emperor
behind it