Frustrated by confinement and driven by Yaltha's quest, Ana proposes a risky plan: to search the locked chest in her uncle Haran’s scriptorium for any record of Yaltha’s daughter, Chaya. This decision sets in motion a series of events filled with both hope and devastating revelations, forever altering the course of their lives. As they navigate secrets and unexpected alliances, the shadow of danger in Galilee looms ever closer.
Chapter 71: The Scriptorium
Ana easily finds the key and begins a clandestine operation, stealing a few scrolls each morning while the scribe, Thaddeus, naps. The task is monumental; the chest contains hundreds of documents, from Haran's Roman citizenship certificate to personal letters and his will. The process is painstakingly slow, and after two months, Ana has only reviewed half the scrolls.
Yaltha, growing impatient, decides to join the search to speed it up. To neutralize the risk of Thaddeus discovering them, Yaltha concocts a sedative using lotus flower, which Ana is to mix into beer for him. Ana feels a pang of guilt, as Thaddeus has been kind to her, but she proceeds with the plan. The drugged beer works perfectly, and Thaddeus falls into a deep sleep. Together, Ana and Yaltha pore over the scrolls, but their initial joint effort yields no mention of Chaya. They realize they must be cautious, limiting Yaltha's visits to avoid suspicion.
Chapter 72: A Year of Waiting
Months pass, and the search through Haran's archives proves fruitless. It has been a year since they arrived in Alexandria, and Ana is consumed with worry. She has received no letter from Judas and fears she is beginning to forget the details of Jesus's face. This fear of his memory fading terrifies her, sharpening her sense of isolation and longing.
Her anxiety prompts her to repeatedly ask the servant Pamphile if a courier has arrived. In one such conversation, Ana carelessly mentions that Lavi would accompany her and Yaltha back to Galilee. She immediately realizes her mistake, seeing the distress on Pamphile's face. Lavi and Pamphile have fallen in love, and Ana now worries that Pamphile might hide a letter to prevent Lavi from leaving. To secure her loyalty, Ana promises to provide Lavi with money for return passage to Alexandria, a promise Yaltha silently questions, knowing their funds are dwindling. The chapter ends with Ana lying in the grass, unable to conjure her husband's face, feeling a "sharp aloneness."
Chapter 73: Twenty-Seven Scrolls
Ana’s dedication to her writing has flourished in Alexandria. She has amassed twenty-seven scrolls of her own work, including narratives of the biblical matriarchs, the story of Yaltha and Chaya, poems for her deceased friend Susanna, and an account of her life in Nazareth. This collection is a testament to her perseverance and represents the core of her identity, a tangible expression of The Search for Self and Personal Longing. Needing a larger pouch for her precious work, she sends Lavi to the market.
During their conversation, Lavi confesses his love for Pamphile and his desire to marry her and remain in Alexandria. He assures Ana he will not abandon them and will still escort them safely back to Galilee. Relieved, Ana promises him the money for his return journey, deciding to use their final month's rent money to fund it. Ana then reveals an ulterior motive for sending him to the market near the harbor: she tasks him with gathering any news from recent arrivals about Herod Antipas, hoping the tetrarch might be ill or dead, which would make their return to Galilee safe.
Chapter 74: News from Galilee
Lavi returns from the harbor with grim news. He bribed a man who had just arrived from Caesarea for information. Herod Antipas is not only alive but has become even more cruel. The man also brought devastating news about John the Immerser: Antipas has had him executed. At the request of his wife Herodias's daughter, who pleased him with a dance, Antipas had John beheaded. Ana is horrified, remembering her own baptism by John and his call to "Rise to newness of life."
The man also spoke of another prophet whose following in Galilee has grown even larger than John's. He described hearing this prophet preach on a hillside, blessing the poor and meek, condemning the rich, and teaching a radical message of love and turning the other cheek. The people, he said, were calling this man a Messiah and King of the Jews. Ana knows without a doubt that this is Jesus. The news fills her with a mixture of immense pride in his work and a profound, immobilizing dread for his safety.
Chapter 75: A Devastating Truth
In the week following Lavi's news, Ana is paralyzed by fear for Jesus. Yaltha comforts her, offering wisdom rooted in Alternative Faith and Spirituality. She tells Ana that while life will bring tragedy, a part of her soul—a piece of Sophia—is inviolate and will endure. "All shall be well, no matter what," she insists. Ana is determined to return to Galilee immediately, but Yaltha wisely points out that her return could endanger Jesus further by drawing Antipas's attention directly to him. Convinced, Ana resolves to stay in Alexandria for now.
She returns to the scriptorium, where Thaddeus stuns her by revealing he knew about her and Yaltha's search all along. He holds no loyalty to Haran and offers to help. When Ana tells him they were searching for Yaltha’s daughter, Chaya, Thaddeus remembers seeing the name. He leads her to a secret, locked box containing Haran's most sensitive documents and produces a scroll: an official death notice for Chaya, filed by Haran when she was two. Ana is shattered. She delivers the horrific news to Yaltha, who collapses in grief. Days later, Ana has a vivid dream of scrolls flying free like birds. Waking, she recalls Thaddeus mentioning how odd it was for Haran to file a death notice for a child, as it wasn't legally required. A new question forms in her mind: why would Haran go to the trouble of officially declaring Chaya dead?
Character Development
- Ana: She becomes more daring and proactive, willing to use deception to pursue her goals. Her identity as a writer solidifies as she completes 27 scrolls, a physical manifestation of her voice. The news from Galilee plunges her into a state of terror for Jesus, forcing her to subordinate her own longing to his safety.
- Yaltha: She transitions from a state of passive waiting to active participation in the search for her daughter. She also serves as Ana's spiritual anchor, offering profound wisdom about enduring suffering. The discovery of Chaya's death notice leaves her utterly grief-stricken.
- Thaddeus: Initially a minor character, he is revealed to be a compassionate and disgruntled employee with no loyalty to Haran. He becomes an unexpected and crucial ally, providing the key piece of information that both shatters and renews hope.
- Lavi: He asserts his independence and personal desires by declaring his intention to marry Pamphile and stay in Alexandria. However, he remains loyal to Ana, acting as her trusted messenger and promising to see her home safely.
Themes & Symbols
Feminism and Women's Voices are powerfully represented by Ana's collection of 27 scrolls, which record women's stories and experiences, challenging the male-dominated historical narrative. The search for Chaya becomes a quest to uncover a lost female story suppressed by a patriarch.
Ana's intense longing for Jesus, a key aspect of The Search for Self and Personal Longing, is now tempered by her fear for his life. Yaltha's decades-long search for her daughter appears to reach a tragic end, forcing her to confront the nature of her own longing and identity.
Yaltha’s belief in an "inviolate" part of the soul connected to Sophia provides a source of resilience that exists outside of formal religious structures, exemplifying Alternative Faith and Spirituality. It is a faith based on inner strength and endurance in the face of inevitable tragedy.
- The Scrolls: Ana's personal scrolls symbolize her voice, identity, and legacy, while Haran's scrolls represent secrets, power, and the official, patriarchal version of history. Ana's dream of scrolls flying free suggests that truth cannot be permanently contained.
- The Locked Chest: The locked chest in the scriptorium and the secret box in Haran's study symbolize hidden truths and suppressed histories. The act of unlocking them is an act of defiance against patriarchal control over information.
Key Quotes
"All shall be well, no matter what."
Yaltha's words offer a profound sense of comfort and resilience in the face of inevitable tragedy. This quote encapsulates the theme of enduring faith and the belief in an inviolate part of the soul that can withstand any hardship.
Significance
This section marks a critical turning point in the novel. The news from Galilee dramatically raises the stakes of the plot, shifting the central conflict from Ana's personal safety to the mortal danger surrounding Jesus's public ministry. John the Immerser's execution serves as a dark foreshadowing of what could happen to Jesus, grounding the narrative in a new and urgent reality. Simultaneously, the apparent resolution to Yaltha's search for Chaya is a devastating emotional blow. However, the chapter ends not with closure but with a new mystery. Ana's suspicion about the death notice transforms the plotline from a search for a person into an investigation of a potential deception, ensuring that the quest for truth will continue in a new, more complex form.