People, like novels, have themes.
Our Stories
The death of James the Great is described in the NT. Outside the NT, however, his story lives on. Part of that story is dedicated to an epic journey, and part of that story is dedicated to a post-death appearance. Both of these accounts teeter wildly into the area of myth but never say that to a Spaniard. It may cost you an eye.
More than a decade before the hobnailed boots of Pompey the Great scraped the pavers of the Jerusalem Temple,* the Roman commander was out West. On the Iberian Peninsula, he pursued a campaign against the guerrillas of Quintus Sertorius. This pursuit kept Pompey busy for five years, from 76 to 71 BC. In that half-decade, Pompey developed his military chops, demonstrated a reputation for brutality, and earned a Roman triumph. The experience would serve him well.
We arose and followed the forested trail into a tidy town. It was known as Burguete, or Auritz in the Basque tongue. The sun was also rising. Most everyone else was slumbering though, save a small cat that offered Bob and me a generous welcome. This self-appointed mayor circled, arched, and rubbed in as cats often do when the air is full of breakfast.
The descent into Spain is rugged. The bright pastures of the sommets des pyrénées slip downslope, gradually at first, then furiously, precipitously, until they tumble into dense beech forests. Bob and I do the same. Spattered by mud, decorated with leaves, and swathed in shadow, we appreciate the epic Song of Roland.
