| Official: Matthias, son of Deuteronomy of Gath …
|
| Matthias: (to Official’s Helper): Do I say «Yes»?
|
| Official’s Helper: Yes
|
| Matthias: Yes
|
| Official: You have been found guilty by the elders of the town of uttering the
|
| Name of our Lord and so as a blasphemer you are to be stoned to
|
| Death
|
| Matthias: Look, I’d had a lovely supper and all I said to my wife was, «That
|
| Piece
|
| Official: Blasphemy! |
| He’s said it again
|
| Women: Yes, he did
|
| Official: Did you hear him?
|
| Women: Yes we did. |
| Really
|
| Official: (suspiciously) Are there any women here today?
|
| (The women all shake their heads. The Official faces Matthias again.)
|
| Official: Very well, by virtue of the authority vested in me …
|
| (One of the women throws a stone and it hits Matthias on the knee.)
|
| Matthias: Ow. |
| Lay off. |
| We haven’t started yet
|
| Official: (turning around) Come on, who threw that?
|
| (Silence.)
|
| Who threw that stone? |
| Come on
|
| Women: (pointing to the culprit, keeping their voices as low in pitch as
|
| They can)
|
| She did
|
| He. |
| Him
|
| Culprit: (very deep voice) Sorry, I thought we’d started
|
| Official: Go to the back
|
| Culprit: Oh dear
|
| (disappointedly goes to back)
|
| Official: There’s always one, isn’t there? |
| Now, where were we? |
| …
|
| Matthias: Look. |
| I don’t think it ought to be blasphemy, just saying
|
| «Jehovah!»
|
| (Sensation!!! The women gasp.)
|
| Women: (high voices) He said it again
|
| (low voices) He said it again
|
| Official: (to Matthias) You’re only making it worse for yourself
|
| Matthias: Making it worse? |
| How can it be worse? |
| Jehovah, Jehovah, Jehovah
|
| (Great Sensation!!!)
|
| Official: I’m warning you. |
| If you say «Jehovah» once more …
|
| (He gasps at his error and claps his hand over his mouth. A stone
|
| Hits him on the side of the head. |
| He reacts.)
|
| Right! |
| Who threw that?
|
| Women: (high voices)
|
| It was her
|
| It was *him*
|
| (low voices)
|
| It was him
|
| Official: Was it you?
|
| Culprit: Yes
|
| Official: All right
|
| Culprit: Well, you did say «Jehovah.»
|
| (The women all shriek and throw stones at her from very close range. She falls
|
| To the ground stunned. |
| Quick cut of Romans reacting. |
| They shake their heads
|
| And mutter to each other.)
|
| Official: Stop that. |
| Stop it, will you stop that. |
| Now look, no one is to
|
| Stone anyone until I blow this whistle. |
| *Even*…and I want to
|
| Make this absolutely clear…*even* if they *do* say «Jehovah.» |