Balthasar, the second wise man, is in Bethlehem at zero b.c. mostly to deliver a new school of art. Nazareth Realism, Michel Tournier might call it. God (remember your Genesis) fresh-minted man in His image and likeness. Not divine redundancy that, Balthasar will explain. We still model the image or outward form of God. Original sin, however, has leached likeness (truly holy essence) from us. A nice semantic diagnosis there, maybe even useful. “Now we see why the representation of man in painting and sculpture has been cursed: in producing an image without a likeness, these arts make themselves accomplice in an imposture. Fired with fanatical zeal, the clergy persecute the figurative arts, destroying even the sublimest works of the human genius. . . . One day perhaps fallen man will be redeemed and regenerated by a hero or a savior . . . then painters and sculptors will be able to practice their art, which will have recovered the sacred dimension.” God incarnate is photo-real. For Balthasar, the manger scene became our first naturalistic (and lower-middle- class) subject. I don’t know about Tournier’s theological insight, but his art history is accurate enough. That Great Obstetrical Moment lowered the tone of painting and sculpture. Greco-Roman art didn’t feature mules or carpenters much, I think.
Gaspar, wise man number one, is black. Of late he has been lusting after Aryan, blonde fodder for his biological weapon. This miscegenetic passion bends him a whole lot. “ Is it not conceivable,’ he asked, ‘that the aim of our journey is the exaltation of negritude?’ ” Adam, Balthasar and Gaspar both con-
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