DECONSTRUCTING the Code

BASED ON AN ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY BY

Jack Forbes

STORY BY JACK FORBES & ANDREW HARRIS

A PLAY BY

Jack Forbes

The Nag Hammadi Books survived book burnings by the Catholic Church and Roman Emperor Constantine, but will Christianity survive the Nag Hammadi Books?

Underlying screenplay Deconstructing the Code, Copyright © 2005 by Jack Forbes. Text of this book copyright ©2017 by Jack Forbes. Cover Artwork copyright ©2017 by Jack Forbes.

All Rights Reserved.

Published by JafoPublishing.

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This book is a work of fiction with aspects of historical events. Names, characters, places and incidents of the contemporary aspects of this book and as to the incidental depiction of historical events are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

ISBN 978-0-9997069-0-9

ISBN 978-0-9997069-1-6 (e-book)

Printed in the United States of America

Book Design—Typography—Cover Design—Retouching

M. Redmond—Redmond & Associates

[email protected]

Contact Information:

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Notes of Appreciation

To Timothy Freke and Peter Gandy, authors of The Jesus Mysteries, which, along with other historical texts and analyses, opened my eyes to key religious events and occurrences

Jack Forbes

To Andrew Harris,

Whose enthusiasm toward detailed revelation of historical truths assisted and motivated me in crafting the story for the underlying screenplay

Jack Forbes

Deconstructing the Code

may not be performed in whole or in part and no use may be made of it whatsoever except under express license from the rights holder of this work, Jack Forbes.

Kindly email JafoPublishing at

[email protected]

with any inquiries.

Contents

NOTES OF APPRECIATION

CONTENTS

PART ONE

ACT ONE

ACT TWO

PART TWO

ACT THREE

ACT FOUR

ACT ONE

Act One, Scene One

NATIONAL MUSEUM, CAIRO, UPPER EGYPT, 1947

An off-stage NARRATOR announces,

NARRATOR: National Museum, Cairo, upper Egypt, 1947.

MUFFLED SOUNDS of a noisy, bustling city.

LIGHTS FADE UP to reveal the interior of the National Museum. A French Egyptologist, JEAN DORESSE, examines some ancient leather-bound books. Museum director, TOGO MINA, looks on with interest.

MINA: These are the ones?

DORESSE (without looking up): Yes.

MINA: You’re able to tell...

DORESSE (interrupting): Please.

He pages through a book, comparing a passage with a photocopy of a manuscript page fragment.

It will shake the foundations of Christianity.

MINA (softly): Jean, there’s another manuscript.

Act One, Scene Two

CAIRO ANTIQUITES DEALER’S SHOP

Moments later, Mina leads Doresse into another Cairo antiquities dealer’s shop. Exterior street sounds continue. Mina and Doresse walk inside, approaching ALBERT EID, the proprietor.

MINA: You still have, (checking the store for ears) the manuscript of which we spoke?

EID: Your friend is interested? (Slight smile.) Or perhaps you, Mina?

DORESSE: Let me see.

Eid pulls another leather-bound book from a hiding place, handing it carefully to Doresse, who examines it. Without looking up,

You have no more?

EID: Only this one. Ancient.

Doresse hands the book to Mina.

MINA: And I seize it on behalf of the National Museum.

EID: You can’t do that.

Mina and Doresse hurriedly leave with the book.

MINA: As an antiquity of Egypt.

Outside, they walk quickly, glancing back.

DORESSE: Can you do that?

MINA: I don’t know, keep walking.

DORESSE: Mina, these books are priceless. Are there more?

MINA: Yes, but we don’t yet know where.

Doresse nods and they disappear into the crowd.

Act One, Scene Three

CAIRO BACK-ALLEY ANTIQUITIES SHOP

The off-stage Narrator announces,

NARRATOR: Cairo, 1949.

Daytime, outside the exterior of a shadowy back-alley antiquities shop in upper Egypt, Cairo. A one-eyed man with eye-patch, BAHIJ ‘ALI, an outlaw from al-’Qasr, approaches cautiously. He carries a bulky satchel, surveils the area, then enters.

Inside the shop, various customers quietly peruse merchandise. Bahij approaches a man at the counter, PHOCION TANO. Tano recognizes Bahij from the eye patch.

TANO (to customers): The store is now closed. Thank you, goodbye.

All of the customers grudgingly leave. Tano locks the front door and closes the curtains. At the counter, Bahij carefully extracts leather-bound books from the satchel.

Bahij ‘Ali?

BAHIJ: Who else would I be?

Tano hungrily eyes the books. He pulls out a wad of cash.

Act One, Scene Four

SHOPS BELOW THE NAG HAMMADI CLIFFS, CAIRO, UPPER EGYPT

Daytime, a sleepy village below the Nag Hammadi Cliffs of Upper Egypt. Tano is searching for a particular building. Seeing it in the distance, he quickens his pace, disappearing into a shop doorway.

Moments later, Tano emerges from the shop, carrying several more leather-bound books.

Act One, Scene Five

TANO’S SHOP, CAIRO, UPPER EGYPT

Daytime, Cairo. Tano is busy in his back-alley shop. A CAIRO OFFICIAL, of the Ministry of Public Education, and his imposing ASSISTANT, make a surprise visit to Tano’s shop.

CAIRO OFFICIAL: Phocion Tano?

TANO: Who is asking?

CAIRO OFFICIAL: Greetings from the Ministry of Public Education.

TANO: Oh.

CAIRO OFFICIAL: Kindly show us your Nag Hammadi collection.

TANO (feigned innocence): Dattari owns them now.

The Assistant lifts Tano into the air by his shirt.

TANO: I have an address!

Act One, Scene Six

DATARRI’S RESIDENCE, CAIRO, EGYPT

Daytime at the exterior of a lavish residence in Cairo, Egypt. A Cairo Official, his Assistant and a Police Officer are at the front door, waiting. Opening the door from the inside is DATTARI, an Egyptian man in a smoking jacket and slippers. The unexpected visitors immediately barge inside. BLACKOUT.

Projected on a screen is the front page of a Wednesday, June 8, 1949 Cairo newspaper, which headlines: "EGYPT SEIZES DATTARI COLLECTION—Dattari collection confiscated. Nag Hammadi documents more extraordinary than tomb of Tutankhamen."

Act One, Scene Seven

TRAIN STATION, OUTSKIRTS OF EGYPT

Nighttime at a train station in the outskirts of Egypt. Eid is standing with his wife, SUSAN Eid, as a uniformed Egyptian CUSTOMS OFFICIAL peruses a container checked by Eid containing an open container. The container is filled with antiques, but none appearing to be antiquities.

CUSTOMS OFFICIAL (referring to a manifest): So, everything is reflected here?

EID (wary): Of course.

CUSTOMS OFFICIAL: You’re travelling with the cargo?

EID: Visiting relatives, yes.

The Customs Official signs off the manifest and motions a Custom’s Assistant to close the container for loading onto the train. Relieved, Eid and his wife walk to the passenger car.

Act One, Scene Eight

ANTIQUITIES SHOPS, BELGIUM

In a Belgium city, carrying a heavy bag of books, Eid and Susan depart a high-dollar antiquities shop, followed by its Belgium Owner.

BELGIUM OWNER (in French accent): They cannot be sold. Don’t come back.

They walk off. Eid is in apparently ill-health, coughing. Turning into an alleyway, they enter a low-dollar antiquities shop. A Shady Owner approaches.

EID: We have books. Old books which may be of interest?

The Shady Owner examines several leather-bound books, as Eid and Susan look on.

EID: I’ll give a good price. Take it, take it.

SHADY OWNER (French accent): They will arrest moi, certainmente. No!

He ushers them to the door.

Act One, Scene Nine

EGYPTIAN COURTROOM

In the Courtroom of an Egyptian Courthouse, a JUDGE signs a warrant as a Government Attorney stands by.

JUDGE (Arabic accent): Warrant for the arrest of Albert Eid. Criminal export of Egyptian antiquities.

He hands the Warrant to the Government Attorney who leaves.

Act One, Scene Ten

BELGIUM HOTEL LOBBY

Months later, in the lobby of a prestigious Belgium hotel Susan Eid and a BUYER speak quietly. Susan wears dark clothing.

BUYER: A warrant issued for the arrest of your husband.

SUSAN: They’re too late, he died.

BUYER: My sympathies. So, you have the merchandise, Mrs. Eid?

SUSAN: Yes.

BUYER: I brought cash.

SUSAN: Cash is good.

And the Buyer hands over a wad of cash for the several volumes of leather-bound books.

Act One, Scene Eleven

BELGIUM BORDER