The Peacock 1841

"Just as I thought!" says Erik, chortling, "Jesus is a Lutheran!" "Are you still an atheist?" say I . "I am being presented with some rather strong evidence for the prosecution", he says, now almost grimly.  "but it's wait and see." "Of course this is Jesus", says Carl.  "Who else could know each one of us here so intimately?" "I'm just waiting for my turn to get cross-examined.  But why tell him anything, since he is already going to know" "Jesus can't be a Lutheran", says Francois deadpan.  "He wasn't around for Luther, nor vice versa." "If he really is Jesus, and I have no doubt he is", muses Sarah, "Then he needn't have been there at the time, since he already was." "He sure isn't a Catholic", states Carl.  "And what about his parents?  Who would have imagined two doddering old people like this Joseph and Mary we have here." "I should hardly think of them as doddering", says Stella.  "They appear both very hale and very hearty and except for the wrinkles in old age, every bit as robust as though they were in the prime of life." "Hey, they're two thousand years old" says Carl  "They're  not doing so bad at all.  " "Jesus is two  thousand he looks like an adolescent." says Erik. "He can pull it off", says Lawrence.  "He is Jesus."