“And Jesus said, ‘Here is my wife.’”
The brittle fragment of papyrus lay upon the table as his finger traced the words written in Coptic, the ancient language of Egypt which had long held the secrets of early Christianity. Leonardo da Vinci – artist, engineer, scientist – looked up from the scrap as his left index finger tapped the last word.
“Tasoni,” he whispered with a smile. Then he elongated the pronunciation for those at the table to hear. “Tay-SOH-nee,” Leonardo said slowly. “It is the Coptic word for wife.” He sat back and smiled but remained momentarily silent. Leonardo reveled in drama, and he was as much a master of performance as he was of art.
TasoniSandro Paletti stood quietly by the side. It was in his restaurant where Leonardo and the great men of Florence had gathered.
