all the references to the same event elsewhere in the gospels—even where it stares one in the face, as in Luke 13:1–5—have been read as general warnings of hellfire in an afterlife, rather than the literal and physical divine-judgment-through-Roman-judgment that we have seen to be characteristic of Jesus’ story.

They appear to be a vital part of what Jesus describes as the breaking-in of the kingdom, not least in terms of the battle with the satan, the accuser.

Soul generates meaning, turns events into experiences and gives us a reason for being.

The ox represents our true selves, our awakened being. The process of awakening ourselves is often metaphorically referred to as “raising an ox.” Awakening is the epic struggle between our mind and its delusions, and our true selves. The final stage of enlightenment is called “Entering the Marketplace with Helping Hands.”15