The Ninth Hour

A reference to Jesus’ final hour on the cross when he cried out to God in anguish, The Ninth Hour is the story of love’s power over reason and the implications of this power. “I have collected stories of love; anecdotes to entertain the one I love. Here are my stories of love; parables to admonish men that all proofs come to nothing. If wine is forbidden to you, you may drink from this little cup. A sip of love makes drunkards of saints, makes fools of scholars. A droplet of love breaks the cup but quenches thirst, swallows a hundred Jonahs, drowns a thousand Pharaohs. Jesus was told, You have raised Lazarus back to life. Jesus said, This is nothing compared to love.” The Ninth Hour recounts stories of Solomon and the queen of Sheba, of Muhammad and Khadijah, of Majnun and Layli, of Joseph and Zuleika, and of others. These stories illustrate the potency of love and also its mystery. Finally The Ninth Hour explores the possibility that the single proof of love, like the proof of God, is love itself.