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"The Way of Cross and Dragon" is a science fiction short story by American writer George R. R. Martin. It involves a far-future priest of the One True Interstellar Catholic Church of Earth and the Thousand Worlds (with similarities to the Roman Catholic hierarchy) investigating a sect that reveres Judas Iscariot. The story deals with the nature and limitations of religious faith.

The story originally appeared in the June 1979 issue of Omni. In 1980, it won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story as well as the Locus Award for best short story. It is set in the same fictional "Thousand Worlds" universe as several of Martin's other works, including Dying of the Light, Sandkings, Nightflyers, A Song for Lya and the stories collected in Tuf Voyaging.

Plot summary

Damien Har Veris — a priest skilled in resolving heretical disputes efficiently, although now spiritually exhausted — is sent by his alien archbishop as Knight Inquisitor to deal with a particular sect that has made a saint of Judas Iscariot.

The sect follows a religious text, The Way of Cross and Dragon, that radically revises the life of Iscariot and his place in Christianity. The text describes how, born of a prostitute, Iscariot mastered the dark arts to become a tamer of dragons and the ruler of a great empire. After torturing and maiming Christ, Iscariot repented and relinquished his empire to become the penitent Legs of Christ, the first and best-beloved of the Twelve Apostles. Returning from proselytizing to find Christ crucified, an enraged Iscariot then destroyed the perpetrating empire and strangled St. Peter for renouncing Christ, only to discover, too late, Christ's resurrection. Rejecting Judas' violence, Christ restored St. Peter to life and gave him the keys of the kingdom. St. Peter then suppressed the truth about Judas, vilifying his name and exploits. Seeking redemption for his wrath, Iscariot became the thousand-year-old Wandering Jew, before finally rejoining Christ in the Kingdom of God.

Perusing the materials of the sect, Har Veris finds himself enjoying the fanciful, creative but ultimately ridiculous narrative, finding it far more interesting than the more mundane heresies that have developed around power, money and doctrinal quibbles.

Arriving on the sect's distant planet on board his ship, the Truth of Christ, Har Veris confronts its heresiarch, Lukyan Judasson, creator of the Way of Cross and Dragon narrative, but finds that he is already expected. Questioning Judasson, Har Veris uncovers a conspiracy of nihilistic Liars, who see Truth as entropy and despair, and who wish to soften and color the ultimately meaningless lives of others by creating belief in carefully crafted Lies. In essence, they create faiths. They have perpetrated this Judas cult as well as others, and now want Har Veris to join them. Despite his own spiritual exhaustion, he realizes that, though he may be losing his faith, he has not lost his passion for truth. When he refuses to join the Liars, Judasson wishes to have him silenced, but his senior in the conspiracy, a misshapen psionic mutant, senses the impending Liar in Har Veris, and allows him to go.

Har Veris then uses political manipulation and the public's fear and distrust of psychic powers to turn the tide on the Judas cult, resolving yet another heresy with dispatch. When, much later, he fully acknowledges that he has lost his faith, his superior is indifferent: results are what is needed, and Har Veris is to continue in his role as inquisitor. The priest accepts this, realizing that the psychic was right: he is himself a consummate Liar, perpetuating a faith in which he no longer believes.

However, departing on his next Inquisition, he has named his new starship Dragon.

See also

• Gospel of Judas

Footnotes

1. "Awards DRAFT - George R.R. Martin". georgerrmartin.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.
2. "OLDIES BUT GOODIES - George R.R. Martin". georgerrmartin.com. Retrieved 26 June 2019.

External links

• The Way of Cross and Dragon, full text (Lightspeed magazine)

v t e Works by George R. R. Martin
Novels	Dying of the Light Windhaven Fevre Dream The Armageddon Rag Hunter's Run A Song of Ice and Fire A Game of Thrones A Clash of Kings A Storm of Swords A Feast for Crows A Dance with Dragons The Winds of Winter Reference The World of Ice & Fire Fire & Blood The Rise of the Dragon
Novellas	A Song for Lya Sandkings The Ice Dragon Nightflyers The Skin Trade A Song of Ice and Fire Tales of Dunk and Egg The Princess and the Queen The Rogue Prince The Sons of the Dragon
Editing	Wild Cards list of works Songs of the Dying Earth Warriors Songs of Love and Death Down These Strange Streets Old Mars Dangerous Women Rogues Old Venus
Short stories	"With Morning Comes Mistfall" "The Way of Cross and Dragon"
Collections	A Song for Lya Songs of Stars and Shadows Sandkings Songs the Dead Men Sing Nightflyers Tuf Voyaging Portraits of His Children Quartet: Four Tales from the Crossroads Dreamsongs: A RRetrospective
Television	The Twilight Zone "The Last Defender of Camelot" "The Once and Future King" "Lost and Found" "The Toys of Caliban" "The Road Less Traveled" Beauty and the Beast Doorways Nightflyers House of the Dragon Game of Thrones "The Pointy End" "Blackwater" "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" "The Lion and the Rose"
Films	Nightflyers The Sandkings In the Lost Lands
Video games	Elden Ring
Category

• Short stories by George R. R. Martin
• Science fiction short stories
• Hugo Award for Best Short Story–winning works
• 1979 short stories
• Works originally published in Omni (magazine)
• Depictions of Jesus in literature
• 1970s science fiction works