Surely Paul could have made the gospel more palatable – and less dangerous – by saying it was about something else. Something cleaner and less ridiculous than the cross. Something more glorious. Less disgusting. He didn’t do that, though. “I decided,” Paul said, “to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2). In the face of the worst cultural prejudice imaginable, he fixed the entire gospel squarely and immovably on the fact that Jesus was tacked to a stauros and left to die. If he had been trying to find a surefire way to turn first-century people off from his “good news,” he couldn’t have done better than that! So why did he do it? It’s simple. He did it because he knew that leaving the cross out, or running past it with a glance, or making it peripheral to the gospel, or allowing anything else to displace it at the center of the gospel would make it, finally, no gospel at all.

Greg Gilbert

CATEGORY	CUISINE	TAG	YIELD
Seafood, Grains	Italian	Italian, Seafood, Ceideburg 2	4	Servings

INGREDIENTS

1	sm	Octopus (about 3 1/4 pounds)
1/2	c	Olive oil
	pn	Rosemary
1		Bay leaf
	pn	Oregano
1	ts	Cumin seeds
		Chopped parsley
1		Green chili pepper chopped
1/2	lb	Tomatoes, peeled and cut in strips
3		Cloves garlic, (inner buds removed), chopped
		Salt and pepper
1	lb	Spaghetti

INSTRUCTIONS

The octopus must be very carefully washed and dried, and the mouth
removed. Cover the bottom of a saucepan with oil; add the rosemary,
bay leaf oregano, cumin seeds, parley, chili pepper, tomatoes and
chopped garlic. Place the octopus on top of this mixture and season
with salt and pepper. Cover the pot very tightly and simmer for about
45 minutes. Cook the spaghetti in plenty of boiling salted water
until it is 'al dente' (firm to the bite).  Drain and turn onto a
warm serving dish.  Mix the octopus sauce into the spaghetti.  Serve
piping hot.
From "Feast of Italy", translated from the Italian edition published
by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, 1973.  Consulting Chef, Giorgio Gioco.
Thomas Crowell, New York.  ISBN 0-690-00059-6
Serves 4 to 6.
Posted by Stephen Ceideberg; September 7 1992.
File ftp://ftp.idiscover.co.uk/pub/food/mealmaster/recipes/cberg2.zip

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