A Secret Tradition

Though Jesus has certainly become the most famous of these beings, secret tradition has it that there are actually two-hundred thirty-two thousand, three-hundred twenty-three Christs walking the Earth at any given moment. Not so much sons and daughters of God, these souls are more like mirrors that have been so polished by nature and circumstance as to reflect back to mortals the deathless adamantine core at the heart of all created things. There is no way to distinguish these Anointed Ones from the common run of humanity; they appear as shopkeepers and professors, parents and artists, hobos and criminals. The only commonality amongst them is that they stand apart.

Occasionally, due to a coincidence of forces that the best human minds have yet to fully fathom, the population will spontaneously identify one of these souls, and, entrapping him in a net of names and rituals, form a new religion. When this happens it usually bodes ill for the particular Anointed One who finds him or herself at the centre of attention, but it is generally accepted to be part of the job description. Thus is it understood that the other two-hundred thousand, three hundred twenty-two will seldom rally to the aid of their fallen brethren, but rather strive to assimilate themselves even more to the status quo. Taking refuge in anonymity, the Remnant will wait for the collective madness to diminish back to acceptable levels before resuming their covert mission of redeeming humanity.