The scene is a cobblestone road on the outskirts of Ancient Rome, at about the time of Caesar. An impeccably uniformed young Centurion drives a chariot erratically at full speed for a hundred meters or so, then, he stops, gets out and kicks the bloody body tied to the chariot. He again mounts the chariot, and whips the horses to a sudden start hoping to break the neck of the victim and bring this cruel ordeal to an end. Finally, the body fails to respond to the kicks.

Standing beside the once handsome body of a powerful athlete, but unseen to his executioner, is the indwelling...