The Bearded Foreigner

FATHER Nicholas looked this sword-wielding warrior in the eyes. How strange it was, he said softly, that one could kill a man for his beliefs without knowing what they were! Takuma was so taken aback that he found his fever of hatred had left him, and the two men fell into discussion.

Next morning, Nicholas sat down with Takuma and began going through the Old Testament, patiently answering his objections and queries until they began to die away.

Now it was Nicholas’s turn to wonder. Takuma absorbed every name and notion, and in due course even brought along two friends. Christianity was still distrusted by the authorities, and conversion to it was forbidden, but Takuma and his two companions were all baptised in April 1868, with Takuma taking the name of Paul.

In 1871, Paul was ordained as Japan’s first native-born Orthodox priest, and thereafter fought the good fight for Japan’s rapidly growing Christian communities alongside Nicholas Kasatkin, the man he went to kill.

Acknowledgements to St Herman of Alaska Brotherhood (via Pravoslavie) and Fr Andreas Blom (Opuscula Theologica).
Précis
A Japanese nationalist named Takuma Sawabe armed himself with a sword, and went to murder Fr Nicholas as a threat to Japanese culture and identity. However, after they began talking about Christianity Takuma’s outlook underwent a complete change, and he became both a priest and also one of Nicholas’s most trusted colleagues in the evangelisation of Japan.
Sevens

Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.

Why did Takuma not carry out his threat to kill Fr Nicholas?

Suggestion

Nicholas said something that revolutionised his outlook.

Jigsaws

Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.

Takuma intended to kill Fr Nicholas for his beliefs. Nicholas asked him what they were. Takuma could not.

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