It was on the sabbath-day that the intelligence of the fall of
Jotapata, and the massacre of the garrison and inhabitants, reached
Jerusalem; and the dreadful news brought grief and consternation into
the city. Their chief warrior, on whom they depended as the leader
of their armies, was reported to have fallen; their choicest troops
were slain; and one of the strongest of the Galilean fortresses
destroyed. But though the dejection and sorrow were general, yet in
some families it was more profound and heartfelt, for they had lost a
son, a brother, or a husband among the Jewish troops. In Zadok's
house the sound of mourning and woe was heard, for it was believed
that Javan was slain. He had joined the army of Josephus, and was
known to be present at the siege of Jotapata; and as all the garrison
as well as the inhabitants were reported to be massacred, his
parents, his sister, and the faithful old Deborah wept and lamented
for him as dead, with all the vehemence, and the deep demonstrations
of grief, that were always exhibited by the ancient Jews, and still
distinguish the inhabitants of the East in all cases of severe
affliction. Javan's faults were now forgotten, and it was only
remembered that he was a son and a brother; and even Claudia, who had
never loved him, was filled with sorrow at the thought of his
untimely and cruel death. Zadok sought in vain to console his
weeping family; while his own heart was torn with grief for his lost
son, and saddened at the unhappy prospects of his ill fated country.
But while he was absorbed in gloomy thoughts, the trumpets of the
temple sounded long and loud, and reminded him that it was the hour
for the evening sacrifice, and that he must lay aside all worldly
feelings, and go forth to minister in the Lord's house. It was his
turn that day to officiate at the altar in the order of his course;
and no private business or private sorrow must be allowed to
interfere with his holy office. He therefore performed the necessary
ablutions and purifications, and assumed his priestly robes. The
trumpets sounded again, and he set forth towards the temple; and ere
he had ascended the broad flight of steps that led to the outer
court, the third and last summons pealed forth, and echoed from the
hills around, to call the inhabitants and the throngs of priests and
Levites to worship in that glorious house of God. The cheerfulness
and peace which usually marked the weekly festival of the Jewish
sabbath, had been interrupted and clouded that day by the news from
Jotapata; and the crowds of rich and poor, old and young, master and
slave, who had met without the gates to enjoy the day of rest, and
indulge, according to their custom, in social intercourse, had
hurried into the city to listen to the gloomy tidings. The dismay
and sorrow that had stricken so many families prevented the temple
service from being so numerously attended as usual, and delayed the
arrival of the congregation; so that Zadok entered the outer court
(or court of the Gentiles), and found the spacious area nearly
deserted. His spirit was sad, and he walked slowly through the
pillared cloisters that surrounded the court, and led to the stately
dwellings of the priests and ministering officers of the temple.
Beneath the alabaster porticoes and colonnades were the seats where
the elders and sages passed much of their time in instructing the
people, but they were now unoccupied. He passed on to the inner or
holy temple, and looked with melancholy pride and admiration on the
marble walls, the gold and silver gates, the ornaments of clustering
grapes, and pomegranates of glittering gold and brass, the cedar
roofs, and splendid hangings of purple and scarlet, and the altars of
rich incense that filled the air with the most exquisite perfumes,
and his naturally sanguine spirit was depressed. Even he felt that
the power of the Romans was becoming irresistible, and that ere long,
flushed with their Galilean victories, they would appear before the
walls of Jerusalem. With their divided and ill-governed troops, how
could the Jews hope to resist their countless and well-disciplined
forces? and should they once more gain access into the holy and
beloved city, urged on by revenge and fury, where would their ravages
cease? and what would be the fate of the sacred building in which he
stood? Its beauty and its sanctity might fail to preserve it from
the destroying hands of the idolaters, though every son of Israel
were to shed his blood in its defence.
Zadok strove to shake off these dismal forebodings, so unusual to his
heroic and exalted character; for, relying on the arm of Jehovah, and
believing the Jews to be his only and peculiar people, he seldom
admitted a thought that any serious calamity would be permitted to
fall on them. He approached the altar of sacrifice, now surrounded
by the gathering crowd, and took from the hands of the attending
Levites the appointed victims, two being always prepared for the
sabbath offering. He slew them, and presented them before the Lord
with all the accustomed forms; and while the smoke of the altar
ascended in a cloud of the richest incense, he looked forward in
faith to that Messiah, of whom he knew these sacrifices were but the
type, and whom he believed in his blindness had not yet appeared on
the earth to take away sin, and redeem his people. But though Zadok
was in error, yet his piety was sincere and fervent, and his soul was
comforted by the sacred service and the holy worship; so that he
returned to his house with a more cheerful countenance.
But sorrow and dismay had taken possession of the city, and for
thirty days the voice of wailing was heard in Jerusalem. Almost
every family was called to mourn some private calamity, in the loss
of their friends and relations who had fallen at Jotapata; while all
united in deploring the death of Josephus as a heavy national
affliction; and musicians were hired to perform funeral chants to his
memory. The chiefs and elders met in frequent council, to devise
what measures should be adopted for checking the further progress of
the Romans: but their assemblies were generally broken up in wrath
and violence, for among the contending parties who exercised power
and tyranny in the unhappy city, none could be found to unite
cordially for the general good; and nothing effectual was determined
on. Zadok attended several of these councils, and endeavoured by his
manly good sense and acute judgment, to lead the conflicting chiefs
to lay aside their private quarrels, and join heart and hand for the
common defence of their country; but his voice was unheeded, and
jealousy and passion reigned supreme. So violent were some of the
parties on one occasion, that at length he departed from the scene of
tumult, and hastened to his home, where yet he could enjoy domestic
peace and tranquillity.
Naomi met him as he entered the vestibule, and he was astonished at
seeing her lovely face radiant with smiles of joy. She knelt before
him with the graceful veneration which was always expected from the
children of the ancient Israelites towards their parents when
demanding their blessing, on their return from the temple, or on any
other solemn occasion; and her father fondly laid his hands on her
glossy and raven hair, and pronounced the customary benediction, "God
make thee as Sarah, and Rebecca, and Rachel, and Leah;" thus using
the words of the patriarch Jacob, but substituting the names of those
favoured women of Ephraim and Manasseh, as the blessing was addressed
to a female. Naomi then sprang up, and threw herself into the arms
of her father, exclaiming, "Javan is alive! my brother is safe! Oh
let us praise the Lord for his goodness!"
She was quickly followed by Salome, who with tears of joy and
gratitude presented to Zadok a letter from their friend Rufus, and
informed him that a special messenger had arrived with the letter
immediately after his departure for the temple. It was accompanied
by one to Claudia, which had declared its contents, and given them
the happy intelligence of Javan's preservation and safety; but they
had waited impatiently for Zadok's return, to satisfy their curiosity
as to all the particulars of his fate. Their joy was greatly clouded
when they found that he was a prisoner in the Roman camp, though
Rufus assured them that he was kindly treated, and that there was a
hope of his being released if the Jews submitted, and any exchange of
prisoners took place. But Zadok knew that of such an event there was
not the slightest probability, as the Jews were resolved to resist
the Roman power to the very uttermost; and his own national pride and
desire for the independence of his people were so great, that even to
procure the freedom of his son, he could not bring himself to hope
for their submission. He did not however communicate these
reflections to his wife and daughter; and he joined with them in
their joy and gratitude that Javan's life was spared.
Rufus had hoped that his messenger would have reached Jerusalem
before the sad tidings of the fall of Jotapata were known there, and
that thus his friends would be spared the shock of believing that
their son had fallen in the general massacre; but it had required
some trouble and ingenuity to convey his letters into the hands of a
trustworthy Jew, who would undertake to deliver them to Zadok, as of
course none of his own Roman troops could go on such an errand; and
ere all this could be arranged, the intelligence had flown to the
capital. The packet contained also a letter from Marcellus to
Claudia, which had been sent from Rome by a friend of his, who was
ordered to join the camp with a reinforcement of troops, and Rufus
had now forwarded it to his daughter. As we have heard but little of
the proceedings of the young Roman, we will here give the substance
of his letter:--
"It is a long time, my dearest Claudia, since I have found means of
writing to you; and I now gladly avail myself of the departure of a
body of soldiers to Galilee, one of whom is a valued friend of mine,
and will safely convey my letter. When last I heard from you, you
mentioned the probability of your going to our old friends at
Jerusalem; and I rejoiced to think that you would again enjoy their
society, and be in peace and safety under their happy roof. How few
of their nation are so free from prejudice and superstition as to
admit a Roman maiden into their house as a member of the family!
Javan alone will make your residence there in any way irksome, for if
he is not greatly changed, he will almost scorn to eat at the same
table with a Gentile. But our dear Naomi and the kind gentle Salome
will be to you is a sister and a mother, now that you are bereft of
your own beloved parent; and Zadok is too generous and too
high-minded to suffer you to be slighted while under his protection.
Oh that I were with you, my sister! All the magnificence and gaiety
of Rome do not compensate me for being so far removed from all whom I
have loved from childhood; and I often think with regret of the happy
hours I have passed with you and Naomi among the groves and gardens
of Judea. I rejoice to say that my time of probation is almost over,
and I shall soon be enrolled among the soldiers of Rome, and sent to
join one of the legions now on duty abroad. Our uncle Sulpitius has
much interest with the emperor, and he promises to get me appointed
to the tenth legion, which is commanded by the noble Titus, and is
now in Galilee, forming part of the great army with which Vespasian
hopes ere long to quell the Jewish rebellion. I shall then be with
my father, and also shall hope to see you, and possibly Naomi also,
for the war cannot last much longer. The Jews must soon submit to
the overwhelming power of Rome; and I trust they will do so before
much more blood is shed, and before Vespasian leads his troops
against Jerusalem itself, which is said here to be his intention.
What would be my feelings, if as a Roman soldier I was forced to
assist in the capture of the place where our dear Naomi and all her
family dwell, and to fight against her father, and her brother! You,
my sister, would of course be removed to some safe refuge; but I know
that Zadok would remain to counsel and aid his countrymen; and
Naomi's devoted spirit would never allow her to seek safety in any
other spot, while her father, her mother, and her beloved city, were
exposed to danger. Oh! that her valiant and patriotic people may yet
be wise in time, and by a prudent submission avert the fearful
calamities which may otherwise overtake them! Their further
resistance will only exasperate the emperor and his generals yet more
and more, and bring a heavier ruin on their heads. My heart is in
Jerusalem; and while I glory in being a Roman, I feel that Jerusalem
is still my home, and the place where I would wish to dwell. This is
a glorious and magnificent city, even surpassing all my expectations.
You, I think, must have quite forgotten the city where you were born,
for even I had but a faint recollection of some of the chief streets;
and everything seemed strange to me when I returned, except my
uncle's house and his extensive garden, where we used to play in our
childhood with our cousin Camillus. Whenever I enter this lonely
spot I feel at home again; and such recollections rush to my mind of
my dear mother, that I can hardly believe she is departed, and that I
shall see her no more. May her spirit be blessed wherever it now
dwells!
"You know that the house in which we lived in Rome has been
destroyed, and a noble temple dedicated to Mercury new occupies the
place where it stood. Doubtless you will suppose that thither I
often bend my steps and pay my vows; but, Claudia, it is not so. I
live in the capital of the gods of Rome; and wherever I turn I behold
splendid fanes, and rich altars, and exquisite sculptures set up in
honour of these countless deities; but I have ceased to bow my knee
to any of them. Yet do not suppose, that like so many of my young
countrymen, in discovering the fallacy and absurdity of the system in
which I had been educated, I have cast off all belief, and become an
infidel. No, I have learnt to worship the one true God of heaven and
earth; and tell your friend Naomi that henceforth she must not think
of Marcellus as a blind idolater, who bows down to images of wood and
stone, but a sincere worshipper of Jehovah. And yet I do not declare
myself a Jew, for many of the Jewish rites and ceremonies still seem
to me but folly; and I have been instructed in many things that I
would wish to communicate to you, but I dare not until we meet. Oh,
Claudia, let a brother's entreaties and a brother's example induce
you to embrace a better faith than that which now you hold. Listen
to the words of Naomi, and she will tell you of the power, and
wisdom, and love of our great Creator, who is far above all gods; and
may He enlighten your mind to see in Him the true Deity, and lead you
to despise those gods that are the work of men's hands, and have no
power to do either good or evil.
"Through His mercy I became acquainted with an aged man, learned in
the Scriptures and full of piety and holiness. His arguments have
convinced me of the folly of idolatry, and the happiness of putting
all our trust in the Almighty Jehovah. I beseech you to read those
holy Scriptures with care and diligence, and by the blessing of God
you will learn the truth; and then when I see you, my sister, I will
impart to you what further knowledge I have received from my
venerable friend. He has many scholars here, but he is hated and
despised by the Romans, as the doctrines that he teaches, and the
mode of life that he inculcates and follows, are in direct opposition
to the absurd faith and luxurious lives of the people of this great
but wicked city. Nero especially holds in abhorrence both the Jews
and those who attend the teaching of my instructor. All his time is
devoted to amusement or to cruelty; and on the Nazarenes, who are
numerous in Rome, he wreaks his vengeance with an unsparing hand,
whenever they are discovered and dragged before him. You will
shudder when I tell you of the dreadful treatment which some of these
unhappy people have met with lately.
"A party of them were discovered and accused before the emperor of
being followers of Jesus of Nazareth; and they boldly avowed the
charge, and declared their resolution to endure all things that could
be inflicted on them, but never to deny the name of Jesus. The
indignation of Nero was excited at their undaunted reply, and he
determined to employ the severest cruelty, in order to force them to
submit to his commands, and to bow down to an idol. But nothing
could shake their firmness, and they were given over to death in its
most hideous forms. Some of them were enclosed in the skins of
beasts, and turned into the Circus, and torn to pieces by dogs.
Others were crucified; and to increase their torments, they were
insulted and mocked in their dying agonies. And worse than all, when
the public games were performed in the emperor's own gardens, and the
populace were admitted to see them, some of these miserable
Christians were covered with wax and other combustibles, and fixed in
different parts of the gardens, with a sharp stake placed under their
chin to keep them upright, and in that situation they were set on
fire, and burnt alive to serve as flambeaux to light the spectators!
My blood boils while I describe these enormities, which doubtless
will call down a judgment on those who perpetrated them, and on this
guilty city; though many of the inhabitants were filled with pity and
indignation at the eight of such sufferings, and would have
endeavoured to obtain the pardon of the Nazarenes, had not the
character of Nero and his violent and bloody temper deterred them
from the attempt. Think not that I witnessed these executions.
Camillus would have dragged me to the gardens, but I left him, and
fled from the city in horror and disgust. I grieve to say that he
witnessed and enjoyed the revolting spectacle; though his natural
refinement of disposition would, I should have imagined, have
deterred him, even if no feelings of humanity existed in his heart.
Unhappily he is devoted to the worst species of philosophy; and
disregards all religion and all care for the good of mankind, making
his own individual enjoyment the sole object of his existence. He
believes that when he dies his spirit will be totally annihilated,
and that therefore it is the highest wisdom to seize on every
enjoyment now within his grasp, and think not of the future. He
passes much of his time in the schools of the Epicurean philosophers,
whose doctrines he finds agreeable, and many of whom are certainly
men of great abilities, and capable of giving useful instruction on
every subject unconnected with religion. On my first arrival in
Rome, I frequented their schools with Camillus, and the charm of
their eloquence almost beguiled me into adopting their opinions; but,
happily for me, my acquaintance with the old teacher whom I have
mentioned already, occurred in time to save me from such pernicious
doctrines.
"I also accompanied our cousin to the amphitheatres and other public
exhibitions; but they soon wearied me, and the barbarity of the
combats of the gladiators, and the cruel struggles of condemned
criminals with wild beasts, shocked and disgusted me; and
notwithstanding the ridicule of Camillus and his equally thoughtless
companions, I have ceased to attend these spectacles. Indeed I
usually seize the opportunity of my uncle and cousin being thus
engaged, for repairing to the humble dwelling of my beloved teacher,
where I listen to his words of truth and piety with untiring and
increasing attention.
"In this luxurious city, the house of Sulpitius is remarkable for its
simplicity and absence of all ornament. He prides himself on
preserving the same frugality and modesty in his dwelling and
establishment that so peculiarly distinguished the ancient Romans in
the days of the Republic. He extends this simplicity to every part
of his domestic life, and it is only when he takes his place as a
senator that he assumes such robes as are suitable to his rank and
wealth; on all other occasions his attire is plain, even to
singularity, and forms a contrast to the splendid and expensive
attire of Camillus, who is permitted to indulge all his tastes and
fancies to the utmost, though so widely differing from those of his
father. The increasing luxury and refinement of the Romans is a
source of deep grief to Sulpitius: but he feels that it is in vain to
attempt to check it, even in his own son; and with a few of his
friends who still retain their virtue and simplicity of manners, he
bewails the corruption of the times. The sumptuous golden palace of
Nero excites his highest indignation, as an example of extravagance
and lavish indulgence that will be pernicious to the whole nation.
It is indeed a splendid edifice, and fitted up with gold and silver,
and marble and precious stones, and Babylonian carpets, as if almost
to vie with the temple at Jerusalem. But nothing has excited my
admiration and wonder more than the aqueducts and the public roads,
which I have seen in my excursions in the neighbourhood. The roads
are carried in a direct line from the city, as a grand centre, to the
towns around, and I hear that they extend through great part of the
Roman dominions. All obstacles are made to give way; hills are
levelled, and valleys filled up, and bold arches thrown over streams
and rivers. The middle of the road is raised to a considerable
height, with a mixture of sand and gravel united into a solid mass
with a powerful and durable cement, and this terrace is then paved
with large hewn stones, so well laid together that I imagine they
must last as long as the world endures. There are houses established
at every five or six miles' distance, which are constantly supplied
with forty horses for the use of travellers, and on any urgent
occasion the messengers of the emperor travel along these roads at a
rate of a hundred miles a-day. All this is a fine effect of Roman
power and civilization, and so is the extensive and lucrative
commerce that is carried on with every country in the known world;
but I blush for the corrupt tastes of my countrymen, when I see silk
dresses purchased with an equal weight of gold, and immense sums of
money squandered in the Asiatic merchants' shops, for pearls, and
jewels, and aromatics, and hangings, and carpets from Tyre and
Babylon, and the distant cities of Persia. The strongest mark of the
decline of Roman manners is, I think, the ostentatious display which
every citizen now makes of a multitude of household slaves. In one
palace that I have visited with my uncle, no less than four hundred
are to be found; and the wealth of a Roman is estimated by the number
of slaves that he possesses. That is a melancholy species of wealth
which consists in the persons of our fellow-creatures! Camillas says
that they were born to serve the Romans; but I cannot believe that
the great and merciful Creator designed one race of men to be subject
to the cruelty and caprice of another, or that victory in war can
entitle the conquerors to treat the vanquished like beasts of burden.
A sad procession of captive Jews arrived here a few days ago, sent by
Vespasian from one of the conquered cities of Galilee, and they were
led to the public market and sold as slaves. Their manly and heroic
countenances filled me with pity and with grief, and I was weak
enough--as Camillus would have called it--to weep at the degradation
of so many noble human beings; and particularly when I reflected that
they were Naomi's fellow-countrymen, and that her own father and
brother, yes, and even she herself, might one day be exposed to the
same indignity and misery. Oh may the Lord avert so deep a calamity,
and give the Jews a heart to see their danger and imprudence, and to
retrace their steps, ere themselves and all most dear to them are
plunged in ruin and in slavery! Farewell, my dear Claudia. Commend
me with great affection and respect to Naomi, and greet her parents
and her brother as my oldest friends. The blessing of heaven attend
you all; and may God listen to the prayers that are daily offered up
for you by your brother
"MARCELLUS."
This long letter from her beloved brother gave Claudia the greatest
pleasure; and though she expressed much surprise at the entire change
in his sentiments on religion, and the deep importance which he now
seemed to attach to that subject, yet the change did not appear to
give her any dissatisfaction, and from that time she listened with
attention and complacency to all the arguments of Naomi, and even
obeyed her brother's injunction to peruse the inspired writings of
Moses and the prophets, of which her friend possessed a beautiful
copy. The intelligence conveyed in the letter of Marcellus was to
Naomi a source of unmixed joy and gratitude. That he who had so long
possessed her esteem and affection should have forsaken the sin and
folly of idolatry, and have learned to worship that one Supreme Being
who was the object of her entire devotion, filled her with delight;
and she felt that her attachment to him, against which she had so
long struggled, was now no longer guilty. But a great change had
taken place in her own opinions and feelings since her first
interview with Mary on the Mount of Olives. All that she had heard
from that aged disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ had sunk deep into
her heart, and God had caused the word of truth spoken by his feeble
servant to take root in the soul of the young Jewess. She could not
banish the subject from her thoughts; and the natural energy and
determination of her character led her to risk everything, in order
to obtain information on a point which she felt to be one of eternal
consequence.
She had therefore used all her influence with the kind-hearted,
indulgent old Deborah; and had already induced her to accompany her
more than once to the house of her Christian friend, and to leave her
there to enjoy, for as long a time as it was safe to do so, the
conversation that was at once so interesting and so delightful.
Deborah was not informed that Mary was one of the detested sect of
the Nazarenes, or even Naomi would have failed to persuade her to
assist in these stolen interviews; but she knew that her religion
differed from that of her young friend, and therefore she believed
that she was of a different sect of Jews to that of which Zadok and
his family were distinguished members, and that consequently Naomi's
friendship for her would be disapproved of by her father; but she
thought no great harm could come from these meetings, and promised
that she would keep them secret.
Nothing would ever have induced the open-hearted affectionate Naomi
to conceal any of her actions from her parents, but the certainty
that, in this case, their knowledge of her object, and the change
that was rapidly being effected in her sentiments, would only cause
them profound grief and excite their severe displeasure, without in
any way banishing from her mind the ardent desire and resolution to
become acquainted with the doctrines of Christianity. She felt that
her soul was at stake; and if all she heard from Mary was true, it
was her duty even to forsake her father and mother, rather than deny
and abandon that faith which was able to make her wise unto
salvation. She could not conceal from herself that already she was
almost persuaded to be a Christian; and the blessed hopes of life and
immortality that were opened to her mind as the Gospel of Jesus
Christ was gradually mads known to her, brought with them a
satisfaction and joy such as she had never felt before, and such as
she would not have resigned for any earthly consideration.
"Would Marcellus ever believe in the crucified Jesus of Nazareth?"
was a thought that crossed her mind with force, while she rejoiced in
the declaration which she had just heard in his letter to Claudia, of
his being no longer an idolater;--"otherwise should we not be still
divided by our faith, even as we have ever been?"--and her first act
on finding herself alone, was to implore that the same grace that had
already partially dispelled the blindness and unbelief of her own
heart, might be granted to Marcellus, and lead him to a like faith.
"When we meet," said she to herself, "I will repeat to him all that
Mary has told me;--never will one word of her discourse pass from my
memory;--or, if possible, I will lead him to her dwelling, and he
shall hear the words of truth and wonder from her own lips. He has
proved that his soul is open to conviction, by so quickly receiving
the belief in one Almighty God; and doubtless he will as candidly and
freely listen to the story of Jesus of Nazareth, and then surely he
will see, and believe, and adore, as I feel myself constrained to do."
Had Naomi known all that Marcellus had not ventured to declare in his
letter, how happy and how thankful would she have been!--for he had
already advanced beyond herself in religious light and knowledge, and
was a sincere, devoted, and enlightened Christian. The teacher to
whom he owed his conversion was no other than Clement of Rome, the
fellow-worker with St. Paul and, who, after having laboured in the
church at Philippi, had removed to the capital, where in after times
he succeeded to the bishopric, and lived until the third year of the
reign of the Emperor Trajan.
[Illustration: Exterior of the Holy Sepulchre]