Once more, my dear father, I address a letter to you from this holy
city. This morning when I awoke at the sound of the silver trumpets
of the priests, ringing melodiously from the top of Mount Moriah, I
experienced anew that profound devotion which the children of Abraham
must always feel in the city of God and in the presence of his very
Temple.
It was a joyous morning to me, dear father, for Æmilius, the noble
Roman Prefect, was this day voluntarily to present himself at the
Temple to be made a proselyte to the holy faith of Israel.
The morning was, therefore, additionally lovely to me. I thought I had
never seen the olive groves on the hillside beyond the king's gardens
so green, nor the harvest so yellow, as they undulated in the soft
breeze of the opening morn. The lofty palms everywhere appeared to
bend and wave their verdant fans with joyous motion. The birds in the
palace gardens sang sweeter and louder, and Jerusalem itself seemed
more beautiful than ever.
While I was gazing upon the scene and adoring God, and thanking him
for the conversion of Æmilius, Rabbi Amos came and said that he would
take us to the Temple. We were soon on our way, climbing the paved
pathway to Moriah. Oh, how sublimely towered the divine Temple above
our heads, seemingly lost in the blue of the far heaven! The great
gates opening north and south, to the east and west, were thronged
with the multitude pressing through; while from the galleries above
each gate pealed forth continually the clear-voiced trumpets of God in
ceaseless reverberation. My uncle pointed out to me the massive doors,
all overlaid with sheets of beaten gold, and the floor of green marble
on which we trod. He bade me notice the costly entablature of colored
stones, exquisitely worked with the Grecian's chisel, and especially
the roof of fretted silver, set with precious stones, the onyx, beryl,
sapphire, carbuncle and jasper. I was dazzled by the magnificence,
and awed by the vast extent of the space of splendor surrounding me,
while ten thousands of people were to be seen moving towards the
altar of sacrifice. From that superb court I was led into a hall
nearly a hundred cubits in length, its ceiling of pure gold sustained
by a thousand and one columns of porphyry and white marble, ranged
alternately.
I was not permitted to approach the sacred chamber, where stood the
four thousand vessels of gold of Ophir, used in the sacrifices on great
days; and this being a high day, I saw no less than six hundred priests
standing about the altar, each with a golden censer in his hand. Beyond
is the holy ark of the covenant, over which the cherubim hover, their
wings meeting, and between them is the mercy-seat. As this was the Holy
of Holies I was not permitted to see it; but its position was pointed
out to me within the veil, which conceals from all eyes but that of the
High Priest once a year the place of God's throne on the earth, alas
now left vacant since the glory of the Shechinah departed from the Holy
of Holies!
The air of the vast Temple was delicious with the fragrance of burning
frankincense. As the victims bled and the smoke ascended, the people
fell on their faces and worshiped God. After a few moments' silence, a
startling trumpet note thrilled every soul in the countless multitude.
It was followed by a peal of music that shook the air, from a choir
of two thousand singers, male and female, of the sons and daughters
of Levi, who served in the Temple. Entering from the southern court,
they advanced in long procession, singing sacred chants, and playing
on sacbut and harp, psalter and nebble, chinna and tympana. As they
ascended to the choir their voices, mingling with the instruments,
filled all the Temple. I never heard before such sublime harmony;
especially when on reaching the elevated choir, a thousand Levites with
manly voices joined them, and the whole company chanted one of the
sublimest of the Psalms of David.
When the chant was concluded, the whole multitude responded, "Amen
and Amen!" like the deep voice of a mighty wind suddenly shaking the
foundations of the Temple.
At length I beheld a train of priests following the High Priest, as
he marched thrice around the altar. In that procession I discovered
a company of proselytes, escorted by twelve aged Levites, with long,
snowy beards, and clad in vestments of the purest white. Among the
proselytes I discerned the tall and noble figure of the Roman Æmilius.
He was robed in a black garment from head to foot. But upon approaching
the baptismal basin two young priests removed this outer sable dress
and robed him in white. I then saw him baptized into the family of
Abraham and a new name given him, that of Eleazer. I heard the silver
trumpets proclaim the conversion and the multitude shouting their joy.
Of the rest of the ceremony I have no recollection, as after the
baptism of Æmilius, I was too happy to see or think of anything else.
While I was lifting up my heart in gratitude for the happy conversion
of Æmilius, and while the Jews were crowding about him to extend to him
the hand of fellowship, rejoicing that so noted a person should embrace
our faith, Uncle Amos drew my attention by exclaiming with gladness:
"Behold, there is Jesus, the Prophet!"
We at once made our way, but with difficulty, towards the spot where we
had discovered him. The rumor that the Christ was in the Temple rapidly
spread, and the whole multitude pressed towards the same point. At
length we obtained our object so as to get within a few feet of him.
Here a tall, richly-attired Greek addressed Rabbi Amos, saying:
"Sir, tell me who that youthful Jew is, whose countenance is stamped
with firmness and benevolence so finely combined in its expression;
whose air possesses such dignity and wisdom; whose noble eyes seem
filled with a holy sadness, and whose glance is full of innocence and
sweetness. He seems born to love men and to command them. All seek to
approach him. Pray, sir, who is he?"
"That, O stranger, is Jesus of Nazareth, the Jewish Prophet," answered
Uncle Amos, delighted to point him out to a foreigner.
"Then I am well rewarded for my journey in turning aside to Jerusalem,"
answered the Grecian. "I have even heard of his fame in Macedonia, and
am rejoiced to behold him. Think you he will do some great miracle?"
"He performs miracles not to gratify curiosity but to bear testimony to
the truths he teaches, that they are delivered to him of God. Hark! He
speaks!" cried my uncle.
Every voice was hushed as that of Jesus rose clear and sweet, and
thrilling like a celestial clarion speaking. And he preached, dear
father, a sermon so full of wisdom, of love to man, of love to God, of
knowledge of our hearts, of divine and convincing power, that thousands
wept; thousands were chained to the spot with awe and delight, and all
were moved as if an angel had addressed them. They cried, "Never man
spake like this man!"
The priests, seeing that he had carried the hearts of all the people,
were greatly enraged, and, not being able to vent their hatred and fear
in any other way, they hired a vile person by the name of Gazeel, a
robber who, taking one of the blood-stained sacrificing knives by the
altar, crept towards him behind the column, and, securing a favorable
position to execute the deed, raised his hand to strike the Prophet
from behind, when Jesus, turning his head, arrested the hand of the
assassin in mid-air by a look. Unable to move a muscle, Gazeel stood
betrayed to all eyes in this murderous attitude, like a statue of stone.
"Return to those who hired thee. My hour is not yet come, nor can they
yet have any power over me."
The assassin bowed his head in abject shame and terror; the knife
dropped from his hand and rang upon the marble floor, and he sank at
Jesus' feet imploring forgiveness. The people would instantly have torn
Gazeel in pieces, but Jesus said:
"Let him depart in peace. The day shall come when he will be willing
to lay down his life to save mine. Ye priests go about to kill me,"
he added, fixing his clear gaze upon the group which had sent Gazeel.
"For what do ye seek my life? I have come to my own, and to my Temple,
and ye receive me not. The day cometh when this Temple shall be thrown
down, and not one stone left upon another; and some who hear me shall
behold and mourn in that day. Oh, Jerusalem, thou that killest the
prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how oft would I
have gathered thy children together as a hen gathereth her chickens
under her wings, and ye would not. Thou shalt be left desolate and cast
out among cities, because thou knewest not the day of thy visitation.
Fly ye to the Jerusalem which is above, and which is above all, whose
foundation is eternal, and whose Temple is the Lord God Almighty, who
is also the light and glory thereof."
Upon hearing these words, there arose a great cry from ten thousand
voices:
"Hail to Jesus, the king of Israel and Judah! Hosanna to the Prince of
David! We will have no king but Jesus!"
At this shout, which was caught up and repeated beyond the four
gates of the Temple, the priests cried aloud that the people were in
insurrection.
Pilate, who was, with his guard, just leaving the Court of the
Gentiles, hearing it, turned to ask what it meant. One of the priests,
desirous of having Jesus slain, quickly answered, "That the people had
proclaimed Jesus, the Nazarene, king."
Hearing this, Pilate sent off messengers to the Castle of David for
soldiers, and with his body-guard turned back to the Temple gate,
charging the people sword in hand.
The tumult was now fearful, and the bloodshed would have been great,
but Jesus suddenly appeared before him--none saw how he had reached the
place--and said:
"O Roman, I seek no kingdom but such as my Father hath given me. My
kingdom is not of this world."
Pilate was seen to bend his proud head with low obeisance before the
Prophet, and said graciously:
"I have no wish to arrest thee. Thy word, O Prophet, is sufficient for
me. Of thee I have hitherto heard much. Wilt thou come with me to my
palace, and let me hear thee, and see some miracle?"
"Thou shalt see me in thy palace, but not to-day; and thou shalt behold
a miracle, but not now."
When Jesus had thus said, he withdrew himself from Pilate's presence;
and those who would have sought him to make him a king could nowhere
discover him.
The result of this attempt of the people to make the Prophet their
king, and under his direction to overthrow the Roman power, is that
the Roman authorities, instigated by Annas and the priests, look upon
Jesus with eyes of jealousy, and Pilate this morning told a deputation
of priests, who waited on him to petition him to arrest and imprison
the Prophet, that on the first proof they could bring him of his
hostility to Cæsar he would send soldiers to take him. To-day Jesus was
refreshing himself in our house, when several Scribes and Pharisees
came in. I saw by their dark looks they meditated evil, and secretly
sent Elec with a message to Æmilius (now Eleazer) asking him to be at
hand to protect Jesus; for Æmilius is devoted to him, as we are, and
Jesus takes delight in teaching him the things of the kingdom of God.
Jesus, knowing the hearts of these bad men, said to them, after they
had seated themselves and remained some minutes in silence:
"Wherefore are ye come?"
"Master," said Zadoc, a Levite of great fame among the people, "we have
heard how boldly thou speakest at all times; that not even Pilate, nor
Herod, yea, nor Cæsar, could make thee refrain from what thou choosest
to utter. Is it lawful for us Jews, the peculiar nation of God, to pay
tribute to Cæsar, who is an idolater? Is it lawful for us to obey the
laws of Pilate, rather than of Moses? We ask this as Jews to a Jew.
Tell us frankly."
Jesus looked fixedly upon them, as if he read their wicked designs, and
said:
"Show me the tribute money."
Zadoc handed him a penny, the Roman coin sent into Judea by Cæsar, as
our currency, and which we return to Rome again in tribute. When Jesus
had taken the money, he looked at the head of Augustus stamped upon one
side, and then turning to them, said:
"Whose image and whose name is here impressed?"
"Cæsar's," eagerly answered the whole party.
"Then render unto Cæsar the things that be Cæsar's, and unto God the
things that be God's," was his calm and wonderful answer.
I breathed again, for I feared he would answer openly that tribute
ought not to be paid, which they hoped he would do, when they would
immediately have accused him to Pilate as teaching that we ought not to
pay tribute to Rome, and so fomenting rebellion.
But the divine wisdom of his answer relieved all our minds; while the
Scribes and Levites, his enemies, looked upon him with amazement,
interchanged glances of conscious defeat, and left the house.
I remain your affectionate daughter,
Adina.