Dearest Father:
I have only terminated my last letter to take up my pen for the
beginning of another, for I find relief only in writing to you from the
deep affliction which has struck me to the earth. If anything can add
to my mortification at the death of the Nazarene, Jesus, it is that I
shall have endeavored so earnestly to make you believe in him also.
Oh, I shall never have confidence in a human being again; and the more
lovely, the more holy, the more heavenly the character of any one, the
wiser and purer their teachings, the more distrustful shall I be of
them.
But I will turn from these painful thoughts and, as I promised in my
last, will give you an account of what passed at his trial.
It is now the morning following the crucifixion, and I am calmer
than I was yesterday and will be able to write with more coherency.
Twenty-four hours have passed since he was nailed to the cross. His
followers have been, since his arrest, hunted like wild beasts of the
wilderness. Annas has hired and filled with wine fierce Roman soldiers,
and sent them everywhere to seize the fugitive Nazarenes. John was
especially sought out, and the emissaries of Annas came at midnight
last night to the house to take him, but we assisted him in making
his escape by means of the subterranean passage that leads from the
dwelling of Rabbi Amos to the catacombs beneath the Temple.
Æmilius, though only recently a convert from the paganism of Rome, is
firm in his faith that Jesus will rise again to life; and, instead of
giving up all, as we do, he says that he should not be amazed to be
suddenly told by the soldiers, whom he left to guard his tomb, that he
had burst forth alive from the dead!
But I have forgotten that I am to narrate to you, dear father, the
particulars of his accusation, trial and condemnation. As I was not
present in the Pretorium, I am indebted for the further details which I
shall give, in part to John and in part to Rabbi Amos.
"As soon as the mob of Jews who had Jesus under arrest, and which I
saw pass the house, reached the abode of Rabbi Annas, he asked them
whom they had in custody, and when they answered that it was the great
Nazarene Prophet, he said with joy:
"'Bring him into the lower court, that I may see him. By the rod of
Aaron, I would have him do some notable miracle for me.'
"And thus speaking, the white-headed old man hastened down to the
court, which, on reaching, he found thronged with the infuriated
multitude. It was with difficulty he made a passage to where Jesus
stood, both imprisoned and defended by a glittering lattice of Roman
spears. After regarding him attentively he said, with curiosity yet
with sarcasm:
"'Art thou, then, the King of the Jews? Hast thou come to reign on the
throne of David? Show me a sign from heaven, and I will acknowledge
thee, O Nazarene!'
"But Jesus stood calm and dignified, making no answer. Annas then
angrily plucked him by the beard, and a messenger at the same moment
arrived to say to him that Caiaphas, the High Priest, demanded to have
Jesus brought before him. Upon this he said in a loud voice:
"'Lead him to the palace! Caiaphas, my son-in-law, would see the man
who would destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days!'
"There now arose a dreadful shout from the priests and people, who,
rushing upon Jesus, cried, 'Crucify him!' and attempted to grasp his
person, as they guarded him along the streets; but in protecting him,
as they had been commanded to do, the Romans wounded several of the
Jews. Hereupon there was a great cry of sedition and shouts of:
"'Down with the Roman eagles! Down with the barbarians! Death to the
Gentiles!'
"These cries were followed up by a fearful rush of the mass of men
upon the handful of guards. They were forced back, their spears broken
like straws or turned aside, and Jesus successfully wrested from their
power. But in the height of the battle Æmilius appeared with a portion
of the legion of which he was Prefect, and instantly charging the
people, who fled before the breasts of his horses, rescued the Prophet.
"'Rabbi,' said Æmilius to the Prophet, with compassionate respect,
'I know thou hast power from God to disperse as chaff this rabble of
fiends. Speak, and let them perish at thy divine command!'
"'Nay, my son. I am come into the world for this hour,' answered Jesus.
'This, also, is a part of my mission from my Father. It becomes me to
endure all things, even death.'
"'You cannot die, my Lord,' said Æmilius warmly. 'Did I not see thee
raise Lazarus from the tomb?'
"'To die I came into this world, but not for myself. I lay down my
life, and I can take it again. These men could have no power over me
except my Father did grant it to them. And what my Father willeth I
will also. Seek not, my son, to deliver me.'
"These words passed between them beneath the portico, as Æmilius was
loosing the sharp cords from the bleeding wrists of the youthful
Prophet.
"'To Caiaphas! To Caiaphas!' now cried the multitude, who had been
for a moment awed by the bold charge of the Roman horse, but now grew
bolder as some men removed the dead and wounded out of sight. 'To the
palace with the blasphemer! for he who calls himself God is, by our
law, to be punished with death! To the High Priest with him!'
"'I can rescue you, great Prophet!' said Æmilius resolutely. 'Give me
the word, and you are mounted on my horse and safe in the castle of
David.'
"'The High Priest has sent for me. He must be obeyed,' answered Jesus;
and Æmilius, surprised at his refusal to escape, reluctantly escorted
him to the palace. The windows already glared with torches, and the
superb Hall of Aaron was alight with a hundred flambeaux. Caiaphas
was already upon his throne, although it was long past the hour of
midnight--an unwonted time for him to sit in the council chamber;
but his desire to have Jesus brought before him led him to hold an
extraordinary court. A score of the elders and chief priests were
standing about him, their dark, eager faces earnestly watching the
entrance to get a look at the approaching Prophet. As Jesus serenely
entered, led by the sorrowful Æmilius, Caiaphas bent his tall, gaunt
form forward, thrust his neck and huge head in advance, and with keen
eyes and sharp, scrutinizing glances, surveyed him whom he jealously
looked upon as his foe.
"The multitude, pressing in, soon filled the vast hall and even crowded
upon the rostrum, upon which were seated the scribes, elders and many
of the principal priests. The Roman soldiers, with clanging steel,
marched in, and arrayed themselves on either side of the High Priest's
throne, leaving Jesus standing alone before its footstool.
"Contrasting with the brilliancy of the gorgeous hall and the
glittering robes of the priests, surged and heaved and moved below the
dark masses of the people, in their gray and brown caps and cloaks, for
the night was cold and they wore their winter garments; and all this
wild ocean of human forms gleamed with ten thousand eyes, flashing like
the phosphorescent stars that glitter on the surface of the upheaving
sea when the shadow of the storm-cloud hangs above it, and the winds
are about to be unbound to lash it into fury. So seemed this terrible
sea of human heads--Jesus the center of their looks and of their hate.
He alone, of all that countless host, he alone was calm, serene,
fearless! Caiaphas now waved his hand, with a gesture for silence, and
addressed Jesus:
"'So, then,' he spoke, with haughty irony, 'thou art Jesus, the
far-famed Galilean prophet! Men say thou canst raise the dead! We
would fain behold a miracle. Thinkest thou, if we put thee to death
presently, thou canst raise thyself?'
"'Jesus,' saith Rabbi Amos, who stood near him and saw all, 'Jesus
remained unmoved. His bearing was marked by a certain divine dignity,
while an expression of holy resignation sat upon his features. He
looked like Peace, incarnate in the form of man! A soft influence
seemed to flow from his presence, producing a universal but momentary
emotion of sympathy. Caiaphas perceived it, and cried in his harsh,
stern voice:
"'You have brought this man before me, men of Jerusalem; of what do you
accuse him? Let those who have accusations come forward and make them.
He is a Jew, and shall have justice by our laws.'
"'Ye Jews have no power to try a man for his life, most noble
Caiaphas,' said Æmilius. 'The lives of all your nation are in the hand
of Cæsar and of his tribunals. You can put no man to death.'
"Æmilius had spoken in hopes that if Jesus could be brought before
Pilate, the Procurator, he might be by him released, for he knew Pilate
had no envy or feeling against the Prophet.
"'Thou sayest well, noble Roman,' answered Caiaphas, 'but for the crime
of blasphemy against the Temple we are permitted by Cæsar to judge our
people by the laws of Moses. And this man, if rumor comes nigh the
truth, has been guilty of blasphemy. But we will hear the witnesses.'
"Hereupon several of the chief priests and scribes who had been going
in and out among the crowd, brought forward certain men whose very
aspect showed them to be of the baser sort. One of these men testified
that he had heard Jesus say that he would destroy the Temple and could
again in three days rebuild it more magnificently than it was in the
days of Solomon the Mighty.
"Upon this testimony all the priests shouted, 'Blasphemer!' and called
for Jesus to be stoned to death.
"A second witness was now produced by Abijah, the most passionate of
the scribes, who testified that Jesus had taught in Samaria that men
would soon no longer worship in the Temple, but that the whole earth
would be a temple for Jews and Gentiles.
"This was no sooner heard than some of the men gnashed at Jesus with
their teeth, and but for the gestures and loud voice of the High
Priest, they would have made an attempt to get him into their power.
"A third witness, a man who had been notorious for his crimes, now came
up. He carried on his wrist a cock, with steel gaffs upon the spurs,
as if he had just been brought up from the cock-pit to bear testimony,
for such were the sort of fellows suborned by the priests. He testified
that Jesus said that the day would soon come when not one stone should
be left upon another of the Temple; that he had called it 'a den of
thieves,' the priests 'blind guides' and 'deceivers,' the scribes
'foxes,' and the Pharisees 'hypocrites.'
"But the fourth and fifth witnesses contradicted each other, as also
did others.
"Such opposite testimony perplexed and irritated Caiaphas and
confounded the chief priests and scribes. The High Priest now began to
perceive that Jesus would have to be released for want of testimony
against him.
"'What! Galilean and blasphemer of God and his Temple, answerest thou
nothing?' cried the High Priest; 'hearest thou not what these witness
against thee?'
"But Jesus remained silent. Caiaphas was about to break the silence by
some fierce words, when a voice was overheard the other side of the
columns, on the left of the throne, where was a fireplace in which was
burning a large fire, about which stood many persons. Rabbi Amos at
once recognized in the violent speaker Peter, who had come in with him
and John, the latter of whom, in the disguise of a priest, stood not
far from Jesus, gazing tenderly upon him, and listening with the most
painful interest to all that they testified against him; but Peter
stood farther off, by the fire, yet not less eagerly attending to all
that passed.
"'Thou art one of the Nazarene's followers!' cried the voice of a maid,
who brought wood to feed the fire. 'Thou needest not to deny it. I am
of Galilee, and knew thee when thou wert a fisherman. Seize him, for he
is one of them!'
"'Woman, I swear by the altar and ark of God, and by the sacred Tables.
I know not the fellow! I never saw Galilee!'
"'Thy speech betrayeth thee, now thou hast spoken!' cried the woman;
'thou art a Galilean, and thy name is Simon Bar-Jona. I know thee well,
and how, three years ago, you and your brother Andrew left your nets
to follow this Nazarene!'
"'May the thunders of Horeb and the curse of Jehovah follow me, if what
thou sayest be true, woman. Thou mistakest me for some other man. I
swear to you, by the head of my father, men and brethren, that I never
saw his face before! I know not the man!'
"As he spoke," said John, "he cast his angry looks towards the place
where Jesus stood. He caught his Master's eyes bent upon him, with a
tender and reproving gaze, so full of sorrowing compassion, mingled
with forgiveness, that I saw Peter start as if smitten with lightning.
He then pressed his two hands to his face and, uttering a cry of
anguish and despair that made the High Priest look, and which went
to every heart, he rushed out by the open door into the darkness and
disappeared. As he did so the cock, which was held tied upon the wrist
of the third witness, crowed twice in a loud tone. I then remembered
the words of Jesus to Peter, spoken but twelve hours before: 'This
night, even before the cock crow the first watch of the morning, thou
shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me!' Upon this," added John, "my
confidence in my Master came back full and strong, and I felt that he
would not, could not be harmed, for he foreknew all things that could
happen to him, and would yet escape death.
"At length, after great excitement and dissension among the elders,
chief priests and scribes, Caiaphas placed Jesus before their great
council, at their demand. Their hall adjoined his own. Here they, as
well as Caiaphas, questioned him closely, and said:
"'Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? I adjure thee by the
living God, tell us plainly.'
"Jesus then elevated his princely form, and bending his eyes upon
the face of the High Priest, with a look so brightly celestial that
Caiaphas involuntarily dropped his eyelids to the ground, answered and
said:
"'Ye have said that which I am!' The expression of his countenance,"
says John, "seemed to shine as he had seen it in the Mount, when he was
transfigured before him.
"'Men of Israel and Judah, ye hear his words!' cried the High Priest,
rending down the blue lace from his ephod. 'Hear ye his blasphemy! What
think ye? Need we any further witness than his own mouth?'
"'He is guilty of death!' cried Abner, in a hoarse voice, his eyes,
red with being up all the night, glaring like a leopard's; and
advancing to where Jesus stood bound and bleeding, he spat in his face
thrice.
"This was followed by a loud outcry for his death, and several vile
fellows also spat upon him and pulled him by the beard.
"'Is this Jewish justice?' cried Æmilius indignantly to Caiaphas. 'Do
you condemn and kill a man without witness? Stand back, for Romans are
not used to see men condemned without law. Back, fellows, or your blood
will flow sooner than his for which you thirst!'
"At this determined attitude they gave back for a moment, and left
Jesus standing in the midst, sad but serene.
"John ran to him and wiped the blood and uncleanness from his lips
and cheeks and beard, and gave him water, which the woman who had
recognized Peter compassionately brought in a ewer.
"'Master, use thy power and escape from them!' whispered John.
"'Nay, tempt me not, beloved!' he answered. 'My power is not for my
deliverance, but for that of the world. For you I can do mighty works,
but for myself I do nothing. I came not to save my life, but to lay it
down. Mine hour is at hand!'
"'Let not a handful of Romans frighten you, men of Jerusalem!' cried
Abner. 'There is not a legion in all the city. Here we are masters, if
we will it! To the rescue! Let me hear the lion of Judah roar in his
might, and the eagle of Rome will shriek and fly away! To the rescue!'
"'Hold, men and brethren!' cried Caiaphas, who had judgment enough to
see that the first blow would be the beginning of a revolution that
would bring down upon the city the Roman army quartered in Syria and
end in the destruction of the nation. 'Hold, madmen!'
"But his voice was drowned amid the roar of the human tempest. Æmilius
and his men were borne away on the crest of the surge and so pressed by
the bodies of the Jews that they could not make use of their weapons.
In the wild confusion Jesus was carried by fierce hands to the opposite
end of the council chamber, while Caiaphas strove to appease the wrath
of Æmilius, who insisted that the fate of Jesus should be left with
Pilate the Procurator.
"When Æmilius, aided by the authority of Caiaphas, at length came where
Jesus had been dragged, they found him standing blindfolded among a
crowd of the basest fellows of Jerusalem, who were diverting themselves
by slapping his cheeks, and asking him to tell, by his divine knowledge
of all things, who did it. They would also hold money before his
blinded eyes, and ask him to name its value or inscription, and when he
still kept silence they struck him.
"'We will let thee go, Nazarene,' said one, 'if thou wilt tell how many
hairs I have in my beard.'
"'Nay, let him divine,' cried another, 'what I gave for my Passover
lamb in the market, and the name of the Samaritan of whom I bought it!'
"'Out with your lambs, Kish!' shouted a third fellow, thrusting himself
forward; 'let me hear him prophesy! What, Galilean! silent and sullen!
I will make thee speak!' and he let a blow of his staff fall upon the
head of Jesus which would have struck him to the earth, but for the
voice of Caiaphas, which had arrested in part its force.
"'Men of Israel!' he cried aloud, 'that this pestilent Nazarene is a
blasphemer we have heard with our ears, and by our law he ought to die,
because he hath made himself the Son of God. But Cæsar hath taken the
power of life and death out of our hands! We Jews can put no man to
death, but the Romans only. That he hath spoken against Cæsar, and is
a seditionist, can be proved. Let us take him before Pilate with this
accusation!'
"This speech pleased the people, and, having rebound Jesus more
securely, they cried all with one voice, 'To Pilate! To the Pretorium!'"
The multitude then poured out of the gates of the palace, like a
foaming and chafing river which hath overflowed its banks, and with
terrible cries, which we heard even in our house, took the direction
towards the Pretorium.
It was with difficulty that Æmilius could protect the Prophet in safety
up the hill and to the entrance of the Pretorium, which he entered
with his prisoner just as the sun gilded the loftiest pinnacles of the
Temple.
In another letter, dear father, I will continue the account of his
trial, the remembrance of which, while I now write of it, almost
rekindles again all my love, faith, devotion and confidence in him, for
who but a man God-sustained could have borne so meekly all this pain,
insult, ignominy and shame?
Adina.