together in the service of God and man, that is a verity, and often have I
heard the saying from the great Hillel—may his memory be for a blessing!
But if outward act may be clean when inward thought may be unclean, how,
on the other hand, can we know the purity of what is within, except it be
decided by the cleanliness of what is without? How, above all, shall we
teach our little ones, like my Lazarus there, to feel what is good and
seemly, except by first teaching them to do the acts that are seemly and
good?
“And as for what thou sayest as to the hypocrisy of us Pharisees and
scribes, I say unto thee,—and in a few days I must see the face of my
Maker,—I say unto thee, I have known many an Ebionite, which thou seemest
to be, who was well spoken within, but ill doing without. So, too, I have
known many a scribe and many a Pharisee who neither carried their good
deeds on their shoulders, nor said, ‘Wait, I have to finish some godly
deed;’ nor set off their good deeds against their sins; nor boasted of
their sacrifices for godly works; nor did they seek out their sins that
they might pay for them by their virtues; nor were they Pharisees from
fear of the Divine punishment. They were Pharisees from love of the Lord,
and did throughout their life what they knew to be his commands.”
But Jesus spoke gently unto the old man, and said naught but, “Nay,
master, I spoke not of thee, nor of men like thee. These be the true
Pharisees; the rest but have the Pharisaic color.”
“That is so,” said old Simeon. “I have heard what King Jannaus said: ‘Fear
not the Pharisees, nor those who are no Pharisees; but fear the colored
ones, who are only Pharisees in appearance, who do the deeds of Zimri and
demand the rewards of Phineas.’”
But before the old man could finish there was a movement at the doorway,
and a high, thin voice cried out, “Where is this kidnapper of souls? where
is this filcher of young lives? where is Jesus the Nazarene?”
“Behold me,” said Jesus, turning towards the voice; and an old man, with
the rent garment of the mourner, and with hair all distraught, came up to
the Nazarene with arms outstretched and clutching fingers.
“Give me my son, my Elchanan!” he cried. “Thou hast taken him from me last
Passover, saying, ‘Father and mother, yea, all that a man hath, shall he
give up to follow me.’ He left me to follow thee; what hast thou done with
him?—my Elchanan! my Elchanan!”
“He died, and is at peace.”
“Then give him back to me again. Thou canst do all things, men say: make
whole the sick, let see the blind, cause the lame to walk, and give peace
to the troubled mind. Give me, then, back my Elchanan thou hast taken from
me.”
“There is One alone that can quicken the dead,” said Jesus, and walked
sternly past him.
IX.
JESUS IN THE TEMPLE.
But a few days after what I have narrated to thee, I had attended a full
meeting of the Sanhedrim in the hall of hewn stones in the Priests’ Court
of the Temple. When the session was over, we went forth, and, turning to
the right, passed into the Court of the Israelites, and so through
Nicanor’s Gate into the Court of the Women. Now, as we went down the
fifteen steps that lead into this court, we could see, through the
Beautiful Gate at the other end of it, that something unusual was
occurring in the outer court of all, the Court of the Gentiles. So I and
some of the other younger members of the Sanhedrim passed rapidly through
the Court of the Women, and, hurrying through the Beautiful Gate, found
Jesus preaching to the people under Solomon’s Porch. Now, it is usual for
the people to make way when any member of the Sanhedrim passes by; but the
people were so engrossed with the words of Jesus that they took no note of
me and my companions, and we had to stand at the edge of the crowd and
listen as best we might, and so great was the crowd that I could scarcely
hear what the Nazarene was saying, until gradually those near us,
recognizing the marks of our dignity, made way for us till we got nearer.
Never saw I Jesus in so exalted a state. Though he was not tall, as I have
said, he seemed to tower above the crowd. The mid‐day sun of winter was
shining full upon the Temple, and though Jesus was in the shadow of the
porch, the sunlight from the Temple walls shone back upon his eyes and
hair, which gleamed with the glory of the sun. He looked and spake as a
king among men. And, indeed, he was claiming to be something even greater
than a king. I could not hear very distinctly from where I was at first,
but towards the last, as I got nearer, I heard him say these words:—
“Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. Except a man be born
again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. He that loveth his life shall
lose it. If a man keep my word he shall never see death, but has passed
from death unto life. He that believeth in me, the works that I do shall
he do also. Yet can the Son do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the
Father do. I am the door: by me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved. I
am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I am the Light of the world. I am the
good Shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. I am the Bread of
Life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger. I am the true Vine, and my
Father is the Husbandman. I am the Vine, ye are the branches. If any man
thirst, let him come unto me and drink. Before Abraham was I am.”
Now, as Jesus was saying these words, and many like unto them, his form
seemed to expand, his eye flashed with the light of prophecy, and all men
were amazed at the power of his words. Never had they heard man speak of
himself with such confidence. If he had been very God, he could not have
said more of his own power over men’s souls. Our prophets have spoken
boldly indeed, but none of them had boasted of the power of the Lord in
such terms as this man spake of himself. Could he be mad, I thought, to
say such things? Yet in all other matters he had shown a wisdom and a
sound sense equal to the greatest of our Sages. Or had he found that by
speaking thus of himself, men, and above all, women, were best moved to
believe as he would have them believe, to act as he would have them act?
Might it not be the simplest of truths that for them, to them, he was
indeed the Way, the Truth, and the Life?
And, indeed, when I looked around and saw the effect of his words on those
who were listening, I could in part understand his power among men and
women. They drank in his words as travellers at the well of the oasis.
They lived upon his eyes, and it was indeed strange to see every man’s
body bent forward as of a straining hound at the chase. If ever men
worshipped a man, these were worshipping Jesus.
And I? What was it with me that his words failed to move me as they did
those around me? Why did his eyes rather repel than attract me? Was it thy
teaching, Aglaophonos, that had taught me the way of thy race: to measure
all things in the balance of wisdom; to be moved in all acts by reason,
not feeling? Was it from thee I learnt to think about the causes of this
man’s influence, even while I and others were under it? Perhaps not alone;
for much that this man was saying would have repelled my Jewish instincts
even had I never come under thy influence. What struck thee among us Jews,
I remember, was that while we see the Deity everywhere, we localize him
nowhere. Alone among the nations of men we refuse to make an image of our
God. We alone never regarded any man as God Incarnate. Those among us who
have been nearest to the Divine have only claimed to be—they have only
been recognized to be—messengers of the Most High. Yet here was this man,
as it seemed, claiming to be the Very God, and all my Jewish feeling rose
against the claim.
Nor was I alone in this feeling I was soon to learn. Before Jesus had
finished his harangue, cries arose from different quarters of the crowd.
“Blasphemy!” “Blasphemer!” “He blasphemes!” arose on all sides. These
cries awakened men as if from a sleep, all turning round to see whence
they came. And the very turning round, as it were, removed them from the
influence of Jesus and his eyes. In a moment, many of those who just
before were hanging upon Jesus’ words joined in the cry, “Blasphemer!
blasphemer!” One of the boldest of those who began the cry called out,
“Blasphemer! Stone him!”
But Jesus drew himself up, and looked upon the crowd with flashing eyes,
and said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem! Sodom is justified of thee.” For a
moment all were silent, but soon the cries arose again: “Blasphemer!
blasphemer! Stone him!”
Then began great commotion among the people. While some called out, “Stone
him!” “Stone him!” others cried, “Sacrilege!” “Sacrilege!” “No stoning in
the Temple!” And one called out with a jeer, “In the Temple ye cannot
stone, for lo! here there be no stones;” and a bitter, scornful laugh
followed his words. Then some who were nearest to Jesus sought to lay
hands on him, while others, his friends, stood round him and prevented
their approaching, and all was confusion and tumult. When suddenly the
blare of a trumpet sounded through the courts, and all cried, “The Romans!
the Romans!”
Then round by the royal porch came a company of Roman soldiers to change
the sentries at mid‐day, and they halted near the Beautiful Gate. And as
they came near the crowd began to disperse, and Jesus and his friends went
their way from the courts of the Temple.
That day, there was no talk in Jerusalem but of the event in the Temple.
Men marvelled at the way in which this Jesus had spoken of himself. “The
prophets spake not thus,” they said. “Yet how can a man be greater than a
prophet, who speaketh the words of the Most High? Even if we had once more
a king over us in Israel, he could not be as great as a prophet, and no
king would speak of himself as Jesus this day hath spoken of himself.” But
what if this man were destined to be the Christ, the God‐given Ruler that
should restore the throne of David? But how could that be, since none of
the signs and portents of the last times had come upon the earth? Who had
seen the blood trickle from the rocks? or the fiery sword appear in the
midnight sky? Had babes a year old spoken like men? But others said, “Nay,
the kingdom of God will not come with expectation. As it hath been said,
‘Three things come unexpectedly—a scorpion, a treasure‐trove, and the
Messiah.’” And again, others said, “Perchance this is not the Messiah ben
David, but the Messiah ben Joseph, who shall be slain before the other
cometh.” Thus the minds of men and their words went hither and thither
about the sayings of this man Jesus in the Temple.
X.
THE ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM.
I heard naught and saw naught of Jesus the Nazarene till the very last
week of his life, and that was the week before the Passover. The winter
had been a severe one, and much misery had arisen among the folk through
the exactions of the Romans; indeed, an attempt had been made to throw off
the Roman yoke. In several places the people had assembled in arms and
attacked the soldiery, and in some cases had slain their sentries. Pilate
had but sent off a cohort into the district, and all signs of discontent
went underground. One of the leaders of the revolt, Jesus Bar Abbas, had
been captured and thrown into prison. He, indeed, had attempted an
insurrection in Jerusalem itself, where he was well known and popular
among the common folk. When he was arrested, a riot had occurred, and one
of the soldiers was slain who had been sent to arrest him; wherefore he
lay now in prison on the charges of rebellion and murder. Yet many thought
that this man had been put forth to try the temper of the people and the
power of the Romans, in preparation for a more serious attempt to shake
off the oppressor.
Yet who should lead the people? Jochanan, the only man whom of recent
times the people followed gladly, had been done to death by Herod. One man
alone since his death had won the people’s heart, to wit, Jesus the cousin
of Jochanan. He, and he alone, could lead the people against the Romans,
and all men wondered if he would. In the midst of their wonder came news
that Jesus the Nazarene was coming up to the Holy City for the Feast of
Passover, the feast of redemption from Egypt. Would it prove this year a
feast of redemption from the Romans? All hope of this depended upon this
Jesus.
It was twenty‐one years ago, but I can remember as if it were yesterday
the excitement in Jerusalem when the news came that Jesus of Nazareth had
arrived in the neighborhood, and was spending his Sabbath at the village
of Bethany. All those who were disaffected against the Romans cried out,
“A leader! a leader!” All those who were halt, sick, or blind, cried out,
“A healer! a healer!” Wherever we went, there was no talk but of the
coming deliverance. As I approached one group of men I heard them say,
“When will it be? When will he give the sign? Will it be before or after
the feast?” “Nay,” said one of the crowd, a burly blacksmith he, “what day
for the deliverance but the Passover day? But be it when it may, let him
give the sign, and I shall be ready.”
“And prove a new Maccabee,” said one in the crowd, referring to his
hammer, whereat a grim laugh arose.
The next day being the first of the week, which the Romans call the Day of
the Sun, I was pondering the words of the Law in my little study chamber
near the roof of my father’s house in the Street of the Bakers near
Herod’s Palace, which at that time was inhabited by the Procurator, when
suddenly I heard the patter of many feet in the street beneath me, and
looking out, I saw them all hurrying, as it seemed, to the Temple. I put
on my sandals, and taking my staff in my hand and drawing my mantle over
my head, hurried out after the passers‐by. But when they came to the Broad
Place before the Water Gate, they turned sharp to the right, and went down
the Tyropœon as far as the Fountain Gate, where I overtook them. There I
found all the most turbulent of the city population. Some of the men I
knew had been engaged in the recent riot under Jesus Bar Abbas. Others
were the leading Zealots in Jerusalem, and all were men eager for the
freeing of the city from the Romans. And among them, too, were others who
cared not for freedom, nor hated the Romans, but would only be too pleased
if the city were given up to disorder and rapine. While these waited
there, we heard cries from behind us, and looking back, saw filing out
from the Temple courts on to the Xystus Bridge, and down into the
Tyropœon, the brigade of beggars who pass almost their whole life in the
Court of the Gentiles. These came down slowly, for among them were many
halt and some blind, and all were old and feeble of limb. “Why come they
forth from the courts?” I asked; “and why are we waiting?” Then said one
near me, “Knowest thou not that Jesus the Nazarene enters the city to‐day?
And men say he is to deliver us.” And at that moment a cry arose among the
folk, “Lo! there he is.” Looking south, for a time I could see nothing,
for the mid‐day sun of the spring solstice was shining with that radiance
which we Jews think is only to be seen in our land. But after a while I
could discern, turning the corner of the Jericho Road near En Rogel, a
mounted man, surrounded by a number of men and women on foot. “It is
Jesus—it is Jesus!” all cried; “let us to meet him!” And with that, all
but the lame rushed forward to meet him, and I with them.
It is but three hundred paces from the Fountain Gate to En Rogel, and the
Nazarene and his friends had advanced somewhat to meet us, but in that
short space the enthusiasm of the crowd had arisen to a very fever, and as
we neared him one cried out, and all joined in the cry, “Hosanna Barabba!
Hosanna Barabba!” and then they shouted our usual cry of welcome, “Blessed
be he that cometh in the name of the Lord!” and one bolder than his
fellows called out, “Blessed be the coming of the kingdom!” At that there
was the wildest joy among the people. Some tore off branches of palms, and
stood by the way and waved them in front of Jesus; others took off each
his _talith_ and threw it down in front of the young ass on which Jesus
rode, as if to pave the way into the Holy City with choice linen. But when
I looked upon the face of Jesus, there were no signs there of the coming
triumph; he sat with his head bent forward, his eyes downcast, and his
face all sad. And a chill somehow came over me. I thought of that play of
the Greeks which thou gavest me to read, in which the king of men, driving
to his own palace at Argos, is enticed to enter it, stepping upon soft
carpets like an idol of your gods, and so incurs the divine jealousy.
As we approached the Fountain Gate, the beggars from the Temple had come
down to it, and joined in the shouting and the welcome; and one of them,
Tobias ben Pinchas by name, who had, ever since men had known him, walked
with a crutch, suddenly, in his excitement, raised his crutch and waved it
over his head, and danced before Jesus, crying, “Hosanna Barabba! Hosanna
Barabba!” and all men cried out, “A miracle, a miracle! what cannot this
man perform?” And so, with a crowd surrounding him, Jesus entered
Jerusalem and went up into the Temple. But I that year had been appointed
one of the overseers who distributed the unleavened bread to the poor of
the city for the coming Passover, and I had then to attend the meeting of
my fellow‐overseers.
That night there was no talk in Jerusalem but of the triumphant entry of
Jesus. The city was crowded by Israelites who had come up to the capital
for the festival, and a whisper went about that many of the strangers had
been summoned by Jesus to Jerusalem to help in the coming revolt. During
that night, wherever a Roman sentry stood, a crowd of the unruly would
collect round him and jeer at him; and in one place the sentry had to use
his spear, and wounded one of the crowd. So great was the tumult that,
when the sentries were changed for the midnight watch, a whole company of
soldiers accompanied the officer’s guard and helped to clear the streets.
Meanwhile, where was Jesus? And what was he doing in the midst of this
tumult? I made inquiry, for perchance he might have been holding
disputations about the Law, as is the custom with our Sages; but I learnt
that he had left the city at the eleventh hour, and gone back to the
village of Bethany, where he was staying. But I was thinking through all
that evening of the strange contrast between the triumphant joy of his
followers and the saddened countenance of the Nazarene.
Men knew not what was to become of this movement in favor of him. Most of
the lower orders were hoping for a rising against the Romans to be led by
this Jesus. Shrewder ones among the Better thought that the man was about
to initiate a change in the spiritual government of our people. Some
thought he would depose the Sadducees, and place the Pharisees in their
stead. Others feared that he would carry into practice the ideals of the
_Ebionim_, and raise the Poor against the Rich. Others said, “Why did he
not enter by the gate of the Essenes, for he holdeth with them?” All knew
that the coming Passover would be a trying time for Israel, owing to the
presence of the man Jesus in Jerusalem, and the manifest favor in which he
was held by the common folk. But amidst all this I could see only the
pale, sad face of Jesus.
XI.
THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE.
On the morrow, being the second day of the week, which the Romans call the
Day of the Moon, Jesus of Nazara came early into Jerusalem, and as soon as
it was known that he had entered the city, all those that had gone out to
greet him on the previous day, and many more with them who had heard of
the miracle that he had performed, went to meet him in the Broad Place.
And near upon the time of the mid‐day sacrifice, Jesus and all these men
went up to the Temple.
Now, I have told thee how, when Jesus had first come to Jerusalem, he had
driven forth from the Court of the Gentiles all those who were engaged in
selling beasts of sacrifice, or in changing foreign moneys for the
shekels. But the money‐changers and others had been replaced by the orders
of the High Priest Hanan, and nothing had come of this action, nor in his
later visits to Jerusalem had he done aught in the matter, and it was
thought that he had acknowledged the right and the power of the priests to
have the monopoly of the sale of sacrifices. Now, that day of the Moon was
the tenth day of the month Nisan, and upon it were purchased all the lambs
for the forthcoming Passover sacrifices, as it is said in the Law, “In the
tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb according
to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house.” As this Paschal
sacrifice is the only home sacrifice of us Jews, thou mightest imagine
that each householder could obtain his lamb whence he would; but the
priests say “No” to this, for if a man could take any chance lamb, it
might not be without blemish. So it had grown to be a custom that, on the
morning of the tenth day of Nisan, the heads of households in Jerusalem
should wend their way to the courts of the Temple, there to select each
man a lamb. And the priests had their profit in this, for they claimed
from those who sold the lambs dues for every animal allowed to be in the
courts. And the sellers again were agreeable to this, for none that had
not the favor could sell the Paschal lambs. Whence it was that the price
of a lamb in the Paschal week was more than three times as much as at any
time of the year, and the poorer people murmured greatly.
Thus it happened that upon this day, when Jesus came into the courts of
the Temple, these were crowded with all the householders of Jerusalem, and
much chaffering and haggling was going on in the purchase of the lambs for
the Passover. But Jesus, with the favor he had won from the people, was
for this day at least Ruler of Jerusalem, and men wondered what he would
do with regard to this sale and purchase of the beasts of sacrifice; for
on his first coming to Jerusalem, as I have told thee, he had driven the
sellers away, but afterwards, when they had been restored to their places,
he had seemed to acquiesce. What would he do now, men thought, as they saw
him advancing over the Xystus Bridge, the head of a vast concourse of
people who would do all that he told them?
They had not long to wait, for no sooner had he entered the Temple courts,
than he spake to those around him, and ordered them to remove the tables
of the money‐changers, with their weights and scales, without which no
purchase could be; and no man dared say him nay, for all knew that the
people were with him. And they, indeed, were rejoiced, for they took this
as permission to buy their Paschal lambs where they would; and many of
those who had been bargaining in the courts of the Temple went off at once
to the market, and got them their lambs from thence. All this I heard of
in the inner courts of the Temple, for it chanced that day that I had to
offer a sin offering, and was waiting my turn in the Court of the
Israelites while the priests were preparing the mid‐day sacrifice. And I
saw one coming up to Hanan and to Joseph Caiaphas, who were presiding over
the sacrifice, and they spake earnestly to one another, and stopped the
sacrifice, and came through the Court of the Israelites and went down the
Court of the Women, and all of us followed them thither. And when we came
to the Beautiful Gate, and turned to the right round the corner of the
Temple, behold, we saw the flocks of Paschal lambs being driven through
the Western Gates. And in the midst of the court stood Jesus, surrounded
by a multitude clamoring and shouting. Then saw I Hanan lean over to
Joseph Caiaphas, his son‐in‐law, and speak somewhat to him. Then the
latter advanced in front of the priests and the scribes, who had come
forth with him, and asked, “Who hath done this?” And Jesus said, “It is
I.” Then spake Joseph again and said, “Tell us, by what authority doest
thou these things? And who gave thee this authority?”
Now, Joseph the High Priest was clad this day in the robes of his office,
with tiara on head, the ephod on his breast, and silver bells and
pomegranates round the edge of his garment. Whereas Jesus the Nazarene
wore his wonted garb of a common country workman. Yet for the moment this
common workman was the greater power of the two; since all men knew how he
had been received by the people when he had come into Jerusalem, and that
what he willed, all the people of Jerusalem willed also at that time. So
all were hushed to hear what this Jesus would say to the question of the
High Priest, since now they thought he must declare himself, and justify
the power he was exercising.
But here again, as on former occasions, Jesus answered not directly to the
question of the priests, but rather questioned them. He said, “I also ask
you one thing, which if ye tell me, I likewise will tell you by what
authority I do these things. The baptism of Jochanan, was it from heaven
or of men? Answer me.” And they answered and said unto Jesus, “We cannot
tell.” Then said Jesus unto them, “Then neither will I tell by what
authority I do these things. To what is the matter like? There was a man
had two sons. And the man came to the first, and said, ‘My son, go work in
my vineyard.’ But he said, ‘I will not.’ Howbeit afterward he repented,
and went to work. But the man went to the second, and spake in like
manner. But he answered, ‘I go, sir.’ But yet he went not. Whether of
these twain did the will of his father?” And we all answered, “The first.”
Then Jesus looked slowly around at us all, and said, “This I say unto you,
the publicans and harlots enter into the kingdom of heaven before you. For
Jochanan came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye heeded him not,
but the harlots and the publicans heeded him: but ye, even when ye saw
this, repented not.”
Now, at this public insult to all of priestly rank, I saw dart forward
Hanan the High Priest, as if he would have rent the man Jesus. But
Caiaphas his son‐in‐law caught him by the wrist, and whispered words in
his ear. But Hanan broke loose, and called out in a loud voice, “My guard,
my guard!” Whereat many of the folk who had come with Jesus into the Court
of the Gentiles came forward round him, and put their hands to their
weapons. He indeed said naught, nor seemed aware of the conflict that
threatened. But Caiaphas turned, and in a loud voice said, “I go to
perform the mid‐day sacrifice,” and walked slowly out of the court back to
the Temple. And we all followed him.
Now, when we returned from performing the sacrifice, Jesus had left the
courts of the Temple, which had become bare and empty of people. And as I
went homeward to my house in the Street of the Bakers, I looked down from
the Xystus Bridge, and saw trooping down the Tyropœon Jesus and a great
multitude of the people, who crowded round him, as if eager to touch the
hem of his garment. I stood and watched till they reached the Fountain
Gate, through which he passed; and shortly afterwards I could see him on
the road to the Fountain of Rogel, still accompanied by many of the
people.
What was to come of that day’s work I knew not. For the first time the
discontent of the common folk with the management of the Temple by the
priests had come to a head, and had resulted in this open conflict between
Jesus and the High Priests. The city was full of strangers excited by
thoughts of the coming festival. The common people had not yet calmed
themselves from the thoughts of rebellion which had been raised by the
rising of Jesus Bar Abbas and others. The whole city was as tow ready for
the spark of fire.
XII.
THE WOES.
Now, on the morrow, being the third day of the week, Jesus of Nazara came
again into the city, and the rumor of his coming spread through all the
streets and places of Jerusalem. And going forth after the morning
prayers, I found Jesus with many around him in the Broad Place before the
Water Gate. And as I approached near to them, I saw the crowd part asunder
and a procession coming through, and almost all the men there bowed and
did reverence to the men who were passing through. Now, these were mostly
of the Pharisaic sect, who were going to the Great Beth Hamidrash, to
pursue the study of the Law and to give decisions on legal questions which
the common folk put to them. And at their head walked Jochanan ben Zaccai,
the President of the Tribunal. He was regarded as the most capable
exponent of the Law since the death of Hillel, whose favorite pupil he had
been, and men were wont to refer to him for decision in all the most
difficult questions of life. He was walking at the head of the procession
in his long _talith_ with large borders and in his broad phylacteries. And
he passed Jesus with a salutation, indeed, but in it was mingled some of
the pride and contempt with which the masters of the Law regarded all
those whom they call the Country‐folk.
When these had passed, Jesus turned round to the people, and spake these
words:
“The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: all therefore
whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after
their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and
grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves
will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do
for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the
borders of their garments, and love the chief place at feasts, and the
chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be
called of men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’
“But be not ye called Rabbi: for One is your Master, and all ye are
brethren.
“And call no man your father upon the earth: for One is your Father, which
is in heaven.
“Neither be ye called Masters, for One is your Master.
“But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever
shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself
shall be exalted.
“But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the
kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither
suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’
houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: therefore ye shall receive
the greater damnation.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and
land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more
the child of hell than yourselves.
“Woe unto you, blind guides, which say, ‘Whosoever shall swear by the
Temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the
Temple, he is bound!’ Ye fools and blind! for whether is greater, the
gold, or the Temple that sanctifieth the gold? And, ‘Whosoever shall swear
by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is
upon it, he is bound!’ Ye fools and blind! for whether is greater, the
gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? Whoso, therefore, shall
swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. And whoso
shall swear by the Temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth
therein. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God,
and by him that sitteth thereon.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint
and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the Law,
judgment, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave
the other undone.
“Ye blind guides, which strain out the gnat and swallow a camel!
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the
outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of
extortion and excess. Thou blind Pharisee! cleanse first that which is
within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto
whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within
full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also
outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy
and iniquity.
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the
tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, and
say, ‘If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been
partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ Fill ye up, then, the
measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye
escape the damnation of hell?”
And all the people were astonished at these words, for in many of his
sayings and most of his actions Jesus had seemed to incline more to the
sect of the Pharisees than to any other section of the house of Israel.
And, indeed, in the opening words of his discourse he had granted their
right to interpret the Law and to lead the people. Yet wherefore had he
denounced them all without distinction as men insincere and void of truth?
Hypocrites there were among them as among other classes of men. Often,
indeed, their acts did not go with their words; but of what man can it be
said that all his acts and words go together? These men were occupied in
building a rampart to the Law, and holding the fortress against enemies
without and dissensions within. Those ramparts might confine our actions
within a narrow space, yet is it not well for all men to be kept perforce
in the path of duty? I know thou thinkest otherwise, Aglaophonos. Thy
Master the Stagyrite has taught thee that man should be a law unto
himself; but we Jews willingly bear the yoke of the Law, because we
believe it to be the yoke of the Lord. And in this matter Jesus had in
every way shown himself to be a Jew of the Jews. Why, then, was he so in
wrath against the interpreters of the Law?
Yet were the common folk not displeased at these sayings of Jesus; nay,
rather they applauded them. For in many ways our Sages have failed to find
favor with the common folk of Israel; for besides that they would regulate
their lives at every point, so that no man dare do this or do that except
in the way the Sages prescribe, but chiefly the rabbis were out of favor
with the folk for that they did openly despise and condemn all but those
who were learned in the Law. The unlearned they called the Country‐folk.
Wherefore did the people hear with pleasure the bitter words Jesus spake
against the scribes and the Pharisees.
The night of that same day an event occurred which roused the city of
Jerusalem to a pitch of expectation such as I had never seen there. Two
young Zealots, artisans, that were popular with their fellows for their
kindness of heart and good humor, fell into an altercation with a Roman
officer near the Sheep Gate, not far from Antonia, where all the Roman
soldiers lie. Without a word of warning, the Roman officer drew his sword
and killed one of these young men, and when his companion and the passers‐
by rebuked him, and would have seized him to take him before the
procurator, he gave a signal, and a multitude of soldiers poured forth
from Antonia and struck without mercy among the crowd. Five were killed
and many were wounded, and the whole city was in an uproar at this proof
of Roman insolence. “How long, O Lord?” the graybeards said, raising their
hands to heaven. And the younger men said, “Let us but wait the coming of
Jesus the Liberator; surely before the Passover he will free us from the
rule of the _Goyim_.”
XIII.
THE GREAT REFUSAL.
Thou canst imagine with what feelings of expectation all Jerusalem awaited
the coming of Jesus next morning. Many of the Pharisees had come together
the eve before, and spoken of the public insult Jesus had given to their
sect on the preceding day. Hanan the High Priest, we heard, had quarrelled
furiously with his son‐in‐law Joseph Caiaphas, for that he had not allowed
him to summon his guard after the humiliation he had put upon them in the
Temple. Yet neither the Pharisees nor the Sadducees who followed the High
Priests dared lay hands upon this Jesus, because of the evident favor in
which he was held by the common folk of Jerusalem, and above all by the
many from country parts who had come up, like him, to spend the Passover
in the Holy City. Among all these there was no talk but of Jesus the
Liberator; nay! many spake of him as Jesus the Christ. And if he were
indeed to be the Christ, the King of Israel, the Founder of the New
Kingdom, it could not be that he would suffer longer the yoke of the
Romans to lie upon the neck of Israel.
Yet there was one thing that perplexed many, and opinion went hither and
thither among the minds of men concerning it. The Christ who was to
deliver Israel and to rule over mankind, was he not to be the son of
David? Yet this Jesus was of Galilee, where the admixture of blood had
been greatest in all Israel. “There is no unleavened bread in all
Galilee,” the scoffers used to say, meaning thereby that their genealogy
was sprinkled with yeast, as we call foreign admixture. And for this man’s
genealogy, who could declare it? Many, indeed, as I have told thee,
thought him to have no right even to be called son of his father. A
_mamzer_ shall not sit in the congregation of Israel. How, then, could one
ascend Israel’s throne?
When, therefore, Jesus came next morning from his lodging in Bethany, all
Jerusalem turned out to welcome him, for the Passover was coming anear,
and if aught was to be done to clear the city of the Romans, it must be
done quickly, must be done on that day. Never saw I the courts of the
Temple so crowded as on that day when I came thither, and found Jesus
standing in the Court of the Gentiles, with almost all the leading men of
Jerusalem and many of the common folk surging about him. Scarce room was
left for the Roman sentry to march his guard in front of the Beautiful
Gate. Yet he took no heed of us barbarians, but with shield and spear
shouldered his way backward and forward, backward and forward, a sign to
all men that the house of God was in the hands of God’s enemies.
Never saw I the men of Jerusalem so exultant as on that morning. Wherever
I looked, joy—a grim joy—was on every man’s countenance, and there was no
man there but was armed, save only Jesus himself and some ten or a dozen
men who had come with him from Bethany, and these, indeed, were the only
men who had not shown joy. Never had I seen the Nazarene with a
countenance so saddened and aweary. Yestermorn he had been flashing with
anger and indignation as he spake his words against the Pharisees, but on
this day his force seemed to be spent, and he appeared like one who had
passed through a great agony.
Now, as they were standing there, I saw a man, one of the leaders of the
Zealots, armed as if for battle, go up and lay a hand upon one of those
with Jesus. He spake eagerly with him, and pointed with his thumb to the
Roman soldier as he passed to and fro. But the other shook his head
vehemently, and took his arm away from the grasp of the Zealot and turned
his back upon him.
Now, at this moment certain of the Pharisees came through the crowd and
advanced to Jesus. So great was the crowd that I heard not at first what
they said unto him; but it must have been some question about the matter
that was in all men’s minds, for I heard his reply, and that, as was his
wont, was in the form of a counter‐question to their inquiry, for he said,
“What think _ye_ of the Christ? Whose son is he?” And they, speaking with
the thought of all Israel, said, “The Christ is the son of David.”
Then all men watched with expectancy to hear what the Nazarene would say
to this; for if he agreed with them, then would he deny himself to be the
Christ: for his genealogy had by no means been proven. But yet, how could
he disprove the belief of all Israel, that the Christ was the Son of
David? Yet that did he after the manner of our Sages, using words of
Scripture as his confirmation; for he said unto them, “How then is it that
David himself saith in the Book of Psalms, ‘The Lord said unto my Lord,
Sit thou on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool’? David
therefore himself calleth the Christ Lord; how then can the Christ be his
son?”
At this the Pharisees knew not what to say, for no man had hitherto used
that _stichos_ of the Psalms, and they knew not what to reply. But the
common folk were rejoiced exceedingly; joy spread on their faces, and I
saw many a fist raised and shaken in exultant defiance at the Roman
sentry, who walked hither and thither on his guard as if he were a living
mass of steel.
Thereupon certain of the crowd who were known to be followers of Herod had
speech with Jesus, and spake to him: “Master, we know that thou art true,
and carest for no man; that thou regardest not the person of men, but
teachest the way of God in all truth—tell us, therefore, what thinkest
thou: is it lawful to give tribute to Cæsar or not? shall we give, or
shall we not give?” All men were silent, and drew their breath to hear
what Jesus might say to this. For if he claimed to be the Anointed One, to
whom but to the King of Israel should Israel’s tribute be paid?
But he said unto them, “Why tempt ye me? Bring me a denarius, that I may
see it.” And they brought one and put it into his hand. And he held it
forth unto them, and said, “Whose is this image and superscription?” And
they answered, “Cæsar’s.” And then Jesus said unto them, “Render to Cæsar
the things that are Cæsar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And
these Herodians marvelled at the subtlety with which he had answered them,
but the common folk were amazed and dumfounded at his answer. And soon I
heard one say to another, “He denieth: he would pay tribute to Cæsar.” And
gradually all the men drew away from him, leaving him alone with only the
company with him from Bethany.
But he, seeing this, turned to one of those with him, and said, “Peter, of
whom do the kings of the earth take custom? of their own children, or of
the aliens?” And Peter answered and said, “Of the aliens.” Then Jesus said
to him, “Then are the children free?” And Peter said to him, “Yes.” Then
said Jesus unto him, “Then do thou also give, as being an alien to them.”
The common folk heard this, indeed, but were in no wise satisfied. If they
were to give tribute to the Romans for whatever cause, they were still to
be under subjection to Rome, and then Jesus refused to be their Liberator;
that had become clear to them of a sudden. And they drew still further
away from him. And a deep silence of mortification fell upon all men
there, so that thou couldst hear distinctly the tread of the Roman sentry
as he moved on his march.
Amid the deep silence suddenly came a gentle tinkling, as of silver bells;
it came nearer and nearer, and a crier called out, “Way for the High
Priests!” Then Hanan the High Priest, with Caiaphas his son‐in‐law, and
others of the priests accompanied by their guard, came down the steps from
the Beautiful Gate. The Roman sentry stopped his march and stood upright,
with spear on ground, and all made way as the procession of the High
Priests passed through the court. All men were silent, and thou couldst
hear the tinkling of the silver bells which were attached to the hems of
the High Priests’ garments. Hanan walked at the head of the procession
with his usual haughty gait, and had nearly passed through the court, when
he saw Jesus and those with him. At once he halted, and summoned one of
the crowd to him. Then we saw much eager talk between this man and the
High Priest. And Hanan summoned the captain of his guard, who would have
turned towards Jesus, but that Joseph Caiaphas stayed him and spake unto
Hanan, pointing to the Roman sentry. After much talk between these, the
High Priests resumed their march and left the Temple. And all the other
men began to pass away from the court, leaving Jesus and his men alone
with none to listen to him. For the word passed swiftly in the mouths of
all the men of Jerusalem,—“He refuseth; he would have us be slaves of the
Romans forever.”
XIV.
THE MEETING OF THE HANANITES.
The next day being the fifth day of the week, and the thirteenth day of
the month Nisan in that year, many rumors went about the city as to the
man Jesus. There were who said that he had been seized by the guards of
Hanan; others said that he had left the village of Bethany and gone no man
knew whither. But for that day Jesus came not into Jerusalem, and men’s
minds were occupied more with one of the difficulties of our Law which
form the occupation and delight of our Sages. I must explain this unto
thee, for upon it turn the events of the next day, so fateful for the man
about whom thou art inquiring. Thou canst easily understand what I shall
say, for thou hast, I know, a copy of the Scriptures in Greek, for did I
not procure it for thee?
It is said in the Law, thou wilt find, that the Passover lamb is to be
killed in the twilight between the fourteenth and the fifteenth of Nisan,
and it is also said in our Law that the whole of the lamb must be consumed
that evening. Now, in the years when the fifteenth of Nisan, which is the
first day of the Passover, falleth upon the Sabbath, the killing and
roasting of the lamb would take place on the Sabbath eve, when no killing
must take place and no fire must be lit. Hence arises a conflict of the
Law of the Passover with the Law of the Sabbath. Now, the older view was,
that the Passover was superior to the Sabbath, and its law was to be
followed in preference. This the priests held and followed, and in this
they seemed to have the authority of the great Hillel, who also declared
the Passover superior to the Sabbath.
But many among the Pharisees and the more pious preferred to slay the
Passover lamb on the eve between the thirteenth and the fourteenth day of
Nisan, and to eat it on the fourteenth day; that is, in those years when
the Passover fell on the Sabbath, as was the case in the year of which I
am now writing. It would appear that Jesus and his followers held with the
latter opinion, for, as I have heard, on the eve of the fourteenth of
Nisan he came stealthily into the city of Jerusalem, and ate the Passover
lamb concealed in an upper chamber of one of his friends in the city. It
showeth how earnest this man was in following the larger precepts of the
Law, though in smaller matters he seemed to neglect it. For by this time
he must have known that he was no longer safe in Jerusalem; and, indeed,
he proved this by his secret entry into it. Yet in order to fulfil the
Law, which saith, “The Passover lamb is to be eaten in Jerusalem,” he
risked his own and his followers’ lives. Yet was he careful of them; for,
as thou shalt soon hear, as soon as he had gone through the meal
prescribed by the Law, he escaped out of Jerusalem.
Now, that night I was standing at the door of my house, looking upon the
city bathed in the light of the moon, which was near its full, when
suddenly a man seized me by the arm and said, “Thou art wanted.” I looked,
and behold it was Simon Kantheros, my brother‐in‐law. And I said to him,
“Who wants me? and wherefore?” And Simon answered me and said, “Hanan the
High Priest has summoned suddenly a meeting of the Sanhedrim at his house
on the Mount of Olives.” Then said I, “But if it be at his house, it can
only be the Priestly Sanhedrim of Twenty‐Three that he summons.” “Nay,
nay, man,” answered Simon, “the case is urgent. He saith, ‘any member of
the Sanhedrim.’ Come, then, with me, and quickly.” So with that I seized
my mantle and my staff, and went forth with him.
So we hurried across the market‐place towards the Fish Gate, and as we
passed near the Tower Antonia, we saw the flashing of red lights, and
heard hoarse cries of command, and knew not what was toward. But when we
arrived at the Fish Gate, we found them changing the sentries of the first
watch, and knew that the second watch had begun. At first the sentry would
not let us through the gate; but the officer was called, and Simon showed
him his badge as member of the Sanhedrim. But even this would not have
sufficed, but that Simon then pointed to his toga and the purple stripe,
which showed that he was a Roman citizen of rank. Thereat the officer
spake to the sentry, and we passed through the gate, and turned sharply to
the right, and went down the road which leads to the valley of the Kidron.
And as we were passing the Brook Kidron, we looked and saw dots of red
light moving up the hill from the Garden of Gethsemane. And as we advanced
up the hill of the Mount of Olives, we could see from time to time these
red sparks preceding us; and when we came within sight of the High
Priest’s house, we saw them enter in and disappear.
Soon we ourselves had come up to the gate, and when we knocked, a wicket
was opened, and a face peered out, and our names were asked. When we had
told them, the gate was closed, and we had to wait some time. But at last
the door was opened, and the captain of the guard received us. He took us
through the passage which led into the open court, with the water‐basin in
the centre, round which we skirted, and ascended the steps into the inner
house. And again we stopped before the hall‐door while our names were
asked, and again we had to wait till the door was at last opened. Then at
last we entered the hall, and found Joseph Caiaphas the High Priest and
many of his kinsmen seated round a long table. Caiaphas rose, and motioned
us to two seats at the end of this table, and we seated ourselves.
When my eyes had become accustomed to the light, I looked round, and said
the greeting of peace unto those I knew of the assembly. I can still
remember many of their names. There was Ishmael ben Phabi, who had at
first replaced Hanan as High Priest. There were also the four sons of
Hanan—Eleazar, Jonathan, Theophilus, and Matthias. Then there were
Kamithos the priest, and his two sons, Simon and Joseph. And beside these,
I remember two men of my own generation—Elioni ben Kantheros and Chananyah
ben Nedebai. Most of these men had been, or were afterwards, High Priests,
and were all at this time members of the Priestly Sanhedrim. On the left
of Caiaphas was a low stool, and, even as I looked, Hanan ben Seth the
High Priest came in swiftly from a side door, and took a seat thereon. He
glanced sharply round at each of us, counting our numbers, and we were
exactly three and twenty. And when he saw me, he rose and spake somewhat
harshly, “Meshullam ben Zadok, what dost thou here? This is a meeting of
the Priestly Sanhedrim. Thou art a son of Israel.” And I answered and
said, “Simon Kantheros here, my kinsman, summoned me to the meeting,
saying that any member of the Sanhedrim could attend.” The High Priest
thought for a moment—he seemed as if he were counting us again—then he
said, “Be it so; thou art at least a true son of Israel, and this is not a
formal meeting of the priests.” He sat him down again, and we waited. At
last an attendant entered by the same door, and, going up to the High
Priest, spake to him. He nodded quickly, and dismissed him with a wave of
his hand. And when he had passed through the door, Hanan the High Priest
rose, and spake to us these words:—
“Kinsmen and colleagues, ye have all heard, if ye have not witnessed, how
Jesus of Nazara entered the Holy City on the first day of this week, amid
the acclamations of his followers and many of the lower people, who even
went so far as to hail him as the Deliverer. Now, to‐morrow, as ye know,
is the Passover. Who knows, if the thoughts of deliverance from Egypt,
which come at that time, may not cause this man, or, if not him, his
followers, to attempt a rising against the Romans our masters? We know
that any such attempt would be entirely futile, but the very attempt
itself would be the ruin of the nation. Ye know the character of the man
Pontius Pilate. ’Tis but a short time since he slew, of wanton cruelty,
certain Galilæans, even while they were making sacrifices, and all for
mere suspicion of disaffection. Ye cannot but remember the building of
Solomon’s Aqueduct. Because money was taken from the Temple treasury for
the building thereof, the people were inflamed, and would have risen
against them. What did he but send his soldiers, disguised in civil garb
and armed with clubs, among the people, when they came to make their
protest? And without warning, and in mere wanton cruelty, did he give the
signal for massacre. If he did this at a mere threat of a rising, what
will happen should an actual rising take place to‐morrow? It is our duty
to see that such a calamity fall not upon this nation because of the
presence of this rude provincial in our midst. Better one man should die
than the nation should suffer. No time was to be lost, and I therefore
have had this Jesus arrested, and he now awaits our pleasure in the
atrium.
“Before I summon him to our presence, I would briefly state to you what
seems to me and some of our friends here the right course to be followed.
We purpose to hand him over at dawn to Pontius Pilate, to deal with him as
he will. For he, by his spies, and by the demonstration on the first day
of the week, must be aware of the danger of a rising to‐morrow night,
caused by this man’s presence in our city. Indeed, it is for the very
purpose of preventing a rising that he cometh up each year about the
Passover to Jerusalem. Let it, then, be his care to prevent it how he
will; we shall have done our part, and he cannot punish the nation, or us
its leaders.
“But some of you will say, Why should we deliver this man up to the
Romans, perhaps, or even probably, to his death? I say, that even apart
from the danger which he offers to the State, he is worthy of death for
his manifest blasphemies. He speaketh of himself as very God, and claims
to be the Anointed One, and puts aside the Law as it pleaseth him. I say
naught of his insolence in the Temple cloisters, for this matter concerns
us that be priests, and in the matter of judgment we must not take account
of aught that deals with our private concerns; yet it is manifest that he
hath no reverence for the Lord’s house: witnesses shall prove to you that
he hath said he would sweep it away and build another. I wonder not that
horror is expressed in your faces at this blasphemy.
“Yet, as ye know, our Law hath in mercy provided that none shall be
condemned unless on the testimony of witnesses. The Law shall be
fulfilled. Even now, as I speak, one of his followers, Judas, a man of
Kerioth, is drawing forth from him his blasphemies before two witnesses,
concealed, as is the custom. And even if he fail, I know this man Jesus;
in his arrogance he will not scruple to repeat his blasphemies, even
before us.
“Time presses, and I have but this to add before the prisoner is summoned:
it is a wise provision of our Law, that in capital charges no final
condemnation shall occur until the second day of the trial. The day before
the Passover began this eve. If we keep to the Law, no condemnation can
take place till after the first day of the Passover, by which time all the
mischance may have come to pass. If the power of life and death were
solely in our hands, I would not depart in aught from the wise provision
of our forefathers; but, in truth, if this man be put to death, it will
not be our doing, for his fate rests with Pilate. I would remind the
younger members of the Sanhedrim that the final decision is not with us,
and if they vote for this man’s death, as I cannot doubt they will,
considering the pressing danger to our nation, they need not fear to be
called members of a bloodthirsty Sanhedrim, since his death, if death he
suffers, will be at the hands of the Roman Procurator. In this strait I
propose, therefore, to examine this man at once, and if, as I doubt not,
he avows his guilt, to wait till the morning for his final condemnation,
and in this way fulfil the Law. Summon the prisoner to our presence.”
Then, turning to Caiaphas, he said, “This is a matter between us and the
Romans, for whom thou, Joseph, art the High Priest. Take thou, then, the
interrogatory.”
XV.
THE EXAMINATION BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM.
Then from the lower end of the hall entered Jesus the Nazarene, with his
arms bound with withes behind his back, and he was led by the captain of
the guard up to the centre of the table opposite Caiaphas the High Priest.
Then Caiaphas rose, and, looking at a paper in his hand which Hanan had
given him, said unto Jesus, “Jesus of Nazara, thou art accused before us
of blasphemy, and of leading the people of Israel astray: what sayest thou
thereto?” Jesus gazed haughtily at him, and answered, “_I_ spake openly to
all the world, I have taught in the synagogue and in the Temple, and in
secret I have said nothing. Why askest thou me? Ask them which heard me
what I have said unto them. Behold, they know what I have said.” Then one
of the men who had led Jesus in struck him with the palm of his hand, and
said, “Answerest thou the High Priest so?” But Jesus turned, and said to
him in a milder voice, “If I have said aught that is evil, bear witness
thereof; but if well, why smitest thou me?” And Caiaphas the High Priest
bade the man begone and bring in the witnesses. Then one man came forward
and said he had heard Jesus call himself the Son of God. And another, that
he had spoken of himself as if he were very God, and could do all that the
Holy One, blessed be He, can perform. And yet another came forward and
said he had heard Jesus speak of himself as Son of Man, and had thereby,
as he thought, claimed to do what the Son of Man is said to do in the
Prophets Daniel and Enoch. But no two of these witnesses agreed as to time
and seasons, as is required by our Law. At last, however, two of them
declared that on the preceding day in the Temple they had heard him say,
“I will destroy this Temple that is made with hands, and in three days I
will build another without hands.” Now, during all this time Jesus had
said naught, but looked before him with that rapt expression that I had
seen upon him on the second occasion when I had heard him preach in the
synagogue of the Galilæans. So Caiaphas the High Priest spake to him,
saying, “Answerest thou naught to what these men witness against thee?”
And Jesus made as if he heard not.
Then Hanan the High Priest leaned over to Caiaphas his son‐in‐law and
spake some words to him. Then Caiaphas, rising, spake thus to Jesus: “Art
thou the Christ, the Son of the Holy One, blessed be He?” Then Jesus
raised his head, and gazing fixedly at the High Priest, said in a loud
voice, “Thou hast said. And hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting
on the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then
Hanan the High Priest rose and rent his clothes, as is our wont in time of
mourning or when blasphemy is heard, and he called out in his keen, shrill
voice, “What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy;
what think ye?” And he waved his hand to the captain of the guard, who
removed the prisoner.
When the door was closed behind him, Hanan said, “What need we of further
words? let us proceed to the judgment.” And glancing over to Chananyah ben
Nedebai, he said, “Chananyah, thou art the youngest; it is thine to
pronounce judgment first. Is not this man guilty of death for his manifest
blasphemy here before us?” And Chananyah said, “Yea.” And so said all till
Hanan had called upon thirteen to give judgment. Then said Hanan, “This
man is for certain condemned to death, or at least to be handed over to
the Roman Procurator: for already a majority of two have declared his
death, even if all the rest were for an acquittal, as I cannot think
possible. The Court will rise and reassemble at the time of the saying of
the morning prayer, in order to confirm this judgment. Ye will not have
long to wait, for even now I heard the crowing of the cock, and the dawn
cannot be far off.”
Then the Court broke up, and many of the younger members met together and
discussed the case. And I was somewhat surprised to find that very few
words of compassion were raised for Jesus. The stubborn conduct of the
prisoner had set them against him in the first place, and his wild
outburst had confirmed their ill thoughts of him. But most of all they
were influenced by the thought that this was but a preliminary trial, and
could only result in handing him over to the Roman Procurator, with whom
the last word would be. None of them had seen aught of Jesus but during
the last few days in the Temple, when he had interfered with their order
and prerogatives. I cannot say I was convinced, either by Hanan’s harangue
at first, or by these men’s arguments afterwards. But I was somewhat
perplexed, feeling myself in some wise an intruder in their midst, not
being of the priestly order. And as is my custom in such cases, I went out
into the open air down the steps into the atrium.
There I found a great fire had been lit in the court, for the night was
chilly. Near the fire Jesus was seated, with the High Priest’s guard
around him. As I came near, behold, one of the guard threw part of his
mantle across the face of Jesus so as to blindfold him, and then struck
him, saying, “Thou art a Prophet; prophesy who hath struck thee.” And all
the soldiers laughed and jeered. Then sought I the captain of the guard
and told him this, and he said, “They mean naught of ill—they be rude
fellows; howbeit, I will stop them.” And he went up to them and reproved
them. And I paced up and down the courtyard, with the silent stars above
and the glowing fire beneath, till an apparitor of the High Priest
summoned me, saying, “It beginneth to dawn at the back of the house; the
Council will resume its sitting.”
When I entered the council‐chamber, I found all seated as before, but in
the midst was a smaller table, at which was seated a scribe, with a roll
in front of him. Then Hanan the High Priest came in, and said, “Ye have
all had the time of deliberation prescribed by our sages in capital cases,
or at least as much time as the urgency of the matter permits. We must
proceed to the formal ratification of this man’s sentence, for I cannot
doubt that ye will see fit to confirm the righteous judgment which your
zeal for the Lord caused you to pass just now upon this man. And again I
would bid you remember you are voting, not so much for this man’s death,
as whether he is to be delivered to the Romans. Scribe, read the roll.”
And with that the scribe began to read our names, and we all answered to
them. Then said Hanan, “We will now proceed to the voting,” and called
upon Chananyah ben Nedebai to record his vote. And he voted as before, for
death. Then each in his turn, and all voted as before. And when my name
was called upon I arose and hesitated, and Hanan looked over to me and
said, “Thou speakest here by our courtesy, Meshullam ben Zadok; if thou
disagree with the unanimous opinion of thy colleagues, thou hadst best
instruct us in thy reasons. What sayest thou? Is not he guilty of death
who is guilty of blasphemy against the Most High?” “Yea,” said I. “And was
not this man Jesus manifestly guilty of blasphemy before us?” “Yea,” said
I. Then said Hanan swiftly to the scribe, “He voteth for death,” and waved
me down to my seat. And thereafter all the remaining members of the
Council voted for death, finishing with Hanan as the oldest, who merely
gave a grim nod to the scribe.
By this time it was quite light, and all the Council and many of Hanan’s
household joined together to say the morning prayers. After prayers most
of the Council, with Hanan and Caiaphas at our head, followed the soldiers
who guarded Jesus down from the Mount of Olives. As we came near the Brook
Kidron, behold, a man with haggard face darted out from the shrubs by the
wayside, and rushing up to Hanan the High Priest, dashed down at his feet
a bag which chinked, and then disappeared into the wayside again. But
Hanan only motioned with his finger to the bag at his feet, and the
captain of his guard lifted it up and poured out its contents into his
hand, and, behold, it was a number of new shekels from the Temple
treasury. Then Hanan smiled grimly, and bade the captain put them aside.
Thereupon we resumed our march, and soon came to the Aldgate. There we
inquired where the Procurator was, and learnt that he had taken up his
dwelling at the Palace of Herod, so that he might be in Jerusalem during
the Passover, as was his wont, for fear of a rising at that time. Then we
marched across and halted in front of the palace. And on our way the rumor
spread throughout the city that Jesus the Nazarene was being carried
before the Procurator, and soon our procession was joined by all who were
free from household duties. I have explained to thee, have I not, how that
for those of the older opinion this sixth day of the week was the day on
which the Paschal lamb was to be sacrificed, and for all good Jews the
morning would be devoted to the final search after the leaven. That
morning, therefore, all the householders of Jerusalem and all the heads of
families were occupied in the search after leaven, or in preparation for
the Paschal sacrifice, and it was only the younger men, and those who
cared not for acts of piety, who followed our procession on the way to
Herod’s Palace.
Now, all those of the Council were of the older opinion as to the Paschal
sacrifice, and were about to perform it on the evening of that day.
Wherefore it behoved them not to enter the dwellings of the heathen during
that day, since it is their custom to bury the bodies of men in their
gardens or in their houses, which render them a defilement to us Jews.
Therefore on the day of a sacrifice no Jew may enter a heathen’s house,
above all the High Priest, upon whose sanctity the holiness of the nation
depends. When, therefore, we came within twenty paces of the Procurator’s
dwelling, Hanan caused our procession to halt, and a summons to be sounded
upon the trumpet. Thereat a lictor appeared, who asked our business, and
to him Hanan gave a message to the Procurator. And here for the first time
since he had been arrested I could see the countenance of Jesus near me,
and it surprised me much to observe that all traces of anxiety and
weariness had disappeared from it. He seemed relieved and resigned, and
paid no heed to what was passing around him, seeming only to commune with
himself, or perhaps, I should say, with some inward friend and comforter.
Then Pontius Pilate came forward and spake to Joseph Caiaphas the High
Priest, and asked him what he would with him. And Caiaphas answered and
said, pointing to Jesus, “This man have we captured and brought unto thee,
finding that he was perverting the people, and declaring that he was the
Anointed One of Israel, and therefore the rightful King of the Jews. Him
therefore have we brought to thee, seeing it is a matter which toucheth
our master the Emperor.” Thereupon Pontius Pilate turned round, and said
something in the barbarian tongue, and the guard of Roman soldiers came
forward and took Jesus from the High Priest’s guard, and took him with
them up the steps of the palace. Then Pilate courteously invited the High
Priests to enter the judgment‐hall with him; but they, in answer, pointed
out that on that holy day they dared not enter to any house but their own
and the house of God. Then Pilate turned his back with scanter courtesy,
and reëntered the palace, and we and the common people remained outside
waiting.
XVI.
CONDEMNATION AND EXECUTION.
And after a while of waiting, Pontius Pilate reappeared, and coming down
to Caiaphas said, “He hath confessed; he shall join the other criminals
that are to be executed this day.” Then one among those who were waiting
in the crowd came forward unto Pilate, and said unto him, “Master, it is a
grace of our lord the Emperor that at our Passover there be released unto
us one of the prisoners that are condemned to death.” And Pilate answered
and said, “That is so: whom will ye that I release?” And many of those in
the crowd called out, “Jesus.” And Pilate stepped back, and summoned to
him a lictor. And shortly after soldiers came forward in the portico,
bearing with them Jesus the Nazarene. Upon him was a purple robe of
royalty, and upon his brow had been placed the faded rose‐wreath of some
reveller which had been put on in haste, and some of the thorns had torn
the flesh, and blood was trickling down. When the people saw him, many
cried out, “Not this Jesus, but Jesus Bar Abbas.” And one man among the
crowd called out, “Better Jesus Bar Abba(10) than Jesus Bar Amma;”(11) and
laughter and jeers followed. Then Pilate seemed puzzled, and called to him
one of his lictors, who spake earnestly to him for a time, and then
received an order from him. And going up the steps, he entered the palace.
And shortly afterwards there came forward the man Jesus Bar Abbas of
Jerusalem, of whom I have spoken to thee before. Now, he had been very
popular among the folk, and had lost his liberty in a rising against the
Romans, in which a Roman sentry had been slain. And there stood the two
Jesuses—the one that had risen against the Romans, and the one that had
told the people they should pay tribute to their Roman lords. It was
manifest that the new‐comer, who had done naught against the Romans, was
more in favor with Pilate the Procurator, while the folk who had welcomed
him on the first day of the week, on this the sixth day reviled and
despised him because he had refused to lead a rising against the Romans as
the other one had done. Then Pilate called out to them and said, “Whom
will ye that I release unto you: Jesus who is called Bar Abbas, or Jesus
who is called Christ?” And almost all the multitude cried, “Jesus Bar
Abbas! Jesus Bar Abbas!” Then Pilate gave command, and the soldiers took
tack Jesus the Nazarene into the palace again, while others removed the
fetters from Jesus Bar Abbas, and he came down the steps and disappeared
among the crowd.
After a while, there came forward from the side gate a company of Roman
soldiers, who took their stand in front of the steps of the palace, moving
the crowd away therefrom. And shortly after, other soldiers brought down
from above three men, each carrying two pieces of timber, one fixed across
the top of the other, like unto the letter _tau_. One of these was Jesus
the Nazarene, clad once more in his own garments, and without the rose‐
wreath; yet couldst thou see the mark of the thorns upon his brow. The
others were, as I learnt, malefactors that had been condemned for robbery.
Just at this moment one touched me on the shoulder, and, turning, I found
it was one of the servants of my household, who spake unto me and said,
“Meshullam ben Zadok, thy father would speak with thee.” And as the house
was not far off, I went with him and spake to my father, who would have me
accompany him on the search for leaven on that morn. For at that time I
was betrothed, and next year I should have a house of my own, and would
have to conduct the search for leaven as a master of a household. So I
went round the house with my father—peace be upon him!—and searched for
the leaven.
By the time the search for the leaven had been concluded, the hour had
come for the mid‐day meal, at which all the members of my family
assembled. But I hurried forth, as soon as the grace after meals had been
said, to ascertain what had been the fate of the Nazarene. I could not go
to the place of execution, for it is not seemly for a member of the
Sanhedrim to attend an execution. I soon learnt that the Roman soldiers
had conducted Jesus and the two others to the Hill Golgotha, somewhat
apart from the place of stoning, where our Jewish executions were held.
As I have explained to thee, Aglaophonos, our Sages have mercifully
interpreted the words of the Law relating to the four modes of capital
punishment among us—stoning, burning, beheading, and strangulation. For
stoning they have substituted throwing down from a height after the
criminal has been made to feel naught by drinking a mixture of
frankincense, myrrh, and vinegar, which the ladies of Jerusalem supply as
one of their pious duties. The criminal condemned to be burnt is in
reality strangled, and then a lighted wick placed for a moment in his open
mouth. In every way the aim of the Sages is to shorten the sufferings of
the condemned man. But the Romans, at least in their execution of all but
Roman citizens, seem rather to aim at the opposite of this; for they have
selected, as their method of execution for slaves and criminals that are
not citizens, suspension on a cross, by which all the organs of the body
are strained and tortured till some vital organ gives way. It was this
cruel form of punishment that the Romans were dealing out to Jesus the
Nazarene. It happeneth oft that men live for two or three days on the
cross, till they die even of hunger. I learnt to my dismay that Jesus had
refused, with words of menace, to take the draught of myrrh and wine which
the ladies of Jerusalem, as I have said, prepare for all men condemned to
capital punishment, so that they may not feel the pain and torture.
I could not go to the place of execution, as a member of the Sanhedrim. I
hurried, therefore, to the northern slopes of the Temple mount, whence one
can see Golgotha. At first I could discern naught, for sombre clouds
covered all the heights of Scopus. But suddenly a flash came forth from
them, followed by a dull roll of thunder, and I could see for a moment
three crosses raised side by side on the top of Golgotha. Which of these
held Jesus I knew not. I only knew that there was dying one who had seemed
born to do honor to his nation, to help to deliver Israel from the men who
were now torturing him to his death. Since the night before, events had so
hurried past me that I had had no time to think of their import till now,
when I sat me down in the purple shadow of Antonia, and gazed upon the
hill of execution, where from time to time flashes showed me the three
crosses on the hill.
This, then, was the end of the hopes connected with Jesus of Nazara, and
of the empire which he had wielded over men’s minds! But five days agone
welcomed as a king, to‐day executed with the ignominy reserved for the
basest slave. Each day of his sojourn in Jerusalem he had made another and
yet another class of the nation his enemies. First he threatens the power
of the priests; next he insults their opposites, the Pharisees; and then
he puts to naught the hope of the common folk that he would help them rise
against the Romans. Between Sabbath and Sabbath he had lost every friend;
not even his immediate followers stood by his side in the hour of trial.
And yet no man had appeared in Israel for many generations endowed in so
high a degree with all the qualities which mark us Israelites out from the
nations around. He was tender to the poor; and which of the nations has
given thought for its poor, their feelings as well as their welfare, like
unto Israel? He bare the yoke of the Law willingly, yet as a son, not as a
slave, of the Most High. God was to him, as to all of us, as an ever‐
present Father, to love, to chasten, and to reward; not as a harsh
taskmaster or as a boon‐companion, as with the commoner minds of thy
people, Aglaophonos; nor as a vain figment of the reason, as with thy
higher minds.
Even in what thou regardest as defects in our nation, this Jesus seemed
also to share. Thou makest us the reproach that we give no thought to the
beauties and grandeur of nature, and in nothing that I had seen and heard
of him did the Nazarene differ from the rest of us in this. Thou
complainest that we look upon life with all too much seriousness. “Ye
cannot see the smile upon the face of things,” thou saidst once to me. In
this surely Jesus was a Jew of the Jews. We never saw him smile, still
less heard him laugh. Thou wouldst hold up to me as a model Socrates thy
teacher, who taught the Hellenes truth with a smile. That man there, dying
upon the cross, had tried to teach Israel the truth with tears and
threats.
Herein he followed the exemplar of our prophets. Only in Israel have the
men who have led us farthest reviled us most. As our God, who has been to
us a Father, has chastened us while he loved us, so our prophets have
rebuked us their brethren. Many generations of men have passed since the
last of the prophets spake his words of loving reproof. Now has appeared
this Jesus, who again takes up their work.
But in one thing, and that a great thing, he differs from our prophets.
All these spake never but as messengers of the Most High. This man alone
of the prophets speaketh in his own name: therefore he hath been a
stumbling‐block and an offence unto us. He spake as one having authority,
and it seemed to us as arrogance. And when we would speak with him in the
gates, and know his own thought, he evaded our questionings and eluded our
testings. He seemed aloof from us and our desires. All Israel was pining
to be freed from the Roman yoke, and he would have us pay tribute to Rome
for aye. Did he feel himself in some way as not of our nation? I know not;
but in all ways we failed to know him.
And as I was communing thus, the sun shone forth from a rift in the clouds
and illumined for a space the crown of Calvary, and I stretched forth my
hands to the figures on the cross, and cried aloud in my perplexity,
“Jesus, what art thou?” And then I bethought me, and my hands fell to my
side, and I said, “What wert thou, Jesus?” Naught answered me but the
distant rumbling from the gloomy clouds.
But the sun was setting over Israel, and I turned to my father’s house,
there once more to celebrate the Feast of the Deliverance from Egypt.