AWAITING TRIAL BEFORE NERO
It was a little past mid‐day, after a toilsome journey, that Julius, with
his notable prisoner, accompanied by Luke, Aristarchus, and a few
soldiers, approached the city of the Cæsars. From the summit of a rise in
the Appian Way, a few miles distant, Saulus had the first view of the
place of his fateful residence. The long wall of blue Sabine mountains,
with Soracte in the distance, enclosed the broad Campagna, which stretched
across to the sea and around the base of the Alban hills. The great city
seemed blended in one indiscriminate mass of color, in which were mingled
every grade and variety of human domiciles, with colossal baths, temples,
theatres, colonnades, and palaces, relieved by the gilded domes and roofs
which flashed forth the brightness of the warm afternoon sun. As they
approached the emporium, the great thoroughfare became more confusing and
thronged. It seemed like a mighty, swift‐flowing river with counter
currents. Chariots, richly carved and gilded, drawn by three or four
horses abreast, two and four wheeled vehicles of all qualities, luxurious
litters, inlaid with mother of pearl, carried upon the shoulders of
slaves, whose proud occupants looked down upon pedestrians, horsemen, and
footmen of all nationalities, soldiers and civilians, patricians and
beggars, formed a dense and endless moving panorama. It was the pulsation
of the main artery near the heart of the world. On either side were
countless tombs, architecturally beautiful, containing numerous bas‐
reliefs and inscriptions, including those of the Scipios, Cæcilia Metella,
and others of notable fame, with endless statues, columns, and other
stately memorials.
“What conflux issuing forth or passing in;
Prætors, Proconsuls to their provinces
Hasting, or on return, in robes of state,
Lictors and rods, the ensigns of their power,
Legions and cohorts, turms of horse and wings,
Or embassies from regions far remote,
In various habits, on the Appian road ...
Dusk faces with white silken turbans wreathed.”
Many an eye glanced with disdainful curiosity upon the chained Saulus and
his little knot of Jewish sympathizers, as they threaded their way among
the crowd with an escort of soldiers. At length in the distance they catch
sight of the imperial palaces on the Palatine Hill, and still beyond,
crowning the summit of Capitolinus, the Capitol, or Tabularium. Soon they
pass by the fountain of Egeria, thence by the pyramid of C. Cestius, under
the arch of Drusus, and through the Capenian gate. Turning abruptly to the
right at the Circus Maximus, their route is lined with temples, triumphal
arches, baths, and statues, until they finally reach the barracks of the
Prætorian guard, which was always kept close at hand for the immediate
service of Cæsar.
Saulus, by his own appeal, was now at the seat of the governmental and
military power of the earth. Even though coming as a prisoner, a long
dream of his life was now accomplished. He was in Rome.
Julius left his prisoner with the guard at the entrance to the barracks,
and made his way to the office of Africanus Burrus, the Prætorian Præfect,
to announce the termination of his long and successful commission. After
the usual military salute, the centurion began his report,—
“O Præfect! I come to make known my return from Cæsarea with the prisoner
Saulus, in charge of whom I was sent, and now he is here, ready to be
delivered into thy keeping.”
“It is well! I commend thee that thine arduous service hath been
accomplished. But so long a time hath passed since I was informed
concerning this case that I have forgotten about the nature of the charge.
I must consult the records.”
While the scribe of the Præfect was searching the docket, Julius continued
his verbal report,—
“The man is a Jew, but hath the rights of Roman citizenship. After being
tried by Agrippa, he appealed unto Cæsar.”
“Ah, yes! I now call him to mind. He is the one who stirred up such a
commotion among the Jews at Jerusalem and Cæsarea. He was charged with
preaching a strange faith, and worshipping some unknown god. Was he also
answerable for speaking against the authority of Cæsar?”
“Nay; his political loyalty was unquestioned! His only real offence was
some violation of Judaism. There was a great clamor among the Jews for his
punishment, and even death. Their national religion appears to be
peculiarly bigoted and intolerant. I am minded that King Agrippa found no
real fault in him. I heard that it was declared both by Festus and Agrippa
that the man had done nothing worthy of death or even bonds, and that he
might have been set free had he not appealed to Cæsar. Feeling the
injustice of the accusations which came from his own countrymen, he nobly
sought the highest tribunal.”
“He must be an uncommon prisoner, and I shall accord him special
privileges!”
“I rejoice in that! Though a chained prisoner, he is the wisest and most
marvellous man that I have ever known. He is gifted with more knowledge,
even about sailing a ship, than the master with whom we took passage. Had
his advice been followed, we should have been spared a shipwreck, and even
then, but for his wisdom and wonderful encouragement, I am persuaded that
all on board would have perished.”
“May the gods be merciful to him! Thine experience proves that a prisoner
may sometimes be a philosopher,” said the Præfect thoughtfully; “but how
unfortunate that a man of such superior wisdom should be a devotee of a
strange and superstitious religion!”
“Yea! He pays homage to a countryman of his own—a Nazarene whose name was
Jesus—whom he calls ‘the Christ.’ He teaches that this Christ was a God‐
man, and therefore a leader and ruler; but that his kingdom is in the
souls of men, and that it hath no dishonor for the government of Cæsar.”
“Shade of Apollo! that is a strange kind of an empire! Even our Roman gods
have but feeble power to change the feelings and conduct of men. But it
would seem that much learning hath made the man strange, and perchance a
little beside himself!”
“So I thought at first sight, most excellent Præfect! but his life,
virtue, and power are marvellous. He hath ability, through his God, to
heal the sick and cast out foul spirits, and both at Melita and Puteoli he
did many wonderful works. The inhabitants were unwilling to part with
him.”
“Our soothsayers essay to perform miracles, but I have in no wise
confidence in their pretension. But your report hath made me much
interested in your notable prisoner. I shall give him as large a liberty
as my duty will allow.”
“I assure thee that he in no wise will abuse it,” said the centurion with
enthusiasm. “Behold his presence, though not at first outwardly
prepossessing, is very attractive and helpful! I cannot describe it, but
he is unlike any other man I ever knew. I feel strangely loath to part
with him. But my duty is ended, and I have only to deliver him into thy
hands.”
Julius then handed to Burrus the sealed parchments that were sent by
Festus and King Agrippa. The Præfect broke the seals, and carefully read
the contents.
“I perceive that this is an unwonted and prejudiced case from the
beginning. The charges are made wholly by the Jews, who accuse the man of
sedition and blasphemy. But there is no evidence here. Did any witnesses
come with thee?”
“None, O Præfect! but I was informed that some were to follow. It hath
been made known to me that a vessel which sailed from Cæsarea soon after
ours was lost in the same terrible storm in which we were shipwrecked.
Peradventure some of the accusers of Saulus were aboard of her.”
“That may cause delay in the trial. But what dost thou think of the
charges?”
“That they are false, and have no basis other than in the prejudice of
that peculiar people, the Jews. Notwithstanding his strange faith, which
we cannot rightly understand, he is a man whom gods and men must
reverence, yea, even love.”
“I would look upon the face of this unwonted Jew,” said Burrus. “Bring him
in!”
The centurion left and soon returned, conducting his prisoner into the
presence of the Præfect. Saulus showed signs of his many hardships, and
his face looked like one whose life had been exposed to many strains and
shocks. His hair was gray, his brow furrowed, and his cheeks hollow, but
his eyes were bright and piercing. While unattractive in form and feature,
there was an indescribable light and vigor within, which seemed to shine
through the flesh, and impress and attract the most careless beholder.
“This is thy prisoner, O Præfect, Saulus of Tarsus!” said Julius.
Saulus gave the Præfect a proper greeting.
“The report of the centurion to which I have listened giveth me great
respect for thee. Thy captivity shall be made as easy as my service to
Cæsar will allow, and when opportunity offers I shall be pleased to have
some converse with thee. But now, after thy long journey, thou dost need
rest and refreshment, so for the present I will send thee to thy
quarters.”
Saulus thanked the Præfect for his kindly words.
A Prætorian was directed to take him to a comfortable outer room in the
best part of the prisoners’ quarters, and the order was given that he be
allowed to hire a house in the vicinity for himself, if he so desired,
until the time of his trial.
Beyond the Tiber, in a district mostly squalid and miserable, there had
grown up a large community of Jews. It was the residential section of the
rabble, and headquarters for the most ignoble trades and poorest
merchandise. Although low and thoroughly despised by the Romans, but a
small portion of the Hebrews were slaves. At this time toleration was
general, and both they and the Christians enjoyed immunity from
disturbance in their synagogue services.
As ever before and since, the Jewish element was distinct and
unamalgamated. Through all the ages they have been a standing wonder,—a
“peculiar people.”
As soon as Saulus was settled in Rome, in order that his countrymen might
not misunderstand his position, he lost no time in inviting their
principal men—the rulers and elders of the synagogues—to meet him, so that
he might disabuse them of prejudice, which many of them already had
concerning him. They were sharply divided into parties and sects. There
were Jews of the old order, who were hostile to Christianity; Judaizing
Christians, or such as nominally accepted the Prophet of Nazareth, but
clung to ceremonialism; and a few converts to the New Faith, who nearly or
quite disregarded the traditional code. With such incongruous elements
Saulus began his labors, striving upon the basis of essential truth to
harmonize their discords and make peace.
At the time appointed, which was only three days after his arrival, the
room of Saulus was crowded with the principal representatives of the
various sects which he had invited to meet him. While intending to preach
the gospel both to Jew and Gentile, he was minded to begin by an effort to
conciliate the feelings of his Hebrew brethren both toward himself and the
New Faith. He came at once to the point, as soon as his auditors were
convened, and began his address.
“Brethren and friends! I would make known unto you that I am no traitor to
our nation because I have appealed to the Roman power. It hath been
rumored among you that I have come to Rome as an accuser of the Sanhedrin
before Cæsar. But instead, I have come to defend myself against its
enmity. The chief priests and elders invoked the lower tribunals of the
foreign power, and thus compelled me to appeal to the supreme authority
for justice and vindication. I have committed no offence against Israel,
or the customs of our fathers, yet my countrymen delivered me up with
accusations of sedition and blasphemy.
“Behold I am one of your brethren—of the seed of Abraham—of the tribe of
Benjamin—a Hebrew of the Hebrews, and my labors have been abundant for the
salvation of our people! Even the Roman governor was ready to set me free,
but my Jewish enemies would none of it.
“I call God to witness that my only crime hath been my firm faith in the
deliverance of his people through the Messiah, foretold and promised by
the prophets of old. I am set for the defence of the gospel, not by envy
and strife, but through love and good‐will, that it may abound unto all
nations and to you‐ward. Behold the covenant which the God of glory made
with our father Abraham, and the testimony to Moses while in the
wilderness to raise up a Prophet unto us, and the Holy One spoken of by
Isaiah, all are fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth! As foretold, he was put to
death, and opened not his mouth against his enemies. I beseech you, do not
vainly continue to look for a warlike Messiah, who, through garments
rolled in blood, shall restore only a seen kingdom, whereby the things of
this world prevail! Behold in due season a spiritual dominion cometh which
shall fill the whole earth! Carnal weapons must give place to the sword of
the Spirit, until all nations shall be brought under the mild sway of the
Prince of Peace. The Prophet of Nazareth laid the foundation for an
Universal Kingdom, but its coming will be without observation.
“I might persuade you by arguments without end, drawn from your own
Scriptures, of the truth of the spiritual faith which I proclaim! I could
fill your ears with the warnings, promises, and inspirations of the
ancient patriarchs, law‐givers, singers, and prophets that have arisen
among our own people. I beseech you, therefore, to lay aside every
prejudice, and no longer dwell in dead forms and ceremonies. I would that
ye be transformed by the renewing of your minds through the power of the
Holy Ghost. I beseech you to give heed unto the words I have spoken, and
declare unto you that it is for the hope of Israel that I am bound with
this chain!”
Instead of bringing peace, the earnest appeal of Saulus increased the
dissensions among his auditors.
It was ever thus. Truth, when launched into the midst of error and
prejudice, unfailingly stirs them up, and brings their bitter dregs to the
surface. There is far more hope of winning an honest sceptic than a self‐
satisfied bigot. The Gentiles, or heathen, finally proved much more
accessible to the New Faith than the Chosen People themselves, although
the number of Hebrew Christians somewhat increased.
After a heated discussion, the larger part of the audience withdrew, and a
formal separation took place between them and the “Apostle to the
Gentiles.”
During the two years that the trial of Saulus, for various reasons, was
delayed, he remained in his own hired house, and was permitted much
liberty in proclaiming the power of the gospel to all who came to him. He
also wrote important letters to the churches of the East. But he was still
a prisoner, chained by the arm, both night and day, to a Prætorian. Many
of the rough soldiers who guarded him were moulded by his influence, and
thoroughly transformed in life and character by the spiritual
righteousness which he awakened within them. Even some of the household of
Cæsar and a few patricians were touched to the heart by the halo of the
divinity which shone out through the personality of the great Apostle.
As fair white lilies sometimes shoot up from the foul black slime at the
bottom of a pond so that their fragrance is wafted abroad by the breezes
of heaven, so the seed of a spiritual tree was scattered in the great
seething morass of corruption on the banks of the Tiber, which would yet
spring up and overspread the nations with its branches.