THE PHARISEE FROM TARSUS.
"Oh, that Jehovah would rend the heavens; that Israel might see his
righteousness! My heart burneth within me as a live coal. I cannot
sleep because of these things."
"God hath given thee this spirit, my son, because of the peril of his
chosen. He shall greatly prosper the work of thine hand." Annas
uttered these words in a low, smooth voice, drawing his long silvery
beard through his delicate fingers and looking keenly from under his
half-closed eyelids at the dark, eager face before him.
"If I could only help on the day of his coming!" said the young man,
rising and pacing restlessly up and down the floor, his hands clasped
behind him, his head sunken upon his breast.
As he walked thus, the eyes of the older man followed him with a
peculiar satisfaction. They rested approvingly on the strong athletic
figure, on the bent head crisped with dark curls, on the stern brow and
fiery eyes, and the clear, strongly-cut features.
"From my youth have I been struggling to keep the law with this one end
in view!" continued the speaker. "If I, even I, might be he who shall
by his holy living, by the exact fulfilling of the law of the Almighty,
bring the Messiah! But the flesh is weak, I know not how I have
offended. Of the two hundred and forty-eight commands and the three
hundred and sixty-five prohibitions, I have not broken one knowingly for
many days. But there has always been failure, a drop of unclean water,
perchance, on the dish from which I have eaten, or my robe has touched
one who is polluted and I knew it not, or I myself in all my zeal have
omitted something. It must be all or nothing in the eyes of him who is
God of gods, infinite, unsearchable, who knoweth all things. What is
man that he can please him who sitteth on the circle of the heavens?"
Annas smiled behind his hand. "The zeal of thine house hath eaten me
up," he quoted piously. "Truly, my son, it giveth me heartfelt joy to
perceive such holy aspirations in so young a man. Now do I know that God
was with me when I was moved to send for Saul of Tarsus. As for me, I
am an old man. I can no longer support all the rigor of the law, else
would my flesh fail me. 'Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to
hearken than the fat of rams,' as it is written also in the law."
"It is that alone to which I press forward--obedience to the law. Thou
knowest--why should I even speak of the matter to thee, my father, that
if one person only can for a single day keep the whole law and not
offend in one point, nay, if but one person could for once perfectly
keep the Sabbath of the Lord our God, then--then the Messiah would come.
Then would the Lord dwell once more among his people in visible form.
Then would we tread our enemies under our feet, then would the Holy of
Holies be filled with glory so that Jerusalem should shine as a bride
prepared for her husband. Oh, Lord! when shall these things be? 'Why
dost thou tarry? Why is thy holy city defiled by the Gentiles?'" The
speaker paused and lifted his face as if to listen for some word from
the unanswering heavens.
The deep tones of the old man broke the silence. "These things can never
be until Jerusalem is purged of the followers of that blasphemer, who
hath of late paid the just penalty of his crimes on the accursed tree.
Take counsel with me, my son, and I will tell thee how thou shalt hasten
this day of which thou hast spoken. 'With thine eyes shalt thou behold
and see the reward of the wicked. The Lord will not cast off his
people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.' He speaks to thee, my
son, through the words of my mouth, listen therefore, 'Judgment shall
return unto righteousness, and all the upright in heart shall follow it.
But who will rise up for me against the evil doers; who will stand up
for me against the workers of iniquity?'"
"I will stand against the workers of iniquity," answered the young man
solemnly. "I will utterly crush them and cast them out, even as did
Elijah in the day when he slew the prophets of Baal at the brook
Kishon."
"Upon thee, my son, hath the mantle of the prophet fallen, and into thy
hand will I commit this work. Only must thou submit thyself to my
direction in the matter, for I know the ways of this people and of this
city as thou dost not. Listen therefore while I shall speak to thee of
what we must accomplish."
"Speak! for my spirit burns within me. I long to come up to the help of
the Lord against the mighty."
"Thou hast well said the mighty, my son, for strange and terrible things
have happened. Thou hast already heard how that suddenly out of the
hill country of Galilee there arose a man called Jesus of Nazareth. He
was a carpenter, and the son of a carpenter, he wrought also at his
trade blamelessly enough until he was about thirty years of age. After
that he took to himself certain men of the baser sort, gathered from
among ignorant fisher folk, and even publicans; these men he called his
disciples. Then went he forth and began to teach strange and ungodly
doctrines to the people. He taught them that the Sabbath was not to be
observed after the law, that the priests and rabbis were hypocrites;
yea, he even said that we were as whited sepulchres, fair to look upon,
but within full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Extortioners
also he called us and unjust." And the speaker's voice shook with
passion. "He pretended to do wondrous miracles, and all manner of wild
tales began to fill the mouths of the common people. Even of our own
number were led after him certain ones--Joseph of Arimathea--may God
smite him, and Nicodemus also, so thou canst perceive the cunning of the
Evil One. He came boldly up to Jerusalem at the time of feasts, he even
made pretense of keeping the feasts also with his disciples, yet was he
always undermining the law and teaching others so. Repeatedly did he
heal on the Sabbath day."
"What meanest thou?" said the young man, knitting his dark brows. "Did
he heal then, of a truth?"
Annas hesitated a moment, he shifted uneasily about in his place. "Thou
wilt hear wondrous tales of his doings," he said at length, dropping his
eyes to the floor. "But--" and his voice gathered firmness, "it is all
lies--all lies. The man paid money to vile beggars to pretend that they
were blind and halt, then, forsooth, he loosed them from their
infirmities."
"It was reported in Tarsus that he had raised a man from the dead," said
Saul, fixing his candid dark eyes on the downcast face of his companion.
"Reported?--yes! I also heard of the marvel. The High Priest sent his
servant, Malchus, to inquire into the matter."
"Why did he not go himself?"
"What need? the man was faithful."
"Where is this Malchus? I should like to speak with him."
Annas looked alarmed. "The man hath died since," he said, frowning.
"What said he of the matter?"
"What could an honest man say?" replied Annas with a crafty smile. "Can
a carpenter build anew the life which God hath taken out of a man? But
I have not told thee all. This carpenter also declared that he was the
Messiah."
There was silence in the room for a moment, broken only by the quickened
breathing of the young man.
"He said further in the presence of the holy Council of the Sanhedrim
that he was the Son of God, the King of Israel, and that hereafter he
would come in the clouds of heaven to judge the earth."
Saul of Tarsus sprang to his feet, lightnings played within his eyes.
"Blasphemer!" he cried in a choked voice. "Why did not Jehovah smite
him to the earth?"
"Jehovah did smite him by the hand of his servants; not many hours after
he had uttered those sayings he died the accursed death--But hark! I
hear a sound of turmoil; what hath befallen? Alas for Jerusalem! she is
sorely vexed by the heathen within her gates. Ever and anon the Roman
soldiers smite the inhabitants and there is the clash of weapons and the
shedding of blood even at the very gates of the temple."
His companion glanced out of the window. "The people are running from
every direction," he said eagerly. "Let us see what hath happened."
"Go thou, my son. I must needs sanctify myself for the temple service."
Descending into the street and following the steps of the hurrying
stragglers, the young man soon found himself in the meaner and more
crowded portions of the city. Here the narrow streets were choked with
people, all running, pushing, struggling towards a common centre.
The Pharisee of Tarsus shrank back with disgust into the doorway of a
synagogue near at hand, and from this coign of vantage looked forth on
the crowd. The white turbans of Jewish rabbis, the red-bronze faces of
Egyptian camel drivers, and the gay robes of Asiatic merchants all
mingled in the shifting mazes of the multitude. A jargon of tongues
also, like the buzzing of a gigantic swarm of bees, filled the air.
From somewhere not far away, he could hear the loud tones of a man's
voice, rising and falling as if in passionate exhortation.
"What hath befallen?" he asked at length of a man dressed in the garb of
a Greek sailor, who, like himself, had sought refuge in the doorway of
the synagogue.
"Fire from heaven hath fallen on the followers of the Nazarene," replied
the man, without looking around.
"Dost thou mean the followers of the man called Jesus, who hath lately
perished on the cross?" said Saul, regardless for once of the defilement
which he brought upon himself by speaking with this Gentile.
"The same," replied the Greek, glancing carelessly at his questioner.
"The man Jesus was a worker of miracles. He revived after being buried
three days, and went up bodily to dwell with the God of the Jews."
"Dog of a Gentile," cried Saul angrily, "thou art accursed because thou
art a Gentile, but doubly accursed because thou hast also blasphemed."
The Greek shrugged his shoulders. "Do I care for thee, Jew?" he said,
showing his white teeth in a wicked laugh. "Thou also art accursed, and
thy temple shall be torn down, so that not one stone shall stand upon
another. I heard the Nazarene say it, and, by Bacchus, I believe it."
"Thou shalt be scourged, fellow, and thy scurrilous tongue cut from thy
head," hissed Saul between his shut teeth. "I am a Roman, and I will
see to it."
At this the man turned pale, for all his swarthy skin. With a sudden,
quick movement, he snatched his garments from the grasp of the Pharisee
and fled away into the crowd, doubling and twisting under the arms and
betwixt the legs of the half-naked barbarians till he was lost to view.
Saul looked after him for a moment in speechless rage.
"Thou art a stranger, then, in Jerusalem," said a voice at his side,
"and knowest not what wonders have come upon the Holy City--wonders and
terrors also."
The young Pharisee turned and looked at the speaker. He was a Jew, and
wore a broad phylactery upon his arm. "I have heard all," he said
shortly. "But what hath befallen the followers of the man? The knave
yonder said that fire from heaven had fallen upon them; I hope that they
be burned to ashes, as were the dwellers in Sodom."
"They are unharmed," said the newcomer gravely. "If, indeed, fire hath
fallen upon them, it was a fire that enlightened their understanding,
for even now they are preaching to the people of the risen Galilean, so
that of all these foreigners every man hears in his own tongue."
"Nay, son of Abraham," cried another voice, "the men are drunken with
new wine, and babble as is the custom of wine-bibbers and gluttons."
Saul recognized in the speaker one of the members of the Sanhedrim.
"Why then do ye, who are in authority, suffer such unseemly conduct in
these men? Why not deal with them also as thou hast dealt with their
Master?"
"Thou art zealous," said the other in a low voice, and with a gesture of
caution. "Yet would such measures be untimely. This," indicating the
mixed multitude with a contemptuous wave of his hand, "is a beast, which
hath not been tamed either by the church nor yet by the Romans. When it
hath tired of these babblers it will rend them, even as it rent the
Nazarene, for it was this very multitude that shrieked, 'Crucify him!
crucify him!' for the space of three hours. Come, let us be going. We
defile ourselves by remaining in this place."