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diff --git a/48974.txt b/48974.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6f3714a --- /dev/null +++ b/48974.txt @@ -0,0 +1,3641 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of As Others Saw Him by Joseph Jacobs + + + +This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most +other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions +whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of +the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at +http://www.gutenberg.org/license. If you are not located in the United +States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you are located +before using this ebook. + + + +Title: As Others Saw Him + +Author: Joseph Jacobs + +Release Date: May 16, 2015 [Ebook #48974] + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: US-ASCII + + +***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AS OTHERS SAW HIM*** + + + + + + AS OTHERS SAW HIM + + + + + + AS OTHERS SAW HIM + + _A RETROSPECT_ + + A. D. 54 + + "_It cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem_" + LUKE xiii. 33 + + [Illustration: Publisher's sign] + + +BOSTON AND NEW YORK +HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN AND COMPANY +*The Riverside Press, Cambridge* +1895 + + + + + + Copyright, 1895, + BY HOUGHTON, MIFFLIN & CO. + + _All rights reserved._ + + + + + _The Riverside Press, Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A._ + Electrotyped and Printed by H. O. Houghton & Co. + + + + + +TO AGLAOPHONOS, PHYSICIAN OF THE GREEKS AT CORINTH, MESHULLAM BEN ZADOK, A +SCRIBE OF THE JEWS AT ALEXANDRIA, GREETING:-- + +_It was a joy and a surprise to me to hear news after many days from thee, +my master and my friend. To thee I owe whatever I have of Greek wisdom; +for when in the old days at the Holy City thou soughtest me for +instruction in our Law, I learnt more from thee than I could impart to +thee. Since I last wrote to thee, I have come to this great city, where +many of my nation dwell, and almost all the most learned of thy tongue are +congregated. Truly, it would please me much, and mine only son and his +wife, if thou couldst come and take up thy sojourn among us for a while._ + +_Touching the man Saul of Tarsus, of whom thou writest, I know but little. +He is well instructed in our Law, both written and oral, having received +the latter from the chief master among those of the past generation, +Gamaliel by name. Yet he is not of the disciples of Aaron that love peace; +for when I last heard of him he was among the leaders of a riot in which a +man was slain. And now I think thereon, I am almost certain that the slain +man was of the followers of Jesus the Nazarene, and this Saul was __among +the bitterest against them. And yet thou writest that the same Saul has +spoken of the Nazarene that he was a god like Apollo, that had come down +on earth for a while to live his life among men. Truly, men's minds are as +the wind that bloweth hither and thither._ + +_But as for that Jesus of Nazara, I can tell thee much, if not all. For I +was at Jerusalem all the time he passed for a leader of men up to his +shameful death. At first I admired him for his greatness of soul and +goodness of life, but in the end I came to see that he was a danger to our +nation, and, though unwillingly, I was of those who voted for his death in +the Council of Twenty-Three. Yet I cannot tell thee all I know in the +compass of a letter, so I have written it at large for thee, and it will +be delivered unto thee even with this letter. And in my description of +events I have been at pains to distinguish between what I saw myself and +what I heard from others, following in this the example of Herodotus of +Halicarnassus, who, if he spake rude Greek, wrote true history. And so +farewell._ + + + + + + CONTENTS. + + + PAGE + I. THE MAN WITH THE SCOURGE 9 + II. THE UPBRINGING 21 + III. EARLIER TEACHING. SERMON IN THE SYNAGOGUE OF THE 37 + GALILAEANS + IV. THE TWO WAYS 55 + V. THE WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY. THE RICH YOUNG MAN 63 + VI. THE TESTINGS IN THE TEMPLE 75 + VII. THE SECOND SERMON 87 +VIII. THE REBUKING OF JESUS 99 + IX. JESUS IN THE TEMPLE 111 + X. THE ENTRY INTO JERUSALEM 121 + XI. THE CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE 133 + XII. THE WOES 145 +XIII. THE GREAT REFUSAL 155 + XIV. THE MEETING OF THE HANANITES 167 + XV. THE EXAMINATION BEFORE THE SANHEDRIM 181 + XVI. CONDEMNATION AND EXECUTION 195 + EPILOGUE 207 + + + + + + + I. + THE MAN WITH THE SCOURGE. + + +I was crossing one morning the Xystus Bridge on my way to the Temple, when +I saw issuing from the nearest gate a herd of beasts of sacrifice. Fearing +that something untoward had occurred, I hurried to the gate, and when I +entered the Court of the Gentiles, I found all in confusion. The tables of +the money-changers had been overturned, and the men were gathering their +moneys from the ground. And in the midst I saw one with a scourge in his +hand. His face was full of wrath and scorn, his eyes blazed, and on his +left temple stood out a vein all blue, throbbing with his passion. He was +neither short nor tall, but of sturdy figure, and clad in rustic garb. + +Now, as the money-changers were escaping from his wrath, one of them ran +against a little child that was in the court, and it fell screaming. The +fellow took no heed, but went on his course. But the man with the scourge +went to the little child and raised it to its feet, and pressed it to his +side; the hand that rested on the curly head was that of a workman, with +broken nails, and yet the fingers twitched with the excitement of the man. +But, looking to his face, I saw that a wonderful change had come over it. +From rage, it had turned to pity and love; the eyes that had flashed scorn +on the money-changers now looked down with tenderness on the little child. +I remember thinking to myself, "This man cannot say the thing that is not; +his face bewrayeth him." + +Meanwhile the money-changers and those with them had collected together +near the gate by which I had entered, and stood there whispering and +muttering among themselves. All at once they turned towards the man as he +was soothing the little child, and shouted out together, "_Mamzer! +Mamzer!_" which in our tongue signifieth one born out of wedlock. Then the +man looked up from the little child, his face once more full of rage, and +the blue vein throbbing on his temple. He took a step towards the men, and +then he stopped. His face changed to a look of pity, and the men +themselves, in fear and shame, slunk away before his look through the gate +and were gone. + +Then he turned towards those that had for sale doves as sacrifices for the +women and the poor. To these he spoke in a tone that was calm and yet full +of authority, and then I noticed that his voice had the burr of our +northern peasantry. He said unto them, "Take these things hence; make not +my Father's house a house of merchandise." And these, too, went away +through the gates, carrying with them the wicker cages full of doves. Ever +since that time the doves have been for sale in Hanan's Bazaar on the +Mount of Olives. + +Now I must tell thee that at this time there had been much disputing +between the Pharisees and the Sadducees as to the sale of beasts for +sacrifice. The Pharisees held that each man might buy such beasts wherever +he would; but the Sadducees, being mainly priests, or of priestly blood, +would have it that the beasts of sacrifice could only be purchased from +the salesmen duly authorized by the High Priest; for they said, "Who shall +tell that the beasts are according to the Law, if they are bought from any +chance person?" Yet many thought they only did this in order that they +might share the profit from the sale of the animals. And, indeed, the +great riches of the High Priests came mainly from this source. When, +therefore, I saw the man with the scourge getting rid of these sacrificial +animals from the courts of the Temple, my first thought was that he was of +the sect of the Pharisees. Yet these are rarely found in the country +parts, and the man bore no great marks of special piety; his phylacteries +were not broader than my own; the fringes of his garment were not more +conspicuous, nor did he seem as one of the fanatics who are so many in our +land. He had done what he had done in all calmness, and with a certain air +of authority. My wonder was aroused to think what manner of man this could +be, who did the work of the Pharisees, and was not one himself. + +While I thus thought, the man turned to a group of men clad in the same +rustic garb, saying, "Be ye rather approved money-changers, holding fast +the good and casting forth the false;"(1) and, after other words, he +turned from them and went up the steps leading to the Women's Court. + +Now thou knowest, Aglaophonos, that at the entrance of this court standeth +an inscription which saith, "LET NONE OF ALIEN BIRTH PASS WITHIN THE +TEMPLE CLOISTERS: HE THAT TRANSGRESSES IS GUILTY OF DEATH." As the man +with the scourge would enter the Women's Court, the Roman sentry stopped +him, and pointed to this inscription with his spear. He shook his head, +saying in faulty Greek, "Jewish I am," and showed the soldier the fringes +of his garment after the Jewish fashion. Then the sentry drew back, and +the man passed through. + +Thereupon I went up to the men to whom the man with the scourge had +spoken, and greeted them with the greeting of peace. + +"Peace unto thee, master," said one of them in the same northern accent I +had noticed in their leader. + +"Who is that man," I said, "that has just gone into the Temple cloister?" + +"Jesus of Nazara, in Galilee." + +"And whose son is he?" I asked. + +The man looked at his companions ere he answered,-- + +"Of Joseph ben Eli the carpenter, and Miriam his wife." + +"And what is his trade?" I continued. + +"A wheelwright," he said; "the best wheels and yokes in all Capernaum are +made by him." + +"But is he of the country-folk,(2) or a pupil of the wise?" + +"Nay, master, he knoweth the Law and the Prophets." + +"Of what party is he? Boethusian he cannot be, nor Sadducee; but is he +Pharisee or Zealot, Essene or Baptist?" + +"He is of no party." + +"But from whom hath he received the tradition of the elders? At whose feet +has he sat? Whom calleth he master?" + +"He hath been baptized by Jochanan his kinsman, but none calleth he +master." + +"If he have not the tradition, he cannot teach the Law, for his words will +not be binding. Doth he sit in judgment or pronounce _Din_?" + +"Nay, master, he but teacheth us to be good." + +"Ah," said I, "he is but a homolist of the Hagada; he addeth naught to the +_Halacha_. Then what is his motto?"(3) + +"He saith, 'Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" + +Then I took the man away from his companions, and out of hearing of the +Roman sentry, and asked him in a low tone, "And who shall be the king +thereof?" + +But the man answered not, but said only, "Lo! he cometh." + +And, indeed, at that moment Jesus came down by the steps he had ascended +and beckoned to his companions. And as they went towards him I was +surprised, and at the same time horrified, to see amongst them two persons +whom I little thought to find in any public place in Jerusalem, still less +in the courts of the Temple. One was a woman in the yellow veil of a +_hetaera_; the other, a mere _Nathin_ who had no name among men, but was +called _Dog o' Dogs_. These two pressed close to Jesus; the woman rushed +forward with a sob and raised the hem of his garment to her lips, while to +the man he spoke some friendly words, smiling on him as they walked +towards the entrance. + +I was astonished. The man had seemed so careful of the purity of the +Temple that he would not allow even the necessary arrangements for its +service to be performed in its precincts, yet he allowed its courts to be +defiled by the vilest of the vile. Perchance, I thought, he had prevailed +upon them to perform the vows enjoined by the Law, and cleanse themselves +of their sin. Or was it that he was ignorant of their characters, being +but newly come from rural parts? He must, indeed, be different from other +rabbis, who kept themselves apart from all transgressors against the Law +till they had repented and done penance. + +While I thus meditated, I saw the High Priest Hanan, whom ye Hellenes call +Annas, enter into the court of the Gentiles with his guard. Thou +rememberest the man, Aglaophonos--how his tyranny extended over all the +city. He was still called High Priest, though Valerius Gratius, the +Procurator, had deposed him years before, lest haply he might regain the +regal power of the Maccabaeans. Still, even after his deposition, he had +sufficient power to get his sons or sons-in-law named High Priests. It was +one of the latter, Joseph Caiaphas, who at that time held the office; yet +the people still called Hanan High Priest, and he himself wore on high +days the bells and pomegranates round his tunic as a sign of his dignity. +Thou must remember his keen-cut face, his nose like an eagle's, his long +white beard, bent neck, and sinewy hand. Was it thou or I that first +called him "the Old Vulture"? + +He had heard of the insult to his dignity by the removal, without his +orders, of the money-changers and others to whom the people paid the fees +from which he and his made such display in his grand dwelling on the Mount +of Olives. "Where is he? where is he?" he cried, as he came bustling up, +with neck extended, and looking more than ever like a bird of prey. He +soon found that the man he sought had gone; but he had given his orders, +and before I left the court, I saw the money-changers reenter and the +cattle driven back. I had to attend a meeting of the Sanhedrim, for that +year I had risen to the third and highest bench of disciples who sit under +its members when they give judgment. Next year I was elected of the +Seventy-One myself in the section of Israelites. It must, therefore, have +been in the sixteenth year of Tiberius the Emperor, nearly five-and-twenty +years agone, that I thus saw for the first time Jesus the Nazarene. + + + + + + II. + THE UPBRINGING. + + +Thou canst imagine the wonder and excitement in Jerusalem at this bold +deed of the Nazarene. Not even the oracle of Delphi is regarded with so +much reverence as our sacred fane, and none in our time had dared to +interfere with its regulations, which have all the sacredness of our +traditions. And of these none was regarded by the priestly guardians of +the Temple as of greater weight for them than the right of sale of beasts +of sacrifice. It is from this, as I have said, that the priestly order +gain their wealth, and no more deadly blow could be struck at their power +than to deprive them of this. Hence had the Pharisees protested against +this right, but none had hitherto dared to carry out the protest in very +deed. All the poor and all the pious would have been glad if they could +buy their offerings to the Lord wheresoever they would. + +But more than all, men of Jerusalem were amazed at the daring of the +Galilaean stranger in opposing the High Priest Hanan. This man had been the +tyrant of the Temple and of the city for the whole span of a generation of +men, and no man had dared say him nay for all that time. Even the Romans, +who had deposed him from his position as High Priest, had not dared to +interfere with him otherwise. Yet had this rude countryman, who had never +been seen, never been known to set foot in Jerusalem before, dared to +strike at the root of his power and wealth. Thou canst not wonder that men +were curious to know what manner of man he might be who had dared this +great thing, and busy rumor ran through all the bazaars of Jerusalem, +asking, Who is this Jesus of Nazara? All that I learnt of his kindred and +early life I learnt at this time, and I here set it forth in order. + +It was natural that I should first direct my inquiries as to his birth, +for the insulting cry of the money-changers still rang in my ears. Thou +knowest our pride of birth; I learnt from thee to abate it. Every man in +Israel taketh his place in the nation according as he is a son of Aaron or +of Levi, a simple Israelite, or a proselyte that fears the Lord; each man +knoweth his own and his neighbor's genealogy. The greatest slur upon a man +is to accuse him of "mixture," the greatest insult is to call him +"bastard." Why had the money-changers cast this slur upon the Nazarene? +Thou and I, Aglaophonos, who boast to be citizens of the Kosmos, would not +think the worse of him if the taunt were true. Yet thou canst understand +how great, even if he only thought it to be true, would be the influence +of such a slur on this mans mind and on his career. If in after-days he +showed himself so careless of the nation's hopes, may it not have been +that he felt himself in some way outside the nation? + +Now I found, upon inquiry among the Galilaeans settled in Jerusalem, that +some such scandal had arisen about his birth. There had even been talk +that Joseph ben Eli would have put away his wife, but for the stern +penalties which our Law inflicts upon the misdoer. Yet there may have been +naught but suspicion in the matter, for the two lived together, and Miriam +bore several children to Joseph after this Jesus. But between him and them +there was never good will, and I have heard things told of this Jesus +which seem to show some harshness in his treatment of them, and even of +his mother. Once when he was told that his mother and brethren were +without, and would see him, he as it were repudiated them, saying, "Who +are my mother and my brothers? Whosoever doeth the will of God, the same +is my brother and sister and mother." Again, when once his mother came to +him and would speak to him, he said to her, "Woman, what have I to do with +thee?" The man whom I had seen so tenderly thoughtful to a little child +could not have spoken thus unless he had felt himself placed by some means +outside the natural ties of men. + +Of Jesus' upbringing I could learn little. When he was at the age of +thirteen, when each Jewish male child becomes a Son of the Covenant (_Bar +Mitzva_), and, as we think, takes his sins upon his own soul, his parents +brought him to Jerusalem. On this occasion, as some still remember, he +showed remarkable knowledge of the Law, when, as is customary, they read +the portion of the Law set down for the Sabbath reading next after his +birthday, and he was examined in its meaning by the learned men present. +Yet he fulfilled not this promise of devotion to the Law as he grew in +years. I cannot learn that he dusted himself with the "dust of the wise," +as the sages have commanded.(4) Not having sat at the feet of any of the +holders of tradition, he could not pronounce decisions of the Law. + +His father brought him up to his own trade, that of carpenter. With us +manual toil is not despised, as among you Hellenes; there is a saying +among us, "Whoso bringeth not his son up to a handicraft traineth him for +a robber." Jesus was a good and capable worker, and devoted himself +especially to the making of yokes and wheels at Capernaum, where he had +settled, some five hours' journey from his native place. Here he would +often read the _Haphtaroth_, or prophetical lessons, in the synagogue, and +explain it after the manner of the Hagada. + +Thus he would have passed his life, a wheelwright on week-days, a preacher +on the Sabbath and festivals, but for a strange event that occurred in his +own family. Among us Jews, none has more honor than the _Nabi_, the man +who speaks the word of wisdom in the name of God. How know we that a man +is a Nabi? Chiefly by his words, but mainly by his eyes, in which there +shines the light of prophecy. Now, when Jesus was about thirty years old, +three or four years before I first saw him, the light of prophecy came in +the eyes of his cousin, Jochanan ben Zacharia Ha-Cohen. Thou knowest, +Aglaophonos, that amongst us there is a sect of Essenoi, who answer in +much to the Pythagoreans among the Hellenes. These Essenoi eat no flesh, +they dwell not in the cities of men, they perform frequent lustrations, +nor will they admit any into their community until they have been baptized +of them; they care little for the Temple service, and in this above all +distinguish themselves from either Pharisees or Sadducees. Their belief in +the angels is strong, and they use magic for the healing of sickness. + +Now, this Jochanan, the cousin of Jesus, seems to have adopted in many +things the views of these Essenoi: he separated himself from men, and ate +no flesh, nor did he go up to the Temple on the three great festivals of +the year; and above all, when men began to follow after him, he would +admit none to communion with him till he had baptized them in running +water, and for this he was called among the folk Jochanan the Baptizer. +Yet he was not an Essene, for he joined not their communion, nor +established any distinction of orders among the men who came out to him; +he was more like unto the prophets of old, who taught as individuals new +truths about life; and his great teaching was this: "Repent ye, for the +kingdom of heaven is at hand." And men went out to him, asking him in what +they should repent so as to become worthy of the kingdom. Above all, those +who were despised of the people because they did the work of the Romans, +by being their tax-gatherers or their soldiers, feared the wrath to come +in the new kingdom which he preached, and asked him in what they should +alter their ways. But to them he was by no means hard, saying only to the +tax-gatherers, "Act justly," and to the soldiers, "Do no violence." To the +poor he was tender and merciful, but exhorted the rich to divide their +possessions with the poor. In this way he drew unto him all who were +despised of the people, and those who were poor and miserable. Thus he +attracted the notice of the rulers, who feared that he was preparing to +rebel against them; for they said, "Wherefore does this man attract to him +the discontented and the soldiery?" + +Now, when the family of Jesus heard that their relative was gaining a name +among men, they sent to Jesus, asking him to go with them unto his cousin; +but he, as I have heard, at first refused, saying, "Wherein have I sinned, +that I should be baptized of Jochanan?" Yet afterwards he consented unto +this, and went out to be baptized of his cousin. And when he saw the power +for good that Jochanan exercised, his spirit was exalted, and he felt that +he too had within him the same power. Many strange things have I heard of +what happened to this Jesus when he submitted to be baptized by his +cousin. And as none but Jesus would have known his feelings on that +occasion, these reports must have come from him. Among us it is the custom +that each Jew should select from the Psalms some _stichos_ which should +serve as the motto of his life, and identify him when he appeareth before +the Angel of Death. Now, it would appear that as Jesus was being baptized +of Jochanan he heard the Daughter(5) of the Voice of God say to him the +_stichos_ of the psalm, "Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee." +Whether this was a protest of his soul against the slur cast upon his +birth, what man shall say? But henceforth he spake of the fatherhood of +God as if it had to him a deeper sense than to most of us Jews, though +with us, as I have oft explained to thee, it is the central feeling of our +faith. + +Jesus did not remain long out in the wilderness with his cousin; he, +indeed, early recognized his superiority, though he was his master and his +teacher. For at the first the teaching of Jesus differed but in little +from the teaching of Jochanan. He summed up his whole aim in the words +which I had heard his followers use in the Temple: "Repent ye, for the +kingdom of heaven is at hand;" and this he must have learnt from his +cousin. So, too, like Jochanan, he mingled with the tax-gatherers and the +soldiery, and above all addressed himself to the poor, and, as I was to +see, exhorted the rich to distribute their possessions. In all these +things he was but the follower of his cousin Jochanan. It is no wonder, +therefore, that when Jesus separated himself from Jochanan, and began to +be a teacher of men, many left Jochanan and followed after Jesus; and +until this Jochanan met with a violent end at the hands of the rulers, +there was in some sort a rivalry if not between the men themselves, at +least between the followers of Jochanan and of Jesus. + +But even from the first there was a difference in Jesus' manner of +teaching, if not in the teaching itself. He, indeed, did not wait for men +to come out to him in the wilderness, but returned to the towns and +villages around the Sea of Galilee. Many of the fishermen left their work +to follow him, and become, as he said, "fishers of men." He preached as +before in the synagogues on the words of the prophets, but now he +commenced to go forth to preach and teach among the people in their homes. +Yet it was observed that he went not only among the rich and powerful, who +are used in our country to receive all who come at meal-times, but most of +all among the poor, and those despised of men for their ill life or their +degraded occupations. Nor did he despise those who know not the Law nor +keep its commands, but mixed freely with them, thereby incurring the wrath +of those among us, and there are many, who are eager for the credit of the +Law. Still, though he lived his life among the low and the vile, he +practiced none of their ways, nor was aught of low or vile seen in him or +those with him. Yet he turned against him many who would have been well +disposed towards him, in that he followed his cousin's example, and spake +kindly to the tax-gatherers and to the soldiers, whom the greater part of +the Jews regard as the enemies of their country. + +Now, as he began to live his life among the people, he began to do many +signs and wonders, like all our great teachers and prophets. In truth, we +say, how shall a man be accounted a prophet unless he can do wonders? +Indeed, as Jesus himself said, "Why marvel ye at the signs? I give unto +you an inheritance such as the whole world holds not." And the manner of +his wonders was this: if a man was afflicted with a demon of madness, he +would cause him to fix his eyes upon his, and after a while would speak +sternly and suddenly to the demon within him, who would depart from him, +rending his soul. So, too, would he do with women who were torn asunder by +the demons fighting within. To these he would speak calmly after he had +fixed their eyes, and, behold, a great calm would come upon them. But he +used no exorcisms or magic in his healing, nor spake he in the name of +God, but with the tone of one having authority in himself. Hence many +thought he had within him a greater Daimon than those afflicted men and +women whom he healed. Thence it was thought that for this reason the +demons of madness often returned to those whom he had freed for a while +with greater violence after he had gone forth from the place of their +habitation. There was much murmuring against him for that he did his +healing, not in the name of God, but in his own name and his own +authority. + +Yet he claimed no authority to decide the questions of the Law; though +many applied to him in difficult cases, these he referred to the learned +in the Law, saying, "Do ye as the scribes command." Yet it was complained +that he paid no great attention to their commands himself, nor for his +followers. Nor did he rebuke men when he saw them transgressing the Law +even in the greater transgressions. Thus I have heard it said of him, that +once with his followers, he met a man laboring on the Sabbath day, a sin +which, according to the Law, was punished with stoning. But all he said +unto him was this: "Man, if thou knowest what thou doest, blessed art +thou; but if thou knowest not, accursed art thou, and a transgressor of +the Law."(6) This is, indeed, a dark saying. Is each man, then, to choose +for himself which commands of the Law he shall do, and which not? The +fence of the Law, which our Sages have built up with such labor and toil, +would be stricken down at one stroke. Yet perhaps in this he only followed +the principle of our Sages who have said, "The Sabbath was made for you, +not you for the Sabbath." + +Such was the manner of life of this Jesus up to the time when I first saw +him in the Temple. Men knew not what to make of him; many regarded him as +a prophet because of the signs and the wonders which he did; and those who +were looking forward to the blessed day in which Israel would be free +again under its own king hoped that he was Elijah come again to prepare +the way for the new kingdom. + + + + + + III. + EARLIER TEACHING. + SERMON IN THE SYNAGOGUE OF THE GALILAEANS. + + +It must have been a year after I had first seen Jesus that I saw him again +the second time in Jerusalem. It fell out in this wise: I was proceeding +one morning to the meeting of the Sanhedrim, when, as I came near the +Synagogue of the Galilaeans in the Fish-Market, I found a crowd of men +entering in. I asked one of them what was going forward, and he said, +"Jesus the Nazarene will expound the Law." So I determined to take the +morning service in this synagogue rather than with my colleagues in the +Temple, and went in, the people giving way before me, as was my due as a +member of the Sanhedrim. + +Now, this synagogue of the Galilaeans differed in naught from the rest of +the synagogues of the Jews. It cannot be that thou hast not visited one of +these when thou wast in the Holy City, but perchance thy memory is dim +after all these years, and I will in a few words explain to thee its +arrangement. In the wall at the west end was the cabinet containing the +scrolls of the Law, with a curtain before it, for this is, as it were, the +Holy of Holies of the synagogue. The men go up to this, on to the platform +before it, by three steps. Then comes a vacant space, in the midst of +which stands a dais, with a reading-desk whereon the Law is read: this we +call by your Greek name _bema_. Then in the rest of the hall sit the folk, +arranged in benches one after another, somewhat as in your theatres. Now, +as I came in, they had said the morning psalms, and most of the Eighteen +Blessings, and shortly after the reading of the Law began. The curtain was +drawn aside from the holy ark, the scroll of the Law was taken thence, to +the singing of psalms unto the _bema_. Then, as is customary, the +messenger of the congregation summoned first to the reading of the Law a +Cohen, a descendant of Aaron, one of the priestly caste. And after he had +read some verses of the Law in the holy tongue, the dragoman read its +translation into Chaldee, so as to be understanded of the unlearned folk, +and of the women who were in the gallery outside the synagogue, and +separated from it by a grating. Then after the priest came a Levite, who +also read some verses, and after him an ordinary Israelite. Then the +messenger of the synagogue called out, "Let Rabbi Joshua ben Joseph +arise." Then Jesus the Nazarene went up to the _bema_ and read his +appointed verses, and these were translated as before by the dragoman. And +after the reading of the Law was concluded, the _Parnass_, or president of +the congregation, requested Jesus to read the _Haphtara_, the lesson from +the prophets; and this he did, using the cantillation with which we chant +words of Holy Scripture. Yet never heard I one whose voice so thrilled me, +and brought home to one the import of the great words; and this was +strange, for his accent was, as I had before noticed, that of the Galilaean +peasantry, at which we of Jerusalem were wont to scoff. Then, after the +Law had been returned to the ark with song and psalm, Jesus turned round +to the people on the _bema_ and began his discourse. It is near five-and- +twenty years since I heard him, and much have I forgotten in that long +time. But many of his sayings still ring in my ears, and I will here put +down, as far as possible in order, all that I can remember of the +discourse.(7) + + +"It hath been written by the Prophet Esaias: Behold, his reward is with +him, and his work before him. Yea, behold a man and his work before him. +He that worketh not, let him not eat. Yet he that plougheth, let him +plough in hope; he that thresheth, thresh in hope of partaking. Howbeit, +he who longs to be rich is like a man who drinketh seawater: the more he +drinketh the more thirsty he becomes, and never leaves off drinking till +he perish. Blessed is he who also fasts that he may feed the poor: for it +is more blessed to give than to receive. Yet let thy alms sweat into thy +hands until thou know to whom thou givest. Where there are pains, thither +hastens the physician: that which is weak shall be saved by that which is +strong. For the sake of the weak I was weak, for the sake of the hungry I +hungered, for the sake of the thirsty I thirsted. But woe to those who +have yet hypocritically taken from others; who are able to help +themselves, and yet wish to take from others: for each man shall give +account in the day of judgment. + +"That which thou hatest thou shalt not do to another. Good things must +come; he is blessed through whom they come. Love covereth a multitude of +sins; so never be joyful save when you look upon your brother's +countenance in love. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. For the +greatest of crimes is this: if a man shall sadden his brother's spirit. +Blessed, too, are they who mourn for the perdition of unbelievers. Do not +give occasion to the Wicked One. Who is the Wicked One? He that tempts. +Yet none shall reach the kingdom of heaven unless he have been tempted: +for our Father which is in heaven would rather the repentance of a sinner +than his correction. Yet he will cleanse the house of his kingdom from all +offence. Be, therefore, careful and prudent and wise, lest any of you be +caught in the snares of the devil, for that ancient enemy goes about +buffeting. + +"If thou hast seen thy brother, thou hast seen thy Lord, God the Father, +whose fatherland is everywhere, in heaven and upon earth. Far and near, +the Lord knoweth his own. So grieve not the holy spirit which is in you, +nor extinguish the light which shines in you. Guard the flesh pure, and +the signet spotless, so that ye may take hold upon eternal life. For our +possessions are in heaven; therefore, sons of men, purchase unto +yourselves by these transitory things which are not yours, what is yours, +and shall not pass away." + + +I cannot tell thee, Aglaophonos, how deeply this discourse affected me. +Just as the Hellenes are eager to find each day some new beauty in man or +the world, or some new truth about the relation of things, so we Hebrews +rejoice in finding new ideals in the relations of men. Each of our Sages +prides himself on this--that he has said some maxim of wisdom that none had +thought of before him, and so each of them is remembered in the minds of +men by one or more of his favorite maxims. But it is rare if in a whole +lifetime a sage sayeth more than one word fit to be treasured up among +men. Yet was this man Jesus dropping pearls of wisdom from his mouth in +prodigal profusion. As each memorable word fell from his lips, a murmur of +delighted surprise passed round the synagogue, and each man looked to his +neighbor with brightened eyes. Some of the thoughts, indeed, I had heard +from other of our Sages, but never in so pointed a form, surely never in +such profusion from a single sage. + +And if what was said delighted us, the manner in which it was said +entranced us still more. The voice of the speaker answered to the thoughts +he expressed, as the Kinnor of David, according to our Sages, turned the +wind into music. When he spoke of love, his voice was as the cooing dove; +when he denounced the oppressor, it clanged like a silver trumpet. Indeed, +his whole countenance and bearing changed in like manner, so that every +word he uttered seemed to be the outcome of his whole being. + +But most of all was it the vividness of his eyes that impressed his words +upon us. I had seen them flashing with scorn in the Temple, I now saw them +melting with tenderness in the synagogue; and there was this of strange in +them, that they seemed to speak other and deeper words. As he gazed upon +us, I felt as if all my inmost being was bare to the gaze of those eyes. +They seemed to know all my secret thoughts and sins; and yet I felt not +ashamed, for as they saw the sins, so they seemed to speak forgiveness of +them. + +What I felt then, others felt with me, for, as I afterwards learnt, each +man felt the same as the eyes of Jesus fell upon him; and most curious it +was that each man thought as I did, that the eyes of the speaker were upon +him during the whole of the discourse. I have seen here in Alexandria +portraits of men painted by your subtlest artists, in which, from whatever +place you looked at them, the eyes seemed to gaze upon you. So was it with +Jesus. Not alone did I, who was, as a member of the Sanhedrim, sitting +immediately before him, feel his eyes pierce to my soul, but all who were +in that synagogue felt the same. Nor did the effect die away after I had +left the synagogue; for days and days afterwards, whenever I closed my +eyes, or gazed for long on the wall, I could see the eyes of Jesus, and +with it his whole face gazing upon me. + +I had left the synagogue a little before the others, because a messenger +had been sent from the Sanhedrim to seek for a member who should make up +the quorum of Twenty-Three; and this messenger, hearing that a member of +the Sanhedrim was in the synagogue of the Galilaeans, sent in to summon me. +When the sitting was over, I sought for Jesus again, but found that he had +left the city. And for a time I neither saw nor heard aught more of him, +save such rumors as came to the Holy City from Galilee. About this time +many joined themselves unto him, going whithersoever he went. Those, too, +who had joined themselves to Jochanan passed over to him, for Jochanan had +been slain by Herod, whom he had rebuked for his wicked living. It was, +indeed, said that Herod had also captured this Jesus when he found that he +was following in the footsteps of Jochanan; but this proved to be untrue, +and the multitude thronged more and more after Jesus, and from this time +he began to teach them regularly, after the manner of our Sages. Yet he +did not pronounce decisions of Halacha on questions of our Law; indeed, he +disclaimed all interference with such questions. "I am not come," he said, +"to take away from the Law of Moses, nor to add to the Law of Moses am I +come." Only one saying of his have I heard of wherein he said aught at +variance with the Torah. When the children of a man who had recently died +asked him in what way should the property be divided, he said, "Let son +and daughter inherit alike." In this, as in other things, he was more +favorable to the claims of the women than the Law and the Sages. For this +reason, perhaps, it was that many women followed after him, even joined in +prayer with him and those with him, against the custom of our nation. +Hence arose much scandal among the more rigidly pious among us, who follow +the saying of Joseph ben Jochanan, "Engage not in much converse with +women." But I have heard naught of evil that resulted from this free +mingling of men and women among his followers. Yet Jesus was not against +the due subordination of women, for he also said, "Let the wife be in +subordination to her husband." + +Thou must know that among us our Sages are of two kinds, the Halachists +and the Hagadists. The former deal with matters of the Law according to +the tradition they have received from their teacher; but the latter +expound the words of the Scripture, and deal with the moral relations of +man to man. Some of our Sages, indeed, like the great Hillel, who died +when I was a child, have been equally masters both of the Halacha and the +Hagada; and in many ways the teaching of Jesus seems to have resembled, if +it did not follow, that of Hillel. I must tell thee one anecdote about +this Hillel which is well known amongst us. He was distinguished for his +evenness of temper, and men would often in sport try to make him lose it. +A heathen came before him one day, and declared that he would become a Jew +if only Hillel would tell him the whole Law while he stood upon one foot, +hoping thereby to irritate Hillel by his presumption. But Hillel said +only, "What thou wilt not for thyself, do not to thy neighbor. This is the +whole of the Law; all the rest is but commentary thereon. Go and learn." +Now, among the disciples of Hillel was one who compiled for the heathen a +summary of the Law in the spirit of Hillel; and it seemed to me, from what +I heard of Jesus' teaching, that he had learnt much from this summary, +which is called "THE TWO WAYS." I will have a copy written out for thee, +for it is very short. + +Now, in all the teaching of Jesus which I heard of about this time, he +seems to have expanded, but in no wise modified, the teaching of "The Two +Ways." Above all, he seems to have warned men against the evil feelings +within, that lead to sins against the Law, and therein differed somewhat +from the practice of our Sages, who think that by doing the Law and +keeping to it rightful feelings shall grow, and evil thoughts fly away. + +Yet while in many ways Jesus seemed to be of the School of Hillel, in +others he cast in his lot with the men among us who claim to be especially +favored of God, because--thou wilt smile, Aglaophonos--because they are +poor. Thou hast read our Psalms, and knowest with what insistence the poor +and the righteous, the rich and the wicked, are identified in them. Many +of our nation have taken this to heart, and as it were pride themselves +upon their humility, as some of them call themselves _Ebionim_, or the +Poor; some, the _Zaddikim_, or Righteous; some, _Chasidim_, or Pious. Thou +canst not call them a sect, for in a way they include the whole nation. In +the Eighteen Blessings which form the staple of our daily prayers, the +Lord is blessed as the Guardian and Refuge of the _Zaddikim_. Now, it was +chiefly among these men, whether they called themselves _Ebionim_, or +_Zaddikim_, or _Chasidim_, that Jesus found his chief adherents, though he +seems to give his preference to the _Ebionim_, who have always been +insisting upon the blessedness of the poor. Now, these men consider +themselves to be beyond all others the servants of the Lord, and identify +themselves with that picture of the servant which has been given by the +Prophet Esaias. Thus in all these ways Jesus appealed to the more earnest +part of our nation, and in him were conjoined most of the movements that +had touched us most deeply. If any had said at this time, "Jesus the +Nazarene is a follower of Jochanan the Baptizer, and preaches 'The Two +Ways' to the Poor," none could have gainsaid him. + +Yet all were wondering what he would say to the other side of our nation's +hopes. The life of our nation had begun with a deliverance; our chief +national feast recalls that deliverance from Egypt to us every year as the +spring comes round. We have become subject to all the great kingdoms that +have grown up round us, yet again and again we have been delivered from +each. Thou and I have often wondered how it has come about that both +Hellenes and Hebrews, who feel ourselves in different ways higher than +these stolid Romans who rule us, have yet become subject to them. Thy +nation hath acquiesced in their rule; my people never will. Every man who +promises greatness among us is hoped for as the Deliverer. Many men about +this time began to ask, Will Jesus the Nazarene be the Deliverer? + + + + + + IV. + THE TWO WAYS. + + +Now, this is the "CATECHISM OF THE TWO WAYS" which I have had copied out +for thee, for in it is the essence of the teaching of Jesus, as he himself +recognized in speaking to me, as thou wilt shortly hear. + +"There are two ways, one of life and one of death, but there is a great +difference between the two ways. Now, the way of life is this: first, Thou +shalt love God who made thee; secondly, thy neighbor as thyself, and all +things whatsoever thou wouldest not should be done to thee, do thou also +not do to another. Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, +thou shalt not corrupt boys, thou shalt not commit fornication, thou shalt +not steal, thou shalt not use witchcraft, thou shalt not use enchantments, +thou shalt not kill an infant whether before or after birth, thou shalt +not covet thy neighbor's goods. + +"Thou shalt not forswear thyself, thou shalt not bear false witness, thou +shalt not revile, thou shalt not bear malice. + +"Thou shalt not be double-minded nor double-tongued; for duplicity of +tongue is a snare of death. + +"Thy speech shall not be false nor vain. + +"Thou shalt not be covetous, nor an extortioner, nor a hypocrite, nor +malignant, nor haughty. Thou shalt not take evil counsel against thy +neighbor. + +"Thou shalt hate no man, but some thou shalt rebuke, and for some thou +shalt pray, and some thou shalt love above thine own soul. + +"My child, flee from all evil, and from all that is like unto it. + +"Be not soon angry, for anger leadeth to murder; nor given to party- +spirit, nor contentious, nor quick-tempered, for from all these are +generated murders. + +"My child, be not lustful, for lust leadeth to fornication; neither be a +filthy talker, nor a lifter-up of the eyes, for from all these things are +generated adulteries. + +"My child, be not thou an observer of birds, for it leadeth to idolatry; +nor a charmer, nor an astrologer, nor a user of purifications; nor be thou +willing to look on those things, for from all these is generated idolatry. + +"My child, be not a liar, for lying leadeth to theft; nor a lover of +money, nor fond of vainglory, for from all these things are generated +thefts. + +"My child, be not a murmurer, for it leadeth to blasphemy; neither self- +willed, nor evil-minded, for from all these things are generated +blasphemies. + +"Be thou long-suffering, and merciful, and harmless, and quiet, and good, +and trembling continually at the words which thou hast heard. + +"Thou shalt not exalt thyself, nor shalt thou give presumption to thy +soul. Thy soul shall not be joined to the lofty, but with the just and +lowly shalt thou converse. + +"The events that happen to thee shalt thou accept as good, knowing that +without God nothing taketh place. + +"My child, thou shalt remember night and day him that speaketh to thee the +word of God. + +"But thou shalt seek out day by day the faces of the saints, that thou +mayest rest in their words. + +"Thou shalt not desire division, but shalt make peace between those at +strife; so thou shalt judge justly. Thou shalt not respect a person in +rebuking for transgressions. + +"Thou shalt not be of two minds whether it shall be or not. + +"Be not one that stretcheth out his hands to receive, but shutteth them +close for giving. + +"If thou hast, thou shalt give with thine hands a ransom for thy sins. + +"Thou shalt not hesitate to give, nor when thou givest shalt thou murmur, +for thou shalt know who is the good recompenser of the reward. + +"Thou shalt not turn away from him that needeth, but shalt share all +things with thy brother, and shalt not say that they are thine own; for if +ye are fellow-sharers in that which is imperishable, how much more in +perishable things. + +"Thou shalt not take away thine hand from thy son or from thy daughter, +but from their youth up shalt thou teach them the fear of God. + +"Thou shalt not in thy bitterness lay commands on thy man-servant or thy +maid-servant, who hope in the same God, lest they should not fear him who +is God over you both; for He cometh not to call men according to the +outward appearance, but to those whom the Spirit hath prepared. + +"But ye, servants, shall be subject to your masters as to a figure of God +in reverence and fear. + +"Thou shalt hate all hypocrisy, and everything which is not pleasing to +the Lord. + +"Thou shalt not forsake the commandments of the Lord, but shalt keep what +thou hast received, neither adding thereto nor taking away from it. + +"Thou shalt confess thy transgressions, and shalt not come to thy prayer +with an evil conscience. This is the way of life. + +"But the way of death is this. First of all, it is evil and full of curse; +murders, adulteries, lusts, fornications, thefts, idolatries, witchcrafts, +sorceries, robberies, false-witnessings, hypocrisies, double-heartedness, +deceit, pride, wickedness, self-will, covetousness, filthy talking, +jealousy, presumption, haughtiness, flattery. + +"Persecutors of the good, hating truth, loving a lie, not knowing the +reward of righteousness, not cleaving to that which is good nor to +righteous judgment, watching not for the good but for the evil, far from +whom is meekness and patience, loving vain things, seeking after reward, +not pitying the poor, not toiling with him who is vexed with toil, not +knowing Him that made them, murderers of children, destroyers of the image +of God, turning away from him that is in need, vexing him that is +afflicted, advocates of the rich, lawless judges of the poor, wholly +sinful. + +"Take heed that no one make thee to err from this way of teaching, since +he teacheth thee not according to God." + + + + + + V. + THE WOMAN TAKEN IN ADULTERY. + THE RICH YOUNG MAN. + + +It must have been many months after I had heard him discourse in the +Galilaean synagogue that I again saw Jesus the Nazarene. We in Jerusalem +had our own concerns to think of. + +At this time the long monopoly of rule by the Sadducees was gradually +being broken. Of the three divisions of the Sanhedrim, that of the +ordinary Israelites had become almost entirely composed of the Pharisees; +I myself had been elected as one of that party, and even in the other two +sections of the Priests and of the Levites, many, especially among the +latter, held with the Pharisees. Nor was this without influence upon the +political issues of the times. The Sadducees, being the sacerdotal party, +had no cause why they should be dissatisfied with the position they held +in the State under the Romans; but we of the Pharisees felt far otherwise +about the national hopes for deliverance. Since my days the influence of +the Pharisees has become predominant in the nation, and I foresee that the +struggle between us and the Romans cannot be delayed for long. At the time +of which I am writing, the hegemony had not yet passed over to the +Pharisees, and it was of import for us all to know whether any man of +influence was on our side, or on that of the Sadducees, or whether he +cared for neither, and cast in his lot with the smaller sects. + +Now, it happened about this time that I was attending my place in the +Sanhedrim of Israelites, to judge of a case of adultery. But in this +matter our Sages, and especially those of the Pharisaic tradition, had +made great changes in the Law as laid down for us by Moses; for he, as +thou knowest, commands that a woman taken in adultery shall be stoned to +death. Now, for a long time among us there has been an increasing horror +of inflicting the death penalty. If a Sanhedrim inflicts capital +punishment more than once in seven years, it is called a Sanhedrim of +murderers. Yet the Law of Moses declared that whosoever was guilty of +adultery would be put to death. What, then, was to be done? It is against +the principle of justice that any should be punished for an offence of +which he is ignorant. Hence, in capital offences, our Sages, to mercy +inclined, have laid it down that a man must be assumed to be ignorant of +the guilt of the offence, unless it be proved that he had been solemnly +warned of its gravity; and in our Law proof can only be given by two +simultaneous witnesses. Hence it is impossible to obtain conviction for a +woman who hath committed adultery, unless proof is given that she hath +been previously warned by two persons at once. This can scarcely ever be. +No Jewish woman in my time has ever been stoned as the Law commands for +this sin. Some think that this is too great a leniency, and of evil result +for the morality of the folk. + +When I arrived at the hall of polished stones near the Temple, in which +the Sanhedrim holds its sittings, the trial had nearly come to a +conclusion. The inquiry had been made if any two credible witnesses had +given the woman the preliminary caution, and none answering to the call, +it remained only for the _Ab Beth Din_, the president of the court, to +dismiss the prisoner with the words of caution and advice which are +customary on such occasions: "My daughter, perhaps thou wert led into sin +by too much wine, or by thoughtlessness, or perhaps by thy youth; +perchance it was mixing in crowds, or wicked companions that led thee to +sin: go, and for the sake of the great Name, do not bring it to pass that +thou must be destroyed by the water of jealousy." And with these words the +court was dismissed, and several of us were appointed to take the woman to +her home, and induce the man, her husband, to take her to him once again. +Now, as we were passing through the courts of the Temple, we saw Jesus the +Nazarene in one of the smaller courts, seated, teaching the people, some +of whom sat at his feet. But it seemed to some of us a favorable +opportunity to test what he would say as regards the Law of Moses relating +to adultery: for if he would declare that the Law must be carried out in +all its rigor, that would show that our Sages were more merciful than he; +if, on the other hand, he adopted the opinion of our Sages, that would in +so far commit him to support their attitude towards the Law in general. In +any case, it seemed a suitable occasion to test his power of dealing with +the Law, and it is customary among us to put such test cases before the +younger Sages. + +We therefore turned aside and entered into the smaller court, and all rose +to do honor to the Sanhedrim. Then one of us said to him, "Rabbi, this +woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now, Moses in the Law hath +commanded that such should be stoned: what sayest thou?" Now, when the man +told him that the woman had been taken in the very act of adultery, a deep +blush passed over his face, and he turned his eyes downwards. Then he bent +down to the ground, hiding his face altogether from us, and writing, as it +were, something on the sand of the floor. Now, at first, I thought of the +cry of the money-changers that I had heard, and felt ashamed in my soul +that such a question should be brought before this man, of all men: for +our Sages have said, "The greatest of sins is this--to bring a blush upon +thy neighbor's face in public." But the others thought not of this, but +once more they asked him, "Rabbi, what sayest thou shall be done in this +case?" Then, without raising his head, Jesus said in a low tone, "Let him +among you that is without sin cast the first stone." Then we saw that his +shame had been for us, and for our want of feeling in putting such a +question in the very presence of her who had sinned. And in this matter we +hold that sin can be in thought as well as in act, and which of us could +say that we were without sin even in thought? So, in very shame, we turned +and went, and left Jesus alone with the woman. + +Yet, after we had come away from him, Matathias ben Meshullam said, "That +is well,--we are rightly rebuked; but yet, dost thou not see that this man +hath not answered our question, nor do we know, as we wished, what +attitude he takes towards the carrying out of the Law? I hear that each +morning he preaches to the people in the Temple. Let us now tomorrow put +such questions to him that he cannot evade, and find out to which of our +parties he belongs; for this is a man that is getting great weight with +the people, and it imports us to know where he stands with regard to us." +So it was determined among us that the next morning a Sadducee and a +Pharisee should put to him queries which should determine what views he +held on the great questions which distinguished the two great parties of +the State. + +But that very afternoon I was to learn that this Jesus had to deal with +questions with which none of our parties concerned themselves. For, as I +was coming near to Gethsemane, I met Jesus with a band of men and women +going out towards Bethany, and I passed them with the salutation of +"Peace." But as I passed, a young man whom I knew, that had recently come +into great possessions upon the death of his father, came up and asked, +"Who is that man whom thou hast just greeted?" and I said, "Jesus the +Nazarene." Then, suddenly, he set off running to catch them up, and being +curious, I turned and followed him. When I reached them I found the young +man kneeling before Jesus, gazing up to him, and he said, "Good Master, I +have inherited great possessions; what shall I do that I may inherit the +life everlasting?" Jesus said to him, "Call not me 'Good;' none is good +but the One. If thou wouldest enter into life, do the commandments." The +young man asked, "Which?" Jesus said, using the doctrine of "The Two +Ways," "Do not kill, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear +false witness, do not defraud, honor thy father and thy mother, and love +thy neighbor as thyself." Then the young man said, "All these things have +I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?" Then Jesus said, "One thing +thou lackest: go thy way, sell all thou hast, and give unto the poor, and +thou shalt have heavenly treasures: come then and follow me." The young +man began to scratch his head, and seemed in doubt. Then Jesus said unto +him, "How is it thou canst say, 'I have done the Law and the Prophets,' +since it is written in the Law, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself'? +Behold, many of thy brothers, sons of Abraham, are clothed but in dung, +and die for hunger, while thy house is full of many goods, and there goeth +not forth aught from it unto them." But the young man rose, and went away +in sorrow and confusion. Then Jesus looked round upon those who were +there, and said, "How hard it is for them that trust in riches to enter +into the kingdom of God! It is easier for an elephant to go through a +needle's eye, as the saying is, than for a rich man to enter into the +kingdom of God." Then a murmur arose among all those present, and they +began to move on, and I left them. And I said to myself, "This man is +neither Pharisee, nor Sadducee, nor Herodian; these be the thoughts of the +Ebionim." + + + + + + VI. + THE TESTINGS IN THE TEMPLE. + + +Now, on the morrow, many of us who had agreed together to test the +opinions of this Jesus went to the Temple and found Jesus walking in the +corridors. Then he that was of most authority among us said unto Jesus, +"Rabbi, we would ask certain questions of thee;" and Jesus answered, "Ask, +and it shall be answered unto thee." + +Thou must know that among us Jews there be two chief schools of thought, +or rather thou mightest say, parties of the State. The one holds with the +High Priest and the rulers, and is mainly made up of those whom ye +Hellenes call the Best, and their retainers. These be known as the +Sadducees, for their leaders are mainly of the family of the High Priest +Sadduk. Now, the other party is in some sort the party of the Demos, in +that they seek to lessen the power of the High Priests and their families. +But with us, as thou knowest, all things turn upon religion, and this +second party differ chiefly from the Sadducees, for that they are more in +earnest with the matters of the Law, and chiefly they fear the influence +of thy nation, Aglaophonos, in drawing the Israelite away from the Law. +Therefore have they increased precept upon precept, so as to make, as they +say, a fence round the Law. And as they would separate themselves from the +heathen by this fence, they call themselves Pharisees, that is, +Separatists. + +Now, it was nowise easy to learn whether a man was of the one party or the +other. For he might be eager for the Law, and so be Pharisaic in color, +and yet approve of the dominion of the priests, and thus be a Sadducee. +Yet in one chief matter of thought they went asunder contrariwise, and +that was concerning the resurrection of the dead. Now, with regard to +that, the Sadducees held that naught was said in the Law of Moses, and +therefore no son of Israel need concern himself with it. But the +Pharisees, on the other hand, laid great weight upon this. So here was a +touchstone by which to learn whether this Jesus followed the one or the +other of the two great divisions of our nation. + +Then, as was agreed upon, Kamithos the Sadducee came forward to ask him +the question which should determine whether he held with them that there +was no resurrection from the dead, or with the rest of the nation. He +said, "Rabbi, it is written in the Torah, if brethren dwell together, and +one of them die and have no son, the wife of the dead one shall not marry +without, unto a stranger; her husband's brother shall take her to him to +wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Suppose, now, there are seven +brethren, and the first takes a wife, and dying leaves no son; and the +second takes her, as is our custom, and dies without leaving any seed; and +the third likewise, and so on, till the whole seven had married her, and +yet had no son; then the woman dies also: when they shall rise from the +dead together, whose wife shall she be of them? for all seven had her to +wife." And Jesus answered and said, "Ye are at fault, and know not the +Scriptures, nor the power of God; for in the resurrection they neither +marry, nor are given in marriage, but are even as the angels which are in +heaven. And as an indication from Scripture that the dead rise, is it not +written in the book of Moses, when God spake to him from the bush, saying, +'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He +is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: therefore are ye in +error." + +And we were surprised at the subtlety of the man; and chiefly men +marvelled at the wisdom of this man in finding what we call a support, +that is, a text of Scripture on which to hang the doctrine of the life +after death, which many believe to have grown up among us since the sacred +Scriptures were written: for in them little, if anything, was said of the +world to come. Now, Jesus in his answer had happened upon a text which +said that Abraham and Isaac and Jacob were living when they were dead to +this world, and the people marvelled greatly thereat. + +Now, it had been agreed upon, that after the Sadducees had asked their +question and been answered, I should stand forth and test this man Jesus +on behalf of the Pharisees. Now, one of our Sages hath said, "Be as +careful of a little precept as of a great one;" whereas our great master +Hillel had, as I have told thee, summed up the whole Law in one precept, +"Love thy neighbor as thyself." Therefore, we of the Pharisees wished to +know whether this Jesus agreed with the one sage or the other; so I spake +unto him and said, "Rabbi, which is the first commandment, by doing which +I shall inherit the life everlasting?" But at first he answered me not +directly, but said, "How readest thou?" Then I remembered me the words of +the "Catechism of the Two Ways," and answered, "Thou shalt love the Lord +thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy strength, and with all thy +mind, and thy neighbor as thyself: whatsoever thou wouldest not for +thyself, do not to another." And he said unto me, "Thou hast answered +right; and the first of the commandments is the _Shema_: 'Hear, O Israel; +the Lord thy God is one God.' And the second is like, namely this: 'Thou +shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' There is none other commandment +greater than these. This do, and thou shalt live." Then I was rejoiced, +and said unto him, "Well, Rabbi, thou hast said the truth: there is one +God, and there is none other but him; and to love him with all the heart, +and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and all the +strength, and to love one's neighbor as one's self, is more than all the +burnt offerings and sacrifices." Then Jesus became gracious unto me, and +said, "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God." + +But then I would learn further from this man who spake so well, and ask +him the question which is current in our schools on this subject, and I +said to him, "But, Rabbi, who is my neighbor?" and he answered with a +_mashal_, or parable, and said, "To what is the matter like? A certain man +was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho; and he fell among robbers, which +both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And +by chance a certain priest was going down that way: and when he saw him, +he passed by on the other side. And in like manner a Levite also, when he +came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a certain +Israelite,(8) as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he +was moved with compassion, and came to him, and bound up his wounds, +pouring on them oil and wine; and he set him on his own beast, and brought +him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow he took out two +pence, and gave them to the host, and said, 'Take care of him; and +whatsoever thou spendest more, I, when I come back again, will repay +thee.' Which of these three, thinkest thou, proved neighbor unto him that +fell among the robbers?" Then I said, "Not the priest, nor the Levite, +though they held office in Israel, but the simple Israelite who showed +mercy upon him." Then Jesus said unto me, "Go and do thou likewise;" and +at this moment we were all summoned to the mid-day sacrifice in the +Temple. + +When Jesus had departed, after the sacrifice, we all met together and +discussed his answers, which had stamped him in our minds as a master in +the art of question and answer, which is with us as favorable a trial of +skill as oratory or poetry with you Hellenes. Now, as regards the question +of the Sadducees, men thought he had spoken more openly; for though he had +evaded a direct answer to the question of the seven brothers and their +wife, he had yet implied that they all would have a part in the life to +come. Some regretted that the question had not been put differently, and +the problem set--if a son had been born through the seventh brother: for +this might have thrown light upon the question of the schools, whether the +brother's widow was to be still regarded as his wife if seed had been +raised to him after his death. But as to the support which Jesus had taken +from Scripture for the life everlasting, though here again he had answered +question by question, it was decided that he was against the Sadducees on +this point. + +But on the questions which I had put to him, all had agreed that he had +answered as a Pharisee, even as Hillel might have answered, for he had +yea-said the doctrine which I had cited from the beginning of "The Two +Ways" in which the doctrine of Hillel is summed up; and even as to my +further question, as to who is the _chaber_, or neighbor, though opinions +were divided, most thought that he had spoken as a Pharisee might have +spoken: for thou knowest, Aglaophonos, that our nation is divided into +three great classes--the _Cohanim_, or Priests; the Levites; and the common +Israelites. Now, of these, the two former are the officials of the Temple, +and most if not all of the Sadducees are from this class. And, in +declaring himself on the side of the third class of simple Israelites, +Jesus had, we all thought, declared himself on the side of the Pharisees. + + + + + + VII. + THE SECOND SERMON. + + +I cannot clearly remember at what season of the year it was that I next +saw Jesus; indeed, I am surprised to think that, after the lapse of nearly +five-and-twenty years, I can still remember almost all that passed on the +various occasions when I was in his presence. Yet I think it was about the +time of the feast which we hold in memory of the rededication of the +Temple under the Maccabaeans that I again saw and heard the Galilaean +stranger; for I mind me that I had just been taking the eight-branch +candlestick which we use in the ceremonials of this feast to Petachayah +the silversmith to be mended, when on my return I saw a throng collected +round the synagogue of the Galilaeans, and entering in, found that Jesus +was to preach that day. The same ceremonial was gone through as I have +already described to thee: the Law was taken from the ark with rejoicing; +priest and Levite and four ordinary Israelites were summoned to hear it +read, and again the crier called, "Let Rabbi Joshua, the son of Rabbi +Joseph, arise." Now, it chanced that this time, I, as a member of the +Sanhedrim, was summoned to the reading of the Law immediately after Jesus, +and for a time, as is customary, we stood together upon the _bema_. I +observed that, as the reading of the Law proceeded, the eyes of the +Nazarene became fixed upon the ark, and a veil of mysterious tenderness +seemed to come over them, as if he were in communion with the _Shechinah_, +or Glory, itself. It seemed to me that afterwards, when he read the +_Haphtara_ from the prophets, and when he preached, something remained in +him of this mystical communion. + +Perhaps it was for this that we seemed to miss that sense of individual +address which we had before observed in his eyes. No longer did these +speak to us other and deeper thoughts than the words of the preacher; they +seemed to dream of divine things, and so caused us also to be rapt in +mystic musings. I cannot on this account recall for you all or even many +of the words which he uttered on this occasion. He began with some plain +teaching about practice. Soon he went on to speak of himself in a +marvellous way, as if he would imply that communion with him and with the +Most High were one and the same, and then in his last words he seemed to +speak of the Last Things. And here again his words seemed as if he +identified himself with the great Judge. + +Now, this is not so strange to our mode of thinking in Israel as thou +mightest think. Almost all our prophets speak the oracles of God as if +they were using the very words of the Lord. Thou canst read in the Greek +translation of the Seventy many passages of the prophets in which the very +words of the Lord are given. Yet in most, if not all, cases the prophet +beginneth, "Thus saith the Lord," or endeth, "This is the word of the +Lord." But with this Jesus it was otherwise. He spoke as the ancient +prophets do, but whether from his rapt intentness in the message he was +delivering, or because he felt his spirit for the time merged in the +divine, he spoke as if the message was his. And as he spoke, I saw looks +of amazement pass between many in the synagogue, and one old graybeard +rose as if to protest, and then, shaking his withered hands above his +head, went out of the synagogue. + +I will here set down for thee as many of the words that fell from Jesus' +lips on this occasion as I can remember. They are but few, but many of +them are weighty, and I have told thee above the general lines of thought +which seemed to run through his discourse; and these are the words as far +as I remember them.(9) + + +"Cultivate faith and hope, through which is born that love of God and man +which gives the eternal life. Those are the sons of God who walk in the +spirit of God. What you preach before the folk, do in deed before every +one. Accept not anything from any man, and possess not anything in this +world. For the Father wisheth to be given to each man from his own gifts. +Cleave unto the saints: for they that cleave unto them shall be +sanctified. Yet shall there be schisms and heresies: for there is a shame +which leadeth to death, as there is a shame which leadeth to life. Is it +not enough for the disciples to be as the Master? If in a little you are +not faithful, who shall give unto you what is much? Seek the great, and +the little will be added to you; seek the heavenly, and the things of +earth will be superadded. + +"He that wonders shall reign, he who reigns shall find rest. My secret is +for me, and for those that are mine are the things which eye saw not, and +ear heard not, which entered not into the heart of man, whatsoever things +God prepared for them that love him. Those who wish to see me, and wish to +cling to the kingdom, must take me through affliction and suffering. For +he that is near me is near the fire, he that is far from me is far from +the kingdom. Where one is, there too am I; where twain are, there too will +I be. As any of you sees himself in the water or in the mirror, so let him +see me in himself. + +"They that love me shall receive the crown. I will choose me the good, +those good whom my Father in the heavens hath given me. Let the lawless +continue in lawlessness, the just be justified. Behold, I make the last as +the first, and all things new. In whatsoever state I find you, in that +also will I judge you." + + +Never heard I any who spoke of himself as this man did. For days and days +afterwards some of his words came to me again and again. Whenever I was +alone I seemed to hear his voice saying, "Where one is, there too am I; +where twain are, there too will I be." Whenever I gazed on the running +stream or looked on the polished steel of the mirror, again I seemed to +hear him say, "As any of you sees himself in the water or in the mirror, +so let him see me in himself." And, in truth, at times my features seemed +to fade away, and the face of Jesus gaze upon me. + +Others thought not as I. When we assembled after the sermon, to talk over +it, as is our custom, I found that most had been chiefly touched by +certain sayings at the end of the sermon, in which Jesus seemed to speak +of the future life and the last judgment. Thou knowest, Aglaophonos, that +with regard to these matters I incline more to the teaching of the +Sadducean sect, who hold that Holy Scripture speaketh not of these things, +and that, therefore, we need not and should not think thereon. But there +were few who held that doctrine in the synagogue that day, and these +thought most of the words in which Jesus seemed to claim the prerogatives +of the Divine Judge. "I was amazed," quoth Serachyah ben Pinchas, "when he +spoke of judging us himself in the last days: it wanted but a little that +I had rent my garments at the blasphemy. But surely, thought I to myself, +the man will shortly tell us, 'These are the words of the Lord,' and so I +refrained." + +Now I will tell thee of a most strange event that happened with me and +this Jesus. A day or two after this, I was sitting in my room and studying +the words of Torah, and had fallen into deep thought on the things of this +life and the next, and gradually I fell thinking of certain words that I +had heard from Jesus the Nazarene, as I have before told you. Hast thou +ever felt, Aglaophonos, as if some one was gazing upon thee, and thou +couldst not refrain from looking round to see who it was? So I felt at +this moment, and I looked up from the sacred scroll, and lo! Jesus the +Nazarene stood before me, gazing upon me with those piercing eyes I can +never forget. His face was pale and indistinct, but the eyes shone forth +as if with tenderness and pity. Then he seemed to lean forward, and spoke +to me in a low yet piercing voice these words: "Awake thou that sleepest, +and arise from the dead, and the Christ shall shine upon thee." I had +shrunk back from his gaze, and was, indeed, in all amaze and wonder that +he should be in the room; but when I looked again, behold, he was gone, +there was no man there. + +But this is not all the wonder of that event, for, being startled, and, +indeed, somewhat fearful at his sudden appearance and disappearance, I +arose and went out into the highway, and went out to walk on the +Gethsemane road. Now, as I came clear of the city, I saw a group of men +coming down the opposite hill, and when they came near, behold, it was +Jesus and some of his friends. I was astonished and surprised beyond all +measure, for how could Jesus have just been with me, and be now coming +from Gethsemane? And when they were passing me, Jesus glanced at me very +slightly, as at a stranger--he that had spoken to my soul but a few minutes +since. + +Now, after they had passed me, there came one running after them whom I +knew--one Meshullam ben Hanoch--and I stopped him and asked him whither he +was going, and he said, "Stay me not. I have run all the way from Bethany +to catch up that man thou seest there, Jesus the Nazarene;" and with that +he took up his running and left me. + +I knew not what to think. I had seen and heard Jesus in my own house in +Jerusalem, and lo! at that very same time, as I now learned, he had been +at Bethany. What thinkest thou, Aglaophonos,--can a man be in two places at +one and the same time? or can it be that the mind of man, and the power of +his eye, can go forth from his body and create a vision of another man +that hath all the semblance of reality? I know not what to think; but I +have heard that, even after his death, those who were nearest and dearest +to Jesus saw him and heard him even as I did. Nor do I wonder at this, +after what has occurred to myself. + + + + + + VIII. + THE REBUKING OF JESUS. + + +Now, it chanced that about this time I was invited to a feast at the house +of Elisha ben Simeon, one of the leaders of the Pharisees in Jerusalem. +His son had become thirteen years old that week, and, as is our custom, +was received into the holy congregation as a Son of the Covenant on the +Sabbath. He had been summoned up to the reading of the Law, and had +himself read aloud a portion of it; for from this day onward he was to be +treated in all matters of religion as if he were a man. Being a friend of +his father, I had attended his synagogue, and heard the lad's pure voice +for the first time in his life declare publicly his faith in the Most +High. + +After the service in the synagogue, his friends accompanied the father and +the lad to their house, and with them went I, who had known the father +from our schoolboy days, and the little lad from the time of his birth. + +Now, it chanced that, as we came near the door of Elisha's house, we met +Jesus the Nazarene, and two or three with him. So Elisha greeted them, and +invited them courteously to join the feast, as is the custom among us. And +Jesus and the others assented, and followed into the house with us. "To +table, to table!" cried Elisha, pointing to the couches standing round the +well-filled board. + +When we were all seated, the host and his son came round with an ewer and +basin to perform the washing of the hands prescribed by the Law. But when +they came to the Galilaean strangers, these refused, saying, "We wash not +before meals." + +"Then we must serve ye last," said Elisha, with a smile. But the others +took not the matter so pleasantly; for since we have one common dish, +which is handed round to the guests for them to take their food with their +fingers, it is considered gross ill-breeding for a man not to perform the +ceremony of washing before meals. + +Then Elisha took a seat at the centre of the table, and said the grace +before meals. Then he broke bread, and, dipping a morsel into salt for +each of the guests, he called his son to him to carry it round. When he +saw that each of the guests had a piece of bread dipped in salt, Elisha +recited the blessing on the bread, "Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, who +bringest forth bread from the earth," and all said "Amen." And one of the +guests said to Elisha, "I am glad we are not in Babylon." + +"How so, Phineas?" said Elisha to the man, who was well known at all +feasts at that time in Jerusalem. + +And Phineas said, "For there they only eat bread with their bread." + +"Nay, that would not suit thee, Phineas. Thou art no Nazarite;" and most +of the guests who knew him laughed. + +Then Elisha clapped his hands, and the slaves took round the first course +of salted fish; then afterwards the cold baked meats--for, being the +Sabbath, the food had been prepared the day before. + +Then one of the guests said to one of the Galilaeans, "Is it true that you +allow fowl to be boiled in milk in your country?" + +"Yes, truly; why not?" said the Galilaean. + +"Is it not written thrice in the Law," said the guest, "'Thou shalt not +seethe the kid in its mother's milk'?" + +"In our country," said the Galilaean, "fowls give no milk." And we all of +us laughed, save only Jesus. + +"Nay, but the Sages have carried their prohibition even unto fowls, lest +the people be led to confuse flesh and flesh." + +By this time we had arrived at the third and last course of salted olives, +lettuces, and radishes. And again the bowl and ewer were passed round, and +this time the Galilaeans did not refuse the water. Then the new son of the +covenant recited in his clear voice the grace after meals. And all rose, +while the slaves removed the remnants. Then said Elisha, "It is not well +that when so many are together we should depart without discussing some +words of the Law. My little Lazarus here would fain learn some new thing +from the many learned men present on this day of his being received into +Israel." + +"Well, then," said one of the company, "I should like to put a question to +our friends here from Galilee." And they said, "Speak, Rabbi." + +And he addressed himself to Jesus, and said, "Why walk not thy disciples +according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen +hands?" + +Then Jesus spoke out, and as he spoke he strode up and down the room, with +his hand clutching the air, and the vein throbbing on his left temple. +"Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, 'This +people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. +Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the +commandments of men.'" Then facing us all, he added, "For ye lay aside the +commandment of God, and hold the tradition of men." + +"How so, master?" said Elisha; "prove thy words." + +"It is said in the Word of God, 'Honor thy father and thy mother,' and yet +the Sages say, 'If a man be asked by his father or mother to honor them +with a gift, and he say, "I vow that thing to the Almighty," then it is +_Corban_,' and put aside for the Lord, so that his parents cannot enjoy +thereof. Thus by your tradition about vows ye make the Word of God +concerning honor to parents of none effect, and many like things ye do." + +Then Elisha said, "But the Sages are by no means at one in that matter of +the vows, and in particular many of them declare all the vows annulled +that would work against our duty to our parents, or even against our love +to our neighbor. Yet, even if we take the more stricter tradition, in what +manner that absolves us from washing our hands before meals, I see not." + +"Nay, it is the same thing," replied Jesus. "Ye Pharisees make clean the +outside of the cup and platter, but your inward thoughts are full of +ravening and wickedness. Ye fools! did not the Holy One, blessed be He, +who made that which is without, make also that which is within? Therefore +give for alms that which is within, kindly thoughts and friendly feelings. +If ye do that, all things are clean unto you." + +Then I said unto Jesus, for this matter touched us scribes nearly, +"Master, in speaking thus against tradition thou reproachest us also that +be scribes." + +And he answered, "Woe, woe unto ye, scribes! which desire to walk in long +robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the higher seats in the +synagogues, and the chief places at feasts, which devour widows' houses, +and for a show make long prayers." + +Then an angry murmur rose among all the folk there assembled at the harsh +words of the stranger, when suddenly was heard the voice of Simeon ben +Lazarus, the father of Elisha, a very old man, who sat in the corner and +said:-- + +"Young man, fourscore years and two have I lived upon this earth; a +Pharisee have I been from the day I became a son of the covenant, like +little Lazarus there; a scribe was I during all the working days of my +life. I did what the Law and the Sages command, yet never thought I in so +doing of men's thoughts or praises. Surely, if the Lord command, a good +Jew will obey. And as in many things, many acts of this life, the Law +speaketh not in plain terms, surely we should follow the opinion of those +who devote all their life to the study of the Law. + +"I have never sought the praises of men, their greetings or their honors, +in obeying the Law. In all that I have done I have sought one thing--to +fulfil the will of our Father which is in heaven. + +"As for what thou sayest, that inward thought and outward act should go +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 Tyropoeon 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 +Tyropoeon, 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 Tyropoeon 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 Caesar 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, "Caesar's." And then Jesus said unto them, "Render to Caesar +the things that are Caesar'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 Caesar." 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 Galilaeans, 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 Galilaeans. 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 reentered 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. + + + + + + EPILOGUE. + + +Thus far had I written to thee, Aglaophonos, as to what I knew of that +Jesus the Nazarene about whom thou hast made so earnest inquiry. I had +minded to hand it to Alphaeus ben Simon, my cousin, who goeth this week in +the galley to Cyprus, and thence would have passed it on to thee by the +hands of one of our brethren who visit Greece from year to year. But there +has happened to me an event which has given me much to think of with +regard to this very matter of Jesus. It chanced that the day before +yesterday I went from the Jewish quarter in this city of Alexandria for my +usual walk along the Lochias, which adjoins it. There it is my custom to +catch the sea air and to watch the vessels put into the Inner Port. Now, +it chanced that as I came upon the Lochias, the vessel of Joppa had just +hoved-to in the Inner Port, and the passengers were being landed up the +Broad Steps. Now these, by their _talith_ and their faces, I knew to be +Jews, and I went up to them, and greeted them with the greeting of peace. +But among them one came to me with the look of recognition in his eyes, +and said, "Knowest thou me not, Meshullam ben Zadok?" And, behold, it was +Rufus ben Simon, whom I had known before I left the Holy City. So I +welcomed him, and brought him home to this house of mine. And here he +remaineth till the morrow, when he starteth forth to go to Cyrene. + +Now, in my inquiries about old friends left behind, and new things that +had happened since I went away, I failed not to ask about the followers of +the Nazarene. To my wonder, I found that this Rufus had become one of +them, even though he was but a child when Jesus died. Yet is he a good Jew +in all else. He eateth only our meat, and keepeth our Sabbaths and +festivals. But he avers that the Anointed One, whom we expect, has already +appeared, and that he was Jesus the Nazarene. And upon my inquiry how he +could know aught of Jesus but from the common talk, he put in my hand some +Memorabilia of him, written down in Hebrew by one of his chief followers, +Matathias.(12) This have I read again and again, and pondered much +thereon. Nor have I been able to sleep these two nights for the new +thoughts about Jesus that have come to me from reading these memoirs of +him. + +For, behold, he appeareth in these records of him by his own followers in +far other wise than he showed himself to us in public at Jerusalem. In all +his public acts among us he was full of scornful rebukes; among his own +followers he was tender and loving. Scarcely ever could we get him to +speak out to us plainly his views about matters of public concern. He +would always give us an answer full of evasion and enigma, but to his +followers he would explain all his meaning over and over again, +illustrated with parable. There at Jerusalem he almost always turned to +the people his harsher side. I saw him on every occasion on which he +appeared in public in Jerusalem, and, save only in his sermons, he was +always rebuking one or another, just like the prophets of old. And the +manner of his rebuking towards us was as with scorpions, whereas among his +own he would mingle tenderness even with his reproaches. Nor, saving his +sermons, which few heard but those who already followed him, had he aught +novel to tell us about the things of life. He seemed to us as if he would +destroy the temple of our faith, nor in his public actions did he give any +promise of building it up anew. Yet to those with him he would continually +be telling what to do and how to do it, till, behold, a new manner of +life, fair and seemly, stood before them, fulfilled of Jewish +righteousness, with a tender mercy which was the man's very own. + +I need not detail to thee, Aglaophonos, what these acts and words were +which have given me an altogether new light as to the character and +thoughts of the man Jesus. From certain words of thine in thy letter, +which I understood not then when I first read it, I can see now that thou +must have had some such account of the life and death of Jesus before thee +as this which Rufus hath shown unto me. Now I can understand wherefore +thou hast inquired about this Jesus with such eager insistence. And to +thee as a Gentile the revelation of his character would come with more +attractive force than to us that be Jews. For in almost every way this +Jesus fulfilleth the idea of a Jew as we have it in these later days. +Working with his hands, yet teaching with his voice; obedient to the Law, +yet ever eager to take a new law upon himself; doing acts of love among +men, yet rebuking in love their ill acts, and doing all things as in the +presence of the Glory;--in all this Jesus was as the best of our Sages. + +"Wherefore, then, did ye suffer him to be killed?" thou wilt ask me, and +indeed I ask myself. If I were to answer thee in the way Jesus was wont to +answer us, I would say, "Why did ye Hellenes condemn Socrates to the +hemlock?" For he was as much the Ideal of the Hellenes as Jesus of the +Jews. Every Hellene would be eloquent and reasonable, and that was +Socrates. Every Jew would be wise and good and pious, and that was Jesus. +Yet each of these men, if I read their lives aright, died the death of a +criminal, because he cared not for that which his fellow-countrymen cared +for most. Socrates died because he would force his countrymen to examine +by their reason the ideas and ideals which they all accepted. Jesus died +for the same reason, but also for another--for that he cared naught for our +national hopes. We were all panting for national freedom; he would have +naught of it. Whether it was that he felt in some sort to be not of our +nation, I know not; but in all his teaching he dealt with us as men, not +as Jews. It is this, I can see, that has attracted thee to his doctrine, +whereas thou wert always scornful of our Jewish pretensions, as thou +calledst them. + +Yet herein again was he at one with the best thoughts of our Sages. Our +God is the God of all, and his Law shall be one day the Law of all. If we +yearn for the universal realm of the Messiah, it is as much for the sake +of the world as for ourselves. But methinks I see in the thoughts of this +Jesus an idea quite other than ours as to what the Anointed One shall be +and shall do. We hope for him as a Deliverer and a Conqueror with force of +arms by God's aid. Now, Jesus seemed not to think of the Anointed One in +any way like this. His mind seemed to be filled rather with the picture of +the Servant of God as drawn by the Prophet Esaias. Thou knowest the +passage, Aglaophonos; I remember thy laughter when first I read it thee, +that men could look forward to contempt and hatred as a good. Truly the +idea is far different from the saying of the barbarian, "Woe to the +conquered!" And surely to us all, Jew and Gentile, Greek and barbarian, +the greatest of joys is this--to worst an equal foe in fair fight. But to +Esaias the prophet, and to Jesus the Nazarene after him, the higher +victory is with him that is worsted in the battle of life. That will come +as good tidings to nine out of every ten of men. + +Therefore, if Jesus thought of himself as the Anointed One, it was as +being anointed with the woes of the vanquished, with the sweat and the +blood of the lowly and despised. Now I know why he seemed so sad when he +was greeted at Jerusalem as a victor. He had spent his life in trying to +impress a new ideal upon his people, and they had welcomed him only as the +fulfilment of the old ideal which he desired to replace. None of thy poets +have given a drama with more of _eironeia_ in it than this. + +Yet why did he remain silent before us as to these ideas of his? If, +indeed, these were his ideas; for even with the new light given by the +Hebrew Memorabilia, I can see his thought but dimly. Why spake he not his +own thought to the people in Jerusalem, and tell us no longer to hope for +worldly dominion as the best means for spreading the Law of the Lord, but +rather to be as servants of God, even as Esaias the Prophet hath spoken? +Was it that he wished to carry out the description of the prophet even to +every iota of his text? For, behold, the prophet sayeth, "He let himself +be humbled, and opened not his mouth." If so, then was the death of Jesus +but a sublime suicide. + +For surely by this silence he has committed a grievous sin against us his +people. For if we committed aught of sin and crime that handed him over to +the Romans as a pretender to empire, he indeed shared our sin and crime by +his silence. Ye Hellenes were at least greater in fault than we in the +matter of Socrates; for ye condemned him after he had spoken his whole +mind and made known his whole thought to his people; whereas we condemned +one who, I make bold to say, was even greater than thy Socrates, mainly +because of what seemed to us his sullen and arrogant silence, broken only +by a confession of guilt when he knew he was not guilty. + +But yet, let me not be as harsh in judgment upon him after his death, as +perhaps I was when I allowed the sentence to be declared against him +without protest. He, least of all men, could have died with a lie upon his +lips. In some sort and in some way he must have combined the thought of +the triumphant Messiah and of the despised Servant of God. For in those +Memorabilia of him which have come into my hands during the last days as +being a message from him that is dead, I find these two things combined. +He speaketh ever of the blessedness of the poor and the humble and the +despised, even as the Ebionim speak. So that if a man would be blessed, he +would choose a lowly career, even as did Jesus. Yet withal he speaketh oft +of himself as the Son of Man, and every Jew that heard him would think he +knew what he thereby claimed. For in the Prophets Daniel and Enoch it is +clearly said that the Son of Man would come in victory over the world; and +what other could this universal victor be than the Anointed One whom the +prophets had foretold? If Jesus put another meaning upon the prophetic +words, why spake he not his meaning fully unto the people? All we may have +gone like sheep astray, but he that might have been our shepherd went +apart alone with God. + +O Jesus, why didst thou not show thyself to thy people in thy true +character? Why didst thou seem to care not for aught that we at Jerusalem +cared for? Why, arraigned before the appointed judges of thy people, didst +thou keep silence before us, and, by thus keeping silent, share in +pronouncing judgment upon thyself? We have slain thee as the Hellenes have +slain Socrates their greatest, and our punishment will be as theirs. Then +will Israel be even as thou wert, despised and rejected of men--a nation of +sorrows among the nations. But Israel is greater than any of his sons, and +the day will come when he will know thee as his greatest. And in that day +he will say unto thee, "My sons have slain thee, O my son, and thou hast +shared our guilt." + + + + + + + RELIGIOUS BOOKS + + + _Serviceable, Timely, and Helpful._ + +_Riverside Parallel Bible._ +Containing the Authorized Version and the Revised Version in parallel +columns. Large type, cloth, $5.00; Persian, $10.00; morocco, $15.00. + +_Bible Dictionary._ +Dr. SMITH'S GREAT BIBLE DICTIONARY. Edited for America by Professor +HACKETT and Dr. EZRA ABBOT. By far the fullest and best Bible Dictionary +in the English language. 4 vols. 8vo, 596 illustrations, 3697 pages, +cloth, $20.00. Other bindings from $25.00 to $27.50. + +_The New Testament._ +Superbly illustrated with engravings from designs after the Old Masters. +Royal 4to, cloth, full gilt, $10.00; morocco, $20.00. + +_Robinson's Palestine._ +Biblical Researches in Palestine. By EDWARD ROBINSON. A work very highly +commended by Dean Stanley. With Maps, plans, etc. 3 vols. 8vo, $10.00. + +_Physical Geography of the Holy Land._ +8vo, $3.50. + +_History of the Sacred Scriptures of the New Testament._ +Probably the fullest and best work on this subject. By EDUARD W. E. REUSS. +Translated by E. L. HOUGHTON. 2 vols. 8vo, $5.00. + +_Neander's Church History._ +General History of the Christian Religion and Church. Translated by Rev. +JOSEPH TORREY. With a very full index. 6 vols. 8vo, $20.00. +Dr. Schaff pronounced Neander the greatest church historian of the +nineteenth century. + +_Into His Marvellous Light._ +Studies in Life and Belief. By CHARLES CUTHBERT HALL, D. D., of Brooklyn. +$1.50. +The London _Christian World_ pronounces these discourses "most inspiring," +and the _Christian Intelligencer_ finds "a rare keenness of insight, a +reflection of taste that is special, a spirit that is most Christian +pervading the whole book." + +_The Divinity of Jesus Christ._ +By the Editors of the _Andover Review_. A series of noteworthy papers +contributed to that Review, and forming a symmetrical and very interesting +treatment of the great topic they discuss. 16mo, $1.00. + +_The Evolution of Christianity._ +The remarkable Lectures at the Lowell Institute, in 1892, by Dr. LYMAN +ABBOTT. 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By +WM. ELLIOT GRIFFIS, D. D. $1.25. + +_An American Missionary in Japan._ +A book of great interest, and giving a great deal of information about the +social and religious development of Modern Japan. By Rev. Dr. M. L. +GORDON, for twenty years an able and devoted missionary in that country. +$1.25. + +_The Republic of God._ +By ELISHA MULFORD, LL. D. $2.00. "A unique work, and devotes to the great +topics of theology a kind of thinking of which we have had little in +English literature and need much."--_The Independent._ + +_As It Is In Heaven._ _The Unseen Friend._ _At the Beautiful Gate._ +Three books by LUCY LARCOM,--religious, cheerful, delightful to read, and +of the finest quality in every way. The last-named is a book of exquisite +religious lyrics. Each, $1.00. + +{~ASTERISM~} _For sale by all Booksellers. Sent, post-paid, on receipt of price by +the Publishers_, + + _Houghton, Mifflin & Company,__ _ + _4 Park Street, Boston; 11 East 17th Street, New York._ + + + + + + FOOTNOTES + + + 1 This, like most other utterances of Jesus, found in this book but + not in the Gospels, is also found in the early patristic + literature.--ED. + + 2 _{~GREEK CAPITAL LETTER OMICRON WITH PSILI AND OXIA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER CHI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER LAMDA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER FINAL SIGMA~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER TAU~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH PERISPOMENI~} {~GREEK SMALL LETTER ALPHA WITH PSILI~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER GAMMA~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER RHO~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER OMICRON~}{~GREEK SMALL LETTER UPSILON WITH PERISPOMENI~}_, seemingly the translation of the Hebrew _{~HEBREW LETTER AYIN~}{~HEBREW LETTER FINAL MEM~} {~HEBREW LETTER HE~}{~HEBREW LETTER ALEF~}{~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}{~HEBREW LETTER FINAL TSADI~}_ + used for those unlearned in the Law; this term seems to have passed + through much the same history as "pagan."--ED. + + 3 Each of the Jewish rabbis used to sum up his teaching in some + pregnant sentence. These are given in the Talmudic treatise, _The + Ethics of the Fathers_.--ED. + + 4 Jose ben Joeser said, "Let thy place be a place of meeting for the + wise; dust thyself with the dust of their feet, and drink greedily + of their teaching" (_Pirke Aboth_, i. 4).--ED. + + 5 The rabbis use this expression, _Bath Kol_, for any supernatural + revelation.--ED. + + 6 This Logion is only found elsewhere in one MS. of the Gospels, viz., + in the Codex Bezae at Cambridge.--ED. + + 7 It must have been from a report of this discourse, and that given on + p. 92, that the majority of those utterances of Jesus have been + derived which are known in modern theology as "Agrapha."--ED. + + 8 The gospel version reads "Samaritan."--ED. + + 9 See note on p. 42.--ED. + + 10 _Bar Abba_ means "son of his father." + + 11 _Bar Amma_ means "son of his mother."--ED. + + 12 Probably the so-called Primitive Gospel, the common foundation of + our Synoptics. 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