by F. W. Farrar
CHAPTER LIII
‘_HE WHO SAW THE APOCALYPSE_’
‘Questi è colui, che giacque sopra ‘l petto Del nostro Pellicano; e questi fue Di su la croce al grande ufficio eletto.’
DANTE, _Paradiso_, xxv. 112-114.
The slave Philetus came to the house of Aliturus on the next Sundayevening, and told him that the Christians now knew themselves to bemenaced by imminent peril. They had consequently changed their placeof meeting to another sand-pit near the Appian road, where they wouldbe assembled in unusual numbers, expecting the presence of John,one of the twelve companions of Jesus whom they called Apostles.Aliturus, seeing the character of the man, who was one of those whoare ever ready to sell their souls for gain, said as little to himas possible; but while he donned his Ephesian disguise he determinedto do his utmost to warn the Christians secretly of the toils which,before he knew their true character, he himself had designed tospread for them.
The worship of the congregation resembled that on the previousFirst-day evening, except that the impression of solemn expectationwas even more thrilling and intense. Aliturus was at a distance fromthe Apostle, whom his fellow-Christians surrounded with a reverenceakin to awe, and whose bearing, though full of love and humility, wasyet more full of natural dignity than Aliturus had ever observed inConsul or Emperor. During the day the Apostle had walked through theareas of encumbered ruin and blackened waste, which in ten regionsof the city were all that was left of Rome. He had walked along thelines of temporary huts in the Campus Martius, and heard the wail ofmen and women who refused to be comforted for the loss of all. He hadstood behind the base of a half-calcined pillar on the Aventine whenNero had been carried past him in an open litter of silver, in whichhe lolled on purple cushions. He was discinctured and clad in alight Coan _synthesis_, looking the picture of cruel and dissoluteeffeminacy. A young Greek slave shared his litter, and some of hisworst associates laughed and jested by his side. The sight of theAntichrist had stirred the heart of John to uttermost indignation,and as he now rose in the assembly, the mystic golden _petalon_ ofpriesthood upon his forehead flashing under the light of the lampsin the far recess of the sand-pit, his whole figure seemed to burnand dilate with inspired passion. He spoke at times with somethingof the holy frenzy of a Hebrew prophet, in language purposely couchedin Eastern metaphors. To those who were unfamiliar with the styleof Jewish Apocalypses, much of what he said might have seemed whollyunintelligible; but most of those who heard him had a clue to hisutterances, either from their Jewish birth or from familiarity withsacred books of the Hebrews. Among these was Aliturus. Knowing thehigh authority of the speaker, the whole assembly listened withbeating hearts to the tones of a voice which throbbed with fireand life, and sometimes rose to awful power.
In imagery afterwards embodied in his Apocalypse he spoke of awild beast, rising out of the sea with a name of blasphemy on hisforehead. And men worshipped the beast, and said, ‘Who is like thewild beast?’ and ‘Who can fight against him?’ Those who had heard ofNero in his disguise at the infamous banquet on the Lake of Agrippaknew that by the wild beast he meant the Emperor, and by the seathe sea of nations, and by the name of blasphemy the divine titleAugustus, and by his superhuman exaltation the adoring flattery ofhis votaries. He described the misery of the people as of men gnawingtheir tongues for pain; and he spoke of a war of the wild beastagainst the saints, and of blood rolling in a great river; and of thevengeance which should follow, and of the vain rage of the nationsagainst Him which is, and was, and is to come.
His voice ceased. He sat down, and an awful hush fell over thelisteners. And then the whole assembly knelt down as with one greatsob, and Aliturus sobbed with them. Pitying their emotion, theBeloved arose once more, and said: ‘Nay, brethren, you must notreturn thus with broken hearts to your homes. It is given unto me toforesee that ye must resist unto blood. Many of you must be tortured,many slain. At this moment there is a traitor among you, and it is nolonger possible to escape. And there is another, not a traitor, butwho meant to be an open enemy.’ The speaker paused, and the heartof Aliturus became chill as a stone within him. ‘But,’ continuedthe Apostle, ‘the grace of God hath called this one to repentance,and he shall be saved, though through much tribulation. And now, mychildren, give your customary gifts to God and to the suffering ones,for many are now in depths of affliction, and there are not a few ofyou whose children shall be fatherless and their wives widows, whomust be the care of the Church hereafter. But I say to you all,as our Lord said the night that He was betrayed, “Fear not, littleflock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”And as my last words, take this His new commandment: “Little children,love one another.”’
He bade them sing a hymn to calm their troubled souls, and theysang:--
‘Curb for the stubborn steed, Making its will give heed; Wing that directest right The wild bird’s wandering flight; Helm for the ships that keep Their pathway on the deep; Our stay when cares annoy, Giver of endless joy, O Jesus, hear!
‘Thine infant children seek, With baby lips all weak, Filled with the Spirit’s dew From that dear bosom true, Thy praises pure to sing, Hymns meet for Thee, their King; O Jesus, hear!
‘We, heirs of peace unpriced, We, who are born in Christ, A people pure from stain, Praise we our God again! O Jesus, hear!’[98]
The deacons went round among the worshippers, and collected thealms. Aliturus, more deeply moved than ever in his life, flung intothe offering the large sum of gold which he had received for hisunhallowed dance. Linus rose and said, ‘Beloved, the times areperilous. We know not when or where the cloud will burst. Let usmeet again on the third day hence, and hear the word of exhortation.’
Then the Apostle committed them to God’s gracious mercy andprotection, and to the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and thecommunion of the Holy Spirit; and once more, like phantoms, thatgreat throng melted into the darkness.
But Aliturus, telling Philetus that it would be better for themto separate, dismissed him, and waited for the presbyters who wereconducting John to the house of Linus.
‘I would speak to thee,’ he said, addressing the Apostle in Hebrew,which he had not entirely forgotten since the day when he learnt itat his brave father’s knee. ‘I am--’
‘I know thee who thou art, my son,’ answered the Apostle, in thesame language. ‘Thou wast born a child of Abraham; thou hast becomea firstborn of Satan. Yea, weep, for thy sins have been many; yetrejoice, for thou shalt be snatched as a brand out of the burning.’
‘I have never been a Christian, O Apostle,’ said Aliturus; ‘I havenever heard the name of Christ except in mockery; but now, convincedof all, judged of all, I see that the secret of God is with you. Ihave led you into peril, but I did it ignorantly, and now, if thouwouldst direct me, I fain would do my utmost to save you all.’
‘Thou shalt be forgiven, my son, because (as thou sayest) thou didstit ignorantly: but save us thou canst not. Nevertheless, do what thoucanst, and may God be with thee!’
‘Oh that I might ask for thy blessing; for my heart is sore even tobreaking.’
‘My son,’ said the Apostle, laying his hand on the bowed head of theactor; ‘the blessing of God is with them that repent, and the Lordrejecteth none who come to Him.’
They parted in the darkness, and the next day Aliturus sought anaudience with the Emperor alone. He had been so great a favouritethat Nero always rejoiced to see him, and to while away an hour underthe spell of his natural brightness. But, to his surprise, Aliturushad no sooner kissed his hand than he flung himself at his feet andcraved his indulgence.
‘What ails the gay actor?’ asked Nero. ‘Is it something more aboutthese Christians?’
‘It is,’ said the actor. ‘Spare them, Emperor. Spare them, I entreatyou. I have ascertained that they are perfectly innocent. Cæsar hasno more virtuous subjects.’
‘Would Cæsar slay the innocent?’
‘Innocent? They are anything but innocent. They are conspirators, andsorcerers, and murderers, and haters of mankind.’
‘Oh, Cæsar,’ exclaimed the actor, in despair. ‘I, too, believed this;but these are only the lies of the multitude.’
‘At any rate, they are gloomy and pestilent fanatics. Why shouldAliturus care for the wretches who worship a man whom Pilatuscrucified? What is their execrable superstition to Rome’s favouritepantomime? I am to be king of the East, and these Galileans set upanother king, whom they call Christus. It is flat sedition! Besides,how am I to appease the populace, if I do not find them some victims?’
‘You may yet find the true criminals, Cæsar; it may be that they arenearer your own person than these poor Christians.’
‘Don’t let Tigellinus hear you say that, or you may yet know what the_tunica molesta_ is like, and may leave a trail of burning pitch onthe sand of the amphitheatre! Come, Aliturus, this is tedious. Enoughof it. I prefer your dancing.’
At this moment Poppæa entered, and the young man withdrew. As hepassed down the corridor the slaves were surprised to see the brightdarling of the populace wringing his hands and muttering ‘Too late!too late!’
On one point he was determined. No word, no sign of his should doany further injury to the Christians. He would not reveal theirmeeting-place, nor help their enemies.
Alas! his aid was no longer needed. We can abstain from evil deeds,but when we have done them their consequences are beyond us, nor canwe escape their punishment. Tigellinus, by his spies, had put himselfin communication with Philetus; he knew enough to palliate in theeyes of the people the arrest of a community which they regardedwith detestation. His nets were spread in every direction. Unlessthe Christians abandoned all attempt at meeting together, it wasimpossible that they could escape the agents of the tyranny whichhad determined to destroy them as the scapegoat of its own crimes.To warn them would in any case have been in vain, and Aliturus wasunable to warn them, for Tigellinus did not make him a confidant ofhis intentions.
Unaccompanied by Philetus, the actor went to the meeting which Linushad announced, and found the Christians gathered in undiminishednumbers, anxious to hear once more the words of him who at the LastSupper had leaned his head on the bosom of their Lord.
Again--lest in the presence of traitors and enemies he should uselanguage which might be turned into an engine of condemnation againstthe brethren--the Apostle addressed them in allegoric terms. TheChristians understood his words, and the rich comfort which laybeneath their poetic imagery. But he had not been speaking long,when from the narrow entrance which led into the sandpit--forthe Christians had barricaded every approach but one--there arosefirst a cry of surprise, then a sound of struggling, and a clashof arms, and a tramp of feet. The youths to whom was entrustedthe guardianship of the approach were borne back by numbers, andflying into the assembly raised a shout of ‘Fly, brethren, fly!the Prætorians are upon us.’ The lamps flashed on the gilded armourof a centurion, who leapt, sword in hand, into the midst of theworshippers. In a moment every lamp was extinguished, and by thestraggling starlight might be caught glimpses of a scene of wildconfusion, as men and shrieking women sprang in vain to the egress,and, driven back on each other by the swords of the soldiers,struggled in mad panic towards the various subterranean hiding-placesand passages, which branched out of the sandpit, and were thebeginning of the catacombs. Many made their escape in the tumult,for they were more familiar than the soldiers with the exits andwinding ways. Except that one or two Christians were struck toearth and trampled upon in the obscurity, no blood was shed; for theprinciples of the Christians forbade them to resist lawful authority.The centurion, the moment he entered, strode straight towards thegroup of presbyters, and arrested Linus, who sat in the seat of thebishop. Another officer laid his hand on the robe of the Apostle,but while Aliturus involuntarily sprang forward to make him releasehis hold, a gigantic _fossor_--whose trade it was to hew graves inthe tufa for all the brethren--flung his arms round the officer,and pinned them to his side, while Cletus, seizing the hand of John,hurried him along a tortuous and half-subterranean path by which theyemerged into the upper air. They lay concealed among the thick leavesof a vineyard, until they heard the tramp of the soldiers who marchedoff with about a hundred prisoners, whose arms they had tied behindtheir backs. Aliturus was in no personal danger, but he had followedthe escaping steps of Cletus and the Apostle, and he lay hidden withthem in the vineyard till the sound of footsteps had died away in theechoing gloom.
‘Alas, father, what can I do?’ exclaimed the presbyter. ‘I am but afreedman in the house of the senator Nerva. I have no home, no refugeto offer thee which would not be full of hardship and the peril ofcertain death.’
‘Come to my house,’ exclaimed Aliturus to the Apostle, eagerly. ‘Iam not a Christian--I am but a pantomime. But, if thou wilt trust me,thy life will be safer with me than in any house in Rome, tillopportunity enables thee to escape to Asia.’
‘My son,’ said the Apostle, ‘I trust thee. Lead me on.’
That night the son of Zebedee was sheltered in the house of theactor, who told his most confidential slaves to treat with allhonour a friend of Jewish race who had come from Palestine. But allnight long the Apostle was on his knees, praying for his brethren.For the Great Tribulation--the first of the ten great Christianpersecutions--had begun.
