“What Pilate thinks or does not think is of little interest to me.”
“You aren’t serious.”
“No, I am not, but it wasn’t a story. Everything I said was true. I did omit a few pieces, I admit, but they were not needed to free the Prefect.”
“I see. Only a few pieces? Very well, one or two those pieces I would like explained. You said the boy is under arrest for a crime. What crime would that be?”
“Loukas, I could not turn him over to those men. He is a boy, not a criminal. He doesn’t deserve to die. I decided to keep him out of their clutches if I could. So, I made that up. It’s not entirely a lie. There must be a stricture against assuming the persona of a woman somewhere in Leviticus. That would be the crime. If that is insufficient, I will find something.”
“I see, and you think you will get away with that?”
“It worked.”
“But what if Pilate sends for him?”
“He will not. He will be on his way to Caesarea Maritima and away from those two hunting dogs the Emperor set on him as soon as he possibly can. Besides, the boy may be about to change his name and disappear. Tell me, Loukas, now that I have tamed your servant, Yakob, how does the idea of acquiring an apprentice strike you? Marius is bright and eager. He has no future in the theater and he knows that.”
“Me? Take on the boy as an apprentice?”
“You could raise him up as your old master raised you. It would be like giving back.”
“An apprentice? You are sure he can do the work.”
“I am only sure he will try.”
“Very well, I will think about it. Tell me something else. You claimed that the fact that Pilate’s dagger was used to murder Aurelius was the moment you knew he was innocent. That is not what you said to me at the time.”
“No, it was the second or third thing and it only occurred to me. No, the first thing that made me to doubt his guilt was Procula’s vision.”
“The Prefect’s wife. She is mad. What in her vision made you think him innocent?”
“I would like to say the content, but that is not so, although it did turn out to be prophetic. No, the fact that she intervened in the first place. She may be mad, but she is not a fool. If her husband had been guilty, she never would have accosted me in the hallway with such a cracked idea.”
“Still, it’s pretty thin. How prophetic?’
“She said that she saw the murder, that a Tribune was responsible. That part was right. Not a Roman Tribune, she said, but another. The Sicarii are organized like the army. One of their more important leaders is referred to as the General, which would translate to Tribune. The boy told me.”
“Oh.”
Loukas stood and made to leave but paused. “What was the business about Yeshua all about? Why did Pilate accede to Caiaphas’ insistence that the rabbi be crucified? It isn’t the sort of issue he normally considers. It concerns the Sanhedrin, not Rome and Galilee, not Judea.”
“Ah, that is the interesting part. You might ask why those three visitors from Rome were here in the first place. You know the Emperor is said to be on the verge of insanity. He has secluded himself on some island and governs from there. The stories about his behavior are scandalous. Do you remember the merchant’s nonsensical story Agon told us, about the Emperor fearing the power of Elohim? With most stories that become wilder with the retelling, there is always a kernel of truth in them. According to Rufus, Tiberius took it in his head that our Prefect had become enamored with ‘the god of the Israelites.’ He thought that because of our reputation for defiance and our well known lack of cooperation with their rule, not to mention how the Lord challenges his own notion of divinity, he would order those three to come and investigate. Aurelius was more than happy to join them. In fact, it might be that it was he who put the ridiculous notion in the Emperor’s head in the first place. There is a certain irony in that, if true. Everyone knew he lusted after Pilate’s position. The other two did so because they feared what an annoyed Tiberius would do to them if they didn’t.”
“Surely not, and what has that to do with Yeshua?”
“Yeshua made claims about his relationship to Ha Shem. To a pagan, to Pilate, and to the remaining two officials—Ha Shem, forgive me—those claims sounded god-like. Pilate reasoned that if he killed one of the Hebrew’s demigods, which was his idea of what Yeshua represented, he could convince them that he was not in league with the Lord. So, he made up that story about a tradition of freeing one prisoner on Passover, and then gave the vote to condemn to the assembled crowd. Then by misdirection, he had the result he wanted but with no cause to blame him for the result.”
“It’s nonsense.”
“Yes, but it worked.”
“And Barabbas goes free. Tell me, why on earth did he choose him? Wouldn’t it have been more prudent to offer one of the others due to be crucified? There were the two thieves. Releasing Barabbas can’t be good.”
“Even that. Remember, Barabbas is a common enemy, theirs and ours and, once again, we made the choice to free him, not Pilate. A common thief poses no real threat to the people. But to turn loose the terror known to all? Now we must rely on our overlords to recapture the bandit. Pilate becomes our benefactor in the process. For me, it is a blessing.”
“A blessing? Sorry, how so?”
“The difficulty I faced in this whole idiotic matter had to do with how the Nation would judge me if I successfully defended the one man they all wish dead or departed. The only way I could come out of this in one piece would be to find a perpetrator who was more feared than the Prefect. At this moment in time, it is the Sicarii. Barabbas’ freedom falls on his head and on the High Priest. I, on the other hand, attempted to prevent both of these abominations from happening.”
“You say you had to come up with…the Sicarii really did plot to assassinate the Pilate? You didn’t make that up just to…?”
“The Prefect said I was iustus. Would a just man fabricate something as devious as all that?”
“No, a just man would not. More appropriately put, would the Rabban of the Sanhedrin? I must go. I will think about the boy, and if I can find room for him in my life, I will send Sarai or Yakob to fetch him.”
***
As he expected, Caiaphas appeared at his door before sundown. Gamaliel greeted him and offered refreshment.
“I came to thank you, Rabban. My temper nearly cost me my position as High Priest, maybe my life.”
“Pilate’s face had achieved the shade of crimson that normally would have had you confined in the Antonia Fortress dungeon. It was fortunate you left when you did.”
“I suppose so. So, now what do I do with this nonsense about the man failing to die?”
“Yeshua? At the risk of sounding like I am saying, ‘I told you so,’ what else did you expect? Your obsession with that man has turned him from being an effective, if mildly heretical rabbi, into a martyr. There is nothing you can do now but wait it out.”
“But they say he has been seen in the streets, that his disciples gather and meet with him.”
“They would wouldn’t they. Two possibilities present themselves. First, his disciples somehow stole the body and are making all this up to keep alive the ministry he established. You know the appeal it has particularly to the underclass. Why don’t you ask the disciple who turned him over to you what really happened?”
“He has disappeared. What is the second?”
“Yeshua, they say, had a disciple who looked a lot like him. Tomas. I was told they called him the twin. It is possible that these sightings are simply Tomas and not a risen Yeshua?”
“Possibly, but I doubt such a theory will hold up very long, especially when another hysterical woman claims to have seen them together. No, I will go with your first suggestion. I will insist that guards were bribed and the body was stolen and buried somewhere in the wilderness, perhaps with the connivance of Barabbas.”
“I would leave that last part out. Barabbas as
an ally would certainly sully his name, but at the same time remind the people that you were responsible for his release. That, in turn, will prompt more questions than you have answers.”
“I suppose you are right. Let’s see if we can convince the people to blame Pilate for that.”
“Caiaphas, you get in trouble when you attempt cleverness. Let it go. In the meantime, it appears you will have to deal with Yeshua for a while longer.”
“You think it will pass in time?”
“I believe it unlikely. In any case, that is up to Ha Shem, High Priest, not you, not I, and not even the Emperor himself. Now, I must prepare this Isaiah scroll for our friends in Qumran.”
“They are not our friends.”
“Perhaps not, but I doubt the Romans would make that distinction. Anyway it is really wonderful workmanship. If they take care of it, it should last for thousands of years.”
Appendix
Jesus’ Trial—The Timing
Masad Hasidim or the community at Qumran, that of the Dead Sea Scrolls, was a group of dissident Jews—a denomination not unlike the Pharisees. Commonly identified as the Essenes, they were believed to use an older calendar to calculate Holy Days and Feasts. It is generally believed that they would have celebrated Passover on Tuesday rather than Thursday of the week now referred to as Holy Week or Passover. That would explain the textual differences between John’s Gospel and the three Synoptic Gospels. This narrative assumes Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with them and would have had Passover later in the week. (Tradition places the Upper Room in the Essene Quarter). This assumption allows ample time for the events described in the Passion Narratives to take place. One major difficulty with those narratives lies on the time available and the process guaranteed Jews accused of serious crimes, as Jesus was. It is highly unlikely that his trial and condemnation could have happened between late Thursday night and Friday noon, but if it began Tuesday and carried through to Friday, it would work.
The timetable used in this narrative is as follows:
Passover Week
Yom Rishon (Sunday), Jesus enters the city riding an ass to the cheers of the people.
Yom Sheni (Monday), Jesus teaches in the Temple.
Yom Shlishi (Tuesday), Jesus cleanses the Temple and celebrates the Essene Passover.
Yom Revi’i (Wednesday), Jesus is brought before the Sanhedrin.
Yom Chamishi (Thursday), Jesus is brought to Pilate and Antipas (Orthodox Passover).
Yom Shishi (Friday), Jesus is crucified. (Mark writes at the ninth hour.)
Yom Shabbat (Saturday)
Yom Rishon (Sunday), the Resurrection.
Speaking the Name
Orthodox Jewish custom prevents a person from saying the name of God. The pronunciation of the Hebrew, יהוה (the tetragrammaton, YHWH) which designates the Almighty is sometimes pronounced Yaweh (I Am), Jehovah, or some other circumlocution. Even today, orthodox Jewish literature and web sites will print God only as G*d. Because our protagonist, Gamaliel, would have been at least as orthodox as modern day practice, the term Lord, or the Lord, Adonai, or Elohim, is used instead of God in order to make this distinction. Sometimes a greeting would be even more circumspect and the person initiating it would merely say “Greetings in the Name, or just “The Name” (Ha Shem).
Hours of the Day
A day was divided into twenty four hours—twelve for daylight, twelve for night. Day began at sunup and ended at sunset thus making a full twenty-four hour cycle. The hours were of indefinite lengths depending on the season, shortest in the winter, longer in the summer, but noon, when the sun stood at its zenith, was designated the sixth hour.
The Antonia Fortress
Traditionally, the Fortress named by Herod the Great for his onetime ally and friend, Mark Antony, is thought to have been located at the northern edge of the Temple Mount. It served as the headquarters (Praetorium) for the legionnaires permanently assigned to the city and the Prefect, Pontius Pilate, when he traveled down from Caesarea Maritima.
The Dome of the Rock is assumed to be sited on the location of Herod’s Temple and as such it is a major sticking point for many orthodox Jews and Christians who feel that the site should revert to the Israelis and be made available should a new Temple be built. Whether such a project would or even will be cannot be discussed here beyond noting that the location is hotly contested and relates to the claims each side makes as to where the Temple stood and then which building would take precedence, should it be decided that both shared the same location.
Josephus, the Jewish historian writing in the first century, describes the Fortress as being located in the current position now occupied by the Dome of the Rock. Josephus, (Jewish Wars 5.238-247) describes the Fortress’ location as being on the highest point on the hill. Islamists refer to that place as Mount Mariah, the point from which Mohammad was lifted up to heaven. It is there the Dome of the Rock is located, built in the seventh century.
If, as Josephus claims, that the Antonia Fortress was built on a rock 25 meters above the Temple Mount floor platform, the Antonia Fortress must have been located where the Dome of the Rock is sited and the Temple must have been located further south, possibly where the El-Kas fountain is (was). The rock formation on which the Dome of the Rock rests harmonizes exactly with Josephus’ description, being about 25 meters high, the measurement he avers the Fort of Antonia was built on and that means the current floor of the Dome of the Rock is 23 meters above the Temple floor in Jesus’ day.
Further tradition holds that the Western Wall (the Wailing Wall) lies opposite the location of the Temple. An aerial view of the wall and the current Temple Mount places it well south of the Dome of the Rock.
A prospect of the Temple and Antonia Fortress as viewed from the Mount of Olives as described by Josephus
If one reads the eyewitness accounts of Josephus, the Temple and Fortress would appear as illustrated. (Illustration used with permission).
Keeping Time
We do not know with any certainty when the rabbi from Nazareth, Jesus, was born. We have fairly substantial evidence that Herod the Great died in 4 BCE. If it was he who ordered the slaughter of the innocents (Matthew 2:16), then Jesus had to have been born sometime before that. The story is set in the year 30 CE on the assumption that the earlier date is correct and Jesus was in his mid-thirties when his ministry was in full flower. But the date is admittedly arbitrary. It should be noted here that there are scholars who place Jesus’ birth as late as 6 CE and cite Luke’s reference to Quirinius as governor of Syria, an office he held around 6-9 CE. But Quirinius is believed to have served in some official capacity in Syria twice: 6-4 BCE and then again in 6-9 CE so the earlier birth date can stand. The identifiers CE (Current Era) and BCE (Before Current Era) are now used in lieu of BC and AD because of this.
Scripture
Unless otherwise indicated, Bible verses are from the King James version but occasionally altered either for clarity or for textual reasons.
Historical Characters
Barabbas
One of the more ironic coincidences in the Gospel narrative involves the person of Barabbas. It was the name of a bandit, a robber, and possibly one of the forerunners of the Siccori or assassins. The gospel tells us his full name was Yeshua Barabbas, that is, Jesus Barabbas. In Hebrew the word bar or ben means son of, and abba means father. Therefore, Yeshua Barabbas could easily be translated, or heard as, Yeshua (Jesus), son of (the) Father, particularly if enunciated by a non-Hebrew speaker.
Caiaphas
Yosef bar Kayafa: High Priest of the Temple 18 CE to 36 CE. Although removed from office by Caligula, he saw his sons succeed him in the office later.
Gamaliel
Gamaliel the Elder, Gamaliel I: Served as the Rabban (chief rabbi) of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of Israel. While believing the Law of Moses to be wholly inspired, he is reported to have taken a broad-minded and compassionate stance in its interpretation. Gamaliel held that the Sabbath Laws sh
ould be understood in a realistic rather than rigorous fashion. He also maintained, in distinction to his contemporaries, that the Law should protect women during divorce and urged openness toward Gentiles. Acts 5:38-39 relates that he intervened on behalf of Saint Peter and other Jewish followers of Jesus. He died twenty years before the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.
Josef of Arimathea
A member of the Sanhedrin, supporter of Jesus, and in whose tomb Jesus was placed after his crucifixion. There are many suppositions about his relationship to Jesus. One source asserts he was uncle to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Legend has it he took the chalice used at the last supper to Glastonbury England. He is said to have stuck his walking stick into the ground where it rooted and became the Glastonbury thorn which blooms every year at Christmastide.
Loukas
A fictional character based loosely on the Third Evangelist and…who knows?
Pontius Pilate
Prefect (Governor) of Judea appointed by Tiberius and recalled in 36 CE by the Emperor Caligula.
Procula
Procula is just one of the names traditionally given for Pilate’s wife. The others are Claudia and occasionally Claudia Procles or Claudia Procula. She appears briefly in Matthew’s Gospel as having had a dream/premonition warning Pilate not to persecute Jesus.
Tiberius
Roman Emperor from 14 AD to 37 AD. He moved his headquarters from Rome to Vila Jovis on the Isle of Capri. Tradition has it that he was paranoid (at least) and had his enemies thrown to their death from its parapets to the rocks below. Lacivious and wanton living have been ascribed to him as well.
Yehudah
Judas Iscariot. Yehudah, like Jesus (Yeshua) was a common name in the first century Israel/Judea. The traditional treatment assumed Judas was from a village named Kerioth, presumed to be in the southern part of Judea. No satisfactory location for the town has ever been established. Some scholars take Iscariot to be an adulteration of Siccori.
This author assumes Iscariot is a variant on the Aramaic word skyr, which is roughly translated as red or ruddy. An admixture of the Aramaic and the Greek suffix –ote (like, -ish) would yield: h skiriote, pronounced as eh-skiri-ote, Iscariot, Judas the Red [ish]. Thus, Judas the Red, as in, Erik the Red. Early Byzantine icons commonly depict Judas with red hair.
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