The Household of David ben Joseph, Merchant of Capernaum
David: Simeon’s father, 471
Deborah bat Benjamin of Sepphoris: Simeon’s mother, 45
Simeon: Second son of David and Deborah, ardent Zealot, 22
Ephraim: Simeon’s older brother, married to Rachel, 26
Rachel: Ephraim’s wife, 23
Leah: Simeon’s sister, 17
Joseph: Simeon’s youngest brother, 11
Esther: David and Deborah’s granddaughter, daughter of Ephraim and Rachel, 5
Boaz: David and Deborah’s grandson, son of Ephraim and Rachel, 3
Amasa: David and Deborah’s grandson, son of Ephraim and Rachel, 3 months
Aaron of Sepphoris: Deborah’s brother, Simeon’s uncle, a dedicated Pharisee, 40
Hava: Aaron’s wife, 38
The Household of Mordechai ben Uzziel of Jerusalem
Mordechai: Miriam’s father; leader of the Sadducees, member of the Great Sanhedrin of Jerusalem, 43
Miriam bat Mordechai ben Uzziel: Mordechai’s only daughter, 19
Livia of Alexandria: Miriam’s servant and friend, 21
Drusus Alexander Carlottus: Livia’s brother who was sold into slavery, 18
Ezra of Joppa: Sandal maker, married to Lilly, 32
Lilly: Ezra’s wife, cousin to Miriam’s deceased mother, 29
The Household of Yehuda of Beth Neelah
Yehuda: Simeon’s friend and partner in the Zealot movement, a farmer, 26
Shana: Yehuda’s sister, 19
Samuel: Shana’s husband, 26
Other Prominent Characters
Jesus of Nazareth: Carpenter and teacher, 31
Mary of Nazareth: Mother of Jesus2
Simon Peter: Fisherman, one of the Twelve Apostles called by Jesus
Andrew: Simon Peter’s brother, one of the Twelve
James and John: Sons of Zebedee, partners in fishing with Peter and Andrew, both apostles
Matthew Levi: A publican in Capernaum, called to follow Jesus, also one of the Twelve
Luke the Physician: A disciple of Jesus in Capernaum
Mary Magdalene: A follower of Jesus from Magdala on the Sea of Galilee, from whom Jesus cast out seven devils
Martha, Mary, and Lazarus of Bethany: A family close to Jesus with whom he sometimes stayed while in the Jerusalem area
Caiaphas: High Priest, chief of the Great Sanhedrin
Azariah the Pharisee: Leader of the Jerusalem group and titular head of the Pharisees, 51
Caleb the Pharisee: Second to Azariah in the hierarchy of the Pharisees, 48
Menachem of Bethphage: Mordechai’s closest ally on the council, 40
Joseph of Arimathea: A wealthy member of the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem, a secret follower of Jesus
Nicodemus: A moderate voice on the council, follower of Jesus
Zacchaeus: A publican in Jericho
Jephunah ben Asa: A wealthy man in Jerusalem who owns the “upper room,” 39
Asa the Beggar: The man born blind
Pontius Pilate: Procurator of Judea
Marcus Quadratus Didius: Roman tribune, 26
Diana Servilius: Marcus’s wife, 19
Sextus Rubrius: Roman centurion, about 51
Glossary
NOTE: Some terms which are used only once and are defined in the text are not included here.
Bath or bat (BAHT)—Daughter, or daughter of, e.g., Miriam bat Mordechai, or Miriam, daughter of Mordechai.
Ben (BEN)—Son, or son of, as in Simeon ben David or Simeon, son of David. An Aramaic translation of ben is bar, as in Peter’s name, Simon Bar-jona, or Simon, son of Jonah (Matthew 16:17), and bar mitzvah.
Beth (BAIT; commonly pronounced as BETH among English speakers)—House of, e.g., Bethlehem, House of Bread; Bethel, the House of God.
Beth Chatanim—(BAIT hah-tah-NEEM*) “House of the bridegrooms”; common hall in larger communities used for weddings, much like a modern reception center.
Chuppah (HOO-pah*)—Covering, the canopy used during a wedding ceremony.
Erev tov (AIR-ev TOHV)—Good evening.
Ezer knegdo (AY-zur KNEG-doh)—Help meet; in Hebrew, literally to meet one’s equal or match.
Goyim (goy-EEM)—Gentiles, literally in Hebrew, “nations”; a word used for anyone not of the house of Israel; in modern times, one who is not a Jew; singular is goy.
Kadash (kah-DAHSH)—Holy, set apart or consecrated.
Ketubah (keh-TOO-bah)—“Instrument of covenant,” specifically the prenuptial agreements or contracts of betrothal.
Kiddushin (kid-doo-SHEEN)—Ceremony of betrothal; from Kadash, which conveys the idea that the future bride is consecrated to her future husband.
Lailah tov (LIE-lah TOHV)—Good night.
Lulav (LOO-lahv)—Plume of gathered palm fronds, willow branches, and stems of myrtle; used during specific rituals of the Feast of Tabernacles.
Mazal tov (MAH-zahl TOHV)—Good luck; an expression used to congratulate people at weddings or other celebrations.
Menorah (commonly men-ORE-rah, but also men-ore-RAH)—A candlestick; usually refers to the sacred, seven-branched candlestick used in the tabernacle of Moses and later in the temples.
Pesach (pay-SOCK)—The Hebrew name for Passover.
Praetorium (pree-TOR-ee-um)—Official residence of the Roman governor or procurator or other high government official.
Publicani (poo-blee-KHAN-ee)—Latin for “public servant”; the publicans of the New Testament were hired by Romans to serve as the tax assessors and collectors in local districts.
Rosh Hashanah (Rosh hah-SHAWN-ah; also ROSH hah-shawn-AH)—The Jewish New Year; the beginning of the civil year.
Sanhedrin (san-HED-rin)—The ruling council in various towns and cities; the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem was the supreme governing body of the Jews at this time.
Shabbat (sha-BAHT)—Hebrew name for the Lord’s day; the source of our word Sabbath.
Shalom (shaw-LOWM)—“Peace”; used as a greeting and a farewell.
Sukkot (sue-COAT)—The Feast of Tabernacles.
Talmud (TALL-mood)—A collection of sacred writings and commentaries written by learned rabbis and Hebrew scholars of the Torah over many generations.
Tefillin (teh-FEE-lin)—Greek for “phylacteries”; small leather cases worn by observant Jews on the left bicep and on the forehead during prayers and other rituals; these cases contained tiny scrolls with selected scriptures written on them.
Todah rabah (toh-DAH rah-BAH)—Thank you very much.
Torah (TORE-ah)—The writings of Moses; the first five books of the current Old Testament.
Via Maris (VEE-ah MAR-ees)—The Way of the Sea; famous highway following the eastern Mediterranean coastline from Egypt to Syria.
Yeshivas (yeh-SHEE-vahs)—Jewish schools that taught the Law of Moses.
Yom Kippur (YAHM kee-PUHR)—The Day of Atonement, the most sacred and solemn of all Jewish holy days.
Pronunciation Guide for Names
Readers may wish to use the common English pronunciations for names that have come to modern times, such as David. The Hebrew pronunciation is for those who wish to say them as they may have been spoken at the time of the Savior. Any such pronunciation guide must be viewed as speculative, however; we simply do not know for certain how Hebrew names were pronounced in antiquity.
Abraham—In Hebrew, ahv-rah-HAM
Anna—ahn-AH
Azariah—ah-zeh-RAI-ah
Bethlehem—English, BETH-leh-hem; Hebrew, BAIT lech-EM
Beth Neelah—BAIT nee-LAH
Bethsaida—English, BETH-say-dah; Hebrew, BAIT sah-EE-dah
Caesarea—see-zar-EE-ah
Capernaum—English, ka-PUR-neh-um; Hebrew, kah-fur-NAY-hum
Chorazin—khor-ah-ZEEN
Daniel—dan-YELL
David—dah-VEED
Deborah—deh-vor-AH
Ephraim—ee-FRAI-eem
Esther—es-TAHR
E
ve—hah-VAH
Galilee—English, GAL-leh-lee; Hebrew, gah-LEEL or gah-lee-YAH
Ha’keedohn—ha-kee-DOHN
James—Same as Jacob, or yah-ah-KOHV in Hebrew
Jerusalem—ye-roosh-ah-LAI-eem
Jesus—Hebrew form of the name is Yeshua (yesh-oo-AH), which is the same as the Old Testament Joshua; Greek form is hee-AY-soos.
John—Hebrew form of the name is Johanan (yo-hah-nahn)
Joknean Pass—yohk-NEE-an
Joseph—yo-SEPH
Leah—lay-AH
Miriam—meer-YAM
Mordechai—mor-deh-KAI
Moshe Ya’abin—mohw-SHEH ya-ah-BEEN
Mount Hermon—hur-MOHN
Mount Tabor—English, TAY-bur; Hebrew, tah-BOHR
Ptolemais—TOHL-eh-mays
Rachel—rah-KHEL
Samuel—shmoo-EL
Sepphoris—seh-PHOR-us
Shana—SHAW-nah
Simeon—shee-MOHN
Simon—see-MOHN
Yehuda—yeh-HOO-dah; other forms, Judah or Judas
Chapter 1
Don’t count your chickens until they’re hatched.
—Aesop, from the tale of the milkmaid and the pail
I
Jerusalem, the Temple Mount 30 October, a.d. 31
Mordechai ben Uzziel was bored.
The meeting of the Great Sanhedrin, the supreme council of Jerusalem, was well into its third hour, and there was no indication that the end was anywhere in sight.
He suppressed a sigh, shifted his weight in the ornately carved chair, and let his eyes move down the four rows of massive columns that formed the Royal Portico on the Temple Mount. The forty monolithic pillars in each row were like a gigantic frozen forest.
Say what you would about King Herod the Great, Mordechai thought. He was godless, brutal, and ruthless—but he was a builder of things of incredible magnificence. The temple complex he had created in Jerusalem was his finest creation, rightly judged by many to be one of the great man-made wonders of the world.
“Does the Father of the House of Judgment find all of this unworthy of his attention?”
The sneer in Azariah’s voice brought Mordechai sharply back to the chambers of the council. In the Great Sanhedrin, the chief or president of the council was usually the current high priest. That was Caiaphas, at present. The second in command, who served as vice-president and sat at the president’s right hand, was called the Father of the House of Judgment—it was his duty to see that all judgments pronounced by the court were proper and in keeping with the law. Caiaphas had appointed Mordechai to that position because of Mordechai’s skills in working with the fractious and difficult body. So Mordechai was officially the Father of the House of Judgment, but council members rarely used that ponderous and pompous title.
On the president’s left hand sat the third officer of the court, he who was called the Sage, or the Wise One. His role was to see that all judgments were administered with wisdom and judiciousness. What a joke, Mordechai thought. Azariah, chief of the Pharisaical party in Jerusalem and therefore titular head of Pharisees everywhere, could be described with many words, but judicious was not one of them.
Mordechai leaned forward and smiled at his fellow council member and long-time political enemy. “Actually, Azariah,” he said blandly, “I was just musing. Do you suppose that if every empty word you Pharisees have uttered here today were a grain of wheat, this hall would be filled to the rafters by now?”
Azariah stiffened, his face flaming, his side curls bobbing softly. Mordechai’s comment brought gasps from the other Pharisees as well, but the Sadducees responded with open snickers. Then someone—perhaps Menachem of Bethphage, Mordechai’s closest ally on the council—answered the question in a voice heard by all. “At least that much, and perhaps half the Kidron Valley as well.”
Azariah shot to his feet, eyes bulging. “Outrage!” he cried. “Insult! Honorable president, an apology is in order here.”
Mordechai leaned forward. When he spoke, it was lazily and with barely disguised contempt. “I concur,” he said. “And I accept the apology from our esteemed Sage.”
That brought a roar of laughter from the group, while Azariah went from bright red to mottled purple. “You dare—You think it was I who—” He stopped as he realized that Mordechai was deliberately baiting him.
“All right, brethren,” Caiaphas broke in. “That’s enough.” His tone of voice made it plain he was more amused than offended by the interchange.
Azariah slowly sat down again, motioning to colleagues who had also leaped to their feet to do the same. Mordechai watched him, not without a touch of admiration. His recovery was swift and complete. Judicious might not be a word Mordechai would use to describe Azariah, but he was shrewd, cunning as a hungry fox. Only a fool would count him out too quickly.
Mordechai turned back to Caiaphas, his patience gone. “Honorable President, the issue before this council is what to do about the man called Jesus of Nazareth. Our esteemed colleague prattles on about how the Pharisees have shamed this wandering rabbi on numerous occasions, and yet—”
“He is not a rabbi!” Azariah cut in coldly. “He has no training in the intricacies of the Torah. He is an unlearned village peasant. How dare you dignify him by using the sacred title of ‘teacher,’ or ‘master’?”
“I don’t call him rabbi,” Mordechai shot right back, “the people do! They flock to him by the thousands. Instead of discrediting him, every time you Pharisees confront him he makes you look like fools, and the people love him all the more.”
Azariah was on his feet again, as were several of his colleagues. Mordechai leaped up as well, roaring like a bull. “The time for talk is over! All of Galilee is aflame with the news of this man. The Romans are growing nervous. Would you sit here and endlessly debate while our whole nation is at peril?”
Caiaphas stood and raised both hands. Gradually the uproar subsided to an angry rumble. “Mordechai is right,” he said when he could be heard again. “The time for debate is past. Our purpose today is to devise a plan for dealing with this rogue once and for all.” He shot Azariah a withering look. “Enough words. It is time for action.”
“Objection!”
The half circle of seventy men turned toward the far left side of the circle. Joseph of Arimathea was on his feet. Mordechai inwardly winced. As one of Jerusalem’s wealthy and powerful men, Joseph should have been squarely in the camp of the Sadducees, but he never was. Nor did he align himself with the Pharisees. He kept himself independent of both the major parties. His was one of the most respected of the moderate voices on the council.
“Yes,” Caiaphas said, obviously surprised by this development. “What is it, Joseph?”
“No legitimate charges against Jesus have been brought before this council.”
“He is a blasphemer!” Azariah shouted.
“Because he refuses to accept the doctrine of the Pharisees?” Joseph asked calmly. “I suspect there are many on the council who would be in similar peril if that were the case.” Then his voice sharpened. “This tribunal was created to deal with violations of the law, not differences of opinion or interpretations of our faith. Let me hear the charges against this man before we talk about what plan of action we must devise to destroy him.”
Azariah leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowed into dangerous points of light. “Has our noble colleague become a follower of this Jesus?”
The older man swung around. “Let me hear the charges against this man,” he said slowly. “That is the way of the council. Neither mumbled accusations nor childish hand-wringing are sufficient. Show me a crime, or let us move on to more important matters.”
“Hear, hear!”
Mordechai turned. That declaration had come from the man three seats down from Azariah. Nicodemus was a Pharisee, but another of the moderates on the council. He and Joseph of Arimathea often stood with each other on important issues.
Mordechai watched th
e two of them through lidded eyes. Was Azariah right? Both of these men were sympathetic to the Nazarene. Were they his followers as well? Would they dare risk their seats on the Great Sanhedrin to trot after the man? This would bear careful watching.
The council had fallen into shambles. Members shouted at each other. Some waved their hands wildly, seeking recognition from Caiaphas. Azariah was spitting out something venomous at Joseph of Arimathea, and two of the other leading Pharisees had rounded on Nicodemus.
Mordechai grabbed the walking stick beside his chair and brought it down with a sharp crack across the back of his chair. Instantly, all noise stopped and every face turned to him. Several registered shock.
“Enough!” he bellowed. “We speak not of taste here. We speak of treason. We speak of rebellion—rebellion that the Romans will not tolerate. This man could cost us everything we have worked so carefully to reconstruct these past three decades.” He let his eyes swing around the circle, daring anyone to disagree. One by one, the council members sat down again.
“We have made important strides with the Romans, but how can we bear the continuing humiliation?” He looked down at Caiaphas, who was listening intently. “The Roman procurator still holds the sacred vestments of the high priesthood because a group of rabble rousers thought they could challenge the might of Rome. And now our esteemed leader must go to a Gentile”—he nearly spat out the word—“each time he needs the robes of the priesthood to officiate on the high holy days.”
There were nods and angry mutterings at that, as Mordechai knew there would be. Some thirty years before, after the great rebellion in the Galilee led by Judah of Gamla, the Romans took control of the priestly vestments as a reminder of who was really in charge. Few things grated on the nerves of the people more deeply than this.
“It would be too much to say that the current governor is our loyal friend,” he went on, “but he is listening to us. He is willing to let us rule ourselves, as long as we can show that we will not tolerate what Rome fears most—an uprising in one of her provinces.”
“Jesus is not going to start any rebellion,” Joseph of Arimathea broke in. “He preaches just the opposite: love, forgiveness, tolerance.”
Fishers of Men Page 119
