PHILOCHRISTUS 
 
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 PHILOCHRISTUS 
 
 MEMOIRS 
 
 A DISCIPLE OF THE LORD 
 
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 pontoon 
 MACMILLAN AND CO 
 
 1878 
 
 [T/w Right of Translation and Reproduction is Reserved]
 
 LONDON : 
 It. CLAY, SONS, AND TAYLOK, 
 
 EREAD STREET HILL, E.C.
 
 TO 
 
 THE AUTHOR OF ' ECCE HOMO* 
 NOT MORE IN ADMIRATION OF HIS WRITINGS 
 
 THAN IN GRATITUDE 
 
 FOR THE SUGGESTIVE INFLUENCE 
 
 OF A LONG AND INTIMATE FRIENDSHIP.
 
 PHILOCHRISTUS THE ELDER TO THE SAINTS 
 OF THE CHURCH IN LONDINIUM, GRACE, 
 MERCY, AND PEACE FROM THE LORD JESUS 
 CHRIST. 
 
 Forasmuch as almost all those disciples who with 
 me saw the Lord Jesus in the flesh, are now fallen 
 asleep, and I myself am well stricken in years and 
 daily expect the summons of the Lord; it hath 
 therefore seemed good to me to bequeath unto you 
 some memorial of Christ in writing; which, instead 
 of my voice, shall testify to you of him for ever. 
 
 All the more need seemeth thereof because the Lord 
 delayeth his coming. For now these ten years Jeru- 
 salem hath been trodden down of the Gentiles, and the 
 words of the Lord concerning the destruction of the 
 Holy City have been fulfilled ; and yet he cometh not. 
 Yea, and sometimes my mind presageth that his coming
 
 viii PHILOCHEISTUS 
 
 may be yet longer delayed, even till all they that knew 
 him in the flesh have fallen asleep. 
 
 For this cause I was long ago moved, even from 
 the second or third year after the destruction of the 
 Holy City, to leave some record behind me to testify 
 of the Lord. But when I adventured to write, behold, 
 it was an hard matter and well-nigh impossible, to set 
 forth such an image of the Lord Jesus as should be 
 at once according to the truth, and yet not altogether 
 too bright for mortal eye to look upon and love. 
 Therefore at the last, when I perceived that it was not 
 given unto me to portray any character of the Lord 
 as he ivas in himself, T determined rather to set forth 
 an history of mine own life ; wherein } as in a mirror, 
 might perchance be discerned some lineaments of the 
 countenance of Christ, seen as by reflexion, in the life 
 of one that loved him.
 
 THE TABLE 
 
 Chapter 
 
 1 Of my childhood in Galilee ; and how I gave myself wholly to the, study 
 
 of the Law. 
 
 2 Of my doubts concerning the Law ; and of the Patriots or Galileans ; 
 
 and of the expectation concerning John the son of Zachariah. 
 
 3 Concerning the casting out of unclean Spirits ; and of the nature of 
 
 the Redemption of Israel j and how I first saiv Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 4 Of the doctrine of John the Prophet, how it suited with the 'people of 
 
 the land; and how I was baptized of the Prophet. 
 
 5 Of the Greek philosophers in Alexandria; and how I had discourse with 
 
 Philo the Alexandrine. 
 
 6 How I found not salvation in the worship of the Temple; nor in the 
 
 teachers of Galilee ; nor in the Essenes; and how I first spake with 
 Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 7 Of the Good News; and concerning the Kingdom of God; and how we, 
 
 desired of Jesus new laws. 
 
 8 Of the New Law. 
 
 9 How Quartus interpreted the New Law. 
 
 10 How some desired Jesus to mix the New Law with the Old Law; ami 
 concerning the legion of swine; and how Jesus began to teach in 
 p arables. 
 
 b
 
 x THE TABLE 
 
 Chapter 
 
 11 Concerning the new power of the Forgiveness of Sins. 
 
 12 How the Forgiveness of Sins is the Key that openeth the New Kingdom; 
 
 and how the Old Law and the New Law must not be mixed. 
 
 13 Of the plotting of the Pharisees against Jesus, how they said he had a 
 
 devil; and concerning the Holy Spirit. 
 
 14 How John the Prophet doubted concerning Jesus; and concerning 
 
 them that are " born of women; " and of the beheading of John the 
 Prophet. 
 
 15 How Jesus fled from Capernaum, and the Galileans at first fell away 
 
 from him; and concerning the levy in Galilee; and of the visit of 
 Jesus to Nazareth. 
 
 16 How, after the death of John the Prophet, Jesus foresaw that he also 
 
 must be slain : and of the Bread of Life, and the feeding of the five 
 thousand; and concerning the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees. 
 
 17 How Xanthias the Alexandrine said that the philosophy of Jesus aimed 
 
 at the taking in of the Gentiles into the Kingdom, and at the en- 
 franchisement of slaves; and how he found fault with Jesus for 
 that he called himself the Son of man. 
 
 18 Of signs in heaven; and concerning the healing of the Syrophcenician 
 
 maiden, how Jesus seemed to gain thereby some new knowledge. 
 
 19 How Jesus would work no sign in heaven; and concerning his tempta- 
 
 tion ; and wherefore he denied to work signs in heaven. 
 
 20 How Jesus led us, in our exile, to the Hock of Salvation; and how 
 
 he founded the Temple of his Congregation thereon; and how he 
 gave the Key thereof to Simon Peter. 
 
 21 How Jesus, having now determined to die, spake of that which was to 
 
 come, with Moses and Elias, upon the Mount Hermon. 
 
 22 Of our going up to Jerusalem ; and of the division between parents and 
 
 children; and hov) Jesus testified of a Day of Judgment. 
 
 23 Of covetousness; and of fleeing from Death into Life; and concerning 
 
 the Law of Retribution.
 
 THE TABLE xi 
 
 CJiapter 
 
 24 Of the falling away of Judas of Kerioth ; and of the Times and 
 
 Seasons; and of the Chief Places in the Kingdom ; and how Jesus 
 did and said nothing except it were prepared for him by the Father. 
 
 25 Concerning the fire of the Lord; and of the parables of watching; and 
 
 of the Holy Spirit; and how Quartus urgeth that Jesus knew not all 
 things beforehand. 
 
 26 How Jesus went down to Jerusalem, as a king, to wage war against 
 
 Satan in the Temple,; and how he foresaw that the Temple must 
 be cast down; and of the parable of the withered fig-tree. 
 
 27 How Jesus prophesied of troubles, and of a great battle against 
 
 Satan; and in the end the victory of the Son of man; but, first of 
 all, his death. 
 
 28 How Jesus, by his Testament, bequeathed himself to his disciples for 
 
 ever; and how he bare the sins of men in Gethsemane. 
 
 29 Of the crucifixion of Jesus; and of his last words upon the cross. 
 
 30 How the Holy Spirit, through much sorrow, prepared the disciples to 
 
 behold Jes^ls risen from the dead; and of the vision of angels, which 
 appeared first of all unto the women. 
 
 31 How Jesus appeared ofttimes to his disciples; and how, after many 
 
 days, he ascended up to heaven. 
 
 32 How Jesus now ruleth the world, sitting on the right hand of the Father 
 
 in heaven.
 
 PHILOCHRISTUS 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 MY former name was Joseph the son of Simeon, and I 
 was born in Sepphoris, the metropolis of Galilee, in the 
 twentieth year of the reign of the Emperor Augustus, 
 about four years before the death of King Herod. In 
 those days Israel was grievously afflicted, and tribulation 
 befell the righteous. Satan put it into the heart of the 
 rulers of the land to move the people to the worship of 
 false gods, and the Lord God had not yet raised up a 
 Redeemer for Israel. 
 
 In my fourth year my father's brother, the Rabbi 
 Matthias, was burned alive by Herod for causing his 
 scholars to cast down the golden image of an eagle 
 which the king had set up over the gate of the temple 
 of the Lord. Not many months afterwards, the Romans 
 marched through Sepphoris in order to bring succour to 
 Sabinus, who was hard beset by the men of Jerusalem in 
 the fortress called Antonia ; and we fought against them, 
 and my father was taken captive and crucified by Varus. 
 Now as concerning my father and my father's brother, 
 
 B
 
 2 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 1 
 
 how they were slain, perchance I remember their deaths 
 rather from my mother's often mention of them in after 
 times than from what I heard then : but this thing can 
 I never forget, for I saw it with mine own eyes : namely, 
 how, when my mother brought me forth from the caves 
 of Arbela whither we had been sent for refuge, behold, 
 where Sepphoris had stood, there was not now one house 
 standing ; and I saw also the bodies of many of my 
 kinsfolk, which lay unburied and crying unto the Lord 
 for vengeance. Yet the Lord sent no avenger. 
 
 After this came tidings that the Parthians, which 
 went with Varus, had laid waste the country in the 
 south far and wide, and had slain our brethren with the 
 sword ; and that Varus had taken two thousand of my 
 countrymen in Jerusalem and had crucified them, and 
 among them Eleazar, the youngest and dearest of my 
 mother's brethren. Then my mother led me to a rocky 
 place not far from Sampho. There was a cave there, 
 and only one path led to it, and that so narrow that no 
 multitude of men could force an entrance, if one brave 
 man withstood them. When we were come thither, my 
 mother lifted up her voice and wept, and pointing to 
 the cave she said, " In former times this cave was held 
 by my mother's brother, Hezekiah by name. Six children 
 he had ; and he fled from Herod the King with them and 
 with his wife, and here they took refuge. Now when 
 the king could by no means drive Hezekiah hence by 
 force, he offered much gold unto him if he would come 
 forth from the cave quietly. But when Hezekiah re- 
 fused, the king began to let down armed men by ropes 
 from the top of the hill, with firebrands in their hands, 
 to kindle fires at the mouth of the cave. Then when
 
 Chapter 1] PHILOCURISTUS 3 
 
 no hope of safety remained, behold, my mother's brother 
 brought out his children, and slew the youngest with his 
 sword in the sight of the king. Afterwards he laid his 
 hands on his second child., But Herod, perceiving his 
 intent, stretched out his right hand and besought Heze- 
 kiah to spare his children and to come forth in peace. 
 But he slew the second also, heaping reproaches on 
 Herod as an usurper and a son of Edom, sitting on 
 David's seat ; and he slew the third and the rest like- 
 wise, even to the sixth, and last of all his wife ; and 
 then he cast himself down the steep place and perished." 
 Then spake my mother unto me and said, " The Lord 
 do so unto thee, my son, and more likewise, if thou 
 avenge not the blood of thy kinsfolk and of thy father." 
 So it came to pass that, even from a child, I hated the 
 very name of a Gentile with an exceeding hatred ; inso- 
 much that I should have accounted him blessed who 
 should have taken the children of Borne (according as it 
 is written) and dashed them against the stones. 
 
 There stood up at this time divers to lead Israel ; 
 but they were no true leaders of the people, and the 
 Lord had not sent them. Athronges the shepherd, a 
 man of great stature, and Simon, one of the servants 
 of Herod the King, rose up in the south of Judah ; but 
 they both perished, and their followers were scattered. 
 Again, about the time of the numbering of the people, 
 when the decree went forth from the Emperor Augustus 
 that all Israel should be taxed, there rose up Judas of 
 Gamala. This was about the thirty-third year of the 
 Emperor Augustus. The people came to him from all 
 sides ; and Judas taught them that it was not lawful 
 to pay tribute to Caesar, nor to call any man Master, 
 
 B 2
 
 4 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 1 
 
 save God alone. At that time I was some thirteen 
 years old ; and I saw him when, with a thousand men, 
 he marched into Capernaum and burned down the 
 house of customs there ; and as I looked upon his face, 
 and the numbers of his followers, I thought within 
 my heart, "Surely the hand of the Lord is with this 
 man, surely this is the Redeemer of Israel, even the 
 Messiah to whom all the prophets bear witness, that he 
 must arise and judge the land." But five Sabbaths had 
 not passed away before he also had been cut off; and 
 all the men that were with him were either scattered to 
 their homes or slain. 
 
 Meanwhile, as I grew up, I was being trained by my 
 mother with all care in the paths of the law of Israel ; 
 and according to the custom of my people, at five years 
 old I had begun to learn the Scripture, and, at ten 
 years, Mishnah ; and I profited more than my com- 
 panions in the study of the Traditions. But when I 
 read how great things God had done in times past for 
 His chosen ones, and how He had redeemed Israel by 
 the hand of His servants Gideon and David, then did 
 my heart burn within me ; and I besought the Lord 
 that He would repeat His mercies upon His chosen 
 people, and that He would speedily send that Messiah 
 of whom all the prophets spake, for the Redemption of 
 Israel. Afterwards I questioned one of my teachers, 
 by name Abuyah the son of Elishah, and I said unto 
 him, "It is revealed and known before the All- seeing 
 (blessed is He) that our will is to do His will : and 
 what hindereth ? " Then he answered and said, " The 
 dough in the leaven " (meaning Gentile customs, which 
 corrupt the customs of Israel even as leaven changeth
 
 Chapter 1] PH1LOCHRISTUS 5 
 
 bread) " and servitude to the Kingdom." Then I 
 said, " Why therefore do we not rise up against the 
 Gentile Kingdom ? " But he answered, " Joseph, son 
 of Simeon, busy thyself with the Law. Whosoever is 
 busied in the Law for the Law's sake deserveth many 
 things ; and not only so, but he is worth the whole 
 world. He is called friend, beloved ; loveth God, loveth 
 mankind ; please th God, pleaseth mankind. And it 
 clotheth him with meekness and fear, and fitteth him 
 to become righteous, pious, upright, and faithful ; and 
 removeth him from sin, and bringeth him towards 
 the side of merit." Then said I, " But wherefore doth 
 not the God of our Salvation bring freedom to Israel ? " 
 But he answered, " It is said, The tables were the work 
 of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven 
 upon the tables. Read not charulh, graven, but cheruth, 
 freedom ; for thou wilt find none free, save only them 
 which be occupied in the learning of the Law. For 
 whoso is occupied in learning the Law, behold, it mag- 
 nifieth him and exalteth him over all things." 
 
 Then I applied myself more diligently to the study 
 of the Law, and I observed Sabbaths and festivals, 
 and practised ablutions with all scruple ; and I became 
 known among my companions as a sin-fearer, instructed 
 in the wisdom of the Law, avoiding those lesser faults 
 which are called the "Descendants," as well as those 
 which are called the " Fathers " ; insomuch that I would 
 not even curdle milk on the Sabbath, because that had 
 been declared by the decisions of the Wise to be a lesser 
 kind of building ; neither would I walk upon grass 
 during the Sabbath, because that also had been pro- 
 nounced by the Rabbis to be a lesser kind of threshing.
 
 6 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 1 
 
 Also in the matter of fringes and phylacteries, and in 
 smaller matters, even to the burning of nail-parings, 
 I walked diligently according to the decisions of the 
 Ancients. Thus in all things I strove to bear in mind 
 the saying that " While in the written Law there are 
 light as well as weighty precepts, the precepts of the 
 Scribes are all weighty." I took little sleep, little 
 merriment ; I associated myself ever with the wise, 
 and abstained from the company of the people of the 
 land (for by this name the Pharisees were wont to call 
 them that gave not themselves to the study of the 
 Law) ; I settled my heart to study ; I asked, and 
 answered, and whatsoever I received I strove to add 
 thereto. And it came to pass that, because I had a 
 strength of memory more than was usual among my 
 fellow-students, my teacher said to me, " Joseph, son of 
 Simeon, thou art a plastered cistern, which loseth no 
 drop of water " ; and by this name of " plastered 
 cistern " I became known among my fellows. And 
 when I perceived that the Traditions said little con- 
 cerning a Messiah ; and that my teachers also said little, 
 and had no hope, nor so much as a desire (for the most 
 part) that a Messiah should ever come, but were wholly 
 given up to the study of the Law ; then I endeavoured 
 myself also to do the same, and to put away the thought 
 of a Redeemer. 
 
 Nevertheless at times the question would arise 
 within me, " Wherefore do I serve God for naught ? " 
 For all around I saw the wicked and the scornful seated, 
 as kings, in high places, and the poor and the humble 
 trampled under foot. There was the name of peace 
 among us, but it was no peace ; for Satan was making
 
 Chapter 1] PUILOCHRISTUS 7 
 
 war upon us under the semblance of peace. Every- 
 where defilement was taking the land by force or by 
 stealth. Many Greek cities, called by the names of the 
 great ones among the Gentiles, were built in the midst 
 of us, such as Tiberias, and Julias, and Caesarea Stratonis, 
 and Csesarea Philippi ; and even in our city of Sep- 
 phoris, now rebuilt, we were constrained to admit Greeks 
 to be our fellow-citizens. Theatres and amphitheatres, 
 and games, and alien rites in honour of false gods, had 
 been brought in among us. Images of living things 
 began to be seen on every side, and even our coinage 
 was defiled with the uncleanness of the Gentiles; so 
 that, in place of the vine-clusters and wheat-sheaf and 
 star of Israel, we were forced to handle the semblances 
 of Thracian shields and helmets, and the winged rod 
 of enchantments, called by the Gentiles the caduceus. 
 Moreover, as each year passed, our fears waxed greater 
 and greater, lest at last the eagles of the Gentiles 
 should be brought from Csesarea into the streets of the 
 Holy City itself, and lest the image of the Emperor 
 should be set up therein. For the former Emperor, 
 even Caesar Augustus, was now dead, and a new Emperor 
 reigned in his stead, whose name was Tiberius. But he 
 attained not unto the former Emperor in wisdom ; 
 wherefore the minds of many were unsettled, the com- 
 mon people fearing lest the Eomans should take away 
 their religion, and the Scribes fearing lest the common 
 people should incense the Komans by fresh revolt, and 
 so bring destruction on the nation. 
 
 So it came to pass that by reason of my continual 
 sorrow for the burdens of Sion, my heart was pressed 
 down with care, and my trouble became too heavy for
 
 8 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 1 
 
 me to bear ; and I found no peace, no, not even in the 
 study of the Law. In vain I repeated to myself the 
 saying of the Wise, " Whoso studieth the Law, he 
 becometh modest and long-suffering and forgiving of 
 insult " ; and again, " The Law is acquired by long- 
 suffering, by a good heart, by faith in the Wise, by 
 acceptance of chastisements." I looked upon my 
 countrymen in their servitude, and I could not feel 
 long-suffering ; neither could I attain to the wisdom of 
 the acceptance of chastisements. 
 
 When I mentioned my trouble to my teacher, Abuyah 
 the son of Elishah, he rebuked me for presumption ; for 
 he said that such doubts came of evil, neither would he 
 hearken unto me. Therefore I turned to another of the 
 Scribes, whose name was Jonathan the son of Ezra. Now 
 Jonathan was older than Abuyah the son of Elishah, but 
 not so learned. Howbeit he was of a more gentle and 
 loving disposition. He said to me, " Beware lest thou 
 follow the path of Elishah the son of Solomon." 
 " What path 1 " I asked. Then Jonathan answered 
 as follows : " It is reported that Elishah the son of 
 Solomon was once studying the Scriptures, and he saw 
 two men taking birds' nests. The one obeyed not the 
 Law, but took the mother with the young ; yet he went 
 his way in peace. The other obeyed the Law and took 
 the young only, but let the mother go free ; yet as he 
 descended from the tree a serpent stung him and he 
 died. Then said Elishah the son of Solomon, " Is it 
 not written, The young thou mayest take to thyself, but 
 the mother thou shalt surely let go, that it may be well 
 with thee and that thou mayest live many days ? Verily 
 the promises of God are naught, for the man that obeyed
 
 Chapter 1] PHILOCHRISTUS 9 
 
 hath not lived many days, but the man that disobeyed 
 is unhurt." Then said I, " And what answer was made 
 to Elishah the son of Solomon ? " And my teacher 
 replied, " Whosoever obeyeth the Law, his days will be 
 long in the world to come." Then was my heart 
 comforted for a while, and I devoted myself even more 
 diligently than before to the study of the Law.
 
 10 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 FOR the space of nine or ten years I was content to give 
 myself wholly to the study of the Law ; but when I had 
 now numbered thirty years, my doubts and fears came 
 back to me again. While I sat in the school with the 
 
 o 
 
 Scribe, and heard. his answers and asked him questions, 
 so long I seemed to myself righteous and on the path of 
 righteousness ; but when I came forth into the streets, or 
 back to my mother's house, then seemed my righteous- 
 ness immediately to have vanished away. At such 
 seasons the learning of the Wise seemed to me not 
 bread, but a stone. 
 
 Moreover, my heart was turned from some of the 
 Scribes that lived in Sepphoris, even them that were 
 counted as props and pillars of the Law. To Jonathan 
 the son of Ezra I ceased not to pay honour ; but Abuyah 
 the son of Elishah I could not reverence, and others 
 also like unto him : for they had regard unto the praise 
 of men rather than to the love of God. As, for example, 
 Abuyah, whensoever he was delayed by the crowd so 
 that he came not to the synagogue in time for prayer, 
 he would stand where he chanced to be, at the hour of 
 prayer, praying in the middle of the market-place. 
 When he walked, he walked with a mincing gait and 
 with his eyes half closed, feigning to be given up to
 
 Chapter 2] PHILOCHRISTUS u 
 
 the meditation of the Law, so that he saw no passer by. 
 On fast days he would ever look pale and worn, as if 
 with watching and hunger ; and whensoever he met a 
 woman as he went in the way, he would shiver and 
 turn aside. It came to pass that on a certain day one 
 of his pupils asked him which was the most weighty 
 of precepts. Then Abuyah answered, " The Law of 
 Tassels " ; and continued he, "so do I esteem this law 
 that once, because I had chanced to tread upon a portion 
 of the fringe of my garment, going up a ladder, I 
 steadfastly refused to move from the spot where I 
 stood, till such time as the rent had been repaired." 
 Another day, this Abuyah chid my mother because she 
 wore on her dress a ribbon that was not sewn, but only 
 fastened to her vesture. For thus, he said, my mother 
 transgressed the Law by bearing burdens on the 
 Sabbath. But by such teaching Abuyah himself laid 
 upon his pupils burdens grievous to be borne ; and 
 among the Eabbis of Israel there were more like unto 
 Abuyah the son of "Elishah than unto Jonathan the 
 son of Ezra. 
 
 Many things also in the traditions of the Wise seemed 
 to me not worthy of wise men, nor even of honest men. 
 I had joined myself to a certain brotherhood (who all, 
 or almost all, were Pharisees), such as bound themselves 
 to observe the Law with special strictness, and in par- 
 ticular to pay tithes of all things. The brotherhood was 
 called Chabura, and each of the brethren was called a 
 Chaber. Now it was the custom of us Chaberim to 
 meet on the Sabbath day at one another's houses that we 
 might sup together. But the space between our houses 
 often exceeded two thousand paces, which distance was
 
 12 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 2 
 
 not to be exceeded by a man journeying on the Sabbath 
 day. Therefore to a plain man it would have seemed 
 that we could not sup with one another on the Sabbath 
 day and at the same time obey the Law. But the 
 Scribes were otherwise minded ; and many of them, yea 
 even of the strictest sect, escaped from the Law after 
 this fashion. On the evening before the Sabbath, they 
 would place small pieces of meat, distant two thousand 
 paces one from another, on the road whereon they 
 desired to journey. Where a man's meat is, said they, 
 there is his home. So when they were come in their 
 journeying to the first piece of meat, they would say, 
 " Now I am at my home and may walk yet another two 
 thousand paces." And so, walking from this home to 
 other homes if need were, they walked as far as they 
 listed. This mixing of distances they called erfibh, or 
 " mixture ; " and the device remaineth unto this day. 
 
 Again, if a man's ox were dying on some holy day, 
 and the owner thereof desired to kill it ; he was for- 
 bidden. But if he slew the beast and then took of the 
 meat and ate thereof, yea, even though it were a piece of 
 flesh no bigger than an olive, and if he said, " I slay 
 the beast to provide a necessary meal," then he was held 
 excused. Likewise, though a man might not buy from 
 a butcher on the Sabbath, yet if he abstained from 
 mentioning the number or weight of the things bought, 
 and the sum of money to be paid, then he might buy 
 as much as his heart desired and be held blameless. 
 Thus he would say, "Give nre a portion, or half a 
 portion of meat," and the butcher would give it ; and 
 the buyer would go away, paying naught. But next 
 day the money would be paid. And this was called
 
 Chapter 2] PHILOCHRISTUS 13 
 
 not a sale, but a gift. After the same manner they 
 did away with the Law which remitteth debts in the 
 Sabbatical year. On the day of payment the creditor 
 would come (such was the ordinance of the Scribes) 
 and say, " In accordance with the Sabbatical year I 
 remit thee the debt." Then the debtor w r as bound to 
 reply, " I nevertheless wish to pay it," and the debt 
 was paid, and the Law was made of none effect. 
 
 About the thirteenth year of the Emperor Tiberius, it 
 came to pass that I (being now thirty-three years old or 
 a little more) discoursed with a Greek proselyte concern- 
 ing the Law. He said to me that it seemed to him bet- 
 ter to disannul such ordinances as were not convenient 
 (just as a man might prune a too luxuriant vine) ; and 
 not to say, " I will obey the ordinance, but I will make 
 my obedience the same as disobedience." His words 
 pleased me ; but when I reported this saying to some 
 of the Scribes my friends, they with one consent rejected 
 it. Abuyah the son of Elishah said, scoffing at my 
 doubts, " The Law drowneth them that cannot swim." 
 Then said I (repeating a certain saying of the Greek), 
 "But water groweth bad if it be kept long in one vessel." 
 But he straightway put me to silence saying, " Is this 
 likewise the case with the Law ? Nay, it is like unto 
 wine which groweth better as it groweth older." 
 Jonathan the son of Ezra also added in a gentle voice, 
 "My son, thou knowest the saying of the Elders, the 
 first of the sayings of the Wise : Be deliberate in 
 judgment, and raise up many disciples, and make a 
 fence to the Law. But thou, my son, wouldst fain 
 pull down fences. But if we begin to destroy a part 
 of the Law, who shall stay the hand of the destroyer ?
 
 i 4 PHILOCHPJSTUS [Chapter 2 
 
 And in the end we shall be even as the Gentiles, which 
 have no law. Is it not better to be too careful rather 
 than to be too careless 1 Is it not better to have too 
 many fences rather than to have too few \ For to what 
 is the matter like ? Even to a man watching a garden. 
 If he watch it from without, it is all watched. But if 
 he watch it from within, the part in front of him is 
 watched ; but the part behind him is not watched. Be 
 thou therefore careful to go in thine obedience even 
 beyond the things which the Law require th at thy 
 hands ; and watch the Law not from within, but from 
 without." 
 
 There seemed much wisdom in the sayings of Jona- 
 than, and I knew not what answer to make. For if to 
 transgress the Law, even in the smallest matter, was to 
 fall into destruction, then it seemed wise to fence round 
 the Law, even as a man would fence round a pit ; and 
 not to suffer the unwary to go near, and perad venture to 
 stumble, and so to be swallowed up. Yet I could not 
 but perceive that it was not well for men thus to resort 
 to the Law and to the Traditions as to a sacred oracle, 
 even on those occasions and in those matters wherein 
 the voice of the Lord speaking unto the heart saith 
 clearly, " This is right, do this. This is wrong, do not 
 this." For thus it must needs come to pass that men 
 would pervert even the Law to the contradicting of the 
 voice of the Lord. And so indeed it was with us. As, 
 for example, the Law forbade fornication, neither did it 
 permit us to marry a woman with intent to divorce her ; 
 but one of the Traditions, making the Law of none 
 effect, told us that " If a man first tell her that he is 
 going to marry her for a season, then it is lawful."
 
 Chapter 2] PHILOCHRISTUS 15 
 
 Other Traditions sinned yet more grievously in the 
 cloaking of sins and impurities. Hence also the duties 
 of children to parents (albeit upheld indeed by the better 
 part of the Wise) were by many diminished, or even 
 made of none effect. 
 
 Now I have heard certain Eomans say that in their 
 Law they also use the same devices to observe the letter 
 and to break the spirit. But the mischief was, that our 
 Law was not as the laws of the Gentiles, which concern 
 naught save lands, and houses, and slaves, and the like, 
 and which have not to do with the souls and spirits of 
 men. The Gentiles could break the letter of their laws 
 and sin not : for what sin was it to make a slave free by 
 feigning to sell him, or, in disputing about a farm, to 
 treat of a clod as though it were the farm ? But our 
 Law had to do with the supreme God, the Maker of all 
 things, the All-seeing (blessed is He). Therefore to 
 observe the letter and to break the spirit of His Law 
 seemed to be a profaning of His Holy Name. Now I 
 had been trained up from my earliest years to dread the 
 pulling down of the fences, having this precept, as it 
 were, engraved and charactered in my memory, " Whoso 
 pulleth down a hedge a serpent shall sting him : " and 
 I had been taught to prefer Sinai, that is, the teacher 
 of the Law, even to an " uprooter of mountains," that 
 is, to a teacher which hath understanding to remove all 
 manner of offences and stumbling-blocks from the path 
 of the weak ones. Howbeit, at times, after discourse 
 with the Greek proselyte whom I mentioned above, 
 there would arise in my heart this thought, that when 
 the words of the Law seemed to contradict that which 
 was right, then we ought to go into the presence of God
 
 1 6 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 2 
 
 and to say, " Thou, God of righteousness, art righteous 
 altogether, neither can it be Thy pleasure that we 
 should be unrighteous " ; and again, " Thou art a God 
 of truth, neither can it be Thy will that we should lie 
 with our hands in Thy presence. Therefore permit us 
 in this case to break Thy Law. For Thy righteousness 
 is greater than Thy Law." But the Scribes would not 
 so much as listen to such words as these ; for they said 
 that scarce even a prophet durst speak so exceeding 
 boldly. But when I asked them whether it might be 
 that a prophet should arise in Israel, then the most said 
 that it was not possible ; for the Shekinah and the Holy 
 Spirit had departed from Israel when the first Temple 
 had been destroyed. Thus my words were an abomina- 
 tion unto my teachers, so that I hid my thoughts in my 
 heart : but it was pain and grief to me. 
 
 Yet another trouble was added to me. For as I grew 
 older and understood more of the ways of men and per- 
 ceived the thoughts of men's hearts, it seemed to me a 
 strange and horrible thing that the Law of the Lord 
 should be cut off from the greater part of the Lord's 
 people : so that it was a current saying with the Eabbis 
 that the common people were an accursed rabble which 
 knew not the Law : insomuch that one of the most 
 pious of our teachers, even Hillel the Great, said that no 
 boor could be a sin-fearer, and that the people of the 
 land (for by that name they called the common people) 
 could not be pious. This, I say, seemed an horrible 
 thing : yet indeed I could not deny that the Scribes 
 must needs be right, and that the people of the land 
 could not be pious, so long as to be pious meant to 
 be obedient to the light precepts of the Law, such
 
 Chapter 2] PHILOCHRISTUS 17 
 
 as the laws concerning the exact observance of the 
 Sabbath, and concerning purifications, and concerning 
 the consumption of nail-parings, and the like. For 
 the knowledge of all these things was not to be ob- 
 tained save by men of leisure, that could give their 
 time, and settle their minds to the study of such 
 matters : and how was this possible for them that must 
 needs earn their bread with the sweat of their brow, 
 to wit, the sailors and fishermen, the vine-dressers and 
 ploughmen, the dyers and glassmakers ; who all were 
 called of the Scribes "the people of the land"? So it 
 was borne in upon me that our Law was a Law for the 
 schools, but not for the lives of men ; and for Scribes, 
 but not for the whole nation. Then my heart sank 
 within me, and I remembered the words of the Prophet, 
 how that a time shall come when men shall no longer 
 teach each one his neighbour, saying, Know the Lord ; 
 but all shall know Him from the least even to the 
 greatest ; and I wondered if it would please the Lord 
 to bring such a time as that to Israel, and to make 
 His Law clear to all our nation, yea, even to the poor 
 and simple, even to the people of the land. 
 
 Others that did not observe the Law so exactly as I 
 did, nor felt the burdens thereof so sorely, were never- 
 theless ill pleased that the Scribes did naught to free 
 them from the yoke of the Gentiles. Of these some 
 dwelt in Judsea, and a few in Persea ; but the more part 
 dwelt in Galilee, insomuch that the sect of Patriots 
 was known by the name of Galileans. There were also 
 living among us James and John, the two eldest sons of 
 Judas of Galilee, and their youngest brother Manahem. 
 To these, for the sake of their great father, we all had 
 
 c
 
 1 3 PUILOCHR1STUS [Chapter 2 
 
 respect. Many also (like myself) were ever in a readi- 
 ness to avenge upon the Komans the blood of kinsfolk 
 shed in the Galilean wars. Hence it came to pass that 
 in Galilee more than in any region of Syria, the minds 
 of men were ready for revolt against _the Romans, and 
 waited but for the ripening of occasion. 
 
 Now it came to pass that in the fourteenth year of 
 Tiberius Caesar, there arose a quarrel between the 
 Tetrarch of Galilee and his father-in-law, the King of 
 Arabia ; because the Tetrarch had behaved ill to the 
 King's daughter his wife, and sought to divorce her. 
 Then it seemed good to some of my friends to join the 
 army of Antipas the Tetrarch, to the intent that they 
 might thereby gain experience in war ; but others spake 
 against it, saying that it was not lawful to take up arms 
 for the unjust against the just. 
 
 At this time also a rumour went forth that a new 
 prophet had of late appeared, John by name, the son of 
 Zachariah a priest, who was calling the w r hole of Israel 
 to repent and to be purified with baptisms, prophesying 
 that the Lord would soon send the Deliverer of Israel, 
 or Messiah : for by this name of Messiah, the Deliverer 
 that was to come (of whom the prophets had prophesied) 
 was commonly known among us. Some said that John 
 himself was the Messiah ; others denied it, but said that 
 the Lord had sent down Elias from heaven, and that John 
 was Elias. Many other rumours also were noised abroad, 
 and this rumour prevailed most, that " One from the 
 East would come forth to rule the world," which saying 
 had spread even to Italy and Spain : and we in Galilee 
 thought that this conqueror from the East would be our 
 Messiah. Thus, the hearts of all men everywhere being
 
 Chapter 2] PIIILOCHRISTUS 19 
 
 in expectation, it came to pass that many of my friends 
 (who were the leaders of the sect called the Patriots 
 or Galileans), having purposed these many weeks to hold 
 a council, determined at this time to confer together 
 in a little valley between Sepphoris and Nazareth, there 
 to resolve what should be done. 
 
 Most of those present were from the inland parts 
 of Galilee : of these Barabbas, and one other, were 
 from Jotapata. Only Hezekiah, the son of Zachariah (a 
 Scribe, who was thought to be well affected towards the 
 Galileans), came from Jerusalem. And from Capernaum 
 came my cousin Baruch, the son of Manasseh, with three 
 others. There were present also from the region of 
 Gaulonitis James and John and Manahem, sons of the 
 famous Judas of Galilee. James the son of Judas spake 
 first, giving his judgment for war, and saying that Israel 
 had slept too long : " For while we sleep," said he, " the 
 leaven spreadeth ; Greek cities cover our land ; our own 
 cities are being defiled with Gentile abominations. They 
 are stealing from us even our language. No man may 
 earn a living in Galilee now, unless he speak Greek. 
 With Greek theatres and amphitheatres, and baths, and 
 market-places ; with Greek pictures and images, and feasts 
 and games ; with Greek songs, and poems, and histories, 
 they purpose, by easy degrees, to beguile the hearts of 
 our young men from the religion of their forefathers. 
 Our princes are Edomites in the pay of Rome. Our 
 rich men long for the fleshpots of Rome, and call them- 
 selves by the name of Herod. Our Scribes, our wise 
 men, cry peace when there is no peace, and wink at 
 the payment of tribute. Publicans and harlots bring 
 down the wrath of God upon the nation, and go 
 
 c 2
 
 20 PHILOCURISTUS [Chapter 2 
 
 unpunished. All these things are as the meshes of 
 the net wherein Borne is encompassing our city. And 
 lo, the fowler layeth the net and the silly bird stayeth 
 still." Then Baruch said : " But is it so indeed that 
 the Romans would blot out our religion ? Do they 
 not suffer all religions ? The Gauls, the Spaniards, the 
 Numidians, Egyptians and Scythians, all worship divers 
 gods : so have I heard from a Greek merchant at 
 Capernaum ; and this, without let or hindrance from 
 the Romans." 
 
 " Nay," cried Barabbas, " but thou seest not that the 
 Roman suffereth all false religions and hinclereth them 
 not ; but he hateth the worship of the true God of 
 Israel. For this alone putteth other gods to shame. 
 The Syrians and the Egyptians scruple not to worship 
 the Roman gods, besides Astarte and Osiris, and to offer 
 incense to the emperor of Rome, to boot. But the 
 children of Israel will bow down to no false god, neither 
 offer they incense before the image of the emperor. 
 Hence cometh it to pass that the Romans hate our 
 religion and would fain destroy it. James therefore 
 speaketh the words of truth ; and whoso speaketh other- 
 wise allegeth naught but pretexts of delay and 
 cowardice." 
 
 "Peace, Barabbas," said John, the son of Judas; 
 "we meet to hold conference, not to cast reproaches. 
 Nevertheless, my judgment goeth with my brother, 
 that our choice lieth between lingering perdition and 
 speedy deliverance. Hereof this is proof. But lately 
 I was at the Holy City, not many days before the Pass- 
 over ; and there went abroad a rumour that the 
 Procurator Pilate was minded to bring the eagles of
 
 Chapter 2] PHILOCHRISTUS 21 
 
 the legions from Csesarea to Jerusalem, yea, even 
 into the streets of the Holy City. Then the Priests, 
 even the Chief Priests, yea, even the whole Council, 
 fell down at Pilate's feet, if perchance he would 
 change his purpose. Multitudes ran together round the 
 Praetorium. In vain did they pray and were disquieted. 
 Under the cloak of night the procurator brought in the 
 Abomination. Then all the men of Jerusalem, and all 
 the pilgrims which had come together from the uttermost 
 parts of the earth, clothed themselves in sackcloth, and 
 sat down in the streets about the palace, with ashes on 
 their heads after the manner of suppliants ; crying aloud 
 that they would sit there for ever rather than endure the 
 presence of the Abomination. But when Pilate saw all 
 the streets of Jerusalem thronged, so that no one might 
 pass night and day, and all business was at a stand, did 
 he yield from his purpose ? Nay, he gave orders that 
 the armed cohorts should beset the streets around us, 
 threatening to smite us with the sword if we should 
 not straightway void the streets. And when we would 
 not, then went the word forth from the captains to draw 
 the swords ; and the swords were drawn, and the soldiers 
 were in act to fall upon us. But we uncovered our 
 necks and held them out to the soldiers, crying ' Give 
 us death rather than defilement/ So at the last, but not 
 till blood had been shed, the procurator gave consent 
 that the images should be sent back. Suppose ye that 
 this was a little matter, naught but an error in judg- 
 ment of the procurator ? Would a procurator have 
 dared to risk the peace of the whole province for a 
 little matter 1 It was no little matter. Pilate did what 
 he did, not of himself, but at the express instance of
 
 22 PUILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 2 
 
 the emperor ; to prove the limits of our slavishness, 
 and to force us into defilement and into the worship 
 of the Abomination." 
 
 Hereat there was a general applause ; but he, not 
 heeding it, continued, "If ye be of one mind with me 
 that the hour is come to smite with the sword ; then 
 how and where ? I say, let certain of us join ourselves 
 to the army of the Tetrarch, which even now maketh 
 ready to march against Aretas. Thereby we shall gain 
 experience of war, and, as I hope, win over some of 
 the army to our side. As for the tyrant's guards, the 
 Gauls, Germans, and Thracians, they are bought with 
 his money, so that we have no hope of them ; but 
 by far the larger part of the army consisteth of our 
 own countrymen ; and many of them may revolt on our 
 side ; as they did with Simon against Archelaus, and 
 some also helped Athronges, whom men call a rebel. 
 Meantime, let the rest of us make ready our friends in 
 our several cities to take up arms next Passover. They 
 in Jerusalem will attack the garrison there, others break 
 open the armoury at Sepphoris and in Masada. On 
 the same day our countrymen in Joppa, Csesarea, and 
 Ptolemais will attack and drive out the Greeks. Then 
 will rise a flame of war from one end of Syria to the 
 other. Our rich men, even the Herodians, seeing all 
 the people to be of one mind, will stand with us ; 
 and having Israel with us as one man, doing battle for 
 the name of the true God against the gods of the 
 Gentiles, doubt not but we shall have also the sword of 
 the Lord on our side, as in the days of Gideon." 
 
 The applause was now yet louder than before ; and 
 at first it seemed as though the whole assembly were
 
 Chapter 2] rHILOCURISTUS 23 
 
 minded with one consent to obey the words of John 
 the son of Judas of Galilee. But one of the companions 
 of Hezekiah, Levi by name, an old man and grey- 
 bearded, rose up presently and said that the hour had 
 not yet arrived, because, said he, the Sabbath was not 
 yet duly observed, and the wrath of the Lord still 
 weighed upon Israel. Then Barabbas answered with 
 indignation, saying that it was only the rich and deli- 
 cate, or else they that were enfeebled with old age, 
 who were thus content to be the slaves of idolaters. 
 
 Upon this Hezekiah the Scribe stood up to speak : 
 " These young men of Galilee gladly make mention of 
 the old times of Gideon and David, yet do they not 
 themselves imitate the old times in having respect unto 
 old age. For even though Levi were old and enfeebled, 
 yet what saith the Tradition ? ' Old age, though it be 
 broken, is yet to be held in reverence, even as the broken 
 tables of the Law were kept in the ark of the Lord/ 
 But what meaneth this youth of Jotapata, when he 
 calleth my friend and companion Levi, the son of Ezra, 
 delicate or enfeebled ; and all because the advice of Levi 
 is not the advice of Barabbas ? Hear, ye young men 
 of Galilee, the words of Levi are true : the hour hath 
 not yet arrived. ' What hindereth ? ' ye ask. I answer 
 in the words of the Wise, ' The dough in the leaven.' 
 
 " I also, like John the son of Judas, will give proof of 
 my words ; but do ye, being Galileans, incline your ears 
 to the saying of a Galilean, according to the proverb, 
 'A Galilean said When the shepherd is angry with 
 his flock, he appointeth for their leader a blind bell- 
 wether.' Note therefore the leaders of Israel, which 
 have risen up against the Romans of late. Hath God
 
 24 rUILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 2 
 
 sent them in anger or in mercy ? Have they been 
 blind bell-wethers, or endowed with sight ? I say 
 naught of Judas of Gamala, in the presence of his 
 sons : but Judas the son of the robber Hezekiah, how 
 went it with him ? He thought in his heart that he 
 was a second Joshua, and that the waters of Jordan 
 would part at his word. But who knoweth not his 
 miserable end ? As also the end of Athronges : who 
 aimed at the kingdom because, forsooth, he was in 
 stature a second Saul. Simon also, the slave of Herod 
 the king, when he had shewn forth his valour by de- 
 stroying the king's palace at Jericho, became a portion 
 for foxes at Amathus, and his head was cast before 
 the feet of the conqueror. Answer then unto me, ye 
 young men. Hath the Lord sent Simon the slave, and 
 Athronges the shepherd, and Judas the son of the 
 robber, in mercy or in wrath ? 
 
 " Nay, but since shame hindereth your answering, I, 
 even I, a man of Judaea, will answer for you, according 
 as it is said, ' From Judaea grain, from Galilee straw, 
 from Peraea chaff.' The Lord sent these men in wrath. 
 All these were blind bell-wethers, blinded by the lust of 
 fame or gain. But do ye therefore wait for the true 
 leaders whom the Lord your God will send ? Leave it 
 to this young man of Jotapata to follow any knave 
 that may chance to call himself the Redeemer of Israel 
 because, forsooth, he may be a head taller than his 
 neighbours, or may have dreamed a dream, or may 
 perchance have gained some knowledge of herbs or 
 unclean spirits. 
 
 "Even now they say there hath appeared in the 
 southern parts (so I heard, coming but now from Jericho)
 
 Chapter 2J PHILOCHRISTUS 25 
 
 one John the son of Zachariah, concerning whom I 
 judge (if he be indeed a true prophet and no deceiver) 
 that he is either the prophet spoken of by Moses, or 
 else Elias. For that Elias is to come again we all know, 
 because it is so written ; and that the prophet like unto 
 Moses must needs appear, this also the Scriptures tell 
 us : but that other prophets should appear is not written, 
 neither is it likely ; for the age of prophets is past. 
 But whether this John be Elias or whatever else, meet 
 it is that we go to him ; for he may perchance reveal to 
 us what it is our wisdom to do. If ye ask ' What shall 
 be the sign of the true prophet ? ' : I answer, it is 
 written in our traditions, ' A false prophet may shew 
 signs on earth and in the deep ; but a sign from 
 heaven he cannot shew/ Wait therefore till the sign 
 from heaven shall be vouchsafed, revealing the true 
 Prophet, whom it will be our wisdom to obey, and for 
 whom (during this present) it is our wisdom to wait." 
 
 When Hezekiah had made an end of speaking, James 
 the son of Judas was sore displeased at his words, and 
 made as if he would have spoken in answer ; but John 
 (who was of a gentler disposition) prevented his brother, 
 and said that Hezekiah gave good counsel. For he, like 
 the rest of us, had been moved by the mention of John 
 the Prophet. So in the end it was determined accord- 
 ing to the words of Hezekiah the Scribe ; and we brake 
 up without resolving anything further, except that we 
 would go straightway, so many of us as conveniently 
 could, to Bethany beyond Jordan, where the prophet 
 was baptizing. But on the morrow and on the day 
 after, when I spake to my friends and acquaintance 
 concerning John the son of Zachariah, it was a marvel
 
 26 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 2 
 
 to see how greatly the hearts of all men were stirred at 
 the thought of a new prophet in Israel. For that after 
 so many hundreds of years a prophet should arise in 
 Israel (none having prophesied since the time of Malachi, 
 the last of the prophets, more than four hundred years 
 ago) this seemed a marvellous thing and well nigh 
 impossible, and almost as if a man should rise again 
 from the dead. For the prophets were counted as it 
 were dead and out of mind in Israel, meet to be 
 reverenced for their past words, but not to be hoped 
 for in the time to come. For this cause were we much 
 moved by the mention of the name of John the son of 
 Zachariah. And as the Prophet Elias from the top of 
 Carmel looking out into the Great Sea and discerning 
 a cloud no bigger than a man's hand, foretold the 
 imminent storm, so did all we in Galilee, on the first 
 breath of the rumour of the coming of a prophet, begin 
 to forebode in our hearts of the coming of one that 
 should be no common prophet ; but, in all likelihood, 
 Elias from the dead; or else one greater than Moses, 
 to give us perchance a new Law and a new Kingdom.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 ON the fourth day, I set out in company with Baruch my 
 cousin, the son of Manasseh, my father's brother, intend- 
 ing to go to Capernaum, and thence to take ship for 
 Gamala, where we were to meet James and John the 
 sons of Judas of Galilee ; and so to journey all together 
 to Bethany, where the prophet was. When we were 
 come to Capernaum, we tarried two days in the house 
 of Manasseh : and the second day was the Sabbath. 
 Now the house of Manasseh was nigh unto the wharf, 
 so that nothing stood between it and the lake. 
 
 It happened that I was sitting on the house-roof and 
 the sun wanted yet an hour or two of setting ; and 
 a tumult arose on the beach below, between a Greek 
 merchant and certain of the townsmen. Word had come 
 to the Greek that his son was sick in Bethsaida and 
 nigh unto death : so he had besought certain of the 
 sailors that they would launch their ship and put out to 
 sea, although the sun had not yet set ; to the intent 
 that he might pass over with all speed, if perchance 
 he might see his child before he died. The sailors 
 were persuaded by the man's prayers and gifts, and 
 were preparing their vessel to launch it. But the 
 inhabitants, those of the more devout sort, coming 
 together with stones and staves, threatened the sailors,
 
 28 PH1LOCHRISTUS [Cluster 3 
 
 and force$ them to cease, declaring that not a boat should 
 leave the strand till the Sabbath should be ended. 
 
 The air was calm and still so that the merchant's words 
 came up even to my ears, as he pointed again and 
 again to the coast over against us : " Surely your God 
 will permit you to do this service of kindness. Yonder 
 is my son, mine only son, dying as if within sight of his 
 father. Strangers will receive his last breath, and close 
 his eyes. I beseech you, as ye are fathers, have com- 
 passion on a father who must soon be childless." So 
 saying the Greek beat his breast and tore his hair ; 
 but in vain. The ruler of the synagogue, who had 
 gathered the multitude together, would not listen to his 
 entreaties ; and he departed, weeping and wailing and 
 calling upon his gods in vain. 
 
 Then the ruler of the synagogue, seeing the crowd 
 running together, exhorted them to a more strict observ- 
 ing of the Sabbath, declaring that the breaking of the 
 Sabbath was the principal cause of the wrath of God 
 with His people, and of the delay of the Eedemption 
 of Sion. He went on to speak of the blessing of the 
 Eedemption, and he besought the people to do what lay 
 in them to hasten it forward, by raising up the fences of 
 the Law, and by constant and scrupulous obedience. 
 "Let all repent," he said, "of former slackness and 
 misdoings ; for the Lord your God is merciful, long 
 suffering, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and 
 repenteth Him of the evil. To Him belong mercies 
 and forgiveness, though ye have rebelled against Him." 
 
 By this time a great multitude was come together, 
 and in the uttermost parts of the throng stood certain 
 tax-gatherers (among whom was the principal receiver
 
 Chapter 3] PIHLOCHRTSTUS 29 
 
 of customs in Capernaum, by name Matthew the son 
 of Alpheus), with certain of the looser sort, men and 
 women, outcasts from the synagogue : which had been 
 cast forth, some for weighty offences, but some for light, 
 according to the custom of our Scribes. These had 
 approached, as it seemed to me, because they had heard 
 mention of " mercy," and " forgiveness" ; and their faces 
 were somewhat sad, as if they also would fain have 
 drawn near unto the God of Israel, that they might 
 receive forgiveness of sins. But the ruler of the syna- 
 gogue, catching sight of them, drove them away with 
 reproaches, reviling them as children of Satan. " Even 
 your alms," he cried, " we trample under our feet ; away, 
 extortioners and harlots, fit food for fire and worms !" 
 
 They departed in haste amid the scoffs and curses of 
 the crowd. But their countenances changed as they went, 
 and there seemed no more thought of repentance in them ; 
 for they hardened their faces as flint stones because of 
 the reproaches of the chief ruler. Then it came into my 
 heart that the ruler of the synagogue erred, in that he 
 drove away the sinners that would fain have drawn nigh 
 unto the Lord. And not only he, but all our Eabbis and 
 Scribes seemed to be in the same error, because they 
 drove away instead of bringing nigh. For even the words 
 of the Wise tell us that peace is to be proclaimed to the 
 far-off as well as to the near ; and to the far-off first. 
 Moreover the words of the Prophet Ezekiel came to my 
 mind, that if the wicked turned from his wickedness and 
 did that w T hich was lawful and right, he should live. 
 Now the ruler of the synagogue had himself also 
 used words like unto these ; yet his acts had not been 
 like unto his words. For after that he had spoken
 
 30 PHI LOCH RISTUS [Chapter 3 
 
 of God as merciful and forgiving, he had driven away 
 the sinners as though God were unmerciful and un- 
 forgiving. Therefore he had on his lips the wisdom of 
 the Law ; but in the thoughts of his heart and the 
 works of his hand there was no wisdom. Then I 
 repeated to myself the tradition of the Wise, " Whoso 
 hath much wisdom and little works, to what is he like ? 
 Even to a tree whereof the branches be abundant but 
 the roots poor and thin : and the wind cometh and 
 uprooteth it and overturneth it." Truly, said I, the 
 wisdom of the Scribes is like unto a tree whereof the 
 roots suffice not for the branches. 
 
 Then began I to consider with myself what would be 
 the doctrine of John the son of Zachariah as touching 
 forgiveness and repentance ; and it was borne in upon 
 my mind that we lacked, not the true doctrine of for- 
 giveness (for this we had already in the Law and the 
 Traditions), but somewhat beyond the reach of doctrine ; 
 albeit, what it was, I did not yet understand. Also 
 methought we had need of some new kind of wisdom 
 that should avail, not only for Scribes and lawyers but 
 also for the people of the land, for ploughmen and 
 fishermen, yea, perchance even for tax-gatherers and 
 sinners. Then behold, as I mused, methought all the 
 precepts of the Law and of the Traditions lay scattered 
 about on the beach, like so many dry bones (according 
 to the vision of the Prophet Ezekiel), and there they lay, 
 awaiting, till the breath of the Spirit of God should 
 blow upon them and give them life. And, in my 
 musing, I saw One coming, and his face was as bright as 
 the morning star, and the breath of the Lord breathed 
 from his mouth, and he came forward to the bones
 
 Chapters] PHILOCIIRISTUS ' 31 
 
 for to breathe life into them ; and I spake aloud and 
 said, " Perchance John the son of Zachariah is the 
 Messiah, and will breathe life into these bones." 
 
 But while I thus mused, came Baruch behind me and 
 touched my shoulder, and pointed to the crowd and said, 
 " See, the sun has now just set ; and the people are 
 following the exorcist yonder. Shall we not go with 
 them ? He is no common exorcist, but by means of 
 certain herbs known only to himself he can draw an evil 
 spirit out of the nostrils of the possessed ; and this hath 
 he done many times this week in the presence of 
 certain of the most notable people in Capernaum, inso- 
 much that all men here do hold him in great esteem. 
 And even now he goeth to cast out an evil spirit from 
 Eaphael, the son of one of our neighbours : who hath 
 been possessed now these two years." 
 
 So lost was I in thought that, while Baruch was 
 speaking, I scarce understood the purport of his words. 
 But shouts and shrieks from below caused me to awake 
 out of my trance. So I looked ; and behold, a great 
 multitude below, and in the midst thereof a youth 
 possessed with an evil spirit. The youth was led by 
 three strong men ; and as he went, he shrieked aloud 
 and struggled against them that led him. Close after 
 them came one whose sorrowful countenance betokened 
 him to be the father of the youth. Before them all 
 went the exorcist. 
 
 Here in Britain it is a rare thing to see a man 
 possessed with a demon. Therefore it is needful to 
 say first, that in the land of Israel (and especially in 
 the lowlands of Galilee along the coast of the Sea of 
 Gennesareth, and also in the valley of Jordan), the
 
 32 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 3 
 
 unclean spirits prevailed mightity in my days, insomuch 
 that I have noted as many as twelve or even more 
 in a small town, such as Bethsaida. They wandered 
 about the country half clothed or naked, assailing 
 their dearest friends or strangers, or even themselves, 
 with stones or other weapons, such as they could 
 procure. They saw strange sights, demons and flames ; 
 their ears were filled with thunderings and roarings of 
 beasts and voices of devils. A stench, as of sulphur and 
 brimstone, was in their nostrils. Their bellies also were 
 beset with worms, toads, snakes, or scorpions ; which 
 nevertheless destroyed them not. Two voices, the voice 
 of the demon and the voice of the man, issued from the 
 mouth of the possessed. Verily of all the diseases with 
 which Satan hath been permitted by the Unsearchable 
 (blessed is He) to afflict the children of men, this disease 
 is the worst and cruellest ; inasmuch as it poisoneth the 
 very springs of love, causing the son to hate even the 
 father that begot him and the mother that gave him 
 suck. 
 
 What were the causes of this evil, wise men have 
 asked, and have given no certain answer. They at 
 Jerusalem said that it was a chastisement because of 
 men's neglect of worship in the Holy Temple ; and 
 certain it is, that Gentiles and outcasts from the syna- 
 gogue were more often possessed than the devout. Nay, 
 I have known some (more especially women) that, having 
 been possessed, were cured by the offering of sacrifice, 
 or by a more constant attending on the worship in the 
 Temple. Others said that it was a punishment for eating 
 swine's flesh ; others for dwelling in houses built amid 
 tombs or on ancient burial-places. But others said that
 
 Chapter 3] PHILOCHRISTUS 33 
 
 they which lived in the lowlands about the Lake of 
 Gennesareth and in the valley of Jordan were more 
 under the unclean demons ; for that the demons pos- 
 sessed and ruled over waterish and low-lying regions. 
 And so much is undoubted, that in the inland high- 
 lands of Galilee there were few possessed, and in 
 Jerusalem none, or at least no number worthy of 
 mention ; but down in Jericho and Capernaum the 
 possessed could be seen at the corner of every street. 
 
 Cure there was none, or at least no certain cure. 
 Sometimes sudden terror or sudden joy availed to drive 
 out the unclean spirit. I have heard of one Joachim the 
 son of Levi, that was vexed w r ith a dumb spirit for 
 many years ; but seeing some robbers about to kill his 
 father, the string of his tongue was unloosed, and he 
 cried out to them not to kill him. But no physic, 
 nor no diet, was of any certain avail. This uncertainty 
 brought great gain to many vagrant exorcists which 
 wandered here and there throughout Galilee, their scrips 
 full of amulets, charms, drugs, magic roots, and books 
 of incantations. These men, with shouts and shrieks 
 and uncouth gestures and dances, were wont to amaze 
 the demoniacs for a time and to drive them into a 
 kind of torpor ; which torpor they called health and 
 peace, and boasted that they had wrought a cure. At 
 other times, by magic arts, they would persuade Satan 
 to go out of the man for a short time, that they might 
 obtain a reward. But in either case, the cure lasted 
 no long time. For in a brief space the demon would 
 awake again out of torpor ; or if he had been driven out, 
 he would return, and sometimes bring with him other 
 demons yet more powerful than himself ; insomuch 
 
 D
 
 34 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 3 
 
 that it was a proverb among us that it was better for 
 a possessed person that the unclean spirit should not 
 be driven out at all, than that, having been driven 
 out, he should be allowed to return. 
 
 But about the causes and cures of this evil let others 
 consider and dispute : I speak now of the exorcist in 
 Capernaum. Going down straightway with Baruch, I 
 followed him into a house not two hundred paces from 
 the quay. When we entered, there seemed scarce space 
 for the exorcist and the demoniac in the middle of 
 the chamber, so thick stood the people together; 
 but by favour of the master of the house, who was 
 known to Baruch, w^e obtained place in the inner part 
 of the circle. The father of the boy now came up to 
 my cousin. " I have taken Raphael," he said, " to many 
 exorcists before, but never a man of them was to be 
 compared with this learned man. I have described 
 to him the nature of the unclean spirit that possesseth 
 my son, and he protesteth to me that he hath frequently 
 driven out the like kind of demons, and that he is 
 assured of success." Meanwhile Raphael, the boy pos- 
 sessed with the unclean spirit, was seated on the ground 
 in the middle. He no longer struggled nor shrieked, 
 but sat quiet, though sullen withal. 
 
 Two slaves now came forth, the first carrying in one 
 hand a bucket of water and in the other a covered 
 basket ; but the second bore a chafing-dish. Now all 
 voices were hushed, for the exorcist stepped into the 
 middle of the chamber. " Many," he said, " of my pro- 
 fession pretend to drive out evil spirits, but they do not 
 perform what they promise. But that ye may perceive 
 how far Theudas the son of Eleazar differeth from such
 
 Chapter 3] PUILOCHRISTUS 35 
 
 common vagrants and impostors, I shall not only cast 
 out this unclean spirit, but I shall also give you proof 
 thereof which ye shall see with your own eyes." He 
 then bade the slaves place the bucket upon a shelf in 
 the room where all could see it ; but the basket and 
 chafing-dish w T ere set in the midst of the circle. 
 
 Perchance the boy began to understand in part that 
 the exorcist was speaking of him ; or it may be that from 
 his father's anxious mien and troubled countenance he 
 conjectured that some new thing was at hand. For he 
 leapt from the ground, and shrieked, and blasphemed 
 God, uttering obscene words, tearing his hair, and 
 marring his cheeks with his nails ; and but for the two 
 keepers on either side of him he would assuredly have 
 rent off his garments ; and even with all their efforts 
 they had much ado to hinder him. 
 
 But the exorcist threw a few leaves and fragments of 
 root on the chafing-dish, muttered a charm, waved his 
 wand, and then waited as though for an answer. Then 
 frowning, he waved his wand a second time, and re- 
 peated a louder charm, stamping his foot on the ground, 
 and then waited again. A deep silence fell on all in 
 the chamber, insomuch that no one ventured so much 
 as to draw breath ; and even the boy ceased from his 
 struggles and stared amazedly at the exorcist. But he, 
 now standing upright and manifesting in his face that 
 he had received an answer from the unclean spirit, 
 turned from us to the possessed, and fixing his eye full 
 upon his face, he cried in a loud voice, " Thou unclean 
 spirit, thine hour is come. Thy name is revealed unto 
 me, and thy shape likewise. In vain thou wouldst evade 
 my sight, assuming the semblance of a long black w T orm. 
 
 D 2
 
 36 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapta- 3 
 
 Lo ! by the mysterious power of King Solomon's ring 
 and these strong roots I will draw thee out of the poor 
 boy's nostrils in the presence of this assembly : and 
 when I say the word, thou, obedient to my commands, 
 shalt leave the body which thou defilest, and, in thy 
 passage, thou shalt overturn yonder vessel of water. 
 Dost hear me 1 Thy name is laldabaoth." 
 
 Hereat the demoniac shrieked and raved louder than 
 before, and a deep voice, deeper than the voice of a youth, 
 cried out from within him, "I am laldabaoth, the worm, of 
 darkness ; depart from me." The crowd shouted, and 
 the sorcerer, turning to us, " Sirs," said he, " ye see 
 how the evil spirit is already half conquered ; for he hath 
 confessed his name and nature to be even as I foretold." 
 Then turning to the boy and applying a ring to his 
 nostrils, he cried aloud, " Come forth, laldabaoth ;" and 
 with very great quickness, so that the motion could 
 scarce be perceived, (all the time shouting charms and 
 incantations with a loud voice,) he drew forth from the 
 nostrils of the demoniac a shape like unto a long black 
 worm. Now verily the crowd shrieked as if they them- 
 selves were possessed ; but the boy sat, not struggling, 
 but still and pale, as though no life were in him. But the 
 exorcist, turning himself quickly round to the vessel of 
 water behind him, "Away," he cried, "away, worm of 
 darkness ! Back, laldabaoth, to the abyss ! Back through 
 the air : and dash down yonder bucket as thou fliest ! " 
 At the word, the worm vanished, the bucket was 
 dashed down, and the boy fell, as it seemed, lifeless. 
 
 We all pressed in upon the youth, wishing to discern 
 whether life were still in him, or no ; but the exorcist 
 waived us back, as one having authority ; and taking the
 
 Chapter 3] PIIILOCHRISTUS 37 
 
 boy by the hand, he raised him up, speaking kind words 
 to him and to his father. Soon his life returned to the 
 boy, and the exorcist restored him to his father, whole 
 and sound (albeit weak and pale), and, as it appeared, 
 delivered from the unclean spirit. The father, weeping 
 for joy, placed a heavy purse in the hand of the exorcist ; 
 who, at first, put it from him, as though he, would have 
 none of it. But afterwards, while he was receiving the 
 salutations and greetings of them that were departing, 
 one of his slaves, being urged by the father, took the 
 purse and placed it in the covered basket. 
 
 As for us, it being now late, we stayed not to congra- 
 tulate with the father of Kaphael ; but with all speed, 
 made our way through the press ; all the people around 
 us praising God and marvelling at the power which the 
 Lord had given to Theudas the son of Eleazar. But 
 we hasted to the house of Manasseh to make ready 
 for our journey ; for we were to set forth early on the 
 morrow. But when the morrow came, behold, Baruch 
 was sick of a fever, and could not travel ; and I tamed 
 for him for the space of four days. But on the fifth 
 day after the Sabbath, Baruch being now in case to 
 travel, we purposed to take ship for Gamala, w T hich lieth 
 on the southern coast of the lake. For our intent was 
 there to join ourselves to James and John, the sons of 
 Judas, and so to continue our journey with them till we 
 came to Bethany in Persea where John was baptizing. 
 
 Now it came to pass that very early in the morning 
 when we were to set out, the sun being not yet risen, 
 I went to the house of Joazar, the father of Eaphael, to 
 inquire concerning the boy's welfare. And when I came 
 to the threshold, behold, another stood at the door; but
 
 3 8 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 3 
 
 his back was towards me, so that I knew not who he 
 was. And before I could accost him, the door was 
 opened unto us ; and behold, a sound as of shrieking 
 and lamentation. Then we both listened, and lo, a deep 
 voice from an upper chamber, and it cried, " We are 
 laldabaoth ! We are laldabaoth, the worms of dark- 
 ness ! " Then came forth other words of blasphemy and 
 filthiness, so that I loathed to listen to them ; and I 
 turned to go back. But at that instant I heard the 
 voice of the father bewailing : and the stranger delayed 
 not, but entered into the house ; wherefore I also, albeit 
 against my will, was moved to go in likewise. 
 
 So I went in, following the stranger till we both 
 came to the door of the upper room : and there I 
 stood, and durst not enter into the chamber ; for my 
 heart was empty of comfort, neither knew I how to 
 console the old man in his affliction. But the stranger 
 that was with me, going forward, spake first of all to 
 Joazar the father, and said some words of kindness 
 to him. Now so it was, that when the stranger first 
 entered into the chamber, the evil spirits ceased not, 
 but raged yet more fiercely than before, crying aloud 
 and saying, " Depart from us ; let us alone ; let us 
 alone " ; and the youth also rent his cheeks so that 
 the blood gushed out ; and he would fain have leaped 
 up from his bed. But the stranger (whose face I had 
 not yet seen), hearing the voices of the spirits, turned 
 himself round from the old man to the son : and going 
 up " to the bedside he stood there, steadfastly looking 
 at the youth. Now when he thus turned himself, then 
 for the first time I beheld his countenance ; and, as 
 I remember, 1 marvelled thereat, and also at the manner
 
 Chapter 3] I'UILOCHBISTUS 39 
 
 of his dealing with the youth. For, first of all, when 
 he looked upon the youth, his face seemed swallowed 
 up with pity ; and then of a sudden it changed again, 
 and he stretched out his arm as one having authority, 
 and as if on the point to bid the evil spirits depart, 
 and this he did twice ; but twice again he drew back 
 his arm, as if changing his purpose. Then, at the last, 
 the pity came back upon his face all in an instant, 
 so that his features seemed even melted therewith ; 
 and he stooped down and embraced the boy, and kissed 
 him ; and, as I thought, he whispered words in his ear. 
 But this 1 know not for certain ; howbeit the boy, in 
 any case, ceased from his raging and no longer struggled, 
 but lay still and quiet, only muttering and moaning 
 a little. Hereat the stranger turned himself to Joazar 
 to take his leave ; but I (perchance because my mind 
 misgave me that I had played the eavesdropper, albeit, 
 unwittingly, or for whatever other reason) feared to 
 wait and meet the stranger ; so I turned my back, and 
 went forth in haste from the house. 
 
 When I was come to Baruch again, I held my peace 
 concerning Eaphael, lest I should stir up melancholy 
 in my cousin, since he was freshly recovered from his 
 disease. But, when we went on board the vessel, the 
 sailors were not yet ready to sail. So I lay down on the 
 sleeping-cushion : but no sleep fell upon my eyes. For 
 there appeared ever before me the image of the demoniac 
 Kaphael and his sorrowful father ; and my heart was 
 weighed down with the thought of their affliction. But 
 I grieved not for them alone, but also for the daughter 
 of Sion ; who seemed to be, in a manner, possessed 
 with an evil spirit, and to cry aloud for some one that
 
 40 rHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 3 
 
 should cast it out. All the deliverers of old seemed to 
 be even as Theudas the son of Eleazar ; and even as 
 the demon had returned into Raphael, so that his last 
 state was worse than the first, even so it seemed with 
 Israel ; therefore I besought the Lord to hasten the 
 time of the coming of the true Redeemer of Sion. 
 
 As I mused, I began to consider with myself what 
 would be the manner of the true redemption. Beside 
 the demoniac, there appeared unto me the face of 
 Matthew the publican and the faces of the sinners. 
 It was borne in upon my mind that, even though every 
 legionary in Syria were slain or driven out, and though 
 the borders of Israel should be enlarged from the Nile 
 to the Euphrates, yet if we still had amidst us 
 sinners unforgiven, and Priests and Rulers with no 
 power to forgive nor to convert, then of a surety 
 the evil spirit would not depart from us save only for 
 a season. 
 
 By this time, as I remember, we were but just putting 
 out into the deep, and the sun was risen. And there 
 came down certain fishermen to the beach to prepare 
 their tackling for fishing : and with them there came 
 one that, as I noted, was no fisherman (for he was not 
 girt as a fisherman) : and he walked down to the brink 
 of the waters and looked out steadfastly to the deep. 
 And so it was that, as he looked, the sun even that 
 instant rising above the eastern mountains, shone sud- 
 denly upon his face so that I could see it clearly (though 
 we were by this time a full furlong from the shore) ; and 
 behold, it was the countenance of the stranger that I had 
 seen that same morning in the house of Joazar. So 
 I called to Tobias straightway and asked him who the
 
 Chapter 3] PHILOCHRISTUS 41 
 
 stranger might be : and Tobias raised himself upon his 
 elbow where he lay on the sleeping-cushion, and he 
 looked, and knew him, and told me his name. And 
 then first I heard the name of Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 Again I lay down to sleep, but still no sleep would 
 come to me : wherefore I took forth from my bosom 
 the book of the prophet Isaiah, which I had with me, 
 and began to read therein. And so it was that as I 
 unrolled it, my eyes fell upon the place where the 
 prophet saith, " To what purpose is the multitude of 
 your sacrifices unto me 1 saith the Lord : I am full of 
 the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts. . . . 
 Bring no more vain oblations ; incense is an abomination 
 unto me ; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of 
 assemblies, I cannot away with ; it is iniquity, even the 
 solemn meeting." 
 
 Now at that word, " the new moons and sabbaths I 
 cannot away with," I ceased from reading. For I seemed 
 to hear the Greek merchant weeping and crying to 
 the sailors, " Surely your God will permit you to do 
 this service of kindness." Then I called to mind the 
 words of the Lord, " I will have mercy, and not sacri- 
 fice ; " and behold, it came in upon me all at once, as in 
 a flood, that our exactness in the observing of the Sabbath 
 might haply be an abomination in the eyes of the All- 
 seeing (blessed is He) whensoever it hindereth kindness 
 and mercy. After this my eyes again fell upon the roll, 
 and 1^ read aloud these words wherein the prophet pre- 
 scribeth the cure for the wounds of Israel. " Cease to 
 do evil ; learn to do well ; seek judgment, relieve the 
 oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow." 
 Then I cried aloud, " Is not this a plain and simple
 
 42 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 3 
 
 path even for the people of the land, that all Israel 
 should walk therein." 
 
 Now so it was that Baruch had come up while I was 
 thus reading and speaking aloud ; and I knew it not. 
 So he answered and said, " Thou speakest well ; notwith- 
 standing I have heard a certain Greek of mine acquaint- 
 ance in Capernaum say that virtue cannot be taught; 
 for that some men have their hearts inclined by nature 
 to do well, but others to do ill ; so that it availeth 
 nothing to say ' Learn to do well.' " Then was I silent 
 for a while, for methought the Greek said well, and 
 indeed we needed, not so much that a new path 
 should be made plain, as that a clean heart and a right 
 spirit should be created anew within us, according as 
 it is written, " Make me a clean heart, God, and 
 renew a right spirit within me." So in the end I 
 concluded to wait till we should understand what new 
 message the prophet John the son of Zachariah might 
 bring to us from the Lord, if perchance he might 
 teach us aught concerning the creating of a right spirit. 
 But by this time our ship was come to Oamala ; where 
 we were courteously entertained by James and John 
 the sons of Judas ; and we abode with them three 
 days. But on the fourth day we set out for Bethany 
 of Persea.
 
 43 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 As we drew near to Bethany, we noted many hundreds 
 of travellers on the road, the most part on foot, but 
 many on asses and camels ; for rich as well as poor were 
 journeying to the new prophet. A full score of Scribes 
 went past us in the space of an hour ; there were also 
 some soldiers going to Machserus ; here and there was a 
 tax-gatherer ; and Baruch took note of certain that were 
 sinners, outcasts from the synagogue of Capernaum. We 
 had now been journeying for a clay and a half ; and 
 toward the end of the second day, we began to see the 
 valley of Jordan right over against us. Going down a 
 little further, we perceived that there was a great multi- 
 tude gathered together near the bank of the river ; and 
 presently we could clearly discern the prophet himself. 
 
 Around him stood men in white garments awaiting 
 purification ; at a somewhat greater distance, the mixed 
 multitude hearkening to his words. John himself, wear- 
 ing no tunic, but clad only in a rough mantle of camel's 
 hair with a girdle of untanned leather, was sitting upon 
 a rock, and thence he was speaking to the people in a 
 clear voice, whereof the sound (though not as yet the 
 meaning) was borne up even to our ears. For a while 
 we stood still, with one consent, marvelling at the sight ; 
 for there had not been a prophet in Israel for four
 
 44 PHILOC11RJSTUS [Chapter 4 
 
 hundred years and more ; but presently, riding down 
 with all speed, we came into the valley, and joined our- 
 selves to the multitude : and, albeit, we could not come 
 very nigh to John, for the press, yet was there such a 
 stillness among all the assembly, that we very soon 
 understood whatsoever he said. 
 
 He had been speaking (this I learned afterwards from 
 one of the bystanders) concerning the old wars and 
 troubles which the Lord had sent on Israel ; how, ac- 
 cording to the saying of the Prophet Isaiah, the Lord 
 had brought the Assyrian against the land as an axe, 
 whereby He had cut down our chosen nobles and 
 princes, even as a woodman felleth the choicest trees. 
 Also how, in the days of the Prophet Jeremiah, the 
 Lord had sent the blast of His wrath upon the people, 
 and had winnowed away the unstable and faithless into 
 captivity, even as a winnower fanneth the chaff from 
 the wheat. The same things were at hand even now, 
 he said : " Now also the axe is laid at the root of the 
 trees ; therefore every tree which bringeth not forth 
 good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire." 
 
 Hereat the multitude cried aloud, saying that it was 
 even so ; for indeed we all felt in our hearts that the 
 prophet spake the truth. As the Assyrian axe in the 
 days of old, so now the Roman axe was laid at the 
 root of Israel ; and unless the Lord turned away His 
 wrath from us, the nation would be destroyed. But 
 then a stillness fell upon the multitude, as we waited 
 till the prophet should tell us what we should do to 
 turn away the Lord's wrath. 
 
 Then the prophet set his face toward the men in 
 white garments, and said to them that they should
 
 Chapter 4] PHILOCHRISTUS 45 
 
 cleanse their hearts and not their bodies merely, and put 
 away the iniquity of their souls, and he called upon 
 them to confess their sins. He bade them also not to 
 trust in their being children of Abraham, nor in the 
 purifications of the Law, nor in the observances of 
 Sabbaths and feast-days. If, said he, the tree was to 
 escape the axe, it must no longer be barren : " bring 
 forth fruits therefore worthy of repentance, and think 
 not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to 
 our father, for I say unto you that God is able of these 
 stones to raise up children unto Abraham." 
 
 Saying these words, he beckoned to the men in 
 white robes that they should follow him. The multi- 
 tude made way for them ; and he led them down to 
 a place by the side of the river where the reeds and 
 thickets of willow-beds had been rooted up, so that there 
 might be free passage into the water. Then he cried in 
 a clear voice, " Receive the baptism of Repentance," and 
 bade them plunge themselves beneath the surface. At 
 the same time he offered up prayers to God ; and we 
 upon the higher bank said, Amen. When he had made 
 an end of baptizing the men, he went up again to the 
 rock, and thence he again spoke to the people ; and as 
 many as desired purification went up to him there. 
 
 Now while the people were going up by courses, I also 
 began to resolve in my heart that I too would go up 
 in the order of my course. Yet had I sore misgivings 
 in my soul ; for it seemed as if I were on the verge 
 of a great sea, launching out into the deep I knew 
 not whither. For the teaching of this new prophet in 
 no wise agreed with the teaching of the Scribes and 
 Lawyers, whom I had reverenced ; and if I went with
 
 46 PH1LOCHEISTUS [Chapter 4 
 
 him, I perceived that I must needs go away from them. 
 Now it came to pass that a certain Scribe (who was 
 with our company) perceived the reasonings of my 
 heart, and that I was desirous to receive purification 
 at the hands of John. Therefore he took me by the 
 cloak, and held me back, saying, " Behold, if John the 
 son of Zachariah speaketh well, the Scribes have spoken 
 ill, and have taught ill. Yea, and all thy study of 
 the Law, and thy painful meditations therein, and thy 
 nightly watchings and weariness of the flesh have all 
 been in vain. But wilt thou lightly forsake the teaching 
 of the Law and the Traditions of the Fathers, and all for 
 the sake of one new prophet, concerning whom thou 
 knowest not as yet even that he is a prophet ? And where- 
 fore shouldst thou thus seek after prophets ? Knowest 
 thou not that the Inscrutable (blessed be He) decreed 
 that, after the destruction of the first Temple, there 
 should be no longer with us the Shekinah, nor the Holy 
 Spirit, nor the Urim and Thummim ; wherefore it is 
 said, ' From the fourth year of King Darius, the Holy 
 Spirit no longer rested upon the prophets.' But in the 
 place of the prophets' (who were not always with Israel) 
 thou hast now the Scribes always with thee, according 
 as it is said, ' Moses received the Law from Sinai, and 
 the elders delivered it to the prophets, and the prophets 
 to the men of the Great Congregation ; ' and it is also 
 said, ' from the time that the Temple was destroyed, the 
 gift of prophecy was taken from the prophets and given 
 to the Wise.' " 
 
 His words moved me, and I restrained myself for the 
 time. Yet on the other side there rose in my heart 
 a certain Voice, which seemed to come from the Lord,
 
 Chapter 4] PH1LOCHBISTUS 47 
 
 saying, "The words of John are right, and they are 
 simple, converting the soul. Moreover, they arc fit for 
 the people of the land, and not only for Scribes and 
 scholars and pedants. But that he is a prophet, thine 
 own heart convinceth thee ; for even when thou hearest 
 him, thou knowest that he speaketh not from himself, 
 but that he is taught from above. And did not also the 
 prophets of old speak like things, saying, 'Rend your 
 hearts, and not your garments/ and bidding Israel not 
 to offer sacrifice, but to shew mercy, and not to observe 
 Sabbaths, but to do judgment and relieve the oppressed ?" 
 So between the words of the Scribe and the words of 
 the Voice within me I was in a great strait. Howbeit 
 for the time I restrained myself and did nothing, but 
 remained where I was, giving heed to the words of the 
 Prophet. 
 
 Now it came to pass that certain of the soldiers 
 from Machperus went up : and all we in the crowd 
 waited silently expecting that the Prophet would deny 
 purification to these men, except they should first pro- 
 mise to depart from the army of Herod. But he com- 
 manded them only to abstain from robbery and outrage. 
 Upon this certain tax-gatherers (whom the Romans call 
 publicans) took confidence, and they too went up. 
 And now indeed all we that looked on, expected that 
 there should have been a great outburst of wrath 
 and of cursing upon them, as upon traitors and apostates 
 from Israel. But the Prophet received these also, 
 and bade them exact no more than that which was ap- 
 pointed to them. To others he said that they were 
 to observe that saying in the Traditions which en- 
 joineth the doing of kindnesses ; that is to say, they
 
 43 FHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 4 
 
 were to clothe the naked and to feed the hungry, and 
 the like. 
 
 Hereupon arose a murmuring among certain of the 
 Scribes from Jerusalem, who were standing nigh to the 
 place where I was : and I heard the voice of Hezekiah 
 son of Zachariah saying in an austere manner, " It is 
 said, ' On three things the world is stayed ; on the 
 Law, and on the Worship, and on the bestowal of 
 Kindnesses : ' what meaneth this teacher of strange 
 things therefore, to subvert the Law and the^ Worship, 
 in that he maketh no mention thereof, but he exalteth 
 Kindnesses to the skies ? " Then another said, " He 
 allegeth the authority of no teacher ; why there- 
 fore hearken we to him ? " But a third said, " Per- 
 adventure he is a prophet, and is taught of God." 
 But Hezekiah made answer, " The time of prophets 
 hath passed. Besides, he hath wrought no sign from 
 Heaven ; how know we therefore that he is a true 
 prophet ? " 
 
 These things spake the Scribes together, as we went 
 back from the river to the place where our tents were 
 pitched ; for by this time the sun was setting. But 
 all that night long my thoughts still beat on the 
 doctrine of John ; and I marvelled much whence it 
 came that the people so flocked to John as to a prophet ; 
 yea, and that my own heart also was so drawn towards 
 him, although he had wrought no sign in heaven, nor so 
 much as driven out any unclean spirit. But the reason 
 seemed to me partly in himself. For his very counte- 
 nance, yea, even his gesture and carriage, proclaimed him 
 to be, not a student of books, but one that was taught 
 of God ; and yet further the hardships that he endured,
 
 PHILOCHRISTUS 49 
 
 and the manner of his clothing and food (for he fed on 
 nothing but locusts and wild honey) shewed to all men 
 that he did not prophesy for gain. But another reason 
 lay in his doctrine. For the doctrine of John was 
 simple and just, commending itself to the consciences 
 of men ; not flattering any nor busying itself with 
 abstruse matters ; but fit for the work of life and the 
 paths of busy men, able, as it seemed, to carry purity 
 and righteousness even to the side of the plough, and 
 into the ranks of armed men, and into the shops and 
 offices of tradesmen and tax-gatherers. For this cause 
 the teaching of John won a way into the hearts of men 
 of every degree, save only certain of the Pharisees. So 
 when I thought on all these things, I began to be 
 convinced that he was sent of God. 
 
 But when I went forth on the morrow to behold the 
 purification of the disciples and to hear the teaching of 
 the Prophet, my heart was even more drawn unto him. 
 For I compared him with Abuyah the son of Elishah, 
 and with the ruler of the synagogue, that had driven 
 away the tax-gatherers and sinners from the teaching 
 of repentance ; and it seemed to me that John was as 
 much better than they, as light is better than darkness. 
 For though he were of a stern countenance and austere 
 in aspect, yet was the austerity of John in no wise 
 as the austerity of Abuyah the son of Elishah. For 
 Abuyah was sour and peevish, for that he ever loved 
 to find fault, and because he desired to obtain occasion 
 for rebuking, to the intent that he might persuade 
 himself that he was better than others : but John 
 seemed to be austere only because he hated sin. So 
 I no more delayed, but went up with the rest, about 
 
 E
 
 5 o PHILOCHBISTUS [Chafer 4 
 
 the second hour of the day ; and 1 confessed my sins 
 and received purification. 
 
 After we had been purified, I stood with the rest, 
 clothed in white garments, wholly given up to medita- 
 ting upon the new life whereto we seemed to have 
 risen out of the waters. But I was aroused by hearing 
 these words spoken with a great vehemency of anger : 
 " Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, who hath warned 
 you to flee from the wrath to come ? " Great indeed 
 was my astonishment when, raising myself to see what 
 they were to whom the Prophet was thus speaking, I 
 discerned the faces of some of the most famous Scribes in 
 Jerusalem. It seemed that they had been questioning 
 him who he was and by what authority he taught these 
 things. But the Prophet rebuked them with exceeding 
 indignation. For he said that they were even as barren 
 trees, full of leaf, but bearing no fruit, * fit for naught 
 but to be cut down and cast into the fire. Then they 
 went backward, being put to utter confusion ; but John 
 turned to us that had been purified, and spake to us 
 a second time as follows : 
 
 " I am not the Christ. Call not yourselves m} 7 
 disciples : for I myself am naught but a, herald in the 
 wilderness preparing the way for the Great King. But 
 verily the King cometh. Therefore weep no more for 
 the evils of sin. The rough ways of oppression shall 
 be made smooth; the crooked paths of deceit and 
 violence shall be made straight. Let the daughter of 
 Jerusalem rejoice greatly, for her salvation is nigh. 
 For the glory of the Lord draweth near, and all flesh 
 shall see it together. Notwithstanding think not of 
 me as your deliverer. He that hath the bride is the
 
 Chapter 4] PHILOCHRISTUS 5 1 
 
 bridegroom, and the Bridegroom of Sion is the Re- 
 deemer, who shall espouse her in the day of salvation. 
 I am but the friend of the Bridegroom. Nay, I am 
 but his servant, not worthy to follow him as slave, 
 nor to loose the latchet of his sandal. Ye ask in 
 your hearts who I am. But think not of me, for I 
 am as one that is no man. I am naught but a voice, 
 even the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ' Prepare 
 ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight/ '' 
 
 Then he warned us that had been purified not to 
 suppose that we needed no further purification. Speak- 
 ing of the old days of Joshua the Conqueror, he brought 
 to our rninds how our fathers had two kinds of purifica- 
 tion ; one inferior, with water, wherewith they purified 
 things perishable, such as garments and the like ; but 
 a more searching purification, wherewith they purified 
 silver and gold and other imperishable things, and 
 this was with fire. Even so, he said, it was given 
 to him to purify only with the washing of water; 
 but one would come after him, the Messiah and 
 Redeemer ; and he would purify us with fire and with 
 the Holy Spirit. 
 
 In the evening, when we, that had received the 
 purification, conversed together in the inn at Jericho, 
 there was much questioning whence the Messiah should 
 come, and by what signs he should be known. But 
 most of the Scribes did not believe that John was 
 a true prophet ; and Hezekiah protested that he ought 
 not to be called a prophet, for he had wrought no 
 sign, not even on earth, much less in heaven. But 
 this he said not openly, for fear of the multitude ; 
 for almost all believed John to be a prophet. 
 
 E 2
 
 52 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter i 
 
 But on the morrow, when we turned ourselves to go 
 northward, heaviness fell upon my heart, and all things 
 seemed flat and unprofitable. All our counsels of action, 
 whether to join ourselves to the army of Herod, or 
 straightway to rise up against the Eomans, behold, they 
 now seemed no longer the wisdom of men, but rather the 
 vain talk of children. For what could Barabbas and the 
 sons of Judas do, in comparison with the true Eedeinp- 
 tion which had been prophesied by the Prophet ; or 
 how could they avail to bring about the day of that Ee- 
 demption ? It seemed to be our wisdom to wait for the 
 Lord, who alone could send the true Eedeemer. And 
 yet, on the other hand, how was it possible for one that 
 loved Israel and longed after righteousness, to look 
 patiently upon the servitude of his country ? Hence I 
 loathed the thought of living in peace at home. 
 
 When 1 returned to Sepphoris, I applied myself to 
 labour and to study, if perchance I might settle my 
 thoughts ; but I could not, for I was divided between 
 two minds. At one time I was minded to obey John 
 and his teaching, and to set no store on the teaching of 
 the Scribes, nor to give heed to what were called the 
 " light precepts " of the Fathers, such as those concerning 
 tassels and fringes, and the purification of vessels, and 
 the observance of the Sabbath for things without life, 
 and the like ; and it seemed nobler to cast these things 
 away, and to say that mercy, and judgment, and truth, 
 and kindness, were the great commandments, and whoso 
 observeth these, observeth all. But then at other times, 
 when I considered with myself how frail and fitful 
 a thing is man, how impotent for all good ends, and 
 how easily led aside from the right path by passion
 
 Chapter 4] PHILOCHRISTUS 53 
 
 and by ignorance, then I trembled at the thought of 
 casting down the fences which had been raised by the 
 generations of the wise ; for I feared lest I should 
 be guilty of presumption, and should fall, and be 
 swallowed up with an utter destruction. 
 
 But in the minds of other men (and not in me alone) 
 there was at this time much unsettlement and many 
 searchings of heart. For many others in Sepphoris 
 became ill-content with the teaching of the Scribes, 
 and with the performance of the precepts of the Law. 
 Some men even said that, when the Messiah came, 
 there should be no more Law. So, if, even before, men 
 had been expecting the Messiah and looking forward 
 to the Redemption of Sion, much more did they do so 
 now, after the preaching of John the Prophet ; insomuch 
 that the whole of Galilee became as dry fuel ready 
 for the flame : and nothing was wanting save a spark 
 of fire from heaven to kindle the whole into a great 
 blaze. 
 
 By this time I had numbered thirty-four years, or 
 something more ; and it was the fourteenth year of the 
 Emperor Tiberius.
 
 54 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 Now it came to pass that about this time, at the 
 beginning of the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, 
 very early in the spring, the only son of my mother's 
 eldest brother died in Alexandria ; and my mother's 
 brother (whose name was Onias) sent to my mother 
 desiring her that she would suffer me to come to 
 Alexandria to visit him during his affliction. He was a 
 shipwright and a man of great wealth, possessing many 
 corn-ships ; and he was desirous to have adopted me 
 for his son. But to this I would not consent, nor did my 
 mother urge me thereto. Howbeit out of love for her 
 brother, and because she thought it would be for my 
 advantage, she desired me to visit my uncle for a time. 
 I had no mind to remain in Alexandria, nor to leave 
 my mother for long. But at my mother's bidding I was 
 willing to go to my uncle for a season, if perchance 
 I might comfort him a little. 
 
 Two days I spent at Csesarea Stratonis waiting for the 
 sailing of our vessel ; and during that time my heart was 
 moved within me, for that I saw on all sides the signs of 
 the power and prosperity of the Gentiles ; for a Gentile 
 city this was, insomuch that, though the wall be on holy 
 ground, yet was the city itself esteemed of our Scribes
 
 Chapter 5] PHILOCHRISTUS 55 
 
 to be defiled and in a Gentile land. For the region 
 round about was called the land of life ; but the city 
 was called the daughter of Edom. A great breakwater 
 here protecteth the ships from the rage of the sea. Each 
 stone therein is thirty cubits long, six cubits deep, and 
 seven cubits broad, let down into water twenty fathom 
 deep. Above the waters the breakwater is of the breadth 
 of one hundred and forty cubits. Over against the mouth 
 of the haven standeth a temple dedicated to Caesar, and 
 thereon two images of marble, very large, the one of 
 Caesar, the other of Rome. There is also in this city a 
 theatre, and an amphitheatre, and a market-place, after 
 the manner of the Greeks ; and in all parts of the city 
 there were to be seen baths, and gardens, and palaces, 
 and porticoes, and other public buildings, all adorned, 
 after the Greek fashion, with images of living creatures. 
 When I looked on these things, Satan tempted me and 
 said, "God loveth the Romans more than He loveth the 
 children of Israel ; and the wisdom of the Greeks is 
 greater than the wisdom of Sion." 
 
 More, yea much more grievously did Satan tempt 
 me when I was come to that great city, even to Alex- 
 andria. For here the streets were broader and the 
 public buildings also larger and goodlier than those of 
 Caesarea ; and in the streets and public gardens, yea 
 even in the households of the Gentiles to whom my uncle 
 commended me, I perceived the abominations of idolatry. 
 For on every side were to be seen images and pictures of 
 false gods and of demons which they called demigods 
 and heroes ; insomuch that the walls of the houses and 
 the chambers, yea even the seats, and couches, and orna- 
 ments of dress, and utensils of furniture, and instruments
 
 56 PHILOCHRISTUS 
 
 of music were all painted or carven with abominable 
 devices, setting forth the doings of these demons. But 
 when I heard the interpretation of these pictures and 
 graven images, then sometimes indeed my heart loathed 
 them for their lewd and profane spirit ; but at other 
 times I was constrained to confess that there was a 
 certain wondrous beauty and delight in the songs of 
 certain of the poets of the Gentiles. 
 
 Here also men of all nations and religions, Jews and 
 Greeks, Eomans and Egyptians, and strangers from the 
 East, lived all together in peace, making gain, and wor- 
 shipping after the traditions of their fathers ; and no 
 one vexed nor oppressed other. All this troubled me, 
 for I said in my heart, "There is but one God : how 
 then doth the All-powerful (blessed is He) endure that 
 the Gentiles should live thus prosperously in the worship 
 of gods that are no true gods ? " 
 
 My uncle's house also was a snare unto me and a 
 temptation ; for although he himself reverenced the Law, 
 yet did he consort with many of our nation which scoffed 
 at the Scriptures and warred against all sacred things, 
 making it their delight to have the commandments of 
 the Lord in derision, and saying to the faithful among 
 their countrymen, " Do ye still make account of your 
 law r s as if they contained the rules of the truth ? Yet 
 see, the Holy Scriptures, as ye call them, contain also 
 fables, such as ye are accustomed to laugh at, when ye 
 hear others say the like." 
 
 When I rebuked these backsliders and revolters in the 
 presence of my uncle, he spake kindly to me ; yet did 
 his words shake my faith. As for the Scribes whose 
 teaching 1 had once so prized, he described them as
 
 Chapters] PHILOCHRISTUS 57 
 
 meaning well, but not teaching well ; and he called them 
 " puzzle-browed sophists," and " those that busy them- 
 selves with the letter." The letter of the Law, he said, 
 was full of falsehoods, such as the Greeks call myths, 
 which were intended to warn the wise from cleaving 
 unto the letter of the Law. 
 
 Again, he exhorted me not to despise the learning of 
 the Greeks, nor the teaching of the Gentile Scribes, whom 
 they called "Philosophers." "For," said he, "they 
 enlarge and open the mind and help to the right under- 
 standing of the Law of Israel." But when I repeated 
 the proverb of my countrymen, " The very air of 
 Palestine maketh wise," and said that the Scribes in 
 Galilee eschewed the Greek learning, warning their 
 pupils against it, as against a net that entangleth the 
 feet, and when I appealed to the Scribes of my uncle's 
 acquaintance, hoping that they should have been on my 
 side, behold, they were with one consent against me and 
 with my uncle. For they all said that the Galilean 
 Scribes spake as unlearned men, and that there was much 
 to be learned from a certain Gentile philosopher called 
 Plato ; and one added a line from a Greek play-writer 
 which saith "even from enemies one may win learning." 
 Then was I staggered in my judgment, and bent to 
 their opinion, so that I began to frequent the schools 
 of the philosophers. 
 
 But great indeed was my perplexity and bewilderment 
 when I found that these philosophers treated not of 
 such subjects as I had supposed, namely of the nature of 
 the soul, and whether it be mortal or immortal, or whether 
 there be many gods or one God ; but they questioned 
 whether the world came together by chance or by design,
 
 5 8 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 5 
 
 and whether there be any God or no. Yet howsoever they 
 differed among themselves, they agreed all in believing 
 that our God was not the true God, and that the stories 
 of the mighty works wrought by Him for our forefathers 
 were mere myths and fables ; or, if any thought other- 
 wise, they held that our stories were no truer than their 
 stories, and that .ZEsculapius and Hercules were far more 
 worthy of honour than Elijah and Samson. Now a 
 certain voice within me constantly testified that they 
 were in error ; for the righteous teaching of our prophets 
 and our lawyers far exceeded anything that the Gentiles 
 could shew from their philosophers or lawgivers. But 
 I had been taught by the Scribes of Galilee not to trust 
 to this voice within me, namely to my conscience, but 
 only to tradition and authority ; and behold, my tra- 
 ditions and the authority whereon I set store were 
 rejected by these Gentiles : wherefore I knew not how 
 to answer them. 
 
 It came to pass that, on a certain day, going from 
 lecture-room to lecture -room, I perceived a great multi- 
 tude passing into a hall in the Great Library, where 
 there was to be a dispute between two philosophers ; so 
 I followed with them. One of the two belonged to the 
 sect called the Stoics, and the other to the sect called the 
 Epicureans ; and the dispute was concerning the govern- 
 ment of the universe by the gods, which is affirmed by 
 the former sect, but denied by the latter. Now the 
 contention had endured for the space of a whole day 
 already, and yesterday the Stoic had delivered his argu- 
 ments : but to-day the dispute was to be continued by 
 the other, and so it was that, when I entered the 
 chamber, the Epicurean was at the point to speak.
 
 Chapter 5] PHILOCHRISTUS 59 
 
 He began with reckoning up how many unjust acts, 
 how many oppressions and sins, how many diseases 
 and miseries, had been let loose by the gods (if gods 
 there were) to prey upon the children of men. He set 
 forth the diverse gods and goddesses worshipped by 
 diverse nations ; the gods of the Grecians and Romans, 
 wrought of marble or ivory ; the sword worshipped by 
 the Scythians ; the cat and ibis by the Egyptians. 
 What, he asked, had they all done for their servants ? 
 Then he said that in a certain region of Syria there 
 lived a nation which professed to reject the gods of other 
 nations and to believe in one only god : but to what 
 end ? Their god had allowed their enemies to de- 
 stroy his own temple with fire, and had given up 
 his chosen people to be the servants of the Romans. 
 He added a story of one of our learned men, whose life 
 had been blameless and whose teaching had been of 
 the One True God. " Yet," said the Epicurean, " what 
 befell this teacher of truth in his old age ? His god 
 delivered him into the hands of persecutors, who placed 
 his tongue between the teeth of a dog which had been 
 made exceeding fierce with hunger ; and so the dog- bit 
 off the tongue of the pious teacher, even that tongue 
 which had ever spoken words of truth. What say we 
 then ? If there be a god, then he suffered this wicked- 
 ness (for without him is naught) ; and therefore he is 
 wicked. But if there be no god, then at least we are 
 delivered from the constraint to believe that the Supreme 
 Governor of the world is worse than the worst of men." 
 
 The people, who had been on the side of the Epicurean 
 from the first, in despite of the interruptions of the Stoic, 
 now loudly applauded ; and when it fell to the Stoic to
 
 Co PHILOCURISTUS [Chapter 5 
 
 speak, he had little to say. If he discoursed of oracles 
 as proofs of the divine foreknowledge, then the Epicurean 
 asked who had ever been profited by oracles, bringing 
 forward many dark sayings of the gods, which had led 
 men to destruction ; and other sayings that savoured of 
 manifest folly ; adding thereto jests and flouts of oracles 
 drawn from the plays of the comedians. When the Stoic 
 spake of a life after death, and alleged apparitions of the 
 dead, then his adversary answered that the said appari- 
 tions were mere unsubstantial phantasms, such as appear 
 to madmen and drunkards when they see all things two- 
 fold. Lastly, when the Stoic spake of judgment after 
 death, and a final consumption of the world by fire, 
 then the Epicurean demanded proof hereof; and he 
 laughed at the stories of Minos and Rhadamanthus as 
 
 o 
 
 nursery fables and bugbears to frighten babes withal. 
 He also compared the Supreme Being of the Stoics 
 burning up the world, to an unskilful cook that burneth 
 the cake that he is baking. 
 
 Again the people laughed loudly, and shouted applause; 
 but the Stoic, touched with choler, left reasoning with 
 his adversary and began to revile him, calling him 
 atheist and sacrilegious wretch, and other names ; which 
 only made the people laugh the more. But I came forth 
 from the theatre sick at heart and saddened, not more by 
 the arguments of the Epicurean than by the faithlessness 
 of the multitude. Then said I, " How know I that there is 
 a life after death ? or who hath returned from the grave 
 to bring back word thereof ? For it is written, ' Whatso- 
 ever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.' But 
 wherefore 1 ' Even because/ saith the Scripture, ' there 
 is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in
 
 Chapter 5] FHILOCHRISTUS 61 
 
 the grave whither thou goest/ ' ; Then again I lamented 
 that I had wasted my years in labour, and much study 
 had been to me a weariness in the flesh, and I said, " It 
 would have been wiser to have preferred mirth, for it is 
 written, ' A man hath no better thing under the sun 
 than to eat and drink, and to be merry : for that shall 
 abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which 
 God giveth him under the sun.' " 
 
 From henceforth my days and nights were busied with 
 such questions as these, which crept into my soul against 
 my will, and would not be driven out : After death shall 
 I live no more, and will no one even once think of me, 
 since infinite time burieth all things in forgetfulness 1 
 Will it be even as though I had never been born ? 
 When was the world created, and what was in the 
 beginning before the world \ If the world was from all 
 eternity, then it will always be ; but if it had a begin- 
 ning, then must it likewise have an end. And, after 
 the end of the world, what will be then ? What perhaps 
 but the silence of death 1 
 
 Being constantly given up to such thoughts, I re- 
 sorted yet more diligently to the schools of the philo- 
 sophers, hoping to obtain some deliverance from my 
 doubts : but I saw nothing but the contentions of 
 orators, and the foyning and thrusting of rhetoricians, 
 fighting not for the truth, but each desiring to prove 
 himself more skilful than his adversaries. So it came to 
 pass that I inclined, now to one, now to another. As, 
 for example, at one time they that taught the immor- 
 tality of the soul seemed to prevail ; then again they 
 that would have the soul to be mortal. When the 
 former doctrine had the upper hand, I rejoiced : when
 
 62 PHILOCURISTUS [C/iapter 5 
 
 the latter, I was downcast. Thus was I driven to and 
 fro by differing opinions, and was forced to conclude 
 that things appear not as they are in themselves, but as 
 they happen to be presented on this side, or on that. 
 My brain was in a greater whirl than ever, and I sighed 
 from the bottom of my heart. 
 
 At the last I went to my uncle in my distress, and 
 poured forth my troubles in his ear. But when he had 
 hearkened to my complaints, he said, " It will be well that 
 thou shouldst have speech with Philo ; for he is our 
 principal teacher here, and he will answer thy doubts." 
 But I said in my haste and impatience, " Behold, I have 
 resorted unto the wisest teachers in Galilee, and now, at 
 thy word, I have frequented the lectures of these Gentile 
 philosophers ; but they have added nothing to me, for 
 they are asdried-up springs." At this my uncle laughed, 
 and said, " Suppose not, son of my sister, that our 
 Philo is like unto the Scribes of Galilee : for as well 
 might a dog hope to lap up the Nile as that thim 
 shouldst drain dry the wisdom of Philo the Alexandrine." 
 So without more ado I accompanied him to the house 
 of Philo. 
 
 When we entered the house of Philo, I admired first 
 of all the homely plainness of his household. For 
 though he w r ere one of the foremost Jews in Alexandria 
 (and there were nigh unto a hundred myriads of our 
 countrymen in the city and the country round about) and 
 kinsman also to Alexander the Alabarch, whose wealth 
 was known to all, yet were there no signs of luxury, nor 
 of pride in his house, nor in his furniture nor in his 
 clothing : and his wife also w r ore a plain and simple 
 garment without plaiting of the hair, or painting, or
 
 Chapter 5] PUILOCHR1STUS 63 
 
 adornment with gold and precious stones ; and in all the 
 house there was naught whereat the strictest Pharisee 
 could have been offended. 
 
 Philo received us courteously ; and when I had 
 opened to him at large all my doubts, he. replied fully to 
 them. I cannot at this time set down exactly all that 
 we spake together ; but this was the substance. First, I 
 said that I was loth to be as one of the backsliders among 
 my countrymen, who in effect gave up the Law, derid- 
 ing it as a heap of fables ; yet on the other hand, I con- 
 fessed that after much study of the Law I had not been 
 able to attain to righteousness nor peace. Thereto Philo 
 made answer that he was not one of them that rejected 
 the Law of Israel ; for he diligently observed it, believing 
 that it contained all knowledge and all wisdom ; " and," 
 said he, "I consider that Moses was the greatest and 
 most perfect of men, and that he attained unto the very 
 pinnacle of wisdom. 1 But as for the wisdom of the 
 Greeks, it is but as a handmaid in respect of our 
 wisdom ; even as the slave Hagar was, in respect of her 
 mistress and queen, Sarah. "Notwithstanding," added 
 he, " when I speak of our Scriptures, I mean that there 
 are two interpretations of every Scripture. There is 
 first the outer meaning, which is as it were the body ; 
 but there is, next, the inner spiritual meaning, which 
 is, as it were, the soul. Thus, for example, when thou 
 readest that Eve was made out of the rib of Adam, or 
 that the world was made in six days, or that God 
 talked with Moses in a thorn-bush, the letter of these 
 Scriptures is indeed fable, but the spiritual meaning is 
 truth and life." Then said I, " If the letter be fable, 
 
 1 See Note II.
 
 64 PHILOCHEISTUS [Chapter 5 
 
 why retain the letter ? " But he said, " And if the 
 body be unspiri tual, why retain the body ? As well 
 cast away the body because it is not soul, as cast away 
 the letter because it is not spirit." 
 
 Then I asked, " But how shall I attain righteousness?" 
 Philo replied, " All men have in them a certain spiritual 
 nature, in virtue whereof they are allied with the Word 
 of God. Whosoever recogniseth the sins wherewith he 
 is denied, hath the power (if he will use it) of rising 
 above his passions, and conquering his lusts, so that in 
 the end, by repentance and by constant struggling after 
 righteousness, he can follow after the virtues of the 
 Father in heaven who begat him." Then said I, "All 
 this have I done ; for I have now these many years 
 observed not only the words of the Law, but also the 
 Traditions of the Elders ; yet have I not attained peace." 
 But he said, " Thou puttest first that which should come 
 second ; first aim after the virtues that have to do with 
 men ; afterward shalt thou attain the virtue that hath 
 to do with God." " It would seem therefore," said I, 
 " that thou dost not advise thy disciples to withdraw 
 themselves from the world, after the manner of hermits." 
 "Yeaj but I do advise them," said Philo ; "only first 
 men should attain to the lower step before aiming at 
 the higher. For first, they should study truthfulness, 
 striving to love their neighbours, and to be helpful 
 and gentle to all ; for man should be gentle, and 
 not savage, being fitted by nature for fellowship and 
 concord. But after that thou hast attained to this 
 lower stage, my counsel is that thou forsake thy home 
 and thy friends, and thy wealth, and all that thou hast, 
 and that thou abstain from business of state, and from
 
 Clmpter 5] PHILOCHBISTUS 65 
 
 all traffic, and that thou give thyself entirely to the 
 contemplation of the divine essence/' 
 
 Then said I, " Methinks, many of our Scribes in 
 Galilee would not please thee ; for they seek after 
 righteousness by other ways, observing the smallest 
 matters of the Law, and afflicting the flesh." " Tell 
 such an one from me," said Philo, " when thou shalt see 
 him perchance abstaining from food or drink at the 
 times of eating, or disdaining the bath and the use of 
 oil, or tormenting himself with a hard couch or with 
 night-watchings, deceiving himself with this show of 
 abstinence, that he is not in the true way to continence, 
 and that all his labour is in vain." 
 
 " But what," asked I, " is this highest revelation of 
 the essence of the Supreme (blessed is He) to which the 
 soul shall at last attain ? " Philo paused a moment 
 and then answered, " Thou shalt attain to the know- 
 ledge of God, as mere being or existence." But I, not 
 understanding him aright, said, " Thou sayest ' exist- 
 ence : ' dost thou mean ' holy existence ' ? " But Philo 
 answered with a smile, " How can we call Him holy 
 who is holier than all holiness ? But by ' mere exist- 
 ence/ I mean that which is known as existence and in 
 no other way." Then I said, " May we not there- 
 fore call Him good? or loving?" "Call Him so," 
 replied Philo, "if thou dost not believe that He is 
 better than all goodness, more loving than all love." 
 
 Hereat my heart sank within me ; for such a God as 
 this " mere existence " seemed to me not a being able to 
 love me nor to be loved by me, no more than if it had 
 been a triangle or a circle. But presently I called to 
 mind that Moses had named ("rod the Father of the
 
 66 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 5 
 
 spirits of all flesh : and the prophets also had named 
 God Father. Therefore said I to Philo, " And the name 
 Father also ? May we not give this name to God ? " 
 " No," said Philo, " except in order to teach the common 
 folk ; as when the Scripture saith that God chasteneth 
 those whom He loveth, like as a father chasteneth his 
 son. For God cannot change ; neither can He feel 
 anger, nor love, nor joy. But when the Scripture sayeth 
 such words as these, it speaketh for the common multi- 
 tude, even as when it saith that God spake or heard ; or 
 that He smelled a sweet savour ; or that He awaked 
 from sleep ; or that He repented of that which He had 
 done/' 
 
 When I heard this, it seemed to me that I had come to 
 Philo for naught ; but I said to him, " Thou speakest 
 of that revelation of God, which thou callest mere 
 existence, as being the highest revelation. Is there then 
 a lower revelation ? " " Certainly," he replied, " for 
 just as there is, in human life, the thing and the word 
 that revealeth the thing, even so is there also on the 
 one hand God, the true God, THAT WHICH is, and on 
 the other hand the Word of God, which revealeth God to 
 the minds of men." Then I questioned him concerning 
 this Word of God, or Logos (as he called it, using a 
 Greek name) : and he answered me fully, yet not so 
 that I could altogether understand him. But this I 
 gathered, that the Word or Logos was a second divine 
 being, inseparable from the Father ; and that by the Word 
 was the world made. But sometimes he said that the 
 world, as conceived by the intellect, was the Word, 
 (" for," said he, " as a city, not yet being, is in the mind 
 or reason of the architect thereof, so the world, albeit
 
 PHILOCHEISTUS 67 
 
 not being, was in the mind or reason of God " ;) and with 
 these exact words he made an end of this part of his dis- 
 course, for I set them down at the time : " If any one 
 should desire to use still plainer terms, he would not 
 call the world (regarded as perceptible only to the in- 
 tellect) as anything else but the Reason of God busied 
 with the creation of the world ; for neither is a city, 
 while only perceptible to the intellect, anything else 
 except the reason of the architect." 
 
 Then said, I " But how do men attain to the revelation 
 of the Word ? " "By the exercise of the divine "Word or 
 Reason within them," said Philo ; " for all men have in 
 themselves a ray of light from the archetypal Light, the 
 Word of the Supreme Being. For no mortal thing is 
 framed, nor could have been framed, in the similitude of 
 the Supreme Father ; but only after the pattern of the 
 second deity, the Word. Now this Word can be received 
 of all them that will live according to it. For the race 
 of mankind is twofold, the one being the race of them 
 that live by the Divine Spirit and reason ; the other, 
 of such as live according to the pleasures of the flesh. 
 The universe therefore, apprehended by the reason of 
 man, conveyeth the revelation of the Word. And this 
 revelation, this heavenly food of the soul (which Moses 
 calleth manna), the Word of God meteth out in equal 
 portions among all them which are to use it. For the 
 blessed soul proffereth her own reason as the holy goblet 
 of true joy. But who can pour forth the wine of life, 
 save only the Cup-bearer of God, the Master of the 
 Feast, the Word ? And indeed the Cup-bearer differeth 
 in no wise from the draught. For the Word is the 
 draught itself, pure and unpolluted." 
 
 F 2
 
 68 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 5 
 
 Then it was borne in upon my mind, that in all his 
 discourse (which inforced attention by reason of the 
 beauty of his sayings, and because of his exceeding 
 earnestness) he had left no place for the Messiah 'or Re- 
 deemer of Israel, whose coming had been prophesied by 
 John, the son of Zachariah. Therefore I questioned him 
 of this matter. But he smiled and said, " Trouble not 
 thyself on this matter ; for it is likely that no Messiah 
 is to come. But it will come to pass, in the day of 
 Redemption, that the children of Israel, which be now 
 scattered over the earth, will be led from all parts back to 
 the Sacred Land, by the light of a great light invisible 
 to all others, but visible only to such as are to be saved." 
 Then, seeing that I was of a sad countenance, he 
 added, " Dost thou not perceive that the revelation of 
 a Messiah would be as much inferior to the revelation of 
 the Word, or Logos, as the revelation of the Logos is 
 itself inferior to the revelation of mere existence, TO ov, 
 or THAT WHICH is ? For the revelation of the Logos 
 (that is of God known by creation) is through hope and 
 fear ; but the revelation of TO ov (that is God in itself) 
 is through love. And the revelation of a Messiah must 
 needs be a poor and low thing as compared with either 
 of these. But thou shouldst aspire towards the highest 
 revelation of all, even the Father of all, with a divinely 
 inspired passion not inferior to the enthousiasmos where- 
 with the worshippers of the gods of the Gentiles celebrate 
 their inferior rites." 
 
 The day was now far spent : so my uncle arose to bid 
 Philo farewell. I thanked him with my whole heart : 
 for righteousness and goodness breathed in his presence ; 
 and my spirit was refreshed while I heard him speak.
 
 Chapter 5] PHILOCHRISTUS 69 
 
 For the very voice of the Lord seemed to sound from 
 him when he said that to afflict the flesh was of no 
 avail without afflicting the spirit, and that the practice 
 of virtue with men should go before the practice of 
 virtue with God. But when 1 was departed from him, 
 musing as I returned home, then I saw that the philo- 
 sophy of Philo could in no wise give me peace. For 
 it was not possible that I should feel that enthousiasmcs, 
 or divine passion, whereof he made mention, for such 
 a being as Mere Existence : and methqught I could 
 feel this enthousiasmos for none save a man, or some 
 similitude of a man. 
 
 Therefore my heart went back to that lower revelation 
 whereof he spake, to wit, to God revealed through the 
 world ; that is, the Word : and this seemed to me more 
 likely to give peace. But as for Mere Existence, albeit 
 Philo called it the Father of all, yet had he plainly 
 told me he meant this only for the unlearned multi- 
 tude. And whereas he used one word, God, to signify 
 two things, one thing for the learned, and "another for 
 the unlearned ; herein, to say truth, his doctrine brought 
 to my mind a certain tale of the poet Homer, which 
 my uncle had but yesternight related unto me ; how a 
 certain mighty man o valour, and a wise counsellor 
 among the Greeks, Ulysses by name, deceived the giant 
 Polyphemus, saying that his name was NOMAX. Where- 
 fore, when Polyphemus said that NOMAN had blinded 
 him, his brethren, the giants, thought that he meant 
 to say that not "a man, but a god, had blinded him. 
 And even so Philo seemed to me, when he spake to 
 the wise and learned, to call God no man ; but when
 
 70 PIITLOCIIRISTUS [Chapter 5 
 
 lie spake to the foolish and unlearned, he called Him 
 NOMAN, making them think He was a person. 
 
 But whgt troubled me in this revelation was, that it 
 seemed not to leave any room or place for the Messiah, 
 the Eedeemer of Israel. And " Why," thought I, 
 " should the Word reveal himself only through the world, 
 and not through mankind ? But if he revealed himself 
 through mankind (which Philo also would allow), why 
 might he not reveal himself through a Messiah ? " All 
 that night I lay awake musing on the same thing, and 
 asking whether it might not be that Philc spake truth 
 in proclaiming the revelation of the Word, and yet John 
 the son of Zachariah might also speak truth in proclaim- 
 ing the revelation of the Messiah. But after long 
 tossing of the matter in my mind I concluded that 
 there was no cause why the one should destroy the 
 other : so I prayed that both might be true. 
 
 But as for my former studies, and my old strict ob- 
 servances of the Sabbath and of the precepts concerning 
 the use of purifications and concerning the consumption 
 of nail-parings, and concerning the wearing of tassels, 
 behold, all these matters began to seem unto me things 
 far off, forgotten, and childish. And though I knew not 
 clearly whither to turn, yet I felt at least that to them 
 I could return no more ; for I perceived that, even if I 
 became as perfect in these matters as Abuyah the son of 
 Elishah himself, yet should I none the more attain to 
 peace, nor could I find in them that food for want 
 whereof my soul was an -hungered. Wherefore I was 
 now resolved in my mind of this one thing, in any case, 
 namely, that the observance of the smaller precepts of
 
 Chapters] PHILOCHRISTUS 71 
 
 the Law could not gain for me that Banquet, or Manna, 
 or heavenly Draught of the Word of God whereof Philo 
 had made mention. But what the true Manna might 
 be, or how I might attain to it, this I did not as yet 
 perceive. For I was, at that time, even as a little child 
 in a boat without oars or sail, which hath drifted out 
 unawares far into the open sea.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 many days after my discourse with Philo the 
 Alexandrine, when I returned from the Great Library 
 to my uncle's house, a messenger was waiting for me, 
 bearing a letter from Rabbi Jonathan. Opening it I 
 read that my mother was suffering under a grievous 
 disease, and being, as she thought, nigh unto death, 
 she would fain see me before she died. So I straight- 
 way made all things ready for my journey, and having 
 bidden farewell to my uncle, I set sail on the morrow 
 from Alexandria, and on the fifth day arrived in Jeru- 
 salem ; where, according to my mother's desire, I pur- 
 posed to offer sacrifice unto the Lord, and to make 
 vows for my mother's health. 
 
 The sun was well nigh set when I came to Jerusalem. 
 But on the morrow, as I went up to the Temple through 
 the narrow ways, amid the throng of them that sold 
 oxen and sheep and doves, new thoughts and doubts 
 rose in my heart, such as I had never felt before when 
 I had gone up to sacrifice during the three great feasts. 
 Methought the Lord must needs turn His face from so 
 much traffic and disorder and defilement of His Holy 
 House. On both sides of the gate Horsea, as far as 
 Solomon's porch, were shops of merchants and stalls of
 
 Chapter 6] PHILOCHRISTUS 73 
 
 money-changers. Even in the Court of the Gentiles, 
 which is a part of the Temple itself, there were penned 
 flocks of sheep and oxen, with drovers and salesmen. 
 Pilgrims and proselytes from all parts pressed and 
 thronged ; buyer reviled seller, and seller buyer ; from 
 the stalls of the money-changers one might hear the 
 clink of money mixed with the sounds of contention. 
 The stench also of so many cattle, being increased by 
 reason of the great heat, made the ill-savour of the place 
 almost past bearing. Also I could not but marvel at the 
 greediness of the sellers. For the Chief Priests had 
 let out the right of selling offerings at a great price, 
 to make profit thereof for themselves, insomuch that 
 a single dove was sold for a gold piece. 
 
 Then, again, when it came to the offering of the 
 sacrifice, I must needs wait for the space of an hour 
 whilst others were offering up their sacrifices ; and the 
 Levites and priests seemed all in haste, and did their 
 work rather as an handicraft than as worship ; and 
 many others were sacrificing at the same time, and the 
 cries and struggles of the victims, and the smoke and 
 reek of the fat, and the blood flowing on all sides, 
 caused the place to seem rather like a butcher's shambles 
 than like the House of the Lord. Now all this I had 
 known and seen aforetime, yet had I never taken it 
 to heart. But now there came to my mind certain 
 words of Philo touching the sect called the Essenes, 
 how they worship the Lord with an exceeding careful- 
 ness of purity : wherefore they think it not meet to 
 sacrifice the blood of beasts unto the Lord, but they 
 offer up their own hearts, purified so as to be a fit 
 offering for Him. Also at this time (perchance because
 
 74 PHILOCIIRISTUS [Chapter 6 
 
 I was but freshly come from the lecture-rooms of 
 the philosophers of Alexandria, or belike because the 
 Lord would have it so to be, willing by easy degrees 
 to open mine eyes, and to reveal unto me His Messiah) 
 so it was that I could think of naught but the words of 
 Isaiah the Prophet wherein the Lord saith, " I am full 
 of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts, 
 and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, 
 or of he-goats." These words, I say, so possessed my 
 soul that, even when the victim was being slain, I could 
 not refrain from repeating them to myself again and 
 again ; albeit against my will, being fearful to pollute 
 the sacrifice of the Lord, But though I made shift to 
 dissemble my trouble until the sacrifice was ended, for 
 fear of offending the priests, yet when I had returned 
 to my lodging in the city, I could not forbear weeping ; 
 for behold, all worship seemed as vanity, and the children 
 of men were in mine eyes as beasts of the field, void 
 of understanding and given over to all folly ; and God 
 was He that had made them thus. Therefore I cried 
 aloud in the fervency of my passion and said, " It is 
 written, ' On three things the world is stayed : on the 
 Law, and on the Worship, and on the Bestowal of 
 Kindnesses ; ' and lo, I know not the interpretation of 
 the Law ; and worship is naught but vanity ; and as 
 for kindness, my heart is dry and empty of love, so 
 that there is no kindness in me." 
 
 On the third day after the sacrifice, I came to 
 Sepphoris. My mother w r as so far recovered of her 
 sickness that she wn.s no longer despaired of by the 
 physicians. For the time, my joy thereat, and our 
 rejoicing together (because the Lord had suffered us
 
 Chapter 6] PHILOGHRISTUS 75 
 
 to look on one another again) drove away my former 
 searchings of heart : which notwithstanding presently 
 came back upon me. My mother took a delight in 
 my continual presence, and that I should sit by her 
 bed, expounding unto her passages of the Law ; and 
 many a time, while I was doing this, she would make 
 mention of the title wherewith I had been honoured 
 by Eabbi Jonathan, who had called me " the plastered 
 cistern." But oftentimes it was not in my heart to 
 find any words of comfort or hope, and when my 
 mother longed for the draughts of the Law I felt that 
 I was a dried-up cistern, and no longer full. 
 
 At the last, on a certain morning, my mother, having 
 (as I suppose) noted my silence before, spake aloud 
 reproving me, albeit gently, and saying, " Why flow 
 not the drops of refreshment from the plastered cistern 
 as in former days ? " But I replied in haste, " Call me 
 no longer, my mother, a cistern. For lo, I am 
 become even as a strainer, which letteth out the wine 
 and keepeth in itself nothing but the dregs." Then my 
 mother wept bitterly, thinking tjiat she had angered 
 me, and that I had spoken falsely ; and I also wept, 
 partly for that I had made her weep, but still more 
 because my words were true. 
 
 Then went I forth hastily into the street ; and meet- 
 ing Jonathan the son of Ezra, and Abuyah the son of 
 Elishah, I accompanied them. And we came to the 
 well that is on the road to Nazareth, about a thousand 
 paces from the town, and there we sat down to rest. 
 For a time we were silent. Then I turned to Rabbi 
 Jonathan and said, " Simeon the Just was of the 
 remnant of the Great Synagogue. He used to say,
 
 7 6 PniLOCHRISTUS 
 
 ' On three tilings the world is stayed : on the Law, 
 and on the Worship, and on the Bestowal of Kindnesses/ 
 Now there was a certain young man which observed 
 the Law, and worshipped duly in the temple. Also he 
 clothed the naked, and buried them that lay unburied, 
 and fed the hungry : but there was no kindness in his 
 heart. Is such an one, therefore, in the path of 
 righteousness ? " Then Abuyah replied at once, "He is 
 righteous. For it is written concerning the statutes and 
 judgments of the Law of the Lord that whosoever doeth 
 them shall live in them ; but whether he shall do them 
 easily or with difficulty, or gladly or sorrowfully, concern- 
 ing this, behold, nothing is written/' But Jonathan the 
 son of Ezra was silent for a while, and said at last, 
 "Antigonus of Soko used to say, 'Be not as slaves 
 that minister to their lord with intent to receive recom- 
 pense ; but be ye as slaves that minister to their lord 
 without thought of recompense ; and let the fear of 
 Heaven be upon you/ ' 
 
 Then I replied, " True, oh my Master ; but ought not 
 the love of Heaven as well as the fear of Heaven 
 to be upon us I For is it not said, * Learn for love, 
 and honour will come in the end ' V " Thou speakest 
 well," said Jonathan, "and it is written also as the 
 chief of all the commandments, ' Thou shalt love the 
 Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve/' Then 
 I said, " But what if a man feel no love of God in his 
 heart 1 For I have met lately certain of the Gentiles, 
 yea, and some also of our own nation, which have no 
 love of God ; whereof some even constantly say that 
 there is no God. Yea, and even in mine own heart 
 arise strange questionings as to whence I came into
 
 Chapter^} PUILOCHRISTUS 77 
 
 tins world, and whither I am going, and before whom 
 I am to give account and reckoning." 
 
 Then Abuyah brake forth again : " Joseph son of 
 Simeon, busy not thyself with questions that are too 
 high for thee : for it is said ' Whosoever shall consider 
 four things, what is above, below, before, behind, it were 
 better for him that he had not come into the world.' ' 
 " Yea, but," said I, smiling, " it is said by the Wise, 
 ' Consider three things, and thou wilt not come into 
 transgression, Know whence thou earnest ; and whither 
 thou art going ; and before whom thou art to give 
 account and reckoning/ ' Hereat Abuyah arose hastily 
 from his seat in sore displeasure, and he said, " Child, 
 thou hast defiled thyself by going to a city of the 
 Gentiles which is not a place of the Law for it is 
 said, ' Two that sit together without words of the 
 Law are a session of scorners ; ' and again, ' Betake 
 thyself to a place of the Law, and say not that it 
 shall come after thee, for thine associates will confirm 
 it unto thee : and lean not unto thine own understand- 
 ing.' Howbeit, I thank thee, Lord my God and God 
 of my fathers, that Thou hast cast my lot among them 
 that do frequent the schools and synagogues, and not 
 among such as frequent the theatre and the circus. For 
 both I and they work and watch : I to inherit eternal 
 life, but they for eternal destruction." So saying he 
 departed, and left me alone with Jonathan the son of 
 Ezra. 
 
 Jonathan sat still by my side saying naught, but 
 gazing up into the heaven, or else upon the trees round 
 about us. For all around us were orange-trees and 
 pomegranate-trees ; the leaves thereof scarce to be seen
 
 78 PHILOCHBISTUS [C/tapter 6 
 
 for the multitude of white and scarlet blossoms ; for 
 the spring was now something worn. The fields also 
 and the gardens and the hedges of cactus, by reason of 
 the rains, were of a marvellous verdure, even above 
 their wont. Behind us, at a little distance, stood a 
 grove of . olive-trees, wherein the doves made a pleasant 
 murmuring : and birds of divers colours fluttered to 
 and fro around the well. Nigh over our heads there 
 were passing larger birds, flying in a long train towards 
 the country of the Lake ; and far off I could discern an 
 eagle, like a spot, high up in the sky. Then Jonathan 
 spake unto me and said, " My son, dost thou not re- 
 member the words of the Psalmist, how he praiseth the 
 name of God because ' He sendeth the springs into the 
 valleys, which run among the hills. They give drink to 
 every beast of the field : the wild asses quench their 
 thirst. By them shall the fowls of the heaven have 
 their habitation, which sing among the branches. He 
 causeth the grass to grow for the cattle and herb for the 
 service of man : that he may bring forth food out of the 
 earth ; and wine that maketh glad the heart of man, 
 and oil to make his face to shine, and bread which 
 strengtheneth man's heart.' Doth not the sight of all 
 this glory and beauty cause thee also to say with the 
 Singer of Israel, ' Lord, how manifold are Thy works ! 
 in wisdom hast Thou made them all ' 1 " 
 
 But I made answer, in the bitterness of my heart, 
 according to the words of the same Psalm, saying, "Thou 
 hidest Thy face, they are troubled : Thou takest away 
 their breath, they die, and return to their dust." Then 
 Jonathan bowed his head and answered nothing, but 
 I continued, " Did not the same hand which made the
 
 Chapter 6] PUILOCHRISTUS 79 
 
 clove make also yonder eagle to destroy the dove I Did 
 not the God which chose out Israel from among the 
 Gentiles to serve Him, choose out Kome also to rend 
 Israel in pieces ? Thou speakest after the manner of 
 Philo the Alexandrine, who saith that God revealeth 
 Himself to us through His Word in the universe. But 
 verily He revealeth Himself not so unto me. Nay 
 rather, unsearchable are the paths of the Creator in 
 the universe, and His ways in the world are past finding 
 out," 
 
 Then the old man covered his face with his hands and 
 wept ; but soon raising his head he said, "Is it seemly 
 that a son of Abraham should have so little trust in 
 the Lord ? Bethink thee of the times when the Holy 
 Temple was burned with fire, and Judah led into 
 captivity : did not all the Gentiles say in those days, 
 ' God hath forsaken them J ? Yet did the Lord save 
 Israel out of the hand of the daughter of Babylon, and 
 out of the hand of the Assyrian and the Philistine, as 
 also out of the hand of the Egyptian, in the days of 
 old. Commit thy way therefore unto the Lord, and 
 trust in Him, and He shall bring the word of His 
 prophets to pass. 
 
 " Is not the Lord our God perchance even now on the 
 point to stop the mouths of them that complained ? Is 
 there not even now, after four hundred years, a prophet 
 again in Israel ? But if the Lord sendeth unto us a 
 prophet after so long a time, as it were from the dead, 
 surely it is like that He hath some great redemption in 
 store for Sion. Even during this week have I heard 
 that John the prophet, who hath these six months 
 prophesied of a Deliverer shortly to come, hath of late
 
 8o PUILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 6 
 
 prophesied that the Reedemer is even now amongst us ; 
 and some say that it is a certain Jesus, the son of Joseph, 
 of the town of Nazareth, one famous in word and deed. 
 This Jesus, as they report the matter, being baptized of 
 John, beheld a vision of the Lord ; and in that instant 
 the Spirit of the Lord fell upon him ; insomuch that, 
 since that time, he both speaketh as a prophet and 
 worketh signs as a man of God. Moreover, I had speech 
 but yesterday with some that say he is come into Galilee, 
 and is even now in these parts. Who knoweth whether 
 this may not be true ? But whether it be true or false, 
 trust thou in the Lord God of Abraham and of Isaac and 
 Jacob, whose arm is not shortened, and who is not a man 
 that He should lie." 
 
 For an instant, my heart leaped up at the mention of 
 the name of that Jesus whom I had seen in the house of 
 the father of Raphael ; but then it seemed not possible 
 that one of so gentle an aspect should be the Redeemer 
 of Israel. Howbeit, I asked Jonathan concerning the 
 vision that had been reported to have been seen of 
 Jesus ; and he told me that it had not been a vision of 
 flames of fire, nor of angels, nor of thrones, nor of sera- 
 phim, nor any such vision as had been seen of the 
 prophets in times past, but a vision of a dove descend- 
 ing from heaven. Hereat I marvelled and I said, as I 
 remember, in the bitterness and folly of my heart, that 
 the times needed an eagle, and, lo, the new prophet 
 brought a dove. 
 
 But Jonathan rose up from his seat to depart, and 
 paying no heed to my last words, he spake kindly unto 
 me and said, " If thy heart inclineth thee, my child, to 
 prove whether there be any avail for thee in a life of
 
 Chapter 6] PHILOCH JUSTUS 81 
 
 contemplation, and whether thou mayest thereby attain 
 peace ; wherefore goest thou not unto the village of 
 Jotapata where the Essenes dwell ? Menahem the son 
 of Barachiah is their chief ruler, a man that followeth 
 after holiness and seeth things to come ; who, being my 
 friend, will for my sake receive thee kindly. Finally 
 my child, offer up prayers unto God and pour forth thy 
 troubles before Him ; neither think too evil of thyself 
 nor give place unto dark thoughts ; and let not thy 
 prayers be uttered at set times and in set words, but 
 let them express thy heart's desire, according as it is said, 
 ' Make not thy prayer an ordinance, but an entreaty 
 before Him who filleth all space (blessed is He).' Think 
 not also too evil of thine own heart ; but remember 
 the saying, 'Be not wicked unto thyself.' And now 
 farewell, for I must needs go back to the city." 
 
 Saying these words, the old man departed and left 
 me still sitting by the well. But, as it was not yet 
 the third hour of the day (and the Essene village was 
 distant not much more than a two hours' journey, or 
 three hours' at the most), it came into my mind that I 
 would hearken unto the voice of Jonathan, and visit the 
 village of the Essenes that very day. So I arose straight- 
 way and set out on my journey. I rested often during 
 the heat of the day, for I was weary w T ith long watching 
 and fasting ; but a little before noontide, I was come to 
 the top of the mountain which looketh down upon the 
 village. 
 
 Then I looked, and lo, in the valley the Essenes busy 
 at their labours, even as the ants that move to and fro in 
 an ant-hill ; and as near as I could conjecture, they were 
 to the number of three or four hundred thus labouring 
 
 o
 
 82 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 6 
 
 together. But as I looked, behold, a sound as of one 
 proclaiming the hour of prayer ; and lo, the fields were 
 empty, neither was any one anywhere to be seen. Pre- 
 sently they appeared again in white robes thronging to the 
 house of prayer. Then a sound, as of psalms sung by 
 many voices, rose up to my ears, and filled my heart with 
 a deep peace. I waited for the space of nearly an hour, 
 till the assembly had broken up, returning in their white 
 rebes to their several cottages. When I had beheld all 
 this, my heart rejoiced, and I said, " If only all Israel 
 could thus return to the Lord, then would the dough 
 be no longer corrupt with leaven, according to the say- 
 ing ; and the wrath of the Lord would be turned from 
 His people." But then came into my mind the saying 
 of Philo, that the virtue towards man must come before 
 the virtue towards God. I remembered also that which 
 I had often before heard of the Essenes, how they neither 
 marry nor give in marriage, but replenish their com- 
 munity by adopting the children of others and by ad- 
 mitting of strangers into their number. Then I bethought 
 myself that if all the children of Israel should become 
 Essenes, Israel would speedily perish ; neither could 
 there be any Redemption. For even now, though there 
 had been Essenes these thirty or forty years, or even 
 more, yet did they number no more than three thousand 
 or four thousand men in all Israel ; and of these almost 
 all lived in the country, avoiding towns for fear of defile- 
 ment, and exceeding even the Pharisees in the strictness 
 wherewith they observe Sabbaths and obey the precepts 
 of the Law (save only in the matter of sacrifice). So, as 
 I looked down upon the village, and round upon the hills 
 which shut it in and hid it from the sight of men, the
 
 PHILOCHRISTUS 83 
 
 proverb came to my mind which sayeth that " a city that 
 is set upon a hill cannot be hid :" but said I, " the city 
 of the Essenes lieth in a valley." Then I turned my back 
 upon the place and would not go down to see Menahem, 
 but set out to return to Sepphoris. 
 
 But as I went, my burden grew heavier than I could 
 bear, and I cried unto the Lord in the sore grief of my 
 heart. For all Israel seemed unto me even as sheep 
 without a shepherd, a nation given over to servitude. 
 For behold, the Scribes, and Lawyers, and all the 
 Pharisees, had set their thought on vanity, and fed the 
 people with chaff and not with wheat. Yea, they despised 
 the poor and simple, and said that the " people of the 
 land " could not attain to the knowledge of the Law. But 
 as for the Priests and Sadducees, they were given over to 
 the pursuit of wealth and to the pleasures of this world. 
 And last of all, these Essenes were as naught save for 
 themselves alone. For they took for their watchword 
 the saying, " Withdraw thyself from an evil neighbour 
 and consort not with the wicked : " therefore were they 
 of no avail to the sinners of my people. For albeit that 
 saying of Hillel was often in their mouths, which saith, 
 "Be of the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing 
 peace ;" yet did they forget the last words of that saying, 
 which bid us also to " love mankind and bring men nigh 
 unto the Law." For the Essenes bring no man nigh unto 
 the Law save themselves only. 
 
 But when I came in my journey back to the well 
 where Kabbi Jonathan and I had discoursed together, 
 then did my despair so weigh upon me that I could not 
 so much as cry unto the Lord ; for the Lord seemed as 
 one that heard not ; and even as I had made a circle in 
 
 o 2
 
 84 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 6 
 
 my journey that day, and was now come back to the same 
 place whence I had set forth at the first, and all in vain, 
 even so did I seem to have journeyed these many years 
 in a circle of vain thoughts, searching and groping after 
 God ; and all for naught. " For," said I, " I have gone 
 from, the Scribes of Galilee to the teaching of John the 
 Prophet, and from John the Prophet to the wisdom of 
 the Greeks, and from the wisdom of the Greeks to the 
 teaching of Philo the Wise ; and yet seem I no nearer 
 to God than before, but even where I was at the first. 
 And they which did profess to guide, have been unto me 
 as no guides. Therefore the foundations of my life are 
 broken up, and the rock of my trust is become as un- 
 stable as water. Whithersoever I look, I see no one 
 to avenge, no one to deliver ; for the ways of the world 
 are crooked, and sin is stronger than righteousness." 
 
 Then a Voice of the Lord spake unto me, and rebuked 
 me in that, albeit I compassed sea and land in search 
 of guides, and had made much of them wilich explain 
 the Law and the Prophets, yet I had not given myself 
 so zealously to the true guides of Israel, even the 
 Prophets themselves, of whom John the son of Zacha- 
 riah was one. Now they all with one consent prophe- 
 sied of a day of Eedemption, and of a Redeemer ; and 
 without a Redeemer their prophecies seemed maimed 
 and void of fulfilment. Moreover John the son of 
 Zachariah had prophesied that the Redeemer should 
 come speedily, and that the rough places should be made 
 smooth, and the crooked places straight ; and Jonathan 
 the son of Ezra had spoken as if the Redeemer were 
 even now among us, yea in our own country of Galilee. 
 So falling on my face before the Lord, I besought the
 
 PHILOCHBISTUS 85 
 
 Almighty (blessed is He) to make no long tarrying, but 
 to have mercy upon me and either to take away my life, 
 or else to send the Eedeemer unto me, even me, and to 
 grant me His salvation. 
 
 But as I arose, there came one behind me unperceived 
 and touched my shoulder ; and he said unto me, " Where- 
 fore weepest thou \ " I started at his voice, for there 
 was a power in it; but I looked not up for weeping, 
 but made answer and said, " Because of the yoke of 
 the Law; for it is written 'Whoso receiveth upon 
 him the yoke of the Law, THEY remove from him the 
 yoke of oppression and the yoke of the path of the 
 world/ But it is not so with me. For from a child I 
 have settled my heart to study the Law, and to take 
 upon me the yoke thereof, yet have I not attained to the 
 knowledge thereof. But the yoke of the world and the 
 yoke of the oppression of Israel weigheth heavily upon 
 me." Then he that spake said unto me, " Cast away 
 the heavy yoke and take upon thee the light yoke." l 
 So I looked up, marvelling at such words, and behold, it 
 was not the face of a stranger, for I knew it ; and yet 
 again I knew it not, neither could I bring to mind the 
 name of him that spake to me. But I saw strength in 
 his countenance, and his face was as the morning-star in 
 brightness ; and I rejoiced with a great joy, for I knew 
 that the Lord had sent unto me a teacher to guide my 
 feet into the path of life. So I replied, " What yoke, 
 Master ? " And he answered and said, " Take my yoke 
 upon thee, and learn of me ; for I am meek and lowly 
 of heart." When I heard that, I was speechless and 
 as one astonied to hear such a saying, which seemed in 
 
 1 See Note I.
 
 86 PHILOCIIRISTUS [Chapter Q 
 
 part the words of a king, and in part the words of a 
 child. But when speech came back to me, I said, " My 
 heart is afflicted because of the wonder of the ways of 
 the Lord, and because His paths are past finding out." 
 But he answered, " They that wonder shall reign, and 
 they that reign shall rest." l Now I perceived not all the 
 meaning of his words at the time ; but thus much I did 
 most clearly perceive, that here was one that could guide 
 me through all wonderment and perplexity, even unto 
 the haven of rest. But a sudden fear fell upon me that 
 peace would depart from my soul, if my Master should 
 depart ; therefore with many entreaties I besought him 
 to tarry that night at my mother's house. So when he 
 had consented we straightway went to the city. But, as 
 we went, my mind still beat upon the thought that I 
 had seen my Master's countenance before ; yet could I 
 not call to mind the when and where. 
 
 But even as we entered into the house, behold, my 
 mother was crying aloud, being tormented beyond 
 measure by her disease : and when my Master heard 
 it, he asked who cried thus, and I answered and told 
 him concerning my mother's condition. Then straight- 
 way he desired to go into the upper chamber where 
 she lay ; and having gone in, he looked steadfastly at 
 her, and took her by the hand, and said, as one having 
 authority, " Arise : " and immediately my mother arose 
 and went about as one whole. Now it came to pass, 
 that when he looked steadfastly at my mother, even 
 in that instant I knew his face, that it was the face 
 of the stranger that had looked after the like manner 
 upon Raphael the son of Joazar, even the face of Jesus 
 
 1 See Note I.
 
 Chapter 6] PHILOCHRISTUS 87 
 
 of Nazareth ; and then also in that same instant it was 
 borne to my mind that this was he of whom Jonathan 
 had spoken, concerning whom John the son of Zacha- 
 riah had prophesied, saying that he was the Messiah of 
 Israel : and I marvelled that I had not known him 
 before ; but I perceived that, albeit the same, yet was he 
 not the same ; so great a glory and a brightness, as of 
 power from heaven, now reigned in his countenance. 
 All this, I say, I perceived even when he was gazing on 
 my mother ; but I durst not for my life speak to him then. 
 But when my mother was made whole and arose from 
 her bed, then straightway I fell down on my knees and 
 bowed before him ; and I spake also to my mother all 
 the words of Jonathan the son of Ezra, how that John 
 had affirmed my Master to be the Redeemer of Israel : 
 and I believed, and my mother also, and all our house- 
 hold. 
 
 On the morrow, when I would fain have accompanied 
 Jesus to Capernaum (for he was journeying thither), he 
 suffered me not, but said that he must needs go to 
 Capernaum alone ; but I was to remain for nine days at 
 Sepphoris with my mother, and on the tenth day I 
 might go down to Capernaum. But he suffered me 
 to go with him about twelve or thirteen furlongs out of 
 the town, and there I was to bid him farewell. 
 
 He did not speak many words to me by the way ; 
 but what I noted especially in him (as being that 
 wherein he differed from all my former teachers) was 
 that he spake not according to rule, nor out of any 
 books, nor traditions, but as it were out of himself. 
 For he taught as one having authority. There was also 
 yet another difference. For most of the Pharisees were
 
 88 PHILOGHRISTUS [Chapter 6 
 
 wont to walk with their" faces turned up to the sky, or 
 else with their eyes half shut, repeating, as they went, 
 certain passages of the Law, or prayers, or precepts of 
 the Elders ; and if they met women they would avoid 
 them ; and of children also they took no note, except 
 it were to instruct them or question them in the Law 
 and 'the Traditions ; moreover they walked with a sour 
 and austere countenance. But Jesus was in all respects 
 different from these. For he looked on all things, and 
 in all things seemed to see joy and gladness, taking note 
 even of the smallest matters, such as the flowers of the 
 field, and the birds of the air, and also of the trees, 
 and the. cornfields. Moreover, as often as we met 
 women on the way, he saluted them courteously and 
 shunned them not. 
 
 But most marvellous of all, in my judgment, was 
 the manner of his dealing with children. For so it 
 was, as I remember, that when we were passing by a 
 hamlet, about six furlongs from Sepphoris, a little child 
 ran out from the door of a house, even under the feet 
 of our asses, insomuch that we had much ado to 
 prevent the asses from trampling down the child. But 
 when I rebuked the child somewhat vehemently, Jesus 
 chid me ; and presently, after we had ridden on awhile 
 in silence, he turned to me and bade me always have 
 respect unto little children; "For," said he, "their 
 angels do always behold the face of my Father which 
 is in heaven." Then he added words still stranger and 
 harder for me to understand, that "Except a man were 
 born again and become as a little child, he could in no 
 wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven." 
 
 But I returned, marvelling greatly at his words and
 
 Chapter 6] PHILOCHEISTUS 89 
 
 pondering them, in my mind. For I could in no wise 
 perceive how we could redeem Israel and drive out the 
 Tetrarch from Tiberias, and the Romans from Jeru- 
 salem, and set up the Kingdom of God, and all this by 
 becoming as little children.
 
 9 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 WHEN I drew nigh to Capernaum, it was about the 
 eleventh hour ; so I hasted that I might inquire where 
 Jesus of Nazareth abode, before the sun went down : 
 for it was the day before the Sabbath. But as I 
 journeyed down the valley, called the Valley of the 
 Doves, and came to the place where the road turneth 
 round to the right, I could not forbear to draw rein for 
 a while, so beautiful was the sight ; and though I had 
 seen it often-times before, yet never before, methought, 
 had it seemed so beautiful as now. 
 
 On the tops of the hills were walnut-trees ; lower 
 down fig-trees ; and below them grew luxuriant palms. 
 For the place hath, as it were, several climates suiting 
 several trees and plants ; corn also aboundeth in those 
 parts, and flax is not wanting ; but the olive-trees (as 
 elsewhere in Galilee) stand so thick together, and so 
 thriving, that it was a common saying, " Thou mayest 
 sooner rear a forest of olive-trees in Galilee than one 
 child in Judaea ; " fruit-trees also of all sorts grew there 
 without number, laden with the goodliest fruits, exceed- 
 ing the fruit-trees of any other part of Galilee ; in- 
 somuch that the place was justly wont to be called the 
 Garden of Abundance. But the city itself was as a
 
 Chapter 7] PHILOCBRISTUS 91 
 
 half-circle of pearls, encompassed with gardens as with 
 a circlet of emerald. A multitude of ships and fishing- 
 boats bestrewed the surface of the lake, which was of 
 a deep blue colour, as blue as sapphire ; and the waves 
 thereof were very still, because no wind at all was 
 blowing. But as I looked towards Chorazin, the sight 
 in the surface of the waters surpassed the sight of the 
 land. For there, as in a mirror, one might see by 
 reflexion in the water below, all that was on the land 
 above ; the walnut-trees and fig-trees and palm-trees, 
 and the oleanders on the border of the waters, and the 
 white pelicans watching for their prey upon the brink 
 thereof, and the hedges of cactus, and the cottages of 
 the husbandmen ; all these things were to be clearly 
 seen as if painted on the waters of the lake. 
 
 Then came into my mind certain words which my 
 Master had said to me when we went forth from Sep- 
 phoris together; how that our Father in heaven provideth 
 for the adornment even of the grass of the fields, and 
 how He hath made the simple flowers of the fields more 
 beautiful than Solomon in his glory. And so it was 
 that, as I thought on these words, I praised the Lord 
 of Hosts, who hath made the world so beautiful ; and 
 though I had seen this sight many times before when 
 I had come down from Sepphoris, yet now mine eyes 
 seemed, as it were, to be opened to discern a new beauty 
 therein. But I thought also on Israel and of the blessed- 
 ness that was in store for this goodly land, if only the 
 Roman could be driven forth. As I thought on these 
 things, an east wind sprang up ; and lo, where there had 
 been but a moment ago so fair a sight, naught was now 
 to be seen save troubled waters of many divers colours.
 
 92 PHI 'LOCH 'RISTUS [Chapter 7 
 
 Then I hasted onward, purposing to inquire concerning 
 Jesus of Nazareth first, and afterwards to go to the 
 house of my uncle. 
 
 But when I was now at the going down to the city, 
 my cousin Baruch was come forth to meet me, saying 
 I was stayed for at a feast in the house of Manasseh. 
 So I w r ent straightway with him, and the sun set and 
 the Sabbath was begun ; and I had not yet seen Jesus 
 of Nazareth. During supper time I would have inquired 
 of Manasseh concerning Jesus ; but Baruch had fore- 
 warned me that I should be silent. For my uncle, (he 
 was a dyer by trade, and had many slaves and more 
 than one house of merchandise, there and at Magdala, 
 and elsewhere round about the Lake,) being fond of peace 
 and wholly given to traffic, feared Jesus, lest he should 
 beguile the people of Capernaum to take up arms against 
 the Eomans. Also he feared for Baruch, lest he too 
 should be led away by Jesus. This I learned from 
 my cousin after supper ; how T beit he said not much 
 about Jesus, for my uncle watched us. Only he said 
 that Jesus had been now a full week in Capernaum, 
 and that he w r as said to be able to work signs, and that 
 certain of the fishermen had joined themselves unto him ; 
 but the most part still held with John the Prophet, 
 saying that John was greater than Jesus ; neither 
 believed they that Jesus was the Messiah. 
 
 On the morrow, about the sixth hour, we went 
 to the synagogue. There was a great throng, so that 
 we were fain to sit in the farthest seats from the 
 Ark of the Law ; neither could we discern who sat 
 in the chief seats, nor who read, because a pillar stood 
 between us and the pulpit. . Now first the Law was
 
 Chapter 7] PHILOCHRISTUS 
 
 93 
 
 read and prayers were offered up according to custom ; 
 but by reason of my sadness, because I desired to have 
 seen Jesus again, I was even as the parched ground, 
 and no moisture fell upon my soul. But when the 
 Prophets were read, then it was as a shower of heaven 
 on the congregation, and the dew of the Lord upon 
 our souls ; for the voice of him that read was the 
 voice of Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 When he had made an end of reading, Jesus began 
 to exhort the people, saying that he was sent to proclaim 
 good news, to release the captive, give health to the sick, 
 and light to the blind, and to bring Redemption to 
 Israel. God, he said, loved all ; not the good alone, 
 but even the bad : yea, God was in very truth our 
 Father in heaven. Therefore how much soever the 
 kindest father on earth may love his children, albeit 
 they transgress against him, much more is the love of 
 God toward us though we be sinners. He did not tell 
 us that we were not sinful ; nay rather, he made it 
 clear to us that our sins were as red as blood in the 
 sight of the All-seeing ; but none the less, he called 
 us the children of God. As many as would repent 
 should be forgiven ; and he spake as if he himself had 
 a certain divine power of forgiveness whereby he might 
 purify the soul and bring us close to God, one family 
 in the presence of our Father. One thing was needful, 
 that we should trust in him and in his message. This 
 day, he said, this very day, are the prophecies of Re- 
 demption fulfilled in your ears. Then he cried aloud 
 unto all that were hungering or thirsting for righteous- 
 ness, all that were weary of the burden of their sins, 
 all that felt themselves utterly hopeless, friendless, and
 
 94 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 7 
 
 vile, bidding them resort to him as their refuge : " Come 
 unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I 
 will give you rest." 
 
 While he was speaking, methought I was not hearing 
 words, but seeing somewhat that might be seen and 
 touched ; so solid seemed the mercies of God, even as 
 a rock whereon one standeth. For Jesus ever testified of 
 the Father as one testifieth that knoweth by experience, 
 and spake of heaven as of that which he had known 
 and felt. Yea, and more than that ; a certain strange 
 power was in him to make things invisible to seem 
 visible by his discourse, Wherefore, albeit Moses had 
 called God the Father of the spirits of all flesh, and the 
 Prophets also had taught Israel to say unto God, " Thou 
 art our Father," and all this doctrine was well known 
 and trite among us ; yet now, for the first time, the 
 doctrine seemed to be no more a mere dead letter, but a 
 living word. Such a life did Jesus of Nazareth breathe 
 into it, insomuch that his Good News (for so he called 
 it) came upon our hearts as news indeed, never heard 
 before among the children of men. 
 
 This long while (since Jesus had first begun to speak), 
 a certain youth whom I had before noted, sitting not 
 far from me, had been muttering and moaning gently 
 to himself ; but I was rapt in the words of Jesus, where- 
 fore I had given the less heed to the boy. But now, 
 he stood up, and cried aloud in a deep hollow voice, 
 as of a full-grown man, " What hast thou to do with 
 us ? Let us alone, let us alone." Then in his own 
 voice he cried again, " I know thee who thou art, the 
 Holy One of God." Immediately I perceived that it 
 was the demoniac, even Eaphael the son of Joazar,
 
 Chapter 7] PHILOCHRISTUS 95 
 
 whom Theudas the Exorcist had adventured to heal ; 
 but a great fear fell on all the congregation, and the 
 women rose up from their places, shrieking for terror. 
 But Jesus, without use of charm or gesture, rebuked the 
 unclean spirits and bade them come forth. Then they 
 tare the youth, so that he shrieked with a piercing 
 shriek ; and so they came forth. And Jesus delivered 
 the boy to his father ; who would scarce suffer Jesus 
 out of his sight, between joy that the devils were gone 
 forth, and fear lest they might return. Howbeit, now 
 the spirits were driven out so that they returned no 
 more. For the boy lived to be a man ; nor did he die 
 (as it hath been reported to me) till he numbered 
 fifty years, dying about twelve years ago, two years 
 before destruction came upon the Holy City. 
 
 When Jesus departed from the synagogue, the people 
 thronged him, bringing to him divers requests, some 
 concerning their friends that were diseased or lunatic, 
 or afflicted with devils ; others begging him to come and 
 bless their children ; others asking him that he would 
 lodge in their houses, or at the least sup with them. For 
 at this time all men, rich and poor, Pharisees, Sadducees, 
 and Galileans, inclined to follow Jesus. But he would 
 go to none of the rich men's houses, but only to the 
 house of Simon the son of Jonah (whom he afterwards 
 called Peter) ; he was one of the fishermen of the place 
 and had joined himself to Jesus. But Jesus suffered 
 me to accompany him. 
 
 But when we were now entering into the house, 
 behold all things were full of disorder and lamentation. 
 For Simon's wife's mother (who abode in the house) had 
 been suddenly afflicted with a grievous sickness, so that,
 
 96 PUILOCHRISTUti [Chapter 1 
 
 instead of serving the guests, she was laid speechless 
 upon a bed in an upper room. Then they spake to 
 Jesus concerning her. Now I was not myself present 
 when the thing took place ; but (as it was reported to 
 me) Jesus healed her after the same manner as he had 
 healed my mother ; for he took her by the hand and 
 lifted her up, and she arose whole and free from her 
 disease, and ministered unto the guests. 
 
 Jesus straitly charged us that we should tell no man ; 
 whereat we marvelled not a little. But howsoever we 
 obeyed him, it could not be hid. And besides this, the 
 fame of the healing of Raphael the son of Joazar had 
 been noised abroad through the whole of the city, inso- 
 much that at sunset, when we went forth, the Sabbath 
 being now ended, we saw great multitudes of demoniacs, 
 lunatics, and some also sick of the palsy and of fever, 
 laid in their beds along the road through which we 
 would have passed. Some also, that were afflicted with 
 incurable diseases, had been brought notwithstanding, 
 because of their entreaties ; if perchance Jesus might 
 heal them ; and I saw one man that had been blind 
 from his birth. 
 
 Now it came to pass that when Jesus came forth from 
 Simon Peter's house, and saw the faces of all these sick 
 people, and the faces of their friends, all waiting if per- 
 chance he would help them, his countenance was altered, 
 and the shadow of sorrow fell upon him, and he sighed 
 and said, " Verily for the sorrowful I am sorrowful, and 
 for the sick I am sick." l Then he passed along the 
 ranks of the sick people ; and wheresoever he perceived 
 that any could be healed, he laid his hands on them, 
 
 1 See Note T.
 
 Chapter 7] PHILOCHRISTUS 97 
 
 and lo, they were at once freed from their infirmities ; 
 and many unclean spirits were driven out from those 
 whom they had possessed. Now most of them that 
 were healed had been possessed with evil spirits ; but 
 others were lunatic, or sick of the palsy, or of fever, 
 or had impediment in their speech. But Jesus had a 
 marvellous power to discern, methought, not only them 
 that had faith from them that had not, but also such 
 diseases as were to be cured, from such as were not to 
 be cured, because it was not prepared for him that he 
 should cure them. But when Jesus had made an end 
 of healing, the multitude still followed us ; and the 
 friends of such as had not been cured, vexed us with 
 importunities ; and others, whose friends had been 
 cured, called down blessings on Jesus, and refused to 
 leave him. Thus, go whither we would, we could 
 not be alone. So Jesus returned to the house, and I 
 went back to the house of Manasseh. 
 
 I opened my mind to my uncle that night, and said 
 to him that I purposed to go with Jesus of Nazareth 
 whithersoever he went ; and Baruch said the same. But 
 my uncle no longer opposed himself against our wills ; 
 only he forewarned us that evil was in store for us ; 
 " For," said he, " I have sojourned in Italy among the 
 Romans three years, and I know well that nothing can 
 withstand their power. But whoso gainsay eth them 
 gainsayeth the strength of a king : according as it is 
 written, ' Where the word of a king is, there is power ; 
 and who may say unto him, What doest thou ? ' 
 
 All the night long no sleep came to my eyes for musing 
 on all the things that I had seen and heard that day : 
 " For this day," said I, " is, as it were, the birthday of 
 
 H
 
 98 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 1 
 
 the Redemption of Israel." But when I thought thereon, 
 and considered with myself that I had now joined myself 
 unto Jesus as the Redeemer, and when I compared Jesus 
 with the image of the Redeemer of Sion (such as I had 
 framed it in my mind from the reading of the Prophets, 
 and such as my countrymen expected), then was I as one 
 astonied and amazed to find myself believing in Jesus, and 
 standing on his side. For I had imagined unto myself 
 one that should perchance appear, riding on the clouds of 
 heaven, encompassed by thousands of angels, taking ven- 
 geance upon the enemies of Sion, according to the word 
 of the prophet Daniel ; or else I had thought to see a royal 
 deliverer, even such another as David himself, mighty 
 with the sword, riding at the head of his ten thousands, 
 ruling the Gentiles with a rod of iron, or breaking them 
 in pieces like a potter's vessel ; or else I had fashioned 
 in my mind a Deliverer after the manner of Elias, re- 
 buking kings in their pride, and calling down fire from 
 heaven for a sign, or for the destruction of the Gentiles. 
 Now before this time, I had had no leisure to con- 
 sider the matter; for, in the presence of Jesus, I had 
 been drawn towards him as by an enchantment : but in 
 the stillness of the night, Jesus being no more before my 
 face, I thought on all the signs and wonders wrought by 
 Moses and Elias aforetime, and doubt fell upon me ; and 
 it seemed to me not possible that Jesus of Nazareth 
 could be greater than they, so as to be the Messiah. 
 But when I asked myself, " Could it then be that Jesus 
 is a deceiver ? " my heart made answer, " Nay, that 
 could not be. And if thou trust not in Jesus, there is 
 not any one in the world in whom thou canst trust." So 
 I comforted myself in my perplexity, saying to myself,
 
 PIIILOCHBISTUS 99 
 
 " Perchance the time hath not yet come for Jesus to 
 manifest himself as the son of David, nor as the Son of 
 man spoken of by the prophet Daniel : but doubtless 
 that time will come ; and then shalt thou see Jesus, 
 as the Messiah indeed, in power." 
 
 But on the morrow, very early, when we went 
 forth to the house of Simon Peter, behold, a mixed 
 multitude had gathered round the doors waiting for the 
 coming of Jesus. And I also waited, standing with 
 them, and heard how they conversed with each other. 
 But it seemed that one had but now come forth from 
 the house of Peter, saying that Jesus could not be found 
 in the house. Then arose a murmur in the crowd ; and 
 a certain man from Antioch said that Simon had set 
 a snare for Jesus of Nazareth, and had betrayed him 
 to Herod the Tetrarch. But there was in the press 
 one Gorgias the son of Philip, a man well known to 
 Simon ; and he laughed the man of Antioch to scorn. 
 He had been in the army of Herod the King in former 
 times, and his father was a Greek ; but he conformed 
 himself to the Law and joined himself to the sect of the 
 Galileans ; and his word prevailed greatly with them, 
 because he was versed in warlike matters. This man 
 declared that Jesus had withdrawn himself, that he 
 might not be shut up in prison by the Tetrarch : " And 
 no marvel," said he, " for, seeing that the tyrant hath 
 but now taken John the son of Zachariah, why should 
 lie not also adventure to take the new prophet ? " 
 
 Others, beside myself, had not heard before that John 
 had been cast into prison. So we questioned Gorgias 
 and heard that the prophet had been cast into prison 
 in the Black Castle at Machserus three days ago. Many 
 
 H 2
 
 ioo PHILOCHRISTUS [Chester 1 
 
 of them that were in the crowd had been disciples of 
 John ; and they cried aloud that the men of Galilee 
 ought to rise up and deliver the prophet. But Gorgias 
 beckoned with his hand that they should be silent, and 
 when silence was made, he said, " Let us rise up, indeed, 
 but not without a leader. Now the Lord hath sent 
 to us this Jesus of Nazareth : and that he is a prophet 
 sent from God none can deny." The multitude shouted 
 that it was even so, and one or other uttered praises of 
 Jesus ; and a certain man said, " Yea, never man spake 
 as this spake." But Gorgias answered and said, "It is 
 known to all that I am a soldier, neither do words pre- 
 vail with me without deeds. Wherefore I also, until 
 yesterday, did but lightly esteem Jesus of Nazareth. 
 But now he hath shown forth his power in deeds. And 
 he that can do such deeds as Jesus hath wrought in 
 our streets, shall he not do even greater deeds than 
 these when the time shall come for them ? Yea, doubt- 
 less, all things are possible to him. And what will 
 avail squadrons of horse, or legions of foot, against one 
 that can call down fire from heaven, or cause the walls 
 of a city to fall to the ground ? Choose we therefore 
 Jesus to be our leader, and no one shall be able to 
 stand against us." 
 
 At this instant Simon Peter came forth, and he 
 confirmed what had been said, to wit, that Jesus of 
 Nazareth was not in the house : but he thought that he 
 was gone forth to be alone. And so it was. For when 
 we had made diligent search for him we found him alone 
 on a mountain, about three miles from the town. We 
 besought him to return ; but he answered that he must 
 proclaim the Good News in other villages also, for to that
 
 PHILOCHRISTUS 101 
 
 end he had been sent. So Simon Peter and the rest of 
 the disciples accompanied him, and Baruch and I went 
 with them ; and for the space of four or five weeks we 
 continued with him, going from town to town in Galilee ; 
 and Jesus preached the Good News, and healed the sick ; 
 and a great multitude of all sorts was added to our 
 number. 
 
 Now the greater part of our band were honest people, 
 hungering and thirsting for the Redemption of Sion : 
 but some were vain men, children of iniquity, seeking 
 the wages of unrighteousness. Especially they that had 
 been formerly soldiers resorted to Jesus, as to a prince or 
 general, like vultures hasting to the prey, supposing that 
 they should gain much spoil if he prevailed against 
 the Romans. And so it was that once when Jesus 
 spake to his disciples, saying that they must be " fishers 
 of men," then Baruch, being offended by the presence 
 of these children of mammon among us, answered and 
 said, "But must the fishers catch vile fish as well as 
 good?" 
 
 Hereat Jesus turned and looked sorrowfully on Baruch, 
 and said, " The kingdom of heaven is like unto a net 
 that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind : 
 which, when it was full they drew to shore, and sat 
 down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast 
 the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the age. 
 The messengers of God shall come forth and sever 
 the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them 
 into the furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and. 
 gnashing of teeth." 
 
 Another parable spake he to the same effect, that 
 the tares must needs grow with the wheat till the day
 
 io2 PIIILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 7 
 
 of harvest, for not till then can the division be made 
 between good and evil. When we heard this, we grieved 
 thereat ; for we had supposed that none save the faithful 
 should have been admitted into the Kingdom, and we 
 marvelled why Jesus should first suffer the bad to enter, 
 and then drive them forth. Howbeit, we besought him 
 that he would give us ordinances which we might ob- 
 serve, to the intent that we might not be cast out of 
 the Kingdom. For some of our number had begun to 
 say that Jesus had come to destroy the Law, so that 
 every one might do what he listed ; as though Jesus 
 had -said that God loveth the wicked as much as the 
 righteous, even though the wicked abide in wickedness. 
 Thus they brought shame upon us, and they set sturn- 
 blingblocks in the path of many that had otherwise 
 believed. Moreover the disciples of John the Baptist 
 compared us with themselves, and asked us concerning 
 our laws and customs and prayers; and, when they 
 found that we had none of these things, then they 
 despised us, saying that our Master was not equal to 
 John. For at this time the fame of John the son of 
 Zachariah overshadowed the fame of Jesus ; yea, and for 
 some time after this, even after John had been cast into 
 prison. For this cause we intreated Jesus that he would 
 both teach us how to pray, as John also had taught his 
 disciples, and also that he would lay down laws for the 
 new Kingdom, even as Moses had laid down laws for 
 the kingdom in old times. 
 
 Jesus hearkened to our petition in silence. Then he 
 said that he must depart from us for a season and go to 
 the top of a certain mountain ; but he appointed the third 
 hour of the following day that we should come to him.
 
 Chapter 7] FHILOCHRISTUS 103 
 
 Certain of the Scribes that followed with us murmured 
 at Jesus, because he had appointed that we should come 
 to him on the mountain : and one, finding fault for that 
 Jesus was often wont to spend the whole night praying 
 alone on some mountain, said, "It is written, ' Out of 
 the depths have I cried unto thee, Lord ; ' therefore it 
 is good to pray from a low place, and not from a high 
 place." But Nathaniel answered and said that Jesus 
 loved to be alone on the mountain by night, to meditate 
 on the greatness of the Lord and how He hath exalted 
 the Son of man, according as it is written, " I will con- 
 sider thy heavens, even the works of thy fingers, the 
 moon and stars which thou hast ordained : " and " these 
 very words," said Nathanael, " I heard the Prophet but 
 yesterday repeat, when we were upon the top of yonder 
 mountain." Horeat the Scribes murmured the more, 
 saying that it was not written that any prophet in old 
 times thus took counsel with the heavens after the 
 manner of a Chaldean. But Gorgias the son of Philip 
 murmured for another cause, saying that the Prophet 
 ought not thus to mistrust his followers, nor to be so 
 fearful for his own safety, and tHat it behoved the 
 friends of Jesus to take him by force, if need be, and 
 to make him a king. And to this Judas of Kerioth 
 consented and some others. 
 
 But to the most of us the words of Gorgias seemed an 
 abomination ; for we knew that Jesus did not depart for 
 fear : for indeed fear was not in him. But he desired to 
 be alone because he wished to pray, and because of the 
 burden of his heart. For it grieved him, more than 
 can be told, to see the misery and wretchedness, yea, 
 and the ignorance and the sinfulness of the mixed
 
 104 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 7 
 
 multitude which pressed round him. All their pains 
 pained him and all their sufferings he suffered, inso- 
 much that more than once I have heard him saying 
 in a low voice to himself, " For them that are hungry 
 I hunger, and for them that are athirst I thirst, and for 
 them that are sick I am sick." l 
 
 Notwithstanding he was not so much distressed with 
 the pains and diseases of the body as with the pains 
 and diseases of the soul. For the sins of souls seemed 
 to him as real and loathsome as the diseases of the 
 flesh to us ; and oftentimes a transgression that would 
 appear slight to us, he counted as a work of Satan ; 
 so that whithersoever he moved, he saw sins more 
 than could be seen of common men, yea, a very sea of 
 sinfulness ; albeit, underlying the sea of sin and sorrow, 
 he still discerned the Everlasting Arms. 
 
 Moreover, because he loved all men with an exceeding 
 great love, for this cause every hour in his life brought 
 unto him a burden passing the power of words to describe. 
 For the sins of men were not unto him as the sins of aliens 
 and strangers, but as the sins of his own brethren : 
 yea, they were even as his own sins ; for, although he 
 himself sinned not, neither knew sin, yet what pain 
 cometh from the bearing of a brother's sin, that he 
 knew full well. Wherefore in him was fulfilled the 
 saying of the prophet Isaiah ; who prophesied that the 
 Messiah should be a man of sorrows and acquainted 
 with griefs, and that he should carry our sins and bear 
 our iniquities. 
 
 1 See Note I.
 
 I0 5 
 
 ON the morrow, about the second hour, we began to 
 
 go up the mountain which Jesus had appointed. But 
 
 having strayed from the path, we knocked at the door 
 
 of a house which was near the foot of the mountain, 
 
 and besought the goodman of the house that he would 
 
 guide us. There opened the door a man of churlish 
 
 appearance ; but he would neither come out, nor so much 
 
 as speak with us. This delayed us for a time, but we 
 
 soon found the path, and the way became steep. The 
 
 sun shone, but not with too fervent a heat, and the north 
 
 wind blew gently from Hermon, whose top we saw clearly 
 
 toward the north, clad in snow. On the west was the 
 
 Mount Carmel, shining with a brightness as of purple ; 
 
 and further off the Great Sea, resembling a blue plain, 
 
 whereon appeared many sails, almost too small for sight 
 
 by reason of the distance. We climbed upward through 
 
 groves of terebinth and oak. As often as we turned 
 
 round to recover breath, the houses and fields grew 
 
 smaller, till, at the last, when we drew nigh unto the 
 
 top, the whole plain of Esdraelon seemed but as a small 
 
 ground-plat ; and large towns appeared as little hamlets, 
 
 and all the works of man became very small in our 
 
 eyes, as though we were leaving earth and approaching 
 
 heaven.
 
 io6 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 8 
 
 Then said Baruch, " Is not this a second Sinai \ For 
 verily Jesus of Nazareth is about to give us a new law." 
 But Eliezer the son of Arak, the principal Scribe of 
 Capernaum (for he at this time followed Jesus and was 
 now with us) rebuked him, saying, " Even though Jesus 
 of Nazareth were the greatest of prophets, yet were he 
 not equal to Moses ; for it is said, Sinai is to be preferred 
 even to the uprooter of mountains ! " And another said, 
 " Behold, the Word of God, when it went forth from 
 Sinai from the mouth of the Holy One (blessed be His 
 Name), was like sparks, and lightnings, and flames of fire ; 
 a torch of flame was on his right hand, and a torch of 
 flame on his left hand : it flew and hovered in the air of 
 the heavens, and returned and graved itself upon the 
 tables of the covenant which were given into the hands 
 of Moses. How then is it possible that the like wonders 
 should be wrought on this mountain \ " 
 
 Then said Nathanael to Simon Peter that it might 
 perchance please the Lord not always to speak by the 
 whirlwind or by the fire, but, as in the days of Eli as, by 
 the still small voice. And to this Peter agreed, but 
 others did not agree : for though they inclined not to 
 Eliezer the son of Arak, yet it was because they thought 
 that Jesus would of a surety soon work some sign in 
 heaven to prove that he was the Redeemer. But Judas 
 of Kerioth affirmed that Jesus would not, at this pre- 
 sent time, lay down laws for the Kingdom, but only 
 ordinances for a season, to instruct the host in the 
 journey towards Jerusalem ; but until Jerusalem should 
 be ours, lasting laws would not be made. 
 
 While we were disputing among ourselves concerning 
 the saying of Judas, Peter cried " Peace : " for, said he,
 
 Chapter 8] PHILOCHRISTUS 107 
 
 " yonder is the Prophet : " and looking upward, we saw 
 Jesus on a rock stretching out his hands in prayer. When 
 he had made an end of praying, Peter approached him 
 and besought him a second time to teach us to pray ; and 
 Jesus gave us that well-known prayer which is used in 
 all the churches. Afterwards he beckoned to us to follow 
 him, and he came down and stood in the bed of a torrent, 
 which was dry by reason of the drought. While we were 
 following him, I heard the companion of Eliezer murmur- 
 ing because there were no words in the prayer concerning 
 the Redemption of Israel ; " moreover," said he, " albeit 
 the prayer asketh for bread, yet is there no mention of 
 wine, nor oil, nor even of raiment. But how can a man 
 sit and search the Law and the Traditions, and know not 
 whence he is to drink as well as eat, and whence to be 
 clad and covered I " To this I would have made reply ; 
 but Peter again cried to us to hold our peace, for Jesus 
 was beginning to speak. 
 
 When he opened his lips, every one was silent for ex- 
 pectation ; but, as he proceeded, the silence was a silence 
 as of them that are astonished and disappointed. For 
 he began with setting forth in his discourse a character 
 and image of a citizen of the New Kingdom ; and lo, it 
 was not the image of a conqueror, but of one conquered. 
 Also he drew as it were a model of the palace of the 
 Great King, and of the princes and nobles which stand 
 about His throne ; and behold, when we compared the 
 model with that which we had imagined in our hearts, 
 and with that which we had read of in histories, the 
 model of Jesus was in all things contrary to the model 
 in our hearts. For in old times men had done rever- 
 ence unto the valiant, the proud, the strong, the rich
 
 io8 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 8 
 
 and the wise ; but Jesus said that the chief places 
 about the throne of God should be given to the hungry 
 and thirsty, and poor ; to them, that were innocent and 
 simple ; to them that made not war, but peace ; yea, 
 even to them which resisted not evil, but rewarded evil 
 with good. Upon all these, as being the nobles and 
 princes of the New Kingdom, Jesus pronounced a 
 blessing ; to wit, that all things should work together 
 for good to them, so that they should have all that 
 they needed, according to the words of the prophet, 
 " Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry ; 
 behold, my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty ; 
 behold, my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be 
 ashamed." Even so did Jesus ordain that they which 
 hungered should be satisfied, and that the makers of 
 peace should conquer and inherit the earth. 
 
 Next, he described the statutes and judgments of 
 the New Kingdom; and, behold, instead of an easier 
 yoke, he seemed to be placing upon us a yoke even 
 heavier than the yoke of the ancient Law, too heavy 
 to be borne. For the old Law forbade us to commit 
 murder ; but the new Law forbade us even to hate 
 our enemies. Again, the old Law forbade us to commit 
 adultery ; but the new Law forbade us even to entertain 
 a lustful thought in our hearts. In a word, the old Law 
 laid down certain ordinances, which if a man obeyed, 
 he should live therein ; but the new Law laid down 
 nothing fixed nor certain for us, so that we might say 
 " I have done this or that, and therefore I have fulfilled 
 the Law of Christ." For the Law of Moses touched 
 the life of man, as it were, in certain points ; as for 
 example, in sacrifices, and feasts, and purifications, and
 
 Chapter 8] PHILOCHRISTUS 109 
 
 Sabbaths, and in the obeying of the Ten Command- 
 ments : but the Law of Christ covered the whole of the 
 state of man, the thoughts as well as the deeds ; even 
 as the encompassing air, which pierceth into every 
 corner and cavern of the earth, wheresoever human life 
 is. In fine, whereas the Law of Moses commanded us 
 what we should do, the Law of Christ commanded what 
 we should be. For this cause Jesus set himself against 
 all bookishness, and against all worship of Traditions, 
 and even of the precepts of the Scriptures ; for he taught 
 that precepts, howsoever they may shape the outward 
 action, shape not the inner man. 
 
 Again, as concerning the laws, and the judgments, 
 and the rewards, and the punishments, in the New 
 Kingdom, he spake as if they were not laws of man's 
 device, but rather Laws according to the nature of 
 things, like unto the ordinances of the rain and the 
 sunshine, the harvest and the seed-time. For he said 
 that righteousness was not any such thing as could be 
 attained by a price, nor by the doing of deeds ; but that 
 it consisted in a seeing of that which may be seen of 
 God. He also spake of a certain eye of the soul, which, 
 if it were clear, the man would be righteous ; but if it 
 were darkened, the man would be unrighteous. Also he 
 spake of a certain law of retributions, which decreeth 
 that whoso judge th shall be judged, whoso forgiveth 
 shall be forgiven, whoso giveth shall receive : adding 
 thereunto this most strange doctrine, that if we would 
 go forth into the world, giving and ready to give, then, 
 from all sides, the world would give to us again ; yea, 
 the angels of God, and the elements of the world (which 
 are His ministers) and even the children of men, should
 
 i T o PHILOCHEISTUS 
 
 make us marvel by reason of their gratitude, giving us 
 back good measure pressed down and running over. 
 Now there is a saying in the Traditions that, " Whenso- 
 ever a poor man standeth at thy door, the Holy One 
 (blessed is He) standeth at his right hand. If thou 
 givest him alms, know that thou shalt receive a reward 
 from Him who standeth at his right hand." Jesus 
 therefore added to this doctrine, teaching that God 
 standeth at the right hand not of the poor only, but 
 of every one that is in need of aught, that is to say, of 
 every one of the children of men : wherefore whatsoever 
 is given to men, is given to God, and from God cometh 
 back multiplied to the giver. Howbeit, we were neither 
 to give alms, nor to do aught else, for hope of reward ; 
 but only out of love. 
 
 Concerning citizenship in the Kingdom and how men 
 should become citizens therein, he spake little to us, 
 as being already citizens therein : save only this, that 
 whoso would come, must come unto him ; and through 
 him, as through a door, they should pass into the 
 Kingdom. And behold, the Kingdom was no other 
 than a family, wherein God was at once Father and 
 King, and all men were as children of the Father in 
 Heaven. For the foundation of all was, that the heart 
 and not the hands shaped the goodness and badness 
 of all deeds, and made men to become citizens of the 
 Kingdom : wherefore the heart and not the hands must 
 be purified ; nor could any be in truth citizens of the 
 Kingdom except they had the thought of the Kingdom 
 always in their hearts, so that their hopes and treasures 
 were all stored up, not in the banks of money-changers, 
 but in the Kingdom of Heaven.
 
 CttapterS] PHILOGHRISTUS in 
 
 Then he spake of the exceeding joys of the citizens 
 of the Kingdom of God, and how they are free from all 
 troubles and all disquietudes. But none, he said, could 
 serve God and Mammon at one time ; neither was it 
 possible to serve God aright and yet to be distracted 
 and torn asunder by cares concerning meat or raiment. 
 Hereat the companion of Eliezer murmured again, saying 
 that Jesus had before spoken blasphemously in joining 
 the forgiving of sins by God with the forgiving of sins 
 by men, and now he had spoken as a madman, in for- 
 bidding us to be careful about food and raiment ; " Can 
 a man sit," said he, " and search the Law, and not know 
 whence he is to eat, and drink, and to be clad ? " Now 
 whether Jesus perceived his murmuring I know not : 
 but he pointed, first upwards to the birds (for even at 
 that instant there was a flight of pelicans above us) and 
 then downward to the flowers, which bestrewed the side 
 of the brook, and he said that our Father in Heaven fed 
 the birds and clothed the flowers ; and should He not 
 much more care for us ? Then he bade us seek first the 
 Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all things 
 else should be added unto us. 
 
 Now concerning this Kingdom of God (or Kingdom 
 of Heaven, for he called it by both names) we under- 
 stood not much at this time : but my judgment now is 
 that Jesus desired that all the Lord's people should be 
 as Prophets, not teaching one the other and saying 
 " Know the Lord," but all knowing the Lord from the 
 least to the greatest. For he perceived that all the 
 tribes of the earth were joined together under one 
 emperor through desire of wealth and ease, and that 
 Israel was joined together through hatred of the Romans
 
 1 1 2 PHILOCHRISTUS 
 
 and through desire to be rescued from them ; but he 
 saw that neither love of ease nor hatred of enemies 
 could bind men together in an enduring Kingdom : but 
 that which bindeth men together is the Spirit of love, 
 which is a Spirit of brotherhood among men and of 
 childhood unto God. For all nations begin with being 
 first families, and then many families together ; helping 
 one another by reason of kindred, and not by reason of 
 manhood. Now such a nation as this, and all men of 
 such a nation, Jesus called " born of flesh and blood : " 
 and he said that no nation could leave off to be a tribe 
 and become a nation indeed, except it were born again, 
 not of flesh and blood, but of the Spirit ; so as to enter 
 into a certain government of God, which the Greeks 
 called theocratia, but Jesus called it the Kingdom of 
 God. Such a theocratia Moses had partly established 
 in old times ; howbeit the King in the kingdom of 
 Moses was the God of Abraham, but the King in the 
 kingdom of Jesus was the Father of the Son of man. 
 
 But now to return to the words of Jesus. He ended 
 his discourse with warning. First he warned us to 
 beware of the common saying, " Give judgment accord- 
 ing to the greater number " ; for he said that the path 
 to destruction is broad, and many go thereby. He bade 
 us also try teachers and prophets by their works. Last 
 of all, he spake very earnestly against certain which 
 pretended to obey him but obeyed him not. We were 
 the salt of the earth, he said, but if we lost our 
 savour, how could the world be salted, and to what end 
 could we serve, but to be cast out and trampled under 
 foot \ Whoso heard him and obeyed him not, such an 
 one he likened unto a foolish shepherd (and even as he
 
 Chapters] PHILOCHRISTUS 113 
 
 spake, there was nigh, within a bow-shot of us, a sheep- 
 cote that had been cast down by the swollen waters of 
 the brook) which built his house upon the sand, so that it 
 fell : but whoso heard and obeyed-, he likened him unto 
 a wise shepherd, which built his house upon a rock so 
 that it fell not. This parable Jesus did not at this time 
 interpret to us, but afterwards he made it clear. For 
 even as the Psalmists of Israel spake often of a certain 
 Rock of Salvation, even so was it afterwards a common 
 saying with Jesus both that each citizen of the New 
 Kingdom must build his house upon a Rock, and that 
 the Kingdom itself must be founded on a Rock, so that 
 the gates of Hades or Destruction should not prevail 
 against it. Howbeit what this Rock might be, we did 
 not as yet understand ; for he had not at this time 
 revealed it unto us.
 
 114 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 WHEN Jesus had ended all these words, he came down 
 from the mountain, and we followed, reasoning much 
 among ourselves. Baruch spake first, complaining that 
 the new Law was full of hard sayings. " For," said he, 
 " when the Prophet proclaimed a blessing on the poor 
 and hungry, that was easy to understand, and I rejoiced 
 thereat : but afterwards, when he bade us bless them 
 that cursed us, and do good to those that injured us, 
 yea, and turn the left cheek to him that had smitten us 
 on the right, and give our coat to him that had taken 
 away our cloak, then indeed his doctrine seemed too 
 wonderful for the mind of man to fathom." Then a 
 certain Essene (who at that time followed with us) made 
 answer and said, " This world is but as a vestibule before 
 the world to come : therefore the Prophet's intent is to 
 instruct us how to prepare ourselves at the vestibule 
 so that we may find grace to come into the King's 
 presence : and his words enjoin on us to abstain from 
 all earthly cares and pleasures, and to withdraw our- 
 selves from the cities of men." But to this Simon 
 Peter made answer that Jesus had taught us to live 
 in the sight of all men, like a city on an hill or like 
 a candle on a candlestick : moreover, he had promised 
 that we should inherit the earth.
 
 Chapter*)] PHILOCHRISTUS 115 
 
 But here Eliezer the son of Arak could no longer 
 constrain himself. " I marvel/' he said, " that we 
 listen so long without first asking this Prophet by what 
 authority he sayeth these things, or what sign he can 
 work in Heaven to prove his authority. For other teachers 
 received of teachers before them; as, for example, 
 Hillel and Shammai received from Shemaiah and 
 Abtalion ; and Shemaiah and Abtalion received from 
 Jehudah the son of Tabai, and Simeon the son of 
 Shatach ; and so on successively ; but this teacher 
 maketh mention of no teachers from whom he hath 
 received his doctrine : neither worketh he any sign in 
 Heaven. But whence doth he draw his knowledge 
 about the Unapproachable (blessed is He) ? Even from 
 the creatures ; even from the weeds of the field, and 
 the silly birds that are caught in the snare of the fowler ; 
 from the senseless rain and from the shining of the sun ; 
 yea, and from the nature of the heart of man, which 
 is evil from his youth ! But how much better than all 
 these is the Law, whereby was created all that is ; 
 according as it is said, ' Beloved are the children of 
 Israel, in that there was given to them the instrument 
 by which the world was created.' ' 
 
 No answer was made to the words of Eliezer : but 
 Barabbas took up the words of Baruch, and said, " If 
 we are to turn the left cheek to him which hath smitten 
 the right, and if we are to do good unto them which do 
 us harm, who shall cause injustice to cease in the world 1 
 For verily the unjust will wax fat in their injustice and 
 will go on from oppression to oppression." But said 
 Judas of Kerioth, " Listen unto me, foolish ones, and 
 take counsel from me : for is it not even as I foretold ? 
 
 i 2
 
 n6 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 9 
 
 Did not I say unto you that the Prophet would not at 
 this time make laws that should endure for ever, but 
 only ordinances for a season, till we had gained the 
 upper hand \ Wherefore ye must know that it is in 
 the mind of the Prophet to draw unto himself the hearts 
 of all people by fair words and gentle dealing : but 
 when the time is come for different policy, then we 
 shall take fresh counsel according to our needs. But 
 now hearken. Did not the Prophet prophesy woe to the 
 rich and the powerful ? These are the Komans ; and in 
 foretelling woe to them, he foretold woe against the 
 Romans. Again, did he not prophesy blessing for the 
 poor ? And we are poor : and in every city of Israel 
 the poor are the greater part, and will fight on our side, 
 and will have a part in our blessing. I grant, he said 
 not that we should be judges and princes : but he 
 promised that we should have that for which we asked ; 
 and is not this enough for us ? Yea, and albeit he 
 mentioned not expressly money, or lands, or houses, yet 
 he said that our reward should be great. But if perse- 
 cution or the shedding of some of our blood must needs 
 come before our success, who is so fainthearted and 
 womanish as to draw back for such a cause ? Therefore, 
 I say, be of good heart ; and though there be some dark 
 sayings of the Prophet, let us be content to stand fast on 
 those sayings which are plain. But as touching the 
 words of Eliezer, we all know in our hearts that Jesus 
 is not a man as other men, but that he is a leader sent 
 from God ; and howsoever he teacheth, and whitherso- 
 ever he leadeth, it is our wisdom to obey him and to 
 follow him." 
 
 The words of Judas pleased us : and we all agreed
 
 Chapter Q] PHILOCHRISTUS 117 
 
 to them. Only a certain Alexandrine (whose name was 
 Quartus) said to Baruch that he judged not that the 
 words of Jesus were intended to be merely transitory 
 ordinances. Now this Quartus was a man of no common 
 understanding and discernment ; and inasmuch as his 
 father had been a Greek and had caused him to be trained 
 in the Greek learning and philosophy, he spake with 
 more art and subtlety than most of my companions. 
 Howbeit he lacked not faith and the love of righteousness ; 
 and, his mother being of our nation, he had been circum- 
 cised, and had conformed himself to the worship of Israel ; 
 but having been bred up in the schools of the Greeks 
 and in the school of Philo, he w T as at all times desirous 
 to compare the teaching of other philosophers with the 
 teaching of Jesus. He was a merchant, and his business 
 brought him oftentimes to Capernaum, where I had met 
 him ; but I had also met him before in the house of my 
 uncle at Alexandria. So when I overheard Quartus 
 saying these words to my cousin, I questioned him 
 how he interpreted the sayings of Jesus, and in 
 particular, that saying concerning the turning of the 
 cheek to the smiter. 
 
 Then said Quartus unto me, after some pause, " Be 
 not displeased if I speak in a parable. Many times in 
 Capernaum have I seen mariners (such as know not your 
 waters) grievously tossed by a storm while they strove 
 to enter into the harbour by a straight course, and 
 toiling hard for many hours, but all to no purpose :; 
 but others (which know the secret) leave the straight 
 course on one side, and stand far out to Tarichese. 
 Thence floweth a current toward Capernaum, strong at 
 all times ; but in stormy weather it cannot be resisted.
 
 n8 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 9 
 
 Falling into this current- therefore, the wise mariner 
 needeth but to row softly, or scarce at all, and lo, he 
 entereth into Capernaum as it were upon wings. Now 
 even such a wise mariner doth Jesus seem unto me." 
 
 I marvelled at his words. But Quartus perceived that 
 I understood him not ; and he continued, " I speak as 
 one groping in the dark. But the meaning of my parable 
 is this : The lake is the world ; the vessel is Israel ; and 
 Capernaum is redemption. Other pilots have striven 
 to guide Israel to redemption by dint of force, 
 but they have failed : Jesus is the true pilot, and 
 knoweth the currents and streams in the nature of 
 men and things ; and by his wisdom he thinketh to 
 guide us aright." 
 
 " But what," I asked, " are these streams and cur- 
 rents ? " Again Quartus was silent for a while, and 
 longer than before, so that by this time we were 
 almost come down from the mountain ; but at last he 
 said unto me, "What seemeth to thee the strongest 
 current in the nature of men ? " But, when I held my 
 peace, not knowing what to answer, he spake again 
 very earnestly, "Thou art a student of the sayings 
 of the Wise, Joseph, and canst answer with dis- 
 cerning. Tell me, then, on what standeth the earth ? " 
 Then I replied according to the saying, "Upon the 
 pillars; and the pillars upon the waters." "Yea/' 
 replied Quartus ; " and after these cometh the wind ; 
 and what after the wind ? " Then I said, " Beneath 
 the wind is the storm, and beneath the storm is the 
 arm of the Holy One ; for it is said, ' Underneath are 
 the Everlasting Arms/ ' Then said Quartus, " It is 
 so ; and verily the foundations of earth are the Ever-
 
 PHTLOCHRISTUS 1 1 9 
 
 lasting Arms of the Father in Heaven : but if the 
 Fatherhood of God be the strongest thing on earth, and 
 if this be the mightiest stream or current in the nature 
 of men, then how may we best sail with that current ? " 
 I remembered the words which Jesus had spoken that 
 we were to become as little children ; so I answered, 
 " I suppose, by approaching Him as children." 
 
 Here Judas interrupted us and said, " Nay, but 
 wisdom is the strongest thing in the world, for it is 
 written of wisdom, ' The Lord possessed me in the 
 beginning of His way, before His works of old. When 
 He appointed the foundations of the earth, then I was 
 by Him as one brought up with Him.' ' " Thou sayest 
 well," said Quartus, " but what human wisdom is like 
 unto that wisdom which revealeth God to men ? Now 
 as no child can understand his father unless he love 
 his father, so no man can know God (who is our 
 Father in Heaven) unless he love Him ; but whoso 
 loveth, understandeth ; therefore to love God is the 
 highest wisdom of man." Then Judas scoffed at him 
 and said, " This is nothing but repeating in new words 
 the old saying of the Law, ' Thou shalt love the Lord 
 thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and 
 with all thy mind, and with all thy strength/ What ! 
 do ye then deem our Master to be naught but a 
 merchant that retaileth old wares as if they were new ? " 
 So he left us and went on before. 
 
 But Quartus continued, "Judas saith truly that the 
 new Law ainieth at the same mark as the old Law. 
 But the means are diverse. For the old Law worketh 
 by purifications and feasts and sabbaths ; but the 
 new Law belike worketh in part by these means,
 
 120 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter $ 
 
 but in greater part by other means. And, as I 
 judge, Jesus goeth toward the end of the old Law ; but 
 by a path that is new, yea, altogether new. For I 
 have myself heard him say that the redeemers of old 
 were like unto thieves and robbers, using force and 
 violence ; but he himself cometh not like a thief over 
 the wall, but like the true shepherd through the door 
 of the fold, that is to say, through the path of Eedemp- 
 tion which God hath appointed. Now this path is 
 kindness or love. And Jesus saith that the former 
 redeemers failed of their purpose, for they thought 
 to redeem men by force ; but he will not fail, for he 
 purposeth to redeem men by gentleness. And he saith 
 that God ordaineth strength out of babes and sucklings, 
 and that the spirit of childhood is the conquering spirit 
 of the world. Kememberest thou not how our teacher 
 Philo said some things not much unlike to these, teach- 
 ing that the highest revelation of God is through love ? 
 Howbeit, none methinks, save Jesus only, can reveal this 
 revelation. For Philo testifieth of that which is behind 
 the veil ; but Jesus of Nazareth hath power to lift up 
 the veil." 
 
 By this time we had overtaken the others, whom we 
 found all sitting, and Jesus in the midst of them. 
 By the side of Jesus was a man bearing in his arms 
 a little child. He was come forth from a house nigh 
 to the place where Jesus sat, bringing a cup of water 
 for Jesus to drink. While Jesus was drinking, the 
 father still kept his eyes upon the child in his arms, 
 and his face was full of compassion and tenderness ; 
 for the child was very sickly. We soon perceived 
 that it was the same man that had denied to give us
 
 Chapter 9] PHILOCHRISTUS 121 
 
 guidance in the morning ; but at first we knew him 
 not ; pity and love had so transformed his counte- 
 nance. Now it came to pass that when Jesus had given 
 back the cup to the man, he laid his hands on the child 
 and blessed him. And as he blessed him, his face 
 shone as with the glory of the Lord ; and the little one 
 also seemed to rejoice and to partake in the brightness 
 of our Master's countenance. 
 
 "We both stood still, beholding Jesus. Then said 
 Quartus unto me, " Did not Eliezer the son of Arak 
 say truly, that 'Jesus looketh upon the book of the 
 world as well as upon the book of the Law, and seeth 
 in all things God ' ? For even as Elias the Prophet 
 loved to commune with God on the tops of mountains, 
 and in deserts, and in caves, and received revelations 
 of the Lord from earthquakes and fires, but most of all 
 from the still small voice ; even so doth our Master 
 look upon all things that are, yea even on the smallest 
 things that live or grow, and from all, he heareth a still 
 small voice that speaketh of the Father. Yea, and there 
 is yet more than this. For whithersoever he turneth 
 his face, methinks he giveth of his love to all things, 
 whether they be the flowers of the field, or the birds, 
 or the mountains, or the children of men : and because 
 he thus giveth, it is given to him again ; yea, wisdom 
 and joy and peace are given back to him, even from 
 things that have not life ; but most of all from the 
 children of men, which are made in the image of God. 
 Therefore said I that Jesus seemeth as the wise mariner 
 of whom we spake but now ; for, by the Word of God 
 in himself, he hath haply hit upon a certain current 
 in the nature of created things, whereby he will easily
 
 122 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 9 
 
 prevail over the blasts of all opposing storms, and be 
 carried into the haven of God, both he and all they 
 that put their trust in him." 
 
 " Thy words are fair," I replied, " but they do not 
 persuade me. That the love of children doth bind 
 husband and wife together, and that the bond of 
 families is the bond of nations, this I deny not. Per- 
 chance also the love that parents have to their children 
 may have lifted up the hearts of many in Israel, during 
 many generations, to the true God. But how we are 
 to take Jerusalem or thrust forth, the Romans from 
 Syria by becoming as little children, this passeth my 
 understanding. Or dost thou not believe that Jesus 
 will lead us against the Romans in Jerusalem ? " 
 
 " I know not," replied Quartus (who spoke as one 
 musing, and not giving heed to my question) ; " but 
 what troubleth me most of all is the fear lest the 
 knowledge of Jesus may haply perish with him ; 
 for if he hath (as I judge that he hath) a certain 
 inborn power of winning men over to his will by 
 kindness and gentleness, then, as it seemeth to me, 
 this power may be likened unto the fabled ring of 
 Solomon, which gave unto the owner well nigh whatso- 
 ever he desired. But there is this difference. The 
 ring could be delivered from one man to another ; 
 but the art or secret of Jesus is, in all likelihood, not 
 able to be delivered to them that shall come after ; but 
 it will perish with him. And then what becometh of 
 his Kingdom of God ? " 
 
 As long as Quartus was speaking I heard him gladly : 
 but when he had ceased, his words seemed like mist 
 in the morning sun ; but the words of Judas seemed
 
 Chapter 9] PHILOCHRISTUS 123 
 
 as the solid ground from which the mist rolleth away. 
 For what Quartus said was hard to understand ; but 
 the words of Judas seemed according to reason, and 
 very plain to be understood ; to wit, that the ordinances 
 given on the mountain of blessing were transitory, and 
 that we were still to wait for the New Law : and to 
 this I agreed, and not I only, but the most part of the 
 disciples.
 
 124 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 IT came to pass, not many days afterwards (about 
 a month after the Feast of the Harvest), that we 
 journeyed to Capernaum ; and Nathanael, and Gorgias 
 the son of Philip, and I, had been sent on before to 
 prepare a lodging. Now when we were standing at the 
 door of the house where we were to lodge, we heard a 
 sound as of many feet ; and, looking up, Gorgias said, 
 " See, hither cometh the Tetrarch's Thracian guard/' I 
 looked and saw a band of about three hundred men, of 
 a wild and savage aspect, bearing targets and girt with 
 scimitars. But Gorgias, noting as I suppose the anger 
 in my countenance, answered, " These dogs (may the 
 Lord destroy them root and branch !) are swift indeed 
 to shed the blood of women and children, but they are 
 as naught compared with the Romans. Could'st thou 
 but see a Roman legion how they march, these would 
 seem unto thee but as jackals at the lion's tail. Mark 
 but how the dogs straggle. But when the Romans 
 march, the spears in their hands all point one way, 
 and the swords by their sides hang all after one fashioo, 
 and even their stakes and tools (which they carry behind 
 their backs) do all swing to one time, and their feet, 
 arms, and heads, yea, even to the winking of their eyes,
 
 Chapter 10] PI1ILOCHRISTUS 125 
 
 go all together after the manner of a five-banked corn- 
 ship of Alexandria, with her five hundred oars all keep- 
 ing time ; and when they charge, they charge like ten 
 thousand elephants clad in iron. Moreover, they add 
 to their power so much wisdom, that when they halt 
 for the night, each man setteth up his stake in the 
 ground, and taketh his spade, and diggeth his portion 
 of trench before his stake, and behold, the solitary place 
 becometh in a trice a fortified city, with streets and 
 walls and ditches. Verily these Koman swine are all as 
 children of Satan ; but a Roman legion is as Satan him- 
 self." By this time our Master had arrived ; so I was 
 silent. But when he went into the house, I remained 
 without, musing ; for the words of Jesus came into my 
 mind again, concerning the entering into the Kingdom ; 
 and methought it would be very hard to overthrow these 
 Thracians, and much more the Romans, by becoming as 
 little children. 
 
 While I thought on these things there came to the 
 door of the house Jonathan the son of Ezra ; for he 
 knew that I was coming to Capernaum, and he had 
 appointed to meet me there. When he had greeted me 
 in loving terms, he said that he desired to speak with 
 me touching Jesus of Nazareth ; " For," said he, "I hear 
 that he turneth from him the minds of many, in that 
 he observeth not the Sabbath." I could not deny this ; 
 for indeed Jesus had oftentimes, during our journey in 
 Galilee, broken the Sabbath. Sometimes he had healed 
 the sick on the Sabbath ; and but lately on the Sabbath 
 before the Feast of the Harvest, he had healed one that 
 had an impediment in his speech ; and when certain of 
 the Pharisees had blamed it, he had said aloud, before
 
 ia6 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 10 
 
 all the people, that it was right to do good on the 
 Sabbath, but not to do evil. Moreover, he had not 
 rebuked them that carried the sick to him on the 
 Sabbath, though the bearing of burdens be forbidden. 
 Once, indeed, he had even commanded a sick man to 
 carry with him the bed whereon he lay. I therefore 
 held my peace, but Jonathan added, " Even though he 
 cure the sick on the Sabbath, yet why need he offend 
 the learned and the pious by bidding the sick bear 
 burdens on the day of rest ? Moreover, if he desire to 
 go more than a Sabbath day's journey on some errand of 
 mercy, why doth he not use the device of meat, so that 
 he may keep the letter of the Law ? Therefore, speak 
 thou unto him, as one that loveth him ; and warn him 
 that the Pharisees are wroth." 
 
 Then there came into my mind how, on the last 
 Sabbath day, Jesus had passed by a house in a certain 
 village, which was the house of a poor widow ; and a 
 great storm of wind and rain, which had arisen in the 
 night, had washed away some part of the wall thereof, 
 so that the rest was in danger to fall. And behold, a 
 man, a mason by trade, was working diligently to repair 
 the breach. When we saw it we were ready to take up 
 stones for to stone him ; but Jesus forbade us, and said 
 to the man, "Man, if thou knowest what thou doest, 
 blessed art thou ; but if thou knowest not what thou 
 doest, cursed art thou." l Thereat we all marvelled, and 
 there was much questioning among us. But when we 
 had considered the matter, we perceived no more but 
 this ; that Jesus would not have us to observe the 
 Sabbath as the Scribes observed it. 
 
 1 See Nets I.
 
 Chapter 10] PHILOCHRISTUS 127 
 
 I therefore replied that I durst not speak to Jesus, nor 
 did I believe that he would give heed to my speech : for 
 that I thought he brake the Sabbath, not out of heedless- 
 ness, but of set purpose. Jonathan was astonished at 
 these words, but I continued, " Not that our Master 
 aimeth at breaking the Sabbath : but if a sick man 
 needeth to be healed, he thinketh it right that the 
 Sabbath should be broken for the sick man's sake." Then 
 Jonathan said, " Then what new rule doth he teach ? 
 Doth he suffer you to go four thousand paces or even five 
 thousand paces on the Sabbath, instead of two thousand, 
 which the Law alloweth ? " But I replied, " Neither 
 four thousand paces, nor five thousand ; for our Master 
 maketh no rules. But, as it seemeth to me, there is in 
 him a certain spirit from God which prompteth him 
 to do this or that, and forbiddeth him to do otherwise : 
 and if the spirit of kindness say unto him * Go/ then he 
 will go and bid us go, though it be ten thousand or 
 twenty thousand paces ; and this, even on the Sabbath. 
 For, in fine, he saith that the Sabbath is made for man, 
 and not man for the Sabbath." 
 
 Hereat Jonathan was sorely grieved, and said, "If 
 this be so, I fear lest counsel be of no avail." But after 
 that he had weighed the matter, he said, " Even though 
 he be a prophet, and have a message from God, yet are 
 there seasons and ways of delivering a message ; and in 
 these matters the experience and counsel of old age may 
 have weight. Therefore I will adventure to speak to 
 him." I was glad that he had thus determined : for 
 many of us had desired to speak with Jesus. Yet I 
 feared lest Jonathan might not prevail. For I had 
 noted that Jesus at first brake the Sabbath, only when
 
 128 PHILOCHRISTUS \Chapter 10 
 
 a kindness compelled ; but when the Scribes and Phari- 
 sees were wroth, and strove to place the yoke on his 
 neck, so as to cause him to cease from good works on 
 the Sabbath, then he not only rebelled against it, but 
 made as if he would break the yoke from off the 
 necks of all, especially the poorer sort, to whom the 
 Sabbath was rather a burden than a joy. For the 
 more the Pharisees raged against him, the more he 
 made war against the Sabbath. Therefore I did not 
 forebode well for Jonathan : howbeit, I accompanied 
 him into the presence of Jesus. 
 
 When we entered into the house, behold, Barabbas 
 was with Jesus, beseeching him that he would not go 
 into the synagogue on the next Sabbath : " For," said 
 he, " the chief ruler of the synagogue hath a plot against 
 thee, and desireth to question thee touching the Sabbath, 
 that he may raise up a tumult of the people against 
 thee. For all the Pharisees and elders of the synagogue 
 are wroth with thee for the sake of the Sabbath, saying 
 that thou dost both break it and teach others also to 
 break it." 
 
 Hereon Jonathan, finding his occasion, spake to the 
 same effect, saying that all the Scribes in the country 
 round about Sepphoris had been turned away from 
 Jesus because it had been noised abroad that he 
 observed not the Sabbath. So he besought Jesus to 
 consider his course well : " Despise not instruction 
 from an elder, my son, even though thou art a 
 prophet. Art thou confident in thine heart that it 
 is a spirit from God, and not a spirit from Satan, 
 that tempteth thee thus to break the Sabbath ? Bethink 
 thee also how thou wilt cause the people of the land to
 
 PHILOCHR1STVS 129 
 
 go astray. For the simple walk by rules, and straighten 
 their path by ordinances. But lo, thou takest away 
 rules and ordinances ; and what dost thou leave in the 
 place thereof? I have heard from Eliezer the son of 
 Arak that a certain man was working even at his handi- 
 craft on the Sabbath day, and thou sawest him, and 
 didst not rebuke him : but didst say, that if he had 
 knowledge of that which he did, he was blessed ; but 
 if he had not that knowledge, he was accursed. Whence, 
 my son, should the simple and unlearned gain this 
 knowledge whereof thou speakest ? But if thou sayest, 
 'I am a prophet and will give them this knowledge,' 
 then remember that thou too art mortal, and as the 
 grass of the field ; and when thou shalt pass away, thy 
 knowledge shall perish with thee, unless it be set forth 
 in rules. But thou givest no rules to thy disciples. 
 
 " But come, let us reason together as though thou 
 wert altogether right in this matter, having a message 
 from God to us touching the Sabbath. Notwithstand- 
 ing, is there not a place and a time for delivering a 
 message, and a place and a time for concealing it ? 
 There is a time to go forward ; but is there not also 
 a time to make a stand ? It is good to set thy face 
 toward the light, that thou mayest advance ; but it is 
 good also to turn thy face from the light, that thou 
 mayest see whither thou hast advanced. Moreover, 
 why dost thou cause the Pharisees to stumble, and the 
 rich to take offence at thy doctrine ? Art thou not the 
 Redeemer of all Israel ? Are not the Pharisees also thy 
 brethren, and the rich also sheep of the flock ? Why 
 therefore dost thou drive them from the fold and cast 
 them forth into the wilderness ? If thou sayest, ' They 
 
 K
 
 1 3 o PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 10 
 
 are weak/ then take pity, my son, on the weak ones 
 of Israel, yea and perchance on thine own disciples, lest 
 they that may come after thee drink of thy doctrine 
 and die, and the Name of Heaven be profaned." 
 
 Now at the first the face of Jesus was not altered 
 toward Jonathan the son of Ezra, and he heard him 
 kindly, yet patiently withal, and as if he knew what 
 the old man would say, before he said it. But when 
 Jonathan begged him for compassion's sake not to cause 
 the weak ones to stumble, then the fashion of his 
 countenance was changed as if he would have wept, 
 and he seemed to us like one in sore straits, for he 
 changed colour and was silent. Judge, therefore, how 
 great was our astonishment when he stood up and 
 rebuked Jonathan as though his words were from Satan. 
 
 Perplexity and sore grief fell upon us all, and the 
 old man would have retired abashed. But Jesus took 
 him by the hand and constrained him to stay, and 
 made him sit down by his side and spake kindly unto 
 him. Yet he began to speak again of the words of 
 Jonathan as being a sore temptation, telling us how in 
 former times he had undergone a like temptation from 
 Satan. He had been in the wilderness, he said, and lo, 
 in a moment of time he had been borne to the top of a 
 mountain, whence he saw the kingdoms of the earth and 
 the glory thereof, and Satan said to him, "All these 
 things will I give unto thee, if thou wilt fall down and 
 worship me." 
 
 While w T e marvelled at the words of Jesus, and dis- 
 puted among ourselves how that temptation in the 
 wilderness could be like unto this temptation, behold, 
 Judas of Kerioth came into the chamber, saying the
 
 PHILOCHKISTUS 1 3 1 
 
 same things which Barabbas had said, to wit that the 
 Pharisees in Capernaum were laying a snare for Jesus, 
 for to catch him in his teaching, that they might cause 
 the people to stone him. But Jesus gave command 
 that we should pass over on the morrow to the other 
 side of the lake. 
 
 On the morrow, while we rowed across the lake, I 
 asked Nathanael what seemed to him the nature of 
 the temptation of Satan whereof Jesus had spoken. 
 Nathanael made answer and said, " Thou perceivest that 
 the heart of our Master overfloweth with pity for the 
 miseries of men; and even to redeem them from these 
 miseries he hath been sent by the Lord. Now as for 
 silver and gold, or fame, .or wisdom, none of these things 
 can in any wise tempt him once to go aside either to 
 the right hand or to the left from the straight path of 
 Redemption. Howbeit, pity and love can tempt him. 
 Wherefore the only temptation that can befal him is 
 from the Voice that saith, Be pitiful, even though thou 
 transgress in pitying ; Do evil that thou mayest do 
 good ; Gain power by crooked ways, that thou mayest 
 straighten the paths of salvation for them which wander 
 astray; Wink thou at falsehood, that they which err 
 may be guided toward truth." Now this Voice, as it 
 seemeth to me, is to our Master the Voice of Satan ; 
 and to listen to it is to bow down to Satan. And 
 Satan, perchance, knowing that in this way alone can 
 our Master be tempted, hath caused Jonathan the 
 son of Ezra to tempt him. But I know no more 
 than thou ; only such is my conjecture." 
 
 While we thus conversed together the boat drew 
 nigh unto the eastern shore. The mountains came 
 
 K 2
 
 1 32 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 10 
 
 down to the water's edge, so close, and so precipitous 
 withal, that there was scarce space enough to land: 
 and, because the sun still lay low in the east, all 
 was dark before us, though the waters behind us 
 shone fair and bright. But when we were now enter- 
 ing under the shadow of the cliffs, so that we could 
 discern things more clearly, we perceived that there 
 was a margin of shore, but narrow and exceeding 
 rocky, strewn all over with large and small frag- 
 ments of black rock, which had fallen from the 
 mountain above. Then suddenly there fell on our 
 ears a marvellous strange cry, neither as of a man 
 nor yet as of a wild beast; and while we ceased 
 rowing for to listen, behold, yet another cry, more 
 piercing and strange than the first, and then straight- 
 way another : and withal the rocks and cliffs took 
 up the sound and multiplied it, and tossed it this 
 way and that way till all the land seemed alive with 
 the clamour. But Gorgias trembled and said it was 
 an evil spirit, for, said he, " There be burial-places 
 in this part of the coast." Then Peter cried aloud 
 and said, " I see a form as of a man, lank and lean, 
 coming out from the rocks ; and it is naked." Then 
 some of us bade steer towards another part of the 
 coast; but Jesus commanded to keep on our course. 
 
 Now when we landed, we perceived that it was a 
 man, but he was one possessed with evil spirits. For 
 he had chains about his body ; and he had cut and 
 lanced his flesh with grievous wounds. "When he saw 
 us, he took up stones to cast at us, so that we feared 
 to approach him ; and certain shepherds from afar off 
 beckoned to us to go back from him. But Jesus went
 
 Chapter 10] PHILOCHRISTUS 133 
 
 before the rest of us and accosted him. And lo, at 
 the voice of Jesus, the man straightway let the stones 
 fall from his hands ; and, for a moment, he stood as 
 one astonied and in a trance. Then he shrieked 
 aloud and made answer to Jesus in two voices, after 
 the manner of those possessed with unclean spirits. 
 For at one time the man spake, and at another the 
 devils. But the devils, speaking in a deep hollow 
 voice, declared that they were swine, and three thousand 
 in number, and that their name was Legion. Moreover 
 they besought Jesus that he would not send them into 
 the abyss (for by this name do the evil spirits use to 
 call that place wherein they must needs wander so 
 long as they have no bodies of men to dwell in), but 
 that he would suffer them to remain in the man's body. 
 But Jesus drove them out, and the Legion went forth 
 into the abyss, to the number of three thousand, and 
 in the shapes of swine. But Jesus did not suffer the 
 man to accompany him, but bade him return to his 
 friends, and to tell them what great things the Lord 
 had done for him. 
 
 This mighty work of Jesus I have set down the 
 more exactly, because no such unclean spirit as this 
 was ever cast out by any other exorcist. For other 
 men have been possessed with swine, or toads, or 
 scorpions, or serpents, but not with many in number, 
 seldom with more than seven. But this man was 
 possessed with three thousand swine. For I not only 
 heard him say this to Jesus, but he also repeated 
 it to me ; for I conversed with him. He told me also 
 that he himself saw the three thousand swine go 
 forth and run, first upward, and then violently down
 
 I34 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 10 
 
 from the cliff, even to the abyss. Now the man was 
 a Gadarene, a Jew by birth, and a patriot, one of 
 the sect of the Galileans. Howbeit, living in Gadara, 
 which is a Greek city, he had suffered himself to 
 become defiled, and had rejected the Law and the 
 Worship, and had eaten swine's flesh. But it came to 
 pass that on a certain day, even at the hour of prayer, 
 when he thought on these things, a darkness fell, upon 
 his soul, and he saw sights of demons ; and sometimes 
 also he saw the sun as though it were red as blood ; 
 and he loathed his food as it had been poison. And 
 this continued for the space of six months. But at 
 the end of the six months, on a certain Sabbath, as 
 he stood in the streets of Gadara, so it was that there 
 came a cohort, which is the tenth part of a Roman 
 legion, marching through the town. And he turned 
 and cursed them in the name of the Lord ; and lo, as 
 the curse went forth from his mouth, the devils entered 
 into him in the shape of a legion of swine ; and they 
 possessed him even to the day when Jesus healed 
 him. All this I heard from the demoniac himself. 
 
 When Jesus had worked this miracle we all rejoiced 
 greatly ; for we thought that whoso could do so mighty 
 a work, to him all things were possible ; and we desired 
 Jesus to go back to the other side of the lake, and there 
 to work miracles that he might convince the Pharisees. 
 But we marvelled that Jesus set so little store on his 
 mighty works, insomuch that he even seemed often- 
 times unwilling to work them. Many also he wrought 
 in private ; and many he would fain have kept secret, 
 but he could not. Now when I asked Nathanael (for 
 he was as it were an interpreter unto me to explain
 
 Chapter 10] PHILOCHBISTUS 135 
 
 such sayings of Jesus as were hard to understand) for 
 what cause Jesus lightly esteemed his own miracles, he 
 asked me whether I had not noted how the common 
 folk resorted to Jesus as a mere worker of wonders, 
 so that sometimes they even interrupted his discourse, 
 being desirous that Jesus should cease to teach that 
 he might begin to work cures. " Now Jesus," he said, 
 " doth not desire that men should come to him merely 
 as the healer of their bodies, but as the healer also 
 of their souls." 
 
 "For this cause," said Nathanael, "Jesus often 
 biddeth such as he healeth in Galilee to keep silence, 
 although he suffered the Gadarene in these distant 
 parts to make it known. For he deemeth it his 
 especial work not so much to drive out diseases and 
 evil spirits from the body, as rather to heal the soul, 
 ministering bread to the hungry and wine to them 
 that are athirst, loosing the tongue of the dumb, and 
 causing the deaf to hear, opening the eyes of the 
 blind, and making the lame to leap as a hart in the 
 paths of salvation." 
 
 We made no long stay on the eastern side of the 
 lake ; but when we came again to Capernaum we found 
 the hearts of the people turned from us. For not only 
 did the chief ruler and the elders of the synagogue 
 watch us, as before, if perchance they could take us at 
 an advantage ; but the zeal of the townsmen also 
 seemed to have waxed cold. Scarcely had our boat 
 touched the strand at Capernaum when my uncle 
 Manasseh met me. He took me aside and spake with 
 me very earnestly, saying that he had rebuked his son 
 Baruch for his slackness at business, because poverty
 
 136 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 10 
 
 was coming upon them as an armed man, by reason 
 of his constant attending on Jesus; and he added, 
 "It is true also of thee as of Baruch, 'He becometh 
 poor that dealeth with a slack hand; but the hand 
 of the diligent maketh rich. He that gathereth in 
 summer is a wise son ; but he that sleepeth in harvest 
 is a son that causeth shame." J "And what said 
 Baruch ? " I asked. " He hath consented to my 
 words," said Manasseh, " and hath promised that he 
 will no longer accompany this Jesus of Nazareth in 
 his wanderings : and do thou the like." But this I 
 would not do ; so we parted in anger. 
 
 Not a few left Jesus at this time, mostly they of the 
 wealthier sort, as were Baruch and Manasseh ; some 
 going back to their vineyards, others to their olive- 
 presses, others to the dye-works and glass-furnaces, 
 whereof there were many in Galilee. But the poorer 
 sort joined themselves to Jesus as much as before, 
 being drawn unto him by the fame of his mighty 
 works. Howbeit they also began to wax impatient 
 that Jesus should give the sign for war. Nor did they 
 give now much heed to the w r ords of Jesus ; but they 
 paid regard to him as to some great exorcist and 
 sorcerer, who useth his art for good ends. Therefore 
 the heart of our Master was sad at this time ; and he 
 was grieved that the simple folk knew him not : and 
 their words of praise were an abomination to him. 
 
 Now it came to pass that on the third day after we 
 had returned to Capernaum, the fame of Jesus, how he 
 had driven out the legion of swine into the abyss, 
 having been now noised abroad on our side of the lake, 
 behold, the common people thronged him more than
 
 PHILOCHRISTUS 1 3 7 
 
 before ; insomuch that, when he began to teach the 
 people on the shore after his manner, during the cool 
 of the evening, they pressed in upon him and inter- 
 rupted him, so that he was not able to continue his 
 discourse. But Jesus, being grieved thereat, gave com- 
 mand to Peter and to Andrew that they should straight- 
 way launch a boat ; and he went on board. When the 
 people saw it, they made lamentation ; but the boat 
 was stayed at about fifty paces from the land ; and 
 Jesus sat in the boat and taught us while we stood 
 on the shore. 
 
 When he opened his mouth, we perceived that he 
 taught after a new fashion. For he no longer said 
 " Do this," " Do not that " ; but he spake in parables. 
 Now almost all the teaching of the Wise is in parables, 
 and Jesus also had before taught in parables ; but these 
 parables had been short, and along with the parables 
 there had been added the interpretation thereof. But 
 it was not so now ; for the parable was naught but a 
 tale about a certain sower, how he sowed seed on 
 several kinds of ground : of the seeds, some falling on 
 rock were destroyed by birds ; others by heat and the 
 shallowness of the soil ; others by weeds ; but some 
 brought forth fruit. 
 
 Hereat certain murmured, and Gorgias said aloud, 
 " Doth he think to redeem Sion with a tale ? Lo, the 
 prophet John is in prison, and the men of Galilee 
 wait but for a nod from Jesus to rescue him ; and our 
 Master rescueth him not, but openeth his mouth in dark 
 sayings." But the greater number listened all agape, 
 as though spell-bound ; for the very voice of Jesus had 
 power to bind the souls of a multitude. Howbeit, when
 
 I3 3 PIIILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 10 
 
 evening, or at the most when the morrow came, the 
 parable had clean vanished out of the minds of the 
 greater part. Notwithstanding some (but these only 
 a very few) stored up the words of Jesus in their 
 hearts, and diligently pondered them. 
 
 In the evening I went with the rest to Jesus ; and we 
 besought him to tell us what the parable might mean, 
 and also why he taught thus in parables. When he had 
 answered, I perceived the meaning of the parable, how 
 that Abuyah the son of Elishah, and Eliezer the son of 
 Arak, were the rocky ground from which the birds picked 
 up the seed ; but Baruch, and such as Baruch, were the 
 shallow ground ; and Manasseh and the rich merchants 
 and artificers were the fertile ground wherein weeds 
 choked the seed. But still we were fain to know why 
 he spake in parables. 
 
 When we again questioned him of this, behold, Jesus 
 cried aloud with an exceeding bitter cry, saying, in 
 the words of the Prophet Isaiah : "I heard the voice 
 of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who will 
 go for us ? Then said I, Here am I ; send me. And 
 the Lord said, ' Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, 
 but understand not ; and see ye indeed, but perceive 
 not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their 
 ears heavy, and shut their eyes ; lest they see with 
 their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand 
 with their heart, and be converted, and be healed/ " 
 
 Then were we all sad, and sat silent for a while ; for 
 our Master's face was full of sorrow, and this was, as it 
 were, the first shadow of evil that had fallen upon our 
 path. Moreover we began to fear that, as in the days 
 of Isaiah, so it would be now. The Lord had sent his
 
 Chapter 10] PHILOCHRISTUS 139 
 
 prophet, even Jesus of Nazareth ; but the hearts of the 
 people would be hardened against the words of the 
 prophet ; yea, the prophet himself would seem to make 
 the hearts of the people hard and not soft, as it was 
 with Abuyah the son of Elishah and Eliezer the son 
 of Arak, whose hearts were made fat and their ears 
 heavy by the words of Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 For we perceived in part his meaning, to wit, not 
 that he desired in truth to shut the eyes of the people, 
 but that he was constrained of the Lord to preach the 
 Gospel, and all pressed to hear it ; yet could he in 
 no wise preach it so as to make it plain to all, but only 
 to a few. For behold, he had made trial of the plain 
 way of teaching, and men had thought they had under- 
 stood him, but they had understood him not ; but had 
 esteemed him lightly, as little better than an exorcist. 
 For his words had not pierced into their hearts, but 
 had rested without, as seeds on the wayside ; insomuch 
 that they had been carried away by the angels of Satan. 
 Therefore must he now adventure a new path of 
 teaching to the end that, at the least, some few of 
 us might be convinced of our want of understanding, 
 so that we might seek and find the truth ; but, to 
 the most, all things should be in darkness, yea, the 
 light itself should be as darkness unto the most. 
 
 All this the Lord Jesus spake more clearly afterwards, 
 when he perceived the will of the Father that only 
 a few should be chosen, though many were called : 
 but at this time (perchance because it had been but 
 newly revealed to him) he spake more darkly and 
 with a greater bitterness of sorrow. Howbeit when 
 he had lifted up his head and perceived that we also
 
 I4 o rHILOCHRISTUS \Chapter\Q 
 
 were weighed clown with his affliction, then straight- 
 way he made himself to be of a cheerful countenance, 
 and comforted us, saying, "Unto you it is given to 
 know the mysteries of the kingdom of God ; but 
 unto them that are without, all things are done in 
 parables." Then he bade us take heed that we taught 
 others even as he had taught us ; for, said he, " with 
 what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you." 
 He said also, " Take heed how ye hear ; for whosoever 
 hath, to him shall be given, and whosoever hath not, 
 from him shall be taken even that which he hath." 
 These latter words we understood not then ; but, as I 
 take it, the meaning of Jesus was twofold ; first, that 
 whoso had not faith nor honesty would receive damage 
 (even as Judas received damage, and not advantage) 
 from the doctrine of Jesus ; but, secondly, he seemed to 
 mean that the doctrine was, as it were, lent to each of 
 the disciples, as money upon usury ; each being bound 
 to traffic with the doctrine in the commerce of his 
 own thoughts, so as to add thereto. In the same 
 way he told us, at another time, that we were to bring 
 forth out of our treasuries things new as well as old ; 
 and he also bade us to " be trustworthy bankers." * 
 For of all things Jesus misliked that we should repeat 
 his words by rote ; nor did he even bid us copy his 
 actions exactly (but he even said that a time should 
 come when we should do greater works than he had 
 done) ; and the like also of his words. For this cause 
 perchance, Jesus spake afterwards to us also, even to 
 us his disciples, sometimes in dark sayings ; to the 
 intent that we might ponder, and ask and know the 
 
 1 See Note I.
 
 Chapter 10] PHILOCIIRISTUS 141 
 
 truth. For albeit we often feared to ask him questions 
 (because of our folly and our want of faith), yet did 
 he ever desire us to question him ; teaching us that 
 only to them that knock, is the door opened ; and only 
 to them that hunger, is given of the bread of Life. 
 
 When we went forth from the chamber, Gorgias said, 
 " "What meaneth the Prophet ? Doth he say that who- 
 soever is rich, he shall be made richer ? And whosoever 
 is poor, shall he also be made poorer?" Hereat we 
 all smiled ; for we knew that our Master spake not of 
 money, but of wisdom : and one made answer to 
 Gorgias to this effect. Then said Judas, " But if Jesus 
 mean wisdom, then how sayeth he ' With what 
 measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you ? ' But 
 Jonathan the son of Ezra replied, " Is not this even 
 according to the saying of the Wise, ' Man is born to 
 learn in order to teach ? ' And again, ' He that learneth 
 the Law and doth not teach it, he it is that despiseth 
 the Name of the Lord.' Therefore the meaning of 
 Jesus is, that if a man teach others what he hath 
 learned, the angels give into his bosom a hundredfold 
 reward." To this Nathanael agreed, and he added, " The 
 reward is not as a price that is paid, so many shekels 
 for so much teaching ; but it is even as the rain coineth 
 from the cloud, or as heat cometh from the fire. Even so 
 doth wisdom come from teaching. For wisdom is not 
 as a dead block that wasteth with the using, but as a 
 living thing that groweth with exercise. But most 
 of all is this true of that kind of wisdom whereof our 
 Master speaketh." 
 
 Then Judas said, "But I would to God that our 
 Master would leave off to speak of wisdom and would
 
 142 PUILOCURISTUS [Chapter 10 
 
 do somewhat." And Gorgias said Amen to that. But 
 Simon Peter replied: "It is said, 'Take to thyself a 
 master, and be quit of doubt.' Now my Master is 
 Jesus of Nazareth, and I purpose not to spend the time 
 in doubting, nor to halt between many opinions. For 
 the man that is given to much doubting, to what is 
 he like ? He is like unto a ship with many pilots, 
 which attaineth not to the harbour. Therefore have I 
 settled my mind to believe that whatsoever Jesus 
 doeth, that is righteousness, and whatsoever he pur- 
 poseth, that is wisdom." 
 
 To this we agreed, and no more was said. Howbeit 
 many of us could not so far constrain ourselves, but 
 we had some searchings of heart ; and passing clouds 
 of trouble sometimes crossed our souls for that the 
 Pharisees were set against us, and because Jesus him- 
 self had that day seemed like unto one bearing a burden 
 of the Lord. Notwithstanding on the rnorrow r , when we 
 looked upon his countenance, full of brightness and 
 cheerfulness, and when we heard him speak, after his 
 wont, of the greatness and the glory of the Kingdom 
 that was to come, behold, all our dark thoughts had 
 immediately vanished away.
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 AMONG them that came to Jesus, a few were outcasts 
 from the synagogue's, or, as they were called, " sinners " ; 
 and it grieved the chief ruler of the synagogue in 
 Capernaum and the elders of that synagogue that 
 Jesus should receive such people. But Jesus received 
 them gladly, and his anger waxed daily hotter against 
 the rulers of the synagogues and against the Scribes, 
 " because," said he, " they kept the key of the Kingdom, 
 and yet they would neither enter in themselves nor 
 suffer others to enter in." He also spake sometimes of 
 a new Key which he must give to his disciples ; but 
 this, as yet, he spake not clearly. But as I remember, 
 these words concerning the Scribes were spoken when 
 Jesus first heard of the story of Hannah ; which I will 
 set down here, though the matter occurred some days 
 before. 
 
 There lived in Capernaum a certain woman whose 
 name was Hannah, sister of the mother of Nathanael. 
 This woman was afflicted by Satan, so that she could 
 not stand upright, but was bowed down to the earth. 
 Now it came to pass that on a certain day when 
 Nathanael visited her in her affliction, behold, the 
 Rabbi Eliezer was in her house, questioning her touch-
 
 i 4 4 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 11 
 
 ing her sins. And Eliezer liad persuaded the woman 
 that she was guilty of many sins ; for enquiring 
 whether she had visited any of her acquaintance on 
 the Sabbath, he found that one of them, a widow, old 
 and bed-ridden, lived somewhat more than two thou- 
 sand paces from her house ; wherefore he declared that 
 Hannah had broken the Law in visiting this poor widow 
 on the Sabbath. Moreover he reproved Hannah because 
 she had borne burdens on the Sabbath, in that she had 
 worn ribbons upon her garment during the Sabbath, 
 which ribbons were not sewn to her garment ; neither 
 had she observed the Law of the Sabbath as touching 
 things that are not living. Many other like sins did 
 Eliezer reprove in Nathanael's kinswoman. 
 
 But when she sought how to be forgiven, he said, 
 " Thou hast not sinned against man, but against God. 
 If a man sin against men, the judge shall judge him : 
 but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat 
 for him ? But give of thy substance to the treasury 
 of the synagogue, and I will entreat for thee if per- 
 chance the Lord will deal mercifully with thee. How- 
 beit thou must needs wait till the Day of Atonement : 
 for until that day thou mayest not be forgiven. But 
 in the mean season fast, and eat no pleasant food, 
 nor drink wine : but afflict thy soul before the face 
 of the All-merciful (blessed is He) if perchance He may 
 incline His ear unto thy prayer." 
 
 Now when Hannah heard these things, her spirit 
 fainted within her, and she knew not what to do, and 
 she cried aloud to Eliezer, " Alas ! the Angel of Death 
 is even now upon my threshold, and my sins weigh 
 heavily upon me. I beseech thee therefore, entreat the
 
 rniLOCHRISTUS 145 
 
 Lord for me, that He may forgive me immediately, lest 
 I die unforgiven." But he made answer, as before, 
 that she must needs wait till the Day of Atonement ; 
 and he made ready to depart. Then she caught him 
 by the garment to entreat him ; but he would not stay, 
 but went out. 
 
 On the third day after these things, it came to pass 
 that seven evil spirits entered into Hannah and possessed 
 her in the shapes of swine ; and Eliezer heard it, and 
 said that it was a judgment of the Lord. Then was 
 Nathanael sorely grieved, -arid he came to Jesus and told 
 him everything ; both that which Eliezer had said, and 
 how Hannah had cried unto him, and afterwards how the 
 evil spirits had entered into her. Rut Jesus (as it was re- 
 ported to me by Nathanael), being exceeding wroth, arose 
 in haste upon hearing of this story ; and he went forth 
 straightway to the house of Hannah and cast out the 
 seven devils, and bade her be of good cheer and live in 
 peace. And then it was that he uttered this saying 
 against the Scribes, whereof I made mention above, 
 namely that they kept the key of the Kingdom of God, 
 but would neither enter in themselves, nor suffer others 
 to enter in. 
 
 Now it happened that,, soon after these things, I 
 brought Nathanael to visit the Rabbi Jonathan at his 
 lodging in Capernaum ; and we found there the aforesaid 
 Eliezer the son of Arak conversing with him. When 
 Eliezer saw us, he complained sorely of the light- 
 mindedness (so he called it) which our Master mani- 
 fested in receiving sinners. But Jonathan replied saying 
 that the cause lay in the exceeding gentleness of our 
 Master, because he knew not the evil nature of man. 
 
 L
 
 I4 6 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 11 
 
 "For," said he, "from his birth upward, Jesus of 
 Nazareth hath moved in Paradise; and being himself 
 good, pure, and gentle, he believeth that others also are 
 in their thoughts like unto himself, and that they need 
 but a little help to make them in their deeds like unto 
 himself. For he esteemeth of sin as being naught but 
 an infirmity. But time and experience will open his 
 eyes." 
 
 Then answered Nathanael and said to Eliezer, " But is 
 it not truly said, son of Arak, that ' The perfection 
 of wisdom is repentance ? ' and again, ' When a man 
 hath been wholly wicked, and hath repented at last, 
 the Holy One receiveth him"? Nay, it is added that, 
 ' If a sinner repent, all the transgressions which he hath 
 committed are imputed to him as merits,' and that 
 ' Kepentance was created before the world.' How then 
 is our Master wrong in receiving them that repent ? " 
 But Eliezer answered, with an austere countenance, that 
 repentance availed nothing without works ; and he 
 quoted the saying, " No boor is a sin-fearer ; nor is the 
 vulgar pious " ; and another saying which warneth men 
 " Not to frequent the company of the unlearned." 
 " Moreover," he added, " the All-seeing (blessed is He) 
 alone knoweth the hearts of men, and discerneth the 
 true repentance from the false. "Wherefore none can 
 forgive sins but God alone." 
 
 Then Nathanael, remembering how great an evil had 
 befallen his kinswoman through the hardness of Eliezer, 
 became exceeding wroth, and brake out into bitter 
 accusations against the Scribes, because they despised 
 the people of the land: "For lo," he said, "more 
 than half of Israel even now goeth down to the pit of
 
 rll] PHILOCHRISTUS 147 
 
 destruction, and ye raise no hand to save them. Yea, 
 when the drowning ones lift up their heads from the 
 waters and cry saying, ' We are alive, help us/ then 
 stand ye on the bank and answer, saying, ' Down, 
 down, ye ought not to be alive, ye are not alive.' 
 For ye say that ye make fences to keep in the Law ; 
 but ye make fences indeed to keep out the people 
 from the Law. Wherefore your fences are as offences, 
 and ye are guilty of the blood of half the nation of 
 Israel in the sight of the Lord." 
 
 Then Eliezer arose in wrath, and as he went to the 
 door, he turned and looked on Nathanael and said, 
 " Like master, like scholar : " and so he went out. But 
 when he was departed, Jonathan said to us, " Eliezer 
 spake unadvisedly and harshly ; yet is there truth in 
 his words. For when we shun the ' unlearned ' and 
 the ' vulgar/ or the people of the land, we mean 
 such as have not learned their duties toward God and 
 man, which also are wholly given up to the things of 
 earth. Such men are lovers of self, wallowing in carnal 
 lusts : and are they not to be blamed ? " 
 
 To this Nathanael replied, " True, my father ; and 
 if all the teachers of Israel were as thou art, verily 
 Israel would be blessed. But do not the Scribes cast 
 out many from the synagogues for small matters, even 
 though they perform the weightier duties ? Yea, I 
 myself have heard Eliezer say many times, ' Hasten to 
 a light precept ' ; and I have seen him to be more 
 angered for a light transgression than a heavy one. Also 
 many of them say that a ' vulgar ' person is one that 
 repeateth not the daily Krishma, or weareth not 
 phylacteries, or fringes, or doth not wait on the learned. 
 
 L 2
 
 148 PHILOCHRISTUS 
 
 These things do the Scribes exalt, but they pass over 
 justice, mercy, righteousness, and truth." 
 
 Jonathan made no answer to this at first ; but 
 presently he sighed and said, " Truly we have need 
 of a discerning spirit ; and we should pray unto 
 the All-seeing (blessed is He) that we may not 
 make defiled the pure, nor make pure the defiled, and 
 that we may not bind the loosed nor loose the bound." 
 No one spake further about this matter. But Nathanael 
 sat musing, while I conversed with Jonathan concerning 
 his return to Sepphoris and concerning certain messages 
 which I desired that he should deliver to my mother. 
 Presently we bade farewell to Jonathan and departed. 
 
 But as we passed through the street together, 
 Nathanael still mused, and, as it seemed to me, was 
 repeating to himself the words of Jonathan, " That we 
 may not bind the loosed nor loose the bound." Then 
 he turned to me and said, " Joseph, is there not a 
 certain saying touching the destroying of the Evil 
 Nature ? " " Yes, of a truth is there," replied I ; " for 
 it is said that it shall come to pass, in the time to 
 come, that the Holy One will bring the Evil Nature, 
 and slay him in the presence of the righteous and in 
 the presence of the wicked." Then Nathanael smote 
 his hands together for joy, and lifted up his voice and 
 said " Perchance, therefore/ in the day of the Eedemp- 
 tion of Sion, the Evil Nature shall be utterly destroyed, 
 and we shall no longer pray according to the prayer of 
 Jonathan the son of Ezra, that we may not loose the 
 bound ; for all shall be loosed." 
 
 While he spake thus, somewhat loudly, behold, a 
 certain Barachiah the son of Zadok heard the last words
 
 Chapter 11] PUILOCHRISTUS 149 
 
 of Nathanael ; and he cried after us and mocked at 
 us and our Nazarene prophet, for so h& called Jesus. 
 Now this man was a beggar, crook-backed and lame, 
 and of a malignant disposition, one that took pleasure 
 in slander and mischief: and oftentimes he had thrust 
 himself in the path of Jesus and had besought Jesus to 
 heal him of his deformity. But Jesus would not. So 
 this man called after us, mocking us and imitating 
 the voice of Jesus and saying, " Go in peace, go in 
 peace." 
 
 Then I began to question Nathanael why Jesus had 
 not healed this Barachiah.: Nathanael answered and 
 said, "Because he hath not faith. Moreover, as thou 
 knowest, Jesus doth not adventure to heal all afflictions 
 and all diseases. And even if the affliction be such as 
 can be healed, yet he healeth not, except there be .first 
 faith." Then I said, " But how doth he discern such 
 as have faith from such as have not faith ? " But 
 Nathanael answered, " I know not ; and indeed it is a 
 marvel to me to see how he healeth the sick. But he 
 speaketh of these mighty works as being prepared for 
 him beforehand in heaven. And indeed it seemeth to 
 me that whensoever Jesus doeth a mighty work on earth, 
 he seeth it also done, in that instant, in heaven. For 
 he looketh upon the body of the sick man with his 
 eyes ; but with his spirit methinks he looketh on the 
 spirit of the man in heaven ; and there he seeth a 
 Hand, even the Hand of the Everlasting Arm ; and 
 whatsoever the Hand worketh in heaven, even that 
 doth Jesus work on earth ; and if he seeth the Hand 
 unloosing the chain from the spirit of the man in 
 heaven, then Jesus unlooseth the chain on earth. But
 
 1 5 o PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 11 
 
 if he seeth that the Hand in heaven moveth not, then 
 his hand also is stayed on earth." 
 
 But I said, " When Jesus hath healed the sick, he 
 biddeth them go in peace, as Barachiah but now cried 
 after us. Now if there be no peace in the man's heart, 
 how can he go in peace ? Doth Jesus therefore make 
 peace in the man's heart ? Or is it that he merely seeth 
 peace in the man's heart, and speaketh aloud that which 
 he seeth ? " " Both," replied Nathanael ; " at least, so it 
 seemeth to me. For I judge that Jesus not only dis- 
 cerneth peace, but also maketh peace. Likewise also he 
 seemeth to me to make faith. I know not how it is, 
 but of late a certain Mattathias described to me the 
 manner in which Jesus had dealt with him. Now this 
 Mattathias was afflicted with a disease in his feet, inso- 
 much that he had not walked for these three years : and 
 he was carried by his friends into the presence of Jesus. 
 ' And/ said he, ' before I saw Jesus, I had scarce any 
 hope that he might be able to help me ; but when I 
 looked upon Jesus, and saw what a strength shone in 
 his countenance, then I began to have faith, but not 
 much ; for still I feared more than I hoped. Yet as 
 Jesus healed first one and then another (for there were 
 many waiting to be healed before me) my faith grew 
 stronger and stronger. But when Jesus was come to the 
 bed whereon I lay, he fixed his eyes steadfastly upon me, 
 so that the brightness thereof passed like purifying fire 
 into my soul ; and he looked up unto heaven and then 
 down upon me, and it was as if he had been wrestling 
 with the evil spirit of faithlessness in my heart and had 
 quite driven it out. For now, behold, of a sudden, 
 my doubts and fears and troubles were all clean gone, and
 
 Chapter II] PHILOCHRISTUS 151 
 
 my heart was as light as air, and a certain irresistible 
 faith possessed me ; insomuch that, though I lay still on 
 my bed, I knew that I had been made whole and that 
 I needed naught save the bidding of Jesus to tell me 
 when to arise. And when the word came, I arose/ 
 Now," said Nathanael, " thus spake Mattathias to me. 
 But if he spake aright, then methinks Jesus hath a 
 power to create faith in the heart as well as to heal 
 the diseases of the body." 
 
 All that night I meditated upon the words of Nathanael 
 and upon the story of Mattathias : for that a prophet 
 should cure diseases seemed possible, though wonderful; 
 but that any one, yea, even though he were the Re- 
 deemer of Israel himself, should have power to create 
 peace and faith, this indeed seemed a marvellous and 
 almost an impossible thing. But it came to pass that 
 on the morning of the very next day, as I remember, 
 we went into the house of a certain rich man with 
 Jesus ; and a great company was assembled (some 
 oecause of the mighty work that Jesus had wrought 
 on the Gadarene, but others, of the richer sort, because 
 they desired to abet the plotting of the Pharisees against 
 him), and Jesus was now on the point to speak to the 
 people, when a noise was heard from the roof above. 
 There had been, no small stir, even before, near the door 
 of the house, and none had taken heed thereof; but 
 now we looked up, and behold, one sick of the palsy in 
 a bed was let down by ropes, until the bed reached the 
 place where Jesus was ; for he sat in the gallery that 
 ran round the court-yard, but we stood in the court- 
 yard below. Now many of us thought that Jesus would 
 not heal one that thus thrust himself into the midst of
 
 i 5 2 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 1 1 
 
 the people, interrupting his exhortation and doctrine ; 
 and some cried out to remove the man, but others cried 
 out Nay. Howbeit, when Jesus gave command that 
 there should be silence, there was silence, even such a 
 silence that men feared almost to breathe ; so great was 
 the expectation of all to sec what Jesus would do. 
 
 Then sounded forth these words above the heads of all 
 the congregation, full of pity, yet like unto the sound of 
 a silver trumpet in clearness : " Thy sins be forgiven 
 thee." I myself was so far off that I heard the words, 
 but could not see the countenance of Jesus. But they 
 that saw him told me that it was even as Nathanael 
 had described unto me the healing of Mattathias. For 
 Jesus fixed his eyes steadfastly on the man, as if he 
 saw, not the man himself, but the man's angel standing 
 in heaven bound before the throne of God, with the 
 chains of Satan round him, and all the host of heaven 
 looking thereon. " His countenance also shone as the 
 -sun : pity and sorrow were there, but pity and sorrow 
 swallowed up in the brightness and glory of joy and 
 triumph ; and the sick man's face gave back the bright- 
 ness. But when Jesus perceived that the time had 
 come, and that the word of God had gone forth, and 
 that the chains in heaven had been broken, then 
 Jesus spake and broke the chains on earth." So spake 
 one unto me afterwards, describing the manner of Jesus, 
 how he forgave the palsied man. 
 
 But after the first silence there arose a great murmur- 
 ing and the sound of many voices disputing. The voice 
 of Eliezer was clearly heard saying, " This man blas- 
 phemeth ; who can forgive sins but God alone ? " " Yea," 
 said another, " and sins are forgiven not on earth, but in
 
 Chapter \ 1 j PHILOCHRISTUS 1 5 3 
 
 heaven, at the last day." But others mocking said 
 that the sick man seemed not yet to have gained much 
 profit, albeit his sins had been forgiven. All this noise 
 and stir ceased at once when Jesus began to speak. He 
 said, " Why reason ye these things in your hearts ? 
 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, 
 ' Thy sins be forgiven thee/ or to say ' Arise, and take 
 up thy bed and walk ' ? But that ye may know that the 
 Son of Man hath authority even upon earth to forgive 
 sins "- here he paused and stood up, and behold, the 
 whole of the congregation was constrained to stand up 
 with one consent ; insomuch that I saw even Eliezer the 
 son of Arak standing up with the rest, and his face was 
 kindling as the faces of the rest, and the silence was 
 even such as could be felt, and the palsied man himself 
 seemed half to raise himself in his bed in expectation : 
 and, like a shock, there fell on us the word " Arise." 
 And lo, the man arose at once, and stood straight up, 
 and Jesus said to him, "Take up thy bed, and go thy 
 way into thy house." And immediately he arose, took 
 up his bed, and went forth whole before them all. 
 
 Then were all amazed, and glorified God, and some 
 said, " We never saw it in this fashion." But others 
 praised and magnified the All-merciful because He had 
 given this new authority to men, so as to forgive sins, 
 and this too not hereafter in heaven, but at once and 
 upon earth. But Eliezer and the chief ruler and others 
 of the elders of the synagogue, when they had recovered 
 from their first astonishment, took counsel how they 
 might again catch Jesus in his doctrine. For they said, 
 "None can forgive sins, except God only : therefore it is 
 certain that this man maketh himself God." Howbeit
 
 154 rHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter II 
 
 they veiled their thoughts with a smooth countenance, 
 for fear of the multitude ; and going up to Jesus they 
 saluted him before they departed from the synagogue. 
 But Jesus looked wistfully at them, like unto one 
 hoping for good news ; for he thought that they would 
 have understood that God had sent him, perceiving 
 the finger of God in the healing of the man that was 
 sick of the palsy. But when he perceived their dissi- 
 mulation, he was silent until he had come forth from 
 the synagogue : and then I heard him sigh, and he said 
 in a low voice to himself, "For judgment am I come 
 into this world, that those who see may see not." 
 
 During the rest of that day Jesus sat musing : and at 
 one time he seemed to be sad, but at another time to 
 rejoice. But even when he was sad, there always ap- 
 peared a joy beneath the sadness ; so that his sadness 
 was but as the cloud that dappleth the side of a moun- 
 tain, the summit whereof shineth bright in the sunlight. 
 For it was the nature of Jesus always to be cheerful and 
 to rejoice ; insomuch that peace and joy seemed to go 
 forth from him to all men and things around him, and 
 from them to come back with increase to him again. 
 But now he was sorrowful, as we gathered, because of 
 the hardness of heart of the Pharisees. For howso- 
 ever they might outwardly dissemble, yet did he 
 discern their hearts, that they were inwardly grieved 
 yea, at the goodness of God ; wherefore now indeed 
 after this second token of their hardness, it seemed 
 to be indeed the will of God that the Good News 
 should be of no avail unto the Scribes, save only to 
 make their eyes blind, and their hearts fat, and their 
 ears hard of hearing. For this cause our Master
 
 Chapter U] PHILOCHRISTUS 155 
 
 sorrowed : but for some other cause he rejoiced, or 
 seemed in expectation of some joy to come. 
 
 But as for the rest of us, we disputed among ourselves 
 touching this new power which Jesus had brought into 
 the world ; for it seemed more than human, and such 
 as no prophet before him had ever used or so much as 
 sought from God. Only Judas was silent more than was 
 his custom : and he seemed disturbed and doubtful, as 
 one uncertain of his path and not knowing whether to 
 go forward or backward. For when Nathanael spake 
 about our Master's authority to forgive sins, and how 
 in the day of Eedemption he would destroy the Evil 
 Nature, then Judas at times heard him gladly, as if he 
 earnestly desired that this should be true ; but at 
 another time he scoffed and said that "No forgive- 
 ness of sins would drive out Herod from Tiberias, nor 
 the Komans from Jerusalem."
 
 1 5 6 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 BY this time the autumn was come round, and it wanted 
 but a few days to the tenth day of the month Tisri, 
 which is the Great Day of Atonement. Now so it was 
 that, when we arose on a certain morning (in the first 
 week, as I remember, of the month Tisri), behold, Jesus 
 was not in the house, and when we sought him, we 
 found him on the shore musing ; insomuch that at first 
 he was not aware of our presence. But when he saw us, 
 he bade Simon Peter prepare his fishing-boat, for he 
 desired to go out into the deep. So Simon Peter and 
 Andrew launched the boat, and I with them ; and Jesus 
 went on board, and there he sat, still musing, while we 
 made ready the tackling and the nets. While we busied 
 ourselves herein, many of the sailors and fishermen of 
 the town came down to the coast and began to launch 
 their vessels ; for the day was fair for fishing. 
 
 Now there was standing on the beach the hunchback 
 Barachiah, the son of Zadok : for his custom was to beg 
 of the sailors, and to do for them such small services as 
 he was able. But he was hated of the most part of the 
 sailors by reason of his envious and malignant dis- 
 position, and because he could not refrain from reproaches 
 and revilings. Moreover they accused him that he had
 
 Chapter 12] PHILOCURISTUS 157 
 
 sometimes mislaid or hurt their tackling. Others also 
 said that he had an evil eye and brought evil fortune. 
 Wherefore he fared ill with the sailors, and even when 
 they gave him alms, it was as to a dog or an unclean 
 creature : and oftentimes they struck him when he 
 crossed them. Now it chanced that while we made 
 ready our nets, behold, a certain merchant, coming down 
 to the water, stumbled upon a stone and fell against 
 Barachiah. Then Bamchiah cried out in anger, " Wast 
 thou bom with a bridle in thy hand that thou should st 
 treat thy brethren as if they were mules or asses ? " 
 But the other replied, " Yea, and thou wast born with a 
 saddle on thy back, that I might ride upon thee." So 
 saying, he spurned Barachiah out of his path, so that he 
 fell to the ground : and hereat all the sailors laughed. 
 
 Not long after this there came down two sailors, nigh 
 to the place where Barachiah sat wiping the blood from 
 his face ; and one of them spake to the hunchback 
 some words, I know not what, but, as it appeared, of 
 kindness. Then straightway Barachiah rose up and 
 went with the man, and willingly helped him to launch 
 his boat and to prepare his tackling. And the man's 
 companion laughed and said, " Whence hast thou the 
 power to soften the heart of that child of Satan ? " 
 But when Barachiah was departed, the sailor answered 
 that he had in times past shown kindness to a brother 
 of Barachiah, that was now dead ; and he added in 
 jest, " In all men there be two hearts, a heart of stone 
 and a heart of flesh : and Barachiah hath his heart of 
 flesh, even as others, though he be a child of Satan." 
 "Nay," replied the other, "but if there be a heart of 
 flesh in Barachiah, it would need Solomon's ring to
 
 158 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 12 
 
 find out where it is hid." And so jesting they rowed 
 out into the deep. 
 
 Now I perceived that Jesus noted all these words of 
 the two sailors, and likewise that which had befallen 
 Barachiah, and while he listened and looked, the appear- 
 ance of his countenance was altered ; for before, he had 
 seemed in his musing like one waiting for an answer 
 to a question, but now like one that had received an 
 answer. Howbeit still he mused and ceased not, while 
 we rowed out into the deep, and busied ourselves with 
 casting our nets. 
 
 But so it was that, as we rowed and drifted hither 
 and thither in our fishing, we were carried very close 
 to the coast, where the rocks came straight down to the 
 sea after the manner of a wall ; and suddenly we heard 
 a piteous sound as of bleating. When we looked up, 
 we saw a lamb, which had strayed from the flock, 
 and had come to a stand upon a ledge in the rock, 
 exceeding narrow, so that it could not go forward, 
 neither knew it how to turn back : but there it stood, 
 and bleated often and piteously, so that our hearts 
 were sorry for the creature, and we would fain have 
 helped it, but knew not how ; for there was not space 
 to land. But while we hung upon our oars not knowing 
 what to do, Peter cried out, " The shepherd cometh " ; 
 and presently we all discerned him, very high up, and 
 clambering from rock to rock for to reach the lamb. 
 And when we all shouted and beckoned to him, he 
 straightway understood us, and coming down, though 
 with much ado, took the lamb on his shoulders and bore it 
 safely away. Hereat we were all well content ; but when 
 I looked on Jesus, his face shone with an exceeding joy,
 
 Chapter 12] PHILOCHRISTUS 159 
 
 too great, methought, for so small a matter, so that I 
 marvelled. For there was no more in his countenance 
 the look of one questioning, but rather of one gazing 
 upon the glory of God. Then when we had hauled 
 in the net, he gave command that we should row back 
 to Capernaum. 
 
 No\v the next day Jesus showed forth what he had 
 on his mind. For about noon he went down to the 
 place where one Matthew a tax-gatherer was sitting at 
 the house of customs near the quay. And for a while 
 Jesus beheld him, how he bore himself amid all the 
 concourse and stir of that busy place ; then he drew 
 nigh, and called Matthew to be one of his disciples, 
 saying unto him, " Follow me." And Matthew arose and 
 followed him and bade him to a great feast in his house 
 on the same day, and thereto he called many of his 
 acquaintance, both tax-gatherers and sinners, and others 
 of the poorer sort ; and Jesus promised that he would 
 come to the feast. But when this was noised about 
 the town, the anger of the Pharisees was great ; for 
 they counted it as a sign that Jesus would not join 
 himself to them, nor do anything to gain their favour. 
 But as for the sailors and common people, some rejoiced, 
 others marvelled ; insomuch that when we came to 
 Matthew's house, we found a great concourse of people 
 both round the doors and in the feast-chamber. 
 
 Now as we entered the chamber, I could not but 
 chafe somewhat for the baseness of the company with 
 whom we were forced to consort. For they were all 
 unlearned men, and given to vain conversation ; and 
 many of them had not washed before supper ; and the 
 savour of their garments and tjae heat of the room
 
 i6o PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 12 
 
 were scarce to be borne. Moreover I saw at one of the 
 tables Barachiah the son of Zadok, and others with 
 whom I should never have expected to sit at meat. 
 Then the words of Jonathan the son of Ezra came back 
 to my mind, how he had said that Jesus was misled, in 
 that he knew not the evil nature of men ; nor could I 
 refrain from imparting these words to Nathanael, who 
 was my companion at the table. 
 
 But Nathanael answered that I erred greatly, for that 
 Jesus knew the evil that was in men better than any 
 man, and hated it more than any man : " But," said he, 
 "the evil of unwashed hands and unsavoury garments 
 doth not seem to Jesus the greatest of evils." " But," said 
 I, " these men are given to other sins ; and how cometh 
 it to pass that Jesus beareth with the sins of these men, 
 but doth not bear with the Scribes, who do not commit 
 such sins ? " Then said Nathanael, "As it seemeth to me, 
 there is a certain light in the hearts of men ; and whoso 
 hath this light in him, loveth light, and is drawn towards 
 the light whenever the light is placed near to him, even 
 though he may have turned his back upon the light : 
 and thus these sinners are drawn towards Jesus. But if 
 a man for many years make it his business to quench the 
 light in himself, because he feareth it ; then he cannot 
 love the light, nor can he be drawn towards it, even 
 though it be very close to him. Even as the Pharisees 
 fear the light in themselves, and say there is no light 
 save in the Law and the Traditions. Therefore they 
 quench the light in their hearts and cannot see the true 
 light ; and they destroy the Word of God in their hearts, 
 and cannot hear the true Word." " But," said I, " if 
 there be stripped off fine-sounding words from thy
 
 Chapter 12] PHILOCHEISTUS 161 
 
 speech, to what is the matter like ? It is as though 
 thou shouldst say, ' It is better that a man' should 
 commit murder and adultery and theft (provided that 
 he love righteousness), than that he should abstain from 
 all these sins, but not love righteousness.' ' " Thou 
 knowest well," replied Nathanael, " that according to 
 a man's love of righteousness will be his hatred of sin ; 
 and whoso really hateth sin, he cannot live therein. 
 Yet what thou sayest is true ; there is more hope of 
 the vilest sinner than of the man that hath in his 
 heart no love of righteousness." 
 
 I mused for a while, and then I said, " Thou speakest 
 of hope : but doth it seem to thee truthful, looking 
 upon a bad man, to say, this man is good, merely 
 because thou mayest have hopes that he may become 
 good 1 " But before Nathanael could make answer, 
 there came into my mind the words of the sailor, that 
 " If Barachiah the son of Zadok had a heart of flesh as 
 well as a heart of stone, it would need Solomon's ring 
 to find out where the heart of flesh was hid ; " so I 
 told the words to Nathanael. Straightway Nathanael 
 looked toward the place were Barachiah was sitting at 
 table ; and then he turned to me and said, " And hath 
 not our Master the ring of Solomon ? " Then I also 
 looked at Barachiah ; and I marvelled to see what a 
 gentleness there was in his countenance. But Jesus 
 was at that instant beginning a discourse ; so we ceased 
 conversing that we might hearken unto it. 
 
 The discourse told of a certain son of a kind father, 
 who, taking his patrimony, wandered into a distant city, 
 where he squandered his substance in riotous living, so 
 that he was forced to keep swine like an hireling ; but 
 
 M
 
 162 PHILOCHPJSTUS [Chester 12 
 
 returning to his father he was welcomed. Other like 
 parables he spake : and all the people were marvellously 
 attentive to hear him. Notwithstanding, Jesus would 
 not always discourse himself alone : for he gladly heard 
 others, and by questions led many to speak, questioning 
 them with courtesy in no way akin to condescension 
 (even as a brother meeting brothers after long absence) ; 
 the merchants concerning foreign countries ; the officers 
 of the customs concerning the commerce and wares of 
 the place ; the mariners and soldiers concerning the ships 
 and currents and strong places and fortresses whereof 
 they severally had knowledge. With all these common 
 people did Jesus converse, and to each, methought, 
 he added* some what of his own nature. And so it was 
 that amid all that concourse of vulgar and unlearned 
 people and boors (as the Scribes would have called 
 them), not one did or said anything unworthy of 
 the presence of our Master. Thus did Jesus give to 
 others, and lo, they gave back to him good measure 
 into his bosom, pressed down and running over, accord- 
 ing to his own saying. 
 
 But when he rose up to go, behold, Barachiah the son 
 of Zadok also rose up in haste, and coming to Jesus he 
 fell down on his knees before him, and besought him 
 that he would forgive all the slanders and revilings 
 which he had used concerning Jesus and concerning his 
 disciples. And Jesus both forgave him and blessed 
 him. And from that hour even to the day of his death 
 Barachiah was a new creature ; insomuch that he was 
 no longer known among them of Capernaum as the 
 viper, or the child of Satan, but they called him " the 
 changed man."
 
 Chapter 12] PHILOCHRISTUS 163 
 
 But as Jesus was now going forth, two of the 
 disciples of John the son of Zachariah came unto him. 
 For they had been present in the chamber, though they 
 had not partaken of the feast ; and they marvelled at 
 the cheerfulness of Jesus* because he ate bread and 
 drank wine and conversed freely with the common 
 people, not after the manner of their master. So they 
 were offended at Jesus, and said to him, " Master, why 
 do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples 
 fast not ? " Now John himself had called Jesus the 
 Bridegroom of Israel. Jesus therefore, using these 
 same words, answered and said, " Can the children of 
 the bride -chamber mourn as long as the bridegroom 
 is with them ? " Then he turned and looked at us, and 
 his face was sorrowful ; and he added, " But the days 
 will come when the bridegroom shall be taken from 
 them, and then shall they fast in those days." Then 
 first did Jesus speak concerning his departure from his 
 disciples : and he meant, perchance, that as John the 
 Prophet had been taken from the midst of his disciples, 
 so also, would he himself be taken away from us ; for 
 the Lord had revealed unto him that Israel was not to 
 be redeemed easily, nor without much tribulation. But 
 by what power he should be thus taken, whether by 
 imprisonment (as had befallen John), or by death of 
 violence (as was shortly to befall John), or by death in 
 course of nature, concerning these things he said naught 
 at this time. But we neither understood his words, 
 neither took we thought of them. 
 
 But as we came forth, we met Eliezer the son of Arak, 
 and the chief ruler of the synagogue, and many of the 
 elders of the synagogue ; and they looked at us with 
 
 M 2
 
 164 PIIILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 12 
 
 sore displeasure. And the chief ruler did not restrain 
 himself, but said to Jesus aloud in the presence of us all, 
 "Is it even so that thou wouldst fain be Ruler over 
 Israel ? Behold, on thy side are Matthew the tax- 
 gatherer, and Barachiah the child of Satan, and Mary 
 the sinner ; but on my side are Eliezer the son of Arak 
 and all the elders of the synagogue. Is it not better to 
 be the tail of a lion rather than the head of a dog ? " 
 
 But when Jesus noted how certain of the sinners 
 feared to stand before the faces of Eliezer the son of 
 Arak, and of the ruler of the synagogue, and how they 
 were shaken in their faith and abashed (for that they 
 were accustomed to be despised and to be trampled on, 
 as being without all hope of redemption) ; then was he 
 exceeding wrath, and he answered and said unto the 
 ruler of the synagogue, " Woe unto the world because 
 of offences : for it must needs be that offences come : 
 but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh." 
 Then he pointed to the sinners behind him (whom 
 he was wont to call " little ones," because they were 
 babes in faith), and he spake again to the chief ruler 
 and his party, saying, "Take heed that ye despise not 
 one of these little ones ; for I say unto you that in 
 heaven their angels do always behold the face of my 
 Father which is in heaven. For the Son of Man is 
 come to save that which was lost." 
 
 Then Eliezer the son of Arak interrupted him and 
 said, " Why eatest thou, contrary to the Traditions, with 
 tax-gatherers and sinners ? " But Jesus answered and 
 said, "How think ye? If a man have an hundred 
 sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not 
 leave the ninety-and-nine, and goeth into the mountains,
 
 PHILOCHRISTUS 165 
 
 and seeketh that which is gone astray ? And if so be 
 that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more 
 of that sheep than of the ninety-and-nine which went 
 not astray." " But," said another of the Scribes, " why 
 dost thou shun and rebuke the righteous ? What evil 
 is it not to be a sinner ? " When Jesus heard 
 that, he said unto him, " They that be whole need not 
 a physician, but they that be sick. But go ye and 
 learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy and not 
 sacrifice. For I am not come to call the righteous, 
 but sinners to repentance." So saying, he passed on 
 and left the Pharisees, and we followed him. 
 
 Now Andrew and Simon Peter had been disciples of 
 John the son of Zachariah, before they had joined 
 themselves to Jesus. In the evening, therefore, they 
 resorted to Jesus to question him touching the answer 
 he had that day given to John's disciples concerning 
 fasting. I was with them, and also Judas of Kerioth, 
 and a certain Eleazar the son of Azariah, a Scribe of 
 Sepphoris and a friend of Jonathan. Now Eleazar 
 did not venture to advise Jesus to use shifts and sub- 
 terfuges so as to keep friendship with the Pharisees ; 
 but he said that perchance such sinners as might be 
 converted to the path of righteousness might not be able 
 to continue therein, unless the path were fenced in by 
 rules and laws, feasts, fasts, and other like ordinances. 
 He also bade Jesus not separate himself from the con- 
 gregation ; for said he, " Whatsoever is decreed by the 
 congregation below, that is decreed by the congregation 
 above ; and what is ratified on earth is ratified in heaven; 
 and with whomsoever the spirit of men is pleased the 
 Spirit of God is pleased."
 
 1 6 6 PHIL OC HEIST US [Chapter 1 2 
 
 But Jesus answered that as new wine was not like 
 unto old wine, nor a new garment like an old garment, 
 even so the doctrine of John was not like unto his 
 doctrine ; neither could the two be mixed. The doctrine 
 of the Pharisees also, he said, was not like his doctrine, 
 and the two kinds of doctrine needed two several and 
 distinct shapes, even as several kinds of wine need 
 several bottles. When Eleazar heard this, he went 
 out; for these words seemed to him (as he said to 
 John the son of Zebedee) to be a kind of proclaiming 
 of war against the Pharisees ; so that there appeared 
 no longer any hope of concord between Jesus and them. 
 Judas also, although he still seemed strangely perturbed, 
 and spake less than was his wont, nevertheless said that 
 a great gulf was opening itself between our Master and 
 the Pharisees ; " and," said he, " unless something is 
 speedily done, this gulf will be impassable." Many also 
 that had been disciples of John the Prophet murmured 
 against Jesus, because he had promised to fulfil the 
 Law and had been expected to follow in the course of 
 John, but now he went contrary to the Law and was 
 for choosing a path of his own. For at that time in 
 Galilee they that honoured John the Prophet were more 
 than they that honoured Jesus of Nazareth. 
 
 But for my part my soul was given up to thanksgiving 
 and to praise of God, because of this new power which 
 He had sent down to men, of forgiving sins. For if it 
 seemed a divine word to say " Let there be light," and 
 there was light, much more divine a word it seemed to 
 say, "Let there be righteousness," and lo, there was 
 righteousness. And when I remembered the saying of 
 the sailor, how that it needed Solomon's ring to find out
 
 Chapter 12] P111LOCHRISTUS 167 
 
 the heart of flesh in bad men, and when I called to mind 
 how Jesus had found it out, then it seemed to me that 
 a greater than Solomon was among us. I thought also 
 on the words of Nathanael, how that, in the day of 
 Redemption, the Holy One (blessed is HeVwill bring 
 the Evil Nature and slay him in the presence of the 
 righteous and of the wicked ; and my thoughts were 
 swallowed up in wonder.
 
 i68 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE words of Judas were true, that a great gulf now 
 lay between our Master and the Pharisees ; and day by 
 day the gulf grew wider, as I soon perceived. It 
 chanced that Eliezer the son of Arak knew that I was 
 a friend of Jonathan ; and desiring to draw me away 
 from Jesus, he wrote a letter to Jonathan begging him 
 to move me that I might return home. This letter of 
 Eliezer therefore" Jonathan sent unto me, and it was 
 to the following effect : 
 
 " From Eliezer the son of Arak to Jonathan the son of 
 Ezra : salutation and peace. Be it known unto thee, 
 Jonathan, that this Jesus of Nazareth, concerning whom 
 we once had hopes that he might be a deep well or 
 perchance even an ever-welling spring of the Law, hath 
 proved an empty vessel and a broken cistern. He pro- 
 faneth the Sabbath and teacheth others to profane it ; he 
 eateth without the washing of hands ; he teacheth that 
 no man is defiled by that which he toucheth or eateth ; 
 in a word, he breaketh the Law and causeth others to 
 profane it. Yet this in part was known unto thee even 
 before, and thou didst deceive thyself, and saidst, 
 'Perchance he hath a message from God concerning 
 the Sabbath and concerning the Law.' Hear, therefore,
 
 Chapter 13] rHILOCHRISTUS 169 
 
 son of Ezra, what new thing this blind guide hath 
 taken upon himself to do. He not only teacheth all 
 people everywhere to abstain from sacrifice, wresting to 
 his own destruction that hard saying of the Prophet 
 which saith, ' I will have mercy and not sacrifice/ but 
 he also hath dared to make himself as God, forgiving 
 sins. This he hath done publicly in the synagogue, 
 before the face of the congregation. 
 
 " Now we w T ould fain deal gently with the young man, 
 because he seemed once to purpose well, and because he 
 hath made unto himself a name for casting out unclean 
 spirits. Moreover he is befriended not only by the 
 rabble that knoweth not the Law, but also by a few of 
 the wise and pious, as, for example, thyself. For this 
 cause we are minded not at once to punish him in 
 accordance with the law for blasphemy, but ,to make 
 excuses for him by saying that he is beside himself. 
 
 " And this indeed seemeth to be not unlikely, for he 
 is not as other men are ; for oft times he sleepeth not, 
 but watcheth (as I am informed) whole nights together ; 
 and albeit he seeth no vision (which sheweth him to be 
 no prophet), yet he carrieth himself in such strange 
 fashion as if he saw visions daily ; also he is wroth at 
 small faults and at no faults (as thou thyself knowest), 
 and yet withal easy to forgive great faults. Moreover 
 of late he most strangely forsweareth the company of 
 all the pious and learned, and consorteth publicly with 
 tax-gatherers and sinners ; insomuch that, but now, 
 having called one Matthew a tax-gatherer, to be one of 
 his disciples, afterwards, at a feast in the house of this 
 Matthew, amid mirth and wine-bibbing, he took upon 
 himself to forgive the sins of that Barachiah the son of
 
 1 7 o PHILOCURISTUS [Chapter 13 
 
 Zadok, who, as thou knowest, is by all men called the 
 child of Satan. 
 
 " Now therefore, for the sake of the young man Jesus 
 himself, it beseemeth thee, Jonathan, to cause this 
 evil to cease, and to warn his friends, if perchance they 
 may see fit to restrain him. Write therefore, I pray 
 thee, to his mother Mary, and to his brethren (but I 
 grieve that his father no longer liveth to restrain him) 
 that they may come and lay hands upon him : for they 
 will listen to thy voice. We desire also that thou 
 wouldst write to the young man, thy pupil and friend, 
 Joseph the son of Simeon, that he may return to 
 Sepphoris, lest he too fall into the pit of destruction 
 along with this blind guide Jesus. If also thou 
 shouldst inform Joanna, the mother of Joseph, con- 
 cerning all these things, she would peradventure join 
 her voice to thine, that thy pupil might return. But 
 in any case it were well that the certainty of the mad- 
 ness of this Jesus should be noised abroad among all 
 thy friends and acquaintances, to the intent that we 
 may the more easily restrain him. 
 
 " Hearken, I pray thee, unto my words, Jonathan, 
 for I will not hide the truth from thee, that certain of 
 us judge the young man Jesus of Nazareth more 
 harshly, saying that he is possessed by Beelzebub. 
 Others also say that hands should be laid upon him 
 without delay, and that he should be delivered to 
 Herod. Now if he hearken unto thee and desist 
 from his consorting with sinners, or if his kinsmen lay 
 gentle hands upon him, then we are willing that he 
 should suffer few stripes ; but if not, many stripes will 
 be needful. But if he should be delivered to Herod, or
 
 Chapter 13] PHILOCHRISTUS 171 
 
 if the people should peradventure take up stones to 
 stone him, who knoweth the end thereof? Peace be 
 with thee 1 " 
 
 Together with the letter of Eliezer was a letter from 
 Jonathan, who besought me to send word unto him 
 about the welfare of Jesus ; and I could perceive that, 
 albeit the old man was wroth that any should say that 
 Jesus was possessed with an unclean spirit, yet even 
 he inclined his ear to believe that Jesus was beside 
 himself. For after some words touching the health of 
 my mother, the letter ended thus, " Alas, because of the 
 iniquity of this generation ! For verily Jesus was fit to 
 be the Redeemer of Israel ; but the generation was unfit. 
 He was as the morning star in his joy, and as the sun in 
 the glory of his brightness ; but the night cometh apace, 
 and the sun' must give place to the darkness. Yerily, 
 Jesus was of them that have entered into Paradise, and 
 have tasted of the honey of the highest heaven. But 
 perchance he hath seen things not vouchsafed to men to 
 see, even the mystery of the Chariot ; and the vision 
 hath been too much for the eye of man, and with much 
 honey the mind hath been demented." 
 
 When I received these letters, I purposed at once 
 to inform Jesus concerning the plots of the Pharisees. 
 But he was not at that time at Capernaum, but at 
 Bethsaida Julias ; so I hastened thither. When I was 
 come thither, Jesus was exhorting the people ; and there 
 was a great concourse to hear him, so that I could 
 not come nigh unto him for the press. But while I 
 stood afar off, behold, Eliezer the son of Arak advanced 
 towards him through the midst of the press; and all 
 men made way for him. But he, making as though he
 
 1 7 2 PHILOCHRISTUS 
 
 could not advance further, called to Jesus in a loud 
 voice, so that all men should hear : " Behold, thy 
 mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see 
 thee." 
 
 Now could I see from Eliezer's countenance and from 
 the manner of his speech, and from the faces of some of 
 the Scribes that were sitting in the principal places, yea, 
 and from the faces of some others that were in the 
 outermost part of the crowd (for they nodded and 
 beckoned each to the other) that here was indeed the 
 very plot of the Pharisees whereof Eliezer had made 
 mention in his letter to Jonathan. For the mother 
 and brethren of Jesus had come with intent to lay 
 hands on him, having been persuaded that he was 
 beside himself. And immediately all that were in the 
 chamber seemed to become aware of the plot. For 
 Jesus ceased from his teaching ; and many stood on 
 tiptoe gazing toward that quarter of the crowd where 
 the mother of Jesus was waiting, and then they gazed 
 back on Jesus again, marking how he bore himself. So 
 there arose a marvellous great stillness, while every one 
 w r aited to hear what Jesus would say : and my heart 
 beat so that I could even hear the beating thereof. But 
 Jesus said, " Who is my mother, and who are my 
 brethren ? " Then he looked round about on those of 
 his disciples that sat nigh unto him and he said, 
 " Behold my mother and my brethren. For whosoever 
 shall do the will of God, the same is my brother and 
 my sister and mother." 
 
 When he had said these words, then the countenance 
 of Eliezer fell. For he had hoped either to have found 
 occasion against Jesus (as though he paid no reverence
 
 'diopter 1 3] PHILOCHRISTUS 1 7 3 
 
 to his mother, not rising up or going forth to meet 
 her), or else that the brethren of Jesus should have laid 
 hands on him as he went forth, and so all men should 
 ever after have esteemed him as one beside himself. 
 But the words of Jesus manifested that he ceased not 
 to love and honour his mother, howbeit he loved and 
 honoured others also, even as many as were in the 
 Family of God, unto whom he was as a brother or as a 
 son ; neither ought he to have forsaken all the Family 
 of God to please the family of Nazareth ; for, had he 
 gone forth to meet them that stood without, he had 
 forsaken and caused to stumble all them that sat 
 within. So they perceived what was in the mind of 
 Jesus ; and they magnified him the more. 
 
 When the Pharisees perceived that they had not pre- 
 vailed with the common people, they began to adventure 
 a second plot. For they procured a certain Scribe to 
 accuse Jesus in the synagogue, and to say that he cast out 
 devils through Beelzebub the prince of the devils. The 
 name of the Scribe was Hezekiah the son of Zachariah, 
 from Jerusalem ; even the same Hezekiah of whom I 
 spake before, when I spake of the meeting of the 
 Galileans in the valley nigh unto Sepphoris. Howbeit, 
 neither did this plot prevail with the common people, 
 For the same accusation had been brought by the 
 Scribes against John the prophet : but in vain. For 
 the people could in no wise be persuaded that such an 
 one as Jesus was possessed with an unclean spirit, nor 
 that sick men could be healed and devils driven out 
 by Beelzebub. 
 
 But that which caused most surprise to many of 
 the disciples was to note how great a wrath was kindled
 
 i 7 4 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 13 
 
 in Jesus by this accusation. It chanced, as I remember, 
 that we were in a small synagogue in the town called 
 Jotapata. He had driven out a devil from a young 
 man, and the devil tare the young man as he passed 
 out of him, so that the young man lay on the ground 
 lifeless. Jesus, as his manner was, took the young man 
 by the hand for to help him to arise ; and because 
 there seemed no life in him, he stooped down and 
 embraced him for to lift him up. Now the rest of 
 them that were with Hezekiah held their peace, albeit 
 against their will ; so great was their marvel at the 
 deed, and so mighty was the presence of Jesus. Only 
 Hezekiah still hardened his heart. Therefore while Jesus 
 was now lifting up the youth, of a sudden was heard 
 the voice of Hezekiah crying aloud, "Thou castest out 
 devils through Beelzebub the prince of the devils : " and 
 all the people w r ere as men amazed, and stood agape, 
 expecting what Jesus would do. 
 
 Jesus himself, at first, seemed like unto one in a 
 dream, turning his eyes from the young man (whose 
 life had now returned to him) to the face of Hezekiah, 
 and from Hezekiah again back to the young man ; as 
 though either he himself had not heard aright, or 
 else Hezekiah had not seen clearly how great a work 
 had been wrought for the young man. For belike 
 he could scarce believe that any man in Israel could 
 refrain from rejoicing at the young man's deliver- 
 ance; nor did it seem possible to him that any 
 among the children of men could suppose that a devil 
 could be cast out save by the finger of God. But 
 when he perceived that the face of Hezekiah was 
 set as a rock against him, and that his eyes were
 
 Chapter 13] PHILOCHRISTUS 175 
 
 as the eyes of one mocking him ; and when he looked 
 round also upon the people, and perceived that some 
 of them were abashed and shaken in their faith because 
 he had as yet made no answer, then indeed his coun- 
 tenance was changed against Hezekiah. and he made 
 answer to him after his folly : that, if it was so in- 
 deed, and if Satan was divided against himself, then 
 let all men "rejoice, for behold, Satan could not stand. 
 But if not, and if he cast out devils by the hand of 
 God, " Then," said he, " the Kingdom of God hath come 
 upon you unawares." 
 
 When he had spoken these words, he stood, as if 
 in pause, and fixed his eyes on the face of Hezekiah. 
 But he looked upon him no more with anger, but 
 with a marvellous pity ; and behold, his countenance, 
 which was wont to shine as the sun, became pale 
 and cold to look upon, even as the moon in her 
 brightness, looking down upon a man drowning in deep 
 waters ; and he added and said, " All manner of sin 
 and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men ; but the 
 blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall not be for- 
 given unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word 
 against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him : but 
 whosoever speaketh against the Holy Spirit, it shall 
 not be forgiven, neither in this age, nor in the age 
 to come." Never before had we seen Jesus so moved. 
 Hezekiah himself was confounded, and gasped for breath 
 and could not speak, but went out of the synagogue in 
 confusion ; neither was there one in the congregation 
 that went out with him. 
 
 But when the congregation had departed I went to 
 Nathanael and questioned him concerning this matter.
 
 i 7 6 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 1$ 
 
 For even from the first, Nathanael had a discerning 
 spirit, able to discern matters wherein I groped as in 
 darkness ; but moreover of late I had noted how he had 
 seemed to grow in wisdom and discernment, so that it 
 was a marvel to see how great a change had come to 
 pass in how short a time : and he was to me, as it 
 were, an interpreter of the words of Jesus. So I asked 
 Nathanael what Jesus meant by the words " blasphemy 
 against the Holy Spirit," and why that sin was above 
 all other sins so that it could not be forgiven. 
 
 " For," said I, " Jesus was blasphemed as a gluttonous 
 man and as a wine-bibber, not many days past, in this 
 very place, and I noted well (but thou wast not with 
 us) with what a calmness, yea, even to mirth, Jesus 
 endured the charge. For we chanced to be passing 
 through this very street, and the children were coming 
 forth from the school and sporting after their manner ; 
 and Jesus sat him down on the stone yonder and 
 watched them at their sports. And behold, the children 
 had divided themselves into two companies, a small 
 company and a large company ; and the small company 
 had pipes and tabors, and were to play thereon ; but 
 the others were to conform themselves to the music 
 of their fellows. But when they were now beginning, 
 the larger company could not agree among themselves, 
 and (after the manner of wanton children) they knew 
 not their own minds. So when the pipers piped merry 
 music they would not dance, but cried out for sad 
 music ; but when the pipers piped sadly, then they 
 would not beat their breasts, nor make as if they were 
 in the house of mourning, but stopped their ears and 
 called for merry music : whereat the pipers were vexed,
 
 Chapter 13] PHILOCIIRISTUS 177 
 
 and complained of the inconstancy of their fellows. 
 Then do I right well remember how Jesus noted it all, 
 and smiled thereat. And turning to us, he said, still 
 smiling (though with some touch of sadness), that this 
 generation was like unto those children : for he had 
 come piping merry music, and John the Prophet had 
 come piping sad music, but the men of this genera- 
 tion would listen to neither ; for they said that John 
 had a devil, and that he himself was a gluttonous man 
 and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. 
 Now wherefore, thinkest thou, did Jesus endure so 
 lightly to be blasphemed as a gluttonous man and a 
 winebibber, but endured not to hear the words of 
 Hezekiah ? And what is this sin against the Holy 
 Spirit ? " 
 
 While I was saying these words, standing beneath 
 the olive-grove on the side of the hill which looketh on 
 Jotapata, Nathanael sat down upon the grass ; and I 
 sat down likewise. Then he said to me, " Not many 
 days gone by, I heard Jesus speak concerning the Holy 
 Spirit ; and his words were on this wise. As in each 
 man the man's breath or spirit is the life of the body, 
 so in each man there is a certain holy breath or spirit 
 which is the life of his soul ; whence also cometh every 
 good thought and deed unto the man. Moreover thou 
 seest that the air which we breathe, and which is the 
 breath of our bodies, is but a part of that great sea 
 of air which embraceth the whole earth so that there 
 is nothing hidden from the touch thereof; insomuch 
 that the same air or breath which is coming towards 
 us from yonder mountain top, making the terebinth- 
 trees to bow, and which even now rustleth in the 
 
 N
 
 i 7 8 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 13 
 
 olive-trees above us, even this is our breath and our 
 life. Now I have heard Jesus say that there is a like- 
 ness between this breath of our bodies and the breath 
 or spirit of our souls. For as the wind bloweth where 
 it listeth, and we hear the sound thereof, but know 
 not whence it cometh nor whither it goeth, even so 
 it is with the spirit of our souls, the spirit of goodness, 
 which is the Holy Spirit of God/' 
 
 Then I said, " But how shall we obtain this Holy 
 Spirit ? Or is it indeed needful that we should obtain 
 it, seeing that we have it already ? Or do some have 
 it, but others have it not ? " Nathanael answered 
 and said, "All have it. But some have little, and 
 none much ; and Jesus hath come that we may have 
 it abundantly. But how we shall obtain it, this I 
 know not now. But this I know, that Jesus hath the 
 Holy Spirit in himself, and that he will impart it to 
 us. For I heard him say that no man can enter 
 into the Kingdom of God unless he is born again of 
 the Holy Spirit." 
 
 Then he paused, and said, " Is there not, Joseph, 
 a certain saying touching the Shekinah, how that it 
 dwelleth not with one man, but with many ? " And 
 I replied, " Yea, but with one also ; for it is said, 
 'When ten sit and are occupied in words of the 
 Law, the Shekinah is among them, for it is said, God 
 standeth in the congregation of the mighty. And 
 whence dwelleth it even with two ? Because it is said, 
 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to 
 another. And whence even with one ? Because it is 
 said, In all places where I record my name I will come 
 unto thee and bless thee.' ' : Nathanael smiled and said,
 
 Chapter 13] PHILOCHEISTUS 179 
 
 " Our Master also teacheth that the presence of the 
 Holy Spirit is with two or three, whensoever they are 
 gathered together in his name. But this doctrine he 
 foundeth not on words of Scripture ; but methinks 
 he seeth that there is a certain Spirit of Goodness or 
 Kindness which passeth from one man to his neigh- 
 bour and gathereth strength as it passeth. But when 
 a man is alone and without neighbours, it cannot in 
 this way gather strength. For it is a Spirit of Love. 
 Wherefore, as it seemeth to me, our Master teacheth 
 that the Holy Spirit is present, in some sort, in the 
 intercourse between man and man, whensoever men 
 do aught together as the children of God." 
 
 " But yet," said I, " I would fain know why Hezekiah 
 the Scribe was thus rebuked, and why the blasphemy 
 against the Holy Spirit is not forgiven." Then said 
 Nathanael, " All men have within themselves some 
 portion of the Spirit of God; even as we now have 
 some portion of that great wind and breath of heaven 
 which here in Jotapata is rustling in the olive-branches, 
 and yonder at Capernaum is driving the fishing-boats, 
 and out in the Great Sea is speeding the ships of 
 Tarshish on their path. Now if thou closest thy mouth 
 and thy nostrils against the winds of heaven and sayest, 
 ' The air is as poison to me, I will not breathe it/ 
 behold, thou perishest. Even so is it with the Holy 
 Spirit. Every man that cometh into the world, hath 
 in him some portion of the Holy Spirit. For the spirit 
 which is in him breatheth of the Holy Spirit, and 
 dependeth and liveth thereon. But if he shall say 
 knowingly in his heart, ' I will not breathe thereof ; 
 1 will call good evil, and the Holy Spirit I will call 
 
 N 2
 
 i8o PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 13 
 
 unholy'; then lo, his spirit dieth within him, and he 
 can no more enter into the life of God." 
 
 Then I said, " Is not the sin of Hezekiah less than the 
 sin of Barachiah the son of Zadok, who cursed Jesus ? 
 And Nathanael replied, "No, for Barachiah cursed Jesus 
 in his anger and in his haste, knowing not the truth : 
 but Hezekiah saith in his heart, ' Lo, the truth is not 
 pleasing unto me, therefore I will not look upon it ; nay, 
 it is hateful, therefore I will call it evil.'" 
 
 Then I mused for a space, and afterwards I questioned 
 Nathanael yet again and said, " Thou hast said that in the 
 Day of Eedemption the Holy One (blessed is He) will 
 slay the Evil Nature of men. Therefore at the great day 
 what thinkest thou of them which have blasphemed the 
 Holy Spirit ? Will they also perish together with the 
 Evil Nature ? Or will there be yet another age after the 
 age that is to come, so that even the wicked may yet be 
 in the end redeemed ? For Jesus said that they should 
 not be forgiven, neither in this age nor in the age to 
 come." But Nathanael could not answer this question ; 
 and we feared to ask Jesus concerning the matter. 
 
 While we thus spake together, behold, Barabbas stood 
 before us : and he saluted us and besought us that we 
 would sup at his house ; for he dwelt at Jotapata. 
 But I asked him for what cause he had been absent 
 from us of late, and where he had been, and what the 
 people of Jotapata said touching the words of Hezekiah 
 the Scribe. Touching the cause of his absence he made 
 no answer ; but as concerning the people, he said that 
 the men of Jotapata were of one mind, that Hezekiah 
 had spoken for envy. " Nor is it possible," said he, 
 "that a man should believe that Jesus hath a devil,
 
 Chapter 13] PHILOCHRI&TUS 181 
 
 unless he himself should have a devil. For they which 
 have devils say and do all things without forethought 
 and with distraction, as if divided against themselves ; 
 but in Jesus there is the contrary from these : for he 
 doth all things with forethought, yea, and perchance" 
 (these words he uttered with some show of anger) " with 
 more than enough of forethought." 
 
 Now Barabbas spake with something of austerity, 
 which was not usual with him. Moreover I marvelled 
 at those words which he had said touching " too much of 
 forethought." Therefore I asked him again where he had 
 been of late, and why he had forsaken the disciples. 
 But he answered with still more of passion than before, 
 " Because I am weary of these idle wanderings about 
 Galilee, which bring forth no fruit. Not to sit on stools 
 at the feet of a Scribe did I and my friends join 
 ourselves to Jesus of Nazareth. Why tarrieth he so 
 long idle 1 Why is his hand so backward to smite the 
 oppressor ? " But I bade him be of good cheer, for the 
 hour was not yet come, and Jesus would know better 
 than we the season fit for our uprising. 
 
 But he replied, still in great heat, "Thou wouldst 
 fain know where I have tarried these twenty days. 
 Well, I will tell thee. I have but even now come 
 from Machaerus, where I have tarried these two weeks 
 and more, nigh unto the fort called the Black Castle, 
 wherein John the Prophet is imprisoned. With the 
 Prophet himself I had no speech ; for he is kept in close 
 durance, insomuch that he pineth, as I hear, for lack 
 of air and freedom. This I heard from one of the guard, 
 who is a kinsman of mine. Moreover my kinsman told 
 me that had it not been for Chuza the Steward, the
 
 i82" PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 13 
 
 Prophet had been slain ten days ago. For the Tetrarch, 
 after supper, being heavy with wine, was moved by the 
 adulteress, even by Herodias, to write letters that John 
 should be beheaded. Howbeit Chuza took order that 
 the letter should be stayed for that time, and won the 
 Tetrarch from his purpose. But what surety have we 
 that the adulterous woman may not win the Tetrarch to 
 write even such another letter to-morrow \ And when 
 John shall feel the left hand of the Thracian gripping 
 his hair and the Thracian scimitar (may it be accursed !) 
 hacking at his neck, will he not then cry unto the Lord 
 in his sore agony and say, 'Jesus of Nazareth hath 
 forsaken me : Jesus of Nazareth is guilty of my blood ' ? 
 For this cause do we Galileans begin no more to trust 
 your Master, because he speaketh many fair words, but 
 we see not from him any doing of deeds." 
 
 His words so troubled me that I knew not what 
 to say ; Nathanael also was silent. But I besought 
 Barabbas to trust in Jesus because of his mighty 
 works, and because of his Gospel, which surely was a 
 message from God. " Certainly," I began, " Jesus of 
 Nazareth will not suffer the Prophet to die as a 
 dog dieth." But, even while I spake, it came into my 
 mind that the ways of Jesus were not as the ways of 
 other men ; neither could I foretell what Jesus would do, 
 or not do, save only I knew that he would do right. So 
 
 I paused, and added, " or, if otherwise ." But 
 
 Barabbas, at that word "if," brake away from us, 
 and was departing in fury. Howbeit, remembering 
 himself, he returned and constrained himself, and 
 courteously besought us to tarry with 'him that 
 night. But we could not ; for we were to pass on
 
 Chapter 13] PHILOCHRISTUS 183 
 
 to another town, and not to tarry at Jotapata. So 
 we bade him farewell. 
 
 As we journeyed eastward, 1 looked back now and 
 then to the high rock whereon the tower of Jotapata 
 is built : for it was exceeding high, being indeed one of 
 the fire-stations whence the new moon was wont to be 
 proclaimed. And as the sun was now sinking towards 
 the west behind the rock, the castle seemed to stand up 
 very clear, and easy to be seen against the red sky. 
 But as often as I looked thereat, the words of Barabbas 
 would come again and again into my mind ; and there rose 
 up before me the black castle of Machserus and the face 
 of the prophet shut up in chains and darkness, and 
 waiting for a deliverer. Then it seemed to me that the 
 shadows of evil were encompassing our own Master also. 
 For the Pharisees had set their faces against him ; and 
 though he had avoided their first snares, yet I knew 
 full well that they were even now making others ready. 
 Yea, Eliezer himself had confessed as much ; for he had 
 said in his letter to Jonathan that, if other means 
 failed, it was purposed to deliver Jesus over to Herod. 
 And now behold, the Galileans also were like to sever 
 themselves from Jesus and to desert him. So all 
 things seemed full of danger, and there appeared no 
 path of deliverance. 
 
 In my dejection there came one upon another 
 into my mind all the dark sayings of Jesus, and 
 especially the words which he had spoken to us in 
 the house of Matthew the tax-gatherer, that " The days 
 should come when the bridegroom should be taken 
 away from the children of the bridechamber, and then 
 should they fast in those days." So I marvelled and
 
 j84 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 13 
 
 pondered what those words might mean, " the bride- 
 groom should be taken away." But they were too 
 deep for me to understand, and I was as one wading 
 in them and out of my depth ; nor could I light upon 
 anything solid in them save only this, that they 
 appeared to prophesy some evil.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 ON the third or fourth day after that we had seen 
 Barabbas, we came to Bethsaida. And behold, as 
 Jesus was exhorting the people, there came into the 
 synagogue two disciples of John the Prophet. And 
 the principal Scribe of the place brought the men in, 
 saying that they had a message from the Prophet to 
 Jesus of Nazareth. Then all men held their peace 
 and expected what the message should be ; and I re- 
 membered the words of Barabbas concerning John, and 
 my mind presaged that the prophet had sent to bid 
 Jesus release him. But the Scribe (for he knew what 
 the message was, and desired to discredit Jesus) said 
 aloud that the message was a strange one, not fit 
 for the ear of the common multitude ; therefore it 
 should be reserved for the ear of Jesus alone. But 
 all the people listened the more intently ; and Jesus 
 gave command that the messengers should deliver 
 their message aloud, and they did so. Now the 
 words of the message were these, " John the Prophet 
 hath sent us to thee from the prison of Herod, saying, 
 'Art thou he that should come, or must we look for 
 another?'" 
 
 When we heard these words we all looked that Jesus
 
 1 86 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 14 
 
 should either rebuke the Prophet for his want of faith, 
 or else make some comfortable answer, saying that he 
 would come with speed and deliver the Prophet from 
 his bonds. Howbeit Jesus made no answer, but con- 
 tinued his exhortation; and he drove out certain un- 
 clean spirits, and forgave sins. But when he had ended 
 these things, he called to the disciples of John, and he 
 repeated to them those passages of the prophets which 
 describe the signs of Eedemption, and in particular the 
 prophecy of Isaiah : how the ears of the deaf shall be 
 unstopped to hear the tidings of Eedemption, and the 
 eyes of the blind shall be opened to discern the truth of 
 the Lord ; and the lame man shall leap as a hart in the 
 paths of salvation ; and the tongue of the dumb shall 
 sing the praises of the Lord. And he said unto the two 
 messengers, " Go and show John the things which ye 
 do hear and see : the blind receive their sight, and the 
 lame walk ; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear ; 
 the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel 
 preached to them." Then he added these words, 
 "Blessed is he who shall not be offended in me." 
 
 When the messengers were departed, Jesus spake to 
 the people concerning John, saying that John (howbeit 
 he might have changed and fallen from his first estate, 
 seeming to be, for the time, unstable as a reed or pliant 
 as a courtier) was, none the less, truly a prophet, yea, 
 and the greatest of prophets, inasmuch as he was sent 
 by God as the herald of the Redeemer. Then he added 
 thereto a certain saying which filled us all with amaze- 
 ment : yea, and even now after forty years, though I 
 be enlightened with the Holy Spirit, yet can I not 
 choose but be amazed thereat. For the words were
 
 Chapter 14] PHILOCHRISTUS 187 
 
 these : " Verily I say unto you, among them that are 
 born of women, there hath not risen a greater than 
 John the Baptist : notwithstanding he that is least in 
 the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he." 
 
 When the congregation brake up, many of the people 
 said among themselves that this was an hard saying. 
 Others asked what Jesus meant by dividing them that 
 were " born of women " from them that are in the 
 Kingdom of Heaven ; and whether the former meant 
 the living and the latter meant the dead. Now I 
 understood (for Nathanael had instructed me) that 
 Jesus put a difference between them which are born 
 of flesh and blood, and them which are born of the 
 Spirit ; wherefore I partly perceived the meaning of 
 his saying, namely, that the kingdom of the Law and 
 of the Prophets now had an end, and that the kingdom 
 of the Spirit of God was at hand ; and that the greatest 
 in the former kingdom was less than the least in the 
 latter. Likewise I understood Jesus to say that the 
 sending of this message and the moving of Jesus 
 to take up the arms of the flesh argued in John a 
 certain nature of flesh ; as if he thereby shewed him- 
 self to be born not of the New Kingdom, but of the 
 Old Kingdom of flesh and blood, albeit the greatest 
 therein. Yet for all this, that such an one as Jesus 
 of Nazareth, whose gentleness and meekness (albeit 
 mixed at all times with a certain royal carriage and 
 demeanour) for the most part exceeded the meekness 
 of a little child, should notwithstanding seem to rate 
 so low the greatest of all the prophets of Israel, and 
 exalt so high the meanest of all the citizens in the 
 Kingdom that was to come (which also seemed
 
 i88 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 14 
 
 perforce to include a certain magnifying of himself 
 as being chief in that Kingdom) ; this, I say, for all 
 my poising and pondering, still perplexed and dis- 
 tracted my mind, as a thing new and strange, and 
 (I had almost said) monstrous to human reason. 
 
 I desired to question Nathanael the son of Zebedee 
 concerning these things ; but I could not. For having 
 noted the face of one of my mother's household in the 
 congregation, and fearing lest he might have some 
 message touching my mother's health, I hasted to 
 seek the man out : and it proved even as I feared, 
 for my mother was indeed sick, and had sent, desiring 
 that I would come to see her. Therefore I went to 
 Jesus at once, and besought him that he would suffer 
 me to go to my mother. As I went to Jesus, I met 
 Eliezer the son of Arak, and would have passed him. 
 But he, noting that I was somewhat moved, stayed me, 
 and having questioned me, he said, " If thou art wise, 
 thou wilt not go to Jesus : for but now, he forbade 
 one of his disciples to bid farewell to his parents, and 
 another he would not so much as suffer to bury the 
 dead body of his father. For he rageth like a young 
 lion taken in the net of the hunter ; and whoso leaveth 
 his side, though it be for an hour, seemeth to him a 
 traitor. Be persuaded, therefore, and quit this Jesus 
 of Nazareth, and his rabble of sinners, and come unto 
 the side of the learned, and thou shalt have eminence 
 among us." 
 
 Now I could not indeed deny that Jesus had forbidden 
 certain of his disciples to leave him ; but he had done 
 it for their advantage, and because he knew that it 
 would have been ill for them to leave him. Therefore
 
 Chapter H] PHILOCHRISTUS 189 
 
 I answered Eliezer with the same proverb which the 
 ruler of the synagogue had said to Jesus, that it was 
 better to be the tail of the lion than the head of the 
 fox ; and so I left him. For he spake out of a malignant 
 heart, and not because he loved me. Moreover, I knew 
 that if Jesus should say, Go not, it would be well said ; 
 for I trusted him in all things. 
 
 I found Jesus surrounded by many disciples, who had 
 been asking him questions concerning John the Prophet, 
 and concerning the manner of his deliverance. For all we 
 at that time were assured in our minds that John would 
 be delivered : for men counted John the son of Zachariah 
 and Jesus of Nazareth as yoke-fellows in Israel, and the 
 safety of one seemed to depend on the safety of the 
 other, and the salvation of Israel on both. And indeed 
 I myself have often marvelled that Jesus was not 
 moved to adventure to deliver John. But, as I judge, 
 he rejected all such motions as temptations of Satan, 
 because he knew that he had not been sent to smite 
 with the sword but only with the breath of his mouth. 
 Wherefore, if he were tempted at all, it was rather, 
 as I suppose, that he should die with John than that 
 he should fight that John might live. And at this 
 time, methinks, it came into his mind that if indeed 
 it was ordained that John the Prophet should be slain, 
 and perchance he himself also, then was it high time 
 that new labourers should be sent into the harvest of 
 the Lord, to take the places of them that were to pass 
 away. Howbeit, concerning these things I can but 
 conjecture; but, as I remember, when I came to Jesus, 
 he was looking at the young corn in the fields around 
 very intently, and as if he espied in the sight more
 
 1 90 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter H 
 
 than others could see. Presently he said to them which 
 sat next to him, " Say ye not, There are yet four 
 months and then cometh the harvest ? Behold, I 
 say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the 
 fields, for they are white already to harvest. And he 
 that reapeth receiveth wages and gathereth fruit unto 
 life eternal ; that both he that soweth and he that 
 reapeth may rejoice together." Then Judas said to 
 them which sat nigh unto him, that these words 
 signified that John should be delivered at once, and 
 that a levy was to be made throughout all Galilee : 
 and he added aloud, looking to Jesus, that, " The 
 reapers were ready," or words to that effect. But 
 Jesus answered and said, " The harvest truly is plenteous, 
 but the labourers are few : pray ye therefore the Lord 
 of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into 
 his harvest." 
 
 Then I spake to Jesus and told him that I desired 
 to go and see my mother. But I thought perchance 
 that he would have restrained me, if it were so indeed 
 that a levy was to be made throughout all Galilee. But 
 he restrained me not, but bade me go in peace and 
 blessed me, and spake comfortable words to me ; and 
 wished me to comfort my mother. 
 
 On the next day I came to Sepphoris, and behold 
 my mother was grievously sick and nigh unto death. 
 But when I took her by the hand and delivered to 
 her the message of Jesus, saying that he bade her be 
 of good cheer, even in that instant her strength came 
 back to her, and her disease abated ; and on the fourth 
 day it departed, so that she rose from her bed. But 
 when the day came that I should depart, so it was that
 
 Chapter 14] PHILOOHRISTUS 191 
 
 my mother desired me to go first to Tiberias, there to 
 collect certain debts which were owing to her now many 
 days. To this I agreed, nothing loth, for it seemed to 
 me that by passing through Tiberias to Capernaum I 
 might bring unto Jesus the newest tidings touching the 
 doings of Herod, and perchance also touching the state 
 of John the Prophet. For there were certain of mine 
 acquaintance in the house of Chuza, the king's steward, 
 who lived in Tiberias nigh unto the royal palace. So I 
 set out for Tiberias first. But when I reached the city, 
 it being now about the tenth hour of the day, I found 
 the people gathered together in the Greek quarter by 
 twos and by threes in the streets ; and in our part of 
 the city, instead of rejoicings (which I had expected, 
 because the Feast of Purim was at this time), there were 
 everywhere signs of lamentation and mourning. So I 
 saluted one of them that passed by, and asked him what 
 these things might mean. But he glanced at my mule 
 (which 1 had borrowed, for more speed, of a Greek in 
 Sepphoris ; for not many in Galilee, except Gentiles, 
 use to ride on mules), and he said, "I perceive that 
 thou art but a sojourner here, else wouldst thou surely 
 have known these tidings which are in the mouths of 
 all the people, since the eighth hour of the day, touching 
 John the Prophet." Then I said, " What tidings \ " He 
 answered " That he is dead, slain with the sword ; and 
 they say that his head hath been given to Herodias on 
 a charger. But why speak I of things that concern me 
 not ? " So saying he looked at me, as I had been a 
 spy (for the spies of Herod were everywhere in Galilee 
 at this time, and most of all in Tiberias) ; and so he 
 passed on.
 
 1 92 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 14 
 
 Straightway I hasted on to come to the Greek quarter, 
 seeking the house of Chuza. But on my way thither I 
 passed the royal palace ; and at the gate thereof were 
 certain of the Thracian guard keeping watch. Now as 
 I passed them, one of the soldiers called to his com- 
 panion and said, " But wherefore dost thou keep guard 
 to-day ? " And the other said, " I keep guard in the 
 place of Thrasymachus who is gone with three centuries 
 to Capernaum/' " And wherefore to Capernaum ? " 
 said the first. "There is like to be a tumult in the 
 town," replied the sentinel, " because of the beheading 
 of this John in Machaerus ; and they say that the rabble 
 will set some leader at their head, who is to be arrested." 
 "Nay," said the other, "and sayest thou arrested? I 
 would have no arresting, but make quick despatch with 
 these leaders of the rabble. But hath Herod heard of 
 this leader ? " " Not so," said the other, " for he is busy 
 in the south with the army ; but our general meaneth 
 to take order that Herod shall never hear of him." With 
 that he laughed, and made a sign to signify beheading, 
 drawing his hand across his throat ; then he bade his 
 fellow go carry some message for him, for he should be 
 busy that day ; " For," said he, " the cohort hath not 
 been gone one full hour yet, and will not be here again 
 these six hours or more, for they mean not to take 
 him by force publicly, but will arrest the man quietly 
 at nightfall." 
 
 When I heard these things, my spirit fainted, and 
 there was no strength in me ; but when I came to 
 myself, it seemed best to journey forwards at once to 
 Capernaum if perchance I might prevent the coming 
 of the Thracian guard and- give the alarm to Jesus.
 
 Chapter U] PIIILOCHRISTU& 193 
 
 So I turned the mule's head straightway toward the city 
 gate, and rode on the way that leadeth to Capernaum. 
 But she was sore wearied by reason of the length of the 
 journey, and could scarce carry me. Howbeit after the 
 space of an hour's riding I came up with the rear of 
 the Thracians : but I perceived that I could not pass 
 them. For a certain merchant riding on a fresh mule 
 had passed out from the city gate before me, and behold, 
 they had stayed him, and suffered him not to pass ; but 
 he rode behind with the rear. Now when I saw this, 
 I smote my hands together, for I saw that I could be of 
 no avail to my Master. And by this time the houses of 
 Capernaum, that is to say the quay and the houses near 
 the quay, were in sight, and not far off. For one headland 
 only remained between us and the headland whereon the 
 town standeth ; and when the Thracians should have 
 passed round that first headland, there were but 
 six furlongs between them and the market-place of 
 Capernaum. But the sun was now nigh setting and 
 the barbarians began to quicken their pace. 
 
 Therefore I cried unto the Lord in sore distress and 
 left my mule and climbed up to a rock whence I 
 could watch what befel, and there I offered up 
 prayers to the All-Powerful, who alone is able to save. 
 Now behold, by this time the Thracians had passed 
 round the first headland, and the last of them were out 
 of my sight, so that I could see nothing but the quay 
 of Capernaum and two or three fishing-boats riding at 
 anchor just off the quay : and there seemed no signs of 
 tumult ; for there was no man stirring there. And 
 presently began the helmets of the Thracians to shine 
 again before mine eyes as their front guard drew near unto 
 
 o
 
 194 PH1LOC11RISTUS [Chapter 14 
 
 the town, and still no man perceived them ; for the cliff 
 lay between them and the town, and there were still 
 none save two or three sailors on the quay. Then I 
 took off the covering from my head and waved it in the 
 air that the sailors perchance might take note of it : but 
 they took no note. 
 
 Now by this time there was but about a space of two 
 furlongs between the front of the column of the 
 Thracians and the quay of Capernaum, and I could hear 
 the captain give the word of command (albeit not in 
 a loud voice) to hasten their march that they might 
 enter the town the more quickly (for darkness was now 
 falling upon the lake) ; and as the word of command 
 sounded across the water even to my ears in the still- 
 ness of the evening, behold, the Thracians hastened their 
 march so -that they began to run. Now I held my 
 breath, for I could not so much as pray for very trouble ; 
 when lo, a great noise of shouting from the other side 
 of the headland, even from Capernaum ; and at the 
 same time a great concourse of people upon the quay, 
 and immediately a long galley appeared, which rowed 
 forth very swiftly toward the eastward side of the lake. 
 Then the barbarians halted, even without the word of 
 command ; for they knew that the bird was escaped from 
 the snare of the fowlers : and the noise of their cursing 
 and clamour came up even unto mine ears as I sat upon, 
 my place of watching. But I glorified the God of 
 Israel ; and gave thanks to Him whose mercy endureth 
 for ever.
 
 195 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 WHEN I came into Capernaum, I thought to have heard 
 all men rejoicing for that Jesus had not been taken by 
 the Thracians. But, go where I might, I found it quite 
 contrary ; for all men were wroth with him for depart- 
 ing. Barabbas was there, and James the son of Judas 
 of Galilee, and many others of the Galilean sect ; but I 
 could not have much speech with them, so hot was their 
 anger against Jesus ; but on the morrow, lighting upon 
 my cousin Baruch, I questioned him touching that which 
 had happened, and he said that " the Prophet had 
 turned from him all the hearts of the Galileans because he 
 would not raise up Israel to avenge the death of John." 
 Then I asked how soon they had received tidings of 
 John's death, and he said " Yesterday a little before 
 sunset." I marvelled how the news should have been 
 brought past the Thracians ; for, said I, " they stayed 
 all travellers from Tiberias, neither suffered they any to 
 pass them." But Baruch said that James the son of Judas 
 had contrived that lights should be held up each night 
 from Gamala on the other side of the lake, to the intent 
 that the Galileans in Capernaum might know how John 
 fared ; and one light should signify that the Prophet 
 lived, but two lights that he lived not. "And," said
 
 196 FHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 13 
 
 Baruch, " yestereven before the sun went down, many 
 of the Galileans had gathered together by twos or 
 by threes upon the strand to watch for the signal. And 
 first one light appeared, as was usual ; and the men said 
 that it was well, for they had one more day wherein to 
 labour for the Prophet's deliverance. But then Barabbas 
 cried out that there were two lights ; and at first no man 
 would believe it, for (because the sun had not yet set) the 
 lights were not plain to see. But presently Judas also 
 saw the second light, and then they all saw it. Hereupon 
 arose a loud lamentation, and the news spread at once 
 through all the city, and the women began to wail, and 
 the men rushed forth into the streets, and there was 
 a great gathering. Presently with one consent the 
 multitude ran together to the door of the house where 
 Jesus lodged ; and first Barabbas went in to ask Jesus 
 to be leader of the host, but soon he came forth again, 
 saying that Jesus would not. Then went in James the 
 son of Judas, saying that he would beseech Jesus in the 
 name of his father, who had fought and died for Israel. 
 With James there went in also three others of the eldest 
 and most reverend of the Galileans, and they remained 
 in the house longer, so that the people thought they 
 had prevailed upon Jesus ; and there was a great expec- 
 tation. But when the elders came out, they showed by 
 their countenances that they had not prevailed. 
 
 Then there was much clamour ; and the greater part 
 cried out that they would not depart from before the 
 threshold of Jesus till they had persuaded Jesus to be 
 leader of the host ; and some cried out to draw him forth 
 by violence and to make him leader of the host. But 
 immediately the door opened, and Jesus himself came
 
 Chapter 15] 1'JIfLOCHRISTUS 197 
 
 forth. Then they no more talked of violence ; but 
 Barabbas and others of the armed men held out their 
 right hands to him, and promised to give up their lives 
 for his sake if he would be their king. Others fell 
 down on their knees before him ; and some caught him 
 by the garment to have stayed him. Only James the son 
 of Judas said nothing ; " and it seemed to me," said 
 Baruch, " that at the sight of James, Jesus was more 
 moved than by all the rest. Howbeit he halted not, 
 but moved straight down to the beach. 
 
 " Then when the people perceived that he would leave 
 them, they cried out even louder than before, and threw 
 dust in the air and poured it upon their heads ; and some 
 threw themselves on the ground in his path for to stay 
 him ; and some also spared not threatening. But Jesus 
 took no heed thereof, but went still onward with his 
 eyes fast set upon the ground ; till one thrust himself 
 before the rest, crying aloud and saying that they would 
 do more for John dead than for Jesus living, and that it 
 was better for a man to lose his life, as John the Prophet 
 had lost it, than to save his life as Jesus desired to save 
 it. Thereat Jesus stayed for an instant, and lifted his 
 eyes from the ground ; howbeit not in anger, but rather 
 as he is wont to do (for thou well knowest his manner) 
 whensoever he heareth a Voice of God. But when all 
 the people shouted again, supposing that he had been 
 bent from his purpose, then Jesus beckoned with the 
 hand, and when he had commanded silence, he spake 
 briefly unto them, and said the hour was not yet 
 come ; and so he departed. 
 
 "Now," said Baruch, "while Jesus was speaking to 
 the people, and even afterwards while he was in the
 
 198 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chaptir 13 
 
 sight of the people, it was a marvellous thing to see how 
 still they were ; for he hath a power over the hearts of 
 the people so that when he is present no one dare move 
 his tongue against him. But as soon as the boat had 
 rowed away and they could see him no more, straight- 
 way Barabbas and his friends began to curse and 
 swear ; and they said that they w r ould never again ask 
 aught of Jesus, nor place any faith in him. James the 
 son of Judas said little, but his mind seemed to be the 
 same. For this cause therefore all the Galileans are 
 incensed against Jesus ; insomuch that, whereas they had 
 begun to rate him far above John, they now esteem the 
 memory of John more than the presence of Jesus." 
 
 After this, Baruch began to advise me to sever myself 
 from Jesus and to return to my home at Sepphoris, for, 
 said he, " He hath the Pharisees for his enemies ; and the 
 richer sort are also estranged from him ; and it is com- 
 monly reported that Herod the Tetrarch seeketh to slay 
 him with the sword ; and now behold, even the Galileans 
 are turned away from him. Now therefore be persuaded, 
 and come back with me to the house of my father 
 Manasseh, and tarry with us for the night, and refresh 
 thyself, and on the morrow set forth for thy home." 
 
 But I made him some fair answer and bade him fare- 
 well ; for I had determined with myself to take ship 
 that same night, to have sailed over to the other side. 
 But on the morrow, I thought it good (albeit perchance 
 I erred therein) to return first to my mother and to 
 relate to her all that had come to pass, and to bid her 
 farewell : for all men now accounted of Jesus as of one 
 that must either fight or perish : for it could not be that 
 he should live and be honoured of men, and yet not
 
 Chapter 15] PHILOCHRISTUS 199 
 
 avenge the death of John the Prophet. Wherefore, 
 before I joined myself to a cause that seemed so full of 
 peril, I desired to take leave of my mother. 
 
 On the fourth day after I was come to Sepphoris, 
 word was brought that Jesus of Nazareth was gathering 
 the people for battle, and that he was making a levy 
 throughout all Galilee, and for this intent had chosen 
 out twelve of his disciples, whom also he called Apostles ; 
 and these he had sent out by two and two through the 
 several villages and towns. Jonathan the son of Ezra 
 brought me these tidings ; and I was with him next 
 day, walking on the road between Sepphoris and Caper- 
 naum, when we met Simon Peter and Andrew. 
 
 They told us that they had been sent forth by Jesus 
 to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven, and to drive out 
 unclean spirits, and to heal diseases. They came with- 
 out wallet, or food, or money, trusting to the alms of 
 the people. But when we questioned them as to the 
 Kingdom, and whether indeed it was to be achieved 
 by force of arms (as the rumour went), or by signs such 
 as fire from heaven and the like : concerning this they 
 knew nothing. As for the healing of diseases, we saw 
 with our own eyes that they had this power ; for they 
 healed certain that were sick in Sepphoris, and even cast 
 out three or four unclean spirits. 
 
 When we had bidden farewell to Simon Peter and 
 Andrew (for they were in haste, passing from place to 
 place like messengers of war) then Jonathan turned to 
 me and said, " Whoso pulleth down his old house and 
 doth not first build for himself a new one, is he wise I " 
 I replied, " Nay." Then said Jonathan, " Lo, Jesus of 
 Nazareth pulleth down the house of the Law ; tell me
 
 200 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 15 
 
 therefore, what buildeth he in the place thereof?" I was 
 silent, for I knew not what to answer ; but at last I said 
 that Jesus spake of a certain new Spirit which would 
 purify the children of men and enable them to attain 
 righteousness without the Law. But Jonathan said, 
 " Nay but, my son, can a Spirit tell each man of the 
 children of men, from day to day, what meat he shall 
 eat and what he shall not eat ; and when to fast and 
 when to feast ; and what to do on the Sabbath day, and 
 what not to do ? Now if the Spirit shall tell each man 
 different things, shall there not be a confusion as of 
 Babel ? But if the same things, then why should not 
 these thino-s be written in a law 1 Moreover who shall 
 
 o 
 
 tell which man hath the Spirit and which hath not ? 
 For all will say they have it." Then I said that I could 
 not answer those questions, but that I trusted in Jesus 
 of Nazareth as in one sent from God, who could not 
 deceive, neither be deceived, for that his deeds and 
 words were those of a prophet. After this manner I 
 answered ; but Jonathan said nothing, but only shook 
 his head a little, as one that doubted more than he 
 hoped. 
 
 Now on the third day after this discourse (it being, as 
 I remember, the month called Adar, a little after the 
 Feast of Purim), my mother being now completely re- 
 covered of her disease, I determined to return to Jesus. 
 For tidings came in daily that all Galilee was ready to 
 rise up when he gave the sign, and I was unwilling to 
 show myself a laggard if matters should come to smiting 
 with the sword. But every day I heard that Jesus was 
 more and more beloved of the people. For all (save only 
 the Pharisees) were now drawn towards him, in that he
 
 Chapter 15] PHILOCHRISTUS 201 
 
 seemed to be bent upon avenging John the Prophet. 
 And his fame began to be noised abroad through all 
 the country of Galilee and the parts beyond, inso- 
 much that many that had not heard of him before, 
 began to cast in their minds what he could be. And 
 some said that he was Elias. For the common folk, yea, 
 and the Scribes also, were ever expecting that Elias 
 should be sent down to earth, according to the saying of 
 the prophet Malachi. But others said that he was John 
 the Baptist risen from the dead ; and this saying was 
 commonly reported, especially among the Gentiles which 
 border on the land of Galilee and in Decapolis, insomuch 
 that Herod himself heard of the rumour, and feared 
 lest it might be even so. But whatsoever men reported 
 about Jesus, in any case his fame waxed very great at 
 this time. For before John was beheaded, the fame 
 of John prevailed over the fame of Jesus in the minds 
 of many ; but now all alike, even the disciples of John, 
 looked to Jesus as the avenger of John and as the only 
 Deliverer ; insomuch that, at this time, Jesus had both 
 his own fame and also the fame of John the Prophet. 
 
 I found Jesus in a village about seven miles to the 
 north of Galilee. But when I had saluted him, I noted 
 that he was marvellously changed ; yet not so that he 
 was austere, nor even very sad ; yet still changed 
 withal, albeit I knew not how nor why. But I had 
 expected that he should have rebuked me for that I 
 had been so long absent, neither had I come to him 
 with all speed so as to be present when first he made 
 the levy in Galilee. Howbeit, he reproved me not ; 
 but questioned ine kindly touching my mother's health, 
 and rejoiced when I gave him a good report : but after-
 
 202 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 13 
 
 wards he gave himself again to meditation. When I 
 was come forth from his presence, I asked the disciples 
 concerning the state of Galilee, and what number of 
 men were ready to fight on our side, and when the 
 levy should be made, and the hour for battle should 
 be at hand. But the rest were silent, and Judas alone 
 made answer, that concerning these things the disciples 
 knew nothing ; yea, and from certain signs he conjec- 
 tured that even to Jesus himself the hour of uprising 
 was not yet known, no, nor yet the manner of it, nor 
 the means for it. 
 
 " But," said I, " did not the people in Galilee 
 receive you when ye went forth to proclaim the 
 Eedemption ? " " Yes truly did they," said Judas, " but 
 all of the baser sort, and the poor folk which have 
 naught of their own ; wherefore they be always ready 
 for warfare." " And what answer made Jesus to your 
 report 1 " asked I. " Truly a marvellous answer," replied 
 Judas, " for when we said that only the poor and simple 
 folk received us, he rejoiced thereat, and thanked God 
 that it was even so." " Nay," said I, " that were hard 
 to believe." "But yea," said Judas; "for his words 
 were these, that he thanked the Father, because He had 
 hidden these things from the wise and the prudent, and 
 revealed them unto babes." Then I looked at Nathanael 
 to know whether it was even so, and Nathanael nodded 
 his head, as if to say that it was so. 
 
 But Judas continued : " This also is not the worst. 
 For he hath not only turned from him the Galileans ; 
 but besides, since our flight, whereas there is special 
 need to be busy and striving, behold, these ten days, he 
 museth and meditateth, and ceaseth not. Neither are
 
 Chapter 15] FHILOCHEISTUS 203 
 
 his musings, touching war, nor vengeance, nor military 
 matters ; but he broodeth over prophesyings and 
 abstruse matters. And a stranger might go near to 
 think that he had conceived an imagination that, be- 
 cause the Lord hath suffered John the son of Zachariah 
 to die, therefore he must needs die also. But unless he 
 be speedily raised up from this humour of dejection, all 
 is lost." 
 
 He said no more at this time, for Jesus came forth 
 into the court-yard where we sat together around the 
 fountain ; and straightway we held our peace. Then 
 we fell to discourse of John the son of Zachariah, 
 how great things he had prophesied, and how we had 
 hoped that he should have triumphed with us in the 
 Kingdom of God ; and one likened John unto Elias 
 the prophet, saying that he spake in the spirit of Elias, 
 and that many of the common people would have it 
 that this John was indeed Elias risen from the dead. 
 Then another spake of the love in which the disciples 
 of John the son of Zachariah still had their Master, 
 and how, though he were dead, yet did they still cleave 
 to him in their hearts ; insomuch that his spirit seemed 
 to rule over them yet more than his living presence. 
 But another said that John the Prophet could not be 
 Elias : for was it possible that the Lord should suffer 
 such an one as Elias to be slain \ And to him Nathanacl 
 replied that Isaiah the Prophet was sawn asunder, and 
 wherefore not also Elias ? Then Thomas, one of the 
 Twelve, lamented for John the son of Zachariah, because 
 he had been thus swallowed up by destruction, neither 
 had he left children to stand in his stead upon the earth ; 
 " for they that die, leaving children behind them," said
 
 204 riHLOCHRISTUS {Chapter 15 
 
 he (quoting a certain proverb of my countrymen) " die 
 not, but only fall asleep : but they that die and leave no 
 children, these die indeed." To this John the son of 
 Zebedee made answer that whoso leaveth behind him 
 children perverse and alien from his own nature, he 
 liveth not, for all his children ; but whoso leaveth behind 
 him disciples and followers like unto himself and imbued 
 with his own doctrine, such an one liveth, yea even 
 though he be childless and lie in the grave. Hereat me- 
 thought Jesus was strangely moved : howbeit he sat still 
 where he was, and spake never a word. 
 
 But presently mention was made of Jonah the Prophet, 
 how that he also was an exile and fled from his country, 
 even as our Master had been forced to flee. Then Judas 
 said that Jonah had done ill to flee, for that none could 
 flee from the presence of the All-seeing, the Maker of all 
 things, " for," said he, " the son of man, while he liveth, 
 is like unto a horse tethered by a cord which sufFereth 
 him to graze, but resteth still in the hand of his owner." 
 Thereon some one took up the discourse and said, "Nay, 
 but rather the cord is a cord of love, and the owner is 
 not an owner, but a father ; " and another disciple 
 quoted the words of the psalmist, " By thee have I been 
 holden up from the womb." Thereat Jesus smiled as if 
 to say that that disciple had spoken well, and he bade 
 John repeat the rest of that same psalm. But when 
 John came, in his repeating, to the words, "0 God, 
 Thou hast taught me from my youth : and hitherto 
 have I declared thy wondrous works," then did Jesus 
 seem somewhat moved. But afterwards when John 
 came unto the words, "Thou, which hast shewed me 
 great and sore troubles, shalt give me life again, and
 
 PHILOCIIRISTUS 205 
 
 shalt bring me up again from the depths of the earth ; " 
 then indeed the face of Jesus kindled with a marvellous 
 light, and he bade John cease. But he himself sat, still 
 musing, and his lips moved like unto one repeating the 
 same words over and over again : " Thou shalt bring me 
 up again from the depths of the earth." 
 
 It came to pass that, about two or three weeks after 
 these things we came to Nazareth, where Jesus was 
 born. Now Jesus had not gone to the place these 
 many days. Some said that he came thither now for 
 to shew unto his mother and his brethren (for his father 
 had been long since dead) that he was sound in health 
 and not possessed nor distraught. Others said that he 
 desired to cause his brethren to believe in him ; for at 
 this time they believed not. But others said that he 
 desired to bid farewell to his mother before he went 
 forth to deliver Israel ; and to this most people agreed. 
 
 But when we came to Nazareth, we marvelled that 
 there was so little faith in the men of that place. For 
 they thronged us, as in the other towns, and they were 
 fain to look on Jesus, and called him by familar names 
 (some being playmates and schoolfellows, some his 
 kinsfolk, and almost all of the number of his acquain- 
 tances) ; moreover they were eager that he should do 
 some mighty work before their eyes ; yet could they 
 not believe that he was a prophet, much less that he was 
 the Eedeemer of Israel. Neither would they believe 
 that he could drive out evil spirits or heal diseases. 
 
 Hence it came to pass that Jesus could do no mighty 
 work there. And when they brought unto him many 
 that were sick, and possessed with evil spirits, he looked 
 on them, but perceived that they had not faith to be
 
 2 o6 PIIILOCHPJSTUS [Chapter 15 
 
 healed. Wherefore he healed none of them ; save only 
 that he laid his hands on a few that were sick of slight 
 diseases and healed them, and even these not without 
 labour. For the same things happened as once in 
 another city, where a man was healed that had been 
 afflicted with a deaf and dumb spirit. For there, because 
 of the man's want of understanding and lack of faith, 
 Jesus took him apart from the people (for there was a 
 great stir of traffic and of men coming and going), and 
 made signs to him, at the same time touching his ears 
 and his tongue ; and he also spake very loud in the 
 man's ears, not in Greek, but in the language of the 
 Jews (which is used by the poorer people), saying 
 Ephphatha. In this way the man was healed, but only 
 with labour and by degrees. And so it was now, but 
 even worse. Wherefore Jesus himself marvelled at 
 their unbelief. 
 
 Now the cause of their unbelief was that they knew 
 him from a child. For, said one of them to Jesus 
 himself in my hearing, " Behold, these thirty years we 
 have known thy goings out and thy comings in ; we 
 have also sat by thy side in the school, and whatsoever 
 thou didst learn we also learned ; thou didst play with 
 us at our games round the well ; we have seen thee 
 a- working in thy father's house ; our couches and our 
 seats are made by thy hand ; and shall we call thee 
 the Eedeemer of Israel ? " Moreover another bade 
 him come back to the carpenter's shop ; and a third 
 cried out that he had changed trades for the worse, 
 for the Eedemption of Israel was a dangerous trade. 
 All these were moved by jealousy, and spake out of 
 the malignity of their hearts.
 
 Chapter 15} PHILOCHRISTUS 207 
 
 But a certain old Scribe, Josiah the son of Hezekiah, 
 (which also was the chief Scribe of the place, and had 
 known Jesus and loved him of a child) coming forth from 
 his house, met him and fell upon his neck, and blessed 
 him, and embraced him ; and then, when he had looked 
 more narrowly at his countenance, he began to mourn 
 over him as if he were his own son, lamenting for that 
 the bloom of beauty had departed from the countenance 
 of Jesus : "for behold," said he, " sorrow hath driven out 
 the former brightness of thy joy. Thou wast as the 
 dew of the morning, my lamb, but art become as 
 the parched ground at noontide. Behold, my lamb, 
 around thy cradle mercy and righteousness joined hands 
 together ; and when thou didst sport amid this valley, lo, 
 truth and peace went ever with thee, and thou didst 
 still hold converse with the angels of God ? Unfit art 
 thou, my gentle one, to do battle with the wickedness 
 of wicked men, and with the cunning arts of the adver- 
 sary. Verily thou wilt be led as a lamb to the slaughter. 
 Hast thou fathomed the depth of the pit of destruction ? 
 Or dost thou know by experience the snares of deceit ? 
 Eeturn, thou that art the apple of mine eye, while 
 there is yet time, lest evil befal thee. For I know 
 that danger coinpasseth thee around, and if thou shalt 
 go hence, thou wilt come back to me no more." 
 
 Jesus spake comfortably to the old man and consoled 
 him ; and while he consoled him, his face shone with joy 
 and love ; insomuch that the old man also rejoiced, say- 
 ing that Jesus appeared now again as he appeared in 
 the days of his youth. But still he besought Jesus to 
 return and to avoid contention with the Pharisees, 
 saying that "no vessel but peace can hold blessing."
 
 2 oS PHILOCHRISTUl [Chapter 13 
 
 But Jesus answered him kindly and bade him farewell. 
 And so we departed from Nazareth. 
 
 When we were now come to the top of the hill which 
 looketh down on Nazareth, we rested a little to recover 
 our breath. Now Jesus was sorrowful because of the 
 unbelief of his kinsfolk and acquaintance, and he was 
 silent (as was his wont when sorrow fell upon him), 
 musing and meditating, and, as it seemed to me, praying ; 
 even as one striving to unloose the knot of some hard 
 saying or riddle. For the unbelief of his kinsfolk had 
 filled him with astonishment. While he thus mused, 
 we conversed together, and Judas said that it was an 
 error to have come to Nazareth. " For who knoweth 
 not," said he, "that a prophet hath no honour in his 
 own country ? For a prophet known is a prophet 
 despised." 
 
 But John the son of Zebedee replied that it was a 
 strange thing that the acquaintance and kinsfolk of 
 Jesus should suppose that they knew the mind and 
 spirit of Jesus because they knew his outward shape 
 and mien and manner of speech : " For his mind and 
 spirit pass knowledge ; and the more a man knoweth 
 thereof, the more a man must needs wonder thereat." 
 So spake John ; but Judas jested at him, and said that 
 John spake as a babe and as a simple clown, knowing 
 nothing of the world. " Yet," added he, looking up 
 at Jesus, "it is strange me thinks that even our Master 
 should also wonder at that which is in no way wonder- 
 ful." Then John rebuked him and said, " Knowest 
 thou not the saying of our Master, ' They that wonder 
 shall reign, and they that reign shall rest ? ' Where- 
 fore who knoweth whether it may not be that even our
 
 Chapter 13] PHILOCHIUXTUX 209 
 
 Master day by day learneth some new revelation from 
 God whereat to wonder \ For whoso increaseth not 
 diminish eth." 
 
 When I heard these words I looked at Jesus, and 
 behold, it was even as John said- For the sorrow that 
 rested upon his countenance because of the unbelief of 
 his kinsfolk seemed to be passing away, and to be 
 revealing beneath it an exceeding joy, as of one learning 
 some hidden mystery, or hearing some glad tidings. 
 And there came into my mind the words of Barabbas 
 (which were contrary to the words of John), how he 
 said that Jesus did everything with forethought; and 
 behold, both the words of John seemed true and also 
 the words of Barabbas ; but the words of John seemed 
 the truer. For though Jesus did naught in haste nor 
 in fear nor perturbation ; yet was he not like unto one 
 that seeth all things to come, great and small alike, 
 marked out for him as in a chart, nor like unto him 
 which trusteth in the strength of his own unchangeable 
 will. Nay rather, even as a little child hangeth upon 
 the bosom of his mother and hath no will of his own, 
 even so did Jesus continually look upon earth and heaven 
 and on the deeds and words of men ; and, look where he 
 might, he discerned in all things some new knowledge, 
 some revelation concerning the will of the Father in 
 heaven ; insomuch that no day passed, yea no hour of 
 the day, but Jesus in this wise held communion with 
 his Father. 
 
 By this time Jesus was arisen from his seat, and we 
 ceased conversing together when he drew nigh. But 
 Judas, desirous to say somewhat (so as to hide what he 
 had been saying), pointed down to the white houses of 
 
 p
 
 210 PHILOCHRISTUS* [Chapter 15 
 
 Nazareth and to the fields and orchards which compass 
 the city round in the bottom of the valley ; and he said 
 to Jesus that the place was exceeding beautiful, like 
 unto a handful of pearls in a goblet of emerald. But 
 Jesus looked narrowly at Judas for an instant, and then 
 down at Nazareth, and then at Judas again ; and the 
 sounds of the bleating of the goats and the piping of the 
 shepherds came up to our ears, and the laughter of the 
 children as they sported round the well. When Jesus 
 heard these things, he sighed, and cast his eyes down 
 again on Nazareth, even on the place of his nativity; 
 and he looked at it for a long while very lovingly. 
 Then he turned away his head and departed, and he 
 saw it no more.
 
 21 I 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 Now so it was that, at this time, the more the hearts 
 of the people were drawn tosvard Jesus (for though the 
 people of Nazareth had rejected him, yet was he much 
 honoured in the rest of Galilee), so much the more did 
 Jesus seem to thrust them away. For he began to teach 
 us at this time that he should give us no new law, but a 
 certain manna or bread from heaven. Now if he had 
 said no more than this, this was not hard to under- 
 stand ; for our Scribes also taught in parables after this 
 fashion : but he added that this manna or bread from 
 heaven should be himself, his flesh and his blood, which 
 should be given for the life of the world. Now albeit I 
 have myself heard the Scribes speak of " the days when 
 Israel shall eat the Messiah," l meaning that Israel shall 
 enjoy the presence of the Messiah, yet Jesus seemed to 
 mean somewhat more than this, insomuch that his 
 words were a stumbling-block unto many. And straight- 
 way many of them departed from him. 
 
 But when I went (according to my wont) to question 
 
 Nathanael touching these words, he replied that they were 
 
 hidden from him also. Notwithstanding it seemed to 
 
 him that at this time our Master was receiving some new 
 
 1 See Note III. 
 
 P 2
 
 212 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 1C 
 
 revelation, whereof these words might peradventure be a 
 part. For he said that on the day before, when I had 
 been absent, mention had been made of the coming 
 Passover, and how Jesus would not be present thereat ; 
 and from mentioning the sacrifice of the Passover they 
 came to speak of other sacrifices ; and one said that 
 Jesus had come to take away sacrifice, for that he had 
 said that God desired mercy, and not sacrifice, and that 
 the right sacrifice was that the whole nation should serve 
 the Lord and do His will. Then another, quoting the 
 Scripture, said, "Nay, but the people may perchance 
 stand in the place of the fuel and the fire : but where 
 is the lamb for the burnt-offering ? " Then answered 
 another from the same Scripture, and said, " God will 
 provide himself a lamb for the burnt-offering." And at 
 these words, said John, "the countenance of Jesus 
 changed as if he had heard some new word from God." 
 Hereat I marvelled greatly, and wondered what new 
 thing the Lord was preparing for us and for our Master. 
 And the words of Judas came to my mind that, because 
 John the son of Zachariah had been slain, therefore 
 Jesus had begun to imagine that he also must needs be 
 slain. But it was but for an instant ; for I durst not 
 so much as entertain the thought of so great an evil. 
 
 But, as I now judge, the Lord Jesus began at this 
 time to see clearly that he must needs die for Israel, 
 even as John the son of Zachariah had died, and that he 
 must needs rise again (according to the Prophets) ; even 
 as the common people spake, saying that John the 
 Baptist was at this very time risen from the dead. For 
 he perceived that the needs of the world, that is to say 
 the will of the Father, required that he should rise again
 
 Chapter 1 6] PHIL OCHRISTUS 2 1 3 
 
 from the dead. Moreover as John the son of Zachariah 
 had gained strength through death, so that all men still 
 loved and honoured John, and were more ready to die 
 for him dead than living ; even so Jesus perceived that 
 he also should have more strength to help us after his 
 death than before his death. But touching the manner 
 of his rising again, and the time of it, and whether he 
 should appear in his own shape (as he did indeed), or in 
 some other shape (as did Elias in the shape of John the 
 Baptist), concerning all this, what was revealed unto 
 him I know not ; the Lord only knoweth. But that he 
 should of a certainty rise again from the dead, this was 
 without doubt revealed unto him ; and, as I conceive, 
 about this time. 
 
 For this cause, because he perceived that by the 
 giving of his body and blood to die for men, his spirit 
 would pass into his disciples (even as the spirit of John 
 the son of Zachariah had passed into the disciples of 
 John), for this cause, I say, he spake at this time (as he 
 did also afterwards), saying that he would give himself 
 to be the food of men, even the Bread of Life. For his 
 spirit was a spirit of sonship to God, and of brotherhood 
 to men ; and except the world should receive this spirit 
 into itself, the world could not be quickened, and the 
 nations of the earth could not pass into the family or 
 kingdom of God. 
 
 From this time also he began to be very careful, even 
 to disquietude, concerning us his disciples, what should 
 be our estate when he should have departed from us ; 
 and he desired to impart to us this Bread of Life that we 
 also in turn might impart it to the multitude. Moreover 
 he would fain exercise us already in imparting this
 
 2 j 4 PHILOCHBISTUS [Chapter 16 
 
 Bread of Life, yea, before be had passed away ; to the 
 end that, by beginning in his presence, we might learn 
 by degrees to be steadfast in the ministering of the 
 Bread even though he were absent from us. And for 
 this he found occasion not many days afterwards. For 
 about the tenth day before the Passover, Jesus being 
 still on the other side of the lake (but I had been sent 
 with Judas on an errand to Capernaum), it came to pass 
 that much people resorted to him ; some from Caper- 
 naum, and others from the parts round about the village 
 wherein he had lodged. For, because of the Passover, 
 which was at hand, many were going up to Jerusalem. 
 Also of the Galileans some came ; howbeit not James 
 nor Barabbas, nor any of them which had most authority 
 with the Galileans. Now Jesus himself ministered unto 
 certain of them the Bread of Life, and forgave sins, 
 and healed the sick. But afterwards, because of the 
 multitude of them which came unto him (for they were 
 more than five thousand) he caused the disciples to 
 divide them into companies and to minister the Bread 
 unto the people. So they ministered as Jesus bade 
 them, and the grace of the Lord was with them ; in- 
 somuch that Thomas (who had been at the first loth to 
 minister the Bread, as not being worthy) came afterwards 
 to Jesus saying, " Of a truth the crumbs of thy Banquet 
 which are fallen from the table of the guests do suffice 
 unto them that minister : for the Lord hath increased 
 the Bread of Life within us." So mightily did the Bread 
 of our Master increase in the hands of the Twelve. And 
 Matthew said that Jesus had not only spread a table in 
 the wilderness for the hungry, but that he had also 
 fulfilled his saying, "Give and it shall be given unto
 
 Chapter 16] PHILOCHRISTUS 215 
 
 you. For," said he, " behold, to each of the disciples 
 there cometh back his basketful of the fragments of the 
 Feast." And the like happened on another occasion, 
 when they ministered the Bread unto another very great 
 multitude about four thousand in number.. 
 
 All this I heard when I returned with Judas from 
 Capernaum, bringing word that the Thracians had left 
 the town. So we returned to Capernaum, and there we 
 kept the Passover; for Jesus would not go up to 
 Jerusalem to keep it, though we were very desirous that 
 he should go up ; but he said that his hour had not yet 
 come. But scarcely had we been in Capernaum five or 
 six days, and the Feast of the Passover was still not 
 ended, when we fled (upon some new rumour of danger) 
 from Capernaum again to the eastern side of the lake. 
 Now while we were rowing across, some of us murmured 
 (though not so loud methought that Jesus could hear) 
 concerning our many flights and wanderings, and we 
 wondered why our Master would not suffer the common 
 people to make him king. 
 
 In the midst of our disputing Jesus called unto us 
 from the hinder part of the boat and said, " Beware of 
 the leaven of the Pharisees and of the leaven of the 
 Sadducees." Then we looked one at another, for we 
 felt that we were guilty ; for in the haste of our em- 
 barking, because we had come on board before it was 
 well dawn (for fear of the arrival of the Thracians, 
 which was reported to us) we had forgotten to bring 
 with us any unleavened bread; and the feast of the 
 Passover wanted yet two days before it should have an 
 end, and behold, we were going to a Gentile country 
 where our customs were not regarded, so that we could
 
 216 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 16 
 
 not easily obtain such bread as was needful. Therefore 
 we confessed to Jesus, and said that indeed we were 
 verily guilty of sore neglect. 
 
 But when Jesus heard our words, he rebuked us for 
 our want of understanding ; and he asked us whether 
 we did not remember how the disciples had ministered 
 the Bread of Life to the four thousand and to the five 
 thousand ; and he made mention of the saying of 
 Thomas, one of the Twelve, how the bread had been 
 multiplied in the hands of the Twelve, and also of the 
 saying of Matthew the son of Levi, how the fragments of 
 the Feast had returned to them that ministered, and had 
 satisfied them. So we perceived that he spake not of the 
 leaven that leaveneth bread of corn, but of the leaven 
 which leaveneth and corrupteth the bread of the soul. 
 
 Yet forasmuch as the Pharisees agree not with the 
 Sadducees (neither do they teach the same doctrine, nor 
 observe the same customs) I could not understand what 
 this " leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees " might be. 
 But when I asked Nathanael thereof, he said that per- 
 chance Jesus desired to warn us lest we should be led 
 away in our hearts by the desire of this world, and by 
 the haste to be prosperous. " For," said Nathanael, 
 " the Sadducees love place and wealth and ease, and the 
 Pharisees love power with the people, and the saluta- 
 tions of the rich, and the respect of the poor, and the 
 name and reputation for piety ; and these sects do both 
 go straight towards their several ends. But, though 
 several in appearance, their ends are really the same. 
 For both the Pharisees and Sadducees serve them- 
 selves, and live for their own pleasure. And methinks 
 our Master feareth lest we too in the same way may
 
 Chapter 16] PHILOCHRISTUS 217 
 
 follow him not out of love and out of faithfulness, but 
 from a desire to be prosperous." 
 
 " But are we not," asked I, "to be prosperous in the 
 end ?" " Yes, assuredly in the end," replied Nathanael ; 
 " but the end may perchance be somewhat farther off than 
 we suppose, and our course may perchance be somewhat 
 slow. For in all works there are two courses, the course 
 of men and the course of God. Now men work visibly 
 and speedily, and with much stir and noise ; but the 
 Father in Heaven worketh for the most part invisibly and 
 slowly, and very gently. Now it may be that the slow 
 ways are best. But in any case I begin to perceive that 
 our Master loveth the slow ways best, according to his 
 saying that the Kingdom of Heaven is like unto the 
 wheat, which is sown and watered and resteth long 
 unseen in the earth, and springeth up at last and by 
 degrees, and putteth forth, first the blade, and then the 
 ear and then the full corn ; and all this by slow ways, 
 quietly and gently, while the husbandman riseth and 
 sleepeth and goeth in and out, and taketh no heed how 
 great a work the gentle hand of the Lord is working 
 around him." 
 
 Thus spake Nathanael, and I gave heed unto his 
 words ; for he seemed day by day to grow in the love 
 and knowledge of our Master, and behold, the know- 
 ledge of Jesus seemed to bestow upon him knowledge 
 of all spiritual things, so that he was not like the same 
 Nathanael whom I had first known now a year ago. 
 And the other disciples also were greatly changed from 
 their former selves. For we had now been a full year 
 with the Lord Jesus ; and it was the sixteenth year of 
 Tiberius Caesar.
 
 218 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 BETWEEN the Feast of Passover and the Feast of Weeks 
 I was not much with Jesus ; for when I perceived that 
 Jesus was in no instant peril, I returned to Sepphoris 
 for a while, partly by reason of my mother's health, 
 and partly to gather in the harvest. And during this 
 time, when it was perceived that Jesus went not up to 
 the Passover, neither made any levy of the people as 
 had been expected, the Pharisees for a while ceased to 
 lay snares for him : and the common people, though 
 they murmured that he went not up to Jerusalem, 
 nevertheless had him in honour. But the harvest 
 being now over, when I went back to meet Jesus at 
 Capernaum, I found there one of mine acquaintance, 
 a merchant (whom I had known at Alexandria in my 
 uncle's house), a Greek learned in the knowledge of the 
 Greeks. This man was not a proselyte ; neither did he 
 in any wise conform himself to the Law of Moses. 
 But he spake of himself, at that time, as a seeker 
 after truth ; for he did not join himself to any of the 
 schools of the Gentile philosophers, but chose forth 
 from each whatsoever seemed to him useful or true. 
 He had read our Scriptures, and was greatly given to 
 the study of our psalms and prophecies ; and when he
 
 Chapter 17] PHILOCHRISTUS 219 
 
 had heard me speak of Jesus of Nazareth as being our 
 Messiah, his heart was moved to hear Jesus preach the 
 gospel. So it came to pass, about the first or second 
 Sabbath after the Feast of Weeks, he accompanied me 
 into the synagogue where Jesus was to speak to the 
 people. But as I went, I perceived Abuyah the son of 
 Elishah ; and with him were certain of the Sadducees, 
 and some also of the Herodians. And when I saw them, 
 T knew that they had come for no good purpose. 
 
 And so it proved. For when we were now assembled 
 in the synagogue, Abuyah came forward and said to 
 Jesus, " Behold, thou art a vessel very full of knowledge, 
 and the people are come together at thy feet for to hear 
 of thee the words of wisdom, according as it is said, 
 'Powder thyself in the dust of the feet of the wise, 
 and drink their words with thirstiness/ Now therefore, 
 I pray thee, suffer me to ask of thee touching a certain 
 matter." And Jesus said, " Ask." And Abuyah said, 
 "Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife ? " 
 
 Now when Abuyah spake these words, all the 
 Herodians and Sadducees listened with greedy ears, as 
 though they would devour the words that fell from 
 Jesus, if perchance he should say something against 
 Herod the Tetrarch. For Herod had put away his own 
 wife and had married Herodias, the wife of his brother 
 Herod Philip, which thing was not lawful for him to 
 do. And it was for this cause that Abuyah had asked 
 the question. For the Pharisees considered that in this 
 way they would do one of two things ; either they 
 would incense Herod against Jesus (even as they had 
 incensed him against John the son of Zachariah, whose 
 death they had procured), or else they would cause
 
 220 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 17 
 
 Jesus to appear unto the people a time-server and a 
 prophet of smooth things, a prophet not to be trusted. 
 
 But Jesus knew their devices and said to Abuyah, 
 " What did Moses command you ? " And Abuyah said, 
 "Moses suffered a man to write a bill of divorcement 
 and to put his wife away." But Jesus answered and 
 said, "For the hardness of your hearts he wrote you 
 this precept. But from the beginning of the creation 
 God made them male and female. For this cause shall 
 a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his 
 wife : and they twain shall be one flesh. So then they 
 are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God 
 hath joined together let not man put asunder." By 
 these words we understood Jesus both to find fault with 
 them that allowed of divorce for every slight cause 
 (as did certain of the Pharisees) ; and also to disallow 
 of divorce generally, except (as he afterwards said) for 
 adultery ; which alone is, of itself, a divorce. But it 
 was quite after the manner of Jesus to found this doc- 
 trine not upon the Law, but upon the nature of things, 
 as it was created in the beginning ; teaching that woman 
 was not made as an afterthought, nor as a mere pleasure 
 to the man ; but that mankind was made, from the first, 
 male and female. And according to this doctrine did 
 Jesus ever behave towards women, showing unto them 
 not only gentleness and kindness, but also a singular 
 reverence. 
 
 After these words Jesus began to exhort the people : 
 and he taught them that God require th purity in the 
 inner parts, namely, in the soul, saying, Not that which 
 goeth into a man defile th a man, but that which cometh 
 out of a man, evil and impure thoughts and deeds, these,
 
 Cliapter 17] PHILOCHRISTUS 221 
 
 he said, defile a man. Hereat many of the disciples 
 were sore grieved that Jesus should thus openly, as it 
 seemed, trample upon the Law of Moses ; and from this 
 time certain Essenes that had hitherto followed with us, 
 now altogether left Jesus. And one of the younger 
 Scribes, interrupting him, cried aloud," He that despiseth 
 the washing of hands shall be rooted out." But Jesus 
 went on to say, Nay, but every plant that the Father in 
 Heaven had not planted, should be rooted out ; and as 
 for the teaching of the Pharisees, he likened it to the tares, 
 the end whereof is to be burned. He also likened them 
 and their pupils to blind men leading other blind men ; 
 who should all together fall into the pit. 
 
 Then he drew, as it were, a model of the New 
 Kingdom ; wherein, he said, the only thing needful 
 would be that a man should love God with all the heart, 
 and his neighbours as himself. And when some one 
 asked him who were a man's neighbours, he replied, 
 in parables, that whosoever was sick, or naked, or an- 
 hungered, or in pain or sorrow, whosoever in fine was 
 in need of aught, that man (yea, even though he were 
 a Samaritan), was neighbour unto each citizen in 
 the New Kingdom ; and towards every neighbour the 
 citizens were to do whatsoever they would desire that 
 their neighbours should do unto them. 
 
 When the people were come forth out of the synagogue, 
 the Greek merchant walked by my side for a while in 
 silence : but Abuyah, who walked behind us, was plainly 
 heard blaming Jesus as one that brake the Law and 
 taught others to break it. Hearing these words, the 
 merchant nodded over his shoulder, and exclaimed, 
 "Yonder pedant, who with his washings would purify the
 
 222 PHILOCHRISTrx [Chapter IT 
 
 very sun, is altogether void of understanding ; else would 
 he perceive that the philosophy of thy Teacher mounteth 
 up to something far higher than the pulling down of the 
 laws of thy nation." Then he questioned me touching 
 Jesus, and of his former doctrine and manner of life 
 since he had begun to teach ; and I replied to all these 
 things and asked of him in turn what he might mean 
 by his words about the philosophy of Jesus. But he 
 seemed rapt for the time in other thoughts, and, instead 
 of answering me, he questioned me further concerning 
 the birth and rearing and childhood of Jesus ; and in 
 particular, whether both his parents were of Israel, 
 or whether his mother were not a Greek. But after 
 that I had answered again to all his questioning, when 
 I perceived that he was still musing on his own thoughts, 
 and took no heed of my words, I waxed impatient, and 
 repeated my question somewhat loudly. 
 
 Then my friend made answer, howbeit not in the 
 way of a direct reply to my question, but rather as 
 still partly meditating with himself: "Thou describest 
 a gracious, a very gracious nature, ignorant of evil 
 throughout his youth, seeing ever in his mind's eye 
 the Isles of the Blessed, and desiring that same blessed- 
 ness for all mankind. And lo, whatsoever he desireth 
 that he seeth : for he deceiveth himself, feigning that all 
 things are like unto that beautiful idea which he seeth 
 in his mind." But I said to the merchant, "Nay, 
 friend Xanthias," for that was the man's name, " but 
 when Jesus spake of the Pharisees, did he then seem 
 to thee ignorant of evil ? " " Thou didst not give me 
 time," replied the merchant, " to finish my speech : for 
 I was about to say that, as it seemeth to me, thy
 
 Chapter 17] PHILOCHRISTUS 223 
 
 teacher is even now awakening to the evil that is in 
 the world ; and, becoming at last undeceived, he seeth 
 his fair phantasma vanishing away. Thus his gracious 
 nature, yielding to the over great pressure of the evil 
 that surroundeth him, is becoming marred and wounded. 
 Alas for the pitiful change ! For behold, his former 
 life, as thou describest it, was like unto a deer sporting 
 gladly in the woods, to whom the flowers of the fields 
 are as friends, and the wind ever bringeth glad tidings. 
 But to what shall I liken the latter end of his life ? 
 It is like unto the same deer wounded by the hunts- 
 man, who passeth by the same way, and through the 
 same woods ; but she is glad no longer, for the dart 
 still cleaveth to her side, and the flowers delight her no 
 longer, and the breezes are messengers of evil." 
 
 I was grieved at his words, and all the more because 
 they agreed with certain fears in the depth of my own 
 heart, whereof I had up to this time made no mention 
 even to Nathanael, no, nor yet unto mine own self. But 
 I was grieved also because the Greek knew not the true 
 nature of Jesus. For he spake of him as of one 
 gracious and lovable, but he knew not the might and 
 the power of our Master, how he was like unto a rock 
 immovable, unchangeable ; even such another as the 
 Gentiles fable Atlas to have been, who bore up the 
 world by the strength of his shoulders. For I knew 
 that, if heaven and earth had set themselves in league 
 against Jesus, to make him do aught against the will of 
 the Father, Jesus would have stood up alone against 
 earth and heaven, and hell to boot. Moreover, I had 
 noted how there still came forth from Jesus a new 
 strength to bear each new burden, and a new knowledge
 
 224 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 17 
 
 to discern each new Eevelation from the Father, yea, 
 and a new delight to delight therein. For though it 
 were true indeed, as the Greek had said, that Jesus 
 had sometimes marvelled at evil (when it befel him) 
 as though he had been ignorant thereof before, yet was 
 it also true that he seemed to have become greater 
 through the increase of the knowledge of evil. But 
 Xanthias knew naught of this. For he was deceived 
 by the gentleness of Jesus, not perceiving that this 
 same gentleness of Jesus was stronger than the strength 
 of kings. Therefore was I grieved at his words ; but 
 I constrained myself and asked him yet again what 
 he might mean by saying that the philosophy of Jesus 
 mounted to somewhat higher than the pulling down of 
 the Law. 
 
 Then said the Greek, (t Are there then in this country 
 no slaves ? " " Thou knowest," I replied, " that there 
 are slaves : howbeit, not many, nor ill used, nor treated 
 like beasts, as the Gentiles treat them." Then said 
 he to me, "And wouldst thou willingly be a slave in this 
 country ? " I said, " Nay." " And if thou wert a slave, 
 wouldst thou wish that thy master should retain thee 
 as a slave, or should enfranchise thee ? " I replied, 
 " The latter." Then said the Greek with a smile, " But 
 if ye all became followers of Jesus of Nazareth, would 
 ye not perforce confess that all men were your neigh- 
 bours, yea, even Greeks and Eomans ; yea, even 
 Samaritans ; yea, even your own slaves 1 " Then was 
 I silent : for I understood now that his meaning was, 
 that the teaching of Jesus would in the end bring to 
 pass the enfranchising of all slaves, and I knew not 
 what to reply.
 
 Chapter 17] PHILOCHRISTUS 225 
 
 But he, still smiling, said, "I perceive that thou 
 understandest my meaning. For the teaching of thy 
 Master aimeth at nothing less than the destroying of 
 all manner of slavery. But without slavery the race of 
 man neither hath existed, nor can exist, as thou knowest 
 very well. For without slaves no work could be per- 
 formed except the tilling of the land, which alone is 
 fit for free men/' I said then to him that in Israel 
 there was not the same disliking of handicrafts as 
 among the Greeks and Romans. But he said, " Dost 
 thou suppose that thy Master's philosophy concerneth 
 only thine own people ? " " Yea, of a surety," said I ; 
 " our own people, and none else ; for he himself pro- 
 claimeth the Kingdom to no strangers." He replied, 
 " That may be, for a time : but is not the Samaritan 
 thy neighbour ? " Then was I again silent. For there 
 came into my mind that ancient prophecy which saith 
 that in the seed of Abraham, that is to say in the 
 Messiah, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed ; 
 and I remembered how oft Jesus had of late taught us 
 that the Samaritans were neighbours to the citizens 
 in the Kingdom. But I put the thought away from 
 me ; for the truth was at that time hid from our eyes : 
 neither could I at that time perceive how we could be 
 redeemed or delivered, if we were to treat the Romans 
 as neighbours. But while I mused thereon, Xanthias 
 continued his speech concerning Jesus, and he said that 
 Jesus did wisely in that he seemed to encourage mar^ 
 riage, and to prohibit many wives, and to forbid divorce. 
 " For," said he, " herein I incline rather to Aristotle than 
 to Plato, believing that the state is composed of families ; 
 and if the family be rotten, the state cannot be sound. 
 
 Q
 
 226 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 17 
 
 But to hope to destroy slavery is to hope to pull down 
 the pillar whereon the life of all states is based." 
 
 Now was my heart hot within me ; and I was fain to 
 speak, and to say that Jesus would indeed pull down 
 slavery in Israel, and make our people to be a nation of 
 priests and princes for the world, and would in the end 
 destroy even the Evil Nature of man. But I abstained 
 from speech ; for 1 knew that my words would be 
 foolishness in his ears, and that he could not under- 
 stand the Redemption unless he understood Jesus him- 
 self. Therefore I made him some courteous answer and 
 accompanied him toward the house where he lay. 
 
 But he still continued his discourse of the philosophy 
 of Jesus (as he called it), and he likened Jesus unto the 
 Greek Teacher Socrates, in that neither Socrates nor 
 Jesus would receive teaching upon mere authority, nor 
 because this saying or that precept chanced to have 
 been written in books : but Socrates trusted to a certain 
 power of reason or dialectic, and Jesus to a certain 
 power which he called a Spirit : the two being diverse 
 in appearance, but in truth following one and the same 
 method. Thus Xanthias continued his speech of Jesus ; 
 but as he bade me farewell near the threshold, it came 
 to pass that Abuyah, who had been walking behind us, 
 came near, still talking with his companions, and saying 
 in a loud voice that Jesus was as the bramble, whereof 
 Jotham rnaketh mention in the Scriptures. " Where- 
 fore," said he, " meet it is that we cut down this vile 
 thorn-tree, lest there come forth fire from the bramble 
 and consume the olive-tree, and the fig, and all the 
 fruitful trees of the forest." 
 
 When Abuyah had passed by, the merchant said
 
 Chapter 17] PHILOCHRISTUS 227 
 
 unto me, " Truly I have heard no philosopher whose 
 lectures have so pleased me as the teaching of this thy 
 Teacher ; and, though I esteem little of wonders, 
 whereof we have enough and to spare at Alexandria, 
 yet if even the half of that which thou sayest touch- 
 ing the acts of thy Jesus be true, he will deserve 
 worship even better than ^Esculapius or Amphiaraus. 
 But as thou knowest, my dear friend, I am one of them 
 which doubt all things ; and I incline to the belief that 
 there are no gods, or if there be, that they deal not with 
 human matters. And thereto I incline the more because 
 I see all human things full of misery and oppression. 
 And, unless my fears deceive me, this my belief will be 
 confirmed by the fate of thine own Teacher. For I fear, 
 I greatly fear, lest the friends of Abuyah the Scribe 
 may prevail over the friends of Jesus the philosopher 
 of the New Kingdom and deliverer of the slaves." 
 
 So saying he turned himself round to depart. But I 
 w r as scarce gone ten paces when he called me back, and 
 taking me by the hand very earnestly, " I pray thee," 
 said he, " tell me by what name doth thy Master call 
 himself. A prophet \ or a teacher ? Or doth he say that 
 he is your Messiah ? or a lawgiver like unto Moses ? " 
 But I made answer that Jesus called himself by none of 
 these names ; but, for the most part, only " Son of man." 
 Hereat Xanthias marvelled and said, " But wherefore 
 useth he this title ? For thou, and I, and all men, are 
 not we all sons of men ? Doth thy Master therefore 
 fear lest his disciples may perchance forget that he is a 
 man and deem him to be a god ? For such a title as 
 this, albeit humble in appearance, seemeth in verity too 
 
 proud for any save such as aspire to be gods. But 
 
 Q 2
 
 22 8 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 17 
 
 perchance your prophets have so used this title that it 
 hath some strange meaning, whereof I know naught." 
 Then I said that the word was indeed used by the pro- 
 phets : for whensoever the Lord speaketh to Ezekiel as to 
 a mortal creature, the Lord calleth him Son of man, as if 
 to set the mortal infirmities of the prophet over against 
 the divine nature of the Lord ; but again the prophet 
 Daniel saith that, in the day of Judgment, there shall 
 appear one like unto the Son of man, sitting on the 
 clouds of heaven, and coming in glory to judge the 
 nations of the earth : wherefore the title seemed to 
 signify the weak nature of man, whether infirm or 
 whether exalted. Howbeit, added I, before Jesus, no 
 prophet spake thus of himself as the Son of man. 
 
 Hereat Xanthias marvelled the more, saying that this 
 was indeed a strange title, and such as no philosopher 
 had ever before taken upon himself. Then he mused 
 a while, still holding me by the cloak, and would have 
 questioned me farther; but I could tell him no more. 
 So at the last he let me go, shaking his head, and saying 
 that it was strange, it was passing strange, and that 
 there was more in this than he could understand : and as 
 he turned himself to depart, T heard him repeating again 
 to himself that it was a proud title, a very proud title, 
 and such as no wise and sober philosopher should take. 
 And thus he departed, meditating as he went, and 
 so rapt in his study that he forgot to bid me farewell. 
 But when he was departed, so that I had leisure to 
 think on his wonder and on the cause thereof ; then 
 I also began to perceive that there was more than I had 
 as yet understood, in this title of the Son of man.
 
 229 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 No evil followed on the words which Jesus had spoken 
 concerning divorce; and we remained many days in 
 peace, even till the day of Atonement, which falleth 
 toward the beginning of the autumn in the month 
 called Tisri. But we had friends in Tiberias, who were 
 to send us word by day, or signify to us by lights during 
 the night, if perchance any plot were intended against 
 Jesus. 
 
 Now so it was that some of the Galileans did not 
 consent to James the son of Judas, and to Barabbas in 
 forsaking Jesus, neither did they allow the conduct of 
 the Pharisees ; but having gathered themselves together 
 they agreed that it was not fit that Israel should 
 so long halt between two opinions ; but as it had been 
 in the days of Elias the prophet, so should it be now. 
 " For," said the chief man among them, " Elias gathered 
 the people together and the people promised to be on 
 his side, if he brought down fire from heaven ; and he 
 did so. Now perchance this Jesus is even Elias ; for 
 many so report of him, and even the Scribes say that 
 Elias must come, and some say that Elias hath come 
 oftentimes before now. But whether he be Elias or no, 
 doubtless, if he be a true prophet, he can work the sign
 
 2 3 o PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 18 
 
 of Elias. For a false prophet can work signs on the 
 earth and in the air, and in the deep; but a sign in 
 heaven or from heaven he cannot work. Therefore 
 meet it is that the Pharisees, instead of setting snares 
 for Jesus, should promise to obey him if he will work 
 a sign in heaven in their presence. My counsel is there- 
 fore that we ask Jesus to work a sign in heaven ; and if 
 he consent, then that we obey him, even though all the 
 Pharisees speak against him, yea, and though he bid us 
 hold out our throats to be cut by the Romans." 
 
 Thus spake the Galileans at their council, not many 
 days after the discourse of Jesus concerning divorce. 
 And the counsel of the Galileans was reported unto the 
 Scribes. But when Abuyah the son of Elishah heard 
 it, he said that this was according to the Scripture and 
 the Traditions, and that it should be so. But Eliezer 
 the son of Arak said that it should not be so ; for that 
 it was in no wise certain that a magician could not 
 work a sign in heaven, or at the least, a sign that should 
 appear to be in heaven. But if he could, said Abuyah, 
 then, though the sign should not really be in heaven, 
 yet if it appeared to be therein, all the foolish rabble, 
 even the people of the land, would be drawn after Jesus, 
 and the Pharisees also would be obliged to submit to 
 him. " For," added he, " I have heard of magicians 
 which can make statues walk, and can knead loaves of 
 stones ; and of others that can become serpents, and 
 transform themselves into goats, and can open locked 
 gates, and can melt iron in a moment of time ; but if 
 they can do things so wonderful, think ye they cannot 
 likewise perform signs which shall appear to be signs in 
 heaven ? "
 
 Chapter 18] PHILOCHRISTUS 231 
 
 Others also protested to the same effect, and one said 
 that he had been present when a certain magician had 
 been smitten right through his body with the sword, 
 but behold, the sword had passed through him as through 
 smoke, and he had taken no hurt; and another said 
 that he had seen an enchanter at a banquet create 
 all manner of images, and cause dishes to be borne of 
 themselves to wait upon the guests, no bearers being 
 seen. At the last Abuyah himself confessed that he also 
 had once seen a certain magician roll himself on the 
 fire, and yet not burned ; and the same man also to 
 fly in the air. " Wherefore," said he, " true it is, as 
 Eliezer saith, that one flying high enough in the air, 
 might seem to fly down from heaven, and so to perform 
 some sign in heaven ; and thus might he lead away the 
 common people, which know not the Law." All this 
 I heard from a certain Scribe, a friend of Jonathan the 
 son of Ezra ; his name was Eleazar the son of Azariah, 
 and he was present at the meeting of the Scribes. 
 
 The same Eleazar also told me that whilst the Scribes 
 were yet debating what they should do, a message 
 was brought, as from one that had spoken with 
 the chosen disciples of Jesus, saying that Jesus would 
 certainly not w^ork a sign in heaven ; for that he had 
 refused to do this, though he had been besought by his 
 disciples. When they heard this, they rejoiced greatly ; 
 and Eliezer the son of Arak rose up and straightway 
 gave his judgment that they should now change their 
 policy. " For," said he, " the Lord having revealed this 
 new thing unto us, meet it is that we change our path 
 accordingly, neither harden our faces against the will 
 of God. Wherefore my judgment now is, that we ask
 
 2 3 2 PHILOCHRJSTUS [Chapter 1 
 
 this Jesus to work a sign in heaven before the face of 
 the whole congregation in the synagogue. For when it 
 shall be perceived that he cannot work a sign in heaven, 
 all men will go from him ; for they will know that he 
 is a false prophet." And thereto the rest agreed, and it 
 was so resolved. But I knew not thereof till many 
 days after. 
 
 It was the intent of the Scribes to have asked Jesus 
 to work a sign in heaven on the next Sabbath ; but in 
 the meantime, lights having been held up by night in 
 Tiberias (on I know not what report or rumour of some 
 danger intended to Jesus by Herod, or some marching 
 forth of the Thracian guard), Jesus gave command to 
 pass over again unto the other side of the lake. We 
 accompanied him, albeit sorely against our will ; for 
 there seemed to be no end unto these wanderings 
 or flights ; and each new flight was like to turn the 
 hearts of the people more and more from Jesus. More- 
 over, the manner of Jesus at this time disquieted 
 us, and made some of us to doubt. Not that he seemed 
 to fear ; for fear had no part in him, neither did 
 he seem to know what fear meant. But he appeared 
 again (as in former days) like unto one waiting for a 
 message and marvelling somewhat that the message 
 came not. 
 
 During these days, and these wanderings to and fro, 
 the words of the prophet Jonah were often in his mouth, 
 and he seemed as if he discerned a certain likeness 
 between that prophet and himself; but what it was we 
 understood not. For sometimes he spake of Nineveh, 
 and how Jonah thought only of his own people, and 
 had no compassion upon that great city of the Gentiles,
 
 Chapter 18] FHILOCHRISTUS 233 
 
 yea, and fought against the voice of the Lord, who bade 
 him go prophesy unto them ; and how he wandered 
 hither and thither, if perchance he could flee from the 
 voice of the Lord. But at other times he spake how 
 Jonah cried unto the Lord even from the belly of hell, 
 and how the Lord inclined His ear unto him, and heard 
 him, and raised him up to prophesy unto the Gentiles ; 
 and he quoted oftentimes the words of the prayer of the 
 prophet, " I went down to the bottoms of the moun- 
 tains ; the earth with her bars was about me for ever ; yet 
 hast thou brought up my life from corruption, Lord 
 my God." Likewise he made mention of some sign of 
 Jonah, which he said should be manifested to this gener- 
 ation ; but whether he meant that he should be sent far 
 away unto the Gentiles, or that he should be cast into 
 the depths, and delivered again, as Jonah was, this we 
 understood not, and the saying was hidden from us. 
 
 Now it came to pass, when we had journeyed now 
 many days on the other side of the lake, we came nigh 
 to the mountain of Hermon. Snows cover the top of 
 this mountain both summer and winter; and when the 
 sun in his strength shineth on the snows thereof, it is 
 as though the glory of the Lord had come down from 
 heaven. Towards this mountain Jesus had set his face 
 as though he had an errand thither from the Lord ; and 
 as we journeyed towards it, he gazed often thereon and 
 rejoiced greatly. But it came to pass, as we now drew 
 nigh unto the mountain, we journeyed through a certain 
 village of the country ; and because we were in haste 
 and Jesus desired that none should know him, we were 
 to have passed quickly through the village before dawn. 
 For the fame of Jesus, how he could cast out unclean
 
 2 34 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 18 
 
 spirits, was spread abroad even in that country. But 
 as we passed through the village, we heard sounds as of 
 one calling after us : and some thought they heard 
 shrieks. Howbeit we turned not back, but journeyed 
 forward the more quickly; 
 
 Now a certain woman in this village (a worshipper of 
 idols, after the manner of the people of that land) had 
 a daughter possessed with an unclean spirit, which, 
 whensoever it took her, drove her to all manner of 
 wickedness, even to the attempting of her mother's 
 life. So the woman had resolved in her own mind 
 that when Jesus passed by (for he must needs come 
 through that village), she would beseech Jesus to heal 
 her daughter, and she had told her daughter of her 
 purpose, and likewise all her friends and acquaintance ; 
 and she had been advised of the approach of Jesus and 
 was watching for us. Therefore seeing us pass quickly 
 through her village, she adventured to bring out 
 her daughter unto Jesus : but her daughter would not 
 come. For even then, at the hearing of the name of 
 Jesus, the devil took her, and she shrieked aloud 
 and strove against her mother, and would have slain 
 her : but her mother ran forth from the house and 
 followed Jesus, calling and crying aloud and piteously 
 lamenting. 
 
 Now to us it seemed a strange thing and an 
 unseemly, that a prophet of Israel should thus be beset 
 and importuned by an heathen woman. So we expected 
 that Jesus should have at once sent the woman away. 
 But Jesus uttered never a word, nor so much as turned 
 his face towards her, but journeyed steadfastly forward. 
 And even as one running a race towards a goal settleth
 
 Chapter 18] PHILOCHRISTUS 235 
 
 his soul upon the prize that is before him, even so 
 seemed Jesus to settle his soul upon the snows of the 
 mountain of Hermon : for they shone in the light of the 
 rising sun, like unto a dove sent from God, whose breast- 
 feathers are as silver, and whose wings like unto fine 
 gold. But the woman ceased not from her following 
 and lamenting, and poured forth before Jesus all the 
 story of her troubles. 
 
 At last we adventured to accost Jesus, and we 
 besought him to send her away. But he answered us, 
 still not turning his face, " I am not sent but unto 
 the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Yet as he spake, 
 he slackened his going, and spake, as it were, like unto 
 one doubting somewhat, and willing to have his words 
 amended. Now came the woman in haste up to him, 
 and threw herself before his feet and said, " Lord, help 
 me." Then Jesus stayed. Yet did he still keep his 
 eyes fixed on that which he saw afar off; and for a 
 brief space he was silent ; but then he said, as though 
 he were asking a question of his own soul, "It is not 
 meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the 
 dogs ? " But the woman answered, " Truth, Master, 
 yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their 
 master's table." 
 
 When Jesus heard these words he turned his face 
 straightway from the glory of the mountain and looked 
 down on the woman ; and behold, he rejoiced more 
 because of that which he beheld nigh unto him, than 
 because of the glory that was afar off. For the fashion 
 of his countenance was changed so as I cannot describe 
 it. And immediately he stooped down, and took the 
 woman by the hand and raised her up, and said unto
 
 236 PHILOCURISTUS [Chapter 18 
 
 her, " woman, great is thy faith ; be it uiito thee even 
 as thou wilt." 
 
 Now when the woman ran back to her house, she 
 found the child on a bed, struggling, and scarce held 
 of her friends ; who stood by, weeping and supposing 
 the child to be possessed, not now with one devil but 
 with many. Then she cried aloud for joy, and told 
 her acquaintance how that Jesus had granted her 
 prayer. And straightway, when the devil heard this 
 saying, even at the mention of the name of Jesus, he 
 tare the child, and departed, leaving her, as it 
 seemed, lifeless. But presently she rose up whole and 
 sound, being delivered from the devil ; nor was she 
 ever again afflicted. All this was done by the word 
 of Jesus spoken by the Syrophoenician woman ; for he 
 was not present to heal the girl ; albeit (as I gathered) 
 the girl had before heard oftentimes of her mother that 
 Jesus was to come to heal her, and how great things he 
 had done for others that were possessed. But when 
 Jesus had heard the words of the Syrophoenician woman, 
 he was no longer minded to journey towards the north, 
 but went back into the village where was the girl 
 afflicted with the unclean spirit. Now the people 
 would fain have constrained him to tarry with them ; 
 but he would not, but set his face southward again to 
 go toward the Sea of Galilee. For the faith of the 
 Syrophoenician had strangely moved him, insomuch that 
 he spake as if the Redemption were nearer than it had 
 been before ; and, as I judge, he desired to make one 
 more proof of the Pharisees, whether they also would 
 not have faith in him. And straightway he crossed over 
 and came again to Capernaum.
 
 Chapter 18] PHILOCHRISTUS 237 
 
 As we rowed across the lake back to Capernaum we 
 rejoiced greatly ; for we thought that the time was at 
 hand when the Galileans (for of the intent of the 
 Pharisees we knew naught) would ask Jesus to work a 
 sign in heaven, and Jesus would now grant their request. 
 But when Jesus had done this, we trusted that the whole 
 nation should have believed in him, and that the time 
 should have come that he should redeem Israel. How- 
 beit certain of the disciples (and more especially Judas 
 of Kerioth) took it ill that Jesus should have listened 
 to the prayer of an heathen woman which was an idolater. 
 For although Esaias saith that the Gentiles are to come 
 to the rising of the Lord, and that the Gentiles shall 
 seek to the Deliverer of Israel, yet had it been always 
 fixed and rooted in our hearts that the deliverance of 
 the Gentiles (if it should come to pass at all) must come 
 by the uprising of the children of Israel, who should 
 be princes and kings, conquering and triumphing over 
 the nations of the earth. And then the Gentiles were 
 to seek to Israel and to become proselytes, entering into 
 the true fold. And this belief Jesus had confirmed in 
 our hearts in that he had bidden us to go not to the 
 Samaritans nor to the Gentiles, but only to the lost 
 sheep of the house of Israel. Which saying Jesus 
 himself now seemed to contradict, having thus healed 
 the Syrophoenician maiden. But whether it had been 
 revealed to our Master, through the words of the Syro- 
 phcenician, that the deliverance of the Gentiles should 
 come more speedily than had been supposed, and not by 
 fetching a compass, as it were, round all the borders of 
 Israel, but by a more direct course, concerning this I 
 know nothing : but Quartus judgeth that it was so.
 
 GOKGTAS the son of Philip exceeded the rest of us in his 
 rejoicing at the return of Jesus, and jn the largeness of 
 his expectation, saying that it could not be that our 
 Master, when he adventured to work a sign, would 
 suffer himself to be surpassed by any, albeit the most 
 cunning magicians. "Now," said he, "I have heard 
 an Alexandrine say that there are certain magicians 
 which, in the middle of the market-place, in return 
 for a few obols, will drive out demons and diseases, 
 and call up the souls of heroes, and costly ban- 
 quets, tables, dishes, and dainties, all as though ready 
 for a feast ; all which at the magician's wand shall 
 vanish away. If therefore a common magician can do 
 such things for hire, how much more can Jesus do 
 greater things than these for the Redemption of Israel ! " 
 Judas also spake after the same manner, and he said 
 that perchance it was well done of Jesus not to work a 
 sign in heaven at first ; for had he worked the sign too 
 early, it would have been counted cheap, and would have 
 been despised. "Much wiser," continued he, "to hold 
 the sign back till the people crave for it, and till the 
 Pharisees (supposing forsooth that he cannot do it) 
 venture to promise obedience to Jesus on the condition
 
 Chapter 19] PHILOCHRISTUS 239 
 
 that lie work a sign in heaven. For thus shall they 
 be taken in their own snare." Only John was doubtful, 
 saying to Judas, " Hast thou then forgotten how once 
 in our presence our Master said he should work no sign 
 in heaven ? " But Judas replied that our Master had 
 more than once changed his course, suiting it to the 
 needs of the time ; " And," said he, " when he shall once 
 perceive that the Redemption of Sion dependeth upon 
 the working of a sign in heaven, then, trust me, the sign 
 will not long be wanting. And so strongly am I assured 
 thereof, that it would even seem to me to be a friendly 
 deed to tell the Pharisees how Jesus hath said that he 
 will never work the sign, and in this way to move them 
 to ask Jesus to work the sign ; to the intent that they 
 may dig a pit for Jesus and fall into it themselves." 
 
 Now this he spake jesting; but (as I afterwards 
 learned) Judas had indeed moved the Pharisees even, 
 as he said, to ask Jesus to work a sign in heaven. 
 And Judas it was that had sent to Eliezer that 
 message whereof I have before made mention. But 
 these things Judas did, not because he desired (at that 
 time) to harm Jesus, but wishing to help him, and sup- 
 posing that he should help him by forcing him to do 
 that which, of himself, Jesus would not do. Howbeit 
 of all these things we, at this present, knew nothing ; 
 and we took the words of Judas as if spoken in jest. 
 But John shook his head and made no answer. 
 
 It was in the winter, in the month called Chisleu, that 
 we returned to Capernaum. But it came to pass, on the 
 first Sabbath day after that we had returned, we went 
 into the synagogue after our custom, and Jesus taught 
 the people ; and the hand of the Lord was present
 
 24 o PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 19 
 
 among them, and the people were very attentive to hear 
 him. But when he had ended his words there rose up 
 Abuyah the son of Elishah ; and he spake after the man- 
 ner of the Galileans, saying that it was not right that 
 Israel should be any more divided against itself, but 
 that all should confess that Jesus was the Anointed or 
 Christ, if indeed he could shew that he was the Christ. 
 " But the proof/' said he, " is, as we all know, the 
 working of a sign in heaven. For signs on earth and in 
 the deep, false prophets can work ; but not in heaven. 
 Now, therefore, this is the sum of the matter : thou 
 wouldst have us, the Scribes and teachers of Israel, to 
 believe in thee and to follow thee. Our answer is, 
 Work a sign in heaven such as Elias worked, and 
 straightway we follow thee." 
 
 While Abuyah was speaking his last words, a hesita- 
 tion and a gasping overcame him, so that he was almost 
 speechless. For he was abashed by the aspect of Jesus 
 and by the stillness of the multitude. And, to say the 
 truth, when Abuyah spake those words, " such as Elias 
 worked," we held our breath ; expecting when the fire of 
 heaven should come down, as in the days of Elias, and 
 should consume Abuyah, and Eliezer, and all the enemies 
 of Jesus ; or else we thought that the earth should have 
 opened and swallowed them up, as the earth swallowed 
 up Korah and his fellows. But when Eliezer had ended 
 all his words, and no gulf yawned nor fire came down 
 from heaven, then indeed our hearts sank within us. 
 But Abuyah and Eliezer began to be of good cheer; 
 for they perceived that they had been well advised, 
 and that Jesus would work no sign in heaven. 
 
 When Jesus made answer to Abuyah, the people
 
 Chapter 19] PHILOCHRISTUS 241 
 
 listened to him and were silent ; but their hearts no 
 longer inclined unto him as before. For indeed his 
 words were not easy to understand. But he bade the 
 Pharisees note the signs of the times, even as they 
 noted the signs of the weather, and therein, he said, 
 they should find proof enough. Moreover he spake 
 those same strange words which he had spoken before to 
 us privately, to wit, that they should have no sign but 
 the sign of the prophet Jonah. Having said these 
 words he departed from the synagogue ; and at sunset, 
 finding that the hearts of all men were turned from him, 
 he gave command once again to launch the boat and to 
 pass over unto the other side. 
 
 Never before were the minds of the disciples so 
 troubled as now : for we had all been assured, in the 
 very depth of our hearts, that Jesus had even for this 
 cause returned to Capernaum, because he purposed now 
 at last to work a sign in heaven. Neither could we in 
 any way understand why he should thus suffer the 
 slanderers to triumph, delaying so long the Kedemption 
 of Sion. Judas especially inflamed our grief, saying that 
 all was now lost, and that one sign in heaven would 
 have been better worth than a thousand discourses about 
 the Kingdom of Heaven. 
 
 But suddenly we were silent ; for we heard the voice 
 of Jesus speaking ; and he told us that he had formerly 
 been tempted in a like fashion, even as the Pharisee had 
 tempted him ; for he had been led by the Spirit into a 
 wilderness, and there in some vision the Evil Spirit had 
 placed him upon the battlements of the Holy Temple, 
 bidding him cast himself down as a sign unto the 
 multitudes of them which were walking in the courts of 
 
 n
 
 242 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 19 
 
 the Temple ; and the Evil One had said unto him, " If 
 thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down : for it is 
 written, He shall give His angels charge concerning 
 thee ; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest 
 at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone." But 
 Jesus had made answer, saying, "It is written again, 
 Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." Now there- 
 fore we all understood (after a dark fashion, and, as it 
 were, obliquely) that Jesus esteemed the temptation to 
 perform a sign in heaven to be a temptation from Satan. 
 But why he so esteemed it, was hid from the most of 
 us, and we feared to ask him thereof. 
 
 When Jesus lay down on the sleeping-cushion, I 
 questioned Nathanael why Jesus would work no sign 
 in heaven. " For," said I, " signs on earth and in the 
 bodies of men he daily worketh ; as but now, when he 
 raised up the daughter of Jairus (all men supposing 
 her to be dead) : and again, at another time, albeit he 
 neither said nor did aught, a woman was healed, though 
 she did but touch him, and that too in a throng : so 
 powerful was the mere garment of our Master to work 
 healing. And when Jesus perceived the woman (dis- 
 cerning the pressure of her hand, albeit in the midst of 
 the throng), then, as thou rememberest, he was neither 
 wroth nor chid the woman for thus, as it were, stealing 
 a miracle ; but bade her go in peace, and be healed of 
 her disease. Wherefore then worketh he no sign in 
 heaven \ Did not Moses and Elias work signs in 
 heaven ? Yet our Master is greater than they." To 
 these words Nathanael made no answer for a while ; 
 but at last he said, " Concerning Moses and Elias, and 
 concerning what they did or did not, I am not able to
 
 PH1LOCHRISTUS 243 
 
 speak. But as touching Jesus of Nazareth, thus much 
 I know, that he lightly esteemeth all signs, both in 
 heaven and in earth, except they reveal the mercifulness 
 of God. For he teacheth that heaven and earth shall 
 pass away, but his words shall remain for ever. And 
 assuredly he seemeth to me to be greater than Moses 
 and Elias, yea, though he should work no sign at all. 
 For he moveth upon the face of the earth like unto 
 the Son of God, and looketh upon all things that are, 
 as being the servants of his Father. But seeing that 
 they are the servants of his Father, he loveth them ; 
 yea, he cherisheth even the flowers of the fields ; the 
 sky also, and the winds, and the waters seem to him as 
 the ministers of his Father ; and the more he loveth the 
 Father, the more he loveth his Father's servants ; neither 
 will he check them nor chide them save according to his 
 Father's will, but submitteth himself unto them even 
 more willingly than others submit themselves. For this 
 cause he endure th to be cold, and an -hungered, and 
 athirst, and homeless ; neither doth he chide the fifost, 
 nor stamp on the ground to make the wheat spring up 
 for him ; nor strike waters from the rock ; nor bid the 
 stones come together at his word for to build him an 
 house." " But is not this patience," asked I, " the condi- 
 tion of a slave ? " " Yes, truly is it," replied Nathanael, 
 " but what saith our Master ? He that is to be greatest 
 among men must be as he that is least ; he that is 
 to rule must be as he that ministereth ; he that is to 
 be king over all must be as the slave of all. Only it is 
 needful that we serve not unwillingly, but willingly. But 
 whoso serveth the Lord in all things willingly, he is no 
 slave, but a son. 
 
 R 2
 
 244 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 19 
 
 " For tliis cause, in part methinks, Jesus calleth himself 
 the Son of man ; as if to shew that he is willingly sub- 
 ject to all the fleshly weaknesses wherewith the All-Wise 
 hath encompassed the souls of men to the end that they 
 may depend on Him. For he teacheth that he, being 
 the weakness of man, shall be made strength and exalted 
 to the very throne of God, and we with him ; so that we 
 shall reign with God, and the Kingdom of God shall 
 also be a Kingdom of man, according as it is said, 
 'What is man that thou art mindful of him, and 
 the son of man that thou visitest him ? Thou madest 
 him to have dominion over the works of thy hands : 
 thou hast put all things in subjection under his 
 feet/ " 
 
 " Yea, but/' said I, "the Psalmist speaketh only of 
 the things of the earth, to wit, the ' sheep and oxen 
 and the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and the 
 fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the 
 paths of the seas." 
 
 But to this Nathanael made answer, " In the Kino-- 
 
 ' O 
 
 dom of God the Son of man shall be Lord over all 
 things in heaven and earth, not on earth merely ; yea, 
 over death itself, and over the Evil Nature in man. For 
 this cause, even as an earnest of that which is to come, 
 our Master checketh and chideth diseases and devils in 
 them which be possessed. For our Master hateth the 
 devils and diseases even as he hateth the sins of men, 
 esteeming them as the work of Satan, and not as the 
 work of his Father. But the course and appointed 
 order of the world he esteemeth as the vesture of 
 God, whereof he would not disturb one single fold." 
 Now herein Nathanael spake truly. For once only
 
 rniLOCHRISTUS 245 
 
 (as I have heard) did Jesus so much as appear to 
 adventure to alter the course of the world. It was on 
 a winter evening, and the disciples were on the lake ; 
 but I was not with them. A great storm had sud- 
 denly come down on them (as storms are wont to 
 come down from the mountains round about the lake) 
 and the boat was now well-nigh filled with the waves 
 and like to sink. Then the disciples lifted up their 
 voices for fear, and ran to Jesus as he slept upon the 
 cushion, and besought him, saying, "Master, carest 
 thou not that we perish ? " Then he arose in grief for 
 them, as it seemed, that they should, after so cowardly 
 a fashion, tremble before the winds ; and he opened his 
 mouth to rebuke them. " And all this while," said 
 Matthew (for he was present), "the winds yet raged, 
 and the waves beat in upon the deck, and in another 
 instant, methought, we had been all dead men. But 
 Jesus, noting this, turned himself from us toward the 
 sea, and then (as if it were revealed to him that he, 
 being the safety of the world, could not be wrecked by 
 any turbulence of winds or waves, and therefore that the 
 storm was to cease), behold, he stretched out his hands 
 to the tempest, praying ; and straightway the storm 
 seemed to abate a little ; and then, perceiving the will 
 of the Father, he stood up like some great king or 
 emperor, and rebuked the storm, bidding it be still ; 
 and immediately there was a great calm." 
 
 Now on this only occasion did our Master appear to 
 change the course of the world ; and methinks, even 
 here, he did it only in appearance. For he spake as he 
 was moved by the Holy Spirit, it being revealed to him 
 that the storm must needs cease lest the fortunes of the
 
 246 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 19 
 
 world should be shipwrecked, if the Son of man should 
 perish. But if Xanthias findeth fault with this story, 
 saying that on this only occasion our Master spake after 
 the manner of a Maenad, and not worthily of himself, to 
 this I reply that, if Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of 
 God (as I doubt not), then it was fit that he should feel 
 faith, yea, a singular faith in God his Father. And if 
 Caius Caesar, the first Emperor, could be assured that he 
 was not to be drowned, saying to the boatmen that they 
 must be of good cheer because they carried Caesar and his 
 Fortune ; how much more might the true Emperor of 
 men be assured that the Fortune of mankind should not 
 be shipwrecked, yea, and rather than this should come 
 to pass, that the storm must cease ? For this cause I 
 incline not to the opinion of Xanthias ; who saith that 
 Jesus rebuked not the storm, but the disciples, bidding 
 them not be fearful and of little faith. And, though I 
 was not myself present, yet was the matter reported to 
 me afterwards by one that had heard the relation thereof 
 from Matthew the son of Levi, as I said above. 
 
 While I spake with Nathanael, there came into my 
 mind certain words of my Greek friend, whom I had 
 met at Capernaum (I mean the Alexandrine merchant), 
 how he had praised Jesus in that he breathed a spirit 
 of soberness and peace, so that, wheresover he might 
 be, he seemed happy and at home ; and I told this to 
 Nathanael. But he said, " Thy friend said well ; for 
 to Jesus the world is as a great instrument of music 
 giving forth sounds which we hear not, but he both 
 heareth and enjoyeth. And well I remember how once, in 
 the presence of Jesus, there arose a dispute between a 
 musician and another, concerning the sense of hearing
 
 Chapter 19] PHILOCHRISTUS 247 
 
 and the sense of sight ; and the other said, jesting at 
 the musician, ' To believe thee, the sun should have a 
 voice if it is to be perfect.' ' Nay,' said the musician, 
 ' but the sun hath indeed a voice to those which have 
 ears to hearken ; for when it riseth in the east, it is not 
 a large round shining shekel, but it is a minister of God 
 and crieth with ten thousand times ten thousand voices, 
 Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty/ And thereat 
 Jesus smiled and said that it was even so, and that in 
 the time to come there would dwell this power of sound 
 not in the lights of heaven alone, but also in the earth, 
 and all that therein is; insomuch that the vine-twigs 
 and grape-clusters should have voices of their own 
 and commune with the children of men." 
 
 By this time we had reached the coast, and we went 
 forth from the vessel, and took our way to a little 
 village lying in the road which leadeth unto Csesarea 
 Philippi. And as Nathanael had been sent on before 
 the rest to prepare lodging for us, I could find no more 
 occasion that day to converse with him. But my mind 
 was still beating on the dark saying of Jesus touching 
 the temptation of Satan, and I still assayed to under- 
 stand why Jesus would not work a sign in heaven : for 
 the words of Nathanael had not sufficed to make the 
 matter clear unto me. 
 
 Only concerning the sign in heaven, thus much was re- 
 vealed unto me, that I myself was not drawn unto Jesus 
 by his signs and wonders, but by reason of my love for 
 him and trust in him ; and the same was true also of 
 the other disciples. Moreover Jesus desired that men 
 should be drawn unto him in this way, by love and 
 
 1 See Note I.
 
 248 PIIILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 19 
 
 trust, and by feeling that he was needful to them, and 
 not by being astonished at signs and wonders. Further 
 I questioned myself and said, " If Jesus had caused the 
 sun to stop still, would Abuyah the son of Elishah, and 
 Eliezer the son of Arak, and the chief ruler of the 
 synagogue straightway have loved Jesus and trusted in 
 him, as Jesus desireth his disciples to love and trust in 
 him ? " Now I knew that they might have obeyed him 
 and followed him, but they could not have loved him. 
 For Jesus was light : but they loved darkness. Where- 
 fore Jesus could not redeem them nor deliver them, even 
 though he had worked a sign in heaven. For he could 
 not deliver them which loved him not ; no, not though 
 he had worked ten thousand signs in heaven.
 
 249 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 As soon as day dawned on the morrow, we left the 
 village where we had lain that night, and journeyed 
 northward ; and Jesus set his face once more toward 
 Mount Hermon. We were all very silent, more than was 
 our custom ; for we were downcast and dejected by reason 
 of our often fleeing from before the face of our enemies, 
 and because of the delay of the day of Redemption. 
 And though we still loved Jesus and trusted him after 
 a manner, yet we knew not what to think concerning 
 the tilings that he had done of late. As we journeyed, 
 Jesus spake much concerning faith, and how, without 
 faith, no one could truly believe in him. From time 
 to time he looked at us, as we went by his side ; and he 
 seemed as if he were measuring our thoughts by our 
 faces, and reckoning up the sum of our strength : and 
 now he seemed desirous to speak, and now to delay 
 speaking ; watching over us as if some great burden 
 were at hand, and as though he feared lest the burden 
 % should be more than we could bear. 
 
 But as concerning faith he said some things hard to 
 understand ; to wit, that if a man had not faith, there 
 should be taken from him even that which he seemed to 
 have ; and yet, at the same time, he said that no man
 
 250 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 20 
 
 could have faith in him nor come to him unless he were 
 drawn by the Father. Moreover he said that whoso had 
 faith as a grain of mustard-seed, should be able to over- 
 throw trees or mountains. Likewise he added that, if 
 two or three would agree together touching anything 
 that they would ask of the Father in heaven, it should 
 be done for them. 
 
 Now as touching the overthrowing of mountains or 
 destruction of trees, some have supposed that Jesus 
 really wrought such wonders as these ; and I have heard 
 that stories of this kind are currently reported in the 
 Church. But Jesus did never any such thing. But in 
 our language an " uprooter of mountains " was a name 
 given to any Eabbi that had power by his words 
 to remove great difficulties out of the path of the 
 righteous, and to make smooth the rough places in 
 the ways of the Law. And after the like manner, as 
 I suppose, are to be interpreted the words of Jesus 
 touching the answer to prayer. For it entered not into 
 his mind that his disciples should ask for earthly things 
 as their hearts' desire ; but they were to ask for heavenly 
 things, and earthly things should be added to them, 
 sufficient for their needs. Howbeit Quartus explaineth 
 this saying somewhat otherwise, as I shall set forth 
 further on. 
 
 As we journeyed, Jesus would not that any should 
 know him : and few took heed of us ; for instead of a great 
 multitude, none now went with him, save the Twelve, 
 and three or four others beside myself. But passing 
 by a certain house wherein dwelt one of our countrymen 
 (though we were by this time far beyond the bounds 
 of Galilee) Jesus entered in asking for water ; for the
 
 Chapter 20] PHILOCHRISTUS 251 
 
 weather was exceeding sultry. And so it was that in 
 the house the good folk were making ready to circumcise 
 a child ; and (after the manner of the people in Galilee) 
 an empty chair had been set for the prophet Elias, as being 
 the prophet of the covenant of circumcision. But some 
 one of our company (Judas of Kerioth, as 1 remember) 
 not knowing wherefore the chair was thus set, asked the 
 cause thereof. So the good man of the house said that 
 it was set for Elias the prophet, " who hath ofttimes 
 appeared," said he, " in the guise of a merchant, to one or 
 other of the Scribes in old times ; and, three days before 
 the Messiah come, he needs must appear for to anoint 
 the Messiah : but I have heard it said of many, these ten 
 days, that he hath appeared indeed as a prophet, on the 
 other side of the lake, for to avenge the death of John 
 the son of Zachariah." 
 
 "When he said these words, we looked each at other 
 but held our peace : and Jesus, after he had courteously 
 thanked the man, came forth and addressed himself again 
 to the journey ; but, methought, even more sadly and 
 sorrowfully than before. But still his discourse (as oft 
 as he said anything) was on faith ; and presently he 
 began to say in a low voice a certain psalm (which was 
 both at this time and during many days afterwards upon 
 his lips) ; and in the psalm are these words, first of sup- 
 plication and then of praise : " Deliver my soul from the 
 sword, my darling from the power of the dog, save me 
 from the lion's mouth, thou hast heard me also from 
 among the horns of the unicorns. I will declare thy 
 Name unto my brethren ; in the midst of the congrega- 
 tion will I praise thee." Now when he spake these 
 words touching the " congregation," and also the follow-
 
 252 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 20 
 
 ing words, " my praise is of thee in the great congrega- 
 tion," then so it was that Judas, who had been scarce 
 able, these many days, to restrain himself because of his 
 anger at the tarrying of Jesus, spake aloud and very 
 vehemently, saying that, but one or two months ago, 
 there was indeed a congregation, and a great congrega- 
 tion, which also had been ready with one consent to have 
 risen up against the Eomans ; "but now," said Judas, 
 "we be scarce a score in all." 
 
 Hereat Jesus stayed, and turned round and looked at 
 Judas, methought, to have rebuked him ; but when his 
 eyes fell upon our " little flock," as he w r as wont to call 
 us at this time, not a score in all (for herein had Judas 
 spoken truly), then it seemed as if his thoughts for us 
 drove out the thought of Judas : and he paused as if he 
 would have questioned us : " Do ye also say as Judas 
 saith ?" But then he turned again and went before us, 
 beckoning to us to follow a little behind ; and so he con- 
 tinued his journey, steadfastly looking toward the north, 
 where the Mount Hermon rose up before us all glorious 
 to behold. But so far as I could gather from some words 
 that I heard, he still spake to himself concerning the 
 " congregation :" and once I thought I heard him pray- 
 ing for us with great passion, and beseeching God that 
 he would bring us out of the horrible pit, out of the 
 mire and clay, and set our feet upon the rock. 
 
 When I spake with one of the disciples concerning 
 that which was to come, and how the Kingdom was to 
 be established, now that all Israel was against us, he 
 would fain have kept silence ; and when I urged him, 
 he said, " What know I ? Sometimes I am lifted up in 
 my soul, and I know and am sure that the Kingdom shall
 
 Chapter 20] PHILOCHRISTUS 253 
 
 come ; but at other times I know not what to think, nor 
 can I understand why Jesus would work no sign in 
 heaven. But then again I say unto myself that whether 
 he be the Eedeemer of Israel or no, he is of a surety the 
 Eedeemer of my soul. For in his presence I find life : 
 but to be absent from him is death. The sum is, that 
 I trust in him to-day, for I know not what else to do : 
 but as for the morrow and what it may bring forth, be- 
 hold, all things are uncertain and unshapen in my mind." 
 The like also said others of the disciples, albeit not in 
 such plain terms, for almost all spake unwillingly. Yet 
 could I not but perceive that the most part had been sorely 
 shaken in their faith, because Jesus had denied to work 
 a sign in heaven : and it was even as Jesus had warned 
 us ; the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees 
 had entered into our souls. Wherefore, although we all 
 still called our Master, as before, the Christ or Anointed, 
 and the Redeemer, or at the least, the Prophet, yet 
 inwardly we were wavering in our hearts ; and a breath 
 would have moved us this way or that way, towards 
 belief or towards unbelief. For indeed we were being 
 driven down, as it were, from our former faith, whereby 
 we had believed in Jesus as a worker of wonders or ful- 
 filler of prophecy ; and we were falling (as it seemed, but 
 in truth w r e were rising) to another and a new belief 
 in Jesus as a man, full of tenderness, and suffering, and 
 patience, and withal of a goodness that could not be 
 deceived nor disappointed ; and this perchance was the 
 very thing whereat Jesus aimed, to wit, that we should 
 believe in him as the Son of man, conquering through 
 weakness. For our former belief was as the mire or 
 shifting sand, because it could give no firm footing : but
 
 254 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 20 
 
 our new belief in the Son of man was to be as the rock 
 whereon we and all others were to stand immovable for 
 ever. But we, at this present, being, as it were, still on 
 the sand, and not yet aware of the Eock, how nigh it 
 was at hand, we, I say, knowing in our minds that we 
 wavered, were notwithstanding desirous to keep our 
 wavering secret ; insomuch that we spake little on this 
 matter one to another, yea, we would scarce confess it 
 each man to himself : so greatly did we tremble at the 
 very thought of severing ourselves from Jesus. Yet, for 
 all our dissembling, Jesus knew our thoughts ; even as 
 though he had been seated in our hearts. 
 
 By this time the aspect of the country shewed that 
 we were leaving the region of the lake. For the thickets 
 of oleander, which but yesterday we had seen blossom- 
 ing thickly with red blossoms, were here, in these 
 northern and higher parts, still green and in bud. Now 
 also the snows of Hermon seemed very nigh, even over 
 our heads ; and we were not far from the town called 
 Caesarea Philippi. The grass was everywhere green 
 under our feet as though the land knew not drought ; 
 and trees of diverse foliage shaded us overhead ; and 
 as we drew nigh to the town, we heard the sound of 
 many rushing waters. 
 
 Yet though all things shewed thus fair around us, 
 our hearts were sad, yea, all the sadder for the beauty 
 of the place, which seemed to rejoice while we sorrowed. 
 Jesus himself looked not now (as he was wont to do) on 
 the glories of the mountainous country, but rather on our 
 faces ; neither did he take note of the cedars, and the 
 olives, and the groves of oak-trees; nor of the great 
 plains of green grass ; nor even of the Mount Hermon,
 
 Chapter 20] PH1LOCHRISTUS 255 
 
 the top whereof, all covered with snow, waxed daily 
 larger and yet larger as we journeyed still northward. 
 Ever and anon he turned to us as if he would have 
 said some new thing to us ; but as often, he turned 
 again, as if still perceiving that the hour was not yet 
 come. 
 
 "We were now nigh to the outskirts of the town 
 called Csesarea, even at the place where the fountain of 
 the Jordan floweth forth ; and here Jesus bade us sit 
 down. If we had had leisure to admire, there was 
 much cause for admiration. Before us, just above the 
 spring, was a cavern wherein the inhabitants worshipped 
 a certain false god of the Greeks, which haunteth 
 thickets and forests, and he is called Pan : whence also 
 the town in former times had been called Paneas. 
 Higher up, on the summit of the cliff, stood a temple 
 of marble, white and fair to look on, built by Herod 
 in honour of Augustus Caesar. Below, from the foot 
 of the same rock, there flowed forth, under cover of 
 poplars and oleanders, many little rills of pure clear 
 water, which, meeting together, made a rushing stream, 
 the noise whereof was exceedingly pleasant. This 
 stream it is which passeth through the lake called 
 Merom, and, flowing southward, becometh our river 
 of Jordan. 
 
 But for all these sights we had at that time no leisure ; 
 or if we noted them, they brought no delight to our eyes, 
 being unto us but as signs and tokens that we were 
 exiles. Our great river Jordan, the river of Joshua 
 and of Gideon, a river of mighty works and wonders 
 of the Lord, how exceeding small did it appear, even 
 as a mere rivulet, in this land of the Gentiles where it
 
 256 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 20 
 
 first arose ! The cavern of Pan also and the temple of 
 Augustus filled us with sad thoughts, to think how all 
 the world was covered with the worship of false gods as 
 with a net ; so that, save in one little corner of Syria, 
 the true God was not known. The name of Augustus 
 also, yea, and the very names of the town whereon we 
 looked, Paneas and Caesarea Philippi, these all but 
 spake aloud, testifying unto us how great was the 
 power not only of the Greek worship, but also of the 
 Roman kingdom, inasmuch as our own princes built 
 these temples and towns, and called them by the names 
 our conquerors. Wherefore it was not possible that a 
 son of Israel, fresh from Galilee, should look on such 
 sights as these and not feel downcast. 
 
 o 
 
 Jesus stood a while, steadfastly beholding the temple ; 
 then he sat down amid the rest of us. Our speech 
 among ourselves had, even before, become less and less 
 while we waited for that which was to come from Jesus : 
 for we had all perceived these many hours that he 
 purposed to say unto us some new and strange thing. 
 But now, because we knew that the time was at hand, 
 none dared so much as to open his mouth ; and a deep 
 silence and a great fear fell on us ; and we saw the lips 
 of Jesus moving as if in prayer. But when Jesus at 
 last opened his mouth to speak, he said nothing at first 
 such as we had expected and dreaded. For he neither 
 rebuked us nor prophesied evil, but only asked us touch- 
 ing himself (calling himself by that familiar title 
 whereof I have made mention above) what the common 
 people considered him to be, saying, " Whom do men say 
 that I the Son of man am ? " Straightway all the dis- 
 ciples began severally to make answer, saying that
 
 Chapter 20] PHILOCHRISTUS 257 
 
 most men in that region deemed him to be Elias risen 
 from the dead ; but that others supposed him to be the 
 prophet concerning whom Moses had prophesied, and 
 others again called him one of the prophets. These 
 several answers we made to Jesus readily and promptly, 
 for our hearts were lightened because we supposed 
 that this was the question that he had had so long 
 in mind, for which we had all been waiting. But 
 Jesus, as I noted, listened to our speech as a mother 
 listeneth to the prattle of her children. For his lips 
 still moved as if in prayer, and his eyes were fixed upon 
 the temple on the rock before him ; and his mind was 
 not with us nor with our words, but with something 
 that still was to come from the depths of the future. 
 
 And lo, while we were still reporting this and that, 
 touching the opinions of the common people, Jesus 
 turned himself round and set his eyes full upon us 
 who were sitting before him, but most directly (as it 
 seemed to me) upon Peter, who was face to face with 
 him : and he opened his mouth and said, " But whom 
 say ye that I am ? " As he spake these words, he looked 
 at us for an instant as if he could read our inmost hearts, 
 and as if he knew that we could not and would not 
 deceive him. Then he turned from us again, as though 
 to leave us to our own thoughts, because he would not 
 constrain us nor draw forth from us any word that was 
 not our own : and so he remained, gazing steadfastly on 
 the rock and waiting for our answer, for as long, I 
 suppose, as one would take to count ten very slowly. 
 
 I have read in a certain story of enchantments how a 
 prince was caused by a magician to plunge his head into 
 a vessel of water and to hold his breath, and behold, 
 
 s
 
 258 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 20 
 
 while he was holding his breath beneath the water, he 
 seemed to himself to have travelled long journeys and 
 to have been shipwrecked and to have had many other 
 adventures, and to have married a wife and reared up 
 children, and to have passed through a life of many years 
 even till he had reached old age, and all this within the 
 compass of a single breath. Even so was it with us 
 while Jesus was waiting our answer. For we seemed 
 in that moment to be summing up all our past life 
 and all the life that lay before us, in order to answer 
 this question of Jesus aright. For we dared not lie 
 to him nor flatter him ; yea, rather we would have dis- 
 pleased him sooner than have flattered him. Such a 
 constraint lay upon us to speak the truth at all times in 
 his presence ; and especially now. But what the truth 
 might be we knew not, and searched through all the 
 past and groped in the future, if perchance we might 
 light upon it. 
 
 A few Sabbaths, before, w r e should have been very 
 ready with an answer; for then all men said that 
 Jesus was the Redeemer, the Christ ; and we had often 
 said the same thing. But now many stumblingblocks 
 lay in our path. The Scribes and the pious and the 
 learned, all, save a very few, had rejected Jesus. The 
 patriots had joined themselves to him for a long time, 
 but they too had cast him off ; yea, and even the rest 
 of the men of Galilee had been led away with them. 
 The poor, as well as the rich, were now against us. In 
 fine, none were now on our side except a few of the 
 lowest of the people, sinners and tax-gatherers and the 
 like. Besides all this, John himself, a prophet, and one 
 whom Jesus had called the greatest of the prophets,
 
 Chapter 20] PHILOCHRISTUS 259 
 
 even he seemed to have wavered in his faith in Jesus ; 
 and when he had besought help in prison, Jesus had 
 helped him not. Yea, and Jesus himself of late seemed 
 to have cast off faith in himself. For when he had been 
 challenged to work a sign in heaven, which seemed 
 an easy thing for a prophet to do, he had refused to do 
 it. Also, he had fled from the face of Herod and 
 from the Pharisees, and seemed to have become a 
 wanderer rather than a deliverer. Else, why were we, 
 children of Abraham and inheritors of the Land of 
 Promise, sitting there like exiles, looking on the temples 
 of false gods in a foreign land ? Even in the words 
 wherein he had questioned us, Jesus had spoken of 
 himself as the Son of man. Might it not be indeed 
 that he was, and knew that he was, naught more than 
 one of the common sons of man ? When had he 
 called himself the Eedeemer ? Never. 
 
 We seemed in that instant to have been brought by 
 the hand of the Lord into a place where two roads met, 
 and we had to choose one of the two. And if we went 
 by the one, behold we had against us not only Eome 
 and Greece and the whole inhabited world, but also the 
 princes of our own people, and the priests and the 
 patriots, and the traditions also of our forefathers 
 handed down through many hundreds of years, and the 
 Law given unto us by God for which many generations 
 of our countrymen had fought and died ; yea, even 
 Moses himself seemed to be as an adversary if we 
 went by that road. But on the other road no one 
 stood against us ; only we saw not Jesus there. So the 
 conclusion seemed to be that we had in that instant 
 to choose between Jesus and all the world. 
 
 B 2
 
 2 6o PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 20 
 
 And, as I judge, even for this cause did the Lord lead 
 us into the wilderness together with our Master in 
 sorrow and in exile, to the intent that there, being apart 
 from the world, we might weigh, as it were in a balance, 
 on the one side all the world, and on the other side the 
 Son of man ; a man of sufferings and sorrows, a man of 
 wanderings and exiles, acquainted with rejections and 
 contempts ; and then that, having weighed the two, we 
 might prefer the Son of man, because of a certain voice 
 in our hearts which cried within us, " Whom have we in 
 heaven but thee ? And there is none on earth that we 
 desire in comparison of thee." And this, as I judge, 
 was the faith that Jesus desired of us : and to this faith 
 was the Lord leading our hearts, while Jesus was patiently 
 waiting for our answer. But though it needeth many 
 words to show even a very little of the searchings of 
 our hearts in that sore extremity, yet the time thereof 
 was short, not more (as I said before) than while a 
 man could count nine or ten very slowly. 
 
 Then Peter rose up. If it were possible to judge from 
 their countenances, some of the other disciples also were 
 very nigh unto speaking ; for their features were as it 
 were in a flux, dissolving in passion, and speech seemed 
 welling upward through them, and the lips of John the 
 son of Zebedee were trembling as if upon the brink of 
 utterance. Notwithstanding it was reserved for Simon 
 Peter to set forth in words and to shape by the force of 
 his soul the thoughts of John and all the rest. He 
 therefore rose up and spake as I never heard man 
 speak before, neither think I ever to hear man speak 
 again, saying, " Thou art the Christ, the Son of the 
 living God."
 
 Chapter 20] PIIILOCHRISTUS 261 
 
 Twice or thrice at least, before this time, I had heard 
 words like unto these ; when either the disciples or the 
 multitude, marvelling at his mighty works, had hailed 
 Jesus as the Son of God. Also many thousands of times 
 have I heard the like confession made in the accustomed 
 worship of the Church. But never till this day, nor ever 
 after, did I hear the words uttered in the same way. 
 For there seemed to come forth from the mouth of 
 Simon Peter no mere airy syllables, unsubstantial beat- 
 ings of the wind, but a certain solid truth, able as it 
 were to be seen and touched, and not to be destroyed 
 by force of man. What made the difference I know- 
 not : nor know I how to explain the difference, except it 
 came from Jesus himself. For indeed it seemed to me 
 that power passed from Jesus into Peter and gave unto 
 him a strength more than his own, and not human. 
 Yea, again and again, pondering that saying of Simon 
 Peter in my mind, I have thought of the words of 
 Nathanael, how he said that Jesus gave a voice to all 
 visible things even though they be voiceless by nature ; 
 and, in the same way, it might have been said also that 
 Jesus had power to give a kind of light to sounds : such 
 brightness did he seem to cast upon the words of Simon 
 Peter, insomuch that the words, though old, seemed new, 
 yea quite new, and never heard before. For the tongue 
 and the voice seemed the tongue and the voice of Peter, 
 but the spirit and the light thereof seemed to proceed 
 from Jesus ; so that one scarce knew whether it were 
 truer to say that it was Jesus speaking through Peter, 
 or that it was Peter speaking in the spirit of Jesus. 
 
 But when Jesus heard the words of Peter, he turned 
 and looked upon all the disciples and upon Peter, and he
 
 262 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 20 
 
 rejoiced with an exceeding joy, as if in that utterance 
 of faith the first seed had been sown which was to 
 grow up into the Tree of Life ; or as if he had seen 
 before his very eyes the laying of the foundations of 
 a great temple, not like unto the marble temple of 
 Augustus built upon the visible rock, but a temple of 
 human souls compacted together by no hands of man, 
 but by the Spirit of God, and destructible by no power 
 in earth or hell. Howbeit he called it not Temple, but 
 rather (using the word which our fathers had used in 
 old days concerning Israel) Congregation. For often- 
 times he had instructed us to believe that the gathering 
 together of the disciples made a temple, wheresoever 
 it might be, even at the ends of the earth : but the 
 Temple could not of itself make disciples : yea, though 
 the Temple itself were destroyed yet he said that God 
 would raise up even in two or three days a new temple 
 not made by hands. So Jesus made answer unto Peter 
 calling him by his two names, first by the name which 
 he had from his father (which name he had as being 
 "born of woman") and then by that name of Peter 
 which he bore in the Kingdom, which name Jesus him- 
 self gave unto him : and he signified that Simon the son 
 of Jonah, being changed by faith into Peter (which name 
 meaneth a stone or rock), presented and manifested forth 
 that very Rock upon which the Congregation should be 
 built ; and these were his very words : " Blessed art thou, 
 Simon son of Jonah : for flesh and blood hath not 
 revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 
 And I say also unto thee, Thou art Peter, and upon 
 this rock I will build my Congregation ; and the gates 
 of hell shall not prevail against it."
 
 PHILOCURISTUS 263 
 
 Then, as if he already saw the Temple of the New 
 Congregation standing on the Rock, he added yet 
 another blessing upon Simon Peter and his faith, making 
 mention of the key of the New Temple, and promising 
 that he would give this key to Peter, because they 
 which have faith, those alone can forgive : and forgive- 
 ness is the key which openeth the Congregation to all the 
 world. Now it is a common prayer with the scholars 
 of the Scribes that " We may not make defiled the pure, 
 nor make pure the defiled ; that we may not bind the 
 loosed, nor loose the bound." But Jesus promised unto 
 Peter something better than this, to wit, that the faith 
 which Peter had this day manifested (that is, the faith of the 
 New Congregation) should have power to loose them that 
 else had been bound ; and that forgiveness below should 
 go hand in hand with forgiveness above ; saying that he 
 would give unto Peter the keys of the kingdom of 
 heaven : and he added, " Whatsoever thou shalt bind 
 on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou 
 shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." 
 
 When he had spoken these words, he arose and went 
 into Caesarea, where we were to tarry that night. We 
 followed him, marvelling much at his words, and 
 especially because of this promise touching binding and 
 loosing. For w T e did not understand how we could 
 receive such a power ; and even though we should 
 receive it, we did not perceive how it would avail us to 
 conquer the Romans nor how it could hasten the Re- 
 demption of Sion. Notwithstanding, we rejoiced even 
 more than we marvelled ; partly because we dimly 
 understood that the Lord had this day wrought some 
 great work for us ; partly because we felt ourselves to
 
 264 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 20 
 
 be more settled and confirmed in our allegiance to our 
 Master ; but most of all because we perceived that Jesus 
 rejoiced with, an exceeding joy, and we could not but 
 rejoice with him. 
 
 Only Judas said that he liked not that Jesus should 
 speak of a Congregation and not of a Nation or People. 
 " For," said he, " a Congregation goeth not forth to 
 battle, nor taketh cities, nor setteth up empires and 
 kingdom : but this is the work of a People. Wherefore 
 my mind misgiveth me lest our Master, becoming 
 desperate of his first purpose of setting up a kingdom, 
 should now determine within himself to found a sect 
 such as the sect of the Essenes or Pharisees. For he was 
 not wont before to speak of a Congregation, but he ever 
 spake of a Kingdom of God, or a Kingdom of heaven.' 5 
 But one made answer and said that it was written, " Let 
 the Congregation of saints praise him ; let the saints be 
 joyful with glory; let the praises of God be in their 
 mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hands, to be 
 avenged of the heathen : " wherefore, said he, the 
 meaning of our Master perchance is, that in the time 
 to come, Israel shall be both a nation of conquerors and 
 a congregation of saints. And to this we all agreed.
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 FKOM that day forth we noted but seldom in our Master's 
 countenance that look of expectancy which had some- 
 times perplexed us before. For now, and for many 
 days after, he spake and acted like one that seeth things 
 to come as clear as things past. On the morrow after 
 the blessing of Simon Peter, he called us together, and 
 told us that we must go up to Jerusalem at the next 
 Passover. If we were joyful before, much more did 
 we rejoice now ; and Judas smote his hands together 
 for very gladness, esteeming Jerusalem already captured. 
 For he supposed that Jesus could not march up to 
 Jerusalem so as not to raise up the Romans against 
 him, "and when they come against us in battle," he 
 said, "then Jesus will perforce put forth his power 
 against them, and will utterly destroy them." 
 
 These words said Judas (but not so loud that Jesus 
 could hear them) during the first stir that followed the 
 saying of Jesus about going up to Jerusalem. But 
 Jesus opened his mouth to speak again, and behold, he 
 prophesied things that passed all understanding; namely, 
 that he should be rejected by the rulers of the people, 
 and delivered over to them, and put to death with insult. 
 But then he added that although this must needs come
 
 2 66 PHIL OCHRISTUS [Chapter 1 
 
 to pass, yet in a few days afterwards, yea no more than 
 one or two, it should be with him as with Jonah, whose 
 prayer was heard even from the belly of hell, and 
 according to the words of the prophet Hosea, who wrote 
 this saying, " Come and let us return unto the Lord, for 
 he hath torn and he will heal us : he hath smitten and 
 he will bind us up. After two days will he restore us to 
 life ; in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall 
 live in his sight." 
 
 We stood silent around him, all agape with wonder, 
 and scarce believing our ears. But he spake quietly 
 and cheerfully, like unto one describing what had 
 already been accomplished, or as if he perceived that the 
 thing was as much according to nature as that a stone 
 should fall downwards or a spark fly upwards. For not 
 long afterwards he spake as if this were an ordinance 
 of God, that " Whoso saveth his life shall lose it ; but 
 whoso loseth it shall save it : " desiring, as I suppose, 
 to teach us that in death, no less than in life, there 
 prevailed that great Law of God which was ever in 
 his mouth, " Give, and it shall be given unto you : " 
 meaning that whoso gave up his life unto the Father 
 should receive it again abundantly, both now and ever. 
 
 Notwithstanding, at this time our ears were deaf and 
 our hearts were hardened against all such words as 
 these, and we feared to ask him concerning them. 
 Only Peter, mindful how Jesus had of late blessed him, 
 and therefore venturing somewhat more than the rest, 
 would fain expostulate. So after he had besought 
 Jesus not to vex the hearts of us his loving followers 
 by prophesying evil things, he spake concerning the 
 death of Jesus, saying, " Be it far from thee,
 
 Chapter 21] PUILOCHRISTUS 267 
 
 Master; this shall not happen to thee." Then Jesus 
 looked wrathfully upon Simon Peter, even as he had 
 looked before upon Jonathan the son of Ezra, and he 
 rebuked Peter as if he had been the Adversary himself 
 tempting him ; and he said, " Get thee behind me, 
 Satan ; thou art a stumblingblock unto me ; for thou 
 savourest not the things that be of God, but those 
 that be of men." Yet was there no hate in his coun- 
 tenance, though he used the name of Satan ; but 
 there was grief, and trouble, and many signs of inward 
 perturbation ; as if Peter had assailed him where he 
 was weakest, appealing to him in the name of the 
 disciples whom he must needs forsake. Yea, the tears 
 seemed nigh at hand even in the moment of the 
 bitterest rebuking. 
 
 After this, Jesus began to speak to us of the journey 
 to Jerusalem, how full of peril, and how desperate it 
 was like to be. For he said that whosoever followed 
 him must be prepared to risk all for his sake. Yea, 
 even as men condemned to die might go forth to their 
 doom with the ropes round their necks or the crosses 
 on their shoulders, even so must we go up to Jerusalem, 
 all prepared for death, if we were fain to go with 
 him. And this he said many times, saying that none 
 might follow him except they would take up the cross ; 
 and during all the time of our going up to Jerusalem, 
 the cross was, as it were, the only watch-word that he 
 would appoint for them that went with him : insomuch 
 that some, mocking, called it a journey of the cross, 
 or a journey of the halter. But he added that, if we 
 had courage to go with him, a reward was in store 
 for us : " Whosoever will save his life shall lose it :
 
 2 68 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 21 
 
 and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find 
 it. For what is a man profited if he shall gain the 
 whole world and lose his own soul ? Or what shall 
 a man give in exchange for his soul ? For the Son of 
 man shall come in the glory of his Father with his 
 angels ; and then shall he reward every man according 
 to his works." 
 
 Now at these last w r ords Judas turned away in anger, 
 saying in a low voice, " He speaketh only of what is 
 after the grave/' But Jesus straightway added, " Verily 
 I say unto you, there be some standing here which shall 
 not taste of death till they see the Son of man coming 
 in his Kingdom." At these words we all rejoiced again, 
 and Judas with the rest, for, said he, "These words are 
 no dark saying, but such as babes can understand." So 
 we went out from the presence of Jesus marvelling 
 indeed, but rejoicing even more than we marvelled. 
 
 Now when we were come forth, and were alone apart 
 from Jesus, w r e disputed among ourselves what his words 
 might mean. But Judas said (after his wont) that 
 whatsoever was obscure should be interpreted by that 
 part which was clearer. Now Jesus had declared that 
 he would come and reward his followers and take unto 
 himself his Kingdom even in the lifetime of some that 
 were standing by. But as for the rest, concerning the 
 losing of life and finding of it, and as for what Jesus 
 had said concerning his own dying and rising again, 
 it was clear, said Judas, that the words were used 
 poetically and in a figure, as if one should speak of 
 sinking into the pit of the darkness of ruin and then 
 of being raised up therefrom, as it had been described 
 also by Jonah, and as Hosea the prophet had spoken.
 
 Chapter 21] PHILOCHRISTUS 269 
 
 But then Thomas said, " Yet methinks, since all men 
 must die, therefore also the Redeemer of Israel must 
 perforce come to the grave at some time ; and then 
 what shall befall the disciples that shall remain in the 
 flesh ? " To this some one made reply that Jesus would 
 assuredly not depart from life till he had established the 
 kingdom and trampled all our enemies under his feet. 
 Another said that, if Jesus indeed died as a captive 
 according to his own words, then his death would be 
 like unto that of Samson, who destroyed many thou- 
 sands of the Gentiles in his own destruction. But still 
 Thomas persevered that, whensoever the time came 
 that Jesus should depart from the flesh, then all the 
 brightness of joy would depart from the disciples for 
 ever. 
 
 Then John answered and said that Thomas had well 
 spoken, only that the Lord would provide against so 
 great an evil ; and he added, " Let us not suppose that 
 the gates of death can separate us from the love of the 
 Lord, neither let our imagination assure us that the 
 grave is a strong place against the hand of the Almighty. 
 For by the Word of God we were framed ; and by the 
 Word of God we were born ; and by the Word of God 
 we live ; and by the Word of God we die ; and by the 
 Word of God we are to give account before the King 
 of kings. Wherefore if even we are in the hand of 
 the Lord though we lie in the grave, how much more 
 is the .Redeemer of Israel, who is in the bosom of the 
 Father 1 Wherefore my counsel is that we trust in the 
 Lord, and that we rejoice because we see our Master 
 rejoicing." 
 
 To this we all agreed. Howbeit, when we tried to
 
 270 P1J1LOCHEISTUS [Chapter 21 
 
 understand the meaning of the words of Jesus, the 
 judgment of Judas seemed good to the most part of us. 
 And so it was that when we rejoiced, we rejoiced with 
 John ; but when we reasoned we reasoned with Judas. 
 But of this we were all with one consent persuaded, that 
 it could not be that the Lord would permit such an one 
 as Jesus of Nazareth to die a common death ; but either 
 he would not die at all, or if he were taken from us, 
 it must be after the manner of Elias, exalted to 
 heaven in a chariot of fire. 
 
 But Jesus desired to offer up prayers to the Lord 
 upon Mount Hermon before he set his face to go south- 
 ward to Jerusalem. For he had long been journeying 
 towards it, and it seemed to be unto him as a goal and 
 limit of his wanderings. Moreover at all times Jesus 
 loved to be alone on the tops of mountains, not as 
 though he counted high places to be more holy than 
 others, but because all visible things testified to him of 
 the Father, and when he looked forth upon the world at 
 sunrise from the summit of a mountain, then the Angels 
 of God which rule over the light and the sky and the 
 earth and the air, seemed to speak unto him with a 
 louder and a fuller voice. Moreover though he spake 
 not of the moon and stars in parables (but only of 
 the flowers of the field and the seed and the smaller 
 things of earth), yet did he oft consider the heavens 
 and the lights therein w r hich are the w r orks of the 
 fingers of God ; and for this cause he would some- 
 times spend a whole night upon a mountain-top alone, 
 meditating on the works of God. So it came to pass 
 that on the morrow after these things we went with 
 Jesus even to the foot of Mount Hermon. There we
 
 2 1 ] PHIL OCURIST US 271 
 
 tarried during the night in a village just below the 
 mountain ; but Jesus left us and went up the mountain 
 alone, save that he took with him Simon Peter, and 
 John, and James the brother of John. 
 
 Now as for what happened on the mountain, I myself 
 was not present ; but the three disciples told us after- 
 wards things that made us to marvel. At first indeed 
 they saw nothing more than common, nor indeed took 
 heed of aught which they saw ; for they were wearied 
 with the labour of the long journey, going for many 
 hours up hill, and besides they were faint with hunger ; 
 insomuch that, when they were come to that part of the 
 mountain where the snow lieth continually, they were 
 borne down with sleep. Hereat Jesus bade them stay 
 where they were, and pray ; but he himself went forward 
 higher up the mountain, as it were a distance of three 
 bowshot ; yet not so far but they could hear his voice ; 
 for the air was exceeding still, and all sounds came 
 with a marvellous clearness to their ears even from very 
 far off. Now it came to pass that when the three 
 disciples were alone, they strove to pray, sometimes 
 standing up, but at other times kneeling or lying flat 
 upon their faces. Howbeit their eyes were still weighed 
 down and heavy with sleep ; but even as they began 
 to slumber, behold, the voice of Jesus, like unto the 
 voice of an angel, fell upon their ears magnifying and 
 praising God. So the night passed, while they lay 
 there betwixt sleeping and waking ; sometimes hearing 
 the voice of Jesus and praying with him ; anon falling 
 into slumber and dreaming strange dreams and seeing 
 visions ; and (betwixt dreaming and waking) scarce able 
 to know what they saw, nor what they heard, nor even
 
 272 PHILOCHRISTUS [C/iapter 21 
 
 whether they slept or waked. But at the last the Lord 
 sent upon them a deep sleep ; and how long they slept 
 they knew not, but suddenly with one consent awaking, 
 they perceived that they were on holy ground, and 
 that the presence of the Lord was around them, and 
 the voice of the Lord sounding in their ears. Yet for 
 the instant they knew not what work the Lord had 
 in hand ; only they felt that He was very nigh. 
 
 But when they came to themselves, they heard the 
 voice of Jesus speaking words as if conversing with 
 men present and face to face. Then for a brief space the 
 disciples lay even where they had been sleeping, still 
 and astonied, supposing that it was a dream and that 
 the voice should have speedily ceased. But it ceased 
 not, but continued. And they heard Jesus plainly 
 speaking both to Moses and to Elias concerning that 
 which was to come to pass in Jerusalem ; which, he 
 said, would not be an error, nor a misadventure, but 
 the very fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets, and 
 the fore-ordained will of the Father. (Also Quartus 
 saith (but this I heard not myself from any of the 
 three) that Jesus testified unto Moses, saying that he 
 came not to destroy sacrifice but to fulfil sacrifice.) 
 
 But when the disciples perceived that it was no dream, 
 they with one consent started up; and behold, the sun was 
 just risen, and Hermon was all a-fire with the glory of the 
 Lord, and the ice and the snow all around shone like unto 
 burning gold and silver and sapphire, only far brighter, 
 even as the brightness of the Throne of the Majesty on 
 High. But Jesus stood on a rock above them ; and 
 when they looked on him, behold, his garments were 
 exceeding white, whiter than snow, and his face was
 
 Chapter 21] PHILOCHRISTUS 273 
 
 transfigured as the face of an archangel, and his shape 
 was all glorious to behold, shining with a wondrous 
 light ; and his eyes were set like unto one looking on 
 the forms of departing friends. For Moses and Elias 
 were now passed away and were no more to be seen. 
 
 But Simon Peter, being nigh distraught at the glory of 
 the sight, and scarce knowing whether he were asleep or 
 awake, cried out to Jesus in a loud voice that they would 
 remain on that mountain -top for ever ; and he said, 
 " Master, it is good for us to be here ; and let us make 
 three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and 
 one for Elias." But Jesus took no heed of his words, but 
 kept still gazing upon Moses and Elias. And while they 
 still looked, the Lord sent down on them a cloud, 
 and compassed them round with darkness ; and they 
 feared exceedingly when they entered into the cloud ; 
 and there came a voice as of thunder out of the cloud, 
 saying that Jesus was the son of God. Then fell the 
 disciples on their faces, and offered up prayers unto the 
 Lord. But presently, when they arose, the cloud had 
 passed away, and Jesus alone was standing by their side. 
 
 When Jesus came down from the mountain, all we 
 that were waiting for him in the village below perceived 
 that he had had a vision ; for there was still an unwonted 
 brightness on his countenance. Likewise also the people 
 which were with us (for there was a great multitude) 
 marvelled at the brightness of his countenance ; and 
 running to Jesus, they saluted him as a prophet. Some 
 also began to beseech him to heal a certain boy which 
 was possessed with an evil spirit. For so it was that, 
 while Jesus was upon the mountain, certain of the 
 Pharisees that dwelt in that village (for there was a 
 
 T
 
 2? 4 rilTLOCHRISTUS [Chapter 21 
 
 synagogue there, and many Jews dwelt round about 
 that country) came to us bringing one possessed with 
 an unclean spirit and bidding us cast him out. So we 
 adventured to drive him out. But we could not do it. 
 Therefore the Pharisees strove against us and declared 
 that we were vagabonds and deceivers, and that our 
 Master was like unto us ; and of the multitude part sided 
 with us and part with the Pharisees, insomuch that there 
 was a great uproar and noise of contention. All these 
 things had come to pass while Jesus was coming down 
 from the mountain ; but when we saw Jesus near at 
 hand, straightway on both sides we all ceased from our 
 contention. 
 
 Now when Jesus understood the cause of the con- 
 tention, and that the Pharisees were striving against us 
 because we had not been able to drive out the unclean 
 spirit, he looked around both upon us and our adversaries : 
 and behold, we were all heated with disputing, and 
 angered by reproachings, and there was no faith in us. 
 Therefore he was sorely grieved, and he sighed bitterly, 
 and said, " faithless and perverse generation, how long 
 shall I be with you, how long shall I suffer you ? " Then 
 he turned to the father of the child (for the man was 
 standing nigh, piteously bewailing his child) and 
 he said, " Bring thy son hither to me." So they brought 
 him. 
 
 But Jesus, looking upon the boy and upon the father 
 and upon the Pharisees, and upon all them which were 
 standing nigh, perceived straightway that there was no 
 faith as yet that the boy should be cured. Therefore he 
 asked the father certain questions touching the boy, and 
 the man replied that the boy had been possessed even from
 
 Chapter 2 1 ] PHIL OC UK 1ST US 2 7 5 
 
 a child ; " and oftentimes/' continued he, weeping as he 
 spake, " it hath cast him into the fire, and into the 
 waters to destroy him ; but if thou canst do anything, 
 have compassion on us and help us." When Jesus per- 
 ceived that the man had not yet faith (but only desire 
 bordering upon faith), he said unto him, repeating the 
 man's words, "If thou canst; if thou canst. Nay, but 
 believe. All things are possible to him that believeth." 
 And straightway the man cried out for anguish of soul, 
 and said with tears, " Lord, I believe ; help thou mine 
 unbelief." Then the face of Jesus was glad, and im- 
 mediately he rebuked the unclean spirit ; and it came 
 forth tearing the boy and leaving him as one dead, 
 insomuch that many said " he is dead." But Jesus took 
 him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose. 
 
 Hereupon the multitude departed, praising God for 
 His goodness ; but when we were come to the house, 
 we asked him why we had not been able to cast 
 out the unclean spirit. Jesus answered that it was 
 because of our want of faith ; and he repeated the words 
 which he had before spoken, that whosoever had but 
 faith, even as a grain of mustard-seed, should be able to 
 uproot mountains. But such spirits as these, he said, 
 could not be driven out save by much prayer. He did 
 not further rebuke us for our ill success : but our 
 want of faith seemed to engender in him a certain 
 disquietude for our sakes, perchance because he per- 
 ceived that we were as yet too weak to stand by our- 
 selves ; and this, though the hour was nigh when his 
 hand could no longer hold us upright. Howbeit he 
 said no more at that season, but only gave command 
 that we should straightway set out for Capernaum. 
 
 rp O
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 As we passed through the country to Capernaum, we 
 began to tell the people everywhere that Jesus had now 
 determined to go up to Jerusalem at the head of his 
 followers, and that the time of Redemption was at hand. 
 But Jesus forbade us ; for he would not that any man 
 should know that he was passing through. Howbeit, 
 even though we were silent, the rumour of his journey 
 was everywhere noised abroad, so that he could not be 
 hid. Many therefore left their ploughs, and their fishing- 
 boats, and their trades, and followed with us : or, if they 
 followed not, they appointed to be with us at the next 
 Passover when we went up to the Holy City. For it 
 was already the month called Adar, so that it wanted 
 no more than four or five weeks to the Passover. 
 
 Now certain youths and striplings followed us, not 
 deliberately, nor with forethought, but because they were 
 evef unstable and ever seeking after new things. Them 
 therefore Jesus warned to go back to their homes, telling 
 them that they had not counted the cost of the journey. 
 Others were fain to have come with us; but their 
 friends sought by all means to prevent them, telling them 
 what cruelties the Romans had wrought upon their 
 fathers and kinsfolk in former times ; how some had been
 
 Chapter 22] PHILOCIIRISTUS 277 
 
 sold for slaves, some slain with the sword, some crucified ; 
 and with many tears sisters besought their brothers, and 
 mothers their children, not to go up to Jerusalem, 
 nor to bring them down with sorrow to the grave. 
 Now Jesus did not call upon such as these to come 
 to him ; but if they were minded to come, he bade 
 them remember that they must above all things trust in 
 him and love him ; yea, he said that they must love him 
 better than houses, or lands, or kinsfolk. 
 
 Hence also it came to pass that in a certain village he 
 spake words which have been a stumblingblock to many. 
 For so it was that a certain young man of that village 
 had come forth to meet Jesus ; and after he had saluted 
 him, the young man had promised to follow in his army, 
 and to serve him even to the death. Howbeit he be- 
 sought Jesus that he would suffer him first to go and bid 
 farewell to his father and mother. Now Jesus looked on 
 him, and perceived that he was as a reed that bendeth 
 with the wind. So he said unto him that he must not 
 go : " For," said he, " he that putteth his hand to the 
 plough and looketh back, is not fit for the Kingdom of 
 God." Thereupon the face of the young man fell and 
 he became very sad ; yet he obeyed Jesus, for that day, 
 and followed him ; but on the morrow he secretly 
 departed for to bid his parents farewell, meaning shortly 
 to return to Jesus. So when Jesus passed through the 
 village wherein the young man abode, behold, the 
 young man was even then coming forth from the door 
 of his home. But his mother ran behind him, and 
 caught him by the cloak, and embracing him besought 
 him again and again not to go with Jesus. Thus she 
 constrained him. But Jesus, looking back on the youth,
 
 2 7 3 PHIL OC HEIST US [Chapter '2 -' 
 
 said, "Verily he that hateth not his father and his 
 mother cannot be my disciple." 
 
 Already, even at the beginning of our march, when 
 we first departed from Hermon, there had arisen a 
 questioning among us, who should have the chief places 
 in the New Kingdom. For now, within one month, we 
 looked to see the Romans cast out of Jerusalem, the 
 Holy City and Temple purified, and the throne of the 
 Redeemer established. This done, it seemed to us that 
 Syria would be portioned out to several princes or 
 governors ; Galilee to one, Samaria to another, Persea 
 to a third ; after the manner of the Romans, whose 
 custom it is to divide their dominions among many 
 princes. So we disputed among ourselves who should 
 have the best provinces. Judas, as being ever foremost 
 in all actions, claimed a principal share ; but the 
 others also were not backward. Thus we disputed as 
 we walked behind Jesus, being now nigh to Capernaum ; 
 and so it was that, in the heat of our disputing, we 
 knew not that Jesus was standing still, waiting till 
 we should overtcike him. Therefore we walked on, 
 still disputing, with clamour and much anger, till, lo, 
 Jesus was in the midst of us. He looked sorrowfully 
 on us, but said nothing for that time, and we were all 
 straightway silent. 
 
 But in the evening, when we were all together in 
 the house, Jesus called us to him, holding a little child 
 by the hand ; and when we were gathered round him, he 
 set the little one in the midst of us, and said that we 
 had forgotten his former saying, how that no man could 
 enter the Kingdom unless he became as a little child. 
 Then he added these words, " Whosoever shall humble
 
 Chapter 22] PHILOCHRISTUS 279 
 
 himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the 
 Kingdom of Heaven." Then said Judas, " Whoso hath 
 wrought much, shall he not receive much ? and whoso 
 hath wrought little, shall he not receive little ? And is 
 not the Master of the work faithful, who will pay us the 
 wage of our work ? " 
 
 For an instant Jesus was silent, looking at Judas 
 as though perchance he had not heard his words 
 aright. Then he answered that in the New Kingdom 
 there was no difference of reward ; for the least were to 
 be as the greatest. At the same time he placed his 
 hand on the head of the little one and said, " Whoso 
 shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth 
 me, and whosoever shall receive me receiveth not 
 me, but Him that sent me." He also spake a certain 
 parable to us, as if to shew that the reward in the 
 kingdom is not by way of price but rather by way of 
 a free gift, coming from the Father, as cometh the 
 rain from heaven, and sufficing for all them which 
 receive it ; even as the lord of an estate, out of the 
 kindness of his heart, might give unto all his labourers 
 the same wage (and that sufficing for their needs), 
 even though some of the labourers might perchance be 
 hired later than the rest. 
 
 Judas had withdrawn himself before Jesus began 
 this parable. For he was greatly abashed, though 
 Jesus had not rebuked him by name. But Jesus seemed 
 saddened by our disputing, and by our hardness of 
 heart in that we understood him not. Notwithstand- 
 ing he was still cheerful and gentle according to his 
 wont. For albeit he saw close before his feet the dark- 
 ness of the valley of death, yet, above and beyond the
 
 2 8o PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 22 
 
 valley of death was the hill of life, which (at that time) 
 he seemed to see and to describe, even as if he had 
 traversed and measured it out with a measuring reed. 
 Notwithstanding for our sakes he seemed sometimes 
 to be in meditation and sorrow, as though, when he had 
 reached Paradise, he should look back upon us left 
 behind and alone. 
 
 When we went forth from before the face of Jesus, 
 we found Judas chafing much at his repulse (for so 
 he termed it), and asking how it was possible that in 
 any kingdom, there should be no degrees of rank or 
 honour? For some, he said, must needs be near 'the 
 throne, others far off ; and some courtiers ; but others 
 tillers of the land and artificers. To us there seemed 
 much reason in the sayings of Judas, though we liked 
 not that he should pay so little deference to our Master. 
 John also himself confessed that he understood not 
 how it should be otherwise than Judas had said. " Not- 
 withstanding," said he, " if Jesus should see fit not to 
 give us power and wealth in the New Kingdom, we 
 must none the less be content, and not lust after the 
 table of kings ; for our table is greater than their table, 
 and our crown greater than their crown, and faithful 
 is our taskmaster who will pay us the wage of our 
 work." 
 
 The words of John did not please the most of the 
 disciples ; who said that it would not be fit that Jesus 
 should give power and wealth to other servants and 
 courtiers, and should neglect them that had borne the 
 burden of the first persecutions, who were now to bear 
 the brunt of the conflict at Jerusalem. So they went 
 away still disputing among themselves. Then, when we
 
 Chapter 22] PHILOCHRISTUS 281 
 
 were alone, I asked Nathanael whether he thought that 
 Jesus had any certain plans how to take Jerusalem 
 or how to drive out the Romans. But Nathanael 
 answered that it seemed to him that Jesus had no such 
 certain plans. Then said I, " Wherefore then goeth he 
 up to Jerusalem 1 ?" "Because," replied Nathanael, " thus 
 much hath been revealed to him that he must needs go 
 up to Jerusalem, there to be glorified and lifted up. 
 But as to the manner and time thereof, he saith nothing. 
 Y'ea, and I have heard him speak as if he himself knew 
 not these things, but they are known to the Father 
 alone." 
 
 At this time Jesus began to speak more often than 
 before of a certain day of wrath in store for Israel ; 
 and, as David on Araunah's threshing-floor saw the 
 sword between heaven and earth, even so did Jesus 
 discern a sword of the Lord ; howbeit not stayed, as 
 David saw it, but uplifted and in act to strike. Some- 
 times he spake as if he himself were to wield this 
 flaming sword ; but evermore, beyond the fire and the 
 sword, he discerned the glory of the Kingdom of God ; 
 and he spake as if the Kingdom could not come except 
 the fire should first be kindled, and he must needs 
 kindle it himself. Therefore once, when Jonathan the 
 son of Ezra said to him that he was accused of his 
 enemies the Pharisees as if he would fain set all Israel 
 on fire, he replied, " The nearer to me the nearer to the 
 fire ; but the further from me, the further from the 
 Kingdom." l 
 
 Seeing this flaming sword ever before him, Jesus none 
 the less continued to speak of his death. This perplexed 
 
 1 See Note I.
 
 282 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter -2-2 
 
 us not a little. For at one time he would say that his 
 enemies would be slain with the s \vord ; or destroyed as 
 tares are destroyed with fire ; and yet, on the other 
 hand, he repeated again and again that he should die at 
 the hands of his enemies in Jerusalem. Howbeit of the 
 evil prophecy we his disciples took small heed, but gave 
 our minds to the prophecies of good things. For 
 he spake much of being "perfected," and of being 
 " glorified," and how he should be " lifted up " or 
 " raised up " in Jerusalem. Moreover, Jesus was wont 
 to use the word " dead " of them that were in the deep 
 waters of sin ; as when he said that " The dead should 
 bury their own dead ; " and again, when he said that 
 "The son of man hath power to quicken the dead." 
 Oftentimes also he spake in the same way of raising up 
 the dead, as when he told the disciples of John the son 
 of Zachariah that "the dead are raised up." Hence it 
 came to pass that, if we heeded at all his words touching 
 his death, we were assured that he meant to say only 
 this, that he should be for some days struggling with 
 Satan, and not at once overcoming, but as it were in 
 darkness and in the shadow and depth of death ; but 
 that in two or three days he should be raised up and 
 triumph over Satan. 
 
 In this belief we were much confirmed by our Master's 
 constancy and stoutness of heart. For on the second 
 day after we had returned to Capernaum, Eliezer the son 
 of Arak, with others of the Pharisees, came to Jesus where 
 he was seated in the midst of his disciples, and making 
 as if they were reconciled to Jesus, they bade him flee 
 from Galilee lest Herod should slay him. But this they 
 did, not out of love to Jesus, but hoping to rid the city
 
 Chapter '2'2] PIIILOC'HRISTUS 283 
 
 of him, and partly desiring to discredit him with the 
 disciples, as if Jesus once more would go into exile for to 
 avoid strife. But Jesus made an exceeding bold answer, 
 and said that the Pharisees were to tell that fox (for 
 so he called Herod) that he would go on his way to 
 Jerusalem not through fear of him, nor in haste, like 
 unto a fugitive, but healing and teaching as he went, 
 both to-day and to-morrow ; and on the third day (for 
 the journey was a journey of three days for a strong man, 
 according to the common saying) he said that he should 
 be perfected, even in Jerusalem. Moreover, when 
 Eliezer, nothing abashed, dissembled still further, and 
 bade Jesus take heed lest he should perish even as the 
 Galileans, whom Pilate had slain, Jesus answered that 
 to be slain did not argue that the men slain were 
 sinners above the rest ; and then he added that another 
 sword (which they saw not) was near at hand to smite 
 them also themselves, if they repented not. 
 
 This gladdened our hearts and made us eager for the 
 journey : and when on the morrow we went up from 
 Capernaum, journeying towards Samaria, there was not 
 one in our band that was fainthearted nor desirous to 
 return. Now at that time there were about three 
 hundred following Jesus. But the greater part of our 
 friends, as we understood, were not to go with us, but 
 to meet us at the going in to Jerusalem, or at some 
 place nigh unto Jerusalem. 
 
 When we were come to a certain village in the road 
 (the name of the village is Beth-Gader) where a man 
 journeying towards Jerusalem from Samaria leaveth the 
 Lake of Gennesareth behind him and seeth it no 
 more, then it came to pass that our Master turned him
 
 284 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 22 
 
 round to look his last upon Capernaum, and Bethsaida, 
 and Chorazin, and upon all the cities of the Lake, 
 wherein he had taught and wrought. And he stood 
 and gazed a long time, and cried out that it should be 
 ill for those cities in the day of Judgment ; for if the 
 mighty deeds that had been wrought there, had been 
 wrought in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented 
 a long while ago in sackcloth and ashes. But when 
 he saw Capernaum, and the fields thereof, and the 
 gardens which compass it round, all bright with the 
 greenness of spring, and the lake, still and peaceful, 
 whereon were fishing-boats and ships innumerable, then 
 he lifted up his voice and prophesied evil against the 
 place, saying, " Thou also, Capernaum, which art exalted 
 to heaven, shalt be brought down to hell; for if the 
 mighty works which have been done in thee had been 
 done in Sodom, it would have remained unto this day.'' 
 Then spake he to us, saying, that it should be more 
 tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judg- 
 ment than for that city. When he had said these 
 words, he turned his back upon Capernaum and upon 
 all the country of the lake ; and he departed and 
 saw it no more.
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 WHEN we were now drawing nigh to the borders Ox 
 Samaria, it being (as I remember) about the ninth hour 
 in the second day of our journey, behold, a tumult arose 
 in the front of the band, and shouts as of men con- 
 tending together. Then those of us that had swords 
 drew them ; for we thought surely the hour was now 
 come for battle. But Jesus bade us put up our swords ; 
 and going forward he saw a multitude of Samaritans 
 gathered together to oppose us, neither would they 
 suffer us to pass through their country ; and they 
 reviled us and began to cast stones at us. When 
 he saw this, Jesus neither reproached them nor per- 
 suaded them to let us pass, but straightway commanded 
 that our band should go back a distance of many fur- 
 longs on the road whereby we had come, and then to 
 turn eastward ; so that we might pass through the country 
 beyond Jordan, thus avoiding Samaria. This seemed to 
 the most part of us a grievous thing and scarce tolerable, 
 that the army of the Redeemer of Sion should be thus 
 turned out of the path by a Samaritan rabble. Therefore 
 we besought Jesus with many entreaties, and some even 
 with tears, that he would suffer us to force a passage ; 
 but he would not hear. At the last, when he had
 
 286 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chafer 23 
 
 now begun to go back, James and John, being filled with 
 wrath because the Eedeemer of Israel was thus despised, 
 prayed Jesus that, if he would not suffer them to smite 
 with the sword he would, at the least, suffer them to 
 call upon the Lord that He might send down fire upon 
 our enemies. Hereat we all were in suspense, and 
 hearkened eagerly to what Jesus would say ; for in 
 our hearts we had long supposed that Jesus purposed 
 in this way to destroy the bands of the Romans, even 
 as the prophet Elias had destroyed the captains and 
 footmen of Ahaziah. But Jesus looked steadfastly upon 
 James and John and said unto them, "Ye know not 
 what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man 
 is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." 
 Then he went back by the way whereby he had come ; 
 and we followed him, sorely grieving. Some of us 
 also murmured (and Judas most of all), saying that it 
 was a strange thing that our Master should have 
 threatened to cast the Pharisees into the valley of 
 Hinnom, and notwithstanding would not force a passage 
 through the Cuthite strip (for by this name we termed 
 Samaria), nor call down fire on a rabble of unbelievers. 
 Moreover Judas spared not to say that Jesus must be 
 made perforce to shew forth some mighty work against 
 the enemy, or else the Redemption of Sion would not 
 come to pass. And the heart of Judas began from this 
 time to be turned away from Jesus even more than 
 before ; and Jesus also, as it seemed to me, began to 
 perceive that Judas was estranged from him. For when- 
 soever his eyes rested upon Judas, then the face of Jesus 
 was as if God had hidden His countenance for a season. 
 After this we went over Jordan and journeyed through
 
 Chapter 23] PHILOCHRISTUS 287 
 
 the country that lieth eastward of Jordan, which is 
 called Persea. Here we tarried some days, even till 
 the beginning of Nisan, which is the month of the 
 Passover : and, about this time, were completed two 
 full years during which we had followed Jesus of 
 Nazareth. Now the people and the land of Persea 
 are not like unto the people and the land of Galilee. 
 For in Galilee the fields are small, and they till corn 
 and vines and olives ; and the men are exceeding stub- 
 born and resolute, neither very rich, nor very poor. 
 But in Pereea they have great pastures, and some are 
 rich in flocks and herds, while others have scarce bread 
 to eat ; moreover the men are of an unstable disposi- 
 tion, fond also of wealth, and given to ease, and not so 
 steadfast as the men of Galilee. 
 
 Therefore it came to pass that in this country and 
 at this season, our Master testified most of all against 
 covetousness, and lifted up his voice against them which 
 had their good things in this world and wanted nothing 
 more. At this time also he spake many parables, which 
 it needeth not to set forth at full length, for that they 
 are w r ell known among the saints. But among other 
 parables, as I remember, he spake one against a certain 
 rich and foolish farmer (the like of whom we saw 
 many in that country) who thought not of others but 
 of himself only, and had promised unto himself many 
 years of plenty and ease, but was cut off by God that 
 night ; also another parable against a rich man that 
 suffered the poor to lie at his gate untended ; but 
 afterwards the poor man was comforted, but the rich 
 man punished in hell. 
 
 About this time also began Jesus to speak less of the
 
 288 PUILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 23 
 
 Kingdom of God and more of a certain Eternal Life, 
 which, as he said, the righteous and none other should 
 attain. Some would have it that he changed his words, 
 only for fear of the Romans, lest they should suspect his 
 often mention of the Kingdom of God, and lay hands 
 upon him as one aiming to be king ; and these men 
 said that Eternal Life signified the Kingdom of God, 
 though in different words. And perchance it did sig- 
 nify the same thing : howbeit Jesus changed not his 
 words for fear, but partly, as I judge, because the covet- 
 ousness of the people weighed upon him, and because 
 he perceived them to be wholly given up to the lusts 
 of the flesh, insomuch that they were even as dead, 
 and content to lie in the valley of the shadow of death. 
 
 For ever as Jesus drew nearer to Jerusalem, the sins 
 of the people seemed to weigh heavier upon his soul, 
 and death and destruction seemed to grow larger in 
 his eyes ; insomuch that now he desired to exhort the 
 people not so much to enter into the Kingdom, as rather 
 to flee from death unto life. Yea, so exceedingly did 
 he fear the power of Satan to slay the souls of men, 
 that about this time, when a certain disciple desired to 
 have left him for a season to bury his father, Jesus 
 would have the young man still continue with him, say- 
 ing that the dead should bury their own dead. Howbeit, 
 though we understood this afterwards, we perceived it 
 not at the time ; but whensoever Jesus spake of Eternal 
 Life, then we would interpret the words still to signify 
 the setting up of his Kingdom in Jerusalem. 
 
 Notwithstanding, while Jesus spake day by day more 
 earnestly touching them which would not come into the 
 Kingdom of God, and concerning those whose hearts
 
 C/ixjjt<r 23] PHILOCHRISTU8 289 
 
 were satisfied with tlie good things of this world so that 
 they thought they needed nothing, he none the less was 
 tender and gentle to all sinners, and to the afflicted, and 
 to young children, after his wont ; yea, and perchance, 
 even exceeding his wont. For albeit he saw daily more 
 and more of the evil nature of men, yet was he not 
 embittered thereby; but whensoever his burden became 
 heavier to bear, then, as it seemed to me, his gentle- 
 ness appeared greater likewise. Of which gentleness 
 I will here set down one among many instances. When 
 we were come into a certain village, at the end of a 
 day's journey, the hour being now late (for the sun 
 had already set), behold, at the going into the village, 
 stood many women with children in their arms ; and 
 they besought Jesus to bless them. Then we (who went 
 before Jesus and the rest to prepare a lodging for him) 
 bade the women take away the children and to bring 
 them on the morrow ; for we had walked a long 
 journey and were weary and had fasted long ; and, said 
 we, it was not seemly at that hour to trouble the Master. 
 But he was sore displeased at us, and took up the little 
 children in his arms and blessed them and said, " Suffer 
 little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for 
 of such is the Kingdom of Heaven." He also repeated 
 his former saying, that none should inherit the Kingdom 
 unless they became as little children. These words 
 seemed to some of us well fit for peaceful times and for 
 quiet talk and meditation in Galilee, but not fit now 
 when the hour had come to enter the Kingdom, as we 
 supposed, by smiting with the sword. Howbeit to Jesus 
 these words seemed always fit and seasonable ; so gentle 
 was he and so loving, even to the last. 
 
 u
 
 2 9 o FlIILOCUltlSTUS [Chapter 23 
 
 It came to pass that in the throng, listening to 
 these words of Jesus, there was a certain young man 
 whose name was Tobias the son of Zechariah. He also 
 came that same night to the inn, to hearken to the 
 teachin^ of Jesus : and he said unto certain of his friends 
 
 o 
 
 in my hearing that he was willing to do anything that 
 Jesus should say, even to the giving of half his wealth : 
 moreover he made many professions as if on the morrow 
 he would join himself unto Jesus and go forth with us to 
 Jerusalem. Howbeit on the morrow, when we assembled 
 early according to our wont to set forth, the young man 
 Tobias was not with us. But we (for it was usual 
 with us to hear many promises and to see few fulfilments) 
 began our journey without him. But we had not gone 
 more than six or seven furlongs when the young man 
 came in haste running after us, and when he had come 
 near to Jesus, he saluted him and knelt before him. 
 For his heart had been inflamed with admiration of the 
 doctrine which Jesus taught concerning the Kingdom 
 of God ; howbeit he trusted not in our Master as the 
 Redeemer of Israel, but he loved him as a very pious 
 Scribe, teaching things lovable and excellent. There- 
 fore, willing to gain the favour of Jesus and yet being 
 unwilling to journey forth with Jesus, he was fain to 
 gain our Master's favour and also satisfy his own con- 
 science, if it might be, by doing some other good work 
 in lieu of doing that which he had promised to do. 
 So he called Jesus " Good Teacher," and said unto 
 him, "What shall I do that I may inherit eternal 
 life ? " 
 
 Now Jesus perceived that the young man was de- 
 ceiving himself ; for he supposed himself to be righteous,
 
 r 23] P11ILOCUR1STUS 291 
 
 but he was not ; moreover he trusted in his wealth and 
 thought to buy the mercies of God with a price. There- 
 fore Jesus took compassion on him ; and looking upon 
 him, he loved him, and would fain have opened his eyes 
 that he might know himself and be less content with 
 himself. So he desired to shew him that he was wrapped 
 up in the love of his possessions. Therefore first of all 
 Jesus answered as a teacher (forasmuch as the young man 
 also had called him a teacher), and he bade the young 
 man obey the Law. But Tobias, like unto a pupil re- 
 proaching a teacher for that the task appointed is too 
 easy, replied that he had observed the Law from his child- 
 hood upward. Then Jesus, knowing what would come 
 to pass, made mention of the watch-word of our desperate 
 journey, calling it the journey of the cross (or halter, as 
 some people termed it) ; and he said to the young man, 
 " One thing thou lackest : go thy way, sell whatsoever 
 thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have 
 treasure in heaven ; and come, take up the cross and 
 follow me." Then the countenance of the young man 
 fell, for he had not supposed that the teacher would 
 appoint so great a task; .for he had great possessions. 
 So he rose up from his knees, and departed, grieving 
 much, and he went back by the way he had come. 
 
 Jesus looked after him as he went ; even as a physi- 
 cian regardeth the patient which struggleth against the 
 knife of healing. And he stood still, and marvelled 
 much because of the power of the things of this world 
 over the mind of man, and yet more because of the 
 power of the Lord to deliver the souls of men from the 
 things of this world. For when he considered the weak- 
 ness of men and the strength of this world, then it 
 
 u 2
 
 2 92 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chafer 23 
 
 seemed to him (as he was wont to say) a harder and a 
 greater work to redeem a rich man's soul than to up- 
 root a tree or a mountain, or what else may be wrought 
 by art of magic. So he turned to us and said, " Children, 
 how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the 
 Kingdom of Heaven. It is easier for a camel to go 
 through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to 
 enter into the Kingdom of God." Hereat we were 
 astonished out of measure, saying among ourselves, 
 " Who then can be saved ? " But Jesus looked upon 
 us and said,* " With men it is impossible, but not with 
 God : for with God all things are possible." 
 
 Afterwards as we walked behind him, we discoursed 
 further among ourselves concerning these words, and 
 Judas said, " How then ? Are we never to be rich ! " But 
 another said, " He meaneth that none that are rich- can 
 enter into the Kingdom ; howbeit when we have attained 
 to the Kingdom, then shall we be rich, though we be poor 
 now ; but the rich shall be shut out/' But Nathanael 
 said to me privately he thought Jesus meant other- 
 wise ; as if he divided the children of men into two 
 parts, the one part having their hopes and treasures 
 in heaven and the other part having their hopes and 
 treasures on earth (according as he had himself com- 
 manded us to have our treasure in heaven, saying that 
 where our treasure is, there would our heart be also) : 
 now if a man have his treasure in heaven, then though 
 he have five hundred talents on earth, yet they harm him 
 not, for he useth them to good end : but whoso hath his 
 treasure on earth, though he have but five hundred pence 
 on earth, yet they harm him, clogging his soul, and 
 hindering him from looking upwards, because he useth
 
 Chapter 23] PBILOCHRISTU8 293 
 
 his little wealth to the ends of his own pleasure. "For," 
 said Nathanael, " as often as Jesus speaketh of wealth, 
 he meaneth ever some spiritual meaning, as when he 
 speaketh of bread and corn and wine, and the like." 
 
 I doubt not that Nathanael interpreted aright the 
 words of Jesus. Howbeit also true it is that very 
 few whom the world calleth rich, entered either then or 
 afterwards into the Kingdom of God. Therefore I judge 
 that Jesus meant also perchance to warn us how dan- 
 gerous a thing it is for a man to have more wealth than 
 is needful for simple wants. For the experience of the 
 saints hath been, everywhere and at all times, that 
 fewer men come into the Church with five hundred 
 talents than with five hundred pence. 
 
 But after we had discoursed a long time concerning 
 the matter, Judas moved Peter to question Jesus, and to 
 ask whether indeed it was true, that the disciples should 
 never be rewarded with wealth. So Peter went to Jesus 
 and said, " Lo, we have left all and followed thee." 
 He said no more, but Jesus perceived what was in his 
 heart ; and he answered and said to us all, " Verily I 
 say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or 
 brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or 
 children, or lands, for my sake and the Gospel's, but he 
 shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses 
 nd brethren and sisters and mothers and children and 
 lands, with persecutions : and in the world to come 
 eternal life." Then he ceased ; but when we thought 
 that he had made an end and we were departing, he 
 added, " But many that are first shall be last, and the 
 last first." 
 
 These latter words of Jesus troubled us not a little.
 
 294 1'IIILOCIIRISTUS [Waiter ^ 
 
 For of late since we bad left Capernaum, many new 
 disciples had joined themselves to us, and Jesus had 
 suffered them gladly; and now we thought that his 
 intent was that, in the kingdom of Jerusalem, they, 
 even these new disciples, should have equal reward with 
 us, who had followed him through all his wanderings. 
 Moreover we were vexed because in the beginning of our 
 consorting with Jesus he had set much store upon us 
 his followers, saying unto us, " Whosever is not with 
 me is against me," as much as to say that only we, 
 which followed with him, were his friends, but all else 
 were his enemies ; but now he seemed to set store upon 
 all them that were not siding with his enemies. For 
 of late when John the son of Zebedee saw T a certain man 
 adventuring to cast out evil spirits in the name of Jesus, 
 and yet he followed not with us, John would have 
 forbidden him. But Jesus said ".Forbid him not : for 
 whosoever is not against me is -with me." These words 
 w r ere contrary to the w r ords which he had spoken before, 
 insomuch that we knew not what to think. 
 
 But as concerning the first words of Jesus, namely, 
 that all our goods, whatsoever we had left for the sake of 
 Jesus, should be multiplied an hundredfold, and that 
 too even in this ]ife, w r e rejoiced exceedingly. For some 
 that had left small fields, began to reckon that they 
 should have great estates ; others that had left houses 01* 
 boats, counted up whole villages and navies that should be 
 theirs when Jesus should be king in Jerusalem. More- 
 over a certain Scribe, who followed with us, said "This 
 saying of Jesus is also in accordance with the sayings 
 of the Wise ; for it is said all things are done according 
 to exact retribution, whether in way of punishment or
 
 Chapter 23] PHILOCHMISTUS 295 
 
 iv ward. Even as Samson (who followed after the 
 desire of his eyes) was blinded by the Philistines ; and 
 Absolom (who boasted of his hair) was hanged upon the 
 tree by his hair, so that he died. Moreover also Ham 
 the father of Canaan (who sinned by seeing and by 
 telling, that is with the eyes and with the teeth) was 
 therefore made a slave ; as Moses also enacted that 
 whatsoever slave was sinned against by his master 
 in the matter of teeth or eyes, so as to suffer loss 
 thereof, he should be made no longer a slave but free. 
 For this is according to the law of retributions ; for 
 with what measure a man measureth, THEY measure 
 to him." 
 
 " Nevertheless," said Matthew the Publican, " I would 
 fain know how, when we attain to the Kingdom, the 
 mothers of the faithful should be multiplied an hundred- 
 fold." But some one said, in answer to Matthew, that 
 perchance the meaning of that hard saying was, that 
 as many as were in the Kingdom should be as one 
 family ; so that all men, esteeming one another as brethren, 
 should look upon the mothers of their brethren as being 
 their own mothers. Howbeit most of us agreed to the 
 words of Judas, who said that we should take our stand 
 upon the clear sayings of Jesus and leave the dark say- 
 ings : now Jesus had said that our houses and lands 
 should be multiplied an hundredfold, and that saying 
 ought to suffice for us. 
 
 Thus for that season we gave not much heed to the 
 deep saying of Jesus : but afterwards when I wrote 
 concerning it to Quartus the Alexandrine, of whom I 
 spake before, he explained it after a different fashion. 
 For he said that Jesus had in his mind a law of
 
 ? 9 6 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chafer '!?> 
 
 retribution indeed, but not such a law of retribution as 
 that whereof the Scribes spake, but a far deeper one, 
 a certain retribution of the soul. " For/' said he, " the 
 meaning of Jesus is (as I understand it) that whatsoever 
 the mind of man giveth to God, this returneth from 
 God to the mind of man again with increase, in like 
 manner as there returneth from the earth to man what- 
 soever fruit or produce man trusteth to the earth. For 
 God giveth to man many good gifts, such as food, 
 and houses, and lands, and wealth, and friends, and 
 kinsfolk ; and these all are as seed. Now if a man 
 keep these good gifts to himself, and use them for his 
 own pleasure, he is like unto a husbandman that should 
 keep his seeds in a vessel, or closet, feasting himself 
 with .the sight thereof, and not venturing to trust 
 them to the earth ; wherefore they grow not nor return 
 him fruits of increase. But whoso trusteth all these 
 seeds *to God, .and useth them according to His will, 
 behold, unto him there ariseth a harvest in heaven. 
 
 " For whosoever useth food aright, there springeth up 
 for him cheerfulness and thankfulness and temperance 
 and self-restraint; and whoso useth aright lands and 
 houses and -wealth, there springeth up for him liberality 
 and generosity and magnanimity ; again, whosoever 
 casteth the seed of friendship into the lap of the divine 
 goodness, behold there springeth up for him a tree of 
 living friendship that knoweth not death. And in the 
 same way, whosoever consecrateth unto God the love 
 of mother and father, he receiveth a new power of love 
 multiplied an hundredfold, and a new feeling of father- 
 hood, whereby he is drawn nearer unto the Eternal 
 Father. For assuredly, whensoever Jesus speaketh of the
 
 C/<aj,ter 23] PHIL OCHRISTUS 297 
 
 increase of Louses, and lands, and money, and the like, 
 for them that enter into the Kingdom ; he hath not in 
 his mind shekels, and vines of Eschol or Engedi, but 
 he ever seeth a certain spiritual coinage and a spiritual 
 vineyard of the Lord." 
 
 After this manner wrote Quartus unto me ; making 
 mention at the same time of the words of Jesus, how 
 he had said that whosoever should receive a right- 
 eous man, i.e. an observer of the law, in the name of a 
 righteous man, should receive a righteous man's reward ; 
 and whosoever should receive a prophet in the name of 
 a prophet, should receive a prophet's reward. "Now 
 by these words/' said Quartus, " Jesus signifieth not 
 that a man shall have more or less of shekels, or more 
 or less of food, or raiment, or happiness, for that he 
 receiveth a prophet or a righteous man ; but his meaning 
 is this : that whoso by force of fellow-feeling and by the 
 links of faith shall be bound to a righteous man, or shall 
 be bound to a prophet in his heart, he shall become one 
 with the righteous man or one with the prophet, so 
 that he shall receive the like reward with the righteous 
 man or with the prophet, to wit, increase of righteous- 
 ness, or increase of the knowledge of God's will." 
 
 Whether Quartus, or he that made answer to Matthew, 
 be the better interpreter of these words of Jesus, I know 
 not even now : howbeit at that time we gave not much 
 thought to these words, nor to aught else of the doc- 
 trine of Jesus. For whatsoever we had learned or 
 whatsoever we thought that we had learned aforetime, 
 while we were in Galilee, concerning the forgiveness of 
 sins, and the not resisting evil, and the becoming as 
 little children, behold, all these lessons now began to
 
 298- PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 23 
 
 seem to us dim and far off, and fit rather for the schools 
 of children than for the stir of the lives of men : because 
 we were now going up to Jerusalem, and because the 
 Day of Decision seemed nigh at hand. For each 
 morning, when we arose, we said unto one another, 
 " Perchance the Romans may this day attack us," 
 and each day, when we lay down to take rest, we 
 reckoned the time and said, " There wanteth now one 
 day less to the day of the Passover : and on that 
 day, if not before, Jesus must of a surety redeem Israel 
 with the strong hand."
 
 299 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 ON the last clay of the mouth Adar, as I remember, 
 we left the young man Tobias behind us : and about 
 three or four days afterwards, to wit on the third or 
 fourth day of the month Nisan (which is the month of 
 the Passover), we came down to the valley of Jordan 
 over against Jericho. Now therefore there wanted but 
 ten days to the fourteenth day of the month, which is 
 the great day of the Passover. As the time drew nigh 
 for our entering into Jerusalem, Judas began to com- 
 plain very bitterly that Jesus neither strengthened nor 
 encouraged his followers like a wise leader, but kept 
 back some from following, and others, which followed, 
 he made to be of a faint heart. Especially he reproached 
 Jesus for that he did not set forth the Kingdom in clear 
 words ; " For," said he, " two or three words would suffice, 
 if Jesus would but tell us plainly the when and the where 
 thereof ; but now he speaketh darkly, saying at one time, 
 that it is at hand ; at another time, that it is among us ; 
 anon, that it is still distant ; then, that we must strive 
 to enter into it. "Wherefore, to what is this Kingdom of 
 God like ? Even to a mist, which taketh many different 
 shapes, because it hath no substance." 
 
 Now Jesus seemed to me to perceive what was in the
 
 300 PHILOCUR1STVS [Chant, r 24 
 
 mind of Judas, and to be grieved thereat ; but he took 
 no note thereof in our presence, although Judas had 
 been these many days turning his heart from our Master 
 and inclining himself to leave him. For indeed he 
 had by this time begun to repent that he had ever joined 
 himself to Jesus. Notwithstanding even now, at certain 
 seasons, while Jesus was speaking, Judas was drawn to- 
 wards him as in old times ; but, as it were, perforce, and 
 in spite of himself. Hence it came to pass that he was 
 sorely distracted in his mind, being tossed now this way, 
 now that, like unto a troubled sea. For sometimes, upon 
 no apparent cause, he would break out into protestations 
 of love for Jesus ; but at other times, when he thought 
 no one was at hand (yea, and even in our hearing when 
 the passion was on him) he would rage and fume that he 
 had ever left Kerioth for to join such a leader as this, 
 declaring that Jesus would ruin all them that followed 
 him, and saying that he could well-nigh hate him as a 
 blind leader of the blind. 
 
 Oftentimes hath it been marvelled how it should come 
 to pass that Jesus should have chosen Judas to be one 
 of his apostles ; for he knew what was in men. Why 
 therefore did our Master choose for an apostle one that 
 should afterwards betray him ? But the answer which 
 Quartus giveth is this, that, at the first, perchance Jesus 
 did not know that Judas would betray him ; yea, and 
 had not Judas hardened himself against Jesus, he might 
 have become a chosen vessel of the Lord. 
 
 For, at the first, Judas was no traitor, nor like 
 unto one that should be a traitor ; but of a sanguine 
 complexion and disposition, cheerful even to mirthful- 
 neps, and frank on a first acquaintance ; not given to
 
 Chapter 24] FHILOCHRISTUS 301 
 
 musing nor premeditating ; but active and strenuous, 
 and withal a lover of Israel : albeit perchance some- 
 what too ambitious and less ready in friendship than 
 in counsel. From a child his mind was ever given to 
 great purposes ; and towards these ends he bent all 
 his faculties : for he was of a deep understanding, 
 skilled in the ways of men, and of a discerning spirit, 
 quick to perceive what means were fit to accomplish his 
 ends. But the mischief was that the power to under- 
 stand was quicker in him than the power to love ; for 
 his understanding moved as a flame of fire, but his heart 
 was very cold. 
 
 When he first became acquainted with our Master, he 
 straightway clave unto him as unto a great leader of 
 the people, who was like to redeem Sion. Howbeit his 
 heart went not out to Jesus as the heart of John the son 
 of Zebedee, and as the heart of Simon the son of Jonah. 
 For I remember once, when I questioned Simon Peter 
 for what cause he first joined himself to Jesus, Peter 
 said, " Because he had been drawn unto Jesus he knew 
 not how, and by the hand of the Lord " ; but Judas 
 said, " Nay, but thou speakest as a sheep or a goat, in 
 whom there is feeling but no understanding : but I 
 applied myself to him with deliberation, as deeming 
 him to be the fittest instrument to do good unto Sion." 
 
 Now perchance because Judas gave not so much of 
 his heart unto our Master, for this cause he received 
 not so much back again ; wherefore he grew not in spirit 
 like the rest, but went backward rather than forward. 
 And when he found that Jesus of Nazareth was not to 
 be used as an instrument, no not even to do good to 
 Sion ; then he began to repent that he had joined himself
 
 302 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter '2 \, 
 
 unto him. Afterwards, when Jesus first took upon him 
 to forgive sins, this was, as it were, the turning-point 
 in the course of Judas. For he was sore disturbed at 
 that time, insomuch that he carried his searchings of 
 heart written even upon his countenance. For he was 
 much moved to have poured himself out before Jesus of 
 Nazareth, beseeching him to take away the coldness of 
 heart, and to give him a heart of flesh. Howbeit Satan 
 hindered it, taking advantage of his pride ; for the 
 man was always very proud, and had hitherto been 
 foremost among the apostles ; nor could he brook now 
 to step down from his high place and to make himself 
 even as one of the sinners. Wherefore he opened himself 
 not to Jesus, but hardened himself against the voice of 
 the Lord within him. 
 
 Yet methinks the conflict was no light one in his 
 heart ; and even to the last, he could scarce refrain from 
 giving himself up to Jesus. And, as it seemed to me, 
 for this cause Jesus called him to be one of the Twelve, 
 perceiving how great gifts the Lord had bestowed upon 
 him, and also hoping, by this means, perchance, to have 
 cast out the jealousy and the pride from his heart, and in 
 the end, to have drawn him wholly towards himself. 
 For if Judas could have felt that he was altogether 
 trusted, even as the chief of all the apostles, then be- 
 like he would have cast away the pride whereon he 
 clothed himself, and would have opened his heart to 
 our Master ; and then verily he would have been a 
 light in Israel, not less than the greatest of the apostles. 
 But it was not so to be ; for it was otherwise willed by 
 the Inscrutable. 
 
 So it came to pass that, from the time when he was
 
 Chapter 24] P21ILOCHRISTUS 303 
 
 rebuked by Jesus, as I have related above (though in 
 truth the rebuke was not more for Judas than for the 
 rest of the disciples), Judas withdrew himself more and 
 more from Jesus and from the other disciples ; neither 
 would he speak freely nor ask questions as before, but he 
 moved the other disciples to question Jesus in his stead. 
 Yet notwithstanding when Jesus exhorted or rebuked 
 us, Judas would ever take the rebuke unto himself above 
 all, and say that Jesus pointed at him, though he did 
 not mention him by name. Then would he fume and 
 rage and depart in anger, and avoid the rest for many 
 hours together. But when he came among the disciples, 
 he would sow strife among us with speech of passion 
 and jealousy ; so that he was, as it were, a thorn in the 
 side of the Master. 
 
 All this Jesus perceived, and grieved thereat. Yet 
 he said nothing. And, as it seemed to me, his grief 
 for Judas was swallowed up in another and a larger 
 grief; which I understood not then, but now I under- 
 stand in part. For Jesus at this time began to see 
 more and more clearly that all or almost all in Israel 
 should reject him ; and that his disciples should prove 
 faithless, at least for a time ; and that he should bring 
 troubles and sorrows and wars upon the earth, as well 
 as joy and peace ; and that the day of Deliverance and 
 Redemption was further off than had been supposed. 
 Howbeit, for all this, he turned not to the right hand 
 nor to the left from the going up to Jerusalem : for he 
 knew that the Lord God had an errand for him there ; 
 and that his death was to be for the life of men : and 
 that the Lord would in the end give him the victory 
 over all his enemies.
 
 304 PHILOCURISTUS [Chapter 21 
 
 On the fourth day of the month Nisan, being (as 
 I said above) the tenth day before the Passover, we set 
 forth again on our journey to Jerusalem, and much 
 people went with us. And when we came down from 
 the mountains to Jordan, even to the fords of the river, 
 then some expected that Jesus should have stretched 
 out his hand and dried up the river j even as a certain 
 Egyptian false prophet had lately promised to do ; and 
 likewise Elias in old times had dried up Jordan, and it 
 had been also dried up at the word of the priests when 
 Joshua passed over. (For both now, and before, and for 
 a long time after, the minds of all in Israel were ready 
 to expect any sign howsoever strange and monstrous, 
 and to follow any that would profess to work such signs ; 
 insomuch that, about ten years ago, even on the very 
 day that the Holy Temple was burned with fire by the 
 Romans, even on that last day (as I have heard) a certain 
 false Christ led some six thousand of my countrymen 
 into one of the courtyards of the Temple, expecting a 
 sign from heaven. So strong was faith in Israel ; if it be 
 faith indeed, to trust in any that profess to work signs 
 and wonders.) Howbeit Jesus wrought neither this nor 
 any other sign at this season, and we all passed over, 
 even as the other pilgrims, by the fords ; but with not 
 a little difficulty and even some peril, for the river was 
 marvellously swollen. Hereat some of the common 
 people that were with us began to murmur, wondering 
 when the time should come that Jesus should put away 
 delays, and work such works as they expected from a 
 Messiah. 
 
 When we came unto Gilgal we rested ; but Judas 
 made some pretext that he should go on to Jeiicho
 
 Chapter 24] PH1LOCHRISTUS 305 
 
 before us to prepare the way for Jesus ; and, as I 
 afterwards learned, he went to the house of a certain 
 Scribe in Jericho one of his acquaintance, and a prin- 
 cipal man among the Pharisees of that city, and he 
 conversed with him a long time. The name of the 
 Scribe was Azariah the son of Simon. 
 
 Now while we rested at Gilgal, we looked gladly upon 
 Jericho, gazing at the forest of palm-trees which lay 
 between us and the city. Much did we admire also the 
 four towers of the city, which rose up straight to heaven 
 on the other side of the forest, and the walls high and 
 newly built; surrounded on all sides by thickets of 
 balsam, and gardens of roses, and full of all delights. 
 For the place knoweth not drought, by reason of the 
 perpetual waters ; but it is a paradise all the year 
 round. Beyond Jericho, on the other side, we could 
 see, rising up as it were over against us, the mountains 
 that lead up to Jerusalem ; insomuch that it was 
 a saying with them of the Holy City that the sounds 
 of the sacred music and the smell of the incense go 
 down even to the men of Jericho. But the ascent is 
 steep and the way bleak and barren, through cliffs 
 and rocks on the right hand and on the left; where 
 no trees are, nor any water; but robbers and murder- 
 ers lurk at all times in the caves on the sides of the 
 mountains, for to come down unawares upon the pil- 
 grims and travellers which pass by that way. Then 
 said Peter unto John, "Without doubt the Romans 
 will not suffer us to go up ; but they will fall upon us 
 by the way. And should not the people be advised 
 thereof, that they may stand upon their guard ? " But 
 John said nothing ; notwithstanding, he seemed troubled
 
 306 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 24 
 
 that Jesus took no order for what was to come to pass 
 upon our journey. 
 
 When we came unto Jericho, behold, the people had 
 been advised of our coming, and on both sides of the 
 road there was gathered together a great multitude 
 to see Jesus as he passed ; and the common people 
 hailed him at this time by the name that was dearest 
 unto the patriots of our nation, calling him a deliverer 
 after the manner of David, and saying, " Hosanna, son 
 of David." But Azariah the son of Simon, who was 
 of the acquaintance of Judas, was come forth also ; and 
 he saluted Jesus and besought him to eat bread in 
 his house. Howbeit Jesus would not eat bread in the 
 house of Azariah. For as he passed through the midst 
 of the people, he had espied a certain man, by name 
 Zacchaeus, looking down upon him from a sycamore-tree, 
 into the which he had climbed up, out of the fervency 
 of his desire to see Jesus : and straightway he had called 
 unto the man, and bidden him come down, saying that he 
 must eat bread in the man's house. Now the man was 
 a tax-gatherer, as might have been seen by his dress and 
 tablets, and indeed the crowd shouted aloud that he 
 was a tax-gatherer, when they saw that Jesus had chosen 
 him to eat bread in his house ; and they were sore dis- 
 pleased at Jesus. Notwithstanding Jesus was constant 
 in his purpose not to eat bread in the house of Azariah 
 the Eabbi, but in the house of Zacchaeus the publican. 
 So Azariah dissembled his anger and came to the feast 
 in the house of Zacchaeus, and certain other Pharisees 
 with him. Howbeit they themselves feasted not with 
 the common people and the tax-gatherers ; but they con- 
 versed with Jesus and asked him questions.
 
 Chapter 24] PHILOCHPJSTUS 307 
 
 Now it came to pass, during the feast, that the heart of 
 Zacchaeus the tax-gatherer was turned unto Jesus (even 
 as the heart of Barachiah the son of Zadok had been 
 turned to Jesus in the house of Matthew the publican, 
 as I related above) : and he stood up and repented aloud 
 of his evil deeds, and promised to make restitution, and 
 that also not twofold but fourfold, saying moreover that 
 he would give the half of his goods to the poor. And 
 Jesus rejoiced at his words and said, " This day is salva- 
 tion come unto this house, forasmuch as he also is a son 
 of Abraham." 
 
 Now while Jesus was saying these words, I took note 
 that Judas was making signs unto Azariah ; and Jesus 
 had scarce made an end of speaking when Azariah (upon 
 a set plan, as I conjecture, devised with Judas) said to 
 him, " Thou sayest that the Kingdom of Heaven is at 
 hand : tell us therefore when cometh it, and at what 
 hour? So shall we be prepared and ready when it 
 cometh." But Jesus made answer to him and said, 
 " The Kingdom of Heaven cometh not with observa- 
 tion. Neither shall they say, Lo here ! or, Lo there ! 
 For behold " (and saying these words he pointed to 
 Zacchseus) "the Kingdom of Heaven is within you." 
 At these words the face of Azariah was clouded with 
 anger ; for he had not attained that which he desired : 
 and we also were somewhat sorry, for we had hoped 
 that we should have heard some new thing. But Judas 
 straightway went out of the chamber, not able to contain 
 himself for displeasure. 
 
 When the guests and the Pharisees were gone forth, 
 and we were alone with Jesus, we would have questioned 
 him still further concerning this matter ; but we were 
 
 x 2
 
 3 o8 PHILOCHRISTUS 
 
 afraid. Howbeit many of the common people, yea and 
 some also of ourselves, expected that on the morrow Jesus 
 should have made an assault on the .barracks of the 
 guard in Jericho and on the king's palace ; or, at the 
 least, that he should have suffered us to burn down the 
 house of customs. But Jesus did none of these things : 
 but on the morrow we set forth again to go up to 
 Jerusalem. It was now the sixth day of the month 
 Nisan, and the eighth day before the day of the Passover. 
 After we had journeyed for about an hour, the 
 way being exceeding steep, and the sun (although it 
 was not long risen) beating with an exceeding heat 
 upon us, by reason of the rocks and cliffs around us 
 and before us ; it came to pass that we sat down to 
 rest. And Jesus looked down upon Jericho, and on 
 the palm-trees thereof and on the balsam-groves, and 
 on all the gardens of the place, and then he turned 
 and looked to the right hand upon the country where 
 Jordan floweth into the Dead Sea, and he opened his 
 mouth and taught us concerning the Kingdom of God. 
 For he said that, as in old time the cities of Sodom and 
 Gomorrah had been swallowed up in that same sea of 
 destruction which we saw before our eyes, even so should 
 it be hereafter : and the Kingdom of Heaven should come 
 in a flash, even as the lightning which lighteneth out 
 of the one part under heaven and shineth unto the 
 other part under heaven. But first he said that trouble 
 should come upon the disciples ; for the Son of man 
 should be rejected, and the days should come when we 
 should desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, 
 and should not see it. Most of all he lamented that in 
 the darkness of that time there should be division in
 
 Chapter 24] PHILOCHRISTUS 309 
 
 Israel, yea in every household and in every corner of 
 Israel : "I tell you in that night there shall be two men 
 in one bed ; the one shall be taken and the other left. 
 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be 
 taken and the other left. Two men shall be in the field ; 
 the one shall be taken and the other left." 
 
 Now this seemed quite contrary to the word which 
 Jesus had spoken yesterday. For then Jesus had said 
 that the Kingdom of God was within us ; but now he 
 said that it should come like the lightning. Howbeit, 
 these latter words made us rejoice ; for now again we 
 w r ere lifted up in our hearts, supposing that Jesus would 
 work some sudden sign, to destroy our enemies in a 
 moment of time. And Judas was now no longer able to 
 constrain himself (for he had been sore displeased, even 
 before, that the. question of Azariah had not been 
 answered by Jesus) : therefore, when Jesus had made an 
 end of speaking these words, how that "the one shall be 
 taken and the other left," supposing that now at last he 
 should obtain to know that secret which he had so long 
 desired to know, he leapt up in the vehemence of his 
 desire, and cried aloud to Jesus, " Where, Master ? " 
 But Jesus paused and looked steadfastly at him and 
 said, " Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles 
 be gathered together." Saying these words, Jesus arose 
 and turned his face from the Dead Sea and from the 
 pleasant places of Jericho, and bent himself again to 
 ascend the mountainous way which leadeth up to 
 Bethany and thence to Jerusalem. But Judas remained 
 behind standing in the same place, and there I saw him 
 still standing and musing, long after the rest of the 
 disciples had followed Jesus up the mountainous way.
 
 3 io PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 24 
 
 When Judas at last overtook us, lie complained much 
 that Jesus knew in himself what was to come to pass, 
 and yet hid it from his followers. "For," said he, "we 
 risk our lives for him, yet he trusteth us not." Now we 
 were displeased at the words of Judas; for we were 
 assured that Jesus did all things for the best. Notwith- 
 standing we were somewhat moved because Jesus thought 
 not fit to tell us beforehand that which was to befall us 
 in Jerusalem and on our journey to Jerusalem. And so 
 it was that, while we were disputing, there was a great 
 clamour in the front of our band, and a cry went up that 
 the Eomans were upon us ; and straightway there was 
 much stir of men putting themselves in order of defence 
 (those at least that had arms), and certain of the women 
 cried out for fear. And Peter said it was not unlikely 
 that the Eomans should fall upon us here ; for this was 
 the very place where they had laid ambush for Athronges 
 and slain him ; moreover one came running past us 
 saying that he had seen the glittering of their helmets, 
 and that they were lying in wait for us at the corner of 
 the road. Howbeit the report was false ; for there were 
 no Komans, but some one had been deceived by the 
 shining of the sun against the rocks, and so had caused 
 all this stir. 
 
 Now Jesus was grieved when he saw that some of the 
 disciples were afraid ; and he rebuked us, bidding us 
 not to fear destruction of body, but only destruction of 
 soul. He himself also shewed no sign of fear, so that 
 we marvelled at his steadfastness and stoutness of heart. 
 Nevertheless Judas said that it would have been better if 
 Jesus, being a prophet, had forewarned the multitude and 
 had said unto them, " The Romans will not fall upon us
 
 Chapter ^] PHILOCHRISTUS 311 
 
 save at Bethany, or so many furlongs on this side of 
 Bethany ; or, they will not fall upon us to-day, but to- 
 morrow at the seventh hour, naming the place and time 
 exactly : " and this, said Judas, would have been far 
 better than that our band should thus be thrown into 
 a confusion upon a mere rumour. 
 
 We said nothing against Judas ; for we knew not what 
 to say : neither do I perfectly know even to this day. 
 But Quartus saith that " Jesus knew not all these things 
 exactly, but only generally, and as it were on a large 
 scale ; as if a pilot, piloting a vessel into an haven, should 
 know the winds, and the currents, and the shoals, and 
 the aspect and form of the coast, but not all the pebbles 
 upon the strand, nor even the very moment that the ship 
 should come into the harbour. For by certain signs of 
 the times," said Quartus, " Jesus discerned of that which 
 was to come, even as a wise mariner foretelleth the 
 weather by the clouds, and winds, and the other signs in 
 the heavens. Neither was Jesus like unto a magician or 
 common enchanter/who pretendeth to change the course 
 of things by his enchantment ; but he was even as a Son 
 of God, who can read what is in the book of the future, 
 yea, and can shape the future, because he doeth all 
 things in accordance with the invisible laws of God." 
 
 Thus far Quartus ; but concerning these things I know 
 not, neither pronounce judgment. But let us return to 
 our journey. Soon after these things, going to John 
 the son of Zebedee, I found him conversing with his 
 mother ; and he received me with a constrained coun- 
 tenance not according to his custom. Presently I 
 perceived that his mother desired him to do a certain 
 thing, which he was loth to do. It seemed that Judas
 
 3 i2 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 24 
 
 had been speaking to her, saying that it was fit that 
 strife should be quenched among the disciples by de- 
 terminino' once and for all who should have the first 
 
 o 
 
 places in the Kingdom ; for, said he, until this be settled, 
 there must still be quarrelling among the disciples. For 
 Simon Peter, forsooth, had supposed himself to be chief, 
 because Jesus had blessed him and given unto him a 
 title ; but the sons of Zebedee had done no less deeds, 
 and shewn no less zeal, than Peter ; and they, as well as 
 Peter, had received a title, having been called Sons of 
 Thunder ; wherefore then (said Judas) should they not 
 claim the first places ? For himself, he said, he had no 
 thoughts about such high matters ; for Jesus loved him 
 not as the rest. Howbeit, he desired that the expedition 
 should not fail owing to the strife among the disciples. 
 Now Jesus had promised that if two or three of his 
 disciples agreed touching anything they should ask, it 
 should be done for them. Therefore he bade the mother 
 of John go with her two sons to Jesus and ask of him 
 a certain favour ; and if Jesus granted it, then she was 
 to ask that her two sons might be next to Jesus in the 
 place of honour in the New Kingdom. 
 
 When James and John had been at last persuaded by 
 their mother, they made their petition unto Jesus. But 
 Jesus refused it, saying that to sit on his right hand and 
 on his left hand was not his to give, save to those for 
 whom it had been prepared by the Father. For he would 
 do nothing unjustly, nor out of respect for persons ; 
 but here, as in all things, he desired to conform himself 
 to the unseen ordinances of the Father. And herein 
 Jesus shewed himself very different from that which he 
 was supposed to be by Jonathan the son of Ezra. For
 
 Chapter 24] PHILOCHRISTUS 313 
 
 Jonathan supposed that he was misled by his desires, 
 and that whatsoever things seemed to Jesus desirable, 
 these Jesus fancied to be true : but it was not so ; for no 
 one ever saw, more clearly than Jesus, that which must 
 needs be. Only he rebelled not against it, but willingly 
 submitted himself to it and embraced it, as being the will 
 of the Father, and therefore very good. For this cause 
 both now and at other times, he spake of all his words 
 and works as being prepared for him ; saying that he 
 could neither do nor say anything of himself, but only 
 that which the Father had prepared. Also I marked, 
 both at this time and often before and after, how Jesus 
 joined together in himself virtues that mix not well 
 together in the minds of most. For with most men 
 a nature that judgeth well and wisely is somewhat 
 cold ; and they which love warmly, love neither wisely 
 nor well, but are fond. But with Jesus it was not so : 
 for the more he loved men, the more he loved justice 
 and truth ; because, as I suppose, his love of men on 
 earth sprang out of his love of Him in heaven whose 
 name is Truth and Justice. 
 
 On this same day Jesus spake much concerning that 
 which was to come ; and all his words tended to sadness. 
 For he lamented over the divisions among his disciples, 
 and the divisions that should be in the world, saying 
 that it was as if he had not come to bring peace but a 
 sword ; yea, and that he had verily come to kindle a fire 
 upon the earth. Moreover of the day of Redemption 
 he spake as though it were a great way off, and the 
 disciples would need to wait long for it, and to watch, 
 and to pray, and to resist many temptations. Howbeit 
 in every parable he spake confidently of a certain day
 
 3 i4 PEILOCHBISTUS. [Chapter 24 
 
 of Decision or Judgment, when the good should be 
 separated from the evil, and the evil should be cast into 
 the fire, but the good should be preserved for everlasting 
 life. 
 
 These things he said to all the disciples ; but when 
 the Twelve, and we that were always with him, were 
 come to him in the inn where he rested during the heat 
 of the noontide, he spake privately to us concerning 
 our disputings and contentions among ourselves. For 
 he had noted how sorely the rest of the apostles were 
 displeased at John and James ; and also at other times he 
 had perceived that we were jealous one of another. Where- 
 fore he besought us (and as it seemed to me there were 
 even tears in his eyes) to be at peace among ourselves. 
 Moreover he spake about himself, saying that he had a 
 cup of sorrow to drink and a baptism of suffering to be 
 baptized withal, and that he had come to give his life 
 a ransom for the multitude. Therefore if any man 
 among us desired to be chief of all and foremost of 
 all, he desired that man to be foremost in serving, 
 and in ministering, and in suffering ; even as he also 
 came to be a sufferer and a minister for the multitude. 
 
 Then he besought us with great passion and fervency 
 to suffer nothing to come between us and our entrance 
 into the Kingdom, saying that it were better for us to 
 cut off our right hand or pluck out our right eye and so 
 to enter into life, rather than to enter with two eyes and 
 hands into darkness, into the valley of Hinnom, where 
 the worm ceaseth not and the fire is not quenched. 
 Finally, he lamented over the world, how that it was not 
 fit to be a sacrifice to the Father because it was not 
 salted ; and he called us the salt of the world : " But if,"
 
 Chapter 24] PHILOCHRISTUS 315 
 
 said he, " the salt hath lost its savour, wherewith shall 
 the salting be performed ? " 
 
 Now some of his words were hidden from us, but 
 these last were easy to understand. And we were 
 ashamed of our disputings, and because we were not 
 like unto our Master in singleness of heart. Judas also 
 himself seemed to be moved somewhat at the time : 
 yet, soon after, he spake again as before, saying that 
 it was impossible to obey Jesus, because Jesus said 
 at one time one thing and at another time another; 
 " Wherefore," added Judas, " inasmuch as our Master 
 will neither plan nor perform aught to do good unto 
 himself, methinks it is meet that we his disciples 
 should strive to do him good, even though it be against 
 his own will."
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 AFTEE Jesus had made an end of this exhortation, he 
 set forth on his journey to go towards Bethany, which 
 lay still far up above us. There was in his countenance 
 even such a brightness as we had noted when he came 
 down from the mountain with Peter and James and 
 John. Whereat we marvelled, because he that had but 
 now spoken to us with such a passion of sorrow concern- 
 ing a cup of suffering and death, seemed to go towards 
 suffering and death like unto one triumphing in glory. 
 Howbeit we feared to ask him further concerning these 
 things ; but we followed after him, questioning among 
 ourselves. 
 
 Now Judas ceased not cavilling at the exhortation of 
 Jesus, saying that it was not fit that a leader should 
 make himself like a child, nor that whoso would fain 
 be greatest should make himself least ; " For," said Judas, 
 " a leader must lead, not follow ; and he must com- 
 mand, not obey ; and he must have the forethought of a 
 man to arrange all things orderly, not the afterthought 
 of a child to adventure all things at hazard. Now Jesus, 
 in his former days, when he was like himself, ever took 
 upon himself the part of leader, yea, even a leader 
 greater than Moses ; for he was wont to speak in our
 
 Chapter 25] PHILOCHRISTUS 317 
 
 ears such words as these, It was said to them of old 
 time, Do this, but / say unto you, Do that ; and again, 
 Come unto me, and / will give you rest ; Take my yoke 
 upon you, and the like. Were not these words the words 
 of a leader \ But now what saith he ? Even such words 
 as these : ' I am not a leader, but a follower ' ; ' I am not 
 as the greatest, but as the least ' ; ' I am not a conqueror, 
 but as one to be vanquished, yea and already vanquished, 
 even as a lamb led to the slaughter.' Nor doth he give 
 command beforehand, nor warn us how to meet the 
 enemy, nor where to expect the onset. But behold it 
 wanteth but a week or less, and there cometh the Pass- 
 over ; and nothing is settled. Verily we are as sheep 
 without a shepherd." 
 
 Thus spake Judas in the bitterness of his heart, more 
 freely than he had ever spoken before (at least in our 
 presence), and we marvelled at the bitterness of his 
 speech. But Peter rebuked him and said, " Say not 
 such words as these, Judas, for of a surety Jesus is our 
 leader even unto death ; but his ways are not as our ways, 
 and we must have faith in him. Howbeit concerning 
 what is to come to pass on the day after the morrow, 
 somewhat, as I know, is already settled ; for he pur- 
 poseth to enter the Holy City publicly, even before the 
 face of all that dwell in Jerusalem. Now when that 
 cometh to pass, then doubtless he will be moved to 
 perform some mighty work. I say not that he will 
 smite with the sword ; for he ever shrinketh from the 
 sword. But perchance he will pray unto the Lord, and 
 the earth will open for our enemies, even as it opened 
 for the children of Korah, or fire will go forth from the 
 presence of our Master himself, and he will consume his
 
 3 1 8 PHIL CHEISTUS [Chapter 25 
 
 enemies with the fervency of his breath. For the 
 mercies of the Lord are manifold, and very many are 
 His paths for the destruction of the wicked." 
 
 When Judas heard mention of the going of Jesus into 
 Jerusalem, he held his peace, thinking (as I perceived 
 from his words afterwards) that this was perchance a sign 
 that Jesus was minded to become a leader indeed. But 
 another, taking up the word spoken by Simon Peter 
 touching the fire from the presence of Jesus, said, " And 
 perchance this fire is even what our Master signifieth, 
 when he saith that the adversaries shall be cast into the 
 fire." But another said, " Nay, but it is written, the 
 punishment of malefactors shall be fire and worms. Also 
 it is written in the prophet Isaiah that, when all things 
 are made anew, in that day the righteous shall go up to 
 Jerusalem to worship the Lord, ' and they shall go forth 
 and look upon the carcases of the men that have trans- 
 gressed against me ; for their worm shall not die, neither 
 shall their fire be quenched.' Therefore it is most certain 
 that, when Jerusalem shall be purified, the adversaries 
 shall be cast forth into the valley of Hinnom, even to 
 the fire and worms ; and they shall be an abhorring to 
 all flesh." 
 
 To this the most part agreed. Only Nathanael seemed 
 doubtful ; but he said nothing in the hearing of the rest. 
 But when I questioned him concerning the meaning of 
 the words of Jesus, he answered that he knew not for 
 certain what they meant ; only he felt assured that Jesus 
 had in his mind not a visible but some kind of invisible 
 fire, which preyeth upon wickedness, even as the fire 
 whereon we look preyeth upon fuel. This seemed to me 
 at that time a hard saying, but now I consent unto it.
 
 Chapter 25] PHILOCHRISTITS 319 
 
 And to the same effect spake Quartus afterwards, saying, 
 "To Jesus the invisible things were visible, even as 
 those things which are seen with the eyes ; yea, they 
 were more visible. Therefore when he looked upon 
 the hearts of men and discerned in them jealousy or 
 malignity or hypocrisy, behold, such men seemed to 
 him as men that are suffering from a sore disease, 
 which disease must be biirned away with the fires of 
 God. For as the all-encompassing sunlight bringeth 
 life to them which are whole, but fiery heats to them 
 in whose veins the fever rageth, even so the fire of 
 God (which compasseth all invisible things, so that 
 naught can escape from the flame thereof) purifieth 
 that which will be purified, but consumeth that which 
 is corrupt, according as it is written, ' The jealousy of 
 the Lord burneth like fire for ever.' " 
 
 Now Xanthias, the Greek merchant of Alexandria, 
 was wont to say that Jesus would have done well to 
 make distinction between the fire of God and the fires of 
 men ; lest his disciples should be led astray by his words, 
 and lest they should suppose that Jesus was speaking of 
 earthly destruction. But if Xanthias had lived unto these 
 days, and had seen how, after the death of our Master, 
 the most part of our nation were given up to darkness 
 and madness, and their city and temple were burned 
 with fire, and they themselves were consumed by 
 hundreds and by thousands, then, as it seemeth to me, 
 he would have perceived that the fire whereof Jesus 
 spake consumeth alike things visible and invisible, and 
 on earth as well as not on earth. Howbeit at this 
 season we understood none of these things, and almost 
 all thought that the Eomans and other Gentiles in
 
 3 2o PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 25 
 
 Jerusalem, and whosoever of our own nation stood 
 up against our Master, should be slain and cast out into 
 the valley of Hinnom to be consumed by fire and worms. 
 
 But while we thus disputed among ourselves, behold, 
 we were now come nigh unto the village called Bethany ; 
 which lieth high up on the mountain called the Mount 
 of Olives, and looketh, from above, upon the road that 
 goeth down to Jericho. And from Bethany to Jerusalem 
 is but sixteen furlongs or less. Here therefore our 
 journey was at an end ; for our Master was to tarry 
 at Bethany, in the house of Mary and Martha, for that 
 night and during the morrow also ; for the Sabbath 
 was at hand. But of the rest of our band, some few 
 remained with us ; others went forward a little space to 
 Bethphage, w r hich was about a Sabbath day's journey ; 
 others, and these the greater part, hasted to pass into 
 Jerusalem before the Sabbath should have begun ; for 
 there wanted but one hour of sunset. 
 
 During all that night Jesus said not much to us. 
 Only, while speaking to the women after supper, he 
 discoursed concerning the need of patience, and how the 
 disciples in the New Kingdom must be like unto wise 
 virgins going unto a wedding, which take not only lighted 
 lamps, but also good store of oil that they may keep 
 their lamps alight ; but the foolish, which take no oil, 
 have not their lamps alight when the bridegroom 
 arriveth suddenly : wherefore they come too late for the 
 feast and are shut out. Thereby, said Peter, Jesus seemed 
 to mean that he was to leave us for a time and to return 
 suddenly ; and whoso was not prepared to meet him 
 should be shut out from the Kingdom. Some other 
 parables Jesus spake to the same effect.
 
 Chapter 25] PHILOCHEISTUS 321 
 
 Now concerning these parables Quartus judgeth that 
 Jesus spake in them of his resurrection. " For," said 
 he, "the meaning of Jesus was, that if the disciples 
 had not prayed unto the Lord, and watched and waited 
 after his death (but contrariwise had given themselves 
 over to idleness and folly, as men desperate), then 
 Jesus would never have appeared to them ; and they 
 would have been shut out from the Kingdom/' Others 
 interpret the words, as if Jesus spake of some other 
 coming, which may not perchance be fulfilled in our 
 days. But I incline rather to think that our Master 
 prophesied partly concerning some future coming which 
 is not yet fulfilled ; and partly concerning his resur- 
 rection and manifestation to us his disciples, soon to 
 be fulfilled ; but partly also concerning our nation : how 
 that, after his death, some few should be ready to receive 
 him, but the greater part should be unready ; and as for 
 these, darkness should fall upon their hearts, and then 
 the door should be shut, and they should grope around 
 the door, but find no entrance. Which things have 
 indeed come to pass. For at the first, Israel was desirous 
 to enter into the Kingdom, but now the veil is upon their 
 hearts, so that they can no longer have light to enter into 
 the Kingdom, no, not though they desire it. 
 
 The morrow, as I have said, was the Sabbath ; and 
 all the day, Jesus sat still in the house talking with 
 the women, especially with Mary and Martha the sisters 
 of our host ; neither did he go forth all that day, save 
 that he went to the village of Bethphage to see some 
 sick folk. But in the evening he spake to us very 
 kindly, yea, very tenderly, even more than his wont. 
 And though he said not many words, yet all his words 
 
 Y
 
 322 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 25 
 
 were concerning us, not concerning himself; or, if he 
 spake of himself, it was for our sakes, as if he were 
 striving to look into the darkness of that which was to 
 come, so that he might discern what perils awaited us, 
 for to warn us thereof. 
 
 As we walked towards Bethphage, it came to pass that 
 Philip said to Jesus (thinking to please him), that 
 certain Greeks which were in Jerusalem desired to see 
 him. Now so it was, that when Philip spake these words, 
 we chanced to be passing through the fields of corn ; 
 and the corn was now strong and in ear, for the spring 
 was well advanced. But Jesus stopped at that word 
 Greeks, and looked down at the corn ; and then he said 
 that the hour was verily come when he should be glorified : 
 "For," said he, "except a corn of wheat fall into the 
 ground, it abideth alone : but if it die, it bringeth forth 
 much fruit." Then he went on to say that, after his 
 death, we need not fear lest we should be left desolate, 
 for a Spirit should strengthen us ; and of this Spirit 
 he spake, at one time as coming from himself, but at 
 another time as coming from his Father ; moreover it 
 should come to us, he said, by a certain ordinance, 
 which could not be altered. For just as the ear of 
 wheat cometh not unless the corn of wheat first die, 
 even so his Spirit should not come, except he also should 
 first depart from us. 
 
 Hereat Judas brake out in hot anger, " Wherefore, 
 then, go we up to Jerusalem, if our going is to be for 
 naught, and if thou art to depart from us, and if we are 
 to be left as sheep without a shepherd ? " Jesus rebuked 
 him not, neither answered as we had expected ; but said 
 that it could not be that a prophet should perish out of
 
 Chapter 25] PHILOCHRISTUS 323 
 
 Jerusalem. Hereat one said, " Nay but, Master, the 
 prophet John perished not in Jerusalem." But to this 
 Jesus made no answer ; but only spake a few words 
 touching the difference between the simplicity of the 
 Galileans and the subtlety of the men of Jerusalem ; 
 and he condemned the Scribes of Jerusalem and the 
 priests of the temple, for that they made darkness 
 instead of light, causing all Israel, and even the 
 Galileans, to transgress. He also spake as if Satan 
 reigned in the Holy City, and as if he were shortly 
 going down to do battle there with Satan in Jerusalem. 
 So he seemed to signify that Jerusalem was as it were 
 a field of battle, whereon it was meet and right that a 
 true prophet should die. After this he added, that if he 
 were lifted up in the sight of all men, he should draw all 
 men unto him. This joining together of words diverse 
 in nature, of perishing and lifting up, and of departing 
 and drawing all men unto him, filled us with perplexity; 
 insomuch that Judas said in a low voice that the words 
 of Jesus were like unto oil and vinegar, which cannot 
 be mixed. The rest of us also showed, as I suppose, 
 by our countenances that we understood him not ; for he 
 looked kindly on us, and rebuked us not, but said that 
 he had yet many things to say unto us, but we could 
 not bear them now. He also added at another time, 
 this promise, that a Spirit of Truth should come, which 
 should guide us into all the truth. 
 
 Now so it was that, while Jesus was saying these 
 words, we were now drawing nigh unto Bethphage, and 
 we spake concerning the going into Jerusalem on the 
 morrow. And it came to pass that Matthew, looking 
 upon an ass (which was standing in the village at the back 
 
 Y 2
 
 324 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 28 
 
 of a house where two ways met), made mention of a 
 certain prophecy which saith that the Messiah shall come 
 into Jerusalem, not as an Egyptian nor as an Assyrian 
 (for they ride in chariots or on horses), but as one of the 
 princes of our nation, who used to ride on asses ; and 
 the words were these, " Eejoice greatly, daughter of 
 Sion ; shout, daughter of Jerusalem ; behold, thy king 
 cometh unto thee. He is meek and having salvation, 
 lowly and riding upon an ass, and a colt, the foal of 
 an ass." Now Jesus overheard these words, but said 
 nothing ; yet, as it seemed to me, he took note thereof. 
 
 When we returned to the house, Jesus gave command 
 for the morrow, that we should rise early to go down 
 into Jerusalem with him, and that certain of the dis- 
 ciples should go before the rest into Jerusalem, even to 
 our friends and companions there, for to instruct them 
 concerning the time of the going down of Jesus, that 
 they might come forth to meet us. Hereat we rejoiced 
 greatly : and all the teaching of Jesus concerning his 
 death and departure, and concerning the days of 
 trouble and of parting, quite vanished away ; and 
 even Judas was glad. And now our minds began to be 
 set once more, and even more than before, upon the 
 Kingdom, and upon our places in the Kingdom. So when 
 we lay down on the supper couches, our tongues still 
 harped thereon ; and our disputings were so loud that 
 Jesus could not but hear them. Then was he sore dis- 
 pleased that we should thus think of ourselves when he 
 was to depart from us ; and he opened his mouth to 
 speak. But he spake not ; for it was as if no words 
 could avail to pierce the hardness of our hearts. How- 
 beit, when supper was ended and I was gone forth from
 
 Chapter 25] PII1LOCHRIST US 325 
 
 the chamber, then, as it was reported to me by some 
 (but others say that it happened on another evening), he 
 arose from the table, and girded himself as a servant, 
 and would wash the feet of all the disciples ; and when 
 they would have resisted, he constrained them ; but 
 when he had made an end, he said, "I have given 
 you an example that ye should do as I have done to 
 you." 
 
 After this manner therefore that Sabbath ended ; but 
 throughout the whole of the Sabbath and all the evening 
 after, yea and on the morrow, and during all the days 
 before his suffering, Jesus, as it now appeareth unto me, 
 was wholly bent upon serving us, and upon helping us, 
 thinking ever of our needs and our weaknesses, and 
 how we should fare without him, and how he could 
 strengthen us so that we might be ready when he sud- 
 denly came back to us. For our sakes also, as I judge, 
 he made entry after that public and solemn fashion into 
 Jerusalem, to the intent that no man might hereafter 
 reproach any of us and say, " Thy master was no 
 Messiah ; for he dared not show himself as Messiah 
 before the face of the people ; neither did he claim alle- 
 giance, but only professed himself a servant ; nor did 
 he manifest bravery, but hid himself from his enemies 
 even to the last." 
 
 For this cause do I in no wise assent to the saying of 
 Xanthias, that the going in of Jesus into Jerusalem was 
 not worthy of him. For, as I judge, he did it for our 
 sakes, and not for his own ; yea, and for the sake of 
 the whole world ; that it might be on record for ever 
 how that the Son of man, though he were the hum- 
 blest of men, did nevertheless claim for himself the
 
 326 PHILOCURISTUS [C/uyter 25 
 
 allegiance of all them that were in the city, yea, 
 and of all that were in the inhabited world ; as if he 
 were at once the king and the servant of mankind. 
 
 But as touching that other saying (not of Xanthias, 
 but of the Scribe Hezekiah) that, " If Jesus had been 
 a prophet indeed, he should have prophesied unto 
 his disciples the whole manner of his death, and the 
 manner of his resurrection, and the manner of the 
 giving of the Holy Spirit," concerning this I say 
 nothing, as one doubtful and waiting for the truth. 
 But Quartus is perchance herein too bold (though he 
 speak out of his great love for the Lord Jesus) 
 in saying that our Master " knew not little matters 
 that were to come, but only great matters. And so 
 he knew that the fire of heaven would fall on Jerusalem, 
 but when it would fall, this was hidden from him. Like- 
 wise, he knew that he must die ; for unless he died his 
 Spirit would not come ; but when the Spirit should 
 come, this too was hidden from him. 
 
 " Yea and even as touching his own death and rising 
 again ; that he should go unto the Father he knew, and 
 that he should come again he knew ; but on what day 
 he should come again, and at what hour he should 
 manifest himself to his disciples, this he knew not. 
 And even for this cause, perchance," saith Quartus (who 
 was not present in Jerusalem when the Lord suffered 
 and rose again), " he was so earnest with you that 
 ye should give your minds to watching and praying in 
 the hour when he should be taken from you ; to 
 the intent that, when he came suddenly back to you 
 from the grave (manifesting himself to you in the 
 night, whether in the first watch, or at midnight,
 
 Chapter 25] PHILOCHRISTUS 327 
 
 or at cockcrow, or whensoever it might be) he might 
 not find you given over to surfeit and drunken- 
 less, and to the thoughts and cares of this present 
 world ; and so your hearts should be closed against 
 the sight of him, and he should not be able to 
 reveal himself unto you. For if, when Jesus died, 
 ye had given yourselves over to despair and reckless- 
 ness, then though Jesus himself had stood before you, 
 coming from his grave, yet would ye none the more 
 have seen him." 
 
 Against these words of Quartus there standeth, as 
 it were, in opposition, a certain prophecy of Jesus, 
 wherein he was wont to declare to us that he should 
 be raised from the dead in three days, limiting the 
 time exactly. And true it is that Jesus made often 
 mention of certain words of the prophet Hosea which 
 speak thus about being revived in three days : " Come 
 and let us return unto the Lord : for he hath torn 
 and he will heal us ; he hath smitten, and he will 
 bind us up. After two days will he revive us : in 
 the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live 
 in his sight." Now because of this prophecy, which 
 was very often in the mouth of Jesus, it hath been 
 supposed by many that Jesus knew for certain that 
 he should die on the day of the Passover, and that 
 he should lie in the grave two days, and be raised 
 up on the third day. 
 
 But to this Quartus yieldeth not. For he saith 
 that the words "two days" and "three days" were 
 used by the prophet Hosea to signify only " a short 
 time," even as the Eomans also, and men of other 
 nations, speak of " the day after the morrow," or " in
 
 328 PHILOCH1USTUS 
 
 a day or two," when they mean " a short time hence " ; 
 or even as the Hebrew tongue, speaking of past 
 time, useth " the third day " to signify " some time 
 ago." Moreover Quartus urgeth that, if Jesus had 
 known of the day and hour, he would assuredly 
 not have harrowed our souls with a needless sorrow, 
 but would have told them to us ; and he thinketh 
 that Jesus spake concerning his coming from the 
 grave, when he said that the day of the coming 
 of the Son of man was not known to any, neither 
 to the angels, nor even to the Son himself, but only 
 to the Father. 
 
 "Therefore in my judgment," saith Quartus, "when 
 Jesus spake about the fire which should consume his 
 enemies, and concerning his death and lifting up or 
 glorifying, and concerning his departing and coming 
 again, and concerning the giving of the Holy Spirit, 
 he knew indeed that all these things must needs come 
 to pass, because they were according to the pattern and 
 ordinance of things invisible ; but when, and where, 
 and how they should come to pass, he knew not. 
 Neither did he hide that which he knew, cloaking it 
 from you his disciples, for to keep you in ignorance and 
 in suspense ; but he spake as he knew, and all that he 
 knew, so far as ye could understand it." 
 
 Thus wrote Quartus to me ; and sometimes I incline 
 to his words, but at other times I do not. Howbeit, to 
 whichsoever opinion I iDcline, it mattereth little ; for 
 whether Jesus knew little or much of that which was to 
 come (and he himself told us that he knew not all), my 
 love for him is the same : save that sometimes it seerneth 
 to me as if he were almost more lovable and more
 
 Chapter 25] PHILOCHRISTUS 329 
 
 divine, going forth into the darkness of death in trust 
 and faith, and knowing not everything that was to 
 betide him, than if he had had the descents and ascents 
 and all the paths of Hades marked out for him exactly 
 beforehand as in a chart.
 
 330 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 ON the morrow (which was the first day of the week), 
 some of us rose earlier than the rest, and went down to 
 Jerusalem to carry word to the other disciples and to 
 such as were friendly among the Galileans (for many 
 of them favoured us at this time, and a great number 
 of them had come up to the Feast) that they might 
 come forth from the city to meet Jesus and to welcome 
 him. But the rest of us stayed with Jesus in Bethany. 
 About the second hour of the day, when we were now 
 about to set forth, Jesus sent Matthew the tax-gatherer, 
 and another, to the village over against us, bidding 
 them bring the ass whereof we had taken note yester- 
 day ; and if any man said aught, Matthew was to make 
 answer that "the Master hath need of him." When 
 the ass was brought, Jesus mounted thereon, and we 
 set forth at once ; and it was now about the third hour 
 of the day. 
 
 When Bethany was by this time out of our sight, as 
 we went by the road that lieth between the Tombs of 
 the Prophets and the Mount of Offence, suddenly we 
 heard a shouting as of a mixed multitude, and presently 
 we discerned a great crowd of the disciples coming 
 over the brow of the hill towards us, with many hundreds
 
 Chapter 26] PUILOC HEIST US 331 
 
 of the Galileans, all waving palm-branches in their 
 hands, and hailing Jesus as the son of David. Now 
 Jesus was riding before our band, upon the ass ; but 
 when the two bands met, there was a great shout- 
 ing for joy ; and the former band turned round and 
 went on as vanguard, but our band marched on behind. 
 Presently, as we drew near to the descent of the Mount 
 of Olives, when we began to descry that quarter of the 
 Holy City which men called the City of David, the 
 shouting became louder, and so it continued, even there 
 where the road descendeth so that the Holy City is no 
 longer seen. 
 
 But when at last we attained unto the summit of the 
 Mount Olivet, so that the whole of the city was seen at 
 once spread out before our eyes, with all the roofs, and 
 towers, and pinnacles thereof, and the gilded battlements 
 of the temple, shining like fire in the sun, then indeed 
 the splendour of the sight so lifted up our hearts that 
 we were even beside ourselves for admiration ; and 
 looking unto Jesus as the King of all this glory, we cried 
 even louder than before unto him as our King and 
 Conqueror, like unto David of old. But Jesus neither 
 now nor at any time during the entering into Jerusalem 
 seemed at all lifted up by our salutations and praises ; 
 nor yet, on the other hand, was he of a gloomy or sad 
 countenance as though he foreboded evil and ruin. 
 Rather he was as one waiting and expecting, looking per- 
 chance for some sign of the will of the Lord, in case it 
 might yet please Him to turn the hearts of the Pharisees, 
 that they might be converted and live. Therefore also 
 when he looked on the glory of Jerusalem below his 
 feet, he was neither astonished at the beauty thereof, nor
 
 332 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 26 
 
 did he (at least at this time) weep or lament over it : but 
 he gazed at it, as it were in suspense and questioning his 
 own spirit ; if perchance it might be the Lord's pleasure 
 to manifest Himself to the daughter of Sion, and to stay 
 His hand from destroying the beautiful city ; or whether 
 that could not be, but evil must take his course. 
 
 But we, at this time, perceived naught of that which 
 was in our Master's mind ; but we lifted up our voices 
 and shouted amain, hailing him as Son of David, and 
 crying, " Hosanna to the Son of David ! Blessed is He 
 that cometh in the name of the Lord ! Blessed is the 
 kingdom that cometh of our father David ! " Some also 
 cast their palm-branches down in the road before him, 
 and others strewed their garments in the path to do him 
 honour. After this fashion therefore, shouting, and 
 singing, and praising God, the whole multitude of us 
 came down from the mountain into the valley below. 
 
 When we drew nigh unto the gate of the city, we 
 saw that only some few of the citizens were come forth 
 to welcome us. For the most part feared Jesus, lest he 
 should bring down the wrath of the Eomans upon the 
 Holy City ; neither knew they him as the Ga]ileans 
 knew him. But instead of the citizens, there stood a 
 great throng of children gathered together before the 
 gate ; and when they heard the voices of the disciples 
 and the voices of the Galileans, immediately they also 
 took up the cry, and sang " Hosanna, Hosanna," in a 
 clear shrill voice, after the manner of children, so that 
 their song sounded forth quite distinctly, and above all 
 the noise and shouting of the multitude. Now of the 
 Pharisees, none had gone forth from the city to welcome 
 Jesus ; but certain of the younger among them, desirous
 
 Chapter 26] PHILOCHRISTUS 333 
 
 to look on the coming in of Jesus, as on a show in a 
 theatre (and perchance willing, by the manifesting of 
 their contempt of him, to overawe and to control the 
 multitude of pilgrims), were come as far as the gate ; 
 and there they stood, over against the children, waiting 
 the coming of Jesus, and with many gestures and 
 beckonmgs signifying their displeasure. When therefore 
 they heard the sound of the singing, they straightway 
 rebuked the children, and would have them to hold 
 their peace : but when the children would not, then 
 turned the Pharisees in sore displeasure to Jesus, and 
 bade him constrain them. . 
 
 Now Jesus all this while had seemed rapt in other 
 matters ; even as if he heard not the shouting nor the 
 singing, neither understood the meaning thereof; but 
 as if he heard other voices which we could not hear, and 
 which, even for him, were not easy to understand. And 
 when he drew nigh unto the gate of the city, and 
 beheld the Pharisees, how they stood all together, 
 and made no sign of welcome ; then he looked up 
 (methinks as I now remember it) with a wistful coun- 
 tenance to the gate, as though he partly expected that 
 the very stones should cry out from the wall (according 
 to the saying of the prophet Habakkuk), as if bearing- 
 witness against the unbelief of the Pharisees. Even 
 thus looked Jesus, as he drew nigh to the gate, and there 
 seemed as it were a shadow of doubt and expectancy 
 upon his face ; and just then it was that the Pharisees 
 thrust themselves in his way and bade him stop the 
 brawling of the children, for so they termed it. 
 
 Now for an instant Jesus seemed scarce to understand 
 the intent of the Pharisees, nor even the meaning of
 
 334 PIIILOCHR1STUS [Chapter 26 
 
 their words. But when he perceived it, and when he 
 turned his face toward the children (who all this time 
 ceased not from their singing, but cried Hosanna, 
 Hosanna, even louder than before), then his mind 
 seemed to come back to earth, and his countenance 
 became clearer, and he smiled for joy ; for methought 
 in the voices of those simple children he acknowledged 
 the very voice of the Father in Heaven speaking by 
 His little ones on earth, and showing unto him how 
 that there must be no sign of fire from Heaven, nor 
 no mighty work of any visible sort ; but only strength 
 through weakness, and wisdom through simplicity, and 
 the Kingdom of God through little children, according 
 to the eternal ordinance. 
 
 This behaviour of Jesus, though we understood it not 
 then, yet was it partly interpreted to us, even at that 
 time, by the answer which he made unto the Pharisees, 
 saying unto them, " Verily I say unto you, if these 
 should hold their peace, the very stones should cry 
 out." Moreover, afterwards, when they would have 
 had him rebuke them in the Temple, and when they 
 said unto him, " Hearest thou what these say ? " then 
 Jesus spake unto them yet more clearly, and said, 
 " Yea, have ye never read, ' Out of the mouths of 
 babes and sucklings Thou hast perfected praise ' ? " 
 
 When we came to the foot of Mount Moriab, we 
 arrayed ourselves to enter into the temple, and we went 
 in by the gate called Shush an. But lo, the courts of 
 the temple and all the ways which lead into the courts 
 were crowded with oxen and doves, and drovers and 
 money-changers ; and it was more like unto a mar- 
 ket-place or shambles than to a temple of the Lord :
 
 Chapter 26] PHILOCHRISTUS 335 
 
 even as I had beheld it two years before, when I 
 came to offer sacrifice during my mother's sickness, 
 yea, and worse also. For during the week before the 
 Passover, almost the whole of the Jewish nation was 
 wont to assemble in Jerusalem for to offer sacrifice, even 
 as many (so it hath been reported to me, but it is well 
 nigh past belief) as three hundred myriads ; wherefore, 
 though there should be but one lamb slain for a score of 
 pilgrims, yet the number of beasts to be sacrificed at 
 one time must needs be many thousands, not less than 
 one hundred and fifty thousand. When Jesus looked 
 around on all this stir and traffic, he was sore displeased, 
 and his anger was very hot, yea, such as I had seldom 
 noted the like in him before ; and he bade the merchants 
 and money-changers take their wares hence. But when 
 they would not, he made unto himself a scourge of 
 cords and drove them before him ; and the disciples and 
 the people did the same, and overthrew the tables of the 
 money-changers, and thrust out them which sold doves. 
 And Jesus said unto the Pharisees, "It is written, My 
 house shall be called the House of Prayer ; but ye have 
 made it a den of thieves." 
 
 When Jesus spake these words, the Pharisees were 
 exceeding wrath, and certain of their servants ran 
 forward ' as if they would have laid hands on Jesus. 
 Howbeit, Hezekiah the Scribe (the same of whom 
 I have often made mention above) checked them, lest 
 there should have been a tumult of the people. But 
 it was plain to all men that they would fain have 
 destroyed Jesus, only they feared the people. Therefore 
 Jesus made no long stay for that day in the temple, but 
 gave commandment to return to Bethany (for he would
 
 336 PHILOOHRISTUS [Chapter 26 
 
 not tarry in Jerusalem by night lest the chief priests 
 and Pharisees should lay hands upon him) ; and certain 
 of the disciples accompanied us to the gate of the city, 
 but not many. 
 
 While we were going through the streets of the city 
 toward the gate, we conversed concerning that which 
 had happened, and especially concerning the driving out 
 of the merchants and the money-lenders ; and most said 
 that it was well done, for the presence of them that 
 bought and sold denied the House of the Lord. But 
 a certain Greek, of Philip's acquaintance (one of them 
 that had desired Philip that they might see Jesus), 
 said that it was not well done of our Master, thus with 
 his own hand to drive out them that bought and sold : 
 " For," said he, " it is not the part of a philosopher to 
 use violence, nor to be moved by passion to anything 
 that is against seemliness and dignity, nor to take upon 
 himself the part of a common door-keeper." Not much 
 was said in answer at that time, for other thoughts 
 possessed our minds ; only John said that our Master 
 did well to be angry, because he saw his Father's House 
 defiled. Nevertheless oftentimes, since that day, the 
 words of the Greek have come into my mind, and also 
 other like words of Xanthias, how that "towards the 
 end of his life, Jesus of Nazareth was driven out of the 
 bounds of his patience by the persecution of enemies ; 
 so that he became bitter and somewhat austere." 
 
 But my judgment is not so. For to me it seemeth 
 that all through those days of tarrying in Jerusalem and 
 in Bethany, our Master was neither bitter nor austere. 
 But he had ever before his eyes the thought of us 
 his disciples; and he was ever musing on our desolation,
 
 Chapter 26] PHILOCIIRISTUS 337 
 
 (which, should fall upon us when he should be parted 
 from us), and how we should fare, contending without 
 him against the Pharisees and against all other evil. 
 Therefore he desired to leave it, as it were, on record, 
 that the worst kind of sacrilege is the sacrilege of 
 them which handle sacred things without the feeling 
 thereof. And, as he had entered into Jerusalem like one 
 having authority, so he desired perchance (for our sakes) 
 to manifest himself, in the temple also, as one to whom 
 obedience was due. Again, whereas Xanthias saith that 
 Jesus, ever before in Galilee, taught us to endure evil } 
 and not to put down evil by force, as now in Jerusalem ; 
 " The former rule," saith Quartus, " applieth only to the 
 brethren that live in the midst of them that know not 
 the truth. But wheresoever a nation or a congregation, 
 shall recognise a certain law " (as our nation did in the 
 worship of the temple), " there perchance the breaking 
 of the law is not to be suffered, and the law is to 
 be maintained, even by force. For it is one thing to 
 avenge oneself, but another to avenge a law." After 
 this manner wrote Quartus ; but, in any case, Xanthias 
 was assuredly wrong in saying that Jesus was "em- 
 bittered by persecution ; " unless it be bitter to call Satan 
 Satan. For he was gentle and tender and very loving 
 even to the last. 
 
 Howbeit at this time our thoughts were full of other 
 matters, so that we were the less bent on defending 
 our Master against the friend of Philip. For we 
 were something downcast, and Judas even more than 
 the rest, because nothing had come of our entering 
 into Jerusalem ; but, as Judas phrased it, all our great 
 purposes had ended in naught. " For," said Judas, 
 
 z
 
 338 PHILOCHPJSTUS [Chapter 26 
 
 " the Lord hath given occasions, but we have used them 
 not. For first, when we entered in at this same gate 
 this morning, then I looked that Jesus should have 
 given the word to disarm the guard that kept watch 
 therein. But afterwards, when w T e had entered into 
 the city and all the citizens were gathered to us, then 
 at least I hoped to have heard him give commandment 
 to assail the Fort of Antonia ; or else I expected that he 
 would have worked some sign in heaven, to have turned 
 every one to our side, and so to have driven out the 
 Gentiles without shedding of blood. But now we 
 have gained nothing. Nay, we have lost everything. 
 For we shall not again gather the multitude thus round 
 us. And as for the Pharisees, he hath now so angered 
 them that, even were he to work an hundred signs in 
 heaven, I doubt they would not now accept him." 
 Hereupon John said that we must have patience and 
 trust in Jesus ; but Judaa made answer that the time 
 had passed for patience, and that other courses must 
 be tried. 
 
 For the space of tw T o days, namely, the second day 
 of the week, and likewise the third day, Jesus resorted 
 to the temple daily, and taught the people there : but 
 the more he saw of the temple, and of the priests 
 therein, and likewise of the Pharisees and Sadducees 
 (who disputed with him daily in the temple), so 
 much the more his heart loathed the abominations 
 which he discerned, insomuch that he seemed like unto 
 one contending against Satan himself, enthroned in the 
 Holy Place ; and his words against the Pharisees in 
 those days were as if he desired that they should be 
 engraven in fiery letters upon the hearts of all that
 
 Chapter 26] PHILOCHRISTUS 339 
 
 heard him, for ever. So hot was the vehemency of 
 his passion against them ; yet not against them, but 
 against the Satan in their hearts, who through them 
 reigned over Israel. For whatsoever Jesus had noted of 
 evil in the teaching of the Scribes in Galilee, and what- 
 soever of blindness and narrowness, yea, and of perse- 
 cution and malignity ; all this, and much more did he 
 note in the Scribes of Jerusalem ; insomuch that the 
 Holy City and the temple itself now seemed to him to 
 have become a very source of evil, poisoning the waters 
 of life for the whole of the people. 
 
 At the first, the Pharisees began to lay snares to take 
 him at an advantage before the face of all the people ; 
 but he answered them according to their folly, proving 
 to all the people that they knew not the foundations of 
 truth. When they asked him by what authority he did 
 that which he did, he would not tell them ; but they 
 must first tell him whether the baptism of John were 
 from heaven or no ; which question they feared to answer. 
 As to the giving of tribute, he said that the denarius 
 (which had on it the image of Caesar) spake, of itself, that 
 they that used it should give Caesar his due. But when 
 he gave back unto the Pharisee the denarius, saying these 
 words, " Kender therefore to Csesar the things which are 
 Caesar's," then he paused for an instant, and afterwards 
 added, " and to God the things that are God's." This he 
 said, not as though some things belonged to Csesar and 
 not to God ; but as though each man, in giving unto 
 Caesar his dues, must bear in mind that he was thereby 
 giving to God his dues also ; for a time might come 
 when it might be a defrauding of God to give Caesar 
 tribute ; but, at that time, to have refused tribute to 
 
 Z 2
 
 340 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 26 
 
 Caesar, would have been to refuse God His dues. So he 
 bade them obey the signs of the times, yet so as never 
 to defraud God ; nor would he lay down any rule, as 
 they had desired, but pointed to the foundations of 
 righteousness, which lie in the heart and not in the hands. 
 The like also he did in saying that the love of God and 
 of man was the chief commandment of the Law. But 
 concerning the Sadducees and their doctrine, that there 
 is no resurrection, he said that the second life differeth 
 from the first as much as angels differ from men ; so that 
 the bands whereby we are bound together here, will not 
 be the same as will bind us together there. Howbeit 
 he said not that there should be no bands hereafter, nor 
 that these present bands should vanish ; but only that 
 they should be different, and not carnal, but spiritual. 
 Moreover he questioned the Pharisees concerning their 
 expectations of the Messiah and their interpretations of 
 the Scriptures ; and they could not make answer to his 
 questions. 
 
 But all these were only as the beginnings of the 
 conflict. For presently the Pharisees began to wax 
 more vehement in their disputations and to reveal their 
 hatred of him more clearly. And when Jesus looked 
 upon their faces, he discerned his own death instant 
 therein. So he turned and spake to the people in 
 parables, likening Israel to an estate let out to greedy 
 husbandmen, which killed the servants of their lord, and 
 last of all slew his son also, when he came to receive of 
 the fruits of the land. Again, he likened the Kingdom 
 of Heaven to a wedding feast, and the Pharisees to 
 murderous people, subjects of a king ; who would not 
 come to the wedding of the king's son, but slew his
 
 Chapter 2G] PIIILOCIJPJSTUS 341 
 
 servants that invited them. Then one in the crowd, a 
 Galilean by birth, and a man of loose life, cried aloud, 
 " That is well said, prophet ; for we, that are poor, 
 shall enter into the Kingdom ; but the rich shall not 
 enter." But Jesus straightway continued his parable 
 and described an unworthy guest, admitted indeed to 
 the feast, but soon cast out, because he had come in 
 not having on a wedding garment. 
 
 Thus all the day was spent in contention ; but in the 
 evening, at Bethany, Jesus spake unto us very tenderly 
 concerning the Holy Spirit (the mention whereof was at 
 this time daily more and more upon his lips), and how 
 this Spirit should abide with us for ever and be always 
 our guide and helper. Moreover he encouraged us to be 
 of good cheer, saying that, though the world were against 
 us, yet he had overcome the world : and that he could 
 give us a peace that should last for ever, Likewise he 
 began at this time to say more oft and more clearly 
 (for he had said the like before once or twice in dark 
 sayings) that, besides his little flock (for so he was 
 wont lovingly to call us), there should be yet other flocks 
 gathered unto him, and there should be one fold, and 
 one shepherd. Now of all this we understood not much 
 at that season ; for our hearts were not yet opened to it. 
 Howbeit his words were sweet to the ear, yea, and they 
 reached to our very souls ; insomuch that we were drawn 
 unto him even more than before, and loved him with an 
 exceeding love : but still it was hidden from us that our 
 Master was shortly to depart. 
 
 But as concerning the Pharisees, Jesus told us that the 
 wrath of the Lord must needs fall upon them. And he 
 likened them unto a fig-tree which (after the mannei
 
 342 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 26 
 
 of fig-trees) should, by course of nature, put forth fruit 
 first and leaves afterwards ; but this fig-tree, he said, 
 putteth forth leaves but no fruits. Therefore the Lord, 
 seeking fruit, goeth unto the tree, rising up early in the 
 morning ; and he looketh on it, and behold there are 
 leaves, but no fruits. Then was the Lord wroth, and 
 breathed upon the tree, and said unto it, " No man 
 eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever : " and lo, when He 
 returned and came by the same path again in the 
 evening, the tree had withered away. When we heard 
 these things, straightway there came into our minds 
 another parable which our Master had spoken in former 
 times concerning a barren tree ; how the owner thereof 
 cometh to the gardener and saith, " Lo, these two years 
 I come seeking fruit and find none. Cut it down." 
 But the gardener besought the Lord that it might not 
 be cut down till another year should pass, if perchance 
 it might in the meantime bear fruit. Thence we per- 
 ceived, comparing the two parables together, that Jesus 
 discerned the wrath of God now nearer at hand. For 
 before, there was mention of hope and of a respite of 
 two years ; but now there was to be no hope and no 
 respite. 
 
 But most strange it was to us to note how the worship 
 and splendour of the temple, caused him no pleasure, but 
 rather displeasure. Yet so it was. For on the second 
 day of the week, when he was going forth from the 
 city in the evening, a certain citizen of Jerusalem 
 besought the disciples that they would shew him the 
 buildings of the temple ; " For," said he, " it were a 
 shame that Jesus of Nazareth should have been now 
 two whole days in Jerusalem and not to have seen these
 
 r 26] P11ILOCHRIXTUS 343 
 
 sights." But when the disciples moved him to see these 
 things, he seemed like unto one constraining himself to 
 look upon them that he might do us a pleasure : and 
 when he had looked round upon them all, then he was 
 silent for a while, and we perceived that they pleased 
 him not. At last he opened his mouth and said unto 
 us, " See ye not all these things ? verily I say unto you 
 there shall not be left here one stone upon another that 
 shall not be thrown down." 
 
 But when another spake of the many years during 
 which the temple had been a-building, Jesus answered 
 that, even though the temple were destroyed to-day, the 
 Lord could raise up the true temple in three days. Now 
 whether by " three days," he meant three days exactly, 
 or " two or three days," according to the common phrase, 
 concerning this matter, it has been disputed sufficiently 
 above. But when he spake of the true temple, as- 
 suredly he meant, not the temple of Herod, but that 
 invisible temple set upon a rock, whereof he had before 
 spoken to Simon Peter ; and this temple seemed to him 
 at all times one with himself: therefore said he that 
 the true temple would be raised up, meaning the Son 
 of man, and, in himself, the Church or Congregation of 
 mankind. 
 
 But all this was hid from us at that time, save that 
 we understood Jesus to set no store by the temple of 
 Herod, in that he discerned the fire of God's wrath 
 impending over it. And to us, as I remember, yea even 
 to us that had daily converse with Jesus, it seemed 
 strange that he should so set at naught that same 
 temple which he had himself cleansed. For throughout 
 all the land of Israel, the temple, being but one (and not
 
 344 PUILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 26 
 
 many, as in Gentile countries), and very full of most 
 ancient memories, because it presented and signified to us 
 the former temple of Solomon and the tabernacle of 
 Moses, this temple, I say, albeit Herod the Idumeean 
 had built it, nevertheless seemed to us, in Israel, very 
 holy, and well nigh one with Israel itself. And for this 
 cause Xanthias blameth the saying of Jesus touching 
 the temple, how that it should be thrown down : for 
 saith Xanthias, the casting down of the temple must 
 needs have seemed to the common folk in Israel all one 
 with the casting down of Israel itself even as the 
 Romans took it ill when, in after days, Gaius Caesar 
 desired of his gods that the Roman people might have 
 had but one neck that he might have destroyed it at 
 a blow. Wherefore Xanthias findeth fault with this 
 saying of Jesus, as not politic, nor discreet. 
 
 But, in my judgment, Jesus spake herein not truth- 
 fully only, but also expediently; yea and expediently 
 for all time ; bearing witness, as it were, even now to all 
 the churches, lest perchance the service of the Lord 
 become the service of Satan : as it was in the temple of 
 Herod. For all things therein seemed unto him to 
 savour of hypocrisy, being done to obtain praise and 
 admiration of men, but not to lift up the heart unto the 
 Lord ; so that the very splendour and brightness hid, 
 instead of revealing, Him whose name is the Truth. 
 Therefore when he was led to the treasury and bidden 
 to mark how great gifts the rich men cast therein, he 
 stood awhile watching ; then turning round to us, he 
 pointed to a certain poor widow (who had cast in no 
 more than two mites, or a farthing), and he said, " This 
 poor widow hath cast in more than all they which have
 
 Chapter 26] PHILOCHRISTUS 345 
 
 cast into the treasury." Many other like words he said 
 at this time : and, in fine, he ceased after the first day 
 to speak concerning the purifying of the temple, nor 
 would he any more call it his Father's house ; for he 
 perceived that it was become a den of thieves and that 
 the purifying must be by fire. But that which most of 
 all made us at that time to marvel, was, that he spake 
 of the Chief Priests and Pharisees as murderers. But 
 hereby he meant, as I judge, not only that they desired 
 to slay him, but also that they were slaying the souls of 
 all Israel by giving unto the people a doctrine and a 
 worship, that were as poison to the hearts of mankind. 
 Wherefore, as a man might discern with the eye the 
 spots of blood upon the hand of a murderer, even so 
 (but with much more clearness) did our Master discern 
 the blood of Israel upon the souls of the Priests and 
 Scribes in the temple ; insomuch that the temple itself 
 appeared even as a great slaughter-house, and the wor- 
 shippers as murdered men, and the priests as butchers 
 girt for the slaughter of Truth. 
 
 Therefore on the last day, even on the third day of 
 the week, when the sun was nigh setting, and the time 
 was now at hand that Jesus should depart from the 
 temple, and he knew he should enter it no more ; 
 behold, he stood up in the presence of all the people, 
 and poured forth denunciation against the Pharisees as 
 being verily the children of Satan. Some of them he 
 charged with love of gain ; and he bade the multitude 
 especially to beware of those Scribes who devour widows' 
 houses and wring forth gifts for the synagogues, and 
 for a pretence make long prayers. These, he said, 
 should receive even greater condemnation than the rest.
 
 346 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chafer 26 
 
 But even against them that cared not for money, yea 
 even against all the Pharisees, he brought grievous 
 accusations. 
 
 For he said they had quenched the spirit of life 
 within their hearts, so that Satan had taken possession 
 of them and used them as his tools. For this cause 
 they could not distinguish between small things and 
 great, between the purifying of the outside and the 
 inside, between that which sanctifieth and that which is 
 sanctified ; and they esteemed the tithing of mint and 
 anise and cummin of more avail than mercy, judgment, 
 and truth. Also he said they had made the interpreta- 
 tion of the Law into a gainful profession, doing what- 
 soever they did for to be honoured and admired of men. 
 Therefore he spared not to call them, not only fools and 
 blind, but also hypocrites. For he said that they 
 knew in their own hearts that they had no sight and 
 no knowledge, yet they professed to see and to know ; 
 and they had cast out their own consciences, yet would 
 they fain appear able to judge between right and wrong. 
 Thus they presented one appearance to men, which 
 look only on the outside ; but another appearance to 
 God, who discerneth the inside ; and therefore he called 
 them actors in masks, or hypocrites ; he likened them also 
 unto whited sepulchres, hiding death within them. For 
 they hated the Spirit of life, and they lived by rules 
 and precepts which work death ; and they would neither 
 enter into life themselves, nor suffer the people of the 
 land to enter in ; and they feared and hated prophets 
 and prophecies, and would fain destroy them ; and they 
 had hated John the prophet while he lived, and now 
 they hated Jesus, even to the death : and this, while
 
 Chapter 26] PHILOCHRISTUS 347 
 
 they professed to repent of the persecutions of the 
 prophets by our forefathers, and to build monuments 
 to their memory, saying, " If we had been in the days 
 of our fathers, we would not have been partakers 
 with them in the blood of the prophets." 
 
 After this, he turned round, to go forth for the last 
 time from the temple. But as he came to the steps, he 
 looked back upon all the Pharisees, and upon all their 
 friends (who stood all gathered together behind him, 
 watching him depart), and he pronounced a curse upon 
 them ; as though it needs must be that they must yet 
 continue their course ; and Satan must accomplish his 
 purpose in them, and must be revealed in all his wicked- 
 ness working through the Pharisees his bondsmen ; and 
 the judgment of the Lord must needs fall upon these 
 servants of Satan : " Fill ye up the measure of your 
 fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how 
 can ye escape the damnation of hell ? Wherefore 
 behold, I send unto you prophets and wise men and 
 scribes : and some of them ye shall kill and crucify 
 and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues 
 and persecute from city to city. That upon you may 
 come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from 
 the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zachariah 
 son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the temple and 
 the altar. Verily I say unto you, all these things shall 
 come upon this generation."
 
 348 
 
 CHAPTEK XXVII 
 
 WHEN Jesus had made an end of denouncing the Phari- 
 sees, many of the young men with them and their ser- 
 vants were desirous to have laid hands on him ; and they 
 came near as if for that intent, but the older sort checked 
 them. Yet was their wrath clearly to be read in their 
 faces : and when I came out of the temple, being a little 
 space behind the rest, Hezekiah the Scribe overtook 
 me and said, " Young man, I warn thee that thou 
 mayest with speed sever thyself from this blind shepherd : 
 for lo, he hath to-day provoked war, and war shall fall 
 upon him ; for unless he perish we shall perish." But I 
 made answer, that I should follow Jesus constantly even 
 to the end. Then he spake again of the evil which, he 
 said, had befallen that rash young man Barabbas ; how 
 that he had been taken ten days ago by the Komans on 
 the road that goeth down to Jericho, while he was riding 
 at the head of a band of Galileans that were raising 
 sedition : and, said Hezekiah to me, " Thy friend of 
 Jotapata is to be crucified, as I hear, two or three days 
 hence. Take heed therefore unto thine own steps, lest 
 thou also fall into the same destruction." I made him 
 no further answer, but departed, sorrowing not a little
 
 Chapter 27] PHILOCHRISTUS 349 
 
 for the sake of Barabbas : for I had not before heard how 
 great an evil had befallen him. 
 
 When I overtook the rest, I heard the disciples 
 conversing earnestly one with another ; and the Greek, 
 even the friend of Philip, bade us take note that we 
 were beset with spies and watched ; for " When ye 
 issued from the temple," said he, " I perceived that the 
 servants of the chief priests and the Pharisees watched 
 you whithersoever ye turned ; and, meseemeth, it is their 
 intent to lay hands on your Master this night. But I 
 marvel why your Master so inveighed against the Phari- 
 sees, transgressing the bounds of seemliness and de- 
 corum, at least in my judgment." So spake he, after 
 his Greek fashion ; but Judas also spake to the same 
 effect, and said that we had come up to Jerusalem to 
 destroy enemies, and lo, we had destroyed none, but 
 made many. 
 
 The rest knew not what answer to make to these 
 words ; neither did I myself at that time. Howbeit, 
 now I know well that Jesus came not to prophesy 
 smooth things, but to teach us the truth. Therefore 
 was it most needful that he should speak the truth, 
 and nothing less than the truth, concerning the Pharisees; 
 to the intent that the eyes of all mankind might be 
 opened, even to the generations of generations, that 
 they might discern that the sin of sins is hypocrisy. 
 For other sins wound, but this sin slayeth, the con- 
 science. Peradventure also Jesus foresaw that a time 
 might come when certain, even among his own disciples, 
 would err as the Pharisees had erred, shutting their eyes 
 against the truth, as being unfit for use and not con- 
 venient. And he that came to make a spiritual Israel,
 
 350 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 27 
 
 a nation of priests and ministers for mankind, was it 
 not most needful that he should thus as it were mark 
 out and brand with censure the special sin of priests ? 
 He also that came to redeem all the children of men 
 from all evil, was it not most necessary that he should 
 make clear in the sight of all men what was the greatest 
 evil ? For if men knew it not, how could he redeem 
 them from it ? And well I know that, if he had not 
 assailed the Pharisees as he did, then these same Greeks 
 who now say that "Jesus transgressed the bounds of 
 seemliness," would in that case have said (even as 
 Jonathan the son of Ezra said) that "Jesus knew not 
 the evil in human nature." Notwithstanding at this 
 season we thought not of these things ; but we feared 
 what should betide to our Master if the Pharisees took 
 him and cast him into bonds. 
 
 But a certain man of the Pharisees, Joseph by name, 
 of the town of Arimathsea, clave unto Jesus ; and 
 although he dared not openly consort with us, he sent a 
 servant after us, when we came forth from the Temple, 
 to bid Jesus not abide in the same house this night as 
 last night, because, said he, "the Pharisees purpose to 
 take thee." He also warned Jesus not to come into 
 Jerusalem on the morrow. But if Jesus desired to 
 have some chamber in the city wherein to keep the 
 Passover, Joseph promised that he would provide one. 
 So much I heard myself ; for I was nigh to Jesus when 
 the servant of Joseph brought the message ; but the 
 answer of Jesus I heard not, save that he thanked the 
 messenger courteously. 
 
 In the meantime we had passed out of the gate of the 
 city, and had begun to climb up the side of the hill
 
 Chapter 11} PHILOCIIRISTUS 351 
 
 called Olivet ; and by reason that we were in the depth 
 of the valley, the sun had by this time set for us. But 
 when we had gone some space up the side of the 
 hill, as we turned round to take breath and rest, be- 
 hold, the sun had not yet set, but was just beginning 
 to sink ; and the western quarter of the heaven was lit 
 up with a light exceeding red and fiery, and the roofs 
 of the temple and the towers of the castle of Herod 
 shone as with a blood-red flame ; and though our 
 hearts were heavy with many thoughts, yet could we 
 not choose but look. But when Jesus saw the city 
 and the temple, whence he had but now come and 
 wherein he was never to set foot again ; his eyes were 
 filled with tears, and he changed colour and could go 
 no further, but sat down upon a stone and covered his 
 face with his hands : and then he looked again upon 
 the city and wept, mourning over it and saying, "0 
 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets 
 and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often 
 would I have gathered thy children together, even 
 as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and 
 ye would not ! Behold, your house is left unto you 
 desolate. For I say unto you, ye shall not see me 
 henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh 
 in the name of the Lord." 
 
 Having said these words, he arose and went on his 
 way, going up the hill. And we followed him, as men 
 in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, that follow an 
 angel of deliverance, but fear while they follow, lest at 
 any time their guide should vanish out of their sight, 
 and they should be left alone. Even so followed we 
 Jesus up the Mount of Olives, and we feared much to
 
 352 miLOCHRISTUS \Cltapter 2 
 
 question him concerning his words, but we feared even 
 more to remain silent and so to be ignorant concerning 
 the approaching peril. Therefore presently Simon Peter, 
 with two other disciples, went to him and questioned 
 him, saying, " Tell us when shall these things be." 
 Jesus turned and looked upon our faces, and he per- 
 ceived that we were all desirous to question him. So 
 he beckoned to us to sit down, and he himself sat down 
 upon a stone, and we also sat down upon the ground 
 around him. 
 
 Then began Jesus to pour forth many prophecies of 
 troubles near at hand and troubles far off ; and he seemed 
 like unto one upon the shore of a stormy sea covered 
 with mists and darkness, who peereth into the night if 
 perchance he may descry the ship wherein his friends 
 sail tempest-tossed ; even so did Jesus look forward into 
 that which was to come, for our sakes. For though his 
 own end was at hand, his thoughts and words were all for 
 us. But he also had in his mind the prophecies of the 
 prophet Daniel ; who had prophesied, many generations 
 before, that a time should come when the worship of God 
 should fail, and a king of evil set himself up to be wor- 
 shipped, and the daily sacrifice should be taken away, and 
 the abomination of desolation set in the place thereof. 
 Daniel likewise prophesieth that those of the nation who 
 were of understanding should remain upright ; yet even 
 these should fall for a time, to try them and to purify 
 them. But because the prophecies of Daniel were like 
 unto the words of our Master, I will here set them down ; 
 for Daniel saith, " They shall pollute the sanctuary of 
 strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and 
 they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.
 
 Chapter 27] PUILOCHRISTUS 353 
 
 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he 
 corrupt by flatteries ; but the people that do know their 
 God shall be strong and do exploits. And they that 
 understand among the people shall instruct many ; yet 
 they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, 
 and by spoil many days. Now when they shall fall they 
 shall be holpen with a little help ; but many shall cleave 
 to them with flatteries. And some of them of under- 
 standing shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to 
 make them white, even to the time of the end, because 
 it is yet for a time appointed." 
 
 Now these prophecies of Daniel were fulfilled, in 
 part, in the days of that wicked king Antiochus who 
 is called Epiphanes, or Illustrious ; but Jesus prophesied 
 that they, or others like unto them, should still be 
 fulfilled. Howbeit, in my judgment, he did not prophesy 
 that these things should come to pass merely because 
 Daniel had prophesied the like ; but because, looking 
 upon the present, he discerned the signs of the times 
 (according to his own saying), and hence he perceived that 
 which was yet to come. For his words were the words 
 of Daniel; but his thoughts were the thoughts that 
 came to him from that which he saw in the world. 
 For when he looked upon the world, he saw love of 
 self, and love of ease, and all manner of baseness and 
 servility ; and all the empire was given up to the 
 worship of a man, even the Emperor Tiberius, and 
 that man a tyrant and a man of sin, a slave to all 
 abominations of the flesh. Wherefore death was reign- 
 ing: over the whole of the world. But when he looked 
 
 o 
 
 to Israel, which was appointed to redeem the world 
 and to lead the world to the knowledge of the true 
 
 A A
 
 354 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 27 
 
 God, behold, Israel himself was blind ; and they which 
 should have been priests unto the Gentiles were as 
 naught but pedants ; and these too, given over unto 
 all sin, hypocrites, and murderers in their hearts, and 
 children of Satan. 
 
 Therefore it was discerned clearly by Jesus (having 
 his eyes open to things future even as our eyes are open 
 to things present), that a great conflict was at hand 
 between evil and good, evil rearing itself aloft in the 
 world to receive the worship of all mankind and driving 
 out the true worship of God ; and for a time evil must 
 prevail. For if he looked upon us his apostles or dis- 
 ciples, then he perceived even too easily in our hearts 
 the signs of weakness and instability ; and for this cause 
 he prophesied that we should all desert him and fall 
 away for a time. Moreover, because he saw how the 
 men of Israel thirsted for redemption, yea, and how 
 all the children of men desired some deliverance from 
 their present evils, therefore he knew and prophesied 
 that, when he had departed, his place would not be 
 left empty, neither at once nor in after generations ; 
 but in every time and in every nation false deliverers 
 and false redeemers should arise, saying that men 
 should obey them, and that they would deliver men. 
 For this cause he warned us against false Chris ts, yea, 
 even though they should work signs and wonders. 
 
 But as concerning the times and seasons when these 
 several troubles should arise, he said naught ; nor did 
 he describe the manner of the wars, nor the nations, 
 nor the armies that should make war. Now Quartus 
 judgeth that Jesus knew not these matters; and true 
 it is that Jesus himself spake concerning the time of
 
 PHILOCHRISTUS 355 
 
 his coining, saying, " But of that day and hour knoweth 
 no man, no, not the angels of heaven, neither the Son, 
 but the Father." Only, concerning one part of the 
 prophecy, he said, for certain, that this generation 
 should not pass away till all had been fulfilled. But 
 this, saith Quartus, he knew because of the signs of 
 the times : for as to that which he said, " Ye shall not 
 see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that 
 cometh in the name of the Lord," Quartus supposeth 
 that Jesus himself knew not the time thereof, but only 
 this, that it was not possible that Sion could behold 
 him until Sion desired him : for the beholding of Jesus 
 after his death was not to be with the bodily eye, but 
 with the spiritual, through love and desire. Now con- 
 cerning the foreknowledge of Jesus, what things he knew, 
 and what things he knew not, I have said above that 
 I pronounce no judgment. But true it is that at this 
 time he spake unto us a third parable concerning the 
 fig-tree, and said that we were to discern the coming 
 of these evils from the signs of the times, even as men 
 discern the coming of the summer from the fig-tree, when 
 it putteth forth leaves. For, like as the summer causeth 
 the fig-tree to put forth her leaves, or like as the scent 
 of the carcase guideth the vultures to the prey, even 
 so he taught us that the sins of men, and especially of 
 Israel, would bring after them miseries and judgments, 
 not by chance, but of necessity. 
 
 Therefore he prophesied that great tribulation should 
 fall on the land of Israel, such as was not since the 
 beginning of the world to this time, no, nor yet ever 
 shall be. And except those days should be shortened, 
 there should no flesh be saved ; but for the elect's sake 
 
 A A 2
 
 35 6 PHILOCHHISTUS [Chapter 27 
 
 those days should be shortened. But after the tribulation 
 of Israel, he prophesied that all the empire should be 
 shaken, and the thrones and princedoms thereof should 
 be cast down, and the throne of the Son of man should 
 be set up on high in the sight of all men, and the tribes 
 of the earth should mourn, and the Gentiles should see 
 the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with 
 power and great glory, and the elect should be gathered 
 together by an angel as with the sound of a trumpet 
 from all the corners of the earth. Finally he exhorted 
 us to watch in patience, for we knew not at w r hat hour 
 our Master would come. 
 
 Now as concerning these prophecies, part were per- 
 chance fulfilled when our Master came to us from the 
 grave ; for then to them that watched and waited he 
 appeared. But part also, in my judgment, yea, and a 
 great part, were fulfilled ten years ago, when Jerusalem 
 was trodden down by the Gentiles, and the temple was 
 burned with fire, and Israel was scattered over the face 
 of the earth, and many were slain, and many more 
 sold for slaves, and such tribulation befell them as 
 never before. But part remaineth to be fulfilled, when 
 men's hearts shall fail them because the empire shall 
 be shaken, and the thrones of this world shall be 
 cast down, and the worship of the Son of man shall 
 be set up. For albeit the empire fell not in the days of 
 Nero, when all men expected that the end of all things 
 was at hand ; yet must the empire needs be cast down. 
 And it is like that this shall come to pass in my days, 
 even in the days of me Philochristus, the writer of this 
 book. And when Israel shall turn unto the Lord Jesus 
 and shall call them blessed that come in his name, then
 
 Chapter 27] PHILOCUKISTU8 357 
 
 shall Israel see him, according to his saying. Howbeit 
 concerning the day and the hour we have no knowledge 
 thereof; only we know that in the end the Son of man 
 must come with glory ; and until the Son of man shall 
 reign over the world, peace cannot be ; that is to say, 
 cannot be so as to be settled and firm. For all things 
 move violently to their place, but easily in their place. 
 Wherefore the ways of the world cannot be smooth, nor 
 can the children of men and the tribes of men move 
 smoothly and easily in the world, until the Son of man 
 be in his place as King of the world over all men and 
 over all nations, and until all men and all nations be 
 in their places as his servants ; and then there shall be 
 peace for ever ; but not till then. 
 
 But all this I write, having been enlightened by the 
 Spirit. But at the time when we were sitting thus 
 round about Jesus, listening to his prophecies, we were 
 not yet enlightened ; for the Spirit of Jesus was not yet 
 in the world, because Jesus was yet with us. There- 
 fore were we all greatly dismayed by his words, and 
 our hearts quite failed us ; and when he had made an 
 end of speaking, we sat still silent ; and the shadow 
 of night, stretching over the face of the earth, seemed 
 unto us like to a shadow of Satan encompassing both us 
 and all the world and our Redeemer himself, in whom 
 we had trusted that he should have redeemed Sion. 
 Thomas at last brake silence, and said, " Alas, Master, 
 dost thou not remember thine own words on that other 
 mount in Galilee, where thou didst pour blessings on us, 
 and didst strengthen us with comfortable sayings, telling 
 us that the meek should inherit the earth ? Verily the 
 prophecies of the Mount of Olives do not accord with the
 
 358 PfffLOCHRlSTUS [Chapter 27 
 
 prophecies of the Mount of Blessing." By this time 
 it was become dark, so that we could not clearly discern 
 the features of Jesus, for the moon had not yet risen ; 
 but he seemed to turn his face suddenly to Thomas as 
 though his words had grieved him. Howbeit, he said 
 nothing, but arose from his place, and we followed him 
 up the mountain even unto Bethany. 
 
 When we had been a full hour in Bethany, our 
 Master called for Judas, that he should bear some 
 message to Joseph of Arimathea in Jerusalem ; for 
 Judas was oftentimes employed by Jesus about such 
 matters, being a man of understanding, and of a ready 
 wit, and having a knowledge of the ways of men. more 
 than the rest of the disciples. But search being made 
 for Judas, he was not to be found ; and this seemed 
 not a little to disquiet Jesus. Howbeit, he bade me 
 go in his stead, and bear a certain letter to Joseph 
 of Arimathea. So I went down straightway and 
 delivered the letter ; and having received an answer 
 written and sealed, I set forth to return to Bethany. 
 Now the moon was by this time risen, and shining 
 very brightly. So, because I was minded not to be 
 seen of any of the servants of the chief priests, I 
 kept myself in the shadow of the street as I went 
 forth to the gate of Kidron ; and it being now late, 
 even in the second watch of the night, there were 
 few people stirring. 
 
 But as I was now near to the street called Straight, 
 whereby one turneth to the right hand to go unto 
 the gate, methought I heard the sound of the voice 
 of the night-watch going their rounds. So I drew near 
 to the wall, and remained in a corner where I could not
 
 Chapter 27] PHILOCHRISTUS 359 
 
 be seen. And straightway Hezekiah the Scribe came 
 by, and Judas with him, walking very near the place 
 where I was (but they discerned me not) and talking in 
 a low voice together. And as they passed, I clearly 
 heard Judas say to Hezekiah, " But if he should call 
 down fire upon the guards ? " And Hezekiah made 
 answer, "Then thou wouldst have done him good 
 service," or words to that effect : but the exact words 
 of Hezekiah I heard not, because they were by this time 
 gone somewhat past me. Neither could I hear what 
 Judas said in answer to the words of Hezekiah. Only I 
 noted, even afar off, that after they had conversed some 
 while longer, Judas held out his right hand to Hezekiah, 
 and Hezekiah seemed to take it as a pledge. 
 
 When I saw this, my mind misgave me that all was 
 not well ; yet did it not so much as enter into my mind, 
 at that time, that one of the Twelve could purpose 
 treachery against our Master ; and, because of my 
 message and my haste, I gave no thought to the words 
 that I had heard. But I sped away to the gate, and 
 passing through unquestioned, I went up the mountain 
 in haste ; and when I came to the top, I found John, 
 the son of Zebedee, waiting for me, to take me to the 
 house where Jesus lay that night ; for he was not to 
 abide in the same house as before, for fear of the 
 Pharisees. So I came to Jesus and delivered my letter ; 
 and I found with him a certain Nicodemus, a great 
 teacher among the Pharisees. He had come to con- 
 verse with Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the chief 
 priests. Then I delivered my letter to Jesus, and I 
 told him how I had seen Judas discoursing with 
 Hezekiah. But the old man, even Nicodemus, was
 
 360 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 27 
 
 troubled when he heard me make mention of Judas, 
 and he turned to Jesus and said that from friends came 
 sometimes even more dangers than from enemies ; and 
 as he had before warned Jesus against the plotting 
 of the Chief Priests, so now again he besought Jesus 
 not to adventure himself in Jerusalem on the morrow. 
 Then he gave thanks to Jesus for his doctrine, and 
 departed. But when the letter of Joseph of Arimathea 
 was opened, it confirmed the words of Nicodemus ; for 
 he also bade Jesus not come to Jerusalem on the morrow, 
 but to tarry till the next day. He also added (but these 
 words Jesus read not aloud, so that I knew not of them 
 till afterwards) that Jesus should keep the Passover 
 on the day after the morrow ; howbeit not at his house, 
 but at another house which his servants should pre- 
 pare. He also gave Jesus a sign whereby he might 
 be guided to the house. Likewise the letter bade him 
 beware of false friends. 
 
 When Jesus had made an end of reading aloud 
 those last words bidding him beware of false friends, 
 his heart was sorely troubled, and the burden seemed 
 more than he could bear ; and he went out for a while 
 to be alone and to pray. But presently he returned 
 and spake comfortable words to us, and cheered us with 
 his kindness ; and so for that night he lay down to rest ; 
 and some of us slept while others watched. Howbeit 
 that night no enemy came. 
 
 On the morrow (which was the fourth day of the 
 week) Jesus neither went down to Jerusalem, nor sent 
 any down to make preparation for the Passover. But 
 he remained with us in Bethany, part of the time 
 in the house, and part in the fields round about, going
 
 CJiapter 27] PHILOCHRISTUS 361 
 
 with us hither and thither, and speaking more and more 
 to us of that same Holy Spirit whereof he had spoken 
 before ; which should guide us, he said, into all truth, 
 and teach us what to reply unto our enemies, and be 
 unto us a comforter and a friend, yea, the source of all 
 happiness and good. And more and more he spake 
 concerning his departure ; insomuch that, though we 
 were unwilling, yet by this time we were constrained 
 to suppose that our Master must be severed from us for 
 a season, and that we must watch for his return. Yet 
 how or in what way he should be taken from us we 
 could not conjecture : only that he should be slain by 
 his enemies we had no manner of belief, no, nor so 
 much as a fear thereof, although he had so many times 
 prophesied it to us. For the thing was hidden from 
 us of the Lord, that we should neither believe it nor 
 conceive it. 
 
 But the women were otherwise minded, and were 
 very full of fears. To them it seemed that, if Jesus 
 was indeed about to be taken from them, then it 
 mattered not whether he were taken in a chariot of 
 fire or by whatever other means : and they lamented 
 over him as over one already dead. Many times did we 
 rebuke them for their faithlessness (for so it seemed 
 to us), but they would not cease. Judas also rebuked 
 them even more bitterly than we : for he had come to 
 us on the morning of that day, saying that he had been 
 with certain of his acquaintance in Jerusalem that 
 he might be informed concerning the plots of the 
 Pharisees. Jesus received him kindly, even more me- 
 thought than was usual ; and when we sat together at 
 meat that night, he placed Judas next unto himself,
 
 362 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 27 
 
 John being on one side of him and Judas on the other, 
 in the seat of honour. 
 
 Now so it was that, while we were at meat, behold, 
 one of the women came behind Jesus, having an ala- 
 baster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on 
 his head, at the same time uttering most piteous cries 
 and lamentations. Then Judas changed colour ; for 
 his heart misgave him, as I judge, that the lamenta- 
 tions of the women might prove true ; and besides, he 
 was wrath perchance because the love wherewith this 
 woman loved Jesus put his semblance of love utterly 
 to shame. Therefore he rose up from his seat in in- 
 dignation and said, " To what purpose is this waste ? 
 for this ointment might have been sold for three 
 hundred pence and given to the poor." We also our- 
 selves in like manner murmured against the woman. 
 But Jesus said, " Why trouble ye the woman ? for she 
 hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the 
 poor always with you ; but me ye have not always. 
 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body 
 she did it for my burial." Then he paused, and mused 
 for an instant, and added a prophecy, that wheresoever 
 his good tidings of Redemption should be proclaimed in 
 the whole world, there also should this that this woman 
 had done be told for a memorial of her. 
 
 Now before these words, while we had sat at meat listen- 
 ing to the discourse of Jesus, Judas seemed as if his heart 
 were enlarged towards Jesus ; and albeit at times he fell 
 to pondering and musing (like unto a man doubting 
 of two courses which to take), yet anon he would be 
 aroused by some word that Jesus spake ; and then his 
 countenance would kindle, and he would stoop forward,
 
 Chapter 27] FHILOCHRISTUS 363 
 
 as in old times, with his eyes all a-glow, listening as 
 if he would fain devour each syllable with his ears. But 
 now his countenance fell, and he was filled with rage 
 because he had been rebuked by Jesus ; and he went 
 forth from the chamber, and we saw him that night no 
 more. But as for us that remained, our hearts became 
 exceeding sorrowful ; for now indeed it pressed upon 
 us that the departure of Jesus must needs be sad and 
 grievous and full of sorrow, like unto death. But still, 
 that he should die indeed, and be buried : this, even 
 now, we could in no wise believe.
 
 3 6 4 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 WHEN the morrow came (which was the fifth day of 
 the week) Jesus abode still in Bethany, and went not 
 forth to Jerusalem. Now so it was that the Passover 
 that year fell on the Sabbath day ; and because of the 
 multitude of the sacrifices that were to be slain between 
 the two evenings in the temple, it was a custom that 
 certain of the pilgrims should keep the Passover on a 
 day before the Sabbath. For it was said (though I 
 can scarce believe it) that there were nigh upon three 
 hundred myriads of souls in Jerusalem during the 
 Passover week ; and even though the women partook 
 not of the feast, yet the number of lambs to be slaugh- 
 tered must needs be very great. Therefore we expected 
 that he should have gone down to Jerusalem that day, 
 for so it had been determined with Joseph of Arim- 
 athea ; and we marvelled that he did not go. But he 
 continued speaking unto Mary and Martha and other 
 of the women. And by this time it was noon, and yet 
 nothing had been done. 
 
 But at the last Peter went to him and reminded 
 him that after two days would be the feast of the Pass- 
 over ; and he asked Jesus where he desired that we 
 should prepare for the feast. Then Jesus bade Peter
 
 Chapter 28] PHILOCHRISTUS 365 
 
 and John go to a certain street in Jerusalem and to 
 stand there during the ninth hour of the day ; and they 
 should meet there a certain slave of Joseph of Arima- 
 thea bearing a pitcher of water upon his head ; and they 
 were to say, as a sign to the man, " The Master saith, 
 my time is at hand ; I will keep the Passover at thy 
 house with my disciples ; " and the slave would shew 
 them an upper room prepared ; and there they were to 
 make ready. For the space of an hour after Peter and 
 John were departed, Jesus continued still speaking unto 
 the women : then he arose and bade them farewell, and 
 set his face to go down to Jerusalem. 
 
 When it was now late, the sun having set two hours 
 or more, we sat down to keep the feast ; and Judas also 
 was with us. While we sat at meat, we spake, according 
 to the custom, concerning the ancient deliverance of Israel 
 in the days of Moses : but our hearts were very heavy, 
 for we said within ourselves, " We need not a past, but 
 a present deliverance ; and, behold, it is not to be." 
 Jesus alone was of good cheer, and rejoiced with a 
 marvellous joy ; and he spake very cheerfully and 
 tenderly to us, and said that his heart had yearned to 
 eat this Passover with us, for he should not eat with us 
 again till the Kingdom of God should be established. 
 Now at this we marvelled, but we rejoiced not ; for 
 we had learned by much experience not to rejoice at 
 the promises of Jesus as if they were the promises of 
 common men. Moreover we were sore disturbed by a 
 certain saying of Jesus. For in the midst of his com- 
 fortable discourse to us, he suddenly brake off, saying 
 that one of us, that sat there at meat with him, should 
 betray him. And he said, " The Son of man goeth as
 
 366 PH1LOCURISTUS [Chapter 28 
 
 it is written of him ; but woe unto that man by whom 
 the Son of man is betrayed ! It had been good for that 
 man if he had not been born." And hereat we sat 
 a w r hile dumb and looking each at other, wondering 
 whom Jesus might mean, and afterwards we brake out 
 into many and passionate questionings, each asking 
 whether he himself was to be the traitor : but Jesus 
 made no certain answer, none at least that I heard. At 
 the last, before rising from the table, Jesus looked 
 earnestly upon us all, as if his heart went out to us : 
 and he pitied us, and said that he would now give us 
 his last gift ; for this feast was as a funeral feast, and 
 he was to die and leave us alone ; therefore, before he 
 died, he desired to bequeath to us somewhat by his last 
 will and testament. 
 
 While we marvelled what this gift or legacy might 
 be, behold, Jesus took bread and blessed God, and 
 brake it and gave it to each of us, saying, "Take, 
 eat, this is my body." After this he took wine and 
 blessed that likewise, and bade us drink of it, saying, 
 " This is my blood of the New Testament, which is 
 shed for many." So we ate and drank as we were 
 bidden, even like children that have no understand- 
 ing; nor did we then discern the meaning of his 
 words. Howbeit, even at that time we understood 
 somewhat of his purpose ; for we perceived that Jesus 
 was pouring his love, yea, and his life, into our 
 hearts ; and our souls stretched out as it were toward 
 the truth, namely, that Jesus, in this testament of his, 
 was bequeathing himself to us his disciples, to be our 
 possession for ever. 
 
 Now all the other disciples were strangely moved,
 
 Chapter 28] PHILOCHRISTUS 367 
 
 insomuch that their hearts were melted with the 
 fervency of their love ; but Judas alone was unmoved. 
 Yea, rather he was moved indeed, but in a manner 
 quite contrary to the rest. For when Jesus reached 
 unto him the bread, all eyes were upon him, for we 
 could not now refrain from suspecting him : but he ate 
 it against his will, and as though he ate it with diffi- 
 
 O ^ 
 
 culty ; and when he had eaten it, he looked angrily at us 
 that gazed still upon him, and then he rose up in haste 
 from the table, like unto one possessed with Satan. Now 
 while he was eating, Jesus beheld him with a marvel- 
 lous love and pity, yea, and, as it seemed to me, with 
 a great struggle and conflict of soul, as if he were 
 wrestling for the last time against Satan for the soul 
 of Judas. But, when he perceived that Judas had 
 hardened his heart against him, he sighed, and said 
 some word unto him, but what it was I heard not : 
 and hereupon Judas went hastily forth, and left Jesus 
 still sitting with us. Then did our hearts misgive us 
 yet more. For none could any longer doubt that Judas 
 was indeed a traitor ; and we bethought ourselves for 
 what cause he had gone forth, and when he would 
 return. 
 
 But Jesus neither stayed him, nor lamented when 
 he had departed ; but he seemed like unto one in whom 
 all tears and sorrow had been swallowed up in a certain 
 unfathomable depth of joy. For he looked up to heaven 
 and offered up praise unto the Lord, the Deliverer of 
 Israel, and he bade us join him in singing a portion of 
 the great Hallel ; for the singing of these psalms was 
 according to the custom of the Passover. Now so it 
 was that, in the singing, Jesus must needs utter certain
 
 368 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 28 
 
 words that tell how the Lord giveth life out of death : 
 " The snares of death compassed me round about, and 
 the pains of hell gat hold upon me. I shall find trouble 
 and heaviness, and I will call upon the name of the 
 Lord, Lord I beseech thee, deliver my soul : " and 
 then, " Turn again then unto thy rest, my soul, for 
 the Lord hath rewarded thee. And why ? Thou hast 
 delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and 
 my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the 
 land of the living." While he sang these words, it was 
 a wonder to see the face of Jesus, with what a bright- 
 ness he looked up to heaven, and how great a trust 
 shone from his countenance ; insomuch that, as we gazed 
 upon him, our hearts also seemed lifted up with his. 
 But Jesus went on, until he came to those following 
 words of the Hallel which say how " The right hand of 
 the Lord hath the pre-eminence : the right hand of the 
 Lord bringeth mighty things to pass. I shall not die 
 but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord 
 hath chastened and corrected me, but he hath not given 
 me over unto death. Open me the gates of righteous- 
 ness, that I may go into them and give thanks unto 
 the Lord." 
 
 At the last, when we sang of the stone refused of the 
 builders but become the head stone of the corner, he 
 sang with an exceeding clear voice, not loud, but very 
 piercing, so that it seemed to cleave us to the very heart; 
 and behold, our voices became lower, even as his 
 became clearer ; and we feared to sing the same words 
 as he sang ; but we were rapt with wonder as we looked 
 upon his countenance ; for it was as the countenance of 
 an angel seeing the very glory of the Most High and
 
 Chapter 28] PHILOCHRISTUS 369 
 
 gazing upon Him face to face. And when he sang the last 
 words of all, " God is the Lord who hath shewed us light, 
 bind the sacrifice with cords, yea even unto the horns of 
 the altar. Thou art my God, and I will thank thee ; thou 
 art my God, and I will praise thee"; then indeed it came 
 to pass that all we that listened to him were lifted up in 
 spirit with him in an ecstasy, being delivered from all 
 our doubts and cares and fears, looking down on them 
 as petty things ; and it was even as if Jesus were holding 
 us by the hand and carrying us up with himself above 
 the firmament, to the seventh heaven and beyond, yea 
 even to the Throne of the Blessed. 
 
 That instant, a knocking was heard at the door, and 
 one entered in haste and as if in terror ; and he went 
 up to Jesus and whispered in his ear. Then the glory 
 faded from the face of Jesus, and he became sad, and 
 straightway gave commandment to depart. But as we 
 went forth from the chamber to the roof (for the guest- 
 chamber was an upper chamber and upon the roof, as 
 was the custom in my country), we heard from the 
 slave that a guard had been sent forth by Annas to 
 seek Jesus, and that Judas of Kerioth was thought to be 
 with them, to guide them to the place where Jesus was. 
 So we went down immediately from the upper chamber 
 where we had been at meat ; and behold, as we passed 
 from the brightness of the moonlight, which shone upon 
 the roof, down into the darkness of the shadow of the 
 street, we seemed to have passed out of life into death, 
 and to have been cast down from Paradise to the depths 
 beneath the earth. 
 
 Now when we were all come down from the house into 
 the street, Jesus stood for a while in the midst of his 
 
 B B
 
 370 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 28 
 
 disciples looking up to the sky ; and lie seemed for an 
 instant like unto one doubting whither he should go. 
 For first he made two or three steps toward the temple 
 and the tower of Antonia, as if to go thither (but this 
 would have been certain death, for the guard was coming 
 thence, and we should have met them) ; but then he 
 looked at us and seemed to change his purpose. For he 
 turned towards the gate that leadeth to the vale of 
 Kidron. Now why he did this we knew not at that 
 time ; but afterwards we judged that he was moved at 
 first to go to meet the guard that he might give himself 
 up at once unto death ; but when he had thought thereon, 
 it seemed better for our sakes that he should still remain 
 with us a few hours longer. Perchance also he wished 
 to commune with God alone upon the mountain of 
 Olivet ; for he ever loved the loneliness of mountainous 
 places and nightly prayers. Moreover Quartus writeth 
 to this effect, that " though Jesus knew that he was 
 to die, yet the manner of his dying, and how he should 
 be taken, was not known to him : therefore he would not 
 prevent the hand of the Lord, but would avoid the 
 peril by all honourable means even till the last, leaving 
 the decision with the Lord." 
 
 As we drew nigh to the gate of Kidron I was near 
 him, and I heard him repeating some saying of Scrip- 
 ture to himself; and at the last, he spake aloud and 
 said, "All ye shall be offended because of me this 
 night, for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and 
 the sheep shall be scattered." But when he marked 
 us, how exceedingly we sorrowed at these words of 
 his, then he began to encourage us again ; and he spake 
 some words how that he would return to us, or guide us
 
 Chapter 2S] PH1LOCHRISTUS 37 r 
 
 hereafter. Now what he said exactly I know not, for I 
 was a little behind the rest. But he looked around 
 him in the narrow street, as though that were no place 
 for him to abide in : and then he added some words con- 
 cerning Galilee, which I did not clearly hear. Howbeit, 
 it seemed to me that he said he should manifest him- 
 self to us hereafter, not in Jerusalem but in Galilee. 1 
 And so also most of the disciples interpreted his words. 
 But we all with one consent cried out that we would 
 never desert him nor go from his side ; and he listened to 
 us gently, even as a mother listeneth to the prattle of 
 a little child which prattleth concerning the things which 
 he will do when he cometh to man's estate. Even so lis- 
 tened Jesus to our speech ; but when Peter was vehement, 
 even above the rest, in protestations, Jesus interrupted 
 him, and said that before the morrow's sun had risen, yea, 
 before cockcrow, Simon Peter should have denied him. 
 
 By this time we were come to the gate of the Kidron 
 valley ; and methought certain- of the servants of the 
 chief priests, which stood together at the gate, were 
 advised of the intent to arrest Jesus, and were fain to 
 lay hands on him. Howbeit, many were coming in and 
 going out, and we that were going with Jesus joined 
 ourselves together around him, insomuch that the guards 
 suffered us to pass ; for they could not then have taken 
 him quietly, nor without a tumult ; which thing they pur- 
 posed to avoid. And so it was that, as we closed our- 
 selves together for to encompass Jesus' and to guard him, 
 my place was very nigh unto Jesus, even next upon his 
 left hand ; and as we went down the steep path which 
 leadeth across the brook Kidron, I chanced to stumble ; 
 1 See Note IV. 
 
 15 B 2
 
 372 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 28 
 
 and Jesus took me by the right hand to stay me from 
 falling. And the touch thereof remaineth with me unto 
 this day ; for his hand was not again to touch my hand 
 upon earth. 
 
 When we were now going up the hill on the other 
 side of the brook (being by this time quite out of the 
 shadow of the city walls, so that we could see all things 
 in the moonlight very clearly), we perceived that Jesus 
 was still meditating on prophecies ; and ever and anon 
 he looked upon us, as though his care for us were a 
 burden on his soul. And perchance he desired to pre- 
 pare us to live without him in the world ; and not to 
 depend upon the exact words of his precepts, nor to 
 make therefrom a rule nor a law unto ourselves, but to 
 obey the Spirit only ; making new rules and laws for 
 ourselves if need were, even as the times might suggest 
 and the Spirit might bid us. For he said unto us, 
 " When I sent you without purse, and scrip, and shoes, 
 lacked ye anything ? " And we said " Nothing." Then 
 said he unto us, " But now he that hath a purse let him 
 take it, and likewise his scrip." Here he paused awhile, 
 and then he added these words : " And he that hath no 
 sword let him sell his garment and buy one. For I say 
 unto you that this that is written, must yet be accom- 
 plished in me : ' And he was reckoned among the trans- 
 gressors/ For the things concerning me have an end." 
 Hereat we wondered, that Jesus (who had ever spoken 
 against smiting with the sword) should bid us buy 
 swords. Howbeit, we answered that we had two swords 
 with us. Straightway Jesus ceased from walking, and 
 stood quite still for an instant ; and it seemed as if he 
 marvelled at our want of understanding, but yet per-
 
 Chapter 28] PHILOCHRISTUS 373 
 
 ceived that he must needs be content, for he could do 
 no more to help us. Therefore he said nothing, but 
 presently continued to walk on as before. But, as I 
 now suppose, his meaning was to prepare us for much 
 tribulation, and that we should, in the days to come, 
 use all means and all faculties in his service. Howbeit, 
 even to this day, I understand not altogether that saying 
 about the buying of a sword. But as I judge, Jesus 
 had invisible things in his mind, and he spake of the 
 stores and treasures, and of the weapons also, that were 
 like to be needed in the great and terrible war which we 
 were to wage against Satan in the days to come. 
 
 Against this, Xanthias urgeth (and methinks not with- 
 out shew of reason) that the scrip and purse whereof 
 Jesus made mention in Galilee were not invisible things, 
 but visible : but, if they were visible, so also must the 
 sword needs be, whereof Jesus made mention in the 
 same saying. But Quartus replieth that when Jesus, 
 being still with us in the flesh, sent the disciples forth 
 in Galilee without purse and scrip, he would have them 
 to go forth not only without visible purse and scrip 
 (which indeed they did), but also without the spirit 
 of the purse and the spirit of the scrip, that is to say 
 without forethought and provision, the better to awaken 
 them to whom they were to preach the Good News : and 
 this, saith Quartus, was the main part of the precept of 
 Jesus. But now that he was to be no longer with us in 
 the flesh, he changed his precept, bidding us use the 
 spirit of the purse and the spirit of the scrip : and " after 
 those words," saith Quartus, " that ye might the better 
 understand them, Jesus paused " (which indeed he did, for 
 I took note of it) "in the midst of his saying, and bade you
 
 374 rillLOCHRISTUS [Chapter 28 
 
 buy *a sword, supposing that ye would know assuredly 
 that he (who ever hated the sword) could not mean a 
 visible sword, but an invisible : even that two-edged 
 sword which Jesus brought into the world to do battle 
 against evil withal. And belike," saith Quartus, " Jesus 
 meant that, after he should be taken away, we were 
 never to be content to defend ourselves against evil, nor 
 to lead harmless lives in peace and quiet (as the Essenes 
 are wont to do) ; but that we were evermore to do battle 
 against evil, and to assail it, and to give up all things 
 sooner than cease to make war against it." 
 
 At this, time came down one from Bethany to tell 
 us that the servants of the chief priests had beset the 
 house of Mary and Martha, and others were watching 
 on the road for to take Jesus if he should come up the 
 hill. Therefore Jesus turned aside from the road and 
 went unto a place whither he had also beforetime gone 
 with us : it was a small vale, wherein grew many olive- 
 trees, insomuch that it was hence called the Press of 
 Olive Oil, or Gethsemane. When Jesus came to this 
 place, we would fain have still accompanied him ; but 
 he suffered us not, but bade us stay where we were, 
 and there to watch and pray, lest we entered into 
 temptation : for these were his very words to us. But 
 taking John and Peter and James, he himself went 
 forward about a stone's cast ; and we noted that, after a 
 short while, he parted from them, though they were 
 fain to stay him (for we could hear all things as 
 well as see, because the night was very calm, and no 
 less still than bright) ; and he went on yet another 
 stone's cast or somewhat less, and the three disciples 
 sat down where they were. Then Jesus stretched out
 
 Chapter 28] PHILOCHRISTUS 375 
 
 his hands unto the Lord and prayed with exceeding 
 earnestness; and to us, where we stood, he seemed 
 as one in a sore agony ; for at one time we could 
 discern him standing erect, but at another time kneeling 
 or prostrate upon the ground ; and though he spake not 
 loud, yet could I hear words that made my very flesh 
 to shiver and creep ; for he cried unto the Lord and said, 
 " Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." 
 These words he said more than once, so that I could not 
 but hear them ; and a sickness of heart and an horror fell 
 on me that such an one as Jesus of Nazareth should 
 come to such a pass, and should ever need to say, " if it 
 be possible." 
 
 Now so it was, that in spite of our sorrow and anguish 
 of heart, all we that watched with Jesus at this time 
 were so pressed down with a strange slumber that it was 
 not possible for us to resist the burden thereof upon our 
 eyelids ; and oftentimes we would walk up and down 
 and speak each to other for to shake off the leaden weight 
 from our eyes ; but we could not, no, though we were 
 angered, and reproached ourselves aloud. For we had 
 not slept much during three nights past or more, because 
 of the need of watching for Jesus ; and besides, the very 
 unexpectedness of all that sorrow which had of late en- 
 compassed us round on every side, caused us to feel like 
 unto them which wander in the wilderness of a dream or 
 vision of the night, insomuch that we scarce knew whether 
 we were asleep or awake : and the anguish of Jesus itself 
 was unto us as it were but a part of a bad dream. For 
 we could not attain to understand his sorrow, nor to 
 share in his burden. Only we knew that he sorrowed 
 not for fear of death. But we knew not at that time
 
 37$ PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 23 
 
 the secret of his agony, how he was at that instant 
 wrestlino- with Satan for the salvation of all the children 
 
 o 
 
 of men. Yet so indeed it was. And though the suffer- 
 ing of Jesus was seen of men when his body hung upon 
 the cross, yet meseemeth it was seen of God when he 
 was prostrate upon the ground in Gethsemane, and his 
 soul was crying unto the Lord and saying, " if it be 
 possible/' 
 
 Loth am T to write many words concerning that which 
 is above all reach of words, yea, and above all reach of 
 the thoughts of men ; yet will I here set down that 
 which was said unto me concerning this matter by a 
 certain Alexandrine, a friend of Quartos, who was a 
 man of an understanding spirit and of discernment above 
 the common. This man, when I once marvelled aloud, 
 in his presence, as to the cause of the agony of Jesus, 
 made answer to me and said, " What was it, thiukest 
 thou, that caused Jesus more pain and sorrow than aught 
 else ? " So I replied, " Without doubt, the sins of men : 
 for he often spake as if it were a pain to him, even 
 to forgive the sins of men." But the Alexandrine replied, 
 " As it seemeth to me, Jesus did not merely forgive sins 
 twice or thrice in a week, nor in a day, no, nor even in an 
 hour : but his whole life was a state of forgiving, and 
 a state of bearing sins and of carrying iniquities, and 
 of making himself one with sinners. For this end it 
 was needful that Jesus should have strength to trust in 
 men and to hope for men : for without trust and hope 
 thou knowest it is impossible for thee to lift up a sinful 
 man in forgiveness, howsoever great may be thy love for 
 the sinful. 
 
 " Therefore, even as the Gentiles fable that Atlas doth
 
 Chapter 23] PHILOCHRISTUS 377 
 
 bear up the pillars of the earth, even so, methinks, 
 Jesus of Nazareth knew in himself that he bare up 
 the pillars of the invisible Jerusalem, the city of the 
 souls of men ; and so long as he had strength to 
 trust and hope, so long he knew that the invisible city 
 stood and was to stand ; but, if he should fail in trust 
 and hope so that he should fall (even for a single instant), 
 then behold, in that same fall of the Son of man fell all 
 tlie world, yea, all the souls of men, and all the Temple 
 of the Congregation of the children of God ; and so the 
 universe became the hunting-ground of Satan, and the 
 children of men his prey, and God was not. Peradven- 
 ture, therefore, the burden of Jesus was this bearing of 
 the sins of men, and especially of the sin of Judas and 
 the infirmities of you his disciples, and the thought of 
 the impotence of good to conquer evil. Moreover per- 
 chance there rose up before him the image of the morrow, 
 when he should hang upon the cross, and when the 
 strength and force of life should leave him, and there 
 should be no one to succour, no one to comfort ; and 
 a vision from Satan stood before him, and he heard a 
 voice that whispered evil things : ' If now thou shouldest 
 lose thy trust for an instant ? and the pillar should be 
 snapped ? and the invisible city should fall ? and the 
 gates of hell should prevail over the gates of heaven ? ; ; 
 This then is what the Alexandrine said unto me 
 concerning the suffering of Jesus : but it needeth not to 
 say that at this time we understood naught of these 
 things : only we perceived that some terrible thing was 
 at hand. But about the space of an hour or more, as 
 I judge, had passed since we first heard Jesus say, " if 
 it be possible " ; and now methought Jesus was less
 
 378 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 2& 
 
 disturbed in praying. And presently we saw him stand- 
 ing upright, very clearly to be seen in the light of the 
 moon, which streamed upon him through the olive 
 branches; and these words were borne to our ears through 
 the stillness of the night, " my Father, if this cup 
 may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be 
 be done." But some of the disciples told me afterwards 
 that at this time they saw a shape, as of an angel clothed 
 in white, ministering unto him. But I saw it not, for 
 it may be that I was at that time slumbering : for soon 
 after I had heard Jesus speak these last words, there fell 
 a deep sleep upon me and upon the rest of the disciples 
 that were nearest to me. Afterwards they all slumbered 
 and slept, even the sons of Zebedee and Peter also ; and 
 perchance this thing was from the Lord, to the intent 
 that Jesus might bear all his burden alone. 
 
 After this, I remember no more, save that I had a 
 vision of the night in my slumber, wherein I saw Jesus 
 of Nazareth clothed in bright raiment, glorious to 
 behold. He stood and prayed upon the summit of a 
 mountain. Howbeit in my dream it seemed to be not 
 Mount Olivet, but the Mount of the Law in Galilee. 
 And as I looked upon him, his stature grew larger and 
 his raiment brighter, till the brightness thereof filled 
 the sky, and set it all in a flame. "With that I awoke 
 on a sudden, and opening mine eyes, I perceived that 
 there were flames indeed around me ; then, leaping up, I 
 found myself in the midst of torches, and armed men 
 compassing me round. Yet could I discern, through 
 the midst of them all, Jesus, with a calm countenance, 
 stooping over John and Peter and James, and arousing 
 them from sleep.
 
 Chapter 28] PII1LOCIIRISTUS 379 
 
 Now all that came to pass thereafter was finished in a 
 few moments, though it take long to tell. For Judas, 
 who was the guide of the armed men, ran swiftly before 
 the rest up to Jesus and said, " Hail, Master," and 
 saluted him. And, as I was told by them that were 
 nigh to see, Judas seemed as if he knew not, even at 
 the last, what would come to pass, nor scarce what he 
 himself was doing. For he embraced Jesus and pointed 
 to the soldiers that followed behind him, as if half 
 expecting that Jesus would call down fire upon them. 
 But Jesus looked upon him as if looking upon a stranger, 
 and made him such answer as to shew that he perceived 
 his treachery ; whereat Judas drew back, they said, 
 as one distraught. Then Simon Peter drew a sword 
 and struck a blow at one of the soldiers ; and the 
 rest of us ran up to have joined in the fray. But 
 Jesus straightway rebuked us, and bidding Peter put up 
 his sword, he yielded himself up to the soldiers. Yet 
 even to the last he was as a son obeying the will of the 
 Father, and not like unto one acting from constraint ; 
 for I myself heard him say unto Simon Peter, " Thinkest 
 thou that I cannot pray to my Father and He shall 
 presently give me more than twelve legions of angels ? 
 But how then shall the Scriptures be fulfilled, that thus 
 it must be ? " 
 
 Now up to this moment we had not yet fled ; for we 
 could not even then believe that our Eedeemer, the 
 Messiah, the Son of the Living God, would be led 
 captive ; yea, even though he resisted not, yet were 
 we assured that the Lord God of Israel would stretch 
 out His hand to deliver His Holy One. So we still
 
 380 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 28 
 
 waited and were in expectation. But when at last the 
 servants of the high priests laid their hands on him, 
 and the soldiers bound him and dragged him roughly 
 away, and yet no fire from heaven came down upon 
 them, neither did the earth open her mouth to swallow 
 them up ; then we all forsook him and fled.
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 THOUGH we had so basely fled from our Master, yet 
 away from him we were not able to rest. Therefore 
 we followed after the guard down the mountain, even 
 into Jerusalem, and mingled with the concourse that 
 was gathered together before the doors of the High 
 Priest's house. Near me was John the son of Zebeclee ; 
 who, having some acquaintance in the household of 
 the High Priest, gained access into the house ; and Peter 
 also with him. But I remained without ; and I con- 
 versed with the people, making as if I were no 
 Galilean, but a citizen of Jerusalem. For I perceived 
 that the most part of the multitude were men of 
 Jerusalem, some indeed citizens, but the greater part 
 servants of the chief priests, and money-changers, and 
 cattle-dealers ; who had been gathered together of set 
 purpose by the enemies of Jesus. 
 
 But when I asked one why he hated Jesus (for the 
 man had declared aloud that he trusted that day to 
 see Jesus on the cross), he replied, " Because this 
 Galilean marreth our trade, and taketh away our living ; 
 for behold, these three days men buy no beasts for 
 sacrifice from my stalls in the temple." And another 
 said, " Yea, and he niaketh no secret that he purposeth
 
 382 PIIILOCHEISTUS [Chapter 29 
 
 to destroy our religion, and change our customs which 
 Moses appointed : for he saith that he will destroy 
 this temple, and boasteth, forsooth, that he will raise 
 up another equal to this in three days." Now this 
 saying of Jesus (which indeed he had not said, for 
 I have set down his words exactly above) had been 
 carried from mouth to mouth throughout Jerusalem ; 
 and the chief priests had everywhere caused it to 
 be rumoured that the intent of Jesus was to destroy 
 the temple with fire during that Passover. Therefore 
 the hearts of many of the devout and sober people 
 were turned away from Jesus. 
 
 After we had waited about two hours or something 
 less, a certain Scribe came up to a servant of the chief 
 priests, who was conversing with me ; and the Scribe 
 asked the man concerning the multitude, for what cause 
 it was gathered together : and the man said, " To see the 
 false prophet, named Jesus of Nazareth, who is to be 
 condemned to death." "Nay," said the other, "then 
 thou losest thy labour. For if a man be tried for 
 his life, he may not be tried on the day before the 
 Sabbath ; for the Law alloweth appeal on the morrow. 
 Therefore if, as thou sayest, Jesus of Nazareth is 
 yonder being tried, it cannot be that he is tried for 
 his life." Hereat I rejoiced greatly, for I bethought 
 myself that it was even so as the Scribe had said, 
 wherefore it could not be that Jesus w r as to be tried 
 for his life. But when I drew nigh unto them (for tlie 
 press had parted us for an instant) : " I give thee a yea 
 for thy nay," said the other, "for thou know r est the 
 Law, but I know my master Annas ; and he is not 
 the man to allow a little matter of a day to stand in
 
 PHILOCHRISTUS 383 
 
 his way; nor to permit the booths and shops in the 
 temple (whence cometh profit to the priests) to be 
 destroyed by false prophets and Galileans to boot." 
 Then indeed my heart misgave me that it was to be 
 no trial, but only a murder. 
 
 Just then one came down the steps leading from the 
 High Priest's house, and the people ran together towards 
 him to know what had been done. He stood still, and 
 made a gesture that they should keep silence ; and then 
 in a clear voice he spake to the multitude and said, 
 " The council hath pronounced that Jesus of Nazareth 
 is a man of death." Hereupon there was a general 
 shout, for all knew that to be " a man of death " meant 
 to be condemned to die : and straightway a cry arose, 
 " Stone him, stone him ; bring him out that we may stone 
 him." But the man checked them that shouted, saying 
 that the accused must first be led to the judgment seat 
 of the procurator, Pontius Pilate, for without his judg- 
 ment it was not lawful that any should be put to death. 
 
 Then my heart revived a little again ; for it seemed 
 there was still some hope. But seeing Simon Peter 
 come forth from the High Priest's house, I pressed through 
 the throng if perchance I might come at him, to ask him 
 touching the trial, and what the witnesses had testified, 
 and how Jesus had borne himself. But Peter seemed not 
 to see me ; and even when I called him by name he 
 would not hear me. At last, by dint of striving, I 
 came near him in the throng and caught hold of his 
 garment, and stayed him by force. Then, indeed, he 
 stayed ; but as he turned round and his face looked 
 upon my face, behold, I saw in his countenance shame, 
 and remorse, and despair ; and he assayed to speak,
 
 384 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 29 
 
 but could not, and wrung my hand in silence. Then 
 waving me off that I should not a.ny more stay him, 
 he hasted away, and I durst not follow him ; for it was 
 evident to me that the prophecy of Jesus had been ful- 
 filled, and that Simon Peter had denied our Master. 
 
 I turned back into the throng, for my intent was 
 to have remained standing without, till such time as 
 Jesus came forth. But I heard the servant of the High 
 
 o 
 
 Priest say to one of his acquaintance that the procurator 
 was not one to have his sleep broken by business at so 
 early an hour ; " Therefore," said he to his companion, 
 " go home to thy house, and warm thee, if thou wilt ; 
 for there will be naught to see these three hours." Then 
 it came into my mind that the mother of Jesus, and 
 likewise Mary Magdalene, and the other women, were all 
 this while in Bethany, neither knew they aught of that 
 which had befallen Jesus ; and it was fit they should be 
 told. Therefore I went forth by the gate of Kidron 
 and up the Mount of Olives even to Bethany ; and there 
 I writ a few words, telling what had befallen, and 
 left it in the hand of one of the servants of the house ; 
 for to go in myself and to tell the tale, and to look upon 
 their sorrow, I durst not do it. This done, I hasted 
 back for to go down to the house of the procurator, 
 making sure to have arrived thither long before they 
 had made an end of the trial. But when I was gone 
 but two or three hundred paces from Bethany, one of 
 the women ran after me with tears and lamentations, 
 beseeching me to return and to tell them all ; and she 
 constrained me. So I returned and told them all ; and 
 the memory of their lamenting remaineth with me 
 unto this day.
 
 Chapter 29] PUILOGHRISTUS 385 
 
 Thus passed a long time, a very long time as it seemed 
 to me ; but at last I withdrew myself from them per- 
 force, and hasted down the mountain. But when I 
 was come to the palace, behold the trial was over; and 
 I saw the rear part of a moving throng, and one 
 told me that they were taking the prisoner to be 
 crucified at Golgotha. Then my heart within me 
 seemed to burst ; but though I was faint before with 
 long watching and weariness, I was not faint now, but 
 sped after the throng. Many times did I strive to press 
 in amidst them, if perchance Jesus might look but once 
 upon me, or I might see his face, or so much as catch a 
 sight of his garment as he walked ; and I wept and 
 was ready to curse myself that I had gone from the 
 High Priest's door before I had seen my Master's face. 
 For now I could not see him, no, nor anything of him, 
 save now and then the cross, which, as they told me, 
 he was carrying upon his shoulders ; but I heard the 
 men in the crowd saying what insults had been offered 
 to him, and how he had been scourged and mocked, 
 and spit upon, decked with a crown of thorns and a 
 sceptre of reed ; and I was as one distracted, in whom 
 there is no power of thought. 
 
 By this time we had passed out of the city through 
 the western gate, and the fore part of the multitude 
 was come to the place of execution ; and they that 
 went before me came now to a stand ; and I saw the 
 cross lifted up for an instant, to the intent, as it seemed, 
 that it might be laid upon the ground ; and one near 
 me said, " Now they are making ready." Then I 
 gnashed my teeth, for I could do naught else ; but I 
 was ready to curse God (blessed is He), for I knew 
 
 c c
 
 386 PHILOCHR1STUS [Chapter 29 
 
 right well what that "making ready" meant; and a 
 deep silence fell on all the crowd ; and I could hear the 
 blows of the hammer upon the nails ; and every man 
 held his breath, if perchance there might come the 
 sound of a shriek or a groan. But no such sound came 
 to the place where we stood. 
 
 Presently arose a very loud shouting from the multi- 
 tude that stood before me, and behold, the cross was 
 reared up so that the top thereof was a little above 
 the heads of the people ; and from afar off I could just 
 discern Jesus. But I saw not his face ; for his head 
 was bowed forward and his hair, hanging over his fore- 
 head, hid his eyes. But when I thrust myself forward 
 to have approached nearer, I could not for the press. 
 At the same time there rang in upon mine ears a very 
 storm of mocking and reviling and cursing against Jesus 
 from all the bystanders, yea, even from the women and 
 little children (with such a venom of slander had the 
 Chief Priests poisoned the minds of the people); inso- 
 much that I seemed to stand alone among a host of the 
 children of Satan ; neither could I endure any longer 
 to behold such a sight, amid such beholders, and to 
 be of no avail. Wherefore I became as one possessed ; 
 and I turned my back upon the cross and forced my 
 way out of the crowd ; the people calling after me and 
 mocking me, and plucking me back by the cloak as 
 I fled. 
 
 But even as my body fled away, my soul was drawn 
 back unto the cross ; and I feared to go back lest I 
 should see Jesus, and I feared to go forward lest I should 
 never see him. And these two fears were as two 
 devils that possessed me, driving me hither and thither
 
 Chapter 29] PHILOCHRISTUS 387 
 
 about all the hills and valleys of that neighbourhood 
 for the space of two hours or more ; and during all that 
 time the fear to go back was the stronger. But about 
 the eighth hour of the day, as I wandered like unto one 
 dreaming, not knowing whither I went, behold, I stood 
 on the top of a certain hill ; and thereon was a flock of 
 sheep quietly pasturing, and the shepherd-boy piping to 
 them, and sunlight was all around. But casting mine 
 eyes downward, I saw very far off, under a dark cloud, 
 the multitude still standing round Jesus, and three crosses 
 in the midst (for other two were crucified with him) ; 
 and all in so small a space that it seemed no larger than 
 a man's hand. 
 
 Then came my misery back to me with a shock ; and 
 it seemed a wonderful and an horrible thing that in a 
 little corner of the earth the Almighty should suffer 
 such a one as Jesus of Nazareth to be slain on the 
 cross : and yet, behold, the sun shone and the shepherds 
 piped to their sheep, and there was peace upon the 
 mountains, and all as if nothing strange were happening 
 below. But soon these and all other thoughts were 
 swallowed up in one remembrance, namely, that if I 
 would see Jesus alive, not many minutes now remained 
 unto me ; for the sun was sinking towards the west, and 
 I knew that he could not be suffered to remain upon the 
 cross when the Sabbath began ; for that had been against 
 our customs. Therefore I ran down with exceeding speed, 
 and came again to Golgotha about the tenth hour. 
 
 When I was now within two or three furlongs of the 
 place, I perceived that some of the people were already 
 coming away ; for the Passover was near at hand, so that 
 they must needs go to their homes. So I ran on, and 
 
 c c 2
 
 3 88 PHILOCHEISTUS [Chapter 29 
 
 came to the place where the multitude was standing. 
 And because the throng was diminished, I was now able 
 to come very much nearer to the midst of the multitude, 
 not more than a stone's cast from the cross. But alas 
 for the sight I saw ! For though I was so close, I could 
 not discern anything of Jesus as he once had been ; 
 because his head was bowed forward even more than 
 before, and moreover there was an unwonted darkness 
 over all the place. The people were very still, nor was 
 there now any more sound of cursing or mocking ; for of 
 them that still remained round the cross some were the 
 friends of Jesus, and others had been greatly moved (so 
 it was told me afterwards) by the manner in which he had 
 borne himself upon the cross ; insomuch that even the 
 soldiers which kept guard mocked him no more, but 
 stood watching in silence. But I came forward to the 
 furthest that I might, and placed myself where haply he 
 might see me ; and I would fain have called unto him ; 
 but I durst not, lest I should trouble him, for he was 
 very still. But when I was now come so close unto him 
 that I might almost discern his features in spite of the 
 darkness, behold it was as if a trembling ran through all 
 his limbs, and he raised his head a little, and a voice 
 came forth, which, whoso heard, could not forget for 
 ever : " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? " 
 Then there was another cry exceeding long and loud, 
 and a second trembling running through all the limbs 
 even to the neck and face ; and then a stiffness as of 
 death. 
 
 Now up to the very last I had not given up all hope 
 that Jesus might yet come down from the cross, shewing 
 forth some mighty work worthy of a Messiah ; nor did I
 
 Chapter 29] PHILOCHRISTUS 389 
 
 indeed know how much hope I had had, till this moment 
 wherein all hope perished. But now, when I turned 
 myself to go away from the cross and to leave Jesus 
 for ever, all things seemed ended, and I felt as one alone 
 in the world; yea, I knew not whether there were a God, 
 or whether I myself lived, or all life were not a dream. 
 Thus I went forward, as one in a trance ; when on a 
 sudden I heard the voice of Hezekiah the Scribe : 
 " Art thou not yet convinced of thy folly ? Behold, 
 it is written that thou shouldest not put thy trust in 
 any child of man. For when the breath of man goeth 
 forth, he shall turn again to his earth, and then all his 
 thoughts perish ; even as this thy master, the false 
 prophet, hath perished. But blessed is he that hath the 
 God of Jacob for his help, who keepeth His promises for 
 ever. But thy master, how keepeth he his promises ? 
 Unless perchance," and here he lowered his voice and 
 looked jealously at me, " unless (as is reported to us) ye 
 Galileans hope to steal his body from the grave and so 
 to feign that he is risen ; but that shall not be. For 
 though your patron Joseph of Arimathea may have his 
 will to-day, yet will we take good order that we have 
 our will to-morrow. For the body of a false prophet 
 deserve th not honourable burial." 
 
 I could endure his words no longer, but ran past him 
 as one mad. But, when I was now rid of his presence, 
 passing back into the city by the western gate, my 
 mind ran on all such things as I had done with 
 Jesus on the day before, and my feet turned of them- 
 selves toward the house where we had kept the Passover 
 together. Thence, but still as one in a dream, scarce 
 knowing what I did, I bent my way towards the gate of
 
 390 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 29 
 
 the valley of Kidron. Here I was musing how, but 
 yesterday, in this very place, I had walked by the side 
 of Jesus, even at his right hand, and how the touch of 
 his arm had held me up in my stumbling ; when behold, 
 I started back as if I had seen a spirit. For the voice of 
 one close to me in the twilight whispered with an 
 hissing sound, " He is not dead." I looked, and behold, 
 Judas stood before me. His face was pale and his eyes 
 glared, and passion so wrought his features that they 
 moved and quivered, as if against his will, like unto the 
 features of one possessed by Satan. When I drew back 
 from him, at first he would have stayed me ; but see- 
 ing that I loathed him, he also drew back and said, 
 " Nay, be not afraid, I cannot betray another. But he 
 is not dead. Hast thou not seen him 1 " I marvelled 
 at him, but said nothing, only shaking my head. Then 
 Judas replied, " Think not that I have slain him ; he 
 liveth : he hunteth me to death ; these three times have 
 I seen him. I have not slain him. Why then doth 
 he yet hunt me ? But thou, thou didst love him, be 
 thou at peace with me." Saying these words, he came 
 forward again to have taken me by the hand ; but I 
 could not. Then he turned away and laughed such a 
 laugh as I pray God I may never hear again. But as 
 he departed, he cried aloud, "Thou rememberest his 
 words, 'It were better for him that he had never been 
 born' : verily he was a prophet." Then he laughed 
 again, even such another laugh as before ; and he cursed 
 the God that had made him. With that he went his 
 way, and I saw him no more. 
 
 For a while I stood where I was, as if in a trance, 
 almost expecting that the words of Judas should prove
 
 Chapter W} PHILOCHRISTUS 391 
 
 true, and that Jesus should come forth to me out of the 
 air around me. Then I passed through the gate of 
 Kidron ; and, crossing the brook, I began to go out by 
 the way which leadeth to Bethany. But ever as I 
 went up the mountain, I pondered over the words of 
 Judas, " He is not dead, I have seen him : " for I 
 could not forget them, nor put them 'away from my 
 mind. And behold, whithersoever I looked in the twi- 
 light, all things bore witness unto Jesus and seemed 
 to say the same words, "We have seen him. He is 
 not dead." For if I looked back at the city gates, 
 then I remembered how Jesus had lately passed through 
 them in triumph ; and if I looked on the road before 
 me, then every tree and rock seemed to testify that 
 Jesus had but now been there again and again, in his 
 passing between Bethany and the city ; and at one 
 place he had spoken a certain parable : at another, 
 he had sat down and rested ; or at a third, we had 
 asked him certain questions and he had answered 
 them. Thus the whole of the mountain and all things 
 thereon seemed to cry aloud with one consent, "He is 
 not dead " ; but my heart cried back again, "Nay, but 
 he is dead indeed." 
 
 When at last I came in my wanderings nigh to the 
 top of the mount, even to the stone whereon Jesus 
 had sat down in the midst of the disciples and had 
 prophesied of his coming, then could I no longer 
 refrain myself; but I threw myself on the ground in a 
 passion of tears and sobbings, beating my breast and 
 rending my garments. And when I desired to cry unto 
 the Lord in my agony, behold, the words of Jesus on 
 the cross came into my mouth ; and if I tried to fashion
 
 392 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 29 
 
 some other prayer, no other words would come to me, 
 but I could do naught but repeat them over and over 
 again, crying unto the Lord and saying, "Why hast 
 Thou forsaken him ? Why hast Thou forsaken him I " 
 So speaking, I scarce refrained from doing even as Judas 
 had done, so as to curse the day wherein I was born ; 
 and I became again as one distraught. But after a time 
 (but how long a time 1 know not) a darkness came down 
 upon mine eyes, and all things swam around me, and 
 I fell to the ground as one without life. 
 
 When I came to myself, behold, I lay upon my back 
 and looked upward, and the moon was shining high in 
 the heavens above me. So I thought how the same 
 moon had shone down with the same brightness yester- 
 night upon my Master in Gethsemane. "And now where 
 is he ? " I ceased from that thought, and went back in 
 my mind to thoughts of the past. Then I remembered 
 what a splendour, even such as I now saw, had shone 
 upon our Master's face when he came down from Mount 
 Hermon, and when he came up from Jericho to Bethany, 
 and also when of late he gave us the bread and wine at 
 our last supper together. Also there came into my 
 mind the words that he had spoken, when this brightness 
 had been upon his countenance : how he had then pro- 
 phesied, and more than once, that he should be slain ; 
 but we had never believed him. Yet his words had 
 come to pass. Then I asked within myself how it was 
 that Jesus had foreseen his own death and prophesied it 
 so oft, yet had never been dismayed nor even disturbed 
 by the thought thereof ; and I remembered that when- 
 soever he had spoken of his death, he had spoken also 
 of a certain rising again, or coming : and I said aloud,
 
 Chapter 29] PIIILOCHRISTUS 393 
 
 " If Jesus prophesied his death truly, why might he 
 not also prophesy truly concerning his coming again 1 " 
 
 But against this hope there set themselves those last 
 words w r hich had come from the mouth of Jesus on the 
 cross, " My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ? " 
 Now these words are the first words, and as it were the 
 prelude, of one of our psalms. So I began to repeat to 
 myself the words of the 'psalm ; which beginneth with 
 sadness, yea even from the depths of sorrow, but these 
 words follow afterwards : " I will declare thy name unto 
 my brethren : in the midst of the congregation will 
 I praise thee. For he hath not despised nor abhorred 
 the affliction of the afflicted ; neither hath he hid his 
 face from him, but when he cried unto him he heard." 
 So I wondered whether Jesus, in speaking those last 
 words, had in his mind all the words of the psalm, and 
 "Perchance," I said, "in saying the first words, he 
 signified (in his sore weakness when the breath was 
 departing from him) that he desired to say the whole ; 
 for the first words are but as a title to the whole. Where- 
 fore, perchance, beneath the sense of the forsaking, there 
 was a deeper sense that God did not despise the affliction 
 of the afflicted." Then I mused again concerning the 
 words of the Psalm, and especially on these, " When he 
 cried unto him, he heard/' And I looked up to the 
 moon and the stars in heaven, which are the work of 
 the hand of God, and I asked whether it was possible 
 that the Maker of so beautiful an order in heaven should 
 suffer disorder to prevail upon the earth ; and my heart 
 said that it could not prevail for ever. "Therefore," 
 said I, " God must needs have heard Jesus of Nazareth 
 when he cried unto Him. Yea, though He seemed not
 
 394 PUILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 29 
 
 to hear, yet must He have heard indeed. Yea, even 
 though Jesus be dead, yea, even though Jesus be not the 
 Messiah, yet surely the Lord must have heard Jesus ; 
 for not to have heard him, would have been not to be 
 God/' 
 
 Then rose I up and stood and stretched out my hands 
 in prayer unto the Lord with whom all things are 
 possible, that He would shew forth His mercy upon me ; 
 and behold, when I tried to pray, my lips would shape 
 forth no other prayer, but that He would bring back 
 Jesus unto us, even though it were for a moment of time, 
 that we might look upon him and know that he still 
 lived. And at one moment I rebuked myself because 
 the thing seemed impossible ; but the next moment that 
 prayer rose up again, and no other. But when I had 
 prayed, I lay down again, for I was very weary ; and 
 because I was now more at peace within myself, there 
 came upon me a sweet sleep. 
 
 In my sleep I dreamed ; and the Lord sent unto me a 
 vision of the night, whereof the former part was like 
 unto the vision which I had had the night before, 
 but the latter part was different. For again, methought, 
 I saw Jesus standing on the top of a mountain in great 
 glory ; and albeit his face was like the face of him 
 that hath passed through much tribulation, yet did 
 the glory prevail over the sorrow, and he rejoiced as 
 one triumphing over Satan and Death. As 1 looked, 
 methought Jesus was lifted up in a chariot from the 
 mountain towards the clouds, and angels accompanied him 
 as he rode upward ; and a sound of solemn music came 
 down from above to greet him. The heavens opened, 
 yea, even to the seventh heaven, and there appeared
 
 Chapter 29] PUILOCHRISTUS 395 
 
 the likeness of a throne on the right hand of the Majesty 
 on high ; and ten thousands of thousands of saints were 
 about the throne, with palms in their hands, singing 
 hosannas unto the Son of David. But even as the chariot 
 rose higher and higher, the music waxed louder and 
 fuller ; till at the last, when the chariot was now nigh 
 unto the throne, behold all the harps in heaven rang out 
 hosannas with such a peal of praise as made me start 
 out of my vision ; and I awoke, and it was a dream.
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 WHEN I awoke, it was now hard upon the third hour 
 of the day, and the sun from behind Mount Olivet was 
 shining brightl} T down upon the city. All things below 
 were full of beauty and glory, nor would a stranger 
 have known that the stain of innocent blood was upon 
 the place ; so fair shone all the city rejoicing in the 
 Sabbath sun. When I looked thereon, the memory 
 of my dream vanished, even as the mists which I saw 
 rolling upward from the side of the mountain and vanish- 
 ing into the pure air. My misery returned upon me 
 again ; and I felt once more alone and without God in 
 the world. But I resolved to go up straightway to 
 Bethany, if perchance I might there find the apostles 
 in the house of Mary and Martha. When I was come 
 thither, I found them all, save Judas ; and I entered 
 in and sat with them in silence ; and for a long time 
 we neither prayed nor spake together, nor so much as 
 lamented aloud ; but there we sat speechless and com- 
 fortless ; for the hand of the Lord was heavy upon us. 
 
 At the last spake certain of the women, saying that 
 they had brought spices, such as are used in the embalm- 
 ing of bodies, and that they purposed to go early on the 
 morrow for to embalm the body of Jesus. Then I asked
 
 Chapter 30] PHILOCHRISTUS 397 
 
 where he was buried; and they told me, "in a garden 
 of Joseph of Arimathea, nigh unto the place of cruci- 
 fixion." After that, I asked whether any had stood near, 
 and in view of the cross while he was suffering ; for 
 I had been thrust away by the crowd. Then John 
 the son of Zebedee answered and said that he had been 
 nigh, and that Jesus had borne all the anguish with a 
 marvellous constancy. He told me also of certain other 
 words which Jesus had spoken while he was on the 
 cross, and that a soldier, after his death, had wounded 
 his side with a spear ; but when I asked him whether 
 he had heard Jesus speak also those words which I had 
 myself heard, namely that God had forsaken him, then 
 John said nothing, but only moved his head as if to say 
 that it was so ; and the rest also were silent, for we 
 feared to think on those words. 
 
 After we had all thus sat silent for a while, one of the 
 women began to speak again and to say that all things 
 had happened according to the words of Jesus ; for he 
 had said that he should be slain ; and he had blessed 
 Mary, in that she had anointed his body for the burial. 
 Then another of the women began to bring to our mind 
 how Jesus had long ago prophesied that the time should 
 come when we should desire to see one of the days of 
 the Son of man, and should not find it. And another 
 spake how, at another time, when we were in the country 
 round about Hermon, he had prophesied that he should 
 be slain ; therefore, said she, he was a true prophet. But 
 Thomas made mention of the saying of Hosea, whereof 
 Jesus had oftentimes been used to speak, " Come and let 
 us return unto the Lord, for he hath torn and he will heal 
 us ; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two
 
 398 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 30 
 
 days will lie revive us ; in the third day he will raise us 
 up, and we shall live in his sight." Then said Thomas, 
 " A part of the sayings of Jesus hath indeed come to 
 pass "; and he added no more. But all we that were in that 
 chamber sitting together, knew what Thomas had in his 
 mind to say (for it 'was in our minds also), namely, that 
 the rest of the words of Jesus were not to be fulfilled. 
 So again we sat silent ; for indeed our souls were wholly 
 given up to meditating on those words of Jesus, " after 
 two days he will revive us " ; and each knew that the 
 others were meditating on the same ; yet durst none of 
 us say so much as a word, nor so much as confess to 
 himself that the words could import anything now ; for 
 about that matter we feared even to hope. 
 
 But by degrees our tongues were loosed, and we 
 began to speak more freely concerning the goodness 
 of Jesus, how exceeding gentle he was at all times to 
 the young and simple, and to the poor and oppressed ; 
 how full of peace and cheerfulness ; how thoughtful 
 for others, how forgetful of himself. Then we spake 
 of his marvellous power in the forgiving of sins, and 
 in the healing of diseases, and in the casting out of 
 unclean spirits. And one said that with all these faculties 
 he joined a marvellous grace of modesty and humility, 
 so that no child could carry himself with less of pride 
 or ostentation. " Yea," said another, " and yet withal, 
 though he were never so simple and humble, he ever 
 spake of himself, none the less, as the haven and refuge 
 for men, saying such words as these unto us, ' Come 
 unto me, and I will give you rest/ and again, 
 * Take my yoke upon you : ' moreover he bade us 
 take his voice as our Law in the stead of the Law of
 
 Chapter 30] PHILOCHRISTUS 399 
 
 Moses, saying, ' It was said to them of old, do this, 
 but I say unto you, do that.' Therefore are we of all 
 men most miserable in that, having received from God 
 the very source of light and life, now we are deprived 
 thereof." Then Peter said, " Yea, verily we have none 
 else to whom we can go, for Jesus alone hath the words 
 of eternal life ; and without him we have no life." 
 But said another, " If God be good, how could it be 
 that He should have forsaken Jesus, so that he cried 
 aloud, ' My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken 
 me ? ' Then Nathanael spake and said (the very 
 thought that was in my heart also) that perchance Jesus 
 used those words, desiring briefly to pour forth all the 
 trouble and all the trust of his heart ; for, said he, " These 
 words are as it were the title of the psalm, and the 
 psalm beginneth with trouble, but it endeth with trust." 
 To this the rest agreed that it might be so ; but we 
 all felt within ourselves that this was small comfort : 
 for we needed not only to think that it might be so, 
 but to know that it was so. 
 
 Then one said that the Kingdom of God and the 
 Redemption of Sion were now as far off as ever. But 
 Mary of Magdala said with great vehemency, "that 
 she mourned not for the Redemption of Sion, but 
 because the breath of life was taken out of the world, 
 for without Jesus there was no more truth nor right- 
 eousness. He trusted in God, would not God deliver 
 him ? Was he not the Son of the living God ? If, 
 therefore, the Father live, how can the Son be dead \ " 
 She added yet other words still more passionate, as if 
 God were no God unless Jesus were restored to life. 
 We chid her, and would have stayed her speech : for,
 
 400 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter SO 
 
 though she did indeed express the very feelings of our 
 hearts, yet were we afraid to see them put into plain 
 words, and besides, we dreaded the pain of new hopes. 
 For to hope that we should look again on Jesus, and 
 afterwards to fail of that hope, had been to have had 
 Jesus snatched from us a second time. 
 
 By this time the sun had set, and the women began 
 to make ready the spices for the embalming. But I 
 (because it had been reported to certain of the disciples 
 that the chief priests purposed to set a guard round 
 the tomb) determined to go down that I might see 
 whether the tomb were beset with guards or no, and 
 whether the women could have easy access to it. I 
 easily found the place in the light of the moon, 
 and it was even as the women had said ; for the 
 garden of Joseph lay not more than three stones' cast 
 from the place where Jesus had been crucified. So I 
 stood for a while looking on the stone, which was at 
 the mouth of the tomb, and no man else was in the 
 garden. But while I stood near the tomb, very nigh 
 unto the mouth thereof, I heard a sound on my right 
 hand ; and when I turned round, behold, a light ; and the 
 lights grew many as I looked, and I perceived that there 
 were torches approaching. So I went back some dis- 
 tance, and still the torches came nearer ; and the men 
 were, as it seemed to me, servants of the chief priests, 
 but I discerned also the face of Hezekiah the Scribe ; and 
 they all stood round the tomb, and I also stood and 
 watched them from afar off, to see what they would do. 
 But I could not remain ; for they sent out watchers on 
 all sides calling to one another in a circle, like unto men 
 keeping sentinel, for to spy whether any one were near.
 
 Chapter 30] PHILOCHRISTUS 401 
 
 Then I fled perforce and in haste ; and though I fled 
 straightway, yet could I not contrive but the watchers 
 perceived me and chased after me and went near to take 
 me. But I escaped out of their hands, and went up to 
 Bethany to bear word unto the women. And when the 
 women heard these things they were sore distressed. 
 Howbeit they resolved that in any case they would go 
 forth to the tomb very early on the morrow. 
 
 But before we lay down to rest that night, we spake 
 again of Jesus, and concerning all that he had said and 
 done ; and we continued our discourse late into the 
 night, and were loth to break off ; for while we dis- 
 coursed together of former times, we seemed to have 
 Jesus again in the midst of us. But at the end, when 
 we were now ceasing, the Spirit of the Lord fell upon 
 Mary of Magclala, and she lifted up her voice and 
 sang as the Lord moved her, and the words were even 
 from, the psalm whereof we had been but now speaking, 
 while discoursing concerning the forsaking of Jesus by 
 God. Now the song describeth the suffering of the Mes- 
 siah. Therefore when she came in her singing to these 
 words, " They pierced my hands and my feet ; I may tell 
 all my bones ; they stand staring and looking upon me. 
 They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon 
 my vesture " : then we wept, remembering the sufferings 
 of Jesus. But when she sang the next words, " But be 
 not thou far from me, Lord. Thou art my succour, 
 haste thee to help me. Deliver my soul from the sword, 
 my darling also from the power of the dog. Save me from 
 the lion's mouth : Thou hast heard me from among the 
 horns of the unicorns. I will declare thy name unto 
 my brethren ; in the midst of the congregation will I 
 
 D D
 
 402 PHILOCHB18TU8 [Chapter 30 
 
 }>raise thee. For he hath not despised, nor abhorred the 
 low estate of the poor ; he hath not hid his face from 
 him ; but when he called unto him he heard him " : 
 then we wept no longer, but we marvelled while we 
 looked on her, and while we hearkened to the words of 
 her singing : for she sang as one taught of God, so that 
 we durst not- stay her ; yet we thought in our hearts, 
 " Notwithstanding when Jesus called unto Him, He heard 
 him not." And when we thought on this we besought 
 her that she would cease. 
 
 Howbeit she ceased not, but began to sing yet another 
 psalm, a part of the great Hallel ; even the very words 
 that Jesus himself had sung to us on the night before he 
 suffered. And the other women joined with her, and 
 they sang so that the sound thereof pierced to our very 
 souls. Then could we endure it no longer, but covered 
 our faces with our hands. But they continued singing, 
 " I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the 
 Lord. The Lord hath chastened and corrected me, but 
 he hath not given me over unto death. Thou art my 
 God, and I will thank thee ; thou art my God, and I 
 will praise thee." 
 
 Now while they were singing, I had closed mine eyes ; 
 and lo, there rose up before me a vision of the upper 
 room where we had supped together with Jesus on the 
 night that he was betrayed : and I seemed to see the 
 face of Jesus himself; yea, though I was not asleep 
 nor in a trance, yet did I see Jesus himself sitting 
 again as if at meat with us. Therefore was I loth to 
 open mine eyes ; for I feared that, when I opened them, 
 J should no longer see what I saw. But when the 
 women had made an end of singing, then opened I
 
 Chapter 30] PIIILOGHRISTUS 403 
 
 mine eyes, half expecting that it might prove no vision, 
 and that Jesus would be sitting before me in the midst 
 of us. But I saw nothing;, nor were the women any 
 longer with us, for they were gone forth into another 
 chamber to finish their preparations for the embalming. 
 For they desired to visit the sepulchre very early in the 
 morning, and it was by this time the third watch of 
 the night. About the space of an hour, I remained in 
 the chamber with the rest : then I heard the footsteps 
 of the women as they passed forth from the house. 
 I tried to sleep, but could not ; for ever in my mind 
 was present the thought of Jesus in the tomb, waiting 
 the approach of the women to embalm him. So my 
 heart went forth with the women upon their errand, and 
 I reckoned over the time and said ever and anon, " Now 
 they are come down from the mountain ; by this time 
 they are nigh to Golgotha ; now they are in the garden ; 
 now they are at the tomb/' Then I saw before mine 
 eyes the women embracing the dead limbs of our 
 Master. " And now," said I, " the stone is rolled away and 
 they have entered in : they weep, but he answereth not, 
 neither heareth ; his eyes move not nor make any answer 
 to their eyes; they clasp his hands, but his hands clasp 
 not theirs again." 
 
 When I thought on these things I arose in sore 
 extremity nigh unto despair, and went up to the house- 
 top. Above the mountains of Moab, to the east, there 
 was a faint token of dawn. I thought of the coming 
 day, and I loathed it ; for without Jesus the light seemecl 
 unto me as darkness. Moreover when I strove to pray, 
 Satan tempted me very sorely, so that I could not pray : 
 for I said, " Behold I am without Jesus : but God 
 
 D D 2
 
 404 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 30 
 
 without Jesus is to me as no God." Then fell I flat 
 upon my face and wrestled with Satan in prayer, and 
 I besought the Lord again and again that He would 
 give Jesus back to us, yea, though it were but to look on 
 him for one moment, that we might be assured that 
 all was well with him. How long I prayed I know not, 
 but it seemed to me many hours ; and sometimes I 
 stood in my praying and watched the dawn growing 
 brighter ; and even as the dawn grew, my fears and 
 doubts grew with it ; but at other times I lay prostrate 
 and shut out the light. So at last the sky began to 
 brighten towards sunrise ; and still I was crying unto 
 the Lord from the depths, according as it is written, 
 " I wait for the Lord ; my soul doth wait, and in his 
 word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more 
 than they that watch for the morning, more, I say, than 
 they that watch for the morning." 
 
 Now while I lay grovelling in the very deepest of the 
 depths, beseechiog the Lord to destroy me if I might 
 not have peace, behold, a sound as of many feet below, 
 without the house, and then a knocking, exceeding loud ; 
 and one asked from within, " Who is there ? " And 
 the answer came piercing the air, " HE is RISEN ! HE is 
 
 RISEN ! JESUS IS RISEN FROM THE DEAD ! " Now at first 
 
 I thought that the voice was the voice of an angel ; but 
 when I considered, and heard how answer was made, 
 and the door forthwith opened, and a sound as of feet 
 entering, then straightway I knew that it was the 
 voice of one of the women come back from the sepulchre. 
 Immediately, therefore, going down, I found all the 
 household stirring, and the women returned, and all 
 the disciples gathered together, and standing round
 
 Chapter 30] PHILOCHRISTUS 405 
 
 the women, questioning them, and listening to their 
 words. 
 
 Then the women told us how they had gone down 
 to Golgotha, even to the tomb ; and when Mary of 
 Magdala was now nigh, even at the mouth of the tomb 
 (for she walked somewhat before the rest), behold, the 
 great stone at the mouth of the tomb was rolled away. 
 Then she called aloud for despair, and her companions 
 hasted to her ; but when they were now come to her, 
 as she was even now adventuring to enter into the 
 tomb, of a sudden Mary cried out again, saying, 
 " Behold, an angel of the Lord ! " And lo, there 
 appeared to them (even to all the women and not 
 to Mary only) an angel clothed in white ; and they 
 all heard a voice which said, " He is not here, but 
 is risen." And, said Mary Magdalene, the voice added 
 that we were to return to Galilee, and there we should 
 see him ; but another of the women said that the voice 
 seemed to her also to speak of Galilee, but she heard 
 not those other words which Mary heard. 1 Also some 
 of the women had seen two angels, but others only one. 
 But as concerning this at least, all the women were 
 agreed, namely, that they had seen a vision of angels, 
 and that they had heard a voice which cried out, " He 
 is not here, he is risen." 
 
 Now when we had spent much time in questioning 
 and hearing the women, I desired to go down forth- 
 with to the sepulchre, for to see it with mine own eyes : 
 but the women stayed me, and said, ' ' It were better 
 to wait ; for Peter and John are already gone down." 
 So I waited, but in sore trouble of mind ; for at one time 
 1 See Note IY.
 
 406 PHI LOC HEIST US 
 
 I believed, but at another time I doubted. For as 
 concerning the tomb, it came into my mind that it 
 was like enough that the servants of the chief priests 
 (whom I had seen in the garden during the night) 
 might haply have broken open the tomb and stolen 
 away the body ; but then on the other side there was 
 the vision of the angels and the voice ; and besides, it 
 was being borne in upon my mind, and upon the minds 
 of most of us, that Jesus must indeed arise from the dead, 
 for thus should both the words of the prophets be fulfilled, 
 and his own words also ; but otherwise they could not be 
 fulfilled. So I waited till John and Peter should return. 
 But while I was still waiting and marvelling that they 
 tarried so long, there came in certain of the disciples ; 
 these were not Galileans, but abode in Jerusalem, and 
 they asked us whether we had seen aught that night. 
 We said " No." Then said one of them to us, " Last 
 night, in returning from beholding that which came to 
 pass at Golgotha, about two hours after sunset, Miriam, 
 my sister's daughter, saw her father (who hath now been 
 buried these six weeks) risen from the grave and stand- 
 ing wrapped in the grave-clothes near her bed ; moreover 
 two other women of mine acquaintance saw the bodies 
 of their little children, fresh and blooming as if they 
 were verily alive ; and another, a certain young man 
 named Mattathias (but he is not known to me), is said 
 to have seen his brother, who hath been buried more 
 than a year, standing as if alive, so that he even 
 approached him and called him by name. And other 
 wonderful sights have appeared to very many." And 
 his companions confirmed all his words, saying, " The 
 like also we ourselves have heard."
 
 Chapter 30] PH1LOCHRI8TU8 407 
 
 While we marvelled at their words, the two disciples, 
 Peter and John, came into the chamber. But they had 
 seen nothing ; only the stone rolled away, even as the 
 women had said, and the tomb void of the body. Then 
 one of the disciples brought again to our minds how 
 that Jesus, even before his death, had bidden us go into 
 Galilee, saying that he would there manifest himself 
 unto us ; and when we questioned Mary of Magdala, 
 she constantly affirmed that the voice of the angels 
 was to the same effect. Therefore I resolved that I 
 would set forth that very day to go to Capernaum. 
 For a hope was now waxing strong within me that I 
 should after all see Jesus again. So I set out without 
 delay, with certain other of the disciples ; howbeit the 
 greater part would stay in Jerusalem yet a few days.
 
 408 
 
 WHEN we came to Capernaum, on the evening of the 
 third day, we spent the rest of that day in praying and 
 praising God ; and we fasted and besought the Lord that 
 we might see Jesus according to His promise. And so 
 we spent the next day likewise. But on the morrow, 
 which was the fifth day of the week, it being now a full 
 week from the time when Jesus had broken bread with us 
 on the night when he was betrayed, we determined that 
 we also would break bre^d together, even as he had com- 
 manded us, in memory of him. And about the sixth 
 hour of the day, when we were seated together in an 
 upper room praying to the Lord, there came in Peter 
 and James and other of the disciples, but now returned 
 from Jerusalem. And Peter related how the Lord Jesus 
 himself had appeared to him ; and James said that he 
 also had seen the Lord Jesus. Now at first I feared lest 
 it might be the will of the Lord that Jesus should reveal 
 himself to none save the Twelve ; but I understood that 
 Mary of Magdala also had seen him. 
 
 Then two other of the disciples, and they not of the 
 number of the Twelve, related to me how Jesus had 
 appeared to them also, at the breaking of bread. For
 
 Chapter 31] PHILOCHRISTUS 409 
 
 they had walked forth together conversing much about 
 Jesus of Nazareth, and about the hopes which they had 
 had that he should have redeemed Israel. " And so 
 it was," said one of them (for I will set down the story 
 as it was told me by one of the disciples, whose name 
 was Cleophas), " that we had just made mention between 
 ourselves of the voice and the vision of angels ; making 
 mention thereof as of an idle tale. And it was the hour 
 of prayer. And because of the extremity of our sorrow 
 we both fell on our faces, and poured out all our desire 
 before the Lord, beseeching Him for the Eedemption of 
 Israel. Then the Lord Jesus had compassion on us and 
 came to us. For when we rose up from praying, we 
 heard a voice from the Lord Jesus himself, chiding us 
 for our folly and slowness of heart in not believing all 
 that the prophets had spoken ; for that it was needful 
 that Christ should have suffered these things, and thus 
 to enter into his glory : and lo, at an instant the whole 
 of the truth of the Scriptures lay before our eyes, and all 
 the meaning of the words of the Lord Jesus withal. 
 
 "As we went forward, our hearts burned within us 
 while the Lord revealed unto us the Scriptures and all the 
 meaning of his prophecies ; but still our eyes were not 
 opened to discern that he himself was present with us ; 
 yet we perceived that there was a divine presence near us. 
 But when the sun was setting and we drew nigh unto the 
 village whither we were going, our hearts became faint 
 and dull, as if the presence were departing from us. 
 Therefore we knelt down once more and besought the 
 Lord that he would continue to us the strength of his 
 presence. Notwithstanding even now our eyes were not 
 opened that we should discern him.
 
 410 PHILOCH8ISTU8 [Chapter 31 
 
 " But in the evening, it being now late, when we were 
 sat down to eat bread together, our hearts being full of 
 the presence of Jesus, we brake the bread and blessed it, 
 even as Jesus had broken and blessed, and then we said 
 aloud, according to his word, ' Behold, the body of the 
 Lord ; ' and lo, at that word the cloud was removed 
 from our eyes, and first my companion, and then I also, 
 discerned Jesus on the other side of the table, reclining 
 as if at meat (even as he reclined when he last brake 
 bread with us), and with his hands stretched out as if in 
 the breaking and blessing of bread. Now for a while 
 (but I knew not how long, except that it was not very 
 long), Jesus remained with his hands still outstretched as 
 at the first, looking at us with a very loving counten- 
 ance, but saying naught ; and we sat upright as men 
 astonied and speechless, and not able to move for aston- 
 ishment ; but when we rose up for to have embraced 
 him, straightway Jesus vanished out of our sight." 
 
 All we that were in the chamber rejoiced when we heard 
 Cleophas saying these things. Only Thomas believed not ; 
 for the thing seemed unto him too beautiful to be verily 
 true, and he said, " If I believe that Jesus is risen from 
 the dead, and afterwards find that it is not so, then 
 shall my misery be increased twofold : therefore will I 
 believe not." And he added moreover, " Except I shall 
 see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger 
 in the print of the nails and thrust my hand into his 
 side, I will not believe." We were grieved at the words 
 of Thomas : howbeit none rebuked him, for we knew 
 that he spake out of his exceeding love of Jesus. But 
 we besought him to break bread with us that evening, 
 according to the commandment of Jesus.
 
 Chapter $1} PHILOCHRISTUS 41 1 
 
 So about one hour after sunset, we were assembled 
 all together in the upper room (it was a room in the 
 house of Peter, wherein Jesus was wont to sit at meat 
 with us in past times), and Thomas also was with us. But 
 the door was shut and made fast for fear of spies ; whom 
 the Scribes in Capernaum had begun to set over us for to 
 watch us. When all things were now ready, first we 
 sang a psalm, even the same psalm tha.t Jesus had sung 
 on the same night in the week before, when we kept the 
 Passover together. Then Simon Peter offered up prayers 
 and praises to God, and made mention of the comfort- 
 able words of the Lord Jesus, how he had said that he 
 would never leave us nor forsake us, but that wheresoever 
 two or three were gathered together in his name, there 
 would he be present among them. Last of all he spake 
 of the testament of the Lord Jesus, how he had bidden 
 us break bread and drink wine in memory of him, that 
 we might partake of his body and his blood. Then 
 began Simon Peter to break bread and to reach it to each 
 of us, and at the same time he said, " This is the body 
 of the Lord." But behold, in the midst of his giving of 
 the bread, Peter made a sudden pause and was silent, and 
 his eyes were fixed, and he gazed steadfastly upon the 
 place which had been left empty at the table ; for 
 Jesus had been wont to sit there in times past, where- 
 fore in that place durst no man sit. Then I turned 
 round hastily to look, and behold, Jesus was there ; 
 as clear to view as ever I had seen him in this life, 
 only very pale, and there were the nail-prints in his 
 hands, and methought there was a wound in his side ; 
 and the brightness of his love and compassion passed 
 sensibly forth from his eyes to mine, and all my
 
 4 1 2 PHIL CU JUSTUS [Chapter 3 1 
 
 soul went out to him as I looked ; but I could in no 
 wise speak, nor did I desire to speak ; for I had thoughts 
 deeper than all words. 
 
 Now not a hand moved, not a word was spoken : and 
 there was such a silence as if one could hear and count 
 the footsteps of time ; neither could I turn mine eyes 
 from Jesus till I heard Thomas weeping beside me ; but 
 he threw himself on the ground, stretching out his 
 hands to Jesus, and reproaching himself for his faithless- 
 ness ; and at the same time, pressing the bread, even the 
 body of the Lord which he held in his hand, he cried 
 out saying, " My hand hath touched ; yea I have 
 touched; I believe, I believe." But neither he nor 
 any of us durst adventure to go to that part of the table 
 where Jesus sat ; but when I looked again, behold his 
 hand was stretched out (even as the two disciples had 
 described their vision of Jesus) as if he brake and blessed 
 the bread that was his body ; and Thomas also heard a 
 voice (but I heard not the voice) saying that he was to 
 touch with his hand, according to his own saying, 
 and to be no more faithless, but believing. After this 
 Jesus vanished from our eyes, and neither in his coming 
 nor in his departing was the door opened, but it remained 
 shut -fast ; whereat we all marvelled. 
 
 From henceforth old things seemed to pass away, and 
 all things became new unto us. For whithersoever we 
 went, and whatsoever we did, we knew that we had the 
 presence of Jesus with us, even when we saw him not. 
 But oftentimes he revealed himself to us, and we saw 
 him plainly ; and this too not only in the house and 
 sitting at meat (albeit he oftentimes, and methinks 
 most times, revealed himself to us in the house),
 
 Chapter 31] PHILOCHRISTUS 413 
 
 but sometimes also abroad in the fields, or even 
 on the lake. Yea I myself was once present when a 
 storm came down upon us on the lake, and the winds 
 sent up such waves as were like to have covered our 
 boat, and we cried unto Jesus in our terror ; and behold, 
 the storm ceased, and the clouds parted asunder, and we 
 saw Jesus walking on the waves and stilling them under 
 his feet. And to others of the disciples he appeared at 
 another time, when they had been toiling the night 
 long at fishing, and had caught nothing ; and he gave 
 unto them a draught of fishes exceeding any that they 
 had ever before taken. 
 
 But the most of the manifestations of Jesus were 
 vouchsafed to us when we brake bread together ; after 
 which manner also he revealed himself unto James, as I 
 have heard. For James had taken an oath that he would 
 neither eat nor drink until he had seen Jesus risen from 
 the dead. Therefore on the night after the vision of 
 angels which had been seen by the women, James was 
 in the house at Bethany with Simon Peter and John, 
 and the table was spread for supper ; but James would 
 not eat. Then suddenly Jesus was seen sitting in the 
 midst of them, breaking bread and blessing it, and 
 bidding James to partake thereof. 1 But, as I have said, 
 Jesus appeared to us at other times and in other places, 
 and not merely in the breaking of bread ; and sometimes 
 in visions without a voice, but at other times in a voice 
 without any vision, and sometimes also, as it has been 
 reported unto me, by signs and tokens (without either 
 voice or vision), and even in the guise of strangers ; and 
 all this for the space of little less than a year, insomuch 
 1 See Note V.
 
 414 rillLOCHRISTUS [Chapter 31 
 
 that, if any one should adventure to set forth all the 
 manifestations of Jesus, and the time and place and 
 manner of each, I suppose that the world itself could 
 not contain the books that should be written. Therefore 
 passing over these, I will relate how Jesus appeared 
 in Galilee on a certain mountain to more than five 
 hundred of the brethren at one time. 
 
 It was on this wise. A year, or not much less, had 
 passed away since the rising of Jesus from the. dead ; 
 and we were still tarrying in Galilee, and the Passover 
 was at hand. Now during that year the number of the 
 disciples had been increasing, but not much ; for we had 
 not at that time been moved to proclaim the Eesurrection 
 of Jesus. But as the Passover drew nigh, Jesus began 
 to manifest himself less often to us ; and he made 
 known to us by the mouth of Peter and of other of the 
 disciples that the time was at hand when he should 
 ascend up to heaven. Then there arose a questioning 
 atnong us whether we should go up to the Passover 
 or not ; for some said that Jerusalem was an accursed 
 city (because the doom of our Lord had gone forth upon 
 it), and that we should not go up ; but others said that 
 we should go up ; for the Lord would there reveal his 
 will to us. Then it seemed good that the disciples 
 should meet together on a certain mountain in Galilee, 
 whereto Jesus had often resorted aforetime ; and there 
 we were to consider of these matters and to ask counsel of 
 the Lord. Now when we were assembled to the number of 
 five hundred in all, women and men together, behold, as 
 we were all offering up prayers with one consent in the 
 name of the Lord Jesus, there was a cry, " Behold 
 him." And Jesus appeared unto us, of the same
 
 Chapter 31] PIIILOCIIB1STUS 415 
 
 aspect as before, but fainter, and as it seemed standing 
 at a distance from us ; insomuch that some that had not 
 before seen Jesus risen from the dead, were in doubt ; 
 and others said they saw nothing. But when we prayed 
 more earnestly, behold, Jesus came closer to us, so that 
 all, or almost all, could discern him ; and he waved with 
 the hand as if bidding us go southward. Afterwards 
 the Lord spake by the mouth of Peter, saying that 
 we were verily to go to Jerusalem. And so it was 
 determined. 
 
 Now in the meantime, while we were waiting till the 
 Feast of the Passover should come round, our hearts 
 began to burn within us as if something great must 
 surely come to pass, and the time must be at hand when 
 we should go forth to preach Jesus to the world. For 
 words may not describe with how great a joy we lived 
 during those days one with another, and what a passion 
 of love knit our hearts together ; and it seemed a sin 
 that so much joy and happiness should not be imparted 
 to others besides ourselves only. For at this time we, 
 the disciples of Jesus, were as it were in Paradise, and 
 joy went ever with us. For if we sailed upon the 
 lake in our fishing -boats, Jesus was there ; or if we 
 remained in Capernaum, working in the gardens, or on 
 the quay, or about the booths, or went out into the 
 fields, Jesus was there ; and when we met together in 
 the evenings to break bread in memory of him, or in 
 the early dawn on the first day of the week, to renew the 
 remembrance of his rising again, then verily Jesus was 
 not only there, but also often visibly there ; insomuch 
 that while we touched his body with our hands, and while 
 .we drank of the blood from his side, we were able at the
 
 4 i 6 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 31 
 
 same time to feast our eyes upon the brightness of his 
 countenance. Yet with all our joy we were not yet 
 moved to go forth to preach the Good News. For it 
 seemed sufficient for that present time that we should 
 take delight in the presence of Jesus, and suck in 
 strength from often beholding him visibly present 
 among us. 
 
 Howbeit, though we were still as children clinging to 
 the mother, and not yet able to walk alone, notwith- 
 standing day by day we were learning some new thing 
 concerning the will of the Lord : and the teaching of 
 Jesus, which had in times past been hid from us, began 
 now to appear more clear, and our eyes were being opened 
 also to understand the Law and the prophets ; and we all 
 now understood that it had been the will of God from 
 the first that Jesus should die upon the cross and give 
 his life as a ransom for many. Moreover, we began to 
 perceive that a time might be at hand when the Lord 
 Jesus would depart from us, and seem to leave us alone 
 upon the earth to preach the Kingdom of God : and we 
 no longer feared to be alone, for we knew now that the 
 Lord Jesus could never really leave us. 
 
 So we came up to Jerusalem. And it came to pass 
 on the day of the Feast of the Passover, Jesus once 
 more revealed himself visibly to us ; and by the mouth 
 of Peter he spake concerning that which was to come, 
 and said that he must now be lifted up from among us : 
 howbeit his Spirit should abide with us, and thence we 
 should receive the power of forgiving sins. Some also 
 said that they saw Jesus open his lips like unto one 
 breathing forth breath upon another ; as if he then 
 breathed upon us the spirit of forgiveness : but this I
 
 Chapter 31} f" PHILOCHRISTUS 417 
 
 saw not, nor anything that Jesus did, save that he 
 blessed and brake bread, after his wont. 
 
 Now after the Passover we waited patiently at Jeru- 
 salem for nigh forty days ; and all that time Jesus 
 revealed himself not to any one of us, neither by sight 
 nor by voice : and we questioned much among ourselves 
 whether we ought to delay longer, for our hearts were 
 desirous to preach Jesus. But when the feast of Pen- 
 tecost was now at hand the word of the Lord Jesus came 
 to us, saying that we should go forth to Mount Olivet, 
 even to Bethany. And we went forth even as the 
 Lord led us : yet he spake no word more to us ; and it 
 was now the tenth hour of the day. And after that 
 we had walked for some while this way and that way 
 upon the uplands of that mountain (even where our 
 Master had walked in times past), and when we had 
 spoken much together concerning all that he had said 
 and done in these same places, behold, we came unto 
 a hollow cleft in the mountain, whither no path led. 
 nor was any habitation of men nigh unto it. Now by 
 this time it wanted but a little of sunset : yet were we 
 loth to go back to Jerusalem till we should have under- 
 stood what the will of the Lord might be. So Peter 
 said, " Sit we down here, and let us pray that the Lord 
 may reveal his will unto us." 
 
 So we sat down and prayed ; but we saw nothing, 
 neither did the Lord speak by the voice of any of us. 
 So we waited yet longer ; but nothing came, vision nor 
 voice nor sign ; and by this time the sun had set. 
 Notwithstanding it was not yet dark, for there was a 
 wondrous brightness in the west, and behold, all the 
 clouds and air above us were filled with a glorious 
 
 E E
 
 4i 8 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 31 
 
 appearance as of amber, and sapphire, and gold, and 
 flames of fire. Then Peter stood up and stretched out 
 his hands unto the Lord Jesus, and looked up to the 
 heaven and said, "Thou, Lord, didst promise that 
 wheresoever two or three were gathered together in thy 
 name, there wouldst thou be in the midst of them. 
 Therefore, Lord, be present now, we entreat thee." 
 Now before the words had well passed from his lips, he 
 ceased on a sudden, and his eyes were fixed, and his 
 hand pointed to the sky, and John also cried out, 
 saying, " He goeth up : lo, 1 see the Lord Jesus going 
 up to heaven." Then I looked where John pointed, and 
 lo, I also saw the Lord. But his face was no longer 
 pale as before, nor were the prints of nails any more 
 to be seen in his hands and feet, neither could I now 
 discern his features so clearly as was usual : for his whole 
 form seemed robed in a vesture of glory, and a crown 
 of light about his head, and he sat upon a throne of 
 sapphire. For the space of a minute or more we all 
 gazed fixed in wonder ; but then the throne rose slowly 
 upwards, and with it rose likewise the angels, like unto 
 flames of fire, round the sapphire throne ; and so 
 the glory grew fainter and more distant, and at the 
 last a cloud or a darkness passed over it, and received 
 it out of our sight. 
 
 But when the glory had now quite departed, we 
 remained a long while steadfastly looking up to 
 heaven, yea, even to the darkness of heaven, if per- 
 chance the glory might yet return to us. For we 
 knew that we were now bidding farewell to the Lord 
 Jesus for ever. But at the last Peter spake to us and 
 said, " Be not sad, brethren, because Jesus is gone from
 
 Chapter 31] PH1LOCHRISTUS 419 
 
 us : for I heard the word of the Lord coming unto 
 me, even from the angels about the throne of Jesus, and 
 the message of the Lord unto us is this, ' Why stand ye 
 ga,zing up unto heaven ? This same Jesus which is 
 taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like 
 manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.' ' 
 
 Then we returned thanks to God, praising and mag- 
 nifying Him whose mercy endureth for ever ; and we 
 returned to Jerusalem rejoicing and singing songs of 
 praise. But in the evening, when we sat together at 
 meat, Simon Peter said that it behoved us, while we 
 returned thanks to God for the gift of the Law (for it 
 is a custom of our nation to do this on the evening 
 before the morning of Pentecost), to return thanks yet 
 more for the gift of the grace of Jesus ; and he also 
 besought the Lord to give us his grace even more 
 abundantly, that the law of Jesus might be written on 
 our hearts. So we sat late into that night conversing 
 together and praying and singing praises unto God. 
 
 On the morrow we rose up very early and assembled 
 ourselves together again to pray : and there were with us 
 many disciples of several nations, devout men ; not 
 Galileans only, but also Alexandrines, and men of 
 Cyrene, and some of Mesopotamia and Cappadocia, who 
 all believed in Jesus. When we were now all assembled 
 together and the door had been made fast, then Peter 
 stood up, and thanked the Lord for that He had given 
 to us His Holy One, Jesus of Nazareth, whom He had 
 now taken to Himself ; and he besought the Lord that, 
 as He had taken up Jesus to heaven after the manner 
 of Elias, so, after the same manner, He would send 
 down some portion of His power upon us (even as Elias 
 
 E E 2
 
 420 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 31 
 
 had sent down power upon his disciples) to the intent 
 that all the people might know that the Lord had sent 
 us to preach His word to Israel. 
 
 Then did the Lord hear us and answer us from 
 heaven, even as He answered Elias by fire in the former 
 days. For behold the Spirit from above fell upon us, 
 and there was a sound as of many voices, even as the roar 
 of many waters ; and as the Lord touched the mouth of 
 the prophet Esaias with fire, even so did He give unto 
 us the Spirit of fire upon us, according to the saying of 
 John the son of Zachariah, so that our hearts were all 
 a-glow, and our faces kindling ; and we prophesied as 
 the Spirit gave us utterance, according to the saying 
 of the prophet Jeremiah, " Behold I will make my 
 words in thy mouth as fire." But herein was a great 
 marvel ; for we sang no psalms, nor did we speak in 
 Scriptures, nor even in any articulate words ; but we 
 uttered strange sounds, whereof we felt the sense, but 
 knew not of what language they were ; for our tongues 
 moved as the Spirit bade us. But behold, certain of the 
 disciples that had not been moved by the Spirit to speak 
 in tongues, were moved by the same Spirit to understand 
 the meaning of our words ; and one came up to me and 
 said, " Thou speakest the language of Mesopotamia, even 
 as I heard it in my childhood ; and I verily understand 
 thee, for thou speakest the very thoughts of my heart, 
 thanking God for that He hath chosen us forth to be the 
 servants of His son and to proclaim His Gospel to all 
 the world." Then came another, a man of Cyrene, and 
 he said the like, namely, that I spake in his own lan- 
 guage, which was not the language of Mesopotamia, but 
 the Punic tongue. Now while we all marvelled hereat,
 
 CftapterSl] PHILOCHRISTUS 421 
 
 and knew not what to think, Peter stood up and said 
 that the purpose of the Lord was that, in the times to 
 come, all men upon the face of the earth should be of 
 one language and of one family. " And to this end," 
 said he, " God hath this day sent unto you this sign 
 and token. For this day is fulfilled among you the 
 saying of the prophets : And it shall come to pass that I 
 will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh. For the time is 
 at hand when all men shall know the Lord from the 
 least to the greatest. For men shall no longer be taught 
 of priests saying, Know the Lord ; nor shall the 
 knowledge of Him be given only to the rich and to 
 them that have leisure ; but upon the servants and upon 
 the handmaids in those days will the Lord pour out 
 His Spirit," 
 
 Then did we all rejoice with an exceeding joy, and 
 we went forth openly into the temple for to magnify 
 the Lord therein. And as I went, my heart leaping up 
 and dancing within me for the fervour of my gladness, 
 there came into my mind how, about three years ago, 
 Philo the Alexandrine had spoken to me of a certain 
 enthousiasmos that should fall upon the righteous : but 
 his enthousiasmos was I knew not what, a passion 
 for " mere existence," or for " that which is " ; and I 
 could not attain to apprehend so much as the mean- 
 ing of it. But now I had indeed attained to the true 
 enthousiasmos, which uplifteth and ennobleth and com- 
 forteth the soul, and stirreth to action, and purifieth 
 the thought, and pervadeth every corner of the life of 
 man, and includeth all things create and uncreate ; so 
 that my heart went out in love to all the creatures of 
 God, and to all men without distinction, Gentiles as well
 
 422 PH1LOCHRISTUS [Chapter 31 
 
 as Jews, tax-gatherers as well as Scribes ; yea, even to 
 the Eomans did my heart now go forth in love. 
 
 But when we were come together to the temple, the 
 Pharisees and the chief priests and all the people 
 marvelled at our boldness. For we were as changed men 
 in their sight ; because we no longer feared them as of 
 old ; neither, on the other hand, did we hate them, nor 
 desire to revenge ourselves on them for that they had 
 slain Jesus. But we pitied them ; yea, we felt an 
 exceeding compassion and love for them, as for them 
 that wandered in darkness, while we sat in a great light. 
 Therefore were we exceeding bold ; and as for fear, we 
 had forgotten what it meant : but we desired to pour 
 out the good news of Christ before all men. For our 
 hearts could not contain themselves for the abundance 
 of joy and gladness and peace which the Lord had 
 vouchsafed to us. So the people gathered themselves 
 together around us. But when the Holy Spirit fell upon 
 us, some men mocked, and called us drunkards ; but 
 the more part gave heed when Peter spake to them. 
 
 So Simon Peter spake in the ears of all the people, 
 and said to them, even as he had said to us, that this 
 out-pouring was for a sign to men, because the Lord was 
 to pour out His Spirit upon the face of the earth. More- 
 over he added that Jesus was indeed the Christ, and 
 that the Lord had raised him from the dead (whereof we 
 were witnesses), to the intent that he should come again 
 to judge the world in power ; for he should assuredly 
 prevail, and cast down all his enemies beneath his feet. 
 When the people heard these words, they believed in 
 Jesus ; for a power went forth from the mouth of Peter 
 and from the mouths of the other disciples, so that their
 
 Chapter 31] PHILOCHRISTUS 423 
 
 words pierced into the very souls of such as should be 
 saved. And we purified them (for we also baptized, 
 even as John the son of Zachariah had baptized his 
 disciples) and baptized them in the brook of Kidron. 
 Then was fulfilled the word of Jesus of Nazareth, 
 which he spake unto the apostles, saying that he would 
 make them "fishers of men;" for on that day the net of 
 the Gospel was indeed cast, and great was the draught 
 of the fishes, so that there were added unto the Lord 
 three thousand of them that believed.
 
 424 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 HERE must this history have an end. But I marvel 
 how smoothly and easily the relation seemeth to have 
 ascended from Jesus on earth to Jesus in heaven, as 
 if by some ladder of easy ascent, and as though there 
 were not seven heavens between. And perchance men 
 would marvel the more, if I had been able to set down 
 exactly the image of Jesus as he appeared to me at the 
 first in my mother's house at Sepphoris, or when he sat 
 with us in the fishing-boat on the lake ; so that the 
 image of Jesus as he seemed then, might be compared 
 with the image of Jesus as he seemeth now. But I 
 know that I have not been able to do this. For my 
 pen hath still outrun the story : and in adventuring to 
 describe Jesus as he appeared to me on earth, I have 
 often failed of my intent, and have described him, not 
 as he appeared to me on earth, but as he was hereafter 
 to appear to me from heaven. 
 
 Oftentimes, musing on the difference between Jesus, 
 as he was in deed and in truth, and Jesus, as we in 
 Galilee supposed him to be, I have questioned myself 
 and said, " Whence this waste of the life of the Lord 
 Jesus ? For if it be good for us to know him, and if the 
 knowledge of him be eternal life, as we believe ; then how
 
 Chapter 32] PHILOCHRISTUS 425 
 
 much better bad it been that we sbould have known 
 him while he was alive, and not to have tarried for 
 the knowledge till death had taken him from us ? " 
 
 Now, looking back, I seem to discern a reason for 
 our ignorance, or, at the least, a certain wholesome fruit 
 springing therefrom. For methinks, had we known the 
 Lord Jesus as he was, and all his greatness and glory, 
 and all that was to betide him, and his resurrection, and 
 his ascension, even then when he sat with us at meat, 
 and went in and out with us throughout the villages 
 of Galilee ; I say, had we known even then that Jesus 
 was to be raised from the dead, and to sit at the right 
 hand of God, methinks we could not have loved him so 
 dearly, nor have spoken with him so familiarly, nor 
 have questioned him so freely, revealing unto him all 
 our infirmities, and trusting him as a friend, yea, loving 
 him as a very son of man, even one of ourselves. 
 
 But the Lord so ordained it that we should come 
 to Jesus as to a great and good man, becoming in- 
 fected with his spirit and imbued with the love of him 
 as of a mortal being ; and then, when he had caught our 
 hearts as it were by guile, so that he had made himself 
 now needful unto us even as the very breath of our lives, 
 then began he to say unto us, " Whom say ye that I, 
 the Son of man, am ? " And lo, trying our hearts, we 
 began to perceive that this same Son of man, who had 
 so given life to our souls, could be none other than the 
 very Son of the Living God. 
 
 Hence it came to pass that, when he departed from us, 
 and when we felt a void in our hearts, and when we 
 questioned ourselves what it was that we had lost, and 
 what it was that we most loved and trusted and revered,
 
 426 PHILOCHRISTUS [C'tl^tr "-i 
 
 yea also, and what it was that we must worshipped as 
 divine ; then behold, searching our hearts, we found that 
 there was nothing in heaven above nor in the earth 
 beneath, nor in the waters under the earth, no, nor in 
 the host above the heavens, that could compare with 
 Jesus of Nazareth. And so it was that, when we wor- 
 shipped him as the Son, it seemed not unto us as if we 
 were honouring him by calling him God ; but (if I may 
 speak as a child) it seemed rather as though we were 
 striving to honour God by saying that God was one 
 with Jesus. For saying this, seemed all one with saying 
 that God was Love. 
 
 Therefore if any put this question unto me, " Why 
 believest thou not that Romulus is God, and Liber, and 
 Amphiaraus, and Elias, and Enoch (who all are said to 
 have escaped death), and yet thou believest that Jesus 
 of Nazareth is God ? " : my answer is this, that I 
 believe Jesus to be God, first, because God is Love, and 
 Jesus is Love ; secondly, because God is Might and 
 Jesus is Might ; and lastly, because, if Jesus was not 
 indeed divine, then must he needs have been a poor 
 deluded creature, unfit and unable to do any great work 
 for the children of men. For certainly, albeit he was 
 the most humble and lowly of men, yet did he ever 
 speak of himself, not as one of many redeemers, but as 
 the redeemer of men, the refuge of the wretched, the 
 forgiver of sins, the source of life and truth. 
 
 " But," say some, " Jesus was of a surety not Might ; 
 for he came not as a conqueror, but as one conquered." 
 Now, methinks, concerning them that say such things, it 
 was well said by Xanthias that " they are like unto the 
 foolish giant Polyphemus, who could not think that
 
 Chafer 32] PHILOCHRISTUS 427 
 
 Ulysses could be Ulysses indeed, for that he was not a 
 giant like unto himself. In the same way certain persons 
 of gross understanding " (even of such an understanding 
 as I myself had, before that I had been enlightened by 
 the spirit of Christ) " suppose that Jesus could not have 
 been the Messiah, for that he did not come into the world 
 as they themselves would have come, nor do the works 
 which they themselves would have done, had they been 
 Messiahs. For they would have come into the world, 
 forsooth, riding on the clouds, or borne on chariots of 
 fire, or working signs in heaven or portents upon earth. 
 Now this is even such a Messiah as Polyphemus would 
 have devised for himself. But it was surely a much 
 more divine thing that the Word of God should come 
 into the world as a poor man, and the child of the poor 
 (as if to shew that no estate of man is too low to be 
 sanctified by the Divdne Word) ; and that he should 
 subdue all men unto himself, not by force nor portents, 
 but by love, patience, and suffering; submitting him- 
 self patiently to all the laws of the world, yea even to 
 the law of death, and yet triumphing over them all 
 through the force of righteousness." 
 
 Thus spake Xanthias, and I assent unto his words. 
 But furthermore, if I believed Jesus to be the Son of 
 God when mine eyes were opened to discern him after 
 his resurrection, much more do I believe it now ; because 
 all the years as they pass by, yea, and all the seventy 
 nations of the earth, are as so many angels of God, 
 which do cry aloud with a clear voice and say, " Jesus 
 of Nazareth is our King ; Jesus of Nazareth, though he 
 be in heaven, is ruling on earth." For whithersoever I 
 look throughout the Empire, I behold the love of Christ
 
 428 PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 32 
 
 beginning already to rule over the tribes of the earth, 
 though as yet it be in small beginnings. In Britain, 
 where I now write, in Gaul, in Spain, in Italy, in Greece, 
 in all the parts of Asia Minor, in Carthage and Egypt, yea 
 even unto Babylon and the parts far beyond the River, 
 the Lord Jesus now hath his worshippers. 
 
 Too long were it now to recount what I beheld in 
 Alexandria and in Rome concerning the power of Christ 
 and how the churches in those cities increased and are 
 still increasing. But thus much have I noted concerning 
 the law of Christ, that it differeth from all other laws, in 
 that it is fitted for all nations and climates and times. It 
 is as useful for the poor as for the rich. It loveth order 
 and concord, and hateth disorder and tumult. It loveth 
 truth, righteousness, and happiness ; it hateth deceits 
 and unrighteousness and misery. It doth not say unto 
 all nations, " Take unto yourselves the customs of the 
 Greeks," nor yet "Take unto yourselves the laws of 
 the Romans," neither doth it prescribe any pattern of 
 government as the best : but what saith it ? It saith, 
 " Love God and thy neighbour ; and I, even I, will give 
 thee strength to love them." For our law is none other 
 than the Lord Jesus himself, dwelling with us again, 
 and abiding in our hearts for ever, through faith. 
 
 Therefore is the law of Jesus in the end to prevail over 
 other laws. For other laws are laws of fear, and they 
 rule by constraint and hinder growth ; but the law of 
 Jesus is a law of love, and ruleth through freedom, 
 causing all good things to grow, and making the heart to 
 leap up with joy. Other laws need addition of rewards 
 and punishments; but the law of Jesus assigneth fit 
 reward, and executeth needful punishment, of itself,
 
 Chapter 32] PHILOCHRISTUS 4*9 
 
 without help of king or lawgiver. The laws of other 
 lawgivers will pass away with the passing of those needs 
 for which the laws were made : but the law of love will 
 abide for ever, for the need thereof passeth not away. 
 And when that law shall be established, then, and not till 
 then, shall wars cease from the earth, and all nations 
 shall be as one : for as Moses gave Israel a~ law to knit 
 the ten tribes into one nation, even so hath the Lord 
 Jesus given us a law to knit the seventy nations of the 
 earth into one family of God. 
 
 In this hope I rejoice, even in the midst of tribulations, 
 for I trust that Jesus of Nazareth reigneth. Therefore 
 shall my heart not fail, albeit the signs and mighty 
 works of the Church seem now to be passing away, and 
 devils be not now cast out as of old ; nor are the sick 
 so often healed; and the saints speak less oft with 
 tongues. For if the signs of righteousness and mercy 
 and truth abide in the Church, those other signs may 
 perchance be suffered to pass away. But that which 
 sometimes troubleth me more, is that, as I hear in some 
 of the churches, the saints are overmuch given to the 
 governing of the congregations, and the arranging of the 
 worship of the saints, and the observing of feasts and 
 fasts, more than to the waging of the war against un- 
 righteousness. For though it be well to follow after 
 peace, yet can I not forget that the Lord Jesus studied 
 not to lead a quiet life, but spake unto us saying 
 that he must needs send a sword on earth. And who 
 knoweth not how he stood up with the sword of his 
 mouth against the Pharisees in the Temple of the 
 Lord ? The like of which contests and protestations 
 against evil we hear not so oft, methinks, as in old
 
 43 o PHILOCHRISTUS [Chapter 32 
 
 times: howbeit, perchance even herein the Holy Spirit 
 guideth us. But be this as it may, I still trust in the 
 Lord Jesus ; yea, even though there be (as I hear there 
 be) divisions in certain of the churches, yet trust I in 
 him. For I perceive that the Lord's ways are not as our 
 ways ; but the last are made first ; and the weak become 
 strong ; and the foolish are exalted above the wise. 
 Therefore, even as from the fall of Sion there seemeth 
 to have come uprising to the Gentiles, even so perhaps 
 out of the divisions of the churches may arise truth for 
 all the world. 
 
 But as concerning the hour of the coming of the 
 Lord, I deny not that he tarrieth long, even past all 
 expectation. But inasmuch as the Lord Jesus himself 
 said that he knew not that hour, for this cause I judge 
 that no man shall know it. Only this is revealed unto 
 me, that when the Lord shall come, it shall not be after 
 such manner as we expect and shape forth in our minds, 
 but the manner thereof shall be unexpected and new : 
 better, I doubt not, than ever we hope or imagine, yet 
 none the less, strange ; yea, and perchance, at the first, 
 full of disappointment. For I perceive that all the deal- 
 ings of the Lord with men are after this fashion. He ever 
 prepareth some good thing for us, exceeding all that we 
 had expected; notwithstanding, with the good, there 
 cometh also some wholesome pain or temptation that we 
 expect not. For thus the Lord dealt with Adam in 
 Paradise, and thus with Israel in the Promised Land ; 
 and thus also dealt the Lord Jesus with his disciples on 
 earth. Wherefore thus also, I doubt not, the Lord 
 Jesus will deal still with his disciples now that he 
 reigneth in heaven.
 
 Chapter 32] PIIILOCHRISTUS 431 
 
 But why speak I in conjectures concerning these 
 unknown matters, or why yearn I thus impatiently for 
 the hour of the Lord's coming, seeing that the Lord 
 vouchsafeth to me, even on earth, his perpetual presence 
 in mine heart, and the signs of his presence compass me 
 everywhere around, so that even to live is joy ? For 
 verily to thee, Lord, and to thy Kingdom, all things 
 in heaven and earth do bear witness. 
 
 The faces of all 'children, whom thou didst call thy 
 little ones, give, back the brightness of thy countenance ; 
 the goodness of all good men testifieth unto thee, the 
 supreme pattern of all good ; yea even the bad and the 
 weak proclaim their need of thee, Lord our Redeemer, 
 in whom alone is power to create goodness in the worst, 
 and to make the weakest strong. To thy word the 
 seed-time and harvests bear witness ; the flowers also do 
 sing of thy trustfulness and hope. If I look unto the 
 earth, thou hast trodden and sanctified it ; if to the 
 heaven, thou hast gone up into it and dost possess it ; if 
 I think of the terrors of the depths beneath the earth, 
 behold, thou knowest them, and hast passed through 
 them, and overcome them, and hast broken the bars 
 thereof ; that they may no more keep captive them that 
 shall follow in thy footsteps, passing through the dark- 
 ness of the grave. Thus hast thou, Eternal Word (by 
 whom in ages past the worlds were created) now in these 
 last times created the universe anew for them that love 
 thee ; so that all things do serve thee and proclaim thy 
 Good Tidings, and the world is become unto thee as a 
 vesture, and the elements are become thy servants : yea 
 death itself thou hast subdued to be thy minister, and 
 sin thou shalt subdue to be thy bond-slave.
 
 432 PHILOCHRISTUS 
 
 Who is like unto thee, most mighty Lord, for 
 verily thy truth is on every side. Whither shall I 
 go from thy Spirit, or whither shall I flee from thy 
 presence ? If I climb up into heaven, thou art there. 
 If I go down unto the dead, thou art there also. 
 If I take the wings of the morning and remain in the 
 uttermost parts of the sea, even there also shall thy 
 hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me. There- 
 fore when I sleep in the grave, I am in thy cradle ; and 
 when I shall arise up and awake, behold around me are 
 thy everlasting arms. 
 
 THE END OF THE HISTORY 
 
 OF 
 PHILOCHRISTUS.
 
 433 
 
 POSTSCRIPT 
 
 It had been my purpose, beloved brethren, to have 
 continued this history from the year after the Lord 
 Jesus suffered (in which year I left Syria and came 
 to Alexandria) even to this present year, the tenth 
 year after the destruction of the Holy City. Herein I 
 was minded to have set forth how great things the Lord 
 wrought for us in the Church of Alexandria, and the 
 troubles that befell us there ; even to the time of my 
 going on the embassage unto Gaius Ccesar along with 
 Philo the Alexandrine. Next it was my intent to 
 have spoken of the Church of Rome, how it grew and 
 prospered, and how in those days the Spirit of the 
 Lord began to lead the saints towards wisdom in 
 the governing and administering of the Church; lastly, 
 the history would have told how I accompanied Julius 
 Plautius the legate hither, even to Londinium, where 
 now I write, ivhere the Lord had prepared a work 
 for me to do in building up the Church in Britain. 
 For in this ivay methinks it might have been possible 
 
 F F
 
 434 PIIILOCHRISTUS [Postscript 
 
 for you, my brethren, more clearly to discern how 
 the Lord Jesus, though he be now in heaven, still 
 guideth his Church upon earth. 
 
 Notwithstanding, because I am now stricken in years 
 (being now fourscore and six years of age), and for- 
 asmuch as I know not whether I may have life to 
 complete so great a work, it seemeth best (although 
 1 have in part already written these matters of my 
 later life) first to make an end of this former history, 
 especially considering the troubles now imminent in 
 Britain from the barbarous people, and to defer the 
 rest to a more convenient season. 
 
 Farewell.
 
 SCHOLIA
 
 SCHOLIA 
 
 These words of the Lord Jesus are not indeed found in our 
 Gospels ; but they have been handed down by tradition. 1 Nor have 
 I been able to find in the history of Philochristus any sayings of the 
 Lord Jesus, save such as have been either handed down by tradition 
 or else recorded in our Gospels. 
 
 Moreover, the writer (as it seemeth to me, having diligently compared 
 this history with the Gospels of the holy Evangelists Matthew and 
 Marie and Luke) maketh mention of all such miracles as are found 
 in all the three Gospels (though the raising of Jairus 1 daughter and 
 the healing of the woman with the issue be but briefly mentioned} : 
 but if any miracle is found in one or in two Gospels only, concern- 
 ing thai lie is silent. And this he seemeth to do not by chance, but 
 
 * 
 
 of set purpose, as if he were minded to speak of those miracles only 
 which are common to the first three Gospels. But Anchinous the son 
 of Alethes maketh conjecture that Philochristus had in his mind a 
 certain Original Gospel (whether it were a book or tradition) of exceed- 
 ing antiquity ; whence also the holy Evangelists drew that part of 
 their several relations which is common to the first three Gospels. 
 
 1 They belong to the twenty traditional say-ings " which seem to contain, in a mere or 
 less altered form, traces of words of our Lcrd."~(Jl'cstcctt''s Introduction to the
 
 438 PHILOCHRISTUS [Scholia 
 
 II 
 
 Here again the writer of this history addeth nothing to our know- 
 ledge : for of oil the words that Philo the Alexandrine utter eth to 
 Philochristus, there is scarce one that may not be found in the 
 writings of Philo, suck as we now possess. 
 
 The like observation also is to be made concerning that which 
 Philochristus reporteth of the sayings of the Scribes: wJiereof there 
 is scarce one but I have found it (or the like of it) among these sayings 
 of the Teachers of Israel which have been handed down to us even 
 to this day. 1 
 
 Whereas Philochristus reporteth that a certain Scribe in his days 
 spake of " eating t/te Messiah," I find no such saying current in those 
 days. But true it is that, many years afterwards, Rabbi HUlel (but 
 this is not the same as HUlel the Great, who lived in the generation 
 before Philochristus) said these words : " There is no Messiah for 
 Israel, since they have already eaten him in the days of Hezekiah. " 2 
 Moreover the saying of Moses, how that the nobles of Israel " saw 
 God and did eat and drink," is, without doubt, explained by some 
 of the Teachers among the Jews to mean that the Shekinah was as 
 meat and drink to the nobles. But whether this saying was current 
 in those days, or whether Philochristus erreth here also (as elsewhere), 
 certain it is that many of the sayings of the Scribes reported by Philo- 
 christus were not made known nor published till very long after ; and 
 meseemeth he hath perverted the doctrine of the Scribes with intent to 
 cause the reader to have them in derision. 
 
 1 " Sayings of the Jewish Fathers" by C. Taylor, M.A., published by the Camlridye 
 University Press. 2 Ibid, p, 74.
 
 Scholia] PHILOCHRISTUS 439 
 
 But Anchinous live son of Alethes saith that, howsoever the sayings 
 of the Scribes (whereof Philochristus maketh mention) have not been 
 handed down to us as spoken in those times ; yet t/ie cause is, saith 
 Anchinous, that few sayings of those times have been preserved. 
 But if tJiey had been preserved, then, saith he, we should have found 
 that Philochristus described the teaching of the Scribes with exactness ; 
 even as the Gospels also bear witness tJiat tlte Scribes in those days 
 strained at gnats but swallowed camels ; and overmuch esteemed the 
 tithing of mint and anise and cummin, and the purification of 
 pots and platters ; and counted an oath tJiat was sworn by the gold of 
 the Temple, as being weightier than an oath that was sworn by the 
 Temple itself. 
 
 IV 
 
 Herein it is marvellous to see with what a persistence Philochristus 
 cleaveth only unto tJiat part of the first three Gospels which is common 
 to all the three ; so that one might go near to suppose that Anchinoiis 
 was right, in that he conjectured that Philochristus doth this not 
 by chance, but of set purpose ; having before him, perchance, some 
 book or tradition which contained no more than this. For whereas 
 Philochristus saith that the women heard some mention made of 
 Galilee, but what it was, they agreed not exactly among themselves : 
 I will here set down, in order, the three relations : 
 
 1 (Saint Matthew, xxviii. 7) " And behold HE GOETH BEFORE YOU 
 INTO GALILEE; there shall ye see him : lo I HAVE TOLD YOU." 
 
 2 (Saint Mark. xvi. 7) " HE GOETH BEFORE YOU INTO GALILEE : there 
 shall ye see him, as HE SAID unto you." 
 
 3 (Saint Luke, xxiv. 6) " Remember how HE SPAKE unto you WHILE 
 
 HE WAS YET IN GALILEE." 
 
 But as to tJte Gospel of the holy Apostle John, I Ivave not been able 
 to find out whether any part of it were known to Philochristus. llow- 
 beit Anchinous saith that Philochristus, although he make no mention
 
 440 PHILOCII1USTUS [Scholia 
 
 of any of the acts, nor of the long discourses, nor set dialogues of that 
 Gospel, nevertJieless useth the doctrine of that Gospel as the foundation 
 of the whole of his history. Notwithstanding, saith Anchinoiis, 
 Philochristus seemeth not to attribute this doctrine to John the son 
 of Zebedee (who ever speaketh after a different manner, and rather as 
 one of the Sons of Thunder, or as the writer of the book of Revelation, 
 than as the writer of the Fourth Gospel), but to NatJianael and 
 Quartus. 
 
 Here Philochristus is unlike himself. For whereas he is ivont 
 for tJie most part to omit miracles, albeit the Gospels relate them, here 
 on the other hand he inserteth one, albeit tJie Gospels omit it. Howbeit, 
 true it is that the holy Apostle Paul seemeth, in his first epistle to the 
 Corinthians, to make mention of some manifestation of tJie Lord Jesus 
 to the holy Apostle James. And the same is mentioned in certain 
 traditions. 
 
 But it is to be noted that, in t/ie whole relation of the Resurrection 
 of Jesus, Philochristus departeth from his usual course. For he 
 reporteth many manifestations whereof mention is not made in all 
 the three Gospels, nor even in two, but in one only ; and he speaketh 
 of others also innumerable. Howbeit he maketh no mention of that 
 manifestation wherein the Lord partook of fish and honey with the 
 Disciples. 
 
 LONDON; B. CLAY, soss, AND TAVLOU,
 
 University of California 
 
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