by Brian Godawa
Dagon said, “With due respect, Master, Messiah did take our inheritance away.”
“In heaven,” corrected Apollyon. “But you’re still here. We still have some time—and power. Now go with the legions of Rome. Imprison the prince of Israel and destroy his Christians.”
CHAPTER 9
Thelonius and Livia followed the band of sailors and their captain through the dock of the huge circular manmade harbor that was the port of Caesarea Maritima. They walked past concrete walls with arched colonnades. It was a Hellenistic architectural achievement of Herod the Great. A hundred or more ships rested at dock. Merchants with trade from all over the world passed through here. The ship they were going to was loaded with olive oil, wine, and other niceties of the Mediterranean East.
They arrived at a hundred-foot-long corbita, a workhorse of the sea with strong, sturdy frame that was built for speed to outrun pirates. As the crew busied themselves preparing to take sail to Rome, Thelonius pulled his fiancé aside to speak to her.
“Livia, my dear, do you know I love you?”
“Of course I do.” Her eyes began to tear. “This year with you in captivity has been the happiest of my life. You saved me. You have proven your love beyond exception.”
“I would do it all again,” Thelonius went on.
“I know.”
“But Cassandra saved my life—and my father’s soul. And I have betrayed her. If I do not go and warn her of the Roman attack that is coming, I could not live with myself. I would not be the man you deserve.”
They had planned on this subterfuge for months while in Roman custody. But it was much harder to leave her again than he thought it would be. It meant more months apart from his beloved.
Livia smiled through her tears. “That is why I love you. Because of your integrity. I do not deserve you, Thelonius Severus.”
“It is I who does not deserve you. I will join you as soon as I can. You’ll be safe.” Thelonius had paid the ship’s captain to watch over her.
“I will wait for you,” she said. “As long as I can. But I cannot guarantee what my father will do.”
Livia was referring to the fact that her father wanted her married and if he could not have assurance of when Thelonius would be back, he was liable to find another suitor for her and marry her off. The stark realities of life did not always bend to the romantic desires of lovers.
He said, “I understand.”
She grabbed him tightly and kissed him with desperation. Her kiss was deep and full of longing. Thelonius questioned whether he was making a mistake. Whether he shouldn’t just walk away from all of this and go back to Rome with the woman of his dreams and live a safe, comfortable life of ease.
To leave the Christians to die without warning.
She pulled away. “Go, now. Or I will change my mind.”
Thelonius looked around the ship. No one was looking their way. The few on deck were too busy with their preparations. He silently slipped back onto the deck and into the shadows.
But he didn’t leave just yet. He stayed and watched his fiancé as the crew unmoored the ship and it left the dock. He watched her as the ship moved out into the harbor and then drifted onto the dark horizon away from him. Away from happiness.
He watched until he could see the ship’s shadow no more.
Then he walked back into the city to find a horse and make his way to Pella where Cassandra was.
He had to warn her of the coming terror.
He had to redeem his soul.
CHAPTER 10
Pella
Alexander, to my dear beloved Cassandra,
As I write these words, I am filled with longing and affection for you and for our children. I pray for you all daily.
My mind has lingered over your words about the Ebionites in Pella. Your presence there is more important than mine is in Jerusalem. The war against false teaching is far more important than any earthly war that destroys mere physical bodies and cities.
False teaching destroys souls. If these Ebionites become a majority, they could take control of the congregation of Pella and destroy the Faith like weeds in a garden. The kingdom of God would be choked to death before it has a chance to bloom.
My heart rejoices that you are there because I trust no one else to have your heart of conviction for doctrinal truth and the purity of the church. Serve the elders in their quest to protect the flock.
May God use you for his purposes.
Cassandra sat in the congregation of several hundred Christians packed into the Greek temple at the center of the city. Her husband’s letter haunted her thoughts. He had no idea she was planning to go to Jerusalem to be with him. She had never told him. So he had no idea that his words of praise were more like words of rebuke in her conscience. What was God’s purpose for her?
She looked around the temple. The Christians had shorn the pagan structure of idolatrous images and converted its use into a congregational hall for the faithful worship of Yahweh. Hundreds of others stood outside trying to hear whatever they could. This was a meeting that would determine the very survival of the ekklesia in Pella.
Rachel had volunteered to watch over little Samuel at home so that Cassandra could focus uninterrupted attention on this life-changing historical moment.
Boaz stood at the lectern, leading the council of Pella. They were holding an examination of the Ebionites and their doctrine that was spreading through the city, threatening to poison the congregation of the Lord. Cassandra was thankful that none of the Ebionites had been allowed to become elders, or they might have sabotaged this trial.
Symeon ben Clopas represented the group. He stood in the dock before the elders with his manuscript in hand for reference. It was their “Gospel of the Ebionites,” also known as the “Hebrew Gospel.” Symeon and his followers had claimed that it was Scripture with the authority to match “the Four,” that is, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.36
In his sixties, Symeon had long graying hair, unwashed and pulled back from his wrinkly face. He had the look of a rugged worker, like a brick-layer, but he had the mind of a steel trap, and his charisma had captured the hearts and souls of many weak men and women who were in bondage to their flesh.
It was all Cassandra could do to maintain her own calm. This false teacher and his followers had joined the Christians from Jerusalem to Pella because they had recognized the warning of Jesus to flee the city from the wrath to come. They acknowledged that the Mosaic priesthood and its sacrifices had come to an end with Messiah’s death, resurrection, and ascension, which was all well and good.
But that was where they separated from the Faith once for all delivered to the saints. Boaz now explained the doctrines promoted by the Ebionites that were cause for condemnation and removal from the congregation.
“The topics of concern that we will examine are several. The Ebionites claim their Gospel has apostolic authority and that the Pauline letters are corrupt theology without apostolic authority. They claim that Christians are required to obey Torah, including circumcision and sabbaths. And lastly, they deny the divinity of Jesus as the Son of Man.”
That was enough to stir the audience. Some congregants became agitated, some Ebionites whispered complaints. The elders quieted everyone down.
Boaz continued, “I will start with this last doctrine first. Symeon, is it true that you teach that Jesus the Messiah was not Yahweh in the flesh?”
Symeon stood silent for a moment before speaking. He was a master of emotional manipulation. He used the silence as a means of building anticipation and sounding like a wise sage through few words.
Finally, he spoke, “We Ebionites believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one foretold by Moses and the prophets. That he fulfilled Torah as the Son of Man and died for our sins. But as to his person, was he ‘God on earth’?”
He stopped for a moment and looked around the congregation as everyone waited breathlessly for his answer.
“I answer: What do the Scri
ptures say?”
The crowd mumbled agreement.
Symeon continued with a proud smirk of control on his face. “The Psalmist says of Christ, ‘Yahweh said to me, “You are my son. Today I have begotten thee.”’ Now the Gospel of Matthew says that Yahweh spoke these words from heaven at the baptism of Jesus by John. So the baptism marks the point where the perfect and obedient Son of Man was adopted as the Son of God. Jesus was not Yahweh in the flesh, for Yahweh would not adopt himself.”37
Protesting broke out from the Christians in the audience. Cassandra joined in. This was the most serious of all the Ebionite heresies. It alone was enough to brand Symeon a false teacher and expel him. They didn’t need to explore any further.
But Boaz was a fair man. He would follow proper procedure and allow Symeon the chance to defend each of his aberrant doctrines with the intention of leaving no heresy unchallenged.
Boaz proclaimed, “Symeon, the elders of this church do affirm the truth that Jesus was Yahweh in the flesh. We furnish you with this list of scriptures that constitute many convincing proofs.” An elder handed Symeon a short scroll for documentation. Symeon didn’t bother to even look at it. His countenance seethed with defiance.
Cassandra felt her own pride rise within her in response.
Boaz concluded, “But the simple words of our Lord Jesus are words enough to prove his identity with Yahweh. For when the Jews claimed special status as Abraham’s children, Jesus replied, ‘Before Abraham was born, I Am.’ And those Jews picked up stones to stone him because they knew he was making himself out to be God. The name of Yahweh alone was I Am. So if you claim to follow the Messiah, then you must accept his teaching about himself as the Great I Am, Yahweh in the flesh.”
Now the Ebionites broke out in disagreeing chatter. They were interspersed throughout the crowd, giving them the appearance of more numbers than was actually the case.
But that was not what took Cassandra by surprise. What did was seeing the Roman Thelonius Severus enter the congregation and make his way up to Boaz and the elders.
She watched them closely. She could not hear what he was telling them over the din of the crowd. But she could tell it was not good.
Her thoughts swirled in confusion. How did the Roman get here? He had left her over a year ago to go to Jerusalem, but Alexander had said Thelonius never arrived. She’d thought he’d been captured or killed by bandits or by Rome. She wanted to run up to Thelonius and find out what was going on. But that would be out of order. She stayed silent.
After the noise had settled, Boaz took the podium with a grave look on his face. He announced to the congregation, “My brothers and sisters, we must postpone this council on the issue of the Ebionite doctrines.”
Bursts of disagreement broke out in their midst.
“Please, please!” he shouted. They quieted down.
“Our trusted brother Thelonius Rufus Severus has just told us that there is a Roman cohort of eight hundred legionaries on their way to Pella…” he paused and swallowed. “…to kill us all.”
Cassandra’s heart sank. The crowd degenerated into panic. Many exclaimed their fear. Some barked out questions. A significant number trampled out to get back to their houses and their families. Symeon left with them.
Someone yelled out, “How do you know this?”
Cassandra took the moment to slip through the departing crowd to the front. Thelonius acknowledged her with a glance and slight nod as he spoke to the elders. “I was in Caesarea Maritima when General Titus gave the command.”
Another moment of dread fell upon them all.
“What shall we do?” asked one elder.
“We pray for God’s protection,” another responded. “But we do not fight. We are not in revolt against Rome.”
Thelonius said, “Fighting back is not revolt. It is self-defense. Titus will not solicit surrender. He has ordered the murder of all Christians.”
“We thought the Beast was dead with Nero,” said someone.
“We must flee deeper into the mountains,” said another.
“How much time do we have?” asked Cassandra.
“A few days at most,” said Thelonius.
Boaz spoke up. “We cannot run and hide. We have been preparing for just this sort of thing.”
“They are experienced, hardened soldiers,” said an elder. “Eight hundred legionaries. We have maybe a thousand fighters. Even with our training and the few Kharabu warriors on our side, we don’t stand a chance against them.”
“We don’t trust chance,” said Boaz. “We trust Yahweh. Gather all able-bodied men and boys into the town square.” He turned to another elder. “Tell Michael and his Kharabu to meet us there. We must begin plans to defend the city.”
Cassandra remembered the words she’d told Rachel. The dragon was coming after the Woman in the wilderness. The War of the Seed of the Serpent with the Seed of the Woman was approaching its climax. She had been wondering what form that attack would take. Now she knew.
The elders were the last to leave the building, leaving Thelonius and Cassandra alone. Thelonius knew this was his opportunity to confess to Cassandra. But he wasn’t sure he could do it.
“What happened to you, Thelonius?” He could hear puzzled concern in Cassandra’s voice. “You never went to Jerusalem. We thought you were dead.”
Thelonius couldn’t look her in the eye. His face felt flush with guilt. “I told you that I knew a woman in trouble in Rome.”
Cassandra nodded. “Alexander wrote me that you left him to go rescue her.”
“She is my fiancé.”
Cassandra looked startled. “Thelonius. Why didn’t you tell us?”
He wanted to tell her. He was going to confess everything. His betrayal. All the lies. But he couldn’t.
Instead, he said, “I don’t know why.”
A useful lie came to his mind. He acted like he was finally revealing the real reason. “She’s not a believer.”
He knew that would make sense to Cassandra. Paul’s command to Christians was to avoid marrying unbelievers. The apostle taught that it was an unequal yoking. He even used an extreme metaphor that such a marriage was like uniting the temple of God with the temple of Belial. So it would make sense to Cassandra that Thelonius would hide his guilt in such a situation.
Except the truth was that Thelonius was not a Christian either. He had only pretended to be one so he could get closer to them and fulfill his obligation to Titus. He was a traitor to the innocent.
But his beloved was more important to him than anything in the world. And he would do anything to save her from suffering at the hands of that Roman beast. Anything. Even giving up the Christians. It had been an impossible choice, so how could he be blamed?
“What is her name?” asked Cassandra.
“Livia Marcella Bantius.” Thelonius brightened at the mere mention of her. “She is seventeen years old, the daughter of my father’s friend. I’ve known her and loved her since I was a young boy.”
“But you left her to come warn us.”
Thelonius saw the gratitude in Cassandra’s expression. But he was not being as sacrificial as she thought. He was expiating his own guilt.
“She is safely on her way to Rome. I could not live with myself if…” he was about to tell her the truth, but instead he told a half-truth. “If I did not help you. I owe you my life.”
Cassandra had rescued Thelonius from the Great Fire of Rome over six years ago. He had been backed up against the Tiber with the flames about to catch him when Cassandra saved him with one of her father’s boats on the river.
Cassandra matched his smile. “Thelonius, God saved you from the fires of Rome for his purposes.”
His purposes? The very possibility of it haunted Thelonius. He had been around Christians and their teachings long enough that such beliefs played with his mind at times. What if it was true?
Cassandra continued, “You may have saved us with your warning. Now go. Return to your fiancé.
And may God bless your new life with her.”
For some reason, his guilt did not feel expiated. And a new lie came to his mind as out of nowhere. He blurted it out without thinking, “No. I didn’t come just to warn you. I came to fight with you. To defend Pella.”
“You would risk your life and future for us?”
He still could not say to Cassandra what he most needed to say. He just wondered what he had gotten himself into. Then it occurred to him that he could stay long enough to prove to her that he was fighting for them and then slip away before battle. She would think he’d been killed, and he would never have to tell her the awful truth and break her heart.
“Oh, Thelonius. You are a good man.”
No I am not, he thought. I am not a good man at all.
CHAPTER 11
Jerusalem
Jacob ben Mordecai had been ruminating in his home in the Upper City for some time now. But he finally made his decision. It was a dangerous one, but this was a time of constant danger where every move one made could have life or death consequences. Jerusalem was about to be attacked by the abominable Roman armies. Control of the city was split into three factions. Simon owned the city proper, Gischala controlled the outer temple complex, and Eleazar occupied the inner temple. Their rivalry had torn the city apart. Jew hated Jew and were even killing each other. All while the Roman eagle was about to swoop down with desolation in its wings. The civil war was ruining the defense of the city. If they didn’t unite their forces soon, they wouldn’t be able to hold the walls.
Jacob wanted to live. He wanted to survive this war. So he would do what he must to ensure his future. He figured that there was one way to make military unity more likely. And that was to get rid of one of the three parties of division. Diplomacy was easier to manage between two parties than three. And of the three parties, the one least powerful and least capable of withstanding the Roman armies was Eleazar. His zealots were fewer than Gischala’s soldiers, and he was more of a fanatic, less reliable. If Eleazar’s forces were taken out of the way, Gischala would be consolidated and stronger, more capable of defending the temple alone than with Eleazar stabbing him in the back.