Blood Royal

by Evan Ansot

  Maybe it was the Lord’s will that this was done. Philip didn’t know, but in 42 ad he was a deeply concerned apostle over the church of the Lord. Something had to give.

  September 42 ad

  Caesarea, Samaria Philip was in the middle of addressing the church of about twenty followers who had assembled at his house when he saw his lifelong friend and fellow apostle, Bartholomew, open the door. He stopped for a moment and continued on with his teaching.

  “They said to him, ‘Why do you love her more than all of us?’ The Savior answered and said to them, ‘Why do I not love you like her? When a blind man and one who sees are both together in darkness, they are no different from one another. When the light comes, then he who sees will see the light, and he who is blind will remain in darkness.’”

  He paused at the sight of his brother in Christ. Bartholomew had a troubled look on his face and was motioning in an urgent manner with his hand that said he needed to talk now. Philip finished his sentence then excused himself from the faithful and moved toward the entryway of his house to greet the formidable, burly man.

  “What is it, my friend?”

  “We’ve got trouble,” answered Bartholomew. Philip turned toward the congregation and instructed

  another to finish with the services. He then told his wife, Deborah, that he’d be stepping outside to talk to his fellow companion in the way.

  Bartholomew looked anxious and worried, pacing back and forth. Something was definitely troubling him. He pulled Philip by the cloak, took him outside, and said, “I just received a message from Lazarus. His whole household, with Mary Magdalene and her children, are on their way here from Bethany.”

  “The whole household?” asked Philip. “Yes, his wife and children, his sisters Mary and Martha, as well as Joseph of Arimithea, Sidonius, and others.”

  “Joseph too?”

  “Yes, it seems as though they’ve run into trouble, and they had to leave immediately.”

  Bartholomew was generally an extremely calm, stable presence. It took a lot to make him get this excited. Philip wondered what could possibly make his friend so uptight.

  Philip thought, What would make them leave with such haste?

  “Who told you all this?” asked Philip.

  “Maximinus did, he’s at my house,” answered Bartholomew. “He rode out ahead of the rest of them to warn us they were coming. I left him there so he could rest and get something to eat. He looked quite haggard from the journey, and he’s petrified about something.”

  “Good god in heaven! Did he say anything further?” inquired Philip.

  “No, he wouldn’t say. He only told me to go fetch you,” answered Bartholomew.

  Philip went back inside to tell his wife Deborah he would be gone for a while. He kissed her then told her he had no idea when he’d be back. “Don’t wait up for me,” was his last words to her that night as he was heading out into the streets of Caesarea to Bartholomew’s house.

  The two apostles hurried down the streets as fast as they could to the other side of town where Bartholomew lived.

  Fifteen minutes later, Philip saw Maximinus and realized Bartholomew was correct. The man standing in front of him was a mess. He looked as though he had ridden hard for the last twenty-four hours. Definitely in need of rest, thought Philip.

  Maximinus, a man of about thirty-five years old, one of the seventy disciples the Master sent out to the villages at the commission so long ago, looked five years older than the last time Philip saw him, which wasn’t even six months ago. His face was ashen, and his eyes were a thousand yards away. His hands trembled as he took a sip from the soup Bartholomew had provided him.

  Philip sat down on an old wooden chair next to him, looked deep in Maximinus’s eyes, and asked, “My friend, what is troubling you that you look like you’ve just seen Satan himself ?”

  “I may have.” Maximinus took a deep breath, steadied himself, wiped the perspiration off his brow, and begun his story. “Joseph came to me yesterday with troubling news. He informed me that the church at Jerusalem has word that the Nazarenes are all to be killed. James of Zebedee has been martyred, and Peter thrown into prison.”

  Philip looked aghast at this, taken aback, almost falling off his chair, and exclaimed, “My God!”

  He gripped the table to steady his balance. “Poor John,” Philip added then he tried to recover himself by putting his head in his hands and said a silent prayer. Strengthen us Lord and receive James’s soul into your bosom.

  Maximinus took a gulp of wine, licked his lips, and continued, “Herod saw how much it pleased the crowd of the city to have James killed, so he arrested Peter. The church figured it was a matter of time before they killed us all! So everyone but James the Just, John Mark, and a few others left the city until the smoke dies down. To protect the children, Joseph thought it best to get Mary, young Joseph, and Judah out of Bethany.”

  “Good thinking.”Philip thought for a moment to let it all sink in and slowly spoke, “They’re in danger. They’re going to have to leave the country.” He thought for a moment longer, looking deeply into the frightened Maximunus’s eyes, and said, “Bartholomew, we should inform Cornelius of this.”

  Bartholomew grabbed his cloak, said, “I’m on my way,” and hurried out the door to the Roman centurion’s estate.

  “Tell me what is going on with the church at Jerusalem,” asked Philip.

  “It’s gotten extremely divisive,” answered Maximinus. “Paul and his companions were there about two months ago. He challenged the church about his way of converting the gentiles. And as Paul was speaking, James the Just stood up and interrupted him, telling Paul that what he was teaching was false. That his followers needed to be circumcised according to the law.”

  “What did Peter say?”

  “He was in Antioch at the time, building up the church there,” answered Maximinus. “He didn’t come back to Jerusalem until two weeks ago.”

  “Damn!” replied Philip. He knew that Peter would have settled this situation between Paul and James. Peter had been the force that kept the two from at each other’s throats in the past. His being away from Jerusalem during this crisis was very untimely, to say the least.“Damn!”Philip repeated himself.

  Maximinus continued, “James became offended, and the next thing I knew, Paul and himself were face to face. They both had to be restrained.”

  “Paul is as hotheaded as I am. This is what I feared would happen,” Philip said then got up from the table, poured himself a cup of wine from Bartholomew’s stash, thought for a moment, and continued, “They’re both right, and they’re both wrong.” He paced across the floor of Bartholomew’s house. “The problem is that they are both so damn rigid that neither is willing to compromise.”

  “In other words, they’re both just like you are. Why don’t you talk to them?” asked Maximinus.

  Philip shot Maximinus a look and said, “I doubt that would do any good at this point. They’ve both set their sails heading in opposite directions,” said Philip. “Paul is going to end up being the apostle to the gentiles and James to the Jews. I doubt this is the way Jesus had intended for his church. I’ve prayed over this matter many times, but it just seems to be getting worse. I’ve no idea what to do at this point.”

  Maximinus took this all in and said, “Then we will have two different churches.”

  “More than that, my friend, more than that.” Philip leaned over to Maximinus and asked, “How long before the rest arrive?”

  “Hopefully some time tomorrow.”

  Philip put his head in his hands and said another silent prayer for the soul of James of Zebedee and the safety of Peter, two brothers in Christ whom he had known since they were children in Bethsaida and Capernaum.

  That night, Cornelius, a Roman centurion with some authority, sent runners to Jerusalem to help out with the situation in regard to Peter. It meant a lot to him since Peter was the man who converted the God-fearing Cornelius in the first plac
e and had showed him the way to salvation.

  Two days later at the docks of Caesarea, Cornelius was hugging Philip and wishing him well on his journey to Gaul. They looked quite different in contrast as Cornelius was one of the largest men in all of Samaria—even larger than Bartholomew who dwarfed most—and Philip who was smaller than your average man. But what the apostle lacked in physical stature he more than made up for in spirit. Philip was afraid of no one as Peter and Paul could both attest to.The scene looked comical like a bear hugging a pygmy.

  “Take care of my girls,” said Philip with much sadness. He didn’t sleep at all the previous night knowing that he would be leaving them. He also knew that being an apostle to the Christ would mean much sacrifice, and he vowed to the Lord that he would do his part.

  Philip had married late at thirty-seven years of age. Five years ago, he fell in love with Deborah the first time he saw her. She’s a woman who is fifteen years his junior, and he proposed marriage the first night he talked to her. He just knew deep within him to ask. She immediately consented, knowing that she was with a righteous man. She would only find out later from friends that he was one of the original apostles. He never bragged of it to her nor ever has to anyone. He felt blessed by the Father to have been taught by the Master and by the Baptist prior to that. He felt that should never be anything to boast of lest he lose those blessings.

  Together, they had produced four daughters: Miriam, the eldest was four; Bethany, three; and the twins, Leah and Joana, who were two. Miriam had been named after Bartholomew’s wife, who is Philip’s sister. Needless to say, Deborah had her hands full with the children but loved every minute of it. She only wished she could produce a son for her husband, but he didn’t seem to mind. “It’s the Lord’s will,” was his response the only time she had brought it up.

  All four girls seemed to have the touch of knowing, especially the twins. The day when Maximinus showed up to Bartholomew’s house, Leah and Joana had been pointing toward the door all day long saying, “Uncle Bartholomew is coming for you, Daddy.”

  At first, it seemed a bit odd to the couple, but they had grown used to their daughter’s prophecies. The Holy Spirit had enveloped the household of Philip and Deborah; therefore, the unusual became the usual as revelations became the norm. His daughters were all born with the touch. It was a sign from God, and Philip was grateful for their spiritual gifts.

  Those of the faith would knock on the door all night long asking for blessings, counsel, and advice. It took a while for Deborah to get used to this, but Philip, as leader of the church here, had never turned anyone away. She thought, This is the man I married, I had better adjust to his ways because he isn’t going to change. The gates of hell could try, but this man won’t budge.

  It had been a very tearful farewell at Philip’s house when he said his good-byes to her. She begged him not to go, but Philip had repeatedly told her that he was doing this for Jesus. The Master’s children’s lives were in danger, and he would not let him down. There was a reason that Mary had come to him needing help, and that was that the Holy Spirit had led her there. He was sure of it.

  Philip told his lovely wife that it was the Lord’s will that he would return. He gave her a long, passionate kiss and walked out the door. He dared not look back at her, fearing he’d never leave her if he did. It broke his heart to leave his family, but the Lord’s will be done. He couldn’t take his family with him. His daughters were just too young to travel through the treacherous sea.

  Deborah watched the man she loved with all her heart walk away, wishing she had his faith in his return. The tears wouldn’t stop for days to come. To her, Philip was one in a million, and she prayed the Lord wouldn’t take him from her. She didn’t know what she would do without him; he was indeed her rock.

  “I’ll have guards posted at your house the whole time you’re gone,” said Cornelius. “I give you my word that no one will harm your girls.”

  “Thank you. My friend, there is something else”— Philip paused, took a drink of water from his flask, and continued—“I want you to be bishop of Caesarea.”

  Cornelius was in shock. “I could never take your position, Philip! You are one of the twelve, and you built this church with your bare hands. I could never replace you,” Cornelius objected.

  “Bartholomew and I might be gone for a while, and you’re ready to lead this church”, insisted Philip.

  “I’ll hold it down until you return, my friend,” replied a defeated Cornelius. He knew that arguing with Philip was pointless; he’d attempted several times in the past and had always come up empty.

  “We may have some church building to do in Gaul,” said Philip.

  “Ha!”The centurion laughed. “You’ll never convert those pagans!” Cornelius had done a bit of soldiering in Gaul in the past and had witnessed the rituals of the Celtics. He considered them barbarians and nothing else.

  And with that show of pessimism by the centurion, Philip smiled, kissed Cornelius on the cheek, and boarded the vessel with the new bishop of Caesarea wishing him safe travels.

  “I will personally see to the safety of your family, my brother.” Cornelius knew that Philip was worried, and he would see to it himself that his girls would be cared for.

  The beloved apostle had left the Roman in charge of the two things Philip loved the most: his girls and his church, and he would not let him down. While he was thinking on these things, a runner from Jerusalem had approached and informed Cornelius that Peter was safe.

  “Philip, my friend,” Cornelius shouted to Philip as he was boarding the boat, “Peter is safe in Jerusalem!”

  “Praise God,Cornelius,praise be to God!”shouted Philip.

  The Roman centurion looked on as he saw hugs and cheers all around on the boat at the good news they had just received. After the cheering settled, Philip began leading them all in prayer of thanksgiving. Cornelius thought, I will not let that man down. Peter may have converted me and started me on the way to salvation, but it’s been Philip who has taught me the way to Christ. And he has taught me well. Many nights the centurion had sought counsel from the apostle, and he’d never been let down. Now it was his turn to pay back those favors to his beloved friend and mentor in Christ.

  The passengers aboard the vessel were the apostles Philip and Bartholomew. Along with them were Lazarus, Maximinus, Sidonius, and Joseph of Arimithea. There were also Mary Magdalene, Lazarus’s sisters Mary and Martha, Mary, the mother of Jesus, her daughters, and Joana friend of Mary Magdalene. Also included were Joseph, age 14, and Judah, age 12, children of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Twelve servants of Joseph of Arimithea were also aboard, making the total number of passengers at 27.These disciples of the Lord would be the first to introduce Christianity to Gaul and Britannia. These are those who would change the world, keep the bloodline preserved, and become Rome’s largest threat for centuries to come.

  October 42 ad

  Massilia, Gaul After a month-long journey through the Mediterranean Sea, the vessel docked at the port of Rha in the Roman city of Massilia.

  Despite the dire predictions of Cornelius, for the next six months, Philip, Bartholomew, and the others would begin to establish the churches in Gaul all financed by Joseph of Arimithea. With the disciples being filled with the Holy Spirit, the word of God spread like wildfire. Demons were cast out, the sick were healed, the lame walked, faith was strengthened, and churches were built.

  Unlike what was happening elsewhere, the gospel of the kingdom was preached by men and women alike, therefore, week after week, the numbers grew. They may have been taught differently in Jerusalem, Antioch, Greece, and Rome, but here in Gaul, Philip was bound and determined to teach his doctrine and not the others—that the kingdom of heaven lay within us and the only thing required was the power of the Holy Spirit come from Christ to achieve the results intended and belief in the Lord Jesus to send the Holy Spirit and then belief in one’s own self for their empowerment.

  Although many that
arrived from the boat still practiced the Judaic rituals they grew up with, they didn’t ask the newly converted to do the same.

  Circumcision was a choice and not a requirement in Gaul.

  After six months of bringing the Holy Spirit to Gaul, Philip, Bartholomew, Joseph, and his twelve servants ventured on to Britannia. Before they left, Philip put Lazarus in charge as bishop of Gaul.

  “What about Mary?” asked Lazarus. “Shouldn’t she be in charge here?”

  “My friend, it is my belief that the direction the church is going in other places. Herself and her family will be in danger and have to go into hiding before long. If they remove the holy royal bloodline, their doctrine remains. So it’s for the best they keep a low profile,” answered Philip.

  “I agree,” said Joseph. “What I saw in Jerusalem was beginning to frighten me.”

  “And myself as well, my friend,” said Philip.

  The three of them conferred with Mary and agreed with her that it was best that the family remained secluded until the stench of this false doctrine of a virgin Jesus died down. If it ever would.

  Using the same formula used in Gaul, the same success was achieved in Britannia. Many Celts embraced the way of this new faith and the power of the Holy Spirit.

  And then one night while in Britannia, Philip had a dream. He saw an image of Jesus who told him, “Go to the city of Carthage, which is in Azotus, and drive out the ruler of Satan, for look, he rejoices there like a destroying wolf, which rejoices in the flock that has no shepherd. And after you have driven him out, preach there the kingdom of heaven.”

  And Philip said to his Lord, “I go, Lord, but let not your grace be far from me.”

  The following morning Philip went to Joseph.“I received a message from the Lord to go to Carthage.”

  Bartholomew, who was standing nearby, couldn’t help but overhear Philip. “Did I hear correctly that we are to go to Carthage?”

  “That’s correct, my brother, and the Lord said he would put the correct words in our mouths.” Philip closed his eyes for a moment as in deep thought and continued, “It seems to me the Lord is in charge of this whole mission. We are merely his servants.”