Athaliah, Daughter Of Jezebel

by Mordechai Landsberg

Athaliah was walking slowly on the main path leading to the Temple. She was leaning from time to time on the metal rod that she was holding, as a symbol and a ‘Fetish’. Mathan was at her side, and they were followed by two guards, walking at their sideways and looking around.

  “Abner is the Head of the rebellion.” She said hoarsly, “I should have killed him long ago. I had deluded myself regarding him…”

  “Damn also the High Priest, your daughter’s husband,.” Said Mathan, “He had permanently incited the mob. He had prepared them to sacrifice themselves.”

  “My best Knaanite units,” she said, “will counter attack them tonight, or tomorrow morning. They are now parking at the northern front – opposite to Beth El. I’ve sent two separate messengers to call them. If one fails or falls, the other would survive and find them.”

  “You told me that you would send delegates also to Jehu. With a treaty proposal and bribe offer... Have you done that?”

  “Yes. For cracking down the Devilish Priest of God – even Satan would be my good ally! My daughter had betrayed me, my flesh and blood…They all had betrayed me. I pray to Baal, that he will bring them to his Cemetarial Paradize.”

  A group of young people, who were standing at the sideway, spit on the Queen. Her guards were hit by stones, but Athaliah was adamant to climb the path to the Temple. She still had not known the real measures of her defeat, thinking that the God Believers’ revolt was sporadic, and that her army would be still strengthened.

  “I now regret,” she complained to Mathan, “that I have rendered my personal horse to Ben Gever, the Knaanite commander. He said that otherwise we will not stand the assaults of Abner…I don’t know if he had survived”

  “The God Believers’ advantage had been, that they surprised us.”

  “It’s Conspiracy! Total Conspiracy,” shouted suddenly Athaliah, “the corrupt God believers had the courage to undermine my regime. Corrupt conspiracy. . . But wait- You devil, Priest of God! Your end is not far. All my forces will soon attack you!”

  The queen’s curses had become a perpetual frenzy, as she was approaching the Temple. Her mouth was foaming, her heart was pounding swiftly, and her breath became short. She stopped for a while, feeling a warm wave of air on her face. She listened to Abner’s soldiers, standing at both sides of the way, mocking at her. They talked intentionally very loudly.:

  “The mad queen thinks she’s still in Ashera’s Orgies, men! She desires only horses’ cocks!”…(author’s note: We can’t know those days’ exact Hebrew or other language nickname for that organ. Mamoth’s long penis had been already discovered at that time to ancient scholars. Maybe they had given that name for what is mentioned here; the Prophets speak about horses sperms’ stream - as a symbol of sexual strength.)

  “This whore,” said a fanatic soldier to his collegue, “should be tied to a horse-tail, and dragged on our streets, like her Mom Jezebel.”

  “Only Jezebel’s dead corpse was driven in Samaria’s streets!” remarked his comrade, “Our queen Athaliah should be be dragged alive!”

  “I tell ye’- that Jesebel had been a pietous woman –in comparison to her daughter!”.

  “Isay: The dogs should lick her blood and suck her wounds - still alive!”

  “And her bones be broken and her skin be peeled- still alive!”

  The Priests’ chorus began humming again the melody of “God will speak by thunder”. Yehoyada raised again the Scroll, showed it to the public, and put it again on the table. Then he bent down to the cupboard’s bottom, and opened again the small wooden door of the “Ark”. He took out the box, that his flower priest had carried from the storehouse.

  He reveald an article which was wrapped there by an old cloth, removed it and lifted in the air a sparkling sword. He waved it to the right and left – showing to the public its golden sheath. He laid the sword on the table, beside the scroll. The boys were staring from aside at his activity.

  “Look,” said Zakharia to Elyakim, “Look! Why had Papa shown the sword, mom?”- he turned to Yehoshava.

  “I remember that King David had such a sword, with a golden sheath.” Said Elyakim.

  “You will soon get solutions to all your riddles,“ said Yehosheva dryly, “From your father, the High Priest.”

  They saw Yehoyada waving his hand - indicating them both to approach him.

  The boys looked at Yehosheva, as asking her permission.

  “Go, go to him,” she said ,”He is calling you.”

  Elyakim and ZaKharia walked hand in hand toward the stage, a silly smile smeared on their faces.

  The High Priest kissed his son, then kisses and embraced Elyakim. He handed the Scroll to Zakharia, who embraced it very tightly and kissed it. Elyakim bent and kissed it too. Zakharia raised the scroll to the air. With his father’s help- he showed it to the audience. Then he put the scroll back on the table, beside the sword.

  The Flower Priests chorus began singing again. But this time its words were different :

  God will speak by thunder,

  Grass will move in shudder.

  Dear to God, loved by Cherubim-

  is our brave boy, El-yakim!”

  Elyakim heard that and shuttered. He grabbed the high Priest’s robe and asked him loudly:

  “Elyakim?! Father, Why have they mentioned my name?”

  Yehoyada bent to him. The boy seized his left palm in fear. The High Priest’s right hand caressed Elyakim’s head. Then he pulled out his both hands from the boy and raised them parallel to the floor. The crowd began humming, still not understanding why he had been like playing games with the children, his pupils.

  “Calm down, people of Judea!” He exclaimed. The public stopped its noises.

  “In the name of God Almighty!” declared Yehoyada, “We have gathered here to thank God for our rescue from the wicked queen.” Now he turned again to Elyakim, “And now- you, sweet boy- be ready to answer three questions, that I’m going to ask you.”

  “I am ready, father. I well remember: Once you had promised me such an examination- before the whole public. Is it now the time?”

  “Yes, boy. Well…You certainly know, dear son, the history of our kings, as written in the Bible.”

  The boy nodded.

  “Do you remember,” asked Yehoyada, “the Rules and Commands of God to the king: that he should take care of his people, respect them and defend them?”

  “Yes. I remember also, that the king- shall fear God, not men.”

  “Fine,” said the high Priest, “And...if it is imposed on you, my son, to go in our kings’ ways... Which of the kings would you choose as an example, as a mo-del?”

  “King David, of course!” shouted Elyakim and the gathering people applauded. Some were astonished from the strange inquiry of the teacher, and his pupil added: “David’s heart was with God, and the people loved him very much.”

  Yehoyada fell suddenly prostrate, and kissed the boy’s sandals. The public saw that, but thought that he bent down in search of something…Then Yehoyada rose up to kneel. His head was now in the same height as the boy’s, and his finger was pointining on him:

  “You are my king, boy! You are my king!”

  “What are you doing, father?” cried Elyakim. Yehoyada rose to stand on his feet.

  “Be suitable, my boy,” he said, turning his face to the crowd “Be suitable for David’s Throne, boy Elyakim. You - are Jehoash!”

  “I, Jeho-ash?” said the boy, “In Hebrew it means desperate. Mother had told us once, that king David was desperate in his grave; as none of his offspring has survived Queen Ataliah’s massacre…”

  Yehosheva rushed now to stand near the two boys:

  “Joeho-ash,” said the high Priest, “in our language also means: God’s fire. YOU, BOY – are God’s fire for us.”

  “Dear Elyakim,” said Yehosheva, “from now on we will all name you Jehoash... You are the son of king Ahaziah, who ha
d ruled here before Queen Athaliah…”

  “You are the son of king Ahaziah, “ declaimed the Levitins’ chorus.

  “Athaliah, your grandmother,” said her daughter Yehosheva, with a choked voice, “usurped the throne – by killing family members of your own.”

  “We have saved you, Jehoash,” said Yehoyada, “from her murderous grip. But now- we don’t fear her. Athaliah is on the run.”

  “I know she was ruthless,” said the excited boy, “She was fighting against God!”

  Priest Yehoyada was bending down – to the bottom door of the Ark. He took out a small golden crown from there, and put it on the table, besides the sword and the scroll.

  Elyakim raised his hands to the table- caressing the articles. Looking at the High Priest, he remained standing beside his friend Zakaharia.

  Yehoyada indicated a Flower Priest and Abner to come and stand near the boy.

  Abner took the crown from the table and the priest held the scroll – while both were standing beside the boy Elyakim - Jehoash.

  “Dear countrymen,” said Abner, “Priests, Levitin, and everyone who is a slave of God! You all have come here,” he pointed on the boy, “to celebrate our victory. Now applaud the son of our poor King Ahaziah!”

  A roar of applauds had ensued. Some of the audience began a circle of dances, some weeped.

  Abner was handing Yehoyada the golden small crown. Both bowed to the boy Elyakim, and put the crown on his head.

  “Father, I still want to understand…” said the little king and Yehosheva hushed him..

  “Blessed be God,“ declared the high priest, “who has given a true heir to king David. He will lead us in justice, and fight against our enemies…”

  Yehosheva suddenly moved her hand downward, in a gesture of impatience from the long ceremony and blessings. She ran to Elyakim-Joash, and kisses him many times.

  “My child, my sweet boy...” she was crying, “You are a king, understand?”

  The boy began weeping:

  “Mother, mother. I only begin to understand. You’ve saved my life.”

  Yehoyada whispered something in his ear. The boy became to stand erect. Yehosheva retreated, discerning her husband’s nervousness on his face.

  “My brother Zakharia, come closer to me,” said Jehoash, “Embrace me tightly.”

  Yehosheva forcefully prevented her son from kissing his friend - his real cousin. She separated the two, telling them to take a distance from one another.

  “My son, Zakharia!” she said fiercely, “From today on – he is your king! Now- bow to him.”

  The boy Zakharia obeyed, and fell prostrate before Elyakim.

  At that moment the entry door was opened. A flower priest escorted inside an Officer who came in. He was wearing a feathers’ helmet and the Sun and Moon signs were tailored on his uniform. Abner jumped toward them, indicating both him and his soldier to stop approaching the stage.

  “Why have you interrupted us, Officers?” asked Abner.

  “I’m a messenger, sent by Queen Athaliah,” said the soldier with the feather’s helmt, “She humbly requests to attend this assembly. She would like to make- with full respect- an announcement of surrender!”

  Shouts of rejoice and applauds were coming from the audience, that was standing, looking at the cold reaction of their leaders to the extraordinary message.

  “Don’t believe her, Abner!” said one voice, “She wants to trap you.”

  “Kill her!”.

  “ . .But not here!”

  “Burn the Witch outside! The tyrant should not enter this Temple!”

  “Silence, countrymen!” said Yehoyada and turned to the messenger, “Is anybody of her ministers with her?”

  “As usual, Priest of Baal.”

  Abner, who was standing next to the High Priest, turned to him and said:

  “We should better avoid the criminal person to arrive,” he saw that Yehoyada nodded. “I’ll arrest Him. We’ll let the Queen alone enter!”

  Prophet Joseph, who was among the audience, pushed people around him and approached the Army Commander, who was walking toward the door with the messenger.

  “Please, let me deal with the Baal Priest,” he whispered. Abner recognized young Joseph, and was aware of the venomous prophet’s request. He nodded, and gave his sword to him. He indicated five of his man to follow the prophet – and returned to the temple’s Hall.

  Joseph took with him the soldiers and the messenger, and they were leaving the Temple. The messenger soon showed him the alley through which Athaliah’s small group was advancing, and they all began running downward. Soon they discerned the queen and her men.

  “Queen guards,” shouted the prophet to Athaliah’s escorts. “Stay away. We have to bring the Baal priest to justice. Don’t try to resist us!”

  At that moment three archers from the prophet’s men directed their arrows toward the guards of Athaliah. Mathan tried to sneak aside. One of the archers stretched his bow and shot, but Mathan succeeded to step further aside. Two other soldiers of prophet Joseph and he himself chased the runner, and succeeded to surround him. Mathan surrendered to their threatening.

  “Put down every article from your pockets,”ordered him the prophet,“then raise your hands.”

  Mathan obeyed, and was taken into the Baal’s House of worship. There Joseph stabbed him by his spear “Before the Altar (of Baal),” as the Bible says. The Baal priest seemed to get his death punishment with full calmness of mind. He did not try to beg for mercy, and the prophet had praised him in his heart for that.

  “An un-armed prophet is not good in God’s eyes,” Joseph preached to the archers, “A truth telling prophet should, from time to time, execute a cruel, unrelenting verdict. God has ordered us not to hide behind other persons’ backs. We should be cruel to our enemy, if we feel right and fulfilling God’s orders.… My love – Nefertita!” he then murmured, bursting in sob, “I have taken revenge…for you, the most innocent and ardent God Believer ever seen!”

 

  Now Queen Athaliah truly understood her situation. She saw Mathan taken to his death, and knew that she was surrounded by God Believers’ soildiers. Her walk was slowed, becoming even slower than before. She was leaning on her metal rod, that was called by her: ‘my staff’. At first she was decisive to “Show it to the people, and tell them the truth about a ruler,” but now she became reluctant to that, and only meditated: “The mob thinks that a God’s priestly regime would be better? They will shortly feel deluded. So is human nature, created by Baal or God.”

  An armed group of Abner’s soldiers was now following her steps, when she entered the Temple courtyard. There her guards were arrested, and she alone was allowed to enter the holy Temple.

  Athaliah was already standing opposite to the stage, where Abner, High Priest Yehoyada , her daughter and the boys were standing. There was a strange look on her face. A guard rushed to her, taking the ‘stick’ – out of her grip. She had not uttered a word, and only stared at Elyakim-Jehoash, tears in her eyes.

  “The murderer of our kings - is in the Temple!” screamed a Flower priest and others followed him by shouts. But Abner’s men hushed the tumult very soon.

  “We should hear what this bad woman would like to tell us,” declared the High Priest before the assembly, then turned to her and said:

  “Lady Athaliah, God is merciful - to receive the repentans.”

  A Flower Priest jumped to Athaliah from her back, removing the crown from her head. It fell on the floor and he handed it to the High Priest – who pointed to his wife. Yehosheva stepped a little, took the crown, and returned to stand with the boys.

  A new tumult was growing, and the high priest rebuked the crowd:

  “Silence! Please, don’t despise God’s name in this Holy Temple.”

  Athaliah drew closer to the High Priest, and began shouting:

  “What we see here- is a rebellion, a co
nspiracy! You, treacherous God’s Believers!…”

  “How dare you.. to blame us?!” said Yehoyada..

  “You, high Priest, have been long- a seducer and inciter. Your waves of hatred had foamed day and night. You have dared- to rise against your queen. And you too!” She pointed on Abner.

  Suddenly she rushed to the right, trying to get closer to the crowned boy.

  She gave him her hand, which he intended to take – but retreated, feeling the reproachful gaze of Yehosheva at him.

  “Let me kiss you, boy,” said Athaliah with tears in her eyes, and the boy pitied her, and had turned his cheek to her.

  “If you are my grandma…” he whispered, “I don’t understand…”

  Elyakim permitted Athaliah to touch his shoulder in a sign of fondness, and her fingers began caressing his face, too…But the strong hands of two Flower Priests, who were indicated by Yehoyada, soon separated her from the boy.

  The men dragged her back and she was trying to contradict, shoutings: “Stop, savages!”- and fell to the floor. They elbowed her and raised her to stand.

  “Madam,” told her Yehoyada, “we had the impression, that you would come here to surrender, not to blame anyone!”

  “Right, I can’t blame any more!” she spoke short breathed: “I have only wanted now- to beg a last kiss from my dear Grandson. The child of my son Ahaziah, that God has killed.”

  “Enough, mother!” shouted her daughter Yehosheva. Athaliah raised her hands above her head.

  Her following declaration to the whole public, which was gathered in God’s Temple in Jerusalem - is found in the drama “Athaliah”- by Jean Racine. I have adapted and edited it to rhymed English verse:

  “King David! you have absolutely won.

  See what to Athaliah - God has done!

  Oh, raging God! From your highly Throne

  You have brought my end, you alone!…

  You, that at first made my revenge succeed.

  Afterwards You trapped me, indeed:

  If by the figure of the innocent boy,

  that had raised my mercy and joy.

  If by the treasure of the gold,

  that for evil purposes I have sold.

  If by deterring me to fulfill my desire

  To set your Temple in a furious fire.!”

  “Enough, woman!” shouted Yehoyada at her.

  “Well,” she said, “I must surrender. And let this boy- replace me as king of Judea. May God be with him.”

  “He hasn’t waited for your declaration.” said the High Priest with a gorgeous laugh, “Don’t you see he had been crowned already?”

  “Well,” she said,

  “But in order that he should not from me fear/, and that God will bestow him all the best-

  I will render him my spear/ to stab me in my breast!”

  Saying that - Athaliah pointed on her bosom to the boy, and exposed it to all the crowd by opening her gown.

  Abner took the spear from her hand and grabbed it together with the boy.

  Both were approaching Athaliah, who had not moved.

  According to the Play of Racine:

  THE QUEEN’S SCREAM OF DEATH WAS ECHOING IN THE HALL.

  The Bible says, however: “So, all the people of the land (Judea)rejoiced, and the city was quiet. For they had put Athaliah to death with the sword- at the king’s house, (so as not to contaminate the Holy Temple by a murder).

  CHAPTER 26

  Hisorical and Literary notes

  As a Jewish writer and Bible reader - I have often been fascinated by the story about the fall of Ahab’s dynasty. It happened at first by the hands of Jehu, God’s believer who opposed the worship and ideology of The Baal and Ashera Idols, that dominated the Northern Israeli kingdom and penetrated also to the south- to Judea.

  I felt uneasy with the Bible’s sixteen sentences describing Athaliah’s usurp the crown, - as well as with Jean Racine’s drama about her. Both books did not explain one big question: How did it come about, that a woman could take a rule on a kingdom that she had not been born in, and its leaders had been always males, offsprings of king David? How could this woman become queen of Judea by simply killing all King David’s offsprings? How had she found collaborators?..

  Athalia, daughter of sinners Jezebel & Ahab, hated Jehu - the murderer of many idols’ worshippers, among them her mother, her brother (the king after Ahab) and her son- Ahazia, who had ruled in Judea. The country of Israel then- according to the Bible and also based on archeology, was split into two separate kingdoms: Northern Israel - and southern Judea. Athalia, who came from the north to marry southern Judean king, hated her husband, father of her son - King Ahaziah- as well as she hated all David’s dynasty in Judea. Her hatred, according to the Bible’s story, that was rooted also in Jean Racine’s Play, had kindled the emotional power and motivated the cruelty that enabled her to reign in Judea.

  Playwright Racine had a very ‘cool’ viewpoint and concept regarding a Poetic Drama: Almost no shocking scenes stir the stage, but much psychological and spiritual “movement” takes place in his characters’ hearts and minds. The characters ‘describe their struggles’ by long monologues or dialogues, in a realistic “accurate” manner - but with very few dramatic events physically demonstrated on stage. Outbursts of emotions and feelings are hardly shown in the manner of shouts, weepings, hystery. Even most bloody scenes are talked about, not described verbally in details... There are drama commentators who saw in Racine’s play signs of sympathy that he had toward the ‘free spirited and broad cultured‘ Athaliah; and as such – he did not much symphasize with the narrow minded God believers; therefore he did not sharpen too much their ideological and practical struggle with the ‘liberal tyrant’.

  I have decided to write a novel, which will depict a more panoramic show of events, conflicts and struggles, so that a reader of today will find here what tyrany means to many involved. (Nowadays dictatorships in the Arab countries begin [only begin] to fade. We can find some similar features of tyrant Athaliah – in this case: Idols’ worshipper, luxury and pleasures’ addicted - to dictators in our time. The religious Muslems who won nowadays, would sooner or later ‘show’ their mobs- that ruling ‘in the name’ of God or Muhamed or Moses Or Jesus- is far from being the solution to human kind’s problems. But here we slip to politics and to prophecy.)