We get lost. We go through this way and that, whichever leads away from where the sky is still red. Then we see the pinnacles of the Temple. That helps us.
We don't always see them, because we have to go down some hills and up others. Sometimes we get to a dead end, and we have to go back the way we came. Then we have to find our way around another wall.
We're lost again.
It's completely dark now, except for a few candles and torches. Everyone's long finished their Seder. Most people are settling down to sleep.
Some people look at us funny as they see us going one way, and then coming back the other.
We finally see the gate to the outside, but it's Fountain Gate, the one next to Shalom pool. It's shut, but we see people coming in by a tiny door, just like at the other gate. We go through.
We know where we are now, but we have a long way to go.
We can smell both the animal hides from Kidron, and the rubbish from Gei Hinnom.
We go through the gate and head down the road that leads along the side of the hill into Kidron Valley.
I hope this is safe. We don't have any power left the power cells, so we can't use the metzig torch to frighten anyone off if they attack. It's dark enough though, so no one sees us.
After a long time, we meet the road from Ophel Gate, and and later still, the road that runs around the city.
There's a few houses along the road here. It's really like one big city, even outside the walls all the way to Beit Anya and Olive Hill.
I'll be glad to get home and rest. We still have a long way to go.
We start to turn in the direction of Beit Anya.
There's a noisy crowd of people coming towards the intersection from the direction of Olive Hill. Some of them are holding torches, and other people have knives. People from the neighbourhood come out to look.
Someone at the front of the crowd shouts, 'Nothing here to concern yourselves about. Go back to your beds!'
Some people go back inside, but a few are curious. We stand over towards the way to Beit Anya and watch them pass. They turn up the road into the city.
The last time we watched a crowd passing by here was the king's procession where everyone was waving palm branches.
A kid is standing near us, watching them. He's only got on a loin cloth.
Suddenly, he shouts, 'Hoi! It's Messiah! Rabbi Yeshua!'
He runs forward. One of the men grabs him and holds him. He struggles and gets away, but the man who had him has his loincloth. He's running away naked.
I look.
Sure enough! It is Reb Yeshua! They're taking him somewhere by force!
We stand there, frozen.
The crowd passes. A few others are following.
There's Yohannan, the kid who came to fetch us yesterday!
We run to him. 'What's happening?' I say.
'I don't know! Those men just came up to the garden on the hill, and took him! I think Yehuda led them to us.'
'Yehuda?'
'Yehuda Ish Kiriot. One of us. A traitor!'
We're walking with him, following the crowd of men up the road to the gate we went in this morning.
The gate is shut. Someone shouts. They open it and they all go in.
We manage to get in behind them.
There are footsteps behind us. I look. It's Kefa.
He barely gets in before the gate closes.
'This can't be happening!' he's saying. 'We've got to stop this!'
We walk past the place where we went down the ancient well. Someone's taken our rope.
The crowd keeps going. We're up to the gate Tsaphar and I came through from the nicer section of the city. We're through, going straight up another road.
We turn up a lane going up along the side of the hill where there's lots of fancy houses. One looks like it could be the king's palace -- if this place had a king, and if we hadn't seen an even bigger one before.
'The High Priest's house,' says Yohannan. 'My mother's related to the family. We can get in if we wait a bit. Then we can find out what's going down.'
Just around the hill behind Yohannan's relative's house, I catch a glimpse of the big palace we saw earlier.
'What's that?' I say.
'Herod's Palace,' says Kefa. 'May fire descend from heaven and consume it.'
The crowd goes in the main door. We wait a while.
Some other important people begin arriving.
Yohannan says to Kefa, 'They might recognise you at this door. Go around to the service entrance, and I'll get someone to open up for you there.'
He tells Tsaphar and me to follow. 'Try to look like you've just travelled a long way. We're dropping in to my uncle's.'
Like we've travelled a long way? That shouldn't be difficult!
We approach the guard at the door.
First he looks at us, ready to turn us away.
'Zakkai!' says Yohannan. 'Remember me?'
He looks at him, and suddenly says, 'Why, Yohannan! I haven't seen you since your bar mitzvah! How you've grown! Is your father with you?'
'I've -- er -- been apprenticed. My master said I could come here for Passover though.'
'Well, come in! Are these your friends?'
'Yes.'
'But I should tell you, right now isn't a good time to visit your Uncle Kayafah. He's got some urgent business, and some important people from the temple and the Sanhedrin have to meet here. You see, they have to try a notorious rebel, or the Romans will be down on us. Just go in quietly, help yourselves to something in the kitchen; when I get the chance, I'll tell you're uncle you're here.'
'Okay,' he agreed, and we're walking in as though we own the place.
This is a bit like where they put us up in Teknesh, but at the same time, sort of like the houses on Tok, in that it has a courtyard. The rooms on the ground floor go all around it, with a porch sticking out towards the middle on three sides. Some well dressed people that have been waiting on the porch take Reb Yeshua through a corridor on the opposite end, and the rough looking men who brought him all stay in the courtyard. There's a fireplace in the middle. We go into the courtyard.
On the side without a porch there's a passage going off towards a door to the outside.
Yohannan says, 'Wait here. I'll go tell them to let Kefa in.'
He goes to talk to a girl while we wait.
The men look as though they're waiting for someone to tell them what to do next.
A man comes out of the place they took Reb Yeshua.
'Okay, men,' he says. 'Your job's not finished yet, but for now, take a rest. Someone will bring food and drink.'
I've heard that voice before.
'We just have to wait until we know what the big boys will decide, and then I'll tell you what to do next.'
It sounds almost like that man -- Mordecai!
He starts to turn about.
It is him!
He's looking about at everyone in the courtyard. He's starting to look this way.
'Tsaphar! Turn around!' I whisper. I turn around too.
Yohannan is coming out with Kefa.
'Who is that man there?' I ask.
'That? That's Mordecai ben Levi. If he's here, that means Hanan ben Shet is behind all this.'
'He works for Hanan?'
'His right hand.'
'We think he murdered Reb Hyrcanah ben Mattai.'
'Huh?'
'I don't want him to see me. He might know me.'
'He's going inside now.'
We wait about a while, doing nothing.
Kefa says, 'So, w-what's going to happen?'
He's looking nervous.
Yohannan says, 'I can go and try to listen. You, maybe, go sit over there.' He points Tsaphar to a corner of the courtyard where there are some women sitting about. 'You two come with me if you want. There's a room where we can listen.'
'Er -- no way -- er-- I-I'll just stand out here and keep a look-out,' says Kefa.
So it's only Yohanna
n and me. He takes me up to the porch, and we go along to the other side. There's a way leading off between some of the rooms there. We follow some of the men through that into another courtyard.
This house must be really big!
The courtyard here is much more beautiful than the other. It's lit up with torches all about, and I can see a garden in the middle with trees and flowers. There's even a fountain. I'm sure it would be beautiful in daylight. Everyone's going through a big door on the other side. Yohannan leads me to a smaller door near it.
This room is all dark except for some light coming in through a sort of lattice partition through which we can see into the other room. The big room looks like the prayer room of a synagogue.
'This is where the women sit when they have prayers,' whispers Yohannan.
There's lots of men there, but it looks as though they're waiting for more to come.
I see Reb Yeshua standing in a corner, with a couple of armed men about him.
The well dressed man standing up is doing a lot of the talking.
'Where's Arukh ben Sha'ul? Is he here yet?' he says.
'He on his way,' says a man. 'Shim'on ben Gam'liel is also coming. Sha'ul of Tarsus is indisposed.'
'Then call Levi ben Yohannan. If he's not available, call Shim'on of Yaffa. We need the full number before we can convene a beit din.
'Yes sir,' says the man and he goes off.
'Who is that?' I whisper.
'That's my Uncle Kayafah. He's the High Priest.'
'I thought it was that man, Hanan ben something.'
'That's Uncle Kayafah's father-in-law. He controls everything. He lets different people be the High Priest when their turn comes but only if they do everything he tells them to do.'
Kayafah's talking again. 'Mordecai, are the witnesses ready? We're waiting for only two more, and we'll begin.'
'They're ready and waiting to be called.'
Yohannan is looking about the room. 'They've only called the people who already hate Rabban! This isn't fair! They should have called the Great Sanhedrin in the Chamber of Hewn Stone.'
He's looking some more. 'They called the pupils of Gam'liel, even his son, but they didn't call Gam'liel himself! I also don't see Rabbi Nicodemon, nor Yehuda ben Tamai, nor Yohannan ben Zakkai, nor ...'
19
Tsaphar sat by the women near the fire. She looked and listened, if for nothing else, to keep her mind off her loneliness.
The men, about fifty of them, were milling about, some of them coming to warm themselves at the fire whenever they felt chilly.
Three attendants came in, one carrying a basket of bread and another of raw meat. The third handed out long forks to the men, who began roasting the meat on the fire.
Men all over the courtyard crowded about the attendants. As many as would fit came near the fire. Some of them stood right in front of the girls, forcing them to scoot back a bit.
'Real meat!' said the man standing right in front of Tsaphar.
'The last time I had meat, let me see, was on my twentieth birthday!' said another.
'Me? At my bar mitzvah!'
'I only remember the smell of it from my circumcision!'
The men within earshot roared with laughter.
All Tsaphar could smell was body odour and other smells.
'No! That was your foreskin you smelled!' shouted someone.
More laughter.
'It's a good life being a priest, isn't it!' said the someone else when the laughter died down.
'Did they say they were bringing drink as well?' shouted someone.
'Yeah! Let's have it!' The courtyard erupted again.
'Hear hear!
'Patience gentlemen!' shouted an attendant. 'Wine's on its way.'
'So, do you reckon this'll to stop the revolt?' said someone closer by in a lower tone.
'Hope not,' said another.
'If they keep paying us more than the Zealots did, I won't complain!'
'Yeah! When's the last time Bar Abba dished out fresh meat and wine?' The conversation was widening.
'Bar Abba won't be doing much of that again. He's due for nailing up, isn't he!'
'So, Bar Abba's out of the way, this Nazarene -- what will they do, stone him? What will be left for the Zealots? They saw the Nazarene as King Messiah!'
'So, do you think there will be a messiah?' said someone across the fire pit.
'Hah! Not in a hundred years!'
'Not if Hanan ben Shet has his way, anyway.'
Someone shouted, 'The P'rushim and Sons of Light are bad enough. Who wants a bloody king shoving Torah observance down our throats!'
'Hear hear!' The whole end of the courtyard was responding.
Someone began setting out pitchers and cups along the edge of the porch where the men could reach them. Men began gathering about the pitchers. That drew some of the crowds away from the fire. Tsaphar could breathe again.
She wished for Eetoo. At least having him beside her was better than nothing.
A conversation behind her caught her ear. '...so when we got to Gaza, the boss said he had the man's word for it that the next caravan would be short of a few guards, so he sent us back to the oasis to work that one -- told us to meet him back here. So we went, and -- well --'
'He had it wrong, or what?'
'No. It was dismally short of guards -- should have been easy takings. It's just -- how can I say it? This bright light starts shining from on of the tents! A angel, or something. Scared us out of our wits!'
'No!'
'Don't believe me, ask Zakkai! He was going into a tent to screw a chick when...'
Some louder conversation started near the fire again, so Tsaphar didn't catch the rest. Nor did she see who the speaker was.
She could see Kefa still walking nervously about. Someone approached him and offered him a cup. Suddenly it looked as though he recognised him and asked him about something -- accusingly, Tsaphar thought. Kefa answered something but she couldn't hear it from where she sat, but she thought she caught Kefa's words, '...don't know the man!'
Didn't know who? Tsaphar wondered. There was only one man she could imagine they could be talking about, but he certainly couldn't be denying him!
20
allegations, countered by objections
more witnesses, more cross-examining
the search continues for evidence that carries weight
They've been trying all sorts of ways to make Reb Yeshua out to be a bad man, deserving to die. So far, they can't seem to agree on anything. Some witnesses get up and say this, or that, but some others get up and say, 'No way, can't get him on that,' or 'That's false charges, we can't do that.' Usually it's someone like Shim'on ben Gam'liel or one of the others who know Gam'liel himself.
Yohannan's uncle just called for a rest. Someone's out to fetch some more witnesses.
I know which one's Hanan ben Shet and which is Kayafah now. There are some of Hanan's sons as well. Some of them have also been High Priest before. His youngest isn't old enough to be one yet. He's named Hanan, after his father. He's dressed really stylish, like some of the rich kids I've seen about the city. He acts cool with some of the younger people here. He's over in one section near us, talking about his conquests. He's worse than Tsim and Rav!
Here come Hanan ben Shet and Kayafah. They don't know there's anyone behind this lattice. They stop right in front of us.
'Whoever invited the pupils of Gam'liel?' says Hanan.
'They're on our side! Their rabbi might not be for this, but these ones want his hide as much as we do.'
'But they're too freak'n stringent! We've had one good story after another thrown down the cesspool because of these. For goodness sake! We've got to have the man put away!'
'Do you want it on false charges or what?'
'Any charges are better than none! The choice is, we get him, or the Romans get us! Don't you get the picture? He's the key to it all! The Zealots hope in him; he's the fuel for the revolt. The R
omans know that. If we stop him, we've stopped the revolt. We've bought ourselves more time! You said so yourself at the last meeting.'
'But I still don't think this is going to work. If we take him for stoning on the charges we've come up with so far, the people...'
'So don't stone him then. Have the Romans nail him to one of their stakes! The new prefect, Pontius Pilate is in town and I've had a word in his ear. So is Herod. The opportunity couldn't be better. The Romans kill him, the blame gets taken from us. He'll be our Passover lamb. His blood atones for our nation's sedition! Now go to it!'
'Right.'
Kayafah's calling the meeting back to order.
Hanan is over on the other side now, talking to his son. 'Do you have to be such a noisy braggart? There are P'rushim here for goodness sake!'
* * *
Tsaphar listened to the girl in amazement.
'...and not only do they sell the hide, but they also make money at the front end. They're very picky about what they allow to be sacrificed. Even if you're poor and bring the best dove you have, they'll usually find something wrong with them and tell you to buy one of theirs, and you have to pay a lot more for it than you'd pay at the market.’
'Wow! What about the coins?'
'That too. You can only use their special Temple coins for the Temple tax and for redeeming the first-born. They charge what they want for them.'
'So they make lots of money out of the Temple!'
'That's only one part. The annual tithes and first fruit offerings, it used to be, people brought that themselves, and only if they wanted to be Torah observant. Now, they send their men to each farm in the country and collect it, as though it were a tax. After paying the tax to the Romans, my father just couldn't afford it. He lost his farm, and then had to sell me.'
Most of the men were either talking in small groups, or sleeping. Only Kefa was shifting here and there, looking like a fish trying to choose between a frying pan and a fire.
'Do you like working here?' Tsaphar asked her. Having a girl her age to talk to was just what she needed right now.
'No. It's -- like -- totally evil here! I just want to run away. I've thought of going to join this Nazarene man they were saying was Messiah – but…'
Eetoo Page 27