Brian Sadler Archaeology 01 - The Bethlehem Scroll

by Bill Thompson

  Brian answered affirmatively. The men discussed Brian’s tenure and success at Warren Taylor and Currant, and Robert seemed genuinely hopeful that Brian would do well in his future endeavors.

  “However things turn out, I wish you good luck in the future,” he said, standing and extending his hand over his desk. “You’ve done well for the firm and yourself during your time here and I personally appreciate the contribution you’ve made.”

  Riding the elevator upstairs, Brian felt a sense of exhilaration. This will work out. I’m going to be a partner at Bijan Rarities.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The Judean hills near Bethlehem

  The next day Benjamin finished writing his first-hand account of what the shepherds had seen. He carefully rolled the two parchments and tied them with a string. His father was gone all day. When he returned that evening, Benjamin asked what he should do with the parchments.

  “I too have wondered that very thing. At first I thought of asking the Sanhedrin where we should place this account for safekeeping. Then I decided against mentioning our adventure to anyone at the synagogue.”

  He told Benjamin that just in the past two days rumors had begun to arise. People were murmuring that a band of shepherds had had an unusual experience. Nothing was tied to them yet and he didn’t intend to be the one who brought it up.

  “I worry that they will take it out on you, my son,” he said, as he tousled the boy’s hair with his hand. “If the priests think we are heretics, they will surely stop your education. It’s best that we say nothing. And as far as the parchments go, I will think of a plan.”

  Joab took Benjamin’s scroll into the other room with him.

  Benjamin went to synagogue school the next day and things went exactly as they had every day before. But today he was practically bursting inside. When school was dismissed that afternoon and he was walking home with his friend Saul, he felt he could wait no longer. He had to share what he had seen.

  “Saul, can you keep a big secret?” His friend made an oath after Benjamin told him this was the biggest secret he had ever known.

  The boys sat under a tree in the shade beside the dusty road that led to their homes. Saul lived about a half mile further down this road than Benjamin’s family. His father was also a shepherd. Benjamin told him the entire story, omitting nothing. Saul sat in rapt astonishment.

  Once Benjamin finished, Saul asked if he could have been dreaming.

  “I was there, doing all those things! It was no dream!”

  He told Saul that his father had cautioned against telling the priests because they would probably think his family were heretics and blasphemers. Benjamin even thought they might put his father in jail if word got out. He again made Saul promise not to tell a single person and Saul repeated his oath. The boys continued their journey home.

  Saying their goodbyes, Benjamin turned into his yard. His mother greeted him with a smile and said, “Your father is feeding the animals behind the house. I think you and he are going on an adventure tomorrow!”

  Excitedly Benjamin pressed his mother for more information. She told him Joab had come home after spending the day in the village, and announced that he was going to Qumran to talk to the Essenes about what to do with the scroll.

  “And he’s taking you with him. Here he comes now.” Joab turned the corner from the side of the house.

  He hugged Benjamin. “Did your mother tell you we are going on a mission tomorrow?”

  “Yes! But what kind of mission?”

  “Wait and see. We’ll have plenty of time to talk on the trip tomorrow, since we are traveling almost twenty miles. I’ll tell you everything. Now come with me. We have to finish preparing our donkeys for the trip and then pack our bedrolls. We may be sleeping under the stars tomorrow night in Qumran.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Shortly after the sun rose Joab and Benjamin put blankets on their donkeys and began their journey. Rachel had given them dates, flat bread and dried meat so they wouldn’t go hungry, and there were skins with water and wine. Not knowing what to expect when they arrived, they were prepared to eat and sleep alone, although Joab thought it was likely the Essenes would offer them food and lodging, however meager each of those might be.

  Benjamin was excited. He had never ventured this far. He looked forward to making a trip of this magnitude and being trusted by his father to join him in his visit to the Essenes.

  As they trod the dusty road, Joab told Benjamin of his discussion with the priests yesterday at the synagogue. Careful not to mention the event the shepherds had witnessed the other night, he had inquired in general about the Essenes, who were known to be compilers of Biblical information. The priests with whom he spoke did not act surprised or inquisitive about the discussion. Joab had told them he was thinking of visiting the Sea of Arabah and had heard of Qumran nearby, so he wanted to know more about it.

  The priests had told him that the Essenes were a strange lot, living in a dusty town in the Judean hills. It was a rather desolate place and it was said that once the Essenes had inscribed Biblical writings on parchment, they secreted them in caves that dotted the landscape around Qumran, the community where they lived.

  Benjamin had heard of this place only in tales. The stories said that a sect of odd but very well respected Jews, the Essenes, lived in isolation in this desolate village near the Sea of Arabah (author’s note: today it is called the Dead Sea). The group was known for its righteous behavior in a time of unrest and turmoil. In synagogue school Benjamin had been taught that the Essenes sought to keep Moses’ laws from being corrupted by foreign influences. Judea was a hodgepodge of ethnic groups today. Each brought different interpretations of the laws of Moses. The Essenes strived for purity in teaching, in acts and particularly in the written word, which in their opinion could never be modified.

  The Qumran sect of Essenes spent their days copying the Holy books onto scrolls, their particular goal being to ensure no man or popular religion of the day would or could usurp the very words of God as handed down to His prophet Moses. They accomplished this goal by copying ancient, crumbling texts onto modern parchment, sealing the finished works into earthen jars, and hiding them in nearby caves. Someday, whether soon or hundreds of years into the future, men would gaze upon the scrolls of Qumran and know how the law had truly been written, without the corruption of man.

  Joab told Benjamin that he had brought the boy’s parchment in hopes that the Essenes would add it to their trove of historical documents, to be kept and read by people of the future.

  “It is important, Benjamin, that the chronicle not be lost. You may be the only person who both saw it and wrote about it. It is our duty to preserve your words.”

  They stopped for lunch near a small lake. The donkeys drank the cool water while Joab and Benjamin sat on a blanket, shaded by a grove of trees.

  Joab talked quietly. “Since that night we haven’t talked much about what we all saw. You have had time to think about it since then, and you have even written it on parchment. What thoughts do you have?”

  Lying on his back in the shade, Benjamin thought for a moment, then told his father that the events of that night formed part of his dreams every single night thereafter.

  “Do you believe, father, that the baby was truly the Messiah we have been awaiting?”

  “Yes son, I do. If it had been a man and woman claiming their child was the Son of God, that would be one thing. But we were given a sign by angels, led to the place by a heavenly light, and we saw for ourselves the unearthly events that happened. Do you remember that figure in the back of the stable?”

  Benjamin nodded. “That was another angel, father. He was the herald angel, telling us of the Messiah’s arrival. He even told us to bow down and worship Him whom God has sent.”

  “I believe just as you do, son. And I am ashamed that I cannot spread the word to everyone I see. But I am afraid. Not for myself, but for you and your mother. The Sanhedrin are powerfu
l men. The news you have written on your parchment would threaten their very existence. And they would strike out. I am certain of it. We would find ourselves persecuted, perhaps we would even have to leave our home and settle where we would not be known. For now I think it is best that we keep in our hearts the things we have seen, and make sure your record of the events is maintained for generations to come.”

  They rose and continued to Qumran, arriving in the early afternoon. Joab introduced himself to a man who met them at the gate and said he wanted to talk to the leader of their group. The man said he would take them there.

  As they walked through a courtyard, Benjamin was struck by how dusty and brown everything was. It was as though nothing had any color. A thick layer of sand covered everything. Some men led Joab’s donkeys away to be fed and watered. Their meager packs were set in a corner of the walled yard.

  Their guide ushered them into a large room, where men sat on stools at high desks, copying documents onto parchment with large quills. Each desk was positioned in front of a window to afford maximum light to the scribes. At the end of a room sat a man dressed in a brown robe identical to the others. He stood as they approached him and said, “I am Onias, called ‘the younger.’ It is my great fortune to oversee the important work of our brothers here.”

  Onias ushered them out into the courtyard. They selected a cool place in the shade and a young man brought fruit to them. He also served steaming hot coffee to the men, and offered a fruit drink in a cup to Benjamin, who gratefully accepted it. Once they were settled, the Essene said, “I am pleased to welcome you here, and I am interested to know what brings you to our community.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Joab explained to the man that his words might sound heretical, and he wished no ill will toward anyone.

  “I tell what I saw, and God’s hand was everywhere that night. I can only believe He wanted the events of that night made known.”

  As Joab related the story Benjamin wanted to add a comment now and then, but it would have been very improper for him to do so. Most Jews believed children’s opinions were of no value. Benjamin was glad his mother and father always were interested in what he thought, and his father had spent a lot of time on the trip to Qumran listening to Benjamin relate his thoughts about that evening on the hill and at the Inn.

  Joab’s story took two hours. Onias sat quietly, saying nothing, moving only to gesture for more coffee and some sweet cakes.

  When Joab finished the Essene looked at Benjamin and said, “You were with your father throughout this entire time, child. Is your account the same as his?”

  The boy was pleased to have been asked. He nodded his head then asked, “Do you believe us?”

  “Pardon the boy’s impertinence,” Joab said quickly.

  Benjamin looked down, rebuked, but Onias replied, “He is worried, and rightly so. Both of you should be. If your story is true, you have seen events that will change the world forever.”

  He went on to explain that two things made him believe the fantastic story Joab had told. “First, I have already heard news that this event happened and I hoped someone would bring a first-hand account. Many, many people saw some or all of what you experienced. Their stories are spreading throughout our lands as eager men find themselves unable to contain the wonder of what they experienced.”

  “If I may ask, how would you have heard so quickly, here in this remote community?”

  Onias laughed. “We are not as isolated as one might think. Members of our sect and outsiders alike visit Qumran daily. They bring us materials to translate or rewrite for posterity. Some stay with us while on a journey. Either way, we are always anxious to know the events happening outside our walls.”

  Benjamin spoke. “You said that two things made you believe our story. What is the second one?”

  Onias looked at him with a warm smile. “My father was Onias the Righteous. He was the best man I ever knew. He earned his title because he was upstanding and fair in everything he did. This was unusual in a world of turmoil. He prayed constantly and many things he prayed for came to pass. This enraged the Jewish leaders of the time and when I was still a young boy, he was stoned to death for making it rain by praying.”

  Onias’ eyes misted as he spoke of his father. He said that Onias the Righteous had set a prediction onto a scroll seventy years before.

  “I located that scroll three days ago when I first heard of the events in Bethlehem with the child. I have read it many times since. The scroll is a prediction by my father, given to him in a dream. It speaks of a baby who will be born within a century and who will become the savior of mankind. It speaks of God’s son coming as a child in a stable. It speaks of an earthly mother and a heavenly father. And it speaks of you.”

  “It…it speaks of me?” Benjamin was astonished. “A scroll written seventy years ago speaks of me?”

  Onias laughed. “Not just you. The most exciting thing about your visit today was when you told me you were shepherds. The scroll of my father says that shepherds in the hills outside Bethlehem will be visited by messengers from God and will be shown where the newborn King lies.”

  No one spoke for several minutes. Joab dropped his head and began to pray. His eyes closed, he took his son’s hand and held it tightly. Tears fell from Joab’s eyes.

  The moment passed. Joab asked the Essene what they should do.

  “Why did you come here?”

  “I was in hopes that you would believe us and would put our scroll with the ones you have hidden away for future generations to see and know.”

  “You were right to do this, Joab. I believe you saw and heard everything you have told me, and it was good to have your son commit the events to parchment. Your scroll deserves to be part of the historic records.”

  Night was falling quickly. “You must be very hungry.” Onias took them to a room off the courtyard and asked one of the Essenes to bring their packs.

  “You may stay here tonight, and tomorrow we will place your scroll in hiding. But first, come. We must eat.”

  They walked into a large room where perhaps fifty men were eating. There were heaping plates of hot food on a long table and the men sat on benches on either side.

  “Sit here,” Onias guided them then he moved to the head of the table. Joab and Benjamin were offered lamb and chicken, chickpeas, fava beans and many other vegetables, and flat brown bread. There was wine with which to wash everything down. Benjamin hadn’t realized how hungry he was. The food tasted absolutely wonderful.

  The men sitting around them asked where they were from and then inquired about the political climate in Bethlehem. Everyone knew of the census, of course. Even the Essenes were not exempt from making the journey to their birth cities, although none had yet gone.

  “We will wait until the last moment,” one man joked, “until perhaps the Romans will have decided there’s some new way to kill us besides taxing us to death.” Several others laughed.

  The talk continued for nearly an hour. It was obvious to Joab and Benjamin that these men were glad to have word from the outside whenever possible, and it was a pleasant evening talking with them. No one questioned the reason for their visit to Qumran. Joab presumed many visitors like themselves had secrets of one type or another to entrust to this sect of Holy scribes.

  At last the men began to disperse. Stars shone brightly overhead as Joab and Benjamin made their ways across the courtyard. Onias had left the dining hall at some point and was nowhere to be seen. The two travelers fell onto their cots, suddenly exhausted. They slept a dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Sixteen

  A rooster’s crowing was the first thing Benjamin heard next morning. He sat up on his pallet and saw that his father had already left the room. The sun was already well up and he heard voices in the courtyard. He went to a water bowl in the corner, splashed his face and donned his robe.

  Joab and Onias were sitting outside near a small fire drinking coffee. Joab waved to his son and
Onias greeted Benjamin as he sat by his father. Onias told them that he had given their situation much thought during the night. Benjamin saw that Onias held the parchment they had brought. The Essene called to a man walking by and said something to him in a quiet voice.

  “We will prepare your scroll now,” he said to the boy. “Come with me.”

  They entered the room where the scribes were working on transcriptions. The man to whom Onias had spoken had an earthen jar on a table in front of him and he was carefully wiping it with a cloth to remove any dust. Onias handed Benjamin the scroll.

  “It would be my honor for you to lay it in its resting place,” he said.

  Benjamin inserted the rolled-up parchments into the jar’s narrow neck. Then he reached into his pocket and said, “I would like to place something else in the jar.”

  He took out a small piece of parchment with writing on it. He also brought out a coin.

  “So what do we have here?” Onias asked.

  “This is the coin the Messiah child held in his hand. I wrote a short description of it on this parchment. The coin belongs with the scroll.”

  “Indeed it does. Some day this coin and scroll will have an impact of unbelievable proportions. It will not be in my lifetime, or yours. Maybe not that of your grandchildren or great-grandchildren. But someday what you have written will change the world.”

  The man sealed the top of the jar with a plug of mud and smoothed it out with a small knife. Onias then took the jar and said, “Your donkeys are readied. Let us take a short journey and place your jar.”

  Benjamin was excited. He hadn’t known this was going to happen. “It’s your privilege, my son,” Joab said. “You may put the jar in its safe place.”

  For over an hour the trio rode their donkeys up into the hills that surrounded the community of Qumran. Onias led them to a rocky mesa and dismounted.