"And you," shouted Judas, above them all, "you will sink with me into the lowest h.e.l.l!" He then rushed from the hall.
After a pause, during which the chief priests and rulers looked at each other in silence, the money lay unnoticed on the floor. Caiaphas said, "What a fearful man!"
"I had some foreboding of this," said Annas.
"It is his own fault," remarked a priest.
Then said Caiaphas, "Let him expiate that fault himself. He has betrayed his friend, we pursue our enemy. I remain steadfast by my determination, and if anyone here should be of another opinion, let him stand up."
"No," cried they all with one voice, "what has been resolved upon, let it be carried out."
Then said Caiaphas, "What shall we do with this money? It is blood money; it can no longer be put into the treasury of G.o.d."
Annas said, "It might be used for some useful purpose under the sanction of the high council."
All agreed to this, and a priest said, "A burying place for strangers is much wanted. With this money a field may be purchased for that purpose."
"Is there such a one in the market?" asked Caiaphas.
"Yes," said a priest, "a potter in the city has offered a piece of ground for sale at just this price."
"Let Saras conclude the purchase," said Caiaphas. They then picked up the money which had lain untouched on the floor.
"But now we will no longer delay to p.r.o.nounce the capital sentence upon the prisoner," continued Caiaphas.
Then said a rabbi, "I will have him brought in at once."
"I shall see," said Annas, "whether the scorn which he showed toward me has not yet left him. A real satisfaction will it be to me to share in the sentence. Let him die."
Jesus then was brought in a second time before Caiaphas. Selpha, as before, preceded him, and Balbus and Malchus led him bound by the hands with a cord.
"Stand there," said Selpha, "and show more respect to the council than thou didst before." Then he added, "Venerable fathers, here we bring the prisoner."
Then said Caiaphas, "Lead him into the middle."
Balbus, laying his hand on the shoulder of Jesus, thrust him forward saying, "Step forward."
Then Caiaphas spake unto Jesus, saying, "Jesus of Nazareth, dost thou stand by the words which thou hast p.r.o.nounced this night before thy judges?"
Annas added, "If thou be the Christ, tell us!"
Then Jesus answered and said, "If I tell you ye will not believe; if I also ask you, ye will not answer me nor let me go. But hereafter shall ye see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of Almighty G.o.d." A shudder ran through the Sanhedrin, and all cried excitedly, "Art thou the Son of G.o.d?"
Jesus answered, "Ye say it and so I am."
Annas exclaimed, "It is enough; what need have we of any further witnesses?"
The priests and Pharisees who had not attended the night council, said, "We have now heard it out of his own mouth."
Then said Caiaphas, "Fathers of the people of Israel, it is now your duty to come to a final decision as to the guilt and punishment of this man."
Then cried they all, "He is guilty of blasphemy. He hath deserved death."
Caiaphas said, "We will therefore lead him before the judgment seat of Pilate."
And they all answered and said, "Yes, away with him. Let him die."
"Pilate," said Caiaphas, "must first be informed in order that he may proclaim the sentence before the feast."
A rabbi said, "Could some one be sent from the council in order to give him timely information?"
"Thou thyself," said Caiaphas, "together with Dariabbas and Rabinth shalt go before. We will speedily come after."
When these three had departed Caiaphas said, "This day, then, will save the religion of our fathers, and exalt the honor of the synagogue, so that the echo of our fame shall reach our latest descendants."
All shouted, "Men will speak of us centuries hence!" and Caiaphas resumed, "Lead him away; we follow."
Once more they cried, "Down with the Galilean!" and departed.
The three messengers sent by the Sanhedrin drew near to the house of Pilate, and as they went they spoke among themselves. The rabbi said: "At last we breathe more freely again; we have been insulted long enough."
Dariabbas replied, "It was indeed high time; his following was becoming very large."
"Now," said the rabbi, "there is nothing more to be feared from him.
The traders have in these days displayed the most creditable activity, to have gained for us a crowd of determined people. You will see if it comes to anything, they will effectively take the lead. The waverers will concur with them, and the followers of the Nazarene will find it well to be silent, and take themselves off."
Then said Rabinth, seeing they had approached the place of Pilate, "How shall we bring our message to Pilate? We dare not enter the house of the Gentile today, as in that case we should become unclean and could not eat the Pa.s.sover?"
"We will send a message through one of his own people," said the rabbi, and going up the stairs to the balcony of Pilate"s house, he knocked gently at the door.
Standing and listening, he said, "Surely, there is some one there?
Yes, there is some one coming," and retired a little way down the steps, so as to avoid any contact with the Gentile.
A servant of Pilate opened it and said, "Welcome, rabbi, will you not come in?"
"The precepts of the law will not allow us so to do today," said the rabbi.
The servant said, "Is that so? Can I carry your message?"
"The high priest sends us to bring a pet.i.tion to the viceroy of Caesar to ask if he will allow the council to appear before him and to bring before him a malefactor for the confirmation of his sentence."
"I will deliver the message at once to my lord; wait here in the meantime," said the servant, and went into Pilate.
The rabbi returning down the steps joined Dariabbas and Rabinth, who stood below. "It is very sad," said Dariabbas, "that we must knock at the door of a Gentile in order to get the behests of our holy law executed."
"Take courage," said the rabbi, "when once this domestic enemy is removed out of the way, who knows whether we might not soon free ourselves from the foreign foe?"
Rabinth exclaimed, "Oh, may I live to see the day which will bring freedom to the children of Israel!"