Nathanael exclaimed: "Long has the word lain upon my tongue! Now is it uttered. Let him die, the foe of our fathers!" Then sprang all the priests from their seats and with uplifted hands and eager voices exclaimed: "Yes, he must die; in his death is our salvation!" When they sat down, Annas, the aged high priest arose, and speaking with intense bitterness, declared: "By my gray hairs let it be sworn, I will never rest until our shame is washed out in the blood of this deceiver."
Then stood up Nicodemus and said: "O, fathers, is it allowed to say one word?" And all cried: "Yes, yes, speak, speak!" Then said Nicodemus: "Is the sentence already p.r.o.nounced upon this man before there has been an examination or hearing of the witnesses? Is this a proceeding worthy of the fathers of the people of G.o.d?" Nathanael said: "What!
Wilt thou accuse the council of injustice?" Zadok exclaimed: "Dost thou know the holy law? Compare----" Nicodemus replied: "I know the law; therefore also I know that the judge may not pa.s.s sentence before witnesses are heard." "What need we any further witnesses?" cried Josue. "We ourselves have often enough been witnesses to his speech and his actions, by which he blasphemously outraged the law."
Nicodemus answered, unmoved by the clamor of the a.s.sembly: "Then you yourselves are at once the accusers, the witnesses and the judges. I have listened to his sublime teachings; I have seen his mighty deeds.
They call for belief and admiration; not for contempt and punishment."
"What," exclaimed Caiaphas indignantly, "this scoundrel deserves admiration! Thou wilt cleave to Moses and yet defendest thou that which the law condemns? Ha! Fathers of Israel, the impious words call for vengeance."
The priests shouted: "Out with thee from our a.s.sembly, if thou persist in this way of speaking!" when another voice is heard.
Joseph of Arimathea stood forth on the opposite side of the hall and said: "I must also agree with Nicodemus. No one has imputed any deed to Jesus which makes him worthy of death; he has done nothing but good."
Then said Caiaphas: "Dost thou also speak in this wise? Is it not known everywhere how he desecrated the Sabbath; how he has misled the people by his seditious speeches? Hath he not also as a deceiver worked his pretended miracles by the aid of Beelzebub? Has he not given himself out as a G.o.d, when he is nothing but a man?"
"You hear that?" cried the priests to Joseph. He remained standing and continued saying: "Envy and malice have misrepresented his words and imputed evil motives to the n.o.blest acts. That he is a man come from G.o.d his G.o.d-like acts testify."
"Ha," cried Nathanael, with a laugh of scorn, "now we know thee.
Already for a long time hast thou been a secret follower of this Galilean! Now, thou hast shown thyself in thy true colors!"
Aged Annas, without leaving his seat, remarked: "So, then, we have in our very midst traitors to our holy law, and even here has the deceiver cast his net."
"What do ye here, apostates?" cried Caiaphas. "Be off to your prophet, to see him once more, before the hour strikes when he must die, for that is irrevocably determined."
"Yes," cried all the priests. "Yes! die he must; that is our resolve."
Then said Nicodemus, "I curse this resolution; I will neither have part nor lot in this shameful condemnation."
"And I also," said Joseph of Arimathea, "will quit this place where the innocent are condemned to death. By G.o.d, I swear that my hands are clean!"
Gathering their robes together, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea walked slowly out of the Sanhedrin.
Then said Josue, "At last we are rid of these traitors. Now we can speak out freely." Caiaphas, however, profiting by the protests of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, said to the a.s.sembly: "It will certainly be necessary that we should sit formally in judgment upon this man, to try him and to bring forth witnesses against him, otherwise the people will believe that we have only persecuted him from envy and hatred."
Then said one Jacob, "Two witnesses at least the law requires," and Samuel answered: "These shall not be lacking; I will provide them myself."
Then said Dariabbas, "Our decision stands firm, but in order not to offend the weak it would be well to observe the usual forms of justice."
"And," added Ezekiel complacently, "should these forms not suffice the strength of our will we must supply what is lacking."
And a rabbi said, "A little more or less guilty matters little, since once for all the public weal demands that he should be removed."
Then Caiaphas said, "In securing the execution of our sentences it would be safest if we could so contrive that the sentence of death should be p.r.o.nounced by the governor; then we should be clear of all responsibility."
"We can try," said Nathanael. "If it miscarries, it is still always open to us to have our sentence carried out by our trusty friends in the commotion of a great tumult, without ourselves being openly responsible for anything."
"And then," said the rabbi, "if the worst come we should have him in our hands, and in the silence of a dungeon it will not be difficult to find a more sure hand to deliver the Sanhedrin from its enemy."
Then Caiaphas arose and said, "Circ.u.mstances will teach us what should be done. Now let us break up. But hold yourselves ready at any hour of the night to be called together. There is no time to be lost. Our resolution is, he must die."
And all the members of the high council cried tumultuously: "Let him die! Let him die! The enemy of our holy land!"
CHAPTER IV.
BETRAYED BY A KISS.
The foulest deed will soon be done That earth or h.e.l.l displays-- Alas! ere this night"s course be run Judas his Lord betrays!
Come now, ye faithful souls draw nigh See Jesus suffer, bleed and die, Now has begun the anguished fight Beyond in dark Gethsemane.
O, sinners never let this night For evermore forgotten be!
For your salvation this has been Which on the mountain we have seen, When, sorrowing unto death, he sank To earth, it was for you-- "Twas for your sake the damp turf drank Those drops of crimson dew.
In the twilight of the same day there were gathered together in the neighborhood of the Mount of Olives those appointed by the Sanhedrin to seize Jesus. Judas was there with Dathan and the other traders, as well as the four priests sent by Caiaphas to see that all things went well. With them came the Temple Watch under the command of one Selpha, in steel helmet and steel-embossed leather cuira.s.s. The watch consisted of twenty men in armor, two of whom carried long clubs set with spikes, two bore braziers of burning coals, while the rest carried spears. Conspicuous among the watch were Malchus, the high priest"s servant, and Balbus. They approached stealthily, and Judas addressed them, saying, "Now be careful! We are now approaching the place whither the Master has withdrawn himself."
Then said Solomon, one of the priests, "I suppose the disciples will not perceive us too soon."
"No," said Judas, "they rest unconcerned and dream nothing of any attack. As to any resistance, there is nothing of that to fear."
Then cried the Temple Watch aloud, "Should they try it they shall feel the weight of our arms."
"You will seize him," said Judas, "without a single sword stroke."
"But," said Josue, "how shall we know him in the darkness so as not to arrest another in place of the one we desire?"
"I shall give you a sign," said Judas, "when we are in the garden; then look out. I will hasten up to him, and the man whom I shall kiss; that is he; bind him!"
Then said Korah, "Good, this sign will prevent us from making any mistake."
Ptolomaus, the priest, then turned to the watch and said, "Do you hear?
You will know the master by a kiss!"
"Yes, yes," cried the soldiers, "we shall not miss him."
"Now," said Judas, "let us make haste; it is time. We are not far from the garden."
Then said Josue to Judas, "Judas, if tonight brings us good fortune, thou wilt profit by the fruit of thy work."
The traders added, "We, too, will recompense thee richly."
Then cried all the soldiers together, "Now look out, thou stirrer-up of the people, thou wilt soon have thy reward." Thereupon the whole company moved off into the darkness and remained hidden in an ambush until the signal should be given.
After a time Jesus and his disciples entered the garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus spoke unto them, saying, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice; ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy, for I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh from you. I came forth from the Father and am come into the world. I leave the world again and go unto the Father."