Dimas 2

Death of a Silversmith Man

It was an ordinary day, but it was not an ordinary day for Dimas, it was not, one of those days, where he go about and spend his days with his daily chores. This day was the death of a Silversmith man the Israelite man from Jerusalem, his beloved father.

This is the saddest day of his life, because this is the day where he became an orphan. His beloved father died that day and he was in distress. His devastation is just like that, and he was in mourning. His eyes were overflowing with tears, and never had he felt the loneliness in his life, now that he is all alone.

Although he is in mourning, and he felt so weak, he urged himself to move, and forced himself to get up and go, to make an arrangement for his beloved father’s funeral. He made it somehow to the gravestone maker and there they compromised for the amount of One Thousand Two Hundred Obol, for his dearest father’s gravestone.

(The Obol, was a form of ancient Greek currency and weight. Obol were used from early times, according to Plutarch, they were originally spits of copper or bronze traded by weight. Six obols make a drachma or a handful, since that was as many as the hand could grasp).

However, upon returning home, and to his amazement, there were three men in his father’s burial. They were the Pharisees, an old man with a Centurion (Law Enforcement or a Police officer) and a Revenue Officer (Tax Collector). The three men immediately informed Dimas that they were there to confiscate his father’s small properties he left, the Silversmith man.

• “What are you doing here in my house?” Dimas asked in confusion.
• “I am here with the supervision of these two authorities, through the regulation and under the Roman Law, that your father still owes me more.” The old man replied.
• “Death sealed my father’s mouth, and now he can’t comply to your claim, but I swear in God’s name, through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that failed to see, never was my father mentioned to me what you are claiming, about his debt you are pursuing.” Dimas answered.
• “Never will a Pharisee like me, an old bearded man with gray hair would lie to you, I, who bend my knee and kneel in front of the altar of Sion. These two men with me right now are my witnesses that your father still owes me more and what he left you is not even enough to compensate his debt that he owes me.” The Old man replied in a furious manner.

The old man’s statement to Dimas deafened his ears, he was embittered, knowing that this could impel him and drive him to become a poor destitute, a homeless.

As it was explained and affirmed, the two witnesses corroborated and testified the words spoken off by the old man, the Pharisee. The law enforcement and the tax collector approved and attest of what was spoken off by this old man was true, and never had these two witnesses, in any compassion, the actualization of the tragic pain that Dimas are experiencing at the moment as an orphan.

By this unfortunate and tragic realization, Dimas responded and said:

• “Therefore old man, take all my properties, all my clothings and even the small bed I sleep into, if that is what you want. There will be no argument, I am still young and strong, I am not afraid to work, but there is only one favor I would like to ask from you.” Dimas pleaded.
• “What is it you want?” A dry and cold old man responded, the Pharisee.
• “If you can lend me money, for two thousand (2000) Obol, and I will repay you back.” Dimas implored.
• “2000 Obol? Are you crazy? How can you repay me for that big amount of money?” The old man replied in amazement.
• “I will be your servant, and if needed, I can be your servant for life.” Dimas answered in a somber manner.
• “I can’t give you.” The old man replied, in irate.
• “or if you want, you can sell me as a slave.” Dimas begged.
• “As an Israelite Pharisee, I cannot sell my fellow Israelite as a slave.” A very annoyed old man replied.
• “For the sake of the Holy Synagogue, I implore you old man, do not forsake me of what I asked from you.” Dimas asking for kindness.
• “Oh! Let’s finish!” the old man replied angrily. annoyed and in disregard.
• “Think much of what you are doing”. Dimas replied, gnashing his teeth and enraged through the old man’s hardheartedness.
• “Are you threatening me?” the old man responded with his ego and self-importance manner.
• “I am only admonishing you.” Dimas replied, and disappointed.
• “You are nothing to me.” the old man answered, in a boorish manner.
• “Listen to me, the money I am trying to borrow from you is for my father’s funeral.” Dimas answered in a mild mannered tone.
• “The low and dirty poor are not in need of funerals, there will always be muck trash to throw their dead.” the old man replied in a very angry and heated conversation.
• “TRAITOR!” Dimas shouted, in harsh and in haste, he walked fast towards the old man and he strangled him.
• “You are going down, just like my father, together both of you into your grave.” Dimas out of his mind, erupted.

Those witnesses, present at the time had a hard time to repress and to quell Dimas. After two hours, and in a while, everything was calmed, the orphaned Dimas found himself imprisoned, and in a dark jail, the Antonia Tower.

(This picture is similar to the structure, but this is not the one, the real picture is in Wikipedia).

The Antonia Tower or Antonia Fortress, (83-30 BCE), the fortress housed some part of the Roman Garrison of Jerusalem. Built by Herod the Great and named for Herod’s patron Mark Antony. The Via Dolorosa assumes that the Antonia Fortress is the site of the trial of Jesus before Pontius Pilate. The Antonia Fortress, according to later church tradition the Praetorium, was here where Pontius Pilate judged Jesus, but it is also possible that Jesus was judged at the Herodian fortress at the opposite end (NW) of the city near the modern Jaffa Gate.

Dimas was just 18 years of age at that time, in his youth, a juvenile, where his actions and emotions are rabid and impetuous, through his innocence and inexperienced in life, he can’t be oppressed and in his heart, he can’t be mistreated just like that. But when he realized that he is alone now in this world, an orphan and imprisoned in a dark jail, he wept, there he cried like a child. He remembered his dearest father’s love towards him, and as he was crying, he just realized and started to worry that his father’s dead body is still in disclosed and not buried yet.

to be continued………………………