II

THE REBELLION

As I mentioned before, there are four leaders waiting for Antipater (Herod’s son), inside the cave, and now I will provide their names and guide the readers to avoid confusion. Three of them are not known to Antipater yet, but they will be known as the pages turns fast every dense foliage of this book.

One is very well known to all and will lead us to Calvary on top of Golgotha. The names of these people not yet known are identified as the followings:

Zadok, Judas, and Mathias are called “The Doctors of Law” or “Doctores de la Ley,” Roman’s great adversaries. Besides these three is the fourth person, Roman’s sworn enemy, “Dimas,” who continued living in the castle as a bandit, inspired by the Blessed Virgin’s purity, virtues, modesty, faith and love for Her child.

Zadok the Essenes, although he is an older man, with his gray hair from being diligent in studying and contemplation, he is famous and well-known to town’s people as a “Diviner.” His father is the one who predicted Herod as a boy that he would be the future King of Jerusalem, a prediction made in advance, that happened. For this reason, prophesying in Zadok’s family had passed from generation to generation, until they all became “The Diviner.”

Josephus affirmed that Herod embraces the Essenes, favoring them in every ways. Josephus’s explanation relating to this story was extraordinary and strange, which will perhaps please the readers. One Essenes name “Menahem” was the one who saw Herod as a young student in school with his fellow students, of the same age, had afterward approached the young Herod and prophesied to him that someday he would be the King of the Jews. This young student was doubtful and hesitant to believe Menahem, but tapping the young student’s shoulder (Herod), he repeated to him the prophecy he had spoken, and he even taught him the responsibilities of the noble King. He also revealed to Herod the blasphemous lawlessness and God-dishonoring record he would inflict before God, and his cruelty to men that will deprave his honor for greatness defiling him as the Great King.

Time went by, and Herod became “The King.” He remembered the Essenes’ prophecy to him when he was a young boy, so he made an urgent call to sent Menahem to him immediately who is now an older man, asking him if he would be the King of Jerusalem for only ten years?

—“You will be King for twenty to thirty years!” Menahem replied.

For saying this, the new King of the Jews (Herod), made Menahem famous as his “Diviner,” sending him home with showers of many honors, for ever since then, Herod had taken the sides, of the Essenes’ people favoring Menahem’s descendants. Zadok was Menahem’s son, and after Menahem’s death his prestigious status, as well as his prominence was transmitted to Zadok.

But as for Judas and Mathias, they have great authority over their disciples. Dimas, as we know it, had his people under his control. Through his brothers’ faithful trust in him, Dimas gained their respect and confidence because of his great courage.

Now that we know the people inside the cave, I will continue the story’s futile interruption. Zadok was the oldest of all; and so, he was the first to speak.

—“Young man,” Zadok said. —“You who came from the Holy City, please tell us what is going on there.”

—“Jerusalem,” replied Antipater, —“is mourning just like of the past. The young daughters of Jerusalem had destroyed their Psaltery and hung their harps on the Palm trees’ branches. (Lamenting).

—“As long as the wings of the Golden Eagle spreads over the Roman Temple, the house of their wicked gods, the people of Jerusalem are forever mourning.” Mathias said.

—“Destroy the Eagle and annihilate the wicked oppressors.” The third of Dimas.

—“Do not forget that the people of Israel are afraid of Caesar’s militaries.” Zadok recalls.

—“But you must also know that the taxpayer King, my father is on the brink of death.” Antipater replied. “And must be replaced immediately by someone, as soon as he died instantly, for I also know how to keep Moses’ Commandments and respect Jehovah’s Temple where the invisible and true God is living. If an honest and good King, the one holding the scepter of Juda, will reign, then Jacob’s offspring, those bountiful times of Joshua, David, and Solomon, can be restored. I came here to offer you my blood on behalf of my followers to your words of counsel. Tell me, therefore, am I received here as a friend?”

—“Think through and be considerate young man, that your father will be the first one to be beheaded, when Israel drawn its weapons for the uprising.” Zadok’s powerful voice.

—“My father,” replied Antipater, —“had already died by the time of the uprising; but let us assume that he is still alive on the day of the rebellion; I cannot have a heart for the man; he killed my mother, and didn’t he kill my brothers also? Am I not now persecuted to the point of cutting my life before my time? Therefore, we must cease Jerusalem’s continuous crying of blood for justice and screaming out loud for vengeance. Let extreme anger speak, in facing the revolution in the middle of the battle rage, reverting the eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth dilemma that we are now in, like the wise Moses explained.”

—“My brothers, are you accepting this young man’s fellowship?” Zadok asked after a few moments of contemplating.

—“He should swear first to the laws of Israel.” Mathias replied.

—“Surely, he in turn, should swear first,” agreed by Dimas and Judas.

—“Swear,” the Essenes whisper.

Then Zadok stood up and slowly walked, heading to the cave’s corner before returning immediately with the letter of the law already at hand. The parchment is not a book; they were two pieces of wood, long and round. Then Zadok sat down again among his companions, and Mathias took down the lampstand to illuminate the older man’s shining forehead very well.

Before the Essenes handed over the two pieces of round woods to Mathias, he held the bottom holders first, and raised this parchment above his head, before carefully handling it to Mathias. Mathias, then held it to his hands with appreciation and admiration before turning the round woods gently, gradually scrolling outward the half side of that pergamena leather. Slowly emerging is the Israel laws, “Moses’ Commandments,” written on that parchment. While the first half was smoothly scrolling out in front of Mathias’ eyes, his other hand is still holding in the other half of the parchment. This work is quietly and softly imposed by Mathias so that he can read the meaningful scriptures of God, a body of writings considered sacred and authoritative.

But before Mathias had spoken, Zadok announced the following words first:

—“This!” Zadok said, —“are the Hebrews basic laws, they were gathered together in ten chapters of Our Lord God, which in turn was written on two boards by the Prophet Moses. Chapters intended and assigned to each fingers, to embed it in your mind and put it in writing for you to seal it in your heart.”

Mathias started to read the Commandments full of confidence. “The Wise Giver gave these Commandments in full wisdom to spread and make known to all, which came from Sinai and have been written in Exodus and Leviticus books.” Antipater’s head is lowered and earnestly answering “Amen” whenever a segment ends.

The reading of the Hebrew Law was at the last portion of its fullness, and Zadok was silent. Then he quietly stood up and approached Mathias, to gently take the parchment from Mathias and slowly turned to close that one piece of wood at the same time. Judas and Dimas were silent like two vertical pillars of stones, as they only moved their lips gently to answer “May the Lord grant mercy,” until finally, the final reverberation of Antipater’s word “Amen” echoed inside the cave.

The ceremony lasted for an hour, and finally, the turning and tilting of the round wood stopped right across Zadok’s eyes; the reading of “Moses’ Law” was completed and ended. Then Antipater, after laying his one hand on top of that parchment of law, brought to him by the older man Zadok, his other hand lay over his heart, and he swore never to fail the law as long as he live to that “Ten Commandments” written by God. The four Israelites also stood and laid their hands on top of the Prince’s head Antipater, “the new man,” and said this:

—“You are now our brother, your flesh is our flesh, and everything that’s ours is yours now also. And your blood from this day forward will be respected and loved like the blood running in our veins.”

—“For as soon as I fail the expected commandments of my God, may I be stoned like those who curse God, may the dogs feasts on my flesh, may my eyes lose the light of my sight, may my ears be deaf, and my tongue falters in speech,” Antipater’s whisper. —“Amen,” are the four men’s reciprocal’s responses.

When it was over, silence had passed, and those five rebels prayed softly. They are binding their bonds of brotherhood, a ceremony of fellowship, or an alliance which they performed for the liberation and sake of their people.

—“Now,” the Essenes’ word, —“each had to announce to his brethren their roles to perform, what are each tasks for the coming day of the rebellion.” Then he confronted Antipater before continuing to speak. “You speak first, for thou art the youngest of all.”

—“I promise with my pocket filled with gold coins, and through my honor, that without the help of this money, and as a Prince, I will not be able to gather some slaves on the banks of the river Jordan. With in my words, they would not hesitate to risk their lives for the liberation and salvation of the Hebrew people.” Antipater said.

—“I,” Dimas said, —“will be in a location I am assigned, with tens of my formidable fellow Samaritans, ready to die in one command.”

—“As for me,” Mathias responded, —“I offer to you my forty disciples that I trained in Jerusalem. They are young and daring, they will obey my every command in times of danger; their God and desires to be saved from slavery drive them to war, that with their restrained hand while holding their weapons, bring smiles on their lips and faith in their hearts.”

—“I in turn, offer my disciples like Mathias. For me, tens of my people would be held accountable for their bravery, and determination. Their love for their country is just.” Judas words.

—“I will be the one to inflame the emotional state of the people of Jerusalem,” Zadok’s loud response, —“and if this poor old man could do nothing, will his blood be shed for the sake of his God and his people.”

The only thing missing in this plan is the appointed day, the time, and place. Not to mention the venue, where the first cry of rebellion for freedom should start.

—“Because you are the oldest and most experienced, it is you who should manage the movements.” Dimas’s suggestion.

—“Let me tell you, my dear brothers,” Antipater’s soft proclamation, —“my father’s illness, is a great help in our plans, so we must take advantage of this opportunity.”

—“Within five days, the celebration of the feast called “La Fiesta de la Purim” will take place.” Zadok said. —“Thousands of Israelites from everywhere are expected to attend, to worship their gods in the courtyards and the Holy Temples. In this kind of Hebrew celebration, foreigners are allowed and admitted to entering Jerusalem freely. Every time they celebrated this feast, the Herodians and the Roman soldiers slept soundly, always trusting their confidence in full faith for a peaceful festivity. And on this very day, our people swarming the streets, with their weapons hidden in their wrinkled cloaks, mingling with the thick crowd, will be hard to recognize. Herod’s staff will have a hard time identifying them. Wouldn’t it be nice if we carried out our plan on that day of “Fiesta de la Suertes” the finality to carry out our proposal’s execution?”

The four leaders in front of Zadok had just nodded in agreement with what the older man suggested.

—“If that is so,” Zadok said. —“on the day of the “Feast of Purim,” since you all agree with my suggestion, let’s choose the time and the signal for our people to start the loud outcry of rebellion for freedom.” That on this “Feast of Purim,” when the High Priest starts to read the “Book of Esther,” in the chapter saying: “So Aman caught on the gallows he erected for Mardochai, and this dissipated the King’s wrath.” During this time, Mathias and Judas’s disciples should start destroying the Golden Eagle standing at the Temple’s door, which defiled the House of God, for in this, will be taken as the signal to begin the battle’s outcry.”

—“When the Golden Eagle fell down the ground from the Temple’s door, my soldiers will immediately draw their weapons, and they will do this for our country and the people’s sake, in regard of their freedom.” Dimas’s speech was filled with vigor energy.

—“So is my promise.” Antipater said.

—“We,” Mathias and Judas said, —“is ahead with our disciples, and we promise that we will take down their emblem of obscenity, the Golden Eagle, which disrupts the peaceful sleep of Jacob’s descendants.”

—“Now the Lion can sharpen its piercing nails in Juda as in previous times and the moral standard of the Maccabees will be re-stabilized, let the blowing wind of salvation blasts over Israel’s town where their honor were down degraded by their King, Herod.” The five men’s oath.

When the second oath was over, the five rebels left the cave where their meeting took place. The sun had risen, and a new day started; the five leaders had begun descending that hilly valley and shady mountains. They all came to the ravine’s edge, and here they stopped. The group had to disperse in that place.

—“May God be with you.” As the five men hug and bid their farewells, waving goodbye to each other.

—“May the coming “Fiesta de la Purim’s” celebration passes gloriously to the Jews, like what happened to the Jews in Esther’s time.” Zadok’s strong regard.

Dimas then swiftly traced the road down, and in an instant, he was gone. This bandit has gone to Samaria.

While Antipater rode his fast horse, tracking the road to “Via Sangrienta,” and went to Jericho. The three “Doctors of Law” or “Doctores de la Ley,” crept silently and unnoticeably to the City of Jerusalem.