第 19 节
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点绛唇 更新:2021-02-21 16:25 字数:9321
saw that she could make no impression upon this very proud
aristocrat; she killed herself; and Egypt became a Roman province。
As for Octavian; he was a very wise young man and he did
not repeat the mistake of his famous uncle。 He knew how
people will shy at words。 He was very modest in his demands
when he returned to Rome。 He did not want to be a ‘‘dictator。''
He would be entirely satisfied with the title of ‘‘the Honourable。''
But when the Senate; a few years later; addressed
him as Augustusthe Illustrioushe did not object and a few
years later the man in the street called him Caesar; or Kaiser;
while the soldiers; accustomed to regard Octavian as their
Commander…in…chief referred to him as the Chief; the Imperator or
Emperor。 The Republic had become an Empire; but the average
Roman was hardly aware of the fact。
In 14 A。D。 his position as the Absolute Ruler of the
Roman people had become so well established that he was made
an object of that divine worship which hitherto had been reserved
for the Gods。 And his successors were true ‘‘Emperors''the
absolute rulers of the greatest empire the world had
ever seen。
If the truth be told; the average citizen was sick and tired
of anarchy and disorder。 He did not care who ruled him provided
the new master gave him a chance to live quietly and
without the noise of eternal street riots。 Octavian assured his
subjects forty years of peace。 He had no desire to extend the
frontiers of his domains; In the year 9 A。D。 he had contem…
plated an invasion of the northwestern wilderness which was
inhabited by the Teutons。 But Varrus; his general; had been
killed with all his men in the Teutoburg Woods; and after that
the Romans made no further attempts to civilise these wild
people。
They concentrated their efforts upon the gigantic problem
of internal reform。 But it was too late to do much good。 Two
centuries of revolution and foreign war had repeatedly killed
the best men among the younger generations。 It had ruined
the class of the free farmers。 It had introduced slave labor;
against which no freeman could hope to compete。 It had
turned the cities into beehives inhabited by pauperized and
unhealthy mobs of runaway peasants。 It had created a large
bureaucracypetty officials who were underpaid and who were
forced to take graft in order to buy bread and clothing for
their families。 Worst of all; it had accustomed people to violence;
to blood…shed; to a barbarous pleasure in the pain and
suffering of others。
Outwardly; the Roman state during the first century of our
era was a magnificent political structure; so large that Alexander's
empire became one of its minor provinces。 Underneath
this glory there lived millions upon millions of poor and tired
human beings; toiling like ants who have built a nest underneath
a heavy stone。 They worked for the benefit of some one
else。 They shared their food with the animals of the fields。
They lived in stables。 They died without hope。
It was the seven hundred and fifty…third year since the
founding of Rome。 Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus Augustus
was living in the palace of the Palatine Hill; busily engaged
upon the task of ruling his empire。
In a little village of distant Syria; Mary; the wife of Joseph
the Carpenter; was tending her little boy; born in a stable of
Bethlehem。
This is a strange world。
Before long; the palace and the stable were to meet in open
combat。
And the stable was to emerge victorious。
JOSHUA OF NAZARETH
THE STORY OF JOSHUA OF NAZARETH; WHOM
THE GREEKS CALLED JESUS
IN the autumn of the year of the city 783 (which would be
62 A。D。; in our way of counting time) AEsculapius Cultellus; a
Roman physician; wrote to his nephew who was with the army
in Syria as follows:
My dear Nephew;
A few days ago I was called in to prescribe for a sick man
named Paul。 He appeared to be a Roman citizen of Jewish
parentage; well educated and of agreeable manners。 I had
been told that he was here in connection with a law…suit; an appeal
from one of our provincial courts; Caesarea or some such
place in the eastern Mediterranean。 He had been described to
me as a ‘‘wild and violent'' fellow who had been making
speeches against the People and against the Law。 I found him
very intelligent and of great honesty。
A friend of mine who used to be with the army in Asia
Minor tells me that he heard something about him in Ephesus
where he was preaching sermons about a strange new God。 I
asked my patient if this were true and whether he had told the
people to rebel against the will of our beloved Emperor。 Paul
answered me that the Kingdom of which he had spoken was
not of this world and he added many strange utterances which
I did not understand; but which were probably due to his
fever。
His personality made a great impression upon me and I
was sorry to hear that he was killed on the Ostian Road a few
days ago。 Therefore I am writing this letter to you。 When
next you visit Jerusalem; I want you to find out something
about my friend Paul and the strange Jewish prophet; who
seems to have been his teacher。 Our slaves are getting much
excited about this so…called Messiah; and a few of them; who
openly talked of the new kingdom (whatever that means) have
been crucified。 I would like to know the truth about all these
rumours and I am
Your devoted Uncle;
AESCULAPIUS CULTELLUS。
Six weeks later; Gladius Ensa; the nephew; a captain of the
VII Gallic Infantry; answered as follows:
My dear Uncle;
I received your letter and I have obeyed your instructions。
Two weeks ago our brigade was sent to Jerusalem。 There
have been several revolutions during the last century and there
is not much left of the old city。 We have been here now for a
month and to…morrow we shall continue our march to Petra;
where there has been trouble with some of the Arab tribes。 I
shall use this evening to answer your questions; but pray do
not expect a detailed report。
I have talked with most of the older men in this city but
few have been able to give me any definite information。 A
few days ago a pedler came to the camp。 I bought some of
his olives and I asked him whether he had ever heard of the
famous Messiah who was killed when he was young。 He said
that he remembered it very clearly; because his father had
taken him to Golgotha (a hill just outside the city) to see
the execution; and to show him what became of the enemies of
the laws of the people of Judaea。 He gave me the address of
one Joseph; who had been a personal friend of the Messiah
and told me that I had better go and see him if I wanted to
know more。
This morning I went to call on Joseph。 He was quite an
old man。 He had been a fisherman on one of the fresh…water
lakes。 His memory was clear; and from him at last I got a
fairly definite account of what had happened during the
troublesome days before I was born。
Tiberius; our great and glorious emperor; was on the throne;
and an officer of the name of Pontius Pilatus was governor of
Judaea and Samaria。 Joseph knew little about this Pilatus。
He seemed to have been an honest enough official who left a
decent reputation as procurator of the province。 In the year
755 or 756 (Joseph had forgotten when) Pilatus was called to
Jerusalem on account of a riot。 A certain young man (the
son of a carpenter of Nazareth) was said to be planning a
revolution against the Roman government。 Strangely enough
our own intelligence officers; who are usually well informed;
appear to have heard nothing about it; and when they investigated
the matter they reported that the carpenter was an
excellent citizen and that there was no reason to proceed against
him。 But the old…fashioned leaders of the Jewish faith; according
to Joseph; were much upset。 They greatly disliked his
popularity with the masses of the poorer Hebrews。 The
‘‘Nazarene'' (so they told Pilatus) had publicly claimed that a
Greek or a Roman or even a Philistine; who tried to live a decent
and honourable life; was quite as good as a Jew who spent
his days studying the ancient laws of Moses。 Pilatus does not
seem to have been impressed by this argument; but when the
crowds around the temple threatened to lynch Jesus; and kill
all his followers; he decided to take the carpenter into custody
to save his life。
He does not appear to have understood the real nature of
the quarrel。 Whenever he asked the Jewish priests to explain
their grievances; they shouted ‘‘heresy'' and ‘‘treason'' and got
terribly excited。 Finally; so Joseph told me; Pilatus sent for
Joshua (that was the name of the Nazarene; but the Greeks
who live in this part of the world always refer to him as Jesus)
to examine him personally。 He talked to him for several