Letter VI.

My Dear Father:

Health and peace to thee, and all my friends honored and beloved in Alexandria! I have again seen the excellent Ben Israel, with whom, four months ago, I came from Egypt, to sojourn to Jerusalem. He not only delivered to me your letters, with the acceptable gifts you kindly sent by him, but also assured me of your welfare in all things. He is at present absent at Damascus, whither he went soon after his arrival here, in order to buy the celebrated Syrian blades of that city, which he takes down to Egypt at great profit, with other merchandise. He assures me that he is gaining much wealth by his caravans of commerce, at which I rejoice, for he is an amiable and worthy man. His entreaties that I would return to Alexandria with him, would nearly have overcome my resolutions of remaining here, but for the commands you have laid upon me to avail myself of the peculiar privileges which Jerusalem affords for improving the mind; and were it not, I am deeply interested in the issue of the great expectation of Israel. Your letter, dear father, commands me to banish this "novelty" from my mind, and continue humbly to worship Jehovah after the manner of our fathers. I trust this I shall ever do, my dear father; and did I discover in this prophet any disposition to bring in a new faith, opposed to the ancient faith of Abraham, I should tremble to entertain if for a moment. You say that this man must be "a false and base prophet" or he would not herald a master so low and despised as he professes will be the Christ he bears witness to. "There have been many false Christs and false prophets, my child," you add, "and Israel has run after them, as they now run after this John of Jordan, and the result has been, that they have either perished in the wilderness of been cut to pieces, with their deceiver, by the jealousy of the Roman Governors, who looked upon such assemblies as seditious. Hold fast, my child, to the religion of our fathers, and be not carried away, as I fear you are in danger of being, by this wild preacher of repentance. The kingdom of Messias is not a kingdom of repentance and of humiliation, but one of victory, of glory, of dominion. Touching those prophecies of humility and abasement, which this prophet of Jordan applies to Messias, they have no application to our expected Shiloh and Prince. They either apply to some lesser prophet, who will be the forerunner of the true Christ (for that he will have a forerunner the Scriptures speak too plainly for doubting), or, as some say and believe, especially do the Pharisees, there are to be two Messias–one who shall come in humiliation and suffering to the Gentiles, as an atonement for the expiation of their sins, and one to come to us in regal power, and in circumstances of glory and splendor, such as no potentate hath ever manifested, and who shall make Jerusalem the metropolis of the globe, and the kings of the earth tributary to his feet. Such is our MESSIAS, whom the Lord of Hosts send us speedily, to lift Judah from the dust of her humiliation! If the humble person this prophet of the desert heralds be a Messias, he is one of the Gentiles, only, whose great iniquities need the self-immolation and humiliation of one to come from God, in atonement therefor; but he is not a Messiah to Israel, nor the mighty Prince who shall sit in David’s seat on the throne of Zion. Therefore, my child, you as a daughter of Israel have no interest in this novelty that cometh our of the wilderness, and after which half the land hath foolishly run mad. Wait, be patient! the day of Israel’s glory shall truly arise and shine, and all nations shall see it and rejoice. Think no more of what thy cousin hath told thee. When Messias cometh He will be heralded by a more glorious and eminent person than a young man of  thirty, clothed in skins, and for food eating locusts and wild honey, whose origin and authority no man knoweth. Believing that your good sense and sound judgment, my Adina, will at once lead you to adopt my views, I shall not urge them further, as if I seriously feared your defection from the house of your fathers, an event which would bring my gray hairs down with sorrow to the grave. It is my belief that this prophet preaches only himself, and, under the mysterious and deceitful notions of another to come after him, is but gathering an expectant multitude around him to wield them as instruments, for his own ambitions ends; and, by the time you write me again, I expect to learn from you that he openly proclaims himself THE Christ, after all; or that he, with all who are led by him, will be destroyed by the swords of the Roman legions." How can I write to you, my dear father, that which is now rushing to my pen, after such an expression of your sentiments as you have made in the extract from your letter? But I know you are wise, and will not evade truth, in whatever form it may offer itself to you, and I therefore, with confidence in your justice and wisdom, will faithfully make known to you the events relating to the prophet which have transpired, and may take place in Judea during my abode here. Hear me always with candor, and judge without partiality; for this is, without doubt, a day of wonderful revelations. I fancy that I can now see your brow darken, and that you say, "enough of this. Are we to have more of this new prophet?" Yes, my dear father, more still, and more extraordinary circumstances I am about to relate than I have yet written, for some of the very priests of the Temple have become believers in the youthful Seer. You will remember how that John, Mary’s cousin, stated that many priests and others were offended at the plain preaching of the prophet whom they went out into the wilderness to see. When they returned to Jerusalem, and made it known to the other members of the House of Priests what had been spoken against them, by the application to them of the words of Esaias and Jeremias, and other Prophets, there arose at once a great outcry against him. Many of the Levites even forgot their duties in the Temple, in holding discourse with the Scribes and Pharisees, and others, in the streets, in the arches of the gates, and in the market-places, touching this new prophet, and his bold denunciations of them; being so much the more grieved at them because they were, alas! but too well merited by the looseness of their lives. At length Annas, who is High Priest with Caiaphas, sent two of the most learned men of the Temple, Levites of weight of character, to invite the prophet to Jerusalem; for Annas is a wise man, and not easily carried away by popular feeling; and, as Rabbi Amos hath told me, he is disposed to look upon the preaching of John, for such is his name, with a serious and reverential eye. The messengers returned after the fifth day, and made their report openly in the Court of the Temple, where the High Priests sat to receive them, expecting to behold a prophet in their company. At length, the assembly being convened, the two learned and venerable Levites both rose up, and declared that they had delivered the message to John, the son of Zacharias, the prophet of Jordan, and that his answer was given with the reverence due to the station of the High Priest who had sent to him: "Go and say to the noble High Priest," said he, "that I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, as it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the Prophet, who, foreseeing my day, saith, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of he Lord, make his paths straight.’ All flesh will soon behold the salvation of God. My errand is neither to city nor temple, nor into any house of Israel will I enter. He who would hear my testimony to Him who is to come after me, let him seek me in the wilderness, whence only I am commanded to lift up my voice till Shiloh will come." When the priests heard this answer they were greatly enraged, and many fiercely cried one thing and many another; some that he should be sought out and stoned to death for defying the High Priest (which he did not do, dear father, as it was for him to obey God rather than man); others, that he should be accused to the Procurator, Pontius Pilate, Governor of Judea, as a seditious and dangerous person, and fomenter of insurrections. Caiaphas was of the latter opinion, and wrote, from his tribunal, and epistle to the Roman ruler, making accusation hereof against the prophet of the desert, and recommending him to secure his person, lest further mischief should come of it; adding, that Tiberius Caesar, hearing of the matter, would conceive it to be a movement of the whole Jewish nation, desirous of casting off the Roman rule, under a new chief, and thus bring down an army upon the land, utterly to destroy it. But the milder Annas viewed the whole matter in a different light, and said: "Men and brethren–let nothing be done hastily. If this man be a false prophet, he will soon perish, and we shall hear no more of him. If, peradventure, as it would appear, he is sent from God, let us not make haste to do him a mischief, lest, happily, we be found contending against the Lord of Hosts." This moderation found favor with but few, but of these few, Rabbi Amos was one. But if the priests who thronged the outer court, in presence of the High Priest, were deeply moved at the report of the prophet’s answer, their excitement became well nigh uncontrollable when both Melchi and Heli, their messengers, rose up, waving their hands for silence, and declared, that, after having listened to the prophet to whom they had been sent, they were convinced of the truth of his words, and of his divine commission, and had been baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins! Only the sanctity of the Temple prevented the five hundred priests rushing upon them, and smiting them when they heard this. They were at once placed under arrest by order of the High Priest, Caiaphas, for acting in a manner unbecoming a priest of the Most High God: "For," he said, "this is to degrade the Temple to the feet of a wandering impostor, and is an open acknowledgment that virtue hath left the worship of Zion, and must be sought for in the deserts of Jordan. Which," he called aloud, "which, men of Israel, is the greatest, the altar of the Lord, or the waters of Jordan?–the Priest of the Most High, or he of the wilderness? Away with these recreant blasphemers, to be tried and adjudged according to our sacred laws." The people who had heard John preach, hereupon were only prevented from rescuing the two priests by the presence of a guard of Roman soldiers, for which Caiaphas promptly sent. From this account, my dear father, you can form some idea of the excitement which the preaching of this new prophet is producing among all classes. The poorer sort of people are his advocates, and all the rich and the rulers, the priests and great men of the nation, oppose him, save a few among the best and wisest. Of these few is Rabbi Amos, who is engaged all the time he is not on duty in the Temple, in searching the Scripture, to see if these things are so; and at every prophecy he reads he is more and more convinced that the day of Messias is at hand, and that this prophet is, without doubt, he who was to be sent from God in the "spirit and power of Elias," to prepare the way before Him. Every evening there are assembled at our house from twelve to eighteen of the chief men of the Jews, who often pass half the night in warm discussion upon these great things; those among them who have heard John, being disposed to give him the high rank he claims, as forerunner of Shiloh. Among these is Stephen, a man whose father was High Priest, and who is himself a lawyer and student of no mean repute. He has not yet heard John the prophet, but he openly said last night that, after the most careful examination of all the Prophets, he was firmly of the opinion that the day of the fulfillment of their prophecies was close at hand; and that, for his part, he was willing to hail the prophet of Jordan as the true herald of Messias. Hereupon, two-thirds of the company said the same thing, but the others doubted, and cautioned the rest not to be too rash; that it was time enough to believe in Messias when He Himself should come in His own person. Such, my dear father, is the present condition of the mind of the people of Jerusalem. If the Prince of Glory should, indeed, suddenly appear, there could be scarcely more excitement, though it would be of a different nature. There is something sublime to see a young man, who dwelleth alone in the wilderness, poor and unknown, thus moving the great heart of the nation: surely his power must be divinely derived. You ask me, and so is the question constantly put by the Scribes, and the Pharisees, and priests, to the disciples of John: "Does he perform miracles? Show me a miracle and I will believe in Him; for this is the only test of a true prophet’s Divine commission." No, dear father, he has performed no miracle, unless it be one continuous miracle, whereby he keeps in the wilderness a multitude, daily enlarged, from the outpouring gates of almost every city in Judah, listening to his words, and bowing their heads to the sacred waters of his penitential baptism. As next week Rabbi Amos does not serve in his course in the Temple, and as he will have some affairs that take him to Gilgal, where he has three fields now ripe for the sickle, he had yielded to the desire of his daughter Mary and myself to accompany him; for he does not conceal from us that he shall make it a point to visit and hear the prophet, as it will be but two hours travel from Gilgal to the place where he preaches. You will, I fear me, object to this journey. But if the worship of our fathers has nothing to fear from falsehood, it surely has nought to fear from truth; and in either case, I, as a true daughter of Israel, have nothing to fear. If the prophet teach what is false, I shall remain true; and if he teach what is true, shall I not be the gainer? I hear you say this is but feeble and womanly argumentation. But as you have given me the credit of, more than once, declaring it to be your belief that I am old and wise enough to judge for myself in most matters, I beg you will suffer me to hear the prophet with my own ears, in order that I may decide whether I ought to give heed to his predictions, or reject them as the visions of a dreamer. One thing is clear–if the Christ that John prophecies be the true Son of the Highest, and is in reality to make his appearance ere long, in humiliation and poverty, his rejection by the High Priests, and by the rich and powerful Judah, is certain. May God, then, remove blindness from our eyes, that, if this be the very Messias indeed, Israel may recognize their king when He cometh, and not do so fearful a thing in their pride as to reject Him openly! In this case, who will stand between God and our ill-fated race? Therefore, my dear father, it behooves every man in Israel to examine this matter with a sober and humble mind, and move with caution in opposition to what may prove the dearest hopes of our people. When I shall have returned from the desert, whither we are to travel with litters and mules, I will write you all that I have heard. You will remember the young Roman Centurion, to whose courtesy I was indebted in rescuing me from the rudeness of the two Gentile soldiers. He has preserved, since then, acquaintances with Rabbi Amos, who speaks of him with respect; and as he has of late expressed some interest in knowing what the studies are which occupy the Rabbi so constantly when he calls to see him, which he has done frequently, a copy of the Prophets was placed in his hands; but as he professed he was not learned enough to read Hebrew, the good Rabbi, who believed he saw in him a hopeful convert to the faith of Judah, called in Mary to read and interpret to him. But her knowledge of the Roman tongue did not prove sufficient; and at her request, the Rabbi sent for me, to come into the marble hall of the corridor, where they sat by the fountain under the shade of the acacia, which Amos says you took with your own hands from Isaiah’s grave, and planted here, many years ago, and which I therefore call "my father’s tree." "Come hither, Adina," said my uncle, in his benevolent tones; "here you behold a noble Roman youth whom you must be too generous to have forgotten." I bowed, and scarcely lifted my eyelids from the tesselated floor; for there was a fire in the glance of the handsome youth that they could not encounter. He said some words of salutation; but I only heard the voice, which fell upon my heart with a strange vibration, like the effects of music. Surely these barbarians of Italia have the richest language of all men; compared with it, our Hebrew is harsh and strangely guttural. "The Roman Centurion," continued Amos, "hath desired to know something of the sacred books of our nation, of which he saith he hath heard much; and of the prophecies, from which he believes the famed Sibylline books were composed." "I have studied the sacred books of Eturia, of Gaul, and those of the Goths and the Druids, of Egypt, and of Persia, as well as of my own people," said the Centurion, modestly, "but in all these I find rites and ceremonies, doctrines, and laws, that are unworthy to emanate from the supreme Jove of so vast a universe. We, Romans, in the multiplicity of our gods, in deifying everything, in reality deify nothing! Everything we call god, but we realize God nowhere." "Then thou hast well directed thy inquiries touching this book," answered Amos, with warmth, and looking on the Roman with respectful compassion. "Here is to be found the true and only revelation of Jehovah to men. Here is developed a divine character, worthy of the Creator of the universe. Here are laid down laws and ceremonies, rites and doctrines, commands and precepts, that are worthy to emanate from the Father and god of all men. Thou shalt hear and judge for thyself. I am but imperfectly skilled in the Roman tongue, save for daily intercourse; but here is an Egyptian maiden, who can interpret for thee in the idiom of Grecia, or of Italia, and I will place the sacred scroll in her hands while I listen. Come, Adina, open and read the beginning of the Book of Moses." I obeyed, as I would have obeyed you, dear father; and, seated at the feet of Amos, I read and translated aloud into Greek, which the Roman youth had said was even more familiar to him that his native tongue, (as it is to all educated persons in the world,) the first five hundred lines. These, as you know, give an account of the creation of the world, and of man, of his defection, and his expulsion from Paradise; of the promise of Messias to restore what he had lost; of the curse denounced upon the creation, and the slaying of the patriarch Abel, with the peopling of the earth, its wickedness, and destruction by the flood. To al this narrative the youthful warrior listened with the profoundest respect and attention; and when he had thanked me, and asked permission to come and be further taught from the pages which he said seemed, indeed, to be written with the finger of the Supreme Lord of the universe, he asked if the Messias had yet come who was to restore all things; and if not, when was he to be looked for? This inquiry led to a conversation upon the preaching of John in the wilderness, and his predictions of the near advent of Shiloh. Rabbi Amos, seeing that he was becoming deeply interested in the subject, made me turn to the particular prophecies of Daniel, Esaias, David, and others, and read them to him; both those which described, in golden words, the glory and dominion of his power, and those which represented him as despised and rejected. After I had read all which the Rabbi directed me to read, the young man remained some time very thoughtful. At length he said, with animation: "I can now comprehend why men run into the wilderness. I should like to hear this prophet." When Amos told him that he contemplated journeying to Gilgal the next week, and intended to visit the desert to hear him, he at once asked permission to be of his company; but when I remarked that Mary and I were also to go, his dark eyes beamed with pleasure, and he immediately said: "I will accompany you with a squadron of horse, as the roads are not safe; for no longer than yesterday, we received rumor that the celebrated robber chief, Barabbas, at the head of a large band, has made his appearance again on the hills between Epharim and Jericho, and robbed not only two caravans, but many of those who were traveling to hear this prophet. I will make and expedition against him, after seeing you safely in Jericho." When we heard of this robber we were not a little disposed to decline our journey; but Rabbi Amos thanked him, and said he would gladly accept his escort, "inasmuch," he added, smiling, "as I know you Roman knights here in garrison have but little to employ your time, and would esteem it a privilege to have an excursion of this kind. Moreover, you say you must go against this bandit; so we do not so much draw on your courtesy as take shelter under your duty." It is therefore decided, dear father, that we leave early next week for Jericho and Gilgal, and go also into the wilderness to see and hear the prophet. On my return, I shall not fail to write you without delay. Till then withhold your judgment, and have confidence in mine. With holy aspirations for the coming of the kingdom of David, and the restoration of his throne in Zion, I remain with filial love, your daughter,

Adina.

falecom@avozdedeus.org.br