Free from Jerusalem

 

It isn't that I don't like historic research -- in fact I love it, but I really need to be more careful regarding the subjects/timelines I choose to jump into. Thirty days writing a single chapter is rather frustrating, but I finally got enough information, and insight to get what I wanted into the chapter, and finished it last night. So now I can get back to editing the rest and move forward to my publishing date.

Often I hear novelist talking about their fictional worlds becoming too real. I know exactly what they are talking about now. It isn't that I believe my fictional world, it is that the world has become so defined inside the scope of the novel, there are now hard walls which must be adhered to, or the story fails to keep the attention of the reader. Fails to maintain that Suspension of disbelief

Coleridge suggested that if a writer could infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastic tale, the reader would suspend his or her judgement concerning the implausibility of the narrative. -- wikipedia

I was just getting to sleep last night and a whole scene for chapter 32 fell into my brain, so of course I got back up, grabbed my blackberry and jotted down enough of the idea to be able to recall it today. I have to do that with ideas -- write them down. If I don't, all I remember the next day is that ... I had a good idea ... and nothing else, except that it was good.

The image above is the Cross bar, that Dismas was crucified on.

Interesting Jerusalem conflict

I recently was reading more on first century Jerusalem.

Judaea in Hellenistic and Roman times
By Shimon Applebaum
Roman law and history in the New Testament
By Septimus Buss

Septimus Buss makes an interesting statement, that the Talmud says "... the power of capital punishment was away from the ecclesiastical judges [The Sanhedrin] for forty years prior to the fall of the temple.

There are two major conflicts which I can see evidence of in these readings, which would occur rather rapidly because of such a decree. These would be idolatry, and prostitution. Both of these have no punishment under Roman law, and have a death penalty under Hebrew law.

Since, the Sanhedrin could find a person guilty and sentence him to death, but could not carry out the sentence, the man (or woman) would then be taken to Pilate, who would ... let him go, especially if the person was worshiping Zeus or Apollo... can't kill a man for worshiping your own god... that's just silly.

I'm sure it wasn't silly or even humorous to the Jews at the time -- after all we are talking about the First Commandment being broken here, but... what could they do about it?

What is certain, for me anyway, is that my own research in to this era has been made more difficult by the continuous view point that in this time period Jerusalem is consistently looked at as a Jewish city, when in fact this wasn't the case at all. However, it was viewed this way by the Jewish people living there at the time as well, despite the Roman legion, banners, people and a large population of Greeks and Arabs living inside the walls as well. I found, however, that the actions and decrees of the time period I find during my research, become much easier to understand, when I remind myself, that Jerusalem at this time is conquered and occupied by Rome.

Timelines and events

It is amazingly difficult to bring to bear anything solid for accounts happening in Jerusalem in the first fifty years of the first century. For the most part, we are stuck with Biblical accounts, which are vague and rather inaccurate as well. But it is what we have...

Upon the death of Herod, his kingdom is divided among his three surviving sons, Philip, Antipas, and Archelaus.

These three traveled to Rome to apply for legal ratification of their father's will (cf. parable in Luke 19:12,14).

Caesar Augustus and the disposition of power was as follows:

1. Antipas (4 B.C. to AD 39) ruled Galilee and Perea (east of the Jordan in the north). The Jews were offended by the illicit union of Antipas with his niece and sister-in-law Herodias. This formed the occasion on which John the Baptist was imprisoned and martyred (Mark 6:14-29; see also Jospehus Ant. XVIII, 116-119).

In A.D. 39, Antipas was banished from his rule.

2. Philip (4 B.C. to AD 6) had the region east of the Jordan in the northern part of the kingdom. He built a new residence, Caesarea Phillipi (Mark 8:27). Upon his death, the region he ruled passed under the control of the legate of Syria.

3. (4 B.C. to AD 6) ruled over Judea, Samaria, and Idumea. Archelaus was most despised by the people (cf. Matt 2:22) and was removed from office.

Archelaus' territory is then placed under a Roman governor or procurator, answerable to the emperor.

During the times of Jesus Pontius Pilate (the fifth procurator) held the office as Roman governor (26-36). (Philo, Legatio ad Gaium, 302, said his conduct was marked by "corruption, violence, depredations, ill treatment, offenses, numerous illegal executions, and incessant, unbearable cruelty.")

This is a typical time line, with a heavy bias. What we don't really get from this is an account of "who" is leading the corruption, violence, depredations, ill treatment, offences, and numerous illegal executions.

We are lead to believe, by the context, that it is the Romans who are the instigators fo all of this, but the more I read, the more I really wonder about this assumption. For example, one of the bits of information I came across is that the Temple would purchase the sacrificial animals from the herdsmen at a set price, which of course was not what we would call "market value". It is also clear that the herdsmen were obligated to sell the best of their stock to the Temple as well.

What is also clear, is the left over stock would then be brought into the city to be sold. Of course, the Romans, and Arabs are telling these herdsman that since the best of this stock sells for the set price purchased by the temple, the rest of his flawed stock should sell for less than that price.

Then of course, there is the tax for the sales to the Temple, which the herdsman is obligated to pay, and these taxes go up over the years, and so does his rent in the fields (very few herdsmen would be land owners, and this is a major conflict amoungs the eliete of the Jews, and the poorer classes). So this guys cost of living is going up, while his available income is staying the same.

He's caught. Can't move, and there is little in a way out. So, what does he do? Many of the books and research I've gone over, suggest he becomes a robber, so he can afford to feed his family. Of course, he gets caught, or kills several of his own people.

So, while the Romans are certainly accountable for many hardships and deprived actions, we can not simply ignore the violence and hardship instigated by the Temple, or rather the Priests of the Temple during this time period.

What also comes to mind is that the Hebrew law, certainly did not have a clause or accomidation for the Temple existing, and active, in a city where the Jewish people are being ruled by another country; and certainly not another religon. So, I'm starting to get the idea, that these conflicts and wars which happen during this time, all of them, are given birth by the Roman ideal of allowing a conquered culture to maintain its heritage and beliefs, and by building the second temple for the Jewish people (Herod built the temple with Roman money, hiring 1000 priests for the work).

Little trouble with Days of the Week

In the honest hope of someone having an insight on this recent problem I've stepped into, I posted several cries for help in a few groups and forums.

It appears there is a small problem with trying to figure out what day of the week Christ was crucified on... awk! The Last Supper is suppose to be the Passover meal.

The way the days work in Hebrew tradition is: the day starts at sunset. So, Friday, actually starts on Thursday at sunset. Just like the Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday.

Passover, in the Hebrew tradition, therefore begins at Sunset, the lambs are slaughtered, and the diner prepared that evening. So, Passover on Friday, means the Passover Meal is eaten on Thursday (the way we see things), at sunset. Which would mean, the last supper is eaten on Thursday, Christ is crusified on Friday (because he is at the Last Supper... right?) ok.. got that much clear.

However, John, bless his heart, talks about Christ being crucified while the lambs are being slaughtered...


John:13-18 -- Pilate, therefore, having heard this word, brought Jesus without--and he sat down upon the tribunal--to a place called, `Pavement,' and in Hebrew, Gabbatha; 14 and it was the preparation of the passover, and as it were the sixth hour, and he saith to the Jews, `Lo, your king!' 15 and they cried out, `Take away, take away, crucify him;' Pilate saith to them, `Your king shall I crucify?' the chief priests answered, `We have no king except Caesar.'
16 Then, therefore, he delivered him up to them, that he may be crucified, and they took Jesus and led him away, 17 and bearing his cross, he went forth to the place called Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha; 18 where they crucified him, and with him two others, on this side, and on that side, and Jesus in the midst.


The "preparation of Passover" at the 6th hour, would be 6 AM on Thursday morning(or earlier, not really sure about how hours are counted, but it would definitely be Thursday) ... which makes no sense, because no mater what day Passover would have been, Jesus could not be eating the Last Super, while dead in a tome. But it also makes the day of Christ's crucifixion on Thursday, not Friday.

What troubles this even more, is the tradition of "rose again on the Third day"... which should mean he died on Thursday, in order to rise and be gone Sunday morning. Dying on Friday evening, and rising before the women show up Sunday morning (they couldn't come on Saturday because that was the Sabbath, so they are there as soon as they can on Sunday morning)... isn't even a full 48 hours, let alone 3 days. Of course, this "rose on the Third Day" is a "traditional" saying, and not biblical per se... but if the traditional saying is right, then it is agreeing with the Gospel of John.

I've been looking all over for an answer for this, and I'm fairly sure I'm just going to whimp out on it and not use a Weekday name, just say Passover and the day after, or maybe I'll end the chapter long before that part.

Trouble is, there are already so many vague areas in the chapter, I feel like I'm writing a political speach on the budget, rather than a fiction novel.