Mary of Nazareth by Marek Halter Page A

know where to find us, but they know who to harm.”
    â€œI could go,” Miriam said, “at least to see Mother and reassure her.”
    â€œNo, not you,” Obadiah protested. “Me. I’ll go whenever you like.”
    â€œUnless we all go together,” Barabbas said pensively. “Now that Joachim can walk, we can move about as we like.”
    They all stared at him in astonishment.
    â€œIsn’t there anywhere safe in the village where we could stay?” he asked Joachim and Miriam.
    Joachim shook his head. “No, no, it would be madness—”
    â€œYes, Father!” Miriam exclaimed. “Yossef and Halva will take us in without hesitation!”
    â€œYou don’t realize the danger, my girl.”
    â€œI’m certain Yossef will be proud to help you. He knows how much he owes you. He loves you. Their house is quite a distance from the village anyway, at the far end of the valley. We can’t be taken by surprise there.”
    â€œWe’ll keep a lookout, Joachim,” Obadiah said. “On the way, I’ll round up my friends. We’ll all be there. You’ll see, no one will be able to approach Yossef’s house without our knowing it. Ask Miriam—we’re the ones who keep guard on Barabbas’s hiding places, so we know what to do.”
    Miriam smiled at the memory of her welcome in Sepphoris, but Joachim could not be persuaded. His refusal disappointed Barabbas and marred Obadiah’s joy.
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    I T was only in the evening, after a long silence, that Miriam said softly to her father, “I know you’re very worried about Mother. You want to hold her in your arms, and so do I. Let’s go to Yossef and Halva’s house, even if it’s only for a short time. Then we’ll decide.”
    â€œDecide what, Daughter? You know perfectly well I’ll never be able to go back to my workshop and build another roof with Lysanias—if he’s still alive, please God!”
    â€œThat’s true,” Barabbas muttered. “Now you’re in the same boat as me. Forget your roof, Joachim. There’s something else that needs building now. The rebellion of the Galileans against Herod.”
    â€œIs that all?”
    â€œYou heard Obadiah. Everyone’s happy that we got the better of Herod’s mercenaries and the vultures of the Sanhedrin. Look around you, Joachim. The inhabitants of this village all made an effort to cure you because you’d been on the cross, and they knew how unjust that was. The fisherman who helped us refused a gold purse. For him, it was enough to have fought at our side. These are signs. We showed the people of Galilee that the mercenaries are only fools. We must continue. And on a large scale, to overcome the people’s fear!”
    â€œHold on a second. You’re going to do all that with fifty companions and a few children, are you?”
    â€œNo. We’re going to do all that by drawing in all those who can’t stand it anymore. Showing them what we can do. We took you down from the cross, you and those other poor wretches. We can do it elsewhere, even in Jerusalem. We can harass the mercenaries. We can fight and show that we’re winning….”
    Joachim made a bitter grimace. “Barabbas, you’re talking about a rebellion as if it’s a fit of anger. Do you think that I, or the many others who think like me, have never thought about this?”
    Barabbas smiled broadly. “You see, you just said it yourself: There are many others who can’t stand Herod anymore.”
    â€œYes, I do know some, it’s true. But don’t think they’ll follow you. They’re wise men, not fools.”
    â€œYour daughter turned to a fool to save you, Joachim, not to your wise friends.”
    Joachim was starting to get annoyed. “If a rebellion isn’t supported by the whole country, it only leads to wholesale