you killed him. You can't kill the divine word.'
'Look,' Jonathan said. 'You've been telling everybody that an angel opened the door of the prison and let you all out. And you said that anyone who's lawfully put in jail may expect the same, God help us, angelic intervention. That strikes at the very roots of order and law and legal punishment.'
'Nobody said that,' Thomas growled. 'Ye're too quick, the lot of ye to put words in folks' mouths. Somebody opened that door in the dead of the night and nobody knows who. It might have been one of yon prison guards that had come to the right way of believing. It might have been some decent quiet man that got the message of the Lord.'
'A messenger of the Lord, you say? That's blasphemy.'
'I did not say messenger of the Lord.'
'Mal' akh, you said. We all know what that means.'
'In my youthful days,' Annas said, 'it meant a messenger. The same as angelos.'
'Used of the spiritual attendants of the Most High.'
'Not necessarily.'
'Look,' Thomas cried, 'if the Lord sent a messenger to get us out of yon jail the Lord and his messenger both need their heads looking at, for it was clear we'd be back to the preaching and curing of the sick and get ourselves picked up by yon captain of the Temple guard or whatever he's called and where would be the reason in it?'
'You can't help blaspheming, can you?' Jonathan said. 'Blasphemy is stitched into your very skin.'
'A good phrase,' Thaddeus said. 'Sacrilegious sin. Stitched in your very skin.'
'Stop this,' Peter cried, as though he were chief of the Sanhedrin, 'and keep to the point. Somebody opened the door and we got out. But here we are, calm,' roaring, 'in our innocence. Let's get the business over with. We have work to do.'
'Ah no.' Caiaphas shook his head. Rabban Gamaliel said:
'Listen to me.' They listened. 'It has been said, and it will be said again, that every assembly formed in the name of God will stand established, and every assembly not so formed must needs perish. Now we have had in recent years two notable instances of selfstyled prophets. Theudas rose up some thirty years ago and won four hundred followers, but where is he now? He did not have God on his side and so he perished. Then there was Judas of Galilee, whom some of you may remember well enough. That was at the time of the Roman census to assess the amount of our tribute, and this Judas said that God alone was king of Israel and it was both blasphemy and high treason to pay tribute to Caesar. Rome crushed him, and now he is no more than a name. We have had many failed insurgents and many false prophets. Now take these Nazarenes. My advice is that you leave them alone. For if their counsel or their work is merely that of men, it will of its own nature be overthrown. But if their counsel or their work is of God — if — you will not be able to overthrow it. And those who attempt to overthrow it may find themselves in a very unhappy position. Even all unknowing, they will be fighting against the Lord our God.'
There were murmurs at that, but most of the Pharisees nodded at the good sense. John, little James, Thaddeus and Bartholomew cautiously beamed, but Peter and Thomas frowned, considering: good sense but had to be a catch in it somewhere. Caiaphas deliberated with his father-in-law. At length he said: 'Thus speaks the spirit of moderation that is a legacy of the great Hillel. Sometimes we may be moderate, sometimes not. Now is such a time. Our judgment is that you cease your preaching and practice alike
'So,' Thomas said, 'those that lie sick in our spittle have to take up their beds and walk? No more doing good works? Ye're flying in the Lord's face.'
'Oh yes,' Caiaphas said, 'one other thing. For insolence and stubbornness and truculence
'Look,' Jonathan said. 'You've been telling everybody that an angel opened the door of the prison and let you all out. And you said that anyone who's lawfully put in jail may expect the same, God help us, angelic intervention. That strikes at the very roots of order and law and legal punishment.'
'Nobody said that,' Thomas growled. 'Ye're too quick, the lot of ye to put words in folks' mouths. Somebody opened that door in the dead of the night and nobody knows who. It might have been one of yon prison guards that had come to the right way of believing. It might have been some decent quiet man that got the message of the Lord.'
'A messenger of the Lord, you say? That's blasphemy.'
'I did not say messenger of the Lord.'
'Mal' akh, you said. We all know what that means.'
'In my youthful days,' Annas said, 'it meant a messenger. The same as angelos.'
'Used of the spiritual attendants of the Most High.'
'Not necessarily.'
'Look,' Thomas cried, 'if the Lord sent a messenger to get us out of yon jail the Lord and his messenger both need their heads looking at, for it was clear we'd be back to the preaching and curing of the sick and get ourselves picked up by yon captain of the Temple guard or whatever he's called and where would be the reason in it?'
'You can't help blaspheming, can you?' Jonathan said. 'Blasphemy is stitched into your very skin.'
'A good phrase,' Thaddeus said. 'Sacrilegious sin. Stitched in your very skin.'
'Stop this,' Peter cried, as though he were chief of the Sanhedrin, 'and keep to the point. Somebody opened the door and we got out. But here we are, calm,' roaring, 'in our innocence. Let's get the business over with. We have work to do.'
'Ah no.' Caiaphas shook his head. Rabban Gamaliel said:
'Listen to me.' They listened. 'It has been said, and it will be said again, that every assembly formed in the name of God will stand established, and every assembly not so formed must needs perish. Now we have had in recent years two notable instances of selfstyled prophets. Theudas rose up some thirty years ago and won four hundred followers, but where is he now? He did not have God on his side and so he perished. Then there was Judas of Galilee, whom some of you may remember well enough. That was at the time of the Roman census to assess the amount of our tribute, and this Judas said that God alone was king of Israel and it was both blasphemy and high treason to pay tribute to Caesar. Rome crushed him, and now he is no more than a name. We have had many failed insurgents and many false prophets. Now take these Nazarenes. My advice is that you leave them alone. For if their counsel or their work is merely that of men, it will of its own nature be overthrown. But if their counsel or their work is of God — if — you will not be able to overthrow it. And those who attempt to overthrow it may find themselves in a very unhappy position. Even all unknowing, they will be fighting against the Lord our God.'
There were murmurs at that, but most of the Pharisees nodded at the good sense. John, little James, Thaddeus and Bartholomew cautiously beamed, but Peter and Thomas frowned, considering: good sense but had to be a catch in it somewhere. Caiaphas deliberated with his father-in-law. At length he said: 'Thus speaks the spirit of moderation that is a legacy of the great Hillel. Sometimes we may be moderate, sometimes not. Now is such a time. Our judgment is that you cease your preaching and practice alike
'So,' Thomas said, 'those that lie sick in our spittle have to take up their beds and walk? No more doing good works? Ye're flying in the Lord's face.'
'Oh yes,' Caiaphas said, 'one other thing. For insolence and stubbornness and truculence
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