The First Book of Samuel, SAREJESS [ebook voice reader TXT] 📗

it hard to survive the constant attacks by the Romans. What had happened recently had opened Samuel’s eyes for most of the time he had been in agreement with the commanders of the city of Jerusalem. But since the fortress of Antonia had fallen, it had become more difficult for the average citizen to survive. For four years now the city had been fighting a battle for its freedom from Rome. But whom did the Jews think they were to defy the might of Caesar?

Samuel thought back to the beginnings of the war. Things had gone well and the citizens had greeted each other in the streets with the cry “We can do it! We can throw off the heavy yoke of Rome.” Now so much had changed. One of the things which had upset many of the people of the city had happened just hours ago. Meat had become scarce in the city; so much so that none was to be found. But in the early morning some one had smelled the aroma of meat on the wind. Hurriedly a group of people had gotten together and gone to the house from which the smell was coming. When their knocking on the door had brought no response, they broke into the small house in the eastern quarter of the city. They found a young woman gently stirring a pot full to the brim with meat. On closer investigation, it was found that the meat was the remains of her infant child who had died during the night. This so outraged the city commanders that they had judged the woman and found her guilty of murder and practices contrary to the law and had thrown her from the walls of the city. In the mean time the Romans continued to assault the city, their war machines throwing great boulders into the city; the sheer weight of the projectiles crushing homes. Earlier today a Roman soldier had thrown a burning torch onto one of the walls
Of the temple and now the temple was ablaze. There was fighting in the streets. There was little hope left now. “Why oh why had this happened?” Samuel asked himself. He was not alone in asking this. Thousands of Jews in the city were asking the same question. Hurriedly he gathered together a bag of coins and made his way with as much stealth as he could to the point from where he would be able to slip away through a tunnel to the safety outside the city walls.

Samuel had at first given place to those Zealots who needed accommodation the run of his inn. Simon Ben Judah had come often to the inn to discuss with the leaders of the rebellion ways and means to defend the city in times of the war that they all knew must come. And come it did. Samuel remembered standing on the walls of the city on the day when four legions V Macedonica, XII Fulminata, XV Apollinaris and X Fretensis under General Titus had marched up the dusty road from the sea. Now as the city burned, the Romans finally set free to do as they pleased in the city began their vengeful work, slaughtering all zealots that they came across. Anyone who was found with a weapon was struck down. Those few hundred who could, made their way to the secret tunnels, which allowed access to the valley of Kidron. They hurried through the tunnel to make their escape and this would bring new dangers, for Jews caught on open ground were liable to be cut down by the Roman cavalry and chariots, but this did not stop them. The temple was burning, it was time to escape. “The temple can always rebuilt later” reasoned Samuel. Right now he wanted to put as much distance between himself and the slaughter as he could.

What made this destruction worse for Samuel was the fact that he remembered hearing that the leader of the Christians had made a prophecy many years before that destruction would be visited upon the Holy City. “Oh Abraham our father, how you would weep if you saw what has befallen your children” Samuel whispered to himself. What would become of the children of Israel he wondered? The Romans would never allow them to rebuild the city. Samuel had heard of this before. The Romans had destroyed rebellious nations and had carried off into slavery their remnants. Was this now what awaited the remnant of Israel? Had not Galilee been de-populated already by the Romans?

95 AD Antioch The child that called Samuel father
This was most probably the last time Samuel would see Miriam. He had decided that it was better to make a clean break from the woman who had been no more then a babe in arms when he had first come across her mother Judith in the ruins of an apple orchard a few miles from Jerusalem. Together Judith and Samuel had stood on a hill overlooking the city of Jerusalem, watching as it burned brightly in the night; the flames from the temple causing long shadows on the rest of the destroyed city. They had looked fearfully at the destruction which had been brought upon the city by the rebellious spirit of the zealots and the vengeful acts of the Romans. These two Jews in the night looked on in shock at their Holy city.

It was the last memory that the woman would carry away of her beloved city and what a memory to carry. They had turned away beginning the long march, which would bring them to Antioch. Here they would rebuild their lives. It was good that they did not linger for in the valley below a certain Roman Centurion of Germanic extraction was leading his men through the night in search of escaping citizens of the destroyed city. This particular soldier would at times come to play various roles in the life of Samuel as he too was accursed to wander through time; seeking his own salvation. During the trip Judith would become weaker, weeping for the loss of her husband who had been killed in the final days of the fighting. Furthermore, the destruction of the city on Zion’s mountain would come to deeply affect her. Samuel did his best to protect them, seeking out the best route to take and finding food for them. Because of the Romans’ wholesale removal of the people of Israel from the land, it had been difficult but they had survived, coming at last to the city of Antioch. At first they had been forced to live disguising their heritage due to the fact that the Emperor had decreed that all Jews were to be scattered to the corners of the known world to be sold into slavery for the arrogance of the people of Jerusalem. They had lived as husband and wife, the small child growing to accept Samuel as her father. He never having had children took great delight in bouncing her upon his knee and giving her special treats from the table; a fig, a pomegranate. Little Miriam had grown into a fine young woman; while her mother had grown old and bitter at the memory of the loss of her city.

One day a traveler had stopped at the inn. He was a follower of the Christians. At first Samuel had not taken much notice of the man, he seemed no different from all the other travelers that frequented the inn which he had set up shortly after reaching Antioch. Samuel did notice however that Judith began to spend a lot of time listening to this traveling preacher. It was not long before Samuel noticed that Judith would accompany the preacher named Timothues to meetings in the city. Samuel began to fear for her and the child who accompanied them to these meetings. The only other group who was being persecuted more then the dispersed Jews, was the Christians.

When confronted one night in their bedroom by the possibility that her actions might bring down the wrath of Rome and the local priests of the deities of the gentiles, Judith had confessed that she had “found much comfort in the words of brother Timotheus” that she “had found salvation in his words and that there was only one who could lift the burden under which she had lived since the destruction of the city.” “Which” she added “had been foretold by Jesus, the one who had died on the cross for the salvation of all mankind, not only the Jews.” Samuel had scoffed at her words and said that he was a Jew and he was bound to follow the laws of Moses. Had not many of the principal followers of the Carpenter been put to death because of their belief in a God that could be eaten? Why even a Roman citizen who had been a staunch follower had lost his head when he appealed to Rome.” “I have found the master Samuel, do not be angry but rather rejoice that my burden has been lifted” she had said. Samuel had gone to bed in a huff, thus they had agreed to disagree.

It was about a year after the preacher had left to spread the word, which Judith, worn out by a lifetime of work, had succumbed to the ailment which would take her from this world in the year 85 AD. Miriam was a young woman of 15. She had always been a good child. She and Samuel had wept when Judith had finally closed her eyes for the last time. Judith had died with a quiet dignity and an unmovable faith, knowing that she was going to meet her master and savior. Samuel had been heart broken at the loss of this woman who had brought a certain amount of joy into the closing years of the first century after Christ; but Miriam had an unshakeable belief “that her mother would rise with the righteous. Had not the master said so?” She argued. Another five years would pass, in which time Samuel would continue to run the inn. Miriam had found herself a young Christian man to marry. Johannes was a stout well built man who treated her well and worked hard. The only problem Samuel could see was the fact that he was a Christian. He a little grudgingly attended their marriage ceremony. A tear rolled down his cheek when he thought of all he and this young woman had been through since the night they had left Jerusalem. It had not been many months after their wedding when Miriam had come to the inn to tell Samuel that he should rejoice as he would soon be a grand father. Samuel greeted the news with joy. He thought of the long years ahead when he would love and bounce his young grandsons and daughters on his knee.

This however, brought a new problem to mind for in his ageless state it would soon become apparent to all that he was not aging as others did. Thus on a day in 95 AD he called his family together and told them of his “longing to see once more before he died” the city or the remains of the city of his fathers. When Miriam had said she would “accompany him there,” he had steadfastly refused. “No my dear this is a journey that I must undertake alone. “Remember when Moses climbed the mount, he went alone.” He said in his own defense. There had been weeping and there had been some harsh words. “Oh father you cannot go! Who will run the inn?” “I have decided to give the inn to you and Johannes” said Samuel “as a parting gift.”

In the end they had been reconciled; now they stood facing each other.