Chapter Twenty Eight TIME OF TROUBLE Peter was dead as were the two James', son of Zebedee and brother of Jesus. Although the other original disciples' fate, at this time, is not known (for the most part, the New testament disregards them), John the Beloved Disciple lived still, presumably at Jerusalem. Yet he did not succeed James as the new Nazarene leader. In true royal style, the Nazarene scepter was passed to Jesus' cousin, Simeon son of Cleophas. From this point, we are on shaky ground when discussing the con- tinuing history of Jesus' Jewish folowers. The gentile followers of Paul eventually inherited the major continuity and became the guardians of Orthodox Christian Tradition while the Nazarenes (later called Ebionites) became a minority sect of heretics, heretical to both Jews and Christians. Documentary evidence of the development of Ebionism is rather scarce, and we must rely on the religious writings of both the Synagogue and the Church for rare snips and allusions to it. We can safely assume that during the years 62 CE to 66 CE, the Nazarenes were mostly successful in Judaizing the gentile communities that Paul had set up, as well as planting other Nazarene communities. Paul himself testifies that during his own imprisonment he saw the beginning of the turning of his own convert communities to Torah Judaism and to the "other Jesus" (the historical one) whom Paul claimed he did not know. Yet new rumblings and portents of the trouble to come between Rome and Judea began to present problems for the Nazarenes as they did for all other Jews. At the time that Simeon ben Cleophas was appointed viceroy of the Assembly of the Faithfull, Nero gave appointment to a man who was to be the worst Roman governor of Judea even out-stripping Pontius Pilate in that distinction. That man was Gessius Florus, a reprobate who permitted all kinds crimes to occur under his jurisdiction so long as he got his "cut". Robberies and violence increased throughout the Holy Land, and Gessius himself openly engaged in grand larceny whenever possible, including appropriating Temple funds as he pleased. This added to the fuel of hatred that Jews already felt to the Roman occupation, and Zealot membership and activity increased, leading to more arrests and crucifixtions of Jews. Towards the end of CE 64, construction work which had been on-going in the Temple for over half a century suddenly ceased, throwing 18,000 construction workers out of work. The sudden increase in unemployment and idleness in Jerusalem did not help the atmosphere as the Zealots could always play on the discontent of men with no money and families hard to feed, turning personal resentment into national patriotic resentment against the Romans and their Sadducean accomplices. Towards the end of CE 64 and the beginning of CE 65, news of the mass killings of Jewish messianists in Rome by Nero began to reach Judea, adding to the popular rage. Even to a disinterested observer, it would seem that Rome was deliberately goading the Jewish nation into an open rebellion. Jospehus adds that Gessius himself ardently wished for a war to erupt so that he might be able to better cover up his own indiscretions as governor. During the half century in which Rome had ruled Judea, messianism had increased, and many suspect that Rome sought an occasion to quash it by a display of military might in which they might destroy all seditious Jewish groups, both in the Homeland as well as in the diaspora, including Nazarenes and Christians between whom they recognized no distinctions. Fearing an immanent outbreak of violence, two groups began to exodus from Jerusalem during this time. Many Pharisees left for the city of Yavneh where a prestigious Yeshiva, or learning academy had been established; and perhaps as many Nazarenes sought sanctuary in the cities of Pella, Batanea, and Hauran in Trans-jordan. Despite the fact that Brandon denies the presence there of Jewish believers in Jesus at this time, the overwhelming weight of scholarly opinion is that Nazarene colonies were planted in Trans-jordan this early, chiefly in Pella, and all early Church fathers agree to this. As emotionality between Jew and Roman rose, all natural phenomena became invested with special meaning, including earthquakes, comets and other "signs" of a coming apocalypse in which the Sons of Light would be victorious over the Sons of Darkness, bringing about the long awaited Kingdom of Heaven. Yet at the same trime, fear of destruction was also very real else the departure of the Pharisees and the Nazarenes makes no sense. There was a duality of reasoning involved. On the one hand, there was a precedent for the triumph of the enemy in the memory of the Babylonian destruction. On the other hand, that destruction had been prophesied by the Isaiah and Jeremiah due to the idolatry of the people. But now the Jewish people were no longer idolators. In fact the religious level was believed to be high. Yet there is a very revealing story in the Talmud as to another reason for the second destruction of Jerusalem and of the Temple, and the much longer Exile. This is the story of Kamsta and Bar-Kamtsa. There lived in Jerusalem, a very wealthy man by the name of Kalba Savua. This was not his actual name but a nick-name given to him by the citizens of Jerusalem who looked upon him as a generous man. The name Kalba Savua is an Aramaic name which means "Satisfied Dog", and he came by it in this way. The home of Kalba Savua was open daily to the poor and the beggars of Jerusalem who would come and eat and drink at his tables. In one of the grand dining rooms of his mansion there were spread out many tables full of food and drink to which any poor and hungry person could come and sate himself. It is known to all that the dog is an animal that does not ever seem to have enough food. Whereas other creatures eat what is sufficient to maintain life and health, the dog eats beyond the point of satiation. It was said that those who came to the home of Kalba Savua left with enough food in them to satisfy even a dog. Thus was his generosity to the poor legendary and wide-spread. It is this very magmanimosity of Kalba Savua that makes his behaviour in the story of Kamtsa and Bar-Kamtsa even more bizarre, and which shows that even the best well intentioned men of the day were not living up to what the Torah demanded of its children. Now it happened that Kalba Savua's daughter was to be married and he made a lavish wedding feast for her to which all the honorable men of Jerusalem and all the Land of Israel were invited. These included the leading sages and rabbis of the day since Kalba himself was considered to be quite a Torah scholar who frequented the Yeshivah daily. Naturally all the poor of the City were invited as well to share in the joy of the day. Kalba Savua had a dear friend by the name of Kamtsa to whom he sent one of the very first invitations to his daughter's wedding. As bad fortune would have it, the servant who was delivering the invitations mistakenly delivered it to a man named Bar-Kamtsa. Now Bar-Kamtsa and Kalba Savua were long-time sworn enemies, and having received this invitation, Bar-Kamtsa naturally assumed that Kalba Savua wished to make peace between them. The day of the wedding came and Bar-Kamtsa arrived with a very equisite and expensive gift. Looking around him, he could see the other guests that hadbeen invited, the most important men and women in Jerusalem, among them the leading rabbis and sages of the day. Bar-Kamtsa naturally felt very good to have been invited to this very prestigious affair by theperson he considered as his once enemy now turned friend, and he went to seek out the host of the party. Seeing Kalba Savua, Bar-Kamtsa smilingly approached him with out- stretched arms. When Kalba saw his hated enemy, here in his home, on the very day of his daughter's wedding, he flew into a rage. "What are YOU doing in my home?", he demandingly shouted. Bar-Kamtsa was taken aback. "Why, you invited me to this wedding", he answered perplexed. "I did no such thing", Kalba screamed at him. "Why would I invite my worst enemy to my only daughter's wedding?", he sneered. Bar-Kamtsa began to stammer. "But ... but ... here is the invitation." He held out the invitation which Kalba ripped from his hand. Looking at the invitation, Kalba immediately realized that the servant had delivered it to the wrong man. Knowing that his enemy now stood in his home and that his friend Kamtsa had never received the invitation and would most assuredly interpret not being invited to his friend's daughter's wedding as a grave insult, Kalba last wits left him, and shouted to his servants, "Throw this man out! He is here by mistake while my good friend Kamtsa has been slighted because of a stupid servant's ineptitude!" Bar-Kamtsa was aware that all eyes in the room were staring in disbelief that their host, the usually affable Kalba Savua, who never turned away the most miserable beggar from his door, that this man was now ordering his servants to bodily eject Bar-Kamtsa. Everyone knew that the Tradition said that he who embarrasses his fellow in public, it is as though he has committed murder (blood rushes to the face of the one who is shamed and it is as though the one shaming has shed blood). Yet no one spoke either because of the shock or because they did not want to confront the host who had invited them. Bar-Kamtsa was sweating. He felt as though the entire world was looking upon his shame. He said to Kalba, "Please do not throw me out and shame me. I will pay for my own food and drink." Kalba pointed at him and replied, "Damn your money! Get out!". "Please", Bar-Kamtsa implored, "do not shame me. I will pay for half the wedding." Kalba was trembling with rage. "You dare to insult me with your money! Get out of my house now!" Bar-Kamtsa realized that it was futile to beg but why should he allow himself to be a victim of circumstance due to a mistake over which he had had no control? He tried one more time to asuage the anger of Kalba. "Listen to me, Kalba Savua. By shaming me you shame yourself and mar the happinessof your daughter on her day. Do not put me to shame before all of these people. Do not cast me out of your house like a dog. I will pay for the entire wedding." But Kalba had worked himself up to the point beyond all rationality. He felt that his servant's mistake had made him look like a fool in the eyes of all Jerusalem, and he became thoroughly unforgiving. "You will insult me no more with your money", he hissed through clenched teeth. "Get out!" With this, his servants grabbed Bar-Kamtsa and bodily ejected him from the house and out of the gates. Bar-Kamtsa stood outside the gates, shaking with humiliation and rage. He had stood in that house BEGGING not to be shamed in front of the people of Jerusalem. By tomorrow the whole cit would know of the incident. How would he ever again be able to hold his head up among men? And the worst aspect of it all was the silence of the Sages. They had stood and watched, and had said nothing. They hads watched a fellow Israelite put to horrible shame and did NOTHING. This was the ultimate injustice. If the leaders whom the people trusted allowed groundless hatred to abound and did nothing - then they were not fit to lead, thought Bar-Kamtsa; if the people whe were to love their fellow Jew as themselves treated him no better than dirt, they were unworthy to dwell in G-d's holy City, and unworthy to worship in His Temple. Jesus had sought to have the KHRUVIM on the Ark face one another in love. But daily, in the streets of Jerusalem, there was strife and contention, one group against another. Instead of rallying togther to fight the common enemy, they fought each other. Where was the love that the Torah demanded? Not in the home of the man who fed all the beggars of Jerusalem, and not in the hearts of the leaders who allowed this disgrace at a wedding feast. Bar-Kamtsa would have his revenge for this infamy, and with it, a lesson would be learned. Groundless hatred was as evil as idolatry, and the Temple had once been taken away from Israel because of idolatry. Bar-Kamtsa went to Rome and was granted an audience with Caesar. He said, Sire, the Jews will rebel against you. Caesar answered, we have no reason to suspect their loyalty. Bar-Kamtsa said, Sire, you know that they have promised to offer a sacrifice for your well-being in the Temple every day. This you have granted them instead of making them sacrifice TO you as every other nation does. Caesar said, Yes, and in so doing, they show us their loyalty. Bar-Kamtsa said, Caesar - they will begin the rebellion by ceasing thedaily sacrifice in your honor. Caesar asked, How can you be sure of this? Bar-Kamtsa said, You yourself, Caesar, ought send the sacrifice that they offer for you. They will add insult to injury and refuse to offer the sacrifice. Thus shall Caesar know that the rebellion has begun. Caesar said, we will do what you have said; we will send a sheep for the sacrifice. Said Bar-Kamtsa, I shall be most happy to deliver it to the Temple myself, Sire. Thereupon Caesar had the finest sheep in his own private flock brought to Bar-Kamtsa to deliver to Jerusalem in his name. Bar-Kamtsa took leave of Caesar and sailed for Judea O the way to Judea, Bar-Kamtsa committed the deed that led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the long exile of Israel. He took his knife and cut the lips of the sheep that Caesar had entrusted him to deliver as his sacrifice. Thus the sheep was rendered unfit for sacrifice according to the Torah which commands that a sacrifice may have no blemish. Bar-Kamtsa arrived in Jerusalem as the special emissary of the emperor, bearing his sacrificial gift. When the priests and the rabbis saw the now-blemished animal they reacted with terror. Some believed that this was the final insult of Rome to the G-d of Israel, the sending of a gift that was unfit. When the knowledge became public, the people became angry. Led by the Zealots, they cried out to the priests, Away with Caesar's insult to our G-d. We will no longer offer the sacrifice for Rome. A curse upon Caesar. We have no king but G-d. That day, the sacrifice for Rome ceased. Bar-Kamtsa was satisfied that he would be revenged. When word reached Rome, Nero dispatched Vespasian to put down the rebellion, and to destroy Jerusalem if the people persisted in the revolt. Whether one believes this story to be the occaision of the beginning of the war between Judea and Rome, or whether one believes the death of James the TSADIK to be the occasision is not really important. Both stories tell the same message, namely, that there existed groundless hatred between Jew and Jew during that period, and the religious leadership found itself unable to deal with it. This internicene strife increased once the war began, and contributed greatly to the loss of it by the Jews and thereby to the eventual separation of Judaism and Christinaity as two separate religions, and to the inevitable disappearence of the Jewish followers of Jesus the Nazarene.
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