CHAPTER 1
JERUSALEM
It was a hot, moonless night in Jerusalem, and no Jews were on the streets. Brutus was finished with his night watch, pulled off his helmet and ran his free hand through his curly, black hair. The walk back to the barracks was a fifteen-minute walk, and Brutus slowly began the uphill trek.
Out of the corner of his eye, Brutus caught a fleeting movement, but it was too late. The attacker reached from behind and slit Brutus' throat with a short butcher knife. Brutus collapsed forward onto the smooth, dew-covered stones as the attacker tossed the knife to the ground, grabbed Brutus' sword and slipped back into the nearest, dark alley.
The alarm went out when it was discovered that Brutus had not returned to the barracks. His fellow soldiers fanned out in search of their comrade and finally found him lying in a pool of his own blood at the bottom of the hill, stripped of his weapons. The unofficial curfew prevented any Jews from being on the streets, but the butcher knife pointed to the local butcher as the chief suspect. Octavian, the centurion in charge, ordered the butcher seized from his home and brought in for interrogation.
The poor butcher knew nothing of the killing and claimed all his knives were in the shop as he left it. Octavian was furious and threw the man into prison anyway, then made the comment, "They have arrived."
"Who have arrived?" asked young Justin, one of his closest underlings.
"The Jewish Zealots from Galilee. I served in Galilee, and the Zealots were always knocking off one of my men, taking their weapon and running off. It was their way of arming themselves. We would catch one of them occasionally, but he would die before he would give away any of his compatriots."
"So, you think this is the work of Zealots of Galilee?"
"I know it! I have seen it time and again, but this is the first time in Jerusalem. We can't let this get started here, Justin. Have the butcher flogged severely and return him to his shop. Then watch the shop for any sympathizers. If we must kill half the population of Jerusalem, it will be worth it." Then Octavian paused and added, "One more thing; alert the new centurion, Cassius in Galilee, that Zealots have attacked Jerusalem and for him to round up the usual suspects, and either eliminate them or injure them so severely they can't walk. I don't want any of them here. Make him understand."
"Yes Sir."
Justin dispatched a man to the prison to pass the orders to flog the butcher and another man to Galilee to pass Octavian's request to Cassius. Then Justin dispatched men to pick up Brutus, who had been lying in his blood for over two hours.
The Jews challenged the Roman authorities relentlessly since Marcus left for Rome. Octavian could not garner their respect, and the governor was harsh in his treatment and often ordered severe punishment and crucifixions arbitrarily. The edict to silence the followers of The Way, now called Christians, angered the only peaceful group in town. If the Jews could commit crimes and blame the Christians, it was the Christians who paid for it. It worked well for the Zealots. The Christians still maintained a sense of dignity that deserved Octavian's respect, but only angered him as he saw them as aloof.
The gap between the Romans and Jews continued to widen. Each group feared the other, and because it was easy to identify a Jew from a Roman, the two groups avoided each other on the streets of Jerusalem. Resentment of the Roman occupation grew among the Jews, and it became easier for the Zealots to recruit followers. It even seemed possible that they could expel the Romans somehow by intrigue and strategic assignations. They were emboldened by the brutality in Galilee rather than discouraged.
* * *
JERUSALEM
Eleazar ben Simon left Galilee and arrived in Jerusalem with no fanfare. Arriving with fifteen henchmen, Eleazar set up a headquarters in a small basket shop off an alley near the center of town. Then they systematically began to recruit men and arm them for the revolt. Careful recruitment was key; both men only wanted men they could trust and men willing to put their lives on the line. The other men from Galilee smuggled arms in via carts and feed sacks.
After observing the Roman soldiers habit of drinking themselves into a stupor on the night they were paid, a night was selected for the first real attack. As the night approached, Zealots took up their stations around Jerusalem and waited for the signal. Then it came; two torches waved from the highest point of the temple, easily seen by all the recruits. Eleazar ben Simon stationed himself with a select group of ten fighters in the basket shop as reinforcements if needed.
It was a bloody event. The Roman soldiers were generally unprepared and not in their armor. The surprise attack worked well at the barracks. Octavian was upstairs in his private quarters and heard the shouting and the clank of swords. He grabbed his helmet and sword and started down the narrow stairway. He immediately faced two Zealots at the foot of the stairs. The Zealots were no match for the centurion and Octavian promptly sliced the necks of both with his blade. He stepped over the fallen Zealots and joined the fray. Immediately the battle began to shift the advantage to the Romans.
Eleazar saw a young, injured recruit approach the basket shop and ran to meet him. As the young Jew collapsed in the alley, he whispered, "The barracks. We need help. Quick!"
Eleazar waved his arm and the ten men joined him in the alley. "Eight of you join the battle for the barracks while two of you remain here in case we have difficulty elsewhere. I am going to the barracks." The nine then ran for the barracks. On the way, they cut down a young Roman soldier running from the barracks.
Only a couple of lamps were burning in the entire barracks and it was mostly dark. Since the Romans were not in battle attire, it was difficult to even identify them clearly. Octavian was still not far from the foot of the stairway opposite the entry, but Eleazar spotted him almost immediately. "Work your way through the melee to Octavian. We must take down their leader; they will fight as long as he is upright." The elite eight began to work their way through the fight swinging their swords cutting down any Romans in their way. Octavian, now quite tired and slightly wounded, fought well, but had no chance. Without even wounding any of the eight, he fell at their feet.
The defeat of Octavian did not go unnoticed. The Romans began to battle their way to the door to escape the barracks. Eleazar met them as they exited and cut down a few, but at least five made it out alive. The remaining Romans were quickly overcome and the battle ended almost as abruptly as it began.
"Take to the streets and cut down any sentries you may find," shouted Eleazar. Zealots then took to the streets. There was little resistance and the Romans were finally expelled from Jerusalem.
The celebration began.
* * *
GALILEE
Cassius was more than happy to bring in the Zealots that he despised. Anyone who had crossed him was fair game as far as he was concerned. He brought in twenty-three the first day, and he ordered their legs broken. Many died, but those who survived were certainly no longer a threat and served as an example. He too was determined to avoid any more rebellion by these crazy people. Jew or Christian, it didn't matter to him.
All Galilee rejected the Romans. Thieves, robbers and murderers threatened the citizens of towns in Galilee to the point that citizens either supported them or their lives were threatened. King Agrippa took over all the towns in Galilee for Rome except the towns of Gamala, Gischala and the well-fortified Jerusalem in Judea.
Gamala relied on its lay of the land to offer the best defense. The town was glued to the side of a mountain with sharp rock formations, and its streets were narrow and steep. Any invading army would have great difficulty breaching the gates and once they did, it would be nearly impossible to send any large contingent up the mountainside through the narrow streets. Behind Gamala were steep, high cliffs. To make it even more secure, the citizens cut a ditch across any possible route. They felt secure. There was even a spring of fresh water within the walls to help outlast a siege.
The Romans dispatched General Vespasian from Emmaus to Gamala with three legions of soldiers and equipment. King Agrippa pleaded with those on the wall to capitulate, but to no avail. The Romans were eager to begin the siege and sent Agrippa home when the Zealots shouted insults at the King.
The siege ramp was finished quickly since the Romans had plenty of men and were accustomed to such work. But when they brought the battering ram up to the gate, the Romans came under such fierce attack that they withdrew The Romans attacked the city with catapults and ultimately drove the defenders from the wall. Then the battering rams broke the wall in three places, and the foot soldiers began their invasion through the holes in the wall.
The invasion went badly for the Romans. Those who were first to invade were so violently attacked by the Gamalians that they were forced to flee up the narrow streets of the town. They couldn't retreat because of the Roman soldiers entering behind them. In desperation, the Romans entered houses for safety from the bombardment raining from the upper city. The bombardment however began to crush the houses and the Romans inside of them. Romans died of debris and choked from the dust. The debris gave the city even more ammunition for bombardment, and any fallen Romans were stripped of their weapons. In desperation for their lives, the Romans abandoned the attack and worked their way back down and out through the very holes in the wall that they had entered.
Vespasian was deeply affected by seeing the ruins of the city falling on his men, and feared for his own safety. He took a few men with him and reentered the city. With shields raised in a testudo covering themselves, they approached their enemies who were descending from the upper city. The Romans were mercilessly attacked, but to no avail. The Zealots finally lessened their attack and Vespasian and his men withdrew without showing their back.
Gallus and ten Romans with him were safely hidden in one of the houses and overheard the Zealots making plans. In the dark cover of night, they slit the throats of the Zealot leaders and silently crept out of Gamala.
The battle was over.
That evening, Vespasian spoke to his men, "We ought to bear up to the fact that in war it can never be that we conquer without bloodshed on our own side, for while we have killed so many Jews, their hand has now paid us back. And as the weak can be too much puffed up with good success, so can cowards be too much frightened at what is ill: for the change from the one to the other is sudden on both sides, and he is the best warrior who can keep such a sober mind under misfortunes, and then continue in that temper and recover what has been lost formerly. As for what has happened, it is not owing to the valor of the Jews, but the difficulty of the place giving them their advantage, and our difficulty."
Vespasian further explained to the troops that their zeal to take the city was unbridled zeal and not a maxim of Roman strategy. "Unbridled zeal is barbaric and is how Jews chiefly support themselves. We ought therefore to return to our own virtue and be angry rather than dejected at this unlikely misfortune and let everyone seek his own strength from his own hand; for by this means we will avenge those who have been killed today and punish those that have killed them. I will, therefore, be the first to go in and the last to retreat."
Vespasian was joined by his son, Titus, a fierce fighter. Titus approached the city at night with two-hundred chosen horsemen and some foot soldiers. It wasn't long until the sentries sounded the alarm. Men grabbed their wives and children and sought refuge in the citadel, but the weaker ones could not make it to the citadel or shinny down the cliffs. Those who could fight caused the Romans a great deal of mischief, but were ineffective. Titus and his men killed continuously as they climbed the streets of Gamala. Blood ran down the narrow streets and through the rubble of the town. Those trapped began to roll stones down on the Romans as the Zealots retreated to the very height of the mountain.
A storm in the early hours of the morning blew so fiercely that the spears thrown by the defenders returned upon them. Roman spears flew up the mountain like a flock of frightened quail. There was only one alternative to slaughter for the Zealots and that was to fling themselves over the cliff. The town fell that morning, and the few that escaped ran to Jerusalem, their last bastion. Four-thousand were killed by Titus' men and five-thousand perished at the bottom of the cliff.
Then Titus and his men stayed in Galilee to take the small town of Gischala, their last conquest before moving on to Jerusalem. There they captured a leader of the resistance named Josephus. Vespasian kept him as a translator to negotiate with the Jews.
* * *
ROME
News of the events in Galilee and Judea spread to Rome quickly. The Romans were doubly confounded by all the Jews who had settled in their fair city. The Jews and Christians were a poor lot and offered little to the progress of the Rome. The Christians were especially poor since even the Jews would not help them. The Roman Praetorian Guard made sure they were aware of the activities of both groups. The Christians were especially secretive in their activities and that led to increased suspicion.
All the Roman politicians knew that the Christians were expendable; they simply had no economic value.
CHAPTER 2
ANTHONY'S VINEYARD NEAR VERONA
"Three years have passed since Marcus died, and still the vineyard here in Verona has not been signed over to us. We really need to get this done," complained Hannah, Anthony's wife.
"I promise I'll do it next week," snapped Anthony. "I will meet Jacob there, and we'll go in together."
"Good. I will feel a lot better once we own this place. Marcus was good enough to sign it over to us, but we need to register our ownership. I really don't trust the bureaucrats in Rome. They will take it from us if we aren't careful."
"I am a Roman citizen. They can't do that! Stop worrying, Hannah."
"Well, I am just saying ..."
"I know it drives you crazy. I promise that I'll do it next week. No! I can do better than that! I'll do it tomorrow. I can be there and back in two days if I leave early enough."
"Great. I'll pack you a lunch. I'd go with you, but I need to stay here with Julia and the others."
"Sounds good to me. You're right. We need to do this."
Hannah set Anthony's dinner before him and called Julia. The aroma of the goat and tomato sauce permeated the room. The bread was still browning in the oven as young Julia came down from the loft and joined her new parents. She missed her real parents, apparently killed in Jerusalem, but she loved Hannah and Anthony too. It was a better life on the vineyard than she would have ever known in Damascus or Jerusalem.
After Anthony prayed, Julia voiced, "Um dinner smells wonderful." She looked at Anthony. "Did I hear you were going to Rome to see Jacob?"
"Yes, I have some work to do at the civic center to register the farm."
"Can I go along?"
"Whoa, I don't know! It will slow me down if we go together, and Hannah needs your help here."
"Number Seven can carry both of us just like he can carry you. I won't slow you down a bit. Besides you promised to take me to Rome sometime."
Anthony looked at Hannah and sighed, "Hannah, help me here! Julia wants to go, but needs to be here. Isn't there something you can say to help me with this?"
"Not really," answered Hannah. "You did promise her, and you know why she really wants to go to Rome, don't you?"
Julia blushed. She really wanted to see Jacob. Nearly a year passed since she saw him last, and he was special to her. She really did want to see him.
"Okay, you can come along, but you have to do as I say."
Julia smiled.
Hannah added, "I can take care of the place while you are gone, Anthony. The grapes will grow even while you're gone, and you just finished pruning. The timing is good."
"Julia, be ready just before sunrise. We will leave then. If you are not awake, I'll awaken you."
"Thank you, Anthony," smiled Julia. "I won't be a problem, I promise."
