JASON - OF - TARSUS

AuthorHouse

Contents

Chapter I Early life in Tarsus.................................1Chapter II Saul Becomes a Pharisee.............................7Chapter III New Markets for Tent Makers........................11Chapter IV Confrontation in Jerusalem..........................15Chapter V Paulus in Prison in Caesarea.........................31Chapter VI Shipwreck...........................................37Chapter VII Captivity and Trial in Rome........................43Chapter VIII Spain and Beyond..................................57Chapter IX Final Imprisonment..................................71Chapter X Jason-Apostle to Spain...............................75Epilogue.......................................................89Appendix I Was the Apostle Paul Married?.......................93Appendix II Saul the Roman Citizen.............................97Appendix III Saul the Pharisee.................................99Appendix IV Saul-a Member of the Sanhedrin.....................101Appendix V Diana of the Ephesians..............................103Appendix VI Maimonides.........................................105Appendix VII Apostles..........................................107Notes..........................................................109Bibliography...................................................115Other Books by F. Burleigh Willard Sr..........................117

Chapter One

Jason paced the deck of the Roman grain ship as it sailed along the northern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. They were approaching the eastern end of the sea and he could now see the towering Taurus Mountains that he knew overlooked his home in Tarsus. Soon he could see the mouth of the Cydnus River as it emptied into the sea. Beyond it were the lake and plowed fields that led to the city itself.

But the most remarkable sight of all was the deep gorge of the river as it plunged hundreds of feet in a series of waterfalls down the precipitous ravine which at places was so narrow that the water washed the rocks on both sides of the narrow passage. Despite the sheer drop from the tableland above the city, a narrow and dangerous trail, known as the Cilician Gates, had been carved out from the steep walls. These walls were marked with caves that gave shelter to the caravans and travelers. They also furnished hiding places for robbers who infested the route to plunder the rich caravans from the East. So Roman soldiers were employed in guarding these rich cargoes of spices and silk.

As Jason became more and more excited about soon reaching home, he was surprised to hear the voice of his new friend Antonio with whom he had whiled away many hours on this homeward voyage.

"Ho, Jason, what are you getting so excited about?"

"Excited? Of course I'm excited. I'm almost home!"

"I don't see any town. Where is Tarsus?"

"It will come into sight any time now, but just look at the view. Do you see those high snow capped mountains over there to the left?"

"Yes, what mountains are those?"

"That is Mount Taurus. You see, it is still snow-capped this late in the summer. The melting snow from that mountain is what rushes across the tableland you see here on our left. We will soon see the point where the water from the snow melt falls over the edge of the highlands, carving out a deep, vertical canyon. From there, the water falls into a basin just back of the city of Tarsus, and then runs on out to sea, forming a rich delta. The wonderful vegetables and fruits that grow there make life pleasant and prosperous in Tarsus."

"That sounds great, but I don't see how that makes it such an important city."

"Well, to understand that you need to know that the Greeks, and later the Romans, decided to choose strategically located cities and make them showcases of Greek and Roman culture. In order to do this they assembled tradesmen, merchants, and artisans to make the city prosperous and diverse-just as they believed that Roman cities are. With this in mind, they gave Roman citizenship to all the inhabitants of these new cities. Tarsus was chosen as one of those new Roman cities. My family, whose trade is tent-making, was chosen as some of the new residents of Tarsus. With our trade we have helped make Tarsus a prosperous city. You know we are Jews, but by royal decree we are also Roman citizens."

"That is very interesting, but why did they choose Tarsus? I hope you won't think I am critical of your city, but it seems to be in a strange, out-of-the-way place."

"You may think so now but wait until you see the marvelous link we have with the high road through Asia Minor. The high road is the main route for the spices and silk of the East on their way to Greece and Rome."

"I am aware of that, but why is the dangerous road down that horrible gulch any better than the highway through Asia Minor?"

"Because it is short and can easily be defended by Roman soldiers. Then the goods can be loaded on ships and sail anywhere to Greece and Italy. It is not only a quicker route, but bypasses the long, brigand-infested highway through Asia Minor, and the dangerous and difficult sea lanes through the Aegean Sea and around Greece."

"But that is not the only reason for the importance of Tarsus," continued Jason. "It has also become the seat of Western culture between Palestine and Europe. Its university is not of a size or reputation to rival Antioch or Alexandria, but it does boast of famous teachers from those universities who regularly visit the city to teach its eager students. I am not only a graduate of our synagogue schools, but also of the Greek university just as my Uncle Saul was. I speak the languages of Greece and Rome as well as Hebrew. This, along with my Roman citizenship, gives me free access to the entire Roman world."

"Tell me more about your business and your part in the enterprise."

"Our business is tent-making. You probably know that the Jewish people are known, not for farming the soil, but for their large herds of sheep and goats. They had to move about constantly, because the herds soon cropped all the grass in one location, so the families and their herds were always moving from one place to another. By living in tents, woven from the fleece of their herds, they were able to take living quarters with them and pitch them in their new location. We provided the tents for our nomadic people.

"But we have found that with the growth of cities and the cultivation of the land for crops of corn, wheat and vegetables, we are loosing our ability to move freely to more fertile land. As a result, our business has been losing clients amazingly fast, and we are forced to find new clients or go bankrupt. It was in searching for new clients that I discovered that the Roman army, especially on the frontiers, used an enormous amount of tents. It was then that I began taking orders for army tents, and am now returning home to bring new life to our business. I am bringing one of the tents along as a sample of what we will be weaving. It will mean retooling our looms and changing patterns to produce this new type of tent. So I am going to be busy for some time before going out again to secure more orders.

"I hope my uncle Saul is at home now. He was an even more avid scholar than I was. Since he felt called to a religious life, he was sent to Jerusalem to study under the great Jewish scholar Gamaliel. While there he became a member of the party of the Pharisees, and, I am told, is now one of their leading scholars and teachers.

"There! There!" shouted Jason. "You can see the city coming into sight now. Back of it is the waterfall where the snowmelt from the mountains makes its last plunge and spreads out into a small lake that we use for irrigation. The water is heavily laden with silt washed from the highlands above the falls, so a delta is building up quite rapidly between the lake and the Sea. It is on this ground that Tarsus is built and the fields around it are very productive."

"I begin to see why you are so excited. But where is your factory?"

"Factory? Well I never heard it called that before, but it is on the other side of town and not visible from here. I hope the ship will be in port for a few days so you can meet my family and have a tour of the workshop."

To Jason and Antonio's delight, the ship's captain announced that they would be in port for two or three days, so anyone who wanted to visit the city would be at leisure to do so.

As they left the ship Jason warned his friend to be careful not to fall into the river. "The water is frigid cold, since it has not had time to warm up since it left the snowfields on Mt. Taurus." He laughed as he continued:

"Once when one of the Caesars was visiting the city he plunged into the river for a swim. The water was so cold that he was immediately frozen stiff and could not swim nor cry out for help. Fortunately some of the natives of the city saw what had happened and launched a boat to quickly rescue him. It took a long time to warm him up before their fire before he could thank them and return to his ship."

The recounting of this tale reminded Jason to tell his friend of the time Cleopatra of Egypt brought Mark Anthony to Tarsus on her royal yacht. She had intended to find a luxurious hideaway where she could woo him and get him to join her as her husband and be the king of Egypt. But since they could not find any private, luxurious hotel, they had to remain on board her yacht all the time they were there.

When they arrived at the workshop Jason was delighted to show Antonio how the looms worked and to introduce him to the manager of the company. To his disappointment he did not find his Uncle Saul there. Since everyone was very busy, they recommended that the two friends go at once to Saul's home and talk to his wife Hannah about his whereabouts and activities.

Jason was pensive all the way to Saul's house. There seemed to be some mystery afloat that he could not understand. As they approached Saul's home, his wife, Hannah, answered their greeting and rushed into Jason's arms as soon as she saw him. Jason, after greeting her affectionately, introduced her to his friend, Antonio, then asked quickly for his Uncle Saul.

"Didn't they tell you?" gushed Hannah enthusiastically, "Saul has decided to become a rabbi! Isn't that just wonderful?"

Chapter Two

Jason was not surprised to find that his uncle had decided upon a religious career. He had always been a profound student of the Torah in the synagogue school and outdid all of his fellow Jewish lads in his devotion to Jehovah and his deep piety. Saul had always seemed more inclined toward a religious vocation than to tent making, although, since a rabbi did not live off his students, but had to furnish his own living, he had to have a profession of some kind to earn his living. Tent-making thus became Saul's means of livelihood.

Jason also learned that, since there was no rabbinical school in Tarsus, Saul had decided to go to Jerusalem and study under the great teacher Gamaliel. Hannah graciously offered to take her husband's place in the tent-making business while he studied in Jerusalem. Saul returned home as often as his study schedule allowed to spend time with Hannah and to secure more funds for his expenses. He was rising rapidly among the rabbis and it is rumored that he will soon become a member of the Sanhedrin.

Wanting to visit with his uncle, and learn more about the rabbinical school, Jason asked for some time off to go to Jerusalem and visit with Saul. His request was quickly granted and in a few days he was walking the streets of Jerusalem searching for the school of Gamaliel.

He soon found directions to the school, and discovered that classes had been dismissed for the day. The students, however, had not yet gone home but were excitedly discussing the meaning of the lesson of the day. Searching from group to group Jason soon located his uncle and shouted: "Uncle Saul, Uncle Saul, I've been looking everywhere for you."

"Jason, my boy, what are you doing in Jerusalem?"

"I've been looking for you. When I found you were not at home I came here to find you and find out why you are here and not in Tarsus."

"Didn't they tell you I am studying to be a rabbi?"

"Yes, but I couldn't believe you were leaving our tent-making business. I have just come home with orders for army tents that will require full time work for all our labor force."

"I am glad for that, and I congratulate you on finding new markets to keep us going. But God has called me to a religious profession, and I will not be able to help you now. Hannah is taking my place in the business so they will not miss me."

"Well, I miss you. Let's go somewhere where we can talk about all this."

Saul knew of a good dining room where they could order a substantial meal and have leisure for a long, sincere conversation.

"You know, of course, Jason, that I have always been fascinated with the synagogue services, and the school held by our rabbi. Lately I have been restless while working at the shop. I had to come here where I could pursue my dream of being a rabbi some day."

"But why couldn't you do that while you work at the shop? We have a good rabbi at our synagogue who could teach you."

"He is a good rabbi, but he has taught me all he knows. But here we have great teachers who spend all their time in study and teaching. Haven't you heard of the great Gamaliel? He is the greatest teacher of our time and I am studying with him every day."

"What does he know that our rabbi doesn't?"

"Well, for instance, do you know the difference between Sadducees, Pharisees and Essenes?2

"No I don't, but what difference does that make?"

"It makes all the difference in the world because they have different beliefs about God and the Bible and how best to live a religious life. Maybe I had better explain this to you."

"Yes, do by all means."

"Well, in the first place, these parties arose after the Holy Scriptures were written. You do know, of course, that after the time of the Old Testament, our people were in bondage and harassed by foreign countries-Babylon, Nineveh, Greece and Rome. But there was one short period where God's people gained their independence and had their own Jewish kings. This is now called the Macabbean (sometimes called the Hasmonean) period.

"During this time three political parties developed who had different approaches to governing the people. They were called the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes. Gradually, the Sadducees became the leading political party. It was the party of the priests and Levites who dominated the government of the country, the Sanhedrin and the Temple priesthood.

"The Pharisees, seeing they were excluded from government affairs, began to concentrate on the religious life of the people, and developed an amazing number of rules and regulations to be obeyed by the people. The Essenes, disillusioned with all this rivalry and controversy, tended to withdraw from public life and live lives of deep piety. Sometimes they practiced this life style at home, and sometimes they retreated from society and formed religious societies in solitary places.

"Now that we do not have a government of our own, the Sadducees try to control our destiny by collaborating with the Romans, hoping to influence them to respect our faith and life. The Pharisees have become the religious party and deal with theology and practical religious living."

"Where do you stand amid all this confusion?" Jason questioned.

"There is no doubt in my mind," declared Saul emphatically, "I will be a Pharisee. They are only ones who really believe in God and the Holy Scriptures and they believe firmly in the resurrection of the body and a life after death with God."

Jason was not at all satisfied with his interview with his uncle Saul, but reluctantly returned to Tarsus to continue with his commitment to their tent-making business.

Chapter Three

Feeling great loss at Saul's abandonment of the family and its thriving business, Jason returned home. He respected Saul's choice to become a rabbi, but found it hard to accept. He wasn't in Tarsus long, however, until he was again caught up in his efforts to expand the company by securing new orders for army tents.

Leaving Tarsus to look for new clients, he encountered a businessman who encouraged him to cross over into Macedonia to seek new customers. In Macedonia, he heard of Lydia of Thyatira and sought out her place of business. Getting right to the point, he asked, "What kind of cloth and manufactured goods do you deal with?"

After learning she carried mostly exotic fabrics dyed with a rare purple dye, he explained that he was a tent-maker and was actually at the moment expanding his family's business by making tents for the Roman Army.

"I am looking for distributors for our tents in Macedonia. Would you like to add these tents to your line of products?"

As they discussed the advantages and disadvantages of such an arrangement, Jason became conscious of a second person who had entered the room.

"I am glad Martha has arrived," explained Lydia. "She is my daughter, and has already demonstrated unusual acumen as a businesswoman. She handles the business end of our enterprise with unusual efficiency."

"I ... am glad to meet you," stammered Jason. "I am ... sure you are a great addition to the efficiency of this business," he continued as he stared into the beautiful, expressive eyes and smiling face of the young woman before him. Inwardly, he sighed with relief that he had avoided saying "a lovely addition to this business."

With great effort Jason tore himself away from the contemplation of the lovely young woman before him and turned to Lydia to continue the discussion of joining their two enterprises.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from JASON - OF - TARSUSby F. Burleigh Willard Sr. Copyright © 2010 by F. Burleigh Willard Sr.. Excerpted by permission.
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