Letters from Adina - #35

Letter XXXV. The Crucifixion.

“Father,” He said, raising His holy eyes to heaven, “forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Jerusalem, Third Morning after the Crucifixion.

My Dear Father,

It is now dawn, and I have arisen early, as I shall leave the city to-day, with my Uncle Rabbi Amos, and the whole family; for we are to flee to Bethany, for fear of the Jews, who, notwithstanding the pledge given by Caiaphas, are diligently seeking throughout Jerusalem all who were followers of the slain Prophet.

As an hour or two will elapse before all things are ready for our safe departure, I will occupy the interval in completing my sorrowful narrative of the crucifixion of Jesus.

John having left the stricken mother with me, he and Lazarus had gone back to where they were unrobing the Prophet to bind Him to the cross. He looked, as the centurion afterwards said, “Like a god surrendering himself to death, for the safety of a world.”

He resisted not when bound upon the cross, continued John, who told me what follows, “but yielded Himself into the hands of His executioners like a lamb that is led to death.”

“Father,” he said, raising His holy eyes to Heaven, “forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

There we waited, in expectation of seeing Him do some mighty miracle, and descend unharmed from the cross, showing forth to the world that He was indeed the Messias of God.

The soldiers who had nailed Jesus to the tree now began with noisy oaths to divide among themselves His garments, as well as those of the two thieves, these being, by the Roman law, the fee of the executioners.

This division being made after some time, they were at a loss what to do with the large mantle without seam which the sisters of Lazarus had woven for Him who had restored to them their dead brother.

A group of the Roman guard being seated near, astride upon the arms of a fallen cross, playing at dice, proposed that the Parthians should decide by lot whose it should be. This the Pathians consented, and taking the dice-box in their bloody hands, each of them threw thrice.

The highest number fell to the most ferocious of the four fellows, who, taking the mantle, wrapped it about his huge form.

The soldier then proposed to sell the cloak, which John joyfully purchased of him at great price, giving him the jewels of several of the women, who gladly took rings from their ears, and bracelets from their arms; and I myself, dear father, gave the emerald which you bought for me at Cairo: for I could not see the robe which Jesus had worn thus desecrated, inasmuch as we still loved Him, even in His death.

After Jesus had hung about an hour upon the cross, Aemilius came from Pilate, and brought the inscription which it is usual to place above the heads of malefactors, showing forth their names and the crime for which they are crucified.

By means of a small ladder, a soldier placed above the head of Jesus, this inscription in Greek, Latin and Hebrew: - “THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

When the wicked Abner read this, he turned angrily to the centurion, and to Aemilius, who stood sorrowfully near the cross and said: “Write not, O Roman, that he is ‘King of the Jews,’ but that he said that he was King of the Jews.”

“I have placed above him what Pilate has ordered to be written,” the centurion answered.

Abner, upon this, mounted a mule, and hastened into the city to the Procurator, and laid his complaint before him.

We have heard that the Procurator coldly answered - “What I have written, I have written, sir priest.”

“But you then have crucified this man for being our king, which we deny!” cried Abner.

“I will believe his word, before that of all the Jews in Caesar’s empire,” answered Pilate, angrily.

“He said he was a king; and if ever a king stood before a human tribunal, I have had a true and real king before me to-day; and I have consented unto his death. If you come into my presence but once more on this matter, by the gods of Rome I will crucify you, and tenscore more.”

Abner left his presence abashed, and returned to the place of crucifixion.

Ishmerai, who all the while, as he hung, had uttered curses upon his crucifiers, and upon Pilate, began howling fiercely, to Jesus - “If thou be the Son of God, save thyself and us! If thou didst raise a man once from the dead, thou canst, surely, keep us from dying!”

But Omri, rebuking his fellow, said - “We suffer justly for our crimes, and to-day do receive the due reward of our transgressions; but this man hath done nothing amiss.

Lord, I believe that Thou art the Son of God! None but the Christ could do the works Thou hast done, or suffer patiently as Thou art suffering.

Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom; for I know Thou wilt go from this Thy cross to Thy throne on high, and there reign for ever and ever. I have listened to Thy teaching on the banks of Jordan, and I believe.”

Jesus turned His bleeding head towards him, and, with a smile of ineffable glory lighting up his pale face, said - “Verily, I say unto thee, this day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.”

Suddenly, just as the sixth hour sounded from the Temple, by the trumpets of the Levites, the cloud which, formed by the smoke of the numerous sacrifices, had hung all day above the Temple, was seen to become suddenly of inky blackness, and to advance towards Calvary, spreading and increasing in the most appalling manner as it approached us; and in a few minutes, not only all Jerusalem, but Calvary, the Valley of Kedron, the Mount of Olives, and all the country were involved in its fearful darkness.

The sun, which had before been shining with noon-day brilliancy, became black as sackcloth of hair, and a dreadful, unearthly, indescribable night overshadowed the world.

Out of the centre of the cloud, above the crosses, shot forth angry lightnings. But there was no thunder -only a dead, sepulchral, suffocating silence.

Of the thousands who had been gazing upon the crucifixion, there was not one but fell prostrate upon the earth in terror!

Jerusalem was blotted out from our view; only an angry glare of fire-red light, as it were the terrible eye of God itself, was visible above the Temple, over the place of the Holy of Holies.

The crosses were no longer visible, save by the fearful brightness of the lightnings, flashing fiercely from the dread and silent cloud.

The form of Jesus, amid the universal gloom, shone as if divinely transfigured, and a soft halo of celestial light encircled His brow like a crown of glory; while the dark bodies of the two robbers could scarcely be discerned, save by the faint radiance emanating from His own.

Mary, His mother, and Lazarus, exclaimed with awe, both speaking together -

“This is His power. He has produced this miracle!”

Three hours - three long and terrible hours, this supernatural night continued; and all that while the vast multitude remained motionless and afraid, waiting for they knew not what.

At length the cloud parted above the cross, with a loud peal of thunder, while a shower of terrible lightnings fell, like lances of fire, all around the form of Jesus, which immediately lost its halo and its wondrous radiance.

Suddenly the darkness, which had filled all the air, seemed to concentrate and gather about the cross, so that He who hung thereon was no more seen.

From the midst of it His thrilling voice was once more heard, as clear and strong as it had once rang over the waters of Galilee, when He had preached from a boat to the thousands thronging to the shore - “IT IS FINISHED! Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit!”

As He uttered these words a supernatural glory shone around Him, and, with a deep sigh, He bowed His head upon his breast and gave up the ghost.

The general cry of surprise that followed these clear trumpet-tones, was suddenly stopped by a terrible trembling of the earth beneath our feet, so that vast numbers of people were cast down, the rocks of Calvary were rent, and the whole city shook with the convulsive throes of an earthquake.

The Temple seemed on fire, and above its pinnacle appeared a flaming sword, which seemed to us to cleave the walls to their foundations; and while we looked the sword changed into the shape of a cross of dazzling light, standing high in the air over the altar; and from its golden beams poured rays so bright that all Jerusalem and the hill country around were lit up as at noon-day.

The ground still continued to shake, and the sepulchres of the kings, with the tombs of ancient prophets, were riven by vast chasms, and the green earth was strewn with the bones and bodies of the dead.

The dark cloud, which had begun to form first with the smoke of the Temple, was now scattered by the light of the fiery cross, and the sun reappeared, before which the glorious vision over the Temple gradually faded and was seen no more.

The natural order of things then returned; and men, smiting their breasts, began to move towards the city, filled with awe and dread at what they had witnessed.

The centurion, who stood watching these fearful signs, said aloud to Aemilius:

“This man spake the truth. he was a God!”

“Of a truth,” answered Aemilius, “this was none other than the Son of God - the very Christ of the Jewish prophets. All things in the air and on the earth mourn because of His death, as if the God of Nature had given up the ghost.”

Sad and weeping, we left the dismal scene, hanging our heads in sorrow, having, even while wondering at these mighty signs that were shown at His crucifixion, abandoned forever all hope that this was He who should have redeemed our nation, and restored the royal splendor of Judah and the throne of the house of David.

Your loving daughter,

Adina.

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