.
Secret parchments found in The Mosque at St. Sofia, Constantinople where Mohammad ordered the preservation of Sanhedrin
records. Caiaphas is called upon by the Sanhedrin to report on the execution of Jesus, Chapter 6, and a second report is given by Caiaphas to the Sanhedrin on the resurrection of Jesus, Chapter 7.
CHAPTER VI.
REPORT OF CAIAPHAS TO THE SANHEDRIN CONCERNING THE EXECUTION
OF JESUS
RECORDS OF THE JERUSALEM
SANHEDRIN, BY ELIEZEK HYKAN, B. 24. TAKEN IN CONSTANTINOPLE,
OCTOBER 16, 1883.
" Caiaphas, Priest of the Most High God, to the Masters
of Israel, greeting: In obedience to your demands for a reason for my action in
the case of Jesus of Nazareth, and in defense of my conduct, I beg leave to
submit the following for your consideration: I would assure you that it was not
on account of personal malice, envy, or hate, that existed in my own nature,
nor for the want of a willingness upon my part to conform to the Jewish law in
its strictest sense. I had but very little personal knowledge of the Nazarene.
The most I knew of this man was from outside sources. Nor was it because he
claimed to be King of the Jews, nor because he said he was the Son of God I
would that he were nor because he prophesied or ignored the holy temple. No,
nor all of these combined. There is a cause, and a more weighty matter, back of
all these things that controlled my action in the matter. Therefore, I hope you
will investigate strictly on legal principles the reasons that I may give
" In order that
you may be able to see and weigh the question fully, and remember the
responsibility that rests upon me according to the laws of our nation, I will ask
you to go back with me to the chronicles of our history as a commonwealth.
First, our faith is pledged to one living and true God, this God being
indescribable, unchangeable, incomprehensible, and, of course, unnameable. But
yet in our daily communications with, and our applications to Him, He has been
pleased to give us His name, or His several names, according to His relations
to us, and they are found nowhere, only in the ark of His holy temple there
where He presents to us His strength and power. He calls himself Eloi, which means almighty in strength;
that He can do what He will without effort; that He does the greatest thing as
easy as He does the least. This makes Him different from all beings. In His
holy ark He records Himself Elaah -- existence
without beginning, and no contingency as to His end. Again, He writes Himself Hhelejon -- unchangeable; that is,
nothing but His own will can change Him. Again, He records His name Jah -- knowledge that comprehends
without being comprehended. Again He is written Adonai -- full and free, and freely full. Combining the several
names we have Jehovah -- the Hebrew God. A man never can go wrong while he can
pronounce this name in its comprehensive sense. This is where the Zealots, the
Sadducees, and Essenes had their origin, and it is the want of being able to
pronounce this name in its comprehensive sense that causes so much dissension
among us Jews. Jesus could pronounce this name, but he stole it out of the
temple, as I am creditably informed.
" But the object
in calling your attention to pronouncing this name, with all its bearings, may
be seen if we turn to the third Book of Leviticus, section 10, wherein is the
special order made by our God to Moses, that we should offer the bullock, the
ram, the flour and oil, and the people should fast seven days, and this should
be kaphar, or atonement for the sins
of all the people. Now, unless Moses was deceived, he has deceived us, or Jesus
of Nazareth is a false teacher; for all he teaches is metanoeite, metanoeite, as though a man's being sorry for a crime
would make restitution to the offended party. A man might repent ever so much,
but what good would that do toward healing the man he had injured ? None in the
least. This mode of making atonement was ordained of God and revealed to Moses;
but if man has nothing to do but to repent, the disease carries its own remedy
with it. So a man can sin as often as he may wish to. Look at the first book,
section 3: ' And God said to Abraham, by his own mouth, that each and all that
were circumcised by the cutting of the prepuce should be saved.' This should be
the seal of the covenant. Now, if this
is not true, God must go against His own contract, violate His own promises, as
well as deceive the faith and cheat the obedience of His own children. This is
all so, if Jesus's teaching be true, for he sets up table (baptism) as the seal of God. I refer you to section 10,
division first, where God said to Moses that He had changed the laws, converted
the elements for the protection of His people, and with His own arm had
delivered them out of a strong compact; and that they might remember, and that the
generation to be born might remember and never forget to trust in Him when in
danger, He said that once every year we should roast a kid or lamb, and eat it
with unleavened bread, and this should be the sign that we would trust in Him
in all times of danger. Now Jesus teaches that common bread and wine are to be
used instead thereof a thing unheard of. And not only so, something that is
altogether repugnant to God, and something that fosters drunkenness, and is
well qualified to excite men's passions. And oh, ye Masters of Israel, but
think once. Jesus calls himself the Son of God; claims to have been born of almah (the Hebrew word for virgin); that
he and his Father are one they are equal. These things will establish the
following conclusions: If he is right, his Father is false. If they were one,
then their teachings would be one; and if his teachings are true, God's must be
wrong, or there are not those perfections in Him that we learn in pronouncing
His holy name. By tolerating the teachings of Jesus, we say to the Romans that
all of our former teachings are false; that the Hebrew's God is not to be
trusted; that He is weak, wanting in forethought; that He is vacillating and
not to be trusted, much less to be honored and obeyed. Thus the world will lose
confidence in our God, and confidence in us as a religious people. This is
impregnating the whole atmosphere with moral pollution. It does not only cut off, but blocks the way of all Jews from
heaven; and not only this, it excludes our hope in the salvation of our
forefathers, who have obeyed God in His ordinances, believed in His promises,
and shouted in the triumphs of a holy life for fourteen hundred years. He
entirely ignores God's holy temple the house God had built by our forefathers
under His own supervision, where He promised to dwell with His children, to
hear their prayers, and to be pleased with their sacrifices. This term pi 3 is
the bond of the Jews. Here all men can come and be blessed. It is the earthly
home of the souls of men the place where men may hide from the storms of sin
and persecution. This temple is where the foolish may learn wisdom, the place
where the naked soul can be clothed, and where the hungry may be fed. This the grandest
gift of our Father. Jesus completely ignores this temple; says the priests have
made it a den of thieves; and sets up a sneer, and even scoffs at its sacred
ordinances, and with a sort of selfish triumph says it shall be destroyed; and
from his manner of saying it, I have no doubt he would be glad to see it quickly done. But what would be the condition
of our people if this temple was removed ? What would be the use of the
priesthood if the temple was destroyed? Where would we find an answer by Urim
and Thummim? How would the soul of man be purified, if the holy Bathkole, the Euroch of
God, should depart? There in that sacred temple
of God he has been burning to the
consuming of sin and the purifying of the heart since our return from bondage
in Babylon. My
argument is, if this temple is destroyed, or even forsaken by the Jews, we as a
nation are utterly ruined. We might as well put our necks under the feet of
idolatry and give up all hope. " One more subject I place before my
Masters of Israel. Is it compatible with our religion, or is it consistent with
philosophy, or admitted in His holy Word, that there can be more gods than one
? When we pronounce Ele Laah
Shaddiai-Hhelyon Adonai (which is Jehovah),
there can be but one living God. By reference to section 6, No. four, He says
by mouth of Moses, when he was all aglow
with the glory of God -- and remember He speaks either by mouth or quill; it is
He that speaks, and not man -- He says, ' The Lord your God is one God; there
can be but one. I am and have been with you; I brought you up; I delivered you
out of a strong compact; I delivered you out of their hand and kept you dry,
while your enemies were drowned in the sea. I will not forsake you. I
promised your father I would not. But if you forsake Me, then desolation will
come upon you, and have you in swift destruction.' In section 5, three and four of David's Song
of Joy: ' I am God alone. If I turn to the right or 'to the left, if I go down
into the depths of the sea, or into the centre of the earth, or over the heavens, I should find no companion.'
In section 3 He says: ' I am God alone, and alone I am God; beside Me there is
no help for man nor angels.' Then in section 13, this command has been given: '
Thou shall pay to the Lord thy God once a year a half-shekel of silver, that
thou and thy children, and all the strangers that are within thy gate, may know that there is no God beside Me, on whom
they may call in time of danger.' Now, having all these commands and teachings
from the very lips of God himself before my eyes, and being held responsible
for the soundness of our doctrine and the proper inculcation of the same among the people of
the Jews, what was I to do? Could I stand as the priest of the Most High God,
and see your blessed religion perverted by an impostor ? Could I stand and see
the holy temple of our God deserted and forsaken? Could I stand and see all the
holy ordinances, which had been appointed by our God for securing salvation to Israel,
perverted by an impostor ? All the blessed doctrines that were appointed for
the government and instruction of the priesthood, thence to be imparted to the
youth of our land, set aside, and that by one that could show no authority, only the authority of John the Baptist, who could
give no authority only the one who sent him to baptize, and he could not tell
who he was, nor whence he came ? Hence you can see the responsible position
that I as the high priest of God and of the Jewish Church occupied. According to our laws I was made
responsible, and stood between my God and my people, to protect them in
-doctrine and government. I refer you to the capitulation made by the Sanhedrin
and Augustus Caesar, in the holy Tosephta of the Talmuds. We submitted to taxation by the Romans, and
the Romans are to protect our holy religion from foreign foes, in order that
the holy temple or any of its sacred ordinances should never be molested, nor
the holy city, Jerusalem,
be polluted by Roman idolatry. Now the insinuating plan adopted by Jesus was
well qualified to deceive the common people. It had already led many to forsake the
temple, and hold her ordinances in derision, as well as to neglect the
teachings of the priest or to pay the tithes for their supplies. He had already
inculcated into the Jewish mind his pernicious ways of being saved to that
extent that the Jewish cause was almost lost. There are two reasons for this: First, the people to whom he preached were an ignorant set,
and knew but very little about doctrine of any kind. They are a restless sort
of men, who are always finding fault and wanting something new, and never
associate with the more enlightened part of the community in order to learn. Another reason of his having
many followers is, his doctrines are congenial to unsanctified flesh. They are
so suited to human nature that they require no sacrifices; they need not go to
the temple to worship God; they need not fast, and they can when and where they
please; they need pay no tithes to keep up the temple or the priesthood, but
every man can be his own priest and worship God as he chooses. All this is so
compatible with human nature that, although he has not been preaching over
three years, he has more followers to-day than Abraham has, and they have
become perfectly hostile toward the Jews that are faithful to their God; and,
if it had not been for the Roman soldiers, on the day of his execution we would
have had one of the bloodiest insurrections ever known to the Jewish
commonwealth. I am told that there was never seen such a concourse of people
assembled at Jerusalem
as at the cross. One of my guards informs me that there were several hundred thousand,
and, although there were two others crucified at the same time, Jesus was the
great centre of attraction. They would
call out, ' Who is this Jesus of Nazareth
? What is his crime ?' Some of his friends would cry out, ' Nothing; he is being executed
because he was a friend to the poor.' ' Take him down ! Take him down,' they
would cry out, and the soldiers would have to use their spears to keep them
back. But when he yielded up the ghost he proved to all that he was
hypostatical (that is, a human body), and the lodi curios had come from the iclandic covenant, and his trinitatis unitas was all a sham, for how could this unpronounced
name suffer or be captured by men, or die, unless he is the one that is to die
for the many? And if so, I was only accomplishing God's holy purposes, which
exonerates me from guilt.
" But it seems to me a necessity that he should be removed.
That this may be evident to your minds, I ask you to contrast our present
condition with the past. Jesus of Nazareth spent two years in Egypt under the instruction of
Rabbi Joshua, and learned the art of thaumaturgy to perfection, as has never
been taught in any of the schools of necromancy among the heathen. If the healing miracles of Jesus are true,
as they must be (for they are so acknowledged by his foes as well as his
friends), he must have learned it from Horus and Serapis, as practised by those
heathen priests. He came back to Palestine
as a physician, and was by nature an enthusiast as well as a Hebrew Patriarch,
and when John's preaching excited idealistic minds, Jesus also went to that
teacher, and was inspired by him to inculcate and promulgate his doctrines.
Notwithstanding his
youth and inexperience, Jesus started out as a public orator
and teacher with the doctrines of John, and in that capacity referred
exclusively to his authority, as every public teacher in these days has to be
ordained by some acknowledged authority. As long as John was at large, Jesus in
the capacity of an itinerant teacher and physician roused the people of Galilee to metanoia
(repentance of sin), to bring about a restoration of the kingdom of heaven. He
met with the same opposition that John did from those who would not admit that
they were more sinful than their progenitors were, or that asceticism was the
proper means for the restoration of the kingdom of heaven. But he met with the
same success among the lower classes, such as foreign harlots, Sodomites,
publicans, and other Roman agents, but the intelligent portion remained cold
and unmoved by his enthusiasm. The cures which he performed appeared miraculous
to his followers, but most ridiculous to the intelligent Jews and men of sober
and reflective minds.
" Jesus embraced the humanitarian doctrine of the
Hillelites, presenting conspicuously the cosmopolitan spirit of Judaism, and he
did it almost in the words of Hillel, who had taught it before. Their faith and
doctrine being alike, it was not hard for him to create excitement, or to find
plenty of followers. In addition to all this, he taught a system of low morals, and so void of all ritualistic ideas that it was
easy for him to get any number of followers. He taught the people that there
was but one living and true God, but he taught them that he was that God, and
that his father was merged into himself, and could not manifest himself only
through him, which theory would confute itself if they would only stop to
reflect, for as he was hypostatical or corporeal, his assistance was cut off
from all that was not immediately in his presence, which is altogether
incompatible with the faith of the Jews. Right in the face of this doctrine he
would teach that there was a special providence, as well as a general
providence, as if there could be a general providence without a God that could
be present in all places at all times, as we learn in pronouncing His name. He
taught that the dead will rise and live again in a future state of happiness or misery according as they have lived here.
Therefore he taught future rewards and punishments; but he being present, how
could he reward in the future ? He taught the revelation and the prophets, but
contradicted all they teach. He taught the election of Israel by the Almighty, but ignored all the
doctrines of Israel.
He taught the eternity God's laws, and promises in the super-importance of the
humanitarian over the ritual laws and doctrines, but I do not think he wished
to abolish the latter, or even the traditional laws, but merely to supersede
them by a higher life. The natural result of all this was that he disregarded
the laws of Levitical cleanness, which were considered so important by the
Shammaites and Essenes, and also by the Hillelites. This is the point where
division commenced, and the breach grew wider and wider until an insurrection
must have been the result. He so far cut himself loose from the Jews that he
ate with unclean sinners, publicans, and lepers, and permitted harlots
to touch him, while his disciples went so far as to eat their meals without
washing themselves. Furthermore, he
looked upon the whole of the Levitical institutions, temples, sacrifices, and
priesthood included, as no longer necessary and not worth the life of the
animal. This was certainly the opinion of the Hillelites. Jesus, it seems,
found in this Hillelite school a party furnished to hand, ready to take up with
his heresy (and a large party they are, almost sufficient to divide the whole
Jewish commonwealth). They taught the
repentance of sin, the practice of benevolence and charity, the education of
the young, and good-will toward mankind, as possessing much more moral worth
than all the Levitical cleanness, or compliance with the whole moral law given
to us by our God to govern us. His preaching was of the parabolical style. He
would rely on a text of scripture, for he seemed to hold the scriptures in high
veneration, so his preaching was on the midrash
style of the scribes a maxim expressed in the style of Solon or of Sirach's
son. His great object was to come as near the Jewish theology as possible so as
to destroy the Jews' entirely, and establish his own. Hence he resorted to the allegorical method
of the Egyptian Hebrews, uttering many good and wise sayings, which were not
new to the learned, but which were taken from the common wisdom of the country,
which was known by all who were acquainted with the literature of the rabbis.
But they were new to his class of hearers, who were not accustomed to listen to the wise. He had no education,
comparatively speaking. He was full of nervous excitement, all of which went to
inspire his hearers with enthusiasm. He took but little care of his health or person; cared not for his own
relatives. He travelled mostly on foot
in the company of his disciples and some suspicious women, and lived on the charity of his friends. He seemed to take no notice of
the political affairs of his country; would as soon be governed by one nation
as another. In fact, it seemed if he had any preference it was for the Romans.
It seems that he became so infatuated that he really thought he was the head of
the kingdom of heaven. This manner of preaching, along with his presumption, aroused his enemies to a powerful
pitch, and it was all I could do to keep the zealots from mobbing him in the
temple. They had no confidence in a doctrine that set the Jewish laws at
naught, and mocked the priesthood of God, and they with the Sadducees and scribes
were not willing to submit to a man who acknowledged no authority higher than
himself, and was seemingly endeavoring to overturn everything that they held
more sacred and dearer than life. Jesus's mode and manner were well qualified
to deceive the unsuspecting. ' Let us
have all things in common,' said he, ' and he that would be greatest among you
will prove his greatness by rendering the greatest service to all, and if any
of the higher powers compel thee to go a mile, let him that is compelled go ten
miles.' This caused him to be attacked more in his policy than in his doctrine.
The great question with us Jews was, here are the Romans upon us; how can we
get rid of them ? Jesus's idea was to let the Romans alone; it matters not who
rules and governs the nations; if they abuse you, love them in return, and they
cannot be your enemies long; no man can continue to abuse another who returns
injuries with love. Keep from them; pray in secret for the return of the
kingdom of heaven and God's grace, and this will soon make all things right. '
Pay your taxes,' he would say to them; ' it is only Caesar's money you pay,
which is unlawful for you to have unlawful on account of its idolatrous
effigies.' Again, he would say to his hearers, ' You cannot conquer the Romans;
better convert them, and they are your enemies no longer. They already have
your temple in their possession; their yoke is getting heavier every day, and
the more you fight against them the more they will abuse you; therefore, your
only chance is to love them, and try to make your yoke easy and your burden
light by having them your friends.' Indeed, the conduct of Jesus was so strange
and incompatible with the interest of the Jews as a nation, that it seemed to me that he was a subject employed
by the Romans to keep the Jews submissive and obedient to all their tyranny and
abuse.
" This policy was most powerfully attacked by the officiating
priest, by the Shammaites and Zealots, and, in fact, the whole Jewish nation
was becoming aroused to a war heat. The
reprimands of Jesus were so severe against the rich and highly educated that
they had turned against him, and brought all the power they had, both of their
wealth and talent, so that I saw that a bloody insurrection was brewing fast.
The public mind of the Jews was becoming more and more divided and corrupt;
heretical doctrines were being diffused all over the land; the temple was
forsaken and the holy sacraments neglected; the people were dividing into
sects, and these breaches were like a rent in a garment -- tearing wider apart
continually. As it seemed to me, the whole of the Jewish theocracy was about to
be blown away as a bubble on a breaker.
" As the Jews
became more and more divided and confused, the tyranny of the Romans increased.
All they wanted was an excuse to slaughter the Jews and confiscate their
property. At this time both the doctrine and religion of the Jews were
spreading rapidly all over Rome,
which gave the Romans great alarm. Sejane undertook to have an ordinance passed
in the Senate, abolishing the Jewish religion from Rome; and when he found it
would cause an insurrection, they banished all the Jews from Rome, and back
they came to Judea with all their idolatry and heresy, and many other corrupt
principles from the Romans, which fitted them to join any party for profit. Up
to this time the Roman governors had shown great kindness to the Jews. There
never was a better man than Hyrcan. The Jews enjoyed great peace during his
administration. But Tiberias has turned against us; Pilate has removed the army from a to Jerusalem. I say, no
nation with any self-respect, or one that had any energy left, would or could
stand it without a struggle.
" Now, the preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus of
Nazareth had brought all these things upon us. When Herod Antipas captured
John, it quieted matters in Galilee, so that
they had peace until Jesus started it up afresh. I had issued orders to Jesus to
desist from preaching, unless he taught as the Jews taught. He sent me the
impertinent word that his doctrine was not of this world, but had reference to
the world to come; when he was all the time doing all he could to destroy the
peace and harmony of this world. Now, according to our law in the Saphra, by Jose. B. Talmud, it devolves
on me to see that the people have sound doctrine taught them. Hence it is my
duty to examine all the midrashim, or
sermons, of all the preaching priests, and if anyone teach the people wrongly,
or if his conduct is not in correspondence with his profession, to cause him to
desist; or if any disregard the holy laws of ablution, or in any way defile
himself, or if he shall be guilty of misconduct in any way, either in manner of
life or doctrine, to adjudge such an one, and pronounce sentence for his crime
upon him. This I did upon Jesus of Nazareth, to save the Church from heresy,
and to save the cause of the Jewish commonwealth from final ruin. But
understand that I did not act rashly nor illegally, as I am accused. I only
passed sentence under the protest and order of the whole court belonging to the
high priest, containing twelve members, or elders, and priests. Thus you will see it was not my voluntary act, but was a legal one
and in accordance with law. After I examined Jesus on the various charges, he
said in the presence of all the court that each and all of them were true. I
then reasoned with him, and asked him, if the court of the high priest would forgive him of these charges would
he desist from these things in all time to come. He answered most emphatically and positively
he would not. Under these circumstances I was compelled, according to our law,
to sentence him to die; for if he continued to promulgate his pernicious heresies
the Jews, as a nation, must perish with their religion. And, as you find in the Toseppta, that the nation has always the right of
self-preservation, and as we had conceded the right to the Romans of executing
our criminal laws, it became my painful duty to send him to Pontius Pilate,
with the following charges:
" ' Caiaphas, High
Priest of the Most High God, to Pontius Pilate, Governor of the Roman Province:
" ' Jesus of Nazareth is thus charged by the High Court of the Jews:
" ' First, with
teaching the doctrine that there are more gods than one, which is contrary to
the teachings of the Jewish law, which he most positively refuses to desist
from in the presence of this court.
" ' Second, he teaches that he is a God,
which is contrary to the Jewish law, and he is visible and comprehensible; and,
after being asked to desist by this court, he most positively affirms that he
is the Son of God.
" ' Third, he teaches and affirms that
the Bath kole (Holy Spirit) cannot
come until he goes away, which is contrary to the teachings of the Jews;
because it was He that brooded over the waters, and has been in the habitual
light of the world ever since; from all of which he refuses to desist.
" ' He teaches
baptism as the seal of God, instead of circumcision, which was established by
the decrees of God with Abraham as a seal of the Jews; and when abjured to
desist by this court declared he would not.
" ' He teaches
asceticism as the means of salvation, contrary to the Jewish custom; and
affirmed in the presence of this court he would not desist.
" ' He teaches
that the Levitical ablution is of no service, while we hold that the outward
washing is the sign of inward purity; and when abjured to desist he
emphatically refused.
" ' He has
abrogated the ordinance given by God to Moses of the pascal supper, wherein we
should roast a lamb and eat it with unleavened bread; but Jesus has introduced
a custom altogether different -- without any authority. He has introduced
common bread and wine, which are not only forbidden, but are well qualified to
excite men's passions and make them forget God rather than to remember and
trust Him, this feast having been introduced that we should remember to trust
Him in the hours of trouble. When asked
why he did this, all he would say was: " Hitherto I work, and my Father
works."
" ' He has
abrogated the priesthood, and set the temple at naught, which is the very
life's blood of the Jewish faith.
" ' Were it not
that God our Father has given us these holy ordinances we would not be so
tenacious of them. We know they are the pillars upon which the Jewish theocracy
is built, and that we cannot live without them. Although Jesus of Nazareth has
been abjured time and again to stop teaching these ways of death, he has as
often declared he would not; therefore it devolves on me as the proper and the
only officer to pronounce sentence upon him.
" These charges
were written by my scribe, and sent with the officers to Pilate for his
consent. Of course, I did not expect him to execute him as he did. but it seems
that the mob was so great that Pilate never received them. I expected Pilate to
send Jesus back to me, so that I could send him to you for your approval; and
if so, then I would proceed to try him with Urim and Thummim, with the regular lacktees on guard, as our law requires;
but it seems that Pilate thirsted for his blood. Like all guilty tyrants, he
was afraid of his own shadow, and wished to destroy everything that threatened
his power.
" With these
reasons for my actions, I submit the case which I am sure will be considered
favorably by my Masters of Israel."
CHAPTER VII.
REPORT OF CAIAPHAS TO THE SANHEDRIN CONCERNING THE RESURRECTION
OP JESUS.
AFTER having made the preceding record of Caiaphas, on
unwinding the same scroll we found another report from him. It may be
interesting to the reader to know what we mean by a scroll. It is similar to
parchment. The Hebrew word numet
means a pulp made from the bark of the reed into a paste, and dried in the sun
until it is hard; when pressed and polished it shines beautifully, and its
surface is as smooth as our paper. It is of two kinds: one is called papyrus,
the other hierotike. The latter is
more costly, and is used by priests alone. It is about sixteen inches wide, and
is cemented together by a gum that exudes from a tree resembling our elm. It is written upon with some kind of indelible
ink or paint, with a common reed quill, which is fashioned like
our pens. The writing is done by the sopher,
which is the Hebrew word for scribe. He is called grammateus by the Greeks. The report of Caiaphas is written in what
is known as the square Hebrew. The letters are from a half-inch to an inch in
size, so that one can imagine what a roll of parchment it would take to record a deed. It is read only with difficulty by the best
Hebrew scholars, and they must have text-books to assist them. But after one
has gotten the thread of the subject he can get along with it. This is the
reason I got Dr. Mclntosh to go with me. He and Dr. Twyman have been in the business for
many years. The windlass, as it might be called (for it more resembles our
common rope- winders than anything I can think of), is a square piece of
timber, about three inches in diameter, to which the scroll is fastened at one
end, around which it is rolled like a spool. At the proper distance are tied
two transverse sticks to hold the parchment to its proper place. The windlass
with the scroll is placed at one end of a table, and an empty windlass at the
other end, so that as you unwind from the one to read, the scroll winds around
the other. The letters are very distinct. There are hundreds of
these arranged in rows. They are all lettered and numbered with their dates on
them. This makes it easy to find anything desired. There is another class of
books of fine sheep or goat skin, about eight by twelve inches. The writing on
these is very fine and difficult to read. They are bound between cedar boards, with clasps, and contain from eight to
forty sheets to the book. These are the kind of books of which Josephus wrote
seventy-two.
But to return to Caiaphas's report. After unwinding several
feet, as before stated, we came across another communication from Caiaphas; I
hardly know whether to call it a resignation or a confession. One thing I do know, it is one of the most
solemn things that I have ever read. We thanked God that we had come to Constantinople, and that Mohammed had given orders to
preserve these sacred scrolls in the mosque of St. Sophia. It is as follows:
"Sanhedrin, 89. By Siphri II, 7.:
" To You,
Masters of Israel:
As I have made a former defence to you, and you have approved the same, I feel
in duty bound to communicate to you some facts that have come to my knowledge
since that communication. A few days after the execution of Jesus of Nazareth
the report of his resurrection from the dead became so common that I found it
necessary to investigate it, because the excitement was more intense than
before, and my own life as well as that of Pilate was in danger. I sent for Malkus,
the captain of the royal city guard, who informed me he knew nothing personally,
as he had placed Isham in command of the guard; but from what he could learn
from the soldiers the scene was awe-inspiring, and the report was so generally
believed that it was useless to deny it. He thought my only chance was to
suppress it among the soldiers, and have John and Peter banished to Crete, or arrested and imprisoned, and if they would not
be quiet, to treat them as I had treated Jesus. He said that all the soldiers
he had conversed with were convinced that Jesus was resurrected by supernatural
power and was still living, and that he way no human being, for the light and
the angels and the dead that came out of their graves all went to prove that something
had happened that never occurred on earth before. He said that John and Peter
were spreading it all over the country, and that if Jesus would appear at the
head of a host, and declare for the king of the Jews, he believed all the Jews
would fight for him. I sent for the lieutenant, who gave a lengthy account of
the occurrence that morning, all of which I suppose you have learned, and will
investigate. From this I am convinced that something transcending the laws of
nature took place that morning, that cannot be accounted for upon natural laws,
and I find it is useless to try to get any of the soldiers to deny it, for they
are so excited that they cannot be reasoned with. I regret that I had the soldiers
placed at the tomb, for the very things that they were to prevent they have
helped to establish.
" After questioning the soldiers and
officers to my satisfaction, my mind being so disturbed that I could neither
eat nor sleep, I sent for John and Peter. They came and brought Mary and Joanna, who
are the women that went to embalm Jesus's body the morning of the resurrection, as it is called. They were very
interesting as they related the circumstances. Mary says that when they went
day was just breaking. They met the soldiers returning from the sepulchre, and
saw nothing strange until they came to the tomb, and found that it was empty.
The stone that covered the sepulchre was rolled to one side, and two men dressed in flowing white were sitting, one
at each end of the sepulchre. Mary asked them where was her Lord; they said, '
He is risen from the dead; did he not tell you he would rise the third day and
show himself to the people, to prove that he was the Lord of life ?' Go tell
his disciples, said they. Joanna said she saw but one man; but this discrepancy must have been due to their excitement,
because they say they were much alarmed. They both say that as they returned they met
the Master, who told them that he was the resurrection and the life; all that
will accept shall be resurrected from the second death. ' We fell at his feet,
all bathed in tears, and when we rose up he was gone.' Both these women wept for joy while relating these
circumstances, and John shouted aloud, which made me tremble in every limb, for
I could not help thinking that something that was the exclusive work of God had
occurred, but what it all meant was a great
mystery to me. It might be, I said, that God had sent this
message by the mouth of this stranger; it might be that he was the seed of the
woman, and we his people had executed him.
" I asked John and Peter if they could
give me any further evidence in regard to this man; that I wished to be
informed of his private history. Peter said that Jesus passed by where he was,
and bade him follow him, and he felt attracted to him, but at first it was more
through curiosity than anything in the man; that he soon became acquainted with
Mary, who told him that he was her son, and related to him the strange
circumstances of his birth, and that she was convinced that he was to be the
king of the Jews. She spoke of many
strange things concerning his life, which made Peter feel more interested in
him than he would have been otherwise. He said that Jesus was a man so pleasant
in his character, and so like a child in innocence, that no one could help
liking him after he got acquainted with him; that though he seemed to be
stern and cold, he was not so in reality; that he was exceedingly kind,
especially to the poor; that he would make any sacrifice for the sick and
needy, and would spare no effort to impart knowledge to anyone that would call
on him, and that his knowledge was so profound that he had seen him interrogated by the most learned doctors of the law, and he
always gave the most perfect satisfaction, and that the sopher or scribes, and
the Hillelites, and Shammaites were afraid to open their mouths in his
presence. They had attacked him so often and been repelled that they shunned
him as they would a wolf; but when he had repelled them he did not enioy the triumph as they did over others of whom they had
gotten the ascendency. As to his private life, he seemed not to be a man of
pleasure, nor of sorrow. He mingled with society to benefit it, and yet took no
part at all in what was going on. ' I had heard many tell of what occurred when
he was baptized, and from what his mother told me I was watching for a display
of his divine power, if he had any, for I knew he could never be king of the
Jews unless he did have help from on high. Once when we were attending a
marriage-feast the wine gave out, and his mother told him of it, and he said to
the men to fill up some water-pots that were sitting near, and they put in
nothing but water, for I watched them, but when they poured it out it was wine, for
it was tasted by all at the feast, and when the master found it out he called
for Jesus to honor him, but he had disappeared. It seemed that he did not want
to be popular, and this spirit displeased us, for we knew if he was to be king
of the Jews he must become popular with the Jews. His behavior angered his mother, for she was doing all she could
to bring him into notice, and to make him popular among the people, and the
people could not help liking him when they saw him. Another peculiarity was
that in his presence everyone felt safe. There seemed to be an almighty power pervading
the air wherever he went so that everyone felt secure, and believed that no
harm could befall them if Jesus were present. As we were in our fishing-boat I
saw Jesus coming out toward us, walking on the water. I knew that if he could
make the waves support him, he could me also. I asked him if I might come to him; he said to me to come, but when I saw the waves
gathering around me I began to sink, and asked him to help me. He lifted me up,
and told me to have faith in God. On another occasion we were sailing on the
sea, and there was a great storm. It
blew at a fearful rate, and all on board thought they would be lost; we
awakened the master, and when he saw the raging of the storm he stretched out his
hand and said, " Peace, be still !" and the wind ceased to blow, the
thunder stopped, the lightnings withdrew, and the billowing sea seemed as quiet
as a babe in its mother's arms -- all done in one moment of time. This I saw
with my own eyes, and from that time I was convinced that he was not a common man. Neither did he work by enchantment like the
Egyptian thaumaturgists, for in all their tricks they never attack the laws of
nature. In vain might they order the thunder to hush, or the winds to abate, or
the lightnings to cease their flashing. Again, I saw this man while we were passing from Jericho. There was a blind man, who cried out
to him for mercy, and Jesus said to me, " Go, bring him near," and
when I brought him near Jesus asked him what he wanted. He said he wanted to
see him. Jesus said, " Receive thy sight," when he was not near
enough for Jesus to lay his hands upon him or use any art. Thus were all his
miracles performed. He did not act as the Egyptian necromancers. They use
vessels, such as cups, bags, and jugs, and many other things to deceive. Jesus
used nothing but his simple speech in such a way that all could understand him, and it seemed as if the laws of nature were his main
instruments of action, and that nature was as obedient to him as a slave is to
his master. I recall another occasion when a young man was dead, and Jesus
loved his sisters. One of them went with Jesus to the tomb. He commanded it to
be uncovered. The sister said, "
Master, by this time he is offensive; he has been dead four days." Jesus
said, " Only have faith," and he called the young man by name, and he
came forth out of the tomb, and is living to-day,' and Peter proposed that I should see him for myself.
" Thus argued Peter and John. If Jesus had such power
over nature and nature's laws, and power over death in others, he would have
such power over death that he could lay down his life and take it up again, as
he said he would do. As he proposes to bring hundreds of witnesses to prove all
he says, and much more -- witnesses whose veracity cannot be doubted and as I
had heard many of these things before from different men, both friends and foes
(and although these things are related by his friends -- that is, the friends
of Jesus -- yet these men talk like men of truth, and their testimony
corroborates other evidence that I have from other sources, that convinces me
that this is something that should not be rashly dealt with), and seeing the
humble trust and confidence of these men and women, besides, as John says,
thousands of others equally strong in their belief, it throws me into great
agitation. I feel some dreadful foreboding a weight upon my heart. I cannot
feel as a criminal from the fact that I was acting according to my best
judgment with the evidence before me. I feel that I was acting in defence of
God and my country, which I love better than my life, and if I was mistaken, I
was honest in my mistake. And as we teach that honesty of purpose gives
character to the action, on this basis I shall try to clear myself of any
charge, yet there is a conscious fear about my heart, so that I have no rest day
or night. I feel sure that if I should meet Jesus I would fall dead at his feet;
and it seemed to me if I went out I should be sure to meet him.
" In this state
of conscious dread I remained investigating the Scriptures to know more about
the prophecies concerning this man, but found nothing to satisfy my mind. I
locked my door and gave the guards orders to let no one in without first giving
me notice. While thus engaged, with no one in the room but my wife and Annas,
her father, when I lifted up my eyes, behold Jesus of Nazareth stood before me.
My breath stopped, my blood ran cold, and I was in the act of falling, when he
spoke and said, ' Be not afraid, it is I. You condemned me that you might go
free. This is the work of my Father. Your only wrong is, you have a wicked
heart; this you must repent of. This last lamb you have slain is the one that
was appointed before the foundation; this sacrifice is made for all men. Your
other lambs were for those who offered them; this is for all,, this is the last; it is for
you if you will accept it. I died that you and all mankind might be saved.' At
this he looked at me with such melting tenderness that it seemed to me I was
nothing but tears, and my strength was all gone. I fell on my face at his feet
as one that was dead. When Annas lifted me up Jesus was gone, and the door still
locked. No one could tell when or where he went.
" So, noble
Masters, I do not feel that I can officiate as priest any more. If this strange
personage is from God, and should prove to be the Saviour we have looked for so
long, and I have been the means of crucifying him, I have no further offerings
to make for sin; but I will wait and see how these things will develop. And if
he proves to be the ruler that we are looking for, they will soon develop into
something more grand in the future. His glory will increase; his influence will
spread wider and wider, until the whole earth shall be full of his glory, and
all the kingdoms of the world shall be his dominion. Such are the teachings of
the prophets on this subject. Therefore you will appoint Jonathan, or some one,
to fill the holy place.
" [We found that, soon after, Jonathan became high priest,
though history teaches us differently. -- MAHAN.]
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