Judas: A Biographical Novel of the Life of Judas Iscariot

A Biographical Novel Of The Life Of Judas Iscariot

Kenneth W Smith

Writer’s Showcase San Jose

New York Lincoln Shanghai

Judas

A Biographical Novel Of The Life Of Judas Iscariot

All Rights Reserved © 2001 by Kenneth W. Smith

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Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

CHAPTER 17

CHAPTER 18

CHAPTER 19

CHAPTER 20

About the Author

THIS NOVEL IS DEDICATED TO ALL CHURCH TREASURERS: WITHOUT WHOM ORGANIZED RELIGION CAN NOT EXIST; WHO SERVE QUIETLY BOTH PARISH AND PASTOR, PRIEST OR

RABBI;

WHO OFTEN BEAR THE STRAIN OF UNPAID BILLS AND INSUFFICIENT FUNDS; WHO KNOW THE CONGREGATION BUT WHO MUST BE NON-

JUDGMENTAL;

WHO MUST BE SPIRITUAL IN SPITE OF TEMPORAL DEMANDS. SUCH WAS JUDAS WITH THE TWELVE DISCIPLES.

Foreword

SO EASILY HAVE WE ACCEPTED HISTORY’S CONDEMNATION OF JUDAS ISCARIOT. WITHOUT LOOKING AT THE MAN WE ACCEPT THE VERDICT OF TIME. BEHIND THE ACT OF BEING A TRAITOR HE WAS A PERSON. HE WAS A JUDEAN. HE WAS CALLED BY THE MASTER. HE WAS ASSIGNED AS TREASURER BY THE MASTER FOR A NON-PROFITABLE GROUP. HIS ULTIMATE ACTIONS WERE FORTOLD IN HISTORY.

THIS IS AN ATTTEMPT TO SEE BEHIND THE MAN, THE FAMILY FROM WHICH HE CAME, THE BOY HE WAS, THE DISCIPLE HE DESIRED TO BE, THE SERVICE HE RENDERED TO JESUS AND THE GROUP, HIS POSSIBLE PLACE IN HISTORY.

Preface

THROUGH OVER FIFTY YEARS OF STUDY THE AUTHOR IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS WORK.

Where quoted Scripture passages used are taken from HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers

Acknowledgements

I wish to acknowledge five loving congregations and parishes; Chapel by the Lake, Auke Bay Alaska; Waimea Christian, Hawaiian and Foreign Churches; Eagle River Presbyterian Church, Alaska. These Christian folk have shown the tremendous love and forgiveness of God, in their lives and the lives of their congregations.

CHAPTER 1

Miriam moved. Something had awakened her but in that instant that moves one from unconsciousness to awakened though she could not yet detect the cause. Then she heard the dog bark, probably at the other end of the valley. It was pitch black with no stars visible and only erratic streaks of lightening to the far north.

What the dog was barking at would remain a mystery. There certainly was nothing that it could see for there was absolutely no light, which probably meant that it was soon till dawn, for the darkest part of the night is just before dawn. There was absolutely no sound but the whisper of the gentle flow of the night breezes through the eucalyptus trees and with the heavy scent of the eucalyptus grove there was certainly nothing that the dog could have smelled. But again it barked.

Miriam threw back the sheepskin hood that she had pulled close around her, raised her head from her knees in that cautionary position that she had developed through years of practice, years that she had to sleep but be immediately aware of a possible need for instant action. Turning to the right she pulled back the sheepskin flap of the doorway and could see at the opposite side of the room the feeble glow of the olive oil lamp with the bit of woolen wick struggling to maintain its flame.

Lyda had not moved, though occasionally she would moan. Miriam wondered how far apart were the pains that would deliver the child but she wanted not to waken Lyda for nighttime deliveries were always a problem. Silently returning the flap she arose and turned to the north.

Walking slowly she let her finger follow the outsides of the homes as she moved to her own house. She allowed for the bench or two that she knew would soon be occupied by the older folk of the village, and once arrived she entered to awaken Joshua who should leave soon for the fields. He had stayed home for the night to keep the fire going. Miriam dreaded a lack of hot water more than anything else during the nighttime deliveries and now she realized that the water should stay warm till later in the day. Joshua was more than a wonderful husband putting up with his wife and her duties of midwifery.

Joshua mumbled something about his wife not being like other women but took a crust of bread, reached for the flask of water and was soon out the door, testing the path with his toes as he headed toward the fields. Miriam returned to her watch outside the door of Lyda and Simon’s home and again propped her knees, pulled her hood over her head and tried to sleep. Thoughts still rumbled through her head, which would allow for no more sleep this night.

How would the delivery go his time? Lyda had been a perfect patient. She reported to Miriam soon after the baby was conceived. She and Simon had tried for years to conceive a child. At first it was the normal desire for a child in the home, then for a boy child so that Simon would be satisfied. Then she needed a child to refute the quiet words said behind her back but always reported to her at other times that God had not favored her for she was truly barren. Could it be that Simon should have another wife who might bear him a man-child? That thinking had been out of date for years but still there would be some who would say the unmentionable things.

Miriam had other thoughts that kept rolling around in her head. She had been a failure as far as the village of Kerioth was concerned. At first it seemed to be a thing of curiosity. It then became a serious statement and finally became something that even she could not deny. When the first three babies born had been girls the village thought it an oddity. When the next five were girls the tales flew fast and furious that she, Miriam, was incapable of producing a man child and that if someone wanted a man child that they should go to Bethlehem or else on to Jerusalem.

It became more serious when the men of the village came to her to actually ask if there was something that she could do to produce man babies for by this time there had been twelve babies born in sequence and all twelve had been girls. Just last week the thirteenth baby was born and again it was a girl. The whole village was talking, the women were laughing at her and the men realized that something serious was happening. A village needed men for the future to maintain the strength of the village, to do the man’s work, to supply the volunteers if there was a need to call an army. Word had spread to all the surrounding villages and Kerioth was fast becoming a topic of conversation on the entire leeward side of the mountains.

Of course they knew, didn’t they, that she had nothing at all to do with the sex. It was determined at the time of conception and certainly Jehovah God was the one responsible for the sex of the child. She’d even argued that it could be considered a good sign for a surplus of boy babies was produced when there was a mighty military action in the future of the land and a lot of girl babies meant that there would be a long period of peace.

That was countered by the men that boy babies were needed to take care of the sacred flocks, that the village needed boys and men for it to be a real village and if there were not soon some boy babies produced that Kerioth might cease to be a village. Again the families of the village would be broken up to be spread through the other communities of the leeward side of the mountains. She lifted the flap and again glanced at Lyda who seemed to be more restless now but still not to the point of waking up.

Why was there a Kerioth anyway? She had often wondered for there was no long ancient history of the town. Some thought that it was a resting place, under the shade of the eucalyptus trees from the coastal route to Jerusalem even though it was a bit South of the normal route. Others thought that possibly there were some minerals in the nearby mountains that could have been mined and those doing the mining would be closer to their diggings.

The most probable explanation was that just in front of Kerioth were the sacred fields of the Temple in Jerusalem. It was here that the flocks of sheep were kept that belonged only to the Temple, those perfect ready-to-be-sacrificed lambs. When it came time to sacrifice lambs in Jerusalem the sheep brought by the common worshipper were not acceptable so these sheep were used.

It was not necessary to move the sheep for grazing purposes the way most flocks were moved, for the westerly winds brought moisture over the mountains and if there was any rain anywhere it fell on the fields just in front of Kerioth. Indeed that was the main occupation of the community, the producing of the completely pure, untainted sheep that were used for sacrifice. When the time came that the sheep were needed they were moved to another field just outside of Jerusalem and were moved into Jerusalem just at the last moment.

This meant that other sheep had to be excluded from the field for there could be no mixing of the sacred Kerioth flock with some other flock. Likewise the sheep were treated tenderly for there could be no bruises, no broken bones—in reality they had to be as perfect as possible and the shepherds were really very tender men for unless the sheep were perfect they became the food of the folk of Kerioth.

The Priests were very picky men who would reject an animal for no perceived reason. Though the shepherds worked for the Priests there were few who had any great love for them. Because being selective took an overabundance of patience and time the wives of the shepherds decided to move closer to the fields and here in Kerioth, at the edge of the grove of trees the village was established. From a distance it looked as though the Great Sea on the other side of the mountains had tossed up driftwood and wherever it landed there was a house. There was a main road, however, and that bound the town together.

Miriam knew the strange hours of the shepherds for the sheep had to be driven, really coerced, to Jerusalem in the early hours of the morning when the dew was still on the roads keeping down the dust. That protected their skins and also made sure that again they were not mixed with other flocks.

She had gone with the men often, starting the drive at the earliest sign of light driving them down the road to the northern edge of the city, past the Pool of Bethesda to the left and under the early morning watch of the Tower of Antonia to the right and into the Sheep Gate of the Temple grounds.

Occasionally the Roman guard would be coming off duty and would stand and watch the sheep, never quite understanding the real significance of those sacred flocks.

Once there some of the men would watch the flock while others visited in town, shopped in the markets just past of the tower of Antonia and then returned at the time of the ending of the sacrifice. Strange, she thought, that everywhere else in Palestine folk were raising sheep almost as members of the family while in Kerioth the sheep were only for sacrifice. You could not become attached to the sheep for they were doomed for destruction on the sacrificial altar of the Temple the minute they were born.

A moan from Lyda and Miriam’s attentions were immediately focused only at the small body from which, with God’s and Lyda’s help she would extract a human child, and, Please, Jehovah God, make it a boy!

Simon, don’t lie there like an oaf, trim the lamp, go to my house and get the pot of hot water and bring the cloths that are on the stand by the door. Could men never move fast? Did they always have to be urged just to do that which was so obvious?

Lyda was relieved to see her close friend already up and in charge of the situation for she dreaded the torment that would soon set upon her body. Opening her eyes her face was a grimace but at the same time showed a weak smile. She knew Miriam hated nighttime deliveries and she had done her best to relax and put the delivery off until morning—but the baby was coming and something had to happen now.

Dawn streaked the sky to the east. The early hint of lightening had turned to rose colored clouds with streaks of golden wheat color in long strands across the sky. It seemed that the sky was on fire.

Several women gathered outside Lyda’s door having started their cooking fires for the day. It seemed that every birth now was a village affair and Lyda knew that there were many who were praying for her in her time of delivery.

Two women entered to help with the delivery and Simon returned with the water and cloths and obediently retreated to the dark corner of the room there obediently to be still regardless of what he saw happening to his wife. He began to wonder at the wisdom of having a child with such a small wife but it was too late for second thoughts.

The women gently held Lyda and Miriam finished her preparation and none too soon. The contractions were almost constant and Miriam could see the beginning of the birth process. Fortunately she had performed this job so often that things almost were automatic. Her hands moved in a rhythm responding to the pressure exerted by Lyda and soon the baby appeared.

It seemed that everyone in the room held their breaths. Silently the head emerged and then the shoulders and finally the body.

It was an easy delivery, Thought Miriam.

It was then that the baby cried his first noise of life and this was followed by the quiet words, It is a boy! That in turn was followed by a loud roar from Simon who it seemed managed to go like a bull through the door without disturbing the curtain. The town erupted in a cheer of laughter and tears of joy and from one end of Kerioth to the other there was cheering and laughing. The horrible spell had been broken. Even the men at the edge of the field heard the uproar and knew its meaning. There was a future for Kerioth, Miriam had produced a baby boy—well, really not Miriam but she got all the congratulations.

When the village quieted Simon returned to see the baby washed off, the cord cut and tied and in Lyda’s arms and Lyda with a smile that along with the morning sun flooded the room with love and light.

As the assisting women retreated from the room Miriam finally acknowledged Simon and asked, "What shall be his name, Simon? What have you two decided?

He shall be called the Son of Simon, replied the ecstatic father. No, Simon, I know that but what shall be his given name? Simon and Lyda eyed each other with a look of conspiracy and Lyda explained, We shall speak to that matter later. For now he is the son of Simon!

Lyda had never been happier. The baby was nestled in her arms and now that the news had gone out that not only had she delivered but that it had been a boy the crowd had returned to morning activities and she and Simon could enjoy those first moments of being a complete threesome family together.

The wood is ready, Lyda, I have the wine that I secured from the Temple, the best of that which has been used for sacrifices and all complimentary from the priests. I have a huge wood supply for the fires.

I too am ready, Simon. The sesame seed cakes are ready along with the meat to be roasted. It will be a wonderful feast. I told Miriam to spread the word that we would have two days of feasting.

They had planned their festivities recognizing that the men of the village were split into two shifts so that the sacred flocks were never left alone. Of course the main topic was concerning the name that they would give the baby. Normally one did not announce the name until the presentation in the Temple but they had decided to announce the name at the end of the second feast day.

Jeconiah, the duty Temple Priest for this period had asked particularly to know the name of the child and as he had supplied the free wine Simon determined to send a messenger to him with the selected name. So sure were they that the baby would be a boy that they had not even selected a girl’s name. Jeconiah was concerned that he would be off duty when the child was dedicated but he’d promised to stay in Jerusalem for the ceremony. The dedication was a spiritual guarantee that God was going to keep the baby alive through all the problems of childhood and would accept the child when the time for the child’s presentation in the Temple would arrive.

On the day that they were sure that Lyda had conceived they had begun planning. There was no doubt in their minds that this baby was truly a gift of God and they were going to be responsive to the wonderful Jehovah God who had presented them with such a wonderful gift. Simon, as one of the leaders of Kerioth, had asked for permission to have a day of celebration and then only later had he made it a two-day request that would be honored by a feast for each day.

Lyda rested for most of the day and Miriam took care of the baby. It felt so good to have a male child in her hands that she spent the day in ecstasy. All the things that had been said, the stories that one could never stop because you never knew from whence they came, all of these would be halted by this one event. It was almost a delivery from unrighteousness, a saving relationship. Her image was restored in the community and as she carried the baby about he seemed to be weightless.

Parties in Kerioth began before sunset. Tables were arranged around where the bon fire would be lit, the food was brought out and the small olive oil lamps were spaced around boundary areas. There was no hope that the olive oil lamps would provide illumination but at least they let you know when you getting too far away from the party that was in progress. The food brought represented every family of the community so the tables were filled with all sorts of dishes flavored by all of the local herbs.

Lyda had a special plot of ground outside of the town for the growth of herbs that she used not only in flavoring the food but also in preparing a special perfume that she used. She was known through out the village for that particular sweet perfume.

Salt was a very precious commodity so was not used much for seasoning. Some had been brought up from the shores of the Sea of Salt and even though Simon occasionally went there it was more valuable as a cash crop.

The meat had been roasting all afternoon in the ovens and would only be brought out when the time of eating had begun—and that time was now. Lyda came out with the baby, she almost looking like his older sister so small was she compared to the other women of the village. She was radiant in smiles to all folk, all the harsh words spoken behind her back now having been forgiven and forgotten. With such a blessing in her arms how could one be anything but supremely happy?

The children knew that they could come and look at the baby, with their hands not touching him, but later they would have an opportunity to hold the baby, a real boy baby. That was really emphasized, as almost all of the younger children were girls. It would still take many years for Kerioth to live down the fact of the many girl babies.

The eating began while it was still light and just at sunset, with the sun streaking through various layers of clouds with the resulting different layers of yellow, orange, red and purple the special time had come. In the waning light Simon drew to the front of the crowd and began his speech.

Friends and neighbors and our one visitor from Jerusalem, the old family friend Jeconiah, he bowed slightly to Jeconiah. The village recognized that truly Simon was honored that their old friend had come out of his way, to Kerioth to honor the new baby, "You have no doubt been wondering about the name of our child. Of course he will always be known as the Son of Simon and therefore should bear the name of Bar Simon. Lyda and I feel strongly, and have since the day he was conceived, that Jehovah God has given us this child for a divine purpose. We feel that he will not only be a blessing to our village of Kerioth but that he will be a blessing to our entire nation.

Particularly do we feel that he will be a blessing to our tribe of Judah and it is with this in mind that we have determined the name of the child.

Hurry up, Simon, let us know his name! Quit stalling! Several in the crowd urged Simon to get on with the name of the child, not just for their information but also because until the child was named there would be no wine poured and they had already gone for the entire meal with out a sip.

Simon was not finished and was not about to be rushed. We would like to thank Jehovah God for this gift and we will in a week journey to Jerusalem for the dedication of the child to God. At that time the name of dedication will be Judas, in honor of our tribe of Judah.

There were cheers, a lot of back slapping, and immediately the wine flowed and the first drink was a toast to Judas, one who would bring honor and glory to the small village and indeed to the entire nation but particularly the tribe of Judah.

It had been a long speech for Simon and though he was the leader in the community he was not at his best when it came to speechmaking. He retreated to the side of Lyda and though he took a sip of the wine for the toast that was all he determined that he would take this evening. This was one night that he wanted to stay completely sober, completely within his wits and totally attentive to Lyda who had come through the pregnancy in such good condition.

Simon and Lyda did not know how long the party lasted for they were eager to get to bed. There would be another party tomorrow night for the men who were still in the fields with the sheep. The men of Kerioth were a very close knit group of shepherds and it was not strange for such a two-party event to be celebrated.

The following morning the shepherds that had been attending the flocks arrived and immediately the discussion turned to what great thing this son of Simon would accomplish. There was a possibility that he would become a great priest for all the men of the flocks knew most of the priests. Some were held in high esteem. Of course most priests were of the tribe of Levi and Judas really would not fit the position. Others realized that being the son of Simon that he might inherit some of the great business man qualities that guided Simon and so might bring a new kind of prosperity to their small community. They realized that Kerioth was not strategically located but certainly there might be some noble place that it could carry out in this special part of their tribal area.

The second party followed very much the plan of the event the night before. Everyone had to see and feel the child and certainly he drew a lot more attention than had the girls, thirteen of them, born the preceding three years.

When it was Simon’s turn to make the initial toast he lauded his son’s rise to fame, and seemed to give him a more financial importance than theological. It was plain that Judas was to be another merchant, totally honest, who would bring fame to the community and the region of Kerioth.

Lyda never did know just when he came to their sleeping pad that night but some time during the night she could feel him stroking her hair and of course the baby waking at this time stopped the stroking. At the same time she brought the baby to her breast and felt that wonderful completion of having brought a new life into the world.

By the time that the sun was up the next morning Simon was already in the fields. He had volunteered to work on the walls of the various sheepfolds. For all sorts of reasons the rocks would fall from the walls and have to be restored. No one really wanted the job but Simon had to do some thinking and he found that thinking was best done when he was hard at work. Some of the rocks would be almost his own weight but the perspiration seemed to cleanse his body and clear his mind.

Occasionally he would disturb a viper, those pesky little snakes that could bother the noses of the sleep but if so it took just a moment to stone them to death and his motto had always been, Kill one and you destroy a generation of snakes. Not much of a motto but it did help him to realize that what he and Lyda did on earth would affect many future generations and that gave him hope as he lifted one stone and then another and placed each one on top of still more. How in the world did those stones all fall from where they had been placed? He muttered out loud. And that stirred his thinking concerning evil and how it came into the world. He knew that there was an evil one, one that could be the source and who was at least blamed for everything that went wrong.

Living in the world of his day it did not seem hard to believe in evil. Everywhere he looked there seemed to be evil and it was not controlled by the religious leaders, it certainly was not controlled by the community leaders, either of Kerioth or Jerusalem, and it certainly was not controlled by the Romans.

At that moment a viper stuck its head out from behind a rock. Simon took two stones, one he threw just in front of the snake’s head and the other he threw just behind the stone, hitting the snake broadside just as it retreated from the first stone. Another generation of evil had been destroyed.

It was actually harder to believe in the good of the world but that led him to the goodness of Jehovah God who had changed his status from that of a husband to that of a father. The total importance of his fatherhood seemed to weigh heavily upon his shoulders. It was more than the responsibility of lifting stones, herding sheep or even being the trader for the community of Kerioth. That was the true job that he had. He would also venture to Jerusalem or other places to buy things for folk who could not make the journey.

He was trusted by the community, he had a fair sense of value for just about everything and when people entrusted their money to him they knew that he would get the best possible bargain. He also was trusted to carry messages, to find people in either Jerusalem or other villages, deliver the messages and write an honest message to the sender in return. Few carried the trust that Simon carried and if there were a leader in the community, it would be Simon. Nor did other men feel jealous. The village considered itself honored to have one with such abilities and now God had honored him with a son.

The responsibility of fatherhood was a heavier weight to bear, but one that he gladly shouldered. He longed for the day when he would carry his son with him to the fields, to Jerusalem, to some of the neighboring villages, to show that light weight on his shoulders the wonderful world in which they lived, the wonderful world that Jehovah God had given to his people.

Lifting another stone the snake under it headed directly for his own feet. With a fast step he moved his feet and dropped the stone. Another generation of snakes gone!

Behind the last stone were the signs of a mountain lion. He must warn the men on duty. One of the real problems of sheep being in enclosures was that the wild animals in the area knew where the sheep were enclosed, and could easily find a meal. This made alertness a necessity.

James, I found mountain lion sign on the far side of the wall, count the sheep. A count did prove that there was a loss of a lamb and stirred up an anger in the shepherds. At the same time it brought to Simon a sense of sorrow that one of those intended for worship of Jehovah God had been sacrificed to an evil one.

James volunteered to set a trap the following evening in more or less the same place as the sign and then drove part of the flock over the area to remove his own scent. With luck they would have mountain lion steak the following day. A thought raced through James’ mind, but did not pause long enough to be really considered. If the Jehovah God did give them the mountain lion did that mean that it was really blessed meat and therefore fit to be eaten? The answer of course was a resounding yes for the steak had a delicious wild flavor and also it had been prepared by eating one of their sacred lambs. A strange thought but then when one was raised on legalisms these kinds of thoughts managed to creep in to just about every area of life.

Once they had fulfilled the law of Moses, the nation and then the village had received Judas into their midst it was then not just the duty of Lyda and Simon but the duty of all in the village to help the child to grow. There could be no competition between sons, but rather cooperation that all might glorify not only Jehovah God but also the community of Kerioth.

Simon remembered the second feast meal. At the feast the meal was wonderful, though the folk were more subdued, some remembering their own physical condition following a little too much wine. Lyda, who seldom spoke at such gatherings, expressed thankfulness for the ways that the women had helped her, intentionally forgetting some of the backbiting, which was hard to do. Simon again expressed thanks for the faith of the community but did not intentionally thank any one individual. To thank one was to forget another and though one would be happy many others would be unhappy. Simon was glad that he did not have to be a diplomat, though not realized by him the village considered him just that.

The time for the service of circumcision was upon them. Simon had many relatives in Jerusalem and even at the small town that they would stop in after the first day’s journey. They would start early in the morning and travel as fast as possible before the heat of the day, rest and then carry on for a few miles just before dark. The family knew that they were coming and would have a hot meal prepared for them. It was amazing how good a hot meal tasted after traveling through the heat of the day.

In his position as merchant Simon knew most of the leaders of most of the towns along their route. In Bethlehem, passed through intentionally to see the local Priest, they picked up a few more folk for their company and it seemed that indeed there were almost sixty folk making the trip to honor Simon and Lyda and their new baby boy. Because their purpose was to fulfill the Word of God there was no party once they had arrived in Jerusalem. Plans were made for a third hour service before the heat of the day hit Jerusalem and the families all found their own places of sleeping. There was still no doubt in Simon’s mind that the child should bear the name of Judas, rather than Bar Simon.

Jeconiah was present for the ceremony the next day. Several Priests, due to go off duty to their homes, had stayed for the Dedication Service and they along with those who had come from Kerioth and both Lyda’s and Simon’s extended family in Jerusalem formed a larger than usual congregation. The group of almost 100 watched solemnly as the Pentateuch text was read and the cutting ceremony took place.

The lit candles were placed in the windows, even though it was daylight. Traditionally this was to allow others to know that there was going to be a circumcision and to allow as many folk as possible to gather for the festive occasion. The knife had been sharpened on both sides so that no mistake would be made and the traditional chair was set aside for the Prophet Elijah, as he was the personification of the absolute faith.

Before the service Simon uttered the sacred words, God, who has hallowed us by the commandments and has commanded us to enter with him into the covenant of Abraham our Father. The Priest in charge uttered the age old blessings upon the child, admonitions to the parents and all who knew the child, that the child would know that he was separated, set aside, to be the Lord’s instrument of peace in a world that knew no peace. After the words of the Priest Simon again uttered the sacred words, this time from the One Hundred and Seventh Psalm. O Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, for His loving kindness endures for ever.

Then it was that the question was asked, And what shall the name of this child be? Simon answered, In honor of the great father of the tribe of Judah, and in dedication to Jehovah God who has favored not only our family but our village with this son, his name shall be Judas.

Simon blanched for just a moment as he realized that his son would be raised as one of a conquered people. This was followed by the reddening of the face as a deep seated anger returned to his consciousness but he could look forward to the coming Messiah who would free Judas and indeed all people from the dreaded Romans. Besides, this was a religious ceremony and the problem of the Romans was one of politics and certainly was nothing to discuss or even think about at this time. Simon had complete faith that Jehovah God would bring a Messiah in the fullness of time and though he knew that his son was not that Messiah, nothing prophetic was determined in Judas’s birth, still the time for the Messiah was near.

At that point the baby stopped crying though it still felt pain and at the end of Simon’s short speech the folk shouted, Glory to God in the highest for this gift to our tribe, our village and our heritage.

Gifts were exchanged and all were invited to the home of Simon’s brother. Of course there was not room enough for them all but some browsed around on the street, others retired to the roof area and the rest enjoyed the close pressure of their relatives. The baby slept through all of the festivities safe in the arms of Miriam.

The baby was not forgotten in the days that followed but there was shopping to be done, trading of the best that Kerioth could produce so people went about their business as Judas spent his first few days in Jerusalem. The homeward bound trip was made by individual families with merely the remembrance of a good time and an anticipation of the usual fare of a remote village.

So it was that life leaned back into the regular mode. The sheep were raised, the home chores done and gradually the baby lost his childbirth features and began the long slow climb to maturity. With the adoration of so many folk, the blessing of the entire village and the careful attention of Lyda and Miriam and the hovering presence of Simon it was assured that Judas would be a strong lad and an even stronger man.

CHAPTER 2

It seemed just yesterday that Lyda had gone through the pangs of birth and that Judas had opened his eyes upon that bright and glorious day three years ago. Now he was mischief personified. There was nothing that was within his reach that was not reached and thoroughly examined, by his eyes, by his hands and by his mouth. He was all curiosity and though he was a handful at times, for it seemed that no one could keep up with him, still Miriam and Simon were delighted by his eagerness to learn and to grow.

Lyda had already started out teaching the Hebrew language. She started with the alphabet, Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, He, Wow, and from there it became confused. It was difficult learning a strange language that one did not use for conversation. It was even more difficult understanding why one learned one language for God and another for the common people on the street and in the village. Judas did not like writing but he carefully practiced the letters and would studiously begin at the right hand of the smooth slate and would print the letters in neat rows.

When it came to writing numbers he showed the acumen of his father for he early mastered the simple numbers and of course everyone in the village just knew that he would follow in his father’s footsteps. Numbers were so much more important than letters and there were not so many of them together. Every number stood for something that either he would be selling or buying. Besides what could one do with a language that only could be used when God was present? You could use numbers regardless of who was present.

The spoken language of the day, the language of the common people, seemed to be no problem to Judas at all. He could not only catch the phrases but he could also catch the innuendoes and once or twice even at his old age of three years, he would say things that made other folk laugh and when they laughed it made him laugh also.

Mother, why don’t we have a synagogue like some of the other villages? was a question that he asked often and though he got the same answer he did not seem to understand.

"Son, we have many girls in the village but they do not learn in the synagogue. We have only a few boys and there are not enough of them for there to be a synagogue.

Was there something the matter with girls’ ability to learn? Couldn’t they be taught just as he was taught? I wondered often about girls. They must be smart at something.

He knew that there were a lot of girls in the village for when it came to playing he usually ended up as the only boy in a large group of girls. He was the father, and the older brother and occasionally the baby brother. At three years of age he was bothered that there were not more boys his own age. He tired easily of being the only boy in the large group of girls.

The boys were so much older that he could only sit and watch them as they played the games that he longed to play. They loved to take long sticks and pretend to be Roman soldiers and Jewish slaves. The Jewish slaves always won and even if those pretending to be the Romans were larger and stronger there was just no way that a Roman soldier could win in a contest with a Jewish slave. He longed to grow old and tall and strong and smart and some day he would show the Romans just who was in charge.

When he talked with his father he was cautioned not to worry about the world. At age three he had other things to learn that were so much more important. Simon early taught him those things that he would need to know when he went to Jerusalem to become a man. He would be asked to quote several psalms and then to interpret the psalms so that he could exchange ideas in theory with the religious leaders of the country. Regardless of what else they might ask him at least he would be tested on the psalms.

His favorite, and the one that people applauded him for the most, was the Shepherd’s Psalm. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures, he restores my soul, he leads me in the paths of, of, of. The people would applaud and Judas would beam from ear to ear. He longed to grow a beard, to be a trader like his father and to be respected in the village. For his entire lifetime, all three years plus, Kerioth had been his home and center of attraction. Jerusalem was all right but Kerioth was the center of the world.

With few boys to play with Simon determined that it would be good to have Judas with him often in the field. So it was that Lyda sewed a sack that Simon could carry at his chest. Judas fit snugly there and even if Simon were out rescuing a lamb that had wandered off and that needed to be carried on his shoulder as all lambs were, Judas was still safely at his chest.

That meant that Judas was also out overnight. Lyda again came to his rescue with a small sleeping mat and a sleeping bag. Judas loved to lie there on the ground, in the midst of the shepherds with the sheep nearby. He loved the night noises, the murmuring of the sheep to one another. There, with the campfire nearby he would listen to the men talking over the events of the day, the work that needed to be done on the morrow and then the idle talk of the village and of the world.

Whereas the women would talk often when busy sewing or cooking, the men were busy during the day but at night they would tell the tales of the tribe, how God had come to Judah above and beyond all the other tribes. Though God loved them, he loved Judah even more. It was here, not in the Synagogue that he learned about the history of his people and how Jehovah God loved them so much.

It was also here that he learned about the stars and the moon. He could pick out constellations that the men knew. He heard the tales of the stars, how they had guided the ancestors whose stories he heard night after night. The longer stories never seemed to get answered but that was because he kept drifting off to sleep only to wake to the wonder of another day with the men in the fields. It almost seemed to be punishment to have to return to the town of Kerioth, to the many girls and their silly games.

It was in the fields that he determined that he would be one of the best shepherds of the village, a man who knew all the strange things that one needed to know to take care of sheep. It was necessary to be able to decide when a lamb would wander off and where it would go. He was still just a child, not old enough to really be of any help but he did observe how the men took care of the sheep, how they pulled the thorns out of the wool. The olive oil was applied to the skin, enough to heal but not enough to hurt.

That there was another world out somewhere came to him one morning when the village woke to find that the eucalyptus grove was inhabited. As soon as the sun came over the mountains to the East one of the men from the group came over. He walked erect and was dressed strangely different.

There was something else about the man that seemed strange to Judas but it took quite a while for him to realize that it was that the man, who was full-grown, did not have a beard. You could actually see the wrinkles in his skin and you could see that he was always smiling.

Though Judas had been to Jerusalem many times he had never seen a full-grown man without a beard, unless he was in a Roman uniform. It seemed impossible for a full-grown man to live without a beard to be proud of. It showed much about a man and for that matter it also showed his age. Judas was looking forward to growing a beard but he had many years yet to go.

Judas had seen Romans many times because the short cut route to the coast led just past Kerioth, but this man was different. His robe, the sleeping garment that every man carried with him, was highly colored and the women of the village longed to get a similar piece of material.

His head scarf was wrapped around his head several times and then seemed to split and come down both sides of his head flowing and blowing in the early morning breeze. At first he seemed to walk in a glow but that was just the morning sun.

The girls hid behind their mothers and those shepherds in town gathered as a group, more in wonder of the stranger than in fear. He spoke a broken Aramaic, the language of the people and asked for the mayor of the village, or that one who would be in charge. Simon stepped forward.

Good morning sir, may Allah be good to you today. Simon did not know exactly who it was who was supposed to be good to him but he returned the greeting, Shalom.

We are a group that is on its way from the East across the salty sea to the land that is beyond the great river.

Simon had heard of this great river, one that his ancestors had crossed while pharaoh was chasing them. This man was really on a long trip.

"We have decided to travel more directly rather than on the main traveled roads as the Roman soldiers do not take kindly to large groups traveling through their territory during the daylight hours.

We have traveled for three days and my people need rest. We would like permission to camp in yonder grove of trees until we are rested. We ask nothing except that we use your well for refreshment and also to water the animals that we take with us. I would be glad to await your decision. At that the man backed off five or six steps and waited for an answer.

We welcome you in peace, we are the people of Kerioth. We are shepherds of the Temple flocks. We will discuss your request. Judas beamed. His father always knew the right things to say and where others in the village would stand and stare his father was a man of action. Judas must have grown two inches just listening to his father.

The men of Kerioth gathered in a circle and began discussion.

They are gentiles and do we, who are the keepers of the sacred flocks, allow them to dwell within our village? What would the priests say?

What do we care what the priests say, they never visit our village, except for Jeconiah, and he would welcome the strangers.

They have many horses and if they have a man for every horse there are twice as many of them as there are of us and they look capable of taking care of themselves. How do we know that they will not rob us and we have no protection from the Roman army?

Why do we have to be continually suspicious of strangers, even if they are gentiles. He did ask permission to use that which we have and of course there is almost nothing that we have for them to steal. Besides, since when do we need the protection of the Roman army?

We have daughters and we have wives!

The discussion now took a more serious mood. No one had seen any women and if there were any they would have had to be in those four covered carriages, rather rustic carriages at that. Why would a group of men take a long journey and not take their women with them?

But again the questions came up about mixing their Judean people with gentiles and indeed welcoming them in.

Simon had said very little in the discussion. He was attempting to see which way the discussion would go so that he could sum up the feelings of the men. There were no women involved in the discussion and indeed no man would humble himself to ask a woman, until well after the discussion had been concluded.

There were more expressions of fear of mixing their Judean folk with gentiles and finally Simon said, Our Jewish law says that we are to be host to the strangers who are in our midst. True we have never had strangers here in Kerioth but it is time for us to show that we are indeed true to our heritage. Sharing our eucalyptus grove will be no problem for us and even sharing our well is not going to endanger our water source. I shall invite them to stay with us and we shall have a dinner for them this evening at which time we will formally welcome them to Kerioth.

He waited for someone to dispute his words and though there was some mumbling about their women, all seemed to be in assent to his decision. He stepped forward.

The leader of the Wanderers also stepped forward and threw back his head sash so that all could see his full features.

Simon spoke, I am Simon. We have no leader in this village but I speak for the men of the village. We have discussed your staying in our village and we agree that we would welcome you, one and all. We have other men in the fields at the present time and we will likewise go to them to get their approval but we feel that they will also welcome you.

The leader of the wandering band spoke, I am Ahmed Ben Sareff. I am the elected leader of this band and we give you thanks. We have our women and families with us in yonder wagons and they will also be in thanks. It is our custom to have our women veiled from all men though they will be willing to visit the women of the village. We welcome your offer.

Simon continued, It is our custom to welcome strangers with a feast and so this evening we welcome you to a meal here in the village prepared by us for you. Do you eat the meat of sheep? He was not totally aware of the eating habits of the strangers and did not wish to offend them by the meal that the people of Kerioth would prepare. We also have other delicacies and because they are of the leafy vegetables we presume that they will be of delight to you.

Ahmed turned to his men and spoke in his own language and the men roared their approval. It was something to be welcomed into a village of the Jews but it was something else to have them welcome them with a feast and it was well known that the Jewish women were excellent cooks and used herbs that indeed were a delight. In their own desert homeland there was little that would change a meal from the usual desert fare.

Ahmed turned and continued addressing Simon, If your men will go to the fields this afternoon our women will come into the town and work with your women in the preparation of the meal. We men will exercise our horses and will return an hour before sunset.

The plan seemed wise and soon the men of the nomads left the encampment and rode off up the mountains. Simon and his men headed off to the fields. Judas remembered the women coming from the eucalyptus grove but so tired was he that he was soon asleep.

The women chatted together each relieved that the men had decided that there was no reason why they should not be neighbors. Though the languages were not the same the gestures were and soon there was a relaxed relationship between the Wanderer women and the village folk of Kerioth.

It was also interesting that when a new spice was tried that the wandering women would receive a large quantity of the spice and they would giggle away to each other. Truly it was better than a day at the market for not only were they getting spices and herbs that they did not normally have but they were also getting instructions in how to use the herbs, sometimes alone and other times in blend with other herbs.

The children were also busy getting to know each other. The games were not necessarily similar but children who are not told that there are barriers will not themselves form barriers and nothing would be lost for being totally childish in their activities for these children would soon be on their way and they would never again see them.

As the men of Kerioth talked in the fields there were some questions raised about what had happened but it had happened and it was too late to change the situation. Simon was glad of this fact and chuckled to himself about the fears of his fellow men. He acknowledged that there might be a problem with the large number of girls in the village but he trusted the Wanderers and they trusted him and such trust does not need written documents to enforce it. How sad, he thought, that the world was climbing to the place where all official documents had to be in writing as was the case with the Romans and their documentation in the strange language of Latin. It was a good day in the fields and he looked forward to the evening and the time of fellowship. And evening did come soon.

Rather than having all of the visitors sit by themselves Simon and Ahmed determined