"This miracle now," he thought, stroking his hoary3 beard reflectively, "was a most unfortunate thing--most untimely. The multitude seem quite carried away by it. Should we adopt violent measures with these pernicious persons it would, I fear, fail to commend itself to the populace."
At this point in his cogitations he was disturbed by the sound of a slow heavy step ascending4 the stair; the door opened and Caiaphas entered. Annas looked at him in surprise, noting with cold disapproval5 his haggard face, his disordered apparel, his shaking hands.
"I am astonished," he said, bringing his critical gaze to a standstill upon the uneasy eyes of his son-in-law, "astonished, indeed I may say that I am not well pleased to see thee here this morning, my son. Thou hast the look of a man who should be within the walls of his sick chamber. The ministrations of my daughter's skilful6 hand will surely prove more acceptable to thee in thy present state than the deliberations of statecraft. I pray thee let me command for thee a litter."
"Hold!" said Caiaphas, grasping the old man by the arm. "Hear what I have to say to thee first," and he lowered his voice to a husky whisper. "Thy daughter is no longer my wife."
"What dost thou mean, man? Thou art mad!"
"Nay7, I am not mad; would that I were!" said the other faintly.
"I repeat that thou art mad," cried Annas, his eyes blazing with a scornful fire. "What! my daughter repudiated8 by thee?"
"She hath become a follower9 of the Nazarene," said Caiaphas dully. "Could she longer be wife of mine?"
"Where is she?"
"She hath gone to them."
Annas was silent for a time. "If what thou sayest be no figment of a disordered brain," he said deliberately10, "then I say thou hast done well. No longer wife of thine, she shall be no longer daughter of mine. She is henceforth one of the followers12 of him whom we hanged upon the accursed tree. As for them, shall I tell thee what shall shortly come to pass?"
The younger man made no reply.
"When men would plant grain in a field which hath been a wilderness," continued Annas, still in the same icy, deliberate tones, "they root up the tares13 and utterly14 destroy them with fire. This shall we do with these mischievous15 and deadly weeds that be winding16 their poisonous roots about the only props17 that remain to our suffering nation, the temple and the home. But let not this thing be spoken of--the matter of the woman, I mean. There is no need to make our name a byword and a hissing18; she hath for the present gone to pay a visit; later we shall, perhaps, devise a way to secretly rid ourselves----"
"What!" cried Caiaphas, starting up. "Wouldst thou----?"
"Hist, man, the others are coming!--wilt thou remain? We shall this morning concern ourselves with this very matter."
"I will remain."
And when presently the council was convened19, he took his old place upon the right hand of Annas. In his sick heart he wished for death, yet there burned within him the miserable20 desire to avenge21 himself upon them at whose door he laid the loss of both his wife and his son.
"Thou mayest fetch hither the two men whom ye put in hold," commanded Annas, "likewise the beggar."
"Ye behold22 in these," he continued, fixing his piercing gaze upon Peter and John, as they stood before the semicircle of their august judges, "two men who were prominent followers of the Nazarene, who was recently put to death because of his crimes against church and state. Wise men would have taken a wholesome23 warning from the fate of their false teacher, but these follow in the footsteps of him who was crucified, not remembering apparently24 that those footsteps led to the cross. Yesterday there was a tumult25 raised in the holy temple, a beggar whom God had justly afflicted26 because of the sins of his fathers was, forsooth, healed; healed by these men. It is not meet that such things be permitted. I therefore command that ye tell us straightway by what means and by what name ye have done this thing?"
"Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel," said Peter, and at the sound of his voice the beggar who had involuntarily shrunken back abashed27 stood boldly forth11. "If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, and if ye will inquire by what means he is made whole, be it known unto you all and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus the Nazarene, the Messiah, whom ye crucified but whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at naught28 of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation29 in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved."
Something of the same feeling which had overwhelmed Annas on the night when he had essayed to question the man of Nazareth came upon him. He tried to speak, and his voice failed him. Meantime a murmur30 of surprise ran about the circle.
"How is it," whispered one to his neighbor, "that these ignorant men can speak in such a manner?"
"They have learned it in the company of the Galilean," replied the other. "Dost thou not remember his sayings?"
"What shall we say?" queried31 a third. "The man there will spread the thing far and wide."
"Remove the prisoners," commanded Annas, somewhat recovering himself. "We must confer in private concerning this thing. This is a most untoward32 happening," he added, when they were alone, looking about him at the circle of attentive33 faces. "What now shall we do with these men?"
"Let them be stoned for blasphemy," said Alexander, drawing his heavy brows together. "Did they not call the crucified Galilean the Messiah, and declare that God had raised him from the dead? This also they preach openly to the people. For myself I am of the opinion that our case is worse than before; the Galilean himself was but one man, and could be in but one place, now, forsooth, we have a thousand men in his stead, all haranguing34, healing and creating a very fire of heresy35 amongst the populace. The thing must be stopped, else will our power be short-lived. These men be worse than the Romans, for they at least suffer us to be in peace."
"Suppose that we stone them," remarked one of the sons of Annas with a sneer36. "How then are we bettered? The whole city would take up the cry against us, more especially the lower classes who envy us our wealth. 'These holy men have wrought37 a notable miracle,' they would howl, 'and the Sanhedrists have stoned them for it.' Could we crush the whole mob of the so-called disciples38 with a single stone, and perform the deed quietly, then should I cry with a good will, 'Let them be stoned.' As it is, such a course would only add fuel to the flame."
"Thou hast spoken wisely, my son," said Annas. "The miracle is a notable one; all Jerusalem knows it, and we cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. Fetch now the men," he added, turning to the temple police who waited their pleasure.
"We have considered the matter of your doings with care," he continued with portentous40 solemnity, when the prisoners had again been set in his presence. "The matter of the healing we are disposed to overlook, though it is not seemly for children of dust to assume the prerogatives41 of the Almighty42; by his hand hath this man been laid low, he should have remained as he was. It is not our custom to heal beggars, nor should it be yours; it savoreth of a compact with the evil one. The matter of your speaking to the people is far more serious. Dost thou know that thou hast laid thyself open to a death by stoning? For verily thou hast blasphemed foully43; our ears and the ears of them that have heard thee are polluted by the unholy words which thou hast spoken. Yet are we merciful and inclined to pardon even this iniquity44, on the one condition that from henceforth ye speak to no man in this name of Jesus--a name I like not to utter. If now ye are ready to comply with this our reasonable request, ye shall at once be released."
Then did John, the beloved disciple39, fix his calm eyes on the man who had spoken; with something of the divine prescience of the Master did he read the false soul behind the lying lips. "Whether it be right in the sight of God," he said solemnly, "to obey you rather than God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard."
"Continue to speak them," cried Caiaphas in a fury, as he thought of his lost wife, "and a fate more terrible than stoning shall befall thee. Shall we endure to see----"
But Annas laid a warning hand upon his arm. "Remove these men," he said hastily to the temple guard. "Let them go."
"And the beggar, my lord?"
"Release him also, but bid him hold his peace concerning his healing, both in the temple and elsewhere, lest a worse thing than lameness45 come upon him."
But the beggar followed after the disciples as they went away, and when they saw him they said, "Dost thou join thyself to us because thou believest on the name of Jesus?"
And he answered them humbly46, "By the name of Jesus was I healed of mine infirmity, how then can I help but believe?"
And they suffered him gladly because of that word. And when they were come to the place wherein were gathered many others that believed, they told all that the chief priests and elders had said to them, and they lifted up their voice to God in one accord and said:
"O Lord, thou that didst make the heaven, and the earth, and the sea, and all that in them is, by the mouth of David thy servant thou didst say:
"'Why did the nations rage,
And the people meditate47 vain things?
The kings of the earth set themselves in array,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord, and against his Anointed.'
"For of a truth, in this city were gathered together against thy holy servant Jesus, whom thou didst anoint, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the nations and the peoples of Israel. And they did what thy hand and thy counsel had determined48 should come to pass. And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings, and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, and stretch forth thy hand to heal, that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy servant Jesus."
And when they had thus prayed, behold the place where they were assembled was shaken and they were all filled with the Spirit, so that they had no fear in their hearts of what might befall them at the hands of their enemies. And on that day and every day they continued to speak the words which God gave them with great joy and confidence.
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1
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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3
hoary
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| adj.古老的；鬓发斑白的 | |
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4
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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5
disapproval
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| n.反对，不赞成 | |
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skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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8
repudiated
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| v.（正式地）否认( repudiate的过去式和过去分词 )；拒绝接受；拒绝与…往来；拒不履行（法律义务） | |
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9
follower
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| n.跟随者；随员；门徒；信徒 | |
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10
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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tares
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| 荑；稂莠；稗 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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15
mischievous
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| adj.调皮的，恶作剧的，有害的，伤人的 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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props
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| 小道具； 支柱( prop的名词复数 )； 支持者； 道具； （橄榄球中的）支柱前锋 | |
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18
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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19
convened
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| 召开( convene的过去式 )； 召集； （为正式会议而）聚集； 集合 | |
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20
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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21
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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22
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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wholesome
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| adj.适合；卫生的；有益健康的；显示身心健康的 | |
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24
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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afflicted
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| 使受痛苦，折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27
abashed
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| adj.窘迫的，尴尬的v.使羞愧，使局促，使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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29
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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30
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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31
queried
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| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
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32
untoward
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| adj.不利的，不幸的，困难重重的 | |
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33
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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34
haranguing
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| v.高谈阔论( harangue的现在分词 ) | |
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35
heresy
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| n.异端邪说；异教 | |
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36
sneer
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| v.轻蔑；嘲笑；n.嘲笑，讥讽的言语 | |
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37
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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38
disciples
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| n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
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39
disciple
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| n.信徒，门徒，追随者 | |
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40
portentous
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| adj.不祥的，可怕的，装腔作势的 | |
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41
prerogatives
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| n.权利( prerogative的名词复数 )；特权；大主教法庭；总督委任组成的法庭 | |
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42
almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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43
foully
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| ad.卑鄙地 | |
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44
iniquity
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| n.邪恶；不公正 | |
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45
lameness
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| n. 跛, 瘸, 残废 | |
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46
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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47
meditate
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| v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想 | |
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48
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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