AN EASTER DISCIPLE The Chronicle of Quintus, the Roman Knight By ARTHUR BENTON SANFORD 1922 IN MEMORY OF ABSENT ONES WHO HAVE ENTERED INTO LIFE CONTENTS An Opening Word I. A Roman Quest II. In Solomon's Porch III. Christ Himself the Witness to Immortality IV. Cicero or Christ? V. The Vision of the Risen Christ VI. Christ's Witnesses at Rome AN OPENING WORD Many voices had been speaking of eternal life, before the days ofthe Son of man. Especially pronounced had been the teachings ofthe Egyptians that there is another world. In their Acadian hymnsthe Chaldaeans had dimly foretold a future life. The belief of theParsees, as expressed in their Zend-Avesta, had included a place ofdarkness for the evil soul and a reward for the good in the realmof light. The Hindus had declared, in their Rig-Veda, theirbeautiful conception of the immortality of the soul, and hadwritten of a future "imperishable world, where there is eternallight and glory. " The Grecian and Roman mythologies had voicedtheir hope of blessedness for the shades of the departed. Everywhere serious men had been asking as to the experiences beyondthe grave. It was as if the Eastern world had become a vastparliament chamber, wherein the nations were proclaiming theirdifferent doctrines as to a future life. In the midst of these varying and uncertain voices, Christ spokehis authoritative message. There was no wavering in his tone. What the Oriental philosophers were guessing, he revealed; what theHebrew prophets had foreshadowed in their holy writings, heunfolded in full light. The ancient Vedic hymns, the oracles ofGreece, the Egyptian _Book of the Dead_, anticipating by twothousand years the Hebrew exodus--all these are naught comparedwith the words of that inspired Teacher who spoke in Palestine. In addition, Christ was himself the vital evidence of theresurrection which he taught. Against the assaults of doubt hisunique teachings are buttressed forevermore by his own return fromthe land of silence. In a short week after his words to Martha atBethany he had become, through his own rare experience, theresurrection and the life. Not the dead Buddha, nor the departedZoroaster, nor the vanished Pythagoras ever came back through theopened door of the sepulcher, wearing the grave clothes of thosewho sleep. Human fancy had never dreamed of such a rapturousdenouement for faiths other than Christianity. The resurrection ofthe Lord is the crowning narrative with which the Gospels close. It is a risen Christ who repairs the wastage of human decay anddeath. A voice above all those from Ind or Persia or the Nilespeaks henceforth in Judaea and the world concerning immortality. The superlative Easter argument is the risen Christ himself. I A ROMAN QUEST "If one might only have a guide to the truth. "--_Seneca_. On Scopus, the high mountain north of Jerusalem, the Roman camp waspitched, that last autumn in the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. Afew years further on, if the warriors of the Emperor Tiberius couldthen have foreseen the future, Titus was to quarter his famouslegions on that vantage point; and from its elevation he was tohurl himself as a resistless battering ram against the Holy City. But, on this autumn day, when these chronicles begin, no blare oftrumpets was summoning the Roman soldiery to arms; only the feet ofthe camp sentinels, as they walked their appointed rounds, brokethe quiet of the sunlit afternoon. That lithesome, cultivated, serious-minded young knight, QuintusCornelius Benignus, is standing on the height which overlooks thegreat metropolis. He is the son of Marcus Cornelius Magnus, thatRoman noble who is the intimate associate of the reigning Caesar, and who has been a luxurious resident on the Palatine Hill sincehis distinguished proconsulship in Africa. * * * * * NOTE. --It is not from any time-marked Hebrew roll that this storyof Quintus is now taken. He was of Roman blood, and his record is, rather, to be found in the Latin literature of his time. Well itis when some new leaf is discovered among the musty folios, reciting the saintly character and the triumphs of those who livedwhen Christianity was new. This record shows the worth ofconsecrated life and service in the days when the luxurious Romanstate most needed a Christian citizenship. But the lesson is nonethe less for these last days, when the hope of the world is in thecreed of Quintus. * * * * * By the side of Quintus is his fellow soldier Aulus. They had spenttheir boyhood together among the scenes of Rome; now they arecompanions still, on this last Roman expedition to the district ofJudaea. While the common soldiery are throwing their dice inthe camp thoroughfare, these are speaking of more serious things. The picture on which they look from lofty Scopus includes theshining roofs of Jerusalem, the wooded Mount of Olives, and the farlandscape to the south and west; its undulations and brilliantcolorings no Roman artist might put upon the canvas. With the autumn haze covering the extended panorama, Quintus saysfirst to his comrade: "What the fates have in store for me, here in the city ofHierosolyma, I am much wondering. The day before our triremesailed from Brundisium for Tyrus I made a visit to the augur'stent. His prediction was that my journey hither would be followedby strange consequences. The flight of the birds through the airdid not reveal to him just what was to occur; but that somethingeventful was to take place he was very sure. What is to be myfortune?" "Your lot it may be, " answers Aulus, "to perform some daring deed, here in our Jewish campaign; and on your return to Rome you mayreceive a great reward from the hand of Tiberius. " "In my mind this has been, " replies Quintus; "before I left Rome Ihad an audience with our divine Caesar, and he was pleased to saythat my fidelity here might bring me special recompense. Yet wouldthat be satisfying? I have seen the triumphal processions in thestreets of Rome, when heroes have been acclaimed; I have heard ourstatesmen in the Senate hall, and prize the joys of oratory; I havebeen served all my days by slaves in my father's palace, and knowthe sweetness of the Falernian wine in the banquet room. Aproconsulate, if I might come to that dignity, would be a highhonor to write in my life story. But, my dear Aulus, would therebe content in this? My restless soul seems crying out for somebetter gift from the gods. " "It cannot be, " continues Aulus. "that your heart's love isinvolved. When our military movements bring the Roman knights toPalaestina, in their pride of birth they do not wed the black-eyeddaughters of the Jews. On your earlier expedition to Egypt you meta princess of the land, but were not let to espouse that swarthymaiden of the Nile. The reward of love cannot be the experience ofwhich the augur spoke at Brundisium. " "Not so, " says Quintus in response; "as I was leaving Rome, it wasthe beautiful Lucretia who sent me forth with her rare farewell. For my return from Palaestina she is now waiting; and under theblue skies of Italia we are to wed. I have been wondering, "Quintus adds further, "if the augur, watching the flight of birdsthere at Brundisium. Could mean that I am to fall by death, herein Palaestina. We have not come for battle, but to guard thepeace. Yet it is easy for Atropos, that cruel fate, to clip theslender thread of life and send men on to die land of shades. Ifthis was what the augur meant, no Roman in the days of Tiberius hasever set forth upon a more serious adventure. " "You are given to melancholy, this autumn afternoon, my comradeQuintus, " the other says; "you are feeling that sadness which comesto men when the Dryads move over the earth and touch the leavesinto crimson and gold and brown. " "Not so, " answers Quintus; "but I am remembering that I have comeinto a land where a strange Teacher is speaking to men of a futurelife. Yet are men to live again? I have seen the marble tombs onthe Appia Via where the Scipios, the Metelli, and so many more ofour great Romans lie asleep. Shall I soon follow them? Is it anendless slumber? What is it that the new Rabbi from Nazarethmeans, when in the city yonder he speaks of another life?" "A fig for your weird autumn fancy, " responds Aulus; "down to thestreets of Hierosolyma we will go, and among their novel sights wewill forget your serious meditations. " They walk that afternoon as sightseers through the crowded Jewishemporium. The shops remind them, with all their contrasts, of themarts of Rome, for men always and everywhere have the trader'spassion. In the narrow streets of Jerusalem they see the stir ofmany activities. The workman is hammering his brass; the shoemakershapes his sandals; the flax spinner is winding his thread; thescribe sits on his mat, and is ready for his writing. In the shopsthey see costly merchandise for sale--silks and jewels, fine linensand perfumes, delicious foods and drinks. These have been importedfrom far Arabia and India; they have been brought from distantPersia and Media. With all their variety, no taste, howeverfitful, need go unsatisfied. What a motley crowd is on the streets! They hear the Aramaicspeech of Palestine, which Quintus has been taught by his Atheniantutor, and their ears also catch the accents of other foreigntongues. They meet traders from western Zidon, sailors from Crete, bearded Idumaeans from beyond Judaea, and scholars from farAlexandria. Magnificent Jerusalem it is! Yet destined soon tofall. For the day draws near when the Roman Titus shall weep onScopus over its fading splendors and then shall smite it to thedust. One purchase only does Quintus make. In a shop where Egyptianwares are sold he says to Aulus: "Look on this scarab, this sacred beetle, which has been shaped bysome workman down in Thebae on the Nile. We may be sure that nopeople believes more intensely in a future life. What complimentthey pay this physical frame of men when they hold that embalmmentrestores to the soul its former body! After the judgment ofOsiris, if their lives be true, the worthy shall enjoy thecompanionship of the great god forever. No other people wears sucha visible emblem of their faith in another life. I will buy thisscarab for an amulet against accident and evil. " But where had the workman gone who once had shaped that token ofimmortality? Whither had vanished his carver's skill? Where haddisappeared his projects and his dreams? Quintus is not thinkingof any proconsulship he may win, or even of the love light in theeyes of Lucretia, as he climbs again the heights of Scopus. Ratherhe is meditating on the departed maker of scarabs--and on thedestiny of the soul. For ages the philosophers have beenspeculating about the future life. Familiar is Quintus with theviews of Laelius and Seneca, among the Roman inquirers, and withthe teachings of the great Grecians who have spoken in classicAthens. But now the question leaps to the front. Quintus is inthe city where Ayran travelers and Persian magi and Egyptianpriests are busy telling their theories of immortality. He is inthe very streets, besides, where a sandaled Teacher from Nazarethis declaring that the dead shall live again. If but half is truethat this strange Man is reputed to have said, no priest of Jupiterhas ever uttered at Rome so luminous a word. Can it be thatQuintus himself shall see this Christus and hear his message? Ifso, his will be in very truth a momentous quest. II IN SOLOMON'S PORCH "Give me new consolation, great and strong, of which I nave neverheard or read. "--_Pliny_. With increasing frequency Christ was now speaking his prophecies ofthe life immortal. In his earlier ministry he had been dwellingupon the presence of the divine kingdom in the earth, the practicalconditions for membership therein, and the inclusion of Gentile aswell as Jew in the gracious provision. Novel were his words. Whoever had heard his discourse on the Mount or the parable of thelost sheep was rich beyond the modern sons of men. But now, in theclosing period of his stay with mortals, he was more frequentlyforetelling the life to come. Like a footworn traveler drawingnear the homeland, he was keenly anticipating his return to thespirit world. Those who listened to him heard majestic intimationsof a celestial country which eye had not beheld. Nor is it to bethought that the Gospels, in their restricted pages, have recordedhalf his words concerning the heavenly land. Now comes the opportunity for Quintus himself to hear this newTeacher of the Jews. A messenger from Pilate, sent on an errand tothe headquarters at Scopus, brings the tidings that Christ is inJerusalem as a visitor at the Feast of Dedication. Favored arethose who hear through the years the world's commanding voices;beyond estimate is the high privilege now granted Quintus. "I will hasten in to Hierosolyma, " he says to Aulus, who isdetained by camp duties; "I will hear him for myself; and I willbring you back report as to this latest prophet of immortality. " With his soldier's cloak about him, in protection against thewinter's chill, Quintus is away to Jerusalem. The national Feastof Dedication attracts his notice. A courteous Hebrew explains tohim that the joyful festival commemorates the cleansing of theTemple after its profanation by Antiochus Epiphanes, two hundredyears before. The procession of pious Jews, carrying their palmbranches and marching to the heights of Moriah, the chanting of thegreat Hallel within the imposing fane, the ascription of praise toJehovah all impress the keen-eyed soldier. The enthusiasm of it all! Though of other blood, Quintus clearlyfeels the thrill of patriotism that stirs the multitude about him;and he understands in some measure their impatient waiting for thecoming prince who shall deliver Israel. But is this all? Instead it is only the beginning of the wonderswhich the serious Quintus is to witness. Forth he passes to theeastern cloister of the Temple, known then among the Jews asSolomon's Porch, in memory of their illustrious king. Thebystanders tell Quintus that it is built of a fragment of the firstTemple which Nebuchadnezzar had left standing. As the soldierlooks down the far-reaching aisle, he sees a quadruple row of whiteCorinthian columns, one hundred and sixty in number, and extendinga length of many hundred feet. The vista is most amazing. Accustomed though he has been all his days to the magnificence ofthe Roman architecture, he yields in willing admiration to thesplendors of the Solomonic porch. Then--he sees the Christ! Walking through that forest of massivecolumns is the superlative Jew of his times, and of all times. Fornow--when the voices of that winter day are still, and Solomon'sPorch has vanished where stood those blessed feet--there is noearthly measurement by which to estimate the Man whom Quintus saw. Among the throng that surround him hostile Pharisees challenge himto tell them plainly if he be the foretold Messiah. With impatienthearts they have waited long for their redemption. Let him say iftheir deliverer has now come. Then shall they throw off the yokeof the detested Roman rule and renew their ancient monarchy withenlarging influence and increasing splendors. Memorable words in answer does Quintus hear. The Stranger putsaside the thought of the Jewish struggle for an earthly throne, and turns in his fancy to the quiet pastures where feed the flocks. He is a guardian Shepherd; Israel and all the world besides are hischerished sheep. Those who are truly his shall hear his guidingvoice, and shall follow him. They shall never perish. From thehand of the Shepherd no vandal shall steal his own away. How thewords thrill! Sometimes Quintus has seen in the Judaean pasturesthe keeper with his flocks, and knows how unchanging is hisfidelity. It is as if this watcher in his devotion is anticipatingthe faithfulness of the greater Shepherd. How entrancing is thelesson to this seeking soldier from beyond the Adriatic! Then does the Christ add another word more surprising than therest. To men who are his sheep he makes a promise that compassesthe furthest limit of the eternities. Of such he says: "Unto thosewho follow me I will give the Life of the Ages. Beyond the tombthey are to live on forevermore. " Nor to the Jews alone, amid themaze of those Corinthian columns, does the coming Shepherd speak. The listening Roman soldier, wearing the armor of the empire on theTiber, comes within the circle of his promise. Into the face ofQuintus he looks and benignly says: "There are other sheep not ofthe Jewish pasture, to whom I shall give this unending life. Icovet your great empire as my own. O soldier of the Caesars, follow after me!" Back to the camp on Scopus the soldier goes, moved to his deepestsoul. Impossible it seems to longer worship the Roman gods. Whenhe has described to Aulus the Feast of Dedication, he repeats thewords he has heard in the Temple cloister, and says in deepestseriousness: "Most unearthly is the Man on whom I have looked to-day. In hisspeech a divine patience, kindness, and dignity combine. As forthe words he spoke, I cannot tell their moving power. The sayingsof our noblest Romans are feeble in the comparison. Never have Iheard another speak as he has done about a future world. Truly, anunequaled Man is this new Teacher who is abroad in Judaea. " Sleep is of little consequence that night. Is the word of theaugur at Brundisium beginning to be fulfilled? In his tent Quintusis wondering through the long hours if, among his people on theTiber, the Shepherd shall not find some sheep to whom he will givethe unending life. III CHRIST HIMSELF THE WITNESS TO IMMORTALITY "He appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divineprophets had foretold. "--_Josephus_. How often have men missed the sight of great historic occurrences, in their attention to the routine of life! So it was that Quintusdid not witness the tragic events of that Passover week on whichhuman destiny was to turn. To Tyre on the Great Sea he had gone, to arrange for the landing of a new quota of troops fromBrundisium. The commander at Scopus had chosen him for theresponsible mission, in token of his especial fitness. Thecompliment was pleasing. But in his absence he was ever thinkingof the promise made by the Teacher in Solomon's Porch, that thesheep who followed him should have eternal life. Astir was all Jerusalem, when the knight returned to Scopus. Itwas on the morning after the Lord's resurrection. That Romancenturion who had been at Calvary reviewed for Quintus the fatefulhappenings. With pomp reminding of a Roman triumph the Christ hadentered David's city; after four days Iscariot had betrayed himwith a kiss; for blasphemy Pilatus, the procurator, had sentencedhim to the cross; they had put on him a scarlet robe in mockery;they had hung him between two robbers on the hill of Golgotha; abrutal soldier now at Scopus had won by lot his seamless robe, andwas jauntily displaying it as a trophy; an uncanny darkness hadcovered the Judaean sky; the soldier Longinus had pierced thesufferer's side; they had buried the dead Christ in the garden tombof the Arimathaean Joseph. Monumental events were these--all newto Quintus, but destined to be written indelibly in the calendarsof Christendom. "More than this, " continues the centurion, "an amazing rumor is nowabroad in the city that yesterday the dead Christus awoke from hissleep and has been five times seen by his amazed disciples. When Ibeheld him yield up the ghost, I hailed his death as that of adevout man, but little did I think that he was a God and wouldreturn from the tomb. The report says he has now come back. Onswift wing the rumor has flown through Jerusalem and even intoPilate's palace. " Down from the heights of Scopus the hurrying feet of Quintus carryhim to Jerusalem. Doubts and wonderings and half-beliefs fill hismind. What if by any shadow of possibility the prediction of thestrange Teacher has been fulfilled, that he should return from thedead on the third day? Finding his way to Joseph's garden, Quintusstands by an empty sepulcher. There is a group of wonderingvisitors near, and among them is one whose inviting face leadsQuintus to accost him. Not frightened by the sword and armor ofthe Roman knight, but assured by his candid look, the other answersin the Aramaic which both can speak: "Johannes is my name. Till three years ago I was a fisherman, upon the waters of Gennesaret. Since then I have been a disciple ofthis Man from Galilee. In his company I have heard surprisingwords and have felt a heavenly influence. He was no ordinaryTeacher. He was indeed from above. " "Is it true, " asks Quintus in breathless words, "that your Masterhas risen from the grave? I have been away in Tyrus. Now in theRoman camp on Scopus I have heard that he has come forth from thesepulcher. What means such a marvelous report?" "Yes, it is all true, " John answers with his face aglow; "this isthe very sepulcher where our Lord was laid. Your own sentries keptguard before the tomb securely sealed. But on the morning ofyesterday there was a shaking of the earth; some angelic visitantsrolled away the stone door of the grave; and our immortal Christuscame forth again. "Astounding, " Quintus interrupts in a whirl of words; "but did hemake any promise of another life for men, before he was put todeath?" "He truly did, " replies the disciple; "when we had eaten thePassover supper with him, he spoke a word more marvelous than anyof your Roman teachers has ever uttered. Into the spirit world hesaid he was departing, to make ready a room in the Father's amplehouse for those who were his own; and on his return he would takethem to be with himself. Ever since our sad-hearted band have beencomforting themselves with this last promise in the upper room. " "None of our Roman gods has ever promised such a future. " respondsQuintus; "but is this all?" "No, " answers the disciple; "on his cross our Christus spoke againabout another experience for men. By his side was Dysmas, thecrucified robber, grieving for his faults and asking comfort. Whenthe cross pain and thirst were over, our Lord replied, the outlawshould walk with him among the bowers of the beautiful Paradisebeyond this world's horizon. It was enough. In this consolationthe tortured Dysmas passed on, with a smile of peace upon his face. " "Have you more wonders to tell?" presses Quintus, in his eagerness, while the story of the cross begins to compel his judgment and callfor his heart's surrender. Then, the consummation! In ecstatic words John tells of the onefinal and overmastering proof, in the thought of the elevendisciples; "Greatest of all, we have ourselves seen our Friend again. Fivetimes already has he showed himself. First, Mary of Magdala sawhim under the trees of the garden, and spoke with him; then theother women met him and fell at his feet; next our fellow disciplePetros saw him; then two of our band walked with him to outlyingEmmaus, and knew him as he broke bread at the journey's end; andthen last evening, he came to ten of us in the Passover room andspoke his peace on us. "Perhaps you have all seen a spectral form which has no realexistence, " remonstrates Quintus, while all the time he is yieldinghimself to the compelling story. "It cannot be, " responds the convincing John; "there have been toomany witnesses for that. We have seen the very wound made by thespear of Longinus; we have heard his familiar voice; we havereceived his blessing. Our number is our evidence; it cannot bepossible that all of us have been deceived. It is surely he, ORoman soldier, unless the senses of the women and of ten honest menare far astray. No other teacher of the East has ever come backfrom the sepulcher. Look and see for yourself. Yonder is Joseph'sempty tomb. The Christus is himself the evidence. " What can Quintus do, in the face of such proof as this? He returnsto Scopus in wildest tumult. Little does he say to Aulus, hischosen friend. The company of Longinus or the centurion he doesnot seek. The time has come--as it comes to all--when he mustcommune with himself, and make the decision confronting every soulthat has heard the resurrection story. IV CICERO OR CHRIST? "The name of Jesus can still remove distractions from the minds ofmen. "--_Origen_. Shall men believe in a future life because of Christ's return fromthe grave? Is his established resurrection at Jerusalem theclimacteric proof for immortality? The problem is inescapable. Every man is himself a judge; before every man the accumulatedevidence passes; for every man it is doomsday when he stands at thepoint of decision. In his sore perplexity Quintus says to himself that night, when hehas returned from his interview with the disciple John: "My soul islike a traveler who halts at the point where two roads meet. Greatissues depend upon his choice. But while he hesitates may theimmortals, who watch over the destinies of men, guide his feetaright. " Clearly defined are the alternatives before the Roman soldier. Onthe one hand are his ancestral beliefs, long established and deeplycherished by the nation. Nor does any man quickly toss aside thefaith of his fathers. If belief is waning in the primitivemythologies, and if the social life of the Empire is moved byunrest and despair, the problem is to find a greater satisfaction. There have been spoken many beautiful words by the Roman scholarswhich are sweet premonitions of immortality. Does not Quintusremember that Cicero likens to heaven a port prepared, and praysthat he may sail thither with full-spread sails? And if the giftedCicero has just gone tragically out of life, let it be hoped thathe has reached the harbor. But on the other hand are the challenging and captivating words ofChrist. Had he only spoken of the future life as an enthusiasticTeacher, and then had passed to the perpetual slumber of the gravelike other philosophers of the time, he would be remembered long. But, when he had spoken his words concerning immortality, he hadadded, "I myself shall surely come back again. " From the evidencewhich Quintus has heard in Jerusalem he has now fulfilled hisprediction. He has put to scorn the fidelity of the Romansentinels at the tomb of Joseph; he has reversed the laws ofnature; he has appeared again, in unique proof that there is to bea resurrection of the dead. Wide is the difference between Ciceroand the Christ. The one has spoken a mere opinion, so beautiful inits phrase that it shall pass down into the future literature ofmen. The other has spoken a revelation, and then has returned toprove that revelation true. Which shall it be--Cicero or theChrist? But to accept the Jewish Teacher means earthly loss. As he keepsguard with himself through the night hours Quintus is wondering ifhe shall incur the hostility of his father Marcus and shall beforced to sacrifice his estates on the Palatine. He fancies alsothe grief of the fair Lucretia when she learns that he has chosenan alien faith. And he remembers, further, that in the choice ofthe Christus he is joining a company on whom the Eastern world isalready casting its withering contempt. Cicero or the Christus. Which shall it be? There are no struggles like the night wrestlings of the soul inmatters of religion. What words can measure the divers arguments, the opposing considerations, the conflicting emotions that shapehuman choice? Quintus stands at the point where soon--in theprogress of the new faith--Saul from Tarsus, Clement of Rome, andso many more of the great spirits of that first era are to stand. The wrestlings of the night! Then foul demons are abroad; and thenGod's good angels are descending the ladders of the sky. Soon comes a great moment. While the soul of Quintus is in wildcommotion, there falls upon him a mighty force which is not ofearth. Coming he knows not whence, but not invading the departmentof his will, it impels him to the Christ. Transformed is thisRoman knight, who has been taught the doctrines of the Latin cult, and whose nation can only feel disdain for a Galilaean who proposesto revolutionize the ages. The words of the augur at Brundisiumare having in truth a strange fulfillment. As if the Man were present on whom he had looked in the Porch ofSolomon. Quintus speaks his choice for the long eternities: "Happen what may, I take thee, O Christus, for my Lord and Master. I sacrifice my Roman knighthood for thee, if it shall be required. I choose thee, because thou hast risen from the dead and hastproven that there is another life for men. " Not Cicero, but Christ! The Roman knight has made the greatdecision. V THE VISION OF THE RISEN CHRIST "After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren atonce. "--_Paul_. Once for himself was Quintus to see the Lord, before his departureheavenward. When midnight hours afterward came to him in Italy, the memory of that vision was golden. When, among the temples ofthe gods in pagan Rome, men challenged his belief, his sufficientanswer was: "With mine own eyes I have seen the risen Teacher whohas revealed immortality to men. " So did the first disciples ofthe faith who bore its weightiest burdens, enjoy its highestprivilege. It was the disciple John who told Quintus of the opportunity to seethe risen Lord. In an hour of fellowship at Jerusalem--when theknight had confessed his new allegiance--John spoke of the Master'swish. The disciples who were in the city and its environs were togather in Galilee with those from that upper district. Once morewould their Lord show himself to all who believed on him, and wouldspeak with them. Nor did Quintus ever cease to rejoice that he wasreckoned worthy to look that day on the Conqueror of death. With light feet the Jerusalem company, some six score in number, made the journey north to Galilee. One subject only was on theirlips, as they followed the road through Samaria to Kurn Hattin, near the Sea of Tiberias. Here the Lord at the opening of hismission had spoken his nine blessings to needy mortals; mostfitting it now was that on this memorable hillside he should utterhis farewell to those who had come to believe on him. Thus wouldthe circle of his teachings end where it had begun. Bright was thepicture. The glint of the sunlight on the Galilaean sea so near athand, with the uncounted flowers of the spring-time that coveredthe lower plains, lent a charm to the scene that Quintus rememberedalways. At the outset the Roman convert is impressed with the goodly numberof those first disciples. They are not twelve or six score, butmany more. They greet each other with the salutation, "Peace be toyou, " and then they rapturously add, "To-day we shall see ourLord. " In that intimacy which should always mark the followers ofChrist, they give Quintus their welcome; and at once he feelshimself among a congenial brotherhood. One is by name Nicodemus, a member of the Great Sanhedrin. Anotheris one Bartimaeus, from southern Jericho, whose finger tips havebeen his eyes, till the Lord has healed his blindness. A third hasbeen a demoniac among the hills of the Gergesenes, and has been awandering and truculent challenge to his times. A woman is therefrom Jacob's well, with Salome and Susanna and the virgin motherherself. They are from southern Bethlehem; they have come from thewild hills of Peraea, beyond the Jordan; many are from Galilee, where Christ has found so many devoted followers. All these, aswell as the immortal eleven who have composed the inner circle ofthe Master's associates. Two other peculiar disciples does Quintus see, both of whom havebeen raised from the dead. Lazarus has come, who has so oftenwelcomed the Lord to his home in Bethany; and with him are thesisters, of whom one has heard the Teacher say. "Whosoever livethand believeth in me shall never die. " The other is a youngvineyard keeper from the neighboring village of Nain, whom Christhas restored. His word to Quintus is: "Last year I sickened with a fever and passed through the door ofdeath. They were carrying me out for burial, and my widowed motherwas weeping as one weeps who has lost her only son. The Masterhalted the mourners, and called me back to earth. I have nevertold of the wonders which I saw in the spirit world; it would notbe lawful. But I have been in the great spaces beyond the stars, and know that the tomb is only a resting place for a little sleep. " "How many disciples are there here?" Quintus asks of the good John. To which question the other answers: "Over a half thousand. It has been our Master's wish that everydisciple of his throughout the land should come to this meetingplace. Unto all he would show himself once more, before he returnsto the upper life. So they shall have a glad memory of his face, and shall be strengthened in their coming tribulations by the hopeof immortality. " Then suddenly--the risen Lord has come! The marvel of it! Thesplendor of it! While the five hundred are talking together, theair grows luminous with his presence. Out of the invisible heappears. As suddenly he comes as Aurora in her chariot drives upthe eastern sky and brings in the shining day. When the companyhave fallen on their faces and have adored their Master, in thehush that follows he gives them a great commission: "You are to go forth. " he says, "and herald my gospel to the world. Let there be no laggards in your company. It is a lifelong charge. There is a task for Petrus and Johannes, for Philippus andMattheus, and for all. You are to look for disciples everywhere. You are to proclaim the message of repentance. You are to givethem the waters of baptism, in the name of the God triune. You areto declare to sad-hearted men the promise of eternal life, until Ishall come again to take men to myself. " That honorable commission! It was in coming days to stir the soulsof apostles and quicken the feet of missioners and fire with zealearth's coming reformers. Nor does Quintus forget that he too hashis charge. In the city on the Tiber is to be his task. To hishome circle, to priests in the temples of the gods, and even to theroyal Tiberius he is to herald the gospel of the resurrection. Hisvision of the risen Lord is the measure of his opportunity. Then the Master looks into his very face, and remembers him as theRoman knight he had seen in the Porch of Solomon. The halfthousand disciples on Kurn Hattin prostrate themselves to theearth; and in their acclaim the soldier joins his voice, "Rabboni!Rabboni! Our great Master!" Then departs the Christ, and back totheir homes they go, evermore to comfort themselves with the visionof their risen Lord. Soon afterward their Rabboni goes from earth. Out beyond the hillof Olivet he walks one day with his eleven. In their last wordstogether he reminds them again that they are to be his heralds tothe eastern world. A cloud gathers above their heads, like somehalting chariot, and he is gone forever from human sight. Yet onlyin the distance it seems a cloud. For John afterward says toQuintus that it was in reality a phalanx of ten thousand angels, robed in whiteness and sent to convoy the Son of God to gloryeverlasting. With Quintus that visit to Kurn Hattin shaped all his future. HisMaster's countenance had seemed to him more wonderful than any facewhich the gifted Phidias had ever carved in stone. But never inafter days could he worthily tell to Lucretia the vision he hadseen. Only in one poor sentence could he sum it up: "I have seenfor myself the risen and ascending Lord. " VI CHRIST'S WITNESSES AT ROME "A great multitude. "--_Tacitus_. With jubilation Quintus sees again the shores of Italy rise overthe Adriatic, and finds himself once more in his beloved Rome. Thecenter of magnificence and power it seems. Alter clamorous publicgreetings in the Forum, there comes another welcome which happensonly in a returning soldier's life. In the palace of Marcus thekindred of Quintus are gathered, and Lucretia also is in thecircle, to hear his great adventure. "How wonderful it seems, " the knight begins: "so many times haveyour faces come to me in my dreams, but now I am fully awake andsee them once again. Hail to you all! When I was sailing awayfrom Brundisium, the augur foretold for me an unusual experience. In the Jewish life beyond the Sea I have learned much, if that werethe fulfillment. But, most of all, I have come back with a newreligious faith. In Judaea, as you must have heard, a certainGalilaean has called himself the Son of the one true God. He hasspoken of a future life for men; and he has now risen from thegrave, after his torture on a cross, to prove his doctrine true. Inow believe in him, as the interpreter of the future life. Forevermore he is my High Priest, and not the great pontifex in thetemple of your Jupiter. " Brave words they are. There in the great hall of Marcus, with thesunlight shining on the gorgeous palaces of the Caesars, the Templeof Apollo, and all else which crowns the Palatine, the nobleQuintus confesses his new belief. Come what will the consequences! Then, while they hear in amazement, he further says; "Most invitingis this new creed. Our wise Roman scholars, as well as those inGreece, have only been guessers about the future life. But theChristus speaks as one who has come from the heavens. Those whokeep his commandments are to dwell with him forevermore in eternaljoy. Everywhere through Judaea men are becoming his followers, andthe wide world is to believe on him. Perhaps you also, mycherished ones, will come to accept his teaching of the futurelife. " So Quintus speaks, with his vibrant voice and with a strange lighton his face. Wonderingly they hear the tidings that he brings--therecital of the greatest happening that can ever befall a man. Notderiding their valiant soldier, and not withholding their wealth oflove from one who has come safely back to them, they watch thechanges in his life. "I do not care, " he says, "to loiter in the baths of Agrippa and tohear from the idlers there the gossip of the hour. Thegladiatorial struggles in the Circus Maximus and the comedies inthe theaters have lost for me their relish. For the civic rewardswhich Tiberius gives his favored ones I have no wish. Senatorshipsand proconsulships are like the dust in the apothecaries' scales. I have seen the risen Lord!" Influential is such a life on the home group of Quintus. With hispride of birth and his great properties, Marcus becomes a believer. A conversion it is which is the surprise of Rome. The rareLucretia, as well, receives the truth. At times, before she hascalled herself a disciple, Quintus escorts her to the worship ofthe Roman Christians. Their captivating speech, their holy lovefor one another, their rapturous faces move her deepest heart. Till, one day, when Quintus has been telling her of the womanhoodin Judaea which the Christ has ennobled, she replies: "I believe it all, O Quintus. Of late into my heart an untoldpeace has come. All things are changed for me. The sunlight is onthe hills!" It is her open confession. Lucretia is thenceforthenrolled among the Roman saints of whom the world was not worthy, and who looked for the life to come. In the fellowship of the Roman church--already founded and rapidlyenlarging--Quintus finds his pleasure. A few are Jews from theghetto beyond the Tiber, till the persecution of Claudius drivesthem forth. More are of the varied nationalities met in thatcommercial and luxurious center. Most are of plebeian blood. There are smiths and mechanics; there are stone cutters, workers inmosaics, and decorators. There are slaves from the very palace ofTiberius. There is Amon from Egypt, who sells his jewelry down inthe Nova Via. There is Polemon, the Grecian shopkeeper, in theClivus Victoriae. There is Onesimus, the servant of Philemon, fromColossae. There are Amplias and Epaenetus and Stachys, theparticular friends of the Gentile apostle. There is, as well, Pomponia Graecina, that woman of noble blood, who accepts theChrist. An ever-increasing company it is. In their assemblies, on the first day of the week, Quintus has hisinfluential place. He listens to the reading of the olderScriptures; he celebrates with the gathered company the eucharisticsuppers and agapae; he keeps with them the Easter celebration, inmemory of Him who shall give them eternal life. In emblem of theirfaith the sign of the fish is on their evening lamps. Theirs is asterling citizenship. The wanton metropolis of the Caesars isblessed immeasurably by the company of these who follow the risenLord. It is after the midcentury that the great Paulus, having met withshipwreck on Melita, draws near to Rome. Quintus leads the companythat goes out southward forty miles, to welcome the Christiantraveler. At Appii Forum, that common town with its bargemen andits tavern keepers, they give the kiss of welcome to a little bentand gray-haired Jew, who shall go down into history as Christ'smost illustrious apostle. The faithful Luke is his companion. Along the famous highway of the Via Appia, where emperors andwarriors, scholars and Oriental tradesmen have walked, Quintusescorts their guest. Past the tombs of the Roman great, byuncounted statues, past suburban villas they go, until, through thePorta Appia, the holy prisoner, chained to a Roman guard, findshimself in the city of the Caesars. One rare privilege the Roman knight then envoys. In his hiredhouse, near the Pretorian camp, Paul speaks without interruptionhis words of grace. The doctrines he had before written to theRoman church he now explains; the wish he had made to see them faceto face now expresses itself in words of love. The flood tides ofhis eloquence move resistlessly on, as he interprets the new faithand speaks of Him who is to give them eternal life. Quintus isenriched by his frequent association with the peerless soul. Nordid he have a prouder thing to say, in the days to come, than todeclare, "I heard great Paulus tell of the life immortal. " But how fares our knight when persecution comes? Through the yearshe has been bravely declaring the Christian doctrine of the eternallife to priests in the temples, to Roman nobles, to all mosthostile. But his wealth and social standing, as well as theemperor's favor, now insure his safety. His father Marcus has longsince passed on, in hope of the heavenly life. Having wedded thegraceful Lucretia, when an apostle was in Rome to speak theirnuptials, he has her efficient counsel in the testing times. "Look! look! Lucretia, " he cries, one evening; "through the lowercity the flames are running like unbridled horses. There is dangerthat all Rome may go to ashes. " For nine long days they watch the sweep of the lurid flames. Thelight shines out like a signal torch, to mark an emperor's folly. Then the undeserved charge that they have lit the flames brings onthe martyrdom of the Roman Christians. Sometimes Quintus andLucretia are able to soften the trials of the sufferers, bypermission of the capricious Nero. To old Chilo, the Grecian, before he meets his doom, they unfold the promise of eternal rewardin the Father's house. The hope of immortality they carry to thosewho go to the lions, at the emperor's whimsical command. And theglorious company of martyrs passes singing to the skies, because oftheir consoling words. Down into the dungeon of the Mamertine they are permitted once togo, to visit Paulus. But he needs not their consolation. Ratherhe is the comforter. With the poise of a conqueror he bids themnot to mourn for him: he is going to the Lord in the unending life. Over their bowed heads he stretches his aged hands, in apostolicbenediction. Soon ends his imprisonment. At _Tre Fontane_, in afew days more, his weary body rests; but his immortal spirit mountsbeyond the stars. At last the Christian knight comes to the crossing. The predictionof the augur at Brundisium has been strikingly fulfilled. Maturedin all the graces, he is like the ripened Chian clusters that awaitthe vintager in the autumn days. The friends of Quintus have gonebefore; as the old century wanes, the old man is to follow them. "My time has come to go, " he says one day; "the portals of eternallife and joy I see swinging open wide. I shall pass through thegates, because my ascended Lord has gone in before me to prepare mydwelling place. With him as my Teacher I believe in the lifeimmortal. " In the Roman catacombs, those most remarkable testimonies to theeternal life, his resting place may be found. The sign of the fishis on his stone. Its time-eaten inscription is still legible, among the many which tell of the early Christian expectation and ofall future Christian hope: "HERE RESTS THE DUST OF QUINTUS, OF NOBLE BLOOD; IN THE FAITH OFTHE ASCENDED LORD HE HAS ENTERED UPON THE ETERNAL LIFE. "