King Agrippa and The Abomination
King of Yehudim
King Herod the Great took the title “King of the Jews” despite the Torahs prohibition on appointing a proselyte or non-Jew as king of Israel (Deuteronomy 17:15). To better secure his throne, he married the princess Mariamne, a daughter of the royal and priestly Hasmonean dynasty of the Hanukkah story. She gave him two sons: Aristobulus and Alexander. King Herod later put their mother to death for plotting against him. Some years later, he also put her two sons to death on the same charges.
Agrippa, the youngest son of Aristobulus, had just turned three years old at the time of his father's death. Agrippa was taken to Rome where he and his sister Herodias (who later told her daughter to request the head of John the Immerser on a platter) could receive an education in Caesar's court. They were raised in the most prestigious circles. The children grew up with Roman princes as playmates. Agrippa became best of friends with Drusus, the son of Tiberius Caesar, and with Drusus' second cousin, Gaius Caligula. Agrippa enjoyed all the privileges of Caesar's court, and Tiberias treated him as one of his own sons.
Agrippa loved extravagance and quickly mastered the twin arts of politics and debauchery. Through expensive gifts and lavish entertainments, he ingratiated himself to Rome's political elite. He and his royal society of friends were notorious for all-night parties, debauchery, and generally bad behavior-even by Roman standards.
The young Jewish prince recklessly spent what remained of his fortune. He liberally gave gifts to all his friends at court and to all Caesar's freedmen, and he threw lavish banquets and parties. His generosity toward the rich and powerful seemed boundless until the money ran out. Agrippa quickly accumulated insurmountable debts.
Once, it happened that Agrippa and Gaius rode together in a chariot with Agrippa's freed slave Eutychus. Agrippa said something to this effect, "Oh, that the day would come when this old man will die and name you as lord over the habitable earth! The grandson of Tiberius would be no hindrance to you but would be taken down by you. Then the whole world will be happy, and I will be happy, too." The average person might not be persuaded to accept such cheap flattery, but Agrippa knew that Gaius was an insatiable consumer of cheap flattery.
Eutychus overheard the remark and reported it to Tiberius.
Agrippa found himself chained up in a courtyard outside the palace with several other prisoners. A certain barbarian from Germany was among the prisoners that day, chained to a Roman soldier. The German observed the forlorn Agrippa in his chains and royal robes, leaning against a tree. Then he saw a bubo (owl) settle on a tree branch above Agrippa's head.
Speaking through a translator, the German prophesied over Agrippa:
I think it appropriate to tell you the prediction of the gods. You will not continue long in these chains; you will soon be delivered from them, and will be promoted to the highest dignity and power, and you will be envied by all those who now pity your bad luck. You will be happy until your death, and will leave your happiness to your children. Just remember this. When you see this bird again, you will only live five days longer. The same god who brought this bird here as a sign to you will bring this to pass. (Josephus, Antiquities I8:I97-201/ vi.7)
Agrippa laughed off the barbarian's superstitions.
Six months later, the Emperor Tiberius was dying. He intended to leave the empire to his grandson, Tiberius II, but at the last moment, on the basis of an omen and contrary to all expectations, he appointed his grand-nephew Gaius Caligula as his successor instead. Tiberius died in 37 CE.
The new emperor freed his old friend and gave him a golden chain of equal weight to the iron one he had worn. Gaius bestowed the title of king upon Agrippa, and he gave him the tetrarchy of his uncle Herod Philip (who had recently died) and that of Lysanias, who ruled the territory north of Philip's tetrarchy.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Sibling Rivalry
The Jewish people of Judea received the young king enthusiastically. After suffering the cruelties of Roman governors, they were pleased with the prospect of a Jewish king. Not everyone was so enthusiastic. The disciples were not eager to hail the grandson of the wicked Herod the Great as king. Their allegiance lay with the house of David, not the house of Herod and the Hasmoneans. They did not join their countrymen who lined the streets to shout accolades as the king's procession went past.
Agrippa's sister Herodias also had a hard time stomaching all the pomp and ceremony around her brother, particularly when she saw that he had won the prestige and dignity of kingship while her husband, Herod Antipas of Galilee, remained a lowly tetrarch. Had she not left her husband in Rome to marry Antipas only so that she might become a queen? She recalled how she and Antipas sustained her miserable brother after he fled Rome because of his enormous debts. Now, he came back wearing the crown she so coveted.
The sight of her brother marching among the multitude under the ensigns of royalty so grieved her that she began to rail against Antipas, demanding that he set sail for Rome at once and request Gaius Caligula bestow upon him the same honors. He reluctantly agreed to sail with her to Rome and lay his petition before the new emperor. They prepared a large financial gift for Gaius Caligula, virtually emptying their personal coffers. They hoped to return as king and queen over Perea, Galilee, and perhaps Judea, too. Herodias imagined herself announced as Queen Herodias, the wife of the king of the Jews.
King Agrippa sent letters to Gaius, warning him not to trust his uncle. Rather than bestowing the title of king upon Herod Antipas, he ordered him exiled to Spain. He stripped him of all his wealth, property, and territory and awarded it all to Agrippa.
Herod Antipas died in Spain a few years later as a broken man. The apostles surely interpreted his fate as late punishment for his many sins, not the least of which was his murder of John the Immerser. Josephus comments on the unexpected reversal with these words: "Thus did God punish Herodias ... and He punished Herod Antipas also for giving ear to the vain discourses of a woman."
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Gaius Caligula
The new emperor, Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus, was popularly known by the epithet Caligula, which meant "Little Soldier's Boot." His father's soldiers had given him the name while the boy accompanied them in their campaigns. Gaius did not care for the nickname. After he became the emperor of Rome in 37 CE, he tried to shed the appellation.
The empire welcomed the new emperor with a spontaneous outpouring of enthusiasm and optimism. The priesthood in Jerusalem made sacrifices on the emperor's behalf, and in Rome, the pagan priests of the Roman pantheon sacrificed more than 160,000 animals during the three months of his inauguration. Gaius began his reign by distributing gifts and bonuses to the Praetorian Guard and offering political amnesty to those Tiberius had accused of treason. He gave the common people gratuitous entertainments like gladiatorial battles. He spent lavishly and insanely, more than any of his predecessors, and within only a year, he exhausted the 675-million-dollar fortune he inherited from Tiberius.
To replenish his coffers, he began putting Roman citizens to death on false pretenses and seizing their property and assets. He taxed everything, including marriage, lawsuits, prostitution, and plunder. After gladiatorial shows, he auctioned off the gladiators.
He gained a reputation for lewd and indecent behavior. His insatiable appetites, lusts, and self-indulgences seemed limitless. Contemporary sources describe him as insane, self-absorbed, vicious, murderous, sexually deviant, incestuous, and bloodthirsty. He killed for amusement, committed adultery with impunity, and intentionally wasted money.
He began appearing in public costumed as various gods. On one day he might appear dressed as Bacchus. The next time he appeared in public he wore the gear of Hercules. On another day, he made himself to look like Mercury, and on another, he wore the costume of Apollo. Stranger yet, he dressed as Venus and other goddesses. He associated himself with Jupiter, the father of the gods, claiming to be his brother, and then, ultimately, claimed to be Jupiter himself and signed public documents in Jupiter's name. He established temples to himself in Rome and elsewhere, and he sent his images to be worshiped throughout the empire-even in synagogues. The Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria describes how he forced his idols on the Jews:
Gaius was extremely capricious towards every one, and especially towards the nation of the Jews. He was bitterly hostile toward the Jews, and accordingly beginning in Alexandria he took from them all their synagogues there. In the other cities as well, he filled the synagogues with images and statues of himself. He was not concerned about any other statues, but he forced his own image to be set up. (Philo, Legatio ad Gaium (Legatio ad Gaium [Embassy to Gaius]), 346)
Philo traveled to Rome along with an embassy of Alexandrian Jews to request an audience with Gaius and appeal on behalf of the Jewish people. They waited for several days to be heard. Then a messenger from the Jewish community in Rome came to them with an ominous report: "Our temple is ruined! Gaius has ordered a colossal statue of himself erected in the holy of holies, with his own name inscribed upon it with the title of Jupiter!" (Legatio ad Gaium [Embassy to Gaius]).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Abomination of Desolation
Prior to Emperor Gaius, the Roman emperors allowed the Jewish Temple to remain untouched. The Jewish people showed their appreciation by offering a daily sacrifice on the emperor's behalf. Gaius objected, "But they do not sacrifice to me!" He ordered the Temple rededicated into a sanctuary for his adoration under the name, "Temple of the New Jupiter, the Illustrious Gaius."
Bad news travels fast. The entire Jewish world trembled. Whether they lived in the holy land or in the far-flung communities of the Diaspora, the Jewish people esteemed the sanctity of God's house as inviolable. Jewish people everywhere raised a wail of distress and anguish. They committed themselves to fasting and prayer.
The armies of Rome mobilized. In the early summer of 40 CE, word came to Jerusalem that Petronius, the Roman military governor of Syria, had taken several legions from the Parthian front and begun a march toward Jerusalem with the intention of erecting a statue of Gaius/Jupiter in the holy of holies.
The apostles in Jerusalem remembered the Master's warning. Ten years earlier, in the last days before He suffered, the Master told His disciples that they would hear of wars and natural disasters and experience harsh persecution, but those things did not signify either the fall of Jerusalem or the coming of the Son of Man. Instead, they should watch for a definitive sign: "The abomination of desolation standing where it should not be" (Mark 13:14), that is, "the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (Matthew 24:15). He told them that, when they saw the abomination of desolation, they would know that the final calamity before His coming was imminent, and they should flee from Jerusalem and from the cities and villages of Judea.
The disciples prepared to flee. Without a doubt, the final battle of Gog and Magog, as predicted by Ezekiel and Zechariah, loomed just ahead. Already, the armies of Gog and Magog came marching from the north under the standards of Rome.
More than a century and a half earlier (167 BCE), the wicked King Antiochus (IV) Epiphanes profaned the Temple of God and attempted to stomp out observance of the Torah. He put a stop to the daily sacrifices and defiled the Temple by setting up an idol of Zeus (Jupiter) in the holy place. According to legend, Antiochus had his own face carved onto the idol of Zeus. He ordered swine sacrificed to Zeus on the altar of the LORD. The writer of I Maccabees called the idol "the abomination of desolation," a term he borrowed from Daniel 9:27, 11:31, and 12:1. Daniel had predicted it all:
Now the fifteenth day of the month Kislev, in the hundred forty and fifth year, he set up the Abomination of Desolation upon the altar, and built idol altars throughout the cities of Judea on every side. (I Maccabees 1:54)
"Let the reader understand!" (Matthew 24:15). The Prophet Daniel predicted that "forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation" (Daniel 11:31). Our Master Yeshua implied that these things would happen again. The prophecy of seventy weeks in Daniel 9 predicted that a series of calamities would culminate with the destruction of Jerusalem. The Messiah will be cut off, an enemy prince will come against Jerusalem and the Temple, the daily sacrifice will cease, and an abomination of desolation (i.e., an idol) will stand in the Temple (Daniel 9:26-27).
When news of the march of Petronius and the Roman army reached the disciples, they knew that the remaining days were short. Everything was unfolding just as Yeshua had predicted. As the Prophet Daniel declared, "The people of the prince who is to come (Gaius) will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined" (Daniel 9:26). Gaius Caligula had revealed himself to be the antichrist, the man of lawlessness who apostolic eschatology anticipated as a precursor to the coming of Messiah:
The man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)
Gaius opposed and exalted himself above the so-called gods of Rome and intended to take God's place in His Holy Temple.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Yaa’kov HaTzaddik Prays in the Temple
With the imminent arrival of the Roman legions in view, the apostles might have been wise to leave Jerusalem and seek safety outside Judea, but they did not. They did not yet abandon the city, nor did they abandon the nation.
The Master had told them not to flee until they saw the idol placed in the Temple. They prepared for the worst, but they prayed for the best. The disciples of Yeshua loved God's holy house. Though they longed for the coming of the day of the LORD, they did not long to see the Holy Temple defiled. The disciples recognized Gaius as the servant of Satan on earth, and they trembled. We may surmise that, along with the rest of the Jewish people, they threw themselves into prayer and supplication, beseeching God to spare His Temple, His holy city, and His holy people.
James the Righteous, the brother of the Master and the head of the Assembly of Yeshua, interceded on behalf of the city. The second-century church writer Hegesippus reports several traditions about James, the brother of the Master. James lived as a Nazirite and vegetarian from birth: "He drank no wine or intoxicating liquor and ate no animal food. No razor came near his head." Like the Essenes, who refused to use olive oil for cosmetic or hygienic purposes, "He did not smear himself with oil." He immersed himself daily in the mikvah, but he avoided the Roman-style bathhouses: "He took no baths." Thanks to his exceptional piety and good reputation with influential men, he enjoyed unprecedented access to the Temple's courts, where he implored God on behalf of the nation:
He was in the habit of entering alone into the temple, and was frequently found upon his knees begging forgiveness for the people, so that his knees became hard like those of a camel, in consequence of his constantly bending them in his worship of God, and asking forgiveness for the people. (Hegesippus)
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
March on Akko
Petronius, the Roman governor of Syria, marched out of Antioch and proceeded toward Jerusalem ahead of the legions he had taken from the Parthian front. Caesar told him that if the Jews resisted, he was to declare war on them. Already he had contracted craftsmen in the Phoenician city of Sidon to create the colossal statue, and already his legions had marched into Phoenicia. Petronius awaited the arrival of the legions at Acco (Ptolemais, modern Acre, Israel), a port city near Mount Carmel, not far from Nazareth, on the border of Galilee and Phoenicia.
When word spread that Petronius was already in Acco, the Judeans came streaming north to intercept the governor. Likewise, in mass, the Galileans rose up as one man and journeyed to Acco. They left their cities, villages, and houses empty behind them and streamed into Phoenicia.
The Phoenicians were dismayed to see what appeared to be the whole Jewish population striding into their territory. The Roman officers warned Petronius that a vast army approached the city. It looked like a cloud spread over the whole horizon. They told the governor that they were in danger of being overrun.
Petronius prepared for the first battle of what was sure to be a long and difficult war.
Many believers stood among the Jewish host that day. A community of disciples already lived in the Jewish community at Acco. The Galilean believers from the many towns where Yeshua of Nazareth had ministered also marched with the multitude of Jews. The believers may have had an influence on the strategy the multitude adopted as they approached Petronius: "But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also" (Matthew 5:39). They all went unarmed. Whole families went up. They divided themselves into six companies: elderly men, young men, boys, elderly women, young women, and girls.
A delegation from the Jews entered the town and assured Petronius that they had come unarmed. Petronius rode out to meet the Jews, but he stayed at a safe distance. When he and his men came into view, the whole multitude fell to the ground, lamenting, wailing, and supplicating. The sound of their cries filled the whole plain and echoed from the mountains.
Presently, the elderly approached the Roman governor. They assured him that they came unarmed with their wives and children and daughters. They wanted no war with Rome. They offered him their homes, properties, and very lives if he would only spare the Holy Temple. If he refused and insisted on making war against them, they offered their throats to his blades.
They said, "If you decidedly resolved to bring this idol and set it up, first kill us, and then do what you have resolved. So long as we are alive, we cannot permit such things as our lawgiver has forbidden to be done."
Petronius replied in anger, "If I were the emperor and were free to do as I please, your words to me would be appropriate. But Caesar has sent me orders, and I must obey his decrees. Disobedience to them will bring on me inevitable destruction."
The Jews answered, "Since you are resolved, O Petronius, that you will not disobey Gaius' letters, neither will we transgress the commandments of our Torah ... we would rather die than transgress our laws."
Petronius knew that Caesar's orders could not be carried out without a terrible slaughter, but he also knew Gaius would never change his mind on the matter. Nevertheless, he agreed to stall for time. He sent word to the craftsmen fashioning the idol, instructing them to take their time with the project. He made plans to winter the legions in Acco and start the campaign in the spring. He wrote a letter to Caesar offering excuses for the delays. He said he did not want to stir up the population until the wheat harvest was complete, lest they burn their own fields and disrupt supplies for the army. He hatched some other excuses as well.
Back in Rome, Gaius received his letter with anger. He perceived that Petronius was stalling. He resolved to have him put to death after the project was complete. In the meantime, he sent orders telling him to hurry on with his mission.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Agrippas in Fear
King Agrippa was in Rome at the time. He knew that he must attempt to dissuade Gaius from war with the Jews, but he knew that doing so placed his own political future in jeopardy. He might even lose his life. Nevertheless, the blood of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob also ran in his veins. Agrippa realized that God had raised him up for "such a time as this" (Esther 4:14).
Taking a cue from the story of Queen Esther, he set to the task in the manner he knew best. He arranged a lavish banquet in honor of Gaius, far exceeding any entertainment extravaganza he had hitherto prepared. The banquet exceeded even the most extravagant party Gaius himself had hosted. Deeply flattered and quite drunk, Gaius was merrier than ordinary. In a magnanimous public gesture, he offered Agrippa anything he should ask.
Like Queen Esther at the banquet with Haman and the king of Persia, Agrippa deflected the offer. He replied that Gaius had already bestowed upon him more gifts than he deserved. The emperor pressed him to make a request, asking him again.
Trembling with fear, Agrippa replied, "Since you, my lord, insist that I ask, I ask nothing for myself, for what you have already bestowed on me is more than sufficient. My petition is this, that you will no longer think of the dedication of that statue which you have ordered to be set up in the Jewish Temple by Petronius."
Gaius flared up with anger against "the only nation of men on the whole face of the earth by whom Gaius is not esteemed as a god." Under the emperor's wrathful tirade, Agrippa fell into a swoon and had to be carried to his bed. He remained in bed the next day, pretending to be ill, while he considered his options. When he had recovered his wits, he composed a long entreaty to the emperor, briefly narrating the history of Roman-Jewish relations and begging Gaius to relent. He ended with a noble gesture, which must have seemed out of character to everyone who knew him:
I am willing to step down from this exalted position in which you have placed me. I will not shun returning to my previous condition ... I will give up everything. Nothing is as important to me as preserving the ancient customs and laws of my nation unaltered. If they are violated, how could I stand before my fellow countrymen or any other men? They would look at me either as a traitor to my people or as one who is no longer considered your friend. And what could be a greater misery than either of these two things? (Philo, Legatio ad Gaium Embassy to Gaius] 327)
Gaius read the letter. In view of his public promise to give Agrippa whatever he asked, he agreed to rescind the orders to Petronius. Agrippa felt as if he had achieved a great salvation for the Jewish people, but Gaius was not willing to give up so quickly. He sent a letter telling Petronius not to bother installing that particular idol. Then he immediately ordered a new idol to be crafted in Rome and shipped to Judea to replace the one he had promised not to erect.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Decisions in Tivaryah
Meanwhile, the summer had come and gone in Galilee. The legions remained on the coast at Acco. The fall festivals passed, and the people of Galilee massed at Tiberias, where Petronius was in the palace of Agrippa. Tens of thousands gathered to beseech him. Petronius stood before the assembly and asked them if they wanted war with Rome. They replied, "We will not by any means make war with Caesar. But we will die before we see our laws transgressed."
Petronius replied, "And am I not also obligated to keep the laws of my lord? If I transgress his command and spare you, it will be just for me to be put to death. Then he that sent me will commence to go to war with you, for I am a man under authority as you are. Will you make war with Rome?"
The people replied, "We offer sacrifices twice every day for Caesar and for the Roman people. But if he places his images in our Temple, he must first sacrifice the whole nation."
They threw themselves on their faces before Petronius, stretched out their throats, and declared that they were ready to die, they, their wives, their sons, and their daughters. They carried on in this manner for forty days.
The governor was concerned not only because of the possibility of war; he saw famine looming ahead as well. The multitudes protesting and petitioning at Tiberias had neither tilled their fields nor planted seed, and the season for planting was almost over. What is worse, the expected fall rains had not come, and this after a year of drought. Both war and famine loomed over the land.
Petronius addressed the crowd:
This mission was not my choice. It was the command of the emperor. He executes his wrath without delay on any who have the courage to disobey his command. Yet I do not think it is right to be so concerned about my own safety and dignity that I will not sacrifice them for your sake, who are so many in number, and at least try to preserve the observance of your law ... I will therefore send a letter to Gaius, and let him know what your resolutions are, and I will argue for you as best I am able ... May God be your helper. For His authority exceeds the plans and power of men; and may He grant you the preservation of your ancient laws, and may He not be deprived His accustomed honors.
If Gaius is irritated, and he turns the violence of his rage against me, I will rather undergo all that danger and that affliction that may come either on my body or my soul, than see so many of you perish, while you are acting in such a worthy manner. Therefore, every one of you, go your way and return to your own occupations, and cultivate your fields.
No sooner had Petronius finished his speech than rain began to fall, bringing an end to a year of drought. The crowd saw it as a miracle, for the sky had been clear all day without any sign of rain. A great quantity of rain fell, soaking the fields and preparing the soil for planting. Even Petronius considered it a miraculous sign from God.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Nakdimon and the Rain in Yerushalayim
It may have been that same year, perhaps at that very hour, that Nicodemus prayed for rain. Nicodemus (Nakdimon ben Guryon) was the wealthy disciple of Yeshua who had assisted in the Master's burial. Rabbinic literature remembers Nakdimon primarily for his great wealth. The Master may have appeared to Nicodemus after the resurrection, appointing him as an apostle and witness to His resurrection.
It had been almost a full year of heavy drought. When clouds did fill the sky, they passed over without dropping their moisture. As the pilgrimage festival drew near, Jerusalem suffered an acute water shortage. The city did not have adequate water for the hundreds of thousands of Jews who were arriving in the city to keep the festival.
Nicodemus went to a certain Roman official and said to him, "Lend me twelve cisterns of water for the pilgrims, and I will repay you twelve cisterns of water; and if I do not repay the water, I will give you twelve talents of silver." Twelve talents of silver was an enormous sum of money-equivalent to several million dollars.
The official consented, and they agreed to a due date. When the morning of the time they agreed on came, and the rains had not yet fallen, the official sent him a message that said: "Send me either the water or the money you owe me." Nicodemus sent a message back, "I still have time, the whole day is mine."
At midday, the official sent him a message, "Send me either the water or the money you owe me." Nicodemus said, "I still have time in the day."
At the time of the afternoon sacrifice, the official sent a message saying, "Send me either the water or the money you owe me."
Nicodemus replied, "I still have time today." The official laughed at the reply. He said, "All year, no rains have fallen. Will it rain now?" He went to the bathhouse in joy.
While he went to the bath in joy, Nicodemus went to the Temple in sorrow. He wrapped himself in his tallit and stood up to pray. He prayed, "Master of the Universe! It is revealed and known before you that I did this not for my glory nor for the glory of my father's house, but for your glory have I done this so that water would be available for the festival pilgrims."
Immediately, clouds covered over the sky. A miraculous downpour of rain fell until the twelve cisterns refilled with water and reached a surplus beyond their original level.
As the official went out from the bathhouse, Nicodemus came out from the Temple. When the two met in the street, Nicodemus said to the official, "Give me the money you owe me for the extra water that you now have in your possession." He replied, "I know that the Holy One, blessed be He, interrupted nature for your sake, yet my claim against you for the money remains valid, for the sun has already set, and the rain fell after the deadline that we had agreed upon." Nicodemus went back into the Temple, wrapped himself in his cloak, and stood up to pray. He said, "Master of the Universe! Let it be known that you have beloved ones in your world." Immediately, the clouds broke, and the sun shone through the clouds, still just above the horizon. The official said to him, "If the sun had not burst through, I would still have a claim against you for the money":
It has been taught: "His name was not Nakdimon. His name was Buni.
Why did they call him Nakdimon? Because the sun burst through [נִקְדְּרָה, nikderah] on his behalf." (b. Ta'anit 19b-20a)
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
The Death Sentence
The mail service was not always reliable, especially in the winter months when navigation on the Mediterranean was dangerous. It took several months for the letter from Petronius to reach Rome. By then, the craftsmen in Rome had completed the new idol. They prepared to ship it to Judea.
The contents of Petronius' letter did not amuse the emperor. He reacted with his typical rage and immediately dispatched a reply commanding Petronius to kill himself. A week or so after Gaius sent his suicide orders, a miracle happened. Members of his own Praetorian Guard assassinated him on the last day of the royal games, January 24, 4I CE. When the city of Rome realized that the tyrant was dead, the mob toppled his statues from their pedestals and destroyed them to vent their hatred and express their relief.
Messengers immediately dispatched news of the assassination to Syria. Due to winter storms on the sea, the ship carrying the suicide orders floundered at sea. The ship carrying the news of the assassination arrived at port first.
Petronius received two dispatches from Rome. The first one informed him that the tyrant was dead. The second dispatch carried the suicide orders from Gaius:
Now, the letter which informed Petronius of Gaius' death came first. A little while later, the letter that commanded him to kill himself with his own hands arrived. He rejoiced at the coincidence of the death of Gaius, and he admired God's providence, who, in his perfect timing, rewarded him for the concern he showed for his temple and the help he gave to the Jews. (Josephus, Antiquities 18:308-309/vili.g)
When news of Gaius' death reached the holy city, all Jerusalem rejoiced. For a single day, sectarian lines and divisions among the Jews vanished. Hellenist, Hebrew, Herodian, Sadducee, Pharisee, Essene, Zealot, and Nazarene alike all had cause to celebrate. Gaius, the servant of Satan, had been an enemy to all the Jewish people. The apostles saw that, for the time being, the Master's dire prediction of an abomination of desolation in the Temple had been forestalled. They offered thanks to God for His abundant mercies.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Claudius and Agrippa
On the day that the Praetorian Guard assassinated Gaius Caligula, his uncle Claudius and King Agrippa were both in attendance at the royal games with him. When the shout went up that the emperor was dead, Claudius hid himself away in a dark alley. He assumed that Gaius' assassins would kill him as well. When the Praetorian guards found him, he begged them for mercy. They chastised him, telling him to rise up and take the throne of Rome. When he refused, the soldiers physically picked him up and carried him out of the city and into the midst of their camp, acclaiming him as the new emperor.
Meanwhile, King Agrippa attended to the fallen emperor. He wept over Gaius and took charge of his mutilated body. He embraced the corpse and followed the escort to the palace. He personally laid Gaius upon a bed and covered him as well as he could, calling for a physician. Then he heard that the army had seized Claudius and that the soldiers were already acclaiming him as the new emperor.
Agrippa acted quickly, undertaking an amazing political dance of dou-ble-dealing and criss-crossed loyalties. Acting as an ambassador between Claudius and the Roman Senate, he shaped the future of the Roman government and ingratiated himself to both the new emperor and the senators.
First, he scurried off to the army camp outside the city and saluted Claudius, encouraging him to act decisively and take power quickly. After assuring Claudius of his support, he hurried back to the city to attend an emergency meeting of the Senate. He warned the senators that Claudius planned on taking power by force if necessary and that he had the army behind him. The Senate wanted to be done with insane, megalomaniac emperors and return Rome to a republic, and Agrippa pretended to support them. He sympathized with their aims and offered to represent their interests to Claudius. They sent him back to Claudius as their ambassador.
Agrippa returned to the camp outside the city. He told Claudius that the Senate was in panic and disorder and that he should act quickly and take power before they organized. Soldiers in support of Claudius entered the Senate's halls. Under the threat of the armed soldiers, the Senate accepted Claudius. Once again, Agrippa intervened, this time on behalf of the Senate, and petitioned Claudius to spare the senators who had opposed his appoint-ment. Thus, Agrippa secured the empire for Claudius and the goodwill of the entire government.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Agrippa, King of the Jews
Emperor Claudius demonstrated his gratitude by giving King Agrippa control over Samaria and Judea, the greatest prize of all. The addition of those territories enlarged the borders of his kingdom to those once held by his grandfather, Herod the Great. King Agrippa achieved the status that no other descendant of Herod had been able to attain: King of the Jews.
The new King of the Jews, entered Jerusalem accompanied by no less acclamation and fanfare than King David himself might have received. As they had done a decade earlier for the Master Yeshua as He approached Jerusalem before the Passover, the people of the city streamed out of the city gates to welcome and acclaim the king.
Agrippa had never been particularly pious or religious. He had lived his entire life as a spoiled Roman dandy. He had never been a Torah scholar, but he had learned the art of winning friends and influencing people. Now that he was the king of the Jews, he knew he needed to start acting like a Jew.
To impress his devout and Torah-keeping subjects, Agrippa made a great show of his piety. After completing his purification, he went up to the Temple to offer all the sacrifices appropriate for a king and prescribed by the Torah. According to rabbinic legend, he offered up a thousand burnt offerings in one day. He donated the golden chain he had received from Gaius. He had it hung over the Temple's treasury as an adornment. He paid the expenses of several hundred impoverished Nazirites who could not afford the sacrifices required for the completion of their vows. By all appearances, King Agrippa had repented and become loyal to God.
The new king also made some smart political moves in Jerusalem. He canceled property taxes for all homeowners in the city and won their gratitude. He asserted his power over the high priesthood by removing Theophilus (the son of Annas) from that position and installing in his place Simon the son of Boethus. Like the house of Annas, the house of Boethus was a powerful, corrupt, Sadducean family of priests. The two houses were archrivals. A bidding war probably erupted as both families attempted to use bribes and financial leverage to win over the new king. A short time later, Agrippa removed Simon son of Boethus and appointed Matthias the son of Annas--thereby restoring the status quo, but under his power.
Agrippa liberally bestowed gifts on the leading religious personalities, securing the loyalties of both the Pharisees and the Sadducees. The whole country fell under the spell of the new king. Only the apostles and the disciples stood apart. They offered no flatteries to the so-called king of the Jews. Their allegiance remained elsewhere.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.