THE
MESSIANIC DEBATE
OF THE PROPHETS
DAN and ISAAC
AS PRESENTED BY
“MAHARAJAH”
A woman ran along the winding streets and alleys of Jerusalem, not wanting to be late. She ducked under a crumbling archway, avoided a donkey-drawn cart. She then emerged into a large, open square, jammed with buzzing, excited human bodies. Over the numerous heads obscuring her view, she could see a man talking loudly, calling out to the crowd.
Was it the messiah?
Her cousin, Elizabeth, told her that she heard he would be speaking here today.
“The Kingdom of Israel…will be…”
She could not hear what the man was saying. She began to make her way through the horde of people gathered around him.
“Excuse me…pardon me…excuse me…Oh! I’m so sorry!” She said as she squeezed through, accidentally knocking a man down.
“Hey! Watch where you’re going! You’re not the only one trying to hear!” The man angrily said to her.
She paused, looking at the man. He looked familiar. She gasped.
“Oh! Oh – you’re the carpenter’s boy! I remember you! And just to think – to think…that once our parents wanted us…well, you know…”
The man stared at her for a moment, puzzled. Then a smile of recognition lit up his face.
“Ah! I remember now! We were betrothed! All the boys made fun of you – the bitter one, was that what they called you? No, no... Oh! It was! ‘As righteous as a saint, a bitter as… as… well, it’s nice seeing you.”
“And you, too.”
“Here, go on ahead. I’ll make room.”
“Thank you,” the woman replied. Her thoughts turned to her memories of her youth…growing up in Nazareth, and those horrible, horrible, lawless years when the Roman governor had no power, when bandits roamed the countryside. She remembered how she fled to Jerusalem, to be safe behind its walls, just three months before the Persian invasion. Many, many Jews, Samaritans, Arabs, and Romans alike had fled to the cities during those dangerous years.
The woman managed to make her way to the front of the crowd.
“When the Kingdom is restored, all of Israel shall be rewarded! Take up arms, brothers and sisters, and be brave! Have the courage to be just, to follow my lead!...” Isaac continued ranting. He was flanked by three suspiciously Latin-looking men. All that allowed him to be seen above the crowd was a single wooden crate that he was standing on.
“Soon it shall be time!” he cried, and most of the crowd cheered.
But at that moment, another figure pushed his way through the crowd. He grabbed another crate and stood up on it, and called out:
“Do not listen to these lies that this man tells you! He seeks to lead you away from God, to incite violence and hate!”
Someone in the crowd yelled, “The true messiah!” Others looked disgusted at the second man, whose name was Dan.
Isaac turned to Dan:
“Be gone! You are a fool, a pawn of Satan! I seek not hate, but justice! And purity! And virtue! Courage!”
Dan shot back, “Do you blame all your woes on Satan? Do you explain away every sin? Why can’t you take responsibility for your mistakes?”
“The people of Israel – uh, need not, um, explain away their mistakes! We are perfect and good, tempted only by the Devil! Satan fears us!”
“That does not answer what I said! Is the belief in a Satan who tries to deliver us from God heresy, akin to the Dualism of Zarathustra that you so keenly rant against?”
“Dan, you merely try to trick me! Satan or not, what truly matters is that the people of Israel are chosen! When the time comes, we shall rule again!”
“Isaac, I believe you are the fool now! The time for Israel to rule is now! God has sent me with his message, and it is this: Now it is time to be compassionate, to be merciful, to be respectful, to be humble, to love! That is how Israel shall rule – in a world-wide kingdom of peace! All shall join us, they only need to worship the one God and to love their neighbor!”
“Do you think that the nations shall join us because we are weak and peaceful? They envy us, they want to destroy us! They are jealous of our status under God! The only way we can rule is through faith and power! And when we are just and righteous, we shall have that power! The time draws near, I say! Sinners! All sinners among this horde of people repent! For the time is coming. And when the time comes, you shall be punished if you have not yet repented!”
Dan paused for a moment. Then he spoke:
“The time is now, I say, and the sinners shall not be punished. God shall lift them up, and give them a new chance to serve him! The time has come, I say, for all, Jew or gentile to obey the greatest commandment: You shall love God and love your neighbor as you love yourself. All who obey that commandment are among the people of God.”
Just as Dan finished speaking, two things happened: An arrow whizzed by, missing Isaac’s face by an inch. And, second, someone threw a rock at Dan. Panic ensued, and the crowd dispersed, including the two messiahs.
-
Far, far, away a few miles off the coast of Hydruntum, on April second, 23 BC:
Things were not looking good for the Parthian-Dacian attack force. They had already nearly lost a ship to bad weather, and now a large roman fleet was approaching. The blockade might not happen if they didn't do some good strategizing.
The general leading the fleet decided on an unconventional strategy. They would get as close to the Roman ships as possible, board them, and try to set as many on fire as they could. They Dacian-Persian force was too small to withstand an attch by the larger Roman fleet.
The next day, April third: The attack was relatively successful. The plan had to be changed to be a bit more conventional, because some of the capttains of the ships found it a bit too crazy, but they managedto pick off five out of seventeen Roman ships - and three out of their ten. They had also managed to capture three Roman ships. The Romans had captured one of theirs.
Reinforcements were arriving for Dacia and Parthia, and probably for the Romans. The blockade had to be set up immediately.
So, throughout mid-April, the city of Hydruntum was blockaded. It hurt Roman trade, and some Dacian soldiers went on shore to try to cut off trade with the mainland. Conditions were not good in Hydruntum during the blockade, and many people contracted the plague from the cramped and dirty conditions. It may also have been caused by the fact that some people resorted to eating rats. When a party of poeple left the city for the countryside, the disease spread across Italia, ravaging cities and the countryside alike.
However, by April 18, the Parthian and Dacian fleet could no longer withstand the Roman attacks, even with constant reinforcements arriving. The fleet retreated, the soldiers disheartened and discouraged.
Even though many ships were "wasted" during the blockade, some damage had been done. an important trading city had been cut off from the outside world, depriving parts of Italy from important goods. But most importantly, much of Italy had been damaged by plague, further weakening Rome.
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Ugh. I feel that this was a flop. I should really not use narrative style to relate my TL. What does my audience think? Any comments? I'll be putting in a normal installment soon, part III of 23 BC.