Longinus left the palace soon after Pilate had departed; he and Claudia, they agreed, would meet again when the opportunity was afforded. But that opportunity did not come quickly; he did not return to the palace until the Procurator summoned him there to discuss plans for the forthcoming journey to Jerusalem.
A week later the Procurator and his party, with Longinus commanding one of the escorting centuries, set out for Israel’s capital and the great Feast of the Passover.
Jerusalem
39
The caravan from Galilee had halted on the plain before Jericho for rest and the midday meal, and now the Tetrarch’s party and the escorting soldiers of Cornelius’ century were preparing to resume their journey. Two days and a half of steady traveling southward had brought them from Tiberias through the rapidly greening gorge of the Jordan, and soon they would face the most grueling and dangerous part of the journey, the steep and boulder-locked climb to Jerusalem.
Centurion Cornelius, who had been making a quick inspection of the assembled legionaries, approached Herod Antipas and saluted. “Sire, I need now to determine your wishes”—he bowed to Herodias—“and the wishes of the Tetrarchess, for the remainder of our journey up to Jerusalem. If you wish to rest awhile, we could make camp here and leave early in the morning for Jerusalem. Or we could move on now and camp for the night where the Jericho road begins its ascent to Jerusalem. But if you prefer, we can set out now and not stop until we reach the capital, though it will probably be well past nightfall before we enter the city.”
“Are you fearful of traveling the Jericho road after the sun has set, Centurion?” Antipas inquired. “Do you think that perhaps robbers or zealot bands might sweep down on us from the rocks?”
“I have no fear, Sire; certainly none, if they knew our strength, would attempt it. And before we enter that region, I’ll rearrange our order of march to strengthen our guard against a surprise attack.”
“Then I suggest that we continue on to Jerusalem today,” Herodias spoke up. “We can rest better tomorrow in the palace than we can here in camp, even though”—she turned malevolent eyes on the Tetrarch, and her tone was bitterly sarcastic—“we shall be lodging in the old Hasmonean Palace in order that our Palace of the Herods may be occupied by the Procurator and his wife.”