Naomi

by Mrs. J. B. Webb

The following day Javan was absent from home until late in the afternoon, when he came to inform his father that Mary, the daughter of Eleazar, the wealthy lady of Bethezob, had arrived in Jerusalem, having at length followed his counsel, and sought safety for herself and her numerous suite of attendants in the Holy City. She wished to procure a large and handsome dwelling for herself; but Javan told his father that he had assured her she would receive a welcome to his house, until a suitable habitation could be found for her. Zadok readily confirmed his son's offer, and hastened with him to meet his wife's relative, and conduct her from the inn at which she had stopped to his own spacious house. Both Zadok and his wife had a great regard for Mary, though the expensive and luxurious mode in which she always lived was entirely at variance with the simplicity of their own manners. It is true that the dwelling of the priest was large and well-furnished, and everything in it wore an air of comfort and elegance; but personal luxury and expensive indulgences he entirely despised. His whole equipage, his domestics and attendants, and the attire of his family, were in proper accordance to his rank and station and the customs of his country; but in these things he took no delight, and his children had been brought up to regard them with perfect indifference. Not so Mary of Bethezob. Her mother had died while she was very young, and had left her to the care of a falsely-indulgent father, who allowed her every luxury that his vast wealth could command, and encouraged her to gratify every selfish inclination that arose in her breast. She was very lovely, and her manners were sweet and engaging; but her passions were strong and unrestrained by paternal discipline. Early in life she married a man of piety and good sense, who would probably have greatly improved her character had he lived. But he had died a year before the time when Javan visited her in Persea, and she was left a young and beautiful widow of independence and power, with one lovely little child scarcely two years old.

Mary was most kindly received by her relatives, and Naomi found consolation and delight in the playful affection of the little David, who attached himself to her immediately, and became her constant companion. Judith and Claudia she saw but seldom, and that only in the presence of her mother or Javan, when no allusion to the subject of religion was permitted, and the conversation chiefly turned on their approaching departure. At this time a letter from Rufus was received by his daughter. It was conveyed by an emissary from the Roman general, who wished once more to make an attempt to persuade the rebel Jews to lay down their arms, and for this purpose he wrote to the chiefs and rulers of the city. His proposals were received, as before, with a scornful rejection, and the messenger departed, carrying the offensive reply, and also charged with a letter from Claudia to her father, expressing her grateful thanks for his ready consent to all the arrangements of Amaziah. Rufus was rejoiced at the prospect of his daughter's happiness; and not less so at the idea of her so soon being removed from the threatened city of Jerusalem. He knew that the siege of the metropolis was resolved on by Vespasian, unless the inhabitants submitted again to the authority of Rome; and he was too well acquainted with the pride and obstinacy of the leading Jews to hope that this step would ever be taken by them. He therefore felt how dangerous was his daughter's situation; and he had intended to request the ambassador of Vespasian to take charge of her, and bring her to join him in the Roman camp, when he received the letter of Amaziah to demand her in marriage for his son. He knew and esteemed the brother of Zadok; and though he would have preferred a Roman to a Jew as a husband for his daughter, yet he would not decline so respectable an alliance, and one that promised to procure her safety and happiness in the present unsettled state of the country, and indeed of the whole empire.

We have said before that the subject of religion was not one of any great importance in the opinion of Rufus: he considered that good moral conduct was all that was incumbent on mankind; and as he knew that both Amaziah and his son were remarkable for their excellent lives and honourable behaviour on all occasions, he required nothing more. But Marcellus looked to higher principles; and when he heard of his sister's intended marriage, it was with sincere joy that he remembered the piety and the pure devotional feelings which he had observed in the family of Amaziah during his residence in Jerusalem. He knew not that the conduct of that family was actuated by Christian motives, or he would indeed have rejoiced at the prospect of his sister's connection with them; but at all events he knew that they were sincere worshippers of the one true God, and his dear Claudia would be preserved from all danger of falling back into idolatry. He therefore joyfully acceded to his father's proposal that they should obtain their general's permission to leave the camp for a short time, and repair to Joppa to meet Amaziah and his party; and that Claudia's marriage should take place there, instead of the ceremony being performed at Jerusalem, according to the wish of Theophilus and his parents. All this plan was duly explained in the letters of Rufus to his daughter and Amaziah, and readily agreed to, as Claudia was overjoyed at the idea of seeing her father and brother before she left Judea, and also of their being present to sanction and bless her marriage.

Rufus further proposed that Zadok and Naomi should accompany their relatives, and promised that if they would consent to do so, he would send a guard of soldiers to meet them at Lydda, and conduct them safely to Joppa, where a number of Roman soldiers were stationed. He knew that it would be a great gratification to Claudia to have her friends' presence on such an occasion; and it would also give him an opportunity of renewing his acquaintance with friends whom he so highly esteemed, and to whom he felt so deeply indebted for their kindness to his daughter.

Claudia flew to Zadok with her father's letter, and rested not until she had obtained his promise to comply with all his arrangements. She then repaired to Salome's apartment, and joyfully communicated all the welcome intelligence to Naomi and her mother, and received their affectionate congratulations on the happy termination which was thus put to all her anxieties as to the nature of Rufus's reply to Amaziah's letter. Shall we say that Naomi's heart beat violently, and her colour came and went with rapid changes when she heard that she was to meet Marcellus at Joppa? Various feelings added to her emotion. It was now several years since she had seen the Roman youth, and he might be changed from what she remembered him. The kindness and the amiable disposition that had won her young heart might have worn away amid the rough scenes of a military life; or, if he still remained the same engaging and noble-spirited creature that once she loved, (and this his letters to Claudia led her to believe,) yet his affection for her might have died away, and then he would meet her only as his sister's friend. She tried to believe that she could bear this change with great heroism; and at all events she thought that it was better she should see him and know the real state of his feelings at once, and then school her own heart to a corresponding degree of indifference.

His merely Jewish faith—as she considered it to be—was a source of anxiety to her; for while she rejoiced that he was no longer an idolater, she knew that under any circumstances it was her duty to check every hope of being united to him while he acknowledged not the truth of the creed which she had adopted. And how could she expect that time or opportunity would be afforded her to tell him all the wondrous stories which had so powerfully affected her own opinions, or that power should be given her so to set forth the Christian doctrines as to touch his heart and convince his reason? She could not communicate all these doubts and fears to Claudia had she even felt so inclined, for the prohibition to their having any private intercourse was not retracted; but they occupied her own thoughts while she made her preparations for the intended journey.

Mary of Bethezob removed to a large house in the street adjoining that in which Zadok lived; and when she was established there, she gave way to her natural inclination for gaiety and festivity, and assembled all the thoughtless members of her acquaintance at frequent and magnificent entertainments, utterly regardless of the misery and distress that surrounded her, or of the civil tumults and wild seditions that threatened the safety of the city both by night and by day. Javan was a constant visitor at Mary's house, and made it his place of meeting with those chief men of the popular party whom he was anxious to conciliate and bring over to the schemes of Simon. He despised the levity and ill-timed gaiety of Mary; but he found it convenient to frequent her parties, and appear to share in the festivities in which she delighted, for by this means he became less an object of suspicion to those who opposed his views, and he was able to meet and converse with his coadjutors unnoticed by the gay throng who were only occupied with the pleasures of the present moment.

Javan had also other projects and other schemes, which he pursued with no less eagerness and activity than his political efforts in favour of the son of Gioras. He had not forgotten his wrath against Theophilus, or laid aside his threatened plans of vengeance. He had used every effort to discover the few remaining disciples of Jesus of Nazareth who yet tarried in the city, detained by ties of duty or affection from fleeing with their brethren to Pella; and his endeavours had been so far successful, that already several unhappy creatures had been seized upon and cast into dungeons by those of the priests and Pharisees who shared his fanatical feelings and cruel spirit of persecution. All proper legal authority had long been suspended, and power was all that constituted a right to punish or oppress the weaker party. A council of priests and elders therefore assembled to decide according to their own will, on the fate of these innocent victims, and Javan was one of their number. His judgment was for death; but he requested his colleagues to defer the execution of the righteous sentence until he was able to add at least one more to the number of the criminals, which he assured them he had no doubt of doing. He informed them of his discovery of Theophilus's apostasy, and his suspicions that his parents also shared his opinions; but he had hitherto abstained from taking his cousin into custody, as he wished for stronger proofs of the guilt of his uncle and Judith before he took so decided a measure against their son as would open their eyes to their own danger, and warn them either to take steps to conceal their opinions, or to flee at once from the city, and thus escape their merited doom. The self-constituted tribunal readily agreed to his suggestions, and warmly applauded his disinterested zeal, which could thus lead him to sacrifice all private and family feelings in his eagerness to promote the honour of Jehovah, and extirpate the abominable heresy which had already spread its baneful influence so far and wide among the children of Abraham. Much was said by these proud Pharisees about the merit of such noble actions, and the favour of God which would be earned by their performance.—How profoundly ignorant were they of the real character of that God whose holy name they profaned! and how little did they act or feel in accordance with his gracious declaration, "I will have mercy, and not sacrifice!"

The council broke up, and Javan proceeded to carry on his inquiries as to the evidence which could be produced of the defection of Amaziah and his wife from the faith of Abraham. Nor was the humble Mary of Bethany forgotten. Spies were sent several times to her dwelling, to ascertain with certainty her mode of life and the nature of her worship. They returned to Javan with an affecting report of her declining state and the heavenly calmness of her mind and conversation and he resolved to visit her himself, and endeavour to obtain her own confession, and hear her own declarations of the ground of her faith and hope. He had a profound contempt of the doctrines of the Christians, as well as a hatred for those who professed them. Their heroical endurance of sufferings and death for the name of their Master appeared to him to be obstinate bigotry; and the heavenly hopes that cheered their spirits and swelled their hearts with joy in the midst of agony and shame, he regarded as the effect of madness, and the delusions of evil spirits leading them on to destruction. Whatever therefore would tend to the extirpation of such a creed, and deter his countrymen from adopting it, he considered to be meritorious, and even benevolent; and if by the infliction of torments or the terrors of death, any nominal Christians were induced to renounce their religion, it was a matter of sincere joy to him, as he believed that their souls were thus saved from perdition. To such lengths may prejudice and fanaticism lead even those who are zealous for the honour of God, while they remain ignorant of that blessed spirit of humility and charity, so beautifully taught both by the life and doctrine of our divine Redeemer.

A day had been fixed for the departure of Amaziah and his companions; and as it approached, Claudia became nervously impatient for the time to arrive when they should be safe beyond the walls of Jerusalem. Her dread of Javan increased daily; and though he endeavoured in his intercourse with Amaziah's family to appear friendly and at his ease, and to dispel the fears that his unguarded threats had excited, yet her watchful anxiety detected that his manner was unnatural, and his kindness and cheerfulness were entirely forced. She felt a dreadful foreboding of evil which she could not conquer, and all the efforts of Theophilus to dispel her fears, and his repeated assurances that he entertained no suspicions or apprehensions of his cousin, failed to restore her peace and confidence. She had no longer the sanguine and hopeful spirit of Naomi to cheer her as formerly, and charm away her fears; and indeed Naomi herself was not now the same light-hearted being that once she was. Her natural spirits were subdued by care and by deep and serious reflection; but her trust in God, and perfect confidence in his overruling Providence, and his fatherly care for his children in Christ, had replaced the buoyant feelings that arose from youth and health and happiness, and conscious powers of mind and body.