The Master's Quilt Read Online Free

handed one of the brimming cups to Simon. When he
continued, his voice was cold and hard. “Pilate should be most
pleased with the results we achieved. One man dies and the
opposition to authority, both religious and secular, dies with
him.”
    He gave Simon the forceful, intimidating look
that all who knew the High Priest, save his longtime friend, found
hard to withstand, and concluded, “Since when can Rome make the
same claim?”
    “All that is true; however, there are members
of the Council, led by Doras, who feel that your handling of this
matter was, shall we say, incomplete.”
    That was when he lost his temper; something
he had been doing frequently recently. “Doras is not even a member
of the first chamber! He’s merely an elder, an aristocrat who
purchased his seat on the Council.”
    “Joseph, we’ve been through this before,”
sighed his friend. “The Council has no proof, nor, I might add,
even allegations, of any impropriety or wrongdoing on his part. And
you know better than I that Doras is as cunning as he is immoral.”
There was just a hint of impatience in his voice. “Unless you’re
prepared to bring formal charges, the Council cannot sit in
judgment.”
    “The man’s a disgrace, Simon. His devotion is
to his pocketbook and his daughter—in that order. I doubt his
daughter will help us ruin her father politically.”
    “Do not underestimate the power of Doras,
Joseph,” counseled the older man sternly. “His close relationship
with Herod Antipas gives him access to the ears of the Syrian
Governor. Lucius Vitellius governs with an iron hand, and as a
result hasn’t had the problems Pilate has encountered here in
Judea. The Council, including Annas, believes that Vitellius is
extremely displeased with Pilate’s handling of the matter of Jesus
of Nazareth. We can use that to our advantage.”
    “Syria is a long way from Jerusalem.”
    Simon scowled. “You’re missing the point.
We’ve worked hard for a very long time to achieve a measure of
autonomy within the Roman hierarchy, and we cannot afford to have
an incident such as this unleash the wrath of Vitellius or
Tiberius.”
    “But Simon—”
    “Let me finish, Joseph. You were always much
too impatient for your own good.” The teacher was once again
educating the student with practiced patience. “As you are well
aware, Pilate has not exactly had an unblemished record since his
arrival here seven years ago.”
    Simon was referring to the numerous
confrontations between the Jews and the sixth Procurator of Judea.
The five men who had preceded Pontius Pilate had all been
diplomatic in their handling of the occupation of Jerusalem. Not so
the current Procurator. Even his superiors considered him to be a
reckless and tactless individual.
    Pilate’s predecessors had studiously avoided
any unnecessary exhibition of flags or other emblems bearing images
of the Emperor Tiberius, so as not to offend the sacred sentiments
of the native population. Pilate, on the other hand, had been
nominated by the late Sejanus, Tiberius’ former minister and
commander of the Praetorian Guard. He shared his benefactor’s lack
of sympathy for Jewish separatist manifestations and cared little
for what he considered to be religious sentimentality.
    Upon his arrival in Jerusalem he ordered his
garrison of soldiers to raise their standards and banners,
emblazoned with the image of Tiberius, and had marched into the
city by night with much pomp and circumstance. This brash
demonstration of authority had provoked an immediate and massive
protest on the part of the residents of the city.
    The Council, led by Caiaphas, met with Pilate
and begged him to remove the standards, fearing that the brazen
disregard for Jewish religious custom, which did not allow the
representation of graven images, would result in rebellion among
the already tense populous. Pilate refused. The Council argued with
him for five days to reconsider. Eventually, Pilate became enraged
and