,,an ,,easter ,,disciple    ,the        
,chronicle of ,quintus1 the ,roman      
,knight    ,by    ,,arthur ,,benton     
,,sanford    #aibb                ,,in  
,,memory ,,of ,,absent ,,ones    ,,who  
,,have ,,entered ,,into ,,life          
,,contents          ,an ,opening ,word  
,i4 ,a ,roman ,quest      ,,ii4 ,in     
,solomon's ,porch     ,,iii4 ,christ    
,himself the ,witness to ,immortality   
,,iv4 ,cicero or ,christ8       ,v4 ,the
 ,vision of the ,risen ,christ          
,,vi4 ,christ's ,witnesses at ,rome     
,,an ,,opening ,,word    ,many voices   
had been speaking of eternal life1      
before the days of  the ,son of man4    
,especially pronounced had been the     
teachings of  the ,egyptians that there 
is another world4   ,in their ,acadian  
hymns  the ,chaldaeans had dimly        
foretold a future life4  ,the belief of 
the  ,parsees1 as expressed in their    
,zend-,avesta1 had included a place of  
darkness for the evil soul and a reward 
for the good in the realm  of light4    

,the ,hindus had declared1 in their     
,rig-,veda1 their  beautiful conception 
of the immortality of the soul1 and had 
written of a future imperishable world1 
where there is eternal  light and glory4
  ,the ,grecian and ,roman mythologies  
had voiced  their hope of blessedness   
for the shades of the departed4         
,everywhere serious men had been asking 
as to the experiences beyond  the grave4
  ,it was as if the ,eastern world had  
become a vast  parliament chamber1      
wherein the nations were proclaiming    
their  different doctrines as to a      
future life4    ,in the midst of these  
varying and uncertain voices1 ,christ   
spoke  his authoritative message4       
,there was no wavering in his tone4     
,what the ,oriental philosophers were   
guessing1 he revealed2 what the  ,hebrew
 prophets had foreshadowed in their holy
 writings1 he  unfolded in full light4  
,the ancient ,vedic hymns1 the oracles  
of  ,greece1 the ,egyptian ,book of the 
,dead1 anticipating by two  thousand    

years the ,hebrew exodus--all these are 
naught compared  with the words of that 
inspired ,teacher who spoke in          
,palestine4    ,in addition1 ,christ was
 himself the vital evidence of the      
resurrection which he taught4  ,against 
the assaults of doubt his  unique       
teachings are buttressed forevermore by 
his own return from  the land of        
silence4  ,in a short week after his    
words to ,martha at  ,bethany he had    
become1 through his own rare experience1
 the  resurrection and the life4  ,not  
the dead ,buddha1 nor the departed      
,zoroaster1 nor the vanished            
,pythagoras  ever came back through the 
opened door of the sepulcher1 wearing   
the grave clothes of those  who sleep4  
,human fancy had never dreamed of such a
 rapturous  denouement for faiths other 
than ,christianity4  ,the resurrection  
of  the ,lord is the crowning narrative 
with which the ,gospels close4  ,it is a
 risen ,christ who repairs the wastage  
of human decay and  death4  ,a voice    

above all those from ,ind or ,persia or 
the ,nile  speaks henceforth in ,judaea 
and the world concerning immortality4   
,the superlative ,easter argument is the
 risen ,christ himself4          ,i     
,a ,,roman ,,quest    ,if one might only
 have a guide to the truth4--,seneca4   
,on ,scopus1 the high mountain north of 
,jerusalem1 the ,roman camp was         
pitched1 that last autumn in the        
ministry of ,jesus of ,nazareth4  ,a    
few years further on1 if the warriors of
 the ,emperor ,tiberius could  then have
 foreseen the future1 ,titus was to     
quarter his famous  legions on that     
vantage point2 and from its elevation he
 was to  hurl himself as a resistless   
battering ram against the ,holy ,city4  
,but1 on this autumn day1 when these    
chronicles begin1 no blare of  trumpets 
was summoning the ,roman soldiery to    
arms2 only the feet of  the camp        
sentinels1 as they walked their         
appointed rounds1 broke  the quiet of   
the sunlit afternoon4    ,that          

lithesome1 cultivated1 serious-minded   
young knight1 ,quintus  ,cornelius      
,benignus1 is standing on the height    
which overlooks the  great metropolis4  
,he is the son of ,marcus ,cornelius    
,magnus1 that  ,roman noble who is the  
intimate associate of the reigning      
,caesar1  and who has been a luxurious  
resident on the ,palatine ,hill since   
his distinguished proconsulship in      
,africa4         99     99     99     99
     99    ,,note4--,it is not from any 
time-marked ,hebrew roll that this story
  of ,quintus is now taken4  ,he was of 
,roman blood1 and his record is1        
rather1 to be found in the ,latin       
literature of his time4  ,well it  is   
when some new leaf is discovered among  
the musty folios1  reciting the saintly 
character and the triumphs of those who 
lived  when ,christianity was new4      
,this record shows the worth of         
consecrated life and service in the days
 when the luxurious ,roman  state most  
needed a ,christian citizenship4  ,but  

the lesson is none  the less for these  
last days1 when the hope of the world is
 in the  creed of ,quintus4         99  
99     99     99     99    ,by the side 
of ,quintus is his fellow soldier       
,aulus4  ,they had spent  their boyhood 
together among the scenes of ,rome2 now 
they are  companions still1 on this last
 ,roman expedition to the district of   
,judaea4  ,while the common soldiery are
 throwing their  dice  in  the  camp    
thoroughfare1 these are speaking of more
 serious things4  ,the picture on which 
they look from lofty ,scopus includes   
the  shining roofs of ,jerusalem1 the   
wooded ,mount of ,olives1 and the far   
landscape to the south and west2 its    
undulations and brilliant  colorings no 
,roman artist might put upon the canvas4
    ,with the autumn haze covering the  
extended panorama1 ,quintus says  first 
to his comrade3    ,what the fates have 
in store for me1 here in the city of    
,hierosolyma1 ,i am much wondering4     
,the day before our trireme  sailed from

 ,brundisium for ,tyrus ,i made a visit 
to the augur's  tent4  ,his prediction  
was that my journey hither would be     
followed  by strange consequences4  ,the
 flight of the birds through the air    
did not reveal to him just what was to  
occur2 but that something  eventful was 
to take place he was very sure4  ,what  
is to be my  fortune8    ,your lot it   
may be1 answers ,aulus1 to perform some 
daring deed1  here in our ,jewish       
campaign2 and on your return to ,rome   
you may  receive a great reward from the
 hand of ,tiberius4    ,in my mind this 
has been1 replies ,quintus2 before ,i   
left ,rome ,i  had an audience with our 
divine ,caesar1 and he was pleased to   
say  that my fidelity here might bring  
me special recompense4  ,yet would  that
 be satisfying8  ,i have seen the       
triumphal processions in the  streets of
 ,rome1 when heroes have been acclaimed2
 ,i have heard our  statesmen in the    
,senate hall1 and prize the joys of     
oratory2 ,i have  been served all my    

days by slaves in my father's palace1   
and know  the sweetness of the          
,falernian wine in the banquet room4  ,a
  proconsulate1 if ,i might come to that
 dignity1 would be a high  honor to     
write in my life story4  ,but1 my dear  
,aulus1 would there  be content in this8
  ,my restless soul seems crying out for
 some  better gift from the gods4    ,it
 cannot be1 continues ,aulus4  that your
 heart's love is  involved4  ,when our  
military movements bring the ,roman     
knights to  ,palaestina1 in their pride 
of birth they do not wed the black-eyed 
daughters of the ,jews4  ,on your       
earlier expedition to ,egypt you met  a 
princess of the land1 but were not let  
to espouse that swarthy  maiden of the  
,nile4  ,the reward of love cannot be   
the experience of  which the augur spoke
 at ,brundisium4    ,not so1 says       
,quintus in response2 as ,i was leaving 
,rome1 it was  the beautiful ,lucretia  
who sent me forth with her rare         
farewell4  ,for my return from          

,palaestina she is now waiting2 and     
under the  blue skies of ,italia we are 
to wed4  ,i have been wondering1        
,quintus adds further1 if the augur1    
watching the flight of birds  there at  
,brundisium4  could mean that ,i am to  
fall by death1 here  in ,palaestina4    
,we have not come for battle1 but to    
guard the  peace4  ,yet it is easy for  
,atropos1 that cruel fate1 to clip the  
slender thread of life and send men on  
to die land of shades4  ,if  this was   
what the augur meant1 no ,roman in the  
days of ,tiberius has  ever set forth   
upon a more serious adventure4    ,you  
are given to melancholy1 this autumn    
afternoon1 my comrade  ,quintus1 the    
other says2 you are feeling that sadness
 which comes  to men when the ,dryads   
move over the earth and touch the leaves
  into crimson and gold and brown4      
,not so1 answers ,quintus2 but ,i am    
remembering that ,i have come  into a   
land where a strange ,teacher is        
speaking to men of a future  life4  ,yet

 are men to live again8  ,i have seen   
the marble tombs on  the ,appia ,via    
where the ,scipios1 the ,metelli1 and so
 many more of  our great ,romans lie    
asleep4  ,shall ,i soon follow them8    
,is it an  endless slumber8  ,what is it
 that the new ,rabbi from ,nazareth     
means1 when in the city yonder he speaks
 of another life8    ,a fig for your    
weird autumn fancy1 responds ,aulus2    
down to the  streets of ,hierosolyma we 
will go1 and among their novel sights we
  will forget your serious meditations4 
,they walk that afternoon as sightseers 
through the crowded ,jewish  emporium4  
,the shops remind them1 with all their  
contrasts1 of the  marts of ,rome1 for  
men always and everywhere have the      
trader's  passion4  ,in the narrow      
streets of ,jerusalem they see the stir 
of  many activities4  ,the workman is   
hammering his brass2 the shoemaker      
shapes his sandals2 the flax spinner is 
winding his thread2 the  scribe sits on 
his mat1 and is ready for his writing4  

,in the shops  they see costly          
merchandise for sale--silks and jewels1 
fine linens  and perfumes1 delicious    
foods and drinks4  ,these have been     
imported  from far ,arabia and ,india2  
they have been brought from distant     
,persia and ,media4  ,with all their    
variety1 no taste1 however  fitful1 need
 go unsatisfied4    ,what a motley crowd
 is on the streets6  ,they hear the     
,aramaic  speech of ,palestine1 which   
,quintus has been taught by his         
,athenian  tutor1 and their ears also   
catch the accents  of other  foreign    
tongues4  ,they meet traders from       
western ,zidon1 sailors from ,crete1    
bearded ,idumaeans from beyond ,judaea1 
and scholars from far  ,alexandria4     
,magnificent ,jerusalem it is6  ,yet    
destined soon to  fall4  ,for the day   
draws near when the ,roman ,titus shall 
weep on  ,scopus over its fading        
splendors and then shall smite it to the
  dust4    ,one purchase only does      
,quintus make4  ,in a shop where        

,egyptian  wares are sold he says to    
,aulus3    ,look on this scarab1 this   
sacred beetle1 which has been shaped by 
some workman down in ,thebae on the     
,nile4  ,we may be sure that no  people 
believes more intensely in a future     
life4  ,what compliment  they pay this  
physical frame of men when they hold    
that embalmment  restores to the soul   
its former body6  ,after the judgment of
  ,osiris1 if their lives be true1 the  
worthy shall enjoy the  companionship of
 the great god forever4  ,no other      
people wears such  a visible emblem of  
their faith in another life4  ,i will   
buy this  scarab for an amulet against  
accident and evil4      ,but where had  
the workman gone who once had shaped    
that token of  immortality8  ,whither   
had vanished his carver's skill8  ,where
 had  disappeared his projects and his  
dreams8  ,quintus is not thinking  of   
any proconsulship he may win1 or even of
 the love light in the  eyes of         
,lucretia1 as he climbs again the       

heights of ,scopus4  ,rather  he is     
meditating on the departed maker of     
scarabs--and on the  destiny of the     
soul4  ,for ages the philosophers have  
been  speculating about the future life4
  ,familiar is ,quintus with the  views 
of ,laelius and ,seneca1 among the      
,roman inquirers1 and with  the         
teachings of the great ,grecians who    
have spoken in classic  ,athens4  ,but  
now the question leaps to the front4    
,quintus is in  the city where ,ayran   
travelers and ,persian magi and         
,egyptian  priests are busy telling     
their theories of immortality4  ,he is  
in  the very streets1 besides1 where a  
sandaled ,teacher from ,nazareth  is    
declaring that the dead shall live      
again4  ,if but half is true  that this 
strange ,man is reputed to have said1 no
 priest of ,jupiter  has ever uttered at
 ,rome so luminous a word4  ,can it be  
that  ,quintus himself shall see this   
,christus and hear his message8  ,if    
so1 his will be in very truth a         

momentous quest4          ,,ii    ,,in  
,,solomon',s ,,porch    ,give me new    
consolation1 great and strong1 of which 
,i nave never  heard or read4--,pliny4  
,with increasing frequency ,christ was  
now speaking his prophecies of  the life
 immortal4  ,in his earlier ministry he 
had been dwelling  upon the presence of 
the divine kingdom in the earth1 the    
practical  conditions for membership    
therein1 and the inclusion of ,gentile  
as  well as ,jew in the gracious        
provision4  ,novel were his words4      
,whoever had heard his discourse on the 
,mount or the parable of the  lost sheep
 was rich beyond the modern sons of men4
  ,but now1 in the  closing period of   
his stay with mortals1 he was more      
frequently  foretelling the life to     
come4  ,like a footworn traveler drawing
  near the homeland1 he was keenly      
anticipating his return to the  spirit  
world4  ,those who listened to him heard
 majestic intimations  of a celestial   
country which eye had not beheld4  ,nor 

is it to be  thought that the ,gospels1 
in their restricted pages1 have recorded
  half his words concerning the heavenly
 land4    ,now comes the opportunity for
 ,quintus himself to hear this new      
,teacher of the ,jews4  ,a messenger    
from ,pilate1 sent on an errand to  the 
headquarters at ,scopus1 brings the     
tidings that ,christ is in  ,jerusalem  
as a visitor at the ,feast of           
,dedication4  ,favored are  those who   
hear through the years the world's      
commanding voices2  beyond estimate is  
the high privilege now granted ,quintus4
    ,i will hasten in to ,hierosolyma1  
he says to ,aulus1 who is  detained by  
camp duties2 ,i will hear him for       
myself2 and ,i will  bring you back     
report as to this latest prophet of     
immortality4      ,with his soldier's   
cloak about him1 in protection against  
the  winter's chill1 ,quintus is away to
 ,jerusalem4  ,the national ,feast  of  
,dedication attracts his notice4  ,a    
courteous ,hebrew explains to  him that 

the joyful festival commemorates the    
cleansing of the  ,temple after its     
profanation by ,antiochus ,epiphanes1   
two hundred  years before4  ,the        
procession of pious ,jews1 carrying     
their palm  branches and marching to the
 heights of ,moriah1 the chanting of the
  great ,hallel within the imposing     
fane1 the ascription of praise to       
,jehovah all impress the keen-eyed      
soldier4    ,the enthusiasm of it all6  
,though of other blood1 ,quintus clearly
  feels the thrill of patriotism that   
stirs the multitude about him2  and he  
understands in some measure their       
impatient waiting for the  coming prince
 who shall deliver ,israel4      ,but is
 this all8  ,instead it is only the     
beginning of the wonders  which the     
serious ,quintus is to witness4  ,forth 
he passes to the  eastern cloister of   
the ,temple1 known then among the ,jews 
as  ,solomon's ,porch1 in memory of     
their illustrious king4  ,the           
bystanders tell ,quintus that it is     

built of a fragment of the first        
,temple which ,nebuchadnezzar had left  
standing4  ,as the soldier  looks down  
the far-reaching aisle1 he sees a       
quadruple row of white  ,corinthian     
columns1 one hundred and sixty in       
number1 and extending  a length of many 
hundred feet4  ,the vista is most       
amazing4  ,accustomed though he has been
 all his days to the magnificence of    
the ,roman architecture1 he yields in   
willing admiration to the  splendors of 
the ,solomonic porch4    ,then--he sees 
the ,christ6  ,walking through that     
forest of massive  columns is the       
superlative ,jew of his times1 and of   
all times4  ,for  now--when the voices  
of that winter day are still1 and       
,solomon's  ,porch has vanished where   
stood those blessed feet--there is no   
earthly measurement by which to estimate
 the ,man whom ,quintus saw4      ,among
 the throng that surround him hostile   
,pharisees challenge him  to tell them  
plainly if he be the foretold ,messiah4 

,with impatient  hearts they have waited
 long for their redemption4  ,let him   
say if  their deliverer has now come4   
,then shall they throw off the yoke  of 
the detested ,roman rule and renew their
 ancient monarchy with  enlarging       
influence and increasing splendors4     
,memorable words in answer does ,quintus
 hear4  ,the ,stranger  puts  aside  the
 thought of the ,jewish struggle for an 
earthly throne1  and turns in his fancy 
to the quiet pastures where feed the    
flocks4  ,he is a guardian ,shepherd2   
,israel and all the world besides are   
his  cherished sheep4  ,those who are   
truly his shall hear his guiding  voice1
 and shall follow him4  ,they shall     
never perish4  ,from the  hand of the   
,shepherd no vandal shall steal his own 
away4  ,how the  words thrill6          
,sometimes ,quintus has seen in the     
,judaean pastures  the keeper with his  
flocks1 and knows how unchanging is his 
fidelity4  ,it is as if this watcher in 
his devotion is anticipating  the       

faithfulness of the greater ,shepherd4  
,how entrancing is the  lesson to this  
seeking soldier from beyond the         
,adriatic6    ,then does the ,christ add
 another word more surprising than the  
rest4  ,to men who are his sheep he     
makes a promise that compasses  the     
furthest limit of the eternities4  ,of  
such he says3 ,unto those  who follow me
 ,i will give the ,life of the ,ages4   
,beyond the tomb  they are to live on   
forevermore4  ,nor to the ,jews alone1  
amid the  maze of those ,corinthian     
columns1 does the coming ,shepherd      
speak4  ,the listening ,roman soldier1  
wearing the armor of the empire on the  
,tiber1 comes within the circle of his  
promise4  ,into the face of  ,quintus he
 looks and benignly says3 ,there are    
other sheep not of  the ,jewish pasture1
 to whom ,i shall give this unending    
life4  ,i  covet your great empire as my
 own4  ,o soldier of the ,caesars1      
follow after me6      ,back to the camp 
on ,scopus the soldier goes1 moved to   

his deepest  soul4  ,impossible it seems
 to longer worship the ,roman gods4     
,when  he has described to ,aulus the   
,feast of ,dedication1 he repeats the   
words he has heard in the ,temple       
cloister1 and says in deepest           
seriousness3    ,most unearthly is the  
,man on whom ,i have looked to-day4  ,in
 his  speech a divine patience1         
kindness1 and dignity combine4  ,as for 
the words he spoke1 ,i cannot tell their
 moving power4  ,the sayings  of our    
noblest ,romans are feeble in the       
comparison4  ,never have ,i  heard      
another speak as he has done about a    
future world4  ,truly1 an  unequaled    
,man is this new ,teacher who is abroad 
in ,judaea4    ,sleep is of little      
consequence that night4  ,is the word of
 the  augur at ,brundisium beginning to 
be fulfilled8  ,in his tent ,quintus  is
 wondering through the long hours if1   
among his people on the  ,tiber1 the    
,shepherd shall not find some sheep to  
whom he will give  the unending life4   

,,iii    ,,christ ,,himself ,,the       
,,witness ,,to ,,immortality    ,he     
appeared to them alive again the third  
day1 as the divine  prophets had        
foretold4--,josephus4      ,how often   
have men missed the sight of great      
historic occurrences1  in their         
attention to the routine of life6  ,so  
it was that ,quintus  did not witness   
the tragic events of that ,passover week
 on which  human destiny was to turn4   
,to ,tyre on the ,great ,sea he had     
gone1  to arrange for the landing of a  
new quota of troops from  ,brundisium4  
,the commander at ,scopus had chosen him
 for the  responsible mission1 in token 
of his especial fitness4  ,the          
compliment was pleasing4  ,but in his   
absence he was ever thinking  of the    
promise made by the ,teacher in         
,solomon's ,porch1 that the  sheep who  
followed him should have eternal life4  
,astir was all ,jerusalem1 when the     
knight returned to ,scopus4  ,it  was on
 the morning after the ,lord's          

resurrection4  ,that ,roman  centurion  
who had been at ,calvary reviewed for   
,quintus the fateful  happenings4  ,with
 pomp reminding of a ,roman triumph the 
,christ had  entered ,david's city2     
after four days ,iscariot had betrayed  
him  with a kiss2 for blasphemy         
,pilatus1 the procurator1 had sentenced 
him to the cross2 they had put on him a 
scarlet robe in mockery2  they had hung 
him between two robbers on the hill of  
,golgotha2 a  brutal soldier now at     
,scopus had won by lot his seamless     
robe1 and  was jauntily displaying it as
 a trophy2 an uncanny darkness had      
covered the ,judaean sky2 the soldier   
,longinus had pierced the  sufferer's   
side2 they had buried the dead ,christ  
in the garden tomb  of the ,arimathaean 
,joseph4  ,monumental events were       
these--all new  to ,quintus1 but        
destined to be written indelibly in the 
calendars  of ,christendom4    ,more    
than this1 continues the centurion1 an  
amazing rumor is now  abroad in the city

 that yesterday the dead ,christus awoke
 from his  sleep and has been five times
 seen by his amazed disciples4  ,when ,i
  beheld him yield up the ghost1 ,i     
hailed his death as that of a  devout   
man1 but little did ,i think that he was
 a ,god and would  return from the tomb4
  ,the report says he has now come back4
  ,on  swift wing the rumor has flown   
through ,jerusalem and even into        
,pilate's palace4      ,down from the   
heights of ,scopus the hurrying feet of 
,quintus carry  him to ,jerusalem4      
,doubts and wonderings and half-beliefs 
fill his  mind4  ,what if by any shadow 
of possibility the prediction of the    
strange ,teacher has been fulfilled1    
that he should return from the  dead on 
the third day8  ,finding his way to     
,joseph's garden1 ,quintus  stands by an
 empty sepulcher4  ,there is a group of 
wondering  visitors near1 and among them
 is one whose inviting face leads       
,quintus to accost him4  ,not frightened
 by the sword and armor of  the ,roman  

knight1 but assured by his candid look1 
the other answers  in the ,aramaic which
 both can speak3    ,johannes is my     
name4  ,till three years ago ,i was a   
fisherman1 up  on the waters of         
,gennesaret4  ,since then ,i have been a
 disciple of  this ,man from ,galilee4  
,in his company ,i have heard surprising
  words and have felt a heavenly        
influence4  ,he was no ordinary         
,teacher4  ,he was indeed from above4   
,is it true1 asks ,quintus in breathless
 words1 that your ,master  has risen    
from the grave8  ,i have been away in   
,tyrus4  ,now in the  ,roman camp on    
,scopus ,i have heard that he has come  
forth from the  sepulcher4  ,what means 
such a marvelous report8    ,yes1 it is 
all true1 ,john answers with his face   
aglow2 this is  the very sepulcher where
 our ,lord was laid4  ,your own sentries
 kept  guard before the tomb securely   
sealed4  ,but on the morning of         
yesterday there was a shaking of the    
earth2 some angelic visitants  rolled   

away the stone door of the grave2 and   
our immortal ,christus  came forth      
again4    ,astounding1 ,quintus         
interrupts in a whirl of words2 but did 
he  make any promise of another life for
 men1 before he was put to  death8      
,he truly did1 replies the disciple2    
when we had eaten the  ,passover supper 
with him1 he spoke a word more marvelous
 than any  of your ,roman teachers has  
ever uttered4  ,into the spirit world he
  said he was departing1 to make ready a
 room in the ,father's ample  house for 
those who were his own2 and on his      
return he would take  them to be with   
himself4  ,ever since our sad-hearted   
band have been  comforting themselves   
with this last promise in the upper     
room4    ,none of our ,roman gods has   
ever promised such a future4 responds   
,quintus2 but is this all8    ,no1      
answers the disciple2 on his cross our  
,christus spoke again  about another    
experience for men4  ,by his side was   
,dysmas1 the  crucified robber1 grieving

 for his faults and asking comfort4     
,when  the cross pain and thirst were   
over1 our ,lord replied1 the outlaw     
should walk with him among the bowers of
 the beautiful ,paradise  beyond this   
world's horizon4  ,it was enough4  ,in  
this consolation  the tortured ,dysmas  
passed on1 with a smile of peace upon   
his face4    ,have you more wonders to  
tell8 presses ,quintus1 in his          
eagerness1  while the story of the cross
 begins to compel his judgment and call 
for his heart's surrender4    ,then1 the
 consummation6  ,in ecstatic words ,john
 tells of the one  final and            
overmastering proof1 in the thought of  
the eleven  disciples2    ,greatest of  
all1 we have ourselves seen our ,friend 
again4  ,five  times already has he     
showed himself4  ,first1 ,mary of       
,magdala saw  him under the trees of the
 garden1 and spoke with him2 then the   
other women met him and fell at his     
feet2 next our fellow disciple  ,petros 
saw him2 then two of our band walked    

with him to outlying  ,emmaus1 and knew 
him as he broke bread at the journey's  
end2 and  then last evening1 he came to 
ten of us in the ,passover room and     
spoke his peace on us4    ,perhaps you  
have all seen a spectral form which has 
no real  existence1 remonstrates        
,quintus1 while all the time he is      
yielding  himself to the compelling     
story4    ,it cannot be1 responds the   
convincing ,john2 there have been too   
many witnesses for that4  ,we have seen 
the very wound made by the  spear of    
,longinus2 we have heard his familiar   
voice2 we have  received his blessing4  
,our number is our evidence2 it cannot  
be  possible that all of us have been   
deceived4  ,it is surely he1 ,o  ,roman 
soldier1 unless the senses of the women 
and of ten honest men  are far astray4  
,no other teacher of the ,east has ever 
come back  from the sepulcher4  ,look   
and see for yourself4  ,yonder is       
,joseph's  empty tomb4  ,the ,christus  
is himself the evidence4      ,what can 

,quintus do1 in the face of such proof  
as this8  ,he returns  to ,scopus in    
wildest tumult4  ,little does he say to 
,aulus1 his  chosen friend4  ,the       
company of ,longinus or the centurion he
 does  not seek4  ,the time has come--as
 it comes to all--when he must  commune 
with himself1 and make the decision     
confronting every soul  that has heard  
the resurrection story4          ,,iv   
,,cicero ,,or ,,christ8    ,the name of 
,jesus can still remove distractions    
from the minds of  men4--,origen4       
,shall men believe in a future life     
because of ,christ's return from  the   
grave8  ,is his established resurrection
 at ,jerusalem the  climacteric proof   
for immortality8  ,the problem is       
inescapable4  ,every man is himself a   
judge2 before every man the accumulated 
evidence passes2 for every man it is    
doomsday when he stands at the  point of
 decision4    ,in his sore perplexity   
,quintus says to himself that night1    
when he  has returned from his interview

 with the disciple ,john3 ,my soul is   
like a traveler who halts at the point  
where two roads meet4  ,great  issues   
depend upon his choice4  ,but while he  
hesitates may the  immortals1 who watch 
over the destinies of men1 guide his    
feet  aright4    ,clearly defined are   
the alternatives before the ,roman      
soldier4  ,on  the one hand are his     
ancestral beliefs1 long established and 
deeply  cherished by the nation4  ,nor  
does any man quickly toss aside the     
faith of his fathers4  ,if belief is    
waning in the primitive  mythologies1   
and if the social life of the ,empire is
 moved by  unrest and despair1 the      
problem is to find a greater            
satisfaction4  ,there have been spoken  
many beautiful words by the ,roman      
scholars  which are sweet premonitions  
of immortality4  ,does not ,quintus     
remember that ,cicero likens to heaven a
 port prepared1 and prays  that he may  
sail thither with full-spread sails8    
,and if the gifted  ,cicero has just    

gone tragically out of life1 let it be  
hoped that  he has reached the harbor4  
,but on the other hand are the          
challenging and captivating words of    
,christ4  ,had he only spoken of the    
future life as an enthusiastic          
,teacher1 and then had passed to the    
perpetual slumber of the grave  like    
other philosophers of the time1 he would
 be remembered long4  ,but1 when he had 
spoken his words concerning immortality1
 he had  added1 ,i myself shall surely  
come back again4  ,from the evidence    
which ,quintus has heard in ,jerusalem  
he has now fulfilled his  prediction4   
,he has put to scorn the fidelity of the
 ,roman  sentinels at the tomb of       
,joseph2 he has reversed the laws of    
nature2 he has appeared again1 in unique
 proof that there is to be  a           
resurrection of the dead4  ,wide is the 
difference between ,cicero  and the     
,christ4  ,the one has spoken a mere    
opinion1 so beautiful in  its phrase    
that it shall pass down into the future 

literature of  men4  ,the other has     
spoken a revelation1 and then has       
returned to  prove that revelation true4
  ,which shall it be--,cicero or the    
,christ8    ,but to accept the ,jewish  
,teacher means earthly loss4  ,as he    
keeps  guard with himself through the   
night hours ,quintus is wondering if  he
 shall incur the hostility of his father
 ,marcus and shall be  forced to        
sacrifice his estates on the ,palatine4 
,he fancies also  the grief of the fair 
,lucretia when she learns that he has   
chosen  an alien faith4  ,and he        
remembers1 further1 that in the choice  
of  the ,christus he is joining a       
company on whom the ,eastern world is   
already casting its withering contempt4 
,cicero or the ,christus4  ,which shall 
it be8      ,there are no struggles like
 the night wrestlings of the soul in    
matters of religion4  ,what words can   
measure the divers arguments1  the      
opposing considerations1 the conflicting
 emotions that shape  human choice8     

,quintus stands at the point where      
soon--in the  progress of the new       
faith--,saul from ,tarsus1 ,clement of  
,rome1 and  so many more of the great   
spirits of that first era are to stand4 
,the wrestlings of the night6  ,then    
foul demons are abroad2 and then  ,god's
 good angels are descending the ladders 
of the sky4    ,soon comes a great      
moment4  ,while the soul of ,quintus is 
in wild  commotion1 there falls upon him
 a mighty force which is not of  earth4 
,coming he knows not whence1 but not    
invading the department  of his will1 it
 impels him to the ,christ4             
,transformed is this  ,roman knight1 who
 has been taught the doctrines of the   
,latin cult1  and whose nation can only 
feel disdain for a ,galilaean who       
proposes  to revolutionize the ages4    
,the words of the augur at ,brundisium  
are having in truth a strange           
fulfillment4    ,as if the ,man were    
present on whom he had looked in the    
,porch of  ,solomon4  ,quintus speaks   

his choice for the long eternities3     
,happen what may1 ,i take thee1 ,o      
,christus1 for my ,lord and ,master4  ,i
 sacrifice my ,roman knighthood for     
thee1 if it shall be required4  ,i      
choose thee1 because thou hast risen    
from the dead and hast  proven that     
there is another life for men4    ,not  
,cicero1 but ,christ6  ,the ,roman      
knight has made the great  decision4    
,v    ,,the ,,vision ,,of ,,the ,,risen 
,,christ    ,after that1 he was seen of 
above five hundred brethren at          
once4--,paul4      ,once for himself was
 ,quintus to see the ,lord1 before his  
departure  heavenward4  ,when midnight  
hours afterward came to him in ,italy1  
the memory of that vision was golden4   
,when1 among the temples of  the gods in
 pagan ,rome1 men challenged his belief1
 his sufficient  answer was3 ,with mine 
own eyes ,i have seen the risen ,teacher
 who  has revealed immortality to men4  
,so did the first disciples of  the     
faith who bore its weightiest burdens1  

enjoy its highest  privilege4    ,it was
 the disciple ,john who told ,quintus of
 the opportunity to see  the risen      
,lord4  ,in an hour of fellowship at    
,jerusalem--when the  knight had        
confessed his new allegiance--,john     
spoke of the ,master's  wish4  ,the     
disciples who were in the city and its  
environs were to  gather in ,galilee    
with those from that upper district4    
,once more  would their ,lord show      
himself to all who believed on him1 and 
would  speak with them4  ,nor did       
,quintus ever cease to rejoice that he  
was  reckoned worthy to look that day on
 the ,conqueror of death4    ,with light
 feet the ,jerusalem company1 some six  
score in number1  made the journey north
 to ,galilee4  ,one subject only was on 
their  lips1 as they followed the road  
through ,samaria to ,kurn ,hattin1  near
 the ,sea of ,tiberias4  ,here the ,lord
 at the opening of his  mission had     
spoken his nine blessings to needy      
mortals2 most  fitting it now was that  

on this memorable hillside he should    
utter  his farewell to those who had    
come to believe on him4  ,thus would    
the circle of his teachings end where it
 had begun4  ,bright was the  picture4  
,the glint of the sunlight on the       
,galilaean sea so near at  hand1 with   
the uncounted flowers of the spring-time
 that covered  the lower plains1 lent a 
charm to the scene that ,quintus        
remembered  always4      ,at the outset 
the ,roman convert is impressed with the
 goodly number  of those first          
disciples4  ,they are not twelve or six 
score1 but  many more4  ,they greet each
 other with the salutation1 ,peace be to
  you1 and then they rapturously add1   
,to-day we shall see our  ,lord4  ,in   
that intimacy which should always mark  
the followers of  ,christ1 they give    
,quintus their welcome2 and at once he  
feels  himself among a congenial        
brotherhood4    ,one is by name         
,nicodemus1 a member of the ,great      
,sanhedrin4  ,another  is one           

,bartimaeus1 from southern ,jericho1    
whose finger tips have  been his eyes1  
till the ,lord has healed his blindness4
  ,a third has  been a demoniac among   
the hills of the ,gergesenes1 and has   
been a  wandering and truculent         
challenge to his times4  ,a woman is    
there  from ,jacob's well1 with ,salome 
and ,susanna and the virgin mother      
herself4  ,they are from southern       
,bethlehem2 they have come from the     
wild hills of ,peraea1 beyond the       
,jordan2 many are from ,galilee1  where 
,christ has found so many devoted       
followers4  ,all these1 as  well as the 
immortal eleven who have composed the   
inner circle of  the ,master's          
associates4    ,two other peculiar      
disciples does ,quintus see1 both of    
whom have  been raised from the dead4   
,lazarus has come1 who has so often     
welcomed the ,lord to his home in       
,bethany2 and with him are the  sisters1
 of whom one has heard the ,teacher say4
  ,whosoever liveth  and believeth in me

 shall never die4  ,the other is a young
  vineyard keeper from the neighboring  
village of ,nain1 whom ,christ  has     
restored4  ,his word to ,quintus is3    
,last year ,i sickened with a fever and 
passed through the door of  death4      
,they were carrying me out for burial1  
and my widowed mother  was weeping as   
one weeps who has lost her only son4    
,the ,master  halted the mourners1 and  
called me back to earth4  ,i have never 
told of the wonders which ,i saw in the 
spirit world2 it would not  be lawful4  
,but ,i have been in the great spaces   
beyond the stars1  and know that the    
tomb is only a resting place for a      
little sleep4    ,how many disciples are
 there here8 ,quintus asks of the good  
,john4  ,to which question the other    
answers3    ,over a half thousand4  ,it 
has been our ,master's wish that every  
disciple of his throughout the land     
should come to this meeting  place4     
,unto all he would show himself once    
more1 before he returns  to the upper   

life4  ,so they shall have a glad memory
 of his face1  and shall be strengthened
 in their coming tribulations by the    
hope  of immortality4    ,then          
suddenly--the risen ,lord has come6     
,the marvel of it6  ,the  splendor of   
it6  ,while the five hundred are talking
 together1 the  air grows luminous with 
his presence4  ,out of the invisible he 
appears4  ,as suddenly he comes as      
,aurora in her chariot drives up  the   
eastern sky and brings in the shining   
day4  ,when the company  have fallen on 
their faces and have adored their       
,master1 in the  hush that follows he   
gives them a great commission3    ,you  
are to go forth4 he says1 and herald my 
gospel to the world4  ,let there be no  
laggards in your company4  ,it is a     
lifelong charge4  ,there is a task for  
,petrus and ,johannes1 for ,philippus   
and  ,mattheus1 and for all4  ,you are  
to look for disciples everywhere4  ,you 
are to proclaim the message of          
repentance4  ,you are to give  them the 

waters of baptism1 in the name of the   
,god triune4  ,you are  to declare to   
sad-hearted men the promise of eternal  
life1 until ,i  shall come again to take
 men to myself4    ,that honorable      
commission6  ,it was in coming days to  
stir the souls  of apostles and quicken 
the feet of missioners and fire with    
zeal  earth's coming reformers4  ,nor   
does ,quintus forget that he too has    
his charge4   ,in the city on the ,tiber
 is to be his task4  ,to his  home      
circle1 to priests in the temples of the
 gods1 and even to the  royal ,tiberius 
he is to herald the gospel of the       
resurrection4  ,his  vision of the risen
 ,lord is the measure of his            
opportunity4    ,then the ,master looks 
into his very face1 and remembers him as
 the  ,roman knight he had seen in the  
,porch of ,solomon4  ,the half  thousand
 disciples on ,kurn ,hattin prostrate   
themselves to the  earth2 and in their  
acclaim the soldier joins his voice1    
,rabboni6  ,rabboni6  ,our great        

,master6  ,then departs the ,christ1 and
 back to  their homes they go1 evermore 
to comfort themselves with the vision   
of their risen ,lord4      ,soon        
afterward their ,rabboni goes from      
earth4  ,out beyond the hill  of ,olivet
 he walks one day with his eleven4  ,in 
their last words  together he reminds   
them again that they are to be his      
heralds to  the eastern world4  ,a cloud
 gathers above their heads1 like some   
halting chariot1 and he is gone forever 
from human sight4  ,yet only  in the    
distance it seems a cloud4  ,for ,john  
afterward says to  ,quintus that it was 
in reality a phalanx of ten thousand    
angels1  robed in whiteness and sent to 
convoy the ,son of ,god to glory        
everlasting4    ,with ,quintus that     
visit to ,kurn ,hattin shaped all his   
future4  ,his  ,master's countenance had
 seemed to him more wonderful than any  
face  which the gifted ,phidias had ever
 carved in stone4  ,but never in  after 
days could he worthily tell to ,lucretia

 the vision he had  seen4  ,only in one 
poor sentence could he sum it up3 ,i    
have seen  for myself the risen and     
ascending ,lord4          ,,vi          
,,christ',s ,,witnesses ,,at ,,rome     
,a great multitude4--,tacitus4          
,with jubilation ,quintus sees again the
 shores of ,italy rise over  the        
,adriatic1 and finds himself once more  
in his beloved ,rome4  ,the  center of  
magnificence and power it seems4  ,alter
 clamorous public  greetings in the     
,forum1 there comes another welcome     
which happens  only in a returning      
soldier's life4  ,in the palace of      
,marcus the  kindred of ,quintus are    
gathered1 and ,lucretia also is in the  
circle1 to hear his great adventure4    
,how wonderful it seems1 the knight     
begins3 so many times have  your faces  
come to me in my dreams1 but now ,i am  
fully awake and  see them once again4   
,hail to you all6  ,when ,i was sailing 
away  from ,brundisium1 the augur       
foretold for me an unusual experience4  

,in the ,jewish life beyond the ,sea ,i 
have learned much1 if that were  the    
fulfillment4  ,but1 most of all1 ,i have
 come back with a new  religious faith4 
,in ,judaea1 as you must have heard1 a  
certain  ,galilaean has called himself  
the ,son of the one true ,god4  ,he has 
spoken of a future life for men2 and he 
has now risen from the  grave1 after his
 torture on a cross1 to prove his       
doctrine true4  ,i  now believe in him1 
as the interpreter of the future life4  
,forevermore he is my ,high ,priest1 and
 not the great pontifex in the  temple  
of your ,jupiter4    ,brave words they  
are4  ,there in the great hall of       
,marcus1 with the  sunlight shining on  
the gorgeous palaces of the ,caesars1   
the ,temple  of ,apollo1 and all else   
which crowns the ,palatine1 the noble   
,quintus confesses his new belief4      
,come what will the consequences6       
,then1 while they hear in amazement1 he 
further says2 ,most inviting  is this   
new creed4  ,our wise ,roman scholars1  

as well as those in  ,greece1 have only 
been guessers about the future life4    
,but the  ,christus speaks as one who   
has come from the heavens4  ,those who  
keep his commandments are to dwell with 
him forevermore in eternal  joy4        
,everywhere through ,judaea men are     
becoming his followers1 and  the wide   
world is to believe on him4  ,perhaps   
you also1 my  cherished ones1 will come 
to accept his teaching of the future    
life4    ,so ,quintus speaks1 with his  
vibrant voice and with a strange light  
on his face4  ,wonderingly they hear the
 tidings that he brings--the  recital of
 the greatest happening that can ever   
befall a man4  ,not  deriding their     
valiant soldier1 and not withholding    
their wealth of  love from one who has  
come safely back to them1 they watch the
  changes in his life4    ,i do not     
care1 he says1 to loiter in the baths of
 ,agrippa and to  hear from the idlers  
there the gossip of the hour4  ,the     
gladiatorial struggles in the ,circus   

,maximus and the comedies in  the       
theaters have lost for me their relish4 
,for the civic rewards  which ,tiberius 
gives his favored ones ,i have no wish4 
,senatorships  and proconsulships are   
like the dust in the apothecaries'      
scales4  ,i have seen the risen ,lord6  
,influential is such a life on the home 
group of ,quintus4  ,with his  pride of 
birth and his great properties1 ,marcus 
becomes a believer4  ,a conversion it is
 which is the surprise of ,rome4  ,the  
rare  ,lucretia1 as well1 receives the  
truth4  ,at times1 before she has       
called herself a disciple1 ,quintus     
escorts her to the worship of  the      
,roman ,christians4  ,their captivating 
speech1 their holy love  for one        
another1 their rapturous faces move her 
deepest heart4  ,till1 one day1 when    
,quintus has been telling her of the    
womanhood  in ,judaea which the ,christ 
has ennobled1 she replies3    ,i believe
 it all1 ,o ,quintus4  ,of late into my 
heart an untold  peace has come4  ,all  

things are changed for me4  ,the        
sunlight is on  the hills6  ,it is her  
open confession4  ,lucretia is          
thenceforth  enrolled among the ,roman  
saints of whom the world was not worthy1
  and who looked for the life to come4  
,in the fellowship of the ,roman        
church--already founded and rapidly     
enlarging--,quintus finds his pleasure4 
,a few are ,jews from the  ghetto beyond
 the ,tiber1 till the persecution of    
,claudius drives  them forth4  ,more are
 of the varied nationalities met in that
  commercial and luxurious center4      
,most are of plebeian blood4  ,there are
 smiths and mechanics2 there are stone  
cutters1 workers in  mosaics1 and       
decorators4  ,there are slaves from the 
very palace of  ,tiberius4  ,there is   
,amon from ,egypt1 who sells his jewelry
 down in  the ,nova ,via4  ,there is    
,polemon1 the ,grecian shopkeeper1 in   
the  ,clivus ,victoriae4  ,there is     
,onesimus1 the servant of ,philemon1    
from  ,colossae4  ,there are ,amplias   

and ,epaenetus and ,stachys1 the        
particular friends of the ,gentile      
apostle4  ,there is1 as well1  ,pomponia
 ,graecina1 that woman of noble blood1  
who accepts the  ,christ4  ,an          
ever-increasing company it is4    ,in   
their assemblies1 on the first day of   
the week1 ,quintus has his  influential 
place4  ,he listens to the reading of   
the older  ,scriptures2 he celebrates   
with the gathered company the           
eucharistic  suppers and agapae2 he     
keeps with them the ,easter celebration1
 in  memory of ,him who shall give them 
eternal life4  ,in emblem of their      
faith the sign of the fish is on their  
evening lamps4  ,theirs is a  sterling  
citizenship4  ,the wanton metropolis of 
the ,caesars is  blessed immeasurably by
 the company of these who follow the    
risen  ,lord4    ,it is after the       
midcentury that the great ,paulus1      
having met with  shipwreck on ,melita1  
draws near to ,rome4  ,quintus leads the
 company  that goes out southward forty 

miles1 to welcome the ,christian        
traveler4   ,at ,appii ,forum1 that     
common town with its bargemen and  its  
tavern keepers1 they give the kiss of   
welcome to a little bent  and           
gray-haired ,jew1 who shall go down into
 history as ,christ's  most illustrious 
apostle4  ,the faithful ,luke is his    
companion4  ,along the famous highway of
 the ,via ,appia1 where emperors and    
warriors1 scholars and ,oriental        
tradesmen have walked1 ,quintus  escorts
 their guest4  ,past the tombs of the   
,roman great1 by  uncounted statues1    
past suburban villas they go1 until1    
through the  ,porta ,appia1 the holy    
prisoner1 chained to a ,roman guard1    
finds  himself in the city of the       
,caesars4    ,one rare privilege the    
,roman knight then envoys4  ,in his     
hired  house1 near the ,pretorian camp1 
,paul speaks without interruption  his  
words of grace4  ,the doctrines he had  
before written to the  ,roman church he 
now explains2 the wish he had made to   

see them face  to face now expresses    
itself in words of love4  ,the flood    
tides of  his eloquence move            
resistlessly on1 as he interprets the   
new faith  and speaks of ,him who is to 
give them eternal life4  ,quintus is    
enriched by his frequent association    
with the peerless soul4  ,nor  did he   
have a prouder thing to say1 in the days
 to come1 than to  declare1 ,i heard    
great ,paulus tell of the life immortal4
    ,but how fares our knight when      
persecution comes8  ,through the years  
he has been bravely declaring the       
,christian doctrine of the eternal  life
 to priests in the temples1 to ,roman   
nobles1 to all most  hostile4  ,but his 
wealth and social standing1 as well as  
the  emperor's favor1 now insure his    
safety4  ,his father ,marcus has long   
since passed on1 in hope of the heavenly
 life4  ,having wedded the  graceful    
,lucretia1 when an apostle was in ,rome 
to speak their  nuptials1 he has her    
efficient counsel in the testing times4 

,look6 look6 ,lucretia1 he cries1 one   
evening2 through the lower  city the    
flames are running like unbridled       
horses4  ,there is danger  that all     
,rome may go to ashes4    ,for nine long
 days they watch the sweep of the lurid 
flames4  ,the  light shines out like a  
signal torch1 to mark an emperor's      
folly4  ,then the undeserved charge that
 they have lit the flames brings on  the
 martyrdom of the ,roman ,christians4   
,sometimes ,quintus and  ,lucretia are  
able to soften the trials of the        
sufferers1 by  permission of the        
capricious ,nero4  ,to old ,chilo1 the  
,grecian1  before he meets his doom1    
they unfold the promise of eternal      
reward  in the ,father's house4  ,the   
hope of immortality they carry to those 
who go to the lions1 at the emperor's   
whimsical command4  ,and the  glorious  
company of martyrs passes singing to the
 skies1 because of  their consoling     
words4    ,down into the dungeon of the 
,mamertine they are permitted once to   

go1 to visit ,paulus4  ,but he needs not
 their consolation4  ,rather  he is the 
comforter4  ,with the poise of a        
conqueror he bids them  not to mourn for
 him3 he is going to the ,lord in the   
unending life4  ,over their bowed heads 
he stretches his aged hands1 in         
apostolic  benediction4  ,soon ends his 
imprisonment4  ,at ,tre ,fontane1 in a  
few days more1 his weary body rests2 but
 his immortal spirit mounts  beyond the 
stars4      ,at last the ,christian     
knight comes to the crossing4  ,the     
prediction  of the augur at ,brundisium 
has been strikingly fulfilled4  ,matured
  in all the graces1 he is like the     
ripened ,chian clusters that await  the 
vintager in the autumn days4  ,the      
friends of ,quintus have gone  before2  
as the old century wanes1 the old man is
 to follow them4    ,my time has come to
 go1 he says one day2 the portals of    
eternal  life and joy ,i see swinging   
open wide4  ,i shall pass through the   
gates1 because my ascended ,lord has    

gone in before me to prepare my         
dwelling place4  ,with him as my        
,teacher ,i believe in the life         
immortal4      ,in the ,roman catacombs1
 those most remarkable testimonies to   
the  eternal life1 his resting place may
 be found4  ,the sign of the fish  is on
 his stone4  ,its time-eaten inscription
 is still legible1  among the many which
 tell of the early ,christian           
expectation and of  all future          
,christian hope3      ,,here ,,rests    
,,the ,,dust ,,of ,,quintus1 ,,of       
,,noble ,,blood2 ,,in ,,the ,,faith ,,of
  ,,the ,,ascended ,,lord ,,he ,,has    
,,entered ,,upon ,,the ,,eternal ,,life4