,,altemus' ,,beautiful ,,stories        
,,series   ,,the ,,first ,,easter  ,,by 
,j4 ,h4 ,,willard   ,,illustrated       
,,philadelphia ,,henry ,,altemus        
,,company    ,altemus' ,illustrated     
,beautiful ,stories ,series  ,,the      
,,first ,,christmas4 ,,the ,,first      
,,easter4 ,,once ,,in ,,seven ,,years4  
,the ,story of the ,jubilee ,,with      
,,hammer ,,and ,,nail4           ,the   
,story of ,jael and ,sisera ,,five      
,,kings ,,in ,a ,,cave4          ,the   
,story of a ,great ,battle ,,the        
,,wisest ,,man4          ,the ,story of 
,solomon ,a ,,farmer',s ,,wife4         
,the ,story of ,ruth ,,the ,,man ,,who  
,,did ,,not ,,die4          ,the ,story 
of ,elijah ,,when ,,iron ,,did ,,swim4  
,the ,story of ,elisha ,,what ,,is      
,,sweeter ,,than ,,honey4          ,the 
,story of ,samson   ,copyright1 #aijf   
,by ,henry ,altemus    ,illustration3   
,,two ,,angels4  ,,the ,,first ,,easter 
,,in the story of ,the ,first ,easter1  
as in the story of ,the ,first          

,christmas1 there is much that is hard  
to understand1 but if we review somewhat
 the ,blessed ,life of ,jesus1 we shall 
better appreciate the glorious          
significance of the day4  ,jesus had    
passed through ,his human life1         
everywhere uttering words of pity1 and  
stretching out hands of mercy4 ,to      
suffer was to have a claim upon ,him4   
,he had not used ,his supernatural      
powers for ,his own benefit1 but for the
 good of others4 ,he employed them      
freely1 helping1 comforting1 healing1   
blessing1 wherever ,he went4            
,illustration3 ,,helping1 ,,comforting1 
,,healing1 ,,blessing4  ,shepherds1 led 
by angels1 were the first witnesses of  
,jesus' birth4 ,his boyhood was spent at
 ,nazareth1 and was entirely without    
sin4 ,he studied the ,old ,testament    
,scriptures in the synagogues1 but in no
 way did ,he become identified with the 
,pharisees or their instructions1 yet   
when ,he began ,his ministry ,he was    
able to teach with authority4  ,jesus   

was baptized by ,john1 who was only six 
months older than himself1 and then1    
after successfully resisting the        
temptations of an evil spirit1 ,he began
 to exercise ,his higher powers and     
gifts1 thus entering upon ,his public   
activity4  ,the life of ,jesus was a    
wandering one during ,his short ministry
 on earth4 ,he visited ,jerusalem twice1
 ,samaria once1 ,nazareth once1 and     
,capernaum several times1 besides       
pausing on the banks of the ,jordan1 and
 traveling from place to place in       
,galilee4 ,he said of ,himself1 that ,he
 had not where to lay ,his head4  ,it is
 thought that ,jesus wore the usual     
dress of a rabbi1 or teacher2 a blue    
robe worn over a long undergarment of   
white1 or pale gray striped with        
crimson2 a covering of folded linen to  
protect ,his head1 and sandals for ,his 
feet4  ,many beautiful incidents in the 
life of ,jesus occurred between the time
 of the first manifestation of ,his     
miraculous powers at ,cana1 where ,he   

turned water into wine at a wedding     
feast1 and the calling of the ,twelve   
,apostles4  ,on one of ,his visits to   
,capernaum ,jesus was surrounded by sick
 and helpless people1 and ,he healed    
them all2 made them well and strong and 
happy4 ,with heavy burdens lifted1 and  
sorrowful hearts cheered1 the little    
town slept2 but ,jesus set out before   
daylight1 and1 reaching a solitary place
 on a mountain1 prayed to ,his ,father1 
,god4  ,then from village to village1   
,jesus carried ,his message and ministry
 of ,love4 ,one day a poor leper came to
 ,him4 ,jesus touched him1 and he was a 
leper no more4  ,not long1 after        
this--again at ,capernaum1 four men     
carried a paralyzed cripple on a litter 
to the house where ,jesus was teaching4 
,the crowd about the door was so great  
that they could not enter1 so they      
lifted their burden onto the flat roof  
of the house1 and having made an        
opening1 lowered the sick man1 still on 
his litter1 into the room where ,jesus  

was4  ,son1 thy sins be forgiven thee1  
said ,jesus1 ,i say unto thee1 arise1   
and take up thy bed1 and go thy way into
 thine house4 ,instantly cured the man  
departed1 carrying his litter as he had 
been commanded4  ,the following ,sabbath
 day ,jesus publicly healed a man in the
 synagogue1 whose hand was withered and 
powerless4 ,the unbelieving rabbis1 and 
others who were present1 were so angry  
at ,him for doing this1 that in their   
hatred and malice they consulted with   
the supporters of the ,roman government1
 whom they usually regarded as enemies1 
as to the surest way of bringing about  
,his death4  ,then came the calling of  
the men whom ,jesus named the ,apostles4
 ,they were twelve in number and became 
associated in new and peculiar relations
 to ,him4 ,it was also the first step   
towards a regular method of spreading   
far and wide ,his blessed teachings4    
,illustration3 ,,jesus ,,and ,,his      
,,apostles4  ,following the choosing of 
the ,apostles1 ,jesus gave to the crowds

 who flocked to hear ,him that beautiful
 address1 which we call ,the ,sermon on 
the ,mount1 and after this he performed 
many more wonderful cures and miracles1 
and taught the people by means of       
parables or stories that they could     
understand4  ,illustration3 ,,the       
,,sermon ,,on ,,the ,,mount4  ,in the   
little village of ,bethany was a humble 
home which ,jesus often visited4 ,the   
family consisted of a man named ,lazarus
 and his two sisters1 ,martha and ,mary4
 ,lazarus was taken sick1 and died4     
,jesus was greatly affected by his      
death1 for he dearly loved him4 ,lazarus
 had been in the tomb for three days    
before ,jesus appeared at the home of   
the sisters1 but he at once went to the 
tomb of his friend1 and called out to   
him to come forth1 and the man who had  
been dead for three days arose sound and
 well4  ,illustration3 ,,the ,,man ,,who
 ,,had ,,been ,,dead ,,arose4  ,after   
the raising of ,lazarus from the dead1  
many of the leading rabbis of           

,jerusalem1 dreading the growing        
influence of ,jesus over the people1 and
 perhaps persuading themselves that it  
might lead to a revolt against the      
,roman government1 brought all their    
power against ,him4  ,a council was     
hurriedly called2 the acting high-priest
 that year presided1 and it was formally
 decided to put ,jesus to death4 ,the   
only point to be considered was the     
easiest way of accomplishing their      
purpose4 ,jesus knew the malice in their
 hearts1 and went away to a lonely      
village called ,ephraim4 ,here ,he      
remained until ,he made his last journey
 to ,jerusalem4  ,while on this journey1
 certain mothers brought their little   
ones to ,jesus1 in the hope that ,he    
might touch them1 and were rebuked by   
the ,apostles for doing so4 ,when ,jesus
 heard the rebuke1 ,he lifted the little
 ones tenderly in ,his arms1 and fondly 
blessed them1 saying1 ,suffer little    
children to come unto me1 and forbid    
them1 not3 for of such is the kingdom of

 ,god4  ,as ,jesus pursued ,his way to  
,jerusalem1 the roads were thronged with
 people going there to keep the         
,passover1 and among the crowds were    
many beggars4 ,the way led by ,jericho1 
and close by the entrance to the city   
sat one of those beggars1 a blind man   
named ,bartimeus4  ,hearing some one in 
the crowd say that ,jesus of ,nazareth  
was passing by1 ,bartimeus called loudly
 for help4 ,in vain the people bade him 
be silent2 he only repeated his cries   
more loudly4 ,jesus listened1 stopped1  
called the man to him1 and asked1 ,what 
wilt thou that ,i should do unto thee8  
,the blind man answered eagerly1 ,lord1 
that ,i might receive my sight1 and     
immediately he received it4  ,on the    
afternoon of ,friday1 the eighth day of 
the ,hebrew month ,nisan1 ,jesus' once  
more reached the friendly home at       
,bethany1 and there1 where ,his welcome 
was always sure1 ,he spent ,his last    
,sabbath upon earth4  ,in the evening1  
,he and ,his ,apostles attended a feast 

at the house of a friend of ,martha and 
,mary1 a man named ,simon who had once  
been a leper1 and was not unlikely      
indebted to ,jesus for his cure4        
,lazarus1 who had been dead but was now 
alive again1 was also present4  ,during 
the meal1 ,mary anointed ,jesus' feet   
with a perfume of the costliest kind4   
,some of the ,apostles1 led by ,judas   
,iscariot1 objected to this on the      
ground that it was wasteful2 but ,jesus 
reproved them1 declaring that wherever  
the ,gospel should be preached          
throughout the world1 ,mary's act of    
devotion should be spoken of for a      
memorial of her4  ,illustration3 ,,mary 
,,anointed ,,jesus' ,,feet4  ,the news  
of ,jesus' arrival at ,bethany soon     
reached ,jerusalem1 and caused ,his     
enemies to plan for the destruction of  
,lazarus1 also1 because his restoration 
to life had made such an impression on  
the people4  ,on the next day--the      
,jewish ,monday1 which we commemorate as
 ,palm ,sunday--,jesus entered          

,jerusalem4 ,it was the custom for      
pilgrims to enter that city for the     
,passover in orderly processions1 with  
music1 and carrying banners4 ,as there  
was no longer any need to restrain the  
ardor of the people ,jesus prepared to  
conform to the custom4  ,following ,his 
instructions two of ,his disciples found
 at ,bethpage1 a village close by1 a    
young animal which had never carried or 
drawn a burden4 ,from very early times  
such animals had been chosen for sacred 
purposes4 ,it was on this colt1 with the
 mantles of the disciples thrown over   
it1 that ,jesus rode attended by a great
 multitude1 who spread their garments   
and branches plucked from trees in the  
way4  ,between the vineyards1 orchards1 
and olive gardens that bordered the     
road1 the procession wound slowly along1
 welcomed by glad throngs that had      
poured out of ,jerusalem to meet it1    
shouting1 ,hosanna6 ,blessed is the     
,king of ,israel that cometh in the name
 of the ,lord6 ,crossing the bridge over

 the brook ,kidron1 ,jesus entered      
,jerusalem4  ,illustration3 ,,the       
,,brook ,,kidron4 ,from a ,photograph4  
,pilgrims were not allowed to go beyond 
the foot of ,mount ,moriah without      
purification1 according to the ,jewish  
ceremonial law4 ,at this place the crowd
 dispersed1 and ,jesus1 first removing  
,his sandals1 entered the ,temple alone4
 ,as the day was drawing to a close1 ,he
 staid there but a short time1 and then 
returned to ,bethany4  ,but the next    
morning1 ,jesus was back in ,jerusalem1 
and once more he expelled the merchants 
and money-changers from the ,temple     
courts4 ,then the blind1 and lame1 and  
all who needed bodily relief surrounded 
,him1 and ,he healed them willingly4    
,the angry priests and rabbis would have
 seized ,him if they had not feared the 
excited crowd1 and so the day passed on1
 ,jesus returning to the cottage at     
,bethany at its close1 only to return to
 the city the next morning4  ,the       
opportunity for which the enemies of    

,jesus were watching so eagerly came at 
last4 ,one of ,his own trusted disciples
 went to the chief priests1 asking what 
they would give him to betray his       
,master4 ,his name was ,judas ,iscariot1
 or ,judas of ,kerioth1 a little village
 in the south of ,judea4  ,the priests  
received ,judas gladly1 and agreed to   
pay him the price of a full-grown       
slave--thirty silver pieces1 a sum equal
 to about twenty dollars of our money4  
,he promised to find them an opportunity
 of arresting ,jesus quietly1 at a time 
when there would be no fear of inciting 
a riot among the people4  ,acting upon  
instructions from ,jesus1 ,peter and    
,john1 two of the ,apostles1 secured a  
room in ,jerusalem1 and prepared for a  
celebration of the ,passover4 ,all was  
made ready1 and ,jesus and ,his twelve  
,apostles met for ,the ,last ,supper4   
,during the meal ,jesus taught ,his     
disciples a touching lesson in humility2
 laying aside ,his upper robe1 ,he      
washed and wiped their feet4 ,then ,he  

told them that one of their number was  
to betray ,him1 saying to ,judas1 ,that 
thou doest1 do quickly4 ,judas rose and 
went away hastily1 but none but ,jesus  
knew his errand4  ,jesus then instituted
 the ,holy ,communion1 which we observe 
in our churches1 and then conversed with
 ,his beloved ,eleven1 cheering their   
sinking spirits by promises of          
unspeakable sweetness4 ,when the hour of
 parting came1 a hymn was sung1 and the 
little company broke up for the last    
time4  ,through the city gate1 across   
the ,kidron bridge1 into the olive      
garden called ,gethsemane1 they went1   
leaving eight of the disciples near the 
entrance4 ,jesus and the remaining three
 entered the quiet shadows of the olive 
trees1 to pray4 ,worn and weary1 the    
three fell asleep4 ,three times ,jesus  
awakened them1 the last time saying1    
,rise up1 let us go6 lo6 he that        
betrayeth ,me is at hand4               
,illustration3 ,,the ,,three ,,fell     
,,asleep4  ,as ,he spoke1 torches flamed

 over the quiet garden1 and the forms of
 armed men showed indistinctly in their 
light4 ,their guide was ,judas of       
,kerioth4 ,stepping to the side of      
,jesus1 he kissed ,him1 and said1 ,hail1
 ,master6 the agreed way of designating 
,jesus to the soldiery4  ,not many words
 were spoken4 ,jesus surrendered at     
once1 only stipulating that no harm     
should come to ,his ,apostles1 who1     
beside themselves with fear1 forsook    
,him and fled4  ,bound1 and a prisoner1 
,jesus was led back into the city1 and  
to the palace probably occupied by      
,caiaphas1 the high-priest and ,annas   
his father-in-law and president of the  
,sanhedrim1 or great ,jewish council4   
,first1 ,he was taken to ,annas1 and    
from him to ,caiaphas1 but not before   
,he had been subjected to much insulting
 treatment4 ,false witnesses had been   
summoned1 only to have their evidence   
fall to the ground1 and the only hope   
that ,caiaphas had was to secure from   
,jesus ,himself some admission that     

could be construed into blasphemy4  ,in 
reply to the high-priest's question1    
,jesus replied that ,he was the ,christ1
 the ,son of ,god4 ,turning to the      
council1 ,caiaphas exclaimed1 ,ye have  
heard the blasphemy6 ,what think ye8 and
 the reply was1 ,he is guilty of death4 
,although thus condemned by the         
,sanhedrim1 the sentence could not be   
carried out unless confirmed by ,pontius
 ,pilate1 the ,roman ,procurator of     
,judea1 who was on his way to           
,jerusalem1 a part of his duties being  
to maintain order there during great    
festivals4 ,before ,pilate could be     
seen1 ,jesus was left to the brutal     
violence of the ,roman soldiers4  ,once 
before ,pilate1 who was unwillingly     
obliged to investigate the matter1      
,jesus was charged with stirring up the 
people1 and with calling ,himself the   
,king of the ,jews4 ,pilate was infirm  
of purpose1 as well as unprincipled4    
,convinced that ,jesus was the victim of
 ill will and jealousy1 he told the     

priests and rabbis that ,he was         
innocent4 ,then he caught at a chance of
 escaping responsibility4  ,the prisoner
 was called ,jesus of ,nazareth2        
,nazareth was in ,galilee2 and ,herod   
,antipas1 the tetrarch of ,galilee1 was 
at that moment in ,jerusalem4 ,the two  
rulers were not on good terms1 but      
,pilate sent ,jesus to ,herod for       
judgment4  ,herod questioned ,jesus1 but
 received no answer4 ,angered at ,his   
silence1 ,herod first mocked ,him1 and  
then sent ,him back to ,pilate1 dressed 
in a gorgeous robe4 ,pilate then        
resorted to a stratagem4 ,every         
,passover a prisoner was set free1 and  
,pilate bade the crowd choose between   
,jesus and ,barabbas1 a robber who had  
committed murder in an insurrection and 
was then lying in prison1 feeling sure  
that they would choose ,jesus4  ,but the
 priests and rabbis exerted their power 
to the utmost4 ,they stirred the people 
to a frenzy1 and then with threats and  
bribes urged them to demand the rebel   

instead of ,jesus1 whom1 but a few days 
before1 they had acclaimed as the       
,messiah4  ,to the dismay of ,pilate1   
the crowd shouted their decision1 ,away 
with this ,man6 ,and release unto us    
,barabbas4 ,in angry helplessness1      
,pilate called for water1 and publicly  
washed his hands1 crying out1 ,i am     
innocent of the blood of this just      
person6 ,see ye to it4 ,instantly the   
frenzied people yelled in reply1 ,his   
blood be on us and on our children6     
,pilate then asked what he should do to 
,jesus1 and as one great voice the      
answer came1 ,crucify ,him6 ,the        
cowardly ,pilate had one last hope4     
,possibly the cruel multitude might be  
touched if they saw ,jesus punished by  
the scourge--a whip into which pieces of
 lead and bone had been plaited4  ,jesus
 bore the agony meekly4 ,then over ,his 
bruised and bleeding body a cast-off    
cloak was flung2 a rude crown of sharp  
thorns was placed upon ,his head2 and in
 ,his right hand a reed1 as a mock      

scepter1 was placed2 while in heartless 
derision the mob sneeringly hailed ,him 
as ,king of the ,jews4 ,with unwearying 
patience ,jesus submitted to their      
taunts and jeers4  ,illustration3       
,,jesus ,,submitted ,,to ,,their        
,,taunts ,,and ,,jeers4  ,now exposed   
where all could see ,him1 the chief     
priests led1 and the crowd again took up
 the cry1 ,crucify ,him1 ,crucify ,him6 
,cowed by the words1 ,if thou let this  
man go1 thou art not ,caesar's friend2  
feeling that he could not spare one     
accused of treason against the ,roman   
emperor1 ,pilate yielded to the voice of
 the people4 ,hastily ,jesus was        
stripped of his robes1 and hurried      
towards the city gate1 while with ,him1 
also under guard1 went two criminals who
 were to be crucified at the same time  
and place4  ,sinking under the burden of
 the cross upon which ,he was to be     
nailed1 ,jesus fell to the ground before
 reaching the place of execution4 ,the  
soldiers of the guard transferred the   

cross to a man whom they met just then1 
and ,jesus stumbled on to die4 ,behind  
,him walked sobbing women1 whose tears  
were all the sympathy ,he had4          
,illustration3 ,,the ,,place ,,of       
,,execution4  ,the hill was climbed2 a  
few rapid preparations made2 and ,jesus 
was crucified like a common criminal4   
,at the moment when the spirit left ,his
 body1 an earthquake shook the earth1   
chasms opened in the rocks1 and tombs   
were thrown open by the convulsion4 ,the
 ,veil-of-,partition in the ,temple was 
rent from top to bottom4  ,joseph of    
,arimathea obtained permission to remove
 the body of ,jesus from the cross4 ,he 
was a rich man1 and the owner of a      
garden near by1 in which a tomb had been
 hewn from a rock4 ,reverently the body 
was lowered1 bathed1 wrapped in perfumed
 linen1 and laid in the rocky recess4   
,then a great stone was used to close   
the entrance to the tomb4 ,no more could
 be done that day1 and the little       
company of mourners dispersed4 ,their   

faithful footsteps died away1 the night 
winds swept past1 and the ,passover moon
 shone full upon the spot4              
,illustration3 ,,laid ,,in ,,the ,,rocky
 ,,recess4  ,jesus lay dead1 but ,his   
enemies were not at ease4 ,a guard was  
ordered1 and for better security a cord 
was drawn across the stone and sealed   
with clay at both ends1 upon which the  
,roman seal was placed4  ,illustration3 
,,their ,,faithful ,,footsteps ,,died   
,,away4  ,the night seemed long to eyes 
weary with weeping and waiting for the  
first signs of dawn4 ,hardly had the    
eastern sky began to redden1 when three 
women set out1 laden with spices1 for   
the garden where ,jesus lay4 ,they were 
,mary of ,magdala1 ,mary the sister of  
,jesus' mother1 and ,salome1 the mother 
of ,john the ,evangelist4  ,hurrying    
along in the dusk of morning1 they      
wondered on whom they might depend to   
roll away the stone at the mouth of the 
tomb1 for of the guards and the seals   
they knew nothing4 ,nearing the tomb1 to

 their unspeakable astonishment they    
found it open and empty1 and the        
sentinels prostrate with terror1 for    
they had seen an angel descend from     
heaven1 and roll away the stone4  ,mary 
of ,magdala stayed for a moment to be   
sure that the body of ,jesus was no     
longer there1 and then sped to the city 
to tell ,peter and ,john what had       
happened4 ,quickly the two ,apostles set
 out for the spot where ,jesus' body had
 been laid to rest4  ,meanwhile1 the    
other women remained1 lost in           
perplexity1 at the entrance to the tomb4
 ,suddenly an angel appeared1 who told  
them that ,jesus had risen1 and that    
they should see ,him4 ,bewildered with  
surprise and joy1 the startled women ran
 to tell what they had seen and heard to
 the ,apostles1 but their news was      
received with incredulity1 and treated  
as idle tales4  ,illustration3          
,,suddenly ,,an ,,angel ,,appeared4     
,mary of ,magdala followed ,peter and   
,john to the garden4 ,john outran ,peter

 and was the first to look into the     
empty tomb4 ,peter1 as soon as he       
arrived1 entered the tomb1 and noted its
 orderly condition4 ,the wrappings were 
laid carefully aside1 and the linen that
 had bound ,jesus' head was smoothly    
folded1 and laid apart from the         
wrappings4  ,vague as were ,peter's     
ideas of the resurrection of ,jesus1 he 
believed that ,he had indeed risen as   
,he had promised the ,apostles4 ,john   
stooped and entered the tomb1 and he1   
too1 was convinced4 ,both knew that the 
,first ,easter ,day had dawned upon the 
world4  ,he who had conquered death1    
gladdened the eyes of those who loved   
,him five times before the close of that
 ,easter ,day4 ,mary of ,magdala was the
 first to see ,him4 ,she heard a voice1 
and1 thinking it must be that of the    
gardener1 she asked piteously where the 
body of ,jesus had been laid4 ,no answer
 came1 but soon she heard her name      
pronounced1 ,mary6  ,illustration3 ,,she
 ,,heard ,,her ,,name--',,mary6'        

,turning hastily1 ,mary saw ,jesus1 and 
no words can describe her rapturous joy4
 ,jesus then told her to hasten to tell 
the ,apostles that she had seen ,him1   
and she obeyed4 ,meanwhile1 the other   
women1 who had returned to the garden by
 another path1 met ,jesus1 and their    
loving hearts were set at rest4         
,illustration3 ,,on ,,the ,,way ,,to    
,,emmaus4  ,on the road from ,jerusalem 
to ,emmaus1 a village some eight miles  
from the city1 two of ,his disciples    
were joined by ,jesus1 but not until ,he
 had become a guest at their evening    
meal did they recognize ,him4           
,illustration3 ,,supper ,,at ,,emmaus4  
,in some friendly house in ,jerusalem1  
all the ,apostles except ,thomas were   
gathered4 ,eager feet had come through  
the darkness1 and eager voices had      
demanded admittance4 ,now the doors were
 fastened for fear of wrathful priests  
and rulers4 ,the two who had talked with
 ,jesus on the way to ,emmaus had told  
their story1 and in turn had learned    

that ,jesus had appeared to ,peter4     
,nine of the ten ,apostles present had  
not yet beheld ,jesus since ,his        
resurrection4 ,they had listened        
attentively to those who had seen their 
risen ,lord1 but still they were        
perplexed4 ,an interval of silence came2
 then1 though no door had opened1 no    
footstep sounded1 ,jesus stood in their 
midst1 breaking the stillness with the  
words1 ,peace be unto you6  ,grief was  
slow to change to joy1 but as a last    
convincing proof of ,his presence1      
,jesus asked for food and ate it4 ,peace
 be unto you6 ,he said again2 ,receive  
ye the ,holy ,ghost6 ,he added1 as ,his 
form could no longer be discerned4      
,silently1 and as suddenly as ,he had   
appeared1 ,jesus had disappeared1 and   
the ,first ,easter ,day was at an end4