The Crucifixion - By an Eye-Witness

Anon

• Publisher: Hall Press
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN: 9781444639063
• eBook ISBN: 9781528762106
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Originally published in 1911, this unusual early works contains a letter, written seven years after the Crucifixion, by a personal friend of Jesus in Jerusalem, to an esseer brother in Alexandria. The English Translation of the ancient Latin copy of the letter was made by a German. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900's and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

PART I

LETTER

FROM AN “ESSEER” IN JERUSALEM TO HIS BRETHREN IN ALEXANDRIA

PEACE be with you dear brethren! You have heard of the things that have happened in Jerusalem and Palestine in general. You were right to believe Jesus to be our Brother and a member of our Order, of whom his friends among the Romans and Jewish people relate, that he taught and wrought great wonders, and finally suffered the death of martyrs in Jerusalem.

He was born in Nazareth, by the entrance to the beautiful valley into which the river “Kisson” rushes down the steep declivities of the Mount Tabor. He was put under the protection of the Order by a member of our Brotherhood, by whom his father and mother found a refuge on their flight to Egypt. There are, as you know, many of our brethren living on the borders of Egypt.

In fine, Jesus was admitted into the Order at the same time with John in their years of early manhood. He lived then in Galilee and had just returned from a visit to Jerusalem, where he was watched by our Brotherhood. Jutha was the place of his initiation, close by the grand castle of Masseda, where the mountains raise their lofty peaks above the surrounding country.

My dear Brethren, you may all have been convinced that he has been a member of our Order, as well by the doctrines he has taught the people, and his signs of recognition, especially the baptism and the breaking of the bread and passing of the wine, as well as by his being baptized by one of our brethren, John, in Jordan, near the shore of the Dead Sea, in a westerly direction—for baptism, as you know, has been, since time immemorial, a sacred institution in our Order.

You wonder that the belief in the supernatural and miracles should gain foothold in our midst, when you know that we all have to bear the responsibility for the actions of one of our members.

Therefore, you ought to know that the rumor is like a wind. When it commences it drives the pure air far ahead, but in its progress it receives all vapors and mist from the earth, and when it has traveled some distance it creates darkness instead of the clear pure air of which it was at first composed, and at last consists solely of the particles it has received during its progress.

It is even so with the rumors concerning Jesus and his fate.

Furthermore, remember that the inspired men, who have written and spoken of him, were often carried away by the spirit of enthusiasm, and in their devotion and simplicity they believed all the things told them about him by the multitudes who were even more simple-minded and superstitious than they.

Bear ever in mind also that, in accordance with our rules, the secrets of our holy Brotherhood at all times remained unknown to these writers, and that only our higher members had any knowledge about the secret assistance and protection Jesus received from us.

And, finally, do not forget that our rigid laws prohibited us from interfering or taking any active part in the councils or plans of the rulers of the land.

Therefore we have acted quietly and secretly, and have suffered the law to run its course; at the same time we secretly aided and assisted our friend in ways which did not infringe the law and our rules.

Know then that Jesus was and is our “Brother,” and himself vowed, when he at Jutha was made an initiate of our Order, that our Brotherhood thenceforth should be to him as father and mother; and truly we have proved us so in the spirit and the letter of our law.

I write this to you, my Brethren, in the truth and knowledge of our Brotherhood, that you may know and understand the truth concerning what has come to pass. I tell you only of the things I know, and I have seen it all with mine own eyes and have taken a deep interest and an active part in all these transactions.

Now, at the time that I write this to you, the Jews have seven times eaten of the lamb of the passover since our Brother was crucified, our Brother whom we all loved and in whom God was glorified. Nevertheless I have forgotten none of the things I have lived to see come to pass. Indeed, as true as are the words that pass from my lips, and the thoughts that I write, as verily do I believe from the depths of my soul, that Jesus was chosen of God and begotten by the Eternal Spirit. He called himself the son of God, and he proved himself to us by teaching in the name of God. He also lived a holy life, and was deeply learned in the secrets of all the kingdoms of nature. In all these things we of the secret Brotherhood acknowledge God; and the man among us who can say: “Behold, I am of God,” verily he is so; for he that is not cannot say it, not having the word in his heart, and not having learned it from the spirit.

I will now tell you of the parentage of this man, who loved all men, and for whom we feel the highest esteem, that you may have full knowledge of him.

He was from his infancy brought up for our Brotherhood. Indeed, he was predicted by an “Esseer” whom the woman thought to be an angel. This woman was given to many imaginings, delving into the supernatural and into the mysteries of life, and she found deep interest and pleasure in the things she could not explain.

Our Brother, the “Esseer,” has acknowledged to us his part in these things, and has persuaded the Brotherhood secretly to search for and protect the child.

And Joseph, who was a man of great experience in life, and deep devotion to the immortal truth, through a messenger of our Order was influenced not to leave the woman nor to disturb her faith in the sacredness of her experience, and to be a father to the child until our Brotherhood should admit him as a novice.

Thus, during their flight to Egypt, Joseph was secretly protected and guided by our Order and conducted as a guest to the congregated Brotherhood by the Mount “Cassius,” at the slope of the mount, on which the Romans have built a temple dedicated to Jupiter. The “Esseers” who lived there were commissioned to introduce Joseph, his wife and the child into their congregation, that they might see our way of worshiping and praising God, “the Creator of all,” and learn the ceremony of eating the consecrated bread and drinking the holy wine.

At our request they informed our Brotherhood in Jerusalem how it all had been done. Joseph was placed among the half-circle of men on the right hand, and Mary, his wife, among the women on the left hand. There they, with our Brethren, ate the bread and drank the wine, and all together sang the holy hymns.

Further, Joseph here vowed before the elder of our Brotherhood, that he renounced forever any claim on the child who was thenceforth to belong to the Order. He was then made acquainted with the salutation and sign of the holy Brotherhood, which would enable him during his travels to make himself known to these. They also directed him which route to take to arrive in safety.

This route was through a part of the country where there lived many enlightened and learned Jews who were well versed in the Scriptures, and devoted to study. Among these our Order has many members. These were ordered to protect Joseph and be hospitable to him, even before he arrived among them. This was in the beautiful country of Heliopolis with its splendid forests, and near unto the temple of Jehovah, erected by Onias.

When the peril in Galilee was over and the Roman “Warus” was pillaging in Judea, making that country unsafe, Joseph went to Nazareth, which is situate near by the steep mount of Tabor.

But soon Archelaus brought new terror over Galilee, and Joseph was persuaded by our brethren to go to Jerusalem—on his way passing “Luhem”—and there seek protection by our Brotherhood. This was duly accomplished, and at passover they arrived at “Nisan.”

Here I myself spoke with them. I was then in the lower degree of the Order, and in obedience to the command of the elder carried a message to Joseph. I found him to be a man of candor and wide experience who spoke with great judgment and wisdom. Indeed, he exhorted Mary to describe distinctly the differences between reality and dreamy imagination, things as different as the day is from the night, and instructed her how to quiet her mind through prayer and devotion.

Her mind was filled with fiery imaginings that often lifted her thoughts to heavenly things and made her indifferent to the things of the earth. In consequence she strongly influenced the mind of her son to the study and contemplation of immortal truths.

Joseph commended her for her good influence over the child. He also instructed Jesus in knowledge and wisdom, and protected his pure mind against the power of overstrained imagination.

And when the child Jesus spoke with the scribes concerning holy things his doctrines gave deep offense to the Pharisees in Jerusalem, in that they considered them dangerous and incredible.

Inasmuch as the Pharisees held rigidly to the traditions and details of the law of Moses, they were deeply aggrieved against every one who did not believe with them, and who did not keep in outward form to the ceremonials of their temple service.

They gave alms in the sight of the multitudes. They taught of “the kingdom of the dead,” of the influence of good angels and evil spirits, and of the future grand eternal destiny of the Jewish people. Although they had many friends among the common people, and exercised great power and influence with them; nevertheless, the Spirit of God dwelt neither in their houses nor on their tongues.

But Joseph had come to be of our doctrines, and without figures or mysteries he fixed them in the mind of the growing child. Indeed, the child thus early was touched by the miseries of the people, and they were enraptured to hear him teach the word of God. The Scribes knew him to be from Galilee, and they despised him as they despised the whole people of Galilee.

But some of our brethren went to the temple, and without betraying themselves through our holy salutation, kept him in their midst, that they might thus protect him.

When the divine child had spoken publicly, in the temple, then were our brothers apprehensive of the dangers that threatened him; for they knew that the Pharisees and the Rabbis were in private council fully determined to banish him from Galilee because of his doctrines. They therefore lured him to the synagogue of Sopherim by manifesting to him an assumed interest in the law, for they perceived that in all his ardor and enthusiasm he was influenced by nothing else.

Thus it came to pass that he was lost from his father and mother in the large city which then contained many people from the whole country, because of the passover.

Our friends, the Esseers, were informed of these things, and they saw that it was not safe nor wise for the child to remain longer among the Pharisees, as much more as a Rabbi, who had become a true friend and teacher to the child, no more could be present to moderate his zeal and ardor, contending as he was with the immoral hypocrites, as the Rabbi had gone on a journey to Jericho.

Therefore we informed Joseph and his wife, whom we found in double grief inasmuch as they at the time also had been informed that the husband of Elizabeth, Mary’s friend, had died. Thus, for three days Mary had been searching for her son, in deep sorrow, and at the same time she felt a strong desire to go and see her friend. At last, on the fourth day, she found her son at Sopherim, according to the information given her by our Brethren.

And Nabbin, the Rabbi who had taken such deep interest in the child, was a secret member of our Order, and had received instructions to protect him.

Thus it came to pass that Mary, her husband and her son returned to Jutha.

Here she found her friend Elizabeth in great grief, with her son, whose name was John.

Here the two youths were much together, and together they talked much about the sacred and the divine. Oft they wandered into the wildest parts of the mountain regions. They grew to be devoted friends, and their attachment ripened into intimate acquaintance with each other in their search for truth.

John, who was the son of Zacharias, had already received the doctrines of the Nazarenes as regards reservedness, and he knew perfectly the Scriptures and traditions, but comprehended not the beautiful and the exalted in this world, nor the laws of nature, as well as Jesus. He felt great dislike for the customs of the heathens, and despised and hated all tyrants.

And the time had come when Jesus should be admitted into the first degree of our Order. And in the valley our Order had a Brotherhood, situate near the mountain where the castle Masseda stands, and the elder of our Brotherhood met them there, and listened to their conversation.

He taught them that wisdom and virtue are strengthened by fraternity; whereupon Jesus, in a transport of great joy, asked that he might be prepared at once for admittance into our holy Order. The example set by Jesus was followed by John, and the elder offered up a prayer which made Jesus a devotee of God.

According to the rules of our Order, the elder now said: “You shall be my brethren as soon as you, by the next new moon, shall see the glare of the fire on the mountain where the temple is built, and where you then will appear. He that is initiated into our Order must at the same time dedicate his life to the service of others. Tell your father Joseph that the time is now come for him to fulfil the vow he made at Mount Cassius.”

The Esseer then departed. But when the child had returned to his home Joseph was already remembered of his vow and of his duties to our brethren.

Joseph then, for the first time, made known to Jesus that he was not his father.

Together they kept secret the admission of Jesus into our Brotherhood, for fear of the Gaulanites.

At the appointed time they saw, in the evening, the fire signal ascend from the mountain, whereupon they immediately set forth to journey thither. When they were arrived at the temple they were met by the white-robed messengers sent by the Brotherhood.

According to our rules, Jesus was initiated into our holy Order, after the following manner:

Both were instructed and shown the way to enter into the assemblage, where the brethren were seated in four separated groups, according to the four degrees. Over the scene the crescent shed its lurid glare...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Contents
• Introduction
• Preface
• Description of Jesus
• Death-Warrant of Jesus
• Part I.
• Part II.