The Great Gospel of John
Volume 4
Jesus' Precepts and Deeds through His Three Years of Teaching
Jesus near Caesarea Philippi (cont.)
- Chapter 16 -
The false authority of Herod.
Says Cyrenius: "Friend, this is more than a surmise; this is completely the purest truth! Even if the emperor had given Herodes the requested authority within the quickest exchange, it would have been impossible to be send back from Rome to Jerusalem within six weeks, since each order coming from Rome to Sidon takes under the most favourable wind conditions already forty days. Along the high seas, where the route might be shortest, no ships sail anyway; if someone sails along the coast of the great Mediterranean Sea or the Adriatic Sea past Greek to here, it requires at least forty days, and therefore nobody can make the trip to and fro within the same time.
2
In addition each foreigner who comes to Rome and wants to ask the emperor for a favour, must stay seventy days in Rome, before which time none other than a general or high ranking dignitary be allowed to see the emperor but surely not a foreign messenger or privateer. Since it is a set custom in Rome that every foreigner who wants to obtain a favour from the emperor in Rome, must first make a sacrifice to the city by consuming as much as possible and by bringing other presents and sacrifices to the many institutions and events, what so to speak each foreigner coming from faraway countries is able to do, since he, without being very rich, could not come to Rome and ask for any special favours. Because for the general, resourceless peoples class laws and fair judges are instituted and sanctioned; if someone has a shoe pressing him, he knows where to go. If he goes, he will be helped fairly and according to the law; since with us romans there are no exceptions, and the principle applies throughout: 'Justitia fundamentum regnorum!' (Justice is the foundation of all nations/empires!) and 'Pereat mundus, fiat jus!' (The world can go under, but justice to everyone!) These are not only empty words with us romans, but principles, which have been up to now followed very strictly.
3
Therefore it is not unfair for those who come to Rome to bring a sacrifice to the big city of nations, before being regarded worthy fo any kind of imperial mercy. And from this in turn it can be derived, that the five messengers from the temple could not have been come before the emperor in less than seventy days, and therefore it would be impossible for them to make an effective trip to Rome and back within six weeks. But if they could not do this, the certain judgmental conclusion is reached by itself, that the five kept the treasures of honour for the emperor for themselves and handed a forged and therefore completely falsified authority to the power hungry sub ruler! Herodes thinks to own a greater jurisdiction as was originally issued to him by Rome as a sub ruler. However, soonest he will be given the clearest wine about it!
4
Yes, now I understand why Rome has not given me any report whatsoever about it! Since I, as the most unrestricted power bearer of Rome over the whole of Asia and an adjoining part of Africa, must be informed about everything no matter what Rome has imposed upon Asia, otherwise I would be forced to regard an imposition unknown to me, becoming active, as a provincial arbitrary action, thus an uprising against Rome and its powers, and had to intervene against it imminently with all powers available to me! Therefore you will understand, that the authority of Herodes must be false! But if the authority is false, you must understand that I have to inform Herodes about the fraud, and secondly to take away his false authority and send it to the emperor, so that he himself can punish the evil villains for dishonouring his person!"