Knowing there was nothing more to be gained, Caiaphas bowed and turned to leave, almost bumping into Artorius.
“Eavesdropping on private conversations, I see,” he grunted.
“And good to see you, too,” Artorius replied with a grin as the disgruntled high priest left. The centurion then turned to Pilate, who was accepting a cup of wine from a servant. “What was that all about?”
“The short version of the story is that a mob flew into a rage over a local prostitute and tried to stone her to death. The teacher from Nazareth you heard us discussing intervened, quelled the mob, and saved the woman’s life. I have told the Jews repeatedly that it is Roman law they fall under, not the laws of Moses or whatever prophets they choose to reference. This latest incident was too much, and I’ve had to take more drastic steps.”
“Such as?”
“I’ve revoked the Jews’ authorization to carry out capital punishment,” Pilate replied. “From now on, only Rome will administer the harshest of sentences, and even then only those for crimes committed under Roman law.”
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Artorius asked. “That is going to create a massive load of work for our courts, plus it leaves the potential for us being placed in a very precarious position.”
“Artorius, you are both my friend and brother-in-law, which is one reason why I allow you to be far more candid than perhaps I should. That said, I do not tell you how to train legionary or auxiliary infantrymen. Do not tell me how to pass laws and edicts on these insufferable people.”
“Apologies,” Artorius replied, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Pilate raised a hand, silencing him. “No,” he said, “I should apologize. You always mean well, but you do not see what I have to deal with every day from these people. And remember, I was governing this province five years before you arrived.”
“There are many days I don’t envy you.” Artorius decided it was time to change their topic of conversation to the very reason why he’d come straight to see the procurator. “Speaking of capital punishment, I take it you received word about the ambush and the prisoners we took?”
“Centurion Taurus gave me a full report. Your men did well. I sent both Justus and Julius to Jericho. As it is about twice the distance from here as Tiberias, I do not expect them back for a few more days. Praxus went by ship to Gaza. I gave him a mission similar to yours, extending our friendship to the local ruler, another one of Herod’s relatives, while gently reminding them that they still fall under Rome.”
“Fortunately for us, the zealots are unorganized and lack central leadership,” Artorius observed. “I hate to think what would happen, should they ever quit fighting each other and actually unite their people against us.”
“And that is why this Jesus from Nazareth may need watching,” Pilate remarked. “I’ll grant you, prophets and so-called messiahs can be found behind every bush in this province. However, most are blustering fools who the people pay little attention to. As much as I loathe the thought of Caiaphas being right about something, he makes a valid point in that the people actually follow this man. But I don’t think you need to concern yourself over it. I’ll speak with Justus when he returns and get his input.”
“What about Cornelius?” Artorius asked. “He seems to have a rather strong affinity with the Jews.”
“Yes,” Pilate concurred. He then remarked, “Perhaps too much of one. No, Justus is the best set of eyes and ears we have. He’s spent almost his entire career in the east, he speaks most of the languages, and I hate to admit it, but his network of informers is far superior to mine. That’s why I sent him to Jericho. It is deep within the province, and if anyone can gauge the true disposition of the people, it will be Justus.”
Another week passed before Justus returned from Jericho. Much to Pilate’s relief, the city was mostly docile when compared to the simmering cauldron of hatred that was Jerusalem. There had also been more sightings of the man known as Jesus of Nazareth, and Pilate decided it was time to put the matter to rest. Late one morning after breakfast, he called a meeting with both Artorius and Justus, as well as an auxiliary cavalryman from Taurus’ regiment who had heard the Nazarene teaching the week before.
“Prophets in this region spring up all over the place,” Justus observed. “Why should this one be any different?”
“The prophets of the Jews speak mostly of freedom, usually wrought through violence against Rome,” the auxiliary trooper said. “This one seems to be different. He has a very calming air about him. Apparently he talks of compassion towards all mankind; even the Romans.”
“Well, that’s very nice of him,” Pilate replied with a bored sigh, his head resting in his hand. “Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin keep insisting he’s a threat, so we need to find out for certain. Justus, have a squad of legionaries follow him and deliver a full report within a week. If he is truly harmless, leave him be.”
“I’ll go myself,” the copper-haired centurion said. “But no legionaries. I’ll have my sources find out where he is supposed to be speaking next and will see for myself if he is truly a threat or just a harmless vagrant. If this Jesus of Nazareth so much as raises a finger in defiance towards Rome, I’ll personally stab him through the heart.” Justus then saluted and immediately left.
“I hope this Nazarene turns out to be nothing worth noting,” Pilate said after a moment. “I would rather put Justus’ sources onto finding arms smugglers. I understand the group you captured had some military-grade weapons on them?”
“Only a few,” Artorius replied. “But yes, we did find some gladii very similar to ours.”
“There have also been some more thefts from a couple of the central armories,” Pilate added. “These are normally heavily guarded, so I suspect there is someone working on the inside to allow smugglers access. Should we capture one of the ringleaders alive, we can provide vital intelligence to those conducting the investigation, which would be a huge political benefit to us.”
“Do we have any possible leads?” Artorius asked.
“There is one. His name is Jesus bar Abbas, though most just refer to him as Barabbas. He’s a petty thief who somehow managed to escape after being caught stealing horses from an Arabian merchant over a year ago. He’s certainly a risk taker, and it would not surprise me if he’s moved on to stealing arms and selling them to the zealots. He may even be a zealot himself. I want him found, tortured, and after he’s given us the names of his suppliers, crucified.”
As summer slowly changed into fall, the rest of the year passed uneventfully enough. Justus’ week-long mission of following Jesus of Nazareth, as well as any other prophets who Pilate felt needed watching, had become his full-time occupation. Two so-called ‘messiahs’ had been arrested for inciting sedition and were summarily crucified, although nothing could be found of fault with the teacher from Nazareth, despite the constant protestations of the Sanhedrin. Pilate had further restricted what the Jewish authorities could and could not do regarding the dealing with crime and punishment, therefore preventing them from dealing with the Nazarene directly.
As the one-year anniversary approached of the fall of Sejanus, Pilate would immediately break into a cold sweat every time correspondence came from Rome. He would then be relieved once he saw that it was mostly administrative details and not once was the ordeal with Sejanus ever mentioned. Pilate had wisely heeded the advice given by Artorius and his staff and remained silent about his former benefactor. It was almost as if Sejanus had never existed. Indeed, a decree of Damnatio Memoriae, meaning “condemnation of memory”, had been passed on both Sejanus and Livilla.
Correspondence from the emperor was becoming harder to gauge. Just before Saturnalia, Pilate received a pair of messages from Tiberius. The first berated him severely for his iron-handed tactics when dealing with the people, and if rebellion did ever come to Judea, the emperor would hold him fully responsible for it. The very next day, Pilate, now fearing the worst, received a second message from the emperor, asking about his health and that of his wife, and further wishing him a joyous Saturnalia.