Chapter Eleven – The Market Place

Chapter Eleven

The small troupe of priests arrived at the market in the late afternoon. It was still several hours before dusk and they had plenty of time to barter for goods.

The priests were forced to proceed in a single file as they entered the market place. Zechariah and Berechiah led the way in between the shops and customers crowding the street.

The city was organized in part by the trade guilds which each tradesman belonged to. Then there were the inhabitants who supported themselves in other ways. The market place was an area of the city where goods could be bought and sold to travelers not wishing to visit each guild, though they could also trade directly with the guilds, usually at lower prices.

“Zechariah,” Bukki said. “Pashur, Jerimoth and I are going to go visit the silversmith guild. We need some new tools. We will see you at the Temple.”

“See you there,” Zechariah replied.

Bukki, Pashur and Jerimoth huddled for a moment to decide on a route out of the market and hurried on their way.

“I am going to go ahead to the Temple,”  Abiathar said.

“My sons and I will join you,” Berechiah said.

“Me too,” Libni said.

“See you there,” Zechariah replied.

Zechariah climbed off the donkey he had been riding on. He, along with along with Abishua, Ithamar, Phinehas, Jahzerah, Micah and Samuel, all shepherds by trade, led their pack animals towards the shops that traded wool and linen.

The sound and smell of animals filled the air. Goats, sheep, cattle, pheasants, doves, pretty much any animal needed for Temple worship or food was on display.

The men worked their way slowly, examining many of the goods for sale. Visits to Jerusalem usually only happened during their priestly weeks. The goods offered did not change much between visits, but one never know what was to be found.

“Abishua,” Ithamar called out to his friend.

Abishua stopped and waited for Ithamar to catch up with him. He watched him work his way past the pack animals and other shoppers who filled the narrow street.

“So, Naomi decided not to visit her parents this trip,” he said when he reached Abishua.

“Yes, she did not want to explain why they lack grand children again,” he replied.

“Sooo, she has left that small detail up to you did she,” he said and playfully punched his friend on the arm.

“Something like that,” he replied.

“How do you think Anna and Gershom will respond?”

“How do you think?”

“You know you have to visit them today and tell them. They know it is your week to be here.”

“Hmm, maybe I’ll go see them.”

“Maybe. You must be a glutton for punishment,” Ithamar said.

“Not really. If I delay telling them, I may be able to avoid the daily tongue lashings. I normally visit them once a day while I am here.”

“I do not envy you my friend. I am glad my in-laws live near my home.”

“I suspect they will visit within a few weeks after I head home,” Abishua replied.

Zechariah led them around a corner and headed for the wool and cloth shops just down the street.

“Priests, come here,” a merchant cried out to Abishua and Ithamar. “Come here and see these silk prayer shawls. They were made right here in Jerusalem. Made from the finest imported silk from Asia.”

“You can keep them for the tourists, I have all the prayer shawls I need.” Abishua replied.

The fragrant smell of spices drifted in their direction.

“Naomi always likes to see what spices are available when we visit,” Abishua said.

The two men entered into the small shop selling incense and embalming spices and began examining the variety on display. An old toothless man smiled at them. He motioned for them to remove the lids to get a better smell. He set a small incense burner on the table for them. He took a pair of tongs and extracted a hot coal from an oven next to him and set it in the burner. Abishua took a pinch of incense and sprinkled it on the hot coal. Leaning over he guided the smoke with his hand towards his nose.

“She would love this fragrance,” he said. He took a pinch from another canister and sprinkled it on the coal. He let the smoke drift up into his face.

“I would like some of these two,” he told the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper packaged the incense for him. Abishua paid him and the two priests exited the shop. They quickly caught up with Zechariah who had two donkeys with wool, thread and cloth tied to them. Working the animals through the crowd was a slow process.

Zechariah turned another corner and stopped dead in his tracks. Blocking their path were four Roman soldiers. They were examining some wooden and silver trinkets when Cassian noticed the priests behind them.

“Well, well. What do we have here?” Cassian said.

Zechariah looked at them and cast his eyes towards the cobblestones.

“Just a few priests passing by you,” he said.

Cassian elbowed Felix. The two men smiled at one another.

“Priests? Shouldn’t you be at the Temple? What are you doing wandering the streets?” Felix said.

Octavius and Rufinus, the other two soldiers also turned their attention upon the priests. All traffic on the street stopped. Shopkeepers sat frozen while they watched. Their customers quickly backed away from the soldiers and priests.

The four of them surrounded the priests and began examining Zechariah’s loaded donkeys.

“What have we here priest?” Octavius said. “Taxes for Caesar?”

“Just a few promised goods I am delivering to a merchant.”

“Which merchant?” Octavius said.

“Eleazar,” Zechariah replied.

“Who is this Eleazar?” Octavius said.

“Just a humble wool and cloth merchant.”

“Have you paid you taxes for these goods?” Octavius said. He smiled at the other three soldiers and moved closer to Zechariah. “Well, priest. Have you paid your taxes for these goods?”

“I have just arrived in Jerusalem with them. I always pay my taxes on my goods,” Zechariah said.

“Hmmm, really. And do you always go to your merchant first to sell your goods before they can be taxed?”

“There is a publican next to Eleazar’s shop. He always accepts my taxes for Caesar.”

“Perhaps I can save him the trouble today. What do you have here?”

“Just some wool, some thread and some cloth,” Zechariah replied.

Abishua picked at a stray thread in the hem of his sleeve. He had never been this close to a Roman soldier before. He had heard stories of them extorting taxes. They seemed intent on troubling Zechariah.

He studied their dress as he listened. Only one of them, Octavius, wore a helmet. The dull greenish brown metal looked like unpolished brass. It had metal face guards, about two inches wide, that extended down from the cap in front of the ears then followed along the jaw bone. The back of the helmet had a flange that covered the back of the neck. He did not recognize the symbol cast on the side of the helmet.

All of them had tunics which extended below the other armor they wore. It reached about to their knees. Over the tunic from their shoulders to their waists they wore something made from metal but Abishua wasn’t sure what it was, small rings of metal fastened together by metal threads. Octavius also wore a scarf around his neck that hung down in front.

They each wore sandals which nearly completely covered their feet and ankles. The strips of leather were tied with leather strips that circled their ankles.

“Do you have any coins priest?” Octavius said.

“No,” Zechariah replied.

“What about you?” Octavius asked Abishua.

“Just a few denarius,” he responded.

“And the rest of you,” he demanded.

“I carry a few coins for my sons and I,” Samuel said.

The soldier nearest to Abishua gripped the handle of his sword. He pulled it out slightly and looked Abishua in the eye. Abishua quickly looked down at the cobblestones.

Octavius loosened the straps holding the cloth on one of the donkeys. The bundle fell to the ground and he ordered Zechariah to untie the bundle.

Zechariah knelt down and untied the bundle of cloth letting it lay flat on the street.

“Lay the cloth over the back of your donkey here so I may see it better,” Octavius said.

“I’ll get that for you Zechariah,” Abishua said.

He quickly picked up the cloth and placed it on the donkey’s back.

Octavius examined the various panels of cloth one layer at a time.

“What do you think Felix. Can a Hebrew weave cloth as well as an Egyptian or a Roman?”

Felix thumbed through the stack of linen.

“Worthless. I would never wear anything as poorly weaved as this,” Felix said. He tossed the stack of linen off the donkey back to the ground.

“These priests have taken enough of my time. Give me a coin,” he said to Abishua.

Abishua opened his small leather coin pouch and handed a coin to Felix.

“Now, one more for each of my friends.”

Abishua quickly handed him three more coins.

“Tell Eleazar we said hello,” Octavius said. “Tell the publican you have paid your taxes.”

The four soldiers pressed their way past the priests and onlookers and disappeared around the corner.

Ithamar and Phinehas gathered the cloth and bundled it back up for Zechariah. They tied it back on the donkey while the shopkeepers and onlookers resumed trading. Once the bundle was securely fastened back on the donkey the priests headed towards Eleazar’s shop.

“Have you ever had a run in with Roman soldiers before,” Abishua asked Zechariah.

“Not for a few years. It is always the same. They have no respect for God’s people. They take what they want then laugh at you. God will repay them.”

“I had to deal with them once,” Samuel commented. ”They just took my donkey’s reigns out of my hand and told me to keep walking. I started to resist and they drew swords. Even when I threatened to go to the Governor they just laughed. Unless you are a Roman citizen there is not much you can do.”

“I have seen it go in cycles,” Zechariah said. “Every ten years or so the we get so fed up we threaten to revolt and the Governor fears he will get in trouble with Rome so he puts a few soldiers in jail for a week or two until we calm down. The soldiers back off for a while. After a few months they ease back into the same old crap they were dong before.”

“Yes,” Samuel said. “We are just cattle to them, no less than cattle.”

They neared the edge of the city where the linen merchants housed their sheep and goats. Their shops had small corrals in between the buildings wherever they could fit them in. Several were shearing their sheep in a small corral used for animal auctions.

“Zechariah,” Eleazar shouted. “My old friend. How are you?”

“Eleazar, my friend,” Zechariah said.

The two men embraced one another.

“Samuel,” Eleazar said and embraced him also.

“You have brought your sons again.”

He embraced each and then looked at Abishua.

“You have brought a new friend for me to meet. How wonderful. I am Eleazar, and you are?”

“My name is Abishua,” he said.

“Welcome my friend. Here let me take your donkeys for you.”

Eleazar grabbed the reigns of the donkeys and led the animals to a small corral next to his shop. Ithamar and Phinehas helped him to untie the bundles of linen and wool. After the animals were unburdened he opened the gate to the corral. Ithamar and Phinehas led the animals in and poured some fresh water in the trough for them. The donkeys quietly quenched their thirst.

They closed up the corral and carried the bundles inside the shop.

“Here, please sit,” Eleazar said.

He grabbed a bowel and stepped outside to get some water for them to wash their feet. He brought it back in and set it in front of Zechariah and handed him a towel. He filled another bowl with water for them to wash their hands, then he poured some wine for the priests as they washed their feet and hands.

“It is good to see you again my friend. How is Elizabeth? I trust she is as feisty as ever.”

Zechariah laughed. “You know how she is. Sometimes I think that woman wants to drive me crazy.”

“Yes, I think they all do,” Samuel said.

Eleazar handed out goblets of wine to the priests. Each took a long drink.

“We have been on the road all afternoon it seems,” said Jahzerah. “Some Roman soldiers just down the street made us pay them one coin for each of them. Taxes for our goods they claimed. We should drive them from our land, get rid of the dogs!”

“Be careful how loud you talk my friend. They have ears in more places than you would imagine,” Eleazar said. “We would drive them out if we were strong enough. I have seen just how large the Roman army is, at least some parts of it. They would squash us like bugs, kill us all off if we rose up against them.”

“They are the dogs,” Micah said.

Samuel laughed quietly. “Oh the ignorance of youth, eh, Zechariah? We were once full of ideas and bravery. We can drive them out. Oh, how we dreamed for independence in those days. But, the Romans, they are just too many, too strong. Suicide is what revolt would bring, suicide. And the women and children, they would use them to disgrace us more. Rape, slavery, death. That is all we would get if we tried to drive them out.”

“Aren’t we already slaves! With God’s help we could drive them out, drive them all the way back to Rome,” Micah said.

He took another drink of wine and eyed everyone, “I hear there are those who believe it is time. Even where we live, there is talk amongst the travelers coming and going.”

“Talk is cheap my young friend,” Eleazar said. “Enough, enough. Tell me Abishua, have you a wife?”

Yes, her name is Naomi. She normally comes with me. We usually go straight to her parents home but she did not come this trip.”

“Well, I should like to meet her sometime. And my Sarah would like to meet her also. Are you a shepherd?”

“Yes, I have around seventy sheep. I usually sell all my wool to merchants who come through my town. I get a fair price and I do not have to bring it here to Jerusalem. We do not spin or weave the wool. We just shear the sheep and sell it.”

“Shepherding is a good life. I was a shepherd when I was younger. I lived not too far from Zechariah. We used to shear our sheep together. Elizabeth would spin my wool for me. Those were days,” he said and slapped Zechariah on the leg.”

Sarah came in the door carrying a small sack of food.

“Zechariah, Samuel, oh my. I forgot it was your week. How is Elizabeth?” she said as she navigated around the men to a table where she could sit her groceries down.

“Oh, don’t get up. You must be famished. Let me get you some broth and bread.”

“Elizabeth said she wants you and Eleazar to come visit. It has been so long,” Zechariah said.

“Yes. Did you bring some cloth, some of her rugs?”

“It is all there in the bundles. She has out done herself this time,” Zechariah said as he pointed to the bundles.

“Here, eat,” Sarah said as she set the bread and broth on the table.

Eleazar said a quick blessing and tore the pieces of flatbread into halves and passed them to the priests. Each tore off a piece and passed it along. They began dipping the bread in the broth and eating. Sarah sat a bowl with some grapes and dates in it on the table beside the broth.

“Eleazar, who has a good cow for sale at a fair price?” Zechariah asked.

“Hm, a good cow at a fair price? You are in Jerusalem Zechariah. Not even I can get a good cow for a fair price. I am not even sure you could find a good cow in Jerusalem these days. Maybe at the Temple, but you know how those merchants inflate the price of everything.”

“Perhaps he get a bad cow for a fair price?” Jahzerah said.

The men laughed.

“Of course, you would have to look very, very close to ensure it is a cow after all. Maybe it would just be a donkey in a cowhide,” Micah said.

“Anything is possible here in Jerusalem. Ever since the Romans have come things have changed, and not for the better. The Sanhedrin still govern for the most part, but Caesar still has the final say,” Eleazar said.

Yes,” said Samuel. “And those he appoints as governors.”

Never the less, I am looking for a cow to purchase or trade for. Can you ask around for me Eleazar?”

“Consider it done.”

“We had better go to the Temple now,” Samuel said. “We need to be there before sundown. Eleazar, your hospitality is always a pleasure.”

“The pleasure is mine old friend.”

The priests rose and filed out the door into the busy street. Abishua and Ithamar retrieved the donkeys from the corral as Zechariah and Eleazar hugged goodbye. Eleazar then hugged each of the priests and spoke a short blessing over each.

Sarah came out of the house and handed each priest a small cake wrapped in linen.

“Sarah, you didn’t have to,” Zechariah said.

“Eleazar has grown tired of my cakes. He doesn’t appreciate them anymore, unlike our friends from afar.”

“Your cakes are good, but it is your goat stew that really hits the spot for me,” Eleazar said.

“Goodbye friends,” Sarah said then slipped back into the house.

“Eleazar, I will see you at the end of the week to collect my cow. I trust the cloth and wool will be a fair trade.”

“In Jerusalem. A fair trade,” Eleazar said as he waved his friends onward to the temple. “We shall see. Good to see you.”

“Likewise,” said Zechariah.

The priests headed into the throng of customers still crowding the street and disappeared from Eleazar’s sight.

© 2011 John Pearson All Rights Reserved.