CHAPTER 172.
Project Gutenberg EPUB edition
Levi
Pilate places the Roman seal upon the stone door of the tomb. At midnight a company of the silent brothers march about the tomb. The soldiers are alarmed. Jesus preaches to the spirits in prison. Early Sunday morning he rises from the tomb. The soldiers are bribed by the priests to say that the disciples had stolen the body.
The tomb in which they laid the body of the Lord was in a garden, rich with flowers, the garden of Siloam, and Joseph’s home was near.
2 Before the watch began Caiaphas sent a company of priests out to the garden of Siloam that they might be assured that Jesus’ body was within the tomb.
3 They rolled away the stone; they saw the body there, and then they placed the stone again before the door.
4 And Pilate sent his scribe who placed upon the stone the seal of Rome, in such a way that he who moved the stone would break the seal.
5 To break this Roman seal meant death to him who broke the seal.
6 The Jewish soldiers all were sworn to faithfulness; and then the watch began.
7 At midnight all was well, but suddenly the tomb became a blaze of light, and down the garden walk a troupe of white clad soldiers marched in single file.
8 They came up to the tomb and marched and countermarched before the door.
9 The Jewish soldiers were alert; they thought the friends had come to steal the body of the Nazarene. The captain of the guard cried out to charge.
10 They charged; but not a white clad soldier fell. They did not even stop; they marched and countermarched among the frightened men.
11 They stood upon the Roman seal; they did not speak; they unsheathed not their swords; it was the Silent Brotherhood.
12 The Jewish soldiers fled in fear; they fell upon the ground.
13 They stood apart until the white clad soldiers marched away, and then the light about the tomb grew dim.
14 Then they returned; the stone was in its place; the seal was not disturbed, and they resumed their watch.
15 Now, Jesus did not sleep within the tomb. The body is the manifest of soul; but soul is soul without its manifest.
16 And in the realm of souls, unmanifest, the Lord went forth and taught.
17 He opened up the prison doors and set the prisoners free;
18 He broke the chains of captive souls, and led the captives to the light;
19 He sat in council with the patriarchs and prophets of the olden times;
20 The masters of all times and climes he met, and in the great assemblies he stood forth and told the story of his life on earth, and of his death in sacrifice for man,
21 And of his promises to clothe himself again in garb of flesh and walk with his disciples, just to prove the possibilities of man;
22 To give to them the key of life, of death, and of the resurrection of the dead.
23 In council all the masters sat and talked about the revelations of the coming age,
24 When she, the Holy Breath, shall fill the earth and air with holy breath, and open up the way of man to perfectness and endless life.
25 The garden of Siloam was silent on the Sabbath day; the Jewish soldiers watched and no one else approached the tomb; but on the following night the scene was changed.
26 At midnight every Jewish soldier heard a voice which said, Adon Mashich Cumi, which meant, Lord Christ arise.
27 And they supposed again that friends of Jesus were alert, were coming up to take the body of their Lord away.
28 The soldiers were alert with swords unsheathed and drawn, and then they heard the words again.
29 It seemed as though the voice was everywhere, and yet they saw no man.
30 The soldiers blanched with fear, and still to flee meant death for cowardice, and so they stood and watched.
31 Again, and this was just before the sun arose, the heavens blazed with light, a distant thunder seemed to herald forth a coming storm;
32 And then the earth began to quake and in the rays of light they saw a form descend from heaven, They said, Behold an angel comes.
33 And then they heard again, Adon Mashich Cumi.
34 And then the white-robed form tramped on the Roman seal, and then he tore it into shreds; he took the mighty stone in hand as though it were a pebble from the brook, and cast it to the side.
35 And Jesus opened up his eyes and said, All hail the rising sun! the coming of the day of righteousness!
36 And then he folded up his burial gown, his head bands and his coverings and laid them all aside.
37 He rose, and for a moment stood beside the white-robed form.
38 The weaker soldiers fell upon the ground, and hid their faces in their hands; the stronger stood and watched.
39 They saw the body of the Nazarene transmute; they saw it change from mortal to immortal form, and then it disappeared.