From Qumran to Rome.
The Life of Jesus after the Crucifixion

STAGE 1. JESUS RESUMES HIS ACTIVITIES. THE PENTECOST ECUMENICAL COUNCIL

Part B: Word for Word Pesher of Individual Passages from the Gospels and Acts

From the Saturday evening after Good Friday to the Day of Pentecost

© 2005 Dr. Barbara Thiering

The New Testament passages containing the pesher of events up to Pentecost are here set out. Each verse is presented in the Greek script, the transliteration of the Greek script (green), a very literal translation which may be in unnatural English (blue), and the pesher of the verse (red). The special meanings of terms, on which the pesher depends, are supplied by links to the underlined words in the literal translation. The terms are listed in the Lexicon of Special Meanings following, and each meaning will also appear when the underlined word is pressed.

The Rule of the Last Referent, to be explained in the Lexicon, may make a difference to the meaning. All instances are marked RLR. When the application of the rule makes a significant difference, it is marked SRLR.

During the four days after the crucifixion, from the Saturday evening to the Tuesday evening, Jesus visited the buildings belonging to the ascetic movement in the Wilderness of Judea. His legs had not been broken on the cross, and his feet had not been nailed, so he was able to walk, following the slow pace required of ascetics, who walked in hooded garments with their eyes lowered, meditating and saying prayers as they went.

The crucifixion had taken place on the southern esplanade at Qumran, an extension from the buildings that served as the monastic council center for the whole ascetic organisation. The "resurrection" had taken place from caves partway down the cliff from the end of the esplanade. The age-old Christian tradition that it had all taken place in Jerusalem was a consequence of a deliberate device of the pesharists, to conceal what was still the secret headquarters of insurrectionists, their place of exile near the Dead Sea.

The different aspects of monasticism had made necessary different kinds of buildings, established in the Wilderness of Judea from earlier centuries. The same area, suitable for isolated living in conditions of hardship, remained in use by Christian monastics after the Jewish form had evolved into the Christian form. The Christian monasteries did not spring up suddenly in the 3rd and 4th centuries as has been thought, but were reformed versions of the earlier ones. Some of them have continued up to the present day.

See FIGURE 7. (Map of the Wilderness of Judea and Diagram of the Scribe's Pen.)

From Jerusalem, eastward to the height now called Hyrcania, reasonably fertile country extends for about 7 miles. Then the land drops steeply to the desert called the Buqeia, continuing down below sea level to the Dead Sea, which is the lowest place on the earth's surface. While some low hills can show sparse foliage after the winter rains, the soil is utterly barren, the ground littered with large and small rocks that still make transport difficult.

The actual positions of the settlements visited by Jesus are as shown in link to FIGURE 7 above. Because of the regulation requiring walking at a fixed slow pace, it was possible to describe their position in terms of the numbers of hours it took to traverse the distance. The resulting diagram took the shape of a scribe's pen, with a fan-like holder and blade pointing to Jerusalem. It would have functioned as both a map and timetable for walkers following the paths.

The walking rate was set at 2000 cubits per hour. In Greek terms, that was 5 stadia, and for us about a kilometer.

On the coast of the Dead Sea, Qumran, Ain Feshkha and Khirbet Mazin were all 3 hours apart, Ain Feshkha in the center being nearer the shore. From Ain Feshkha the path led due west for 8 hours, to end at a point on the wady that is now called wady Sekhakha. The spot where all paths met may be called Mird Minor. Continuing towards the west for 4 hours, three buildings were found, the first, after another hour, on the height of Hyrcania , also called Khirbet Mird - the ruins of the Christian monastery of Marda. It may be called Mird Major. Two hours further on came the small structure at the spot called "Emmaus" in the narrative, then after another hour the great edifice now called Mar Saba, a monastery still inhabited by Greek Orthodox monks, above the wady Kidron. It runs down the almost perpendicular side of a steep cliff, its successive shelves offering space for a series of structures. It was rebuilt in its present form in 1834. The narrative, taken with its location, indicates that it was in use at least in the 1st centuries BC and AD.

See Photo W. (The Mar Saba monastery. From Picturesque Palestine, 1880.)

From Mar Saba the wady Kidron led to Jerusalem, 12 hours being allowed to cover the distance, on either side of the wady. Those who walked on its west side arrived after 12 hours at the Essene Gate in Jerusalem, while those who walked on its east side arrived at the lower slope of the Mount of Olives, 5 stadia east of Jerusalem.

SATURDAY MARCH 21, AD 33
At Ain Feshkha

About 3 kilometers down from the Qumran buildings, very close to the shore of the Dead Sea, stood a building that formed an annex to the Qumran monastery. It lay 15 stadia away, in terms of the time-space equation needing 3 hours to walk down to it. Its position is given in John 11:18, in its relation to "Jerusalem" in the plural form, that is, Qumran. It was the building called "Bethany". "Bethany was near Jerusalem (plural form) about 15 stadia away."

Its ruins still lie there, close to the bathing sheds of Israelis who like to float on the thick waters of the Dead Sea.

See Photo G. (At the shore of the Dead Sea, at Ain Feshkha.)

The ruins lie 50 yards in from the shore.
The word Ain means "eye", so means also a spring of fresh water. There is good growth of foliage around it, supporting the evidence from a medieval source that vegetables were once grown there to supply the needs of monastics.

See FIGURE 8. (The ruins of Ain Feshkha).

The building was in the shape of a hellenistic house, with four wings around a central courtyard. The entrance was in the east wing.

The name Bethany used for it in John 11:18 is made up of "the house(beth) of the 'ani". Passages in the Dead Sea Scrolls show that there were two main kinds of ascetics, translated "the Poor" (ebion) and "the Afflicted" ('ani). The Hebrew word ebion appears in the subsequent literature for the Ebionites who played a role in Christian history. It may be seen to refer to the Essene monastic class, those men who gave up all their property to become enclosed at Qumran and in subsequent monasteries. The other class, the 'ani, the Afflicted, may be identified with the Therapeuts, who lived as individual hermits, without surrendering property, free to leave the eremitical life to marry if they chose. In the narrative there are other Bethanys, with and without the definite article, the word always meaning a meeting place of Therapeuts.

On the north side of the ruins of Ain Feshkha there are still to be seen the remains of shallow pools.

See Photo H. (The shallow pools on the north side of the Ain Feshkha building.)

The archeologists found that the bottom of one of them was covered by a white deposit , which was analysed as calcium carbonate. (R.de Vaux, Archaeology and the Dead Sea Scrolls, p.81). On the pavement beside them lay stone cylinders, in a position suitable for drying. One of them had fallen into the pool covered with the white deposit.

See Photo J. (Cylinder stone for drying, fallen into the pool.)

These arrangements fit very well the regulation of the Temple Scroll 45:7-10, that a man who had a nocturnal emission was to go outside the monastery for 3 days, wash his clothes, then return after sunset. The white linen robes of Essenes, by which they were characterised, were rubbed with frankincense, lebonah, whitening, a form of starch, as shown in the Damascus Document 11:4. It would account for the deposit of calcium carbonate in the shallow pool, left after the clothes were washed, and the cylinder stones would be for stretching them out to dry. This would indicate that it was to Ain Feshkha that temporarily "unclean" monastics from Qumran were sent for their 3 days' exclusion.

Essene monastics had a second order, the dynasts, men belonging to family lines that had to be preserved, especially the descendants of the Zadokite priests and David kings who formed the nucleus of the Essenes. These men went to live outside temporarily to cohabit with their wives, then when a child had been born, preferably a son to continue their line, they returned to the holy life in the monastery. They spent their period of marriage among villagers who lived in such places as Galilee, acting in a pastoral role to them. At the first stage after leaving the monastery they went out to the Bethany house at Ain Feshkha , being classed as equal to unclean monastics. At the times of seasonal councils they came with village pilgrims to Qumran, but had to reside in the Bethany building.

Acting as bishops in the literal Galilee, these men used the symbolism of marriage for their pastoral care for members. They used the name "Galilee" as their own and wore a wedding ring. The symbolism was preserved in Christian usage, a bishop using the name of his city as his own, wearing a ring. Wherever the bishop of Galilee went, "Galilee" was said to go with him. When he was at Ain Feshkha , "Galilee" was there. When, at the caves after the crucifixion, the friends of Jesus were told that he was going into Galilee and they would see him there, the meaning was that he would be going no further than Ain Feshkha and they would see him there at the Saturday evening meeting. Once the main version of the sabbath ended on Saturday at 3 pm, it would be permitted for those still at Qumran to make the 3 hour walk down to the building for the meeting starting 6 pm.

Structure of the Ain Feshkha building and its counterparts

Much of the understanding of the pesher depends on understanding the structure of the Bethany building and its counterparts.The structure, known to the ascetics who regularly used it, is drawn on in some major episodes in Acts. It may be seen that it gave the basic pattern from which the architecture of a Christian church evolved.

Of the four wings surrounding the courtyard, the north wing was divided by low stone partitions, the main one in the center, corresponding to the partitions in the synagogues of village Essenes.

See Photo K. (Remains of the north wing.)

The west wing contained two long rooms, entered by two doors side by side at the center of the wing. The doors were made of large stones shaped into regular cubes in Herodian style, contrasting with the rough stones used in the walls. Each of the two western rooms was 18 cubits long inside the walls.

See Photo L. (Herodian door to west wing.)
See Photo M. (North-west corner of west wing.

At Qumran itself, the daily sacred meal of priests and monastics had been taken in the long north-south rooms (Locs 101, 102 ) that may be understood as the vestry attached to the original substitute sanctuary, a courtyard (Loc 111).

See FIGURE 1. (The Qumran Buildings - from Section 6.)

After the 12 loaves of the Presence, freshly baked every day, had been set out before Heaven in the open air sanctuary, they were brought at noon into the vestry, where they formed part of the sacred noon meal of the holy men. The vestry room where physical needs were met was thought of as the "body", giving rise to the imagery of the Heavenly Man, a 12 cubit high ideal figure. The rows at which the holy men sat were called after the parts of his body.(See Figure 9 below.)

The monastics during their temporary expulsions to Ain Feshkha still partook of meals with the customary solemnity for a sacred occasion. Accustomed to a north-south room as an appropriate extension of the north-south sanctuary, they made the north room in the west wing their meal room, dining there at noon and 6 pm each day. The same arrangement of rows, with reflections of the imagery of the Heavenly Man, was retained. The room now had 18 rows a cubit apart, with different internal arrangements.


See Figure 9. (The room for the sacred meal.)

See Figure 10. (The Tower.)

In the Qumran vestry, it had become necessary after the earthquake of 31 BC to erect a platform over the north part of the vestry room, a wooden roof under the open sky, on which the customary prayers could still be offered by the priests to Heaven. It was reached from a set of steps outside on its north. They were found by the archeologists and photographed, then removed, leaving only their support.

The meal room at Ain Feshkha contained a structure that corresponded to the Qumran prayer platform, but because of further changes it was not a roof. It was a wooden projection from the north wall, extending south only 10 cubits into the 18 cubit room, and only 4 cubits above the floor. It was reached from the front, up 3 steps. The meal table was placed on this projecting platform, not on the ground floor as at Qumran. The table was again 2 cubits wide, with superiors sitting along its north side, and men at the grade of their servants on the south side, with an arm's length or 2 cubits between them as was required. The row of the servants also formed a top step.

The pattern of the holy table on a raised platfom reached from the front by steps was preserved by the Christian church, and is illustrated in St Peter's basilica in Rome.

Because the projection corresponded in some functions to the Qumran prayer platform, it continued to be called "the roof" (dōma). In the episode in Joppa in Acts 10:9-16 Peter was said to go up to the "roof", and from above him an apparently miraculous event took place, a vision of Jesus letting down a cloth. The pesharist was able to draw on the use of the term to disguise the fact that there was a floor above, where Jesus stood to let down the cloth.

The Ain Feshkha building had originally been of one storey, but, as the archeologists found, a later storey was added above the west wing. A gangway forming a balcony ran along its inner, eastern side, giving access. The balcony was reached from steps in the south wing, leading up to the roof of the south wing then to the western balcony. (R.de Vaux, Archaeology and the Dead Sea Scrolls, p.62)

From detail of the pesher concerning events at this building and its counterparts in Joppa and in Troas, it is seen that the upper storey of the north room in the west wing had come into use, by the time of Jesus, to illustrate more clearly the superiority of the highest priests to the laity. It gave the concept of the Christian cathedral, a high-roofed building containing a chair (kathedra) or throne for the Pope.

The total height of the two storeys may be seen to have been 16 cubits, (8 yards, 24 feet), including a 1 cubit roof frame above and a 1 cubit floor frame below. Within these, the added upper storey gave a height of 5 cubits (2 1/2 yards, 7 1/2 feet) above the dividing floor, enough for a man to stand, with space above.

In the Qumran vestry the prayer platform had begun at cubit 2 from the north wall, leaving a space of 2 cubits, chiefly for the smoke from a large fire to escape. As shown in the story of Peter's denials at the trial of Jesus by the priests, the fire, a round furnace 2 cubits in diameter, was lit at 4 am, and would have been used for the daily cooking of the loaves of the Presence. On the west side a walkway from the steps led across the 2 cubits to the platform, for the priests to offer their prayers at the fixed times.

Open to the sky, this platform was thought of as "heaven". The chief priest, the Zadokite, the Messiah of Aaron, stood at the center of row 3 to offer his prayers. If the Christ, the Messiah of Israel, was with him, he stood at the west center of the row with the priest at east center. It was to this platform, called "heaven" that Jesus would ascend - up the steps - when he returned to the Qumran monastery after his four days outside.

The upper storey at Ain Feshkha and its counterparts came to be used as a higher "heaven". A chair, called a throne, was placed between rows 2 and 3, on which the Zadokite could sit to issue decrees ex cathedra. As Acts 7:49 says, "heaven is my throne". If necessary the throne could be 2 cubits wide, to seat both the Messiah of Aaron, who could be called "God" and the Messiah of Israel. One of the titles of the latter was "the Lamb", making it "the throne of God and the Lamb" (Revelation 22:1).

Although there were only two storeys, the upper floor was called the "third storey", in recognition of the two levels below, the projecting platform and the step and floor below it. The term "third storey" is used in Acts 20:9 for this upper floor in a counterpart of the Ain Feshkha building at Troas in Asia Minor.

Directly above the table, between cubits 7 and 9 from the north, the floor of the upper storey was cut out so as to leave an opening called a "window" in Acts 20:9. It was normally covered by a hatch, but at noon was opened, and left open for 3 hours. At noon the cloth that was to be used as a tablecloth for the holy table was let down to the servants below. In the episode at Joppa, Jesus from above, at noon, let down the cloth to Peter. The "vision" continued until 3 pm.

The custom of making an opening for 3 hours from noon was derived from the arrangements of the Qumran dōma, an actual roof. In the Qumran vestry the prayer platform came down to row 7 and was fixed, while the tables for the noon and evening meals occupied rows 7 to 12. The noon meal, at the table between rows 7 and 9, was eaten under the open sky because the sacred loaves had been offered to Heaven under the open sky in the sanctuary. For the rest of the day and night, it was the custom to extend the platform into an actual covering over the whole of the north vestry down to its row 12 just before the dais step. A light wooden frame, removable, was used, 6 x 6 cubits, its first cubit placed over the fixed row 7. The cover was left over all the time except for 3 hours from noon to 3 pm when it was taken off.

Noon was the hour when the priests on the platform were offering the major prayer to heaven. When the cover was removed, men standing on the ground in the open part at row 12 could look up and see the priests praying. As the sun was above in the sky, the man on the ground could not look too long or he would be blinded. This was what happened in the monastery at Damascus, in the story of Acts 9:1-20. As a monastery, it had only a prayer platform. Saul-Paul was standing on the ground at noon, when the removable cover was taken off, so that the light of the sun suddenly flashed around him. He looked up and saw Jesus praying under the open sky on the platform. It was presented as a vision, but for the pesharist who knew the system it was a natural event, the occasion when Jesus began his friendship with Paul.

It was this system, practiced in the Qumran vestry, that accounts for the "three hours' darkness" on Good Friday. Because of a need arising from the intercalation method to adjust chronometers by three hours, the cover was left over when it was expected that it would be opened, causing darkness beneath it instead of light. (See 'Three hours darkness' in "Chronology" in Section 3.)

It was in this meal room at Ain Feshkha that the evening meeting on Saturday March 21 AD 33 took place. Its detail is recorded in John 20:19-25 and Matthew 28:16-20, where the verbs "to see" give information about the positions. There were two sessions, the first from 6 pm to 9 pm, a later one lasting until midnight.

Events of Saturday evening, March 21, 33 AD

Non-wine session, 6 to 9 pm

The essential political fact governing the period of the crucifixion was an opportunity being taken by Agrippa I to repair his fortunes and gain the restoration of the Herodian monarchy from the Roman power. The monarchy had been abolished at the Roman occupation in 6 AD. Agrippa, like all the Herods, was politically astute, without a personal religious conscience, but prepared to go along with prevailing factions in order to retain power in deeply divided times. The news had come that the emperor Tiberius was failing in both health and power. He would die, his end hastened by his enemies, in March of AD 37. While he flourished, there was no chance of Agrippa being accepted back into the Roman court, to pursue his ambitions for the monarchy. Tiberius had expelled him for bankruptcy, brought on by lavish entertaining as part of his attempts to buy influence in Rome.

But there was now a prospect of the emperor's successor being Gaius Caligula, a young man who had charmed everyone as the son of the popular military hero Germanicus. Agrippa while a young man being educated in Rome had become friendly with the imperial princes, who included Caligula. Now back in Judea and associated with the ascetic movement through the ministrations of John the Baptist, Agrippa found that he had in his court the two brothers Niceta and Aquila, who had become baptised with the Jewish names James and John. Their history is told in the valuable record of the Clementines. (See "Clementine_Books" in Section 4.)

They had been born illegitimate in 3 AD as a result of an affair between their mother and a slave. Both the mother and her husband were highly placed in Roman society, their marriage having been arranged by Augustus Caesar. On learning of her disgrace, the husband had sent his wife and the twin boys away to the east, and the story was circulated that they had all been lost in a shipwreck. But in fact the mother had been taken in to a convent belonging to the Jewish ascetics, and the boys were brought under the patronage of Helena, who in 17 AD had become the "Sarah" of the mission. They were at first taught by her lover Simon Magus, then on reaching maturity turned away from his anti-Roman policy, to join the court of Agrippa I when he returned to the country in 23 AD. They became Sadducee, which meant co-operation with Rome and spreading their mission doctrine by persuasion rather than force of arms. They now looked for authority to the Annas priests, Sadducees. The youngest Annas, Ananus the Younger holding the position of the Merari, replaced Helena as their teacher. He appears in the gospels as Zacchaeus, the man who "climbed up the sycamore tree" in Luke 19:1-10. According to the Clementines it was Zacchaeus who became the instructor of Niceta and Aquila.

From the pesher it appears that Niceta and Aquila had discovered that they were related through their mother to Caligula and would be accepted back by him. They were willing to help Agrippa regain the monarchy, using family connections. James Niceta, the firstborn of the twins, was of the same grade as Peter, being an uncircumcised Gentile who was permitted to marry, but he preferred the Nazirite state of a married man holding solitary prayer retreats. As a Nazirite he drank no wine, in imitation of his teacher Brother James, the chief Nazirite following the rules of Numbers 6:1-4. James' title "Jacob" was used by his student, according to custom. John Aquila his brother lived at all times in the married state, like Peter. Aquila would appear in the later history with his wife Priscilla, as associates of Paul.

If he was to be pro-Roman, Agrippa would have to turn back to Sadducee views and the Annas priests, who followed their father Ananus the Elder in political co-operation with Rome. When Agrippa was in his Pharisee mode, as he sometimes was, he was nationalistic and hostile to Rome. Jonathan Annas, the current representative of the Annas brothers, now became the chief Sadducee negotiator to further Agrippa's plans. He also had become aware of a new factor, and had a strong reason for exploiting it.

As a result of the "resurrection", Jonathan Annas saw that Jesus would become a hero, one who had escaped death against all odds. He was already revered by Gentiles, whom he treated as equals. The Sadducees considered him to be legitimate, against the Pharisee view that he was a pre-nuptial son of Joseph. As the legitimate David, Jesus inherited the office of his grandfather Heli, appointed by Herod the Great as the "Jacob", patriarch of the west, which included administration of Gentile affairs. He would now gain immense political power, hailed by the numerous Gentile members. Their enthusiasm would bring in the Kingdom, establishing the Herodian form of Judaism in the Roman empire. With Agrippa appointed their king, western Diaspora Jews would throw their financial weight behind the ascendancy.

Sadducees did not believe in resurrection, and Jonathan Annas above all knew that there had been no resurrection, for he himself had tried to arrange for Jesus to commit suicide on the cross and then had been told of his escape. Jonathan had acted out of jealousy of Jesus, who was far more popular than he, and who derided the excessive priestly pomposity of this weakest of the Annas brothers. But Jonathan could cover his own mistake by manipulating the adulation of Jesus as a hero.

The first step would be to make James Niceta a bishop, promoting him to the status of Chief Gentile. That office had been held by John Mark, a permanently celibate Gentile, who had been taught in the Magian monastic system. But the anti-Roman and anti-Agrippa Magians were now to be displaced. James Niceta would receive John Mark's position, and the promotion would be given as soon as possible after the "resurrection", at the meeting at Ain Feshkha on the Saturday evening. It would be the first stage of a consecration that would conclude at Pentecost.

Jesus as the patriarch to Gentiles was the bishop who instructed and promoted both kinds, those in the celibate class and those in the married class. For the Annas priests he was their deputy, acting under their orders. When the priestly Jonathan used the title "God", Jesus was called "the Son of God". It was his duty under Jonathan's orders to carry out the ordination of James Niceta to the episcopate, whatever his personal reservations, and whatever the reservations of James Niceta himself about Jesus.


6:05 pm

As the close detail of the pesher shows (see the word-for-word pesher in the righthand column), the participants in the ceremony took their places in the north room of the western wing. The fellowship meals were held every evening, and this would be the normal evening meeting for those who for different reasons were staying at Ain Feshkha. Those in the married class held their meeting from 6 to 9 pm, then retired at 9 pm, the village bedtime. Being in the Nazirite state, temporarily separated from their wives, they drank no wine during this session.

The full range of the leadership were not present, as this outpost of the monastery was not an important place. The meeting was held on the dōma, the intermediate platform on which the table stood, for those of the level of villagers. Jonathan Annas presided, since he was the priest to villagers as well as part of the main hierarchy. He took his place a little further back on row 6 as the Father, the Pope. Jesus acting under his authority to perform the promotion sat in front of him, on row 7, at the table itself. Thus there were 2 cubits between him and those on the other side, as indicated by the verbs "to see".

All participants entered the room at 6 pm, and at 6:05 the Herodian door at the south end of the room was shut. This action always took place in a sacred meal room at 5 minutes past the hour after the others had entered, in order to exclude non-initiates. Jesus with the others was already inside and at the table. He opened the service with the blessing "Peace to you", which was a declaration of the Sadducee political policy, peace and co-operation with Rome.

James Niceta the candidate for promotion began at the foot of the steps, which he would ascend as part of the ceremony of his promotion. Opposite Jesus on row 10 at the table sat Brother James and Peter, the two leaders of the village class who would sponsor James Niceta, setting out to the priest the reasons for his promotion. They had both been given the message earlier in the day that they should go to "Galilee", Ain Feshkha., and that they would see Jesus, using the verbs "to see" that meant there would be 2 cubits between them and Jesus at the table.

On either side of Jesus, Matthew Annas, as the Kohath, sat in the position of the levite and Theudas, as the Gershon, in the position of the Prince. Matthew would continue as a supporter of James Niceta and Peter. It would be under his later reign as high priest that they would adopt the name "Christian".

One of the practices of James Niceta was to observe the half hour as beginning the superior part of an hour. This is shown in his part of the Book of Revelation (Revelation 8:1), where he spoke of "silence in heaven at the half-hour". A silent prayer was offered at this time point, following the spoken prayer on the hour. James Niceta as a student of Zacchaeus, the guard Merari, observed the half-hour because it was then that the guard patrolled on the superior east, as shown in the system of guards. James Niceta waited at the foot of the steps, on "earth" at row 13, and while there he was shown the collection plate for gifts that was placed at the "hands" of the Heavenly Man, on the west side (See Figure 9.) He would be permitted to collect this kind of money, but not the taxes and promotion fees that were paid by Jews. He was also shown the "side", the waterbag carried by missionaries that was attached to a belt at their right side.

Then on the half-hour he ascended the steps to take his place opposite Jesus. Peter and Brother James moved out to be opposite Matthew and Theudas. Jesus, opening the part of the service directed at James Niceta , again gave the blessing "Peace to you." He made it clear that he was acting as representative of Jonathan Annas. "As the Father has sent me, so I send you", using two different verbs for "send", the first meaning that Jesus was a celibate outside the monastery, the second applying to a member of the married class.

Then Jesus "breathed on him". In the imagery of the Heavenly Man (See Figure 9.), Jesus at the center of row 7 was at the "nose". He transmitted to James Niceta, opposite him on the "bosom", the first stage of his consecration, the "spirit" possessed only by those who were ordained to the ministry. The form of "holy spirit" without definite articles was used, meaning that he would be only a lay bishop, the servant of an abbot, not a levitical one. He was given authority over uncircumcised Gentiles and others who were graded with them, with power to rebuke and forgive their sins. These latter included Thomas Herod, who was not present for this part of the meeting. James Niceta, as shown in his part of the Book of Revelation, was particularly hostile to homosexuals, calling them "Sodom".

In Matthew's account of the evening , the fact was added that at 7 pm James Niceta paid the tribute that was due to Rome, placing it in a container on the table. The word "worship" (proskyneō) was used as a play on kēnsos, meaning the Roman tribute. The play on words was used by anti-Romans to charge that the peace party were worshipping the emperor by paying it.

Matthew also adds that James Niceta declared his disbelief in the resurrection, the trump card being played by Simon Magus, but it did not affect his promotion. In his part of the Book of Revelation, dealing with events in the early 30's, he does not even mention the crucifixion. At 9 pm when this part of the meeting closed Jesus announced that he himself was still in good standing as the legitimate David, and would continue to do his work as the patriarch of Gentiles. James Niceta was to minister to Agrippa and his relatives, and the Christian triarchy in triangular shape was to be maintained, with baptism authorised by all three. Jonathan or the Annas priest was to remain the Father, Jesus his deputy the Son of God, normally sitting beside him on the west on row 6, and Matthew Annas - who sponsored Matthew's gospel - was to be the levitical bishop, coming to the center of row 7 to give the teaching to the congregation. The Herodian form of the calendar was to be used, one that set the end of the 490 years, the aeon, in AD 34. They were to expect a Restoration for Agrippa beginning in that year.

SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH 21, AD 33

6 PM TO 9 PM AT AIN FESHKHA

John 20:19-23
John 20:19

19. Ousēs oun opsias tē hēmera ekeinē tē mia sabbatōn, kai tōn thyrōn kekleismenōn hopou ēsan hoi mathētai dia ton phobon tōn Ioudaiōn, ēlthen ho Iēsous kai estē eis to meson kai legei autois, Eirēnē hymin.

19. It being therefore evening{opsia}on that day the 1 of the sabbaths. And the doors being shut the where were the disciples because of the fear of the Jews(gen.), came Jesus. And he(Jesus) stood at the middle. And he says to them(RLR to disciples), " Peace to you".

19. It was Saturday March 21, 33 AD, at 6 pm, the day after Good Friday. In the meal-room in the west wing at Ain Feshkha, the lower floor, the door at the end of the room was shut at 6:05 pm after all who were permitted to attend the meal had entered. It was a regular evening meeting, the community's routine uninterrupted by what had happened the day before. At the table Jesus sat in the center of row 7 as the bishop, with Jonathan Annas behind him as presiding priest (See Figure 9.) Theudas was one of those present in the prince's seat on row 7 west of Jesus. Matthew Annas was in the seat of the levite (as shown in Matthew 28:19 the parallel account). Brother James and Peter began the evening side by side at the center of row 10, where they had been promised they would sit when they were told to go to "Galilee".

The purpose of the meeting was to take the first step in the formation of Agrippa's new Sadducee monarchist party, organised by Jonathan Annas in opposition to Simon Magus. Jonathan Annas would be appointed Pope. James Niceta, a Gentile who could influence Caligula in favor of Agrippa, was a key figure, and was to be promoted to be a lay bishop equal to Jewish lay bishops. The first step in his ordination was taken at this meeting. Jesus as the superior of all Gentiles performed the promotion in his role of deputy of Jonathan Annas. Jesus made clear his own pro-Roman political views by giving the Sadducee blessing, "Peace to you".

James Niceta began his progess on "Earth", row 13, the lowest position at the foot of the steps leading up to the intermediate platform.

John 20:20

20.kai touto eipōn edeixen tas cheiras kai tēn pleuran autois. Echarēsan oun hoi mathētai idontes ton kyrion.

20. And this saying he(Jesus) showed the hands. And the side to them(disciples). The disciples rejoiced therefore seeing{eidon} the lord.

20. At 6:30, beginning the part of the hour that James Niceta considered to be superior, his promotion ceremony began. Jesus indicated to him that he was to have the collection plate for gifts that he would use as a bishop. It lay on the dais step in the west center. It meant that as a Gentile he was not permitted to collect the taxes that Jewish members paid, only receive freewill gifts for the expenses of his organisation. Jesus also presented to him the waterbag worn on the right hip by travelling missionaries. James Niceta having received these tokens of office moved up to the center of the table opposite Jesus, while Peter and Brother James moved out to the seats at the side. James Niceta was now 2 cubits away from Jesus, in the position of the woman who sat on the "bosom", so was the equivalent of the woman, the Joy. He recognised Jesus as a teacher of Gentiles, since he held the Sadducee view that Jesus was legitimate, but with Sadducees he did not believe in his resurrection.

John 20:21

21. eipen oun autois ho Iēsous palin, Eirēnē hymin. Kathōs apestalken me ho patēr, kagō pempō hymas

21. Said to them(RLR to disciples v. 20) therefore Jesus again, Peace to you(plu). As the Father has sent me out{pempō}, I send{pempō} you(plu.).

21. At 6.35 pm, when the ceremony for James Niceta formally began, Jesus repeated the blessing of the Sadducee political party. He showed that he was acting under the orders of Pope Jonathan Annas by saying, "The Pope appoints me as a dynast who can go into the outside world, and I appoint you to the outside world as a Gentile of the married class."

John 20:22

22. kai touto eipōn enephysēsen kai legei autois, Labete pneuma hagion.

22. And saying(subject of participle refers back to subject of the verb before speech, to Jesus, not "Father"), this he(Jesus) breathed. And he says to them(disciples), "Receive a spirit a holy.

22. Jesus, in the position of the "nose" of the Heavenly Man in the upper center of row 7 (See Figure 9.), said to James Niceta, "Receive the first stage of episcopal authority symbolised by breath.

John 20:23

23. an tinōn aphēte tas hamartias apheōntai autois, an tinōn kratēte kekratēntai.

23. "When of Certain Ones(gen.) you remove the sins, the sins of them(RLR to James in 20:17) are removed; when of Certain Ones(gen.) you hold fast, they(RLR to James) are held fast."

23. "When you, James Niceta, persuade Antipas to reform his sexual sin, then Brother James will become Sadducee and give up his claim to be the legitimate David. Antipas and James will be in fellowship with you as equal lay bishops, and with Thomas you will all four be in Agrippa's anti-Magian party. You will be appointed to the 4 compass points, the + to Jews and their related X points to Gentiles (James-Jacob west and north-west; Thomas-Esau east and south-east; Antipas south and south-west; James Niceta north and north-east)."

(At 9.pm, the village bedtime, the Nazirite part of the meeting ended and the married men left for 6 hours' sleep . There had been no drinking of wine during this session, forbidden by Nazirites and by Therapeuts at their sacred meals.)

SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH 21, AD 33

6 PM TO 9 PM AT AIN FESHKHA

Matthew's account of the same meeting, bringing out the change of loyalty to Agrippa.

Matthew 28:16- 20
Matthew 28:16


16. Hoi de hendeka mathētai eporeuthēsan eis tēn Galilaian eis to oros hou etaxato autois ho Iēsous

16. The eleven disciples journeyed at Galilee, at the mountain of which Jesus appointed to them(disciples).

16. On Saturday evening at 6 pm in the meal-room at Ain Feshkha, James Niceta as the Chief Gentile replacing John Mark, to be in the class of proselytes, started on row 13, then at 6:30 came up the steps to the raised platform on row 10, which represented the first stage of ministry. Here Jesus gave him the first stage of his promotion.

Matthew 28:17

17. kai idontes auton prosekynēsan, hoi de edistasan.

17. And they(participle plural to subject of verb, 11 disciples) seeing{eidon} him(Jesus), worshipped{proskyneō}, but who(nom. plu, disciples addressed in v.16) doubted.

17. At 7 pm James Niceta sat on row 10 with 2 cubits between him and Jesus. The container for the Roman tribute was on the table just in front of him, the tax to be paid by members of Agrippa's court at the +1 hour on the 1st of the month. James Niceta paid it as a sign of his pro-Roman sympathies, although zealots regarded it as a way of worshipping the emperor. James Niceta also expressed his disbelief in the resurrection, which was taught by Simon Magus.

Matthew 28:18

18. kai proselthōn ho Iēsous elalēsen autois legōn, Edothē moi pasa exousia en ouranō kai epi tēs gēs.

18. And Jesus coming towards spoke to them(RLR to "who" plu, disciples v.17) saying, " All authority has been given to me in Heaven . And upon of the Earth.

18. At 9 pm Jesus stood on row 7. He gave the spoken prayer for the hour, then said to James Niceta, "Agrippa's authority to make Gentile bishops has been given to me, without payment from me. When he is represented by Pope Jonathan Annas, I may share his throne as deputy on the upper floor. I may also sit in my lowest position on row 13 center west.

Matthew 28:19

19. poreuthentes oun mathēteusate panta ta ethnē, baptizontes autous eis to onoma tou patros kai tou huiou kai tou hagiou pneumatos,

19. " Journey(plu.) therefore, making disciples of all the nations, baptizing them(masc. plu. RLR to "Jews" v.15, not "ethnē " neut. plu.) at the name of the Father. And of the Son. And of the holy a spirit.

19. "Be a lay bishop of the Way, working with Agrippa as the "Noah" to individual celibate Gentiles. Re- baptize Antipas, making him a member of Agrippa's court, as a Sadducee accepting Jonathan Annas as Pope. The David is the "Son", the deputy of Jonathan Annas as "God", who may sit beside him on row 6. When they are in that position, Matthew Annas as the levitical bishop will sit in the center of row 7 for both east and west."

Matthew 28:20

20. didaskontes autous tērein panta hosa eneteilamēn hymin. Kai idou egō meth' hymōn eimi pasas tas hēmeras heōs tēs synteleias tou aiōnos

20. "Teaching(subject disciples same as previous subject) them(RLR to "them", Jews in v.19) to keep All things as much as I have ordered you(plu.). And see{eidon} I am with you All the days until{heōs} the completion of the aeon."

20. "Teaching Antipas to retain the Sadducee form of Herodian doctrine in the version in which I instruct you. You, James Niceta, were my servant, sitting with 2 cubits between us across the table, but in my role as lay bishop I am equal to you. Keep the Herodian calendar, including its expectation of the end of a 490 years for the Restoration, to occur in March 34 AD."

The celibates' session, 9:30 pm to midnight

As is shown in John's gospel through its account of the Last Supper and in Luke's gospel through its information on the bread and wine, the regular evening meetings of the ascetics were programmed so as to leave a later session for those who drank fermented wine. During the later session the priests and celibates relaxed around the table, after drinking their sacred wine at 9:05 pm. At 9:30 the priest and the lay leader both came forward to sit side by side close to the table. There followed a time of reflection and questioning, illustrated in the content of John's chapters 14 to 17, finishing at midnight.

Simon Magus with his broken legs had been carried down to Ain Feshkha for his protection, reaching it at 6 pm, but he was not welcomed at the 6 pm meeting , especially by James Niceta, who regarded him as Beast 666, the evil power of anti-Roman militarism. He was cared for in a private room.

He did, however, attend the later meeting after the villagers had left. He was not well enough to be carried up to the upper floor, a position to which in any case he was not entitled while his claim to the papacy was disputed. He did, however, take his place with Jesus in row 7 behind the table, where the priest and his deputy were normally sitting at 9:30 pm.

At this meeting the two celibates, Thomas and John Mark, who were disapproved by the villagers, were sitting on the opposite side of the table. John Mark was a product of the Magian monastic system, although as a Gentile he was more favorable to Rome. He was, however, a permanent celibate, and as the "eunuch" to Jesus was at least an associate of homosexuals such as Thomas. He was treated as a disciple, a student, of Simon Magus , as the arrangements made on Good Friday evening had indicated. He now called Simon "lord", the title that Jesus himself had given to Simon while he was in the cave.

It was on this occasion that Jesus began his separation from Simon Magus and his commitment to Sadducee views under Jonathan Annas. The reasons he gave were the financial exploitation practiced by Simon, who retained the original system of initiation fees and promotion fees set up in the time of Herod the Great. Jonathan Annas was also opposed to Simon on these questions. Simon used the money for his militant party, without scruple about the merits of those who paid for promotion in the system of "peace offerings" or indulgences. At this meeting Jesus pointed to the collection plate for gifts that was now placed on row 13 while Simon was present. It was marked with the X, the archaic form of Taw that was used by monastics as their highest initiation symbol. The X was formed by two nails, standing for the harsh physical self-punishment that was practiced by monastics. Jesus said that he would not allow money gifts to be given for the militant cause. He said, however, that he would permit gifts for the kind of discipline that was practiced by the Therapeuts, whose symbol was a circle, standing for a ring, containing an X. He added that he would permit the use of the paten containing bread for the poor to receive money gifts for them. He then announced firmly that he had become Sadducee in his political attitudes.

SATURDAY EVENING, MARCH 21, AD 33

9:30 PM to MIDNIGHT AT AIN FESHKHA

John 20:24-25
John 20:24

24. Thōmas de heis ek tōn dōdeka, ho legomenos Didymos, ouk ēn met' autōn hote ēlthen Iēsous.

24. Thomas, one out of the Twelve, said to be Didymus the Twin, was not with them(RLR to Brother James: Jn 20:23) when{hote} Jesus came.

24. Thomas, a monastic homosexual,had not been present at the 6 pm session for the Nazirite married, nor had John Mark, the Twelve, a Gentile permanent celibate. The session for celibates taking fermented wine began at 9:30 pm, with the conversation after the wine beginning at 9:30 pm, as at the Last Supper.

Simon Magus who had been carried down to Ain Feshkha was able to be present for this part of the evening, among those who supported him, who included Jesus retaining his personal friendship with him but not sharing his anti-Roman political views. Simon and Jesus sat side by side on the north side of the table on the middle platform, and Thomas and John Mark sat opposite them on row 10, Thomas as servant to Simon on east center, John Mark as servant to Jesus on west center.

John 20:25

25. elegon oun autō hoi alloi mathētai, Hōrakamen ton kyrion. Ho de eipen autois, Ean me idō en tais chersin autou ton typon tōn ēlōn kai balō ton daktylon mou eis ton typon tōn ēlōn kai balō mou tēn cheira eis tēn pleuran autou, ou mē pisteusō.

25. Said therefore to him(RLR to Jesus v.24) ) the other disciples, "We have seen{horaō} the lord." He(person addressed, Jesus) said to them(other disciples), " If{ean} I do not see{eidon} in the hands of him(genitive, RLR to lord) the pattern of the nails. And I throw the finger of me at the pattern of the nails. And I throw of me the hand at the side of him(genitive, RLR to lord), not-not I believe."

25. John Mark, who was now the alternative Chief Gentile since the promotion of James Niceta, upheld Simon Magus. He said to Jesus, "I see Simon Magus as Pope across the 2 cubits of the table". Jesus said to John Mark, "My ministers must not use the X sign formed of nails drawn on their collection plate for money gifts, for it stands for the militant anti-Roman Magian monastic system. Instead, a ring may be used, standing for the last letter of the Greek alphabet, Omega, in place of the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. My paten for gifts for the Poor may be used in the east, carried outside the garments below the water-bag worn on their right side by missionaries. I hold the Sadducee methods of the abbeys, not monasteries."

(This part of the meeting continued until midnight.) At 3 am Jesus with Thomas and John Mark set out to walk from Ain Feshkha to Mird-Hyrcania. After 8 hours' slow walk they arrived at the wady at Mird Minor, then for another hour climbed up the slope of Mird-Hyrcania, to reach the meal chamber at noon.)

MARCH_22_AD_33_4PM_EMMAUS_CORNER_NEAR_MAR_SABA
SUNDAY MARCH 22, AD 33

When the session ended at midnight Simon Magus was carried back to the room where he was resting. Jesus with Thomas and John Mark took only three hours' sleep, following the practice of vigils. Jesus was showing the strength and resilience for which his discipline had prepared him. At 3 am they rose and set out for the long walk towards the west along a well known path.


At Mird-Hyrcania

The building at Mird-Hyrcania lies on a massive height, marking the point where the Wilderness of Judea drops down towards the Dead Sea.

See Photo N. (Mird-Hyrcania.)

Its substantial buildings, occupied by a Herodian monarchist party, were supplied with water by a massive aqueduct whose ruins stll remain.

See Photo O. (The aqueduct on the west of Mird-Hyrcania (on skyline)).

When documents from the 8th century were found in an underground chamber there, it was excavated at the same time as the other archeological work that followed the discovery of the Scrolls. It proved to be the site that had been a Christian monastery in the medieval period, then called Marda. A charming story is told in a medieval source about a path leading down from there to Ain Feshkha, travelled by a donkey that was well trained to go down alone, collect vegetables from Ain Feshkha, and bring them back to the monks at Marda.

In the time of Herod the Great the height had been used for a fortress. Herod had taken it over from Queen Salome, queen regnant 76 - 67 BC, for whom it was a treasury, a safe place to store the royal property. When Herod the Great put his son and heir Antipater to death, a few days before the insane monarch's own death, Antipater was buried in the graveyard at the foot of the cliff.

Enough remains of the ruins to show that the building had the same shape as Ain Feshkha, with four wings around a central courtyard.

See Photo P. (Remains of the building on top of Mird-Hyrcania.)

The north wing became the church in its Christian period, its mosaic floor possibly remaining from the time when it was a Jewish synagogue.

See Photo Q. (Mosaic floor of the north wing.)

There was apparently no second storey over its west wing, but underground the slope of the mountain on the south side lent itself to cells, which were used by solitaries up to recent years.

See Photo R. (Entrance to cells on the south flank.)

See Photo S. (Inside the entrance to a cell.)

Their roof and walls were covered in modern times with frescoes in colored paint.

See Photo T. (Modern frescoes on roof and wall of a cell.)


The hermitage and abbey.

The buildings were used from the 2nd and 1st centuries BC by the Therapeuts, the ascetic order related to the Essenes. They had branches in many parts of the world, one of them being in the Wilderness of Judea. The full account of their way of life is given by Philo in his essay The Contemplative Life. They normally lived as hermits, each person living in a small hut in a scattering of such huts, without contact with others for a period of 7 weeks. Their time was spent in prayer, fasting and study of sacred books. Every 7 weeks - 49 days but counted as 50 days, a pentecontad - they came together for community, holding an all night "banquet" of bread and water, marked by ecstatic behaviour. In Egypt, where they had their main centre, they were Diaspora Jews following a solar calendar,regarding themselves as exiles from their homeland and from the true temple. They consequently adopted an Exodus imagery, thinking of themselves as an Israel in the wilderness, longing to reach their Promised Land. Their leaders used titles from the Exodus story, their priest an "Aaron", his deputy a "Moses", with a "Joshua" to lead their eventual conquest of the Promised Land.

Not being committed to a permanently celibate monastic life, they were able to admit women who wanted to follow the eremitical style, usually older women, "aged virgins" as they called them, desiring to spend the rest of their lives in solitary contemplation. They too lived in small huts, their group kept a little apart from those of the men. The women were led by a "Miriam", the sister of Moses in the Exodus story.

Their lively pentecontad meetings, contrasting with their normally subdued habits, were marked by choral singing and a liturgy based on the Exodus story. The men and women divided into two choirs, like those of Moses and Miriam in Exodus 15, and danced a crossing of the Red Sea, with the downfall of Pharaoh's chariots. Their celebrations went on all night, with such religious enthusiasm that they were said to be "drunk with the drunkenness in which there is no shame". At dawn they went back to their huts, socially refreshed, to renew their life of study, fasting and prayer.

Although they normally remained at a lower level of learning than that of the monasteries, some of them chose to advance to higher stages of education, residing in a school. Their schools, called abbeys, were developed in the buildings used for the pentecontad meetings. Retaining the freedom to leave and marry if they chose, the abbeys did not practice monastic forms of discipline but were more open.

The lofty building at Mird-Hyrcania had developed as an abbey for this class, with the approval of the Herod kings who owned it. The abbot, called Abba, was the priest of the class of village priests, corresponding to the Sariel of the three leading priests, who was of grade 2. The Annas priests adopted this role. As abbots, they went up a grade, to be equal to the Gabriel, of grade 1. The imagery of "spirit" was particularly favored by them because of the ecstatic experiences at their meetings. The abbot was said to have the highest manifestation of the Holy Spirit, in the form with both articles, to pneuma to hagion.

The setting of Mird-Hyrcania and the nearby wady were ideal for the abbey and retreat huts of the hermits, the Judean branch of the Therapeuts. The wady, at the point that may be called Mird Minor, was about a kilometer away to the north, an hour's walk, as the hour included the climb up the mountainside to the top. Here for 7 weeks, a cluster of huts, sufficiently apart, on the north side of the wady, was occupied by male hermits. On the south side the huts for females stood.

The Exodus imagery was carried through in every aspect of the organisation. The abbey on the mountaintop, being the place where their "Aaron" and "Moses" received revelations about the Law, was called "Mount Sinai". After their experiences at Mt Sinai the Israelites had moved on into the wilderness, where they stayed for 40 years under Moses before entering the Promised Land under Joshua. The hermits living at the wady were at the beginning of their "wilderness". The name "hermit" came from the Greek for "wilderness", erēmos.

At the point in the wady called Mird Minor, two sloping tunnels were found by the archeologists, dug at some length into the stony sides of the wady, one on the north bank and one on the south.

See Photo U. (A tunnel in the wady bank, north of Mird-Hyrcania.)

See Photo V. (Inside the tunnel.)

Similar tunnels were found at a site near Jericho. They were artificially constructed, and served no practical purpose. But the practice of initiation observed by all ascetics suggests that they were intended for a ceremony understood as a "second birth", emerging from the womb. The ceremony would have included baptism in the waters of the wady. Men and women taking up the eremitical life and going on to the abbeys were leaving behind their previous life and their families, or may never have had families. They were being "born again" into a new family, that of the community.

The name "the wilderness" is used for the male hermits' huts in the Synoptics. John the Baptist is placed there at the time of the equinox council gathering in March 29 AD. The Baptist was the current heir of the Zadokite dynasty, destined to be the supreme high priest, when the Kingdom came. He lived normally in the sanctuary, which after the earthquake of 31 BC had been transferred to Mird. But his duty of preserving his dynastic line meant that he had to leave the sanctuary in order to marry at the age of 36. He had been born in September 8 BC, six months before Jesus, and would be 36 in September AD 29. (Subtract 1 from the BC period, as no zero year was allowed.) The previous March he began his preparation for entering the "unclean" state of marriage by descending to the level of hermits, who were permitted to marry. When council meetings were held at Mird he resided with the hermits at Mird Minor, north of the wady, and for the rest of the time while he was in the married state he lived at one of the settlements of Therapeuts in Transjordan, about a kilometer to the east of the river, opposite Jericho on its west side. The place is now called El Kharrar. When Qumran type cisterns were found there it was recognized that it had been associated with John the Baptist.

In John's gospel, the place where John the Baptist was found is called "Bethany beyond Jordan". A "Bethany" was a house for the 'ani, the Therapeuts. The settlement at El Kharrar was literally beyond the Jordan river, and its position opposite Jericho made it the right location for an Exodus drama. A new "Joshua" would come from the wilderness, cross the Jordan river miraculously, and cause the walls of Jericho to fall down. An attempt at that event, under the leadership of Theudas, is described by Josephus for the year AD 44, but the plan was foiled by the Romans and Theudas was executed Josephus, Ant. 20, 97-98.


Nazirites

The hermits were not, however, entirely alone in their retreats. Two other kinds of solarist ascetics shared the territory with them. One consisted of married men who had left their families for short periods in order to engage in prayer and meditation, a practice referred to by Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:5. These were the Nazirites, a higher order of married men, whose main organisational centre was in Nazareth in Galilee. The Essene Nazirites practiced a higher discipline, with longer periods of retreat, than the more orthodox kind, whose Nazirite vow lasted 30 days. For these men, the shortest possible period was 40 days, next 50 days, then 60, 70, 80 and 90 up to 100. The Hebrew letters used for numbers were applied, letters that also indicated the grades of education for the ministry. Thus a 40 day man was a Mem (40), a grade 9 baptisand, and so on:

40 day manMem (40)grade 9 baptisand
50 day manNun (50)grade 8 novice
60 day manSamekh (60)grade 7 initiate
70 day manAyin (70)grade 6 deacon
80 day manPe (80)grade 5 presbyter
90 day manSadhe (90)grade 4 bishop
100 day manQof (100)grade 3 archbishop

As Nazirites who grew their hair long during their retreats and shaved when they returned to the married life, they were likened to "sheep" who were "shorn". A Qof was called "Sheep 100", following the rule for nouns with numbers, a Sadhe "Sheep 90".

Their retreats were spent in the caves that lined the rocky heights all along the route from Mar Saba to Mird Minor. The Nazirites of the pre-initiate grades, 40 and 50 days, spent their retreat periods in Jerusalem, being considered not hardy enough to endure the dry barren conditions of the Wilderness of Judea. At Mar Saba itself was to be found a 60, of the initiate grade, and a 70, a deacon. This retreat spot was for the lowest of the advanced members, and was used as a school for boys being trained for the ascetic way of life. It was called Nazara, after the main centre in Galilee, in the form of the word ending in "a". This was the Nazara in which Jesus had been brought up, according to Luke 4:16. The next spot, an hour further away, was close to the position that was also called "Emmaus". This was for the 80 day men of grade 5, presbyters. It was called "Nazareth" in a variation of the name. The principle was being employed, as in the case of "Galilee", that a minister brought his village with him wherever he went.

The Sadhe 90 bishop spent his retreats at the next spot further along, at the beginning of the aqueduct which supplied water to Mird-Hyrcania. The Qof 100, the chief Nazirite, belonged at the Mird fortress itself. He was, in fact, the royal Herod, Agrippa I in the gospel period., He had authority over all Nazirites, as is shown in Josephus, who records that Agrippa ordered them to be "shorn" (Josephus, Ant. 19, 294). Agrippa was the "sheep 100" who was "lost" then reunited with the ascetics when he joined their party, according to the story in Luke 15:3-7. At a later stage, when there was an assassination plot against him, he was the "lamb led to the slaughter", referred to in a coded way by conspirators in Acts 8:32.

Nazirites being married men remained as individuals, not part of the structured community of abbeys and monasteries. They did not have to observe the tightly controlled timing of every aspect of communal life. One consequence of this was that they did not keep the strict rule for attendance at the latrine that members of both monasteries and abbeys observed.


Pilgrims and their "camps".

Yet another kind of ascetic passed through the territory of the hermits, the "wilderness". These were pilgrims on their way to Qumran, bringing the needed food tithes to the exiled priests. They were village Essenes, who had chosen to support the exiled Zadokites and Davids, rejecting the Hasmoneans who had taken over the Jerusalem temple. They were normally married men, not following a Nazirite vow, but staying away from their homes for about a month, spending 30 days of it at Qumran.

For those coming from Jerusalem, their route brought them down the wady Kidron, which flowed between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives, to Mar Saba, reaching it after 12 hours at 3 pm, as they had left Jerusalem at the workers' dawn at 3 am. During the next 3 hours they walked across the low hills to Mird-Hyrcania, where they were given an evening meal at 6 pm, and at the same time given some instruction at this "Mount Sinai". Abbey meals normally lasted 2 hours. Leaving the meeting at 8 pm, they walked for an hour north to the wady, where their camp was placed in the vicinity of the retreat huts. They slept in tents in their camps from 9 pm to 3 am, then rising at that early hour they walked 8 hours due east to Ain Feshkha, reaching it at 11 am. They there spent an hour in purifications and spiritual preparation, and from noon to 3 pm covered the last leg of their trip up to the Qumran plateau. Their 30 days were spent in the outer hall, divided from the monastery by the Israelite wall, closed off by an iron door in the wall that was opened only from the inside. They came in parties of 120 at a time, sitting along the hall in 4 rows of 30 each. When the top row paid their dues to the levite, he received 30 pieces of silver. At night they slept in their tents on the southern esplanade, adding to its definition as an "unclean place', suitable for men who were usually sexually active.

These village groups were called "camps" in the Qumran literature, especially the Damascus Document, which sets out the rules for the village communities in the Diaspora.

Sunday March 22, from noon to 2 pm
At Mird-Hyrcania

After leaving Ain Feshkha at 3 am on the Sunday, Jesus with John Mark and Thomas walked the 8 hours to Mird Minor, arriving at 11 am, then during the extra hour climbed up to the abbey on top of the mountain. They were accompanied by Jonathan Annas and Theudas, who had slept from 9 pm to 3am, leaving Ain Feshkha at the same time. Jonathan Annas now acted at Mird in his capacity of abbot. The noon meal was held in the single storey northern meal room in the west wing, running north-south like all meal chambers.

The proceedings at the meal, lasting until 2 pm, are given in John 20:26-29. Five men sat in the leading places. A triangle in rows 6 and 7 was formed by Jonathan Annas as the Father, the abbot; Theudas as the Son - his name Barabbas meaning "son of the Abba"- and Jesus as the third, a bishop only, in the center of row 7.On the opposite side of the table sat the same celibate pair, Thomas and John Mark. Both were now servants of Jesus, who was the only one in the center at the table. John Mark was usually counted as the student, the disciple of Jesus, especially when the Magus was not present.

At 12:05 after the door had been shut to exclude non-members Jesus tood up in his place and gave the Sadducee blessing, " Peace to you". The question of Thomas' status as bishop and his right to receive money gifts was raised. Jesus told him that he could be a bishop under the non-monastic rule of the Therapeuts, wearing a ring. On row 10 west he could look down through 2 cubits to row 13 west, where Jesus' own collection plate for gifts now stood. Thomas could use this plate in the party of Jesus. He could also receive gifts for the poor in the bread paten placed on the east side. The condition was that he remained Sadducee, not nationalist Pharisee.

Thomas as Sadducee would become devoted to Jonathan Annas, with whom he would later be associated at a political crisis. It was to Jonathan, sitting behind Jesus, that Thomas now said, "My lord and my God."

Theudas, sitting beside Jonathan, could rise to a form of ministry called a Blessed One, makarios, which was endorsed by Jesus on this occasion. They were below Saints, who were permanent celibates. This kind could leave to marry if they chose. The Beatitudes set out the rules for the different kinds of Blessed Ones. In its practices of canonisation, the Roman church continued to make a distinction between Blessed Ones and Saints.

The political purpose of the meeting arose from the manoeuvres of Jonathan Annas to have Agrippa appointed king by Rome. Agrippa's chief need was money, to pay off his debts in Rome. In the homeland while Agrippa was away the continuing rich income from the Herodian mission had come to both Herods, Antipas the tetrarch of Galilee, and Thomas. Thomas was currently accepted as the regent for the crown prince while Agrippa's own son was still an infant. Antipas was a Sadducee, having enjoyed the favour of the emperor Tiberius, after whom he had named the city of Tiberias. Once Agrippa became Sadducee, Antipas, who had previously helped him financially, had become willing to give money to further Agrippa's plans. But Thomas Herod had always veered between the Pharisee and Sadducee options. His maternal grandfather had been the Pharisee high priest Simon Boethus, and as a head of proselytes he insisted that they should adopt a fully Jewish identity by being circumcised. However Jonathan Annas, accepting him into the abbey system, had persuaded him to join in the plan to help Agrippa. Thomas had agreed, so all the Herodian income was now handed over to Agrippa. Thomas changed to espouse western Sadducee political views, and would eventually be found in the royal household in Rome, under the name Rufus, meaning red, from his title Esau, also meaning "red". Paul wrote to him under this name in Romans 16:13.

The last two verses of John 20 were originally written as a conclusion to the whole gospel. "Jesus did many other signs before the disciples which are not written in this book. These are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ the son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." Its pesher concerns the re-assignation of the Greek form of the gospel to James Niceta, which took place in 43 AD, as the pesher of Revelation 10 shows.

SUNDAY, MARCH 22, AD 33

NOON TO 2 PM AT MIRD-HYRCANIA

John 20:26-31
John 20:26

26. Kai meth' hēmeras oktō palin ēsan esō hoi mathētai autou kai Thōmas met' autōn. Erchetai ho Iēsous tōn thyrōn kekleismenōn , kai estē eis to meson kai eipen, Eirēnē hymin.

26. And after 8 days (day 8) again were inside the disciples of him(RLR to Jesus v.25). And Thomas with them(gen., RLR to disciples). Comes Jesus, the doors shut. And he stood at the middle. And he said, " Peace to you(plu)."

26. The next day, Sunday March 22 at noon (See 'Chronology' in Section 3), Jesus with John Mark and Thomas came to the abbey noon meal at Mird-Hyrcania. At 12:05 when all were inside the door was closed to exclude non-initiates. With Jonathan Annas the abbot and Theudas-Barabbas the deputy abbot behind him, Jesus as the third of the triarchy stood at the center of row 7 and gave the Sadducee blessing to demonstrate his pro-Roman political attitudes.

John_20:27

27. eita legei tō Thōma, Phere ton daktylon sou hōde kai ide tas cheiras mou, kai phere ten cheira sou kai bale eis tēn pleuran mou, kai mē ginou apistos alla pistos.

27. Then he(RLR to Jesus v.26) says to Thomas, "Bring the finger of you here. And see{eidon} the hands of me. And bring the hand of you. And throw at the side of me. And do not become an Anti- believing One, nevertheless a Believing One."

27. Jesus said to Thomas on row 10 center east, now in the relation of servant to Jesus, "Use the ring emblem standing for the Greek language instead of the Hebrew language. Look down from row 10 to row 13, to the collection plate for freewill gifts that you may use as a lay bishop. You may also use the paten for gifts for the Poor in the east. You may carry below your waterbag a scroll containing writings as the "net" to catch recruits. Do not retain the Pharisee beliefs that you formerly held, requiring circumcision of proselytes. Become a deputy to the Sadducee Jonathan Annas."

John_20:28

28. apekrithē Thōmas kai eipen autō, Ho kyrios mou kai ho theos mou.

28. Answered Thomas. And he(Thomas) said to him(RLR to Believing One, Jonathan), "The lord(vocative) of me. And the God(vocative) of me."

28. Thomas became a lay bishop. Thomas said to Jonathan Annas, "You are the Pope for me. You are the high priest incarnating God to me."

John 20:29

29. legei autō ho Iēsous , Hoti heōrakas me pepisteukas; makarioi hoi mē idontes kai pisteusantes.

29. Says to him(RLR to Believing One, Jonathan, v.27) Jesus, "That you have see{eidon}believed; Blessed Ones ones those not seeing{eidon}. And believing."

29. Jesus said to Jonathan Annas, "As a Sadducee you treat me as the representative of uncircumcised Gentiles treated as females. You make me sit on row 10 at the table opposite you , in the "bosom" as the Beloved. Theudas the Chief Therapeut does not treat Gentiles as female and me as a servant. As a deputy abbot he is a Blessed One, not a celibate Saint. He has now adopted Sadducee views."

John 20:30

30. Polla men oun kai alla sēmeia epoiēsen ho Iēsous enōpion tōn mathētōn, ha ouk estin gegrammena en tō bibliō toutō.

30. Many things m-n therefore. And other signs Jesus did before{enōpion} the disciples, which are not written in this book.

30. Pre-initiates of grades 8 and 9, and celibate initiates of grade 7, are given the doctrine of Jonathan Annas. Jesus also taught the Logia in Hebrew to James Niceta, not recorded in a Greek book (but would be used later when Matthew's gospel translated them into Greek and incorporated them as Q)

John 20:31

31. tauta de gegraptai hina pisteusēte hoti Iēsous estin ho Christos ho huios tou theou, kai hina pisteuontes zōēn echēte en tō onomati autou.

31. These things are written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God(gen.). And in order that believing you have life in the name of him(RLR to "son", Jesus).

31. This new gospel is for James Niceta, who as a Sadducee holds that Jesus is the legitimate David, the deputy of the Annas priest, the Christ deputy of the high priest. James Niceta has been made a lay bishop, using the name "Christian".

SUNDAY MARCH 22, AD 33
4 pm, at the "Emmaus" corner near Mar Saba

At 2 pm Jesus, Thomas, Theudas and John Mark left the Mird meal chamber, and walked one hour to the beginning of the aqueduct on the western side, which gave the easiest descent down the western side of the mountain, reaching it at 3 pm. Their destination, which they would reach in time for the evening meal, was the slope down the cliffiside where the spectacular Greek Orthodox monastery of Mar Saba now stands.

See Photo W. (The Mar Saba monastery. From Picturesque Palestine, 1880.)

Before reaching the cliff, they arrived just before 4 pm at the corner where the wady Kidron turned east after running north-south for some distance.

See Photo X. (Corner where the wady Kidron turns from north-south to east.)

On a hillock at the corner a small stone building now stands:

See Photo Y. (Hillock at the corner.)

At this corner the episode at "Emmaus" in Luke 24:13-24 took place.

The corner where the wady turns is an obvious one to be a marker, a meeting-place. Luke's account says that it was 60 stadia from Jerusalem, using the singular form of the name. As is shown in Luke 13:34, which uses the expression "Jerusalem, Jerusalem" with both words in the singular form, the name applied to two different places at the capital, according to the pesher rule for repetitions. Both were centers for the ascetic community, at the city itself. One was the Essene Gate, to which the Essenes had been sent at the time of their exclusion from the temple centuries before. The other was on the Mount of Olives, a kilometer east of the city across the Kidron valley. It held a hermitage and a tower, in the positions where the church of Gethsemane and the church of Mary Magdalene now stand. At the foot of the Mount of Olives was the original stable for the royal mule used in the coronation procession described in 1 Kings 1:38 and Zechariah 9:9.

On the west side, from the Essene Gate upwards, there were three corresponding buildings, as will be shown below. In each case the building at the lowest point was called "Jerusalem", for names were placed at the point where a position began. On the Mount of Olives the "Jerusalem" name belonged at the lowest point. As a stable, it was the original "Manger".

It was to this latter "Jerusalem" that the measurement of 60 stadia referred. At the walking rate of 5 stadia per hour, it took 12 hours to traverse the distance from the corner to its counterpart, between 4 pm and 4 am, or the reverse.

The two men who are named as being joined by Jesus at this time were Cleopas and "a 2", who was Theudas, called "man 2" in other passages because his position beside the abbot entitled him to grade 2. Theudas had come with Jesus from Mird-Hyrcania, and followed the rule for the use of "Emmaus". Cleopas was Brother James. The information on the family of Jesus given by Hegesippus ( quoted by Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History 2, 23) shows that Cleopas was a personal name in the family of Jesus. All its members had ordinary names used in public, as well as their titles "Jacob", "Joseph" and others from the Abraham imagery. A surname appears to have been "Sabbas". Three of the sons, including Jesus, were called Barsabbas, "'son of Sabbas" in different sources. The Mary of Cleopas named at the cross in John's gospel was the young woman betrothed to James.

On Good Friday James, present at Qumran for a council, had acted in the place of the David king once Jesus was put on the cross. In that role he had opened the doors of the caves at 3:30 pm, but the close timing supplied in Matthew's account shows that he did not have time to make use of the western cave himself. At 4:05 pm, he closed the doors in his role of the David prince, as one who was additional to those who had used the cave. The close timing and the actions described show again that he did not enter the cave himself.

James was accompanied by Antipas, a married man of the same grade, who had come with him from Ain Feshkha earlier in the day. Neither was bound by the monastic rules. During the 10 minutes from 3:55 to 4:05 pm James followed the usual practice of a leader of married men to a representative of Gentiles, giving two homilies to Antipas, each 5 minutes long.. James was wearing the black vestment of a Nazirite, so was said to be "sad".

At 4:05 Jesus joined James , wearing the hooded cloak that was worn by celibates outside the monastery. James as a pilgrim carried an oil lamp, still shuttered as it would not be lit until it was actually dark. Since a lamp for reading corresponded to the "eyes" in the body imagery, it could be said that "his eyes were closed". But it was not the case that James did not recognize Jesus, with whom he had previously shared a meal at Ain Feshkha. James did not recognize him in the pesher sense, not yet admitting with Sadducees that Jesus was legitimate. If Jesus was illegitimate as Pharisees maintained, being a pre-nuptial son of Joseph, James himself was the David.

The men walked at first along the east side of the wady, then they crossed to the west side. There was an easy spot for crossing the narrow wady, which was often almost dry. Jesus and James debated the question of their relative status, which involved the question of their political atitudes. In the course of the discussion James affirmed that he had changed his views to Sadducee, had become pro-Roman, and this meant that he accepted that Jesus was legitimate and he himself was only the crown prince.

SUNDAY, MARCH 22, AD 33

4 PM AT THE "EMMAUS" CORNER NEAR MAR SABA

Luke 24:13-24
Luke 24:13

13. Kai idou dyo ex autōn en autē tē hēmera ēsan poreuomenoi eis kōmēn apechousan stadious hexēkonta apo Ierousalēm , hē onoma Emmaous,

13. And see{eidon} two out of them(RLR to autais Lk 24:11, the women) in the same day were journeying at a village having from 60 stadia from Jerusalem{Ierousalēm}(singular form), to which a name Emmaus.

13. At 3.55 pm on Sunday March 22 Theudas as a teacher of proselytes of the Way under "Sarah" (Helena) , was at the corner near Mar Saba called "Emmaus" where the Kidron changes its course from south to east. The corner was counted as 12 hours from the stables on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

Luke 24:14

14. kai autoi hōmiloun pros allēlous peri pantōn tōn symbebēkotōn toutōn.

14. And they(pronoun nom. masc.) gave a homily towards One Another around All These Ones happening with.

15. Brother James-Cleopas, no longer replacing his brother as Jesus was known to be alive, was not bound by the latrine rule for 4 pm as he was the head of non-monastic Nazirites in the married class. He stood on the hillock in the vicinity of the retreat place used by 80 day Nazirites. He was with Antipas, who as a married man was also not bound by the rule. Antipas stood north on the north-south part of the wady, and James stood south of him. He delivered to him a 5 minute homily concerning the duties of a married man, intended to reform Antipas' sexual wrongdoing. Thomas as a teacher of proselytes joined him at 4 pm.

Luke 24:15

15. kai egeneto en tō homilein autous kai syzētein kai autos Iēsous engisas syneporeueto autois

15. And it came about them(subject of infinitive refers back to subject of previous verb, "they"autoi) to give a homily. And to seek with. And he Jesus having come near journeyed with them.

15. At 4:00 pm James gave another 5 minute homily. He aimed to be a fellow minister with Antipas. At 4:05 pm Jesus, accompanied by John Mark, joined James as a teacher of Gentiles like John Mark met on the Way.

(Those taking the route along the wady always travelled in groups of 2 or 3.)

Luke 24:16

16. hoi de ophthalmoi autōn ekratounto tou mē epignōnai auton.

16. The eyes of them(RLR to "they" v. 15, James) were held fast not to known{gnōstos} him(RLR to Jesus v.15).

16. James was carrying the lamp used by travelers along the wady, its shutter not yet opened as it was not yet dark. James did not approve of Jesus' friendship with Simon Magus.

Luke 24:17

17. eipen de pros autous, Tines hoi logoi houtoi hous antiballete pros allēlous peripatountes; kai estathēsan skythrōpoi.

17. He(RLR to Jesus v. 16) said towards them(RLR to "they", James v.16), " Certain Ones These Words which you throw against towards One Another, as ones walking. And they(RLR to "ones walking") stood, gloomy{skythrōpos }.

17. From 4:05 pm they set out along the path from the corner, at first in single file on the east side of the wady, with Antipas leading in the south-north direction and James behind him. Jesus walked behind James. He said to James, "You are giving Antipas the doctrine that you as the David taught to proselytes. You are acting as a peripatetic teacher." Then they came to the spot for crossing the wady to the west side, and James , who was wearing the black garment of a Nazirite, stood still while Jesus moved from behind him to in front of him, to form a pair for crossing together.

Luke 24:18

18. apokritheis de heis onomati Kleopas eipen pros auton, Sy monos paroikeis Ierousalēm kai ouk egnōs ta genomena en autē en tais hēmerais tautais;

18. Having answered one with a name Cleopas said towards him(RLR to Jesus v.17), "You alone dwell in Jerusalem{Ierousalēm}(singular form). You have not known{gnōstos} the things coming about in it in the days these."

18. James, now in village status, used his personal name Cleopas. He said to Jesus beside him on the north, "As a dynast outside, you attend the abbey-hermitage on the Mount of Olives and make use of the stables building on its lower slope. You do not practice a monastic discipline there, when it observes Pentecost."

Luke 24:19

19. kai eipen autois, Poia; hoi de eipan autō, Ta peri Iēsou tou Nazarēnou, hos egeneto anēr prophētēs dynatos en ergō kai logō enantion tou theou kai pantos tou laou,

19. And he(RLR to Jesus v.18) said to them(RLR to "ones walking", James), "What kinds". They(addressed) said to him, "The things around of Jesus the Nazarene(gen.), who came about as a man a prophet powerful in work. And in Word, before{enantion} God(gen.). And of All the people(gen.).

19. Jesus said to James, "There are different stages for a dynast." James said to Jesus, "Proselytes have been taught by the David as a Nazirite wearing black. That was you in your former state before you returned to the white garment of an outside dynast. When a dynast is outside he acts as a levitical bishop with priestly power over the married class. When outside he is equal to a lay levite, the subordinate of the Annas priest, in row 7 below him. But he is only at the grade of a bishop, not of a monastic graduate like Thomas."

Luke 24:20

20 hopōs te paredōkan auton hoi archiereis kai hoi archontes hēmōn eis krima thanatou kai estaurōsan auton.

20. "The how the chief priests gave-beside him(RLR to Word v.19, Jesus). And the rulers of us at judgment of Death(genitive). And they(rulers) crucified him(Jesus).

20. James said, "Jonathan Annas, as village priest, made you, as the outside Word, his levite. Antipas, a married man subordinate to me, James, is a lay member, a judge, in Simon Magus' party. Antipas brought about your cursing by bribing Pilate to release the militant Theudas- Barabbas."

Luke 24:21

21. hēmeis de ēlpizomen hoti autos estin ho mellōn lytrousthai ton Israēl. Alla ge kai syn pasin toutois tritēn tautēn hēmeran agei aph'hou tauta egeneto.

21. "But we hope that he(pronoun) is the one about to redeem Israel. Nevertheless ge (See Classes in 'For Reference'). And with All These Ones a third this day it leads from whom(masc.) these things came about.

21. "I, James, now accept the Sadducee view of Antipas that Jesus is legitimate, so I am only his crown prince. He is the David, who in 3 months at Pentecost will bring about the Restoration of the Davids, becoming Messiah of Israel. I will be his deputy in class C, that of lay graduates. Thomas with the Magians will observe the first Pentecost starting Tuesday June 2. Fulfilment for the laity comes at the second Pentecost.(See 'Chronology' in Section 3).

Luke 24:22

22. alla kai gynaikes tines ex hēmōn exestēsan hēmas. Genomenai orthrinai epi to mnēmeion

22. " Nevertheless. And Certain Ones Women out of us stood out from us. They(fem.) becoming dawn-observers upon the tomb.

22. At 4.35 pm the party reached the west bank of the wady. As they climbed up towards the first shelf of the Mar Saba cliff James gave Jesus an account of the Magians at the caves on the Saturday morning. "Helena , the 'Sarah' to proselytes, belonged to an opposition party, that of Simon Magus. At 3 am on Saturday she came to the dungeon to offer the dawn prayer and attend Simon. She stood in its open doorway after Simon had been brought out.

Luke 24:23

23. kai mē heurousai to sōma autou ēlthon legousai kai optasian angelōn heōrakenai, hoi legousin auton zēn.

23. "And not finding (fem.) the body of him(RLR to "he", Jesus v.21) they(fem. plu.; RLR to Women v.22) came saying(fem.plu). And a vision of angels seeing{horaō}(fem.plu), who(masc. plu. nom. relative pronoun with gen. angels) say him(RLR to "he", Jesus v.21) living.

23. "Helena was not permitted to receive the monstrance of Jesus to enable her to act as an equal priest to him. But she was permitted to be a teacher. Standing outside the dungeon door, there were 2 cubits between her and Simon Magus on the top step, dressed in the white robes of a Zadokite. Simon said that Jesus was alive, in the status of a bishop to Gentiles."

Luke 24:24

24. kai apēlthon tines tōn syn hēmin epi to mnēmeion, kai heuron houtōs kathōs kai hai gynaikes eipon, auton de ouk eidon.

24. "And Certain Ones of the ones with us came from upon the tomb. And they(Certain Ones) found thus. And the Women said, him(RLR to Jesus v.24) they (Women) did not see{eidon}.

24. "At 4:05 am on Saturday Thomas in the role of deacon arrived at the caves, having come to escort Helena. He approved Theudas' action in blocking the airhole to the dungeon to suffocate Judas Iscariot. He permitted Helena as the 'Sarah' to proselytes to be a teacher with him. When Thomas brought Helena back to the queen's house, and the sunrise prayers were held, Helena did not lead prayers in fellowship with Jesus."

At 5 pm the six men arrived at the first level of the steep cliff of Mar Saba.

The cliffside at Mar Saba with its successive shelves lent itself readily to imitation of the three level arrangements in a "tower". On the first shelfstood the synagogue that was used by Nazirites and pilgrims.

See Photo AA. (The lower part of the Mar Saba slope. Sign "No women" inside the door.)

Setting out from its Jerusalem counterpart at 3 am on their day of pilgrimage, the pilgrims walked down the wady for 12 hours then up to the lowest shelf, where they were given a drink of water at 3 pm and sent on their way to Mird-Hyrcania for the evening meal. But on the way back from Qumran, they spent part of the night at Mar Saba. After arriving at 5 pm at the synagogue level, they climbed up for another hour to the intermediate shelf,

See Photo Z. (The upper part of the Mar Saba slope.)

where at 6 pm they entered an equivalent of the meal-room for married men and Nazirites. There they spent the three hours from 6 to 9 pm without drinking wine. It was during this meal that James' "eyes were opened". Jesus persuaded him to adopt the Sadducee view that he was legitimate, and to accept a compromise allowing him to continue as a teacher of proselytes, one of the functions of the David that Jesus was willing to give up.

At 9 pm Nazirites retired. Antipas, Theudas and James, intending to reach Jerusalem the next day, set out along the wady, carrying lamps.

Higher up still on the Mar Saba cliff stood a tower, about where the present tower on the north-west corner of the enclosure stands.

See Photo BB. (Mar Saba from the east bank opposite, Kidron valley between obscured.)

It was the equivalent of the third floor, where only priests and full celibates could go. When the Nazirite part of the meal ended, celibates went up there for the hour for drinking fermented wine. When Jesus "became invisible" in Luke 24:31 he, with Thomas and John Mark, separated from the others when they left for Jerusalem, and went up to the tower. At the end of the hour they chose not to continue the vigil, but came down to the middle shelf by 11 pm and the lowest shelf by midnight. They then set out for their 12 hour walk to Jerusalem.

SUNDAY, MARCH 22, AD 33

5 PM to MIDNIGHT ON SUCCESSIVE SHELVES OF MAR SABA

Luke 24:25- 32
Luke 24:25

25. kai autos eipen pros autous, O anoētoi kai bradeis tē kardia tou pisteuein epi pasin hois elalēsan hoi prophētai.

25. And he(pronoun, Jesus) said towards them(masc, RLR to Certain Ones v. 24), "You are anti- mind. And you are slow in the heart to believe upon to All Ones to whom the prophets have spoken.

25. At 5 pm after an hour's walk the men had reached the first shelf of the Mar Saba cliff containing the synagogue attended by proselytes, those who had been persuaded during the walk on the Way. In the east-west synagogue, with the leaders at the east end, Thomas as head of proselytes stood north and Jesus as only a bishop to them stood south. Jesus said to Thomas, "You are opposed to Gentiles being taught in their own languages. You use the female time for ablutions, 5 pm not 4 pm. You are equal to a female bishop. You have now become a Sadducee with Antipas, both changing to Agrippa's court. Theudas as the Sadducee 'Moses'in his court gives the spoken prayer on the hour."

Luke 24:26

26. ouchi tauta edei pathein ton Christon kai eiselthein eis tēn doxan autou;

26." Not-chi these things must the Christ suffer. And to come at, at the glory of him(the Christ)."

26. "Theudas and Antipas do not use the X sign, nor the T sign, but a compromise, an O for Greek containing an X for Hebrew. The Christ in his highest status has to live in the monastery as celibate, sitting as a grade 1 Messiah of Israel beside the Zadokite grade 0 Messiah of Aaron. Like the Gabriel grade 1, he may also sit at the table in front of the Zadokite, as the Law-Interpreter, teaching the law of Moses."

Luke 24:27

27. kai arxamenos apo Mōyseōs kai apo pantōn tēn prophētōn diermēneusen autois en pasais tais graphais ta peri heautou.

27. And he beginning (subject of participle referring back to verb before speech, he Jesus in v.25) from Moses(gen.). And from All the prophets(gen.) he(Jesus) interpreted for them(RLR to prophets in v.25) in All the writings the things around Himself.

27. At 6 pm the men arrived at the middle level of Mar Saba, the school for synagogue acolytes with its north-south meal-room. Jesus as a bishop sat in center west row 6 beside Thomas as a levite center east, with Theudas also a bishop in the place of "Moses" in the center of row 7. At 7 pm after the readings from the Law and the Prophets had been given by Theudas, Jesus gave to Theudas a pesher from the third section of the Old Testament, the Writings, showing that it contained support for the monastic system of Simon Magus.

Luke 24:28

28. Kai ēngisan eis tēn kōmēn hou eporeuonto, kai autos prosepoiēsato porrōteron poreuesthai.

28. And they(RLR to prophets v.27) drew near at the village where they(prophets) journeyed And he(pronoun, Jesus) did towards to journey further.

28. At 8 pm it was time for the communion bread, 5 common loaves, which were taken by Nazirites and Therapeuts at the final hour of a meeting for villagers. They did not drink wine. Jesus and Theudas changed places, as Jesus was to bless the bread. Jesus indicated that he would like to go with the celibates to the tower higher up for the eucharistic version of the sacred meal. Thomas left to go up to the tower.

Luke 24:29

29. kai parebiasanto auton legontes, Meinon meth' hēmōn, hoti pros hesperan estin kai kekliken ēdē hē hēmera. kai eisēlthen tou meinai syn autois.

29. And they(RLR to prophets v.28) forced him(RLR to Jesus v.28), saying, " Remain with us, that it is towards evening{hespera}. And the day has already declined." And he(Jesus) came at to remain with them(prophets).

29. Theudas insisted on the discipline of the Therapeuts, saying, "Observe this Sunday as we do, as an equal bishop with me. It is 8 pm, an hour before the close at 9 pm. At 11 pm the last hour of the day will begin, and this is 3 hours before it, beginning the last hour before the village bedtime." Jesus at the table gave the opening words for the last village hour.

Luke 24:30

30. kai egeneto en tō kataklithēnai auton met' autōn labōn to arton eulogēsen kai klasas epedidou autois.

30. And it came about in him(RLR to Jesus v.29) to recline down with them(prophets), he(Jesus to subject of infinitive) receiving the bread blessed. And having broken he gave upon to them(prophets).

30. At 8:05 Jesus and Theudas remained as leaders. Theudas moved to the levite's position east of Jesus, leaving Jesus occupying the double seat at the center of row 7.

Jesus performed the ceremony of blessing and breaking the loaves. He broke the first loaf, numbered 1, giving it to Theudas, who shared it with his servant James Niceta opposite. Antipas sat in the prince's position west of Jesus, and Jesus broke and gave the second loaf, numbered 2 to him to share with his servant James. Jesus shared his own loaf, numbered 3, with John Mark sitting opposite him. The two further common loaves were shared by guests in the outer seats.

Luke 24:31

31. autōn de diēnoichthēsan hoi ophthalmoi kai epegnōsan auton. Kai autos aphantos egeneto ap' autōn.

31. Of them(the prophets) the eyes were opened. And they(prophets) knew{gnōstos} him(RLR to Jesus v.30). And he(pronoun, Jesus) became invisible from them(prophets).

31. At 9 pm Jesus left the table and Theudas moved to the central seat. He lit the evening lamp on row 7 west center, its shutter opened. Theudas recognized that Jesus was monastic and agreed to his going up to the tower. Jesus went out of the room and with John Mark began the hour's climb up to the tower on top of the Mar Saba cliff.

Luke 24:32

32. kai eipan pros allēlous, Ouchi hē kardia hēmōn kaiomenē ēn en hēmin hōs elalei hēmin en tē hodō, ōs diēnoigen hēmin tas graphas;

32. And they(prophets) said towards one another, " Not-chi the heart of us burning was when he(RLR to Jesus v.31) spoke to us in the Way, as he opened for us the Writings."

32. The men of the village class led by Theudas, Antipas and James went first across to the Emmaus corner, which Theudas visited according to the ascetic rule at 10pm, then started from there along the east side of the wady for the 12 hour walk to the corresponding stables on the lowest slope of the Mount of Olives. Antipas led the way tiowards the north, with Theudas behind him on the south.

Theudas said, "We use the compromise emblem of an O containing an X. At 4 05 pm after bishop Thomas had lit the fire at the Emmaus corner, at the "Hades" to a latrine, Jesus joined us, walking with us along the proselytes' path. He opened a scroll and gave interpretations of the Writings, the third and lowest division of the Old Testament."

(Jesus with John Mark and Thomas left the tower at 10 pm, came to the middle shelf at 11 pm, and down to the synagogue shelf at midnight. They made the 12 hour journey on the west side of the wady, to reach the corresponding Essene Gate synagogue at noon.)

MONDAY MARCH 23, AD 33
In Jerusalem

The fact that Jesus, the Christ, had been seen in Jerusalem a few days after his crucifixion became a well known fact. It reached the ears of Josephus, who wrote of him in Antiquities 18, 63-64, the famous Testimonium Flavianum, "About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if 'a man' one should say. For he was one who worked paradoxical deeds, and was a teacher of such men who accept truths gladly. He won over many Jews and and many of the Greeks. This one was the Christ. When Pilate, upon hearing him accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified, those who had in the first place come to love him did not give up their affection for him. On the third day he appeared to them living (zōn), for the prophets of God had prophesied these and countless other marvels about him. And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared."

The words do not imply a resurrection, simply that he appeared "living". Josephus himself knew of the possibility of surviving crucifixion, as he showed in his Life, 420-421. His point was that there had been a failed crucifixion of a charismatic religious leader, with the result that the confidence of his followers was restored. There is no textual reason for disputing the passage, although of course it has been subjected to intense scrutiny by those who read into it a claim to resurrection.

See Photo CC. (South Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.)

In Luke 24 the full detail is given to those who understood the places and their function in Jerusalem. Jesus came only to buildings used by the ascetics, joining in their regular meetings at the usual times to show that he was still alive, and to say farewell to his friends before returning to the celibate life at Qumran, to which he was due to return after his marriage.

In the centuries BC when the Zadoks and the Davids had tried to reclaim their ancestral position in the Jerusalem temple and palace, they had been expelled as a result of the political changes of the post-exilic period. In the manner of kings who have lost their throne, they had to go and live in social seclusion, surrounded by loyal supporters who wanted to see the pretenders return to power, waiting and hoping for the opportunity to come. At the first stage of their expulsion, they were sent to live in the slums of the city, on the south flank overlooking the valley of Hinnom. The area to which they were assigned remains a low sloping projection from the heights above, below the Zion Gate. It is called Mount Zion, and ancient remains there are associated with King David. The valley of Hinnom, the lowest part of the city, functioned as a latrine and a rubbish tip. The fires that continually burned there to destroy the rubbish gave the associations of the Greek Hades. to the name Hinnom, or Gehenna. The gate through which the exiles went outside to the Hinnom valley was called the Essene Gate.

See Photo FF. (Valley of Hinnom (Gehenna) from the Essene Gate.)

When they became politically active again in the tumultuous Maccabean period, hoping to take advantage of the war to regain power in the temple, they were firmly expelled even further, to Qumran on the shores of the Dead Sea. Here they continued to hope for a Restoration, while settling down to a monastic life, pursuing mathematical and astronomical studies.

See Figure 11. (The Essene buildings in Jerusalem.)

See
Figure 12. (The Essene Quarter.)

Their original buildings above the Essene Gate remained their property, which they used on the occasions when they were less unwelcome in Jerusalem. On the slopes of both the west side and the Mount of Olives they had 6 buildings , at levels corresponding to the three levels in their tower.

At the Essene Gate itself there was necessarily a retaining wall, the original of the one still there. Just inside the wall, where the Protestant cemetery is now, stood their synagogue, where they observed their distinctive solar calendar of feasts. Near it were shallow pools that were used for washing on occasions such as the return from the latrine. They have recently been uncovered and identified.

See Photo DD. (Remains of the Essene Gate in Jerusalem.)

See Photo EE. (Drain near the Essene Gate, from Herodian period.)

The slope lent itself to positions for further retaining walls and buildings, still in use. On the next ledge up stands the present Bishop Gobat school, with a path running outside its wall. This would have been the site for a school at the middle level, corresponding to the Nazara school at Mar Saba, for education of young men serving in the synagogue further down.

It is possible to identify the school from a passage in Josephus. James' party would have been descended from the Exegetes, who had been active in the time of Herod the Great. Josephus speaks of them admiringly as "unrivalled exegetes (exēgētai) of the ancestral laws, men especially dear to the people because they educated the youth, for all those who made an effort to acquire virtue used to spend time with them day after day." They fell out with Herod the Great in his final, ravaged days (Josephus, Ant. 17, 149). The term "exegete" is used of James in Luke 24:35 as he broke the bread. This identification would mean that the Exegetes were the original form of the Jewish Christians, the party subsequently led by James.

In the pesher the school is called the patris, as an institution founded by the first Pope, Hillel, to include the education of proselytes. It would have been defined as one hour up from the synagogue, which was the first point reached after the 12 hours. A further hour up, at the top of the slope, stood the equivalent of the tower. There now stands there the Cenacle building, as the upper storey of the revered tomb of David.

On the east side, on the slopes of the Mount of Olives, 5 stadia across the Kidron, three buildings corresponded to these. On the lowest part of the slope stood the stables, or the Manger, where transport horses were kept and the unclean activities of "Beasts" took place. It was for laymen of the level of Therapeuts.

An hour further up at the site of the Gethsemane church

See Photo GG. (The Gethsemane church on the Mount of Olives.)

See Photo HH. (Roman remains near the Gethsemane church.)

stood a house that was used as a hermitage. It could at times be used as an abbey, corresponding to the school on the opposite side.

On the heights of the Mount of Olives, where the Mary Magdalene church stands now,

(See Photo JJ. (The church of Mary Magdalene on the Mount of Olives.)

stood their tower. It would have been the place to which king David ascended when he had been betrayed, weeping over his son Absalom (2 Samuel 15:30). Here Jesus, as a later David, wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). The tower stood one hour up from the hermitage and two hours up from the Manger.



12 noon

At 12 noon on the Monday, after their 12 hour walk from the Mar Saba synagogue, following the west side of the wady, Jesus with Thomas and John Mark arrived at the synagogue at the Essene Gate, just inside the wall. There they met with Theudas, who with his companions had gone across to the "Emmaus" corner for 10 pm, then walked 12 hours on the east side of the wady, arriving at the stables on the Mount of Olives at 10 am. They then crossed to the Essene Gate , where they washed in the pools and remained until noon. Peter was also present at the Essene Gate synagogue, and joined Jesus.

The Essene Gate and its associated area would have been the familiar territory of Peter in his role as Simon of Jerusalem, referred to by Josephus (Josephus, Ant. 19, 332-334). He was the leader of a party of Sadducee village Essenes that was active in the Diaspora, holding liberal views about Gentiles. Peter's kind of Sadducees differed in some respects from Brother James, even after he became Sadducee. James' followers would be called Jewish Christians, while those with Peter and James Niceta would be called Christians.

The Herodian meal was held at 1 pm at the school further up.. The actual food consisted of cooked fish, preceded by common loaves treated as holy, as a form of communion. There was debate and movement between Jesus and James on the question of their relative status.

Between 2 and 3 pm scripture was studied, and between 3 and 4 pm the leaders walked across to the stables at the foot of the Mount of Olives, where Jesus gave his final farewell before returning to Qumran and the monastic life.

MONDAY, MARCH 23, AD 33

10 AM to 4 PM IN JERUSALEM AT COMMUNAL BUILDINGS ON MOUNT ZION AND THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

Luke 24:33- 49
Luke 24:33

33. kai anastantes autē tē hōra hypestrepsan eis Ierousalēm, kai heuron ēthroismenous tous hendeka kai tous syn autois,

33. And they(prophets, subject of participle referring to verb before speech) standing up in the same hour turned under at Jerusalem{Ierousalēm} (sing.) . And they(prophets) found gathered the Eleven. And the ones(accus.) with them(the Eleven).

33. At 10 am Theudas as the superior of villagers arrived at the stables on the Mount of Olives. Then they went south-west to the synagogue at the Essene Gate, reaching it at 11 am, where they washed at the pools in imitation of the 11 am bath of monastics, and stayed there until noon. At noon Jesus arrived with Thomas and John Mark after their 12 hour walk on the west side of the wady from Mar Saba. John Mark was called the 11 because Judas Iscariot was missing from the Twelve. (As the 13th, the extra Gentile, he was called the Twelve because the numbering included a zero, and without Judas he was the 12th, called the Eleven.) Thomas was with them, leading proselytes in the synagogue.

Luke 24:34

34. legontas hoti ontōs ēgerthē ho kyrios kai ōphthē Simōni.

34. The ones(v.33, accus., Thomas) saying that, "The lord is indeed risen. And he(the lord) has been seen{eidon} by Simon."

34. Thomas said, " Jesus is now back in the status of an equal of the Sariel, a village teacher. Simon of Jerusalem, that is Peter, is present in the synagogue for the noon prayers. Peter acts as a servant of Jesus in the outside world."

Luke 24:35

35. kai autoi exēgounto ta en tē hodō kai hōs egnōsthē autois en tē klasei tou artou.

35. And they(plu. pronoun, James) gave exegesis about the things in the Way. And how it(things, neut.plu. with sing. verb) was known{gnōstos} to them (James) in the breaking of the bread.

35. Between 12 and 1 pm the men walked up to the school at the middle level of the slope of Mt Zion. It was the school of the Exegetes, to which teachers brought suitable proselytes to be given further instruction. As a Herodian school, the actual meal was taken from 1 pm to 2 pm. There was one storey only, the tables on the ground floor placed as in the vestry.

Vv. 35 to 43 show the order of service, in a way that gave instructions for the use of the common table. In a vestry meal room a holy table was placed between rows 7 and 9, used by monastics at noon, and an evening table between 10 and 12.(See Figure 9.) In a Herodian school, where Essene principles were observed but there was greater equality and less physical abstinence, both tables were used for the 1 pm meal. In the first half-hour, holy loaves were distributed at the holy table, and in the second half hour the common food such as cooked fish eaten at the lower table, treated as a common table. With the fish the extra loaf was eaten, the loaf numbered 12, actually the 13th, which monastics gave to an outside deacon to be taken to the village.

Jesus alone presided on row 7. He was close to being a monastic again, so the superior person present. James as his deputy acted as his levite on his east side, the position of an Exegete teacher of proselytes of the Way. Following monastic custom, but at 1 pm not noon, Jesus gave a spoken prayer on the hour, received the holy bread, blessed it and broke it, giving loaf 1 to James beside him to share with his servant.

Luke 24:36

36. Tauta de autōn lalountōn autos estē en mesō autōn kai legei autois, Eirēnē hymin.

36. But as they(RLR to James, v.35) were speaking he(pronoun, Jesus) stood in the middle of them(James). And he(Jesus) says to them(James), " Peace to you".

36. At 1:05 when they were ready to begin James repeated the spoken prayer in the levite's position, and Jesus in the center of row 7 gave the formula of blessing to the congregation that showed his Sadducee pro-Roman political stance.

Luke 24:37

37. ptoēthentes de kai emphoboi genomenoi edokoun pneuma theōrein.

37. But they(participle RLR to James subject of verb in v.35) were terrified. And fearful coming about they(James) thought to see{theōreō} a spirit.

37. At 1:30 it was time to prepare the common table for eating the food. The table was not yet in place. James went down to the center of row 12, from where there were 4 cubits between himself and Jesus on row 7. He wore black garments.

Luke 24:38

38. kai eipen autois, Ti tetaragmenoi este, kai dia ti dialogismoi anabainousin en tē kardia hymōn;

38. And he(RLR to Jesus as spirit in v. 36) said to them(James), " What you are stirred up{tarassō}. And because of what dialogues go up in the heart of you.

38. Jesus from row 7 was directing James in the preparation of the common table. He said to him, "You hold the views of Greek-speaking militant Sadducees. Go up to row 10, at the "heart", to prepare my place at the common table. In that position the bishop conducts philosophical debates with the village leaders.

Luke 24:39

39. idete tas cheiras mou kai tous podas mou hoti ego eimi autos. pselaphēsate me kai idete, hoti pneuma sarka kai ostea ouk echei kathōs eme theōreite echonta.

39. "You see{eidon} the hands of me. And the feet of me, that I am he(nom. pronoun, Jesus). Touch me. And see{eidon}, that a spirit flesh. And bones it does not have as you see{theōreō} me having."

39. "On row 10 there are 2 cubits between you and row 13, where my collection plate for gifts is placed. There are 2 cubits between you and myself on row 7, where I am equal to a lord, taking the name of Yahweh to say "I am". When you go down to row 12 again, there are again 4 cubits between you and myself. When a dynast goes outside to marriage, down to the unclean level of the flesh, he leaves the monastery with its scribal facilities. In the monastic state in whch I am now, I am entitled to a scribe with a scribe's pen, who will help me in the composition of the gospel that I am planning.

Luke 24:40

40. kai touto eipōn edeixen autois tas cheiras kai tous podas.

40. And he saying(subject of participle referring to verb before speech, Jesus in v.38) this, showed to them(RLR to v. 38, James) the hands. And the feet.

40. At 1.35 pm the common table was ready, and Jesus came down to sit in the center of row 10 to preside over it. James sat opposite him on row 13. Jesus permitted James to have the collection plate for gifts.. He also permitted him to place the jar for welfare tithes paid by Jews on the table.

Luke_24:41

41. eti de apistountōn autōn apo tēs charas kai thaumazontōn eipen autois, Echete ti brōsimon enthade;

41. But they(James) still unbelieving ones from the joy. And they(James) wondering he(Jesus) said to them(James), "You have what food here."

41. At 1.35 it was time for eating the fish, with Jesus on row 10, where a woman could also sit, and James on row 13 representing Gentile proselytes who could still hold militant views. Then James changed his opinions again, under the influence of Jesus, and agreed to give thanks for the food in Greek, using the symbol of the upright cross.

Luke 24:42

42. hoi de epedōkan autō ichthyos optou meros

42. They(addressed, James) gave to him(Jesus), a division of fish, boiled fish.

42. It was time for the promotion of the Gentile Marsyas -Titus, the "fish". He was sitting in the western guest seat on row 13, and James presented him to Jesus. Then the boiled fish was set out for eating.

Luke 24:43

43. kai labōn enōpion autōn ephagen.

43. And he receiving (subject of participle referring to subject of verb before speech, Jesus v.41) before{enōpion} them(James) ate.

43 Loaf number 12, the 13th common loaf, was eaten together with the food, as it was not sacred. To show that he also identified with the village class, Jesus on row 10 divided it and gave half to James on row 13.

Luke 24:44

44. Eipen de pros autous, Houtoi hoi logoi mou hous elalēsa pros hymas eti ōn syn hymin, hoti dei plērōthēnai panta ta gegrammena en tō nomō Mōyseōs, kai tois prophētais kai psalmois peri emou.

44. But he(Jesus) said towards them(James), " These Words of me which I have spoken towards you, still being(sing masc. participle, subject Jesus) with you, that there must be fulfilled(infinitive) All the written things in the law of Moses(genitive). And to the prophets. And to psalms around me."

44. The next hour in the school was to be spent in the study of scripture. The holy table had been removed, and James stood behind Jesus to hand him the copies of the books. Jesus said to James, "You are to take my place as the Word in the outside world, giving the spoken prayer on the hour. I am in the seat of the Gentile 13th, who must study the books of the Old Testament in their Herodian interpetation, that of the New Covenant..

"They consist of the Law and Prophets, the first two divisions of the Old Testament, both taught by the Chief Therapeut in his roles of "Moses" (for the Law) and "Joshua" (for the Prophets, the first book of the Former Prophets being Joshua). The third division, the Writings, contain the Psalms of David, to be taught by the David to proselytes."

Luke 24:45

45. tote diēnoixen autōn ton noun tou synienai tas graphas.

45. Then he(Jesus) opened of them(RLR to prophets, v.44) the mind to understand the Writings.

45. At 3 pm the meeting for Jewish students ended. The leaders, some of them keeping the latrine law, spent the next hour walking in the north-easterly direction to the stables on the lowest slopeof the Mount of Olives. There at 4:05 pm Jesus had further discussion with Theudas, showing how Gentiles in their study room at the stables, using Greek only, should find the pesher of the Writings in Greek.

Luke 24:46

46. kai eipen autois hoti Houtōs gegraptai pathein ton Christon kai anastēnai ek nekrōn tē tritē hēmera,

46. And he(Jesus) said to them(the prophets) that, " Thus it is written, the Christ to suffer. And to stand up out of the dead ones on the third day.

46. Jesus then gave his farewell before returning to monastic life. He said to Theudas, "The communal law states that the David as a dynast at his highest grade must live in the monastery as a celibate for most of the time. He spends a period outside in the world for marriage, then returns to celibate status, beginning at a 'Hades', a latrine, on the 31st, in one of its versions. This day, Monday, is the + 2 1/2 version of the date from Friday 31st at 6 pm, and I am now in celibate status and must return."

Luke 24:47

47. kai kērychthēnai epi tō onomati autou metanoian eis aphesin hamartiōn eis panta ta ethnē arxamenoi apo Ierousalēm.

47. "And to be preached(infinitive) upon to a name of him(the Christ) repentance at the removal of sins at All the nations, they beginning (plu. participle masc. nom. to These Words v. 44, James) from Jerusalem{Ierousalēm}.

47. "In Agrippa's party, in the Noah mission to Gentiles, the first baptism at grade 9, following preaching, is to be given using the name Christ. It will mean repentance from sin. It is to be given by James at the Essene Gate synagogue, where men are given a washing in the pools outside the gate on returning from the Hinnom valley, 'Hades'."

Luke 24:48

48. hymeis martyres toutōn.

48. You(prophets being addressed) are witnesses(vocative) of These Ones."

48. "You, Theudas, are appointed to the western Diaspora, as a witness to the Atonement, teaching at Christian monasteries led by John Mark. To be a witness means to be willing to be a martyr."

Luke 24:49

49. kai idou egō apostellō tēn epangelian tou patros mou eph' hymas. Hymeis de kathisate en tē polei heōs hou endysēsthe ex hypsous dynamin.

49. "And see{eidon} I send out the Promise of the Father of me upon you(plu.). But you(plu.) sit in the city until{heōs} you are clothed{endyma} out of high with power.

49. "You are to retain the expectation of a Promised Land, in accordance with the Exodus imagery, encouraged by Pope Jonathan Annas as the 'Aaron'. When you attend the monasteries of John Mark, sit in the congregation. But with Jews wear the garments of the Therapeuts, a cloak giving you priestly authority."

TUESDAY MARCH 24, AD 33

3 pm Ain Feshkha

Jesus and his companions first made the 12 hour journey to the Emmaus corner, reaching it at 4 am, then for three hours in an easterly direction to Mird Minor, reaching it at 7 am, then another 8 hours due east to Ain Feshkha, where they arrived on Tuesday at 3 pm.

Jesus here bade farewell to James, giving him his "hands", his collection plate for gifts, from which James was to pay for the upkeep of Mary Magdalene, "Great Joy". She was living in seclusion on the Mount of Olives during her pregnancy.


6 pm. Qumran

Jesus went with John Mark up to Qumran, arriving there at 6 pm in time for the evening prayers He was "carried up to heaven" , assisted up the steps north of the vestry to reach the prayer platform. There he lay on a couch beside Simon Magus in "heaven", the position of the Zadokite on the prayer platform.

The story is resumed from midnight in Acts 1:1-3. The opening verse identifies Luke as the writer, dedicating the book , as he had done for his gospel, to Theophilus Annas, the next Annas brother after Jonathan. Theophilus, whose attitudes were pro-Roman, would be appointed high priest in September 37 AD when Agrippa received the monarchy.


TUESDAY, MARCH 24 AD 33

AT AIN FESHKA AND QUMRAN

Luke 24:50-53
Luke 24:50

50. Exēgagen de autous exō heōs pros Bēthanian, kai eparas tas cheiras autou eulogēsen autous.

50. He(RLR to Christ v.46) led them(RLR to they in v.47, James) outside until{heōs} towards Bethany. And having lifted up the hands of him he (Christ) blessed them(James).

50. Jesus then left for the 23 hour walk, without sleeping, to Ain Feshkha, with James and John Mark From the stables to the Emmaus corner took 12 hours; from the Emmaus corner to Mird Minor, south side, 3 hours; from Mird Minor to Ain Feshkha, 8 hours. They arrived there at 3 pm. Jesus stood on row 13 in the meal room for his last time as head of the congregation. He would no longer need the collection plate for gifts, as the monastery practiced communal property. He gave it to James, who as his brother was to use money from it to support Mary Magdalene during her pregnancy. He gave the lay blessing to James, giving him the right to give the blessing at meals using bread but not wine.

Luke 24:51

51. kai egeneto en tō eulogein auton autous diestē ap' autōn kai anephereto eis ton ouranon.

51. And it came about in him(Jesus) to bless them(James) he stood through from them(James). And he(Jesus) was carried up at the Heaven.

51. At 3:05 pm he repeated his blessing to James and left the building.. He was accompanied by John Mark for the 3 hours' walk up to Qumran. Arriving there at 6 pm, he came up the steps leading to the platform under the open sky where prayers were said at the Jewish sunset. As was expected of the Christ, he lay on a portable couch as the king beside Simon Magus, who as the Zadokite also lay on a couch, disguising his broken legs.

Luke 24:52

52. kai autoi proskynēsantes auton hypestrepsan eis Ierousalēm meta charas megalēs,

52. And they(pronoun plu. nom., James) worshipping{proskyneō} him(RLR to Heaven v.51) turned under at Jerusalem {Ierousalēm}(singular form) with Great Joy.

53. Since James now had to pay any money owed by Jesus, he sent the Roman tribute to Simon Magus, as Jesus was now his deputy. Then he returned to the stables at the Mount of Olives and from there walked in the south-westerly direction to the Essene Gate.

He looked after Mary Magdalene , who as an expectant mother acted as Mother to celibate Gentiles in the tower.

Luke 24:53

53. kai ēsan dia pantos en tō hierō eulogountes ton theon.

53. And they(James) were through All in the temple blessing God.

53. At the September seasonal council in Jerusalem James expressed his own support of Agrippa at the original Essene substitute vestry, in the area of the Cenacle building above the tomb of David on the highest point of Mount Zion. The temple tax was paid at the north base outside the vestry. Agrippa was still in his Sadducee mode represented by Jonathan Annas, who was supported by James.

WEDNESDAY MARCH 25, AD 33
Midnight

At midnight beginning Wednesday March 25, according to the Julian calendar, prayers were offered on the Qumran prayer platform. Jesus, as Simon's deputy, lay on the west center beside him. Further forward in the position of his servant stood John Mark. He was now made a lay bishop by Jesus as a reward for his services.

Simon was also returning to monastic life, at the end of day 20 of the 40 day March fasting period (See 'Chronology' in Section 3). Jesus was with him according to the dynastic rule, but still held Sadducee political opinions.

MIDNIGHT beginng
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, AD 33

Acts 1:1-3
Acts 1:1

1. Ton men prōton logon epoiēsamēn peri pantōn, ō Theophile, ōn ērxato ho Iēsous poiein te kai didaskein.

1. The first Word we did around All Things, O Theophilus, of which Jesus began to do te. And to teach.

1. I, Luke, officiate in ministry as the deputy of Jesus, in the Herodian system for Gentiles. I address you, Theophilus Annas, the pro-Roman Annas priest who reigned as high priest from September AD 37 to 41. (Acts completed in 61 AD)

At midnight beginning March 1, AD 29 Jesus had left the monastery to perform ministry in the outside world among Greek-speaking Jews in the homeland. He claimed the position of Priest-Teacher in rivalry to John the Baptist.

Acts 1:2

2. achri hēs hēmeras enteilamenos tois apstolois dia pneumatos hagiou hous exelexato anelēmphthē.

2. until{achri} the day when, having directed the apostles through a holy spirit(gen.) whom(apostles) he(Jesus) chose, he(Jesus) was received up.

2. At midnight ending Tuesday March 24 AD 33 he returned to his celibate status in the Qumran monastery. He appointed John Mark a lay bishop and a permanent celibate, an Elect One. Jesus was received on the prayer platform by Simon Magus.

Acts 1:3

3. hois kai parestēsen heauton zōnta meta to pathein auton en pollois tekmēriois di' hēmerōn tesserakonta optanomenos autois kai legōn ta peri tēs basileias tou theou.

3. with whom. And he(Jesus) stood beside Himself after the suffering of him(Himself) in many proofs, through 40 days Seen{eidon}(sing. masc. participle agrees with subject of previous verb, Jesus) by them(RLR to apostles v.2). And saying(nom. participle same subject as previous participle, Jesus) the things around the kingdom of God(gen.).

3. Jesus was with John Mark. Jesus was the deputy of Simon Magus, who claimed to be Pope at Qumran. It was the day after Simon had also resumed the monastic state, on the Monday. It was day 20 of the 40 day fasting period in the south solar quartodecimal year (See 'Chronology' in Section 3). John Mark acted as the servant of Jesus,with 2 cubits between them Jesus taught Sadducee doctrine allowing Gentiles to be lay ministers. His pro-Roman political views were opposed to those of Simon Magus.

TUESDAY APRIL 7, AD 33.
Post-position 31st.

On Tuesday April 7 the post-position occurred, that is, the 31st reached by a different method of intercalation, going forward 17 and one half days and dropping back to the equinox. It was the method used by the Hemerobaptists - Day-Baptists - every 28 years, so that their dates would always be in the Day position. Being another 31st, a council was again held at Qumran, attended by the main leaders and by pilgrims led by Peter.

It was on this occcasion that Simon Magus was again installed as Pope, with the title of John II. As the Clementines show, Simon Magus, after an interval, had become the successor of the Baptist, who was John I. The Baptist was put to death in September 31 AD. As the pesher shows, Simon held the papacy from September 32 AD, but only until December , when he took part in the uprising against Pilate. As "Lazarus", the outcast "leper", he was excommunicated for his failure, and although he was rescued by Jesus, the papacy reverted to Jonathan Annas , who had held it for the short period after the Baptist's death.

When Simon in the dungeon after his crucifixion saw the opportunity to claim a miracle by resuscitating Jesus, it restored his fortunes. After being released from the dungeon he was taken to greater safety at Ain Feshkha, then brought secretly back to Qumran to join Jesus on the day of his return. By the time of the community council on Tuesday April 7 the news of his "miracle" had spread far enough for him to be re-installed, again with the title John II.

Another factor in his elevation was the political resistance to Agrippa's ambitions. The Twelve had been set up as an anti-Herodian mission council, and when it was known that Agrippa was on his way to achieving his aim of regaining the monarchy, there was sufficient opposition in the council to enable Simon to be set up as a counter force. The royal Herod, in succession to Herod the Great, claimed to be the true Zadokite, and Simon made the same claim, acceptable among Diaspora Essenes.

On the Tuesday when the pilgrims arrived for the council, Jesus in white monastic robes, making him like an "angel", remained inside the grounds. He met with John Mark, instructing him to remain living at Qumran in the areas to which Gentile celibates were confined. In the outside world, he would be replaced as Chief Gentile by James Niceta, whose consecration would be completed on the next Pentecost Sunday..

Jesus met also with Peter, who would act on his behalf in the outside world. Peter's class were also under the papacy of Simon Magus, having to accept him after the decree of the council. Peter had reservations about Agrippa, and at the present stage could respect Simon as long as Jesus remained his deputy. But he had his reservations also about Jesus' claim to a priesthood independent of the Annas priests.

Peter met Jesus on the north outside the vestry, at the steps leading up to the prayer platform. He questioned Jesus about the future that the prophecy had predicted. "Will the David, the Messiah of Israel, be restored to power next year, at the south solar 3970 generation?". Jesus standing on the first step replied, "You are no longer a villager with the limited knowledge from the solar calendar which is used to make prophecies. Jonathan Annas controls the calendar for uneducated villagers. But you, Peter, will be made a levitical bishop, wearing all white robes, not the white over black of a lay bishop. You will work in the Diaspora, based at the school in Jerusalem.You will teach in Agrippa's houses in Antioch and in Caesarea. You will also be appointed to his house in Rome, the far west".

Jesus then went up the steps to the platform for the sunset prayers. He was received by a cardinal, for under Simon's papacy cardinals served the Pope. The cardinal escorted Jesus to his position at the west center of row 3, beside Simon.

At 9 pm Peter was invited up to the prayer platform for the night vigil, from 9 pm to 3 am. His place was in the cubit of the west guest on row 3. A pillar supported the platform at this point, giving Peter the name "Pillar" (Galatians 2:9). The cardinal, following the Exodus imagery, represented the Pillar of Cloud and stood in the corresponding cubit of the east guest. Further forward on the platform stood Theudas, wearing the white linen garment the Therapeuts wore in summer.

An oil lamp was lit by Peter at each of the main points of time, first at 9 pm in his western position, then at midnight at the edge of the platform. As he lit it, Theudas commented that he was holding the T-shaped upright cross of Greek-speaking Herodians, not the X of the Magians. At 3 am Peter finished his vigil and went down the steps, as Theudas also did, while Jesus remained on the platform for further prayers. Theudas said to Peter, "Jesus is a deputy to Simon Magus when he is in the monastery, but when he comes out for the birth of his child in September he will meet with you and with the pro-Roman Sadducees."

TUESDAY, APRIL 7, AD 33

At QUMRAN

Acts 1:4-11
Acts 1:4

4. kai synalizomenos parēngeilen autois apo Hierosolymōn mē chōrizesthai , alla perimenein tēn epangelian tou patros hēn ēkousate mou.

4. And taking salt he(Jesus) announced to them(RLR to apostles v.3) not to depart from Jerusalem{Hierosolyma }(plural form). Nevertheless to remain around for the promise of the Father, which you(plu.) have heard of me.

4. At the post-position , Tuesday April 7, AD 33, (See 'Chronology' in Section 3). the pilgrims were again visiting Qumran and a communal council was held. John Mark, classed with pilgrims as being an "unclean" monastic, used part of the outer hall for instruction. Jesus in white monastic robes met him there and told him to continue as a permanent monastic at Qumran, not go back to the status of hermit. He was to act as a deputy to Jesus, holding meetings for instruction of Gentiles like himself at 4 am and 4 pm each day. He was to treat the Qumran monastery as the Promised Land, as had always been understood, but under Sadducee not Magian doctrine, recognizing Jonathan Annas. James Niceta was to hold the same imagery, acting as Chief Gentile outside. Since John Mark was confined to the monastery and there were now two Chief Gentiles, James Niceta outside was to be given instruction from Jesus through Luke, who as a celibate Gentile member of Agrippa's court was also on his way to replacing the Magian John Mark. Luke would instruct James Niceta on rising out of the married class into the discipline of abbeys.

Acts 1:5

5. hoti Iōannēs men ebaptisen hydati, hymeis de en pneumati baptisthēsesthe hagiō ou meta pollas tautas hēmeras.

5. that John m-n baptized with water, but you(plu) in a spirit holy will be baptized not after many these days.

5. The narrative of Jesus' instruction continued in indirect speech. Simon Magus was now spoken of as John II, having again been installed as Pope on this day, Tuesday April 7 AD 33. His baptisms of pre-initiates at grades 8 and 9 were still acceptable. James Niceta, however, "you" in narrative, would receive the final stage of his consecration as lay bishop at the coming Pentecost, Saturday June 20 to Sunday June 21. (See 'Chronology' in Section 3).

Acts 1:6

6. Hoi men oun synelthontes hērōtōn auton legontes, Kyrie, ei en tō chronō toutō apokathistaneis tēn basileian tō Israēl;

6. They therefore m-n coming-with{erchomai} asked him(Jesus) saying, Lord, if in this time you restore the kingdom to Israel.

6. On the same afternoon Peter as the outside subordinate of Jesus was permitted to meet with Jesus inside the Qumran grounds. Peter was instructor of Gentiles who attached themselves to pilgrims, coming with them to the monastery, being originally confined to grades 8 and 9. Being associated with the monastery, he was now under the papacy of Simon Magus, having to obey him following the decree of the council. Peter met Jesus on the north outside the vestry, at the steps leading up to the prayer platform. Peter questioned Jesus, saying, "Teacher of Gentiles, will you be accepted as the legitimate David, the Messiah of Israel, head of the lay ministry, next year, at the south solar 3970 generation?"

Acts_1:7

7. eipen de pros autous, Ouch hymōn estin gnōnai chronous ē kairous hous ho patēr etheto en tē idia exousia

7. But he(RLR to Israel v.6, Jesus) said towards them(coming-with ones, Peter), "It is not for you to know{gnōstos} times or seasons which the Father has set in the own authority.

7. Jesus stood on the step leading up to the platform, with Peter on the ground in front, so Jesus was south to Peter. Jesus said to him, "You are no longer a villager. You have the education of abbeys, but you do not have monastic knowledge from the solar and lunisolar calendars about generations and intercalation seasons, which is employed to make prophecies. Jonathan Annas interprets these calendars for the use of the village class.

Acts 1:8

8. alla lēmpsesthe dynamin epelthontos tou hagiou pneumatos eph hymas, kai esesthe mou martyres en te Ierousalēm kai en pasē tē Ioudaia kai Samareia kai heōs eschatou tēs gēs.

8. " Nevertheless you will receive power, the holy a spirit coming upon you. And you will be witnesses of me in te Jerusalem{Ierousalēm}(sing. form). And in All te Judea. And Samaria. And until{heōs} a last of the earth".

8. "You Peter will be made an archbishop with levitical status. You will work as a missionary in the western Diaspora, permitted on the prayer platform, your base being at the school on the middle level on Mt Zion in Jerusalem, with Greek-speaking Jews like yourself. You will instruct the Roman governor in Agrippa's house in Antioch. You will be a member of his house in Caesarea. You will also be appointed to Rome, the far west, as a head of the congregation".

Acts 1:9

9. kai tauta eipōn blepontōn autōn epērthē, kai nephelē hypelaben auton apo tōn ophthalmōn autōn.

9. And he saying(participle to subject before speech, Jesus v.7), as they(RLR to Peter v.7) saw{blepō}, he(Jesus) was raised upon. And a cloud received him under, from the eyes of them(Peter).

9. At 5.55 pm Jesus began the ascent of the steps, continuing to teach Peter as he went up, until he was 3 cubits above the ground. Then Jesus went higher to the full 5 cubits above the ground, reaching the level of the prayer platform. The monastic regime of Simon Magus included cardinals. A Sadducee cardinal, Theophilus Annas, sharing Jesus' political views, met him at the top step and escorted him to his place as deputy on the center west of Simon Magus, on row 3. The pilgrim's lamp belonging to Peter was placed on the edge of the platform, in the center of row 7. The sunset prayers began at 6:00 pm.

Acts 1:10

10. kai hōs atenizontes ēsan eis ton ouranon poreuomenou autou, kai idou andres dyo pareistēkeisan autois en esthēsesi leukais,

10. And as they(subject of participle referring back to the previous subject of participle, coming-with ones, Peter in v.6) staring(" see{atenizō}") at the Heaven, he(Jesus) journeying. And see{eidon} Two men stood beside to them(Peter) in white garments{esthēsis}.

10. At 9 pm Peter was invited up to the prayer platform for the night vigil from 9 pm to 3 am. He stood in the cubit of the west guest on row 3, so that there was 1 cubit between Peter and Jesus.A pillar supported the platform at this point, giving Peter the name "Pillar" (Galations 2:9). The cardinal, following the Exodus imagery, represented the Pillar of Cloud and stood in the corresponding cubit of the east guest. In the place of the Prince next to Peter stood Theudas as a deputy to Jesus, wearing the coarse linen garment that Therapeuts wore in summer.

Acts 1:11

11. hoi kai eipan, Andres Galilaioi, ti hestēkate blepontes eis ton ouranon; houtos ho Iēsous ho analēmphtheis aph' hymōn eis ton ouranon houtōs eleusetai hon tropon etheasthasthe auton poreuomenon eis ton ouranon.

11. Who(nom.plu.) And they(RLR to Two men v.10) said, " Galilean men{anēr}(voc.), what you stand seeing{blepō} at the Heaven. This Jesus the one received up from you at the Heaven, will thus come in the guise you saw{theaomai} him journeying at the Heaven."

11. At midnight Peter came to the center of row 7, so that there were now 3 cubits between him and Jesus. Theudas said to him, "Member of the married class under Antipas, you are holding the upright cross of Sadducees. Jesus as a dynast, the deputy of Simon Magus, may go outside, acting as a teacher of Gentiles of the Way. When you are at the foot of the steps you are 5 cubits below him, but when he comes out in September at the time of the birth of his child he will be at the level of Therapeuts and will join you."

MONDAY JUNE 1, AD 33

The first 20 chapters of John's gospel were completed, under the authorship of Jesus, by AD 37. In that year the emperor Tiberius died, Gaius Caligula was appointed his successor, and Agrippa was given by the new emperor the first stage of his restoration to the Herodian monarchy. The whole direction of the mission then changed. Simon Magus could no longer claim to be an equal Zadokite, and lost his power, retreating to Damascus. In the court of Agrippa I, Peter and Paul held increasing influence as teachers of Gentiles, giving them the modernised doctrine that had been Herodian Judaism and was on its way to becoming Christian. During the next seven years the distance from the Damascus party increased, resulting in a decisive schism in AD 44, with the adoption of the name Christian by Peter and his adherents.

The original form of John's gospel had given little attention to Peter. Although he and Jesus were on the same side in their attitudes to Gentiles, Peter did not go far enough, from Jesus' point of view. Peter continued to maintain that an Annas priest, with sufficient liberality to Gentiles, should be chief priest and Pope to the mission, while Jesus was only his deputy, specialising in Gentile affairs. When Peter said to Jesus, "You are the Christ", he meant it, not as a discovery of Jesus' Messiahship, but as a statement, in Qumran terms, that Jesus was only the Christ, the Messiah of Israel, who should remain subordinate to the priestly Messiah of Aaron. At the trial of Jesus before the high priests Peter's threefold denials came from his objection to Jesus' priestly claims.

It was mainly this kind of activity of Peter that was featured in John's gospel. But when the political situation changed he became much more prominent, and it was necessary to give more information about his relationship to Jesus. It was done through the added chapter John 21, giving an account of something that had actually happened on Monday June 1, AD 33, between Passover and Pentecost in the year of the crucifixion.

The main political factor was Agrippa's determination to continue working for money and influence in Rome. He had discovered that James Niceta, a member of his court, could help him through influence with Caligula, the rising power. He had also learned of Peter's growing association with Marsyas-Titus, a Gentile who was a close personal friend of Agrippa. If Marsyas became an initiate, baptized by Peter, and James Niceta also an associate of Peter helped, the resources and influence of the Diaspora mission that had been founded by Herod the Great could immensely aid Agrippa's project.

Agrippa followed the Julian calendar when with Romans, using the 1st of the Julian month for important occasions. So also did Marsyas-Titus, who was to be baptized on that day. During that day Agrippa himself came to negotiate with Peter and the mission leaders. He visited their outposts on the shores of the Dead Sea, resulting in a new stage in their expansion.

In the scheme of places the building at the site now called Khirbet Mazin lay 6 hours south of Qumran and 3 hours south of Ain Feshkha. Substantial ruins still stand there. Lying further down past the great headland of Ras Feshkha which projects out to the sea, it could be reached on foot along a difficult path taking 3 hours, or by boat from Ain Feshkha taking one hour. The barrier of Ras Feshkha enclosed the area for celibates, and "unclean" married men were confined to Khirbet Mazin beyond it as a place to live and work when they were not attending councils.

A mission using the imagery of Noah's ark had been set up for initiating Gentiles of the order of Dan, men who were interested in the intellectual content of the mission but retained their own ethnic identity. At Khirbet Mazin there were buildings on three sides of a central courtyard, with a great watergate on the line of the seashore. From the watergate a long jetty projected for 200 cubits (100 yards). At its further end a boat was moored, treated as "Noah's Ark". Low grade Gentiles were symbolised as "fish", caught from Noah's Ark. Their baptism was conducted by being made to wade through the stinging salty waters of the Dead Sea, then hauled up in a net into the boat, which would carry them to reach the watergate. They would step out on to dry land, "saved" from a coming catastrophic judgement. Peter, a married man who was himself "unclean", acted on behalf of the "Noah", swimming in the waters with them and helping to haul them up into the boat. For that reason he was called a "fisherman".

The celibate Gentiles of the order of Dan followed the same way of life as Jewish celibates. Their choice of celibacy gave them all the name "(symbolic) eunuch". Their classes are defined in Matthew 19:10-12. Some, such as John Mark, were permanently celibate like monastics, having common property which was held for them by the David. Others were like the dynasts when living outside, owning their own property. They were individuals who chose not to marry, remaining bachelors. The term "dynast" is used of one of them in Acts 8:27.

These men were often wealthy Gentiles who had been attracted to the Jewish mission, but retained their own ethnic identity. Their wealth made them very acceptable to the bankrupt Agrippa. But they too were divided by the political tensions, some instructed in the Samaritan Magian monasteries, some in the more Jewish monasteries derived from Qumran and Jerusalem. Since they had chosen to retain their own racial identities, they were classed as Shem, Ham and Japheth, the names of the three pre-Jewish divisions of world nations according to Genesis 6. At initiation they adopted new Greek or Roman names. Their form of mission was led by a "Noah". The men of Shem were likened to the animals brought into the ark, while the men of Ham and Japheth, of lesser grades, were likened to the fish that were caught from the ark. Their emblem, the fish, became the symbol of Christians in Rome, derived originally not from the initials of Christ's titles as has been supposed, but from the ark imagery.

In the gospel period the head of Shem was Philip, who figures in the Josephus history as Protos. The head of Ham was Titus, who in Josephus appears under his own name Marsyas. (See Josephus, Ant. 18, 155-157.) He was the Ethiopian "eunuch" of Acts 8:26-39 who was in charge of a treasury. Gaza, where he appeared, has the meaning "treasury". The head of Japheth was Luke, who is the Cornelius of a passage in Josephus.

Philip was attached to the Magians, under Simon Magus the enemy of Agrippa. His association with Simon is shown in Acts 8:13. Titus and Luke were members of the court of Agrippa. According to Josephus, Philip-Protos refused to help Agrippa at the time he was raising money to discharge his bankruptcy in order to return to Rome. He had previously lent him money which Agrippa had not repaid, and Protos exacted a repayment from him at this time by giving him much less than his pledge of repayment stated. However, Titus- Marsyas always was a close friend of Agrippa, and Luke-Cornelius was a distinguished associate of his heir, recognized by the emperor Claudius.

At the Herodian meal in Jerusalem where Jesus was present on the Monday after the crucifixion, Titus the "fish" had been welcomed into closer membership at the time of eating the cooked fish. He would "feed" the Herodians with the money that Agrippa needed so much. He was again associated with the cooked fish in the episode of John 21:1-25.

The baptisms were conducted secretly, as Gentile instruction originally had to be, at 3 am in the morning. When they reached land, the missionary workers and their initiates were given breakfast unlike monastics whose first meal of the day was at noon. As members of the ascetic organisation, they included a rite of eating holy bread, which was cooked at a fire lit at 4 am.

During Monday June 1 three meals were taken at the three different buildings along the coast, breakfast at Mazin, the noon midday meal at Ain Feshkha, and the evening meal in the Qumran vestry.

At midnight beginning the day, Jesus arrived with Pope Simon Magus from Qumran. They had become aware of Agrippa's growing power through Peter's influence, and Jesus was concerned to discuss the rising status of Peter and James Niceta. Throughout the day, at the three meals, the relationship of Jesus and Peter was discussed. The pesher device was used to show that it was actually Peter who was in the ascendancy in the outside world. In the afternoon at Ain Feshkha, Agrippa himself tried to recruit Peter to leave the monastic system altogether, but Peter chose Jesus as his mentor in preference.

At Qumran during the evening there was further debate about the relationship between Jonathan Annas' Sadducees, favored by Agrippa, and Simon's Magians, his enemies. A consequence was to relegate John Mark to the position of Chief Gentile celibate within the monastery only, while James Niceta was to be Chief Gentile of the married Nazirite class, to live and work outside.

By midnight the political situation had so improved that the mission council called the Twelve were able to leave for Jerusalem for the observance of the first occurrence of Pentecost on June 3.

MONDAY, June 1, AD 33

AT KHIRBET MAZIN, AIN FESHKHA AND QUMRAN

John 21:1-25
As is given by cryptic means in its last two verses, John 21 was added to John's gospel after the schism of AD 44. Its change of emphasis, giving prominence to Peter, has always made it obvious that it was added. The coded language of the second last verse says that it was authorised by Jesus, and like the whole gospel was intended for Gentile celibates. The last verse refers to the time and order of writing of the other three gospels.
John 21:1

1. Meta tauta ephanerōsen heauton palin ho Iēsous tois mathētais epi tēs thalassēs tēs Tiberiados. ephanerōsen de houtōs.

1. After these things presented Himself again Jesus to the disciples upon of the sea of Tiberias, he(Jesus) presented thus.

1. At midnight beginning Monday June 1, 33 AD, Jesus came with Pope Simon Magus, "Himself" to Khirbet Mazin, where the Noah initiation drama for Gentiles was conducted using a boat moored beside the long jetty outside the watergate. It was a date for promotions on the Julian 1st of the month by Romans. The events of the day were a consequence of a visit by Agrippa to the ascetic community, in order to bring together two men who could give him valuable support in his project of regaining the monarchy. James Niceta would help him by influence with his relatives in Caligula's family, and Marsyas-Titus would solve his financial problems by raising money for him to discharge his bankruptcy. The differences between James Niceta and Marsyas-Titus were to be resolved on this occasion, bringing them into a formal alliance. Further, James Niceta was to be confirmed as Chief Gentile in the outside world, replacing John Mark who was to stay in the monastery. Jesus came to Mazin to direct James Niceta, and Simon Magus came with him to direct John Mark and take him back into monastic life.

John 21:2

2. ēsan homou Simōn Petros, kai Thōmas ho legomenos Didymos kai Nathanaēl ho apo Kana tēs Galilaias kai hoi tou Zebedaiou kai alloi ek tōn mathētōn autou dyo.

2. They(RLR to disciples v.1) were, together Simon Peter. And Thomas said to be Didymus the Twin. And Nathanael the one from Cana of Galilee. And the ones of Zebedee(genitive). And others out of the disciples of him(RLR to Nathanael) two.

2. A council meeting of the teachers of Gentiles in the house of Agrippa was being held at the headquarters of the Noah mission, called to consider Agrippa's cultivation of Gentiles who could help him. It was held for 2 hours in the west wing of the Mazin buildings, a north-south room on the pattern of all meal-rooms of the ascetics. The seating order was:

Jesus Jon Annas
for Agrippa
6
Thomas
for Agrippa
7
Peter 10
James Niceta Titus 13

Jonathan Annas was in his role as "God gave", the meaning of his name in three forms, Jonathan, Nathanael, Dositheus. It expressed the fact that he did not charge fees to Gentiles. He was priest to the congregation of women and Gentiles at Ain Feshkha, called "Cana". He sat in the east center seat on row 6 when he was representing Agrippa. He was the Father, with Jesus as the "Son" beside him.

Thomas "Esau"as the crown prince of Agrippa took the place of the third, belonging in both east and west. Peter as the deacon who taught uncircumcised Gentiles acted as the "Noah" to Agrippa and was influential in the decisions on this occasion, sitting in the center of row 10.

The two Gentiles whom Agrippa was hoping to promote sat as students, that is servants of Peter on row 13. James Niceta had previously been baptized by Simon Magus so was called "son of Zebedee", meaning "my gift" as Simon charged money for initiations and used it for himself. James Niceta rejecting him was now changing to the house of Agrippa. Titus was "other two", as a novice of grade 8, a 2 by the village method of counting. "Out of" makes it clear that he was sitting east of James-Niceta. The men of the ethnic group of Ham(2) came from both the east and west.

John Mark had come with Jesus and Simon Magus, but being hostile to Agrippa was not invited to take part in the council. He and Simon Magus - who was the "Jason" of a previous form of the sea mission - remained in the stern of the boat.

The boat used for the Noah's ark ceremony was moored on the south side of the end of the 200 cubit jetty, its prow towards the watergate, to which it would sail bringing Gentiles to the dry land of "salvation". The prow end faced west, the stern east.

The east end was for the "animals" brought into the ark, under the care of Shem 1, eastern Semites being superior. The west end was for "fish" caught from the ark, under the care of Ham 2 (intermediate Ethiopians and Egyptians), to whom Japheth 3 (western Greeks and Romans) were attached.

John_21:3

3. legei autois Simōn Petros, Hypagō halieuein. Legousin autō, Erchometha kai hēmeis syn soi. Exēlthon kai enebēsan eis to ploion, kai en ekeinē tē nykti epiasan ouden.

3. Says Simon Peter to them(RLR to two v. 2), "I go fishing". They(two) say to him(RLR to Peter), "We come. And we with you." They(two) came out. And they went in at the boat. And in that night they(two) trapped nothing .

3. 2 am, hour 2 of the night, was the time to begin the promotion ceremony of Marsyas-Titus of Ham(2), of grade 8/2. Titus began as the "fish", swimming in the sea water on the south side of the west end of the boat. Peter as was his custom in baptizing Gentiles swam in the water beside him, and Titus accepted Peter as his superior. Then Titus was hauled on to the boat in the net of James Niceta, symbolising the liberal Herodian interpretation of the Law that attracted Gentiles. This part of the ceremony was completed at 3 am, and meant that Agrippa had been attracted to Peter's version of the mission through Titus, with the help of James Niceta.

John 21:4

4. prōias de ēdē genomenēs estē Iēsous eis ton aigialon. Ou mentoi ēdeisan hoi mathētai hoti Iēsous estin.

4. But morning already become, Jesus stood at the shore. The disciples did not know{oida} that it is Jesus.

4. At 3:05 am, three hours before the sunrise prayers, Jesus stood on the east end of the jetty, next to the boat. As he had done in the "walking on water", Jesus stood in the place of the priest, claiming to be a priest who could act the part of "God" in the Flood story. James Niceta refused to recognize that he could be both priest and lay.

John 21:5

5. legei oun autois ho Iēsous, Paidia, mē ti prosphagion echete; apekrithēsan autō, Ou.

5. Says therefore to them(RLR to disciples v. 4) Jesus, " Children, not what food you have." They(disciples) answered him(Jesus), "No".

5. Jesus said to James Niceta, "You may take the position of John Mark in Agrippa's court as the chief celibate Gentile. You would then not receive communion from an Annas priest using the T sign, but from me as a full priest." James Niceta spoke as a lay bishop, "No, I do not agree to that".

John 21:6

6. ho de eipen autois, Balete eis ta dexia merē tou ploiou to diktyon, kai heurēsete. Ebalon oun, kai ouketi auto helkysai ischyon apo tou plēthous tōn ichthyon.

6. He(Jesus, addressed) said to them(RLR to disciples v.5), "Throw at the right divisions of the boat the net. And you will find." They(disciples) threw therefore. And no longer they had strength to haul it, from the multitude of the fish.

6. Jesus said to James Niceta, "Go to the east end of the boat, with the liberalised interpretation of the Law that you teach in the west, recruiting uncircumcised Gentiles. You will find ministers there with whom you can concelebrate." James Niceta went to the east end, which was the exclusion area from the point of view of the west. He took over the eastern mission to Gentiles from John Mark. His uncircumcised Gentiles in the married class were attached to abbeys not monasteries, and were likened to the "mixed multitude" of the Exodus story ((Exod. 12:38). The change was symbolised as arriving at the Promised Land at the end of the Exodus in the wilderness.

John 21:7

7. legei oun ho mathētēs ekeinos hon agapa ho Iēsous tō Petrō, Ho kyrios estin. Simōn oun Petros, akousas hoti ho kyrios estin, ton ependutēn diezōsato, ēn gar gymnos, kai ebalen heauton eis tēn thalassan.

7. Says therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved to Peter, "It is the lord. Simon therefore Peter, having heard that the lord is, the garment belted, for he was naked. And he threw Himself at the sea.

7. John Mark at the east end of the boat was still the "eunuch" of Jesus, but he said to Peter at the west end, "Simon Magus is the Pope." Peter held that Jesus could be called "lord", acting as a teacher to Gentiles at the grade of a Sariel, although not as a higher priest. Peter now claimed the promotion he had been promised, the right to wear a vestment while conducting baptisms, not acting as simply a married layman who wore a loincloth only. He wore a belt with his vestment, indicating that it was for outside use, not making him a sanctuary priest. He now declared in answer to John Mark that Simon Magus should remain in the stern of the boat, the exclusion area, confining himself to eastern mission.

John 21:8

8. hoi de alloi mathētai tō ploiariō ēlthon, ou gar ēsan makran apo tēs gēs alla hōs apo pēchōn diakosiōn, syrontes to diktyon tōn ichthyōn.

8. The other disciples came to the small boat, not for they were far from the land nevertheless as from 200 cubits, dragging the net of the fish.

8. At 3:30 am James Niceta came from the east end of the boat to the west end, where he was counted as a member of the married class, to be appointed as a missionary to the west. A dinghy for the marrried class stood where the shallow water began, and James Niceta with Titus went down into it for the last few yards. Peter in his belted vestment joined them. At the watergate where the 200 cubit jetty began, the priests disembarked on to it, so that they were able to walk through the watergate with their vestments still dry. They included Jesus, who was demonstrating by this means that he was a priest equal to Jonathan Annas.

John 21:9

9. hōs oun apebēsan eis tēn gēn blepousin anthrakian keimenēn kai opsarion epikeimenon kai arton.

9. When therefore they(RLR to other disciples v.8) went from at the land they see{blepō} a fire of coals lying. And cooked fish(sing.) lying. And bread.

9. The group took their places in the council chamber, the meal room in the west wing at Mazin. James Niceta as before sat on row 13 center west. At 4 am it was time to light the small cooking oven, fuelled by coals. At Mazin it was placed on the dais step in the east passageway, so that there were 3 cubits between it and James Niceta on row 13 west center. At 6 am the fish for eating had been cooked and placed beside the oven to cool for an hour. The common loaves to be eaten by villagers were also cooked.

John 21:10

10. legei autois ho Iēsous,, Enengkate apo tōn opsariōn ōn epiasate nyn.

10. Says to them(RLR to other disciples v.9) Jesus, "Bring from the cooked fish(plu.) of which you have trapped now{nyn}."

10. At 7:00 am , the +1 start of day for Herodians, Jesus said to James Niceta, "Eat the western share of the cooked fish, at the time for the Herodian meal, showing loyalty to Agrippa."

John 21:11

11. anebē oun Simōn Petros kai heilkysen to diktyon eis tēn gēn meston ichthyōn megalōn hekaton pentēkonta triōn. Kai tosoutōn ontōn ouk eschisthē to diktyon.

11. Went up therefore Simon Peter. And he hauled the net at the land full of great fish, 100(nom.), 50(nom.), of 3(gen.). And of such ones being, there was not a schism of the net.

11. Peter took his place in the center of row 10 as deacon over all Gentiles, the superior of James Niceta. Titus of the Dan celibate Gentiles had community centers in both west and east, the eastern ones being abbeys structured like monasteries but more open. Each held 100 undergraduates, 50 novices, and 3 priests, counted according to the Pythagorean significant number 153 (a triangular number). Although Dan Gentiles were in the celibate class and Asher in the married class, there was no schism between them.

John 21:12

12. legei autois ho Iēsous, Deute aristēsate. oudeis de etolma tōn mathētōn exetasai auton, Sy tis ei; eidotes hoti ho kyrios estin.

12. Says to them(RLR to 50) Jesus, Come, have breakfast. No one dared of the disciples (genitive) to ask him(RLR to Jesus), "You are the Certain One". They(participle to v. 9 subject of verb, other disciples) knowing{oida} that the lord he(RLR to Jesus) is.

12. Jesus said to Titus, "In your eastern role, like Essene monastics, you will have the first meal of the day at Ain Feshkha at noon." John Mark protested, saying that monastic Gentiles of Dan, who were classed with proselytes under Jesus, were being excluded. James Niceta showed equality with John Mark by using the title "lord" for Jesus, meaning only that he was a teacher of Gentiles.

John 21:13

13. erchetai Iēsous kai lambanei ton arton kai didōsin autois, kai to opsarion omoiōs

13. Comes{erchomai} Jesus. And he receives the bread. And he gives to them(RLR to other disciples, v.12). And the cooked fish(sing.) likewise.

13. At 7:05 am Jesus sat at row 7 at the table and was given common loaf 1 by Jonathan Annas. The bread was taken first, as communion, followed half an hour later by the actual food, the cooked fish. Titus partook.of its eastern share. At 8 am the party set out by boat for the one hour's journey up to Ain Feshkha.(the walk took 3 hours, while the boat rate was one-third of the walking rate).

John 21:14

14. touto ēdē triton ephanerōthē Iēsous tois mathētais egertheis ek nekrōn.

14. This already third Jesus presented to the disciples, he(Jesus) having been raised out of the dead.

14. At 9 am at Ain Feshkha Jesus wearing white robes was accepted by James Niceta as returned to the dynastic celibate state, having left the "uncleanness" of Mazin representing marriage. Simon Magus and John Mark walked three hours up to Qumran for their noon meal.

John 21:15

15. Hote oun ēristēsan legei tō Simōni Petrō ho Iēsous, Simōn Iōannou, agapas me pleon toutōn; legei autō, Nai, kyrie, sy oidas hoti philō se. legei autō, Boske ta arnia mou.

15. When{hote} therefore they(RLR to disciples v.14) breakfasted says to Simon Peter Jesus, "Simon of John(voc.) , you love me more of these ones. He(SRLR to Jesus) said to him(RLR to Peter), "Yes, lord(voc.), you know{oida} that I befriend you." He(SRLR to Peter) says to him(SRLR to Jesus), "Tend my lambs".

15. At noon the meal at Ain Feshkha was held, presided over by Agrippa himself, with Jonathan Annas beside him and Jesus as their third in the center of row 7. Peter sat opposite in the center of row 10. The first half-hour of such a meal was spent in preparation, including "washing the feet", checking the jar for the welfare tithes, as at the Last Supper. At 12:30 the actual meal began. Jesus said to Peter, "Simon, still under the papacy of Simon Magus John II who baptized you, since you have reached a high standard of education as a pilgrim to the monastery, you may act as a teacher of Gentiles. You may attend the celibate Agape meal, under instruction from John Mark. Then Jesus added, " I see that you, Peter, are worthy to be a teacher of Gentiles at grade 2, but you do not wish to attend the Agape meal of monastics, only the communion meal of married men. Peter replied to Jesus, "But you are a celibate dynast, who should be attached to a monastery, caring for its orphan illegitimates."

John 21:16

16. legei autō palin deuteron, Simōn Iōannou, agapas me; legei autō, Nai, kyrie, sy oidas hoti philo se. legei autō, Poimaine ta probata mou.

16. He(RLR to Jesus) says to him(RLR to Peter v.15 ) again a second time, "Simon of John(voc.), you love me." He(Peter) says to him(Jesus), "Yes, lord(voc.), you know{oida} that I befriend you." He(RLR to Jesus) says to him(RLR to Peter), "Shepherd my sheep".

16. At 2:05 pm at the end of the meal Jesus said to Peter, "Simon, still under the papacy of Simon Magus John II, you may take part in my celibate Agape meal, but without instruction from John Mark." Peter said to Jesus, "Yes I will, teacher of Gentiles, as long as you recognize that I also belong in the married class, being still married." (1 Cor 9: 5). Jesus said to Peter, "Be a pastor for Agrippa, the head of Nazirites, "sheep100", who is present."

John 21:17

.

17. legei autō to triton, Simōn Iōannou ,phileis me; elypēthē ho Petros hoti eipen autō to triton, Phileis me; kai legei autō, Kyrie, panta sy oidas, sy ginōskeis hoti philō se. legei autō ho Iēsous, Boske ta probata mou.

17. He(SRLR to Agrippa, "Sheep", neut. plu.noun takes sing.verb) says to him(RLR to Peter) the third time, "Simon of John, you befriend me." Peter was sorrowful that he(RLR to Agrippa, "Sheep", subject in verb) said to him(Peter) the third time, "You befriend me". And he(RLR to Peter) says to him(RLR to Jesus, v.16, as masc. pronoun cannot refer to neut.plu. "sheep") " Lord(voc.), All things you know{oida}, you know{gnōstos} that I befriend you." Said to him(Peter) Jesus, "Tend the sheep of me."

17. At 3:00 pm after a further hour's discussion Agrippa as head of Nazirites, presiding, said to Peter, "Simon, since you accept the papacy of Simon Magus John II, you are only in the married class in my party." At 3:05 Peter accepted that he was only a Nazirite to Agrippa, wearing a black vestment, and Agrippa again said to him, "You are in the married class in my party, even when you do not take the name of Simon Magus." Peter spoke to Jesus and said, "You are a teacher of Gentiles with Herodian doctrine for the abbeys. You also teach monasteries, and I am in the married class of pilgrims attached to monasteries." Jesus said to Peter, "Be a monastery based bishop to Agrippa head of Nazirites, my subordinate."

John 21:18

18. amēn amēn legō soi, hote ēs neōteros, ezōnnyes seauton kai periepateis hopou ētheles. hotan de gērasēs, ekteineis tas cheiras sou, kai allos se zōsei kai oisei hopou ou theleis.

18. "Amen Amen I say to you, when{hote} you were newer{neos}, you girded yourself. And you walked the where you wished. When you are old, you stretch out the hands of you. And another one girds you. And he(another one) carries you the where you do not will."

18. The party then made the 3 hour walk from Ain Feshkha to Qumran, arriving in time for the sunset prayers and the evening monastic meal, which followed the seating order of the Last Supper. For the first half-hour from 6:05 pm the meal was prepared, then at 6:30 Jesus said to Peter, who was sitting at the center of row 13, "On the half-hour as a village deacon you treat the hour divisions in the way that James Niceta does. You wear a vestment with a belt in the outside world and help to gird your equal. You teach as you walk on the Way, anyone you meet. You also act as an elder, a presbyter. You use a collection plate to ask for gifts for the "Crippled", the indigent of the grade of Widows. Then a monastic deacon as your deputy, John Mark, helps you put on your vestment, still with a belt for outside wear. He helps you to use a transport animal when travelling, supplied by the monastery."

John 21:19

19. touto de eipen sēmainōn poiō thanatō doxasei ton theon. kai touto eipōn legei autō, Akolouthei moi.

19. This he(SRLR to another one v.18 ) said, giving a sign by what death he(RLR to another one) glorifies God. And this he saying(another one, subject of participle refers to subject of previous verb) says to him(SRLR to God), "Follow me".

19. At 9 pm at the beginning of the night session John Mark spoke in Hebrew, declaring that he upheld Simon Magus and the monastic discipline, but that he supported Jonathan Annas as a pro-Roman deputy to Simon. He said to Jonathan sitting in the center of row 6, "I will act as your herald in a priestly procession, walking in front of you."

John 21:20

20. Epistrapheis ho Petros blepei ton mathētēn hon ēgapa ho Iēsous akolouthounta , hos kai anepesen en tō deipnō epi to stēthos autou kai eipen, Kyrie, tis estin ho paradidous se

20. Peter having turned upon sees{blepō} the disciple whom Jesus loved as a following one, who. And he(who, following one) fell up in the supper upon the chest of him(gen., RLR to Jesus). And he(following one) said, "Lord, a Certain One is, the one who gives-beside you".

20. John Mark was then accepted as an acolyte deacon to Jonathan Annas and invited to join the table. Peter had been sitting on both sides of row 10, and in order to make a place for John Mark had to move out into the east side passage. While John Mark was on the "bosom", west center row 10, there were 3 cubits between him and Peter in the inner side passage. Then John Mark moved to the east center, the "chest", as he had done at the Last Supper. On the prayer platform above, Agrippa was offering the prayer at 9 pm, permitted to do so since this Monday, June 1, was not one of the priestly promotion days and it was only a lesser hour. He stood forward, not in "Heaven", but above row 6. The leaders sitting directly below could not see him. From his position on east center 10 John Mark could see him, as he had been able to see Agrippa's servant Merari in the same place at the Last Supper. John Mark said, "Jonathan Annas, Agrippa is acting as a minister above on the platform, treating you as his deputy."

At 9:30 pm, as at the Last Supper, Jonathan Annas and Jesus were sitting side by side on row 7 , for the session of discussion following the drinking of sacred wine(Jn 13:31).

John 21:21

21. touton oun idōn ho Petros legei tō Iēsou, Kyrie, houtos de ti;

21. This One(accus.) therefore Peter seeing{eidon} says to Jesus, Lord, This One is what".

21. At 9:30 pm Peter on row 10 west center beside John Mark saw Theudas in the prince's place west of Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, "Teacher of Gentiles, Theudas has changed to being Sadducee, using the upright cross".

John 21:22

22. legei autō ho Iēsous, Ean auton thelō menein heōs erchomai, ti pros se; sy moi akolouthei.

22. Says to him(SRLR to This One v.21) Jesus, " If{ean} him(SRLR to Peter v.21) I will to remain until{heōs} I come{erchomai}, what towards you(sing.). You(sing. This One) follow me."

22. At 9.35 pm Jesus said to Theudas , "When I come out in September for the birth of my child , I will appoint Peter to lead observances of Gentiles in the villages. He will use the sign of the upright cross. When you, Theudas, stand to receive pilgrims on the north base outside the Jerusalem vestry, he will stand in front of you. You, Theudas, are to be a deputy in my party, but following me, not leading, as I do not hold priestly processions."

John 21:23

23. exēlthen oun houtos ho logos eis tous adelphous hoti ho mathētēs ekeinos ouk apothnēskei. Ouk eipen de autō ho Iēsous hoti ouk apothnēskei, all' Ean auton thelō menein heōs erchomai ti, pros se;

23. This Word therefore came out at the brothers that that disciple not die. Not said to him(SRLR to that disciple) Jesus that he(that disciple) not die, nevertheless " If{ean} him(SRLR to This Word ) I will to remain until{heōs} I come{erchomai}, what towards you(sing.)."

23. At 10 pm the meeting in the vestry ended. Since Jesus was to stay at Qumran when the others left at midnight, James was appointed his substitute for the meeting the others would attend in Jerusalem. James acted as a lay levite when representing Jesus, but at Qumran when Jesus was present he was a grade 5 presbyter, one of the married class called Brothers who were confined to the area below the Israelite wall. James said that John Mark although following monastic discipline was not equal to a Jewish monastic, which meant that he could not be excommunicated. Jesus, however, did not agree, and treated John Mark as equal to a Jewish monastic. He said to John Mark "James is my deputy in the outside world in Jerusalem. I will join James in Jerusalem in September at the time of the birth of my child, whose gender will determine whether James remains crown prince. James uses the Sadducee upright cross and sits on row 13 south of you, John Mark, in your position on row 12 as deacon-acolyte."

(At midnight the council of Twelve with James replacing Jesus left Qumran to go to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem for the first Pentecost observance on Wednesday June 3, as recorded in Acts 1:12-14.)

The last two verses of John 21 give information on the authorship of chapter 21, which was added after 44 AD, as well as information on other gospels produced after 44 AD.

John 21:24

24. Houtos estin ho mathētēs ho martyrōn peri toutōn kai ho grapsas tauta, kai oidamen hoti alēthēs autou hē martyria estin.

24. This is the disciple the one witnessing around These Ones. And he having written These Things. And we know{oida} that true of him(RLR to he having written) the witness is.

24. After the schism of AD 44 and the adoption of the name Christian, John Mark in the role of an associate but not a council member has added this chapter for the class of Gentile monastics. He is the one who recorded John's gospel for this class. Jesus, who composed the gospel, attests that it accords with monastic doctrine.

John 21:25

25. Estin de kai alla polla ha epoiēsen ho Iēsous, hatina ean grapsētai kath' hen, oud' auton oimai ton kosmon chōrēsai ta graphomena biblia.

25. But he(RLR to he having written) And many other things which Jesus did, the Certain Things if written according to one, neither him(RLR to Jesus) I suppose the world to have room for the written books.

25. John Mark remains in membership with Jesus' party, but in class D for non-leaders.<In the Caesarea abbey of Jonathan Annas Jesus has authorised the Logia of Matthew in Hebrew. The final form of John's gospel, as recorded by Philip the Evangelist , was taken over by James Niceta as the alternative Chief Gentile. Jesus was reduced to the class of lay graduates because of the divorce, and so Luke became his "eunuch", replacing John Mark who had been "eunuch" with Mary Magdalene. Luke with Jesus produced Luke's gospel. At the same time Mark's gospel was written in Greek for the married class and was used by Luke and also by the final version of Matthew's gospel in Greek.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3, AD 33
First Pentecost

The date for the Pentecost feast was fixed for the 15th of the 3rd solar month. That date was more than a fortnight before the 31st at the solstice, a date that occurred only every quarter and was counted with the 1st of the following month. When the solar calendar was in need of its quartodecimal intercalation, the 31st had dropped back to early in the month, in this case to Tuesday June 2. The early 1st, the next day, Wednesday, then coincided with the 15/III preceding the intercalated 31st. It was observed as a first Pentecost, and the Twelve travelled to Jerusalem to observe it. There would be another observance, when the 15/III to the post-position coincided with the 1st at the June solstice.

For traditional solarists, Tuesday June 2 at 6 am began the start of an intercalation of 17 1/2 days that would bring the 31st to near the solstice, on a Friday evening. The change from a Day 31st beginning Tuesday 6 am to a Night 31st beginning Friday 6 pm was made at the outset, with an extra long day of 36 hours from Tuesday June 2 at 6 am to Wednesday June 3 at 6 pm. This extra long day was called a "sabbath", the word used in the singular, because it was a day of fasting. It was permitted to walk and to sleep, but not to eat. Traditionalists coming from Qumran to Jerusalem on this day took the whole 36 hours to walk the distance, sleeping at Mird-Hyrcania on the way. They began their 1st Pentecost on the Wednesday evening. This was the "sabbath" referred to in Acts 1:12, which appears to say that the Mount of Olives was near Jerusalem, a sabbath day's journey away. That seemed to mean only 1000 cubits, in terms of CD 10: 20, which was not accurate. There was, however, a reproduction "Mount of Olives", an area used for the same purposes, at Qumran. The word "near" (engys) had a special meaning whch covered 36 hours in 3 sets of 12 hours. The pesher of the verse gives the fact that it would take 36 hours, on this special day, to travel from Qumran to Jerusalem.

The council of Twelve using the Julian calendar varied the system to some extent, leaving Qumran at midnight, spending the sleeping hours at Mar Saba, and arriving in Jerusalem on Wednesday at noon. They also would observe the 1st Pentecost on Wednesday evening, so by 4 pm they crossed to the Mount of Olives, then went up higher, to the tower on its top, where they began the observance lasting through the night. Women were also present, as on the pentecontad occasions of the Therapeuts. They were accommodated in a part of the tower, which became the site of the Mary Magdalene church. One of the women at the observance was Mary the mother of Jesus, substituting for Mary Magdalene , who was staying at the tower with the other women during her pregnancy. As it was past 5 months for her, she had hidden herself, according to the rule given in Luke 1:24. It was for this reason that Jesus did not accompany the Twelve to Jerusalem, for he was not permitted to see her.

WEDNESDAY, June 3, AD 33

THE FIRST PENTECOST

In JERUSALEM

Acts 1:12-14

See 'Chronology' (in Section 3) for the date of the first Pentecost. At midnight beginning Tuesday June 2, the end of the meal at Qumran with which John 21 ends, the members of the Twelve, without Jesus, set out from Qumran. They followed the same route and made the same stops as Jesus had done on the Sunday and Monday after the crucifixion. They were keeping a Julian calendar, measuring half -days from midnight to noon and noon to midnight. Leaving Qumran at midnight, they arrived at Mird Hyrcania for the noon meal (3 hours Qumran to Ain Feshkha, 8 hours to Mird Minor, 1 hour to Mird Major). They then observed the same meals and meetings as Jesus had done on the Sunday after Good Friday, leaving the lowest shelf at Mar Saba at midnight after spending time in the higher tower for celibates. Travelling at the set pace on the west side of the wady, at first from south to north, they arrived at the synagogue at the Essene Gate on Wednesday at noon, then up to the school at 1 pm, as Jesus had done. They held the Herodian meal from 1 to 3 pm, then went north-east to the Mount of Olives stables by 4 pm. The narrative begins at that point at 4:05 pm.

Acts 1:12

12. Tote hypestrepsan eis Ierousalēm apo orous tou kaloumenou Elaiōnos , ho estin engys Ierousalēm sabbatou echon hodon.

12. Then they(RLR to Theudas, Man 2, Acts 1:10,11) turned under at Jerusalem{Ierousalēm}(singular form) from a mountain called of Olives, which is near Jerusalem{Ierousalēm}(singular form) having a Way of a sabbath.

12. At 4:05 pm on Wednesday June 3, Theudas with the the rest of the Twelve had come north-east from the school on Mount Zion , and was in the Gentile teaching room attached to the stables on the lower slope of the Mount of Olives. It corresponded to the pantry attached to the outer hall at Qumran (loc 86) where oil cleansings were given and Gentiles were taught. It had reproduced the Mount of Olives room and was called by its name. Following the rules for the 31st, when there was an extended day of 36 hours, it took 36 hours to travel from Qumran to the literal Mount of Olives (See 'Chronology' in Section 3).

After 4:05 pm the council members walked up two hours through the hermitage at the middle level to the tower on the height of the Mount of Olives, reaching it at 6 pm. The tower lay opposite the Cenacle building, and was used for proselytes, under a woman who acted as Mother to them. It was in the position of the present Mary Magdalene church. Mary Magdalene now 5 months pregnant had hidden herself in the tower, according to the rule given in Lk 1:24, and this was the reason why Jesus had not accompanied them, as he was forbidden to see her.

The council members who attended the first Pentecost were led by Simon Magus, as the first Pentecost was observed by his party using the Essene south solar calendar. The second Pentecost at the June solstice was observed by Agrippa's party.

Acts 1:13

13. kai hote eisēlthon, eis to hyperōon anebēsan hou ēsan katamenontes, ho te Petros kai Iōannēs kai Iakōbos kai Andreas, Philippos kai Thōmas, Bartholomaios kai Matthaios, Iakōbos Halphaiou kai Simōn ho zēlōtes kai Ioudas Iakōbou.

13. And when{hote} they(RLR to Theudas v.12) came at, at the upper room they went up, where they(Theudas) were remaining down. Peter te. And John. And James. And Andrew, Philip. And Thomas, Bartholomew. And Matthew, James of Alphaeus. And Simon the zealot. And Judas of James.

13. The observance of the first Pentecost by Simon Magus' council began in the tower at 6 pm. It was a two-storeyed building with steps leading up to a middle platform on which the table stood, See Figure 10. (The Tower.) After the first half hour's preparations, at 6:30 pm Theudas stood on the dais step on row 13 to announce Pentecost as the Lion, the living creature for the south, summer and Pentecost, the main feast for Therapeuts. Then all went up the front steps to the higher rows at the meal table on the doma. For the seating order, (See Figure 9.)

The seats on this occasion were occupied as follows:

Jonathan Annas Simon Magus 6
Antipas Theudas James Matthew Thomas 7
 
 
John Aquila James Niceta Peter John Mark Andrew Philip 10

Antipas, although not a member of the Twelve, had set them up and financed them originally in opposition to Agrippa, and was present in the seat of the west guest at the Last Supper. On that occasion Simon Magus had been excluded, and Antipas made up the number of 13. On the present occasion Judas Iscariot was dead and still not replaced, and Antipas made up the numbers, having brought the council up to the tower from his house on the Mount of Olives.

Acts 1:14

14. houtoi pantes ēsan proskarterountes homothymadon tē proseuchē syn gynaixin. Kai Mariuam tē mētri tou Iēsou. Kai tois adelphois autou.

14. These All were devoting as like-Wrath to prayer, with women(dat.). And Mary the mother of Jesus(gen.). And to the brothers of him(RLR to Judas of James v.13, Theudas).

14. At midnight the session in the tower ended and the members, with the two women from the tower, went down one hour to the house of Antipas. There they observed their liturgy for Pentecost, the choral dance described by Philo, celebrating the Exodus from Egypt.

In the east-west hall of the house they formed two choirs, one of men and one of women, under a "Moses" and "Miriam", singing the songs given in Exodus 15, with dancing.. The choirs assembled in four rows, two of men on the north side and two of women on the south side. The two rows of men were headed by Antipas and by James. The two rows of women were headed by Mary mother of Jesus as the "Miriam", substituting for her pregnant daughter-in-law Mary Magdalene, and Helena, the "Sarah"

FRIDAY JUNE 19, AD 33
31st near the June solstice
3 pm

For those solarists who preferred the solstices for their intercalations, the intercalated 31st fell on Friday June 19 at 6 pm. Since it was the day before the sabbath, the stricter beginning of the night was at 3 pm. In the house of Antipas in the middle part of the Mount of Olives, which was also used by Therapeuts as a hermitage and abbey, a hall was reserved for the 120 pilgrims who normally set out from here to go to Qumran, corresponding to the Qumran outer hall.

Without Judas Iscariot, the Council, officially called the Twelve, contained only 11 men, and it was necessary to replace him on the day that was used for such promotions, the 31st. James chaired the meeting as bishop in place of Jesus, and Peter addressed his speech to him. Preparing for the election, he gave a formal address, giving the history of Judas Iscariot.

"Judas was appointed by Eleazar Annas in 16 AD when Joseph the father of Jesus had become the David. His loyalty was to Agrippa, whereas the rest of the missionary council looked to Antipas, who had the right to make appointments. Judas, although a layman, was made the Chief Levite, with the right to collect fees from the villagers, and he used the fees to pay Agrippa for his promotion in the militant party, as successor of Judas the Galilean. Having played on his connection with Agrippa to try to buy his own freedom and avoid crucifixion, he was poisoned by his comrades, was refused help when Simon Magus was rescued by Antipas, and thrown out from the caves to be smashed on the rocks below. Hermitages when under militant control can encourage martyrdom, with the drinking from a blood-smeared cup as a sign of willingness to die for Judaism. But there is now another policy, authorised by Jesus, and justified from the Greek translation of the Psalms. A peaceful monastic discipline is to supersede that of a hermitage. The episcopal position of Judas is to be taken by the second brother of Jesus, Joses-Barnabas.

"We are now under the papacy of Simon Magus, so monasticism is the current policy. When Simon Magus was appointed Pope for the first time, in September 32 AD, Barnabas, who was born in 8 AD, turned 24 and became a deacon. Jesus was at the same time permitted to act as a priest to Gentiles, equal to the village priest. On Tuesday April 7 this year Simon was installed again as John II, and on the same day Jesus was elevated to the position of the Christ to pray beside him. Joses-Barnabas, who was made the celibate crown prince for Jesus in September 32 AD, with encouragement from Simon Magus, should again hold the position of the levite to Jesus as priest. He should work with John Mark, the 'eunuch' of Jesus."

Antipas went through the formality of choosing between two candidates. Both of them were brothers of Jesus, at different times holding the position of his crown prince. One was James, the crown prince who acted as the "Joseph" in the Abraham mission imagery. His surname was Barsabbas, like all the brothers. As the head of Nazirites he was called "righteous", dikaios, the grade below "holy". In Latin this was Justus, a title used of all David crown princes, subsequently for the son of Jesus (Colossians 4:11).

The other candidate, who was intended in advance to be chosen, was called Matthias in Acts 1:23. The Clementines state that the Matthias who was elected was Barnabas, and from detail in the gospels and Acts it may be seen that he was the brother called Joses. Barnabas-Joses, who did not marry, became and remained a close associate of John Mark. The two preserved the monastic tradition in its Gentile form.

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, AD 33

MEETING AT THE HERMITAGE ON THE MIDDLE LEVEL OF THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

Acts 1:15-26
Acts 1:15

15. kai en tais hēmerais tautais anastas Petros en mesō tōn adelphōn eipen, ēn te ochlos onomatōn epi to auto hōsei hekaton eikosi

15. And in the days these Peter having stood up in a middle of the brothers said, "It was te a crowd of names upon the same about 120.

15. On the 31st near the June solstice, Friday June 19 AD 33, at 3 pm in the hermitage on the middle level of the Mount of Olives, Peter as minister over pilgrims of the village class presided at their meeting in the east-west hall of the hermitage. The plan was the same as the outer hall at Qumran (loc 77), with a double stone podium at the west end. Peter stood on it as the Rock, in accordance with his position as the Rock ( petra), representing the David in the outside world. From this position near the door of the pantry the David or his representative, representing the Rock that was struck to give water (Exod 17:6) gave a drink of water to arriving pilgrims at 3 pm, using the cups stacked in the pantry.

There were 120 pilgrims present in the hall of Antipas, in 4 rows of 30 each. The same sytem was employed in the Qumran outer hall when at the equinoxes the pilgrims arrived, bringing their food tithes. They stayed for a month, holding meetings every day, receiving elementary instruction from the levites in gratitude for the food they brought. At the solstices, the feasts for Therapeuts, they stayed in Jerusalem. The present occasion was a meeting preceding the second Pentecost on the following Sunday.

The two rows of men, totalling 60, were made up of 5 sets of 12, each 12 a group who attended the fellowship meals in the different villages. Each 12 had 2 leaders and 10 ordinary members, in accordance with Qumran practice. The second row, headed by James, contained groups from different villages under his brothers, so that the next brother, Joses, sat with the group behind that of James.

When the fickle Agrippa had changed back to Pharisaism in September 32 AD, Jesus was again deemed illegitimate, and he had appointed the next brother Joses to be his heir in place of James. This is recorded in John 9 as "the healing of the blind man". Joses had chosen celibacy and was a supporter of the monasticism of Simon Magus. While Simon was still officially Pope, he, with the advice of Jesus, could appoint a levite in place of Judas Iscariot. Simon's monastic regime meant that a celibate was equal to a levite. The purpose of the meeting was to carry out the instructions that had been trasmitted to Antipas and Peter from Simon, who was now back at Qumran with Jesus. Joses was to be appointed as the new levite, a deputy to Jesus when his claim to be a full priest was accepted.

Peter observed all formalities for the election. He began by announcing that the full quorum of 120 was present, then continued,.

Acts 1:16

16. Andres adelphoi, edei plērōthēnai tēn graphēn hēn proeipen to pneuma to hagion dia stomatos Dauid peri Iouda tou genomenou hodēgou tois syllabousin Iēsoun,

16. " Men{anēr} brothers, it must be fulfilled the writing which the spirit the holy said before through a mouth of David around Judas the one having come about about a leader of the Way to the ones who received Jesus with.

16. "James, heading the second row of men, the written rules for abbeys must be observed. They were set down by Eleazar Annas as high priest 15 to 17 AD, the first son of Ananus the Elder. His deputy was Joseph the father of Jesus, who when he became potential king on the death of his father Jacob-Heli in 16 AD took the title "David."

Judas as the Chief Levite was the head of proselytes, leading them on the Way. He was allied with Agrippa, who when he returned to his country and was in his Sadducee mode accepted Jesus as the heir of David.

Acts 1:17

17. hoti katērithmēmenos ēn en hymin kai elachen ton klēron tēs diakonias tautēs.

17. "That he(subject of participle to "crowd" subject of verb v.15) was numbered in us. And he(crowd) obtained the lot of this service.

17. "Antipas should conduct this election as the first of the village class who are subject to a levite. He is a presbyter, a teacher of grade 8 pre-initiates. He will perform the ritual of casting lots.

Acts 1:18

18. Houtos men oun ektēsato chōrion ek misthou tēs adikias, kai prēnēs genomenos elakēsen mesos, kai exechythē panta ta splangchna autou.

18. " This One m-n therefore acquired a region out of the reward of his unrighteousness. And coming about swollen he burst open in the middle. And All his entrails gushed out.

18." Judas Iscariot following Judas the Galilean worked in both the eastern and western sides of the Jordan, in Decapolis and Galilee. He was in Tiberias with Agrippa, where he received the 30 pieces of silver as promotion fees for the levite from the first row of married men..They formed a "camp" of pilgrims attached to the Therapeuts. He used the money intended for the salaries of married missionaries as bribes. On the day of his crucifixion he was placed in the dungeon, poisoned by his comrades, and thrown out of the window of cave 8. His militant party lost the support of Agrippa.

Acts 1:19

19. kai gnōston egeneto pasi tois katoikousin Ierousalēm, hōste klēthēnai to chōrion ekeino tē idia dialektō autōn Hakeldamach, tout' estin, Chōrion Haimatos.

19. "And it came about that it was known{gnōstos} to All the inhabitants of Jerusalem{Ierousalēm}(singular form) so that to be called that region in the own dialect of them(inhabitants) Akeldama, this is, region of blood.

19. "The levite from the monastery also attended the abbey-hermitage in Antipas' house. The married men spoke Aramaic as a sign of their anti-western attitudes. Following the example of Judas the Galilean, they were prepared to be martyrs for Judaism, so performed the rite of smearing the drinking cup of wine with blood. The hermitage on the Mount of Olives was formerly under such influence, so called Akeldama.

Acts 1:20

20. Gegraptai gar en biblō psalmōn, Genēthētō hē epaulis autou erēmos kai mē estō ho katoikōn en autē, kai, Tēn episkopēn autou labetō heteros.

20. " For it is written in a book of Psalms, Let the court of him(This One, Judas v.18) come about a wilderness. And let not stand the one inhabiting in it. And, the episcopate of him(This One) let another one receive.

20. "A message from Jesus gives a pesher of verses in the Greek Psalms, indicating who should be chosen. 'Judas' pilgrims are attached to the Mird hermitage and abbey. A man of the eremitical class should be chosen, but not a priest or levite entitled to receive tithes. Let the second brother receive the office of Judas, that of a celibate bishop.'

Acts 1:21

21. dei oun tōn synelthontōn hēmin andrōn en panti chronō ō eisēlthen kai exēlthen eph' hēmas ho kyrios Iēsous,,

21. "Must therefore of the men{anēr}(gen.) coming with{erchomai} us in All time to which he(RLR to another one v. 20) came at. And there came out upon us the lord Jesus.

21. Peter continued, "Here are his qualifications. The new levite is to be a man favored by Pope Simon Magus, from one of his periods in the papacy. The first began in September AD 32, which by the Herodian method of counting generations was 3971. At that season Joses- Barnabas the second brother of Jesus reached the age of 24, when a man could become a deacon. While a deacon he is in the class of pilgrims. Simon Magus made Jesus his deputy, with the title the lord Jesus, meaning that he is both priestly and lay.

Acts 1:22

22. arxamenos apo tou baptismatos Iōannou heōs tēs hēmeras hēs anelēmphthē aph' hēmōn, martyra tēs anastaseōs autou syn hēmin genesthai hena toutōn.

22. " Beginning from the baptism of John(gen.) until{heōs} the day of which he(RLR to Lord Jesus v.21) was received up from us, a witness(accus.) of the standing up of him(lord Jesus) with us to come about one of These Ones(gen.)."

22. "At noon on Tuesday April 7 this year Simon Magus was again installed as Pope, with a ceremonial washing in the priests' cistern at Qumran. At 6 pm Jesus as his deputy went up to the prayer platform to take his place beside him. He has cardinals rather than levites, graduates whose education permits them to act as priests in the Diaspora. The appointee is to be a cardinal standing on the east pillar, a subordinate of John Mark."

Acts 1:23

23. kai estēsan dyo, Iōsēph ton kaloumenon Barsabban, hos epeklēthē Ioustos, kai Maththian.

23. And they(RLR to All the inhabitants v. 19, Antipas) stood a Two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was called Justus. And Matthias.

23. Antipas came to the podium to conduct the election, together with Theudas the deputy abbot. He gave a formal choice between the two brothers of Jesus, James and Joses, both capable of being his deputy. James, the first man in the second male row, had the surname Barsabbas like all the sons of Joseph. As the David crown prince he was a Joseph, under the David as Jacob, but Jesus had now given up the title of the patriarch Jacob to claim a more universal role. As the David in the Nazirite status was called the Righteous One, dikaios, the crown prince head of Nazirites used this title, which in Latin was Justus. (The son of Jesus as his crown prince was identified by the name Jesus Justus in Colossians 4:11). The other brother could use a name of the Kohath, Matthias. In the Clementines it is stated that the Matthias appointed to replace Judas was Barnabas. Acts 4:36 names a Joseph who was given the name Barnabas, a levite. Mt 13:55 calls the second brother Joseph.

Acts 1:24

24. kai proseuxamenoi eipan, Sy kyrie, kardiognōsta pantōn, anadeixon hon exelexō ek toutōn tōn dyo hena.

24. And they(RLR to Two v.23) praying said, "You, lord, heart-knowing All Things, show whom you have elected out of These Ones(gen.) of the Two(gen.), one.

24. Theudas the deputy abbot accepted the decision, saying to Antipas, "You, Antipas, who may also act as a teacher of Gentiles in Rome, about to be appointed a lay bishop, have pointed to Joses-Barnabas, a permanent celibate so an Elect One, a subordinate of John Mark. John Mark is himself a subordinate of the deputy abbot at grade 2.

Acts 1:25

25. labein ton topon tēs diakonias tautēs kai apostolēs, aph'ēs parebē Ioudas poreuthēnai eis ton topon ton idion.

25. "to receive the place of this service. And of an apostolate, from which Judas went beside to journey at the place the own one."

25. "Barnabas is to replace the levite, who may also be present among pilgrims. The Gentile monastics of John Mark have been classed as equal to unclean married pilgrims, both using the south-west square of the Qumran grounds. Gentile monastics were included in the class of proselytes taught by Judas, who could meet in the same hall at Qumran as married pilgrins."

Acts 1:26

26. kai edōkan klērous autois, kai epesen ho klēros epi Maththian, kai syngkatepsēphisthē meta tōn hendeka apostolōn.

26. And they(RLR to Two v.24) gave lots to them(RLR to All inhabitants, Antipas v.23). And the lot fell upon Matthias. And he(Matthias) was voted with the 11 apostles.

26. At 4:05 pm Theudas handed over the black loser's lot to Antipas. The winner's lot, a white emblem, was placed on Joses-Barnabas-Matthias. Barnabas received equal voting rights with John Mark, who remained the Eleven until Barnabas was formally consecrated.

SUNDAY JUNE 21, AD 33
Day of Pentecost at the solstice.
3 am

At the hermitage on the Mount of Olives At midnight beginning Sunday June 21 AD 33 the Pentecost observance for the solstice began. It was the second observance , on the actual day of the solstice, preceding the post-position.

It began in the hermitage in Antipas' house on the Mount of Olives. As Philo describes the pentecontad observances, they went on all night, ending at dawn with a liturgy that celebrated the beginning of the Exodus, the crossing of the Red Sea, with two choirs dancing and singing, the men led by a "Moses", the women by a "Miriam". The account of the occasion in Acts 2:1-4 begins at 3 am, at the time of the choral dance.

In the east-west hall in the hermitage - its shape known from the outer hall at Qumran- sat four rows of people of the village class under the leadership of the married man Antipas, who sat in the first seat in the top row. The 120 sat in 4 rows of 30 each. The two rows on the northern side were of married men, the next two rows of women. The leaders sat at the western end, as shown by the position of the podium in the Qumran outer hall, still to be seen there.

In front of the leadership stood the two who were to lead the liturgical choral dance. Facing the two rows of men on the north side was Theudas, the Chief Therapeut, as the "Moses". South of him stood Thomas, present because he and Antipas were now throwing their money and influence into Agrippa's project. Thomas as a homosexual could represent women, as shown by the fact that in the resurrection narrative he was found at the queen's house. A woman could not sit in the leadership, but Thomas represented her. The woman who acted the part of "Miriam" (Mary the mother of Jesus) sat in the first row of women.

By this stage of the history of the mission, which had flourished in the Diaspora, there was a problem about which language to speak, whether Hebrew, the language of the songs in Exodus 15, or Greek, into which they had been translated in the Septuagint. Many Diaspora Jews could not speak or understand Hebrew. Antipas, who had a house in Rome, was trilingual, and preferred Greek. Thomas spoke only Hebrew, as he had shown at the crucifixion when he had missed the point of the Greek behind the cry of Jesus on the cross. There was conflict now between the two languages to be used by the choirs. Theudas overruled Thomas, allowing them all to sing in Greek, as educated women could do.

Thomas had previously acted as the Herod crown prince, in the east, while Antipas, the third Herod, was only a presbyter in the west. The order now was transmitted from Agrippa to make a radical change, one that would bring the western provinces of the mission up to be equal in status to the east. Agrippa made Antipas an equal to the crown prince, a lay bishop, so he was "filled with a holy spirit" in the form of the term used without articles.

Now with greater authority, Antipas permitted Gentiles, not only to sing in Greek, but to conduct all worship services in their own native languages. Jonathan Annas gave permission for the change to pass into law on this occasion. It was the first step in the independent organisation of Gentiles, separating from traditional Judaism, that would subsequently adopt the name Christian.

SUNDAY, JUNE 21, AD 33

THE SECOND PENTECOST

3 AM AT THE HERMITAGE ON THE MIDDLE LEVEL OF THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

Acts 2:1-36
Acts 2:1

1. Kai en tō symplērousthai tēn hēmeran tēs pentēkostēs ēsan pantes homou epi to auto.

1. And in the being fulfilled the day of Pentecost All Ones were together upon the same.

1. On Sunday, June 21, AD 33, the second Pentecost (See 'Chronology' in Section 3). was being observed at the building used by Therapeuts as a hermitage and abbey, in the house of Antipas on the middle level of the Mount of Olives. Their "banquet" (of bread and water, described by Philo) had been held from 9 pm to midnight, and the Exodus liturgy with the choral dance was performed from midnight to 3 am. It was now finishing at 3 am.

This Pentecost was the one observed by the party of Agrippa. He had come to Antipas' house to confer on him the status of lay bishop, as a reward for his changing to support Agrippa in Rome in his bid for the monarchy. In the east-west hall, Agrippa stood in the place of the priest behind the north part of the double podium, with Jonathan Annas as his deputy behind its south part. Theudas stood in front of Agippa, east of him, and Thomas stood in front of Jonathan Annas.

Antipas was sitting as the head of the first of the four rows, of which two were of men and two of women, forming the choirs of "Moses" and "Miriam."

Acts 2:2

2. kai egeneto aphnō ek tou ouranou ēchos hōsper pheromenēs pnoēs biaias kai eplerōsen holon ton oikon hou ēsan kathēmenoi.

2.And there came about suddenly{aphnō} out of the Heaven an echo as a forceful musical sound carried. And it(echo) filled the whole house where they(RLR to All Ones v.1) were sitting.

2. At the end of the night service the doors of the meeting-hall were opened, letting in a rush of fresh air, representing the conditions in the outside world that ascetics must face. The Amen was spoken by Theudas sitting in front of Agrippa. It was then repeated by Antipas on behalf of the congregation.

Acts 2:3

3. kai ōphthēsan autois diamerizomenai glōssai hōsei pyros, kai ekathisen eph hena hekaston autōn,

3. There were seen{eidon} to them(RLR to All Ones v.2) tongues divided about of fire(gen.). And it(echo) sat on one each of them(All Ones).

3. The Amen, a Hebrew word, was then repeated in Greek by Antipas. For the eastern traditionalist Thomas, the use of a foreign language, a "tongue" was to treat the podium as the mouth of dragon with a forked tongue. The northern half, the male choir, used literary Greek, a "tongue", while the southern half, villagers, used Koine Greek, the colloquial form, plu.rep. "tongues". Thomas insisted on giving the Amen in Hebrew.

3 AM AT THE END OF THE SERVICE
3:30 AM HALF-WAY DOWN THE LOWER SLOPE OF THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

Acts 2:4

4. kai eplēsthēsan pantes pneumatos hagiou, kai ērxanto lalein heterais glōssais kathōs to pneuma edidou apophthengesthai autois.

4. And All Ones were filled with a spirit a holy. And they(All Ones) began to speak in another tongues as the Spirit to them(All Ones) to utter.

4. Agrippa concluded the service by rewarding Antipas for his support, making him a lay bishop even though he was a married man. So Antipas was "filled with a holy spirit" in the form of the term used without articles. The meetings of Therapeuts were characterised by ecstatic behaviour resulting from social gatherings following their long periods of isolation. These were interpreted as being caused by a divine spirit.

The participants then left the hall to return to their outside life. It was interpreted as returning to the world, to the "Egypt" of the flesh that they had left, symbolised by the stables further down on the Mount of Olives which the celibates visited at 4 am. At 3:30 am they were half-way down the slope. A silent prayer was usually uttered on the half-hour, not heard by heaven, but Antipas now changed tradition by saying a prayer aloud, for the benefit of Gentiles such as James Niceta who observed the half-hour. He said it in Koine Greek, in the form used by novices. Jonathan Annas as the deputy of Agrippa authorised the change.

4 am
At the Manger on the Mount of Olives

The dance led the singers outside, bringing them gradually into the outside world. By 4 am the men led by Antipas had moved down one hour to the Manger on the Mount of Olives. It symbolised their descent into the uncleanness of the pagan world.

SUNDAY, JUNE 21, AD 33

4 AM AT THE STABLES AT THE FOOT OF THE MOUNT OF OLIVES

Acts 2:5

5. ēsan de eis Ierousalēm katoikountes Ioudaioi, andres eulabeis apo pantos ethnous tōn hypo ton ouranon

5. There were at Jerusalem{Ierousalēm}(singular form) Jews inhabiting, good-receiving men{anēr} from every nation of the ones(gen.) under the Heaven.

5. The latrine at the stables was used at 4 am by Antipas, now in the status of an abbey bishop, and by Thomas, still the crown prince of Agrippa.

At 4 :05 the leaders left the stables to make the 2 hour climb up to the tower on the height of the Mount of Olives.

6 am
At the tower on the Mount of Olives

At 6 am, however, the sunrise prayers were to be said, at the tower on the top of the Mount of Olives. On this very great Day of Pentecost, an ecumenical council had been summoned, of the kind held only every 14 years. The bishops and provincials of the provinces of the world to which the mission had spread had travelled to Jerusalem for legislative decisions that would have far-reaching consequences. One of them was to endorse the use of native languages.

See Figure 13. (The World Circle.)

The tower building had the upper storey called the "third floor", and between it and the ground floor, projecting from 10 cubits down on the north wall, was the dōma, 10 cubits square. On it, seen by Agrippa from his throne above, the seats of the delegates to the council were placed in a circle. It had been observed in the course of astronomical studies that if a circle of 8 cubit diameter was imposed on the cubit lines in a 10 cubit square, the circle crossed the lines at even intervals, 24 of them. For astronomers, the day was divided into 24 hours, and each of the intersections could be understood to represent an hour, beginning from midnight on the north.

A world map was at that time drawn in a circle, and the seats for the four major capitals of the world, in the mission's experience, were placed at the major points of time. Babylon in the east was placed at the 6 am time point, that of sunrise,with Rome in the west at 6 pm, the hour for sunset prayers. In the north, Antioch was at midnight, with Alexandria at noon in the south. Each of these seats, for which 2 cubits were allowed, belonged to one of the four Living Creatures who were described in Ezekiel 1, each of them connected with one of the main compass points.

The four Living Creatures of Ezekiel were drawing a chariot containing a vision of the deity. The symbolism was inspired by the situation of Jews in Babylon, lamenting their separation from Jerusalem where God was believed to dwell. The vision meant that their God Yahweh could travel, coming to them in Babylon. He was not confined to Jerusalem, nor were his chosen people, who could practice their religion equally well in foreign countries, as a Diaspora.

The mission to the Diaspora that had begun in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC made good use of the symbol of a chariot. Its wheel, in the circle of hours, gave the seating positions for the delegates from the whole round world. Moreover, the symbol made use of the X sign employed for monastic initiations. It was imposed on the circle at the lesser divisions of hours, at 3 am, 9 am, 3 pm and 9 pm.

A chariot wheel had spokes. It was further observed that the four major spokes could be depicted by starting at the hours next to the 3-3 and 9-9 divisions, coming to a point at the center. The spokes gave a special position to certain members. Wherever the circle was used, their positions along the spokes were featured. It accounted for the shape of shafts in the caves at Qumran, as has been seen in (See Figure 5. Structure of the caves in Section 6.)

In Acts 2:6-11 a full list of the places from which the delegates came is given, in the context of Thomas' complaint about the break with tradition caused by the use of native languages. For those who understood the diagram of the world circle, it was a map of their positions on the platform, and at the same time a map of mission stations throughout the world, presented as a unified scheme. For the subsequent history given in the rest of Acts, it was the basic map that accounted for the signficance of all places. The full detail of the places is given in the word-for-word pesher of Acts 2:6-11.

The rest of the Day of Pentecost was spent in speeches and readings from scripture, the lesser ones given from positions within the spokes.

SUNDAY, JUNE 21, AD 33

6 AM AT THE TOWER ON THE HEIGHT OF THE MOUNT OF OLIVES, FOR COUNCIL MEETINGS

Acts 2:6

6. genomenēs de tēs phōnēs tautēs synēlthen to plēthos kai synexhythē, hoti ēkouon heis hekastos tē idia dialektō lalountōn autōn.

6. With this Voice come about there came with{erchomai} the multitude. And it(the multitude) was confused, that they(RLR to good-receiving men v.5, Thomas) heard, one each in the own dialect they(good-receiving men, Thomas) speaking.

6. At 6 am on the Sunday the men were in the tower on the height of the Mount of Olives, a two-storeyed building in the same shape as Ain Feshkha (See Figure 10.) It was now being used by Agrippa's party at their version of Pentecost, for a grand council of delegates from mission stations all over the world, an ecumenical council held only every 14 years. Agrippa presided on the upper storey. On the intermediate platform, the 10 x 10 cubit square projecting from the north wall, the delegates to the council sat in a circle, in the shape of the circle of hours. (See Figure 13.)

It had been observed that when the cubit lines were drawn both ways in a 10 x 10 square, a circle of diameter 8 cubits intersected with each line, giving 24 equal divisions. The divsions were used to mark the 24 hours of the day, beginning with midnight at the northern point. This circle was then understood to be a map of the world in terms of both space and time, and to represent the wheel of the chariot in the vision of Ezekiel 1. That vision had expressed the message that the Jewish God was not confined to Jerusalem, but could travel to such places as Babylon. It gave the inspiration for Diaspora Judaism, Jews living outside the homeland still practicing their religion. It consequently was a suitable image for the mission to the Diaspora that had developed in the hellenistic period.

Jonathan Annas in the center of row 6 on the platform opened on behalf of Agrippa, giving a welcome to James Niceta who represented uncircumcised Gentiles in row 13 on the dais step. Thomas in front of Jonathan Annas said an opening prayer in Aramaic. James Niceta although invited to the council did not understand it.

Acts 2:7

7. existanto de kai ethaumazon legontes, Ouch idou hapantes houtoi eisin hoi lalountes Galilaioi;

7. But they(RLR to Thomas v. 6) stood out. And they(Thomas) wondered, saying, "Not see{eidon} An All These Ones are, the ones speaking Galileans.

7. Although James Niceta protested, Thomas opposed him.. He changed to Pharisee nationalist views, saying, "James Niceta should not be allowed up to row 10 as a lay bishop..He should not be permitted to act as a bishop giving a spoken prayer to the congregation in Greek on the half-hour, following the example of Antipas tetrarch of Galilee

Acts 2:8

8. kai pōs hēmeis akouomen hekastos tē idia dialektō hēmōn en hē egennēthēmen;

8. "And how we hear each in the own dialect of us in which we were born.

8. "I as a monastic graduate hear sermons in Aramaic, the language of Jewish married villagers, and so do proselytes who are classed as equal to them. Proselytes go through the ceremony of being 'born again'.

Acts 2:9

9. Parthoi kai Mēdoi kai Elamitai, kai hoi katoikountes tēn Mesopotamian, Ioudaian te kai Kappadokian, Ponton kai tēn Asian,

9. "Parthians. And Medes. And Elamites. And the Dwellers(those inhabiting) the Mesopotamia, Judea te. And Cappadocia Pontus. And the Asia,

9. " (See Figure 13.) There are 8 delegates to the council from mission stations in the world, at the compass points. The 4 Living Creatures of Ezekiel's chariot vision, who were placed in that passage at the compass points, are now the priests and rulers of the mission, controlling its distant capitals at the same points. Each of them directs the observance of one of the great seasonal feasts, with the color for the season. The mission takes Jewish truth to the world, as Ezekiel's chariot symbolised.The delegates sit symmetrically, outside an inner 4x 4 cubit square that represents the homeland.

"The east is governed by the Man, Gabriel, whose feast is Passover in spring, his color green. The capital of the east is Babylon, which occupies 2 cubits north-south at the 6 am point on the circle, the upper cubit for the monastery and the lower for the abbey. Three delegates sit in a triangle. The delegate from the Babylon abbey, Dwellers Mesopotamia, sits in the southern half of the 2 cubits. Two subordinates form a triangle with him, the delegate from both Media and Parthia (Persia) - two countries always linked -and below him the delegate from Elam.

"The west is governed by the Eagle, Sariel, at its capital Rome. He directs the autumn feast, Tabernacles, his color red. Rome occupies 2 cubits north-south at the 6 pm point on the circle, the upper cubit for a school under a Sariel equivalent, the lower for the congregation, the "people" (dēmos).A triangle is again formed, its inner side north point containing the seat of a single delegate for most of Asia Minor, representing Cappadocia, Galatia, Pontus and Bithynia. Its southern point is occupied by Asia, a Gentile equal to a female, who is the 8th after 7 men, because Ephesus is devoted to the worship of Diana and the mission is in rivalry with her. These are the 5 provinces of Asia Minor (1 Pet 1:1), but at the present time the delegate from Asia Minor has lost support for Agrippa in Galatia and Bithynia. He retains it in related districts, both containing female convents - Pamphylia south of Galatia and Phrygia a part of Asia.

"In the south, at the noon point on the circle of hours, the capital Alexandria occupies 2 cubits east-west. Its Living Creature is the Lion, a name for the David, the Lion of Judah, a lay subordinate to the three priests.His season is Pentecost in summer, in the heat of noon, his color white for the summer harvest. This lay district has no triangle, only two divisions, "Egypt"on its east side and Libya-Cyrene on its west. "Egypt" is the home of the Therapeuts at Lake Mareotis outside Alexandria. Libya-Cyrene is the place to which Jewish exiles are sent, and mission to the islands of the Mediterranean for the Kittim comes from this outpost. Romans, the Kittim, were originally taught by Jews and Samaritans who had been expelled from the homeland.

"The northern capital, Antioch, at the midnight point on the time circle, occupies 2 cubits east-west and is controlled by the Calf of the Living Creatures. This is the levite, the Raphael, whose season is winter and whose color black. The layman to be appointed to it later will be called Simeon Niger (Latin for black) (Acts 13:1). He is Simon Peter, whose promotion by Agrippa will make him an alternative Calf, head of mission in Agrippa's house in Antioch. The midnight point on the top of the circle is appropriate to those holding the Julian calendar, beginning its days at midnight. They do not have loyalty to Jerusalem, and have not sent a delegate to the council. The Christians, separating finally from the homeland, will make their base there.

Acts 2:10

10. Phrygian te kai Pamphylian, Aigypton kai ta merē tēs Libyēs tēs kata Kyrēnēn, kai hoi epidēmountes Rōmaioi,

10. Phrygia te. And Pamphylia, Egypt. And the divisions of the Libya of the according to Cyrene. And the Roman visitors.

10. (See above for these places)

Acts 2:11

11. Ioudaioi te kai prosēlytoi, Krētes kai Arabes, akouomen lalountōn autōn tais hēmeterais glōssais ta megaleia tou theou.

11. Jews te. And proselytes, Cretes. And Arabs, we hear them(RLR to Arabs) speaking in our tongues the great things of God."

11. "Additionally, there are the heads of four groups of Gentiles as originally defined. The wheel of Ezekiel's chariot had spokes, and the main ones, in an X shape derived from the original initiation symbol, join the circle of hours at the main sub-divisions, 3 am , 9 am, 3 pm and 9 pm, with the broad part of the spoke joining the hour before or after it. In four guest seats the representative of these groups sits, treated differently from the other delegates because not in a + shape but an X shape. Their positions point out to the whole world, its limits unknown.

"The north-eastern group are proselytes, Gentiles who fully adopted Jewish identity and who also are monastic celibates, eunuchs in the Herodian court, who may be accused of sodomy.Their Herodian superior is the eastern crown prince.

"The next class, pointing to the north-west, are men who adopted Jewish identity but chose the married state, living just like ordinary Jews, called simply "Jews". This was the case with the Herods, who originally were Arabs from Idumea.

"The two southern directions are for the individual celibates of Dan, uncircumcised and retaining their own ethnicity. They are the ones who form the Shem, Ham and Japheth orders in Agrippa's Noah mission. The men of Shem are non-Jewish Semites, from Arabia, who also speak Koine Greek. The western groups occupy islands of the Mediterranean, originally for female hermits, then handed over to the Kittim, the Romans. They are in order from east to west for the different ethnic classes. The first is Cyprus, originally called the home of the Kittim, attached to Cyrene (Acts 11: 20), for the western branch of Shem. The next is Crete, for Ham, the Ethiopians; the next Malta at the foot of Italy, for Japheth, the Greeks and Romans. Ham is superior to Japheth being more eastern, so both islands are grouped as Cretans at the south-west spoke."

Thomas, the speaker, gave the whole mission plan in order to sustain his objection to the use of other languages, which would lead to a loss of the Jewish identity. He ended by complaining that even Arabs were using Greek in the form he used it, as a consequence of the spread of Hellenism throughout the known world.

Acts 2:12

12. existanto de pantes kai diēporoun, allos pros allon legontes, Ti thelei touto einai;

12. All Ones stood out. And they(All Ones)were anxious, other towards other, they(All Ones) saying, " What wills this to be."

12. At 7 am, the Herodian beginning of the day, Antipas opposed Thomas' opinion. The two Herod deputies, now equal in status, competed by expressing different views on Gentiles in the north-south positions at the center of the circle on the platform.It was also a question of Pharisee nationalist versus Sadducee pro-Roman . Thomas stood on the north side of the central line, upholding the superiority of the circumcised. Antipas on the south side was for uncircumcised Gentiles and for the laity. Antipas argued, knowing that Agrippa on the floor above would agree, "The upright cross of Sadducees should be adopted, with the speaking of Greek, and with pro-Roman views."

Peter, speaking at 9 am, as he said himself, stood in row 7 in the inner spoke pointing to 8 to 9 am, with John Mark beside him in the inner spoke pointing to 3 to 4 pm. Peter addressed Antipas and Thomas in the inner NW and NE spokes on row 6.

9 AM ON THE MIDDLE PLATFORM OF THE TOWER.

Acts 2:13

13. heteroi de diachleuazontes elegon hoti Gleukous memestōmenoi eisin.

13. But another ones mocking{diachleuazō} said that, "They(All Ones) are full of new wine."

13. But Antipas was not entirely trusted. At 9 am the Merari guard , Ananus the Younger, the Demas delegate for Rome, who served fermented wine in Agrippa's house in Rome and was sometimes called Dionysius the god of wine (Acts 17:34), mocked Antipas in accordance with the proverb (Proverbs 20:1) "Wine is a mocker". He said, "Antipas is allied with Simon Magus, whose homeland Essene monastics drink new wine".

Acts 2:14

14. Statheis de ho Petros syn tois hendeka epēren tēn phōnēn autou kai apephthengxato autois, Andres Ioudaioi kai hoi katoikountes Ierousalēm pantes, touto hymin gnōston estō kai enōtisasthe ta hremata mou.

14. But Peter having stood with the eleven lifted up the Voice of him. And he(Peter) uttered to them(dat., the eleven), "Men Jews. And the inhabitants of Jerusalem{Ierousalēm} (sing) All, let it be known{gnōstos}. And give ear to the speech of me."

14. At 9.05 am Peter at the council stood in row 7, east center, in the inner SE spoke leading out to 9 am. John Mark stood beside him in the inner SW spoke. Peter held up his token of membership permitting him to have a vote in the council. He spoke on behalf of himself and John Mark. He addressed Antipas and Thomas in front of him in the "ears", the inner NW and NE spokes in row 6. He said, "Antipas. Thomas, who attends the synagogue for proselytes at the Essene Gate. Include Gentile monastics with proselytes, keeping John Mark in the membership.

Acts 2:15

15. ou gar ōs hymeis hypolambanete houtoi methyousin, estin gar hōra tritē tēs hēmeras,

15. " Not for as you(plu.) receive under, These Ones are drunk. For it is a third hour of the day.

15. "Non-Nazirites like you, Thomas, and John Mark , drink fermented wine in the Diaspora. Nazirites observe the divisions of the day at 3 am and 3 pm, and the half day at 9 am, thus avoiding the meals when wine is taken, for they do not drink wine.

Acts 2:16

16. alla touto estin to eirēmenon dia tou prophētou Iōēl,

16. Nevertheless this is what is said through the prophet Joel."

16."It is now time for the reading from scripture that pilgrims are given at 9 am, at their half day, the equivalent of noon. They are taught only from the minor prophets, not the major ones reserved for celibates. In the middle chapter of the prophet Joel is the passage for today's study. I will ask Jonathan Annas to read it in Greek at the center of row 6".

Acts 2:17

17. Kai estai en tais eschatais hēmerais, legei ho theos, ekcheō apo tou pneumatos mou epi pasan sarka, kai prophēteusousin hoi huioi hymōn kai hai thygateres hymōn, kai hoi neaniskoi hymōn horaseis opsontai, kai hoi presbyteroi hymōn enypniois enypniasthēsontai.

17. "And it will be in the last days", God says, "I pour out from the Spirit of me upon All flesh. And the sons of you will prophecy. And the daughters of you. And the young men of you will see{eidon} visions. And the elders of you will dream dreams.

17. Jonathan Annas now read the passage from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament. It was directed at Agrippa sitting on the upper floor. Its pesher was, "Next September on the Day of Atonement, standing at the tunnels at the wady at Mird-Hyrcania, I Jonathan Annas will pour water on the head of Agrippa representing sinful humans, to prepare him to act as the Zadokite. I will be the deputy of Agrippa.

He will confess his sins and go through a ceremony of being born again. At the same time Antipas will be confirmed as a bishop, after a season's wait. His wife Herodias will be a fellow minister with him. Titus will sit at your table.Brother James will be the chief male presbyter, and as another Joseph who interprets dreams will give the pesher of scriptural passages.

Acts 2:18

18. kai ge epi tous doulous mou kai epi tas doulas mou en tais hēmerais ekeinais ekcheō apo tou pneumatos mou, kai prophēteusousin.

18. "And ge (See Classes in 'For Reference') upon the male slaves of me. And upon the female slaves of me in the days those I pour out from the Spirit of me. And they(RLR to female slaves) will prophecy.

18. "Theophilus Annas the next Annas brother will be appointed a cardinal. As a Hellenist he will appoint a female cardinal, acting for Agrippa's queen, who will officiate in March although not in September at the holiest feasts. I Jonathan Annas will give her a water purification also, although not making her a "holy one". But she will be a bishop.

Acts 2:19

19. kai dōsō terata en tō ouranō anō kai sēmeia epi tēs gēs katō, haima kai pyr kai atmida kapnou.

19. "And I will give miracles in the Heaven above. And signs upon of the earth below, blood. And fire. And vapor of smoke.

19. "I will make Agrippa a Zadokite, although he does not have priestly birth, without asking payment for his promotion. He will sit on the throne on the upper floor of the tower. Thomas speaking Hebrew will be reduced to the congregation in the west. He will retain the monastic ceremony standing for martyrdom, and will continue as the firelighter of the furnace. With him as another celibate will be John Mark in his "Eden", with monastic Gentiles.

Acts 2:20

20. ho hēlios metastraphētai eis skotos kai hē selēnē eis haima prin elthein hēmeran kyriou tēn megalēn kai epiphanē.

20. "The Sun will be turned with at darkness. And the Moon at blood before to come a day of a lord, the great day. And as an epiphany.

20. "Simon Magus the counter-Pope will be removed from leadership of the monastic Sons of Light. Helena practices an illegal priesthood, giving daily eucharistic services. She will be reduced to ministering only at Pentecost and at the December pentecontad.

Acts 2:21

21. kai estai pas hos an epikalesētai to onoma kyriou sōthēsetai.

21. "And All(sing.) who will call upon the name of a lord will be saved."

21. "Agrippa when he appoints Sadducee high priests will succeed in gaining the monarchy, through the Noah's ark mission to Gentiles."

The major reading was given at noon by Jonathan Annas. It was a passage with a pesher that could be understood by the knowledgeable, concerning the grades of ministry that would now be encouraged by Agrippa and Jonathan Annas, while the party of Simon Magus would be reduced in power. In the afternoon the history of Joseph the father of Jesus was given, including the fact that he and his family had lived in Rome from 18 to 21 AD. Jesus, who had turned 23 in March of 17 AD, had spent three formative years in Rome.

The day's proceedings ended at 4 pm, with an appeal by Peter to Agrippa on the upper floor to accept what Jonathan Annas had decreed, that Jesus was the legitimate David, and therefore should have the position of the Christ in a Kingdom of God, the world religion that was now in the process of formation.

NOON. AT THE TABLE ON THE MIDDLE PLATFORM OF THE TOWER

Acts 2:22

22. Andres Israēlitai, akousate tous logous toutous. Iēsoun ton Nazōraion, andra apodedeigmenon apo tou theou eis hymas dynamesi kai terasi kai sēmeiois hois epoiēsen di'autou ho theos en mesō hymōn, kathōs autoi oidate,

22. Men{anēr} Israelites, hear These Words. "Jesus the Nazarene(accus.), a Man{anēr} attested from God to you with powers. And miracles. And signs to which God did through him in a middle of you, as they(pronoun) you know{oida},

22. Jonathan Annas, finishing his teaching at noon, addressed Agrippa , who had come down to join in the noon meal at east center row 6, beside Jonathan west center. Jonathan introduced James, who took the place of Jesus in the center of row 7. James addressed Agrippa during the meal.

James said: " (I refer to) Jesus, who is not yet fully enclosed as he will come out again for the birth of his child. He is a layman , declared legitimate and so made the lay Messiah by Jonathan Annas. He may sit as a pair with the Priest. He will follow the Exodus imagery of the Therapeuts, giving ordination to laymen without levitical birth. He also teaches Jewish Christians, using Hebrew letters for their promotions. As a bishop he sits in row 7 next to the table, with you, Agrippa behind in row 6. You, Agrippa, have the knowledge taught in abbeys, so you are advised by Jonathan Annas.

Acts 2:23

23. touton tē hōrismenē boulē kai prognōsei tou theou ekdoton dia cheiros anomōn prospēxantes aneilate,

23. " This One(accus.) by the defined council. And by foreknowledge of God given out(accus.) through a hand of lawless ones, you having pierced killed{anaireō}.

23. "(I refer to) Jesus, who was the first layman in the numbered council of 36. Jonathan Annas foresaw his death and did not prevent it. Antipas was instrumental in it.You, Agrippa, expelled him, permitting his crucifixion.

Acts 2:24

24. hon ho theos anestēsen lysas tas ōdinas tou thanatou, kathoti ouk ēn dynaton krateisthai auton hyp' autou.

24. "Whom God made to stand up, having loosed the bonds of Death(gen.). Because it was not empowered for him(SRLR to God) to be held fast under him(gen.,RLR to "whom", Jesus)

24. "Jonathan Annas admitted Jesus back into the monastery. He brought Simon Magus back also. Jonathan Annas would not accept being treated as a subordinate by Jesus.

Acts 2:25

25. Dauid gar legei eis auton, Proorōmēn ton kyrion enōpion mou dia pantos, hoti ek dexiōn mou estin hina mē saleuthō.

25." For David says at him(RLR to God), 'I have seen{eidon} before the lord before{enōpion} me through All, that out of of the right of me he(the lord) is, in order that I should not be made to quake.

25. "My father Joseph, who held the position of the David from 16 to 23 AD, said to Eleazar Annas(the first son of Ananus the Elder, high priest 15-17 AD, pro-Roman) through a pesher of Psalms 16:8-11,

'In 16 AD I sit on row 10 as the Beloved for Gentiles, with Eleazar Annas on row 7. He is at the north for the priesthood and I am at the south for the laity. In 17 AD he keeps the Herodian calendar that calls it the Samaritan intercalation year. (See 'Chronology' in Section 3). In late 17 AD another high priest sits center 7 east not calling himself 'lord', while I sit center 7 west beside him, and Eleazar, out of power but his Sadducee deputy, sits in the levite's position. Eleazar's pro-Roman views prevent me joining Theudas in his militant mode as Earthquake.

Acts 2:26

26. dia touto ēuphranthē hē kardia mou kai ēgalliasato hē glōssa mou, eti de kai hē sarx mou kataskēnōsei ep'elpidi.

26. "On account of this my heart is good-joy. And the tongue of me rejoiced, but still. And the flesh of me will tabernacle down upon to hope.

26. "In December 17 AD following Eleazar's promotions of women my wife Mary becomes a lay bishop. Theudas speaking Greek observes the December feast and the Julian year with me. The Roman governor is a 13th at the table. Jesus is still my legitimate heir according to Sadducees, my sin being forgiven.

Acts 2:27

27. hoti ouk engkataleipseis tēn psychēn mou eis hadēn, oude dōseis ton hosion sou idein diaphthoran.

27. "That you(sing.) will not abandon the soul of me to Hades, neither will you give the Pious One of you(sing.) to see{eidon} destruction{diaphthora}.

27. "You, Eleazar Annas, with more liberal Sadducee views, do not say that I cease to be king when I am in the unclean married state.You put me in class C, that of lay graduates, Essenes who are not priests. You appoint me to Rome for the triennium 18-21 AD in the series that started 6 AD when the Roman occupation began. I stay on Tiber Island in the house of Antipas, and sit opposite the Roman governor at the table. (So Jesus was in Rome with his family between the ages of 24 and 27 )

Acts 2:28

28. egnōrisas mou hodous zōēs, plērōseis me euphrosynēs meta tou prosōpou sou.

28. "You(singular) have revealed to me Ways of Life, you will fill me with good-joy with the face of you."

28. "In December 21 AD when I return home you permit me to make lay bishops of permanently celibate Gentiles, including them with proselytes of the Way, who are now encouraged under the Pharisee high priest Caiaphas. The chief Gentile, John Mark, was admitted to undergraduate studies in 17 AD and has graduated in 21 AD, wearing the hooded cloak."

3 PM ON ROWS 6 AND 7 ON THE MIDDLE PLATFORM

Acts 2:29

29. Andres adelphoi, exon eipein mata parrēsias pros hymas peri tou patriarchouDauid, hoti kai eteleutēsen kai etaphē kai to mnēma autou estin en hymin achri tēs hēmeras tautēs.

29. Men{anēr} brothers, it is lawful to say with boldness towards you around the patriarch David(gen.), that. And he(RLR to Pious One v. 27) finished. And he was buried. And the tomb of him is in us this day."

29. James finished his noon address, and at 3 pm Agrippa with Jonathan Annas left the noon table. James presided over the next hour for teaching Gentiles from the center of row 6, and Peter stood in front of him, again on row 7.

Peter said, "James, I will continue the history of Joseph as bishop to proselytes. Joseph as the David had the office of Jacob patriarch of the west. In AD 23 Joseph was murdered. His body was placed in the tomb of the Davids hollowed out of the peak below the end of the Qumran esplanade. His treasure was stored in the lower floor of the adjacent caves. I Peter as the Rock , a deacon at the age of 24 in AD 23, was appointed an assistant guard at the dungeon, on the Day of Pentecost in that year.

Acts 2:30

30. prophētēs oun hyparchōn, kai eidōs hoti horkō ōmosen autō ho theos ek karpou tēs osphyos autou kathisai epi ton thronon autou,

30. "A prophet therefore being one ruling under. And he(prophet) knowing{oida} that with an oath swore to him(prophet) God, out of fruit of the loins of him(RLR to God) to sit upon(infinitive, subject prophet) the throne of him (God).

30. " Jonathan Annas was appointed the abbot at Mird-Hyrcania, a property owned by the royal Herods. The deputy abbot was Theudas, now holding Sadducee views with Jonathan, acting as his "Moses". Jonathan had promoted Theudas with the Essene solemn ceremony that included oaths , to ensure that he remained pro-Roman and Sadducee, not militant and Pharisee as he had been as a young man. Agrippa at the abbey at Mird-Hyrcania was associated with Jonathan, and Agrippa saw his opportunity of working his way back to Rome and regaining the Herodian monarchy as he had always intended to do.

"Agrippa's house in Rome was called the Vineyard because he entertained leading Romans there, with lavish use of wine. He received membership fees from Jewish pilgrims in Rome, called "the fruit of the Vineyard". The Annas priests collected it for the expenses of the mission,bringing the money back to the homeland in concealed money-bags attached to the loincloth under their garments. Agrippa made a deal with Jonathan, that if he helped him regain the monarchy he would make the Annas brothers high priests in the Jerusalem temple, following the example of their father Ananus the Elder in 6 AD. Agrippa himself would take over the role of the Zadokite that had been claimed by Herod the Great. The Annas priests would give it up to him, although they had held that position as the only ruling priests since 6 AD.

Acts 2:31

31. proidōn elalēsen peri tēs anastaseōs tou Christou hoti oute engkateleiphthē eis Hadēn oute hē sarx autou eiden diaphthoran.

31. " Seeing{eidon} before he(RLR to God v.30) spoke around the standing up of the Christ(gen.), that nor he (God) was abandoned to Hades. Nor the flesh of him (God) saw{eidon} destruction{diaphthora}.

31." But by 29 AD the changeable Agrippa, always following opportunity and knowing that Tiberius was against him, had become Pharisee and nationalist again, with the high priest Caiaphas. These views were more acceptable to John the Baptist. The consequence for Jesus was that the Baptist held him to be illegitimate. A schism in the leadership took place. Antipas, whose wife Herodias was the sister of Agrippa and did not approve of his extravagance, formed a separate mission council called the Twelve Apostles. They were anti- Jerusalem, preferring the Diaspora, and were liberal on morality, accepting Jesus as the legitimate David. Within their ranks, Jonathan Annas vied with Simon Magus for the priestly leadership. They differed also on the method of spreading their kind of Judaism , whether by peaceful methods called evangelism or by Simon's militant methods aiming at secular power.

"The Twelve occupied Qumran, where the sanctuary had been before the earthquake of 31 BC. It was now reduced in status, the new sanctuary being at Mird- Hyrcania. Antipas from his house on the Mount of Olives sent pilgrims to bring food tithes to the monastery as they had always done. Since Pilate, when preparing for his posting to Judea, had been instructed in Jewish ways in Antipas' house on the Tiber Island, he dined with Antipas in his house on the Mount of Olives, being accepted as the Gentile 13th on the south side of the table.

Acts 2:32

32.touton ton Iēsoun anestēsen ho theos, hou pantes hēmeis esmen martyres

32. "This Jesus God stood up, of whom(RLR to God) All We are witnesses.

32. " Jonathan Annas made Jesus his deputy, sitting on his west side. Thomas took the seat of the west guest, where I, Peter, can also sit.

Acts 2:33

33. tē dexia oun tou theou hypsōtheis tēn te epangelian tou pneumatos tou hagiou labōn para tou patros execheen touto ho hymeis kai blepete kai akouete.

33. "At the right therefore of God, he(subject of participle to subject of previous verb, God in v.32) being made high, he(God) receiving the Promise of the spirit the holy beside of the Father, he(God) poured out this which you(plu., James addressed in v.29) see{'blepō}. And you hear.

33. " In September 31 AD John the Baptist was deposed as the Zadokite and subsequently put to death. Agrippa had become Sadducee again, being instrumental in the Baptist's deposition for false prophecy.The two parties in the mission came together, and Jonathan Annas-Dositheus was made the successor of the Baptist as Pope. He returned as abbot to Mird-Hyrcania. When Agrippa was present at the meal table he sat west of him as his deputy, in the position of a king to Agrippa as priest. When Agrippa was absent Jonathan represented him at east center.

"Regarding the year 31 AD as one of fulfilment, Jonathan said it was the year that he and his party had reached the Promised Land of political power after their 40 years in the wilderness. You, James, look down through 3 cubits from row 6 to row 10, where James Niceta sits as a servant of the abbey.

Acts 2:34

34. ou gar Dauid anebē eis tous ouranous, legei de autos, Eipen ho kyrios tō kyriō mou, Kathou ek dexiōn mou

34. "Not for David went up at the Heavens, he(pronoun new subject, Jesus) says, 'The lord said to the lord (Jon Annas) of me, 'Sit(sing.) out of the right(plu) of me'

34. "Joseph father of Jesus had said that he as the David could only sit beside the Zadokite as the Christ, not as an ordinary man. But Jesus said to Jonathan Annas, claiming to be Jonathan's superior, "I as the lord say to you, I will occupy both seats at the center of row 7, and you should be in the levite's seat only.

Acts 2:35

35. heōs an thō tous echthrous sou hypopodion tōn podōn sou.

35.' until{heōs} I(the lord, Jesus) place the enemies of you under-foot of the feet of you(sing.).'

35 ' I will allow Pilate to sit opposite me on row 10 at the table.'

4 PM. CLOSE OF COUNCIL SIGNALLED . PETER GIVES THE PERORATION.

Acts 2:36

36. asphalōs oun ginōsketō pas oikos Israēl hoti kai kyrion auton kai Christon epoiēsen ho theos, touton ton Iesoun hon hymeis estaurōsate.

36. " Securely therefore let All the house Israel know{gnōstos} that. And a lord him(All the house Israel. And a Christ God did, This Jesus whom you(plu. James addressed) crucified.

36. Peter finished quoting Jesus, and at 4 pm when the council session concluded Peter rounded off the speech he had been addressing to James. "It is now time for Merari representing Agrippa in the deacon's place at the end of the platform to signal the end of the hour and of the council. Let him convey to Agrippa the message that he is the true head of monasteries and of the ascetic system, not Simon Magus. Agrippa may act as a teacher of Gentiles.

"Jesus is the main teacher of Gentiles. Jonathan Annas has declared that he is the legitimate David, but only the David, not a high priest. Jesus sits on the west center beside the priest. You, James, assisted in the cursing and crucifixion of Jesus when you yourself were in danger of being crucified as the legitimate David for Pharisees. You then changed to the Sadducee position."

Assassinations & Exile

The Career of Paul