"The day of judgment approaches." "The Lord will reward the righteous and smite the wicked." "King Herod and Queen Herodias are doomed, for they live in sin." "They are not wed." "But, master, they are." "Not under the law of Moses." "Herod has broken the seventh commandment." "He has taken another man's wife." "And Herodias is equally guilty, for she lives in adultery, scorns our God-given law." "The hand of the Lord will fall upon the king and queen." "They will suffer his wrath." "But be calm, my friends." "Righteousness shall rise like a mighty river." "Truth shall be clear as crystal." "Repent." "Cease to do evil." "Learn to do good." "Relieve the oppressed." "Seek righteousness." "For his love will be with you as a morning dew, and you shall blossom like a rose." "What did you learn, my dear councillor?" "Your Majesty, the Baptist has returned from the wilderness." "He speaks more viciously against you than ever before." "How many listened to his poison?" "Many." "Not only the rabble, but men of means now follow him." "You must stop him, or he will begin preaching in the city." "Micha, wait here." "I will see the king." "Yes, Your Majesty." "Your Majesty, the queen." "Tell her I have retired." "I remember when you could not retire without coming to me." "You wish to see me." "How rare to get so quick an audience with Your Majesty." "It's late." "I'm tired." "Not too late and not too tired to be waiting for another." "Very well." "I am waiting for another." "And your wife is the intruder." "I thought we were long past that." "I know you are." "Why did you come?" "What is it you want?" "The Baptist is back." "And this time, you must silence him." "He calls me an adulteress." "No matter what is between us, he threatens the House of Herod." "I want him destroyed." "He is harmless." "What he says is of no consequence." "Many fill your prisons for saying less." "Yet you allow a madman to preach treason." "You must put an end to him." "Stop him!" "Let me alone." "Stop him before it's too late." "I said, go!" "I warn you." "It must be his death, or it will be ours." "Ezra, you heard?" "Everything, sire." "She descends upon me like a plague of locusts every time the Baptist appears." "She knows what'll happen to me if harm befalls him and she asks for his death." "Yet I cannot let him denounce me." "Lift not your hand against him." "But he preaches sedition." "I cannot allow that." "Remember the prophecy." "Remember when your father, Herod the Great, was king of Judea." "Three wise men came out of the East proclaiming a child had just been born who would grow up to be the Messiah." "I don't need reminding." "In your heart, you do." "Never forget the deed of your father when he was seized with terror that the Messiah would someday dethrone him." "I know." "I know." "Why must you hound me with it?" "So that you will not follow in the path of your father." "Remember the punishment of the Lord upon him." "For the blood he shed." "The innocent blood." "Remember the strange illness that came over him." "The unbearable pain that befell him." "His mind and body became his own torture chamber." "Your father suffered agony, agony without relief." "Enough." "Enough." "I can still hear him screaming." "You are trying to shield the Messiah from me." "I do not know if John is the Messiah." "Many people think he is." "It is written the Messiah will first appear as a prophet." "But there are many prophets in the land." "The Messiah is the prophet and no other." "He was born in my father's time." "Now he tries to depose me." "I know him for a great prophet." "A holy man." "Harm him, and what happened to your father will happen to you." "You will die in agony as he did." "If only he would not preach against the throne." "If word reaches Rome that I tolerate treason..." "What was it the illustrious Julius Caesar wrote?" "I came, I saw, I conquered." "How easy his task was." "All he had to do was to win battles." "I must maintain peace." "That is the impossible legacy I have inherited." "And I dare not indulge myself in the grand illusion:" "Make war in order to keep peace." "I do not have the forces." "We are already stretched thin across the world, stretched almost to breaking point." "I must keep the conquered in place by other methods." "Well, to the business of the day." "Pontius Pilate, commander of the 9th Legion." "Hail, Caesar Tiberius." "Hail." "Pontius Pilate," "I appoint you governor of our Eastern provinces." "You will find unrest and agitation, which could lead to trouble in your new post." "We need peace in the East." "That is of great military importance." "There will be peace." "I cannot spare you any soldiers." "I need them to maintain order in Africa." "I am depending upon your reputation." "But this time, use it like a glove not as a spear." "The great Caesar flatters me." "Not nearly enough in view of your accomplishments in Britain." "You will sail tomorrow night." "You'll convey my felicitations to King Herod in Galilee." "Inform him taxes are double." "From there you will proceed to Jerusalem." "That will be your headquarters." "Caesar commands, I obey." "Hail, Caesar." "Petitioner for Senator Marcellus Fabius." "Hail, Caesar." "A petition from my nephew, Marcellus?" "Why did he not present it himself?" "Senator Marcellus Fabius grieves." "Urgent business in the forum makes it impossible for him to present this petition in person for the favourable consideration of the mighty Caesar." "Proceed." ""To Caesar Tiberius, most generous of emperors," "I humbly solicit your imperial permission to marry the Princess Salome of Galilee." "I cast myself on your royal forbearance, and ask that you grant a special dispensation..."" "Scrivener." "To Senator Marcellus Fabius, my beloved nephew," "in answer to your petition that you be permitted to marry the Princess Salome..." "Marcellus, why do the gods favour you above all men?" "To present you with so divine a gift as Salome?" "What does he say, Marcellus?" "Tell me." ""Remember the law, learned senator." "A Roman may marry only a Roman." "And I need not tell you the Princess Salome is held in ill repute."" "Ill repute?" "Because I enjoyed life here?" "I knew I should not have petitioned Caesar." "It has only made everything worse." "If you love me, you will not let him stop us." "You know I want you with me always." "But not enough to disobey Caesar." "Why are you so afraid, Marcellus?" "What can he do?" "Take away your possessions?" "If so, let him." "He can do worse than that." "He can deprive me of my..." "Of your precious Roman rights." "They mean more to you than I do." "I'm only being practical, Salome." "I could not ask you to marry me if I had no more status than a slave." "I would join you as a slave." "But as a Roman, I..." "Salome, wait." "This is for you." ""From Emperor Caesar Tiberius to Princess Salome of Galilee, you have incurred our imperial displeasure by presuming to exceed your status as..." "As a barbarian."" ""You have tried our hospitality beyond our patience." "Know therefore you are banished from Rome."" "Banished?" ""You will sail on a galley leaving tomorrow night." "You will be given safe escort home to Galilee."" "But..." "But I have lived in Rome since I was a child." "Everything that means home is..." "Is here." "I know." "So I..." "I am banished from Rome." "To make certain that Caesar's nephew marries a Roman, not a barbarian." "Please, it is difficult enough." "Is it, Marcellus?" "How difficult if you could let me go so easily?" "There will come a time when my word will be law." "Then." "Then the princess of Galilee will reject your petition." "Please." "Do not touch me." "I am a barbarian." "Do not defile your hands." "My noble Roman." "With a heart of pure marble." "You all come out of the same quarry." "Make way for His Excellency Pontius Pilate." "Make way." "Make way." "Claudius." "Under your command again, sir." "I thought you were stationed in Galilee." "I was in Rome on leave, sir." "Happy to have you with me again, commander." "Like old times in Britain, huh?" "Any more wounds since then?" "No, not one, sir." "You will find your new post quite different." "I hope what I've learned about Galilee and the people after five years in the diplomatic service will be useful to you." "Serve me half as well as you did in Britain, and we'll keep those barbarians quiet." "Captain Quintus, sir." "We must cast off immediately, sir, or lose the tide until morning." "Sail." "I am ready." "There's still one passenger missing." "What passenger?" "Princess Salome." "And who may she be?" "King Herod's stepdaughter." "We have orders from Caesar to transport her home." "Well, why is she not here?" "I follow orders, and I expect others to." "I wait for no one." "Least of all a woman." "Perhaps there's one woman worth waiting for." "No woman." "Not even that one?" "Hmm?" "Princess Salome." "His Excellency Pontius..." "What impudence." "Claudius, show me to my quarters." "Your quarters have just been invaded, sir." "Pull the oar harder." "Pull harder!" "Shall we find quarters below deck, sir?" "No, I have no stomach for the perfume of galley slaves." "I'd rather camp up here." "To give up your quarters to a princess of Galilee is diplomacy of high order, sir." "Protocol dictates that you go one step further." "Present yourself to the princess." "Welcome her personally the first night aboard." "Protocol dictates?" "I'm the governor." "I dictate." "Then allow me to relieve you of an unpleasant duty." "I will present your compliments." "I shall send none to her." "Oh." "It's possible the princess did not realize she had taken your quarters." "Perhaps I could persuade her to relinquish them." "Perhaps?" "Order her out." "Yes, sir." "Keep the beat." "Keep the beat!" "You there, put your weight into it." "The governor wishes..." "The governor wishes to extend his official greetings." "As for taking his quarters," "I must ask you..." "Another gallant Roman." "Governors, senators, commanders." "All alike." "Men of iron, made to rule." "All heartless liars." "You know Caesar banished me." "And yet you come to greet me officially." "As a Roman of pure blood to a barbarian." "What else, unofficially?" "I assure you, my intentions were..." "I am not interested in your intentions." "All I want is no Roman near me." "No Roman anywhere near me." "I will remain in this cabin for the remainder of the journey." "I want nothing to do with any of you, and I expect that courtesy to be returned." "I will have your wish carried out." "All Romans onboard will avoid you." "On no condition will any Roman speak to you." "Not one word." "Onboard ship or on the overland journey home." "Well, commander?" "I regret to say I could do nothing, sir." "Did you order her out?" "In the name of Your Excellency." "And she still refused to go?" "She ordered me out, sir." "Oh, did she, Claudius?" "The most important man in Galilee who knows just how to handle these barbarians." "I'm afraid the princess is beyond diplomacy, sir." "Yes." "However," "I shall not give up the struggle." "Put your weight into it." "You there, pull harder." "I hope your mistress is in a better humour this morning." "Sir, the princess would like to take a bath." "My permission is not necessary for that." "Sir, her bathtub has been put away with her other possessions." "The princess requests you to send it to her with enough water to bathe in." "The ocean's full of water." "No ocean water." "Drinking water?" "You can tell the..." "Allow me to handle this, sir." "Ocean water." "Did you not tell the commander...?" "I did tell the commander." "Remind him I do not want a Roman in here." "I can bathe without his supervision." "Tell him to leave." "Sir, the princess wishes you to leave." "Now get out." "Pull that oar harder." "You there, pull harder." "Harder!" "Faster!" "Listen back there." "Harder!" "Water." "Water." "Put your weight into it." "Keep the beat!" "Water." "Water." "Water." "I wish you were as concerned with my comfort, commander." "Why waste a slave?" "Why not?" "The world's full of them." "Land ho!" "Land ho!" "Tell your mistress the litter is ready." "I will not be shaken in that..." "Inform her it's the only litter I could find." "Tell the Roman I would rather walk than..." "Than..." "Instruct your mistress to lean forward." "She will be shaken less." "Also tell her not to drink so much water." "It will make her ill." "I baptize you with water, but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear." "He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire." "What is it?" "A meeting of some kind, sir." "The leader was sprinkling water on their heads." "Cut them out of the way." "I intend to camp on the other side." "Yes, sir." "We are here to hallow the name of the Lord." "Let your faith be your shield." "Tyrants of Rome!" "Those who live in hatred and strife shall vanish from the universe." "The day shall come when Roman spears shall be ground into dust." "Silence that traitor." "The stormers shall be consumed." "And all evildoers shall be destroyed!" "The enslavers of the world shall soon be broken on the wheel of..." "Do not kill that man!" "Go on, quick." "Get away from here." "Did you send for me, sir?" "Yes." "I'm informed that you countermanded my order." "Why?" "I said that traitor was to be silenced." "I'm sorry, I did not hear your order." "That man the guard almost killed was John the Baptist, a prophet." "His death would stir up the populace." "The rabble-rouser has lived too long." "Sir, heed my advice." "I know these people, how they regard a holy man." "They will not tolerate harm to a prophet." "Why court trouble?" "Caesar commanded us to keep the peace." "Let me help you keep it until you become familiar with the nature of the enemy." "Who was that?" "The commander." "What is that singing?" "The religious people." "On the other side of the Jordan." "Strange." "It is like I have never lived here at all." "Claudius." "I did all I could to stop them." "I know." "Pilate, the new governor, is a ruthless soldier." "You must not speak against Rome where your enemies can hear you." "I can no longer retreat into the wilderness." "Next, I will preach in the city." "No." "It is too dangerous." "Wait until you have more followers." "There is no time to wait." "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." "The people must know that there is hope." "John, stay out of the city." "You will have no protection." "The Lord will protect me." "How?" "Will he send a thousand swords to guard you?" "Claudius, in time you will learn to put all your faith in the Lord." "I know it will come, even as it came to you after many years of killing that the way of the conqueror is wrong." "If I could reach more Roman hearts, if they were as open as yours is to the horror of slaughter and slavery..." "You will reach no one by inviting death." "And you embrace it by speaking in the city." "When I do, do not risk your life for me as you did today." "If Rome learns you follow me, you will end on the rack." "You taught me a man must serve his faith." "Yes, but there are many ways to serve." "Never with a sword." "Now go before you are missed." "Stay." "It's deadly." "Do not move." "Why are you so bitter against all Romans?" "Because I know what a Roman is." "Tell me." "A heartless shell of a man ruled by Caesar." "You condemn every Roman because Caesar banished you?" "Do you know why he did?" "No matter why." "Because I loved a Roman once." "But he chose Caesar instead of a barbarian." "I would make no such choice." "And I would not love a Roman ever again." "It's a Roman caravan." "Prepare to receive them." "Your Majesty, Princess Salome is in the caravan." "My daughter?" "Oh!" "Make all preparations to welcome her." "I am to attend your needs." "Take me to your king." "I will convey your message." "Your Majesty." "Commander, welcome back to Galilee." "I am very happy to be here." "I trust you relaxed properly in Rome." "I shall enjoy hearing of your conquests as if they were my own." "You must give me an account in detail, my dear commander." "In detail?" "I have nothing to recount that would be of interest to Your Majesty." "You came back with an escort befitting..." "Befitting a new governor, Pontius Pilate." "Pilate?" "He is now the governor of these provinces." "I bring you his felicitations and his request for an audience at your earliest convenience." "At his convenience, no doubt." "What an undeserved honour, Caesar sending so great a soldier to govern our poor provinces." "To what do we owe this favour?" "Oh, I am sure Governor Pilate will prefer to enlighten you himself." "He has enlightened me regarding his taste in women." "Pilate conquers supremely." "A jewel like that." "Hmm." "She's incredible." "Who is she?" "Princess Salome." "My stepdaughter?" "Salome." "Mother." "Oh, what a heaven-sent surprise." "Let me look at you." "Why, just yesterday you were the child I sent to Rome." "You are just as I remember you, Mother." "Come." "You must be exhausted." "Why did you not dispatch word that you were coming?" "I would have sent the palace guard to meet you." "Though your escort would do honour to a Roman emperor's daughter." "I knew when you came home it would be with the best that Rome could give." "I knew that only in Rome would you find happiness." "No, Mother." "I made the mistake of wanting to marry a Roman." "And Caesar banished me." "A daughter of the Herods banished from Rome?" "Oh, Mother, forgive me." "What is it?" "Your Majesty, the king requests an audience." "Tell His Majesty..." "No, wait." "I will tell him." "Take the princess to her room." "I will present you to the king later." "This is the first time in years you have entered my chamber." "I came to welcome your daughter." "After all, I have not seen her since she was a child." "And you cannot wait to see what a difference the years have made." "I can imagine the difference, my dear." "I know that it is useless to assure you, but only my sense of duty brings me here." "Certainly not your duty as my husband." "Where is she?" "I have other matters to attend to." "She's indisposed." "Convey my regrets." "And I suggest that you do not keep her indisposed for the dinner tonight in honour of the new governor." "Your Majesty's trusted councillor." "I've just learned that Caesar has appointed a new governor." "The king told me." "Oh?" "Does it seem strange to you that my husband should come in here?" "Why, only..." "I only meant that..." "No need to spare me, my dear councillor." "We have no secrets from each other." "The king did not come to see me, but my beautiful daughter." "Beautiful?" "Like no other." "A rare beauty in the palace?" "Micha." "Your Majesty." "I wonder, should beauty be wasted or used for a purpose?" "Strange." "The identical question crossed my mind." "Would you say that I have done everything I could to protect my daughter from the king?" "Well, you could do no more." "Sending her to Rome to keep her far from the king." "And now that she is near him and his appetite has grown much keener..." "Yes, much keener, Your Majesty." "Could her return not be used to my advantage?" "It is quite within the realm of possibility." "Your Majesty, may I suggest for your sake that you lose no time in using that advantage?" "Yes, Micha." "Why is the princess not here?" "Her absence is an insult." "Felicitations from Caesar Tiberius." "Your Excellency." "Your Majesty, this is my daughter." "I remember the child." "The blossom does justice to the bud." "Thank you, Your Majesty." "Or should I say, the radiant flower that bloomed in Rome beautiful beyond my expectations." "Is Your Excellency ready to dine?" "Splendid." "As tasty as anything in Rome." "You have not eaten anything, my dear." "You know," "I owe your mother an enormous debt." "She sent you to Rome when you were a child." "We shall have all the pleasure of becoming acquainted now." "After Rome, I'm afraid, you'll find life very dull here." "Of course, I shall do my feeble best to amuse you." "Do you like hunting?" "Boating?" "I'll order a royal barge from the Egyptians." "Your Majesty need not trouble." "I will find ways to make the time pass." "I'll help you." "Yes, captain?" "We have no secrets before the governor." "What is it?" "Your Majesty, the Baptist is in the city." "Word is about that he will speak in the marketplace tomorrow." "The Baptist?" "Was not that the rabble-rouser who was in our way at the River Jordan?" "Yes, sir." "Have you any orders, Your Majesty?" "No." "Let him speak." "So you allow troublemakers to speak out?" "Your Excellency, he is a peaceful man." "He causes no trouble." "He is a menace, Your Excellency." "He threatens..." "The queen exaggerates the importance of a simple preacher." "He denounces the House of Herod in the name of religion." "Your Excellency will agree." "Anyone who scorns the throne should be silenced." "This man says nothing against us." "He speaks against Rome." "I heard him." "Rome nails every traitor to a cross, crucifies them by the thousands so that the rabble may know their master." "And yet you let a traitor speak out." "Your Excellency," "I am king here." "Thus far, I have ruled without adding to Caesar's troubles." "Where else does sedition lead?" "The Baptist is harmless." "Nobody listens to him but a few beggars." "If I were to stop him, the word would spread that I interfere with religion." "That will inflame the people." "You must allow me to keep order in my own way." "Very well." "Keep order your way." "But no one is to speak against Rome." "That is my responsibility." "And yours alone." "Should you be unable to cope with any disturbances, the commander here will report it to me." "I start early tomorrow for Jerusalem." "I must retire." "So you would even enlist the Romans against me." "To save us both." "You mean, to save yourself." "We were speaking." "What were we speaking about, my dear?" "If Your Majesty will excuse me, the journey was exhausting." "Remember, you march early." "Commander." "You have been here for many years." "I'm sure nothing has escaped you." "Who is this John the Baptist?" "A prophet." "A prophet?" "But why is my mother so afraid of him?" "And the king, he seems just as terrified." "What is happening here?" "Why does he denounce them?" "I understand he preaches a new religion." "My mother says he scorns the throne." "He speaks of a different world, founded on justice and mercy." "Justice and mercy." "Strange words from a Roman." "Those are the words of the prophet." "As you say, nothing escapes a man in my position." "The truth about him certainly appears to have escaped you." "Claudius!" "You were supposed to meet me for final instructions." "Must she always take precedence over me?" "No such danger." "I shall arrange for your departure immediately, sir." "Princess." "Princess." "Princess, please do not go to the marketplace." "It is dangerous." "Is the guide here?" "He is waiting at the terrace." "Come." "Run to and fro through the streets, search in the great plains for one man who seeketh the Lord." "For verily I say unto you, the heaven of which I speak can be found here on earth if we live like children of God, and not like beasts of prey as those that rule you now." "People of Galilee," "Herod is an alien king." "He is descended from a desert tribe of heathens." "He was not born in the faith of our fathers." "Though he may profess to believe, he makes a mockery of the Lord's commandments." "Rulers who do not observe the laws of God can only bring disaster to the people." "Pay the House of Herod no tribute!" "Do not let them proceed to new crimes, or misery and destruction shall fall upon thee." "And not a stone of thy house shall remain unmolested." "For as certainly as all rivers rush to the ocean, the day of justice shall come." "For the cup of despair brims over." "Iniquity sits upon the throne." "The king has forsaken the people for wine and harlots." "And the queen lives in sinful luxury with no heart for the afflictions of the poor." "Her wickedness and her evil..." "You will not say that of the queen!" "I will speak against sin!" "She has done nothing." "She is an adulteress!" "That is a lie." "A lie!" "She has turned from her husband to marry his brother." "She scorns the law that was given to us." "The law." "Words." "She has harmed no one." "She has brought injury to all the people." "By placing herself above the law, she has destroyed the equality of justice!" "I will have you silenced." "Daughter of Herodias!" "Yes." "I am her daughter." "Heed me, Galilieans!" "Do not visit the sins of one generation upon another." "Daughter of Herodius, I know your heart speaks for your mother." "But let it not blind you to the evil of her ways." "Though you are of her flesh and blood, your soul is your own." "Abide not her wickedness." "Where have you been, dressed like that?" "At the marketplace." "I heard the Baptist speak." "Oh, how I hoped you would never hear him." "He has made my life a misery." "Why does the king allow him to humiliate you?" "He is afraid to stop him." "Afraid?" "Why should the king be afraid of...?" "Because of a prophecy made in the time of his father, Herod the Great." "What prophecy?" ""If a king of the House of Herod harms the Messiah, he will die in agony."" "The king thinks the Baptist is the Messiah." "He fears if he harms him, he will die in terrible pain like his father." "That a king could believe such things and permit anyone to speak against you." "And call for my death." "No, Mother." "He did not incite the people to harm you." "He calls me an adulteress." "There is only one punishment for this crime:" "To be stoned by the people." "Stop!" "But you are innocent." "I have broken a senseless law, and for that they want me to die." "Oh, Mother." "Mother, leave." "Leave this place." "I will go with you anywhere." "I cannot leave Galilee." "But what is to keep you here?" "The king?" "Not the king." "The throne." "Oh, the throne." "What does it matter when your life is in danger?" "The throne is more than life to me." "It is the legacy I leave you, my daughter." "You will be the next queen." "The throne will be yours, but only if I guard it for you." "I will suffer anything so that you may inherit it." "I will endure a loveless marriage, humiliation by a madman, even stoning." "Therefore Rome may expect the following yield in taxes:" "From the province..." "I did not mean to disturb you." "We will continue later." "I am sorry for my rudeness last night." "Then you no longer hate all Romans?" "Not all Romans." "What is it?" "Tell me." "How much do you love me?" "What is the measure of love?" "What is asked of another, and what is granted." "Anything." "One favour." "Anything you ask." "Is that a promise?" "Yes." "Help me save my mother." "Arrest the Baptist." "That I cannot do." "Why not?" "I cannot interfere." "You can stop him!" "I can do nothing." "I could report it to Pontius Pilate." "But arrest him?" "I have no such authority." "You mean, you do not want to use it." "You're late, my dear councillor." "My daughter has already informed me of what was said in the marketplace." "Did she also inform you that the Baptist will speak again tonight?" "Tonight." "Even now they are gathering to hear him." "He'll rave until the stones are hurled against me." "What else can happen when the people see he is not punished?" "If no retribution comes, the rabble can only regard it as a token of the king's approval." "I fear so, Your Majesty." "He must be stopped tonight." "And will your daughter persuade the king?" "She cannot be rushed into Herod's arms." "It'll take time." "There is no time." "Micha, you will silence him." "Your Majesty, I must remind you, the assassination of John the Baptist may..." "The king will suspect you." "And in his anger he may..." "It is a risk I must take." "The desperate can only survive by taking desperate measures." "Your Majesty." "The crooked paths shall be made straight." "And the rough way shall be made smooth so that we shall receive the salvation of God." "The day has come when men must cease to march from one evil to another and know not the Lord." "It is true we live in times of violence, when men are turned against each other." "But since the same God is our father and we have the same destiny, we are all brothers." "And that is our great hope, that humanity will prevail." "When men see that hatred and fear are the mutual enemies of mankind." "Guards!" "Guards!" "Guards!" "Guards!" "An assassin tried to kill John the Baptist!" "Arrest him and take him to the king, and he will reward you!" "Speak up, wretch, while you still have a tongue." "Your loyalty is commendable." "Place it at the service of your king, and you will be repaid with your life." "Who hired you?" "I asked you to be present because your ear is keener than mine to palace intrigue." "Whom do you suspect?" "Your Majesty, I couldn't even venture a guess." "Not one?" "It must be somebody close to the throne, very close, who knows what the prophet's death must mean to me." "Do you agree?" "Perhaps it was thought a service, not an injury, to Your Majesty." "Then help me reward my loyal servant." "Have you no recommendation?" "If I knew, I would reward him myself." "Well, wretch, still dumb?" "Perhaps the rack will oil the hinges of your tongue." "Out with him." "It is late, and I'm tired." "If that is all..." "That is not all." "It was your hand behind that dagger." "Yours and yours alone." "It appears you think I had good cause." "If you ever try to harm him again..." "You threaten me?" "You will learn that I am king here." "I command who lives and who dies." "And the prophet must live." "Why?" "Because you are mad?" "Mad, am I?" "You'll let him bring the House of Herod down on our heads." "I will bring it down on yours if you do not get out of my sight." "Now get out!" "She will murder him." "I know it." "She will hire assassin after assassin until one of them strikes him down." "You must protect him, sire." "How?" "She will contrive his death." "And when the Messiah dies at the hands of a Herod," "I will die." "What am I to do?" "Am I to wait like a lamb for my own slaughter?" "Why does the prophet visit me with worse than the tribulations of Job?" "Why does he preach against me too?" "What harm have I done him?" "Does he not know I want to protect him?" "Wait." "Yes." "I will have him brought before my ministers." "Would you try a holy man?" "Is a prophet above the law he upholds?" "This prophet has spoken against his sovereign." "Let him answer for his treason." "Sire, to what end?" "Would you sentence him?" "Bring the prophecy to pass?" "I have found a way at last to make the prophet come to terms with me." "To what terms can a prophet come with a king?" "You will see." "Captain!" "Have John the Baptist brought before me in the morning." "Sire, what are you doing?" "What is your intention?" "You will learn tomorrow." "Release the Baptist!" "The Baptist has done no wrong!" "He has committed no crime." "Down with the House of Herod!" "Mother." "Release the Baptist." "Free him." "He has committed no crime!" "I cannot believe it." "Free the Baptist!" "Forgive me for last night." "Forgive you?" "You had him arrested." "You knew what it meant to me." "Thank you." "You have been brought here to answer charges of treason." "Who bears witness against me?" "The people of Galilee." "I see no one here of the people." "You see my ministers who represent the people." "They accuse you of arousing the people to overthrow the House of Herod." "I do not speak for violence." "Only evildoers must resort to force." "You call for violence by denouncing the throne." "I call upon the people to pay no tribute to iniquitous rulers." "Then you would have another king in my place?" "Yes." "One who would rule with godliness." "With justice and mercy." "You admit allegiance to someone other than His Majesty?" "The one I acknowledge is above all kings on earth." "Then he is mightier even than Caesar?" "He is the king of kings." "He will make all the Caesars and the Herods tremble." "He will raise the yoke from the oppressed, right all wrongs, bring a day of judgment upon the evil masters of the world." "And who is this king of kings?" "He is the Messiah." "But you are the Messiah." "You then are the king who sets himself above me." "He does not declare himself the Messiah." "Elder, I have never told the people I am the Messiah." "Only that the Lord has sent me to awaken the conscience of mankind to the coming of the holy one." "Many people who hear you denounce me say you are the Messiah." "Then I have failed him who follows me, for I have not prepared the way as I should have done." "What is your judgment?" "Your Majesty, he acknowledges a king higher than you." "He is guilty of treason!" "Treason!" "He is guilty!" "You are twisting his words to suit your purpose." "What is the recommendation of my ministers?" "He must be punished like all traitors." "He must die." "To the cross." "Stoned to death." "He must die." "Death to the traitor." "Take him to the cross." "My judges have pronounced sentence upon you." "You pronounced it." "The guilt is yours and yours alone." "You have made a mockery of justice by trying a righteous man." "Enough." "Hear me, your religious counsellor, before it is too late." "You know that you were not born in the faith of our people." "Do not offend them by committing sacrilege against what they hold sacred." "You have already turned their hearts against you by breaking the law of Moses." "Do not turn the hand against you by murdering a holy man." "Enough, I said." "I will pray for you." "Pray for them, elder." "For the Lord is beside me." "You have heard the judgment of my ministers." "If you plead for mercy, and if I grant it..." "I will plead for your soul." "Generation of vipers!" "Do what you will with me." "But a day of judgment is coming that will swallow up all evildoers." "Vengeance will be the Lord's." "Silence him!" "To the cross with him." "Clear the room." "Do not touch him." "Get out." "You see how your enemies are arrayed against you." "And the queen would assassinate you." "All in power stand to murder you were it not for me." "Have you tried me to prove your friendship?" "Yes." "I am your only protector." "I, and I alone, can save you now." "All I ask is that you do not denounce me before the people." "You cannot buy silence with my life." "Say what you will outside of Galilee." "Promise me never to return, and I'll set you free." "My mission is here." "Then speak only of religion." "Leave the House of Herod to itself." "I cannot." "For it stands on a foundation of sin." "And I have been ordained to root out sin, offer repentance to all who will listen." "I offer it to you now." "Return to God." "How?" "Give up the throne." "No." "That I cannot do." "It is my life." "I speak of a life everlasting." "Seek repentance." "I will not give up the throne." "And I cannot allow you to preach against me any longer." "I will place you under guard here in the palace where you can do no harm." "Guards." "You will find no peace in my imprisonment." "Only the Lord can ease the terrible burden of evil on your soul." "Take him." "Elder." "What has happened to our prophet?" "What has the king done with him?" "Will he harm him?" "He has imprisoned him." "We will free him!" "Abide in peace." "Nothing will be gained by violence." "But, elder..." "But, elder..." "Your Majesty, this is more than a suggestion." "Peace must be maintained." "I demand you release the prisoner." "This does not concern Rome." "Whatever threatens the peace concerns Rome." "The peace is not threatened." "Every minute you keep the Baptist increases the danger of bloodshed and disorder." "There is less danger now." "You removed this man from his followers." "I will treat him well." "He can have anything he desires." "Anyone can see him." "Anyone." "He is still your prisoner!" "The people will rise." "I will put them down." "Commander, you have no authority to force his release." "Saddle three horses." "We leave for Jerusalem immediately." "Claudius!" "Why does the princess call the Roman?" "Where is he going?" "Does that matter?" "I found him more of a friend than anyone here." "My dear, in what way have I been remiss?" "You allowed a madman to inflame the people against my mother." "The commander had him arrested." "Is that what he said?" "The lying dog of a Roman." "Claudius wanted me to free him." "Free him?" "The Roman pleaded, ranted, threatened, did all he could to make me release him." "It was I who ordered him arrested." "I am sorry to disillusion you, my dear." "I lost my illusions about Romans long ago." "Splendid." "To be a realist is the beginning of wisdom." "And the wise know that nothing matters except to find pleasure in the present." "How little I've seen of you since your return." "I've hardly had a chance to welcome you home." "For the homecoming of a princess." "Your Majesty is most generous." "Please wear this at the banquet in the honour of my birthday." "I should be giving His Majesty a gift, not receiving one." "Your presence will be the most precious gift of all." "Let's see if the artisan has done justice to your beauty." "No silk nor spun gold can compare." "Your Majesty, I..." "I cannot wear this." "Why not?" "It is more fitting you give it to the queen." "It is mine to give as I wish." "Not mine to accept." "Then wear it for me." "Let it be a token between us." "That you may know how much..." "How much you please me." "Allow the queen to please Your Majesty." "Am I to be denied what I want above all?" "One woman with whom I can find forgetfulness." "Your Majesty takes much for granted, even though he is king." "And he forgets, the queen is my mother." "Why should you want to interfere?" "Herod has good cause to imprison this rabble-rouser." "The arrest of John the Baptist may have serious consequences." "It might start a rebellion that would spread throughout the provinces." "You must order his release." "Claudius, as a Roman, I would expect you to ask for his execution." "Your Excellency, we've served together for many years." "May I speak frankly?" "I've never thought you spoke otherwise." "Rome cannot go on as it has, ruling with a sword and a whip." "If we are to survive, we must recognize that a new force is coming into the world." "New force?" "The religion of this prophet." "It will bring hope to the conquered." "It will bring peace to all men by teaching every man how to live at peace with his neighbours." "This faith will march across the world and win men where Rome could only conquer them." "Caesar is the only faith possible for a Roman." "I believe the religion of this prophet will surge over the earth." "Become his protector, and you would achieve immortality." "Yes, immortality." "Think of it." "Your name will be enscrolled on the pages of history." "Your name will ring down through the years." "Pontius Pilate:" "The first champion of a new religion." "Immortality." "In a few years from now, we shall all be dust and forgotten no matter what we do here." "The name of Caesar will live on." "But Pontius Pilate?" "Never." "The God of the Baptist is eternal." "Ally yourself with him, and your name will never die." "A new religion that will march across the world." "A God that is eternal." "You've been here for years." "And I, only a few weeks." "Yet already I know this country better than you." "It's ridden with prophets." "Right here in Jerusalem there's a carpenter that even claims he's the son of God." "Yes." "They call him a man of miracles." "Miracles?" "They say he can make the lame walk, the blind see." "And if the rabble in Jerusalem wish to believe such idiotic nonsense, let them." "But I will not tolerate anyone denouncing Rome under the cloak of religion." "And this your prophet does." "But, Your Excellency..." "Claudius." "How can you ask for his release, knowing that he's a traitor?" "I cannot understand a valiant soldier and a brilliant officer turning to treason." "I've found a greater loyalty than Rome:" "Humanity." "Were I not your friend, had we not fought many battles together, shared many dangers in the field, were I not mindful of how bravely you've served me and Rome," "I would be compelled to execute you for treason." "However, I must relieve you of your post." "I will not place you under arrest." "But I cannot permit you to return to Galilee." "You'll stay here in Jerusalem until we have word of a galley leaving for Rome." "Yes, Your Excellency." "Claudius." "I'm sorry, Claudius." "Claudius." "The last remains of the 9th Legion." "Come." "Join us." "We are on our way to my villa." "No." "Wait." "Tell me, do you know this carpenter who claims to be the son of God?" "You mean the man of miracles?" "The great healer who cures everything just by touching you?" "They say he turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana." "Imagine the money he would save us." "Well, come with us." "Wait." "Where is he now?" "Well, I heard he went to Bethany." "Why?" "Do you want to see him?" "Bethany." "I can see." "I can see." "I can see." "I can see." "I can see." "I can see." "I can see." "Down with the House of Herod!" "The prophet is innocent!" "Free the Baptist!" "The Baptist has done no wrong!" "Release the Baptist!" "The Baptist must go free!" "Down with the House of Herod!" "He's innocent!" "The king is a heathen!" "What is it, Your Majesty?" "My affectionate subjects helping us celebrate the event of my birth." "They seem quite threatening in their affections, Your Majesty." "Let us go on with the feast." "Down with the House of Herod!" "Death to the queen!" "The queen is an adulteress!" "Death to the queen!" "Your Majesty, I've never seen the rabble in such a mood." "The stupid fools!" "They will soon learn how I reward those who threaten..." "Death to the queen!" "Micha, stand back." "They'll break into the palace." "They'll stone me." "Nothing but my death will satisfy them." "Micha, go quickly." "Try to pacify them." "Down with the House of Herod!" "Careful." "A stone may strike you." "Mother, we cannot stay here." "We must stay here." "If I let that rabble depose me, you will be next." "Your life means more to me than..." "I will not let them deprive you of your heritage after all I've sacrificed." "Listen to them." "And you speak of..." "I speak of your future." "My child, your destiny." "The rabble is nothing without a leader." "Free the Baptist." "If I could make the king destroy the Baptist before it is too late..." "There is a way." "Yes, yes." "One possible way to save the throne." "Salome, you alone could accomplish it." "But what can I do?" "Prevail upon the king to destroy the Baptist." "But how can I...?" "You can persuade him." "How?" "With your matchless beauty." "Dance for him tonight." "Dance for him?" "Mother, you know a woman who dances for the king becomes his possession." "Yes, I know the custom." "You would have me give myself to...?" "For the throne, yes." "The Baptist must go free!" "Release the Baptist!" "The king is a heathen!" "Romans!" "Romans, the Baptist must go free!" "Roman heathen!" "Roman heathen!" "Why are you crying?" "Oh, take me away from here." "Claudius, please take me away." "Do you really want to leave?" "Yes." "Yes." "There's something I want you to hear." "Something you must know about me." "Then we can go away together." "What is it?" "Come with me." "Where is the princess?" "You keep her from me." "Command her to appear." "Command her yourself." "I bear strange tidings." "Such strange tidings." "While in Jerusalem, I heard them speak of a prophet who performs miracles." "If true, this would be great tidings." "I heard them say this prophet brings sight to the blind, heals the sick, that he fed thousands of the poor with no more than a few loaves of bread to divide." "I went to Bethany where I was told he had gone." "Just outside Jerusalem," "I saw a procession such as I have never seen following one man." "The lame, the halt, the blind followed him." "Those whose back were bent from years under the yoke." "Those whose heads were bowed from years of shame." "They followed him." "And many who were sceptical, who came to scoff at him, they too followed him." "I joined this procession." "We followed him to a tomb where lay a man called Lazarus, four days dead." "The sister of Lazarus, who believed, had begged him to raise her brother from the dead." "I heard him say to her," ""I am the resurrection and the life." "He that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die."" "He said that." "I heard him." "And then he went to the tomb." "And while others rolled back the stone, he raised his head and prayed." "He said..." "He said, " Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me, and I know that thou hearest me always." "But because of the people that stand by, I said it that they may believe that thou hast sent me."" "And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice," ""Lazarus, come forth."" "And Lazarus came out of the tomb." "I saw him." "I saw a man who'd been dead four days walk out of his grave!" "All of us fell on our knees." "And then he told Lazarus to remove the shroud and rejoin the living." "And what had been a corpse became a man again." "Not only did I see Lazarus raised from the dead, but I spoke to him." "I talked to him myself." "The one who called him back from the grave was named Jesus." "My kinsman, Jesus." "The Messiah." "When I baptized him, I heard a voice from heaven say," ""This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased."" "I spoke to this Jesus." "I told him that you were imprisoned." "He said he would come to Galilee." "I shall never see Jesus again." "I will free you before he gets here." "I do not fear death." "All my life I have been surrounded by wickedness." "I have lived by false standards." "I have held myself unaccountable to anyone." "And I have known evil." "For the first time, I see there is good in the world." "To see good is to be awakened to the Lord." "Know that my blessings follow both of you all your days on earth." "Go in peace." "Go." "How can you possibly save him?" "I still command the palace guards." "But Herod's soldiers fill the palace." "You cannot." "It is the only way." "No." "There is a more certain way." "How?" "I will dance for the king." "And I will make him free the Baptist." "Dance for the king?" "Do you realize...?" "He will never possess me." "No." "No, I will not have you dance for him." "Prepare to leave." "I will free the Baptist and then come for you." "Rebecca." "Yes, princess." "Come with me." "I have orders from His Excellency, the governor." "Release him." "I can only release the prisoner by orders of His Majesty, the king." "I'd give half my kingdom." "No." "Give me the head of the Baptist." "Guards!" "Guards!" "Away!" "My mother." "That I should be of your flesh and blood." "I never want to look upon your face again." "Listen." "Do you hear?" "I can open the gates and let the populace tear you apart." "I could run my sword through both of you." "But that would make too quick an end." "No." "Live." "Live in torture." "May the blood of the man you murdered rise in your throats to choke you." "Ezra." "Ezra!" "Give with us..." "Ezra." "Ezra." "God upon us have mercy with us." "Love your enemies." "Bless them that curse you." "Do good to them that hate you." "And pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you." "That ye may be the children of your father which is in heaven." "For he maketh his son to rise on the evil and on the good." "And sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." "Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth." "Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted." "Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied." "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God." "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God." "Blessed are they who suffer persecution for justice's sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."