Day of Atonement by David A. deSilva

Author:David A. deSilva [deSilva, David A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-8254-8654-8
Publisher: Kregel Publications
Published: 2015-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

The crowd that had gathered between the market and gymnasium began to cheer as Antiochus himself approached from the direction of the high priest’s palace on horseback, attended by Jason and Antiochus’s bodyguard. The athletes and other young men from the gymnasium, now joined by the competitors who had come from cities throughout the coastal plains, rushed out of the complex to greet him and pledge to win victories that day in his honor.

Antiochus and Jason, followed by their counselors and the highest nobles of Jerusalem, set out for the stadium. The athletes followed not far behind the king’s entourage. Some of these were clad in simple tunics. Others wore a short cloak draped over one shoulder, just long enough to cover their hips. Some also wore the traditional broad-rimmed hat associated with the student body of gymnasia throughout the eastern Mediterranean. They were smiling broadly and raising their fists high as pledges of triumph, basking in the cheers of people lining the streets and falling into procession behind them as they passed.

The king, his counselors, Jason, and the other elites passed through the first gate in the northern wall, now with the stadium complex rising before them just a hundred meters outside the city.

“This will be most impressive when it is finished, Jason,” the king admitted.

“Thank you, Highness. We chose this site since the Tyropoean Valley area is so sparsely populated. We hope eventually to extend the city walls to this area and make it a focus of new construction.”

Jason was distracted by a commotion breaking out behind them. The king’s bodyguard jumped to action, surrounding the king and his nobles. Jason stood slightly in his saddle to try to locate the source of the disruption. The athletes were just now passing through the gate, and people were hurling citrons and other fruits, seasoned with insults, at the young men wearing the broad-rimmed hats. The guards relaxed slightly to discover that no actions were directed toward them or the king.

“What is going on there, Jason?” Antiochus demanded.

“I don’t know, Highness.”

The pelting stopped as suddenly as it had begun and the perpetrators had vanished back into the crowd or otherwise disappeared. The athletes seemed unharmed and had already continued their procession toward the stadium.

“Whatever it was about, it seems to be over,” observed the king. “Come, let’s proceed.”

They dismounted outside the stadium, and Jason led the king, his party, and the Jerusalem nobles up a staircase to a spacious, canopied box located at the midpoint of the south stands of the stadium. As they took their seats, servants brought goblets of new wine and trays of fruits and breads for them to enjoy during the games.

After a few minutes, Menelaus blurted out, as if just receiving a revelation, “It’s the hat.”

The others looked at him quizzically.

“The source of the commotion?” He smiled with disbelief and shook his head slightly as he continued. “The hat that many of the foreign athletes were wearing is a symbol associated with the Greek god

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