CHAPTER 84
From that moment, I knew the trial was over. Everything else was just for show.
I saw Nero’s face tighten to constrain his emotions. At the very least, he wanted to give the appearance of impartiality.
“Does the prosecution wish to call any witnesses?” he asked coldly.
“We would, Your Excellency,” Tigellinus said. “Our first witness is Alexander the metalworker.”
Paul watched with empathy as Alexander stepped forward and took the oath. Paul apparently recognized him from Ephesus.
Alexander testified about what happened when Paul preached at Ephesus. Over the course of two years, many had become followers of the Nazarene. Paul had preached that gods made by human hands were no gods at all. The great goddess Artemis was discredited, and worship at her temple largely dried up. People lost their jobs. A riot ensued, and Paul was forced to leave the city.
Tigellinus walked over to a box of scrolls and pulled one out. He handed it to Alexander and asked if the witness recognized the papyrus.
“Yes. Recently, during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, he wrote a letter to the believers at Ephesus. Copies were made, and I brought one to Rome.”
Paul showed no reaction, but my heart dropped. I knew my client was a prolific writer, and I was certain that this letter wouldn’t help our case.
Tigellinus pointed to a spot on the manuscript. “Please read what the defendant wrote here.”
Alexander took the scroll and began reading, his voice shaky and uncertain. “‘That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.’”
He finished and looked up at Tigellinus.
“Do the followers of the Nazarene in Ephesus claim that the name of Jesus, also known as the Christ, is above the name of Caesar?”
Alexander’s eyes flitted around. He was tense as a caged bird. “Yes, they do.”
“And where did they get that idea?”
“From that letter.”
Nero watched dispassionately, but I knew he couldn’t allow such doctrines to go unpunished.
When Alexander finished testifying, Nero asked me if I had any questions.
“No, Your Excellency.” What was the point in drawing more attention to what Paul had written?
The next witness was more of the same. Demas meekly joined Paul in the center of the floor below Nero’s judgment seat. Under questioning from Tigellinus, he testified that he had once been a member of the Way and a disciple of Jesus in Rome. Another scroll was unrolled. This one was a letter to the believers in Rome, written by Paul before his recent imprisonment. It took Tigellinus a few minutes to find the passage for Demas to read, but when he did, the words were deadly.
“‘If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved,’” Demas read. “‘For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.’”
Everyone in the judgment hall knew the import of the words, but Tigellinus drove them home anyway.
“Are you aware of the custom of Roman generals when they conquer a new province?” he asked Demas.
“Yes, I have heard the stories.”
“And what is it that they make the subjects say as a sign of their subjugation to Rome?”
“That Caesar is lord.”
“Have you ever heard the defendant teach the followers of the Way?”
“During those times of teaching, have you ever heard him acknowledge that Caesar is lord?”
“No. He taught us that Jesus is Lord.”
“And what about Caesar?”
Demas looked down and hesitated.
“What about Caesar?”
“We were taught that one day, at the name of Jesus, every knee in heaven and on earth would bow and acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. That would include Caesar.”
Nero’s lips were tightly pressed, his eyes narrow. “Is this true?” he asked Paul.
“Perhaps my words are being taken a bit out of context,” Paul replied quickly. “God is merciful and long-suffering. He is rich in grace and anxious to forgive. But his grace is manifested through his Son, Jesus. And yes, that is the only name under heaven through which salvation is possible.”
Nero snorted. “I’ve heard enough evidence,” he said, standing. His eyes blazed. “I will return with my ruling.”
With that, he left in a flurry. His assessores and clerks trailed in his wake.
I stepped forward and stood next to my client.
“I have preached the gospel to Nero himself,” Paul said, his voice filled with melancholy. “It’s in God’s hands now.”
“The emperor has no power except what is given him from above,” I said.
Paul looked sideways at me —the knowing look of a proud mentor. “The words of Jesus,” he said.
I nodded. “It’s what he said to Pilate in the Praetorium.”
“Do you believe it?”
“How could I not? He came back three days later, didn’t he?”
Paul grinned. “That’s what I’ve heard,” he said.
Flavia stepped outside the judgment hall and looked up. Not a hint of blue sky anywhere. The menacing clouds on the horizon were the darkest of all, and the wind was blowing them directly over Rome.
There would be no sun today. No shadows. No chance that a Vestal Virgin could cross paths with a guilty man and set him free.
It didn’t seem like Paul cared. She had heard it in his voice. His prayer that morning had been that God would give him the courage to speak the gospel boldly. His prayer had certainly been answered.
Now, if God would only answer hers.