soldier's report

soldier's report

all dates and place names  reported as easiest to understand for an American reader in 2011

fiction
edward w pritchard

Noble Caesar Augustus, Emperor, Rome

from General Marius, Roman soldier/ from Mumbai India, month July, year 18AD

Augustus, I continue my report of my activities following Jesus of Nazareth to India. Today Jesus was to speak briefly at a gathering of holy men of different religions arranged by followers of the Hindu faith here.

When the time came for Jesus to speak he was not at the place of the conference but instead one mile away at a hospice for very sick children, those with multiple disabilities all being in a most pitiable state. I was there at the hospice myself doing my duty shadowing Jesus as ordered by yourself honorable Augustus. My assistant Titus was with the other religious participants at the conference nearby. At length Titus arrived with the other participants, many who had already spoken, giving a twenty minute summary of the major points of their religions belief system and philosophies which was the reason for the conference.

When it was time for Jesus to speak, apparently because of respect to be paid to your self Noble Caesar Augustus, for your fame and power is known here; my counterparts here in the armies of India insisted that the group of holy men should walk to where Jesus was to hear him speak.

When the Holy men arrived Jesus did not move or speak but continued to sit with a dozen or so very handicapped children of various ages who were unable to talk or barely communicate and seemed to be scarcely alive at times. These children were cared for by several nurses who routinely did this on a daily basis at this place for these children were sometimes abandoned by their families because of the expense and difficulty of seeing to their daily care. Additionally as this country has a caste system, as I have described to you earlier, it is not permitted for Priests and high born religious men to associate with these sickly children or their caregivers. I add that these priests only did come to this hospital because of the insistence of the intelligence community watching Jesus here in India; primarily because of their desire not to offend yourself Caesar as leader of the Roman empire. For although you are far from here Augustus, your power and fame is well known and this is how the group of Priests came to be sitting in this Hospital with these sick children waiting for Jesus of Nazareth to speak on his philosophy of Religion.

Jesus sat quietly among these children as the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Zoroastrian and other Religious leaders stood near, obliviously very disconcerted because of the pitiful nature of these children's afflictions. After an uncomfortable ten minutes or so of complete silence, Jesus of Nazareth stood up and addressed the group of Religious leaders assembled near him.

 " All souls are infinitely valuable" said Jesus and then he left the hospital and went into a small grove of trees and bushes to pray as was his custom.

Only one additional noteworthy item to report. Before Jesus of Nazareth was joined by the other Religious leaders he did do something unusual. Jesus wept as he sat among those severely handicapped children. I will not comment on this Tiberius, being merely a simple soldier.
end