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NERO
By Pueros Chapter XXXII Circumcisions (Dacia, Iul. DCCCLIX, in the 8th year of the reign of the Emperor Trajan [July, AD 106]) Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero. (Seize the day, trust as little as possible in tomorrow.) - Horace Before I returned to Dacia, where I narrate my long life to my very worthy and patient scribe and where I am sure that my old bones will soon be laid to rest, I revisited many of the places that afforded my days in this world some special meaning. These included Olympia, where I was to spend much time over the years, as well as the home cities of both Athenodoros and Melankomas, respectively Aigion in Achaea and Halicarnassus in Caria. My pilgrimage was undertaken not only to remember past events more vividly, for subsequent better recollection to my scribe, but also to pay my respects to those who played major roles in my life and their families. Amongst those who were to feature prominently, I am both very happy and proud to relate, were Athenodoros and Melankomas, which is why I can provide such a graphic description of some of their own experiences. In Olympia, I saw the statues of the athletic duo, famed for not only their exceptional achievements but also their lifelong love for each other. As in many pedagogic relationships, mutual sexual passion did not last forever, especially once the younger partner truly advanced into full manhood, but the close friendship of Athenodoros and Melankomas survived both the years and their eventual fulfilment of the familial duties of marriage and propagation of the bloodline. The Olympian monuments to Athenodoros are more numerous than those of Melankomas, probably only because the latter had retired, as promised, after winning his event in the 207th Olympiad. He was then just a 20 year-old and not only still unbeaten, without striking a blow on any opponent, but also an adult periodonikes. My favourite statues are those of Athenodoros and Melankomas, appropriately positioned adjacent to each other, as junior champions of the 206th Olympiad, which they won respectively as 12 and 16 year-olds. Scrutiny of their naked forms in well-sculptured marble, with the former displaying his renowned Olympic virility, provides clear evidence of their celebrated boyish beauty. Athenodoros told me that he was originally very embarrassed to see a depiction in stone of his fully erect smooth cock, which generations to come would be able to view. However, he could not deny that the statue reflected the reality in the relevant race. In my presence, Melankomas teased his best friend by commenting that, from delighted personal recollection, the marble phallus also accurately represented the Aigionians penile proportions and texture, as he became the youngest Olympic champion for over 400 years. Melankomas added that many other statues of Athenodoros displayed similar exactitude in respect of his best friends traditional Olympic genital excitement. He mischievously feigned wonderment at how the sculptors had achieved this feat during the champion athletes sittings with them. The sculptors had drawn Athenodoros sublime naked body from various angles so that they could subsequently perform their life-like carving. Whilst exhibiting a broad grin, indicative of his naughty intent, Melankomas questioned how the artists had achieved their genital accuracy if the subject had not, as claimed, replicated his show of masculine virility for them. As the Carian spoke these words to me, he was then hit on the side of the head by a fig thrown by the Aigionian, who was displaying as broad a smile as his best friend. Statues of Athenodoros and Melankomas are replicated many times over in their home cities, where their many wreaths can also be seen to this day, carefully preserved and proudly exhibited in special shrines devoted to the athletes in the local Temples of Zeus. I found the display in Halicarnassus particularly poignant, because the young Carian had originally dedicated, as evidenced by an inscription, his symbols of victory to the young deceased pedagogue in whose honour he had set out to achieve glory. Nevertheless, the memorial is today revered not for this earlier lover but for the benefactor himself. Despite my particular liking for the Olympian statue of Athenodoros as a 12 year-old, the athlete himself was prouder of the one that depicted him four years older, despite the fact that a marble erection once again indicates his famous excitement in Olympic events. This monument shows a beautiful youth scrambling to his feet. I doubt that there is anyone in the Hellenic world, even today, who is not aware of the story of the boys great victory, as a mere 16 year-old, in the mens stade of the Olympics of DCCCII. This awareness is not just because the champion was unprecedentedly young, or the Greek calendar later recalled the four years immediately following as the 207th Olympiad, when Athenodoros of Aigion won the stade. Instead, mindfulness stems from the manner of victory. After being felled in a highly suspicious manner, Athenodoros had somehow instantly regained his feet to pursue the other competitors. Many spectators later professed that they had never, before or after, seen anything as miraculously meritorious as the subsequent athletic achievement. Whilst in a distant last place, Athenodoros generated a speed that none could remember observing a human previously attain. The 16 year-old then not only rapidly approached but also overtook the large group ahead of him, comprising the worlds fastest runners. In the process, he afforded them a defensively wide berth, which was presumably intended to avoid further heinous trickery by opponents but added to the distance he had to cover. Nevertheless, the young Aigionian subsequently reached the sacred column, which represented the finishing post, ahead of the second placed contestant, a certain Kallikles of Sidon, by at least two paces. Kallikles reacted to the shock of being overtaken and defeated, for the first time in mens competitions, by bursting into tears, a shameful display for a male adult. Meanwhile, Athenodoros reaction was somewhat different. The boys erection erupted, spilling copious white fluid over the stadium floor. However, this exhibition of male virility by the victor only resulted in a further boost to his existing immense popularity with the joyous crowd. It also, during the years ahead, brought a legendary myth-like status to the regular retelling of the whole event by the awed spectators. My own experience suggests that there must have been at least a million people in the stadium that day, so many times I have heard people boast that they saw Athenodoros winning the 207th stade, even though I know that the capacity of the Olympic arena is only 50,000. From those who were truly present, I have also frequently been told that there was later considerable bemusement when, that night, the young champion, and his counterpart in the boxing, could not be found celebrating their victories anywhere in Olympia. A similar mysterious disappearance by the same young pair had occurred four years previously. (Olympia, Elis, Greece, 57 years previously, Iul. DCCCII A.V.C., in the 8th year of the reign of the Emperor Claudius [July, AD 49]) Colossus magnitudinem suam servabit etiam si steterit in puteo. (A giant will keep his size even though he will have stood in a well.) - Seneca the Younger Apart from the young Aigionians embarrassing public phallic eruption in the stadium, Athenodoros and Melankomas had remained, at the latters suggestion, chaste for the previous month in order to retain all their vigour for competition. The healthy young male champions, unusually very modest for the era, were therefore more concerned about enjoying each others beautiful bodies than victory celebrations. Athenodoros did not try to excuse his abashing public orgasm and ejaculation, which had occurred simultaneous to his touching of the Olympic winning post to attain victory, as being in anyway connected to his self-imposed, tormenting, month-long sexual restraint. After all, his genitalia had, during this period and without exhibiting excitement, regularly flopped wildly around in practice runs, one undertaken on the morning of the competition. The peculiar but apparently apposite nature of the literally climactic event also seemed to be highlighted by the fact that similar had happened, without the benefit of such a chastity alibi, at the previous Olympics, when he had been a mere 12 year-old. During one of the few quiet respites during a long night of unparalleled passion in their secret hillside grove, Melankomas tried to reduce Athenodoros clear embarrassment at the recurring Olympic genital phenomenon. The 20 year-old suggested that impregnation of the ground of Zeus sacred stadium by the boys seed must be the price the god required for helping him to victory. Athenodoros was unsure about the truth of this theory but nevertheless kissed Melankomas on the lips once more in thanks for the kind suggestion, before moving his mouth downwards to restore a 20 year-old cock to renewed strength. (Dacia, Iul. DCCCLIX, in the 8th year of the reign of the Emperor Trajan [July, AD 106]) God said to Abraham, Such shall be the covenant between Me and you and your offspring to follow which you shall keep: every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin, and that shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. - Genesis (17:10-11) During my travels late in life, I also revisited places associated with other friends, amongst whom I am proud to number many Jews and members of the new Christian sect that has so recently emerged from this ancient faith. I even attended a certain Jewish ceremony, despite the fact that I, perhaps because of my own genital loss, dislike the central rite, which entails a prepucectomy. Jews are widely dispersed throughout the Roman Empire, where they are generally allowed to worship without interference. Julius Caesar actually formally confirmed the Judaic right to observe the Sabbath and meet in synagogues. He also exempted adherents of Judaism from military service and granted them the freedom to follow their own localised laws and governance. Consequently, outside of Palestina, Jews usually live in independent communities within cities, in the larger of which they are permitted their own local political structures. It is estimated that there are currently about 5 to 7 million adherents of Judaism, with roughly a fifth in their traditional homeland, and similar numbers in both Aegyptia and Syria. There are also many major colonies in the large trading centres of Asia Minor and one of at least 10,000 in Rome itself. As my contemporary, the Jewish historian and general, Josephus, has remarked There is not a community in the entire world which does not have a portion of our people. Judaism has long been viewed favourably by cultured Romans and Greeks, many of whom consider Jews to be a race of philosophers. Part of the attraction appears to be the many worthy moral ideals inherent to the faith, plus the promise of everlasting life in the next world. As a result, in Rome and other major cities, such as Alexandria, many non-adherents, or gentiles, observe the Jewish Sabbath, as well as the holidays, fasts and food laws of the religion, sometimes even going so far as to attend synagogue services. Nevertheless, freedom of worship for followers of Judaism, and respect for adherents on the part of many educated gentiles, does not mean that there is an absence of tension between Romans, Greeks and Jews. This is often fermented by the fact that communities of the latter frequently desire not only tolerance for their religion and way of life but also equality with their neighbours. The Romans and Greeks believe that Jewish desires, for the continuance of religious, legal and political autonomy in cities, does not go well with Judaic demands for the full rights of citizenship, and many metropolises therefore refuse the latter privileges. Within much of the Empire, worship of the Latin and Hellenic pantheons is considered particularly important to assure municipal harmony and prosperity. Appropriate respect for, and attention to, the gods is regarded as a civic duty, not a matter of personal conviction. Ritual and government are therefore closely intertwined and the cities that reject Judaic petitions for equality are usually merely acting on long-standing beliefs relating to the welfare of their metropolises. I genuinely do not believe that the anti-Semitism of many ignorant people, jealous of Jewish entrepreneurial success or disturbed by the cultural differences, has a major influence on these municipal decisions. However, whatever the root cause, an unfortunate result of such policies is the outbreak of regular disturbances involving aggrieved Jewish communities. In my time, such communal strains are particularly acute in Alexandria, which is a centre of anti-Judaic feeling. If the Jews wish to be Alexandrians, let them worship the gods of the Alexandrians is a commonly expressed but sadly misguided sentiment that can be overheard in that otherwise great city. Nevertheless, within the Roman Empire as a whole, tolerance is often afforded to different creeds provided their adherents can prove that their beliefs are based on tradition. However, a common complaint voiced by some scholars is that Judaism is a superstition not a proper religion. In the Roman mind, a superstition is a religious practice that neither respects the gods nor benefits mankind properly. No value is therefore seen in the Jewish religion, or for that matter in the cults of the Aegyptians, Celts or Germanians, because the respective deities are not honoured in a manner appropriate to securing their subsequent benevolence. Contemporary influential Roman writers, such as Quintilianus, Plutarch and Tacitus, actually single out Judaism as being harmful and degrading to current society. I know them all very well and have voiced my disagreement with them, happily without losing their valued friendship. Meanwhile, gentiles venerating Judaism are normally people who fear supreme beings and who, despite not converting to Judaism, are appreciative of the religions generally virtuous doctrines. However, the major obstacle to full conversion is the requirement for males to undergo prepucectomy, or circumcision, which is considered to be perverse self-mutilation by both Romans and Greeks. The Jewish ceremony I attended, involving a prepucectomy, obviously centred round such an act of circumcision. However, I kept my aversion, for what I consider unnecessary penile mutilation, quiet out of respect for my very pleasant hosts and their beliefs. Nevertheless, at more appropriate times, I have regularly made my own opinion known, even to my Jewish friends. I propound that circumcision should not be perpetrated unless boys are old enough to make a mature judgement as to whether they themselves want to undergo the rite. I find attempts to justify the compulsory severance of the male foreskin, by arguing religious doctrine or better genital hygiene, completely unconvincing. To me, the unnatural alteration of the masculine human form, by removing the prepuce, should be considered an affront to any supreme beings responsible for our creation, not an honour, and is a gross overreaction to potential cockhead problems. Fortunately, I seem to have chosen very tolerant Jewish friends, because they invariably hear my occasional rants about circumcision without a modicum of rancour. They then gently respond by providing their own perspective concerning the issue, which, of course, relates to their faith and which, accordingly, is unarguable. We therefore inevitably conclude the debate by agreeing to disagree before amicably moving onto other subjects.
I have read several ancient works of the Jews, which believers consider very holy. One is called the Book of Genesis. Verses 12 to 15 in chapter nine, which relate to the aftermath of a great deluge, now particularly and appropriately come to mind. The Jewish God says to Noah This is the sign that I set for the covenant between Me and you, and every living creature with you, for all ages to come. I have set My bow in the clouds, and it shall serve over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds. I will remember My covenant between Me and you and every living creature among all flesh, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. This declaration forms Gods covenant, or bris in Hebrew, with the Jews and the sign, to which He was referring, was a rainbow, or keshet. The Almighty was revealing this multi-coloured aerial display as a symbol of His promise to mankind that the path of enlightenment, the way for all to achieve spiritual goals and aspirations, will remain ever open to those who have the wisdom to find and follow it. In Judaism, there are two other symbols that signify the covenant between God and the Jews. One symbol is observance of the Sabbath, or Shabbat. Another Jewish work, the Book of Exodus, declares in chapter 31, verses 16 and 17, that The Israelite people shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout the ages as a covenant for all time. It shall be a sign for all time between Me and the people of Israel. The other symbol is the ritualistic practice of circumcision. According to Genesis, chapter 17, verses 10 to 14, when Abraham reached the ripe old age of 90 years, God promised him that his descendants would have a special relationship with their Creator, which would thereafter be forever symbolised by the Covenant of Circumcision, or Bris Milah. This is my covenant, the Almighty had announced, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee: every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with money, must needs be circumcised; and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. And the uncircumcised man whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant. And Abraham took Ishmael his son, Genesis advises, in chapter 17, verses 23 to 27, and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with money, every male among the men of Abraham's house; and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the selfsame day, as God has said unto him. And Abraham was ninety years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised and Ishmael his son. And all the men in his house, born in the house, and bought money with the stranger, were circumcised with him. When his son Isaac was later born, the baby too underwent Bris Milah on the eighth day of his life, as divinely specified. In Judaism, the circumcision of a baby boy is therefore considered to be much more than mere surgery, for the act marks his entrance into his covenant with God. The ceremony also involves the naming of the child, a significant event because it links him to his ancestors and is an expression of hope for the welfare of future generations. I believe that the practice of circumcising male infants dates back thousands of years. During my extensive travels, I have actually seen ancient carved Aegyptian representations of circumcised penises. Personal research suggests to me that circumcision might originally have been practised as a punitive measure, or as a mark of slavery or possibly as a puberty or premarital rite, wherein it was considered an absolution against the feared toxic influences of vaginal blood. Some alternatively propound that the removal of the male prepuce, and an associated excision of the womanly clitoris, were performed to affirm the sex of the individual. It is apparently believed in some cultures that the foreskin indicates unwanted femininity in a boy, whilst the female erectile organ, homologue of the penis, represents a masculine element in a girl. Accordingly, both should be removed to establish gender properly. Some claim that male circumcision is a substitute for human sacrifice. Certainly, the entire penis was once occasional severed in ancient Aegyptia to offer to the gods. The custom of using the whole of masculine genitalia as war trophies also appears to be widespread in past history, with some warriors offering the sexual organs of their enemies as presents to the girls they planned to marry. The Jewish Bris Milah is always held during the eighth day of a boys life, even if that is the Sabbath or other religious holiday. However, the timetable has to take into account the fact that, in the Hebrew calendar, a new day begins after sundown. Adherents of Judaism consider it a great honour to be given a special role in the Bris Milah, where a Rabbi generally conducts the service and a Mohel usually performs the actual circumcision. A Mohel is a Jew who has been trained in the physical procedures and understands the religious significance of the ritual. The service begins when the Mohel calls out Kvatter. A Kvatterin, or godmother, then collects the baby from the mother and carries the child to the circumcision room, where she hands him to the Kvatter, or godfather, who in turn takes the boy to the Mohel. When the baby enters the room in which he will be circumcised, people stand and declare Baruch HaBa, or May he who cometh be blessed. The Mohel then recites a prayer that mentions the covenant with Abraham. The Mohel takes the baby from the Kvatter and gives him to the Sandak, who holds the child in his lap whilst the boy is circumcised. The Sandak sits on a special chair called the Keesay shel Eliahu, or Chair of Elijah. Elijah is considered the guardian of the baby during the circumcision. Accordingly, a special seat is dedicated to his honour, which the Mohel blesses by saying This chair is devoted to Elijah, the prophet. May his remembrance be for the good! The Mohel then recites another blessing. Praised by Thou, O Lord, he announces, our God, King of the Universe, who hast sanctified us with Thy commandments, and commanded us concerning the rite of circumcision." The Mohel then performs the circumcision, after which the babys father declares Praised by Thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has sanctified us by Thy commandments, and hast bidden us to make him enter into the covenant of Abraham our father. Those present respond As he has entered into the covenant, so may he be introduced to the study of Torah, to the wedding canopy, and to good deeds. Wine is now blessed and a little is put on the mouth of the baby. A prayer for the wellbeing of the child and his family is then recited, wherein the boy is also given his Hebrew name. The ceremony is followed by a special meal, the Seudat Mitzvah, after which a special grace is said for his welfare and that of his parents and the Mohel. Most Jews believe firmly in the Bris Milah. They consider the ceremony, and the act of circumcision, to be representative of the special perpetual bond between God and the Jewish nation, a bond they anticipate will never be broken as long as such rites are followed. However, in DCCCII, the new Judaic sect, known as the Christians, was beginning to tear itself apart over such issues. (Perga, Roman Imperial Province of Pamphylia, 57 years previously, Iul. DCCCII A.V.C., in the 8th year of the reign of the Emperor Claudius [July, AD 49]) Corruptissima re publica plurimae leges. (The more corrupt the state is, the more numerous are the laws.) - Tacitus (Annals) After their month-long stay in Perga, Paul and Barnabas set off down the River Cestris in a small boat, making for the seaport of Attalia, from where they would cross the Mare Internum to continue their journey to Jerusalem for the first Christian council. One of the main topics on the conference agenda was the issue of the circumcising of gentile converts. (Latium, Italia, same time) Hinc illae lacrimae. (Hence these tears.) - Terence (Andria) As Servius reclined in the back of Palaemons carpetum, the young man was feeling physically much healthier after spending a month in the renowned teachers luxurious domus. His bodily recuperation from his ordeals as a galley slave had progressed well, undoubtedly aided by being looked after by the famous tutor, and his friends and servants, as if he was an honoured guest who was to be pampered. However, despite the miraculous and substantial change in his circumstances such munificent hospitality represented, the 18 year-old had remained depressed. Not even the beautiful, in terms of both looks and character, Gaius and Axenius, the latter a fellow eunuch, had managed to remedy the guests melancholy. It had been Gaius who had eventually sagely advocated that Servius might benefit from a country holiday, which would also represent the 18 year-olds return to rustic roots. The young man from Volsinii, himself from a small rural town, suggested that such a break from Rome, of which the guest had painful memories, might aid the restitution of the former galley slaves mental health. Servius was not sure that any holiday could restore such wellbeing, as both his waking and sleeping thoughts were regularly consumed by nightmares concerning the deaths of his wife and child, his castration and his time in the hell that was the hold of the Imperial trireme. The young man knew that he was perhaps feeling too sorry for himself, and should therefore try to become more positive about life, but he had so far not managed to shake off his all-pervading misery. Later, after Palaemons carriage had arrived at a roadside tavern for an overnight stay, Servius, in the privacy of his room, examined his gelded genitalia again. The 18 year-old also once more inspected the penile scene where his foreskin should have been. His anguished mind then went back a couple of months to when he had lost his prepuce. The Imperial trireme, inappropriately called a heavenly name, the Olympus, was making steady progress, from Alexandria to Rome across the Mare Internum, with a convenient breeze making operation of the oars superfluous. As such a circumstance afforded the crew some leisure time, the naked Servius was again dragged on deck to pleasure the sailors with his orifices. Despite the fact that, by now, Servius should have become accustomed to servicing maritime cocks with his mouth, he gagged several times at the introduction to his lips of one particularly large, odious, hairy and unclean specimen of male virility. The galley slaves reaction caused the sailor concerned, a rather tall, overweight, hirsute, unhygienic, smelly man, to slap the 18 year-old across the face in fury at having his penile pleasure disturbed. Unfortunately for the recipient of the hit, now so unbalanced that he fell from his demeaning kneeling position to sprawl on the deck instead, this anger then turned to malicious amusement. I think our sex slave dislikes my uncut cock, suggested the sneering sailor, an Alexandrian who was well-known for his crude anti-Semitism, as well as his bodily unpleasantness, to his crewmates, gathered together to enjoy Servius carnal services, possibly because he has Jewish leanings. Well, perhaps we should therefore initiate him into that cursed faith. The short-term agony induced, and the longer-term noticeable loss, might also encourage him not to be so inefficient in sucking the intact foreskins of us non-believers in future! The repulsive man then withdrew a knife, from a scabbard worn on a waist belt round his shabby, dirty tunic, which had been uplifted previously to provide the galley slave with oral access to his hirsute crutch. Grab him! the Alexandrian then asked of his comrades, who appeared very happy to assist, an attitude evidenced by not only the swift compliance to this request by a quartet of spectators but also the laughter induced in all the other witnesses. Meanwhile, Servius was too shocked and physically weak to prevent the sailors instruction from being followed. Four sturdy crewmen grabbed one of Servius limbs apiece and spreadeagled the uselessly struggling 18 year-old on the deck. The Alexandrian then knelt and straddled the young man, pressing revolting pubes, uncovered under his tunic, against his victims face to silence any cries. The sailor subsequently grabbed the flaccid shaft of the galley slaves penis. The Alexandrian painfully pulled on Servius foreskin to extend the prepuce well beyond the 18 year-olds cockhead. It then took three quick but rather inefficient and distressing slices of his sharp but unhygienic knife for the sailor to circumcise the slave. As blood spewed from the resultant excruciating wound, the Alexandrian displayed the severed foreskin in front of Servius appalled eyes, before throwing the prepuce away for a gull to collect. However, despite his penile torment, the 18 year-old was soon released to assume his debasing kneeling position again and, this time, perform his degrading and disagreeable act of fellatio without interruption, an abject accomplishment that later created a little stream of extraneous semen to run down his chin. (Imperial palace, Rome, same time) Salus populi suprema lex. (The safety of the people is the supreme law.) - Cicero Claudius, previously renowned for his religious tolerance, had just ordered Narcissus to organise the expulsion from Rome of all Jews and members of the breakaway Judaic sect known as the Christians. The Emperor had been very reluctant to issue the command, especially as he had previously greatly respected followers of Judaism, an attitude influenced by his now deceased friend from childhood, Herod Agrippa. Unfortunately, tensions in Rome between the orthodox and Christian factions of Judaism had recently erupted into violence. Claudius therefore believed that he had no choice but to order the expulsions for the sake of the maintenance of law and order in his capital. (Jerusalem, Palestina, Nov. DCCCII A.V.C., in the 8th year of the reign of the Emperor Claudius [November, AD 49]) And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved - Acts of the Apostles (15.1) Paul and Barnabas had returned to Jerusalem for the first Christian council, specifically called to discuss the issues that threatened to tear Judaism apart. The entry of non-Jews, or gentiles, into the new sect, and particularly the identity of the Jewish customs such converts should have to adopt, were topics high on the agenda. Paul and Barnabas knew that the many, formerly pagan, male Romans and Greeks, whom they had tempted towards their Jewish sect, objected to many of the ancient customs of Judaism, particularly the idea of having to undergo circumcision. However, certain prominent members of the new Judaic faction were insisting upon the continuance of such traditions. My recounting, of the debate over such matters at the first Christian council, is now aided by reference to a scroll in my possession. This document is a copy of another that records, in chapter 15 in Greek, the acts of what the members of the Christian sect call apostles, such as Paul.
Some members of the Judaic Pharisees party, who, despite earlier confrontations with Christ, had become adherents of the new sect, stood up and declared that it was absolutely essential that the converts were told that they must be circumcised and observe the other Laws of Moses. However, Cephas, who had returned from Rome for the council, supported the contrary view of Paul, despite the fact that he was not on the best of terms with the well-spoken Greek Jew with Roman citizenship, who had never met Jesus in person. Those who had known Jesus Christ, such as Cephas, advocated a version of their new creed that was soundly based on Judaism. However, Paul differed, proposing radical changes to the accepted doctrines, for which he was later vilified as a traitor to the cause by many Jewish converts. Paul appears to have personally formulated many of the currently dominant doctrines of Christianity, a name he actually personally ascribed to his sect. Although he met Jesus brother, James, as well as Cephas, he did not get along particularly well with either, and there were many tensions and downright disagreements amongst them, particularly in respect of aspects of his missions and such issues as the relevance of Jewish dietary laws. He also criticised factions within the Christian community, which identified themselves with specific prominent apostles instead of forming a unified body. Nevertheless, at the council, Cephas said, in support of Paul, Men and brothers, you know that, from the earliest days, God chose me as the one from whose lips the Gentiles should hear the Word and should believe it. Moreover, God, who knows mens inmost thoughts, has plainly shown that this is so, for when he had cleansed their hearts though their faith he gave the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles exactly as he did to us. Why then must you now strain the patience of God by trying to put on the shoulders of these disciples a burden, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? Surely the fact is that it is by the grace of the Lord Jesus that we are saved by faith, just as they are! He also reminded those present how the centurion Cornelius, a gentile, had received Gods Holy Spirit, despite being uncircumcised. The preachers opinion was also advocated by the first Bishop of Jerusalem, Jesus brother, James, who did so by referring to various scriptures. Men and brothers, James asked, whilst referring to Cephas by the name by which he knew him, listen to me. Simeon has shown how in the first place God chose a people from among the nations who should bear his name. This is in full agreement with what the prophets wrote, as in this scripture: After this, I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen down. I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up, so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord who does all these things. I believe that this quotation is from chapter 9, verses 11 and 12, of the Judaic Book of Amos. Known to God, James continued, from eternity are all his works. I am firmly of the opinion that we should not put any additional obstacles before any gentiles who are turning towards God. He then proposed a set of simple rules to guide gentiles in their relations with Jewish converts by suggesting Instead, I think we should write to them telling them to avoid anything polluted by idols, sexual immorality, eating the meat of strangled animals, or tasting blood. James concluded For after all, for many generations now Moses has had his preachers in every city and has been read aloud in the synagogues every Sabbath day. After a lengthy, and at times heated, debate, the first Christian council finally approved Pauls wishes. James summed up the outcome neatly when he advised that My judgement is that we should not trouble those of the gentiles who turn to God. An agreement was subsequently reached to choose representatives and send them with Paul and Barnabas to Syrian Antioch. Their names were Judas, surnamed Barsabbas, and Silas, both leading members of the sect. The chosen duo carried with them a letter bearing a message, which read The apostles and elders, who are your brothers, send their greetings to the brothers who are gentiles in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. Since we have heard that some of our number have caused you deep distress, and have unsettled your minds by giving you a message, which certainly did not originate from us, we are unanimously agreed to send you chosen representatives with our well-loved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. So we have sent you Judas and Silas who will give you the same message personally by word of mouth. For it has seemed right to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no further burden upon you except what is absolutely essential, namely, that you avoid what has been sacrificed to idols, tasting blood, eating the meat of whatever has been strangled and sexual immorality. Keep yourselves clear of these things and you will make good progress. Farewell! It is my firm belief that the rejection by Pauline Christianity of many of the compulsory features of Judaism, such as circumcision, has led to the rapid growth of the Judaic sect during my lifetime, despite much persecution, details of which I shall relate later in my saga. I have already mentioned the attraction of Jewish monotheistic beliefs, with their lofty ethics and the promise of ultimate eternal life, to many Romans and Greeks, who are nevertheless disinclined to switch to the religion. The advent of a similar creed, with all the advantages but none of the disadvantages, including penile disfigurement and popular anti-Semitism, of Judaism therefore attracted converts in droves, including, a young man in Lystra called Timothy, to whom I have also previously referred. I occasionally reflect on the irony that perhaps some day the new Jewish Christian sect might overtake orthodox Judaism, and perhaps even the worship of Roman and Greek gods, in popularity, possibly to become one of the worlds great religions, because of a more benign attitude to male foreskins. (Lystra, Roman Imperial Province of Lycaonia, summer DCCCIII A.V.C., in the 9th year of the reign of the Emperor Claudius [summer, AD 50]) We are more sensible of what is done against custom than against Nature. - Plutarch Timothy lay face up and naked on a table. Paul held the handsome young mans cock in his left hand and a knife in the other. Timothy was acutely embarrassed that the attention currently being given to his penis had caused the shaft to become rigid. Nevertheless, Paul tried to ignore the phenomenon, which was not unusual when an older male is circumcised, until, as he extended the foreskin, the young mans body visibly shook, as unwanted and humiliating orgasm interrupted proceedings. Paul was subsequently compelled to use the cloth, ready nearby to mop up blood, to remove the copious white creamy evidence of fountain-like climactic ejaculation, before returning to his latest missionary exploit. Timothys face was therefore already bright red, not because of trepidation but through intense abashment, when he felt the apostle begin to carve painfully through his prepuce. Despite confirmation at the Christian council that male gentile converts did not have to be circumcised, Timothy had requested the penile alteration. His Greek father was very much against the operation but his Jewish mother was naturally far less displeased. However, maternal preferences for the state of his cockhead had not influenced the young mans decision. Timothy now wanted to accompany Paul and Barnabas on their mission to seek converts for the new sect. The young man had persuaded the apostles that he was likely to be more persuasive in respect of Jews if he adopted Jewish customs, including circumcision. Paul reluctantly agreed. However, Timothys circumcision would represent the last occasion that the apostle would be involved in such a rite. (Imperial palace, Rome, same time) Aristotle used to say that personal beauty was a better introduction than any letter; but others say that it was Diogenes who gave this description of it, while Aristotle called beauty the gift of God; that Socrates called it a short-lived tyranny; Theophrastus a silent deceit; Theocritus an ivory mischief; Carneades a sovereignty which stood in need of no guards. - Diogenes The beautiful Apollinus cradled a distraught beautiful Britannicus in his arms. Dont fret too much, the now 18 year-old Apollinus pleaded, with as much calm as his own upset mind could muster, as your fathers action might not have the implications you fear. However, the now 9 year-old prince had as little confidence in his slaves forecast as the conveyor of the optimistic comment. The gorgeous boys tears therefore continued to flow. (To be continued in chapter XXXIII Adoptions)
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