FAREWELL TO TARSUS CHAPTER TEN - Page 1

WHEN FRIENDS OF Rabbi Benjamin and Esther learned that they were sailing for Joppa, en route to Jerusalem by way of Gischala, the trip began to resemble a pilgrimage. Many others at synagogue asked to accompany them on their journey. A teacher of renown, Rabbi Benjamin was asked to conduct classes aboard the ship as they traveled down the coast. The long hours of sea travel, which could become very monotonous, would thus be transformed into a classroom. In the tradition of his father, Ben-Lemuel, Benjamin had a way of making all historical places and events come alive when lecturing.

Thus, once the ship had left Lake Rhegma, traversed the canal and entered the open sea, the rabbi commenced his first lesson. On a hatch of the foredeck, his fellow Tarsians gathered, bundling against a chilly north breeze, to hear their chosen teacher bring the trip to life. Many of the younger travellers, like Shallum and Jephuneh, were still too excited to sit and listen. They were tended on the bow of the ship by an appointed guardian. Meanwhile, Saul gathered with the adults, ever eager for yet more knowledge of his world.

"As we sail toward Sidon," Benjamin began, "I am reminded of much of our history, stretching back beyond the fathers. Sidon is one of the oldest cities on sacred record. Canaan, the grandson of Noah, had a son, Sidon. Sidon's father Canaan, you may recall, had a brother named Cush, whose son Nimrod is given credit for founding the kingdom of Babel. Such cities as Nineveh are mentioned in Babel. If we were traveling inland, we would naturally discuss the cities of Nineveh and Babylon that arose in the kingdom of Nimrod, whose name suggests rebellion. But because we are moving only along the coast and will be stopping at Sidon, we can learn some interesting facts about this ancient city.'

"The people of Sidon, or Zidon, are sometimes referred to as Sidonians. A remarkable achievement of these Sidonians was their skills as sailors. They conducted sea traffic along the coast of Africa as far as Spain. One outstanding example is the city of Carthage, which was founded by Elissa, known as Queen Dido, daughter of Belus, king of Tyre. When her brother Pygmalion murdered her husband, she fled with devoted followers to the coast of Africa. There across from the Isle of Sicily, she settled with her Phoenician followers 800 years ago. When Queen Dido asked for land, according to legend, she was told she could only have only as much as the hide of a bull could cover. So, she took the hide of a bull, cut it in very thin strips, and tied these together in a long line. That encircled her first land."

Rabbi Benjamin paused to laugh with his listeners at this point. Then he continued, "However Queen Dido procured the land, I cannot say, but at least she got enough to settle and establish Carthage, which grew to be one of the truly great cities of all time. Located on a peninsula, Carthage had two excellent harbors. One harbor inside the city walls could shelter hundreds of military vessels. The city was protected by a wall 40 feet high, and 30 feet wide, that stretched across the peninsula. Another wall called the Byrsa enclosed the city fortress. Carthage actually grew until it controlled an empire that included western north Africa, southern Spain, Sardinia, Corsica, and the western half of Sicily. So, you see that Sidon spawned something great in northern Africa. We could spend much tine on the famous military leaders of Carthage, like Hannibal who annihilated a Roman army at Cannae. But we will only refer to its struggles with Rome in three Punic wars. That ended with the destruction of Carthage."

Saul asked if he would tell more about the Roman siege of Carthage. He said that often teachers withheld some of the most violent stories.

"Among the undisciplined, that is often wise," Rabbi Benjamin replied. "It is done to keep racial hatred from rising. But among us, that will not be necessary. When Cato returned from an official visit to Carthage, he appeared before the Roman Senate with a bundle of fresh figs. It was a symbol, he said, of her prosperity, and her rapid recovery from the wars with Hannibal. If Carthage continued to increase in power, Cato told the Senate, she could become a threat to Rome, as master of the Mediterranean. Cato ended by saying, 'I think that Carthage must be destroyed.'
"The Senate had to persuade itself that war was the only option. They decided that the former Sidonian Queen Dido had come with Phoenician interlopers to north Africa, and that was reason enough to destroy them. In an earlier treaty signed at Zama, Carthage had agreed to pay an annual indemnity of 200 talents. She had made the last of 50 such payments, but Rome became determined to have war in spite of this.'

"As plans developed, Carthage was in no position to match the military strength of Rome. Rome controlled the sea, and blocked passage to Carthage. Representatives from Carthage hastened to Rome with instructions to meet all demands. They returned to say Rome wanted 300 children from their noblest families as hostages. When the parents and their children were brought to the docks of Carthage, many mothers refused to let their children go, and made a final desperate attempt to keep the children from being torn from their embrace. Some of us in Tarsus recall this kind of brutality from the hands of Cassius and Tribune Marcellus. Some in Carthage tried to prevent the ships from sailing. Many plunged into the sea, and in desperation swam toward the ships to catch a final glimpse of their children.'

"After the children reached Rome as hostages, Rome made further demands. They wanted all of her ships, much of her grain, and all of her weapons of war delivered over. Reluctantly, Carthage agreed. After these demands were met, Rome wanted all of the population of Carthage to abandon their homes and move ten miles from the city so that Rome could burn everything to the ground without resistance. The ambassadors of Carthage tried to reason with Rome that they had given their children, their ships, their grain, their weapons. They pled that their city be spared. They even offered to give their own lives as a final measure, but Rome rejected the offer. Only the total destruction of Carthage would suffice.'

"When the ambassadors of Carthage returned with this report, parents who had given up their children became insane with rage. They dragged the ambassadors through the streets and stoned them to death. Although their military leader, Hasdrubal, stood in empty arsenals, he called on all adults to prepare a resistance. Statues of cherished images were melted to forge weapons. Women allowed their hair to be shorn to make ropes. In a space of two months, the desperate Carthaginians produced 8000 shields, 18,000 swords, 30,000 spears, and 60,000 catapult missiles. With feverish zeal, they built in their harbor a fleet of 120 ships. '

"When Rome attacked, Carthage managed to repulse the siege for three full years. Finally, the Carthaginians, weakened by starvation, could no longer defend their walls. The Romans who finally entered their city were ordered by their general, Scipio, to level all areas captured. Hundreds of Carthaginians who had hidden, perished in the flames. Finally the population of 500,000 had been reduced to 55,000. When Hasdrubal, the general defending Carthage, asked for his life, his wife accused him of cowardice, and with her sons plunged into the flames. The remaining survivors were sold as slaves. Soldiers of Rome were allowed to pillage at will before the city was completely leveled. The soil on which Carthage had stood was plowed and sown with salt so that nothing more would grow there.'

Benjamin concluded the session, pointing to the coastline and the outline of the harbor of Sidon, now in view.

Saul asked if Rome had learned anything from this. "How big and successful must a city become before Rome decides to destroy it? For example, is Antioch in danger? It is the third largest city in the empire."

"I think not. Antioch has no army. It is fair to say that Rome made an example of Carthage to the empire. If it had not been the fertile ground of a former rivalry with Hannibal, perhaps the city would not have been so feared by the Romans. It is a tragic story, but a story that gives warning to all cities around the world that might consider raising a threat to Rome."
"So," Saul replied. "Do you think the world is better, more stable today because of this terrible war?"

"Carthage should still be with us, I think. This story tells me that fear and ignorance make terrible politicians. If the truth in Carthage had been known fully in Rome, the words of Cato might have fallen on deaf ears before the Senate, and the world would have another fine city today. One that contributed much to the commerce and knowledge of all."

As the ship turned toward the harbor at Sidon, Rabbi Benjamin suggested they change the subject. He suggested that those who were interested might go into the city and visit the temples. He mentioned also, that the glassworks would be an interesting visit. "The Sidonians were among the earliest to make glassware from blown glass," the rabbi said.
As the ship docked, some of the group departed for the city. But Saul preferred to remain at the docks, watching the ships arriving from various parts of the empire. He questioned sailors and merchants about their adventures across the world. Shallum and Jephuneh tagged along, annoying Saul with their improvised play with trash, seaweed and driftwood scattered on the sand beaches beneath the piers.

As the day wore on and evening shadows fell, everyone gathered together back on board. They discussed the interesting places they had visited in Sidon, and wondered what their next stop would be. Rabbi Benjamin said, "Tomorrow we sail to Tyre, and I will tell you how the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, predicted the fall of this great city."

The next morning the sea was calm and the sun shone brightly as they pulled from the harbor at Sidon, headed for Tyre. Everyone was anxious to listen to what the rabbi would be saying in his next lecture. As soon as they had partaken of their morning meal, Benjamin began: "The prophecies made about Tyre are some of the most remarkable on record. Alexander the Great, at the age of 24, decided to invade Egypt and set out with 32,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry. When he arrived at Tyre, however, he felt he had to conquer it. It was a strategic seaport city and he wanted to control it before going further.'

"The city was divided, built partly on the mainland and partly on a rocky island 2,000 feet from shore. The city on the shore soon fell into Alexander's hands but the fortified city on the rocky island withstood his siege for seven months. Finally, Alexander decided to build causeways with the ruins of the city he had already destroyed. These would lead his marching army to the fortress on the island. He had his engineers build portable siege towers to roll out on the causeways. The towers then stood above the walls. From there, his men could rain down stones and fiery weapons on the defenders within the walls. When the city finally fell, Alexander ordered the buildings leveled and scraped into the sea. All of these actions were foretold by our prophets, like Ezekiel, two and a half centuries before the events took place."

The day spent in Tyre proved most interesting as the people saw the remnants of Alexander's destruction. The following morning when the ship left for Joppa, Rabbi Benjamin said, "As we sail today, I will discuss some of our most significant history on record. It pertains to the Philistines. Some of you may not be aware that Palestine derived its name from the Philistines, a mysterious people. You will be interested in learning how they came to occupy the coastal area from Joppa to Gaza, where they built five strategic cities. Saul, will you name them for us?"
"Gaza, Ekron, Ashdod, Ashkelon and Gath," he replied quickly.
"Very good. And tell us what you know of these five cities."

"Gaza, near the coast, controlled the Maritime Plain and the caravan route to Egypt and Arabia. Ekron was more of a market city in the Valley of Sorek. Ashdod was strategically located on the main road to Joppa. Ashkelon was a fortress-city, controlling the routes of caravans. Gath was famous for its heathen temples."

"Thank you, son. My son will be studying in Jerusalem and will need to demonstrate his grasp of many such ideas and facts. Now, I will try to answer who were these people? Where did they originate? And how did they arrive at this coastal region called Philistia, or Palestine? We can refer to both the records of the Bible and historical documents.'

"In Genesis we read of the Philistines descending from Cush, the grandson of Noah. There are records of them first appearing north of the Black Sea, by the Sea of Marmora. They were a fierce and warlike tribe of barbarians, who lived to kill and killed to live. Like a terrible cloud of destruction, they moved in wagons drawn by oxen, looting those they attacked, and leaving in their wake burned cities and devastated crops. As they moved westward, no power seemed able to withstand them. They arrived at the border of Egypt when Ramses III ruled. On the walls of the Temple of Amun at Medinet Habu, on the banks of the Nile, inscriptions describe in great detail the battles between these invaders and the Egyptians. Apparently the Egyptians were able to drive them back as far as the Isle of Crete, known in those days as 'Caphtor.' Moses refers to these people as the 'Caphtorim' or the people from Caphtor. The prophet Amos also spoke of the Philistines coming from Caphtor. Amos speaks also, of the children of Israel coming from Egypt. Both moved toward a collision in Canaan during the same period.'

"As Moses was leading his people through the wilderness, the Philistines, known as sea people, came in ships and settled along the coast from Joppa to Gaza. The Egyptians portrayed them towering over their people in height. The account in the Bible also speaks of their enormous stature. Those who accompanied Joshua and Caleb encountered them for the first time, and said, 'We were in our own sight in comparison as grasshoppers.' The Bible names a Philistine champion named Goliath of Gath who was over nine feet tall. He stood before the armies of Israel defying their God and challenging them to send one of their warriors to fight a duel. When David the shepherd accepted the challenge, the Philistine cursed David and his gods, saying, 'I will give your flesh to the fowls of the air and the beasts of the field.' David replied, 'You come to me with a sword and a spear and a shield. I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied . . . and all the earth will know that there is a God in Israel.' And David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and slew him. And the children of Israel pursued them to the gates of their cities of Ekron and Gath.'

"Most of you," Benjamin continued, "are familiar with the story of David and Goliath, and how he led his people to victory over the Philistines. But there is another story that I personally feel may be even greater. Ten years prior, Jonathan, the son of Saul achieved a victory under more difficult circumstances.'

"The Philistines had a garrison of soldiers at a pass seven miles northeast of Jerusalem. Rising on either side of the pass were cliffs known as Bozez and Seneh. On the summit of these cliffs, a Philistine garrison looked down from the heights. One day Jonathan and his armor bearer were seen passing through this narrow pass. The Philistines on sentry duty spied them, and shouted in sarcasm, 'Behold, the Hebrews come out of their holes where they have hid themselves.' Jonathan turned to his armor bearer and said, 'If they say come up to us, we will go. For God is not constrained to save by many or by few.' And the Philistines did shout, 'Come up to us and we will show you something.' To reach them, Jonathan and his aide had to climb on hands and feet up the face of the cliff. But, when they reached the summit, they slew the Philistines, and those observing their defeat fled. Some might call this a great victory for Jonathan and the lad. But he gave full credit to God who enabled him to overcome the enemies by supernatural strength.'

"There is another aspect of this true account that impresses me. The story of David and Goliath is well known, but the one I have just told about Jonathan is not. There is a reason. David killed Goliath with an army of his own people observing his victory. As is always the case, there was an army to repeat what they had seen. In contrast, Jonathan fought alone with just his armor bearer. And some of life's greatest battles are fought that way, alone, with God observing. But remember Jonathan's example. When God is with you, you can have victory, whether you be many or few."