SAUL'S NEIGHBORS IN TARSUS CHAPTER SIX - Page 1

"WE ARE GOING to have new neighbors!" Saul shouted, as he burst into the house with characteristic enthusiasm. It was evening and everyone had gathered for the formal meal. "A family from Rome is moving into the Helvius House just two doors away from us. And, do you know who they are? They are the family Tullius, directly related to Cicero!" Pausing for breath, Saul looked at his father with a touch of disappointment. Rabbi Benjamin did not seem surprised. "Well," he asked, "isn't that important news?"

Benjamin smiled, understanding Saul's enthusiasm. "I'm sorry. I learned this just yesterday morning and had so many other things on my mind, I forgot to tell you and Miriam and your mother. But I hope you will be happy to learn that the family has a son your age. His name is Marcus."

"Marcus Tullius? Hm."

As they sat to eat the evening meal, as always, Benjamin insisted that they enjoy their meal together in a relaxed manner, not discussing great issues. But as soon as the meal was finished, discussion turned to the new neighbors.

"Why does the neighbor's house carry the name Helvius?" Miriam asked.

"It is from the name of the noble family Helvius," replied her father. "A very prominent family name, as famous as that of Cinna. The Helvius family appears in Roman history across four centuries. Cicero's mother was a Helvius. But Cicero's family name is Tullius, and Cicero's real name was Marcus Tullius. Did you know that?"

"No," Saul replied with surprise.

"But why do we call him Cicero?" Miriam inquired.

"I know that," Saul said. "May I tell her, father?"

Benjamin nodded with a broad smile.

"The original Marcus Tullius had a wart on the end of his nose. The wart is a cicer. Therefore, he was nicknamed Cicero."

Benjamin added comment. "He accepted the name in good humor, and would sometimes draw a sketch of himself showing the wart on his nose, and sign it Cicero, and then include his real name, Marcus Tullius, below it. We have such a document he sent to your grandfather Ben-Lemuel. It is kept at the warehouse. I will show you someday, if you like."

"I've seen it," Saul said.

"Yes, but Miriam has not. Would you like to see it sometime, Miriam?"

"Yes. It must be a treasure now that he is gone."

"Indeed it is. He once told your grandfather that his childhood friends used to suggest that he stop using the nickname. He reportedly replied, 'I will make that name Cicero more famous than that of Scauri and Catuli.'

And of course, we know that he did."

"Do you remember when Cicero came as governor of Cilicia and lived in Tarsus?" asked Saul.

"No, that was a few years before my time. But my father knew him well, and often spoke with him. He also knew Cicero's younger brother Quintus. He was three years younger than Cicero. Ben-Lemuel said that Quintus was quite different from his older brother. He was quiet and modest, while Cicero had a great weakness for displaying his arrogance. He wanted to impress people. And if there is such a thing as justifiable pride, we have to admit he was, without question, perhaps the greatest mind and the most eloquent orator that Rome will ever know. But he was not content here in Tarsus. He preferred Rome and aspired to great heights. He treated being governor of Cilicia as beneath him, a temporary assignment. That was his way."

"Was he a good governor?" Saul asked.

"He only remained a year, and then returned to Rome with quite a good record, thanks to his brother Quintus Tullius who worked diligently behind the scenes."

"What could be accomplished in just one year?" Saul asked.

"A lot under the circumstances. Cicero was preceded by a terrible governor, Appius Claudius, a most degenerate man. The province was in a chaotic condition. The military ranks were lacking leadership. Two cohorts had actually disappeared totally. And to make matters worse, about the time Cicero was appointed, the Parthians were moving in a force that threatened all of Cilicia, including Tarsus."

"Father," Miriam asked, "aren't our shepherds Parthians?"

"Indeed, some of them are, well, most of them. Their families migrated here centuries ago, when Alexander the Great conquered Parthia in a fierce battle. Well, anyway, it was under these conditions that Cicero was appointed, you see? I say appointed because as a consul in Rome he received this post by the system they had at that time, where consuls drew lots. Cicero never relished the thought of coming here. When he was alerted to the danger of the Parthians, they had already crossed the Euphrates, and were meeting little resistance. Cicero asked his colleague Bibulus of Syria for help. But Bibulus was still in Rome. He then turned to his brother Quintus, who responded to his call. Quintus had served with Caesar in Gaul, and had won respect in battle."

Standing up to relieve his aching joints, Rabbi Benjamin walked to a window. He opened its shutter and stared out on the streets where lengthening shadows were introducing the night. For a moment he could almost hear Ben-Lemuel's voice telling him these same stories in this very room. He smiled to himself, remembering him fondly. Turning, he said, "Saul, I know you know the answer to this but let me ask your sister; Miriam, do you know what the barritus is?"

She squinted her face, wracking her brain, then shook her head. "No."

"I know what it is," Saul said eagerly.

"I know that you know," Benjamin said, an edge of sternness in his voice. He was now tutoring Miriam, not showing off Saul's knowledge.

Saul wilted slightly in his chair with shame. He loved nothing more than to demonstrate his knowledge. But he knew better than to show it off in front of his sister. Why couldn't he bridle his tongue?

"Well Miriam," Benjamin began, "there is an amusing story that is told about Cicero's brother Quintus when he went to war against the Parthians. One morning when he was reviewing his legion he came to one legionnaire who was polishing his shield with his face almost buried in the brass hollow. The soldier was humming a tune rather loudly and the reverberation from the shield was so amplified, it was startling. Quintus thought, What would this sound be like if every man bearing a shield did the same thing at one time? After testing this ingenious idea in a drill, he instructed his men when approaching the enemy to make this same sound in unison. It was eerie and unnerving to hear an entire legion this way. When the battle began, the sound amplified in the valley where they marched. The Parthians, a rather superstitious people anyway, began to grow terrified. Many began to retreat. This unusual war cry, amplified by the shields, became known as the barritus. '

"From the booty gained in this victory, Cicero claimed as his share 2,200,000 sesterces. And as a reward to his brother Quintus, he gave him an interest in some of the lumber and textile industry here in Cilicia. He also gave Quintus the Helvius House."

"Oh, Father!" Miriam exclaimed. "What history that house has! All right here in our neighborhood."

Saul's mother Esther had been quietly enjoying the conversation while attending to needle work. She said, "I believe I should at least go over to see if there is anything we can do to help them."

"And I will go with you," responded Miriam eagerly. "I want to see the descendants of Quintus Tullius."

Saul looked a little skeptically at his sister, questioning her motive for her willingness to help. He knew her to have too much of an interest in boys his age. Some of his other friends had been taken by her because she possessed her mother's beauty, even though she was so young.