‘Your father was a madman…’ Pontius pointed out. ‘Would you have called him harmless…?’
Herod’s smile grew less big.
Caiaphas seemed amused by this exchange, or perhaps it was the terrible Galilean wine, which had begun to work its wonders on him, for when he spoke now his voice was indulgent and calm. ‘Let us not waste time on the Messiah…but rather, direct our faculties to what we are to do about the troublemaker, John the Baptist…already he has aroused people to burn idols, and to ransack the houses of the pagans. Who knows what they will do next? Jesus of Nazareth is only one, out of thousands of followers!’
Ananias’ temper was grimly cast by the light of his fellow’s merriness. ‘Yes, Caiaphas, but don’t forget, Jesus of Nazareth has Zealots…members of the Sicarri who travel in his train…men who may be using him to incite sedition against Rome!’
Her husband leaned back, seemingly mining for wisdom in his wine cup. When he looked up, there was a fire in his eyes. ‘I do not need to look far to see conspirators, one fool tells me he is harmless, and the other fool tells me he is a danger!’ He set his wine cup down loudly and made them bend before the wind of his anger. ‘I do not know whom or what to believe, in this cursed place!’ He gathered to himself a measure of restraint before adding, ‘What is the name of the man who inspires Jesus of Nazareth, again?’
Ananias, having weathered the storm better than his younger counterpart, said, ‘John the Baptist, procurator.’
Herodias would add her own part to this and sat forward. Her entire mien was autocratic and impatient. ‘I was insulted by that man! He is an animal, a degenerate and an insurrectionist. Someone should arrest him and have him executed!’ She threw her husband a significant eye.
Her daughter laughed and said, ‘Poor stepfather! Your people hate you and so you are jealous of this man who is loved. In truth, you would kill the man for this alone, were it not for the hope that he could cure you of your father’s curse!’
‘Salome!’ Herod said to her, in vacuous astonishment.
She ignored him and continued, ‘But in my opinion, you should be more afraid of my mother…who is a witch, and can turn a man into a toad!’
‘Shut up, Salome! Have you no shame?’ Herodias barked.
Claudia saw a spark move from daughter to mother, mother to husband and back again, in a triumvirate of disdain, dislike and discomfiture.
Herod took to being cheerful and clapped his hands. ‘Salome, my dear, why don’t you delight us with a dance!’
Salome narrowed her eyes and shook her head. ‘No, I should think not.’
Unabashed he enticed her further, ‘Our hosts have not seen your marvellous dances! Your twists and turns that defy the eye! Music!’ he shouted, ‘Music!’
The Jew musicians paused their present song, and after a momentary hesitation, began a hurried tune with cymbals and drums.
Salome’s face moved in a snarl. ‘I said, no!’
Herod shot fire from his eyes at his wife. ‘Herodias, your daughter does not mind her father!’
‘That, husband, is because you are not her father,’ she reminded him.
There was an awkward silence, in which Herod’s face bloomed, and he drank down a gulp of wine to flush down the sting of his wife’s words.
In the meantime, an opportunity arose for the conversation to return to the subject at hand. Caiaphas was the first to take it and interpolated a clearing of the throat before saying, ‘The Sanhedrin has decided that Herod should seize John the Baptist when he comes next to that part of the Jordan which falls under his jurisdiction. Rome need not stain her brow with concern.’
Pontius, still contemplating Herod’s family squabble, took a moment to register these words. ‘On what charge?’
‘No charge…’ Herod gave his part. ‘First the council will hear what the man has to say, it will consult the law and make its decision.’
Caiaphas oiled his sharp voice on the tip of his tongue, ‘The point is,’ he said, ‘that you should not waste another moment on this matter.’
Pontius turned the wine in his cup around and around and around. ‘If you seize him it will lead to unrest, perhaps even a revolt…didn’t you say he has thousands of followers?’
‘The arrest will be carried out quietly,’ Caiaphas assured him, ‘without fuss or spectacle. Besides, what Jew would contest the power of the Sanhedrin and risk excommunication?’
Claudia’s husband set down his cup, he did not look convinced. He said, almost to himself, ‘Well, for my part, I will send someone to follow this Jesus of Nazareth. I am of a mind to think him more important than this John the Baptiser, whom I consider not yet a matter for Rome. I will not interfere with what you do with him so long as it is quiet. But mark well what I say,’ he looked at them with pointed eyes. ‘If I smell the slightest whiff of zealotry or hear the smallest whisper of an uprising, I shall send a message to the Governor of Syria calling for a sea of Roman Legions and Israel will again suffer the wrath of Rome. Who knows what reprisals shall then befall the likes of aberrant kings and suspect priests?’