Of Such Is the Kingdom Parts I and II—Christ and the Roman Empire

Herod shuddered involuntarily as he placed the goblet back on the stand. Then he straightened himself in his chair and looked at the speaker. ”It must have been quite a traumatic experience for you, especially at that age!”

”It certainly was. The sight of those things made me shiver, as their remembrance does somewhat even now. I left the house as quickly as possible, conveying as best I could to the dear woman, who was now hysterical, my deepest sympathies and promising to send a doctor if I could find one. Then, I ran as fast as I could. I ran through the town, keeping my eyes open for a doctor’s office. Having caught sight of one, I ran inside and, huffing and puffing, managed to inform the startled doctor of the poor woman’s plight. Then I ran on without stopping, my heart pounding, until at last I was out of that accursed town. Having reached the outskirts, I sat down to rest. And I thought. I thought how horrible it was. And I thought of what that woman had pointed out: that it was all because of one man’s whim that hundreds of innocent children must die. And that one man was sitting back and taking it easy in his nice plush palace, while his soldiers slaughtered innocent children by his command. What was the world coming to? It must be pretty rotten to allow such things, and pretty blind not to believe its own foul news, as many had not. I was disgusted with the world. I was disgusted with Herod, but more so with his men who feared so much to withstand him and refuse to carry out so hideous and order. Would he really have tortured and killed them? If they’d have gotten word out to all the soldiers, couldn’t they have withstood him? But, they didn’t think. They blindly went along. Right then and there I decided I would be different. I would be my own man, not duped, or blinded or ruled by anyone.”

”But you did return to the palace, didn’t you?” asked Herod, anxiously.