Philochristus: Memoirs of a Disciple of the LordAbbott, Edwin Abbott
Religion
Philochristus: Memoirs of a Disciple of the Lord
Abbott, Edwin Abbott
Christian fiction; Jesus Christ -- Fiction
When Bethany was by this time out of our sight, as we went by the road
that lieth between the Tombs of the Prophets and the Mount of Offence,
suddenly we heard a shouting as of a mixed multitude, and presently we
discerned a great crowd of the disciples coming over the brow of the hill
towards us, with many hundreds of the Galileans, all waving palm‐branches
in their hands, and hailing Jesus as the son of David. Now Jesus was
riding before our band, upon the ass; but when the two bands met, there
was a great shouting for joy; and the former band turned round and went on
as vanguard, but our band marched on behind. Presently, as we drew near to
the descent of the Mount of Olives, when we began to descry that quarter
of the Holy City which men called the City of David, the shouting became
louder, and so it continued, even there where the road descendeth so that
the Holy City is no longer seen.
But when at last we attained unto the summit of the Mount Olivet, so that
the whole of the city was seen at once spread out before our eyes, with
all the roofs, and towers, and pinnacles thereof, and the gilded
battlements of the temple, shining like fire in the sun, then indeed the
splendour of the sight so lifted up our hearts that we were even beside
ourselves for admiration; and looking unto Jesus as the King of all this
glory, we cried even louder than before unto him as our King and
Conqueror, like unto David of old. But Jesus neither now nor at any time
during the entering into Jerusalem seemed at all lifted up by our
salutations and praises; nor yet, on the other hand, was he of a gloomy or
sad countenance as though he foreboded evil and ruin. Rather he was as one
waiting and expecting, looking perchance for some sign of the will of the
Lord, in case it might yet please Him to turn the hearts of the Pharisees,
that they might be converted and live. Therefore also when he looked on
the glory of Jerusalem below his feet, he was neither astonished at the
beauty thereof, nor did he (at least at this time) weep or lament over it:
but he gazed at it, as it were in suspense and questioning his own spirit;
if perchance it might be the Lord’s pleasure to manifest Himself to the
daughter of Sion, and to stay His hand from destroying the beautiful city;
or whether that could not be, but evil must take his course.
But we, at this time, perceived naught of that which was in our Master’s
mind; but we lifted up our voices and shouted amain, hailing him as Son of
David, and crying, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He that cometh
in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom that cometh of our father
David!” Some also cast their palm‐branches down in the road before him,
and others strewed their garments in the path to do him honour. After this
fashion therefore, shouting, and singing, and praising God, the whole
multitude of us came down from the mountain into the valley below.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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