It was almost a year after Athaliah had taken the reins of reigning the ‘Queendom’ in Jerusalem. It was Rosh Hashona – New year’s Holiday. People were coming to the Temple for listening to the Shofar’s blowings (Shofar is a horn of Kosher animal, at those days mainly a deer or sheep) and to pray to God for a successful new year. People would stand in rows in the Temple, the Taliths’ (Jewish special cloth for prayers) and beg God to atone their sins in the previous year, and make them be rightous and pious in the future.
“People of Judea and Israel! God will hear our Shofar blows, and rise to defend us everywhere! But he would not atone our past sins - untill we swear to him with pure heart and good wish- to repent fully to him…The Almighty shall bless your towns and your homes, dear people, as well as your families and your fields and your sheep, your cattle, your slavesyou’re your maidservants... Amen.”
He had reiterated that rhetorical bless many times. Most of the pilgrims in that holiday –men and women- arrived till noon time. Then the Chief Priest stopped blessing. He intended to take a rest by sitting inside and order two Flower priests to begin with the Shofar Blowings procedure; But he suddenly discerned Prophet Joseph running toward the low stage, where he was standing. Joseph was calling very excited:
“Please hear me, Your Higness! the Queen’s soldiers snatch virgin teenage girls - from the streets of Jerusalem. It’s an unprecedented event, sir.”
“Where have you seen that?”
“In the slope of the Temple street and in the Cedars street, and I was told of other places.”
“Testify what you have seen in your own eyes,” said the High Priest.
“I have seen four rapers undressing two girls. The Queen suddenly came. She was looking from her driving chariot at the abuse, and was laughing derisively at the view… The criminals are soldiers, from Baal worshippers’ batallion. I recognized one of them, but not by his name. ”
“Damned Athaliah, Jezebel’s daughter,” said Yehoyada, “She has intentionally declared our holiday also as Idol Ashera’s Festivity day! This was her trick, to attract the youngsters of Judea to the erotic dances. Criminals Idols’ worshippers…But what shall I do, God? .. What?”
He was like talking to himself, but the prophet dared to advice him:
“Call the people from here, who are faithful to God. Lead all of us to protest, sir! We should rebel! If not now- when? From now on - every ceremony or meeting of God’s Believers will be contaminated by her troops... Poor girls! We should do something, sir ”
“I can’t cause riots,” said the High Priest, “I have no power. I should not sacrifice young flower priest to be stroked to death by her Baal’s armed men. They will kill without a second thought. God Believers are now the minority within the army. And she ordered Abner – to send them to the far distant frontiers. We believe that God will be with us, but He demands us to restrain ourselves.”
Young prophet Joseph left the Temple’s courtyard and rushed back to the streets, in which he saw the wild rape by drunken soldiers. He continued to see uniformed men coming to dancers’ circles, carrying more abducted girls with torn dresses. Their upper bodies were exposed, and the wild males were grabbing their breasts fiercely, their sharp wine smell carried out in the air. Some were kissing swooning girls lying on the ground, and some – who snatched their victim and brought them on horsebacks or on oxenbacks, tied in ropes – persuaded their friends to take part in their loot. The group rapes was applauded by the queen, who would order her servants to approach a gang and bring the guys wine and cakes for inflamimg the festivity fire.
The soldiers were talkng rudely to the girls, who most of them were crying. Some of the rapers were throwing the young women on the ground after lying with them once or twice. Voices of sighs and sobs were echoing under the trees. Especailly those girls who suffered violent gang-raping, had been left naked and their dresses disappeared. Some had been strangled, brought to unconsciousness, then raped again and again. No one came to help them, till the evening – when the prophet had mobilized two priests, who had dared to join him to the woods of rape, bringing some dresses to the maidens. When they arrived there- the girls’ dreadful screams were still filling the air. The prophet saw two girls’ naked corpses lying on the ground. They had been slaughtered, after having kicked a soldier in his testicles. ..The girl who told that to the prophet had succeeded to escape and hide somewhere…
“There were wild males jolting around, kissing and caressing and undressing each other in a real orgastic joy,” she said, “Priest’s Baal, Mathan, was the organizer of that event. I saw Queen Athaliah inspecting the event from her carriage. She induced the priest to continue the Show. She was shouting to him: “Now is your chance, Baal’s Priest. Today I permit you to take a new Ashera or a second Baal or whoever. Fuck and die, don’t be shy. I don’t mind!”
That was a crucial day for the God believers. Not only sexual abuse in public had taken place in town. Athaliah soon sent a squad of soldiers – holding swords and shields to the Temple. They burst into the crowd who had filled the courtyard. Their shouts and pushes caused people to escape from the holy place, but many were attacked and blown by Athaliah’s gangs. Three Flower Priests tried to avoid soldiers from reaching Yehoyada, who was still standing on the low stage at the center. They were brutally hit by sticks and whips of the soldiers, but after a few minutes arrived an officer – who ordered them to stop their brutal activity and let the crowd hear a message.
He had read it from a scroll, while standing near Yehoyada:
“I am the herald of queen Athaliah,” he shouted, “silence, God’s believers! This is her announcement: ‘I ,Queen Athaliah, have become to know - that a rebellion is being boiled in this Temple. Therefore, I declare that ‘From now on - any prayer or sacrifice in the Temple of God is forbidden’. I repeat: Any prayer or sacrifice in the Temple is forbidden. Any protestwer will be caught and arrested. Beware of being executed, citizens. The gallows are not far…”
Yehoyada was in a shock, and his whole body trembled. He was feeling like his head had been hit. His sight became dazzled, and at first he did not react to the officer’s declaration. After a few minutes, however, he strengthened and told his audience:
“We shall not surrender to this wicked order!”- and the frightened crowd was still like chained to their standing positions:
“God will take revenge on the murderous queen! Dear countrymen, God’s believers, please go now to your homes. Be careful not to quarrel with soldiers or policemen- because that is her wish, to bring a massacre.. We are living in a hard time, but we’ve prevailed Pharaoh - and will prevail Athaliah! So help us God!”
Ten Flower Priests came soon to the low stage. Despite the soldiers threatening -they were singing a Psalms chorus.
The event of closing the Temple had found its nice depiction in a poem, written by famous French poet Jean Racin, about 2500 years after that event. I have adapted it into nowadays understandable English, (hopefully) with minor changes:
Song of ‘Rosh Hashona’ –New Year’s Renewal Day
Once the trumpet’s sound announced the Year’s Renewal Day.
Now there is sadness over all, we can only in silence pray.
Once masses were coming to the Temple, dressed in white.
Now the altar feels lonely, it looks so dark like night.
A sinful woman’s wickedness has extinguished every light.
By forbidding us to celebrate - she has driven away delight!
But we shall overcome - we’re sure about that, so we feel!
We will strengthen, oh, my friend, we shall win by God’s will
Yehosheva, the queen’s daughter, was also shocked from the rapes, about which she had heard from her desparate husband. She walked among the crowd and asked people if anybody had seen Abner, the Army Commander. But no. He stayed at home. Yehosheva sent her maid to search him there, and his wife – Rachel- rushed to her with her new bo
rn baby in hands. She told Yehoshava that her husband was in a great dilema:
‘I shall not conceal from you, my wife,’ she heard him say, ‘that my heart is full of awe. Queen Ataliah will tear down the High Priest by her anger. She fears his incitement against her. She threatened even to send him to exile – to the far district of Sodom’.
A day after, General abner arrived secretely in the High Priest’s house. He expressed his fear that his own life had been in danger. Recently the queen had mobilized hundreds of foreigners – Philistines, Knaanites and Edomeans- to the army, without pre-notice. Now, as long as she allows him to remain in his post – he feels he must keep it. She is really afraid of the extreme God-Believers. They threaten to take her life, she says. She had even changed her head-guards, replacing all Judeans by hired Philistines- as a precaution. Her money to hire them will make them loyal and obedient, she thinks.
“She had robbed our Temple’s gold treasure,” said the High Priest, “it seems that a lot of it has remained in her hands.”
“Yes,” confirmed Abner, “she had stopped to strengthen the ramparts, as soon as Jehu had retreated.”
“She had not returned a farthing to the Temple, the criminal Queen,” sighed angry Yehoyada.
CHAPTER 17