THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1957.
THE FINAL CHAPTER OF THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD
WITH A QUESTION BRINGING IT RIGHT INTO 1957
How often do we spot the Big Thing as it happens?
fighting, this race of Jews whom Herod now ruled hud
NOR another day the Temple's kept their tribal memories
Ferrumpet flared
of Yahweh and this pro- over mined land. They had
beaten the Philistines when
Minor. They had suffered
to had been conquered by the
Babylonians who had taken
many of them captive.
Jerusalem, and cocks crowed at they swept in from Asia Bethlehem as the first light came under the Assyrians. They from the east. In the low sky the south Jupiter, lucky and royal star, had moved close to Saturn, the star of Israel, and they almost the nation of Israel, the de- merged into one bright star.
Then, 600 years before this curly winter morning.
scendants of Abraham and Jacob, had been scattered.
And
Rand
to Jerusalem with His followers, emperors after Augustus are to Tewas to call Himself the be worshipped there.
Messiah, but this was not the Messiah of whom mast of the Jews had dreamed: this was no
CONCLUDING
The Day
Christ
Was
Born
by GEORGE GALE
Then Constantine will accept have provoked Rome's anger. the faith of these Christians and all this city will be des
new religion will be It will last through the
troyed.
Uneasy land
great warrior who would tmulate and the the triumphs of Joshua and secure. David, but a Man who said that, chaos of the barbarian invasions, there would be no victory over converting the invaders: It will Caesar, but instead a victory last til today. over men's sinful minds,
Herod knows none of this; Augustus would never in his THIS soft land will become He was to be crucified as a wildest dreams have dreamed of harsh and the sall, without blasphemer and n Man who this. Joseph and Mary, lying its trees, will slip into the stirred up trouble. But His awako as the now meming valleys, leaving the white and followers were, to remember gathers strength, could never pink limestone shining through.
have thought Less Itis memory,
things, were, lo write
whatever Mary may down His story, were to preachi
have Araba will come, Crusaders His teachings, were to carry His pondered through that night, will come. Turks and French- men and Englishmen will come. message to Antineb, 10 The golden Temple shines in Alexandru and above all to the strengthening light. Jeru- Now, still, in this uneasy land, Rome.
salem
morning is the the Jews again fight and the golden."
Aralu night back, Jerusalem is Now Augustus rules in Rome; But in three years Herod will no golden elty, but divided. Augustus is worshipped bo dead. Within two genera- Nazareth is one land, Bethlehem
yours more, tiuns a Jewish rebellion will is another,
now the Persians Herod woke, a Roman gene- settlements longed for his com- A woman Herod in his palace looking out this early came debouching out of the ral called Pompey had add-in. In Bethlehem
Persian Gulf, conquering to ed Palestine to the new and beside the cows of the Inndlord and
and her husband, lying on straw morning may have seen the stars. Astrologers the Indus, to the. Caspian, greatest Empire of Rome.
in ia basement cave, marvelled there. For 300 at the School of Astrology at Sippar in Babylonia to the Black Sea, and across had marked the unusual conjunction. Magicians the Bosporus Into Thrace
For the Jews, master had at their new and tiret Son. had prophesied that a mighty king would appear and down through Pales succeeded master. But their
In Nazareth in Palestine.
tine, through this Jerusa- religion they had held in- lem, into Egypt.
tact, their faith in Yahweh," the one God, and their hope But the captive Jews, by in the Messiah. the waters of Babylon, sat
Herod, this clear, calm tine this Infant would begin preaching in these Galliee hills town and wept and remen-. bered Zion. The Persians, morning, cold and fresh and especially at Capernaum, Tolerant in these things, al- after the night's storm, the bright new settlement on lowed them to return.
feared the Messiah.
-Jews in and their
Seven hundred
yours Here, to this land, Abra- carlier the prophet Micah ham had brought his tribe had said: "But thou, and its flocks and had only Bethlehem Ephratal, gone
to Egypt when the though thou be little among winter rains had failed. the thousands of Judah, yet
out of thee shall he come David's city
forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israci....
"
Greece halted Persia at ACK to this land Moses Marathon and Salamis, and
A half for century and Persin withered and Greece
Herod may have shiver- BAC
had led the way; ami
ed. All arourul him was over these hills Joshua aul hatred, Men all the time Gideon had come, maraud
were
of the ing babbling
Messiah who would
come
grew, until Alexander, the Macedonian leader of the Greek States, erupted out and Here, on this hill, David of Greece
conquered conquered and had this ancient land. Then
withered, new made his capital city. Al- Greece
Rome
and be king and expel the foreigners from Israel and had bring the wonderful
age of the reign of God on ways, through the centuries grew, and 50-odd years be earth.
of moving and the bitter fore this morning when
COON they would take Him back 10 Nazareth, their home In Callce. In 30 years'
the shores of Lake Gennesareth. their poor villages He would teach there for a austere Dead Sea year or so, no more, then travel
this
But of all this noue, on this morning nearly 2,000 years agu, is aware, There is Auguslus în his palace, there is Herod in his lesser paloce, and there are Mary and Joseph in their cave and an Infant in a feeding trough.
Fishermen are taking their boots out on the Sea of Galilee and shepherds are minding their sheep.
THE END
LEST
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