remiah. He is none of these: he is
Judas Maccabeus come to life again: and henceforth I shall look upon
myself as his disciple.

He spoke so loudly that any passer-by might have caught up his words;
and there was danger from Joseph's servants, for they were now standing
by his gate. He looked round uneasily, and as Nicodemus showed no signs
of taking leave of him, he thought it would be more prudent to ask him
into the house, warning him, however, that he had no beautiful things to
show him in the way of engraved weapons, swords from Damascus or daggers
from Circassia. It was not, however, to see beautiful weapons that
Nicodemus inclined; only so far as they related to Jesus was he
interested in arms; and he besought Joseph to tell him more of Jesus,
whom he seemed to have already accepted as the leader of a revolt
against the Romans. But Joseph, who had begun to fear the young man,
protested that Jesus' Kingdom was not of this earth, thinking thereby to
discredit Jesus in Nicodemus' eyes. Nicodemus was not to be put off so
easily: the Jews spoke of the Kingdom of Heaven so that they might gain
the kingdom of earth. A method not very remarkable for its success,
Joseph interposed. The Romans do otherwise, never thinking about the
Kingdom of Heaven, but only of riches and vainglory, whereas Jesus, he
said, says it is as hard for the rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven
as it would be for a sword to pass through the eye of a needle. A sword
through the eye of a needle, Nicodemus repeated, walking up and down the
floor, stamping his lance as he went. He is the leader we have been
waiting for. But it is not always thus that he speaks, Joseph
interposed, I have heard him myself say: it is as hard for a rich man to
enter heaven as it would be for a cow to calve in a rook's nest. As he
went to and fro Nicodemus muttered: there is much to be said for this
revision of his words. Jesus wishes to reach the imagination of the poor
that know not swords. And he spoke for a long time of the indolence of
the rich, of their gross pleasures and sensual indulgences. But we must
give them swords, he added under his breath, as if he were speaking for
himself alone and did not wish Joseph to hear, and then, awaking from
his reverie, he turned to his host: tell me more of this remarkable man.
And Joseph, who was now a little amused at his guest's extravagances,
asked him if he knew the answer he had given to Antipas, who had invited
him to