BOOK I
The Second Exodus
CHAPTER VIII – Guests in Kerkinitis
Nikodemos led his Hebrew guests through his house to the bath chambers. The first room they entered was somewhat large. It could easily fit twenty people comfortably. Nikodemos explained that this was where parties were held.
Along the walls were couches, and in the corners were statues of different Greek gods. Though Jehu and Ezra did not recognize them, having never been taught much about the pagan gods, Ahaz knew them well. He had been a mere youth when his father had led the people out of Persia, but he knew all about the Persian god Ahura Mazda, and about the Greek gods. He saw Ares, the god of war in one corner. In another was Apollo, the sun god. In a third corner was Eros, the god of love. Last but not least, Ahaz noticed in the fourth corner a statue of Zeus, king of the gods. He shook his head at these pagan displays. He thought to himself, “Gods made in the image of Man are no gods at all.”
They then entered a small hallway. They passed by some doors, and Nikodemos explained what each door was, “Here is where our slaves sleep. There are four slaves in my household. Not that many, I know, but I am only a
Lochagos, and I cannot afford too many.” He did not seem to notice the Hebrews cringe at the use of the word “slave”. Their people had been slaves for enough of their history. They knew well what slavery meant for the slaves.
The Greek continued on, completely oblivious, “This next door leads to the kitchen. Ah, we’re rounding the corner now. To your right, that’s where my wife and I sleep. Best keep quiet, she’s probably sleeping right now. What a pleasant surprise she shall wake up to in the morning,” he said, looking back at his guests and winking.
“Over there is where my son, Petros, sleeps. We don’t want to wake him, either. He’s about your age, Jehu. I think the two of you will get along well. Ah, here is where you’ll be sleeping. I hope the accommodations will be pleasing. But there will be time to look at your room later. See that door at the end of the hall? That’s the bath. Right this way!”
The Hebrews followed their host into the bath house. It was small, being only a private bath. But the pool could comfortably seat six. Nikodemos said that elsewhere in the city were public baths which could seat hundreds at a time. The bath did indeed look pleasant. Warm steam rose up from the water and invited the men in.
A young slave girl entered the room, and Nikodemos held out his arms as she undressed him, taking off the various articles of clothing he was wearing. But she never dared to look upon her master’s body. That was death.
She then went over to Ahaz, and was about to take his clothes as well, when he recoiled from her. She blinked in confusion at him. Didn’t he want to bathe as well?
Nikodemos turned around to his guests, and the three Hebrews turned red with embarrassment as their host stood before them completely naked. “What’s the matter?” he asked.
Ahaz took a moment to regain his composure, cleared his throat, and replied, “Nikodemos, our people have laws which forbid public nudity. This situation is very uncomfortable for us.”
The Greek took a moment to absorb what he had been told, then he said, “I apologize. A host should always make his guests feel welcome, not uncomfortable. We can bathe in loin cloths.” He snapped his fingers and the slave girl put his loin cloth back on. He then looked back to the Hebrews, who no longer looked so distraught, and said, “Shall I have her leave the room?”
“That would be best,” replied Ahaz.
Nikodemos motioned for the girl to leave, and she instantly obeyed. Once she had left, the Hebrews removed their clothes, keeping their loin cloths on, however. The four men then entered the steamy water. Oh how good it felt! Their bodies melted with comfort, and they all breathed a sigh of relaxation.
Ezra said, “I have never felt so at ease in my entire life!”
Their Greek host laughed with joy and said, “This is nothing. Were Larissa, the slave girl, still in here, she would be scooping the water into a cup and running it down our heads and backs. She is also very good with massages. That’s what really makes the baths worth it! But, alas, if your customs forbid such things, we shall simply enjoy the warm steam.”
For a moment, all the men were silent, simply enjoying the pleasant warmth. For the moment, the Hebrews forgot about their people who were two days away, sleeping on hard ground right now with the wind blowing in their tents. All that mattered, all they were aware of, was this comfortable steam bath.
Jehu was the next to speak up, “Tomorrow are we going to see the city?”
“Indeed we are, Jehu,” said Nikodemos. “Remember all the wonders I told you about last night? Tomorrow you shall see them with your own eyes!”
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After the bath, the men dried off, put their clothes back on, and bade each other good-night. Nikodemos went to sleep with his wife, and Larissa showed the Hebrews to their room. She showed them their beds, which were already turned down and ready for them to sleep in. Then she bowed, and left.
Ahaz closed the door behind her, and had Jehu go to bed. He told Ezra to sit down, and he sat down with him and whispered, “What do you think so far?”
Ezra replied, equally as soft, “Well, they are very different from us, sir. Did you see how that slave girl undressed him completely, and yet neither he nor she seemed the least bit uncomfortable? That girl could not be older than Jehu. It is disgusting.”
“Most men of the world do not share our people’s sense of modesty, Ezra,” said Ahaz. “For the Greeks, there is nothing shameful about the human body. We do not see
shame in it, per se, but it can lead us to disobey the commands of Adonai, which is why our laws forbid such things. But before we judge them, let us remember that they do not worship Adonai as we do, nor do they abide by His Laws as we do. Were they Hebrews like us, this would be an entirely different situation. As it stands, we should be thankful that Nikodemos was understanding enough to bathe in a manner acceptable to us. I am sure it was not what he was used to, nor what was most comfortable for him.”
“You are correct there,” said Ezra. “Nikodemos is a good man. But Iason… he did not strike me as the same type of honest fellow as our host.”
“So you felt it, too?” asked Ahaz. “Good. I was hoping I was not the only one who was made uncomfortable by the Tyrant. I was surprised he knew who I was. Our visit in Tanais all those years ago was brief…” The Chief did not go on. He did not want to relive the painful memories associated with Tanais.
“Plus, his offer seems too good to be true,” Ezra said. “But, he seemed to be honest in his opinion of Cherson. He certainly does not trust the Chersonesians, and I believe we should be wary of them, too.”
“You are right about the Tyrant’s offer, Ezra. There’s a lesson the Trojans learned a thousand years ago: ‘Beware Greeks bearing gifts’. Iason’s offer seems too much like a gift. I don’t trust it.”
“So you suspect something underhanded from Iason?” asked Ezra.
The Chief nodded, “Yes.”
“Do you think Nikodemos has anything to do with it?”
“No,” said Ahaz. “As you said, he is a good, honest fellow. I do not believe he even suspects the Tyrant like we do. Remember what he told us about Alexander’s dream? I do not doubt that Nikodemos believes in it. But I am not so sure the rest of the Kerkinitians are as altruistic as he is.”
“But,” said Ezra, “what do you think of Iason’s evaluation of Cherson?”
“That is difficult,” replied Ahaz, “It could stem merely from some rivalry. His distrust could be prejudice. However, it could be well deserved as well. It sounds like we are choiced with two evils here, Kerkinitis or Cherson. Which is the lesser evil is yet to be determined.”
“So you are intent on settling here in the Krimea, then?”
“I am. There is no other safe place for us.”
“But is it safe here?”
Ahaz nodded grimly, “Safe as we shall ever hope to find, yes. I am aware of the struggles between city-states like Kerkinitis and Cherson. And to the east is the Imperialistic Bosporan Kingdom. That means that the Krimea will not be perfectly safe. But it will be safer than Sarmatia. The Skythians and the Rhoxolani are merciless. To the west are even more barbaric tribes. At least these Greeks will behave in a civilized, albeit pagan, manner.”
“Perhaps we should settle with the Bosporans, then? They are the greatest power in this region. Would we not find the most safety with them?” asked Ezra.
“That is out of the question. They have refused us before, after our first encounter with the Skythians. Long before you were born. That was when my father fell, and the task of leading our people fell to me, a mere teenager then. I asked the help of the Bosporan King and he refused me. We wandered forty years because of his callused refusal of our plight. I will not come crawling back now like some beggar. We will settle with either Kerkinitis or Cherson.”
Ezra nodded. Ahaz had decided, that was the end of the matter. He would trust Ahaz’s wisdom. He always had. Ahaz had led the people for all of Ezra’s life, and never once had he steered them wrong. Where Ahaz stood, Ezra would stand, too.
“Well,” said Ahaz, “we should get some sleep. Nikodemos plans to give us a tour of as much of the city as possible tomorrow. We will need our rest.”
Ezra nodded, “Indeed.”
They said a quick prayer to Adonai, thanking Him for their new friend, Nikodemos, and asking Him to bless the Greek and his household. Then they got in their beds, and tried to sleep. But they were so used to sleeping on the hard ground that a bed did not feel right. At last, they pulled the pillows and blankets from the beds, and lay down on the floors, and slept peacefully…