The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-12-27

| peror. So she asked her mother, and who
should young lass ask, if man promises to
give her anything, but her motherf Aye, but
| that depends on the sort of mother. SO her
mother told her to ask for the head of John the
Baptist in charger. What, dead mans
! head in dish! pretty sight that for u
| young woman A pretty sort Of mother that! So
| you see that between them both they danced
a saints head off," Then, glnncing at some fash
| iOnablo folk in church, he added Now, mind,
you good women, where you dance, and how
| you dance, aud with whom you dance, for they
tell me there is dancing going on at Tenby
that would please Herod good deal more than
| it would either me or john the Baptist. Now,
| don't dance your souls away, whatever yon
| 90 with mems heads, which I dare say you
know how to turn with your capers."
This lesson is an illustration of the terrors
! of conscience awakened by the recollection OF
evil committed. AS Milton has it.:
Now conscience wakes despair
That siumbercd; wakes the bitter memory
OF what he was, what is and what must be
Worse; if worse deeds, whose sufIerngs must en-
sue"
MAETYRDoM OF ST. JOHN BAPTIST.
Data.
St. Matt, 1i:6-12 /. 9; st. Mark, G: 2l-29.
1i-16; ST. Luke 9:7-9. st. Luke simply al
ludes to the beheading.
Date
We learn from St Mark, 6 q, that the occa.
sion leading directly to the death of st. John
Baptist was n celebration Of the birthday of
Herod. This was Herod Antipas Herod the
Great died when Christ was about one year
old, and then the three brothers succeeded
their father. Hence, IIerod Antipas had been
King for about 30 years. We may suppose he
celebrated his 50th year of life. The feast
took place in March, A. d. %. The custom of
keeping birthday anniversaries is very old and
quite universal. II was a grand occasion in
honor of Herod. The Lords, High Captains,
and chief estates were present" BY chief es-
tates" we mean men owning great quantities
of real estate, or able TO own such. Lords"
were magnatcs, court nobility probably Gov
ernots of districts High Captains" were
Colonels or commanders each of 1000 soldiers
The civil and military branches were repre-
scented. a'
PSce.
The place where st, John Baptist was i'm.
prsoued was MachcfHs. about seven miles east
of the Dead Sea, aud hence in Perea Herod
Antipas had palace at this same place. 1t is
supposed the birthday feast was there. Herod
had other residences; C. g.. at Tibcrias and at
Livias, or Julias. The account seems TO imply
that 10 very long interval occurred between
the order for the execution OF ST. John Baptist
and the presentation of his head on a charger.
Persons.
J. Hcr0d the Great.
He was the son of Herod Antipater. the Idu-
mean. When he was 10 years old bis father
was made Procurator of Judea. He himself
became Governor of Judea. Mark Antony Civ
ing him the crown. Herod the Great murdered
his beautiful wife Marianne. 1t was to him
the wise men went, and he it who ordered
TO be butchered the infants of Bethlehem. He
had three sons-Archelaus Herod Philip, and
Herod Antipas. ArChelaus ruled over Judea.
Herod Philip over Gau!onitis, etc, and Herod
Antipas over Galilee and Perea.
2. Herod Philip.
He was son OF Hcrod the Great by Marianne
and hence only half brother of Herod An
tipas, whose mother was Malthace. He mar
ried Herodias. who was his niece, and she
afterwards eoped with her brother-in-law
Horod Antipas.
3. Hcrod Anapas.
He was one Of the three sons Of Herod the
Great. The other sons were Archelaus and Herod
Philip. We remember how eager the father
was 10 slay the Infant Jesus, and how cruelty
he caused the babes of Bethlehem to BIO put to
death. Herod Antipas ruled Galilee and Perea
At first the word tetrarch meant the ruler of
the fourth part of region. At length it was
applied to any ruler subject to the Roman EN-
peror. Properly HcrOd Antipss was trisrch.
The mother of this Herod was Malthace a
Samaritan.
The legal wife of Herod Antipas was a
daughter of Arctas. King of Petrea (Arabia).
His great sins-crimes-w the putting her
away 10 marry ller0dias, and tho murder Of st.
John Baptist, growing out from the sinful
union. As a consequence OF the ill treatment
OF the wife by her husband, Herod Antipas,
Aretas made war against Herod Antipas and
effected againt him great disaster.
Through tho influence of HerOdias Herod
Antpas displeased the Emperor, and as a con-
sequence he was dethroned and banished to
Lyons, France.
We may estimate Herod was about so years
old.
I. Hcrodds.
This woman has been called the "Jezebel of
the New Testament" She married Herod
Philip her own uncle, and became the mother
OF Salome the famous dancing girl. Herod
Antipas meeting Herodias fell desperately IN
love with her and she reciprocated. Then she
left her husband, Herod Philip, and became
wife of Herod Antipas. The sin was shocking.
and yet so eminent were tho guilty parties that
no one save st. John Baptist dared rebuke it.
1t was this brave act of st. John Baptist that
led to his imprisonment and ultimate death by
decaptat!on.
1t is an exceedingly delicate thing to criticise
the conduct of persons held in great estima-
ton, having much power aud influence.
DIR. Joseph Parker, of London, puts this idea
strongly:
The grim ascetic, the stern child of the
wilderness, draped in mols-hair, and fed on
locuss and wild honey-he ION whom there
rested spot of shame, of founess, or sus-
pici0n-said, 1t is not lawful for thee to have
Herodias rs thy wife, WHO dares interfere
with such things nowP No man of my acquaint-
ance. What preacher dares interfere with
tie family life of his congregational Not one.
Are there not families that would absorb whole
Libraries Of consolation who would resent the
faiutest approach TOWARDS rebuke? If the
preacher sees that you are going to marry the
wrong the wrong woman, dare he
interferof Only at the expense of his head.
The law is the same in all ages Sympathy at
high price, Judgment and rebuke at the
price Of loss, neglect. persecution, marty rdom.
Ii / were to interfere with your marriages, be-
cause OF their consequently. because of their
want of adaptation and proper coincidence and
rhythm, what would be your retort? I'M
prisonment. decapitatiOn. Not in their physi-
cal forms-thank God we have outliyed that
vulgarity; but where is there man who dare
ask if the weights are just aud the balances
equal, or if an enemy has not shipped off part
OF tho yard measure? No man dare interfere
with such things now"
1t is Il question whether religious teachers
deal squarely with evil in high places as the
ethics of the New Testament require, and as
the examples of Christ and st. John Baptist
illustrate.
8. Salome.