Salome

The day of judgment approaches.

The Lord will reward the righteous and smite the wicked.

King Herod and Queen Herodias are doomed, for they live in sin.

They are not wed. But, master, they are.

Not under the law of Moses.

Herod has broken the seventh commandment.

He has taken another man's wife.

And Herodias is equally guilty, for she lives in adultery,

scorns our God-given law.

The hand of the Lord will fall upon the king and queen.

They will suffer his wrath.

But be calm, my friends.

Righteousness shall rise like a mighty river.

Truth shall be clear as crystal.

Repent.

Cease to do evil. Learn to do good.

Relieve the oppressed. Seek righteousness.

For his love will be with you as a morning dew,

and you shall blossom like a rose.

What did you learn, my dear councillor?

Your Majesty, the Baptist has returned from the wilderness.

He speaks more viciously against you than ever before.

How many listened to his poison? Many.

Not only the rabble, but men of means now follow him.

You must stop him, or he will begin preaching in the city.

Micha, wait here. I will see the king.

Yes, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty, the queen.

Tell her I have retired.

I remember when you could not retire without coming to me.

You wish to see me. How rare to get so quick

an audience with Your Majesty. It's late. I'm tired.

Not too late and not too tired to be waiting for another.

Very well. I am waiting for another. And your wife is the intruder.

I thought we were long past that. I know you are.

Why did you come? What is it you want?

The Baptist is back. And this time, you must silence him.

He calls me an adulteress. No matter what is between us,

he threatens the House of Herod. I want him destroyed.

He is harmless. What he says is of no consequence.

Many fill your prisons for saying less.

Yet you allow a madman to preach treason.

You must put an end to him.

Stop him! Let me alone.

Stop him before it's too late. I said, go!

I warn you.

It must be his death, or it will be ours.

Ezra,

you heard?

Everything, sire.

She descends upon me like a plague of locusts every time the Baptist appears.

She knows what'll happen to me if harm befalls him

and she asks for his death.

Yet I cannot let him denounce me. Lift not your hand against him.

But he preaches sedition. I cannot allow that.

Remember the prophecy.

Remember when your father, Herod the Great, was king of Judea.

Three wise men came out of the East proclaiming

a child had just been born who would grow up to be the Messiah.

I don't need reminding. In your heart, you do.

Never forget the deed of your father when he was seized with terror

that the Messiah would someday dethrone him.

I know. I know. Why must you hound me with it?

So that you will not follow in the path of your father.

Remember the punishment of the Lord upon him.

For the blood he shed.

The innocent blood.

Remember the strange illness that came over him.

The unbearable pain that befell him.

His mind and body became his own torture chamber.

Your father suffered agony, agony without relief.

Enough. Enough. I can still hear him screaming.

You are trying to shield the Messiah from me.

I do not know if John is the Messiah.

Many people think he is.

It is written the Messiah will first appear as a prophet.

But there are many prophets in the land.

The Messiah is the prophet and no other.

He was born in my father's time. Now he tries to depose me.

I know him for a great prophet.

A holy man.

Harm him,

and what happened to your father will happen to you.

You will die in agony as he did.

If only he would not preach against the throne.

If word reaches Rome that I tolerate treason...

What was it the illustrious Julius Caesar wrote?

I came, I saw, I conquered.

How easy his task was. All he had to do was to win battles.

I must maintain peace.

That is the impossible legacy I have inherited.

And I dare not indulge myself in the grand illusion:

Make war in order to keep peace.

I do not have the forces.

We are already stretched thin across the world,

stretched almost to breaking point.

I must keep the conquered in place by other methods.

Well, to the business of the day.

Pontius Pilate,

commander of the 9th Legion.

Hail, Caesar Tiberius.

Hail.

Pontius Pilate,

I appoint you governor of our Eastern provinces.

You will find unrest and agitation,

which could lead to trouble in your new post.

We need peace in the East. That is of great military importance.

There will be peace. I cannot spare you any soldiers.

I need them to maintain order in Africa.

I am depending upon your reputation. But this time, use it like a glove

not as a spear.

The great Caesar flatters me. Not nearly enough

in view of your accomplishments in Britain.

You will sail tomorrow night.

You'll convey my felicitations to King Herod in Galilee.

Inform him taxes are double.

From there you will proceed to Jerusalem.

That will be your headquarters. Caesar commands, I obey.

Hail, Caesar.

Petitioner for Senator Marcellus Fabius.

Hail, Caesar.

A petition from my nephew, Marcellus?

Why did he not present it himself?

Senator Marcellus Fabius grieves.

Urgent business in the forum

makes it impossible for him to present this petition in person

for the favourable consideration of the mighty Caesar.

Proceed.

"To Caesar Tiberius, most generous of emperors,

I humbly solicit your imperial permission to marry

the Princess Salome of Galilee. I cast myself on your royal forbearance,

and ask that you grant a special dispensation..."

Scrivener.

To Senator Marcellus Fabius,

my beloved nephew,

in answer to your petition that you be permitted

to marry the Princess Salome...

Marcellus, why do the gods favour you above all men?

To present you with so divine a gift as Salome?

What does he say, Marcellus? Tell me.

"Remember the law, learned senator. A Roman may marry only a Roman.

And I need not tell you the Princess Salome is held in ill repute."

III repute?

Because I enjoyed life here?

I knew I should not have petitioned Caesar.

It has only made everything worse.

If you love me, you will not let him stop us.

You know I want you with me always.

But not enough to disobey Caesar.

Why are you so afraid, Marcellus? What can he do?

Take away your possessions?

If so, let him. He can do worse than that.

He can deprive me of my... Of your precious Roman rights.

They mean more to you than I do. I'm only being practical, Salome.

I could not ask you to marry me if I had no more status than a slave.

I would join you as a slave.

But as a Roman, l... Salome, wait.

This is for you.

"From Emperor Caesar Tiberius to Princess Salome of Galilee,

you have incurred our imperial displeasure

by presuming to exceed your status as...

As a barbarian."

"You have tried our hospitality beyond our patience.

Know therefore you are banished from Rome."

Banished?

"You will sail on a galley leaving tomorrow night.

You will be given safe escort home to Galilee."

But... But I have lived in Rome since I was a child.

Everything that means home is...

Is here. I know.

So I...

I am banished from Rome.

To make certain that Caesar's nephew marries a Roman,

not a barbarian. Please, it is difficult enough.

Is it, Marcellus?

How difficult

if you could let me go so easily?

There will come a time when my word will be law.

Then. Then the princess of Galilee

will reject your petition.

Please. Do not touch me.

I am a barbarian. Do not defile your hands.

My noble Roman.

With a heart of pure marble.

You all come out of the same quarry.

Make way for His Excellency Pontius Pilate.

Make way. Make way.

Claudius.

Under your command again, sir.

I thought you were stationed in Galilee.

I was in Rome on leave, sir.

Happy to have you with me again, commander. Like old times in Britain, huh?

Any more wounds since then? No, not one, sir.

You will find your new post quite different.

I hope what I've learned about Galilee and the people after five years

in the diplomatic service will be useful to you.

Serve me half as well as you did in Britain,

and we'll keep those barbarians quiet.

Captain Quintus, sir.

We must cast off immediately, sir, or lose the tide until morning.