Whither Thou Goest: A Christian Historical Fiction Novel

By Ben F. Lee

Whither Thou Goest captures the reader within its pages of history, danger, conspiracy, pilgrimage, theology, scenery, dialogue, and inspiration.
– Dr. Christopher Moody, Assistant Professor of Systemic Theology, Instructional Mentor, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary

Whither Thou Goest, Book 2 of the Arimathea Series, is an exciting Biblical and historically accurate fiction which continues the birth and creation of Christianity and its spread beyond Judea. Travelers in England and those studying historical geography will recognize Glastonbury Tor (cover art) rising above Avalon’s forests as it has for thousands of years. The Tor holds keys to the past, the present, and the future….
Jews of Israel begin their persecutions of Christ-followers in Judea. A vastly wealthy Pharisee, Joseph of Arimathea, turns from his homeland and his commercial empire to answer Christ’s call to evangelism and takes the Messiah’s cup, the Holy Grail, to the northern isle of Britannia. He abandons a life of privilege and wealth to establish the first Christ-follower church in Britannia on Glastonbury Tor, spreading the good news of the resurrected Jesus and salvation. Followed by the once crippled Ruben, who was healed by the blood of Jesus on the road to Calvary, they encounter suspicion and resistance from the Briton Tribes. Discovering new allies in an Arch Druid and Celtic prophetess, they must fight for their very lives against hostile tribesmen who oppose them. Their fate hangs in the balance. Added to these dangers, could a Forest Demon with shining swords, who haunts the Ancient Wood surrounding Avalon, become their worst enemy?

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 10, 2019
• ISBN: 9781973655992

Ben F. Lee

Living in Southeast Texas with his wife Liz, Ben F. Lee is an enthusiastic, dedicated Christian, with a special love of the Crucifixion era. His award winning professional writing work includes newspaper reporter, manager-resume company, director of proposal development [major Southeast Texas engineering firm], self-employed writing consultant, freelance articles [various company publications], and ghost writer for novelists. A long-time member of the Golden Triangle Writers Guild, Lee served in numerous capacities from president to member of the Board of Directors. He is a current member of Texas Gulf Coast Writers. Since 1976 an active member in the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. [SCA], a medieval reenactment group where he gained extensive hands-on knowledge of the Medieval Period, Lee is recognized as a fighting instructor for Southeast and Central Texas chivalric and rapier fighting.

Book preview

Copyright © 2019 Ben F. Lee.

Illustrations: Theresa Liddle Bernsen

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

NASB: Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB),

Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-5600-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-5599-2 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 04/01/2019

CONTENTS

Dedication:

Acknowledgements

Book One & Two - Place Names

Foreward

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Appendix

About the Author…

ENDORSEM

ENTS…

Be My Witness, Ben Lee’s first book, was truly captivating and gave me glimpses of hidden and forgotten corners of our Biblical past. In the mind’s eye, I could see the streets and alleyways of Jerusalem where our King walked. Whither Thou Goest not only continues that tradition but also creates a wealth of feeling that surges forth from Ben Lee’s living characters. Your mind’s eye will see and your heart will feel that you are privy to unknown history. Come on this journey, and you may feel that you are closer to the King of Kings.

Doug Turnage, Living history re-enactor

Ben Lee does it again. I can see the movie already. With the heart of a deeply spiritual man, the mind of a classical theologian, and the spirit of a conspiracy theorist, Lee weaves this story in and out of the historical narrative with great intrigue. I could not put the book down. Like a Dan Brown book that attempts to keep to the truth of Scripture as its primary source, Whither Thou Goest captures the reader within its pages of history, danger, conspiracy, pilgrimage, theology, scenery, dialogue, and inspiration.

Dr. Christopher Moody, Assistant Professor of Systemic Theology, Instructional Mentor,

Library Baptist Theological Seminary

I have read Ben Lee’s "Whither Thou Goest." This is an incredible volume filled with intrigue and compelling narratives. Ben Lee is a remarkable author and experienced in the art of storytelling about Biblical times that are so real, one has the feeling that it really happened. The story that unfolds is fiction, but the setting is remarkable as it is a glimpse of what may have occurred during the early Christian era. Pick a good day when you have an open day. You will not want to put this book down!

Dr. Jimmy Draper

President Emeritus, LifeWay

DEDICATION:

There is something to be said for taking a stand, doing the Lord’s work. I know older men who did and who do.

This book is dedicated to the memories of our fathers, Ben Lee and Jack Gardner.

These men in great part molded me and my wife Liz, their children. They were born over 100 years ago. Unfortunately our son, Zane, did not meet either one of his grandfathers. We hold the Hope that one day he will. Zane’s older brother Aaron [lost just shy of his sixteenth birthday] played at his grandfather Jack’s feet.

Also, this book honors a group of senior gentlemen in the Friendship Class of First Baptist Church Beaumont with whom I had the pleasure to meet on Sundays and facilitate their Bible Community discussions. These gentlemen were far more knowledgeable about Scripture than I, some of them my teachers in years gone by, staunch followers of our Savior now gone on to their reward….

To our dear friend, a copy editor, Robin Griffin Ridgeway, in honor of her only daughter, Marissa Kennedy (9-1-1986 – 11-22-2012)

And to Doug Turnage…who knows miracles happen.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible and are consistent and true to the original Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek.

Continuing thanks to and appreciation for my early mentors who have gone on to their reward: Ruth Garrison Scurlock and Violette Newton (Poet Laureate of Texas) who inspired a young writer.

Special thanks to: Dr. Ben Stafford who continues to be my Gamaliel; Robin Griffin who still reads for me in tough times; Doug Turnage [my Society for Creative Anachronism Brother-in-Arms who inspired my Dominus Airakles in future books] and is my sounding board; D.J. Resnick, Kay Resnick [deceased], and Jeane-Marie Loy White, dear friends and often, my copy editors; the Golden Triangle Writers Guild, which nurtured me; and the many friends over the years who provided and provide inspiration and help.

Lastly…to the Society for Creative Anachronism for the fundamental and lasting relationships I developed over forty-two years and continue to develop, for the wonderful in-depth knowledge and opportunities the group provided and provides to experience medieval history in action, and for all those who cross my path and touch my life in the pursuit of honor….

BOOK ONE & TWO - PLACE NAMES

Judea / Samaria / Galilee

Damascus: Possibly the most ancient of Oriental cities. It is first mentioned during the time of Abraham. [Modern name: Damascus, the capital of Syria]

Bethany-beyond-the-Jordan; Also known as Bethabara. Where John the Baptist preached and performed baptisms.

Bethany: Bethany has traditionally been identified with the present-day West Bank city of al-Eizeriya, site of the reputed Tomb of Lazarus, about 1.5 miles east of Jerusalem on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives.

Jericho : The city of Jericho is in an oasis in Wadi Qelt in the Jordan Valley [which makes it the lowest city in the world].

Scythoplis: [Modern Name: Beth-shan]. The city was located at the east end of the Jezreel Valley.

Joppa: Ancient port city in Israel. [Modern Name: Jaffa]

Sidon: A ancient Phoenician city on the Mediterranean Sea coast north of Tyre.

Tyre: An ancient Phoenician port city on the Mediterranean Sea south of Sidon.

Ptolemais: A prominent town and sea port on the Phoenician seacoast, across the bay from Mount Carmel [Modern Name: Acre, Israel]

Sapphris: ‘The Ornament of all Israel’ - Herod Antipas chose this site in 4 BC to be the capital of his government. It was the largest city in Galilee.

Cana: Exact Galilee location of Cana is unknown. Possible locations: the modern Arab town of Kafr Kanna, Kenet-el-Jalil, Ain Kanaand Qana, all near Nazareth. The exact location may never be identified.

Nazareth: A small Jewish town is situated on a hill in the Plain of Esdraelon in Galilee.

Ginea: A Samaritan town. The country of Samaria lies between Judea and Galilee. It begins at a town called Ginea, lying in the Great Plain, and ends at the Toparchy of the Acrabateni.

Pella: A city in the Decapolis prominent in the Roman era. It is nestled within the lower foothills of the eastern slope of the Jordan Valley, south of the Sea of Galilee and southeast of the Bet She’an.

Capernaum: An ancient Jewish fishing village on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee in Israel, and the first town encountered by travelers on the west side of the upper Jordan. It was equipped with a Roman customs office and a small garrison overseen by a centurion. The village was apparently poor, since it was a Gentile centurion that built the community’s synagogue (Luke 7:5). The houses were humble and built of the local black basalt stone.

Sea of Galilee: The Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) is situated in northeast Israel, near the Golan Heights in the Jordan Rift Valley, and is the largest fresh water lake in Israel. It is approximately 33 miles in circumference, about 13 miles long and 8.1 miles wide.

Jabbok River: The headwaters of the Jabbok begin in Amman (ancient Rabbath-ammon), and the river flows to the north before heading west to the Jordan River.

Decapolis: A group of ten cities on the eastern frontier of the Roman Empire in Judea and Syria. The ten cities were not an official league or political unit, but they were grouped together because of their language, culture, location, and political status.

Samaria: A mountainous region in the northern part of the geographical area to the west of the Jordan River. The name derives from the ancient city of Samaria, the old capital of the Kingdom of Israel.

Baqaa Valley: A fertile valley in eastern Lebanon. For the Romans, the Baqaa Valley is a major agricultural source. It is situated between Mount Lebanon to the west and the Anti-Lebanon Mountains to the east and forms the northeasternmost extension of the Jordan Rift Valley, which stretches from Syria to the Red Sea.

Mount Hermon: Mount Hermon is a mountain cluster in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range whose summit straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon.

Gaul

Massilia: A seaport city in the first century AD [Modern name: Marseilles – Second Largest City in France]

Bononi-by-the-Sea: A Roman seaport in Gaul (across the Strait from Dover). [Modern Name: Boulogne-sur-Mer, a city in northern France]

Burdigala: A seaport city on the Garumna River. [Modern name: Bordeaux on the Garonne River]

Britannia

Belerion: Ancient Celtic name for England. Oldest known name: Albion. Roman name: Britannia.

Avalon: Also known as Ynys Wydryn, ‘the Isle of Glass.’ Sacred to the Celts, it is considered the Gateway to the Netherworld. Here stands the ‘Tor,’ a five-hundred-foot hill. ‘Tor’ is a local word of Celtic origin meaning ‘rock outcropping’ or ‘hill.’ In the first century AD the Tor was situated on a peninsula/tidal island. After the Romans drained the swampy area, the Tor today is a striking location, a very high hill in the middle of a plain called ‘the Summerland Meadows.’ It is associated with both the ‘Grail Sagas’ and the ‘Athurian Legends.’ [Modern name: Glastonbury, Somerset, England]

Ictis: Celtic seaport on the Southwest coast of England. Named by the Romans ‘Ictis.’ Celts first called it ‘Karek Loos y’n Koos,’ - ‘Gray Rock in the Wood.’ Later called ‘St. Michael’s Mount.’

Wolmecoma: A small fishing village on the southwestern coast of Belerion [England]. Celtic name means Wolves Valley for a pack of wolves which dominated the coast region at night near the village.

Mynedd: A Celtic fishing village on the Sabrina Aest [the Bristol Channel].

Camulodunum: The capital of the Catuevellauni, the most powerful British Tribe in Celtic Belerion. [Modern name: Colchester]. Prior to the Roman invasion of 43AD, the Tribe was ruled by Kimbelinus ap Tasciovanus, who styled himself as ‘Britannorum rex,’ ‘King of the Britons.’

Northwestern Mediterranean

Sea of Crete: The Sea of Crete is the sea south of the Aegean Sea north of the island of Crete and south of Cyclades. It also stretches from Kythera east to the Dodecanese Islands of Karpathos and Kassos. Bounding seas to the west are the Ionian Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

East African Coast

Carthago: A major port on the African Coast. Ancient Roman name: Colina Julia Carthago. [Modern name is Carthage]

Misenum: Ancient seaport of Campania, Italy.

Abyla: A seaport city located on a peninsula whose promontory is opposite the Rock of Gibraltar. It formed one of the ‘Pillars of Hercules.’ [Modern name: Ceuta]

Tingis: A seaport city on the Western African Coast. [Modern name: Tangiers, a city in northern Morocco]

Melita Islands: Islands in the Mediterranean Sea between Sicily and Africa. [Modern name: Malta]

Cyrenaica: The historical name for the eastern region of Lybia. Also known as Pentapolis in antiquity.

Tripolitana: Historical region in Lybia on the Mediterranean coast of Africa. Founded by the Phoenicians in the seventh century BC. Conquered by the Greeks and lster by the Romans. Name means ‘Three Cities.’

Numidia: Part of an ancient Berber Kingdom along the African Coast [Modern day Algeria and a small part of western Tunisia in North Africa]

Traducta Julia: A small part of the Southern Spanish Coast [West of Gibraltar], founded by Greeks in the sixth century BC, who established colonies along the coast. Years later, Rome established dominance over the area, and it received a Roman name.

France/Spain

Galaecia: A Roman province that comprised an area in the northwest of Hispania [approximately present-day northern Portugal, Leon, Asturia, and Galicia in Spain].

Sinus Cantabrorum: A body of water named by Romans in the first century BC. Name means ‘Bay of the Cantabri.’ More frequently known as ‘Mare Gallaecum.’

Oceannus Britannicus: Narrow arm of the Atlantic Ocean separating the southern coast of Belerion [England] from the northern coast of Gaul [France]. [Modern name: the English Channel]

Fratum Gallicum: Turbulent strait separating Gaul [France] and Belerion [England]. [Modern name: Strait of Dover]

Victis: An isle off the coast of southern Belerion (England). [Modern name: Isle of Wight]

Image1.jpgImage2.jpgImage3.jpg

FOREWARD

In 1989 I wrote a poem, The Cripple, that did well in contests and won several awards. It remains a showcase poem of my portfolio, often read. After Thanksgiving 2009, in the course of working on a Medieval Fantasy sequel, this poem grabbed my attention, told me it needed to be a novel. Two months later I had researched and completed the 62,000 word novel, Be My Witness. I have written longer. But never as quickly.

Over the following ten years the Arimathea Series now numbers [roughly 700,000 words]. Undeterred, I continue to work on the Arimathea Series, which is now two printed books as well as eleven completed manuscripts with a twelfth manuscript in progress. During this time period my wife, Liz, broke both bones in her lower left leg, I had three-way bypass heart surgery [12-2010], and I was diagnosed with throat cancer [2014]. By the grace of God, I am a cancer survivor.

In my research, I stumbled on a man I believe is one of the unsung heroes of the New Testament, Joseph of Arimathea….

All four New Testament gospels mention Joseph of Arimathea. New Testament Canon Scripture says of him:

• A good and just man

• who was waiting for the kingdom of God

• who went to Pilate, the Roman governor, and asked for Jesus’ body

• A member of the Council [The Supreme Jewish Council, the Sanhedrin]

• the rich man [along with Nicodemus] who laid Jesus to rest in his own tomb

Joseph of Arimathea is venerated as a saint by the Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox and some Anglican churches.

The Jewish Talmud has Joseph of Arimathea the younger brother of Heli, who was [according to Luke’s Gospel] the father of Mary, Jesus’ mother, which makes Joseph of Arimathea Jesus’ great-uncle.

Additionally, Joseph is referenced in apocryphal and non-canonical accounts such as the Acts of Pilate, given the medieval title Gospel of Nicodemus, and The Narrative of Joseph, and in early church historians such as Irenaeus (125-189), Hippolytus [170-236], Tertullian [155-222], and Eusebius [260-340], who added details not in the canonical accounts. Hilary of Poitiers (300-367) enriched the legend, and Saint John Chrysostom [347-407], the Patriarch of Constantinople, was first to write that Joseph was one of the Seventy Apostles appointed in Luke 10.

St. Jerome [340-384] lists Joseph of Arimathea’s official Roman title as ‘Noblis Decurio,’ a minister of mines for the Roman empire with direct access to Pilate Himself.

English history indicates Joseph was well acquainted with the British kings Beli, Lud, Lylr, and Kimbelinus, who gave Joseph and his companions twelve 160-acre parcels of land tax free. Joseph’s sister or his daughter [depending on the quoted historian] is said to have wed Bran the Blessed, the Arch Druid of Belerion [and the first Celtic convert to Christianity on the island] and became the mother of Caratacus whose children were prominent in the early Christian Church in Rome.

Legend and Lore credit Joseph of Arimathea with establishing the first Christian church in Britain in AD 37.

Legend says Joseph’s Hawthorn staff, thrust into Wearyall Hill in Glastonbury, immediately flowered and became a tree. The original tree has been propagated several times, with one growing at Glastonbury Abbey and another in the churchyard at the Church of St. John. The original Thorn was cut down and burned as a relic of superstition during the English Civil War, and a graft was replanted on Wearyall Hill in 1951 to replace it. That replanting had its branches cut off in 2010 but survives. The Queen of England uses Glastonbury Thorn’s blossoms to decorate her table at Christmas. Unlike other typical Hawthorns which flower once-a-year, the Glastonbury Thorn flowers…twice-a-year, at Christmas and again at Easter.

Other legends say Joseph hid the Holy Grail in the Chalice Well, a Glastonbury spring, and King Arthur and Guinevere are said to be buried in Glastonbury Abbey.

Many consider Joseph of Arimathea to be the forefather of the Grail Sagas and the Arthurian Legends.

PROLOGUE

Death came in blood and agony.

But on the third day, the earth shook, rocks split, and the veil of the Temple in Jerusalem split from top to bottom. Death had lost its sting!

Throughout Judea, into Galilee and beyond, the word of Jesus Christ’s resurrection spread. The risen Son of Man appeared to many, His Apostles and others, and they believed. Many more, who had not seen, also believed….

In the second watch of the night after Pentecost, lamps burned late in the House of Arimathea. The head of the house, Joseph, a Pharisee, and his minister, Reuben ben Ezra, poured over shipping accounts and prospective trading ventures, reconciling and planning for the days after Joseph’s departure. Joseph soon would take ship for Britannia, answering the call of the risen Savior Jesus Christ to spread His ministry on those northern shores.

Reuben, at his master’s direction, would remain in Jerusalem, overseeing the House of Arimathea’s commercial empire, its trading interests with Rome and its provinces. Like Reuben’s, Joseph’s hands were ink-stained from penning missives and lists with reed pens. In the privacy of his own home, the master had laid aside the shawl and talis of his order. He wore only his inner robe and yarmulke, following the Jewish custom of covering his head to show that he was a servant of God. Reuben, as was his want, chose unbleached linen tunic, breeches, and girdle.

Master…? a servant called from the doorway, "two