Chapter Six
The group approached another camp. It was a round tent in the middle of a crossroads, of sorts. It was where the two trails criss-crossed, so there were two groups of three men. They were all wearing black robes with white shawls and white headdresses. One group stood behind the fence next to the campfire. The other group stood a little beyond the campfire right next to the trail. Their group headed over to the further group of men.
"Shalom, travelers," said the first man. "What is the purpose of your journey this late in the evening?"
"We are required to travel for Roman census, sir," said Hananiah.
"It is obvious we need to give some direction to this group," said the second man. "Family, let me remind you that I am a Pharisee. We are your religious leaders."
"We are proficient in the Law and so you 'ordinary' people can understand the Law, we have written the Mishnah which contains over six hundred teachings that you are to follow," said the third Pharisee.
"And it looks like this family needs some teaching and direction this evening," said the second Pharisee.
"What is your family name?" asked the first Pharisee.
"We are the family of Hananiah," said the male guide.
"And what is the destination of your journey?" asked the second Pharisee.
"We are on a Journey to Bethlehem," said Ruth.
"I pray that you are mindful to obey the Law and traditions as you travel and thus please God," said the third Pharisee.
Dean turned to Sam with a whisper. "Yeah, good luck trying to convince us to do that."
"The Laws and Traditions govern how you are to travel, such as what kind of loads you can carry," said the first Pharisee.
"You must also be careful to follow the laws regarding cleanliness and food," said the second Pharisee. "You must do everything to avoid becoming 'unclean.' Do not eat food that has been killed by animals."
"And you must not eat meat while the blood remains," said the third Pharisee.
"Be sure to wash properly and stay away from the filthy, unclean, Gentile Romans as you eat," said the first Pharisee.
"The Law says you are to rest on the Sabbath," said the second Pharisee. "So to help you people understand what rest means, we have come up with thirty-nine classifications of what is considered "work" on the Sabbath. And there are MANY divisions and listings in each of these."
"The Sabbath just began at sundown and the traditions forbid you to travel on the Sabbath and you must not be carrying any blankets for bedding, for that is work," said the third Pharisee.
"You must not rub grain between your hands, for that is work," said the first Pharisee.
The second Pharisee turned to the father carrying that little girl. "You may carry your child, but not if he has a stone in his hand, for that would be work."
"What the hell is with these rules?" muttered Dean.
A Roman soldier, who had been standing with another soldier off to the side, approached the group. "Enough of this talk. We do not need a disturbance on this road. Move on, family. Be on your way."
"Do what he says, family!" said Hananiah. "Let us continue on our journey! Come, family!"
The group headed towards a small bridge to continue on the trail.