Trial Read online

  TRIAL

  TRIAL

  Written by

  Jose Antonio Rivera-Garcia

  © 2019 Jose Antonio Rivera-Garcia

  Trial

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Elm Hill, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Elm Hill and Thomas Nelson are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

  Elm Hill titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].

  Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2019931992

  ISBN 978-1-400324811 (Paperback)

  ISBN 978-1-400324835 (eBook)

  Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook

  Please note that footnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

  TO RAY TITTLE, SR.

  I asked you to be my best man if I ever got married again.

  Well, it hasn’t happened yet. You left too early.

  Thank you for being a friend. Friends are in great demand.

  Your grace as a husband to your beloved Margaret Ann inspired many.

  Thank you for letting me marry Y'all.

  You became a great actor and it was an honor working and directing you in films.

  I miss your great voice. You're now singing to the Lord.

  Tell King David he has met his match. When you see Elvis tell him his twin can sing also.

  Thanks for the cowboy boots. I will wear them in your honor.

  When I get to heaven let me know if you liked 12:30 pm the movie.

  I know you already saw it in heaven just wanted to know if you enjoyed it. Directors are finicky.

  See you when I get there.

  To my Elm Hill book Team

  I would like to thank ALL the people involved

  for the tiring hours of proofreading and typing all corrections

  for guiding me through every step of the way

  for believing in my novel

  Thank YOU!

  Jose Antonio Rivera-Garcia

  CONTENTS

  Dedication

  Foreword

  Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  sânêʼ

  Hate, Odio

  Chapter 2

  zehut

  Identity, Identidad

  Chapter 3

  chaver

  Friend, Amigo

  Chapter 4

  safek

  Doubt, Incertidumbre

  Chapter 5

  neshama

  Soul, Alma

  Chapter 6

  Mishpahka

  Family, Familia

  Chapter 7

  Tikvah

  Hope, Esperanza

  Chapter 8

  Chai

  Life, Vida

  Chapter 9

  Bah’ura’s

  Girl’s, Muchachas

  Chapter 10

  Qarban

  Gift, Regalo

  Chapter 11

  Ben

  Son, Hijo

  Chapter 12

  Mavet

  Death, Muerte

  Chapter 13

  atz’vut

  Sadness, Tristeza

  Chapter 14

  Dikaon

  Depression, Depresión

  Chapter 15

  Diber

  Talking, Hablando

  Chapter 16

  Yir’m’yahu

  Jeremiah, Jeremias

  Chapter 17

  Luisa

  Chapter 18

  Yeshua

  Jesus

  Chapter 19

  Hit’amet

  Conflict, Conflicto

  Chapter 20

  Sabrina

  Chapter 21

  Misphat

  Trial, Juicio

  FOREWORD

  How do you write a novel without thinking? Not easily. But how do you write a novel inspired by the voice of G-D inside you? Easily. All the characters in the novel I can relate to someone I have personally known. Although this work is fiction, what happened between Jose and Luisa did happen to an extent to me. JoAnn, the nurse, is really a fellow actor who is the real deal in life. Iglesias reminds me of Sal who went too early to be with the Lord.

  As a believer in Yeshua, I wanted to portray the prejudices of tradition and how a family dealt with the crisis of faith. I knew that my Christian upbringing could only take me so far, but when I discovered that I had a maternal Jewish background I wanted to discover Jesus as a Jew. So “Trial” became a quest to discover who Jesus truly was as a Jew. My eyes were opened to a new world of a Jew speaking to Jews and the conflicts that followed in the search of belief. It has not been easy. Some of my Christian brethren have not liked the idea of my fascination with a Jewish Messiah. For some, it has frightened their belief system of Jesus.

  For me, I came to love the Old Testament Jesus in order to love and understand the New Testament Messiah. Be it as it may, “Trial” had to be written to defend the Jewishness of Yeshua. To some, he’s still the Christian Messiah, and not just the Messiah… a Jew. For others, we can see the prejudices that have incurred to both Jew and Gentile. He is still a Jew and will come back to both Jew and Gentile.

  Follow as the Sanes family leaves Spain and finally settles in Charleston, South Carolina through this family saga. Enjoy!

  Jose Antonio Rivera-Garcia

  Orangeburg, South Carolina

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  The Trial is my first novel published after many years of writing. The novel could not have been written without the inspiration G-D gave me to sit down and write as I heard his words inside me. I want to thank Bambi Linder who read, typed, and prepared the first draft into chapters. You understood where I was going and where I needed to go in the text. My Children Catherine who has the tenacity that G-D blessed her with to keep me sharp, Michael Alexander who is calm as a clam but sharp needed, my other son Michael Blaine who keeps me challenged. I love you all more than you can imagine.

  To Alan M. Brooks, Director who believed in me and took the original script of “Trial” and helped me turn it into a short film which G-D blessed with awards. I cannot forget ANDRES PALOMINO who prayed, encourage, and loved me with the love of G-D through some of my most difficult days. You gave me the love to start writing in Spanish again.

  To every person who is Jewish and has found YESHUA as Messiah, Jeremiah in the novel found the way as G-D spoke to his soul revealing himself. To Bela Zizmann, Sorin “Sharon” Shapira, Mark Tal, Steve Dempsey, and my brothers who have loved me through the good and hard times, I want to say “Thank You “. To dad, Richard Pendleton who laid hands on me trusting G-D for my life, thank you, dad! And lastly to the Pastors who have loved and encouraged me in my writing and film making Pastor Shawn, Jerry, and Joseph…Gracias!

  PROLOGUE

  The morning of the trial was bright and clear outside. The world had no idea of the turmoil that I was going through. Who was
he to accuse me of being stuck in tradition? He went against everything that he was taught. Yes, I was raised with tradition, in tradition, and will continue with traditions. I came from a long line of it. How was I supposed to turn my back on it? My lineage went back to the Spanish Inquisition. And that was where my story of traditions and trials started. My mind wandered to the past as I paced, walking back and forth in front of the courthouse for the biggest trial of my life.

  Isabela I, La Catolica (the Catholic) queen of Spain, was born on April 22, 1451 in Madrigal de las Altas Torres, Spain. She had been known to make comments as such, “Si no eres de mi tierra no te quiero (If you’re not from my country, I do not want you).”

  But others had different opinions. “Somos Judios (We are Jews). We were here before you were born, Isabela I, and our history goes back before Moses, so what is it to you to want to change my name and where I live to make you more Catholic?”

  Isabela I had also been known to speak of the Jews in a condescending way. “Esos Judios son impertinente (Those Jews are impertinent). No creen en JesuCristo y les voy a ensenar quien soy yo (They don’t believe in Jesus Christ. I’m going to show them who I am).”

  They responded, “Ser Judio no se cambia! (Being Jewish is not something we change!)”

  Isabela I did not like how the Jews were responding to her: “O se convierten o los conviertos debajo la tierra (Or you convert or I’ll convert you under the ground).”

  “It’s a matter of life or death!” That’s what my grandfather from the fifteenth century said. Life or death.

  Many of the Spanish had thought, “Isabela, you unified Spain and made it more Catholic, but did you forget that there are Jews and Moors who still rule Southern Spain in Granada? Did this escape your mind, or did your ministers forget to mention that we are many?”

  She was called into a meeting about religion and her attempt at the conversion of the population. At the meeting of ministers, Isabela was confronted by Archdeacon Vincent Ferren Martinez, who was responsible for the conversion of Jews to Christianity. These Jews were outwardly Christians, but in their homes, they still practiced Jewish rituals.

  This incensed Isabela. “Les doy libertad de conversion y ahora me pagan con esos rituous paganos (I give them liberty and now they pay me with those pagan rituals)? May God Almighty hear us for we are about to be slaughtered by the sword or a Bible. Conversion O Muerte; Soy Isabela I y no se los olvide! (Conversion or death; I’m Isabela I and don’t you forget it!)”

  One of the hidden Jewish ministers had this thought, “What fear has come over my brethren? Many are converting, but still practicing the faith fearful unto death.”

  Isabela I was fearful that the union of the country was at stake as she listened to her ministers’ plans to get rid of the Jews.

  “No wonder we don’t want to hear of your Jesus! Jew or not, we just won’t hear of it.”

  One of the Jewish leaders responded, “Isabela, if you get rid of us Jews, what are you going to do with us who are part of the active commercial class and educated elite who hold many administrative posts?”

  “Los voy a botar de mi España de una forma o otra (I’m going to throw you out of my Spain one way or another)!” replied Isabela I.

  “Isabela, Isabela, why do you have to have the blessing of the Pope to do such a thing?”

  “I’m going to keep Spain Catholic, get rid of you Jews, and then deal with the Muslims in the South.”

  Las convicciones son del ser de uno o del miedo (Convictions are of you own soul or of fear).

  Many, many of my brethren chose fear to accept a religion based on the option of accepting Jesus or dying. What does this have to do with me, a Jew?

  Centuries later, I would find out that one of my own would profess this Jesus.

  “I’ll set up a tribunal with the priests to get these Jews and Muslims to declare Christ and allegiance to the Pope and the Catholic Church. Because of their stubbornness, I’ll inquest them into Catholicism, and with the Pope’s blessing,” Isabela proclaimed.

  So began our nightmare! We were Jews, Spanish Jews. We spoke Ladino Judeo-Spanish.

  “If they don’t convert, I’ll kill them! Or better yet, I will send them to the Jew Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus) to the New World to finally, be rid of them.”

  The Inquisition

  La Suprema—Supreme Council of the Inquisition—under the direction of the Archbishop of Madrid, Manual Cervantes Gato, known as the “Cat” by the Conversos—converted ones (Jews and Muslims who had abandoned their faith for Christianity). This was under the authority of Isabela I.

  “Priest, you are to bring Conversos suspected of still protecting their forbidden religion in secret to tribunals, which I set up in your district. Use whatever means to find out the truth! Remember, our beloved Pope Innocent IV has issued a bill that allows us to use torture to get a confession. You can use local authorities, but if you are not getting anywhere, you can intervene in the questioning by using whatever means! Remember, my priest, these people do not know the Bible, and you are trained in the art of questioning! Ignorance is no excuse for not knowing or confessing. I want to get to their soul and what they believe!”

  One of the protesters said, “I am a Jew! How can I save my people from this devil that calls herself Christian!? In Nevi’-im, the prophet Hosea states, ‘My people are destroyed for want of knowledge! (Anid-mu, Au-Mi, nib-ba-li, had-da-at).’ These inquisitors are smart, using words to confuse us. God have mercy on us!”

  From the pit of Hell itself, Innocent IV opened the gates to bring about confession, knowing full well that he was fighting God.

  My forefathers were tortured! Did this spirit have to continue to show its face to us Jews even to modern times? Only the Messiah to come could stop this!

  These evil priests, they were so set on getting a verbal confession that the type or length of torture didn’t matter.

  Who could get to a man’s soul but only God Himself?

  I remember the story of the Protestant English merchant Nicholas Burton. These criminals, Gestapo-like priests hung him by his hands for days, pulling his arms out of their sockets, to try to get him to confess. Oh, how these priests loved strappado, “the rack”! They used this to stretch man, woman, or child and then burned them to confess their crime to bring them back to the faith.

  But how could you bring one back to a faith that he was ignorant of?

  The thought was, “Oh, you priest, the blood of Abel cries out to God! You think that because Pope Alexander IV decreed that you could absolve yourselves, you continue with torture!? Adonai, my Adonai, my God of Israel sees all!

  Just because you burned our bodies as some would do later, that evil spirit of death that transcends generation after generation would not end with the last inquisition of 1836 in Mi España (my Spain).

  Your neighbors, España, would embrace this spirit and use skulls on their caps to be messengers of death like other forefathers passed down generation after generation as the story was told.

  Japanese Inquisition

  This evil spirit of death by confession spread around the world! Even to Japan! Now Catholicism was under trial! The great inquisitor himself, one of many, Inoue, Lord of Chikugo, tortured, burned, and murdered the Japanese Christians to renounce their faith. The year was 1619 after the edict of expulsion of Christianity from Japan was promulgated into law.

  The Jews again are facing this. “Isabela, the spirit that drew you to evil before you and after you are still alive today. Who will free us from this curse? The Messiah, whom we patiently await as Jews, or is it the one we so call came by Christians?”

  CHAPTER 1

  SNÊʼ

  HATE, ODIO

  So who am I?

  José Antonio Sanes, a Sephardic Jew from Andalucia, Spain. My lineage is of rabbis who were learned men of the Torah and Talmud. I am a man of tradition. I firmly believe in the Jewish beliefs and law.

  Would I, José, hold on to tradi
tion and put my own son on trial?

  We are Sephardic Jews! What is that? My father would teach me. He would tell me, “Hold on to God and tradition, for without it you’re not a people.”

  As a child, I remembered my father, like his father, learning from the “ Geonim .” They were scholars of the two great Babylonian, Talmudic Academies of Sura Pumbedita (now known as Iraq). Geonim transmitted Torah Jewish law to their students, just as Moishe (Moses) did. My great-great-great grandfather was a Geonim . So do I hold on to tradition? Yes!

  As a child, there were rituals; rituals that I had to learn. At times, it felt more like rituals and rules without a true relationship to the Almighty. That was something I had to deal with all of my life. We had to do what we did because my father and his father and his father did it. Their forefathers would hope that these external-imposed religious rites would create a relationship with God.

  So the commandments without a relationship were null! I felt as a father that I had a relationship that was not null with God. How could I relate this knowledge, this tradition, to my son? I wish his mother, who had now passed away, would have shared this with him. As a father, I could pass on tradition and rituals, but my beloved, she could pass on a love of God that I could not.

  My family immigrated to Puerto Rico, then to the United States in the early 1950s. We settled in Charleston, South Carolina.

  How did we end up in America? All I could remember was that we lived in Spain. I grew up in the Province of Andalucia. I really don’t remember the town’s name. We had Spanish names and went to religious school in the mornings and public school in the afternoons. My surroundings were what I would call “normal.” I had Christian friends and, of course, Jewish friends. We celebrated the holidays at the synagogue and did our daily prayers and observed the Sabbath.

  My favorite part of being a Jew was family; my Christian friends envied this.

  My family and I moved to America when I was twelve. My father felt that it was time to move. Francisco Franco, known as El Caudillo, “the leader,” persecuted political opponents, repressed the culture and language of the Basque and Catalan regions, censored the media, and, according to my father, was ready to attack Jews. Inquisition or not, we were the next target. So it was time to move.