Two Brothers

It was the early decades of the new sect that called itself the Way.The Jewish members of this sect who lived in Jerusalem struggledwith being ostracized by the synagogue and with periodic occasionsof persecution by the countrys elite. At the same time, the countrysuffered the outrageous and cruel behavior of the Roman procurators,as well as contending with the escalating confl ict between Jewishrebels and Rome, a confl ict that fi nally would destroy the Templeand temple-based Judaism. These struggles found their way intoindividual families. One such was the family of Neariah whosetwo sons were on opposites sides of these struggles. Prior to thedestruction of Jerusalem, each brother sought and found hisindividual survival.