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

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