In chapter 9 of The Bronze Bow, Daniel is pleased that Rosh has given him a solo job to perform for the band. He is to ambush an old miser and steal his money. Daniel jumps the man and knocks him out, taking his money bag and two knives. However, as he walks away, he looks back and sees the old man lying on the road. The man reminds him of his grandfather, and...
In chapter 9 of The Bronze Bow, Daniel is pleased that Rosh has given him a solo job to perform for the band. He is to ambush an old miser and steal his money. Daniel jumps the man and knocks him out, taking his money bag and two knives. However, as he walks away, he looks back and sees the old man lying on the road. The man reminds him of his grandfather, and Daniel can't leave him lying there defenseless. He pulls the man off the road into some shade and waits for him to regain consciousness. He then returns one of the knives to the man.
Rosh reprimands Daniel, saying he should have killed the miser. Now the miser represents a threat to Daniel if he ever sees him in the city. Rosh explains to Daniel that the man should have been killed for the good of the country. The miser's money will go to pay the men Rosh intends to recruit to overthrow the Romans. Since the man will not support the liberation of his country any other way, being killed to support Rosh and his band was a higher service than he was performing by remaining alive. Rosh concludes his argument by saying, "And what loss would it have been--one old man more or less?" So to Rosh, the man's money, which would be used to support the men who will fight the Romans, is more important than his life.
Daniel at first succumbs to Rosh's logic, but later a nagging doubt plagues him. He realizes the stark contrast between Rosh's view of life and Jesus' view. Rosh values people only for what he can use them for, but to Jesus, every man is "a child of God." Jesus, Daniel suspects, does not think a man's money or usefulness as "a tool or weapon" is more important than his life.
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