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captivity
of Philippos. He was spending
Passover in Rome, and he
was staying until Shavuot,
or Pentecost, and since he
was there, he thought he
would bless the people on
the occasion of the burial.
A priestly blessing was a big
deal, because that blessing
could only be said by a priest;
Uri too would get a chill every
time it was recited at some
big feast by a suitable person,
a descendant of Aaron.
Philippos was not permitted
anywhere near the body.
Not only was he forbidden to
see the tumbrel that carried
the corpse; it was not even
supposed to cast its shadow
on him because it would have
made him unclean. Philippos
blessed the mourners in the
crescent entryway to the
cemetery, likewise speaking
highly of the deceased,
expressing hope that a general
resurrection was not far away,
so that the living and the
dead would not be deprived
of each other’s company for
long. He read out the prayer,
those present wept and said
amen, then they shepherded
the priest away and only
pulled the tumbril into the
cemetery once Philippos was
long gone. The body, wrapped
in white shroud, was carried
through the gate by the Levite
attendants, who been gazing
of f and leaning listlessly
on their spades during the
speech. Members of the
family rent their garments
as they entered the gate to
see into the niche where the
body was placed, onto which
vault or rectangular hollow
scooped into the stone of the
catacomb wall they should
place the thin marble plate
they had brought along with
them, on which stood just the
name, Fortunatus, and that
he had lived sixty-four years