Man van Ciréne

by F.A. Venter

In die tyd van keiser Tiberius, opvolger van die deurlugtige Augustus, toe Jesus Christus sy leer in Galilea verkonder het, het die Jood Simon in Ciréne gewoon. Ciréne was een van die pragtige stede wat die Grieke in Afrika gebou het nog voordat Rome groot geword het. Hier is die verhaal van Simon, wat ook Simon Niger genoem word.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Christian

358 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

François Alwyn Venter was born in Hopetown on 27 November 1916. He attended school at Vioolskraal, Strydenburg and Hopetown, and matriculated in 1934. He studied at Stellenbosch University and commenced a career as journalist in 1938, working in Cape Town, Pretoria, Windhoek and Johannesburg. In 1960 he began farming in the Kenhardt district, and ten years later started farming near Vredendal in the Olifants River Valley. In 1976 he retired to Strand, where he began to write full-time.

F.A. Venter was known for his historical novels, short stories and books for young adults. He received the Hertzog Prize for prose in 1961 for his novels Swart pelgrim and Geknelde land. Geknelde land formed part of his Great Trek tetralogy which appeared in the 1960s and also included Offerland, Gelofteland and Bedoelde land. His last book, Van Botterkraal na Altena, appeared in 1996 in celebration of his 80th birthday. It contained a selection from his four autobiographical works, one of which, Die keer toe ek my naam vergeet het, won him the Andrew Murray Prize in 1996. This book is about his recovery after suffering a stroke in 1990. F.A. Venter died on 8 July 1997 at the age of 80.

Reviews

[Ilze · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book can be summed up by the Ray Boltz' song:
Walking on the road to Jerusalem
The time had come to sacrifice again
My two small sons,
They walked beside me on the road
The reason that they came
Was to watch the lamb

CHORUS:
Daddy, daddy what will we see there?
There's so much we don't understand
So I told them of Moses
And Father Abraham
And then I said,
Dear children, Watch the lamb

For there will be so many
In Jerusalem today
We must be sure the lamb
Doesn't run away
And I told them of Moses
And Father Abraham
And then I said,
Dear children, Watch the lamb

When we reached the city
I knew something must be wrong
There were no joyful worshippers
No joyful worship songs
I stood there with my children
In the midst of angry men
And then I heard the crowd cry out,
Crucify Him

We tried to leave the city
But we could not get away
Forced to play in this drama,
A part I did not wish to play
Why upon this day
Were men condemned to die?
Why were we standing here
Where soon they would pass by?

I look and said, Even now they come
The first one cried for mercy,
The people gave him none
The second one was violent,
He was arrogant and loud
I still can hear his angry voice
Screaming at the crowd

Then someone said, There's Jesus!
And I scarce believed my eyes
A man so badly beaten,
He barely looked alive
Blood poured from His body,
From the thorns upon His brow
Running down the cross
And falling to the ground

I watched Him as He struggled
I watched Him as He fell
The cross came down upon His back,
The crowd began to yell
In that moment I felt such agony
In that moment I felt such loss
Until a Roman soldier grabbed my arm
And screamed, You, carry His cross!

At first I tried to resist him
Then his hand reached for his sword
And so I knelt and took
The cross from the Lord
I placed it on my shoulder
And started down the street
The blood that He'd been shedding
Was running down my cheek

They led us to Golgotha
They drove nails
Deep in His feet and hands
An yet upon the cross
I heard Him pray, Father forgive them
Oh, never have I seen such love
In any other eyes
Into they hands I commit My spirit,
He prayed and then He died

I stood for what seemed like years
I'd lost all sense of time
Until I felt two tiny hands
Holding tight to mine
My children stood there weeping
I heard the oldest say
Father, please forgive us
The lamb ran away

Daddy, daddy what have we seen here?
There's so much
That we don't understand
So I took them in my arms
And we turned and faced the cross
And then I said,
Dear children, watch the Lamb

©Words and music by Ray Boltz

[Danielle Brink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grypend, hartsverskeurend, so mooi geskryf en ‘n geleentheid om ‘n Joodse perspektief in te dink.

[Susanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simon Niger woon in die pragtige dorp genaamd Cirene. Hy en sy vrou en twee seuns is getroue Jode wat elke reël volg sonder skroom. Gerugte kom egter uit die Noorde van ‘n Man wat praat van liefde, iemand wat die selfs op die Sabbat gepreek het, iemand genaamd Jesus. Jesus vertel hy is die Seun van God en dat die hoë priesters vals profete is. Niks van hierdie sit reg met Simon Niger nie, hoe kan sy vriende, en selfs van sy familie lede, dan nou begin twyfel aan die Wet van Moses?

Rome is egter nog in beheer van Cirene en kom haal gereeld hul belasting. Pryse styg egter meer as wat verwag en Simon verloor sy humeur toe twee Romeine opdaag op sy plaas. Simon en sy familie moet nou vlug vir hul lewe, ander gaan hul Simon aan die kruis hang.

Die vlug uit Cirene bring Simon egter op ‘n ander tipe reis. Dis raak ‘n reis na die Waarheid, al besef hy dit nie. Simon was saam met die ander Jode in Jerusalem toe hul Jesus verhoor, hy skree saam “Kruisig Hom!”. Maar alles verander toe hy Jesus se kruis op himself neem, wanneer hy die opdrag kry om oor te neem want Jesus se krag is daarmee heen. Simon Niger van Cirene, die hardkoppige man, begin stadig maar seker glo.

My gedagtes: Ek het nog nooit ‘n FA Venter boek gelees nie, want ek het nog nooit kans gesien vir die hoogdawerende Afrikaans nie. Dit het bietjie woes begin maar mettertyd raak mens gewoond daaraan en boei die storie mens tog. Die boek het ons baie laat dink en gesels by die boekklub, beslis ‘n goeie boek.