RomanGladiatorStory.docVIP

Roman Gladiator Story Jonathan vs. Ira DAY II am dead. Or rather the person I used to be is dead.Jonathan ben Mordecai. Born in Jerusalem during the last year of Neros reign. Moved to Italia after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. Lived in Rome, then Ostia. When Jonathan was eleven he went to Rome to try to do a good thing. But instead of doing something good he did something so terrible that afterwards he wanted to kill himself.But he was a coward. Not brave enough to kill himself. Instead, he signed up to be a gladiator. He told himself that death was too quick. He told himself that he should atone for his crime - like Hercules. But really Jonathan was just a big coward. He was afraid to throw himself off the cliff.Everybody knows you have to be at least twenty-five to sign up as a gladiator. But thats only if youre freeborn. The Emperor needs lots of performers for the inaugural games at his new amphitheatre. Even slaves and criminals. No questions asked. You could win fame, gold, even freedom. Lots of slaves have signed up, some of them kids, like me. Theyre training us kids to be the novelty act. Well be fighting and dying after the noon executions, while Senators go to the new baths, and poor people eat picnic lunches in their seats. When Jonathan pretended to be a slave and signed up to be a gladiator he made one mistake. He chose a new name for himself. Names are powerful. When you know someones name you have power over them. That is why we Jews never speak Gods name. When Jonathan told the scribe his new name - his arena name - he suddenly realised that a new part of him had come into existence. He felt different. And he realised he could have more than one name for himself. So when he came here to the gladiator school, he didnt tell anyone his real old name or his arena name. He made up a third name. My name.Ira. It means anger in Latin. I like it. One or two of them found out my old name but I never answer. Soon nobody wi