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THE GIFT OF
-
CONVERSATIOKSRAIftT
ON
THE GEOGRAPHY, NATURAL HISTORY, ETC.
OP
PALESTINE.
BY IMOGEN MERCEIN.
And she, being desolate, shall sit^Upon the ground.—Isa. iii, 36.
THIRD EDITION.
Nm-Uork:
PUBLISHED BY LANE & SCOTT,
FOB THE 8UNDAY-8CHOOL UNTON OP THE METH0PT8T EPISCOPAL
CHURCH, too HVLBERBY'STREET.
JOSEPH LONGKINO, PRINTER.
1852.
" Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year
1840, by T. Mason and G. Lane, in the Clerk's O^e
of the District Court of the Southern District of New-
York."
TO
THE FEMALE BIBLE CLASS,
ONCE ASSEMBLED IN TESTRT-STREET,
BUT NOW, IN THE PROVIDENCE OP OOD,
SCATTERED FAR AND WIDE,
THIS LITTLE VOLUME,
WHICH WAS OBIOINALLT COMPILED AT THEIR REQUEST,
IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED
BY THEIR TEACHER.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
PREFACE.
Ddbimo the winter of 1837 the compiler of tbie little
work attended a course of lectures on Palestine. The
description of places associated with the hallowed and
thrilling narratives of the inspired writers, created a deep
and abiding interest in that land
" Over whose acres walk'd those blessed feet
Which, eighteen hundred years ago, were nail'd
For our advantage to the bitter cross
And it became her pleasant employment to impart to a
Bible class,* in which she was deeply interested, all the
information which had been thus received.
By this method a new charm was given to every Bibli¬
cal lesson. " A local habitation and a name" removed
much of the indistinctness with which the youthful mind
pictures scenes long gone by, in places far away ; and the
class expressed a unanimous desire to have the informa¬
tion thus given embodied in a more tangible form. In
compliance with this desire the present compilation was
attempted. But the advice and aid of one or two Sunday
school friends, in whose judgment the writer had great
confidence, induced her to extend the plan, to obtain in¬
formation from the many sources which their unwearied
* In the sabbath school of the V estry-street church.
viii PREFACE TO PALESTINE.
kindness opened, and thus to embrace every place of im¬
portance in Palestine mentioned in Holy Writ.
This, we believe, has been accomplished. The pearls
of knowledge which the industry and research of others
have so richly furnished are here displayed; and if the
minds of our juvenile readers are excited to a deeper in¬
vestigation of Biblical history, one main design of this work
will be fully gained. We lay it on the Sunday school
altar, with the fervent prayer, that feeble as is the offer¬
ing, it may be owned and honoured of Him who has com¬
manded that the " one talent" should be fully employed
and consecrated.
New-York, February, 1840.
C NVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
CONTENTS.
Page
Dedication 6
Preface 7
CHAPTER I.
The Family Circle 11
CHAPTER ir.
General Description of Palestine, its Natural His¬
tory, &c 27
CHAPTER III.
Mountains, Plains, Lakes, and Rivers 89
m
CHAPTER IV.
Cities and Towns on the Mediterranean Coast 137
CHAPTER V.
Cities and Towns of the Interior 175
CHAPTER VI.
Jerusalem and its Environs 213
CHAPTER VII.
Places between Jerusalem and the Jordan—Country
beyond Jordan 271
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE
CHAPTER I.
THS FAHILT CIRCLE.
" Domestic happiness, thou only bliss
Of Paradise that has surrived the fall!
Thou art the nurse of virtue—^in thine arms
She smiles, appearing, as in truth she is.
Heaven-born, and destined to the skies again."
COWPER.
On a Saturday evening in March, 18—, a
family circle were assembled in a pleasant parloiu:
in street. The whistling of the wind
'and the pattering of the rain gave evidence
of the violence of the storm without, and
formed a striking contrast to the quiet,
comfortable scene within. Every article
necessary to comfort and improvement seemed
to abound, yet the utmost simplicity marked
every design and arrangement. Books, pictures,
and instruments of music proved that taste
existed and was gratified; while the happy
countenances, and cheerful voices heard the
hour before, manifested beyond a doubt that
here domestic happiness had found a throne
12 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
and reigned triumpliant. The curtains were
drawn^ the power of anthracite was fully
exhibited in the warm and pleasant atmosphere,
while " the soft light of the astral lamp," which
stood on the table, now drawn to the centre of
the room, completed all that was necessary at
least to bodily comfort.
On one side of the table sat a gentleman in
the prime of life, whose appearance at once
bespoke physical and intellectual vigour, while
the calm and benevolent aspect, the mild but
expressive eye, betokened that moral culture
which is at once man's happiness and glory.
A religious paper lay before him, which he was
evidently perusing, but ever and anon his eye
was raised from the paper, and rested upon the
quiet group around him, which consisted of his
wife and four children of various ages.
Contentment was written on the mother's
countenance, yet traces of maternal anxiety
were there; for in a mother's heart hopes and
fears strangely commingle, even when her
offspring promise all that her fondest hopes
can anticipate. Her book had fallen closed
upon her lap—^her eye wandered alternately from
her husband to her children. Several times she
seemed about to speak, but again relapsed infa>
deep and somewhat anxious thought.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 13
Opposite his mother sat a thoughtiiil looking
youth about eighteen years of age, whose atten¬
tion seemed entirely absorbed by some deeply
interesting study, but as he turned occasionally
from the volume over which he was poring to
the paper on which he was transcribing, his
bright eye and flushed cheek showed that
feeling as well as thought was there.
Beside him sat his sister, a delicate pensive
looking girl, of about sixteen years of age. A
shade of melancholy rested on her brow, and yet
she did not seem unhappy. If "coming events
cast their shadows before," it might have been
the shadow of sorrows her womanhood had yet
to know, for surely the reality was not now hers.
A Bible, a commentary, an atlas, and a ques¬
tion-book were before her. Her countenance
manifested her deep interest in the study in
which she was engaged, and now and then
she looked inquiringly toward her brother, as
though longing to speak, but his look of deep
abstraction checked her, and again she turned
to her solitary work.
Next her sat a younger girl, whose head,
reclining on her open book, lefl us in doubt
whether she were just now thinking or sleeping:
—and next the mother sat a boy of twelve,
whose high colour and bright expression proved
14 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
thatyouth's characteristics, health and happiness,
were his. He, too, had a Bible, rather soiled
in its appearance, and a question-book,' not a
little soiled and dog's-eared.
For a while he studied patiently and atten¬
tively ; but soon his countenance bespoke rest¬
lessness and impatience. The stillness of the
room seemed irksome; he looked around, but
met no answering glance ; and as if unable any
longer to restrain himself, he pushed the book
from before him, and a petulant" Pshaw!" caused
the quiet party simultaneously to raise their eyes
and fix them on him.
" I wish," exclaimed Henry, (for that was
his name,) " I wish —" he paused and became
confused, for his exclamation was involuntary,
and he was not prepared for the scrutiny that
followed. " What do you wish, my son ?" said
Mr. Seymour, mildly.
The lively boy regained his confidence, and
replied,—" Why, I wish I knew the royal way
of learning Bible-lessons, or I wish I loved to
study them better, or I wish," and his voice
gradually lowered, " that somebody would make
them interesting to me."
" Well, my son," answered Mr, Seymour, " I
do not quarrel with your wishes, especially the
last one, which I think perfectly natural and
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 1$
should like to have it gratified. 1 have beea
thinking this evening," he continued,- (look¬
ing at Mrs. Seymour,) "that we are very
selfish in our enjoyments, our interests are one,
and yet we are pursuing our individual avoca¬
tions, as though the path were not wide enough
for us to walk in it collectively. I wish, Mary,
we could devise some plan which would
mutually interest and profit."
He looked around,—every countenance beam¬
ed with hope and animation, even the sleeper
was aroused, and looking up displayed a
countenance, closely resembling that of the
brother next whom she sat, bright, happy, and
buoyant.
All seemed on the point of speaking, but all
waited the reply of her who, they well knew,
would freely co-operate in any plan designed
for their pleasure and benefit.
"Am I the mirror in which your thoughts
are reflected ?" said Mrs. Seymour, smiling,
"or is it the reverse 1 You have expressed just
what has occupied my mind this evening. I
have watched your anxious looks, and regretted
Charles's entire abstraction. 1 have inter¬
preted Gertrude's inquiring looks toward her
brother, sympathized with my sleepy Clara,
16 CONVERSATIONS O PALESTINE.
and felt a little sorry foi her restless brother
—and I thought of a plan—"
"O, name it, mother, name it!" was the
general exclamation.
" Gently, my children, gently, it is too inde¬
finite to be called a ' plan,' it is only a passing
thought, a suggestion," she continued, addressing
herself to Mr. Seymour, " I have never ceased
to regret the illness which deprived me and the
children of our anticipated attendance on the
various lectures on Palestine you have attend¬
ed, and I feel that we have lost a great deal of
pleasure and profit. Now as you and Charles
were the only favoured ones, 1 have thought
perhaps you might give us the substance of
what you heard, and thus we might receive
such information as would prove deeply inter¬
esting and highly beneficial."
"That's it, mother, that's it," exclaimed
Henry, with an eagerness that caused a univer¬
sal smile.
" I say, with Henry, that's it, mother," said
Mr. Seymour; " I like your plan exceedingly,
and think it just what we want, and if my
busy Charles will promise me his aid, 1 am
willing to try immediately. What do you say,
my son 1"
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTlNEi 17
'•Say, sir," replied Charles, glancing rapidly
around the table at the animated countenances,
"why, I am scarcely a free agent in this matter;
it would require a heart of stone to resist Ger¬
trude's imploring glances, Clara's wakeful at¬
tention, and Henry's eloquence, and I really
think I can sacrifice Saturday evening to so
good a cause."
Mr. Seymour. I trust it would not prove a
sacrifice, my son.
Charles. I do not seriously think it would,
father, and am willing to impart all the informa¬
tion I possess.
" Now, dear, lot us go on with our plan, and
try to make an immediate and definite arrange¬
ment," said Mrs. Seymour.
" I depend mostly on Charles," replied Mr.
Seymour, " for I know he took notes largely;
but as you have each peculiar tastes, I will
listen to any suggestions; and perhaps they may
be so combined, that while valuable information
is imparted, taste also may be gratified. What
do you say, Mary V
Mrs. Seymour. I am not prepared to offer a
plan, but feel that any thing which will throw
light upon the Bible will be invaluable.
Mr. Seymour. And, Henry, what say you ?
2
18 CONVERSATIONS ON TALESTINB.
Henry. I was just thinking that I should like
to hear about the history of Palestine, and its
wars and sieges, and all such things; and about
Titus, and the destruction of Jerusalem ; and,
father, (and his voice fell reverentially,) I should
like to hear about Jesus too, for I know I ought
to care most about that.
" True, my son," said Mr. Seymour, seriously,
" your first wishes are innocent and laudable;
but my object would be but half attained if I
cmly gratified curiosity. Our object will be to
hear about and to learn of Jesus, that we
may love our Saviour. Now what says
Clara ?"
Clara. Why, father, I should like to hear
about the costumes and habits of the East. My
teacher often alludes to them, but I want to
know more than she has time to tell in the sab¬
bath school.
Mr. Seymour. And what does my attentive
Gertrude wish?
Gertrude. My wishes are so very extensive,
dear father, I fear they can scarcely be gratified.
She blushed, and hesitated.
Mr. Seymour. Name them, dear, and we
can try.
Gertrude. Well, father, I find it so difficult
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 19
to realize that the persons and circumstances
recorded in the Bible really existed and occur¬
red ; and the places mentioned are to me as " the
dim vision of an ill-remembered dream," so dis¬
tant and so indistinct. I should like to have
them brought so definitely before me that I might
realize, and therefore feel. And, father, ever
since you read Chalmers's Astronomical Dis¬
courses* to us I have been so impressed with the
greatness, wisdom, and power of God, that the
fact of his incarnation seemed beyond my faith
to grasp. And while I wish to retain those
magnificent ideas, I do wish them to be so
blended with the conception of his love, and
mercy, and sympathy, that while I tremble and
adore, I may also worship and obey. I wish
this most of all, for I have often been bewildered
and impressed ; and then, father, every thing re¬
lating to the land where Jesus lived and died
would be interesting to me.
Mr. Seymour. Your wishes are indeed large,
my children, and will require an extended plan
to meet them. We will, however, try what we
can do toward it. Do you think, Charles,
♦ This work I would recommend to the members of Bible
classes, believing thoy would be both interested and profited
by its perusal.
20 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
(turning to his son,) that you can suggest any
plan?
Charles. I think, sir, we might commence
with a general description of the country, and
then particularize its mountains, seas, rivers,
cities, and towns, noticing the historical circum¬
stances connected with them, and especially
their sacred associations.
This proposal seemed to meet the approba¬
tion of Mr. Seymour, who, glancing at the se¬
rious, interested countenances before him, ob¬
served, " I would again remark, that to gratify
curiosity, to please taste, or even to excite
emotion, is not my chief aim, and should not
be yours. To bring vividly before you the land
which Jesus trod, to enable you to realize scenes
in which Jesus acted, to aid you in grasping the
mighty truth, ' The Word was made flesh, and
dwelt among us,' and thus to lead your young
minds to love, to fear, and to obey Him
who is at once 'the everlasting Father, the
Prince of peace, the Babe in Bethlehem, the
Man of sorrows, and the cmcified, risen Sa¬
viour,' is my aim and desire, and I shall tbink,
my dear children, no effort arduous, no time
misspent, by which this shall be eflected.
We will then, Charles, make your proposed plan
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 21
the groundwork, and enlarge npon it, as circnm-
stances may require. But I shall expect each
one to add his or hex quota of information ; and
I wish you all to be perfectly free in your in¬
quiries and suggestions. Our object is improve¬
ment, therefore I do not think it necessary to
restrict our plan ; and every thing that will add
light to our minds, aiid warmth to our hearts,
shall be admitted. Were yon about to speak,
my son ?
Charles. Only to remark, sir, that a thorough
knowledge of the geography of Palestine is es¬
sential to the clear understanding of much of
the Bible. Without " a local habitation," as well
as a name, many of its most interesting scenes
will seem vague and indistinct.
" I have a very serious objection to localities,
brother," said Gertrude, smiling, " they so re¬
strain the imagination; but," added she, " look¬
ing seriously at her father, " I trust a knowledge
of localities here will rather strengthen than
weaken the impressions I wish to cherish. But
I have been somewhat in doubt since you have
been speaking, for I remember that the work of
Miss Sedgwick which interested me least was
the one whose scenes are laid in New-York;
familiarity seemed to destroy interest; and
22 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
I thought perhaps an intimate and correct know¬
ledge of clearly defined places might lessen the
reverence I now feel for every thing connected
with the Bible.
Mr. Seymour. If you approach the subject
with such feelings, Gertrude, I do not fear the
result. You must remember, that after we have
obtained the most correct" accounts of Palestine
from modem travellers, we still must admit re¬
specting many things, " they are not what they
have been." While the similarity may be strong
enough to enable us to identify the places, to a
thinking mind inanimate things will vanish be¬
fore the thought of its once living, sentient mil¬
lions. "The prophets, where are they?" and
their tombs will echo, where ? Its temple, its
synagogues, its cherished homes, its favoured
people, all, all passed away. Its similarity with,
and its contrast to, its former condition, contrary
as such a description may seem, will tend to
the establishment of our faith, if we are suc¬
cessful in the prosecution of our study.
" It appears to me," said Mrs. Seymour, " that
no other study can so sweetly blend the imagi¬
native and the real; and I anticipate more plea¬
sure than I can express from the plan thus
opening before us."
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 23
" We are becoming quite digressive again,"
said Charles.
" O, we admit digressions," replied Mr. Sey¬
mour, smiling, " and as this evening is only a
preliminary, it cannot be better spent. I shall
expect Henry and Clara to give us a clear ac¬
count of the situation, boundaries, &c., of Pa¬
lestine, next Saturday evening, and then we
will proceed."
Mr. Seymour was interrupted by the entrance
of the domestics, who quietly took their accus¬
tomed seats. All turned with a surprised look
to the clock; for, in their interesting communion,
they had taken " no note of time." It pointed to
the usual hour of worship, and here postpone¬
ment of duty was unknown. Gertrude handed
her father the Bible, which lay before her, and
Mrs. Seymour pushed toward him the hymn-
book. A few moments of reverent silence
passed, and then the hymn was read. All united
in the singing, and the full chorus, from grate¬
ful hearts, ascended to the Author of their mer¬
cies. Mr. Seymour read a chapter, making such
commeuts as he deemed necessary to its full
understanding, and then all knelt, while the
husband and father humbly and ardently poured
forth the language of adoration, praise, and
24 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
prayer. The parental and fraternal kiss was
given, the cheerful good night uttered, and all
retired to the privacy of their respective rooms.
It had long been the family custom to devote
Saturday evening exclusively to religious im¬
provement. All secular employments ceased
with the setting sun, (except so far as related to
the necessary preparation for the coming day,)
and the spirit cherished was as the twilight of
the sabbath.
It was not with the views of the Puritans that
the evening was thus spent, for their sabbath
closed not with the day; but their views of its
sanctity were such that they deemed preparation
necessary.
Mr. and Mrs. Seymour possessed both intel¬
ligence and piety. Early married, they felt the
danger of being absorbed by domestic duties, and
employments wholly secular, to the neglect of
that higher improvement which they knew to be
essential to happiness and usefulness. They
had, therefore, mutually agreed to make all ne¬
cessary sacrifices and arrangements, that they
might devote Saturday evening to their mentd
improvement.
As years rolled on they read much, thought
much, and, as a necessary consequence, their
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 25
minds became matured, their views of Christian
duty and enjoyment greatly expanded, and in
experimental religion they became, in no ordi¬
nary degree," stablished, strengthened, settled."
Having felt so deeply the benefit of this plan,
as their children grew around them they endea¬
voured to include them in it. In so doing, they
had of course to lower the standard they them¬
selves had followed; but in the maturing minds
and correct principles of those so dear, they
found the sacrifice abundantly repaid. The
pressure of professional duties had prevented
Mr. Seymour from following any definite plan.
Sometimes he would read; but, as the older
minds advanced in knowledge and desire, it be¬
came almost impossible to find any thing which
would interest aU, and, as the younger children
attended sabbath school, and had dilferent les¬
sons, for some months past all had pursued their
individual emplo3rment. But this did not fully
meet their parents' views. They had found, by
years of happy experience, that 'union was
strength,' in study as well as other pursuits ; that
the very contrast of thoughts, views, feelings,
«fec., was valuable, as eliciting inquiry and cre¬
ating discussion. Therefore, some combined
plan, similar to that they used when their chil-
26 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
dren were young around them seemed particu-'
larly desirable.
Mr. Seymour's duties were at present much
lightened, and Charles' long vacation had com¬
menced ; the winter evenings were passing
rapidly away, and Mrs. Seymour, just relieved
from the tedium and anxiety of a sick room,
felt more than ever the necessity of such an
arrangement; and, from the readiness with
which her plan was adopted, she anticipated
with joy the result so long desired.
How far it was successful the following pages
will testify.
conversations on palestine. 27
CHAPTER II.
general description of palestine ; its na¬
tural history, etc.
Situation and boundaries of Palestine—The rarious
names by which it is known—Its relative position with re¬
spect to other countries—Singular beauty and contrast of its
frontiers—Its political divisions—General appearance of the
face of the country—Its climate—Its ancient fertility—Man¬
ner of grinding com in the East—The vine—The olive—
The fig-tree—The sycamore—The palm-tree—^The citron-
tree—The almond—The pistsichio—The pomegranate—The
cedar—Melons and cucumbers—The myrtle—Rose of Sha¬
ron—The lily—Syrian sheep—Ibex, or rock goat—Gazelle
—Jackal, or fox of the Bible—Wild boar—Sketch of the
history of Palestine.
The week, with its cares, anxieties, and bus¬
tle, had well-nigh fled, and again our group were
assembled, to forget its absorbing occupations in
a study, the tendency of which is to lead the
mind to higher and to better things. Not that
they had been forgotten, or banished amid its
multifarious employments; the spirit of piety
was too deeply infused into the parents' hearts,
their sense of eternal things too strong, their in¬
terest in their children's highest welfare too
abiding to allow of such a result. " Line upon
line and precept upon precept" had been given
with the fleeting days, but now the season of
28 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
holy leisure was hailed with more than usual
gladness. There was no sign of listlessness
or impatience as the happy and expectant group
took their accustomed seats around the table,
which, covered with books, maps, &c., proved
that at least information was desired. Between
Mr. Seymour and Charles, on a moveable pole,
hung a large, well defined map of Palestine,
and on the other side, opposite, a map of the
world.
All eyes were fiixed on Mr. Seymour and
Charles; and, after a moment's silence, Mr.
Seymour commenced.
Mr. Seymour. What is to be the subject of
our study this evening, Charles ?
Charles. The geography, scenery, climate,
and natural history of Palestine.
Mr. Seymour. Why do we deem a minute
knowledge of its situation and character parti¬
cularly desirable ? "
Charles. Because, sir, we think the ascer¬
tained facts will enable us fully to refute the in¬
fidel objection that it is, and always was, a bar¬
ren land, utterly unworthy the selection of God
for his favoured people, and prove that such a
sentiment is utterly without foundation.
" There is another reason, yon remember,"
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 29
remarked Mrs. Seymour, " suck knowledge will
throw light upon many portions of Scripture
history, and enable us more fully to comprehend
the force of many allusions in the sacred writ¬
ings, and thus remove the vagueness of appre¬
hension under which we should otherwise
labour."
Mr. Seymour. Henry, will you tell us in
what quarter of the world Palestine is situated,
and how it is bounded ?
Henry. It is in the western part of Asia, and
is bounded on the north by Mount Lebanon, on
the east by the river Jordan and the Dead Sea,
on the south by the desert of Arabia, and on the
west by the Mediterranean Sea.
Mr. Seymour. That is the correct boundary
of Palestine proper, or the land of the Philis¬
tines ; but did you not notice, Henry, that on
the map the land possessed by the Israelites
seems to extend farther?
Henry. I did, sir, but my Bible Dictionary
states the boundaries as I gave them.
" But, Henry," said Clara," I read farther, and
found that Joshua gave two tribes and a half
their inheritance on the east side of the Jordan."
Mr. Seymour. That is perfectly correct, my
dear. The original promise made to Abraham,
30 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
in the fifteenth chapter of Genesis, and eight¬
eenth verse, says, " from the river of Egypt to
the river Euphrates." That promise was re¬
newed in its fullest extent to Joshua, after the
death of Moses ; see first chapter of Joshua, and
fourth verse; and by reference to sacred his¬
tory we find it was literally fulfilled, during the
reigns of David and Solomon; for their posses¬
sions beyond the Jordan extended from the
Orontes and Euphrates on the one hand, to the
remotest confines of Moab and Edom on the
other. This, however, was but a splendid pa¬
renthesis in the historic page of the Israelites,
as their dominion in that quarter seldom ex¬
tended beyond the territory given to the two
tribes and a half by Joshua. Can either of you
tell me in what latitude Palestine is ?
Gertrude. Between the thirty-first and thirty-
fourth degrees of north latitude.
Mr. Seymour. With what places in the Uni¬
ted States is it parallel ?
Charles. With South Carolina, Georgia, and
Alabama.
Mr. Seymour. In what zone is it, Clara ?
Clara. The north temperate, sir.
Mr. Seymour. By what names has it been
called, Gertrude ?
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 31
Gertrude. It was called the Land of Canaan
from Canaan, grandson of Noah, whose de¬
scendants first peopled it; the Land of Promise,
because it was promised to Abraham and his
descendants as their possession; the land of
Israel, because it was inhabited by the posterity
of Jacob, or Israel; the land of Judah, because
Judah became the leading tribe of Israel; Pales¬
tine, or the land of the Philistines, from a people
of that name who migrated from Egypt and set¬
tled on the coast of the Mediterranean; the Holy
Land, because it was chosen by God to be the
immediate seat of his worship, and this title
seems especially appropriate since the sufiier-
ings and death of Christ have consecrated it.
Mr. Seymour. What is particularly remark¬
able respecting its position, Charles ?
Charles. The great advantages which it
afforded for intercourse with other nations, sir.
" Now let us all turn our attention to the
map of the world," said Mr. Seymour. " By a
single glance you will observe that Palestine
occupies a remarkably central position. While
Charles mentions some of the countries, I will
point to them. He will first notice the places
with which they could hold intercourse by
means of the Mediterranean Sea.
32 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Charles. First, we mark the island of Cy¬
prus ; then Asia Minor, containing the celebrated
cities of Ephesus, Pergamus, Antioch, Lao-
dicea, Smyrna, and many others; then the pe¬
ninsula of Greece, including Corinth, Sparta,
and Athens, cities renowned for their wealth,
valour, and learning.
Mr. Seymour. Stop one moment, Charles,
perhaps Henry can tell us the names of some
distinguished men and places famous in Grecian
history.
Henry. O, yes, father, plenty of them. Of
men, Leonidas, Miltiades, and Themistocles ; of
places, Marathon, Salamis, and Platea—why I
would not know when to stop! for I think of
all the battles, and sieges, and victories.
" Henry's taste is very warlike,'' said Mrs.
Seymour. " I was thinking of Plato, and So¬
crates, and Homer."
" And I," said Gertrude, " was contrasting,
with the poet, her present with her ancient state.
• so fair, so calm, so softly sealed.
The first, last look, by death revealed.
Such is the aspect of this shore!
'Tis Greece, but living Greece no more.
So coldly sweet, so deadly fair,
We start 1 for soul is wanting there.'"
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 33
"That entire description is beautiful," said
Mr. Seymour, "and it would be pleasant to dwell
here longer; but our ultimate object, we must
remember, is, Palestine; therefore, we must not
unnecessarily tarry, but adopt the feeling of the
poet, when he exclaims.
No, no, a lonelier, lovelier path be mine ;
Greece and her charms I leave for Palestine;
There purer streams through happier valleys flow,
And sweeter flowers on holier mountains grow.
I love to breathe where Gilead sheds her balm;
I love to walk on Jordan's banks of palm;
I love to wet my feet in Hermon's dews;
I love the promptings of Isaiah's muse:
In Carmel's sacred grots I'll court repose,
And deck my mossy couch with Sharon's deathless
rose.' PlEBPONT.
Now, Charles, let us continue our route."
Charles. Next to Greece, continuing our course
westwardly, is Italy, containing Rome, which
not only aimed at, but almost grasped universal
dominion; next Gaul or France, and then
Spain and Portugal reaching to the Pillars of
Hercules.
Henry. I know about the labours of Her¬
cules, father, but I do not know what the Pillars
of Hercules are.
3
34 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Mr. Seymour. In other words, the Straits
of Gibraltar, my son. The fabulous accoimt
says, that Hercules forced a passage through
what are now the Straits of Gibraltar, and thus
disjoined Spain and Africa, which were before
united, and connected the Mediterranean Sea
with the Atlantic Ocean.
Charles. Now, sir; return again to the starting
point. We find, on the southern coast of the
Mediterranean, Egypt, with her seven-mouthed
Nile.
Mr. Seymour. You all remember, I suppose,
that Egypt is one of the oldest kingdoms of
which we have any knowledge. In the time
of Abraham it was governed by the Pharaohs,
and was celebrated for its great wealth and
power, and early advancement in the arts and
sciences ; and no higher description of Moses'
acquirements seemed possible than to say,' he
was skilled in all the wisdom of the Egyptians.'
With the wonderful properties of the Nile
you are well acquainted; I shall not, there¬
fore, dwell upon them. Continue your route,
Charles.
Charles. Return again, and on the east of
Palestine you will find Syria, Mesopotomia,
Persia, Babylon, "the glory of kingdoms, the
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 35
beauty of the Chaldees' excellency," and
Assyria.
" 0, Babylon, father," exclaimed Clara, " I
have just been reading of its walls, and artificial
lakes, and hanging gardens, and it seemed to
me like a fairy tale."
" And you know," said Henry," the ten tribes
were taken captive by the kings of Ass)Tia;
and we often read of the Babylonish captivity."
" And, mother," exclaimed Gertrude, " do
you remember the sweet and mournful psalm
which then and there they sang ?"
Mrs. Seymour. I do, my dear; it is the one
hundred and thirty-seventh. " By the rivers of
Babylon there we sat down; yea, we wept
when we remembered Zion."
Charles. On the south was Arabia, whence
the queen of Sheba is supposed to have come,
having heard of the wisdom of Solomon.
"We have indeed travelled over classic
ground," said Mr. Seymour, " and might dwell
upon it much longer with pleasure and in¬
terest. Even this comparatively slight survey,
you perceive, my children, manifests clearly the
peculiarly advantageous situation of Palestine
for commerce; but expansive in interest and
extent as is the field over which we have tra-
36 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
veiled, I do not think we have yet reached the
full extent which history allows to the favoured
land. How is it, Charles T"
Charles. You are correct, sir. Many arti¬
cles are mentioned in the Scriptures, not indi¬
genous to the soil of Palestine, which prove
its inhabitants to have had commercial inter¬
course with China and India by the passage
of the Red Sea.
"It would seem," said Mr. Seymour, "as
though much of our conversation to-night had
been irrelevant to our lesson; but not so. I
would have you recall, as far as your memories
will permit, all you have heard and read re¬
specting the countries we have mentioned;
dwell upon their progressive rise and fall, their
advance in arts, sciences, and learning; their ex¬
tended commerce, and almost boundless wealth.
Think of their mighty emperors and kings, their
peculiar institutions and religions, their con¬
quests and achievements. View it as one wide¬
spread circle, embracing all of which you have
read as occurring during a period of two thou¬
sand three hundred and forty-eight years ; that
is, from the subsiding of the deluge to the birth
of Christ; and then, in the very centre of this
circle, mark one little spot, the land of promise,
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 37
the land of patriarchs and prophets, of wonders,
and of miracles ; the chosen land of God's cho¬
sen people. And I would ask you amid the
survey, to remember that thus in the midst of
all this congregated wealth, power, and com¬
merce, that spot, from time immemorial, was
honoured by angels' visits, by Heaven's peculiar
manifestations, and, above all, by the birth, life,
teachings, death, resurrection, and ascension
of the Son of God; that thus encircled, the Jew¬
ish nation existed for hundreds of years; and
now see what force there is in the infidel objec¬
tion, that it was not worthy of its professed se¬
lection.
"We have not yet touched the interior," con¬
tinued Mr. Seymour," and I would still defer it
for a few moments. I have dwelt upon the ad¬
vantages afforded by nature to Palestine, and it
would seem as though no barrier existed to her
successful rivalry with all nations. But we
must remember that the Jews were a peculiar
people; their government a theocracy; their reli¬
gion different from that of all other nations ; and
the line of separation drawn clear and strong by
God himself. That while nature afforded every
facility, the God of nature, in his wisdom, raised
moral barriers over which it was misery and
38 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
death to pass. Israel's earthly aggrandizement
was but a secondary part of the great plan of its
blessing and seclusion. Redemption, spiritual
redemption, the world's salvation, was the end
contemplated and secured; therefore, all other
advantages were ever sacrificed, and held as
naught compared to this."
Clara. Father, you said its government was
a theocracy. I do not know what that means.
Henry. It is something about God, I sup¬
pose, for it must be derived from the Greek
word Theos.
Mr. Seymour. TAeoj means God; theocracy,
government by God. The Israelites for many
ages had no earthly king. God was their ruler
and lawgiver. Happy would it have been for
them if they had held their allegiance inviolate.
But they were a rebellious people ; they aban¬
doned their pure and holy worship, for the pro¬
fligate rites of paganism; they rejected the Lord
from being their ruler, for the pomp of earthly
kings, and that they might be like other nations;
and though, under the reigns of David and Solo¬
mon, prosperity attended them, most of their
kings proved to be scourges. 1 think now,
Charles, we will leave the question we have
been so long considering, and make Palestine
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 39
the exclusive subject of our interest and con¬
versation.
" With aU my heart, sir," said Charles.
" The Land of Promise," resumed Mr. Sey¬
mour, " had been chosen by the Supreme Wis¬
dom for the inheritance of a people destined to
be unconquerable while they continued pure.
It was surrounded on all sides but one by moun¬
tains, or deserts, and that one was defended by
the sea, which, at the same time, opened to it
the intercourse of the richest nations of the
west. On the north, rendered hazardous by
the vast population of Asia Minor, it was pro¬
tected by the double range of the mountains of
Libanus and Antihbanus. Most of the large
towns and cities were built upon eminences, and
capable of strong resistance ; and we can only
attribute its frequent invasion and subjection to
the righteous displeasure of Him whose in¬
structions they so often disobeyed.
l^rs. Seymour. Having now viewed Pales¬
tine in every light as it regards other nations,
let us enter within its borders, and see whe¬
ther a minute survey of its interior will tend yet
more to increase our admiration of the wisdom,
and our love of the goodness, which thus se¬
lected and prepared this land.
40 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Charles. The first thing we remark is the
singular beauty and contrast of its frontiers. On
the west, the Mediterranean, as it stretches itself
along, for a distance of one hundred and fifty
miles, presents all the variety of maritime sce¬
nery which can be imagined, on its shore: first
are the plains of the Philistines, containing nu¬
merous cities, and possessing a soil adapted to
pasturage and the cultivation of grain; from
Joppa to Ptolemais the coimtry is more diver¬
sified, and the land undulating, presenting alter¬
nate changes of hill and valley; thence onward
to the region of Tyre and Sidon the scenery is
bold and romantic in the extreme. On the east
flows the Jordan, amid its still and peaceful val¬
ley, the very image of repose; on the north rises
the mighty Lebanon, with its towering cliffs, its
rich variety of productions, and its snow-crowned
summit, combining the ideas of beauty and
sublimity; and on the south, in mighty contrast,
stretches the desert of Arabia, its very sterility
causing the adjoining country to look yet
more beautiful.
" The contrasts are indeed very striking," re¬
marked Mrs. Seymour; " the mountains on the
north, the desert on the south, the still valley on
the east, and the turbulent sea on the west."
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 41
"The human mind is always powerfully
affected by contrasts," remarked Mr. Seymour.
"Wff need only appeal to our own familiar re¬
collections to prove it."
" O, yes," said Gertrude, " I felt that most
strongly last summer. After leaving the Falls
of Niagara, whose grandeur and sublimity had
excited within me feelings of wonder and of
awe, which became oppressive from their
strength, we arrived at Lake Cayuga, and
there all was so placid and serene, quietness
seemed written on every leaf and wave, and my
spirit melted into tears beneath the sense of the
benevolence and love which seemed associ¬
ated with all around me.
Clara. What is the extent of Palestine, father?
Mr. Seymour. It is about two hundred miles
long, and its average breadth is about eighty
miles.
Mrs. Seymour. It must, then, have been very
thickly populated.
Mr. Seymour. It was. In the time of David
its inhabitants amounted to about six millions ;
but the extent of the land, though narrow, con¬
trasted with the neighbouring countries, was yet
not to be measured by its lineal boundaries. A
country, intersected everywhere with chains
42 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
of hills, capable of cultivation to their summits,
alike multiplies its surface, and varies its cli¬
mate ; hence, most of the fruits of the tempe¬
rate, and many of those of the torrid zone, were
cultivated with success.
Mr. Seymour. What are its principal divisions T
Charles. It has been variously divided.
Under Joshua it was apportioned out to the
twelve tribes ; in the reign of Rehoboam it was
divided into the two kingdoms of Judah and Is¬
rael ; in the time of our Saviour it was under
the dominion of the Romans, by whom it was
divided into the provinces of Judea, Samaria,
Galilee, and Perea or the country beyond Jordan.
Mrs. Seymour. What is the general appear¬
ance of the country ?
Charles. It presents almost every variety
of natural scenery, having its surface beautifully
diversified with lofty moimtains, pleasant hills,
fertile valleys, and elevated plains.
Mr. Seymour. It has been remarked that
Syria, which you know includes Palestine, has
three climates. The summits of Libanus, for
instance, covered, with snow, diffuse a salu¬
brious coolness in the interior; the flat situa¬
tions, on the contrary, are constantly subjected
to heat, accompanied with great humidity; while
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 43
tte adjoining plains of the desert are scorched
by the rays of a burning sun.
Mrs. Seymour. Then the seasons and pro¬
ductions of course undergo a corresponding va¬
riation?
Mr. Seymour. Yes. In the mountains, the
months of spring and summer very nearly cor¬
respond with those in the southern parts of Eu¬
rope ; and the winter, which lasts from November
to March, is cold and rigorous. The spring and
autumn are agreeable, and the summer by no
means oppressive. But in the plains, on the
other hand, as soon as the sun has passed the
equator a sudden transition takes place to an
overpowering heat, which continues till Oc¬
tober. To compensate for this, however, the
winter is so temperate that oranges, dates, and
other delicate fruits grow in the open field.
Mrs. Seymour. From these descriptions I
should judge, my dear, that under a wise and
beneficent government the produce of the Holy
Land would exceed all calculation. Its abund¬
ant harvests, the salubrity of the air, its lim¬
pid springs, its rivers, lakes, and matchless
plains, its hiUs and vales, all these, added to
the serenity of the climate, prove this indeed to
have been " a field which the Lord had blessed."
44 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
" Then Moses' description was literally true,"
remarked Gertrude, "though generally regarded
as metaphorical."
" Strictly so," replied Mr. Seymour. " Henry,
turn to the eighth chapter of Deuteronomy, and
read the seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth
verses."
Henry reads. " For the Lord thy God bring-
eth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of
water, of fountains and depths, that spring out
of valleys and hills ; a land of wheat and bar¬
ley, and vines, and fig-trees, and pomegranates;
a land of oil olive and honey; a land wherein thou
shalt eat bread without scarceness; thou shalt
not Jack any thing in it; a land whose stones are
iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig
brass. When thou hast eaten, and art full, then
thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good
land which he hath given thee."
Mr. Seymour. ■ You perceive the accounts
strictly agree. And again, in Deuteronomy xi,
9-12, Moses taught them to expect a land of
the utmost fertility.
Charles. Several circumstances contributed
to produce a wonderful fecundity in the soil of
the Promised Land, such as the excellent tempe¬
rature of the air, the regularity of its seasons,
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 45
especially those of the early and latter rains,*
and the natural fatness and fertility of the soil,
which generally required no manure. Solomon,
we read, could afford to send twenty thousand
measures of wheat, each equal to eight bush¬
els, and as many measures of oil, each contain¬
ing seventy-five gallons, to Hiram, king of Tyre,
over and above what went to support the inha¬
bitants, and what was exported to other coun¬
tries. In the time of Herod Agrippa, we find
that the inhabitants of Tyre and Sidon " were
nourished by the king's country," as in the days
of Solomon.
Mr. Seymour. So pregnant is the Bible with
proofs of the exuberant fertility of the Holy
Land, that nothing but a strong bias to that infi-
dehty which calls every Scripture statement
in question, could lead any to doubt of the
fact, merely because the country now, imder a
despotic and oppressive government, makes so
* In Palestine it commonly rains but in two seasons,
spring and autumn. The Jews, who commenced their year
in the autumn, called the rain which fell in that season the
former rain, and the other the latter rain. The former, or
autumnal rain, falls soon after the grain is sown, and serves
to stimulate and support vegetation; and the latter rains oc¬
cur at the time when the advancing ears require moisture to
fill and mature them.
46 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
melancholy a figure. There is no just arguing
from its present to its past state. Successively
wasted and destroyed by the Romans, then by
the Saracens, then by the Crusaders, and now
under the iron yoke of Turkish despotism, and
subjected to bands of plundering Arabs, is it
possible to conceive that it can present the
aspect of cultivation, fertility, and abundance
which it formerly did 1 The ancient possessors
of this once rich, populous, and happy land,
were a very difierent people from those who
now possess it. Secure of their property, and
the fruit of their labours, they knew how to im¬
prove every comer of their land, and had even,
by proper care and manure, made places natu¬
rally barren yield much valuable produce, so
that the very rocks, which now appear bare and
sterile, produced abundance of vines and olives,
being, by the persevering industry of the peo¬
ple, covered with mould, which, through the
indolence of succeeding proprietors, has been
suffered to be washed away by rains and
storms. The kings of Israel encouraged every
species of agriculture, both by precept and ex¬
ample. Above all, the people had the divine
promise given of a blessing to their honest en-
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 4?
deavours in industry, so long as tliey kept the
law of their God.*
Mrs. Seymour. Is not the ancient fertility
of Palestine attested by several pagan authors,
as well as by Scripture ?
Charles. Yes. Pliny and Tacitus both
speak of it as a rich and fertile country; Julian,
the apostate, frequently, in his Epistles, makes
mention of its perpetual fecundity, and the
abundance and excellence of its agricultural
productions, whether of the garden or the field;
and Abulfeda, the celebrated Arabian geogra¬
pher, who flourished in the thirteenth century,
declared that Palestine was the most fertile part
of Syria. Several modem travellers, also, as
Shaw, Clarke, and Hardy, who have viewed it
under its present aspect, tell us that there are
stiU such visible signs of its natural richness
and fertility, as plainly show that the want of
proper culture is the chief cause of its present
condition.
Mr. Seymour. The chief part of the grain
raised in Palestine consists of wheat and bar¬
ley. These are sown in the fall, and the har¬
vest usually takes place in the month of April.
♦ Bell on the Agriculture of the Ancients.
48 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
The com is thrashed either by the treading of
cattle, or by "a sharp thrashing instrument,
having teeth,"* which resembles a cart, and
is drawn over the com by horses or oxen.
The grain is then reduced to meal by the hand-
mill, which I will attempt to describe. This
picture (holding one up before them) will aid
my description. It consists of a lower mill¬
stone, the upper side of which is convex, and
an upper mill-stone, the under surface of which
is concave. The hole for receiving the com
* Isaiah xl, 15.
VINEYARDS IN PALESTINE. Fagi 50
.*
conversations on palestine. 51
is in the centre of the upper stone, and, in the
operation of grinding, the lower stone is fixed
and the upper one made to move round upon it
with considerable velocity, by means of a han¬
dle. The employment of grinding with these
mills is confined solely to females, and the prac¬
tice illustrates the prophetic observation of our
Saviour, " Two women shall be grinding at the
mill; one shall be taken, and the other left,"
Matt, xxiv, 41.
Charles. Besides yielding abundant harvests
of grain, and affording pasturage for immense
flocks and herds, Palestine produced the great¬
est variety of fruits in their highest perfection.
Among these are particularly distinguished the
grapes, olives, figs, dates, (the fruit of the palm-
tree,) and pomegranates.
Mr. Seymour. The vine is extensively cul¬
tivated in Palestine, where it frequently attains
an extraordinary size, especially in the southern
parts. Bunches of grapes weighing ten pounds
and upward are very common ; and one travel¬
ler mentions having seen, on the vines near
Bethlehem, clusters measuring two feet and a
lyilf in length.
Mrs. Seymour. These accounts fully sub¬
stantiate the statement given by Moses of the
52 COXVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
immense cluster of grapes brought by the spies
from Eshcol, as a specimen of the fruit of the
promised land.
Mr. Seymour. The Jews accounted the vine
the most noble of plants, and a type of all that
■was excellent, powerfid, fruitful, and fortunate.
The prophets, therefore, compared the Jewish
nation and the Jewish church to a great vine,
adorned with beautiful fruit, planted, tended,
and guarded by God. Jer. xi, 21.
Mrs. Seymour. It is one of the most frequent
images used in the Bible, I believe, my dear.
Do you remember its application in the New
Testament, Gertrude?
Gertrude. Perfectly, mother. Our Saviour
says, in the fifteenth chapter of John, " I am
the true vine, ye are the branches," &c.
Mrs. Seymour. That is what I mean. You
see immediately what close connection, what
entire dependence, is intended to be expressed
by tliis figure, and perceive how appropriate
are the following words, " without me ye can
do nothing."
Mr. Seymour. But in connection with this,
Gertrude, let us always remember Paul's td-
umphant assurance, " Through Christ's strength¬
ening me I can do all things." We are all too
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 53
prone to dwell on our own weakness, rather
than on the promised strength. Try to connect
the two, my dear child, more fully than you
have done, and soon your timidity will give
place to holy courage and increasing strength.
" Father," said Henry, " when do they
gather their grapes ?"
Mr. Seymour. The grapes begin to ripen
abont July, but the general vintage, or grape
harvest, does not usually take place till Sep¬
tember. The grapes, when gathered, are con¬
veyed in baskets to the wine-press, where the
juice is expressed by persons who, with their
feet and legs bare, get in and tread them.
54 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Gertrude. Another passage occurs to me,
mother; " I have trodden the wine-press alone,
and of the people there was none with me,"
Isaiah Ixiii, 3."
Mr. Seymour. The law of Moses enjoined,
that he who planted a vine should not eat of
the produce of it before the fifth year. Lev. xix,
24, 25. Nor did they gather their grapes on
the seventh year; the fruit was then left for
the poor, the orphan, and the stranger. Tra¬
vellers were at all times permitted to eat
grapes in a vineyard as they passed along, but
not to carry any away with them. Dent,
xxiii, 24.
Henry. I wish we had some such laws
here, father.
Mr. Seymour smiled, and continued. " The
expression ' every man sitting under his own
vine,' is a common image of national feUcity
with the sacred historians, and probably alludes
to the delightful eastern arbours, which were
partly composed of vines."
Charles. There is a poisonous grape often
referred to in Scripture, sir, which I did not
know actually existed, until very lately. It is
mentioned particularly in 2 Kings iv, 39-41.
Mr. Seymour. From $ome such poisonous
conversations on palestine. 55
kind of grape Moses has taken those strong and
highly poetical images with which he has set
forth the future corruption and extreme dege¬
neracy of the Israelites.
" Their vine is from the vine of Sodom,
And from the fields of Gomorrah;
Their grapes are grapes of gall,
Their clusters are bitter;
Their wine is the poison of dragons.
And the cruel venom of asps."
Beut. xxxii, 32, 33.
Charles. The vineyards of Palestine were
generally situated on the sides of hills facing
the south or east; and when the hills were very
steep they built successive terraces of mason-
work, which they covered with earth, and then
planted vines on them.
Mr. Seymour. I think we have now dwelt
long enough on this subject, my son, though it
is indeed a fruitful one. Let us now consider
the olive-tree, Charles.
Charles. The olive is among the most va¬
luable trees in Palestine, furnishing one of the
staple productions of the coimtry. It is of mo¬
derate height, its trunk is knotty, its bark smooth,
and of an ash colour; its leaves are oblong, and
56 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
resemble those of the willow, being of a darkish
green on the upper, and white on the under side.
In the month of June it puts out white flowers
in bunches, and the fruit ripens in November;
it is first green, then white, and, when ripe, is
quite black; it encloses a hard stone, full of an
oblong seed. The fruit is pleasant to the palate,
but nearly all of it is thrown into the oil-press,
for the purpose of procuring the oil, of which
several hundred pounds are sometimes procured
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 57
from one tree. By means of this article the
Jews carried on an extensive commerce with
the Tyrians. 1 Kings v, 11; Ezek. xxvii, 17.
Clara. How was the oil extracted, father ?
Mr. Seymour. From Dent, xxxiii, 24, and
Micah vi, 15, it appears that the ancient
method was by treading with the feet. Whether
any previous preparation was necessary is un¬
certain ; at present mills are used for this pur¬
pose.
Charles. The olive-tree is more profitable than
any species of grain, if we consider the ground
it occupies, and the small amount of labour and
expense it requires. Land that is barren, dry,
and mountainous, is particularly favourable to its
cultivation, and it will retain its vigour for two
hundred years.
Mrs. Seymour. The Scripture references to
the olive-tree are very frequent. Thus, David,
in the fifty-second Psalm, after describing the
wicked man as soon to wither away, compares
himself to a green, or young olive-tree, which
had long to live and flourish. The beauty of
the olive-tree is alluded to in other passages of
Scripture, and consisted in the spread of its
branches, and not in its colour. Thus, the pro¬
phet Rosea says of Israel: " His branches shall
58 conversations on palestine.
spread, and his beauty shall be as the olive-
tree."*
Mr. Seymour. From 1 Kings vi, 23, we
learn, that olive wood was used in building the
temple, and that in some of its most tasteful and
decorative parts.
Clara. The fig-tree is next. I have often
wished to know about that.
Charles. The fig-tree is very common in
Palestine, and flourishes with great luxuriance
in barren and stony situations where httle else
will grow. The fruit which it bears is produced
from the trunk and large branches, and not from
the smaller shoots, as in most other trees. Dr.
Shaw informs us that there are two kinds of figs;
the "boccore," or early fig, which ripens in June,
and the " kermouse," or summer fig, the kind
which is preserved and made into cakes, and
which is rarely ripe before August. He remarks,
also, that these trees do not properly blossom, or
send out flowers; they may be rather said to
shoot out their fruit, which they do hke so many
little buttons, with their flowers, small and
imperfect as they are, enclosed in them.
Mr. Seymour. They have one very singular
peculiarity, Clara. The fruit of these trees
• Hosea xut. 16.
conversations on palestine. 59
always precedes the leaves. Ycu undoubtedly
remember the parable of the barren fig-tree ; and
now see, that when our Saviour beheld it in full
vigour, bearing leaves, be might very justly look
for fruit. Mark xi, 13.
Charles. The sycamore-tree seems to par¬
take of the nature of the mulberry and fig-tree;
it resembles the former in its leaves, and the
latter in its fruit. It is about the height of a
beech, and bears its fruit in a manner quite dif¬
ferent from other trees. It has it on the
60 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
trunk itself, which shoots out little sprigs in
form of a grape stalk, at the end of which grow
the figs, close to one another, very like bunches
of grapes. The tree' is always green, and bears
fruit several times in the year. The fruit has
the figure and- smell of real figs, but is inferior
to them in taste. Its colour is yellow ; in the
inside it resembles the common fig, excepting
that it has a blackish colouring, with yellow
spots.
Mr. Seymour. From 1 Kings x, 27, and 1
Chron. xxvii, 28, it is evident that this tree was
pretty common in Palestine ; and from Isaiah
ix, 10, we find that the timber of the sycamore
was used in the construction of buildings ; and,
though spongy and porous in its appearance,
was, as we learn from Dr. Shaw, of great dura¬
bility. Describing the catacombs and mummies
of Egypt he states, that he found both the mum¬
my chests and the little square boxes containing
various figures, which are placed at the foot of
each mummy, to be made of sycamore wood,
and thus preserved entire and incorrupted for
three thousand years.
Mrs. Seymour. Delamartine describes the
sycamore as growing in Palestine to an extraor¬
dinary size; he says, " Its trunk sometimes mea-
conversations on palestine. 61
sures thirty feet in circumference; its branches,
which begin to spread at an elevation of
fifteen or twenty feet from the ground, extend in
a horizontal direction to an- immense distance ;
and it is not unusual to see perhaps sixty horses
and camels, and as many Arabs, encamped
during the heat of the day under the shadow of
one of these trees."
Charles. The sycamore strikes its large
diverging roots deep into the soil, and on this ac¬
count our Lord alludes to it on one occasion,
when, rebuking his disciples for their want of
faith, he said, " If ye had faith as a grain of
mustard-seed, ye might say unto this sycamore-
tree, be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou
planted in the sea, and it should obey you."
Luke xvii, 3. The extreme difficulty with
which this tree is transferred from its native
spot to another situation, gives the words of our
Lord a peculiar force and beauty.
Mr. Seymour. The palm is a noble tree, and
the pride of the eastern forests. Its trunk is
remarkably straight and lofty, rising sometimes
to the height of sixty feet, and is crowned at
the top with a large tuft of leaves from four to
eight feet long, which never fall off, and always
retain their flourishing verdure. This tree, we
62 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
are informed, comes to maturity about thirty
years after it is planted, and continues in full
vigour about seventy years longer, bearing all
this time about three or four hundred pounds of
dates every year. After this period it begins to
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 63
decline, and usually falls about the end of its
second century. It requires a warm climate,
and a light, sandy, and well-watered soil.
Charles. The extensive importance of the
palm-tree, says Dr. Clarke, is one of the most
curious subjects to which a traveller can direct
his attention. A considerable part of the inha¬
bitants of Egypt, Arabia, and Persia, subsist
almost entirely upon its fruit. Their camels
feed upon the date-stone. From the leaves they
make couches, baskets, bags, mats, and brushes;
from the branches, cages for their poultry, and
fences for their gardens ; from the fibres of the
boughs, thread, ropes, and rigging; from the sap
is prepared a spirituous liquor, and the body of
the tree furnishes fuel.
Henry. I never knew till to-night that dates
were the fruit of the palm-tree.
Mrs. Seymour. To this majestic and useful
tree the child of God is compared in the Scrip¬
tures, with singular elegance and propriety.
Adorned with the beauties of holiness, fruitful
in good works, and reposing all his thoughts in
heaven, he may well be said to flotuish like the
palm-tree, and to grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
" Planted in the house of the Lord, he shall
flourish in the courts of our God. He shall
64 conversations on palestine.
Still bring forth fruit in old age ; he shall be fat
and flourishing." Psalm xcii, 12-14.
Mr. Seymour. Palm-trees are not now very
numerous in Palestine; anciently, however, they
abounded in many parts, especially in the neigh¬
bourhood of Jericho, which is sometimes called
the city of palm-trees. Deut. xxiv, 3. Indeed,
the palm was at one time considered as the
emblem of Judea; and the emperor Vespasian,
after the conquest of that country, caused coins
or medals to be struck, on which was repre¬
sented a disconsolate woman sitting under a
palm-tree, with the inscription Judea Capta.
Mr. Seymour. The citron-tree, which is
one of the most beautiful fruit trees of Pales¬
tine, is not mentioned in our Bible, but in five
or six passages the apple-tree is spoken of as a
noble tree, bearing a delicious fruit, of a golden
colour and fragrant smell; apple-trees, how¬
ever, are very rare in Palestine, and the fruit
scarcely fit to be eaten. The sacred writers
must therefore have intended some other tree by
the word which our translators have rendered
apple-tree, and the general opinion of Biblical
critics is, that the citron was meant. This is a
large and beautiful tree, always green, per¬
fuming the air with its exquisite odour, and
CONVERSATIONS ON HALESTINi;. ()5
airordiiig a deep and refreshing shade. Any
shade must, in so liot a climate, be deliglitful ;
5
66 conversations on palestine.
and that of the citron-tree must have yielded
a double pleasure on account of its ample
foliage and fragrant smell. Well, then, might
the spouse exclaim, " As the citron-txee among
the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among
the sons. I sat under his shadow with great
delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste."
Sol. Song, ii, 3. A more beautiful object can
hardly be conceived than a large and spreading
citron, loaded with its golden fruit, and clothed
with leaves of the richest green.
Charles. Solomon, in the book of Proverbs,
says, that " A word fitly spoken is like apples
of gold in pictures of silver and Dioscorides,
a Greek author, who wrote about plants, calls
the fruit of the citron " golden apples."
Mrs. Seymour. The almond-tree in its
leaves and blossoms somewhat resembles the
peach-tree ; its fruit is too well known to need
description. The blossoms, which appear ear¬
lier than those of other trees, always precede
the leaves. This circumstance furnishes one
of the similes used by Solomon in his portrait¬
ure of old age, where the hoary head is beauti¬
fully compared to an almond-tree, covered with
its snow-white flowers, before a single leaf has
appeared. Eccles. xii, 5.
conversations on palestine. 67
Charles. There is another species of nuts
common in Palestine called the pistachio nut.
The tree which produces them grows to the
height of about twenty-five or thirty feet. The
flowers come out from the side of the branches
in loose bunches ; to these succeed the nuts,
which are of the size and shape of hazel nuts,
only they are a little angular, and higher on one
side than the other. They are covered with a
double shell, the outermost of which is mem¬
braneous, thin, brittle, and reddish, when ripe ;
the other is woody, brittle, smooth, and white.
The kernel is of a pale greenish colour, and
68 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
sweetish taste, and by the Orientals is preferred
to the almond. The " nuts" which formed part
of the present sent by Jacob to the governor of
Egypt* are supposed to have been of this kind.
Mr. Seymour. The next we shall describe
is the POMEGRANATE. It rises several feet in
height, is covered with a brownish bark, and
divided into many small branches, which are
armed with spines. The leaves are oblong, of
a dark green colour, and placed upon short foot
stalks; the flowers are large, of a rich scarlet
colour, and stand at the end of the young
branches. The fruit is about the size of an
orange, with a thick tough rind, and a red suc-
Genesis xliii, 11.
conversations on palestine. 69
culent pulp included in nine cells, within which
numerous oblong angular seeds are lodged. It
possesses the general qualities of other summer
fruits, allaying heat and quenching thirst.
Charles. The high estimation in which it
was held by the children of Israel may be in¬
ferred from its being one of the three kinds of
fnut brought by the spies from Eshcol to Moses
and the congregation in the wilderness. Num.
xiii, 23, and xx, 5, and from its being specified
by that rebellious people as one of the greatest
luxuries which they enjoyed in Egypt. The
pomegranate, classed by Moses with wheat and
barley, vines and figs, oil-olive and honey,
was, in his account, one principal recommenda¬
tion of the promised land. Dent, viii, 8.
Mr. Seymour. Melons and cucumbers are
also produced in Palestine in the greatest abun¬
dance and perfection. These vegetables are
of great importance in the warm countries of the
East, and many travellers have noticed the im¬
mense quantities consumed there, and the large
proportion which they furnish of the food of the
inhabitants during the summer months. The
juice of the watermelon is peculiarly cooling and
agreeable in those sultry climates, and is one of
the most delicious refreshments that nature.
70 conversations on palestine.
amidst her constant attention to the wants of
man, affords in the season of violent heat. The
Israelites, when parched with thirst in the arid
desert, remembered with regret "the cucum¬
bers and the melons." which they had enjoyed
in Egypt. Num. xi, 5.
Mrs. Seymour. Dr. E. D. Clarke observes,
that although watermelons are found upon most
of the shores of the Mediterranean, " yet no
one can be said to know any thing of their excel¬
lence who has not tasted them in the Holy
Land. Those of Naplouse and Jaffa especially
attain a degree of maturity and flavour so ex¬
traordinary, that the watermelons of Egypt, Cy¬
prus, Asia Minor, Greece, and Italy, do not
appear to be the same sort of fruit."
Mr. Seymour. We have now described the
principal fruits and fruit trees of Palestine; there
is one tree, however, very frequently referred
to in the Scriptures, which we have omitted.
Gertrude. You mean the cedar of Lebanon,
father, I think, for I have been expecting it
every moment.
Mr. Seymour. You are right. It is, you
know, a forest tree, and I rather think all of
you are as familiar as a print can make you
with its appearance. It is a large majestic tree,
conversations on palestine. 71
rising to the height of ninety or one hundred
feetj and some of them are from thirty-five to
forty feet in circumference. It is a beautiful
evergreen, with leaves similar to the rosemary.
The wood is very valuable; it possesses a strong
aromatic smell, and is reputed to be incorrupti¬
ble. We shall refer to this again when we
describe Mount Lebanon. Besides the trees
already enumerated, is the balsam, from which
a very valuable balm was produced, which is
called in the Scriptures the " balm of Gilead,"
the cypress, the oak, the fir, and the mustard-
tree, of which we cannot now give a minute
account.
Gertrude. 1 hope to hear something of the
flowers of Palestine, brother.
Charles. The woods and thickets of Pales¬
tine are ornamented with many splendid flow¬
ering trees and plants. The white fragrant
flowers of the myrtle, and the bright pink blos¬
soms of the oleander, shade an abundant vege¬
tation of smaller and more delicate plants : roses,
hlies, violets, and hyacinths are plentifully scat¬
tered along its uncultivated slopes and valleys;
whUe rosemary, thyme, hyssop, and many other
aromatic plants abound in its pastures, scenting
the whole air with a mild fragrance.
72 conversations on palestine.
Mr. Seymour. The myrtle is a beautiful
evergreen tree, growing wild in Palestine, and
most of the warm countries of the East. Its
leaves resemble those of the box, but are
smaller and more pointed; they are smooth and
shining, of a beautiful green colour, and have a
sweet smell. The flowers, which are white,
consist of five petals, disposed in the form of a
rose. Those who form their ideas of the ori¬
ental myrtles from the weak and unhealthy
plants in our gardens and hot-houses, will have
but a very faint idea of their real beauty. Even
in Italy the myrtle has been seen having a stem
nine inches in diameter; but in Greece and the
Levant* they are really magnificent. " In the
Morea," says Mr. Emerson,t "I have travelled
for hours through an uncultivated tract, while
the groves of myrtle formed an almost continu¬
ous arbour above our heads, covered here and
there with its delicate white flowers, and exha¬
ling at every motion the most delicious perfume,
while its dark polished leaves combined cool¬
ness with beauty."
Mrs. Seymour. It is such a scene as this
* The Levant is a general term applied to the countries
lying on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. «
+ " Letters from the Egean."
conversations on palestine. 73
that explains the phrase of Zechariah; " I saw
by night a man riding upon a red horse, and he
stood among the myrtle trees." Zeeh. i, 8.
Charles. And they are trees of these dimen¬
sions too that preserve the consistency of the
language of Isaiah; " I will plant in the wilder¬
ness the cedar, the myrtle, and the oil-tree; I
will set in the desert the fir-tree, the pine, and
the box." Isaiah xli, 19.
Gertrude. Solomon in one place mentions
the rose of Sharon ; is there any kind of rose
peculiar to that district?
Mr. Seymour. I believe not; travellers who
have visited it have not observed any. The
word Sharon means literally "a field;" and
most commentators are of opinion that it should
be thus translated in the passage to which you
refer ; it would then read, " I am the rose of the
field, and the lily of the valley."
Clara. Is the lily of Palestine similar to
ours ?
Mr. Seymour. The common white lily of our
gardens is said to be unknown in Palestine, but
another species, called the amaryllis lutea, or
yellow amaryllis, is very common; it bears
some resemblance to our yellow crocus, but has
a larger flower and broader leaves. The flower
74 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
rises about three or four inches above the ground,
accompanied by a tuft of green leaves, which,
after the flowering is past, retain their freshness
through the winter.
3Trs. Seymour. You remember, Clara, our
Saviour's allusion to this flower in his sermon
on the moimt ?
Clara. O, yes, mother: " Consider the lilies
of the field, how they grow; they toil not, nei¬
ther do they spin ; and yet I say imto you, that
even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these." Matt, vi, 28, 29.
Mr. Seymour. Referring to this passage of
Scripture, that distinguished botanist, Sir J. E.
Smith, observes : " It is natural to presume that
the divine Teacher, according to his usual cus¬
tom, called the attention of his hearers to some
object at hand; and as the fields of the Levant are
overrun with the amaryllis lutea, whose golden
lilaceous flowers afibrd one of the most brilliant
and gorgeous objects in nature, the expression,
' Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed
like one of these,' is particularly appropriate."
Charles. Palestine abounds in animals of
various descriptions, both wild and domestic;
among the latter are the camel, the horse, the
ass, the mule, the ox, the sheep, and the goat.
conversations on palestine. 75
Mr. Seymour. Of the Syrian sheep there are
two varieties, one of which differs in no respect
from our ordinary sheep, except that the tail is
somewhat larger and thicker ; the other, which
is the most common, is tho species so often
mentioned by travellers on account of their ex¬
traordinary tails. The carcass of one of these
sheep, without the head, feet, skin, and entrails,
weighs from fifty to sixty pounds, of which the
tail itself is usually fifteen poimds. Some of a
larger size, fattened with care, will sometimes
weigh one hundred and fifty poimds, the tail
alone composing one-third the whole weight.
These statements, incredible as they may ap¬
pear, are well attested.
Charles. To preserve these tails from being
torn, the Arabs sometimes fix a piece of thin
board to the under part, where they are not
covered with thick wool; some have small
wheels to facilitate the dragging of this board
after them, from which, with a little exaggera¬
tion, arose the story of having carts to carry
their taUs.
Gertrude. Were the sheep and lambs that
were ofiered in sacrifice of this kind ?
Mr. Seymour. Yes ; and it is worthy of re¬
mark, that when the divine legislator speaks of
76 conversations on palestine.
this victim he invariably directs that the rump
or tail be laid whole upon the fire of the altar.
It was accounted the most delicate part of the
animal, and therefore most proper to be offered
in sacrifice to Jehovah.
Charles. Some have supposed that the pre¬
cept had additional reference to the health of
the Israelites, observing that bilious disorders
are very common in hot countries; the eating
of fat meat is a great encouragement and excite¬
ment to them; and though the fat of the tail is
now considered as a delicacy, it is really un¬
wholesome.
Mr. Seymour. I do not doubt the truth of
the opinion, and believe it will apply to many
other things which were prohibited under the
Jewish dispensation. Jehovah had respect to
the bodily comfort of his people, as well as to
their spiritual advancement.
Mrs. Seymour. What are the principal wild
animals ?
Charles. The most numerous are the ibex
or rock goat, the gazelle, the jackal, and the
wild boar.
Mr. Seymour. The ibex, or wild goat, is
larger than the tame goat, but resembles it much
in outward form. The head is small in pro-
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 77
portion to the body. The eyes are large and
round, and have much fire and brilliancy. The
horns are very large, ■weighing sometimes six¬
teen or eighteen pounds. The female is about
one-third less than the male, and her horns are
not above eight inches long. These animals
possess amazing strength and agility; there is
no crag so high or so steep but they will mount
it if it have protuberances enough to receive
their feet. They will mount a perpendicular
rock of fifteen feet in three successive leaps or
78 conversations on palestine.
bounds of five feet each; it does not seem as if
they found any footing on the rock, appearing to
touch it merely to be repelled, like an elastic
substance striking against a hard body.
Mrs. Seymour. This shows the propriety
with which the inspired writer calls the dreary
and frightful precipices which frown over the
Dead Sea, toward the wilderness of Engedi,
" the rocks of the wild goats," as if accessible
only to these animals. 1 Sam. xxiv, 2.
Mr. Seymour. The gazelle, or antelope, is
one of the smallest and most beautiful of all
the homed animals. It is not mentioned in our
Bible, but it is the general opinion of the best
interpreters that the word which our translators
have rendered " roe" was intended to signify
the gazelle, as the original Hebrew word, tzehi,
is derived from a verb signifying to assemble or
collect together, which is characteristic of the
gazelles, as they live together in large troops, to
the number, sometimes, of two or three thou¬
sand ; whereas the roe is a solitary animal.
They form a connecting species between the
goat and the deer kinds, and, of all animals in
the world, are said to have the most beautiful
eyes. They are very fleet, are hunted by
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 79
means of the falcon, or by strata srcm with a
tame antelope, and are easily tamed.
Mrs. Seymour. In the East, I believe, they
are sometimes tamed to become the pets and
playthings of the ladies, as lap-dogs are in other
countries. A poet, who describes eastern man¬
ners well, represents an oriental lady as saying,
" I never nursed a dear gazelle.
To cheer me with its soft dark eye.
But when it learned to know me well.
And love me, it was sure to die."
80 conversations on palestine.
Charles. The jackal is an animal abound¬
ing in all the warm countries of the East. It. is
about the size of a middling dog, and resembles
the fox in the hinder parts, especially the tail,
and the wolf in the fore parts; its legs are
shorter than those of the fox, and its colour is of
a reddish brown.
Mr. Seymour. It is the opinion of most com¬
mentators that this-is the animal intended to be
expressed by the Hebrew word shual, which
the translators of our Bible have rendered
" fox," as many of the habits ascribed by the
sacred writers to the fox are not possessed by
that animal, but are characteristic of the jackal.
Thus, in Sol. Song ii, 15, the foxes are said
COXVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 81
to " spoil the vines." Now the fox is no lover of
the luscious fruit, while, on the contrary, roots
and fruits are eagerly sought after by the jackal;
and Hasselquist observes, that the owners
of vineyards are obliged to set a watch over the
vines to prevent these animals from destroying
the grapes. The fox, too, is an animal seldom
found in Palestine.
Henry. Then, I suppose, father, they were
jackals, and not foxes, that Samson caught
three hundred of T
Mr. Seymour. There can be no doubt of it.
It would have been almost impossible for Sam¬
son to take three hundred foxes, as they are
lonely and retired animals; but with the assist¬
ance of his followers he might, without much
difficulty, have procured that number of jackals,
which are always found in large troops, or packs.
Charles. These animals frequent ruins, and
the suburbs of towns and villages; at night they
come forth from their lurking places, and scour
the fields and streets in search of food, uttering
the mostpiercing and terrific yells; they greedily
devour carrion of every description, and all the
filth for which the streets of eastern towns are
remarkable, and sometimes disinter the dead.
Mrs. Seymffur. Travellers inform us that the
6
83 conversations on palestine.
ruins of the Holy Land still abound, as in an¬
cient days, with the yelling jackal; their cries
break the stillness of the night, sounding in the
ear of poetic fancy as a wild wail over the de
parted glories of the land where God's high altai
once stood—the land of Moses and the prophets
—the land of the Messiah.
Henry. The wild boar comes next, Charles.
Charles. The wild boar is the original of
all the varieties of the hog kind, but neither so
stupid nor so filthy. He is somewhat smaller
than the domestic hog, but, at the same time,
stronger and more undaunted. In his own de¬
fence he will turn on men and dogs, and scarcely
shuns any animals frequenting the haunts
in which he ranges. His colour is always of
an iron gray, inclining to black; his snout is
much larger than that of the domestic animal,
and the ears are shorter, rounder, and black; the
feet and tail are also black. The tusks are
larger than in the tame breed ; they bend up¬
ward circularly, and are exceedingly sharp at
the points. The boar ploughs up the ground
like a furrow, and does irreparable injury to the
cultivated lands of the farmer, destroying the
vii^es end othqr plants.
Mr. S^yimar. From this wq may see the
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 83
propriety with which the Psalmist represents
the subversion of the Jewish commonwealth
under the allegory of a vine destroyed by a
boar. " Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt;
thou hast cast out the heathen and planted it.
Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause
it to take deep root, and it filled the land. She
sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her
branches unto the river. Why hast thou broken
down her hedges, so that all they which pass
by the way do pluck her ? The hoar out of the
wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the
field doth devour it." Psalm Ixxx, 8-13.
Charles. Wild boars are extremely fond of
marshes, fens, and reedy places. Dr. Pocock
observed large herds of them on the sides of the
Jordan and the sea of Tiberias lying among the
reeds.
" We have now," said Mr. Seymour, " taken
a general survey of the land. We have marked
its relative position, its advantageous situation,
its general aspect and scenery, its climate, fer¬
tility, and productions. With a slight summary
of its history we will close. I say slight, be¬
cause, as we advance, and enter into a particu¬
lar description of its various places, their
individual history, which we will then dwell
84 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
upon, will form the aggregate account neces¬
sary.
" With its Biblical historj' you are all in some
degree familiar. It is unnecessary to dwell
upon the call of Abraham, or even the entrance
of the Israelites into the Promised Land, which
was then possessed by various heathen tribes.
For three hundred and ninety-six years Israel
had no earthly king, and, as Ave have before
mentioned, their government was a theocracy ;
then God granted their request, and gave them
a king. During the reigns of David and Solo¬
mon the kingdom grew and flourished ; but after
the revolt under Rehoboam, when it was divided
into the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah, it
never regained its former prosperity. Two
hundred and fifty-four years after the death of
Solomon, the kingdom of Israel was subverted,
and the inhabitants removed from the country
by the king of Assyria. The kingdom of Judah
continued three hundred and eighty-eight years,
when Jerusalem, its capital, was taken, its tem¬
ple burned, and its inhabitants carried to Baby¬
lon, by Nebuchadnezzar. Seventy years rolled
by, and then, by the edict of Cyrus, they were
permitted to return and rebuild their temple.
Nearly three centuries of iminterrupted peace
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 85
followed, when the cruel conduct of Antiochus
Epiphanes, king of Syria, compelled the Jews
to take up arms in their own defence, headed
by the heroic Maccabees, who delivered the
country from the tyranny of its oppressors, and
administered the affairs of the Jews for upward
of one hundred years. About fifty years before
the birth of Christ a dispute arose respecting
the succession to the throne, when one of the
claimants called in the aid of Pompey, the Ro¬
man general, who entered Judea with his army,
took Jerusalem, and ordered an annual tribute
to be paid to the Romans. ^
Gertrude. But I thought the Jews were to
retain their independence till the time of the
Messiah ; you know the prophecy says, " The
sceptre shall not depart from Judah till Shiloh
come." Genesis iv, 9, 10.
Mr. Seymour. Nor did it depart; for although
Pompey laid the coimtry under tribute, it was
still governed by its own princes imtil a few
years after the birth of Christ, when Judea was
reduced to a Roman province. This event was
follovved by several insurrections on the part of
the Jews, caused by repeated acts of cruelty and
oppression on the part of their stern conquerors.
At length, about A. D. 67, Nero, the Roman em-
86 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
peror, excited by the intelligence of the defeat
of one of his armies by the insurgent Jews, sent
Vespasian into Syria to assume the govern¬
ment, with instructions to restore the peace of
the province by moderate concessions, or by
the most rigorous warfare. This celebrated
commander entered Judea, accompanied by his
son Titus. The result is too well known to re¬
quire details. A series of sanguinary battles
deprived the Jews of their principal towns, one
after another, until they were at length shut up
in Jerusalem, the siege and final reduction of
which compose one of the most affecting stories
that are recorded in the annals of history. After
a time another insurrection took place, headed
by a person who pretended to be the Messiah;
but he was slain, with many of his followers, in
battle, and for two hundred years the country
was desolate, and almost uninhabited. In the
fourth century the emperor Constantine, who
became a convert to Christianity, built a splendid
church in Jerusalem, over the supposed site of
the Holy Sepulchre, and his mother, the em¬
press Helena, bestowed upon Palestine many
marks of her piety and bounty. In the seventh
century the Saracens, under the command of
Omar, one of Mohammed's successors, conquered
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 87
Jerusalem, erected a magnificent mosque on the
hill of Moriah, where the temple of SolomOn
formerly stood, and held possession of the Coun¬
try four hundred years. In the year 1095 Peter
the Hermit roused all the nations of Europe to
avenge the insults offered to the Christian pil¬
grims at Jerusalem, and to rescue the Holy Se¬
pulchre from the hands of the infidels. Soon after
an army of six hundred thousand men undertook
the conquest of Palestine, and commenced the
crusades, or holy wars. Jerusalem was soon
taken by assault, and seventy thousand of the
inhabitants massacred. Godfrey of Bouillon be¬
came the first Christian king, under the title of
defender of the Holy Sepulchre ; and the king¬
dom thus established continued for eighty years,
when it was destroyed by Saladin, the renowned
Saracen commander. Another crusade was
commenced by Richard I., of England, and
Philip Augustus, of France; but after fighting
three years it was abandoned, and Saladin re¬
tained possession of Palestine. During the next
hundred years the country was devastated by
frequent wars between the Christians and Mo-
hanunedans, and each in turn were conquerors;
but in the end the latter gained the ascendancy,
88 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
and Palestine has ever since been trodden under
foot by the followers of the false prophet.
"We shall now," continued Mr. Seymour,
" close our evening's lesson; in our next we
shall notice individual parts of the country; and
I wish you continually to bear in mind, that to
illustrate the Bible, and so render it better un¬
derstood, is our chief object and aim."
A portion of the sacred volume was then read,
a hymn sung, the family altar once again encir¬
cled, and with minds solemnized and elevated
they separated for the night.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 89
CHAPTER III.
mountains, plains, lakes, and rivers.
Mount Lebanon—Mount Hermon—The Little Hermon—
Mount Tabor—Extensive prospect from its summit—Mount
Carmel—Scene of Elijah's sacrifice—Ebal and Gerizim, the
mountains of blessing and cursing—Mountains of Gilead~
Mountains of Abarim—Death of Moses—Plain of Esdraelon
—Memorable events of which it has been the theatre—Plain
of Sharon—Plain of the Philistines—Sea of Galilee—Dead
Sea—Destruction of the cities of the Plain—General aspect
of the shores of the Dead Sea—River Jordan—Passage of
the Israelites—Lion from the swelling of Jordan—River
Kishon—River Jabbok—River Amon.
The usual hour of assembling had arrived,
and all, punctual to the time, occupied their re¬
spective seats. Marking with pleasme the deep
interest exhibited in every countenance, Mr.
Seymour, without delay, commenced: " The
subject which is to engage our attention this
evening is the physical geography of Palestine,
which will embrace a description of its moun¬
tains, lakes, rivers, and plains. We shall first
notice its mountains. Can you tell us, Henry,
the names of the principal ones ?"
Henry. Lebanon, Hermon, Tabor, and Car¬
mel.
Charles. To these may be added Ebal and
90 conversations on palestine.
Gerizim, sometimes called the mountains of
blessing and of cursing; and, on the other side
Jordan, the mountains of Gilead and Abarim.
Mr. Seymour. The first we shall notice is
Lebanon. This is an extensive range of lofty-
mountains, at the north of Palestine, which it sep¬
arates from Syria. It consists of two principal
ridges running parallel to each other, and having
a rich and fertile valley between them; one of
these ridges is called Lebanon, and the other
Anti-Lebanon. Do you know its altitude,
Charles ?
Charles. It is about ten thousand feet above
the level of the sea, and, from its great height,
the principal summits are covered, during the
greater part of the year, with snow, and in some
places, where it is sheltered from the Seabreeze
and the rays of the sun, the snow remains during
the entire year.
Mr. Seymour. These mountains are nearly
all well cultivated and well peopled. The soil
of the declivities, and of the hollows which are
found between them, is excellent, and the nu¬
merous streams descending from the upper parts
of the mountain, produce on all sides a perpe¬
tual freshness and fertility. The scenery of
Lebanon is described as being in the highest de-
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 91
gree romantic and beautiful; at every turn na¬
ture displays either grandeur or beauty ; some¬
times singularity, always variety.
Charles. Allow me to read you an animated
description. "When the traveller lands on the
coast of Syria, the loftiness and steep ascent of
this magnificent rampart which seems to enclose
the country, the gigantic masses which shoot
into the clouds, inspire him with astonishment
and reverence. Should he climb these sum¬
mits which bound the view, and ascend the
highest point of Lebanon, the Sannin, the im¬
mensity of space which he discovers becomes
a fresh subject of admiration. On every side
he beholds an horizon without bounds, while, in
clear weather, the sight is lost over the desert,
which extends to the Persian Gulf, and over the
sea, which washes the northern coast of Europe.
The mind seems to embrace the world."
"The name Sannin," remarked Mrs. Sey¬
mour, " recalls to mind the beautiful expression
of the Arabian poets ; they say, 'The Sannin
bears winter on his head, spring on his should¬
ers, and autumn in his bosom, while summer
lies sleeping at his feet.'"
Mr. Seymour. That is scarcely an exaggera¬
tion, Mary, for, on account of its great height.
92 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
this mountain presents almost every variety of
climate. The traveller who in the valley is
incommoded with the heat of July may, in a
few hours, transport himself to the temperature
of March; and in January, when the hoary head
of Lebanon is covered with ice and snow, orange
trees, loaded with flowers and fruit, may be
found at its foot.
Charles. You remember, Gertrude, that King
Solomon was famous for his botanical know¬
ledge. It is mentioned he knew every plant
from the hyssop to the cedar in Lebanon. This
mountain was but a short journey from his ca¬
pital, and possessed every advantage for bota¬
nical study, and undoubtedly he passed much
of his time in a spot where his peculiar taste
could be so abundantly gratified.
Mr. Seymour. Lebanon was anciently distin¬
guished for its cedars, many of which were used
by Solomon in building the temple; and re¬
cent travellers say that some now remain which
are about forty feet in circumference, and one
hundred feet in height, and cover with their
branches an area of thirty yards. They are
found in a hollow part of the mountains near
the village of Eden.
" The poetical parts of the Bible," remarked
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 93
Mrs. Seymour, "abound with allusions to Le¬
banon. Its stupendous size, its towering sum¬
mits, its stately cedars, its olive plantations, its
vineyards, its clear fountains and perennial
streams, its fertile vales and odoriferous plants,
all these combine to form in Scripture language
'the glory of Lebanon,' and furnished a variety of
pleasing figures to the inspired writers."
Mr. Seymour. From these descriptions I
think we may easily conceive the ardour with
which Moses desired to see that goodly moun¬
tain, Lebanon, Deut. iii, 25, and the gratification
which a man who had all his life been habitu¬
ated to an arid desert, and a low or level coun¬
try, must have felt, had he been permitted to
behold the verdant hills and murmuring cascades
of Lebanon.
Charles. A late traveller* remarks, " So re¬
freshing is the sight of these natural cascades,
communicating cool breezes, and banishing
the idea of being in a country subject to great
heat; so changing is the landscape; so rich,
so diversified the scenery ; that I have no hesi¬
tation in declaring Mount Lebanon to be one of
the most agreeable spots in the Turkish domi¬
nions."
• Mr. G. Kobinson.
94 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Mr. Seymour. The references made by the
sacred writers to Lebanon appear very striking to
those acquainted with the circumstances of the
place. The approach to Lebanon is adorned with
olive plantations and vineyards; itslowerregions
are beautified with myrtles and other odoriferous
shrubs, and the perfume which exhales from
these plants is increased by the fragrance of the
cedars which crown its summits, or garnish its
declivities. Alluding to these circumstances
the prophet Hosea, in his glowing description
of the future prosperity of Israel, says, " He
shall grow as the lily, and cast forth his roots
as Lebanon ; his branches shall spread, and his
beauty shall be as the olive-tree, and his smell
as Lebanon." Hosea xiv. 5, 6. The Psalmist
declares, that " the voice of the Loi;d breaketh
the cedars ; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars
of Lebanon Psalm xxix. 5; and a more sub¬
lime spectacle can scarcely be conceived than
the thunder rolling among these enormous
masses, and the lightning playing among the
lofty cedars, withering their foliage, crashing
the branches that had stood the storms of cen¬
turies, and with the utmost • ease hurling the
roots and trunks into the distant vale.
Mrs. Seymour. By Isaiah the mountain is
conversations on palestine. 95
compared to one vast altar, and its countless
trees are the pile of wood, and the cattle upon
its thousand hills the sacrifice ; yet, even this
sacrifice would be insufiicient to expiate one
single crime; and the sinner is told that " Leba¬
non is not sufiicient to bum, nor the beasts
thereof for a bumt-ofiering." Isaiah xl. 16.
Mr. Seymour. Hermon is a south-eastem
branch of the mountains of Lebanon, and forms
the northern boundary of that part of Palestine
which lies beyond the Jordan. The mountains
of Hermon are more lofty than those of Leba¬
non, and the highest eminences are covered
with perpetual snow.
Charles. There is also another Hermon,
which is situated on the westem side of the
Jordan, near Mount Tabor; it is called by the
Psalmist "the little hill Hermon." Psalm
xlii. 6.
Mr. Seymour. T o this latter moimtain it is
thought David alluded when he compared the
love of brethren to " the dew of Hermon."
Psalm cxxxiii. 3.
Charles. Maundrell, who, in the course of
his travels, encamped on this moimtain, says,
"We were sufficiently instructed by experience
what the Psalmist mesne by ' the dew of Her-
96 conversations on palestine.
mon,' our tents being as wet with it as if it had
rained all night."
Mr. Seymour. Mount Tabor is one of the
highest mountains of Galilee; it stands about ten
miles west of the sea of Tiberias, is of a coni¬
cal form, and about twelve hundred feet high.
To a person standing at its foot it appears to
terminate in a point; but, when arrived at the
top, he is agreeably surprised to find an oval
plain of about a quarter of a mile in its greatest
length, covered with a bed of fertile soil on the
west, and having on its eastern side a mass of
ruins evidently of ancient date.*
Clara. Is not this the mountain upon which
the transfiguration of our Saviour took place?
Mr. Seymour. It is commonly reported to be
so, but, as no particular mountain is specified in
the gospels as the scene of that occurrence, it
is not possible to determine.
Charles. This remarkable mountain oflTers
so rare a combination of the bold and beautiful,
that pilgrims of all ages have expatiated upon
its glories with untiring wonder and delight.
The trees of various species, and the bushes
always green, with which it is invested, and the
groves with which it is crowned, contribute no
• Home.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 97
less than its figure to its perfect beauty. Ounces,
wild boars, gazelles, and hares, are among the
animals which find shelter in its more wooded
parts, while the trees are tenanted by "birdsof
every wing," whose warblings and motions be¬
guile the labour of the ascent. The plain at the
top has at different times been under cultiva¬
tion ; but when, from oppression or fear, it is
abandoned by the cultivator, it becomes a table
I of rich grass and wild flowers, which send forth
a most refreshing and luxurious odour.*
Mr. Seymour. From its steep and precipi¬
tous character it is somewhat difficult of ascent,
but when arrived at the summit the traveller
forgets the fatigue he has undergone in his ad¬
miration of the delightful and extensive pros¬
pect which spreads itself before him. " The
path," says Mr. Stephens, " wound around the
mountain, and gave us a view from all its dif¬
ferent sides, every step presenting something
new, and more and more beautiful, until all was
completely forgotten and lost in the exceeding
loveliness of the view from its summit. Stripped
of every association, and considered merely as
an elevation commanding a view of unknown
valleys and mountains, I never saw a mountain
* Pictorial History of Palestine.
7
98 CONVERSATIONS CM PALESTINE;
which, for beauty of scene, better repaid the toil
of ascending it."
Mrs. Seymour. The objects which are em¬
braced by the view from the top, thus admiringly
alluded to by Mr. Stephens, have been carefully
enumerated by Mr. Elliot in a passage which I
will read to you. " The view it commands," he
says, "is magnificent. To the north, in suc¬
cessive ranges, are the mountains of Galilee,
backed by the mighty Lebanon ; and Safet, as
always, stands out iu prominent relief. To the
north-east is the mount of Beatitudes, with its
peculiar outline and interesting associations,
behind which rise Great Hermon and the whole
chain of Anti-Lebanon. To the east are the
hills of the Haouran, and the country of the
Gadarenes, below which the eye catches a
glimpse of the lake of Tiberias, while to the
south-east it crosses the valley of the Jordan,
and rests on the high land of Bashan. Due
south rise the mountains of Gilboa, and behind
them the mountains of Samaria, stretching far
to the west. On the south-south-west the vil¬
lages of Endor and Nain are seen on the Little
Hermon. Mount Carmel and the bay of Acre
appear on the north-west, and toward them flows,
through the fertile plains of Esdraelon, ' that
-T r
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 99
ancient river, the river Kishon.' Each feature
in this prospect is beautiful; the eye and mind
are delighted ; and, by a combination of objects
and associations unusual to fallen man, earthly
scenes, which more than satisfy the external
sense, elevate the soul to heavenly contempla¬
tions."
Gertrude. Beautiful, indeed! mother. The
poet says,
" We scarce can deem more fair that world
Of perfect peace and love."
" It was the sentiment of a certain philoso¬
pher," observed Mr. Seymour, "that time should
not be measured by the flight of moments, but
by the succession of ideas passing through the
mind. One traveller has remarked that such
was the multitude of thoughts rushing through
his mind, and so great the intensity of his feel¬
ings, while enjoying the view from the summit
of Tabor, that, computing by this rule the time
which he spent there, he lived at least a year in
the short space of a couple of hours. Perhaps
some of you can recall some such season."
Gertrude. Yes, father, there is one scene
which will ever verify to my mind the philoso¬
pher's assertion.
100 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Mr. Seymour. Name it, my daughter. It will
illustrate our meaning more clearly to the chil¬
dren.
Gertrude. A year ago, during mother's dan¬
gerous illness, and on the night when the fever
approached the crisis, I was watching in the
room, and heard the physician say that the next
few hours would decide the case. The still¬
ness of midnight reigned unbroken, save hy the
ticking of the watch, which denoted the flight
of time, and, I feared, the ushering in of eternity
to her. As I sat, and gazed upon her pale
countenance, and watched her heaving hosom,
thoughts of the past rolled over me in quick and
painful succession—thoughts of infancy and
early childhood, of her watchful love and un¬
ceasing care. Then came the thought of my
present need, and dependence on her guidance
and instruction; and then, O how fearfully (and
her voice trembled) was depicted our expected
desolation! The past, present, and future seemed
all concentrated in one point, and on the pre¬
sent rapidly passing hour happiness seemed
entirely suspended. Mother, I lived many years
that night; and it was long, long before I re¬
gained my former degree of buoyancy.
All were affected at the remembrance; and
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 101
Mrs. Seymour, looking affectionately at Ger¬
trude, said,—
"' Though in time's record nearly naught.
It was eternity in thought.'
As usual, dear, you have selected a mournful
illustration. Have you had no hours crowded
Avith joy t"
Gertrude. Yes, dear mother, the hour suc¬
ceeding, when you awoke, and in your own voice
asked for father, and I knew the danger was
past. The contrast was almost too powerful for
endurance ; but the joy was not as exquisite as
the sorrow, for it was chastened by fear, and
reverence, and gratitude.
Mr. Seymour. You have, indeed, selected
peculiar occasions, my daughter; but there are
multitudes of seasons in our ordinary course
when
" Thoughts upon thoughts, a countless throng,
Rush, chasing countless thoughts along
and but a slight attention to the working of our
minds will afford us numberless illustrations of
the truth of this sentiment. But now let us
leave the region of feeling, and again enter that
of fact.
Charles. Leaving Movmt Tabor, and pro-
102 conversations on palestine.
ceeding in a direction nearly due west for the
space of thirty miles, we arrive at Mount Car-
mel, which is situated on the shore of the Me¬
diterranean, and juts out into the sea, forming a
bold and striking promontory on the south side
of the bay of Acre. It rises precipitately from
the plain to the height of about fifteen hundred
feet, and hangs in wild and lonely majesty over
" the deep blue sea."
Mr. Seymour. Carmel, though generally spoken
of as a single mountain, is more properly a range
of mountains, extending upward of twenty miles,
the whole of which is known by the name of
Carmel. The name, however, is usually ap¬
plied, by way of eminence, to the mountain
which forms the seaward termination of this
range, and which is more elevated than the
others. So well adapted were the sides of this
mountain to the cultivation of the vine and the
olive that the kings of Judah covered every im¬
provable spot with vineyards and plantations of
olives. Its deep and entangled forests, its Sa¬
vage rocks and lofty summit, have been at all
times the favourite retreat of the guilty and the
oppressed. Its fastnesses are indeed so diffi¬
cult of access that the prophet Amos classes
them with " the depths of hell, the heights of
VIEW OF MOUNT CAIIMEL.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 105
heaven, and the bottom of the sea." Amos xi,
2, 3.
Charles. The fields around Carmel have in
all ages been celebrated for the extent of their
pastures and the richness of their verdure. So
great, indeed, was the fertility of this region,
that Isaiah, guided by the Spirit of inspiration,
has chosen it as an appropriate figure to ex¬
press the flourishing state of Messiah's kingdom.
" The wilderness and the solitary place shall be
glad for them ; and the desert shall rejoice and
blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abun¬
dantly, and rejoice, even with joy and singing:
the glory of Lebanon shall be given to it; the
excellency of Carmel and of Sharon." Isa.
xxxv, 1, 2.
Mr. Seymour. But " the excellency of Car¬
mel" has in a great measure passed away; its
top, which was anciently covered with trees,
has withered before the curse of Heaven,* and
a few wild vines and olive-trees furnish the only
traces of its former high state of cultivation^
Still, however, the general aspect of the mount¬
ain is highly pleasing. The continual verdure
with which it is covered scarcely allows the
whiteness of its calcareous rocks to appear.
* Amos i, 2.
106 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. *
Pines, oaks, laurels, and many other trees grow
(but not to any considerable size) above a beau¬
tiful carpet of grass and wild flowers; and this
rich covering of grass and flowers extends to
the fields around, by virtue of the numerous
streams descending to them from the mountain.
The woods of Carmel are the resort of nume¬
rous wild animals ; and birds still more nume¬
rous, attracted by the abundant supply of suitable
food, enUven by their songs one of the most
interesting spots in Palestine.
Mrs. Seymour. Do you remember, Henry,
what prophet dwelt on this mountain?
Henry. O yes, mother; Elijah.
Mr. Seymour. For what especial scene is
it memorable ?
Henry. It is the place where Elijah proved
to the Israelites that Jehovah was the true God.
I know all about that. Do you, Clara ?
Clara. Yes; it was our Bible lesson not long
since, and interested me very much. It is in
the thirteenth chapter of the First Book of
Kings.
Mr. Seymour. The scene of this memorable
transaction was doubtless on the inland side of
the mountain, where it descends gradually into
the noble plain beneath. " The spot," says
• conversations on palestine. 107
Mr. Came, " was finely chosen by the prophet
for the spectacle of his sacrifice, since the mul¬
titude of people coming from the regions of Sa¬
maria might stand with perfect convenience in
the splendid and open area of Esdraelon, which
is here terminated at the foot of Carinel. The
declivity of the mountain looks over a vast ex¬
tent of country on every side. From the hills
of Samaria, Cana, and Gilboa, the miracle might
have been beheld; and to the eager gaze of the
Israelites in the plain, the prophets of Baal,
their useless altars, and the avenging messenger
of God, were as distinct as if the scene had
been acted at their feet."
Charles. The next we notice are Mounts
Ebal and Gerizim, which you will find near
Shechem. They are principally distinguished
as being the place where the Israelites went
through the aflTecting ceremony of hearing and
responding to the blessings and curses of the
law.
Mr. Seymour. The full account of this trans¬
action you will find in Deut. xxvii, xxviii, and
may read it at your leisure. At present I will
give you a short summary. Moses commanded
the Israelites that, as soon as they had passed
the Jordan, they should proceed to these mount-
108 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. *
ains, and divide into two bodies, each composed
of six tribes; one part to stand upon Mount
Gerizim, the other upon Mount Ebal. The
six tribes standing on Gerizim were to pro¬
nounce the blessings which should come upon
them if they faithfully kept the commandments
of God; and the other six tribes, on Mount Ebal,
were to pronounce the curses which should be¬
fall them in case of their disobedience. This
command Joshua executed. Josh, viii, 33-35.
A better situation for performing this ceremony
could not be conceived, as the hills are at such
a distance from each other that the hosts of Is¬
rael might stand between, and the voice from
either be heard distinctly, on a calm day,
throughout the whole assembly.
Mrs. Seymour. It must have been an im¬
posing spectacle. The ark of the covenant in
the centre, surrounded by the elders, officers,
and judges, with the venerable Joshua at their
head; the banners of the tribes marking their
different positions as appointed by God, which
they were now to occupy for the last time; and
the thousands of Israel, extending in firm pha¬
lanx as far as the eye could reach. It must
also be remembered that every individual of
that vast company had but a little time before
* CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 109
beheld the most striking wonders performed
in their behalf—^the falling down of the walls
of Jericho, and the dividing of the stream of the
Jordan. And when the men, women, children,
and strangers, thinking on these things, with
one voice shouted. Amen! the acclaim must
have reverberated among the rocks around with
true sublimity, and have swelled in majestic
volume toward heaven.*
Charles. The valley which divides the
mountains, and in which the thousands of Israel
were congregated, is more than a league in
length, but only from two to three hundred paces
broad. This valley, shaded with groves of figs,
olives, almonds, and apricots, and with a clear
and beautiful stream winding and murmuring
through its centre, is one of the most beautiful
in Palestine :t sheltered from the pernicious
winds of the north-west and south-west, it lies
stretched out in picturesque beauty at the feet
of the gigantic guards that seem stationed for
its protection. The mountains are each about
seven hundred feet high, and are much alike in
size and figure. But if they are alike in
these particulars, in another they are very un¬
like. The blessings and curses seem to have
♦ Hardy. + Pictorial History of Palestine.
lift CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
remained upon them; for •while Gerizim has
a fertile and pleasing aspect, Ebal is utterly
barren.
Henry. Why, what makes such a difference
between them, Charles ?
Charles. Gerizim abounds in springs, and
its principal face is turned toward the north, so
that it is less scorched than Ebal by the hot
sun.s of summer. Its slope of ascent also being
less abrupt, the soil more easily accumulates on
its surface, and is less liable to be washed down
by the rains.
Mrs. Seymour. Gerizim was deemed by the
Samaritans the holiest of mountains ; and upon
it they had their temple, in which, rather than in
that at Jerusalem, they held that men ought to
worship. Hence the reference made to it by
the woman of Samaria when, in conversing
with the Saviour, she said, " Our fathers wor¬
shipped in this mountain." John iv, 20.
Mr. Seymour. The mount of Olives is so
intimately connected with Jerusalem that we
shall include our notice of it in the description
of the holy city. Passing to the other side of
the Jordan, we find, south of Hermon, a range
of mountains called the mountains of Gilead,
which separate Palestine, on the east, from the
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. Ill
Arabian Desert. The name Gilead, which sig¬
nifies a heap, was given to it by Jacob, on ac.
count of the heap of stones which he raised
there in commemoration of the covenant which
he made with his uncle Laban. Gen. xxxi, 21.
Charles. A few miles south of Mount Gilead,
in the country which originally belonged to the
Moabites, are the mountains of Abarim. In
this range are included Mount Peor, where Ba¬
laam delivered his prophecies. Num. xxiii, 28,
and Nebo, on whose summit Moses died, after
having been permitted by God to view the pro¬
mised land.
Mr. Seymour. Because of one sin Moses
was forbidden to enter the promised land. Dent,
xxxii, 48-52. The account of his survey of the
country, and of his death, is contained in Deut.
xxxiv, 1-5. Clara, turn to the passage, and
read it.
Clara reads. " And Moses went up from the
plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to
the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho.
And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead,
unto Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of
Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of
Judah, unto the utmost, sea, and the south, and
the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of
112 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
palm-trees, unto Zoar. And the Lord said unto
him, This is the land which I sware unto Abra¬
ham, tmto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I wiU
give it unto thy seed; I have caused thee to see
it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over
thither. So Moses the servant of the Lord died
there in the land of Moab, according to the word
of the Lord."
Mrs. Seymour. Dr. Hunter, in his "Sacred
Biography," gives a beautiful and most vivid
description of this last scene in the eventful life
of the Hebrew legislator and prophet.
Mr. Seymour. Read it, if you please, my
dear. Let us learn all we can of the beauty
and sublimity of the scenes which the Bible
records.
Mrs. Seymour reads. " Moses has fulfilled,
like a hireling, his day; has written, has spoken,
has judged, has prayed, has blessed; the busi¬
ness of life is ended; he has glorified God on
earth; it only remains that he glorify him by
submission to his sovereign will in dying. Be¬
hold him, then, solitarily and solemnly advancing
to encounter the last enemy. He has passed
through the plain, and again he begins to climb
up into the mount to meet God. The eyes of
all Israel are riveted to his footsteps. \^o is
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 113
not ready to cry out,' Would to God I could die
for thee.^ Every step he advances plants a dag¬
ger in the heart. The distance begins to ren¬
der vision indistinct; his person is diminished
to a speck; they fondly imagine they see him
still; the eyes strain for another and another
glimpse; they are suffused with tears; they
can behold him no more. But he still beholds
their goodly tents; he sees all Israel collected
into one point of view, Jehovah dwelling in the
midst of his people, the tabernkcle with the pil¬
lar of cloud resting upon it; his affection with
his sight is concentrated on the happy spot; his
whole soul goes out in one general departing
blessing. As he ascends, the prospect expands
and brightens to his ravished eye. He can
trace Jordan from its source till it falls into the
sea ; he wanders with delight from hill to hill,
from plain to plain. He sees, on this side.
Mount Lebanon losing its lofty head in the
clouds ; on that, the ocean and the sky meeting
together to terminate his view. Beneath his
feet, as it were, the city of palm trees [Jericho]
and the happy fields which the posterity of
Joseph were destined to inhabit; the land which
Abraham had measured with his foot in the
length and in the breadth of it; in which Isaac
8
114 conversations on palestine.
and Jacob had sojourned as strangers; which
God had fenced, and cultivated, and planted,
and enriched by the hand of the Canaanite for
his beloved people; which the sun irradiated
with milder beams, the dew of heaven refreshed
with sweeter moisture, and the early and latter
rain fattened in more copious showers. ' And
the Lord said unto him. This is the land which
I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto
Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I
have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but
thou shalt not go over thither. So Moses the
servant of the Lord died there in' the land of
Moab, according to the word of the Lord.'"
Gertrude. This was indeed a beautiful and
extended prospect; far exceeding that from
Mount Tabor, of which we were just now read¬
ing.
Mr. Seymour. Although Palestine may be
called a mountainous country, yet the ridges are
interrupted in various places by large tracts of
level country, the principal of which are the
plain of Esdraelon, the plain of Sharon, and the
plain of the Philistines.
Charles. The plain of Esdraelon, which
is also called the Great Plain, the valley of
Jezreel, and the plain of Megiddo, commences
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 115
at Mount Carmel, and extends eastward nearly
as far as the Jordan. It is bounded on the north
by the mountains of Galilee, and on the south
by those of Samaria, and is about fifty miles
in length, and twenty miles broad.* As seen
from above it is not a perfect level, but a
tract of gentle undulations in the midst of
hills which enclose it on every side. The
soil, which is exceedingly rich, is in some
places more than six feet thick; and were the
plain well cultivated, it would be one of the
most productive in the world. There are a few
small villages scattered over its surface, but not
perhaps a hundredth part of the number it is
well able to sustain. In the distribution of
Canaan to the people of Israel by Joshua, this
celebrated portion fell to the tribe of Issachar,
who in its fertile and weU watered soil had
abundant cause to " rejoice in their tents."
Deut. xxxiii, 18.
Mr. Seymour. The historic celebrity of this
plain is very great. " In the first ages of the
Jewish liistory, as well as during the Roman
empire, the crusades, and even in later times, it
* These are the dimensions as given by Dr. E. D. Clarke
and Mr. Hardy. Mr. Elliot, however, makes it only thirty
miles in length and eighteen in breadth.
116 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
has been the scene of many a memorable con¬
test. Here it was that Barak, descending with
his ten thousand men from Mount Tabor, dis¬
comfited Sisera and all his chariots,' even nine
hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that
were with him, gathered from Harosheth of the
Gentiles unto the river Kishon, when all the
host of Sisera fell upon the edge of the sword,
and there was not a man left.' Judges iv, 10-16.
Here also it was that Josiah, king of Judah,
' fought against Necho, king of Egypt, and fell
by the arrows of his antagonist.' 2 Kings xxiii,
29. So great was the lamentation for his death
that the mourning for Josiah became ' an ordi¬
nance in Israel.' The great mourning of Jeru¬
salem, foretold by Zechariah, is said to be as
the lamentation in the 'plain of Esdraelon,' or,
according to the language of the prophet, ' as
the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of
Megiddon.' Zech. xii, 11. Josephus often
mentions this very remarkable part of the Holy
Land, and always under the appellation of' the
great plain.' The supplies of troops that Ves¬
pasian sent to the people of Sepphoris are said
to have been reviewed in the great plain, prior
to their distribution into two divisions; the in¬
fantry being quartered within the city, and the
conversations on palestine. 117
cavalry encamped upon the plain. It has been
a chosen scene for encampment in every con¬
test carried on in this country, from the days of
Nabuchodonosor, king of the Assyrians, in the
history of whose wars with Arphaxad it is men¬
tioned as the great plain of Esdraelon, until the
disastrous march of Napoleon Bonaparte from
Egypt to Syria."*
Mrs. Seymour. Thus it seems that " Jews,
Gentiles, Saracens, Christian Crusaders and
Antichristian Frenchmen, Egyptians, Persians,
Druses, Turks, and Arabs, warriors which are
out of every nation under heaven, have pitched
their tents upon the plain of Esdraelon, and
have beheld the various banners of their nations
wet with the dews of Tabor and Hermon."
Mr. Seymour. The Plain of Sharon com¬
mences also at Mount Carmel, and extends
south along the coast as far as Joppa. It is a
fertile tract of country, but I am imable to give
you a particular description.
Gertrude. There is a notice of this plain in
the journal of the Rev. Mr. Lanneau, a mission¬
ary in Palestine. He says, " Emerging from
the gardens which surround Joppa, we came
into the plain of Sharon. Extensive fields of
* Dr. E. D. Clarke.
118 conversations on palestine.
grain were waving in the breeze, and flocks of
sheep and goats were grazing in the rich mea¬
dows, while here and there an Arab peasant
was driving his antiquated plough through the
earth, and preparing it for sowing. Sharon has
always been celebrated for its fertility; and were
it not for Mohammedan despotism, which with¬
ers all the springs of industrious enterprise, this
beautiful plain might be one continued garden^
and support an immense population. At present,
however, it is poorly cultivated, and only a few
miserable villages and hamlets are situated
upon it."*
Mr. Seymour. The Plain of the Philistines
embraces the tract of country lying between
Joppa and the river of Egypt, and west of the
mountains of Judea. This district is the ori¬
ginal Palestine, the land of the Philistines,
which gave its name to the whole country, and
is still called Phalastin by the natives. It is
less level than Sharon, being composed, for the
most part, of low undulating hills.f It is gene¬
rally bare of trees; but when the growth of
sjrdng comes, every thing looks fresh and beau¬
tiful. " It is not," says Dr. Richardson, " like
* Missionary Herald,
t Pictorial History of Palestine.
conversations on palestine., 119
the land of Egypt, but a thousand times more
interesting."
Charles. Of this portion of country Volney
remarks, " It is without either river or rivulet
in summer, but is watered by several torrents
in winter. Notwithstanding this dryness, the
soil is good, and may even be termed fertile ;
for when the winter rains do not fail, every
thing springs up in abundance, and the earth,
which is black and fat, retains moisture suffi¬
cient for the growth of grain and vegetables
during the. summer. More watermelons and
beans are grown here than in any other part of
the country. They also raise cotton, barley,
and wheat; but though the last be most
esteemed, it is less cultivated, for fear of too
much inviting the avarice of the Turkish go¬
vernors and the rapacity of the Arabs. This
country is indeed more frequently plundered
than any other part of Syria."
Mr. Seymour. Having now described the
principal mountains and plains of Palestine, we
will leave the land, and for a season travel by
water; and I do not think our interest will at
all abate while contemplating its lakes and
rivers. We will commence with the Sea of
Galilee, mentioned also in the Scriptures as
120 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
the Lake of Gennesareth, the Sea of Tiberias,
and the Sea of Chinnereth.
" A place," remarked Mrs. S.," so frequently re¬
ferred to in the gospels, that the name is to us a
familiar sound."
Charles. It is about sixteen miles long, and
six in breadth. It lies in a deep basin, sur¬
rounded on all sides by lofty hills, excepting
only the narrow outlet and entrance of the Jor¬
dan at each extreme, for which reason long-
continued tempests are here unknown. The
same local features, however, rendered it occa¬
sionally subject to whirlwinds, squalls, and sud¬
den gusts of wind from between the mount¬
ains, which, as in any other similar basin, are
of short duration.
Mr. Seymour. Henry, turn to Luke viii, 23,
where such a storm is plainly described by the
evangelist.
Henry reads. " There came dovon a storm of
wind on the lake, and they were filled with
water, and were in jeopardy."
Charles. Travellers agree in describing it
as a place of singular beauty, and it has some¬
times been compared to the celebrated Lake of
Geneva, in Switzerland.
Mr. Seymour. Do any of you recollect any
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 121
of the circumstances which rendered it memo¬
rable ?
Mrs. Seymour. Four of the disciples were
called from thence to the ministry. Matt, iv,
18-23. The miraculous draught of fishes was
on this lake; it was here, too, that our Lord sat
in a boat and taught the people who were stand¬
ing upon the shore. Mark iv, 1. And what a
sight it must have presented to have seen the
boat in the waters, containing the Prince of life,
and the multitude lining in rows the slope of
the ascent, as if in an immense amphitheatre,
listening to the " gracious words which fell from
his lips."
Charles. It was upon this sea that Jesus
walked, like a spirit, in the fourth watch of the
night, when the wind was boisterous and the
waves were high. Matt, xiv, 23-33. And it
was to these waters he spoke when he said in
majesty, " Peace! be still," and the rebuked
wind ceased, and there was a great calm.
I feel, exclaimed Gertrude, that with the poet
I can say,—
" Blue sea of the hills, in my spirit I hear
Thy waters, Gennesareth, chime on my ear.
Where the Lowly and Just with the people sat down.
And thy spray on the dust of his sandals was thrown."
122 conversations on palestine.
Charles. Mr. Buckingham remarks, that the
remembrance of its former state, when all was
life and animation—when ships traversed its
waters, and multitudes crowded its shores—when
proud cities rose in grandeur on its banks, and
a rich and well cultivated country enclosed it
oil every side—forms a powerful and painful
contrast to its present stillness and desertion.
" And now," said Gertrude," we come to the
Dead Sea, whose bitter waters sleep over the
guilty cities of the plain."
" The Dead Sea," interrupted Henry, " I do
want to hear about that; for I have read some
strange things about it. Do you remember,
Clara, the apples of Sodom and the deadly airt
Are they true, father ?"
Mr. Seymour. We will see presently; but
we must commence with the regular description.
How is it situated, Charles, and what is its size ?
Charles. It is about twenty miles east of
Jerusalem, and forms the south-eastern boundary
of Palestine. As to its size, travellers diflfer so
much, it is difficult to determine. Josephus says
it was seventy-two miles long and eighteen
broad, and his authority is generally admitted.*
* Dr. Shaw agrees with Josephus; but Mr. Came esti¬
mates its length to be sixtf miles, and its general breadth eight.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 123
Mr. Seymour. Well, we will take it, as we
have no better means of ascertaining. By what
other names is it known, Clara ?
Clara. It is called in Scripture the Salt Sea,
the Sea of the Plain, and the East Sea.
Mr. Seymour. True, and it is also called, by
Josephus, Lake Asphaltites, from the abundance
of bitumen formerly found in it. The name by
which it is now commonly known among the
inhabitants of the country is Bahr Lout, " the
Sea of Lot." Do you know, Henry, why it was
called the Sea of the Plain ?
Henry. I know it covers the plain where
Sodom and Gomorrah once stood. I suppose
that is the reason.
Mr. Seymour. You are right. The cities of
Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, de¬
stroyed by the Lord on account of their great
wickedness, were situated in the vale of Sid-
dim, which Moses tells us is the Salt Sea.
Gen. xiv, 3. Do you recollect the mode of
their destruction ?
Gertrude. The Bible tells us that the Lord
rained upon them fire and brimstone out of hea¬
ven, and overthrew these cities and all the plain,
and all the inhabitants of the cities. Gen. xix,
24, 25.
124 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Mrs. Seymour. Some have supposed that
this was nothing more than a volcanic eruption.
Mr. Seymour. Yes, but the state of the sur¬
rounding country proves the impossibility of
that; for there are no remains, no evidences of
a volcano in the vicinity; and although time
often varies the aspect of a country materially,
it does not remove mountains, or elevate plains.
Will you tell us why it is called the Dead Sea?
Charles. Some suppose it was called Dead
from the fact just mentioned; but though it must
ever be viewed as a vast sepulchre, in which
thousands are entombed, yet I think it more
r probable it derived its name from the lifeless
appearance of its waters, which are so heavy
as scarcely to be ruffled by the strongest wind,
and from the fact, that no living creatures are
found in it.
Mrs. Seymour. That last fact is disputed,
Charles.
Charles. I know it, mother; but travellers
generally agree as to its truth, and it has been
accounted for so satisfactorily that my doubts
are all removed.
Henry. Then you can tell us all about it, I
suppose, Charles ?
" I will try," replied Charles, smiling. " Its
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 125
waters are extremely salt, far more so than
those of any other sea. This, with the bitumen
with which it abounds, renders it so heavy, and
so extremely bitter and nauseous, that it is im¬
possible for any fish to exist in it. Its taste is
indeed most detestable, being said to resemble
a solution of salt petre, mixed with an infusion
of quassia."
Clara. O your account seems so plain,
Charles, I am sure it must be true.
Charles. But skeletons of fishes are often
found on its banks, Clara; how do you account
for that ?
Clara. I am sure I can't tell, for that is like
contradicting all you have said.
Charles. We told you that the Jordan passed
through the Sea of Galilee; it can easily be
imagined that in its rapid course some fish
would be carried by the force of the stream into
the Dead Sea, where they would soon expire,
and, being light and ascending to the surface,
the whole phenomena is easily explained. It
is not true, however, Henry, that its vapours are
so pestiferous as to kill birds that attempt to
fly over it.
Henry. Charles, will you tell us now about
the apples of Sodom ?
126 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Charles. I have not much faith in their ex¬
istence, Henry. Many ancient writers speak
of a fruit, growing near the Dead Sea, which,
on the outside, appeared to be fair, and of a
lively red colour, but was bitter within, and
full of dust and ashes. No such fruit has, how¬
ever, been discovered by any modem traveller;
it is a production which exists only in the ima¬
gination and song of the poet, and has, perhaps,
been kept up so long, because it furnished him
with a good allusion, or helped him to a beauti¬
ful simile; so I shall have to disappoint you.
• " I am disappointed," said Henry; " but it is
better to know just the truth."
Charles. Owing to the heaviness of its wa¬
ters, many substances will float on the Dead
Sea, which sink in any other. Those who have
made experiments in it by swimming have
found its buoyancy to be so great, that they
could lie on its surface any length of time with¬
out effort. One traveller states, that "with
considerable exertion he was just able to sink
his body completely under water, but was im¬
mediately thrown back upon the surface, in
spite of all his efforts to descend lower."*
Mr. Seynwur. All who have visited this
* Madden. *
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 127
sea seem deeply affected; nor can we wonder
at this, when we consider the terrible associa¬
tions connected with it, and the scene of deso¬
lation which it exhibits. A profound silence,
awful as death, hangs over the lake; no verdure
is to be seen on its shores, which appear to be
as unfavourable to vegetable as its waters are to
animal life; yet this very spot, we are assured
by Scripture, was once "as the garden of the
Lord, like the land of Egypt." Genesis xiii, 10.
"No language of the most eloquent writer,"
observes a celebrated traveller,* " can give a
proper description of the mournful devastation
which reigns in this devoted region, from the
curses denounced against it, or express the
solemn horror the scene is so well calculated to
inspire. This particular country must be visited,
that what is reported of it may be believed.
It is strikingly monumental of the tremendous
wrath of God, and is held up as an everlasting
warning to mankind." Deut. xxix, 22,24. The
awful prophecy of Moses to which the traveller
refers, and which I wish Henry to read aloud,
should, impress us with the deepest awe; but let
us never forget, that while God is just to punish,
he is also mighty to save.
• W. Rae Wilson.
128 conversations on palestine.
Henry reads. "The generation of your chil¬
dren that shall rise up after you, and the stranger
that shall come from a far land, shall say when
they see the plagues of that land, and the
sicknesses which the Lord hath laid upon it;
and that the whole land thereof is brimstone,
and salt, and burning; that it is not sown, nor
beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the
overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah,
and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in his
anger and his wrath: even all nations shall say.
Wherefore hath the Lord done thus unto this
land 1. what meaneth the heat of this great anger 1
Then men shall say. Because they have forsaken
the covenant of the Lord God of their fathers,
which he made with them when he brought
them forth out of the land of Egypt."
Charles. The principal river in Palestine is
the Jordan ; can you tell me where it rises,
Henry ?
Henry. Why, Charles, it seems to pass
right through the Sea of Tiberias, but takes its
rise far above it.
Charles. That is correct; it rises near
Mount Lebanon, and passes through the Sea oi
Galilee, in which it is said its current is visible.
It is about one hundred and thirty miles in
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 129
length, and empties itself into the Dead Sea, in
which it is computed to discharge upward of six
millions of tuns of water every day. During a
part of the year it is fordable in three or four
places, which are called, in Scripture, "the
fords" or " passes of Jordan," and are about four
feet deep. It varies in width from twenty to
forty yards, and its general depth is about ten
feet.
Mrs. Seymour. I have often read that infi-
dels strongly object to the miraculous nature of
the passage of Jordan by the Israelites; they say
that if the river is fordable, it may be accounted
for without any difficulty. How is it, father 1
Mr. Seymour. ^ Turn to the third chapter of
Joshua, where that event is recorded, and you
will find it there stated, that when the feet of
the priests touched the waters, then the water
that came down from above stood, and rose up
upon a heap, while the water below ran down
to the Dead Sea, thus enabling the Israelites to
pass over the dry bed of the river ; but mark the
words in parentheses ; " For Jordan overfloweth
all his banks all the time of harvest." It was
now the time of barley-harvest, which, in Pa¬
lestine and the adjacent countries, occurs early
in the spring, when the snows, melting on Mount
9
130 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Lebanon, where the Jordan takes its rise, cause
a great increase in the depth of the river, and
the rapidity of its current. Admitting, then,
that at ordinary times the river could be crossed
without difficulty, the sacred historian, as if an¬
ticipating the doubts that would arise, specifies
a period when its ordinary character was en¬
tirely changed, and thus establishes the mira¬
culous nature of the passage beyond the power
of successful contradiction. Are you satisfied,
Mary ?
Mrs. Seymour. Perfectly so. I mention the
objections, not that they trouble me, but because
the children will meet with them ; and I would
have them forewarned of jheir futility and
weakness.
Mr. Seymour. I understand your motive,
and hope the children will follow your example,
and ask respecting every thing they do not
understand.
Mrs. Seymour. Do these inundations of the
Jordan still take place ?
Mr. Seymour. Not to so great an extent as
formerly; it now never passes over the outer
banks. Volney, however, informs us, that at
the time of its annual overflow, which takes
place in March, it still forms a sheet of water in
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 131
some places three quarters of a mile broad.
And Mr. Thomson, an American missionary,
who visited the Jordan so late as the middle of
April, and at the very spot where the Israelites
passed over, says, that even then the current
was so deep and rapid "that it could not be
crossed without a bridge or a miracle."*
Charles. The banks of the Jordan are co¬
vered with a thick forest of reeds, bushes and
trees. In this entangled thicket, so conve¬
niently planted near the cooling stream, lions
and other animals were accustomed to repose,
till the swelling of the river drove them from
their retreat. At ordinary times the lion goes
along with an awkward shuffling gait, very un¬
like our ideas of his majestic strides, and terri¬
ble appearance ; and, unless he is in a state of
hunger or excitement, one might pass by him
without much fear or danger. But when driven
from his cool retreat he becomes another crea¬
ture, both in appearance and deportment; for at
such times he is excited to great fury, and
attacks whatever living thing comes within his
reach, while the surrounding country reverbe¬
rates with his terrific roar.
Mrs. Seymour. The knowledge of this fact
* Missionary Herald.
132 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
illustrates a striking simile used by the prophet
Jeremiah, who, foretelling the invasion of Edom
by the king of Babylon, makes use of the follow¬
ing language : " He shall come up like a lion
from the swellings of Jordan against the habit¬
ation of the strong." Jer. xlix, 19.
Mr. Seymour. The figure is highly poetical
and striking. It is not easy to present a more
terrible image to the mind than a lion roused
from his den by the roar of the swelling river,
and chafed and irritated by its rapid and suc¬
cessive encroachments on his chosen haunts,
till, forced to quit his last retreat, he ascends to
the higher grounds and the open country, and
turns the fierceness of his rage against the
helpless sheepcots or the unsuspecting villages.
A destroyer equally fierce, cruel, and irresistible,
the devoted Edomites were to find in Nebuchad¬
nezzar and his armies.
Gertrude. And, father, does not this illus¬
trate the simile used by the apostle when
he compares our adversary the devil to " a roar¬
ing lion, going about seeking whom he may
devour 1" 1 Peter v, 8.
Mr. Seymour. It probably does ; and by ex¬
ercising your imagination a little you may form
a very vivid idea of the furious animal thus
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 133
aroused, seeking for prey, arid ready to dart upon
it with exceeding fierceness wherever found: and
then we may feel how we should be watching,
how we should be ever on our guard against that
adversary whom the apostle thus personifies.
Gertrude. It is a fearful picture, father, and
inspires me with terror.
Mr. Seymour. It need not, Gertrude; it
should excite us to the deepest watchfulness,
to the most fervent prayer; but the remembrance
of the " lion of the tribe of Judah," who has con¬
quered and restrains his power—the assurance
that " greater is He that is with us than all they
who are against us"—and that " if we resist the
devil he will flee from us"—should raise us above
all tormenting fear. A poet has sweetly sung,
" And Satan trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees."
And the Christian, in the true exercise of faith
in God, may adopt the exulting language of one
of our hymns ; the figure is changed, but the
sentiment is the same:
" What though a thousand hosts engage,
A thousand worlds my soul to shake;
I have a shield shall quell their rage.
And drive the alien armies back:
134 conversations on palestine.
Pourtrayed it bears a bleeding Lamb;
I dare believe in Jesus' name."
Do not, tlien, my dear child, yield to depressing
fears, but remember though the adversary he a
lion he is chained, and shall soon he utterly
overthrown.
A moment's pause ensued, and then Mr. Sey¬
mour continued, " There are no rivers of any
size or of much note in Palestine, besides_the Jor¬
dan. The principal remaining ones are the
Kishon, the Jabhok, and the Arnon."
Charles. "That ancient river, the River
Kishon," rises among the hills of the Plain of
Esdraelon; three or four of the principal sources,
which lie within less than a furlong of each
other, are called the head of Kishon. As it ap¬
proaches the sea it divides itself into several
branches, its waters serving to irrigate the gar¬
dens through which it passes. In the winter,
when swollen by the heavy rains, it becomes
a deep and impetuous torrent, overflowing its
banks, and sweeping away all before it.
Mr. Seymour. It must have been at such a
time as this that the army of Sisera was in part
swept away by its waters ;* for in its ordinary
course the^stream is not of sufficient width and
♦Judges V. 21.
conversations on palestine. 135
power to be dangerous. When not augmented
by the rains it never falls into the sea in a full
stream, but loses itself in a bank of sand which
the north winds throw up against its mouth.*
Charles. The Jabboe is a small river
rising in the mountains of Gilead, and, pursuing a
westerly course, enters the Jordan about midway
between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea.
Gertrude. I do not recollect any mention of
this river in the Bible.
Charles. I can refer you to some circum¬
stances which are deeply interesting. Turn to
the thirty-second chapter of Genesis, and you
will there find under what interesting circum¬
stances Jacob crossed it.
Gertrude. O, I remember; the history is fa¬
miliar, but I have always overlooked the name.
Mr. Seymour. It was near this, too, that
Jacob wrestled with the angel of the covenant,
leaving us an example of the power of prayer,
which should excite us to diligence, and arm us
with confidence in the performance of that duty.
Charles. The River Arnon also has its
source in the mountains of Gilead ; it first runs
toward the south, then turns to the west, and
empties itself into the Dead Sea. It formerly
* Shaw.
136 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
divided the country of the Ammonites from that
of the Moabites.
Mr. Seymour. It is now time to close this
evening's lesson, which has proved longer than
I anticipated; and I am most happy to see the
interest you feel in a subject the correct know¬
ledge of which will, I have no doubt, prove
lastingly beneficial. Let the impressions we
have this night received, my dear children,
abide with us during the coming week, to re¬
strain us from evil, and quicken us in the pursuit
of good; and as we proceed may we have the
happiness of knowing that our hearts, as well
as our minds, improve; and thus the object we
proposed when we commenced will be fully
gained. I hope, during the coming week, you
will each seek to gain all the information you
can, that our next meeting may be marked by
mutual help and advantage. Henry, now call
the domestics, and we will close.
The usual exercises were again performed.
Mr. Seymour prayed most fervently that the
knowledge gained might be fully sanctified and
rightly directed; and the blessing thus invoked
was undoubtedly bestowed by Him who created
us intellectual as well as moral beings.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 137
CHAPTER IV.
CITIES AND TOWNS ON THE MEDITERRANEAN
COAST.
Gaza—Its history and present state—Askelon—Prophecy
respecting it—Ashdod, or Azotus—^Fulfilment of prophecy
respecting Ekron—Gath—Jaffa, or Joppa—Historical no¬
tices—Its present state—Cesarea—Paul's imprisonment
there—Acre, the ancient Ptolemais—Tyre and Sidon—For¬
mer greatness of Tyre—Sources of its wealth—Fulfilment
of prophecies respecting it—Its present state—Present state
of Sidon—Sarepta.
THE family had just risen from the tea-table,
which a domestic was removing, when the
clock struck seven. " Mary," said Mr. Sey¬
mour, " Mr. H., the superintendent of the Sun¬
day school, and I had some conversation yes¬
terday on the plan we are pursuing. I found
Clara had mentioned it last Simday, and he
expressed a wish to form one of our party to¬
night."
Mrs. Seymour. Which of course you granted ?
Mr. Seymour. I did, although it was trans¬
gressing the rule which we have so long kept,
of being, as a family, alone on Saturday
evening.
Mrs. Seymour. But I think this one of the
138 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
good exceptions, my dear, which may be made
to all rules.
Mr. Seymour. I am rejoiced at your con¬
currence ; Mr. H. will be a great acquisition to
our circle; and I rathei think it is he now ring¬
ing at the door, as he is noted for punctuality,
and I specified as soon after seven as possi¬
ble.
The conjecture proved correct. A gentleman
in the prime of life entered, and was most cor¬
dially received. His office as superintendent
would of itself have presented sufficient claims,
without the additional bond of private friendship,
which in this instance existed.
The little circle having gathered around the
table, Mr. Seymour commenced. " Our lesson
this evening differs very much from our last.
We turn from the contemplation of the works
of nature to those of art; and leaving the moun¬
tains we have traversed, and the waters by
whose banks we have so long lingered, we
enter into thickly populated cities; and in tracing
their rise, progress, and decline, will continue,
I trust, to be both entertained and profited.
Mr. H. I came, anticipating much enjoy¬
ment. I knew the subject, and history is my
peculiar pleasure.
conversations on palestine. 139
Mr. Seymour. Our route is along the coast
of the Mediterranean, commencing at the south,
where, in the midst of wide extended plains,
stood the five celebrated cities of the Philis¬
tines—Gaza, Ashdod, Askelon, Gath, and
Ekron.
Charles. Gaza is situated on the Mediterra¬
nean, near the southern extremity of Palestine,
and is about sixty miles south-west of Jerusalem.
Mr. H. Its situation as a frontier defence
against Egypt rendered it at all times a place of
much importance, and exposed it to many revo¬
lutions. It has been, at different periods, in the
possession of the Philistines, Israelites, Pheni-
cians, Chaldeans, Persians, and Egyptians.
Alexander the Great, after the siege of Tyre, on
his way from thence to Egypt, besieged and took
Gaza, slew ten thousand of its inhabitants, and
sold the remainder into slavery. It was taken
and plundered by Antiochus, king of Syria,
one hundred and ninety-eight years before
Christ; and one hundred years later it was
utterly destroyed by Alexander Janneus, king of
Judea.
Mr. Seymour. Do you know, Henry, of any
events in Scripture history which took place at
Gaza?
140 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Henry. Yes; I remember the account of
Samson carrying away the gate.
Clara. And it was at Gaza, too, that Samson
overthrew the temple of Dagon. Judges xvi. 23.
Gertrude. There is one thing in the accoimt
of Samson's overthrowing the temple, that has
always puzzled me.
" What is that ?" inquired Mr. Seymour.
Gertrude. Why, father, it is said that the
people were on the roof of the temple, and yet
they beheld Samson making sport in the in¬
terior.
Mr. Seymour. That difficulty may be ex¬
plained by a reference to the eastern method of
building. The temple of Gaza, like many others
in the east, was undoubtedly a quadrangular pile
of buildings and walls, having a court or area in
the centre, where Samson might be exhibited
with ease to the people assembled on the flat
roof of the surrounding building.
Charles. Can you tell us, Mr. H., the sub¬
sequent fate of Gaza?
Mr. H. After its destruction by Alexander
Janneus it was rebuilt nearer the sea, and again
became a flourishing and populous place ; it is
now, however, a small town, containing not
more than two or three thousand inhabitants.
conversations on palestine. 141
who are principally Turks and Arabs. The
surrounding country is extremely fertile, and
well cultivated; the inhabitants finding a ready
sale for its productions to the caravans passing
from Syria into Egypt, who purchase at Gaza
the provisions required for their four days' jour¬
ney in the desert.*
Mr. Seymour. Proceeding ten miles north
we arrive at " the deserted ruins of Askelon,"
formerly one of the proudest cities of the Phi¬
listines. Its walls, which were of great strength
and thickness, are mostly broken down; its lofty
towers lie scattered on the ground, and the
houses are lying in ruins, without a human in¬
habitant to build them up.
Mr. H. Thus literally has been fulfilled the
prediction, "Askelon shall be a desolation."
Zeph. ii. 4. " It shall not be inhabited." Zech.
ix. 5. I would just add, it was the birthplace
of Herod the Great.
Charles. We next arrive at Ashdod, which
is about thirty miles west of Jerusalem. It was
anciently a place of much importance, and was
surrounded by a wall of gTeat strength. It
was taken, and its walls broken down, by Uz-
ziah, king of Judah. 2 Chron. xxvi. 6. It was
♦ Volney.
142 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
afterward taken by the Assyrians, (Isaiah xx. 1,)
who fortified it, and added so much to its strength,
that when it was afterward besieged by Psam-
mitticus, the king of Egypt, it cost him a block¬
ade of twenty-nine years, being the longest siege
recorded in history, before he could make him¬
self master of it; and when he had obtained it,
he found it so reduced by the length of the war,
that it did him but little service.
Mr. Seymour. And it is therefore, I suppose,
that the prophet Jeremiah, speaking of it, called
it " the remnant of Ashdod," (Jerem. xxv. 20,)
intimating that it was only the poor remains of
what it had been in former times.
Mr. H. It is mentioned in the New Testa¬
ment, under the name of Azotus, as the place
in which Philip was found after the conversion
of the eunuch. Acts viii. 39, 40.
Mr. Seymour. It was also the place to which
the Philistines carried the ark when they had
taken it from the Israelites, and it was here that
Dagon fell down before it. 1 Sam. v. 4.
Charles. It is now in ruins. Volney, inhis
travels, says, " Leaving Yabna, we met suc¬
cessively with various ruins, the most conside¬
rable of which are at Ezdoud, the ancient Azo¬
tus, famous at present for its scorpions. This
conversations on palestine. 143
town, so powerful under the Philistines, affords
no proof of its ancient importance."
Mr. Seymour. The last and most northern
of the cities of the Philistines was Ekron, of
which not a vestige now remains. Concerning
this place the sure word of prophecy had declar¬
ed, " Ekron shall be rooted up Zeph. ii. 4;
and so completely has the prediction been
verified, that it is now impossible to point out,
with prcision, the spot on which the city
stood.
Mr. H. You omitted Gath, Charles, which
was situated between Askelon and Ekron, but
further inland than any of the others. Its pre¬
cise situation is now unknown. It was famous as
the birthplace of the giant Goliah. David con¬
quered it in the beginning of his reign, (1 Sam.
xvii. 5,) and it continued subject to his succes¬
sors till the declension of the kingdom of Judah.
2 Chron. viii. 1. Rehoboam rebuilt and forti¬
fied it. 2 Chron. xL 8. The Philistines re¬
gained possession, and were again subdued by
Uzziah, after which it passed through various
hands, but no notices of interest are given re¬
specting it.
Charles. Leaving the country of the Philis¬
tines, we now continue north against the coas
144 conversations on palestine.
until we arrive at Joppa, now called Jaffa, the
seaport of Jerusalem, and one of the oldest
cities known. It is on the coast of the Mediter¬
ranean, about forty-five miles north-west of Jeru-
salem. Mr. H., will you give us the historical
account of it ?
Mr. H. It is, as you mentioned, a very an¬
cient town, and is commonly supposed to have
been founded by Japhet, son of Noah. It is re¬
ferred to many times in Scripture, and owed its
chief prosperity to the fact of its being the
nearest seaport to Jerusalem. It was here the
timber was landed which Solomon brought from
Tyre to build the temple. 1 Kings v. It was
from this place the prophet Jonah embarked when
he fled from the presence of the Lord. Jonah
i, 3. It is mentioned several times in the books
of the Maccabees (tenth chapter of the first
book and the twelfth of the second) as the seat
of war and prey of conquest. It was restored
to the Jews by a decree of the Roman senate,
after having been taken from them by Antio-
chus, and was favoured with peculiar privileges.
It was here Tabitha was raised from the dead,
(Acts ix, 36—42,) and you all know it is men¬
tioned in the tenth chapter of Acts as the place
where Peter saw the vision significant of the
VIKW OF JOPPA FROM THE NORTH-EAST.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 147
receiving of the Gentiles. It was famous in
the time of the crusades, and in more modem
times has acquired a painful celebrity from the
horrible massacre of Turkish prisoners, by the
French, which there occurred, and which,
whether justly or not I cannot say, Bonaparte
is charged with countenancing. This is a short
summary of its history. Now, Charles, we wait
your description.
Charles. Joppa now contains about four
thousand inhabitants, of whom eight hundred
are Christians. It is seated on a promontory
jutting out into the sea, rising to the height of
about one hundred and fifty feet above its level,
and offering on all sides picturesque and varied
prospects. Toward the west is extended the
open sea; toward the south spread fertile plains,
reaching as far as Gaza; toward the north, as
far as Carmel, the flowery meads of Sharon
present themselves; and to the east the hills of
Ephraim and Judah raise their towering heads.
Owing to the inequality of the ground on which
it stands, most of the streets are paved in steps.
The houses, which are of stone, rise in terraces
from the water's edge, and present, as ap¬
proached from the sea, a very singular, yet
agreeable appearance. The town is enclosed
148 conversations on palestine.
on the landside with Saracenic walls, with tow
ers at unequal intervals; it is also partially
walled on the sides facing the sea. It pos¬
sesses scarcely any commerce, almost the only
business of the place being derived from fur¬
nishing the supplies necessary for pilgrims going
to and from Jerusalem.
Mr. Seymour. Now leaving Joppa, and con¬
tinuing our route north, we arrive at Cesarea,
once the seaport of the Romans, and the resi¬
dence of the Roman governor. It was founded
by Herod, who named it Cesarea in honour of
the Roman emperor. He took great pains to
embellish and adorn it, every building, whether
pubhc or private, being of marble. He endea¬
voured, by patronage and the expenditure of
enormous wealth, to make it rival Joppa, and
even divert its trade, but failed on account of its
inferior relative position to the great city. Will
some of my audience aid me in my remarks ?
" It was in this city," remarked Mr. H.,
"that Vespasian was first proclaimed emperor
by his soldiers. But to go somewhat farther
back: it was here that Philip and his four
daughters resided. Acts xxi, 8,9. It was here
Cornelius the centurion saw the vision of an
angel, and Peter declared unto him and his
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 149
house the cheering truth, ' God is no respecter
of persons.' Acts x, 34, 35."
"And I know Paul preached here," inter¬
rupted Henry.
Mr. Seymour. Yes; he visited Cesarea seve¬
ral times on his way to and from Jerusalem,
and was also imprisoned here for two years,
being charged by the Jews with being a sower
of sedition; but when examined before Agrippa
he so admirably defended himself that the king
said he might have been set at liberty, had he
not previously claimed the privilege, as a Ro¬
man citizen, of appealing to the emperor. The
force of liis reasoning and the power of his elo¬
quence may be inferred from the exclamation
which it extorted from Agrippa, " Almost thou
persuadest me to be a Christian," and from the
effect which, on a previous occasion, it pro¬
duced upon Felix when he trembled before his
prisoner. Acts xxiv.-xxvi.
" What is the present condition of the city 1"
inquired Mrs. Seymour.
Charles. It is entirely in ruins. There is
not a single inhabitant near the place; a few
birds and lizards, which are not often disturbed
in their abode, are the only possessors of this
once crowded city.
150 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Mr. Seymour. A late traveller* remarks :—
" The woes of the prisoner, and the triumphs
of the persecutor, have alike passed away;
and where the simple eloquence of an apostle
was once heard, and its power was acknow¬
ledged by an unjust judge and ambitious mo¬
narch, no sound could then be distinguished but
the gentle murmur of the sea. There was a sin¬
gle boat passing at the time, with its small white
sail, to remind us of the thousands that once
bore themselves proudly upon the same waters,
laden with the produce of all climes. This
spot is particularly dear to the missionary, as it
was consecrated by the baptism of the first
Gentile convert, at that time a wonder without
a precedent. Now the children of the adop¬
tion are living under the wrath of God, and the
despised 'barbarians,' from almost every nation
among men, are admitted into the favour of the
Lord, and have the promise that they shall sit
down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in
the kingdom of God. At such a place the so¬
lemn caution of the apostle comes home to the
mind with additional force: 'Be not high
minded, but fear; for if God spared not the na-
♦ Hardy.
conversations on paeestine. 151
tural branches, take heed lest he spare not thee.'
Rom. xi, 20, 21."
Charles. We will again continue our route
due north for thirty miles, when we shall reach
the town of Acre. This place is remarkable
for its antiquity, being mentioned in Judges i, 31,
under the name of Accho, as part of the inhe¬
ritance of the tribe of Asher. It is mentioned
in the New Testament, Acts xxi, 7, under the
name of Ptolemais, so called from one of the
Ptolemies, who beautified and enlarged it.
" It must be near Mount Carmel," remarked
Mrs. Seymour, looking at the map.
Charles. Yes, within three leagues. The
town is encompassed on the landside by a.spa¬
cious and fertile plain; on the west the walls
are washed by the Mediterranean Sea, and on
the south by a magnificent bay, extending as far
as Mount Carmel. From its great strength and
advantageous situation it has always been a
place of considerable importance.
Mr. H. During the time of the crusades
it was celebrated for the number and length of
its sieges ; it was, indeed, one of the principal
seats of war, and was the last fortified place
surrendered by the Christians; it was at that
152 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
time called St. Jean d'Acre, a name which was
given it by the knights of St. John, who founded
there a hospital, and also erected a magnificent
church, which was dedicated to St. John.
"And now we come to Tyre and Sidon,"
exclaimed Gertrude. "Will j'ou notice the
fulfilment of the prophecies respecting Tyre,
father ?"
Mr. Seymour. Certainly, my dear. We could
not well omit it; for they are among the most
striking in the Bible, both as it respects their
prediction and fulfilment. We cannot properly
review the fate of this city, in the light of pro¬
phecy, without being impressed with awe and
sadness as the past rises before us. We almost
hear the hum of its population, and identify our¬
selves with their happiness and pride. And then
the utter stillness of its present desolation, un¬
broken save by the dashing of the waves upon
its rocky coast, will sound to us as the funeral
knell of its departed thousands. But we will
not farther anticipate. Describe the situation
of these cities, Charles.
Charles. They are on the Mediterranean
coast, about twenty miles from each other. Tyre
being ninety and Sidon one hundred and ten
miles north of Jerusalem. They were both in-
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 163
eluded within the limits of the promised land,
and assigned to the tribe of Asher, but were
never conquered by the Israelites.
Mr. H. Of the two cities Sidon was the
more ancient; it was indeed one of the oldest
cities in the world, being generally supposed to
have been founded by Sidon, the son of Ca¬
naan, who was grandson of Noah. The Sidon-
ians acquired an early pre-eminence in the arts
and manufactures, and, if not the first navigators,
were the first who ventured beyond their own
coasts, and in those early ages engrossed the
greatest part of the commerce of the world.
Mr. Seymour. They are also said to have
been the first manufacturers of glass; and their
skill in working timber was so great that Sido-
nian workmen were employed by Solomon to
prepare the wood for building the temple..
Mr. H. Tyre is called, Isaiah xxiii. 12,
"the daughter of Sidon," having been founded
by a colony from thence, but at what time is
uncertain. Prideaux, following Josephus, says,
" Tyre was built by the Sidonians two hundred
and forty years before the building of Solomon's
temple. For Sidon, having been conquered by
the Philistines, many of the inhabitants escaping
thence in their ships, built Tyre." But Joshua,
154 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
many years prior to this, makes mention of "the
strong city Tyre." Joshua xix. 29.
Mr. Seymour. But it should be recollected
that there were two Tyres, the one built on a
small rocky island, about two miles in circum¬
ference, which was situated about half a mile
from the main land, and the other on the oppo¬
site shore. Josephus refers to continental Tyre:
may not the discrepancy be reconciled by sup¬
posing insular Tyre to have existed previously
to this, and therefore to have been the place re¬
ferred to by Joshua ?
Mr. H. Your conjecture is not an improbable
one; for as the name Tyre signifies, literally, a
rock, it is natural to suppose the city on the rock
to be the older of the two, although it attained
but little celebrity until after the destruction
of the continental city.
Charles. But at whatever period Tyre was
founded, it soon attained such an eminence as
entirely to eclipse its parent city Sidon. Her
enterprising inhabitants pushed their commer¬
cial dealings to the extremities of the known
world, and raised their city to a rank in power
and opulence before unknown.
Mr. Seymour. You had better all turn to the
twenty-third chapter of Isaiah, and twenty-
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 155
seventh and twenty-eighth chapters of Ezekiel,
where you will find a minute detail of the extent
of her commerce, and the greatness of her riches.
As we pass over wo will slightly enumerate a
few particulars. She is called the mart of na¬
tions ; her merchants were princes, her traffick¬
ers, the honourable of the earth ; her borders
are in the midst of the sea; the builders have
perfected her beauty. The boards of her ships
were of the fir-trees of Senir, her masts of the
cedars of Lebanon, her oars of the oaks of Ba-
shan, her benches of the ivory of Chittim, her
sails of fine linen bordered-work from Egypt,
her awnings of purple. The men of Israel
brought her wheat, oil, and honey; Arabia sup¬
plied her with cattle; Sheba sent spices, precious
stones, and gold.
Mr. H. Thus we see that Tyre imported goods
from almost all nations, yet she had no natural
resources; being only a city, she had no fertile
country in which produce could be raised to
supply their own wants, much less to oflbr in
exchange for foreign commodities ; nor had she
any mines of gold and silver, or precious stones.
The question then arises, by what means was
her great wealth procured?
Henry. I don't see where it could come
156 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
from; I suppose other countries didn't send
their goods for nothing.
" The question puzzles me as well as Henry,"
said Clara, " for I thought there could be no
commerce without exchange."
ilfr. Seymour. One verse of the prophet will
unlock the mystery. " Syria was thy merchant,
by reason of the multitude of the wares of thy
making." Ezekiel xxvii. 16.
" 0, yes," exclaimed Henry, with animation,
" I see it now ; Tyre was a great manufacturing
city; other nations furnished the raw material,
and the Tyrians manufactured it in various
ways."
Mr. Seymour. The mechanical proficiency
of the Tyrians may also be inferred from the
fact, that Solomon, when about to build the
temple, requested Hiram, king of Tyre, to send
him " a man cunning to work gold, and silver,
and brass," who was to superintend the manu¬
facture of the sacred vessels. The purple die
of Tyre was also celebrated all over the world.
Mr. H. Although the manufactures of the
Tyrians were the means of great gain to
them, yet the principal source of their wealth
was commerce. No city, before or since, has
centred within itself, as Tyre did, the trade of
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 157
all nations, and held an absolute monopoly of
almost every branch of commerce. For a long
period not a single production of the East passed
to the West, or of the West to the East, but by
the merchants of Tyre; nor for many ages were
any ships but those of Tyre daring enough to
pass the Straits of the Red Sea on the one side,
or of the Mediterranean on the other.
Mrs. Seymour. Thus, having no lands to
cultivate, they made themselves amends by
ploughing the deep with their ships, carrying
the products of one country to the inhabitants
of another, and paying themselves out of the
profits.
Mr. H. Exactly so; and it was by this
means chiefly that they acquired those riches
which entitled their merchants to rank as
princes, and their traffickers to be accounted
among the honourable of the earth.
Clara. But, father, after all it was only a
city.
Mr. Seymour. True, but it was, notwith¬
standing, an independent kingdom, as may be
seen by Solomon's treaties with Hiram, its king,
who acted like an independent sovereign. I
hope you will read attentively those chapters in
Ezekiel to which we have already referred;
158 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
they fully describe its wealth, its power, its ex¬
tensive commerce, and its doom.
" Will you not tell us the reason of its fall,"
inquired Mrs. Seymour; " for the question natu¬
rally arises, why did not its prosperity conti¬
nue ?"
"We shall find," answered Mr. Seymour,
" that although natural causes were permitted
to exercise their power in contributing to its
ruin, yet its downfall was the prediction of pro¬
phecy, while it was yet blazing in mid-day splen¬
dour ; and we can only account for its utter de¬
solation, by admitting the interposition of God's
avenging hand.
Charles. There are many prophecies rela¬
ting to Tyre, and their literal accomplishment
is truly wonderful. One is in the twenty-third
chapter of Isaiah, where it is said the Chal¬
deans shall conquer it. Another is in Ezekiel
xxvi. 7-11, where it is expressly declared the
city should be taken by Nebuchadnezzar. This
undoubtedly refers to continental Tyre, for it is
mentioned as being surrounded by horsemen,
chariots, &c. The prediction was fulfilled by
Nebuchadnezzar, after a siege of thirteen years;
but in the meanwhile the greater part of the in¬
habitants had made their escape by sea, carry-
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 159
ing their wealth with them, so that, as we are in¬
formed by Ezekiel, Nebuchadnezzar, after his
long efforts had been crowned with success,
found nothing in the city to repay him for his
toil. Ezekiel xxix. 18. Exasperated to the
last degree by his disappointment, he showed
no mercy to those who remained, and left not
the city till he had demolished it.
" It was also prophesied," remarked Mr. H.,
" that the city should be restored after seventy
years. Isaiah xxiii. 15-17. And at the end of
that period, when Cyrus subverted the Baby¬
lonian empire, the conquered nations regained
their liberty, and Tyre was again restored to her
gains and her merchandise. It does not ap¬
pear, however, that the continental city was
ever rebuilt; the inhabitants, probably for their
greater security, fixing themselves in the insu¬
lar town, which now rapidly rose into distinc¬
tion, and Tyre again became a mart of universal
merchandise. The prophet Zechariah, who
lived after this period, thus describes the state
of the city in his time : " Tyrus did build her¬
self a strong hold, and heaped up silver as the
dust, and fine gold as the mire of the streets."
Zech. ix. 3. It was indeed a " strong hold
for, besides being defended by the sea, it was
160 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
fortified by a wall one hundred and fifty feet
high, and of proportionable thickness.
Mr. Seymour. But the sure word of prophe¬
cy predicted the total ruin of the insular town
also ; for the same prophet adds, " Behold, the
Lord will cast her out, and he will smite her
power in the sea, and she shall be devoured
with fire." This prophecy received a literal
fulfilment when, one hundred and seventy years
after its restoration, and three hundred and
thirty-two years before Christ, the city was taken
by Alexander. This second siege lasted only
seven months, but it was one of the most san¬
guinary conflicts, on both sides, that the colli¬
sion of human passions and of human interests
ever produced. After the Tyrians had ex¬
hausted every means of defence and annoyance
to their invaders—after having exasperated the
impetuous monarch by killing his ambassadors,
contrary to the laws of nations and the dictates
of humanity—" their power in the sea was smit¬
ten and after repeated repulses, when even
Alexander hesitated whether he should not re¬
linquish the conflict, and abandon the enter¬
prise, the city was taken, and Tyre was " de¬
voured with fire." The fury of the conqueror
was insatiable; the carnage was dreadful be-
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 161
yond description ; and when the ferocious army
was glutted with slaughter, two thousand men
were left, and, in violation of every human feel¬
ing, Alexander fastened them upon crosses along
the sea shore.*
Mr. Seymour. The principal obstacle en¬
countered by Alexander in the conquest of this
city arose from its insular position; but, with his
usual fertility of invention, he conceived the
design of building a bank, or causeway, across
the arm of the sea which divided it from the
main land. ' This was effected by sinking piles
into the sea, and throwing into the intermediate
space immense quantities of stone and earth.
The ruins of the continental city, which had
been scattered on the shore for two hundred and
forty years, aflforded ready materials for this
purpose ; its stones, timber, and even the very
rubbish was collected; not the remnant of a ruin
was left. Thus the mighty conqueror, who
afterward failed in raising the ruins of Baby¬
lon, cast those of Tyre into the sea, literally
fulfilling the prophecy, " They shall lay thy
stones, and thy timber, and thy dust in the
midst of the water." Ezekiel xxvi. 12.
Charles. This isthmus, or causeway, which
• CoUyer's Lectures on the Prophecies.
11
162 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
converted Tyre from an island to a peninsula,
still remains, but is so completely covered with
sand, washed up by the sea on either side, that
none but those acquainted with its history
would suppose it to be the work of man.
Mr. H. Tyre was again rebuilt, shortly after
its destruction by Alexander, and became a
flourishing city, but never regained its ancient
magnificence. It fell successively under the
dominion of the kings of Syria and Egypt, and
then of the Romans. It afterward fell into the
hands of the Saracens, about A. D. 639. In
the year 1124 it was taken by the Crusaders,
who retained it until 1289, when it was taken
by the Mamelukes of Egypt, who destroyed
both T3rre and Sidon, that they might no longer
afford shelter to the Christians. Thus at last
its utter destruction was accomplished, as pre¬
dicted by Ezekiel: " I will scrape her dust
from her, and make her like the top of a rock;
it shall be a place for the spreading of nets in
the midst of the sea." And again, " I will make
her like the top of a rock; thou shall be a place
to spread nets upon; thou shall be built no
more ; for I the Lord have spoken it, saith the
Lord." Ezekiel xxvi. 4, 5, 14.
" The testimony of all travellers," remarked
TYRE—FROM THE MAIN LAND.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 165
Mr. Sejrmour, " strikingly confirms the fulfil¬
ment of this prophecy. Refer to the travels of
Maundrell, Shaw, Bruce, or Clarke, and you
will find it distinctly mentioned as the habita¬
tion of a few poor fishermen, while the adja¬
cent rocks were literally spread with nets, hung
there to dry."*
" Father," asked Gertrude, sadly, " were
there no reasons for such utter destruction, save
those you have specified? Other nations have
sinned in like manner, without such terrible
punishment."
Mr. Seymour. That its excessive pride was
one of the principal causes of its destruction we
learn from Isaiah xxiii. 9, and Ezekiel xxviii.
2 ; but another reason was, undoubtedly, their
cruelty to the children of Israel; see Joel iii.
4—6.
" And," continued Mr. H., " you find her ex¬
ulting over the fall of Jerusalem, and exclaim¬
ing, ' I shall be replenished, now she is laid
waste.' Ezekiel xxvi. 2. In the traflic with
other nations, before referred to. Tyre found a
♦ Within the last few years, however, Tyre seems to have
revived a little ; and late travellers describe it as containing
from two to three thousand inhabitants, of whom sixteen
hundred are said to be Christians.
166 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
SRCcessfiil competitor in Jerusalem, which suf¬
ficiently accounts for her exultation at its
destruction. She anticipated a great increase
<rf trade from the fall of her rival; nor was she
disappointed in her expectations ; for the lucra¬
tive trade of lower Asia, which had hitherto
been engrossed by the Jews, and was tlje source
of the immense wealth of David and Solomon,
then fell into the hands of the Tyrians, who
made their city the centre from which the west-
em parts of the world were supplied with the
productions of Persia, India, and Africa."
" Is not Tyre mentioned in the New Testa¬
ment ?" inquired Gertrude.
" O, yes," answered Charles, " it is referred
to by our Saviour in the gospels; and in the
twenty-first chapter of Acts we find that Paul
visited Tyre, and tarried there a week, while
on his way to Jerusalem; and a reference to
that chapter will show that there were in T)rre
hearts which beat warm with affection toward
our great apostle."
" Its shores had witnessed many spectacles,"
said Mrs. Seymour, " but, it seems to me, none
more impressive and affecting than that here
described in the fifth and sixth verses: ' And
when we had accomplished those days, we de-
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE, 167
parted and wentway; and they all brought
us on our way, with wives and children, till we
were out of the city; and we kneeled down on
the shore and prayed. And when we had taken
our leave one of another we took ship, and they
returned home again.' We can picture the
disciples, and their wives and children, follow¬
ing to the shore, and clinging around him who
had been to them the instrument of salvation,
and who was now about to leave them, for an
indefinite time, to encounter persecution and
death."
"I have a very graphic description of the
former condition of Tyre, as contrasted with
its present desolation," said Charles, looking at
a book in his hand; " may I read it V
"You may," answered his father, "but we
must not linger beyond our appointed time."
Charles reads. " The stirring scenes of a
seaport exhibit a picture of more constant ex¬
citement than can ever be presented by any other
place. The arrival and discharge of ships, the
cries of the captains as they direct the ready
mariners, the songs of the boatmen, the dash of
the oars, and the roll of the sea; the solitary
female, whose eye catches every speck that ap¬
pears white in the horizon, and never leaves it
168 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
till one after another of its inmates have been
carefiilly numbered, that perchance she may
discern among them the father of her disconso¬
late children; the faltering step of the aged sol¬
dier, whose battles have been fought, and whose
victories won; the tears of those who are bid¬
ding farewell, and the rapture of those greeting
the arrival of a long-absent friend; the anxious
assemblies of the merchants, either speaking
of traffic, or proclaiming their good fortune, or
lamenting the loss of some fair ship in a de¬
structive gale; the reckless merriment of the
sailors, as they enjoy upon land a little respite
from their constant toils—all these, and a thou¬
sand other scenes of noise, and joyousness, and
wealth, have been exhibited upon these shores.
They have passed away like the feverish dream
of a disturbed sleep. Ships may be seen, but
at a distance. No merchant of the earth ever
enters the name of Tyre upon his books; and
where thousands once assembled in pomp and
pride, and where was beauty, and splendour,
and dominion, I could discern only a few chil¬
dren at play, and a party of Turks sitting in
gravity, and sipping their favourite coffee."*
" We have now, my children," said Mr. Sey-
* Hardy.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 169
mour, "marked the rise, prosperity, and utter
downfall of one of the proudest cities which
ever existed. While we treasure up its history,
let us never forget the moral lessons it is in¬
tended to teach. Its excessive pride, its boasted
sufficiency and strength, its abused riches, its
misimproved privileges, awoke the anger of the
just God who had bestowed all its mercies.
While you mark its punishment, remember' God
is no respecter of persons and if it will be
' more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day
of judgment' than for Bethsaida and Chorazin,
what will be the fate of those who, with the
warmng voice of all sounding in their ears, still
neglect to profit by its fearful call ?"
" But, father," exclaimed Henry, " you have
not said any thing about Sidon."
Mr. Seymour. It was not the subject of such
clear and distinct prophecy as Tyre, and there¬
fore not as interesting; and as we have not
time to dwell long upon its history, perhaps
Mr. H. will give us a brief summary.
Mr. H. The people of Sidon for a long
period maintained their independence, but were
at length subdued, and became successivSly
subject to the Babylonians, Egyptians, and
Romans. Many of the inhabitants of Sidon
170 conversations on palestine.
became followers of our Saviour; Mark ill. 8 ;
and there was a Christian church there when
Paul visited it on his journey to Rome. Acts
xxvii. 3. The city still exists, and presents a
somewhat imposing appearance when seen from
a distance. It has a castle upon a rock in the
sea, connected with the main land by a bridge
of several arches. There is also another castle
upon an eminence that commands the town.
It contains about eight thousand inhabitants,
and is said to be a place of considerable trade.
Mr. Seymour. There is, between Tyre and
Sidon, a place which is too interesting to be en¬
tirely omitted. It is thus described by Mr.
Game : " At about two-thirds of the way from
Tyre to Sidon we reached a little hamlet, con¬
sisting of a few poor cottages, but possessing
high claims to interest from its being the site of
the ancient Sarepta, where Elijah, in the time
of famine, was fed by the widow's barrel of
meal and cruse of oil." 1 Kings xvii. 9, 16.
Gertrude. And was it not here, father, the
widow's son was raised to life ?
Mr. Seymour. It was, my dear; that inte¬
resting account is also in the chapter just re¬
ferred to. " The village is situated in a little
valley near the sea, and the ruins of dwellings,
BIDON.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 173
very ancient, are scattered around; but the brook
that fed the prophet (1 Kings xvii, 7) is now
dry, and, like the Valley of Elah, from whence
David took the pebbles to smite the Philistine,
there is no moisture in its sandy and stony bed.
Yet the scene is one to which the great mes¬
senger of God might have loved to retire. High
hills rise on each side, from whose wild sum¬
mits and verdant sides rise masses of gray rocks,
and the shepherd is seen watching his flock,
and the wild tunes of the Syrian pipe are heard
from afar. The bold promontory of Tyre is seen
in the distance on the left, and far on the right
are the snowy summits of Lebanon, towering to
the sky, and beneath them the rich and ancient
groves of cedar, and cypress, and sycamore."
Mrs. Seymour. How beautiful and interest¬
ing a book might be written of the wanderings
of the great and hallowed characters of Scrip¬
ture in the desert and in the plain, in the moun¬
tain and valley; of their exile, and their many
mercies ; of'their indelible hopes and remem¬
brances. Solitude was their bosom friend and
companion; they held communion with nature
in her gloomiest, as well as most glorious re¬
treats. And in all her aspects they saw the fin¬
ger of God.
174 CONVJERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
"Let us now," said Mr. Seymour, "unite in
prayer, that God's blessing may attend our efforts
to improve. Let us pray that our hearts, as well
as our memories, may receive an impress that
will long abide, and that the feelings which the
solemn truths of our lessons have awakened
may remain practically to influence our future
conduct."
After the exercises were concluded, Mr. H.
remarked, " It would afford me much pleasure
to come again at yom next meeting; and, if
agreeable, I will bring a friend, who will adbrd
us much aid in our studies."
" O, father," exclaimed Henry, " do ask Mr.
H. to come again; I am sure he helps us very
much."
" I will do that with pleasure, Henry," said
Mr. Seymour, smiling, " and if he brings his
friend we will give him a double welcome."
" I will avail myself of your permission," said
Mr. H., " and now good night."
conversations on palestine. 175
CHAPTER V.
cities and towns of the interior.
Cesarea Philippi, the Dan of the Old Testament—Chora-
zin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum—Reflections on their fate—
Tiberias—Saphet—Attachment of the Jews to the places
which they regard as sacred—Cana—Nazareth—Nain—Sa¬
maria—Its Scripture associations—Shechem—Its sacred
associations—Jacob's well—Interesting extract from Dr. E.
D. Clarke—Ramla, or Arimathea—Lydda—Rama of Benja¬
min—Bethel—Bethlehem—Valley of Rephaim, between Je¬
rusalem and Bethlehem—Pastoral life in the East—Nati¬
vity of our Saviour—Reputed site of that event—Hebron—
Plain of Mamre—Burial place of the Patriarchs—Beer-
sheba.
The family were still arotmd the tea-table,
with the exception of Henry, who stood by the
other table, now pushed aside, thrumming most
impatiently.
" It seems to me you always take longer to
drink tea on Saturday night than on any other,"
he exclaimed.
" I am glad to witness the interest you feel in
our lessons, my dear boy," said Mr. Seymour,
rising from the table, " but regret the impa¬
tience you manifest, even in a good cause."
" 1 have brought my friend, Mr. P.," said Mr.
H., who now entered, " and as the subject of
176 conversations on palestine.
our studies is familiar to him, he will undoubt¬
edly render us much assistance."
" I have no doubt he will," said Mr. Seymour,
warmly welcoming him, " but," added he, look¬
ing at the clock, "it is time we had com¬
menced."
" Charles," said Henry, " just help me with
the table, and hang the maps right. There,
now we are fixed, father. Come, mother, we
are all ready."
" Our last lesson," commenced Mr. Seymour,
" confined us entirely to the sea-coast; but we
shall now mark the principal cities and towns
of the interior, commencing with Cesarea Phi-
lippi, which, as you will perceive by looking at
the map, is situated at the northern extremity of
Palestine, and near the sources of the Jordan."
Mr. H. The original name of this place was
Laish; but when it was taken by the Danites
they called it, after the name of their father,
Dan. Judges xviii. 29. This name it retained
until the time of Philip the Tetrarch, who, hav¬
ing enlarged and beautified it, named it Cesarea,
in honour of Tiberias, the Roman emperor, the >
name Philippi being added to distinguish it
from the Cesarea we have already described on
the coast of the Mediterranean.
conversations on palestine. 177
Mr. P. It was in the neighbourhood of Ce-
sarea Philippi that Jesus held that interesting
conversation with the disciples, in which he
declared himself to be the Messiah, the Son of
God. Matt. xvi. 13-20.
Charles. Does this city still exist ?
Mr. H. It does; it is now called Banias>
and is a small town containing, according to
Burckhardt, about one hundred and fifty houses;
the inhabitants are principally Mohammedans.
Mr. Seymour. On the shores of the Sea of
Tiberias once stood the cities of Chorazin,
Bethsaida, and Capernaum. These places,
and especially the last, were peculiarly favoured
with the presence and teachings of our Saviour;
and in them and their neighbourhood were
many of his mightiest works performed. They
were, however, totally unmindful of their privi¬
leges, and suffered to pass by unimproved the
signal opportunities with which they were
blessed. Turn, Henry, to the eleventh chapter
of Matthew, and read from the twentieth to the
twenty-fourth verses, inclusive.
Henry reads. " Then began he to upbraid
the cities wherein most of his mighty works
were done, because they repented not; Wo
unto thee, Chorazin! wo unto thee, Bethsaida!
12
178 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
for if the mighty works which were done in you
had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would
have repented long ago in sackloth and ashes.
But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable
for Tyre and Sidon, at the day of judgment, than
for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art ex¬
alted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell;
for if the mighty works which have been done
in thee hsid been done in Sodom, it would have
remained unto this day. But I say unto you,
That it shall be more tolerable for the land of
Sodom in the day of judgment than for thee."
Mr. H. They were indeed exalted to hea¬
ven, but they heeded not the day of their visit¬
ation, and they are now desolate. It is a so¬
lemn fact, and one which ought to be listened
to with attention, that there is no place men¬
tioned in the New Testament as having rejected
the mission of the Saviour, or refused the offers
of peace made to it by himself and his disciples,
but bears evidence, in a degree beyond all others,
either in its history or present condition, of the
wrath of God; and as surely as the denuncia¬
tions of old were fulfilled against the guilty
cities that put out from their dwellings the can¬
dle of the Lord, so surely, we must remember,
will still more awful threatenings be fulfilled
SEA OF TIBERIAS
conversations on palestine. 181
against us if we neglect to profit by the light
that now shines so brightly upon the world.*
Mr. Seymour. What is the next place we
notice, Charles ?
Charles. The town of Tiberias, which is
situated on the southern coast of the Sea of
Tiberias, and is indeed the only place of any
importance now remaining on its shores. We
look to you, Mr. H., for a brief sketch of its
history.
Mr. H. I have but little to say. It was
erected by Herod Antipas, and received its
name in honour of Tiberias Cesar. Herod en¬
dowed it with great advantages, which, together
with its convenient situation, soon made it the
metropolis of Galilee. It is mentioned by Jose-
phus, (by whom it was taken,) in his history of
the Jewish wars ; but I know of no circum¬
stances connected with it of sufficient interest
to occupy your time.
Mr. P. Tiberias is considered by the Jews
as a"sacred place. The last session of the San¬
hedrim was held here. After the destruction
of Jerusalem it became famous for an academy,
over which a succession of Jewish doctors pre¬
sided until the fourth century; and Mr. Hardy
• Haidy.
182 conversations on palestine.
states, that even now some of the inhabitants
are deeply engaged in the study of the law, and
of Hebrew literature. Its present population is
about three thousand, the majority of whom are
Jews.
Mr. Seymmr. Safhet, the largest town of
Galilee, lying a few miles north of the Sea of
Tiberias, is another of the places esteemed sa¬
cred by the Jews. Some of their most cele¬
brated rabbles were buried not far distant, and
they expect that their Messiah will here esta¬
blish the capital of his kingdom.
Mr. P. This town, situated on one of the high¬
est eminences in Galilee, forms a conspicuous
object in the landscape for many miles around.
It is distinctly visible from the hill called the
Mount of Beatitudes; and if there be any truth
in the tradition that the sermon on the mount
was there delivered, it is not improbable that
our Lord, according to his usual custom of draw¬
ing his illustrations from the scenes around him,
directed the attention of his disciples to-the
situation of Saphet when he enforced the duty
of Christian circumspection by the striking me¬
taphor, " a city set on a hill cannot be hid."
Matt. v. 14.
Charles. As the hill on which it is built is very
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 183
precipitous, public convenience has sanctioned
the conversion of the flat roofs of the houses
into thoroughfares, so that people, both on mules
and on foot, pass over the tops of the dwellings.
The right to do this is so generally admitted,
that an amusing anecdote has gained currency
of a native who brought an action against a citi¬
zen for breaking through the roof of his house
by conducting over it a mule heavily laden, and
was met by a counter suit for the value of the
mule, whose leg he had been the means of
breaking by not making his roof strong enough
to sustain the weight of the animal.
Gertrude. What is the population of Sa-
phet?
Mr. P. It is estimated at six thousand, of
whom a large proportion, if not a majority, are
Jews.
Mr. Seymour. One of the most interesting
traits in the character of the Jews is their invin¬
cible attachment to those places which they
regard as sacred. Though they are oppressed
and despised, their feelings continually trampled
upon, and their property seized without the
slightest regard to justice, yet amid all these
indignities they cling to what they deem hal¬
lowed ground with a tenacity truly surprising.
184 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
and cherisli the hope that the long-expected
Deliverer will soon appear in mighty power,
trample upon their enemies, and raise them tri¬
umphant from the dust.
" O would," exclaimed Gertrude sadly," they
were clinging to a better hope!"
Mr. Seymour. That is the feeling of all our
hearts, my dear child. It is oppressively pain¬
ful to a Christian mind to contrast the Jew now
with what he was when the Saviour " came
unto his own, and his own received him not
to mark the judicial punishment which lies heavy
upon him, and to remember that all his long-
cherished hopes are destined to sad and bitter
disappointment. The nobleness of his charac¬
ter has passed away; and it is impossible to
look upon him without sad and tender recollec¬
tions, as the remnant of that race who were once
" God's peculiar people."
" Let us not stop here," remarked Mrs. Sey¬
mour ; " let us joyfully anticipate the time when,
with 'the fulness of the Gentiles,' the Jews shall
be gathered in: when they shall be delivered
from the iron bondage of prejudice and sin, and
enter into that' glorious liberty wherewith Christ
makes his children free.'"
Charles. Now leaving Tiberias, and travel-
conversations on palestine. 185
ling about sixteen miles in a north-west direc¬
tion, we come to the village of Cana, in Galilee.
I suppose you all know for what it is distin¬
guished?
Clara. 0 yes. It was here that our Lord
performed his. first miracle by turning the water
into wine. John ii. 1-11.
Gertrude. Cana, too, was the birthplace of
Nathanael, (afterward called Bartholomew,) the
disciple. John xxi. 2. And Jesus was at this
place when the nobleman from Capernaum be¬
sought him, in behalf of his son, and heard from
him the cheering words, " Thy son liveth."
John iv. 46—50.
Charles. It is pleasantly situated on the de¬
scent of a hill; it is about six miles north-east
of Nazareth, and contains about three hundred
inhabitants, who are chiefly Roman Catholics.
Mr. Seymour. And now we come to Naza¬
reth, a name endeared to us all by sacred re¬
collections as His city, though not his birth¬
place, but where he spent his childhood and
youth, " growing in favour both with God and
man."
Mrs. Seymour. There is something peculiarly
sweet to me in the thought of the childhood of
Jesus: free from impatience, from indolence,
186 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
from undue sensitiveness, from impetuosity,
(glancing alternately at her children,) fulfilling
his parents' utmost wishes, and maintaining the
approbation of his God. Surely we may all
dwell upon the thought with profit.
Mr. Seymour. Nazareth was not the birth¬
place of our Lord, as you all know; yet he was
called a Nazarene, rather than a Bethlehemite,
because, I suppose, his childhood and youth
were spent there; and his birth, occurring at
Bethlehem, seemed rather, humanly speaking,
to have been an accident.
Charles. The city of Nazareth is situated
in a deep valley, not on the top of a hill, as
some have supposed, but on the side of a hill,
nearer its base than its summit. The houses
are built of stone, with flat roofs, and in gene¬
ral only one story in height.. The streets are
steep, owing to the declivity of the hill, narrow
from custom, and dirty from the looseness of the
soil. It contains about two thousand inhabit¬
ants, who are chiefly Greek and Roman Chris¬
tians. A little more than a mile from the town,
a precipice is pointed out as the place from
whence the Nazarenes attempted to cast down
the Saviour, because he upbraided them for
their unbelief. Luke ii, 29.
conversations on palestine. 187
Mr. Seytnour. The scenery around Naza¬
reth is described as being extremely romantic
and interesting. "It is," says Mr. Came, " of
the kind in which one would imagine the Sa¬
viour of mankind delighted to wander, and to
withdraw himself, when meditating on his great
mission. Deep and secluded dells, crowned
with a wild verdure; silent and solemn paths,
where overhanging rocks shut out aU intrusion.
No one can walk around Nazareth without feel¬
ing thoughts like these enter his mind, while
gazing often on many a sweet spot, traced, per¬
haps, by the Redeemer's footsteps, and em¬
balmed by his prayers."
Clara. Did Jesus work any miracles at
Nazareth?
Charles. Not many; Mark says "he laid
his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed
them," Mark vi. 5; but he " could not do many
mighty works there because of their unbelief."
Matt. xiii. 58.
" How far is Nazareth from Jerusalem ?" in¬
quired Gertrude.
Mr. P. About sixty miles north of it.
Charles. I cannot find any account of the
city of Nain ; have any of you been more suc¬
cessful ?
188 conversations on palestine.
Mr. Seymour. It lies on the north side of
the hill called the Little Hermon, about a mile
south of Mount Tabor. It is distinguished in
the New Testament, as you will remember, foi
being the place where Christ raised to life the
widow's son. It is now a small village, con¬
taining between one and two hundred inhabit¬
ants. Mr. Came remarks, that " from the situ¬
ation of the village, on the declivity of the moun¬
tain, the scene of the miracle must have been
rendered more striking, as the funeral proces¬
sion passed slowly out of the gate down the
steep, on the bold breast of which the remains
of the place now stand."
Mr. H. About midway between Nazareth
and Jemsalem stands Samaria, the ancient ca¬
pital of the ten tribes of Israel. It was built by
Omri, king of Israel, on the hill of Samaria,
which he purchased of Shemer, for two talents
of silver. 1 Kings xvi. 45. It continued to be
the capital city until .the kingdom of Israel was
subverted by Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, who
destroyed Samaria, and carried the ten tribes
into captivity. It was afterward rebuilt, and
again destroyed by Hyrcanus, high priest of
Jemsalem, about one hundred and fifty years
before Christ. It was, however, a second time
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 189
rebuilt by Herod the Great, who restored it to
its ancient magnificence, surrounded it with
strong fortifications, and gave it the name of
Sebaste, by which it is now known.
Mr. P. The best account of the modern
city is that given by Dr. Richardson, who says,
" The situation is extremely beautiful, and strong
by nature; more so, I think, than Jerusalem.
It stands on a fine insulated hill, compassed all
around by a broad, deep valley, and when forti¬
fied, as it is stated to have been by Herod, one
would imagine that in the ancient system of
warfare nothing but famine would have reduced
such a place. The valley is surrounded by
four hills, one on each side, which are culti¬
vated in terraces to the tops, sown with grain,
and planted with fig and olive trees, as is also
the valley. The hill of Samaria likewise rises
in terraces to a height equal to any of the sur¬
rounding mountains. The present village is
small and poor, and after passing the valley the
ascent to it is very steep; but viewed from the
station of our tents is extremely interesting,
both from its natural situation, and from the pic¬
turesque remains of a ruined convent, of good
Gothic architecture." He also describes some
extensive ruins on the terraces of the hill, which
190 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
are supposed to be the relics of the magnificent
structures with which Herod adorned Samaria.
Mr. Seymour. Such was the seat of the ca¬
pital of the short-lived and wicked kingdom of
Israel; and on the face of the mountain the
eye surveys the scene of many bloody con¬
flicts and many memorable events. "The
idolatrous Ahab erected upon this hill an altar
to Baal. On this plain Benhadad, king of
Syria, was routed. In the gate of this city
sat the king of Israel and the king of Judah,
each in his robes, and upon a throne, when the
false prophet declared his ambiguous prediction,
and Micaiah declared the word of the Lord.
In that pool the dogs licked the blood of Ahab,
as they had formerly licked the blood of Naboth;
up that ascent have often toiled the prophets
Elijah and Elisha, bearing messages of wrath
from the Most High: within these walls there
has been a great famine, so that an ass's head
sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and a woman
boiled her own son, and did eat him: it was
from hence that the host of the Syrians fled,
because the Lord made them to hear a noise
of chariots, and a noise of horses, leaving the
camp as it was, a prey to the famished Samari¬
tans : it was here that Jehu slew the worship-
conversations on palestine. 191
pers of Baal, and brake down their images: it
was after enduring a siege of three years in
this capital that Hoshea, the last of its kings,
was carried away captive by the king of Assy¬
ria : it contained the royal sepulchies of Israel:
the gospel was here preached by Philip, and
confirmed by Peter and John, to whom Simon
the sorcerer offered money, that he might re¬
ceive the Holy Ghost: and it suffered in com¬
mon with its more guilty rival when Palestine
was subdued by the Romans."*
Charles. Continuing our route toward the
south for about six miles, we arrive at a beauti-
tiful and interesting village, occupying the nar¬
row valley between mounts Ebal and Gerizim.
This is the Shechem of the Old Testament,
and the Sychar of the New. It is now known,
•however, by the name of Neapolis, or Nablous.
It lies about thirty-four miles north of Jerusalem.
" Shechem is indeed a place of interest," re¬
sponded Mr. Seymour; " there is scarcely a spot
filled with more interesting associations than
this. It was here that God first appeared to
Abraham after his entrance into Canaan ; Jacob
bought here ' a parcel of a field,' where he had
spread his tent; in the coimtry arotmd Shechem
♦ Hardy.
192 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
the sons of Jacob fed their flocks ; the bones of
Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up
out of Egypt, were buried here in the parcel of
ground bought by his father. Eleazar, the
high priest, the son of Aaron, was also buried
here."
Charles. The modem town consists of two
long streets, running through the centre of the
valley, and intersected by several smaller ones,
mostly crossing them at right angles. It is a
populous and flourishing place, containing about
six thousand inhabitants. The environs are
highly cultivated; soap is the principal manu¬
facture, and cotton the principal product of the.
fields.
Mr. H. Dr. Clarke describes it as beauti¬
fully situated; he says, " There is nothing in
the Holy Land finer than the view of Nablous
from the heights aroimd it. As the traveller
descends toward it from the hill, it appears lux¬
uriantly embosomed in the most delightful and
fragrant bowers, half concealed by rich gardens,
and by stately trees collected into groves, all
around the bold and beautiful valley in which
it stands."
Mr. P. The same traveller vividly describes
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 193
his feelings while lingering in this spot; he
says, " If any thing connected with the memory
of past ages be calculated to awaken local en¬
thusiasm, the land around this city is pre-emi¬
nently entitled to consideration. The sacred
story of events transacted in the fields of She-
chem, from our earliest years, is remembered
with delight; but with the territory before our
eyes where those events took place, and in view
of objects existing as they were three thousand
years ago, the grateful impression kindles into
ecstacy. Along the valley we beheld ' a com¬
pany of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead,' as in
the days of Reuben and Judah, ' with their ca¬
mels, bearing spicery, and balm, and myrrh,'
who would gladly have -purchased another Jo¬
seph of his brethren, and conveyed him as a
slave to some Potiphar in Egypt. Upon the
hills around flocks and herds were feeding as
of old; nor in the simple garb of the shepherds
of Samaria was there any thing repugnant to the
notions we may entertain of the appearance
presented by the sons of Jacob. It was indeed
a scene to abstract and elevate the mind; and
under emotions so called forth, by every cir¬
cumstance of powerful coincidence, a single
13
194 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
moment seemed to concentrate whole ages of
existence."
Charles. The well called Jacob's well, by
which the Saviour conversed with the Sama¬
ritan woman, is also here. John iv.
Clara, Not the very same well, Charles?
Charles. The very same, we have good
reason to believe. You must not think of east-
em wells as you do of ours. The value of
wells there is scarcely conceivable here, for the
extreme heat of the climate not only renders
water a more indispensable article there than
with us, but it also causes it to be much less
abundant.
Clara. O, I see their value ; but how could
they last so very many years ?
Charles. In consequence of their great value
they are preserved with much care; and as they
are strongly built, they will last for an almost
indefinite period ; they are generally encased by
a stone wall inside, while the outside and top
are preserved and secured by huge flaggings of
stone, on which the traveller can repose when,
faint and weary, he sinks beneath the oppres¬
sive heat.
Mr. H. Dr. E. D. Clarke says, " It is well
known to those who have seen the wells of
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 195
Greece and of the Holy Land, that there exists
no monument of ancient times more permanent
than even an artificial well; and that vases of
the highest antiquity have been found in clean¬
ing the wells of Athens."
Mr. Seymour. Therefore you see, Clara, it
is more than possible that this well of which we
have been speaking is the identical one where
the Saviour, wearied by his journey, rested, and
held that conversation with the woman of Sa¬
maria in which he developed many striking
facts, and revealed to her many spiritual truths
of which she seemed to have had no conception
previously.
" In reading Dr. Clarke's account of She-
chem," said Mr. P., " I was struck with his re¬
flections on the truth and simplicity of the
Scripture narrative of the event to which you
have just referred; and in reperusing the chap¬
ter in which the accoimt is contained, I was
indeed impressed with the force of the doctor's
"remarks. He says, 'The principal object of
veneration is Jacob's well, over which a church
was formerly erected. This is situated at a
small distance from the town, in the road to
Jerusalem, and has been visited by pilgrims of
all ages, but particularly since the Christian era,
196 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
as the place where our Saviour revealed him¬
self to the Samaritan woman. The spot is so
distinctly marked by the evangelist, and so lit¬
tle liable to uncertainty, from the circumstance
of the well itself, and the features of the coun¬
try, that if no tradition existed for its identity
the site of it could hardly be mistaken. Perhaps
no Christian scholar ever read attentively the
fourth chapter of John without being struck with
the numerous internal evidences of truth which
crowd upon the mind in its perusal. The jour¬
ney of our Lord from Judea into Galilee ; the
cause of it; his passage through Samaria; his
approach to the metropolis of this country; its
name ; his arrival at the Amorite field which
terminates the narrow valley of Sichera; the
ancient custom of halting at a well; the female
employment of drawing water ; the disciples
sent into the city for food, by which its situ¬
ation out of the town is obviously implied; the
question of the woman referring to existing
prejudices which separated the Jews from the
Samaritans ; the depth of the well; the oriental
allusion contained in the expression, ' living
waterthe history of the well, and the customs
thereby illustrated; the worship upon Mount
Gerizim; all these occur within the space of
conversations on palestine. 197
twenty verses.' " I give this extract," conti¬
nued Mr. P., "principally with the design of
showing my young friends how much knowledge
and pleasure may be derived from a minute and
thorough investigation of Biblical descriptions
and occurrences."
" Every place seems to me more interesting
than the last," said Henry. " What is the next,
Charles T"
Charles. Ramla, the Rama of Ephraim,*
and the Arimathea of the New Testament. It
is about thirty-six miles from Jerusalem, on the
road to Joppa, and stands on a slight elevation
in the middle of an extensive plain, which is a
part of the great field of Sharon.
Mr. Seymour. Ramla and Lydda were the
first two places that fell into the hands of the
Crusaders. Ramla was at that time in its
greatest splendour; a magnificent city, filled
with wealth, and abundance of all the luxuries
of tlie east. It was exceedingly populous,
adorned with stately buildings, and well fortified
with walls and towers, the ruins of some of
which yet remain. It is still a town of consi-
* Besides this Rama there was also another town of the
same name in the tribe of Benjamin, between Jerusalem and
Bethel. This last is the Rama of the Old Testament, and
was the birthplace and residence of the prophet Sanmeh
198 conversations on palestine.
derable size, having a population of about 5,000.
It is surrounded by gardens and olive groves, and
exhibits a greater appearance of comfort than
is usually found in the interior towns of Syria.
Mr. P. Lydda, now called Loud, where
Peter healed the man sick of the palsy, (Acts
ix. 32-35,) is a small village about four miles
from Ramla. Josephus speaks of it as being
in his time " not less than a city in largeness."
Mr. Seymour. About twelve miles north of
Jerusalem formerly stood the city of Bethel.
It was built upon the spot where Jacob saw the
memorable vision of angels, and received those
encouraging assurances of the presence and
protection of (Jod which were his support all
his life long. Gen. xxviii. 19.
Mr. H. After the defection of the ten tribes,
Jeroboam, their king, in order to prevent his
subjects from going to the annual sacrifices at
Jerusalem, set up the golden calves, and com¬
manded his people to worship them; one of these
calves was set up at Bethel, in consequence of
which the inhabitants of Judah, in derision,
called the city Beth-avert, which signifies " the
house of nothing," or " the house of iniquity,"
instead of Bethel, " the house of God," as Jacob
had named it.
conversations on palestine. 199
Mr. H. Of this city there are now no re¬
mains, nor is it possible to point out the precise
spot upon which it stood. The prophet says
respecting it, " Seek not for Bethel, for Bethel
shall come to naught." Amos v. 5.
Henry. And now, we come to Jerusalem.
" Which," remarked Mr. Seymour," we shall
not have time to describe this evening. We
will therefore reserve it for our next lesson, and
now pass on to Bethlehem. You remember,
Henry, for what it is celebrated V
Henry. I know that Jesus was bom there.
Mr. Seymour. Can any of you repeat the
prophecy respecting it?
Gertrude. " Thou Bethlehem Ephratah, though
thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet
out of thee shall He come forth unto me who is
to be ruler in Israel." Micah v. 2.
Charles. Bethlehem is beautifully situated
on an elevated rock, surrounded with rich pas¬
turage and fertile lands, which only require
cultivation to render it what the name Bethle¬
hem imports, a house of bread. It is about six
miles from Jemsalem, and a traveller reach¬
ing Bethlehem, after visiting that stony site,
is enchanted by the striking and beautiful
contrast.
200 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Mr. P. The road from Jerusalem to Bethle¬
hem lies through a continued valley, upward of
six miles in length, and of very considerable
breadth. This is the Valley of Rephaim, so
often mentioned in the Scriptures, and which is
there celebrated for its fertility, and for the vic¬
tory of David over the Philistines. 1 Chron.
xiv. 8-10. Isaiah xvii. 5. This valley is not
deep. It might perhaps be more distinctive to
describe it as a depressed plain, bounded on
either hand by low hills. Its present appear¬
ance of fertility supports its ancient fame ; and
in it are corn-fields, vineyards, olive-grounds,
and orchards of various kinds of fruit. The in¬
terest of this valley arises from the certainty
that it was often traversed, and its natural fea¬
tures noted, by some of the most venerable per¬
sonages of sacred history, in their journeys
from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, or to Hebron.*
Mr. H. Bethlehem now contains about twelve
hundred inhabitants, a considerable number of
whom are Jews. It is said that there is not a
single Mohammedan residing in it.
Charles. But, Henry, with whom is Beth¬
lehem associated before the birth of our Sa¬
viour?
* Pictorial Histoiy of Palestine.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 201
Henry. O, King David, brother.
Charles. Yes, it was the birthplace of the
shepherd king, and where he spent his youth¬
ful, happy years.
" And," remarked Mr. Seymour, " by refer¬
ence to his Psalms we find, that when sur¬
rounded by the splendour, and pressed with the
cares of royalty, he recalled with pleasure these
quiet, peaceful scenes; and green pastures and
living streams seem to have formed to his mind
the most lively picture of pure and innocent
enjoyment."
" And you have undoubtedly remarked," said
Mrs. Seymour, " that in David's poetical pro¬
ductions rural images greatly abound. Having
had much experience of a shepherd's life, with
its peculiarities and enjoyments, and having
been taught to look through nature up to na¬
ture's God, with what propriety and force does
he exclaim, ' The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall
not want; he maketh me to lie down in green
pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.'"
Psalm xxiii. 1, 2.
" But," said Mr. P., " an intimate knowledge
of the pastoral life in the East is necessary to
enable us to feel the tenderness and force of
the comparison. You (turning to the children)
203 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
can form a very slight conception of it from any
thing you have witnessed in our own country.
You have often been reminded of the difference
of the climate and customs. A great part of the
wealth of the East consists in numerous flocks
and herds. The flocks almost always belong
to the shepherd, who watches over them by
day and by night with the utmost care and ten¬
derness, nurses them in sickness, guards them
from dangers, and leads and directs them to
rich verdure and pure waters. The shepherd
knows them personally, and calls them by
name: they know his voice and follow him,
while they heed not a stranger or a hireling.
Therefore, when this figure is used by David,
in Psalm xxiii., by our Saviour, in John x. 1-16,
and by the apostle, in 1 Peter v. 2-4, it is in¬
tended to convey the idea of unceasing watch¬
fulness, unfailing tenderness, and undying de-
votedness ; for "the good Shepherd layeth down
his life for the sheep."
" It is beautiful," exclaimed Gertrude, " but I
have always felt the force of that figure more
than aAy other, I think."
Mr. Seymour. It was here, Gertrude, that
Ruth and Naomi lived. It was in the gate of
Bethlehem that Boaz sat when he redeemed the
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 203
possession of Naomi, and received Ruth as his
bride ; and its hills echoed with the soft tones
of David's harp, and the glad breathings of his
voice, as he sang the praises of Jehovah in
music's sweetest strains.
Gertrude. O, no, not the sweetest, father,
for in imagination I now hear the sweet and
thrilling tones of the angel band, when, in the
stillness of that glorious night, they announced
the glad tidings of a Saviour's birth, and sang
" Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace,
and good will to man.'
Mr. Seymour. True, my dear,
" No notes like those were ever breathed before."
Gertrude. And, father, I have often thought of
the shepherds who watched that night. I can ima¬
gine the clear, cloudless atmosphere, the starry
canopy, and perhaps the mild, calm moon shining
upon the rich and varied landscape ; the pure
white flocks slumbering on the green sod, while
the shepherds, reclining on their mossy seats,
were musing on the wonders of the past, or an¬
ticipating the glories of the future, which pro¬
phecy had but dimly revealed. When the first
tone of that heavenly music saluted their ears
they would start delighted and amazed; but as
* 204 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
the light shone brighter, and the voices sounded
louder, and the heavenly band appeared, they
would fall prostrate and afraid.
" The angel of the Lord came down.
And glory shone around."
Mr. Seymour. I have no doubt of the cor¬
rectness of your picture, Gertrude, and it was
meet that the most important event time ever
knew should be thus proclaimed.
" The poet," remarked Mrs. Seymour,"seems
to have caught the inspiration of that moment
when he cries—
•" In heaven the rapturous song began.
And sweet seraphic fire
Through all the shining legions ran.
And strung and tuned the lyre.
Swift through the vast expanse it flew
And loud the echo roll'd;
The theme, the song, the joy was new ;
'Twas more than heaven could hold.
Down through the portals of the sky
The impetuous torrent ran.
And angels flew, with eager joy.
To bear the news to man.
Hark! the cherubic armies shout.
And glory leads the song.
Good will and peace are heard throughout
The harmonious, heavenly throng."
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 205
" It is impossible, even in imagination," re¬
marked Mr. H., " to tread the ground where the
mysteries of redemption were accomplished,
without experiencing feelings which words are
utterly inadequate to describe. I think of
Isaiah's joyful exclamation, 'Unto us a son is
bom, unto us a child is given ; the mighty God,
the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.'
And yet ' God manifest in the flesh,' the Babe
in the manger, the Offering made for all."
Mr. Seymour. The contrast is too mighty for
us to grasp. The mind becomes bewildered,
and the heart overwhelmned, and with joy we
anticipate the time when we shall see as we
are seen, and know as we are known.
Charles. The most conspicuous object in
Bethlehem is the Latin convent, which is built
over the reputed site of the Nativity, and, with
its massive walls and battlements, appears more
like a fortress than the peaceful dwelling of
monks. The spot which is pointed out as the
place in which our Saviour was bom is a cave,
or grotto, which has been converted into a sub¬
terranean church, and is illuminated by lamps
kept constantly burning. Travellers who have
visited it are, however, much divided in opinion
as to the tmth of its pretensions.
206 conversations on palestine.
Mr. Seymour. The decision is not of much
consequence. We do not consider the esta¬
blishment of the identity of the place at all es¬
sential to the truth of our religion, or the accu¬
racy of the Bible history. If Bethlehem could
not be foimd, and even Jerusalem had vanished,
our belief would remain imdisturbed, because it
is founded on the immutable word of God.
Charles. From Bethlehem, the place of our
Saviour's nativity, we will now proceed to He¬
bron, the birthplace of his forerunner, John the
Baptist. It is situated in the hill country of Ju-
dea, in the valley of Eshcol, and is about twenty-
seven miles southwest of Jerusalem.
Mr. Seymour. The sacred associations of
this plain carry us back to the times of the pa¬
triarchs.
Mr. P. In the plain close to Hebron, which
is still cal^d the " plain of Mamre," is a broad
and winding valley, extending for some miles,
bounded on all sides by stony mountains. The
soil is good, and offers much cultivation of the
olive and the vine, while the uncultivated parts
exhibit rich pastures. Here Abraham pitched
his tent after, his separation from Lot; Gen.
xiii. 18; here he entertained the three angels
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 207
under a tree,* received the promise of a son,
and pleaded with the Lord in behalf of Sodom
and Gomorrah, Gen. xviii; and here, when he
had finished his pilgrimage, he was buried, with
Sarah his wife, in the cave of Machpelah, which
he had purchased for a burying-place from the
sons of Heth. Gen. xxv. 9,10.
Mrs. Seymour. There is something pecu¬
liarly touching in the manner in which Jacob,
on his death-bed, alluded to this sepulchre. The
good old patriarch, at the invitation of his son
Joseph, had left the land of Canaan, and gone
down to Egypt to dwell there; but when he
found his end approaching he expressed an
earnest desire to have his remains deposited in
the land of his nativity, and that his bones
might be laid beside the bones of his fathers.
Gen. xlvii. 29-31. " And he charged his sons,
and said unto them, ' I am to be gathered unto
my people; bury me with my fathers in the
cave that is in Machpelah, which is before
Mamre, in the land of Canaan. There they
bmied Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they
* In the plain, at a short distance from Hebron, stands a
very large and old turpentine tree, which is held in great
veneration by the natives, who assure us that it is the identi¬
cal tree under which Abraham pitched his tent, and enter¬
tained his heavenly guests!!
208 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
buried Isaac and Rebecca his wife, and there I
buried Leah.' And when Jacob had made an
end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his
feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost, and
was gathered unto his people." Gen. xlix. 29-33.
Mr. H. When the Hebrews invaded Pales¬
tine, Hebron was the residence of a king who
confederaited with four other Canaanitish kings
against Israel; but they were discomfited and
destroyed by Joshua; Joshua x. 3-27; and the
city, being taken, was assigned to Caleb, agree¬
ably to a promise given him by Moses. Num. xiv.
24; Joshua xiv. 6-11. Subsequently it was
made a city of refuge, and appropriated for the
residence of the priests. After the death of
Saul, David fixed his residence at Hebron, and
reigned there seven years and six months over
the kingdom of Judah. 2 Sam. ii. 11.
Mr. P. • Hebron is now called by the natives
El-Hhalil, " the beloved the name by which
Abraham is known in the East. It is a small,
though flourishing town, but its general aspect
is rather gloomy, the houses being high and
dark, and the streets, as in most eastern cities,
narrow and dirty. The hill above the town is
partially covered with vines, and its end is
clothed with a wood of olives.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 209
Charles. There are four places in Palestine
which the Jews regard as peculiarly sacred.
Tiberias and Saphet we have already men¬
tioned ; the others are Jerusalem and Hebron.
Of the population of Hebron one-fourth are said
to be Jews, who go thither from all parts of the
world, that they may repose in death near the
ashes of the patriarchs.
Mr. P. A splendid church was erected over
the graves of the patriarchs by the empress
Helena; but it has long since been converted
into a Turkish mosque, in the service of which
more than one hundred persons are employed.
Neither Jews nor Christians are permitted to
enter it, though it is regarded by both as a con¬
secrated spot.
Gertrude. Is it certain that this building
really covers the identical cave in which the
patriarchs were buried ?
Mr. Seymour. There is no evidenee but that
of tradition. But whether the reputed cave of
Machpelah be or be not what its name imports
is a matter of little importance. It is not essen¬
tial to the interest excited that we should be
able to fix the precise spot where any particular
event occurred. The Christian treading the
streets of Hebron is certain that he is very near
14
210 conversations on palestine.
the grave in which reposes all that was mortal
of the father of the faithful, the child of promise,
and the wrestler with God; the honoured an¬
cestors of the incarnate Messiah: and if he re¬
flect, he cannot fail to think how loud will the
song of praise here sound when human dust
shall seek its kindred atoms, and those saints
arise to take possession of their inheritance
above ! Surely in that day few valleys will be
so joyous as the "valley of Eshcol," few caves
so honoured as the " cave of Machpelah !"•
Charles. About twenty-eight miles south¬
west of Hebron is Beersheba ; a town which
was assigned by Joshua to the tribe of Judah,
but was afterward transferred to Simeon.
Beersheba was the most southern, and Dan the
most northern town of Palestine; and in Scrip¬
ture the expression " from Dan to Beersheba"
is frequently used to denote the whole length
of the country.
Mr. P. Its name, which signifies " the well
of the oath" was given to it by Abraham, in
consequence of a covenant made by him with
Abimelech, king of Gerar, respecting a well
which Abraham had digged here, and of which
Abimelech's servants had unjustly deprived
him. Gen. xxi. 25-31.
* Elliott.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 211
Mr. H. Beersheba lies somewhat out of the
route ordinarily taken by travellers in Palestine.
The only description of it I remember to have
read is that given by Professor Robinson, who
says, "We had now the gratification of disco¬
vering the site of ancient Beersheba, the cele¬
brated border city of Palestine, stiU bearing, in
Arabic, the name of Bit Seba. Near the water
course are two circular wells of excellent water
more than forty feet deep; one of them twelve
and a half feet in diameter, and the other
about six feet in diameter, walled up with
solid masonwork, the bottoms dug out of the
solid rock. They are both surroimded with
drinking troughs of stone for the use of camels
and flocks ; such as doubtless were used of old
for the flocks which fed on the adjacent hills.
Close by are the ruins of a large straggling vil¬
lage, corresponding entirely to the description
of it by Eusebius and Jerome. These ruins
extend over a space half a mile long by a quar¬
ter of a mile broad."
Mrs. Seymow. This then is the place where
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob often lived. Here
Samuel made his sons judges, and from here
Elijah wandered out in the southern desert, and
sat down imder the juniper-tree. 1 Kings xix. 34.
212 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Mr. H. Yes ; and he adds, " Over these
swelling hills the flocks of the patriarchs once
roved by thousands ; we now find only a few
camels, asses, and goats."
Mr. Seymour. Again our pleasant evening
is spent, unmarked by the fearful lessons of
the past. We have visited the place hallowed
by our Redeemer's birth, have tarried at Naza¬
reth, where he was brought up. May these
places ever be associated in our minds with
his humiliation and love. We have visited
places celebrated in the Old Testament. Let
us recall Abraham's faith, and love, and obe¬
dience, and remember these things are written
for an example to us.
Gertrude. I shall anticipate our next lesson
all the week, father, for it is Jerusalem; and
surely that must exceed all others in interest.
Mr. Seymour. I do not know that it will, my
dear ; but we liave not time now to anticipate.
The closing services were then performed;
after which the gentlemen took their leave,
with a promise of punctual attendance the
next Saturday evening.
conversations on palestine. 213
CHAPTER VI.
jerusalem and its environs.
Situation and relative position of Jerusalem—Sketch of
its history—Different accounts given by travellers of its pre¬
sent appearance—Ideal view of the ancient city—The T em-
ple—Description of Herod's Temple, by Josephus—De¬
scription of modem Jerusalem—Mosque of Omar—Church
of the Sepulchre—Question of its identity—Valley of
Jehoshaphat—Pool of Siloam—Brook Eedron—Garden
of Gethsemane—Mount of Olives—View from its summit—
David's flight from Jerusalem—Fulfilment of prophecy re¬
specting Jerusalem—Its present population—State of the
Jews in Jerusalem—Promised restoration of the Jews—
Influence of local associations—Reflections.
" In earth's dark circlet once the precious gem
Of living light—O fallen Jerusalem 1"
The usual circle were gathered around the
table. Each one was occupied with a book, or
map ; every countenance expressed deep and
serious interest, and for a few moments silence
reigned. " Jerusalem ! Jerusalem !" ex¬
claimed Gertrude, (looking at a chart before
her,) " the name sounds to me like a strain of
sweet, but mournful music ; I am sure this will
be a painfully pleasing lesson, father."
Mr. Seymour. It probably wiU| my dear;
no other name is crowded with associations so
214 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
varied and affecting. It recalls scenes of war
and peace, of prosperity and misery, of glory
and degradation. The darkest depths of human
depravity were here manifested; and here, too,
were given the most glorious proofs of God's
almighty love. Within its gates, or its most
immediate vicinity, what wonderful events tran¬
spired! The teaching, miracles, death, resur¬
rection and ascension of our common Lord; the
founding of the first Christian church; the out¬
pouring of the Spirit; the death of Stephen, &c.;
it is indeed sacred ground.
" The poet asks,' What's in a name V " said
Mrs. Seymour; " this has to me a peculiar in¬
terest. I always think of our Saviour's lament¬
ation, ' O, Jerusalem, Jerusalem,' &c."
Mr. Seymour. It shall be our effort to-night
to obtain as correct a knowledge as possible of
the holy city and its sacred localities. Every
thing of interest shall be discussed, for this
evening the " city of our God" claims our
undivided attention.
Mr. H. But when we speak of Jerusalem
we associate with it in our minds Gethsemane,
the Mount of Olives, &c.; and as they are
united in interest and sacred recollection, let us
not try to divide them.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 215
" I do not wish to," answered Mr. Seymour;
" but before we proceed further we had better
fix its actual and relative position in our minds;
it will aid us in our subsequent allusions."
Charles. You perceive, by the map, it ap¬
pears nearly midway between the Dead Sea
and the Mediterranean. It is between the
thirty-first and thirty-second degrees of north
latitude, south-east of Joppa about forty-two
miles.
Mr. P. . I will just mention that it is twenty-
five miles west of the Jordan, forty east of the
Mediterranean, one hundred and two south of
Damascus, and one hundred and fifty north of
the Elanitic Gulf of the Red Sea.
Charles. Jerusalem is a city of great anti¬
quity. It is supposed, by Calmet, to owe its
origin to Melchisedec, who is called king of
Salem in Gen. xiv. 18. About a century after,
it was captured by the Jebusites, who called it
Jehus. In the conquest of Canaan, Joshua put
its king to death, (Joshua x. 23, and xiii. 10,) and
obtained possession of the town; but the citadel
remained in the hands of the Jebusites until the
time of David, who took it from them, and made
the city the capital of his kingdom, under the
name of Jerusalem.
216 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Mr. H. I think we had better continue its
history before we proceed to any thing else re¬
specting it. It maintained its eminence for a
period of four hundred and seventy-seven years,
when it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.
During the seventy years' captivity it lay in
ruins, after which it was restored by Zerubba-
bel and his associates, and continued five hun¬
dred and sixty-two years, when, after a pro¬
tracted and destructive siege, it was taken and
destroyed by Titus, the son of Vespasian.
Mr. Seymour. It was in commemoration of
this event that the Romans struck the medal to
and of which this engraving is a fac-simile.
Mr. H. After this the history of Jerusalem
* See page 64.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 217
presents a constant series of struggles and re¬
volutions. In the reign of Constantino it again
comparatively flourished. The empress Helena,
his mother, built many churches in it, A. D. 326;
and Juhan the Apostate, who soon succeeded
Constantine, endeavoured to rebuild the temple ;
but his design was frustrated A. D. 363. Its
subsequent history may be related in a few
words. It fell successively into the hands of
the Persians, Greeks, and Saracens; in 1099 it
was taken by the Crusaders, imder Godfrey of
Bouillon, who was elected king; but the Sara¬
cens soon regained possession, and it has ever
since been under the dominion of the Moham¬
medans.
Mr. Seymour. It is natural, when thinking
of Jerusalem, the place so famous as having
been chosen of God for the centre of his wor¬
ship, to imagine a spot combining in its appear¬
ance every thing beautiful and picturesque;
which expectation might, in ancient time, have
been fully realized, but now is wholly disap¬
pointed, as the rocky ridge on which it is built
is entirely destitute of fertility and verdure.
One traveller* remarks respecting it, " The site
of Jerusalem is peculiarly adapted to have ap-
* Haidy:
218 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
peared in beauty when its hills were terraced
after the manner of the East, and were verdant
with the olive, the fig-tree, and the vine; but
that which was then its beauty now adds to its
deformity ; and the bare and blasted rocks seem
to say that God in his anger has passed by, and
cursed the city for its sins. There are rocks,
but they have no sublimity ; hills, but they have
no beauty ; fields and gardens, but they have no
richness; valleys, but they have no fertility ; a
distant sea, but it is the Dead Sea."
Mr. P. While describing the present ap¬
pearance of the surrounding country, you must
bear in mind the prophecy in Dent. xxix. 22, to
which we have before referred. We are
" amazed at the plagues" laid upon it, and can¬
not form any judgment of the past by its present
condition. " Beautiful for situation is Mount
Zion," was the ancient description; and in point
of strength the site was admirably chosen;
while its numerous springs and water courses,
a circumstance of the first importance in that
country, rendered it " beautiful for situation,"
imparting fertility to the surrounding valleys
and gardens. But not so now. One remarks,
" On leaving the rocky heights of Beor the
country began to assume a more wild appear-
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 219
ance; uncultivated hilly tracks in every direction
seemed to announce, that not only Jerusalem,
but its vicinity for some miles around, was des¬
tined to sadden the heart of every visiter."
Mr. H. Travellers dilfer very much in their
descriptions of the appearance of this city, and
seem to have been very differently affected in
approaching toward it. Some, as they thought
of what it has been, with its temple, its holy
associations, and its incarnate God, have been
overwhelmed by painful recollections; while
others, viewing it as it is, have been utterly dis¬
appointed by the contrast presented to the Je¬
rusalem of their imagination.
Charles. And again they have advanced
from various directions, and its general appear¬
ance differs much, according to the point from
which it is vieweu.
Mr. Seymour. But from whatever quarter it
is viewed, all agree that " Ichabod" is written
upon it. Truly " the glory has departed." The
glorious temple, with its splendid summit, its
gorgeous worship, its heaven-planned ritual, its
thousand priests, and myriads of worshippers,
has vanished " like a dream when one awaketh."
The fire of its sacrifices is for ever extin¬
guished, while the Turkish mosque and the
220 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
conquering crescent rise proudly on the spot
where once Jehovah held his earthly court, and
admitted his chosen people to his more imme¬
diate presence. But I am wandering from the
description.
Mr. P. We were remarking with what dif¬
ferent feelings travellers approach the city. It
has been viewed and described from every
direction ; and by comparing various descrip¬
tions we may, perhaps, imagine it more clearly.
Mr. H. We can try ; but I fully agree with
Mr. Hardy, who remarks, " It has been said
by an eloquent writer, ' Never was subject less
known to modern readers, never was subject
more completely exhausted.'" After describing
the feelings which led him to the holy land he
says, " I had read much about the localities of
Jerusalem, and tried, as far as possible, to real¬
ize them to my mind ; yet, after all I had read,
and thought, and dreamed on the subject, the
city that I had pictured in my imagination was
entirely different from Jerusalem as it really
exists ; and though I shall now attempt to give
some idea of what I saw, I do not expect to be
more successful than my predecessors, and fear,
that with all these warnings before me, I shall
still produce many erroneous impressions."
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 221
Mr. Seymour. That is rather discouraging.
But we will try to gain as accurate a knowledge
as possible ; and, for aught we can say, a future
visit may correct any erroneous impressions we
may receive. Mr. Jowett says, " As I drew
near to this metropolis expectation was indeed
wrought up to a high pitch, as we ascended
hill after hill, and beheld others, yet more dis¬
tant, rising after each other. At length, while
the sun was yet two hours high, my long and
intensely interesting suspense was relieved.
The view of the city burst upon me as in a mo¬
ment; and the truly graphic language of the
Psalmist was realized in a degree of which I
could have formed no previous conception.
Continually the expressions were bursting from
my lips,' Beautiful for situation, the joy of the
whole earth is Mount Zion. They that trust in
the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which can¬
not be removed, but abideth for ever. As the
mountains are round about Jerusalem, the Lord
is round about his people, from henceforth, even
for ever.'"
Mr. H. Dr. Clarke says, "We had not been
prepared for the grandeur of the spectacle which
the city alone exhibited. Instead of a wretched
and ruined town, by some described, as the de-
222 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
solated remnant of Jerusalem, we beheld as it
were a flourishing and stately metropolis, pre¬
senting a magnificent assemblage of domes,
towers, palaces, churches, and monasteries, all
of which, glittering in the sun's rays, shone
with inconceivable splendour.- As we drew
nearer, our whole attention was engrossed by
its noble and interesting appearance."
" Dr. Clarke," said Mrs. Seymour, smiling,
" happened to obtain his first view under the
illusion of a brilliant evening sunshine, and I
should think his description was entirely over-^
charged."
Charles. So I should think, for Mr. Buck¬
ingham's description is very difierent. He
says, " The appearance of this celebrated city,
independent of the feelings and emotions which
the approach to it cannot fail to awaken, was
greatly inferior to my expectations, and has cer¬
tainly nothing of grandeur, or beauty, or state-
liness, or magnificence about it. It appeared
hke a walled town of the third or fourth class,
having neither towers, nor domes, nor minarets
within it in sufficient numbers to give even a
character to its impressions on the beholder;
but showing chiefly large fiat roofed buildings,
of the most imornamented kind, seated amid
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 223
rugged hills, on a stony and forbidding soil,
with scarcely a picturesque object in the whole
compass of the surrounding view."
Mr. Seymour. I should think this view was
as much too sombre as Dr. Clarke's was too
bright. These accounts would be utterly irre-
concileable, were it not for the fact that these
travellers approached from various quarters.
From Joppa the first approach to Jerusalem
presents the dark and dismal view of its melan¬
choly wall; while the approach from the Mount
of Olives gives to the enraptured beholder the
view of the city in its most imposing aspect.
" I think," said Mr. P. " that before we enter
the modem city we had better pause and dwell
awhile upon the ancient. In the course of our
remarks we shall find such constant reference
to the things which have passed away, that
they should be familiar to our imagination, and
thus only can we realize the mighty contrast
which it now presents. Do you agree with
me, sir 1" looking at Mr. Seymour.
Mr. Seymour. I do. The Jerusalem of the
Scriptures is not the Jerusalem of modern times,
except that it occupied the same site. Who
can favour us with a description of the ancient
city?
224 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
" I can, father," said Charles, with some he¬
sitation " that is, if our friends are not better
prepared."
Mr. H. No, Charles, let us hear yours.
Charles. To conceive of its ancient aspect
we must endeavour to shut our eyes to the
domes, and minarets, and castellated towers,
which now revolt every pleasing and sacred
association. We must forget the Turks, the
Arabs, and the monks, and blot out from the
picture the holy sepulchre, with all the horrible
mummery connected with it. We must ima¬
gine ourselves looking down from Mount Olivet
on a well peopled and strongly fortified city,
occupying the oblong area of two sloping hills,
about four miles in circumference, and shel¬
tered on almost every side by more commanding
elevations, cultivated in terraces, and clothed to
their very summits with the olive, the fig, and
the vine. We must bear in recollection that
artillery was not invented when the Roman
armies approached Jerusalem, and that its natural
position, as surrounded on three sides with deep
ravines, and on the fourth side with a triple
wall, rendered it almost impregnable. The
city itself, if it could not boast a Parthenon,
was probably equal in architectural decoration
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 225
to any one then standing in the world. It
could not indeed compare with Babylon, or Ni¬
neveh, or the hundred-gated metropolis of
Egypt, either in extent or magnificence ; but its
two temples, the one built by Solomon and the
other by Herod, were successively the admira¬
tion of the world. From the temple the city
had the appearance of an amphitheatre, the
slope of the hill being just sufficient to present
it to the greatest advantage. At certain distances
towers of not less strength than architectural
beauty broke the line of the walls; while, on
the left, the Acropolis of Zion overlooked the
whole city. Modem Jemsalem, though disfi¬
gured by intervals of waste ground and ruined
heaps, still suggests the idea of " a compact
cityPsalm cxxii. 3; but when every part was
built upon, it must have peculiarly deserved
that appellation. Its ancient populousness is
astonishing; its gates received an influx of
strangers from all parts; and the wealth thus
poured into it rendered it one of the richest
cities of the world. If to these topographical
and political advantages we add the local sanc¬
tity which dignified the scene of so many proud
historical recollections, and connect, with the
bulwarks, and palaces, and gardens of the me-
15
226 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
tropolis of Judea, its consecrated character as
the peculiar abode of Deity, the chosen moun¬
tain of Jehovah, the city of God, we shall ob¬
tain some idea of the aspect which it once pre¬
sented, when the light of heaven, which no
where comes with a purer ray, shone on a free
and favoured people, and the voice of joy and
thanksgiving was heard ascending from the
dwellings of her citizens.*
Gertrude. I like your description exceed¬
ingly, Charles.
Mr. Seymour. So do I, but I still think it
too vague to give a very clear idea the city.
Who will give us a matter of fact account ?
Mr. P. That is my especial province ; and
I will promise not to admit one tint of imagi¬
nation.
" Then I shall not like it," said Gertrude^
smiling.
Mr. P. The shape of Jerusalem was an irre¬
gular oblong. Mount Moriah, on which stood
the temple, lies near the middle of its eastern
side; around the temple lay the city, built on
three other hills. About northwest from the
temple lay what was called the lower city, built
on Mount Acra. North of the temple lay Mount
♦Modem Traveller.
conversations on palestine. 227
Bezetha. At the southwest end rose the city
of David, Mount Zion. Jerusalem stood on the
summit of the highlands of Palestine.
Mr. Seymour. Excuse the interruption. I
would just remark that the mountains that en¬
compass Jerusalem would be only hills in Ame¬
rica.
Mr. P. On three sides of the city there
were deep valleys; only on the north side was
there level ground. On the eastern side lay the
valley of Jehoshaphat, through which ran the
Kedron. On the south side lay the valley of
Hinnom; and on the western the valley of Gi-
hon. Three walls surrounded Jerusalem ; one
enclosed Mount Zion, the upper city, as it was
called, and with it the southern part of the tem¬
ple ; another began from this and fortified Mount
Acra, the lower city; and the third, commenced
by Herod Agrippa, surrounded Bezetha, or tlfe
new city.
"Prosaic enough," remarked Charles, "but
as plain as words can make it."
"Then," replied Mr. P., "my design is ac¬
complished."
Mr. Seymour. The principal glory of an¬
cient Jerusalem was its Temple. Do you re¬
member, Henry, who built it?
228 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Henry. Yes, father, Solomon built it first,
and Zerrubbabel afterward.
Mr. Seymour. That is correct, my son; for
a minute account of the building of the first tem¬
ple you have only to refer to 1 Kings v., vi. It
remained as Solomon left it only thirty-three
years, when it was plundered by Shishak, king
of Egypt. 1 Kings xiv. 25, 26. It was often
profaned and plundered after this, and was at
length totally destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar,
five hundred and eighty-eight years before
Christ, having stood four hundred and twenty-
four years, three months, and eight days.
Clara. How long did it lay in ruins, father ?
Mr. Seymour. About fifty-two years. In the
reign of Cjrrus, you remember, he issued a de¬
cree, permitting the Jews to return to their own
land, and to commence the rebuilding of the
temple; and after twenty-one years of difficulty
and opposition from'the Samaritans and others,
it was completed, and dedicated five hundred
and fifteen years before Christ.
Clara. Was it just like the other ?
Mr. Seymour. No; the height and breadth
of the second temple were double those of the
first. It was very splendid, but wanted five
things which the other possessed; the ark and
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 229
the mercy seat, the visible Shechinah, the
holy fire on the altar, the Urim and Thummin,
and the spirit of prophecy. This temple was
plundered by Antiochus Epiphanes. He ordered
the discontinuance of the daily sacrifice, offered
swine's flesh upon the altar, and completely
suspended the worship of Jehovah. 1 Mac. i. 62.
Three years after it was repaired and purified
by Judas Maccabeus, who restored the divine,
worship, and dedicated it anew. Herod re¬
solved, as an atonement for his sins, and a
quietus to his conscience, to rebuild and beautify
it. After employing two years in preparing the
materials for the work, in which one thousand
wagons and ten thousand artificers were em¬
ployed, besides one thousand priests to direct
the work, the temple of Zerrubbabel was pulled
down, about seventeen years before Christ.
Mr. H. The temple of Herod was consi¬
derably larger than that of Zerrubbabel. For
whereas the second temple was seventy cubits
long, sixty broad, and sixty high, this was one
hundred long, seventy broad, and one hundred
high. All the JeAvish writers praise this build¬
ing exceedingly for its beauty, and the costli¬
ness of its workmanship; for it was built of
white marble, exquisitely wrought, and with
230 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
stones of large dimensions, some of them twen¬
ty-five cubits long, eight high, and twelve thick.
To these there is no doubt a reference in Mark
xiii. 1: " And as he went out of the temple one
of his disciples saith unto him, 'Master, see
what manner of stones, and what buildings are
here.' "
Charles. The vast sums which Herod ex¬
pended in adorning this structure gave it a most
magnificent and imposing appearance. " Its
appearance," says Josephus, " had every thing
that could strike the mind and astonish the sight.
For it was on every side covered with solid
plates of gold, so that when the sun rose upon
it it reflected such a strong and dazzling efful¬
gence, that the eye of the beholder was obliged
to turn away from it, being no more able to sus¬
tain its radiance than the splendour of the sun."
To strangers who approached the capital it ap¬
peared, at a distance, like a huge mountain of
snow. For where it was not decorated with
plates of gold it was extremely white and glis¬
tening. The historian, indeed, says that the
temple of Herod was the most astonishing
structure he had ever seen or heard of; as well
on account of its architecture as its magnitude;
and likewise the richness and magnificence of
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 231
its various parts, and the fame and reputation
of its sacred appurtenances.*
Mr. P. This splendid building has, however,
passed away, according to our Lord's predic¬
tion, that " there should not one stone be left
upon another that should not be thrown down."
Mark xiii. 2. It was completely demolished by
the Roman soldiers under Titus, A. D. 70, on
the same month and same day of the month in
which Solomon's temple was destroyed by the
Babylonians.
Mr. Seymour. This slight description of the
exterior must now suffice; neither can we at
present enter into a minute survey of the inte¬
rior. It alone would occupy a whole evening ;
and at some other time the temple and its
services will prove an interesting lesson.
Mr. H. It would detain us too long to detail
all that we know respecting the circumstances
connected with the history of the temple. We
will, however, enumerate a few particulars. " It
was the place chosen by God for the placing of
his name. In the splendour of its worship might
once be seen the priest in his gorgeous robes,
and the vessels of untold value. The solemn
ritual, the swelling music, the grateful incense,
• Caknet.
232 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
and the prayers of a thousand votaries, ascended
from thence to heaven. The sacrifice was there
slain upon the altar, an emblem of ' the Lamb
of God which taketh away the sin of the
world.' Its treasures were, the ark of the co¬
venant, with the rod that budded, the pot of
manna, the brazen serpent lifted up in the wil¬
derness, and a copy of the law. There were
also the Urim and Thummin, the sacred fire
upon the altar lighted from heaven, and the
divine presence in the holy of holies. In that
court Solomon offered up his consecrated
prayer, and blessed the people, and along its
paths kings, and priests, and prophets, and apos¬
tles, and martyrs, have come to supplicate be¬
fore the Lord. Though in metals and gems
this latter house might be less than that of the
former, in essential glory it was far greater, for
its courts were visited by ' God manifest in the
flesh.' In the siege imder Titus the temple
was the principal scene of the battle, from its
great strength. The Roman general was wish¬
ful to preserve it, but God had ordained other¬
wise ; and a soldier having thrown into it a
lighted brand it was speedily consumed."*
Mr. Seymour. Nearly eighteen hundred years
•Haidy.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 233
have passed away, my dear children, since that
noble edifice thus stood in grandeur and in
beauty; but now it exists not, save in memory's
dream, or in the records of ancient history.
But though the temple has perished, the site
still remains unaltered, and, in its present ap¬
pearance, presents a mournful memorial of the
curse which still abides upon the descendants
of its ancient worshippers ; the " abomination
of desolation" stands in the holy place; a Turk¬
ish mosque covers the site of the temple once
honoured by the visible presence of the Deity.
Charles. Having now obtained some idea
of Jerusalem as it was, let us return to the mo¬
dem city, and endeavour to obtain a correct
account of that.
Mr. Seymour. The Jemsalem of the present
day is not the city of the Scriptures, except that
it is built upon the same spot. The walls are
of stone, about forty feet high; they have bat¬
tlements and projecting towers at irregular dis¬
tances. The gates through which there is ad¬
mittance are four in number; the Damascus
gate, that opens toward the plain on the north;
St. Stephen's gate, on the east; Zion gate,upon
the hill of that name, on the south; and on the
west the gate that lea.ds to Bethlehem and
234 conversations on palestine.
Joppa. The houses are built of large rough
stones, close to each other, and are seldom more
than two stories high. Little more is seen to¬
ward the street than a plain wall, and a mean
entrance, the windows mostly looking toward
the interior court. Every house has one dome,
or more, the roofs being universally built of
this form. Many of the streets are arched over,
which, coupled with their narrowness, gives a
gloomy appearance to the town, already suffi¬
ciently dull from the heavy style of its archi¬
tecture. Most of the houses are falling to de¬
cay ; but there are not many that are so far in
ruin as to be deserted. The public buildings
are not numerous; and, excepting those conse¬
crated to religious worship, there are none wor¬
thy of notice.
Mr. P. Most travellers speak of the houses
as being miserable, the streets filthy, and the
population squalid ; but Professor Robinson ob¬
serves, " In all these respects I was agreeably
disappointed. The houses are better buUt, and
the streets cleaner than those of Alexandria,
Smyrna, or Constantinople."
Charles. The Mosque of Omar is by far
the most magnificent edifice in Jerusalem. It
is built upon the site of the temple, and proba-
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 337
bly with some of its ancient materials, many
very large stones being said to be contained in
the lower part of the walls; and although, in the
fulfilment of prophecy, not one stone of that
edifice was left upon another, and though its
foundations were actually submitted to the
plough, yet it is unlikely that blocks of such
dimensions should have been destroyed or re¬
moved ; still less that, when such were near at
hand, the builders of another fabric should have
failed to make use of them.
Mr. Seymour. This splendid mosque, which
is the finest piece of Saracenic architecture in
existence, was commenced in the seventh cen¬
tury, by the Caliph Omar, and finished by his
successors. It was converted into a Christian
church when Jerusalem was taken by the Cru¬
saders ; and when they abandoned the city, Sa-
ladin caused the whole building to be washed
with rose-water before he would enter it. The
building is a regular octagon, each side being
seventy feet in width; it is entered by four spa¬
cious doors facing the cardinal points ; each of
these entrances has a porch of timber-work, of
considerable height, excepting that on the south
side, which has a fine portico, supported by
eight Corinthian pillars of marble; the lower
238 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
part of the walls is faced with marble, evi¬
dently very ancient; it is white, with a slight
tinge of blue, and pieces wholly blue are occa¬
sionally introduced with good effect; each face
is panelled, the sides of the panels forming plain
pilasters at the angles ; the upper part is faced
with small glazed tiles, about eight inches
square, of various colours, blue being the pre¬
vailing, with passages from the Koran on them,
forming a singular and beautiful mosaic; the
four plain sides have each seven well propor¬
tioned windows of stained glass ; the four sides
of entrance have only six. The roof gently
rises toward the perpendicular part under the
dome, which is also covered with colored tiles,
arranged in various elegant devices. The dome,
which was built by Solyman I., is spherical,
covered with lead, and crowned by a gilt cres¬
cent ; the whole is ninety feet in height, and
has a light and beautiful effect; the fanciful dis¬
position of the soft colours above contrasting
with the blue and white marble below is ex¬
tremely pleasing. The interior is paved with
gray marble, and the walls, which are quite
plain, are covered with the same material, of a
fine white colour.
Mr. H. No Christian or Jew is allowed to
conversations on palestine. 239
enter this mosque upon pain of death. It is
highly venerated by the Mohammedans, who
believe that here, and in the mosque at Mecca,
their prayers are more acceptable to God than
when offered anywhere else.
Mr. Seymour. The only remaining object
within the city that requires notice-is the
Church of the Sepulchre, which profess¬
edly covers the places where our Lord was
crucified and entombed ; but it requires a pow¬
erful imagination to enable the traveller in any
degree to realize this fact, as he enters the spa¬
cious edifice. It was erected by the empress
Helena, the mother of Constantino, and is a
large and irregular edifice, having nothing in it
as a building to attract particular notice.
Mr. P. The pilgrim who visits this church
must set no bounds to his faith, as it will be
taxed to the utmost by the number of reputed
holy places pointed out to him by the attendant
monks. Entering within the walls his attention
is first directed to a marble slab, said to mark
the spot where the body of our Lord was laid
to be anointed for the burial. A little farther
on he is shown a fissure in the stone, said to
have been made when the rocks were rent at the
crucifixion. Opposite the entrance is a narrow
240 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
passage, in which is a flight of twenty steps,
leading to the chapel of Calvary ; here the visi¬
ter is shown the very hole in which the cross
of our Saviour was placed, and also the holes
of the crosses of the malefactors, not a yard
distant from each other!!! In other parts of
the building are altars erected to commemorate
the place where Christ was scourged, where
the soldiers divided his garment, where they
arrayed him in a mock robe, and so on, for
almost every circumstance connected with the
death and burial of our Lord. But the princi¬
pal object of veneration is the sepulchre, in
which, it is said, the body of Christ was laid
after his crucifixion.
Clara. What, did all these events occur
within the space covered by one church ?
Mr. P. So the priests tell their visiters; but
it is more than doubted by many travellers whe¬
ther the church covers even the site of the
sepulchre after which it is named.
Mr. H. But if some travellers find it hard
to believe, others find it equally difficult to dis¬
believe. An unbroken chain of tradition has, from
so early a period of the Christian era, pointed out
this spot as the site of Calvary and the sepulcre,
that it seems almost impossible to doubt.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 241
Mr. P. But we know that Christ was cru¬
cified without the city, whereas the Church of
the Sepulchre, as you will see by the map, is not
a little way within the walls of modem Jerasa-
lem; and to have excluded it, the walls of the
ancient city must have made the most extraor¬
dinary and unnecessary curve imaginable, and
shut out a considerable space of habitable
ground, of which, from the circumscribed nature
of its site, there was little to spare. Mr. Hardy
remarks that he repeatedly examined the site
of the church, and from every possible direc¬
tion, but the result of all his observations was
the same—that it must of necessity have been
included within the walls of ancient Jerusalem.
Professor Robinson also observes, that the
church stands on the very ridge of Moimt Acra,
which, according to Josephus, and to every pro¬
bability, was enclosed by the walls.
Mr. Seymour. It is of no consequence to
the Christian faith in what way the question
shall be decided. The great facts on which
the history of the gospel is founded are not so
closely connected with particular spots of earth
as to be rendered doubtful by any mistake in
the choice of locality. It is therefore of little
importance to determine whether " the decease"
16
242 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
which our Saviour "accomplished at Jerusalem"
occurred on the reputed site of that event or not.
Charles. But whatever credit may be given
to the pretensions of the place, still it can¬
not fail to excite an overwhelming interest
to visit the spot which, for fifteen centuries,
has been reputed the scene of the grandest
events in the history of the world. Even Dr.
E. D. Clarke, the most skeptical of travellers,
when he entered the supposed sepulchre, and
beheld, by the light of lamps there continually
burning, the venerable figure of an aged monk,
with streaming eyes and a long white beard,
pointing to the place where the Lord lay, knelt
down, and participated in the feeling of the
more credulous pilgrims.
Mr. H. An attentive perusal of the gospels
will enable us to realize a very vivid picture of
the awful scenes which this building was in¬
tended to commemorate. Imagine Jesus in the
judgment hall, surroimded by those who thirsted
for his blood; let the clamorous cry of " crucify
him, crucify him," testify of their spirit and
design; mark Pilate's impotent attempt to re¬
lease him ; and see him now delivered to the
high priests and Jews, whose hearts were raging
conversations on palestine. 243
with malice and revenge. Urged on by their
hellish feelings, they tarry not. The plea of
justice and the cry of mercy are alike unheard.
Maternal anguish, fraternal sorrow, the disciples'
love, and his weary, fainting frame, delay them
not. Through the crowded street, amid many
an aching heart and weeping eye, they pass the
gate, and then, imable any longer to restrain
their passions, they there, in the first convenient
place that offers, crucify and slay him. The
deed is done—darkness is upon the earth,
which is shaking with convulsive throes—^the
rocks are rent—and the graves are opened.
No wonder that, at the sight of these things,
the astonished centurion exclaimed, "Truly,
this man was the Son of God !" or that the
guilty crowd, in terror, perhaps, but, alas! it
is feared not in repentance, smote their breasts,
and returned to the city. Never did an hour
revolve, since the beginning of time, that la¬
boured with such great events. The fate of
the moral creation was now weighing in the
scales—the interests of eternity were deciding
—and the victory over sin, death, and hell
was proclaimed by the expiring Redeemer,
when he said, "It is finished !"
244 conversations on palestine.
Mr. Seymour. It is difficult to imagine the
reality of this scene. The mind staggers under
the idea of the " Great, and High, and Holy
One," submitting to such indignities ; it recoils
in terror from the thought, and mighty faith is
requisite to grasp the wondrous truth so une¬
quivocally revealed. But, admit the fact, " He
was bruised for our iniquities, and wounded for
our transgressions ; the punishment of our sins
was upon him, and by his stripes we are
healedand every Christian sinks overwhelmed
in love and adoration, and exclaims with the
poet,
" Sure, none but God guch love could show."
Mr. H. Still imagine the picture. At sunset
the soldiers come to the place of execution to
see how the fatal process is going on; and find¬
ing the Saviour already dead, one of them thrusts
his spear into his side, to prove that there is no
sense or feeling there. They then leave the
place, and the disciples take the body gently
down, and bear it away to the tomb. As they
carried it to what they supposed would be its
long home, the limbs hung relaxed and passive;
the tongue, to whose words of kindness and in¬
struction they had so often listened, was silent;
the eye fixed—the cheek pale—the hand cold.
conversations on palestine. 245
The executioners had done their work efFec-
tually; and though the disciples could not have
noticed these proofs that their Master had
really gone, without tears, they must still have
rejoiced that the Sufferer's agonies were over.
As to themselves, all their hopes were blasted,
and all their plans destroyed. They had firmly
believed that their Master was to have been the
Saviour of his nation ; instead of that he had
been himself destroyed. The day before every
thing had looked bright and promising in their
prospects; but this sudden storm had swept
every thing away. They placed the body in
the tomb, and, disappointed, broken-hearted,
and overwhelmed with sorrow, they went to
their homes."* They knew nothing about the
design and nature of their Master's sufferings,
and that he had but entered the mansions of the
dead that he might redeem a world from death.
But the tomb could not long retain its illustrious
tenant, and the " faithful women," who came
early on the morning of the third day, with
sweet spices, to embalm him, found, at the door
of the sepulchre, a heavenly messenger, who
announced to them the joyful tidings of his
resurrection. " He is not here. He is risen !"
* Abbot's Comer Stone.
246 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
" My dear children," said Mr. Seymour, see¬
ing them somewhat moved, " you need not try
to restrain your feelings ; I would not have you
calm on Calvary, or unmoved at the tomb of our
glorious risen Lord. To imagine the place
where ' Jesus the Mighty One' grappled with
the king of terrors in his own citadel, and ob¬
tained that victory which has enabled his tri¬
umphant followers to exclaim, in their last bat¬
tle, ' O death, where is thy sting ? O grave,
where is thy victory V and exultingly to prove
that they have lost their sting, is happiness; and
cold must be that heart, and skeptical indeed
that head, which can remain unconvinced and
unaffected by these glorious truths, even though
the precise spot on which they transpired should
remain hidden in doubt and conjecture."
Silence succeeded for a few moments, and
then Mr. P. continued :
" As there are no other places of much inte¬
rest within the walls of Jerusalem, and as it is
our chief object to mark such places as are
most intimately connected with Biblical history,
I think we had now better leave the city, and
notice some of the surrounding localities."
Mr. Seymour. I think so, too; which route
shall we take ?
conversations on palestine. 247
Charles. We will leave the city at the east-
em gate, and descend into the Valley of Je-
hosaphat, which may rather be termed a ravine
than a valley, as there are few places where its
breadth exceeds two hundred yards. It runs
north and south, between the Hill of Moriah
and the Mount of Olives, and is a little more
than a mile in length. There are numerous
tombs in this valley, among which are particu¬
larly distinguished three very ancient ones, said
to be those of Absalom, Jehosaphat, and the
prophet Zechariah.
Mr. Seymour. This is the memorable valley
so often mentioned under different names'*
by the sacred historians and prophets ; and
which is sanctified in the memories of men afar
off by the knowledge that its soil is replete
with the dust of thousands of holy and ven¬
erable personages, and has been moistened by
the tears of the prophets and the blood of the
saints. Who knows not, also, that it was often
traversed by David, and by the "Son of Man,"
whenever the record of their griefs bears wit¬
ness that they crossed the Brook Kedron, or
* The Valley of Kedron—The Valley of Siloam—The
King's Dale—The Valley of Vision—The Valley of Deci¬
sion.
248 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
ascended the Mount of Olives; or that it is the
peculiar and awful distinction of this valley, that
Jews, Mohammedans, and many Christians live
and die in the persuasion that this is the place
to which all nations shall be gathered in the
great and terrible day of final judgment.*
Henry. Why, father, what makes them
think so ?
Mr. Seymour. The opinion is founded on a
passage in Joel, which says, " Let the heathen
be awakened, and come up to the VaUey of Je-
hoshaphat; for there will I sit to Judge all the
heathen round about." Joel iii. 12.
Mr. P. From a very early period this nar¬
row valley has served as a burial place for the
inhabitants of the holy city, and the Hebrew
population of modem Jerusalem still inter their
dead in it. The sides of the valley, particularly
the middle portions, are almost paved with
black and white sepulchral stones, for this is
the place where, three thousand years ago, the
Jew buried his dead under the shadow of his
temple; and as a strong inclination exists
among the descendants of Jacob to have their
remains entombed in the country of their ances¬
tors, many of them journey hither in their old
• Pictorial History of Palestine.
conversations on palestine. 249
age from the uttermost parts of the earth, that
when they die their bones may be laid in this
valley of their fathers' sepulchres. When Mr.
Rae Wilson inquired the motive that prompted
them to go to Jerusalem, the answer was, "To
die in the land of our fathers."
Mr. H. It is the custom of the Jews living
in Jerusalem one day in each year to purchase,
from their Mohammedan oppressors, permission
to assemble in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which
time they spend in weeping and mourning over
the desolation of Jerusalem, and their protracted
captivity.
Mr. Seymour. Near the termination of this
valley, and under the south-east comer of the
city, is the Pool of Siloam, which is also sup¬
posed to be the En-rogel, or Fuller's Fountain,
mentioned in 1 Kings i. 9, and in some other
places in the Old Testament. The spring issues
from a subterranean passage in the rock, and
falls into a pool, or basin. " The descent to the
pool is by a flight of sixteen steps, leading to a
platform, and a flight of thirteen more down to
the water, whence it is sometimes called the
Fountain of Stairs."—G. Robinson.
Clara. Was this the place, father, where
Jesus sent the blind man to wash! John ix. 7.
250 conversations on palestine.
Mr. Seymour. It was ; and many of the pil¬
grims who visit it, after drinking of the water,
wash their eyes with it, in commemoration of
the miracle performed on the blind man.
Charles. Through this valley also runs the
Brook Kedron, so frequently spoken of in the
Bible. It is a small stream, having generally
but little water, and in summer is quite dry; but
in winter, after heavy rains, it swells, and
runs with much impetuosity. After leaving the
valley it pursues an easterly course, and emp¬
ties itself into the Dead Sea.
Mr. H. The blood poured out at the foot of
the altar ran by a drain into the Brook Kedron,
and it was here that Asa, Hezekiah, and Josiah
burned the idols and abominations of the apos¬
tate Jews. 1 Kings xv. 13 ; 2 Kings xxiii. 4,
6, 12 ; 2 Chron. xxix. 16.
Charles. The brook is crossed by a bridge
with a single arch; after passing which the tra¬
veller soon reaches a plot of groimd, pointed
out as the Garden of Gethsemane, and occu¬
pying the very spot one's eyes would turn to,
looking up from the page of Scripture. John
xviii. 1.
Mr. Seymour. And here let us pause awhile;
for I am sure the name recalls to every mind
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 251
scenes so hallowed and touching that memory
cannot revert to them without awakening deep
emotion. From the relative position of the spot,
and the uninterrupted transmission of its name,
there can be no doubt that it is the place where
our Lord underwent that portion of his suffer¬
ings called, by way of eminence, his " agony,"
and where he was betrayed by the treacherous
Judas into the hands of his enemies.
" You can let imagination vividly portray
the scene, Gertrude," said her mother, serious¬
ly. " The garden, the midnight hour, the slum¬
bering disciples, the suffering Saviour, the angel
visitant, and soon, alas, the treacherous Judas,
the armed band, the noise, the confusion, and,
strange fact. He, who could have commanded
twelve legions of angels to his succour, led
passively away, an unresisting victim, to suffer¬
ing and to death."
Gertrude.- I remember some sweet verses
referring to this scene.
Mr. Seymour. Repeat them, dear, if you
can.
Gertrude.
" 'Tis midnight—and, on Olive's brow
The star is dimm'd that lately shone:
'Tis midnight—in the garden now
The suffering Saviour prays alone.
252 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
'Tis midnight—and, from all removed,
Immanuel wrestles 'lone with fears;
E'en the disciple that he loved
Heeds not his Master's grief and tears.
'Tis midnight—and, for others' guilt.
The Man of sorrows weeps in blood;
Yet He that hath in anguish knelt
Is not forsaken by his God.
'Tis midnight—and, from other plains
Is borne the song that angels know;
Unheard by mortals are the strains
That sweetly sooth the Saviour's wo."
Mrs. Seymour. What is the present appear¬
ance of Gethsemane ?
Mr. H. It is about one-third of an acre in
extent, and is surrounded by a coarse stone
wall a few feet high. When Mr. Cather-
wood was there, in 1834, it was planted with
olive, almond, and fig trees. Eight of the olive
trees are of immense size, and seem as if they
might have stood there from time immemorial.
They stand at a little distance from each other,
and their verdant branches afford a refreshing
shade. Viewed as the lineal descendants of
those trees which flourished here in the days
of our Saviour, it is impossible to look upon
them with indifference.
Mr. P. The prospect from the Garden of
conversations on palestine. 255
Gethsemane is said to be one of the most
pleasing in the vicinity of Jerusalem. The
walls of the city are distinctly seen from hence,
at the extreme edge of a precipitous bank.
Through the trees the bridge over the Kedron
is clearly perceptible, and the Turkish burying
ground is a marked point, from the tombs being
mostly white, with turbans on the top, to indi¬
cate the Mohammedan faith of the individuals
whose remains are there interred.
Charles. We will now leave the garden and
ascend the Mount of Olives. This mountain
range has three principal summits, running
north and south. The ascent is rugged and
abrupt, though a tolerably smooth path has
been formed to the top by art and frequent use.
It is an interesting fact, that, during a period of
more than two thousand years, Hebrews, Assy¬
rians, Romans, Mohammedans, and Christians,
have been successively in possession of the
rocky mountains of Palestine; yet the olive still
vindicates its paternal soil, and, upon the same
spot which, a thousand years before the Chris¬
tian era, was called, by the Hebrew writers,
" Mount Olivet," olive-trees are now so abund¬
ant that the mount may still with propriety
retain its ancient name.
256 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Mr. H. Few places command a finer pros¬
pect, or are associated with events more sacred
and sublime, than the Mount of Olives. From
no other spot is the Holy City beheld to so great
advantage. The area, where formerly stood
the temple, is distinctly seen, with the cele¬
brated Mosque of Omar occupying the site of
its more august predecessor. Behind, the domes
of the Church of the Sepulchre, and other
churches, convents, mosques, and minarets rise
in pleasing succession ; and though the Jerusa¬
lem of modem times is but as the dim shadow
of the ancient city, yet, as seen from hence, the
widowed " daughter of Zion" still displays suf¬
ficient grandeur to aid the imagination in paint¬
ing her as she once existed, " the perfection of
beauty, the joy of the whole earth." Turning
to the east, the traveller sees, near the foot of
the hill, the village of Bethphage, and just be¬
yond it is Bethany, where Martha, and Mary,
and Lazarus lived, and where " Jesus wept."
Beyond the Jordan he sees the Plains of Moab,
and, rising like a purple pyramid, Mount Nebo,
from whose summit Moses surveyed the pro¬
mised land. On the south he beholds Bethle¬
hem, where Jesus was bora, and in the distance
catches a glimpse of the Dead Sea. And on
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 257
the north are seen the fertile pastures of the
Plain of Jericho, watered by the Jordan, whose
course may be distinctly discerned.
Mrs. Seymour. " There is," observes a recent
traveller,* " no spot at or near Jerusalem half
so interesting as the Moimt of Olives. O, what
a relief it was to quit the narrow ill-paved streets
of the city for that lovely hill, climbing it by the
same rocky path our Saviour and his faithful
few so often trod, and resting upon its brow as
they did, when their divine Instructer, looking
down on Jerusalem in her glory, uttered those
memorable prophecies of her fall, of his second
advent, and of the final judgment, which we
should ever brood over in our hearts as a warn¬
ing voice, bidding us watch and be ready for
his coming."
Mr. Seymour. The Mount of Olives is hal¬
lowed by many sacred associations. In this
direction David, on the rebellion of Absalom,
retired from the city, accompanied by his faith¬
ful followers, and the priests and Levites bear¬
ing the ark of God. " And David went up by
the ascent of Mount Olivet, and wept as he
went up, and had his head covered, and he
went barefoot; and aU the people that were
* Lord Lindsay.
17
258 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
with him covered every man his head, and they
went up weeping as they went up."
Mr. P. The simple narrative of this event
given by the sacred historian in 2 Sam. xv.
13-31, presents a deeply interesting picture to
the imagination of every one who has felt the
influence of filial piety; but especially to the
traveller standing upon the very spot where the
aged monarch gave to Heaven the oflfering of
his wounded spirit. Every thing that is sub¬
lime and afiiecting seems to be presented in the
description of the procession or march of David
in his passage across the Kedron, and particu¬
larly in the moment when the ark of the cove¬
nant is sent back, and the aged monarch, having
in vain entreated Ittai to leave him, begins to
ascend the mountain, preceded by the various
people who formed the van of the procession.
Every association of natural and artificial fea¬
tures, of landscape and architecture, of splendid
and diversified costiunes, of sacred pomp, and
of unequalled pathos, dignify the aflfecting
scene. Here a solemn train of mourners, there
the seers, guardians, and companions of the
ark, men, women, children, warriors, statesmen,
citizens, priests, Levites, coimsellors, with all
the circumstances of grandeur displayed by the
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
259
surrounding objects,—by the lofty rocks, the
towers, bulwarks, and palaces of Zion, by the
bold declivities of Mount Olivet, and by the
magnificent perspectives on every side.
Mr. Seymour. We have here a view of the
middle summit of the Mount of Olives, as seen
from the city. The elevation of this central
peak above the valley of Jehoshaphat is nearly
four hundred and fifty feet.
Mr. P. It will be remembered that it was
upon the Mount of Olives that Jesus delivered
his memorable predictions respecting the de¬
struction of Jerusalem; Mark xiii, 1-3; and
260 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Mr. Hardy, viewing the city from the same spot,
observes, " When we read the acconnt given by
Josephus of the immense stones that were used
in some parts of the city, home out by the words
of the disciples,' Master, see what manner of
stones and buildings are here!' and then turn
to the bold language uttered by our Saviour in
reference to the same,' Seest thou these great
buildings, there shall not be one stone left upon
another that shall not be thrown down,' we
almost tremble to think, lest the words of pro¬
phecy should have been overcharged in the fer¬
vour of inspiration, and lest we should find,
upon a personal examination of the facts, that
they are in some degree contrary to the decla¬
rations of Scripture. Our fears may cease, for
nothing can be more true. We know, from un¬
disputed authority, that the prophecy was lite¬
rally fulfilled at the siege of Titus; and looking
now on the city, as it lies beneath our feet, we
cannot point out one single building, nor part of
a building, nor even so insignificant a ruin as
two stones together, that the most zealous anti¬
quarian can suppose to have existed in the time
of Christ. Other cities have been sacked, and
partially destroyed, but the ruin has not been
total. I hare seen the Parthenon at Athens,
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 261
the Coliseum at Rome, and there are temples
still standing even at Thebes; here rage has
done its worst; and there is no present edifice
over which the Jews can weep, and say,' Our
fathers reared these walls.' The sepulchres
alone have come down to our time; but they
are hewn out of the rock, and not built; and it is
only with the stone that contains them they can
perish. So pitiless has been the angel of de¬
struction, as he swept from the face of heaven
the guilty city; so complete the exercise of his
commission, that were it not for these certain
memorials we might almost doubt the identity
of the place."
Gertrude. What is the present population
of Jerusalem 1
Mr. H. It is difficult to state it with any
degree of certainty, as it is variously estimated
at from twelve to twenty thousand, of whom
about one half are Jews, and the remainder are
about equally divided between the Mohamme¬
dans and Christians.
Mr. P. The three classes of persons into
which the population of Jerusalem is divided
have all of them a rooted antipathy to each
other. The Jew despises alike the Mussulman
and Christian, and regards them as intruders
262 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
upon the soil given to his own nation by God.
The Mussulman, conscious of greater political
dignity, looks upon himself as so far above
the " Israelite dog," and the " Nazarite kaffer,"
that he would not willingly allow them to tread
the same earth, or breathe the same air. The
Christian, with equal pride, curses the hand of
the Mohammedan oppressor, under which he
constantly Avrithes, and turns from the child of
Abraham as from one who would defile his
purity, or steal his purse. Necessity obliges
all to come at times into contact, but there is no
common interest in which they have all one
heart and one wish. They worship in separate
churches, though all profess to call upon God;
they live in separate quarters, though citizens
of the same place; and at their homes they speak
a dififerent language, though inhabitants of the
same country.*
Mr. Seymour. The Christians of Jerusalem
are such only in name. They belong to the
Greek and Roman churches, and may be con¬
sidered almost as much the enemies of Christ
as are the Mohammedans and Jews; for though
they profess an outward love for that blessed
name which the others reject as evil, yet they
* Hardy.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 263
have no communion with his Spirit, and they
have substituted a superstitious and idolatrous
worship for the pure religion of the gospel.
Charles. The Jewish population occupy a
portion of the city bordering on the site of the
temple. Most of them are wretchedly poor,
and those who are rich, and in comfortable cir¬
cumstances, are obliged to conceal their wealth,
and even their comfort, for fear of exciting the
cupidity of their oppressors. It is, indeed, a sight
deeply painful to look on the Jew now, in his de¬
solation, his poverty, and his despair, and con¬
trast him with what he was of old, when in all the
proud idea of his " chosen nation," his " peculiar
people," his splendid temple, and his anticipated
greatness, he walked the streets of the holy
city, and felt his own superior character and
destiny.
Mr. H. Since Palestine has been under the
dominion of the Pasha of Egypt the Jews have
been comparatively free from oppression, and
great numbers are flocking thither from all parts,
especially from the northern states of Africa, and
there will probably soon be a greater number
of the children of Israel located in Jerusalem
than there has been at any period since its de¬
struction by the Romans.
264 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Mr. p. When Mr. Hardy was in Jerusalem
he visited their principal synagogue, during the
time of the passover. He says, " There might
be present about six hundred men; the women
sat on the steps at the entrance and in the outer
court. Nearly all had books in their hands, and
the service was chaunted in general by the
voices of the whole assembly. They moved
their bodies to and fro continually, in conform¬
ity, as they say, to the words of David,' All my
bones shall praise thee.' It was mournful to
see old men suddenly, and with an expression
near to agony, lifting up their long, thin, flesh-
less Angers toward heaven, and ciying aloud, as
if to say,' Lord, how long V Some parts of the
same service have been performed in the same
city, and in the same language, and by the same
people, since its flrst erection, but how diSerent
was the sight now witnessed to that which was
presented when Solomon held a feast, and all
Israel with him, and they oflfered unto the Lord
twenty-two thousand oxen, and one hundred and
twenty thousand sheep, at the dedication of the
temple; and all the people blessed the king, and
went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart
for all that the Lord had done for them."
Mr. Seymour. To the sincere Christian there
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 265
is something peculiarly affecting in the view of
the present condition of Jerusalem. " The ways
of Zion do mourn; none come to her solemn
feasts; all her gates are desolate. From the
daughter of Zion all beauty is departed. How
doth the city sit solitary that was full of people!
She spreadeth forth her hands, and there is
none to comfort her. No soimd is now heard
but that of the passing wind where the audible
voice of Jehovah once spoke in thunder; the
sky is now cloudless and serene, where the
angel of the Lord was once seen in glory; the
paths are now deserted, where the tribes once
approached, from the most distant parts, to the
festivals of the temple, the old man, and the
venerable matron, and the beloved son, and the
beautiful daughter, weeping for very gladness
as they came ; and in that city where once was
the monarch, his brow Micircled with the golden
diadem, and in his train the noble and the wise,
there is now no higher power than a delegated
governor, and its own people are the most des¬
pised of men."
Mrs. Seymour. " But there is a voice which
comes from its ruins, and whispers of hope, and
tells us of happier times. The restoration of
the Jews may not take place in all the fulness
266 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
that some have supposed; but we cannot doubt
that the city now " trodden down of the Gen¬
tiles, until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled,"
in a spiritual sense at least, wiU arise again
from the ashes, and be as a queen among men;
the now rejected Saviour will then be received
as the Messiah, and the now despised Israelites
will be among the honourable of the earth. Let
us therefore pray for the peace of Jerusalem,
for they that love her shall prosper."*
Gertrude. Jerusalem is hallowed with so
many sacred associations that I can scarcely
bear to leave it. I cling to it almost with the
feelings of a Jew, and it will ever hereafter be
to me holy ground.
" It has been beautifully remarked by Dr.
Johnson," said Mrs. Seymour, " that 'to abstract
the mind from all local emotions would be im¬
possible, if it were endeavoured, and would be
foolish, if it were possible. Whatever with¬
draws us from the power of our senses, what¬
ever makes the past, the distant, or the future,
predominate over the present, advances us in
the dignity of thinking beings. Far from me
and from my friends be such frigid philosophy
as may conduct us indifferent and unmoved over
* Hardy.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 267
any ground which has been dignified by wis¬
dom, bravery, or virtue. That man is little to
be envied whose patriotism would not gain force
on the Plain of Marathon, or whose piety would
not grow wanner among the ruins of lona."
Mr. Seymour. Very appropriate, my dear;
but how much more should oimhearts be afiect-
ed when traversing the land so memorable from
the birth of time. The place exists on which
redemption's mighty work received its full
completion; and while earth endures, and
Christianity exerts its saving power, its interest
must ever remain; and ages yet unborn shall
regard it with veneration and respect, when its
present visitants shall have entered that " dread
unknown," over. which redemption by Christ
alone has thrown light and happiness. " It ap¬
pears to us as if invested with attributes that
are not of this world ; like some land that is
midway between heaven and earth, the story
of which obtains an equal prominence in the
records of angels, as in the more perishing pages
of our own poets and historians."
Mr. P. " It has been said of the reflective
mind, that it
* Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones, and good in every thing.'
268 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
And admitting the general truth and beauty of
the sentiment, we may ask, what trees can dis¬
course with such eloquence as the venerable
olives in the garden of Gethsemane ? What
brook unfolds a volume like that of Kedron?
and what stones can preach sermons so power¬
ful as the masses scattered at the foot of Mount
Olivet, that have been hurled from their founda¬
tions by Jehovah, monuments at once of his
anger at sin, and that the words of Scripture
are the words of the living God? In taking
our leave of the city, let us pray that we may
one day behold " the holy city, the new Jeru-
alem," the gates of which are of one pearl, and
the streets of pure gold, where God shall wipe
away aU tears from all eyes, and there shall be
no more death." *
Mr. Seymour. It has afforded me much plea¬
sure, my dear children, to witness the attention
and interest you have this evening manifested.
In our next lesson we propose to take a slight
survey of the country beyond Jordan, and that
will close our present course. Let us endea¬
vour that the object proposed in the commence¬
ment of our plan be fully realized. We wish
our minds enlightened and instructed, our hearts
• Hardy.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 269
purified and elevated. Let each one answer
the question, How far has it been attained ?
They now united in singing the following
beautiful hymn of Bishop Heber's:
Jerusalem, Jerusalem ! enthroned once on high,
Thou favoured home of God on earth, thou heaven
below the sky!
Now brought to bondage with thy sons, a curse and
grief to see,
Jerusalem, Jerusalem! our tears shall flow for thee.
0 ! hadst thou known thy day of grace, and flocked
beneath the wing
Of Him who called thee lovingly, thine own anointed
King,
Then had the tribes of all the world gone up thy pomp
to see.
And glory dwelt within thy gates, and all thy sons been
free.
" And who art thou that mournest me ?" replied the
ruin gray,
" And fear'st not rather that thyself may prove a cast¬
away ?
1 am a dried and abject branch, my place is given to
thee.
But wo to every barren graft of thy wild olive-tree !
" Our day of grace is sunk in night, our time of mercy
spent.
For heavy was my childrens' crime, and strange their
ptmishment;
J?70 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Yet gaze not idly on our fall, but, einner, warned be.
Who spared not his chosen seed, may send his vrrath
on thee!
" Our day of grace is sunk in night, thy noon is in its
prime;
O! turn and seek thy Saviour's face in this accepted
time!
So, Gentile, may Jerusalem a lesson prove to thee,
And in the New Jerusalem thy home for ever be."
Mr. H. then closed the exercises of the evening
with prayer, and the happy party separated.
conversations on palestine. 271
CHAPTER VII.
places between jerusalem and the jordan ;
country beyond jordan.
Departure from the Holy City—Christ weeping over Jeru¬
salem—Bethany—Its sacred associations—Jericho—Road
from Jerusalem to Jericho—Parable of the Good Samaritan
—Present state of Jericho—Sacred associations of Jericho
and Its neighbourhood — Gilgal — Bethabara—Heshbon —
Rabbath-Ammon—Fulfilment of prophecy respecting it—
Ramoth Gilead—Jabesh Gilead—Country of the Gadarenes
—Eastern sepulchres; often converted into dwellings—Inte¬
resting description of the land of Bashan and Gilead—Pro¬
phecies respecting Palestine—Poem—Conclusion.
Once again the family circle had convened,
and, as the usual hour of commencing had not
arrived, were engaged in desultory conversa¬
tion.
" But why must this be the last evening of
our lessons, dear father," asked Gertrude, anx¬
iously, in answer to a previous remark of Mr.
Seymour's; " I am sure there are enough sub¬
jects of interest to invite their continuance."
Mr. Seymour. Because, my daughter, we
must yield to the pressure of circumstances;
my duties will again, for a little while, press
laboriously upon me, and Charles returns to
college next week, you remember. Did I feel
272 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
that your improvement was suspended by these
arrangements I should hesitate; but when I re¬
sign you for a time entirely to your mother's in.-
structions, I have, you well know, no such ap¬
prehensions.
" O, no, father, neither have I," answered
Gertrude, glancing affectionately at her mother,
" but it is so pleasant for all to meet."
" You need not use that apologetic tone, Ger¬
trude," said Mrs. Seymour, smiling: " I regret
the necessity as deeply as you do ; but we may
hope at a future time to resume our studies;
and, perhaps, in the meanwhile, can prepare
ourselves to deepen their interest and increase
their pleasure."
" Do you then intend to resume them, father ?"
inquired Gertrude.
" I do," replied Mr. Seymour, " both hope
and intend to do so, my dear."
" Which I very much rejoice to hear," said
Mr. H., who, with his friend, had quietly en¬
tered, " and I beg leave to participate in them."
" Which," gaily replied Charles, " shall be
granted ; but really I regret that your extreme
punctuality has prevented your hearing the pre¬
liminaries, for the hand is now on the hour."
The seats were taken, and Mr. Seymour
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 273
commenced. " Our intention to-night is to de¬
scribe some of the places in the country beyond
Jordan, a part of the inheritance of the Jews
too little known. But before we cross the river
there are several places of extreme interest
which we have not yet described. Our last
lesson confined us to Jerusalem; we will now
take our departure from the holy city, by the
road that leads to Bethany, and traversing the
path by which the Saviour, attended by acclaim¬
ing thousands, made his triumphal entry into
Jerusalem, we will imagine ourselves stand¬
ing on the Mount of Olives, at that turn in the
road where the guilty city, in all its splendour,
suddenly bursting on his sight, he beheld and
wept over it. John xii. 12, 13; Luke xix.
29-44.
Mr. H. The view of Jerusalem from this
spot is so commanding, that the eye roams over
all the streets, and around the walls, as if in the
survey of a plan or model of the city; and it is
so near that Jesus might be said, almost in a
literal sense, to have wept over it.
Charles. A late traveller* remarks, that
" Viewed from the Mount of Olives Jerusalem
is still a lovely, a majestic object. But the
••Lord Lindsay.
• 18
274 conversations on palestine.
beauty is external only, and, like the fabled ap¬
ples of Sodom, she is fuU of rottenness within."
Mr. Seymour. We will now continue our
route until, descending on the other side of thei
Mount of Olives, we reach the little village of
Bethany, which stands at the foot of the moun¬
tain, nearly two miles distant from Jerusalem.
Mrs. Seymour. I suppose you can tell us,
Henry, for what Bethany is celebrated ?
Henry. It was the residence of Martha, and
Mary, and Lazarus.
Mrs. Seymour. Yes; a family whom Jesus
loved; whose house was undoubtedly one of
his favourite places of retirement, and with
whose history some remarkable circumstances
are connected. It was this Mary who anointed
the feet of Jesus with ointment, and wiped them
with her hair ; John xiii. 3; and you all remem¬
ber the account of the sickness, death, and re¬
surrection of Lazarus, as recorded in the ele¬
venth chapter of John.
Mr. Seymour. We have in that chapter one
of the most affecting proofs of the true huma¬
nity and divinity of Christ. We behold him as
a man, sympathizing with the grief which, as
God, he was about to remove. As a man
"Jesus wept" at the sepulchre of his departed
conversations on palestine. 275
friend, but it was the voice of God which ex¬
claimed, "Lazarus, come forth!" and the dead
obeyed his command.
Mr. P. Although almost every spot in Je¬
rusalem and its vicinity may be regarded as
holy ground; yet, if we except only the spot
where Jesus "put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself," and " suffered the just for the unjust
that he might bring us to God," Bethany may,
perhaps, be considered the most interesting
point in the all-attractive scene. To this neigh¬
bourhood Jesus frequently retired for meditation
and prayer; here he began his triumphal ride
to Jerusalem; and here the disciples witnessed
his glorious ascension, and received his last
benediction.
Mr. Seymour. The next place that occurs on
our route is Jericho ; but before we describe it
there are some features in the character of the
road from Jerusalem to Jericho which deserve
our notice.
Charles. Yes; it was chosen by our Sa¬
viour as the scene of the beautiful parable of
the good Samaritan ; Luke x. 30-37; and the
propriety of the selection is strikingly illustrated
by the following extract from Mr. Buckingham's
Travels : " The road from Jerusalem to Jericho
276 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
is held to be the most dangerous about Pales¬
tine ; and indeed the very aspect of the scenery
is sufficient, on the one hand, to tempt to rob¬
bery and murder, and on the other to occa^on
a dread of it in those who pass that way. The
bold projecting crags of rock, the dark shadow
in which every thing lays buried below, the
towering heights of the cliffs above, and the for¬
bidding desolation which everywhere reigns
around, presented a picture that was quite in
harmony in all its parts. It made us feel most
forcibly the propriety of its being chosen for the
delightful tale of compassion which we had be¬
fore so often admired for its doctrine, indepen¬
dently of its local beauty. One must be amid
these wild and gloomy solitudes, surrounded by
an armed band, and feel the impatience of the
traveller, who rushes on to catch a new view
at every pass and turn ; one must be alarmed at
the very tramp of the horses' hoofs rebounding
through the cavemed rocks, and at the savage
shouts of the footmen, scarcely less loud than
the echoing thunder produced by the discharge
of their pieces in the valley; one must witness
all this upon the spot before the full force and
beauty of the admirable story of the good Sa¬
maritan can be perceived. Here pillage, wounds,
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 277
and death, would be accompanied with double
terror, from the frightful aspect of every thing
around. And here, too, the compassion of the
good Samaritan is doubly virtuous, from the
purity of the motive which must have led to it,
in a spot where no eyes were fixed on him to
draw forth the performance of any duty, and
from the courage which was necessary to admit
of a man's exposing himself, by such delay, to
the risk of a similar fate to that from which he
was endeavouring to rescue his fellow creature."
Henry. I was just thinking of that, father;
the good Samaritan did not know but that the
robbers were still concealed there, and might
attack, and perhaps murder him.
Mr. Seymour. Very true, Henry; and the
natural impulse was, undoubtedly, to hurry on
and escape the threatened danger; but a higher
principle constrained him to tarry. In this pa¬
rable did Jesus beautifully answer the inquiry,
"Who is my neighbour V to the cavilling Jews,
whose hatred of the Samaritans was such as to
preclude even ordinary intercourse.
Gertrude. What is the distance from Jeru¬
salem to Jericho ?
Charles. About twenty miles; and the road
is almost one continued descent, Jerusalem
278 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
being situated in a hilly country, and Jericho in
a plain.
Mr. H. Jericho was the first city taken from
the Canaanites by Joshua, who razed it to the
ground, and denounced a curse against the per¬
son who should rebuild it. Joshua vi. This
curse was literally fulfilled on Hiel, the Beth-
elite, by whom, in the time of Ahab, it was re¬
built. After this it became a flourishing city,
and, in the time of our Saviour, it was second
only to Jerusalem in the extent and magnificence
of its buildings.
" Did Jesus ever visit Jericho ?" inquired
Clara.
Mr. Seymour. Yes ; it was here that he re¬
stored blind Bartimeus to sight, and was enter¬
tained by Zaccheus, the publican. Mark x
46-52; Luke xi.
Mrs. Seymour. What is the present condi¬
tion of Jericho ?
Charles. Of the ancient city not a ves¬
tige remains ; on its site stands a contemptible
village, containing about forty or fifty forlorn
habitations, little better than pens, or sheds. A
traveller,* after alluding to the capture of die
city by the Israelites, and the miraculous falling
* See N. A. Review, Jan. 1839.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 279
of its walls, adds, " There is now no city to
take, nor are there any walls to fall down; there
are a few miserable hovels, made of rude stones
and mud, and the ruined walls of a building of
the middle ages, where the wretched Arabs
burrow, rather than live. Jericho has disap¬
peared almost as completely as her rival cities,
which sunk before the wrath of the Almighty;
and it requires an effort to be satisfied that the
great miracle which attended the entrance of
the Jews into Canaan was here performed."
Mr. Seymour. But however wretched and
desolate its present condition, it is rich in sa¬
cred associations; for Jericho and its neighbour¬
hood was the scene of some of the most inte¬
resting occurrences recorded in Scripture.
Near the miserable village that now presents
itself the walls of old Jericho fell prostrate at
the noise of the shouts of the people, and the
trumpets of the priests. Here, in the days of
Elijah, was a school of the prophets ; and the
weary pilgrim still quenches his thirst at the
fountain that was healed by Elisha's cruise of
salt. It could not be far distant that Elisha was
ploughing, with twelve yoke of oxen, when he
was anointed prophet, by Elijah, at the com¬
mand of God. On the west rise the moun-
280 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
tains of Moab, including Nebo, Peor, and
Pisgah; and it is impossible for the traveller to
look at them without thinking of the wander¬
ings of the Israelites, the altars of Barak, the
prophecies of Balaam, and the death of Moses.
On the east he beholds the mountain where it
is supposed Jesus was led up of the Spirit to be
tempted of the devil; and that it was from the
nearest summit that Satan " showed him all the
kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them."
A little to the south sleep, in mysterious si¬
lence, the bitter waters of the Dead Sea, re¬
minding the observer of the hattle of " the four
kings against fivethe visit of the angels to
Abraham and Lot, and the destruction of Sodom
and Gomorrah. At his fffet flows the most in¬
teresting of all rivers, the Jordan, whose swell¬
ings rolled back that Israel's chosen race might
take possession of the promised land; whose
stream parted " hither and thither," when smit¬
ten with the mantle of Elijah; and in whose
waters Naaman was cleansed of his leprosy,
and our blessed Saviom was baptized by John.
Nor is the sky above without its share of inte¬
rest, as from thence Elijah was translated to
heaven in a chariot of fire; and it was in the
same expanse that the heavens were opened.
conversations on palestine. 281
and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, descended
upon Jesus, at his baptism, and a voice was
heard, saying, " This is. my beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased." These, with many
other interesting events, all occurred within the
range of the vision of a spectator standing on
the Plain of Jericho.
Mr. H. In this plain, too, between Jericho
and the river, was Gilgal, where the children
of Israel encamped after the passage of the
Jordan, set up twelve stones as a memorial of
that event, and celebrated the first passover they
kept in the land of Canaan; after which the
manna ceased to fall, and they began to eat the
fruit of the land. Joshua iv. 19-24; v. 10-12.
Mr. P. Calmet supposes that there was nei¬
ther city nor town here previous to the arrival
of the Israelites. After this period, however,
it became a place of considerable distinction in
sacred history. The tabernacle was set up at
Gilgal, and remained there seven years, during
which time Joshua was employed in the con¬
quest of the country. It was one of the places
in which Samuel held an annual court of jus¬
tice ; here also he assembled the people of Is¬
rael together to confirm the appointment of Saul
as their king; and hither the men of Judah re-
282 conversations on palestine.
paired, after the defeat of Absalom, to meet king
David, and conduct him back to Jerusalem.
Mr. Seymour. Gilgal is several times men¬
tioned in Scripture as a place where sacrifices
were offered; and St. Jerome, who fiourished
about four hundred years after Christ, says, that
in his time it was held in great veneration ; no
traces of the city, however, now remain.
Charles. We now cross the river Jordan at
Bethabara, which is said to mean, in Hebrew,
" the place of the passing over." It is probably
the same as is mentioned in Judges i. 24, and
seems to have been one of the common fords
of the river.
Mr. Seymour. The first place of note on this
side of the river is Heshbon, which is situated
about twenty miles east of the Jordan. What
information can you give us respecting it,
Mr. H. ?
Mr. H. It originally belonged to the Moab-
ites, but was taken from them by Sihon, king
of the Amorites, who made it his capital.
When the Israehtes, under the direction of Mo¬
ses, were on their way to Canaan, they re¬
quested Sihon to allow them to pass through
his territory, which he refused to do, and at¬
tacked them with his army, but was defeated
conversations on palestine. 283
and slain, and his country taken possession of
by the Israelites. In the division of the con¬
quered territory, Heshbon, at first, fell to the
lot of Reuben, but was afterward transferred
to Gad, and finally assigned to the Levites.
After the subversion of the kingdom of Israel it
fell again into the hands of its original possess¬
ors, the Moabites.
Mr. P. Heshbon still exists, and retains its
•ancient name, but is in a state of utter desola¬
tion. Its ruins, which are very numerous, and
sufiiciently attest its former greatness, cover the
sides of an insulated hill, but scarcely a single
edifice is left entire. The view from the sum¬
mit is very extensive, embracing the ruins of a
vast number of cities, standing at a short dis¬
tance from each other, and the names of some
of which are said to bear a strong resemblance
to those mentioned in Scripture.*
Mr. Seymour. Proceeding in a north-east¬
erly direction about twenty miles we arrive at
Rabbath Ammon, sometimes called Rahbah,
the capital of the Ammonites. It is situated in
the mountains of Gilead, and is now known by
the name of Amman.
Mr. H. It was famous even in the time of
* G. Robinson.'
284 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Moses. Deut. iii. 11. When David declared
war against the Ammonites, his general, Joab,
laid siege to Rabbath Ammon, where the brave
Uriah lost his life, having been, in consequence
of a secret order from the king, treacherously
forsaken in a place of danger. When the city
was reduced to the last extremity, Joab sent for
David to come up, that he might have the ho¬
nour of taking it.
" No great honour, then, I should think," ex¬
claimed Henry.
Mr. H. After this Kabbah became subject
to tlie king of Judah; but on the defection of the
ten tribes, which took place during the reign
of Rehoboam, the whole of the country beyond
Jordan became connected with the kingdom of
Israel. During the decline of the Israelitish
kingdom, however, the Ammonites regained pos¬
session of their ancient capital.
Mr. Seymour. We find in the prophecies
some severe denunciations against the Ammon¬
ites, in consequence of their exulting over the
desolation of Israel and Judah. Clara, read the
first seven verses of the twenty-fifth chapter of
Ezekiel.
Clara reads. " The word of the Lord came
again unto me, saying,' Son of man, set thy face
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 285
against the Ammonites, and prophesy against
them; and say unto the Ammonites, Hear the
word of the Lord God; thus saith the Lord God,
Because thou saidst Aha! against my sanctuary,
when it was profaned; and against the land of
Israel, when it was desolate ; and against the
house of Judah, when they went into captivity;
behold, therefore, I will deliver thee to the men
of the east for a possession, and they shall set
their palaces in thee, and make their dwellings
in thee : they shall eat thy fruit, and they shall
drink thy milk. And I will make Rabbah a
stable for camels, and the Ammonites a couch¬
ing place for flocks ; and ye shall know that I
am the Lord. For thus saith the Lord God,
Because thou hast clapped thine hands, and
stamped with thy feet, and rejoiced in heart
with all thy despite against the land of Israel;
behold, therefore, I will stretch out mine hand
upon thee, and will deliver thee for a spoil to
the heathen; and I will cut thee oflf from the
people, and I will cause thee to perish out of
the countries ; 1 will destroy thee; and thou
shalt know that I am the Lord."
Mr. Seymmir. These predictions have been
literally fulfilled. The Ammonites have been
cut off from the people ; they are perished from
286 conversations on palestine.
the countries; no traces of them now remain ;
none are called by their name, nor do any claim
descent from them. Their country is divided
between the Turks and the Arabs, but chiefly
possessed by the latter. The extortions of the
one, and the depredations of the other, keep it
in " perpetual desolation," and make it " a spoil
to the heathen." The greater part of it is, how¬
ever, uninhabited, and the towns and villages
are in a state of total ruin. Rabbah, the capi¬
tal, though situated on the borders of a beauti¬
ful stream, encircled by a fruitful region, in a
position strong by nature, and fortified by art, is
now utterly destroyed, and contains not a single
inhabitant; its site is covered with the ruins of
private dwellings and magnificent public edi¬
fices, within whose desolate walls the Arabs
occasionally drive their flocks for shelter during
the night.
Mr. Seymour. About fifteen miles north-west
of Rabbah we arrive at Ramoth, a famous city
in the mountains of Gilead, whence it was
called Ramoth-Gilead. It formed a part of
the inheritance of the tribe of Gad, but was as¬
signed to the Levites, and became one of the
cities of refuge beyond the Jordan.
Mr. H. Ramoth is frequently mentioned in
conversations on palestine. 287
the history of the kings of Israel, having been
the occasion of several wars between them and
the kings of Syria, who had conquered it, and
from whom the Israelites endeavoured to regain
it. Ahab, we are told, went up to Ramoth-
Gilead, hoping to take it out of the hands of the
king of Syria ; but, as he had been forewarned
by the prophet Micaiah, the attempt was unsuc¬
cessful, and he himself was slain.
Mrs. Seymour. And after this, Joram, the
son and successor of Ahab, also made an attack
on Ramoth,from which he returned dangerously
wounded.
Gertrude. It was to this place, also, that one
of the sons of the prophets was sent, by Elisha,
to anoint Jehu, the son of Nimshi, king over
Israel.
Mr. Seymour. Jabesh-Gilead, which is
the next place we notice, was situated on a hill,
about twenty miles north of Ramoth, and about
fifteen east of the Jordan. This town was at¬
tacked by the Israelites, and the inhabitants
slain, because they refused to join in the war
against the Benjamites. Judges xxi. 5-14.
Charles. At a subsequent period it was be¬
sieged by Nahash, king of the Ammonites, and
was on the point of surrender, when it was de-
288 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
livered by Saul, who unexpectedly fell upon the
besiegers, and routed them, with great slaughter
1 Sam. xi.
Mrs. Seymour. And, now, can either of the
children tell us what the inhabitants of Jabesh
did, some years after, in return for the service
which Saul had rendered them T
" O, yes," said Clara, " I remember, that
when the Philistines hung the dead bodies of
Saul and his sons on the walls of Bethshan, the
people of Jabesh took them away and buried
them."
Mr. Seymour. That is right. The account,
which is found in the last three verses of the
first book of Samuel, furnishes a simple and
beautiful record of the gratitude of a people to
their deliverer. Read it, Henry.
Henry reads. " And when the inhabitants
of Jabesh-Gilead heard of that which the Phi¬
listines had done to Saul, all the valiant men
arose, and took the body of Saul, and the bodies
of his sons, from the wall of Bethshan, and
came to Jabesh, and burnt .them there. And
they took their bones, and buried them under a
tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days."
Mr. H. After this I believe we have no fur¬
ther account of Jabesh-Gilead in Scripture;
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 289
but Jerome and Eusebius mention, that in their
time it was still a large town.
Mr. Seymour. Pursuing our course toward
the north we arrive at that part of the country
called, in the New Testament, " the country of
the Gadarenesf which lies on the eastern coast
of the Sea of Tiberias, "over against Galilee."
Gadara, the chief city of this region, was, in
the time of Christ, a place of considerable size
and importance; but it is now in ruins, and
without an inhabitant.
" It was here," observed Mr. P., " that our
Lord cured the demoniac who had his dwelling
among the tombs." "
" I don't see," exclaimed Henry," how a man
could live among the tombs."
Mr. P. The Jews did not, as we do, bury
their dead under the groimd; their tombs were
generally excavated in the solid rocks, as large
as an ordinary-sized room, and having a small
entrance, or doorway. These tombs are to be
found in most parts of Palestine, and are fre¬
quently converted into dwellings, forming se¬
cure, cool, and tolerably comfortable habita¬
tions ; their principal inconvenience being, that
there is no light, except what is admitted by
the doorway. ^ „
290 conversations on palestine.
Mr. Seymour. There are many of these
tombs in the neighbourhood of Gadara, and Mr.
Buckingham tells us, that while travelling in
this region he was forcibly struck with the
Scripture accoimt of the habitation of the de¬
moniac, when he saw them inhabited, not only
by individuals, but by whole families. He par¬
ticularly describes one of them, which, he in¬
forms us, was about eight feet high, and twelve
paces square; the sarcophagus, or stone coffin,
which formerly contained the original lifeless
tenant of the sepulchre, had been converted, by
the present inhabitants, into a receptacle for
com and other provisions.
Charles. The northern portion of the coimtry
beyond Jordan comprises what was formerly
called the land of Bashan and Gilead. The
Bible contains frequent allusions to the rich
pastures, the stately oaks, and fine cattle of this
region; and the testimony of Mr. Buckingham
is in accordance with the Scriptural accounts.
He says, " We had now quitted the land of Si-
hon, king of the Amorites, and entered into
that of Og, king of Bashan, both of them well
known to all the readers of the early Scrip¬
tures. The mountains in this region are called
the land of Gilead, in the Scriptvues, and in Jo-
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 291
septus ; and, according to the Roman division,
this was the country of the Decapolis, spoken
of in the New Testament. We continued our
way over this elevated tract, continuing to be¬
hold with surprise and admiration a beautiful
country on all sides of us ; its plains covered
with a fertile soil, its hills clothed with forests,
and at every new turn presenting the most mag¬
nificent landscapes that could be imagined.
Among the trees the oak was frequently found;
and we know that this territory presented them
of old. In enumerating the sources from which
the supplies of Tyre were drawn, in the time
of her great wealth and naval splendour, the
prophet says, " Of the oaks of Bashan have they
made thine oars." Ezek. xxvii. 6. The gene¬
ral face of this region improved as we advanced
further in it; and every new direction of our
path opened upon us views which surprised and
charmed us by their grandeur and beauty. Lofty
mountains gave an outline of the most magnifi¬
cent character; flowing beds of secondary hills
softened the romantic wildness of the picture ;
gentle slopes, clothed with wood, gave a rich
variety of tints, hardly to be equalled by the
pencil; deep valleys, fiUed with murmuring
streams and verdant meadows, offered all the
292 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
luxuriance of cultivation; and herds and flocks
gave animation to scenes as grand, as beautiful,
and as highly picturesque as the genius or taste
of a Claude could either invent or desire.
Gertrude. Why, brother, that is equal to any
thing yet described in our travels. Can it be
a real picture 1
Mr. H. I think so, Gertrude. Mr. Bankes,
who accompanied Mr. Buckingham, and who
had seen the whole of England, the greater part
of Italy and France, and almost every province
of Spain and Portugal, frequently remarked that
" in all his travels he had met with nothing equal
to it, excepting only some parts of the latter
country, between Minho and Douro, to which
alone he could compare it."
Mrs. Seymour. From this description we
may readily imagine the pleasure of the Israel¬
ites on entering this region, after wandering forty
years in the desert, and account for the solicitude
of the two tribes to be allowed to settle here.
Mr. Seymour. We have now traversed the
holy land in its full extent; its mountains, its
plains, its lakes, its rivers, and its cities have
successively passed before us; and satisfactory
as the survey has been to us as a refutation of
the infidel objection mentioned in the com-
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 293
mencement of our lessons, yet it would be wrong
to argue the former capabilities of the holy land
from its present appearance, as it is now under
the curse of God, and its general desolation is
in full accordance with prophetic denunciation.
The Israelite in our street, whose appearance
was delineated with graphic precision by the
Jewish legislator and prophet more than three
thousand years ago, is not a surer evidence of
the inspiration of the holy volume than the land
as it now exists, cursed as it is in all its pro¬
ducts, its heaven shut up, and comparatively
without rain.* Deut. xi. 17.
Mr. H. The prophecies against the land of
Canaan have been so literally fulfilled that they
may now be used as actual history. " Your
highways shall be desolate ; I will make your
cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries into
desolation; the land shall be utterly emptied,
and utterly spoiled; and I will bring the land
into desolation, and your enemies which dwell
therein shall be astonished at it." I could quote
many more, but it is unnecessary. Let us turn
to the brighter side of the picture ; who among
you will draw it ?
Mr. Seymour. I will, in the glowing and
• Hardy.
294 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
beautiful words of another.* " The sure word
of prophecy has promised unto Judea a glorious
resurrection, and has described it in ' colours
dipped in the rays of heaven and though its
words may refer as well to a spiritual Israel,
extended as the world, they are the better for
all this, and we will utter them with a louder
voice, and a gladder heart. It is because of
sin that the land is thus desolate ; but amid all
the afflictive dispensations with which it is
visited, though it be now comparatively treeless
and streamless, a glory shines upon its rocks
that gilds not the towers of the noblest of earth's
palaces. The inheritance of Israel is ' at rest
in the nervous language of inspiration it is ' the
Sabbath' of the land; one wo is past, and a
second and a third have been endured ; the
clouds that now envelope the mountains of Le¬
banon and Hermon shall soon be dispersed,
and beams all cheering as the bow of the cove¬
nant shall play upon their summits, and shall
descend lower and lower, as the Sun of Right¬
eousness rises in the firmament, gathering rich¬
ness as they descend, until they burst in a flood
of glory upon the lowest of the valleys, and from
limit to limit fill the whole of the promised pos-
• Hardy.
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 295
session; the breath of the Lord shall then
breathe upon the mass, and every hill, and field,
and stream shall teem with a new existence,
and the breath as it breathes shall receive in¬
stant homage from the lily bending in its love¬
liness, and the rose of Sharon shall give to it
the fragrance of its leaves ; the sky shall be
like the heaven it but partially hides, the air all
fragrance, the hills shall put forth the sweetest
of the fruits, and the vales shall be covered with
the com, and the oil, and wine; the waters
of the stream shall murmur praises unto the
Lord, the whispers of the wind shall be hymns
to our Immanuel, and the sounds, when they
close upon earth, shall be carried on by the
angels in heaven. 'The wilderness and the
solitary place shall be glad, and the desert shall
rejoice and blossom as the rose; it shall blos¬
som abundantly, and rejoice, even with joy and
singing ; in the wildemess shall waters break
out, and streams in the desert, and the parched
ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land
springs of water ; and the ransomed of the Lord
shall return and come to Zion with songs, and
everlasting joy upon their heads ; they shall ob¬
tain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing
296 conversations on palestine.
shall flee away. The mouth of the Lord
hath spoken it.'"
" O, that is indeed beautiful!" exclaimed
Gertrude. " Our lessons have invested Pales¬
tine with an interest that will never be forgotten.
O, Charles, if ever you are a missionary, surely
you will choose this sacred place in which to
' preach Christ and him crucifiedwill you
not, dear brother ?"
Charles. That might not be left to my option,
dear. It is true, no other land possesses equal
charms for me; and it would indeed be happiness
to stand on Olivet, where Jesus stood, and preach
from thence the resurrection. But in this mat¬
ter we should pray, "The will of the Lord be
done."
" Amen, my son," piously ejaculated Mrs.
Seymour, with emotion; " even your mother
could forget the pangs of separation, and long
continued absence, in the blessed assurance
that you were indeed treading in your Master's
steps, and aiding in the fulfilment of his great
mission."
Mr. Seymour. May each of you, my child¬
ren, cherish the interest which has thus been
created; may your hearts ever turn fondly to
your Father's land. It is holy, consecrated
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.* 297
ground. The land which Jesus trod, which
was honoured by the actual presence of the Son
of God, can never lose its peculiar character.
It is higher, far higher than classic ground.
Heroes and sages have passed away; their
mighty deeds and wondrous knowledge are but
as a speck in the memoranda of the past, while
the glorious picture of Israel's recovery, which
we have just been viewing, will grow brighter
and brighter, as prophecy unfolds her wonders,
until the noon-day radiance of eternity shall for
ever scatter every cloud.
Mrs. Seymour. Permit me, my dear, for a
moment yet to linger. I have some poetry
which will sweetly close our present lesson,
and teach us still more to look at " the things
which are unseen and eternal."
Mrs. Seymour reads:—
" Blest land of Judea! thrice hallowed of song,
Where the holiest of memories pilgrim-like throng;
In the shade of thy palms, by the shores of thy sea,
On the hills of thy beauty, my heart is with thee.
With the eye of a spirit I look on that shore.
Where pilgrim and prophet have lingered before ;
With the glide of a spirit I traverse the sod
Made bright by the steps of the angels of God.
298 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE.
Blue sea of the hills! in my spirit I hear
Thy waters, Gennesaret, chime on my ear;
Where the Lowly and Just with the people sat down.
And thy spray on the dust of his sandals was thrown.
Beyond are Bethulia's mountains of green.
And the desolate hills of the wild Gadarene ;
And I pause on the goat-crags of Tabor to see
The gleam of thy waters, O dark Galilee !
Hark, a sound in the valleys! where, swollen and strong.
Thy river, O Kishon, is sweeping along ;
Where the Canaanite strove with Jehovah in vain.
And thy torrent grew dark with the blood of the slain.
There, down from his mountains stem Zebulon came.
And Naphtali's stag, with his eye-balls of dame ;
.\nd the chariots of Jabin rolled harmlessly on.
For the arm of the Lord was Abinoam's son!
There sleep the still rocks, and the caverns which rang
To the song which the beautiful prophetess sang.
When the princes of Issachar stood by her side.
And the shout of a host in its triumph replied.
Lo, Bethlehem's hill-site before me is seen.
With the mountains around, and the valleys between ;
There rested the shepherds of Judah, and there
The song of the angels rose sweet on the air.
And Bethany's palm-trees in beauty still throw
Their shadows at noon on the ruins below;
But where are the sisters who hastened to greet
The lowly Redeemer, and sit at his feet t
CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE. 299
I tread where the twelve in their wayfaring trod ;
I stand where they stood with the Chosen of God ;
Where his blessing was heard, and his lessons were
taught,
Where the blind was restored, and the healing was
wrought.
Oh, here with his flock the sad Wanderer came ;
These hills he toiled over in grief are the same—
The founts where he drank by the way-side still flow,
And the same airs are blowing which breathed on his
brow.
And, throned on her hills, sits Jerusalem yet.
But with dust on her forehead, and chains on her feet:
For the crown of her pride to the mocker hath gone.
And the holy Shechinah is dark where it shone !
But wherefore this dream of the earthly abode
Of Humanity clothed in the brightness of God !
Were my spirit but turned from the outward and dim,
I could gaze, even now, on the presence of Him !
Not in clouds and in terrors, but gentle as when
In love and in meekness he moved among men ;
And the voice which breathed peace to the waves of the
sea.
In the hush of my spirit, would whisper to me.
And what if my feet may not tread where He stood.
Nor my ears hear the dashing of Galilee's flood.
Nor my eyes see the cross which He bowed him to bear,
Nor my knees press Gethsemane's garden of prayer :
300 CONVERSATIONS ON PALESTINE,
Yet, Loved of the Father, thy spirit is near
To the meek, and the lowly, and penitent here ;
And the voice of thy love is the same even now,
As at Bethany's tomb, or on Olivet's brow.
Oh, the outward hath gone !—^but in glory and power.
The Spirit surviveth the things of an hour.
Unchanged, undecaying, its Pentecost flame
On the heart's secret altar is burning the same !"
Whittier.
Mr. Seymour. And now for a little while we
part. Weeks will intervene before we thus all
meet again. Let us try to mark them by im¬
provement in virtue and knowledge, that when
favoured with a reunion the retrospect may
afford us unmingled pleasure.
INDEX TO PALESTINE.
i
Page
Abarim, Mountains of Ill
Acre, 151
Aimond-tree, 66
Ammonites, prophecies respecting the 284
Antelope, 77
Arimathea, 197
Arnon, River 135
Ashdod, 141
Askeion, 141
Bashan and Gilead, 290
Mr. Buckingham's description of 291
Beersheba, 210
Bethabara, 282
Bethany, 274
Bethel, 198
Bethlehem, 199
Bethsaida, 177
Boar, the wild 82
Calvary, 240
Cana, 185
Capernaum, 177
Carmel, Mount 102
Cedar, 70
Cesarea, 148
Philippi, 176
Chorazin, 177
Christ, birth of 203
, death and burial of 243
Citron-tree, 64
Dan,
David's retreat from Jerusalem, 258
Dead Sea, 122
Ebal and Gerizim, Mountains of 107
302 INDEX TO PALESTINE.
Page
Ebal and Gerizim, Valley between 109
Ekron, 143
Elijah's sacrifice, 106
Esdraelon, Plain of 114
, historical celebrity of 115
Fig-tree, 58
Fox, (see Jackal.)
Gadarenes, country of the 289
Galilee, Sea of 119
Gath 143
Gaza, 139
Gazelle, 78
Gethsemane, 2.')1
Gennesareth, Lake of 119
Gilead, 290
Mountains of 110
Gilgal 281
Goat, the wild 76
Good Samaritan, parable of the 275
Grinding, eastern mode of 48
Hebron, 206
Hermon, Mount 95
Heshbon, 282
Ibex 76
- .Tabbok, River 135
Jabesh-Gilead, 287
Jackal, 80
Jehoshaphat, Valley of 247
Jericho, 275, 278
, road from Jerusalem to 275
, sacred associations of 279
Jerusalem, 213
, sketch of its history, 215
, various descriptions of 219
, ideal view of the ancient city, 227
, description of the modern city, 233
, prophecies respecting 259
INDEX TO PALESTINE. 303
Page
Jerusalem, population of 261
—' , state of the Jews in 263
Jews, attachments of the, to sacred places, 183
Jordan, River 128
, lion from the swelling of 131
——, passage of by the Israelites 129
Kedron 250
Kishon, River 134
Lebanon, Mount 90
Lily, 74
Local associations, influence of 266
Lydda, 198
Machpelah, Cave of 207
Mamre, Plain of 206
Melons and cucumbers, 69
Moses, death of Ill
Mosque of Omar, 234
Myrtle, 72
Nain, 187
Nazareth, 185
Olives, Mount of 253
Olive-tree, 55
Palestine, situation and boundaries of 29
■, names by which it is known, 31
, advantageous position of, 31
, general appearance of 42
, climate of 43
., ancient fertility of 44
. ., natural history of 47
, sketch of its history 83
, prophecies respecting 293
Palm-tree,
Pastoral life in the east, 201
Philistines, Plain of the 118
Pistachio-nut, 67
Pomegranate, 68
304 INDEX TO PALESTINE.
Psfe
PoETRT: Gethsemane, 251
, Jerusalem, 269
, Palestine, 297
, the Nativity, 204
Ptolemais, 151
Rabbah, or Rabboth Ammon 283
, prophecies respecting 284
Rains, early and latter 45
Ramla, 197
Ramoth-Gilead, 287
Rephaim, Valley of 200
Rose of Sharon, 73
Samaria, 188
Saphet, 183
Sarepta, 170
Sepulchre, church of the 239
, question of its identity, 240
Sepulchres, Jewish 239
, often converted into dwellings, 240
Sharon, Plain of 117
Shechem, 191
, sacred associations of 193
Sheep, Syrian 75
Sidon, 152, 169
Sycamore-tree, 59
Sychar, 191
Tabor, Mount 96
, view from 98
Temple of Jerusalem 227
Tiberias, 181
, Sea of 119
Tyre, 152
, former greatness of 154
, sources of its wealth, 156
, prophecies respecting 158
Vine, 51
Wine-press, 53