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JERUSALEM THE HOLY 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 
 Princeton Theological Seminary Library 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/jerusalemholybriOOwall 
 
Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 A Brief History of Ancient Jeru- 
 salem; with an Account of the 
 Modern City and its Conditions 
 Political, Religious and Social 
 
 EDWIN SHERMAN WALLACE 
 
 Late United States Consul for Palestine 
 
 With Fifteen Illustrations from Photographs 
 and Four Maps 
 
 New York Chicago Toronto 
 
 Fleming H. Revell Company 
 
 M DCCC XCVIII 
 
Copyright, 1898 
 
 BY 
 
 Fleming H. Revell Company 
 
To My Mother 
 
 At Rest in the Heavenly Jerusalem, 
 
 and 
 
 To My Wife 
 
 Who Shared with Me the Varied Experiences 
 
 of Five Years' Residence in the 
 
 Jerusalem of Earth 
 
Preface 
 
 BOOKS about Jerusalem are sufficiently numerous. Many- 
 volumes within recent years have recorded the impres- 
 sions of tourists with such adequacy for their purpose as a 
 few days' sojourn in the city permits. These, while generally 
 too long for the careless, are too superficial for those really in- 
 terested in the past and present of the Holy City. Some fifty 
 years ago the appearance of Williams' " Holy City " and Bar- 
 clay's " City of the Great King " gave the English public two 
 real histories of Jerusalem. But the great length of these excel- 
 lent treatises has confined them in great measure to the shelves 
 of large libraries, while the flight of time and the growth of 
 knowledge is, slowly but surely, rendering them antiquated. 
 
 In the present volume the author has sought to combine 
 completeness with brevity, and thus to place in the hands of 
 those who are interested in this city of sacred memories and 
 holy sites a book of such facts as are ascertainable. The opin- 
 ions expressed are based upon careful study of recognized 
 authorities, supplemented by diligent personal investigation, 
 carried on during a residence of five years in Jerusalem. In 
 many conversations with travellers the writer has learned what 
 is of greatest interest to those who have but limited time for 
 their own observation. The attempt is here made to give the 
 benefit of his studies to those who are interested, to answer as 
 briefly as possible the questions that have been so often asked, 
 and thus to prepare intending visitors for an intelligent com- 
 prehension of what they shall see when they arrive in the Holy 
 City. At the same time the work, it is hoped, will benefit 
 those whom circumstances prevent from beholding the present 
 remnant of the once great city, by giving them a picture of 
 
 7 
 
8 Prefc 
 
 ace 
 
 what it is and narrating the experiences through which it has 
 reached its present condition. 
 
 For the historical parts of the work I must acknowledge my 
 indebtedness to many, but especially to Professor Sayce's 
 " Patriarchal Palestine " ; Edersheim's "Jesus the Messiah " ; 
 Doctor Robinson's " Biblical Researches" ; Williams' " Holy 
 City," and Barclay's " City of the Great King." So many 
 books have been consulted that it would be useless to mention 
 all. I have not hesitated to draw from every source, and those 
 who are acquainted with the publications of the Palestine Ex- 
 ploration Society will find that these papers have assisted me 
 very materially. The illustrations are from photographs taken 
 by Rev. Putnam Cady and Prof. E. Warren Clark. 
 
 Edwin Sherman Wallace. 
 
 United States Consulate, Jerusalem, 1898. 
 
Contents 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. The City of the Canaanites 13 
 
 II. The City of David and Solomon 27 
 
 III. Jerusalem as Christ Saw It 47 
 
 IV. The City as it is To-day 69 
 
 V. The New Jerusalem 89 
 
 VI. The Walls and Gates 101 
 
 VII. The Hills Round About 115 
 
 VIII. The Valleys 129 
 
 IX. The Temple Hill 147 
 
 X. Church of the Holy Sepulchre 171 
 
 XI. The New, or Gordon's, Calvary 199 
 
 XII. Some Places of Special Interest 215 
 
 XIII. Excavations in Jerusalem 231 
 
 XIV. Climate and Health 247 
 
 XV. Passion Week and Easter 261 
 
 XVI. The Jews 287 
 
 XVII. Christians in Jerusalem 311 
 
 XVIII. The Moslems , 329 
 
 XIX. The Future of Jerusalem : . . 349 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 The Mosque of Omar Frontispiece 
 
 Robinson's Arch Facing page 60 
 
 Native Water Carriers ) 
 
 Street Market Scenes ) 
 
 United States Consulate 
 
 Consular Guards 
 
 Interior of Damascus Gate 
 
 Gate of St. Stephen 
 
 I ..." 
 
 East Wall and Moslem Cemetery I 
 
 The Golden Gate J 
 
 Mount of Olives and Garden of Gethsemane . " 
 
 Old Olive Tree in Garden of Gethsemane . . " 
 The City as Seen from the Summit of the New Calvary " 
 Southern View of the New Calvary ..." 
 
 Syrian Bishop of Jerusalem " 
 
 Maps. following 11 
 
 19 
 94 
 
 106 
 
 118 
 
 139 
 199 
 209 
 320 
 359 
 
 11 
 
THE CITY OF THE CANAANITES 
 
Jerusalem — The Name — Its Origin — Salem — Testimony of 
 Egyptian Monuments — Tel-el-Amarna Tablets — Melchizedek 
 — Ebed-Tob — Abraham in Canaan — Civilization of the Ca- 
 naanites — Debir — Modern Explorations — Jerusalem always a 
 Sacred City — Jebusites — Hittites — The Confederates — Adoni- 
 Zedek — Victories of Joshua — Division of the Land — Judah and 
 Benjamin — Moral and Religious Degeneracy — Jebusite Su- 
 premacy — Judges — Samuel — Founding of the Monarchy — 
 David — Conquest of Jerusalem. 
 
 14 
 
THE CITY OF THE CANAANITES 
 
 JERUSALEM as a name and as a place has given students 
 of archaeology much concern. The origin of the name 
 and of the people who first employed it to describe their 
 city has been a fruitful source of speculation. Diligent ques- 
 tioning of the monuments of Egypt and the tablets of Babylonia 
 has succeeded in making these long silent witnesses give up 
 their secrets. Periods of time, the history of which conjecture 
 has supplied, are now positively known. Fact has taken the 
 place of supposition. The inquirer as to the origin of the 
 word Jerusalem is no longer told that the word was coined at 
 the time of David ; he learns that it was in existence centuries 
 before, that it was known as the name of a city of importance 
 in the days when Babylonish influence was felt as far west as 
 the shores of the Mediterranean. 
 
 Until within very recent years one might have accepted any 
 of several definitions of the word Jerusalem. The rabbis in 
 their zeal to connect the founding of the city with Abraham 
 asserted that he, the father of their faith, first called the place 
 Jireh and that Shem contributed the latter half of the name ; 
 in order that there might be no unpleasantness between these 
 two worthies, God himself combined the two words into the 
 one by which the city has since been known. Reland and 
 Ewald derived it from two Hebrew words meaning "the in- 
 heritance of peace." Gesenius translated it "foundation of 
 peace." Others have held the opinion that originally there 
 were here two separate cities, one known as Jebus, the other 
 Salem ; that eventually they were united and their names re- 
 solved into one, which, for the sake of euphony, became Jerusa- 
 
 r 5 
 
16 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 lem instead of Jebussalem. A similar view was held by those 
 who give the Hebrew dual form to the word, reading it Jeru- 
 shalaim, a form that occurs in five places in the Old Testa- 
 ment. When the Greek influence predominated, a Greek der- 
 ivation made it mean " the holy place of Solomon." 
 
 All these hypotheses had their value when no positive infor- 
 mation was at hand : now the facts are before us. In the 
 cuneiform documents the city is called Uru-Salim, the city of 
 Salim. In the early language of Canaan as we learn from a 
 Nineveh tablet "uru" was equivalent to the Babylonish 
 "alu,"a city. The Semitic "uru" represents the "eri," 
 "a city," of the pre-Semitic language of Babylonia. As to 
 "Salim" there has never been a doubt: it means "peace," 
 and was the name of the God of Peace. So we have Uru- 
 Salim, Jerusalem, the city of the God of Peace. 
 
 The information furnished by the monuments and tablets 
 makes us reasonably certain as to another long-disputed sub- 
 ject. When Abraham returned after defeating the kings who 
 had despoiled Sodom and carried Lot away captive, he was 
 met "in the valley of Shaveh, which is the King's dale" by 
 "Melchizedek, king of Salem," and " priest of the most High 
 God." This Melchizedek was king of Jerusalem. From the 
 history of Absalom we know that the " King's dale " was near 
 Jerusalem. Salem was frequently used for the longer name, 
 and so appears several times on the Egyptian monuments. 
 One of the victory-inscriptions of Rameses II. on the walls of 
 the Rameseum at Thebes, describing that monarch's conquests 
 in Southern Palestine, mentions Salem. Rameses III. at 
 Medinet Habu, tells us that he conquered "the district of 
 Salem " between " the country of Hadashah " and " the dis- 
 trict of the Dead Sea " and " the Jordan." 
 
 Salim, the God of Peace, was the patron deity of Jerusalem, 
 the city of peace. Melchizedek, priest of the most high God, 
 officiating in the city of peace, came out to welcome and bless 
 the returning conqueror Abraham, who had routed the ene- 
 
The City of the Canaanites 17 
 
 mies of the land and restored peace to its inhabitants. The 
 offerings of bread and wine made by the priest were tokens, 
 the one that peace had been established, the other of 
 gratitude to him whose prowess had effected this desirable 
 consummation. The story of Melchizedek can no longer 
 be subject to critical doubts. The Tel-el-Amarna tablets give 
 their corroborative testimony of illustration and explanation. 
 Salem was Jerusalem. 
 
 Among the Tel-el-Amarna tablets are found letters written 
 by a king of Jerusalem to Amenophis, the then reigning 
 Pharaoh in Egypt. This king, Ebed-Tob, was not a governor 
 appointed from Egypt, but, as he himself says, was a tributary 
 ally of the empire of the Nile. There are some striking points 
 of resemblance between this king, Ebed-Tob, and the royal 
 priest Melchizedek. He claims his kingdom not by human 
 appointment, nor by succession from royal progenitors, but 
 through the oracle of the "Mighty King." The Pharaoh is 
 called " the Great King," so that when " the Mighty King " 
 is spoken of we see in Him "the Most High God " of Mel- 
 chizedek. In this early day, fifteen centuries before our era, 
 Jerusalem had a religious monarch who confesses that he owes 
 the honor of his appointment and the dignity of his royal posi- 
 tion to his God. 
 
 When Abraham journeying from Ur of the Chaldees, came 
 to Canaan, he found a people not entirely strange to him. 
 The civilization of his native land had preceded him ; in the 
 cities of Canaan the people worked and worshipped as in his own 
 country. Babylonia was the predominant power in " the land 
 of the Amorites." In the cities of the West the language of 
 Babylon was commonly known ; there were schools for the 
 study of it, and scribes who copied on tablets of clay the rec- 
 ords that were to be preserved. With two or three notable 
 exceptions the cuneiform characters were used in all diplo- 
 matic and polite correspondence. 
 
 It has been taken for granted that the land to which Abra- 
 
18 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 ham came as an immigrant was sparsely settled by barbar- 
 ous people; the Tel-el-Amarna tablets show us that this as- 
 sumption was far from the truth. And yet the real condition 
 of the land and the people might have been inferred from the 
 Old Testament, in the names by which some of the cities of 
 Canaan were known: for example, Debir — " the sanctuary" 
 was known by two other names, Kirjath-Sannah, " the city of 
 instruction," and Kirjath-Sepher, " the city of books." It is 
 more than probable that in these names we receive a charac- 
 terization of the place according to the employment of its in- 
 habitants. Debir was situated in the mountainous parts of 
 Judah ; if its exact location ever be discovered, a library of in- 
 formation about these early times may be given to the world. 
 
 The results of modern exploration in Palestine, while they 
 have disappointed expectations in some respects, have been 
 of great value in assisting in the formation of correct opinions 
 of the early periods of history. As each discovery corrobo- 
 rates the Biblical narrative, the hope grows that the labors of 
 explorers may be rewarded by some great "find." Professor 
 Petrie and Doctor Bliss in their work at Tel-el-Hesi demon- 
 strated the possibility of such a hope being realized. If Tel- 
 el-Hesi could reveal the work of men's hands wrought from 
 3,000 to 1,500 years b. c, and one letter in cuneiform char- 
 acter of the same date as the Tel-el-Amarna tablets, there is 
 no limit to the hopes that those interested in such discoveries 
 may be permitted to entertain. Palestine is a land of mounds, 
 or tels, the sites of ancient cities. They are waiting for the 
 pick of the excavator to disclose their hidden treasures of in- 
 formation concerning the pre-Israelite dwellers in this land. 
 
 The excavations made under the direction of the Palestine 
 Exploration Fund, by Conder and Bliss have settled some dis- 
 puted questions of topography, but, carefully and industriously 
 as the work has been done, have added little to our knowledge 
 of the city's builders and inhabitants previous to the Jewish 
 conquest under David. Our information, limited as it is, has 
 
The City of the Canaanites 19 
 
 been derived from other sources, the discovery of which war- 
 rants the belief that, when existing obstacles to excavations 
 within the present city walls and near the Holy Places of the 
 Moslems are removed, discoveries equal in importance to that 
 of Tel-el-Amarna will be made. 
 
 This much is now positive knowledge, that when Abram, 
 the Chaldean sheikh, pitched his tents in the land of Canaan 
 he was in a country that was settled and reasonably well gov- 
 erned, that the Babylonish culture and civilization predomi- 
 nated, that Jerusalem was a city whose ruler was recognized as 
 king over a district, probably the lord of Canaan, to whom 
 the neighboring princes paid homage, and that Jerusalem was 
 already a sacred city. We cannot yet say to which of the 
 numerous Canaanitish tribes Melchizedek, the king of Right- 
 eousness, belonged. From the Book of Numbers 1 we learn 
 that "the Hittites and the Jebusites and the Amorites dwell 
 in the mountains." It can further be inferred with reason 
 that the dwellers in the city in Abram's time were either Hit- 
 tites or Amorites, or both, for the Jebusites were a local tribe, 
 in possession of the city at the time the Israelites under Joshua 
 entered Canaan, and were either Amorite or Hittite in origin.* 
 Ezekiel 3 confirms this opinion when in charging the Jerusalem 
 of his day with inconsistency, he says : " Your mother was an 
 Hittite and your father an Amorite." The two nations occu- 
 pied the entire land at one time, Kadesh on the Orontes being 
 the stronghold of the Hittites. Hittites and Amorites dwelt to- 
 gether at Hebron, and Kadesh -barnea was " in the mountains 
 of the Amorites." 
 
 Knowing this much generally about these two large tribes, 
 or nations, does not enable us, however, to say which one of 
 them occupied the rocky summit of Zion, nor when the Jebu- 
 site took possession. A theory as to time, based upon the 
 records of the Tel-el-Amarna tablets, has much in its favor. In 
 
 > Num. xiii. 29. 8 Sayce's " Patriarchal Palestine," pp. 50, 51. 
 
 3 Ezekiel xvi. 45. 
 
20 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 the list there given no mention is made of the Jebusites. The 
 name Jebus further does not appear. The fact that Urusalim 
 is the common appellation leads to the conclusion that the 
 Jebusitic occupation was of later date. At the time the tab- 
 lets were written, the king, Ebed-Tob, was being hard pressed 
 by enemies, whom he calls Khabiri, or " Confederates." To 
 assist him against those who were seeking to conquer his terri- 
 tories and to dethrone him, he writes in urgent terms to the 
 reigning Pharaoh to send him help. But affairs in Egypt 
 were in a critical condition and no forces could be spared. 
 The result Ebed-Tob feared actually happened, as one of the 
 tablets informs us. Jerusalem was finally assaulted and taken, 
 and the king captured. There is no record that informs us 
 who these early enemies of Jerusalem were. Among the Kha- 
 biri, or "Confederates," was a Bedouin chief, Labai, and 
 his sons. These confederates overran and took all of southern 
 Canaan. When next we hear of Jerusalem it is a Jebusite 
 stronghold. Doubtless in the partition of the spoils of their 
 combined victories the city was allotted to this new tribe, or, 
 following the suggestion given by Ezekiel, we may say that 
 the Jebusites were a tribe formed by a union of part of the 
 Hittite and part of the Amorite tribes. 
 
 All this, however, is in the nature of conjecture based upon 
 the correspondence of time of the appearance of these Con- 
 federates and the change of the city's name. The Khabiri 
 were in possession of Hebron at this time and philologists tell 
 us that the words Khabiri and Hebron have the same origin. 
 Other explanations as to who the "Confederates" were and 
 whence they came are offered, but to follow them would lead 
 us from our present purpose. Enough that they succeeded in 
 taking the city and making themselves complete masters of it 
 and the surrounding country. Here we find them, secure in 
 their possession and boastful of their security for some cen- 
 turies. 
 
 Five centuries after Abraham made his offering to Mel- 
 
The City of the Canaanites 11 
 
 chizedek, at that time King of Jerusalem, his descendants, 
 after generations of servitude in the land of the Pharaohs and 
 forty years of wilderness wandering, entered Canaan as con- 
 querors. The name of the king of Jebus who opposed them 
 suggests that the city still retained its sacred character, and 
 his calling upon the neighboring princes of Hebron, Jarmuth, 
 Lachish and Eglon to come and help him to resist the invaders 
 indicates that they were in some sense subservient to him. 
 These five kings are all called Amorites in Joshua x, 5. 
 Adoni-zedek, the righteous lord, was this king's name, and 
 from it we infer that he, too, combined in his person the office 
 of king and priest. The alliance of the kings was, however, 
 unable to resist the invaders under Joshua. They gave battle 
 at Gibeon, about three miles northwest of Jerusalem and were 
 completely routed. The victory of the Israelites was decisive. 
 Adoni-zedek and his four vassal princes were taken and paid 
 the penalty of their resistance with their lives. 
 
 Following up his victory at Gibeon Joshua immediately took 
 the cities, whose kings he had hanged near the cave of 
 Makkedah, 1 and slaughtered all their inhabitants. Of Jerusalem 
 no mention is made at this time. It was not assailed ; or 
 the assault was not successful. It was then, no doubt, being the 
 capital city, a much more strongly fortified place than any of 
 the other cities and regularly to invest it would have consumed 
 more time and required more formidable enginery of war than 
 the Israelites had at their disposal. It was left for a more 
 opportune season. In the meantime other alliances of the 
 native princes commanded the attention of Joshua and his 
 men-at-arms. 
 
 In the division of the land made subsequently by Joshua the 
 northern boundary of Judah's allotted territory ran "south of 
 the Jebusite"; 2 and so Jebus was counted in Benjamin's 
 portion. However, the Benjamites seem to have permitted the 
 forces of Judah to do the fighting necessary to obtain possession. 
 'Joshua x. 15, etc. * Joshua xv. 8. 
 
22 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 Doubtless for this reason many passages in the Bible speak of 
 Jerusalem as a city of Judah. At any rate Judah did success- 
 fully assail Jebus, 1 with the assistance of the forces of Simeon. 2 
 When this successful assault was made cannot be discovered, 
 for in the list of cities which fell to the lot of Judah, as given 
 in the fifteenth chapter of Joshua, the city of the Jebusites was 
 the one exception to the universal conquest. It was strong 
 enough to make terms of peace, and, as the writer of Joshua 
 puts it, " The Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at 
 Jerusalem unto this day." 3 How long these terms of peace 
 were satisfactory cannot be learned, for the next record * 
 mentions that Judah had taken Jerusalem, " smitten it with 
 the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire." From this 
 conquest Judah's forces went to the south and east of their 
 territory to overthrow the Canaanites, and seem to have left 
 Jerusalem in the care of their brothers, the Benjamites, it be- 
 ing in reality one of the cities which had been assigned to 
 them. 5 But Benjamin was not strong enough to keep the 
 Jebusites in subjection. They made the mistake of permitting 
 the conquered race to remain in their old habitation. Expul- 
 sion of the Jebusite was the only method which would have 
 allowed Benjamin to enjoy the benefits of Judah's victory. 
 This not having been employed, the Jebusite soon raised him- 
 self to a position of equality, and, though Benjamin wished 
 to expel him, he could not. So the next record 6 informs us 
 that the Jebusite and Benjamite are dwelling together in 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 An effort has been made to reconcile these rather difficult 
 passages, which appear to contradict each other, by assuming 
 that at this early period the city was, what it certainly became 
 at a later date, double in form, that is that there were two 
 divisions of the city, an upper and a lower. In this 
 case the children of Judah were able to dislodge the 
 
 1 Judges i. 8. 3 Judges i. 3. 3 Joshua xv. 63. 
 
 * Judges i. 8. 6 Joshua xviii. 28. fl Judges i. 21. 
 
The City of the Canaanites 23 
 
 Jebusite from the lower city, which was less strongly fortified, 
 and the Benjamites dwelt in this part, while the Jebusites from 
 their stronghold on Zion repelled all assaults. The Hebrew 
 dual form which the name sometimes has, i. e., Jerushal«z>«, 
 has been thought to support this hypothesis. But it gives 
 weak support. On the two occasions 1 when the last half of the 
 word is used for the whole it is written Shalem and not 
 Shalaim. In five other places where the dual form is used, 
 and which the Masoretic points indicate, no support is given 
 this theory ; for these are of a much later date when the double 
 form of the city was well established and was so familiar as to 
 be reflected in the name. 
 
 This difficulty will remain until further records, if any such 
 exist, are discovered. For the present it can only be said that 
 in the troublous times of the Israelitish conquest of the land 
 there were periods when first one and then the other of the 
 contending parties held the supremacy. 
 
 A period of moral and religious degeneracy succeeded the 
 death of Joshua. The Israelites of the next generation forgot 
 their divine commission and are found serving " the gods of 
 the people that were round about them." * The martial spirit 
 that made them conquerors had sunk so low that they could no 
 longer maintain what they had won. They were even sold as 
 slaves by the nations that had stood in fear of their fathers. 3 
 Occasionally a man of great personal power arose among them 
 and revived their old spirit for a time. But with the decay of 
 their sublime religion they degenerated as men, and for a time 
 their national existence was threatened ; they were sinking to 
 the level of the Canaanite. During this period of disgrace the 
 Jebusites were strong enough to expel them entirely, and for 
 nearly three hundred years the city was regarded by the 
 Israelites as " the city of a stranger " in which it was neither 
 desirable nor safe for an Israelite to tarry. 4 
 
 1 Gen. xiv. 18; Psalm Ixxvi. 2. s Judges ii. 12. 
 
 3 Judges ii. 10-14. 4 Judges xix. 12. 
 
24 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 The period of the judges, until the authority of Samuel, the 
 greatest of the judges, was recognized, was a time of political 
 and religious anarchy. " Every man did that which was 
 right in his own eyes." * As a consequence the record of the 
 period is a story of corruption involving, except in a few cases, 
 even the priests and judges. Under such circumstances no ad- 
 vance could be made, and we may pass rapidly over an epoch 
 the study of which tells us nothing of Jerusalem. Secure in 
 their rock fortress on Zion the Jebusites remained, doubtless us- 
 ing past experience to make more safe against attack the city 
 for which nature had done so much. And they would have 
 remained in insolent possession, had not a great leader ap- 
 peared. 
 
 In the midst of this national degeneracy Samuel, second 
 only to Moses as a ruler and guide, came upon the stage of ac- 
 tion. With the duties of a judge he combined those of a 
 teacher and a prophet. In time he shamed the Israelites out 
 of their idolatry and delivered them from the power of the 
 Philistines. The spirit of Jehovah came upon them again and 
 their departed glory returned. In the hands of Samuel the 
 theocracy became a fact, for he was virtually a dictator. And 
 yet, so long as the various tribes retained their individuality 
 and the numerous princes and princelings and leaders were 
 under no universally acknowledged head, there were petty 
 jealousies and internal strifes which seriously weakened the na- 
 tion. In fact up to this time, and after it, there was no Jew- 
 ish nation. Each tribal leader was nothing more than a con- 
 dottiere in Italy in mediaeval times and maintained his posi- 
 tion only by his ability to overpower his rivals and to gratify 
 the propensity for spoils of his clansmen. 
 
 Amid such adverse conditions the task of Samuel was not an 
 easy one; and it took him forty years to accomplish it. The 
 details of his efforts to educate and elevate the lawless chief- 
 tains and dispirited people are unknown ; history records only 
 fudges xvii. 6. 
 
The City of the Canaanites 25 
 
 the grand result. He aroused fresh courage and inspired new 
 hope; he combined the factions into a harmonious whole; he 
 laid upon them the responsibility of conquest and incited in 
 them a belief in their own powers to accomplish the mission to 
 which he as God's spokesman called them. He revolutionized 
 the state by reviving the religion of the people and thereby 
 prepared them for that advance in civilization, — a political 
 revolution, and the founding of a monarchical government. 
 This was not the result Samuel had desired. In fact he was 
 opposed to the establishment of the monarchy, fearing lest the 
 change in government should wean the people from their 
 newly awakened devotion to their religion and draw them 
 from that simplicity of life and manners which he, as a wise 
 judge, felt to be their real security. He warned them of the 
 loss of liberty that would follow the crowning of a king, but 
 the popular voice assented to a curtailing of its liberties in the 
 hope of having greater individual protection and of being able 
 to take its place among nations. Despotism is preferable to 
 anarchy. 
 
 Saul, the first king, was a man of royal bearing. The early 
 years of his reign were marked by military successes; but 
 tribal jealousies did not immediately disappear. It was not 
 until David was made ruler that the tribes really united to 
 form the Jewish nation. Hebron was the first capital, and 
 here it was that the leaders came and offered their allegiance 
 to the new monarch ; but Hebron was too far to the south to 
 remain the centre of government. The stronghold of the 
 Jebusites would meet the local requirements for the new capi- 
 tal, and to expel these hated strangers from the midst of the 
 land would be a signal victory with which to establish David's 
 reign over united Israel and instill a wholesome respect for his 
 arms among the surrounding nations. These nations on the 
 other hand were already jealous of the advance Israel was 
 making and, fearful of their own security, were ready to 
 thwart her by every power at their command. 
 
26 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 Everything being in preparation for the siege, David moved 
 northward from Hebron in command of the very flower of the 
 armies of united Israel, who had come to Hebron "to turn 
 the Kingdom of Saul to him." It was an army of which any 
 commander might well be proud. For that early period the 
 numbers are startling. Two hundred and eighty thousand 
 warriors, 1 skilled in the use of arms, seems an overwhelming 
 number to send against one city. Doubt has been expressed 
 of the accuracy of the figures given by the author of Chron- 
 icles. It is much easier, however, to raise a doubt than to 
 prove an inaccuracy. The size of David's army gives us an 
 idea of the strength of Jebus. During the centuries of their 
 undisturbed occupation the Jebusites had doubtless grown in 
 numbers and power, and, adding to their city's fortifications, 
 would invite the greatest effort Israel could make to dislodge 
 them. Even this tremendous force did not daunt the spirit of 
 the Jebusites. They beheld it coming and expected a result 
 similar to the outcome of past attempts. 
 
 David probably assailed the city from the south. The 
 lower city was immediately taken, but the inhabitants, retiring 
 to the stronghold in the upper city, heaped reproaches upon 
 the king and showed their contempt for him and his by the 
 manner of their defiance. They insulted him from the battle- 
 ments, placed the city's lame 2 and blind upon the walls, and 
 informed him in ridicule that these would have to be taken be- 
 fore he could enter. The insult was soon avenged, for the 
 intrepid Israelites, with Joab at their head, soon scaled the 
 walls, put the Jebusites to the sword, and were masters of both 
 the lower and upper city, including the citadel of Zion. This 
 capture was made about the year 1040 b. c, and from it dates 
 the history of Jerusalem as the city of the Jews. 
 
 » 1 Chron. xii. 23-39. * 2 Sam. v. 6; 1. Chron. xi. 5, 6. 
 
THE CITY OF DAVID AND SOLOMON 
 
Effect of David's Victory — Establishing the Kingdom — 
 War and Peace — "City of David" — Wealth — Arc — Taber- 
 nacle — King's Palace — David's Thought to Erect the Temple 
 — Temple Site — Threshing Floors — Collecting of Materials — 
 Closing Years of David's Reign — Solomon's Inheritance — 
 Temple Building — Hiram of Tyre — Number of Workmen — 
 Cost of Construction — Size of Temple — Origin of Design of 
 Temple — Location — Brief Description — Solomon's Other La- 
 bors — Colonnade on the East — Royal Palace — House of the 
 Forest of Lebanon — Mural Improvements — The "Ascent" — 
 Water Supply — Commerce — Ophir — Extent of the Kingdom — 
 Insufficiency of Revenue — Solomon's Apostasy — Internal 
 Weakness of the Nation — Solomon's Death. 
 
 28 
 
II 
 
 THE CITY OF DAVID AND SOLOMON 
 
 THE effect of the fall of the Jebusite stronghold was felt 
 throughout Israel and among the surrounding nations. 
 By this victory the warrior king had established himself firmly 
 on his throne and overcome any opposition that still lingered 
 among those of his subjects who favored the succession of the 
 house of Saul. Neighboring powers began to fear him and 
 sought by allying themselves against him to check his progress. 
 The Philistines led their forces against David, 1 but were not 
 permitted to come to the walls of Jerusalem, the king meeting 
 them in the valley of Rephaim and defeating them. Later a 
 strong alliance was effected of " all Syria and Phoenicia, with 
 many other nations besides them." 2 These were met in the 
 same valley and effectually routed. These successes won for 
 the new monarch the friendship of Hiram, king of Tyre, from 
 whom an embassy soon appeared in Jerusalem offering David 
 the usual gifts of one royal personage to another and promising 
 materials and artificers to assist in the erection of a palace. 
 
 While these wars on the one hand and peace negotiations on 
 the other proceeded, David was further occupied by the forti- 
 fying and embellishing of his capital. It was to be made a 
 seat of government worthy of a strong and progressive nation. 
 To make it more impregnable, the two cities — the upper and 
 lower — were united and enclosed by a wall. This wall crossed 
 the intervening valley on an artificial embankment to which 
 some authorities have given the name Millo. On Mount Zion 
 the royal palace was built, and this, the stronghold of the 
 Jebusites, was afterward known as " the City of David." 
 
 '3 Sam. v. 17-21 ; I Chron. xiv. 8-12. 2 Jos. Ant. vii. 4, \ I, 
 
 29 
 
30 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 During the thirty-three years of David's reign there was lit- 
 tle peace for the armies of Israel. But the result of the wars 
 added to the glory of the nation and increased the territory 
 over which the supremacy of the king was acknowledged. 
 The city grew in numbers and in wealth. The trophies of 
 victory and the tribute from vassal princes filled the royal 
 treasuries. In the midst of this material prosperity and out- 
 ward glory there was one thing lacking which was essential to 
 the peace of the royal mind and to the religious ideas of the 
 nation at large. Though a human king was on the throne, the 
 theocratic idea was still strong. David was the nominal 
 ruler, but only as the servant of Jehovah, Israel's real sover- 
 eign. The Ark of the Covenant still witnessed to the divine 
 Presence though it had as yet been provided with no perma- 
 nent resting place. Since it had crossed the Jordan after the 
 desert wandering, it had had a varied experience, being carried 
 from place to place as the movement of the tribes necessitated. 
 Now the nomadic period was over. The tribes were a nation, 
 settled in their own land, with a permanent seat of govern- 
 ment at Jerusalem. A habitation suitable to its character must 
 be provided for the ark — that most sacredly significant emblem. 
 
 The old "tabernacle of the congregation" was at this time 
 with the altar of burnt-offering at Gibeon. It had been taken 
 there after the destruction of the priestly city of Nob. 1 Since 
 it could not be removed, a new tabernacle was prepared for 
 the reception of the ark on Mount Zion. Since the return of 
 the ark to the Israelites after its capture by the Philistines at 
 the battle of Aphek it had been kept at Kirjath-jearim in the 
 house of Abinadab. David resolved to bring it to its newly 
 appointed place and, amid the rejoicings of the entire people 
 the attempt was made. But their joy was checked and the re- 
 moval of the ark to the city delayed for three months because 
 of the irreverence of Uzzah. 2 During these three months it 
 was deposited in the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite.* Re- 
 1 I Sam. xxii. 19. 2 2 Sam. vi. 7. 3 2 Sam. vi. II. 
 
The City of David and Solomon 31 
 
 ports coming to David of the signal manner in which the Lord 
 was blessing the house of Obed-edom, the king took it as an 
 evidence that the divine displeasure was appeased. Accord- 
 ingly " David and the elders of Israel and the captains over 
 thousands went to bring up the Ark of the Covenant of the 
 Lord out of the house of Obed-edom with joy." On this oc- 
 casion the Levites, the appointed bearers of the ark, carried 
 it. With sacrifice and song, with dancing and the music of 
 many instruments, 1 "all Israel brought up the ark." With 
 burnt-offerings and peace-offerings and gifts to the people the 
 king placed the sacred relic in the tent in the city of David. 
 
 The tent for the ark on Mount Zion was a temporary struc- 
 ture, to be used only until such time as the plans which 
 the king had for a more noble sanctuary could be carried into 
 execution. The thought of his own palatial residence and the 
 comparison that followed between it and the curtain-protected 
 ark disturbed David's peace of mind. 2 On communicating 
 his intention to erect a worthy edifice in which to place this 
 emblem of the divine presence it appears that he received from 
 the prophet Nathan a sanction. 3 However, on the night fol- 
 lowing David's avowal of his plans and Nathan's encourage- 
 ment the "word of the Lord " altered the plans by informing 
 the king that not during his own reign, but during that of his 
 son should the actual construction be done. Not discouraged 
 by this change David immediately began with royal generosity 
 and sublime faith to prepare the material for a structure he was 
 never to behold. 
 
 The place where the house of the Lord was to stand was 
 chosen by divine direction in David's lifetime. At the thresh- 
 ing floor of Araunah the Jebusite, the angel of the pestilence 
 that followed the sin of the numbering of the people put up his 
 sword and there by command of the angel, David " set up an 
 altar to the Lord " and offered " burnt-offerings and peace-of- 
 ferings" which were acceptable unto the Lord. This thresh- 
 > I Chron. xv. 29. * 2 Sam. vii. 2. 3 2 Sam. vii. 3 
 
32 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 ing floor was purchased from the Jebusite for six hundred 
 shekels weight of gold. 1 
 
 The threshing floor of Araunah was doubtless similar to 
 many that may be seen on the rocky hilltops of Palestine to- 
 day. It was an exposed summit where, when the grain had 
 been tramped out, the winnowing could be done easily by 
 means of the unhindered breezes that would blow over it. 
 But its level surface would not be at all sufficient for the needs 
 of the temple. One of the works of preparation was to elevate 
 the sloping sides of the hill and make a level platform. 
 "The strangers that were in the land of Israel" which David 
 commanded to gather together 2 may have been set to this 
 work, though it was left to Solomon to complete this truly 
 wonderful piece of engineering. David's real work, however, 
 was in amassing gold and silver, iron and brass " in abundance 
 without weight." 3 Cedar wood was brought from the 
 Lebanon by the Zidonians and Tyrians. Precious stones for 
 temple ornamentation were stored up. Special taxes were 
 levied and masons were set to hewing wrought stones. So 
 that when Solomon came to the actual work of construction 
 he found at his hand a supply of materials that numbers could 
 not indicate. 4 
 
 Besides all this prepared material David handed over to his 
 son and successor the plan of the entire structure that was to 
 be "The pattern of all he had by the spirit," 5 the temple 
 with its porches, chambers and courts. No details were lack- 
 
 ' I Chron. xxi. 25. About $5,250. This appears a large amount for a 
 mere Oriental threshing floor, but in the purchase was doubtless included 
 all that part of the hill of Moriah that was afterward enclosed by the 
 temple precincts. This place, now occupied by the mosque of Omar and 
 known as the Haram area, has the singular distinction of being the only 
 sacred place within the walls of Jerusalem whose identity has not been 
 seriously disputed in modern times. 
 
 2 I Chron. xxii. 2. 3 Ibid. xxii. 3. 
 
 *Ibid. xxii. 14-16. 5 1 Chron. xxviii. 12— 2\, 
 
The City of David and Solomon 33 
 
 ing even to the prescribing of the orders of the priests and 
 Levites and the porters at the gates. 
 
 Of the other public works of David only the names are 
 known. Of his making probably were the " royal gardens," as 
 Josephus calls them, which were located near Joab's well, at 
 the junction of the valleys of Hinnom and Kedron, just south 
 of the city. He also prepared in the fortress of Zion the 
 sepulchre which in time received him and most of his success- 
 ors. 
 
 The closing years of David's reign were free from foreign wars. 
 There was indeed little to fear from the enmity of his neigh- 
 bors : the power of Assyria was broken ; Egypt, under the last 
 kings of the twentieth dynasty, was in decay ; Philistia had 
 been humbled and was confined to a narrow section of her 
 former territory; the friendship of Tyre was sincere. The 
 kingdom Solomon inherited reached from the Maritime plain 
 to the Euphrates, toward the north including Damascus, and 
 as far south as the Red Sea. 
 
 David's death occurred about the year 1015 B. C. Under 
 God he had been the founder of Israel's greatness and of the 
 glory of Jerusalem. He was the very soul of Hebrew enter- 
 prise. He was great ! If at times he forgot his honor as a 
 man he repented in sincerity and with the humility of a great 
 soul. He had that rare gift, knowing how to rule as an abso- 
 lute king and be loved as a friend by those over whom he 
 ruled. He had another faculty, still less common, being able 
 to touch the heart-strings of humanity in all ages and make 
 them throb in unison with his own Godward emotions. These 
 inspired songs of David would have made his name great even 
 though he had no other claims upon posterity. 
 
 Solomon succeeded to the throne of a nation united in itself 
 and at peace with the world. With the exception of a few 
 petty factions which were soon reconciled, his inheritance was 
 all that could be desired. Soon after his accession he began 
 the erection of the Temple. The plan which had been given 
 
34 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 him for the new structure was not original ; the temple was to 
 be little more than a large copy in stone of the ancient wilder- 
 ness tabernacle, the pattern of which God showed to Moses at 
 Sinai. The arrangement of parts in the tabernacle and tem- 
 ple were identical ; they differed only in size ; the measure- 
 ments of the temple were just double those of the tabernacle. 
 An examination of these measurements will reveal to us that 
 the temple — wonderful in many respects — was of meagre di- 
 mensions. It was only ninety feet in length, thirty in width 
 and forty-five in height; yet the finished work was deserving 
 of all the praise that has been bestowed upon it. It was not 
 size — though we shall see that some parts of the work con- 
 nected with it were cyclopean — but exquisite workmanship 
 and splendor of ornamentation that have made this temple 
 world-famous for all time. To the Hebrews of that early day 
 it was a most impressive structure, both for the splendor of its 
 architectural appointments and for its religious significance. 
 They were not then and never have been a nation of great 
 builders, and without foreign assistance it is not likely that 
 they could have brought their temple to completion. At Solo- 
 mon's request ' Hiram, King of Tyre, sent his master-work- 
 men of every class to superintend the construction and perform 
 much of the labor. Thirty centuries ago the Tyrian workmen 
 were forgotten, but on the Temple Hill their work may still be 
 seen with the unmistakable Phoenician marks upon it. 
 
 " Incredible " has been the exclamation of many who have 
 considered the biblical account of the number of men em- 
 ployed and the wealth expended on the preparation for and 
 construction of that temple. The spoils of thirty years of 
 successful warfare, the revenues of the richest of kings, costly 
 presents from neighboring monarchs, all these were consumed 
 in that work. The treasures David had collected were so 
 enormous in value that the brain is bewildered in an attempt 
 to compute them. It has been estimated that Solomon in- 
 
 1 I Kings v. 
 
The City of David and Solomon 35 
 
 herited from his father thirteen millions of pounds (Troy) of 
 gold and one hundred and twenty-seven millions of pounds of 
 silver. No less amazing is the number of men employed. 
 Ten thousand hewers of wood were in the forests of Lebanon, 
 felling the cedars and working them into the desired shapes. 
 This force worked for eleven years. There were seventy 
 thousand common laborers whose duty was to bear burdens. 
 Eighty thousand quarrymen and dressers of stone were kept 
 busy, while over them were three thousand superintendents. 1 
 In all there were one hundred and eighty thousand men en- 
 gaged. Some idea of the immensity of the work necessary to 
 prepare Mount Moriah for the temple can be gained from these 
 figures. The sides and summit of the mountain were com- 
 pletely altered. Therefore in expressing an opinion as to the 
 reliability of the biblical figures, the greatness of the substruc- 
 tures — almost equal to mountain building — must be borne in 
 mind ; it must be remembered that it was, so far as we know, 
 all hand labor, and that, though much of the work cannot now 
 be traced, there is evidence that it was far greater than is 
 usually supposed. The immensity of some of that masonry, 
 still remaining where Solomon's builders placed it, causes 
 more wonder in the fact that it was built at all than that it 
 took so many thousands of men years to do it. Some of those 
 stones were brought from the Lebanons and some from Bethle- 
 hem, though the greater part were quarried near the city, 
 probably in what is now known as Solomon's Quarries. But 
 whether brought from near or far the puzzling thing about 
 them is how they were brought. 
 
 The actual work of temple construction began in the third 
 month of the year 1012 B. c, the fourth year of Solomon's 
 reign and the four hundred and eightieth after the Exodus. It 
 was completed in eight years and five months. 2 Language has 
 been exhausted in attempts adequately to describe it when 
 it was completed and stood in its grandeur. In richness 
 
 1 I Kings v. 13-18. s I Kings vi. 38. 
 
36 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 and exquisite finish, though not in size, it surpassed the 
 great temples of Egypf and Babylon ; it transcended all that 
 the world had seen. In contributing artificers Hiram of Tyre 
 thus introduced Phoenician ideas into the construction of this 
 temple. It is true that but little is known of the architecture 
 of this great commercial people, but wherever on coin or vase 
 a design of one of their sacred edifices has been found, it is 
 fronted with a pillar, or pillars, similar to those that graced 
 the front of Solomon's temple. It has generally been con- 
 ceded, also, that from Egypt the builders of Israel received 
 suggestions. That there is a resemblance is true, but the ef- 
 fort to prove the entire indebtedness of the Jews to the tem- 
 ple-builders of the Nile valley has not found warrant in the 
 facts. This resemblance is confined to the courts and clois- 
 ters, the porch and the dark adytum. In the mural decora- 
 tions there is also a likeness, but the "figures of cherubim and 
 palm-trees and open flowers" are a contrast to those figures of 
 gods and goddesses and men which were the chief ornaments 
 of the temple walls of Thebes and Karnak. Some see an 
 Egyptian idea in the pyramidal form of the towers. 1 Admit- 
 ting these apparent resemblances there is one respect in 
 which the House of the Lord on Moriah differs from all the 
 others. Its courts were " pleasant " ; there was nothing defiling 
 near them. In or near there was nothing suggestive of im- 
 morality or impurity. What little imagery there was, detracted 
 in no way from the spiritual significance of the whole. It was 
 a fit resting place for the ark and the tabernacle, and here 
 they were fixed, 2 never to be separated until the temple was 
 destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. 
 
 The temple proper stood on the highest part of Mount Mo- 
 riah, a little to the west of the present Kubbet es-Sakhra, or 
 Dome of the Rock. The rock at the surface had been cut 
 away to make a level platform. On this platform none but 
 
 1 Stanley's "Jewish Church," Vol. II. , p. 174. 
 
 2 1 Kings viii. 4, etc. 
 
The City of David and Solomon 37 
 
 the priesthood were ever admitted. Within the sacred walls 
 of the temple there were but two small rooms, that to the east 
 the Holy Place, that to the west the Holy of Holies. Plates 
 of beaten gold hid every particle of woodwork. Into the 
 carvings, representing the cherubim and the lily-work, gold 
 was beaten. Darkness reigned in the Holy of Holies, no light 
 entering it except through the portal from the Holy Place, 
 over which a heavily wrought curtain hung. Within this most 
 sacred place were two massive figures of solid gold whose wings 
 reached from wall to wall and were emblems of protection to 
 the Ark of the Covenant which found rest beneath them. 
 Here was the earthly abode of Jehovah and it was accepted 
 " amidst evident tokens of the Divine Presence." No eye was 
 to peer into the sacred enclosure and no foot pollute it except 
 those of the high-priest and that but once a year on the great 
 day of Atonement. 
 
 A "wall of partition" stood between the Most Holy and 
 the Holy Place. This latter was never to be entered except by 
 priestly feet. It was but dimly lighted from without by small 
 windows, 1 but this lack of natural light was made up for by an 
 array of golden candlesticks. Ten seven branched golden 
 candlesticks stood on as many golden tables. They gave all 
 necessary light and must have made very effective in appear- 
 ance the sculptured forms of winged creatures and palm-trees, 
 which, carved in the cedar walls, were overlaid with beaten 
 gold and garnished with precious stones. 2 In the "greater 
 house," as the Holy Place was also called, stood the altar of 
 incense and the table of shew-bread, from which ascended 
 daily the cloud of incense and on which was presented the 
 offering of consecrated loaves. The whole was a vision in 
 pure gold. 
 
 Fronting the Holy Place was a porch, "the most startling 
 novelty of the building." 3 It extended along the entire front 
 
 1 I Kings vi. 4. * 2 Chron. iii. 5-7. 
 
 3 Stanley's " Jewish Church," Vol. II., p. 178. 
 
38 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 of the temple, was elaborate and complicated in design and 
 more than any other part of the structure reveals the ideas of 
 foreign architects. It was more than a porch, as the term is 
 now used, and was out of all proportion to the height of the 
 building proper. 1 The most striking feature of this "startling 
 novelty" were the two large pillars that stood one on either 
 side of the entrance, known as Jachin and Boaz. These pillars 
 were of finest brass, resting upon pedestals of gold and crowned 
 with chapiters of brass, wrought with "network interwoven 
 with small palms and covered with lily-work." Around the 
 chapiters, festooned in double rows, were two hundred pome- 
 granates. Jewish writers are unwearied in their praise of the 
 grand effect of these pillars; but the object of this device and 
 its symbolic significance are in doubt, though theories as to 
 their significance are not lacking. 
 
 Another feature of the temple, having no counterpart in 
 the tabernacle, were the rooms built around it abutting on 
 the temple walls. These were thirty in number and in three 
 stories. 2 One room opened into another and a winding stair- 
 case led from story to story. No communication was possible 
 between these rooms and the temple itself. The rooms were 
 necessary adjuncts to the temple, being used as storehouses 
 for the utensils employed in the services' and for the deposit- 
 ing of sacred and historic trophies. There appear also to 
 have been rooms above the Holy Place and Holy of Holies. 
 
 Such was the temple ; on the outside a combination of 
 stone and wood ; on the inside a mass of gold and precious 
 stones. It had been erected without the sound of the work- 
 men's tools being heard within the sacred enclosure. The 
 plan was so well understood by the architects that the various 
 parts were made in different places, then brought to the sacred 
 mount and fitted each to each in silence. The stones had 
 been so accurately dressed that when laid one upon the other 
 the line of meeting could hardly be traced. It was the per- 
 1 2 Chron. iii. 4. s Jos. Ant. viii. 3, § 2. 3 2 Chron. v. I. 
 
The City of David and Solomon 39 
 
 fection of architecture as then understood, and the perfection 
 of beauty. No structure ever made a greater and more lasting 
 impression on the minds of any people than their first temple 
 made upon the Jews ; none has received such generous praise 
 in all ages and from all people, or been regarded with such 
 tearful reverence by the living representatives of the race 
 whose fathers built it. 
 
 To speak in detail of all Solomon's work on the Temple 
 Hill would carry us beyond the province of a work of this 
 kind. The courts, the altars, the lavers, the rooms for the 
 priests, the implements and vessels of gold, silver and brass, 
 running into the thousands in number, all these are interesting 
 as works of art and as expressive of the complexity of the 
 temple service. In the native rock, or built in the substruc- 
 tures that brought the lower levels up to the desired height, 
 were immense cisterns. Canals for the conveyance of water 
 for the numerous ablutions connected with the service and 
 drains for the carrying away of the refuse were constructed 
 and undoubted remains of them may still be seen. 
 
 There are two features of the temple surroundings which 
 must at least be named. These were the altar of burnt-offer- 
 ing and the colonnade on the eastern side of the enclosure. 
 The former was on the highest part of the rock of Mori ah 
 and stood just a little in front of the temple. It contrasted 
 strikingly with the splendor of the other appointments, being 
 but an enlargement of the altar used during the wilderness 
 wandering. It was thirty feet square and fifteen feet high. 
 The exterior was of brass, while the altar itself was of earth 
 and stones. The top was covered by a brass grating on which 
 the fire was made and the victim for the sacrifice laid. This 
 was "the Hearth of God," where was daily illustrated the 
 e;:piatory idea of the Jewish religion. 
 
 The colonnade was on the east side of the enclosure facing 
 tl e Mount of Olives. In later times succeeding kings added 
 to this until it surrounded the entire temple area. Solomon's 
 
4-0 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 work was confined to the one side, and long centuries after- 
 ward, even when Herod's temple had taken the place of this 
 first one, the name of Solomon was applied to this part. The 
 colonnade consisted of three rows of marble columns protected 
 by a roof, thus forming a cool retreat in summer and a pro- 
 tection from the storms in winter. 
 
 The temple, while by far the grandest of Solomon's build- 
 ing operations, was but one of many princely works. Every 
 part of his capital felt the touch of his lavish hand. His own 
 palace, erected in the City of David, was a royal residence in- 
 deed. The time used in the construction of this — thirteen 
 years, — together with the number of apartments in connection 
 with it, mark it as second only in grandeur to the House of 
 the Lord. The main building was only one hundred and fifty 
 feet long, seventy-five wide and forty-five high. It was in 
 three stories and had a grand porch supported by lofty pillars. 
 The adjacent buildings were those in which the king resided 
 with his court and harem. To the main building was given 
 the name of " the house of the forest of Lebanon " ; this be- 
 cause of the material used in its construction. 1 Next to this 
 was the judgment hall, built of cedar and squared stones. 
 This was the "gate of judgment," where from a throne of 
 ivory the wise king decreed righteousness and administered 
 justice. This throne was unique. The ivory had been brought 
 from Africa or India. On each side of the steps that led up 
 to it were six golden lions. The throne itself was on the back 
 of a golden bull. 2 The lions were emblematic of the lion of 
 the tribe of Judah, the bull of Ephraim. This combination 
 of ivory and gold into a seat of judgment made the famous 
 throne of the House of David, " the theme of many an Ara- 
 bian legend." 3 In the house which Solomon built for his 
 Egyptian queen nothing was lacking that skill and wealth 
 could supply. 
 
 1 I Kings vii. 2. * Jos. Ant. viii. 5, § 2. 
 
 3 Stanley's "Jewish Church," Vol. II., p. 166. 
 
The City of David and Solomon 41 
 
 Of all the apartments connected with the palace it is im- 
 possible for us to speak with any degree of accuracy. The 
 Bible and Josephus are our only authorities and Josephus adds 
 but little to the sacred record. A difficulty in the way of ex- 
 actness is due to our ignorance of the precise meaning of 
 Hebrew architectural terms. This makes all descriptions little 
 better than theories. However, enough is known to assure us 
 that in the city as Solomon left it nothing was lacking that 
 could add to its grandeur. It was the capital of an Oriental 
 monarch and despot whose will was law and whose every wish 
 must be gratified no matter what the cost. His servants and 
 retainers were numbered by thousands, his table was weighted 
 with service of gold, and the world was levied upon for deli- 
 cate viands. His household, with his guests, consumed daily 
 thirty oxen and a hundred sheep, with game of all kinds. 
 This extravagant use of unlimited wealth excited the wonder 
 and aroused the envy of contemporary monarchs. 
 
 In the midst of his other labors Solomon saw the necessity 
 of strengthening the defences of the city. Pride had a place 
 in these improvements, for Josephus informs us that Solomon 
 " thought the walls that encompassed Jerusalem ought to cor- 
 respond to the dignity of the city." Accordingly the walls 
 were made stronger and higher, and great towers were built 
 upon them. At this time also the Temple Hill was brought 
 within the city. Some of the remains of these walls still 
 stand, revealing the character of the mural work of that day. 
 
 The ascent by which the king went up to the House of the 
 Lord was a gigantic and splendid work. This was a bridge 
 that crossed the valley that intervened between Mount Zion 
 and the Mountain of the House, or Mount Moriah. This is 
 the "ascent" that excited the admiration of the "Queen of 
 Sheba." 
 
 Another of Solomon's great works was the procuring of an 
 abundance of water for city and temple use. It has been a 
 continual wonder how Jerusalem was supplied with this most 
 
42 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 necessary commodity. The "Virgin's Fountain" is the only 
 living spring near, and unless its flow was considerably more 
 copious than at present it would not suffice for the needs of 
 very many of the residents of the city. It is a matter of history, 
 however, that Jerusalem never suffered from lack of water even 
 during periods of drought or long protracted sieges. Famine 
 has raged within the walls and slain its thousands, but only 
 once did the besieged want for water. This, as Josephus re- 
 ports, was in the one hundred and sixty-second Olympiad, 1 
 during the siege of Antiochus. 
 
 The sources of Jerusalem's water supply were the heavy 
 rains of winter, which were caught and preserved in cisterns, 
 and the springs in the valley of Urtas, about eight miles south 
 of the city, whose abundant flow was conducted by an aque- 
 duct along the Judean hillsides and emptied into a reservoir 
 within the temple enclosure. The making of this aqueduct 
 was, for that day, a wonderful piece of engineering. The 
 three large pools in the valley of Urtas, which are still called 
 Solomon's Pools, give an idea of the immensity of this work. 
 In many places along the hillsides the aqueduct may still be 
 seen and to this day the Bethlehemites use it to bring water to 
 their city. This conduit, connected with the "Fountain 
 sealed," was the source of that continual supply which the 
 temple and city enjoyed, and its great resources gave to later 
 visitors the idea that there was a perennial spring bubbling up 
 within the temple area. Not knowing of the connection be- 
 tween the Urtas fountain and the cisterns, and hearing the 
 water running, or perhaps seeing it at some opening, it was 
 not unreasonable to infer that there was a natural spring near. 
 There are still people who are inclined to this belief, though 
 there is nothing whatever to support it. If there were such a 
 spring there would have been no need for the immense labor 
 and expense of making the pools and aqueduct. 
 
 The city was improved and beautified by these princely 
 1 Jos. Ant. xiii. 8, £ 2. 
 
The City of David and Solomon 43 
 
 operations when "all that Solomon desired to build " was 
 completed. But his works of construction were not confined 
 to the city proper. Temples and fanes dedicated to the wor- 
 ship of the gods of his various wives, were the ornaments of 
 the neighboring hills. Though considered as abominations by 
 the more orthodox Jews of that time, they were allowed to re- 
 main to the latest times of the monarchy. On the southern 
 spur of the Mount of Olives was the temple of the worship of 
 his Egyptian queen, and because of this defilement that part 
 of the mount is still called " the Hill of Offence." 
 
 Much labor was spent on the roads leading to the city. 
 These were well made and paved with hard black stones, per- 
 haps the basalt from east of the Jordan or from Galilee. 
 Josephus speaks of these roads in the highest terms. 1 The 
 building of them gave the king another opportunity for the 
 display of his wisdom and his wealth. 
 
 During Solomon's occupancy of the throne Jerusalem be- 
 came a commercial centre. On the great highway of trade 
 between the East and the West, caravans were continually 
 coming and going ; the roads running in from every direction 
 looked like the spokes of a great white wheel of which the city 
 was the hub; commercial transactions were carried on with 
 nations most remote ; the royal vessels were seen on all seas ; 
 a fleet was constructed at Ezion-Geber, a city on the western 
 arm of the Red Sea, which controlled the eastern trade; its 
 vessels sailing as far as Ophir — the extreme East ; Jewish 
 merchantmen vied with those of the maritime city of Tyre for 
 the trade of the West, and that Tyre lost by this rivalry is in- 
 dicated by Ezekiel. 2 
 
 How far eastward and westward the ships of Solomon sailed 
 is not known. Ophir may have been in India, though some 
 locate it in Africa, because of the latter's reputation as a gold- 
 producing country. Tarshish was a city of Spain, though 
 having journeyed thus far there is every reason to suppose that 
 1 Jos. Ant. viii. 7, \ 4. 3 Ezek. xxvi. 2. 
 
44 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 they went further, passing beyond the fabled Pillars of Her- 
 cules and reaching Britain. Centuries later, when Columbus 
 sailed westward and discovered the islands lying east of 
 North America, he believed he had found the lands whence 
 the wealth of Solomon had come, and named the islands the 
 West Indies. It has been suggested as an explanation of the 
 length of time — three years 1 — that it took to make some of 
 their voyages, that the Jewish vessels must have circumnavi- 
 gated Africa. The nature of the cargoes brought back favors 
 the suggestion, for they consisted of "gold and silver, ivory 
 and apes and peacocks," aloes, almug wood and cassia. This 
 commercial enterprise was one of the fertile sources of Israel's 
 great wealth at this time ; it may also have helped to hasten 
 that degeneracy which before long was to result in the disrup- 
 tion of the nation. 
 
 The kingdom over which the word of Solomon was law, 
 was greater in extent than that governed by any succeeding 
 Jewish monarch. The promise of God to Abraham was ful- 
 filled during the reign of this king or not at all. Scripture 
 language is sufficiently exact on this point to warrant us in 
 saying that the territory over which Solomon ruled did include 
 " the Land of Promise." The covenant with Abraham reads, 
 "Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of 
 Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates." Of Solomon 
 the record says, "He reigned over all kingdoms, from the 
 river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the borders of 
 Egypt." In the thirty-fourth chapter of Numbers, Moses gives 
 the boundaries of the land the Israelites were to possess. The 
 southern border was the "wilderness of Zin " ; the northern 
 border was unto the " entrance of Hamath." Under Joshua 
 this described territory was conquered by the soldiers of Israel. 
 When the ark was to be brought from Kirjath-jearim, " David 
 gathered all Israel together, from Shihor of Egypt even unto 
 the entering of Hamath." 2 At the dedicatory services of the 
 I Kings x. 22. s I Chron. xiii. 5. 
 
The City of David and Solomon 45 
 
 temple, " Solomon held a feast and all Israel with him, a great 
 congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river 
 of Egypt." 1 The language of prophecy and of fulfillment is 
 strikingly similar, and whatever may be one's opinion as to 
 the return and resettlement of the Jews, we certainly do not 
 have to look to the future for a redemption of God's promises 
 to Abraham. 
 
 All this extent of country was under the sceptre of the 
 mighty and magnificent king. Every part of it contributed to 
 the maintenance of the throne and the fulfillment of the royal 
 ideas of grandeur. But the enormous revenue was not suffi- 
 cient. To supply the want the taxes were increased and mo- 
 nopolies for the benefit of the royal treasuries were established. 
 Compulsory labor, similar to the hated corvee of Egypt, was 
 laid upon Solomon's subjects. With good cause the people 
 complained, and thus were sown the seeds of revolt, which 
 ripened during the reign of Solomon's son, and whose fruit 
 was a disrupted nation. Added to his oppression of his peo- 
 ple was his apostasy from his God. In their belief in the 
 unity of God and their worship of Him alone lay the unity 
 and strength of the Hebrew nation ; to destroy that belief was 
 to endanger the existence of the nation. In his later days 
 Solomon departed from the purity of his early faith, and with 
 a desire perhaps of conciliating neighboring princes, he turned 
 from Jehovah to ' ' Gods many and Lords many. ' ' Famed for his 
 great wisdom, renowned for his magnificence, proverbial for his 
 "glory," Solomon nevertheless bequeathed to his followers the 
 destructive heritage of luxury, selfishness and oppression, of 
 extravagance, sensuality and apostasy — a double trinity of sins 
 any one of which was fatal. As one has said 2 "Not less 
 truly than the son of Nebat might his name have been written 
 in history as Solomon the son of David who ' made Israel to 
 sin.' " 
 
 1 I Kings viii. 65. 
 
 s Plumptre in Smith's Bib. Diet, article " Solomon." 
 
46 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 Solomon made Jerusalem grand in external appearance, but 
 its temple of "snow and gold," its palaces of surpassing 
 splendor, its gardens of delight, its tower-embattled walls 
 could not conceal its inherent weakness. He had sacrificed 
 his nation for his personal glory. He came to the throne of a 
 united people at peace with the world. He lived to see the 
 forces at work that were to bring national dissolution and make 
 his proud capital an easy prey to ambitious monarchs. His 
 own magnificence was no compensation for such disaster. As 
 he contemplated the coming wreck well might he say, " What 
 profit hath a man of all his labor" and, "On all things is 
 written vanity." 
 
 After ruling forty years " He died ingloriously," "and was 
 buried in the city of David, his father." * 
 
 1 1 Kings xi. 43. 
 
JERUSALEM AS CHRIST SAW IT 
 
Changes in Topography — Rehoboam — Jehoram — Jehoash — 
 Ahaz — Rezin and Pekah — Assyrians — Hezekiah — Manasseh — 
 Jehoiachim — Zedekiah — Disastrous Siege — Cyrus the Persian — 
 Return of the Jews — Temple and Walls Rebuilt — Alexander — 
 Ptolemy Soter — Antiochus — Mattathias — Maccabees — Aristob- 
 ulus and Hyrcanus — Antipater — Pompey — Antigonus — Herod 
 the Great — Grandeur of Jerusalem — Comparison between Sol- 
 omon and Herod — Grecian Influences — Herod's Temple — Its 
 Arrangement — Appearance and Condition of the City — Tyro- 
 pean Bridge — Porches of Temple — Cloisters — Temple Courts 
 — Gentiles Forbidden — Beautiful Gate — Nicanor Gate — Altar 
 of Sacrifice — Brazen Laver — Description of Temple Proper — 
 Business District — Kinds of Business — Life — Laborers — Wages 
 — Population — Pharisee — Sadducee — Language — Schools — 
 Seeds of Decay. 
 
 48 
 
Ill 
 
 JERUSALEM AS CHRIST SAW IT 
 
 DURING the thousand years that intervened between the 
 reigns of Solomon and Herod the Great, Jerusalem had 
 been the victim of many a siege by foreign conquerors, and 
 many a disastrous internal strife. These had had their effect 
 upon the appearance of the city ; if the royal sleepers in the 
 tombs in the City of David could have looked upon its streets 
 and palaces and temple, they would not have recognized 
 them as parts of the city they once knew. The very hills 
 had been altered and the deep beds of the valleys raised by 
 the debris of repeated wars. The same old walls were still 
 standing, but they had been broken and repaired so often that 
 the original builders would hardly have known their work. 
 New walls had also been built. 
 
 It may be well to give a brief account of the causes of these 
 changes before the changes themselves are noted. 
 
 In the fifth year of Rehoboam, 1 successor to his father, 
 Solomon, on the throne of Israel, Shishak, king of Egypt ad- 
 vanced to Jerusalem, threw open the city gates apparently 
 without resistance, appropriated the treasures Solomon had 
 collected, and carried off the rich decorations of the temple. 
 The son of the great Solomon became the vassal of Egypt for 
 a time. This was the first and one of the least destructive of 
 seventeen sieges before Herod was in possession of the king- 
 dom. 
 
 The next was under the reign of Jehoram about 889 b. c. 2 
 A coalition of the Philistines and Arabians were the assailants. 
 Again the temple with its accumulated riches was their prey. 
 The king's house was also entered, "and all the substance 
 
 1 I Kings xiv. 25 ; 2 Chron. xii. 9. * 2 Chron. xxi. 16. 
 
 49 
 
£0 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 that was found " was carried away, together with the king's 
 wives and sons, except the youngest of the latter. 
 
 These two entrances of foreign foes were simply for the pur- 
 pose of plunder. At least there is no account of their having 
 had any other object. The wealth of the city aroused their 
 cupidity, and when they had secured all they could of this, 
 they departed without doing injury to the city itself. But the 
 next attack was more disastrous. It was made by Jehoash, 1 
 ruler of the Northern Kingdom, who broke down four hun- 
 dred cubits of the north wall, plundered the temple of its 
 gold and silver vessels, and also the treasures of the royal pal- 
 ace. Uzziah repaired this breach and further fortified the 
 walls. 2 During his reign the city was visited by an earth- 
 quake, which shook it to its foundations, caused a breach 
 in the temple and almost destroyed the king's gardens near 
 En Rogel. 
 
 In the reign of the wicked Ahaz, 3 about 740 b. c, the next 
 attack occurred. A coalition of the forces of Syria under 
 Rezin and of the Northern Kingdom under Pekah was ef- 
 fected. The comparatively small realm of Judah and Benja- 
 min was not able to withstand such a combination, and great 
 numbers were slain. It does not appear that the city itself 
 surrendered and was given over to the hand of the spoiler. 
 Later Ahaz called upon Tiglath-pileser 4 to assist him against 
 the Edomites and Philistines — a fatal invitation, for the Assyr- 
 ian king as the author of Second Chronicles tersely puts it, 
 "came unto him and distressed him, but strengthened him 
 not." Ahaz then in a fruitless effort to buy his friendship, 
 stripped the temple of its costly vessels, which were carried 
 to Assyria. 
 
 Under Hezekiah (740-700 b. c.) the country was invaded 
 by the Assyrians under Sennacherib, 5 though what damage, if 
 any, was done to the city is not known. 
 
 1 2 Kings xiv. 13, 14. 2 2 Chron. xxvi. 9. 3 2 Chron. xxviii. 
 4 2 Chron. xxviii. 16, 20. 5 2 Chron. xxxii. 
 
Jerusalem as Christ Saw It 51 
 
 About 667 B. c, Manasseh, king of Judah, was carried a 
 prisoner to Babylon. 1 On his restoration to his kingdom he 
 entered upon some great building projects. In the valley of 
 Gihon and on Ophel the greater part of his work was done. 
 Parts of the great wall on Ophel may still remain, though 
 where his wall "without the City of David, on the west side 
 of Gihon in the valley " 2 was is an unsettled question. 
 
 Under Jehoiachim and Jehoiachin, Nebuchadnezzar, king 
 of Babylon, besieged and took Jerusalem, despoiled the tem- 
 ple of all its remaining treasures, which were replaced after 
 each spoliation, and stripped the palaces of the king and no- 
 bles. The royal family and nobles were deported, along with 
 ten thousand of the chief men, to pass the remaining years of 
 their life in Babylon. 
 
 In the next reign, that of Zedekiah, 3 the siege by the "king 
 of the Chaldees" was most disastrous. When this warrior had 
 finished his work Jerusalem was depopulated and her temple 
 and palaces were nothing but heaps of charred ruins. The 
 walls were broken down and all the citizens who had escaped 
 the sword were deported to the great capital of Assyria ; only 
 a few peasants were left to till the ground. This first great 
 overthrow of their city has been considered so great a calam- 
 ity by the Jews that on its anniversary it is commemorated by 
 solemn fasts. This destruction occurred about the year 588 
 B. c. ; for fifty years the city and temple remained in ruin and 
 desolation, visited, perhaps, by pilgrims who came to weep 
 over the departed glories and pray for their return, as they do 
 now at the Wall of Wailing. 
 
 In the first year of the reign of Cyrus, king of Persia, a de- 
 cree 4 was issued permitting the exiled Jews at Babylon to re- 
 turn and build again their temple and city. Not all of the 
 expatriated chose to return, but 42,360 did. Nor did they 
 come empty handed, for they were given " the vessels of the 
 
 1 2 Chron. xxxiii. II. z Ibid. 14. 
 
 3 2 Kings xxv. 4. 4 Ezra i. I. et seq. 
 
£2 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth 
 out of Jerusalem." 1 The work of reconstruction of the temple 
 began immediately on their arrival. Hindrance from out- 
 siders and lack of zeal on the part of the builders prevented 
 its completion until twenty years had passed, when it was fin- 
 ished and dedicated in the year 516 b. c. 
 
 Fifty-eight years more passed away and no effort was made 
 to protect the city itself. The walls lay in heaps as the Assyr- 
 ians had left them. It was not until the time of Nehemiah 
 that sufficient influence was secured at the Persian court to al- 
 low the Jews to rebuild the walls. In 445 b. c, one hundred 
 and forty years after the destroyer had left, Nehemiah came to 
 Jerusalem with the royal permission. Work was soon begun 
 and in the incredibly short period of fifty-two days, in spite 
 of much opposition, the walls were again in condition to fur- 
 nish protection. 2 They were built on the old foundations 
 with much of the old materials. 
 
 For a long time afterward there was comparative peace, dur- 
 ing which the city grew and prospered. Then Alexander of 
 Macedonia " rolled back the tide of war across the Helles- 
 pont " and humbled the pride of the Persian monarchs. 
 Having defeated Darius at the battle of Issus, this conqueror 
 reduced to submission all the cities and provinces whose im- 
 portance attracted his attention. After the maritime cities of 
 Tyre and Gaza had fallen, the Macedonian hero led his forces 
 against Jerusalem. About three miles out of the city he was 
 met by the people carrying garlands, by the priests dressed in 
 the white linen indicating their sacred office, and preceded 
 by the high-priest, resplendent in his robes of purple and scar- 
 let and wearing his mitre, on which was a plate of gold in- 
 scribed with the not to be uttered name of the God of Israel. 
 This peaceful reception secured the city from attack. Alex- 
 ander is said by Josephus to have prostrated himself before the 
 high-priest and then to have gone to the temple and offered 
 1 Ezra i. 7. * Neh. vi. 15. 
 
Jerusalem as Christ Saw It 53 
 
 sacrifices in the name of God : this is doubted, but at all 
 events the city was especially favored by the conqueror. 
 
 At the death of Alexander and the disintegration of his king- 
 dom Judea fell to Ptolemy Soter of Egypt. He succeeded in tak- 
 ing Jerusalem which he ruled with an iron hand. Many of its 
 inhabitants and of the Samaritans were carried off to Egypt, 
 where under this ruler and his successor they attained posi- 
 tions of influence and trust. Their number increased in the 
 land of the Pharaohs till Alexandria became the capital of 
 Western Judaism and no doubt exercised considerable influ- 
 ence over the eastern capital. By way of Alexandria Greece 
 and her civilization were making inroads into the private and 
 religious life of the Eastern Jews. Then in 203 B. c, Antiochus 
 the Great took the city. Four years later it fell before the 
 Alexandrian general Scopas who left a garrison to protect his 
 interests. The very next year Antiochus again came and the 
 Jews assisted him to expel the Egyptians. But as it turned 
 out the Syrian monarch was no friend of the people or their 
 religion. Taking advantage of a quarrel between rival claim- 
 ants for the high-priesthood, he treated the city as seditious, 
 and in the year 170 b. c, demolished the walls, burned the 
 palaces and stripped the temple of all that was worth taking. 
 A citadel was erected where it could command the temple en- 
 closure and garrisoned with soldiers, among whom were many 
 apostate Jews. Added to this sacrilege was an attempt on the 
 part of Antiochus to exterminate the people and thus stamp out 
 their religion. Ten thousand captives were deported and the 
 sacred altar was daily defiled by the offering of swine upon it. 
 Reading of the Law was forbidden and to practice its injunc- 
 tions brought cruel tortures upon the faithful. Under this 
 severe pressure the greater part of the inhabitants apostatized 
 from the religion of their fathers. 
 
 When the city and nation had reached their lowest stage of 
 degradation a deliverance was effected through the family of 
 Mattathias, the great grandson of Asmoneus, from which an- 
 
54 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 cestor they are called by Josephus, Asmoneaus. Mattathias 
 was a priest whose home was at Modin, the present Midiyeh, 
 an eminence about eighteen miles west of Jerusalem, near the 
 union of the hill country with the Plain of Sharon. 
 
 Mattathias, with his five illustrious sons, belongs to the 
 number of Israel's most justly celebrated heroes. He origi- 
 nated, and his sons sustained, a successful revolt against Greek 
 oppression. The account of their campaigns forms one of the 
 most picturesque chapters to be found in history. Under them 
 the temple was repaired and reconsecrated, the Macedonian 
 garrison dislodged from its fortress on Acra and the fortress de- 
 stroyed, even to the cutting away of the hill on which it stood. 
 Another stronghold was built to the north of this site and 
 named Baris. The Asmonean family descended through John 
 Hyrcanus, son of Simon Maccabeus. Simon was murdered at 
 Jericho in 135 b. c. Shortly after John Hyrcanus was be- 
 sieged in Jerusalem by Antiochus Sidetes, king of Syria. The 
 valiant spirit of the Maccabees was diminishing, for this repre- 
 sentative stooped to purchase peace from Antiochus with the 
 proceeds of the desecration and robbery of the sepulchre of 
 David. 
 
 The next few years are marked by internal troubles — civil 
 and religious. The successor of John Hyrcanus was his son 
 Aristobulus who was at the same time king and high-priest. 
 After reigning a year this ruler died of remorse for his unnat- 
 ural crimes. The reign of his brother Alexander Jannseus — 
 the Jewish Nero — which occupied the next twenty-seven years, 
 was marked by wars at home and abroad. Aristobulus and 
 Hyrcanus, sons of Alexander, made a peaceful settlement of 
 their disputes by dividing the offices held by their predeces- 
 sors, Hyrcanus, the elder, retaining the high-priesthood and 
 his brother the kingly crown. The peace did not last long 
 however. A new power began to be felt in the state. Antip- 
 ater, an Idumean, enterprising and unscrupulous, was high in 
 the favor of the young Hyrcanus. He used this favor to plot 
 
Jerusalem as Christ Saw It 55 
 
 against the interests of his benefactor. By continually work- 
 ing upon the mind of the gentle and unsuspecting high-priest, 
 Antipater made him believe that his brother Aristobulus was 
 seeking to destroy him so as to unite in his own person the 
 priesthood as well as the kingship. Hyrcanus fled to Petra 
 where he put himself under the protection of Aretes, king of 
 Arabia. Antipater had already let this ruler into the plot. 
 Judea was invaded and Aristobulus defeated. After his defeat 
 he fled into the city and took refuge with his supporters in the 
 temple. The party under Hyrcanus besieged the temple. 
 At this juncture the Roman general Scaurus, acting under 
 commands of the great Pompey, appeared and ordered that 
 the siege be raised. This was in 65 B. c. 
 
 Both factions had requested the assistance of the Romans. 
 The cause of Aristobulus was favored, but for some reason this 
 prince was dissatisfied and took up arms against his protectors. 
 Pompey himself on his advance to Arabia invaded Judea. 
 Aristobulus promised submission, but soon violated his prom- 
 ise and caused Pompey to return and begin a siege of Jerusa- 
 lem. The followers of Aristobulus took refuge in the temple 
 again and offered stubborn resistance. They would not, how- 
 ever, defend themselves on the Sabbath and Pompey taking 
 advantage of this moved his engines, made a breach in the 
 north wall of the sacred enclosure and was master of the entire 
 city. The slaughter of the inhabitants amounted to twelve 
 thousand. Antigonus was established in the high-priesthood. 
 This was in the year 63 b. c. For twenty-three years there 
 was comparative rest. Antipater, father of Herod, assisted in 
 ruling the city. In the year 40 b. c. Antigonus, son of Aristob- 
 ulus, with the assistance of a Parthian army took Jerusalem 
 and plundered it. The family of Antipater had by this time 
 become well established in the governing office, but it was 
 with the greatest difficulty that Herod escaped from the plots 
 of his enemies. After much adversity and an appeal in person 
 to Rome, Herod was made King of Judea. But he had to con- 
 
56 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 quer his kingdom. With a large body of Roman soldiers he 
 entered Jerusalem after a five months siege. Then began that 
 reign conspicuous for two things — its great splendor and its 
 awful crimes. The Idumean king was as he has been well 
 termed by Williams 1 a " splendid monster." 
 
 Under this monarch — half barbarian, half Jew — Jerusalem 
 rose again and attained a grandeur equal to if not surpassing 
 the glory it had in the days of Solomon. But there was this 
 difference, that under the latter it was a strictly Jewish metrop- 
 olis, while under Herod it became in fact, though not in 
 name, a second or eastern Rome. And yet there was much in 
 the later city that resembled the earlier. Herod, as did Solo- 
 mon, ruled over the entire land. Herod, as was Solomon, 
 was given to extravagance and adorned the city with numerous 
 monuments of splendid architecture. Each king was in- 
 fluenced by foreign ideas, Solomon by those of Egypt and 
 Tyre, Herod by Greece and Rome. The early and later city 
 were the resort of strangers from all lands and in their streets 
 could be seen representatives from every known land. Each 
 king fortified his capital and each adorned Moriah with a 
 temple. Solomon's was the first, Herod's the last; but the 
 former was built in honor of Jehovah and to win the divine 
 favor, while the general belief is that the latter was designed 
 to add to the glory of its builder and to win the favor of his 
 suspicious subjects. 
 
 Great changes were to be seen in the buildings and the pur- 
 poses to which they were devoted. In the Jerusalem of Solo- 
 mon — at least in the city proper — there were no structures 
 dedicated to the worship of the gods of the nations, or to the 
 exhibition of heathen games. After the revival of pure reli- 
 gion under the Maccabees the office of the high-priest was filled 
 by several unprincipled men who used their high position to 
 corrupt the people. Joshua, one of them, dissatisfied in the 
 possession of a Jewish name, changed it to Jason, and still un- 
 1 Holy City, Vol. I., p. 116. 
 
Jerusalem as Christ Saw It 57 
 
 satisfied sought by every means in his power to supplant 
 Judaism by Hellenizing his countrymen. He went so far as to 
 build a hippodrome and circus in the valley just west of the 
 temple, near enough so that the voices of the priest chanting 
 the service, could be drowned by the tumultuous shout of the 
 rabble cheering the victors in the games. What a contrast 
 and in Jerusalem ! 
 
 On Herod's accession these foreign notions of religious and 
 social life obtained among a considerable portion of his sub- 
 jects. His own inclinations favored them and for his gratifi- 
 cation, as well as to win the approbation of this class of peo- 
 ple, he spared no expense in adorning the places of amusement 
 with gold and silver and the trophies of victories. He added 
 an immense amphitheatre outside of the second wall to the 
 northwest, where were witnessed chariot races, gladiatorial 
 combats and entertainment of all sorts appealing to the senses. 
 Side by side with this element, representative as it was of a 
 lack of religion and a laxity of morals, was an intensely Jew- 
 ish element seeking in the midst of surrounding heathenism to 
 guard the sanctity of religion, and, by obedience to the 
 Mosaic institutions, preserve from heathen contamination 
 the Hebrew life and character. This element was at enmity 
 with Herod, whose Idumean blood was reason sufficient. But 
 no matter what his origin, he was king of the Jews. He would 
 not allow them to forget this nor give them cause for com- 
 plaint that he was wholly unmindful of them and their reli- 
 gion. If he had any religion it was the same as theirs. In 
 honor of it, but more to reconcile the Jews to himself he built 
 that wonderful temple on Moriah. It was a worthy suc- 
 cessor to that of Solomon, and of it Jewish tradition records, 
 " He who has not seen the temple of Herod has never known 
 what beauty is." 
 
 This temple was a larger structure than the first one that 
 graced Mount Moriah 's rocky summit. The enclosure in 
 which it stood was also larger. From investigations made on 
 
58 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 the spot by Captain Warren it is reasonably assured that the 
 temple area as enlarged by Herod was a square of nearly a 
 thousand feet, nearly a half greater than that of Saint Peter's 
 in Rome. This enlargement was made at an immense cost of 
 labor and money. But the motives for it were many. The 
 king had a passion for building. In this great work it was 
 gratified. He had a desire to surpass the greatest triumph of 
 Solomon and be known as " the great builder." The rabbis 
 of his time said that he was doing this to atone for the slaugh- 
 ter of so many of their number. But no doubt one of the rea- 
 sons, if not the chief, is that already given, that he might win 
 a place in the affections of his Jewish subjects. In this latter 
 he was unsuccessful ; they despised him to the end. 
 
 The temple did not stand in the centre of the square. It 
 was somewhat to the north and west of the centre. In general 
 arrangements its courts were as those that surrounded the first 
 " house of the Lord." They were not on a level, but rose in 
 a series of terraces, on the highest of which, facing the east, 
 was the ' ' golden fane ' ' itself. To collect the material for it 
 Herod employed ten thousand men under the direction of a 
 thousand priests for two years. A thousand vehicles were 
 needed to convey the stone. And yet he did not live to see 
 it finished in all its parts. 1 
 
 It was not in size that this temple was conspicuous though 
 its dimensions were somewhat greater than that of the first 
 Holy House. It was ten cubits longer. The general arrange- 
 ments were the same. There was the Holy of Holies and the 
 Holy Place ; the candlestick, table of shew-bread and altar of 
 incense. The finest of needlework was to be seen in the rich 
 texture of the veil that divided the Holy of Holies from the 
 Holy Place. In the former apartment there was nothing. It 
 was a simple room, ten cubits in each measurement, but void 
 of ornament or vessel of use since the ark and its contents had 
 been lost in the Babylonish wars. In the erection of the 
 ijohn ii. 20. 
 
Jerusalem as Christ Saw It 59 
 
 temple proper only priests labored. It was considered too 
 sacred a place for the feet of the Ionian artificers to touch. 
 These skilled "barbarians" could be employed at any other 
 part of the work, but not here. The priests completed their 
 part in eighteen months. The work on the courts and porti- 
 coes employed Herod eight years ; and the colonnades, en- 
 trances, halls, offices and other subsidiary structures required 
 thirty-eight years longer. 
 
 A better idea of the arrangement of all its parts might be 
 obtained if in imagination one entered the. sacred area at one 
 of the principal entrances. Of these there were four all lead- 
 ing in from the west. By far the most imposing was the one 
 crossing the Tyropean on the arches of a colossal bridge and 
 entering at the southwest angle. It joined the ancient city of 
 David with the " Royal Porch of the Temple." This bridge 
 was a wonder in its day, and probably survived all the vicissi- 
 tudes of the city through the decade of centuries extending 
 from Solomon to the siege of Titus. Its ruins are a wonder 
 in this present day. The spring-stones in the arch in the 
 temple wall are twenty-four feet in length and six in thick- 
 ness. Forty-two feet from the wall Captain Warren discovered 
 a pier on which one of these arches rested. The present re- 
 mains of this pier are forty-two feet below the surface. 1 The 
 stones in the pier are of the same quality, of the same height 
 and have the same mason marks as those found in the south- 
 west angle of the temple wall. 
 
 From this bridge a splendid view of the city could be ob- 
 tained. Looking toward the south one could see on the left 
 Ophel, the priest's quarter with its high walls and towers, the 
 wall running southward, crossing the Tyropean near the pool 
 of Siloam and circling the southern brow of Zion. Turning 
 westward the observer would see the Upper City, or the 
 "City of David." Then it was a city of palaces, rising ter- 
 race on terrace, till in the northwest corner stood the citadel- 
 1 Recovery of Jerusalem, p. ioo. 
 
60 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 palace which Herod had erected for his own safety and com- 
 fort. It stood in the midst of gardens and was protected by 
 three imposing towers. Other residences of dignitaries were 
 here, as the palace of the Maccabees and that of Annas the 
 high-priest. To the north was the Xystus, a large enclosure 
 with many colonnades, where important public assemblies 
 were held ; while further on stretched the new city, or Beze- 
 tha, which was yet unenclosed by walls. Beautiful villas em- 
 bowered in luxuriant gardens, graced the view in this direc- 
 tion. The street which led to the important northern gate was 
 lined with columns and could be traced to the point where it 
 merged into the great north road, along which caravans and 
 pilgrims were continually coming and going. But the most 
 imposing and most suggestive sight of all was that on the east. 
 This swept the temple enclosure with the Mount of Olives for 
 a background. Of this let me quote the words of the learned 
 Alfred Edersheim, 1 " The temple — oh, how wondrously 
 beautified and enlarged, and rising terrace upon terrace, sur- 
 rounded by massive walls : a palace, a fortress, a sanctuary of 
 shining marble and glittering gold. And beyond it frowns 
 the old fortress of Baris, rebuilt by Herod, and named after 
 his patron, Antonia." 
 
 This bridge of the Tyropean, connecting Zion with Moriah 
 was three hundred and fifty-four feet long and fifty feet broad. 
 It was probably " the ascent . . . into the house of the 
 Lord "which aroused the wonder of the Queen of Sheba. 1 
 The roadway crossing it joined with the avenue of the Royal 
 Temple Porch. The " porches " were not what is now meant 
 when that term is used. They were rather cloisters, and ex- 
 tended all round the inside of the wall facing the court of the 
 Gentiles. No part of the temple was, from an architectural 
 point of view, finer than these. They were composed of 
 double rows of Corinthian pillars, monoliths thirty-seven-and- 
 a-half feet high. The roofs were richly ornamented. The 
 1 Jesus, the Messiah, Vol. L, p. 112. s 1 Kings x. 5. 
 

 Photograph by Rev. P. Cady. 
 
 ROBINSON'S ARCH. 
 
Jerusalem as Christ Saw It 61 
 
 Royal porch had a treble colonnade made up of four rows of 
 columns forty in each row. But as there were in all a hun- 
 dred and sixty-two it is supposed that the two odd ones served 
 "as a kind of screen where the 'porch' opened upon the 
 bridge." This was by far the highest of the porches. Its cen- 
 tral pillars are said to have been a hundred feet in height. 
 These formed a nave, forty-five feet in width. The two aisles 
 were each thirty feet wide with pillars fifty feet high. 1 From 
 the top of this one looked down into the bed of the Kedron 
 four hundred and forty feet below. 
 
 The cloisters afforded a cool retreat in summer and in winter 
 were a protection against the heavy rains and occasional snows. 
 Teachers and pupils took advantage of them and those inter- 
 ested in public religions or civil questions here discussed them. 
 Audiences were gathered and orators here addressed them. It 
 was here that the earthly parents of the Christ-child found 
 Him disputing with the doctors ; and in the years of His public 
 ministry the common people heard Him gladly in these pre- 
 cincts as He taught them the " spirit " of the law. Solomon's 
 porch — the only remnant of the great work of this king — was 
 on the eastern side of the temple enclosure. In this particular 
 place " Jesus walked " and taught His unity with the Father. 2 
 Here were the first assemblies of the early Christians, when 
 they continued "daily with one accord in the temple." 
 
 The largest of the temple courts was that enclosed by these 
 porches and on the same level with them. To this court is 
 given in Jewish writings the name " mountain of the house." 3 
 It was the outer precinct of the holy enclosure and was paved 
 with marble. It was public to the extent that any one of any 
 or no religious belief might enter it so long as he conformed to 
 certain prescribed rules. It served the purposes of a market 
 and about the time of the great feasts must have presented 
 
 1 Smith's " Dictionary of the Bible," Vol. iii., p. 1462. 
 
 s John x. 30. 
 
 3 Relandus Ant., p. 78 ; Edersheim's " Temple and its Services," p. 22. 
 
62 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 scenes having little resemblance to, and perhaps little sympathy 
 with, the sacred observances so near. There were stalls for 
 oxen and sheep, cotes for pigeons and doves, and tables where 
 the crafty money-changers gave temple coins for the current 
 money of foreign lands, charging exorbitant rates of exchange. 
 At intervals in this court were notices in Greek and Latin 
 warning Gentiles that they were not to approach nearer to the 
 sanctuary itself — an offence punishable by death. 
 
 M. Clermont Ganneau had the good fortune to discover one 
 of the very signs of warning. On a stone set in the wall of 
 a little Moslem cemetery, just across the Via Dolorosa from the 
 Bab el-Aksa, Ganneau was able to read in Greek letters the 
 following inscription : 
 
 " No stranger is to enter within the balustrade round the temple and 
 enclosure. Whoever is caught will be responsible to himself for his 
 death, which will ensue." 
 
 This inscription, the oldest and perhaps most satisfactory 
 yet discovered amid the ruins of the city, can be seen in the 
 museum at Constantinople ; no treasure of this nature that the 
 Sultan or his agents can control is ever taken out of his domin- 
 ions. 
 
 Beyond these posts or " screens " of warning was a flight of 
 fourteen steps which led to a terrace fifteen feet in width. 
 Then came the inner wall that surrounded the temple, and be- 
 yond this the sanctuary itself with its three courts, each higher 
 than the former. Nine gates covered with plates of gold and 
 silver gave entrance to the sanctuary. Of these six led into 
 the court of the priests and three into the court of the women. 
 Four were on the south and four on the north , the ninth was 
 on the east and was the principal entrance as well as the richest 
 in ornamentation and most imposing in size. The gate itself 
 was of finely wrought Corinthian brass. So heavy were its 
 double folds on their hinges that twenty porters were necessary 
 to open and close them. It was known also as " the Beautiful 
 
Jerusalem as Christ Saw It 63 
 
 Gate" and is associated in the minds of Christians with the 
 " notable miracle " of the healing of the cripple by Peter and 
 John. The court of the women, into which it opened, was so 
 called because no women were allowed, except for sacrificial 
 purposes, to pass beyond this. In it both men and women 
 were free to worship. 
 
 Directly opposite the Beautiful Gate, in the western colon- 
 nade, was the Nicanor Gate. Fifteen steps led through this 
 gate up to the Court of Israel. These steps are generally 
 thought to have given the name to the "Psalms of Degrees," 
 fifteen in number, 1 which the Levites chanted at the Feast of 
 Tabernacles. As they ascended each step they stopped long 
 enough to sing the psalm that corresponded to it in number. 
 At the gate Nicanor, the worshippers came to perform that 
 which was ordered to be done "before the Lord." 2 The 
 priests here received all who had come for purification. Pass- 
 ing through this gate the Court of Israel was reached, a very 
 narrow section, separated from the Court of the priests by a 
 low railing, or balustrade. Two steps led up to the latter. To 
 the right and left were chambers used for the vestments of the 
 priest. Directly in front and but a few feet distant was the 
 great altar of sacrifice — the exponent of Israel's religious life. 
 It was a square of nearly fifty feet and elevated fifteen feet 
 above the level of the court. Constructed of unhewn stones it 
 was void of ornamentation. By an inclined plane the offici- 
 ating priests reached the platform which extended around the 
 altar at a height of ten-and-a-half feet from the ground. "A 
 red line all around the middle of the altar marked that above it 
 the blood of sacrifices intended to be eaten, below it that of 
 sacrifices wholly consumed, was to be sprinkled." 3 
 
 Beyond the altar, and somewhat to the left as one ap- 
 proached the temple, was the immense laver of brass resting 
 upon the backs of twelve lions. Its water was used by the 
 
 1 Psalms cxx.-cxxxiv. 2 " Temple and its Services," p. 28. 
 
 3 Edersheim's, " Temple and its Services," p. 38. 
 
64 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 priests to keep themselves ceremonially clean. It was filled 
 every morning by machinery, having been drained the evening 
 before. The rabbis report that so immense was this machinery 
 and so great the noise made when it was being operated that 
 it could be heard even to Jericho. The water was abundant ; 
 brought from the hills near Hebron, from Etham and the Pools 
 of Solomon, by an aqueduct nearly forty miles long, it was 
 stored in the immense subterranean cisterns which had capac- 
 ity for ten million gallons. 
 
 The Holy House itself is now before the beholder — a gem 
 of the highest art known at that time. With its porch it was 
 one hundred and fifty feet long by as many broad. Without 
 including this porch, which extended thirty feet beyond each 
 side of the building proper, the length was one hundred and 
 twenty feet and the breadth ninety. As the Holy Place was 
 sixty feet long and thirty broad and the Most Holy thirty long 
 by thirty broad it will be seen that there was around the sides 
 and rear of the sacred edifice a space thirty feet in width 
 which has not been accounted for. It was occupied by rooms 
 devoted to sacred uses. Though the rooms were in three 
 stories they did not reach to the height of the main structure. 
 Rooms were also built over the Holy and Most Holy Places. 
 The entire building was then covered by a gabled roof of cedar, 
 each piece of which had been nailed into position by a golden 
 spike. 
 
 There it stood on the summit of Moriah in all its marvellous 
 beauty of "gold and snow," facing Olivet and the sunrising; 
 the pride of every Jewish heart, the centre of the nation's 
 thought, the earthly dwelling-place of their God. In concep- 
 tion and execution Herod's artificers had surpassed those of 
 Solomon. He to whom the credit for this restoration is due 
 and who fondly hoped that it would give him a place in the 
 affections of his subjects and in the memories of men was to 
 be disappointed. His people hated him and not once do the 
 rabbis mention his name in connection with the temple. 
 
Jerusalem as Christ Saw It 65 
 
 They praise without measure the completed work, but for the 
 one whose genius and ambition made it possible they have no 
 reward but silence. 
 
 To this temple the child Jesus was taken to be presented to 
 the Lord. Here His parents brought Him, that He might be- 
 come a " son of the law," on the first Passover after He had 
 reached His twelfth year. Here He came and taught the 
 people ; here He proclaimed His Messiahship, and here He 
 was rejected by " His own." Of this temple, with its mas- 
 sive masonry, built as if for eternity, He, in answer to the ad- 
 miring remark of His disciples, " What manner of stones and 
 what buildings are here," foretold a speedy and complete de- 
 struction. It has been fulfilled. Of the buildings as they 
 then were, there is " not left one stone upon another that 
 has not been thrown down." 
 
 After passing out of the temple enclosure by the north- 
 western gate the observer was soon in the centre of the business 
 district of the city. Here the streets were narrow and 
 crowded just as they were when Solomon made Jerusalem a 
 centre of traffic, and just as they are now though the present 
 is but the past in miniature. There was a noticeable difference 
 in this part of the city. During the reign of the first great 
 king the business and residence portions were separated. In 
 the city as Christ saw it the residences of merchant princes, 
 and of the princes of the ruling family rose above, but side by 
 side, with the bazaars and shops. On the street, as to-day, 
 the members of the various trades can be seen plying their 
 craft : the shoemaker preparing his leather ; the cotton worker 
 using his odd shaped tool which resembles a harp with one 
 string; the iron and brass workers hammering their wares into 
 the required shape, the scribe sitting on his mat ready to write 
 the letters of his patrons. On the more important streets were 
 the larger shops whose proprietors dealt in goods and fabrics 
 of foreign production and manufacture. Anything in the way 
 of necessity or luxury that was known at that time could be 
 
66 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 purchased in Jerusalem. Jewels and precious metals of rarest 
 design and perfectly wrought ; glassware, rich in color and of 
 attractive shapes ; silks, fine linens and woollen stuffs in costli- 
 est colors ; essences and perfumes of almost fabulous values, — 
 in fact everything to grace the person and please the palate, 
 brought from the remotest lands of the Gentiles and from the 
 distant " isles of the sea," were for sale and found purchasers. 
 
 Luxuries commanded enormous prices, but the necessities of 
 living were very cheap, or seem so to us at this age. And yet 
 necessities must be procured at low figures where labor brings 
 but fifteen cents a day. Skilled labor was paid something 
 more. This is but little less than the amount received by the 
 unskilled laborer of Jerusalem to-day. It enables him to live 
 much as the laborer of Christ's time must have lived. Lodg- 
 ing was almost free and bread and vegetables sufficient for the 
 day could be purchased for a few cents. Thus the two ex- 
 tremes of society met in the city and were increased by travel- 
 lers who had come to see the glory of the place or to worship 
 at its world-famed temple, and by laborers who hoped to find 
 employment in the public works. The resident population has 
 been variously estimated at from 200,000 to 250,000, which was 
 increased to more than five times that number during the great 
 annual feasts. At such times the city must have been densely 
 crowded, even assuming that it covered twice the area of the 
 modern city, or four hundred and twenty acres. 
 
 In the city as Christ saw it there were two extremes of re- 
 ligion . The long-robed Pharisee represented orthodox Judaism, 
 the haughty Sadducee liberal Judaism; but both were Jews and 
 were jealous of their beliefs. Jehovah was supreme and His law 
 was obeyed by each as it was interpreted for him by his reli- 
 gious leaders. There was another party conspicuous for its lack 
 of religion, at least certainly opposed to Judaism, made up of 
 renegade Israelites and Gentiles from many lands. Its mem- 
 bers were the patrons of theatres and amphitheatres, favorers 
 of the ideas of Greece or of any country or people that con- 
 
Jerusalem as Christ Saw It 67 
 
 tributed to the pleasures of the senses. The former found its 
 chief exponent in the august Sanhedrin, the latter in the king 
 and his court. The former was pious, the latter frivolous. 
 Likewise there were two distinct languages in common use. 
 The Semitic in the form of the Palestinian Aramaic was the 
 language of the common people, and was undoubtedly that 
 used by Christ and the disciples ; while the pure Hebrew was 
 employed by the rabbis and priests in the temple service. 
 Along with this was the polite Greek, the language of the 
 court and camp. 
 
 There were also to be seen side by side in the street and in 
 market and temple the ignorant, unlettered peasant from the 
 villages and the polished product of the Great College of the 
 Temple. The former looked with a feeling of reverence upon 
 the latter and received in return such consideration as is ac- 
 corded brutes. He who did not know "the Law" had no 
 soul, so thought and acted the leaders of Jewish thought. 
 The study of the Law then, as now in the Jewish schools of 
 Jerusalem, was the chief pursuit. The schools were numerous 
 in the city of Christ's time, and though Herod had placed 
 them under state control, were free to any who paid the fees 
 charged by the official porters. The Great College of the 
 Temple inspired and guided Jewish thought and no doubt acted 
 as a strong bulwark against the growing skepticism and the 
 learning of the Greeks. 
 
 Such was the city as Christ saw it, with its heterogeneous 
 population ruled over at the time of His first visit by a king 
 half Jew, half Idumean, on His last by a procurator of Rome. 
 Already it had in it the seeds of decay that were rapidly 
 germinating and would soon produce a harvest of destruction 
 to the city and of death to its inhabitants. Still it was the 
 city of David and Solomon, of the prophets and inspired 
 seers of the past — the City of God. 
 
THE CITY AS IT IS TO-DAY 
 
How many times described ! — A Mountain City — Position 
 — Disadvantages — First Impressions — Geological Facts — Ex- 
 tent — Character of Buildings — Streets — Cleanliness — Habits of 
 the Natives — Residences — Number of Inhabitants — Stores and 
 Shops — Turkish Bazaars — Methods in Business — " The Cus- 
 tom of the Country" — Religious Appearance of the City — 
 Synagogues — Churches — Mosques — Religious Indifference of 
 the Moslems — Street Scenes — Venders — Market Day — Moslem 
 Rule — Consulates — Justice — American Privileges — Treaty of 
 1830 — Amusements — Contrast between Day and Night in the 
 City — Modern Progress — Jaffa Jerusalem Railway — Hin- 
 drances to Improvements — Telephones — No Census — Sources 
 of Information as to Population — Number of Jews — Number 
 of Christians — Number of Moslems — Jerusalem Unique. 
 
 ,70 
 
rv 
 
 THE CITY AS IT IS TO-DAY 
 
 HOW many times has it been described ! How many 
 volumes of travel, by the amateur and professional 
 tourists, make a specialty of the Jerusalem chapter ! How 
 many letters to religious and other papers, in every Christian 
 land, tell the story of the city as it now is ! The number of 
 such publications proves that the reading public has been inter- 
 ested in the subject. In the belief that this wide-spread 
 interest still continues this chapter on the general condition 
 and appearance of the city is here introduced. 
 
 Jerusalem is a mountain city. Its position is on one of the 
 high points of that broad ridge which runs north and south 
 through the Holy Land from fertile Jezreel to barren Idumea. 
 Of this range which abounds in peculiar hill and valley 
 formations Jerusalem occupies two hills, or one hill partly 
 divided, and the valley of division. The higher of the two, 
 Mount Zion, is 2,593 feet above the level of the Mediterranean 
 and nearly 4,000 feet above the level of the Dead Sea, which 
 lies but eighteen miles to the east. The lower hill, Mount 
 Moriah, has an altitude of 2,440 feet above sea-level. The city 
 stands just east of the water-shed, and is in latitude 31 ° 47' 
 N. and longitude 35 ° 14' E. In a direct line it is thirty-two 
 miles from the Mediterranean and twenty-two from the river 
 Jordan. At the first glance one wonders why this site was 
 selected for an important capital ; and the only reason that can 
 be given is that the choice was made because of its great 
 natural advantages for defence. However, the city has always 
 suffered great inconvenience because of its limited water 
 supply. In earlier days this was overcome by immense labors 
 
 7* 
 
72 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 in cisterns to preserve the rains of winter, and in aqueducts to 
 bring water from distant springs. ' The latter are now broken 
 and useless, though a little labor and money would make them 
 serviceable. Cisterns are still almost numerous as residences. 
 Every house, or group of two or three houses, has one in 
 which is stored the supply for the year. 
 
 On coming to the city the visitor is struck by the rocky 
 character of its surroundings. In many places on the plateau 
 on which it stands the outcropping of the limestone is a 
 common sight. The character of this formation varies in the 
 different strata. In the bottom of the Kedron valley, half a 
 mile south of the city is found a very hard pink-and-white 
 stratum of uncertain depth, called "Santa Croce " marble. 
 Just above it is a stratum of soft white limestone called 
 " Malaki" having a thickness of about forty feet. Just above 
 this is a hard silicious chalk, called " Missae," having a thick- 
 ness of seventy feet ; while above this again, and forming the 
 summits of the hills is nummulitic limestone 291 feet in 
 thickness. This is descriptive of the strata of the Mount of 
 Olives and Mount of Evil Council. 1 
 
 The barren condition of the neighboring hills and valleys, 
 and in fact of the two hills on which Jerusalem is built, 
 detracts much from the beauty of the place. These hills and 
 valleys were once carefully cultivated and doubtless over them 
 trees and vines grew luxuriantly. Centuries of neglect have 
 caused the soil to be washed down into the valleys and the 
 hills are little more than bare rocks. Debris from the many 
 destructions Jerusalem has suffered has also helped to fill up 
 the two surrounding and one intersecting valley. This 
 process of denudation of the hills and filling of the valleys has 
 toned down the scenery and made it less abrupt and striking. 
 The modern visitor views a very different topography from that 
 which the visitors in the days of Solomon or of Herod beheld. 
 The surface is altered almost as much as the city itself. Still 
 1 See " Our Work in Palestine," p. 22. 
 
The City as it is To-day 73 
 
 Mounts Zion and Moriah are quite prominent, the Tyropean 
 can be traced without difficulty and the Kedron and Hinnom 
 valleys are very decided depressions. 
 
 The location of the city has been changed, or rather it 
 occupies but a part of the ground covered by the Jerusalem of 
 Herod and his immediate successors. The old city, including 
 the Mosque area, covers only 209^ acres. At the time of its 
 greatest importance it must have embraced within its walls 
 nearly three times as much territory, and, judging from the 
 estimates of its population at that time, the houses must have 
 been even more closely built than now. That they are close 
 enough at present no one who has examined them will ques- 
 tion, and yet there are several quite good sized pieces of 
 vacant land. The houses are generally poor and patched, and 
 have a mottled and ancient appearance. The mottled aspect 
 is due to the fact that the stones composing the walls have 
 done previous duty in buildings or walls that have fallen be- 
 fore the besieger. The ancient look is genuine ; they are old ; 
 some of them were quarried thousands of years ago. Many 
 of the interior walls are supported by props stretching over- 
 head across the narrow streets and braced against some 
 stronger wall. They have an ominous " bulge," which means 
 that some of these days they are going to spill out over the 
 street in spite of their supports. The wonder is how some of 
 them resist the law of gravitation even now. There are old 
 arches in every part of the city which have some mysterious 
 way of keeping up, when from all appearances they ought to 
 fall immediately. The crowds pass and repass however un- 
 conscious of their danger. Some day the keystone having 
 crumbled to powder will let the whole structure tumble, upon 
 some devoted heads, whereupon the owner will say "It is the 
 will of God," and the bereaved will console themselves with 
 the same pious ejaculation. 
 
 The streets are in no way attractive ; they are narrow, tor- 
 tuous and bewildering, running here and there with as little 
 
74 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 order and regularity as is manifested by the average mortal 
 who passes along them. The only thoroughfares whose situa- 
 tion and direction are capable of explanation, are David 
 street, which runs east from the Jaffa Gate and makes con- 
 nections which lead out at St. Stephen's Gate on the opposite 
 side of the city ; Christian street, which is the thoroughfare 
 from David street to the church of the Holy Sepulchre ; and 
 the through street leading from the Damascus Gate on the 
 north to Zion's Gate on the south. These are streets ; the 
 rest that bear the name are in fact something less than alleys 
 and something more than paths. As to cleanliness, all that 
 can be said is that it is noticeable for its continued absence. 
 The people who live along the streets use them as receptacles 
 for the refuse of their living, and when the street cleaning 
 brigade — consisting of two men and four donkeys — gets ready 
 to carry it away, it does so. Sometimes it remains for a 
 month and, being added to continually, makes a very unin- 
 viting passage for pedestrians — only for some pedestrians, how- 
 ever, for the native Jerusalemite minds it not. Long residence 
 has accustomed him to such visions and odors, and when he 
 cannot pass by it he passes through without a murmur. In 
 other respects the habits of the Arab and Jew residents are 
 most abominable and actions violating common decency are 
 tolerated — actions which in any city whose authorities had 
 any regard for the appearance or health of the community, 
 would land their perpetrators in jail. Here such punishment 
 would be considered a blow at personal freedom and therefore 
 resented with great positiveness. But until some such richly 
 deserved treatment is meted out, the modern city within the 
 walls will be considered by intelligent and reasonably cleanly 
 foreigners as a very good place to keep out of. There is a 
 sewer system, but so crude and badly managed that it is a 
 misnomer to call it a "system." 
 
 The residences are small, ill-ventilated and poorly lighted. 
 In the poorer Jewish quarters humanity has not breathing- 
 
The City as it is To-day 75 
 
 room, and apparently does not desire it. I have found ten 
 persons sleeping in one small room with every door and win- 
 dow tightly closed ; it was a room to be looked into for curi- 
 osity, but not to be entered voluntarily. Even among the bet- 
 ter class of Hebrews, living in the less crowded quarters, 
 there is this same objection to fresh air and neat surroundings. 
 It has been remarked that an Ashkenaz Jew can thrive in an 
 atmosphere which would be deadly to an ordinary mortal. 
 There is similar crowding, though less filth in the Moham- 
 medan quarter. These people live more in the open air. 
 This does not mean that there is no room for improvement. 
 There are spots in Moslem Jerusalem too awful to be described. 
 One excuse for the Jew, which may also be offered for some of 
 the Christians who are none too clean, is the lack of water. 
 The Moslem need not suffer this lack, for there is at his dis- 
 posal the almost inexhaustible supply in the immense cisterns 
 of the Mosque area. It requires some labor to transport it to 
 his house, labor which many of them consider too great a 
 price to pay for comfort and cleanliness. The Christian quar- 
 ter is likewise sufficiently filled with inhabitants and suffi- 
 ciently neglected. This overcrowding seems to be necessary, 
 but no apology can be offered for the wretched condition of 
 many of the houses and yards and most or all of the streets. 
 Nor does it help matters to remark that the same filthiness is 
 characteristic of all Oriental cities, and that Jerusalem is not 
 worse than the majority. 
 
 In spite of these unfavorable conditions there are some 
 houses of very commodious and respectable appearance in 
 each of the three quarters, and, on entering them, it will be 
 seen that those who reside there have some ideas as to the 
 comforts of life and also the ability to illustrate them. In the 
 various convents, schools and buildings, used as residences for 
 the orders of the clergy of the various churches, there is also 
 comfort and plenty. Some of these, together with the churches 
 in connection, are very handsome pieces of architecture and 
 
76 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 would be ornaments to any city of the western world. They 
 stand out in striking contrast to the low, rough, irregular 
 houses and shops of the native population. 
 
 It will thus easily be inferred that there cannot be much 
 waste space in the old city. Altogether it covers only 209}^ 
 acres of ground and out of this must be taken thirty-five acres, 
 which are enclosed within the walls of the great Mosque. At 
 least as much more is occupied by military barracks and fully 
 as much is the private and unoccupied land of the various re- 
 ligious orders. Subtracting from what remains that on which 
 stand the churches and other buildings not used as homes, and 
 it leaves something less than 100 acres of ground to furnish 
 the homes and the places of business for a population approxi- 
 mating thirty thousand. There may be more people than this 
 number within the walls; there are no means of knowing the 
 exact population, as no census is ever taken. A conservative 
 estimate, based on as complete a count as can be secured, 
 gives the entire city a resident population of 55,000 and di- 
 vides it almost equally between the Old and the New Jeru- 
 salem outside the walls. 
 
 The stores and shops are very primitive, but the methods of 
 doing business are something to be wondered at. Along Jew 
 street, which is in the centre of the city and runs south from 
 David street, can be seen on any day but Saturday a sight 
 which for variety of dress, language, features and goods, can- 
 not be paralleled. This is the main Jewish business street, and 
 you can buy here anything in the way of raiment or food that 
 a Jew of the Holy City is likely to want. The stores are 
 minute, some of them having only a few feet each way; 
 the largest not more than ten feet wide by fourteen long. The 
 way the goods are packed in, however, and the amount that 
 can be exhibited to a probable purchaser, is wonderful to the 
 uninitiated. Every type of Jew from the lithe, dark-skinned 
 and rather attractive Yemenite, to the heavy, fair-skinned and 
 generally very unattractive Russian, is here. Between these 
 
The City as it is To-day 77 
 
 are the German, Spanish, Morocco, Persian and native Jew. 
 Each can speak the language of the land from which he has 
 come, and within the space of a few yards one may hear them 
 all, with the addition of Hebrew and English. It is a Jewish 
 cosmopolitan trading place. 
 
 North of David street and continuous with Jew street are 
 the Turkish bazaars, where can be found anything that the 
 Turk or Arab is likely to want. These are even more curious 
 to the western visitor than are the shops of the sons of Jacob. 
 Every large city has its Jew quarter where a pretty good idea 
 of the methods of that "peculiar people" can be got; but 
 the Turk and Arab are not so easily met. In these bazaars 
 there are always to be seen a profusion of richly colored stuffs. 
 The Turk is fond of gay apparel and brightly ornamented ar- 
 ticles. The dress of his wife or wives, the trappings of his 
 horse, his narghili, or smoking apparatus, must lack nothing 
 in the way of decoration that his purse can afford. 
 
 But the great thing in the bazaars is to see the buyer and seller 
 proceed to business. The former comes along as unconcernedly 
 as possible, as though the intention to purchase anything was 
 farthest from his thoughts. Coming to the bazaar he patron- 
 izes, the greeting is passed and some general conversation in- 
 dulged in. Seeing what he wants he may pick it up, examine 
 it indifferently and lay it down carelessly, all the time talking 
 about something else. Finally he ventures to ask, as though 
 the notion had just struck him, how much the desired article 
 is worth. The dealer is just as sly and asks about three times 
 what he is willing to take and expects to get, but he does it in 
 such a way as to convey his belief that the one about to pur- 
 chase has no intention of doing so. With the same indiffer- 
 ence the purchaser replies offering about a third the amount 
 mentioned. Then comes the battle, first quietly, then more 
 emphatically, until finally their voices are being used under 
 full pressure. You would imagine a real fight was imminent, 
 but there is little danger. The bargain-driving may last half 
 
78 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 an hour or half a day. The buyer may go away without the 
 article, but he is likely to return on the same or some succeed- 
 ing day and renew the business. When he does secure his 
 purchase it is at a price from a third to a half the amount first 
 asked. I once purchased some rugs from one of these Turkish 
 merchants. He came with his wares at a time when I was 
 busy with other matters. He had three rugs of good quality 
 which I wanted. I told him I had no time to bargain with 
 him and therefore he must name me his last price. After 
 pondering a moment he named it very solemnly, as though it 
 were wrenching his soul to let them go so cheaply. I pursued 
 the same tactics, thought a moment, then took another small 
 rug and added it to the three already selected and offered him 
 for the four just half the amount he had said was the last price 
 for the three. He was shocked and insulted, to judge from 
 the expression on his face, and said it was impossible to think 
 of selling them at the price I had mentioned. I started to go 
 and when he saw I meant it called me back and gave me the 
 rugs at my price and was glad to do it. I have no doubt he 
 made a fair profit on the sale. 
 
 This is the way of doing business at every place in the city 
 except in one or two European stores. It is annoying and un- 
 satisfactory, but objecting to it does no good. You are met 
 with the assertion, "It is the custom of the country"; and 
 that is final. He who attempts to reform the customs of the 
 Oriental gets little sympathy and less success. He has always 
 done a certain thing a certain way and will continue to do it 
 just that way " even unto the end." 
 
 Another characteristic, and perhaps the most striking one, is 
 the religious appearance the city has. It holds easily the title 
 of the Holy City for this reason if for no other. Look in any 
 direction you may and you will see the roof of mosque, steeple 
 of church or dome of synagogue, and here and there the tall 
 minaret overlooking all. Largest of the churches is that of 
 the Holy Sepulchre, but there are at least twenty-five others. 
 
Photograph by the A uthor 
 
 NATIVE WATER CARRIERS. 
 
 Photograph by T. J. A lley. 
 
 STREET MARKET SCENE. 
 
The City as it is To-day 79 
 
 Largest of the synagogues is that known as Khal Stamboul, or 
 Congregation of Constantinople, but there are two hundred 
 others scattered throughout the town. Largest of the mosques 
 is the El Aksa on Mount Moriah, but there are inferior ones to 
 the number of thirty-seven. Added to these are the religious 
 and eleemosynary institutions of priests and monks and nuns. 
 At nearly every hour some of the numerous bells are ringing 
 the call to service. At stated intervals, namely at dawn, noon, 
 middle of the afternoon, sunset, and at one-and-a-half hours 
 after sunset, the muezzin call is given "from the tapering 
 summit of tall minaret," and the faithful Moslem obeys. But 
 I am told the response to the calls is not nearly so general as in 
 former years, that among the younger generation of Moham- 
 medans there is noticeable a great lack of religious spirit and 
 a lamentable neglect of the outward forms. Nevertheless, 
 when the muezzin sounds, one can see in the public squares, 
 in front of their shops, by the roadside or in the field the 
 faithful going through their prostrations and genuflexions. 
 
 As in all other Oriental cities, there are venders of goods 
 along all the principal streets. In some quarters they are so 
 numerous as to occupy all of the narrow pavement and where 
 there is no pavement a large part of the street. This hinders 
 passenger traffic and forces man and beast to use the same way. 
 With water-skins or jugs of various shape strapped to them, 
 with a wide board carried on the head, or a basket in the hand, 
 the walking merchant transports his wares along the street cry- 
 ing their peculiar excellence and marvellous cheapness. 
 
 "Oh, ye thirsty ones, come and drink," calls the seller of 
 lemonade or other refreshment. 
 
 " Eggs and cakes for ten paras (about a cent). Here they 
 are, oh, for nothing." 
 
 " He who wants a good clean meal come buy of me. My 
 bread is fresh and made of whitest flour." 
 
 "Let him who is thirsty partake of my lemonade. It is 
 cold and refreshes the heart." 
 
8o Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 ' ' Buy of none but me. I sell for nothing and if you want 
 a special bargain be sure and let me know." 
 
 Such invitations never cease from early morning till dark- 
 ness. 
 
 Camel and donkey drivers hold sway on the streets. Laden 
 with various goods from every quarter the camel comes stalk- 
 ing through the city gates with that look mildly disdainful of 
 the opinions of human bipeds, whom his obstinacy invites to 
 move out of the way or be trampled on. Take him all in all, 
 the camel is the homeliest of God's creatures. Neither in face 
 nor form is there anything to commend him to the lover of the 
 beautiful. An American lady, celebrated as a writer of de- 
 lightful and helpful fiction, was in Jerusalem in the winter of 
 1893 and 1894. One of her remarks about the ungainliness 
 of this plain, but profitable animal, as a long caravan of them 
 went by, was, "Well, I do not like to criticise the Creator, 
 but it does seem to me that I could have attached the hind 
 legs of those animals to their bodies so as to make just as use- 
 ful and a much more graceful creature." 
 
 In spite of the fact that the railway from Jaffa to Jerusalem 
 is prepared to bring freight from the only Palestine seaport, 
 the conservatism of many of the people is so intense that they 
 preserve the old method of transportation. Accordingly 
 camel and donkey trains make the journey laden with every 
 variety of goods. Overland from Damascus, they come along 
 the great north road, bringing to Jerusalem and Egypt the 
 products of the Oasis City. From the country of Moab and 
 Ammon, east of the Jordan, they bring the " finest of the 
 wheat" for sale in the Jerusalem market or for shipment to 
 some far country, the name of which the raisers of the wheat 
 have never heard. One may ridicule the camel for his ex- 
 ceeding ungainliness, and in sarcastic tones, because of the 
 unpleasantness of his voice, term the donkey " the Jerusalem 
 canary," nevertheless, these two animals are deserving of the 
 highest consideration from the dwellers in this land. They 
 
The City as it is To-day 81 
 
 make living here reasonably endurable, and the wretch who 
 treats them harshly is a " marble-hearted fiend," guilty of the 
 basest ingratitude, and deserving only of the contempt of 
 men. 
 
 Friday is the big market day of the week. Both the whole- 
 sale and retail dealers make the most of it. Whatever product 
 of the season is due will be found in abundance at every 
 prominent street corner and in every vegetable bazaar. Just 
 outside the Jaffa Gate to the northwest is the wholesale vegeta- 
 ble stand. The producer who can bring in several camel or 
 donkey loads disposes of them here. But to do so takes as 
 much energy in bartering — voice at highest pitch and arms 
 flying — as would sell a trans-continental railroad on the New 
 York Stock Exchange. In the basin of the lower pool of 
 Gihon the cattle market is now held every Friday. Here any 
 one wishing to sell or buy camels, cattle, sheep or donkeys, 
 may be accommodated. It is true that Friday is the Moslem 
 Sabbath. It is also true that a great deal of the business is 
 carried on by believers in this religion ; but to do so on their 
 holy day is not sacrilegious, provided the business may be 
 completed before, or dispensed with, during the noonday hour 
 of prayer. This they all manage to do. 
 
 For centuries the city and land have been under Moslem 
 rule. The nominal head of the local government is a pasha, 
 or mutaserif, who is appointed by the sultan. It depends al- 
 together upon the character of the pasha whether he shall be 
 anything more than a nominal head. A man of weak or 
 vacillating will is sure to be made the dupe of his underlings, 
 the majority of whom have received by inheritance and ac- 
 quired by years of constant practice capacities for deception 
 and sharp dealing that are truly wonderful. The pasha who 
 is pasha indeed, must be shrewd to see, and quick to execute. 
 The inferior officials can have only as much power as the pasha 
 allows them. They constitute a sort of municipal council, and 
 consist of nine Moslems, one Jew and one Christian. This is 
 
82 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 an exceedingly unfair division, seeing that the Moslem body 
 is the smallest. 
 
 The great foreign powers all have consulates in the city, 
 and the citizens of each power are responsible in all civil and 
 criminal actions to their respective consuls. This guarantees 
 them some certain protection. In all actions between parties 
 all of whom are foreigners the case must be tried before the 
 consulate of that power to which the defendant owes alle- 
 giance. In a case in which a Turkish subject is the plaintiff 
 against a subject of a foreign state or in which a Turkish sub- 
 ject is in any way involved either as plaintiff or defendant the 
 case must go before the local Serai, or court, for trial. There 
 is an exception to this rule only when an American citizen is 
 the defendant. By treaty entered into between the United 
 States and Turkey in 1830, and which has never been altered, 
 the right is reserved of having such a case tried before the 
 American consulate. 
 
 It is true that Turkey makes objection to the right of Amer- 
 icans to exercise this special privilege asserting that we base 
 our claim to it on a mistranslation of Article IV. of the treaty 
 of May 7, 1830, referring to it. But it is just as true that 
 competent Turkish scholars assert that the disputed clause does 
 grant to Americans this right. It is a question that was not 
 raised till after the treaty had been accepted by both powers. 
 American ministers and consuls go on exercising the privilege 
 as though there were no dispute. The local authorities in 
 Jerusalem make objection in nearly every case, but reference 
 to the treaty and suggestion of an appeal to Constantinople if 
 they are not satisfied cause them to acquiesce. 
 
 Were they some day to insist upon the carrying out of this 
 stipulation of the treaty, as they interpret it, a delicate ques- 
 tion of international importance would be raised. And if a 
 commission of other powers were appointed to settle the diffi- 
 culty it would decide, without doubt, in favor of the Turk. 
 Although each of the great nations of Europe should enjoy, 
 
The City as it is To-day 83 
 
 according to its treaty with the Sublime Porte, the privilege 
 granted to " the most favored nation," the United States is 
 alone in possession of those privileges. Americans residing 
 in Turkish dominions care not how soon the representatives of 
 other countries are put on an equality with them, but they 
 hope that the day will never come when their own government 
 shall submit to a Turkish mistranslation of the treaty and sur- 
 render privileges that are necessities if Americans are to secure 
 what they consider their rights. 
 
 This is one of the very few advantages accruing to an Amer- 
 ican citizen resident in the Holy City. Unless such an one 
 is here engaged heart and soul in missionary work time will 
 hang heavily. In the way of amusement there is nothing : 
 not a place where an exhibition of any kind can be given, 
 were there anything worth exhibiting; not an opera nor a 
 play; not even a concert from one year's end to the other. 
 During my residence of four years there were four concerts 
 given by amateurs. Lectures are occasionally given in the 
 tourist season under the auspices of the local branch of the Pal- 
 estine Exploration Society. For the rest of the year the town 
 closes at sundown. The only places that keep open after this 
 hour are a couple of German beer-halls and some Arab coffee- 
 shops. The streets are deserted by humanity and all is quiet 
 until daybreak, except the canine part of the population. 
 
 Wonderful is the transformation that comes over the city 
 when night falls. The streets that were a few hours ago 
 crowded and noisy are deserted and quiet. I have walked 
 through the city and round the walls between the night hours 
 of ten and twelve and not met a single person, except the 
 silent watchman in his little garden. The effect of the times 
 when the city gates were shut at sundown and it was unsafe to 
 be out at night, is still felt. The people have nothing to stay 
 up for, so they retire early. The natives are early risers ; they 
 may have nothing to do, but no matter ; they are up before 
 the sun. 
 
84 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 The spirit of modern progress has not touched the city yet. 
 It has come from the west, swept across the Mediterranean, 
 left its impress on Alexandria and Cairo, but has passed 
 through the Suez Canal and on to the Far East. Jerusalem 
 has been passed by and, were it not for its popularity as a 
 stopping-place for tourists from Europe and America, would be 
 as Oriental as any one could wish. These visitors are leaving 
 some of their customs and costumes. Some of the rising gen- 
 eration of natives affect the European dress. The combination 
 of the man and the habit is not a success ; each detracts from 
 the other. 
 
 When the railway from Jaffa to Jerusalem was completed in 
 1893 it was the wonder of the year, not only of the day. The 
 great majority of the people had never seen such a thing as a 
 locomotive. It frightened them so that when some of them 
 saw it coming they could not get out of the way. It might 
 reasonably have been expected that other improvements would 
 follow rapidly. There has not been a single one. 
 
 Some of the letters of inquiry from our enterprising Ameri- 
 can firms which are sent to the consulate are laughable in the 
 light of present conditions. Electric engineers and manufac- 
 turers of electric goods want to know all about the system of 
 street railway now employed and what is the likelihood of in- 
 troducing their special improved appliances for rapid transit. 
 If they could only see what system is in use ! To go from 
 one part of the city within the walls to another, one must walk 
 or mount a donkey. A line of carriages runs from the Jaffa 
 Gate a mile west along the road. But such carriages ! He 
 who enters some of them does so at the expense of comfort 
 and safety. 
 
 Street illumination is still in its infancy. In the entire city 
 there are twenty-eight small oil lamps stuck up here and there 
 on the sides of the houses. They are uncared for and on a 
 dark night do nothing more than indicate that they are 
 lighted. To believe that they do anything in the way of less- 
 
The City as it is To-day 85 
 
 ening the gloom is a freak of imagination. American com- 
 panies wish to put in electric lights if the way is clear. But it 
 is not ; several insurmountable barriers intervene. In the first 
 place the Turkish authorities do not desire so much light; it 
 would reveal too much. They would not permit the introduc- 
 tion of electricity for illuminating purposes if some company 
 should agree to furnish it gratis. Another reason is it would 
 never pay. With the great scarcity of fuel the expense of 
 operating the electric plant would be enormous. Another rea- 
 son is that the Turk fears electricity in any form. He only 
 admits the telegraph because he is compelled to. In Berg- 
 heim's flouring mill, however, and in the French Pilgrim's 
 Building, both in the New City, there are some incandescent 
 lights. 
 
 There are no telephones and not likely soon to be any. An 
 American missionary who had charge of some schools several 
 miles away and with which it was necessary for him to have 
 frequent converse had a telephone sent to him. When he 
 proceeded to put it in condition for service a Turkish officer 
 was sent to make inquiries. The affair and the benefit of it 
 was explained to him and he went away and reported it to his 
 superiors. Word soon came to the progressive missionary that 
 he must desist in its operations. Such an innovation could 
 not be allowed unless he had an order from the sultan. He 
 had no such order and was in no mood to pay the sum neces- 
 sary to obtain it. The telephone has been lying unused for 
 several years. 
 
 This is the kind of people who have control of the city. As 
 long as they retain it Jerusalem will be mediaeval in appear- 
 ance. The native and Jewish inhabitants do not care ; the 
 visitor prefers to see a city untouched by the hand of modern 
 improvement. The former are indifferent in the matter ; the 
 latter have a sentiment. The one will not be roused from 
 their indifference so long as the Turk is governor ; the other 
 is in no danger of having his sentiment destroyed. 
 
86 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 The population numbers fifty-five thousand. This is a con- 
 servative estimate and yet only an estimate ; nothing more 
 satisfactory can be had under present conditions. The 
 Turks never take a census. Certain individuals or societies 
 have attempted a systematic canvass, but have had too many 
 difficulties to meet in the way of overcoming fears and preju- 
 dices. The people look with suspicion upon any one who 
 comes to their houses and asks questions about the inmates. 
 They fear some new tax list is about to be prepared, and if 
 they must answer are sure to minimize their numbers. With 
 these difficulties to contend against it is not to be wondered 
 that estimators differ somewhat in their calculations and their 
 differences must not be charged to intentional error. 
 
 The estimate here given includes the permanent residents 
 of both the old and the new city, and is based upon careful 
 observation after a continuous residence of nearly five years 
 and upon the opinions of the various civil and religious au- 
 thorities. It was taken for granted in making the estimate 
 that the patriarchs and bishops of the various Christian bodies 
 would be in positions to know the exact number of their ad- 
 herents and would be honest in stating that number. On the 
 other hand great dissatisfaction resulted from efforts to learn 
 the real number of the Jewish population. The leading rabbis 
 know, but soon convince an inquirer that they wish to pre- 
 serve their knowledge. The inference from this desire to con- 
 ceal the number is that there are many more than the Jews 
 wish the Turkish authorities to believe. They have an object 
 in decreasing the number, or the report of the number of their 
 people, and I have no doubt that they do so, by from ten to 
 fifteen thousand. 
 
 The most careful estimate yet made was in 1892, by the 
 missionary workers of the London Jews' Society. The result 
 was as nearly exact as has yet been made and may safely be 
 depended upon. According to this there are just about forty- 
 two thousand Jews in the city and contiguous colonies, whose in- 
 
The City as it is To-day 87 
 
 habitants are justly classed among Jerusalem residents. Since 
 that partial census there has been little variation in the num- 
 ber, for it was made just about the time restrictions were placed 
 upon Jewish immigration. Some have come since, but about 
 an equal number have left. Should the restrictions against 
 the immigration of the Jew be removed they would come in 
 ever increasing numbers, until the Christian and Moslem 
 dwellers in the Holy City would be so few as to be conspicu- 
 ous. As it is, nearly three-fourths of the entire population 
 are descendants of Jacob. 
 
 Next in numerical strength are the Christians, including all 
 sects who so call themselves. Of this part of the population 
 nearly a half are adherents of the Greek orthodox body. In 
 wealth as well as in numbers this is the leading sect. The 
 entire number of Christians is about 8,630, divided as follows : 
 
 Greek Orthodox 4,000 
 
 Roman Catholic 3,200 
 
 Armenian 600 
 
 Protestant (all branches) 500 
 
 Coptic 120 
 
 Greek Catholic 100 
 
 Abyssinian 60 
 
 Syriac 50 
 
 Total 8,630 
 
 The Moslems number about 6,500, and though the smallest 
 numerically, are the strongest officially. They look with a 
 measure of scorn upon Jews and Christians, and, were it not 
 for the financial benefit to them resulting from the presence of 
 these representatives of despised religions, would gladly be 
 rid of them. 
 
 There is less friction between members of these three great 
 religions than is generally supposed. In fact there is very 
 little. The worst exhibitions of intolerance are between cer- 
 tain of the Christian sects. Each devotee of religion enjoys 
 
88 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 full freedom to worship God as he wishes so long as he respects 
 the rights of the others. There are in the city Jews, orthodox 
 and reformed — though the latter are few. There are Ashken- 
 azim, or Jargon-speaking, Sephardim, or Spanish, and Caraites, 
 or repudiators of the Talmud. There are Christians of every 
 shade of faith, orthodox, unorthodox and peculiar. There 
 are representatives of the various sects of Islam. So in every 
 respect, civil and religious, physical and political, Jerusalem 
 is unique among the cities of the world. 
 
THE NEW JERUSALEM 
 
The Term — Its Application — Appearance and Age — Ancient 
 Architecture in the Old City — Modern in the New — Old City 
 Streets — New City Streets — Dust — Street Sprinkling — Growth 
 of the New City — Jewish Immigration — Condition of the Peo- 
 ple — Their Character and Nationality — Estimates of Robinson 
 and Williams — New Jerusalem Residences — Jewish Colonies 
 — Names of Colonies — Jeremiah's Prophecy — Zechariah — 
 Conclusions. 
 
 90 
 
THE NEW JERUSALEM 
 
 THE term is old ; the application of it here made is new. 
 When the Seer of Patmos was "in the spirit on the 
 Lord's Day " he beheld a city where all was perfect ; he called 
 it the New Jerusalem. To his mind Jerusalem was the queen 
 of cities, and when there arose before his vision the indescrib- 
 able city of God no name was better suited to it. That name 
 brought to his mind a suggestion of all that was beautiful and 
 all that was sacred. The contrast between his home on the 
 sea-washed rock of Patmos and " the holy city, New Jerusa- 
 lem, coming down from God out of heaven" was far more 
 decided than that between the Old and the New that stand 
 side by side on the hills of Judea to-day, but the latter con- 
 trast is striking enough to warrant the application of the term 
 " old " to that city within the walls, and " new " to that which 
 has grown up during the last few years outside the walls toward 
 the west and north. 
 
 The contrast is one of appearance as well as age. In the 
 old city the buildings have an ancient look. And their looks 
 do not deceive, for some of them have seen twenty generations 
 of frail humanity appear and disappear ; indeed, some of these 
 walls, I am sure, were standing in the time of Constantine. 
 Some of these houses may go back to the time of Christ, if we 
 are to believe some observers, who see in the claim no violation 
 of the Saviour's prophecy, " They shall not leave in thee one 
 stone upon another." 1 The architecture is ancient, even in 
 the buildings which have been erected in recent years. The 
 scarcity of timber and the expensiveness of iron have forced 
 
 • Luke xix. 44. 
 91 
 
Q2 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 builders to resort to the arch, and with very few exceptions 
 the houses in the city proper have vaulted ceilings and dome 
 roofs. As one looks over the city from the terrace of the 
 Grand New Hotel the entire place seems to be made up of 
 little mounds, very quaint and very picturesque. In the new 
 city new ideas in building are illustrated. The houses are 
 modern. Iron rafters take the place of the arch, and flat, or 
 slanting roofs with the ordinary red tile so common in German 
 villages, are the order. This does away in many cases with 
 the amazing thickness of walls, but in some the old method of 
 a wall so thick that it will keep out heat in summer and damp- 
 ness in winter prevails, even in the newer quarters. A wall 
 four feet in thickness has a substantial appearance and great 
 powers of resistance to the elements. 
 
 Within the walls the streets are narrow, devious, and, for 
 two or three reasons, very uncertain. A stranger on entering 
 one of them never knows just where he will find himself after 
 a few minutes' walk. The street may make several turns in as 
 many minutes. Another uncertainty is that one never knows 
 on entering a street just how long he can continue on it. A 
 camel loaded with boxes or large sacks comes swinging along 
 and demands, and generally gets, the full right of way. He 
 who wishes to contest the ungainly creature's progress may do 
 so, but one experience of the kind is usually satisfactory and 
 on the next occasion the quiet demands of the brute are 
 quietly granted. There is only one piece of a street in the 
 whole city where carriages can pass. The place was laid out 
 as it now is before there was a carriage in the country. 
 
 The New Jerusalem differs in this respect. North of the old 
 city the streets are wide and reasonably well cared for — I 
 mean reasonably well for Jerusalem, for they are not paved, 
 and many loose stones make carriage riding somewhat more 
 violent exercise than most people care to indulge in. The 
 exception to this is the Jaffa road which is lined with houses 
 on both sides for nearly a mile beyond the gate of the same 
 
The New Jerusalem 93 
 
 name. This road is well ballasted and comfortably smooth. 
 Its great drawback is the choking dust which covers it all 
 through the long rainless summer. A light yellow cloud 
 hangs over it all the time, sustained by the continual passing 
 and repassing of carriages, camels and donkeys. A little 
 public spirit in the way of street sprinkling would remedy 
 this, but public spirit requires the expenditure of a little 
 money and a little time. There are plenty of people who 
 will furnish the time if paid for it, but too few who will 
 contribute the money. There is a little sprinkling done, 
 but so little that it is ridiculous. A couple of water carriers 
 each evening go along with water skins on their backs and 
 scatter a little dirty water here and there. You can see in the 
 dust the mark of their passing, but there is no diminution in 
 the amount of dirt in the air. 
 
 All this new city has grown up within the last twenty-five 
 years. This is not a very rapid growth if it be compared with 
 some of our western cities, but it is rapid for this part of the 
 world, especially that on which the throttling Turk has his 
 grip. In a country whose government discourages all progress 
 by taxing every improvement beyond the benefit it can bring 
 to the one making it, that discriminates against certain classes 
 of its population and prohibits the entrance of many new 
 settlers the rapid advance of a city is a cause for wonder. 
 Visitors to Jerusalem now who have seen the city twenty or 
 even ten years ago, are amazed at the advance that has been 
 made. The improvement appears mostly in the new city. 
 Here many Jewish colonies have grown up and seem to be 
 thriving. They are continually being added to and yet the 
 Jewish authorities persist in saying that their numbers are not 
 increasing by immigration. But as the authorities have very 
 good reasons for wanting it to be believed that they are not 
 increasing in numbers their persistence in assertion has no 
 effect upon the opinions of persons who wish to see. The 
 new houses are occupied just as soon as they are ready for 
 
94 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 occupation and the old houses are not vacated. The Porte 
 has issued an order forbidding the settlement of Jews in 
 Palestine. But the Jews are coming just the same. Not as 
 rapidly nor in such numbers, it is true, as before the order was 
 issued, but still rapidly enough to keep adding to their 
 strength in and about their ancestral city. An examination 
 into the methods of the customs officials at Jaffa would no 
 doubt disclose how this is done in spite of the law. 
 
 As in the old city so in the new the great majority are 
 Israelites. Take these away and neither city would be much 
 more than a village. In 1838 Doctor Robinson, whose state- 
 ments can usually be relied upon, estimated that there were 
 eleven thousand inhabitants in Jerusalem of whom three 
 thousand were Jews. In 1845 Doctor Shultz claimed that there 
 were seven thousand one hundred and twenty Jews. In the 
 second edition of his work, entitled "The Holy City," which 
 appeared in 1849, George Williams approves 1 Doctor Robin- 
 son's computation. Accepting the estimate of Robinson and 
 Williams, we must account for a tenfold increase in forty-five 
 years, and this is a very conservative ratio. Any fair-minded 
 person will be convinced of its accuracy by a walk through the 
 twenty separate colonies of the New Jerusalem. 
 
 Here, too, are the finest residences. Many of the Turkish 
 officials and families of high social and financial standing 
 among the Moslems consider this a desirable location. The 
 European population generally has followed them, and on the 
 north ridge are the homes of the English and German, and the 
 few American missionaries, the hospitals and schools, and the 
 consulates of the various powers. On the highest part of the 
 ridge stands the consulate of our own great nation, and when 
 the "Stars and Stripes" are floating they can be seen from 
 nearly every part of the city. That flag of a nation undreamed 
 of two hundred years ago, waves over this city that counts its 
 age by decades of centuries, yet represents a civilization as far in 
 ' Holy City, Vol. II., p. 614. 
 
Photograph by T. J. Alley. 
 
 UNITED STATES CONSULATE. 
 
 WISH* 
 
 -•; .- — v?>-.;r 
 
 r - * 
 
 Photograph by the Author. 
 
 CONSULAR GUARDS. 
 
The New Jerusalem 95 
 
 advance of what it sees as the parlor car is in advance of the 
 camel as a method of travel. 
 
 In this New Jerusalem the air is always pure. This is a 
 matter about which tourists can afford to be unconcerned for a 
 time, but which residents must consider. Because of its com- 
 pact nature, the narrowness of its streets and its lack of proper 
 drainage, the old city has at times a woeful lack of fresh air. 
 But on the high land on the north there is never any want of 
 this preventive of fever and other diseases. It comes up moist 
 from the Mediterranean and fragrant with the odors of the 
 hills, or down from the high Lebanon country bearing refresh- 
 ment and invigoration. Nearly every house has its garden or 
 small vineyard about it where the air can have full play. Yet 
 this is not true of all the Jewish colonies ; strange as it may 
 appear, some of these people certainly prefer villainous sur- 
 roundings. With every chance of having their precincts clean 
 and comfortable and wholesome, they manage to keep them 
 in the very opposite condition. They are satisfied to crowd 
 together in small ill-lighted houses, all of which front on a 
 court that too often is made the dumping place for the refuse 
 of the colony. But in spite of themselves they thrive. 
 
 Others of these colonies in the new city are about as at- 
 tractive and well cared for as they can be. Their founders 
 and residents have a pardonable pride in their settlement in the 
 Holy City. Notable among these is that one just west of the 
 Pool of the Sultan facing the Bethlehem road. This was 
 started by a fund raised in London in honor of the great Jew- 
 ish philanthropist, Sir Moses Montefiore. A committee in Je- 
 rusalem, working with a similar one in London, builds the 
 houses and sells them on easy terms to worthy families. The 
 number of houses is to be limited to one hundred and thirty, 
 and the limit is almost reached. This colony has a very 
 pleasant location along the eastern slopes of the hill and has 
 about it an air of thrift. During the lifetime of Sir Moses the 
 ground was purchased and thirty-two cottages erected. These 
 
96 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 are given free of rent to those Jews fortunate enough to secure 
 them, and a family once located remains without fear of being 
 removed. The entire population of this settlement amounts 
 to six hundred, and when all the residences are completed 
 will be a very comfortable little village of eight hundred souls. 
 
 Beyond the high wall which the Russians have built around 
 their property north of the city and along the Jaffa road the 
 houses are with few exceptions occupied by Jews. The names 
 they have given to their colonies are in many instances sug- 
 gestive of a degree of prosperity and glory that appearances 
 will hardly sanction. "The House of Jacob," "The Hundred 
 Gates," "The Glory of Israel," "The Right Hand of 
 Moses " are fair samples of these names. One called "The 
 Corner Gate " is regarded by many good people as a prophetic 
 indication, or rather as indication of the near fulfillment of proph- 
 ecy. The coincidence is at least striking. In the thirty-first 
 chapter of Jeremiah, thirty-eighth to fortieth verses, the prophet 
 exclaims, "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that the 
 city shall be built to the Lord from the tower of Hananeel to 
 the gate of the corner. And the measuring line shall yet go 
 forth over against it upon the hill Gareb and shall compass 
 about to Goath. And the whole valley of the dead bodies, 
 and of the ashes, and all the fields, unto the brook of Kidron, 
 unto the corner of the horse gate toward the east, shall be holy 
 unto the Lord ; it shall not be plucked up nor thrown down 
 any more forever." 
 
 Now there may be some way to adopt the statements of this 
 prophecy to present conditions and those who say that it 
 plainly foretells the modern growth of the city toward the 
 north may be correct. The great difficulty is in identifying 
 the places to which Jeremiah gives these names. It is not 
 known just where the tower of Hananeel was ; the hill Gareb 
 and the place called Goath are uncertain in their location. If 
 we had any grounds for believing that the tower of Hananeel 
 stood near the northwest corner of the present city, and that 
 
The New Jerusalem 97 
 
 the hill to the northwest is Gareb we might assert quite posi- 
 tively that the growth of the past few years has followed the 
 line marked out by Jeremiah. Gareb is the name usually 
 given to this long, sloping hill on which most of the new city 
 is built, and only by placing Hananeel where we have, can any 
 possible application of the above passage be made. But in 
 matters of this nature it is not wise to be too positive. In any 
 case the city is growing toward the north, including and cross- 
 ing "the valley of the dead bodies, and of the ashes," which 
 are known places, and moving as if the intention were to 
 occupy " all the fields unto the brook of Kiedron." 
 
 Another prophecy 1 foretells the growth of the city in this 
 direction, but in it we meet the same difficulty encountered in 
 the former. The gates of the old city have been the sport of 
 theorizers, and, though the prophets knew their exact location 
 and spoke intelligently about them we cannot. So when 
 Zechariah describes the coming city as extending " from Ben- 
 jamin's Gate unto the place of the first gate unto the corner 
 gate and from the tower of Hananeel unto the king's wine- 
 presses," we may only know the general directions. The gate 
 of Benjamin was on the north side of the city in the time of 
 Jeremiah. 2 To Anathoth, the city of this prophet, northeast 
 of Jerusalem, he was going when " the captain of the ward " 
 arrested him on suspicion as a deserter to the Chaldeans. So 
 the gate of Benjamin may have been on the east of the north 
 wall. If so, and we identify as "the king's wine-presses" 
 those ancient rock cuttings about a mile straight north of the 
 present Damascus Gate to which the name is now given, we 
 have the exact direction in which the new city is growing. 
 There are a good many " ifs " to be accepted, but it is a reason- 
 able method to permit the facts to interpret the prophecy, 
 and if we do so all the " ifs " may be omitted. Certainly no 
 one can read the many prophetic utterances about Jerusalem 
 in a rational way and hold that they all refer to a "spiritual 
 1 Zech. xiv. io, II. 2 Jer. xxxvii. 13. 
 
98 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 city," unless he accept a method of interpretation, which robs 
 the Bible of the greater part of its value as "the book" for 
 men. 
 
 He who sees in the growth of the New Jerusalem the fulfill- 
 ment of some of the visions of the inspired seers has plain 
 scripture with him and the stubborn facts of this new city as it 
 is and is fast becoming. Out in the direction of the so-called 
 king's wine-presses, it is moving slowly, but irresistibly. 
 Many fields between the last colony and the " presses " are 
 still in the hands of the husbandman, but ten years more of 
 progress, such as has been witnessed during the last decade 
 will see Zechariah's prediction realized. Once the Turk gets 
 over his animosity toward his elder brother, the Jew, there will 
 be nothing in the way of the increase of the new city. The 
 Jew wants to come. He is anxious to buy a plot of ground 
 and build him a home in or near the city of his fathers. He 
 simply asks to be let alone, freed from oppression and permit- 
 ted to enjoy his religion. The land of the new city is ready 
 for him. In all other directions growth is prevented by deep 
 valleys. Thus topography assists in the development of proph- 
 ecy. 
 
 The colony of Jews from Bokhara is the latest addition to 
 the new city, and, taking everything into consideration, the 
 most attractive and promising. These are a superior looking 
 people, being of much finer physique than their brethren from 
 the west. The men are tall and vigorous and the women at- 
 tractive in face and form. They are also people of means and 
 on the large tract of land they have purchased, almost a mile 
 north of the New Gate, are erecting some residences that 
 would be an ornament to any city. Only within a few years 
 have any of them been seen within the limits of their ancient 
 city. They are no doubt the descendants of those exiles who 
 preferred to remain in the land of the strangers after the 
 seventy years of captivity had expired. After twenty-five 
 hundred years something moves them to return to the homes of 
 
The New Jerusalem 99 
 
 their fathers. Is not that "something" the hand of Provi- 
 dence ? 
 
 Thus the new Jerusalem grows by accessions from every 
 part of the globe. On its streets " all sorts and conditions " 
 of Jews and Gentiles meet and pass one another. They may 
 be strangers to each other and ignorant of the part they are 
 playing, but I cannot resist the belief that each is doing his 
 part in God's plan for the rebuilding of the city and its en- 
 largement far beyond the borders it has occupied in the past. 
 
THE WALLS AND GATES 
 
Circumventing the Walls — 48th Psalm — Walls of Jebus — 
 Solomonic Additions — Nehemiah's Account — Restorations — 
 Walls in Time of Christ— First Wall— Second Wall— Gate 
 Gennath — Third Wall — Josephus' Account — Modern Wall — 
 Sulieman — Jaffa Gate — Needle's Eye — Bethlehem Road — 
 Southwest Corner — Zion Gate — Inscription — Angles of Wall 
 — Double Gate — Triple Gate — Single Gate — Southeast Angle 
 — Excavations — Mason Marks — Ancient Arch — Golden Gate 
 — Ancient Masonry — St. Stephen's Gate — Northeast Corner — 
 Herod Gate — Bezetha — Damascus Gate — New Gate — Length 
 of Entire Wall. 
 
 102 
 
VI 
 
 THE WALLS AND GATES 
 
 WHEN visitors to the " City of the Great King," as is 
 their custom, take a walk around the walls, they 
 should bear in mind that they are accepting a very ancient in- 
 vitation. The patriotic author of the forty-eighth Psalm, glory- 
 ing in the safety of his capital, was anxious that the "genera- 
 tions following" should hear about her towers and bulwarks. 1 
 Perhaps he felt that the day was coming when these mighty 
 defences would be unable to withstand the assaults of mightier 
 forces. Then they would have to depend upon the memory 
 of men for the honor that was their due. If so, he was not 
 mistaken. The walls of his day were battered down by 
 the enemy ; the towers and bulwarks and magnificent palaces 
 were levelled to the earth. It matters not at what period of 
 the city's history the writer of this psalm lived ; the statement 
 is correct. Repeatedly were the fortifications rebuilt by the 
 lovers of Jerusalem, and just as often were they overthrown by 
 her enemies. 
 
 All that can be said of the walls of the original Jebus 
 must be largely hypothetical, and yet, if the opinion advo- 
 cated in the chapter on the " City of David and Solomon " be 
 correct, conjecture may here reach reasonable accuracy. Mount 
 Zion was a well defined elevation surrounded on all sides by 
 valleys. A people depending for safety upon the strength of 
 city walls, would place those walls where they would present 
 the most effective resistance to attack. This would be on the 
 very brow of the hill where the depression of the valleys would 
 be most precipitous. Accordingly we can hardly be far wrong 
 in asserting that the walls of Jebus skirted the brow of Mount 
 Psalm xlviii. 12, 1 3. 
 103 
 
104 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 Zion, so that one standing on them could look from any quar- 
 ter and see below him the steep hillside terminating in the bed 
 of the valley. Josephus' declaration, when speaking of the 
 place at the time of its capture by David, bears out this con- 
 jecture. He says that "The upper city (Jebus) was not to 
 be taken without great difficulty, on account of the strength of 
 its walls and the nature of the place." 1 As the valley on the 
 north was not so precipitous as the hillsides on all other quar- 
 ters, the fortifications would here be made doubly strong. 
 Support is given to this opinion by the fact that the attack was 
 made and the entrance effected on the eastern side, where the 
 hill was especially steep. Nature having here done so much, 
 the Jebusite trusted most in it ; herein lay his fatal mistake. 
 
 When Jebus became Jerusalem and Solomon reigned over 
 united Israel, the weak parts of the old walls were strengthened 
 and additions made. The language used in describing these 
 improvements is not definite enough to warrant positive state- 
 ments as to their nature or location. Solomon added much, 
 if we suppose his moral operations confined to that wonderful 
 masonry that surrounded the temple area. But he accom- 
 plished more than this, for " he built Millo and repaired the 
 breaches of the City of David," 2 and added "the wall round 
 about." 3 Notices of repairs and improvements to the walls 
 are scattered and fragmentary, and no satisfactory conclusions 
 can be drawn from them. After the return from the Babylon- 
 ish captivity, the ruined walls were reconstructed ; as we read 
 in the third chapter of Nehemiah, the most important docu- 
 ment we have for the study of the city at that time. Those 
 who wish to investigate more thoroughly the varying interpre- 
 tations of this chapter, are referred to Thrupp's "Ancient 
 Jerusalem," Barclay's "City of the Great King," and Wil- 
 liams' "Holy City." 
 
 Nehemiah's rebuilding of the walls was begun about 450 
 b. c. Sixty-five years previous to this the temple had been re- 
 1 Jos. Ant., v. 2, § 2. * I Kings xi. 27. 3 1 Kings iii. 1. 
 
The Walls and Gates 105 
 
 built. Owing to the diminished population and wealth, these 
 walls were probably not so imposing as those whose place they 
 took. They were, however, the work of a zealous and patri- 
 otic people, seeking the return of their departed glory. As 
 they were constructed then, so probably they appeared in the 
 time of the Master's visits to the city. During this period — 
 450 years — Jerusalem passed through many fiery trials. One 
 destroyer followed closely upon the heels of another. Persian, 
 Egyptian, Syrian, Roman, each took possession, held it for a 
 time and was expelled. The walls fell, but in each case were 
 rebuilt, and probably without change of location. 
 
 In the time of Christ there were two walls on the north. 
 The most southern of these, now called the old or first wall, 
 began at the tower of Hippicus, near the present Jaffa Gate, 
 followed the northern brow of the hill, crossed the Tyropean 
 on the earthworks of Millo and joined the west wall of the 
 temple near the Council House, or quarters of the Sanhedrin. 
 According to Josephus this wall "was almost impregnable, 
 both on account of the valleys that surrounded it and because 
 of the hill above them, on which it was erected." In addi- 
 tion to the advantages of its position, it had been strongly 
 built ; David and Solomon, and the kings that followed them, 
 having been very zealous about the work. 1 Of this wall noth- 
 ing that can be positively identified remains, though were ex- 
 cavations permitted in the heart of the present city, there is 
 no doubt that the exact course of the wall could be traced and 
 one or two of its important gates located. This permission 
 will not be granted, and, should it be, so much expense would 
 be involved that no exploration society would undertake it. 
 
 The direction and location of the second wall are questions 
 that have been warmly discussed, but not yet conclusively set- 
 tled. Of this Josephus says: "The second wall had its be- 
 ginning at the gate they called Gennath, one of the gates of 
 the first wall, and encircling only the northern part of the 
 1 Josephus' Wars, v. 4, § 2. 
 
106 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 town, reached as far as Antonia." Where was the gate Gen- 
 ii ath ? It has been located on paper at various points between 
 the tower of Hippicus and the " middle of the northern wall 
 of the upper city. ' ' It has not been located on ground by mod- 
 ern explorers, but there was found a few years ago some very 
 heavy masonry under the New Hotel that strongly inclines one 
 to the belief that Doctor Robinson was correct when, more than 
 thirty years ago, he located the Gennath Gate near the Hippicus 
 tower, at the northwestern corner of the upper city. There is 
 no doubt that these remains are part of an ancient city wall, 
 they tend in a northerly direction, and are in line with some 
 magnificent mural ruins now forming the foundation of the 
 Frere's College. These two fragments are identical in the 
 style of their stonework and in size with that at the present 
 Damascus Gate, which is acknowledged by all to be part of 
 the second wall. The only reason why all these are not so 
 acknowledged, is because of the result that would follow in 
 connection with some sacred sites. This wall included a con- 
 siderable space north of the first wall. Its western extremity 
 was at the present Damascus Gate, from which point it pro- 
 ceeded southward and united with the fortress of Antonia. 
 Josephus assigns no date to the building of this wall. It was 
 probably the work of the two kings, Hezekiah and Manasseh, 
 who added in this way much to the city's strength. A very 
 considerable part of this second wall stood just where the north 
 wall of the modern city stands, at least from the Frer6's Col- 
 lege to the Damascus Gate, thus leaving out the northeast cor- 
 ner of the present city. 
 
 The third wall was begun twelve years after the crucifixion 
 of our Lord. Herod Agrippa undertook this immense work 
 intending to surround certain parts of the city that had grown 
 up on the north and which were without any protection in 
 case of an attack. This included a great part of what is now 
 known as New Jerusalem. Beginning at the tower Hippicus 
 it proceeded " as far as the north quarter of the city and the 
 

 
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The Walls and Gates 107 
 
 tower Psephinos, and then was extended till it came over 
 against the monuments of Helena, which Helena was queen of 
 Adiabene, the daughter of Izates ; it then extended further to 
 a great length and passed by the sepulchral caverns of the kings 
 and bent again at the tower of the corner, at the monument 
 which is called 'the Monument of the Fuller,' and joined to 
 the old wall at the valley called the Valley of Kedron." 1 
 
 This description of the Jewish historian was no doubt well 
 understood in his day. We of to-day know the starting point, 
 but are in doubt as to the whereabouts of the tower of Psephinos. 
 That tower was octagonal in shape ; hence the ruins under the 
 Frere's College are not, as some have claimed, the remnants 
 of it. The probability is that this tower was much further 
 north. But wherever it was, from it the wall of Agrippa 
 turned to the east, crossed the upper Tyropean valley and 
 went by the tomb of Queen Helena, of Adiabene. A remnant 
 of this wall is still to be seen in this neighborhood, just near 
 the residence of the Anglican Bishop, the masonry of whose 
 house is largely composed of stones derived from it. Reach- 
 ing the brow of the hill above the valley of Jehosephat the 
 wall turned toward the south and joined the temple wall at the 
 northeast corner. 
 
 The character of Agrippa's work was such as to excite the 
 suspicions of Marsus, Roman procurator of Syria, who feared 
 that the Jews were thus preparing for an insurrection against 
 the domination of the foreigner. Accordingly Marsus wrote 
 to Claudius Caesar expressing his fears as to the result if the 
 work was allowed to be carried on to completion. In reply 
 Claudius commanded Agrippa to discontinue his labors in this 
 direction. Agrippa had to obey the imperial mandate. Had 
 he been permitted to complete the undertaking there was no 
 enginery of war in those days that could have successfully be- 
 sieged it. The Jews afterward were granted permission to 
 carry out, at least partially, the plan of Agrippa. According 
 1 Josephus' Wars v. 4, §2. 
 
io8 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 to Tacitus 1 the Jews were able to buy this privilege of fortify- 
 ing their city from corrupt Roman officials. Josephus is loud 
 in his praise of this wall. " Its parts were connected together 
 by stones twenty cubits long and ten cubits broad, which 
 could never have been either easily undermined by any iron 
 tools or shaken by any engines." 2 " Now the third wall was 
 all of it wonderful." 
 
 Hardly a particle of this great work now remains in situ. 
 The succeeding wall and church and house builders used its 
 good material in their inferior structures. The disastrous ex- 
 periences through which the city passed shortly afterward 
 levelled all its pride of walls with the earth. Succeeding 
 rulers — Roman, Greek, Christian and Moslem — sought to give 
 the city some of its former glory of mural strength and deco- 
 ration ; they were not successful. Since the destruction by 
 Titus the recovery has only been partial and although the 
 walls of the modern Jerusalem are as substantial as were any 
 of their recent predecessors, they are altogether inferior to the 
 works of the early kings and of the Herods. The latter are 
 built of immense stones — many of them twenty feet long by 
 two feet thick and four feet wide — carefully and accurately 
 laid ; the former are composed of material but a foot or two 
 in each dimension. 
 
 But he who would seek to cast reproach upon the present 
 wall for the smallness of its stones and its inferior workmanship 
 has a serious fact to contend against. Three centuries and 
 a half have tested it, and work that even in times of peace will 
 endure through so many years is in no danger of losing by 
 comparison with similar work done to-day. Sulieman, the 
 Magnificent, was the builder of this wall and that he was not 
 ashamed of his achievement is attested by the inscriptions 
 found on several of the city gates. The date of their erection 
 was 1536 to 1542. There is a local tradition which narrates 
 that the construction was effected by two brothers who began 
 'Tacitus Hist. v. 12, 2 Josephus' Wars, v. 4, §2. 
 
The Walls and Gates 109 
 
 work at the Jaffa Gate and did not see each other until seven 
 years later, as they worked in opposite directions, and at the 
 end of this time met on the eastern side of the city where the 
 St. Stephen Gate now is. The four lions on this gate are 
 the brothers' marks. These lions are not the work of the 
 iconoclastic Moslems, but rather of some previous Christian 
 occupants of the city. 
 
 The Jaffa Gate is the most convenient starting place for 
 making a tour of the walls. This gate is called by the natives 
 Bab el-Khaleel — the Gate of the Friend, because from it trav- 
 ellers from the city go to Hebron, the place of Abraham the 
 Friend of God. The road from Jaffa meets the Hebron road 
 here, making this the most important entrance to the city. A 
 crowd of carriages, donkeys and shouting men are always near, 
 and a constant stream of varied and variegated humanity is 
 passing in and out. An important gate has always been in 
 this vicinity, and writers generally locate here the site of the 
 Valley Gate of Nehemiah. 1 From this point Nehemiah made 
 a circuit of the ruined walls. There is no question that a 
 valley did commence here and, tending to the east through 
 this part of the city, merged into the Tyropean valley. 
 
 Turning to the left after leaving the gate one passes a little 
 ' ' receipt of custom ' ' where a lynx-eyed Turk is supposed to 
 watch every camel, donkey, wagon or man bringing any ar- 
 ticle of merchandise into the city. The contraband goods are 
 wine, salt and tobacco and it goes hard with the individual 
 who tries to smuggle any in, if he is detected. Until within 
 a few years this and all the city gates were closed at nightfall 
 and any one unfortunate enough to be overtaken by night on 
 the road was obliged to do the best he could on the outside 
 and in those dangerous times the best he could do was some- 
 times very bad . Later a small door was cut through the large 
 gate, and a belated traveller who could give a satisfactory ac- 
 count of himself and a satisfactory "bucksheesh" to the 
 ' Neh. ii. 13. 
 
110 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 sentry in charge could be admitted. This small door has been 
 used to illustrate the Saviour's saying of the camel going 
 through the needle's eye. There are two things against the 
 application, first that there were no such doors in the large 
 gates of the city in our Lord's time, and secondly, that no 
 camels would ever have been admitted if there had been such 
 doors ; they could not have been. Now the large gates are 
 never closed. At any hour of the day or night one can come 
 and go as he will, provided only that at night he must carry a 
 lantern or explain its absence to the police. 
 
 For two hundred yards we follow the Bethlehem road hav- 
 ing on our left the citadel and barracks. A fine escarpment 
 of smooth-faced masonry, which descends at an angle of forty- 
 five degrees to the ditch, is visible. A steep road leads off to 
 the left and brings us up to the wall near the southwest corner. 
 All along here the wall is admirably located and sufficiently 
 strong to resist the ordnance used when it was built. The 
 height here will average about forty feet, but is irregular owing 
 to the immense amounts of debris that have been allowed to 
 accumulate. In fact this is the average height of the entire 
 wall, though in some places it is twice this. At this south- 
 west corner we turn to the east and see just before us the 
 Mount of Olives. The wall along this south side bears strong 
 evidence of several ages and builders. Here and there is a 
 large bevelled stone, while near it will be a smaller smooth- 
 faced one, and perhaps one bearing signs of ornamentation 
 showing that its original place was in some palace or temple. 
 Just south of the wall here the various Christian churches have 
 their burial grounds each surrounded with walls almost as im- 
 posing as those of the city. 
 
 About two hundred yards from the southwest corner is the 
 Zion Gate — called by the Moslems the Bab en-Nebi Daud be- 
 cause it is near their tomb of David. Behind one of its doors 
 was discovered in January, 1895, an inscription dating from 
 Roman times. The walls had been carefully inspected for in- 
 
The Walls and Gates in 
 
 scriptions but this one was hidden behind a solid gate, until a 
 winter storm, overturning the gate, gave us this interesting 
 proof that the Third Legion was at one time stationed in Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 The architecture of this gate corresponds with that of the 
 Jaffa Gate. The descent of Mount Zion into the Tyropean 
 valley commences just a little east of here ; the wall makes a 
 right angle to the north for a short distance then turns again 
 to the east. In the middle of the valley is the Dung Gate, 
 much smaller and less interesting than any of the others. 
 Eight minutes' walk brings us to another angle which is made 
 to the north where the city wall joins that of the temple en- 
 closure. The wall just here is in very bad condition and looks 
 as if it might topple over on slight provocation. The union is 
 made just at the Mosque el-Aksa, near the ancient Double 
 Gate, where can be seen some fine Jewish stonework, though 
 the exterior has unmistakable Roman additions. The Triple 
 Gate is soon reached and a walk of ninety-three yards brings 
 us past the Single Gate to the southeast angle, the most inter- 
 esting because the least modern, part of the modern walls. 
 The immense stones I do not hesitate to date from the time of 
 Solomon. They are beginning to crumble in certain places, 
 though the great thickness of the wall they compose guarantees 
 that they can bear the burden resting upon them for a few 
 centuries longer. 
 
 At this southeast angle Captains Warren and Wilson carried 
 on some interesting explorations in 1868. They were ham- 
 pered a great deal by the Moslem officials, who were jealous 
 lest they should penetrate the walls of the Noble Sanctuary. 
 The character of the earth through which they had to drive 
 their tunnels also retarded them, but in the main they were suc- 
 cessful. 1 The earth was composed largely of debris, " principally 
 of stone chippings, alternating with layers of fat earth, and in 
 some places rough stones about a foot cube." 2 The most 
 1 See " Recovery of Jerusalem," p. 135, et seq. 2 Ibid. p. 137. 
 
112 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 satisfactory discovery was the marking of the stones in the 
 lower layers, some eighty feet below the present surface. 
 Some of these markings were made with red paint, others by 
 the tools of the workmen and were pronounced by Mr. 
 Emanuel Deutsch, an authority on such matters, to be undoubt- 
 edly characters representing Phoenician numerals ; pieces of 
 pottery were also found at this depth bearing legible inscrip- 
 tions in the same characters ; so that the evidence that these 
 were the very stones put in place by the masons of Hiram, 
 king of Tyre, is, if not conclusive, very strong. One of the 
 stones found in this angle is estimated by Captain Warren to 
 weigh one hundred tons. A short distance from this angle 
 can be seen the spring of an immense arch. It is not quite so 
 evident as that known as Robinson's arch, which corresponds 
 almost exactly with it on the west wall of the temple enclosure, 
 but is just as certainly the remains of an arch. Standing 
 near it and looking across the Kedron valley one can see that 
 a bridge at this point was not impossible to those builders and 
 not much more of a feat than the one that crossed the Tyropean 
 from the temple enclosure to Mount Zion at Robinson's Arch. 
 The Rabbins speak of such a bridge. 
 
 Coming north from this point we pass some of the 
 ancient, but very much more of the modern wall ; there is 
 nothing of note till we reach the exterior of the Golden Gate ; 
 the interior has already been spoken of. Just before we reach 
 this, however, the filled-in masonry indicates that a small door 
 once opened into the temple enclosure. The history of this is 
 obscure, but it is supposed to have been made by the Crusaders, 
 and to have conducted by a flight of steps to the Kedron 
 valley. The Golden Gate projects six feet from the wall. 
 The double entrance and richness of ornamentation are notice- 
 able from this side. In the hope of securing some valuable 
 information Captain Warren sought to excavate here, but ow- 
 ing to the nature of the ground and the proximity of Moslem 
 tombs the results were not satisfactory. North of the gate for 
 
The Walls and Gates 113 
 
 about 373 feet can be traced the magnificent and massive 
 masonry of the ancient builders. One stone measures five feet 
 in height and twenty-seven in length. At the northeast angle 
 of the temple the ancient stones are seen to the very top of the 
 wall. These are many of them not in situ, but have been 
 replaced by later restorers. Here once stood an important 
 tower, supposed by some to be the Tower of Hananeel. 
 About 200 feet north of this is the Gate of St. Stephen, known 
 to the natives as Bab Sitti Miriam, or Gate of the Lady Mary, 
 so called because it leads to the supposed tomb of the Mother 
 of Christ which is near it in the valley. 
 
 Its name, St. Stephen, was given to it in the fourteenth 
 century when it was somehow considered that a mistake had 
 been made in giving that name to the Damascus Gate. Ac- 
 cordingly, on the belief that near this eastern entrance the 
 proto-martyr was stoned the name was transferred from the 
 north gate. Just a short distance outside the east gate on the 
 Bethany road the spot where Stephen met his death by being 
 stoned is pointed out ; the place on the rock is worn smooth 
 by the lips of the devout. There is nothing of note about the 
 gate itself except the four crude lions cut in the stones let in 
 the wall, two on each side. 
 
 A ten minutes' walk northward brings one to the northeast 
 corner of the present wall. It is all modern along here and is 
 built on the face of the cliff, which has been cut away to form 
 a ditch which did the double service of furnishing material to 
 build the wall and assisting in the protection of it. The same 
 is true of the eastern part of the north wall, which, from this 
 corner west as far as the Damascus Gate, is nearly all modern. 
 
 Between the northeast angle and the Damascus Gate is the 
 unimportant Herod Gate called by the natives Bab ez Zahire — 
 Gate of splendor. Its splendor is confined to its name, for 
 there is nothing in itself or about its surroundings to warrant 
 the appellation. Until recently it was continually closed. 
 
 Between this and the great north gate is the deep cut 
 
114 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 through Bezetha. This cut is nearly a hundred yards wide 
 and at some points must have been a hundred feet deep. 
 The ditch has been much filled in. Here is the entrance to 
 the royal caverns. A little further west is the Damascus Gate, 
 built on an old foundation out of all kinds of material. The 
 natives call this Bad el 'Amud — Gate of the column. Some 
 old masonry is to be seen here. There are two angles in the 
 gate. Coming out of the city and just before turning the 
 first angle one can see, nearly on a level with the present sur- 
 face, the top of the arch of the ancient gate. This gives some 
 idea of the filling in process that has gone on during the 
 centuries. 
 
 The wall now turns slightly toward the south and proceeds 
 to the northwest angle. The only break is at the New Gate 
 which is a modern improvement. This angle at which are the 
 ruins of the Kala't al Jolud, castle of Goliath, is the highest 
 point in the city, and from it a good view can be obtained. 
 It is now Latin property. 
 
 The wall then turns straight south until the Jaffa Gate is 
 reached. Between the corner and this gate it is almost hidden 
 from view by buildings, which are about the best in the city, 
 and are occupied by European shopkeepers, bankers and the 
 like. 
 
 The measurement of the entire city wall is two and a half 
 miles. To walk the distance gives one a very good idea of 
 the general topography of the place, and of the neighboring 
 hills and valleys and villages. The walls are no longer useful 
 for protection ; they can hardly be called ornamental ; they 
 add to the city's quaintness and picturesqueness, and for this 
 reason only it is to be hoped they will remain. 
 
THE HILLS ROUND ABOUT 
 
Mounts Zion and Moriah — Their Prominence — Mount of 
 Olives — Roads to and Over — View From — Judean Wilderness 
 — Ancient Churches On — Felix Fabri — Excavations — Greek 
 Possessions — Russian Tower — Associations of Olivet — Ascen- 
 sion — Chapel of Pater Noster — Hebrew Cemetery — Jerusalem 
 and Olivet — Christ and Olivet — Mount of Offence — Hill of 
 Evil Council — Aceldama — Nikophoria — Monument of Herod 
 — Mt. Scopas — Psalmist's Accuracy. 
 
 116 
 
VII 
 
 THE HILLS ROUND ABOUT 
 
 THE hills upon which the city is built have already been 
 sufficiently described in this book ; their importance is 
 due to their selection as the site for the " City of the Great 
 King." Mount Moriah and Mount Zion — they are Jerusalem 
 — as well known to the world at large as any two mountains 
 that may be named. It is perhaps an exaggeration to call 
 them mountains: Mount Zion is less than 2,600 feet above 
 the Mediterranean, while the summit of Moriah is a little more 
 than 100 feet lower than its western neighbor. They are hills, 
 rising out of the long range that runs north from the desert to 
 Esdraelon. Their prominence is historic and religious rather 
 than physical. The hills about Hebron are 400 feet higher, 
 and had King David been seeking for altitude he might better 
 have continued to make Hebron his capital. The Mount of 
 Olives and Mount Scopas are both higher than either of the 
 hills in the city by more than a hundred feet. It was what 
 Nature had done in the immediate vicinity of Zion and Moriah 
 that made them "admirable for defence," and defence was 
 the great requisite in the troublous times when the city was 
 founded, and later when the Jews were conquering the land. 
 Had it not been so, the plains of Rephaim a mile to the south- 
 west, or the broad plateau just north of Jerusalem, would have 
 furnished a much better site for city construction. 
 
 In the estimation of Christians, the Mount of Olives will 
 rank as an equal in importance to the two already mentioned. 
 It lies directly east of the city and, unless one is on an eleva- 
 tion, shuts off the view in this direction. Passing out of the 
 city at the St. Stephen's Gate the Bethany road is followed till 
 it leads down to and across the Kedron valley and as far as 
 
 117 
 
n8 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 the northeast corner of the Garden of Gethsemane. Here 
 one of three roads may be taken. The easternmost is the old 
 Bethany road — the only one until within a few years, the one 
 along which the Christ often came with His disciples as He 
 walked from the city of Mary and Martha to the City of the 
 Great King — a distance of two miles. If for the sake of sen- 
 timent we follow this old road we pass around the southeastern 
 spur of Olivet, descend into a deep wady, climb the steep 
 side of the eastern spur and gain a view of the town of Bethany. 
 A closer inspection will not increase our attachment or respect 
 for the modern town. From this point one can get a very 
 comprehensive view of the wilderness of Judea that lies be- 
 tween the valley of the Jordan and the central mountain range ; 
 for the desert reaches almost to the city. 
 
 It is a view at once curious and suggestive. Its conforma- 
 tions, due to the character of the soil composing it, are unlike 
 anything I have seen and are only approached by the Bad 
 Lands of western North Dakota. Except for two months in 
 the year, every part of this wilderness is devoid of vegetation, 
 except where an occasional spring in the mountains sends its 
 little stream through the wadies. Along this stream a few 
 shrubs find life, but are so hidden in the gorge-like valleys as 
 to be beyond vision, and thus have no effect upon general ap- 
 pearances. Occasionally in the landscape can be seen a coni- 
 cal hill, looking very much like a Montana butte. The lime- 
 stone mountains have taken during the ages many strange 
 forms, and are honeycombed with caves in which the jackal, 
 hyena and other animals find protection from the hot rays of 
 the summer sun and the cold rains of winter. And beyond 
 the Ghor — the name the natives give to the Jordan valley — 
 rise the purple hills of Moab looking like a wall against the 
 sky. 
 
 From this Bethany spur one can ascend gradually to the 
 summit of the mount itself, going in a northerly direction and 
 passing on the way one of the traditional sites of the village of 
 
The Hills Round About 1 1 9 
 
 Bethphage. Two buildings mark the place. From here the 
 road is quite steep. On either side are terraces well cared for 
 and yielding profitable returns, as would most of these barren- 
 looking hillsides of Judea if they had proper attention. Soon 
 the place where recent excavations have been made is reached. 
 The Christian world had forgotten that the early defenders of 
 its religion had built imposing edifices upon Olivet. There 
 are scattered allusions to such churches in the writings of some 
 of the Fathers, but since the Moslem possession of the land all 
 traces of the buildings themselves had disappeared. A native 
 Christian, sinking for a foundation for a house he proposed to 
 erect came upon some well preserved pillars in situ. The 
 report soon spread and the excavator of the Palestine Explora- 
 tion Society, who was then operating on Mount Zion, un- 
 earthed a number of columns and three small rooms with well 
 preserved mosaic floors. 
 
 Felix Fabri, the great traveller, who describes in detail all 
 he saw in Palestine, passed right by the place of these discov- 
 eries over 400 years ago. As he mentions nothing about 
 them it is altogether probable that they were then buried be- 
 neath the surface. 
 
 Besides the rooms, or perhaps chapels, above mentioned, 
 cisterns, a pool and drains were unearthed. In one of the 
 pavements was found a very interesting well-executed mosaic 
 inscription in Greek letters. 
 
 The summit of the mount is soon reached or rather one of 
 the summits, for there are really three. The principal one, 
 however, is meant and this is the one that has been selected 
 by Latins and Greeks as a suitable place to locate some of 
 their religious buildings. The Greeks — as usual — own most 
 of the desirable property here and have spoiled it with their 
 structures; not that these are not fine and costly buildings, 
 but because Olivet is one of the places one would prefer to see 
 fr^e from any effort at human ornamentation. But here they 
 hiive their church, and tower and shrines and residences of 
 
120 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 ecclesiastical functionaries. The Latins are vying with the 
 Greeks and have their chapel of Paternoster, and have lately 
 purchased quite a tract of land and are preparing to build 
 something. It will probably mark some traditional site — 
 whether authentic or not matters little. 
 
 The Russian tower is a very imposing edifice, and from its 
 lofty summit can be had a most excellent view. It is said, and 
 correctly, that the Russians have so located towers on certain 
 high points throughout the land that each can be plainly seen 
 from the others that are near it on either side. It is also said, 
 though I cannot vouch for the correctness of this, that they 
 have a well-established and well-understood code of signals, 
 and that while these towers were ostensibly built for religious 
 purposes they were really intended as a preliminary to Russian 
 occupation of the country. It is no secret that the great Mus- 
 covite power would willingly add this bit of Turkey to her pres- 
 ent immense territory. The other European powers know 
 this, and it is whispered that if Turkey is ever dismembered 
 one or two of them may put in a claim for Palestine. There 
 is also a desire on the part of Christendom outside the Czar's 
 dominions that when a change comes it may be a beneficial 
 one to the long oppressed Holy Land, and with this there is a 
 deep-seated and almost universal conviction that Muscovite 
 civilization is but little in advance of that illustrated by the 
 Turk. 
 
 It was somewhere near this summit of Olivet that Christ 
 viewed the city and wept over it ; somewhere near that He 
 gathered the Twelve at various times and taught them what it 
 was necessary for them as first ministers of a new Gospel to 
 know; somewhere near that "a cloud received Him out of 
 their sight." At the same time there is no evidence whatever 
 that any of the memorials of these events, which various 
 branches of the church have built, are located on the places 
 where these events took place. For most of them even the 
 tradition is comparatively recent. The place of the Ascension 
 
The Hills Round About 121 
 
 cannot be where the church of that name now stands in which 
 is shown on a limestone rock a marking somewhat resembling 
 a footprint which is reputed to be the spot of earth last 
 touched by the pierced foot of the Christ. 
 
 On Ascension day an immense crowd of native Christians, 
 and whatever pilgrims are in the city, resort to this place. 
 Various services commemorative of the day are held. A cir- 
 cular wall, which, judging from the broken pedestals of col- 
 umns built in it, follows the line of an ancient wall, surrounds 
 the small chapel of the Ascension. On this day the ground 
 which it encloses is occupied by tents of the various churches. 
 Each must be careful not to encroach upon territory allotted 
 to another. A Moslem minaret overlooks all, and, as at the 
 Holy Sepulchre, the followers of the Arab Prophet hold in 
 check the followers of the Prince of Peace. 
 
 The chapel of the Paternoster is near the top of the mount 
 on the southwestern slope, and is a very pretty little building. 
 Upon the walls of an arcade built around a small garden is in- 
 scribed the Lord's Prayer in thirty-two different languages. 
 The Princess Latour d'Auvergne built and endowed this chapel, 
 and at her death her body was brought here and interred. 
 The Carmelite Sisters reside in a near-by convent and care for 
 this chapel. Prayer is made by them continually in this place, 
 and no matter what hour of the day or night one were to enter 
 he may see the sweet, holy face of one of these sisters as she 
 kneels. 
 
 Coming down the western slope by one of the old roads, the 
 one nearest the chapel of the Lord's Prayer, we are soon in 
 an ancient Hebrew cemetery. The whole side of the mount 
 along here is covered with the rude slabs lying flat upon the 
 graves, some of them with the inscriptions clear and legible, 
 others so worn by time that not a vestige of the epitaph can be 
 made out. For centuries this has been a burial place of the 
 Jews, and though there have been periods when they sought 
 sepulture in other quarters they have come back to this. From 
 
122 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 the bed of the Kedron very nearly to the summit of Olivet the 
 stones seem almost as close together as they can be laid. But 
 the graves are used again. The dust of forgotten millions laid 
 here in the time of the city's prosperity and later in her adver- 
 sity awaits the awakening trump. For the Jews believe that 
 those of their people who are buried here will have precedence 
 in the resurrection, and many of the sons of Israel, whose 
 whitening heads and tottering steps indicate that their earthly 
 pilgrimage is nearly ended, come to spend their last days in 
 their ancestral city that they may "be gathered unto their 
 fathers ' ' on the slope of Olivet. 
 
 Thus far the origin of the name Olivet has not been men- 
 tioned. It dates from the time of the Vulgate translation of 
 the Bible, in which translation the Greek name of the moun- 
 tain in Acts i. 12 is given as Olivetum. Of course the origi- 
 nal name was given because of the abundance of olive trees 
 growing on its sides and summit. The name is hardly appli- 
 cable now, for the mountain, except here and there, has been 
 stripped of its olive groves. In one of the depressions on the 
 northwest side is a good-sized orchard yet remaining and, be- 
 cause of some ancient rock cuttings, here some have located 
 Gethsemane, taking these cuttings as the remains of oil presses. 
 The fig-tree still may be seen, though the pine, myrtle and 
 palm that flourished in our Lord's time have entirely disap- 
 peared. 
 
 Jerusalem and Olivet are often mentioned together in Bible 
 history, so often that they are "inseparably united." Dean 
 Stanley 1 says that Olivet was, "The Park, the Ceramicus, the 
 Campus Martius of Jerusalem." Before Jerusalem had become 
 a Jewish possession the northern summit of this mountain had 
 been selected as the site for one of the Hebrew holy cities. 
 The tabernacle was set up here in the priestly city of Nob after 
 the loss of the Ark in the Philistine wars. Here the worship 
 of Jehovah was carried on before the temple was built on the 
 1 Sinai and Palestine, p. 187. 
 
The Hills Round About 123 
 
 lower Mount Moriah. When David fled from Absalom he es- 
 caped to Mahanaim, east of the Jordan, going " by the ascent 
 of Mount Olivet." Because the sacrifice of the "red heifer" 
 could not be offered in the temple the animal was brought to 
 the top of this mountain and slain. But Olivet is chiefly as- 
 sociated with the life of Christ on earth — an association too 
 well known to be given in detail here. 
 
 "By one of those strange coincidences, whether accidental 
 or borrowed, which occasionally appear in the Rabbinical writ- 
 ings, it is said in the Mishna, that the Shekinah, or Presence 
 of God, after having finally retired from Jerusalem, "dwelt" 
 three years and a half on the Mount of Olives to see whether 
 the Jewish people would or would not repent, calling " Return 
 to me, O my sons, and I will return to you" ; " Seek ye the 
 Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is 
 .near"; and then when all was in vain returned to its own 
 place. " Whether or not this story has a direct allusion to 
 the ministrations of Christ it is a true expression of His relation 
 respectively to Jerusalem and to Olivet. It is useless to seek 
 for traces of His presence in the streets of the since ten times 
 captured city. It is impossible not to find them in the free 
 space of the Mount of Olives." 1 
 
 The Mount of Offence lies to the southeast of the modern 
 Jerusalem, and is usually called a part of the Mount of Olives. 
 That this is the correct location of that elevation on which 
 Solomon " built an high place for Chemosh, the abomination 
 of Moab and for Moloch, the abomination of the children of 
 Ammon," the fact that it is described as "the hill which is 
 before Jerusalem " 2 indicates. The city at that time lay con- 
 siderably further south than the modern one, and the Hill of 
 Offence, on the side of which the village of Siloam is built, 
 would be directly east of the southern part. It rises abruptly 
 from the Kedron and presents on its face toward the city a 
 very rough, rocky appearance. On these ledges of rock 
 i Stanley's " Sinai and Palestine," p. 189. ' 1 Kings xi. 7. 
 
124 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 Siloam is built — a quaint village, picturesque enough at a 
 distance, but so disgustingly filthy are its inhabitants that one 
 might well imagine that the " abominations" had never been 
 removed. 
 
 There are some very fine sepulchral cuttings in the sides of 
 this hill and the village is built in and over them. Otherwise 
 there is nothing distinctive about it. It is much like hundreds 
 of other hills along this central range. Its ancient history is 
 not calculated to inspire respect and its modern Moslem " cliff- 
 dwellers "are anything but attractive. 
 
 Southwest is the Hill of Evil Council, separated from Mount 
 Zion by the deep valley of Hinnom. Its name is derived from 
 the tradition that here was the residence of Caiaphas with 
 whom Judas made his wretched bargain to betray his Master. 
 Aceldama the Field of Blood is still pointed out and in Crusader 
 times was used "to bury strangers in." Here also is the 
 Judas tree, a desolate looking fig tree, gazed upon with awe by 
 ignorant pilgrims, who are informed that it was the very tree 
 on which "the traitor " hanged himself. There is that about it 
 which warrants Barclay's characterization 1 that it is "evi- 
 dently cultured and trained very carefully in due gibbet form 
 by pio-tradition hands — well meant pious frauds of calculat- 
 ing monks." 
 
 This hill is honeycombed on its eastern side by ancient 
 rock-cut tombs. The arrangement of the natural rock terraces 
 caused it to be chosen as a necropolis when such tombs were 
 used. They date from ancient Jewish times, were occupied in 
 the Middle Ages as places of residence for religious recluses, 
 then later for sepulture and now again have been — some of the 
 better preserved — converted into human habitations and places 
 of stabling. As usual the Greek church has secured possession 
 of the best of them, and has made half-holy shrines of them. 
 In one large excavation having several connected tomb 
 chambers may be seen the skulls of hundreds of monks and 
 > " City of the Great King," p. 75. 
 
The Hills Round About 125 
 
 pilgrims, thus supporting the belief that at a time not very 
 remote it was a general burial place. The chambers here are 
 in two stories; in the lower are these remnants of the for- 
 gotten dead ; in the upper the guardian of the place dwells 
 with his family. It is claimed for this place that it was the 
 retreat where the apostles hid themselves during the time be- 
 tween the crucifixion and resurrection of their Lord. The 
 words "The Holy Zion" in Greek characters may still be 
 read over the entrance to this retreat. On the basis of these 
 three words the great traveller, Clark, advocated the theory 
 that this " Hill of Evil Council " was the real Zion. It was a 
 foolish hypothesis, and is mentioned here only to show how 
 small a foundation is large enough to support a theory as to 
 the topography of Jerusalem. 
 
 It is argued by Dr. Schultz 1 that a large vaulted rock 
 chamber, the ruins of which are to be seen in the Aceldama, 
 was the sepulchre of Annas, father-in-law to Caiaphas, the high 
 priest at the time of the crucifixion. Williams, in his " Holy 
 City," 2 supports this identification. If they are correct how- 
 ever, the tradition that locates here "The Field of Blood" 
 must fall, for certainly no family of such distinction as that of 
 Caiaphas would sell any part of their property as "a place to 
 bury strangers in." It is not improbable that both tradition 
 and theory are in error, 
 
 The modern city is growing in this direction as well as to 
 the north, and, while for good reasons the intervening valley is 
 still devoid of residences originally intended for the living, the 
 sides and summit of the hill are having some very respectable 
 houses built upon them. Let Jerusalem once throw off its 
 present incubus of Turkish misrule and secure a safe and 
 beneficent government, and this hill, and the others as well, 
 will be built over as they were in the city's palmy days. And 
 there are signs that these conditions are soon to be brought 
 
 1 Shultz's "Jerusalem," p. 39. 
 
 2 " Holy City," Vol. I., p. 62 of Supplement. 
 
126 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 about — signs so minutely answering to the prophecies that it is 
 only by repudiating the prophetic utterances that we can fail 
 to read them. Surely the days that are to see Turkey in 
 position to be classed among the powers of the earth are num- 
 bered ; Reason and Revelation agree in this. 
 
 On the hill just west of the Jaffa Gate, the Nikophoria, an 
 elevation but little higher than the plain to the south and east 
 of it, the Greeks unearthed a very interesting tomb several 
 years ago. The tomb is large, the work upon it well done, 
 and one of the two marble sarcophagi found in it is as beauti- 
 fully and delicately ornamented as anything of the kind that has 
 been found near the city. The rolling stone that closed the 
 entrance is the best preserved of its kind though it cannot be 
 so readily examined as the one at the door of the " Tombs of 
 the Kings." On the discovery of this tomb archaeologists im- 
 mediately sought an explanation for it. From accounts found 
 in Josephus which point to this locality, it has been generally 
 concluded that this is one of the monuments of Herod the 
 Great and that the carved sarcophagus was the resting place of 
 the beautiful Miriamne, the Asmonean princess whom Herod 
 had married, and who, though reputed to be the only person 
 this tyrant ever loved, was slain by him in a fit of mad jeal- 
 ousy. 
 
 The hills north of the city, with the exception of Mount Sco- 
 pas, have been treated in the chapters on the " New City " and 
 the ' ' New Calvary. ' ' The former is really an extension of Olivet, 
 being separated from it by a very slight depression. Titus 
 here encamped with his legions — the Twelfth and Fifteenth — 
 just before his destruction of the city. Josephus says of this : 
 it is "very properly called Scopas, the prospect," "from 
 whence the city began to be seen and a plain view might be 
 taken of the great temple." 1 The view of the city from this 
 point is grand. Where the Nabulus road crosses the ridge the 
 natives have placed numerous little piles of stones, a custom 
 i Josephus' " Wars of the Jews," v. 2, § 3. 
 
The Hills Round About 127 
 
 they have when coming to a place whence they get the first 
 view of some holy site. It is a remnant of the practice fol- 
 lowed in Old Testament times of setting up a stone of me- 
 morial. 
 
 From this account of the high places around Jerusalem the ac- 
 curacy of the Psalmist's figure will be noted. These neighboring 
 hills and those further removed, extending for miles in every 
 direction, were the city's security, and from the contemplation of 
 them and their protection the inspired poet drew the beautiful 
 and expressive simile, that, " As the mountains are round 
 about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from 
 henceforth even forever." * 
 
 1 Psalm cxxv. 2. 
 
THE VALLEYS 
 
Mosaic Description of Palestine — Application to the Site of 
 Jerusalem — Effect of the Valleys — Similarity of Valleys of 
 Palestine — Valley of Hinnom — Its Name — Character — De- 
 scription — Rock-cut Tombs — Zion Slopes — Tophet — Gehenna 
 — Jeremiah's Predictions — Junction of Kedron and Hinnom — 
 Job's Well — Kedron Valley — Character — Description — Large 
 Tombs — Simon the Just — Most Interesting Part of the Valley 
 — Church of Mary — Grotto of the Agony — Gethsemane — Senti- 
 ment — Pillar of Absalom — Of Zechariah — Excavations in 
 Kedron — Virgin's Fountain — Siloam Aqueduct — Ancient Walls 
 at Siloam — The Tyropean Valley — View from Damascus Gate 
 — Pools of Siloam. 
 
 130 
 
CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE VALLEYS — HINNOM, KEDRON AND TYROPEAN 
 
 IN an address issued by Moses to the children of Israel, an 
 account of which is given in the Book of Deuteronomy, 
 there is one sentence as accurately descriptive of the country 
 which these wanderers were to possess as any one sentence can 
 be made. " The land whither thou goest in to possess it, is not 
 as the land of Egypt from whence ye came out, where thou 
 sowedst thy seed, and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden of 
 herbs : But the land whither ye go to possess it, is a land of 
 hills and valleys, and drinketh water of the rain of heaven" 
 (Deut. xi. 10, n). The italicized words briefly but ac- 
 curately describe the land at large. " Hills and valleys " from 
 one end to the other, not gradually verging the one into the 
 other, but hills whose sides are rugged and precipitous, and 
 valleys, which, with a very few exceptions, are but gorges torn 
 out by winter torrents, having little arable soil in their narrow 
 beds, but that little wonderfully fertile. 
 
 To the site and surroundings of Jerusalem the great Law- 
 giver's description applies ; the city is built on hills and in 
 valleys. In the day of its founding it was undoubtedly con- 
 sidered to be admirably located, and in later years, when its 
 prosperity had made it the envy of ambitious kings, the wis- 
 dom of its founders was demonstrated. The deep valleys sur- 
 rounding it on three sides enabled it to grow into a great city. 
 The valleys of Hinnom and the Kedron made Jerusalem. Had 
 they not been deep and their sides precipitous, had their 
 courses been in any other direction, the city of Jebus and its 
 illustrious successor would never have been here ; Zion and 
 Moriah, without Hinnom and Kedron and the valley between 
 
 *3i 
 
132 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 the two hills, would be no more conspicuous than a hundred 
 other hills that push their heads up along that elevated ridge 
 which extends from the Desert of the Wandering to fertile 
 Esdraelon. They would have given no names to become so 
 sacred to the Jewish, Christian and Mohammedan world as to 
 be employed in description of the eternal city of God. A 
 thousand valleys starting near the summit of this ridge cut 
 their way through the hills till they are lost in the great valley 
 of the Jordan or merge into the plain that borders the Great 
 Sea ; these two only — Hinnom and the Kedron — are known 
 to all the world through the world's Book, which tells about it 
 and the people who have dwelt there. 
 
 The valley of Hinnom takes its name from its first known 
 possessor, or as Stanley 1 says, because in it "some ancient 
 hero had encamped — ' the son of Hinnom.' " By a combina- 
 tion of this proper name with the word "Ge," meaning "ra- 
 vine," the word Gehenna was formed, and thus this "pleas- 
 ant valley" supplies the name for the place of future punish- 
 ment. The valley begins with a slight depression about half a 
 mile north of the northwest corner of the present wall. It 
 tends first in a southwesterly direction, then due south, where 
 it widens considerably into a comparatively level space in 
 which is situated the largest Moslem cemetery near the city. 
 In the centre of this burial-place, which is a scene of desola- 
 tion and neglect, is the 2 Upper Pool of Gihon, now called 
 Birket-Mamilla. A little south of this pool the descent be- 
 comes more rapid, the limestone cliffs begin to appear on 
 either side where they are not covered by the debris of which 
 for ages this valley has been the receptacle. The new city is 
 building out this way and on the east side of the valley resi- 
 dences and shops are being erected. A quarter of a mile lower 
 down the Low Level aqueduct crosses the valley on nine arches. 
 This aqueduct formerly brought the water from Solomon's 
 Pools to the temple. The arches are now crumbling to decay 
 1 " Sinai and Palestine," 172. 2 2 Chron. xxxii. 30 ; Is. vii. 3. 
 
The Valleys 133 
 
 and, as they are no longer useful, no effort is made to preserve 
 them. Just below this is a large pool, formed by throwing an 
 embankment across the valley, formerly known as the Lower 
 Pool of Gihon, 1 but now called Birket-es-Sultan. Over this 
 embankment passes the carriage road leading to Bethlehem and 
 Hebron. Beyond this there is a sudden narrowing and deep- 
 ening, and as one looks to the left he can see the southwest 
 corner of the present city wall, seemingly right above him. 
 When the walls of the Solomonic city stood on the scarp of 
 Zion (now occupied by Bishop Gobat's school) and swept 
 round the southern brow of the Mount, the view must have 
 been a very gratifying one to the lover of the city and a dis- 
 heartening one to the enemy who had come against it. 
 
 On the right of the valley here the cliffs are high and pre- 
 sent a smooth, perpendicular face. Rock-cut tombs are fre- 
 quent, some of which are now used for residences by Fellahin. 
 Above this the rock rises in terraces and forms the Hill of Evil 
 Council. The slopes of Zion on the left are not so rugged or 
 rocky, but are steep, and, being made up of earth and stones 
 broken in small pieces, are very difficult of ascent. Along the 
 narrow bed of this part of the valley are some of the finest 
 olive trees in the neighborhood of the city. Then the valley 
 makes an abrupt turn toward the east and widens out, forming 
 an oblong space formerly called Tophet. This identification 
 is in a measure conjectural, but it was certainly in this imme- 
 diate vicinity that Solomon had one of his "Gardens of De- 
 light." In order to reach Tophet from the city Jeremiah went 
 out by the "Sun," or " East Gate." Whatever be the mean- 
 ing of the word "Tophet," whether "garden," "place of 
 burning," or " abomination," the locality so named was orig- 
 inally in good repute. Afterward the idols of false gods were 
 here set up and the horrid orgies attendant upon their worship 
 permitted. Sacrifices were offered to Baal and human victims 
 were made to pass through the fires of Moloch — the tutelary 
 1 Is. xxii. 9. 
 
134 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 deity of the Ammonites. Ahaz and Manasseh, kings of Judah, 
 were guilty not only of admitting, but actually practicing these 
 abominations. The pious Josiah put a stop to such iniquities 
 and to prevent their recurrence defiled the place by spreading 
 human bones over it and making it the common dumping- 
 ground for the refuse of the city. In Christ's time it was 
 known as Gehenna, and, because of its continual fires for the 
 burning of garbage, or from the fact that dead bodies were 
 consumed here, it was commonly used as prefigurative of Hell. 
 The Jewish rabbis say that "In Tophet is fixed the door of 
 Hell." In spite of its past evil associations it is now a pleas- 
 ant part of the valley, and on a hot day the shade of its olive- 
 trees and the cool of its cliffs are very welcome. 
 
 Jeremiah twice predicted * that there should come a time 
 when this valley "shall no more be called Tophet, nor the 
 valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter." 
 That the name given to it by modern Arabs is derived from a 
 word meaning "slaughter" is somewhat conjectural ; that it 
 will sooner or later receive this name is a legitimate inference 
 from the plain statements of prophecy. That it has earned 
 this gruesome appellation already no one acquainted with the 
 scenes that have here been enacted can question. Time after 
 time it has been deluged with the blood of the slain ; dead 
 bodies have been thrown into it in such numbers that there 
 was not earth enough to cover them, and underneath the pres- 
 ent surface lies commingled the dust of Canaanite, Jew and 
 Persian, Syrian, Greek, Roman, Frank and Arab. 
 
 This deep gorge of Hinnom was the great protector of the 
 city on its western and southern sides. No foe could ever 
 successfully scale those slopes of Zion, which in early days 
 were even more abrupt than now. Where at present there is a 
 loose composition of earth and small fragments of stone there 
 was in early times the bare rock, scarped to make it even more 
 difficult of ascent ; and upon the platform made by the scraping 
 1 Jer. vii. 32, and xix. 6. 
 
The Valleys 135 
 
 stood the city walls, beyond the reach of any enginery of war 
 then known. 
 
 Fear after year for centuries the refuse of the city has been 
 thrown over this side of Zion until now the rock is hidden 
 from view under a depth of composite soil and stones of from 
 one to thirty feet. On this " made " earth the Fellah lays out 
 hit; garden and grows vegetables of surprising size and excel- 
 lent quality. 
 
 Passing on down the valley for a short distance, seeing 
 numerous tombs upon our right, we come to a level place of 
 about thirty acres or so at the junction of the Hinnom and 
 Ktdron valleys. At this point we are nearly 350 feet below 
 the level of the Mosque area on Mount Moriah. Near the 
 sovth end of this level tract is the so-called Bir Eyyub (Job's 
 Well), a well of mystery in many respects. The source of its 
 water supply and the identification of the well with some an- 
 cient landmarks have given rise to many theories, with which 
 we have not to do. No one can show whether this " well of 
 bltssing" is ancient or modern; it has existed since the Mo- 
 hammedan occupation and by the followers of the Prophet it 
 was first called Job's Well. The Crusaders named it after 
 Nehemiah because the holy fire, which was hidden here during 
 the captivity, was recovered by him. 
 
 During the summer especially the well is the centre of 
 great activity. Women come with their water-skins slung on 
 th< ir backs, or drive a couple of diminutive donkeys who are 
 able each to carry three skins full of the water. Men are con- 
 tin ually engaged in drawing up the water. Those acquainted 
 with life here wonder at seeing the men do this work, for 
 whenever there is real labor to be performed the women are 
 usually the ones who do it. As the water is over a hundred 
 feet below the well curb the " draw " is somewhat of an effort. 
 In the large stone troughs about the well water is always in 
 readiness for horses, donkeys, cattle and sheep, and when a 
 number of half-famished creatures happen to come at once the 
 
136 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 scene is exceedingly lively. They fairly scramble over each 
 other to get at the cooling fountain. 
 
 The valley formed by the union of Hinnom and the Kedron 
 is called by the natives Wady en Nar — Valley of Fire — a not 
 inappropriate name as one learns by following it down through 
 the wilderness past curious and desolate Mar Saba, till it loses 
 itself in the desert of the Dead Sea. 
 
 The distinguishing topographical feature on the east of the 
 city is the valley of the Kedron. It has been Jerusalem's 
 natural protector on this quarter as Hinnom has been on the 
 west. The name Kedron is used in preference to Jehoshaphat 
 because more exact, though the latter is more common. Ke- 
 dron is the Biblical term, the other not appearing. 1 Josephus 
 never calls this valley Jehoshaphat ; when the name began to 
 be applied is not known. In the middle of the fourth century 
 Jerome and Eusebius employed it and from that time until the 
 present it has been in use. Many of the natives, both Chris- 
 tian and Moslem, speak of the vale as Wady Sitti Miriam, — 
 valley of Our Lady Mary. 
 
 The name "Kedron" is, like the names of most places 
 in this land, of doubtful origin and signification. Gesenius 
 derives it from a Hebrew word meaning "to be black," de- 
 scriptive of the dark color of the water when the brook is flow- 
 ing or to the depth and obscurity of the valley itself. This is 
 a very unsatisfactory reason to any one well acquainted with 
 the place, for the brook never flows more than two days during 
 the year, and there is nothing about the valley to suggest dark- 
 ness. 
 
 The first depression is about a mile north of the present 
 
 1 The prophet Joel surely could not have had this valley in mind (iii. 
 2). He must have idealized as the scene of the great conflict and judg- 
 ment that valley in the wilderness of Tekoah in which Jehoshaphat 
 gained his great victory over the allied enemies. That victory was 
 " Jehovah's judgment." So when all nations are gathered together there 
 also shall be Jehoshaphat — " Jehovah's judgment " upon them. 
 
The Valleys 137 
 
 north wall of the city and is verdant with vineyards and olive 
 groves. The valley tends in a southerly direction for half a 
 mile and all along is well cultivated. Soon the rock cliffs be- 
 gin and on them can be plainly seen the marks of the tools of 
 ancient quarrymen. No doubt many of these stones found 
 their way into the city's walls and residences. Rock-cut 
 tombs are very abundant near the head of the valley and every 
 few steps one may see the place where a former dweller of the 
 city was laid away from mortal view until the hand of the 
 enemy or vandal desecrated his resting place. The peasant 
 farmer now plows among the tombs, goading his team of lean 
 oxen or donkeys and shouting his abundant profanity. 
 
 This valley really deserves the name "Valley of Dead 
 Bodies," for from earliest times all along its sides and in its 
 bed the dead have been interred. 
 
 After its southerly course it makes a bend and runs in an 
 easterly direction for about a quarter of a mile, then turns 
 again to the south and continues this general direction until it 
 is lost in the Dead Sea Valley. Just at this last mentioned 
 turn are some exceptionally large tombs excavated in the face 
 of the cliff. Among these is the traditional sepulchre of Simon 
 the Just. On the anniversary of this worthy the Jews gather 
 in multitudes at this tomb, and while the old men pray before 
 the door the younger people seem to be holding a sort of pic- 
 nic under the olive trees near at hand. This is by far the 
 largest gathering of the "Sons and Daughters of Israel" dur- 
 ing the year in Jerusalem. To witness it gives one an idea of 
 the number of this part of the city's population. There are 
 Jews of every condition from every civilized country, from the 
 stylishly dressed representative from America or England to 
 the degraded, unkempt specimens from Russia and Central 
 Europe. 
 
 The most interesting part of this Kedron valley, judging 
 it by natural scenery and hallowed associations, is that over- 
 looked by the east wall of the city. The carriage road to 
 
138 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 Bethany and Jericho descends the western slope at a heavy 
 grade and just where it crosses the Kedron a most comprehen- 
 sive view may be had. As one faces the south he has on his 
 right, towering high, the Golden Gate, the interesting old 
 "southeast corner," the Moslem tombs nestling close to the 
 walls, and on the steep hillside the gardens and olive orchards 
 of the Fellahin. In front of the observer is the bed of the 
 stream, empty except for a day or two each winter, the pillar 
 of Absalom and tombs of St. James and Zechariah with the 
 countless grave-stones of the humble Jewish dead that are 
 buried near. Just to the left, and very near, is the Garden of 
 Gethsemane, lying at the roots of Olivet. On the left hand a 
 little to the rear stands the ancient, gloomy church of St. 
 Mary, in which are the traditional tombs of the Virgin and 
 Joseph her husband, also those of Joachim and Anna, the 
 father and mother of Mary. 
 
 This Church of the Virgin is undoubtedly an ancient struc- 
 ture, and rests its claims to cover the tomb of the mother of 
 our Lord upon grounds similar to those used in the case of the 
 Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Empress Helena located 
 the tomb and erected the first structure over it. The Church 
 now belongs to the Greeks who tolerate the presence of other 
 sects; but hardly with Christian toleration, if one may judge 
 by appearances. A peculiarity of this Christian Church is 
 that among its several altars is a praying place for Moslems. 
 The latter religionists join with the former in venerating the 
 memory of the mother of Christ. The example may have 
 been given the followers of the Prophet by Omar when, as con- 
 queror, he entered Jerusalem in 637 a. d. It is narrated by 
 an Arab historian, 1 that as this warrior passed by the Church 
 of Mary, then called the Church of Gethsemane, he offered 
 two prayers. When the Crusaders arrived nothing remained 
 of it but ruins. Mellicent, the wife of Fulke, fourth Christian 
 
 1 Kadi Mejir-ed-Din. 
 
*--# .:■'* 
 
 
 
The Valleys 139 
 
 king of Jerusalem, in the middle of the twelfth century, 
 erected, substantially, the structure that stands to-day. 
 
 An utterly baseless tradition fixes the place of our Lord's 
 agony in a grotto just a little to the east of the Church of 
 Mary. This is Latin property and is made much of because 
 they have no proprietary right in the Church. No doubt it 
 has been used as a sacred place for some centuries, but its 
 form and the hole in the ceiling would lead to the belief that 
 it was originally a cistern, or from its nearness to Gethsemane, 
 perhaps a place for storing olive oil. 
 
 A few rods to the south is Gethsemane. There is no reason 
 for disputing the genuineness of this site, for the tradition 
 dating from the fourth century corresponds with the Gospel 
 statements about the place. In Christ's time two roads left 
 the city from the east and crossed the brook near this point. 
 It would be a secluded spot, for those in the city would not 
 often make the steep descent into the valley. But Christ, 
 seeking retirement "went forth with His disciples over the 
 brook Kedron where was a garden, into which He entered, 
 and His disciples." The one beauty about the little, high- 
 walled enclosure is that it is still a garden. Venerable looking 
 olive trees, centuries old, are carefully preserved by the gar- 
 deners. They still, seven in number, yield their fruit, the oil 
 of which commands a high price as well as the stones of the 
 olives which are used for making rosaries. The garden is a 
 quadrangle each side being about 200 feet long. A walk 
 leads all round inside the wall to which visitors are admitted, 
 but a high iron fence protected by a heavy wire netting pre- 
 vents any pulling of flowers. 
 
 Most people, no matter whence they come, when Geth- 
 semane is reached are overcome by a desire to possess some 
 memento of the place. Had not the Franciscan monks in 
 charge taken precautions to protect their floral treasures, the 
 garden would soon be barren of vegetation. Though it lacks 
 many of the natural charms possessed by it when Christ com- 
 
146 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 mimed there with the Twelve, Gethsemane is still a pleasant, 
 peaceful spot, where one may rest and indulge, without the 
 distractions of superstition, the thoughts the name and place 
 suggest. 
 
 About two hundred yards below the Garden of Gethsemane 
 are the four sepulchral monuments whose origin and history 
 are alike obscure. Two of these, those of Absalom and Zech- 
 ariah, are monoliths, separated from the surrounding rock by 
 the tools of the quarrymen. The other two, those of Jehosh- 
 aphat and St. James, are excavations. The first mention of 
 these monuments is by the Bourdeaux Pilgrim (a. d. 333), 
 who gives to the monoliths the names of Isaiah and Hezekiah. 
 Arculfus, writing near the close of the seventh century, men- 
 tions the two excavations as the sepulchres of Simon the Just 
 and Joseph, the husband of Mary. He also calls the tomb of 
 Absalom that of Jehoshaphat, and this name it bore among 
 Christians for many ages. At least since the time of Benja- 
 min of Tudela (n 70 a. d.) the Jews have regarded it as con- 
 nected with Absalom and to this day treat it with the disre- 
 spect they still cherish toward the memory of that ungrateful 
 son of David. It is beginning to show the wear of the nu- 
 merous stones thrown against it. 
 
 These monoliths of Absalom and Zechariah exhibit a va- 
 riety of architecture, Doric, Ionian and Egyptian. This has 
 added to the confusion in attempts to assign dates to them. 
 The Pillar of Absalom is generally assigned to the Grseco- 
 Roman Period. The masonry of the upper part is strongly 
 suggestive of Egyptian influences and because of this the na- 
 tives call it Pharaoh's Head -Dress. This masonry of large 
 blocks rests upon the monolith and was necessary because the 
 depth of rock at this point did not admit of a repetition of 
 such work as that of Zechariah's tomb. The top of this latter 
 tomb is pyramidal in form ; but otherwise is very similar in 
 general design to the former. The tomb of Absalom is broken 
 in several places, and permits free entrance into its interior ; 
 
The Valleys 141 
 
 that of Zechariah is entire and has no entrance ; unless there 
 be one hidden by the accumulated earth of centuries. Unlike 
 the tomb, or pillar, of Absalom, this of Zechariah is a very 
 sacred place to the Jew. Their graves are close up to it and 
 the tomb itself is covered with names written and carved in 
 Hebrew characters. Prayers offered here are considered 
 "specially efficacious." 
 
 Just near these tombs a second bridge on stone arches crosses 
 the gully of the Kedron. Here the valley is narrowest and 
 shows the marks where "the winter brook" flows. But there 
 is no appropriateness in the phrase "the sweet-gliding Ke- 
 dron " ; it must have been written by one who never saw the 
 place. A short distance south of the bridge the hills — Olivet 
 on the east and Moriah on the west — rise abruptly; the 
 " southeast angle " seems directly above the observer standing 
 in the ravine ; the top of the wall is 1 70 feet above. Captain 
 Warren's excavations have revealed that the earth lying be- 
 tween the bed of the brook and this corner of the city wall is 
 largely debris. The original east side of Moriah, or as it was 
 when the first wall stood unhidden by the accumulations of 
 the ages, was steeper than at present and now it is so precip- 
 itous that to ascend in a straight course is almost impossible. 
 Warren's excavations also demonstrate that the bed of the 
 stream has been moved at least thirty feet to the east by the 
 debris and that it is now thirty-eight feet above its former 
 level. When these excavations were begun, it was supposed 
 that an underground stream would be found, as several pro- 
 fessed to be able to detect the sound of running water. No 
 such stream was discovered, but the soil lying near the bottom 
 of the ancient bed was soft and muddy in places, and it is not 
 at all improbable that in the rainy season such an under- 
 ground brook does work its way through the loose earth and 
 issue at some point further down the valley. 
 
 Five hundred yards south of this bridge is the interesting 
 and mysterious "Fountain of the Virgin"; interesting be- 
 
142 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 cause of its historical and topographical importance ; and also 
 because it is the only living spring near the city, unless we in- 
 clude the one under the school of the Sisters of Zion ; mys- 
 terious, because of the intermittent flow of its waters and their 
 peculiar brackish taste. The spring is in a cavern and the 
 water is at least twenty feet below the level of the valley. 
 Thirty rude steps lead down to it and up and down these 
 steps the maids and matrons of Silwan (Siloam) go with their 
 full and empty water pots. Because of these steps the natives 
 often call it "Ain ed-Derej," "Fountain of Steps." In 
 the rainy season the water flows four or five times a day, in 
 the dry season but once or at most twice each day. This ir- 
 regularity of flow can be accounted for naturally. "In the 
 interior of the rock there is a deep natural reservoir, which is 
 fed by numerous streamlets and has a single narrow outlet 
 only. This outlet begins a little above the bottom of the 
 basin, rises to a point higher than the top of the basin and 
 then descends. As soon as the water of the basin has risen to 
 the height of the bend in the outlet, it begins to flow through 
 it and continues to flow on the syphon principle until it has 
 sunk in the basin to the point where the outlet begins." x 
 
 An aqueduct, usually regarded as the work of Hezekiah, 
 leads from this fountain through the rocky foundations of 
 Ophel to the Upper Pool of Siloam. The engineering was 
 not of the best, for the course of the aqueduct varies consid- 
 erably and while the distance in a straight line from the Foun- 
 tain to Siloam is only a thousand feet, the length of the chan- 
 nel is seventeen hundred. From a celebrated inscription 
 found here in 1880, the oldest Hebrew inscription so far dis- 
 covered, we learn that work was begun at each end ; and the 
 point where the workmen met has also been located. One 
 wonders how such a work was planned and executed in those 
 early times. 
 
 The valley widens a short distance below the Virgin's 
 1 Baedaker " Palestine and Syria," p. 99. 
 
The Valleys 143 
 
 Fountain and is soon joined by the Tyropean. These two 
 valleys do not meet each other on a level, the Tyropean being 
 at least thirty feet above the Kedron. Terraces lead from the 
 one to the other. Just here is the richest garden land to be 
 found near the city. It is watered by the Lower Siloam Pool 
 and cultivated by the Fellahin of Silwan village. Modern ex- 
 cavations are demonstrating that the peasant gardeners have 
 been growing their vegetables upon earth that covers the 
 walls of the ancient city. Well preserved masonry of un- 
 doubted antiquity, and henceforth to be reckoned in all ac- 
 counts, was uncovered in August, 1895, just where the two 
 valleys meet and at a depth of thirty feet below the present 
 surface. This discovery proves two things; first, how deep 
 the soil is in these valleys of Palestine, and, secondly, how 
 many theories on Jerusalem topography a little excavating may 
 explode. 
 
 A hundred yards further south brings us to the junction of 
 the Kedron and Hinnom valleys. In following these two 
 from their starting points on the north we have surrounded 
 the city almost entirely and described the most interesting 
 points in each of them. There is one great event to take 
 place in the future in the valley of the Kedron, but as it be- 
 longs to prophecy it is hardly in place in a descriptive work. 
 Jews, Mohammedans and some Christians believe that in this 
 valley the final judgment will be held, hence its name Je- 
 hoshaphat — Jehovah's Judgment. Whether the belief be well 
 founded or not is a minor question to those who are prepared 
 for that great day. 
 
 In an account of the valleys of Jerusalem that which divides 
 the city must not be passed without remark. Josephus calls 
 this the Tyropean, or valley of the cheese-mongers. It was a 
 striking feature of the ancient city and is so now when viewed 
 from certain directions. The first depression begins a short 
 distance north of the Damascus Gate. At the north wall the 
 valley features are hidden by immense accumulations of debris, 
 
144 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 but within the city the descent is rapid for a short distance. 
 The observer who stands on the wall at the Damascus Gate and 
 looks toward the south gains the very best view of the topog- 
 raphy of the city. Right in front of him stretches the val- 
 ley, the four hills — Gareb and Zion on the west, Bezetha and 
 Moriah on the east — are plainly seen. But the modern view 
 is quite inferior to that of the ancient city's glory, when the 
 palaces of the wealthy crowned the two northern hills as well 
 as the southwestern eminence, and the temple, glistening in 
 the brilliant light, graced the summit of the southwestern hill. 
 Bridges on immense arches spanned the Tyropean and a street 
 adorned with columns proceeded from the main gate in the 
 northern wall to a similar gate in the southern. Ruined foun- 
 dations many feet under the surface are all that remain of the 
 bridges, while not a vestige of the ornamental columns can be 
 found. 
 
 Formerly a valley proceeding from near the present Jaffa 
 Gate in an easterly direction joined the Tyropean at a point 
 near where the modern Via Dolorosa crosses it. Some author- 
 ities have regarded this valley as a branch of the real Tyro- 
 pean. 
 
 The street, now in the bed of the valley, is narrow, tortuous 
 and generally dirty. The buildings cross it on arches ; shops 
 and residences, occupied generally by the air-despising classes 
 of Jews and Mohammedans, line it. 
 
 A very large part of the valley included within the walls of 
 the city is unoccupied by any buildings. Gardens and or- 
 chards of the prickly pear have taken possession of ground on 
 which once stood the stately structures of Solomon and Herod. 
 All along the bed of the valley is raised by the refuse and 
 ruins thrown into it from city and temple, and the engineers 
 of the Palestine Exploration Society had to sink their shafts 
 from thirty to eighty feet through the debris before reaching 
 the rock. 
 
 Passing through the south wall by the little " Dung Gate" 
 
The Valleys 145 
 
 the course of the valley can be plainly seen, and, though the 
 descent is steep, easily followed to the Pools of Siloam. It is 
 not an attractive walk at any time; the city's sewage finds 
 egress in this direction and charges the air with noisome 
 odors. As the Pools of Siloam, lying in the mouth of the 
 valley are the receptacles of this their usual condition can well 
 be imagined. Nothing in its present degradation is so destruc- 
 tive to our ideas of Jerusalem's beauty and grandeur as a visit 
 to Siloam, particularly in the rainy season when most stran- 
 gers arrive. All our preconceived opinions of Siloam are of a 
 pool of pure water surrounded by pleasant scenes ; and that it 
 was such in the Saviour's day there can be no doubt. Desola- 
 tion and decay mark this part of the valley now, though the 
 gardens are much benefited by the waters that gather in the 
 Lower Pool. 
 
 The Upper Pool is now nearly filled with stones and earth, 
 so that the measurements of Barclay and Robinson will not 
 apply. The shape of it is oblong, the length being fifty, the 
 breadth ten and depth about twelve feet. The rock-cut con- 
 duit from the Virgin's Fountain enters the pool at the north- 
 west corner, but it brings no water now. The present stone- 
 work, is the work of the Crusaders, or perhaps of Saladin, who 
 was very careful of the water supply of the city. Originally 
 the water from the Virgin's Fountain filled this Upper Pool 
 and passing out was conducted to the Lower Pool, which is 
 only a few yards distant. Here it was preserved for use in the 
 King's Gardens. Then as now the water could be drawn off 
 when needed and because of its gentle flow may have given 
 the phrase to Isaiah, " the waters of Shiloah that go softly." 
 
 Of the Lower Pool in its present condition but little can be 
 said. It is formed by a dam thrown across the valley, and 
 even when full of water, as it often is in winter, is insignificant 
 in size and most unattractive. When the water gets low in 
 early summer the place is a perfect fever hole. Of these pools 
 it can be said that they are not in dispute ; all authorities 
 
146 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 agree that they are the Siloam of Old and New Testament 
 history, and when authorities agree, it is well to rest and be 
 content. Would that the poet's lines were true and that we 
 could rest 
 
 " By cool Siloam's shady rill " and see 
 " How fair the lily grows." » 
 
 » Heber. 
 
THE TEMPLE HILL 
 
Importance of — Genuineness — Theories of Topography — 
 Temple Sites — Christian Association — Moslem Associations — 
 Surrounded by Valleys — Ophel — Approach to Temple Hill — 
 Visitor's Escort — Barclay — "Holy Ground" — Mosque En- 
 closure — Walls — ' ' Mastaba ' ' — Military Barracks — Acra — 
 Simon Maccabee — Baris — Traditional Bethesda — Throne of 
 Solomon — Golden Gate — Shushan Gate — Moslem Tradition — 
 Flowers — View from East Wall — Bridge of Kedron — South- 
 east Corner — Immense Masonry — Solomon's Stables — Mosque 
 el Aksa — Moslem Worship — " Narrow Way " — Knights Temp- 
 lar's Abode — Subterranean Passage to Double Gate — Well of 
 the Leaf — Cisterns — The Holy Rock — Mosque of Omar — 
 Kubbet es Sakrah — Architectural Beauty — Crusader Work — 
 Sulieman — Interior Arrangement — Windows — Furnishings — 
 The Dome — The Sacred Rock — Traditions — Size — A Moslem 
 Legend — Cave beneath the Rock — "Well of Souls" — Judg- 
 ment Seat of David. 
 
 148 
 
IX 
 
 THE TEMPLE HILL 
 
 IN our accounts of Jerusalem in the time of David and Sol- 
 omon and in the time of Christ the eastern hill has en- 
 joyed a large share of attention. And if there be any part of 
 the Holy City that can justly claim a place in history it is this 
 — the Religious Mountain — venerated alike by the entire Jew- 
 ish, Christian and Mohammedan worlds. Besides this, there 
 is a satisfaction in speaking about it and the events that have 
 taken place there and the world famous structures that have 
 graced it, because it is an assured site. Among all the wild 
 theories that have been advanced I know of none that doubts 
 the genuineness of Mount Moriah. Accounts differ when it 
 comes to assigning the locality to the event or to the building, 
 but not as to the identity of the Mount itself. 
 
 One has to linger in the Holy City but a short time before 
 becoming possessed by the "Devil of Doubt" about many 
 things he sees and hears. There is just one thing certain 
 about the many more or less " holy places " and that is their 
 uncertainty. One authority asserts positively that Zion was 
 on the southwestern hill, another just as positively informs us 
 that to locate Zion anywhere but on the southeastern hill is 
 an evidence of your ignorance. The present Church of the 
 Holy Sepulchre is proved by one "beyond a doubt " to be on 
 the place where our Lord was crucified and buried ; by others 
 it is demonstrated " beyond a doubt " that the crucifixion and 
 sepulture could by no means have taken place here. Back 
 numbers of the Report of the Palestine Exploration Fund — 
 that record of the actual discoveries and fanciful opinions of 
 many learned men — could not have been made more bewil- 
 dering if mystification had been the only object of their ed- 
 
 149 
 
150 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 itors. Practically every foot of underground and above- 
 ground Jerusalem has been fought over. 
 
 There is no cessation of hostilities. Occasionally a truce is 
 declared, but it is only for a breathing spell. The combatants 
 get a little new information, or in their fertile brains imagine 
 some, and the pens fly again. Some other champion of some 
 other theory of location reads this real or supposed addition to 
 our knowledge of Jerusalem and has an immediate call to pro- 
 tect the world against such vagaries. The results of the pres- 
 ent exploration south of the city are sure to evoke a horde of 
 opinions, each one backed by a self-appointed champion. Nor 
 do we have to wait till results are announced. The gentleman 
 in charge has but to express an opinion concerning some dis- 
 covery he has made. Then he and those who are interested 
 "discover " that he knows nothing about it. 
 
 In the midst of these diverse opinions it is refreshing to 
 climb Mount Moriah and gaze upon the absolutely assured. 
 Here some things can be seen that are not questioned, and for 
 a time the Devil of Doubt is cast out. In this enclosure, be- 
 longing to the Dome of the Rock, stood the small, but ex- 
 quisitely beautiful, Temple of Solomon ; and later, the larger, 
 and perhaps more imposing, Temple of Herod. Let us not 
 ask just where they stood or we shall hear jangling voices. 
 Enough, here ! This fact concerning this enclosure on the 
 levelled top of Moriah attaches to it an importance which gives 
 it an unique position in the religious history of the world. 
 Add to this that here were witnessed some of the great works, 
 and were heard some of the great words of the Founder of the 
 Christian faith ; add to this that in the estimation of the Mos- 
 lem the Rock is second only to the sacred Kaaba at Mecca 
 and we have a place that is without a competitor for the favor 
 and veneration of the religious world. And this apart from 
 any fables or traditions or fancies, many of which have come 
 down to our time and are piously believed. 
 
 Like its loftier neighbor to the west Mount Moriah is sur- 
 
The Temple Hill 151 
 
 rounded on three sides by valleys ; the Tyropean on the west 
 and the. Kedron on the east join each other on the south about 
 half a mile from the south wall of the city. The part now 
 outside of the wall was once a very important section of the 
 city itself. Here was the original Salem of Melchizedek and 
 later the lower city of the Jebusite. It seems to be pretty 
 generally believed, and recent excavations are favoring the 
 belief, that the walls of the Solomonic city extended clear 
 down to a point very near the junction of the valley of the 
 Tyropean with that of the Kedron. The part of the Mount 
 now on the outside of the south wall was formerly called Ophel 
 and is often so named now. The word means " a mound " or 
 "tower." It is first used in connection with the improve- 
 ments in fortification made in the reign of Jotham 1 about 775 
 
 B. C. 
 
 Ophel may once have been crowned with towers that were 
 the pride and security of those who dwelt under their pro- 
 tection, but no sign of them now remains above ground. It is 
 all given over to the peasant gardener, and the only buildings 
 or. it are the wretched little stone and mud huts of the Fella- 
 hin, who must live right in the gardens if they want to benefit 
 by anything that grows in them. They must keep a strict and 
 continual watch, or some near, or remote, neighbor will take 
 ac. /antage of their absence and the darkness, and in one night 
 appropriate the product of an entire season. Thieving is a 
 fiie art among the Fellahin of Palestine. They prefer to rob 
 a Frank, as all foreigners are called, but in the absence of 
 Funks will not hesitate to prey upon each other. 
 
 However interesting the southern slope of Mount Moriah is, 
 the important part has always been that now included within 
 tb : Haram Es-3hareef, or temple enclosure ; and to this sec- 
 tier, our discussion will be confined. Coming from any of the 
 hotels in the city one passes down the western slope of Zion 
 by the appropriately named David's street, turns a few steps to 
 1 2 Chron. xxvii. 3. 
 
152 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 the right when in the heart of the city and in the midst of the 
 intensely foreign-looking Turkish bazaars, and is on Temple 
 street, which in my opinion runs along the crest of Millo, one 
 of David's fortifications. This takes us across the Tyropean 
 valley, which, however, is here so filled with the debris of 
 ruined cities as to be almost imperceptible. The visitor may 
 enter the sacred ground of the noble Sanctuary by any one of 
 eleven gates. There are eight of these on the west side and 
 three on the north. The east and south are closed though 
 there are gates on both sides now filled with masonry which 
 show that entrance on these sides was once possible. 
 
 No Christian or Jew can ever enter unless properly escorted 
 — and "properly" according to Turkish idea of propriety. 
 Those visiting the city now may congratulate themselves, how- 
 ever ludicrous or annoying Turkish restrictions may be, that 
 they are permitted to see this enclosure and its attractions, 
 certainly the great sights of Jerusalem to-day, at all. Dr. 
 Barclay, 1 writing in the fifties, speaks of the impossibility 
 then of securing entrance ; he says : "So great is the fear in- 
 spired by the clubs and cimeters of the blood-thirsty savages, 
 the Mauritanian Africans, to whose jealous custody the entire 
 Haram is committed, that few indeed have been found of suf- 
 ficient temerity to hazard even the most furtive and cursory 
 reconnoissance of this tabooed spot." Then the best a Chris- 
 tian " dog " could do was to get an order to view the grounds 
 from the top of the Serai ; and as this was troublesome and ex- 
 pensive and after all very unsatisfactory it was seldom done. 
 All a party has to do now is to send word to their consul 
 specifying the time they wish to visit the Haram. The consul 
 by a letter to the Governor of Jerusalem requests permission, 
 which is refused only during some of the great Moslem feasts 
 when ignorant fanaticism runs dangerously high. Then under 
 the escort of a Consular Cawass, or guard, whose clothes are 
 brilliant and who carries a wicked-looking cimeter at his side, 
 1 " City of the Great King," p. 470. 
 
The Temple Hill 153 
 
 aided by a Turkish soldier, less gaily caparisoned, but feeling 
 his importance none the less, the visitor is "properly es- 
 corted." He is now free from all annoyances, except the 
 wearisome monotony of that word — omnipresent in the Orient 
 — "bucksheesh." A smile is not out of place on the face of 
 an American as he sees his military escort conducting him 
 through the streets of the Holy City, and imagines what a 
 sensation he would create were he to pass along any street of 
 any city in his own land similarly conducted. But he is now 
 in Turkey, where nothing is done as other people do it. 
 
 Once inside you are on " holy ground," if there is any such 
 thing ; and if there is not you are on what Jew and Moslem 
 consider "holy ground" — the holiest part of the Holy City. 
 Jewish, Christian and Moslem tradition clusters about every 
 spot here, but tradition may be dismissed where there is so 
 much history. The entire enclosure is thirty-six acres in ex- 
 tent. There is thus included within the temple walls about 
 one-sixth of the entire space bounded by the walls of the city. 
 The walls of the Mosque area are of unequal length and face 
 the cardinal points. Nor is it to be wondered at, consider- 
 ing the different masons who at different ages centuries apart 
 worked on them, that they are not uniform in design or ma- 
 terial. Beyond a doubt some of the work of the masons of 
 Solomon can yet be seen ; also that of Herod's artificers. As 
 the Crusaders, than whom there have been no more industrious 
 builders in the Christian era, once held this Mount, we can 
 depend upon it that they laid their hands to this work. Added 
 to all this is the inferior work of Sulieman I., the second of the 
 Ottoman sultans who ruled over Jerusalem. The last is in- 
 ferior to the others in the size of the stones and the manner in 
 which they are dressed. But, as it has stood the ravages of 
 time for nearly four and a half centuries, and is yet in a good 
 state of preservation, it is not unworthy of at least a passing 
 remark. The stones were not quarried by the Moslem build- 
 ers, because so much labor was unnecessary as there was 
 
154 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 abundance of good wall-making material, the remains of 
 houses and Christian Churches, at hand. For the time they 
 were constructed they were admirable for defence. To-day 
 they are toy fortifications : a modern gun would batter them 
 to powder in a few minutes. 
 
 On the west and north side of the Mosque area are Moslem 
 residences overlooking the enclosure. Most of the people 
 dwelling here are in some way connected with the care of the 
 holy place. As a rule they are not a pleasant looking set, and 
 inspire a Christian ''infidel " with a belief that they would do 
 him bodily injury if they dared. They certainly consider that 
 such unbelievers have no right to enter their Noble Sanctuary, 
 no matter if their own governor did grant the permission. 
 While the adults never annoy visitors except by sinister looks, 
 the children sometimes make the intruder uncomfortable by 
 volleys of dirt and small stones. 
 
 Passing in at the Gate of the Cotton merchants, we turn to 
 the left to make an interior circuit of the walls, thus gradually 
 approaching the Dome of the Rock — the chief glory of the 
 place. A number of small raised places will be seen all over 
 the area. These are called by the Arabs " mastaba" and are 
 places of prayer. Several fountains are visible whose water is 
 used for religious ablutions. They are blessings for other oc- 
 casions than the strictly religious, for Moslems living near are 
 permitted to take all the water they need for home use. 
 
 In the northwest corner it is to be noticed that the level is 
 higher than at any other part of this particular platform. 
 This is a very picturesque spot just now with the row of ar- 
 cades on the west, the high military barracks on the north, and 
 just in the corner a tall and graceful minaret, from which is 
 heard at regular intervals the muezzin call to prayer. Besides 
 its picturesqueness this corner has great historical interest. It 
 was the site of the ancient Acra which was a fortress and which 
 gave the name to the hill on which it stood. In the days of 
 Jewish degeneracy, just before the revolt of the Maccabees 
 
The Temple Hill 155 
 
 against the power of Syria, the fort was in the possession of 
 the enemy. What had doubtless been intended by its original 
 builders, namely a protection for the temple, was instead a 
 protection to the enemy who from its walls could see all that 
 went on in the sacred area. Simon, the Maccabee, having 
 aroused the patriotism of his fellow Jews, drove out the hated 
 foreign power and entered the citadel in triumph. The opin- 
 ion is held generally that under the Maccabees the rock on 
 which Acra stood was cut away, and that particular fort de- 
 stroyed. The evidence on the scarped rock is conclusive that 
 at some time it was so dealt with. But the Asmonean princes 
 erected another fortress-palace a little to the north of Acra and 
 gave it the name Baris ; this was increased in size and strength 
 by Herod, who, in honor of his great Roman patron, named 
 it Antonia. The severest contests in Jewish history were 
 fought around this northwest corner. The Apostle Paul was 
 rescued from the infuriated Jews in the temple by soldiers from 
 this citadel. 1 
 
 It is still a military barracks and the soldiers of the Sultan 
 look out over the same enclosure where formerly the Syrians, 
 the Jews and the Romans watched the worshippers in the 
 temple of their time. Here, as everywhere throughout the 
 city where it was possible, the later builders have used the 
 foundations laid by their predecessors. Above the rock scarp 
 made by the Maccabees are some of the huge stones dating 
 from Roman times. The smaller Saracenic masonry rests 
 upon these. It is altogether probable that, in the days of 
 Jerusalem's glory as a city, this stronghold was much larger, 
 extending further toward the east, perhaps as far as the western 
 end of the Pool of Bethesda. If so it has been destroyed and 
 never rebuilt, for now from the barracks to this point there is 
 nothing but some Moslem residences. Going under the arcade 
 on this northern side one can look down into the immense 
 hollow wherein the time of our Lord was one of the great 
 1 Acts xxi. 27. 
 
1 56 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 reservoirs of the city. It is now dry and is gradually being 
 filled with debris. At present the bottom of the pool is about 
 sixty-five feet below the level of the arcade. Formerly a valley 
 ran from northwest to southeast, and its depression was utilized 
 to make Antonia more difficult of attack and to afford room 
 for the pool. Captain Warren was permitted to excavate in 
 this vicinity, and among other interesting discoveries unearthed 
 an opening in the north wall of the Haram through which he 
 supposes the superfluous water of the pool found an exit. The 
 natives now call this the " Pool of Israel." 
 
 Omitting the northeast corner, where is nothing of particu- 
 lar interest, we walk across to the east wall, meeting it at a 
 small mosque called the "Throne of Solomon." This is the 
 product of Moslem fables about the Wise King ; their cre- 
 dulity enables them to believe that here Solomon was found 
 dead upon his seat of judgment. There is one thing repeated 
 here a thousand times, that is convincing as to the sacredness 
 of the site. The place where a saint has been in life or where 
 his body rests in death is regarded by the faithful as specially 
 suitable for prayer. At such a spot a continual prayer can be 
 offered without the presence of the suppliant. A piece of 
 cloth from his garment will be a perpetual reminder to the 
 saint, so he takes it and ties it on the tomb or house that has 
 been erected in memory of the revered one. So all over the 
 screened windows of this modern Mosque that commemorates 
 the death of Solomon, are the many colored rags which have 
 been torn from the garments of the devout, hardly an addition 
 to the beauty of the Mosque. 
 
 A few steps further to the south and still along the east wall, 
 bring one to the Bab el-Daheriyeh, or Golden Gate. This 
 considerable structure can only be entered from the west. The 
 custodians of the Mosque usually object to exhibiting it ; but 
 a little extra persuasion of the financial kind, in this, as in 
 most other particulars, succeeds in smoothing the way. The 
 "holy men" of this holy place are weak in the presence of 
 
The Temple Hill 157 
 
 this kind of temptation, and after an intimate acquaintance 
 with them, I am convinced that they never grieve over their 
 frequent falls and never pray to be delivered from the tempta- 
 tion. 
 
 The Golden Gate bears evidence of antiquity, though in its 
 present form it dates from about the fifth century of our era. 
 It was near here, perhaps on the very same site, that the an- 
 cient Shushan gate stood. A mistake is often made by con- 
 founding the Golden Gate with the Beautiful Gate of the tem- 
 ple. 1 The latter, which was in the inner court, was entirely 
 destroyed when the Romans under Titus entered the city, and 
 was never rebuilt. The date of this Golden Gate has been a 
 fruitful source of discussion ; the opinion advanced above is 
 that generally accepted. The gate on the interior presents a 
 double arch resting on large monolithic posts. The arches are 
 ornately carved, and before they were defaced by time and 
 neglect, must have been very beautiful. It is certainly one of 
 the mural attractions of the interior of the Haram. Being 
 now properly cleared out and cared for, it is worth visiting 
 and going to the little necessary annoyance and expense of se- 
 curing entrance. A flight of stone stairs leads down to the 
 gate proper, which is fully twenty-five feet below the surface 
 of the surrounding ground. It is, however, much more of a 
 gate than were the other gates of the city. The one who en- 
 ters sees a large room, in the middle of which stand two large 
 pillars supporting the domes of the roof. There are several 
 features about the interior decoration which authorities on ar- 
 chitecture regard as proof of the Byzantine origin of this part 
 of the structure. 
 
 The Golden Gate has been closed for many years. Soon 
 after the conquering of the Christian forces by Saladin, this 
 double entrance at the east was walled up. In Crusading 
 times on the anniversary of Christ's triumphal entry into the 
 city, the Latins made a great procession and came down from 
 1 Acts iii. 2. 
 
158 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 the Mount of Olives carrying palm branches and shouting 
 " Hosanna," and entered by this gate. The Moslem custodian 
 and others of the Faithful, have informed me that they walled 
 up the entrance so as to keep the Christians out. There is a 
 tradition among the present proprietors that on some Friday 
 Jerusalem will fall into the possession of the Christians and 
 that the conqueror will enter by this gate. This most reason- 
 able of their local traditions is also sure of verification in the 
 near future, except as to the use of this gate for entrance. 
 
 Keeping the course southward along the wall or on the 
 grassy space near it, the visitor in February or March is struck 
 by the profusion of wild flowers which display the most bril- 
 liant and most delicate hues. Conspicuous among them for 
 abundance and rare coloring is the "lily of the field," which 
 one has but to see to understand the force of the Master's as- 
 sertion that " Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one 
 of these." All along here for perhaps eight hundred feet the 
 wall above the surface is modern, but is built upon very ancient 
 foundations. On the battlement of the wall, as one approaches 
 the southeast corner, is one of the best view-points in Jerusa- 
 lem. Elevated high above the Kedron it looks but a short 
 distance across the valley to the slopes of Olivet, where rest the 
 remains of tens of thousands of the children of Abraham. 
 This cleft was once spanned by a bridge — and according to Mos- 
 lem belief will be so again on the final day of judgment. Instead 
 of a foot-bridge, however, like the first structure, this last one 
 will be a fine wire. Every soul will have to pass over this 
 from the Mount to the temple wall. The faithful will accom- 
 plish the crossing in safety ; all others will fall into the deep 
 Kedron valley which will open into hell. A horizontal col- 
 umn sticking out of the wall marks the place where the west- 
 ern end of this bridge for spirits will end. The strange part 
 of the story is that Christ will be on Mount Olivet to welcome 
 the successful ; Mohammed's position will be where the bridge 
 starts on the Temple wall. 
 
The Temple Hill 1 59 
 
 From this southeast corner the whole course of the Kedron 
 valley, from the Tomb of the Virgin to the junction with the 
 valley of Hinnom, can be traced. It is a giddy height now 
 to look down from and must have been much more so before 
 the immense accumulations of debris had gathered outside the 
 wall. This corner is a famous one from an archaeological point 
 of view, and is subject of much difference of opinion. I see 
 no reason for doubting its antiquity ; I would even refer the 
 immense stones here to the time of Solomon. The marvel is 
 how any builders at any time were able to put these stones in 
 position. On this corner was one of the strong towers, which 
 the Jews always took special pains to erect of the largest and 
 best material. The " chief corner stone " must have been an 
 object of great care. 
 
 From this corner there is an entrance down some rude stairs 
 to the substructures where we gain a good idea of the immense 
 amount of labor necessary to bring this part of the temple area 
 up to the required level. Could this southeastern slope of 
 Moriah be cleared of all the works of human hands we should 
 probably find that there was a rapid descent from the "holy 
 rock " to the bed of the Kedron. The ancient levellers were 
 good engineers as well as laborers, and in preparing the sacred 
 enclosure, they rightly spared neither money nor labor to 
 make it worthy to be dedicated to the worship of their God. 
 
 The corner stairs bring us first to a small praying place in 
 which is shown the alleged "cradle of Jesus," which has on 
 it the very marks that disprove the claim. It is a small prayer 
 niche that has had its position changed. The Mohammedans 
 treat it with great veneration. Our Moslem soldier kneels 
 down beside it, lays his two hands upon it and rubs them over 
 his face. Passing through a door to the west one gets his first 
 view of the "Stables of Solomon," wonderful relics of an un- 
 certain age, but certainly attesting the skill of those who laid 
 their foundations. They are not stables and were never in- 
 tended to be so used. However, the Crusaders did so use them 
 
160 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 and the holes pierced through the square corners of the col- 
 umns show where their horses were tied. These columns be- 
 long to the time of either Herod or Solomon, and do credit to 
 whoever built them ; they are about a hundred in number and 
 are the support of more modern arches upon which rest the 
 large flag-stones on the surface above. One can wander around 
 in these vaults and among this forest of imposing columns 
 for some time and not grow weary unless, unfortunately for 
 himself and his companions, he belongs to that lackadaisical 
 class of people — too many of whom waste their "substance " 
 in coming to Jerusalem — who can find no interest in anything. 
 There are fragments of ancient columns and arches built in the 
 walls. The place where the " single gate " and " triple gate " 
 were, ancient entrances to the temple from the south, still have 
 their foundations preserved. These large square columns may 
 extend for some distance down into the ground. Many of 
 them are exposed for twenty-five feet of their length. They 
 are composed of large, square, smooth-faced stones with edges 
 slightly bevelled. Interesting finds would undoubtedly result 
 could permission be had to excavate here. But so long as the 
 Turk has possession the world will be none the wiser and those 
 who should like to know will continue to speculate. 
 
 We must return to the surface by the same way entrance 
 was had, turn to the west, cross a large paved court and enter 
 a side door of the Mosque el Aksa, now a holy structure of 
 the Moslems where all their public services are held, but orig- 
 inally a Christian Church, or basilica, built by the Emperor 
 Justinian in honor of the Virgin. In the conquest by Omar 
 this was one of the buildings he considered would be useful to 
 his co-religionists. Taking it he rededicated it and called it 
 Jam 'i el Aksa. It is a mistake to call it the Masjid el Aksa 
 for it is now nothing more than a mosque. Masjid is the 
 term correctly applied to the entire temple area. This name, 
 Masjid el Aksa, is taken from the Koran 1 which refers to the 
 
 i xvii. i. 
 
The Temple Hill 161 
 
 ascent to heaven of Mohammed from the temple of Jerusalem. 
 The passage reads: "Praise be unto Him who transported 
 his servant by night from El Masjid el Haram (/. e. the ' Sa- 
 cred Place of Adoration ' at Mecca) to El Masjid el Aksa (i. e. 
 the Remote Place of Adoration at Jerusalem)." l Masjid is 
 from the word "sejada," meaning "to adore." "El Aksa" 
 means "the Remote" and is applied to Jerusalem because of 
 its great distance from Mecca. 
 
 The Mosque el Aksa is notable for its size rather than any 
 attractiveness of architecture or ornamentation. It is by far 
 the largest single room in the city. To it every Friday comes 
 the Turkish Governor of Palestine. At the same hour when 
 His Serene Highness, the Sultan, is attentive to the services in 
 The Palace Mosque, at Constantinople, his representative is en- 
 joying the privilege of worship in a much more holy place. To 
 one who knows nothing of the Moslem form of worship the 
 genuflexions and prostrations of a company of the faithful are 
 peculiar sights. There is a devoutness about it all that is to 
 be commended. The immense oratory of the Mosque el Aksa 
 is a splendid place in which to witness it, though on Friday, 
 the day when most is to be seen, the visitor to the city is not 
 admitted. 
 
 The Mosque was formerly cruciform. This form did not 
 please the conquerors and in the restoration at the time of El 
 Mahdi two aisles were added, one on each side, and thus the 
 objectionable feature was altered to suit the taste of the advo- 
 cates of "the Star and Crescent." Much old material has 
 been worked into this edifice, and it would be hard to disprove 
 the assertion — just as hard as it would be to prove it — that the 
 pillars in nave and transept are relics of the Herodian temple. 
 That they were not originally designed for this is evident, 
 particularly in the transept where the lack of uniformity is 
 very noticeable. To stop and inspect all the details of this 
 Mosque would be more than any traveller does and much 
 x Besant & Palmer, " History of Jerusalem," p. 93. 
 
162 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 more than any reader would wish to do. However, there are 
 two features worthy of mention. There are several pieces of 
 ancient marble worked into curious shapes which undoubtedly 
 date from the long ago and may have been part of the wealth 
 of marble with which the temple of Herod was adorned. The 
 antiquary or admirer of the curious will not pass these by. 
 The second feature is the pulpit. This stands at the eastern 
 end of the Mosque and is composed of intricately and beauti- 
 fully carved wood, the details of which are perfect. It is the 
 work of an artist in wood, who lived in Aleppo several cen- 
 turies ago, and gives an admirable illustration of the patience 
 characteristic of the artist who is entirely faithful to his art. 
 
 Those who are interested in superstitious beliefs and practices 
 will view with wonder the narrow space between two dark 
 granite pillars just west of the pulpit. It was believed, and is 
 yet by many of the " faithful," that any one who could not 
 pass between these pillars could never enter Paradise. It was 
 a matter on which there was no wish to be in doubt, and for 
 centuries the effort must have been made, for the eastern col- 
 umn is considerably worn away with the attrition of human 
 beings who have successfully passed through the " narrow 
 way." Modern visitors or worshippers must remain in doubt, 
 for an iron frame has been securely fixed between the columns. 
 
 Looking to the west from this point a long double colonnade 
 may be seen, the vaulting of which is pointed. It is of little 
 interest now and seldom visited. But here in the days of the 
 Christian domination the Knights Templar lived. They felt 
 that their location was an important one and called it Palatium 
 Solomon is — the Palace of Solomon. They were the most 
 aristocratic of all the orders of that time, and this may have 
 been the secret of that success which resulted in their fall. 
 Wealth poured in upon them and with its increase departed 
 humility and consecration to the cause they had sworn to sup- 
 port. They were soon in open hostility to the Church and 
 professed to have had a religious experience beyond that ac- 
 
The Temple Hill 163 
 
 corded to the vulgar Christian. A little more than a century 
 after the institution of this order by Hugh de Payens and 
 Geoffrey de St. Aldemar, in company with seven other 
 Knights, it had grown until it numbered nineteen thousand. 
 Each of these members was wealthy enough to support a 
 knight in the Holy Land. And yet they did but little at any 
 time to redeem the country from its Moslem possessors. They 
 had a secret creed which confessed that there was no higher 
 ecclesiastical power than the order itself. "It owned no 
 bishop and would obey no pope." * This was a novel position 
 for those days. 
 
 As we come out of the Mosque el Aksa by the main door at 
 the western porch, a few steps to the right reveal a dark un- 
 derground passage running south under the east side of the 
 mosque ; it is composed of heavy masonry on the sides and 
 vaulted with smaller stones. An inclined plane leads down to 
 another level where we perceive that we are in a double pas- 
 sage. Light from a small window in the southern wall shows 
 us eight high steps which bring us down to another level and 
 enable us to get a good idea of the substructions of El Aksa. 
 The temple does not lack for solidity : two short, but very 
 thick monolith columns support the arches, and appear able to 
 carry the burden for many centuries yet. With an eye to 
 preserving these great stones or perhaps adding to their 
 rugged grandeur, the custodian has given them a coat of white- 
 wash. The result awakens a desire in the bosom of the be- 
 holder to choke the unpoetic rascal who did it. There is no 
 doubt about his rascality. 
 
 But the main points of interest here are the unquestioned 
 and well-preserved remains of the old Double Gate, called in 
 the Talmud the Huldah Portal. Three columns are visible 
 and are of the size and workmanship that causes them to be 
 assigned to the Jewish period. The lintels of the gates are 
 still here and the sculptured capitals of the pillars. Time has 
 1 Besant & Palmer, p. 279. 
 
164 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 laid his hand upon them and the Moslem has done his worst 
 with whitewash. These detract a little from present appear- 
 ances, but not from their record as memorials of a more glori- 
 ous past. Being the main entrance to the temple enclosure 
 from the south we may be certain that more than once the 
 Teacher out of Galilee with his unpretending pupils went by 
 this way into " His Father's House." 
 
 Following the direction the Divine One would thus take, the 
 cistern called the Well of the Leaf is passed. Moslem tradi- 
 tion holds that a gate to Paradise leads from this and that one 
 of Omar's companions passed through it, and as proof showed 
 a leaf from one of the unfading trees ; nobody else has ever 
 succeeded in finding the Paradise door. Here are also im- 
 mense cisterns, the ones we read about in accounts of the 
 ancient city, whose waters supplied the great demands of the 
 temple service. Solomon was their builder, and into them 
 through the tortuous aqueduct poured the stream from the 
 " Sealed Fountain." Was this the " river, the streams whereof 
 make glad the city of our God " ? One of these hewn cisterns 
 was called the " Sea," and, when its dimensions are known, the 
 name does not seem inappropriate ; it is forty feet deep and 
 seven hundred and thirty-eight feet in circumference. 
 
 But the Holy Rock and the Dome that covers it must now 
 attract us. By a flight of twenty-one steps we reach a broad 
 platform whose sides face the cardinal points. A number of 
 places of minor importance are here, connected with Jewish, 
 Christian and Mohammedan traditions. To mention them all 
 by name would be neither interesting nor instructive and to 
 recount their improbable fables and fancies would be unprofit- 
 able. 
 
 Standing upon the summit of Moriah, a place made sacred 
 by Divine appointment and by the prayerful veneration of the 
 millions who believe in one only God, a height whence rose 
 those temples — visions of snow and gold-emblematic of purity 
 and consecration, a place from which ascended to heaven the 
 
The Temple Hill 165 
 
 smoke from the altar of offering illustrating the human con- 
 sciousness that "without the shedding of blood is no remission," 
 a place which has successively during three thousand years 
 been in the possession of Jew and Christian and Mohammedan, 
 a place now graced with one of the most exquisite structures 
 on earth, — how little do the things of man seem here, how lit- 
 tle man himself! It is a place for thought. 
 
 The present building is popularly called the Mosque of 
 Omar, but it is not a mosque nor had Omar anything to do 
 with it. This caliph does deserve credit for his reverence for 
 the place and that he did erect a mosque near here is a 
 matter of history. The account of his locating his building 
 informs us that he asked a Jew where would be the best site 
 and received the reply, "Place it behind the Holy Rock so 
 that the two places of adoration, that of Moses and of Mo- 
 hammed, may be identical." "Ah," said Omar, " thou art 
 still a Jew and leanest to Jewish notions. The best place for 
 the mosque is in front of the rock." So there it was built — 
 a large, square, wooden structure capable of holding three 
 thousand people. The present building called by the Moslems 
 Kubbet es-Sakhrah, or "Dome of the Rock," is the most 
 beautiful bit of architecture in Jerusalem. This is no great 
 praise. Much more might be said in its favor, and as Pro- 
 fessor Lewis in "The Holy Places of Jerusalem," says, "It is 
 undoubtedly one of the most beautiful buildings existing." 
 Mr. Fergusson, speaking as an architect, affirms that it is 
 " unrivalled in the world." The latter opinion is at least ex- 
 travagant. 
 
 The building is octagonal, each side being sixty-six and a 
 half feet in length. It is faced from the ground to the win- 
 dow sills with slabs of marble peculiarly grained and placed 
 so as to produce a very pleasing effect. That some of this 
 work is from the days of the Crusaders, is more than probable. 
 These Christian warriors took the city in 1099 a. d., and were 
 wise enough not to destroy the work of the Moslems around 
 
166 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 the Holy Rock. They appropriated and added to it. Above 
 the marble facing on the exterior walls are very fine tiles which 
 took the place of marble and were placed by Sulieman the 
 Magnificent in 1561. In fact a complete restoration was 
 effected by this monarch and the Dome is to-day much as he 
 left it. Visitors cannot but admire the marvellously executed 
 inscriptions in tile work which run entirely around the build- 
 ing. Each tile had to be written and burned separately, but 
 the result is certainty all the designer could wish. One can- 
 not help noticing also that this gem of architecture — for such 
 the Kubbet es-Sakhrah is — is being neglected by its owners. 
 There are many signs of decay. Some of the marble slabs 
 and tiles have fallen off and no effort is being made to replace 
 them. There is even a suspicion that the religious heads of 
 the institution will, for a sufficient consideration, cause them 
 to be removed and find their way into the hands of " infidel " 
 strangers. With all this neglect and vandalism it is one of 
 the best preserved of religious buildings now in the possession 
 of the followers of the Arab prophet. I have yet to see one 
 that is not in decay. 
 
 There is beauty still here and grandeur, and one can 
 come often without weariness. Within all is in good condi- 
 tion. Immense elegant rugs of Turkish design and manu- 
 facture, the gift of the present Sultan — hide the floor ; their 
 colors combining well with the other furnishings of the place. 
 Two circles of variously colored concentric marble pillars 
 divide the interior into three apartments. The shafts of the 
 pillars are of different kinds of marble. That they were not 
 especially constructed for their present positions is readily con- 
 cluded from the fact that they differ in form, height and in 
 some cases in design. The capitals of the columns are all 
 gilded, but differ in size and design. On some of the capitals 
 blocks of stone had to be placed in order to bring the entire 
 height of the column to twenty feet. On these the arches are 
 supported. The larger circle consists of eight six-sided piers 
 
The Temple Hill 167 
 
 and two columns placed between each two piers, to assist in 
 the support of the roof proper. The smaller circle of pillars, 
 which supports the dome, consists of four piers, each with 
 three columns on each side of it. The ironwork between the 
 pillars is the work of the Crusaders and very artistic. The 
 dome itself is of wood, covered with lead, and as black as 
 paint can make it. From the ground to the crescent that sur- 
 mounts the dome the distance is 1153^2 feet; the diameter of 
 the dome is sixty-six feet and the vault thirty-nine feet. 
 Within the dome is colored a beautiful blue and ornamented 
 with gilded stucco in the Arabesque style. The whole design 
 is pleasing and the execution faithfully carried out. Finally 
 the magnificent colored windows were the gift of Sulieman and 
 bear the date 935, which is 1528 of our era. Such a descrip- 
 tion as is here given leaves much to be told, but the interested 
 reader can find it all in special works on the subject. The 
 Dome of the Rock has never been lacking in enthusiastic ad- 
 mirers and no detail of its beauty has been omitted. 
 
 Just beneath the dome lies the rock, massive and rugged and 
 silent. Would that it had a speaking tongue and could tell what 
 scenes have been enacted upon it and about it ! Tradition 
 says that here Abraham offered Isaac. It is the general belief 
 that on it stood the altar David built after the angel of destruc- 
 tion, that had been slaying thousands of Israel, had put up his 
 sword. Later the great altar of burnt-offering occupied the 
 site and there are markings upon the rock which bear out this 
 statement. Traces of a channel that might have been used for 
 carrying off the blood of the sacrifice, and a large opening 
 leading down through the rock to a natural cave from which 
 there is a subterranean passage, can be seen. The Holy Rock 
 rises six-and-a-half feet higher than the floor of the Mosque 
 and is fifty-seven feet long by forty-three wide. Marks of 
 tools are plain on the western side and traces of steps are visi- 
 ble. These marks may be the work of the Crusaders who are 
 known to have had an altar on the rock. 
 
l68 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 Besides the many Jewish legends that cluster about the 
 Sakhrah, there are some Christian and a multitude of Moslem 
 ones. No account of these will here be given, as the majority 
 of them are wholly improbable and the rest silly. All those 
 of the Moslems, except Mohammed's midnight visit and as- 
 cent, are fabrications of the prophet's successors who have 
 sought in this way to give to this sacred place of the Jews a 
 strictly Moslem setting. Because of its peculiarity mention 
 must be made of their strange belief that on the day of judg- 
 ment the sacred Kaaba will come from Mecca to the Sakhrah. 
 This is explained by saying that the trumpet of the judgment 
 will be here sounded and on the Holy Rock God will establish 
 His throne. It is the desire of the faithful to pray once from 
 this venerated spot, for did not "the prophet" himself say 
 that one prayer offered here is better than a thousand from any 
 other place ? 
 
 On the south side of the Rock are eleven steps leading down 
 into the cavern, concerning which there is a great deal of con- 
 jecture. There are four ancient altars in it named after Abra- 
 ham, David, Solomon and St. George ; how ancient they are 
 will never be known. From this cave there is a rock-cutting, 
 which is thought to be a passage leading down to the Kedron. 
 The entrance is now closed by a tight-fitting marble slab and 
 guarded so carefully that there is no chance of seeing into it. 
 The Moslem guardians have no curiosity and a great deal of 
 superstition, hence they either do not wish or are afraid to 
 take off the marble covering. A thousand tourists every year 
 enter this cave, every one of whom has curiosity enough and a 
 sufficient lack of superstition to do the lifting and make the 
 inspection ; all they want is the permission. As the hole from 
 the ancient altar led down into this cave and from hence the 
 sacrificial blood was carried off into the Kedron, it is not at 
 all unlikely that the temple service was in some way connected 
 with it. But the cave itself is as much of a mystery as the 
 
The Temple Hill 169 
 
 rock-cut passage leading from it and which the Moslems, for 
 lack of a better name, call "the well of souls." 
 
 Coming out of the Dome by the east door we see immedi- 
 ately in front of us a miniature copy of the Kubbet es-Sakhrah. 
 It is known as Mehkemeh Daud, the Judgment seat of David, 
 and is a graceful little affair ; there is in it great variety yet 
 pleasing unity. The bases and shafts and capitals of its col- 
 umns are not at all alike and clearly prove that they were not 
 originally intended for their present positions. It is held by 
 the Moslems, and it may be true, that the architect of this and 
 the larger structure was the same person and that the smaller 
 was erected first and was the model for the more famous build- 
 ing. Turning to the west, crossing the limestone flagged 
 court and passing under the graceful arcades which stand at 
 the head of each of the main stairs leading to the lower level, 
 we leave this, the cleanest and most attractive and most sacred 
 part and are in the narrow dirty streets of the Old City — 
 streets that once were paved with marble and on which the 
 wealth and beauty of Judea could be seen ; where later, the 
 courtier of Rome and the austere priests passed and repassed, 
 and where now is so much poverty and distress. 
 
CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE 
 
The Holiness of the Site — Location — Roman Conquest — 
 Pella — Jews — Trajan — Hadrian's Reconstruction — Temple of 
 Venus — Constantine — Eusebius — Macarius — Helena — The 
 Basilica — Other Buildings — Bordeaux Pilgrim — Calvary — 
 Chosroes II. — Destruction and Rebuilding — Omar — Hakem — 
 Rebuilding by Nicephorous Crusaders — Saewulf — Saladin — 
 Fire of 1808 — Rebuilding — The Modern Church — Description 
 Moslem Guard — Stone of Unction — Chapel of Adam — Calvary 
 — Chapel of the Nailing — Rotunda — Holy Sepulchre — Chapel 
 of the Angels — Chapel of the Sepulchre — Jewish Tombs — 
 Chapel of the Apparition — Column of the Flagellation — Sword 
 of Godfrey — Chapel of the Greeks — Small Chapels — Chapel 
 of St. Helena — Finding of the Cross — Other Holy Places — 
 Effect of it All— The One Sublime Fact. 
 
 172 
 
CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE 
 
 NO place in the Christian world has been regarded with 
 so much veneration as that occupied by the Church of 
 the Holy Sepulchre. For more than fourteen centuries the 
 taces of European and oriental Christians have been turned 
 devoutly toward it, and their eyes have longed to behold its 
 sacred relics. Whatever opinion we may hold as to the cor- 
 rectness of its location there can be no question that to the 
 majority of those who profess the Christian faith this building 
 covers the holiest ground of earth. Two-thirds of all Chris- 
 tendom love this spot above all others, because they believe it 
 to be the sepulchre of their crucified Lord. They are not 
 troubled by any questions as to location. Tradition and the 
 Church say that here Christ was crucified and buried, and they 
 ask no better reason for their belief. 
 
 The possibility — to me the strong probability — that the 
 present building does not contain either the place of death or 
 of sepulture of our Lord, cannot destroy interest in this his- 
 toric monument. For it is historic, apart from the momentous 
 fact from which its name is derived. It has been the scene of 
 many battles for the faith, battles in which heroes fought, not 
 for their own glory but for what they deemed honor to their 
 Lord. Cold criticism of to-day may affirm that these warriors 
 were a set of mistaken men whose abilities and time had been 
 better employed at home in the pursuits of peace. No doubt 
 the affirmation is true, but its truth does not tarnish the fame 
 of those who considered that a Christian's first duty was to as- 
 sist in rescuing his Lord's tomb from the possession of the 
 
 i73 
 
174 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 " infidel," and who made this, the reputed place of that tomb 
 the object of their tremendous efforts. But apart from these 
 incidents of conflict and carnage, there are other reasons for 
 interest in the place. To it have come, since the fourth cen- 
 tury, pilgrims from all Christian lands to kneel in heartfelt 
 prayer and weep at thought of the price paid for their redemp- 
 tion. These prayers and tears of the sincere in heart make 
 this "holy ground" which all the deception and corruption 
 of designing priests cannot entirely desecrate. 
 
 In treating of the subject of the Holy Sepulchre the question 
 of location must necessarily arise. In this discussion personal 
 feelings should have no part, facts and inferences from them 
 should be our only arguments. 
 
 From the crucifixion of Christ until the destruction of the 
 city by Titus the places of the cross and the tomb were well 
 known, at least to those who had accepted Jesus as the Mes- 
 siah. When the city fell into the hands of the Romans every 
 building of importance was destroyed and every revered place 
 altered. During the siege that preceded the overthrow the 
 Christians escaped to Pella across the Jordan. The Jews who 
 continued in the city, while they knew the site of Calvary as 
 well as the Christians who had departed, had no regard for it. 
 The Christians who returned would hardly recognize the fallen 
 city as the one they had left ; the heel of the destroyer had 
 stamped out of it all semblance of its former glory. For sixty 
 years it lay in ruins so complete that it is doubtful if there was 
 a single house that could be used as a residence ; during these 
 years its history is a blank. When the Christians returned 
 there is no record of their having sought out Calvary, or the 
 tomb, or that they considered these sites as in any way to be 
 preferred ; there is nothing in the writings of the New Testa- 
 ment enjoining Christians to visit or to especially esteem these 
 as holy places. In the absence of any record, and in the 
 presence of the miraculous account of the recovery of the 
 tomb and the " invention of the cross," the only reasonable 
 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre 175 
 
 belief is that these sites, now so reverenced, were absolutely 
 forgotten. 
 
 Though their city was in heaps of ruins the Jews were not 
 yet completely subdued. The national spirit would flame out 
 on occasions and the reign of the Emperor Trajan was marked 
 by several serious insurrections on the part of his Hebrew sub- 
 jects. Trajan's successor, Hadrian, determined to have a 
 more peaceful reign and immediately set about devising means 
 to render the Jews incapable of revolt. One of his plans, and 
 one which he carried out, was to rebuild Jerusalem and by 
 making it a thoroughly pagan city destroy every vestige of its 
 former religious preeminence. It would likewise form a superior 
 military centre, which, garrisoned by Roman troops, would 
 keep this whole country in subjection and quell an insurrec- 
 tion on the first evidence of its outbreak. This reconstruction 
 took place between 120 and 136 a. d., and when completed 
 bore no resemblance to the former city. Out of the ruins of 
 the Hebrew city Jerusalem rose the Roman city ^Elia Capito- 
 lina. Where the magnificent temple of the living God had 
 stood, rose another dedicated to the Roman Jupiter; and 
 many other buildings in honor of various gods and goddesses 
 of the Roman pantheon were erected. There seems to be no 
 reason to doubt that on the site now occupied by the Church 
 of the Sepulchre a temple to Venus was built. Those who 
 seek to prove that the present church is correctly located as- 
 sert that Hadrian chose this as a site for the Venus temple be- 
 cause it was the most sacred spot to the Christians, and he 
 thought thus to dishonor it and them. Hadrian is said to 
 have covered the rock containing the tomb with earth ; this 
 made surface was then paved and the temple erected. 
 
 The objection to such an assertion is that there is no record 
 that the Christians at that time had any special regard for this 
 place or that they considered it as the tomb of their Lord. 
 The first writer mentioning this is Eusebius, who in an account 
 written not earlier than 325 a. d., narrates the building of 
 
176 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 Constantine's Church. This Church was located on the site 
 of Hadrian's temple in the belief that that temple covered the 
 place of Christ's entombment, — a belief for which there was 
 neither history nor tradition. The whole story of Hadrian's 
 attempted desecration of this place is at least questionable. 
 Such a temple as a Roman Emperor would erect in honor of 
 Venus would hardly be located on a mound of made earth. 
 If Hadrian really had in mind to deprive the Christians of 
 this, their sacred place, assuming that they so regarded it, it 
 would have been easier and far more effective to destroy utterly 
 the tumulus and its rock tomb. Labor in those days was too 
 cheap to make such a piece of work serious. In a short time 
 every vestige of the sacred rock would have been forever de- 
 stroyed. This would have been equally effective in illustrating 
 his contempt and would have afforded a much better founda- 
 tion for his new structure. 
 
 When the Emperor Constantine succeeded in making him- 
 self master of the eastern world he began very materially to 
 favor the Christians. After his vision of the Cross and his de- 
 feat of Maxentius, in 312, the Cross was made the standard of 
 his army. In thankfulness for his continued victories, edicts 
 compensating the Christians for their losses were issued. 
 Among other deeds manifesting his appreciation of the divine 
 favor was his effort to recover the Holy Sepulchre. Eusebius 
 wishes to convey the impression that in this the Emperor was 
 led by divine direction given long before he was able to follow 
 it. It may seem a trifle presumptuous to question the asser- 
 tions of one who wrote of the age in which he lived ; but Eu- 
 sebius did allow his personal prejudices to affect his pen, and 
 what we know of the life of this royal patron of Christianity 
 gives good reason for doubting that he followed divine im- 
 pulses even if he ever had any. Biographers of royal person- 
 ages are in the habit of ascribing to their subjects virtues 
 which were never illustrated in their lives. But granting that 
 Eusebius was not too eager to laud his subject it is not unlikely 
 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre 177 
 
 that Macarius, then bishop of Jerusalem, used his position as 
 bishop to increase the importance of his see. His great op- 
 portunity arose when the Emperor became interested in Chris- 
 tianity and favorable to it. The plan to recover the sepulchre 
 and erect a Church over it could easily be carried out if once 
 the sympathies and power of Constantine could be enlisted ; 
 this was done, the result hoped for followed, and in 336 the 
 Church was dedicated. 
 
 Succeeding writers are not so loud as Eusebius in their 
 praises of the part played by Constantine in this recovery. In 
 fact they rather give him a secondary part in the affair and as- 
 sign the first place to the royal mother, Helena. They were 
 not so closely associated with the life and times of the 
 Emperor as was Eusebius and their testimony may, for this very 
 reason, be less open to suspicion. Nevertheless, we may accept 
 as absolutely correct all that Eusebius says about this recovery 
 and we are still a long way from satisfactory proof that 
 Hadrian's temple to Venus was on the site of the sepulchre of 
 our Lord. 
 
 Whether the localities were identical or not here Constan- 
 tine's Church was built. In letters which he caused to be 
 written to the governors of Eastern provinces, these governors 
 were ordered to assist in the work of recovery and reconstruc- 
 tion. In his letter to Bishop Macarius, written in 326, and 
 given at length by Eusebius, the Emperor expresses " his joy 
 and gratitude and admiration," at the miraculous recovery and 
 asserts his determination to ornament "the token of our 
 Saviour's most holy passion" with magnificent buildings. 
 The Bishop is enjoined to provide the necessary materials and 
 workmen, and to inform him what may be necessary in the 
 way of columns and marbles. The sacred cave was first cared 
 for and was ornamented with marble slabs and finely wrought 
 columns. Around it was a large free space, paved with 
 polished stones and open to the sky. Cloisters, or porticos, 
 surrounded this space on three sides, and on the fourth side, 
 
178 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 opposite to the cave, Was the basilica which Eusebius thus de- 
 scribes : It was " an admirable work, raised to a mighty ele- 
 vation and extensive in length and breadth. Its interior was 
 lined with many colored marbles, and the outer surface of its 
 walls decorated with polished and closely-jointed masonry, as 
 handsome as marble itself. The roof with its chambers was 
 covered with lead to protect it from the winter rains. The 
 inner roof was decorated with sculptured panels and extended 
 like a vast sea over the whole basilica ; and being gilt with 
 the purest gold caused the entire building to shine as if with 
 rays of light " (Professor Willis' translation). 
 
 Other buildings grew up around this main one, just how 
 many or how extensive cannot be told. Eusebius speaks of the 
 entire group as the " Martyrium of the Resurrection," but his 
 detailed description of them cannot be followed. There being 
 no mention of Calvary made by this early writer it is altogether 
 probable that the tumulus now so-called was not so considered 
 by him. To argue that the very silence of Eusebius is express- 
 ive of the general belief, and that as nobody doubted it, there 
 was no reason for his mentioning it, is rather a begging of the 
 question. The Bordeaux Pilgrim who visited Jerusalem in 
 333 a. D. is the first one to mention this Golgotha. It was 
 regarded by him as the real Calvary. His mention of the 
 place makes the silence of Eusebius hard to understand, unless 
 indeed, he expressed but his own opinion. A few years after 
 this, or about the year 350, St. Cyril, who was ordained 
 Bishop of Jerusalem in 335, makes frequent mention of this as 
 Calvary. From this time on the acceptance is universal and 
 simply shows how quickly the " invention " grew in favor and 
 how subject the common people were to ecclesiastical power. 
 
 For two hundred and eighty years the Church of Constan- 
 tine stood and was the pious resort of as many pilgrims as 
 could reach it, while kings and prelates added to its possessions 
 as they were able and inclined. Then it fell before the devas- 
 tating Persian, Chosroes II., in 614, and was consumed by 
 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre 179 
 
 fire. In this sorry condition it was not allowed long to remain. 
 Collections made in all parts of the Christian world poured 
 in, and another structure rose on the ashes of the former. The 
 new building was not equal in grandeur to its predecessor, 
 owing to the fact that no royal treasuries were at the disposals 
 of the builders. The plan of structure was altered in order to 
 permit the embracing of the additional holy places that had 
 been "invented." The honor of being the promoter of this 
 second edifice is due to Modestus, the superior of the monastery 
 of Theodosius. It lacked the symmetry of the one complete 
 Church of Constantine and appears, judging from the account 
 of Eutychius written in the tenth century, to have been three 
 Churches not architecturally connected. This writer says that 
 Theodosius " constructed the Churches of the Resurrection, of 
 the Sepulchre, of the Calvary and of St. Constantine." The 
 Sepulchre Church was included within that of the Resurrec- 
 tion. 
 
 This group of Churches remained uninjured for three hun- 
 dred and fifty-five years. Jerusalem succumbed in 637 to the 
 armies of Omar and remained for a time in Moslem hands. 
 Omar and his immediate successors were not iconoclasts, and 
 did little or no injury to any Christian buildings. It was not 
 until the caliphate of Maez, about 969, that the order was 
 given to destroy the Holy Sepulchre structure. The order was 
 at least partially carried out, though it was not until the reign 
 of the mad caliph Hakem, in 1010, that the work of destruc- 
 tion was completed. Then the Church was utterly destroyed. 
 But the age of miracles had not passed ; or perhaps we should 
 say the age when it was thought necessary to strengthen or in- 
 spire faith by miracles, had not passed ; contemporary chron- 
 iclers inform us that all the mad caliph's attempts to destroy 
 the sepulchre itself were unavailing. Iron and fire were tried 
 against the holy walls, but with no visible effect. 
 
 For thirty years the place was a scene of desolation — an evi- 
 dence of the triumph of the Moslem and the humiliation of 
 
180 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 the Christian. In 1040 Monomachus, then emperor, gave per- 
 mission, or rather concluded the negotiations which resulted 
 in permission being granted to the Patriarch Nicephorus to re- 
 build the Church. Acting on this permission, the patriarch 
 completed within eight years a structure not so grand as that 
 of the first Constantine, though Monomachus, whose prenomen 
 was also Constantine, assisted with artificers and funds. This 
 was the Church of the Sepulchre which was standing when the 
 Crusaders entered and took possession of Jerusalem in 1099. 
 Using the work of Nicephorus as a nucleus these Crusaders, who 
 were really wonderful builders, enlarged and beautified it. 
 Ssewolf, who made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1102, is 
 the best authority for the condition of the Church before the 
 additions and improvements of the Crusaders. 
 
 When the Christian occupation ceased after the conquest of 
 the land and city by Saladin, the Church as left by the Cru- 
 saders, was allowed to remain unharmed, and it was that 
 structure which fell in the great fire in September of 1808. 
 For six centuries pilgrims had visited the place and made it 
 the object of veneration and the recipient of their gifts. In 
 spite of Mohammedan oppression, which was always more or 
 less severe, the number of European Christians who made this 
 pilgrimage was by no means small. The spirit which inspired 
 the Crusaders never wholly died out, nor is it yet dead. 
 
 The fire of 1808 consumed many of the most sacred relics 
 enclosed in the Church. Marble columns of great age and 
 beauty crumbled in the flames. The rich hangings and pic- 
 tures were burned, along with lamps and chandeliers and other 
 ornaments in silver and gold. The lead with which the great 
 dome was lined melted and poured down in streams. It was 
 a great blow to the believers in the sacredness of the place, and 
 yet there were some compensations, for the limestone tomb 
 which had before come through fires and devastations un- 
 scathed, proved itself superior to this tremendous conflagration. 
 So at least the faithful are told to believe, and so they do be- 
 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre 181 
 
 lieve ; only unbelievers doubt it, and they only have any de- 
 sire to examine and see if behind the marble casings any lime- 
 stone still exists. It would be a very easy matter to convince 
 the doubters by removing one of the marble slabs, but this is 
 just what the priestly guardians will not permit. You must be- 
 lieve the miracle ! This fire began in the Armenian chapel ; 
 passed thence to the main rotunda, then to the Greek choir 
 and to the chapels on Calvary. In five hours the great cupola 
 fell with a crash upon the chapel of the Holy Sepulchre crush- 
 ing in its fall the columns which supported this chapel and 
 ruining the ornamental columns that stood around it. 
 
 Three accounts of this fire and its ravages are in existence, 
 one made by the Greeks, another by the Latins and the third 
 by a pilgrim named De Geramb. They agree generally, but 
 when they particularize it is seen that each endeavors to prove 
 that the part of the Church in which its author was interested 
 was the part most miraculously preserved, while the parts be- 
 longing to other faiths were the objects of the divine dis- 
 pleasure. 
 
 Christian enthusiasm was again aroused to raise the means 
 necessary to replace the structure and its attractions. Permis- 
 sion by special firman had to be procured from the Sublime 
 Porte, and architectural plans made. An architect from 
 Mitylene, Commenes by name, was employed and work be- 
 gun. Then serious disputes arose between the various inter- 
 ested sects as to what portion of the new Church should be- 
 long to each. Further delay was caused by the opposition of 
 the Moslems who wished to prevent the erection of the build- 
 ing. Bribes appeased these obstructionists. In spite of all 
 these difficulties the new structure was completed and conse- 
 crated on the nth of September, 1810, less than two years 
 after the fire. The whole expense connected with the work 
 amounted to nearly three millions of dollars, of which a third 
 was eaten up by lawsuits and by bribes paid to Mohammedan 
 officials. 
 
182 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 This is the Church that stands to-day. How much of it is 
 composed of materials used in former structures that stood on 
 the same site could only be discovered by an expert who had 
 abundance of time and full permission to make a careful ex- 
 amination. Even the opinion of such an one would not be 
 allowed to go unchallenged ; other experts would surely dis- 
 agree with him — the more experts, the more conclusions, and 
 archaeological experts are in this respect not exceptional. 
 There is no doubt, however, that very considerable remains of 
 the more ancient structures are still here, and some of them 
 yet in the original positions in which they were placed. 
 
 The church fronts on an open court surrounded on all sides 
 by buildings. An arched street runs eastward from Christian 
 street, makes a turn at right angles to the north, then to the 
 east and passes along the eastern side of the court. It is a 
 public street for all but Jews and for them so long as they can 
 conceal the fact that they are Jews, not an easy thing for a 
 Jerusalem Jew to do, as he wears conspicuously the marks of 
 his race and religion. The Christians claim control of this 
 thoroughfare and it is they who make it dangerous for any 
 Hebrew to pass along it. As late as April, 1894, a strange 
 Israelite, unacquainted with the unwritten law forbidding him 
 to walk here, was set upon by several Greek Christians and, 
 but for the timely interference of some soldiers of the Sultan, 
 would have been killed ; as it was he was severely injured. 
 Nothing was ever done to punish his assailants. 
 
 A motley crowd of beggars and venders of tawdry religious 
 wares lines this street. The court itself has been appropriated 
 by these small merchants, who, about Easter time when the city 
 is thronged with pilgrims, do a good business in crosses, rosaries 
 and bits of holy relics. Their jangling voices, as they urge 
 some reluctant pilgrim to purchase, do not add to the sanctity 
 of the place. They are impostors who deserve the treatment 
 accorded by Christ to their predecessors who made his Father's 
 house a den of thieves. This court is paved with large slabs 
 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre 183 
 
 of light red limestone. It was once surrounded by pillars and 
 was in the nature of a porch. Some of the bases of these 
 columns are still in situ and are pieces of Crusader work. As 
 one enters this court, or quadrangle from the west and faces 
 north he will have on his left the Greek Chapel of St. James, 
 next to it that of Mary Magdalene, then that of the Forty 
 Martyrs. On his right, making the eastern boundary of the 
 court, are the Armenian and Coptic Chapels and that of St. 
 Mary of Egypt. This Mary was driven away from the door 
 of the Church in 374 by some unknown power and on invok- 
 ing the image of the Virgin secured admission. The Chapel 
 of St. James, on the west side, commemorates the brother of 
 Christ. That of the Forty Martyrs is the lowest story of the 
 bell tower and was formerly the monastery of the Trinity 
 wherein were buried the patriarchs of Jerusalem. Only three 
 stories of the bell tower are now standing. That it was several 
 stories higher is known from certain old pictures. 
 
 The south facade of the church proper exhibits some fine 
 Gothic work. The main entrance is here and formerly con- 
 sisted of two large portals, one of which is now effectively 
 closed by masonry. Over the portals are large pointed arches. 
 Ancient marble columns with Byzantine capitals and antique 
 pedestals adjoin the doors. Over the left portal are bas-reliefs 
 illustrating New Testament scenes, while over the right portal 
 are vines, and flowers and fruits in the midst of which are 
 naked figures and birds, the whole presenting an allegory of 
 the contest between good and evil. 
 
 On entering the church the first thing that will attract the 
 attention of the observing visitor is the Moslem guard which 
 sits in a small elevated room to the immediate left. For this 
 Christian Church has a Moslem guard whose duty it is to keep 
 the peace between the various sects who profess belief in the 
 Prince of Peace. This guard is composed of members of the 
 oldest Mohammedan family in the city. They keep the keys 
 of the main doors and open and close them when required by 
 
184 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 the Greek, Latin or Armenian Church officials. As each open- 
 ing is paid for by the one desiring it quite a little revenue ac- 
 crues. Formerly each person, pilgrim or visitor, paid an ad- 
 mission fee of one para — about an eighth of a cent. Coffee 
 and cigarettes or narghilis are freely used by these custodians. 
 The coffee is provided by that church party which has requested 
 the opening and is made on a small earthen brazier just inside 
 the door. 
 
 A great deal has been said and written against the persons 
 constituting this guard for their disrespect to the place. But 
 the truth is, they are no more disrespectful than one should 
 expect them to be, judging from the example set by many of 
 the Christian priests. At the time of the unholy exhibition of 
 the Holy Fire this civil guard is increased by several hundred 
 soldiers who line up around the inside of the church to keep 
 the crowds in order and quell the disturbances that nearly al- 
 ways arise between the sects. With such a spectacle as is 
 here continually given of "how these Christians love one an- 
 other " the reason is very apparent why they have had so little 
 success in winning the Jew or Moslem to belief in the religion 
 of Jesus. It is a sickening fact that Moslem brute force must 
 compel Christians to exercise, not charity toward each other, 
 but common decency and decorum. But it is a fact, neverthe- 
 less, and will remain apparent to all, so long as priestcraft 
 takes the place of New Testament Christianity and superstition 
 supplants religion. 
 
 To read a detailed account of all the parts of this church and 
 the adjacent more or less sacred structures would be confusing 
 and uninteresting. Latin, Greek, Armenian, Syrian, Coptic 
 and Abyssinian, each has his specially holy places. What mat- 
 ters it that the names and locations of most of these have been 
 several times changed ? What difference that some of the 
 claims made for them are preposterous in the extreme and so 
 ridiculously in error that only intentional fraud will dare assert 
 and only dense ignorance will accept them ? The patriarchs 
 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre 185 
 
 and priests of these various faiths are by no means all ignorant 
 men. They have some motives for their assertions about these 
 places. To call these motives religious is to defame religion, 
 which can have no part in a lie. Some have tried to soften 
 the hard facts by calling these priestly impositions "pious 
 frauds." When a lie may be justly called righteous a fraud 
 may properly be termed pious, but until that time a religious 
 fraud can be nothing but impious. 
 
 A few steps inside and directly in line with the main door 
 is the "Stone of Unction," on which the body of the Lord 
 was anointed in preparation for burial. Many times have I 
 watched in admiration the devotion of Russian pilgrims, the 
 privilege of whose life it has been to reach this sacred en- 
 closure. The Stone of Unction being the first of the holy 
 things to which they come gets a generous share of reverential 
 prostrations and fervent kisses. They do not know that the 
 stone they see and bow over is not even the reputed Stone of 
 Anointing. The latter is covered and entirely concealed from 
 view by a red limestone slab. This covering was necessary 
 because the real stone was being worn away by the hands and 
 lips of the worshippers. The fact that pilgrims about the time 
 of their departure from the Holy City came to this stone to 
 measure the shrouds in which they hoped to be buried will 
 account for some of the wear. This practice is still in vogue ; 
 they now take the measure of the upper stone. Nor are they 
 content to trust the word of a dealer in linen or cotton or de- 
 pend upon a rule or tape measure ; they bring the roll of goods, 
 spread it out on the stone and then and there cut it off. 
 
 Over this place of worship are suspended eight handsome 
 lamps belonging to the Armenians, Copts, Greeks and Latins; 
 and large candelabra surround it. Some unbelievers doubt the 
 genuineness of this real stone from the fact that the stone itself 
 has been changed, and the correctness of its location from the 
 fact that it has several times altered its position. Different 
 religious bodies have at different times possessed it : the Copts 
 
186 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 owned it in the fifteenth century, the Gregorians in the six- 
 teenth ; from the Gregorians the Latins, for the consideration 
 of 5,000 piasters (about $450.00), procured the right to burn 
 candles over it ; it is now Greek property. 
 
 The stone serves other purposes. Women place the pictures 
 of absent loved ones upon it and pray over them ; pilgrims lay 
 their rosaries there that these may partake of its virtue ; moth- 
 ers bring their babies and think they do a holy act, beneficial 
 to the little ones, by placing them on it and breathing a prayer 
 to God or some favorite saint. 
 
 Toward the right from the stone a small door leads into the 
 Chapel of Adam. Here our worthy progenitor, when his 
 struggle with adverse nature was over, rested from his labors. 
 According to a tradition, when the blood and water flowed 
 from the side of the Saviour, it came down through the rock, 
 touched the inanimate dust and Adam came to life again. 
 This tradition accounts for the placing of a skull at the foot of 
 the cross. 
 
 The whole church and all its separate chapels are associated 
 with these ridiculous stories. A chapter giving them all would 
 be curious but unprofitable reading. A recent American 
 visitor having gone the rounds of the Church, examined its al- 
 leged attractions and listened to the nonsense of his guide, re- 
 marked as he came out, "That is the completest museum of 
 religious horrors I know anything about." And his remark 
 was true. There is certainly nothing that can in any way 
 compete with it. You are seriously shown the exact centre of 
 the earth, the very spot where the Creator procured the dust 
 to make the first man ; the place where Abraham was about to 
 sacrifice Isaac and where the ram that became the real sacrifice 
 was caught in the bushes ; a marble slab on which the tears of 
 the Virgin fell when she saw her divine Son die, each tear 
 making a deep imprint and all together forming a cross. The 
 majority of travellers who see and hear all this are usually con- 
 tent with one visit ; in some it works sadness, in others dis- 
 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre 187 
 
 gust. Whatever previous opinion they may have had as to the 
 correctness of the church's location, many go away with a 
 prejudice against it, really glad that there is a reasonable doubt 
 about it, and hoping that some discovery will warrant a settled 
 belief that it does not cover the sites of the real Calvary and 
 the real sepulchre. 
 
 The Calvary here shown is on an elevation a little less than 
 fifteen feet above the level of the entrance to the church. It 
 is reached from this entrance by two flights of stone steps. 
 There are two small chapels each richly ornamented with 
 lamps and candelabra, images and pictures. The one on the 
 left, as one faces the east, is the Chapel of the Raising of the 
 Cross. This is Greek property and is adorned in characteristic 
 Greek fashion, with showy artificial flowers, brilliantly colored 
 figures and faces. Its chief ornamental attraction is a large 
 representation of Christ suspended on the Cross. This is done 
 in silver and gilt. Its other attractions are those coming to it 
 through the tradition that it is the place where the Cross was 
 erected on the day of crucifixion. 
 
 Under the altar in the east apse is a circular opening faced 
 with silver where the cross was placed in the rock ; five feet 
 from each side of this according to mediaeval tradition stood 
 the crosses on which the thieves were hanged. A little less 
 than five feet to the right of where Christ's cross stood is a 
 narrow metal slab which can be pushed aside if one wishes to 
 see where "the rocks were rent." There is a cleft in the 
 rock and you are seriously told that it reaches clear to the 
 centre, of the earth. As there is no way to disprove the state- 
 ment without going to considerable trouble, most people have 
 preferred to reserve their opinion ; nor is it always safe here 
 to express audibly what one thinks. 
 
 Just a few feet further to the right is the altar of the Stabat. 
 This forms the thirteenth station of the Via Dolorosa and is 
 where the Virgin received the body of her Son after it was let 
 down from the cross. Just above this altar is an image of 
 
188 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 Mary hung around with gold and precious stones, the offerings 
 of devout Catholics who have thought by these to win her 
 favor. This is Latin property. Just adjoining this on the 
 south is the Latin Chapel of the Nailing to the Cross. It is 
 more simply and hence more appropriately adorned. Over its 
 altar is a representation of the act of crucifixion, before which 
 candles are continually burning. Near the centre the place 
 of the actual nailing is indicated by some pieces of marble 
 fitted into the floor. This chapel is usually very dark and in 
 order to see its main attraction visitors must have a good 
 supply of candles. This attraction is a very fine picture show- 
 ing Mary holding in her lap the head of the dead Christ. 
 This is considered the finest picture in the whole church and 
 deserves a much better location than it has. The light is 
 never sufficient to give one a satisfactory view of it. The face 
 of the Virgin Mother is most expressive, while that of Christ 
 is one of the very few artist's conceptions of the Divine 
 countenance that does not make an unpleasant impression. It 
 is a manly countenance in peaceful repose. There is in it no 
 trace of the previous agony, no suggestion of defeat, nothing 
 but the expression of a gentle, manly soul who has finished the 
 work that was given Him to do. The mother face bending 
 over it is tender with a great sorrow ; not hopeless, but as if she 
 were in the presence of a mystery which she could not solve, 
 and which still could not overthrow her faith in her divine 
 Son and His mission, or diminish the love which overflowed 
 with every beat of her heart. 
 
 From an architectural standpoint the Rotunda of the 
 Sepulchre is the finest and most interesting part of the entire 
 structure. The foundation of this belonged to the ancient 
 structure. The dome is now supported by eighteen large 
 pillars. These pillars are diverse in form and irregular in their 
 location. Some are round and have pedestals and capitals, 
 while others are square and perfectly simple. In fact there are 
 three styles of piers, those on the east being of a decidedly 
 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre 189 
 
 complex character and sustaining a wide arch which reaches 
 to the triforium of the church and forms a passage leading 
 from the floor of the rotunda to the choir. This choir was the 
 work of the Crusaders, though the rotunda was erected before 
 their day by Monomachus. The dome is sixty-five feet in 
 diameter, and before the great fire in 1808 was roofed with 
 cedar which had been gilded. This furnished a ready fuel to 
 the flames which were very fierce in their destructiveness to 
 this part of the building. The present rotunda is not so fine 
 nor so large in diameter as its predecessor, for in the repairs 
 the old masonry was allowed to remain and was encased by 
 the new. 
 
 The dome for several years preceding 1868, was in a pre- 
 carious condition and threatened to fall in. The jealousy be- 
 tween the sects who were joint owners of it was so great that 
 they could not come to an amicable agreement as to the terms 
 on which it was to be repaired ; finally an international con- 
 ference was held in which Turkey, France and Russia were 
 represented; the findings of this council were followed, and 
 in 1868 the repairs were made with the result now to be seen. 
 The vault of the dome is colored a sky blue which forms the 
 background for numerous gilt stars. From the ground-floor 
 this gives rather a pleasing effect. Just now the blue and gilt 
 are coming off and the vault has rather a shabby appearance. 
 It is to be hoped that it can be repaired without resort to an- 
 other international committee of arbitration ; but there is no 
 promise of any such peaceful settlement in the present feeling 
 of the sects for each other. 
 
 In the centre of the rotunda, facing the east, is the Chapel 
 of the Holy Sepulchre, the most revered place in the Chris- 
 tian world. The whole church structure is sacred, just as the 
 whole temple was sacred to the Jew ; but this spot is the Holy 
 of Holies. The pilgrims who come here to bow in holy awe, 
 to murmur their earnest prayers, to solemnly and sincerely 
 
190 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 make upon themselves the sign of the cross, believe as much 
 in the sacredness of this spot as any Hebrew ever did in the 
 sanctity of the Most Holy place. The most absolute unbe- 
 liever in the religion that these people profess, the most posi- 
 tive rejector of the site as the true sepulchre cannot observe 
 these devoted souls without a feeling of respect for them and 
 of something very akin to admiration for their fealty to their 
 convictions. Such devotion as they manifest and such tears 
 as they shed cannot be feigned ; to them all is real, as real as 
 if they had seen the Divine One crucified on the neighboring 
 Calvary and laid in this tomb. How abjectly they prostrate 
 themselves before the entrance to this holy place ; how sol- 
 emnly they enter and how reverently, as though this were the 
 supreme moment of a privileged life, they kiss the marble slab 
 above the reputed place where their God was buried ! If the 
 present Church of Christ, irrespective of creed, were made up 
 of men and women possessed of, a faith like this, but intelli- 
 gently directed, long ago would "all nations" have heard the 
 Gospel of Redemption preached, and seen it lived. 
 
 The Chapel of the Sepulchre resembles a small church. It 
 is built of Santa Croce marble and looks very durable with its 
 columns and pilasters. In shape it is an oblong square though 
 it has not always had this form. In Crusader time it was cir- 
 cular and had a small tower. Later on it was described as 
 polygonal. The fire destroyed the tower, but did not seri- 
 ously damage the rest of the chapel. Nevertheless, in the 
 reconstruction of the totally destroyed portions of the church, 
 it was thought best to rebuild this. It is now twenty-six feet 
 long and seventeen and a half feet wide. Numerous pictures 
 are hung around the outside of the chapel, all very inferior as 
 works of art. Nearly every available spot is utilized as a re- 
 ceptacle for candles and little oil lamps of many colors. Im- 
 mense candelabra stand in front of the chapel where is 
 an antechamber having stone benches where Oriental Chris- 
 tians sit to remove their shoes before entering. 
 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre 191 
 
 Going "through the small door the visitor comes first to the 
 Chapel of the Angels. A stone set on a small box elevated on 
 a stand is pointed out as the veritable stone which the angels 
 rolled away from the mouth of the tomb. The Armenians have 
 a stone in their parish church on Mount Zion for which they 
 claim a similar distinction. A doubt as to the genuineness of 
 either could, under these circumstances, hardly be termed her- 
 esy. Greek, Latin, Armenian and Coptic lamps swing from 
 the ceiling and add to the heavy odors of the small room. The 
 walls of this chapel are very thick and are lined with marble. 
 Two large circular openings pierce the sides, one on the north 
 and the other on the south wall, through which on the after- 
 noon of the Saturday preceding Easter, the "holy fire "is 
 passed out to the runners and to the assembled thousands 
 standing as near as possible to the Sepulchre. 
 
 From the Chapel of the Angels a low door, necessitating 
 considerable stooping as one passes through it, leads into the 
 little Chapel of the Sepulchre. This, the chapel proper, is 
 very small, being only six-and-a-half feet long by six wide ; 
 and it is the Holy of Holies of the entire structure. It is said 
 that six persons can be accommodated with standing room in 
 it at one time, though I should not care to be one of the six. 
 When the chapel is open for visitors a priest is always on 
 guard ; no vandalism is allowed here. On the north, east and 
 west walls are reliefs, while just on the inside of the door can 
 be read in Greek the following inscription : "Lord, remem- 
 ber thy servant the royal builder, Kalfa Komnenos of Mily- 
 tene, 18 10." On the right of the entrance, occupying nearly 
 one half of the floor space is the tomb. It is five feet long, 
 two high and three wide. Swinging from the ceiling are 
 forty-three very costly lamps. The Latins, Greeks and Arme- 
 nians each own thirteen of these, while the remaining four are 
 Coptic property. The tomb is covered by a large marble slab 
 which is often used as an altar, for here every day in the year 
 the Mass is celebrated. This is, we are told, the very place 
 
192 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 where the Christ, He who "brought life and immortality to 
 light in the Gospel," lay in the embrace of death. Those who 
 believe in the tradition claim to experience a peculiar thrill 
 when they lay their hand upon the marble-covering of the 
 tomb; those who doubt the tradition never feel the thrill. 
 
 Every day during the tourist and pilgrim season rosaries 
 and crucifixes are brought here and laid for consecration upon 
 the marble slab. The attending priest pronounces his blessing 
 upon them and they become specially holy. Thousands upon 
 thousands of rosaries and crosses are thus treated every year 
 and find their way to countries and homes most remote from 
 the Holy City. In April of 1894 a Catholic priest from one 
 of the large inland cities of Ohio, purchased fifteen hundred 
 rosaries, had them all blessed in this way — one for every mem- 
 ber of his congregation ; he was a wise pastor in thus showing 
 no favoritism. Every year, also, thousands of cards, having 
 on them pressed flowers of the Holy Land, are treated in the 
 same way. The superscription on many of these cards an- 
 nounces that they bear flowers from the Garden of Gethsemane, 
 but the statement cannot be always true, for this little garden 
 spot does not grow flowers enough to supply the demand. The 
 only way to know positively that you have flowers from Geth- 
 semane is to go yourself and pluck them ; and this is not an 
 easy matter, for the priestly custodians guard their charge 
 with jealous care. Nor have articles, which are supposed to 
 have been laid on the tomb and blessed, been always so hon- 
 ored. And what does it matter whether they have or not? If 
 contact with any particular place makes more holy, it should 
 suffice that the thing has been in sacred Jerusalem. But as 
 residence in the city does not have any such effect upon per- 
 sons, it is not probable that it has any holier action upon cards 
 or rosaries. It is a sort of idolatry — an idolatry which to a 
 greater or less degree affects us all — that this locality or that is 
 more sacred than some other and transfers its sacredness to 
 thing or person touched by it. 
 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre 193 
 
 Just back of the sepulchre and seemingly a part of it is a 
 wretched little chapel belonging to the Coptic Church, and 
 just across the circular aisle that surrounds the sepulchre is the 
 Chapel of the Syrians. Neither of these is in itself deserving 
 of mention and they are only here mentioned because they are 
 in line with a small recess in which are two interesting rock- 
 cut tombs. Nor are these tombs interesting in themselves; 
 they are important, however, in that they prove beyond a 
 doubt that this part of the church was once without the walls. 
 For they are old Jewish tombs and we know that, with the ex- 
 ception of the royal tombs, none were ever within the city. 
 There are two ways of accounting for the existence of these. 
 One is that they date from the time of David or Solomon, 
 were without the north wall at that time, and when the Sec- 
 ond Wall was built, were brought within the city. The other 
 and more recent theory supposes the First Wall to have in- 
 cluded these tombs and thus makes them as they were on 
 the slope of Zion, none other than the remains of the royal 
 tombs themselves. Whatever may be said about them one 
 thing is sure, that there is no basis for the sixteenth century 
 story which assigns to them the names of the Tomb of 
 Joseph of Arimathea and of Nicodemus, who came to Jesus by 
 night. 
 
 Coming out from the Syrian Chapel into the rotunda, again 
 we pass through an antechamber where Christ appeared to 
 Mary on the first Easter morning, and enter the principal 
 Chapel of the Roman Catholics. A fourteenth century tradi- 
 tion, which affirms that here Christ first appeared to His mother 
 after His resurrection, has given this plainly furnished enclos- 
 ure the name "the Chapel of the Apparition." Its special 
 treasure is the Column of Flagellation, which is kept in a cab- 
 inet just at the right of the entrance. The column cannot be 
 seen except during one day in the year, on which day every 
 pilgrim in the city kisses it. During this ordeal two Latin 
 priests guard it and no worshipper is allowed to remain long 
 
194 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 before the sacred relic. When each one's time is up he or she 
 is rudely pushed along to make room for others. It is a reli- 
 gious act on the part of the pilgrims, but on the part of the 
 priests seemingly a purely business one, which, the sooner over 
 the better. Ordinarily the stone can only be felt with a stick 
 about two feet long, which is provided for the purpose. Pil- 
 grims enter the chapel just to touch the column, and having 
 put the stick against it, kiss it and make upon head and breast 
 the sign of the cross ; they have thus performed a meritorious 
 act at which they will rejoice on their return to their native 
 lands. Different pilgrims at different times have given de- 
 scriptions of this column. If these accounts are correct it is 
 like the other holy stones in having several times changed its 
 form and color and position. 
 
 A few steps to the left from this chapel entrance bring one to 
 the Latin Sacristy. It is not a very important place judging 
 from its size and the disorder in which it is usually kept ; but 
 it contains three important relics, the sword, cross and spurs of 
 Godfrey de Bouillon — the first Christian king of Jerusalem. 
 These relics are probably genuine. The sword is a long straight 
 blade having a cruciform handle ; the spurs are cruel imple- 
 ments eight inches in length with barbs long and sharp enough 
 to inflict absolute torture. When this church was the place 
 of investiture of the knights of St. John, this sword was used 
 in the ceremony of initiation. It is now employed by the 
 Order of the Sepulchre in inducting new members, but as this 
 order is a small one, the sword is not often required for this 
 purpose. 
 
 Coming again to the rotunda one can enter under the im- 
 posing Arch of the Emperor, the Catholican, or main chapel 
 of the Greeks. This forms the nave of the Cathedral and is 
 ornamented in almost barbaric style, with highly colored dec- 
 orations, brazen lamps and pictures. It surpasses in size and 
 ornamentation the chapels of any of the other sects, but gives 
 the impression of abundance rather than taste ; to the Greek 
 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre 195 
 
 or Russian, however, this wealth of gilding and paint is no 
 doubt very impressive. We are told that this chapel stands 
 where formerly was the garden of Joseph of Arimathea. If 
 so, I should much prefer that the garden had never been de- 
 stroyed. It has the further honor of being situated right in 
 the centre of the world ; the exact centre is indicated by a 
 rounded stone covered with netting and lifted from the floor 
 on a low stand. On each side of the chapel is an episcopal 
 throne, the one on the south being for the use of the Greek 
 bishop of Jerusalem, while that on the north is for the bishop 
 of Antioch. The Greek body being the richest of all here, of 
 course has the finest vestments and most costly jewels. These 
 are kept in a place called the Iconoclaustrum and are exhibited 
 on special occasions to sufficiently distinguished visitors. 
 
 Near this part of the church are numerous small chapels 
 having no attractions sufficient to commend them to the inter- 
 ested visitor and very doubtful ones for the pious pilgrim to 
 consider. Fortunately the pious pilgrim does not consider; 
 he accepts \ and, accepting, reverences, and no unpleasant 
 doubts assail his mind. There is an altar having in it two 
 round holes. Here Christ's feet were confined during the 
 preparation for the crucifixion. Then there is the Prison of 
 Christ, the altar of Saint Longinus, the centurion whose spear 
 pierced the Saviour's side as he was suspended on the cross. 
 A tradition, quite as credible as the others, records that Lon- 
 ginus had but one eye ; when the blood and water followed 
 his spear some of it fell into his empty eye socket and imme- 
 diately a new eye replaced the lost one; he accordingly be- 
 came a Christian and was promoted to sainthood. 
 
 Then comes the chapel where the soldiers cast lots for Christ's 
 garments ; the Chapel of Derision and altars almost too numerous 
 to mention. The passage-way here is quite in gloom and it re- 
 quires some acquaintance with the arrangement in order to find 
 one's way. Among these niches in which the altars stand is a 
 stairway of twenty-nine steps leading down into the Chapel of 
 
196 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 St. Helena, sixteen feet below the level of the church floor. 
 This is Abyssinian property, but this sect being poor in worldly 
 goods in Jerusalem and, having more need of the money than 
 of the chapel, rents it to the Armenians. It is rather a deso- 
 late place and has the appearance of poverty, its altars and or- 
 naments being sadly in need of renovation. On this site Con- 
 stantine's basilica originally stood and early Christians consid- 
 ered it the place where the true cross was unearthed. It gets 
 its present name from the belief that here Saint Helena sat 
 during the excavations which resulted in demonstrating the 
 correctness of the location of the Church of the Sepulchre. 
 Traditions are a little mixed just here, and one of about the 
 year 1400, mentions another place which is here also. So, by 
 going down thirteen high steps, some of which are cut in the 
 native rock, one can stand in what is now known as the Chapel 
 of the Finding of the Cross ; this chapel is modern, was for- 
 merly a natural cave in the rock or a cistern, and has no claims 
 to serious regard, but for all that it is seriously considered by 
 all the pilgrims who visit it. Here they murmur a prayer, or 
 if they feel able, will buy a candle from a young Greek in 
 charge and place it in a hole in the marble slab that marks the 
 place where the crosses were found. Three crosses were dis- 
 covered here, and though it was known instantly that they 
 were the three used on the occasion of Christ's crucifixion, 
 there was no way of telling on which one the Saviour had hung. 
 But Bishop Macarius saw the way out of this difficulty. A 
 very pious lady was lying at the point of death ; one by one 
 the three crosses were presented to the sufferer. No effect was 
 noticeable on presentation of the first two, but when her eyes 
 beheld the third and her hand felt it, the recovery was instan- 
 taneous. This was a demonstration that left no room for 
 doubt. And yet some do have very serious doubts about the 
 whole story ; they can see no reason for the angelic visitation 
 to Helena informing her where to look ; they cannot under- 
 stand why it was necessary for the cross to be found because 
 
Church of the Holy Sepulchre 197 
 
 there was no purpose to be served. To assert that it was to 
 prove the correctness of the site chosen for the sepulchre 
 rather weakens than strengthens the argument, for if that site 
 was as well known as its advocates insist it was in the time of 
 Constantine, there was certainly nothing to be gained by a 
 miraculous interposition. 
 
 Many other places called holy, connected with which are 
 traditions of the miraculous, are included within the compass 
 of this cluster of buildings. How genuine the sites and how 
 holy, how much of truth there is in the traditions and how 
 much of miracle in the miraculous, each must estimate for 
 himself, unless he is satisfied to accept without question the 
 dicta of the custodian priests. If reason and probability be 
 allowed to figure in the estimate the great mass of tradition 
 and miracle must be rejected as fraudulent and productive of 
 no possible good. Some of the more preposterous sites have 
 been passed without mention. 
 
 These many holy sites and attendant fables were not origi- 
 nated at one time. They are the growth of centuries, being 
 added to from time to time as the ecclesiastical authorities 
 deemed advisable. Venerated and worshipped by the ignorant, 
 priest-ridden pilgrims, these holy sites are a scandal to intelli- 
 gent Christians, . and the objects of derision to unbelievers. 
 The Christianity of Christ is outraged by such pretensions, and 
 when this Christianity takes possession of the people, as it will, 
 they will break away from this priestly thralldom and worship 
 God only. 
 
 The Church of the Holy Sepulchre gives to the non-Chris- 
 tian world the very worst possible illustration of the religion of 
 Him in whose name it stands. That religion was simple, 
 spiritual and productive of love ; whereas the religion exhib- 
 ited by this church is as complex as can be devised, as ma- 
 terial as any form of idolatry and annually productive of as 
 loveless sights as can be imagined. Between the different 
 sects represented here there is positive enmity. The followers 
 
198 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 of Moses and Mohammed will never leave their faiths to em- 
 brace the type of Christianity seen in this, which they have 
 reason to regard as the leading church of the followers of 
 Christ. They know what it stands for — the death and resur- 
 rection of Him whom the Gentile world has accepted as its 
 Messiah. They know of no other Christianity than this. No 
 wonder they reject it and all its pretensions. And they do so 
 on a principle enunciated by Christ and universally accepted 
 as correct, "By their fruits ye shall know them." A brief 
 glance at the history of this church convinces us that it has 
 produced nothing attractive ; it has been a curse rather than 
 a blessing ; it has been a house of war instead of a house of 
 peace: it has stood for bigotry, envy, falsehood, strife and 
 murder, instead of witnessing for peace, liberty, truth and 
 love. True religion would lose nothing if this church and its 
 record could be expunged from the pages of history. 
 
 But the church does stand as a witness for one stupendous 
 event. The truth of her testimony is not affected by her mis- 
 taken location, her senseless traditions or her warring sects. 
 Greek may differ from Latin, Latin from Armenian, Arme- 
 nian from Syrian, Syrian from Copt and Copt from Abyssinian 
 and each from all the others; they may have their disgraceful 
 strifes and in asserting their preeminence show their loveless 
 characters ; they may differ as much as they can on the minor 
 points of belief, but on the great essential there is unanimity. 
 Christ died for men and rose again. The old Church stands 
 for this — the truth of God which human error and ignorance 
 cannot destroy — the truth that shall live and influence for eter- 
 nity the lives of the followers of the Risen One. 
 
THE NEW, OR GORDON'S, CALVARY 
 
Religious Prejudices as to Holy Sites — Questions of Locality 
 — Untrustworthiness of Tradition — Known Facts about the 
 Place of the Crucifixion — Support for the Traditional Holy 
 Sepulchre — Eusebius — Korte's Opposition to the Tradition — 
 Dr. Robinson — Remains under Freres' College — Conder's 
 Opinion — Holy Sites and Christian Faith — The Green Hill — 
 Circumstantial Evidence — Place of Stoning — Roman Methods 
 — Topographical Requirements met by the New Calvary — 
 Main Roads — Real Via Dolorosa — Conspicuous — Shape of the 
 Hill — Jeremiah's Grotto — Size of the Hill — The New Tomb 
 — Church of St. Stephen — Rock Tombs — Within the New 
 Tomb — Conder's Tomb. 
 
 yoo 
 
XI 
 
 THE NEW, OR GORDON'S, CALVARY 
 
 THE localities in and around the Holy City have occa- 
 sioned many a hot dispute. Absolute identifications 
 are the exceptions, and the contested field is wide. In the 
 contests passionate expression of mere personal opinion is all 
 too common. Such expressions are general from persons 
 who are too interested in one or the other place to speak with- 
 out prejudice. Prejudice distorts truth, or so affects the men- 
 tal medium through which truth passes that it is distorted in 
 the expression. No prejudice is so violent as that which 
 touches religious matters. Many advocates of the present holy 
 places consider that great religious importance attaches to 
 them and that to express disbelief in them tends to rob men of 
 their faith in that which saves. Hence the passionate verbal 
 assaults upon those who refuse to accept the traditional site of 
 the Holy Sepulchre and of Calvary. But passionate assaults 
 are not arguments and followers of Christ will insist that the 
 genuineness of this or that locality in its relation to the life or 
 death of the Saviour has nothing at all to do with salvation. 
 
 Education is broadening and in all matters of religion young 
 men and women are being taught to think for themselves. In 
 the more enlightened countries a statement is not accepted as 
 truth simply because it is made by priest or preacher. It must 
 be reasonable, must be in harmony with known facts. But 
 the " holy places" are not in an enlightened country, nor do 
 their possessors represent an enlightened type of Christianity. 
 Patriarchs and bishops say the places are genuine and there- 
 fore holy, and the people for the most part accept without 
 question their statements. Until very recent years there has 
 been no expressed doubt about most of these places, but lately 
 
202 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 the almost universal acceptance has been negatived by many 
 intelligent investigators who demand something more than the 
 opinion of an individual, it matters not how distinguished in 
 any branch of learning that individual may be, something 
 more than an ancient tradition in support of any locality for 
 which pretentious claims are made. They are demanding 
 good reasons for such claims, are questioning those incapable 
 of proof and rejecting any that are plainly in opposition to 
 the known facts. 
 
 Concerning the holy sites of the Holy City any one has the 
 right to ask why this one is located here or that one there. If 
 the answer given is not satisfactory he has the right to doubt 
 or disbelieve. For instance when one sees hundreds of Rus- 
 sian pilgrims kneeling devoutly and kissing reverently a spot 
 on the rock on the eastern slope of Mount Moriah, just near 
 where the Jericho road turns to cross the brook Kedron, and 
 is informed that here is where Saint Stephen was stoned, he 
 has a right to question the reason for this localization. The 
 evidence of an old tradition proves nothing. The place of 
 Jewish capital punishment being known and Saint Stephen 
 having suffered that punishment there is no reason to seek an- 
 other place for his death than the one used commonly in his 
 day. How or when the tradition assigned the event to the 
 spot outside of the present St. Stephen Gate is a matter of no 
 moment. The tradition is groundless. 
 
 A tradition just as groundless has for fifteen centuries af- 
 firmed that the two most momentous facts in Christian history 
 took place on the site now occupied by the Church of the 
 Holy Sepulchre. To the one whom tradition satisfies this is 
 enough. The one who accepts the dicta of the Church with- 
 out dispute reasons that, as the Church has maintained these 
 two sites during these centuries, he has no right to doubt their 
 genuineness. Had the Church never been mistaken ; had she 
 never been compelled to change her position such acquies- 
 cence might be given by even a greater number than now. 
 
The New, or Gordon's, Calvary 203 
 
 But so long as the Church is made up of human creatures de- 
 pendent upon human judgment there are those who will refuse 
 absolutely to acknowledge her infallibility. This will be so 
 especially in matters unessential to salvation, to which class 
 certainly belongs the localization of any event connected with 
 the life or death of our Lord. 
 
 There are certain things positively known about the places 
 of the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. They were outside the 
 city walls at that time and not far from one of the gates. 
 (Heb. xiii. 12.) The places of death and sepulture were near 
 each other, the latter being in a garden. (John xix. 41 and 
 42.) The crucifixion took place on a conspicuous site near a 
 public road. (Matt, xxvii. 39 and 55 ; Mark xv. 29 ; Luke 
 xxiii. 35.) Any place laying claim to being the site of these 
 two events must meet these three requirements, it must have 
 been without the walls, near one of the gates and conspicuous. 
 Failing in any of these particulars its claims are untrustworthy, 
 no matter how old the tradition favoring it or how great the 
 ecclesiastical authority supporting it. 
 
 No locality could have better traditional or ecclesiastical 
 support than the present Church of the Holy Sepulchre. For 
 sixteen hundred and seventy years the tradition has been ac- 
 cepted as true by the great majority of Christians. True, 
 there was a period of nearly three hundred years previous to 
 the birth of the tradition when it was at least doubtful whether 
 anybody connected these events with this place. During the 
 sixteen hundred and seventy years, however, all the Oriental 
 Christian Churches, together with the great Roman branch, 
 have repeatedly pronounced in favor of the truth of the tradi- 
 tion. The fact, and it is a fact beyond question, that there is 
 no record pointing to this as the place of the crucifixion and 
 burial before the origin of the tradition might be overlooked, 
 were there no other arguments against it. Other things being 
 equal, strong traditionary evidence must be accepted. But in 
 this instance other things are not equal. When the tradition 
 
204 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 began the places of death and burial bad been lost. Nothing 
 is more certain than this. Nobody at the time of the conver- 
 sion of Constantine knew where Christ had suffered or where 
 His pierced body had rested from that Friday of death till the 
 Sunday of resurrection. The assertion of Eusebius to the 
 effect that while clearing away the ruins of a heathen temple 
 the Holy Sepulchre was found "most unexpectedly," would 
 never have been made had he known just where the Lord had 
 been buried ; and he would have known had that knowledge 
 been possessed by anybody. A certain tomb was found, not 
 one only, but several, and the assumption was immediately 
 made that one of these was the lost tomb of the Saviour. Be- 
 yond a doubt these were old Jewish tombs and probably the 
 last resting-places of some of Judah's royal families. Arch- 
 aeologists date them from a time anterior to Christ. No man 
 speaks with greater authority on this question than Major C. R. 
 Conder, and it is his opinion that is here given. 
 
 The recovery of the cross is nowhere mentioned in the 
 writings of Eusebius. Cyril first speaks of this "invention" 
 in a sermon preached in the basilica that was erected over 
 these then newly discovered holy places. This basilica was 
 completed in 335 a. d. Cyril began to preach in 347 and in 
 the sermon above mentioned speaks of pieces of the true cross 
 having been distributed throughout the world. Thus in a 
 quarter of a century this tradition began and had met with 
 general acceptance. Were it not thus positively known that 
 there was no previous history connecting this place with the 
 crucifixion the necessity of introducing the miraculous into the 
 narrative would suffice to convince that there was no such his- 
 tory. The knowledge that this was the actual place where 
 that event occurred would have required no miracle to sub- 
 stantiate it. We are thus compelled to believe that the Chris- 
 tians residing in Jerusalem at the beginning of the fourth cen- 
 tury were not cognizant of the places of the death and resur- 
 rection of their Lord. 
 
The New, or Gordon's, Calvary 205 
 
 Nevertheless, this was the place fixed upon by ecclesiastical 
 authority, believed in by the unthinking laity and fought for 
 by those, in many ways unique warriors — the Crusaders. 
 Unquestioned, at least publicly, for fourteen hundred years it 
 was honored by prelates and enriched by kings. Religious 
 bodies before the Reformation and since have vied with each 
 other in many unholy ways to gain possession of the ground 
 within the holy enclosure. Altars stand in nearly every nook 
 and corner, each one professing to cover some place where 
 some event connected with the history of the Christian religion, 
 but more especially with the passion of its Founder, occurred. 
 To protect these and maintain the supremacy of Christianity 
 kings sent their armies, and knights of various degree, and for 
 various reasons, followed. None but the Omniscient knows 
 how many lives were sacrificed in that century of struggle 
 which ended in defeat for the Christian arms. None but the 
 same All-knowing One can tell how many devout souls have 
 come on peaceful pilgrimages to weep where they thought their 
 Christ had suffered and pray the prayers deemed doubly effi- 
 cacious because offered from this " holy ground." And the 
 pilgrimages were not without spiritual blessing to those who 
 made them nor the invocaters less efficacious because the sup- 
 pliants were mistaken. 
 
 The first person who publicly expressed his doubts as to the 
 genuineness of the sites covered by this Church was a certain 
 German bookseller named Korte. He made a visit to Jeru- 
 salem in 1738, and whether what he witnessed in and around 
 the Church disillusioned him as to its sanctity, or his study of 
 the topography convinced him that the founders of the Church 
 were mistaken ; at any rate, on his return to Germany he 
 sought by every means to assure his countrymen that the claims 
 made for it could not be sustained. This was the beginning 
 of the present wide-spread disbelief. 
 
 Since Korte's day there have been many who have thought 
 and expressed themselves as he did. But the cause lacked a 
 
206 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 vigorous champion until it was advocated by Doctor Edward 
 Robinson, the great American name associated with the ex- 
 plorations and discoveries in and near Jerusalem. In 1856 
 Doctor Robinson proved to every mind free to accept proof 
 that the traditional site of the Holy Sepulchre must have been 
 within the walls at the time of the crucifixion. Any doubt 
 that might have been entertained as to the sufficiency of this 
 proof was removed a few years ago by the discovery of the re- 
 mains of the old north wall near the northwestern angle of the 
 present wall. These remains called the Castle of Goliath, can 
 be seen in the basement of the Freres' College. They appear to 
 be the ruins of three large towers and were part of the Second 
 Wall. They have in situ at least ten layers of masonry of the 
 same massive form, peculiar level and rough face as the old 
 masonry at the Damascus Gate and at the southwest angle of 
 the temple area near Robinson's Arch. This permits only 
 one conclusion, and that is that the locators of the Church of 
 the Holy Sepulchre were very much mistaken. 
 
 The only other possible theory, and it is highly improb- 
 able, is that the Church, now two hundred yards south of 
 this north wall, was left on the outside by the wall making 
 a great detour to the south in the form of a horseshoe. As 
 the city could grow only toward the north and as this detour 
 would necessitate more than double the labor and expense of a 
 straight wall, besides losing to the increasing city a very valu- 
 able building section, the theory is absolutely untenable. As 
 Conder says, speaking of these bits of wall under the Freres' 
 College ; " This last discovery is the death blow to the claims 
 of the traditional site and a final settlement of a bitter con- 
 troversy." 
 
 Would that it were " a final settlement ! " But this discovery 
 has not had that effect upon those who favor the traditional 
 location. They have held it too long to confess now to cen- 
 turies of error. Leaders of religious thought who could be 
 mistaken for so long on a matter so important as their fol- 
 
The New, or Gordon's, Calvary 207 
 
 lowers believe this location of Calvary to be, are likely to be 
 just as much in error on other questions relating to belief and 
 practice. The leaders know their followers will thus reason 
 and so they hold all the more tenaciously to the traditional site 
 and treat with as much contempt as they can command any 
 one assailing it. The "death-blow" may have been given, 
 but those upon whom it has fallen are making a desperate and 
 so far successful effort to keep alive. ' ' The final settlement 
 of a bitter controversy ' ' has been reached only by those who 
 accept facts regardless of their effect upon venerable opinions, 
 and who feel that the religion of Jesus is in no way dependent 
 upon what men believe about certain localities, if they but be- 
 lieve in Him. 
 
 Bearing this in mind, it will matter but little to the intelli- 
 gent Christian if the place where Christ was crucified remains 
 forever unknown. The divine knowledge of the proneness of 
 men to idolatry and their tendency to worship the place to 
 the forgetting of the Person and His work may be the very 
 reason for the present uncertainty. Let us hope that this un- 
 certainty will continue, if thereby the spiritual part of the re- 
 ligion of Jesus be enhanced. 
 
 However, no account of modern Jerusalem would be com- 
 plete without a brief mention of a hillock, just north of the 
 city, which has recently been brought into prominence as a 
 claimant for the distinction of being the true Calvary. Other 
 sites have been selected and advocated by writers, but I can- 
 not regard any of them as worthy of serious consideration. 
 No positive proof can be furnished that this "New Calvary" 
 was the actual site of the great tragedy ; the circumstantial 
 evidence is very strong and is here presented for what it is 
 worth. Even tradition is not lacking. 
 
 The eminence we are describing is the only prominent hillock 
 north of the city and yet near enough for any event happening 
 upon it to be witnessed by persons viewing it from the walls. It 
 is the northern extremity of the hill on which that part of the city 
 
208 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 called Bezetha stands, and has been artificially separated from 
 the rest of the hill by a deep moat about a hundred yards wide. 
 This moat was made to assist in the defence of the north wall 
 and out of it was taken much of the stone used in the process 
 of city erection. Just when it was cut through is not known, 
 but certainly it was done long before our era began and at the 
 time of Christ would meet all the requirements of the " Place 
 of the Skull." The hill is called El Heidemyeh to-day by the 
 native Arabs, a name meaning "the place of Heidem," who, 
 Mohammedans assert, belonged to a princely family, was also 
 the leader of a strong religious sect and at his death was 
 buried on this hill. The Christians refuse to accept this tra- 
 dition and instead claim that El Heidemyeh was in the 
 fifteenth century written El Heiremyeh, meaning Jeremiah. In 
 favor of the Moslem account is the fact that the hill is covered 
 by one of their oldest cemeteries, while in favor of the Christian 
 is the old Jewish tradition which informs us that in a cave in 
 the hill the Tearful Prophet wrote his book of Lamentations. 
 
 Among the Jews it is known as the Place of Stoning, where 
 those condemned to death under their law met such punish- 
 ment as the law prescribed. Nor was the punishment here 
 meted out limited to the Jewish method of stoning, as is mani- 
 fest from a passage in the Talmud, (Sanhedrim vi. 1-4), 
 from which it appears that crucifixion was also practiced at the 
 " House of Stoning." "They sunk a beam in the ground and 
 a cross beam was stretched from it, and they bound his hands 
 together and hung him up." There is some uncertainty as to 
 the date when the above selection was written, but certainly it 
 was previous to 200 a. d. In this passage it is also said that, 
 " The place of stoning was the height of two men." These are 
 important as showing that at the time they were recorded 
 crucifixion took place here and that a precipice similar to the 
 one now seen was then in existence. 
 
 The fact that Jesus was executed according to Roman 
 methods has nothing to do with the place of execution. The 
 
The New, or Gordon's, Calvary 209 
 
 opposers of the New Calvary insist that it is not at all likely 
 that the Romans would use the place the Jews were in the 
 habit of using— why is not easy to understand, for the Romans 
 were not likely to neglect any suitable thing or place simply 
 because others had previously employed it. The House of 
 Stoning was well adapted, it was conveniently located and it is 
 more than likely that the Roman governors found it very use- 
 ful in troublous times as a place of execution and warning. 
 
 Topographical requirements are well met by the New Cal- 
 vary. It is outside the present city wall and the ancient 
 masonry at the Damascus Gate assures us that here at least the 
 present wall occupies the identical position of the wall existing 
 in the time of Christ. This old wall is called the Second 
 Wall. Calvary was outside of that wall. The New Calvary 
 is also near two gates which lead northward from the city. A 
 road from the Damascus Gate followed the present miserable 
 pathway to the north and passed so near the knoll now re- 
 garded as Skull hill that any event occurring there could be 
 easily witnessed by those who " passed by." The other road 
 proceeded from the Tower of Antonia, and formed the military 
 highway to Csesarea, the Roman capital of the country at that 
 time. This latter road skirted the eastern base of the knoll 
 within easy speaking distance of the summit. Travellers to 
 and from the city would be continually going and coming 
 along this important road. If Christ were led direct from 
 Pilate's judgment hall to the place of execution this is the way 
 He would most likely have taken and so this would be the real 
 Via Dolorosa. 
 
 Further, the site of this Calvary is most conspicuous. From 
 every direction it can be plainly seen. It is the only promi- 
 nent hill anywhere in the neighborhood. There is nothing to 
 prevent such a crowd as assembled on the day of the crucifixion 
 from gathering on the slopes of the hill and viewing every act 
 connected with that triple scene of death. Thus it will be 
 seen that this position meets all the requirements of the Gos- 
 
210 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 pel accounts, being "without the gate," yet " nigh unto the 
 city " ; capable of being seen " afar off," and close enough to 
 two main roads for those who "passed by" to " revile " the 
 Crucified. 
 
 The shape of the knoll has by some been thought to con- 
 tribute an argument in its favor. The site of the crucifixion 
 for some reason was known as "the Place of a Skull." 
 Whether it was given this name because it really resembled a 
 human skull in form or because the unburied remains of male- 
 factors who had met death for their crimes could frequently 
 be seen on it cannot be now definitely known. Some visitors 
 to the hill profess to see in it a resemblance to a human skull, 
 but I must say that it is only by the exercise of much imagi- 
 nation that I have been able to observe this. Two small caves 
 in the face of the southern cliff do look a little like empty eye 
 sockets, but to base anything on these would be presuming too 
 much, for their date is very uncertain. The part of the cliff 
 in which they are formed in a very soft limestone and these 
 small apertures may be one of Nature's many freaks in the Ju- 
 dean hills. The several caves in this vicinity were formerly 
 the residence of Moslem and Christian hermits, and too many 
 changes are likely to have taken place during nineteen cen- 
 turies to permit much weight to attach to a fancied resem- 
 blance. 
 
 A much larger cave exists here and goes by the name of 
 Jeremiah's Grotto. A Christian Apocrypha, dating from 136 
 a. d., a part of which is read every year by the Greek Church 
 on the anniversary of the destruction of Jerusalem, informs us 
 that in this grotto the book of Lamentations was written. 
 
 Major Conder was the first real authority who advocated in 
 print the claims of this New Calvary, though Doctor Selah Mer- 
 rill, present United States Consul at Jerusalem, certainly shares 
 this honor with the English explorer. The name of neither of 
 the gentlemen is ever applied to the hillock, but another 
 name more widely known for other reasons is often given it. 
 
The New, or Gordon's, Calvary 211 
 
 General Gordon, of Chinese and African fame, a year or two 
 before his last campaign, visited Jerusalem and was so im- 
 pressed with the belief that the New Calvary was the actual 
 one that he wrote and spoke much in its favor. An enterpris- 
 ing photographer named his view of the hill Gordon's Calvary, 
 and it is to-day probably better known by this than by any 
 other title. 
 
 The surface of the hill covers an extent of about three acres. 
 It slopes rather abruptly to the west, but gently on the east 
 and north. The summit is almost flat and affords a good 
 place for religious meetings. The Moslems whose dead are 
 buried here make no serious objections to their tombs being 
 used as seats by Christians. That they would prefer the ab- 
 sence of these infidels is well told on the faces of any Moham- 
 medans who happen to be on the hill when a Christian serv- 
 ice is being held. American Christians have thus far been 
 usually the ones who have assembled here, and some very 
 profitable meetings have been held by them. Mr. Moody and 
 Doctor Talmage have preached on this suggestive place ; and 
 an occasion not to be forgotten by any who were present was 
 a service held by the Congregational Party on the Sunday of 
 April 21st, 1895. Nor will Easter of 1898 when Rev. P. Cady 
 preached on " The Resurrection" be forgotten. 
 
 Equal in importance with Golgotha was the tomb of Joseph 
 in which the Crucified was laid. The two places were near 
 each other. " Now in the place where He was crucified there 
 was a garden ; and in the garden a new sepulchre wherein 
 was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus, therefore, be- 
 cause of the Jews' preparation day : for the sepulchre was 
 nigh at hand" (John xix. 41,42). Certainly there can be 
 but one conclusion from a statement so definite. The places 
 of the cross and the grave were so near each other that little 
 time would be consumed in transferring the body from the 
 former to the latter. If the New Calvary be the real Calvary, 
 where is that rock tomb? Diligent search has been made for 
 
212 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 it, but, as usual, with no certain result. One writer says here, 
 another says there, and the interested reader may take his 
 choice. In the meantime the war of words goes on. We 
 hope the only outcome of it all will be to have the matter re- 
 main undecided. This will avoid any likelihood of a repeti- 
 tion of the idolatry and sacrilege that goes on around the 
 traditional tomb. 
 
 In the vicinity of the New Calvary there is no scarcity of 
 rock tombs. It has been a burying ground for ages, and each 
 new excavation brings to light the forgotten resting-place of 
 some former resident of Jerusalem. In the multiplicity of 
 these tombs it is not at all probable that one will be finally 
 agreed upon as the garden sepulchre of the wealthy Joseph of 
 Arimathea. Excavations whose object was the recovery of the 
 " new tomb " began in 1873. In 1881 the ruins of an ancient 
 Christian Church were unearthed. The Dominicans, who are 
 now the possessors of this ruin, claim that it was the work of 
 the Empress Eudoxia. Around it are many rock-cut sepul- 
 chres. From inscriptions found in these it is known that they 
 were the tombs of deacons of the early Church, but just how 
 early cannot be known positively. At whatever time these 
 tombs were cut it appears that this locality was regarded as a 
 desirable place for Christian burial. It may have been be- 
 cause Saint Stephen here met his death at the hands of the in- 
 furiated Jews, or because a Greater than Stephen here finished 
 the work He was appointed to do. If the latter be true, the 
 surmise of a recent writer may be correct. Rev. Haskett 
 Smith says in effect that these Christian tombs manifest the 
 desire of the early followers of the Crucified to be buried 
 " near their Lord." 
 
 This New Calvary has had its northwestern slope cut away 
 and the exposed rock has been worked to a smooth, perpen- 
 dicular face. The accumulated debris of centuries had hidden 
 from view this work of the masons, until modern explorations, 
 in quest of the secrets the earth contained, removed the debris 
 
The New, or Gordon's, Calvary 213 
 
 and exposed the face of the rock. A ditch thirty-five feet long 
 and from twelve to fifteen in depth has been sunk, but so far 
 only one tomb has been discovered. This now goes by the 
 name of the New Tomb. No one can question that in point 
 of locality it fulfills all the requirements of the Gospel narrative. 
 It is only a few rods from the summit of Calvary and is within 
 the enclosure of a very ancient garden. The dispute as to its 
 genuineness hinges on its form. In the rock tombs around 
 Jerusalem two distinct styles are noted. There are those 
 which have a sort of vestibule or chamber. From this cham- 
 ber openings are cut in the walls just large enough to insert a 
 body lengthwise. Such are called Kokim and are the older 
 form. In the later style, known as loculi, the places for the 
 reception of the bodies were rock-cut sarcophagi and were 
 parallel with the sides of the chamber. This New Tomb be- 
 longs to the loculus form and was the kind in which Christ 
 was interred. This kind only would have permitted the view 
 that Mary had of " two angels in white sitting, the one at the 
 head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had 
 lain." Such a description could not apply to the older style. 
 
 A descent of ten steps is necessary below the level of the 
 garden before the door of the sepulchre is reached. Just 
 recently a guard has been stationed here and no one is ad- 
 mitted except by him and under his surveillance — a precaution 
 made necessary by the vandalism of visitors, many of whom 
 in their desire to obtain a fragment of the rock did not hesi- 
 tate to deface the tomb itself. 
 
 The low door at which the visitor enters leads into a vesti- 
 bule, whence two steps lead down into the tomb chamber, in 
 which are three receptacles for the dead ranged around the 
 three sides and even with the floor. The receptacle on the 
 left as one faces the south is by many considered the 
 " place where the Lord lay." On the south wall of the tomb 
 chamber can be traced an ancient cross painted on the rock, 
 but as this is in the Latin form it is argued that it cannot be 
 
214 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 older than the fifth and may date from the twelfth century. 
 This cross and the accompanying inscriptions, IC. XP. A and 
 Q are regarded by Major Conder as mediaeval. But the cross 
 and inscriptions have nothing, necessarily, to do in attesting 
 the age of the tomb. They simply prove that at the time they 
 were painted this was considered Christian property and may 
 indicate that there was once a small chapel or praying place in 
 this quiet retreat. 
 
 The Rev. Haskett Smith is very strong in his belief in the 
 genuineness of this tomb and has succeeded in arousing so 
 much interest in it that a company of English protestants has 
 purchased the garden in which it stands. The price paid the 
 former owner was very much more than the actual value of the 
 land, but in such cases sentiment is reckoned at its full value 
 by the seller. An imposing wall now surrounds the garden. 
 Let us hope that the sentiment of the good people who have 
 recently come into possession of it will carry them no further 
 and that they will allow the tomb to remain without ornamen- 
 tation of any sort. 
 
 The inconclusive nature of the evidence in favor of this be- 
 ing the New Tomb of Joseph does not affect the strong proofs 
 that the hill above it is the real Golgotha. Further excava- 
 tions in the neighborhood may bring to light another tomb 
 about whose antiquity there will be no doubt. Major Conder 
 claims to have found such a tomb, but there are too many ob- 
 jections to this because of its location. This was hewn in a 
 rock which as the advocate of it says : " Became the founda- 
 tion of the corner tower of the ' Third Wall ' about forty 
 years after the crucifixion." 
 
 Certainly, of all the sites advocated, this hill just north of 
 the Damascus Gate offers the most convincing evidence of its 
 identity as the true place of the crucifixion. In fact there is 
 no argument against it. Let us hope that it will continue as it 
 is, undesecrated. 
 
SOME PLACES OF SPECIAL INTEREST 
 
The Citadel of David — Commanding Position — Herod's 
 Work — Diversity of Opinion as to Age — Phasselus — Dimen- 
 sions — View from the Tower — Tomb of David — Questionable 
 — History of the Site — Moslem Property — Coenaculum — Tra- 
 ditions — Via Dolorosa — Important Street — Church of St. 
 Anne — First Station — Scala Sancta — Ecce Homo Arch — Vari- 
 ous Stations — A Modern Tradition for this Via Dolorosa — 
 Pool of Hezekiah — Christian Street — Uncertainty — Dimen- 
 sions — Moslem Reconstruction — New Topography — Pool of 
 Bethesda — Dimensions — Sheep's Pool — Five Porches — Pool in 
 Property of St. Anne Probably the Real — Explorations — 
 Tombs of the Kings — Rock Tombs — Queen Helena — Descrip- 
 tion of Tombs — De Sauley — Solomon's Quarry — Location — 
 Recovery — Danger — Quality of Stone — Method of Quarrying 
 — Of Masonic Interest. 
 
 216 
 
XII 
 
 SOME PLACES OF SPECIAL INTEREST 
 
 I. 
 
 Tower of David. 
 
 II. 
 
 Tomb of David. 
 
 III. 
 
 Via Dolorosa. 
 
 IV. 
 
 Pool of Hezekiah. 
 
 V. 
 
 Pool of Bethesda. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Tombs of the Kings, 
 
 VII. 
 
 Solomon's Quarry. 
 
 IN the preceding pages brief mention has been made of cer- 
 tain places that have been important in the city's past and 
 add to the interest and appearance of its present. To omit a 
 description and illustration of these in a work of this kind 
 would be neglecting the most conspicuous objects of the city's 
 architecture, and passing by as unimportant, places and things 
 which thousands of pilgrims and tourists come every year to 
 see. 
 
 The Citadel of David. — The first building that meets the 
 vision of one approaching Jerusalem from the south or west is 
 that known as the Citadel of David. It occupies a command- 
 ing position and was originally chosen for its natural ad- 
 vantages as a place of defence ; from the day of its first choos- 
 ing it has been so used. Perhaps the early Jebusites had a 
 stronghold here, and what they had erected David improved 
 when he made Jerusalem the capital of his kingdom. It stood 
 in the northwest corner of David's city and doubtless then as 
 now commanded the principal entrance. It was the site of 
 some of Herod's greatest works of fortification and is zealously 
 held to-day by the forces of the Sultan. 
 
 The massive stones in the base of the tower would settle a 
 
 217 
 
218 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 disputed question if they could tell just when they were 
 placed in their present positions, for they are in situ. There 
 is great diversity of opinion as to the date to be assigned to 
 masonry, — there being no marks which prove beyond doubt 
 the age when the builders wrought. So the large ancient- 
 looking stones in the Tower of David, with their marginal 
 drafts of from four to five inches wide are as mysterious as 
 many another feature of this strange old city. They are cer- 
 tainly as old as the Herodian period. We know from Josephus 
 that Herod built three large towers in this part of the city and 
 called them Hippicus, Phasselus and Miriamne. Parts of 
 three towers still stand, the one now called after David's name 
 being identified as that of Hippicus or Phasselus. Herod's 
 towers were not destroyed when the Romans under Titus took 
 and demolished so much of the town ; the Saracens and 
 Crusaders also permitted them to stand ; they were partly de- 
 molished in 1239 a. D. by Daud of Kerak, but this conqueror 
 left the base of the tower under discussion undisturbed, and 
 this was used as a foundation for later buildings. 
 
 From the description and measurements of the ancient 
 masonry in this tower Sir Charles Warren and Major Conder 
 may be correct in identifying it with Phasselus. The present 
 dimensions — fifty-four feet north and south by sixty-eight feet 
 east and west — approximate the dimensions of Phasselus as re- 
 corded by Josephus. The present battlements correspond to 
 Josephus' description of them as they were in his day. A 
 sloping escarp of smooth-faced stones leads up to these battle- 
 ments. This escarp was no doubt magnificent masonry when 
 first constructed and for centuries afterward. Ages of exposure 
 to the weather and severe treatment by the weapons of assail- 
 ants have caused it to crumble in places, and modern repairers 
 have been very careless. In spite of its age, bad treatment and 
 the indifference of its present owners it is a commanding 
 structure and is the finest of the ancient towers. 
 
 Within the chamber of the tower is an immense cistern 
 
Some Places of Special Interest 219 
 
 whose water partly supplies the needs of the "Sultan's chil- 
 dren." It is filled by surface drainage and by a conduit from 
 the Birket Mamilla, or Upper Pool of Gihon. Josephus tells 
 us of the existence of such a conduit, through which ' ' water 
 was brought into the tower of Hippicus." 
 
 A climb to the top of the tower gives us a commanding view 
 and a good notion of the carelessness of those who have 
 charge of Turkish military affairs. There seems to be no 
 order about the barracks. The soldiers are untidy, but 
 not more so than their quarters. The cannons in the tower 
 are genuine antiques, but during the Moslem feasts are suf- 
 ficiently powerful to satisfy any one chancing to be in the 
 vicinity of their noise. If the garrisons' ordnance consists of 
 the pieces visitors are permitted to see, they could offer little 
 resistance to an attacking force modernly equipped. The 
 view from the top is the best to be had from any point in the 
 city. An uninterrupted prospect in every direction can be 
 enjoyed. The observer is above an historic spot, and his range 
 of vision includes as many places whereon history has been 
 made as any view-point on earth. 
 
 Tomb of David. — A few rods south of the Zion Gate is a 
 cluster of buildings the largest of which is called Nebi Daud 
 — the Prophet David. This is the site of the sepulchres of 
 the early kings of Israel, or is believed to be by Jews, 
 Moslems, and the majority of Christians. In recent years, 
 however, the effort has been made to locate the " royal tombs " 
 on the eastern hill, or Moriah. All depends on the position 
 of the City of David. If that city stood on the low hill south 
 of the temple area, then somewhere in that very limited space 
 David and his successors were buried. If, as has been advo- 
 cated in the chapters of this work, the western hill must 
 have been the city's real location, then here we must look for 
 the royal burial-place. At all events this is now called the 
 tomb of David and for present purposes that is all we require. 
 
 As David is considered by Moslems one of the greatest of 
 
220 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 the prophets, this is an especially holy place, guarded more 
 zealously from "infidel" defilement than even the sacred 
 cave at Hebron. The site was formerly Christian property 
 and before the building of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre 
 a church stood here. It was called the Church of the 
 Apostles and marked the place of the descent of the Holy 
 Ghost on the day of Pentecost. In the seventh century it was 
 affirmed that here also the Last Supper was held. When the 
 Crusaders had possession of Jerusalem this church was known 
 as the Church of Zion, or of St. Mary. In the fourteenth 
 century the Franciscans acquired title to this property, and the 
 building in its present form is as they constructed it. In 
 1547 the Moslems expelled the Franciscans considering that 
 their occupation was a sacrilege. It has since remained a 
 Moslem sanctuary. Christians are never welcomed, and in- 
 deed are forbidden to enter any place except an " upper room " 
 which members of the Latin and Oriental Churches regard as 
 the chamber in which the Lord's Supper was instituted. This 
 room, which is called the Coenaculum, was originally part of 
 a Christian Church. Its pillars and ceiling are interesting, 
 but not ancient, probably dating from the fourteenth century. 
 In the southeast corner a stairway leads into a smaller room 
 where the guardian of the place points out a monument of modern 
 design and informs you that it stands directly above the sar- 
 cophagus of David, which still exists in the cave beneath. A 
 door is shown which is said to lead into this cave, though 
 whether any such cave really exists is a question. No living 
 person has looked into it. Christians and Jew cannot ; 
 Moslems will not. If permission were given to make an in- 
 spection the question of the " City of David " and so Mount 
 Zion might be settled. 
 
 Apart from its connection with the burial of the kings an 
 interest attaches to Nebi Daud from the fact that tradition has 
 assigned to the space it includes so many of the events of 
 early Christianity. It is said by Dean Stanley that the Coe- 
 
Some Places of Special Interest 221 
 
 naculum " contains within its four walls a greater confluence 
 of traditions than any other place of like dimensions in Pales- 
 tine." Besides being the place of the Last Supper, it is 
 claimed that it was the scene of Christ's sudden appearance 
 among the disciples after His resurrection ; of the descent of 
 the Holy Ghost at Pentecost, of the residence and death of the 
 Virgin Mary and of the burial of Saint Stephen. 
 
 This is certainly one instance in which a superabundance of 
 traditions detracts from the probability of each one. It is not 
 at all likely that a residence should have been permitted in 
 Christ's time immediately above the Sepulchre of David. The 
 centering of all these traditions on this spot may be traced to 
 a statement in the writings of Cyril, that the only building 
 which survived the destruction of the city by Titus stood 
 here. It would be easy to infer that a structure so spared 
 must have been divinely protected, and if so, for what better 
 reason than its connection with sacred events ? Such events, 
 the places of whose occurrence had been lost, would be readily 
 assigned to this locality ; there was no intention to deceive ; 
 they wished by thus localizing an event to make it more real. 
 Perhaps it may be said for all such places located since, that 
 their locators had no intention to deceive, but the method of 
 locating many Holy places and the purposes for which they 
 have been employed make one suspicious of the motives. 
 
 Via Dolorosa. — Entering the city from the east through the 
 Gate of St. Stephen we are on one of the most important 
 streets — the most important if estimated by the number of 
 Holy Places that line it. Just within the gate is a doorway 
 leading to the Church of St. Anne, the mother of the Virgin, 
 on a site which has been held sacred to the memory of this 
 saint since the seventh century and was kept by a sisterhood 
 in the time of the Crusades. Saladin after his conquest es- 
 tablished a large school here, and it was held by the Moslems 
 until 1856, when it was presented by the then reigning Sultan, 
 Abdul-Mejid, to Napoleon III. The present church, re- 
 
222 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 modelled in the twelfth century, has been little disturbed by 
 its different owners. 
 
 Following this street, which is known as that of Our Lady 
 Mary, we soon come to some very ancient masonry regarded 
 as formerly belonging to the Tower of Antonia. A little fur- 
 ther to the west is the Chapel of Scourging, a marble slab let 
 into the wall on the right indicating the place. This is Fran- 
 ciscan property, having been presented to that order by Ibra- 
 him Pasha in 1838. Below the new chapel, which was built 
 in 1839 by the generosity of Duke Maximilian of Bavaria, the 
 Column of Scourging was found. 
 
 The Via Dolorosa proper begins a little further west or in 
 front of the entrance to the Turkish barracks. This is the 
 first of the fourteen stations of "the way of pain". — away 
 believed by the faithful pilgrims to be the identical road trod- 
 den by the foot of the Son of Man, as He went to His death. 
 
 This first station marks, according to recent tradition, the 
 place of the House of Pilate, which until the time of the Cru- 
 saders was supposed to be somewhere on the western hill. The 
 holy steps — Scala Sancta — now in the Church of St. John La- 
 teran, at Rome, were taken from this place. The second station, 
 where the cross was laid upon the shoulders of Christ, is near 
 the steps leading up to the barracks. A little further on is the 
 fine school and church of the Sisters of Zion, and the Ecce 
 Homo arch where Pilate called the attention of those who 
 were crying for the blood of an innocent Person in the words 
 " Behold the Man." This arch dates from the Roman period 
 and has frequently been repaired ; it was probably originally 
 an arch of triumph, and it received its present designation in 
 the tenth century. 
 
 Beyond the arch the "way" passes the Austrian Hospice, 
 makes a right angle to the left and then to the right, and as- 
 cends the western hill by a succession of steps, passing under 
 gloomy vaults, till it reaches the northern end of Christian 
 street, near which was formerly an entrance to the Church of 
 
Some Places of Special Interest 223 
 
 the Holy Sepulchre. There is nothing about this way which 
 distinguishes it from any other street in the city ; it is as tor- 
 tuous and narrow and unattractive as any. But the very places 
 are shown where each incident in the progress of Christ from 
 the judgment hall to Calvary took place. Here the Saviour 
 sank under the weight of the cross ; here Simon of Cyrene 
 was compelled to assume the burden ; here is the house of 
 Lazarus as well as that of Dives ; here is the house and tomb 
 of Veronica, the saint on whose handkerchief was imprinted 
 the likeness of the Christ when she wiped the sweat from His 
 brow. 
 
 The last five stations are in the Church of the Holy Sepul- 
 chre. They mark the places where Christ was disrobed, where 
 He was nailed to the cross, where the cross was raised, where 
 He was taken down from the cross and where He was buried. 
 
 Thousands of pilgrims come every year and visit time and 
 again all the places marked as holy along this "way." For 
 them it is all very real. Their tears are tears of sorrow and 
 their prayers prayers of faith. They never doubt the accuracy 
 of the locations, and do not know that these sacred sites were 
 not so considered until the fourteenth century, nor that there is 
 not the slightest historical evidence to sustain their genuineness. 
 
 Pool of Hezekiah. — Christian street is the cleanest and most 
 attractive in the city. The shops along it are superior in ap- 
 pearance and in fact. Going into almost any one of these on 
 the left as one approaches the Holy Sepulchre, a view can be 
 had of the most important pool in the city — the pool of Heze- 
 kiah. The good king is supposed to have constructed it, and 
 for centuries its identity was not questioned. An aqueduct 
 leads to it from the Mamilla Pool, or Upper Pool of Gihon, 
 which is in the large Moslem cemetery, northwest of the town. 
 If this Mamilla Pool was " the upper water course of Gihon," 
 which " Hezekiah stopped," x then there is no doubt about the 
 identification of this pool as Hezekiah's ; if it is not, the points 
 
 1 2 Chron. xxxii. 30. 
 
224 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 of resemblance are at least striking. But this is one more in- 
 stance where certainty is not possible. 
 
 Hezekiah's Pool, as it now appears, is eighty yards long by 
 forty-eight wide and three deep, estimating the depth from the 
 level of the street. In winter, after the heavy rains, it is 
 quite an artificial lake, though in midsummer it is generally 
 dry. Its waters are used by the people living near it and sup- 
 ply also the large "Bath of the Patriarch" near at hand; 
 hence it is often called the Pool of the Patriarch's Bath. Ac- 
 cording to Mejr-ed-Din, an Arabic historian, it was known to 
 the early Moslems, and for long time after, as the Birket 
 Iyad. This Iyad was one of the Prophet's companions ; he 
 entered Jerusalem with Omar, and having reconstructed the 
 Pool, he was honored by having it named after him. It is 
 generally regarded as the Amygdalon Pool — the tower pool — 
 of Josephus. 
 
 The new theory of Jerusalem topography — which relieves 
 none of the many difficulties — asserts that this pool has no 
 right to the name by which it is popularly known and informs 
 us that what is now called the Pool of Siloam is the real Pool 
 of Hezekiah. 
 
 Pool of Bethesda. — Just outside the north wall of the Haram 
 may be seen the traditional Pool of Bethesda, or rather where 
 the Pool once was. It was 372 feet long, by 126 feet wide, 
 and its depth, measuring from the level of the Mosque area, is 
 sixty-eight feet. This Pool was situated in a valley which an- 
 ciently extended in a northwesterly direction till it joined the 
 Tyropean. This valley has been' filled with debris and the 
 Pool is suffering a similar fate, in some places being already 
 on a level with the street. Only after a heavy rain will any 
 water be seen in it, and then only covering a small place close 
 to the Haram wall. 
 
 In calling this by the ancient name Bethesda we are follow- 
 ing an old, but by no means universally accepted, tradition. 
 Early pilgrims also called it " the Sheep Pool," erroneously 
 
Some Places of Special Interest 225 
 
 believing that the present St. Stephen's Gate occupies the site 
 of the Sheep Gate. Recent discoveries have led to the belief 
 that the real pool of this name was in the grounds of the 
 Church of St. Anne. That the Crusaders regarded this latter 
 as Bethesda is argued from the fact that they built five 
 "porches " about it, thus making it correspond to the descrip- 
 tion of John v. 2. These "porches" still remain and seem 
 to have been rebuilt on ancient foundations. A picture of an 
 angel troubling the waters still remains, the wings and part of 
 the body being easily made out. 
 
 The traditional pool is now called Birket Israel. In and 
 near it Captain Warren made some interesting explorations — 
 interesting in that they revealed in the lower courses of the 
 northern Haram wall masonry similar to that in the southeast 
 angle. Characters in red paint were also found here, which 
 certainly indicate great antiquity. A passage-way was also 
 discovered leading into an aqueduct which formerly carried 
 the water from the pool, underground, through part of the 
 temple enclosure, and discharged it into the Kedron valley. 
 The existence of such an aqueduct points to a time when 
 water was abundant in this pool, for its exit is twenty-five feet 
 above the bottom. The water in the pool could consequently 
 never rise higher than this. 
 
 There are interesting discoveries awaiting the pick of the 
 explorer in this northeast angle, just as there are in every part 
 of the Haram area. But the explorer has to wait, for this is 
 one of the very holiest places of Mohammedanism, and as 
 long as it remains so no permission to excavate will be given, 
 nor will its owners do such work themselves. 
 
 Tombs of the Kings. — It may not be pleasant to contem- 
 plate, but is, nevertheless, a fact, that the city of Jerusalem 
 stands in the center of an immense cemetery. There are 
 tombs on every side; hardly a building is erected in the 
 newer parts without discovering in the excavations for the 
 foundation the rock-hewn resting-place of some former resi- 
 
226 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 dent of the ancient city. It is difficult to assign the date to 
 many of these tombs in the rocks, though there are marks 
 which indicate that they cannot be later than a certain time. 
 But many of these tombs have been repeatedly used and 
 during the ages may have been altered to accord with the 
 ideas of sepulture which prevailed at the time. 
 
 The most interesting as well as the best preserved are those 
 known as the Tombs of the Kings, situated about half a mile 
 directly north of the Damascus Gate. A French inscription 
 just over the door of entrance tells us that these are the tombs 
 of the Kings of Judah. Ignorance or deception placed this 
 notice where it is and indifference keeps it there. The place 
 is interesting enough without ascribing to it any fictitious 
 value. The tradition calling these the Tombs of the Kings is 
 not older than the fourteenth century. 
 
 These tombs are now generally considered as those of Queen 
 Helena, of Adiabene, and her family. Josephus locates the 
 burial-place of this queen here. She was a convert to Juda- 
 ism, having while in her own land, become convinced of the 
 truth of that religion. On the death of her husband, Mom- 
 baz, in 48 a. d., she removed to Jerusalem with her son Izates 
 and resided here for some years. On a visit to her country 
 she died, but her body was brought to the city she loved and 
 buried here. It is said that Izates was the father of twenty- 
 four sons, which, if true, would account for the number of 
 resting places in the tomb. 
 
 A flight of twenty-four steps cut in the rock leads down to 
 the level where an entrance to the tomb proper is effected. 
 At the foot of these steps are several large cisterns where the 
 ablutions preliminary to burial were no doubt performed. Pass- 
 ing then through a door on the left which pierces a wall of 
 native rock one is in a large rectangular space fronting the 
 facade of the tombs. On this facade is some of the very 
 finest ornamental carving that remains from ancient times. 
 The character of this and the subjects depicted — such as clus- 
 
Some Places of Special Interest 227 
 
 ters of grapes, so common on Jewish coins — has assisted in 
 identifying the tombs as Jewish. De Sauley did most of 
 the work of recovering and planning these tombs. In his 
 work of excavation several beautiful sarcophagi were found, 
 which were transported to Paris and may now be seen in the 
 Louvre. 
 
 A doorway on the left, some feet below the level of the 
 vestibule, conducts into the main chamber. From this low 
 passages — not easy to follow — lead off in three directions to the 
 smaller chambers where the loculi — places where bodies were 
 laid — may be seen. The evident care which was taken in the 
 making of these tombs, together with the variety of ornamen- 
 tation, leaves no doubt that they were intended for persons of 
 great wealth and importance. 
 
 Solomon's Quarry. — A hundred yards east of the Damascus 
 Gate is a high cliff made by a wide excavation which sepa- 
 rates Bezetha from the New Calvary hill. Just at its base 
 where the cliff is highest is a small door leading into the larg- 
 est cavern near the city. The name given to this by the Mos- 
 lems is "The Cotton Grotto" because of the unusual white- 
 ness of rock in which it is cut. The common appellation for 
 it is Solomon's Quarry, assuming, and not without reason, 
 that it was here that royal builder procured the stone for his 
 great works. For centuries all knowledge of the existence of 
 this artificial cavern was lost. Since it was recovered, in 1852, 
 it has been a place all visitors wish to see. And it is worth see- 
 ing in itself apart from any connection it may have with any 
 of the great builders of antiquity. 
 
 The quarry extends southward under the city for nearly 
 seven hundred feet. At some places the roof is so low that 
 one has to stoop in order to pass; in others so high that the 
 light of the candles is swallowed up in the darkness. Here 
 and there large natural pillars are left to support the roof, but 
 these have not prevented the loose rock from falling and as 
 one passes a spot where such a fall has occurred it sends a 
 
228 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 shudder through him at thought of the possibility of a similar 
 catastrophe occurring during his visit. But none has oc- 
 curred that has proved fatal to visitors ; through carelessness 
 persons have been seriously injured and at least one death has 
 resulted. As there are dangerous pitfalls from which the rock 
 has been taken and which have never been filled up, a person 
 well acquainted with the "cave" should accompany every 
 party. 
 
 The stone to be had in this quarry is exceedingly white and 
 beautiful. It is soft and hence can be easily taken out. By 
 the markings in the rock the ancient method of quarrying 
 may be understood. By means of a pick, or similar tool, a 
 deep groove was cut in the face of the rock to the width de- 
 sired. This was followed by parallel grooves. It was then an 
 easy matter when one stone was removed for all the rest in its 
 tier to be taken out. This was done by making a small niche 
 in the rock, driving in a wooden wedge and then pouring 
 water on the wedge which, as the wood swelled, split the 
 stone. All through the quarries are small shelves on which 
 stood the earthen lamps that gave light to the laborers. 
 
 This cavern is of special interest to the Masonic Order. 
 Small and large parties of this fraternity visit the city every 
 year and seem to find their chief delight in the gloomy re- 
 cesses where they hold, many of them, that Masonry was in- 
 stituted by King Solomon himself. Many a bit of the white 
 stone, large enough to be worked into an emblem of the Or- 
 der, finds its way into the trunks of the brethren and is care- 
 fully guarded till it takes its place among the sacred relics of 
 the home lodge. Several large blocks have been lately shipped 
 to various cities in America, destined to be worked into some 
 Masonic Temple. 
 
 From descriptions of the temples, which at various periods 
 of Jerusalem's history have graced the Mount Moriah, it 
 seems but reasonable to believe that the stone that formed 
 them was procured here. There is no stone like it, none so 
 
Some Places of Special Interest 229 
 
 beautiful, in the vicinity. The quarry is very near the place 
 where the temple stood and by making a surface opening in 
 its southern extremity the distance of transportation would be 
 very short. We are told in 1 Kings vi. 7, that the temple 
 was erected without sound of "any tool of iron heard in the 
 house," and was "of stone ready made before it was brought 
 thither." This preparatory work could easily have been done 
 in the quarry, almost on the very site of the Holy House, and 
 yet no sound be heard within the sacred enclosure. There is 
 no good reason for doubting that here the whiteness was pro- 
 cured that helped to produce the "vision of snow and gold " 
 that stood on Mount Moriah. 
 
EXCAVATIONS IN JERUSALEM 
 
Constantine's Labors — History of Early Explorations — Dr. 
 Edward Robinson — Canon George Williams — Ordnance Sur- 
 vey — Conrad Schick — Topographical Certainties — Uncertain- 
 ties — Unanswered Questions — Sir Charles Warren — Results 
 Satisfactory — Rock Levels — Tyropean Valley — Mount Moriah 
 — Kedron Valley — Ophel — Siloam Aqueduct — Siloam Inscrip- 
 tion — Palestine Exploration Fund's Work — Dr. Bliss and Mr. 
 Dickie — Excavations on Southern Brow of Zion — Walls — 
 Jewish Cemetery — At Siloam Pool — Siloam Church — Endo- 
 cia's Wall — Other Excavations. 
 
 23 2 
 
XIII 
 
 EXCAVATIONS IN JERUSALEM 
 
 SINCE the days of Constantine, when that which is now 
 called the Holy Sepulchre was brought to light, many 
 efforts have been made to reveal the secrets which the debris 
 of many centuries had kept so carefully. Doubt rests upon 
 Constantine's results and upon those of many later delvers in 
 and near the city. But the uncertainty of results has not 
 chilled the ardor with which explorers of more recent times 
 have entered upon their tasks. 
 
 A brief list of the lovers of Jerusalem who visited the city 
 since it became prominent as a center of Christian activity and 
 who have left a record of what it was in their time may be of 
 interest. 
 
 The Bordeaux Pilgrim was in Jerusalem in 333. In the 
 " Itinerary " he gives us his account of what the city then was. 
 Eusebius, a contemporary of the Pilgrim fully describes the 
 Church of the Resurrection in his "Life of Constantine." 
 Arculfus about the close of the same century gives very distinct 
 testimony as to the sepulchre, and there are many allusions to 
 localities in the Letters of Jerome and in the Homilies of St. 
 Cyril. In the fifth century (427-440) the important tract of 
 Eucherius and several notices in the works of Ephanius were 
 written. Procopius and Theodosius are the authorities for the 
 sixth century. Toward the close of the seventh century (680) 
 Arculfus recorded the impressions received during his pil- 
 grimage. St. Willibald belongs to the eighth century and Ber- 
 nard the Wise to the ninth. These, with Soewolf (1102), de- 
 scribe the city's appearance before its rebuilding under the 
 Crusaders. 
 
 233 
 
234 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 In the history written by William of Tyre Jerusalem topog- 
 raphy is frequently alluded to, and in the twelfth century 
 Fetellus (1150) and Theodoricus (1172) give their accounts. 
 The same century furnishes us with some Jewish tracts, the 
 most important of which is that of Benjamin of Tudela. 
 
 Brocardus in 1283 is an authority for his time, and Sir 
 John Mandeville (1322) was, until recently, highly regarded. 
 Mejr-ed-Din, the historian, about 1495 gives the best account 
 from an Arab standpoint, while in the same century, though 
 somewhat earlier, John Poloner recounts his impressions from 
 a Christian point of view. In 16 16 a Latin monk, named 
 Quaresmius, wrote an account based on tradition. Henry 
 Maundrell's account written in 1697 is considered a valuable 
 document. Reland (17 14), Pococke (1737) and Chateau- 
 briand (1807) bring us to the beginning of this century and 
 the inception of critical and scientific investigations concern- 
 ing the topography of the Holy City. 
 
 The above list by no means gives the names of all those who 
 during these centuries have left on record what they had seen 
 in Jerusalem or heard from those who had seen. It comprises 
 simply those upon whom modern students generally rely. A 
 work of unknown authorship, dating from 11 90, and first pub- 
 lished in Count Beugnot's "Assises de Jerusalem " in 1843, 
 gives a topographical description of the city as it was when 
 Saladin finally wrested it from the Crusaders. 
 
 The honor of the first real scientific exploration of sacred 
 sites in Palestine belongs to the American scholar and traveller, 
 Dr. Edward Robinson. He began his work in this line in 
 1838, and soon became so dissatisfied with the proofs that were 
 presented to him that he was compelled to regard as utterly 
 worthless the entire mass of monkish traditions that were ad- 
 duced in the support of localities. His results were conclusive 
 to the great majority of Bible Land students, though he found 
 a worthy opponent in the English traditionalist Canon George 
 Williams, whose work "The Holy City" — a monument of 
 
Excavations in Jerusalem 235 
 
 history and topography — appeared in 1849. German scholars, 
 notable among whom are Thrupp (1855), and Tobler (1845- 
 1855) added to existing information. Other names of promi- 
 nence about this time are Fergusson, Willis, Barclay, Stanley, 
 De Sauley, Vandevelde and the Due de Vogue. 
 
 While the labors of all these are important and their writings 
 are authoritative, the later explorations conducted by the 
 Ordnance Survey at the expense of Lady Burdett-Coutts, and 
 published in 1866, have rendered the work of all but Dr. 
 Robinson and the Due de Vogue, to a greater or less extent, 
 obsolete. Since then the society known as the Palestine Ex- 
 ploration Fund have been the principal workers in this field. 
 The most indefatigable individual worker is Dr. Conrad 
 Schick, who has resided in Jerusalem for fifty years and is prob- 
 ably better acquainted with the city than any other living per- 
 son. Along with these must be mentioned the excavations on 
 Ophel made by Dr. Guthe, in 1881, and the exploration of the 
 well-known Zion scarp by Mr. Henry Maudsley in 1874. The 
 clearing of the Muristan by the German Government in 1873 
 disclosed this part of the city. While these practical ex- 
 plorers have been at work seeking to increase our knowledge 
 of Jerusalem and its environs by actual excavations, there has 
 been a class of theorizers, no less numerous, who have ad- 
 vanced opinions as to the city's topography, some of which are 
 ingenious, some absurd. The number of this latter class and 
 the confusion resulting from their numerous hypotheses have 
 led the general reader into the belief that there is nothing cer- 
 tain in modern localizations of the ancient famous places and 
 buildings. While a great deal of uncertainty really does exist, 
 it is an unwarranted statement to say that there is nothing sure. 
 
 We are certain that the ridge facing the Temple Hill on the 
 east is the Mount of Olives ; that the valley between these two 
 hills is the valley of the Kedron. There is no reasonable doubt 
 that the hill within the city, and known as Mt. Moriah, is 
 that on which the temple stood. The valley that separates 
 
236 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 Mt. Moriah from the modern Zion is conceded to be the 
 Tyropean of Josephus. No one questions that the Pool of 
 Siloam is properly named, or that Ophel is the southern slope 
 of Mt. Moriah. The east wall of the Haram enclosure is 
 recognized as being part of the wall of the ancient city, and 
 the present southwest corner of the Haram enclosure marks the 
 limits of the ancient temple area in this direction. The modern 
 citadel, known as David's Tower, is located in the immediate 
 vicinity of the royal fortresses built by Herod. The Zion scarp 
 in the Protestant cemetery is the old southwest angle of the 
 city. 
 
 These are settled points. They are not numerous, but it is 
 some satisfaction to know that concerning them there is a har- 
 mony of opinion among writers on Jerusalem. The unsettled 
 points are many. At the same time they may be included in 
 four main questions. First, Where was the City of David, on 
 modern Zion, or on Ophel, just south of the temple area? 
 Second, What was the extent of the city at its greatest pros- 
 perity, or just before its destruction by Titus in 70 a. d? 
 Third, What was the area included within the temple walls 
 and just where within this area did the temple itself stand? 
 Fourth, What is the true site of Calvary and of the Holy 
 Sepulchre ? 
 
 On all these questions authorities differ. The only key to 
 the solution of the first will be the discovery of the Tomb of 
 David. This we know was in the city of David. Efforts have 
 been made to locate these royal sepulchres, but without success. 
 Of late authorities have been inclining to accept the eastern 
 hill south of the temple area as the true site of the ancient 
 city. The difficulties in the way of such an acceptance 
 are many. To recognize the summit of Zion as being 
 the place selected for his city by Israel's warrior king is not 
 without its objections either. While I hold to this latter 
 opinion, it is only an opinion whose tenure depends upon the 
 pick of the excavator. 
 
Excavations in Jerusalem 237 
 
 The answer to the second question depends upon the dis- 
 covery of the ancient walls. On the south the wall is now 
 fairly well known. The recent excavations of Doctor Bliss, con- 
 ducted under the Palestine Exploration Fund during the years 
 1893 to 1897, have traced this wall from the scarp at the 
 southwest corner, in the Protestant cemetery, along the south- 
 ern brow of the Zion hill, eastward to and including the Pool 
 of Siloam. There is still some doubt as to whether the wall 
 thus traced was ancient, but there is no room for dispute that 
 at some time in its history the city extended thus far in this 
 direction. Nor is there any doubt that the wall — a double 
 wall — exposed south of the Siloam Pool is ancient. 
 
 The east wall as far as the northeast angle of the temple en- 
 closure, and the west wall as far north as the present Jaffa Gate 
 are regarded as occupying the positions of the ancient city 
 walls. But the walls to the north, of which there were three, 
 erected at different periods, are under consideration and will 
 probably remain so for a long time. The most important of 
 these, and the one that has given rise to the greatest dis- 
 cussion, is the Second Wall. Its importance is due to its 
 relation to the site of the Holy Sepulchre Church. 
 
 Concerning the third question as to the area of the temple 
 enclosure and the exact position of the Holy House we must 
 wait for answer upon the result of explorations yet to be made. 
 The excavations of Sir Charles Warren, which resulted in the 
 discovery of the large wall on Ophel, favors those who believe 
 that the temple area was a square measuring one thousand feet 
 on each side. The line of this wall discovered by Warren 
 joins the Haram wall at the southeast angle and thus corre- 
 sponds with a statement in Josephus, which informs us that the 
 Ophel wall joined the east cloister of Herod's Temple. The 
 opposite opinion is that the temple area was a square of about 
 six hundred feet on each side. 
 
 The actual site of the temple itself is not known and as long 
 
238 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 as the Moriah hill remains a Moslem sacred place will not be 
 known. 
 
 As regards the fourth question, namely, the true site of 
 Calvary and of the Holy Sepulchre, it has been sufficiently 
 dwelt upon in the chapters on "The Holy Sepulchre" and 
 "The New Calvary." 
 
 Concerning the rest of the city and its immediate environs 
 there is hardly a square rod that has not been examined by 
 some enterprising student of topography ; excepting only sites 
 considered holy by the Moslems. Unfortunately these ex- 
 ceptions cover most interesting places, as for example, the 
 Mosque area and the traditional site of the Tomb of David. 
 In all firmans granted to individuals or societies, giving per- 
 mission to excavate, absolute prohibition against touching 
 these sacred places is invariable. It will thus be seen that the 
 most interesting exploring is still to be done. 
 
 And yet, in spite of these prohibitions and of other hin- 
 drances and inconveniences the results of recent explorations 
 have been numerous and satisfactory. It will be possible to 
 mention these only in a general way ; in the various volumes 
 published by, and in the Quarterly Reports of the Palestine 
 Exploration Fund they may be found in detail. 
 
 A very important preliminary to the proper study of 
 Jerusalem was the ascertaining of the levels of the rock foun- 
 dations upon which the city was built. This work was done 
 by Lieutenant-Colonel Conder principally, though he was 
 assisted by the previous labors of Doctor Schick and Sir 
 Charles Wilson. These rock levels give an idea of the con- 
 tour of the hills and valleys of Jerusalem before they were 
 selected by men as suitable ground for the building of a city. 
 They reveal the depth of the debris that has been accumulated 
 during the city's history. 
 
 Having once obtained these levels the explorer could easily 
 see how much change had come over the surface contour, and 
 how necessary it was to take this alteration into account in 
 
Excavations in Jerusalem 239 
 
 considering the descriptions of the city's topography as 
 recorded in the Bible and in Josephus. It gives us the approx- 
 imate height of the hills, the depth and width of the valleys as 
 they were in earlier days. One of the results of seeking for 
 these levels was the revelation of the important valley that be- 
 gan near the Jaffa Gate and descended into, the Tyropean. 
 There has been so much accumulation here that this valley, 
 which many consider the true commencement of the Tyropean, 
 was quite forgotten. It was originally a considerable gorge 
 and gave to the lower part of the northwestern hill a " gib- 
 bous ' ' form. 
 
 The main part of the Tyropean valley has been partially 
 excavated. The accumulations of rubbish here are of great 
 depth. Vaults and pools and passages constructed of large 
 and well-dressed stones exist beneath the present surface. The 
 modern Street of the Chain crosses this valley on a causeway, 
 beneath which is a long passage that has been called the 
 Secret Passage. North of this are two parallel rows of vaults 
 dating from pre-Saracenic times as is seen from repairs 
 evidently Saracenic. When these vaults were constructed 
 their course was hindered by a large building made of drafted 
 stones. This structure is no doubt one of the oldest pieces of 
 masonry in Jerusalem and is called the Ancient Hall. 
 
 And so following the whole course of this Tyropean Valley 
 until it merges into the Kedron valley the excavator has 
 found a most fertile soil. Foundations of buildings, cisterns 
 and drains show the immensity of the work that has been ex- 
 pended upon it at various periods of the history of the city. 
 A large part of it is outside the present walls, as in fact is a 
 large part of the ground covered by the ancient city. 
 
 There was also in early times a considerable valley north of 
 the temple area which assisted in the protection of the sacred 
 enclosure. This commences north of the present wall of the 
 city, descends in a southerly direction and turns to the east 
 just west of the Church of Saint Anne, shortly afterward 
 
240 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 merging into the Kedron. This valley is mentioned by 
 Josephus in the Antiquities xiv. 4, 2, and in the Wars 1, 7, 3. 
 Pompey sought to fill up this valley and found it a serious un- 
 dertaking. The great reservoir, commonly called, though 
 erroneously, the Pool of Bethesda, lies in this valley. The 
 natives term it Birket Israel, or Pool of Israel. It extends 
 along the north wall of the Mosque enclosure for 360 feet and 
 has a breadth of 126 feet and depth of eighty feet. It is, how- 
 ever, rapidly being filled up by refuse and part of it, never 
 covered by water, is being used as a vegetable garden. 
 
 The excavations just outside the walls of the Mosque area, 
 and the several examinations of the cistern within the en- 
 closure which have been permitted by the Moslem custodians 
 enable us to have a reasonably correct idea of the original 
 contour of Mount Moriah. The summit was the sacred rock 
 now under the Dome. From this the rock shelved off on all 
 sides, except at the northwest corner where the rock was 
 prominent and on which now stands the Turkish barracks oc- 
 cupying the old site of the Tower of Antonia. A neck of 
 rock formerly joined Mount Moriah to Bezetha, but this was 
 artificially cut through at an early date. 
 
 The Kedron valley has witnessed many attempts at excava- 
 tion. Great difficulties were experienced here and owing to 
 the loose nature of the debris always will be. Mixed with the 
 soil is an immense amount of stone chippings, which prevent 
 the soil from cohering and make deep excavating dangerous. 
 Unfortunately only deep excavating is of any value here for 
 the depth of the debris, which is all comparatively modern, 
 is great and any discoveries that will throw light upon ancient 
 times are found beneath this. 
 
 The original bed of the Kedron is forty feet west of the 
 present. The unstable nature of the debris has gradually 
 forced it thus far to the east, at the same time filling up the 
 bed and raising its surface about twelve feet. A wall built for 
 the purpose of retaining the accumulations on the west has 
 
Excavations in Jerusalem 241 
 
 been uncovered just west of the true bed. It has long been 
 overcome by the moving mass, which has forced itself east- 
 ward until it threatens to cover and hide from view the many 
 tombs of the Hebrews that were thought to have been buried 
 at a safe distance from the winter brook. 
 
 This eastern wall of the sanctuary has been already ex- 
 amined and some of the results of subterranean investigation 
 mentioned. But what is known, compared to what is yet to 
 be revealed, is very little. The cause of this ignorance is the 
 presence of what is always a bane to explorers, a Moslem 
 cemetery. This extends over a large part of the ground be- 
 tween the southeast corner of the wall and St. Stephen's Gate. 
 North of the Golden Gate, however, it is known that the 
 depth of the debris is 125 feet, and that the wall is built up 
 from the native rock foundation. This was learned only after 
 most laborious excavation by Sir Charles Warren. Perhaps, 
 as Warren has supposed, if excavating could be done in the 
 Moslem cemetery and along the wall the huge stones — twenty 
 cubits long by six cubits thick — which Solomon placed on this 
 side would be uncovered. 
 
 The Ophel hill, which is but the southern slope of Moriah, 
 is very different in appearance from what it was when it was 
 within the city proper. It is now covered by gardens that are 
 tilled in rich soil that overlies the houses of former Jerusalem- 
 ites. And where the solemn priests once wended their way to 
 the temple and its services the Fellahin now delve and guard 
 their small patches of ground. Amid the gardens Warren 
 discovered the Ophel wall which has a width at its base of 
 fifteen feet and at its top of twelve feet. This wall was followed 
 southward for seventy-six feet where it turned to the west and 
 continued for 700 feet. Several towers of great strength were 
 observed. Among the many interesting antiquities that were 
 found within this wall was a cavern containing fullers' vats, 
 very near to the traditional place where Saint James was thrown 
 from the temple wall and killed by a fuller's club. 
 
242 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 The Siloam aqueduct is interesting in showing the early 
 engineering of the Jews. This aqueduct extends from the 
 Virgin's Fountain through the spur of Ophel to the Pool of 
 Siloam. The distance between the Fountain and the Pool is, 
 in a straight line, about 900 feet. But the course followed by 
 the conduit makes it 1,708 feet. Why this tortuous route was 
 taken has given rise to conjecture, some supposing it was taken 
 intentionally in order to avoid the tombs of the kings. But 
 there is no evidence whatever that these tombs are on this 
 ridge of Ophel, and it is more likely that the great length of 
 the aqueduct was due to the ignorance of its makers in sub- 
 terranean engineering. This belief is supported by the fact 
 that openings have been found from the tunnel to the surface, 
 indicating in all likelihood that they were made in order that 
 the excavators might thus get their bearings. 
 
 Modern explorers have managed with difficulty to crawl 
 through this aqueduct. Doctor Robinson was the first of these. 
 Doctor Barclay also succeeded before the Palestine Exploration 
 Fund's workers under Colonel Warren were on the ground. 
 To the latter, however, belongs the credit of having made a 
 careful survey of the route. With their great care, however, 
 the most important secret the tunnel contained was not dis- 
 covered. This is what is now known as the Siloam Inscrip- 
 tion, and is the oldest Hebrew inscription in existence. It 
 was found in 1880 by a Fellah working under the direction of 
 Herr Conrad Schick. This laborer fell into the water of the 
 tunnel accidentally and happened then to notice some lettering 
 on the wall cut in the solid rock. Later inspection showed 
 that the face of the rock had been smoothed into a tablet form 
 of about twenty-seven inches square. This was found about 
 fifteen feet from the Siloam end of the tunnel, on the right 
 side as one would enter it. 
 
 Several men of prominence in Jerusalem exploration worked 
 upon this inscription. During the centuries of its existence a 
 deposit of lime had formed over it. This Doctor Guthe, the 
 
Excavations in Jerusalem 243 
 
 German authority on Jerusalem topography, removed by wash- 
 ing the tablet in a weak solution of hydrochloric acid. A 
 " squeeze " of the inscription was taken by Major Conder un- 
 der great difficulties, he and his assistant Lieutenant Mantell 
 having to remain in an uncomfortable position partially in 
 water for several hours. Professor Sayce had seen the original 
 inscription in situ, but used as the basis of his study of it the 
 squeeze made by Conder. The following is Sayce's translation 
 of the text : 
 
 1. " (Behold the) Excavation. Now this is the history of 
 the excavation. While the excavators were still lifting up 
 
 2. "The pick, each toward his neighbor, and while there 
 were yet three cubits to (excavate, there was heard) the voice 
 of one man 
 
 3. " Calling to his neighbor, for there was an excess (?) in 
 the rock on the right hand (and on the left ?). And after that 
 on the day 
 
 4. "Of excavating the excavators had struck pick against 
 pick, one against another, 
 
 5. "The waters flowed from the spring to the pool for a 
 distance of 1,200 cubits. And (part) 
 
 6. " Of a cubit was the height of the rock over the head 
 of the excavators " 
 
 Each verse of the above translation represents a line on the 
 tablet. The characters are in ancient Hebrew resembling 
 closely those on the Moabite Stone. Their existence sets at 
 rest the ignorant assertion that the early Israelites were unable 
 to write. 
 
 The most recent scientific exploring has been done by the 
 Palestine Exploration Fund, with Doctor Fredrick J. Bliss as the 
 man in charge. Excavating is not easy work and the Fund 
 soon found that an assistant to Doctor Bliss was necessary. Mr. 
 A. C. Dickie was the assistant selected. These two able and 
 enthusiastic explorers spent the working seasons of three con- 
 secutive years mostly on the southern slope of Mount Zion 
 
244 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 and in the Tyropean valley. Full reports of their labors and 
 "finds" are given in the Quarterly Statement of the Fund. 
 Work was begun in the spring of 1894. 
 
 Commencing at the so-called Rock Scarp of Zion this scarp 
 was followed for a considerable distance. Inside the scarp a 
 long line of fine masonry in situ was found. A massive gate 
 way in the wall was uncovered, which is thought to be the 
 Dung Gate of Scripture. A paved street led up to this gate 
 and beneath the street was found a large drain. This gate 
 must have once been the main exit from the city to the south. 
 
 No evidence of a wall on the scarp was found. But the 
 wall within was definitely traced for 1,050 feet, and the trac- 
 ing then had to be discontinued because it led through the 
 ancient Zion burial-place of the Jews. In the wall thus ex- 
 posed five different styles of masonry are recognized, viz: — 
 rubble foundation, roughly-dressed stones, smooth-faced stones, 
 drafted stones with flat centres, drafted stones with projecting 
 bosses. To what period to assign these various styles no one 
 knows positively, and no key is given by the stones themselves, 
 as none bore any inscription or ornamentation. The masonry 
 was all small, but this fact tells nothing about the date. The 
 probability is that this wall represents several reconstructions. 
 In the time of the city's greatest prosperity and extent a wall 
 certainly stood here, and that it was a single wall we learn 
 from Josephus who gives as a reason for it the exceeding steep- 
 ness of the valley beneath it. In all probability Hadrian's 
 southern wall ran on this line, as did also that of the Crusaders', 
 judging from Marina Samito's map. 
 
 As the age of masonry in Jerusalem cannot be positively 
 told by the dressing of the stones, the assigning of the build- 
 ing of this southern wall to any particular age or century is 
 impossible. This much is certain, that it reveals the work of 
 at least three periods when walls were built, or rebuilt, on this 
 line ; also that it marks the city's greatest possible extent in 
 this direction. The inference is safe that at the time of the 
 
Excavations in Jerusalem 245 
 
 greatest prosperity of Jerusalem it extended as far south as at 
 any time and that at that time — the reign of Herod the Great 
 — there existed a wall on this site. That Doctor Bliss in follow- 
 ing the ruined south wall was tracing the route of a wall that 
 was standing at the time of Christ there can be no reasonable 
 doubt. 
 
 No excavating was done in the Jewish cemetery already 
 mentioned, so the wall for a distance of 700 feet was not ex- 
 amined. Just east of the cemetery it was rediscovered and 
 followed, not without great difficulty, past a tower and gate, 
 along the brow of Mount Zion to the Pool of Siloam. In the 
 side excavations that were made while the wall was being fol- 
 lowed ruins of houses, pools, streets, drains and stairways cut 
 in the rock of Mount Zion were unearthed. 
 
 But perhaps the most interesting work was done in the im- 
 mediate vicinity of the Siloam Pool. There was a great stair- 
 way to the west of the pool consisting of thirty- four steps 
 " arranged in a system of wide and narrow treads alternately." 
 Some of these steps are cut out of the natural rock and are 
 much worn by the feet of former generations. These steps 
 were the means of ascent and descent to the waters of the 
 pool. 
 
 Of considerable importance was the recovery of the ruins 
 of an ancient Christian Church, whose south aisle was "built 
 over the north arcade of the ancient pool." A church was 
 known to have been built here and the ruins were thought to 
 be hidden under the debris, but to Doctor Bliss and architect 
 Dickie belongs the honor of unearthing and describing and 
 depicting the ruin. The lower parts of the building were in a 
 good state of preservation and the length and breadth of the 
 original structure were easily determined. It was eighty-four 
 feet in length, fifty-one feet six inches in width, and the width 
 of the nave was twenty-five feet ten inches. 
 
 This church was probably built under the direction and by 
 the patronage of the Empress Eudocia. When the Bordeaux 
 
246 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 Pilgrim visited Jerusalem in 333 a. d., there was no church 
 here, or he certainly would have noted it, as he does describe 
 the pool and mentions its having a four-sided portico. Arcul- 
 fus in 670 was in Jerusalem and is recognized as the authority 
 for the city's churches as they then were. He does not men- 
 tion this church at Siloam. He does say, however, that Eu- 
 docia extended the walls of the city so as to include the pool. 
 It is known that this Empress, who died in 460, spent the last 
 ten years of her life in Jerusalem and that she occupied her 
 time in building churches and strengthening the city walls. 
 It is probable that when she built the wall to include the pool, 
 she intended it also as a protection for her Siloam Church. 
 
 The ruins of this wall which Eudocia built were those found 
 just south of the old, or lower, Siloam pool, which is just at the 
 junction of the Tyropean valley with that of Jehoshaphat, and 
 is now always polluted by the refuse water from the city. But 
 another thing was assured by the excavations here, namely, 
 that Eudocia was not the first to bring the Siloam pool within 
 the walls of Jerusalem. In the debris, thirty feet under the 
 present surface, were found the remains of an ancient wall, 
 many of the stones of which are in situ. Perhaps when the 
 Siloam tunnel that made the pool possible was excavated, the 
 city authorities built this including wall to protect this im- 
 portant reservoir. 
 
 Other excavations on Mount Zion and on Ophel were made 
 under the direction of Doctor Bliss, which revealed that the 
 parts of these hills now outside the walls of the city and given 
 over to gardens were once built over with houses. The results 
 of these excavations are of interest to the special student of 
 Jerusalem topography, but not to the general reader. They are 
 found in detail in the Quarterly Reports of the Palestine Ex- 
 ploration Fund. 
 
CLIMATE AND HEALTH 
 
Great Variety of Climate in Palestine — Causes — Tempera- 
 ture of Jerusalem — Sudden Changes — Lack of Forests — Two 
 Seasons — Rains, Early and Latter — Heaviest Rains — Winter 
 — Spring — Snow — Summer — Disadvantages of Climate — An- 
 nual Rainfall — Increased Necessary — Mists — Dews — Winds — 
 Sirocco — Jerusalem a Healthful City — Sanitary Violations — 
 Odors — Cholera — Quarantine — Nature's Provision for Health 
 — Fever — Water Supply — A Summer Resort — Spring Water — 
 Mortality Among Children — Children's Hospital. 
 
 248 
 
CHAPTER XIV 
 
 CLIMATE AND HEALTH 
 
 NO country on earth has at once so limited an area and so 
 great a variety of climate as Palestine. Though not 
 under the tropics, the Jordan valley enjoys tropical heat and 
 vegetation. Mount Hermon is just beyond the northern bound- 
 ary of Palestine proper, and from the perpetual summer of the 
 Ghor, or Jordan Valley, can be seen lifting up its head to a 
 height where the snow remains throughout the year. This 
 diversity of climate is due to the physical features of the land 
 — features peculiar, indeed unique. The Dead Sea lies 1,30c 
 feet below sea level. Mount Hermon rises 9,050 above sea 
 level. Between these two extremes there is variety enough to 
 satisfy the most exacting. A Jerusalem resident can reach the 
 region of continual summer by making a journey sixteen miles 
 to the east, during which journey he will descend nearly 4,000 
 feet ; he can reach the orange groves of Jaffa, with their soft 
 Florida climate, after a journey of forty-three miles; he is only 
 one hundred and fifty miles from the summit of Hermon. In 
 midsummer one can stand on the shore of the Dead Sea with 
 the thermometer registering the almost insufferable heat of 
 140 Fahrenheit and, looking up the Ghor, or Jordan valley, 
 see the snow fields on the top of Hermon. In his own city, 
 2,600 feet above the Mediterranean, and 3,900 feet above the 
 Dead Sea, the Jerusalemite has in summer a temperature 
 seldom rising above 95 ° Fahrenheit in the shade, and in mid- 
 winter seldom going lower than the freezing point, and that 
 only at night. 
 
 The position of the city, between the high mountains on the 
 north and the hot desert lands on the south and east, renders 
 it subject to rather sudden changes of temperature. Only oc- 
 
 249 
 
250 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 casionally, however, are the changes severe enough to cause 
 suffering even among the lightly clad denizens of the place. 
 These changes are now more frequent and more severe than 
 they once were, owing to the denuded condition of the country 
 as regards forests ; there is practically no timber in any part 
 of Palestine. There are some districts that might be called 
 woodland in a country where woods were not abundant. 
 These woods, a low copse-like growth, are found only on 
 Carmel and in Gilead ; and they can have no affect upon the 
 rainfall or temperature. And yet there are those 1 acquainted 
 with the land in its present condition and with the descriptions 
 of it contained in the Bible and other ancient records who as- 
 sert that " we may safely conclude that the land was never 
 very much more wooded than it is to-day." Whether this 
 view be correct or not, certainly under present conditions 
 there is no prospect of any increase in timber growth. With 
 an utter disregard of the future the inhabitants have in most 
 quarters stripped the hills of every tree. What little fuel is 
 necessary is procured by grubbing out the roots of the ground- 
 oak and the fragments of olive-trees. As for tree culture there 
 is nothing of the kind practiced. The fact that in Bible times 
 the rainfall was more abundant and the natural springs more 
 numerous and copious would lead to the inference that at that 
 time the forests covered a considerable part of the land. One 
 other thing is assured, namely, that Palestine could never have 
 supported the population accredited to it at certain periods of 
 its history, had it always been in its present condition as re- 
 gards moisture. 
 
 Jerusalem and the neighboring districts have but two sea- 
 sons — the wet and the dry. One has only to pass a year in 
 the city to be convinced that these two are plainly marked. 
 "Seed time and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer," 
 are the Biblical names. And each term is exact. The wet 
 season is the "seed time, the cold, the winter" ; the dry sea- 
 1 George Adam Smith in " Hist. Geog. of the Holy Land," p. 81. 
 
Climate and Health 251 
 
 son is " the harvest, the heat, the summer." There are like- 
 wise two periods of rain called in our English Bible "the 
 former," or "early," and "the latter rains." The early 
 rains usually commence late in October or early in November. 
 Until the first or middle of December the fall is not large, but 
 its effect is very beneficent. It opens the agricultural season, 
 softening the earth that has been dried hard by the long sum- 
 mer and making it possible for the husbandman to use his 
 rude plow, an implement which has been in no way improved 
 since the days of the patriarchs. During the early rains the 
 weather is very changeable. One day will be warm and clear 
 with no sign of cloud or suggestion of winter ; the next day 
 rain will be falling, perhaps mingled with snow or sleet; and 
 on the third a cold bitter wind will be blowing out of the 
 north, sending the clouds flying across the heavens and making 
 half-clad humanity draw its clothes more tightly around it and 
 seek the shelter of some friendly building or wall. 
 
 Between "the early" and "latter rains" there is usually a 
 period of a week or two during which fair weather prevails, 
 though it is not to be counted on. In January and February 
 the heaviest showers fall. In March and April come the " latter 
 rains " of Scripture. These are very important, being necessary 
 for the maturing of the crops and preparing the land and peo- 
 ple for the long rainless summer. Frequent mention is made 
 in the Bible of the "early and latter rains," and the impression 
 is gotten by some that there are two distinct times of rain, viz, 
 at the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. But the truth is that 
 the rainy season lasts during all the winter months. Their 
 importance is the cause of their frequent mention. By the 
 time the heavy showers of March and April set in Nature has 
 begun to put on her beautiful garments, and by the middle of 
 April "the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, the 
 flowers appear on the earth, the time of the singing of birds is 
 come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in the land." This 
 is the balmy time of the year and those who can visit the city 
 
252 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 and land at this season cannot but have delightful remem- 
 brances of it. 
 
 During every winter there are usually a few days of freezing 
 weather ; a thin coating of ice forms on small pools during the 
 night, but it disappears before the following noon unless in a 
 very protected place. Snow is an occasional, and to the na- 
 tives a very unwelcome, visitor. It has been known to fall and 
 remain for several days at a time, but conditions admitting 
 this very seldom arise. Three heavy falls of snow occurred 
 during the months of January and February of this year, 1898, 
 when the winter was exceptionally cold and much suffering 
 was endured by the people. 
 
 Summer begins about the middle of May and continues un- 
 til the last of September or well into October. During this 
 time hardly a drop of rain falls. The sky is generally per- 
 fectly free from clouds, though occasionally soft fleecy ones are 
 blown up from the Mediterranean, linger for awhile and then 
 disappear. " Clouds are they without water." * By the mid- 
 dle of June the flowers and grass have perished for lack of 
 moisture ; only the olive and fig trees and the low grapevines 
 show any sign of green. A haziness fills the atmosphere and 
 limits the circle of vision. Often for days at a time the Moab 
 hills cannot be seen. This is due to the effect of the sun upon 
 the naked hills, heating the lower stratum of the air and caus- 
 ing it to rise rapidly. But here in the Judean hills the climate 
 in midsummer is much more endurable than in New York or 
 in any city south of it on the Atlantic seaboard ; it is more 
 agreeable than that of any American inland city, whether in 
 summer or winter. Its great disadvantage is the length of its 
 rainless period and consequent scarcity of water and abundance 
 of dust. If the rains could be distributed throughout the year 
 this disadvantage would be overcome, for in the five winter 
 months more rain falls than in most places in the United 
 States during twelve months; the average annual precipitation 
 
 1 Jude 12. 
 
Climate and Health 253 
 
 is about thirty inches. There is some indication that the rain- 
 fall is increasing and this to many is regarded as a strong 
 proof of the fulfillment, in the near future, of certain prophe- 
 cies relating to the land. If the land ever recovers its former 
 glory such as it had when it was characterized as "a delight- 
 some land," x " the glory of all lands," 2 " an exceeding good 
 land," 3 "the land flowing with milk and honey" * or "the 
 land which the Lord thy God careth for," it will have to be 
 more blessed with water during the summer than it now is. 
 This lends some weight to the opinion 4 that there was still an- 
 other rainy season which occurred just after the harvest was all 
 gathered in, a period of moisture which would make up just 
 what is lacking, for a rain then would refresh the entire land, 
 blessing the mountain pastures where the sheep and goats now 
 hunt almost in vain for a few spears of grass, and laying the 
 dust in the city and suburbs. 
 
 In the summer morning mists are occasional and oftentimes 
 so dense as to prevent an observer in the city from seeing the 
 Mount of Olives. I have been on some of the high points 
 around the city early on a July morning and had face and hands 
 made quite wet by a mist that would do credit to a Scotch 
 highland ; but when the sun rises above the Moab hills the fog 
 and mist vanish rapidly. From this sudden disappearance 
 the Hebrew writers drew many of their figures illustrative of 
 the frailty and brevity of life. " What is your life ? " 5 asks 
 James in his epistle and answers it by a reference well known. 
 "It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and then 
 vanisheth away." The dews at night are often quite heavy and 
 on the streets and surrounding roads in the early morning one 
 might imagine that a modern sprinkler had passed ; were the 
 
 1 Mai. iii. 12. a Ezek. xx. 6. 
 
 3 Numbers xiv. 7. 4 Ex. xxxiii. 3; Lev. xx. 24; Numbers xiv. 8 ; 
 Jer. xxxii. 22 ; Ezek. xx. 6. 
 
 * Barclay, " City of the Great King," p. 54. 
 5 James iv. 1 4. 
 
2 54 
 
 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 resident of experience not quite incapable of conceiving so 
 useful an engine in the hands of Turkish officials. 
 
 The belief that the annual rainfall is increasing is well 
 founded. Records at hand for the years succeeding 1861, if 
 estimated in decades, will show this. From 1861 to 1870 the 
 average annual rainfall was 21.87 inches; from 1871 to 1880 
 it was 24.60 inches, while the decade ending with 1890 
 averaged annually 27.69 inches, an increase of 3.09 inches 
 over the decade ending with 1880 and of 5.82 inches over that 
 ending with 1870. During this entire period the smallest pre- 
 cipitation for any one year was in 1889, when the registration 
 amounted to 13.79 inches. Thus far during the present dec- 
 ade the fall has been abundant each year and gives support to 
 the frequently made statement that the rainfall of Palestine is 
 increasing. For the figures here given for the present decade 
 I am indebted to the Rev. A. Hastings Kelk, rector of 
 Christ's Church, Jerusalem : — 
 
 
 1890 
 
 1891 
 
 1892 
 
 i893 
 
 1894 
 
 1895 
 
 1896 
 
 1897 
 
 1898 
 
 
 
 
 6.30 
 
 4-6S 
 
 3- 6 5 
 
 .69 
 
 7-85 
 
 I3-3 1 
 
 4.40 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3-5o 
 
 i-43 
 
 5.15 
 
 2.86 
 
 7.2 
 
 6.39 
 
 5-74 
 
 
 
 
 
 22.71 
 
 i.45 
 
 9- 52 
 
 7.18 
 
 4-77 
 
 4-93 
 
 7-4i 
 
 5-7 6 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 i-34 
 
 .28 
 
 1.67 
 
 1.83 
 
 2.14 
 
 .04 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 .84 
 
 
 
 • 23 
 
 .42 
 
 •25 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 .01 
 
 
 
 
 July 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 •035 
 
 •°3 
 
 .11 
 
 
 
 .04 
 
 9 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2.41 
 
 5.08 
 
 •49 
 
 5-75 
 
 9.67 
 
 2.08 
 
 3°3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 9-56 
 
 7- 2 5 
 
 6.25 
 
 6.68 
 
 
 4-37 
 
 6.34 
 
 
 
 
 Yearly Total 
 
 35.5i 
 
 34.7 2 
 
 27.78 
 
 22.73 
 
 30.08 
 
 20.05 
 
 29.03 
 
 37.68 
 
 
 
 
 Jerusalem is decidedly a windy city. Her winds, while 
 sometimes exceedingly boisterous and careering over the 
 
Climate and Health 255 
 
 mountains at a rate that would do justice to a Dakota breeze, 
 are her best friends. The sultry and sickening winds from the 
 desert are fortunately infrequent. In every part of the city 
 but the low underground hovels of the Jewish quarter and 
 some of the narrow, arched streets, fresh air can always be en- 
 joyed. I confess that it is not always enjoyed, for the deni- 
 zens of some parts of the city are so vile in their habits of life 
 that they seem to prefer the odors of decaying vegetable and 
 animal matter to the combination of fresh sea and mountain 
 air. This preference on their part gives the casual visitors of a 
 day or two a wrong idea of the city, because in order to see 
 many of the interesting places they have to pass through these 
 villainous alleys of putrefaction. In winter the prevailing 
 wind is from the west ; it blows up fresh from the Mediter- 
 ranean and drives the welcome clouds, heavy with moisture, 
 before it, until, reaching the cooler altitude of the hills, they 
 drop their refreshment upon the thousand-mouthed earth. It 
 is not always true now, as our Lord's assertion would lead us 
 to believe it was in His day, that " When ye see a cloud rise 
 out of the west, straightway ye say ' There cometh a shower 
 and so it is,' " 1 for very often the winds drive before them 
 heavy threatening banks of leaden clouds having every evi- 
 dence of "abundance of rain," only to have them pass away 
 without leaving a blessing on the waiting fields. " Clouds are 
 they without water, carried about of winds." 2 In summer the 
 prevalent winds are from the northwest. They are not shower 
 bringers, but are welcome because of their coolness. Nearly 
 every morning they commence to blow and continue their 
 cheer through most of the day. Occasionally they increase to 
 violence, and gathering the dust in their embrace sweep it 
 along in such quantities as to be a great discomfort to men 
 and animals. This northwest wind performs good service for 
 the native threshers who winnow their grain against it, throw- 
 
 1 Luke xxii. 54. 2 Jude 12. 
 
256 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 ing the mixed wheat and chaff up from the threshing floor on 
 some hilltop and letting the wind carry the chaff away. 1 
 
 With the exception of these winds from the northwest " the 
 wind bloweth where it listeth." But winds from other quar- 
 ters are not very desirable. The east and south winds are not 
 frequent, but are very effective ; they are hot and enervating 
 and their departure is most welcome. True it is that, " when 
 ye see the south wind blow ye say, There will be heat and it 
 cometh to pass " 2 these south winds are called "sirocco " by 
 European residents and "sherkiyeh" by the Arabs. Dis- 
 comfort to man and beast and injury to vegetation result from 
 them. Fine sand accompanies the sirocco and sifts into every 
 part of the house, so that it is literally true that you can " see " 
 it. Isaiah must have had some experience with this unwelcome 
 visitor, but drew certain consolation from the fact that it was 
 attended by nothing worse. "He stayeth his rough wind in 
 the day of the east wind." 3 I have known the temperature 
 to rise 30 Fahrenheit as a result of one of these siroccos be- 
 tween sunrise and noon, and the spirits to sink correspondingly. 
 One would suppose that the natives, who have been accustomed 
 to these winds all their lives, would not notice them much. 
 That they do notice and are affected by them fully as much 
 as are Europeans or Americans is the fact. When a ' ' sher- 
 kiyeh " is blowing they do nothing except to get as much as 
 possible out of it, draw their loose garments about their faces 
 and make the best of it by sleeping. The sirocco never 
 brings rain and is of no use to the thresher. Jeremiah * may 
 have it in mind speaking of it as "A dry wind of the high 
 places in the wilderness toward the daughter of my people, 
 neither to fan nor to cleanse." 
 
 Not only does the sirocco depress one's spirits and, as Barclay 
 says, 5 " cause a feeling of perfect good-for-nothingness," it 
 
 •Psalm i. 4; Dan. ii. 35 ; Hosea xiii. 3; Luke iii. 17. 
 
 s Luke xii. 55,, 3 Is. xxvii. 8. * Jeremiah iv. II. 
 
 * " City of the Great King," p. 61. 
 
Climate and Health 
 
 2 57 
 
 also induces fever, and a low type of malaria is sure to make 
 its appearance when this wind is frequent and continued. 
 The coolness and refreshment of the breezes from the west and 
 north fortunately overbalance any evils brought by those from 
 the opposite direction; without them Jerusalem would be a 
 most unhealthy place of residence. I question if any city in 
 the world of its size violates more flagrantly the primal laws 
 of sanitation. Regardless of these laws and indifferent to 
 their surroundings the people in some parts throw all the re- 
 fuse of their living into the narrow, unventilated streets and 
 allow it to lie there exhaling its poisonous vapors, until the 
 street-cleaning brigade, consisting of a couple of donkeys and 
 as many boys, with little more intelligence than their long- 
 eared helpers, come along and carry it off to the common 
 dumping grounds. To a foreigner — even to some whose own 
 cities are by no means models of cleanliness — the odors from 
 some of the Holy City's side streets are excruciating. The 
 wonder is that such utter disregard of sanitation does not 
 frequently result in fatal epidemics. But it does not. Cholera 
 is a frequent visitor to some parts of the Turkish dominions, 
 but for thirty years Jerusalem has escaped its ravages. On 
 the first reports of its approach in the Levant, Jaffa quarantines 
 against every vessel coming from an infected port. This pro- 
 tects Jerusalem from the sea. Every road leading into the 
 city is guarded and no one admitted in this way. All goods 
 are quarantined for some days and then fumigated. I have 
 seen them washing money in the sea at Jaffa in order to free 
 it from any clinging cholera bacilli, while at the same time in 
 the streets of that city and in Jerusalem were unnoticed piles 
 of decaying, cholera breeding matter, a great deal more likely 
 to work injury to the inhabitants. There are two reasons why 
 disastrous results do not follow such negligence, the power of 
 the sun to dry all putrefying matter and the continual breezes 
 that carry off the poisonous gases. 
 
 Nature has made this a healthy city in spite of the filthy 
 
258 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 habits of the majority of its inhabitants and the puerility of 
 its official class. Its high altitude and deep encompassing 
 valleys counteract this carelessness and childishness. Had 
 Jerusalem been built on a plain and its people had the habits 
 of its present population it would long ago have been depopu- 
 lated or at least sunk to the condition of the wretched villages 
 of the Maritime plain. It has a sewer system of most primi- 
 tive construction, which any sanitary engineer would pro- 
 nounce more destructive of than conducive to health. The 
 streets and sewers could not be flushed if the authorities had 
 any inclination to resort to such modern novelties, owing to 
 the lack of any kind of waterworks. This condition of 
 affairs is the wonder and disgust of visitors and civilized 
 residents. Often have I heard this or similar remarks, "Well, 
 of all places I was ever in this is the filthiest and can produce 
 the most villainous odors. It must be one of the most un- 
 healthy places on earth." The sights and smells of some 
 quarters are as bad as the most vivid imagination can conceive 
 them, but the conclusion usually drawn is incorrect. Never- 
 theless this carelessness does not pass unpunished altogether. 
 During the summer months there is a great deal of what is 
 commonly known as Jerusalem fever. This is a low type of 
 malaria, and while seldom leading to fatal results does pro- 
 duce an intense longing in the bosom of its victim — a longing 
 to be in a city less renowned for holiness, and more distin- 
 guished for cleanliness. 
 
 One great cause of this fever is the condition of the water 
 supply. Standing for months in ill-kept cisterns the water 
 has become tainted and the free use of it for drinking pur- 
 poses, especially in August and September, is apt to result 
 in this fever. Other causes assist, but this is the most fruit- 
 ful source, and cleaning the cisterns each year would pro- 
 duce good effects. But year after year, without so much as a 
 thought being given to their condition, these cisterns are used 
 and one year's corruption is added to another's. This fever 
 
Climate and Health 259 
 
 has a deterrent effect upon summer visitors. Reports of it 
 have spread abroad and the wily tourist keeps far distant. He 
 does not want to be scorched externally by the Judean sun or 
 burned internally by the Jerusalem fever, so he comes in the 
 winter and exposes himself to the rains and chilly winds, has 
 difficulty in keeping dry and greater difficulty in keeping 
 warm and risks pneumonia, all to escape the heat and the 
 fever. 
 
 And yet, as has been said, the climate in summer is prefer- 
 able to that of the majority of places in the temperate zone. 
 The city's altitude, dry air and proximity to the sea and the 
 mountains, make it something of a summer resort. Many 
 missionaries residing in the surrounding districts and in 
 Egypt spend their vacations here, coming up from the plains 
 and cities along the Syrian coast and from neighboring villages. 
 And they find what they seek, rest and a change of climate. 
 
 No matter what the day is, though it is seldom hot enough 
 to be uncomfortable indoors, the nights are always cool. As 
 soon as the sun dips into the western sea coolness comes that 
 would be the envy of our American cities even in the Northern 
 States. If New York and Philadelphia and Chicago could 
 enjoy the same temperature at night fewer of their citizens 
 would need to "waste their substance" in paying the high 
 rates of seashore, lake and mountain resorts, where they think 
 they must go in order to make existence bearable. 
 
 But the water; its impurity and scarcity is the great objec- 
 tion. Still nobody desiring a daily bath need go without it, 
 and good, pure water, as healthful as any water on earth, 
 gushes out in living springs from the limestone hills near enough 
 to the city to admit of its being brought in and sold at the not 
 too exorbitant figure of three cents per gallon. 
 
 There is one thing that must be mentioned, and that is, the 
 great mortality among children. To one acquainted with the 
 conditions this is not surprising. The wonder is that any of 
 the native children of parents of the lower classes survive. 
 
260 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 After living for two years near Doctor Sandreczky's Children's 
 Hospital ; after seeing children in the homes of native Chris- 
 tians, Jews and Moslems, I am certain that had the children 
 of America and Europe the same treatment, very few of 
 them would reach years of maturity. Often have I seen un- 
 weaned babies munching away at green cucumbers and other 
 vegetables raw and equally indigestible. Among a number of 
 cases I have known brought to Doctor Sandreczky's Hospital 
 was that of a boy twelve years old who never in his life had 
 had a bath. Before he was born his mother had made a vow 
 to this effect and the worst of it was she was faithful to her 
 vow. The first thing that happened at the hospital was to 
 break the vow so far as it affected the boy. This with a little 
 careful treatment was all he needed. 
 
 What has been said of the climate and health of Jerusalem 
 ought certainly to correct some false impressions, usually 
 hastily received, and take away from the old city some un- 
 merited reproach. 
 
PASSION WEEK AND EASTER 
 
A Comparison — Easter Week Generally — In Jerusalem — 
 Pilgrims — Inconveniences — Passover Conditions — Passover and 
 Easter — Religious Metropolis — Variety of the City's Guests at 
 Easter — Easter of 1895 — Palm Sunday — Pilgrim Ignorance — 
 Procession Around the Sepulchre — Greek Patriarch — Tourist 
 Discourtesy — Religious Disturbances — Church Jealousy — The 
 Washing of Feet — Miracle Plays — Latin Service — Good Fri- 
 day — Midnight in the Church — The Holy Fire — Scenes at the 
 Fire — Soldiers — Riot of 1834 — A Trivial Difficulty — Respon- 
 sibility for the Holy Fire — The Procession — The Chapel — 
 The Riot of 1895 — Cause — America's Contribution — The 
 Coming of the Fire — An Offensive Delusion — Antiquity — 
 Origin of the Ceremony — Easter Morning. 
 
 262 
 
CHAPTER XV 
 
 PASSION WEEK AND EASTER 
 
 AS a general statement it is true that the further away one 
 is from Jerusalem the less ceremony he will see in 
 connection with Easter and the days of fast and feast that fall 
 near it. There is more ceremony in the Greek and other dis- 
 tinctively Oriental Churches than there is in the Latin, more 
 in the Latin than in the established Churches of Germany and 
 England, more in these established Churches than there is in 
 the independent Protestant denominations of America. Fur- 
 thermore it is true that there is more ceremony in the Latin 
 Church in Italy than there is in the same body in France and 
 Spain and the Latin-American countries ; more in these last 
 than there is in the same Church in the United States. In 
 spite of the Church of Rome's assertion that she is "semper 
 idem"; she differs in different lands; not in essentials it is 
 true, but in matters serious enough to be noticeable. This 
 remark is not made by way of detraction ; it is true of all 
 branches of the Church and merely goes to prove that as an 
 institution the Church of Christ in the world is not beyond being 
 influenced by the conditions which surround her. She may 
 have a superior organization and triumph where other merely 
 human institutions fail, but so long as the human element 
 enters into her, it will affect and in some measure control her. 
 This dependence upon conditions will account for the varieties 
 of church government and for the difference of forms in differ- 
 ent churches having the same government. In this respect as 
 in others variety is life. 
 
 Easter week is the most important week in the ecclesiastical 
 year, and it is celebrated in Jerusalem with greater pomp than 
 in any other city on earth. Nor is the reason of this far to 
 
 263 
 
264 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 seek. In Jerusalem Christ spent the days of Passion week ; 
 and on each day he performed some memorable act. In Je- 
 rusalem the great tragedy of the crucifixion was carried to its 
 eventful close ; in Jerusalem the Crucified One triumphed over 
 His enemies and over death itself by His glorious resurrection. 
 Never can locality and event be more inseparably united than 
 the places in Jerusalem and the events of Passion week and 
 that first Easter morning. Human uncertainty as to the exact 
 location is immaterial ; the events took place in Jerusalem, and 
 to Jerusalem, as to the place most appropriate, Christians come 
 to commemorate these events. Opinions of the truly pious 
 may differ as to the necessity and benefit of such commemo- 
 ration, but two-thirds of the Christian world care nothing for 
 opinions on such matters. They believe in the power and 
 appropriateness of such observances, and if they cannot in 
 person participate in them hope for the time to come when 
 they may. Thousands do take part ; the narrow streets are 
 full of pilgrims and tourists, the former actuated by motives 
 of religion, the latter by a laudable curiosity to see the ancient 
 city and the sights of Easter week. The many hospices of the 
 various churches and religious orders are crowded ; the hotels 
 have doubled their sleeping accommodations and are often 
 compelled to refuse desirable guests. Visitors have to put up 
 with many inconveniences and do so generally without com- 
 plaint, very glad that there is any place for them. In the 
 olive groves around the city many tents are pitched, where 
 people unable to obtain hotel apartments and some who prefer 
 tent life are making themselves as comfortable as possible. If 
 the weather is favorable the tent-dwellers are really better off 
 than those in the hotels ; but this is the season of the latter 
 rains. 
 
 This crowded condition of the city and its suburbs is some- 
 thing as it must have been in the long ago when the Jews 
 came up from all lands to celebrate their great Passover feast 
 in their ancestral holy city. Then as now the houses were 
 
Passion Week and Easter 265 
 
 filled with guests and the various hostelries were taxed to their 
 utmost ; then as now tents and booths took shelter under the 
 olive trees in the valleys or along the hillsides, furnishing rest 
 at night to their occupants who spent the day within the walls ; 
 then as now every nation was represented, only now the 
 variety is greater, for Gentile nations then unheard of send 
 their thousands to participate. Then as now one great past 
 event was commemorated — in reality the same event — for the 
 symbolic meaning of the slaying of the Paschal lamb found its 
 fulfillment in the sacrifice of Christ. 
 
 Easter is the Christian Passover and Jerusalem is a very 
 appropriate place to commemorate it. The city has changed 
 much for the worse during these Christian centuries, but its 
 power of suggestion is not lost. Its glorious temple and won- 
 derful palaces have crumbled before the shock of the ram or 
 the power of the flame, but it is Jerusalem still. The palaces 
 and walls and temples were the pride of the ancient inhabitant, 
 but if the city's fame depended upon these it would be to-day 
 like the cities of the Nile or Mesopotamia. What has made 
 Jerusalem known more widely than any city of antiquity is her 
 spiritual preeminence ; she is the world's religious metropolis. 
 Other places are recognized as the centres of the religious life 
 of a nation or some particular branch of the Church, but in the 
 streets of the Holy City they all unite. The Jew comes from 
 countries most remote to dwell for a time within the city of 
 his fathers, to weep because his sacred place is in the hands 
 of the heathen, and to pray here on holy ground to that 
 Jehovah who so miraculously established his people in this 
 land, and who, he believes, will restore it to them in His own 
 good time. The swarthy African Christian, member of the 
 ancient Coptic or Abyssinian Church, meets on these streets, 
 or around the traditional tomb of their common Saviour, the 
 fair-faced European or American Christian. They rejoice in 
 the possession of the same blessings from the same God and 
 Saviour and in the same hopes of immortality through the 
 
266 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 finished work of the same Redeemer. They may differ in a 
 thousand other respects, but they meet here on the same level 
 and honor Jerusalem for the sake of its association with that 
 Divine Person whom all acknowledge as the Founder of their 
 faith. The Moslem, too, comes here on his holy pilgrimage 
 and about Easter time many strangers holding the faith of the 
 Prophet may be seen. The latter calls Jerusalem " El-Kuds," 
 the Holy. Next to Mecca it is his heart's desire. His 
 pilgrimage is not complete till he has visited it and bowed in 
 prayer beneath the Dome of the Rock. 
 
 Thus if one wishes to see Jerusalem at the most interesting 
 time of the year he should come at the Easter season. The 
 variety of costume is endless; the variety of methods of 
 worship likewise. As the Greek and Latin calendars differ, 
 the Easters of these two Churches usually fall on different 
 dates. As nearly all the Oriental Churches follow the Greeks, 
 the crowds are larger and more enthusiastic, and religious and 
 other sights novel to the Occidental are much more numerous 
 at the time of the Greek Easter. Occasionally the calendars 
 of all agree, and the following account is descriptive of the 
 scenes and incidents of such a year, namely Easter week of 
 1895. There was nothing very distinctive about this particular 
 week of this particular year, however ; it differed little, if at 
 all, from the same week of other years. 
 
 For several days preceding Palm Sunday the dealers in palm- 
 branches did a rushing business. No pilgrim was too poor to 
 be furnished with some emblem of the Lord's triumphal entry, 
 or too modest to show his token of rejoicing on the anniversary 
 of that event. Some were satisfied with a plain straight branch 
 of this tree, others who could afford it had theirs woven into 
 various shapes with gay-colored ribbons intertwined. A visi- 
 tor from another sphere, had he landed in Jerusalem on that 
 Sunday morning, would have known that some great celebra- 
 tion was being held. Every pilgrim was out, going to or 
 coming from some church service. Each one was dressed in 
 
Passion Week and Easter 267 
 
 his best apparel and carried the palm-branch indicative of re- 
 joicing. In every church that morning there was a special 
 service, though in the Latin churches it does not equal in 
 splendor and consequent interest what can be seen in Rome 
 on the same day. 
 
 The Crusaders used to represent the Christ's triumphal 
 entry, carrying it out in detail. A priest personating the 
 Saviour rode on an ass from Bethphage ; others as his dis- 
 ciples followed or went before him crying "Hosanna," and 
 a crowd with palm and olive branches came out from the 
 city to meet them. Now, however, the entire service is con- 
 ducted in the Church of the Sepulchre; this is more quiet 
 and orderly, but it is not an uncommon sight on this Sunday 
 afternoon to see that many of the Russian pilgrims, both men 
 and women, have allowed their excess of joy to steal away 
 their senses. Too freely have they imbibed of that which in- 
 toxicates, and while as a general thing they are not boisterous 
 in their words or actions they do illustrate a phase of life far 
 removed from the Christianity of Christ. But Christianity 
 comes to them very much adulterated by human opinions, very 
 much distorted by ecclesiasticism and priestly innovations. 
 They cannot read and so religion must be taught them by pic- 
 tures. They have no conception of the spiritual and to "wor- 
 ship in spirit" is impossible for them. The Church to which 
 they belong tells them that this is a great feast day, a day on 
 which they are to rejoice, and they do so in the way they most 
 relish. This is not to be understood as applying to all classes ; 
 there are Russian pilgrims just as intelligent and just as de- 
 corous as come from any other land, but their proportion to 
 the entire number is very small. 
 
 The centre of interest for those desiring to see the church 
 services is, as usual, at the Holy Sepulchre. This is one of 
 the days on which the richest vestments of patriarchs, bishops 
 and priests may be seen, in the procession made around the 
 tomb. At ten o'clock on Palm Sunday morning we edged our 
 
268 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 way through the crowd around and in the church, climbed a 
 series of stairways and took a position in the Franciscan con- 
 vent from which a good view of all the proceedings could be 
 had. Singing began in the Greek chapel some minutes before 
 there was any sign of singer or of priest. Then from this 
 chapel, which is directly east of the Holy Cave, came eight 
 young men carrying banners on which were painted appro- 
 priate scenes. The first member of the procession was a lad 
 carrying an immense olive branch. Immediately after the 
 singers came the priests in double file to the number of seventy, 
 each with his ordinary garb hidden by a long robe that reached 
 to the feet and which was stiff with gold embroidery. Then 
 came the censer-bearers and just following them was the Greek 
 Patriarch of Jerusalem — a man with a fine, intellectual face 
 and dignified bearing. His robes were princely in their mag- 
 nificence, but the most striking feature was his crown, which 
 was encrusted with sparkling jewels of great value. His see is 
 one of the richest in Christendom. Money can be procured 
 for the Church in Jerusalem even when there is great lack of 
 it in other places, so that the patriarch can maintain his posi- 
 tion as becomes a prince of the Church. It is one of the 
 sights of the city, permitted to very few, to have a glimpse of 
 his treasuries. 
 
 The tomb is encircled three times by the procession. 
 Every few steps the censer-bearers turn toward the patriarch 
 and swing their censers so that the fumes pass over his 
 person. When the patriarch has passed once around and 
 has come in front of the entrance to the sepulchre he does 
 obeisance and makes the sign of the cross. The crown 
 he has been wearing is then removed from his head and 
 another supplied, no less rich in appearance, but evidently of 
 lighter weight. The procession is then continued, and by the 
 time the remaining two rounds are made over an hour has 
 been consumed. The singing has never stopped, and as the 
 notes are few and have been repeated over and over again, has 
 
Passion Week and Easter '269 
 
 become very monotonous. But the crowd below has no doubt 
 appreciated it, and as it was intended for them the disapproval 
 of outsiders is of no consequence. They have seen a wonder- 
 ful exhibition of pictures and candles, of vestments and jewels 
 and it has made an impression upon their minds not soon to 
 be forgotten. It is part of their religion ; they have endured 
 hardships to witness it. On this occasion a number of devout 
 Russian women had by remaining all night in the church 
 secured good positions just in front of the Holy Sepulchre. 
 But priority of possession gives no title in such a case. A 
 party of tourists had come in just a few minutes before the 
 procession began ; they had come to see, and like most tour- 
 ists of every nation they were not solicitous about the rights 
 or the feelings of others. The Turkish guard of the church 
 was "seen" and a couple of soldiers put at the disposal of 
 this party ; a way was forced through the crowd to the door 
 of the sepulchre; the Russian pilgrims were rudely thrust 
 aside and made to stand where they could not see the long- 
 desired sight, and the tourists, to whom the whole affair was 
 merely a matter of curiosity, quietly and unconcernedly took 
 their places. A little " bucksheesh " goes a long way with 
 the average Turk, but nothing can go far enough to justify the 
 behavior of some tourists. 
 
 The Latins, Armenians and other Churches have their special 
 services on this day in this place. When Easter falls on the 
 same day for all, some prearrangement as to time must be 
 made. For several reasons no two of the sects could have 
 their religious exercises going on at the same time. The 
 crowds would be too great and confusion follow, and, more 
 serious than this reason, the participants in the service could 
 not preserve the peace. By mistake, or intention, one party 
 might infringe upon the rights or do something contrary to the 
 wishes of the other ; in which case an altercation would be 
 begun at once, regardless of the disturbing effect upon the 
 service. And the altercation might not cease with words. 
 
270 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 More than once in recent times this great Cathedral church of 
 Oriental Christendom has witnessed proceedings most un- 
 Christian-like. Each Church, we are informed, must be jeal- 
 ous in the assertion and protection of its rights, or it would 
 soon have none to assert or protect. Each wants as much of 
 this sacred ground and edifice as it can obtain and is not 
 always above suspicion of dishonesty in the methods used to 
 acquire possession. A precedent counts immensely and if one 
 sect were this year to permit another to enjoy its privilege or 
 to trespass on its part of the church, next year the sect thus 
 favored would just as likely demand this as its right. The 
 aggressive spirit manifested in efforts to own parts of the 
 church would be commendable and beautiful if it were ex- 
 panded in illustrating and advancing true Christianity. As it 
 is the energy is used without benefit to the one exercising it 
 and without blessing upon anybody. 
 
 After the Palm-Sunday processionals there is little of inter- 
 est, religiously speaking. Services are held every day in some 
 of the churches so that none so inclined need suffer from lack 
 of religious opportunity. But when Thursday arrives there is 
 considerable that to an Occidental is novel and interesting. At 
 eight o'clock on the morning of this particular day the court 
 in front of the Sepulchre Church is filled with a solid mass of 
 reverent or curious humanity. Every available nook and 
 corner of the old church is occupied. The steps leading to 
 the Chapel of the Agony, the roofs of neighboring buildings 
 and of the church itself, the balconies and windows overlook- 
 ing the court are thronged with people of many nationalities. 
 Side by side with the Christian from some Fellah village 
 among the hills of Judah or Benjamin is a polite Greek from 
 Athens, a stolid German from the Fatherland, a dapper 
 Frenchman and smooth Italian, while conspicuous among all 
 is the indifferent and typical Englishman in his suit of grey 
 tweed, and the professional globe-trotter from the land of 
 great travellers — the United States. Some of the audience — 
 
Passion Week and Easter 271 
 
 especially the religiously inclined — took up their positions the 
 night before and kept them during the long watches before the 
 sun showed himself above Olivet. In the midst of a sea of 
 faces an elevated platform is seen, with stands for candles at 
 its four corners and seats for a dozen or more persons. A 
 chair of state occupies a small elevated position at the western 
 end of this platform, facing the east. In front of the platform 
 on the wall of the building a temporary pulpit has been 
 erected. A stranger would know that some important cere- 
 mony was about to take place. About eight o'clock a proces- 
 sion of Greek priests files out of the main door of the church. 
 The shouting of the multitude that has been going on for 
 hours ceases, and the Turkish soldiers who have been trying 
 to restrain the mob enjoy a rest. The patriarch ascends the 
 platform and takes the conspicuous chair, and twelve priests, 
 representing the twelve apostles, arrange themselves along both 
 sides and in front of him. Their robes are splendid and, as 
 the morning sun strikes upon them, they emit a glitter that is 
 dazzling to the eyes ; but the robes of the patriarch himself 
 are the centre of attraction. The richest of materials adorned 
 with the most delicate needlework cover his entire person, 
 while his head dress is resplendent with jewels. 
 
 A relic of the old miracle plays is about to be enacted. It 
 is a play in which Jesus and His disciples are to be personated, 
 though there is nothing in the manner or garb of the patriarch 
 and priests to suggest the appearance or actions of the Origi- 
 nals. It is more like an ecclesiastical dress parade, whose de- 
 sign is not to call to the minds of the observers the solemn 
 occasion in the " Upper room " when the Master, laying aside 
 His garments and girding Himself with a towel began to wash 
 His disciples' feet, so much as it is to impress upon them 
 the richness of the clerical vestments and the importance of 
 the wearers. A choir in attendance sings and sings well. 
 The passage in John, thirteenth chapter, is read by a priest 
 standing in the temporary pulpit. Then the patriarch lays 
 
272 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 aside his gorgeous outer robe, a priest takes his bejewelled 
 crown, while another rolls back his rose-colored satin sleeves 
 and lays a towel over his arm. From a stand an immense 
 silver wash bowl is taken and partly filled with rose-water. 
 Then the actual ceremony of the feet-washing begins. It is car- 
 ried out in detail though it has nothing about it suggestive of 
 that humility which Christ wished to illustrate before, and 
 thus encourage in, His disciples. While this is going on it re- 
 quires every effort of the soldiers of the Sultan to keep back 
 the crowding, crushing mob. Each one is anxious to have 
 his handkerchief or some small possession dipped into the 
 basin of rose-water that is being used. It is said that a hand- 
 kerchief thus treated becomes a very precious thing and is 
 highly prized by its owner. On the two occasions I witnessed 
 the performance many handkerchiefs were thus elevated in 
 value. As soon as the owner received his from the hand of 
 one of the obliging priests he immediately rubbed it over 
 hands and face, and became blessed above his fellows. For 
 though there was seemingly no scarcity of rose-water the sup- 
 ply would not have sufficed to gratify all the devotees. 
 
 This part of the service being completed a brief rest is taken 
 and then the people are transported in imagination to the 
 Garden of Gethsemane. There is no change of scenery nor of 
 costume, the acting and imagination must supply any lack in 
 these respects. Just at the foot of the stairs leading up to the 
 platform the patriarch and three priests represent Christ in the 
 agony of prayer in the garden and His three drowsy disciples. 
 Here, too, the dress of the modern portrayers of this solemn 
 "night scene " in the Saviour's life was in strange contrast to 
 what we have been taught, and rightly, to believe was the con- 
 dition as to apparel of our Lord and His followers. In strange 
 contrast, also, to the midnight stillness of deepshaded Gethsem- 
 ane, when no eye but the Father's beheld the praying Christ, 
 was this curious myriad-eyed throng, straining in the garish 
 light of day to see this tawdry imitation of a sacred scene. 
 
Passion Week and Easter 273 
 
 This part being ended the patriarch and priests again took 
 their places on the platform. Robes were arranged and crown 
 donned and then, while this spiritual head t of the Greek 
 Church in Jerusalem stood clad in his robes and the insignia 
 of his high office, a photographer in a neighboring window 
 was quietly signalled to and the camera preserved the scene. 
 The great ceremony of the washing of the feet is over and the 
 procession files back into the church. As he goes the patriarch 
 dips a large bouquet he is carrying into what remains of the 
 rose-water and sprays it over the throng, the majority of whom 
 reverently bow their bared heads to receive it. 
 
 On the afternoon of the same day the Latins have a similar 
 service, but it is done quietly and inside the church. The 
 uproar that characterized the morning observance is agreeably 
 absent at that of the afternoon. The costumes of the officiat- 
 ing Latin priests do not compare in richness with those of the 
 Greeks, but the effect upon the worshippers is equally good, if 
 there is any good whatever resulting from these portrayals of 
 the scenes in the Saviour's earthly life. There may have been 
 a time when such things were helps to faith, there may be 
 some minds yet which can receive impressions only in this 
 way, but that time certainly ought to have passed long ago, 
 and has passed in those countries where Christianity has not 
 been throttled and supplanted by sacerdotalism. At the door 
 of the church that tolerates it must be laid the blame for that 
 condition of ignorance which demands such exhibitions in 
 order to keep its faith alive. 
 
 The one notable event of Good Friday — notable in the sense 
 of being out of the ordinary — is the mystery play representing 
 the scenes that were witnessed just previous to, during, and 
 immediately after the crucifixion. A small figure of the Christ 
 is brought into the Chapel of the Nailing to the Cross by the 
 Franciscans — the order which has entire charge of this per- 
 formance. The figure is less than half life-size and is hideous 
 in the extreme. In the Chapel of the Nailing it is crucified 
 
274 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 and a crown of thorns placed upon the head. Over the im* 
 age, as it lies upon the floor surrounded by priests and specta- 
 tors, one of the Franciscan brothers delivers a sermon in Ger- 
 man. The procession then moves a few feet to the west and 
 is in the Chapel of the Crucifixion. This is Greek property, 
 and Latin intrusion is tolerated within certain limits. The 
 cross bearing the image is erected just back of the altar that 
 covers the "hole in the rock," where tradition asserts that 
 the " true cross " stood. Then a brother preaches a sermon in 
 French, appropriate to the occasion, after which with much 
 pomp and an appearance of solemnity the figure is taken 
 down from the cross, placed upon a richly embroidered cloth 
 and carried through the closely packed crowd on Calvary 
 down the stairs to the Stone of Unction. Here the procession 
 halts awhile, the figure is anointed and a sermon in Arabic 
 given. After this linen grave-clothes are wrapped about the 
 image, and it is carried through the vaulted passage to the 
 sepulchre and laid upon the marble covering of the traditional 
 tomb of Christ ; there it remains until the following Sunday 
 morning, when it is quietly removed. 
 
 There is little to be said in commendation of this mystery 
 play. A relic of semi-barbarous days, it is neither interest- 
 ing nor edifying. If it were not that the subject of the play 
 is so sacred the whole affair would be ridiculous. It is an an- 
 cient practice begun in an age of ignorance, but is certainly 
 an anachronism in the closing years of the nineteenth century 
 even in the unchanging Orient. 
 
 After this mystery play is over the curious are glad to wan- 
 der through the secluded chapels of the old church and along 
 its vaulted passages. It is nearly midnight and the deep 
 shadows are intensified by the flicker of the almost consumed 
 candles and glimmer of the little oil lamps with their floating 
 wicks. The throng of Latin worshippers has gone and the 
 Moslem guard will soon close the church for the night, but 
 there is an evident intention on the part of many to pass the 
 
Passion Week and Easter 275 
 
 night within the sacred enclosure. In out of the way places, 
 on the narrow stairways leading to the dome, along the 
 gloomy, unventilated corridors, heavy with the poison exhaled 
 from a thousand lungs, are to be seen the sleeping forms of 
 many Greek and Russian pilgrims. They have had no part 
 nor interest in the evening's performance, but have taken the 
 opportunity to come in and secure a place to pass the night so 
 as to be ready in the morning to take up a position near the 
 Holy Sepulchre to witness what is to them the most convinc- 
 ing proof of divine communion with men. This is the " mir- 
 acle" of the Holy Fire, scheduled to take place between three 
 and four o'clock on Saturday afternoon. The suffering these 
 people endure in order to witness this greatest of frauds is de- 
 serving of more consideration than it gets. For at least six- 
 teen hours they remain in the church possessed of one desire, 
 namely to witness the descent of the " holy fire " and to light 
 their candles from it. During at least eight of these hours 
 they stand in one place, crowded to suffocation and moving 
 only when some convulsion moves the entire mass or when the 
 Turkish soldiers force them aside to make a way for some 
 civil dignitary to pass through. 
 
 Pilgrims are not the only ones who are willing to put them- 
 selves to great inconvenience to behold this strange spectacle 
 and the cause of it. American and English ladies and gentle- 
 men have gone here early on the morning of this day, taken 
 their lunch with them, and securing the best place they could 
 find, there stayed through the long stifling hours, crushed and 
 crowded ; and treated to the continual din of a mob whose 
 shouting would drown the voices of the brokers on the floor of 
 the New York Stock Exchange on an exciting day. 
 
 No one can describe the scene that is enacted at this time. 
 
 It has been attempted many times, but without success. There 
 
 is nothing to which one can compare it, for there is nothing 
 
 on earth like it. Dean Stanley 1 tries to convey it to the 
 
 1 Sinai and Palestine, p. 466. 
 
276 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 minds of his readers by saying "A succession of gambols takes 
 place which an Englishman can only compare to a mixture of 
 prisoner's base, football and leap frog, round and round the 
 Holy Sepulchre." It is all this and much more. Added to 
 the shouts of men are the screams of women and the cries of 
 babies. One pities the babies and wonders at the folly of the 
 parents who bring them to such a place at such a time. Here 
 and there are men standing upon the shoulders of others or 
 walking about from shoulder to shoulder over the heads of 
 others, wildly gesticulating and yelling under the frenzy of re- 
 ligious enthusiasm. The Greek and Arab Christians are much 
 more vociferous than the Russians. It was formerly believed 
 that unless they ran around the tomb a certain number of times 
 the fire from heaven would not come. There is no such run- 
 ning now. Humanity is wedged together too closely, and the 
 bulwark of Turkish soldiers prevents it. 
 
 As the hour approached on Easter eve of 1895 when the 
 procession of Greek priests was expected to make its appear- 
 ance the noise was almost deafening. With wild shouting, 
 frenzied hand -clapping and blowing of horns the crowd 
 amused itself and the spectators in the galleries of the Latins, 
 where each consul is given an alcove to which he can invite 
 his male friends to the number of ten or more. The burden 
 of the shouting can be made out by practiced ears. A knot 
 of a dozen or so men stationed near the entrance of the 
 sepulchre are repeating in chorus and incessantly, "This is 
 the tomb of Jesus Christ." Not far from them are others 
 vying with them in loudness of tone, but their strain is " This 
 is the day the Jew mourns and the Christian rejoices." An- 
 other lot repeat "Jesus Christ has redeemed us." Amidst it 
 all can be heard occasionally, "God save the Sultan." For a 
 professedly religious exercise this is wondrously inappropriate. 
 The stolid Turkish soldiers, no doubt wondering at these un- 
 seemly acts and cries of Christians in this their most sacred 
 cathedral, stand around the sepulchre ready when the signal 
 
Passion Week and Easter 277 
 
 is given to clear a passage for the patriarchal procession or to 
 obey any command of their superiors. Strange as it may 
 seem these soldiers are a necessary adjunct to the affair. The 
 performance could not go on without them and yet their only 
 object is to keep the peace and prevent Christians of different 
 sects from shedding each other's blood. At this time more 
 than any other the feeling of bitter sectarianism runs high and 
 all it needs is for some brainless fanatic to transgress the rights 
 of some other than his own sect and a riot will be on in a 
 minute. This happened in 1834 and is likely to recur at any 
 time. On that occasion a disturbance took place and an order 
 was issued to suppress it. The soldiers were only too willing 
 to obey, and in a short time the floor was strewn with three 
 hundred bodies of those who had been slain by Turkish 
 weapons, or trampled to death during that short reign of 
 terror. The present soldiers look like men who would not 
 hesitate to repeat that scene with this generation of Christians 
 for their victims. 
 
 When two o'clock arrived on this particular afternoon Bed- 
 lam was equalled by the commotion and noise. All were in 
 suspense waiting for the signal for the procession to begin. 
 Time wore on till half-past two and there was no sign given. 
 A little difficulty had arisen about which the multitude knew 
 nothing. It was so trivial as to be childish, and yet it was 
 considered so serious that the patriarchs of the Greek and 
 Armenian Churches took it up, the Moslem Pasha of Jerusalem 
 was appealed to as an arbiter and it looked for a time as if the 
 coming of the "holy fire" was to be indefinitely postponed. 
 Seated as I was near the Pasha the whole by-play was plain 
 before me. First would come a Greek, then an Armenian, 
 each endeavoring to persuade His Excellency as to the justice 
 of his presentation of the facts. It was all over a miserable 
 little oil lamp worth a few cents, but it was Greek property, 
 and the Armenian had blown out its light by mistake or 
 touched it, or done something equally heinous, and deserved 
 
278 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 instant and severe punishment. The point was finally decided, 
 but not to the satisfaction of the Armenians, and the unholy 
 farce proceeded. 
 
 In former times all the Churches participated in this cere- 
 mony. The Greeks now assume entire responsibility for it 
 though the Armenians and Copts are represented in the pro- 
 cession. Up to the sixteenth century the Latins were eager 
 participants in it, but now the enmity existing for centuries 
 between these two Churches finds vent in the ridicule heaped by 
 the Latin priests, on the Greek fire. In " The Annals of the 
 Propagation of the Faith " they show their present estimate of 
 it by terming it "a ridiculous and superstitious ceremony." 
 
 Several bells in the Greek chapel begin ringing vigorously 
 and the crowd knows by this and by the voices of singers that 
 the first scene is about to be presented. Immediately room is 
 made by the double line of soldiers, as shoulder to shoulder 
 they back against the apparently solid mass of humanity 
 around the sepulchre and the walls of the rotunda. But the 
 way is cleared ; the banners, taking in the ritual the places of 
 images, are borne in front, and just after them is a double line 
 of singers and chanting priests, in all about fifty. For a time 
 the noise of the rabble ceases, but as the procession moves 
 slowly and with evident solemnity it again breaks out, and 
 along with the chanting is heard the shriek of the half-savage 
 Arab Christian. 
 
 One thing now noticed is the Holy Sepulchre chapel itself. 
 There it stands grim and silent and dark amid that sea of 
 faces and roar of voices — a quiet protest, one can almost 
 imagine, against the whole nefarious business. Every candle 
 and lamp has been extinguished. On ordinary feast days 
 there are hundreds of these burning. On the morning of this 
 day is the only time in the year when they are put out and 
 new candles and flesh oil supplied, all to be lighted again by 
 the fire from heaven. This absence of artificial light makes 
 the chapel have a neglected look. One sees it just as it is, 
 
Passion Week and Easter 279 
 
 with the exception of the cheap pictures which are hung 
 around it, and which look all the cheaper now. But this 
 absence of light within and without is necessary. There must 
 be no visible suggestion of imposture, no matter how much 
 actual imposture there may be. 
 
 The procession moves very slowly around, along the passage 
 flanked on both sides with soldiers. There is a tremor in the 
 crowd and in the very air itself as though something unusual 
 were about to take place — something more than the coming of 
 the fire. A number of Armenian priests having looks of de- 
 termination in their faces are standing on the south side of the 
 sepulchre near the wall of the rotunda. When the procession 
 is making its third round and the patriarch is about to ascend 
 to the little platform in front of the Holy Cave, there is a 
 grand rush on the part of the Armenians. It was a movement 
 that would have done honor to the rush line of a 'Varsity foot- 
 ball team. They forced their way through the crowd of pil- 
 grims, through the line of soldiers and placed one of their 
 priests right beside the Greek patriarch. Some such action on 
 their part was expected, and when it came Greeks and Turks 
 were partially prepared. Then there was war. It was a mass 
 of wriggling, struggling, shrieking priests and soldiers, each 
 apparently endeavoring to do all possible injury to whomever 
 he could reach. No respect was shown the patriarch. He 
 was pushed and pulled by his own and the opposing priests and 
 was only with difficulty saved from severe treatment. His 
 episcopal dignity was gone, his heavy crown almost rolled on 
 the floor and he himself was quivering with fright when they 
 finally got him out of the reach of harm. But the fight went 
 on. Greek trampled on Armenian, and Armenian on Greek, and 
 Turk on both. Though doing his very best the commanding 
 o r ficer seemed unable to separate the combatants. The bugle 
 rr.ng out time after time and detachment after detachment of 
 soldiers plunged into the melee. At times they seemed to 
 have it under control and then it would break out with re- 
 
280 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 newed vigor. This went on for fifteen minutes. Just how 
 much damage was done nobody will ever know. There were a 
 number of bruised faces and broken heads, and a report was 
 current that two pilgrims had died from the effects of injuries 
 received. An incident like this shows just how necessary the 
 soldiers are on these occasions. Had they not been on hand 
 these frenzied fanatics would have killed each other, and there 
 would have been little cause for regret if they had. 
 
 The trouble arose because of a desire on the part of the Ar- 
 menians to have two of their priests go with the Greek patri- 
 arch as far as the Chapel of the Angels. The Armenians 
 generally regard the holy fire as a fraud and their patriarch at 
 Jerusalem will have nothing to do with the perpetration of it. 
 He sends one of his ordinary priests to represent him. This 
 priest and a Coptic delegate have the right to go as far as the 
 above mentioned chapel, while the Greek patriarch goes alone 
 into the Sepulchre Chapel proper. This year, report says, 
 the Armenians tried to have two priests go in, not that they 
 cared thus to honor the "fire," but simply to annoy the 
 Greeks. This is what started this disgraceful row — the worst 
 for years — so say the Greeks ; the Armenians refuse to speak 
 of it ; which goes to prove that they were in the wrong, or 
 else are justly ashamed of having been party to the shameful 
 occurrence. 
 
 The Armenians failed to carry their point. America con- 
 tributed largely to their defeat. Just here the Greeks showed 
 their foresight. Anticipating trouble they had secured the 
 services of an American professional boxer and wrestler, fitted 
 him up in the garb of a priest and made him one of the patri- 
 arch's bodyguard. He did good service for the cause for 
 which he had been retained. As soon as the patriarch was in 
 danger the American seized him, forced his way through the 
 crowd and helped him into the sepulchre. Then he stood 
 guard at the door and as fast as any of the opposition came 
 in the way made them feel the force of his ponderous fist. It 
 
Passion Week and Easter 281 
 
 was a beautiful exhibition of professional skill, but not of a 
 profession usually associated with priests or exhibited in holy 
 places. 
 
 Quiet was finally restored. The patriarch was in the little 
 Chapel of the Sepulchre. The runners were at the openings 
 through which the fire would come if it came at all. Tourists 
 and pilgrims were on the alert to catch the first view of it. 
 In a few moments the hand of a priest reaching in drew out 
 what appeared to be a large torch all aflame, first on the side of 
 the Greeks and then on that of the Armenians. Off dashed 
 the runners with it to light the lamps and candles in the vari- 
 ous chapels near. A horseman carries it to Bethlehem and the 
 lamps in the Greek Church there and in the Grotto of the 
 Nativity are relighted. It is carried north, and the churches 
 and convents through the land as far as Nazareth get the fresh 
 fire. In an incredibly short time the whole floor of the ro- 
 tunda is a mass of moving flame. Pilgrims and tourists had 
 candles which they lit as fast as they could pass the fire from 
 one to the other. Every pilgrim believes that this light is 
 caused by the descent of the Spirit upon the tomb. Every 
 intelligent priest and tourist believes it is caused by the patri- 
 arch with the assistance of a match. The patriarch and priests 
 say nothing about it. They allow each to have his opinion. 
 
 In a recent conversation with one of the Greek priests, 
 one very near to the patriarch, I was informed that the 
 Church did not hold that this fire really came down from 
 heaven. "But," I replied, "do not the ignorant pilgrims, 
 and in fact the great majority of the membership of your 
 Church, so believe ; and does the Church through its spiritual 
 leaders do anything to let them know the truth about it ? " He 
 acknowledged that it did not and gave as a reason that it dared 
 not. The shock this information would give to the faith of 
 the pilgrims in their Church would be fatal. Their Church is 
 their religion and it has allowed them to believe, if it has not 
 actually taught them, that this fire is of divine origin, really 
 
282 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 the visible manifestation of God Himself. What ignorance on 
 the one hand ; what wretched weakness on the other ! 
 
 In ten minutes after the first appearance of the fire every 
 candle and lamp has been lighted. The pilgrims have held 
 their hands in the flame of their tapers and not been burned, 
 have let the melted wax run onto their hands and then rubbed 
 them over their faces and through their hair. Up the stairs, 
 through the dark passages, into every chapel and alcove the 
 fire has been passed. Everything is rejoicing in fresh illumi- 
 nation except the Latin chapels and that part of the rotunda 
 in the second story belonging to the Franciscans. In this lat- 
 ter place are the consuls of the various powers with their 
 friends. In that part assigned to the American were a couple 
 of gentlemen who wished to take away some memento of the 
 occasion and had brought candles to light, let burn awhile and 
 then extinguish. Not knowing the absolute enmity of the 
 Franciscans against the recent proceedings they took the fire 
 from some Greeks in a near apartment which communicated 
 with theirs by a grated window. In an instant an infuriated 
 creature in the garb of a monk rushed in, seized the candles in 
 the hand of one of the party and before the owner of them 
 knew what was going on had torn them from his grasp. Then 
 turning to another whose candles were still burning he seized 
 these and extinguished them. This person had recovered 
 from his surprise and resenting what looked like an uncalled 
 for insult treated the monk to a specimen of true American re- 
 sentment. The surprise was now on the other side and when 
 the brother gathered himself together he immediately appealed 
 to the French consul who is the protector of the Latins. 
 Matters were soon explained between the two consuls and 
 peace restored for the time. This incident proved that the 
 Latins are just as violent in their fanaticism as the Greeks 
 whom they ridicule on this account. And no less a personage 
 than the president of the Franciscan convent was the chief 
 actor in this scene. 
 
Passion Week and Easter 283 
 
 As soon as all have received the fire the wild enthusiasm 
 ceases so suddenly as to excite wonder. All the curious vis- 
 itors leave the church, glad the weird, wild ceremony is over 
 and rejoicing to be again in the fresh air. They have seen the 
 "holy fire" once, and once is enough for all time. But the 
 pilgrims do not leave the church. For them there is yet 
 something of importance, and they are to spend another night 
 within the sacred enclosure. When the shadows deepen they 
 can be seen — men and women — as on the previous night, 
 sleeping in every available corner except the Latin chapel. 
 They are preparing themselves for the midnight office, when 
 the services of Easter morning begin. 
 
 With the coming of the "holy fire" the main part of the 
 Greek Easter is over. Surely no one ought to be more thank- 
 ful that it is passed than the patriarch himself. To be con- 
 scious of having played the chief part in a stupendous fraud, 
 a part he must play or be deposed from his patriarchate, 1 must 
 belittle a man in his own estimation. Taking everything into 
 consideration, the place, the time and the attendant circum- 
 stances, this so-called " miracle of the holy fire " is as Dean 
 Stanley characterizes it, " probably the most offensive delusion 
 to be found in the world." 
 
 The perpetrators of this unprofitable and inexcusable fraud 
 claim for the practice a very great antiquity ; and justly, for it 
 is mentioned by a traveller 2 as early as the ninth century. It 
 has been continued ever since during Christian occupation of 
 the city ; it was one of the causes that led to the destruction 
 of the church by the Caliph Hakam. On the reconstruction 
 of the building the " holy fire " rite was revived and just be- 
 fore the Crusaders entered Jerusalem one of the Fatimite 
 
 1 Van Egmont gives an account of an exile he met at Mount Sinai who 
 had refused appointment to the Jerusalem patriarchate because of his un- 
 willingness to take part in what he regarded as a fraud. See Sinai and 
 Palestine, p. 470, note. 
 
 * Bernard the Wise 870 c. Early Travels in Palestine. 
 
284 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 caliphs of Egypt is said to have tested the genuineness of the 
 miracle. Instead of permitting the use of ordinary wicks for 
 the lamps, he had iron ones prepared, rightly inferring that if 
 the fire was from heaven the quality of the wicks would not 
 affect its appearance. We are informed that the fire appeared 
 as usual and the iron wicks immediately ignited. 
 
 Just when or why this ceremony was first performed no one 
 can say positively. It may have been one of the earliest of 
 the miracle-plays in which was represented the descent of the 
 Holy Spirit on the first Pentecost after our Lord's ascension, 
 when "There appeared cloven tongues like as of fire and it 
 sat upon each of them." * Or it may be a continuation into 
 Christian times of a belief that was prevalent in ancient days 
 among most peoples — a belief in the miraculous appearance of 
 fire. The modern Moslems assert that on every Friday this 
 dazzling heavenly light appears in the tombs of their saints. 
 On a visit 2 to the Mosque at Hebron I was informed by one of 
 the sheikhs that the reason the cave where the bodies of the 
 patriarchs lie buried is closed up by masonry is because of the 
 powerful light within which would immediately strike with 
 blindness or even death any one who was unfortunate enough 
 to behold it. 
 
 Whatever was originally symbolized by this Greek fire has 
 been so long lost that nothing now remains but the supersti- 
 tious idea of the pilgrims that it is the manifestation of God. 
 How long this idea will hold them depends upon the power of 
 the Church to keep the people in ignorance. The ceremony 
 is not the same in every particular as formerly ; certain fea- 
 tures have been omitted, as, for instance, the letting out of a 
 dove from the sepulchre just before the fire appeared. The 
 continuance of the whole observance is a sacrilege and an evi- 
 dence of great weakness in the Church that is responsible for it. 
 
 By ten o'clock on Sunday morning Easter is over. In the 
 grounds about the Russian buildings a general moving day has 
 
 1 Acts ii. 3. « May 13th, 1895, m company with Minister Terrell. 
 
Passion Week and Easter 285 
 
 come. Hundreds have their bundles and boxes packed and 
 are waiting for porters and wagons to carry them to the station 
 near the colony of the German Templars, half a mile south - 
 west of the city. A special train takes the uncouth, but exult- 
 ant pilgrims to Jaffa, where after many tribulations they are 
 transported from the shore to a Russian ship that is waiting to 
 convey them to Odessa. On arriving there they separate and 
 seek their various homes in the land of the Tsar. 
 
THE JEWS IN JERUSALEM 
 
The Jew and Civilization — Religion and Culture — Unfair 
 Estimate of the Hebrew — Peculiar — Persecutions — Number of 
 Jews in Jerusalem — A Census — Variety of Jews — Increasing — 
 Causes of Increase — Prohibition — Departures — Racial Purity 
 — Divisions — Ashkenazim — Sephardim — Persians — Yemenites 
 — Caraites — Chassidim — Bond of Religion — Rabbis — Syna- 
 gogues — Wall of Wailing — Visitors — Wretched Homes — Suf- 
 fering — Jewish Colonies — Home Life — Respect for Parents — 
 Jewish Women — Resemblance to Arabs — Education — Schools 
 — Unwisdom of the Jew — Marriages — Divorce — Religious 
 Feasts — Day of Atonement — Purim — Tabernacles — Supersti- 
 tions — Messianic Beliefs — Christian Missions — A Charem — 
 Opposition to Missions — Haluka, or Charity Funds — Kolil 
 America — Jewish Nationalism. 
 
 288 
 
CHAPTER XVI 
 
 THE JEWS IN JERUSALEM 
 
 THE features and the habits of the descendants of Jacob 
 are known in every part of the civilized world. The 
 Jew has been the agent of civilization. His proverbial acute- 
 ness has led him to reap the benefits of civilization ; while in 
 his world-wide dispersion he has carried the advantages of 
 civilization with him to quarters where its benign influence 
 had not been felt. Whatever the popular view may be, the 
 Jew has undoubtedly been an advance agent and a continuing 
 force in the spread of civilization. 
 
 When the legions of Titus destroyed Jerusalem and drove its 
 inhabitants into exile, the homeless ones carried into strange 
 lands their religion and their culture. Of their religion his- 
 torians have told us again and again. But of their culture we 
 are not so well informed. The historians of this people give 
 an undue weight to their religious beliefs and practices. There 
 is a large volume yet to be written concerning their intellec- 
 tual and aesthetic beliefs and practices. To the lack of such 
 accounts is due the great ignorance among people otherwise 
 intelligent as to the Jew's contribution to the present state of 
 the civilized world. We have estimated the race long enough 
 from what we have seen of a few specimens of peddlers and 
 dealers in old clothes ; or perhaps from that sleek and sly 
 representative who is always on the alert to benefit himself at 
 the expense of others regardless of the method. It ought to 
 be remembered that these are exceptions, the dregs, as it were, 
 of a people, which, in whatever land it has been, has con- 
 tributed largely to its moral, intellectual and political advance- 
 ment. 
 
 289 
 
290 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 With these few preliminary remarks we turn to view the 
 remnant of this people, which, in its wanderings, has found 
 its way back to its ancestral city. 
 
 Wherever the Jew is he is worthy of intelligent considera- 
 tion. He has always been regarded as peculiar ; and justly 
 so. Because of this peculiarity he is doubtfully regarded in 
 most communities and in some looked upon with a disfavor so 
 decided that it results in persecution. The Anti-Semitism, 
 which is disgracefully conspicuous in some parts of the world 
 even now, is directed against this peculiarity. To my mind it 
 is but the expression of envy and is a method which meanness 
 takes to injure a successful rival. It has been the cause in 
 times past and now of bringing back to Jerusalem the descend- 
 ants of its former inhabitants. 
 
 In the days of Ferdinand and Isabella, when the Jews were 
 driven from Spain, some of the refugees never rested perma- 
 nently till they found protection under the Sultan and made 
 homes for themselves in the then poor little city that occupied 
 part of the site of the once glorious capital of their nation. 
 There are families here now who can trace their descent in 
 unbroken line from these victims of Spanish oppression. 
 
 Many cities of America and Europe have larger Jewish 
 populations than has this — the world's capital of Judaism. 
 London and New York each has more of these people than 
 can be found in all Palestine. The superiority in population 
 of these cities does not, however, detract from the religious 
 preeminence of the City of Zion, nor can it give them the 
 place in the hearts or the prayers of this scattered people that 
 Jerusalem holds. 
 
 Of the 85,000 Jews in Palestine fully one-half are living 
 within the walls of Jerusalem, or in the twenty-three colonies 
 that cluster just outside the walls. This number, 42,500, is 
 an estimate only, but is made after careful investigation by 
 good judges. No house-to-house census is ever taken here. 
 The Jews are opposed to it on the grounds of religion, and on 
 
The Jews in Jerusalem 291 
 
 very good financial grounds also. They fear a new tax, and 
 would certainly prevaricate to avoid it. 
 
 Among the number of Jews here can be found citizens of 
 nearly every country on earth. The list of strangers who were 
 in the city on the Day of Pentecost, as described in the second 
 chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, can be duplicated to-day 
 and increased by the names of many lands and nations of 
 which history was not then cognizant. These foreign subjects 
 remain foreigners, their papers of citizenship bring the evi- 
 dence of their right to protection under some Christian flag, 
 though they dwell in the Sultan's realm. Fully one-half of 
 the Jewish residents owe allegiance to foreign powers. This 
 is, no doubt, a good thing for them, but it is hardly justice to 
 the Turk, nor in fact to the power that protects them. The 
 various Sultans of Turkey have shown great courtesy to the 
 Jews at various times, but just now the Jews under foreign 
 protection seem to prefer to remain there. For political rea- 
 sons Jewish Congresses may pass resolutions complimenting 
 the Sultan, as we have recently seen, but at the same time and 
 for the same reasons the members passing the resolutions prefer 
 not to transfer their citizenship. 
 
 The number of Jews in Jerusalem is slowly increasing. 
 During the last years of the decade previous to 1890 the in- 
 crease was phenomenal. Cruel oppression in Russia com- 
 pelled many to look elsewhere for homes and their eyes turned 
 longingly to the land promised to their fathers. They came 
 in large numbers, hoping to better their condition, and, had 
 the free entrance granted at that time been continued, the 
 Hebrew population of to-day would have been at least double 
 what it is. Just why the permission was not continued no One 
 outside of official circles knows. Their coming certainly 
 would have added to the importance and wealth of Palestine. 
 But the Turkish authorities are sensitive and perhaps they felt 
 that a large increase of these foreigners would so complicate 
 matters as to give rise to difficulties of a serious political na- 
 
292 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 ture. They would soon present a problem which the Turkish 
 authorities might have great trouble in solving. In order not 
 to have to solve it Jewish immigration was prohibited. Now 
 they do not come in large numbers, but this part of the city's 
 population is continually on the increase. Hardly a vessel 
 puts in at Jaffa, but leaves one or more who has come to live 
 in the Holy City. 
 
 The officials of Jaffa frequently exercise their authority 
 against these newcomers and some having made the long 
 journey are not allowed to set foot on shore. However, more 
 land in joy than depart in sorrow. When the strict passport 
 regulations have been complied with, there is little difficulty. 
 
 That the prohibition does not prohibit may be easily in- 
 ferred from the continued increase of the Jewish population in 
 the cities and colonies. In Jerusalem new houses are con- 
 tinually being built, and as soon as they are finished, they are 
 occupied. At the same time it must be noted that many are 
 leaving the Holy City and Land to join the dispersion among 
 the Gentiles. The young men and women, many of them, 
 have a longing to experience a more active life than can be 
 enjoyed here. Reports of business prosperity come to them 
 from friends who have preceded them and a desire to partici- 
 pate in similar successes impels them to desert for a time the 
 quiet, unbusinesslike city of their fathers. Many of these 
 more progressive ones look to the great Republic across the 
 Atlantic, and, as soon as they have means sufficient to pay 
 their passage, thither they go. I have met many of these, 
 but among them have never known one who was leaving with- 
 out the intention to return. They are going to sojourn for a 
 time in the city of the stranger and then come back and make 
 a home in the city they love. To have a competence sufficient 
 to enable them to live comfortably in Jerusalem is their ideal, 
 and to obtain it they are willing to endure years of exile. 
 
 A study of the Jew in modern Jerusalem will compel the 
 honest inquirer to revise some of his preconceived notions of 
 
The Jews in Jerusalem 293 
 
 the Jewish race. There is no doubt that as a race the Jews 
 are more clearly defined and of purer descent than any other 
 civilized nation of to-day. Because of their general refusal to 
 intermarry with the people among whom they are resident, 
 and because of their strict adherence to their law, which 
 applies to every department of life, they have remained apart. 
 That this exclusiveness and obedience to law have resulted in 
 racial purity is not to be wondered at. At the same time they 
 have not produced unity in the race, and when we discourse 
 about the Jewish type, we must, in order to be exact, describe 
 what type, for they are many. In the varied experiences 
 through which these people have passed during historical 
 times, foreign elements have been forcibly engrafted upon 
 them and Jewish maidens have become the wives of their con- 
 querors. At least in one instance a whole non-Jewish tribe — 
 the Chazari — became converted to Judaism and were assimi- 
 lated. The Jew also is no exception to the rule that a person is 
 affected by climatic and social conditions. He comes in time 
 to resemble the people among whom he lives and to partake to 
 a greater or less degree of their peculiarities. This will 
 account for the great variety of Jew, in appearance, in habits, 
 and in intelligence, as seen in Jerusalem to-day. The 
 Occidental Jew differs in every respect from his Oriental co- 
 religionist as much as the American differs from the Arab. 
 
 Among the Jerusalem Jews there are several clearly marked 
 divisions, divisions not caused by religious variations, except 
 in the case of the Caraites, but due to the difference in locality. 
 The largest division is that of the Ashkenazim, and includes 
 those from Russia and the countries of Central Europe. These 
 all speak a common language. It is called Yiddish and is a 
 jargon in which German predominates, though Russian and 
 Hebrew words are not uncommon and English has been drawn 
 upon to some extent. The construction of this conglomerate 
 speech is that of the German, but the method of speaking and 
 the accent given to many of the words make it difficult for 
 
294 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 those acquainted with pure German to understand. The 
 written Yiddish is even more anomalous and hence more 
 difficult. 
 
 Among the Ashkenazim one meets a great variety of people. 
 There is the Russian Jew, a man whose ancestors have for 
 generations lived in the land of the Tsar. He resembles the 
 pure Russian in many ways. There is the German Jew, the 
 English and the American, each partaking in some measure 
 of the peculiar traits of the people among whom he lived be- 
 fore coming here. Most of these are of foreign birth and it is 
 only within comparatively recent years that they have begun 
 to be "lovers of Zion " to an extent sufficient to induce them 
 to come and live within her walls. The injustice which they 
 have suffered in Russia has no doubt impelled many to leave 
 that land and to seek the peace they longed for within the 
 Sultan's dominions. From choice and a desire to dwell on 
 holy soil and be buried in it those from America and England 
 have come. 
 
 The next division in point of numbers is the Sephardim.. 
 These come from the Latin countries of Europe and date their 
 arrival from the persecutions that were inflicted upon them, 
 because of their religion, at the close of the fourteenth cen- 
 tury. Theirs was an honorable position in Spain especially, 
 and in Portugal, Italy and France. Spanish injustice deprived 
 them of their honors, confiscated their lands and sent them 
 adrift as homeless wanderers to find dwellings where they 
 could. Many went to Holland, many to Italy, taking with 
 them their culture and abilities in the learned professions. 
 Some wandered as far as Constantinople and found protection 
 under the reigning Sultan, Salim, and gained high positions 
 under him and his successors during the sixteenth century. 
 Some came to Jerusalem, and their descendants are here yet. 
 They brought back with them the culture and refinement for 
 which they were noted even in courtly Spain, and these excel- 
 lent parts are seen in some of their descendants who have never 
 
The Jews in Jerusalem 295 
 
 been outside of Palestine. Many of them are poor, but poverty 
 has not detracted from their manhood or gentility. 
 
 In this respect they are generally in favorable contrast to 
 the Ashkenazim. The latter are less careful in their personal 
 appearance and in the condition of their residences. The 
 cause of this is not that the Ashkenazim are poorer, for the 
 opposite is the case. It is due to previous conditions. The 
 Askenaz is the descendant of the Ghetto and the limitations 
 that were then prescribed bind him in a measure still. 
 
 It has at times struck me as something surprising how 
 cheaply and how apparently comfortably a Sephardim family 
 can live. In some cases the father by his daily toil earns but* 
 two dollars per week. It suffices, and he does not ask that it 
 be augmented by a donation from the charity funds which are 
 contributed for the support of their unfortunate co-religionists 
 by prosperous Jews in other parts of the world. 
 
 The next division in point of numbers is the Jews from 
 Persia. These are strictly Oriental in appearance and in hab- 
 its. With few exceptions they are poor in this world's goods, 
 having come from a country where opportunities for money- 
 getting are limited. They have become victims of a habit 
 very common in the Orient, namely that of begging, and per- 
 sist in practicing it even when there is no need of doing so. 
 Of all the Jews here they are the most ignorant and, like their 
 ancestors of long ago, have partaken deeply of Persian super- 
 stition ; in their social life too they are, as a class, degraded. 
 
 Another type of Jew has within the past few years made his 
 appearance in the Holy City. He differs as much from the 
 Occidental Jew as the lithe, sinewy Bedouin of the desert 
 differs from the heavy, coarse-featured Russian. Having come 
 fn m Yemen this people are called, for lack of a better term, 
 Yemenites. In appearance they are very dark-skinned, small- 
 featured and of medium height. Their history is not well 
 known, but they are thought to be descendants of the tribe of 
 Gad, who, after the exile in Babylon, went southward and 
 
296 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 settled in Arabia, preferring a voluntary exile to a return to 
 their devasted city among the Judean hills. The story of their 
 return now, as it has been told me, has much of the romantic 
 and pathetic in it. Cut off from all communications with the 
 outside world they had become possessed with the belief that 
 their long-promised Messiah was about to make his appearance 
 in Jerusalem. Wishing to be present at that sublime event 
 forty families made the arduous journey from their Arabian 
 homes to Jerusalem. Having no means and no friends their 
 condition was, on their arrival, pitiable. Applications for as- 
 sistance made to the local rabbis were treated coldly, and in 
 ; their perplexity these Yemenites camped on a vacant lot on the 
 Jaffa road just outside the city and as the people passed called 
 upon all alike to witness their condition and help them. This 
 appeal aroused the Jewish authorities to activity and temporary 
 homes were provided for them. They were worthy people and 
 have since demonstrated their industry and thrift. Some of 
 them are now well-to-do and own their own little, well-kept 
 homes. 
 
 The Caraites are a very small community consisting in all 
 of about fifty souls. They are in disfavor with all the other 
 Jews because of their non-acceptance of the Talmud. They 
 discard all of the Mishnic, or Oral Law, and regard the Old 
 Testament as " the only rule of faith and practice." This sect 
 of Jews was founded at Bagdad, but most of its adherents are 
 now living in southern Russia. Their liturgy is much simpler 
 and more impressive than that used in the orthodox synagogues. 
 While very firm in their beliefs they have but little influence in 
 the social or religious life of the city. They are possessed of 
 but one synagogue, which is located almost in the centre of 
 the town and from its condition appears to be one of the oldest 
 structures. It is almost entirely underground. In it are some 
 rare old manuscripts. The Caraites are thought to resemble 
 the old Sadducean party and are designated by Conder as 
 
The Jews in Jerusalem 297 
 
 "low Church" Jews. They are certainly the most liberal 
 Jewish sect here. 
 
 To these divisions, which largely follow national lines, there 
 are others which are marked by religious differences. The 
 Chassidim are, as their name implies, the ultra-pious Jews, and 
 are now, as they have been since post-exilic times, the bul- 
 wark of Jewish orthodoxy. They first organized themselves to 
 resist the Grecianizing influences that were alienating the peo- 
 ple from their pure Jehovah worship. Their present purpose 
 is similar to the ancient one, but the power against which they 
 direct their energies is Christianity. Although arrogating to 
 themselves the special virtues of protecting Judaism and call- 
 ing themselves " the pious ones " the Jerusalem representatives 
 have been sufficiently active in worldly affairs to obtain a fair 
 share of temporal wealth. As a class they are considered the 
 wealthiest among the Jerusalem Jews, though those from Russia 
 are generally quite poor. Their number in the city is about 
 three thousand five hundred. 
 
 From a knowledge of the various divisions of Judaism in the 
 Holy City, and from a study that has proved to me that the 
 Jew represents in appearance and in character " all sorts and 
 conditions of men " I have come to the conclusion that Isaac 
 DTsraeli was correct in saying that, "The Jewish people are 
 not a nation, for they consist of many nations; they are 
 Spanish or Portuguese, German or Polish ; they are Italian, 
 English and French, and, like the chameleon, they reflect the 
 color of the spot they rest on. The people of Israel are like 
 the waters running through the countries, tinged in their course 
 with all the varieties of the soil where they deposit themselves. 
 After a few generations the Hebrews assimilate with the char- 
 acter, and are actuated by the feelings of the nation of which 
 they become part. What a distinct people are the Jews of 
 London, of Paris, of Amsterdam, from the Jews of Morocco, 
 Damascus and the Volga." While this is true, it is no less so 
 that amid this great variety there is one strong bond that 
 
298 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 makes them a homogeneous people. It is the bond of a com- 
 mon religion, stronger than any obligation imposed upon them 
 by the nations to which they have attached themselves; to 
 which they have generously contributed of their energies and 
 talents, and for which, when occasion required it, they have 
 not hesitated to shed their blood. 
 
 This bond of religion that holds so firmly is what makes 
 unity amidst such great diversity. It is what has kept 
 the Jews a "peculiar people," and, unfortunately, it has been 
 the real cause of much of the persecution they have endured 
 during their sojourn among the nations. In no place in the 
 world will this religion in its purity be seen to better and to 
 worse advantage than in Jerusalem. To better advantage, be- 
 cause here are living pious Jews who are " Israelites indeed," 
 men who combine zeal in their religion with the highest 
 qualities of genuine manhood, and who would be respected 
 for their sterling worth in any place where honor and real 
 character are appreciated. It can here be seen at its worst, 
 because there are those who, under the pretense of piety and 
 with a show of zeal, practice to deceive, their sole object be- 
 ing to impose upon the charitable feelings of their co-religion- 
 ists in other parts of the world, and thus to maintain them- 
 selves in comfortable idleness. I am sorry to have to record 
 as my belief that the latter class outnumbers the former. I 
 am sustained in this view by the opinions of many of the 
 honorable Jews here. 
 
 Rabbi is a very familiar title among the Jews in Jerusalem. 
 How many are deserving enough to have it applied to them is a 
 question. In most instances it is simply used as a term of re- 
 spect. There are those, however, who exercise the functions 
 of masters and are recognized by their people as acting within 
 their jurisdiction when they do so. Chief among these and 
 the one officially recognized by the Turkish government 
 authorities is the Chachem Bashi, Jacob Saul Elyashur. He 
 is a man of great age, being nearly ninety, and of great 
 
The Jews in Jerusalem 299 
 
 power. In a recent test of strength he proved himself a 
 greater force in the community than the Moslem Pasha of 
 Palestine. Other rabbis, such as Joshua Diskin and Samuel 
 Salant, are known, the former for his erudition, the latter for 
 his executive ability, wherever Jews are found. 
 
 In every quarter of the city, within and without the walls, 
 small synagogues are located. The entire number is about 
 two hundred. It must not be thought, however, that each 
 synagogue is a separate building. Any room in any building 
 may be devoted to this purpose, provided it has been properly 
 consecrated. It is the ambition of many aged Jews, who 
 come here to die and be buried in the holy soil of Olivet, to 
 provide for the establishment of a small synagogue, in which 
 prayers may be offered. 
 
 Any ten adult males — a Jew reaches his majority at thirteen 
 — may petition to have such a room set apart where they may 
 read their prayers and spend their time in the study of their 
 Law. Such a petition is usually granted provided the peti- 
 tioners pledge themselves to see that their synagogue is prop- 
 erly maintained. 
 
 Three large synagogues are located within the walls in the 
 Jewish quarter. Two of these belong to the Sephardim and 
 are known as Beth Yakob, or House of Jacob, and Tiphereth 
 Israel, or the Glory of Israel. K'hal Stambouli, the Stamboul 
 Congregation, is the large meeting-place of the Ashkenazim. 
 There are here really four synagogues in one, which united 
 can accommodate eight hundred worshippers. At all hours of 
 the day men will be found in these larger structures busily en- 
 gaged in the study of the Talmud and in prayer. Many of 
 these are aged men who have spent their lives in this way, 
 supported by the charity of the pious Jews of foreign lands, 
 who, themselves unable to come to Jerusalem, thus secure a 
 representative whose prayers ascend from the Holy City for 
 them. It maybe truthfully said now that "Prayer is made 
 continually in Jerusalem." 
 
300 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 Not a synagogue, but a place as holy to the Jew and to the 
 Gentile far more interesting, is a small paved court near the 
 southwest corner of the wall enclosing the Haram area. This 
 is the "Place of Wailing," — the nearest approach the pious 
 Jew ever makes to the sacred enclosure within which formerly 
 stood the Temple of his God. Here on a Friday evening and 
 on fast days may be witnessed a sight unparalleled for strange- 
 ness and pathos. Against the stones of the old wall that were 
 put in place by the masons of long ago Jewish men and 
 women, quaint specimens of a once great nation — stand and 
 read their prayers and weep over their departed glories and 
 their desolated city, just as their fathers wept by the waters of 
 Babylon. The old stones are worn smooth by the affectionate 
 kisses of the faithful and by the touch of reverent hands. It 
 is hard to doubt that these tears are sincere. Surely as a 
 people the Jews have suffered enough to warrant their tears, 
 and here in the shadow of the temple wall the meagreness of 
 their present privileges is sufficient to suggest the bitterness of 
 their experiences. 
 
 On a day that permits this small court will be filled with 
 men and women who have come to beseech Jehovah to re- 
 member with favor His ancient people. It is a strange gather- 
 ing, unlike any other on earth. To the frivolous observer the 
 varied and quaint costumes, the peculiar intonations and the 
 unusual motions of the body are amusing, but the serious man 
 considers their motive which lends an air of sanctity to the 
 place. Surely a plot of ground that has been a place of 
 prayer for centuries has some claims to reverence, and a peo- 
 ple who through generations have continued faithful to their 
 religious convictions, however mistaken they may be, will be 
 treated with disrespect only by the despicable. 
 
 The practice of meeting at the "Wall of Wailing" has 
 continued since the Middle Ages. The same litany has been 
 chanted all these years and the same prayers read. And the 
 end is not yet ! In their chant the leader says, " We sit in 
 
The Jews in Jerusalem 301 
 
 solitude and mourn, for the palace that is destroyed ; for the 
 walls that are overthrown ; for our majesty that is departed ; 
 for the great men who lie dead ; for the precious stones that 
 are burned ; for the priests who have stumbled ; for our kings 
 who have despised us." After each of these statements the 
 people respond in pathetic tones, " We sit in solitude and 
 mourn." Occasionally another prayer is used. The leader 
 says, " May peace and joy abide with Zion," and the sug- 
 gestive response comes, ' ' And may the Branch spring up at 
 Jerusalem." 
 
 Few of the many annual visitors from Europe and America 
 take the trouble to visit the real Jewish quarter of the city, 
 and they thus miss a lasting impression. There are places of 
 human habitation that are as wretched as some of these, but 
 surely there can be none that surpass them in squalor. More 
 unwholesome residences could not be devised than are some of 
 these underground hovels where no breath of untainted air 
 ever finds its way. From observations made by day and by 
 night in these wretched holes, misnamed homes, I think I 
 have learned one of the secrets of the indestructibility of the 
 Hebrews : they can survive and increase and seem to thrive 
 amid conditions that would be fatal to the average mortal. 
 
 It is amazing how many of these people can live in one 
 small room, a room whose only method of ventilation is by 
 the door, which during the night is closed and barred. Ten 
 is not an uncommon number to find thus living. There will 
 be little furniture in such a room and the beds are but heaps 
 of rags on the floor. There are those even too poor to afford 
 such meagre accommodations. Some of these are provided 
 for in places not fit for cattle. I have seen in this quarter of 
 the city deserted wives with their young children sleeping in 
 sheltered corners of alleys and under low arches that span the 
 narrow streets. In winter when the weather is severe, as it 
 frequently is, the suffering among the homeless poor is very 
 great. At such times the synagogues are thrown open and 
 
302 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 men and boys who have no more comfortable place are al- 
 lowed to sleep on the floors. How these unfortunates manage 
 to keep soul and body together is a mystery more difficult of 
 solution than that which surrounds the fate of the charity 
 funds that are poured into the coffers of the rabbis. 
 
 From the contemplation of such scenes it is pleasant to turn 
 to the Jewish colonies outside the walls, and which nearly sur- 
 round the city. The houses in these are usually small, but 
 comfortable and sufficiently exposed for the circulation of 
 fresh air. At the same time one cannot avoid the conclusion, 
 after visiting some of these colonies and seeing what they are 
 and what they might be, that their inhabitants prefer to have 
 their surroundings filthy and to see to what extent they can 
 violate all sanitary laws and still live. 
 
 In treating of the home life of Jerusalem Jews only the most 
 general statements can be made. There are Jewish homes 
 here just as commodious and as tastefully furnished and as 
 carefully kept as any homes in the city. Israel has always 
 been noted for the purity of its home life. In the true Jewish 
 home there abides a spirit of devotion to religion, often bur- 
 densome to be sure, because bound in the fetters of rabbi nism. 
 The law provided for the regulation of home life, but at the 
 same time permitted a certain freedom of action. Rabbinism, 
 which descends to minutest particulars, leaves no room for 
 choice. Its followers are slaves to the letter, and thus make a 
 perpetual task of what was intended to be a continual joy. 
 This "joy in the Lord" is what one misses in these homes. 
 One noticeable positive virtue is the respect and reverence 
 which the children have for their parents. This is universal. 
 It is inculcated in infancy and continues through life. Hos- 
 pitality is also practiced to the extent of the means of the head 
 of the family. In morals the Jews everywhere will be found 
 to compare favorable with any class of people. These domes- 
 tic and moral virtues, which are Israel's strength, cannot be 
 separated from his religion, for they are part of it. An un- 
 
The Jews in Jerusalem 303 
 
 dutiful child is impious ; an immoral person is irreligious ; the 
 Law severely condemns both. 
 
 In the home the wife is the equal of her husband. She is 
 not so regarded, however, in the synagogue, nor has she any 
 voice in public affairs. She does not count as a member of 
 the congregation, and her place when she attends public wor- 
 ship is in a retired part of the synagogue, usually a small, re- 
 mote gallery, where she can see and hear, but not be seen. 
 In any question that concerns the community her husband is 
 the one to act. She may advise him, but he alone is respon- 
 sible for results. I have never heard of a case in Jerusalem of 
 a wife being dissatisfied with this arrangement. 
 
 In one particular concerning the family the native Jerusalem 
 Jew resembles his Arab half-brother. He wishes his children 
 all to be boys, and when a girl baby is born the rejoicing over 
 the event is not nearly so marked as it would have been had 
 the little one been a boy. The congratulations of friends are 
 regulated by the sex of the infant. This is a peculiarity which 
 is accounted for because of the religious superiority of males. 
 In one other respect, namely that of education, the boys have 
 the advantage over their sisters here. Boys' schools are abun- 
 dant. In them the pupils are taught the rudiments of a general 
 education and prepared for a career of usefulness. There are 
 also industrial schools where trades are learned, and Talmud- 
 Torah schools where special religious instruction is given. In 
 the latter years are passed, lives oftentimes, in traversing "the 
 sea of the Talmud." There is just one school for girls. It is 
 supported by the Paris branch of the Rothschild family, and 
 is called the Evelyn Rothschild School for Girls. This insti- 
 tution is ably conducted and has an attendance of three hun- 
 dred and fifty. It is an innovation not fully approved of by 
 the rabbis. Perhaps it would be unjust to say that these mas- 
 ters do not wish their women to know anything ; the fact re- 
 mains that they do not establish ariy other schools of this kind. 
 
 This failure to provide for the education of his daughters is 
 
304 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 one evidence of the unwisdom of the Jerusalem Jew ; another 
 evidence is seen in the marriage customs that largely prevail. 
 Rabbinical laws regulate these also. To an uninitiated ob- 
 server the majority of marriages here seem to be mere alliances 
 for convenience. They are arranged by parents or friends 
 and the young couple simply carry out the arrangements. 
 Financial considerations have great weight, and the bride us- 
 ually furnishes the weightier ones. But such marriages are 
 not confined to Jerusalem, nor to Paris ; not to the Jews, nor 
 to the French. Divorce among the Jews here is a very common 
 occurrence and more easily obtained than in Oklahoma. Un- 
 der certain conditions polygamy is admissible, though it is 
 practiced only by the Sephardim, and very rarely. The 
 Chacham Bashi has two wives, as has also the chief rabbi of 
 the Mughrabee Jews. They seem not to be thought any less 
 of for this indulgence. 
 
 In the observance of their great annual religious feasts the 
 spirit of Judaism is manifest. To properly celebrate some of 
 these requires the temple and an officiating priesthood. In 
 the absence of these the impressiveness of the service is lost 
 and the effort to supply something that will make up for the 
 loss is pitiable and in some instances almost ridiculous. The 
 Day of Atonement is still observed in a way. None knows 
 better than the Jews themselves how far it fails to be the sol- 
 emn impressive day that it once was in Jerusalem. But the 
 modern service could and should be improved upon. It could 
 point in a clearer and more serious way to the necessity of 
 true repentance. The spiritual degeneracy of Judaism is seen 
 in this, that its most sacredly solemn Day has become a sub- 
 ject for ridicule. Twisting the neck of a young fowl is re- 
 garded as a sufficient substitute for the requirements of the 
 sixteenth chapter of Leviticus. In preparation for the Day of 
 Atonement some of the Chassidim, those who would be consid- 
 ered of special holiness, gather in the synagogue and submit 
 themselves to the " whip of scourging," As they lie on the 
 
The Jews in Jerusalem 305 
 
 floor in the attitude of humiliation each receives the "forty 
 stripes save one." 
 
 The Feast of Purim is still kept vigorously. The deliver- 
 ance of the exiled portion of their race from the massacre 
 arranged by the devices of Haman was a divine intervention 
 not to be forgotten. The name "Purim" is used in irony, 
 perhaps, because Haman was given to casting "lots," and 
 did so on this occasion in order to learn which would be the 
 most auspicious day for the inauguration of the proposed 
 slaughter. Formerly there were certain days on which it was 
 considered improper for this festival to be begun. But now the 
 custom seems to be to commence the celebration as soon as the 
 stars appear on the fourteenth of the month Adar. It will be 
 remembered that the day is considered by the Jews as begin- 
 ning at sundown. For this feast candles are lit, as an evi- 
 dence of a lack of fear, and as a sign of rejoicing, and the 
 people assemble in their various synagogues for a short reli- 
 gious service, during which the Book of Esther is read. At 
 each mention of Haman's name by the reader, the congrega- 
 tion stamp their feet and cry " May his name be blotted out." 
 The children present are taught to show their hatred for this 
 ancient enemy. They are provided with stones on which 
 Haman's name is written. These they rub together until the 
 name is obliterated. 
 
 Next morning a service somewhat similar to that of the pre- 
 ceding evening is held, at which, after the prayers for the day, 
 the passage in Exodus xvii., from verse eighth to sixteenth, is 
 read. This relates to the destruction of the Amalekites, from 
 whom they believe Haman was descended. The Book of 
 Esther is again read and the synagogue service is over. Then 
 comes the real rejoicing. Presents are exchanged ; the chil- 
 dren are supplied with an abundance of sweetmeats, and as 
 generous a feast as can be afforded is indulged in. Wine is 
 freely partaken of, as the Talmud enjoins, and he who is not 
 intoxicated by the time the festivities are over is considered as 
 
306 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 not having kept the feast properly. In this connection we 
 may observe that it is not possible for a religious Jew to be a 
 total abstainer. Talmudic injunctions require the partaking 
 of wine on the Sabbath, at the Passover Feast and at Purim. 
 
 The Feast of Tabernacles is kept with something of its orig- 
 inal simplicity and rejoicing. It comes at the time of year 
 when grateful thoughts are natural to the recipient of divine 
 favors. It was originally a national thanksgiving, and is yet 
 in a sense, though the conditions for its proper celebration are 
 not possible to dispersed Israel. Two of the former require- 
 ments, namely, "joyous festivities and dwelling in booths" are 
 practiced. The third, that of sacrifice, has been discontinued 
 since the fall of the temple. This feast lasted seven days — 
 from the fifteenth to the twenty-first of the month Tishri — and 
 was followed by a day of "holy convocation." During these 
 days all the Jews appear in holiday attire. Booths are built in 
 the yards or on the flat roofs or balconies of every house. In 
 these booths the male members of the family reside during the 
 week. Here the family partakes of its meals and receives 
 friends. At night all except the most rigid religionists occupy 
 their accustomed beds under substantial roofs. As the booths 
 as now constructed afford little protection from the weather 
 this move indoors at night is certainly the part of wisdom. 
 The symbolic meaning of this feast is lost sight of by the 
 Jews. As the feast of ingathering of the full harvest it pointed 
 forward to the final ingathering, " the glory of the latter day," 
 when all nations shall appear before the Lord. 
 
 To these practices, which have a Biblical foundation, others 
 with no such basis have been added and are observed as care- 
 fully as if there were a "thus saith the Lord" to support 
 them ; but to enter into a discussion of these would carry us 
 beyond the limits of a work of this kind. 
 
 Among the strictly Oriental Jews there are many practices 
 that seem to be mere superstitions. In common with their 
 Moslem neighbors the fear of the " evil eye" is quite preva- 
 
The Jews in Jerusalem 307 
 
 lent. Charms are worn to counteract this baleful influence 
 and numerous invocations are used to protect against it. Over 
 the doors of many of the houses will be seen the whitewashed 
 or painted representation of a hand. The resemblance to a 
 hand is generally a very distant one, there being simply five 
 straight lines diverging from a point. These lines are meant 
 to represent "the Hand of Might." This symbol has a sig- 
 nificance similar to a horseshoe nailed above the door ; namely, 
 to bring good luck to the household and to protect it from 
 the evil spirits. Amulets are resorted to in cases of severe ill- 
 ness and are frequently applied when a physician's treatment 
 does not appear to be successful. 
 
 Among the orthodox here, as everywhere, belief in the 
 coming of the Messiah still obtains ; Him whom the Christian 
 world recognizes as its Messiah the Jerusalem Jew utterly dis- 
 regards. Many will not endure the mention of His name 
 without expressions of contempt, and to speak of Him in their 
 presence as the Anointed One of Israel will evoke from them 
 what sounds to Christian ears as the harshest blasphemy. This 
 estimate of Jesus of Nazareth is taught to the children as soon 
 as they are old enough to comprehend it. It is impressed upon 
 them throughout their life until maturity. What wonder, when 
 to this teaching is added the accounts of how Israel has been 
 maltreated among the nations, that Christianity has made 
 hardly any impression upon this citadel of Judaism ! 
 
 Systematic Christian mission work is done among these peo- 
 ple, but the results lead to the conclusion that the time of the 
 " ingathering " is not yet. There are some sheaves, however, 
 for one may see on any Sunday during the year at the services 
 of Christ's Church a fair-sized congregation of Hebrew Chris- 
 tians. Nor is anything to be said against missionary methods 
 as applied by the London Jews Society, the Missionary Alli- 
 ance and other independent workers who are employing them- 
 selves in presenting Christ to the Jews. It is simply a conclu- 
 sion reached after some years of study and observation on the 
 
308 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 ground, that the great body of Israel remains untouched by 
 the Gospel. Years of faithful preaching, teaching and medi- 
 cal mission work have failed to break down the wall of di- 
 vision. 
 
 That some work is effective may be judged by the recent 
 violent opposition of the rabbis to the hospital of the London 
 Jews Society. A fine new hospital building has just been 
 completed in one of the most attractive parts of the city, and 
 at an expense of seventy thousand dollars. Here Jewish pa- 
 tients were received and treated free of charge. No sooner 
 were the hospital quarters removed from the old building to 
 the new than war was declared by the rabbis. A " charem " 
 was issued against the new hospital and all Jews were warned 
 against applying there for treatment and threatened with ex- 
 communication if they disobeyed the warning. One Jewess 
 dared the wrath of the rabbis and entered the hospital for 
 treatment. She died, and burial was refused her by the Jew- 
 ish authorities in their cemetery. Influence was brought to 
 bear upon the chief rabbi to permit the interment, but he 
 positively refused. Having disobeyed the "charem" she was 
 no longer considered as a Jewess. The hospital authorities 
 brought the matter before the English consul, who communi- 
 cated with the Pasha. The excitement lasted for three days 
 and in spite of all protests the chief rabbi won. The woman 
 was buried in a secluded corner of ground not in the Jewish 
 cemetery, and had no service of any kind at her grave. This 
 incident has had the effect of so frightening the Jews that they 
 will not go near the new hospital. This opposition will prob- 
 ably be very short-lived. 
 
 Nor is this opposition to Christian missions confined to 
 Jerusalem. It seems to be a concerted plan of the rabbis 
 everywhere, apparently due to fears that all the efforts being 
 made to convert the Jew are not fruitless. In Jewish period- 
 icals recently there has been much said against all " conver- 
 sionists," and much contempt heaped upon the proselyte. 
 
The Jews in Jerusalem 309 
 
 One cannot much blame the spiritual leaders of Israel for seek- 
 ing to hold their people within the ancient pale of their re- 
 ligion ; some criticism is possible of the methods used. 
 
 Besides the spiritual terrors which the Jerusalem rabbis have 
 at their disposal, there is also a weighty temporal force which 
 they can make effective. In all parts of the world where Jews 
 are found there are collections made for their brethren in the 
 Holy City. The house of every pious Jew of the Dispersion 
 has a little box in which the members of the family deposit 
 now and then a small coin which is meant for Jerusalem. 
 Collectors are appointed, each one having a certain district, 
 who visit the houses and empty these charity boxes. How 
 much money from these finds its way each year to the old city 
 none but the rabbis who handle it can tell. But that it is a 
 considerable sum may be estimated from the number of people 
 who are supported out of it. It is known as the Haluka, or 
 charity fund, and, with but few exceptions, every family in the 
 city draws upon it. Any one asking can receive ; consequently 
 many having no need of charity are sharing that which was 
 intended for the poor. The really poor whose daily bread de- 
 pends upon this charity fund must obey the commands of the 
 dispensing rabbi or suffer. 
 
 A large Haluka is raised in America. I am informed that 
 about forty-five thousand dollars is the annual amount collected 
 there for the Jerusalem poor. I am assured here that only six 
 thousand dollars ever reaches Jerusalem. Where the rest goes 
 is a matter of speculation which does not require much astute- 
 ness. In the spring of 1896 some intelligent American Jews 
 residing in Jerusalem concluded to remedy this palpable 
 wrong, which really amounted to fraud, and decided to organ- 
 ize an American congregation. They laid their case before 
 their co-religionists in the United States, informed them how 
 their charity was being dispensed, and proposed the organiza- 
 tion of a strictly American society which would see to the col- 
 lecting and forwarding of the fund in an honorable business 
 
310 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 way, and promised to see that it was dispensed in the same 
 way to only the deserving poor here. A storm of opposition 
 was raised by the collectors and forwarders in America and by 
 the distributers in Jerusalem, and rabbis in Russia and Austria 
 protested strongly at the proposed innovation. But the inno- 
 vators had right on their side and there is now in the Holy 
 City an American Hebrew congregation, managed by honor- 
 able American Jews, and contributors to the Haluka may be 
 assured that their charity is not lost. 
 
 Like their brothers in other parts of the world the Jews of 
 Jerusalem, and of the rest of Palestine, are being moved by 
 the spirit of Nationalism. In numbers the Hebrew nation is 
 respectable ; in wealth and abilities it is wonderful. A sense 
 of what it is, is compelling it to think of what it might be and 
 to discuss methods of fulfilling its destiny. In these discus- 
 sions Palestine is coming into prominence and the formerly 
 indifferent are made " Lovers of Zion." Israel needs a home, 
 a land he can call his own, a city where he can work out his 
 salvation. He has none of these now. His present home is 
 among strangers, people with whom he has little sympathy 
 and who have little for him. The lands in which he lives are 
 not his own, though he has frequently shed his blood for their 
 preservation. The cities he has helped to build are not his; 
 they never can be. Israel's hope of a home land is possible of 
 realization, but it will be realized only in Palestine. 
 
 I would not enter upon the discussion as to how the dis- 
 persed nation is to be gathered, or when. There are obstacles 
 in the way, which will not be removed to-day or to-morrow ; 
 that they can be removed is enough. There is coming a time 
 when Israel shall " no more be termed forsaken " nor his 
 "land any more be termed desolate." Then Jerusalem shall 
 be called " Sought out. A city not forsaken." 1 
 i Isaiah lxii. 
 
THE CHRISTIANS IN JERUSALEM 
 
Beginnings of Christianity — Christian Affection — Evidences 
 of that Affection and Reasons for It — Historical Experiences 
 — Variety of Religions — Greek Church — Church Statistics — 
 Religious Paupers — Ecclesiastics — Criticism of Missions — Mis- 
 sion Difficulties — Houses of Industry — "Peculiar" Christians 
 — People with " Missions " — The Second Advent — Incidents of 
 Peculiarities — Work of the Oriental Churches — Russian Influ- 
 ence — Greek Church Possessions — Latin Possessions — Schools 
 — The Latin Patriarch — Armenians — Syrians — Anglican 
 Church — London Jews Society — Germans — Children's Hos- 
 pital — German Colony — American Missionaries. 
 
 312 
 
XVII 
 
 THE CHRISTIANS IN JERUSALEM 
 
 THE beginnings of Christianity were in this sacred city of 
 Judaism, and since the dark Friday, when by His death 
 on the cross the Son of God sealed His earthly ministry, there 
 have always been some of His followers residing here. While 
 not regarding it with the same feelings of devout veneration 
 as do the Jews, Christians generally have a peculiar affection 
 for Jerusalem, founded upon the hallowed events with which 
 the old city is associated. The words and acts of Christ, the 
 establishment of the Church, the bitter trials and cruel perse- 
 cutions which the Apostles endured for their faith, the organ- 
 ization of the first missionary band and its starting out into the 
 wide world with its Gospel of love and salvation, these are 
 reasons sufficient for that sentiment. Some of us at this " end 
 of the age," fettered by the iron chains of hard utilitarianism, 
 may refuse to acknowledge the presence of this feeling in our 
 hearts ; and thereby we lose not a little that is commendable, 
 and much that would be beneficial. The event is always 
 greater than the place in which it occurred : Christianity is 
 greater than Jerusalem. Still, our high regard for the former 
 should not cause entire forgetfulness of the latter. 
 
 That Jerusalem is not forgotten, and has not been through 
 the centuries by Christians, can be known by a perusal of the 
 history of pilgrimages. There have been those "afar off" 
 whose eyes turned longingly to the poor city in which their 
 Lord died. There are those to-day — the number is increas- 
 ing — who from Christian lands far distant come to see this 
 city which, though still insignificant as compared with the 
 
 313 
 
314 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 great cities of the earth, is the world's religious capital. It 
 would be otherwise a miserable village, peopled by a few 
 wretched Jews and miserable Moslems. 
 
 The history of Christianity in the Holy City has been 
 marked by many scenes of blood. Some of these have been 
 enacted in the name and for the supposed glory of the Prince 
 of Peace, some because of enmity to that Prince and His fol- 
 lowers. Perhaps no city of its size has witnessed so much of 
 the horror of religious persecution as this chief city of Pales- 
 tine. Perhaps none to-day exhibits to the world such a diver- 
 sity of religions and so many varieties of the Christian religion 
 in particular. Certainly there is none where, because of ec- 
 clesiastical intolerance, the unlovely spirit of hatred for each 
 other dominates to such a degree the various confessions. 
 This unloveliness in the name of love is the cause of much 
 grief to the earnest Christian and much of the suspicion with 
 which Jew and Moslem regard the religion of the Crucified. 
 
 Since the return of the Christians from Pella, there has 
 been no time when there has not been a resident Christian 
 community. During most of the time previous to the Mo- 
 hammedan occupation the Christians had been in the majority 
 and held the official positions. Since that time (637), with 
 the exception of the one century — the twelfth — when the Cru- 
 saders held the city against the Saracens, they have had no 
 nominal and very little real power. At present the Christians 
 outnumber the Moslems and both together are outnumbered, 
 three to one, by the Jews. And nearly every ordinary Chris- 
 tian sect is here, along with a good many which would not be 
 possible in any other place. 
 
 Of the entire Christian population nearly a half are adher- 
 ents of the Greek Orthodox 'Church — the wealthiest and most 
 influential of all. Next in order are the Roman Catholics who 
 number three thousand two hundred, and who as a Church are 
 by no means poor in this world's goods. The following list 
 will give a concise idea of the various Christian bodies. 
 
The Christians in Jerusalem 315 
 
 Greek Orthodox 4,000 
 
 Roman Catholic 3,200 
 
 Armenian 600 
 
 Protestants (all forms) 500 
 
 Coptic 120 
 
 Greek Catholic ........ 100 
 
 Abyssinian 60 
 
 Syrian 50 
 
 Total 8,630 
 
 Of this number a great many are practically supported 
 by the various religious societies operating in the city. If 
 every private house occupied by a Christian were destroyed 
 there is room enough in the convents, hospices and nunneries 
 to give every family comfortable quarters. The Greeks and 
 Latins have large revenues from the faithful in other parts of 
 the world who do not forget the " poor saints which are at 
 Jerusalem." They use a great deal of this income to supply 
 bread to their native adherents. In this way they manage to 
 retain many who would otherwise be indifferent to religion. 
 Twice a week each of the two great Churches distributes food 
 to the needy, and it is notorious that some of the recipients 
 are Greeks on the day the Greeks distribute and Latins on the 
 day the Latins dispense bounty. While it is a worthy work to 
 supply the wants of the needy it is a work that is carried on 
 to such an extent in Jerusalem as to make paupers out of many 
 who are capable of self-support. But it is very easy to obtain 
 funds for charity in Jerusalem. The very name of the place 
 appeals to all the Jewish and Christian world and the amounts 
 of money that come in for the regularly organized missionary 
 and charitable societies, as well as for private independent 
 workers, are truly surprising. For the amount of work done, 
 as well as results accomplished, there is more money spent in 
 the Holy City than in any other city on earth. And a great 
 part of that money comes from America. It would be useless 
 
316 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 to decry this expenditure or to attempt to turn some of this 
 revenue into more useful channels. The charitably inclined 
 wish to send it here and the stewards of the distribution are 
 glad to receive it ; and it will continue to come. 
 
 The city ought to be "holy " if the presence of rabbis, 
 priests, lay missionaries, religious sheikhs and dervishes be 
 conducive to holiness. At any time of the day and in any 
 part of the city you can see one or other of these " holy men." 
 The Christian priests seem to be the most numerous and it is 
 not an exaggeration to say that there is a priest for every 
 fifteen of the Christian community. Some of these priests are 
 engaged in mission work, some in teaching in the various 
 schools; but the majority do nothing distinctively religious. 
 They enjoy the comforts of life and walk about in their long 
 robes, visiting the holy places and appearing holy themselves. 
 Jewish rabbis and Moslem sheikhs lead similar lives, each 
 guarding their own peculiar beliefs and places and enabled to 
 keep up the best of appearances by means of the generosity of 
 the faithful in other lands. 
 
 It would be doing a great injustice to many faithful men 
 and women to criticise without reservation all the mission 
 work that is being done. I shall have to leave that for those 
 professional critics of Christian missions who are all too ready 
 to publish their ignorance and are all too readily believed. If 
 those who criticise these workers and their methods in other 
 parts of the world have as little experimental knowledge of 
 them as has the average critic of the Jerusalem missions what 
 they say is not worth listening to, for it is false. 
 
 This must be said of the majority of Protestant Christian 
 workers, that they are faithfully living and preaching the Gospel 
 of the Master as they believe it. They are teaching these peo- 
 ple how to live for this world as well as for that which is to 
 come. And if there is one thing the native of Palestine needs to 
 learn it is how to live so that life will be something more than 
 animal existence. 
 
The Christians in Jerusalem 317 
 
 It should be borne in mind also that those who are here 
 doing the Master's work as they see it have one of the hardest 
 fields in the world to work. Christianity is no new thing to 
 these people, but the Christianity of Christ is. The Oriental 
 Churches have been on the ground for centuries. They have 
 repelled rather than attracted the non-Christian element. 
 They sadly need a reformation. During all these centuries 
 they have had no converts from Islam or Judaism. Their pol- 
 icy toward the Jew is one of hatred ; toward the Moslem one 
 of indifference. To people whose only idea of Christianity is 
 obtained from such representatives the western missionaries 
 come. What wonder that they are not received and have first 
 to break down a strong hedge of prejudice before Jew or 
 Moslem will tolerate them even to the extent of listening to 
 them ! It is true that the apparent results are small, but they 
 are substantial. 
 
 The "Houses of Industry," where young men are taught 
 some useful trade, are in themselves a blessing. These young 
 Arabs go out to the different villages scattered over the land 
 able to do something more than pass their time in idleness. 
 They also have some idea of what the true religion of Jesus 
 is, even if they do not brave the ridicule and possible dangers 
 that a public profession of it would bring upon them. There 
 are girls in the mission schools who are taught ideas of clean- 
 liness and get valuable lessons in home-making. This is work 
 that will tell in the coming generation. If nothing more were 
 being done than such work as this it ought to silence adverse 
 criticism. And it would if the adverse critics knew it was 
 going on. But they come to the city for a few days, spend 
 those days in seeing the sights, among which mission work is 
 not one, and then go away to answer any who may question 
 them about it that there is very little if any such work being 
 done. All that such people need is an object lesson showing 
 what these boys and girls were when they entered the schools, 
 
318 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 or Houses of Industry, and what they are when they leave to 
 take their places in the world. 
 
 There is another class of individuals making a part of the 
 population who are counted among the Christians and that a 
 mistake is made in so counting them is not for me to say. 
 The name most suited to them is the modern word " crank." 
 If any one in Europe or America has any particular religious 
 vagary, which in his or her diseased imagination is God-in- 
 spired and which the whole world must accept or be forever 
 lost, he comes to Jerusalem if he is able. It would take a 
 good sized volume to describe these people and their views. 
 It would make strange, but unprofitable reading. America 
 leads in the number furnished to this class. 
 
 They all differ in most respects but in one particular all are 
 agreed ; all the world is hopelessly in error as to religion ; 
 the Christian Church is either intentionally or ignorantly cor- 
 rupt and there is no salvation for it. By a dream, or a vision, 
 or some special inspiration God has showed them the only 
 true way and appointed them to herald the truth to the world. 
 The Apostles began at Jerusalem, so must these apostles of a 
 new dispensation. They arrive in the city full of enthusiasm 
 over what they have been "called" to do. One man, the 
 disciple of a new kind of Mormonism, arrived in the city, 
 immediately called at the consulate and requested to be shown 
 the offices of the leading newspapers, as he wished to announce 
 his arrival and give a prospectus of his work. As there is not 
 a single newspaper published in the place this request was 
 easily answered. But he managed to make his announcement. 
 Five years have witnessed no results. He has given up trying, 
 but still retains belief in his divine appointment. 
 
 During the winter of 1894-95 a very intelligent gentleman 
 arrived. He looked and acted like an ordinary tourist, but 
 one had to converse with him but a short time to learn that he 
 too had a "mission." "I have come with a message to the 
 Jews," he informed me, "and I want to know if you think 
 
The Christians in Jerusalem 319 
 
 there would be anything in the way of my procuring a large 
 tent, setting it up in a vacant lot and delivering ray message to 
 the people to whom I am sent." 
 
 "No," I replied, "there will be nothing in the way except 
 getting the Jews to come to the tent." 
 
 "Oh, that will be all right. The Lord will take care of 
 that." 
 
 "Can you speak Hebrew, or Spanish or the Jewish Jargon ? " 
 "No. I cannot." "Then how will you convey the mes- 
 sage? Very few of these people understand English." 
 
 " Oh, the Lord will take care of that. He sent me here to 
 remain for thirty days and in this time I must get my message 
 to all the Jews." 
 
 In about two weeks I saw him again. He had reconsidered 
 the matter of the tent and had decided to issue two addresses 
 in Hebrew, one to the rabbis and another to the common 
 people. This he did and scattered them broadcast. At the 
 end of thirty days, true to his mission, he returned to his home 
 in the United States. 
 
 The belief that the Second Coming of the Lord is near at 
 hand, and that His first appearance will be on the Mount of 
 Olives, has drawn many to this place. They are patiently 
 waiting to see their belief realized. Some have knowledge of 
 the exact day of His coming; others only know it is to be 
 soon. 
 
 One good old lady, now gone to her rest, went day after 
 day to the Mount and made her afternoon tea. Questioned as 
 to why she did this she replied, " Christ is coming and I want 
 to be on Olivet when He comes and have a cup of tea ready 
 for Him." 
 
 The story is told, though the genuineness of it is not vouched 
 for here, that an American of this peculiar stamp had come to 
 the city to announce what he called the New Gospel. Walk- 
 ing down David street he was met by a fellow countryman and 
 a general conversation ensued. Very soon the man with the 
 
320 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 message was asked how long he intended to remain in Jerusalem, 
 and replied, "I have come here to stay." "Indeed; but 
 what are you going to do here. This is no place to live." 
 
 " It may not be the place for you, but it is for me. I have 
 come to preach the New Gospel." 
 
 " Is that so ? and what, may I ask, is the New Gospel ? " 
 
 "It is the Gospel that there is to be no more death. 
 Death has controlled long enough and I am to preach that its 
 power is ended from this time on. Death is played out." 
 
 This was a revelation to the man who did not feel that he 
 had any special mission in the Holy City and he hardly knew 
 what reply to make to it. Finally he said, " But, my friend, 
 are not all the facts against the truth of your Gospel ? 
 People are dying this very moment in spite of your Gospel." 
 
 "Yes, I know it; but the Gospel of no death has not yet 
 been announced. I was sent here to announce it and as soon 
 as this is done no more deaths will occur." 
 
 "Very well; that is very comforting, but just suppose, after 
 you have published your Gospel, that you yourself should die, 
 what would become of this Gospel then? " 
 
 "Oh, if such should happen, if I should die after proclaim- 
 ing this, the whole blame thing would 'bust up.' " And so 
 it would. 
 
 So would many of the other so-called gospels that just now 
 have one or several advocates residing here and doing what 
 they can to propagate them. There was a company of de- 
 luded people who came here fourteen years ago and announced 
 that none of them were going to die until the Lord appeared. 
 In as many years thirteen of them have died. 
 
 All these religious vagaries, and there are many others, 
 each with its ardent supporter who misses no opportunity to 
 voice his belief, has its deterring effect upon the regular mis- 
 sionary efforts. Moslem and Jew regard them all as phases of 
 Christianity and wonder at a religion that produces them. 
 The city could very well dispense with the presence of all this 
 
SYRIAN BISHOP OF JERUSALEM. 
 
The Christians in Jerusalem 321 
 
 class of its population. The only redeeming thing about them 
 is that they are not numerous. 
 
 In this connection it will be proper to speak of the dis- 
 tinctive mission work done by the Christian Church in Jerusa- 
 lem. Concerning the Oriental branches there is little to be 
 said for they are satisfied to retain their native adherents and 
 make little effort to spread the Gospel among non-Christians. 
 They seem to have forgotten their "marching orders" to 
 "preach the Gospel to every creature." Oriental Christianity 
 is little else than lifeless form, and to "preach the Gospel" 
 seems to be no part of the labor of its numerous clergy. Their 
 work is to care for the holy places, look after their large prop- 
 erty interests in and near the city, see that their privileges are 
 not infringed upon by other sects, repeat their prayers and 
 live comfortably. The Greeks are far more active in getting 
 possession of land in and near the city than in anything else. 
 Any piece of property that is at all desirable that comes on the 
 market is soon bought up by those who manage the temporal 
 affairs of this community. Where the money comes from to 
 make these purchases is a matter to speculate about. While 
 this patriarchate has the largest revenue of any in the Church 
 there is a pretty general belief that the property is not all paid 
 for out of this. Russia's desire to number the Holy Land 
 among her possessions is well known, and her diplomats may 
 be using this arm of her established Church to accomplish that 
 desire. In the event of the dismemberment of the Turkish 
 empire these possessions — if they be Russian — would no doubt 
 have considerable weight in deciding to which one of the in- 
 terested European powers this land would fall. In the event 
 of the land falling to any other power, Russia's claim to her 
 purchased territory would in all probability be recognized, and 
 she would at least suffer no loss. 
 
 The Greeks possess the following buildings devoted solely to 
 religious, educational or charitable purposes : — 
 
 The Monasteries of St. Helena and Constantine, Abraham 
 
322 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 and Gethsemane ; the Convents of St. Basil, St. Catharine, two 
 of St. George, St. Michael, St. Theodore, Carolombos, Deme- 
 trius, Euthymius, Sectuagia, Nicholas, John the Baptist, Nativ- 
 ity of Mary, Spiridon and Spirito. They have a girls' school, a 
 boys' school and a hospital. Besides these are numerous priv- 
 ate residences and stores from which a good income is derived. 
 
 The Russian Mission, whose aim it seems to be to Russianize 
 the land rather than Christianize the people, has a fine prop- 
 erty just northwest of the city, with a large cathedral church, 
 several pilgrim houses and an extensive hospital. The Russian 
 Palestine Society is making its presence felt and seems to have 
 an abundance of means and great influence. 
 
 The Latin Church is a missionary institution and its priests 
 do not lose sight of that fact. Each one of them is a mis- 
 sionary and wherever he is holds in mind his commission to 
 make Latin Christianity supreme. There can be no ques- 
 tioning this fact by any one who takes the time to view their 
 operations in Jerusalem and Palestine. In Jerusalem itself are 
 the following schools and orders for the propagation of the 
 Latin faith. 
 
 Sisters of St. Joseph, having under their care the parish 
 school for native girls with an average attendance of one 
 hundred and twenty pupils. This order also conducts an 
 orphanage and hospital. 
 
 Sisters of Zion, with an excellent school and orphanage for 
 girls, the school caring for about one hundred resident pupils. 
 
 Franciscan Sisters. These carry on an orphanage and 
 have under their care always about fifty little girls. 
 
 Sisters of Charity. These do an excellent and much 
 needed work in their quiet, but effective way in supporting a 
 house for aged, infirm men and women and a home for found- 
 lings. There are usually about twenty of the latter unfortunate 
 little ones whom they care for. 
 
 The following are the schools for boys carried on by the 
 different orders of the Latin Church : 
 
The Christians in Jerusalem 323 
 
 The Franciscans have an institution for the study of 
 theology, an orphanage for boys, a parish and an industrial 
 school. 
 
 The Dominicans also have a school for Bible study. 
 
 The White Brothers of St. Anne have a home, church and 
 school for the education of Greek Catholics. 
 
 The Brothers of St. Peter have an orphanage and house of 
 industry. 
 
 Herein these Latins show their wisdom. They are caring 
 for the future by getting hold of the children. This is really 
 the only effective way ; and it is very effective. The Church 
 that employs such enginery is bound to progress, and the one 
 that does not is sure to be surpassed. The Latins are caring 
 not only for the children of Latin parents, but are providing 
 education for children of the Greek and other Churches. They 
 are very willing to do this, spending time, and money also, 
 for they are bringing up as Latin Christians the children of 
 non-Latin parentage. 
 
 The present Latin Patriarch, Monseigneur Leodovico Piavi, 
 is a broad-minded, intelligent man, whose kindly face is ex- 
 pressive of great power. The position requires such a man, 
 for it demands of the incumbent in the patriarchal chair the 
 exercise of executive powers and political acumen rather than 
 great learning. However, the Patriarch's executive and 
 political abilities have interfered but little with his scholarly 
 attainments and I have wondered how a man whose time is so 
 fully occupied could manage to be so well informed as to 
 current events in all parts of the world. 
 
 The Latin Church is by no means poor in worldly goods in 
 Jerusalem. With the same success that they seem to have in 
 other parts of the world they have here found the means to 
 secure some of the most desirable property and have erected 
 substantial buildings. In the school of the Sisters of Zion 
 they possess one of the most interesting sites in the city, even 
 if it be not the place of Pilate's judgment hall where Christ 
 
324 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 was condemned ; though I see no reason for doubting this 
 claim. In the Freres' College in the northwest angle of the 
 walls they hold the most commanding position within the city. 
 Add to these the churches, namely, that of the Patriarch, St. 
 Salvator, St. Anne, Ecce Homo, Notre Dame du Spasme, the 
 Chapel of the Agony, the Monasteries of the Holy Sepulchre, 
 the Scourging, the Dominicans, the Brethren of the African 
 Mission, the Convents of the Carmelite Sisters, the Sisters of 
 Zion, the Sisters of the Rosary, the Sisters of St. Joseph, and 
 to these the Hospices for the entertainment of Pilgrims, namely 
 the Casa Nuova, the German Catholic, the Austrian and the 
 immense French Pilgrim building, and it forms a list of pos- 
 sessions in the Holy City well worthy even of that Church to 
 which they belong. 
 
 The Armenians have an extensive property on Mount Zion 
 near the Tower of David. The patriarch lives in a large 
 monastery near the Zion Gate, where, when the occasion 
 arises, a thousand pilgrims may be housed. 
 
 The other Oriental Churches are rather poor; the Syrians 
 have a quaint old church on the eastern slope of Zion near 
 which their Bishop resides. The Copts have two monasteries. 
 The Abyssinians possess a monastery in the city and a fine 
 church in the new city on the northwest. 
 
 The Church of England, represented by the Church Mis- 
 sionary Society and the London Society for the Promotion of 
 Christianity among the Jews, carries on the most extensive 
 mission work done by the Protestants. The former society 
 confines its efforts to the native population and works in the 
 neighboring villages as well as in Jerusalem. Their native ad- 
 herents number about 130, many of whom derive support from 
 the mission. For the number of workers the results appear 
 very small, and when one compares the amount of money ex- 
 pended with these small results the wonder is that the sup- 
 porters of the work do not become discouraged and apply the 
 money here used to more appreciative people in other parts of 
 
The Christians in Jerusalem 325 
 
 the world. Plainly, Jerusalem is over-missionized. This is 
 saying nothing derogatory to the missionaries, both men and 
 women, for whom one cannot but have the very highest regard. 
 If there is any censure it belongs to the Church Boards of Eng- 
 land and America, who keep increasing the number of workers 
 and the amount of expenditures without any intelligent con- 
 sideration of the conditions. If the object of the Churches is 
 to increase the working force on the mission field it is attained ; 
 but if it be to make the best use of time and money — two things 
 which ought never to be lost sight of in this as in all other 
 kinds of work — thorough knowledge of the conditions, and 
 the conduct of affairs in strict accordance with that knowl- 
 edge, must take the place of the present methods. Until this 
 change is made, the missionaries will continue to be subjects 
 of criticism because of their lives of apparent ease ; and con- 
 clusions unfavorable to all missionary effort will continue to be 
 drawn by those who have no real interest in the Christianizing 
 of the Moslem and the Jew. 
 
 The Church Missionary Society employs in all about twenty 
 workers. These are preachers, teachers, and house to house 
 visitors. Services in Arabic are held every Sunday in St. 
 Paul's Church north of the city. There is a boys' boarding- 
 school, founded by Bishop Gobat, where about seventy boys 
 are educated ; it is situated on the southwestern slope of Zion. 
 This society also conducts a day school for boys and girls. 
 
 The "London Jews Society" owns the handsome stone 
 church on Mount Zion, just opposite the Tower of David. 
 Services are held every Sunday and are in English and He- 
 brew. A fine boys' school adjoins the church where children 
 of Jewish parentage are cared for. To the north of the city 
 is the girls' school of this society which is ably conducted and 
 possesses the best equipped school building in Palestine, with 
 the exception of the American Friends' School at Ramallah. 
 Under the care of the society is also a "house of industry" 
 where young proselytes are taught useful trades; and just now 
 
326 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 there is being erected a magnificent new hospital a short dis- 
 tance north of the British Consulate. 
 
 The British Ophthalmic Hospital near the railroad station, 
 which is supported by the English Knights of St. John, is do- 
 ing a noble work. 
 
 The German Evangelical Community numbers about two 
 hundred. These with the English community formerly united 
 under one Protestant bishop, supported by Prussia and Eng- 
 land ; an arrangement which was not found altogether satis- 
 factory and was dissolved in 1887. The Anglican Bishopric 
 is still maintained and the office held by the Right Reverend 
 G. F. Popham Blyth, D. D. 
 
 The German religious and charitable institutions under the 
 care of the Evangelicals are the girls' orphanage, Talitha Cumi, 
 conducted by the Deaconnesses of Kaiserswerth ; Schneller's 
 orphanage for boys; the Hospital of St. John; the Hospital 
 of the Deaconnesses of Kaiserswerth. In this connection 
 should be named the estimable work done by Doctor San- 
 dreczky and his family in the Children's Hospital. Though 
 hampered by lack of means, the results accomplished by the 
 doctor in his small institution are beyond praise. Any one 
 has but to see the wretched condition of the native children of 
 Palestine and the children of poor Jews to appreciate what a 
 blessing such an institution is. The hospital is always over- 
 crowded by the little sufferers and their mothers, and were the 
 means provided the accommodations could be indefinitely in- 
 creased. As it is the doctor and his family serve gratuitously 
 and by doing their very best cannot supply the needs of all the 
 deserving applicants. Their work is done without ostentation 
 and most economically. 
 
 Very worthy of mention also is the Lepers' Hospital south- 
 west of the city, which is supported by the Brethren of Herrn- 
 hut. The form of leprosy that may now be seen all too fre- 
 quently in the environs of Jerusalem is not the same as that of 
 Bible times. Hideously repulsive as the victims of it are and 
 
The Christians in Jerusalem 327 
 
 fatal as are its results it is not contagious. There is no doubt 
 that it could be stamped out in a single generation if the au- 
 thorities would seclude the infected ones and prevent any of 
 them from marrying. The disease is hereditary and the chil- 
 dren of afflicted parents are sure to have it sooner or later. 
 
 The Evangelical Germans own one of the finest pieces of 
 property in the city. This was a gift from the Sultan to 
 Prussia, made in 1869 on the occasion of the visit to Con- 
 stantinople of the Crown Prince. The property is now called 
 the Muristan. Since the time of Charlemagne Christian build- 
 ings have stood on this ground. The most important of these, 
 the remains of which still exist, were the work of Raymond du 
 Puy in 1130 to 1140. In the conquest of Saladin this mag- 
 nificent property was given as an endowment to the Mosque 
 of Omar. As usual with such possessions in Moslem lands the 
 buildings were permitted to fall into decay. City refuse was 
 thrown in and about the grounds so that when the Prussians 
 came into possession an immense amount of labor and expense 
 was necessary in order to clear away the rubbish. At present 
 the Germans hold services in a temporary chapel which was 
 formerly the refectory of the Hospitallers. The fine new church 
 that is being erected on this site will soon be ready for occu- 
 pancy, and when completed will be the most imposing struc- 
 ture owned by the Protestants in Jerusalem. 
 
 Southwest of the city is the pleasant German colony num- 
 bering about three hundred souls. The members of it are 
 Templars and are now engaged in business and useful trades. 
 Their settlement here and in other parts of Palestine was the 
 result of a religious movement in Wiirtemburg in i860. The 
 leaders of this movement considered that it was the duty of 
 Christianity to illustrate and embody the Kingdom of Christ 
 on earth ; and accordingly they started these Christian social 
 settlements with the avowed object of regenerating the Church 
 and the social life of Europe. They have discarded the doc- 
 trine of the Trinity and the Divinity of Christ. Numerous 
 
328 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 schisms have disturbed them and their object in coming and 
 founding these communities seems a long way from being real- 
 ized. By their industry and frugality, however, they set a 
 good example for the natives about them, though their com- 
 munity is not " ideal." 
 
 Though the first Protestant Mission in Jerusalem was opened 
 by Christians from the United States, the mission representa- 
 tion from that far-away country is now small, and, with the 
 exception of three ladies under appointment from the Chris- 
 tian Alliance of New York, is confined to three or four independ- 
 ent workers whose labors are for the conversion of the Jews. 
 The Spafford Community near the Damascus Gate, originally 
 composed of Americans, cannot be classed as missionaries, as 
 they do not pretend to do any mission work. 
 
 After this recital of Christian institutions and laborers, one 
 unacquainted with the place might look for the immediate 
 conversion to Christianity of all the non-Christians. But it 
 must be said that there is no place in the world where indiffer- 
 ence and opposition are so manifest. Indifference is the atti- 
 tude of the Moslem, while opposition characterizes the Jew. 
 The results of the mission work are necessarily small, and will 
 be so as long as there is so much called by the name of Christ 
 that is unlovely and false, and in some instances despicable. 
 Here as elsewhere Christianity is judged by its fruits, and so 
 much of the product is undesirable that the whole is refused. 
 Before the indifference can be changed to interest and the op- 
 position to favor, there must be a radical change in the Chris- 
 tian Church. It must return to the Christianity of Christ, 
 exhibiting less of outward form and more of love. Until that 
 change is made — when dead form will give place to genuine 
 Christian living — the results can be no greater. At present 
 the time given to this work is almost wasted and the money 
 spent well-nigh lost. 
 
THE MOSLEMS 
 
Their Names for Jerusalem — Religious Reverence for It — 
 El Kuds — Mukaddasi the Historian — Early Moslem History — 
 Abu Bekr — Abou Abeidah — Omar's Conquest of the City — 
 Terms of Surrender — Moslem Occupation Previous to Crusades 
 — Christian Pilgrimages — Peter the Hermit — Christian Con- 
 quest — Saladin — Frederic II -The Kharezmians — Crusade of 
 
 St. Louis — Sulieman — Jerusalem's Governor — Megliss — Mos- 
 lem Population — The Unwelcome Turk — Arab Aristocracy — 
 Moslem Fatalism — " Children of the Sultan " — Military Serv- 
 ice — Domestic Life — Social Life — Masculine Superiority — Fe- 
 male Education — Moslem Toleration — Religious Practices — 
 Indifference — Fasts and Feasts — Nebi Moosa — Moslem Places 
 of Burial — Death — End of Moslem Supremacy. 
 
 33° 
 
XVIII 
 
 THE MOSLEMS 
 
 SOME idea of the position which Jerusalem occupies in the 
 estimation of Moslems may be obtained by a brief con- 
 sideration of the names they give it. We must first, however, 
 take into account an exceeding fondness for religious expres- 
 sions and titles which is peculiar to the Oriental. By no peo- 
 ple is this fondness exhibited more than by the Arabs ; judg- 
 ing by their conversation at times, one unacquainted with them 
 would imagine them to be an exceedingly holy and religious 
 race. Religious they are, but in the majority of cases it would 
 be a mistake to call them holy. They have a fondness, too, 
 for reverencing certain places, because of some real or sup- 
 posed connection of the place with an event in the history of 
 the nation or with the life of a worthy individual. Through- 
 out Mohammedan lands there are reputed holy places, and as 
 the true follower of the Prophet passes these he stops to breathe a 
 prayer ; and if it should be the regular prayer hour he spreads 
 his rug or arbeyyeh and piously prostrates himself. 
 
 But of all holy places in Palestine Jerusalem is the most re- 
 nowned. No pious Moslem comes within sight of it without 
 emotion and some religious expression. All about, on the 
 neighboring hills, where a first view of the city is had are 
 small piles of stones set up as memorials. These are silent 
 prayers of thanksgiving and adoration — thanksgiving because 
 the ones who erected them have been permitted to attain these 
 view-points, and adoration at what they behold. It is the 
 "holy of holies" of Palestine; hence the names they have 
 given it. Many of the natives within a short distance of the 
 city do not know the word "Jerusalem," and if one were to 
 
 33i 
 
332 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 ask them where the city of that name is would not understand. 
 The name would be new to them. To the Moslem Jerusalem 
 is always El Kuds — the Holy. Sometimes he speaks of it as 
 Bait El Mukaddas or Makdis — the Holy House. 
 
 Early Arab historians were loud in their praises of the city. 
 In poetry it is occasionally spoken of as El Balat, meaning 
 "the court" or "royal residence," a word supposed to be a 
 corruption of the Latin palatium. Mukaddasi, whose name 
 indicates that he was a native of "the Holy House," writing 
 near the close of the tenth century, says : 
 
 " The Holy City, Bait el Makdis, is also known as Iliya and 
 El Balat. Among provincial towns none is larger than Jeru- 
 salem, and many capitals are, in fact, smaller. Neither the 
 cold nor the heat is excessive here, and snow falls but rarely. 
 The Kadi Abu-1 Kasim, son of the Kadi of the Holy Cities 
 of Makkah and Al Madinah, inquired of me once concerning 
 the climate of Jerusalem. I answered: "It is betwixt and 
 between — neither very hot nor very cold." Said he in reply : 
 "Just as that of Paradise." 1 This quotation is here intro- 
 duced to show that at the time it was written the name Aelia 
 (Iliya), given to the city by Hadrian, in a. d. 130, was still 
 in use and also that the ancient Jewish name was known. 
 
 The history of how Palestine became the possession of the 
 followers of the Arab Prophet while exceedingly interesting 
 can be but touched upon here. 
 
 Mohammed, driven from his native Mecca, barely escaping 
 with his life, was soon to return at the head of ten thousand 
 zealous followers, take that city, crush his enemies, shatter the 
 idols of the Caaba, give a new religion to Arabia and begin 
 that marvellous conquest of fanaticism, which was to sweep 
 like a fury over eastern Asia and northern Africa ; enter Eu- 
 rope at its eastern and western extremities and retain much of 
 that territory to this day. 
 
 Belief in the divine mission of their Prophet sent the wan- 
 » " Palestine under the Moslems," p. 84. 
 
The Moslems 333 
 
 dering Arabs, fired with holy zeal, out from the "parched 
 plains of the Hejjaz," with its wastes of dreary landscape, to 
 the more fertile and much more attractive lands to the west. 
 Abu Bekr, the successor of the Prophet, looked with covetous 
 eyes upon Palestine, and, issuing an appeal to the sheikhs of 
 the various tribes of Arabs, exhorted them to assist him in 
 adding it to his territorial possessions. The response was all 
 that could have been desired, and an army was soon on the 
 way. The Christians made a feeble resistance. One by one 
 the cities of Syria fell into the hands of the invaders. After 
 the battle of Yarmuk, in 636 a. d., where the Christians met 
 a disastrous defeat, nothing prevented the victors from march- 
 ing against Jerusalem. The Moslems were then commanded 
 by Abou Obeidah. Arriving at the fords of the Jordan this 
 general despatched a messenger to the Patriarch of Aelia de- 
 manding the absolute surrender of the city. His message was 
 couched in the following terse but determined words : "In 
 the name of God, merciful and gracious ! From Abou 
 Obeidah Ibn-el-Jirah to the Christians of the people of 
 Aelia, health ! and to all who follow the right way, and be- 
 lieve in God and in His Prophet ! To come to the point. 
 For my part I beg you to bear witness that there is no God 
 but God, and Mohammed is the apostle of God ; and that the 
 moment of judgment will come beyond all doubt, and that 
 God will raise men from the dead. And if you will stand to 
 this your blood is sacred unto us as well as your property, and 
 your children, and you shall be to us as brothers; but if you 
 will refuse I will bring down upon you a people more earnest 
 in their love of death than are you in the drinking of wine or 
 eating of hogs' flesh, nor will I ever pass away from you, 
 please God, until I have killed your warriors and made cap- 
 tive your children." 1 
 
 Such a proposal was enough to arouse the ire of all in Jeru- 
 salem. It was refused and for four months the Christians in 
 !Ockley's "Saracens," Vol. I., p. 214. 
 
334 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 the city held out. But at the end of this time, seeing the 
 hopelessness of resistance, the patriarch from the city wall 
 called the Moslem general for a parley. No terms satisfactory 
 to both could be agreed upon, so that finally the patriarch de- 
 cided to capitulate. That he was still regarded as a respect- 
 able adversary is shown by his refusal to treat as to terms of 
 capitulation with anybody but the caliph himself. His request 
 was granted. Omar was sent for and came. Terms were 
 agreed upon and Jerusalem became a Moslem city. The 
 terms were rather severe on the Christians, but were more 
 favorable than they would have been able to secure had they 
 refused and resorted to the judgment of the sword. The con- 
 quered were guaranteed security for their persons and prop- 
 erty; freedom to practice their religious exercises in their 
 churches, except that at all hours the churches must be open 
 to Moslem inspection ; Christians must always treat Moslems 
 with the greatest respect, affording them hospitality when 
 asked, rising to receive them and granting to them the places 
 of honor in their assemblies. Christians must build no new 
 churches; have no public exhibitions of their religion; not 
 wear the cross or exhibit the sign of it on the street ; in no 
 way were they permitted to imitate Moslems. They were to 
 carry no arms; use no bells; not place their lamps in public 
 places, nor enter a Moslem house for any purpose whatever. 
 No Christian should strike a Moslem. Violation of any of 
 these stipulations might cost the offender his life, as he was 
 "deserving of the punishment inflicted upon rebellious sub- 
 jects." 1 
 
 To accept such terms was an evidence of the weakness of 
 the Christians, and we may be sure that there was a silent de- 
 termination to better those terms just as soon as the strength 
 was theirs. In the meantime they must make the best of their 
 bad condition. 
 
 The Moslem conquerors were not harder masters than they 
 i" History of Jerusalem," Besant and Palmer, p. 8l. 
 
The Moslems 335 
 
 had to be, and were probably more lenient in their treatment 
 of the vanquished than the vanquished would have been to 
 them had the positions been reversed. It is true, on the other 
 hand, that the promises of the caliphs were frequently made 
 of none effect by the generals in the field. By many of the 
 latter the Christians were regarded as legitimate prey, whom, 
 to leave " unplucked " was out of the question. Consequently 
 the unfortunate non-Moslems were often roughly treated, 
 beaten and robbed. 
 
 During the Moslem occupation previous to the Crusades the 
 Christian population of Palestine were frequent sufferers at the 
 hands of their political masters. Warring tribes of Moslems 
 kept them in fear of their lives, and the result of every change 
 in the caliphate was anxiously awaited. But all the oppres- 
 sions of all his predecessors were forgotten in the awful perse- 
 cutions inflicted upon them by El Hakem Biamr Ullah. This 
 madman was the third caliph of the Fatimite dynasty. 
 Hakem ascended the throne in the year 996, at the age of 
 eleven. Four years later Christians and Jews began to reap 
 the harvest of his hatred. Important persons had the choice 
 of embracing Islam or losing all their property, and those who 
 made the latter choice often suffered violent death. On Jeru- 
 salem Hakem's destructive hand fell and, in the year 10 10, 
 the order was given for the demolition of the Church of 
 the Holy Sepulchre. The order was executed, only to be fol- 
 lowed shortly after by one for the restoration of the Church. 
 Various reasons are advanced to explain Hakem's actions, but 
 the only satisfactory one is that he was mad and that this was 
 one of the freaks of his madness. 
 
 The restoration of the Church of the Sepulchre was com- 
 pleted thirty-seven years after the destruction. It could not 
 really have been called a restoration, for it was only a partial 
 rebuilding. The Basilica of Constantine was not included in 
 the work, while Calvary and other sacred sites near at hand 
 were covered by small chapels. The persecutions, however, 
 
336 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 did not cease, nor was the condition of the Christians alle- 
 viated by any of Hakem's successors. It became worse, until 
 the sufferings they endured were terrible. The treatment ac- 
 corded pilgrims from the west was such as would lead one to 
 imagine that the desire to make pilgrimages would cease. On 
 the contrary, that pious ardor could not be smothered. The 
 people still came in crowds. At the same time the indignities 
 the pilgrims suffered were arousing in Europe a spirit of ha- 
 tred against the Moslems, and a determination to wrest from 
 them the places made holy by their association with the Lord 
 and His disciples. For at least a century before the preaching 
 of the Crusade by Peter the Hermit the patriarchs of Jerusalem 
 and those high in the ecclesiastical position in the west felt 
 that the pilgrimages must cease or the pilgrims be protected. 
 Either seemed impossible. The effort was made to stop the 
 pilgrims and to convince them that it was possible to worship 
 God and venerate the memory of Christ without leaving home. 
 But the tide of pilgrimage kept rising each year. 
 
 In the year 1050 (cir.) there was born in Picardy a child 
 who was to be known in history as Peter the Hermit. When 
 over forty years of age he joined the pilgrims to Palestine. 
 What he saw along the route and in the Holy Land itself 
 called up in him a spirit of enterprise that was not to be put 
 down. With the sanction of Pope Urban he went through 
 Europe and with irresistible eloquence summoned the people 
 to take part in the glorious work of recovering Jerusalem from 
 the sacrilegious presence of the infidels. 
 
 It does not belong to such a work as this to describe the 
 forces operating in Europe that assisted in the rousing of 
 public opinion, the raising of immense bodies of men, the 
 starting them on that dreadful march of death to the Holy 
 Land. A miserable remnant finally reached their destination, 
 and, on June 7th, 1099, pitched camp before the walls of 
 Jerusalem. It was not until the fifteenth of the following 
 July that an entrance was effected. Then Jerusalem became 
 
The Moslems 337 
 
 a Christian possession and so remained, nominally, for nearly 
 a hundred years, or until the year 1186. It was retaken by 
 Saladin, the Magnificent, after a tedious siege during which 
 the Christian inhabitants fought with the courage of despair, 
 and secured by their heroism much better terms, when they 
 finally capitulated, than they had any reason to expect. No 
 more famous or liberal prince has appeared in Moslem history 
 than this conqueror of the city. He was a man of many 
 virtues, a true knight, and the peer of any prince among the 
 Crusaders. 
 
 At Saladin's death the kingdom he had won was divided 
 between his two sons Efdhal and Aziz, the former retaining 
 Syria with his capital at Damascus, the latter succeeding to 
 the throne of Egypt. Aziz dying shortly after, his uncle 
 Aadel became virtual ruler of Egypt. Internal wars marked 
 the course of the succeeding rulers at Cairo and Damascus. 
 These weakened the power of the defenders of Islam and 
 gave some encouragement to Christian hopes that the city of 
 Jerusalem might be recovered by them. The spirit of the 
 Crusaders had not yet subsided. 
 
 These hopes of the Christians were realized, but not in a 
 way expected, nor was there any rejoicing in Christendom 
 when the fact that Jerusalem had been ceded to the Emperor 
 Frederic II. was known. The Church was against this prince 
 as he was under the interdict of the Pope, having been twice 
 excommunicated by Gregory. In spite of the pontifical mal- 
 edictions Frederic went on his Crusade to the Holy Land and 
 soon after landing at Acre, where he was acknowledged as 
 king by the Knights Templars and Hospitallers, entered into 
 secret communications with the sultan Kamil of Damascus. 
 A treaty was soon effected, and Jerusalem was again a Chris- 
 tian city, with the exception of the Mosque of Omar, to which 
 Mohammedans were to have free access and where they might 
 practice undisturbed, their religious observances. Frederic 
 went to Jerusalem, entered the Holy Sepulchre, accompanied 
 
338 Jerusalem the Holy- 
 
 only by his trusty retainers, took the crown and placed it on 
 his own head. The clergy of all degrees refused to partici- 
 pate in the act of coronation and without religious ceremony 
 Frederic became the Christian king of Jerusalem. However, 
 he soon returned to Europe ; the city was left defenceless and 
 its Christian population were in constant fear of danger from 
 their unfriendly neighbors. 
 
 In 1244 a new terror to Christian and Moslem alike appeared. 
 Driven out of their land by Tartar bands the Kharezmians ap- 
 peared in Syria. Death to all followed the course of their 
 march. To appease them the Sultan of Cairo gave them 
 Palestine as their own on condition that they should conquer 
 it, and the condition was met by the slaughter of nearly all 
 Jerusalem Christians. The Sultan failed to carry out his 
 promise to give them Palestine, thinking to satisfy them with 
 Damascus which they captured and plundered ; they were not 
 to be thus put off however, and making war to establish their 
 right were, after ten battles, hopelessly defeated. Four years 
 will cover the period they were known to history. 
 
 To encourage the few remaining Christians and, if possible, 
 repeople the depleted land with their co-religionists from the 
 west the Crusades of Saint Louis were undertaken. This was 
 the fifth move of this kind. It was begun in 1250 and was a 
 failure, as was that of Edward, the Black Prince, in 1270. 
 Subsequent attempts at arousing the crusading spirit all failed. 
 Priest and poet used all their powers to this end, but without 
 effect. Repeated disasters had chilled the ardor of the people. 
 They were content to rest quietly at home, regretting that the 
 holy places were in infidel possession, but not willing to un- 
 dertake the heavy task of displacing the unbelievers. 
 
 For the next three hundred years nothing worthy of a place 
 in history happened in this city that once defied the armies of 
 imperial Rome. There were strifes at arms around it, but the 
 contestants were members of Moslem clans little better than 
 highwaymen, and their quarrels were tribal disputes. The 
 
The Moslems 339 
 
 ecclesiastics who were permitted to remain, for lack of prof- 
 itable employment, indulged in theological hair-splitting, 
 wordy contentions unprofitable to themselves and to the 
 world. 
 
 At the beginning of the sixteenth century the power of the 
 Egyptian Sultans had so waned that some of their outlying 
 provinces were merely nominally under their control. Such 
 was their authority over Palestine, where the governor was the 
 virtual ruler and carried out the Sultan's orders when they 
 coincided with his own wishes. Outside the city the sheikhs 
 of the various tribes of the Bedouin and Fellahin were beyond 
 the control of anybody and could not be called to account for 
 any of their numerous deeds of violence. It was a condition 
 bordering on anarchy. At this time Selim I., the Ottoman 
 Sultan came into power. Both before and after his conquest 
 of Egpyt he visited Jerusalem. Under his successor Suleiman 
 (1542) Jerusalem again rose to some little importance. Her 
 walls, as they stand to-day, were erected by this monarch. 
 
 For the next century and a half the city was too insignif- 
 icant to command any marked attention from the outside 
 world. During the revolution of Mohammed-Ali it came 
 peaceably into this really great general's possession in 1832, 
 but was restored to the Porte after the bombardment of Acre in 
 1840. It now enjoys the distinction of being the capital of a 
 pashalic. 
 
 The Pasha of the city, called Mutaserif, receives his ap- 
 pointment from the Sultan, and is responsible for government 
 affairs over the entire province of El Kuds, which compre- 
 hends all southern Palestine west of the river Jordan and the 
 Dead Sea. The present governor is a Turkish gentleman of 
 high character who admirably maintains the dignity of his 
 office and whose integrity has never been questioned. Nor 
 has he an easy post to fill. The variety of nationalities repre- 
 sented in his district, their amenability to their consular rep- 
 resentatives and the rights guaranteed them under treaty, the 
 
340 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 untrustworthiness of some of the officials upon whom he must 
 depend for the management of certain branches of the gov- 
 ernment, all conspire to complicate matters and make abso- 
 lutely necessary a head clear in planning and a will determined 
 in execution. That he sometimes fails to give satisfaction to 
 all parties is no discredit. Any one who knows the obstacles 
 against which the governor has to contend will be sparing in 
 criticism of his failures, and wonder that he accomplishes with 
 so little friction his many duties. 
 
 In the management of city affairs the Pasha is assisted 
 by a local council, called Megliss, composed of nine Moslems, 
 one Jew and one Christian. The power of this council, how- 
 ever, is very limited, and its findings are liable at any time to 
 reversal. 
 
 The worst sufferers at the hands of the officers of the law 
 are the Jews. These people are not wanted in this city by the 
 government, and those who have government affairs in charge 
 make it difficult for them to get here and still more difficult to 
 remain. But in this respect the various Christian nations have 
 little to say to the Moslem. The records of Jewish oppression 
 in Christian lands are quite as painful as any that the Orient 
 can show. Yet the Hebrew not only endures his many wrongs : 
 wonderful as it is, he thrives in spite of them. 
 
 Of the Moslem population, which numbers between seven 
 and eight thousand, not more than three hundred are genuine 
 Turks, but these three hundred hold the chief civil and mili- 
 tary positions, and it is true of them, as of Turks in other 
 parts of the empire, that they are an unwelcome minority. 
 The Arabs do not like them and would be glad if some event 
 would cause their removal. The reason for this is not far to 
 seek. As long as the Turks are present they will hold the 
 offices, and the opportunities for advancement that go with 
 them, to the exclusion of the native Moslems, who are quite 
 ready to serve the Sultan in this way. They are certainly 
 right in considering themselves equally competent with their 
 
The Moslems 341 
 
 Turkish brethren, but it will be a discouragingly long time 
 before their turn arrives. 
 
 The native Moslems nearly all lay claim to aristocratic ori- 
 gin, that is to say, they trace their descent from the Prophet, 
 or some relation of the Prophet. Guarded as zealously as the 
 greatest treasure is the genealogical tree, a transcript of which, 
 in ornamental Arabic characters, may be seen in the chief 
 room of each of the houses. There is no doubt that the line 
 has been kept unbroken, and that their progenitors did come 
 at the time of the conquest of Omar and settle here. The 
 leading families are the Husseini, Jawani, Khaldi, Jarallah, 
 Ersasi, El Jaberi, El Kelami, Dijani, and Denaf. Some of 
 these are well provided with this world's goods, so that to do 
 any sort of labor is a matter of choice with them; others are 
 quite poor, and though the blood of the Prophet — equal to 
 that of any king — flows in their veins, they are compelled to 
 engage in some remunerative employment. There are trades- 
 men and storekeepers among them, and the fact that they can 
 do business where the Jew so largely predominates is all the 
 evidence one needs that their abilities in this line are not 
 to be despised. 
 
 The real Moslem is a good deal of a fatalist. This is ex- 
 hibited in even the smallest matters of life. No one is more 
 frequent in pious ejaculations, brief prayers for Divine assist- 
 ance and thanksgiving for favors. They seem to rise naturally 
 to his lips and, no matter what the surroundings or other mat- 
 ters in hand, must be expressed. When he opens his shop in 
 the morning he invokes Allah's blessing on the new day and 
 the business that may come with it, saying, 
 
 " Oh, Opener of the day, oh, Gracious One, 
 Oh, Restorer of property, oh, Bountiful One." 
 
 And then with assiduity he proceeds to business, using every 
 effort to make as much as he can, but never complaining. All 
 comes from God. 
 
34 2 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 The soldiers wearing the uniform of the Sultan form a con- 
 spicuous part of the population. There are usually from six 
 hundred to a thousand of these " children of the Sultan " sta- 
 tioned in Jerusalem. All are Moslems. To have Christians 
 or Jews in their armies is not thought of by the Turks, or, if 
 thought of, very wisely never put into execution. The Turk 
 well knows that his subjects of other faiths have no love for 
 him and in case of war with a Christian Power would be cer- 
 tain to desert the Crescent and favor the Cross. Consequently 
 his regiments are composed of Moslems only, while his Chris- 
 tian and Jewish subjects are taxed to support them. At first 
 view this looks a little severe, as if it were sort of " taxation 
 without representation " ; but it is the only way out of the dif- 
 ficulty. No doubt both Christians and Jews are very glad not 
 to have to serve, for the life of a soldier here is not attractive ; 
 his quarters are miserable, his food abominable, the uniform 
 he wears every day was never intended for him, is made of the 
 cheapest shoddy which soon fades to a sickly blue, and is worn 
 until it has become so dilapidated as to be beyond repair. 
 When a special occasion requires it the same careless looking 
 fellows can display neat uniforms and orderly behavior ; and 
 when it comes to actual war they show splendid fighting quali- 
 ties and hardly know what fear is. 
 
 There is a resident general in Jerusalem who has charge of 
 all the military affairs of the province, and as the troops are 
 frequently changed from post to post his position is not a si- 
 necure. The bashi-bazouks (military police) form part of the 
 force. They are distinguished for their excellent horseman- 
 ship. 
 
 The term of service for the soldiers is seven years, and it is 
 an experience entered upon by most of them with great re- 
 luctance. Annual conscriptions are made and various are the 
 devices employed to escape the officers. It is only a question 
 of time, however ; in the end they are caught, and once in 
 the toils they settle down to serve their time with characteristic 
 
The Moslems 343 
 
 resignation. Though in times of peace their duties are light, 
 no one can doubt that their remuneration, thirty piastres 
 ($1.20) per month, with food and clothing, is well earned. 
 
 Moslem domestic life has few attractions for an Occidental. 
 Even among the highest classes there is a lack of cheerfulness 
 in the home life, due, no doubt, to the assumed inequality of 
 the sexes and the consequent inferior position which woman is 
 compelled to occupy. Before girls have passed the age of 
 childhood they are denied that freedom of action so essential 
 to the happiness of children; they are kept secluded, and 
 when they do appear on the streets it must be with face hidden 
 by a veil and with the body covered entirely by a loose flowing 
 garment, called jibbe, which conceals any grace of form its 
 wearer may possess. Once the veil is donned no man except 
 father, brother, husband or son must see the face. To allow a 
 stranger to look upon it without its covering veil would be con- 
 sidered a disgrace. 
 
 There is no social function ever held at which men and 
 women mingle. At occasional family celebrations friends are 
 invited, but the ladies occupy one part of the house and the 
 gentlemen the other. The amusements consist of conversa- 
 tion, smoking and coffee drinking, in all which the female 
 guests will equal the males. 
 
 In earliest childhood the daughters of the household are 
 made to feel their inferiority to their brothers. A girl baby is 
 always unwelcome, and the mother of many daughters is al- 
 most sure to lose favor in her husband's eyes, while the 
 mother of sons gains it. The boys soon learn that they are 
 considered superior to their sisters and act accordingly. Be- 
 fore they are very old they do not hesitate to assume suprem- 
 acy over their mothers. Another cause of woman's inferiority 
 is her lack of education. Within a few years there have been 
 some improvements in this regard, but it is said that as late as 
 twenty years ago there was not a Moslem woman in Jerusalem 
 who could write her own name or read it when it was written. 
 
344 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 Now there are a few who can read and write, and within a 
 year a school for the education of girls has been opened by 
 the Moslem authorities. This is a decided innovation and 
 was doubtless done to counteract the influence of the various 
 Christian schools which were attracting the daughters of some 
 of the careless Moslem parents. The authorities saw a danger 
 in these Christian institutions and concluded that the only 
 way to avert it was to establish a school of their own so as to 
 control the teachers and the teaching. 
 
 It must be said of the Jerusalem Moslems that they are 
 much more tolerant of other religious beliefs and practices 
 than are their co-religionists generally. In the universal con- 
 demnation of Moslem fanaticism this should be remembered 
 to their credit. . Their religion is intolerant. It has little 
 sympathy for the adherents of other faiths. It once advocated 
 an extermination of the " infidels." Perhaps it would con- 
 tinue in that advocacy did its leaders dare. There are evi- 
 dences in other parts of the Empire that give reasons for such 
 an opinion. But after several years of acquaintance with 
 some of the leading Moslems of Jerusalem I cannot but re- 
 gard them as gentlemen of very liberal views, who, while they 
 are firm in their belief in their religion, have no desire to in- 
 terfere with or injure any who differ from them. They are 
 certainly as tolerant of the Jerusalem Jew or Christian as the 
 Jew or Christian is of them. The only exceptions are the 
 Mohammedans who live on Mount Zion and have charge of 
 the Mosque Nebi Daud. These are very fanatical and lose no 
 opportunity to insult strangers who go too near this, one of 
 their holy places. They resemble in this the Moslems of He- 
 bron and Nabulus. 
 
 Of the religious practices of the followers of the Prophet 
 little need be said ; they are the same here as in other Mo- 
 hammedan places. The stated hours for daily prayer are still 
 cried from the minarets : the summons are obeyed by some, 
 but many pay no attention whatever. Indifference is certainly 
 
The Moslems 345 
 
 on the increase and its growth is one of several grounds for 
 the belief that the doctrines of Islam are losing their power. 
 Other reasons are found in the private life of the people. The 
 commands of the Koran concerning temperance and purity 
 are openly violated. It is true that no saloons or houses of 
 ill-fame where Moslems congregate can be seen, but that they 
 exist is an open secret, and that nameless iniquitous practices 
 are common is well known. Only the uninformed will listen 
 to the ignorant, or intentionally deceptive comparisons of the 
 results of Islam and Christianity in the lives of their respective 
 followers which are unfavorable to the latter. 
 
 Like the Jews and Christians the Moslems have their re- 
 ligious fasts and feasts. The fast of Ramadan and the feast of 
 Beiram are the greatest of their kind. These are observed in 
 all Moslem lands and have been often described. A festival 
 peculiar to Jerusalem is the annual procession to the tomb of 
 Moses. Moslem tradition locates this tomb in the wilderness 
 west of the northern end of the Dead Sea. Over the site 
 buildings have been erected capable of accommodating several 
 hundred pilgrims. Just before the pilgrimage is made crowds 
 of Moslems from all over the country and from other parts of 
 the Empire throng to Jerusalem. As it usually comes about 
 Easter-time the city is thronged until the streets are almost im- 
 passable. Men, women and children, on foot, on donkeys or 
 camels, and in palanquins, to the music of pipes and drums 
 and cymbals march through the Jaffa Gate and make their way 
 to the grounds of the Mosque of Omar. They are several 
 days in gathering, during which time the spirit of fanaticism runs 
 high. No strangers are admitted to the Mosque area during 
 this week, for the governor cannot control the actions of these 
 visitors from the villages. On Friday, after prayers in the 
 Haram, the procession forms. Accompanied by mounted 
 police and led by the military band the pilgrims file out of the 
 St. Stephen's Gate. The Bethany road for a mile or more 
 is lined on both sides by spectators, who are anxious to see 
 
346 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 this display. And it is a display ! Such varieties of cos- 
 tume, such wealth of banners, such a display of colors can 
 be seen only in the Orient. The pilgrims walk to the tomb of 
 Moses, twenty miles distant, and spend a week in feasting and 
 semi-religious exercises. The entertainment is provided by 
 the Houssani family, of Jerusalem, who have charge of the 
 tomb and grounds. 
 
 Moslem women have a special fondness for tomb visiting. 
 On any pleasant afternoon you may see them in any of their 
 three cemeteries, sitting in twos and threes among the desolate 
 graves. There are no more cheerless and desolate places in 
 this land of rather dreary aspects than the Moslem fields of 
 sepulture. And yet the memory of their dead is well pre- 
 served. Believing that the spirits of the departed are near 
 and can understand what is said the women come and sit for 
 hours by the grave of a loved one and tell all that has hap- 
 pened since their last visit. It is a wonder that with this be- 
 lief does not come a desire to have the last resting-place of 
 their dead show some evidences of care. Most important of 
 the three cemeteries is that just outside the east wall of the 
 Haram enclosure. Its importance is not due to its size, but to 
 its alleged proximity to the seat of the last judgment. Those 
 buried here will be the first to rise and the first judged. 
 Moreover, because of their having been buried in this excep- 
 tionally holy ground the judgment will be favorable. 
 
 The death of a Moslem of distinction is the cause of great 
 mourning, and it is a time when the Orientalism of this people 
 may be best witnessed. Hired mourners are present at the 
 last rites and "go about the streets." The grief of the 
 female members of the family is terrible to witness. Inter- 
 ment takes place as soon after death as possible. The funeral 
 procession forms and is headed by two bearers of tall palm 
 branches. Following these are a number of blind men — pro- 
 fessional mourners — chanting some weird death-song and 
 loudly wailing certain portions of the Koran. The body, in 
 
The Moslems 347 
 
 a plain coffin, borne on the shoulders of four men comes next. 
 At every few steps the bearers give way to others from the 
 crowd. Passers-by join the procession to carry the deceased 
 for a few steps and then drop out to give others an opportunity 
 thus to show their respect. The body is buried without coffin 
 of any kind. If the deceased was a rich man, and generous, 
 crowds of beggars assemble round the grave, for money is sure 
 to be distributed. For many succeeding nights a lighted 
 lantern is placed on or near the grave so that the darkness may 
 not be too oppressive to the disembodied spirit. 
 
 Jerusalem has now been practically in undisputed Moslem 
 possession for six hundred years. How long it will continue 
 to be is a question often asked. The weakness of the posses- 
 sors is very evident. In the dismemberment of the Turkish 
 Empire — an event which is delayed only by the jealousies of 
 the European Powers, — will the Holy Land become the prop- 
 erty of Russia, France, England or Germany? Any one of 
 these nations would willingly add this land to its possessions, 
 but cannot do so without the consent of the others. And in 
 the present delicate condition of European affairs such a con- 
 sent is not easily secured. Perhaps a compromise will be ef- 
 fected by the terms of which Palestine will be considered as 
 neutral territory, where the Jew will be given an opportunity 
 to work out his national destiny. The Jew has national aspi- 
 rations and ideas, and a national future. Where, if not here, 
 will his aspirations be realized and his ideas carried out ? 
 
THE FUTURE OF JERUSALEM 
 
Religious Preeminence — Material Prosperity — Wonderful 
 Preservation — Jerusalem not Self-supporting — Barren Appear- 
 ance of Palestine — Bethlehem Hills — Recent Improvements — 
 Possibilities — Jordan Valley — Jewish Memorial — Colonists — 
 Objection to Foreign Colonists — Conditions Changing — Jews 
 the Future Inhabitants — Biblical Proofs — Jewish Expectancy 
 — Room for City Growth — Undeveloped Resources — Greatest 
 Difficulty — Lack of Public Spirit — Water in Abundance Prom- 
 ised — Certainty of Prophecy — An Indication — Jew and Chris- 
 tian. 
 
 35o 
 
XIX 
 
 THE FUTURE OF JERUSALEM 
 
 IN the preceding pages an endeavor has been made to tell 
 something of the Sacred City's past and present. The 
 facts brought forth must have convinced the reader that Jeru- 
 salem, like the Jews, is — as it ever was — peculiar. Its location 
 away from any adequate water supply, on rugged, almost bar- 
 ren hills, is unusual. Its nearly four thousand years of strange, 
 many times destructive, experiences give it an unique place in 
 history. Its religious preeminence is undoubted. Its present 
 material prosperity is a fact in spite of the great and ill-recon- 
 ciled variety of its people. 
 
 What reasons governed the choice of its site is a question 
 neither so difficult nor so interesting as how it has been pre- 
 served. Founded it was and it was preserved ; there was a 
 Divine purpose in the founding and in the preservation ; nor 
 is it rash to go further and say that there was a special Divine 
 purpose in both. 
 
 Judged by the ordinary standards on which human judg- 
 ments are framed Jerusalem ought never to have been anything 
 more than a mountain hamlet where a few hardy villagers 
 could live, because their wants were few and their courage 
 great. The land of which it became the capital was much 
 greater in area than in value. On the east and south was the 
 desert, on the west the sea, and on the north the rival kingdom 
 of Syria. The central range, running from north to south, on 
 which the city stands, does not, and probably never did, pre- 
 sent a pleasing view to the husbandman. Its hills are rugged, 
 its valleys deep gorges where cultivation can only be affected 
 with great labor. That labor has been available, however, and 
 
 35 l 
 
352 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 patient industry, when labor cost almost nothing, has suc- 
 ceeded where to-day it would surely fail. 
 
 The land of Palestine does not now alone support the city 
 of Jerusalem as it is; Jerusalem is not self-supporting. By 
 this it is not meant that it differs from other cities, for it is 
 true in one sense that no city is self-supporting; no city is in- 
 dependent in the sense that it produces all that is necessary for 
 the sustenance and comfort of its residents. The people of 
 London and New York would soon starve were they shut off 
 from outside communications. But London and New York 
 are self-supporting in that they produce that which they can 
 exchange for the products of other places. Jerusalem pro- 
 duces nothing, and therefore has nothing to exchange. The 
 land of which the city is the capital now produces little more 
 than its villagers require. The formerly terraced hills are 
 sadly denuded of soil and stand, naked limestone mountains, 
 on which but little vegetation can find room to live. 
 
 This barren appearance at first sight puts a damper on any 
 belief in the country's future, and many visitors immediately 
 jump to the conclusion that it has no future. Centuries of 
 negligence, and governmental oppression that encourages 
 negligence, have made a sorry spectacle of a land that once 
 flourished with every form of vegetation that pleased the eye 
 and delighted the taste. But I am satisfied that what once was 
 produced here will, or may be, again produced, and by 
 similar methods of industry and skill. Fifteen years ago the 
 hills near Bethlehem were as void of fields, vineyards and 
 orchards as any in the land ; the soil upon them was thin and 
 the rocky ledges very prominent. Now all around this little 
 city are fields of grain, abundant vineyards and grand 
 orchards of fig and olive trees. Industry has wrought the 
 transformation. The terraces have been rebuilt, the earth 
 brought from the valleys into which it had been washed and 
 the result is all that could be desired. There are similar spots 
 all over Palestine, as, for example the grounds of the American 
 
The Future of Jerusalem 353 
 
 Friends' Mission, in Ramallah, the precincts, the numerous 
 Jewish colonies, and the lands of the Latin Convents. All 
 these improvements, accomplished in a few years, indicate 
 that the land that once supported a population of at least two 
 millions could again do so. The divine conditions of soil and 
 climate are the same as ever, only the human conditions of in- 
 dustry in the individual and encouragement in the government 
 are sadly lacking. 
 
 Supposing the latter two conditions to be met, there is no 
 doubt that Jerusalem would become the centre of an agricul- 
 tural district that could compete with other countries in the 
 great world markets. This may seem a strange statement to 
 those who have depended upon the accounts of casual 
 visitors, or professional writers, who presume to know all 
 about it after a few days' stay, for their information. The 
 Jordan valley is now desert. It has in it the possibilities of a 
 Paradise. East of the Jordan, the land of the homeless 
 Bedouin, is an unknown country to most people. I venture to 
 state that there is no finer wheat land on earth than this. The 
 methods of agriculture are of the crudest, but the harvest that 
 results would abundantly remunerate a more skillful husband- 
 man. The Jewish committee that presented a memorial to Lord 
 Salisbury in 1891 did not prophesy the unlikely when they 
 said : "If at this moment the ground is barren in parts and 
 refuses to yield its increase, we know that it is the hand of 
 man that has wrought the evil. The hand of man shall rem- 
 edy it." 
 
 Certain it is that when the country contiguous is properly 
 cared for, the city will thrive. Temporal prosperity is in 
 sight. Societies of colonization have been formed in recent 
 years in Roumania, Southern Russia, Germany, England, and, 
 quite lately, in America. Agents have been sent to purchase 
 lands and have succeeded in acquiring possession of desirable 
 tracts along the maritime plain in the neighborhood of Jaffa 
 and near the base of Carmel. The majority of the colonists 
 
354 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 thus far have been Jews, and when they have had some pre- 
 vious knowledge of agricultural life have been reasonably pros- 
 perous. It has been learned at the same time that the attempt 
 to make tillers of the soil out of shopkeepers and petty artisans 
 is a waste of money. The German colonists have been uni- 
 formly successful, because of their ability and willingness to 
 work. One cannot help admiring their neat villages and com- 
 fortable looking homes at Haifa, Jaffa and Jerusalem ; they 
 are like little bits of the prettiest of German rural life. 
 
 It is impossible to foretell the future of colonization plans, 
 because of the uncertainty of the political horizon. Naturally 
 the present rulers do not wish to see these foreigners coming 
 and settling here, bringing their foreign ideas, habits, and re- 
 ligions, and retaining their allegiance to their governments in 
 Europe and America. They are small foreign states in the 
 land of the Turk, and the Turk is aware that the longer they 
 remain the more determined and intelligent will be their op- 
 position to him. Thus it will be readily understood that in- 
 tending colonists will hesitate to come, not wishing to risk their 
 all in the face of present opposition and future uncertainty. 
 
 Conditions are changing. Even the unprogressive Turk is 
 submitting gradually to modern improvements. If a prophet 
 twenty years ago had predicted as many changes for the better 
 as have been made in Palestine during that time he would have 
 been treated as a dreamer. There are now some good carriage 
 roads, where then there were only miserable paths threading 
 the land. Now there is a railroad from Jaffa to Jerusalem, 
 and another is building from Haifa to Damascus, passing 
 through the rich valley of Jezreel, by Lake Galilee and across 
 the fertile Hauran. These improvements, continued as they 
 surely will be, are the presages of a future for that city which 
 is destined to be the capital of the land. It needs no prophet 
 to foretell this now, but the majority may need some one to 
 recall to them the fact that present conditions and future im- 
 provements were foretold centuries ago. 
 
The Future of Jerusalem 355 
 
 My own belief is that the time is not far distant when Pales- 
 tine will be in the hands of a people who will restore it to its 
 former condition of productiveness. The land is waiting, the 
 people are ready to come and will come as soon as protection 
 to life and property is assured. I am ready to go further and 
 say that the coming inhabitants will be Jews. This must be 
 accepted or the numerous prophecies that assert it so positively 
 must be thrown out as worthless. The subject of Israel's res- 
 toration I freely admit is not a popular one now ; but the un- 
 popular of to-day is the universally accepted of to-morrow. 
 
 It certainly will not be considered out of place to introduce 
 in this connection a few of the many prophetic passages that as- 
 sert this return of the dispersed of Israel : " He that scattered 
 Israel will gather him " (Jer. xxxi. 10). " He shall assemble 
 the outcasts of Israel and gather together the dispersed of 
 Judah " (Isaiah xi. 12). " Like as I have watched over them 
 to pluck up and to break down and to destroy and to afflict, 
 so will I watch over them to build and to plant, saith the 
 Lord " (Jer. xxxi. 28). " For I will take you from among the 
 heathen and gather you out of all countries and will bring you 
 into your own land " (Ezekiel xxxvi. 24). Now this gathering 
 has not yet taken place; it must be made or prophecy counts 
 for nothing. The present movements among Jews in many 
 parts of the world indicate their belief in the prophetic asser- 
 tions. Their eyes are turning toward the land that once was 
 theirs, and their hearts are longing for the day when they as a 
 people can dwell securely in it. With every improvement of 
 the country the city must improve. It will always be the centre 
 of Palestine. Should an independent nation arise and occupy 
 the land as it once did we should see history being repeated 
 and Jerusalem a city of prominence. There are physical ob- 
 stacles that would have to be overcome, but they are not so 
 great as has been often assumed and asserted. There is room 
 for a large city. The Plain of Rephaim as far south as the 
 Convent of Saint Elias — half way to Bethlehem — is admirably 
 
356 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 adapted to city construction. The broad plateau on the north, 
 now being rapidly built over, is all that could be desired for 
 residence sites. There is ample room for a large city. 
 
 There is something more needed than room, however ; 
 there must be means of support for the people. These means 
 are at hand, but, as already mentioned, they are undeveloped. 
 Rich mineral deposits have been discovered, but work upon 
 them has been abandoned because of the paralyzing policy of 
 the government. Copper and tin have been found ; coal ex- 
 ists in paying quantities in the Lebanon and near Sidon ; at 
 the former mines the coal is of good quality and 12,000 tons 
 were at one time mined, then the works were abandoned. 
 With the introduction of railways these fields would all be 
 worked and made to pay. There are large mineral deposits 
 in Gilead and Moab and along the shores of the Dead Sea. 
 Petroleum is said by experts to exist in abundance in the 
 southern part of the Jordan valley. There are salt deposits 
 in and near the Dead Sea sufficient to supply the world's 
 demands. All this wealth of minerals is of no value now, but 
 once capital is assured of safe investment the present death 
 will give place to activity. In such an event Jerusalem would 
 be the natural manufacturing centre and could not only supply 
 her own demands, but be able to compete with other manu- 
 facturing cities in the markets of the world. 
 
 The greatest difficulty in the way is the lack of water. No 
 doubt this was always a difficulty, but one which in the former 
 days of prosperity was met by great skill and great labor, 
 which were applied in devising and building the great aque- 
 ducts that led from distant fountains into the city. Many of 
 the early kings made the providing of water for their capital 
 their chief concern. Large pools — as Upper and Lower 
 Gihon, Hezekiah, Bethesda, Siloam — collected and preserved 
 for public use large quantities. Cisterns were then much 
 more numerous than now. And it is more than probable 
 that the Virgin's Fountain was a much more copious stream. 
 
The Future of Jerusalem 357 
 
 Whether added to these was another natural source springing 
 up in the midst of the city or in the temple area is a question 
 on which the authorities differ. The inhabitants of the mod- 
 ern city do not enjoy the blessing of an abundance of water, 
 but they have omitted the efforts to obtain it and preserve it 
 put forth by their predecessors. It really is not so much a 
 question of lack of water as lack of energy and public spirit ; 
 an honest capable city government would soon have it. The 
 money necessary for the work was once offered by an English 
 company, but as the capitalists stipulated that an English 
 superintendent was to oversee expenditures, the local authori- 
 ties declined the offer. 
 
 But in the city that the prophets beheld in moments of in- 
 spired vision this great lack was to be supplied by natural 
 means. There will be an abundant supply in the very midst 
 of the city. Perennial streams shall issue. Zechariah (xiv. 8) 
 tells us, "And it shall be in that day that living waters shall 
 go out from Jerusalem, half of them toward the former sea 
 and half of them toward the hinder sea ; in summer and in 
 winter shall it be." That this great change is to occur in the 
 millennial age is generally conceded. To speculate any further 
 about it, to attempt any description of the changes physical 
 and spiritual that must attend it would be going too far for 
 this work. At the same time it may be said, and repeatedly, 
 that the city of prophetic assertion must be realized or prophecy 
 be relegated to a position on a par with fictitious literature. 
 
 Any one desiring to know the millennial future of Jerusalem 
 can find it described on many pages of the Inspired Word. 
 The only legitimate method for the interpretation of the vari- 
 ous allusions to that future city is the natural one, /'. e., to take 
 just what is there said as it is said and attempt neither to add 
 to nor detract from the statements. 
 
 Forgetfulness, or rather, disregard, of this has led to many 
 fanciful and some foolish conclusions. The result has been 
 that serious-minded people have come to believe that there is 
 
358 Jerusalem the Holy 
 
 no interpretation of these passages that can lead to any cer- 
 tainty. There may be some grounds for the belief, they are 
 due however to fault, not in the prophetic narrative, but in 
 our methods of treating that narrative. Better take the narra- 
 tive as it stands and believe that what is there said of the fu- 
 ture of Jerusalem will come to pass, or believe, as many do, 
 that the city can have no future that will make it sufficiently 
 important to command the attention of the modern world. 
 For my part I see no reason to question the Bible statements 
 about the future of Jerusalem and believe there are many signs 
 in the present pointing to the fulfillment of what the Scriptures 
 say about it. 
 
 It is very certain that Mohammedanism will have nothing to 
 do with the city's future. Its six hundred years of possession 
 and its present deplorable condition warrant the assertion. 
 Jerusalem has been ground under the heel of Moslem oppres- 
 sors, in spite of the fact that as a holy city it is with them 
 second only to Mecca. It would still be in the same deplor- 
 able condition were the Christian nations and their many 
 Jewish subjects not becoming so much interested in it. 
 Quietly the Jew and Christian have been getting possession of 
 desirable building sites and erecting substantial structures. 
 Less than half of the city within the walls is owned by Mos- 
 lems, while hardly any of the new city outside the walls is 
 now in their hands. This desire to acquire Jerusalem real es- 
 tate, a desire that animates Christians and Jews, gives a strong 
 indication of what the city of the future is to be. Its destiny 
 is bound up with religion. For similar reasons Christian and 
 Jew love it ; to each it is holy for what it has been ; it will 
 become holier and greater still. 
 
 It has already been said in this chapter that the coming in- 
 habitants of Palestine will be Jews. The fact that Christians 
 now hold a goodly portion of the city and land counts for 
 nothing against this. The time has come when Jew and 
 Christian can live together without persecution on either side. 
 
The Future of Jerusalem 359 
 
 The "wall of partition" still stands. It is higher and 
 stronger in Jerusalem than any place else on earth. But even 
 here it is crumbling. There is at least tolerance for the nar- 
 rowest Christianity in this capital of the severest Judaism ; and 
 this tolerance must grow into something more friendly. 
 Christianity and Judaism are radically the same religion. We 
 believe that Christianity has the real life — the life of the Spirit 
 — a stage of development to which Judaism has not attained, 
 but Judaism will advance ; that when it has reached the spirit- 
 ual stage, the "wall of partition" will be broken down and 
 a union will be effected in a religion nearer the divine ideal 
 than this world has yet witnessed, whose adherents shall be 
 " Israelites indeed." 
 
AL KUDS (Tlie Holy) 
 
 JERUSALEM 
 
 These maps are from " The 
 Holy Land in Geography and in 
 History," " and are used by the 
 kind permission of the author, Mr. 
 Townsend Mac Conn, M.A. 
 
 •Illustrated with 154 full-page maps 1 
 "•lots -■ vols., ii. in.., tU-vible clotli, $2.0 
 Published I'. Fleming II. Revell Company. 
 
 TOPOGRAPHY OF JERUSALEM 
 
 JERUSALEM OF TO-DAY 
 
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 TOPOGRAPHY OF 
 
 
 JERUSALEM 
 
 
 ACCORDING TO TRADITION ANO ITS 
 
 
 PRESENT GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES. 
 
 
 PLAN OF 
 
 THE TEMPLE 
 
 ANO TEMPLE AREA 
 II V II K It II 
 
Selections from 
 
 Fleming H. Revell Company's 
 
 Missionary Lists 
 
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 The Child of the Ganges. 
 
 A Tale of the Judson Mission. By Prof. R. N. Barrett, 
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 Adoniram Judson. 
 
 By Julia H. Johnston. Missionary Annals Series. i2mo, 
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 Once Hindu, now Christian. 
 
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 William Carey. 
 
 The Shoemaker who became "the Father and Founder of 
 Foreign Missions." By Rev. John B. Myers. Missionary 
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 William Carey. 
 
 By Mary E. Farwell. Missionary Annals Series. 121110, 
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 Alexander Duff. 
 
 By Elizabeth B. Vermilye. Missionary Annals Series. 
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 Reginald Heber, 
 
 Bishop of Calcutta, Scholar and Evangelist. By Arthur 
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 i2mo, cloth, 75c. 
 
 Heavenly Pearls Set in a Life. 
 
 A Record of Experiences and Labors in America, India, 
 and Australia. By Mrs. Lucy D, Osborn. Illustrated. 
 3 i2mo, cloth, $1.50. 
 
(MISSIONS, PERSIA AND INDIA. 
 
 Persian Life and Customs. 
 
 With Incidents of Residence and Travel in the Land of the 
 Lion and the Sun. By Rev. S. G. Wilson, M.A., for 15 
 years a missionary in Persia. With Map, and other Illus- 
 trations, and Index. Second edition, reduced in price. 
 8vo, cloth, $1.25. 
 
 Justin Perkins, 
 
 Pioneer Missionary to Persia. By his son, Rev. H. M. 
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 Women and the Gospel in Persia. 
 
 By Rev. Thomas Laurie, D.D. Missionary Annals Series. 
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 Henry Martyn, Saint and Scholar. 
 
 FirstModem Missionaryto the Mohammedans. 1 781-1812. 
 
 By George Smith, author of "Life of William Carey," 
 
 "The Conversion of India," etc. With Portrait, Map, 
 
 and Illustrations. Large 8vo, cloth, gilt top, $3.00. 
 
 "This excellent biography, so accurately written, so full of 
 
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 and indexed, is worthy of the subject." — The Critic. 
 
 Henry Martyn. 
 
 His Life and Labors: Cambridge — India — Persia. By Jesse 
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 Henry Martyn. 
 
 Missionary to India and Persia. 1 781-1812. Abridged 
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 net, 30c. 
 
 The Conversion of India. 
 
 From Pantasnus to the Present Time, a. d. 193-1893. By 
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 trated. i2mo, cloth, $1.50. 
 
 The Cross in the Land of the Trident. 
 
 By Rev. Harlan P. Beach, Educational Secretary of the 
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 paper, net, 25c. ; cloth, 50c. 
 
MISSIONS, JAPAN. 
 Rambles in Japan, 
 
 The Land of the Rising Sun. By Rev. Canon H. B. 
 
 Tristram, D.D., F.R.S. With forty-six illustrations by 
 
 Edward Whymper, a Map, and an index. 8vo 3 cloth, 
 
 $2.00. 
 "A delightful book by a competent author, who, as a natural- 
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 rian he writes with sympathy of the new institutions of new Japan." 
 — The Independent. 
 
 The Gist of Japan : 
 
 The Islands, their People, and Missions. By Rev. R. B. 
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 This book does not pretend to be an exhaustive treatise of an 
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 whosoever is eager to know the " gist " of those matters Japanese 
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 the coming of Christianity, the difficulties and prospects of her 
 missions, the condition of the native Church — will find it set down 
 in Dr. Peery's book in a very interesting, reliable, instructive, 
 and condensed form. 
 
 The Ainu of Japan. 
 
 The Religion, Superstitions, and General History of the 
 Hairy Aborigines of Japan. By Rev. John Batchelor. 
 With 80 Illustrations. i2mo, cloth, $1,150. 
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 studied, and carefully noted." — The Nation. 
 
 The Diary of a Japanese Convert. 
 
 By Kanzo Uchimura. 12010, cloth, $1.00. 
 
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 it is new. It has the earmarks of a strong and striking individual- 
 ity, is clear in diction, forceful in style, and fearless in criticism." — 
 The Interior. 
 
 A Maker of the New Japan. 
 
 Joseph Hardy Neesima, the Founder of Doshisha University. 
 By Rev. J. D. Davis, D.D., Professor in Doshisha. Il- 
 lustrated. Second edition. i2mo, cloth, $1.00. 
 
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 Mr. Neesima turned for light and help in his educational plans." 
 -~The Examiner,