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settled point which is the true site. As far as the name goes, Kefr Kenna must yield to Kâna-el-Jelil; but, as far as harmonizing the references to the town given in the gospel, the balance of evidence seems in favour of Kefr Kenna.* There is a Greek church in the latter village, where, of course, one of the actual waterpots used at the Marriage Feast, may be seen.

After passing Kefr Kenna, we enter a really beautiful plain, an arm of the fertile plain of el-Buttauf, and pass two or three villages which have no associations of interest attaching to them, and then reach Lubieh, where there are a few ruins and rock tombs in the hill slopes. Near here the route described on p. 289 is joined.

We have now on our left, rising up out of a fertile plain, a curiously-shaped hill, having on its summit two peaks or horns, from which it derives its name of Kurûn Hattîn, or Horns of Hattîn. In the time of the Crusaders this place first came into notice as a holy place, the Latins having decided that it was the Mount of Beatitudes, where our Lord preached the Sermon on the Mount. Another tradition makes this also to be the scene of the Feeding of the Five Thousand (Matt. xiv. 15—21).

Stanley says, "This mountain, or hill-for it only rises sixty feet above the plain-is that known to pilgrims as the Mount of Beatitudes. The tradition cannot lay claim to any early date; it was, in all probability, suggested first to the Crusaders by its remarkable situation. But that situation so strikingly coincides with the intimations of the gospel narrative as almost to force the inference that in this instance the eye of those who selected the spot was for once rightly guided. It is the only height seen in this direction from the

* See an admirable paper in Palestine Exploration Fund Quarterly Statement, No. 3 (Oct. 1869), by Rev. J. Zelleh, of Nazareth.

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shores of the Lake of Gennesaret. The plain on which it stands is easily accessible from the lake, and from that plain to the summit is but a few minutes' walk. The platform at the top is evidently suitable for the collection of a multitude, and corresponds precisely to the level place (Luke vi. 17, mistranslated 'plain '), to which He would 'come down,' as from one of its higher horns, to address the people. Its situation is central, both to the peasants of the Galilean hills and the fishermen of the Galilean lake, between which it stands, and would, therefore, be a natural resort both to 'Jesus and His disciples,' when they retired for solitude from the shore of the sea, and also to the crowds who assembled 'from Galilee, from Decapolis, from Jerusalem, from Judæa, and from beyond Jordan.'" (Compare Matt. iv. 25, v. 1 with Luke vi. 17—20.)

Near here Saladin, in July, 1187, defeated the Crusaders. It was their last struggle. At nightfall they gathered together by the Horns of Hattîn; Guy of Lusignan, with Raynald of Chatillon, the Grand-Master of the Knights Templars, and the Bishop of Lydda, bearing the Holy Cross. That day, however, was the triumph of the Muslim, and the power of the Crusaders in the Holy Land was broken for ever. King Guy was taken prisoner; Chatillon, to whom Saladin owed many a bitter grudge, was slain; and all the mighty army of noble knights, whose deeds of valour have a charm for all, and have been faithfully chronicled by Michaud, were slain, or taken prisoners.

Proceeding towards Tiberias, we enter upon a ridge of hills, beautifully level, and presenting a fine opportunity for a canter, there being nothing particularly to engage the attention of the tourist until he comes to a spot where a magnificent view is obtained of the Sea of Galilee and its

surroundings. This view has been described by everyone

who has visited the Holy Land, by some in terms of extravagant praise, and by others in equally extravagant terms of depreciation. It has been affirmed that there is nothing but a dreary and desolate waste of barren mountains to be seen; and it has also been affirmed that Scotland has not a scene so fair to arrest attention. Each traveller will, of course, draw his own conclusions. The principal features in the view are such as to make it impossible that it shall altogether disappoint.

In the foreground are the steeply sloping and well clothed banks leading down to the lake, which lies as in a basin a thousand feet or more below. The whole of the lake, from Tiberias on the right away to Capernaum on the left, is distinctly seen. Across the lake, rise the irregular hills, sloping down more or less precipitously to the water's edge; they are bare and barren, it is true, but they are rich and varied in tone and tint. Behind them are the mountains of Galilee, and away to the north Hermon rises, and, always magnificent, looks from here more magnificent than ever. Thus the view consists of verdant slopes, a deep blue lake of considerable extent, with hills rising from it, looking like the heathery hills of Scotland-especially in the evening light-and a snow-clad range of mountains. It is impossible, however, to separate from these matter-of-fact details the spirit and inspiration of the scene; for yonder was the dwelling-place of Christ. Upon those waters He trod, those waves listened to His voice, and obeyed; over there, on the left, He preached the Sermon on the Mount; from one of those plateaus above the rugged hills the swine fell into the lake. Every place the eye rests upon is holy ground, for it is associated with some most sacred scenes in the life of the Master; everywhere the gospel is written upon this divinely illuminated page of Nature, and the very air seems full of the echo of His words.

The descent to Tiberias is very steep, and the traveller will be struck with the change in temperature, reminding him of the descent into the Valley of the Jordan. The views are interesting, especially as the old walled town of Tiberias makes a picturesque foreground to the scenery of the lake.

TIBERIAS.

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Tiberias is not mentioned in the New Testament, and there is no reason to believe that it was ever visited by our Lord. The only reference to it is in one or two verses speaking of the "Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias (John vi. 1, xxi. 1). It was built by Herod Antipas, a.d. 20, and was dedicated by him to the Emperor Tiberias. It is doubtful whether there was ever an older city on this site. It soon became the chief city of the province of Galilee; many handsome buildings adorned it, amongst them a royal palace and an amphitheatre. After the destruction of Jerusalem it became the seat of the Jews. In the second century the Sanhedrim was removed here from Sepphoris, and for a long time it was noted for its Rabbinical School. Here the Mishna and Masorah, the principal traditional works of the Jews, were published. Its subsequent history is merely that of captures by Persians, Arabs, and Crusaders.

The modern town of Tiberias does not occupy so large a space as the ancient; it is partially surrounded by a wall, which was shaken and nearly destroyed in the great earthquake of 1837, when half the people of the town perished. It is a filthy town, and, but for one or two things in it, had better be avoided. Moreover, it abounds with fleas, and has become a proverb in this respect. The population is over three thousand, nearly two thousand of whom are Jews. They will be easily recognized; many of them wear immense black hats, many wear their hair in ringlets, and

nearly all look pale and effeminate. Like the Jews in Jerusalem, they for the most part live on charity. They belong to two sects, the Ashkenazim and the Sephardim; the former have five synagogues, and the latter two.

The Greek Church, close by the lake, dates from the time of the Crusades, and was rebuilt in 1869.

The Jews' Burial Ground is a very sacred spot with all Jews everywhere, as here are buried the most celebrated of their modern men, including Jochanan, and the celebrated philosopher Maimonides, whose learning and abilities have been universally acknowledged, both by Jews and Christians. He died in Egypt on the 13th of December, 1204, having founded a College at Alexandria for the instruction of his countrymen, in which he delivered lectures on philosophy and the Jewish law.

The Ruins of the ancient town stretch for some distance along the shore; they present, however, but few attractions to the ordinary visitor, consisting principally of rubbish heaps.

The Hot Baths are about half an hour's walk to the south of the town; they are supposed to be an infallible cure for rheumatism, and the traveller who has nerve to take a bath in this filthy place deserves to be cured. The temperature of the principal spring is 131°-142° Fahr. The old Castle, situated on the south side of the town, is interesting for the sake of its view. The Latin Convent is on the sea shore, a short distance from the Jews' Quarter. Here travellers, not provided with tents, can obtain accommodation.

Many legends are connected with Tiberias, some of them so wild as not to be even interesting. One, specially dear to every Jew, although, perhaps, a borrowed one, is, that when the Messiah comes, He will emerge from the lake, gather together his people at Tiberias, and march with them in

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