'the paradise on earth,' 'the pearl surrounded by emeralds,' &c. This city is situated about 130 miles north-east of Jerusalem, in a most delightful plain, which is well watered by the river Barrada, of which Abana and Pharpar are supposed to have been branches.

It is now nearly 4,000 years since Abraham died, and yet his steward was Eliezar of Damascus. How long the city had existed before his time can only be a matter of conjecture. 'In the reigns of David and Solomon, it carried on an extensive business with neighbouring and distant cities. The prophet Ezekiel speaks particularly of its commerce with Tyre, its wares, emeralds, purple and broidered work, the wine of Helbon and white wool.' The kings of Syria, for nearly three centuries, regarded this agreeable spot as their capital. It also holds a prominent position in the history of David. About sixty years B.C. it fell into the hands of the Romans, and it still continued in their possession in the time of Saul. It was to this city the latter was proceeding when he met with his miraculous conversion. Here he was baptized by Ananias. Here also, after his return from Arabia, he escaped from falling a victim to his enemies by being let down over the wall in a basket.

'While Nineveh can only be dug out of its grave, and the ruins of Babylon can scarcely be found, Damascus remains a great and beautiful city to this day, the wonder of all travellers, with its busy throng of 120,000 inhabitants, its same bright white buildings, its long streets, its busy bazaars, its sparkling fountains, its lovely palm trees, and delicious fruits.'

'It is said of an Arabian prince, that when he was on his way to Damascus, and first beheld it, he stopped his horse, and refused to go any further, erecting on the spot where its towers first burst upon his view a monument with the following inscription "I expect to enter one paradise, but if I enter this city, I shall be so ravished with its beauties as to lose sight of the paradise which I hope to enter."' 1

'We were looking down,' says a recent traveller,2' from an

might be living in foreign cities—at least to the extent of "excommunication, scourging, and imprisonment." When they wished to enforce any of these, "a mandate" was sent by the hands of a special messenger (as was the case now with Saul) to the synagogue of the city where the Jew resided whom they wished to punish.' (Lewin; Footsteps of St. Paul.) 1 Footsteps of St. Paul. 2 Addison.

elevation of 1,000 feet, upon a vast plain, bordered in the distance by blue mountains, and occupied by a rich, luxuriant forest of the walnut, the fig, the pomegranate, the plum, the apricot, the citron, the locust, the pear, and the apple, forming a waving grove of more than fifty miles in circumference then conceive our sensations to see, grandly rising in the distance. . . . the swelling leaden domes, the gilded crescents, and the marble minarets of Damascus, while, in the centre of all, winding towards the city, ran the main stream of the river Barrada.'

6 About the year 1250 Damascus fell into the hands of the Christians, but in 1517 it was surrounded by the forces of Selim, and it has since belonged to the Turks.' Its present population is estimated at from 120,000 to 150,000, of whom 5,000 are Jews.

'On the 25th day of January, annually, the Christians of Damascus walk in procession to the scene of the conversion (a spot about half a mile from the city, where, at the present day, there is a village called El-Kokaba, or "the Star") and they read the history of it from the Acts of the Apostles, under the protection of a guard furnished by the Pacha.'

1

11. Tarsus.-The capital of the province of Cilicia in Asia Minor. This city was delightfully situated on the banks of the Cydnus,2 about twelve miles from the coast of the Mediterranean, and at the period under consideration it rivalled in learning even Athens and Alexandria. Although subject to the Romans, it was endowed with the privileges of a free city, and had therefore its own magistrates and its own laws.3

1 Biblical Keepsake; Footsteps of St. Paul.

2 The extreme coldness of this celebrated river is said to have occasioned the death of Frederick Barbarossa, and to have proved nearly fatal to Alexander.'

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3 Tarsus was not a municipium, nor was it a colonia, like Philippi | in Macedonia, or Antioch in Pisidia; but it was a "free city" (urbs libera), like the Syrian Antioch and its neighbour city Seleucia on the sea; yet its citizens did not necessarily possess the civitas of Rome. Tarsus had received great benefits both from Julius Cæsar and from Augustus, but the father of St. Paul was not on that account a Roman citizen.' (Conybeare and Howson.)

Privileges of a free city. The privilege of such a city consisted in this, that it was entirely self-governed in all its internal affairs, within the territory that might be assigned to it. The governor of the province had no right, under ordinary circumstances, to interfere with its affairs. The local magistrates had the power of life and death over the citizens of the place. No stationary garrison of Roman soldiers was

'In the course of 1,800 years the river Cydnus has suffered some changes. Instead of rushing, as in the time of Xenophon, like the Rhone at Geneva, in a stream 200 feet broad, through the city, it now flows idly past it on the east. The channel which floated the ships of Antony and Cleopatra is now filled up, and wide unhealthy lagoons occupy the place of the ancient docks.'

During harvest time the surrounding plain is dotted over with camps of hair-cloth tents, which forcibly remind the traveller of a distinguished tent-maker-a native of Tarsus, who was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel.

29. Grecians. Vide p. 111.

32. Lydda.—or Diospolis-modern Loudd. A small town, lying about fifteen miles south-east of Joppa-now a miserable village.

35. Saron.-Lasharon or Saronas-a town in the neighbourhood of Lydda-The Sharon of Old Testament history, was a fertile strip of land lying to the south of Carmel, and bordering on the Mediterranean.

43. Joppa. The principal seaport town of Palestine, situated about thirty miles south of Cæsarea, and about forty miles north-west of Jerusalem.

Jonah took ship at Joppa for Tarshish. At Joppa Peter lodged with one Simon a tanner. Here he raised Tabitha to life; here also he was prepared by means of a vision to preach the Gospel to Cornelius the Gentile centurion.

During the Jewish war the city was plundered and burnt

quartered within its territory. No insignia of Roman office were displayed in its streets. An instance of the care with which this rule was observed is recorded by Tacitus, who tells us that Germanicus, whose progress was usually distinguished by the presence of twelve lictors, declined to enter Athens attended with more than one.' 'Although the governor of the province might have his residence there, his financial officers did not enter the territory to collect the taxes, but the imposts were sent to Rome in some other way. We may add, that a free city might have libertas cum immunitate, i.e. freedom from taxation, as a colonia might have its jus Italicum. The form of government in the free cities was very various. The degree of libertas was various also. In some cases the old magistracies and customs were continued without any material modification. In others a senate or an assembly was allowed to exist where none had existed before. At Thessalonica we find an assembly of the people (Demus, Acts xvii. 8), and supreme magistrates who are called politarchs' (Acts xvii. 8).

The privilege of a colonia was transplanted citizenship, that of a municipium engrafted citizenship.' (Conybeare and Howson.)

by Cestius, and 3,400 of its inhabitants were put to the sword. In 636 it was taken by the Arabians under Omar. It also holds a prominent position in the history of the crusades. It was then besieged and taken by Baldwin I., but in A.D. 1186 it was again recovered by the Moslems under Saladin. In 1797 it was stormed and taken by the French under Napoleon.1

'The modern town is situated on an elevated promontory which juts out into the sea, and presents on all sides picturesque and varied prospects. Its streets are, however, narrow, uneven, and dirty. It is at present called Jaffa, and has a population of about 5,000.

CHAPTER X.

1. Cæsarea, formerly called Strato's Tower, a seaport town of Palestine, lying about sixty miles north-west of Jerusalem, and thirty-six miles south of Acre. Herod the Great beautified and enlarged it, and called it Cæsarea in honour of Augustus.2

Philip the Evangelist passed to Cæsarea after baptizing the Ethiopian eunuch, and St. Paul was conveyed thither by his friends, to evade the danger that threatened him at Jerusalem on his first appearance in that city after his conversion. Here the angel appeared to Cornelius the Gentile centurion, and commanded him to send men to Joppa to call for Peter; and it was in this same city that the first Gentile converts were received into the Christian Church. Here also Herod Agrippa I. was eaten up of worms.

St. Paul landed at Cæsarea after his second apostolic journey; he also visited this city after his third journey, while passing from Ptolemais to Jerusalem (on which occasion he entered into the house of Philip the evangelist, and was made acquainted with the troubles that awaited him). Shortly after

1 Vide Kitto's Bible Lands.

2 Strabo, in the reign of Augustus, describes, at this part of the inhospitable coast of Palestine, nothing but a landing-place with a castle, called Strato's Tower. Less than eighty years afterwards, we read in Tacitus and Pliny of a city here, which was in possession of honourable privileges, which was the Head of Judea,' as Antioch was of Syria. Josephus explains to us the change which took place in so short an interval, by describing the work which Herod the Great began and completed in twelve years. Vide Ant. xv. 9. 6; War, i. xxi. 5-8. (Conybeare and Howson.)

wards he was conveyed a prisoner from Jerusalem to Cæsarea to appear before Felix, and here he was detained for two whole years, till Felix was succeeded by Festus. Soon after the arrival of the latter, however, Paul appealed to Cæsar, and was therefore conveyed from Cæsarea to Rome.

The privileges of a colonia were conferred on this city by Vespasian.1 In 1126 it fell into the hands of the Crusaders, but in 1132 it was retaken by the Sultan of Damascus.

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'Perhaps,' says Dr. Clarke, there has not been in the history of the world an example of any city that in so short a space of time rose to such an extraordinary height of splendour as did this of Cæsarea, or that exhibits a more awful contrast to its former magnificence by the present desolate appearance of its ruins. Not a single inhabitant remains. Of its gorgeous palaces and temples, enriched with the choicest works of art, scarcely a trace can be discerned. Within the space of ten years after laying the foundation, from an obscure fortress it became the most flourishing and celebrated city of all Syria.'

'At the present moment,' says Mr. Buckingham,' the whole of the surrounding country is a sandy desert toward the land; the waves wash the ruins of the moles, the towers, and the part toward the sea; and not a creature resides within many miles of this silent desolation.' 2

Cornelius. A centurion of the 'Italian band,' which was now stationed at Cæsarea. This noble Roman was brought to the knowledge of the gospel through the instrumentality of St. Peter, who was thus privileged to open the door of salvation to the Gentiles.*

'If St. Paul was converted in A.D. 39 or 40, and if the "rest alluded to in the preceding chapter happened in the last years of Caligula (A.D. 39-41), and if this rest was the occasion of that journey to Lydda and Joppa which ultimately brought St. Peter to Cæsarea, then it is evident that St. Paul was at Damascus, or in Arabia, when Cornelius was baptized, Paul was summoned to evangelise the heathen, and Peter began the work almost simultaneously. The great transaction of admitting the Gentiles to the church was already accomplished when the two apostles met at Jerusalem. St. Paul would thus learn that the

1 Vespasian was here declared Emperor, and he conferred on it the title of a colony, with the additional honour of being called by his own name.'

2 Vide Christian Cyclopædia, Barnes, &c.

This is Wieseler's view, but his arguments are not conclusive. By some (as by Schrader) it is hastily taken for granted that St. Paul preached the Gospel to Gentiles at Damascus." (Conybeare and Howson.)