old sepulchres-is the Siloam of Scripture. Following the tiny rill, described by Milton as "Siloah's brook that flowed Fast by the oracle of God," we reach the Pool of Siloam, fifty-three feet long, eighteen wide, and about nineteen feet deep, with piers, columns, and other architectural fragments indicating ancient work, surrounding it. The waters, in which the blind man of the Gospel was bidden to go and wash (John ix. 6, 7), are regarded as sacred; notwithstanding this, they are greatly polluted by washerwomen and tanners, who use them freely. Josephus makes frequent reference to this spot. "Now the Valley of the Cheesemongers, as it was called, and that which we told you before distinguished the hill of the upper city from that of the lower, extended as far as Siloam; for that is the name of a fountain which hath sweet water in it.” From the Pool of Siloam a rocky channel, zigzagging for five hundred and eightysix yards, leads to the Fountain of the Virgin. In this channel or passage Captain Warren found another passage expanding into a vaulted chamber about forty feet wide, in which were found vases, glass lamps, and other interesting relics. The place is supposed to have been used by the Jews as a place of refuge in the time of the Roman persecutions. The well has a dozen different names-the Dragon's Well, the Well of the Sun, the Spring of Gihon, and the King's Pool; while the present name-St. Mary's Well, or Fountain of the Virgin-is due to the tradition that it was here the Mother of our Lord washed the swaddling-clothes of her infant son. The spring is intermittent, flowing in rainy weather from three to five times daily, in summer twice, and in autumn once only. "This is accounted for as follows:-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 in 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." From this well a path ascends to the north, to the south-east angle of the Temple wall. Another leads to the Jews' Cemetery, where the ground, from the Kidron half-way up the Mount of Olives, is literally covered with tombstones and honeycombed with tomb grottoes. Four monuments in this neighbourhood are of considerable interest; the first is the Tomb or Pyramid of Zacharias, according to the Christians (Matt. xxiii. 35), and of Zechariah according to the Jews (2 Chron. xxiv. 20). The tomb is absolutely solid, "hewn out of the living rock by cutting a passage round it. It has no internal chambers, nor even the semblance of a doorway" (Fergusson). The sides are adorned with Ionic columns, and square pillars stand at the corners. The second monument is the Grotto of St. James, the spot where it is alleged St. James lay concealed after the Crucifixion, eating no food until after the Resurrection. It is composed of a verandah or screen cut out of the rock, with two Doric columns supporting the entablature, leading into extensive chambers and shaft tombs. The third monument is the Tomb of Jehoshaphat, with a gable entrance leading to irregularly-shaped chambers, some of which bear traces of frescoes on mortar, and are supposed to have been used as chapels by the Christians in very early times. The most conspicuous of the four monuments is the so-called Tomb of Absalom, hewn out of the solid rock, detached on three sides, and separated from the rock by a passage nine feet wide. It is forty-seven feet in height, adorned with four half-columns and capitals of the Ionic order, and a Doric frieze and architrave. The interior is now choked with stones and rubbish, thrown in by Jews, who never pass the monument without pelting it with stones, in token of their abhorrence of Absalom's disobedience to his father. From this spot the footpath may be continued up the Mount of Olives. The hill is divided into several eminences by low depressions, the highest point, to the north, being 2,723 feet above the sea-level. On the summit is a mosque, in the centre of which is a stone from which it is alleged our Lord ascended to heaven. Moslems regard the place as sacred in consequence, and Christians celebrate mass here occasionally. From the minaret of the mosque is obtained the most magnificent view in all Palestine. Looking northward we see the upper course of the valley of the Kidron, beyond which rises the ridge of Scopus; eastward stretch the mountains of Moab, the glittering waters of the Dead Sea, Gilead, the valley of the Jordan (the course of the river marked by the dark green line of vegetation); southward, the valley of the Kidron. Close around the view is more striking still. The Holy City lies like a map before us, every building of importance distinctly visible. In the south-east quarter the Mosque of Omar, in the midst of the raised platform or Harâm-esh-Sherif; south of it the Mosque El-Aksa. At the north-west the Turkish barracks on the site of Antonia; north of the Temple the hill Bezetha, and on it, near St. Stephen's Gate, the Church of St. Anne. West of this the hill of Akra, and on its eastern slope the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Mûristân. Mount Zion, the Tower of Hippicus, the English church, the Armenian convent, the Jewish quarter with its synagogues, the black dome of the Tomb of David-these, with the walls, minarets, and towers, make up a wonderful assemblage of buildings all transfigured in the glorious Eastern sunshine. Among the many places of interest included in the view are the round-topped Frank mountain, the Hill of Evil Counsel, the valley of Rephaim, Neby Samwîl (Mizpeh), Shafât, the ancient Nob; Gibeah, the home of Saul; Ramah, the birthplace of Samuel; and Bireh, the ancient Beeroth. It is an easy and pleasant walk of a few minutes from the summit of Olivet to Bethany, prettily situated, with glorious views of the distant hills of Moab, the Dead Sea, and the Jordan valley; the vines, figs, and olives, and the luxuriant gardens and cornfields, forming a pleasant contrast to the sterility of the hills nearer Jerusalem. "Three pathways lead, and very probably always led, from Bethany to Jerusalem : one, a long circuit over the northern shoulder of Mount Olivet, down the valley which parts it from Scopus; another, a steep footpath over the summit; the third, the natural continuation of the road by which mounted travellers always approach the city from Jericho, over the southern shoulder, between the summit which contains the Tombs of the Prophets and that called the Mount of Offence."* It is this latter road, beyond doubt, which our Lord descended on His triumphal entry to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Descending to the Kidron we approach, on the western slope of Olivet, the Garden of Gethsemane, an irregular quadrangle about one-third of an acre, enclosed by a wall covered * Stanley. old sepulchres-is the Siloam of Scripture. Following the tiny rill, described by Milton as "Siloah's brook that flowed Fast by the oracle of God," we reach the Pool of Siloam, fifty-three feet long, eighteen wide, and about nineteen feet deep, with piers, columns, and other architectural fragments indicating ancient work, surrounding it. The waters, in which the blind man of the Gospel was bidden to go and wash (John ix. 6, 7), are regarded as sacred; notwithstanding this, they are greatly polluted by washerwomen and tanners, who use them freely. Josephus makes frequent reference to this spot. "Now the Valley of the Cheesemongers, as it was called, and that which we told you before distinguished the hill of the upper city from that of the lower, extended as far as Siloam; for that is the name of a fountain which hath sweet water in it." From the Pool of Siloam a rocky channel, zigzagging for five hundred and eightysix yards, leads to the Fountain of the Virgin. In this channel or passage Captain Warren found another passage expanding into a vaulted chamber about forty feet wide, in which were found vases, glass lamps, and other interesting relics. The place is supposed to have been used by the Jews as a place of refuge in the time of the Roman persecutions. The well has a dozen different names-the Dragon's Well, the Well of the Sun, the Spring of Gihon, and the King's Pool; while the present name-St. Mary's Well, or Fountain of the Virgin-is due to the tradition that it was here the Mother of our Lord washed the swaddling-clothes of her infant son. The spring is intermittent, flowing in rainy weather from three to five times daily, in summer twice, and in autumn once only. "This is accounted for as follows:-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 in 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." From this well a path ascends to the north, to the south-east angle of the Temple wall. Another leads to the Jews' Cemetery, where the ground, from the Kidron half-way up the Mount of Olives, is literally covered with tombstones and honeycombed with tomb grottoes. Four monuments in this neighbourhood are of considerable interest; the first is the Tomb or Pyramid of Zacharias, according to the Christians (Matt. xxiii. 35), and of Zechariah according to the Jews (2 Chron. xxiv. 20). The tomb is absolutely solid, "hewn out of the living rock by cutting a passage round it. It has no internal chambers, nor even the semblance of a doorway" (Fergusson). The sides are adorned with Ionic columns, and square pillars stand at the corners. The second monument is the Grotto of St. James, the spot where it is alleged St. James lay concealed after the Crucifixion, eating no food until after the Resurrection. It is composed of a verandah or screen cut out of the rock, with two Doric columns supporting the entablature, leading into extensive chambers and shaft tombs. The third monument is the Tomb of Jehoshaphat, with a gable entrance leading to irregularly-shaped chambers, some of which bear traces of frescoes on mortar, and are supposed to have been used as chapels by the Christians in very early times. The most conspicuous of the four monuments is the so-called Tomb of Absalom, hewn out of the solid rock, detached on three sides, and separated from the rock by a passage nine feet wide. It is forty-seven feet in height, adorned with four half-columns and capitals of the Ionic order, and a Doric frieze and architrave. The interior is now choked with stones and rubbish, thrown in by Jews, who never pass the monument without pelting it with stones, in token of their abhorrence of Absalom's disobedience to his father. From this spot the footpath may be continued up the Mount of Olives. The hill is divided into several eminences by low depressions, the highest point, to the north, being 2,723 feet above the sea-level. On the summit is a mosque, in the centre of which is a stone from which it is alleged our Lord ascended to heaven. Moslems regard the place as sacred in consequence, and Christians celebrate mass here occasionally. From the minaret of the mosque is obtained the most magnificent view in all Palestine. Looking northward we see the upper course of the valley of the Kidron, beyond which rises the ridge of Scopus; eastward stretch the mountains of Moab, the glittering waters of the Dead Sea, Gilead, the valley of the Jordan (the course of the river marked by the dark green line of vegetation); southward, the valley of the Kidron. Close around the view is more striking still. The Holy City lies like a map before us, every building of importance distinctly visible. In the south-east quarter the Mosque of Omar, in the midst of the raised platform or Harâm-esh-Sherif; south of it the Mosque El-Aksa. At the north-west the Turkish barracks on the site of Antonia; north of the Temple the hill Bezetha, and on it, near St. Stephen's Gate, the Church of St. Anne. West of this the hill of Akra, and on its eastern slope the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Mûristân. Mount Zion, the Tower of Hippicus, the English church, the Armenian convent, the Jewish quarter with its synagogues, the black dome of the Tomb of David-these, with the walls, minarets, and towers, make up a wonderful assemblage of buildings all transfigured in the glorious Eastern sunshine. Among the many places of interest included in the view are the round-topped Frank mountain, the Hill of Evil Counsel, the valley of Rephaim, Neby Samwîl (Mizpeh), Shafât, the ancient Nob; Gibeah, the home of Saul; Ramah, the birthplace of Samuel; and Bireh, the ancient Beeroth. It is an easy and pleasant walk of a few minutes from the summit of Olivet to Bethany, prettily situated, with glorious views of the distant hills of Moab, the Dead Sea, and the Jordan valley; the vines, figs, and olives, and the luxuriant gardens and cornfields, forming a pleasant contrast to the sterility of the hills nearer Jerusalem. "Three pathways lead, and very probably always led, from Bethany to Jerusalem : one, a long circuit over the northern shoulder of Mount Olivet, down the valley which parts it from Scopus; another, a steep footpath over the summit; the third, the natural continuation of the road by which mounted travellers always approach the city from Jericho, over the southern shoulder, between the summit which contains the Tombs of the Prophets and that called the Mount of Offence."* It is this latter road, beyond doubt, which our Lord descended on His triumphal entry to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Descending to the Kidron we approach, on the western slope of Olivet, the Garden of Gethsemane, an irregular quadrangle about one-third of an acre, enclosed by a wall covered * Stanley. with stucco. The first thing that arrests attention is a group of seven ancient olive-trees, said to date from the time of Christ; then the Franciscan monk in attendance points out a cave called the Chapel of the Agony, a rock where the disciples slept, a column where Judas gave the kiss of betrayal; and, finally, he presents each visitor, for a franc, with a bouquet of flowers grown in the Garden! The Greeks have originated a Garden of Gethsemane of their own, farther up the Mount of Olives. Close by, in the valley of the Kidron, is the Tomb of the Virgin, where, according to tradition, she was buried by the apostles, and where she lay until her "assumption." The church is approached by a descending flight of forty-seven handsome marble steps, and only has its porch above ground. The whole place bristles with legends and sacred sites, including the tombs of Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin, the tomb of her husband Joseph, the sarcophagus of Mary, the Cavern of the Agony, and praying-places or altars for Greeks, Armenians, Abyssinians, and Moslems. Ascending from the Kidron to St. Stephen's Gate (the road our Lord descended on the night of His betrayal), we notice the ledge where, according to tradition, St. Stephen was stoned; and, continuing past the north-east corner of the city walls, a journey of about half an hour will bring us to the so-called Tombs of the Kings-a series of carefully constructed catacombs or tomb-chambers, in one of which is a handsome sarcophagus-lid. The principal tomb is believed to be that of Queen Helena, of Adiabene, a convert to Judaism in A.D. 48. A quarter of an hour's walk from here are the so-called Tombs of the Judges. Near the Damascus Gate is a Moslem sanctuary, called the Grotto of Jeremiah, where tradition states that the prophet wrote the Book of the Lamentations, and was subsequently buried. Opposite the Grotto, and close beside the Damascus Gate-the handsomest in Jerusalem -are the subterranean chambers or quarries discovered by Dr. Barclay in 1852. They are a succession of mighty aisles and mammoth chambers, and appear to go the whole length and breadth of the city. It is probable that these quarries yielded the stones used in the building of the Temple, for "the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was building" (1 Kings vi. 7). A pleasant walk from the Damascus Gate leads round the walls to the Jaffa Gatethe busiest, as the Damascus Gate is the handsomest, in Jerusalem-and affords an opportunity of looking at the vast Russian buildings provided for the accommodation of pilgrims, and the excellent Talitha Kumi (Mark v. 41), an orphanage for girls founded by the RhenishWestphalian deaconesses-one of the most deserving philanthropic institutions of the city-and Schneller's Orphanage for Syrian Boys, where seventy pupils are well educated and started in life in some useful branch of industry learnt in the orphanage. this brings us to the end of our circuit of the immediate environs of Jerusalem.* And * Several of the engravings in this chapter have been borrowed from the illustrated edition of Canon Farrar's "Life of Christ." |