CHAPTER V. EPHRAIM, PAGE. Mountains of EPHRAIM-Fertility and central situation-Supremacy of Ephraim. 227 III. SAMARIA: Its beauty-Its strength-Sebaste. IV. Passes of Manasseh. Note on Mount Gerizim. Abraham and Melchizedek: Sacrifice of Isaac: CHAPTER VI. THE MARITIME PLAIN. I. The SHEPHELAH, or the Low Country,-Philistia: 1. Maritime character of the Philistines. 2. The strongholds; their sieges. 3. Corn-fields-Contact with Dan. 4. Level plain-Contact with Egypt and the Desert. SHARON-Pasture-land-Naphath-Dor-Forest-Cæsarea-Con II. PLAIN OF nection with Apostolic History III. PLAIN and BAY OF ACRE-Tribe of Asher . IV. PLAIN OF PHOENICIA: 1. Separation from Palestine. 2. Harbours. 3. Note A. House of Simon at Jaffa . Note B. Villages of Sharon and Phoenicia Note C. Phoenician Antiquities: Sarcophagus of Esmunazar CHAPTER VII. THE JORDAN AND THE DEAD SEA. 229 240 246 253 257 261 264 . 271 . 272 . 274 The Four Rivers of Lebanon in their courses :-The physical peculiarities of the Jordan-Unfrequented-Historical Scenes I. Vale of Siddim. 1. Battle of the Kings. 2. Overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. 3. Appearance of the DEAD SEA. 4. Vision of Ezekiel. 5. En-gedi II. Plain and Terraces of the Jordan Valley. i. Plain of Abel-Shittim-Encampment of the Israelites-Views from Pisgah by Balaam and by MosesBurial-place of Moses-Passage of the Jordan-Drying up of the River. 2. Jericho--At the time of the capture-In the time of the Prophets, and of Christ. 3. Scene of the Preaching of John-Bethabara-Scene of the Temptation-Baptism in the Jordan-Bathing of the Pilgrims 279 285 294 CHAPTER VIII. PEREA AND THE TRANS-JORDANIC TRIBES. I. General character of the scenery. II. First view of the Holy Land. III. Frontier land.-First victories of Israel. IV. Isolation. V. Pastoral character of the country and its inhabitants. Nomadic Tribes-ReubenGad-Manasseh-Elijah the Tishbite. VI. Land of exile. Last view of the Holy Land CHAPTER IX. PLAIN OF ESDRAELON. ..317 General features. I. Boundary between northern and central tribes. II. Battlefield of Palestine. 1. Victory over Sisera. Battle of Kishon. 2. Victory over the Midianites. 3. Defeat of Saul. Battle of Mount Gilboa-Bethshan and Jabesh Gilead. 4. Defeat of Josiah-Battle of Megiddo III. Richness and fertility of the Plain-ISSACHAR: Jezreel - Engannim. IV. TABOR: Fortress and Sanctuary of the Northern Tribes. V. CARMEL— Scene of Elijah's sacrifice. VI. NAIN 331 343 CHAPTER X. GALILEE. Scenery of Northern Palestine-The Four Northern Tribes-Their wealth-their isolation-Galilee in the New Testament. PAGE. 356 360 I. NAZARETH-Its upland basin-Its seclusion-Sacred localities II. LAKE OF GENNESARETH. 1. Plain of Hattin, and Mountain of the Beatitudes -Battle of Hattin. 2. View of the Lake of Gennesareth. 3. Jewish History of Tiberias. 4. Plain of Gennesareth. Traffic-Fertility of the PlainVillas of the Herods-Fisheries of the Lake. 5. Scene of the Gospel Ministry Manufacturing district "-The Beach-The Desert-The storms of wind-The Demoniacs-The Feeding of the Multitudes-The Plain of Gennesareth-Capernaum 363 CHAPTER XI. THE LAKE OF MEROM AND THE SOURCES OF THE JORDAN. I. Upper Valley of the Jordan-Hills of Naphtali and Manasseh-KedeshNaphtali. II. Lake of Merom-Battle of Merom. III. Sources of the Jordan-Tel-el-Kadi-City and Tribe of Dan-Cæsarea Philippi-HazorPaneas Hermon-Mount of the Transfiguration 385 CHAPTER XII. LEBANON: DAMASCUS. LEBANON. I. In relation to Palestine and the Jordan. II. To the Leontes. 399 407 409 CHAPTER XIII. THE GOSPEL HISTORY AND TEACHING, VIEWED IN CONNECTION WITH THE LOCALITIES OF PALESTINE. I. The stages of the Gospel History. 1. Infancy of Christ. 2. Youth. 3. Public ministry. 4. Retirement from public ministry. II. The Parables. 1. Parables of Judæa. a. The Vineyard. b. The Fig-tree. c. The Shepherd. d. The good Samaritan. 2. Parables of Galilee. a. The cornfields. b. The birds. c. The fisheries. III. The Discourses-The Sermon on the Mount. 1. The city on a hill. 2. The birds and the flowers. 3. The torrent IV. Conclusions, 1. Reality of the teaching. 2. Its homeliness and universality. 3. Its union of human and divine 412 426 CHAPTER XIV. THE HOLY PLACES. I. BETHLEHEM: Church of Helena Grotto of the Nativity Jerome. II. NAZARETH. Grotto in Latin Convent Spring near the Greck church-House at Loretto Compared with site at Nazareth Origin of the Legend. III. JERUSALEM: Lesser localities Church of the Ascension- Tomb of the Virgin ticthsemane Conaculum Church of the Holy Sepulchre-- Greek Kaster Conclusion 433 I. DIAGRAM OF THE HEIGHTS OF EGYPT, SINAI, AND PALESTINE. Frontispiece. Page xxxvi 2. SKETCH-PLAN OF JERUSALEM 3. SKETCH-PLAN OF SHECHEM 4. MAP OF THE LAKE AND DISTRICT OF GENNESARETH 5. SKETCH-FLAN OF HOUSE AT NAZARETH AND AT LORETTO. 106 156 226 356 432 In the references to the Erdkunde of Professor C. Ritter throughout this work, the following names have been adopted for the volumes relating to Sinai and Palestine Part XIV. (or Vol. I.) is designated Sinai: Part XV. (Vol. II.), Sect. 1. Jordan: Sect. 2. Syria: Part XVI. (Vol. III.) Palestine: Part XVII. (Vol. IV.), Sect. 1. Lebanon: Sect. 2. Damascus. ADVERTISEMENT. WHAT is personal in this book may be briefly told. In the winter of 1852, and in the spring of 1853, in the company of three friends', to whose kindness I shall always feel grateful for having enabled me to fulfil this long-cherished design, I visited the well-known scenes of Sacred History in Egypt, Arabia, and Syria. Any detailed description of this journey has been long since rendered superfluous by the ample illustrations of innumerable travellers. But its interest and instruction are so manifold, that, even after all which has been seen and said of it, there still remain points of view unexhausted. Much has been written, and still remains to be written, both on the History and the Geography of the Chosen People. But there have been comparatively few attempts to illustrate the relation in which each stands to the other. To bring the recollections of my own journey to bear on this question; to point out how much or how little the Bible gains by being seen, so to speak, through the eyes of the country, or the country by being seen through the eyes of the Bible; to exhibit the effect of the Holy Land' on the course of the 'Holy History;' 1 I trust that I may be permitted to name Mr. Walrond, Mr. Fremantle, and Mr. Findlay. b |