GAZA
[Illustration: FROM GAZA TO ASCALON]
GAZA
A CITY OF MANY BATTLES
(_FROM THE FAMILY OF NOAH TO THE PRESENT DAY_)
BY
THEODORE EDWARD DOWLING, D.D.
ARCHDEACON IN SYRIA;
CANON OF ST. GEORGE'S COLLEGIATE CHURCH, JERUSALEM;
COMMISSARY FOR EASTERN CHURCH INTERCOURSE WITHIN THE
ANGLICAN BISHOPRIC IN JERUSALEM
PUBLISHED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE TRACT COMMITTEE
LONDON
SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE
NORTHUMBERLAND AVENUE, W.C.; 43, QUEEN VICTORIA STREET, E.C.
BRIGHTON: 129, NORTH STREET
NEW YORK: E.S. GORHAM
1913
RICHARD CLAY & SONS, LIMITED,
BRUNSWICK STREET, STAMFORD STREET, S.E.,
AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK.
TO
DONALD A. COLES, M.D.
I DEDICATE THIS BOOKLET
WHICH WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN WRITTEN
WITHOUT HIS ASSISTANCE AND
SYMPATHY
PREFACE
On Tuesday in Easter week, 1912, accompanied by the Rev. J. Khadder,
Assistant Chaplain of St. Luke's Mission, Haifa, I left that town for
El-Kaisâriyeh (Cæsarea), where we were entertained at the Orthodox
Greek rented house belonging to a Bosnian landlord. On reaching Jaffa I
secured a fresh carriage on April 12, for Gaza, reaching that city in
nine and a half hours,--an unusually quick journey. During my visit of
ten days there I was the guest of the Rev. Dr. and Mrs. Sterling, in
the Church Missionary Society's compound. Nothing could have exceeded
their kind hospitality, and I am greatly indebted to them for valuable
local information. Mrs. Sterling used her typewriter for producing my
Chapter XXI on the "History of the C.M.S. Gaza Mission," 1878-1913.
The aged and scholarly German, Father Gatt, one of the Latin Clergy
attached to the Roman Catholic Patriarchate of Jerusalem, who came
to Gaza thirty-three years ago from Austria, and ministers to eighty
souls, lent me three printed articles on Gaza, and cheerfully added
to my limited knowledge of the city. He mentioned that a History of
Gaza has been printed by Dr. Martin A. Meyer, and published at New
York in 1907, but I had not the advantage of seeing this book. After
my manuscript was completed early in 1912, I procured a copy, and
have during 1913 taken the liberty of incorporating some additional
information from its contents, for which I am grateful.
Mr. A. A. Knesevich, H.B.M. Consular Agent at Gaza--of Austrian
parentage--lent me five of his official printed Reports, notes from
which are included under the heading of "The Key of Syria," Chapter XIX.
It will be noticed in Chapter XVII that I am also indebted to Mr. Emil
G. Knesevich, for photographs of an "Old Sarcophagus at Gaza," but
unfortunately, they have not proved sufficiently clear for reproduction.
Mr. Habeeb el-Khouri, the C.M.S. Catechist, not only accompanied me to
the Great Mosque, but supplied me with information.
Miss Kate Sandreczka translated articles in German bearing on the
history of the city.
At a short distance from Mayoumas, the maritime quarter of Gaza, on the
north-west side, are the ruins of Thedah (or Tedûn) the site of the
ancient Hellenistic town of Anthedon, lately discovered by Père Gatt.
Alexander Jannæus took it along with Gaza. In company with Dr. Sterling
I visited this spot, enveloped in sand, on April 18, where we found
broken pieces of marble, ornamented glazed pottery, and ancient glass
scattered in every direction. Excavations for hewn stone have not been
infrequent here.
Augustus gave this port to Herod the Great, who rebuilt it, and changed
its name into that of Agrippeion, after his friend Marcus Agrippa.
Anthedon was an early archiepiscopal see, in Palestina Prima, and I am
familiar with the few specimens of its coinage during the reigns of
Elagabalus (A.D. 218-222), and Alexander Severus (A.D. 222-235). Since
the days of the Muslim occupation there is no mention of this town,
and its name does not appear in Holy Writ.
Among the Hellenistic towns in Schürer's _The Jewish People in the Time
of Jesus Christ_, Division II, vol. i, pp. 72-3, there is additional
information on Anthedon, (Ἀνθηδών).[1]
On the following afternoon I visited Djebel el-Mountâr, a hill, two
hundred and seventy feet high, about two miles from the city towards
the south-east. It is the "hill that is before Hebron" (Judges xvi.
3) to which Samson carried during the night one of the gates of the
city. He did not carry the gate as far as Hebron, which is upwards of
twelve hours' ride, but he went in the direction of Hebron. It was a
superhuman feat to tear away the gate posts, and carry them across to
the top of a neighbouring hill.
It is interesting to compare Josephus' account of this episode with
that of the sacred historian. In his _Antiquities_, Book V, section 10,
Whiston's edition, the following passage occurs--
"Samson held the Philistines in contempt, and came to Gaza, and took up
his lodgings in a certain inn. When the rulers of Gaza were informed of
his coming hither, they seized upon the gates, and placed men in ambush
about them, that he might not escape without being perceived; but
Samson, who was acquainted with their contrivances against him, arose
about midnight, and ran by force upon the gates, with their posts and
beams, and the rest of their wooden furniture, and carried them away on
his shoulders, and bore them to the mountain that is over Hebron, and
there laid them down."[2]
The hill is covered with Muslim tombs, and over-topped by a Weli,
dedicated to Aly-el-Mountâr--"Aly the Tower of Defence." Marnas was
originally worshipped here.
The extensive view well repays the ascent, for on a clear day the
mountains of Hebron may be seen. The sea is visible. There is a fine
view of Gaza, and the extensive plain is under cultivation. Due south
on the coast is the site Deir el-Belah (Convent of Dates), where the
body of St. Hilarion was said to be finally buried.
Napoleon Bonaparte camped here with his army one night towards the end
of February 1799, and on the following morning continued his march
towards Jaffa.
I gladly avail myself of this opportunity to express my delight and
astonishment at finding such an exceptionally well managed native
girls' school in the C.M.S. compound. And no wonder, when Miss Smithies
instructs the four native female teachers, the two monitresses, and
the four half-monitresses, twice every weekday! My experience is that
the most useful boys' school in Syria is at Sidon, under the American
Congregationalists, and Gaza may well be proud of its girls' school,
for there is nothing to approach its varied excellence in Palestine.
The misgovernment of Gaza and its district is worse under the Young
Turks than under the late _régime_. But the C.M.S. mission work in the
Gaza compound is indeed a bright spot in the city, and the persistent
Christian teaching--boldly proclaimed--is bearing fruit in unexpected
quarters. Holy enthusiasm is bound to tell in the course of time.
It seems more common for the younger boys of the poorer class in Gaza,
than in other parts of Palestine, to have their hair fancifully
shaved. One has a tuft on the top of the skull; another a small ring of
hair. Some small fellahin boys have the hair growing quite long over
the back of the neck, while the whole crown is well shaved. The tuft of
hair implies that Mohammed will pull them into heaven. Another theory
is that this tuft is left for the benefit of the resurrection angel,
who will facilitate their resurrection from the grave.
It will be noticed that I have made free use of Dr. George Adam Smith's
_Historical Geography of the Holy Land_, twelfth edition, 1906.
Mr. Miltiades N. Assimacopoulos, B.C., of Acre (Ptolemais), has
rendered me invaluable assistance in looking up references, arranging
the Index, and typewriting portions of the manuscript for the press.
The indulgent reader will kindly remember that this book has been
compiled under peculiar circumstances. There is no public reference
library in this Muslim town of Haifa, and the authorities who have been
consulted on Gaza are not agreed as to several dates in its chequered
history.
My thanks are due to the Rev. R. J. E. Boggis, B.D., St. Mary
Magdalene's Vicarage, Barnstaple, for carefully correcting the
proof-sheets, as well as those of _The Orthodox Greek Patriarchate of
Jerusalem_.
_St. Luke's Mission, Haifa-under-Mt. Carmel, Palestine,
September 5, 1913._
FOOTNOTES:
[1] See also _The Historical Geography of the Holy Land_, 1902, p. 189.
[2] See Chapter XV on the architectural character of the Gaza Temple of
Dagon.
CONTENTS
CHAP. PAGE
DEDICATION v
PREFACE vii
CONTENTS xiii
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS xv
AUTHORITIES CONSULTED xvii
I OLD TESTAMENT--DEUTERO-CANONICAL BOOKS--NEW
TESTAMENT REFERENCES TO GAZA 19
II SUMMARY OF CHIEF EVENTS RELATING TO GAZA,
FROM 1503 B.C. TO A.D. 1913 28
SECTION I (1503 B.C.-30 B.C.).
SECTION II (A.D. 41-A.D. 1913).
III FRANKINCENSE (ARABIAN) AND GAZA 39
IV NOTES ON GAZA COINS 41
V THE JEWS AT GAZA 46
VI THE SAMARITANS 48
VII SOME EARLY BISHOPS 50
(1) OF GAZA.
(2) OF MAYOUMAS.
VIII THIRTEEN MARTYRS AT GAZA 56
IX ST. HILARION 58
X SOZOMEN--CHURCH HISTORIAN 61
XI THE ORTHODOX GREEK CHURCH IN GAZA 63
XII THE EMPRESS EUDOXIA--THE GAZA CHURCH
"EUDOXIANA" 64
XIII THE CRUSADERS AT GAZA 66
XIV THE PASHAS OF GAZA 70
XV DAGON--THE NATIONAL GOD OF THE PHILISTINES 72
XVI THE GAZA JUPITER 74
XVII AN OLD SARCOPHAGUS AT GAZA 76
XVIII THE GREAT MOSQUE (AL JAMI-AL-KEBIR) 79
XIX GAZA--THE KEY OF SYRIA 82
XX GARDENS--OLIVE GROVES--BIRDS, ETC. 87
XXI HISTORY OF THE C.M.S. GAZA MISSION, 1878-1912 90
XXII EL ARÎSH AND C.M.S. MISSION 93
APPENDICES
I PUBLIC GAMES AT GAZA 97
II DESTRUCTION OF THE EIGHT HEATHEN TEMPLES
OF GAZA, A.D. 401 110
III BIBLICAL REFERENCES 115
INDEX 117
ILLUSTRATIONS
_To face page_
FROM GAZA TO ASCALON[3] _Frontispiece_
THE MUSLIM MOSQUE--ONCE THE CRUSADER'S CHURCH 79
NATIVES WITHIN THE C.M.S. COMPOUND 90
FOOTNOTE:
[3] Reduced and reproduced by permission of The Palestine Exploration
Fund.
AUTHORITIES CONSULTED
_A Dictionary of Classical Antiquities_, _etc._, 1891.
ALFORD'S _Greek Testament_, vol. ii, 1861.
_Apocrypha_, revised version of, 1895.
BÆDEKER'S _Palestine and Syria_, 1906.
BARING-GOULD, REV. S., _Lives of the Saints_.
BELL'S _The Saints of Christian Art_ ("The Great Hermits"), 1902.
_Bible Educator, The_, vols. i and iii (no date).
_Bible, Holy, The._
BRIGHT'S _The Age of the Fathers_, 2 vols., 1903.
_Cambridge Companion to the Bible_, 1905.
CONDER'S _Syrian Stone Lore_, 1886.
CONDER'S _Tent Work in Palestine_, vol. ii, 1878.
_Dictionary of Christian Antiquities_, vol. i, 1875.
_Encyclopædia Britannica_, vol. x (ninth edition), 1879.
EUSEBIUS' _Ecclesiastical History_, 1851.
FLINDERS PETRIE'S _Egypt and Israel_, 1911.
GEIKIE'S _The Holy Land and the Bible_, vol. i, 1887.
GUY LE STRANGE'S _Palestine under the Muslims_, 1890.
Handbooks of the C.M.S. Missions. _The Palestine Mission_, 1910.
HASTINGS' _Dictionary of the Bible_, 1904.
HEAD'S _Historia Numorum_, 1887.
HILL'S _Life of Porphyry_, 1913.
_Josephus_ (Whiston's), edited by Dr. Margoliouth, 1906.
_Jottings and Snapshots from Gaza, S. Palestine_, Nos. 1-3, 1908-1910.
MADDEN'S _Coins of the Jews_, 1881.
MEISTERMANN'S _Fr. Barnabas' New Guide to the Holy Land_, 1907.
METAXAKIS on the Madaba Map, in _Nea Sion_, 1907.
MEYER'S _History of the City of Gaza_, 1907.
MURRAY'S _Dictionary of Christian Biography_, 1911.
MURRAY'S _Handbook of Syria and Palestine_, Part I, 1868.
NEALE'S _History of the Holy Eastern Church_, Part I, 1850.
NEALE'S _History of the Holy Eastern Church_, "The Patriarchate
of Alexandria," vol. i, 1847.
NEALE'S _Lent Legends_, 1905.
NEALE'S _The Patriarchate of Antioch_, 1883.
OLIPHANT'S (LAURENCE) _Haifa_, or _Life in Modern Palestine_, 1887.
PORTER'S _The History of Beirût_, 1912.
PUSEY'S _Commentary on the Minor Prophets_, 1879.
_Quarterly Statement_ of the Palestine Exploration Fund--various.
ROBERTSON'S _History of the Christian Church_, vol. i, 1854.
ROBERTSON'S _Biblical Researches in Palestine_, vol. ii, 1856.
SAYCE'S _Patriarchal Palestine_, 1912.
SCHÜRER'S _History of the Jewish People in the time of Christ_,
vols. i, ii, 1898.
SMITH'S (GEORGE ADAM) _The Historical Geography of the Holy Land_, 1902.
STEVENSON'S _The Crusaders in the East_, 1907.
WORSDWORTH'S _Greek Testament_, "The Acts of the Apostles," 1860.
WORDSWORTH'S _The Ministry of Grace_, 1901.
GAZA
CHAPTER I
(I) OLD TESTAMENT, (II) DEUTERO-CANONICAL BOOKS,
(III) NEW TESTAMENT REFERENCES TO GAZA
There are twenty _Old Testament_ allusions to Gaza; certainly one
reference in the _Deutero-Canonical_ books; and one more in the _Acts
of the Apostles_.
1. Genesis x. 19.--_The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as
thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza._ Thus Gaza is among the earliest of
the Canaanitish cities mentioned in Genesis. The reference in this
early chapter, which transports us into the dim dawn of human history,
is a presumption of its extreme antiquity, and like its distant
neighbour Sidon suggests its being among the most ancient cities of
the world. Even before Abraham left his fatherland Gaza stood on the
southernmost border of Canaan. Its important strategic position on the
frontier of Egypt has contributed to its long-continued existence.
Gaza, like Damascus, is mentioned both in the _Book of Genesis_, and in
the _Acts of the Apostles_.
2. Joshua x. 41.--_Joshua smote them from Kadeshbarnea even unto Gaza._
Gaza became celebrated as one of the five royal cities of the
Philistines.
Politically, there were five _principal_ centres: the cities of
Ashdod, Gaza, Askelon, Gath, and Ekron (1 Sam. vi. 16, 17).
Unlike its neighbours Gath and Askelon, Gaza has survived the various
changes of history. Ashdod is now the mud village of Esdûd. The modern
name of Askelon is 'Askalân.[4] The site of Gath is uncertain. Ekron
is identified with 'Akîr, near a station on the railway from Jaffa to
Jerusalem.
3. Joshua xi. 22.--_There were none of the Anakims left in the land of
the children of Israel; only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod, there
remained._
Joshua only partially subdued this remarkable people, who seem to have
been akin to the Rephaim and other gigantic races alluded to in the Old
Testament. It was not contemplated that, under any circumstances, the
"dispossession" alluded to in Numb. xxxiii. 51-3, would be _at once_
completed, as plainly intimated in Exodus xxiii. 29, 30.[5]
4. Joshua xv. 20 and 47.--_This is the inheritance of the tribe of
Judah ... Gaza with her towns and her villages._
Although the tribe of Judah, to whom the city fell, subdued it, yet
they appear to have held it but a short time.[6]
5. Judges i. 18.--_Judah took Gaza with the coast thereof._
This victory of Judah _alone_ over the chief cities of Palestine is
a proof that the subsequent oppression of Israel by the Philistines
was due to the sins of Israel. The five lords of the Philistines not
only regained possession of their own territory, but also increased in
strength, and, at length, extended their jurisdiction in turn over the
Israelites (Judges iii. 1-5).
"The Philistines appear to have come into the maritime plain of Syria
either shortly before or shortly after Israel left Egypt."--_G. A.
Smith._
6. Judges vi. 3-5.--_When Israel had sown, the Midianites came up, and
the Amalekites, and the children of the east, ... and they encamped
against them ... till thou come unto Gaza, and left no sustenance for
Israel._
A new apostasy, punished by the oppression of Midian, is here
introduced. This invasion came from the south-east and extended over
the whole land "unto Gaza" in the south-west.
7. Judges xvi. 1-4.--_Then went Samson to Gaza._
8. Judges xvi. 21-31.--_The Philistines took him, and put out his eyes,
and brought him down to Gaza._
Gaza had been the scene of Samson's sin (verses 1 and 2). It is now
made the scene of his punishment.
After forty years of oppression, Samson appeared as the champion and
avenger of his people. The tragic close of his life has given Gaza an
imperishable fame.
"Samson hath quit himself
Like Samson, and heroically has finished
A life heroic."--_Milton._
The famous Dagon, or the "Fish-god," who had a temple at Gaza (Judges
xvi. 21-5), was a national, and not merely a local god among the
Philistines. During the Maccabean wars Jonathan destroyed the temple
of Dagon at Azotus (1 Macc. x. 84). He was eminently the god of
agriculture.
9. 1 Samuel vi. 17.--_The golden emerods which the Philistines returned
for a trespass offering unto the LORD ... for Gaza one._
During the "seven months" the sacred chest was, no doubt, located in
each of the five Philistine cities, in the Dagon temple, which each of
the cities possessed.
The god Dagon was worshipped at Gaza and Ashdod, and the goddess
Derketo at Askelon. It has been assumed that the two divinities were
akin. According to Lucian, Derketo was worshipped under the form of a
woman with the body and tail of a fish, fish being sacred to her, and
was probably identical with Atargatis, in 2 Macc. xii. 26. Hence Dagon
was supposed to have been the male counterpart of Derketo. This view,
however, Prof. Sayce now repudiates, preferring to regard Dagon as a
purely agricultural deity.
10. 2 Kings xviii. 8.--_Hezekiah smote the Philistines, even unto Gaza,
and the borders thereof._
The entire land of Philistia was ravaged by the Judæan forces.
After continual wars under the Judges, with Saul (1 Sam. xiv. 52, xxxi.
1), and David (2 Sam. v. 17-25), the Philistines appear to have been
subdued by the latter, and Gaza became the border of Solomon's kingdom
"on this side of the river" (1 Kings iv. 21, 24). In verse 24 Azzah,
or rather ‘Azza, is the more correct spelling of Gaza. There is a
reference to Gaza under the name of Azzah in Deut. ii. 23, and 1 Chron.
vii. 28 (R.V.). With this exception the R.V. adopts the reading Gaza.
In Joshua xv. 47 "the river of Egypt" (A.V.) refers to the desert
stream, one mile wide, which still occasionally flows in the valley
called El Arîsh, twelve hours' ride south of Gaza. Palm trees are
abundant in the bed of this torrent. See Gen. xv. 18; Joshua xv. 4; 1
Kings viii. 65; Is. xxvii. 12.
11. 1 Chronicles vii. 28.--_And their possessions were ... unto Gaza
and the towns thereof._
The passage refers to Ephraim's habitations, but this is a doubtful
reading. The Revised Version of the Old Testament reads _Azza_, in the
margin _Ayyah_.
12. Jeremiah xxv. 17-20.--_Then took I the cup at the LORD'S hand, and
made all the nations to drink, unto whom the LORD had sent me: to wit
... all the kings of the land of the Philistines, and Ashkelon, and
Azzah, and Ekron, and the remnant of Ashdod._
The words describe the act of the prophet as in the ecstasy of vision.
One by one the nations are made to drink of the cup of the wrath
of Jehovah. Among them are four of the cities of the Philistines,
including Gaza.
13. Jeremiah xlvii. 1.--_The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the
prophet against the Philistines, before that Pharaoh smote Gaza._
This passage probably refers to Pharaoh Necho II's (610-594 B.C.) first
advance to Carchemish in 609 B.C. Having defeated and killed Josiah,
King of Judah, at Megiddo, he advanced to the Euphrates, and on his
return smote the city of Kadytis which is probably Gaza.
14. Jeremiah xlvii. 5.--_Baldness is come upon Gaza._
The reference is to the destruction which Nebuchadrezzar inflicted upon
the whole Syrian seaboard from Sidon to Gaza after Pharaoh Necho's
defeat at Carchemish in 604 B.C. (Jeremiah xlvi. 2).
Gaza had to recognise the supremacy of Babylon. "Baldness" is the sign
of mourning (Micah i. 16).
Destroyed again and again, its situation has always secured its being
rebuilt.
15. Amos i. 6, 7.--_Thus saith the LORD; for three transgressions
of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof;
because they carried away the whole captivity, to deliver them up to
Edom: but I will send a fire on the wall of Gaza, which shall devour
the palaces thereof._
The proceedings of Philistia against Judah are here represented by
Gaza as the principal city. See 2 Chron. xxi. 16-17, which implies
a veritable sack of Jerusalem. The extreme barbarity of which Judah
complained was that her children were delivered up to her old
implacable enemy, Edom.
16. Zephaniah ii. 4.--_Gaza shall be forsaken ... and Ekron shall be
rooted up._
There is a play on the meaning of these words, "Gaza (Azzah = strong)
shall be forsaken (âzab)" and "Ekron (deep-rooting) shall be rooted up
(âkar)," similar to that in Micah i. 10, _et seq._
The chastisement of Philistia is prophesied in verses 4-7. "The
fulfilment of the prophecy is not tied down to time" (Pusey, _Minor
Prophets_).
17. Zechariah ix. 5.--_Gaza shall see it, and be very sorrowful.... The
king shall perish from Gaza._
Well might Gaza fear and tremble on hearing of the destruction of Tyre.
Gaza was taken by Alexander the Great after a siege of two months.[7]
When he subdued it, he ordered all the men to be slaughtered without
quarter, and carried away all the women and children into bondage, 332
B.C. New colonists settled within the city, which now ceased to be a
Philistine centre, only to become a Greek one.
Gaza must have been at this time a city of great strength, for
Alexander's Greek engineers acknowledged their inability to invent
engines of sufficient power to batter its massive walls. Alexander
himself was severely wounded in the shoulder during a sortie of this
garrison.
Special mention is made by Hegasias (a contemporary of Alexander) of
the "King" of Gaza being brought alive to Alexander after the captivity
of the city. The name of the governor of the garrison at Gaza was
Babemeses.
In Pusey's _Commentary on the Minor Prophets_--Amos i. 6, 7; Zephaniah
ii. 4; Zechariah ix. 5, there is much additional information concerning
the prophecies against Gaza.
Gaza is there described as first Canaanite; then Philistine; then,
at least after Alexander, Edomite; after Alexander Jannæus, Greek;
conquered by Abu-Bekr the first Khalif, it became Mohammedan; it was
desolated in their civil wars until the crusaders rebuilt its fort;
then again Mohammedan.
1. 1 Maccabees xi. 61, 62.--_From whence he_ [Jonathan] _went to Gaza,
but they of Gaza shut him out; wherefore he laid siege unto it, and
burned the suburbs thereof with fire, and spoiled them. Afterward, when
they of Gaza made supplication unto Jonathan, he made peace with them,
and took the sons of their chief men for hostages._
After the death of Alexander, the territory of Gaza became for two
centuries the battlefield between the Egyptian, Syrian, and Jewish
armies. Twice (315 and 306 B.C.) Antigonus took the city from Ptolemy
I. The latter re-took it twice at the point of the sword, and for a
century it remained under the power of Egypt.
The Syrians again devastated it in 198 B.C.
Jonathan Maccabeus (the wary), the Jewish leader and high priest
(161-143 B.C.) laid siege to its suburbs, and forced the inhabitants to
sue for terms (1 Macc. xi. 61, 62).
2. 1 Maccabees xiii. 43-8.--_In those days Simon camped against
Gaza,_[8] _and besieged it round about; he made also an engine of war,
and set it by the city,_[9] _and battered a certain tower, and took it._
Simon the Maccabee, Ethnarch, and High Priest, 142-135 B.C., laid
siege to the fortress of Gaza, and expelled the heathen inhabitants.
Shortly afterwards he appointed his third son, John Hyrcanus I, as
commander-in-chief of all his forces.
1. Acts viii. 26.--_And the angel of the LORD spake unto Philip,
saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down
from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert._
There is only one New Testament reference to Gaza, and it has given
rise to much controversy.
The pronoun αὕτη may either relate to ὁδὸν (way) or
to Gaza. If the former, then it is the _way_ which is desert; if the
latter, it is the _city_. If we apply it to the city it is difficult
to reconcile the statement with the facts of history; unless we regard
the phrase "which is desert" as a parenthetic explanation of St. Luke's
written soon after the destruction of Gaza by the Jews in A.D. 66.
Some refer ἔρημος to the _ancient city_ destroyed by
Alexander, and affirm that the new city occupied a different site.
The words αὕτη ἐστὶν ἔρημος, however, were probably intended
to describe the Roman highway on which St. Philip the Evangelist should
find the Eunuch. There were then, as now, several roads leading from
Jerusalem to Gaza. Two traversed the rich plain of Philistia; but one
ran to Eleutheropolis (Beit Jibrîn), and thence direct through an
uninhabited waste to Gaza.
See Alford's _Greek Testament_ on Acts viii. 26, and Wordsworth's
_Greek Testament_ on the same passage, which he thus explains: "Go
by the road which leads to Gaza--which is desert; Almighty GOD has
something for thee to do there. He can enable thee to do the work of an
Evangelist, not only in the city of Samaria, but in the wilderness of
Philistia."
Note on Acts viii. 38.--Deacons in the early Church, notwithstanding
the precedent of St. Philip, were not usually allowed to baptise alone.
Wordsworth's _The Ministry of Grace_, p. 161.
FOOTNOTES:
[4] In Judith ii. 28; 1 Macc. x. 86, xi. 60; both in A.V. and R.V.
Askelon is called Ascalon.
[5] Ethnology of the Bible. _The Bible Educator_, vol. iii, pp. 197-200.
[6] See also _The Historical Geography of the Holy Land_, 1902, p. 189.
[7] See Josephus, _Antiq. Jews_, XI. 8, 4, section 325.
[8] The Revised Version of the Apocrypha reads "against Gazara." See
Josephus, _The Jewish War_, Book I, Chap. II, section 2 (50).
[9] In the Old Testament the distinction between a town and a village
is not generally defined. The former, as a rule, was an inhabited
place surrounded by a wall. The latter, one that is not so enclosed
(Lev. xxv. 29-31). Towns themselves, however, are also sometimes
distinguished as walled and unwalled (Deut. iii. 5; Esther ix. 19).
The New Testament and Josephus uniformly distinguish between
πόλις and κώμη (an unwalled village, opposite to a fortified
city).--Schürer, II. i. 154.
CHAPTER II
SUMMARY OF CHIEF EVENTS RELATING TO GAZA[10] FROM 1503 B.C. to A.D. 1913
_Section_ I (1503 B.C. to 30 B.C.)[11]
1503-1449 B.C.--Eighteenth Dynasty. In the twenty-second year of his
reign, 1481 B.C. (according to Sayce), Thothmes III made his first
determined attempt to subdue Canaan. Gaza was occupied with much
difficulty. The fortress of the Prince of Gaza is mentioned in the
great expedition of Thothmes III.
_c._ 1444 B.C.--Eighteenth Dynasty. Amen-hetep II, successor of
Thothmes III, has hieroglyphic inscriptions in Gaza, which have been
lately discovered. They show that a temple had been built by this
Egyptian king to the goddess An Mut.
_c._ 1366 B.C.--Nineteenth Dynasty. Seti Mer-en Ptah I, the father of
Rameses II, drove the Beduins before him from the frontiers of Egypt to
those of Canaan, and established a line of fortresses and walls along
"the way of the Philistines," which ran by the way of the shore to Gaza
(Sayce).
1348-1281 B.C.--Nineteenth Dynasty. Rameses II, User-Maāt-Ra (the
Great), continued to hold Gaza till at least 1292, or later.
_c._ 1225 B.C.--Twentieth Dynasty. Rameses III, Hik-An, captured Gaza,
but it does not seem to have remained long in the possession of the
Egyptians (Sayce).
734-732 B.C.--Tiglath-pileser III, the founder of the second Assyrian
Empire, plundered Gaza, and made it subject to Assyria. It soon
revolted against its new masters, relying, no doubt, upon help from
Egypt, but in vain.
_c._ 720 B.C.--Hanno, King of Gaza, called to his aid So (Shabaka),
King of Egypt (2 Kings xvii. 4), against the Assyrian general Sargon,
and commenced that gigantic struggle between Asia and Egypt, of which
Gaza was the centre. Sargon chastised the rebels. In 715 B.C. Rabshakeh
(the title of the officer sent by Sennacherib) reproached Hezekiah:
"Thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, upon Egypt;
whereupon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: So is
Pharaoh King of Egypt unto all that trust on him" (2 Kings xviii. 21).
701 B.C.--Gaza remained subject to Sennacherib, the Assyrian king.
Sennacherib died in 681 B.C. Tirhakah, the last king but one of the
twenty-fifth (Ethiopian) dynasty, began to reign in 691 B.C. (2 Kings
xix. 9).
674 B.C.--Esar-haddon, son of Sennacherib, one of the greatest Assyrian
kings, retained Gaza (2 Kings xix. 37).
662 B.C.--One of Asshûr-bani-pal, King of Assyria's expeditions
enveloped the east coast of the Mediterranean, including Gaza, which
rendered him submission.
609 B.C.--Pharaoh Necho II took Gaza by force after the fall of the
Empire of the Sargonides (Jeremiah xlvii. 1).
The Hellenistic population after this period became more numerous.
"The eight days' march across the sands from the Delta requires that,
if an army came up that way into Syria, Gaza, being their first relief
from the desert, should be in friendly hands. Hence the continual
efforts of Egypt to hold the town."--_G. A. Smith._
624-596 B.C.--After some three generations of the dominion of
Babylonia, Egypt once more spread its power. The sturdy Psamtek I
(Psammetichus, "the lion's son") had, from 624-596, held the south of
Palestine, including Gaza.
529 B.C.--Cambyses (Ahasuerus) King of Persians and Medes, after the
fall of Babylon, set out for the conquest of Egypt. Gaza alone dared
to resist him, and was not subdued till after a very long siege. There
seems, however, to be considerable doubt as to Cambyses, the son of
Cyrus. Xerxes is certainly the Ahasuerus of Ezra iv. 6, and of the Book
of Esther.
332 B.C.--"Gaza was strong enough to resist for two months a siege of
Alexander the Great, during which he was wounded. It was ultimately
taken by storm, but not entirely destroyed. Bates, the Persian, who
defended the city against Alexander, employed Arab mercenaries."--_G.
A. Smith._
All the maritime towns, save Tyre and Gaza, appear to have welcomed
Alexander the Great and accepted his policy.
Gaza, next to Tyre, was the most important fortress in the
Philistinian-Phœnician coast. Plutarch (_c._ A.D. 66), telling the
story of its siege by Alexander, calls it "the biggest city of Syria."
After this siege, Gaza became more and more a Greek centre. New
colonists settled within the city, which ceased to be a Philistine
centre. Josephus expressly designated it a πόλις Ἑλληνίς.
315 B.C.--Gaza was conquered by Antigonus, King of Asia, having been
wrested from Ptolemy I, Soter, of Egypt (323-285), who had seized
Philistia and garrisoned Gaza in 320 B.C.
312 B.C.--The city fell again into the hands of Ptolemy I, in
consequence of his victory over Demetrius, the son of Antigonus.
In the same year, however, he renounced the possession of Cœle-Syria,
and on his retreat had the most important fortresses, Gaza among them,
demolished.
240 B.C.--The sovereignty over these districts changed several times
during the decades next following, till at length they were for a
longer period in the possession of the Ptolemies.
218-217 B.C.--Gaza, like the rest of Syria, was temporarily in the
possession of Antiochus III (the Great). He is mentioned in 1 Macc.
viii. 6-8. Becoming engaged in a quarrel with Egypt, he made four
successive expeditions from Antioch to that country, in each case
passing down the coast of Syria, inflicting misery on its inhabitants.
198 B.C.--Cœle-Syria came permanently under the dominion of the
Seleucidæ, through the victory of Antiochus the Great at Panias. Gaza
was conquered after a difficult siege.
The sway of the Seleucidæ is evidenced by a silver coin of Demetrius I,
Soter, 162-150 B.C., minted at Gaza.
161-143 B.C.--During the leadership and high-priesthood of Jonathan
"the wary" (who sided with Antiochus VI, son of Alexander Balas,
against the faithlessness of Demetrius I), he lost no time in bringing
the entire territory between Gaza and Damascus into subjection, with
the assistance of Jewish and Syrian troops. Jonathan's history is
one of constant intrigue, and his successes were due to craft and
duplicity, rather than to valour and wisdom.
Gaza only yielded after Jonathan had recourse to forcible measures.
He compelled the citizens to give hostages, and took them with him to
Jerusalem.
Gaza at this time had a Council of 500 members.
141 B.C.--Gaza, the last of the Philistine towns not conquered by the
Jews, was taken by Simon III, Ethnarch and High Priest. He is described
in 1 Maccabees ii. 65, as "A man of counsel." A beautiful picture of
him is to be found in 1 Maccabees xiv. 4-16.
96 B.C.--Gaza fell into the hands of King Alexander Jannæus, the third
son of Hyrcanus, high priest, and a prince of the Maccabean line.
He took the city after a year's siege, though at last only through
treachery. He gave the inhabitants up to the sword, and entirely
demolished the city.
"It was not till 96 B.C. that Jews actually crossed her walls, but in
that year the pent-up hatred of centuries burst in devastation upon
her."--_G. A. Smith._
65 B.C.--When Pompey the Great conquered Syria, Gaza obtained her
freedom. He arranged that the Roman general, A. Gabinius, Governor of
Syria, should divide Judæa into five parts. Gabinius rebuilt Gaza 57
B.C. which was once more securely inhabited, and allowed it to resume
its ancient prosperity under the power of Rome.[12] The newly built
"maritime" and free city began a "new era" from the time of Pompey.
According to some few authorities the ancient city was then forsaken,
and the new town built somewhat farther southwards, possibly close to
its harbour.
30 B.C.--Augustus, when in Egypt, handed Gaza over to King Herod
I, of Philistine origin, who placed over this "maritime city" his
brother-in-law, the Idumean Costobar. In favour of his _Ascalon_
descent are certain allusions of Herod I to that city. At the death of
Herod the Great, Gaza, still called a "maritime city," was annexed once
more by Augustus to the province of Syria.[13]
Two of the passes through the Judæan and the Samaritan hills were
strongly fortified by Herod I, who also held the tolls at Gaza, for
Arabia by Petra and for Egypt. Gaza is the outpost of Africa, and the
door of Asia.
_Section_ II (A.D. 41-1913)
A.D. 41-54.--During the reign of Claudius, Gaza is spoken of as an
important city by the Spanish geographer Pomponius Mela, with whom
agree Eusebius and St. Jerome.
A.D. 66.--During the government of the fourteenth and last Judæan
Procurator, Gessius Florus, Gaza was burned by the rebellious Jews.
This destruction could have been but temporary, for there exist coins
of Gaza, struck in honour of Vespasian and following emperors, which
show that the city was still a place of importance soon after the
destruction of Jerusalem.
The independence of the city is proved by the fact that Gaza had then
its own independent kalendar.
A.D. 129-130.--Special tokens of favour were bestowed upon Gaza by
Hadrian. The twenty-two coins of Gaza (the new era), as described in
detail by De Saulcy, _Numismatique de la Palestine_, pp. 215-18, refer
to Hadrian's residence within the city. Dr. Coles, of Haifa, possesses
a large number of Hadrian's Gaza coins.
"In the second and third centuries Gaza became a prosperous centre of
Greek commerce and culture. Her schools were good, but her temples
were famous, circling round the Marneion.... The schools of Gaza in
philosophy and rhetoric grew more and more distinguished. Students, it
is said, left Athens to learn the Attic style in Philistia, and even
Persia borrowed her teachers." --_G. A. Smith._
_c._ A.D. 300-371.--St. Hilarion, the first hermit of Palestine, was
born at Thabatha, five miles from Gaza. (The reader is referred to
Chapter IX for the Life of St. Hilarion.)
A.D. 307.--Copies of the Holy Scriptures had escaped their general
destruction under Diocletian's Edict, and were still in use at Gaza
when persecution raged there in this year.
A.D. 308.--St. Sylvanus, Bishop of Gaza, and others were martyred on
May 4, during the persecution of Maximianus I.
A.D. 330.--Asclepas, Bishop of Gaza, who was accused of being "secretly
tainted with Arianism," was deserted by the majority of the devout
clergy and laity, and deposed, A.D. 341, but afterwards he received
full acquittal.
Asclepas was present at the first Œcumenical Council of Nicæa, A.D. 325.
_c._ A.D. 335.--Constantine the Great rewarded the inhabitants
of Mayoumas, the port of Gaza, for their unanimous adoption of
Christianity, by erecting their town into "the city of Constantia"
(Κωνστάντεια). It seems that this emperor, finding the inland
city authorities obdurately pagan, gave a separate Constitution to its
sea-town, but Julian (A.D. 361-363) took these privileges away.
A.D. 361.--At Mayoumas, the port of Gaza, the whole population was
enthusiastically devoted to the Christian Faith, whereas Gaza was
remarkable for its intense hatred.
Julian the Apostate's accession, A.D. 361, was the signal for an
intensified persecution. He made Constantia again tributary to Gaza,
but on his death its independence was restored.
A.D. 386.--St. Jerome and St. Paula, as early Christian pilgrims, after
travelling among the Egyptian hermits, visited Gaza before returning to
Bethlehem.
_c._ A.D. 401.--Eight heathen temples were destroyed through the
influence of the Empress Eudoxia. As late as the fourth century an idol
named Marnas was worshipped in the city.
In the Roman Imperial period commencing 27 B.C., the chief deity of the
city was Marnas, Lord of heaven and sun and moon, as his name
(מר = Lord) implies. He was originally a Shemitic deity, being,
however, more or less disguised in a Greek garment.
A.D. 406.--On Easter Day St. Porphyrius consecrated the Church of Gaza,
named after the Empress Eudoxia.
St. Porphyrius, a Greek ecclesiastic, after living five years as a
hermit in the Thebaid of Egypt, went with his disciple Marcus to
Jerusalem, and finally became Bishop of Gaza.
(For further particulars about St. Porphyrius, see Chapter VII.)
A.D. 541.--At the Council of Gaza, Pelagius (the first Pope of that
name, A.D. 555-560) then a deacon, and Roman Legate at Constantinople,
was sent by order of the Emperor Justinian I (the Great) with letters,
ordering the deposition of Paul,[14] the twenty-ninth Patriarch of
Alexandria, which was accordingly carried out. This local Council
was attended by Ephraim, Patriarch of Antioch, Peter, Patriarch of
Jerusalem, the Metropolitan of Ephesus, and some other Prelates. Zoilus
succeeded Paul in the Throne of St. Mark.
The story of the fall of Paul is involved in much confusion. He was
consecrated by St. Menas, Patriarch of Constantinople, this being the
first instance of an Alexandrian Patriarch being consecrated from the
Throne of Constantinople. He held his see for about two years, from
A.D. 539-541.
A.D. 635.--Gaza fell into the hands of Abu-Bekr, the general of the
first Khalif, Omar, after a decisive battle with the Byzantine army. It
was one of the first points of attack during this invasion, and about
this date the city became Muslim.
The city was regarded as an important place by the Muslims, because
Hashim ibn Abd Manaf, Mohammed's grandfather was buried there. About
this date we hear little more of Muslim Gaza, except as its being the
birthplace of Mohammed ibn Idris ash-Shâfiy, the founder of a Muslim
sect, and the Great Doctor of the Law.
About the end of the sixth century, or the beginning of the seventh,
Robinson (_Biblical Researches in Palestine_, vol. ii, p. 42) states
that "Gaza was visited by Antoninus Martyr, who describes it as
splendid and delicious; and its inhabitants as noble, liberal, and
friendly to strangers."
A.D. 672.--Gaza was visited by a great earthquake.
A.D. 796.--The city was laid waste during a furious civil war among the
various Arab tribes inhabiting the country.
During the many wars between the Muslim rulers of Egypt and Syria,
which preceded the Crusades, Gaza again suffered greatly.
A.D. 867.--Bernard the Wise--a Breton monk--describes Gaza as "very
rich in all things."
A.D. 1149.--Baldwin III built a fortress at Gaza, in order to cut off
the approach to Ascalon from the south.
The defence of the castle was entrusted to the Knights Templars.
The great buildings of Palestine are not to be ascribed to the Jews
(for they were not a great building people), but to the Byzantine and
Crusading Christian epochs.
A.D. 1170.--The Crusading castle at Dârûm (Deir el Belâh), three hours
south of Gaza, was unsuccessfully stormed by Saladin.
A.D. 1170.--On December 20, Saladin made a dash on Gaza, but did not
get possession of the citadel. He entered the city, and killed several
of the inhabitants.
A.D. 1177.---At this date there were many Knights Templars in Gaza.
A.D. 1187.--Gaza passed into the hands of Saladin, after the Battle of
Hattin on July 5.
A.D. 1192.--During the Third Crusade King Richard destroyed the Castle
of Dârûm at Whitsuntide.
The walls of Gaza were dismantled after Richard Cœur de Lion's peace
with Saladin in 1193.
A.D. 1238.--Defeat of the Crusaders at Gaza.
A.D. 1239.--Muslims were surprised in the neighbourhood of Gaza by
Theobald, Count of Champagne and King of Navarre.
A.D. 1242.--During May, the Knights Templars and their Muslim allies
defeated the Egyptian army, who were driven back to Gaza.
A.D. 1244.--The Christian and Saracen armies were annihilated by the
Kharezmians in the valley of Gaza.
A.D. 1250.--King Louis IX and the Mameluke Emirs released their
prisoners at Gaza.
A.D. 1260.--A garrison was stationed in Gaza by the Turkish invaders.
A.D. 1332.--Sir John Maundeville, a native of St. Albans, speaks of
Gaza as "a gay and rich city; and it is very fair, and full of people,
and is but a little distance from the sea." Like other cities of old,
it was, for fear of pirates, built at some distance, about two and a
half miles, from the sea.
A.D. 1370.--The Franciscan friar, John of Naples, martyred at Gaza.
A.D. 1432.--Bertrandon de la Brocguière, a knight in the service of the
Duke of Burgundy, speaks of pilgrims being harshly treated in Gaza.
A.D. 1516.--The Turks crushed the Mamelukes at Gaza. This victory
opened Egypt to Selim I of Constantinople. Egypt thus became a Pashalik
of the Turkish Empire, and remained so until its conquest by Napoleon
Bonaparte in 1799, when its Jewish inhabitants fled from the city.
A.D. 1584.--Samaritans are known to have lived in Gaza at this date,
and possessed a synagogue. Two large baths in the city belonged to
them. One of them still bears the name of "the Bath of the Samaritans."
In 1907 an inscription was found at Gaza with a Biblical text, in
Samaritan characters. The writing is not ancient, and it is still in
the possession of the Muslim finder. During the occupancy of the Pashas
of Gaza, one of them (of the fourth family Ridwan) desired to procure
the inn and bath belonging to the Samaritan community. The owner
objected, and gave them to the Muslims for the benefit of the Great
Mosque. The Pasha consequently was indignant, and hanged the Samaritan
at the gate of the inn. From the end of the sixteenth century we hear
nothing more of the Samaritans at Gaza. (For additional information see
also Chapter VI.)
A.D. 1771.--Ali Bey, a slave, obtained great power in Egypt, and
occupied Gaza.
A.D. 1796.--Arabs destroyed Gaza during a civil war.
A.D. 1799.--Napoleon Bonaparte took Gaza in February, having crossed
the desert with about 13,000 men.
"Napoleon has emphasised the indispensableness of Gaza, whether in the
invasion or the defence of the Nile valley."--_G. A. Smith._
A.D. 1831.--Mohammed Ali, a native of Roumelia, attacked Gaza in
November, without being resisted.
A.D. 1839.--A great plague broke out in Gaza, and carried off large
numbers of its inhabitants.
A.D. 1878.--The Church Missionary Society commenced work at Gaza.
FOOTNOTES:
[10] Some of these events in the first section are not referred to
either in the Old Testament or the Books of the Maccabees.
[11] Perhaps the earliest notice of Gaza is contained in the
Tel-el-Amarna tablets in a letter from a local Governor, who then held
it for Egypt.
[12] _Ant._, XIV. iv. 4; _Bell. Jud._, I. vii. 7.
[13] _Bell. Jud._, I. xx. 3, and II. vi. 3.
[14] Paul was a native of Tarsus. He became a monk or abbot of the
famous Upper Egyptian Rule of Tabenna, founded by St. Pachomius, _c._
A.D. 340.
CHAPTER III
FRANKINCENSE (ARABIAN) AND GAZA
In early times the Beduins of the desert were glad of a market in Gaza
for their spices and frankincense. In fact, according to Dr. Meyer
(from whom I freely quote), the foundation of Gaza is most probably
associated with the Minæans in their development of the frankincense
trade. Extensive remains have been found in Central and Southern
Arabia, which have been ascribed to these Minæans. Mr. Edward Glaser
maintains that this people existed from about the seventeenth century
B.C., and that the Sabæans followed them in the occupancy of those
regions. If this be allowed, it seems to follow that Gaza was founded,
or at least augmented, by this early Arabian people.
The wealth of the Minæan kingdom was derived chiefly from the
transportation of frankincense and other spices from the East, and
from Southern Arabia, which the caravans carried through the desert to
Gaza.[15]
In 674 B.C. Esar-haddon, son of Sennacherib, undertook a campaign
against the Arabian tribes, put an end to the Minæan kingdom, and
secured control of the spice-trade route.
During the Persian period (539-332 B.C.) Gaza was the chief centre of
the frankincense trade.
According to Dr. Birdwood in his article on "The Perfumes of the
Bible," _Bible Educator_, vol. i, p. 378, "it is very surprising that
so great a weight of evidence in favour of frankincense being produced
in Arabia and Africa should ever have been set aside for the idle fancy
that India was the source of the olibanum (ὁ λίβανος) commerce."
FOOTNOTE:
[15] See Isaiah lx. 6, and Jeremiah vi. 20.