EL ARÎSH AND C.M.S. MISSION
The border town of Egypt, El Arîsh, seventy miles south of Gaza, is
generally identified as the "River of Egypt," which was the most
southern boundary of the Holy Land in patriarchal times. At present
the actual boundary between Palestine and Egypt is a line running from
Rafah, the ancient Rhaphia, some thirty miles to the north of El Arîsh,
to Akaba.[49]
The country between Rafah and El Arîsh is desolate. The large sand
dunes, the dust of ages, have encroached upon the land, whereas
the Land of Promise may be recognised by its fertility. Around the
villages which lie between Gaza and Rafah are orchards which produce an
abundance of fruit; the fig, vine, pomegranate, almond, olive, apricot,
date, mulberry, palm, apple, orange, and banana, are all grown, besides
vegetables of all kinds, of a size rarely met with in Great Britain.
El Arîsh, the ancient Rhinocolura, the chief town of the Sinai
Peninsula, possesses some eight thousand inhabitants. The "River of
Egypt," so called, is conspicuous by its absence, except in the rainy
season, when a large portion of the water from the peninsula courses
through its bed to the sea. The river-bed is very wide, and many
hundreds of poplar trees are scattered over it, with numerous wells for
irrigation.
The most striking building is the Government Fort. It is some five
hundred years old, and bears evidence of attacks made by invaders.
Owing to the barrenness of the land the people are exempted from all
taxation. Some five thousand camels are owned by these Sawârikeh
Beduins, and these "ships of the desert" do much of the carrying trade
between Egypt and Syria, and in Egypt itself during the cotton season.
The people are exclusively Muslims, with the exception of two Coptic
officials. The town is beautifully clean.
There is here a magnificent field for missionary enterprise. No mission
work of any kind had ever been attempted in the town until Dr. Sterling
opened a boys' school in 1906.
The people are friendly, and come to the hospital at Gaza in goodly
numbers.
In 1908 Dr. Sterling was able to purchase a beautiful site of four and
a half acres. A native master from Gaza, M. Nasri, and pupil teacher,
are now at work in a school attended by sixty or seventy scholars. This
school is dependent upon voluntary help, and Mr. W. Watson and Dr.
Sterling are responsible for its maintenance.
Not only is Holy Scripture taught, but the master has many
opportunities of bearing witness to the truths of Christianity.
This station ought to be properly supported, and can be more easily
worked from Gaza than from Egypt.
Dr. Sterling has the plans for building schools for boys and girls,
a teachers' house, a house for dispensary attached for two English
ladies, preferably one an educationalist and the other a nurse. At
present there is only money in hand for the proposed girls' school.
I am indebted to three numbers of _Jottings and Snapshots from Gaza,
Southern Palestine_, for some of the above information.
NOTE.--On Feb. 20, 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte took El Arîsh. At the
capitulation of the town the French were permitted to evacuate
Egypt with all the honours of war.
FOOTNOTE:
[49] For additional information see Palmer's _The Desert of the
Exodus_, vol. ii. pp. 286-8.
APPENDIX I
PUBLIC GAMES AT GAZA[50]
Periodical games were often closely connected with the religious rites.
The great importance of public games in Imperial times is well known.
Not a provincial town of any consequence was without them. This was
especially the case with those in connection with the games in honour
of the Emperor, which were everywhere in vogue, even in the time of
Augustus.
In Gaza a πανήγυρις Ἁδριανή (an assembly of a whole nation
for a public festival) was celebrated from the time of Hadrian. A
παγκράτιον (the joint contest which comprises both wrestling
and boxing) is mentioned as held there in the inscription of
Aphrodisias. These wrestlers and boxers of Gaza were, in the fourth
century, the most famous in Syria. St. Jerome, in his _Life of St.
Hilarion_, mentions the Circensian games there.[51]
Pharisaic Judaism has always repudiated this heathen kind of games (1
Maccabees i. 14, 15; 2 Maccabees iv. 9-17).
Judaism, however, was unable, in spite of this theoretic repudiation,
to prevent the pageantry of heathen games from developing every fourth
year, in the midst of the Holy Land, during and after the Herodian
period.[52]
THE CIRCUS OF GAZA[53]
Moonrise on the desert. Above the dark ridges of rocks which rose
from the tawny waste of sand, a pale faint light poured down on the
wilderness of Gaza. An aged man, yet apparently more worn with labour
than with years, was standing at the entrance of a cave, which, dark
and silent, pierced one of the mountain ridges.
The time of which I am speaking was about 350 years after the birth of
our LORD; the place was one of the deserts which stretched themselves
between the Nile and the Holy Land. Already innumerable hosts of monks
occupied the wilderness of Egypt; and if St. Antony had attained the
greatest reputation for the holiness of his life and the wonders of his
miracles, St. Hilarion among the monks of the solitudes held the second
place. Many times he had fled from the concourse of people that the
fame of his powers of healing had drawn to him; and now, in one of the
wildest and most unfrequented parts of the wilderness, he hoped to find
a place where he might serve GOD without the interruption of men.
The moonlight showed distinctly the furthest objects on the horizon;
and as the hermit stood gazing around him, and thinking, perhaps, of
that new heaven and new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness, which
shall be the abode of those who have been CHRIST'S faithful servants
here, he noticed a dark spot in the far distance, which gradually drew
nearer, and took form and shape.
Half-an-hour brought to the entrance of his cave a large company
of Christians. Camels there were to carry those who were of rank to
need such a conveyance, and attendants and slaves in abundance. For
already, in part, the kingdoms of this world were become the kingdoms
of our LORD and of His CHRIST; and to be a Christian was no longer,
as fifty years before it had been, a badge of infamy; although in
the south-western part of Palestine the worshippers of idols still
outnumbered the holders of the true faith.
"Are we happy enough," said one of them who arrived first, a tall and
somewhat portly man, who had just descended from his camel before
speaking; "are we happy enough to stand in the presence of Hilarion, of
whose fame all Egypt and Palestine are full?"
"My name is Hilarion, my son," said the hermit; "and if ye seek
anything with so miserable a sinner as myself, I am ready, GOD helping,
to assist you so far as may lie in my power, He enabling me."
"Well, then, this is the case," said the stranger. "I am a citizen of
Gaza; my name is Italicus; and I come to you for that which may much
assist in promoting the glory of Him that is our LORD and SAVIOUR."
"If it be to His glory, my son," said Hilarion, "ask what you will, and
in His Name I promise to fulfil, so far as I may, your desires."
"I will tell you, holy father," said Italicus. "It is the custom of
our city that the two most wealthy inhabitants should try the speed of
their horses against each other in the circus. Now, for this year I am
appointed to exhibit these races on the one side, and Ælius Flaccus,
who is a worshipper of idols, on the other. He has dedicated his horses
and his chariots to the ancient idol of the city, Marnas, and he boasts
that no Christian can conquer those which have been so consecrated. All
our fellow-citizens know me to be a Christian; they know that I put my
only trust in our LORD whom the Gentiles blaspheme; and they know also
that the horses of Flaccus are the best breed in the country, and that
mine, although I have done my best, are inferior, and give no promise
of victory. Wherefore I have betaken myself to you, holy father, to
entreat you to assist me, if it may so be, in this great strait."
"And are you not ashamed," said Hilarion, "to trouble a servant of
CHRIST with matters such as these? Why not, rather, sell your miserable
horses, and give the price of them to the poor? according to that
saying, 'Sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have
treasure in heaven.'"
"But, my father," returned Italicus, "you must consider that this
office is none of my seeking; it is thrust upon me by the laws of
the city. I desire not victory for mine own honour; but the heathen
look upon this race as a trial between Marnas and the GOD whom the
Christians worship. It is for CHRIST'S sake, not for mine, that I
desire the victory."
"Is this so?" inquired Hilarion, looking round on the little company
that had gathered about him.
"It is so," said an old Christian, stepping forward from the rest.
"It is no vainglory that brings us hither; we who have seen the true
glory of the martyrs of Palestine, who by divers torments rendered up
their most blessed souls to GOD. It is as Italicus says. The horses
of Flaccus are dedicated to Marnas; they are the fleetest that the
whole province of Palestine can show; those of Italicus, though he has
done his best, cannot be compared to them; and yet the voice of the
people has consecrated them to the GOD whom we worship. For any common
victory we should not have sought assistance from you; as it is, we do
not think that we are preferring an unworthy request. If Flaccus wins,
Marnas conquers also; if Italicus is first in the race, then, as the
multitude will deem, the LORD CHRIST will show Himself to be superior
to the idols of the heathen."
"It is a hard case," said Hilarion, "when such rivalships find place.
Nevertheless we must not quench the smoking flax. All that a Christian
man may lawfully do to destroy the works of the devil, that it is the
bounden duty of Italicus, and of myself, and of every one that bears
the name of CHRIST, to take in hand. Wherefore bring me a bowl of
water."
One of the attendants ran to the little stream by which the hermit had
taken up his abode, filled a vessel, and brought it to him. He made the
sign of the cross over it and drank.
"Now, my son," he said to Italicus, "take this water and sprinkle your
horses, and their manger, and their stable therewith. Thus you shall
find in the day of trial, that the meanest of GOD'S servants, even
though he be like myself, has power to confound the idol Marnas, and
all his priests, and all his worshippers."
Thankfully and carefully Italicus received the water; and after
expressing his gratitude to the hermit, he and his company returned
over the desert towards Gaza.
Now we will pass over ten days.
A bright spring morning shone over the ancient city of the
Philistines. Here and there the white marble temples of Jupiter, and of
Minerva, and of Apollo, glittered in all the beauty of their pillars,
and their friezes, and their bas-reliefs. But high above the rest, and
more sumptuous than all, glowed that of the god Marnas, the idol whom
the inhabitants of Gaza delighted to honour. Had you stood by the great
door of his temple, you might have seen a crowd of worshippers and a
little company of priests offering their sacrifices, and praying that
he would be pleased to prosper his own worshippers on his own day; that
he would give fleetness to their horses; and that he would assist in
rooting out the execrable sect of the Nazarenes and their crucified
GOD from the face of the earth. The oxen were garlanded with flowers,
the altars were wreathed with laurel, and the augurs were taking omens
as to the success of the contest. The laurel leaves when cast into the
fire gave a good omen; the chickens when fed at their troughs promised
victory; and from the large size of the heart in one of the sacrificed
beasts, the soothsayers drew the conclusion that the god had bid Ælius
Flaccus to be of good courage.
The report had spread through the city that Hilarion the wonder-worker
had interested himself in the success of the Christian. Half-an-hour
before midday crowds were flocking to the circus; the pagans, who were
of the Red faction, wearing badges of that colour, and outnumbering
their opponents, who were of the Green party, six or seven to one. They
flocked in through the various doors of the circus; the officers whose
duty it was marshalled the way for the more influential citizens; the
poor locarii, who had come early to take the best places, sold them at
the best bargain they could to the wealthier spectators; and so great
was the interest in a contest, not so much between Italicus and Flaccus
as between Marnas and the GOD of the Christians, that never had so
brisk a trade been driven in the letting and underletting of seats as
on that day.
I have many times described to you the amphitheatres as they were in
that age. Now I will tell you what the circus was like; and attend, or
you will not understand the story.
Imagine a long oval space of ground, a quarter of a mile in length,
and surrounded with seats, rising in tiers, one above the other, the
lowest of stone and the highest of wood; these tiers of seats were
divided by narrow passages called _vomitories_, which gave entrance to
the spectators. At one end of the enclosed space was a wooden erection,
containing a series of wooden seats, or rather boxes, handsomely
curtained and cushioned, for the use of the magistrates. As it is not
yet the hour of the race we shall be able, as we enter, to examine
the place without disturbance. This spot, immediately in front of the
magistrates' seats, is the starting-place for the chariots; they call
it the _carceres_; in front of it, you see, are four images of Mercury,
with chains stretched from one to the other, behind which the horses
will presently be stationed; the men standing by them, two of the Red,
two of the Green faction, are called the _moratores_; their business is
to see that it is a fair start. From the carceres, as you will observe,
there runs almost to the other end of the circus a very broad brick
wall, some three feet high, and twelve in thickness; at both ends of
this are three little pyramids, which they call _metæ_; the wall itself
they name the _spina_. The horses, then, starting from the carcer,
under the magistrates, run seven times round the spina, going in what
seems to us a very unnatural fashion, from left to right. In order
that there may be no mistake, that man who is leaning idly against the
spina, and chatting with one of moratores, has it in charge to set up
a little wooden obelisk close to the carcer--you will see the sockets
in the ground--for each turn that the chariots make. Thus, when the
Red horses have made one circle, he will erect a red obelisk; when the
Green ones have done the same, a green one, and so on.
Now all the seats are so full that it seems impossible for more
spectators to be accommodated; nevertheless, still they come pouring
in. It is not only from Gaza and the neighbouring country that they
are flocking, but from Joppa, from Cæsarea, and even from Ælia
Capitolina--as they now call Jerusalem--many of its inhabitants are
come up to these games. The priests of Marnas will feast for many a day
on the proceeds of this; and if it should so happen that the horses
of Marnas conquer, his worshippers will say, what King Darius said
to another idol, "Great art thou, O Bel, and there is no deceit in
thee!" As to Didymus the Christian priest, he had at first held back
from expressing any interest in the matter; but when he was told that
Hilarion had consented to assist Italicus, he encouraged to the best
of his powers the Christian candidate, and though he would not himself
attend the games, he awaited the result in his own house with no small
anxiety.
Now the magistrates are taking their places in their robes of office.
He in the centre, who has just taken his seat in that projecting
balcony, is Asinius Gallus, edile of the place; a noted favourer of the
old religion, and the great friend of Flaccus. Next to him are the
principal magistrates of some of the neighbouring towns; and on each
side of them, the inferior officials of Gaza itself. There also are
Italicus and Ælius Flaccus; but of the twenty or thirty persons who
thus occupy the seats of honour, not more than three are of the Green
faction.
Presently, the doors under the balcony occupied by the magistrates,
and opening on the hither end of the circus, are thrown open; and the
chariots and horses enter. The moratores cast lots for the respective
position of each. For, as you will see, the chariot that was on the
left, or, as we should now call it, the near side, had the disadvantage
of being compelled to make a larger circle each time; this was,
however, a little made up for by the danger that the chariot on the
off side experienced in rounding the metæ at the end. They cast two
pieces of ivory into a bowl, and shook them; that which bore the name
of Flaccus first leaped out; his morator had therefore the choice of
ground; and his chariot took the right-hand place.
These chariots, as you see, have only two wheels, are low, have the
front part bulging out in a circle, and are entirely open behind; they
are intended only to carry one man. As that of Ælius Flaccus takes
up its position, the Red faction through the circus rise, clap their
hands, stamp with their feet, and cheer. And well they may; for every
one agrees that finer animals than the three black horses yoked abreast
which draw it were never seen in Gaza. There is also some applause
bestowed on the three bay horses of Italicus, but poor and faint
indeed, as compared with the thunder that had greeted the other. As you
may well imagine, their master has carefully observed the directions of
Hilarion; horses and manger and provender have been sprinkled with the
water; and Italicus himself entertains not the least doubt of success;
though the edile of Joppa has just offered to him of Lydda an even bet
that the red chariot will have finished its seventh course before the
green has reached the meta which will form its sixth and a half. Now,
silence; for Asinius Gallus is about to speak. His voice can only be
heard down a short space of that enormous length; but the purport of
what he says is soon passed on to its very extremity.
"Good men and true,"--such are his words--"it is well known to all that
this city of Gaza has been for now many hundred years a worshipper of
the great god Marnas, and that we, the larger part of its citizens,
still cleave to the religion of our forefathers. It is also well
known to all that, as elsewhere throughout the world, so here more
especially, there are not wanting those who ridicule our faith, they
themselves worshipping One that was crucified in this land, more than
three hundred years ago. These games, therefore, which we are this day
met to celebrate, have more than the common interest that in other
years we have taken in them. Our worthy fellow-citizen, Ælius Flaccus,
has dedicated his horses to Marnas, and the soothsayers have assured
him of victory. His rival, who follows the faith of the emperors,
Junius Italicus, has in like manner sought the assistance of his GOD,
and has availed himself of I know not what incantations performed by
one of the savage and brutish race of men now beginning to people the
wilderness to the south. Thus this day will be made manifest which
of these two gods can best hear the prayers of his servant. As a
magistrate of this city, I am bound to judge and decide impartially;
but as a believer in our ancient faith, I am not ashamed to express my
hope that Marnas will vindicate his honour by giving the victory to his
worshipper. And this, men of Gaza, I know to be your wish as well as
my own; the soothsayers have given us the promise of success; our god
himself is on our side; and the prayers of all that have the ancient
fame of Gaza at heart will be joined with mine that Ælius Flaccus may
prove the victor in this race."
The people, of course, applauded loudly; and Asinius Gallus resumed
his seat. Immediately, the moratores disengaged the chains from the
images of Mercury; the drivers grasped their reins and their whips;
deep silence fell upon the multitude; and the edile again stood up,
and gave the white napkin, which was the signal for the start, to the
official whose business it was to make the sign. He then, mounting on
the spina, stood a little before the two chariots, holding the linen in
his hand, and keeping his eyes fixed on Asinius Gallus. The magistrate,
after having cast his eyes right and left to see that his brother
functionaries were comfortably settled, and ready to look on at their
ease, nodded to the officer; the napkin fell; and the chariots started.
Inferior as were the horses of Italicus to those of his opponent, the
spectators had imagined that for the first three or four courses round
the circus the race would be closely contested. But scarcely had a
minute elapsed, when the green chariot, surrounded by whirlwinds of
dust, was already half-way to the further meta, while that which had
been dedicated to Marnas, in spite of the vociferations and lashings
of the driver, was lagging far behind. Those at the further end of
the circus fancied that its driver, secure in the excellence of his
horses, had given his rival a long start, in order to make his own
victory the more triumphant. But those who could see better were not so
deceived. Flaccus and the edile interchanged glances of astonishment
and vexation; one or two of the other magistrates whispered to each
other that it must be witchcraft; it was in vain that the Reds shouted,
clapped their hands, and endeavoured to encourage the charioteer; vast
majority as they were, their voices were drowned in the thunder of
applause which welcomed the green chariot as it now flew towards the
carceres, having made one circle, while the other had scarcely yet
turned the meta at the further end. Up went the green obelisk; and the
Christian chariot started on its second course. It was in vain that
Ælius Flaccus stamped with rage, ground his teeth, and shook his fist
at his own unfortunate driver, now creeping up towards the magistrates'
seat. As of old time, the chariot drave heavily; and even from some of
the Red faction there burst forth a shout of "Marnas is conquered!" But
when the green chariot, now making its fifth round, passed its rival
which had not yet completed its fourth, such a thunder of applause
echoed through the circus as Gaza had never heard before--unless it
might be when, some fifteen hundred years further back, Samson had made
sport for the lords of the Philistines on the roof of the temple of
Marnas, then better known by his other name of Dagon. The priests of
the idol will do well to treasure up the offerings they have received
to-day; for, depend upon it, they will never have any more. I can
already hear some words that sound exceedingly like "Impostor!" in
the mouths of their adherents; and now that the green chariot comes
bounding along to the conclusion of its final course, and its driver
throws his reins into the hands of the morator, and leaps, well
pleased, to the ground, and it is evident to all that the horses are
not distressed, and have scarcely even turned a hair, while those of
Marnas are labouring at the further end of the circus, and have its
full length to traverse before they finish their sixth course--now I
say, that the idol has been utterly confounded, and the faith of one
poor hermit has triumphed over all the charms of a college of pagan
priests, the shout that bursts from every part of the benches seems to
me to ring the death knell of idolatry in Palestine.[54]
FOOTNOTES:
[50] For this information I am indebted to Schürer's _History of the
Jewish People in the Time of Christ_.
[51] See "Circus, games of," _A Dictionary of Classical Antiquities_,
etc. London: Swan Sonnenschein & Co., Ltd., 1891.
[52] For a description and plans of Herod the Great's _Theatre_ (not
Amphitheatre as in text) outside Jerusalem, see Herr Schick's Report,
_Quarterly Statement_ P. E. F., July 1887, pp. 161-6.
[53] This tale (No. X) by the late Dr. Neale appears in his _Lent
Legends: Stories for Children from Church History_.
[54] The Editorial Secretary of the _Society for Promoting Christian
Knowledge_ informs me that "No permission is required to reprint from
Neale's _Lent Legends_, as the copyright has now expired." It was
written at Sackville College in 1855, and reprinted in 1905 by the
S.P.C.K.
APPENDIX II
DESTRUCTION OF THE EIGHT HEATHEN TEMPLES OF GAZA (A.D. 401)
During the Episcopate of St. Porphyrius, A.D. 395-420, there were eight
State-property temples in the city of Gaza: (1) Helios--the Sun; (2)
Aphroditus--Venus; (3) Apollo; (4) Persephone; (5) Hecate; (6) the
Hiereion (or Heroon); (7) the Tychæon; (8) the Marneion.
Their names imply that purely Greek worship prevailed in them.
1. THE TEMPLE OF THE SUN.--In Greek mythology the sun-god, son of the
Titan Hyperion and the Titaness Theia, is himself often called Hyperion.
Helios was worshipped in many places. The Island of Rhodes was entirely
consecrated to him. The worship of this sun-god was with great
difficulty eventually suppressed by substituting for him the prophet
Ἡλίας. In modern times Helios seems to be identified with St.
Elias, whose chapels are built chiefly on hill-tops.
It was this particular worship to which the Antonines showed special
favour. The name of Antoninus Pius is connected with the building of
the Temple of the Sun at Baalbec.
The late Lieut. Conder wrote an interesting article on "Sun Worship
in Syria," in the _Quarterly Statement_ of the P. E. F., April 1881,
pp. 80-4. Prof. Sayce, in _Patriarchal Palestine_, p. 218, ed. 1912,
states that with both the Semites of Babylonia and of Canaan the
supreme object of worship was Baal or Bel, "the Lord," who was but the
Sun-god under a variety of names.[55]
2. APHRODITE (called _Venus_ by the Romans).
In Greek, the goddess of love and beauty.
The worship of the Phœnician goddess Astarte, brought in by Phœnician
traders in early days, helped to form the conception which the Greeks
had of Aphrodite.
A Sanctuary of Aphrodite (Astarte) stood on the place where, according
to Christian tradition, was the Sepulchre of CHRIST.
A chief worship of Ascalon was that of Ἀφροδίτη Οὐρανία,
_i.e._ of Astarte, as Queen of Heaven. Herodotus mentions her as the
deity of Ascalon.
This female deity is represented on coins of the Imperial epoch chiefly
as the tutelary goddess of the City.
As goddess of the _sea_, and maritime traffic, especially of calm
seas, and prosperous voyages, she was widely worshipped by sailors and
fishermen as the goddess of _calm_.
Her influence was also felt in the gardens among the flowers in the
spring-time. It was then that her principal festivals occurred.
A chief seat of her worship was Cyprus.
Additional information on this independent, unmarried goddess is to be
found in Sayce's _Patriarchal Palestine_, pp. 218-21.
3. APOLLO (Greek Ἀπόλλων), son of Zeus and Leto, brother of
Artemis, portrayed with flowing hair, as ever being young.
Apollo appears originally as a god of _light_. As the god of spiritual
light, his festivals are all in spring and summer. He is one of the
great gods of the Greeks, and next to Zeus the most widely worshipped.
Josephus speaks of a Temple of Apollo at Gaza, 96 B.C. (_Antiq._, xiii.
13, 3), at the time when the city fell into the hands of Alexander
Jannæus. "The Senators, who were in all five hundred, fled to Apollo's
Temple (for this attack happened to be made as they were sitting), whom
Alexander slew."
The worship of Apollo is to be traced to Seleucid influence, for Apollo
was the ancestral god of the Seleucids, and a great favourite with them.
3. PERSEPHONE (Latin Proserpina), daughter of Zeus and the
earth-goddess Demeter, the goddess of the lower world.[56]
Her special name in Attic cult is CORÊ, lit. "the maiden."
Persephone is emblematic of vegetable life that comes and goes with the
changing seasons.
Her festivals were celebrated in spring, and after the harvest.
The pomegranate was Proserpine's symbol, and the pigeon and the cock
were sacred to her.
5. HECATE, a Greek moon-goddess, perhaps of non-Hellenic origin. Her
appearance is frightful. She is generally represented as a daughter of
Perses.
As a goddess of the lower world she was the patroness of all enchanters
and enchantresses, who were her disciples and protegés.
6. HEROON. THE HIEREION.
Heroon is the shrine of a hero, from ἥρως, a hero. Hesiod
reserves this name for mortals of divine origin, who are therefore also
known as demigods.
7. THE TYCHE, identified with the Roman Fortuna. A female deity--the
daughter of Zeus. She was of more importance in Italy than among the
Greeks.
In Greek mythology she was originally the goddess of chance. In the
course of time she came to be extensively worshipped as a goddess of
prosperity, who had cities under her special protection.
Meyer (pp. 122 and 158), refers to the Tyche as a familiar figure upon
Gazæan coins, having a woman's head, with a turreted crown consisting
of three towers, one of which is pierced with a door, and with a veil
over the back of her head.
The reverse side of the coin of Antoninus in Plate XI, No. 7, of De
Saulcy's _Numismatique de la Palestine_, is a good representation of
the Gaza Tyche.
8. THE MARNEION.
The Temple of Marnas is spoken of as the Marneion, a home of the city's
god.
Marnas was the Baal of Gaza.
In the Roman period Marnas was the chief deity of the city. St. Jerome
mentions this Temple of Marnas.
The oldest express testimony of the cult of Marnas is, according to De
Saulcy, that of certain coins of Hadrian, with the superscription GAZA
MARNA.
"In the last days of paganism, as we learn from Marcus Diaconus, in
his _Life of Porphyry of Gaza_, this great god of Gaza was regarded as
the god of rains, and invoked against famine. That Marnas was lineally
descended from Dagon is probable in every way, and it is therefore
interesting to note that he gave oracles, that he had a circular
temple, where he was sometimes worshipped by human sacrifices, that
there were twenty wells in the sacred circuit, and that there was also
a place of adoration to him, situated, in old Semitic fashion, outside
the town."[57]
This temple outside the town was possibly the place called Bethelia,
one and three-quarter miles north of Gaza.
FOOTNOTES:
[55] A few traces of the cult of Baal and Astarte are to be found in
England.--_Quarterly Statement_ of P. E. F., Oct. 1909, pp. 280-4.
[56] See the story of Demeter and Persephone in Neale's _Stories of
Heathen Mythology_, pp. 102-10. S.P.C.K. 1905.
[57] _Encyclopædia Britannica_, vol. xviii, ninth edition, p. 756.
APPENDIX III
PASSAGES OF THE HOLY BIBLE, THE DEUTERO-CANONICAL BOOKS, AND THE NEW
TESTAMENT
Genesis. PAGE
x. 19 19
xv. 18 23
xxi. 30 88
Exodus.
xxiii. 29, 30 20
Leviticus.
xxv. 29-31 26
Numbers.
xxxiii. 51-3 20
xxxiv. 5 92
Deuteronomy.
ii. 23 (R.V.) 22
iii. 5 26
iv. 29-31 50
Joshua.
x. 41 19
xi. 22 20
xv. 4 23
" 20, 47 20
" 47 22
Judges.
i. 18 20
iii. 1-5 21
vi. 3-5 21
xvi. 1-4 21
" 3 ix
" 21-5 21
" 21-31 21, 72
1 Samuel.
v. 4 72
" 5, 6 44, 72
vi. 4, 5 72
" 16, 17 20, 22
xiv. 52 22
xxxi. 1 22
2 Samuel.
v. 17-25 22
1 Kings.
iv. 21, 24 (R.V.) 22
viii. 65 23
2 Kings.
i. 2-3 72
xviii. 8 22
" 21 29
xix. 9 29
" 37 29
1 Chronicles.
vii. 28 (and R.V.) 22, 23
xi. 17 88
2 Chronicles.
xxi. 16-17 24
Ezra.
iv. 6 30
Esther.
ix. 19 26
Nehemiah.
vii. 70 (R.V.) 41
Isaiah.
xxvii. 12 23, 92
lx. 6 40
Jeremiah.
vi. 20 40
xxv. 17-20 (R.V.) 23
xlvi. 2 23
xlvii. 1 23, 29
" 5 23
Amos.
i. 6-7 24, 25
Micah.
i. 4-7 24
" 10 24
" 16 23
Zephaniah.
ii. 4 24, 25
Zechariah.
ix. 5 24, 25
1 Maccabees.
i. 14, 15 97
ii. 65 32
viii. 6-8 31
x. 84, 86 20, 22, 72
xi. 61, 62 25, 26
xiii. 43-8 (and R.V.) 26
xiv. 4-16 32
2 Maccabees.
iv. 9-17 97
xii. 26 22
Acts.
viii. 26 26, 27
" 38 27
INDEX
Abu-Bekr, General, 25, 36
Ælius Flaccus, 102, 105, 106
Aeneias, Bishop, 51
Alexander Jannæus, 25, 32, 112
Alexander the Great, 24, 25, 30, 42
Alford's _Greek Testament_, vol. ii., 27
Ali Bey, 39
Amen-hetep II, 28
Anthedon, viii, ix, 47
Antigonus, 25, 30
Antiochus III, 31
Antoninus Martyr, 36
Antonius, Archimandrite, 63
Apocrypha, Revised Version of, 26
Arcadius, Emperor, 64, 65
Ascalon coins, 44
Asclepas, Bishop of Gaza, 34, 51
Asshûr-bani-pal, 29
Asinius Gallus, 106
Athenian coins, 42
Augustus, viii, 33, 43
Aurelianus, Bishop of Gaza, 54
Bædeker's _Palestine and Syria_, xvii
Baldwin III, 37, 66
Baring-Gould, Rev. S., 57
Beduins, the, 28, 39, 82
Bell's _The Saints in Christian Art_, "The Great Hermits," xvii
Bernard the Wise, 37
Bertrandon de la Brocguière, 38
Bethelia, town of, 62
_Bible Educator, The_, 20, 40
Bible, Holy, the, 26, 41, 72, 88
Birds of Gaza, 89
Birdwood, Dr., 40
Bishops (early) of Gaza, 51-4
Bishops of Mayoumas, 54-5
Bright's _The Age of the Fathers_, xvii
Callinicus, 66
Cambyses, 30
Carchemish, 23
Circus of Gaza, the, 61, 97-109
Claudius, Emperor, 33, 44
Clermont-Ganneau, M., 49, 80
Church Missionary Society at Gaza, 39, 90-3
Churchyard, Dr. Albert, 45
Coins, 41, 65, 113
Coles, Dr. Donald A., v, 34, 44
Conder's _Syrian Stone Lore_, xvii
Conder's _Tent Work in Palestine_, vol. ii, xvii
Constantine the Great, 34
Cosmos, 55
Cretan Zeus, the, 42
Crusaders at Gaza, 66-70
Dagon-god, ix, 21, 22, 43, 72-4
Damianus, Patriarch of Jerusalem, 63
Darûm, Castle at, 37, 68
Demetrius, son of Antigonus, 31
Demetrius, Soter, 31, 43
Derketo, 22
De Saulcy, _Numismatique de la terre Sainte_, 33, 43, 44, 113
De Saulcy, _Recherches sur la numismatique judaïque_, 44
Deutero-Canonical Books, 19
_Dictionary of Christian Antiquities_, 50, 58
_Dictionary of Classical Antiquities_, etc., 97
Diocletian, Emperor, 34
Eight heathen temples at Gaza, 110-14
El Arîsh, 23, 92-5
_Encyclopædia Britannica_, vols. x and xviii, 44
Edom, 24, 25
Enos, Bishop of Gaza, 53
Epiphanius, Archbishop of Constantia, 60
Esar-haddon, 29
Eudoxia, Empress, 35, 52, 64, 65, 80
Eudoxiana, Church of, 65, 66, 81
Eusebius' _Ecclesiastical History_, 33, 56
Flinders Petrie's _Egypt and Israel_, 46
Frankincense, 39
Gabinius, Governor of Syria, 32
Gardens of Gaza, 87
Gatt, Father, vii, viii
Geikie's _The Holy Land and the Bible_, xvii
Gessius Florus, 33
Glaser, Mr. Edward, 40
Gordon, General, 93
Green faction, the, 103
Guy Le Strange's _Palestine under the Muslims_, xvii
Hadrianus, Emperor, 33, 34, 43, 44, 45, 97
_Handbooks of the C.M.S. Missions--the Palestine Mission_, 93
Hanno, King of Gaza, 29
Hastings' _Dictionary of the Bible_, xvii
Hebron, ix, x
Herod Agrippa I, 44
Herod the Great, viii, 33, 44
Herodotus, 42, 111
Hill's _Life of Porphyry, by Mark the Deacon_, 64
Hill, Mr. J. F., 42
Historia Numorum, 43
_Historical Geography of the Holy Land_, ix, xi
Hore's _Eighteen Centuries of the Orthodox Greek Church_, 64
Hospital, C.M.S., at Gaza, 92
Idolatrous Observances mentioned in the Old Testament, 22
Irenæus, Bishop, 51
Italicus, 102
Jebel-el-Mountâr, ix
Jerusalem, 24, 32
Jerusalem Literary Society, _Minutes_ of, 49
Jews in Gaza, 46, 47
John, Martyr, 57
John of Cæsarea, 52
John of Naples, martyr, 38, 57
Jonathan, 26, 31, 32, 72
Josephus, ix, 26, 30, 47, 72, 112
_Jottings and Snapshots from Gaza_, 95
Julian the Apostate, 35, 57, 60, 62
Jupiter, the, 44, 74-6
Justinian the Great, 36, 48
Kadytis, 23
Key of Syria, the, 82-6
Kharezmians, the, 38, 69
Kitchener, Lieut., 80
Knesevich, Mr. A. A., viii, 89
Knesevich, Mr. Emil G., viii, 77
Knights Templars, the, 37, 66, 67, 68
Kyrillus, Bishop of Gaza, 53
Laurence Oliphant's _Haifa, or Life in Modern Palestine_, xviii
Louis IX, 38, 69
Macalister, Prof. R. A. Stewart, 72, 76
Maccabean Wars, 46, 72
Madden's _Coins of the Jews_, 44
Mamelukes, the, 38, 69
Marcianus, Bishop of Gaza, 48, 53
Marcus, 35, 52, 65, 113
Marnas, x, 35, 42, 43, 44, 65, 113
Marneion, the, 34, 43, 44, 65, 66, 113
Martyrs at Gaza, 56-7
Maundeville, Sir John, 38
Maximianus I, Emperor, 56
Mayoumas, viii, 34, 35, 54, 59, 60
Meistermann's _New Guide to the Holy Land_, 57
Metaxakis on the Madaba Mosaic Map, 50, 81
Meyer's _History of the City of Gaza_, vii, 39, 41, 47, 48, 51, 56,
70, 71, 74, 80, 86, 113, 114
Midianites, the, 21
Minæan Kingdom, the, 40, 42
Mosque, Great, the, 79-81
M. Six, Coinage of Gaza, 41
Murray's _Dictionary of Christian Biography_, xviii
Murray's _Handbook of Syria and Palestine_, Part I, xviii
Napoleon Bonaparte, x, 38, 39, 47, 71
Neale's _History of the Holy Eastern Church_, 54
Neale's _History of the Holy Eastern Church_, "Patriarchate of
Alexandria," vol. i, xviii
Neale's _Lent Legends_, 98, 109
Neale's _Patriarchate of Antioch_, 55, 59
Nebuchadrezzar, 23
Natoris, Bishop of Gaza, 53
New Testament, the, 19
Old Testament, the, 19
Olive groves at Gaza, 87-8
Omar, first Khalif, 36
Orange crops at Gaza, 83-4
Orthodox Greek Church at Gaza, 63-4
Pashas of Gaza, 39, 70
Paulinus, Bishop of Mayoumas, 54
Paulus, Bishop of Mayoumas, 54
Paul, Patriarch of Alexandria, 36
Pelagius, Roman legate, 35
Père Gatt, vii, viii
Peter the Iberian, Bishop, 54
Pharaoh Necho II, 23, 29
Philemon, Legendary history of, 50
Philistines, the, ix, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27, 28, 30, 32, 44, 72-4, 75
Pickard, Mr. J. G., 50
Pompey the Great, 32, 46, 47
Porphyrius, Bishop of Gaza, 35, 52, 62
Porter's _The History of Beirût_, 62
Potteries at Gaza, 83
Procopius, Bishop of Mayoumas, 55
Ptolemy I, Soter, 31
Ptolemy II, Philadelphus, 43
Ptolemy III, Euergetes, 43
Ptolemy IX, Alexander I, 25
Public games at Gaza, 97-109
Pusey's _Commentary on the Minor Prophets_, 24, 25
_Quarterly Statements_ of the P. E. F., 41, 44, 50, 54, 76, 79, 87, 110
Quintianus, Bishop of Gaza, 51
Rameses II, 28
Rameses III, 28
Red faction, the, 102
Richard Cœur de Lion, 37, 67, 68
Robertson's _History of the Christian Church_, vol. i, xviii
Robinson's _Biblical Researches in Palestine_, vol. ii, 36
Roman Catacombs, the, 45
Saladin, 37, 67, 68
Samaritans in Gaza, 38, 39, 48, 49
Samson at Gaza, ix, 21
Sarcophagus (an old), the, 76-9
Sayce's _Patriarchal Palestine_, 111
Schapira, Rev. A. W., 74, 90
Selim I of Constantinople, 38
Sennacherib, 29
Sephardim, the, 47
Seti Mer-en Ptah I, 28
Schürer's _Jewish People_, ix, 47
Simon Bar-Cochab coins, 44
Simon the Maccabee, 26
Simon III, High Priest, 32
Smithies, Miss, at Gaza, x
Smith's (George Adam), _The Historical Geography of the Holy Land_,
ix, xi
Soap factories at Gaza, 83
Sophronius, Titular Bishop of Gaza, 63
Sozomen, Church historian, 61-2
St. Antony, 58, 59
St. Athanasius, 58
St. Chrysostom, 53, 64
St. Cosmas, Bishop of Mayoumas, 55
St. Hilarion, x, 34, 57, 58-61, 62, 63, 99
St. Jerome, 35, 97, 113
St. John Damascene, 55
St. Louis of France, 69
St. Pachomius, 36
St. Paula, 35
St. Philip, Evangelist, 26, 27
St. Porphyrius, 35, 53, 63, 65
St. Thea, Virgin, Martyr, 57
Sterling, Rev. Canon, vii, viii, 91-5
Stevenson's _The Crusaders in the East_, 70
Swastica, 43, 44, 45
Sylvanus, Bishop and Martyr, 34, 51, 56
Tell 'Ajjûl, 74
Temples, heathen, 44, 64-5
Theobald, Count, 38, 68
Thomson, Rev. Dr. E. H., 49
Tiglath-pileser III, 29
Timotheus, Martyr, 56
Timotheus, Bishop of Gaza, 53
Tirhakah, 29
Thothmes III, 28
Tyre, 24
Vespasian, 33
Watson, Mr. W., Newcastle-on-Tyne, 92, 95
Wordsworth's _Greek Testament_--The Acts of the Apostles, 27
Wordsworth's _The Ministry of Grace_, 27
Xerxes, 30
Zeno, Bishop of Mayoumas, 54
Zoilus, 36
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Transcriber's Notes
Obvious errors of punctuation and diacritics repaired.
Inconsistent hyphenation fixed.
P. ix: Djebel el-Mountâr appears in the index as Jebel el-Mountâr.
P. 30: a seige of Alexander the Great -> a siege of Alexander the Great.
P. 36 and index entries: Abu-Bekr was the first Khalif and Omar the
second, but the text has not been changed.
P. 40: olibanum [Greek] of commerce -> olibanum [Greek] commerce.
P. 41: The characters said to be Phoenician are Hebrew characters,
but the text has not been changed.
P. 71: Wten Napoleon Bonaparte -> When Napoleon Bonaparte.
P. 74: suceeded in greatly damaging the face -> succeeded in greatly
damaging the face.
P. 76: revelant portions of the description -> relevant portions of the
description.
P. 89: English sparows -> English sparrows.
P. 112: Selucids -> Seleucids.
Index for St. Porphyrius: 395 -> 35.