GALILEE.
The boat schedules--and they can not be ignored on the Palestine
coast--compelled us to reserve Galilee for the conclusion of our
tour, and it was an inappropriate ending, for while Jerusalem was
the scene of the crucifixion and ascension, the greater part of
Christ's life was spent in Galilee, and it was there that "most of
His mighty works were done." Nor is its history confined to the New
Testament, for it has its Carmel associated with the life of Elijah,
and Mount Tabor where Deborah's victory was won. Haifa, the seaport
of Galilee, is built along the front of Carmel on the edge of a
bay which the mountain helps to form, for Carmel, instead of being
a peak, is really a long ridge but a few hundred feet in height,
jutting out into the sea at this point and extending several miles
to the southeast. A Roman Catholic monastery is erected over a cave
overlooking the Mediterranean, where Elijah is said to have lived.
To the north of Carmel lies the plain of Esdraelon through which
the Kishon river flows. The road to Nazareth follows the south side
of this valley to a point some seven miles from the shore where the
hills of Galilee approach so near to Carmel as to leave but a narrow
pass for the river. Here the road crosses over to the north side
of the valley, and for the remainder of the distance winds upward
over the hills, giving a commanding view of Esdraelon. The upper
part of the plain is as beautiful a country as can be imagined--well
watered, fertile and thoroughly cultivated. The land is not held
in severalty, as in America, but by communities. The cultivators
live in villages, built at intervals around the edge of the valley,
and the land is apportioned each year by the village chief, no one
receiving the same tract two years in succession. As we looked down
upon the valley we could distinguish the different allotments as
they lay in long strips of equal width. Wheat is the chief product
of the valley, although there are a few olive orchards, and the
mulberry tree is being planted. Oxen are the animals usually
employed in cultivation, but we occasionally saw a horse and an ox
yoked together or a camel and an ox, and once a camel and a donkey.
Jezreel is on this plain, at the foot of Mount Gilboa, where the
middle plain connects with the plain leading down to the Jordan
between Gilboa and Little Hermon. This is historic ground, for it
was here at a great spring which flows out from under Gilboa that
Gideon selected his gallant band.
The village of Nazareth, nestling among the hills of Galilee, must
always be a place of supreme interest to the Christian. Its location
was probably determined by the presence here of an unfailing
spring, now known as Mary's fountain. Dr. George Adam Smith, in his
"Historical Geography of the Holy Land," points out the relation
between the springs and the routes of travel and emphasizes the
prominence of Nazareth in the Bible times. Christ's boyhood and
young manhood were spent near a great highway, for the old Roman
road from Damascus to Egypt ran through the town. Caravans passed
to and fro laden with the riches of the Euphrates and the Nile;
princes passed that way on their royal journeys, and in time of war
it was on the route of armies. From a high hill just outside the
town Christ could look to the west and see the surf line on the
shore of the Mediterranean, to the east He could survey the walls of
the chasm in which lay the sea of Galilee, while to the northeast
rose Hermon, the pride of the mountains. Several of His parables
fit quite naturally into the scenes upon which He looked, and those
parables were the more effective because they were taken from the
everyday life of the people. The stony ground, the rocky roadways
and the narrow strips of fertile soil were woven into the Parable
of the Sower, and some acquaintance of His youth, following the
merchantmen into Egypt or Mesopotamia, may have been the original of
the Prodigal Son.
Rev. Selah Merrill, our consul at Jerusalem, has refuted the
statement so frequently made that the Nazarenes were held in
contempt. He shows that there is no just foundation for the
aspersions cast on this section of Galilee. Mr. Merrill's book,
"Galilee in the Time of Christ," is, I may add, a very useful
preparation for a trip through this part of Palestine.
Chapels have been erected to mark the home of Joseph and Mary, the
carpenter shop and the rock where Christ met His disciples after the
resurrection, but one never feels certain about the identification
of places selected so long after the death of Christ and having no
permanent physical marks.
A few miles to the east of Nazareth is a village called Cana which
claims to be the "Cana of Galilee" where the first miracle was
performed, and a church has been erected over a well from which, it
is argued, the water was taken that was turned into wine, but two
other villages with similar names contest the honor with this Cana.
[Illustration: A BEDOUIN.]
The Sea of Galilee has a double claim to distinction. To its natural
beauty, which is unsurpassed, is added the glory of having furnished
the fishermen who were to become "fishers of men." Nearly seven
hundred feet below the level of the ocean and walled by high hills,
it has a character all its own, and its shores were the familiar
haunts of Him who by precept and example taught the nobleness of
service. The sea is some twelve miles in length by six or eight in
breadth. The Jordan pours into it the waters of Hermon and Lake
Merom and carries away its overflow to the Dead Sea. The Plain of
Gennesaret includes nearly all the level land adjacent to it, save
the Jordan valleys above and below, and is so prominent a feature
of the landscape that its name is sometimes applied to the sea.
The village of Magdala, home of one of the Marys, is situated on
the edge of this plain, but is now only a collection of mud huts,
each one bearing a booth of boughs upon its flat roof. The house
top is an important part of the house in the Orient and furnishes
a sleeping place for the occupants during the warm summer nights.
The village of Magdala, with the land belonging to it, has recently
been sold to a syndicate which proposes to very much improve its
cultivation.
[Illustration: AT BREAKFAST.]
A little farther south on the west side of the sea, is the city of
Tiberias, the only city still remaining of the ten or more that,
two thousand years ago, stretched along the shores. The city's name
gives evidence of its Roman origin, and it was once so important
a place that its name was a rival for Galilee in the designation
of the sea. Tiberias was one of the sacred cities of the Jews and
to-day the descendants of the Hebrew race constitute three-fourths
of its population. A Jewish society, of which Baron Rothschild is
the patron, has several schools here, and a number of the residents
devote themselves entirely to the study of the law. Near Tiberias
are the hot springs spoken of by Josephus, and their healing waters
still have a great reputation. The bath houses are not kept as they
would be in Europe or America, but the mineral properties of the
water make it very invigorating.
A Jewish synagogue has been erected near the hot springs and the
annual feast in honor of Rabbi Meyer was celebrated there during our
stay in Tiberias. As it was the only feast of the kind we had ever
attended, we found it exceedingly interesting. The devout Jews were
gathered in large numbers, some coming several days' journey; many
of the men wore a long curl in front of each ear, a custom which we
first noticed in Jerusalem. The feast is an occasion of rejoicing
and there are dancing, music and merriment. A part of the ceremony
is the burning of garments contributed by those in attendance, and
the right to light the fire is made a matter of auction. We went
into the room where the bidding was in progress and were informed
that more than ten dollars had already been offered for the honor.
The feast has many of the characteristics of a fair, the vendors
of candles, cakes, drinks and merchandise plying their trade and
different delegations marching with banners.
[Illustration: AN ARAB MAIDEN.]
There is at Tiberias a splendidly equipped hospital established
by the United Free Church of Scotland, and conducted by a skilful
surgeon, Dr. Torrance, and a corps of assistants; more than one
hundred and fifty persons were treated the day we visited the
hospital. Surely this institution is a fitting memorial, and what
more appropriate place for a hospital than these shores where the
lame were made whole, the deaf were healed and the blind received
their sight!
The site of Chorazin, the city which Christ denounced for unbelief
in connection with Capernaum and Bethsaida, is still a matter of
dispute, but Capernaum, where Christ dwelt during the greater part
of His ministry, has probably been identified. It is situated on
the northeast corner of Gennesaret, close by the shore of the sea.
There is no town there now and no house save a Catholic monastery,
but recent excavations have unearthed the foundations of a building
believed to have been the Jewish synagogue in which Christ spoke. On
one of the stones of this synagogue is a representation of David's
seal and a pot of manna; if this is in reality the synagogue in
which Christ referred to the bread of life, it may be true, as
someone has suggested, that He found His text, "Your fathers did eat
manna in the wilderness," in this carving upon the stone.
There has been a great deal of discussion over the site of
Bethsaida, and some have argued that there were two towns of the
same name, one at the north end of the lake east of the mouth of
the Jordan, and the other on the west side not far from Capernaum.
But both towns have so completely disappeared that they can not be
located with any certainty.
[Illustration: THE BEDOUIN SHEPHERD AND HIS FLOCK.]
Safed, another of the sacred cities of the Jews, lies some distance
west of the sea of Galilee but within sight of it, perched on a high
hill. It is so conspicuous a landmark and so often seen by the Great
Teacher that it may have suggested to His mind the illustration, "A
city that is set on a hill can not be hid."
The sea of Galilee, beautiful as it is with its clear water and
its picturesque environment, is treacherous. Its surface is swept
by sudden gusts of wind and tempests often lash it until its waves
beat high upon the shore. A resident of Tiberias told us that he had
seen it when it might be mistaken for an ocean, so violently was it
agitated, and he bore testimony also to the unexpected squalls that
visit it. We spent two days on the sea, and in crossing it found the
wind so variable that probably half a dozen times the sail became
useless and it was necessary to resort to the oars. There was no
great tempest while we were there, and the waves did not "beat into
the ship" but the wind was at times contrary. The uncertainty of the
weather has been attributed to the numerous ravines or canyons which
run down from the mountains round about the sea, and as these are
the same now that they were two thousand years ago, travel upon the
lake is attended with the same risk that it was then.
[Illustration: SALIM MOUSSA, WITH PARTY OF TOURISTS.]
In the time of Christ the sea of Galilee was the scene of busy
life. The population of the country described as Galilee has been
estimated to have been at that time about two and a half millions.
The sea was covered with boats, built for fishing, for traffic, for
war or for pleasure. Josephus collected two hundred and thirty ships
for one of his expeditions upon the sea, and in a sea fight that
took place there the number killed on one side alone was given at
from four to six thousand.
The sea was full of fish, and the Gospels furnish abundant proof of
the importance of fishing as an industry, a fact also established
by outside evidence. Dr. Merrill, in the book above referred to,
says that fish taken were not only sufficient to satisfy the local
demands but were packed and shipped to Jerusalem and even to cities
along the Mediterranean. The supply of fish has not yet been
exhausted. Salim Moussa, of Jaffa, the very efficient Arab dragoman
furnished us by Cook, supplied us with a net when we visited the
sites of Capernaum and Bethsaida and our son caught enough fish
for our lunch. It was a delightful outing that we had that day,
gathering water-worn pebbles from the beach, picking up shells, of
which there are many varieties, and feasting on fish fresh from the
sea and on a lamb bought from a Bedouin who was tending his flock
near by.
[Illustration: MARY'S WELL AT NAZARETH.]
The visit to the Horns of Hattin was reserved for the return trip,
the road from Nazareth to Tiberias passing near the hill which bears
this name. It was in 1157 the scene of a celebrated battle in which
Saladin won a victory over the Crusaders. This hill, by a tradition
which has come down from the time of the Crusaders, is styled the
Mount of Beatitudes. There is nothing to determine just where the
Sermon on the Mount was delivered, but because the Horns of Hattin
have been associated with that wonderful discourse, I was anxious
to visit the place. There is no road leading to this eminence and
the bridle paths can scarcely be followed. The ground is covered by
boulders and broken stones, half concealed by grass and thistles
and flowers. The guide stepped over a large snake before we had
gone far, and as it was of a very poisonous variety, he felt that
he had had a narrow escape. From a distance the top of the hill is
saddle-shaped, and the two horns have given it its name, but on the
top there is a large circular basin, probably two hundred yards in
diameter, and the rim of this basin was once walled and a citadel
built there.
The view from this mount is one of the most beautiful I have ever
seen. To the north, Hermon rises in grandeur, his summit covered
with snow; the intervening space is filled with hills except in the
immediate foreground where the sea of Galilee sparkles in the sun.
At the foot of the mount stretches a verdant valley, and from the
valley a defile runs down to the sea. This opening gives a view
of the shore where Capernaum and Bethsaida are supposed to have
stood, and one of the roads from the sea to Nazareth follows the
stream which flows through this defile. On the opposite side of the
Mount, Tabor can be seen, and beyond, the hills of Samaria. There is
inspiration in this commingling of hill and vale and sea and sky.[6]
[6] Since my visit to the Horns of Hattin, I am cherishing the hope
that some Christian organization may some day make it easier to
visit this inspiring spot, by building a road to, and a rest house
upon, the summit.
Whether, as a matter of fact, Christ, "seeing the multitude,"
ascended to this place I know not, but it furnishes an environment
fit for the sublime code of morality presented in the Sermon on
the Mount. No other philosophy has ever touched so high a point
or presented so noble a conception of human life. In it purity of
heart is made the test, mercy is enjoined, humility emphasized,
forgiveness commanded and love made the law of action. In that
Sermon He pointed out the beginnings of evil, rebuked those who
allow themselves to be engrossed by the care of the body and gave
to the world a brief, simple and incomparable prayer which the
Christian world repeats in unison.
If in other places He relieved those whose sufferings came through
the infirmities of the flesh, He here offered a balm for the healing
of the nations.