FROM JERUSALEM, VIA BETHLEHEM AND THE POOLS OF SOLOMON, TO HEBRON.
Rachel’s Tomb—Bethlehem—Ruth and Boaz—David the Shepherd Lad—Cave
of the Nativity—Pools of Solomon—Royal Gardens—The Home of
Abraham—Abraham’s Oak—Abraham’s Mummy.
FIVE miles south of Jerusalem, there are two deep ravines, about a
quarter of a mile apart, running east and west, and parallel to each
other. The flat-topped ridge between them, which is several hundred
feet in altitude, is terraced by nature on both sides. The terraces
are usually about ten feet high, and fourteen feet deep. Not content
to remain in the valley, the ambitious olive climbs from terrace to
terrace until its green foliage crowns the historic brow of the narrow
ridge. Yes, historic is the right word. On this ridge, Boaz lived;
and in yonder broad valley at its northern base, Ruth, the Moabitess,
“gleaned in the wheat fields.” Here Jesse lived and David played. At
the command of God, the prophet Samuel came hither and annointed the
youthful shepherd lad as future king of Israel. From here he went forth
to fight Fate and Fortune, Sin, Saul and Satan.
[Illustration: RUTH.]
But there is yet another reason why this place is historic, “for thus
it is written by the prophet: And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of
Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah; for out of thee
shall come a governor that shall rule my people, Israel.” Caesar’s
decree brought Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem. While they were there,
God laid Jesus in Mary’s arms, and on the world’s heart. That was a
memorable night. The stars dropped a bright light, and the angels a
sweet song, from the skies. The valleys were flooded with light, and
the hills were vocal with praise. Shepherds left their flocks and went
in search of the new-born babe. The wise men of the East mounted their
white camels, and were guided across the trackless sea of sand by the
Star of Bethlehem. O, Bethlehem! thou art indeed the “house of bread;”
and to thee the people of earth look for spiritual food. As the nations
learn wisdom, they follow the example of the wise men of the East, and
seek thy child.
At present, Bethlehem has about 5,000 inhabitants, most of whom are
Catholics. The chief industry of the place is the carving of pearl,
wood, and bitumen. These cunningly wrought relics are sold to tourists
from every clime and country. All work is done by hand, and with the
simplest tools; and yet it is curious to see how nearly these craftsmen
have approximated perfection in their art. Carving is nothing less than
an art with them. The town, antique, dilapidated and filthy, though
superior to most places in Palestine, is built along on top of the
ridge from east to west. The most prominent object in the city is the
_Church of the Nativity_ which occupies the eastern terminus of the
ridge.
[Illustration: CAVE OF THE NATIVITY.]
This immense structure, which was erected by Helena, the mother of
Constantine the Great, is built over a natural grotto in the rock in
which it is generally believed Jesus was born. The building is entered
through the west end. The door is small and very low; but no knee, I
trow, is too stiff to bend when entering a place so dear to memory,
and so closely related to human redemption. Once through the door, we
straighten ourselves and walk slowly across the building. Near the east
end, we come to a flight of steps which leads us down to a rock grotto,
called the _Cave of the Nativity_. This is forty by sixteen feet, and
ten feet high. The cave, no longer in its natural or rude state, is
now paved and lined throughout with marble, many-colored and costly.
Darkness is driven out, and the underground room is illuminated, by a
score and a half of gold and silver lamps that are kept perpetually
burning. There are niches, or recesses, in two of the walls of the
grotto. In one, there is a silver plate bearing this inscription in
Latin: “_Here was born of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ the Savior of
the World_.”
In the other niche, there is a golden star, which is said to mark the
place above which the Star of the East rested when the wise men sought
for the infant Christ. The feelings that a Christian experiences,
when standing or kneeling in this sacred place, can not be translated
into words. The great deep of his soul is stirred to its profoundest
depths; his eyes become safety valves, through which the overflow of
emotion escapes.
[Illustration: BETHLEHEM.]
That Jesus was born in this cave, there is very little room to doubt.
On this point, Dr. Geike expresses himself thus:
“As far back as the middle of the second century—that is to say,
within less than 120 years of our Lord’s death, and within thirty or
forty years after that of the last of the apostles, the beloved St.
John—Justin Martyr, himself a man of Nablus, speaks of the Savior’s
birth as having taken place ‘in a certain cave very close to the
village;’ and this particular cave, now honored as the scene of the
Savior’s birth, was already so venerated in the days of Hadrian that,
to desecrate it, he caused a grove sacred to Adonis to be planted over
it, so that the Syrian god might be worshipped on the very spot—a form
of idolatry peculiarly abhorrent to the pure morals of Christianity.
Origen, in the opening of the third century, speaks of this cave as
recognised even by the heathen as the birthplace of their Lord. And to
this spot came St. Jerome, making his home for thirty years in a cave
close by, that he might be near the birthplace of his Master; Hadrian’s
grove had been destroyed sixteen years before his birth, to make room
for the very church now standing. There is no reason therefore so far
as I can see, to doubt that in this cave, so hallowed by immemorial
veneration, the Great Event associated with it actually took place.
“Nor is there any ground for hesitation because it is a cave that is
regarded as the sacred spot. Nothing is more common in a Palestine
village, built on a hill, than to use as adjuncts of the houses, the
caves with which all the lime-stone rocks of the country abound;
making them the store-room, perhaps, or the work-shop, or the stable,
and building the dwellings before them so as to join the two. Canon
Tristram speaks of a farm-house he visited, north of Acre, which was a
granary and stable below and a dwelling-place above; and many stables
in the neighborhood of Bethlehem are still recesses cut in the rock,
or mere natural caves. In Egypt, I have often seen houses where goats,
sheep, cattle, or an ass, were in one part, and the human beings in the
other. Had the piety of the monks left the alleged site of the Nativity
in its original state, there would have been no presumption against it
from its being a cave.”
We go only two miles, after leaving Bethlehem for Hebron, before coming
to the justly celebrated _Pools of Solomon_. These are three immense
reservoirs, situated in a narrow ravine called _Wady Urtas_. This wady
passes Bethlehem, and finally empties its waters into the Sea of Death.
The first and smallest of the three pools is situated at the head of
the valley. It is 380 feet long, 235 feet wide, and 25 feet deep.
The second reservoir is about one hundred and fifty feet down the
valley from the first, and the third the same distance below the
second. Perpendicularly, the second is twenty feet lower than the
first, and the third twenty feet lower than the second. All three of
these pools are walled and paved with rock, and cemented. There are
broad stone steps leading down into each pool. The three pools combined
would equal a lake six and one half acres broad, and thirty-eight feet
deep.
[Illustration: POOLS OF SOLOMON.]
These pools are supplied with water from a perennial fountain that
bursts forth from the side of a hill about two hundred yards northwest
of the upper pool. From this copious fountain, the water is carried
to the pools by means of an aqueduct, the same aqueduct, by the way,
that carries water to Bethlehem and Jerusalem. The most successful and
scientific engineers of the nineteenth century could suggest but little
improvement in these _Pools_ and _Aqueducts of Solomon_, which were
constructed between three and four thousand years ago.
The road from Jerusalem to Hebron leads directly by these pools. Having
satisfied our thirst, and that of our beasts, let us press on toward
Hebron, which is eighteen miles south of us.
The soil and climate of southern Palestine seem peculiarly adapted
to the cultivation of grapes. Of course, the vine is everywhere to
be found in this country, but between Bethlehem and Beersheba it is
cultivated with more care, and yields more abundantly, than anywhere
else.
[Illustration: MOSQUE AT HEBRON.]
Hebron, more than any other city in the Holy Land, is associated with
the name of Abraham. This was the home of the Father of the Faithful.
The Arabs call Hebron _El Khalil_—_the friend_—because Abraham lived
here, and was _the friend of God_. This was one of the chief cities of
Palestine during the Old Testament period; and, though we hear nothing
of it in the New Testament times, it has again come into prominence. If
called on to name five of the largest and most prosperous cities in the
Holy Land, one could not fail to mention Hebron. It has a population
of ten or twelve thousand souls, about half of whom are Hebrews. Some
signs of life are here. Traffic is not dead in Hebron, as in most
portions of the country. The villages south, east, and west of here
do their trading in Hebron. Camels and asses are constantly coming
in, laden with wine, raisins, dates, figs, wool, camels’ hair, and
goat skins. Out of these skins, leather bottles and buckets are made.
There is also a glass factory here which is devoted chiefly to the
manufacture of colored beads, necklaces, bracelets and other articles
of female attire.
Hebron, which is half a mile long, and a quarter of a mile wide, is
built on the base of a mountain which rises 2,000 feet above the upper
edge of the city. More interest attaches to the mosque than to any
other object in the place. But Jews and Christians are alike excluded
from this sacred edifice. Because of the regal diadem suspended above
his brow, the Prince of Wales, was as a mark of special honor, allowed
to enter this Mohammedan Holy of Holies. Dean Stanley who was with the
Prince of Wales, was also permitted to tread the sacred court; and from
his pen has come the most complete and accurate description we have of
this mosque, which, some writers suppose, was built by Solomon.
A mile and a half from the city is _Abraham’s Oak_. We are told that
this is the tree under which Abraham entertained the angels. This story
takes our credulity; but, while we can not believe that this tree was
here in Abraham’s day, we must acknowledge its age. It is venerable in
appearance. It is, indeed, a patriarch of the forest.