| Show H t Landmarks of the life of Christ in Galilee By i v William Wil Bryan BryanA a l nin 1 j 1 A w y Wf s k t y c c w A Ai i v vr r 1 T I 44 r rb M b 1 4 Y A 4 I k IL t j L C TI 1 m Nazareth Fishermen by the thc Shores of Galileo Galilee Athens May 18 The boat schedules and they cannot be Ignored on the tho Palestine coast compelled us to reserve Galilee for tor tho conclusion of ot our tour toUt and find it was not an inappropriate ending for br while whUa Jerusalem was the scene of ot the crucifixion and ascension the great greater er part of Christs life Ute was waa spent in Galilee and it was there that most moat of his mighty works were done Nor Noris is its history confined to the New Tes Tea Testament Testament for it has its Carmel associated ed with the life Ufe of ot Elijah and Mount Tabor where victory was won non Haifa the seaport of ot Galilee is built along the front of ot Carmel on the edge of ot a bay whIch the mountain helps to form for Carmel Cannel instead of ot be being beIng beIng ing a peak is really a long ridge but a afew afew afew few hundred feet teet in height Jutting out Into the sea at this point and extending several miles mUes to the southeast A Ro Roman Roman Roman man Catholic monastery is erected over overa a cave overlooking the Mediterranean where here Elijah is said to have lived To the north of Carmel lies the plain ot of through which the lUsh lUshon on river flows The road to Nazareth follows the south side of this valley vaHey to toa toa toa a point some some seven miles from the shore where the hills hUls of ot Galilee approach so near to Carmel as to leave but a nar narrow narrow narrow row pass for lor the river Here Hera the road crosses over to the tho north side of the valley aHe and for the remainder of the winds upward over the hills giving a commanding view of Ion lon The upper part of the plain Is as beautiful a country as can be imagined well watered fertile ferUle and thoroughly cultivated The land is not held in sev severally severalty severalty as in America but by ties 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 ot equal width Wheat is the chief product of the tho valley valloy although there ther are a few olive orchards and the mulberry tree is being planted Oxen are aro the animals usually employed in cultivation but we saw a horse and an ox together tog ther or a camel and an ox and once a camel and a donkey Jezreel is on this plain at the foot of or Mount Gilboa where the middle plain connects with the plain leading down downto to the Jordan between Gilboa and Little Hermon This Is historic ground for forit forIt forIt it was here at a great spring which flows out from under Gilboa that Gid Gideon Gideon Gideon eon selected his gallant band The village of Nazareth nestling among the hills of ot Galilee must always b a place of supreme interest to the Christian Its location was probably determined by the tho presence hereof here of an unfailing spring now known as Marys fountain Dr George Adam Smith In his Historical Geography of ot the Holy HolyLand HolyLand HolyLand Land points out the relation between the springs and the routes of ot travel and emphasizes the prominence of Naz Nazareth Nazareth Nazareth in the Bible times Christs boy boyhood boyhood boyhood hood and young manhood were spent near a great highway for the old Ro Re Roman Roman Reman man road from Damascus to Egypt ran through the town Caravans passed to and fro laden with the riches of ot the Euphrates and the Nile princes passed that way on their royal journeys and andin andIn andIn in time of ot war it was wan on the route of armies From a high hill bill just outside the town Christ could look to the west and see the surf line on the shore of the Mediterranean to the east cast he ho could survey sursey Hun ey the walls walla of the chasm in which lay the Sea of Galilee while to the northeast rose Hermon the pride of the mountains Several of his 1119 parables fit quite naturally into the scenes nes upon which he looked and those parables parable were the more effective because they were taken from the everyday life Ute of or orthe the people The stony ston ground the rocky roadways and the narrow strips of ot fertile soil soU were woven into the par parable parable parable able of the and some acquaintance acquaintance acquaintance tance of his youth following the mer merchantmen merchantmen Into Egypt or Mesopotamia may have been the original of the prod prodigal prodIgal prodIgal igal son Rev nev Selah Merrill our consul at Je Jerusalem Jerusalem Jerusalem has refuted the statement so frequently made that the Nazarenes were held in contempt He shows that there is no just foundation for tor the as aspersions aspersions cast on this section of ot Galilee Mr Merrills book Galilee in the Time of ot Christ Is I may add a very useful preparation for a trip through this part of or Palestine Chapels have been erected to mark the home of ot Joseph and Mary the car carpenter carpenter penter venter shop and the rock where Christ met his disciples after the resurrection but one never feels certain about the identification of ot places selected so long after atter the death d ath of ot Christ and having no permanent physical marks A few miles to the east of at Nazareth Is 18 a village called caned Cana which claims to be bethO tho Cana of Galilee where tho the first tir al was wi w s performed and a achurch 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 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 fisher fishermen fishermen fishermen men who were to become fishers of men Nearly feet below the level of the ocean and walled in by high hills it has a character all its own and its shores were the th familiar haunts of him who by precept and example taught the nobleness of service The sea is some twelve miles mlles in length by six or eight in to breadth The Jordan pours into it the waters of Hermon and Lake Merom and carries its overflow to the Dead sea 5 a The plain of in includes Includes includes nearly all the level land adja adjacent adjacent adjacent cent 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 tho edge of this plain but is now only a collection of mud huts each ench one bearing b arIng a booth of boughs upon its flat fiat roof The house housetop housetop housetop top is an important part of the house in inthe Inthe inthe the orient and furnishes a sleeping place for tor 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 A little farther south on the west westside westside westside side of ot the sea is the city of the only ony city still sUll remaining of the ten tenor tenor tenor or more than 2000 years ago stretched along the shores The name gives evidence of its Roman origin and it was once sd sO important a n place that its name was a rival for Galilee in the des designation desIgnation designation ignation of the sea was one of the sacred cities of the Jews and to today toda today day da the descendants of the Hebrew race constitute of its population population population tion A Jewish society of which Baron Buron Rothschild 1 s the patron has several schools here and a number of f the resi real residents residents dents devote d s entirely to the study of ot the law Near are the tha hot springs spoken o oZ 01 by Josephus and their healing waters still have h ve a great reputation The bath houses tre not kept as they would be m In n Europe or America but the mineral properties of the water make it very verr invigorating A Jewish synagogue has been erected by a hot springs and the annual feast in honor of Rabbi Meyer was celebrated ed there during our stay In As Asit AsIt Asit it was the only feast of the tho kind we ever attended we found it exceedingly interesting The devout Jews were gathered in large numbers some com corn coming comIng corning ing several days journey many of the themen themen themen men wore a long loner lon curl in front of each ear a custom which we first noticed In Jerusalem The feast is an occasion of ot rejoicing and there is dancing music and merriment A part of the ceremony is the burning of garments contributed by ty those in attendance and the right to light the fire is made mad a matter of auction We Yo went into the room where the bidding was in progress and were Informed that more than 10 had al nl already ready been offered for the honor The feast has many of the characteristics of ofa ofa ofa a fair the tho th vendors of candies candles cakes drinks and merchandise plying their trade trado and different delegations march marching marchIng marching ing with banners There is at a splendidly equipped hospital established by the United Free Church of Scotland and conducted by a n skillful surgeon and a corps of assistants More than per persons persons perSons sons were treated the day that we vis visited vIsited visited the hospital Surely this institution institution Institution tion is 15 a fittin and what more appropriate place for a hospital than shores where the In lome me were made whole the deaf deat were healed and the blind bUnd received their sight The site of the city which Christ denounced for unbelief in con connection connection connection with Capernaum and Bethsaida Is still a matter of dispute but Caper Capernaum Capernaum naum where Christ dwelt during the greater part of ot his ministry has Probably probably probably ably been Identified It is situated en the northeast corner of ot close by the shore of the sea There is no town there now and no houses save a Catholic monastery m but recent excavations have ve unearthed the foun foundations foundations foundations of a building believed to have been the Jewish synagogue in which Christ spoke On one of the stones of this synagogue Is Isa a representation of Davids 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 seme one has suggest suggested ed that he found his text Your fath fathers fathers fathers ers did eat manna in the wilderness in this carving upon the stone There has been a great deal of ot dis discussion discussion discussion over ever the site of at Bethsaida and some have argued that there were two towns of ot the came fame name one to the north end of ot the lake just east of ot the mouth of ot thc tho th Jordan and the other on the vest west side not far tar from Capernaum But both towns have so completely disappeared that they cannot be located with any certainty Sated another of the sacred cities of the Jews lies some distance west of the Sea of Galilee but within sight of ot It ft perched on a high hill hilI It is so con conspicuous conspicuous conspicuous a landmark and so often otten seen by the Great Teacher that it may my y have hava suggested to his mind the illustration A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid The Sea of Galilee beautiful be as it itis itIs Itis is with its clear water and its picturesque picturesque picturesque esque environment Is a treacherous body of water Its surface is swept by sudden gusts of wind and tempests of often often often ten lash it until its waves beat high upon the shore A resident of ot told us that he had seen it when it might be mistaken for an ocean so vio violently violently yb was It agitated and he bor bore tes tea also to the unexpected squalls that visit it We spent two days on the sea and andin andIn andin in crossing It found the wind so var variable table lable that probably half a dozen times the sail became Useless u ele s and it was necessary necessary necessary essary to resort to the oars There was no great tempest while we were there and arid the waves did not beat into the ship but the wind was at times con contrary contrary contrary The uncertainty of the weather has been attributed to the numerous ra ravines ravines ravines vines or canyons which run down from the mountains round about the sea and andas as these are the same now that they were 2000 years ago travel upon the lake lak is ia attended with the same Bame risk that it was then In the time of Christ the Sea of Galilee Gali Gall Galilee lee was the scene of ot busy life Ufe The population of the country described as Gallilee has been estimated to have been af at that th t time about 2 The sea was covered boats built for tor fishing for tor traffic for war and for pleasure Josephus collected ships upon one of at his expeditions upon the sea sea and in a sea fight that took place there the th number killed on one side alones was given at from to The rhe sea was full fuU of ot 0 fish and the Gos Gospels Gospels Gospels proof of the importance of ot fishing as an industry a fact also established by outside evi evidence evidence evidence dence Dr Merrill In 11 iq the book above referred to says anys that the fish taken were not only onty sufficient to satisfy the local demands but that they were packed and shipped to Jerusalem and even to cities along the Mediterranean The supply of fish has not yet been ex ox exhausted exhaust hausted haust d Salim Moussa Mousa of Jaffa the very efficient Arab dragoman furnished us by Cook supplied us with a net ne when we visited the sites of ot Capernaum and Bethsaida and our son caught enough fish for gur lunch It was a delightful outing that we had that day gathering pebbles from the beach picking Up shells of which there are many varieties and feasting fea on fish from the sea and on a lamb bought from fr ni a Bedouin who Was Vas tending his flock near nearby by byThe byThe The visit to the Horns of Hattin was reserved for the return trip the road from NAzareth to passes near tho hill which bears this name It was in 1167 the scene of ot a celebrated battle in which Saladin won a victory over the Crusaders This hill bill by a tradition tradition tradition tion which has come down from the time of the Crusaders is styled the Mount of Beatitudes There is nothing to tt 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 15 no road lead leadIng leading leadIng Ing to this eminence and the bridle paths can scarcely be followed The ground is covered by boulders and bro broken broken broken ken stones half concealed by grass and thistles and Ind flowers The guide stepped over a large snake before we had gone far and as it was of ot a very poisonous variety he felt that he had had hud a very narrow escape From a dis dig distance distance tance the top of the hill hUl Is saddle shaped and the two horns have given it Its name but on the top there Is a avery avery avery very large circular basin probably yards in diameter and the rim of this basin was once o ce 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 in intervening Intervening Intervening space is filled with hills ex except except except in the immediate foreground where the Sea of Gallilee sparkles in the sun At the foot f ot of the mount stretches a verdant valley and from the valley a defile runs down to the sea This opening gives a view of |
