Show prosperous CITY nf OF EAST shechem or as it la Is now called site of impressive scenes in biblical history i 1 I A prosperous oriental city nestled in a fertile valley between two moa mountains and surrounded by gardens and olive groves shechem or as it is now called occupies the site of 0 some of the most impressive scenes in bible history says the christian herald here abraham pitched its ills tent and made the first stopping place in his migration to the country of which the lord said unto thy seed will I 1 give this land here joseph divided the israelites into two hosts one 0 which encamped on the slope of 0 mount ebal on the north and the otiler other on the slope of mount gertzlin on the south bouth while the read the law of moses which was to be the constitution of the infant nation She shechem chein seems to have been a sort of capital for the hebrew nation even after david atad had established his residence at Jeru jerusalem sale m as we read in I 1 rings kings 12 that all ali israel assembled at She shechem chein to crown the separatist 0 leme ants of t tho 10 nation sought to legitimatize their acts by making shechem a temporary tempo capital although the residence of the northern kings was established at al a point about als ix miles northwest and called samaria Sli echem Is nowhere mentioned byi by name in the new testament though thought either it or suburb appears in ili john 15 45 under the name of sachar and it was as here at jacobs well that tilt the samaritan Sanu ritan woman met christ and first heard the message of his universal gospel jacobs well is still pointed out and is almost the only undisputed landi murk mark of our lords earthly life the city now contains about inhabitants contains a small colony of about persons who claim to be the descendants of the israelites of the northern kingdom they accept only the five books of moses as being 0 of f livine divine authority and hold mount to be the seat of their religion instead of jerusalem |