Our first walk in the Land of Promise! To me a land of promises more numerous and not less interesting than those given to the Father of the Faithful, when the Lord said, “Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee” (Gen. 13:1717Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee. (Genesis 13:17)). It is given to me also, and I mean to make it mine from Dan to Beersheba before I leave it.
Views of Palestine
Doubtless; and so every young enthusiast in trade means to make his fortune. But do you expect to gain such an inheritance as this in a few months? Abraham himself never set foot on one-tenth of this territory, and Moses only got a bird's-eye view of it—not a bad one, though, if the day was as intensely clear as ours is. One seems to look quite to the bottom of heaven's profoundest azure, “where the everlasting stars abide”; and how sharply defined is every rock and ravine, and tree and house on lofty Lebanon. That virgin snow on its summit is thirty miles off, and yet you could almost read your own name there, if written with a bold hand on its calm, cold brow. Through such utter transparency did the Lord show unto Moses, from the top of Mount Abarim, “all the land of Gilead unto Dan, and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah unto the utmost sea, and the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm-trees, unto Zoar” (Deut. 34:1-31And Moses went up from the plains of Moab unto the mountain of Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, that is over against Jericho. And the Lord showed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, 2And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, unto the utmost sea, 3And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar. (Deuteronomy 34:1‑3)). Nor need there have been any miracle in the matter. Though an hundred and twenty years old, “his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated” (Deut. 34:77And Moses was an hundred and twenty years old when he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated. (Deuteronomy 34:7)). And I can guide you to many a Pisgah on Lebanon and Hermon from whence the view is far more extensive. It was through such an atmosphere as this, I suppose, that the old Phoenicians first saw Cyprus, and called it Chittim, a name afterward applied by Hebrew poets and prophets to the islands of the Mediterranean in general.
From Lebanon
I have heard it denied, both in and out of Palestine, that Cyprus could be seen from Lebanon; but from many a stand-point up yonder I have often beheld that favorite isle of the Paphian Venus glowing in the golden light of our summer evenings. More distinctly still is Lebanon visible from Cyprus. There is a splendid view of it from the mountain of the Cross, a few miles back of Larnica; and many years ago, when traveling through the island, I climbed, with infinite toil, the northern range of mountains to a giddy pinnacle, not far from the ruined but romantic castle of Bûffavento, and from it the higher half of Lebanon looked like a huge snow-bank drifted up against the sky. Beneath my feet rolled the sparkling seas of Cilicia and Pamphylia, over which Paul sailed on his way to Rome; while, far beyond, the glaciers of Taurus flashed back the setting sun. Through such an atmosphere, objects are visible to a distance quite incredible to the inexperienced. You will find yourself deceived in this matter a hundred times before you have traveled a week in Syria. And now we are abroad, shall we ramble on ala bab Allah (towards God's gate), as our Arabs say when they neither know nor care where they are going?
Just my case at present. Where all is new, and every prospect pleases, it matters little what path we take, and, for the moment, I am thinking of what is not seen rather than what is.
Looking for an omnibus, perhaps, or expecting the cars to overtake us?
Not just that. I know that such things are not yet found in Syria; but I am greatly surprised at the absence of all wheeled vehicles, and look round at every fresh noise, expecting to see a cart, or dray, or wagon of some kind or other, but am always disappointed.
And will be. There is nothing of the sort in Syria; neither is there street or road for them in any part of the land.
Modes of Traveling
How do you account for this? It was not always so. We read of carriages and chariots at a very early age. Joseph sent wagons for the wives and little ones of his father's family (Gen. 45:19-2119Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. 20Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours. 21And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. (Genesis 45:19‑21)). Jacob's funeral was attended by chariots from Egypt to Hebron (Gen. 50:99And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company. (Genesis 50:9)). The Canaanites had chariots in the time of Josh (Josh. 17:1616And the children of Joseph said, The hill is not enough for us: and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, both they who are of Beth-shean and her towns, and they who are of the valley of Jezreel. (Joshua 17:16)). Judah could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley because they had chariots of irons (Judg. 1:1919And the Lord was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had chariots of iron. (Judges 1:19)). Jaban had nine hundred (Judg. 4:1313And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people that were with him, from Harosheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kishon. (Judges 4:13)), and the Philistines thirty thousand (?) in the reign of Saul (Sam. 13:5). Isaiah rebuked the children of Israel because there was no end to their chariots (Isa. 2:77Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses, neither is there any end of their chariots: (Isaiah 2:7)); and thus it continued down to the time when Philip joined himself to the chariot of the eunuch on the road to Gaza (Acts 8:2828Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet. (Acts 8:28)). Throughout all this long period there were countless carriages in this country, and, of necessity, roads for them. How is it that now there is neither the one nor the other?
Chariots / Roads in Syria
Natural enough, and very appropriate. The first inquiry of a sensible traveler in a strange land will have reference to the means of locomotion. As to your question, however, the natives will tell you that carriage-roads cannot be made in Syria. But this is a mistake. They might be constructed, at a moderate expense, in nearly all parts of the country. Their total disappearance can easily be explained.
When the wild Arabs of the Mohammedan desolation became masters, wheeled vehicles immediately sunk into neglect, and even contempt. Accustomed only to the horse, the camel, and the ass, they despised all other means of travel and transportation. Good roads were not necessary for them, and, being neglected, they quickly disappeared from the land, and carriages with them. Nor will they ever reappear till some other race than the Arab predominates, and a better than the Turk governs. Even the Christian inhabitants of Lebanon, where good roads are most needed, have no adequate appreciation of them, and take no pains to make them. They drive their loaded camels, mules, and donkeys along frightful paths, and endanger their own necks by riding over the same, from generation to generation, without dreaming of any improvement. You must educate your nerves into indifference in this matter, and get ready as fast as possible to flounder over all sorts of break-neck places in the course of our pilgrimage.
Loaded Camels
“What man has done, man can do.” I have all my life been accustomed to the saddle, and like it; and a little danger now and then will impart additional charms to the tour.—What tree is this which overshadows our path? It is more bushy and thick-set than the apple-tree, for which I at first mistook it, and as we near it, I see that the leaves are longer and of a much darker green.
That is the kharûb—the tree that bore the husks which the swine did eat, and with which the poor prodigal would have filled his belly (Luke 15:1616And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him. (Luke 15:16)). The “husks”—a mistranslation—are fleshy pods somewhat like those of the honey-locust-tree, from six to ten inches long and one broad, lined inside with a gelatinous substance, not wholly unpleasant to the taste when thoroughly ripe.
ILLUSTRATION
I have seen large orchards of this kharûb in Cyprus, where it is still the food which the swine do eat. In Syria, where we have no swine, or next to none, the pods are ground up, and a species of molasses expressed, which is much used in making certain kinds of sweetmeats. The tree is an evergreen and casts a most delightful and refreshing shade to the weary traveler. In this country they do not yield large crops, but in Cyprus, Asia Minor, and the Grecian Islands, you will see full-grown trees bending under half a ton of green pods. The kharûb is often called St. John's Bread, and also Locust tree, from a mistaken idea about the food of the Baptist in Ceratonia siliqua of Linnæus.
The Sycamore Adapted for Claiming
That noble tree before us, with giant arms low down and wide open, must be the Syrian sycamore. I once heard an itinerant preacher in the “back woods” puzzle himself and his hearers with an elaborate criticism about the tree into which Zaccheus climbed to see the Savior (Luke 19:44And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. (Luke 19:4)).
ILLUSTRATION
He and his audience were familiar only with the sycamores of our flat river bottoms, tall as a steeple, and smooth as hypocrisy. “Why,” said the orator, “a squirrel can't climb them.” The conclusion reached was that the sycamore must have been a mulberry-tree. But nothing is easier than to climb into these sycamores; and, in fact, here is a score of boys and girls in this one; and as its giant arms stretch quite across the road, those on them can look directly down upon any crowd passing beneath. It is admirably adapted to the purpose for which Zaccheus selected it.
Figs
True; and moreover, it is generally planted by the way-side, and in the open spaces where several paths meet, just where Zaccheus found it. This sycamore is a remarkable tree. It not only bears several crops of figs during the year, but those figs, grow on short stems along the trunk and large branches, and not at the end of twigs, as in other fruit-bearing trees. The figs are small, and of a greenish-yellow color. At Gaza and Askelon, I saw them of a purple tinge, and much larger than they are in this part of the country. They were carried to market in large quantities, and appeared to be more valued there than with us. Still they are at best very insipid, and none but the poorer classes eat them.
ILLUSTRATION
This agrees with and explains an allusion in Amos. He had aroused the wrath of Jeroboam by the severity of his rebukes, and, being advised to flee fur his life, excuses himself by a statement which implies that he belonged to the humblest class of the community: “I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herd-man, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit” (Amos 7:1414Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was an herdman, and a gatherer of sycomore fruit: (Amos 7:14)). None but the very poor consent to be herdmen, and only such, at this day, gather sycamore fruit, or use it.
Number of Crops
The natives say that the sycamore bears seven crops a year. I think it is irregular in this matter. Some bear oftener than others, and the same tree yields more crops one year than another and is easily propagated, merely by planting a stout branch in the ground, and watering it until it has struck out roots into the soil. This it does with great rapidity, and to a vast depth. It was with reference to this latter fact that our blessed Lord selected it to illustrate the power of faith: “If ye had faith as a grain of mustard-seed, ye might say unto this sycamine [sycamore] tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you” (Luke 17:66And the Lord said, If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you. (Luke 17:6)).
It’s Steadfastness
Now look at this tree—its ample girth, its wide-spread arms, branching off from the parent trunk only a few feet from the ground; then examine its enormous roots—as thick, as numerous, and as wide spread into the deep soil below as the branches extend into the air above—the very best type of invincible steadfastness. What power on earth can pluck up such a tree? Heaven's thunderbolt may strike it down, the wild tornado may tear it to fragments, but nothing short of miraculous power can fairly pluck it up by the roots.
Illustration of Power of Faith
I have but faint ideas of a faith that could pluck up and plant in the sea such a tree as that; and these facts certainly add great emphasis to the “parable.” You are doubtless aware, however, that other critics besides our orator of the back-woods maintain that the sycamore of the New Testament is actually the mulberry-tree, and others that the sycamore of this passage and the sycamore are different trees; and there is a slight difference in the Greek.
I know it; but the word sycamore seems to be derived from the Hebrew name for sycamore, and I know no reason why their identity should be questioned. As to the mulberry, it is yet to be shown that it was then known in Palestine, although our translators have mentioned it in one or two places; and, further, the mulberry is more easily plucked up by the roots than any other tree of the same size in the country, and the thing is oftener done. Hundreds of them are plucked up every year in this vicinity, and brought to the city for firewood. It is not to be supposed that He who spake as man never spoke would select this tree, with its short, feeble roots, to illustrate the irresistible power of faith.
Wood of Sycamore
The wood of the sycamore is soft and of very little value. This is implied in various places in the Bible. Thus in Isaiah, The people “say in the pride and stoutness of heart.... the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars” (Isa. 9:9-109And all the people shall know, even Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria, that say in the pride and stoutness of heart, 10The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycomores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars. (Isaiah 9:9‑10)). And so, in the days of Solomon, when even silver was nothing accounted of, “he made ... cedars ... to be in Jerusalem as the sycamore-trees that are in the vale, for abundance” (1 Kings 10:2727And the king made silver to be in Jerusalem as stones, and cedars made he to be as the sycomore trees that are in the vale, for abundance. (1 Kings 10:27)). It is a tender tree, flourishes immensely in sandy plains and warm vales, but cannot bear the hard, cold mountain. A sharp frost will kill them; and this agrees with the fact that they were killed by it in Egypt. Among the wonders wrought in the field of Zoan, David says, “He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycamore trees with frost” (Psalm 78:43,4743How he had wrought his signs in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan: (Psalm 78:43)
47He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost. (Psalm 78:47)). Certainly, a frost keen enough to kill the sycamore would be one of the greatest “wonders” that could happen at the present day in this same field of Zoan.
We shall not reach the city today if we stop at every tree and shrub that is strange, Oriental, or Biblical.
Moslem Prayers
Very likely. Here, for example, are the almond, the olive, the fig, and the pomegranate, all together; but we shall meet them everywhere in our pilgrimage, and can afford to pass them by at present. And, besides, we have before us a more interesting study—a scene not witnessed in all places in such perfection. See those men on that elevated terrace. One has spread his cloak, others their Persian rugs toward the south. They are Moslems preparing to say prayers—perform them rather, in this most public place, and in the midst of all this noise and confusion.
Let us stop and watch the ceremony as it goes on. That man next us raises his open hands till the thumbs touch the ears, exclaiming aloud, Allah-hû-akbar —”God is great.”
Repetitions in Prayer
After uttering mentally a few short petitions, the hands are brought down, and folded together near the girdle, while he recites the first chapter of the Koran, and two or three other brief passages from the same book. And now he bends forward, rests his hands upon his knees, and repeats three times a formula of praise to “God most great.” Then, standing erect, he cries Allah-hû-akbar, as at the beginning. Then see him drop upon his knees, and bend forward until his nose and forehead touch the ground, directly between his expanded hands. This he repeats three times, muttering all the while the same short formulas of prayer and praise. The next move will bring him to his knees, and then, settling back upon his heels, he will mumble over various small petitions, with sundry grunts and exclamations, according to taste and habit. He has now gone through one regular Rek'āh; and, standing up as at the first, and on exactly the same spot, he will perform a second, and even a third, if specially devout, with precisely the same genuflections.
Air of Solemnity
They seem to be wholly absorbed in their devotions, and manifest a power of isolation and abstraction quite surprising.
That is the result of habit and education; small children imitate it to perfection. There is certainly an air of great solemnity in their mode of worship, and, when performed by a large assembly in the mosques, or by a detachment of soldiers in concert, guided in their genuflections by an imaum or dervish, who sings the service, it is quite impressive. I have seen it admirably enacted by moonlight on the wild banks of the Orontes, in the plain of Hamath, and the scene was something more than romantic. But, alas! it was by as villanous a set of robbers as could be found even in that lawless region.
You think, then, that this solemn ceremony is mere hollow-hearted hypocrisy?
A Man of Prayers Suspected
Not exactly that; at least not necessarily so, nor in all cases. I would be glad to believe there was ordinarily any corresponding moral and religious feeling connected with this exterior manifestation of devotion. The Moslems themselves, however, have no such idea. They are rather afraid of anyone who is especially given to prayer—their prayers, I mean. They have a proverb to this effect: “If your neighbor has made the pilgrimage to Mecca once, watch him; if twice, avoid his society; if three times, move into another street.” And, certainly, no one acquainted with the people will feel his confidence in an individual increased by the fact that he is particularly devout.
Our Lord’s Cautions
What opposite conclusions different persons can and do draw from the same premises! One who looks merely at the surface, or who is very charitable, or very indifferent, may connect this out-of-door formal praying toward Mecca with the venerable custom of the pious Israelite turning toward the temple in Jerusalem, when, like Daniel in Babylon, he made his supplications unto his God (Dan. 6:10-1110Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime. 11Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God. (Daniel 6:10‑11)). I think it probable that Mohammed, or the Arabs before him, borrowed this custom from the Jews; and, to this extent, there is a relation between them. But the enlightened Christian, who has learned that neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, shall men worship the Father, who is a spirit, and must be worshipped in spirit and in truth (John 4:21,2421Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. (John 4:21)
24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24))—such a one, I say, will he reminded rather of those who loved to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they might be seen of men. And they will remember with solemnity the admonition of our Lord, “When thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are” (Matt. 6:55And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (Matthew 6:5))—either as to place, attitude, motive, or form — in public to be seen of men, using vain repetitions (Matt. 6:77But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. (Matthew 6:7)) as these men before us do. They are obliged to repeat some expressions thirty times; others many hundred times. Would that these remarks did not apply to nominal Christians in this land as well as to Moslems! But here we are at the gate of the city.
City Gates
Stop a moment. A city gate is a novelty to me, and I must examine in detail an apparatus so often mentioned in the Bible.
Well, what is there in a mere gate to attract attention?
Very little, perhaps, to one who has passed in and out daily for twenty years; but a hundred Biblical incidents connect themselves in my mind with gates. Almost every city and town of ancient celebrity had them, and they were places of very great importance.
They were, indeed; and, although customs have changed in this respect, there is still enough remaining in this country to remind one of those olden times when nearly every public transaction took place at or near the city gates. Beira has burst her shell by the force of sudden expansion, and will soon have neither wall nor gates; but nearly every other city in Syria and Palestine is still protected by these venerable safeguards.
References in Scripture
And thus it was in ancient days. I remember that righteous Lot, intent on deeds of hospitality, sat in the gate of Sodom toward the close of day, somewhat as these Arabs are now seated, I suppose, and thereby he obtained the privilege of entertaining unawares those angels who saved him from the destruction of that wicked city (Gen 19:11And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; (Genesis 19:1): Heb. 13:22Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2)). It was at the gate of Kirjath Arba (which is Hebron) that Abraham completed the contract for the cave of Machpelah, “in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of the city” (Gen. 23:1818Unto Abraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Heth, before all that went in at the gate of his city. (Genesis 23:18)). It was at the same place that Hamor and Shechem negotiated that fatal treaty with all that went in at the gate of the city (Gen. 34:20,2420And Hamor and Shechem his son came unto the gate of their city, and communed with the men of their city, saying, (Genesis 34:20)
24And unto Hamor and unto Shechem his son hearkened all that went out of the gate of his city; and every male was circumcised, all that went out of the gate of his city. (Genesis 34:24)), which gave opportunity to those fierce and treacherous brethren, Simeon and Levi, with instruments of cruelty to work out their revenge. “Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel” (Gen. 49:5,75Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. (Genesis 49:5)
7Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel. (Genesis 49:7)).
Since this very unpretending entrance to Beirut is leading into a long discussion, let us prepare ourselves a seat, as Job did when he went out to the gate (Job 29:77When I went out to the gate through the city, when I prepared my seat in the street! (Job 29:7)), and then we can talk at our leisure, and our ease as well. You observe that the gateway is vaulted, shady, and cool. This is one reason why people delight to assemble about it. Again, the curious and vain resort thither to see and be seen.
ILLUSTRATION
Some go to meet their associates; others, to watch for returning friends, or to accompany those about to depart; while many gather trade there to hear the news, and to engage in trade and traffic. I have seen in certain places—Joppa, for example—the kady and his court sitting at the entrance of the gate, hearing and adjudicating all sorts of causes in the audience of all that went in and out thereat. Throughout sacred history, prophecy, and poetry, the gate is celebrated by numberless interesting incidents and allusions. It would require a little volume to notice and explain them all but here we have the thing itself, with the void place about it (1 Kings 22:1010And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. (1 Kings 22:10)), like that where Boaz made the elders of Bethlehem sit while he contracted for Ruth, the fair Moabitess (Ruth 4:1-21Then went Boaz up to the gate, and sat him down there: and, behold, the kinsman of whom Boaz spake came by; unto whom he said, Ho, such a one! turn aside, sit down here. And he turned aside, and sat down. 2And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, Sit ye down here. And they sat down. (Ruth 4:1‑2)); where Eli sat trembling for the ark of God, and fell back and broke his neck when tidings of its capture came (1 Sam. 4:1818And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he fell from off the seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck brake, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. (1 Samuel 4:18)). And here are the two leaves of the gate, and the bars, and the bolts, like those of Gaza, which Samson tore from their sockets, and on his shoulders carried up to the top of a hill that is before Hebron (Judges 16:33And Samson lay till midnight, and arose at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two posts, and went away with them, bar and all, and put them upon his shoulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that is before Hebron. (Judges 16:3)). And over this gate is a chamber, like that to which David went and wept; “and, as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom! my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom! my son, my son!” (2 Sam. 18:3333And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son! (2 Samuel 18:33)).
Public Proclamations
It is not difficult to comprehend why public proclamations were made in the gates, and why prophets so often pronounced their messages there. We read of the “gates of righteousness,” because justice and judgment were there decreed and executed (Deut. 21:19; 22:2419Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place; (Deuteronomy 21:19)
24Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city; and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbor's wife: so thou shalt put away evil from among you. (Deuteronomy 22:24)); and so, likewise, the prophets denounced the oppression of the poor in the gate, where corrupt judges sell justice to the highest bidder: “They afflict the just, they take a bribe, they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right”; and to this refers the exhortation to “hate the evil, love the good, and establish judgment in the gate” (Amos 5:12,1512For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right. (Amos 5:12)
15Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph. (Amos 5:15)).
Fortifications
Again, gates were fortified in the strongest possible manner. In them the people trusted for safety, and they naturally became the synonym for strength and power. “Thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise” (Isa. 60:1818Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. (Isaiah 60:18)). Hence the prophets delighted to personify them. In times of calamity they languish and lament, mourn and howl; they sing, shout, and rejoice in prosperity. The Lord loveth the gates of Zion; and David exclaims, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of Glory shall come in” (Psa. 24:77Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. (Psalm 24:7)). And remembering that all, both great and small, must enter by them, it is not far-fetched or unnatural to speak of the gates of death. And who has not felt the solemn admonition, “Strive to enter in at the strait gate,” and shuddered lest he should be swept along by the thoughtless crowd through the wide gate that leadeth to destruction? I have seen these strait gates and narrow ways, “with here and there a traveler.” They are in retired corners, and must be sought for, and are opened only to those who knock; and when the sun goes down, and the night comes on, they are shut and locked. It is then too late (Luke 13:24,2324Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. (Luke 13:24)
23Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, (Luke 13:23); Matt. 12:1313Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. (Matthew 12:13)).
I see we shall never get into the city, if we sit here conversing about gates until the subject is exhausted.
Names of Gates
Move on, then; but allow me to remark, as we enter, that gates have the same kind of names now as in ancient times, generally derived from some accidental circumstance connected with them. One is Bab el Bahar, because it leads to the sea. That near which the tanners carry on their business is Bab el Dubbâgâ. This one is Bab es Shurraiyeh, because the governor's palace is near it. And thus, too, the streets and different quarters of the city derive their names. Those who follow the same trade congregate in the same street. This is sadlers', the next blacksmiths' street, and so on to the end of the list.
Professional Letter Writer
Here is something new, I'll engage; sufficiently Oriental, also, though “not according to Scripture.” This old man sitting by the mosque is a letter-writer. He has his paper near him, and his scissors to trim it to the required shape and size. He has taken the inkhorn, or what answers to that very ancient article of the “scribes,” from his girdle, and is now pointing one of those “reeds” which prophets and scribes so often mention. All this seems Biblical enough. But here comes a woman, veiled from head to foot, and takes her station by his side.
ILLUSTRATION
See, she is whispering from behind her veil the desired message. That is sufficient; the salams, love, and so on, and so on, go in according to rule, and to all alike.
Why, this is a sort of Moslem confessional, and that fellow's head must be crammed with the secrets and the scandal of half the city.
No matter; I suppose, like other confessors, he keeps dark, and may be trusted. Still, this letter-writing would not be a very thriving business in our country.
How every circumstance and incident carries one back to ages remote and primitive! This veil reminds me of Rebekah and her meeting with Isaac. But I see here and there a woman without it.
Veils
Yes; but they are peasants from the country, or else Rebekah's fair daughters who now utterly refuse to follow her modest example. She put on a veil before her betrothed husband; these resolutely assert their “rights,” and their pretty pale faces are everywhere seen unveiled. They have, however, certain laws of modesty, which are most rigidly enforced. For example, a Jewish matron must on no account allow her own hair to be seen. Hence, no matter how luxuriant and beautiful, it is carefully concealed under their curious head-dresses; and what appears to be hair is either silk imitation, or it is borrowed. Then, by a strange perversity of manners, or silly antagonism to Christianity, the men take pride in cultivating and exhibiting long, curling locks. There go several of these Jew dandies at this moment, with their cherished locks flowing round their ears and necks in pretty curls.
Women’s Hair Concealed
Paul’s Counsels to the Corinthians
I will state facts; you must judge for yourself how far they elucidate what is obscure. The words “praying and prophesying” include all the ordinary parts and acts of public worship. The language of Paul implies that, in these countries and at that time, the laws of modesty and propriety required the women to appear in their assemblies with their heads covered and their faces veiled. The men, on the contrary, should be uncovered. It is remarkable that in their synagogues the men in our day keep on their hats or other headdresses, and those who read the service throw a large veil over the head and shoulders, as if in direct and intentional contradiction to the Apostle. The women, if present at all, are unveiled. Now, if these are original Jewish habits and practices, it is plain that the Christian Church, from the very first, established new customs in these respects. It is supposed that the men are required to worship with heads uncovered, as a tacit acknowledgment of Christ's divine presence among them; and a relic of this form of reverence may still be seen in Oriental churches, where all stand uncovered when the gospel, which contains the words of Christ, is read. Or these directions of the Apostle may merely be part and parcel of those modifications and adaptations by which the gospel was (as Paul says of himself) to become all things to all men for their salvation. The mixture of Oriental Christians with heathen Greeks, Romans, and other Occidental tribes, in their worshipping assemblies, would doubtless render necessary a careful compliance, on the part of the women, with their ideas of feminine modesty and propriety. And the farther eastward the gospel spread, such compliance would become more and more important. At the present day, the missionary finds it strictly necessary, in many places, not only that the women should be veiled, but also that there should be a separate apartment for them screened from the gaze of the men. The Apostle rebukes severely any approach toward immodesty. If the woman is determined to sit in the midst of such mixed assemblies, with a bold and impudent face, aping the men, then let her head be shorn or shaved like that of the men. What that means at this day you can easily see by looking into this barber's shop over the way.
Shaving the Head
Well, that is strange enough; he has actually shaved the entire head bare as the palm of my hand. It is a hideous operation, and verily it would be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven. But what do you make of the tenth verse of this remarkable passage?
“Power” on the Head
The word translated “power” is perhaps a mere symbolic title of the veil itself; nor is the figure altogether strange or unintelligible to an Oriental. The veil is, in fact, the beautiful lady's strength and defense. Modestly veiled, she appears anywhere and everywhere in perfect safety. She is held inviolate by a sensitive and most jealous public sentiment, and no man insults her but at the risk of being torn in pieces by an infuriated mob; but without the veil she is a weak, helpless thing, at the mercy of every brute who may choose to abuse her.
“The Angels”
The veil is, therefore, the virtuous woman's “power,” and whenever she appears in public she ought to have this “power on her head”;—in church, “because of the angels”; that is, the messengers and ministers, as I suppose. The women must be modestly veiled, because they are to sit in the presence and full view of the ministers, comparatively strangers to them, and many of them evangelists from foreign nations. Doddridge thinks it indecent to suppose that the ladies must be veiled, lest by their attractions they disturb the minds of the ministers. Such an idea could only be entertained by one ignorant of the power of Oriental customs in these matters. The oldest and most eminently modest native preacher that I am acquainted with, objected not only to the ladies appearing unveiled (and for the very reason alluded to), but he would not have even their voices heard in the singing of the church, because in this country they never sing but in strains designed and adapted to excite emotions which should be utterly banished from the place of prayer. Put the case thus: A pious and modest Oriental preacher (who perhaps has rarely looked upon the face of any woman except those of his nearest relations), when he rises to preach, finds himself confronted by the beauty and fashion of the city in their best attire,—is it strange that he should be confused and disturbed? And, moreover, the veil is as necessary for the modest female, who desires to worship in purity and peace, as it is for the “angel.” Secluded by the rigid laws of Eastern society from familiar association with all men except near relatives, so that she would be overwhelmed with confusion should her veil fall in the presence of a stranger, it is no reflection upon her purity of mind, but the contrary, that she cannot appear unveiled before the “angel” with that entire composure which becomes the house of God. Such will wear the veil from choice. Change the state of society (and in many places it is being changed), educate the females (and the males too), let the community be pure from Moslem and heathen mixtures, and trained to free and becoming social intercourse, and then neither men nor women will think of veils and screens, nor need these apostolic directions in their exact letter. Their spirit, however, will always be obligatory in every country and all states of society; and a little more modesty in female attire would be a very happy improvement in many a Western congregation. But it is time we turn our steps homeward. The muezzin calls to sunset prayers from this tall minaret, and dinner will be waiting. As in ancient times, men now eat when the day's work is done.
Narrow Streets
“Seeing is believing,” says the proverb, and it is understanding also. I have read all my life about crooked, narrow streets, with the gutters in the middle, and no sidewalks, but I never understood till now. How are we to get past this line of loaded camels? Well, by bowing the head, creeping under, and dodging from side to side, we have accomplished that feat; but here is a string of donkeys carrying brush and water; their bundles actually sweep both sides of the street, and the ground too; there can be no creeping under this time.
True; but here is a recess in the wall into which we can step until they have passed by.
Warning
What is that fellow shouting all the while at the top of his voice?
He cries Daharak! wûshhak! daharak! wûshhak! “your back! your face! your back! your face!” to warn all concerned to look sharply before and behind, or they may be run over, crushed against the wall, or have their clothes and faces torn by this brush; a very necessary admonition.
Streets
That I perceive well enough; but are all Oriental cities built after this fashion—streets eight feet wide, houses sixty feet high, with dead stone walls without ornament or relief of any kind? They are sad and sombre at best, and must be particularly so at night. Already the shades of evening fall heavily along these gloomy avenues, and I see no provision for lighting them.
Their Darkness at Night
There is none; and you observe that the shopkeepers are already shutting up, and leaving for home. Henceforward until morning the streets are deserted and silent, with only here and there a company returning from a visit, with a servant bearing a lantern before them. The city-guard creeps softly about in utter darkness, and apprehends all found walking the streets without a light. Remember, and act accordingly, or you may get locked up in quarters not very comfortable. Beirût is gradually departing from some of these customs, but enough remain to afford a type of all you will see elsewhere, except at Damascus. The style of that city is wholly different, and carries one back as by enchantment to the age of the Califs and the fantastic creations of the “Thousand Nights.”