March 1
What snow-capped peak is that which appears beyond these nearest mountains? That is the very head of old Hermon. You have been out among Sarepta's ruins, I perceive, for from these only is the point you mention visible. But few travelers see it, nor would you, if it had not been covered with fresh snow, and lit up by the rising sun.
These sights and names make me realize with delightful certainty that I am actually within the Holy Land.
However that may be, it is nearly certain that our blessed Lord once walked over this very plain, and gazed on those identical hills. I have the impression that it was to Sarepta he came, in the coasts of Tyre and Sidon (Matt. 15:2121Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon. (Matthew 15:21)), to visit, perhaps, the place where his great forerunner Elijah lived and wrought miracles; and that the woman of Canaan, whom Mark calls a Syro-phœnician (Mark 7:2626The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. (Mark 7:26)), belonged to the city of that poor widow with whom the prophet resided. He raised her son from death (1 Kings 17:17-2317And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. 18And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? 19And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. 20And he cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? 21And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. 22And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 23And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. (1 Kings 17:17‑23)). The Savior delivered this one's daughter from the power of the devil
Sarafend—Sarepta
This small village on the hill to our left, called Sarafend, is the modern representative of Sarepta. It seems to have been built there after the twelfth century, for at the time of the Crusades the city stood on the shore. Of course the widow's cave, and all other ancient sites now shown under the hill of Sara-fend, are apocryphal.
Those who merely ride along the common road form too low an estimate of the size of the ancient city. There are two distinct groups of ruins. One on the headland, immediately west of this, 'Ain el Kŭnterah. This may have been the harbor of Sarepta; and here, I suppose, was the fortress which Phocas mentions in the twelfth century, and also the chapel erected over the reputed house of the widow. Some of those old foundations which we have just examined may mark the exact spot. Our translation makes Elijah live in a loft, but not very accurately.
Elijah’s “Loft”
In Hebrew it is 'allîyeh, and this is the common Arabic word for the upper rooms of houses. This 'allîyeh is the most desirable part of the establishment, is best fitted up, and is still given to guests who are to be treated with honor. The women and servants live below, and their apartment is called ardîyeh, or ground floor,—in common parlance simple befit or house. The poorer sort have no 'allîyeh. We may infer several things from this word: that the mode of building in Elijah's time, and the custom of giving the 'allîyeh to the guest were the same as now; also, that this
ILLUSTRATION
widow woman was not originally among the very poorest classes, but that her extreme destitution was owing to the dreadful famine which then prevailed.
The little chamber made for Elijah by the Shunammite (2 Kings 4:1010Let us make a little chamber, I pray thee, on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick: and it shall be, when he cometh to us, that he shall turn in thither. (2 Kings 4:10)) is also called 'allîyeh, and was therefore an upper room, respectable and comfortable. They are more retired than the lower apartments of the house, and, of course, appropriate for the resting-place of prophets.
Ruins
The main ruins of Sarepta extend southward for a mile or more, and are very considerable. They are now being dug over, perhaps the twentieth time, for stone to build the barracks at Beira. Observe what masses of rubbish are heaped up over the plain, among which appear broken columns, marble slabs, sarcophagi, and other relics of a flourishing and wealthy city. That dome, surmounting the tomb of Khŭdr Abu Abbas, is supposed by Dr. Robinson to be the successor of the Christian chapel built by the Crusaders; and this may be so, though Khŭdr is the Moslem name of St. George, for which somewhat fabulous saint the Mohammedans have very great respect.
Lessons From Serepta
One ought not to pass away from this remarkable spot without laying up in his inner heart the noble lesson taught by the widow and her barrel of meal. In her utmost want—about to cook her last morsel and die—she yet listens to the call of humanity, brings water for the thirsty prophet, and shares with him her final meal. Go and do likewise. In hours of greatest darkness and destitution, share with those more needy than yourself, and let the morrow take thought for itself. Who does not often need the lesson to prompt his reluctant soul to deeds of charity, and the result to fortify his feeble faith? How many poor Gentile sinners have urged the plea of the Syro-phœnician woman for the crumbs of mercy which fall from their Lord's table (Mark 7:24-3024And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. 25For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: 26The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 27But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. 28And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. 29And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. 30And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed. (Mark 7:24‑30)), and have been dismissed with the like benediction!
Lonely and lowly Sarepta! scene of stupendous miracles, fare-thee-well! The Savior of the world has set his seal of immortality on thee. Thy name will ever teach the great truth, that the favor of our common Father above was never confined within the narrow limits of Jacob's seed; for unto no city of all the tribes of Israel was Elijah sent, but unto a poor widow within thy walls (Luke 4:25-2925But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land; 26But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow. 27And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. 28And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, 29And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. (Luke 4:25‑29)). Let them of the “synagogue” be “filled with wrath,” but we shall cherish thy memory all the more for the sweet lesson.
This low, flat Tell, with its ruined khan, is called Khaizeran, and so is the brawling brook south of it.
Quarries and Tombs.
The plain and rocky hill side are covered with the remains of a large place; and on the very top of that rugged promontory are ancient sarcophagi, cut in the live rock; and the base of the mountain between it and Sarafend abounds in old quarries, with their accompanying houses for the dead. This fine plain before us reaches to the cave and tombs of 'Adlûn, some three miles ahead. The ruins about the cave are identified with the Ornithon of the Greek geographers, and tesselated pavements and other remains of ancient habitations appear in many places along the shore.
I find it difficult to realize that we are passing over, and so quietly too, a region whose eventful story runs back to the earliest records of our race. Is there any reason to doubt that it was originally settled by the immediate descendants of Canaan?
Origin of the Phœnicians
Heredotus opens his celebrated History with this singular sentence: “The more learned of the Persians assert the Phoenicians to have been the original exciters of contention. This nation migrated from the borders of the Red Sea to the place of their present settlement, and soon distinguished themselves by their long and enterprising voyages,” etc., etc. This assertion of the historian rests on no proof that I know of, and is not countenanced by the account of this matter found in the 10th chapter of Genesis. It is possible, however, that the grandson of Noah went first to the Red Sea, and afterward came to this coast, and thus both records may be true, but it is extremely improbable. Those who adopt the story of Herodotus generally attach little importance, I suppose, to the statement of Moses; with us, however, it is decisive. This is a very wide subject, rather dry, too, for discussion on horseback, but it is eminently Biblical—stands connected with almost every page of the sacred records, and we must study it carefully if we would make ourselves masters of Bible history and geography; and, since there is nothing of special importance to claim attention in this neighborhood, we may while away the time and the road with a lesson in man's most ancient history.
Account of Josephus
Josephus, without hesitation or qualification, asserts that Canaan, the fourth son of Ham, settled this country, and gave it his own name; and, entering into details be mentions the different sons of Canaan, and where they dwelt. Thus, Sidonius built Sidon, Amatheus founded Amath or Hamath, Arudus had the island Arudus, and Arucus built Area. Of the remaining sons he is not so particular; but Moses, from whom he derived his information, mentions them repeatedly—Heth, and the Jebusite, and the Amorite, the Girgashite, the Hivite, and the Sinite, and the Zemarite; and adds that “the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest unto Gerar, unto Gaza, as thou goest unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha” (Gen. 10:1919And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha. (Genesis 10:19)). The general boundaries of their country cannot be questioned, nor can we doubt that they were the first settlers after the Deluge, without disregarding the sacred record.
Sons of Ham
The history of these various families differs widely. Those who settled in Palestine multiplied rapidly, and soon became wealthy, powerful, and extremely corrupt. They were the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites—seven greater and mightier nations than the Hebrews. Their cities were “great, and fenced up to heaven. A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak?” (Deut. 9:1-21Hear, O Israel: Thou art to pass over Jordan this day, to go in to possess nations greater and mightier than thyself, cities great and fenced up to heaven, 2A people great and tall, the children of the Anakims, whom thou knowest, and of whom thou hast heard say, Who can stand before the children of Anak! (Deuteronomy 9:1‑2)). The exact locale of These were all destroyed or expelled from Canaan, and their land given to the Hebrews. The Sidonians, Arkites, Arvadites, Zimrites, Sinites, and Hamathites, whose territories lay north, and without the narrower limits of the promised land, long continued to flourish, and were often in alliance with the 4 kings of Judah and Israel.
Canaanite Tribes
The exact locale of the Canaanitish tribes that were destroyed cannot, in all cases, be determined. The Hittites, we know, from the history of the patriarchs, lived in the neighborhood of Hebron (Gen. 23:77And Abraham stood up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the children of Heth. (Genesis 23:7)). The Jebusites possessed Jerusalem until the time of David (2 Sam. 5:66And the king and his men went to Jerusalem unto the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land: which spake unto David, saying, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither: thinking, David cannot come in hither. (2 Samuel 5:6)); and in Numbers 13:2929The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan. (Numbers 13:29), we read that the Amorites dwelt in the mountains not only of Palestine proper, but of Gilead and Bashan, east of the Jordan, while those who were called Canaanites, by way of eminence, occupied the seaboard and the regions near the Jordan. These Canaanites were probably a mixture of different tribes, who took the name of their common ancestor.
Amorites
The Amorites, we may suppose, became the most numerous, powerful, and corrupt of all the race, for they are frequently made to represent the whole. Thus, in Genesis 15:1616But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full. (Genesis 15:16), it is said, “The iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full”; and so in 1 Kings 21:2626And he did very abominably in following idols, according to all things as did the Amorites, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. (1 Kings 21:26) they have the same bad eminence assigned them. Og, king of Bashan, and Sihon of Heshbon, were Amorites. They were the ruling tribe in the southwest of Judea, as we learn from Judges 1:34-3634And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain: for they would not suffer them to come down to the valley: 35But the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim: yet the hand of the house of Joseph prevailed, so that they became tributaries. 36And the coast of the Amorites was from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward. (Judges 1:34‑36).
Amalek
The Amalekites dwelt in the land of the south. There is some uncertainty about the origin of this people, although they figure long and largely in Hebrew history. It is evident that if a tribe of Amalekites is mentioned in Genesis 14:77And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites, that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar. (Genesis 14:7), they could not have been descended from the grandson of Esau, the brother of Jacob. In Genesis 36:1212And Timna was concubine to Eliphaz Esau's son; and she bare to Eliphaz Amalek: these were the sons of Adah Esau's wife. (Genesis 36:12), Moses tells us that Amalek was the son of Eliphaz by a concubine; and Josephus adds that a part of Idumea was called Amalekitis, from the descendants of this grandson of Edom. The “country of the Amalekites” which Chedorlaomer smote in the days of Abraham, I therefore take to be the district that was really inhabited by Amalek when Moses wrote, but those who dwelt there when Chedorlaomer ravaged that country were of some other race. Moses, in that passage, speaks of the country, not of the people. The Amalekites spread over the whole southern desert, and even into Palestine proper. They were a fierce, warlike race, and manifested the most inveterate hostility to the Jews throughout all their history; and for their ferocity and cruelty they were utterly excluded from mercy. While of Edom in general it is said, “Thou shalt not abhor an Edomite, for he is thy brother” (Deut 23:7); of Amalek, the Lord said unto Moses, “Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua; for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven” (Exod 17:14). This terrible sentence was again repeated to Saul: “Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have” (1 Sam. 15:33Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass. (1 Samuel 15:3)). And Saul, in executing the command, says to the Kenites (vs. 6), “Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them.” Thus the land of this latter people was also forfeited to Israel, according to the promise in Genesis 15:1919The Kenites, and the Kenizzites, and the Kadmonites, (Genesis 15:19), though they always continued on friendly terms with the Jews. Of the Kenizzites nothing is known, nor are they heard of in the subsequent history of the Bible.
Kadmonites
The Kadmonites are supposed to have resided about the head-waters of the Jordan, under Hermon. This name is still preserved among the Nusairîyeh north of Tripoli, and they have a tradition that their ancestors were expelled from Palestine by Joshua. It is curious, also, that a fragment of this strange people still cling to their original home at 'Ain-Fît, Zaora, and Ghujar, near the foot of Hermon. I have repeatedly traveled among them in their own mountains, and many things in their physiognomy and manners gave me the idea that they were a remnant of the most ancient inhabitants of this country. We may yet become better acquainted with them before our pilgrimage is completed.
Rephaims
The Rephaims are often mentioned as giants and rulers among the people of the land. King Og was one of them, and so, I suppose, was Goliath. A tribe of them resided, long before, in the north of the Hauran, and were defeated and subdued by Chedorlaomer (Gen. 14:55And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim, (Genesis 14:5)).
Perizzites
They also dwelt in the south of Judea even down to the time of David, if not later. The Perizzites seem to have been a mingled race like the Canaanites, and their residence was in the mountains of Judea, and northward in Ephraim as far as the plain of Esdraelon (Judges 1:44And Judah went up; and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek ten thousand men. (Judges 1:4); Josh. 17:15,1715And Joshua answered them, If thou be a great people, then get thee up to the wood country, and cut down for thyself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for thee. (Joshua 17:15)
17And Joshua spake unto the house of Joseph, even to Ephraim and to Manasseh, saying, Thou art a great people, and hast great power: thou shalt not have one lot only: (Joshua 17:17)). It is plain, from Joshua 11:33And to the Canaanite on the east and on the west, and to the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebusite in the mountains, and to the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh. (Joshua 11:3) and Judges 3:33Namely, five lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon unto the entering in of Hamath. (Judges 3:3), that the Hivites base of Hermon, and up the great Wady et Teim, between the two Lebanons, unto the entering in of Hamath, toward Baalbek. There is good reason to believe that, with the seven Canaanitish families condemned to extermination for their preeminent wickedness, there were various other tribes mingled, especially on the outskirts of the Hebrew territory: the Kadmonites and Rephaims, as we have seen, on the east; the Moabites and Arabs on the southeast; the Amalekites on the south; the Philistines from Egypt on the southwest; the Phoenicians of Sidon, Tyre, Dor, etc., on the west, and the Maacathites and Geshurites on the north; and still beyond these were the Arkites, Arvadites, Zimrites, Sinites, and Hamathites. These were not attacked by Joshua, and doubtless multitudes of their brethren from the south escaped and took refuge among them. Nor are there wanting faint traditions to confirm this supposition.
Tenacity of Names
I have visited the primeval seats of all these old tribes—Hamath, Sin, Zimri, Ruad, and Arca. The tenacity with which these and other places cling to their ancient names is truly wonderful. One is not only surprised, but startled, to hear ignorant peasants pronounce, without an effort or a moment's hesitation, over shapeless ruins, the very names by which they were called by Moses and Abraham three or four thousand years ago.
The Phœnicians Canaanites
Do you suppose that the Phœnicians, so celebrated in ancient story, the inventors of commerce, of manufactures, and of letters, and the founders of so many splendid colonies, were really Canaanites, and consequently the descendants of Ham? I do, and that notwithstanding what has been written by learned men to prove that they came from the shores of the Red Sea, or from the Arabian, or even from the Indian Ocean. The Bible is now almost our only authority, and it is explicit. Josephus, who lived in this country nearly two thousand years ago, and had access to documents which have long since perished, does not even allude to a suspicion of such an immigration from the south; and if there are, or ever have been, cities and temples on the Persian Gulf, or along the Arabian Ocean, with names similar to those of the Phoenicians, it is much more likely that those who built them were emigrants from this country than that this country was colonized from them. It is extremely probable that the Phoenicians did establish colonies in those parts. Their general practice was to form permanent settlements wherever they carried on commerce—in the islands of the Mediterranean, in Asia Minor, in Greece, and in Spain, possibly in England, certainly at Carthage, and along the northern coast of Africa. We know also from the Bible and from other sources that they traded extensively in the Red Sea, and along the southern shores of Arabia and Africa, and are therefore quite prepared to find traces of them along those coasts. The fountain-head of the Phoenicians, however, was Sidon and her renowned daughter Tyre.
Meaning of Canaan
I see that the name Canaan is derived by some critics from a Hebrew root said to signify low land; and it is maintained that it was given to the inhabitants of this country because they dwelt on the seaboard, and not because they were descended from the son of Ham.
Such philological criticism, when applied to questions of this kind, is far from satisfactory; and in the present case, if it could be proved that there is such a Hebrew word, it is obvious that it could not be applied to the Canaanites with any propriety, for they resided in all parts of the land, and not merely on the shore and the low plains, and from them the whole country, though very mountainous, was called Canaan. In short, we have from the remotest antiquity, and on the very best authority, the origin of this name in that of the great ancestor of the several tribes that settled the country soon after the Deluge; and one can scarcely avoid the suspicion that it is because this authority is the Bible that certain savants have called it in question, and have rummaged among Hebrew roots and doubtful scraps of heathen authors, who knew nothing about the matter, in order to cast suspicion upon the sacred records. But here is something more interesting than dry historical discussions. Let us turn aside, and examine these gray resting-places for Phœnicia's ancient dead.
Caves or Tombs of Adlun
This cave, with its mouth blackened-by the smoke of gipsies, is, of course, chiefly natural, though it was formerly plastered, in part at least, and fitted for a dwelling, or possibly a cistern, like those at Beit Jibrîn. The tombs were cut by quarriers who lived in the town whose ruins are scattered over the plain. These quarries extend for miles southward, and are crowded with sepulchers. The inhabitants seem to have done nothing but quarry stone for other cities, and cut sepulchers for themselves.
Phoenician Tombs
Many of these tombs are as perfect as when first made, but the doors are all gone, and the tombs empty, and were so, most likely, two thousand years ago. They are nearly all of the same pattern, having a small ante-room in front, and a door leading from that into the body of the tomb, which is about six feet square, with niches on three sides for the dead, the door occupying the fourth. Some of them are cut into the rock where it is nearly horizontal; in which case a square shaft was sunk about three feet deep, and from that a low window leads into the tomb. A deep groove ran round the face of the rock above, to turn the water away from this entrance. There are a few words of a Greek inscription over that tomb just south of this cave. The rest are absolutely destitute of architectural ornament, device, or inscription of any kind. The ancient Phoenicians delighted to cut their tombs in the perpendicular faces of the rock left in quarrying, as is seen on all this coast, and particularly at Tortosa, Ladakîyeh, and Suadea.
Did Phenicia extend as far north as Ladakîyeh?
Extent of Phœnicia
The people did, whatever may be said of the country. The Sinites settled, I suppose, along the river Sin, and doubtless they spread round the shore to Ladakîyeh, and may have even reached to the mouth of the Orontes. This would agree with Strabo. The largest extent of Phenicia, therefore, was from the Sinites on the north to Dor on the south. Phenicia proper, however, reached no farther northward than to the Eleutherus, the modern Nahr Kebîr, in the plain of Akkar. The width of territory belonging to these small states differed greatly. The plain of Jebilé, where the Sinites dwelt, runs far back into the interior. The Zimrites, or Zemarites, had scarcely any level land, for the mountains shut down upon the very margin of the sea. So also the Arvadites were probably confined to a narrow strip along the coast; but the Arkite had the magnificent plain of June. The plains of Tripoli, Bŭtrone, Jebail, Beirut, Sidon, and Tyre, are comparatively narrow, but that of Acre is twenty miles long, and from six to ten broad. No doubt the Phoenicians possessed also the western slopes of the mountains; and the Sidonians and Tyrians extended their territorial limits to the Ijon and the Huleh,—perhaps still farther to the east. The average breadth of their estates, however, could not have been more than twenty miles.
Multitude of Syrian Tribes and Sects
Syria has always been cursed with a multiplicity of tribes and religions, which split up the country into small principalities and conflicting classes—the fruitful parent of civil war, anarchy, and all confusion. Nor has this source of mischief been materially mitigated down to the present hour. This will appear but too evident from the following statistics.
Moslems
The Moslems, who are the ruling class all over the country, except in Lebanon, may number about... 800,000. They are divided into two principal sects—the Sunites and Shïïnes.
There may be 50,000 Kurds.... 50,000.
The Nusairîyeh occupy the mountains north of Tripoli, and may amount to... 150,000.
The Ismailîyeh and Yezzîdy are too few to merit specific attention; and the same may be said of the Nowar or gipsies, who are found in all parts. They will not amount to more than.... 20,000.
Druses
The Druses occupy the southern half of Lebanon, extend over to Hermon, and out into the Hauran—a few thousands reside in Jebel el 'Alah, west of Aleppo, and on Carmel and the mountains above Acre.
They number about.... 100,000.
Jews
The Jews are about 25,000.
In Jerusalem 7000, in Damascus 5000, Aleppo 4000, Safed 2000, Tiberias 1500, Hebron 600, and the remainder in Beira, Sidon, and so forth.... 25,000.
The Maronites, chiefly of Lebanon, may be ... .. 200,000.
The orthodox Greeks, in all parts of the country.... 150,000.
Armenians 20,000, Jacobites 15,000....35,000.
There are Papal offshoots from these sects, which may number 70 or 80,000....80,000.
There are a few Latins in most of the large cities, and also Protestants in various parts.
This gives a total of 1,610,000; which, of course, is only as close an approximation as the very imperfect statistics of the government and of the different sects enable us to make.
I. THE MAHOMETANS OR MOSLEMS
Under this general head may be classed,
1. The Sunites (Sunites), traditionists, or orthodox Mahometans, who, besides the written Koran, acknowledge the authority of the Sonna, a collection of traditional sayings and anecdotes of Mahomet.
2. The Metawileh (sing., Mutawaly)— of Mahomet, whom they deem the true Imam—rejecters of the Sonna—allied in faith to the Shì-ites of Persia, and very scrupulous as to distinctions between clean and unclean.
3. The Nusairieyeh, or Ansairiyeh but then religion is a secret—something, perhaps, between Mahometanism and Christianity. (See an account of them at chap. 16, p. 226).
4. The Ismailieyeh, whose religion is also a mystery,—originally a sect of Shì-ites, and descendants of “the Assassins” in the time of the Crusades.
II. THE DRUSES
The origin of this sect is remarkable, and their tenets and modes of worship are kept as secret as possible. Hakim, an Egyptian, gave himself out to be a prophet; and in the eleventh century, one of his followers, expelled from Egypt, took refuge at the western base of Mount Hermon, and became the founder of the Druses. They believe in the unity of God, and in the manifestation of God in the person of several individuals, the last of whom was Hakim. They believe also in the constant existence of five superior spiritual ministers, of whom Hamza and Christ were the greatest. Their religion, they hold, shall one day be triumphant, and Hakim shall reign in person. The transmigration of souls is one of their tenets. They meet in their chapels every Thursday evening, but what passes is unknown. It is believed that they are fully more a political than a religious sect. They are very united, and very fierce in war. They are accommodating in religion, and have even offered to become Christians, in order to ebtain the protection of this country. They are of two classes,—the 'Okkal, or initiated; and the Juhhâl, or ignorant.
III. THE CHRISTIANS
A full account of the native Christians will be found in Wilson's Lands of the Bible. They are divided into several sects:
1. The Greeks,—so called because connected with the Greek or Oriental Church,—all natives of Syria. There are two patriarchates.—Antioch and Jerusalem, —and sixteen bishoprics. The priests must be married men.
2. The Syrians or Jacobites, a sect separated from the Greek Church on account of the Monophysite heresy. Their service is in Syriac. Their number is very small.
3. Maronites This sect originated in the Monothelitic controversy in the seventh century. Their founder was John Maron. In A.D. 1180 they renounced their heresy, and acknowledged the Pope. They are still in connection with Rome, but have service in Syriac. Their candidates for priesthood may marry before ordination. The Maronites swarm on Lebanon. There are 82 Convents in Lebanon, with 2000 monks and nuns, and a revenue of £70,000 a year! The Maronites are the hereditary foes of the Druses.
4. Greek Catholics and Syrian Catholics. These are proselytes whom Romish priests and Jesuits have gained over during the last two centuries. The sect embraces a number of wealthy native Christians, and is influential in Syria.
IV. THE JEWS
In Damascus and Aleppo many are natives, and wealthy,—Arabs in all but religion. In Palestine the Jews are all foreigners, natives of various countries.
V. THE TURKS
These are very few in number, but occupy all the highest situations, and are the scourges of the laud—ED.)
Desert Tribes
In this enumeration the Arab tribes that roam over the deserts are not included. Very little is known about their numbers, and estimates by different individuals vary surprisingly. They may be 200,000, possibly half a million. It is interesting to notice how these various populations are distributed over the country. Lebanon has about 400,000 inhabitants, gathered into more than six hundred towns, villages, and hamlets.
Cities
Of the cities of Syria, Damascus is the largest, as it is the oldest—perhaps it is the most ancient city in the world that is now flourishing and populous. It numbers about 120,000. Jerusalem, the most interesting city on the globe, has only about 18,000; Aleppo has 70 or 80,000, Beirut from 40 to 50,000, Hamah 33,000, Hums 25,000, Antioch 20,000, Tripoli and Harbor 18,000, Edlip 10,000, Ladakîyeh 6000, Sidon 10,000, Tyre 3500, Acre 5000, Khaifa 3000, Nazareth 3000, Safet 4000, Tiberias 1500, Jennîn 2500, Nablus 12,000, Jaffa 11,000, Ramleh 4000, Gaza 16,000, Hebron 6000, Bethlehem 3500. In Lebanon, Zahleh is the largest, and has about 11,000 inhabitants. Deir el Kamar has 7000, Hasbeiya, in Hermon, has about 6000, and Rashaia 2500. I need scarcely remind you that the entire population is gathered into towns and villages.
Prevalent Feelings
The various religions and sects live together, and practice their conflicting superstitions in close proximity, but the people do not coalesce into one homogeneous community, nor do they regard each other with fraternal feelings. The Sunnites excommunicate the Shïïtes—both hate the Druse, and all three detest the Nusairîyeh. The Maronites have no particular love for anybody, and, in turn, are disliked by all. The Greeks cannot endure the Greek Catholics—all despise the Jews. And the same remarks apply to the minor divisions of this land. There is no common bond of union. Society has no continuous strata underlying it, which can be opened and worked for the general benefit of all, but an endless number of dislocated fragments, faults, and dikes, by which the masses are tilted up in hopeless confusion, and lie at every conceivable angle of antagonism to each other. That omnific Spirit that brooded over primeval chaos can alone bring order out of such confusion, and reduce these conflicting elements to peace and concord.
Genealogies Lost
Another curious fact is, that, with the exception of the Jews and Bedawîn Arabs, no one can trace back his own origin to any ancient race or nation.
The general mass of the Moslems are the mingled descendants of the various races who composed the population of the Greek empire at the time of Mohammed; and this original confusion of races has been infinitely augmented during the twelve centuries of their lawless occupation. In all the Christian sects there has been the same blending of primitive races, and a large infusion of foreign and European blood during the times of the Crusades, and subsequently, even to our day; so that the most intelligent and learned admit that it is absolutely impossible now to ascertain their true national origin. The Maronites, as a body, may have descended from the ancient Syrians. The Nusairîyeh suggest the idea that they are the miserable debris of the accursed Canaanites. The Metāwelies appear to have immigrated from Persia;—they have a decided resemblance to the Jews. The Moslems of Palestine, and particularly from Carmel southward, have largely intermingled with the Egyptians. Perhaps some of their peculiarities of manners, countenance, and language, may have been derived from the old Philistines, who came originally from Egypt, as I believe, and not from Cappadocia or Cyprus. In the inhabitants of Lebanon and She plains at its base we may possibly find some traces of the original Phoenicians. The Druses are Arabs, who came from the eastern confines of Syria, and settled in Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon within the last nine hundred years.
Antagonism and Disunion
No other country in the world, I presume, has such a multiplicity of antagonistic races; and herein lies the greatest obstacle to any general and permanent amelioration and improvement in their condition, character, and prospects. They can never form one united people, never combine for any important religious or political purpose; and will therefore remain weak, incapable of self-government, and exposed to the invasions and oppressions of foreigners. Thus it has been, is now, and must long continue to be—a people divided, meted out, and trodden down.
From these tombs of 'Adlûn to the Kasimîeh, the plain is called Abu el Aswad, from a brook of that name which cuts through the center of it; or both plain and brook derive this name (Father of Black) from the extreme blackness of the soil. There are three paths—one along the base of the hills, the main road through the center of the plain, and a third by the seashore. We take the latter, to avoid the mud. From the brook southward, the regular road is now soft black mire, in the depths of which every vestige of the old Roman pavement (if there ever was one) has entirely disappeared.
Have these ruins along the shore no name? To judge from the extent of ground covered with foundations, fragments of Roman brick-work, tesselated pavements, and general rubbish, there must have been a large city here.
The Ornithon
They probably mark the site of the ancient Ornithon, though this is not certain. They have now no other name but that of 'Adlûn. We shall pass many other sites, for the entire coast was once a continuous village, like the Bosphorus above Constantinople; and this renders the present utter desertion of the coast the more remarkable. From Sidon to Tyre there is not a single hamlet on the shore, and these plains are all cultivated by people who reside on the mountains.
Have the inhabitants retreated to the hills to enjoy a cooler climate, or for the sake of protection from bands of lawless soldiers passing up and down the coast?
Dangers of the Seacoast
As far back as the time of Thucydides at least, the people in many parts of the Mediterranean were accustomed to build their towns at a considerable distance from the shore, and in strong positions, to escape the visits of pirates who then infested the sea. Any city exposed to these lawless attacks, and unable to defend itself, must of course be abandoned so long as this liability continues; but as soon as the sea is cleared of pirates, the inhabitants return and rebuild, except where some cause more permanent leads to final desertion. Such causes have long since reduced Caesarea, Askelon, and other important places, to utter and hopeless desolation.
Change of Employment
I suppose the main reason for the total desertion of this particular coast is to be found in an entire change of employment. The Phœnicians were mariners, and hence, wherever there was a sandy beach upon which to draw up their small craft, or a sheltered cove where they could ride at anchor, there a village sprang up and flourished. Now there are no mariners,—not a boat is owned by any of these peasants; they are exclusively given to agriculture, and have no occasion to dwell near the shore. Of course it is better for them to reside on the hills, as you see they do, in those prettily-posted villages on the mountain side. That white dome south of 'Adlûn covers the tomb of a saint called Zare. A weather-beaten, surly sheikh of the village, told me that Zare was the grandson of Joshua (on whom be peace). As such, I am willing to leave him in unquestioned possession of his sepulcher and pedigree, honored as a great saint by these semi-savage Metāwelies. It is decidedly interesting, however, to hear these austere disciples of 'Ali, as ignorant of history as the oxen they are punching along with their goads, repeat these venerable Bible names as familiar “household words.”
Quicksands
We must take care how we cross this Abu el Asward, for there are quicksands at its mouth. My horse once sank to his belly, and plunged desperately before he brought me to the other side. Here is a safe ford, however. Above us you see that noble arch of a Roman bridge. It is quite perfect, but the embankment on either side has long since been washed away, so that it is useless. From this on, much of the plain is impracticable marsh in winter. In the center of it are large springs, which were once surrounded by masonry like those at Ras el 'AM, near Tyre, and for the same purpose. The work is now broken, and indeed, most of the plain is overgrown with thorns, and abandoned to Arabs. A group of their tents spreads along the base of the hills on our left. If those of Kedar were no more attractive than these of Abu el Asward, the Bride in the “Song of Songs” (Song of Sol. 1:55I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. (Song of Solomon 1:5)) has fallen upon a very lame comparison for her charms.
Black Tents
Ay; but observe, it is she that is black, not the tents of Kedar, perhaps; not the curtains of Solomon, certainly. These may have been extremely beautiful. But even black tents, when new, and pitched among bushes of liveliest green, have a very “comely” appearance, especially when both are bathed in a flood of evening's golden light. And here we have started up, and sent leaping over the plain, another of Solomon's favorites. What elegant creatures those gazelles are, and how gracefully they bound!
The Roe and the Gazelle
ILLUSTRATION
“My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills” (Song of Sol. 2:8-98The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills. 9My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, showing himself through the lattice. (Song of Solomon 2:8‑9)). These lovely harts are very timid, and descend at night to the plains to feed among the lilies “until the day break, and the shadows flee away” (Song of Sol. 2:1717Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether. (Song of Solomon 2:17)). This is alluded to in the charge to the daughters of Jerusalem, “By the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please” (Song of Sol. 3:55I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please. (Song of Solomon 3:5)). We shall meet these graceful gazelles all through Syria and Palestine, and the more you see of them the greater will be your admiration.
Solomon is not alone in his partiality. Persian and Arab poets abound in references to them. The fair ones of these fervid sons of song are often compared to the coy gazelle that comes by night and pastures upon their hearts. These “cruel gazelles, with graceful gait and liquid eye,” are found in other lands, and graze on other hearts besides those of Persian poets.
Scripture Allusions
The sacred writers frequently mention gazelles under the various names of harts, roes, and hinds. They are celebrated for their activity. Thus Jacob says of Naphtali, He “is a hind let loose” (Gen. 49:2121Naphtali is a hind let loose: he giveth goodly words. (Genesis 49:21)); and his mountains abound in gazelles to this day. “Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe” (2 Sam. 2:1818And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel: and Asahel was as light of foot as a wild roe. (2 Samuel 2:18)). And David sings, “He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: and setteth me upon my high places” (2 Sam. 22:3434He maketh my feet like hinds' feet: and setteth me upon my high places. (2 Samuel 22:34)). I have often stopped to admire the grace, and ease, and fearless security with which these pretty animals bound along the high places of the mountains. They are amiable, affectionate, and loving, by universal testimony; and accordingly Solomon says, “Let her—the wife of thy youth—be as the loving hind and pleasant roe” (Prov. 5:1919Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love. (Proverbs 5:19)); and no sweeter comparison can be found. It is implied in Jeremiah 14:55Yea, the hind also calved in the field, and forsook it, because there was no grass. (Jeremiah 14:5) that the hind is particularly fond of her young; for the prophet illustrates the severity of the threatened dearth and famine by declaring that the very hinds forsook their young in the field, because there was no grass. David compares his longing for the living God to the panting of the hart for the water-brooks (Psalm 42:1-21<<To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.>> As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. 2My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? (Psalm 42:1‑2)). I have seen large flocks of these panting harts gather round the water-brooks in the great deserts of Central Syria, so subdued by thirst that you could approach quite near them before they fled. But here we are on the banks of the Kāsimîeh, and yonder, at the foot of the bridge, our lunch awaits us. This bridge, which now springs quite across the river by one bold and lofty arch, is not old, for Maundrell, in 1696, found the ancient one broken down, and he and his party had great difficulty in crossing; and so should we without a bridge.
So I should judge, for it is the largest river I have seen in this country, and appears to be full to the brim. You call it Kāsimîeh?
The Litany
It is the ancient Leontes, and its present name, except just at this place, is Litany; apparently a corruption of the Latin—or perhaps that is merely a Latinized form of Litany. It is by far the largest stream that empties into the head of this sea, except the Orontes. Both these rise in the great plain of Cœle-Syria, and close together. The Orontes flows north, the latter south and southwest. The watershed of the valley between the two Lebanon is somewhere about Lebweh, but the farthest permanent source of the Litany is the copious 'Ain es Sultan at Baalbek. Even this is entirely used up during the season of irrigation, and not a drop of its water reaches the sea. Numerous fountains, however, rise out of the center of the plain, and being joined, first by the strong stream of Zahleh, and afterward by the much larger one from 'Anjur (Ain Jur), the united river meanders through the lower Bǔk'ah in a southwestern direction, some fifteen miles, to Jûb Jennîn. Below that it flows in a constantly narrowing vale for six or seven miles, to Jisr Kǔráone. Not far from this bridge its volume is increased by the stream from the noble fountains of Mushgharah. From this onward the Litany is engaged in a furious struggle with Lebanon for a passage to the sea. It has cut out for itself a narrow groove in the solid strata, so deep that no one at a little distance aside from it would suspect that a powerful river rushed between him and the opposite rocks.
Singular Chasm
Yet there it is at the bottom of the chasm, all in a foam of vexation, leaping, darting, roaring along. Now it whirls round the jutting base of some mighty cliff, so sharply that you are sure it bursts from the rock itself. Below, it runs madly against another towering wall, from which you see no escape; but it does, and, darting along the base at a terrific rate, launches its whole force against a similar barrier, only to recoil in shattered fragments, and shoot like an arrow down some secret pathway, quite hidden by overhanging rocks and interlacing sycamores. After about ten miles of this work, it does, in reality, come forth from the dark mouth of the mountain. At a place called Kûweh—window—it has tunneled through a rock more than ninety feet thick, and comes out quietly at the bottom of this solemn chasm. Not long to rest, however, for immediately afterward it springs madly down among large boulders reduced in width to half a dozen feet, but of depth unknown. The road passes over this natural bridge from Wady et Teim to Nibah, on Lebanon. Some six or eight miles farther south, the road from Jezzin to Hasbeiya crosses at Jisr Bûrgûs, and there the traveler has a fine specimen of our river and its behavior among the rocks. But you must look upon it from the cliffs of Blāt, some five miles below, where it is eight hundred feet beneath you, tearing at the very roots of Lebanon, and rasping out a passage for itself with mighty din and desperate haste.
Eagles
I have sat for hours in a sort of dreamy ecstasy, gazing into this chasm—have let myself down from crag to crag, until I stood all alone at the bottom—have reclined midway up its walls upon some projecting shelf, and watched, now the timid conies creep out and sun themselves, and now the Bold Eagles going and returning to their eyries in the cliffs. There are thousands of them, and their maneuvers, particularly when coming home, are very entertaining. There comes a pair of them, just visible in the blue depths of heaven. See how they sail round and round, in ever-narrowing gyrations, as Milton's Prince of Darkness
“Down from the ecliptic
Threw his steep flight in many an aery wheel.”
Their Flight
And now, right over the chasm, they poise themselves a moment; then, like a bolt from the clear sky, down, down they come, head foremost, with wings collapsed; sinking far below their eyrie, they round to in a grand parabola, and then, with two or three backward flaps of their huge pinions to check their fall, like the wheels of a steam-boat reversed, they land in safety among their clamorous children. Now take the glass, and see how they divide among their gross and greedy chicks the prey which they have brought from far.
Come to Blāt, vain man, and answer thy Maker. “Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? She dwelleth and abideth on the
ILLUSTRATION
Description by Moses
Moses, in that beautiful ode which he spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel, refers to the habits of the eagle in a way which I have never understood: “As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings, so the Lord did lead him” (Deut. 32:11-1211As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: 12So the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. (Deuteronomy 32:11‑12)). Do you suppose that the parent eagle literally beareth her young on her wings?
It is not necessary to press every poetical figure into strict prosaic accuracy. The notion, however, appears to have been prevalent among the ancients, that the eagle did actually take up her yet timid young, and carry them forth to teach them how, and embolden them to try their own pinions. To this idea Moses seems to refer in Exodus 19:44Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. (Exodus 19:4): “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself.”
Description of the Eagles in Job
The fact is not impossible: the eagle is strong enough to do it, but I am not aware that such a thing has ever been witnessed. I myself, however, have seen the old eagle fly round and round the nest, and back and forth put it, while the young ones fluttered and shivered on the edge, as if eager, but afraid to launch forth from the giddy precipice. And no wonder, for the nest “is on high,” and a fall from thence would end their flight forever. If Moses was not the author of Job, they seem both to have been familiar with this bird and its habits. One allusion is very striking: “Her eyes behold afar off” (Job 39:2929From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off. (Job 39:29)). The power of vision in the eagle is amazing, almost incredible. No sooner does a kid fall in the wilderness among the thick bushes, than some of these keen-sighted hunters after prey notice it from their pathway in mid-heaven, and, circling round and round, they pounce down upon, and bear it away to their nest. This appears to be done purely by sight.
To what fact in the life of the eagle does the Psalmist refer in the promise to the righteous that they shall renew their youth like the eagles? (Psa. 103:55Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psalm 103:5)).
Renewing Their Youth
Perhaps merely to his coming forth in a fresh costume and in youthful beauty after the moulting season; or it may refer to the fact that this royal bird is long-lived, and retains his vigor to extreme old age.
But we have not yet done with our river. Turning westward, below Blat, it has cut a channel across the southern end of Lebanon, at a place called the Khŭtweh, some two hundred feet long, and so very narrow that 1 have sat on the west side and laid my hand on the opposite precipice, which rises at least one hundred feet perpendicular above the water. The river darts, swift as an arrow, through this groove, and, like the shuddering visitor, seems to hold its breath in terror. From this onward for a few miles the scenery is less wild, until it turns the corner south of the castle of Shŭkîf, and makes hitherward toward the sea. This last descent of eighteen or twenty miles abounds in noble scenery, but it must be seen to be appreciated. The whole length of the Litany, with its countless doublings, cannot be less than one hundred and twenty miles, and in that distance it descends full four thousand feet.
Proposed Litany Railway
European engineers have entertained the idea of carrying a railway up the Litany to the Bŭk'ah, from whence it could easily pass to Hamath, Aleppo, and the Euphrates, and also to Damascus, Palmyra, and Bagdad; but no one will dream of such an enterprise who has explored the long, wild gorge, and found out what it really is. This river is not mentioned in the Bible. Perhaps it is too far north to come in the way of Biblical narrative.
A Bound Are of the Israel
It seems to have formed the northern boundary of the territory actually subdued by Israel, for I cannot find a single city on this side of it inhabited by either Naphtali or Asher, though David and Solomon may have held a temporary and not very well defined sway over some places farther north than even Sidon. Thus Josephus seems to imply that Arca, beyond Tripoli, was subject to Asher; but the identity of the place referred to with the seat of the Arkites may well be doubted. Nor does the fact that the border of Asher reached to Zidon prove that the line of actual possession crossed the Litany, for no doubt Zidon extended her rule down to it, and thus the border would reach that of Sidon on the banks of this river. Whether the line of permanent possession corresponds with the utmost limits included in the original promise, is a question which we may examine at some future stage of our pilgrimage.
This khan is now much dilapidated, and was ancient two hundred and forty years ago, when Sandys passed this way. It has been a castle as well as khan, and served not merely to protect the traveler, but to command the road and the bridge over the river. In its present form it may have been built by the Crusaders, but there are traces of more ancient work about it. The name suggests, or rather coincides with, the idea that this river, with its most impracticable gorge, was the dividing line between the territory of the Jews and that of Sidon. Kasimîeh signifies division, or that which divides, and it appears always to have separated the governmental districts from each other, and does so now.
A Sort of Second Jordan
There is no ascertained Jewish site in Belad es Shŭlkîf, whereas Belad Besharah, on the south of the river, abounds in them. Asher and Naphtali came to the Kasimieh, and we can trace their actual possessions thus far, but no farther; and we have, therefore, in this river, the Divider, a sort of second Jordan to the Holy Land.
To avoid the mud in the plain, we will take down to the shore, and follow its windings to Tyre, a pleasant ride of not more than two hours.
Mouth of River
How the river meanders and doubles, as if reluctant to lose itself in the sea! Were not this low plain unhealthy, there would be a large town near the mouth of the river. It is the best fishing-ground in all this part of the coast, and the markets are often supplied from here, even so far north as Beira The direct road to Tyre passes below some ruins on the hill side, called Mûhaibeeb, and there are many evidences thereabout of a former population thick as bees.
Farther toward the city is the fountain Babûk, which Pococke calls Bakwok, and around it are traces of an ancient city. An aqueduct once carried the water over the southern plain; but, like most other works of utility in this land, it is now destroyed. Here we have a considerable ruin on the shore, and another ahead of us, which must have been a large city. These fragments of unfortunate ships along the beach show that this celebrated mart of trade has but an insecure roadstead. The only protection for vessels, except the island itself, is that wall of rocks, which extends from the northwest corner of the island a mile or more into the sea, in a line parallel to the coast; but they are not continuous, and are too low to present any adequate obstacle to the waves during a storm. In 1834 I lay eleven days behind them in a crazy Italian brig, and found it a most insecure berth. We were often in the utmost danger of coming on shore. In ancient times, however, the smaller shipping then in use found shelter in a harbor within the city, where boats still ride in perfect safety during the wildest gales. Benjamin of Tudela, in his usual style of exaggeration, says that this was the finest harbor in the world. It was, no doubt, larger in the eleventh century, when that traveler saw it, than at present; deeper also, and much better protected; still, it must always have been too confined and shallow for any but small coasting craft.
Mount Hermon
Look now at Jebel es Sheikh, towering above the mountains to the northeast. This is one of the most striking and impressive views of Hermon you will ever have. You observe that the north end is much higher than the south, and the center is lower than either. The old Sheikh, therefore, seems to have at least two heads; and this may be the reason why the name is sometimes plural, or dual, in the poetic books of the Bible.
Tyre
Who can realize that you insignificant village is Tyre, the city that said, “I am a God; I sit in the seat of God?” (Ezek. 28:22Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord God; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God: (Ezekiel 28:2)).
It is all that remains of her. But weep not for Tyre. This very silence and solitude are most eloquent and emphatic on themes of the last importance to the repose of Christian faith. True, indeed, the imagination is disappointed. There is nothing here of that which led Joshua to call it “the strong city” more than three thousand years ago (Josh. 19:2929And then the coast turneth to Ramah, and to the strong city Tyre; and the coast turneth to Hosah; and the outgoings thereof are at the sea from the coast to Achzib: (Joshua 19:29)) — nothing of that mighty metropolis which baffled the proud Nebuchadnezzar and all his tower for thirteen years, until every head in his army was bald, and every shoulder peeled in the hard service against Tyrus (Ezek. 29:1818Son of man, Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon caused his army to serve a great service against Tyrus: every head was made bald, and every shoulder was peeled: yet had he no wages, nor his army, for Tyrus, for the service that he had served against it: (Ezekiel 29:18))—nothing in this wretched roadstead and empty harbor to remind one of the times when merry mariners did sing in her markets—no visible trace of those towering ramparts which so long resisted the utmost efforts of the great Alexander. All have vanished utterly like a troubled dream. But the Christian would not have it otherwise. The very veracity of Jehovah stands pledged, or seems to be, to keep it so: “Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up, and they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. And it shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea; for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God” (Ezek. 26:3-53Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Tyrus, and will cause many nations to come up against thee, as the sea causeth his waves to come up. 4And they shall destroy the walls of Tyrus, and break down her towers: I will also scrape her dust from her, and make her like the top of a rock. 5It shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God: and it shall become a spoil to the nations. (Ezekiel 26:3‑5)). As she now is, and has long been, Tyre is God's witness; but great, powerful, and populous, she would be the infidel's boast. This, however, she cannot, will not be. Tyre will never rise from her dust to falsify the voice of prophecy. Nor can I make any lamentation for her; she is a greater blessing to the world now than in the day of her highest prosperity.