March 7th.
Traveling Arrangements
There are manifest signs of a storm this morning, and we will do wisely to seek some safe retreat before it burst upon us. I have in charge to visit the Protestant community at Alma, and wish to spend the coming Sabbath there. You, however, would find but small entertainment in such a place, and therefore had better go direct to Acre. The muleteers know the road, and by riding hard you can reach the city before sunset.
So be it; and when we meet in that far-famed fortress, I shall expect an account of your experiences among the peasants of Alma.
We part not yet. Our paths are the same for the first hour westward down this long wady toward Rumeîsh.
Chalcedony
Very familiar to me is every foot of this valley, for in certain parts of it are beautiful geodes of chalcedony, which I have spent days, first and last, in gathering. In the spring of 1838 I sent four donkey-loads to Beirût, and from there they have been dispersed by friends to almost every part of the world. We have no time to meddle with them today, nor is it necessary. I have at home as much of this pretty mineral as you can possibly want. Some five years ago I discovered a new locality of it extending from Jisr Kuraone, below Mushgarah, quite up to the south end of the Buk'ah, at Jib Jennîn. The whole country there for many miles is literally covered with these geodes, from the size of a walnut to that of a large melon-chalcedony enough to build the third foundation in the wall of the New Jerusalem. (Rev. 21:1919And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; (Revelation 21:19)).
Precious Stones of the Bible
I have not yet seen any of the precious stones mentioned in the Bible, during our rambles through the country.
But few of them are to be found in Palestine. I have discoverd jasper and agate in great variety, and very beautiful, along the southern and eastern base of Mount Casius, and in a few other places; but the precious stones employed by Moses in making the priestly garments were doubtless procured in Egypt and Arabia, where they still abound. Of the twelve manner of stones in the breastplate of the high priest (Ex. 28:17-2017And thou shalt set in it settings of stones, even four rows of stones: the first row shall be a sardius, a topaz, and a carbuncle: this shall be the first row. 18And the second row shall be an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond. 19And the third row a ligure, an agate, and an amethyst. 20And the fourth row a beryl, and an onyx, and a jasper: they shall be set in gold in their inclosings. (Exodus 28:17‑20)), there are native to this country the jasper, the agate, the beryl, and the sardius. If the sapphire is the lapis lazuli, it is also met with in certain parts of Syria.
Biblical Mineralogy Obscure
But Biblical mineralogy is yet involved in great obscurity, and a carefully prepared treatise on it is much needed. How many critics are there in the whole world, do you think, who have any definite knowledge of those gems only that are mentioned by Moses? I have yet to find one. Dr. Smith examined every available source of information while translating the Bible into Arabic, and, had he lived to complete that work, the student would have been able to cull from it the results of vast research. Some future scholar in these Oriental languages may yet be able to furnish to the world what is wanted, not merely in regard to gems, and the various ornaments made out of them, but also in reference to the resins, gums, spices, and ointments used by the ancient Hebrews, and likewise the medicinal and other plants, herbs, roots, flowers, and trees of the Bible.
Eastern Love of Gems
It is worthy of remark that the Orientals always paid far more attention to gems and similar matters than we are accustomed to bestow in our day and country. And the same is true with these people around us. I venture to say that this donkey-boy coming to meet us could confound nine-tenths of Bible-readers in America by his familiar acquaintance with the names, appearance, and relative value of the precious stones mentioned in the Word of God. We need not be surprised, therefore, at the constant mention of them by plain and unlettered prophets and apostles. John was not a scholar nor a lapidary, and yet he is perfectly at home among precious stones, and without effort gives a list which has and does still puzzle our wisest scholars even to understand, nor are they yet agreed in regard to them. In our translation, and in every other with which I am acquainted, the same Hebrew word is made to stand for entirely different gems, and lexicographers, commentators, and critics are equally uncertain. But yonder is Rŭmeîsh, and the road to Acre here turns to the left. All revoir, and a pleasant ride to you.
Acre, March 11Th.
Safely back, and welcome; but where have you been all this while?
Not so fast; all in due time and order. Thanks first, rest and refreshment next, and then my story to your heart's content, and more plentifully, perhaps, than you desire.
Well, after we parted last Saturday, I passed Rŭmeîsh, and, turning to the northwest, came in half an hour to the ruins of an old city called Mira, on the left of the entrance into the great wady el Aiyûn. The whole hill is perforated thickly with deep cisterns, most of them quite perfect in appearance, but all really “broken,” so that they can hold no water. I know not the historic name of this deserted city, if, indeed, it ever had one, but it must have been a place of importance in its day.
Hazere
The only other site worth mentioning in this region is Hazere, midway between Dible, 'Ain Ible, and Cosa. This Hazere I identify with that Hazor which was the head of all those kingdoms whose armies, led by Jabin, were overthrown by Joshua at the waters of Merom. The remains of this very ancient city lie in a large natural basin, and spread far up the hill side toward the south. Heaps of hewn stone, old and rotten; open pits, deep wells, and vast cisterns cut in the solid rock — these are the unequivocal indications of an important city. A large artificial cave, with an arch in front of a more modern date, is a celebrated mazar of the Metawelies. I inquired of an old sheikh what saint was honored there. In a voice loud and bold, as if to make a doubtful point certain, he replied, Neby Hazûr, who fought with Yeshua Ibn Nun. As this is a tradition purely native, handed down from remote antiquity, along with the name of the ruins, it adds probability to the identification. The situation meets sufficiently well the demands of all the Biblical notices we have of Hazor. It is true that Josephus, speaking in a loose and indefinite way, says that Hazor was over the Lake Samechonitis, and in like manner we may say that it is over the Hûleh. It is above it to the northwest, and in the center of that mountainous district which overhangs the lake. And as Josephus never visited the site himself — wrote from memory in a distant land long after he had left his native country — his brief and incidental allusion to the position of Hazor is entitled to very little weight.
The Two Hazors of Naphtali
Dr. Robinson, however, who was directed to this place by myself, does not accept the identification, nor will he admit that 'Ain Hazur, near el Mughar, is the En Hazor of Naphtali; but, until other sites with claims better established be discovered, I shall continue to regard them as the two Hazors given to that tribe. Their names are identical, their positions satisfactory. In particular, I take this Hazere to be the site of that great city where Jabin resided and reigned — that Hazor which aforetime was head of all those kingdoms of Canaanites who pitched together at the waters of Merom to fight against Israel (Josh. 11:5,10,125And when all these kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight against Israel. (Joshua 11:5)
10And Joshua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and smote the king thereof with the sword: for Hazor beforetime was the head of all those kingdoms. (Joshua 11:10)
12And all the cities of those kings, and all the kings of them, did Joshua take, and smote them with the edge of the sword, and he utterly destroyed them, as Moses the servant of the Lord commanded. (Joshua 11:12)), and which alone, of all the cities, did Joshua take and burn with fire.
History of Hazor
It seems, however, to have recovered rapidly from its first overthrow, for a Jabin reigned in Hazor, and cruelly oppressed the Israelites in the days of Deborah, until Barak routed his army on the plain of Esdraelon, and sent his chief captain fleeing on foot to the tent of Heber the Kenite, where, weary and fast asleep, he was slain by Heber's heroic wife; which deed of daring Deborah thus celebrates in her glowing song of victory: “Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent....With the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down; at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead ... So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his strength” (Judges 5:24-27,3124Blessed above women shall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blessed shall she be above women in the tent. 25He asked water, and she gave him milk; she brought forth butter in a lordly dish. 26She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; and with the hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head, when she had pierced and stricken through his temples. 27At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down: at her feet he bowed, he fell: where he bowed, there he fell down dead. (Judges 5:24‑27)
31So let all thine enemies perish, O Lord: but let them that love him be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might. And the land had rest forty years. (Judges 5:31)). Josephus adds to the Bible account that Barak killed Jabin in Razor, and utterly overthrew the city; if so, it revived again, for it is often mentioned. Solomon rebuilt it once, and long after this it was of so much importance as to be named among the chief cities of Galilee which Tiglath-Pileser conquered, about the year 740 before Christ.
But enough of Razor and her story.
Park-Like Hills and Ravines of Naphtall
We must complete our journey to Alma. It is with a kind of pleasure altogether peculiar that one wanders over the park-like hills and through the solemn ravines of Naphtali. With a sort of breathless expectation, you dive into wild gorges deeper and deeper, ever on the watch for a wolf, wild boar, or wild Arab, and held wide awake hour after hour, communing with the grand, the beautiful, and the sublime. It is only by thus exploring the rocky mysteries of the country that we can discover the wisdom of that divinely-established process of exterminating the original inhabitants little by little before the Israelites. “Thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee” (Deut. 7:2222And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. (Deuteronomy 7:22)).
Wiled Beasts
I am not surprised to find this matter of wild beasts and their depredations often referred to in the Bible, nor to read of lions, leopards, and bears in the very heart of the land. The lion, it is true, has been driven back into the desert; but, notwithstanding the multiplication of fire-arms, and other modes of destruction far more effective than the ancients possessed, these wadies now abound in large leopards, in bears, wolves, hyenas, and many other kinds of destructive animals. And although the farmer goes to his plow gun in hand, and every shepherd is armed and followed by his dogs, yet it is all they can do to keep the “beasts of the field from increasing upon them” (Deut. 7:2222And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. (Deuteronomy 7:22))
Syrian Tigers
When Ibrahim Pasha disarmed the country, they became so troublesome that he was obliged to permit the farmers in such districts to procure guns, under certain restrictions. Fierce Syrian tigers, as they are called, maintain their haunts directly beneath large villages.
Snow in Palestine
From this we learn several things: that lions abounded in the land in the time of David; that they retreated into pits; and, lastly, that they had snowy days even in Palestine. The battle of Benaiah reminds one of the famous fight of Putnam with the wolf in his den. This Jewish hero of “many acts” doubtless tracked the lion to his lair by the fresh-fallen snow, as Putnam did the wolf.
We have such snowy days occasionally, and they are attended with a species of danger in certain parts of the country such as no man in America ever thought of.
A Man in a Cistern
Our doctor and quondam magician of Ibel was once passing over the mountains in Belad Besharah, when he suddenly found himself at the bottom of an ancient cistern, whose narrow mouth had been covered up with snow. Not being hurt by the fall, he indulged in a hearty laugh at the exploit. Soon, however, he saw with terror that the inside — shaped like a huge demijohn — was as smooth as glass, so that it was utterly impossible to climb out. After desperate but fruitless efforts, he had no resource but to call for help at the top of his voice, in the hope that some chance passer-by might hear. Thus he passed two dreadful days and nights before he was discovered and drawn out more dead than alive.
Cistern in Galilee
There are thousands of these ancient cisterns in Upper Galilee, where Josephus says there were two hundred and forty cities in his day, and the site of every one was pierced like a honey-comb with them. One should always be on his guard while exploring these old sites, especially if they are overgrown with grass and weeds.
Joseph in the Pit
When peering into these dark demijohn-cisterns, I have often thought of poor Joseph, for it was doubtless a forsaken cistern (beer is the word both in Hebrew and Arabic) into which he was thrown by his barbarous brethren. The beer was empty; there was no water in it (Gen. 37:2424And they took him, and cast him into a pit: and the pit was empty, there was no water in it. (Genesis 37:24)). And just such are now found about the site of old Dothan. It is remarkable that, though dug in hard rock, and apparently sound, they are nearly all dry even in winter.
Fountains – Broken Cisterns
They certainly furnish a very striking and significant commentary on the expostulation of Jeremiah: “Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water” (Jer. 2:12-1312Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. 13For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:12‑13)).
No comparison could more keenly rebuke the madness of a people who changed their glory for that which doth not profit. The best cisterns, even those in solid rock, are strangely liable to crack, and are a most unreliable source of supply of that absolutely indispensable article, water; and if, by constant care, they are made to hold, yet the water, collected from clay roofs or from manly soil, has the color of weak soap-suds, the taste of the earth or the stable, is full of worms, and in the hour of greatest need it utterly fails. Who but a fool positive, or one gone mad in love of filth, would exchange the sweet, wholesome stream of a living fountain for such an uncertain compound of nastiness and vermin! I have never been able to tolerate this cistern-water except in Jerusalem, where they are kept with scrupulous care, and filled from roofs both clean and hard.
But to my story: where was I Oh, stumbling over the ruins, and shouting down the throats of broken cisterns, to wake up the slumbering echoes of old Hazor. From thence I climbed up to Cosa, some half an hour west of, and eight hundred feet above Hazor.
Hosah
BlâT
Taking a hasty survey of her prostrate temples and ancient buildings, I hastened on to Blât, which Mr. Van de Velde visited with so much tribulation of soul and travail of body. It is one hour and a half west of Cosa, and occupies the most conspicuous position in all this region. The architects of this temple were lovers of the sublime, and selected a spot on which to build and pray which commands prospects in all directions of great beauty.
History Lost
It was evidently a place of importance, but its history is utterly lost. The columns of the temple are visible to a vast distance, and all around are masses of ruins in wild confusion, and overgrown with thorns and briers. Far down the southern slope of the mountain are the remains of another place, almost concealed by a dense jungle of bushes, with the modern name of Khurbet el Bŭsal (Ruin of the Onion), a name without a story, which is all that can be said of a hundred other sites in this region. With regret I descended to the regular road between Cosa and Alma, not far from Râmy, the Ramah of Asher, I suppose, mentioned in Joshua 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). There were yet three hours to Alma, but the road was good, down a very gradual descent westward. The country is well wooded and most lovely, but entirely deserted by all except tent-dwelling Arabs. In an hour and a half I came to Yarîn, having turned aside from the direct road to visit it.
The broken houses of the ancient city cover a large natural tell, and lie there all ready for the future restorer of Israel's desolations. On the east side are the remains of a fine temple of Grecian architecture: possibly it may have been a church of early Christian days.
YarîN
The name Yarîn seems to be Hebrew, but I find no mention of it in the Bible, nor in Josephus. It was growing late, and the country thereabouts is full of Arabs, who bear a bail character; so I hastened on, and alighted at the door of our friend Zorab a little after sunset.
During the night, the storm which had been gathering in the west burst upon us in winter's wildest fury.
Alma
I was thankful for the shelter which even Alma's dark habitations afforded; but I shall not trouble you with the history of those three days and nights of tribulation. The good people did what they could to make me comfortable, and were not to blame if my eyes could not bear to be smoked like bacon, nor my nerves endure the ceaseless titillation of fleas. The ladies were particularly distressed to find that my inner man rebelled against their savory dishes. But the longest three days that ever rained or blew themselves into the past tense finally came to an end. The sun rose joyous and bright on the morning of the fourth, and happy was I to get abroad once more. In company with some of our friends, I spent the day in rambling about the country. We visited Kŭlaet Shem'ah, which appears to be on a level with Alma, and not more than three miles distant; but at the end of an hour and a half we were farther from it than when we started. This great detour to the east had to be reached to get round the head of some of those gorges I have before mentioned. Several frightful ravines run down to the sea between Alma and Shem'ah, and so narrow that you have no idea of their existence until quite upon their brink. The continuity of the surface seems unbroken. I once undertook to go from Alma to this castle without a guide, but was brought up suddenly by one of these gorges, and obliged to return without accomplishing my object.
The castle is quite modern, and does not answer to the magnificent appearance from a distance. The position on the top of a high natural tell overlooking the surrounding mountains, the beautiful plain and more beautiful sea of Tyre, gives to it this imposing aspect. But it is a modern ruin, built by the Wakady branch of the house of Ali es Sughîr about one hundred years ago. No doubt there were buildings there before this castle, just as there were on hundreds of other sites around it. Such remains of ancient towns and castles almost cover these mountains. The gigantic natural tell west of the castle, called Izmith, and Izmit, and also Izmid, has on it the ruins of an old castle, and the entire slope of the mountains down to the shore at Ras el Buiyâd is dotted over with ancient towers, to which the general name of Kusseîr is applied, apparently from their diminutive size.
Ladder of Tyre
In a word, and once for all, let me say that no part of Palestine seems to have been more densely peopled than this Ladder of Tyre, and yet it has rarely been crossed or even entered by the pilgrim or the explorer.
How did you contrive to pass away those three dismal days of rain, and more dismal nights? It was bad enough even here in Acre.
The Arabs are great on such emergencies, and can fairly talk down the toughest storm that ever blew; and, indeed, we had plenty of important matters to discuss. I was particularly interested and even instructed by a long conversation one evening in regard to certain confederacies between Beit Zorab and some neighboring families. One of these compacts did not at all please me, as it brings the Protestants there into close fellowship with the worst clans in the whole region. They are now involved in a case of murder by one of these fellows.
Alliances – Offensive and Defensive
It seems that long ago the Beit Zorab formed an alliance — to dignify small matters with large names — with these people for the sake of mutual protection, and to enable them to retaliate injuries. By these compacts, the parties are bound to stand by each other in case of need, to join in all quarrels, shelter each other when fleeing from the law or from the pursuit of enemies, and to bear their proportion of the fine incurred by any violation of property or injury to person. Especially must they aid in cases of manslaughter or murder; in the first instance, to conceal and further the escape of the slayer, and then to stand by his family to prevent a general massacre by the enraged relatives of the slain; and, finally, they must do all in their power to bring about a compromise, by inducing the other party to accept a ransom for the blood shed, and abandon their right of revenge. In the case in question, one of Zorab's allies had killed a Metāwely of 'AM Ibel, and, as these Metawelies are far the most numerous in this region, and delight to get an opportunity to assault the Christians, the whole village was immediately deserted, the terrified people seeking shelter and concealment among their confederates wherever they could find them. Our friend Zorab became involved in the matter by his relation as confederate with the family of the slayer, and had to make frequent journeys to hush up the affair. He maintained that the present case was one of strict self-defense, the man was obliged to kill or be killed; and the character of the dead man renders this quite probable. But the whole affair, involving as it does the entire Protestant community of Alma, compelled me to look closely at the question as one of practical morals, which I had only thought of in theory before as a curious question of ancient history.
Blood Revenge
One thing is obvious at first sight: these compacts, with all their consequences, are extra-judicial, are utterly ignored by the law of the land, and opposed to it. Their actual object seems to be to render the execution of the law impossible. But as in the Jewish community in the time of Moses, so here, the custom of blood-revenge is too deeply rooted to be under the control of these feudal lords of the land; indeed, they themselves and their families are bound by it in its sternest demands. It is plain that Moses, clothed with all the influence and power of an inspired lawgiver, could not eradicate this dreadful custom, and was merely commissioned to mitigate its horrors by establishing cities of refuge, under certain humane regulations, which are fully detailed in Numbers 35 and in Deuteronomy 19.
Sanctuaries
In process of time, many other places besides the six cities of refuge acquired the character of sanctuaries, to which persons could flee in the hour of danger. They were established, sanctioned, and sustained by necessity; and before we utterly condemn even such compacts as this of Beit Zorab, we must remember that both law and custom have abolished all sanctuaries. There is neither city nor shrine whose sanctity affords a refuge to one fleeing for dear life, and yet the law of retaliation remains in all its vigor, and is executed with energy by the non-Christian tribes around, who are the immense majority. And these compacts, these family treaties of alliance offensive and defensive, are intended to answer the same purpose that the ancient sanctuaries and cities of refuge did; and they do it. When a man fleeing for life arrives among his allies, he is safe, so far as their utmost power to defend him can go; and they are to pass him on to more distant retreats if necessary. For this purpose, these compacts are extended all over the land. For example, Zorab has allies in Beit Jallah, near Jerusalem, several days' ride to the south, and in Belad Baalbek, five days to the north of them, and in many other places. Thither the refugees are sent with the utmost despatch and secrecy. In the present instance the man-slayer is nowhere to be found.
Objects of the Confederation
Again: our friend says, in justification, that without these treaties of alliance they could not exist at all in this reign of lawless Moslems, Metawelies, and Arabs. It is one of the cruel features of the lex talionis, that if the real murderer cannot be reached, the avengers of blood have a right to kill any other member of the family, then any relation, no matter how remote, and finally, any member of this blood confederation. The weak would hence be entirely at the mercy of the strong, were it not for these alliances; and most of all would the few Christians in Belad Besharah fall victims to the fierce non-Christian clans around them. This is their apology for such compacts, and it is difficult to convince them that this, as they believe, their only means of safety, is immoral. If you tell them that they should make the government their refuge, and appeal at once to the Pasha, they merely smile at your ignorance of the actual state of the country, and not without reason. Even in Lebanon, which the Allied Powers have undertaken to look after, I have known, not one, but many horrible tragedies. Several of my intimate acquaintances have literally been cut to pieces by the infuriated avengers of blood, and in some instances, these poor victims had no possible implication with the original murder, and only a remote connection with the clan involved in it. Were it not for these confederations, there would be no safety in such emergencies, and they do actually furnish an important check to the murderous designs of “avengers.”
Compensation for Murder
I once inquired of a friend if he were not afraid to go into a certain neighborhood where a murder had been committed by one of his confederation. “Oh no,” he replied; “our aileh (confederation) can number twelve hundred guns, and our enemies dare not touch me; and, besides, the matter is to be made up by our paying a ransom.” This is the ordinary mode of settling such questions. Zorab told me that last year a messenger came from their allies in Beit Jallah to levy their proportion of the ransom for a murder committed there, and they actually paid it. I read to him Numbers 35:3131Moreover ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death. (Numbers 35:31); “Ye shall take no satisfaction for the life of a murderer, which is guilty of death: but he shall be surely put to death.” But he remarked, shrewdly enough, that this was a Jewish law, and not at all applicable to them, for they were not in a situation to investigate the cases, nor to execute any decision they might come to. He further justified himself by saying that he and his immediate family only gave to others according to the obligations of the compact, and did not take from them. If their allies entered into an unrighteous compact to save the life of a man who ought to be put to death, the sin was theirs, not his: rather a nice distinction. He would never aid even one of his own family to escape from the just demand of the law. I fear, however, that the pressure of circumstances must always render his good resolutions useless. His own son could put it out of his power to act with justice, by appealing from him to the confederation of which he is a member.
Attempts at Suppression
One thing is certain: this system defeats nearly all the efforts of this weak government to bring criminals to justice, and therefore it must be wicked in its actual workings. It is equally certain that a good government would instantly crush the whole thing. The old Emir Beshir succeeded, after a few terrible examples, in putting an end to it in Lebanon. But many a Druse wove his smothered vengeance into his unshaven beard, and waited his opportunity during the long reign of that energetic prince. And this is the reason why his downfall in 1340, by the action of the Allied Powers, was followed by so many shocking tragedies. Long outstanding accounts were immediately referred to a bloody arbitration? and settled in death.
Work for Christianity
The introduction of a higher and more perfect development of Christianity among these Oriental sects has to encounter and overcome many other obstacles from customs adverse to its nature, which are at least as ancient as history. They have stiffened by old age into elements of unyielding resistance. I was reminded of this by a discussion at Alma concerning a matrimonial alliance which was being negotiated in behalf of one of the members of the community. We, as foreigners, interfere as little as possible, and must legislate very cautiously in such matters; and yet the reception of the gospel, as we hold and teach it, must abolish or greatly modify certain of their customs, which have struck their roots down to the very heart of society.
Matrimonial Clanism
In addition to those alliances devised for external protection, there is another system of matrimonial clanism. There are certain families and circles called mejawîse, within which alone such alliances are permitted. They mutually give and take, and outside of these they must neither marry nor give in marriage. Treaty stipulations, such as Hamor and Shechem wished to establish between their people and the family of Jacob (Gen. 34:8-108And Hamor communed with them, saying, The soul of my son Shechem longeth for your daughter: I pray you give her him to wife. 9And make ye marriages with us, and give your daughters unto us, and take our daughters unto you. 10And ye shall dwell with us: and the land shall be before you; dwell and trade ye therein, and get you possessions therein. (Genesis 34:8‑10)), are still considered matters of the greatest importance, and long negotiations are often necessary before the high contracting powers can accomplish the difficult and delicate compact.
The Men of Shechem
The readiness with which the people of Shechem consented to the hard condition imposed by the treacherous sons of Israel proves beyond a doubt that they were highly respectable, and their alliance counted as an honor and a benefit. It would require very powerful arguments indeed to induce any village to accept such condition at this day. Then there is a sort of one-sided mejawîse, in which, from necessity, a family consents to take in order to get wives for their sons, but refuse to give, from an aristocratic feeling of superiority. It was a case of this kind about which the discussion arose in Alma. Now, a necessary result of becoming Protestants is to break up all these clans of mejawîse. Not only is our gospel largely eclectic, but it knows nothing of such distinctions.
One in Christ
There are already Maronites, Greeks, Greek Catholics, Armenians, Catholic Armenians, Jacobites, Nestorians, Jews, and Druses chided in the one body of Syrian Protestants, and the gospel makes all one in Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek (Gal. 3:2828There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28)). Of course, all former matrimonial alliances and treaties are annulled by a sort of necessity. Not only do their ancient allies reject them, but the Protestants desire to abstain from all family alliances with those who cling to their old superstitions. You at once see that in such a country as Syria this single circumstance must revolutionize society just so far as evangelical religion prevails.
MejawîSe
Protestants pay no attention to these systems of mejawîse, and parents and parties concerned are often puzzled how to proceed or succeed.
Many of these matrimonial circles are extremely narrow, and seem to have for their main object the preservation of property within the immediate family. The same purpose lay at the bottom of many Mosaic institutions, or original customs which he sanctioned. But it now acts badly, tends directly to deterioration of the race, and ends in insanity and extinction. I have known instances where there was not a single disposable bride within the entire circle of mejawîse. This often leads to murder between contending candidates for a wife, oftener still to the marriage of mere children to very old men. One of my teachers, sixty years old, married a relative only thirteen. In non-Christian sects, the difficulty is sometimes got over by purchasing Georgian girls in the Constantinople market. The gospel must, of course, abolish this traffic, but at the same time it will throw down all these narrow enclosures, and open the way for marriages on better principles.
Marrying Relations
It will also abolish the very ancient system of marrying only relations. This custom prevailed in the family of Abraham even before he left Mesopotamia; and the reason assigned by Laban for giving his daughter to Jacob — because he was a relative — is still held to be binding. If there are two claimants for the same bride, and one is a relation, this is admitted to be a valid plea in his favor. But this is attended with all the objections mentioned under the preceding head, and causes many unnatural and compulsory marriages, with all their subsequent bad consequences.
Marriage Negotiations
The gospel will likewise bring about an entire change in the mode of conducting matrimonial negotiations. This has always been managed in these countries by others than those most interested in the result. The parents, or the elder brother if there are no parents, make the bargain, and the poor bride has nothing to do but to submit. Her preferences and dislikes are treated with utter disregard, and I have known most horrible catastrophes from this cause. Now, true religion will educate and elevate the females, and introduce them into society, where they will have opportunity to become acquainted with those who seek them in marriage. Being free to accept or reject, they will not be married off while mere children to those they do not know, or knowing, abhor. The domestic institution will be placed on its true basis, and purified from a host of mischievous results, which flow necessarily from the present plan. Under the ameliorating agency of the gospel, the material veil of Oriental seclusion will give place to the veil of genuine modesty and self-respect, for which that has been in all ages but a miserable compensation.
Prohibited Degrees
Again, the gospel will greatly narrow the list of prohibited degrees of relationship. That established by Moses is certainly wide enough, but ecclesiastical legislation in the East has added largely to it, and introduced the perfectly fictitious relationships of god-parents and foster-brothers, and I know not what. In practice, these rules are found to be so intolerable that the clergy have been obliged to invent and largely exercise the power of dispensation; but this opens a wide door to intrigue and bribery. More than half the quarrels between priest and people grow out of the manner in which this dispensing power is exercised.
Priestly Dispensation
Certainly Christianity knows nothing about matters in themselves unlawful, but which may be made just and right by paying a few piasters to a priest This whole system, with all its appendages, will be abolished, and the priestly revenue derived there from be dried up. But such large changes in social habits and domestic institutions, to be brought about safely, must begin from within, and develop gradually, and not be rudely forced into society by foreign influence acting from without; and the Christian reformer should be contented to wait for this gradual development.
Betrothal
Our discussion included the present system of betrothal, which, I suppose, is much the same as in ancient Bible days. It is a sort of half marriage, accompanied with religious ceremonies, and the settling of the nature and amount of dower which the bridegroom is to give, a custom equally ancient. This, too, in its present form and essence, is destined to give way before the advancement of a higher Christianity, or at least to be so modified as to make marriage a less commercial transaction, in which the affections of the parties have no concern. As a part of that system by which relatives dispose of the hand and heart of a poor victim long before she is old enough to have any notions of her own, it needs to be greatly modified; I uniformly, however, refuse to take any active part in these negotiations, because the stand-point from which I regard the whole subject is altogether too far in advance of Syrian society to permit me to be a safe or practical guide in matters matrimonial.
A Continual Dropping
During the storm at Alma I suffered under the constant illustration of that proverb of Solomon, “A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself” (Prov. 27:15-1615A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. 16Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself. (Proverbs 27:15‑16)). The force of this proverb is well understood in all its details in this country. Such rains as we have had thoroughly soak through the flat earthen roofs of these mountain houses, and the water descends in numberless leaks all over the room. This continual dropping — tuk, tuk — all day and all night, is the most annoying thing in the world, unless it be the ceaseless clatter of a contentious woman. This, too, I had experienced in its most aggravated manifestation. A quarrel arose between two neighbors about some trifling affair — a chicken, I believe — but it grew boisterous, and raged eleven hours by the watch.
And a Contentious Woman
Through all these weary hours the “contentious woman” (Prov. 27:1515A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. (Proverbs 27:15)) ceased not to scold, and scream, and curse her victim in a style quite original, and so loud that the whole neighborhood was disturbed. She would rush into the room, then bound out of it, and fly round the court like a fury, throw off her tarbouch, tear her hair, beat her breast, and wring her hands, screaming all the while at the top of her shrill voice. Sometimes she would snatch up her old shoe, fly at her enemy, and shake it under her very nose, trembling all the while in uncontrollable rage; nor could she be pacified until late in the evening, and then she continued muttering, like a thunder-storm working itself quiet behind a distant mountain.
Certainly he that hideth such a virago hideth the wind. It would puzzle even Petruchio to tame such a shrew.
The Sirocco
The reference to the wind has also a peculiar force in this country, especially on such promontories as the Ladder of Tyre, and during such gales as blew on the 2nd of this month. But there is another wind still more pertinent to the point in our proverb — the dry, hot sirocco. Who can either hide or abide it? I have seen it in greatest power on the plain of Aleppo, and in the wadies about Hasbeiya. The air becomes loaded with fine dust, which it whirls in rainless clouds hither and thither at its own wild will; it rushes down every gorge, bowing and breaking the trees, and tugging at each individual leaf; it growls round the houses, romps and runs riot with your clothes, and flies away with your hat; nor is there any escape from its impertinence. The eyes inflame, the lips blister, and the moisture of the body evaporates, under the ceaseless application of this persecuting wind; you become languid, nervous, irritable, and despairing. We shall meet this sirocco ere long, for it occurs oftener in spring than in any other season of the year.
Ointment of the Right Hand
It refers to the custom of perfuming so common in ancient times, and not unfrequent now. The odor of their cosmetics is so powerful that the very street along which the person walks is highly scented. Such ointment cannot be concealed: it proclaims itself, as the Hebrew may be rendered, wherever it comes. The right hand is mentioned because it is most honorable, most used in anointing, and cannot be kept concealed in the bosom, as all salutations, and the endless gestures in conversation, call it forth. The ointment of the right hand will surely bewray itself, and so will a contentious woman: she cannot be hid.
Where and what is this Alma? I never met the name in all my reading.
Arabs Tents and Deserts
It is a small hamlet on the top of the Ladder of Tyre, about five miles from the shore at Has en Nakûra, and is the only inhabited village on that part of the Ladder; but every hill top around it has a name and a ruin, some of which were cities, not villages.
It is a singular fact that these old sites are now appropriated by fragments of Arab tribes, who pitch their black tents among the trees and bushes which have overgrown the ruins. Whenever you see a clump of large oaks, you may be sure that there stood a city, and there, too, is the Bedawîn's tent. These Arabs cultivate the soil, and pay taxes like other citizens, and are therefore disowned and held in contempt by the regular sons of the desert; nor will they intermarry with those degenerate clans who choose to gain their bread. by honest industry. But, then, these outcasts from the true Arab aristocracy have their own scale of nobility, and would scorn to give their daughters to those miserable wretches who dwell in houses, and follow the ways and avocations of civilization. What a bundle of absurdities and contradictions is man! These Arabs live in squalid poverty and inexpressible filth, and yet are prouder than Jupiter. One night, while keeping a bright look-out for my own integrity, having cows on two sides of me, goats and sheep all around, and fowls overhead, I was greatly amused by the complaints of my host against the filthy Arabs. “The beasts,” said he, “ma byarifû jinx en nudâfy — don't know anything about cleanliness!” Such testimony, person, place, and circumstances considered, was irresistible. I devoutly believed him.
Dwelling in Tents
But we may learn something from these tent-dwelling tillers of the soil, poor and despised though they be. My traveling companion over this region on a former occasion suggested that they offer an example of a custom among the agricultural population of the Jews, from which came the familiar proverb, “To your tents, O Israel” (1 Kings 12:1616So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents. (1 Kings 12:16)); and perhaps the constant reference to dwelling in tents long after they had been settled permanently in Palestine may have been founded on fact. Daher Abûd, for many years a traveling doctor among the Arab tribes east of the Jordan, tells me that the population, even of such considerable towns as Salt and Kerak, pitch tents out in the country, and there spend their summers. He supposes that this was always customary to a considerable extent; nor is this improbable. The ancestors of the Jews all dwelt in tents, and during the forty years immediately preceding their entrance into Palestine, the whole nation lived in them; and it is extremely probable that many clung to their ancient manners, and spent most of their time in “tabernacles.” In fact, the peasants in the south of Palestine do thus spend their summers to this day, and, were I an Arab farmer, I would do the same. Most gladly would I escape from the village, with its crowded houses, filthy within, and infested without by all the abominations which man and beast can congregate, to the bright sun, and joyous groves, and sweet air of the open country. Nor are houses necessary to the farmer in this delightful climate. Isaac dwelt in tents, and yet he “sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundred-fold” (Gen. 26:1212Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him. (Genesis 26:12)); and I know no reason why many of his descendants might not have been tent-dwelling tillers of the soil.
The Patriarchs Not Bedawins
May we not infer with certainty, from this and other passages in the history of the patriarchs, that they were not mere Bedawin wanderers like those who now occupy the eastern deserts?
And curse the country by their annual incursions? Most certainly. Such representations are mere gratuitous slander. The Biblical patriarchs had large herds of cattle, which genuine Bedawins have not; they tilled the ground, which those robbers never do; and they accommodated themselves, without difficulty or reluctance, to town and city when necessary, which wild Arabs cannot endure. From the first there was a sort of mixture of pastoral and city life in that age and in this climate altogether consistent with a fair degree of civilization and refinement.
But to my narrative.
Wandering in the Wadies
Yesterday I left Alma, and visited the great castle of Kŭreîn. Passing southward down a ravine called 'Ain Hor, we reached the great Wady Benna, at the end of an hour. The village of Benna lies under mighty cliffs full of caverns, on the north side of the wady which trends round to the northeast toward Cosa. We ascended a branch wady to the southeast, along a path which terminated at a large ruin called Summakh, and left us in the woods, where we soon got lost. After wandering about for some time, we discovered a Bedawy among the bushes, who threaded the tangled wood like an American Indian, and brought us out on the northern brink of Wady el Kurn, directly opposite the castle. The descent of six hundred and ten feet to the bed of the river was more than difficult — really dangerous and frightful. One held the horse by the head, and two by the tail, to keep him from tumbling over the precipice, and by great care we all got safely down.
Singular Ruin
I was puzzled to make out the age and object of the building at the bottom of the wady. It is about one hundred feet long and eighty high. The basement is a very strong vault, evidently ancient; above it is a group of groined arches, mostly broken — they are apparently of Saracenic origin. One might suppose that this was a church if he could find or fancy where the congregation was to come from. A single granite column stops up the top of the stairway to the tower, which may have been a campanila or a minaret, or neither, for there is nothing about it to determine its character. A powerful dam, apparently Roman, once turned the water of the river into the basement of this curious edifice at the northeast corner. This favors the idea that the lower story at least was a mill; and in that case the upper part may have been a guard-house, though it was finished off in a style more elaborate than is common for such places. The dam would convert the river above it into an impassable fosse for that side of the hill on which the castle stands. There is a tradition that a covered way led down to the river from the castle, and, as the distance is not great, the thing is possible; and, indeed, the termination of what might have been such a passage is seen in this basement-room.
Castle
The ascent from this building to the top of the castle was extremely fatiguing. It is only six hundred feet, but it is nearly perpendicular, and covered with bushes and briers, through which one must burst his way upward. Where the bold, sharp ridge of the castle joins the eastern mountain, it is only a few feet across from north to south, with rugged cliffs descending on either side to a great depth. Just here it is cut off by a broad and deep fosse, on the west and lower edge of which stands the first part of the fortifications.
Its Structure
The top of the ridge was widened by a wall built up from below, as was done by Solomon on Mount Moriah, to enlarge the platform of the Temple. This basement work is very solid, and exhibits very fine specimens of the old Jewish or Phoenician bevel. On this platform stood a noble tower, of extremely well-cut and very large stones, but not beveled. They are all three feet thick, and of various lengths up to ten feet. It must have been quite impregnable before the invention of cannon. The ridge falls down rapidly toward the river in a direction nearly west, having the sides almost perpendicular. There are three other towers or departments, each lower than the one above, and also wider, for the hill bulges out as it descends, and the lowest of all encloses a considerable area. These various departments were so connected as to form one castle, and yet so separated that each would have to be taken by itself. The second from the top has in it a beautiful octagonal pedestal of finely polished stone, about eight feet high, with a cornice; and over it stood eight demi-columns, united inwardly, a column for each face of the pedestal. It probably supported an image or statue. Above all spread a lofty canopy of clustered arches like those in the building at the river. The entire castle and its hill are now clothed with a magnificent forest of oak, terebinth, bay, and other trees, whose ranks ascend, shade above shade — “A woody theater of stateliest view”; and underneath is a tangled net-work of briers and bushes, which makes it very difficult to explore the ruins. After groping about for two hours I was obliged to leave, though not half satiated with the scene, nor satisfied with my examinations of it. Indeed, Castle Hill is inexpressibly beautiful and imposing; a swelling pyramid of green, hung up in mid-heaven, with the gray old towers peering out here and there, as if to take a quiet look for themselves on the fair world around and below. And then the river gorge, who can describe it, with its lofty ramparts, where “Woods over woods in gay theatric pride,” climb clear up to the sky. The very eagles fly timidly through its dim and solemn avenues.
Object of the Building
It is not easy to comprehend the motive for erecting this castle in such a place. If the road from Zîb ever passed this way to the regions of Upper Galilee, then it would have served to command it; but there is no evidence that any such highway ever led up this wild gorge, and certainly no farther than to the castle, itself. It may have been a frontier barrier, held by the Galilean to guard against incursions from the sea-board; or, if there was a time when Achzib, on the seashore, was the sea-port of Naphtali and his neighbors, this castle might then have been of the utmost importance in maintaining safe communication with it. Achzib was given to Asher, as we learn from Joshua19:29, but seems never to have been in their possession.
Conies
When I first climbed into the castle, I was delighted to see, quietly sitting among the ruins, a beautiful little conie. It had shown that wisdom in selecting the rocks for its refuge which Solomon commends in Proverbs 30:2626The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; (Proverbs 30:26): “The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks.” I have seen them on the wild cliffs of the Litany, below Bat, and also above the rocky pass of el Buiyad, on the Ladder of Tyre. In shape they resemble the rabbit, but are smaller, and of a dull russet color. Our friends of Alma call them Tŭbsûn, and are well acquainted with them and their habits, as they are with the jerboa and many other animals rarely met with except in such rocky regions as this.
ILLUSTRATION
Bees
In a gigantic cliff of Wady Milo immense swarms of bees have made their home. The people of M'alia, several years ago, let a man down the face of the rock by ropes. He was entirely protected from the assaults of the bees, and extracted a large amount of honey; but he was so terrified by the prodigious swarms of bees that he could not be induced to repeat the exploit. One is reminded by this of the promise to Jacob in that farewell ode of Moses, Denteronomy 32:13: “He made him to suck honey out of the rock.” And Asaph, in the 81St Psalm, thus sings: “With honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.” Such allusions prove that bees lived in the rocks long ago just as they do now, and perhaps they were more common than at present. I have seen no bees in the rocks except in a wady east of Tyre.
Parting from my guides, who returned to their homes, I took over the hills in a southeasterly direction, and passing M'alia, seated on a singular tell, once a walled town, and still showing specimens of ancient Jewish or Phoenician work, I stopped for the night at Tarshîha, half an hour farther on, and was hospitably entertained by the Greek priest of the village.
TarshîHa
I spent the morning looking about this large village of Tarshîha, which gives name to a sub-governmental district of which it is the center. There may be about three thousand inhabitants, of whom one-fifth are Christians, the rest Mohammedans, bearing a very bad character. Their brutal manners and fierce fanaticism have of late years been considerably ameliorated it is said, through the influence of Sheikh Aly el Mugbraby, a sort of reforming prophet, who has his residence here. He is one of the religious impostors to which this country is ever giving birth. The number of his disciples is stated as high as twenty thousand.
A Moham Medan Impostor
Like the Mormons, he sends forth apostles to call men to his new Tarîkeb, or new way, as it is named. They have produced a great sensation in Sidon, where he has many followers. His most zealous apostle there spent a whole forenoon in my study, laboring most earnestly at the work of my conversion, but finally gave up in despair. It was an amusing episode in our quiet life, and the style of argument was curious, and very characteristic of the Oriental mind.
Sheikh Aly
It is an interesting fact, however, that a man like Sheikh Aly can venture a reform which leaves Mohammed almost entirely out of the account, suffering only the name of Allah to be used in prayers and hymns — a sort of Moslem Protestantism from this point of view. He also inculcates charity, and respectful treatment of the Christians; which is an important improvement in the tone of Moslem manners, particularly in this region. As to the moral reformation, of which I had heard so much, the specimens at Tarshîha were far from satisfactory. The whole population seemed to me uncommonly profane, boorish, and insolent; still, their neighbors say it is a happy advance on the past, and ascribe the good work to Sheikh Aly. The sheikh himself I found dwelling very much at his ease, and caring little about the farther spread of his Tarîkeh. From the lowest level of pinching poverty he has risen to wealth, has a large harem, some of whom are from the highest families in the country, and in the enjoyment of his domestic paradise he has very much neglected the concerns of his followers.
Tarshîha sounds ancient and Jewish, but the name does not occur in the Bible, nor in Josephus, who performed his most warlike exploits in this neighborhood, and could not well have avoided mentioning it, had it then been a place of importance.
M’alla
There are, indeed, few evidences of antiquity about it, and what are to be seen were brought, as I suppose, from the ruins of 'Alia, on the edge of the pretty vale between Tarshîha and M'alia. Here was once a considerable city adorned with temples, the remains of which still cover that part of the plain. It is unknown in history, but the village of M'alia seems to derive its name from it. There was an Allon in Naphtali, and this 'Alia may possibly be its representative. I was surrounded by many beautiful girls, but remarkably brazen-faced for Moslems. Perhaps they borrow brass from their head-dress called Semâdy, the most striking part of which consists of a thick roll of old coins, which is carried from the top of the head down the cheeks and under the chin. Their fine features are therefore set within this metallic frame, and it is no great wonder if they cannot blush. I never saw this peculiar head-dress in such perfection anywhere else. Those of the same kind about Nazareth are much smaller. Soule of these weigh at least six pounds, others are said to weigh ten.
Sheikh El MujahîD
Taking a guide, I went over the lofty hill south of Tarshîha, on which is a very conspicuous mazar, called Sheikh el Mujahîd. It commands a noble prospect in every direction, and especially over the southwestern part of Galilee, drained by Wady el Kŭrn, with its wonderful ravines, wooded hills, and park-like glades. About a year ago, I came across this region from the northeast, and shall lung remember that ride with great satisfaction.
Yanoah
I reached Yanoah in about an hour from Tarshîha, and, as this name occurs among the cities which Tiglath-Pileser conquered, I was gratified to find in and about it abundant evidences of extreme antiquity (2 Kings 15:2929In the days of Pekah king of Israel came Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and took Ijon, and Abel-beth-maachah, and Janoah, and Kedesh, and Hazor, and Gilead, and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali, and carried them captive to Assyria. (2 Kings 15:29)).
Juth
From Yanoah I descended into the wady southwest of it, to examine the place called Juth or Jeth. The ruins occupy the eastern end of an oblong saddle, lying between Wady Maisely on the north, and the Medjnûny on the south — an isolated rock about one thousand feet long and three hundred broad. The only approach to it is from the plain, up Wady Maisely. The eastern end alone would require much fortification, as everywhere else the rock terminates in frightful precipices. The whole of this eastern part is covered with vast quantities of rubbish, and the houses of the present village are built very high, and with thick walls, as if to use up as much of the old stones as possible; the rest is piled up in heaps to clear the ground for cultivation. Perhaps this Juth is one of the Laths mentioned in the Bible.
Gath?
A Gath somewhere in this region was the birthplace of the prophet Jonah; and though that site is thought to have been east of Sephoris, yet that is by no means certain, and this, after all, may be the real home of the prophet.
Yerka
From Juth to Yerka is about an hour, and the road leads over wild rocky ridges and through profound ravines, fatiguing to the horse, but charming to the rider. Yerka, like Juth, occupies the site of an ancient town, as is evident from the columns and other architectural remains, some of which have Greek inscriptions on them. The inhabitants are all Druses, as are also those of Yanoah and Juth. The prospect from Yerka is magnificent over the hills of Samaria, along the dark ridge of Carmel, and round the Bay of Acre to the great military fortress itself.
Kefr Yusif
In the afternoon, I rode down the rocky declivity of the mountain to Kefr Yusif, which lies at the edge of the plain. It bears the Moslem name of Josephus, and has a large Jewish cemetery, held in great veneration by them. They bring their dead from a distance to bury them there, though not a Jew resides in the village. Two hours' easy riding across the plain brought me to the gate of Acre, in good health, and cheerful courage to prosecute our pilgrimage.