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Jerusalem and its Suburbs.A letter in the Toledo Blade, dated at Jerusalem, Palestine, March 2d,1 867, gives the following description of the Holy City and its suburbs :“There about 25,000 people in Jerusalem, 9000 of whom are Jews. All except about 2000 of them, 1 am told, are very poor.. I said they do not go into the enclosure where their Temple stood, but they do go every Friday to a portion of the old wall that yet remains on the west side, supposed to be a part of the same that Solomon built. And here is witnessed a scene on Friday of each week that I think would touch the hardest heart. I went in company with several others, to see for myself. It is called “the wailingplace of the Jews.” There we sawthem of both sexes, all ages, in many kinds of dress, from satin to tatters and rags (evidently many of whom were pilgrims from distant lands and of various languages,) many of them having in their hands the Old Testament Scriptures or prayer books. Some were seated on flagging, some kneeling, others grasping, as it were, those old stones in their arms, while others were beating their breasts—all reading or praying in a sing-song tone most o f them sobbing, with tears streaming down their cheeks likeC7rain; and all this “because of the desolations of Zion. ’ I was told that their lamentations wers after this manner : “Oh God, the heathen are come into thine inheritance. Thy holy temple have they defiled. We are become a reproach to our neighbors ; a scorn and a derision to them that areround about us.aS'aThere is a chapel here in which is shown a stone with a kind of a footprint in it, which, says tradition, is that left by our Saviour when ascend- a ing on high. I did not feel the solemnity here that I did in the Garden ; for, when I read that ‘he led them as far as to Bethany, and there lifted up I ilt; his voice and blessed them (his disci- j v pies) and was parted from them and; aascended,’ 1 am in much doubt as to the place. Bethany lies nearly a mile from the mountain, and then to be told | * that he ascended from the exact top,creates doubt as to the true spot. However, this old mountain is full of interest to all mankind, and we were well repaid for the toil in making the ascent. The chapel at the top is, like Mary and Joseph’s, common to all oriental Christians.Descending in a circuitous route toBethany, we first approach the tomb of Mary and Lazarus. Going downy ointo the earth by many broken steps, about thirtv feet, we are shown where« 7 fcthe three w ere deposited, though nothing now remains of their ashes that we could see. Next we passed up to their house—at least where it is said to have stood. Bethany is aeta5ncssrctaFtoplace ol only 200 or 300 inhabitants,and is filthy, as all Arab villages are.Leaving the town, were passing around the base of the mountain to j 1 the westward, by the road our Saviour, 1834 years ago, passed over on his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and crossing the valley of Jehosaphat which is Kedron, and entering the city by St. Stephen s gate near where that holy man was chased up to heav-cr\Ien by murderous hands, were soon at How long, Lord ? our hotel, the Mediternftiean, to resti1Wiit thou be angry forever ?” etc., our weary selves for the night, etc. We were there at about four!*ro'clock P. M., and saw as many as *two hundred engaged. This is kept I up from 9 A. M. to 5 or 6 P. M. 0,! how long will the‘blindness that hap- re; poncd unto Israel’ in part obscure the fa\ mental vision to the fact that ‘the hisMessiah hath alreay come,* and thev ony 1 »need not expect another? Would tin ‘that fulness of the Gentiles were al- wi ready in.’ that these that are the nat- ed ural branches might be speedily graft- stc ed in airain! However, raanv of it,wthese are turning to the Lord, and ithas been my privilege to make theac- tai quaintance of a number who have had their spiritual eyes opened, and they in: are ifow greatlv rejoicing in Christ to• %9 otheir Saviour. The English I’rotes-) taut Episcopal Church is doing a good1 of work here among this historic people,ashi:thmgjta3anPtlalso among the Arabs and others.1 think its membership is from 400 to 500, most ot whom are native proselytes. This effort is deserving the j sympathy of the Christian Church of 1 fu whatever name and order, every- to where. j a(hi the morning of the 20th we got di an early start, and passed out at the; Damascus gate, on the west, and fo struck off to the southward, and arriv- clI ed at the (said to be) prison of Jere- bi j niiah, about two hundred yards from su | the gate. It is an excavation in thesolid rock, but don't look much like a ai prison. Bending our course eastward is in about half a mile we were 011 the I ol ; brow of t h e hill overlooking the d j ‘brook Kedron,’ and in full view of tho I Mount of Olives. Descending into the valley, we were soon passing in front of the east wall of the city, and | plt; hall a mile Irom it, where uudoubted-lv is the original Gethsemane. Three llt;y G?i rival gardens, oue Greek, one Latin, i and one Armenian, are now there, all nlt; claiming to be the original; all, how-, tl ever, are adjoining, and together don't fa embrace over one acre. Originally,, w perhaps, they were one. We entered I fe the Latin (Catholic), garden, and felt a that we were now treading one of the most sacred spots that was ever j allotted to sinful eyes to behold, and wished to whisper to all around:; ‘Peace, be still! we are treading on holy ground.’ We turned to the 26th P chapter of Matthew, and there read that most touching of all utterances i that ever reached the ears of earthly beings, our Lord’s prayer and agODy there. For a time we sat in silence, and then passed out, ever, I trust, to remember the reflections there in- nidulged.A few rods to the north are the I d tomb and chapel of Joseph and Mary, a singular looking place. Entering by a large door, we passed down a . flight of steps, to the depth of about e thirty feet under ground. Here were r . j pointed out their resting places. This chapel is held in common by all of the Oriental Christians; each, however, have their separate altars and lights kept constantly burning.Coming out of this we were soon ascending the sacred mount, and doubtless by the same path or road so often trodden by the ever blessed One, after the fatiguing toils and labors in the city and temple were over, on his way to his seclusion 011 the brow of the mountain, or to Bethany, that little quiet village where lived his dear friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus. IJp thi3 rugged path David clambered, bare-footed, with head covered, when escaping from Jerusalem, and the rebellion of his unnatural son Absalom, who had set up his opposition reign at Hebron. Ah, what holy men and prophets of’ old passedII over this same ground that our sinful feet were here pressing! By a slow and steady step we soon reached the summit. The ascent is, I think, on an angle of about twenty-five degrees and the height about 800 feet. From {\ this point wc get a graud view of Je rusalem and the mountains round about her—the Dead Sea, the valleyJordan, and the mountains of Moab.h4ub(1!ftlIItcII1rcctc11(
Newspaper Details
Barton Orleans Independent Standard
Barton, Vermont, US
Fri, Jul 19, 1867
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GB 13 Jun 2021
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Barton Orleans Independent Standard
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