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at once into her presence, he whispered something in her ear. The queen, struckwith astonishment, was taken ill, and didnot recover herself for some time. She afterward said, “ There is only God and my brother who can know what he has jnst told me.”Of his own spiritual experiences Swedenborg himself says, “To me it has been granted to be in spiritual and natural light at the same time. . .. An experience like mine no one from creation has had.” Mr. White says, ‘‘These notes will help to bring Swedenborg’s seership within comprehension as merely a high and peculiar development of powers inherent in us all.” Both statements may be true ; but it seems likely that the overweening positiveness and self-confidence of Swedenborg’s character led him to over-estimate the speciality of his mission and the completeness of his inspiration ; for if it be true that inspiration is of many kinds and degrees, the perfection of the message depending on the channel through which it passes, Emanuel Swedenborg, with his many great and noble qualities, was far too imperfect as a man to be relied on implicitly as a prophet. Hence by none have his revelations been more unjustly treated than by tho sect which bears Jns name. The ''hash of notions,” as Mr. White calls it, formed by the Swedenborgians from their unquali-tied and literal reception of the seer’s statements, has withheld many a reasonable man from the study of this instructive case.On tho other hand, many thoughtful men, not remarkable for wildness or fanaticism, have studied, even accepted, Swedenborg’s revelations. Among these last was thepastor Oberlin, who was also a spirit-seer. “ Laying his band on a copy of* Heaven and Hell,’ he asserted, I know from mv own experience that everything in this book is true.” The poet Coleridge thought Swedenborg’s philosophy worth studying, and offered to write his life—an offer which was refused by Mr. Tulk.We are not prepared to agree throughout with Mr. White either in his reasoning or his estimate of his subject, but we can truly say that so well-arranged and impartial an exposition of the Swedenborg-iun question has not been given to the world until now.—Athcmtinn.TRAVELS IN PALESTINE.DR. BURT AT JERUSALEM.Among the many descriptions which wehave read of Jerusalem, its topography, and surrounding sacred localities, Ac., we do not remember any which appear to us as satisfactory as that given bv Bev. Dr. Burt, in a recent letter to the Cincinnati Gazette. We append some extracts which we are sure will afford no ordinary degree of pleasure and profit to our readers:THE HOLY CITY.Five days in Jeresalem appear like as many months in an ordinary place. Body, mind and heart find full employment every waking minute. Ages pass in quick review. One half the.Bible is rehearsed.Our first five days have expired, and we are now making the excursion to Bethlehem, Hebron, Mar, Saba, the Dead Sea, and the Jordan, of which I hope to write at another time. Meanwhile I must begin an account of the H0I3' City.But where shall I begin? It is difficult to come down to dry statistics, yet these appear indispensible as a frame work for other things. Briefly, then, I will write, first of all, concerning.TOPOGRAPHICAL MATTERS.Jerusalem is spread over a number of hills, but its general level is depressed below the elevations surrounding it. Tho city, as limited by its present walls, is nearly a square, with the sides to the cardinal points of the compass. In extent the walls measure a little over half a mile on each side, the whole circuit being about two miles and a half. The walls from twenty to thirty feet high, and from six to eight feet thick, being strengthened at intervals |by towers and lortitied gate-ways. The open gate-ways are five in number— the Damascus gate in the middle of the north wail; the Jaffa gate, in the middle of the west wall; St. Stephen’s gate, in the middle of the east wall, and the two in Zion and the Dung gates, in the South wall.Without attempting to be minutely accurate, it may be said that the city is divided into four quarters by the valley of the Tyro-peon, running through the middle of it from north to south, and by David street, running through the middle of it from east to west.Accepting this division into quarters, each quarter is mainly occupied by a hill— the southeast b3r Mount Moriah, the southwest by Mount Zion, the northwest by Akra, and the northeast by Bezetbn.The deep Valley of Jehoshaphat runs along the eastern side of the cit3', close under the walls, the Mount of Olives rising out of it eastward b’ a steep incline. Through this flows southward the torrent of Kearon, dry except in winter. Along tho westward side of the cit5v runs the Valley of Gihon, which, when it has reached tho southern limits of the city, sweeps around the east, uniting with the Valley of Jehoshaphat at some distance below the city. Tho lower part of this valley is generally known by one of two other names or forms of the same name—the Valley of Hinnom and the Valley ot Gehenna. I’or-merl3r, no doubt, the southern wall extended much further south than at present, including the whole promontory between Gehenna and Jehoshaphat. As tho wall now runs, a portion of Mt. Zion is outside the city, and of this portion not a small part is “ plowed as a field.” Yet limited as the city is, there is much space within its walls unoccupied by buildings, and at various points one sees pasture lots and grain patches between the wall and the farthest extent of the streets and buildings.The general surface of the city dips toward tho east? or toward the Mount of Olives, and this mountain, rising steeply two hundred feet above the city, commands a complete and most impressive view of its whole extent. It was no doubt this view which Jesus had “when he beheld the city” and “ wept over it.”THE PEOPLE.Jso census of Jerusalem is probably ever taken, and nobody knows its exact population. The figures fifteen and twenty thousand are sometimes spoken of. I11 walking through the city I was led to estimate the population at thirty thousand. The. number of Jews ha9 been largely increased within a few years, being now reckoned at eight thousand.Moslems, Jews, and Christians divide the population nearly equally. These seem to live on good terms w*ith one another. Each of the three classes may feel that it has a superior claim to tho sacred cit3*. That of the Jew is as old as the throne of David. Those of the Moslem and Christian long hung on the fortunes of Saracen and Crusader in chivalrous and bloody campaigns. But the fires of bigotry now slumber. Synagogue, Mosque and Church dwell within the same walls, while the worshipers in all jostle each other good humoredly on the* streets, and mingle in all the ordinary business of life.The language of the people is Arabic, although a great proportion have a smattering of most ot the languages of Europe. Pilgrims come from all parts of the world to worship at the shrines of Jerusalem, and, as on the day of Pentecost after the Ascension, Parthians, Medes, Elamites, etc., etc., were filling the sacred city with the babel of their strange tongues, even so is it now, especially when Easter witnesses the annual concourse of pilgrims. Two classes of the permanent population soon make themselves felt br strangers—the trinket venders and the beggars. There seems to be no end to the dealers in crosses, rosaries, mother of-pearl shells, and curiosities of a thousand kinds. They pursue you on the streets; they visit 3’ou at the hotels; they lie in wait for you at the doors of their little shops, or in the court ot the Church of the Hol\r Sepulchre. And it must be confessed that their wares are not without their seductive power. Few people leave the cit3’ without packing their portmanteaus with strings of pearls and sandal wood beads, crosses of olive wood from the Mount of Olives, paper cutters from the oak of Mamre, and a hundred such pretty follies.GOING AJBOUT ZION.One of tho first performances of our party, in “doing” Jerusalem, was to make a circuit of the city, pan]3'on the wall and partly along the outer base of the wai'.Mounting the wall at the Damascus gate —on the North of the cjt3r—we started westward—havinga high, protecting battlement 011 the outside, but nothing of the kind within. Nothing of special importance appeared, until we reached the northwest corner of the city. This, being considerably elevated, gave us a charming view over tho city, the surface of which falls off not only east ward I v, but also southwardly, showing the near Mount of Olives in the one direction, and 011 the other the distant blue wall of the mountains of Moab, be3rond the Sea of Death.Passing the north-west corner, and advancing southwardly, we .soon obtained a good view of the Upper Pool of Gibon on our right, at the head of the valley of that name, surrounded by the grave stones of the Turks. A little further 011 an amphitheater opened on the further side of the valle3', and I could not but think how much more probable a place was there afforded for the crucifixion of Jesus, than that enclosed within the Church of the HolySepulchre. Shortly before reaching the Jaffa gate, we passed the new convent in which the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem has his abode, Ibis personage being an appointment, by-tbe-by, made a few years since, doubtless to make the Latin Church even with the Greek in Jerusalem, a neat sustantial building, a little removed from the wall, leaving room for a pretty tlower garden between.The Jaffa gate is the principal entrance to tlie city. On this account, it is kept open in the evening an hour after the rest, they being closed at sunset. On this account, too, the miserable lepers keep their station hard by it. hoping for charity from a few of the thronging passengers. We here descended from the wall, within, of course, and went out the gate, passing the guard of careless Turks, in imminent danger of being swept from their position by a multitude of donkeys rushing in, piled Jaigk with green fire brush—and looking like another Birnham wood coming toDunsinane.Outside we found our horses in waiting, and mounting them we rode southwardly, on the small shelf between the wall arid the edge of Gihon. Passing under the cita-adel, nothing of interest occurred, until, reaching the southwest angle of the city, we saw the Lower Pool of Gihon, down on our right, and on the slope of the valley— beyond the bright, long building of the new Jewish hospital.Turning the southwest angle of the walls, we cross Mt. Zion eastwardhaving on our right various Christian cernetries, and presently the Sepulchre of David.We now passed the Zion Gate, just within which, in huts removed from the wall by the space of an alley, the lepers are suffered to live. We did not enter to visit them, reserving this fora subsequent day. Off to the south, beyond the unoccupied declivities of Mt. Zion, appeared the farther side of Gihon, here called Gehenna, where, in former days, the filth of the cit3* forever consuming, bec‘a'r.o the most impressive figure of the spiritual Tophet, pit of perdition. A little way up the slope—at the lowest point discernible from our position— is a large tomb in the side of a rock, which, on inquiry, we learned was Aceldama, or Potter’s Field, purchased originally with the thirt3r pieces of silver which Judas had accepted*as the price of the blood of Jesus.Our way was downward along the south wall, theground falling off rapidly into the Valley of the Tyropeon. The Jews’Quarter is just within.* Passing the small gate at the bottom of this Valle3r, known as the Dung gale, wo soon reached that portion of the wall which separated us from the area of the Mosque of Omar. In this part of the wall, around the southeast corner of the city, are many immense stones, with bevelled edges, of great antiquity, and regarded by the Jews with great reverence, as having belonged to their ancient sacred buildings.We now came on the edge of the deep valley of Jehoshaphat. Looking across it to the southeast we saw a cluster of stone houses clinging to the steep hill side, and were told that it is the village of Siloam. We looked in vain for the pool of that name, it being concealed under the edge of the yalley of the Tyropeon, just before issuing into the valley of the Jehoshaphat. Above Siloam rises the hill known as the Mount of Offense.Turning the southeast angle of tho city, and riding northward, we found the space for our road very limited. The side ot the valley is almost precipitous, and the view into its depths must do dizzy from the top of the adjacent wall. Looking down into this valley, we saw that the green slope of of its farther side—from the edge of the torrent Kedron, Absalom’s Pillar, a long way upward, was almostpaved with small stone slabs. This is the Jews’ burying ground. They expect their Messiah, to appear on Mount Moriah, and summon the dead to life; and they anticipate an easier resurrection from a locality in such close proximity to the place of his appearing. The Mohammedans have n like faith in reference to the coming to their Prophet and a little further on, where the space widens between the wall and the valley's edge, we carue into the midst of Moslem graves. Looking up we saw near the top of the wall the end of a projecting column, run out through thewall like a gun through the port hole of a ship, and were told that on this.column, the Prophet was expected to seat himself at the time of the grand assize.We soon Teached a point directly opposite the broad slope of Olivet. Almost in the bottom of the valley, on the first rise of the bottom of the slope, is a email, square in-closure, with high wa]ls, containing a few olive trees and cypresses, and cultivated plants. This is Gethsemaue. Not so fur up the hill, nor so far north, as one naturally imagines the garden to have been. Olivet looks bare, having few olives or trees of any sort. The Church of the Ascension was here in view, not being out “as fur as Bethany” by half a mile. We passed the “ Golden Gate,” walled up. Were it open it would give entrance into the area of the Mosque of Omar, Soon after came Saint Stephen’s gate, down from which, by one or two sigzags, a road leads into Jehosha-pliat. Mount Scopus, to the north of Olivet, was in view as we came to the north-east corner of the cit3\ Nothing attracted spe-cial attention along the north wall, until, as we neaved the Damascus gate, we passed a grotto in the rock, opening toward the cit3% known as the tomb of Jeremiah.So much for a framework of Jerusalem observations. On our return from this most interesting excursion, and after another five days in the sacred city, I shall be only too glad to fill the framework, and thereby, if I can, impart to the reader a small portion of the great pleasure to be had in the observations themselves. N. C. B.The Excursion to the Holy Land.The New York Tost, of Sat urday, has the following:The steamer Quaker Cit3r left this port June S, with the company of passengers who intend to make a summer trip to the Holy Land, Egypt, the Crimea, Greece, and intermediate points of interest. The party will probably return to this city in about five months.This enterprise, which at first appeared to be a very formidable undertaking, has proved a success, and will probably handsome^* repay Cupt. Dunning, who organized the excursion. On the 1st of Februaiy', he issued a circular, proposing to make the excursion under the following plan: He agreed to select a first-class steamer, capable of accommodating one hundred and fifty* cabin passengers, in which he would take a select number, not more than three-fourths of the steamer’s capacity. Leavjng New York about the 1st of June, the steamer would cross the Atlantic, pass through the group of Azores, and stop at St. Michael’s, Alter stajdng a day or two at that port, the voyage would bo continued to Gibraltar, and Liience to Marseilles, Genoa, Leghorn and Naples, at all of which places, opportunities would be given for visits to adjacent points of interest.After giving the passengers time to visit Rome by rail, the voyage was to be round to Constantinople, Smyrna, Joppa, Alexandria, Malta, V'alencia, Madeira and. Bermuda. From Joppa the excursionists might visit Jerusalem, the river Jordan, the Sea of Tiberias, Nazareth, Bethany, Bethlehem, and other points of interest In the Holy Land.By the plan it is intended that the excursionists shall reach the principal places oq the route on the following dates, viz: Marseilles about the 27th of June ; Naples, 27th of July; Constantinople, 13th August; Sebastopol, 17th August; Joppa, 27th August; Alexandria, September 12th; Gibraltar, October 2nd—returning to New YTork about the 30th of October.The price of passage was $1,250 in currency. Passengers will be allowed to remain on board the steamer at all ports, it they desire to do so, without additional expense. It is also provided that the trip may be extended, and the route changed, by unanimous vote of the passengers.A number of influential persons, who were much pleased with tho proposal for the excursion, gave Capt. Dunning valuable assistance, and in a short time it was found that the trip would be successful in every way. At first it was announced that two or three of our leading military men and clergymen would go on the excursion, but their .engagements prevented.The scene at the dock ibis morning was a busy one, tlie passengers arriving accompanied by friends, who wished to see them comfortably on board.Hebrew Boots in the British Uusenm.In resuming our last week’s notice of Mr. Zeduer’s Catalogue, says The Athenceum, we have to observe, that not only books written in Hebrew, but many others, more or less connected with Hebrew literature, have received a place in it. Thus, we find bibliographical works, catalogues, biographies, and the like, bearing on the subject; further, translations of post-biblicai Hebrew works; and, finally, works written in Arabic, Spanish, German, and other languages, but printed in Hebrew characters, exactly as many Eastern works are now printed in English characters.One of the most largely represented departments will be found under tbe heading “ Liturgies,” which extends over more than fifty closely-printed pages; and we mayadd, that the wide range of Jewish prayers is nowhere else so scientifically arranged as here. In most of the catalogues extant, they are simply thrust together with, scarcely any distinction; and from this practice even the Bodleian Catalogue deviates but little. True, there are few subjeets move bewildering in bibliography. The luxuriant and tangled outgrowth of the two or three formulas of thanksgiving and blessing that occur iu the Pentateuch is well nigh overpowering. From the redaction of the first Jewish Liturgy by Gaon Amram (ninth century a. d.) to tho present day,—when not merely every part of the globe, but almost every country, and not rarely even cities in one and tho same country, have their own special cycles or rites,—the art of composing new prayers has been cultivated more; perhaps, than any other. As the synagogue became more and more the exclusive centre of religious and national life, so the liturgy reflected more and more the mental progress or decay of the different periods.- No longer satisfied with the simple supplications of old, it embodied, in more or less artificial shapes, religious doctrines, history, saga, angelology, mysticism, and whatever happened to sway the mind of the “ Pailan or religious poet. The want of some such supreme religious authority, as the Gaon of Babylonian times for the Babylonians, prevented the common adoption or rejection of new liturgical pieces; and thus it came to pass that each community perpetuated and propagated all the additions and changes that happened to have been introduced into it; thereby more and more widely separating itself in this respect from all its neighbors. To name but a few of the many rites specified in this Catalogue, we have those of Germany (and Poland), of France, of Spain and Portugal, of Ital3r, Calabria, the Levant, Greece, Algeria, Morocco; in France itself, those of Avignon, of Carpentras and Montpellier. The arrangement adopted here is simple enough. Three subdivisions, containing prayers independent of any special rite, are followed by others, which are arranged alphabetically after the names of places or rites. These again are subdivided according to the particular class of prayer. Quoting at random from the letter B, we find Baltimore, Barbadoes, Berlin, Birmingham, Bohemia, Bombay, lt;fcc., all represented by some distinctive festival prayers, occasional prayers, hymns, lt;fcc. Nothing could afford a more striking instance of the ubiquitousness and—looking at the occasions of some of these occasional prayers— of the wonderful destinies of the scattered remnants of the House of Jacob,We would fain have dwelt upon some other topics suggested to us by this Catalogue, principally in connexion with the history of printing, the sale of books, their prices, their publishers, and the like, in the early days of typography. But we have done enough, we think, to show our high appreciation of this new work of reference in one of tho least-cultivated fields o£ knowledge, and of the meritorious labors of Mr. Zeciner, its learned compiler.tetttt1acte1Erct]1CIdDd8!OPnPrlt;rlt;bIn
Newspaper Details
Cincinnati Israelite
Cincinnati, Ohio, US
Fri, Jun 21, 1867
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