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SOCIETY 


F  E  T  E  L  L  U  S 

(Circa  1130  a.d.) 


*3rratt0ktelJ  anti  Jlnnotatei 


BY 


REV.  JAMES   ROSE  MACPHERSON,  B.D. 


LONDON: 
24,     HANOVER    SQUARE,    W. 

1896. 


JS 

\f.5 


CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION  -..---  V 

THE  SITUATION  OF  THE  CITY  OF  JERUSALEM,  AND  THE 
HOLY  PLACES  WITHIN  THE  CITY  ITSELF  OR  IN  ITS 
NEIGHDOURHOOD  -----  I 

DESCRIPTION    OF   THE    PLACES    LYING   ROUND   JERUSALEM      -  8 

THE   STATIONS    OF   THE   CHILDREN    OF    ISRAEL,  "FROM    EGYPT 

TO    GILGAL  -  -  ^  -  -  -         14 

IDUMEA,    DAMASCUS,    ARCHAS  -  -  -  -         22 

SOURCES   OF   JORDAN,    SUETHA  -  '-  -  -25 

GALILEE  --.-^.-28 

SAMARIA,    SICHEM       -  -  -  -  -  '         3^ 

BETHLEHEM,    HEBRON  -  -  .  "35 

JERUSALEM   AND    ITS   NEIGHBOURHOOD  -  -  "36 

JERICHO  -  -  «  -  -  -  -44 

LYDDA,    JOPPA,    C^SAREA        -  -  -  -  '45 

MOUNT   CARMEL,    ACRE,    TYRE,    SIDON,    SAREPTA  -  -         48 

BEYROUT,    TRIPOLI     -  -  -  -  -  "51 

JERUSALEM,  THE  TOWER   OF    DAVID,  GODFREY   OF   BOUILLON         52 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PLAN   OF  JERUSALEM,    TWELFTH   CENTURY      -  -      tO  face p.  3 

PLAN   OF  JERUSALEM,    ABOUT    I166    A.D.  •  -      end  of  book 


FETELLUS, 


INTRODUCTION. 

The  Count  de  Vogue  (in  an  appendix  to  his  great  work, 
'  Les  Eglises  de  la  Terre  Sainte ')  has  divided  the  descrip- 
tions of  the  Holy  Places  which  were  written  during  the 
Middle  Ages  into  two  classes, — the  first  comprising  such  as 
have  a  distinctly  personal  character,  which  would  now  be 
called  Journals, — the  second  embracing  shorter  works  of  an 
anonymous    character,   which    would    now   be    known   as 
Guides,  being  designed  to  provide  pilgrims  with  the  infor- 
mation they  required,  or  to  enable  those  who  could  not  go 
on  pilgrimage  to  form  some  conception  of  the  scenes  of 
the  Holy  Land.     The  most  celebrated  of  the  former  class 
is  the  work  of  Arculfus,  which  was  the  great  authority  on 
the  subject  from  the  time  in  which  it  was  written  (about 
A.D.  670)  until  it  was  displaced  in  public  favour  by  other 
works  written  in  large  numbers  at  the  time  of  the  Crusades, 
such  as  those  of  Ssewulf,  John  of  Wurzburg,  John  Phocas, 
Wilbrand   von    Oldenburg,  and   the   military  histories  of 
Albert    d'Aix,    Guibert    de    Nogent,   Wilham    of    Tyre, 
Foulcher  de  Chartres,  Jacques  de  Vitry,  etc.     Of  the  latter 
class  we  have  many  representatives  ;  and  when  those  of 
them  written  during  or  after  the  Crusades  are  compared, 
it  is  at  once  evident  that  they  draw  to  a  large  extent  upon 
some  common  source,  whole  sentences  being  repeated  by 
one  after  the  other.     The  Count  de  Vogue  has  been  led 


vi  FETELLUS. 

by  his  researches  to  recognise  several  types  in  these  Guides, 
more  or  less  altered  by  the  special  writer  to  suit  the  time 
and  the  circumstances  of  his  work  ;  and  two  of  these  have 
been  found  to  be  of  special  interest.  The  first  type  is 
represented  by  the  work  which  is  now  translated,  dating 
from  the  commencement  of  the  twelfth  century,  and  show- 
ing the  position  of  the  country  at  the  beginning  of  the 
Crusades;  the  other,  composed  about  1187,  and  indicating 
the  changes  introduced  by  the  Latin  occupation,  is  repre- 
sented by  the  description  of  the  country  already  translated 
in  the  publications  of  this  society — '  The  City  of  Jerusalem.' 
The  former  is  a  Latin  type,  the  latter  a  Norman- French. 

The  oldest  copy  of  a  Guide  of  the  first  class  which 
the  Count  de  Vogii^  was  able  to  obtain,  is  one  written 
between  the  years  1151  and  1157,  found  in  a  MS.  of  the 
National  Library  of  Paris  (Imperial  Library — Fonds 
Latin,  No.  5,129)  at  the  end  of  the  Chronicle  of  Robert 
the  Monk.  The  volume  was  apparently  written  between 
the  dates  that  have  been  given,  as  the  lists  of  the  princes 
contained  in  it  stop  at  the  Patriarch  Foulcher  (i  146-1157), 
King  Baldwin  IIL  (i  144-I162),  and  Count  Raymond  IL, 
of  Tripoli  (1151-1187).  The  treatise  appears,  however,  to 
be  of  an  earlier  date  than  this  :  it  is  anterior  to  the  building 
of  the  choir  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  (p.  2),  it 
follows  by  a  short  time  the  foundation  of  the  Order  of 
the  Templars  (p.  39),  and  the  historical  precis  which  closes 
it  seems  to  have  originally  stopped  at  Baldwin  IL  (ob. 
1 131),  the  allusions  to  King  Fulke  and  King  Baldwin  III. 
being  added  by  a  later  writer.  Its  date  may  thus  be 
placed  about  11 30.  Its  author  is  altogether  unknown, 
for  although  it  passes  under  the  name  of  Fetellus,  it 
is  quite  certain  that  he  was  not  the  writer  of  it,  his  name 
being  associated  with  it  only  because  an  edition  of  the 
work  executed  by  him  was  for  long  the  best  known  form 
of  the  treatise.  Even  of  Fetellus  very  little  is  known,  his 
name  being  variously  spelled  Fctcllui  and  Fretellus,  and  the 
only  fact  ascertained  about  him  being  that  he  was  Arch- 


INTRODUCTION. 


deacon  of  Antioch  about  1200.  He  abbreviated  the  original 
text  to  a  considerable  e^ctent  in  his  edition,  specially  in 
the  description  of  the  Desert  of  the  Wanderings,  the 
legends,  and  the  natural  history  ;  and  he  altered  the  parts 
that  betrayed  an  earlier  date,  such  as  that  as  to  the 
church  '  begun  '  at  Tyre  (p.  50),  where  he  inserted  fimdata 
for  inchoata,  and  added  some  later  particulars.  Other 
editions  of  the  work  have  also  come  down  to  us.  Leon 
Allatius  published  in  1653  under  the  name  of  Eugesippus 
{^v^Ly^iKra,  sive  Opuscul.  Grasc,  etc.,  Cologne,  1653)  a 
description  of  the  Holy  Places,  which,  in  spite  of  several 
inaccuracies,  is  identically  the  same  as  the  text  of  Fetellus, 
a  fact  mentioned  by  M.  de  Vogiie  as  showing  the  great  ease 
with  which  such  works  were  assigned  to  different  authors. 

On  turning  to  the  work  itself,  one  finds  it  impossible  to 
say  much  in  praise  of  its  orderly  arrangement,  but  in  this 
respect  our  unknown  author  is  not  unlike  many  of  the 
other  Pilgrim  writers.  Beginning  his  description  with  an 
account  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem  with  its  Holy  Places,  and 
of  the  Sacred  Sites  in  its  neighbourhood,  he  alludes  to  the 
various  spots  in  the  sacred  city  with  which  almost  all 
the  pilgrims  deal,  carrying  us  to  Bethlehem  rather  strangely 
between  his  account  of  Jerusalem  and  that  of  the  Valley 
of  Jehoshaphat  and  the. Mount  of  Olives;  and  then  he 
passes  rapidly  to  the  Jordan  near  Jericho,  the  Dead  Sea, 
Hebron  and  its  neighbourhood,  and  back  to  the  Dead  Sea. 
At  this  point  he  introduces  a  long  statement  as  to  the 
route  of  the  Exodus,  in  which  he  mentions  some  remark- 
able legends,  and  gives  many  strange  interpretations  of  the 
names  of  the  stations  in  the  Desert  of  the  Wanderings. 
These  explanations  are  at  times  altogether  ludicrous,  but 
not  more  so  than  was  general  up  to  a  comparatively  recent 
period.  Having  completed  this  list,  and  alluded  to  some 
of  the  places  noted  in  the  first  days  of  the  occupation  of 
the  Promised  Land,  he  carries  us  to  Damascus,  the  capital 
of  Syria,  and  proceeds  by  the  sources  of  the  Jordan  and 
their    neighbourhood    to    the    Sea   of    Galilee,   Nazareth 


viji  FETELLUS. 

Mount  Tabor,  Samaria,  Sychem,  and  Jerusalem,  merely 
mentioning  the  Holy  City  at  this  stage  as  he  passes  south- 
wards to  Bethlehem  and  its  neighbourhood.  From  the 
south  he  returns  to  Jerusalem,  and  gives  a  somewhat 
straggling  statement  as  to  its  historical  and  topographical 
position,  describing  to  some  extent  its  Sacred  Sites.  From 
Jerusalem  he  passes  northwards,  but  again  returns  to 
some  of  the  southern  sites  around  Hebron,  thence  taking 
us  to  Jericho,  before  proceeding  by  Lydda  along  the  coast 
to  Cajsarea,  Acre,  Tyre,  Sidon,  Beirut,  and  as  far  as 
Tripoli.  He  closes  his  work  with  a  renewed  reference 
to  Jerusalem,  specially  noticing  the  Tower  of  David  in 
connection  with  the  name  of  Godfrey  de  Bouillon,  inserting 
the  lines  written  on  his  tomb  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre,  this  being  the  only  notice  of  the  original  in- 
scription known  to  us.  The  names  of  Godfrey's  successors 
are  mentioned  in  a  conchiding  paragraph,  in  which  he 
has  introduced  an  account  of  King  Baldwin  I.,  which, 
following  M.  de  Vogud,  we  have  omitted. 

The  chief  importance  of  this  anonymous  work  arises, 
as  has  been  stated,  from  its  presenting  to  us  the  condition 
of  the  Sacred  Sites  at  the  time  of  the  beginning  of  the 
Crusades.  In  speaking  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre,  for  example,  the  author  mentions  the  choir  as 
in  process  of  construction,  while  it  was  still  possible  to 
enter  the  Rotunda  by  four  gates  on  the  eastern  side.  In 
much  of  his  description  he  is  followed  by  other  narrators 
almost  step  by  step,  as  will  be  seen  on  comparing  some 
sections,  such  as  that  relating  to  the  North  of  Palestine, 
with  *John  of  Wiirzburg'  (already  in  the  hands  of  mem- 
bers of  the  Society).  The  resemblances  are  so  frequent, 
and  close  as  to  render  it  quite  impracticable  to  refer  to 
them  in  detail  in  the  notes. 

The  translation  of  the  treatise  has  been  made  from  the 
text  inserted  by  M.  de  Vogud  in  an  appendix  to  his  work 
which  has  been  referred  to  ('  Les  Kglises  de  la  Terre 
Saintc,'  par  Le  Comte  Mclchior  de  Vogii^,  Paris,   i860, 


INTRODUCTION. 


pp.  412-433).  For  this  text  he  has  compared  two  MSS. 
of  '  Fetellus  '  belonging  to  the  thirteenth  century,  with  the 
earHer  which  has  been  already  mentioned,  one  of  the  two 
being  in  the  National  (Imperial)  Library  at  Paris  (F.  de 
S.  Victor,  No.  574,  fo.  172),  the  other  in  the  Imperial 
Library  of  Vienna  (MS.  Cod.,  No.  609).  In  one  or  twa 
cases  the  description  of  Jerusalem  has  been  completed  by 
the  Count  de  Vogue  by  the  aid  of  a  curious  work  found  in 
the  National  (Imperial)  Library  following  the  account  of 
the  first  Crusade  by  Tudebodus  (Pierre  Tudebove,  i.e., 
Tueboeuf,  a  French  Crusader) — Fonds  Latin,  No.  5,135 — 
these  additions  being  placed  in  notes,  and  indicated  by 
the  letter  T.  M.  de  Vogue's  notes  have  been,  in  general, 
translated,  and  are  marked  by  the  letter  V.  References  to 
other  Pilgrims  are  to  the  translations  already  published  by 
the  Society  ;  and  several  allusions  in  the  notes  to  the  work 
of  M.  Le  Strange  on  'Palestine  under  the  Moslems,'  pub- 
lished for  the  Palestine  Exploration  Fund,  are  marked  '  Le 
Strange.' 

Two  maps  have  been  introduced  into  this  volume.  The 
first  is  the  same  as  has  been  already  published  as  illustra- 
tive of  the  city  of  Jerusalem  in  the  time  of  John  of  Wiirz- 
burg  and  Theoderich,  thirty  or  forty  years  later  than  our 
pilgrim,  and  which,  though  in  some  points  presenting  a 
later  aspect  of  the  city,  yet  is  practically  applicable  to  our 
narrative.  The  latter  (facing  p.  3)  is  a  facsimile  of  a  most 
interesting  plan  of  Jerusalem,  found  in  a  twelfth-century 
MS.  at  Brussels  by  M.  Lelewel,  and  published  by  him  in 
his  '  Geography  of  the  Middle  Age.'  It  has  been  repro- 
duced by  M.  E.  Charton  in  his  *  Voyageurs  Anciens  et 
Modernes,'  and  by  M.  de  Vogue,  who,  while  speaking  of 
its  conventional  treatment  of  the  form  of  the  city  and  of 
the  relative  distance  of  the  various  spots,  notes  that  *  the 
form  of  the  monuments  and  their  general  disposition  are 
rendered  with  a  certain  exactitude.'  On  the  north  it 
marks  the  Porta  S.  Stephani  Septentrionalis,  on  the  west 
the  Porta  David  Occidentalis,  on  the  south  the  Porta  Syon 


X  FETELLUS. 

Australis,  on  the  east,  a  little  to  the  north,  the  Porta 
Josaphat  Orientalis  ;  while  at  the  same  distance  to  the 
south  of  the  exact  eastern  point  it  shows,  but  does  not 
name,  the  Golden  Gate.  The  streets  are  indicated  as 
Vicus  Poite  S.  Stephani,  Vicus  Porte  Montis  Syon,  Vicus 
ad  Portam  Josaphat,  Iter  ad  Portam  Speciosam.  The 
monuments  are  Sepulcrum  Domini,  Lapis  Salsus,  Golgota, 
Calvarie,  Turris  David,  Ecclesia  Latina,  Forum  Rerum  Vena- 
lium,  Cambium  Monete,  Salomonis  Claustrum,  Templum 
Salomonis,  Templum  Domini,  Templum  S.  Anne,  Piscina. 
The  environs  of  the  city  are  indicated,  beginning  at  the 
north,  as  Monasterium  S.  Stephani,  Mons  Gaudii,  Vicus  ad 
Civitatem,  Vicus  ad  Bethleem  duo  leuge,  Bethleem, 
Presepe  {manger),  Sepulcrum  Rachel,  Fons  Syloe,  Mons 
Syon,  Cenaculum,  Acheldemach,  Sepultura  Peregrinorum, 
Bethania,  Torrens  Cedron,  Vallis  Josaphat,  Mons  Oliveti, 
Ascensio  Domini,  Ecclesia  S.  Marie,  Sepulchrum  S.  Marie. 
On  the  east  of  the  city  are  shown  in  a  beautifully  arbitrary 
manner  the  chief  sites  visited  by  pilgrims  :  Hierico, 
Nazareth,  Desertum,  Locus  VI.  Mons  Excelsus,  Mons 
Thabor,  Regio  Penthapolis,  Mons  Liban.,  Jor,  Dan,  Mare 
Galilee,  Mare  Tiberiadis,  Lacus  Genesar,  Mortuum  Mare, 
Locus  XL.  ubi  Dominus  jejunavit,  Mons  excelsus  super 
quem  assumptus  est  Dominus  a  Diabolo,  Mons  Synai, 
Lapis  percussus  a  Moyse,  Mons  Seyr.  The  two  numbers 
attached  to  the  Mount  of  Temptation  and  to  the  Quaran- 
tania  are  understood  by  M.  de  Vogli^  as  referring  to  a 
well-known  notation,  in  which  the  different  places  of  pil- 
grimage were  spoken  of  in  a  definite  order  ;  but,  as  he  also 
points  out,  the  Locus  XL.  is  suspiciously  like  Locus 
Quarentcmv,  the  name  given  during  the  Middle  Ages  to 
ihe  mountain  near  Jericho  where  our  Lord  fasted  for  forty 
days. 

Note. — The  spelling  of  the  geographical  names,  in  almost 
all  cases,  follows  the  original,  in  which  uniformity  is  com- 
pletely disregarded. 


THE  SITUATION  OF  THE  CITY  OF  JERUSALEM, 

AND  THE  HOLY  PLACES  WITHIN  THE  CITY 

ITSELF,  OR  IN  ITS  NEIGHBOURHOOD. 

The  city  of  Jerusalem  is  situated  in  the  hill-country  of 
Judea,  in  the  province  of  Palestine,  and  has  four  entrances, — ■ 
on  the  east,  on  the  west,  on  the  south,  and  on  the  north. 

On  the  east  is  the  gate  by  which  one  descends  to  the 
Valley  of  Josaphat,  and  by  which  one  goes  to  the  Mount 
of  Olivet,  and  to  the  river  of  Jordan^.  On  the  west  is 
the  Gate  of  David,  which  looks  over  against  the  sea,  and 
over  against  Ascalon.  On  the  south  is  the  gate  which  is 
called  that  of  Mount  Syon,  by  which  one  goes  out  near 
Saint  Mary  of  Mount  Syon.  On  the  north  is  the  gate 
which  is  called  the  Gate  of  St.  Stephen,  because  there  he 
was  stoned  outside  of  the  city^  ;  it  is  rarely  opened.  For  by 
the  Gate  of  David  we  have  entered  the  Holy  City,  having 
on  our  right  the  Tower  of  David,  not  far  from  us  as  we 
enter.  The  Tower  of  David  is  situated  on  the  western 
side,  and  it  stands  out  above  the  whole  city. 

The  Temple  of  the  Lord  is  over  against  the  sun-rising 

'  The  eastern  gate  is  evidently  that  generally  known  as  the 
St.  Stephen's  Gate  ;  the  western  is  the  Jaffa  Gate  ;  the  southern  is  the 
old  Sion  Gate,  to  the  east  of  the  present  gate  of  the  Prophet  David  ; 
the  northern  is  the  Damascus  Gate.  Cf.  Le  Strange,  pp.  212,  f.  ;  '  City 
of  Jerusalem,'  p.  4,  n. 

2  St.  Stephen  is  said  below,  p.  42,  to  have  been  stoned  before  the 
western  gate.     See  '  Abbot  Daniel,'  App.  I. 


2  FETELLUS. 

in  the  lower  part  of  the  city  above  the  Valley  of  Josaphat, 
and  it  has  four  entrances,^ — on  the  cast,  on  the  west,  on  the 
south,  and  on  the  north.  The  highest  point  also  of  its 
rock  is  in  the  centre,  where  there  is  an  altar,  and  there 
the  Lord  was  presented  by  His  parents,  and  was  received 
by  the  sainted  Symeon,  and  there  He  used  to  ascend 
when  He  preached  to  the  people. 

The  Sepulchre  of  the  Lord  is  below  the  city,  a  little  to 
our  left  as  we  go  to  the  Temple.  The  Church  of  the 
Sepulchre^  is  round,  of  considerable  beauty  of  construction, 
and  it  has  four  gates  which  are  opened  over  against  the 
sun-rising.  The  Sepulchre  of  the  Lord  is  in  the  middle 
of  it,  sufficiently  well  protected  and  decently  adorned. 
On  the  outside  of  it,  on  the  east,  is  the  site  of  Calvary, 
where  the  Lord  was  crucified,  and  there  one  ascends  by 
sixteen  steps,  and  there  is  a  great  rock  where  the  Cross  of 
Christ  was  erected.  Lower  is  Golgota^,  where  the  blood 
of  Christ  trickled  down  through  the  middle  of  the  rock*, 
and  where  there  is  an  altar  in  honour  of  the  sainted  mother 
of  God^  Outside  of  this,  over  against  the  sun-rising,  is 
the  place  where  the  blessed  Helena  found  the  Holy  Cross, 
and  there  a  large  church  is  building*^.  On  the  other  side 
over  against  the  sixth  hour  {i.e.,  to  the  south)  is  a  hospital 

'  The  description  of  the  Dome  of  the  Rock,  Kubbat-as-Sakhra, 
given  by  different  writers,  from  Ibn-al-Fakih  (a.d.  903),  is  all  but 
exactly  in  accordance  with  its  present  condition. 

"  As  to  these  buildings,  see  'Abbot  Daniel,'  App.  II. 

3  The  Chapel  of  Adam,  under  the  Calvary  Chapel. 

4  Cf. 'Abbot  Daniel,' p.  14;  'JohnofWiirzburg,' p.  32  ;  '  Theoderich,' 
pp.  20,  f. 

5  T.  adds  :  '  From  the  site  of  Calvary  it  is  thirteen  feet  over  against 
the  west  to  the  Centre  of  the  World  ;  on  the  left  side  is  the  prison  where 
Christ  was  imprisoned  ;  between  the  prison  and  Mount  Calvary  is  the 
column  where  Christ  was  bound  when  they  were  leading  Him  to  be 
crucified.' 

6  'The   author  alludes  to   the  Choir  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy 


l)**»ij«^- 


JERUSALEM   (PLAN  OF  THE  TWELFTH  CENTURY). 

To  face  p.  3, 


JERUSALEM  AND  THE  HOLY  PLACES.  3 

for  poor  and  infirm  persons^,  and  the  Church  of  S.t 
John  Baptist.  And  near  at  hand  is  St.  Mary  Latin^. 
In  the  above-mentioned  Church  of  the  blessed  John  is 
a  stone  water-pot  in  which  the  Lord  made  wine  from 
water. 

The  Temple  of  the  Lord,  as  we  have  said,  excels  all 
churches  in  beauty  ;  and  there  is  in  it  another  water-pot 
of  marble,  in  which  similarly  He  made  wine  from  water  in 
Chana  of  Galilee.  And  below  the  rock,  which  is  in  the 
middle  of  the  Temple,  one  descends  by  steps  to  the  spot 
where  was  once  the  Holy  of  Holies ;  where  Zacharias 
was  praying  when  the  angel  Gabriel  announced  to  him 
that  the  Blessed  John  the  Baptist  should  be  born,  and 
there  is  the  place  where  the  Lord  was  sitting  when  the 
Pharisees  brought  to  Him  the  woman  taken  in  adultery. 
On  the  south  side  also  is  the  Palace  of  Solomon^.  Over 
against  the  sun-rising,  at  the  side  of  the  above-mentioned 
palace,  is  the  Church  of  St.  Mary,  where  one  descends  by 
many  steps,  and  where  is  the  cradle  of  the  Saviour,  and 
His  bath,  and  His  mother's  couch*.     On  the  left  (z'.e.,  north) 

Sepulchre,  the  construction  of  which  was  begun  at  the  time  of  his 
voyage.  It  cannot  have  been  far  advanced,  since  one  still  entered  the 
Rotunda  by  four  gates  situated  to  the  east.' — V. 

^  A  hostel  was  founded  there  by  Charlemagne,  which  is  spoken  of 
by  Bernard  the  Wise.  It  may  have  been  destroyed  with  the  Church  of 
the  Holy  Sepulchre  by  the  Khalif  al  Hakim,  A.D.  loio.  The  building 
now  spoken  of  is  also  alluded  to  by  Saewulf. 

2  T.  adds  :  'Where  the  altar  of  that  monastery  is  placed,  there 
stood  the  glorious  Virgin  Mary,  and  with  her  His  Mother's  sister, 
Mary  of  Cleopas,  and  Mary  Magdalene,  weeping  and  grieving,  and 
looking  on  Jesus  hanging  on  the  Cross.  When  Jesus  saw  there  His 
Mother  and  the  disciple  whom  He  loved.  He  said  to  His  Mother, 
*'  Behold  thy  son,"  and  to  the  disciple,  "  Behold  thy  mother." ' 

3  The  Mosque  el  Aksa. 

4  '  The  oratory  in  the  substructions  of  the  south-east  corner  of  the 
Temple  enceinte  ;  it  was  known  in  the  Middle  Ages  as  the  "  cradle  "  of 
Jesus  Christ;  the  Mussulmans  call  it  to-day  Mugharet  'Aha,  "the 


FETELLUS. 


side  of  the  Temple,  beyond  its  walls,  is  the  Church  of 
St.  Anne,  the  mother  of  the  mother  of  Christ,  and  outside 
is  said  to  be  the  Sheep-pool. 

Not  far  beyond  the  walls  of  the  city,  to  the  south,  is  the 
church  which  is  called  St.  Mary  of  Mount  Syon\  where 
she,  most  blessed,  left  the  body  ;  and  in  it  is  a  place  called 
Galilee,  where,  after  the  Resurrection,  Christ  appeared  to 
His  disciples,  when  Thomas  was  not  there  ;  and  in  the 
before-mentioned  church,  on  the  east,  is  the  place  where, 
eight  days  after,  the  doors  being  shut.  He  again  appeared 
to  His  disciples,  when  Thomas  also  was  present,  saying, 
*  Peace  be  unto  you,'  and  He  showed  them  His  hands  and 
His  side,  and  offered  them  to  be  touched,  as  the  Evangelist's 
narrative  relates.  And  above  one  ascends  by  steps  to  the 
place  where  He  supped  with  His  Apostles,  and  in  it  is 
the  same  table  on  which  He  supped,  and  there  He  gave 
them  His  flesh  and  His  blood  to  eat  for  the  remission  of 
sins ;  and  there  the  Holy  Spirit  illuminated  the  Apostles 
on  the  day  of  Pentecost.  On  the  left  side  is  the  Church 
of  St.  Stephen'-,  where  he  was  buried  by  John  the 
Patriarch,  after  he  was  brought  from  Cafargamala^  ;  and 

Grotto  of  Jesus  Christ." ' — V.  See  Le  Strange,  pp.  i66,  f.  Sir 
Charles  Wilson  speaks  ('  John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  22,  n.  i)  of  the  cradle 
of  Christ  as  a  stone  niche,  apparently  taken  from  a  Roman  gateway, 
shown  in  a  small  mosque  beneath  the  level  of  the  ground  at  the 
south-east  corner  of  the  Haram.     Cf.  '  Niisir-i-Khusrau,'  p.  33. 

'  Cf.  '  The  City  of  Jerusalem,'  pp.  2,  f.  '  The  Church  of  St.  Mary 
of  Mount  Sion  is  the  Double  Church  of  the  Coenaculum,  built  by  the 
Crusaders,  and  now  still  extant  in  the  Mosque  of  Neby  Daud.' 
— Major  Conder's  note,  /.c.  Cf.  also  Le  Strange,  p.  212,  and 
'  Abbot  Daniel,'  pp.  36,  f.  This  '  Galilee '  is  spoken  of  by  the  author 
of  'The  City  of  Jerusalem,'  Saewulf,  John  of  Wiirzburg,  Theoderich, 
Maundeville,  etc.  See  *  Palestine  Exploration  Fund  Quarterly  State- 
ment,' 1889,  p.  177. 

»  See  '  Abbot  Daniel,'  App.  I. 

3  Caphar  Gamala,  now  Bet'l  eljemdl^  near  Kh.  el  Yarmflk ; '  Palestine 
Exploration  Fund  Quarterly  Statement,'  1876,  p.  16. 


JERUSALEM  AND  THE  HOLY  PLACES.  5 


lower  down  the  mountain  is  Acheldemach — that  is,  the 
Field  of  Blood,  where  strangers  are  buried.  On  the  other 
side  of  the  mountain,  on  its  descent,  is  the  Church  of 
St.  Peter^  where,  when  the  cock  crew,  he  wept  bitterly 
for  his  sin  of  denial.  Lower  also  is  a  fountain,  which 
is  called  the  Swimming  Pool  of  Syloe,  where,  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  Lord,  the  man  born  blind  received  sight ; 
and  the  city  of  Jerusalem  has  no  living  water  besides 
this. 

Bethleem,  the  city  of  David,  is  two  great  leagues  from 
Jerusalem,  over  against  the  ninth  hour  (z>.,  south-west), 
and  in  it  is  the  Church  of  St.  Mary,  built  of  considerable 
beauty^,  within  which  is  the  crypt  where  the  most  blessed 
Virgin  Mary  bore  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  containing  the 
manger  where  Christ  was  laid  ;  and  before  the  crypt  is  a 
marble  table  on  which  the  Mother  of  God  ate  with  the  three 
kings,  and  before  that  crypt  is  still  a  well  of  sweet  and  cold 
water,  into  which  it  is  said  that  the  star  fell  which  guided 
the  three  Magi  to  the  entrance  of  that  crypto  Moreover, 
those  who  go  out  from  the  Church  find  near  the  door  two 
crypts,  one  higher,  the  other  lower.  In  the  higher  lies  the 
most  blessed  Paula,  at  whose  feet  lies  her  daughter,  viz., 
the  most  sacred  Virgin  Eustochium.  One  descends  to  the 
lower  crypt  by  many  steps,  and  there  is  the  sepulchre  in 
which  lies  the  most  sacred  body  of  the  most  blessed 
Jerome,  the  renowned  Doctor.  This  is  Bethleem,  where, 
as  well  as  in  all  its  confines,  Herod  ordered  the  infants  to 
be  cruelly  slain. 

^  Cf.  *  The  City  of  Jerusalem,'  p.  20 ;  Le  Strange,  p.  212  ;  '  Abbot 
Daniel,'  p.  37. 

2  T.  adds  :  '  On  marble  columns.' 

3  Cf.  'The  City  of  Jerusalem,'  p.  42.  Major  Conder,  in  a  note 
there,  speaks  of  the  well  as  '  now  shown  on  the  road  from  Jerusalem 
to  Bethlehem,  north  of  Mir  Elias,  and  called  Well  of  the  Magi,  or 
Bir  Kadismu.' 


6  FETELLUS. 

The  Church  of  St.  MaryS  as  it  is  called,  in  the  Valley  of 
Josaphat,  lies  in  the  middle  of  the  valley  between  Jerusalem 
and  Mount  Olivet,  where  is  the  sepulchre  of  St.  Mary,  the 
mother  of  God,  where  the  blessed  John,  the  Apostle, 
buried  her  most  sacred  body.  Outside  that  church  is  the 
place  which  is  called  Gessemani,  where  is  the  crypt  in 
which  Judas  betrayed  the  Lord  to  the  Jews,  and  about 
a  stone's-throw  to  the  right  is  an  oratory  where  He  prayed 
to  His  Father  in  the  hour  of  His  Passion,  and  His  sweat 
became  as  drops  of  blood  rushing  down  to  the  ground, 
and  an  angel  appeared  to  Him  comforting  Him.  On  the 
summit  of  that  mountain  is  an  oratory^  where  the  Lord 
ascended  into  heaven.  Near  at  hand  is  another  church 
where  the  Lord  made  the  Pater-noster^.  Reside  it  is 
Bethfage,  once  a  hamlet  of  priests.  Over  against  the 
third  hour,  about  one  mile  distant,  is  Bethany,  where  the 
Saviour  raised  Lazarus  from  the  dead  ;  here  is  his 
sepulchre,  and  hbre  also  is  the  Church  of  St.  Mary  Magda- 
lene*, which  was  once  the  house  of  Symon  the  leper,  where 
the  Lord  forgave  her  her  sins. 

The  river  Jordan  is  far  distant  from  Jerusalem,  about 
twenty  miles,  and  the  journey  to  it  is  sufficiently  rough  ; 
moreover,  Jerico  is  two  leagues  distant  from  the  Jordan". 
Now,  the  Jordan,  coming   from   the  north,  runs   to   the 

»  Cf.  '  The  City  of  Jerusalem,'  pp.  3,  26,  f. ;  'Abbot  Daniel,'  p.  24  ; 
Le  Strange,  p.  210. 

2  '  The  great  Church  of  the  Ascension  was  not  yet  built.' — V.  The 
church  described  by  Arculf,  pp.  22,  f.,  having  been  destroyed  in  the 
eleventh  century,  a  small  building  was  afterwards  raised  on  the 
summit,  which  in  its  turn  was  destroyed  in  1187. 

3  Cf.  'The  City  of  Jerusalem,'  p.  28;  'Abbot  Daniel,' p.  24;  Le 
Strange,  p.  211. 

■•  Cf.  '  The  City  of  Jerusalem,'  p.  41. 

5  T.  adds  :  '  On  the  other  side,  a  mile  from  Jericho,  is  the  fountain 
of  Eliseus.  The  water  of  this  fountain  first  received  a  blessing 
from  Eliseus  the  prophet  by  the  mixture  of  salt' 


JERUSALEM  AND  THE  HOLY  PLACES. 


south.  Near  the  Jordan  is  the  Church  of  St.  John  the 
Baptist^,  where  are  about  twenty  Greek  monks  serving 
God.     Beyond  the  river  is  Arabia. 

Not  far  from  the  very  place  where  the  Lord  was  baptized 
is  the  Dead  Sea,  where  the  river  Jordan  fails.  Here 
were  four  cities,  Sodoma  and  Gomorra,  Adame  and  Seboim, 
which  once  perished  by  the  just  judgment  of  God.  The 
Dead  Sea  is  so  called  because  nothing  can  live  in  it,  but 
neither  can  fish  swim  or  live  in  it,  nor  can  any  creature 
drink  of  it,  and  if  any  bird  has  flown  above  the  sea,  falling 
there,  it  dies.  And  that  sea  is  also  called  the  River  of  the 
Devil^.  The  mountain  where  the  Lord  fasted  forty  days 
and  forty  nights  is  about  three  miles  from  Jericho^ 

'  Cf.  'Antoninus,'  App.  I. 

2  Cf.  '  John  of  Wurzburg,'  p.  60  ;  '  Ernoul '  {'  The  City  of  Jerusalem  '), 
p.  57  ;  '  Theoderich,'  p.  54. 

3  T.  adds  :  '  From  the  river  Jordan  a  journey  of  eighteen  days 
brings  one  to  Mount  Sinai,  where  Christ  the  Lord  appeared  to  Moses 
in  a  flame  of  a  bramble  bush  and  gave  him  the  Law  ;  and  here  is  a 
great  water-pot  in  a  monastery,  which  never  ceases  to  produce  oil.' 


A  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  PLACES  LYING 
ROUND  JERUSALEM. 

Ebron,  formerly  the  metropolis  of  the  Philistines  from 
the  time  after  the  Flood  down  to  the  arrival  of  the  children 
of  Israel  ;  a  dwelling-place  of  the  giants;  a  priestly  city 
and  a  city  of  refuge  in  the  tribe  of  Jiidah  ;  six  miles  from 
Jerusalem^  towards  the  south,  on  the  borders  of  the  desert 
and  Judah.  It  was  in  that  district  in  which  the  Almighty 
Creator  formed  our  father  Adam  ;  the  site  is  preserved 
under  a  fabric  partly  artificial,  partly  naturaP.  Hebron 
was  founded  by  the  giants  seven  years  before  Thanis,  a 
city  of  Egypt,  was  founded  by  them^  Hebron  is  called 
Mambre  from  a  friend  of  Abraham's.  A  mountain  over- 
hanging the  city  is  called  by  the  same  name,  at  the  foot 
of  which  Abraham  dwelt  for  a  long  time ;  and  here  there 
still  exists  that  oak"*  under  which  there  appeared  to  him 
three  angels,  one  of  whom  he  worshipped,  informing  us 
that  Agyas  Trias,  i.e.,  the  Trinity  in  Unity,  is  to  be  vene- 
rated^ ;  when  they  were  drawn,  either  by  hospitality  or 
by  love,  to  take  their  place  at  his  table,  he  set  before  them 
a  calf  from  the  herd,  with  milk  and  butter.  In  Ebron, 
constrained  by  that  vision,  he  built  the  first  altar  to  the 

»  The  actual  distance  is  nineteen  miles. 

*  '  Sub  fabrica  manus  et  nature  sita  tenetur.'    The  meaning  can  be 
only  guessed  at. 

3  Num.  xii'i,  22. 

4  Mentioned  by  almost  every  pilgrim.     Cf.  '  Tent  Wi  rk,'  p.  241. 

5  Cf.  '  Abbot  DanieV  p.  44. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  PLACES  ROUND  JERUSALEM. 


Lord,  sacrificing  to  Him  upon  it  with  favour.  By  the  site 
of  the  formerly  named  oak  there  is  celebrated  with  much 
grandeur  yearly  a  feast  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  amid  the 
general  exultation  of  the  Christians.  The  oak,  as  Jerome 
testifies,  spread  from  that  time  down  to  the  time  of  the 
Emperor  Theodosius,  and  from  it  the  present  trunk  is 
said  to  have  grown  on  its  own  roots  ;  however  dry  it  may 
be,  it  is  proved  to  be  still  medicinal,  insomuch  that  if  any 
rider  carry  away  with  him  a  piece  of  it,  his  horse  does  not 
spill  him^.  Ebron  is  called  Arde,  which,  in  the  Saracen 
language,  mean^  four,  to  which  is  prefixed  Kariat/i,  which 
in  the  same  tongue  is  citj.  Cariatarbe^  is  thus  the  City  of 
Four,  because  the  first-formed  Adam,  and  the  three  chief 
patriarchs — Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob — lie  buried  together 
in  a  double  cave  in  the  field  of  Effron,  and  with  them  their 
four  wives,  our  mother  Eve,  Sarah,  Rebeccah,  Leah. 
Ebron  is  near  the  Valley  of  Tears.  The  Valley  of 
Tears^  is  so  called  because  in  it  Adam  mourned  for  his 
son  Abel  for  a  hundred  years.  In  Ebron  he  begat  Seth, 
from  whom  Christ  was  to  arise,  and  sons  and  daughters. 

In  Ebron  is  shown  the  field  from  the  soil  of  which 
they  say  that  Adam  was  formed,  being  translated  thence  by 
the  Lord  to  the  south  to  have  dominion  in  the  Paradise 
of  Eden,  which  in  Greek  and  Hebrew  means  Source  of 
Delights.  After  his  fall,  ancient  history  shows  him,  driven 
thence  by  the  Lord  to  Ebron,  ingloriously  and  as  an 
exile,  returning  laboriously  to  his  native  soil,  miserable 
and  a  husbandman.  Those  dwelling  near  that  region  dig 
the  above-named  field,  and  take  its  soil  for  sale  in  some 

1  'Animal  suum  non  infundit '  has  no  meaning.  'Effundit'  would 
give  the  rendering  in  the  text.  'Offundit'  might  also  be  read,  'does 
not  stumble.' 

2  Kirjath-Arba  means,  of  course,  the  city  of  Arba  ;  but  the  allusion 
in  Arba  to  Adam  and  the  patriarchs  is  almost  universally  made. 

3  Cf.  'John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  58  ;  'Tent  Work,'  p.  240. 

2 — 2 


lo  FETELLUS. 

parts  of  Egypt  and  Arabia,  where  it  is  needed,  for  it  is 
used  in  different  places  as  specie^  The  field  we  have 
mentioned,  however  deeply  and  widely  it  may  have  been 
dug,  yet  at  the  close  of  the  year,  by  the  Divine  dispensa- 
tion, is  found  to  be  completely  renewed  ;  the  soil  of  the 
field  is  of  a  red  colour,  wherefore  the  Hebrews  have  a 
tradition  that  Adam  was  of  a  reddish  colour.  In  Ebron 
the  spies  Caleph  and  Joshua  first  touched  the  Holy  Land 
of  promise.  In  Ebron  David,  having  been  elected  king 
by  the  Lord  and  anointed  by  Samuel,  reigned  seven 
years,  of  whom  the  Lord  says  :  '  I  have  found  David,  a 
man  after  Mine  own  heart^.'  In  Ebron  six  sons  of  David 
were  born:  Amon,  of  Achinoam  ;  Cclaab,  of  Abigail; 
Absalom,  of  Maacha  ;  Adonias,  of  Aggith  ;  Saphatias,  of 
Abiathal  ;  Jatraan,  of  Aglal.  Hebron  was  the  possession 
of  Caleph,  the  son  of  Jephunneh,  who  destroyed  out  of  it 
the  three  sons  of  Enac,  viz.,  Sesai  and  Achimam  and 
Tholmai^  In  the  hill  country  of  Hebron,  over  against 
the  country  of  the  Philistines,  is  Dabir,  which  was  formerly 
called  Cariath  Sepher,  i.e.,  the  City  of  Letters,  which 
Othniel  took*. 

Three  miles  from  Ebron,  towards  the  south,  is  the 
burial-place  of  Loth,  Abraham's  nephew^ 

Ten  miles  from  Ebron,  towards  the  country  of  the 
Philistines,  is  Bersabee,  a  handsome  and  honourable  city 
in  Israel  and  long  before  ;  it  signifies  tJie  Well  of  the  Oath, 
because  there  Abraham  and  Isaac  made  a  covenant  with 

*  *  Pro  specie.'  The  meaning  can  only  be  guessed  at.  'For  medicine' 
is  a  possible  rendering,  or  perhaps  it  may  be  taken  with  '  for  sale '  in 
the  sense  of  'for  a  great  price.'  Cf.  'John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  59 
Theoderich,  p.  53,  speaks  of  the  earth  being  '  dug  up  and  eaten.' 

2  Acts  xiii.  22.  3  Josh.  xv.  13,  f. 

<  Josh.  XV.  15,  17.     Now  cdh  Dhahcriyeh. 

^  The  Abbot  Daniel,  wriimg  about  the  same  time,  states  (p.  47) 
that  Lot's  sepulchre  was  shown  at  Sigor,  mentioned  below. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  PLACES  ROUND  JERUSALEM,      ii 

Abimelech.  In  Bersabee  Abraham  planted  a  grove,  where 
he  called  upon  the  name  of  the  Eternal  God,  as  he 
sojourned  there  for  a  long  time,  and  after  him  Isaac,  to 
whom  the  Lord  appeared  there  blessing  him  and  his 
seed. 

Six  miles  from  Ebron,  towards  the  south,  is  Bethefaroel, 
in  the  confines  of  Judea  and  Egypt,  the  country  of  the 
Philistines  and  Arabia  ;  it  was  once  a  rich  and  populous 
city.  There  the  mother  of  the  Saviour,  as  she  fled  from 
Judea  to  Egypt  with  her  Son  Jesus,  in  accordance  with 
the  warning  of  the  angel,  and  led  by  her  betrothed,  Joseph, 
first  lodged. 

Ten  miles  from  Ebron,  towards  the  east,  is  the  lake 
Asfaltis,  The  lake  is  called  the  Dead  Sea,  and  also  the 
Sea  of  the  Devil,  because  by  his  stimulation  and  instiga- 
tion those  four  most  miserable  cities,  Sodoma,  Gomorra, 
Seboim,  Adama,  were  destroyed  by  sulphurous  fire,  and 
from  a  condition  of  profuse  luxury^'  were  submerged  in 
that  lake,  as  they  persisted  in  their  baseness.  Sodoma  is 
interpreted  Silent  Flock  or  Blindness ;  Gomorra,  Fear  of 
the  People  or  Sedition  ;  Seboim,  The  Sea,  or  A  Sea-station  ; 
Adama,  Desirable"^.  Above  the  Lake,  a  mile  from  it,  in  a 
bend  of  Judea,  is  Segor^  Segor  means  little  or  small. 
Segor  is  known  as  Bala,  which  means  absorbed,  and  Zoara*, 
which  is  a  Syriac  name  ;  by  the  union  of  those  it  is  called 
Balezora.     This    is   the  Segor  to   which    Loth    fled    from 

^  'Ex  superhabundantibus.' 

2  Sodom  signifies  'burning'  ;  Gomorra,  'culture,'  'habitation,'  'de- 
pression' ;  Zeboiim,  'gazelles,'  'hyenas' ;  Admah,  'earth.' 

3  As  to  vSegor,  see  Le  Strange,  pp.  286,  ff.,  and  'Palestine  Ex- 
ploration Fund  Quarterly  Statement,'  1886,  p.  19.  The  Segor  of  the 
text,  however,  being  in  Judasa,  is  to  the  west  of  the  Dead  Sea,  not  to 
the  south-east,  where  the  Arabian  Zoar  is. 

4  ^  Zoiteirah.  One  still  sees  some  remains  of  fortifications  of  the 
time  of  the  Crusades.  Cf.  De  Saulcy,  '  Voy.  aut.  de  la  Mer  Morte.' — 
V.     This  is  a  mistake.     Cf.  Le  Strange,  p.  288. 


12  FETELLUS. 

Sodoma  under  the  guidance  of  the  angels,  it  being  reserved 
from  the  fire  and  overthrow  in  answer  to  his  prayers.  In 
the  exit  from  Segor  Loth's  wife  was  changed  into  a 
statue  of  salt,  so  that  she  still  leaves  her  mark  there. 
Above  Segor,  on  a  mountain  over  against  Judea,  Loth, 
having  drunk  too  much,  lay  with  his  own  daughters  and 
begat  from  them  Moab  and  Ammon.  Segor  is  called  by 
our  compatriots  Casale  Paime^.  The  district  of  these  five 
cities  is  called  Pentapolis,  on  account  of  the  five  cities. 
That  Pentapolis,  before  the  cities  and  the  region  were 
overthrown,  was  a  well-wooded  valley,  embracing  the 
same  cities  in  which  Chodorlaomor  or  Chodolagomer,  King 
of  the  Elamites,  and  Amraphel,  King  of  Sennaar,  and 
Ariog,  King  of  Pontus,  and  Thades,  King  of  Nations,  made 
war  against  Basa,  King  of  Sodoma,  and  Barsa,  King  of 
Gomorra,  and  Sennaab,  King  of  Adama,  and  Semeber,  King 
of  Seboim,  and  the  King  of  Bala.  These  five  being  routed, 
the  victors  carried  avvay  with  them  the  goods  of  the 
people  of  Sodoma  and  of  Gomorra  with  their  food,  taking 
captive  thence  Loth,  Abraham's  nephew. 

Between  Segor  and  Jerico  is  the  district  known  as  that 
of  Engadi,  whence  also  are  the  vineyards  of  Engadi,  where 
the  balsam  used  to  grow  in  wonderful  richness.  Above 
the  Asphaltic  Lake  is  much  alum  and  much  katranium'^. 
Alum  is  the  salt  liquor  of  the  earth,  which  in  winter 
coagulates  from  the  slime  and  the  water,  and  is  matured 
by  the  summer  sun  :  it  is  called  alum  [alumen),  from 
lumen,  because  it  exhibits  light  with  coloured  tinges. 
Catraneum  is  a  sort  of  black  smelling  liquor,  very  neces- 
sary for  anointing  camels  to  remove  the  mange,  and  for 
rubbing   vines   to   drive   away  the   worms   that   consume 

•  Cf.  'John  of  Wiirzbnrg,'  p.  60. 

"  Liquid  bitumen,  oil  of  naphtha,  or  petroleum.' — V.  Pilch.  Cf. 
'  1  hcoderich,*  p.  54. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  PLACES  ROUND  JERUSALEM.      13 

them^.     Near  Asphaltis    is  a    mountain   which   is  almost 

altogether  of  gem-like  salt^.     From  the  lake  are  extracted 

mill-stones,   now  necessary   in    these  districts.     From  the 

lake  bitumen  is  extracted,  which  is  useful  to  doctors.     The 

lake  is  of  such  clearness  that  ancient  buildings  and  ruins 

can  be  clearly  seen  through  it,  but  it  is  of  such  bitterness 

that  it  cannot  long  be  tolerated  by  any  living  creature,  nor 

can    it   be  flown    across   by   any   bird.     In    the   lake   are 

islands  producing  bright  green  apples,  which  appear  most 

desirable  for  eating,  but  such  that  if  one  plucks  them  they 

immediately  shrivel  up  and  are  reduced  to  ashes,  exhaling 

a  smoke  as  if  they  were  still  burning.     The  wood  of  the 

islands  also  often  seems  to  be  scattered  over  with  ashes 

and  embers,  as  if  representing  the  burning  of  the  cities. 

From  the  islands  wood  is  brought  by  a  ship,  being  needed 

for  the  use  of  the  locality.     If  one  happens  to  spend  the 

night  above  the  lake,  and  has  laid  one's  bottle  full  of  wine 

or  water  on  the  ground,  one  finds  it  next  day.  from  being 

sweet  to  have  become  bitter  and  undrinkable.     There  is  in 

the  lake  over  against  Zodran  the  island  which  the  blessed 

Sabas  visited  to  spend  Lent  in  solitude,  and  where,  on  the 

instigation  of  the  devil,  he  was  almost  completely  burned 

up  by  a  sudden  whirl  of  fire,  and  was  almost  lifeless  for 

seven  days,  but  he  was  preserved  by  the  mercy  of  God 

and  regained  his  strength  ;  yet  ever  afterwards  he  remained 

beardless,  and  on  returning  home  he  was  scarcely  recognised 

as  Sabas  by  his  brethren. 

Above  the  asphaltic  districts,  in  the  descent  of  Arabia, 
is  the   ancient   city  of  Sava^   which  Chodorlagomer  de- 

I  Cf.  Le  Strange,  p.  64,  quoting  Istakhri  and  Ibn  Haukal.  'Nasir- 
i-Khusrau,'  p.  18. 

'  Jebel-  Usdum. 

3  Shaveh  Kiriathaim,  Gen.  xiv.  5,/.^.,  'the  Plain  of  Kiriathaim,' — not 
identified.  Kiriathaim  may  be  the  ruin  of  el  Kitreiydt,  between  Dibon,, 
Dhibdn,  and  Medeba,  Medeba. 


14  FETELLUS. 

stroyed.     The  above-mentioned  PentapoHs  is  in  the  con- 
fines of  Judea  and  Arabia. 

Arabia,  at  the  time  of  the  departure  of  Israel  from 
Egypt,  was  a  land  of  vast  solitude  and  horror,  a  land 
pathless  and  waterless  ;  but  under  the  guidance  of  Moses 
it  was,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  irrigated  by  fountains,  and  is 
rendered  most  fertile^  In  Arabia  the  Lord  detained  the 
people  of  Israel  for  forty  years  in  forty-two  stations,  while 
their  garments  were  not  worn  away,  satisfying  them  with 
the  dew  of  heaven  and  manna,  each  of  them  gathering 
for  his  household  the  varied  and  solid  delicacy.  The 
significations  of  these  stations,  and  a  catalogue  of  them  I 
have  arranged  so  as  to  mention  them  in  my  work  :  through 
them  the  true  Hebrew  who  hastens  to  pass  from  earth  to 
heaven  must  run  his  race,  and,  leaving  the  Egypt  of  the 
world,  must  enter  the  land  of  promise,  i.e.,  the  heavenly 
father-land. 

The  first  station  is  Ramesses^,  a  city  on  the  confines  of 
Egypt,  where  the  congregation  of  Israel  entered  the  desert 
on  the  next  day  after  the  Passover,  in  the  sight  of  the 
Egyptians  whom  they  had  to  a  considerable  extent  astutely 
deprived  of  their  gold  and  silver  vessels.  Ramesses  is 
interpreted  commotion  or  tJiundering. 

The  second  station,  Socoth,  where  first  they  cooked 
unleavened  bread  and  first  pitched  tents.  Socoth  signifies 
tabernacles  or  tents. 

The  third  station,  Ethan  in  the  desert,  in  which,  as  the 
Lord  went  before  them,  the  column  of  fire  showed  to  His 

»  *  Uberrima  et  feralis.'  The  translation  of  the  latter  adjective  may 
be  given  up  ;  its  ordinary  meaning  is  'deadly.' 

=  'The  author  has  followed  the  order  indicated  in  Num.  xxxiii. 
The  orthography  of  the  names  is  often  much  altered.' — V.  The  name 
Rameses  is,  of  course,  taken  from  the  great  king  of  that  name. 


STATIONS  IN  THE  EXODUS.  15 

people  by  night,  and  the  cloud  by  day.  Ethan  means 
fortitude  or  perfection^. 

The  fourth  station,  Fyairoth,  which  is  over  against 
Belfeson.  Yyd\\o\\i  sxgm'^o.'s  moictJi  of  the  nobles^ ;  Belfcson, 
Lord  of  the  north  zvind'^. 

The  fifth  station,  Mara,  the  Red  Sea  being  crossed 
after  three  days.     Mara  signifies  bitterness. 

The  sixth  station,  Helim,  where  they  found  twelve 
fountains  and  seventy  palm-trees. 

The  seventh  station  again  at  the  Red  Sea,  some  winding 
of  it  being  met  with. 

The  eighth  station  in  the  Wilderness  of  Sin,  which  ex- 
tends as  far  as  Mount  Synai.  Sin  signifies  a  bramble  or 
Jiatred'^. 

The  ninth  station,  Depheca^,  which  mc3.ns  piilsation. 

The  tenth  station,  Alus*^,  which  signifies  discontent.  In 
that  wilderness,  under  the  constraint  of  famine,  Israel 
murmured,  receiving  quails  in  the  evening,  manna  the  next 
morning. 

The  eleventh  station,  Raphidin'',  which  signifies  desola- 
tion of  the  brave  or  bringing  back  of  hands.  Here,  when 
the  people  thirsted,  the  fountain  flowed  from  the  rock 
Oreb  ;  there  Joshua  attacked  Amalech  ;  there  Getro^  came 
to  Moses  ;  there,  in  the  absence  of  Moses,  the  people, 
murmuring  against  God,  forged  a  calf  out  of  gold,  worship- 
ping it. 

The  twelfth  station,  the  wilderness  of  Synai.  Synai^  is 
interpreted  bramble.     Mount  Synai  is  in   Arabia,  of  very 

^  Etham,  'the  fortress.' 

2  Pi-hahiroth,  '  the  place  where  the  reeds  grow,'  '  the  entrance  to 
the  bogs.' 

3  Baal-zephon,  '  the  master  of  the  north.' 

*  Sin, 'clay?'  5  Dophkah, 'knocking' or  '  overdriving.' 

^  Alush,  'a  crowd.'  7  Rephidim,  'rests'  or  'stays.'         ^  Jethra 

^  The  most  probable  derivation  of  Sinai  is  from  Seneh^  'acacia.,' 


16  FETELLUS. 

lofty  height,  and  hard  of  access,  the  ascent  of  it  being  of 
three  thousand  and  five  hundred  steps.  Of  Synai  it  is 
said  by  the  most  holy  hermits  and  monks  who  dwell  there, 
that  from  the  time  of  Moses  the  place  is  the  constant 
walking-place  of  heavenly  angels.  Mount  Synai  always 
smokes  and  flashes  with  fiery  brightness.  Of  Synai  it  is 
said,  and  it  is  true,  that  every  Sabbath  heavenly  fire  flies 
around  it,  but  does  not  burn  ;  some  it  touches,  but  it  does 
not  hurt  them,  appearing  most  frequently  as  if  in  white 
fleeces  with  a  slight  movement  encompassing  the  mountain, 
sometimes  descending  with  an  intolerable  and  terrible 
noise,  those  most  holy  inhabitants  fleeing  thence  through 
the  crypts  and  the  cells  of  the  cenobites.  On  the  summit 
of  Synai  is  a  venerable  and  beautiful  church^,  situated  on 
the  spot  where  God  gave  to  Moses  the  Law  written  with 
His  own  finger  on  tablets  of  stone.  Of  so  venerable 
dignity  is  the  before-named  church,  that  none  dare  to 
enter  it,  or  even  to  ascend  the  mountain,  unless  they  have 
first  rendered  themselves  acceptable  by  confession,  and 
afflicted  themselves  by  fastings  and  prayers.  So  religious 
are  the  monks  and  hermits,  that  they  serve  God  alone 
without  any  affection  of  body  and  mind  ;  so  illustrious 
their  reputation,  that  from  the  confines  of  Ethiopia  to  the 
utmost  bounds  of  the  Persians,  they  are  venerated  by 
every  Eastern  tongue,  possessing  their  property  freely  and 
quietly  among  themselves.  They  have  their  cells  through 
Egypt,  and  in  Persia,  around  the  Red  Sea  and  in  Arabia, 
from  which  all  they  require  flows  most  liberally.  They 
are  also  so  reverenced  that  no  one  presumes  to  offend  them 
in  anything,  and  if  one  should  happen  to  touch  them  in 
any   way,  it   is   heavily   avenged   by    God.     Around    the 

*  Reference  is  made  to  the  Chapel  on  the  summit  of  Jebel  MCisa, 
and  also  to  the  Convent  of  St.  Catherine  in  the  valley  below,  but  the 
passage  is  rather  obscure. 


STATIONS  IN  THE  EXODUS.  17 

mountain  they  dwell,  each  in  his  own  cell,  living  not  in 
common,  but  of  common  property.  In  Synai  the  bramble 
bush  in  which  the  Lord  appeared  to  Moses  in  a  flame  of 
fire  still  shows  His  marks. 

The  thirteenth  station  is  the  Graves  of  Lust^ ;  there  the 
children  of  Israel  lusted  for  flesh,  on  account  of  which  the 
anger  of  God  attacked  the  people,  and  many  perished, 
whence  also  that  place  obtained  its  name. 

The  fourteenth  station,  Asseroth^  where  Aaron  and 
Mary,  disparaging  Moses  because  he  had  taken  an  alien 
wife,  a  daughter  of  the  King  of  Ethiopia,  were  smitten  by 
the  Lord.  Her  he  had  married  at  the  time  of  his  military 
triumph,  in  the  city  of  Saba,  now  called  Maro^,  some 
distance  from  the  Nile,  between  the  Astabus  and  the 
Astaburra, — a  city  rendered  great  and  opulent  by  the  con- 
junction of  art  and  nature.     Asseroth  signifies  offence^. 

The  fifteenth  station,  Rethma,  which  means  sound  or 
junipet^.  From  this  place  the  twelve  spies  were  sent  to 
the  Land  of  Promise,  from  which  they  brought  a  cluster  of 
grapes. 

The  sixteenth  station,  Camoth,  which  (in  Latin)  means 
division  of  a  pomegranate^. 

*  Correct  rendering  of  Kibroth-hattaavah, 

2  Hazeroth. 

3  Eusebius  quotes  from  Artapanus  the  tradition  that  Moses,  being 
sent  on  an  expedition  against  Ethiopia,  advanced  to  its  capital,  Saba, 
to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Meroe,  from  his  adopted  mother, 
Merrhis.  Tharbis,  the  daughter  of  the  Ethiopian  king,  returned  with 
him  as  his  wife.  See  Smith's  '  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,'  s.v.  Moses. 
The  Astabus  and  Astaburra  are  the  Astapos  and  Astaboras  of 
Ptolemy, — the  Blue  Nile,  or  Bahr  el-Azrak,  and  the  Atbara,  the  most 
northerly  tributary  of  the  Nile. 

4  Hazeroth,  '  lenced  enclosures.' 

5  Rithmah,  from  retein^  'a  broom  bush.' 

^  The  name  of  this  station  is  marvellously  altered  from  Rimmon- 
parez,  'pomegranate  breach.' 


i8  FETELLUS. 

The  seventeenth  station,  Lebna,  which  (in  Latin)  is 
rendered  ///  t/ie  side^. 

The  eighteenth  station,  Retsa,  which  is  turned  into 
bridle^. 

The  nineteenth  station,  Celeta,  which  is  interpreted  chnrd^. 

The  twentieth,  Mount  Sepher,  which  is  interpreted 
beauty,  i.e.,  Christ*. 

The  twenty-first,  Araba,  which  signifies  miracle^. 

The  twenty-second,  Maceloth,  which  signifies  in  the 
assembly,  i.e.,  in  the  church^. 

The  twenty-third,  Taath''',  which  is  interpreted /^^r. 

The  twenty-fourth,  Thare^  which  signifies  for  service  or 
for  pasture. 

The  twenty-fifth,  Methca,  which  is  turned  into  delight. 

The  twenty-sixth,  Asmona,  which  signifies  haste^^. 

The  twenty-seventh,  Afferoth^^,  which  is  interpreted 
bonds  or  discipline. 

The  twenty-eighth,  Baneiachan,  which  is  interpreted 
sons  of  necessity  or  of  crashing^-. 

The  twenty-ninth,  Gadgad^^,  which  signifies  messenger,  or 
sharpness,  or  circumcision. 

The  thirtieth  station,  Gabatath,  which  is  interpreted 
goodness,  i.e.,  Christ^^. 

The  thirty-first,  Ebrona,  that  is,  crossing. 

The  thirty-second,  Asiongaber^^,  which  signifies  to  the 
wood  of  a  man. 

'  Libnah,  '  whiteness.'  =  Rissah,  '  dew.' 

3  Kehelathah,  '  assembling.'      4  Mount  Shapher, '  mount  of  beauty.' 

5  Haradah,  '  place  of  terror.'  ^  Makkeloth, 'assemblies.' 

7  Tahalh,  *  under,'  '  below.'  s  Tarah,  *  delay.' 

9  Mithcah,  '  sweetness.'  '°  Hashmonah,  '  fatness.' 

"  Moseroth,  rightly  rendered  '  bonds.' 

"  Bene-jaakan,  [the  wells  of  (Deut.  x.  6)]  'the  sons  of  Jaakan.' 

'3  Hor-ha-gidgad,  'mountain  of  the  thunder.' 

M  Jotbaihah,  'goodness.'         '5  Eziongeber,  'the  giant's  backbone.' 


STATIONS  IN  THE  EXODUS.  19 

The  thirty-third,  the  Desert  of  Sin,  which  is  Cades,  or 
Cades  Barne.  Sin  is  interpreted  /lo/j/^.  There  Mary,  the 
sister  of  Moses  and  Aaron,  dies  and  is  buried.  There 
Moses  twice  struck  the  rock  with  the  rod  ;  thence  two 
rivulets  spread  to  irrigate  those  parts  of  Arabia. 

The  thirty-fourth  station.  Mount  Or,  in  the  confines 
of  Edom.  There  Aaron  died  in  a  place  which  is  called 
Horeth. 

In  the  region  of  Or  is  Mount  Eden,  which  is  called  a 
mountain  of  sands,  because  it  is  situated  in  a  sandy 
district.  It  is  an  inaccessible  mountain,  and  of  marvellous 
height,  naturally  erected  like  a  tower,  as  if  it  had  been 
cut  away  artificially.  Its  circuit  is  more  than  a  day's 
march.  On  the  sides  of  the  mountain  trees  are  rarely 
seen.  Many  birds  of  different  kinds  fly  round  the  moun- 
tain in  flocks,  although  the  mountain  seems  to  be  without 
greenness  and  moisture,  far  removed  from  all  fertility, 
being  situated  in  a  desert.  As  to  it,  those  who  live  more 
near  to  it  assert  positively  that  once  the  ascent  of  the 
mountain  was  opened  up  to  two  men  by  the  will  of  God, 
the  former  of  whom,  with  swift  foot,  speedy  step,  freely 
overpassed  the  bounds  of  the  mountain,  while  the  second 
could  scarcely  approach  the  middle  of  it,  wearied^  breath- 
less, and  sitting  down.  The  former,  passing  over  the 
higher  parts,  while  he  marvelled  at  the  beauty  of  the 
mountain,  the  tranquillity  of  the  spot,  the  serenity  of  the 
air,  the  redolence  of  the  flowers,  the  odour  of  spices,  the 
variety  of  precious  stones  in  the  rivulets  of  the  fountains, 
and  the  shining  of  the  fountains,  the  affluence  of  fruit- 
bearing  trees  and  the  beauty  of  the  fruit,  the  chatterings 
and  songs  of  birds,  the  shady  spaces  and  their  greenness, 
joyfully  wished  and.  vowed  to  live  and  die  there  if  the 
Lord  permitted  him.     Looking  around  him,  he  marvels  at 

*  Kadesh,  '  the  holy  place ' ;  Barnea,  '  shaking.' 


20  FETELLUS. 


the  absence  of  his  companion,  and  immediately,  joyful  and 
hilarious,  laughing  to  himself  and  clapping  his  hands,  he 
hastens  to  the  top  of  the  mountain  ;  he  calls  his  companion, 
he  invites  his  friend,  whom  he  desires  equally  to  dwell 
with  him  on  that  mountain,  where  he  says  that  there  is 
eternal  spring,  and  he  promises  him  as  it  were  a  second 
paradise.  But  he,  though  diligently  admonished  by  his 
companion,  we  know  not  whether  astonished  by  the 
difificulty  of  the  mountain,  or  driven  back  by  Divine  pro- 
hibition, renounces  the  ascent  and  the  entrance  and  the 
remaining  there  ;  but  noting  what  he  had  heard  and  seen, 
bidding  farewell  to  his  companion,  he  descended  with 
considerable  toil,  returning  whence  he  had  come,  and 
testifying  what  he  had  seen  and  heard.  Around  Mount 
Eden  are  also  other  mountains,  a  good  many  hills,  and 
rocks  and  mounds,  which  are  cut  into  from  the  summit 
downwards  by  arches,  by  caves,  by  crypts,  by  cells  of 
diverse  dwellings,  in  which  they  say  that  holy  hermits  and 
monks  dwelt  in  ancient  times. 

At  the  foot  of  Mount  Eden  there  rises  a  fountain,  short, 
and  with  no  rivulet,  which,  if  you  saw  it,  you  would  think 
could  scarcely  suffice  for  two  or  three  horses,  yet  it  suffices 
for  several  ;  as  to  which  it  has  also  been  proved  that  it 
seems  neither  to  be  increased  nor  to  be  diminished. 

The  thirty-fifth  station,  Selmona^. 

The  thirty-sixth,  Fynon^ :  these  two  are  not  found  in 
the  order  of  history. 

The  thirty-seventh,  Hebar^  on  the  confines  of  Moab, 
which  signifies  /iea/>s  of  passers- d)^. 

The  thirty-eighth,  Oboth^,  which  is  turned  into  Magi  or 
Phitons. 

*  Zalmonah.  •  Punon. 

3  '  These  two  are  given  in  Numbers  in  the  inverse  order.' — V. 

4  Ije  Abarim, '  ruins  of  the  passages.* 


STATIONS  IN  THE  EXODUS. 


The  thirty-ninth,  Dibungat^,  in  which  Israel  fought 
against  Seon,  King  of  the  Amorites,  and  Og,  King  of 
Basan.  Seon  is  interpreted  temptation  of  the  eyes ;  Og, 
conclusion  ;  Basan,  confusion^. 

The  fortieth  station,  Selmon  Deblataim^  Here,  over 
against  Jericho,  is  the  place  Thaphon,  where  Moses  wrote 
Deuteronomy. 

The  forty-first  station,  Mount  Abarim,  over  against  the 
face  of  Nabob.  In  Abarim  Moses  died,  and  in  it  he  was 
buried  ;  but  his  tumulus  appears  nowhere.  In  a  cave  under 
Mount  Abarim  the  Hebrews  say  that  Jeremiah,  foreseeing 
the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  hid  the  Ark  of  God  and  its  contents. 
The  forty-second  station,  in  the  plains  of  Moab  above 
the  Jordan,  not  far  from  Jerico,  but  with  the  Jordan 
between.  There  they  pitched  their  tents  from  the  home  of 
the  wilderness  as  far  as  to  Bessachatais  in  the  plain  of 
Moab,  where  Israel  was  encamped  when  it  was  blessed  by 
Balaam  above  Mount  Karnaim*  in  the  mountain  of  Moab. 
Karnaim  is  a  cave  in  the  mountain  of  Moab.  It  is  inter- 
preted *  a  mountain  cut  off  because  of  a  vehement  rupture/ 
In  some  place  of  the  before-named  plain,  Balac,  by  the 
advice  of  Balaam,  placed  women  for  hire  that  by  them 
Israel  might  be  deceived.  There  Finees  transfixed  Zambri 
and  a  harlot  with  a  spear.  There  Israel  is  numbered,  and 
a  battle  is  entered  on  against  the  Midianites.  There  they 
cross  the  Jordan,  and  after  crossing  it  the  children  of 
Ruben  and  Gat,  and  the  half-tribe  of  Manasse,  first 
received  a  possession  in  the  Land  of  Promise  across  the 
Jordan.  But  Joshua  pitched  his  camp  in  Galgala,  having 
set  up  there  the  Tabernacle  of  the  Lord.     Galgala  signifies 

*  Dibon-gad. 

=  Sihon, '  sweeping  all  before  him ' ;  Og, '  the  long-necked ' ;  Bashan, 
soft,  sandy  soil.' 
3  Almon-Diblathaim.  4  Kerak  (?). 


22  FETELLUS. 

rolling  or  revelation ;  here  Israel  is  warned  not  to  bring 
idols  into  the  holy  land  :  thence  they  come  to  Jerico  and 
besiege  it,  and  utterly  destroy  it.  Jerico  is  interpreted 
moon  or /alien  away^. 

Between  the  Jordan  and  Jerico,  Bethagla,  which  signifies 
house  of  the  circle,  because  there  his  sons  went  about 
(encircled)  the  funeral  rites  of  Jacob  in  the  manner  of 
mourners,  bringing  him  back  from  Egypt  to  Ebron^. 

Between  Jerico  and  Galgala,  Emecanchor,  which  signi- 
fies Valley  of  Achor^  i.e.,  tumult  of  the  people  or  of  crowds'. 
There  Achan  was  stoned  to  death  because  he  took  of  the 
accursed  thing.  Jerico  was  founded  and  named  by  the 
Jebusites.  In  Galgala  Joshua  circumcised  the  people  a 
second  time,  and  they  set  up  the  stones  which  they  had 
taken  from  the  Jordan,  because  the  Tabernacle  of  Testi- 
mony was  fixed  there  for  a  long  time. 

Arabia  joins  Idumea  in  the  confines  of  Bostron*,  which  is 
Bosor,  of  which  was  Barach  the  Buzite^,  But  there  is 
another  Bozor  in  the  mountains  of  Idumea,  of  which 
Isaias"^  speaks :  '  Who  is  this  that  cometh  with  dyed 
garments  from  Bosor  ?'  Portions  of  Idumea^  are  Tracho- 
nitis  and  Iturea,  looking  as  it  were  to  Damascus.  Of 
these,  according  to  the  Evangelist  Luke,  Philip  had  the 

'  Jericho,  '  place  of  fragrance.'  Older  commentators  derive  it  from 
the  Hebrew  word  signifying  the  moon. 

2  Abel  Mizraim.  The  place  where  this  'mourning'  took  place  is  not 
identified.  It  lay  'beyond  Jordan '  (Gen.  1.  ii).  It  was  placed  by 
St.  Jerome  also  at  Beth  Hoglah,  ^Ain  Hajlah,  on  the  west  bank. 

3  The  Valley  of  Achor  (Josh,  vii.)  is  identified  with  the  Widy  el 
Kelt,  the  deep  ravine  south  of  Jericho.     Achor,  *  trouble.' 

■4  '  Bostra  in  Auranitis.  It  is  not  proved  that  this  is  the  Bosor  of 
Josh.  XX.  8.' — V.  A  corruption  of  Bostra,  Bozrah,  the  present 
'  Busrah.' 

5  Job  xxxii.  2.  ^  Ixili.  I. 

7  *  An  error.     Idumea  was  to  the  south  of  Palestine.' — V. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  23 

tetrarchy.  Us,  the  first-born  of  Aram,  the  grandson  of 
Shem,  founded  Trachonitis,  from  whom  that  land  was 
called  the  land  of  Us.  From  which  was  the  blessed  Job. 
Bostron  was  formerly  the  metropolis  of  Idumea ;  Idumca  is 
under  Syria ;  in  Syria  is  Damascus. 

Eliezer,  the  son  of  Abraham's  steward,  founded  Damascus 
in  that  field  in  which  Cairn  slew  his  brother^.  Whence 
Damascus  signifies  fraught  of  blood  or  kiss  of  blood. 
Damascus  was  formerly  the  capital  of  Syria,  but  the 
honour  was  transferred  by  Antiochus  to  Antioch.  Syria 
is  named  from  Suri,  the  grandson  of  Abraham^,  the  son  of 
Ceturah.  Damascus  is  known  by  a  second  name,  Aram  ;  a 
third,  Arfath.  Damascus  is  honoured  in  Syria  as  having 
formerly  been  the  metropolis.  The  district  of  Damascus 
is  called  Sedrath,  according  to  Zacharias^ ;  Esau  inhabited 
parts  of  it,  also  holding  Seir  and  Edom.  From  Edom 
part  of  Syria  is  called  Idumea.  In  Seyr  is  the  city  of 
Idumea.  In  Idumea,  not  far  from  Damascus,  is  Mount  Seir. 
Seir  was  inhabited  by  Choreus*,  whom  Chodologomer  slew. 

In  the  confines  of  Idumea,  three  miles  from  the  Jordan, 
the  river  Jacob^ ;  after  it  was  crossed  by  Jacob  when  he 
returned  from  Mesopotamia,  he  wrestled  with  the  angel. 

Four"  miles  from  Damascus  is  the  place  in  which  Christ 
appeared   to  Saul,  saying  •    '  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest 

^  Several  Moslem  writers,  beginning  with  'Ali  of  Herat  (a.d.  1173), 
mention  near  Damascus  the  Cavern  of  Blood,  where  Cain  slew  Abel. 
See  Le  Strange,  pp.  240,  252,  259.     Damascus,  'alertness.' 

2  The  name  Syria  is  derived  from  Siir  or  Tyre^  being  first  used  by 
the  Greeks  for  the  country  around  Tyre,  and  afterwards  applied  to  the 
whole  country.     Cf  Le  Strange,  p.  14. 

3  This  refers  to  Zech.  ix.  i,  where  '  Hadrach'  is  rendered  ^i^pax  in 
LXX. ;  it  is  probably  a  name  for  Syria. 

4  '  The  Horites'  of  Gen.  xiv.  6. 

5  Called  faboc  by  John  of  Wiirzburg,  who  makes  it  two  miles  from 
the  Jordan. 

6  Two,  according  to  John  of  Wiirzburg. 

3 


24  FETELLUS. 

thou  Me  ?'  Whence  also  there  is  at  Damascus  a  venerable 
church  erected  in  his  honour,  under  the  Greek  archbishop. 

Twenty-four  miles  from  Damascus  is  Paneas^,  at  the 
foot  of  Lebanon,  towards  the  south,  an  eminent  city, 
which  was  called  Belinas^,  from  Bilina,  on  account  of  the 
beauty  of  its  site, — and  Cesarea  Philippi,  receiving  from 
Caijar  his  own  name. 

A  mile  from  Damascus,  towards  the  east,  in  the  entrance 
of  the  Valley  of  Bachar,  is  Malbech'',  a  city  situated  on  a 
remarkably  fine  site.  This  was  founded  by  Solomon  on 
account  of  the  affluence  of  goods  and  the  amenity  of  its 
forests,  and  he  called  it  the  Forest  of  Lebanon.  He  built 
in  it  a  house  of  ivory,  whence  it  was  also  called  the  House 
of  the  Forest  of  Lebanon. 

At  the  foot  of  Lebanon  arise  Pharphar^and  Abana,  rivers 
of  Damascus.  Abana,  cutting  off  the  mountains  of  Lebanon, 
and  flowing  across  the  plain  of  Archas,  joins  the  Great  Sea 
in  that  district  to  which  the  blessed  Eustachius  withdrew 
in  his  desolation  when  deprived  of  wife  and  children^ 

Archas*',  that  almost  impregnable  city,  was  founded  by 

«  Bdtiids. 

*  Cf.  'John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  65,  with  quotation  from  William  of 
Tyre,  xix.,  11,  given  ther^,  n.  6. 

3  '  He  evidently  alludes  here  to  Baalbeck  in  the  Valley  of  the 
Bequaa,  only  it  is  situated  to  the  west  of  Damascus,  and  it  is  more 
than  twenty-five  miles  Irom  it.  The  local  tradition  still  assigns  to 
Solomon  the  gigantic  construction  of  the  Temple  of  the  Sun.' — V. 

4  The  Biblical  Pharphar  was  identified  by  the  Crusaders  with  the 
Orontes.  Le  Strange,  p.  59.  It  is  probably  the  Nahr  Taura,  a 
branch  of  the  Abana,  Barada,  (or  more  properly  the  Abana  is  the 
Nahr  Abanias^  also  a  branch  of  the  Nahr  BaradA).  The  Abana  of 
the  text  appears  to  be  the  Litany,  Nahr  el-Kasimiyeh,  as  in  'John  of 
Wiirzburg,'  p.  65. 

5  Cf.  '  Theodericb,'  p.  71. 

*  Area,  Arcados,  Archis,  are  the  Crusading  names  of  'Arkah  or 
'Irkah,  the  ancient  Phcenician  city  of  the  Arkites  (Gen.  x.  17),  which 
gave  its  name  to  a  di^trict  of  the  Damascus  province  on  the  sea-coast. 
Le  Siiange,  p.  398. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  25 

Arachius,  the  seventh  son  of  Canaan,  at  the  foot  of 
Lebanon,  eight  miles  from  the  city  of  Tripolis,  towards  the 
east.  Archas  is  the  beginning  of  Fenicia,  of  which  Mount 
Carmel  is  the  termination,  Palestine  beginning  there. 
Lebanon  divides  Syria  and  Fenicia.  Farfar  runs  through 
Syria  to  Reblatai,  i.e.,  Antioch\  and  flowing  close  to  its 
walls,  commits  itself  to  the  Mediterranean  Sea  in  the 
harbour  of  Solim^,  i.e.,  of  St.  Synieon,  ten  miles  from  the 
city. 

At  the  foot  of  Lebanon,  not  far  from  Paneas,  are  Jor  and 
Dan,  those  fountains  from  which  the  Jordan  is  formed 
under  Mount  Gelboa^,  where  Christ  was  baptized  by  John. 
From  the  mountains  of  Geiboa  to  the  Asphaltic  Lake,  the 
valley  through  which  the  Jordan  flows  is  called  Gorius*. 

Aulon,  which  is  a  Hebrew  word,  is  also  a  name  given  to 
that  large  and  level  valley  which  is  fenced  in  on  both  sides 
by  continuous  mountains  from  Lebanon  to  the  Desert  of 
Pharan^  ;  under  Aulon  is  embraced  the  valley  of  Scitopolis, 
i.e.,  the  valley  which  stretches  from  Bethan^  to  the  Jordan. 

In  the  north,  above  the  Jordan,  are  Baal  and  Belmon^, 
renowned  cities,  which  the  children  of  Reuben  built.  In 
the  north  is  Betharam,  which  the  tribe  of  Gad  built^.     In 

1  Riblah  is  again  erroneously  confused  with  Antioch  below,  p.  42. 

2  '  The  ancient  Seleucia,  now  Soueideh.' — V.     Struaeidiyeh. 

3  The  river  Dan  is  here  apparently  identified  with  the  Yarmuk 
(Hieromax),  as  by  John  of  Wiirzburg,  p.  66.  Cf.  'Abbot  Daniel,' 
p.  60. 

*  El  Ghor. 

s  Aulon  is  the  Greek,  not  Hebrew,  name,  avXojv  (c/iannel),  given  by 
St  Jerome  to  the  Valley  of  the  Jordan  and  the  Arabah. 
^  '  Bethshan,  Scythopolis.' — V.     Bcisan. 

7  Baal-Meon  is  mentioned  (i  Chron.  v.  8)  as  a  town  in  Reuben.  It 
was  probably  near  Heshbon.  It  is  difficult  to  understand  what  is 
referred  to  in  the  text  as  '  Baal'  Baal-Gad— ^a«/rt:j- (.?) — and  BaaU 
Hermon  were  in  the  north,  but  not  in  Reuben. 

8  Betharam,  one  of  the  towns  of  Gad  (Josh.  xiii.  27),  is  identified  as 
Tell  Raiiieh,  near  Kefrein,  east  of  Jericho, 

3—2 


26  FETELLUS. 


Aulon,  above  the  Jordan,  is  Emnon,  i.e.,  the  Bethany  in 
which  John  baptized^  In  an  anj^^le  of  this  Bethany  is 
Karnaim  Emastaroth^,  where  they  say  that  Job  dwelt. 
The  Jordan  divides  Galilee  and  the  district  of  Bostron. 
Jordan  means  descent,  because  it  always  descends  along  its 
course.  The  Dan  sends  its  stream  underground  almost 
the  whole  distance  from  its  source  to  Meddan,  not  far  from 
Theman,  which  is  the  metropolis  of  Sueta^.  Meddan  is  a 
lovely  and  spacious  plain,  in  which  the  channel  of  the 
Dan  appears  clearly  above  ground,  and  therefore  it  is 
called  Meddan,  because  the  Dan  rises  again  midway  in  it. 
In  Saracen  a  broad  way  is  called  Medan^,  in  Latin  fomm. 
On  this  account  it  is  called  Meddan,  because  every  summer 
an  innumerable  multitude  of  people  assemble  and  stay  in 
those  plains,  carrying  or  bringing  with  them  whatever 
saleable  articles  they  can  obtain,  along  with  an  immense 
body  of  Parthians  and  Arabs  to  protect  the  people,  and  to 
feed  their  flocks  in  those  most  fertile  pastures.  Meddan  is 
compounded  of  Med  and  Dan,  Med  being  the  Saracen  for 
water  (the  Latin  aqiia^ ;  Dan,  a  river.  From  the  above- 
named  plain  the  Dan,  again  a  river,  flows  through  Suetha. 
Now,  Suetha3  js  part  of  the  land  of  Hus  ;  in  Suetha  the 

*  A  confusion  of  Qinon  and  Bethany,  but  an  interesting  notice  of 
Bethany  as  the  true  reading  of  St.  John  i.  28. 

=*  Ashteroth  Karnaim  (Gen.  xiv.  5)  is  probably  to  be  identified  with 
Tell  el  AsKary  on  the  Yarmuk,  north  of  el  Mezeirib  ('  Across  the 
Jordan,'  p.  207). 

3  'William  of  Tyre  (xxii.  15)  places  this  region  sixteen  miles  from 
Tiberias.  He  vaunts  its  fertility  ;  so  too  Albert  d'Aix  (x.  5).  The 
latter  calls  it  Terra  Grossi  Rtistici :  this  is  the  environs  of  the  Bahr 
el  Huleh.  The  Crusaders  have  given  the  name  of  Gros  Paysan  to  an 
Arab  chief  who  governed  that  country  and  was  defeated  by  Tancred 
(Albert  d'Aix,  vii.).' — V.  Ct  *  John  of  Wurzburg,'  p.  66,  n.  4,  where 
Sir  Charles  Wilson  assigns  as  its  limits  from  the  Birket  er  Ram  on  the 
north  to  the  south  oi  Deraah,  Edrei. 

4  '  Meidan,  place.  This  is  probably  the  plain  situated  to  the  west 
of  Banias,  which  bears  the  r.a,me  of  Ard  es  Souk^  the  plain  of  the 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  27 

monument^  of  Job  is  still  seen,  and  it  is  the  scene  of  a 
yearly  feast  observed  by  Greeks,  and  Syrians,  and  Gentiles. 
From  Suetha  is  Naaman^,  from  which  was  Sophar  the 
Naamatite.  The  Dan  over  against  Galilee  turns  aside 
under  the  city  of  Cedar^  and  crossing  the  plains  near  the 
medicinal  baths  of  Spinetum^  it  joins  the  Jor  under 
Gelboa^ 

In  the  plains  of  Spinetum,  the  third  Prince  of  Galilee 
from  Tancred,  Gervase*^  of  Basil,  sprung  from  a  noble  house 
of  the  Franks,  yielded  to  the  triumph  of  Toldequin'',  King 
of  Syria,  and  was  taken  by  him  as  a  captive  to  Damascus. 
There  the  sameToldequin,  not  long  after,  being  led  beyond 
himself  by  drinking,  beheaded  him,  and  thus  rendered  him 
a  celebrated  martyr  to  God.     Returning  to  himself  on  the 

market! — V.  It  is  identified  by  Sir  Charles  Wilson  ('  John  of  Wiirz- 
burg,'  p.  66,  n.  3)  with  the  Haiiran.  The  name  occurs  in  Kh.  el 
Meddn  ('ruins  of  the  open  space'),  near  KUTat  el  Husn  (Gamala), 
and  in  IVddy  el  Meddan,  not  far  from  el  Mezeirib.  Cf.  'John  of 
Wiirzburg,'  I.e.;  '  Theoderich,'  p.  65. 
'  Pyramis. 

2  Perhaps  en  Na^eimeh,  a  little  east  of  ed  Der'aah.  See  'Across 
the  Jordan,'  p.  179. 

3  Gadara,  Uinni  Keis. 

4  Both  John  of  Wiirzburg  (p.  66)  and  Theoderich  (p.  66)  speak  of 
the  medicinal  baths  of  Gadara  as  in  'the  plain  of  thorns,'  which  is 
evidently  this  Plain  of  Spinetum.  The  name  ('John  of  Wiirzburg,' 
I.e.,  n.  3)  alludes  to  •  the  rank  tropical  growth  in  the  ground  watered 
by  the  springs.' 

5  So  '  John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  56  ;  but,  as  is  there  noted^  the  Yarmuk 
joins  the  Jordan  several  miles  to  the  north  of  Gilboa. 

6  'Gervase  was  named  Prince  of  Galilee  by  Baldwin  I.  in  1107,  on 
the  death  of  Hugh  of  St.  Omer,  and  was  slain  in  the  same  year.  His 
name  is  wanting  in  most  of  the  lists  of  the  Latin  princes  of  Tiberias. 
Cf.  Albert  d'Aix  (x.  7)-'— V. 

7  'Toghteghin,  Sultan  of  Damascus,  called  by  the  historians  of  the 
Crusades  Doldequin,  Dochin,  Hertoldin^  Tuldequin.  The  history  of 
the  capture  and  the  death  of  Gervase  is  recorded  by  Albert  d'Aix 
(x.  54,  f.).'-V. 


28  FETELLUS. 

next  day,  filled  with  shame  and  rage  because  he  had 
destroyed  such  a  man  so  insanely,  he  caused  him  to  be 
buried,  but  without  his  head  ;  and  his  '  vas^,'  beautifully 
ornamented  with  gold  and  precious  gems,  he  kept  as  a 
memorial  dear  to  him,  drinking  from  it. 

The  Jor  not  far  from  Paneas  becomes  a  lake^  after- 
wards the  Sea  of  Galilee,  beginning  between  Capharnaum 
and  Bethsaida.  From  Hethsaida  were  Peter  and  Andrew, 
John  and  James,  James  the  son  of  Alpheus. 

Four  miles  from  Bethsaida  is  Corozain^,  in  which  Anti- 
christ will  be  nourished. 

Four  miles  off  Cedar*,  a  most  excellent  city,  of  which  it 
is  said  :  *  he  dwells  with  the  inhabitants  of  Cedar^*  Cedar 
signifies  in  darkness. 

Capharnaum  is  situated  at  the  upper  end  of  the  sea  ;  its 
faith  is  spoken  of  by  Christ.  Two  miles  from  Capharnaum 
is  the  descent  of  the  mountain^,  on  which  He  preached 
the  sermon  to  the  multitudes,  and  where  He  cured  the 
leper. 

A  mile  from  that  descent  is  the  place  where  the  Lord 
fed  five  thousand  men,  whence  that  place  is  called  the 
table'.  Adjoining  it  is  the  place  where  Christ  ate  with 
them  after  His  resurrection. 

Above  the  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee  is  Gergersa^,  the 

*  No  possible  translation  of  the  word  commends  itself. 

'  '  Bahr  el  Huleh— the  lake  of  Merom  or  of  Semechonitis.' — V. 

^  Sir  Charles  Wilson  identines  with  Gainala,  opposite  Tiberias, 
KuPat  el  Husn.     John  of  Wiirzburg  gives  the  distance  as  six  miles. 

4  See  above,  p.  32,  n.  3. 

s  Ps.  cxx.  5,  of  course  not  referring  to  this  Cedar.  Y.&d.z.x— black 
s/cin. 

6  'Apparently  a  hill  to  the  north  of  Khan  Minieh.'— See  Sir  Charles 
Wilson's  note  to  'John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  68. 

7  'The  "Mensa  Christ!"  was  above  Khan  Minieh,  where  the 
APdserct ' Aisa  is  now  shown.' — Ibui. 

•  Gerasa,  perluips  Kcrsa,  on  the  eastern  shore. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  29 

place  where  He  healed  those  who  were  vexed  by 
demons. 

At  the  left  of  the  head  of  the  sea,  in  the  hollow  of  a 
mountain,  is  Genezareth,  a  place  bearing  gold,  from  which 
is  the  Marsh  of  Genezareth^ 

Two  miles  from  Genezareth  is  Magdalum-,  from  which 
came  Mary  Magdalene.  This,  moreover,  is  Zabulon  and 
Nephtalim,  from  which  came  Tobias.  In  the  higher  parts 
of  this  Galilee  were  twenty  cities,  which  King  Solomon 
gave  in  a  gift  to  Yram,  King  of  Tyre. 

Two  miles  from  Magdalum  is  the  city  of  Cynereth,  which 
is  Tyberias ;  the  younger  Herod  founded  Tyberias  in 
honour  of  Tyberius  Ceesar,  calling  it  by  his  name.  From 
Tyberias  the  lake  is  called  that  of  Tyberias  ;  its  circuit  is 
about  one  day's  journey.  Moreover,  it  is  of  such  a 
character  in  itself,  that  without  receiving  the  filth  of  the 
city  and  of  the  neighbouring  castles,  it  would  be  rendered 
undrinkable,  and  smelling^. 

Four  miles  from  Tyberias  is  the  city  of  Betulia*.  From 
it  came  Judith,  who  slew  Olofernes. 

Four  miles  from  Tyberias,  towards  the  north,  is  Dothaim^, 
where  Joseph  found  his  brothers,  and  where  they  sold 
him. 

Twelve   miles   from   Tyberias   is    Nazareth,   a    city  of 

*  The  Marsh  of  Gennesareth  is  spoken  of  by  several  pilgrims,  e.^., 
*  The  City  of  Jerusalem,'  p.  45. 

2  Magdala,  Mejdel. 

3  Cf.  a  remarkable  statement  as  to  this  in  '  Nisir-i-Khusrau,' 
pp.  16,  f. 

4  'This  name  is  wrongly  given  to  the  village  of  Safed,  situated  near 
the  Lake  of  Tiberias.' — V.  '  The  distance  is  hopelessly  wrong.' — 
C.  W.  W.  (note  to  '  John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  69).  Bethulia  is  probably 
Methilia^  five  miles  south  of  Jenin. 

s  'Apparently  Khan  Jubb  Yiisef,  north  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.' — 
C.  W.  W.  {Ibid.).  The  true  site  of  Dothan,  Tell  DotliaUy  is  north  of 
Samai  ia. 


30  FETELLUS. 

Galilee,  in  which  Jesus  was  brought  up.  Nazareth  is 
interpreted  a  flower.  In  the  synagogue  of  Nazareth  Jesus 
opened  the  book  of  Ysaias  and  expounded  out  of  it  to  the 
Jews.  On  the  highest  point  of  Nazareth,  towards  the  east, 
a  remarkable  fountain  arises,  from  which,  in  His  boyhood, 
Jesus  used  to  draw  water  for  His  mother's  service  and  His 
own^. 

Two  miles  from  Nazareth  is  the  city  of  Sephoris^,  by  the 
way  leading  to  Acon^  ;  it  derived  its  name  from  Sephet, 
its  founder.  From  Sephoris  was  the  blessed  Ann,  the 
mother  of  the  mother  of  Christ. 

Five  miles  from  Nazareth  is  Ghana  of  Galilee*,  an 
ancient  city  in  the  tribe  of  Asser  ;  in  it  Jesus,  when  a  boy^, 
turned  water  into  wine.  From  Ghana  came  Symon  the 
Gananean,  and  Philip,  and  Nathanael. 

A  mile  from  Nazareth,  southwards,  is  a  place  called  the 
Precipice^.  It  is  the  brow  of  a  mountain  from  which  His 
parents  wished  to  cast  down  Jesus,  when  He  disappeared 
from  them. 

Four  miles  from  Nazareth,  towards  the  south,  is  Mount 
Thabor,  in  the  middle  of  Galilee,  a  lofty  mountain  of 
wonderful  roundness  :  on  it  Jesus  was  transfigured,  and 
manifested  His  brightness  to  those  with  Him.  At  the 
descent  of  Mount   Thabor   Melchisedech   met  Abraham' 

»  Cf.  '  The  City  of  Jerusalem,'  p.  44,  and  '  Theoderich,'  pp.  68,  t. 
»  Seffurieh. 

3  'Akka,  St.  Jean  d'Acre. 

4  Kefr  Kenna  must  be  the  site  alluded  to.  Cf.  *  John  of  Wurzburg,* 
p.  4,  •  Theoderich,'  p.  69. 

5  John  of  Wiirzburg  also  speaks  of  our  Lord  as  '  a  child '  at  the 
time  of  the  miracle,  p.  4. 

^  Jebel  Ka/sy,  overlooking  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon.  Cf.  '  The  City 
of  Jerusalem,'  p.  54  ;  'John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  4. 

7  This  is  in  accordance  with  an  old  Jewish  tradition,  found  in  many 
pilgrims  :  'Abbot  Daniel,'  p.  68,  'John  Phocas,'  p.  14,  'Theoderich,' 
p.  67. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  ti 


returning  from  the  slaughter  of  Amalech,  and  offered  him 
bread  and  wine.  Two  miles  from  Thabor,  towards  the 
east,  is  Mount  Hermon^  of  both  of  which  the  Psalmist 
says  :  '  Thabor  and  Hermon  shall  rejoice  in  Thy  name^.' 
There  is  also  another  Hermon  in  Idumea,  near  Antilebanon. 
Under  Thabor  Melchisedech  and  Abraham  treated  about 
the  giving  of  tithes. 

Two  miles  from  Thabor  is  Naym^,  once  a  city  in  Israel  ; 
in  its  gate  Jesus  restored  the  widow's  son  to  life.  Above 
Naym  is  Mount  Endor*.  Between  Endor  and  Thabor,  in 
the  plain  of  Naym,  is  the  Kadumim^,  i.e.,  the  torrent  Cyson  ; 
under  its  bank,  at  the  instigation  of  Dedbcra,  Barach  over- 
came the  Idumeans,  Sysara  being  slain  by  Gahel  [Jael], 

Three  miles  from  Thabor,  towards  the  east,  is  Sarong 

Five  miles  from  Thabor  is  Jezrahel,  i.e.,  Zarain",  an 
ancient  city.  In  Jezrahel  reigned  Ahab  and  Jezebel.  Of 
Jezrahel  was  Naboth,  who  was  slain  by  the  machinations  of 
Jezebel,  v/here  afterwards  she  was  hurled  down  and  slain 
by  Jehu.  Her  monument^  is  still  there.  Close  to  Jezrahel 
is  the  plain  of  Macedo,  where  King  Josiah  was  defeated 
and  slain  by  the  King  of  Samaria,  his  body  being  carried 
to  Syon  and  buried  there. 

A  mile  from  Jezrahel  are  the  mountains  of  Gelboa^, 
where  Saul  and  Jonathan  fell.  In  the  mountains  of  Gelboa 
is  a  village  of  the  name  ofGelboa^*^. 

'  Le.,JebeledDahy.  ^  Psa.  Ixxxviii.  13.  3  Nain,  i\««. 

4  Nain  is  at  the  foot  oi/ebel  ed  Duhy. 

5  The  Kishon,  Nahr  el  Mukutfa. 

6  If  this  be  a  reference  to  the  Plain  of  Sharon,  it  is  sufficiently 
remarkable ;  but  there  is  a  Tell  Sdreni  close  to  the  Jordan  Valley 
south  of  Beisan. 

7  '  Still  the  name  of  the  village  which  has  replaced  Jezreel.' — V. 
Zerin. 

2  Pyramis.  9  Jebel  Fttku'a, 

^°  The  ndime  Jelbon  is  still  given  to  a  village  on  the  high  range  east 
of  the  Plain  of  Esdraelon.— P.E.F.M.,  ii.  84. 


32  FETELLUS. 

Two  miles  from  Gelboa,  Scitopolis,  the  metropolis  of 
Galilee,  uhich  is  Bethsan^,  above  the  walls  of  which  the 
head  of  Saul  was  hung.  In  Galilee  is  the  village  of 
Helchisi^,  from  which  was  Nahum  the  prophet. 

Five  miles  from  Jezrahel  is  the  town  of  Geninum^  where 
Samaria  begins.  Between  Geninum  and  Maggedo  is  Ger^, 
the  place  where  Jehu,  King  of  Israel,  slew  Ahaziah,  King 
of  Judea. 

Ten  miles  from  Geninum  is  Samaria,  from  which  the 
district  around  took  its  name,  which  Sennacherib  founded  ; 
from  Samaria  are  the  Samaritans.  Razed  to  the  ground  by 
Antiochus,  it  was  rebuilt  by  Herod,  the  son  of  Antipater, 
in  honour  of  Augustus  Caesar,  and  was  named  Augusta, 
which  is  in  Greek  Sebast.  Here  John  the  Baptist  is 
said  to  have  been  buried  between  Eliseus  and  Obadiah^, 
having  been  slain  by  Herod  across  the  Jordan  in  the  castle 
of  Macheronta.  His  body  is  said  to  have  been  burned 
by  Julian  the  Apostate,  and  the  ashes  given  to  the  wind. 
His  head  had  long  before  been  taken  to  Alexandiia  by 
Marcellus,  a  priest ;  it  was  afterwards  carried  to  Aquitaine, 
along  with  the  Three  Innocents,  by  Felicius,  a  monk,  in 
the  reign  of  Pipin.  He  was  then  returning  from  the 
slaughter  of  the  Vandals,  and  twenty  of  his  soldiers  who 

*  Beisan.        ^  Elkosh  is  not  identified,  but  probably  was  in  Galilee. 
3  Jenin.     'The  ancient  Ginaea,  seven  leagues  to  the  south  of  Naza- 
reth.'—V. 

*  'The  Ascent  of  Gur'  (2  Kings  ix.  27)  is  not  identified.  The  Gcr 
of  the  text  lies  between  Jenin  and  Lejjiin  (Megiddo),  but  no  appro- 
priate site  suggests  itself. 

5  Very  ancient  tradition,  from  the  time  of  St.  Jerome  ('  St.  Paula,' 
p.  13),  makes  Samaria  the  place  in  which  the  Baptist  was  buried. — 
Cf.  'Ant.  Mar.,'  p.  6,  '  Willibald,'  p.  26  ;  William  of  Tyre.  By  some 
this  is  also  represented  as  the  scene  of  his  imprisonment  and  death. 
According  to  St.  Jerome,  Samaria  is  also  the  burial  place  of  Elisha 
and  Obadiah.  The  Tomb  of  the  Baptist  is  described  in  P.E.F.M., 
ii.  214. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  33 

had  fallen  in  the  war  were  restored  to  life  by  the  merits  of 
the  blessed  John.  His  finger,  with  which  he  pointed  out 
Jesus  coming  to  his  baptism,  was  carried  with  her  among 
the  Alps  by  the  blessed  virgin  Tygris,  and  there  it  is  held 
in  the  greatest  reverence  in  the  Church  of  Maurienne^ 
From  Sebaste  was  that  mother  who,  under  the  constraint 
of  famine,  ate  her  own  son.  Which  so  happened  of  Mary 
in  Jerusalem.  In  Samaria  Eliseus  prophesied,  feeding  a 
hundred  prophets  in  caves.  In  Samaria  is  the  city  of  Suna, 
of  which  was  the  Sunamite  woman^.  Of  Samaria  was 
Symon  Magus. 

Four  miles  from  Sebaste  is  Sichem^,  which  Emor  and 
his  sons  built  and  called  by  the  name  of  Sychem  ;  it  was 
afterwards  called  Neapolis,  i.e.,  New  City.  Thence  the 
sons  of  Jacob  destroyed  Sychem,  slaying  Emor,  grieved  by 
his  adultery  with  their  sister.  In  Sichem  the  bones  of 
Joseph,  which  had  been  brought  from  Egypt,  were  buried. 
In  Sichem,  at  the  foot  of  Garizim,  near  a  fountain,  Jero- 
boam made  the  golden  calves  ;  the  one  he  placed  in  Dan, 
the  other  in  Bethel.  The  Samaritans  and  the  Syrians 
relate  that  four  mountains  overshadowed  Sychem,  Jebal 
and  Dan  to  the  east,  Bethel  and  Garizim  to  the  south, 
which  Jerome  repeats  as  to  two,  saying  that  they  are  in 
the  Land  of  Promise  above  Jerico,  z'.e.,  Gebal,  where, 
according  to  the  command  of  Moses,  Joshua  built  an  altar 
to  the  Lord  of  unhewn  stones,  and  beside  it  Garizim  ;  from 
these  the  voices  of  those  who  mutually  bless  and  curse  one 
another  can  be  heard. 

Luzan^  above  Sichen,  a  mile  from  it,  was  founded  by 

^  St.  Jean  de  Maurienne,  in  Savoy,  so  called  from  the  relics  of  the 
Baptist.     John   of   Wiirzburg   speaks   of   the   'virgin'   as   'Thecla' 

(p-7)-     ^ 

2  Santer,  between  _/<?«£«  and  Sebusiiyeh. 

3  Ndblus. 

♦  Kh.  Lozch  on  Gerizim,  near  the  Samaritan  place  of  sacrifice.     It 


34  FETELLUS. 

the  Jebusitcs ;  in  Hebrew  it  is  called  Ulamaus  :  here 
Abraham,  at  the  command  of  an  angel,  wished  to  sacrifice 
his  son  Isaac\  while  his  young  men  waited  for  him  at  the 
foot  of  the  mount  with  the  ass.  However,  a  ram  was 
sacrificed  instead  of  him.  In  imitation  of  Abraham,  the 
Gentiles  represent  this  every  year.  The  Sultan  of  the 
Persians  is  the  greatest  man  among  them,  and  the  Emir  of 
Menfhis  ;  v^ith  their  own  hands  they  sacrifice  camels. 
After  Jacob's  sleep  in  that  place,  and  the  vision  of  the 
ladder,  it  was  called  by  him  Bethel,  i.e.,  the  House  of  God. 
But  after  Jeroboam  placed  the  golden  calf  there,  it  was 
called  Bctheul,  i.e.,  the  House  of  the  Idol.  It  was  also 
called  by  Abraham, '  The  Lord  sees.'  Jacob  there  erected 
a  stone  for  a  monument. 

A  mile  from  Sychem  is  the  town  of  Sychar^,  close  to  the 
estate  which  Jacob  gave  to  his  son  Joseph.  In  it  is  the 
Fountain  of  Jacob,  which,  however,  is  a  well.  Above  it 
Jesus  is  said  by  the  Evangelist  to  have  talked  with  the 
Samaritan  woman,  where  a  church  is  now  built^  Not  far 
from  Sychem  is  the  place  of  the  terebinth*,  under  which 
Jacob  hid  away  the  idols. 

Six  miles  from  Sychem  is  Thanazare^,  towards  the  south, 
the  city  of  Joshua,  where  he  lived  and  died,  his  sepulchre 
being  still  in  this  place. 


is  confused  with  Bethel  (Luz)  also  by  John  of  Wiirzburg  (p.  8)  and 
Theoderich  (p  62). 

»  The  Bordeaux  Pilgrim  mentions  this  as  a  Samaritan  tradition 
(p.  18);  cf.  'City  of  Jerusalem,'  p.  62,  'John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  9, 
'  Theoderich,'  p.  62. 

=»  'Askar. 

3  Cf.  'Arculfus,'  p.  41,  '  Bord.  Pil.,'  p.  18,  n.  7. 

4  Gen.  XXXV.  4-6.  The  terebinth  was  probably  at  the  place  called 
el  'AmUd  ('  John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  8,  n.  7). 

s  Timnath-Heres  (or  Timnath-Serah)  is  identified  with  Ke/r  'Hdris, 
nine  miles  south  of  Ndblus. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  35 

Ten  miles  from  Sychem  is  the  castle  of  St.  Gilles^ 
[Egidius],  which  took  its  name  from  a  count  of  St.  Gilles^, 
who  encamped  there  in  the  army  of  the  Franks  on  the  day 
before  they  saw  Jerusalem. 

Fourteen  miles  from  the  above-named  castle  is  Jeru- 
salem, the  most  sacred  metropolis  of  Judaea. 

Four  miles  from  Jerusalem  is  Efifrata,  which  was  built  by 
the  Jebusites,  which  Jacob  afterwards  called  Bethleem, 
i.e.,  House  of  Bread,  where.  Christ  was  born.  From  Beth- 
leem were  Booz  and  Obeth,  the  father  of  Isai,  i.e.,  Jesse, 
the  father  of  King  David,  of  whose  stock  Christ  was 
descended.  In  Bethleem,  close  to  the  Place  of  the 
Nativity,  is  the  manger  in  which  the  infant  Jesus  lay  ;  it 
was  brought  to  Rome  by  Queen  Helena,  and  honourably 
laid  in  the  Basilica  of  St.  Mary  the  Greater^. 

A  mile  from  Bethleem,  southwards,  the  star  shone  on 
the  shepherds  when  the  Lord  was  born,  where  also  the 
'  Gloria  in  excelsis '  was  chanted  by  the  angels*.  To 
Bethleem  the  Magi  came  to  adore  the  Lord,  where  also 
the  infants  were  slain  by  Herod. 

The  greater  part  of  the  Innocents  rest  buried  three 
miles  to  the  south  of  Bethleem^. 

Two  miles  from  Bethleem,  towards  the  west,  is  Ramale, 
of  which  it  is  said:   *A  voice  was  heard  in  Rama^'     In 

»  Sinjil. 

2  '  Raymond  IV.,  Count  of  Toulouse,  called  of  St.  Gilles.  First 
Crusade.' — V. 

3  John  of  Wiirzburg,  p.  54.  mentions  this  in  reference  to  *  the  hay 
oat  of  the  manger. 

4  The  narrow  plain  to  the  east  of  Bethlehem  is  the  traditional  site 
of  the  '  Gloria  in  excelsis.' 

5  Antoninus,  p.  24,  places  the  Tomb  of  the  Innocents  half  a  mile 
from  Bethlehem  ;  John  of  Wiirzburg,  p.  34,  says  that  the  greater 
number  are  buried  four  miles  to  the  south  of  Bethlehem,  and  two 
miles  from  Tekoa. 

^  Identified  with  er  Ram,  five  miles  north  of  Jerusalem.  The  allu- 
sion in  the  text  is  to  Beit  Jala. 


36  FETELLUS. 


Bethleem  the  body  of  the  blessed  Jerome,  and  the  bodies 
of  Paula  and  Eustochium,  rest. 

Four  miles  from  Bethleem  is  Thecua^,  of  which  was 
Amos  the  prophet,  whose  body  lies  there  in  a  tomb. 
From  its  confines  Habakkuk  was  borne  by  the  angel  to 
Babylon^;  in  Thecua  many  of  the  prophets  used  to  meet 
together  to  discuss  Divine  things. 

Four  miles  from  Bethleem,  towards  Hebron,  is  the 
Church  of  St.  Karitoth'^  where,  as  he  was  himself  passing 
from  this  world,  all  his  companions  equally  passed  with 
him.  The  blessed  Karitoth  was  afterwards  borne  to 
Jerusalem,  where  he  is  still  seen  in  the  body^. 

A  mile  from  Bethleem,  by  the  way  leading  to  Jeru- 
salem, is  Kabrata^,  the  place  where  Rachel,  after  giving 
birth  to  Benjamin,  died  of  her  pangs,  and  where  she  was 
buried  by  Jacob,  above  whose  tomb  twelve  lamps  were 
placed  by  Jacob,  which  still  remain. 

A  mile  from  Kabrata,  between  Bethleem  and  Jeru- 
salem, on  the  right  is  Betharacha,  the  place  where  the 
angel  smote  in  one  night  185,000  of  the  army  of  Senna- 
cherib. Sennacherib  fled,  and  returned  to  Ninive,  and 
was  slain  by  his  sons. 

According  to  the  tradition  of  the  Hebrews,  it  is  said  that 
the  first-born  of  Noah,  Shem,  whom  they  call  Melchisedech, 
first  founded  Salem  after  the  flood,  where  he  reigned  as 
king  and  priest ;  afterwards  the  Jebusites  were  in  posses- 
sion of  it,  calling  it  Jebus  after  the  name  of  their  ancestor 
Jebus,  the  third  son  of  Canaan.     Joining  these,  it  is  called 

»  Tekoa,  now  Teki'ia.  *  Cf.  'Theoderich,'  p.  55. 

3  At  Khurcitun,  near  TekiVa. 

■♦  Cf.  'John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  48;  and  see  there  n.  6.  Also  cf. 
*  Theoderich,'  p.  43. 

5  Apparently  a  corruption  of  Kabr  Rdhil,  'Tomb  of  Rachel,'  or 
of  Kubbet  Rdhil^  *  Dome  of  Rachel.'  See  Sir  Charles  Wilson's  note 
to  '  John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  55.     Cf;  '  Theoderich,'  p.  51. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  37 

Jebus  Salem.  It  was  afterwards  called  by  Solomon 
Jerosolyina,  as  if  it  were  Jebus  Salomonia.  By  poets  it  is 
called  Solyma ;  by  Elius  Adrian,  who  restored  it,  Elia}-. 
This  is  Sion,  which  in  Hebrew  means  observatiori^,  Jeru- 
salem meaning  Vision  of  Peace. 

Jerusalem  is  the  metropolis  of  Judaea — as  it  were,  the 
navel  of  the  earthy  situated  in  the  middle  of  the  world. 
Whence  David  says :  '  He  wrought  salvation  in  the  midst 
of  the  earth*.'  Jerusalem  excels  all  cities  in  the  world  in 
prayer  and  alms.  In  Jerusalem  David  reigned  thirty-three 
years,  after  Saul  was  rejected.  Of  Jerusalem  was  Ysaias 
the  Prophet,  who  was  sawn  with  a  wooden  saw  by  King 
Manasseh.  In  Jerusalem  is  Mount  Moria,  i.e.,  the  thresh- 
ing floor  of  Hornam  the  Jebusite,  above  which  David  saw 
the  smiting  angel,  where  also  the  Temple  was  afterwards 
built  by  Solomon. 

3,102  years  from  Adam,  1,400  from  the  Flood,  1,200  from 
the  departure  of  Abraham  from  Mesopotamia,  502  from 
the  departure  of  Israel  from  Egypt,  240  from  the  founda- 
tion of  Tyre,  the  Temple  of  the  Lord  began  to  be  built. 
King  Solomon  built  the  Temple,  i.e..  Bethel^  and  the  altar, 
which  he  devoutly  and  solemnly  dedicated  at  incomparable 
expense.  This  Nabugodonosor,  in  the  time  of  King 
Zedekiah,  profaned  and  utterly  spoiled,  and  overthrew  the 
city,  causing  Zedekiah,  with  his  sons,  to  be  brought  before 
him  at  Reblata^,  i.e.,  Antioch,  which  is  called  by  other  two 

'  See  '  Eucherius,'  p.  7,  n. 

2  Sion,  according  to  Gesenius,  means  '  a  sunny  place.' 

3  Cf.  'Abbot  Daniel,'  p.  13,  *  Arculfus,'  pp.  16,  f. 

4  Psa.  Ixxiv.  12. 

5  This  may  be  an  allusion  to  the  tradition  that  the  Sakhra  was  the 
Bethel  of  Jacob's  vision  (Williams,  '  The  Holy  City,'  p.  204  ;  Robert- 
son Smith,  '  Encyc.  Brit,,'  s.  n.  Temple j  Hayter  Lewis,  '  Holy  Cities,' 
p.  20).     Cf.  'John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  11. 

^  Riblah,  2  Kings  xxv.  6,  f.,  is  identified  with  Ribleh,  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  Orontes,  thirty-five  miles  north-east  of  Baalbek. 


38  FETELLUS. 


names,  Emmath^  and  Epiphania  ;  here  he  slew  the  sons  of 
Zedekiah  while  he  was  present,  and  deprived  him  of  his 
eyes.  After  this  Nebuzardam  completely  destroyed  Syon 
and  the  Temple,  but  it  was  afterwards  rebuilt  by  Ezra  the 
Scribe  and  Nehemiah,  under  Cyrus,  King  of  the  Persians. 
The  Temple  was  again  destroyed  by  Antiochus,  and  was 
rebuilt  under  the  Maccabees.  It  was  profaned  by  Pompey, 
who  stayed  in  it  when  he  fled  from  the  face  of  Julius 
Caesar.  Lastly,  that  third  Temple  was  completely  destroyed 
under  Titus  and  Vespasian.  Of  this  they  say  that  it  was 
rebuilt  by  Helena  under  the  Emperor  Constantine  ;  others 
say  by  the  Emperor  Heraclius,  others  by  Justinian 
Augustus,  others  by  a  certain  Emir  of  Memphis  in  Egypt, 
in  honour  of  Alachiber^,  i.e.,  the  Supreme  God,  as  a 
Saracen  inscription  plainly  declares.  For  on  the  arrival  of 
the  Franks  nothing  of  the  Law  or  of  Greek  was  found  to 
be  painted  in  it.  The  present  temple  is  called  the  fourth. 
In  the  one  before  it  the  boy  Jesus  was  circumcised  ;  His 
foreskin  was  presented  in  the  Temple  by  an  angel  to 
Charles  the  Great,  and  by  him  was  brought  to  Aquisgranum*, 
in  Gaul ;  it  was  afterwards  transferred  by  Charles  the  Bald 
to  Aquitaine,  in  the  district  of  Poitou,  near  Carrofus*. 
In  the  Temple  Jesus  was  presented  by  His  mother,  and 
was  received  by  Simeon.  From  the  Temple  Jesus  cast 
out  those  who  bought  and  sold  :  He  freed  the  adulteress 
from  her  accusers.     From  the  Temple  the  blessed  James 

»  Hamath  (Hemath,  Amosvi.  14)  is  the  modern  //a;«a,  in  the  Valley 
of  the  Orontes,  north  of  Damascus. 

2  John  of  Wiirzburg  writes  '  Allah  Kebir.'  Abbot  Daniel  says,  p.  21 
that  the  Temple  was  built  by  a  Saracen  chief,  Amir  ('  Omar ').  See 
'  William  of  Tyre,'  i.  2,  viii.  3.  According  to  the  Arab  tradition, '  Omar, 
about  the  year  635  (a.h.  14)  built  a  mosque  over  the  Rock  as  the 
ancient  site  of  the  Temple.  The  present  Dome  of  the  Rock  is  prac- 
tically identical  with  the  building  of  the  Khalif  'Abd  al  Malik  in  the 
year  691  (a.h.  72). 

3  Aix  la  Chapelle.  <  Charroux. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  39 

was  hurled.  In  the  Temple  the  birth  of  his  son  was 
announced  by  an  angel  to  Zacharias.  Between  the  Temple 
and  the  altar  Zacharias,  the  son  of  Barachias,  fell.  This 
altar  was  afterwards  turned  by  the  Saracens  into  a  dial, 
which  may  still  be  seen  in  the  halP.  In  Jerusalem,  by  the 
side  of  St.  Ann,  not  far  from  the  gate  by  which  one  goes 
to  Josaphat,  is  the  Sheep-pool^.  In  the  middle  of  Jeru- 
salem Jesus  raised  a  damsel  from  the  dead^.  In  Jerusalem 
the  second  James  was  slain  by  Herod  with  the  sword, 
whence  he  was  taken  to  Joppa,  afterwards  to  Spain*. 
Below  the  site  of  the  Temple  is  the  dwelling  of  the  new 
soldiers^  who  guard  Jerusalem.  In  Jerusalem  is  a 
Xenodochium,  or  Muscomion.  Xenodochium  is  the  Greek 
for  a  reception-house  for  strangers  and  the  poor  ;  Mus- 
comion, ie.y  a  hospital,  where  the  sick  are  gathered  from 
the  streets  and  the  villages  and  taken  care  of.  Outside 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  between  the  Tower  of  Tancred  and 
the  Gate  of  St.  Stephen,  is  a  station  for  lepers.  Hyrcanus, 
the  prince  of  the  Jews,  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  to 
institute  Xenodochia  with  money  which  he  abstracted  from 
the  Sepulchre  of  David.  In  the  suburbs  of  Jerusalem,  in 
the  Valley  of  the  Sons  of  Ennon,  towards  the  south,  is 
Thopheth,  the  place  in  which  the  people  of  Israel  were 

I  '  The  Altar  of  the  Children  of  Israel '  is  of  Christian  invention  ; 
Le  Strange,  p.  131.  Cf.  'The  City  of  Jerusalem,'  p.  37,  n.  3,  'John  of 
Wiirzburg,'  p.  15,  n.  i. 

»  Cf.  *  The  City  of  Jerusalem,'  p.  25,  n.  i. 

3  Cf.  '  John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  44. 

4  Tradition  with  great  unanimity,  but  without  any  foundation,  con- 
nects St.  James,  the  brother  of  St.  John,  with  Spain. 

s  On  the  capture  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Crusaders,  A.D.  1099,  the 
Haram  Area  was  given  over  to  the  Knights  of  the  recently-established 
Order  of  the  Temple.  They  left  the  Dome  of  the  Rock  unchanged  ; 
but  they  m^ade  considerable  alterations  on  the  Aksa  Mosque,  building 
their  armoury  on  its  west  side  along  the  south  wall  of  the  area,  and 
stabling  their  horses  in  the  substructions  of  the  south-east  angle  to  the 
west  of  the  CradU  of  Jesus.     See  Le  Strange,  p.  107. 

4 


40  FETELLUS. 


not  ashamed  to  worship  the  idols  of  the  Gentiles.  The 
Valley  of  Ennon  signifies  the  Valley  of  Gehennon,  because 
in  it  the  Hebrews  sacrificed  their  sons  to  demons.  It  was 
also  called  the  Valley  of  Idols,  because  in  it  they  wor- 
shipped idols.  The  Valley  of  Gethsemani  is  the  Valley  of 
Josaphat ;  the  Valley  of  Ennon  joins  Gethsemani.  Under 
Solomon's  Palace^,  in  a  bend  of  Syon,  almost  in  the  Valley 
of  Josaphat,  is  the  swimming  -  pool  of  Syloe,  which, 
according  to  the  tradition  of  the  Hebrews,  is  said  to  flow 
from  Sylo.  Siloe  brings  its  stream  along  in  silence, 
because  underground.  Under  Syloe  is  the  Fountain  of 
Rogel^,  close  to  which  the  blessed  Ysaias  is  said  to  be 
buried^.  Close  to  the  Fountain  of  Rogel  is  Zoeleth^  the 
rock  above  which  Adonijah  sacrificed  victims.  Above 
Syloe,  to  the  south,  is  the  Fish-pool  of  the  Fuller,  and  a 
field,  adjoining  the  Field  of  the  Potter,  in  which  is  Achel- 
demach,  where  strangers  are  buried.  Above  Acheldemach 
is  Gyon,  where  King  Solomon  was  anointed  as  king  by 
Zadok  the  priest.  In  the  Valley  of  Josaphat  they  say 
that  the  blessed  James  was  buried,  and  thence  was  taken 
to  Constantinople.  In  the  Valley  of  Josaphat,  under  a 
pointed  monument"'  King  Josaphat  was  buried. 

A  mile  from  Jerusalem,  towards  the  Dead  Sea,  is  Bethany, 
where  Simeon  had  Jesus  as  his  guest,  where  also  Mary 
merited  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  where  He  raised  Lazarus. 
Between  Bethany  and  Mount  Olivet  is  Bethfage. 

In  Mount  Syon  Jesus  washed  the  feet  of  His  disciples, 
and  supped  with  them.  In  Jerusalem  Judas  sold  Jesus  to 
the  Jews.     In  a  bend  of  Mount  Olivet  is  the  place  where 

»  The  Crusaders'  name  for  the  Mosque  el  Aksa. 
=  ^At'/i  Umm  ed  Dcraj^ '  The  Virgin's  Fountain,'  but  the  traditional 
site  is  Blr  Eyiib. 

3  The  spot  is  still  shown.     'John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  50,  n.  2. 

4  I  Kings  i.  9.     Za/nucilch,  opposite  En  Rogel. 

5  J'yniiiiis. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  41 

Jesus  prayed  to  His  Father,  when  He  said  to  Peter : 
*  Couldst  not  thou  watch  with  Me  one  hour  ?'  Thence 
returning  to  Gcthsemane,  He  was  betrayed  to  the  Tews  by 
Judas.  Whom  he  presented,  bound,  to  Annas  and 
Caiaphas  within  Solomon's  porch.  Thence  He  was  taken 
to  Syon,  to  the  place  which  is  called  Litostrotos,  which  is 
still  shown  before  the  door  of  a  church.  Thence  He  was 
led  to  Calvary,  and  after  many  insults  He  was  crucified 
between  the  robbers.  In  the  square  of  the  merchants  is  a 
church  which  is  called  '  the  Latin,'  because  the  Latins  have 
held  that  place  from  the  time  of  the  Apostles  ;  it  is  the 
place  where  first  after  the  Passion  the  mother  wept  for  her 
Son,  the  disciple  for  his  Master.  Under  the  site  of 
Calvary,  to  the  right,  in  the  entrance  of  the  church,  is  an 
oratory  on  the  place  where  the  three  Maries  are  said  to 
have  mourned  for  Him  while  He  suffered  on  the  Cross. 
Not  far  from  that  place  Joseph  buried  Jesus.  On  the 
night  of  the  Passover,  while  many  are  in  expectation,  a 
fire  is  Divinely  poured  down  every  year\  and  the  Sepulchre 
of  the  Lord  is  honoured.  In  the  place  which  lies  in  the 
middle  between  the  Sepulchre  and  the  site  of  the  Passion, 
Jesus  appeared  to  Mary  Magdalene.  In  the  place  called 
Career  {the  prison)  Jesus  was  detained  while  the  cross  was 
preparing  for  Him. 

Eight  miles  from  Jerusalem  is  Eutheropolis,  /.<?., 
Emaus^,  on  the  way  to  which  the  Lord  appeared  to  the 
two  disciples  as  they  walked.  In  Mount  Syon  He  appeared 
to  His  disciples  in  the  absence  of  Thomas,  and  afterwards 

*  'An  allusion  to  the  Miracle  of  the  Fire;  the  Catholic  pilgrims 
previous  to  the  thirteenth  century,  who  mention  it,  are  Bernard  the 
Wise,  869;  Richard  de  la  Grace-Dieu,  1027  (Labbe,  ^/(5/.  Manusc, 
i.  178)  ;  and  Foulcher  de  Chartres.  To  this  list  must  be  added  the 
anonymous  authors  of  our  description  and  of  "The  City  of  Jerusalem," 
ii.  2  [p.  3 5] -'--v. 

«  '  An  error.     Eleutheropolis  is  Beit  Jibrin' — V. 

4—2 


42  FETELLUS. 

when  he  was  present.  In  Mount  Olivet  He  ascended  to 
the  Father,  where  also  rests  the  body  of  the  blessed 
Pelagian  In  Mount  Syon  the  blessed  Mary  died,  and 
thence  she  was  taken  to  Josaphat  by  the  Apostles.  In 
Mount  Syon  the  Holy  Spirit  descended  upon  the  disciples. 
In  Mount  Syon  David  and  Solomon,  and  the  other  kings 
of  Jerusalem,  are  said  to  be  buried.  Before  the  gate  of 
Jerusalem,  which  looks  to  the  west,  the  blessed  Stephen 
was  stoned^ ;  thence  he  was  carried  to  Syon  and  buried 
with  Nicodemus. 

Between  Jerusalem  and  Josaphat  is  a  church  where  they 
say  that  Saul  sat  while  Stephen  was  stoning.  Not  far 
from  Jerusalem  is  a  cave  where  a  lion  carried  in  one  night, 
by  the  will  of  God,  twelve  thousand  martyrs  destroyed 
under  Chosroes^. 

At  a  distance  of  two  miles  is  the  place  where  the  wood 
of  the  Lord's  Cross  grew.  Not  far  from  the  site  of  Calvary 
is  the  place  where  the  Holy  Cross  was  found.  When  the 
site  of  Calvary  had  been  diligently  sought  out,  Helena 
caused  it  to  be  cleansed,  the  idol  of  Venus  being  broken  in 
pieces,  which  Hadrian  had  set  up  there  to  the  ignominy 
of  the  Christians. 

Alongside  of  Mount  Olivet  is  the  Mount  of  Offence, 
where  King  Solomon,  seduced  by  his  wives,  built  a  fane  to 
Chamos  and  Moloch. 

Three  miles  from  Jerusalem  is  Anathot*,  from  which 
came  Jeremiah  of  Anathot. 

A  mile  from  Jerusalem,  towards  Gagas,  is  the  place 
which  is  called  Scopulus^  where  the  tribe  of  Levi  went 
out  to  meet  Alexander. 

'  Cf.  'Abbot  Daniel,'  p.  26,  'John  Phocas,'  p.  22. 
'  See  above,  p.  i. 

3  Cf.  'John  of  Wiirzburg,'  p.  49,  '  Theoderich,'  p.  56. 

4  'Anaia,  three  miles  north-east  of  Jerusalem. 

5  Scopus,  the  hill  to  the  north  of  Jerusalem,  P.E.F.Q.S.,  1873,  p.  20; 
1S74,  pp.  93,  in. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  43 

Five  miles  from  Jerusalem,  towards  the  south,  is  the 
towni  to  which  Mary  came  to  salute  Elizabeth,  where  John 
is  said  to  have  been  born. 

Two  miles  from  Jerusalem,  by  the  road  which  leads  to 
Neapolis,  is  Mount  Gabaath,  and  the  city  of  Finees 
where  he  was  buried^. 

A  mile  from  Emaus,  towards  the  south,  is  Gabatha, 
where  Habakkuk  rests.  From  Gabaat  Saul  was  elected  in 
Galgala.  In  Gabaat  the  wife  of  the  Levite  is  cor- 
rupted^. 

Between  Jerusalem  and  Ascalon,  close  to  Bethany,  is 
Abuezer,  the  place  where  the  Philistines  took  the  Ark  of 
God*. 

Bethoron  is  in  the  tribe  of  the  sons  of  Joseph,  to  which 
Joshua  pursued  the  kings.  There  are  two  Bethorons,  an 
Upper  and  a  Lower^.  Solomon  built  the  Upper,  the  Lower 
was  given  as  a  possession  to  the  Levites.  In  the  country 
of  Bethoron  the  prophet  Joel  was  born  and  buried. 

Seven  miles  from  Jerusalem,  by  the  road  which  leads  to 
Neapolis,  is  Gabaon^,  from  which  came  the  Gabaonites. 
There  is  another  Gabaon,  close  to  Rama  and  Remmon ; 
there  Solomon  merited  the  Divine  oracle,  where  also  the 
sun  is  said  to  have  stood  still  while  Joshua  (the  son)  of 
Nun  was  fighting. 

In  the  mountains  of  Ebron  is  Ziph,  which  is  also  called 

*  ^At'n  Karhn. 

=  The  site  of  Gibeah  of  Phinehas  is  doubtful.  The  traditional  site  is 
Aivertah^  south  of  Ndbltis,  where  his  tomb  is  shown  ;  Jibta,  seven 
miles  west  of  Tell  A  stir ^  has  been  suggested — P.E.F.M.,  ii.  2S8. 

3  Gibeah  of  Benjamin  (or  of  Saul)  is  not  identified. 

4  Eben-Ezer  may  be  Detr  Aban,  east  of  'Ain  Shams — P.E.F.M., 
iii.  24. 

5  Beit '  Ur  el  Foka  and  Beit '  Ur  el  Tahta. 

^  There  was  probably  only  one  Gibeon,  now  the  village  of  El  Jib^ 
north  of  Jerusalem— P.E.F.M.,  iii.  94.  The  second  Gabaon  is  Geba» 
now  Jeba. 


44  FETELLUS. 

CarmeP  ;  here  was  the  village  of  Carmel  from  which  Nabal 
came.  In  this  Carmel  David  asked  loaves  for  his  young 
men  from  Nabal,  as  he  fled  from  the  face  of  Saul.  Abigail, 
meeting  him  in  the  descent  of  Carmel,  appeased  him  with 
large  gifts  ;  whom,  after  Nabal's  death,  David  married. 
There  is  another  Ziph,  from  which  came  the  Ziphites :  in 
its  desert  Jonathan  visited  David  when  he  was  hid  from 
the  face  of  Saul,  where  also  David  stole  Saul's  shield  and 
spear. 

Eight  miles  from  Emaus,  by  the  road  which  leads  to 
Hebron,  is  the  city  of  Ccyla^,  where  David  once  dwelt. 

Nine  miles  from  Jerusalem,  by  the  road  which  leads  to 
Ramatha"*  is  Mount  Mod  in*,  from  which  came  Mattathias, 
the  father  of  the  Maccabees,  once  an  almost  impregnable 
city,  from  which  one  could  see  both  seas — the  Great  Sea 
and  the  Dead  Sea.  In  Modin,  Mattathias  and  his  four 
sons,  and  two  grandsons,  rest  under  monuments^  that  are 
still  left. 

In  the  descent  from  Jerusalem  to  Jericho  is  Adonim, 
which  is  now  called  the  Red  Cistern^  It  is  mentioned  by 
our  Lord  in  speaking  of  the  man  who  fell  among  robbers. 

Thirteen  miles  from  Jerusalem  is  Jericho,  Over  against 
Jerico,  on  the  arrival  of  Elijah  and  Elisha,  the  Jordan 
was  divided,  where  also  Elijah,  on  being  taken  up,  left 
Elisha  his  cloak,  which  is  held  in  great  affection  at 
Constantinople.  As  Jesus  walked  through  Jericho, 
Zacchaius  climbed  up  a  sycamore  in  it.  In  Jericho,  at 
the  time  of  the  blessed   Sabas,  there  was  kept  a   guest 

'  'Ziph  and  Carmel  are  two  distinct  localities  to  the  south-east  of 
Hebron,  five  or  six  kilom.  from  one  another.' — V.  Ziph  is  now 
identified  with  TV//  Zi/,  south  of  Hebron,  quite  near  e/  Kurmtil. 

»  Keilah,  now  Khurbet  Ktla^  in  the  Hebron  mountains. 

3  Er  Ramleh,  near  Lttdd.  4  El  Midieh.  s  Pyramis. 

6  '  Now  Khan  el  Ahmar;  the  pilgrims  of  the  fourteenth  century 
call  it  the  "  Red  Tower."  '—V. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  45 

house  of  marvellous  charity  which  he  presided  over,  in 
which  he  happened  to  entertain  a  friend  of  his  from 
Medeba,  a  city  of  Arabia,  named  Thomas.  While  they 
were  eating,  and  with  them  the  most  holy  men  Paul  and 
Theodore,  it  was  announced  to  the  blessed  Sabas  that 
there  was  no  wine,  nor,  indeed,  any  liquor  except  a  little 
colocynth  broth  for  cooking  the  vegetables  for  their  break- 
fast. This  was  brought  before  the  blessed  Sabas  and  was 
consecrated  by  him,  when  it  was  changed  into  such 
abundance  of  wine  that  it  sufficed  for  all  in  the  hospital  for 
three  continuous  days  ;  some  of  it  he  gave  to  Thomas 
and  his  friends  on  their  return  home,  and  a  little  of  it  was 
reserved,  and  it  restored  to  health  infirm  persons  who  were 
anointed  with  it.  Before  Jericho  the  blind  man,  who  was 
restored  to  sight  by  the  Lord,  was  sitting  by  the  way- 
side. 

At  the  second  stone  from  Jericho  is  the  place  where 
Jesus  fasted  for  forty  days  and  forty  nights,  which  is  now 
called  Quarentena\  where  also  the  devil,  tempting  Him, 
said :  '  Command  that  these  stones  be  made  bread.' 

Two  miles  from  Quarentena,  towards  Galilee,  is  a  lofty 
mountain^,  from  which  the  devil  showed  Jesus  all  the 
kingdoms  of  the  world.  Under  Quarentena  is  the  rivulet 
of  that  fountain^  which  Elisha  rendered  drinkable  instead 
of  bitter,  by  scattering  salt  upon  it. 

Twenty  miles  from  Jerusalem  is  Ltdda*,  which  is 
Diospolis.  It  means  double  city".  In  the  confines  of 
Diospolis   is   Thanna^,  once   a   large   town  :    here  Judah 

^  '  There  was  there  a  church  dependent  on  the  Canons  of  the  Holy- 
Sepulchre.  Cartul.  du  S.-S.,  pp.  30,  235.' — V.  The  Mons  Quarantana 
is  behind  ^Ain  es  Sultan,  the  ancient  Jericho. 

2  Kurn  Stirtabeh.  3  ' Ain  es  Sultan.  4  Lydda,  Ludd. 

5  'An  absurd  play  on  the  word  Diospolis,  which  does  not  signify 
"  Two  Cities,"  Dyopolis,  but  "  City  of  Jupiter."  '—V. 

^  Timnath,  Gen.  x.xxviii.  ;  the  Timnah  of  Josh.  xv.  10  is  identified 


46  FETELLUS. 

clipped  his  sheep,  when  he  lay  with  Thamar  at  the  place 
where  two  ways  met,  a  mile  from  Thanna,  begetting  from 
her  Phares  and  Zaram. 

Four  miles  from  Diospolis  is  Arimathia^  t.e.,  Ramatha 
Sophim,  the  city  of  Elkanah  and  Samuel,  from  which  the 
Evangelist  says  that  Joseph  was,  and  where  he  was  buried. 
His  body  was  lately  taken  to  Bethleem  by  a  Bethlecmite, 
now  a  bishop,  and  there  were  found  with  him  the  bandages^ 
with  which  Joseph  took  Jesus  down  from  the  cross,  and 
one  of  the  nails  of  the  Lord,  both  of  which  are  now 
deposited  in  the  chapel  of  the  King  of  Jerusalem. 

Two  miles  from  Diospolis,  towards  the  sea,  is  the  Castle 
of  Balnea,  where  Nicodemus  carved  a  wooden  likeness  of 
the  Saviour's  form,  which  is  now  venerated  at  Lucca  in 
Italy. 

Two  miles  from  Diospolis,  above  the  sea,  is  Joppa,  in 
which  Peter  raised  Tabitta,  where  also  the  disc  appeared 
to  Peter^ ;  there  is  shown  there  a  stone  in  which  the  marks 
of  the  chains  of  Andromeda  are  seen*. 

Six  miles  from  Joppa  is  Assur^,  which  Solomon  built. 

Twenty  miles  from  Assur,  towards  the  east,  is  Dor*^, 
which,  in  honour  of  Augustus  Csesar,  Herod  called 
Cesarea ;  where  he  also  constructed  a  harbour  of  white 
marble,  in  which  Peter  baptized  Cornelius,  his  house  being 
changed  into  a  church,  and  ordained  him  as  bishop,  where 

with  the  ruins  of  'fibnah,  on  the  south  side  of  the  JVdtfy  Siir&r 
(Valley  of  Sorek). 

'  Arimathea  is  not  identified,  nor  is  Ramathaim-Zophim.  The 
place  referred  to  is  Rantieh,  north  of  Lydda. 

2  Tenaliis — Toraliis  ?  3  Acfs  x.  ii. 

*>  Cf.  Kenrick's  *  Phoenicia,'  p.  20,  referred  to  by  Dean  Stanley, 
'Sinai  and  Palestine,'  p.  275.     Cf.  also  '  St.  Paula,'  p.  4. 

s  'Arsur  or  ArsOf,  otherwise  Apollonia,  a  stronghold  of  the 
Crusaders.' — V. 

^  'An  error  ;  Doris  Tanturah,  about  four  Iciigiies  north  of  Cacsarea.' 
—  V      Taniiira  \%  eight  miles  from  C?E5area, 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  47 

rest  four  virgins,  prophetesses.  They  say  that  in  this 
Cesarea  Eusebius  '  the  Doctor '  was  bishop.  In  Cesarea 
was  the  Tower  of  Strato^,  where  Herod  was  sitting  in  his 
purple  vestments  when  he  was  smitten  by  the  Divine 
vengeance  and  died.  In  the  time  of  the  Saracens,  Cesarea 
flourished  so  greatly  that  between  Babilon  and  Balilonia, 
i.e.,  Baldach  in  Persia  and  Menfis  in  Egypt^,  it  grew 
like  their  paradise  ;  and  there  the  nobles  and  the  powerful 
were  buried.  In  the  circuit  of  the  city,  among  gardens, 
were  various  small  caves,  constructed  of  sawn  stones,  in 
which  spices  and  aromatics  were  mingled  in  the  fire,  so 
that  the  whole  city  was  redolent  of  the  combining  wafted 
odours,  to  the  shutting  out  of  all  bad  smells  and  the 
exhilaration  of  the  countenances  of  the  citizens.  But  now 
all  this  has  come  to  nothing. 

In  the  rivers  of  Cesarea  are  crocodiles',  horrible  serpents. 
The  mouth  of  the  crocodile  is  distinguished  from  all  mouths 
in  this  respect,  that  its  upper  jaw  is  movable,  while  its 
lower  is  fixed*.  The  crocodile  has  no  lower  exit.  The 
crocodile,  having  eaten  its  food,  seeks  its  wonted  paths  on 
the  river  bank,  where,  raised  on  its  arms,  its  neck  extended, 
and  its  mouth  open,  as  if  to  incorporate  the  breeze,  it  falls 
asleep.  When  it  is  fast  asleep  worms  come  to  it,  which 
eat  of  the  food  of  the  crocodile,  and  they  enter  its  belly, 
one  of  them  acting  as  the  janitor  and  watch  of  the  rest, 
fearing  lest  if  it  should    awake  it  should    seal   them    up 

*  According  to  Josephus,  the  original  name  of  Caesarea. 

2  '  Bagdad  and  Cairo.' — V. 

3  '  Pliny  records  the  same  fact,  and  the  Arabs  still  assert  it.  One  of 
the  rivers,  situated  between  Arsuf  and  Cacsarea,  still  bears  the  name 
of  "  Nahr  el  Temsah,"  the  Crocodile  River.  Cf.  Guerin,  De  Ora 
PalestincB,  etc.,  pp.  46,  66.' — V.  The  name  of  the  river  is  Nahr  ez 
Zerka,  the  Shihor  Libnath  of  Josh.  xix.  26  (?).  The  existence  of 
crocodiles  in  it  at  present  is  no  longer  doubtful. 

4  'This  error  as  to  the  position  of  the  jaws  of  the  crocoJile  is  still 
very  widely  spread.' — V. 


43  FETELLUS. 


below^.  Thus  the  crocodile  is  deceived  by  its  own.  The 
crocodile  bates  man  above  all  animals. 

There  is  another  serpent,  called  Ydrus,  which  loves  man 
above  all  creatures  ;  it  no  less  hates  the  crocodile  and  the 
crocodile  it,  so  that  they  mutually  seek  one  another.  But 
the  ydrus  renders  itself  shapeless  with  mud,  so  as  not  to 
be  recognised  by  its  enemy,  and  offers  itself  to  the 
crocodile,  which,  walking  round  it  two  or  three  times, 
ignorantly  swallows  it.  The  ydrus  eats  through  the  prison 
in  which  it  has  been  shut  up,  shakes  the  viscera,  dissipates 
the  liver,  tears  the  heart  in  pieces,  perforates  the  sides, 
and  comes  out  after  slaying  its  enemy.  How  crocodiles 
come  to  be  at  Cesarea  I  shall  state  shortly.  In  ancient 
days  two  brothers  reigned  at  Cesarea  with  equal  authority  ; 
the  elder  of  them,  because  he  was  not  reigning  alone, 
plotted  for  the  death  of  his  brother,  who  was  also  noted  as 
a  leper,  thinking  with  himself,  that  if  he  could  get  two 
pairs  of  crocodiles  from  the  Nile  to  the  before-named 
rivers,  his  brother,  who  frequented  the  river  baths  in  the 
summer-time,  would  perhaps  be  killed,  and  that  he  would 
obtain  the  kingdom.  This  actually  happened  thus,  and  so 
the  elder  reigned  alone. 

Ten  miles  from  Cesarea,  towards  the  east,  is  Scariathias, 
from  which  Judas  the  traitor  was  called  Scarioth. 

Six  miles  from  Scariathias,  is  Porfirium^,  at  the  foot  of 
Carmel,  above  the  sea,  once  a  goodly  city. 

Carmel  is  a  mountain,  where  for  some  time  Elias  con- 

'  '  Ejus  labio  superiori  super  vene  inferum  replicat  aculeutn,'  which 
follows  in  the  text  at  this  point,  is  not  capable  of  translation  ;  the  text 
must  be  corrupt. 

2  '  During  all  the  Middle  Ages,  Haifa,  at  the  foot  of  the  Bay  of 
Carmel,  was  con'^idered  as  situated  on  the  site  of  the  ancient  Porphy- 
rium  ;  this  is  an  error  ;  that  city  was  more  to  the  north  :  Haifa  has 
replaced  Sycaminum'  —V.  Porphyrium  was  e=  '  t  miles  north  of 
Sidon. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  49 

versed  with  Elisha,  where  he  sacrificed  to  God  before  the 
440  priests  of  Baalim,  and  merited  the  heavenly  fire. 
Thence,  seizing  the  priests,  he  slew  them  with  the  sword, 
above  the  torrent  of  Cyson.  Whence,  fleeing  from  Jezebel, 
he  came  to  Horeb.     Now,  Horeb  is  by  the  side  of  Synai. 

Three  miles  from  Carmel  is  Mount  Kaim\  at  the  foot  of 
which,  near  a  fountain,  Lamech  slew  his  forefather.  Cairn, 
with  an  arrow,  and  with  his  bow  his  leader. 

Ten  miles  from  Mount  Kaim  is  Achon^,  called  Tholo- 
mais  by  Ptolemy,  King  of  Egypt,  who  founded  it.  Here 
there  arrives  the  greater  number  of  ships  (coming  to  any 
port)  on  the  sea-coast  of  the  Christians  from  Aschalon  to 
Mount  Taurus,  to  which  the  necessary  supplies  of  Asia 
flow  from  Africa  and  Europe.  Here  once  a  year,  in  the 
month  of  August,  it  happens  that  on  the  sea  shore,  not 
far  from  the  walls  towards  the  east,  fountains  spring  up, 
rendering  their  rivulets  to  the  sea,  which  act  as  solvents  to 
those  drinking  of  them  according  to  their  pleasure.  On 
this  account  they  are  frequented  by  those  staying  between 
the  Euphrates  and  the  Nile. 

Sixteen  miles  from  Achon  is  Tyre,  which  in  ancient 
times  was  called  Sarra,  from  a  fish  which  abounds  there, 
which  the  Syrians  in  their  language  call  Sar,  from  which  is 
derived  the  name  by  which  this  kind  of  little  fish  is  called 
sarrce,  or  sardines^.  The  Hebrews  call  Tyre  Sor,  or  in 
the  common  tongue  Sur.  The  Phcenicians  founded  Tyre, 
coming  from  the  Red  Sea. 

*  Crusading  tradition  represents  Cain  as  killed  by  Lamech  at  Cain 
Mons,  the  ancient  Jokneam,  possibly  the  Cyamon  of  Judith,  now  Tell 
Keimnn. — P.E.F.M.,  ii.  69. 

2  'Akka  or  St.  Jean  d'Acre.  (Accho  of  Jud.,  i.  31.)  It  is  men- 
tioned by  Strabo  under  the  name  Ptolemais,  the  origin  of  which  is 
unknown. — P.E.F.M.,  i.  145,  etc. 

3  '  One  remarks  the  naivetd  of  these  etymologies,  based  on  jeux 
de  mots.    Tsor  means  "  a  rock.'' ' — V. 


50  FETELLUS. 

Fourteen  miles  from  Tyre  is  Sydon. 

Sydon  was  founded  by  Sydon,  the  first-born  of  Canaan, 
the  son  of  Ham,  from  whom  the  Sydonians^  are  descended. 
In  Tyre  and  Sydon  Fenix  reigned,  who  was  the  brother  of 
Cathmus  of  Thebes  in  Egypt^,  who  came  to  Syria.  From 
his  name  he  called  those  people  Fenycians,  and  the  whole 
province  Fenycia,  of  which  Tyre  had  the  first  rank.  In 
Tyre  reigned  Hiram  when  Solomon  reigned  in  Jerusalem  ; 
and  Apollonius  when  Antiochus  reigned  in  Antioch. 
Tyre,  as  the  Syrians  assert,  would  not  receive  Jesus  as  He 
walked  along  that  coast,  but  when  Jesus  was  raised  from 
the  dead,  it  received  in  His  name  Paul  preaching  to  it  the 
Law  and  the  Gospel.  He  afterwards,  falling  on  his  knees, 
prayed  on  the  sand  that  the  clemency  of  Christ  might 
strengthen  it  in  the  faith.  Before  Tyre  is  the  stone^  on 
which  they  say  that  Jesus  sat,  which  remained  uninjured 
from  His  time  until  the  expulsion  of  the  Gentiles  from  the 
city,  but  was  afterwards  broken  by  the  Franks  and  also 
the  Venetians  :  above  the  remains  of  it  on  its  own  site  a 
church  has  been  begun  in  honour  of  the  Saviour*.  Tyre 
has,  according  to  the  Venerable  Bede,  given  so  many 
martyrs  to  God,  the  number  of  whom  belonging  to  itself 
alone  science  reckons.  Tyre  is  the  burial-place  of  Origeiu 
Tyre  was  taken  by  Alexander  the  Great^  who  extended 

*  *  Sydones  sive  Sydonii.' 

»  Phcenix,  according  to  tradition,  was  the  brother  of  Cadmus,  and 
the  son  of  Agenor.  The  name  Phoenicia  may  be  derived  from  <poivtK, 
a  palm-tree,  but  probably  means  'the  lowland.' 

3  '  Mentioned  also  by  J,  Phocas.' — V.     '  Phocas,'  pp.  lo,  f. 

4  The  cathedral  of  Tyre  was  probably  built  in  the  latter  half  of  the 
twelfth  century  by  the  Crusaders,  on  the  site  of  the  church  erected  by 
Paulinus  and  consecrated  by  Eusebius,  A.D.  323,  in  which  Origen  had 
been  buried.  Its  ruins  show  it  to  have  been  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
of  Crusading  churches. 

s  B.C.  332.  Alexander,  as  is  well  known,  profiting  by  a  submarine 
bar  of  sand,  joined  the  island  on  which  the  city  was  built  to  the  main- 
land by  a  dyke. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  51 

the  land  by  a  wall,  since  it  was  then  surrounded  also  by 
the  sea.  In  our  time  Tyre  was  vigorously  besieged  both 
by  sea  and  by  land,  and  was  taken  by  the  Patriarch 
Warmund,  of  blessed  memory,  with  the  aid  of  the  Vene- 
tians, by  the  permission  of  the  grace  of  God\  From  the 
confines  of  Tyre  and  Sydon  came  the  Canaanite  woman 
who  said  to  Jesus :  '  Son  of  David,  have  pity  on  me  !' 
Departing  from  these  regions,  Jesus,  returning  to  Galilee 
through  the  midst  of  DecapoHs,  restored  hearing  to  the 
deaf  and  speech  to  the  dumb. 

Six  miles  from  Sydon,  above  the  sea,  towards  Tyre,  is 
Sarepta'-^  of  the  Sydonians,  where  Elias  was  sent  by  the 
Lord  to  the  widow  of  Sarepta,  that  she  might  provide  him 
with  food.  While  they  remained  together,  the  little  oil  in 
the  cruse  and  the  modicum  of  meal  afforded  sufficient 
food  :  here  Elias  raised  the  widow's  son,  viz.,  Jonah,  the 
son  of  Amathus''.  A  woman  collected  two  faggots  in 
Sarepta.  In  the  mountains  of  Sydon  and  Sarepta  is 
Gethagofer*,  the  town  from  which  came  the  above-named 
Jonah.  Of  Sydon  was  Dido,  who  built  Carthage  in  Africa. 
Sydon  was  acquired  by  the  Phoenicians,  and  held  by  them  ; 
they  confirmed  its  name  Sydon  on  account  of  the  abund- 
ance of  fish,  because  in  their  language  Sydon  signifies  fish. 

Eighteen  miles  from  Sydon  is  Beritus^  a  most  wealthy 
city.     In  Beritus  is  an  image  of  our  Saviour",  wrought  by 

^  Gormond,  Patriarch  of  Jerusalem,  1118-1128.  The  siege  of  Tyre 
was  concluded  June  29,  1124. 

2  Surafetid. 

3  '  It  is  nowhere  said  that  the  child  raised  by  Elias  was  the  prophet 
Jonah.'— V. 

4  Gath-Hepher  of  Josh.  xix.  13,  now  el  Mesh-hed,  three  miles 
north-east  of  Nazareth,  in  which  the  tomb  of  Jonah  is  shown. — 
P.E.F.M.,  i.  365. 

^  Beiriit. 

6  Cf.  'Abbot  Daniel,'  p.  55  ;  *The  City  of  Jerusalem,'  p.  48.     The 


$2  FETELLUS. 


Nicodemus  with  his  own  hands  :  not  long  after  the  Passion 
of  Christ  it  was  ignominiously  crucified  by  some  Jews  in 
mockery,  and  it  brought  forth  blood  and  water.  On 
account  of  this  many  believed  in  Christ.  Whoever  is 
anointed  with  a  drop  from  the  image,  is  restored  to 
health. 

Twenty  miles  from  Berytus,  towards  the  east,  is  Byblium^, 
which  is  Gibeletum,  or,  in  the  Hebrew  tongue,  Gobel.  To 
its  harbour,  in  the  time  of  Solomon,  wood  was  brought 
from  Lebanon  for  the  building  of  the  house  of  the  Lord  in 
Jerusalem,  and  thence  to  Joppa. 

Twenty  miles  from  Gibeletum,  towards  the  east,  is 
Tripolis^,  the  city  of  the  provincials  ;  it  is  marvellously 
fortified  by  walls  and  the  sea. 

Twelve  miles  from  Tripolis,  towards  the  east,  is  the 
Albana,  a  river  of  Archas,  where  the  kingdom  of  Jeru- 
salem begins. 

At  Jerusalem  a  public  prayer  for  the  dead  and  a  public 
benefit  were  originated  by  Judas  Maccabaeus,  and  a  common 
hospital  by  Hyrcanus.  The  tower  which  is  now  called 
that  of  David  was  built  by  Herod.  Titus  and  Vespasian, 
when  they  destroyed  the  city,  left  it  standing  as  a  sign 
of  their  victory.  But  the  citadel  which  David  built  for 
himself,  where  he  dictated  the  Psalter,  had  its  site  within 
the  church  which  now  fortifies  and  decorates  Syon,  towards 
Bethleem  on  a  very  lofty  mound,  down  to  the  time  of 
the  younger  son  of  Mattathias,  who  destroyed  both  the 
citadel  and  the  mound.     But  Titus  and  Vespasian,  when 

incident,  but  not  the  name  of  the  maker,  is  mentioned  in  the  'Acts 
of  the  Second  Council  of  Nicasa,'  A.D.  787,  but  is  there  assigned  to 
about  the  year  A.D,  765,     Cf.  Quaresmius,  Elucid.  T.  S. 

'  Jebcil,  on  the  Syrian  coast.  The  Hebrew  Gebal,  Greek  Bibios, 
and  Giblet  of  the  Crusading  Chronicles. 

«  Tarabiilus. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  53 

the  city  was  destroyed,  took  from  it  not  only  its  inhabi- 
tants, but  also  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  and  what  was  in 
it,  and  carried  them  to  Rome  with  them,  as  appears 
sculptured  in  the  triumphal  arches  between  the  Palladium 
and  the  Palatine  Hill,  close  to  the  Church  of  Santa  Maria 
Nuova^ 

The  keys  of  the  above-named  tower  having  been  taken 
by  Duke  Godfrey  from  the  hand  of  the  Patriarch  Dago- 
bert,  he  arranged  as  kindly  as  he  could  as  to  the  patri- 
archate and  the  honours  of  the  churches,  and  he  first 
merited  to  ascend  the  summit  with  the  title,  not  of  one 
who  reigned,  but  of  the  slave  of  God.  But  he  had  vowed 
that  if  God  would  give  Aschalon  into  his  hands,  he  would 
give  the  whole  of  Jerusalem  to  those  serving  God  in  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  and  that  he  would  increase 
the  dominion  of  the  patriarch.  But  when  the  following 
year  was  scarcely  completed,  he  came  to  that  end  which 
he  could  not  pass.  He  was  buried  with  incomparable 
mourning  before  Golgotha,  v/here  our  Lord  was  crucified ; 
and  these  verses  were  written  in  his  tomb ; 

'  Marvellous  star,  here  lies  Duke  Godfrey, 
Eg>  pt's  terror,  putter  to  flight  of  Arabs,  scatterer  of  Persians  ; 
Though  elected  king,  king  he  would  not  be  entitled 
Nor  crowned  :  but  he  was  "  the  slave  of  Christ." 
His  was  the  care  to  restore  to  Syon  her  rights, 
And  as  a  Catholic  to  follow  the  sacred  dogmas  of  right  and  equity  ; 
All  schism  to  put  away  from  around  him,  and  to  cherish  right. 
Thus  also  with  the  saints  could  he  deserve  a  diadem — 
The  army's  mirror,  the  people's  strength,  the  clergy's  anchor.' 

He  was  succeeded  by  Baldwin  his  brother ;  he  had  been 
first  Consul  of  Edessa,  and  was  elected  by  the  whole  clergy 

^  '  The  author  alludes  to  the  well-known  bas-relief  of  the  Arch  of 
Titus  at  Rome.  The  church  which  he  mentions  is  that  of  St.  Francesca 
Romana,  built  in  the  eighth  century  by  Paul  I.  under  the  name  of 
Santa  Maria  Nuova,  rebuilt  in  the  ninth  under  Leo  IV.,  and  dedicated 
by  Paul  V.  to  St.  Frances  after  her  canonization  in  1608.' — V. 


54  FETELLUS. 


and  people.  While  he  reigned  the  Idumean  and  Amalech 
were  silent,  the  Arab  and  the  Philistine  trembled,  Damascus 
and  Tyre  and  Aschalon  paid  tribute^  ....  He  was 
succeeded  in  Syon  by  him  who  had  succeeded  him  at 
Edessa,  Baldwin  du  Bourg,  a  man  wise,  and  of  great 
valour;  after  him  came  the  venerable  Fulke  III.,  Count  of 
Anjou  and  Maine. 

»  '  Here  comes  in  a  history  of  Baldwin  I.,  which  is  foreign  to  our 
purpose.' — V. 


INDEX. 


r 


A. 
Abana,  24 
Abarim,  21 
Abigail,  44 
Abraham,  Oak  of,  8 
Abuezer,  43 
Accon  (Ptolemais),  49 
Aceldama,  5,  40 
Achor,  Valley  of,  22 
Adam,  8,  9 
Adam  a,  7,  il 
Adonim,  44 
Ain  Karim,  43 
Aix-la-Chapelle,  38 
Alachiber,  38 
Albana,  52 

Altar  of  Children  of  Israel,  39 
Alum,  called  Katranium,  12 
Anathoth,  42 

Andromeda,  Chains  of,  46 
Anne,  St.,  Church  of,  4 
Antioch,  25,  37 
Arabia,  14 
Archas,  24,  52 
Arimathea,  46 
Ascension,  Oratory  of  the,  6 
Asfaltis,  Lake,  11 
Ashteroth-Karnaim,  26 
Assur,  46 
Aulon,  25 


Baal,  25 
Baalbeck,  24 
Bala,  II 
Balnea,  46 
Barachias,  39 
Beersheba,  10 


B. 


Belinas,  24 
Belmon,  25 
Beritus  (Beyrout),  51 
Bethany,  6,  40 

„        of  Baptist,  26 
Betharacha,  36 
Betharam,  25 
Bethefaroel,  11 
Bethel,  34 

„       (Temple),  37 
Beth  Hoglah,  22 
Bethlehem,  5,  35 
Bethoron,  43 
Bethphage,  6,  40 
Bethsaida,  28 
Bethsan,  25,  32 
Bethulia,  29 
Bitumen,  12 
Bozrah,  22 
Byblium,  52 


Csesarea  of  Palestine,  46,  47 
„        Philippi,  24 

Cain,  49 

Calvary,  Mount,  41,  42 

Cana  of  Galilee,  30 

Caphar  Gamala,  4 

Capharnaum,  28 

Career,  41 

Cariatarbe,  9 

Carmel,  Mount,  48 
„        Village  of,  44 

Casale  Palme,  12 

Cave  of  the  Lion,  42 

Cedar,  27,  28 

Ceyla,  44 

Charroux,  38 

5 


56 


FETELLUS. 


Chorazin,  28 

Church  of  St.  Anne,  4 

„  St.  John  the  Baptist,  3 

„  St.   John   on   the  Jor- 

dan, 7 
„         St.  Jean  de  Maurienne, 

33 
„  St.  Karitoth,  36 

„  St.   Mary,   at    Bethle- 

hem, 5 
„         St.    Mary,   on    Mount 

Sion, 4 
.,  St.   Mary,   in    Haram 

Area,  3 
„  St.  Mary  the  Great,  6 

„  St.  Mary  the  Latin,  3 

„  St.  Mary  Magdalene,  6 

„         St.  Peter,  5 
„         St.  Stephen,  4 
„         the  Holy  Sepulchre,  2 
„         The  Latin,  41 
„         the  Paternoster,  6 

Cinnereth,  29 

Cornelius,  46 

Cradle  of  Jesus,  3 

Crocodile  River,  47 

Crypt  of  Nativity,  5 

D. 
Damascus,  22 
Dan,  River,  25,  26 
David,  Tower  of,  i,  52 
Dead  Sea,  7,  n 
Debir,  10 
Deborah,  31 

Devil,  River  of  the,  7,  1 1 
Dido,  51 
Diospolis,  45 
Dome  of  the  Rock,  i,  3 
Dothaim,  29 

E. 
Ebal,  33 
Eben  Ezer,  43 
Eden,  Mount,  19 
Effrata,  35 
Eleutheropolis,  41 
Elisha,  Burial-place  of,  32 

„      Fountain  of,  45 
Elkosh,  32 
Emmaus,  41 
Endor,  31 
Engedi,  12 
Epiphania,  38 


Ethan,  14 
Eusebius,  47 
Eustachius,  24 


Fire,  The  Holy,  41 
Forest  of  Lebanon,  24 
Fuller's  Pool,  40 


Gabaath,  43 
Gabaon,  43 
Gadara,  27,  28 
Galilee,  Church  of,  4 

„        Sea  of,  28 
Gath  Hefer,  51 
Gebal,  52 
Genin,  32 
Gennesareth,  29 
Ger,  32 
Gerasa,  28 
Gerizim,  Mount,  y^ 
Gervase  of  Galilee,  27 
Gethagofer,  51 
Gethsemane,  6,  40,  41 
el  Ghor,  25 
Gibeah,  48 
Gibeletum,  52 
Gibeon,  43 
Gilboa, Mount,  27,  31 
Gilgal,  21 
Gilles,  St.,  35 
Godfrey  of  Bouillon,  53 
Golgotha,  2,  53 
Gomorrha,  7,  11 
Gyon,  Mount,  40 

H. 
Habakkuk,  Legend  of,  36 
Hamath,  38 
Hebron,  8 

Helena,  Empress,  2,  35 
Hermon,  31 

Hiram,  King  of  Tyre,  29 
Holy  Spirit,  Descent  01,  4,  42 
Hor,  19 
Hospital  and  Church  of  St.  John 

the  Baptist,  3 
el  Huleh,  28 


Idumaea,  22,  23 
Isaiah,  37,  40 
Iscariot,  48 


INDEX. 


57 


J. 
Jacob,  River,  23 
Jael,  31 

Jebel-Usdum,  13 
Jeremiah,  21 
Jericho,  6,  44 
Jerome,  St.,  5,  36 
Jerusalem,  1-5,  6,  35,  36,  42,  52 

„  Gates  of,  i 

Jezebel,  31 

Jezrahel  (Jezreel),  31 
Job,  27 
John  the  Baptist,  Burial-place  of, 

32 
John    the    Baptist,   Church  and 

Hospital  of,  3 
Jonah,  51 
Joppa,  46 
Jor,  25,  27,  28 
Jordan,  6,  7,  26 
Josaphat,  Valley  of,  6,  40 
Joseph  of  Arimathea,  46 
Judith,  29 

K. 
Kabrata,  36 
Kadumim,  31 
Kaim,  49 
Karitoth,  St.,  36 
Karnaim,  21 
Katraniuni  (alum),  12 
Keilah,  44 

Kings,  Tombs  of  the,  42 
Kirjath-Arba,  9 
Kirjath-Sepher,  10 
Kishon,  31,  49 

L. 

Last  Supper,  Place  of  the,  4 

Lebanon,  Forest  of,  24 

Lepers,  39 

Litostrotos,  41 

Lot,  Sepulchre  of,  10 

Lot's  Wife,  12 

Luzan,  33 

Lydda,  45 

M. 
Magdalum,  29 
Malbech,  24 

Manger  at  liethlehem,  35 
Mary,  St.,  Church  of,  m  Haram 
Area,  3 


Mary,  St.,  Church  of,  on  Mount 
Sion,  4,  42 

„  the  Great,  6 

,,  the  Latin,  3 

Maries,  Oratory  of  the  Three,  41 
Matathias,  43 
Megiddo,  31 
Meddan,  Plain  of,  26 
Melchizedech,  30,  31,  36 
Mensa  Christi,  28 
Merom,  Lake  of,  28 
Moab,  Plains  of,  21 
Modin,  Mount,  44 
Moriah,  37 
Moses,  17 
Muscomion,  44 

N. 

Naaman,  City  of,  27 
Nain,  31 
Nazareth,  29 
Neapolis,  33 
Nebuchadnezzar,  37 
Nicodemus,  46,  52 

O. 
Obadiah,  Burial-place  of,  32 
Offence,  Mount  of,  42 
Olives,    Oratory   on    the    Mount 

of,  6 
Orontes,  River,  25,  26 

P. 
Palace  of  Solomon,  3,  40 
Paneas,  24 
Paternoster,  6 

Paula  and  Eustochium,  5,  36 
'  Pavement,'  The,  41 
Pelagia,  Sepulchre  of,  42 
Pentapolis,  12,  14 
Pharphar,  24,  25 
Phoenicia,  50 
Porfirium,  48 
Precipice,  The,  30 
Prison,  The  Lord's,  41 
Ptolemais,  49 

Q. 

Quarantana,  Mount  of,  7,  45 

R. 
Rachel,  Tomb  of,  36 
Ramah,  35 


58 


FETELLUS. 


Ramatha  Sophim,  46 
Rameses,  14 
er  Ramleh,  44 
Red  Cistern,  The,  44 
Riblah,  25,  37 
Rogel,  40 

S. 
Sabas,  St.,  13,  44 
Samaria,  32 
Sarepta,  51 
Saron,  31 
Scariathias,  48 
Scopus,  47 
Scythopolis,  25,  32 
Seboim,  7,  1 1 
Sebaste,  32 
Segor,  II 
Seir,  23 

Seleucia  ad  Mare,  25 
Sepulchre,  Church  of  the   Holy, 

2,42 
Sepphoris,  30 
Shaveh-Kiriathaim,  13 
Sheep-pool,  4,  39 
Shunem,  33 
Sichem,  33 
Sidon,  50 
Siloam,  5,  40 
Simon  the  Leper,  6 
Sinai,  15-17,49 
Sinjil,  35 
Sion,  40,  41 
Sodom,  7,  1 1 
Solomon,  Palace  of,  3 
„        Porch  of,  41 
Spinetum,  27 
Stephen,  St.,  i,  42 
Strato,  Tower  of,  47 
Succoth,  14 


Suetha,  26,  27 
Sychar,  34 
Syloe,  5,  40 


*  Table,'  The,  28 
Tabor,  30 
Tekoa,  36 

Templars,  Knights,  39 
Temple,  i,  3,  37-39 
Thanazare,  34 
Thanna,  45 
Thecua,  36 
Theman,  26 
Thopheth,  39 
Tiberias,  29 
Timnath,  45 
Timnath-Heres,  34. 
Titus,  Arch  of,  53 
Tochteghin,  Sultan,  27 
Trachoniiis,  27 
Tripolis,  52 
Tyre,  49,  50 


U. 


Us  (Uz),  23,  26 

V. 
Valley  of  Sons  of  Ennon,  39 

,,        Josaphat,  6,  40 

„  Tears,  9 
Venus,  Image  of,  42 

X. 

Xenodochium,  39 


Ziph,  43,  44 
Zoar,  II 
Zoheleth,  40 


Z. 


THE  END. 


BILLING  AND  SONSj    PRINTERS,   GVILPFORD. 


Reference   Table. 

/.  The' pinncvde'. 

2.  SouMe/  of  Sinvarv  they  Jizat- 

3.  The^  Stahlee. 

4.  BeouuubifixL  Gute/. 

5.  Place/  of  ZlxxJiarias. 

6.  Chapel'  of  S.  James. 

7.  GcLnorvs'  CLoistere. 

8.  CaTwrvs'A.bbey 

9.  Betheedoy. 

10.  Ch.  of  SP  Anne,. 

11.  Ov.  of  S^  Mary  Magdalene/. 


""{ziy^^' 


12.  Arch/. 

13.  CnnoTv^  CLoietere. 

14.  Ch^  SP  Mary  the  Great. 
16.   Civ.  SP  Mary  the,  LaUirv. 

16.  HffspixiK'  of  Sv  Sahaj. 

17.  Ch.  of  St  James  the,  Great. 

18.  Hou^Be  of  thje,  Germarte. 

19.  CharrveL  HoijuM^  ofthje,LUnv, 
ZO.  Places  at'  which  SP  Stgyhtru  fvae  starved/. 

21.  The/Poj^ehtent.  Praetorianv. 

22.  Pooh  of  Siloe/  andU  OcJo  ofMoyd<. 

23.  Cfv.  oFSP  SoATvovur. 


Aeeidarri/a.a 


icoo  Tt/tt  o 

(  '  I  '  I   I   I  '  I   '   M   I   M   '  I   '  I   I   I 


PALESTINE  PILGRIMS' TEXT  SOCIETY. 


KSWeller.JJtho. 


^6280  Ttft,'  liiHa 


Referenc 

1.  The,  piruuudje^. 

2.  House'  of  Sirr 

3.  The'  StaJblee. 

4.  BeauiifitL'  Go 

5.  PLouoe^  of  Zcua 

6.  Oiapel  of  Sl 

7.  Gouvons'  CLoi 

8.  Canorvs\Abl 

9.  Bethesdcu. 
JO.    Cfv.ofSPAru 
11.    (K.ofS^Ma. 


19 


PoiH 

'atr 


1Z  Aroh'. 
13.    Gnnorvs'  Ch 
H.  CfuSPMcu 
16.  Cfv.  S^Mo 

16.  MpspijX'  t 

17.  Ch.ofStJ 

18.  MouMe,  of^ 

19.  Charneli 
ZO.  Fhtceat'y 

21.  The'Pcurej 

22.  Pool  of  S 

23.  Cfv.  of  Si' 


vo  Feet  o 

I  '  I  '  I  '  I  '  I  '  I  '  I  '  I  ■  I  '  I  '  I 


Scale 


lOon 

—i 


PALESTINE  PILGRIMS' TEXT   SOCIETY. 


yS.'iyeller.J/iho 


^alc0tin£  pilgrims'  lext  (Soxiety. 


DESCRIPTION    OF 
THE    HOLY    LAND 

BY 

JOHN  OF   WtjRZBURG. 

(a.d.  1160-1170). 


'(ITrjinslatcb  bj 
AUBREY    STEWART,    M.A., 

LATE  FELLOW  OF   TRINITY   COLLEGE,   CAMBRIDGE. 

WITH    NOTES 

BY 

MAJOR-GENERAL  SIR  CHARLES  W.  WILSON,  R.E.,  K.C.B., 
K.C.M.G.,  F.R.S.,  D.CL.,  LL.D. 


LONDON : 
24,    HANOVER    SQUARE,    W. 

1896. 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 


TAGE 

PREFACE  TO  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY 

LAND,    ABRIDGED    FROM   TOBLER    .  .  .  ix-xi 

DEDICATORY   EPISTLE  .  .  .  •  .1-2 

CHAPTER  I. 

NAZARETH — THE    LORD'S   LEAP  (SALTUS    DOMINl) — SEPPHORIS 

CANA    OF    GALILEE — -TABOR HERMONIIM NAIM 

ENDOR CISON JEZRAHEL  — MAGEDDON — GELBOE SCY- 

THOPOLIS — GYNiEA  .  .  .  .  '3-6 

CHAPTER  II. 

SAMARIA — ^DOTHAIM    (tHE    CISTERN    OF    JOSEPH) — SEBASTE 

SICHEM — SICHAR BETHEL     (LUZA)  —  GARIZIM — GEBAL — 

SILO — RAMA  .  .  .  .  .  '7-9 

CHAPTER  III. 

JERUSALEM  —  MOUNT      MORIAH  —  THE      HISTORY      OF       THE 

TEMPLE      .  .  .  .  .  .  .9-12 

CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  'TEMPLE  OF  THE  LORD' — THE  TRADITIONS  —  THE 
DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TEMPLE,  AND  OF  THE  SPACE  ROUND 
ABOUT   IT  .....  12-20 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  V. 

PAG»- 

THE  PALACE  OF  SOLOMON — THE  HOUSE  OF  THE  TEMPLARS — 
THE  STABLE — THE  HOSPICE  OF  SIMEON  THE  JUST — THE 
CRADLE   OF    CHRIST  ....  20-27 

CHAPTER  VI. 

BETHANY  —  BETHPHAGE THE  CHURCH  OF  MARY  MAG- 
DALENE     .,..,,  22-24 

CHAPTER  vn. 

MOUNT    SION — THE    CHAMBER     OF    THE    LAST    SUPPER — THE 

CHURCH    OF    SION  ....  25-2C 

CHAPTER  Vni. 

THE  PRAYER  OF  CHRIST  IN  GETHSEMANE — THE  CHAPEL  WITH 
THE  GROTTO — THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  SAVIOUR — THE  PLACE 
OF   THE    BETRAYAL  .  .  .  ,  26-28 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  JUDGMENT-HALL  OF  PILATE — THE  TOWER  OF  DAVID — THE 
BUILDING  IN  WHICH  THEY  SUPPED — GALILEE  OR  PLACE  OF 
THE  COCK-CROWING — THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  GREEKS — THE 
CHAPEL  OF  THE  FLAGELLATION — THE  WAY  BY  WHICH 
CHRIST   WENT   TO   CALVARY  .  .  .  28-3C 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE  PLACE  CALVARY — THE  PRISON  OF  OUR  LORD — THE 
SEPULCHRE  OF  ADAM — THE  RENT  AND  HOLE  IN  THE  ROCK 

^THE  ALTAR   OF   THE   LORD's    PASSION,  AND  OF  HIS  HOLY 

BLOOD         ......  30-33 

CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  CHOIR   OF  THE   CANONS — ^THE   CENTRE  OF  THE  EARTH — 

EMMAUS — THE  WASHING   OF   THE    FEET   ON    SION  .  34-35 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

PAGE 

THE  MONUMENT  AT  THE  SEPULCHRE  OF  OUR  LORD — THE 
ALTAR  AT  THE  HOLY  SEPULCHRE — THE  INSCRIPTIONS — 
THE  NEW  CHURCH — THE  CHOIR  OF  THE  CANONS — THE 
CHURCH    OF   THE   RESURRECTION — THE    PROCESSION  35-38 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  canons'  CLOISTER — THE  CRYPT  WITH  THE  ALTAR  OF  ST. 
HELENA — THE    CONSECRATION    OF    THE    CHURCH    OF    THE 

HOLY     SEPULCHRE THE     FOUR      ALTARS — THE     CANONS' 

CHOIR THE     QUARREL      BETWEEN      THE      GERMANS      AND 

THE    FRANKS  .....  38-4 1 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  ASCENSION  ON  THE  MOUNT  OF  OLIVES — 
THE  POURING  FORTH  OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST  ON  MOUNT 
SIGN — THE   ASSUMPTION    OF   THE   VIRGIN.  •  42-43 

CHAPTER  XV. 

ACELDAMA — MOUNT  GION — THE  CHURCH  AND  HOSPITAL  OF 
ST.  JOHN — THE  CONVENT  OF  THE  NUNS  OF  ST.  MARY  THE 
GREAT — THE  MONASTERY  OF  ST.  MARY  THE  LATIN — THE 
MONASTERY  OF  ST.  SABAS — THE  CHURCH  AND  MONASTERY 
OF  THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  ST.  JAMES  THE  GREATER — THE 
HOUSE   OF   THE   GERMANS  .  .  .  434^ 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  CHAPEL  OF  ST.   PETER  OF  THE  FETTERS— THE  IRON    GATE 

THE  CHURCH  AND  MONASTERY  OF  ST.  ANNE — THE   POOL 

OF  THE  SHEEP -GATE — THE  CHURCH  OF  ST.  MARY  MAGDA- 
LENE— THE  TRIPLE  MARKET — THE  ARCH  WHERE  THE 
BLESSED  MARY  RESTED — THE  CHURCH  OF  ST.  CHARITON     46-48 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

PAGB 

THE  PLACE  OF  THE  STONING  OF  ST.  STEPHEN — THE  CHARNEL- 
HOUSE  OF  THE  LION — GABAA — THE  MOUNT  OF  OFFENCE — 
THE  POOL  OF  SILOE — THE  OAK  OF  ROGEL — THE  CHAPEL 
AND  SEPULCHRE  OF  JAMES,  THE  SON   OF  ALPHiEUS — ^THE 

PYRAMID    OF    JEHOSAPHAT THE     HERMITS'     CAVES — THE 

CONVENT  IN  THE  UPPER  PART  OF  THE  VALLEY  OF 
JEHOSAPHAT — THE  SEPULCHRE  OF  THE  VIRGIN  MARY  49-5  ^ 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE   SEPULCHRE    OF   ST.  MARY — THE   CHAPEL — THE    INSCRIP- 
TIONS— GETHSEMANE         ....  S^SS 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

BETHLEHEM — THE  MANGER — THE  PLACE  OF  THE   NATIVITY 

THE  APPEARANCE  OF  THE  STAR — THE  SEPULCHRE  OF  THE 
INNOCENTS — THE  SEPULCHRE  OF  ST.  JEROME — THE  PLACE 
OF  THE  SHEPHERDS — THECUA — THE  CHURCH  OF  ST. 
CHARITON — THE   SEPULCHRE   OF    RACHEL  .  54-55 

CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  RIVER  JORDAN — THE  DESERT  OF  QUARANTANA — THE 
MOUNT   OF   TEMPTATION — THE    FOUNTAIN    OF    ELIS^US — 

THE    PLACE  OF   THE    BLIND  MAN — JERICHO — BETHAGLA 

ENGADDI    ......  56-58 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

HEBRON — THE   DOUBLE   CAVE — THE   VALLEY   OF   TEARS — THE 

FIELD   OF   DAMASCUS — THE   OAK   OF    MAMBRE  .  5^  59 

CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  LAKEASPHALTITES — SEGOR(pALMARIA) — JEWISH  BITUMEN 

THE  CAVE  OF  KARNAIM — ARABIA — MOUNT  SINAI  — HELIM 

— MOUNTS   HOREB   AND    ABARIM  — IDUM.EA  .  59-6^ 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

PAGE 

THE  PLACE  WHERE  MARY  VISITED  ELIZABETH — MODIN LYDDA 

CiESAREA   PALiESTINA MOUNTS    KAIN    AND   CARMEL  6 1 -62 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

PHCENICIA LIBANUS  —  TYRE — SAREPTA — SIDON — BERYTUS — 

ARPHAT     ......  63-64 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

DAMASCUS — IDUMiEA  —  HUS  —  SUETA — THEMA — NAAMAN — 
THE  RIVER  JABOC — MOUNT  SEIR — DAMASCUS  AGAIN — 
MOUNT  LIBANUS — THE  RIVERS  ABANA  AND  PHARPHAR 
— THE  HARBOUR  OF  ST.  SIMEON — ANTIOCH — PANEAS — 
AULON DAN — MEDAN JOR — THE   SEA   OF   GALILEE  64-67 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

BETH  SAID  A CHORAZAIN  —  CEDAR  —  CAPHARNAUM — THE 

*  TABLE  '  —  GENES ARETH  MAGDALUM  TIBERIAS  

BETHULIA — DOTHAIM — GERGESA    .  .  •  67-69 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

TO   THE   READER  ,  .  .  .  .  69-7;? 


PREFACE 


JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE 
HOLY  LAND, 

ABRIDGED     FROM     TOBLER. 


As  for  who  John  of  Wurzburg  was,  nothing  certain  is 
known  save  what  he  himself  tells  us,  that  he  was  a  priest 
in  the  church  at  Wurzburg,  On  the  first  page  of  the 
Tegernsee  manuscript  is  written  in  another  hand  :  'This 
book  belongs  to  the  monastery  of  St.  Quirinus  at 
Tegernsee.  It  contains  a  description  of  the  Holy  Land, 
and  especially  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem,  by  the  Lord  John, 
Bishop  of  Wiirzburg.'  Also  upon  the  cover  of  the  book, 
beside  the  table  of  its  contents,  are  the  words  '  By  John, 
Bishop  of  Wurzburg  ';  but  in  the  register  of  the  bishops  of 
Wurzburg  there  is  no  one  to  be  found  of  the  name  of  John. 
On  the  other  hand,  we  know  of  one  Theoderich  that  he 
was  Bishop  of  Wurzburg.  In  the  catalogue  of  the  Bishops 
of  the  Cathedral  Church  of  Wurzburg  in  the  National 
Library  at  Munich,  we  find  '  Theoderich  was  appointed 
bishop  in  the  year  1223.  He  held  the  office  for  one  year, 
two  months,  and  fourteen  days.  He  died  1224  (according 
to  Potthast,  February,  1225),  in  the  reign  of  Frederick  II.' 
It  appears,  therefore,  highly  probably  that  Dietrich,  to 
whom  our  friend  John  addressed  his  Dedicatory  Epistle,,  is 


X  PREFACE. 

the  same  Theoderich,  a  translation  of  whose  '  Libellus  '  will 
shortly  be  published.  Supposing  him  to  have  made  a 
pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land  in  his  twenty-fifth  year,  he 
would  have  been  seventy-six  years  of  age  when  he  was 
chosen  as  bishop,  which  might  very  well  be.  Beyond  this, 
nothing  certain  is  known  about  John  of  Wurzburg. 

With  regard  to  the  time  at  which  his  pilgrimage  took 
place,  we  learn  from  J.  A.  Fabricius,  in  his  '  Library  of 
Mediaeval  Latinity,'  IV.  170  b,  that  John  wrote  his  book 
not  long  after  the  year  1200;  and  Bernard  Fez  in  his 
•  Thesaurus'  conjectures  (L  Ixxxvii.)  that  it  must  have  been 
in  the  thirteenth  century  that  John  applied  himself  to 
writing  an  account  of  what  he  had  seen.  A  careful  investi- 
gation of  his  descriptions  leaves  no  room  for  doubt  that  his 
visit  to  Jerusalem  took  place  during  the  time  of  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Frankish  kingdom  therein.  It  appears  probable, 
from  a  comparison  of  the  two  writers,  that  John  of  Wurzburg 
visited  the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  before  its  restora- 
tion, and  Theoderich  during  that  process.  We  read  (/.  of 
W.,  ch.  xii.)  that  the  dome  of  the  chapel  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre  was  of  silver,  and  subsequently  that  the  anti- 
phonal  hymn  Christus  resurgens  was  inscribed  round  about 
the  chapel  in  silver  letters.  But  verily  we  know  from 
Phocas  (ch.  xxi.)  that  the  Greek  Emperor  Manuel 
Comnenus^  covered  the  Holy  Sepulchre  with  gilding,  and 
Theoderich  (ch.  v.)  says  that  he  read  the  hymn  in  golden 
letters  ;  from  which  we  may  argue  that  Theoderich  must 
have  seen  the  church  later  than  John.  Probably  John  was 
at  Jerusalem  between  the  years  1160  and  1170.  See  De 
Vogii^  {Eglises,  p.  183).  It  is  certain  that  he  was  present, 
on  St.  James's  Day  (July  25),  at  the  feast  of  St  Anne 
(ch,  xxvi.). 

The  pilgrim  was  a  warm  German  patriot,  as  appears 
from  his  remarks  in  ch.  xiii,,  which  have  greatly  irritated 
the  French  writer  Verrier.  Bernard  Fez  calls  his  defence 
of  the  German  Crusaders  '  A  noble  passage,  and  one  which 

'  Manuel  Coinnenus  reigned  1143-1180. 


PREFACE.  xi 

is  most  honourable  to  our  nation,  wherein  John  amply 
proves  that  it  is  an  injustice  to  the  Germans  to  attribute 
the  recovery  of  the  Holy  Land  to  the  Franks  alone.' 
•  As  for  the  contents  of  his  book,  it  is  true  that  E.  Robin- 
son [BibllcaL  Researches,  II.  538,  Boston,  1856)  says:  'The 
tract  has  little  value';  but  this  is  too  hasty  a  judgment, 
evidently  given  without  having  carefully  read  and  maturely 
weighed  it.  Its  description  of  the  churches  in  the  twelfth 
century  is  of  great  interest,  and  its  list  of  inscriptions  is 
of  no  little  worth.  The  description  of  the  Temple  of  the 
Lord  and  of  the  church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  may  be 
given  as  an  example.  With  regard  to  geography  also, 
we  must  certainly  put  a  high  value  on  this  pamphlet. 

We  learn  from  the  preface  that  what  is  herein  described 
was  not  all  personally  seen  by  the  pilgrim,  but  that  of 
some  he  was  an  eye-witness,  and  some  he  has  borrowed 
from  others  ;  probably  from  the  short  historical  and 
geographical  description^  of  the  Holy  Land  and  the  neigh- 
bouring countries  which  was  then  so  popular,  and  from 
which  most  of  the  writers  of  this  period  seem  to  supple- 
ment their  own  narratives.  We  may  assume  that  John 
landed  at  Acre,  the  usual  pilgrim  route,  that  he  personally 
visited  Nazareth  (ch.  i.),  that  he  went  from  thence  by  way 
of  Ginaea  and  Neapolis  to  Jerusalem,  that  he  also  visited 
Bethlehem,  and  returned  home  by  way  of  Joppa.  Thus 
far  John  represents  himself  as  an  eye-witness,  and  as  de- 
scribing what  he  himself  had  seen,  and  also  further  on  he 
makes  the  same  assertion  in  a  more  restricted  sense.  He 
says  in  the  '  Dedicatory  Epistle '  that  he  now  only  intends 
to  write  about  that  which  is  to  be  found  within,  or  not  far 
beyond,  the  walls  of  Jerusalem,  but  not  about  places  at  a 
distance.  Herein  one  must  not  take  him  literally  :  for 
in  the  very  first  chapter  he  goes  on  to  say  that  he  intends 
to  give  only  a  brief  description  of  Nazareth  and  of  the 
places  between  it  and  Jerusalem.  It  must  not  be  forgotten 
that  in  spite  of  the  Prankish  Government,  many  regions 

^  The  old  compendium^  see  preface  to  Theoderich. 


xii  PREFACE. 

were  insecure,  and  that  the  pilgrim  had  to  content  himself 
with  visiting  fewer  places,  although  to  a  devotee  these  were 
the  places  of  the  deepest  interest ;  from  which  it  results 
that  his  description  of  many  spots  lacks  the  delightful 
freshness  and  novelty  of  an  eye-witness.  But  even  in  the 
description  of  places  in  which  our  Wiirzburg  priest  set  his 
foot,  much  seems  to  have  been  superficially  copied  from 
others,  just  as  the  love  of  transcribing  sets  so  many  pens  in 
motion  at  the  present  day.  However,  whether  we  call  this 
transcribing  or  plagiarism,  when  it  is  done  with  moderation, 
and  not  merely  mechanically,  we  ought  to  pardon,  nay, 
even  to  encourage  it,  for  historical  facts  of  remote  antiquity 
cannot  be  invented. 

The  writer's  language  is  ordinary  mediaeval  Latin,  but 
is  somewhat  less  polished  than  that  of  Theoderich.  Many 
of  his  descriptions  are  clear  and  distinct,  and  such  as  could 
only  have  been  written  by  an  educated  man.  We  cannot 
give  much  praise  to  his  arrangement  of  his  materials,  which 
is  extremely  confused.  He  makes  several  allusions  to  the 
seven  seals  of  the  Revelation  of  St.  John,  all  of  which  have 
been  omitted  in  the  present  edition. 

N.B. — The  references  in  the  notes  are  to  the  English 
translations  of  the  Pilgrims. 


DEDICATORY   EPISTLE. 


John,  who  by  the  grace  of  God  is  that  which  he  is^  in  the 
church  of  Wiirzburg,  wishes  health  and  a  sight  of  the 
heavenly  Jerusalem  to  his  beloved  friend  and  follower 
Dietrich,^  whose  portion  is  in  that  same. 

My  knowledge  of  your  moral  disposition,  so  similar  to 
that  of  all  good  men,  and  also  your  strenuous  zeal  to  serve 
and  obey  God,  besides  the  ties  of  domestic  companionship, 
have  so  bound  me  by  love  to  carry  out  your  desires — which 
on  your  part  I  always  assume  will  be  just  and  kindly-  - 
that  no  wishes  of  yours,  which  stand  in  need  of  my  labours 
to  accomplish  them,  shall,  as  far  as  my  powers  can  reach, 
fall  short  of  satisfactory  completion.  For  this  cause,  when 
I  went  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem  for  the  love  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I  nevertheless  did  not  forget  you  who 
were  absent,  having  through  my  affection  for  you  described 
as  clearly  and  diligently  as  I  was  able  those  venerable 
places  which  our  Lord,  the  Saviour  of  the  world,  has  sanc- 
tified by  His  bodily  presence,  together  with  His  glorious 
mother  Mary,  ever  virgin,  and  His  reverend  troop  of  dis- 
ciples, more  especially  in  the  Holy  City  of  Jerusalem  ;  and 
I  have  also  endeavoured  by  means  of  my  pen  to  make  a 

1  On  the  mouldings  of  Bishop  West's  chapel  in  Ely  Cathedral  the 
sentence  ' Gracia  Dei  sum  id  quod  sum' constantly  occurs.  Bishop 
West  died  1533. 

2  This  person  is  supposed  to  be  the  Theoderich  who  wrote  the 
'  Libellus  de  Locis  Sanctis'  (see  the  Introduction  to  Theoderich), 
Sepp  always  calls  him  Theoderich  of  Wiirzbursf. 


DEDICATORY  EPISTLE. 


collection   of  the   inscriptions   thereon,  whether   they   be 
written  in  prose  or  in  verse. 

This  description  I  conceive  will  be  acceptable  to  you  for 
this  reason,  that  when  each  of  these  places  has  by  it  been 
made  known  to  you,  should  you  ever  by  Divine  inspiration 
and  protection  come  hither,  they  will  all  present  them- 
selves to  your  eyes  naturally,  and  without  any  delay  or 
difficulty  in  finding  them,  as  well  known  objects  ;  or  if 
perhaps  you  may  not  go  thither  and  behold  them  with  your 
corporeal  eyesight,  nevertheless  by  such  knowledge  and 
contemplation  of  them  you  may  obtain  a  more  devout 
sense  of  their  holiness.  I  am  well  aware  that  long  before 
modern  times  these  same  places,  not  only  those  in  the 
aforesaid  city,  but  even  those  at  a  great  distance  from  it, 
have  been  described  in  writing  by  a  reverend  man  ;*  how- 
ever, as,  during  the  long  period  which  has  elapsed  since  that 
time,  the  city  having  often  been  captured  and  destroyed 
by  enemies,  these  same  holy  places,  of  which  we  think  so 
much,  both  those  within  the  walls  and  those  a  short  dis- 
tance without  them,  have  been  overthrown,  and  perhaps 
afterwards  altered  in  form  ;  for  this  reason  our  pious  care 
about  their  sites,  which  we  have  described  as  eye-witnesses, 
must  not  be  thought  superfluous  or  unnecessary.  About 
those,  however,  which  are  situated  far  off  in  the  neighbour- 
ing province,  we  have  not  proposed  to  ourselves  to  speak, 
knowing  that  they  have  been  already  sufficiently  described 
by  others. 

^  Either  Arculfus,  or  the  Venerable  Bede. 


JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S  DESCRIPTION 
OF  THE  HOLY  LAND. 


CHAPTER    I. 

NAZARETH — TtiE  LORD'S  LEAP  (SALTUS  DOMINI)— SEP- 
PHORIS — CANA  OF  GALILEE — TABOR — HERMONIIM — 
NAIM  —  ENDOR  —  CISON  — JEZRAHEL — MAGEDDON  — 
GELBOE — SCYTHOPOL.S — GYN/EA. 

Now  because  our  redemption  was  begun  in  the  city  of 
Nazareth  through  the  incarnation  of  our  Lord,  whereof 
annunciation  was  made  by  an  angel,  we  propose  to  begin 
our  description  with  this  same  city,  which  is  about  sixty 
miles  distant  from  Jerusalem,  and  to  touch  briefly  and 
compendiously  upon  the  places  which  lie  between  it  and 
the  Holy  City,  albeit  we  know  that  others  have  already 
written  at  greater  length  about  them. 

This  same  city  (of  Nazareth),  which  is  ten  miles  distant 
from  Tiberias,  is  the  chief  town  of  Galilee,  and  is  properly 
called  '  The  City  of  the  Saviour,'  because  He  was  conceived 
and  brought  up  within  it ;  wherefore  '  He  was  called  a 
Nazarene.'  Nazareth  is,  being  interpreted,  '  a  flower,'  or 
'a  shrub,' 1  and  is  justly  so  named,  because  therein  grew 
the  flower  with  whose  fragrance  the  whole  world  is  filled  ; 
that  flower,  the  Virgin  Mary,  from  whom  the  Archangel 

^  Nctser,  the  proper  Hebrew  name  of  Nazareth,  means  a  shooty  or 
sprout.     '  Paula  and  Eustochium  '  (p.  15). 

I 


JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 


Gabriel  announced  in  that  same  Nazareth  that  the  Son  of 
the  Most  Highest  should  be  born,  saying,  '  Hail,  Mary,'  etc. 
To  whom  she  answered,  *  Behold  the  handmaid  of  the 
Lord.'i  Of  Nazareth  it  was  said,  *  Can  any  good  thing 
come  out  of  Nazareth  ?2  In  Nazareth  runs  that  little 
fountain^  from  which  Jesus  in  childhood  was  wont  to  draw 
water  and  take  it  to  His  mother. 

A  mile  from  Nazareth  to  the  southward  is  the  place 
which  is  called  '  the  precipice,'  down  which  those  who 
found  Jesus  wished  to  cast  Him,  but  in  a  moment  He  dis- 
appeared from  them,  and  at  this  day  it  is  commonly  called 
'The  Lord's  Leap.'* 

At  the  second  milestone  from  Nazareth  is  the  city  of 
Sepphoris,^  on  the  road  which  leads  to  Accon.^  Anna, 
the  mother  of  Mary,  who  was  the  mother  of  our  Lord,  came 
from  Sepphoris.  It  is  also  said  that  the  Blessed  Virgin 
Mary  was  born  in  Sepphoris  ;  but  according  to  Jerome,  as 
he  tells  us  in  the  preface  to  the  book  on  the  birth  of  the 
Blessed  Mary,  which  he  addressed  to  Heliodorus,  she  is  said 
to  have  been  born  in  the  city  of  Nazareth  itself,  and  in  the 
same  chamber  wherein  she  was  afterwards  with  child  by 
converse  with  the  angel.  This  is  still  shown  there  in  a 
particular  place,  as  I  have  seen  and  noted. 

Four  miles  from  Nazareth,  and  two  from  Sepphoris, 
towards  the  east,  is  Cana  of  Galilee,^  from  which  came 
Philip  and  Nathaniel,  wherein  the  child  Jesus,  when  sitting 
with  His  mother  at  the  wedding-feast,  turned  the  water 
into  wine. 

Four  miles  from  Nazareth,  towards  the  east,  is  Mount 

»  Luke  i.  28-38.  ="  John  i.  46. 

'  See  the  same  legend  in  Theoderich  (xlvii.)  and  '  The  City  of 
Jerusalem,'  p.  44. 

*  Luke  iv.  29.  The  ()vec\p\ce /edt'/  K'a/sy  is  950  feet  high  and  over- 
looks the  Plain  of  Esdraelon.     See  'The  City  of  Jerusalem,'  p.  53. 

"  Scffnrich,  Theoderich  (xlviii.).  ^  'Akka,  St.  Jean  d'Acre. 

'  Ke/r  Kennn,  see  also  Theoderich  (xlviii.).  The  Russian  Abbot 
Daniel  (p.  72)  apparently  places  Cana  at  Kh.  Kix>i<t. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  5 

Tabor/  whereon  Jesus  was  transfigured  in  the  presence  of 
His  apostles,  to  wit,  Peter,  James,  and  John,  and  also 
Moses  and  Elias  ;  which  feast  is  solemnly  celebrated  at 
Jerusalem  on  St.  Sixtus's  Day,^  especially  by  the  Syrians, 
because  there  the  voice  of  the  Father  also  was  heard 
saying,  '  This  is  My  beloved  Son,'^  etc.  He  forbade  Peter 
and  John  and  James  to  tell  any  man  what  they  had  seen, 
until  the  Son  of  Man  should  rise  from  the  dead.  There 
Peter  said,  '  Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here,'  etc.  Two 
miles  from  Tabor,  towards  the  East,  is  Mount  Hermon.^ 
On  the  way  down  Mount  Tabor  Abraham,  when  returning 
from  the  slaughter  of  Amalek,  was  met  by  the  Lord  Mel- 
chizedek,^  who  also  was  Sem,  the  son  of  Noah,  king  and 
priest  of  Salem,  who  offered  to  him  bread  and  wine,  which 
is  a  type  of  the  altar  of  Christ  under  grace. 

Two  miles  from  Tabor  is  the  city  of  Naim,''  at  whose 
gate  Jesus  restored  to  life  the  son  of  the  widow,  whom  the 
inhabitants  say  was  Bartholomew,  who  afterwards  became 
an  apostle.  Above  Nairn  is  the  Mount  Endor,''  at  whose 
foot,  beside  the  brook  Cadumim,^  which  is  also  called  the 
brook  Kishon,  Baruch,  the  son  of  Amon,  by  the  counsel  of 
Deborah  the  prophetess,  conquered  the  Iduma;ans,  when 
Sisera  was  slain  by  Jahel  the  wife  of  Heber  the  Kenite, 
and  Baruch  pursued  Zeb  and  Zeba  and  Salmana  across 
Jordan  and  slew  them  with  the  sword,  having  destroyed 

1  See  the  descriptions  of  Mount  Tabor  from  Greek  sources  in 
Abbot  Daniel  (p.  66)  and  Joannes  Phocas  (pp.  13,  14). 

=^  On  August  6.  ^  Matt.  xvii.  5. 

*  The  range  oijebel  cd  Duhy  is  identified  here  with  Harmon.  See 
Theoderich  (xliv.). 

^  It  was  an  old  Jewish  tradition  that  Melchizedek  was  Shem,  The 
meeting  of  Melchizedek  and  Abraham  on  Tabor  is  mentioned  by- 
Daniel  (p.  68),  Phocas,  and  Theoderich  (xlvL). 

^  Nain,  Nein. 

''  K^^2x^n\X-^  Jcbel  ed  Duhy  is  intended,  the  hill  at  the  foot  of  which 
Kain  lies. 

^  From  the  rendering  of  the  Vulgate. 

I — 2 


JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 


their  army  under  and  near  Mount  Endor.i  Wherefore  in 
the  Psalms,  '  Tabor  and  Hermon  shall  rejoice  in  Thy- 
name,'^  etc.  Six  miles  from  Nazareth,  five  miles  from 
Naim,  is  the  city  of  Jezrahel,  also  called  Zaraim,  which 
now  is  commonly  called  Little  Gallina.^  Of  this  city  was 
Jezebel,  that  most  wicked  queen,  who  took  away  Naboth's 
vineyard  from  him,  who  for  her  covetousness  was  cast 
down  from  the  top  of  her  palace  and  slain,  whose  monu- 
ment (pyramis)  is  to  be  seen  at  this  day.  Near  Jezrahel 
is  the  plain  of  Mageddon/  in  which  King  Ozias  was  over- 
come and  slain  by  the  King  of  Samaria,  and  was  afterwards 
carried  to  Zion  and  buried  there. 

A  mile  from  Jezrahel  are  the  mountains  of  Gilboa,^  on 
which  Saul  and  Jonathan  fell  fighting.  Wherefore  David 
said,  *  Ye  mountains  of  Gilboa,  upon  you  be  neither  dew 
nor  rain,'  ctc.^  Two  miles  from  Gilboa,  towards  the  East, 
is  Scythopolis,  the  chief  city  of  Galilee,  which  is  also  called 
Bethsan,'^  that  is,  the  House  or  City  of  the  Sun.  Above 
its  walls  they  hanged  the  head  of  Saul.  Five  miles  from 
Jezrahel  is  the  town  of  Genon,  which  now  is  called  Great 
or  Greater  Gallina.^ 

^  The  exploits  of  Barak  the  son  of  Abinoam,  and  of  Gideon 
(Judges  iv.,  vii.  25,  viii.  21)  are  attributed  here  to  the  same  person, 
Baruch,  the  son  of  Amon. 

2  Ps.  Ixxxix.  12. 

'  JezreelfZcr'inj-  it  is  called  by  William  of  Tyre  (xxii.  26)  Parvuin 
Geriniwi;  and  by  Theoderich  (xliv.),  Cursus  Gallinarum.  Tobler 
supposes  that  the  word  '  Gallina'  contains  an  old  form  Gelin. 

*  That  is,  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  to  the  west  of  Jezreel.  The 
allusion  is  to  the  death  of  Ahaziah,  2  Kings  ix.  27. 

s  Jehel  FuM'a.  «  2  Sam.  i.  21. 

»  Beisdn,  i  Sam.  xxxi.  1 1 .  ?  Jenin. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND. 


CHAPTER  II. 

SAMARIA — DOTHAIM  (THE  CISTERN  OF  JOSEPH) — SEBASTE 

—  SICHEM  —  SICHAR  —  BETHEL    (LUZA)  —  GARIZIM 

GEBAL — SILO — RAMA. 

At  the  town  of  Genon,  Samaria  begins.^  Between  it  and 
Sebaste  extends  a  plain  which  they  call  Dothain,^  in  which 
near  the  roadside  is  still  to  be  seen  the  old  cistern  into 
-which  Joseph  was  put  by  his  brethren.  Ten  miles  from 
Genon  is  the  city  of  Samaria,^  which  is  also  called  Sebaste 
and  Augusta,  after  Augustus ;  wherein  was  buried  the  fore- 
runner of  the  Lord,  John  the  Baptist,  who  was  beheaded 
"by  Herod  beyond  Jordan,  near  the  Dead  Sea,  in  the  castle 
of  Machaerunta,*  but  whose  body  was  brought  by  his 
disciples  to  Sebaste,  and  buried  there  between  Elisha  and 
Abdias,^  Afterwards  his  body  was  taken  from  thence  by 
Julian  the  Apostate,  and  is  said  to  have  been  burned  and 
its  ashes  given  to  the  winds,  but  without  the  head,  which 
had  before  this  been  conveyed  to  Alexandria,  thence  to 
Constantinople,  and  finally  to  Gaul  into  the  province  of 
Poitou,  and  without  the  forefinger  with  which  he  had  pointed 
to  Jesus  when  he  came  to  be  baptized,  saying  :  '  Behold 
the  Lamb  of  God,'  etc.  This  forefinger  was  taken  away 
by  the  blessed  Virgin  Thecla  into  the  Alps,  and  there  is 
preserved  with  great  respect  in  the  Church  of  (St.  Jean  de) 

^  Josephus,  An^.,  xx.  6,  §  i  ;  B./.,  iii.3,  §  4.  Compare  Theoderich 
(xliv.). 

-  The  plain  at  TIV/  Dotlidn.  See  P.  F.  M.,  ii.  169.  Gen.  xxxvii. 
17-28. 

^  ^ebustieh.  *  Machoerus,  Mekaur. 

^  The  tradition  that  Elisha,  Abdias  (Obadiah),  and  St.  John  Baptist 
■were  buried  at  Samaria,  is  as  old  as  Jerome's  time  (St.  Paula,  pp.  13, 
14).  Theoderich  (xliii.)  gives  a  very  similar  description  of  Samaria. 
The  tomb  is  described  in  /-*.  F.  M.,  ii.  214. 


JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 


Maurienne.^     The  name  of  Samaria  belongs  alike  to  the 
city  and  to  the  country. 

Four  miles  from  Samaria  is  Neapolis,^  which  is  also 
called  Shechem,  standing  between  Dan  and  Bethel.  This 
land  is  called  Sichem  from  Sichem,^  whose  father  was 
Hamor,  who  ravished  Dinah  when  she  walked  abroad  in  his 
country.  To  Sichem  were  brought  the  bones  of  Joseph 
from  Egypt.  In  Sichem,  near  the  fountain,  Jeroboam 
made  the  two  golden  calves,  which,  like  Aaron,  he  made 
to  be  worshipped  by  the  ten  tribes  which  he  had  seduced 
and  led  away  from  Jerusalem  with  him.  One  of  these 
calves  he  set  up  in  Dan,  and  the  other  in  Bethel.*  The 
sons  of  Jacob  destroyed  this  city  of  Sichem,  and  also  slew 
Hamor,  being  grieved  because  of  the  adultery  of  Dinah 
their  sister.  Sichem  at  the  present  day  is  called  Neapolis, 
that  is  to  say,  the  '  New  City.'  Sichar^  is  before  (east  of) 
Sichem,  near  the  field  which  Jacob  gave  to  his  son,  wherein 
is  the  well  of  Jacob,  which  also  is  the  well  above  which  we 
are  told  in  the  Gospel  that  Jesus  sat  when  weary  with 
journeying,  and  talked  with  the  woman  of  Samaria,  at 
which  place  a  church  is  now  being  built.*^  Near  Sichem 
is  the  terebinth  beneath  which  Jacob  hid  the  idols  in 
Bethel.'^  A  mile  from  Sichem  is  the  city  of  Luz,^  wherein 
Abraham  lived  for  a  long  time,  and  where  also  Jacob  saw 
in  a  dream  the  ladder,  whose  top  reached  up  to  heaven, 

*  In  Savoy  ;  the  place  takes  its  name  from  the  relics  of  St.  John 
the  Baptist. 

-  Adbliis.  2  Gen,  xxxiv.  2. 

■*  I  Kings  xii.  28,  29.  Compare  the  description  of  Shechem  by 
Theoderich  (xlii.). 

^  The  modern  'Askar.     See  P.  F.  M.,  ii.  168. 

"  Theoderich  (xlii.)  describes  the  church  as  completed,  and  served 
by  nuns.  The  well  was  in  front  of  the  altar.  It  is  described  in 
P.  F.  M.,  iii.  437. 

^  Gen.  XXXV.  4-6.  The  terebinth  was  probably  at  the  place  called 
EPA  mud. 

"  The  place  alluded  to  is  apparently  that  now  known  as  Kh.  Lottsah^ 
on  Gerizini,  near  the  Samaritan  place  of  sacrifice. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND. 


and  the  angels  going  up  and  down  by  it,  and  straightway 
when  he  awoke  said  :  '  This  is  none  other  than  the  house 
of  God,  this  is  the  gate  of  heaven.'^  Raising  a  stone  for  a 
memorial  and  pouring  oil  over  it,  he  called  the  name  of  the 
place  Bethel,  which  had  before  been  called  Luz.  Now 
Bethel  is  on  the  side  of  Mount  Gerizim,^  which  mountain 
looks  towards  Mount  GebaP  to  the  northward,  opposite 
Dan  beyond  Sichem.  In  this  mount  of  Bethel  Abraham 
is  said  to  have  purposed  to  sacrifice  his  son. 

Twenty  miles  from  Sichem,  four  miles  from  Jerusalem, 
on  the  road  which  leads  to  Diospolis,^  is  Silo,^  a  mountain 
and  city,  which  also  is  called  Rama,  where  the  ark  of  the 
covenant  and  the  tabernacle  of  the  Lord  remained  from 
the  coming  of  the  children  of  Israel  up  to  the  times  of 
Samuel  the  prophet  and  David  the  king. 


CHAPTER  III. 

JERUSALEM — MOUNT  MORIAH — THE   HISTORY  OF    THE 
/  TEMPLE. 

-Twenty-four  miles  from  Sichem,  sixteen  miles  from 
Diospolis,  seventeen  miles  from  Hebron,  ten  miles  from 
Jericho,  four  miles  from  Bethlehem,  sixteen  from  Bersabce,® 
twenty-four  from  Ascalon,  and  as  many  from  Joppa,  and 
sixteen  miles  from  Ramatha,^  is  Jerusalem,  the  most  holy 

^  Gen.  xxviii.  17. 

'^  The  author  and  Theoderich  (xlii.)  follow  the  Samaritan  tradition, 
•which  was  adopted  by  the  late  Dean  Stanley,  See  also  '  The  City  of 
Jerusalem,'  p.  62.  The  tradition  that  Abraham  offered  Isaac  on 
Mount  Gerizim  was  known  to  the  Bordeaux  Pilgrim  (p.  18). 

*  Mount  Ebal.  Gebal  is  the  form  used  by  Jerome  in  the  '  Onomas- 
ticon.' 

*  Lydda,  Ludd. 

^  Shiloh.     The  place  identified  with  it  is  Neby  SamwU. 

*  Beersheba,  Bir-cs-Seb'a.  '  Ramleh. 


lo  JOHN  OF  WURZDURG'S 

metropolis  of  Judaea,  also  called  Sion,  whereof  it  is  said, 
'Very  excellent  things  are  spoken  of  thee,  thou  city  of 
God.'^  It  is  also  called  ^lia  after  yElius  Hadrianus,  who 
built  it  or  rather  transformed  it. 

Jerusalem,  the  glorious  metropolis  of  Judaea,  is,  according 
to  philosophers,  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  world.  In  it 
David  reigned  for  thirty- four  years  and  half  a  year.  In  Jeru- 
salem is  Mount  Moriah,  upon  which  David  saw  the  angel 
smiting  the  people  of  God  with  an  unsheathed  sword,-  and 
fearing  lest  he  and  the  city  should  be  punished  because  he 
had  sinned  in  numbering  the  people,  fell  down  on  the  earth 
in  true  penitence  and  deep  affliction,  and  was  heard  by  the 
Lord  and  obtained  pardon.  Of  David  the  Lord  said  :  '  I 
have  found  a  man  after  my  own  heart.'  Upon  Mount 
Moriah,  when  David  was  king,  was  the  threshing-floor  of 
Araunah  the  Jebusite,  from  whom  David  wished  to  buy  it 
to  build  thereon  a  house  for  the  Lord,  because  he  had 
received  compassion  from  Him  in  that  place,  and  the  angel 
of  the  Lord  had  held  his  hand  and  spared  him  there.  He 
bought  it,  but  he  was  forbidden  by  the  Lord  to  enter  upon 
this  work,  because  he  was  a  man  of  blood.^  Wherefore 
he  handed  over  the  treasure  which  he  had  prepared  for 
this  purpose  to  his  son  Solomon,  who  was  permitted  by 
the  Lord  to  do  it,  that  he  might  therewith  build  a  house 
for  the  Lord. 

And  King  Solomon  built  on  the  threshing-floor  a  Temple, 
which  is,  being  interpreted,  Bethel,  and  an  altar,  which  he 
also  dedicated  at  a  vast  expense,  asking  of  the  Lord  that 
whosoever  should  seek  therein  for  counsel  on  any  matter 
whatsoever  he  should  be  heard,  which  was  granted  him  by 
the  Lord.  Wherefore  the  house  of  the  Lord  is  the  house 
of  counsel.  God  afterwards  punished  the  sins  of  the  princes 
and  the  people  by  making  Nebuchadnezzar  despoil  the 
Temple  by  the  hands  of  Nabuzarda  (Nebuzaradan),  his  chief 
steward,  in  the  time  of  King  Sedezia  (Zedekiah),  who  was 

*  Ps.  Ixxxvii.  c.  2  Sam.  xxiv.  16,  17.        ^  1  Chion.  xxviii.  3. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  ii 

deprived  of  his  city,  and  everything  that  was  beautiful 
either  in  the  Temple  or  in  the  city  was  brought  to  Babylon 
by  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  the  people  were  ordered  to  be 
brought  before  him  at  Babylon.  Shortly  afterwards  Pharaoh 
Necho  destroyed  both  the  Temple  and  the  city,^  Now, 
however,  lest  the  tale  should  appear  foolish  to  the  narrator 
and  tiresome  to  the  listener,  were  I  to  enumerate  under 
what  kings  and  by  whom  the  building  and  destruction  of 
the  first,  second,  and  third  temples  took  place,  I  will 
endeavour,  my  beloved  friend,  to  give  the  truest  account 
that  I  can  of  this  present  Bethel.  As  for  Bethel,  it  is  not 
known  exactly  in  what  king's  reign  it  was  restored.  Some 
say  that  it  was  rebuilt  in  the  reign  of  the  Emperor  Con- 
stantine,  by  Helena  his  mother,  in  honour  of  the  holy  cross 
which  was  found  by  her :  others  that  it  was  built  by  the 
Emperor  Heraclius  in  honour  of  the  cross  of  our  Lord, 
which  he  had  brought  back  in  triumph  from  Persia ;  others 
by  the  Emperor  Justinian  ;  others  that  it  was  built  by  some 
Emperor  of  Memphis  in  Egypt  in  honour  of  AllaJi  Kebir, 
that  is,  '  God  most  high,'  because  to  Him  all  languages  join 
inj  rendering  their  devout  service.^  This  present  Temple,  I 
say,  is  that  whereof  we  are  told  that  therein  the  child  Jesus 
was  circumcised  on  the  eighth  day  after  His  birth.^  His 
foreskin  was  presented  by  an  angel  from  heaven  at  Jeru- 
salem to  Charles,  the  great  king,^  and  was  by  him  brought 
into  Gaul  to  Aix  la  Chapelle,  but  subsequently  was  trans- 
lated by  Charles  the  Bald  to  Aquitaine,  to  the  province  of 
Poitou,  to  the  church  at  Carusium  (Charroux),  which  he 
had  built  for  himself  in  honour  of  our  Saviour,  and  royally 

*  Herod.,  ii.  159. 

*  Theoderich  (xvi.)  says  that  the  Temple  or  church,  now  the  '  Dome 
of  the  Rock,'  was  built  by  Helena  and  Constantine  ;  Abbot  Daniel 
(p.  21),  by  a  Saracen  chief.  Amir  (Omar).  See  also  William  of  Tyre, 
i,  2  ;  viii.  3. 

^  According  to  generally  received  tradition,  following  Epiphanius, 
Bishop  of  Salamis,  Christ  was  circumcised  in  the  stable  at  Beihlehtm. 

*  Charlemagne. 


JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 


endowed  with  most  ample  possessions,  placing  it  under 
the  religious  care  of  monks,  which  relic  has  been  from  that 
time  to  the  present  day  solemnly  kept  and  worshipped 
there. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE  'TEMPLE  OF  THE  LORD '—THE  TRADITIONS— THE 
DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  TEMPLE,  AND  OF  THE  SPACE 
ROUND  ABOUT  IT. 

Now  let  us  proceed  to  the  presentation  of  our  Lord* 
adding,  however,  with  regard  to  His  circumcision — which 
took  place  in  the  '  Temple  of  the  Lord,'  on  the  eighth  day 
— that  this  rite,  although  the  cutting  off  of  the  flesh  signi- 
fied in  the  minds  of  the  people  the  laying  aside  of  vices, 
yet  as  it  belonged  to  the  Old  Testament,  which  in  Him 
received  its  fulfilment,  ought  from  henceforth  to  cease. 
Circumcision  is  not  counted  among  the  Sacraments  of  the 
New  Testament,  nor  is  it  connected  with  any  of  the  seven 
seals.  As  we  have  already  said,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was 
presented  in  the  Temple  by  His  Mother,  and  was  received 
into  the  arms  of  the  holy  Simeon,  who  in  the  spirit  of 
prophecy  began  :  '  Lord,  now  lettest  Thou  Thy  servant 
depart,'  etc.  In  the  Temple  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  while 
He  was  staying  at  Jerusalem,  having  come  of  age,  in  His 
twelfth  year  disputed  with  the  Jews,  and  often  afterwards 
used  to  teach  them,  although  they  hated  Him.  In  the 
Temple  He  praised  the  offering  of  the  poor  widow,  which 
she  put  into  the  treasury,  because  she  had  given  all  that 
she  had.  The  devil  placed  Jesus  upon  the  pinnacle  of  the 
Temple,  which  is  thought  to  be  above  the  side  of  the  outer 
wall,^  having  beneath   it  windows,  as   it  were,  pinnas  or 

^  The  'pinnacle'  was  at  the   south-east  angle  of  the  Haram  en- 
closure. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  13 

cifinas^  and,  tempting  Him  for  the  third  time  because  of 
His  baptism  and  fast,  said  :  '  If  Thou  be  the  Son  of  God, 
cast  Thyself  down  from  hence.'  It  is  said  that  the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary,  when  three  years  of  age,  was  presented  in  the 
Temple  of  the  Lord  on  November  21,  as  these  verses 
inscribed  there  teach  us  : 

*  At  three  years  old,  with  seven  companions  dear, 
The  handmaid  of  the  Lord  was  offered  here.' 

There  she  frequently  received  consolation  from  the  angels, 
whence  the  verse : 

'  With  bread  of  life  the  angels  feed 
The  Blessed  Virgin  in  her  need.' 

The  presentation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  in  the  Temple 
took  place  on  November  21,  wherefore  the  following 
prayer  is  said  in  the  same  Temple: 

Prayer. 

*  O  God,  Who  after  three  years  wast  pleased  to  receive  the  presenta- 
tion in  the  Temple  of  the  Holy  Mother  of  God,  who  is  the  Temple  of 
the  Holy  Spirit ;  Have  respect  unto  the  prayers  of  Thy  faithful  people, 
and  grant  that  we,  who  now  keep  the  feast  of  her  presentation,  may 
ourselves  be  made  into  a  Temple  meet  for  thee  to  dwell  in,  through 
pur  Lord,'  etc.,  etc. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  cast  out  the  buyers  and  sellers 
from  the  Temple,  in  proof  of  which  on  the  right  side  of  the 
Temple  there  is  shown  to  this  day  a  stone,  which  is  treated 
with  great  veneration,  being  covered  with  lamps  and  orna- 
ments, it  having  been  trodden  on  and  bearing  the  mark  of 
the  Lord's  foot,  when  He  alone  by  Divine  strength  with- 
stood so  many  men  and  cast  them  forcibly  out :  which 
stone  is  joined  to  another  stone,  upon  which,  as  if  upon  an 
altar,  is  a  painting  of  our  Lord's  presentation  thereon,^  as 

*  I  have  entirely  failed  to  discover  the  meaning  of  these  words,  and 
therefore  insert  them  in  the  text  unchanged. — (A.  S.) 

^  The  '  Mark  of  the  Lord's  foot '  is  now  shown  as  the  '  Footprint  of 
Muhammad.'    The  '  Place  of  the  Presentation,'  and  the  '  Stone  oa 


14  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

is  shown  by  the  picture  and  its  superscription,  which  is  as 

follows  :^ 

•The  King  of  Kings,  of  virgin  mother  born, 
Was  here  presented.     This  is  holy  ground. 
Here  Jacob  saw  the  ladder  ;  here  he  built 
His  altar.     Well  may  we  hang  gifts  around.' 

But  as  for  Jacob,  who  is  depicted  as  having  laid  his  head 
upon  the  same  stone  when  he  saw  in  his  dream  the  ladder 
reaching  up  to  heaven  by  which  the  angels  were  ascending 
and  descending,  with  all  respect  to  the  Temple,  this  is  not 
true,  although  the  following  verse^  is  written  there : 

'  Jacob,  this  thy  land  shall  be. 
And  thy  children's  after  thee.' 

But  this  did  not  take  place  here,  but  a  long  way  off,  as  he 
was  on  his  way  to  Mesopotamia — to  wit,  near  the  greater 
Mahumeria.^ 

In  the  Temple  our  Lord  set  free  the  woman  taken  in 
adultery  from  her  accusers,  saying  :  '  Let  him  who  is  with- 
out sin,'  etc. ;  and  He  also  said,  when  her  accusers  were 
going  out  in  silence  :  '  Woman,  go  in  peace,  and  hereafter 
sin  no  more.'  The  place  is  shown  in  a  small  crypt  of  the 
same  Temple,  the  entrance  to  which  is  on  the  left-hand 
side  of  the  Temple,  and  it  is  called  the  *  Confessio '  (place  of 
confession).*     It  is  said  that  Zacharias  entered  into  the  same 

which  Jacob  laid  his  head,'  were  apparently  at  the  north-east  corner  of 
the  SaMra/i,  in  the  'Dome  of  the  Rock,'  atornearthe  'Praying  Place 
of  the  Prophets.'  They  are  mentioned  by  Theoderich  (xv.),  Joannes 
Phocas  (p.  20),  and  Innominatus  VII.  The  capitals  from  these 
*  places '  have  been  found  much  mutilated  in  the  minaret  at  the  north- 
west angle  of  the  Haram  area. — See  F.  F.  Q.  S.,  1874,  P-  269. 

^  Theoderich  (xv.)  only  gives  the  first  and  last  lines.  The  picture 
was  probably  a  fresco  or  a  mosaic. 

^  Compare  Theoderich  (xv.).  It  may  be  remarked  that  John  does 
not  directly  mention  the  Sakhrah. 

*  Mahumeria   the  Great   is   el-Bireli,  to  the   north    of  Jerusalem 
There  was  a  little  Mahumeria  also,  in  the  district  of  Bethsurie,  Beit 
Siirtfc. 
■  *  The  cave  beneath  the  Sakhrah  was  considered  by  the  Crusaders 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  i$ 

place,  when  he  was  assured  by  an  angel  of  the  conception  of 
John.  All  this  is  explained  by  a  picture  with  an  inscrip- 
tion as  follows  :  '  The  angel  said  to  Zacharias,  "  Fear  not, 
Zacharias,  for  thy  prayer  is  heard," '  etc.  Above  the  lintel 
of  the  door  is  an  image  of  Christ,  with  the  inscription : 

*  From  sin  I  set  the  people  free, 
If  they  confess  their  sins  to  me.' 

In  the  Temple,  at  the  altar  which  stood  in  the  open  air, 
distant  from  the  Temple  more  than  twenty-two  paces, 
Zacharias,  the  son  of  Barachias,  suffered  martyrdom,  and 
upon  this  altar  the  Jews  in  the  Old  Testament  used  to 
offer  turtle-doves  and  pigeons.  It  has  since  then  been 
changed  by  the  Saracens  into  a  sun-dial,  and  may  be  seen 
at  this  day,  and  is  noticeable,  because,  even  at  the  present 
day,  many  Saracens  come  to  it  to  pray,  as  it  points  towards 
the  south,  the  direction  in  which  they  pray.^ 

Now  this  same  Temple  of  the  Lord,  which  has  been 
adorned  by  someone  both  within  and  without  with  a  won- 
drous casing  of  marble,  has  the  form  of  a  beautiful  rotunda, 
or  rather  of  a  circular  octagon — that  is,  having  eight  angles 
disposed  in  a  circle,  with  a  wall  decorated  on  the  outside 
from  the  middle  upwards  with  the  finest  mosaic  work,  for 
the  remainder  is  of  marble.  This  same  lower  wall  is  con- 
tinuous, save  that  it  is  pierced  by  four  doors,  having  one 
door  towards  the  east,^  which  adjoins  a  chapel  dedicated 

to  be  the  '  Holy  of  Holies,'  and  called  the  '  Confessio.'  It  was  orna- 
mented with  designs  and  inscriptions  intended  to  recall  the  apparition 
of  the  angel  to  Zacharias,  and  the  woman  taken  in  adultery  before 
Jesus.  Joannes  Phocas  (p.  20)  places  the  tomb  of  the  prophet 
Zacharias,  whom  the  Jews  slew,  in  the  cave.  Innominatus  VII. 
mentions  in  the  cave  a  column  which  the  Saracens  adored  as  the 
altar  on  which  Abraham  would  have  offered  his  son.  This  is  now  the 
'  Place  of  Abraham.' 

^  This  place  is  mentioned  by  Innominatus  VII.  It  appears  to  have 
been  on  the  platform  of  the  '  Dome  of  the  Rock,'  not  far  from  the 
Minbar  es-Saif^  or  summer  pulpit.  Daniel  (p.  20)  places  the  scene  of 
Zacharias'  martyrdom  in  the  cave  beneath  the  Sakhra. 

The  Bab  en-Neby  Dand,  or  '  Gate  of  the  Prophet  David.' 


i6  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

to  St.  James,!  for  on  that  side  he  was  thrown  down  from 
the  roof  of  the  Temple  and  killed  with  a  fuller's  club, 
having  been  the  first  high  priest  under  the  new  law  of 
grace  in  Jerusalem.  Wherefore  these  verses  are  inscribed 
in  the  same  chapel,  on  the  side  of  the  wall : 

*  Alphasus's  son,  like  to  the  Lord  in  face, 
Flung  from  the  Temple,  perished  in  this  place ; 
Here  with  a  fuller's  club  the  rascal  crowd 

Slew  James  the  Just,  for  preaching  Christ  aloud.' 

Round  the  vaulted  dome^  of  the  same  chapel,  within  and 
above,  are  written  the  following  : 

*  Son  of  Alphreus,  brother  of  our  Lord, 

A  Nazarene  was  James  who  preached  the  Word. 
An  Israelite,  indeed,  in  whom  no  guile 
Was  found — a  fisherman  he  was  erstwhile. 
By  felon  hands  down  from  the  Temple  thrown, 
Struck  by  a  club,  his  soul  to  Christ  hath  flown.' 

On  the  north  side  it  has  a  door  leading  to  the  Canons' 
cloisters,^  upon  the  lintel  whereof  many  Saracen  letters  are 
inscribed.  In  that  same  place  beside  that  same  door  is  the 
site  of  that  sweet  water,^  whereof  the  prophet  says  :  '  I  saw 
water  coming  out  of  the  side,'  etc.  At  the  entrance  to  the 
Temple  towards  the  west,  above  the  vestibule,  is  an  image 
of  Christ,  with  this  inscription  around  it :  *  My  house  shall 
be  called  the  house  of  prayer.'     It  also  has  a  door  on  the 

'^  The  Kubbct  cs-Silsileh,  or  '  Dome  of  the  Chain.'  The  '  Chapel  of 
St.  James '  is  described  by  Theoderich  (xvi.),  and  mentioned  by  In- 
nominatus  VIL,  and  in  '  The  City  of  Jerusalem'  (p.  13)  ;  but  it  is  not 
alluded  to  by  the  Abbot  Daniel  and  Phocas. 

^  Ciboriuvi.  The  same  word  is  used  for  a  dome  in  Theoderich 
(xxiii.). 

'  The  Bdb  d-Jcnneh^  or  '  Gate  of  Paradise.'  The  Canons*  cloisters 
were  on  the  north  side  of  the  Platform;  the  Abbey  of  the  Canons 
occupied  the  north  part  of  the  Haram.  See  'City  of  Jerusalem,' 
pp.  13,  15,  and  notes. 

*  Apparently  an  allusion  to  the  large  cistern  in  front  of  the  north 
door. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  17 

south,^  looking  towards  the  building  of  Solomon.  On  the 
west  also  it  has  a  door^  looking  towards  the  Sepulchre  of 
our  Lord,  where  also  is  the  beautiful  gate^  through  which 
Peter  was  passing  with  John  when  he  answered  the  lame 
man  who  begged  for  alms  :  '  Silver  and  gold  have  I  none,' 
etc.  Each  of  these  two  doorways^ — I  mean  that  on  the 
north  and  on  the  west  side — has  six  doors  arranged  in 
pairs  of  leaves  :  that  on  the  south  side  has  four,  and  that  on 
the  east  only  two.  Each  of  the  doorways  has  a  handsome 
porch.* 

So  much  for  the  lower  part  of  the  wall ;  now  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  said  wall,  I  mean  where  the  admirable 
mosaic^  work  is,  there  are  windows  inserted  in  such  a 
manner  that  there  are  five  on  each  of  the  eight  sides, 
except  the  sides  on  which  the  doors  of  the  Temple  are, 
which  contain  only  four  windows  ;  and  the  whole  number 
of  the  windows  is  thirty-six.  Between  this  external  cir- 
cumscribing wall  and  the  inner  great  marble  columns 
— which  are  twelve  in  number,  and  support  the  inner, 
narrower,  higher,  and  altogether  round  wall,  which  is 
pierced  by  twelve  windows,  and  has  beneath  it  four  piers 
of  squared  stones — between  the  former,  I  say,  and  the 
latter  are  sixteen  columns  and  eight  piers  of  squared 
marble,  with  a  space  of  eight  paces  between  them,  which 
piers  sustain  on  either  side  a  roof,  between  the  outer  wider 
wall  and  the  inner  and  narrower  one,  with  most  beautifully 
adorned  beams  above  them  supporting  the  roof  itself, 
affording    an    uninterrupted    space   for  walking    in    any 

^  The  Bd^  el-Kibleh^  or  '  Gate  of  Prayer  ;'  the  *  building  of  Solomon ' 
is  the  present  Mosque  el-Aksa. 

*  The  Bdb  el-Gharby,  or  '  Western  Gate.' 

*  The  Bdb  es-Silsileh,  or  '  Gate  of  the  Chain,'  by  which  the  street 
passing  over  Wilson's  Arch  enters  the  Haram.  It  is  mentioned  in 
this  position  by  Saswulf,  Theoderich,  and  in  '  The  City  of  Jerusalem.' 

*  The  porches  in  front  of  the  four  doors  giving  access  to  the  '  Dome 
of  the  Rock'  remain  apparently  unchanged. 

"  Portions  of  the  external  mosaics  were  exposed  to  view  in  1874, 
during  some  repairs  to  the  building. 


18  JOHN  OF  WiJRZBURG'S 

direction,  and  having  leaden  pipes  to  carry  off  the  rain 
water.i  Above  this  narrower  wall  is  raised  on  high  a 
round  vault,  painted  within,  and  covered  without  with 
lead,  on  the  summit  of  which  the  figure  of  the  Holy  Cross 
has  been  placed  by  the  Christians,  which  is  very  offensive 
to  the  Saracens,  and  many  of  them  would  be  willing  to 
expend  much  gold  to  have  it  taken  away  ;  for  although 
they  do  not  believe  in  Christ's  Passion,  nevertheless  they 
respect  this  Temple,  because  they  adore  their  creator 
therein,  which  nevertheless  must  be  regarded  as  idolatry  on 
the  authority  of  Saint  Augustine,  who  declares  that  every- 
thing is  idolatry  which  is  done  without  faith  in  Christ. 

Round  about  the  Temple  and  partly  under  its  roof  on 
the  outside  as  you  go  up  on  the  west  is  this  inscription  : 
'  May  this  house  enjoy  eternal  peace  from  the  eternal 
Father.  Blessed  be  the  glory  of  the  Lord  in  His  holy 
place.'  On  the  south  side  is :  '  The  Lord's  house  is  well 
built  upon  a  firm  rock.  Blessed  are  they  who  dwell  in  thy 
house ;  they  shall  praise  thee  for  ever  and  ever.'  On  the 
east  is  :  *  Of  a  truth  the  Lord  is  in  this  place,  and  I  knew  it 
not.  In  Thy  house,  O  Lord,  all  men  shall  tell  of  Thy  glory.' 
On  the  north  is :  '  The  Temple  of  the  Lord  is  holy ;  the 
Lord  careth  for  it ;  the  Lord  hath  built  it.'  In  the  inside 
of  the  Temple  is  written  in  great  letters  on  the  upper 
cornice  round  the  building  the  '  Respond '^  'Hear  my 
hymn,  O  Lord,'  with  its  answering  verse,  *  Look  upon  me^ 
O  Lord.'  On  the  lower  cornice  also  are  written  in  golden 
letters  several  verses  of  the  hymn,  *  Jerusalem  the  blessed.' 

This  Temple,  so  beautifully  built  and  adorned,  has  on 

*  The  meaning  seems  to  be  that  between  the  two  walls  there  was 
an  intermediary  roof  with  a  panelled  ceiling,  over  which  there  was  a 
gallery,  running  all  round,  with  leaden  pipes  for  getting  rid  of  the 
rain  water.  The  external  wall  was  surmounted  by  arcades  decorated 
with  mosaics,  which  were  uncovered  in  1874.  See  P.  F.  Q.  S.,  1874, 
pp.  153-157. 

2  Antiphonal  hymn  of  two  or  more  verses.  According  to  Theoderich 
(xv.)  the  verses  were  written  above  the  arches  of  the  choir. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  19 

all  sides  of  it  a  wide  and  level  platform,  paved  with  stones 
fitted  together,  which  platform  is  of  a  square  shape,  and  is 
ascended  on  three  sides  by  many  steps.^  Indeed,  this 
platform  is  very  ingeniously  built  up,  in  consequence  of  the 
nature  of  the  ground.  It  has  in  its  east  wall  a  wide 
entrance  through  five  arches,  which  are  connected  by  four 
great  columns,^  and  this  wall  opens  thus  towards  the 
'Golden  Gate,  through  which  our  Lord  on  the  fifth  day 
before  His  Passion  rode  in  triumph,  sitting  upon  an  ass, 
and  was  greeted  by  Jewish  boys  with  palm  branches,  who 
sang  praises  and  said  *  Hosanna  to  the  Son  of  David,'  etc. 
This  gate  by  the  Divine  protection  has  always  remained 
unharmed,  although  since  that  time  Jerusalem  has  often 
been  captured  and  destroyed  by  hostile  armies.  This  gate, 
moreover,  in  pious  remembrance  of  our  Lord's  divine  and 
mystic  entrance  when  He  came  up  from  Bethany  over  the 
Mount  of  Olives  to  Jerusalem,  is  closed  within,  and  blocked 
up  with  stones  without,  and  is  never  opened  to  anyone 
except  on  Palm  Sunday,  on  which  day  every  year,  in 
memory  of  what  there  took  place,  it  is  solemnly  opened  to 
a  procession  and  to  the  whole  people,  whether  they  be 
citizens  or  strangers.  After  the  patriarch  has  preached  a 
sermon  to  the  people  at  the  foot  of  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
•when  the  service  for  that  day  is  over,  it  is  closed  again  for 
a  whole  year  as  before,  except  on  the  day  of  the  Exaltation 
of  the  Holy  Cross,  upon  which  also  it  is  opened. ^  At  the 
foot  of  the  city  walls  near  this  gate  is  a  famous  burying 
place.* 

1  The  platform  on  which  the  *  Dome  of  the  Rock '  stands.  It  is 
about  ten  feet  high,  and  approached  from  the  east,  west,  and  south  by 
flights  of  steps  which  terminate  in  arcades.  Compare  the  description 
in  Theoderich  (xiv.)  ;  and  of  the  present  condition  of  the  platform  in 
the  'Notes  to  the  Ordnance  Survey  of  Jerusalem.' 

2  The  arcade  at  the  top  of  the  flight  of  steps ;  there  is  no  wall 
•above  the  level  of  the  platform. 

^  The  opening  of  the  Golden  Gate  on  Palm  Sunday,  and  on  the 
day  of  the  Exaltation  of  the  Cross,  is  mentioned  by  Theoderich  (iii., 

-XX.). 

*  The  burial-place  at  the  foot  of  the  walls  near  the  Golden  Gate  is 

2 


20  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

The  platform  has  on  the  south  side  a  wide  entrance 
through  three  large  arches  connected  together  by  two 
columns,  and  on  the  same  side  it  has  another  entrance 
wider  than  the  first.  On  the  west  side,  towards  the  city, 
it  has  a  beautiful  entrance,  through  four  arches  connected 
by  three  columns  of  marble.  On  the  north  side  this  plat- 
form is  in  one  part  narrowed  by  the  Canons'  cloister  being 
built  upon  it ;  but  on  the  remainder  of  that  side  it  is 
beautifully  wide  and  has  a  fair  entrance.^  On  the 
southern  and  western  sides  there  is  also  a  level  space, 
handsome  and  of  ample  size ;  on  the  north  side  also  there 
is  a  small  piece  of  level  ground  which  projects  beyond  the 
platform. 2 

Let  this  description  of  the  aforesaid  Temple  and  its 
surroundings  suffice  ;  we  shall  not  be  envious  of  any  one 
who  can  write  a  better. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  PALACE  OF  SOLOMON  —  THE  HOUSE  OF  THE 
TEMPLARS — THE  STABLE — THE  HOSPICE  OF  SIMEON 
THE  JUST — THE  CRADLE  OF  CHRIST. 

As  you  descend  the  chief  street^  there  is  a  great  gate,  by 
which  entrance  is  obtained  into  the  wide  courtyard  of  the 

now  reserved  for  Moslems,  and  is  held  to  be  of  great  sanctity.  During 
the  Frank  occupation  of  Jerusalem  it  was  celebrated  as  the  place 
where  the  Crusaders  who  fell  when  the  city  was  stormed  were  buried. 
See  chap.  xiii. 

^  The  flights  of  steps,  with  the  arcades  which  terminate  them,  were 
on  the  east,  west,  and  south  sides  of  the  platform  ;  on  the  north  side 
at  the  west  end  the  ground  rises  nearly  to  the  level  of  the  platform, 
and  here  was  the  Canons'  cloister. 

'  This  last  sentence  refers  to  the  Haram  Area,  and  not  to  the  plat- 
form on  which  the  ' Temple  of  the  Lord'  stood.  The  meaning  is  that 
on  the  north  side  the  Haram  Area  {plafitties)  and  the  platform  {atrium) 
are,  for  a  short  distance,  on  the  same  level. 

•  Three  of  the  MSS.  read,  'As  you  descend  the  former  and  larger 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  2r 

Temple.  On  the  right  hand  towards  the  south  is  the 
palace  which  Solomon  is  said  to  have  built,  wherein  is  a 
wondrous  stable  of  such  size  that  it  is  able  to  contain 
more  than  two  thousand  horses  or  fifteen  hundred  camels.^ 
Close  to  this  palace  the  Knights  Templars  have  many- 
spacious  and  connected  buildings,  and  also  the  foundations 
of  a  new  and  large  church  which  is  not  yet  finished.^  For- 
that  house  possesses  much  property  and  countless  revenues 
both  in  that  country  and  elsewhere.  It  gives  a  consider- 
able amount  of  alms  to  the  poor  in  Christ,  but  not  a  tenth 
part  of  that  which  is  done  by  the  Hospitallers.  The  house 
also  has  very  many  knights  for  the  defence  of  the  land  of 
the  Christians  ;  but  they  have  the  misfortune,  I  know  not 
whether  truly  or  falsely,  to  have  their  fair  fame  aspersed 
with  the  reproach  of  treachery,  which  indeed  was  clearly 
proved  in  the  well  known  affair  of  Damascus^  under  King 
Conrad.* 

Close  to  the  buildings  of  the  Templars,  on  the  eastern 
side,  upon  the  wall  of  the  city,  was  the  dwelling  of  Simeon 
the  Just,  in  which  he  is  said  to  have  frequently  received 
the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  the  Mother  of  our  Lord,  with 
hospitality,  to  have  cherished  her  and  given  her  food. 
Thus  he  did  on  that  night,  on  the  day  following  which,  to 
wit,  on  the  fortieth  day  after  our  Lord's  birth,  he  was  to 

street,  from  which  the  aforesaid  side-street  leads,  there  is  a  gate,  etc' 
By  this  larger  street  we  must  understand  the  street  of  the  Temple 
(David  Street),  and  by  the  side-street  which  adjoins,  it  the  I^z^e  dcs 
Ale  mans. 

1  The  '  Stables  of  Solomon,'  at  the  south-east  corner  of  the  Haram 
Area.     See  '  Notes  to  the  Ordnance  Survey  of  Jerusalem.' 

^  The  foundations  of  the  apse  of  the  Templars'  Church  are  still 
visible  outside  the  east  side  of  the  Aksa  Mosque.  The  mosque  itself 
is  the  Palace  of  Solomon  alluded  to  above.  Compare  Theoderich 
(xvii.). 

3  John  alludes  to  the  siege  of  Damascus  in  July,  A.D.  1148,  when 
the  Templars  were  said  to  have  received  bribes  from  the  Moslems  to 
persuade  Conrad  to  raise  the  siege. 

^  Conrad  III.,  King  of  the  Romans. 

2—2 


22  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

present  the  Child  and  His  Mother  in  the  Temple.  While 
he  was  holding  Him  in  his  arms  and  was  about  to  present 
Him  before  the  altar,  he  perceived  by  the  spirit  of  pro- 
phecy that  this  would  be  He,  who  for  so  long  a  time  back 
had  been  looked  for  with  unspeakable  desire  by  the  ancient 
fathers,  and  sang  prophetically,  *  Lord,  now  lettest  Thou 
Thy  servant  depart  in  peace,'  etc.  In  this  same  house, 
which  now  has  been  changed  into  a  church,  the  blessed 
Simeon  lies  buried,  as  the  verse  which  is  written  there  tells 
us.  Below,  in  the  crypt  of  this  same  church,  the  wooden 
cradle  of  Christ  is  still  preserved  and  is  shown  with  great 
veneration.! 


CHAPTER  VI, 

BETHANY — BETHPHAGE — THE    CHURCH    OF    MARY    MAG- 
DALENE. 

When  the  time  of  the  Lord's  Passion  was  drawing  nigh, 
Jesus,  our  Lord,  came  to  Bethany  late  in  the  evening 
before  Palm  Sunday,  and  on  the  following  morning — that 
is,  on  the  Lord's  Day — He  entered  the  Holy  City  with  the 
solemnity  of  which  I  have  spoken.  Bethany^  is  two  miles 
distant  from  Jerusalem,  and  is  the  town  in  which  Simon  or 
Lazarus  often  received  Jesus  as  a  guest,  when  Mary  and 
Martha  devotedly  ministered  to  Him.  In  Bethany  Mary 
Magdalene  broke  the  alabaster-box,  and,  to  show  her 
devotion,  poured  the  precious  ointment  upon  the  head  of 
the  Saviour  as  He  sat  at  table,  with  the  scent  of  which 
ointment  the  whole  house  was  filled.  It  is  also  said  that 
the  same  Mary  Magdalene  in  the  same  place,  or  rather  in 

^  The  '  Cradle  of  Christ '  is  now  a  stone  niche,  apparently  taken 
Irom  a  Roman  gateway.  It  is  shown  in  a  small  mosque  beneath  the 
level  of  the  ground  at  the  south-east  corner  of  the  Haram. 

^  It  is  remarkable  that  John  does  not  mention  a  church  or  convent 
at  lieihany.     See  also  Theodcrich  (x.k.). 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  23 

another — to  wit,  in  the  house  of  Simon  the  Leper — long 
before,  while  she  was  yet  a  sinner,  had  been  led  by  her 
penitence  to  come  to  the  feet  of  our  Lord,  when  He  was  in 
like  fashion  sitting  at  table,  and  to  have  washed  the  feet  of 
Jesus  with  her  tears,  and  wiped  them  with  her  hair,  and  to 
have  anointed  them  with  another  ointment — that  of  repent- 
ance— and  thus  to  have  obtained  from  the  Lord  pardon  for 
her  sins.  Wherefore,  when  we  find  anywhere  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures  that  another  Mary  came  to  His  feet,  and  that 
another  anointed  His  head,  our  learned  men  explain  that 
it  was  another — that  is,  a  changed  woman — because  in  the 
one  case  she  came  as  a  sinner  in  the  bitterness  of  repent- 
ance, and  in  the  other  as  a  pardoned  woman  in  an  ecstasy 
of  devotion.  Now  there  is  within  the  walls  of  the  Holy 
City  a  church,^  near  the  Church  of  St.  Anne,  on  the  north 
side,  near  the  city  wall,  which  is  consecrated  in  honour  of 
St.  Mary  Magdalene,  wherein  live  Jacobite  monks,  who 
declare  that  on  that  spot  was  the  house  of  Simon  the  Leper, 
who  invited  our  Lord  to  supper,  at  which  Mary  Magdalene 
came  and  fell  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  which  she  washed  with 
her  tears  and  kissed,  wiping  them  with  her  hair,  and 
anointing  them  with  ointment.  This  they  assert,  and 
actually  show  the  very  place  (marked  upon  the  pavement 
by  a  cross)  where  Mary  fell  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  and  prove 
it  to  have  been  so  by  pictures  ;  and  to  this  day  they  show 
Mary's  hair,  which  is  contained  in  a  transparent  vase  on 
the  spot. 

They  also  say  that  there  was  another  Mary,  who  was  the 
sister  of  Lazarus  and  of  Martha,  who  broke  an  alabaster- 
box  in  Bethany,  which  was  the  town  wherein  they  all  three 
lived,  and  poured  precious  ointment  on  the  head  of  our 
Lord  :  and  her  sepulchre  is  said  to  be  visible  at  this  day  in 
Tabaria,-  with  her  body  buried  therein.     But  they  admit 

^  The  ruins  of  the  church,  known  as  El-Mdnuiniyeh,  still  remain. 
According  to  the  author  of  '  The  City  of  Jerusalem  '  (xxii.),  the  church 
was  in  the  quarter  of  the  city  called  'Jewry.' 

-  John  uses  here  the  Arabic  form  of  Tiberias. 


24  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

that  the  body  of  Mary  Magdalene  rests  in  our  own  country, 
being  buried  at  Verzih'acum.^  This  they  declare,  as  I 
have  heard  with  my  own  ears ;  but,  as  has  been  said  above, 
our  learned  doctors  say  that  the  Mary  who  anointed  the 
feet  and  the  head  of  Jesus,  and  the  sister  of  Lazarus,  were 
one  and  the  same,  and  she  once  was  a  sinner.  However, 
the  text  of  the  Gospels  is  very  hard  to  understand  on  this 
point,  and  causes  even  the  most  careful  reader  to  be  uncer- 
tain whether  Simon  the  Pharisee  had  a  house  in  Bethany, 
and  invited  our  Lord  to  it,  which  does  not  seem  possible, 
because  the  whole  of  that  town  belonged  to  Lazarus  and 
his  sisters.  And  if  this  Simon  had  a  house  somewhere  else 
— perhaps  in  the  place  which  has  been  above  described — it 
would  necessarily  follow  that  there,  at  the  first  time,  Mary 
must  have  anointed  not  only  the  feet  of  Jesus  but  also  His 
head,  as  may  be  understood  from  our  Lord's  own  words  in 
the  Gospel,^  where  he  says :  '  Simon,  I  entered  into  thy 
house,'  etc.  But  another  time  when  He  was  in  Bethany 
— as  it  were,  in  His  own  house — the  same  Mary  anointed 
His  head  alone,  breaking  a  box  of  alabaster  over  Him^ 
■wherefore  we  read  in  the  Gospel  -.^  'When  Jesus  was  in 
Bethany,'  etc.  If  anyone  wishes  to  receive  more  certain 
knowledge  about  this  matter,  let  him  come  himself  and 
inquire  about  the  order  and  truth  of  this  act  from  the  more 
learned  inhabitants  of  this  country,  for  I  have  learned  this 
in  the  Scriptures  and  not  entirely  from  these  men. 

Between  this  Bethany  and  the  top  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  about  half-way,  was  Bethphage,  a  village  of  priests, 
traces  of  which  still  remain  in  two  stone  towers,  one  of 
which  is  a  church.* 

^  Vezelai,  in  Burgundy.  2  Luke  vii.  44.  '  Matt.  xxvi.  6,  7. 

*  See,  as  to  the  identification  of  the  mediasval  Bethphage,  P,  F, 
Quarterly  Statement^  1878,  pp.  51.6a 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  25 


CHAPTER  VIL 

MOUNT    SIGN — THE    CHAMBER    OF    THE    LAST  SUPPER — 
THE  CHURCH   OF   SION. 

When,  as  we  said,  the  time  of  the  Lord's  Passion  was 
drawing  nigh,  after  the  raising  of  Lazarus,  He  came  to 
Jerusalem  on  Palm  Sunday.  On  that  day,  after  the 
solemn  entry  of  which  we  have  spoken.  He  returned  to  the 
Mount  of  Olives,  intending  to  remain  there  until  the  fifth 
day  of  the  week,  on  which  He  meant  to  eat  with  His 
disciples  that  Supper  at  which  He  brought  the  Old  Testa- 
ment to  an  end  and  began  the  New.  When  His  disciples 
asked  Him  where  He  wished  to  eat  the  Passover,  He  sent 
some  of  them  into  the  city  that  they  might  go  and  make 
ready  for  Him  a  habitation  or  fitting  place  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  the  Sacrament  of  this  Supper,  of  which  we 
read  more  at  large  in  the  Gospel.^  '  Go  ye  into  the  city, 
and  there  shall  ye  meet  a  man  bearing  a  pitcher  of  water : 
follow  him,'  etc.  This  '  chamber  of  the  Last  Supper '  {Cce- 
naculuni)  has  been  found  upon  Mount  Sion  in  the  place 
where  Solomon  is  said  to  have  built  a  magnificent  edifice, 
of  which  we  read  in  the  Song  of  Songs  r^  'King  Solomon 
made  himself  a  chariot  (or  a  bed),'  etc.  This  chamber 
{Coenacuhwtf  was  in  the  upper  story  of  the  house,  and  was 
large  and  wide,  and  on  one  side  our  Lord  is  said  to  have 
supped  with  His  disciples  to  celebrate  the  mysteries,  where 
also  He  alluded  cautiously  to  His  betrayer,  comforting  the 
rest  with  regard  to  His  Passion,  which  was  shortly  to  take 
place,  and  giving  them  under  the  form  of  bread  His  body 
to  eat,  and  under  the  form  of  wine  His  blood  to  drink, 
saying :  '  Do  this,  as  often  as,'  etc. 

^  Luke  xxii.  10.  "  Solomon's  Song  iii.  9. 

^  Compare  the  descriptions  in  Theoderich  (xxii.)  ;  '  City  of  Jeru- 
salem'; Abbot  Daniel  (xli.)  ;  and  Phocas,  p.  18. 


26  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

-  After  having  supped  in  the  upper  part  of  this  house,  it 
seems  probable  that  our  Lord,  while  setting  forth  this  same 
mystery,  gave  His  disciples  an  example  of  humility  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  house  by  washing  their  feet.  Whether 
you  choose  to  think  that  this  was  done  before  supper  or 
after,  as  is  hinted  by  a  certain  commentary  upon  that  text 
in  the  Gospel  of  St.  John  :^  '  He  riseth  from  supper,'  etc., 
whether  this  was  done  before  or  after  matters  little,  yet 
one  would  like  to  know  it,  because  at  the  present  day  the 
representation  of  the  event  in  the  Church  of  Mount  Sion 
hints  at  its  having  taken  place  in  two  different  places,  for 
on  the  left  side  of  the  said  church,  in  the  upper  story,  is  a 
painting  of  the  Supper,  and  in  the  lower — that  is  to  say, 
in  the  crypt'-' — there  is  to  be  seen  a  representation  of  the 
washing  of  the  Apostles'  feet. 


CHAPTER  Vni. 

THE  PRAYER  OF  CHRIST  IN  GETIISEMANE — THE  CHAPEL 
WITH  THE  GROTTO — THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  SAVIOUR 
— THE  PLACE  OF  THE  BETRAYAL. 

These  mysteries  being  thus  accomplished,  He  retired  with 
His  disciples  to  pray  on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  at  the  foot 
and  slope  of  which  mount  He  dismissed  His  disciples  and 
departed  from  thence  alone  for  about  a  stone's-throw,  that 
is,  to  Gethsemane,  He  prayed  to  His  Father,  saying, 
'  Father,  if  it  be  possible,'  etc.,  where  through  the  agony  of 
His  flesh  His  sweat  was  as  drops  of  blood,  and  returned  tO' 
His  disciples  and  found  them  sleeping,  when  He  reproached 
Peter  especially,  saying,  *  Couldst  thou  not  watch  with  Me 
for  one  hour  ?'  and  to  the  other  disciples,  '  Sleep  on  now 
and  take  your  rest,'  etc.     Then  retiring  from  them  for  a 

^  John  xiii.  4. 

^  See  Theoderich  (xxii.)  ;  '  City  of  Jerusalem  '  (i.). 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  27 

third  time  to  the  same  place,  and  offering  the  same  prayers 
to  God  the  Father,  He  was  at  length  comforted  by  the 
Father  and  by  Himself,  after  which  the  Lord,  returning  to 
His  disciples  for  the  third  time,  said :  '  Watch  and  pray.' 
These  particular  places,  namely,  that  where  the  disciples 
remained  behind,  and  where  the  Lord  prayed,  are  plainly 
to  be  seen  in  the  valley  of  Jehosaphat,  for  near  the  larger 
church,  wherein  is  the  tomb  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  of 
which  we  shall  speak  hereafter,  at  the  present  day  on  the 
right  hand  of  the  entrance  to  it,  there  is  a  chapel  with  a 
grotto,^  in  which  the  disciples  remained  behind  sorrowful 
and  heavy  with  sleep,  while  the  Lord  thrice  went  apart 
from  them  and  as  many  times  returned  to  them.  This  is 
shown  by  a  picture  which  still  exists.  But  the  place  where 
our  Lord  prayed  is  enclosed  within  a  new  church,  which  is 
called  the  '  Church  of  the  Saviour,'^  in  whose  flooring 
stand  out  three  unwrought  stones,  upon  which  it  is  said 
that  the  Lord  prayed,  kneeling  thrice.  These  stones  are  wor- 
shipped, and  receive  offerings  from  Christ's  faithful  people 
with  the  utmost  devotion.  At  the  aforesaid  grotto  our 
Lord,  knowing  that  Judas  was  drawing  nigh  with  his 
rabble — for  after  supper,  while  the  other  disciples  remained 
with  our  Lord,  Judas  went  away  alone  to  the  Jews  to  bar- 
gain with  them  for  the  betrayal  of  our  Lord,  and  having 
received  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  as  the  price  of  His 
betrayal,  was  now  drawing  nigh  with  a  multitude — Jesus,  I 
say,  knowing  this,  said  in  this  same  grotto  to  His  disciples, 
'Rise,  let  us  be  going;  behold,  he  is  at  hand,'  etc.  So, 
having  left  Gethsemane,  being  recognised  by  the  kiss  of 
Judas,  He  was  arrested,  bound,  carried  away  by  the  host 
which  had  been  sent  after  Him.  Now  in  that  aforesaid 
grotto  there  are  shown  five  marks  in  one  stone,  which  they 
say  were  imprinted  on  it  by  the  five  fingers  of  our  Lord  ; 
of  our  Lord,  I  mean,  when  He  was  already  taken,  and  was 
holding  Himself  back  from  His  persecutors  who  were 
^  This  place  is  now  shown  as  the  '  Grotio  of  the  Agony.' 
"  Compare  '  City  of  Jerusalem'  (xxiv.)  and  Abbot  Daniel  (xxiii.). 


iff  JOHN  OF  IVURZBURG'S 

violently  dragging  Him  away.  However  this  may  be,  we 
know  without  doubt  that  He  was  able  to  perform  deeds  of 
much  greater  power  and  might.^ 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  JUDGMENT-HALL  OF  PILATE — THE  TOWER  OF  DAVID 
— THE  BUILDING  IN  WHICH  THEY  SUPPED— GALILEE, 
OR  PLACE  OF  THE  COCK-CROWING — THE  CHURCH  OF 
THE  GREEKS — THE  CHAPEL  OF  THE  FLAGELLATION 
— THE  WAY  BY  WHICH  CHRIST  WENT  TO  CALVARY. 

Our  Lord  was  betrayed,  as  we  have  said,  by  His  disciple, 
was  taken  and  bound  by  a  Roman  soldier,  and  brought  to 
Mount  Sion,  where  at  that  time  stood  the  Pratorimn,  or 
Judgment-hall,  of  Pilate,  which  was  called  the  Pavement,  in 
Hebrew  GahbatJia?  For  at  that  time  the  finest  and 
strongest  part  of  the  whole  city  was  on  the  top  of  that 
mountain,  and  also  the  Tower  of  David,  which  was  the 
watch-tower  and  bulwark  of  the  rest  of  the  city,  was  built 
thereon,  so  that  the  lower  part  of  the  city,  being  as  it  were 
brought  forth  and  cared  for  by  it  like  a  mother,  is  called 
its  daughter,  whence  the  words,  *  Tell  ye  the  daughter  of 
Sion,'^  etc.  But  afterwards,  when  the  city  which  was  there 
was  destroyed,  and  removed  to  another  place,  where  it 
stands  at  this  day,  by  the  Emperor  yElius,'*  the  mount  also 
was  shorn  of  much  of  its  height  and  was  brought  low,  the 

^  Compare  Theoderich  (xxiv.).  According  to  Abbot  Daniel  (xxiii.) 
the  '  cavern  where  Christ  was  delivered '  was  seventy  feet  from  the 
Tomb  of  the  Virgin.  The  marks  of  Christ's  fingers  on  the  stone  are 
mentioned  by  an  anonymous  pilgrim  quoted  by  Tobler  from  C.  C.  Rafn, 
'  Antiquitds  russes,'  ii.  419. 

-  According  to  Theoderich  (xxv.)  this  place  was  between  the 
Church  of  St.  Mary  and  the  walls  of  the  city. 

*  Isaiah  Ixii.  11  ;  Zech.  ix.  9 ;  Matt.  xxi.  5  ;  John  xii.  15. 

*  Hadrian. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  29 

tower  being  taken  away  from  it  together  with  the  other 
buildings.  However,  at  the  present  day  the  place  where 
the  Judgment-hall  {PrcEtoriuvi)  and  the  Tower  of  David 
stood,  is  shown.  At  that  time,  close  to  the  Judgment-hall 
on  the  south  side,  stood  the  great  building  wherein  the 
Lord  supped  with  His  disciples.  Near  the  Judgment-hall 
on  the  east  side  was  the  hall  into  which  He  was  led  in 
bonds  and  was  kept  there  all  night,  watched  by  guards  and 
by  the  chiefs  of  the  Jews,  until  the  hour  of  appearing  in 
court  on  the  following  morning.  In  this  Judgment-hall 
Peter  denied  the  Lord  thrice  before  cock-crow  ;  and  there, 
too,  when  the  cock  crowed,  and  the  Lord  turned  and  looked 
upon  him,  he  piously  remembered  the  words  of  Jesus,  was 
truly  penitent,  and  wept  bitterly,  retreating  into  the  grotto 
which  at  the  present  day  is  called  '  The  Place  of  Cock-crow,' 
and  vulgarly  '  Galilee.' 

On  the  Mount  Sion  Christ  appeared  to  His  disciples ; 
wherefore  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the  church  the  following 
verse  may  be  found  written  : 

'  Here  risen  Christ  was  seen  by  men  of  Galilee, 
And  Galilee  this  place  shall  ever  called  be.' 

On  the  road  which  leads  down  from  Sion  into  the  valley  of 
Jehosaphat,  under  the  gate  of  Mount  Sion,  over  this  same 
grotto,  a  church  has  been  built,i  which  at  the  present  day 
is  in  the  hands  of  Greek  monks. 

Now  on  the  morrow,  after  the  unjust  sentence  had  been 
passed,  the  condemned  One  was  scourged  in  a  place  in 
front  of  the  Judgment-hall,  was  buffeted  and  spat  upon, 
dressed  in  the  scarlet  robe,  and  pricked  by  the  crown  of 
thorns,  as  is  shown  by  the  inscription  placed  on  the  spot, 
which  runs  thus : 

'  Here  was  He  crowned  in  vain. 
Who  o'er  the  world  doth  reign.' 


^  Compare  the  description  of  the  Galilee  church  in  Theoderich 
(xxv.),  where  it  is  said  to  belong  to  the  Armenians.  Abbot  Daniel 
(xlii.)  says  that  thirty-two  steps  led  down  to  the  grotto  or  cavern. 


30  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

This  place  is  further  pointed  out  by  a  chapel  which  stands 
close  to  the  greater  church  on  Sion,  on  the  northern  side 
of  it,  which  contains  a  picture  of  what  took  place,  with  the 
following  inscription : 

*  He  whom  the  saints  commend  was  by  sinners'  voice  condemned, 
He  for  His  servants'  sake  did  scourge  and  buffet  take. 
Beneath  the  cross  He  fell,  but  Simon  helped  Him  well ; 
He  doth  not  suffer  loss  who  bears  that  blessed  cross.' 

At  the  same  place,  after  the  sentence  and  condemnation  to 
the  cross  had  been  passed  upon  Him,  they  placed  upon  the 
Lord's  shoulder  the  cross  which  had  been  prepared  for 
Him,  that  it  might  be  carried  to  the  place  of  crucifixion, 
that  the  prophecy  might  be  fulfilled,  '  The  government 
shall  be  upon  His  shoulder,'^  etc.  There  came,  however, 
a  certain  man  of  Cyrene,  whom  they  forced  to  serve 
them  by  bearing  the  cross  to  the  place  Calvary,  for  mys- 
tical reasons.2 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  PLACE  CALVARY— THE  PRISON  OF  OUR  LORD — THE 
SEPULCHRE  OF  ADAM — THE  RENT  AND  HOLE  IN  THE 
ROCK — THE  ALTAR  OF  THE  LORD'S  PASSION,  AND  OF 
HIS  HOLY  BLOOD. 

There  was  at  that  time  over  against  the  site  of  the  old 
city  a  place  called  Calvary,  outside  the  city,  which  was  set 
apart  for  those  who  were  condemned  to  death,  from  whose 
baldness  {calvitas) — their  hair  being  cut  off  and  their  skulls 

^  Isaiah  ix.  6. 

-  John  and  Theoderlch  (xxv.)  place  the  Prcviorium  on  Mount 
Sion,  and  the  Via  Dolorosa  led  thence  through  the  old  Sion  Gate  to 
the  Church  of  the  Sepulchre.  The  '  House  of  Pilate '  was  shown  to 
the  north  of  the  Harain  Area.  At  the  end  of  the  Latin  occupation  the 
Praioiiinn  was  identified  with  the  'house,'  and  the  Via  Dolorosa. 
occupied  its  present  position.     See  '  The  City  of  Jerusalem  '  (xxi.). 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  31 

bleached  by  the  wind,  being  stripped  of  the  flesh  and  not 
buried  in  the  earth — the  place  was  called  Calvary,  or 
because  criminals  were  made  bald,  that  is,  condemned, 
there.  This  place,  which  in  Hebrew  is  called  Golgotha, 
was  an  ancient^  rock,  just  as  at  the  present  day  in  many 
•cities  high  places  outside  the  walls  are  set  apart  for  the 
execution  of  those  who  are  condemned  to  death.  Mean- 
while, while  the  rock  was  being  prepared  to  receive  the 
cross,  our  Lord  was  kept  bound  as  it  were  in  prison  in  a 
certain  place  which  there  was  in  the  fields,  which  place  is 
now  formed  into  a  chapel,  and  is  to  this  day  called  '  The 
Prison  of  the  Lord,'^  and  is  exactly  opposite  to  Calvary, 
in  the  left-hand  apse  of  the  church.  Others,  however,  have 
•other  opinions  about  this  place,  as  I  heard  on  the  spot. 

After  this,  at  the  place  Calvary,  by  the  orders  of  Pilate, 
and  at  the  instigation  of  the  Jews,  the  Roman  soldiers 
stripped  our  Lord  of  His  tunic,  gave  Him  vinegar  mingled 
with  gall  to  drink,  and  fastened  Him  to  the  cross.  While 
Jesus  was  suffering  upon  this,  John,  His  friend,  at  His 
command,  received  His  Mother  into  his  own  keeping,  that 
one  virgin  might  watch  over  another  ;  for  Jesus  said  to  His 
Mother, '  Woman,  behold  thy  son,'  arguing,  as  some  say, 
with  John,  or  rather  with  Himself,  as  though  He  said, 
*  This  I  suffer  from  My  sonship,  which  is  caused  by  your 
motherhood  ;  but  1  have  not  from  it  the  power  to  work 
miracles.'  Wherefore  in  another  place,  at  the  wedding  at 
Chana  in  Galilee,  He  said,  '  Woman,  what  have  I  to  do 
with  thee  ?'  Thus  He  spoke  to  His  Mother  ;  then  He 
said  to  John  :  *  Behold  thy  mother,'  meaning  in  the  matter 
of  filial  service  and  care. 

At  Calvary,  while  the  Victim  offered  for  all  the  world 
was  suffering  on  the  cross,  He  promised  the  robe  of 
immortality  to  the  thief  who  hung  on  his  right  hand,  who 
asked  His  pardon.     On  the  gibbet  of  the  cross  He  was 

1  One  MS.  reads  'lofty.' 

^  The  '  Prison  of  the  Lord'  is  still  shown,  in  the  position  assigned  to 
it  by  John. 


32  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

pierced  by  a  spear,  and  poured  forth  blood  and  water,  by 
the  drops  of  which  the  eyes  of  Longinus  were  opened,^ 
who  had  struck  Him  out  of  kindness  and  acknowledgment, 
that  is  to  say,  that  Jesus  might  not  live  in  torture  any 
longer.  As  our  Lord  was  thus  dying  on  the  cross,  and  of 
His  own  will  giving  up  the  ghost,  the  veil  of  the  Temple 
was  rent  from  the  top  to  the  bottom,  and  the  rock  in 
which  the  cross  was  fixed  was  split  through  the  midst,  in 
the  place  where  it  was  touched  by  His  blood  ;  through 
which  rent  the  blood  flowed  to  the  lower  parts,  wherein 
Adam  is  said  to  have  been  buried,  and  who  was  thus 
baptized  in  the  blood  of  Christ.^  It  is  said  to  be  in 
commemoration  of  this  that  a  skull  is  always  represented 
in  paintings  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross  ;  but  this  baptism  of 
Adam  in  the  blood  of  Christ  means  nothing  more  than 
that  Adam  was  redeemed  b};-  the  blood  of  Christ,  since 
the  Scripture  tells  us  that  he  was  buried  at  Hebron.  It  is 
rather  Death  and  destruction  which  is  personified  by  the 
hideous  human  face  which  is  wont  to  be  painted  beneath 
the  feet  of  the  crucified  One,  because  our  Lord  said,  '  O 
Death,  I  will  be  thy  death,'  that  is,  thy  destruction.  The 
place  of  Calvary  is  on  the  right  hand  as  you  enter  the 
larger  church,  and  in  the  upper  part  of  it  the  famous  rent 
of  the  rock  is  adored  with  much  ceremony,  and  is  plainly 
shown  to  all  comers  to  this  day.  This  same  upper  part 
is  beautifully  ornamented  with  the  finest  mosaics,  which 
represent  the  Passion  of  Christ  and  His  burial,  with  various 
passages  from  the  prophets  bearing  testimony  to  that 
event. 

Observe  that  in  this  same  place,  whether  the  cross  was 
fixed  in  the  round  hole  which  to  this  day  is  shown  open, 
and  into  which  the  offerings  of  the  faithful  are  cast,  or  in 

^  According  to  tradition,  Longinus  was  blind  of  one  eye  ;  but  when 
some  drops  of  the  blood  and  water  spirted  into  it  he  recovered  his 
sight,  and  was  converted. 

-  This  tradition  is  commemorated  in  ^  picture  in  the  'Chapel  of 
Adam,'  beneath  Calvary. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  33 

the  place  where  an  upright  shaft  of  round  stone^  is  shown, 
as  some  declare  that  it  was,  and  which  moreover  appears 
to  be  more  in  accordance  with  the  form  of  the  ground  and 
the  flowing  of  blood  from  His  right  side  into  the  rent  in  the 
rock,  the  face  of  our  Lord  when  He  hung  on  the  cross  is 
always  said  to  have  been  turned  towards  the  east  of 
necessity,  because  of  His  position. 

Close  to  this  place  in  the  upper  part  towards  the  right 
hand  there  is  placed  an  altar,  dedicated  in  honour  of  our 
Lord's  Passion,  and  the  whole  of  that  place  receives  its 
name  from  the  same  Passion.  The  lower  part  of  this  same 
Calvary  contains  an  altar,  and  is  called  the  Chapel  of  the 
Holy  Blood,2  because  the  blood  of  the  Lord  is  said  to 
have  flowed  so  far  through  the  rent  in  the  rock,  to  a  place 
which  at  the  present  day  is  marked  at  the  back  of  the 
aforesaid  altar  by  a  kind  of  depression  in  the  rock,  where 
hangs  a  lamp  with  an  ever-burning  flame.  On  the  outside, 
at  the  entrance  to  Calvary ,3  are  the  following  verses : 

*  Our  Lord  was  hither  brought,  betrayed,  was  crucified  and  washed, 
Wherefore  this  famous  Calvary  is  holy  ground  for  aye  ; 
The  blood  which  Jesus  freely  shed  upon  this  hill  will  save, 
Redeem  us,  and  protect  us,  and  will  wash  our  sins  away.' 

^  This  '  shaft  of  round  stone '  is  not  mentioned  by  any  other  writer. 

'  Now  the  'Chapel  of  Adam.' 

s  Compare  Theoderich  (xii.).  There  has  been  little  change  in  the 
form  of  the  chapels  connected  wi.th  Calvary  since  the  Latin  occupation 
of  Jerusalem. 


34  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  CHOIR  OF  THE  CANONS — THE  CENTRE  OF  THE 
EARTH — EMMAUS — THE  WASHING  OF  THE  FEET  ON 
SION. 

In  the  midst  of  the  choir  of  the  Canons,^  not  far  from 
Calvary,  is  a  spot  which  is  formed  into  the  shape  of  an 
altar  by  raised  slabs  of  marble  supported  by  an  open  iron- 
work lattice,  beneath  which  slabs  are  certain  small  circles 
on  the  pavement,  which  they  say  mark  the  centre  of  the 
earth,  according  to  the  text,  '  His  salvation  hath  He 
wrought  in  the  midst  of  the  earth/ ^  In  this  same  place 
also  it  is  said  that  the  Lord  appeared  to  the  blessed  Mary 
Magdalene  after  His  resurrection,  and  the  place  is  greatly 
venerated,  having  a  lamp  hanging  within  it.  In  the  same 
place  some  declare  that  Joseph  obtained  the  body  of  Jesus 
from  Pilate  for  burial,  and  on  the  same  day,  that  is,  on  the 
sixth  day  of  the  week,  took  His  body  from  the  cross, 
washed  it  reverently,  anointed  it  with  precious  ointment 
and  perfumes,  rolled  it  in  a  clean  linen  (?)  cloth,  and  buried 
it  at  no  great  distance,  in  his  garden,  in  the  new  tomb 
which  he  had  hewn  out  of  the  rock  for  himself.  Thence 
He  descended  into  Hell,  to  set  man  free.  In  this  same 
place  the  Lord  truly  rose  from  the  dead,  the  lion  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah,  having  overcome  death.  There  the  angel 
of  the  Lord  appeared  to  the  holy  women,  when  the  stone 
had  been  rolled  away  from  the  mouth  of  the  Sepulchre, 
and  told  them  that  Jesus  was  really  risen  from  the  dead, 
saying,  '  Go,  tell  my  brethren,'  and,  again,  *  Tell  His  dis- 
ciples and  Peter.' 

^  See  the  descriptions  of  the  Chorus  doniinorian^  in  Theoderich 
(vii.)  and  the  '  City  of  Jerusalem  '  (vii.).  The  '  centre  of  the  earth '  is 
still  shown,  but  the  apparition  of  Christ  to  Mary  Magdalene  is  not 
now  connected  with  the  spot. 

^Ps.  Ixxiii.  12.     See  Willis's  '  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,'  p.  9a 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  35 

On  the  same  day,  when  the  day  was  far  spent,  Christ, 
concealed  under  the  form  of  a  stranger,  appeared  to  two 
of  His  disciples  as  they  walked  sorrowing  for  His  death 
on  the  way  to  Nicopolis,^  that  is,  Emmaus,  a  town  which  is 
six  miles  from  Jerusalem  to  the  westward,  where  He  was 
received  as  their  guest,  and  was  known  of  them  in  breaking 
of  bread,  but  straightway  disappeared.  Afterwards  He 
appeared  to  all  the  Apostles  except  Thomas,  on  Mount 
Sion,  when  the  doors  were  shut,  saying  to  them,  '  Peace  be 
unto  you.'  Moreover,  eight  days  afterwards  He  appeared 
on  the  same  mount  to  Thomas  and  the  other  disciples,  and 
offered  him  His  wounds  to  feel  ;  whereupon  Thomas  said, 
'  My  Lord  and  my  God.'  These  apparitions  are  shown  by 
a  picture  to  have  happened  in  a  place  on  Mount  Sion,  that 
is  to  say,  in  the  crypt  of  the  greater  church,  with  a  distinct 
representation  of  each  event,  in  which  place  also  our  Lord 
is  depicted  as  washing  His  disciples'  feet.^  After  the 
resurrection  Jesus  also  showed  Himself  to  His  disciples 
three  times  beside  the  sea  of  Tiberias  and  upon  it,  and 
also  in  many  other  places  besides  these,  that  He  might 
prove  that  He  had  risen  from  the  dead,  and  that  we 
should  rise  hereafter. 


CHAPTER  XIL 

THE  MONUMENT  AT  THE  SEPULCHRE  OF  OUR  LORD— 
THE  ALTAR  AT  THE  HOLY  SEPULCHRE — THE  INSCRIP- 
TIONS—  THE  NEW  CHURCH  —  THE  CHOIR  OF  THE 
CANONS — THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  RESURRECTION — THE 
PROCESSION. 

The  monument  which  contains  the  Holy  Sepulchre  of  our 
Lord  is  almost  round  in  form,  and  is  decorated  on  "the 
inside   with    mosaic   work.     It    is   entered    from  the  east 

1  Some  INISS.  have  Eleutheropolis.     The  distance,  six  miles,  would 
apply  better  to  Kulonicli  than  to  ^ Ainivcis^  Nicopolis. 
-  In  the  Cccnacnlitin.     See  chap.  vii. 


36  JOHN  OF  WURZBURGS 

through  a  little  door,  in  front  of  which  is  an  ante-chamber 
of  almost  square  shape,  with  two  doors.  Through  one  of 
these,  persons  entering  the  monument  are  admitted  to  the 
Sepulchre,  and  through  the  other  those  who  are  leaving  it 
pass  out.  In  that  ante-chamber  also  the  guardians  of 
the  Sepulchre  dwell.  It  has  also  a  third  little  door,  which 
opens  towards  the  choir.  Outside  this  same  monument, 
that  is  to  say  at  the  head  of  the  Sepulchre,  there  is  an 
altar  with  a  kind  of  square  canopy  built  over  it,  whose 
three  walls  are  beautifully  formed  of  iron  lattice  work,  and 
this  altar  is  called  the  altar  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  The 
monument  has  above  it  a  cup-like  dome,  the  upper  surface 
of  which  is  covered  with  silver,  and  which  rises  high  in  the 
air  towards  the  wide  space  open  to  the  sky,  which  is  made 
in  the  larger  building  above  it,  which  building  being  of  a 
round  form,  on  a  circular  ground  plan,  with  a  wide  space 
all  round  the  monument  (of  the  Holy  Sepulchre),  has  at 
its  end  a  continuous  wall  adorned  with  painted  figures  of 
various  saints  on  a  large  scale  and  lighted  by  numerous 
lamps.  In  the  narrower  circuit  of  this  larger  building 
eight  round  columns  of  marble,  and  the  same  number  of 
square  bases,  adorned  outside  with  the  same  number  of 
marble  slabs,  and  placed  all  round  (the  central  point), 
sustain  an  entablature  under  the  roof,  which  we  have  said 
is  open  in  the  middle.^ 

Below  are  various  verses  which  are  to  be  seen  in  dif- 
ferent places.  On  the  lintel  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre  : 

'Woman,  wherefore  weep'st  thou,  kneeling  unto  Him  thou  seekest 

dead  ? 
Touch  Me  not,  behold  Me  living,  worthy  to  be  worshipped.' 


^  Protccttim=  porticuvi,  a  portico  or  ante-chamber.  Atter  the  tire  of 
1808  it  was  rebuilt  in  a  slightly  altered  form,  and  is  now  called  the 
'Chapel  of  the  Angels.' 

-  See  note  on  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  (Abbot  Daniel, 
Appendix  H.). 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND, 


On  the  lintSl  of  the  inner  entrance  to  the  Sepulchre  of 
our  Lord :  - 

*  The  place  and  guardian  testify  Christ's  resurrection  ; 
Also  the  linen  clothes,  the  angel,  and  redemption.' 

Within, '^t  the  place  where  the  Lord  was  laid  : 

'  By  friends  God's  flesh  was  from  the  cross  with  tears  ta'en  down  ; 
He  bore  these  pains  for  us  who  now  doth  wear  the  crown.' 

Within,  close  to  the  Sepulchre  of  the  Lord  : 

'  With  spice  anointed,  in  this  tomb  Christ  Hes, 
By  merit  now  the  just  to  heaven  may  rise  ; 
Man's  glad,  the  ghosts  are  stirred,  all  hell  doth  groan. 
For  Eve's  sin  Christ's  coming  doth  atone.' 

Also  in  the  same  place,  but  in  the  middle  : 

*  Here  Christ  was  laid  within  this  sepulchre  of  rock. 
His  burial  heaven's  gate  to  mortals  doth  unlock.' 

We  have'said  that  the  aforesaid  number  of  columns  are 
arranged  in  a  circle ;  but  now  on  the  eastern  side  their 
number  and  arrangement  are  altered,  because  of  the  new 
church  which  has  been  built  on  to  them,  the  entrance  into 
which  is  at  that  point.  This  new  and  newly-added  build- 
ing contains  a  spacious  choir  of  the  Canons,  and  a  spacious 
sanctuary,  which  contains  a  high  altar  dedicated  in  honour 
of  the  Anastasis,  that  is,  of  the  Holy  Resurrection,  as  is 
shown  by  a  picture  in  mosaic  work  placed  above  it.  For 
this  picture  contains  the  figure  of  Christ  rising,  having 
burst  the  gates  of  hell,  and  bringing  up  our  ancient  father 
Adam  from  thence.  Outside  the  sanctuary  of  this  altar  and 
within  the  circuit  of  the  cloister  is  contained  a  space  suffi- 
ciently wide  in  all  directions,  both  through  this  new  church 
and  also  through  the  old  building  round  about  the  afore- 
mentioned monument,  to  be  suitable  for  a  procession,  which 
takes  place  every  Sunday  night  from  Easter  to  Advent  at 
vespers,  to  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  with  the  respond,  'Christus 

3—2 


38  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

resurgens,'  the  text  of  which  respond^  also  is  inscribed  on 
the  extreme  outside  margin  of  the  monument  in  raised 
letters  of  silver.  When  this  respond  has  been  sung,  the 
precentor  straightway  begins,  '  But  in  the  evening,'  etc., 
with  the  psalm,  '  My  soul  doth  magnify  the  Lord,'  and 
with  the  collect  for  the  resurrection,  '  Almighty  and  ever- 
lasting,' etc.,  prefaced  by  the  versicle,  '  From  this  Sepulchre 
the  Lord  arose.'  In  the  like  fashion  the  mass  of  the 
resurrection  is  celebrated  on  every  Sunday  throughout 
this  time.2 


CHAPTER  Xin. 

THE  canons'  cloister — THE  CRYPT  WITH  THE  ALTAR 
OF  ST.  HELENA — THE  CONSECRATION  OF  THE  CHURCH 
OF  THE  HOLY  SEPULCHRE  —  THE  FOUR  ALTARS  — 
THE  CANONS'  CHOIR — THE  QUARREL  BETWEEN  THE 
GERMANS  AND  THE  FRANKS. 

At  the  head  of  this  same  new  church  towards  the  east, 
close  to  the  Canons'  cloister,^  is  a  place  sunk  deep,  like  a 

*  The  text  (Rom.  vi.  9, 10)  is  given  by  Theoderich  (v.),  who  says  that 
the  letters  were  of  gold.  Hence  it  has  been  conjectured  that  John  of 
Wiirzburg  must  have  seen  the  Chapel  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  before  the 
gilding  thereof  spoken  of  by  Phocas,  A.D.  1185.  This  gilding  was  done 
by  Emmanuel  Comnenus,  who  reigned  at  Constantinople  1143-1180. 

^  It  is  remarkable  that  John  of  Wiirzburg  makes  no  mention  of  the 
'holy  fire,'  whereas  Theoderich  (vii.)  circumstantially  describes  it. 
The  anonymous  Icelanders  ('Antiquitds  russes,'  ii.  418,  422)  also 
allude  to  the  fire.  The  first  says  :  '  Above  the  Sepulchre  the  church  is 
open  to  the  sky.  Through  this  opening  the  fire  comes  on  the  eve  of 
the  feast  of  Easter  Day,  if  Christian  men  possess  the  city,  and  lights 
the  candles  standing  under  it.'  And  the  other  writes  :  '  Towards  the 
north,  in  the  Temple  of  the  Sepulchre,  are  candles,  which  are  lighted 
by  fire  from  heaven  every  year  on  the  eve  of  Easier  Sunday,  and 
remain  alight  for  all  the  year.' 

•'  The  Claitslritm  (iojin'/io?-utn,  or  Canons'  cloister,  was  outside  the 
east  wall  of  the  Church  of  the  Sepulchre.  The  door  wi)ich  led  to  the 
cloister  and  the  Canons'  houses  has  been  closed,  but  can  be  seen  from 
the  Abyssinian  courtyard  outside  the  church.  A  fuller  description 
is  given  by  Theoderich  (ix.). 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  39 

crypt,  in  great  retirement,  wherein  the  Empress  Helena  is 
said  to  have  found  the  Lord's  cross.^  This  place  also 
contains  an  altar  consecrated  in  honour  of  the  said  Helena, 
which  empress  took  away  with  her  to  Constantinople  the 
greater  part  of  that  sacred  wood  ;  but  the  remainder,  which 
was  left  at  Jerusalem,  is  carefully  and  reverently  preserved 
in  a  certain  place,  in  another  part  of  the  church,  opposite 
±0  Calvary. 

This  place,  albeit  long  ago  consecrated  by  Christ's  blood 
-which  was  shed  therein,  was  in  modern  times,  although  a 
work  of  supererogation,  consecrated  by  the  venerable  priests 
on  July  15th.  To  this  fact  the  following  verses  written 
beneath  some  gilded  work  on  the  spot  still  bear  witness : 

'  This  place  was  hallowed  by  Christ's  blood  before, 
Our  consecration  cannot  make  it  more  ; 
Howbeit,  the  buildings  round  this  stone  in  date, 
Were  on  July  the  fifteenth  consecrate.' 

On  the  same  day  of  the  same  month,  though  at  a  much 
earlier  time,  when  the  Holy  City  had  long  been  held  in 
•captivity  under  the  dominion  of  Saracens  of  divers  sorts,  it 
was  set  free  by  a  Christian  army,  to  commemorate  which 
deliverance  they  celebrate  that  day  after  the  renewal  of 
the  consecration  in  divine  service  by  singing  at  the  first 
mass,  '  I.cBtare,  Jerusalem^  and  at  the  high  mass  of  dedica- 
tion, '  Terribilis  est  locus.^ 

On  the  same  day  also  four  altars  were  consecrated  in  the 
same  church,  to  wit,  the  high  altar,  the  upper  altar  in 
Calvary,  and  two  altars  in  the  opposite  aisle  of  the  church, 
to  wit,  one  in  honour  of  St.  Peter,  and  one  in  honour  of 
the  Protomartyr  St.  Stephen.^ 

On  the  following  day,  both  in  the  giving  of  alms  and  in 
the  prayers,  they  make  solemn  mention  of  all  the  faithful 

^  The  two  chapels  of  St.  Helena  and  the  '  Finding  of  the  Cross ' 
are  referred  to.  Theoderich  (x.)  alludes  to  both  chapels.  See  *  Notes 
to  the  Ordnance  Survey  of  Jerusalem,'  for  the  present  aspect  of  the 
.chapels. 

f  Neither  of  the  two  last  places  is  now  shown  in  the  church. 


40  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

dead,  more  especially  of  those  who  fell  on  the  occasion  of 
the  storming  of  Jerusalem,  whose  burying-place  near  the 
Golden  Gate  is  most  famous.  Three  days  afterwards  is 
the  anniversary  of  noble  Duke  Godfrey  of  happy  memory, 
the  chief  and  leader  of  that  holy  expedition,  who  was  born 
of  a  German  family.  His  anniversary  is  solemnly  observed 
by  the  city  with  plenteous  giving  of  alms  in  the  great 
church,  according  as  he  himself  arranged  while  yet  alive. 

But  although  he  is  there  honoured  in  this  way  for  him- 
self, yet  the  taking  of  the  city  is  not  credited  to  him  with 
his  Germans,  who  bore  no  small  share  in  the  toils  of  that 
expedition,  but  is  attributed  to  the  French  alone.  Where- 
fore some  disparagers  of  our  nation  have  actually  obliterated 
the  epitaph  on  the  famous  Wigger,^  made  glorious  by  so 
many  brave  deeds,  because  they  could  not  deny  that  he 
was  a  German,  and  have  written  over  it  the  epitaph  of 
some  French  knight  or  other,  as  may  at  this  day  be  seen 
on  the  spot ;  for  his  coffin  is  visible  and  still  exists  outside 
in  a  corner  between  the  great  church  and  the  Chapel  of 
St.  John  the  Baptist,  with  his  name  struck  out  and  another 
name  written  there.  In  proof,  and  as  an  example  of  the 
contempt  with  which  our  people  are  treated,  and  in  praise 
of  the  French,  the  following  epitaph  may  be  read  on  the 
outer  side  of  the  monument : 

*  One  thousand  and  one  hundred  years,  save  one, 
Since  Blessed  Mary  bore  her  glorious  Son  ; 
When  rose  upon  July  its  fifteenth  sun, 
By  Frankish  might  Jerusalem  was  won.' 

In  answer  to  which  I  have  written  : 

*  Not  Franks — Franconians,  warriors  far  more  brave, 
From  Pagan  yoke  Jerusalem  did  save  ; 
Franconian  Wigger  was,  each  Frank  well  knew  ; 
Franconian  Gimtram,  and  Duke  Godfrey,  too, 
And  easy  'twere  to  prove  my  words  are  true.' 

^  For  Wigger,  or  Wicker,  of  Swabia,  see  Wilken's  'History  of  the 
Crusades,'  ii.  39,  72,  108.     Tobler,  in  a  note  to  his  edition  of  John 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  41 

Although,  however,  Duke  Godfrey  and  his  brother 
Baldwin,  who  was  made  king  in  Jerusalem  after  him, 
which  the  duke  had  through  humility  refused  to  be  before 
him,  were  men  of  our  country,  yet  since  only  a  few  of  our 
people  remained  there  with  them,  and  very  many  of  the 
others  with  great  haste  and  homesickness  returned  to  their 
native  land,  the  entire  city  has  fallen  into  the  hands  of 
other  nations — Frenchmen,  Lorrainers,  Normans,  Proven- 
cals, Auvergnats,  Italians,  Spaniards,  and  Burgundians,  who 
took  part  in  the  crusade ;  and  also  no  part  of  the  city,  not 
even  in  the  smallest  street,  was  set  apart  for  the  Germans.^ 
As  they  themselves  took  no  care  about  the  matter,  and  had 
no  intention  of  remaining  there,  their  names  were  never 
mentioned,  and  the  glory  of  delivering  the  Holy  City  was 
ascribed  to  the  Franks  alone;  and  they  at  this  day,  together 
with  the  other  aforesaid  nations,  bear  rule  in  the  aforesaid 
city  and  the  neighbouring  country.  Indeed,  this  province 
of  Christendom  would  long  ago  have  extended  its  boundaries 
beyond  the  Nile  to  the  southward,  and  beyond  Damascus 
to  the  northward,  if  there  were  therein  as  great  a  number 
of  Germans  as  there  are  of  the  others.  However,  omitting 
these  considerations  for  the  present,  let  us  return  to  our 
appointed  task. 

of  Wiirzburg,  p.  439,  says  :  '  Whereabouts  the  Chapel  of  St.  John 
before  the  Church  of  the  Sepulchre  stood,  is  not  yet  clearly  ascer- 
tained.' The  French  anonymous  writer,  published  by  me,  says  :  '  On 
the  left  hand  before  the  door  is  the  altar  of  S.  Jehan  batiste.'  Left 
here  seems  to  mean  on  the  east  side.  If,  then,  it  adjoined  the  Chapel 
of  St.  Mary  of  Egypt,  it  may  well  be  that  the  lately  discovered  tomb 
of  Philippe  d'Aubigny  may  be  considered  to  be  that  of  Wicker.  The 
inscription  on  this  tomb  says  :  '  Here  lies  Philip  d'Aubigny  ;  may  his 
soul  rest  in  peace.     Amen.' 

^  Yet  there  was  a  few  years  later  a  liue  des  Alemans  (Germans* 
Street).     See  'City  of  Jerusalem'  (xi.).; 


42  JOHN  OF  WURZDURG'S 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  ASCENSION  ON  THE  MOUNT  OF 
OLIVES— THE  POURING  FORTH  OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST 
ON   MOUNT  SION — THE  ASSUMPTION  OF  THE  VIRGIN. 

On  the  Mount  of  Olives^  the  place  of  the  Lord's  ascension 
is  pointed  out,  in  the  middle  of  a  church  which  has  since 
been  built  over  the  spot,  with  an  opening  in  the  roof  above 
it.  From  this  place,  while  His  disciples  and  other  men  of 
Galilee  and  His  Mother  looked  on  with  wonder,  He  was 
carried  up  into  heaven  in  a  cloud,  having  previously  charged 
His  disciples  not  to  depart  from  Jerusalem  before  they  had 
received  from  the  Father  the  promised  Holy  Ghost,  the 
Comforter,  to  complete  their  consolation.  This  took  place 
on  the  tenth  day  after  the  Lord's  ascension,  and  on  the 
fiftieth  day  after  His  resurrection — to  wit,  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  when  the  disciples  were  abiding  in  a  certain 
chamber^  of  the  aforesaid  building  on  Mount  Sion,  in 
which  our  Lord  is  said  to  have  supped,  waiting  for  the 
fulfilment  of  the  promise,  which  to  this  day  is  shown  in  the 
same  place  in  a  mosaic  picture  in  the  sanctuary,  in  the  apse 
of  the  aforesaid  church ;  for  therein,  in  the  likeness  of  a 
picture,  are  the  twelve  Apostles  with  their  portraits,  and 
the  Holy  Ghost  descending  upon  each  of  their  heads  in  the 
form  of  fiery  tongues,  with  the  inscription,  '  Suddenly  there 
came  a  sound  from  heaven,'  etc. 

In  the  same  church,  on  the  right  hand  as  you  enter  it, 
there  is  a  place  called  an  altar,  consisting  of  polished  slabs 
of  marble  formed  into  the  shape  of  a  dome,  on  the  spot 

^  Compare  the  description  of  the  Church  of  the  Ascension  in 
Theoderich  (xxvii.)  ;  Abbot  Daniel  (xxv.) ;  and  '  The  City  of  Jeru- 
salem '  (xxv.).  An  Icelandic  pilgrim  mentions  a  Church  of  St.  Michael 
on  the  Mount  of  Olives,  in  which  was  a  rock  with  an  imprint  of  our 
Lord's  foot  ('  Antiquites  russes,'  ii.  419). 

^  The  Caiuiciduin.     See  chap.  vii. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND. 


where  the  Blessed  Mary  is  said  to  have  given  up  the  ghost, 
and  to  have  left  this  present  world  ;^  where  also  her  Son, 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  is  represented  in  a  painting  on  the 
opposite  wall  as  receiving  her  soul  in  the  presence  of  His 
disciples.  Round  the  building  which  is  constructed  over 
this  place  is  the  following  inscription  :  'The  Holy  Mother 
of  God  is  exalted  above  the  choirs  of  angels,' 


CHAPTER  XV. 

ACELDAMA — MOUNT  GION — THE  CHURCH  AND  HOSPITAL 
OF  ST.  JOHN — THE  CONVENT  OF  THE  NUNS  OF  ST. 
MARY  THE  GREAT — THE  MONASTERY  OF  ST.  MARY 
THE  LATIN — THE  MONASTERY  OF  ST.  SAB  AS — THE 
CHURCH  AND  MONASTERY  OF  THE  MARTYRDOM  OF 
ST.  JAMES  THE  GREATER — THE  HOUSE  OF  THE 
GERMANS. 

Having  seen  these  things,  and  having  briefly  described 
the  places  where  they  took  place,  together  also  with  a 
description  of  the  places  adjoining  them,  let  us  return  to 
the  Holy  City  of  Jerusalem  itself,  and  describe  the  new 
holy  places  and  the  venerable  ancient  ones  which  have 
been  newly  built  and  dedicated  to  the  service  of  religion. 

By  parenthesis  be  it  noted  that  in  that  city  Judas 
received  thirty  pieces  of  silver  for  the  betrayal  of  our  Lord, 
with  which  the  field  called  Aceldama — that  is,  the  Field  of 
Blood — was  bought,  and  was  set  apart  to  bury  strangers  in 
even  to  this  day,  which  field  is  situated  on  the  left  hand  of 
Mount    Sion    along   the   road   which   leads   to   Ephrata.^ 

^  The  scene  of  the  Virgin's  death  was  in  the  lower  story  of  the 
church,  where  the  washing  of  the  Apostles'  feet  is  said  to  have  taken 
place. 

^  The  present  site  of  Aceldama  seems  to  be  intended,  though  it  can 
hardly  be  described  as  on  the  road  to  Bethlehem.  The  Mount  Gion 
would  in  this  case  be  the  hill  above. 


44  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

Above  this  field  and  joining  it  is  the  Mount  Gion  whereon 
Solomon  received  the  royal  crown,  and  the  other  kings 
were  wont  to  be  anointed  on  that  mount. 

And  note  that  our  Lord  raised  a  girl  from  the  dead  in 
the  midst  of  Jerusalem,  and  worked  many  miracles  therein. 
Over  against  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  which  we 
have  described  above,  on  the  opposite  side  (of  the  way), 
towards  the  south,  is  a  beautiful  church  built  in  honour  of 
John  the  Baptist,  annexed  to  which  is  a  hospital,^  wherein 
in  various  rooms  is  collected  together  an  enormous  multi- 
tude of  sick  people,  both  men  and  women,  who  are  tended 
and  restored  to  health  daily  at  a  very  great  expense.  When 
I  was  there  I  learned  that  the  whole  number  of  these  sick 
people  amounted  to  two  thousand,  of  whom  sometimes  in 
the  course  of  one  day  and  night  more  than  fifty  are  carried 
out  dead,  while  many  other  fresh  ones  keep  continually 
arriving.  What  more  can  I  say  ?  This  same  house  sup- 
plies as  many  people  outside  it  with  victuals  as  it  does 
those  inside,  in  addition  to  the  boundless  charity  which  is 
daily  bestowed  upon  poor  people  who  beg  their  bread  from 
door  to  door  and  do  not  lodge  in  the  house,  so  that  the 
whole  sum  total  of  its  expenses  can  surely  never  be  calcu- 
lated even  by  the  managers  and  stewards  thereof.  In 
addition  to  all  these  moneys  expended  upon  the  sick  and 
upon  other  poor  people,  this  same  house  also  maintains  in 
its  various  castles  many  persons  trained  to  all  kinds  of 
military  exercises  for  the  defence  of  the  land  of  the 
Christians  against  the  invasions  of  the  Saracens.  Close  to 
this  Church  of  St.  John  is  the  convent  of  nuns  built  in 
honour  of  the  Blessed  Mary,  which  at  its  head  almost 
touches  the  buildings  of  the  aforesaid  church,  and  is  called 
the  Convent  of  St.  Mary  the  Great.^  Not  far  from  hence, 
on  the  same  side  of  the  same  street,  is  a  convent  of  monks, 
which  also  is  built  in  honour  of  the  Blessed  Mary,  and  is 

^  The  Church  and  Hospital   of  the  Knights    of  St.   Tohn,  which 
occupied  a  portion  of  the  Murislan. 
*  Compare  Theoderich  (xiii.). 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  45 

called  the  Convent  of  St.  Mary  the  Latin/  wherein  the 
head  of  St.  Philip  the  Apostle  is  preserved  with  great 
reverence,  and  is  also  displayed  to  those  who  come  to 
worship  it  and  ask  to  see  it. 

In  the  street  which  leads  from  the  Gate  of  David  down 
the  hill  towards  the  Temple,  on  the  right-hand  side,  near 
the  Tower  of  David,  is  a  convent  of  Armenian  monks,  built 
in  honour  of  St.  Sabas,-  the  most  reverend  abbot,  for 
whom,  while  he  was  yet  alive,  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary 
wrought  many  miracles.  In  the  same  quarter,  not  far 
away,  down  the  descent  beyond  another  street,  there  is  a 
large  church  built  in  honour  of  St.  James  the  Great,^ 
inhabited  by  Armenian  monks,  and  they  have  in  the  same 
place  a  large  hospice  for  the  reception  of  the  poor  of  their 
nation.  Therein  is  preserved  with  great  veneration  the 
head  of  that  Apostle,  for  he  was  beheaded  by  Herod,  and 
his  body  was  placed  by  his  disciples  on  board  a  ship  at 
Joppa  and  carried  to  Galicia,^  but  his  head  remained  in 
Palestine.  This  same  head  is  at  the  present  day  exhibited 
in  this  church  to  pilgrims. 

As  you  descend  this  same  street,  beside  the  gate  which 
leads  to  the  Temple,  on  the  right-hand  side,  there  is  a  kind 
of  passage^  through  a  long  portico,  in  which  street  is  a 

^  There  is  a  difficulty  with  regard  to  the  position  of  these  churches. 
John  of  Wiirzburg  gives  them  in  the  following  order :  Church  and 
Hospital  of  St.  John,  Convent  of  St.  Mary  the  Great,  and  Convent  of 
St.  Mary  the  Latin.  Theoderich  (xiii.)  gives  them  in  the  same  order, 
and  places  them  all  in  line  on  the  south  side  of  the  street  that  passes 
in  front  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  The  description  of  the 
city  in  the  '  Citez  de  Jhenisalem,'  however,  places  the  Church  of  St. 
Mary  the  Latin  between  St.  Mary  the  Great  and  the  Hospital  of  St. 
John, 

-  The  Metochia  of  the  Laura  of  St.  Sabas.  See  Abbot  Daniel, 
p.  3,  note  3. 

^  This  church,  in  the  street  leading  from  the  Tower  of  David  to 
the  Sion  Gate,  is  still  in  the  hands  of  the  Armenians. 

*  Compostella. 

•  The  Rue  dcs  Alemans.     '  City  of  Jerusalem '  (xi.). 


46  JOHN  OF  IVURZDURG'S 


hospice  and  a  church,  which  has  been  newly  built  in  honour 
of  St.  Mary,  and  which  is  called  the  House  of  the  Germans, 
upon  which  hardly  any  men  who  speak  any  other  language 
bestow  any  benefactions. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  CHAPEL  OF  ST.  PETER  OF  THE  FETTERS — THE  IRON 
GATE— THE  CHURCH  AND  MONASTERY  OF  ST.  ANNE 
— THE  POOL  OF  THE  SHEEP-GATE — THE  CHURCH  OF 
ST.  MARY  MAGDALENE — THE  TRIPLE  MARKET— THE 
ARCH  WHERE  THE  BLESSED  MARY  RESTED — THE 
CHURCH  OF  ST.  CHARITON. 

In  the  same  street,  near  the  gate  by  which  one  goes  up  to 
the  Mount  Sion,  is  a  chapel,  built  in  honour  of  St.  Peter,-^ 
in  whose  crypt,  which  is  very  deep  and  dark,  is  said  to 
have  been  the  prison  in  which  St.  Peter  was  carefully 
watched  by  the  orders  of  Herod,  being  bound  with  iron 
chains,  and  guarded  by  soldiers  both  within  and  without ; 
but  all  that  care  was  by  the  divine  power  made  of  no 
effect,  for  the  same  night,  by  the  ministry  of  an  angel,  St. 
Peter  guided  by  an  angel  passed  out  unharmed,  his  chains 
being  broken,  and  the  gates  both  of  the  prison  and  of  the 
city  being  opened,  and  he  said  :  '  Now  I  know  of  a  surety 
that  God  hath  sent  His  angel,'  etc.  At  the  entrance  to 
this  chapel  the  following  verses  are  written,  describing  the 
miracle  that  was  wrought  there : 

•Arise  and  take  thy  cloak,  Peter,  tby  cnam  is  broke  ; 
Arise  and  leave  this  place,  set  free  by  Heaven's  grace.' 

*  O,  now  I  know,  indeed,  from  prison  I  am  freed  ; 
Christ's  love  to  me  be  praised,  that  me  from  bonds  hath  saved.' 

In  the  crypt  of  this  Church  of  the  Fetters,  at  the  service 
on  St.   Peter's  Day,   I  celebrated  mass,  with   the  collect 

*  Compare  Theoderich  (xxi.),  where  the  number  of  sieps  leading 
down  to  the  crypt  is  given. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  47 


proper  to  be  used  at  that  place  :  *  O  God,  who  in  this  place 
didst  cause  the  Apostle  St.  Peter  to  be  set  free  from  his 
bonds  and  to  escape  unhurt,'  etc.  The  chapel  is  a  small 
one,  and  is  not  enriched  by  endowments  or  decorated  with 
ornaments  in  a  manner  worthy  of  so  great  a  miracle  and 
so  great  a  chief  of  the  Apostles.  The  gate  which  leads 
towards  the  Mount  Sion  is  called  the  Iron  Gate,  and 
opened  of  its  own  accord  to  the  angel  and  Peter. 

Opposite  to  the  court  of  the  Temple,  that  is,  on  the 
north  side,  near  the  gate  by  which  one  goes  to  the  valley 
of  Jehosaphat,  there  is  a  large  church  built  in  honour  of 
St.  Anne,i  wherein  is  shown  in  a  picture  how  by  divine 
ordinance  and  warning  the  Blessed  Virgin  was  born  of 
her  and  Joachim,  as  is  set  forth  at  greater  length  in  the 
life  of  St.  Anne,  whose  festival  is  celebrated  in  that 
church  on  the  day  of  St.  James  the  Great  with  great 
solemnity,  whereat  I  myself  was  present.  In  this  same 
church  God  is  worshipped  by  a  college  of  consecrated  and, 
I  hope,  accepted  nuns.  As  one  leaves  this  church,  on  the 
left  hand,  at  no  great  distance,  down  a  lane,  is  the  Pool  of 
the  Sheep-Gate,^  or  Piscina  Probatica,vjh.{c\x  in  the  time  of 
Jesus  an  angel  of  the  Lord  was  wont  to  trouble  at  certain 
times.  Whatever  sick  man  entered  the  water  first  after  it 
had  been  troubled  was  healed  of  whatever  disease  he  had 
been  suffering  from.  It  is  called  the  '  shQQ'^-^ooX' probaton 
in  Greek,  because  at  the  sacrifices  the  entrails  of  the 
victims  were  washed  there  :  indeed,  the  water  was  red  with 
the  (blood  of  the)  victims  who  were  cleansed  there.  Before 
this  sheep-pool  Jesus  restored  the  sick  man  to  health, 
saying  to  him,  *  Take  up  thy  bed  and  walk.' 

Thence  from  the  same  street,  that  which  leads  out 
of  the  Gate  of  Jehosaphat,  higher  up  it,  in  the  next  side 
street,  which  runs  off  from  this  street,  on  the  right  hand, 
up  towards  the  city  wall,  is  the  church  built  in  honour  of 

1  The  present  Church  of  St.  Anne,  north  of  the  Haram  Area. 

2  This  probably  refers  to  the  Birket  Isiail.  See  note  on  Pool  of 
Bethesda,  in  Bordeaux  Pilgrim  (Appendix  III.). 


48  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

St.  Mary  Magdalene/  in  which  are  Jacobite  monks,  and 
about  which  we  have  already  said  all  that  we  know.  By 
the  aforesaid  street^  one  goes  straight  from  the  Gate  of 
Jehosaphat  to  the  street  which  leads  to  the  Gate  of  St. 
Stephen,  from  whence  (one  goes)  from  the  northwards, 
towards  those  triple  or  rather  manifold  streets  which  con- 
tain all  manner  of  things  for  sale  (the  bazars),  to  the  front 
of  the  great  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  In  the  midst, 
I  say,  of  this  street,^  there  is  an  ancient  stone  arch  across 
the  street,^  beneath  which  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary  is 
said  to  have  rested,  together  with  her  blessed  Offspring, 
who  was  as  yet  but  a  tiny  infant,  and  to  have  suckled 
Him  there.  This  event  is  commemorated  there  by  a 
picture,  and  the  place,  which  is  shut  off  by  a  slight 
enclosure  from  the  public  path,  being  sacred,  although 
without  the  presence  of  a  church,  is  looked  upon  and 
worshipped  with  due  reverence. 

Also,  leading  out  of  the  street  which  leads  from  the 
Gate  of  St.  Stephen  towards  the  side  of  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre,'*  not  very  far  to  the  north  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre,  there  is  a  small  street^  in  which  in  a  church 
of  the  Syrians  rests  the  blessed  body  of  the  holy  martyr 
Chariton,  which  is  there  held  in  great  veneration  by  the 
Syrian  monks,  which  body,  being  at  the  present  day 
almost  entire,  is  kept  in  a  wooden  coffer,  the  lid  of  which 
is  taken  off  when  it  is  shown  to  pilgrims.**  This  holy 
father  was  slain  by  the  Saracens  in  his  convent  on  the 
banks  of  the  Jordan,"  together  with  his  monks,  because 
he  acknowledged  the  name  of  Christ. 

^  Now  cl-Mamnniych.     See  note,  p.  23. 

'■'  The  Jehosaphat  Street  of  '  La  Citez  de  Jhcrusalem,'  which  runs 
from  the  present  St.  Stephen's  Gate  westward  to  the  street  el-  Wad. 

='  The  'Ecce  Homo'  Arch. 

*  The  modern  street  Tarik  Bab  cl-Ainiid. 

'  Apparently  the  modern  street  Khot  cl-Khdnyah. 

®  Tobler  quotes  from  Rafn's  'Antiquitds  russes  '  the  account  of  a 
pilgrim  from  Iceland,  who  states  that  the  body  and  hair  were  in  a 
perfect  state  of  preservation. 

'  The  Convent  of  St.  Chariton  was  near  Tekoa.     See  chap.  xix. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  49 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  PLACE  OF  THE  STONING  OF  ST.  STEPHEN  —  THE 
CHARNEL-HOUSE  OF  THE  LION  —  GABAA  —  THE 
MOUNT  OF  OFFENCE  —  THE  PpOL  OF  SILOE  —  THE 
OAK  OF  ROGEL  —  THE  CHAPEL  AND  SEPULCHRE 
OF  JAMES,  THE  SON  OF  ALPH^US — THE  PYRAMID  OF 
JEHOSAPHAT— THE  PIERMITS'  CAVES— THE  CONVENT 
IN  THE  UPPER  PART  OF  THE  VALLEY  OF  JEHOSAPHAT 
— THE   SEPULCPIRE   OF   THE   VIRGIN   MARY. 

Outside  that  gate  of  Jerusalem  which  looks  towards  the 
west,  on  which  side  the  city  was  liberated  by  the  second 
Israel,  the  blessed  Protomartyr  Stephen  fell,  overwhelmed 
by  stones  ;^  his  body  was  conveyed  thence  into  the  church 
of  Sion,  and  was  buried  between  Nicodemus,  Gamaliel,  and 
Abibon.  It  was  afterwards  reinterred  at  Constantinople, 
and  finally  buried  by  St.  Laurence  at  Rome.  Wherefore 
on  his  tomb  there  is  the  verse : 

'  Hither  hath  Byzantium  sent  Sion's  victim  innocent.' 

Outside  the  gate  of  Jerusalem,  beside  the  pool,-  which 
looks  towards  the  south,  may  be  seen  the  cave  to  which  a 
lion,  at  the  bidding  of  God  Almighty,  carried  the  bodies 
of  about  twelve  thousand  martyrs  who  perished  at  the 
hands  of  Chosroes.  Wherefore  it  is  called  '  The  Charnel- 
house  of  the  Lion.' 

Two  miles  from  Jerusalem,  on  the  way  which  leads  to 
Sichem,  is  the  Mount  Gabaa,^  in  the  tribe  of  Benjamin. 

A  mile  from  Jerusalem,  on  the  shoulder  of  the  Mount  of 
Olives,  is  the  Mount  of  Offence,^  which  joins  it,  but  is 

^  See  note  on  the  church  and  the  massacre  of  St.  Stephen  in  Abbot 
Daniel  (Appendix  I.). 

-  The  Elrket  Mamilla.  The  cave  is  mentioned  by  Theoderich 
(xxxvii.). 

^  Possibly yi?^^^  is  intended. 

*  The  present  Jcbd  Baten  el-Hawa. 


50  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

divided  from  it  by  the  road  which  leads  from  Jehosaphat 
through  Bethphage  to  Bethany.  It  is  called  the  Mount  of 
Offence,  because  Solomon  set  up  thereon  the  idol  Moloch, 
and  worshipped  it. 

Quite  close  to  Jerusalem,  on  the  side  of  the  hill  under 
Solomon's  palace,  in  the  valley  of  Jehosaphat,  is  the  Pool  of 
Siloe/  to  which  Jesus  sent  the  blind  man  whose  sight  He 
had  restored,  to  wash  his  eyes  therein.  He  went  and 
washed  and  received  his  sight.  Wherefore  Siloe  is  inter- 
preted '  Sent.'  It  was  not  to  this  same  water  that  Naaman, 
the  Prince  of  Syria,  was  sent  by  the  prophet  Elisha,  but  to 
the  Jordan,  that  after  washing  thrice  therein  he  might  be 
healed  of  his  leprosy,  which  he  looked  upon  with  contempt, 
and  said,  *  Are  not  Abana  and  Pharphar ' — the  rivers,  that 
is,  of  my  own  country — *  better  rivers  than  this  ?'  At  last, 
however,  agreeing  to  carry  out  the  advice  of  his  servant,  he 
fulfilled  the  command  of  the  prophet,  and  was  healed. 
Siloe,  according  to  the  tradition  of  the  Syrians,  is  said  to 
flow  from  Silo.  Siloe  brings  its  stream  silently,  because 
it  flows  underground.  Close  to  Siloe  is  the  Oak  of  Rogel, 
beneath  which  the  holy  Isaiah  is  buried. ^ 

In  the  valley  of  Jehosaphat  is  buried  the  blessed  James, 
the  son  of  Alphaeus,^  who,  as  has  been  told  above,  was  cast 
down  from  the  Temple.  There  is  a  fair  chapel  in  this 
same  valley  wherein  is  a  proof*  of  his  burial,  with  these 
verses  written  above  it : 

'  The  lawless  Jews  assail  Alpbasus's  son  ; 
He  for  God's  name  and  love  to  death  is  done. 
Alphffius's  son,  down  from  the  Temple  cast, 
By  pious  hands  was  here  interred  at  last.' 

However,  the  Apostle  of  God  was  afterwards  translated 
from  thence  to  Constantinople. 

1  The  Bir/:i'^  Silwdn. 

-  A  tree,  to  which  the  same  tradition  is  attached,  still  grows  at  this 
spot. 

^  A  rock-hewn  sepulchre,  immediately  north  of  the  Tomb  of 
Zechariah,  is  now  shown  as  the  Tomb  of  St.  James. 

■•  Imiiciiiin,  i.e.,  a  picture  in  which  his  burial  is  depicted. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  5t 

In  the  valley  of  Jehosaphat,  under  a  sharp-pointed 
pyramid,  is  buried  that  King  Jehosaphat^  from  whom  the 
valley  has  received  its  name.  The  interpretation  thereof  is 
The  Valley  of  Judgment,'  in  allusion  to  the  text,  '  I  will 
gather  together  all  nations.'  This  same  valley  has  many 
caverns  in  every  part  of  it,  in  which  religious  persons  live 
the  lives  of  hermits. 

The  whole  valley  belongs  to  the  convent  which  stands  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  valley  above  the  bank  of  the  brook 
Kedron,2  beside  the  garden  in  which  our  Lord  often  met 
His  disciples.  In  the  crypt  of  this  convent  is  shown  at  the 
present  day  the  sepulchre  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary,  of 
which  we  shall  speak  at  greater  length. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  SEPULCHRE   OF   ST.   MARY — THE    CHAPEL — THE 
INSCRIPTIONS — GETHSEMANE. 

On  the  day  of  the  translation  the  body  of  the  most  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary  was  borne  to  the  church  in  the  valley  of 
Jehosaphat,^  all  the  twelve  Apostles  of  the  Lord  being  pre- 
sent, according  to  her  desire,  and  was  there  buried  with  due 
Jionour  in  the  middle  of  the  crypt,  which  is  adorned  with  a 
wondrous  casing  of  marble  and  magnificent  paintings  in 
various  colours.  Her  sepulchre,  although  her  body  is  no 
longer  there,  is  admirable  both  for  its  casing  of  marble  and 
•for  the  dome-like  structure  of  gold  and  silver  by  which  it 
is  covered.  •  Upon  it  is  the  following  inscription  : 

*  From  hence,  from  Jehosaphat's  vale,  a  path  leads  to  the  sky, 
The  Virgin  here,  God's  trusting  handmaid,  once  did  lie  ; 

1  Apparently  the  present  Tomb  of  Absalom.  The  Tomb  of 
Jehosaphat  is  now  shown  immediately  to  the  north  of  it. 

-  The  convent  appears  to  have  been  built  over  the  present  Tomb 
•of  the  Virgin. 

'^  Compare  the  tradition  as  given  by  Abbot  Daniel  (xxi.),  who  says 
that  the  body  was  carried  by  the  Apostles.  The  legend  is  given  in 
.the  apocryphal  '  Book  of  John  concerning  the  falling  asleep  of  Mary.' 

4 


52  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

Spotless,  from  hence  she  rose,  to  her  heaven's  gate  did  ope. 
Poor  sinners'  Light  and  Way,  their  Mother  and  their  Hope.' 

Her  blessed  body  is  not  there,  because  we  are  told  that 
when  on  the  eighth  day,  according  to  the  Hebrew  custom, 
the  sepulchre  was  visited  and  looked  into,  the  body  was 
not  found  there.  From  this  there  has  arisen  a  pious  belief 
that  not  only  her  soul,  but  also  her  body,  was  raised  with 
great  glory  by  her  Son  into  heaven,  which  Jerome  seems 
to  hint  at  doubtfully,  rather  than  to  assert,  in  the  letter 
which  begins,  '  You  oblige  me,  Paula  and  Eustochium,' 
etc.  However  this  may  be,  we  believe  that  the  Blessed 
Virgin  Mary,  solely  because  she  was  found  worthy  to  bear 
her  creator,  is  worthy  of  all  honour  and  canonization,  as 
well  for  her  body  as  for  her  soul,  and  that  her  Son  being 
all-loving  and  all-powei'ful  was  both  willing  and  able  to  do 
this.  Her  sepulchre  is  also  honoured  and  adored  because 
of  a  certain  connection  and  likeness  of  its  honours  to  those 
which  are  paid  to  the  sepulchre  of  her  blessed  Son.  At 
the  entrance  to  the  crypt  may  be  seen  the  following  picture 
and  inscription  : 

•  Ye  heirs  of  life,  come,  praise  the  Lord,  to  whom 
Our  life  we  owe,  who  hath  revoked  our  doom.'^ 

On  the  left  side  the  image  of  Jerome  holds  this  inscrip- 
tion :2 

****** 

Now,  her  sepulchre  is  shown  at  this  day,  and  was  shown 
in  our  presence,  in  the  valley  of  Jehosaphat,  in  the  midst  of 
it,  where  a  church  with  a  wondrous  casing  of  marble  has 
been  built  in  her  honour,  in  which  she  is  affirmed  by  all 
to  have  been  buried.  Now,  on  the  right  hand  of  the 
entrance  to  this  church  an  image  of  the  Holy  Basil  holds 

these  words : 

'  Bitt'rest  of  God's  Mother's  foes, 
Julian  th'  Apostate  rose  ; 

^  Theoderich  (xxiii.)  quotes  the  same  verses. 
•  The  inscripdon  is  wanting  in  the  MSS. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  53 

First  in  power  and  in  place 

Of  the  cruel  heathen  race  ; 

At  the  Mother's  bidding,  he 

Perished  in  his  tyranny. 

Glory  be  for  evermore 

To  the  Queen  whom  we  adore, 

Once  entombed  beneath  this  floor.' 

These  and  very  many  other  praises  of  the  Virgin  are 
placed  at  the  entrance  to  the  crypt.  In  the  interior,  on 
the  walls  which  surround  the  tomb  and  on  the  ceiling,  the 
following  inscription  is  written :  On  the  wall  on  the  right 
hand:  '  Mary  the  Virgin  has  been  taken  up  to  a  mansion 
in  heaven,'  etc.  Further  on,  reaching  round  the  church, 
is  the  text :  '  Behold  thou  art  fair,  my  love,  behold  thou 
art  fair,  thou  hast  dove's  eyes,'  etc.,  down  to  Mily  of  the 
valley ' ;  and  to  this  is  added  :  '  The  daughters  of  Sion 
have  seen  her.'  *  From  this  place  of  a  truth  the  glorious 
Virgin  ascended  into  heaven.  I  pray  you  rejoice,  because 
she  is  raised  to  heights  unspeakable  and  reigns  for  ever 
with  Christ.'  In  the  fore-part  is  written  :  '  Mary  has  been 
taken  up  into  heaven  ' ;  and  on  the  opposite  side  is,  '  The 
Holy  Mother  of  God  hath  been  exalted,'  etc. ;  and  in  the 
middle:  'The  multitude  of  angels  standing  round  about 
the  Blessed  Mary  as  she  sits  upon  the  throne  declare 
that  she  hath  made  her  way  to  the  kingdom  of  heaven.' 

At  the  foot  of  Mount  Olivet,  on  the  side  nearest  to  the 
city,  where  now  the  sepulchre  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  Mary 
is  shown,  was  a  small  village  which  was  called  Gethse- 
mane.i 

^  The  village  of  Gethsemane  is  mentioned  by  Abbot  Daniel  (xx.), 
but  no  trace  of  it  remains  at  the  present  day. 


4—2 


54  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

BETHLEHEM  —  THE  MANGER  —  THE  PLACE  OF  THE 
NATIVITY — THE  APPEARANCE  OF  THE  STAR — THE 
SEPULCHRE  OF  THE  INNOCENTS — THE  SEPULCHRE 
OF  ST.  JEROME— THE  PLACE  OF  THE  SHEPHERDS — 
THECUA  —  THE  CHURCH  OF  ST.  CHARITON  —  THE 
SEPULCHRE   OF   RACHEL. 

Bethlehem  is,  being  interpreted,  the  house  of  bread,  and 
is  a  city  of  Judaea,  which  is  also  called  Ephrata,  and  not 
without  cause,  since  from  the  flower  of  Nazareth  there 
proceeded  therein  the  fruit  of  life  ;  from  the  Virgin  Mary,  I 
mean,  the  Son  of  the  living  God,  Christ  Jesus,  who  is  the 
bread  of  the  angels  and  the  life  of  the  whole  world.  In 
Bethlehem,  at  the  place  of  His  birth,  is  the  manger  in 
which  the  infant  Jesus  Himself  lay.  Whence  that  saying 
of  the  prophet :  '  The  ox  knoweth  his  owners,  and  the  ass 
his  master's  crib.'  The  hay  out  of  it,  in  which  the  child 
Jesus  lay,  was  carried  to  Rome  by  the  Empress  Helena, 
and  reverently  deposited  in  the  Church  of  St.  Mary  the 
Great.  In  the  place  of  our  Lord's  nativity  may  be  read 
these  two  verses  inscribed  in  gilded  mosaic  work  : 

*  Of  angels'  virtues  chief  beyond  compare, 
A  Virgin  here  the  Very  God  did  bear.' 

Into  Bethlehem,  led  by  the  new  star,  came  the  three 
kings  from  the  East  to  worship  the  child  Jesus,  and  that 
they  might  show  their  reverence  for  the  King  of  the  angels 
they  presented  to  Him  the  mystic  gifts  of  gold,  frankin- 
cense, and  myrrh.  In  Bethlehem  and  its  neighbourhood 
Herod  ordered  the  innocents  to  be  slain,  the  greater  part 
of  whom  lie  buried  to  the  southward,  four  miles  from 
Bethlehem  and  two  from  Thecua.^ 

'  The  Tomb  of  the  Innocents  is  mentioned  by  Antoninus  Martyr 
(p.  24),  who  states  that  it  was  half  a  mile  from  Bethlehem. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  55 

In  Bethlehem,  below  the  church,  not  far  from  the  manger 
of  our  Lord,  rests  the  body  of  St.  Jerome  ;^  and  Paula 
and  Eustochium,  to  whom  Jerome  himself  wrote  letters, 
lie  buried  in  Bethlehem  likewise. 

One  mile  from  Bethlehem  the  star  shone  to  the  shepherds 
when  the  Lord  was  born,  and  an  angel  appeared  saying, 
'  Glory  to  God  on  high,  and  on  earth  peace  to  men  of  good 
will.'^  Three  miles  from  Bethlehem  is  Thecua,^  the  town 
of  Amos,  who  lies  buried  there.  Four  miles  from  Bethlehem 
towards  the  south  is  a  Church  of  St.  Chariton,'^  where,  when 
he  himself  departed  from  this  world,  his  monks,  whose 
pious  master  he  had  been,  perished  with  him,  as  they  had 
been  previously  warned  by  God,  because  he  had  been  a 
pious  father  to  them.  Indeed,  they  were  so  fervent  in  their 
love  towards  him  that  they  did  not  wish  to  live  after  his 
death ;  and  in  the  aforesaid  church  their  skeletons  are  to 
be  seen,  in  the  very  postures  into  which  they  were  thrown 
by  their  agony  of  grief  at  the  death  of  their  father.  They 
have  since  been  translated  to  Jerusalem. 

A  mile  from  Bethlehem,  on  the  road  which  leads  to 
Jerusalem,  is  Chabratha,^  the  place  in  which  Rachel  died 
after  bearing  Benjamin,  and  was  buried  there  by  her 
husband  Jacob,  in  a  tomb  above  which  Jacob  placed 
twelve  great  stones,  for  a  remembrance  of  each  of  his 
twelve  sons,  the  pyram.id  formed  by  which  may  be  seen 
by  those  who  pass  by.*^ 

*  The  Tomb  of  St.  Jerome  is  still  shown  in  a  rock-hewn  chamber 
beneath  the  Church  of  the  Nativity. 

*  Luke  ii.  14.  3  Tekoa,  now  TehVa. 

*  At  the  present  village  of  Khureiti'm,  near  TekiVa. 

*  Other  readings  are  Cabrata,  Kabrata,  Crypta  ;  it  is  apparently  a 
corruption  of  the  Arabic  Kab7-  Rdkil,  'Tomb  of  Rachel';  or  Kubbet 
Jidhil,  '  Dome  of  Rachel.' 

*  The  pyramid  of  stones  is  also  mentioned  by  Theoderich  (xxxii.). 


56  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  RIVER  JORDAN — THE  DESERT  OF  QUARANTANA — 
THE  MOUNT  OF  TEMPTATION — THE  FOUNTAIN  OF 
ELIS^US— THE  PLACE  OF  THE  BLIND  MAN — ^JERICHO 
—  BETH  AGLA — ENGADDI. 

Our  Lord,  when  he  was  twenty-nine  years  and  thirteen 
days  old,  as  Luke  tells  us,  and  was  beginning  his  thirtieth 
year,  wishing  to  put  an  end  to  circumcision  and  to  renew 
the  old  man  with  holy  water,  came  into  the  desert  to 
John,  His  forerunner,  and  was  baptized  by  him  in  the 
Jordan,  in  a  place  distant  three  miles  from  Jericho,^  where 
the  voice  of  the  Father  thundered  above  Him,  saying, 
'  This  is  my  beloved  Son,'  etc.  The  Jordan  is  a  river 
which  flows  from  two  sources,  to  wit,  Jor  and  Dan,  which 
rise  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Lebanon,  and  after  proceeding 
for  a  long  distance  separate,  combine  their  waters  near  the 
mountains  of  Gilboa.^  When  Christ  was  being  baptized, 
moreover,  the  Holy  Ghost  came  upon  Him  in  the  likeness 
of  a  dove,  showing  that  it  was  He,  not  John,  who  possessed 
the  power  of  sanctifying  the  waters.  Near  the  same  spot, 
that  is  to  say,  two  miles  from  Jericho,  on  the  left  hand,  is 
the  desert  which  is  called  Quarantana,  on  a  high  rock  in 
which  Jesus  performed  His  fast  of  forty  days  and  nights, 
and  when  He  was  hungry  there  the  devil  tempted  Him, 
saying:  'Command  that  these  stones  be  made  bread.' ^ 
Two  miles  from  Quarantana  towards  Galilee  is  that 
exceeding  high  mountain*  on  which  he  tempted  Jesus  for 

1  Near  the  /Czisr  el-VeMd,  'Monastery  of  St.  John.'      See  An- 
toninus (Appendix  I.). 

2  The  junction  of  the  Jordan  and  the  Yarmuk  is  intended  (p.  66) ; 
but  it  is  several  miles  to  the  north  of  Gilboa. 

^  Matt.  iv.  3.     The  Mons  Quarantana  is  behind  'Ain  es-Sul/dn,  the 
ancient  Jericho. 
*  A'urn  Surtabeh,  in  the  Jordan  Valley. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  57 

the  second  time,  showing  Him  all  the  kingdoms  of  the 
world,  and  saying,  *  All  this  will  I  give  thee,'  etc. 

Near  Quarantana  is  a  brook  which  flows  from  the 
fountain^  which  the  holy  Elisaeus  cured  of  barrenness, 
and  made  sweet  instead  of  bitter.  Before  Jericho  by  the 
roadside  the  blind  beggar,  hearing  that  Jesus  was  passing 
by,  cried  out :  *  Jesus,  Thou  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on 
me,*  and  was  worthy  to  receive  light  from  Him,  both 
without  and  within.  Thirteen  miles  from  Jerusalem  to  the 
northwards 2  is  Jericho,  the  city  of  Rahab  the  harlot,  who 
-entertained  the  four  spies  of  the  Children  of  Israel,  saved 
their  lives,  concealed  them  and  fed  them.  It  was  also  the 
city  of  ZaccliKus,  who,  when  he  heard  that  Jesus  was 
walking  in  those  parts,  because  he  was  small  of  stature, 
climbed  a  sycamore  tree,  that  he  might  see  Him  and 
speak  to  Him,  judging  himself  and  begging  for  pardon. 
It  was  also  the  city  of  those  boys  who,  when  the  holy 
Elisaeus  was  going  up  to  Jerusalem,  mocked  him,  saying, 
^  Go  up,  thou  bald  head,'  etc. 

Three  miles  from  Jericho,  and  two  miles  from  the 
Jordan,  is  Bethagla,^  which  is,  being  interpreted,  the  place 
of  the  circle,  because  that  there,  after  the  manner  of 
mourners,  Jacob's  sons  and  people  went  in  a  circle  round 
his  tomb,  when  they  were  bringing  him  from  Egypt  to 
Hebron. 

Engaddi,  in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  where  David  hid  him- 
self in  the  wilderness,  is  in  the  '  Aulon,''*  that  is  to  say,  in 
the  plain  country  of  Jericho.     However,   a   large  Jewish 

^  ^Az'n  es-SultCin. 

2  The  direction  of  Jericho  from  Jerusalem  is  really  about 
E.N.E. 

*  Kasr  Hajla,  Beth-Hogla.  The  'threshing-floor  of  Atad,'  where 
Joseph  and  his  brothers  mourned  seven  days  over  the  body  of  Jacob, 
was  probably  near  the  Egyptian  frontier,  and  not  at  Beth-Hogla, 
where  Jerome  placed  it. 

*  The  name,  auXw,  channel,  by  which  the  Jordan  Valley  and  the 
Arabah  were  known  in  Jerome's  time. 


58  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

village  beside  the  Dead  Sea  is  called  Engaddi,^  at  which 
balsam  is  grown,  and  from  which  it  is  exported.  This  is 
the  reason  that  vineyards  were  termed  Engaddi. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

HEBRON— THE   DOUBLE   CAVE— THE  VALLEY  OF   TEARS — 
THE  FIELD  OF  DAMASCUS — THE  OAK  OF  MAMBRE. 

On  the  other  side  of  Jerusalem,  a  little  towards  the  south, 
is  the  city  of  Hebron,  which  once  was  the  chief  city  of  the 
Philistines  and  the  dwelling  place  of  giants,  one  diccta^ 
distant  from  Jerusalem.  This  was  arranged  as  a  city  of 
priests  and  a  city  of  refuge  in  the  tribe  of  Judah,  being- 
in  that  country  wherein  the  Creator  made  our  common 
father  Adam  out  of  clay,  and  breathed  into  him  the  breath 
of  life.  Hebron  is  called  Kariatharbe,^  which  in  the 
Saracenic  language  means  *  The  City  of  Four';  Kariat/t, 
city,  arba,  four,  because  four  patriarchs  are  buried  in  the 
double*  cave  therein,  namely,  Adam,  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob,  and  their  wives,  our  mother  Eve,  Sara,  Rebecca, 
Lia.  Now  Hebron  is  situated  near  the  Vale  of  Tears. 
The  Vale  of  Tears  is  so  called  because  therein  Adam 
mourned  his  son  Abel  for  a  hundred  years  ;  and  therein 
afterwards,  at  the  bidding  of  an  angel,  he  knew  his  wife, 
of  whom  he  afterwards  begot  his  son  Seth,  from  whose 

*  En-gedi,  now  ^Ainjidy^  on  the  west  shore  of  the  Dead  Sea. 
'  A  day's  journey. 

Kirjath-Arba,  '  The  City  of  Arba,'  from  Arba,  the  father  of  Anak  ; 
afterwards  called  Hebron.  St.  Paula  (p.  9)  calls  it  '  the  town  of  the 
four  men.' 

*  By  this  we  are  to  understand  a  tomb  cut  in  the  rock,  with  an 
atrium,  or  ante-chamber,  and  the  actual  sepulchre  or  sepulchres  cut 
beyond  it  (Tobler). 

°  In  A.D.  333  the  Bordeaux  Pilgrim  mentions  only  the  three 
patriarchs  and  their  wives.  Adam  is  mentioned  by  St.  Paula,  A.D.. 
382.     Eve  was  added  at  a  later  date. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  59 

family  Christ  was  descended.  Two  miles  from  Hebron 
is  the  sepulchre  of  Lot,  the  nephew  of  Abraham.  In 
Hebron  there  is  a  field,  and  the  earth  thereof  is  red.^ 
This  is  dug  out  by  the  inhabitants  and  eaten  by  them,  and 
is  exported  to  Egypt,  and  sold  there  for  a  great  price. 
By  the  ordinance  of  God  the  aforesaid  field,  however 
deeply  and  widely  it  be  dug  into,  at  the  end  of  the  year 
is  always  found  renewed  as  before. 

Near  Hebron  is  the  Mount  Mambre,^  at  whose  foot  is 
that  terebinth  tree  which  is  called  'dirps/^  that  is,  holm- 
oak  or  oak,  beneath  which  Abraham  dwelt  for  a  long 
time,  under  which  he  saw  three  angels  and  worshipped 
one  of  them,  and,  entertaining  them  as  worthily  as  he  was 
able,  comforted  them  and  fed  them. 

The  aforesaid  oak  is  declared  by  Jerome  to  have  existed 
up  to  the  time  of  the  Emperor  Theodosius,  and  from  it 
the  present  one  is  said  to  have  sprung,  which  at  this  day 
is  seen  and  held  dear  by  the  people  of  that  place.  Though 
it  is  dry,  yet  its  healing  qualities  are  proved  by  the  fact 
that  if  a  horseman  carries  a  piece  of  it  with  him,  his  horse 
will  never  stumble.  Hebron  was  the  first  place  reached 
by  Joshua  and  Caleb  and  their  ten  companions.  In 
Hebron  David  reigned  seven  and  a  half  years. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

THE  LAKE  ASPPIALTITES  —  SEGOR  (PALMARIA)  —  JEWISH 
BITUMEN — THE  CAVE  OF  KARNAIM — ARABIA — MOUNT 
SINAI  —  HELIM  —  MOUNTS  HOREB  AND  ABARIM  — 
IDUM^A. 

Ten    miles   from    Hebron   to   the   eastward  is   the  Lake 
Asphaltites,  which  is  also  called  the  '  Dead  Sea,'  and  is 

^  Compare  the  description  of  Hebron,  and  the  field  with  red  earth, 
in  Theoderich  (xxxiv.). 

^  Probably  Rdmet  el-Khulil,  Terebinthus,  near  Hebron. 
*  Perhaps  a  corruption  of  the  Greek  Spvg 


6o  JOHN  OF  WiJRZBURG'S 

indeed  dead,  because  it  contains  no  living  thing,  and  the 
'  Sea  of  the  Devil,'  because  by  its  means  those  four  most 
unhappy  cities,  Sodom,  Gomorrah,  Seboim,  and  Aduma, 
because  they  went  on  still  in  their  wickedness,  were  burned 
with  fire  and  brimstone,  and  sank  in  that  lake.^ 

Above  the  lake,  on  the  slope  of  Judaea,  is  Segor,  which 
is  also  called  Bala  and  Zara,  the  fifth  of  those  cities,  which 
was  saved  from  drowning  by  the  prayers  of  Lot,  and  is  to 
be  seen  at  this  day,  and  is  called  Palmaria.^  On  the  way 
as  one  goes  out  from  Segor,  Lot's  wife  was  turned  into  a 
pillar  of  salt,  whose  remains  are  still  to  be  seen.  Above 
the  shores  of  the  aforesaid  lake  much  alum  and  pitch  is 
found  and  collected  by  the  inhabitants,  and  out  of  the  sea 
is  drawn  bitumen,  known  as  Jewish  bitumen,  which  is 
valuable  for  many  purposes.  Segor,  however,  is  called  by 
its  own  citizens  the  town  of  Palma. 

Above  the  lake  Asphaltites.as  one  goes  down  to  Arabia, 
is  the  cave  of  Karnaim,^  in  the  mountain  of  the  Moabites, 
into  which  Balak,  the  son  of  Beor,  led  the  prophet  Balaam, 
that  he  might  curse  the  children  of  Israel ;  this  cave,  on 
account  of  its  steep  precipice,  is  called  *  Cut  Off.'  The 
lake  Asphaltites  divides  Judzea  from  Arabia.  Arabia  in 
the  time  of  the  children  of  Israel  was  a  desert,  uninhabited, 
desolate,  pathless,  and  waterless.  Therein  the  Lord  kept 
them  for  forty  years,  raining  manna  upon  them  to  eat,  and 
bringing  forth  water  from  the  rock. 

In  Arabia  is  Mount  Sinai,*  whereon  Moses  remained 
for  forty  days  and  as  many  nights  without  any  food, 
and  whereon  the  Lord  gave  Moses  the  law  written  with 

^  The  opinion  that  the  cities  were  submerged  in  the  lake  is  a  very 
old  one,  and  lasted  until  the  middle  of  the  present  century.  An 
examination  of  the  geology  of  the  district  has  shown  the  impossibility 
of  a  submergence. 

■  The  allusion  is  clearly  to  Jericho,  or  some  place  near  it,  which  is 
identified  with  Zoar.  Compare  Abbot  Daniel  (Ivi.),  who  also  places 
Segor  west  of  the  Dead  Sea  and  Jordan. 

^  Compare  Theoderich  (xxxv.).     The  place  is  possibly  Kerak. 

*  Jebel  Miisa,  in  the  Sinaitic  Peninsula. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  6i 

His  own  finger  on  tablets  of  stone.  In  Arabia  is  the 
valley  of  Moses,^  wherein  he  twice  struck  the  rock,  which 
sent  forth  two  streams  of  water  for  the  people  of  God,  by 
which  at  this  day  that  entire  country  is  watered.  In 
Arabia  the  pillar  of  fire  went  before  the  children  of  Israel 
by  night,  and  a  cloud  fenced  them  about  every  day.  In 
Arabia  is  Helim,^  where  the  children  of  Israel's  camp  was 
measured  out,  being  that  place  in  the  desert  where,  when 
they  came  out  of  the  Red  Sea,  they  found  the  twelve 
fountains  and  the  seventy  palm  trees.  In  Arabia  are 
forty  halting-places  of  the  children  of  Israel.  In  Arabia 
is  Mount  Horeb,^  on  which  Aaron  lies  buried.  In  Arabia 
is  Mount  Abarim,'*  in  which  the  Lord  buried  Moses, 
whose  tomb  is  nowhere  to  be  seen.  In  Arabia  is  that 
royal  mount ^  v/hich  the  Lord  Baldwin,  the  first  King  of 
the  Franks  in  Jerusalem,  conquered  and  joined  to  that 
land  for  the  Christians,  and  made  strong  for  a  bulwark  to 
the  land  of  David.  Arabia  joins  Idumaea  near  Bostron.* 
Idumaea  is  the  land  of  Damascus.  Idumaea  is,  however, 
under  Syria.     The  head  of  Syria  is  Damascus. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

THE  PLACE  WHERE  MARY  VISITED  ELIZABETH — MODIN 
— LYDDA— C/ESAREA  PAL.ESTINA — MOUNTS  KAIN  AND 
CARMEL. 

Four   miles   from   Jerusalem   towards   the   south   is   the 
town '^  in  which  Zacharias  was  dwelling  at  the  time  when 

^  Probably  the  IVddy  el-Leja/t,  near  /ei>el  Mnsa,  in  which  the 
traditional  rock  is  now  shown. 

2  Wddy  GJmrundel,  or  Wddy  Useit,  running  into  the  Red  Sea. 

'  That  is.  Mount  Hor,  Jebel  Harun^  near  Petra. 

*  Joannes  Poloner,  a.d.  1422,  says  that  Mount  Abarim,  in  which 
Moses  was  buried  by  angels,  stands  between  Petra  and  Areopolis. 

**  Montroyal,  or  Mons  Regalis,  was  east  of  the  ^Arabah,  between 
Kerak  and  Petra. 

®  A  corruption  of  Bostra,  Bozrah  the  present  Biisrah. 

'  'Ain  Kurt  in. 


62  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

Mary  the  Mother  of  Jesus,  already  bearing  the  Son  of 
God  within  her  womb,  came  in  haste  to  greet  Elizabeth 
her  cousin,  when  she  was  pregnant  of  John,  who  they  say 
was  born  at  that  place. 

Six  miles  from  Jerusalem  southward,  on  the  road  which 
leads  to  Ramatha,^  is  Mount  IModin,^  from  whence  came 
Mathathias,  the  father  of  the  Maccabees,  who  lie  buried 
there,  and  their  tombs  are  to  be  seen  at  this  day.  Eight 
miles  from  Modin,  on  the  road  leading  to  Joppa,  is 
Lydda,^  which  is  also  called  Diospolis,  in  which  the  body 
of  St.  George  is  buried,  and  is  exhibited  there,  at  the 
distance  of  one  mile  from  Ramatha. 

Sixteen  miles  from  Mount  Carmel  southward  is  Crcsarea 
Palaestina/  the  metropolis,  the  city  of  Cornelius  the  cen- 
turion, whom  St.  Peter  baptized  there  and  made  him  a 
bishop ;  where  also  is  the  tower  of  Strato,  and  where 
Herod  built  a  harbour  of  white  marble  against  the  coming 
of  Augustus.  Herod  himself  built  the  tower  which  domin- 
ates Jerusalem,  which  is  also  called  the  tower  of  David. 
Josephus  tells  us  that  he  built  this  tower,  and  named  it 
Antonia. 

Eight  miles  from  Nazareth  in  the  direction  of  Carmel 
is  Mount  Cain,^  at  whose  foot,  beside  a  fountain,  Lamech, 
the  father  of  Noah,  slew  Cain,  his  chief,  with  his  bow  and 
arrows.  Wherefore  in  his  madness  and  wrath  he  said  : 
'  I  have  slain  a  man  to  my  wounding,  and  a  young  man  to 
my  hurt'  Of  Cain  the  Lord  had  said :  '  Whoso  kills 
Cain  shall  be  punished  sevenfold.'  Seven  miles  from 
Mount  Kain  is  Mount  Carmel,  of  which  we  read  in  the 
Song  of  Songs,  '  Thy  neck  is  as  Mount  Carmel,'  and 
whereon  the  holy  Elias  (Elijah)  chose  to  abide  for  a  long 
time,  and  his  disciple  HelisjEUs  (Elisha)  with  him. 

^  Er-Ramlch,  on  the  plain  near  Lydda, 

^  This  can  scarcely  have  been  el-Medieh,  which  is  nearer  to  Lydda 
than  to  Jerusalem. 

"  LitdtL  *  Kaisariyeh. 

°  Apparently  Caimont,  the  present  Kaiim'm^  Jokneam. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  63 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

PHCENICIA — LIBANUS — TYRE — SAREPTA — SIDON — 
BERYTUS— ARPHAT. 

LiBANUS  divides  Idumaea  from  Phcenicla.  In  Phoenicia 
is  the  city  of  Sors,i  that  is,  Tyre,  the  most  celebrated  city 
of  the  Phoenicians,  and  the  capital,  which,  according  to  the 
Syrian,  refused  to  receive  Christ  within  its  gates  when  He 
was  walking  on  the  sea-shore,  and  which,  as  is  testified  by 
the  sacred  page,  has  produced  martyrs  to  God,  whose 
number  His  knowledge  alone  can  tell.  Tyre  contains  the 
tomb  of  Origen.  Outside  of  Tyre  is  the  large  marble 
stone  upon  which  Jesus  sat,  which  remained  uninjured 
from  the  time  of  Christ  to  that  of  the  driving  out  of  the 
heathen  from  the  city,  but  was  afterwards  broken  by  the 
Franks  and  Venetians.  However,  over  the  remains  of 
that  stone  a  church  has  been  built  in  honour  of  the 
Saviour. 

Eight  miles  from  Tyre,  to  the  northward,  by  the  sea- 
side, is  Sarphen,^  which  is  Sarepta  in  the  land  of  Sidon, 
wherein  the  prophet  Elias  once  dwelt,  and  wherein  he 
raised  to  life  Jonas,  the  son  of  the  widow  who  had  hospit- 
ably entertained  him  and  comforted  and  fed  him.  Six 
miles  from  Sarphen  is  Sidon,  a  noble  city,  from  which 
Dido  came,  who  founded  Carthage,  in  Africa.  Sixteen 
miles  from  Sidon  is  Berytus,^  a  very  wealthy  city.  In 
Berytus,  not  long  after  our  Saviour's  Passion,  an  image 
of  Him  was,  by  the  Jews,  fixed  upon  a  cross  in  mockery, 
to  show  their  contempt  for  Him,  and  brought  forth  blood 
and  water,  wherefore  many  believed  in  Him  who  was 
indeed   crucified,  and    were    baptized.     Whosoever   were 

^  From  Siff,  the  Arab  name  of  Tyre. 
^  From  Surafejid. 
^  BdriH. 


64  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

anointed  with  the  drops  which  fell  from  the  image  were 
made  whole  from  whatsoever  disease  they  had  been  suffer- 
ing from.     Arphat^  is  a  city  of  Damascus. 


CHAPTER.  XXV. 

DAMASCUS — IDUM^A — HUS — SUETA— THEMA — NAAMAN 
— THE  RIVER  JABOC — MOUNT  SEIR — DAMASCUS  AGAIN 
— MOUNT  LIBANUS — THE  RIVERS  ABANA  AND  PHAR- 
PHAR—THE  HARBOUR  OF  ST.  SIMEON — ANTIOCH — 
PANEAS— AULON — DAN — MEDAN — JOR — THE  SEA  OF 
GALILEE. 

For  Damascus  in  Syria  see  history.  Damascus,  the 
capital  of  Syria,  is  a  venerable  metropolis.  Damascus 
was  built  in  Syria  by  Heliezer,  the  servant  of  Abraham, 
in  the  field  in  which  Cain  killed  Abel  his  brother.  Esau 
dwelt  in  Damascus,  and  also  in  Seir  and  in  Edom ;  Seir 
means  hairy ;  Edom  means  red  or  red-haired.  From 
Edom  the  whole  of  that  country  is  called  Idumaea,  which 
is  mentioned  in  the  Psalm  :  '  Over  Idumrea  will  I  cast  My 
shoe,'  etc.  It  is  also  called  Edom,  wherefore  the  prophet 
said  :  '  Who  is  he  that  cometh  from  Edom,  and  with  dyed 
garments  from  Bosra  ?'  A  part  of  that  land  is  Hus,^  of 
which  was  the  holy  Job  ;  which  is  also  called  Sueta,  of 
which  was  Bildad  the  Shuite,  and  in  which  also  is  Thema, 
the  chief  city  of  Idumaea.  From  Thema  came  Eliphaz  the 
Themanite,  in  which  place  there  is  a  town  Naaman,  from 
which  came  Sophar  the  Naamanite.  These  were  Job's 
three  comforters. 

In  the  country  of  Idumaea,  two  miles  from  the  Jordan, 

^  Either  Arphad,  Rtiad;  or  Arpad,  Tell  Erfdd. 
^  The  land  of  Hus  was  apparently  in  the  Haurdn,  and  its  name 
Sueta,  perhaps,  derived  from  Suweideh.    See  p.  66. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  65 

is  the  river  Jaboc,^  after  crossing  which,  when  he  was 
returning  from  Mesopotamia,  Jacob  wrestled  with  an 
angel,  who  changed  his  name  from  Jacob  into  Israel.  In 
Idumaea  is  Mount  Seir,^  beneath  which  is  Damascus. 
Two  miles  from  Damascus  is  the  place  in  which  Christ 
appeared  to  Saul,  saying  :  '  Saul,  Saul,  why  persecutest 
thou  Me  ?'  whereat  an  exceeding  great  light  from  Heaven 
shone  around  Paul.  In  Damascus  Ananias  baptized  Saul, 
giving  him  the  name  of  Paul.  From  the  walls  of  Damas- 
cus Paul  was  let  down,  because  he  feared  the  rage  of  his 
persecutors. 

Libanus  is,  being  interpreted,  whiteness,  and  is  men- 
tioned in  the  Song  of  Songs,  '  Come  from  Libanus,  my 
dove/  At  the  foot  of  Libanus  rise  Abana  and  Pharphar, 
rivers  of  Damascus ;  the  Abana^  flows  through  the 
jnountains  of  Libanus  and  the  flat  country  of  Archas, 
making  its  way  to  the  great  sea  in  the  parts  to  which  the 
holy  Eustachius  retired  after  the  loss  of  his  wife  and 
children,  while  Pharphar*  flows  through  Syria  to  Antioch, 
and,  passing  by  its  walls,  pours  itself  into  the  Mediter- 
ranean Sea  ten  miles  from  Antioch,  in  the  harbour  of 
Solim,  which  is  the  harbour  of  St.  Simeon.^  Antioch  was 
for  seven  years  the  seat  of  St.  Peter  the  Apostle,  who  for 
seven  years  wore  the  Pontifical  izara  there.  At  the  foot 
of  Libanus  is  the  city  of  Paneas,  or  Belinas,*^  which  is  also 
called  Caesarea  Philippi. 

At  the  foot  of  Libanus  spring  up  Jor  and  Dan,  those 

*  The  river  alluded  to  is  not  known ;  the  Jabbok  is  the  IV.  Zerka 
to  the  south. 

'  Mount  Hermon. 

'  The  Abana  is  here  identified  with  the  Leontes,  Nahr  el-Kasimiyeh, 
which  flows  through  the  lower  portion  of  the  plain  of  Ccele-Syria,  and 
enters  the  sea  north  of  Tyre. 

*  The  Pharphar  is  identified  with  the  Orontes. 

"  Apparently  Suweidiyeh,  the  harbour  of  Antioch. 

*  Now  Bdmds.  '  Dicitur  et  Paneas  :  Sed  nostri  Latini  corrum- 
pentes  nomen,  sicut  poene  omnium  aUarum  urbium,  Belinas  vocant.* 
Will.  Tyr.,  xix.  11. 


66  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

two  fountains  which  form  the  Jordan,  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountains  of  Gilboa.  The  valley  between  the  mountains 
of  Gilboa  and  the  Lake  Asphaltites  is  called  Gorius  or 
Aulon,^  which  is  a  Hebrew  word.  This  name  is  also 
given  to  that  great  and  fertile  valley  which  is  bordered  by 
mountains  on  either  side  from  Libanus  to  the  desert  of 
Pharan.  The  Jordan  divides  Galilee  from  Idumaea  and 
the  land  of  Bostron,^  which  is  the  second  city  of  Idumaea. 
Jordan  means  '  descent.' 

Dan  flows  underground  almost  from  its  source  as  far  as 
Medan,^  wherein  it  openly  resumes  its  course  above 
ground.  This  plain  is  called  Medan,  because  Dan  is  in 
the  midst  of  it,  and  is  called  Medan  in  the  Saracen 
language,  but  platea  in  Latin.  Medan  is  also  called  '  the 
market  place,'  because  at  the  beginning  of  summer  an 
innumerable  number  of  people  assemble  there,  bringing 
with  them  all  kinds  of  things  for  sale,  and  a  vast  number 
of  Parthians  and  Arabians  remain  there  all  through  the 
summer,  both  to  protect  the  people  and  to  pasture  their 
flocks.  Medan  is  compounded  of  '  nied '  and  *  dan ' ;  in 
the  Saracen  tongue  w^</ signifies  'water,'  and  dan  a  'river.* 
After  leaving  the  aforesaid  plain,  Dan,  which  is  now 
become    a    river,   passes    through    Sueta,*    where   is   the 

^  Gorius,  from  the  Arabic  G/wr,  the  name  by  which  the  gpreat 
•depression  of  the  Jordan  Valley  is  now  known.  It  was  called  Aulon 
by  the  Greeks.     See  p.  57. 

-  Bostra,  Busrah. 

*  John  of  Wiirzburg  identifies  Dan  with  the  Yarmuk.  Medan  is 
perhaps  from  Meidan,  an  open  space  ;  or  from  the  IV.  Meddan,  which 
is  one  of  the  branches  of  the  Yarmuk.  The  place  alluded  to  is  pro- 
bably El-Mezeirib^  and  the  plain  that  of  the  Haiirdn.  See  Theoderich 
(xlv.). 

*  The  land  of  Sueta,  or  Suite,  is  mentioned  by  William  of  Tyre  and 
other  historians  of  the  Crusades  without  any  clear  definition  of  its 
position  or  extent.  It  apparently  extended  from  Birket  er-Ratn,  Lake 
Phiala,  to  the  south  of  Dera,  Edrei.  The  Yarmuk,  the  River  Dan  of 
the  Crusaders,  ran  through  it,  and  it  perhaps  derived  its  name  from 
Suwcideh,  near  Jebel  Haurdn.  A  district  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Vera  is  still  called  Zuweit. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  67 

pyramidal  monument  of  the  blessed  Job,  which  is  still  in 
existence,  and  is  held  in  reverence  by  the  kings  and 
nations.  Dan,  tending  towards  Galilee  of  the  Gentiles, 
flows  through  it  by  the  city  of  Cedar,i  beside  the  medi- 
cinal baths,2  through  the  plain  of  thorns.^  and  joins  Jor  ; 
Jor,  not  far  from  Paneas,  makes  the  Lake*  thereof  out  of 
itself,  and  afterwards  takes  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  between 
Bethsaida  and  Capharnaum.^  as  its  beginning. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

BETHSAIDA — CHORAZAIN  —  CEDAR — CAPHARNAUM — THE 
'  TABLE  '  —  GENESARETH  —  MAGDALUM  —  TIBERIAS  — 
BETHULIA — DOTHAIM — GERGESA. 

From  Bethsaida*  came  Peter  and  John,  Andrew,  and 
James  the  son  of  Alphaeus.  Six  miles  from  Bethsaida  is 
Chorazain,'^  wherein  Antichrist,  the  misleader  of  the 
world,  will  be  nursed.  Of  Chorazain  and  Bethsaida  Jesus 
said  :  '  Woe  to  thee,  Chorazain,  woe  to  thee,  Bethsaida.' 
Six  miles  from  Chorazain  is  Cedar,i  g,  most  excellent  city, 
of  which  we  read  in  the  Psalms :  *  I  have  dw^elt  among  the 
inhabitants  of  Cedar.'  Cedar  is,  being  interpreted,  '  in 
the   darkness.^     Capharnaum,^  on  the  right-hand  side  of 

^  Gadara,  Umm  Keis. 

2  The  hot  springs  of  Gadara,  Amatha. 

'  Theoderich  (xlv.)  places  tb'  hot  springs  of  Gadara  in  'the  plain 
of  thorns,'  probably  so  named  from  the  rank  tropical  growth  in  the 
ground  watered  by  the  springs. 

■'  The  el-Huleh  Lake. 

'  John  of  Wiirzburg  places  Capernaum  west  of  Jordan,  and  Beth- 
saida and  Chorazin  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee. 

'  The  position  of  Bethsaida  is  not  known,  unless  et-Tell  be  the 
place  referred  to. 

^  Possibly  Gamala,  KaVat  el-Husn,  is  intended. 

^  Probably  Tell  Hitm  is  the  Capernaum  of  John  of  Wiirzburg. 

5 


68  JOHN  OF  WVRZBURG'S 


the  sea,  is  the  city  of  the  centurion,  and  in  it  Jesus  healed 
the  son  of  the  centurion,  of  whom  he  said  :  '  I  have  not 
found  such  great  faith  in  Israel.'  In  Capharnaum  Jesus 
did  many  miracles,  and  taught  in  the  synagogue.  Caphar- 
naum is,  being  interpreted,  '  most  beautiful  house,*  or 
'daughter  of  beauty,'  which  to  us  signifies  the  Holy 
Church,  to  which  all  who  come  from  Libanus,  that  is, 
from  the  whiteness  of  virtue,  shall  in  it  and  by  it  be  ren- 
dered even  more  resplendent. 

Two  miles  from  Capharnaum  is  the  slope  of  the  moun- 
tain* whereon  the  Lord  preached  to  the  multitude  and 
sent  forth  His  disciples  and  taught  them,  and  there  also 
He  healed  the  leper.  A  mile  from  the  slope  is  the  place 
where  He  fed  five  thousand  men  with  five  loaves  and  two 
fishes.2  Wherefore  that  place  is  called  *  The  Table,'  as 
it  were  the  place  of  feeding,  and  below  it  is  the  place 
where,  after  His  resurrection,  Christ  appeared  to  His 
disciples,  and  ate  with  them  a  piece  of  cooked  fish  by  the 
sea-side,^  which  sea  the  same  Lord  walked  over  dry-shod, 
when,  about  the  fourth  watch  of  the  night,  He  appeared 
to  Peter  and  Andrew  while  they  were  fishing  ;  when,  as 
Peter  wished  to  come  to  Him  over  the  sea  and  began  to 
sink,  Christ  said  to  him :  '  O  thou  of  little  faith,  wherefore 
didst  thou  doubt  ?'  and  there  also  another  time  He  quieted 
the  sea  when  His  disciples  were  in  danger.  At  the  head 
of  the  sea,  on  the  left  hand,  in  a  hollow  of  a  mountain,  is 
Genesareth,*  '  the  place  which  breeds  wind,'  which  is  felt 
to  this  day  by  those  who  visit  it. 

Two  miles  from  Genesareth  is  Magdalum,^  the  birth- 
place of  Mary  Magdalene.  This  country  is  called  Galilee 
of  the  Gentiles,  and  is  situated  in  the  tribes  of  Zabulon 
and  Naphtalim.     In  the  upper  parts  of  this  Galilee  were 

*  Apparently  a  hill  to  the  north  of  /CMn  Minieh. 

*  The  '  Mensa  Christi '  was  above  Khdn  Minieh^  where  the  M'asgret 
'/It'sa,  'Winepress  of  Jesus,'  is  now  shown. 

'  The  shore  of  the  Lake  at  'A in  et-Tur. 

*  The  plain  eUGhuweir.  '  Mejdel. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  Og 

Uie  twenty  cities  which  King  Solomon  gave  to  his  friend 
Hiram,  King  of  Tyre.  Two  miles  from  Magdalum  is  the 
city  of  Cinereth,  which  is  also  called  Tiberias,  after  Tiberius 
Caesar,  which  in  His  youth  Jesus  often  visited.  Four 
miles  from  Tiberias  is  the  city  of  Bethulia,^  to  which 
Judith  belonged,  who  during  the  siege  of  her  city  most 
cunningly  slew  Holofernes  and  saved  her  people.  Four 
miles  from  Tiberias  towards  the  south  {?  north)  is 
Dothain,2  where  Joseph  found  his  brethren  feeding  their 
flocks,  and  they  out  of  hatred  for  him  sold  him  to  the 
Ishmaelites  there.  Sixteen  miles  from  Nazareth,  towards 
the  east,  upon  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  is  Gergesa,^  the  village 
wherein  the  Saviour  restored  to  health  those  who  were 
tormented  by  devils,  and  from  which  He  sent  the  herd  of 
swine  down  a  steep  place  into  the  sea. 


CHAPTER    XXVII. 

TO  THE   READER. 

Thus,  as  well  as  I  am  able,  I  have  described  the  Holy 
Places  in  the  sacred  City,  starting  from  the  Church  of  the 
Holy  Sepulchre,  and  going  round  about,  through  the  Gate 
of  David,  till  I  returned  to  the  same  place.  I  have  omitted 
many  of  the  chapels,  and  smaller  churches  which  are  main- 
tained there  by  men  of  various  nations  and  languages. 
For  there  are  Greeks,  Bulgarians,  Latins,  Germans,  Hun- 
garians, Scots,  Navarrese,  Bretons,  English,  Franks, 
Ruthenians,  Bohemians,  Georgians,  Armenians,  Jacobites, 
Syrians,  Nestorians,  Indians,  Egyptians,  Copts,  Capheturici, 
Maronites,  and  very  many  others,  whom  it  would  take 
long  to  tell :  so  with  these  let  us  make  an  end  of  this 
little  work.     Amen. 

^  Apparently  Safed,  but  the  distance  is  hopelessly  wrong. 
^  Apparently  Khdn  Jubb  Yusu/y  north  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee. 
''  Site  unknown. 

C — 2 


70  JOHN  OF  WURZBURG'S 

FORM     OF     PRAYER     FOR     THE     ANNIVERSARY     OF  THE 

RECOVERY    OF   THE    CITY    OF    JERUSALEM    FROM  THE 

INFIDELS,  AND    FOR   THE    TRANSFIGURATION  OF  OUR 

LORD,    USED    IN    THE    CATHEDRAL    CHURCH    OF  THE 
HOLY  SEPULCHRE  AT  JERUSALEM. 

Form  of  Prayer  for  the  Recovery  of  the  City  of 
ferusalem. 
The  Ides  of  July  (July  15)  are  the  Feast  of  the  Conse- 
cration of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre.  Upon  that 
day  a  great  festival  is  held  in  commemoration  of  the 
deliverance  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Christians.  In  allusion 
to  this  the  Introit^  before  the  Mass  consists  of  the 
versicles,  '  Laetare  ferusalem.  Kyrie  Eleyson.  Cunctipotens 
geiiitor  Deus,'  and  the  prayer  : 

'Almighty  and  Everlasting  God,  who  by  Thy  marvellous  goodness 
hast  rescued  Jerusalem  Thy  city  from  the  hands  of  the  heathen  and 

^  'The  Mass  answers  to  our  Communion  Service.  The  musical 
portions  of  the  Altar  Service  were  latterly  all  contained  in  the  Gradiiale^ 
or  Grayle,  so  called  from  one  of  the  principal  elements  being  the 
Responsorhim  Graduale,  or  respond  to  the  Lectio  Epistolce.  In  earlier 
times,  these  musical  portions  of  the  Missal  Service  were  commonly 
contained  in  two  separate  books,  the  Graduale  and  the  Tropariiim. 
The  Graduale,  being,  in  fact,  the  Antiphonartum  of  the  Altar  Service 
(as  indeed  it  was  called  in  the  earliest  times),  contained  all  the  pas- 
sages of  Scripture,  varying  according  to  the  season  and  the  day,  which 
served  as  Introits  {Aniiphonce  et  Psabni  ad  Jntroitum)  before  the 
Collects,  as  Gradual  Responds  or  Gradttals  to  the  Epistle,  as  Alleluia 
versicles  before  the  Gospel,  as  Offertoria  at  the  time  of  the  first 
oblation,  and  as  Communiones  at  the  time  of  the  reception  of  the 
consecrated  elements.  The  Troparium  contained  the  Tropin  or  pre- 
liminary tags  to  the  Introits,  the  Kyries,  the  Gloria  in  excelsis,  the 
Sequences  or  Proses  ad  Sequentiatn  before  the  Gospel,  the  Credo  in 
unutn,  the  Sancius  and  Benedicitis,  and  the  Agnus  Dei — all,  in  early 
times,  liable  to  have  insertions  ox  farsurce  of  their  own,  according  to 
the  season  or  day,  which,  however,  were  almost  entirely  swept  away 
(except  those  of  the  Kyrie)  by  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth  century.' 
Extract  from  '  The  Chronicles  of  the  Collegiate  Church  or  Free 
Chapel  of  All  Saints,  Derby,'  by  J.  Charles  Cox  and  W.  H.  St.  John 
Hope.     Seo  also  the  Missal,  '  In  Die  Dedicationis  Ecclesia;,'  etc. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND.  71 


restored  it  to  the  Christians  ;  Be  present  with  us,  we  beseech  Thee, 
and  help  us,  that  we,  who  every  year  devoutly  keep  this  holy  day,  may 
be  found  worthy  to  attain  to  the  joys  of  the  Heavenly  Jerusalem, 
through  Our  Lord,'  etc. 

After  the  Epistle  is  sung  the  verse,  *  Surge^  illutninare.^ 

The  Alleluia  (or  versicles  sung  before  the  Gospel)  is 
Dies  Sanctificatus,  with  the  Gradual,  or  Processional  Hymn, 
Otnnes  de  Saba.'' 

After  the  Gospel  is  sung  the  verse  *  Cum  intraret  Jesus 
Hierosolymam.^ 

After  the  Creed  the  Offertoria,  or  sentences  read  at  the 
time  of  the  first  oblation,  are  '  Dextra  Domini'  etc. 

The  Secreta,  or  Prayer  at  the  Consecration  of  the 
Elements,  is : 

'  O  Lord,  we  beseech  Thee,  graciously  receive  this  offering  which  we 
humbly  present  unto  thee,  and  by  its  mystical  power  grant  that  we 
who  keep  holy  this  day  whereon  Jerusalem  was  rescued  from  the 
hands  of  the  heathen,  may  in  the  end  be  worthy  to  become  citizens  of 
the  Jerusalem  which  is  in  Heaven,  through  our  Lord,'  etc.,  etc. 

At  the  Communio,  or  Prayer  at  the  time  of  the  reception 

of  the  consecrated  elements,  is  sung  the  versicle  'Jerusalem^ 

Surged  etc. 

The  Prayer. 

'  Grant,  O  Lord,  that  the  Sacrifice  whereof  we  have  partaken  may 
give  health  both  to  our  bodies  and  to  our  souls,  that  we  who  rejoice 
this  day  over  the  freedom  of  Thy  city  Jerusalem,  may  be  made  worthy 
to  inherit  the  Jerusalem  which  is  above,  through,'  etc. 

A  t  the  Service  on  the  Day  of  our  Lord's  Transfiguration. 

Prayer. 
'  O  God,  who  wast  pleased  to  transfigure  Thyself  upon  the  Mount 
according  to  our  substance  ;  Grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  that  the  light 
which  Thou  didst  graciously  show  to  Thy  disciples  may  be  shown  to 
us  also,  who  with  the  Father,'  etc. 

The  Transfiguration  of  Our  Lord  upon  Mount  Tabor 
is  celebrated  on  the  eighth  day  before  the  Ides  of  August 
(August  6). 


72  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  HOLY  LAND. 

The  Introit  is  *  Benedicta  sit  sancta.    Per  Do  mi  man.' 

The  Prayer. 
*  God,  who  as  at  this  time  didst  reveal  Thine  only  begotten  Son, 
wondrously  transfigured  in  the  heavens,  to  the  fathers  of  ihe  Old  and 
New  Testament  ;  Grant,  we  beseech  Thee,  that  by  doing  those  things 
which  are  pleasing  in  Thy  sight,  we  may  attain  to  the  eternal  con- 
templation of  the  glory  of  Him  in  whom  Thou,  His  Father,  didst 
declare  Thyself  well  pleased  ;  through  our  Lord,'  etc 

The  Secreta,  or  Prayer  at  the  Consecration  of  the 
Elements  : 

*0  Lord,  Holy  Father  Almighty,  receive,  we  pray  Thee,  the  obla- 
tions which  we  offer  in  memory  of  the  glorious  Transfiguration  of  Thy 
Son,  and  mercifully  grant  that  we,  being  set  free  from  earthly  troubles, 
may  be  made  partakers  in  heavenly  joys,  through  our  Lord,'  etc.,  etc. 

The  Communio,  or  Prayer  at  the  time  of  the  reception  of 
the  Consecrated  Elements  : 

*0  God,  who  hast  hallowed  this  day  by  the  Transfiguration  of 
Thine  Incarnate  Word,  and  by  Thine  acknowledgment  of  Him  by 
Thine  own  voice  as  Thy  Son  ;  Grant,  we  pray  Thee,  that  by  virtue  of 
this  sacred  food  we  may  be  made  worthy  to  become  members  of  His 
body,  who  bade  us  do  this  in  remembrance  of  Himself,  Jesus  Christ 
Thy  Son  our  Lord,  who  with  Thee,'  etc.,  etc 


Btl.LING   AND  SONS,   PRINTERS,  GUILDPORP. 


Pakstine  f  ilgdms'  %txt  §odtt^. 

THE    PILGRIMAGE 

OF 

JOANNES    PHOCAS 

IN  THE 

HOLY  LAND 

(In  the  Year  1185  a.d.). 


'JEransIatcb  bg 
AUBREY    STEWART,    iM.A. 


LONDON: 

24,     HANOVER    SQUARE,    W, 

1896. 


It  is  proposed  to  take  the  pamphlets  of  Phocas,  Theodoricus,  and 
John  of  Wiirzburg  together,  and  to  edit  them  as  a  description  of 
Jerusalem  and  the  Holy  Land  in  the  latter  part  of  the  twelfth  century. 
The  translation  of  Phocas  is  issued  in  advance ;  the  notes  on  the 
narratives  of  the  three  writers  will  appear  with  the  last  pamphlet 
issued. — C.  W.  W. 


THE  PREFACE  OF  LEO  ALLATIUS. 


Whilst,  my  excellent  friend  Nihusius,  I  was  at  Chios, 
diligently  turning  over  various  MSS.,  obtained  in  various 
places,  there  came  into  my  hands  the  *  brief  description, 
by  Joannes  Phocas,  of  the  (holy)  places  in  Palestine  and 
Syria,'  not  very  well  written  in  very  small  characters 
upon  silk.  He  appeared  an  elegant  and  accurate  writer, 
considering  the  time  at  which  he  lived,  and  consequently 
I  had  intended  to  read  him  carefully,  but  being  occupied 
with  other  business,  neglected  to  do  so.  Many  years 
afterwards,  when  at  Rome,  I  was  recalling  to  my  memory 
the  MSS.  which  I  had  seen,  and  in  the  course  of  familiar 
conversation  the  subject  of  the  *  Holy  Places '  had  been 
mentioned,  I  again  remembered  Phocas,  and  conceived 
a  great  desire  to  obtain  him  for  myself.  I  wrote  again 
and  again  to  my  friends,  and  even  to  him  who  had  given 
me  the  use  of  the  MS.  I  begged  and  prayed  and  even 
offered  rewards ;  but  I  only  wasted  my  time.  I  always 
received  a  prompt  answer  to  all  my  inquiries,  except  only 
about  this  one  writer.  Consequently,  I  at  last  ceased  to 
trouble  about  him.  However,  after  a  year  had  passed, 
while  I  was  interested  in  other  matters,  MSS.  reached 
me  from  a  friend  who  had  just  come  from  Chios.  While 
I  was  looking  over  their  titles,  behold  !  Phocas  appeared, 
dropped  as  it  were  from  the  skies,  not  written  in  another 
hand,  but  the  very  original  which  I  had  seen  at  Chios, 
expressed?     It  is,  therefore,  my  duty,  as  far  as  lies  in  my 


iv  PREFACE. 

torn  away  from  the  rest  of  the  volume  to  which  it  had 
been  joined.  I  should  try  in  vain  to  express  the  joy 
which  I  felt.  I  should  not  have  gained  such  a  prize  if  I 
had  found  a  treasure.  Consequently  I  girded  myself  to 
the  task  of  translating  him,  and  spent  a  good  many  days 
in  polishing  my  version.  Joannes,  a  Cretan  by  birth,  had 
a  father  named  Matthew,  who  subsequently  assumed  the 
monastic  habit,  and  died  in  the  Island  of  Patmos.  Joannes 
himself,  when  he  grew  up,  served  in  the  army  under 
Emmanuel  Comnenus.  He  mentions,  in  chapter  xxiv., 
an  old  Spaniard,  '  who  formerly  for  many  years  exercised 
himself  in  ascetic  labours  on  a  great  rock  near  the  Sea  of 
Attalia,  where  I  myself  have  spoken  to  him  when  I  was 
serving  under  our  glorious  Emperor  Comnenus  Porphyro- 
genitus.'  He  often  alludes  to  this  same  emperor  in  his 
book.  He  married,  and  had  a  son,  but  his  son's  name 
has  been  cut  off  by  the  binders  of  the  book,  when  they 
were  cutting  the  margins  of  the  leaves  level  with  a  knife. 
Subsequently  he  became  a  monk,  and  visited  the  Holy 
Places  in  the  year  1185.  All  this  I  have  gathered  from  a 
marginal  note  in  red  letters :  '  An  Account  written  by 
John  the  priest,  the  most  holy  Phocas,  who  practises 
religion  in  the  Island  of  Patmos,  how  he  saw  the  holy 
places  in  the  j'ear  1185.  At  the  beginning  of  the  book 
was  written  *  I  the  son  of  Phocas  of  Crete  write  this,  by 
name  .  ,  .' 


A   BRIEF   DESCRIPTION, 

BY 

JOANNES  PHOCAS, 

OF  THE  CASTLES  AND  CITIES,  FROM  THE  CITY  OF  ANTIOCH 
EVEN  UNTO  JERUSALEM  ;  ALSO  OF  SYRIA  AND 
PHCENICIA,  AND  OF  THE  HOLY  PLACES  IN   PALESTINE. 


I.  Now  wherefore  should  I,  who  have  enjoyed  the  sight 
of  the  holy  places,  and  have  beheld  the  regions  in  which 
God  once  manifested  Himself,  when  He  brought  forth  His 
fugitive  people  out  of  Egvpt  by  the  means  of  Moses  with 
signs  and  wonders  and  with  a  mighty  hand,  having  struck 
down  the  nations  and  their  rulers,  Sihon,  king  of  the 
Amorites,  and  Og,  king  of  Basan,  and  all  the  kingdoms 
of  Canaan,  and  with  an  outstretched  arm  planted  therein 
a  strange  people,  which  He  increased,  as  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures tell  us,  and  which  places  He  at  last  hallowed  by  the 
holy  incarnation  of  His  only  begotten  Son,  and  accom- 
plished the  wondrous  work  of  our  regeneration, — why,  I 
ask,  should  I  alone  taste  of  this  blessing,  and  imitate  the 
manner  in  which  gluttons  deal  with  food  ?  Where  shall 
we  find  in  such  conduct  that  catholic  and  brotherly  kind- 
ness by  which  our  love  for  one  another  is  manifested,  and 
whereby  alone  the  peculiar  graces  of  human  nature  are 
expressed  ?     It  is,  therefore,  my  duty,  as  far  as  lies  in  my 


JOANNES  PHOCAS. 


power,  to  attempt  to  depict  the  country  by  words  as 
though  by  a  map,  and  indirectly  by  writing  to  describe  to 
religious  students  those  things  which  I  have  beheld 
directly  with  my  eyes.  To  those  who  have  seen  these 
places  I  shall  appear  to  labour  in  vain ;  for  if  the  object 
of  my  writing  be  to  imitate  the  actual  spectacle,  then,  as 
all  imitation  is  wont  to  fall  short  of  the  original,  it  is  clear 
that  I  shall  give  them  less  pleasure  than  that  which  has 
its  seat  in  their  eyes.  What,  then,  does  my  book' aim  at  ? 
Those  persons  who  have  never  beheld  with  their  eyes 
these  most  excellent  places,  but  who  frequently  meet  with 
mention  of  them,  will,  I  imagine,  be  more  distinctly 
taught  by  my  book  than  by  those  which  speak  of  them 
without  defining  what  they  are.  It  ought  also  to  be  more 
likely  to  afford  some  pleasure  even  to  those  who  have 
beheld  them,  if  it  be  pleasant  to  listen  to  accounts  o/ 
what  it  is  enjoyable  to  behold. 

II.  Now  when  the  godly  city  of  Antioch  stood  upon  the 
banks  of  the  river  Orontes,  it  rejoiced  in  vast  theatres, 
beauteous  colonnades,  massy  temples,  numerous  inhabi- 
tants, and  boundless  wealth,  so  that  it  notably  surpassed 
almost  all  the  cities  of  the  East.  Time,  however,  and  the 
hands  of  the  barbarians  have  extinguished  its  prosperity, 
albeit  it  still  can  boast  of  its  towers  and  its  strong  ram- 
parts, and  of  the  charming  babble  of  its  divided  waters,  as 
the  river  gently  spreads  around  and  encircles  the  city, 
twining  about  its  towers  with  its  moist  embraces.  In 
addition  to  this,  it  is  admirably  supplied  with  water  by 
the  streams  which  flow  from  the  fountain  of  Castalia,* 
whose  waters  gush  forth  briskly,  and  are  by  many  channels 
led  through  the  whole  city,  and  lave  it  with  their  waters, 
thanks  to  the  vast  works  and  generous  heart  of  the  founder 

*  One  of  the  fountains  of  Daphne,  Beit  el-Md,  named  from  the  far- 
faincil  Castalian  sprinjj  at  Delphi. 


JOANNES  P  HOC  AS. 


of  the  city,  who  brought  the  stream  by  an  aqueduct  from 
its  very  source  through  the  mountains  into  the  city. 
Without  the  walls  lies  the  famous  suburb  of  Daphne,* 
adorned  with  groves  of  all  sorts  of  trees,  and  *  the  won- 
derful '  mountain  which  was  inhabited  by  the  wonderful 
Simeon.f  Near  these  is  the  Mount  Maurus,t  and  the  crag 
Scopelus,  wherein  many  holy  men  in  olden  times  sought 
for  God  and  found  Him,  and  now  are  among  those  whose 
so\ils  are  saved, §  and  dwell  in  the  thickets  of  these  moun- 
tains, enamoured  of  His  beauty.  The  fountain  of  Castalia 
springs  up  between  two  hills,  and,  bending  its  course 
along  the  foot  of  the  hill  which  is  nearest  to  the  sea, 
swiftly  discharges  a  surprising  amount  of  water.  Here  we 
behold  a  great  portico,  roofing  over  the  spring,  wherein 
the  water  which  plenteously  bursts  forth  is  divided 
into  two  streams.  The  one  of  these  is  conveyed  in  lofty 
channels,  becomes  an  aerial  river,  and  pours  down  from 
above  into  the  city  on  the  right  hand ;  the  other  overflows 
upon  the  ground  on  the  left  hand  of  the  fountain,  floods 
the  marshes,  and,  after  watering  the  whole  meadow  of 
Daphne,  joins  the  stream  of  the  Orontes  on  the  left-hand 
side.  The  'wonderful'  mountain  which  rises  between  the 
city  and  the  sea  is  a  beautiful  object,  and  is  most  pleasant 
to  behold ;  for  it  borders  upon  the  city  and  upon  Roso, 
and  upon  one  side  joins  the  crag  Scopelus,  and  on  the 
other  the  hill  called  Caucasus.  ||    The  river  Orontes  runs  in 

*  Beit  el- M a,  about  five  miles  from  Antioch. 

t  This  is  not  the  great  Simon  Stylites,  but  a  man  of  the  same  name 
v;ho  was  born  at  Antioch,  and  lived  for  45  years  on  a  pillar  erected  on 
a  hill  called  *  the  wonderful '  (ro  Onvftaarov),  now  Mar  Sz'm'an  between 
the  mouth  of  the  Orontes  and  Antioch. 

%  Apparently  for  Mount  Taurus,  really  Mount  Amanus. 

§  Krti  vvv  tCov  aix)Zou'e.vix)v  Eiai. 

II  Evidently  a  corruption  of  Mons  Cas\us, /edel  O^r'a.  Scopelus  is 
the  promontory  Rhosicus  Scopulus,  Rdsel-Khanzirj  and  Roso  the  town 
or  district  of  Rhesus,  Arstis. 


JOANNES  PHOCAS. 


countless  meandering  curves  round  the  base  of  this  moun- 
tain, and  then  discharges  its  waters  into  the  sea.  It  was 
on  the  summit  of  this  mountain  that  that  great  man  Hved 
a  Hfe  of  contemplation,  and,  having  lifted  up  his  heart, 
lifted  up  his  body  also,  and  strove  to  rise  into  the  air 
together  with  his  body,  and  to  hang  half-way  between  God 
and  man.  How  this  strange  life  was  arranged  for  this 
holy  man  I  will  explain  to  you.  Having  by  the  hands  of 
masons  hollowed  out  the  summit  of  this  wondrous  moun- 
tain, he  formed  a  monastery  out  of  the  solid  living  rock, 
in  the  midst  whereof  he  hewed  out  a  natural  pillar,  upon 
which  he  took  his  stand,  setting  his  feet  upon  a  rock,  as 
the  Scripture  hath  it,  and  built  a  beautiful  church  looking 
towards  the  East,  dedicated  to  God,  in  which  he  was  wont 
to  call  together  his  disciples :  so  he  remaining  out  of 
doors,  and  they  standing  all  night  long  within  the  church, 
did  service  to  God  in  the  way  that  became  saints. 

HI.  Next  to  this  and  to  Antioch  comes  Laodicea,*  a 
great  and  populous  city,  albeit  time  hath  dimmed  its 
splendour  also,  and  after  it  Gabalaf  or  Zebel.  Next  to 
Gabala  comes  a  castle  which  is  named  Antarada,J  or 
Tortosa.  And  in  this  manner  various  forts  lie  along  the 
coast  as  far  as  Tripolis,  while  along  the  interior  of  the 
country  there  stretches  a  great  mountain-range,  inhabited 
by  the  people  called  Chasysii,§  a  Saracen  nation,  which 
neither  professes  Christianity  nor  the  doctrines  of 
Machumet,  but  worships  God  according  to  a  heresy  of 
Its  own.  They  call  the  chief  man  among  them  the 
ambassador  of  God,  and  those  who  are  sent  by  his 
commands  to  the  governors  of  great  provinces  slay  them 

*  Latakieh.  f  Jebeleh.  J  Antaradus,  Tar/us. 

§  The  Assassins,  or  sect  of  the  Ismaiiians,  whose  chief,  under  the 
name  of  the  'Old  Man  of  the  Mountains,'  acquired  such  an  evil 
reputation  amongst  the  Crusaders. 


JOANNES  P HOC  AS. 


with  swords,  leaping  upon  them  unawares,  and  perish  as 
soon  as  they  have  accomphshed  their  daring  deeds,  fight- 
ing few  against  a  multitude  after  the  perpetration  of  their 
crime.  This  they  regard  as  martyrdom  and  the  putting 
on  of  immortality. 

IV.  After  this  mountain-range  comes  the  Mount  Libanus, 
which  is  very  beautiful  and  renowned  in  the  Scriptures,  a 
very  great  mountain  clad  in  a  robe  of  snow,  hanging  from 
it  even  as  ringlets,  overgrown  with  pine,  cedar,  and  cypress- 
trees,  and  adorned  with  numerous  other  fruit-bearing 
trees  of  various  kinds.  The  side  thereof  next  the  sea  is 
inhabited  by  Christians,  while  the  Saracens  dwell  on  the 
side  that  looks  towards  Damascus  and  Arabia.*  From  its 
ravines  and  hollows  m.any  rivers  gush  forth  into  the  sea, 
beauteous  and  excessively  cold  at  the  time  when  the  snow 
is  melting,  and  chills  the  streams  which  feed  them.  At 
the  foot  of  this  mountain  is  Tripolis,  which  was  built  by 
its  founder  upon  a  peninsula  ;  for  a  small  spur,  branching 
out  from  Libanus,  runs  out  into  the  sea  in  the  shape  of  a 
tongue,  rising  high  at  its  eastern  end.  Upon  the  summit 
of  this  rising  ground  the  builder  of  the  city  laid  its  founda- 
tions. The  city  is  of  the  very  smallest  with  regard  to  the 
extent  of  ground  that  it  covers,  but  is  worthy  of  ad- 
miration for  the  height  of  its  walls  and  the  beauty  of  its 
buildings. 

V.  Next  comes  Zebelett;  and  then  comes  Berytus,J  a 
large  and  populous  city,  set  round  about  with  spacious 
meadows,  and  adorned  with  a  fair  harbour.  The  harbour 
is  not  a  natural  one,  but  has  been  wrought  by  art,  and  is 
embosomed  in  the  city  in  the  form  of  a  half-moon,  and  at 
the  two  extremities  of  the  half-moon  are  placed,  as  horns. 


*  Compare  '  Abbot  Daniel,'  Ixxxv. 
t  Jebeil.     Daniel  has  Zebel. 
i  Beirut. 


JOANNES  P  HOC  AS. 


two  great  towers,  from  one  of  which  a  chain  is  drawn 
across  to  the  other,  and  shuts  in  the  ships  within  the 
harbour.  This  place  is  on  the  border  between  Syria  and 
Phcenicia. 

VI.  Next  comes  Sidon  and  the  famous  twin  harbour 
therein,  whose  situation  has  been  admirably  described  by  the 
historian  of  Leucippe*  ;  for  if  you  visit  the  place,  with  its 
harbour  and  outer  harbour,  you  will  find  the  reality  exactly 
agreeing  with  the  description  given  in  his  writings.  Outside 
the  city,  at  a  distance  of  about  three  bow-shots,  stands  a 
church,  surrounded  by  a  colonnade  of  great  length,  upon 
the  upper  part  of  the  apse  whereof  is  placed  a  four-sided 
stone,  whereon,  according  to  the  report  of  the  vulgar, 
Christ  the  Saviour  of  the  world  used  to  stand  and  teach 
the  multitude. 

VII.  After  Sidon  stands  the  fortress  of  Saraphtha,t  built 
upon  the  very  beach  of  the  sea,  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
city  a  church  dedicated  to  the  prophet  Elias  is  built 
upon  the  site  of  the  house  of  the  widow  who  showed  him 
hospitality. 

VIII.  After  this  comes  the  city  of  Tyre,  which  surpasses 
in  beauty  almost  all  the  cities  of  Phoenicia  :  it  is  built, 
like  Tripolis,  upon  a  similar  peninsula,  but  is  of  very 
much  greater  extent,  and  possesses  much  more  majestic 
and  beautiful  buildings  than  the  latter.  Its  outer  harbour 
is  comparable  to  the  harbour  of  Berytus,  though  the  one 
much  surpasses  the  other  in  size  and  beauty,  and  excels  it 
in  the  height  of  its  towers.  Outside  of  the  city,  at  a  dis- 
tance of  about  two  bowshots,  is  a  very  great  stone,  upon 
which,  according  to  tradition,  Christ  sat  when  He  sent 

*  The  reference  is  to  Achilles  Tatius,  who  wrote  the  '  Loves  of 
Clitophon  and  Leucippe,'  a  kind  of  novel,  in  the  first  chapter  of  the  first 
book  of  which  there  is  a  dcbcription  of  the  city  and  harbour  of  Sidon. 

f  Sarepta,  Sitrafend. 


JOANNES  PHOCAS.  \\ 

the  holy  Apostles  Peter  and  John  into  the  city  to  buy 
bread  :  they  went  away,  brought  it,  and  set  out  together 
with  the  Saviour  to  the  neighbouring  fountain,  distant 
about  one  mile,  where  the  Saviour  sat  down,  and  after 
having  eaten  with  the  Apostles,  and  drunk  of  the  water. 
He  blessed  the  fountain ;  and  in  truth  the  fountain 
remains  an  inexpressible  wonder  even  to  this  day,  for, 
springing  up  in  the  midst  of  the  meadows  there,  it  sur- 
prises and  delights  wayfarers.  It  is  also  said  to  be 
bottomless.  Its  construction  and  shape  are  as  follows. 
Those  who  first  made  it  a  labour  of  love  to  build  up  this 
fountain  encircled  it  with  an  octagonal  tower,  which  they 
carried  up  to  no  small  height,  and  having  built  the  angles 
of  it  like  spouts,  and  hollowed  out  channels  on  the  top  of 
lofty  arches,  they  have  forced  the  pent-up  water  to  pour 
itself  forth  upon  the  corresponding  meadows  below  each 
spout,  as  though  out  of  a  pipe ;  the  water,  plashing  down 
loudly,  waters  all  the  meadows  round  about  the  fountain 
with  plenteous  streams.  He  who  stands  upon  the  top  of 
this  tower,  as  it  were  upon  a  watch-tower,  can  behold  the 
moving  masses  of  foliage  below,  and  the  whole  coronal  of 
meadows  constantly  irrigated  even  at  high  noon. 

IX.  Beyond  this  is  situated  Ptolemais,  or  Acce,*  which 
is  a  large  city,  and  so  populous  as  to  surpass  all  the  rest. 
It  receives  all  the  merchant  ships,  and  thither  all  pilgrims 
for  Christ's  sake  by  sea  and  by  land  betake  themselves. 
Here,  the  air  being  corrupted  by  the  enormous  influx  of 
strangers,  various  diseases  arise,  and  lead  to  frequent 
deaths  among  them,  the  consequence  of  which  is  evil 
smells  and  corruption  of  the  air,  and  the  misfortune  of 
this  city  is  beyond  remedy.  On  the  right  of  it  is  Carmel 
and  the  sea-shore  of  the  whole  country  of  Palestine.  The 
regions  on  the  left  of  it  contain  Galilee  and  Samaria. 
*  St.  Jeaii  a  Acre. 


12  JOANNES  P  HOC  AS. 

X.  Now  the  first  place  after  Ptolemais  is  Semphori,*  a 
city  of  Galilee,  almost  entirely  uninhabited,  and  displaying 
not  even  a  remnant  of  its  former  prosperity.  After  this  is 
Cana,t  a  very  small  fortified  place,  as  it  appears  at  this 
day.  Here  the  Saviour  turned  the  water  into  wine.  And 
now  comes  the  city  of  Nazareth,  built  at  the  bottom  of 
the  ravines  leading  down  from  various  hills,  in  the  midst 
of  which  it  stands,  wherein  the  great  mystery  was  an- 
nounced by  the  Archangel  Gabriel  to  the  Virgin  Mother  of 
God,  through  the  great  and  rich  mercy  of  Him  who  for 
our  salvation  was  made  flesh,  Christ  our  God.  At  the 
entering  in  of  the  first  gate  of  this  large  village  you  will 
find  a  church  of  the  Archangel  Gabriel ;  and  there  is  to  be 
seen  a  little  grotto  on  the  left  side  of  the  altar  in  this 
church,  in  which  a  fountain  wells  up,  pouring  forth  a 
transparent  stream,  wherein  the  immaculate  Mother  of 
God,  when  she  was  given  by  the  priests  to  the  just 
Joseph,  and  was  kept  in  his  house,  used  to  come  daily 
and  draw  water :  but  in  the  sixth;]:  month  of  the  Fore- 
runner, when  she  was  about  to  draw  water  as  usual,  she 
received  the  first  embrace  from  Gabriel,  and,  being  dis- 
turbed in  mind,  went  back  trembling  to  the  house  of 
Joseph,  where  she  heard  the  angel  say,  '  Hail,  Mary,  full  of 
grace  !'  and  answered,  *  Behold  the  handmaid  of  the  Lord; 
be  it  unto  me  according  to  thy  word,'  and  thereupon 
received  the  Word  of  God  into  her  immaculate  womb. 
After  this,  the  house  of  Joseph  was  altered  into  a  beautiful 
church,  upon  the  left  side  whereof  is  a  cave,  not  opening 
into  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  but  upon  the  surface.  Its 
mouth  is  adorned  with  white  marble.  Above  it  the 
painter's  hand   has   drawn   a  winged  angel  descending, 

*  Sepphoris,  Seffilrieh. 

t  Apparently  Kefr  Kcnna. 

%  That  is,  from  the  conception  of  John  the  Baptist. 


JOANNES  P HOC  AS.  13 

who  greets  with  good  tidings  the  Virgin  Mother,  whom  he 
finds  gravely  working  at  a  grave  piece  of  needlework,  and 
he  is  depicted  as  though  he  were  conversing  with  her. 
Rut  the  Virgin,  terrified  at  the  unexpected  vision,  and 
hurriedly  turning  herself  round,  has  all  but  dropped  the 
purple   from    her    hands.      Trembling   and    leaving    her 
chamber  through  fear,  she  meets  a  woman  who  was  her 
relative    and    friend,    and    embraces    her    with    friendly 
salutations.     Entering,  then,   within   the    mouth   of  the 
cave,  you  descend  a  few  steps,  and  then  you  behold  the 
ancient   house  of  Joseph,  wherein,  as  I  said  before,  the 
archangel  announced  the  good  tidings  to  the  Virgin  when 
she  came  home  from  the  well.    At  the  spot  upon  which  the 
Annunciation  took  place  there  is  a  cross  carved  out  of 
black  stone  upon  white  marble,  and  above  it  an  altar;  on 
the  right-hand  of  the  altar  is  seen  a  little  chamber,  in 
which  the  Ever- Virgin  Mother  of  God  used  to  dwell.     On 
the  left-hand  side  of  the  place  of  the  Annunciation  may 
be   seen   another    small    windowless    chamber,   wherein 
Christ  our  Lord  is  said  by  sacred  tradition  to  have  dwelt 
after  the  return  from  Egypt  until  the  beheading  of  the 
Forerunner.     For  then,  according  to  the  sacred  tradition, 
Jesus,  hearing  that  John  had  been  betrayed,  left  Nazareth 
and  dwelt  in  Capernaum.     Beyond  this  is  a  range  com- 
posed of  various  hills,  among  which  is  the  steep  place 
down  which  the  Jews  intended  to  cast  our    Lord,  but 
He    passed   through   the   midst   of  them    and   went   to 
Capernaum. 

XL  Beyond  this  range  of  hills  is  a  great  plain,  wherein, 
but  near  the  hills,  is  Mount  Tabor,  the  earthly  heaven,  the 
joy  of  the  soul,  and  the  delight  of  all  who  are  of  the  true 
faith ;  for  there  is  a  divine  favour  which  overshadows  it, 
breathing  forth  spiritual  grace.  It  is  a  round  hill  of 
moderate  height ;  upon  the  top  thereof  are  two  monaa- 


14  JOANNES  PI f OCAS. 


teries,  wherein  Christians  who  are  vowed  to  the  same  Ufa 
invoke  the  mercy  of  God  in  hymns  in  various  tongues.    The 
monastery  in  which  took  place  the  Transfiguration  of  Christ 
for  our  salvation  is  inhabited  by  a  number  of  Latin  monks  ; 
but  on  the  left  that  holy  place  is  sanctified  by  the  holy 
presence  of  Nazarenes  of  our  Church.     Now  the  Blessed 
Transfiguration  of  Christ  took  place  on  the  summit  of  the 
hill,  where  stands  the   Latin   monastery,   the  holy  altar 
whereof  stands  on  the  place  where  the  Lord  was  trans- 
figured between  Elias  and  Moses,  and  between  the  three 
chosen  disciples,  Peter,  John,  and  James.     This  place  is 
surrounded  with  a  brazen  railing  ;  upon  the  place  whereon 
the  feet  of  our  Lord  rested  there  is  to  be  seen  a  boss  of 
exceeding  whiteness,  whereon  is  carved  the  figure  of  the 
Holy  Cross,  and  from  which  an  unspeakable  perfume  is 
breathed  forth,  and  delights  the  senses  of  those  who  visit 
it.      About  a   stone's-throw   outside  the   monastery  is  a 
small  grotto,  wherein,  after  His  glorious  Transfiguration, 
Christ  entered  and  ordered  His  disciples  to  tell  no  man  of 
what  they  had  seen  until  He  should  rise  from  the  dead. 
Towards  the  northern  side  of  the  mountain  is  the  grotto 
of  Melchisedec,   which   is  well  worth    seeing,   being    ex- 
cavated with  several  mouths,  wherein  are  chambers  both 
beneath    the   earth    and    above    the   earth,    and   various 
dwellings,  and  cells  serving  as  habitations  for  ascetics, 
wherein    many  of  the  greatest  saints  have  passed  their 
ascetic  lives.*  Near  this  grotto  is  a  church,  built  upon  the 
very  place  whereon  Melchisedec  met  Abraham  returning 
from  the  slaughter,  and  blessed  him  and  made  him  his 
guest.      Looking  from  this  hill  towards  the  east,  you  will 
see  the  marshes  and  the  channel  of  Jordan,  blessed  among 
rivers.     Stretching  your  eyes  still  farther,  you  will  see  the 

*  See  the  curious  account  of  ihe  cave  or  groUo  in  'Abbot  Daniel 
(Ixxxviii.),  who  visited  it  in  no6  7  a.d. 


JOANNES  P  HOC  AS.  "      15 


parts  of  Lebanon  which  look  towards  the  east,  and  two 
great  hills,  between  which  Damascus  is  built.  Moving 
your  eye  aside  a  little  to  the  left  of  the  Jordan,  you  will 
see  the  sea  of  Tiberias  clearly  and  without  any  difficulty, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  which  appears  a  slight  rising 
ground,  whereon  the  Saviour  blessed  the  waves,  and  fed 
the  five  thousand,  and  after  the  Resurrection  ate  with  His 
disciples,  after  the  draught  of  the  hundred  and  fifty-three 
fishes ;  and  on  the  northern  side  of  the  same  hill,  another 
range  of  hills  encircles  the  plain  at  a  distance  of  about 
twelve  stadia  or  even  more.  Within  its  circuit  lies  the 
city  of  Naeim,*  wherein  the  Lord  raised  the  widow's  son 
from  the  dead.  Towards  the  eastern  side  of  the  same 
city  may  be  seen  the  place  (called)  Endor,  and  between 
Thabor  and  Naeim  and  Endor  runs  the  brook  Kishon, 
whereof  David  says :  *  Do  unto  them  as  unto  the 
Midianites ;  as  to  Sisera,  as  to  Jabin  at  the  brook  of 
Kison,  which  perished  at  Endor.'^j" 

XI L  At  a  distance  of  one  day's  journey  from  hence 
stands  the  city  of  Sebaste,J  which  Herod  the  Tetrarch 
restored  in  honour  of  Caesar ;  wherein  Herod  the  lesser 
cut  off  the  venerable  head  of  John  the  Baptist,  than  whom 
there  was  none  greater  among  those  born  of  women,  in 
the  very  midst  of  a  feast.  In  the  midst  of  this  city  is  the 
prison  into  which  he  was  cast  because  of  his  reproofs  of 
Herodias,  and  wherein  he  was  beheaded.  This  prison  is 
subterranean,  and  twenty  steps  lead  down  td  it ;  in  the 
midst  of  it  is  an  altar  standing  upon  the  place  where  he 
was  beheaded  by  the  soldier.§  On  the  right-hand  of  this 
altar  is  a  coffin,  wherein  is  placed  the  body  of  the  holy 
Zacharias,  the  father  of  the  Forerunner ;  and  on  the  left- 
hand  is  another  coffin,  wherein  lies  the  body  of  the  holy 

*  Nain,  Nein.  f  Psalm  Ixxxiii.  %  Sebustiyeh. 

§  Speculator. 


i6  JOANNES  PHOCAS. 

Elizabeth,  his  mother.  On  each  side  of  the  prison  are 
stored  up  the  remains  of  various  saints  and  of  the  disciples 
of  the  Forerunner.  Above  the  prison  stands  a  church, 
wherein  have  been  placed  two  coffins,  wrought  of  white 
marble,  whereof  the  one  on  the  right-hand  contains  the 
dust  of  the  burned  body*  of  the  venerable  Forerunner, 
the  other  the  body  of  the  prophet  Elisseus ;  and  above,  in 
a  golden  vessel,  the  left  hand  of  the  Forerunner,  itself 
also  covered  everywhere  with  gold.  In  the  midst  of  the 
upper  part  of  the  city  stands  a  hill,  upon  which  in  ancient 
times  stood  Herod's  palace,  where  the  feast  took  place, 
and  where  that  wicked  damsel  danced  and  received  the 
sacred  head  of  the  Baptist  as  the  reward  for  her  dancing. 
At  the  present  day,  however,  the  place  has  become  a 
Roman  monastery.  The  church  of  this  monastery  is 
covered  by  a  vault.  On  the  left  side  of  the  altar  is  a  little 
cell,  in  the  midst  of  which  is  a  medallion  of  marble,  lying 
at  the  bottom  of  a  very  deep  excavation,  wherein  was 
made  the  discovery  of  the  sacred  head  of  the  Forerunner, 
revered  by  angels,  which  had  been  buried  in  that  place  by 
Herodias. 

XIII.  Next,  after  a  journey  of  about  fifteen  stadia,  is 
Sichar,  the  chief  city  of  the  Samaritans,  which  afterwards 
was  called  Neapolis,t  lying  between  two  hills,  upon  the 
lower  parts  of  each  whereof  its  foundations  encroach  for 
a  considerable  distance.  Of  these  mountains,  that  on  the 
right-hand,J  according  to  the  Samaritans,  is  that  whereon 
.God  talked  with  Abraham  and  demanded  Isaac  in  sacri- 
fice, and  hereon,  according  to  their  tradition,  the  patriarch 
consummated  the  sacrifice,  albeit  they  know  not  what 
they  say ;  for  that  holy  mountain  is  the  rocky  Golgotha, 
upon  which  the  Saviour  endured  His  passion  for  the 
salvation  of  the  world.  At  the  foot  of  this  hill  is  the 
*  dTori^pw0€(c.  -j-  Nablus,  %  Mount  Gerizim. 


JOANNES  PHOCAS.  17 

place  which  Jacob  gave  to  Joseph  his  son,  wherein  is  the 
well  of  the  same  Jacob,  where  the  Lord  sat  down  when 
weary  and  talked  with  the  woman  of  Samaria,  as  is  told 
in  the  holy  Gospel.  It  was  about  this  same  hill  that  the 
woman  said  to  the  Lord,  '  Our  fathers  worshipped  in  this 
mountain,'  and  the  Lord  taught  all  men,  by  His  conversa- 
tion with  her,  how  those  who  worship  in  spirit  and  truth 
ought  to  worship. 

XIV.  From  Samaria  to  the  Holy  City  is  reckoned 
eighty-four  stadia  ;  the  road  is  all  paved  with  stone,  and, 
albeit  the  whole  of  that  region  is  dry  and  waterless,  yet  it 
abounds  with  vineyards  and  trees.  The  Holy  City  is 
placed  in  the  midst  of  ravines  and  hills,  and  the  sight 
thereof  is  wondrous ;  for  at  the  same  time  the  city 
appears  on  a  height  and  low-lying,  being  high  when  com- 
pared with  the  country  of  Judaea,  but  low  as  compared 
with  the  hills  with  which  it  is  connected.  This  holy  place 
is  divided  into  two  parts  :  the  Holy  City  is  built  upon  the 
lower  part  of  the  hill  on  the  right-hand,  and  its  circuit 
reaches  up  to  the  ravine ;  the  upper  part  of  this  is  all 
overgrown  with  vines,  wherein  took  place  the  stoning  of 
the  protomartyr  Stephen.  To  the  left  of  this,  and  on  the 
other  side  of  the  ravine,  is  the  Mount  of  Olives,  where  the 
Lord  often  loved  to  walk,  and  has  hallowed  the  whole 
place  by  His  prayer,  His  teaching,  and  finally  by  His 
wondrous  Ascension  to  the  Father.  The  holy  Sion  is  in 
front  of  the  Holy  City,  lying  towards  the  right-hand  side 
of  it.  Now  the  description  of  it  is  as  follows  :  There  is  a 
castle,  wherein  is  the  Holy  Sion,  the  mother  of  the 
Churches  ;  this  church  is  of  great  size,  with  a  vaulted 
roof.  When  one  has  entered  the  beautiful  gates  thereof, 
on  the  left  side  is  the  house  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist, 
wherein  the  thrice-blessed  Virgin  dwelt  after  the  Resurrec- 
tion, and  where  she  fell  asleep.     In  that  place  there  is  a 


i8  JOANNES  PHOCAS. 

small  cell  surrounded  by  an  iron  railing,  and  two  bosses 

on  the  spot  where  the  Blessed  Virgin  yielded  up  her  soul  to 

her  Son  and  to  God.     On  the  right  side  of  the  church,  on 

the  right-hand  side  of  the  altar,  there  is  an  upper  chamber, 

having  a  stair  of  sixty-one   steps  leading  to   it.      This 

church  has  four  arches  and  a  dome.     On  the  left  side  of 

the  upper  chamber   may  be   seen  the  place  where  the 

Lord's  Supper  took  place;  in  the  apse*  took  place  the 

descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the  Apostles.      In  the 

lower  part  of  this  church  took  place  the  Washing  (of  the 

Apostles'  feet) ;  and  opposite  it  is  a  church  on  the  spot 

where  the  building  stood  into  which  Christ  entered  to  the 

Apostles,  although  the  doors  were  closed.     Here,  after  his 

stoning,  the  protomartyr  Stephen  was  buried,  and  was 

removed  by  Gamaliel  to  another  place.     On  the  north 

side  of  the   city  stands   the  tower  which  is  called   the 

Tower  of  David,  and  it  is  a  very  great  tower  ;  but,  though 

it  be  declared  to  be  David's  Tower  by  all  men  who  dwell 

in  Jerusalem,  yet,  as  it  seems  to  me,  there  is  a  plausible 

objection  to  this  ;  for  Josephus  tells  us  that  this  tower  was 

built  of  polished  white  marble — both  it,  and  the  church, 

and  the  other  two  towers  which  were  afterwards  built  by 

Herod  and  named  after  Phaselis  and  Mariamne  ;  yet  this 

tower  may  be  seen  to  have  been  built  of  common  stone. 

Perhaps  the  tower  which  we  see  at  the  present  day  has 

been  built  upon  the  foundation  of  a  very  ancient  one. 

Near  this  tower  is  a  gate  leading  into  the  city,  by  which, 

♦  'Ev T(p  fivaKiTov  firjiiaTOQ.  Mval  is  defined  by  Sophocles  as  the  upper 
part  of  the  <coyx'y  of  a  church  ;  of  the  latter  word  he  says  :  •  fcoyx'?.  nu  '/» 
concha,  absis,  apsis,  or  apse  of  an  edifice.  Inscr.  4556.  The  apsis  of 
a  church  is  a  hollow  semi-cylinder  surmounted  by  the  fourth  part  of  a 
hollow  sphere.  Its  basis  constitutes  the  /3r;/in,  where  the  holy  table 
stands.  As  the  Eastern  Christians  regularly  pray  towards  the  east,  the 
absis  is  in  the  middle  of  the  east  end  of  the  church.' — Sophocles's 
Lexicon. 


JOANNES  P HOC  AS.  19 

if  you  enter,  you  will  proceed  along  a  wide  street,  on  the 
right-hand  of  which,  near  the  Royal  Palace,  stands  the 
hospice  of  our  holy  father  Sabba.*  Passing  about  an 
arrow-shot  along  the  street,  you  will  find  the  celebrated 
Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  the  appearance  of  which  is 
as  it  has  been  described  by  many  writers.  The  grotto 
which  serves  as  a  sepulchre  for  the  Lord's  Body  is  double, 
and  in  the  one  part  of  it  lies  the  stone  which  was  rolled 
away  (from  the  mouth  of  the  sepulchre),  protected  by  a 
casing  of  white  marble  ;  and  in  the  other  part,  on  the  north 
side,  is  a  hewn  rock,  rising  about  one  cubit  above  the  pave- 
ment,whereonwas  laid  the  naked  corpse  of  the  Giver  of  Life, 
which  is  now  to  be  seen  ornamented  round  about  with  pure 
gold,  through  the  love  and  faith  of  my  lord  and  master, 
Manuel  Comnenus,  Porphyrogenitus.t  Near  it  is  the  site  of 
Golgotha,  wherein  is  the  Place  of  a  Skull,  and  the  socket 
wrought  in  the  stone  for  the  Cross,  and  the  rent  of  the 
stone  that  was  rent  at  the  time  of  the  Passion  of  the 
Cross.  Beneath  the  rent  is  a  hollow  place  in  the  rock,  in 
which  is  Adam's  skull,  and  the  stains  of  the  blood  of  our 
Lord  which  were  shed  over  it.  The  church  built  over 
Golgotha  is  formed  of  four  arches  and  a  dome  ;  and  near 
this  church  is  a  vast  subterranean  church,  wherein  was 
discovered  the  venerable  and  life-giving  Cross  of  Christ 

*  This  is  the  same  hospice  at  which  the  Russian  Abbot  Daniel 
lodged  ;  see  '  Abbot  Daniel,'  i.  and  note. 

t  The  Emperor  Manuel  Comnenus  succeeded  to  his  father's  throne 
on  April  8th,  11 43.  'A  reign  of  thirty-seven  years  is  filled  by  a  per 
petual,  though  various,  warfare  against  the  Turks,  the  Christians,  and 
the  hordes  of  the  wilderness  beyond  the  Danube.  The  arms  of  Manuel 
were  exercised  on  Mount  Taurus,  in  the  plains  of  Hungary,  on  the 
coast  of  Italy  and  Egypt,  and  on  the  seas  of  Sicily  and  Greece ;  the 
influence  of  his  negotiations  extended  from  Jerusalem  to  Rome  and 
Russia  ;  and  the  Byzantine  monarchy,  for  a  while,  became  an  object 
of  respect  and  terror  to  the  powers  of  Asia  and  Europe.' — Gibbon 
'  Decline  and  Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire,'  ch.  48. 


JOANNES  PHOCAS, 


our  Lord.  Towards  the  eastern  side  of  the  city  is  a 
church,  which  is  the  Holy  of  Holies.  This  church  is 
most  exceedingly  beautiful,  having  a  vaulted  roof,  and 
standing  upon  the  ancient  foundation  of  the  renowned 
Temple  of  Solomon,  decorated  both  within  and  without 
with  variegated  marbles  and  mosaics.  On  the  left  side  of 
this  church  are  two  vaulted  chambers,  in  one  of  which  is 
depicted  the  Presentation  of  our  Lord  Christ,  because  in 
that  place  the  just  man  Simeon  received  our  Lord  Christ 
into  his  arms,  and  in  the  other  the  wondrous  ladder 
which  Jacob  saw  reaching  up  to  heaven,  with  the  angels 
of  God  ascending  and  descending  it ;  and  beneath  the 
picture  of  this  ladder  is  to  be  seen  the  stone  upon  which 
Jacob  laid  his  head.  On  the  right-hand  may  be  found  an 
opening  leading  down  to  a  grotto  beneath  the  church, 
wherein  is  buried  the  prophet  Zacharias,  whom  the  Jews 
slew,  according  to  the  Gospel,  between  the  Temple  and  the 
altar.  Without  the  church  is  a  large  paved  court,  bein  g 
I  imagine,  the  ancient  floor  of  the  Temple.  Near  the  gate, 
which  leads  to  the  holy  Gethsemane  is  the  Church  of 
St.  Joachim  and  St.  Anna,  wherein  the  birth  of  the 
immaculate  Virgin  took  place,  and  near  to  this  the  waters 
of  the  '  pool  which  is  near  the  Sheep-gate  '*  spring  forth. 
XV.  Beyond  this,  outside  of  the  city,  towards  the 
eastern  part  thereof,  in  the  midst  of  the  great  ravine-like 
chasm  which  divides  the  Mount  of  Olives  from  the  Holy 
City,  lies  the  place  called  Gethsemane,  wherein  is  the 
tomb  of  our  most  blessed  Lady  the  Virgin,  and  the  garden 
wherein  our  Saviour  often  rested  with  His  disciples. 
Here  also  are  three  churches  ;  that  furthest  to  the  left, 
lying  in  a  hollow  place  beneath  the  earth,  contains  the 

*  That  is,  Bethcsda  ;  the  pool  alluded  to  is  apparently  the  Piscina 
Probaiica,  close  to  the  Church  of  St.  Anne,  which  has  recently  been 
discoveieJ. 


JOANNES  P  HOC  AS.  it 

blessed  tomb  of  the  Virgin.     Now  this  church  is  very 
long,  and  entirely  covered  by  a  semicircular  vault.*  In  the 
midst  of  the   church    stands  the  tomb,  which  is  like  a 
pulpitjt  wrought  of  stone  in  the  shape  of  a  building  com- 
posed of  four  arches.     On  the  eastern  side  of  it  there  is, 
as  it  were,  a  bedj  wrought  out  of  the  same  stone,  and 
decorated  with   white    marble,  whereon  the  immaculate 
body  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  was  laid  by  the  Apostles  after 
it    had   been   brought   from    Sion.      Above   this  there  is 
another  church,  which  is  a  grotto,  wherein  the  Lord's 
Prayer  was  spoken,  and  the  Apostles  grew  heavy  with 
sleep  and  slept.    At  the  foot  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  about 
a  stone's-throw  distant,  stands  the  third  church,  at  the 
place    where   the  Gospel  tells  us   that    our  Lord,   after 
reproaching    His    disciples    because   of  their   indolence, 
betook  Himself  again  to  prayer,  when  sweat  ran  from 
Him  like  drops  of  blood.     In  this  garden   the  Betrayal 
took  place,  and  Judas  deceitfully  kissed  his  Master,  and 
the  rabble  of  the  Jews  held  Him  fast.     On  the  opposite 
side  of  the  garden,  on  the  upper  part  of  it,  over  against 
Sion,  is  a  church,  and  under  it  a  grotto,  into  which  Peter 
entered  after  the  Denial,  and  wept  bitterly.     Here  is  a 
picture  of  the  Apostle  in  his  grief.     Above  Gethsemane 
and  the  Church  of  the  Lord's  Prayer  the  Mount  of  Olives 
is  to  be  seen,  divided,  as   I  said  before,  from  the   Holy 
City   by   the    Valley   of  Jehosaphat   and   the    Valley  of 
Weeping  ;  the  place  is,  therefore,  a  hill,  which  is  a  little 
higher  than  the  city ;  wherefore  it  does  not  appear  very 
large  when  viewed  from  the  direction  of  the  city,  but  if 
you  look  at  it  from  the  direction  of  Jordan  and  Bethany, 
it  looks  very  lofty  indeed,  for  it  rises  by  a  gentle  ascent 

*  'O  Si  rotovTOQ  vaoQ  kar'tv  6  ttolq  SoXuitoc,  tnifiliKtig,  KvXivSpiorbg. 

f  'Afiliiltv. 

X  Capsuln,  aKfiiTTukov, 


22  JOANNES  P  HOC  AS. 

from  the  desert.  On  the  top  of  the  Mount  is  the  place 
where  our  Saviour  often  conversed  with  His  disciples  after 
His  Resurrection,  and  where  afterwards  He  wrought  that 
most  sublime  miracle,  His  Ascension.  Near  this,  in  a 
grotto  below,  may  be  seen  the  place  wherein  St.  Pelagia 
performed  her  ascetic  labours,  and  wherein  her  blessed 
body  now  rests  in  a  stone  coffin.  Near  this  is  another 
church,  where  our  Lord  gave  His  disciples  the  prayer 
*  Our  Father.'  On  the  left  side  of  the  city  is  a  monastery 
of  Latin  monks,  built,  it  is  said,  upon  the  foundations  of 
an  old  monastery,  founded  by  the  celebrated  Melane.  In 
front  of  this  mountain,  behind  the  city,  as  you  come  from 
Samaria,  is  a  monastery,*  into  which,  after  the  blessed 
protomartyr  Stephen  was  stoned  and  laid  in  the  place 
which  we  have  mentioned,  his  holy  and  blessed  body  was 
brought  by  Gamaliel.  The  ravine,  which  starts  from 
Gethsemane,  proceeds  as  far  as  me  lauraf  of  .St.  Saba  and 
the  desert  of  Ruba,t  which  lies  around  the  Dead  Sea  and 
Sodom. 

XV L  Immediately  beyond  Gethsemane,  not  more  than 
an  arrow-shot  distant,  stands  the  building  called  the 
'  Kettle,'§  which  is  built  upon  the  rock  in  a  square  form, 
of  the  height,  I  think,  of  two  spears,  and  tapering  like  a 
pyramid  from  the  base  to  the  summit,  wherein  an  Iberian 
monk  has  shut  himself  up,  and  is  working  out  his  own 
salvation.  Next  to  this  is  a  great  hill,  in  which  are 
various  artificial  grottos,  which  are  called  after  the  name 
of  the  Virgin,  and  are  inhabited  by  a  few  orthodox  and  by 

*  At  Caphar  Gamala.     '  Abbot  Daniel,'  app.  i. 

•f-  Aavpa  ag.t).  :  a  group,  Or  row,  of  monastic  cells  ;  not  to  be  con- 
founded with  KotvojSiov,  for  the  members  of  a  \avpa  did  not  live  in 
common.     Soph.  Diet.,  s.  v.     It  is  now  the  Convent  of  Mar  Saba. 

J  Tr;c  Tov  Pov/3a  ipijfiov.      See  'Abbot  Daniel '  xxxviii.  and  note. 

§  Vid.  Soph.  Diet.,  s.v.  »fo»'»cor;//os:.  Apparently  the  monument  known 
as  Absalom's  pillar. 


JOANNES  PHOCAS. 


a  larger  number  of  Armenian  and  Jacobite  monks.  After 
this,  the  ravine  widens  at  the  place  where  is  the  Valley  of 
Lamentations,  and  beyond  this  is  the  Potter's  Field, 
which  was  bought  with  the  price  of  our  Lord  to  bury 
strangers  in.  After  this  comes  the  Pool  of  Siloam,  which 
by  its  overflowing  waters  the  whole  of  that  dry  country. 
Beyond  this  are  to  be  seen  meadows  of  small  extent  in  the 
flat  part  of  the  valley,  with  trees  growing  in  them.  The 
spring  itself  is  surrounded  and  adorned  by  arches  and 
numerous  columns.  Thus,  as  I  have  already  said,  this 
valley  arrives  at  the  laura  of  St.  Saba,  a  distance  of  eleven 
miles.  There  the  valley  widens  into  a  great  dry  chasm, 
in  which  are  to  be  seen  the  laura,  the  church,  and  the 
tomb  of  the  saint.  In  front  of  the  laura,  on  both  sides  of 
the  ravine,  are  grottos  and  small  towers,  inhabited  by 
those  who  have  despised  the  world  and  its  luxuries  for  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven's  sake,  who  endure  its  unendurable 
heat,  and  by  means  of  a  quenchable  fire  quench  that 
which  is  unquenchable.  Upon  the  spot  where  stands  the 
church  and.  the  tomb  of  the  holy  father  Saba,  who  was 
inspired  by  God,  the  ravine  divides  into  three  parts,  and 
becomes  of  great  depth.  The  saint  built  towers  along 
the  edge  of  it,  and  in  the  midst  of  these  great  towers  built 
the  church,  and  all  around  it  wrought  these,  the  newest  of 
ascetic  cells,  as  is  recorded  in  the  account  of  his  mar- 
vellous life.  This  church  is  full  of  interest,  being  very 
large,  long,  full  of  light,  with  its  pavement  adorned  with 
marbles,  which,  though  of  small  cost  and  brought  from 
the  wilderness,  are  nevertheless  curiously  worked.  In 
front  of  the  temple  is  a  paved  court,  and  in  the  midst 
thereof  is  the  tomb  of  our  great  father  Saba,  rising  about 
a  palm  above  the  ground,  and  adorned  with  a  slab  of  the 
whitest  marble.  Close  by  and  round  about  this,  and  also 
beneath  the  earth,  may  be  seen  the  sepulchres  of  those 


24  JOANNES  PfWCAS. 


holy  fathers  whose  light  has  shone  in  the  wilderness,  and 
among  them  those  of  the  ancient  poets,  SS.  Cosmas  and 
John.*  Here  are  nearly  forty  inspired  men,  eminent 
beyond  all  others,  of  whom  six  converse  directly  with 
God,  their  names  being  Stephanus,  Theodorus,  Paulus  ; 
the  fourth  comes  from  Megalopolis,  the  fifth  is  a  Spaniard, 
and  the  sixth  is  Joannes  Stylita,  celebrated  among  man- 
kind for  his  spiritual  insight. 

XVII.  Returning,  then,  to  the  Holy  City,  not  by  the 
valley,  but  across  the  neighbouring  mountain-ridge,  at  a 
distance  of  six  miles  from  it,  you  will  find  the  monastery 
of  our  holy  father  Theodosius  the  Coenobiarch.f  This 
monastery  is  encircled  by  various  towers,  and  about  an 
arrow-shot  in  front  of  it  is  the  chamber  in  which,  as  we 
read  in  his  '  Life,'  extinguished  coals  were  lighted  in  the 
saint's  hand.  In  the  midst  of  the  monastery,  on  a  rising 
ground,  stands  the  church,  which  has  a  circular  roof,  and 
beneath  it  a  grotto,  in  which  is  the  tomb  of  the  saint,  and 
adjoining  it  several  chambers,  in  which  lie  the  relics  of 
great  saints.  When  you  descend  the  steps  into  this 
grotto  you  will  find  on  the  side  of  it  the  rnouth  of  another 
grotto,  into  which  the  disciple  of  Saint  Basilius  entered, 
and,  at  the  saint's  bidding,  chose  his  own  tomb,  as  we 
are  told  in  the  Lives  of  the  Fathers,  lay  dead  therein,  and 

•  This  is  thought  to  mean  John  of  Damascus.  '  Le  Menologc  que 
I'on  croit  etre  de  I'empereur  Basile,  mais  qui  n'est  pas  de  grande  autoriid, 
raconte  que  Saint  Damascene,  apres  avoir  did  reldgud  en  divers 
endroits,  et  souvent  mis  en  prison,  Pnit  sa  vie  par  le  martyre.  Les 
autres  historiens  grecs  ne  disent  rien  de  semblable  :  au  contraire, 
Jean  Phocas,  qui  ecrivait  dans  le  xiic  si6cle,  assure  dans  la  description 
qu'il  a  faite  de  la  Palestine,  que  I'on  montrait  encore  de  son  temps  dans 
le  monastere  de  Saint  Sabas,  a  I'entrde  de  I'eglise,  le  tombeau  de  Saint 
Damascene,  ce  qui  est  une  preuve  certain  qu'il  y  mourut  en  paix.' — 
Ceillier,  '  Histoire  Gdndrale  des  Auteurs  Ecclesiastiques.'  Paris,  1862. 
Vol.  xii.,  p.  68. 

t  Chief  of  a  monastery — abbot.     Now  Khurbet  Dcir  Ibn  'Obeid. 


JOANNES  PHOCAS. 


afterwards  for  forty  days  at  the  time  of  service  was  seen 
singing  hymns  together  with  the  saint  and  the  brethren. 

XVIII.  Opposite  the  aforesaid  monastery,  more  to- 
wards the  right-hand,  in  the  depths  of  the  wilderness  of 
Jordan,*  is  the  monastery  of  Saint  Euthymius  the  Great,t 
which  also  is  fortified  with  towers  and  great  ramparts. 
In  the  midst  of  this  stands  a  church  which,  hke  the  other, 
has  a  round  roof :  beneath  it  is  a  grotto,  and  in  the  midst 
of  the  grotto  is  the  tomb  of  Euthymius  the  Great,  which 
is  like  the  monument  of  the  inspired  Saba,  being  covered 
like  it  with  white  marble.  Herein  also  are  buried  the 
remains  of  the  holy  fathers  Pasarion  and  Domitian. 

XIX.  Beyond  this  monastery  there  is  an  interval  of  twelve 
miles,  after  which  you  will  find  a  great  ravine,  down  the 
middle  of  which  a  torrent  flows.  On  the  opposite  side  of 
this  ravine  is  the  monastery  of  Choziba,|  a  thing  not  to  be 
believed  when  described,  and  inspiring  wonder  when 
beheld ;  for  the  cells  of  the  monks  are  the  mouths  of 
caves,  and  the  church  itself  and  the  cemetery  is  excavated 
out  of  the  solid  rock,  and  is  heated  to  such  a  degree  by 
the  rays  of  the  sun  that  one  can  see  pyramidal-shaped 
tongues  of  flame  bursting  forth  from  the  rock.  The  water 
which  is  drunk  by  the  monks  is  of  the  following  descrip- 
tion :  it  is  like  that  of  a  stagnant  pool,  which  has  been 
warmed  by  the  noonday  sun  at  midsummer,  and  thoroughly 
heated  by  the  fiery  rays.  In  this  monastery  I  saw  many 
holy  men,  one  of  whom  is  a  worker  of  wonders,  and  one 
who  holds  direct  converse  with  God.  The  name  of  this 
ancient  is  Luke.  It  was  with  some  danger  that  I  climbed 
into  and  out  of  this  monastery,  both  because  of  the  pre- 
cipitous nature  of  the  place,  and  the  overpowering  heat  of 
the  sun. 

*  ITspt  TO  fiaQog  Ttjg  iprifiov  tov  lopSavov, 

f  Klitirbet  Mini. 

%  Deir  el-Kelt.     See  '  Abbot  Daniel,'  xxvii. 


26  /CANNES  P  HOC  AS. 


XX.  After  this  comes  a  long,  narrow,  and  very  rough 
road,  leading  to  the  back  of  the  wilderness,  before  you 
come  to  which  you  see  in  the  midst  of  it  two  mountains, 
between  which  the  road  to  Jericho  passes  :  on  this  road 
there  is  no  stone  pavement,  but,  nevertheless,  the  outline  of 
it  can  be  faintly  traced  ;  but,  at  the  present  day,  all  the 
neighbouring  country  abounds  with  springs  of  water  for 
the  use  of  the  monasteries  which  have  been  founded  in  the 
wilderness,  for  the  land,  having  been  divided  and  parcelled 
out  among  these  holy  monasteries,  has  become  well  wooded 
and  full  of  vines  ;  so  that  the  monks  have  built  towers  upon 
their  fields,  and  reap  rich  harvests  from  them.  The 
appearance  of  the  whole  desert,  and  Jordan,  and  the  Dead 
Sea  of  Sodom,  according  to  my  conjecture,  is  much  like 
that  of  Achris,*  with  only  this  difference,  that  water  flows 
out  of  the  Lake  at  Achris  and  waters  many  of  the  sur- 
rounding valleys,  which  are  called  strougas  by  the  inhabi- 
tants, while  here  the  Jordan  flows  into  the  lake.  Moreover, 
the  width  of  the  wilderness  is  many  times  as  great  as  that 
of  the  plain  of  Achris. 

XXI.  On  the  right-hand  side  of  the  double  mountain 
of  which  I  have  spoken  lies  the  side  of  the  Dead  Sea,  and 
beyond  it  Segor.  There,  beyond  this  desert,  the  great 
desert  of  Ruba  may  be  seen  after  one  has  passed  between 
the  two  monasteries,  I  mean  that  of  St.  Euthymius  and 
that  of  the  Laura.  On  the  left  of  the  mountains  and  of 
the  road  may  be  seen  the  hill  whereon  the  Saviour,  after 
his  forty  days'  fast,  underwent  the  two  temptations  by  the 
Tempter,  who  retired  conquered  and  covered  with  shame; 
and  opposite  to  this  hill,  at  a  distance,  I  should  say,  of  six 
miles,  there  is  a  hill  with  a  church  upon  it,  whereon  the 
Archangel  Michael  conferred  with  Joshua,  the  son  of 
Nun. 

♦  Achris,  in  lllyria,  or  according  to  'Acta  Sanctorum'  in  Macedonia. 


JOANNES  PHOCAS.  27 

XXII.  On  the  banks  of  the  Jordan  are  built  three 
monasteries,  namely,  that  of  the  Forerunner,  of  Chrysos- 
tom  .  .  .  the  monastery  of  the  Forerunner  having 
been  levelled  with  the  ground  by  an  earthquake,  now  by 
the  munificent  hand  of  our  Emperor,  Manuel  Comnenus 
Porphyrogenitus,  crowned  by  God,*  has  been  entirely  re- 
built, the  prior  being  entrusted  with  the  superintendence 
of  the  restoration.  At  a  distance  of  about  two  bowshots 
from  hence  flows  Jordan,  the  most  holy  of  rivers,  wherein 
my  Lord  Jesus,  having  embraced  poverty,  wrought  out  by 
baptism  the  great  mystery  of  my  redemption  ;  and  on  its 
bank,  about  a  stone's-throw  distant,  is  a  square  vaulted 
building,  wherein  Jordan,  bending  back  its  stream,  em- 
braced the  naked  body  of  Him  who  covereth  the  heavens 
with  clouds,  and  the  right  hand  of  the  Forerunner  tremb- 
lingly touched  His  head,  and  the  Spirit  in  the  likeness  of 
a  dove  descended  upon  its  kindred  Word,  and  the  voice  of 
the  Father  bore  witness  to  the  Redeemer's  being  His  own 
Son. 

XXIII.  Between  the  monastery  of  the  Forerunner  and 
the  Jordan  is  the  little  hill  of  Hermoniim,-|-  whereon  the 
Saviour  stood  and  was  poiiited  out  to  the  crowd  by  the 
finger  of  John  the  Baptist,  as  Him  that  taketh  away  the 
sins  of  the  world.  Between  the  monasteries  of  the  Fore- 
runner and  that  of  Calamon,  the  monastery  of  S.  Gerasi- 
mus  had  been  washed  away  even  to  its  foundations  by  the 
waters  of  Jordan,  so  that  no  part  of  it  remains  visible 
except  a  few  remains  of  the  church,  and  two  grottos,  and 
a  pillar  for  recluses,  wherein  is  built-up  a  tall  old  Spaniard, 
a  very  pleasing  and  admirable  person,  from  whose  con- 
versation we  derived  much  benefit ;  for  indeed  a  species 
of  divine  grace  adorns  this  old  man.  We  consider  it 
necessary   to   relate  to   all   those   who   take   an  earnest 

*  Ofoff-t-fZ/e,  t  See  Psalm  xlii.  6. 


28  JOANNES  PHOCAS, 

delight  in  heavenly  things,  by  way  of  a  treat,  a  miracle 
which  was  wrought  a  few  days  before  our  visit  to  him. 
The  eddying  and  tortuous  waters  of  Jordan  have,  as  may 
be  expected,  many  pieces  of  land  adjacent  to  them,  on 
which  a  great  quantity  of  reeds  are  wont  to  grow. 
These  reeds  are  the  haunt  of  lions,  two  of  which  used 
every  Saturday  to  come  to  the  old  man's  cell,  and,  rubbing 
their  heads  against  the  column,  asked  for  food  by  the 
expression  of  their  eyes,  which,  being  willingly  given  them, 
they  returned  rejoicing  to  their  haunts  beside  the  bends  of 
the  river.  Their  food  was  vegetables  moistened  with  water, 
and  bread  made  either  of  corn  or  of  barley-meal.  Once, 
when  they  came  and  demanded  their  usual  food  by  the  move- 
ments of  their  eyes,  the  old  man  had  no  means  of  satisfy- 
ing the  creatures,  for  it  happened  that  for  an  interval  of 
twenty  days  that  holy  man  had  received  no  food ;  he 
therefore  said  to  them,  *  Ye  beasts,  since  I  have  had  no 
means  of  refreshing  the  weakness  of  my  own  nature  by 
any  sort  of  food  now  for  twenty  days,  or  of  supplying  my- 
self with  the  usual  necessaries,  by  the  command  of  God, 
who  is  easily  able  to  fulfil  our  needs,  it  is  necessary  that 
you  should  proceed  to  the  stream  of  Jordan,  and  bring  to 
me  a  small  piece  of  wood,  from  which  I  may  make  little 
crosses,  and  give  them  for  a  blessing  to  men  who  have 
made  a  vow  of  pilgrimage  ;  and  they,  according  as  each 
man  is  disposed,  will  give  me  in  return  some  small  coins, 
with  which  we  may  buy  provisions  both  for  me  and 
for  you.'  So  he  spoke,  and  the  beasts  hearkened  to  him, 
and^  as  though  endued  with  reason,  proceeded  to  the  stream 
of  Jordan;  and  after  a  while,  O  miracle!  they  bore  two 
logs  of  wood  upon  their  necks,  and,  laying  them  down  at 
the  base  of  the  column,  ran  promptly  away  to  the  marshes 
of  Jordan.  But  enough  of  this ;  let  us  proceed  to  the 
description  of  the  places. 


JOANNES  PHOCAS.  2g 


XXIV.  The  monastery  of  Calamon  also  is  built  with 
towers  and  curtain-walls,*  and  in  the  midst  of  it  stands  a 
church  built  with  cement,  covered  by  a  vault,  resting 
upon  cylindrical  arches.  With  this  is  connected  on  the 
right  hand  another  exceedingly  small  vaulted  church, 
built,  it  is  said,  in  the  times  of  the  Apostles,  in  the  apse 
of  which  is  a  picture  of  the  Virgin  with  the  Saviour  Christ 
in  her  arms,  being  in  form,  colour,  and  size  like  that  of  the 
oBTjy^Tpia  in  the  imperial  city.  There  is  an  ancient  tra- 
dition that  it  was  painted  by  the  hand  of  the  Apostle  and 
Evangelist  St.  Luke  ;  and  what  tends  to  corroborate  this 
story  are  the  frequent  miracles  wrought  by  the  picture, 
and  the  thrilling  perfume  which  proceeds  from  it.  Next 
to  this,  about  five  stadia  distant,  is  the  monastery  of 
Chrysostom ;  and  about  a  bowshot  from  this  is  a  hermitage, 
wherein  a  tall  man  lives  a  contemplative  life.  He  is  a 
Spaniard,  of  simple  habits  and  modest  speech,  who 
formerly  for  many  years  practised  asceticism  upon  a  stone 
set  up  near  the  Sea  of  Attalia,-!-  where  I  myself  met  him 
when  I  was  serving  in  the  army  of  the  most  glorious 
Emperor  Comnenus  Porphyrogenitus. 

XXV.  Beyond  the  Jordan,  opposite  to  the  place  of  our 
Lord's  baptism,  is  much  brushwood,  in  the  midst  of  which, 
at  the  distance  of  about  one  stadium,  is  the  grotto  of  John 
the  Baptist,  which  is  very  small,  and  not  capable  of  con- 
taining a  well-built  man  standing  upright,  and  opposite 
this,  in  the  depth  of  the  desert,J  is  another  grotto,  in  which 
the  Prophet  Elias  dwelt  when  he  was  carried  off  by  the 
fiery  chariot.  Beyond  these  grottos,  upon  the  banks  of 
the  Jordan,  is  said  to  be  the  wilderness  wherein  the  vener- 
able Zosimus  was  thought  worthy  to  behold  the  angelic 

*  Kopru-fr,  curtain.     Soph.  j.t/.     See 'Abbot  Daniel '  xxxiv. 

t  The  Gulf  of  Adalia. 

X  Kariaov,  nepi  to  (SdOog  rijg  ipijuov. 


30  JOANNES  P  HOC  AS. 


Egyptian  lady.*  Beyond  the  hills  is  the  wilderness  leading 
to  Sinai,  and  Rhaetho,  and  the  Red  Sea.  Here  endeth 
my  discourse  about  the  wilderness. 

XXVI.  On  the  right-hand  side  of  the  Holy  City  of 
Jerusalem,  in  the  direction  of  the  Tower  of  David,  there 
is  a  hill  covered  with  vines,  and  on  the  lower  part  thereof 
a  monastery  of  Spanish  monks,  within  the  circuit  of  which 
it  is  said  that  the  wood  for  the  glorious  Cross  was  cut. 
Beyond  this  begins  the  mountain  region,  very  properly  so- 
called,  since  for  a  distance  of  many  stadia  the  hills  become 
steeper  and  steeper.  About  fourteen  stadia  from  the 
Holy  City  may  be  seen  the  house  of  Zacharias  the 
prophet,  wherein  after  the  Annunciation  the  Immaculate 
Virgin  rose  and  walked  with  speed,  and  embraced  Eliza- 
beth, whose  child  leaped  within  her  womb  for  joy,  as 
though  saluting  its  lady  by  its  leaping,  and  the  Virgin  pro- 
nounced that  admirable  prophetic  song.  There  is  a  castle 
at  this  place,  and  a  church  built  over  a  grotto  ;  in  the  inner- 
most recesses  of  the  grotto  took  place  the  birth  of  the 
Forerunner,  and  at  a  distance  of  about  two  bowshots, 
on  a  higher  part  of  the  mountain,  is  the  stone  which  split 
asunder  and  received  within  itself  the  mother  of  the 
Baptist,  with  her  child  in  her  arms,  when  she  was  fleeing 
away  during  Herod's  massacre  of  the  children.t 

XXVII.  Outside  of  Jerusalem,  between  the  two  roads, 
one  of  which  leads  to  the  mountain  region  and  the  other 
to  the  monastery  of  the  Abbot  and  the  Laura,  is  a 
mountain,  and  a  road  thereon  leading  from  the  holy 
Mount  Sion  to  Bethlehem.  The  city  of  Bethlehem  is 
about  six  miles  distant  from  the  Holy  City.  Half-way 
between  it  and  the  Holy  City  stands  the  monastery  of  the 

*  Compare  the  description  of  the  Jordan  district  in  'Abbot 
Daniel,'  xxvii.-xxxv. 

t  '  Abbot  Daniel,'  lix.,  Ix.  The  home  of  Zacharias  and  the  holy 
places  mentioned  were  at  ^Aiii  Kdrim. 


JOANNES  P  HOC  AS.  31 

holy  prophet  Ehas,  which  was  built  by  ^odly  men  in  very 
ancient  times,  but  has  been  entirely  thrown  down  by  an 
earthquake.     This,    however,   that   universal  benefactor, 
my  master  and  Emperor,  has  raised  from  its  foundations, 
at  the  prayer  of  a  Syrian,  who  is  the  chief  of  the  com- 
munity.    The  tomb  of  Rachel  forms  a  triangle  with  the 
monastery  and  Bethlehem,  being  formed  in  the  shape  of  a 
vault  supported  by  four  arches.     On  the  left-hand  side  ot 
holy  Bethlehem,  and  half-way  between  it  and  the  Abbot's 
monastery,  one  sees  a  field,  and  in  the  midst  of  the  field 
a  grotto,  wherein  the  blessed  shepherds  who  watched  by 
night  heard  the  angels'  hymn,  as  they  sang  *  Glory  to  God 
in  the  highest,  and  on  earth  peace  and  salvation  to  the 
world,'   through   the    birth  of  my   God  from   the  Virgin 
Mother.     The  holy  Bethlehem  is  built  upon  a  rocky  hill, 
wherein  is  the  sacred  grotto  and  the  manger,  and  the  well 
from  which  David  desired  to  drink ;  and  a  church  of  great 
length  is  to  be  seen,  built  upon  the  top  of  the  grotto  ;  it  is 
of  great  size,  in  the  figure  of  a  cross,  roofed  with  beams  of 
imperishable   wood  ;  but  the  ceiling    above  the  altar  is 
formed  of  a  stone  vault.     This  most  beautiful  and  vast 
church  was  also  built  by  the  munificent  hand  of  my  world- 
saving  Emperor,  who  has  also  adorned  the  entire  church 
with  golden  mosaic-work  :  wherein  in  many  places,  and 
especially  in  the  sacrarium  itself,  above  the  holy  grotto, 
the  pastor  in  charge  of  those  in  that  place  who  follow  the 
Latin   rite    has    placed    the   beauteous   portrait   of    the 
Emperor,  probably  meaning  thereby  to  thank  him  for  his 
magnanimity.     Now  the  position    of  the  grotto,  of  the 
manger,  and  of  the  well  is  as  follows  :  On  the  left  side  of 
the  sacrarium  (/3»;/xa)  is  the  opening  into  the  holy  grotto, 
and  close  by  is  that  well  of  which  our  forefather  David 
desired  to  drink  both  bodily  and  spiritually.     Two  men 
who  were  highest  in  his  favour  cut  their  way  through  the 


JOANNES  PHOCAS. 


enemy's  camp,  drew  the  water  in  the  bucket,  and  brought 
it  to  allay  his  burning  thirst,  and  he  performed  that  cele- 
brated action  of  pouring  it  as  a  libation  in  honour  of  God, 
the  fame  of  which  is  still  noised  abroad.  From  the 
entrance  of  the  grotto  to  the  bottom  is  a  descent  of  six- 
teen steps.  Upon  the  northern  side  of  it  is  that  holy  inn, 
wherein  the  Virgin  was  delivered  of  the  Saviour  Christ, 
and  all  creation  beheld  God  in  the  flesh,  and  the  whole 
world  was  made  new,  and  I,  mortal  as  I  am,  am  made  rich 
in  the  divinity  of  my  God  and  Creator,  who  took  my 
poverty  upon  Himself.  One  step  below  this  may  be 
seen  the  manger  of  the  beasts,  of  an  equal-sided  quad- 
rangular shape,  which  the  ancients  have  covered  with 
white  marble,  leaving  a  round  aperture  in  the  middle  of 
it,  through  which  a  portion  can  be  seen  of  that  manger 
which  contained  the  Infinite  One,  which  is  wider  than  the 
heavens,  and  far  more  extensive  than  the  earth,  and  the 
sea,  and  the  parts  below  the  earth  :  for  it  easily  contained 
Him,  when  an  infant,  whom  they  were  not  able  to  con- 
tain. I  leap  for  joy  as  I  write,  and  am  altogether  in  the 
spirit  within  that  holy  grotto.  I  see  the  cloth  which 
covered  our  Lord  at  His  birth,  the  laying  of  the  new-born 
babe  in  the  manger,  and  I  am  thrilled  by  the  thought  of 
the  Saviour's  love  for  me,  and  His  extreme  poverty, 
through  which  He  has  made  me  worthy  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven.  Yet  I  think  that  the  grotto  is  a  palace,  and  that 
the  King  sat  upon  the  Virgin's  bosom  as  upon  a  throne, 
and  I  see  choirs  of  angels  encircling  the  grotto,  and  the 
Magi  bringing  gifts  to  the  King.  I  am  filled  with  all 
manner  of  delight,  and  rejoice  to  think  what  grace  I  have 
been  thought  worthy  to  receive.  The  artist  has  painted 
with  a  skilful  hand  in  that  grotto  the  mysteries  which 
there  took  place.  In  the  apse  is  figured  the  Virgin  reclin- 
ing upon  her  bed,  with  her  left  hand  placed  beneath  her 


JOANNES  P  HOC  AS.  33 

right  elbow,  and  leaning  her  cheek  upon  her  right  hand 
as  she  looks  at  her  infant,  showing  her  innate  modesty  in 
her  smiling  expression  and  in  the  colour  of  her  cheeks  ;  for 
her  colour  is  not  changed,  nor  is  she  pale,  like  one  who 
has  recently  borne  a  child,  and  that  for  the  first  time ;  for 
she  who  was  thought  worthy  to  bear  a  child  who  was  more 
than  man  must  also  have  been  spared  the  pains  of  child- 
birth.    Beyond  her  are  the  ox  and  the  ass,  the  manger 
and  the  babe,  and  the  company  of  shepherds  in  whose 
ears  the  voice  of  Heaven  rang  so  that  they  left  their  flocks, 
allowing  their  sheep  to  pasture  unwatched  upon  the  grass 
beside  the  spring,  giving  their  dog  charge  of  them,  while 
they  raised  their  necks  heavenwards,  listening  eagerly  to 
the  sound  of  the  voice,  standing  in  various  attitudes,  as 
each  thought  that  he  could  stand  most  easily ;  their  shep- 
herds' crooks  appear   useless,    but   their   eyes   are  fixed 
upon  Heaven,  and  drawing  their  right  hands  backwards 
as  if  to  hurl  a  dart,  they  eagerly  strain  their  ears :  yet  they 
did  not  need  to  hear  the  voice  a  second  time,  since  eyes 
are  more  trustworthy  than  ears;    for  an  angel  meeting 
them  shows  them  the  babe  lying  in  the  manger.  The  beasts 
do  not  turn  round  to  behold  this  sight,  but  stupidly  betake 
themselves,  the  one  to  the  grass,  and  the  other  to  the 
above-mentioned  spring;  but  the  dog,  a  creature  that  is 
savage   with   strangers,    appears   to    be    intently   gazing 
upon  the  unwonted  spectacle;    while   the   Magi,  leaping 
from    their    horses,   bearing   their   gifts  in   their   hands, 
and  bending  their    knees,   present   them   to   the  Virgin 
with  awe. 

XXVni.  About  two  miles  outside  holy  Bethlehem,  in 
the  Abbot's  monastery,  there  is  a  grotto  wherein  the  Magi 
were  warned  by  an  oracle  not  to  return  to  Herod,  and 
they  returned  by  another  way  to  their  own  country. 
About  six  miles  beyond  this  Laura,  near  the   desert  of 


JOANNES  P HOC  AS. 


Ruba,  in  the  monastery  of  St.  Chariton,*  and  at  a  con- 
siderable distance  beyond  it,  is  the  double  tomb  of  Abra- 
ham, which  is  in  Hebron,  and  the  oak  of  Mamre,  beneath 
which  the  patriarch  Abraham  entertained  the  holy  Three. 
This  is  the  description  (of  the  holy  places)  from  Ptolemais 
through  Galilee,  as  far  as  Jerusalem,  the  Holy  City,  the 
Jordan,  and  the  holy  wilderness.  Those  on  the  sea-coast 
are  as  follows : — 

XXIX.  At  a  distance  of  about  six  miles  from  Jerusalem, 
the  Holy  City,  is  the  city  of  Armathem,t  wherein  the  great 
prophet  Samuel  was  born  ;  and  at  a  distance  of  about 
seven  miles,  or  rather  more,  beyond  it,  is  the  large  city  of 
Emmaus,t  built  upon  a  rising  ground  in  the  midst  of  a 
valley.  Here  for  about  four-and-twenty  miles  extends 
the  country  of  Ramplea,§  wherein  may  be  seen  a  very  great 
church  of  the  great  and  holy  martyr  George.  ||  Here  also 
was  he  born,  and  did  great  works  for  holiness,  and  here, 
too,  is  his  blessed  tomb.  The  church  is  oblong,  and  in 
the  apse,  under  the  place  of  the  holy  table,  one  sees  the 
mouth  of  his  sepulchre,  faced  all  round  with  white  marble. 
It  is  worth  while  to  tell  what  I  heard  from  the  priests  of 
this  church  as  to  what  took  place  a  few  years  ago  at  the 
tomb  of  the  saint.  They  said  that  the  present  intruded 
Bishop  of  the  Latin  rite  ventured  to  open  the  mouth  of 
the  sepulchre,  and  that  when  the  marble  slab  which  closed 
it  was  taken  away  there  was  disclosed  a  large  grotto,  on 
the  inner  side  of  which  was  found  the  tomb  of  the  saint ; 
when,  however,  he  endeavoured  to  open  this  also,  fire  was 
seen  to  flash  forth  from  the  sepulchre,  and  left  one  of  the 
men  half  burned  and  another  burned  to  death. 

*  '  Charison '   in  the    Latin    translation.      Khurbet  el-Khureitun^ 
between  the  Frank  Mountain  and  Tekoa. 
t  NebiSamwil.  J  'Amwas.  §  Ramleh. 

II  The  Church  of  St.  George  at  Lydda,  Liidd. 


JOANNES  P HOC  AS.  35 


XXX.  Beyond  this  country  is  Caesarea  Philippi,*  a  large 
and  populous  city,  built  on  the  shore  of  the  sea.  In  it 
is  a  truly  wonderful  harbour,  made  by  human  skill,  an 
enormous  expenditure  having  been  incurred  by  Herod  for 
its  construction.  Here  it  was  that  Christ  asked  the 
Apostles,  *  Whom  do  men  say  that  I,  the  Son  of  man, 
am?'  and  Peter  answered  him,  'Thou  art  the  Christ, 
the  Son  of  God,'  showing  by  his  words  the  fervour  of 
his  love. 

XXXI.  Beyond  this  is  the  Mount  Carmel,  about  which 
we  read  much  both  in  the  Old  and  the  New  Testament. 
It  is  a  long  ridge,  beginning  at  the  Bay  of  Ptolemais  and 
Caipha,t  and  reaching  as  far  as  the  mountains  of  Galilee. 
At  the  end  of  the  range  which  is  nearest  to  the  sea  is  the 
cave  of  the  prophet  Elias,  in  which  that  marvellous  man, 
after  having  lived  like  the  angels,  was  caught  up  into 
Heaven.  At  this  place  there  was  once  a  large  monastery, 
as  the  ruined  buildings  which  remain  at  the  present  day 
tell  us  ;  but  time,  which  wears  out  all  things,  and  successive 
invasions  of  the  enemy,  have  ruined  it  utterly.  However, 
some  time  ago  a  monk,  an  ordained  priest,  with  white 
hair,  a  native  of  Calabria,  in  consequence  of  a  vision  of 
the  prophet,  came  to  that  place,  where  he  dwelt  in  the 
ruins  of  the  monastery,  having  built  a  little  rampart, 
and  a  tower,  and  a  small  church,  and  collected  together 
about  ten  brethren:  and  he  inhabits  that  holy  place  at 
this  day. 

XXXII.  Here  let  my  description  end,  now  that  I  have 
accomplished  the  circuit  of  the  holy  places.  If  my  readers 
shall  think  this  a  useful  work,  I  shall  consider  myself  to  be 
recompensed  for  my  toil  and  amply  rewarded  ;  if  not,  let 

*  Really   Caesarea   Palasstina,   now  Kaisarlyeh,      'Abbot  Daniel, 
(Ixv.)  falls  into  the  same  curious  error. 
Haifa. 


36  JOANNES  PHOCAS. 

this,  my  child,  return  to  me  who  begat  it,  and  by  its 
babbhngs  remind  me  of  those  holy  places,  so  that  I  may 
be  sweetly  refreshed  in  imagination  by  the  remembrance 
of  them. 


THE  END. 


BILLING  AND  SONS,   PRINTERS,  GUILDFORD> 


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2.  HovLBC'  of  Sinxxrrv  they  Just- 

3.  The,  Stahles. 

4.  BrxLuti/vJj  Gate/. 

5.  Plaxx/ of  ZxixharixuB. 

6.  Chapel  of  SP  Jcumee. 

7.  CdnoTLs'  CLaieters. 

8.  Couvorve' Abbey 

9.  Betheedjcu. 

10.  Cfv.ofSpAnne. 

11.  Ov.  of  S*:  Mary  MoLgdalerve^ 


;2  Ar6hj. 

13.    Carutrts'  CLoiaters. 

/4.  CtuSPMary  th/i  Great/. 

16.   Civ.  SPMctry  the,  Lcutirv. 

16.  Sfpspice,  of  Sr  Saba/. 

17.  Chi.cfS.tTames  the,  Great. 

18.  HovLse  of  the.  Germane. 

19.  CharrveL  IIouJBe/  ofOve/Liorv. 
ZO.  Place/  at'  Which  Sr  Stgyhfin/  was  stanedj. 
Z1.  The/PaA/ehvent.  Pracloriurrv. 

22.  Pooh  of  SiLoei  anjdb  OaJo  ofRogeL. 

23.  Ch/.  ofSP  ScwiotAjr. 


A.c^tcLcimjLL  Q 


Sf 


PAteSTINE  PILGRIMS' TEXT  SOCIETY. 


KS-WellerJitho. 


^akstinc  pilgrims'  '^ixt  §oddr). 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION 
OF  THE  HOLY  PLACES. 

(Circa  1172  a.d.) 


AUBREY    STEWART,    M.A. 


LONDON : 
24,    HANOVER    SQUARE,    W. 

1896. 


PREFACE  TO  THEODERICH,  BASED  UPON 
THAT  OF  TOBLER. 


Nothing  certain  seems  to  be  known  of  Theoderich  except 
his  name.  It  is  probable  that  he  is  the  Dietrich  mentioned 
in  John  of  Wiirzburg's  *  Introductory  Epistle,'  but  there  is 
no  certain  proof  of  this,  nor  have  we  any  means  of  identi- 
fying him  with  *  Theodericus,  Praepositus  de  Werdea,'  or 
'  Theodericus,  Praepositus  de  Onolsbach,'  whom  we  find 
mentioned  in  the  records  at  Wurzburg  at  the  end  of  the 
twelfth  century.  Probably,  as  is  stated  in  the  Preface  to 
John  of  Wurzburg,  he  was  that  Theoderich  who  became 
Bishop  of  Wurzburg  in  1223.  He  was,  we  know,  a  German, 
and,  almost  certainly,  a  Rhine-lander ;  for  he  tells  us  how 
on  Palm  Sunday  he  and  his  companions  buried  their  fellow- 
pilgrim  named  Adolf  of  Cologne  in  the  Potter's  Field  near 
Jerusalem,  while  the  comparison  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre  at  Jerusalem  with  the  church  at  Aix  la  Chapelle 
proves  that  he  was  familiar  with  that  country. 

Theoderich  and  John  of  Wurzburg  in  many  parts  of 
their  narratives,  especially  when  describing  what  they  did 
not  personally  behold,  agree  very  closely,  using  in  some 
instances  the  same  words.  They  may  have  copied  one 
another,  but  it  seems  more  probable  that  both  of  them,  or 
at  any  rate  John  of  Wiirzburg,  as  also  Eugesippus  Fretillus 
and  other  writers,  copied  this  part  from  a  brief  geographical 
and  historical  account  of  the  Holy  Land  and  its  neighbour- 


iv  PREFACE  TO  THEODERICH, 

hood  which  was  then  much  in  men's  hands,  and  which  will 
here  for  the  sake  of  shortness  be  called  '  the  old  compen- 
dium.' A  certain  amount  of  light  is  given  us  by  the  ex- 
pressed intention  of  John  of  Wiirzburg  to  write  only  about 
Jerusalem  and  its  neighbourhood — *  the  holy  places  within 
and  without  the  walls  being  those  which  alone  we  mean  to 
describe  ....  whereas  we  have  no  intention  of  giving  any 
account  of  those  which  are  in  the  neighbouring  province, 
knowing  that  enough  has  been  already  said  about  thcin  by 
other  writers.'  It  is  worthy  of  remark  that  Thietmar  (ed, 
Laurent,  xxvi.)  does  the  exact  opposite  of  this,  although 
there  was  much  to  be  said  about  Jerusalem,  because  that 
city  had  already  been  thoroughly  described  by  many 
writers.  Indeed,  John  of  Wiirzburg  docs  not  carry  out  his 
intention,  since  he  gives  a  circumstantial  account  of  the 
holy  places  of  Galilee  also,  whereby  he  excites  the  suspi- 
cion that  in  so  doing  he  merely  acted  as  a  copyist,  since 
one  would  not  willingly  suppose  that  the  account  of  the 
more  distant  regions  was  added  to  that  of  the  topography 
of  Jerusalem  and  its  neighbourhood  by  another  hand. 
Theoderich  starts  with  the  distinct  declaration  that  his 
description  rests  partly  upon  what  he  himself  saw,  and 
partly  upon  trustworthy  accounts  received  from  others 
(Prologu?,  chs.  XXV.  and  li.) ;  but  even  when  he  is  dealing 
with  these  'trustworthy  accounts,'  or  with  the  'old  com- 
pendium,' he  proceeds  far  more  sclf-reliantly  than  John. 
Moreover,  his  narrative,  besides  being  fuller,  contains  many 
vivid  touches  which  are  wanting  in  the  other.  The  people 
shouting  their  'Dex  aide'  and  'Holy  Sepulchre'  while 
awaiting  the  descent  of  the  holy  fire  on  Easter  Day  '  not 
without  tears';  the  stacking  up  of  the  pilgrims'  crosses  on 
the  top  of  the  rock  of  Calvary,  and  the  bonfire  made  of 
thcin  on  Easter  Eve  ;  the  ignorant  pilgrims  who  piled  up 
heaps  of  stones  in  the  valley  of  Ilinnom  and  expected  to 


BASED  UPON  THAT  OF  TOBLER. 


sit  upon  them  in  the  Day  of  Judgment ;  the  account  of  how 
terribly  he  and  his  companions  were  alarmed  at  the  Sara- 
cens— 'un  peuple  criard,'  Kinglake  calls  the  Arabs  in 
'Eothen/  quoting  Lamartine  —  who  were  beginning  to 
plough  up  a  field  by  the  side  of  the  road  to  Shechem, 
and  yelling  horribly,  '  as  is  their  wont  when  they  are  setting 
about  any  piece  of  work ';  the  description  of  what  he  saw 
with  his  own  eyes  {yiditmts)  of  the  wealth  and  charity  of 
the  Hospitallers,  and  of  the  power  of  the  Templars  ;  the 
l^orman-French  names  of ' Belmont,'  'Fontenoid,'  and  '  Mont- 
joye,'  which  sound  so  strangely  in  the  country  of  the  Bible  ; 
the  throng  of  ships  in  the  dangerous  harbour  of  Acre,  with 
his  own  '  buss '  amongst  them  ;  and  the  view  from  the 
Mount  of  Temptation  over  the  wide  darkling  plain, 
covered  with  numberless  pilgrims,  each  bearing  a  torch, 
and  watched,  no  doubt,  by  the  '  infidels '  on  the  Arabian 
hills  beyond  Jordan — all  these  are  invaluable  helps  towards 
forming  a  picture  of  the  Holy  Land  in  the  time  of  the 
Frankish  kings.  A  distinction  must  be  made  between 
Avhat  Theoderich  saw  and  what  he  only  describes  by 
hearsay ;  the  former  is  clear,  complete,  and  full  of  new 
facts,  while  the  latter  is  brief,  and,  as  a  rule,  confusedly 
written.  He  appears  to  have  landed  at  Acre  (Ptolemais), 
journeyed  thence  to  Jerusalem,  visited  Jericho  and  the 
Jordan,  and  returned  by  the  same  road,  although  he  may 
have  personally  visited  Nazareth  by  way  of  Tiberias  and 
Mount  Tabor.  His  account  of  the  Sea  of  Gennesareth  is 
hopelessly  confused,  probably  through  copyists'  errors. 
However,  he  not  only  describes  clearly  all  that  he  saw,  but 
•describes  it  so  naively  and  intelligently  as  to  win  the 
reader's  esteem.  Our  Saviour  lies  nearer  his  heart  than 
anyone  else.  He  speaks  of  His  Mother  with  due  respect, 
but,  shows  no  trace  of  the  mariolatry  of  later  ages.  He  is 
superior  to  many  travellers  of  the  present  day  in  that  he 


PREFACE  TO  THEODERICH, 


directs  no  sarcasm  against  men  of  other  faiths ;  and  one 
can  hardly  expect  to  find  in  him  the  modern  historical 
and  critical  spirit.  The  book  contains  so  few  of  the  pious 
reflections  behind  which  men  often  conceal  their  ignorance 
of  the  affairs  of  this  life,  that  one  could  wish  for  more  and 
fuller  expressions  of  the  writer's  personal  feelings.  Such  as 
there  are  are  upright  and  honourable,  and  are  spoken  from 
the  heart.  Although  the  writer,  as  we  learn  from  Chapter 
XXIX.,  was  a  priest,  he  never  obtrudes  his  priestly  dignity 
upon  us;  indeed,  it  seems  almost  strange  that  he  never 
alludes  to  having  read  prayers,  or  even  having  performed 
his  devotions  at  any  of  the  holy  places.  At  the  period  at 
which  he  wrote,  spiritual  things  were  held  in  honour  as  a 
matter  of  course,  so  that  it  appeared  unnecessary  for  him 
to  make  any  effort  to  excite  the  feelings  of  his  readers  or 
hearers. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  pilgrimage  of 
Theoderich  took  place  in  the  time  of  the  Crusaders,  before 
their  expulsion  from  Jerusalem  in  ii 87.  A  number  of 
particulars  prove  that  he  sojourned  in  the  city  while  it  was 
still  under  the  rule  of  the  Frankish  kings.  All  we  have 
left  to  do  is  to  fix  the  exact  year.  In  Chapter  XXX. 
we  read  that  Emaded-Din  Zenghi,  called  Sanginus  or 
Sanguineus,^  beheaded  six  monks  in  a  monastery  on 
the  banks  of  the  Jordan. 

This  apparently  took  place  in  11 38,  when  the  Turks 
crossed  the  Jordan,  and  made  a  plundering  raid  through 
the  districts  of  Jericho  and  Tekoa.  Eight  years  after  this 
*  razzia '  Zenghi  was  murdered.  In  Chapter  XII.  we  find 
the  name  of  the  patriarch  Fulcher,  who  held  the  patriarchate 
from  1 146  to  1 1 57. 

In  the  Temple  of  the  Lord,  Theoderich  (ch.  xv.),  besides 
the  date  i  loi,  read  that  it  was  finished  in  the  sixty-third  year 
^_  See  Gibbon,  ch.  lix. 


BASED  UPON  THAT  OF  TOBLER. 


after  the  taking  of  Jerusalem,  which  brings  us  to  the  year 
1 164.  In  Chapter  XLV.  we  find  it  mentioned  that  Paneas 
was  taken  by  the  Mohammedans  in  the  year  1171.  The 
description  of  the  tombs  of  the  kings  in  Chapter  XII.  brings 
us  down  to  Amaury  or  Amalrich,  who  died  on  the  nth  of 
June,  1 173. 

Thus  it  appears  that  1173  is  the  latest  date  mentioned  : 
the  next  thing  to  be  considered  is  whether  the  tombs  were 
rightly  pointed  out  to  him,  which  is  no  very  easy  matter. 
Theoderich  came  from  the  Chapel  of  St.  Helena  into  the 
great  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  and  proceeded  into  the 
south  transept,  with  the  altar  close  by  to  the  southward. 
Here  he  mentions  five^  tombs  on  the  south  side  in  front  of 
the  door,  whereof  the  first,  being  that  of  the  brother  of  the 
reigning  King  of  Jerusalem  (Baldwin  III.),  was  abutting 
on  the  choir  of  the  canons,  which  is  called  at  the  present 
day  the  Catholicon  of  the  Greek  Church.  In  case  the 
words  *  the  tomb  of  the  brother  of  the  King  of  Jerusalem, 
named  Baldwin,'  should  not  be  sufficiently  clear,  the 
explanation,  I  think,  is  given  by  the  sentence  :  'The  fourth 
tomb  is  that  of  the  father  of  the  present  king,  that  is,  of 
Amalrich.'  According  to  chronological  order  the  tombs 
are  as  follows : 

First  Godfrey's,  which  stands  third  as  you  go  from  the 
tomb  of  Baldwin  III.  towards  the  choir,  next  to  Baldwin 
IL's. 

Secondly,  Baldwin  I.'s,  the  second  in  the  row. 

Thirdly,  that  of  Baldwin  II.  (du  Bourg),  the  father  of 
Queen  Milicent,  and  of  Judith,  the  Abbess  of  St.  Lazarus  of 
Bethany,  the  fifth  in  the  row. 

Fourthly,  Fulke's,  the  father  of  Baldwin  III.  and  of 
Amalrich,  the  fourth  in  the  row. 

And  fifthly,  that  of  Baldwin  III.,  the  first  in  the  row. 
^  See  Appendix. 


viii  PREFACE  TO  THEODERICH, 

Now,  no  one  can  deny  that  Theoderich  made  his 
pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land  during  the  life-time  of  King 
Amalrich,  who  reigned  from  1162  to  1173.  It  is  very 
important  to  observe  that  the  tomb  of  Baldwin  III.  was 
pointed  out  as  that  of  the  brother  of  the  king,  because  the 
actually  reigning  king  was  assumed  to  be  well  known,  and, 
therefore,  one  easily  sees  why  his  tomb  does  not  occur 
in  the  list,  because  he  was  still  alive.  We  have  already, 
therefore,  mention  of  the  year  1 171,  and  we  must  not  go 
beyond  the  year  1173,  in  which  Amalrich  died,  so  that  the 
pilgrimage  of  Theoderich  must  have  taken  place  between 
the  year  1171  and  1173. 

Other  less  definite  considerations  point  to  the  same  date. 
Theoderich  says  of  the  Chapel  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  (ch.  v.), 
that  on  account  of  the  partial  fading  of  the  colours  he  was 
quite  unable  to  read  the  inscriptions  on  the  arches ;  which 
is  a  proof  that  he  made  his  visitation  late,  yet  not  at 
the  very  latest  time,  since  we  do  not  hear  of  the  chapel 
being  divided  into  two  parts  (see  Phocas  and  Innom.,  IV., 
ch.  XV.),  and  Phocas  dwells  especially  upon  the  fact  that 
the  Emperor  Manuel  Comnenus,  who  reigned  from  1 143  to 
1 1 80,  entirely  covered  the  sepulchre  with  gilding.  It  is 
very  likely  that  Theoderich  saw  the  Chapel  of  the 
Sepulchre  during  the  time  of  its  restoration,  since, 
although  he  could  not  read  the  faded  inscriptions,  he  tells 
us  that  he  read  the  antiphonal  hymn  Christus  resurgens  in 
golden  letters,  whereas  John  of  Wurzburg  describes  it  as  in 
silver  letters.  Theoderich  saw  the  gilded  turret  above  the 
chapel  with  its  dome  and  cross  when  the  gilding  was 
bright  and  fresh,  John  merely  speaks  of  a  cupola  covered 
with  silver ;  which  proves,  what  we  have  already  gathered 
from  the  *  Introductory  Epistle '  of  the  latter,  that  he  was 
the  precursor  of  Theoderich.^  From  Theoderich  we  also 
'  See  ch.  xxv.,  note. 


BASED  UPON  THAT  OF  TOBLER. 


learn  that  the  Templars  were  engaged  in  building  a  new 
•church  on  Mount  Moriah,  about  which  he  uses  the 
same  expression  as  John  of  Wiirzburg,  who  says :  *  Cum 
extructione  novae  ecclesiae  noiidum  tamen  consummatae! 
Moreover,  the  theory  that  John  was  the  earlier  pilgrim  is 
supported  by  the  latter's  remark  that  at  Shechem  'a 
church  is  now  being  built '  over  Jacob's  Well,  whereas 
Theoderich  speaks  of  it  as  being  already  built.  It  does 
not,  however,  seem  to  accord  with  this  evidence  that 
Theoderich  speaks  of  the  church  of  the  Pater  Noster,  or 
of  our  Saviour,  as  'being  now  building,'  whereas  John 
speaks  of  it  as  already  built.  At  any  rate,  we  may  gather 
from  this  that  the  two  pilgrimages  left  but  a  short  interval 
between  them.  Lastly,  we  may  remark  that  Theoderich 
mentions  a  new  cistern  on  the  way  from  Jerusalem  to 
Bethlehem,  in  his  description  of  the  valley  of  Hinnom, 
which,  without  doubt,  was  the  Lacus  Germani,  the  Birket 
es- Sultan  of  the  present  day,  of  which  we  find  no  other 
mention  previous  to  ii  76.  On  the  other  hand,  we  know 
that  the  well  of  Job  (Bir  Eyub),  at  the  confluence  of 
Hinnom  and  Cedron,  was  first  discovered  by  Germanus 
in  1 1 84,  and  could  not,  therefore,  be  alluded  to  by 
Theoderich. 

From  internal  evidence  we  learn  that  Theoderich's 
pilgrimage  took  place  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  at  the 
passagiiini  vernale,  in  March,  or  Easter,  not  the  passagium 
aestivale,  in  August,  on  St.  John's  Day.  Theoderich  saw 
ripe  barley  in  the  plain  of  Jericho  on  the  Monday  after 
Palm  Sunday,  and  on  the  Wednesday  in  Easter  week  he 
was  at  Acre  on  his  way  home. 

The  references  in  the  notes  are  to  the  English 
translations  of  the  pilgrims. 


I 


CONTENTS. 

MAP  OF  JERUSALEM  ...  -  -     frontispUXe 

PREFACE    -  ------      ill 

THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION    OF  THE  HOLY  PLACES     -  -       I 

APPENDIX  -  -  -  -  -  -  -   75 

INDEX         -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  83 


THEODERICH'S   DESCRIPTION. 

HERE  BEGINNETH  THE  LITTLE  BOOK 
AVRTTTEN  BY  THEODERICH  ABOUT  THE  HOLY  PLACES. 


INTRODUCTION. 

TheODERICH,  the  meanest  of  all  monks  and  Christian 
men,  addresses  himself  to  all  worshippers  of  the  holy  and 
indivisible  Trinity,  and  more  especially  to  the  lovers  of 
our  most  gracious  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

'  So  may  they  learn  on  earth  below  to  share  our  Saviour's  pain, 
That  they  with  joy  hereafter  may  deserve  with  Him  to  reign.' 

We  have  been  careful  to  note  down,  in  writing  on  paper, 
everything  relating  to  the  holy  places  wherein  our  Healer 
and  Saviour,  when  actually  present  in  the  flesh,  accomplished 
the  duties  and  mysteries  connected  with  His  blessed  man- 
hood and  our  salvation,  which  we  have  cither  ourselves 
beheld  with  our  eyes  or  have  learned  from  the  truthful 
tales  of  other  men.  This  we  have  done  in  order  that, 
according  to  the  best  of  our  ability,  we  may  satisfy  the 
desires  of  those  who  are  unable  to  proceed  thither  in  their 
actual  person,  by  describing  those  things  which  they  cannot 
see  with  their  eyes  or  hear  with  their  ears.  Be  it  known  to 
each  of  our  readers  that  we  have  laboured  at  this  task  to  the 
intent  that  by  reading  this  description  or  tale  he  may  learn 
alw  ays  to  bear  Christ  in  remembrance,  and  by  remembering 

I 


TIIEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION. 


Him  may  learn  to  love  Him,  by  loving  may  pity  Him  who 
suffered  near  these  places  ;  through  pity,  may  acquire  a  long- 
ing for  Him,  by  longing  for  Him  may  be  absolved  from  his 
sins;  by  absolution  from  sin  may  obtain  His  grace,  and  by 
His  grace  may  be  made  partaker  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  being  thought  worthy  thereof  by  Him  who  with 
the  Father  and  the  Holy  Ghost  liveth  and  reigneth  for 
ever  and  ever.     Amen. 

Here  beginneth  the  little  book  written  by  Theoderich 
about  the  holy  places. 

I. — The  Ruin  of  the  Land,  and  the  Changing 
OF  ITS  Names. 

It  is  evident  to  all  those  who  read  the  pages  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testament,  that  the  land  of  Canaan  was,  by 
Divine  ordinance,  given  for  a  possession  to  the  twelve 
tribes  of  the  people  of  Israel ;  which  land — being  divided 
into  the  three  provinces  of  Judaea,  Samaria,  and  Galilee — 
was  of  old  enriched  by  many  cities,  towns,  and  castles. 
The  names  and  situations  of  all  these  cities  were  in  olden 
days  well  known  to  everyone  ;  but  the  moderns,  being 
strangers  in  the  land,  and  not  its  original  inhabitants, 
know  only  the  names  of  a  few  places  which  we  shall 
describe  in  their  proper  place.  For  since  our  dearest 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  required  vengeance  for  His  blood — 
which  was  shed  upon  the  cross  by  the  cruel  hands  of  the 
impious  Jews — the  Roman  princes,  Vespasian  and  Titus, 
entered  Judaea  with  an  army,  levelled  the  Temple  and 
city  with  the  ground,  destroyed  all  the  cities  and  villages 
throughout  Judaea,  and  drove  the  murderers  themselves  out 
of  their  own  country  and  forced  them  to  depart  and  live 
among  foreigners.  In  consequence  of  this  all  works  and 
constructions  of  that  people,  and  of  the  entire  province. 


THEODERICIPS  DESCRIPTION. 


have  been  destroyed,  so  that  although  some  traces  of 
certain  places  still  remain,  yet  nearly  all  their  names  have 
been  altered. 

II.— Judaea, 

First,  then,  we  must  speak  of  Judaea,  which  is  known 
to  have  been  the  chief  province  of  the  Jewish  kingdom, 
which  we  have  been  enabled  to  examine  with  our  own 
eyes  and  ears.  Therein,  as  the  eye  in  the  head,  is  placed 
the  Holy  City  of  Jerusalem,  from  whence,  through  our 
Mediator  with  God,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  grace  and 
salvation  and  life  have  flowed  forth  to  all  nations.  Judaea 
is  bounded  on  the  west  by  the  Great  (Mediterranean)  Sea 
on  the  south  is  separated  by  the  desert  from  the  mountains 
of  Arabia  and  Egypt,  on  the  east  is  limited  by  the  river 
Jordan,  and  on  the  north  is  skirted  by  Samaria  and 
Idumaea.i  Now,  Judaea  is  for  the  most  part  mountainous, 
and  round  about  the  Holy  City  rises  into  very  lofty  ranges, 
sloping  on  all  sides  down  to  its  aforesaid  boundaries,  even 
as  on  the  other  hand  one  ascends  to  it  from  them.  These 
mountains  are  in  some  places  rough  with  masses  of  the 
hardest  rock,  in  others  are  adorned  with  stone  excellently 
-fitted  to  be  cut  into  ashlar,  and  in  others  are  beautified  by 
white,  red,  and  variegated  marble.  But  wherever  any 
patches  of  earth  are  found  among  these  masses  of  rock  the 
land  is  seen  to  be  fit  for  the  production  of  everj?'  kind  of 
fruit — wherefore  we  have  seen  the  hills  and  mountains 
covered  with  vineyards  and  plantations  of  olive-trees  and 
fig-trees,  and  the  valleys  abounding  with  corn  and  garden 
produce. 

Mount  Seir,  or  Edom. 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 


III. — Jerusalem. — The  Valleys  of  Josaphat  and- 
Gehinnom. — Mount  OF  Rejoicing  (Mons  Gaudii). 
— Tomb  of  Josaphat. — Position  of  the  Holy 
City;  its  Fortifications, Gates,  Streets,  Houses, 
Cisterns,  Wood. 

Now,  on  the  very  topmost  peak  of  these  mountains,  as  is 

affirmed  both  by  Josephus  and  Jerome,  is  placed  the  city 

of  Jerusalem,  which  is  held  to  be  holier  and  more  notable 

than  all  the  other  cities  and  places  throughout  the  world, 

not  because  it  is  holy  in  itself,  or  by  itself,  but  because  it 

has  been  glorified  by  the  presence  of  God  Himself,  and  of 

our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  His  holy  Mother,  and  by  the 

dwelling   therein,   the    doctrine,    the   preaching,    and    the 

martyrdom   of  patriarchs,   prophets,   apostles   and   other 

holy  men.     Albeit  it  has  round  about  it  mountain  ridges 

higher  than  itself,  yet  it  is  in  itself  hilly,  being  built  upon  a 

mountain.     Hence  it  follows  that  it  attracts  the  eyes  of 

beholders   away  from  all  the  mountains   by   which  it   is 

surrounded.    Now,  between  the  Hill  of  IMoriah,  upon  which 

stands  the  Temple  of  the  Lord,  and  the  Mount  of  Olives,. 

which  raises  its  head  higher  than  any  of  the  other  mountains, 

lies  the  brook  Cedron  and  the  Valley  of  Josaphat,  which. 

valley  starts  from  the  Mount  of  Rejoicing^  (Mons  Gaudii), 

from  whence  one  enters   the  city  on    the  northern   side, 

passes  by  the  Church  of  St.  Mary,  which  is  so  called  after 

her  name,  passes  the  tomb  of  Josaphat,  King  of  Judaea, 

from  whose  death  it    itself  has  received  this    name,  and 

passes  close  to  the  bathing  pool  of  Siloe,  where  another 

*  The  situation  of  Ramatbaim  is  uncertain  ;  but  the  place  long 
pointed  out  as  Samuel's  Tomb  is  the  height  most  conspicuous  of  all' 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Jerusalem  immediately  above  the  town  of 
Gibeon,  known  to  the  Crusaders  as  *  Montjoye,'  being  the  spot  from 
which  they  first  saw  Jerusalem,  now  called  Neby  Samwil,  'the  Prophet 
Samuel.'— Smith's  '  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,'  Art.  *  Samuel.'  See  also 
note  to  ch.  x\xi.x. 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 


valley  meets  it,  which  valley^  bends  its  course  from  the 
dght-hand  corner  of  the  city  past  the  new  cisterns  between 
.the  Mount  Sion  and  the  field  Acheldemach,  thus  em- 
bracing two  sides  of  the  city  with  a  very  deep  ravine. 
The  tomb  of  Josaphat  stands  in  the  midst  of  this  valley* 
built  of  squared  stone  in  the  form  of  a  pyramid.  Round 
about  it  there  are  a  great  number  of  dwellings  of  servants 
of  God,  or  hermits,  all  of  which  are  placed  under  the  care 
of  the  Abbot  of  St.  Mary's.  Now,  the  longest  part  of  the 
city  reaches  from  north  to  south,  and  the  width  of  it  is  from 
west  to  east,  and  it  is  most  strongly  fortified  by  walls  and 
Taastions  on  the  top  of  the  mountain  above  the  aforesaid 
valleys.  There  is  also  a  barrier,  or  fosse,  placed  outside  the 
"wall,  and  furnished  with  battlements  and  loopholes,  which 
they  call  the  Barbican.  The  city  has  seven  gates,  whereof  they 
firmly  lock  six  every  night  until  after  sunrise  ;  the  seventh 
is  closed  by  a  wall,  and  is  only  opened  on  Palm  Sunday  and 
on  the  day  of  the  Exaltation  of  the  Cross.  Now,  the  city, 
being  of  an  oblong  form,  has  five  angles,  one  of  which  is 
transverse.  Almost  all  its  streets  are  paved  with  great  stones 
below,  and  above  many  of  them  are  covered  with  a  stone 
vault,  pierced  with  many  windows  for  the  transmission  of 
light.  The  houses,  which  are  lofty  piles  of  carefully 
wrought  stonework,  are  not  finished  with  high-pitched 
roofs  after  our  fashion,  but  have  them  level  and  of  a  flat 
shape.  The  people  catch  the  rain-water  which  falls  upon 
them  and  store  it  up  in  cisterns  for  their  own  use — they 
use  no  other  water,  because  they  have  none.  Wood 
suitable  for  building  or  for  fires  is  dear  there,  because 
the  Mount  Libanus — the  only  mountain  which  abounds 
in  cedar,  cypress,  and  pine-wood — is  a  long  way  off  from 
them,  and  they  cannot  approach  it  for  fear  of  the  attacks  of 
the  infidels. 

*  See  belowj  ch.  xxxii. 


THEODERICIPS  DESCRIPTION. 


IV.  —  The  Tower  of  David.  —  Mounts  Sion  and 
MoRiAH. — The  Field  Aceldama. — Mount  Gion. 
— The  House  of  Pilate.— Antonia. 

The  Tower  of  David  is  the  property  of  the  King  of 
Jerusalem,  and  is  incomparably  strong,  being  built  of 
squared  stones  of  immense  size.  It  stands  near  the  western 
gate,  whence  the  road  leads  towards  Bethlehem,  together 
with  the  newly-built  solar  chamber  and  palace  which  ad- 
joins it,  and  it  is  strongly  fortified  with  ditches  and  barbicans. 
It  is  situated  on  the  Mount  Sion.  Wherefore  we  read  in  the 
Book  of  Kings,  '  Now  David  took  Sion.'  It  is  also  situated 
over  against  the  Temple  of  the  Lord,  in  the  part  of  the 
city  which  extends  sideways,  having  the  Mount  Sion  on 
the  south  and  the  Mount  of  Olives  on  the  east.  Now,  the 
Mount  Sion  reaches  from  the  tower  as  far  as  the  Church 
of  St.  Mary  without  the  walls,  and  from  the  church  nearly 
as  far  as  the  palace  of  Solomon,  and  as  far  as  the  way 
which  leads  from  the  Beautiful  Gate  to  the  tower,  being 
wider,  but  lower,  than  the  Mount  of  Olives,  And  although 
the  Mount  Moriah,  which  overhangs  the  Valley  of  Josa- 
phat,  and  on  which  stands  the  Temple  of  the  Lord  and  the 
palace  of  Solomon,  may  be  thought  to  be  a  great  hill,  yet 
the  Mount  Sion  overtops  it  by  as  much  as  the  latter  seems, 
as  aforesaid,  to  overtop  the  Valley  of  Josaphat.  In  the 
field  of  Acheldemach,  which  is  only  separated  from  it  by 
the  aforementioned  valley,  is  the  pilgrims'  burying-ground, 
in  which  stands  the  Church  of  St.  Mary,  the  Virgin  Mother 
of  God,i  wherein  also  on  the  holy  day  of  Palm  Sunday  we 
buried  one  of  our  brethren,  by  name  Adolf,  a  native  of 

1  Fabri,  who  was  in  Jerusalem  A.D.  1483,  says  that  there  was  once 
a  church  in  the  field  of  Aceldama,  which  was  built  by  the  Empress 
Helena,  and  dedicated  to  All  Saints. 


THEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION. 


Cologne.  This  field  is  overhung  by  the  Mount  Gion, 
whereon  Solomon  was  crowned,  as  may  be  read  in  the 
Book  of  Kings. 

Of  the  other  buildings,  whether  public  or  private,  we 
have  scarcely  been  able  to  find  any  traces,  or  at  least  very 
few,  with  the  exception  of  the  house  of  Pilate,  near  the 
Church  of  St.  Anne,  the  mother  of  our  Lady,  which  stands 
near  the  sheep-pool.  Of  all  the  work  which  Joscphus  tells 
us  was  built  by  Herod,  and  which  now  is  utterly  ruined, 
nothing  remains  save  one  side,  which  is  still  standing,  of 
the  palace  which  was  called  Antonia,  with  a  gate  placed 
outside,  near  the  court  of  the  Temple. 

V. — The  Church   of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  ;  first, 
THE  Chapel  thereof. 

It  only  remains,  then,  that  we  should  tell  of  the  holy 
places,  on  account  of  which  the  city  itself  is  called  holy. 
We  have  thought,  therefore,  that  it  would  be  right  to  begin 
with  the  Holy  of  Holies ;  that  is,  from  the  sepulchre  of 
our  Lord.  The  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  of  marvel- 
lous workmanship,  is  known  to  have  been  founded  by  the 
Empress  Helena ;  and  its  outer  wall  being  carried,  as 
it  were,  round  the  circumference  of  a  circle,  makes  the 
church  itself  round.  The  place  of  our  Lord's  sepulchre 
occupies  the  central  point  in  the  church,  and  its  form  is 
that  of  a  chapel  built  above  the  sepulchre  itself,  and 
beautifully  ornamented  with  a  casing  of  marble.  It  is  not 
in  the  form  of  a  complete  circle,  but  two  low  walls  proceed 
from  the  circumference  towards  the  east,  and  meet  a  third 
wall.  These  walls  contain  three  doons,  3  feet  wide  and 
7  feet  high,  one  of  which  opens  on  the  north,  another  on 
the  east,  and  another  on  the  south  side.  The  entrance  is 
by  the  northern  door  and  the  exit  by  the  southern  door. 


THEODERICIPS  DESCRIPTION. 


The  eastern  door  is  set  apart  for  the  use  of  the  guardians 
of  the  sepulchre.! 

Between  these  three  small  doors  and  the  fourth  door — 
that  by  which  one  goes  into  the  sepulchre  itself — is  an 
altar  which,  though  small,  is  of  great  sanctity,  whereon 
our  Lord's  body  is  said  to  have  been  laid  by  Joseph  and 
Nicodemus  before  it  was  placed  in  the  sepulchre.-  More- 
over, above  the  actual  mouth  of  the  sepulchre,  which 
stands  behind  the  altar,  these  same  men  are  shown  in  a 
picture  of  mosaic-work  placing  our  Lord's  body  in  the 
tomb,  with  our  Lady,  His  Mother,  standing  by,  and  the 
three  Maries,  whom  we  know  well  from  the  Gospel,  with 
pots  of  perfumes,  and  with  the  angel  also  sitting  above  the 
sepulchre,  and  rolling  away  the  stone,  saying,  '  Behold  the 
place  where  they  have  laid  Him.'  Between  the  opening 
and  the  sepulchre  itself  a  line  is  drawn  in  a  semicircular 
form,  which  contains  these  verses  : 

'  The  place  and  guardian  testify  Christ's  resurrection, 
Also  the  linen  clothes,  the  angel,  and  Redemption.' 

All  these  things  are  portrayed  in  most  precious  mosaic- 
work,  with  which  work  the  whole  of  this  little  chapel  is 
adorned.  Each  of  these  doors  has  very  strict  porters, 
who  will  not  allow  fewer  than  six,  or  more-  than  twelve, 
people  to  enter  at  one  time ;  for,  indeed,  the  place  is  so 
narrow  that  it  will  not  hold  more.  After  they  have 
worshipped  they  are  obliged  to  go  out  by  another  door. 
No  one  can  enter  the  mouth  of  the  sepulchre  itself  except 
by  crawling  upon  his  knees,  and  having  crossed  it,  he 
finds  that  most-wished-for  treasure — I  mean  the  sepulchre 
wherein  our  most  gracious  Lord  Jesus  Christ  lay  for  three 

1  Compare  the  account  given  in  Abbot  Daniel,  ch.  x.,  and  note. 

'  That  which  is  now  shown  as  the  'Stone  of  Unction'  is  opposite  to 
the  door  of  the  church.  Tobler's  comment  on  these  variants  of  the 
legend  is,  '■  Diese  sage  licbte  den  Wimdcl^     See  ch.  vii.,  note. 


TIIEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 


days — which  is  wondrously  adorned  with  white  marble, 
gold  and  precious  stones.  In  the  side  it  has  three  holes, 
through  which  the  pilgrims  give  their  long-wished-for  kisses 
to  the  very  stone  whereon  their  Lord  lay,  which  measures 
2^-  feet  in  width,  and  the  length  of  a  man's  arm  from  the 
elbow  and  one  foot  also.  The  floor  between  the  sepulchre 
itself  and  the  wall  is  large  enough  to  allow  five  men  to 
pray  on  their  knees  with  their  heads  turned  towards  the 
sepulchre.  Round  about  this  building  outside  are  ranged 
ten  pillars,  which,  with  the  arches  which  they  support, 
make  a  circular  enclosure,  beneath  which  is  a  base,  having 
this  text  of  Scripture  carved  upon  it  in  letters  of  gold^  : 
*  Christ  having  risen  from  the  dead  dieth  no  more.  Death 
hath  no  more  dominion  over  Him :  for  in  that  He  liveth, 
He  liveth  unto  God,'^  At  His  head,  which  was  turned 
towards  the  west,  there  is  an  altar  surrounded  by  partition 
walls,  doors,  and  locks  of  iron,  with  lattice-work  of  cypress- 
wood  decorated  with  various  paintings,  and  with  a  roof  of 
the  same  kind  and  similarly  decorated,  resting  upon  the 
walls.3  The  roof  of  the  work  itself  is  formed  of  slabs  of 
gilt  copper,  with  a  round  opening  in  the  middle,  round 
which  stand  small  pillars  in  a  circle,  carrying  small  arches 
above  them,  which  support  a  cup-shaped  roof.  Above  the 
roof  itself  is  a  gilded  cross,  and  above  the  cross  is  a  dove, 
likewise  gilded.*  Between  every  two  columns  through- 
out the  circle,  from  each  arch  hangs  a  lamp.  In  like 
manner  also,  two  lamps  hang  between  each  of  the  lower 
columns  all  round  the  circle.  Round  the  lower  arches,  on 
every  arch,  verses  are  written,  which  upon  some  of  them 
we  were  not  able  to  read  because  of  the  fading  of  the 

1  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  xii.,  says  'silver.'     See  note. 

2  Rom.  vi.  9,  lo. 

^  See  Abbot  Daniel,  Appendix  II. 

^  Probably  the  work  of  the  Emperor  Manuel  Comnenus.     See  John 
of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  xii.,  notes,  and  Phocas,  ch.  xiv. 


THEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION. 


colours.    We  were  only  able  to  read  six  plainly,  which  were 
written  on  three  of  the  arches  : 

'  Within  tliis  tomb  was  laid 
He  who  the  world  hath  made  :  , 
Ye  who  His  tomb  do  see 
Haste  ye  to  be 
A  temple  meet  for  me. 

Lamb  of  God  blest  ! 
Patriarchs  old. 
Longed,  ere  their  rest, 
Him  to  behold. 

Brought  forth  at  Ephrata, 
Suffered  at  Golgotha. 
He  from  his  rocky  bed, 
Adam  our  father  led, 

Bore  him  on  high  ; 
Conquered  the  devil's  arts, 
And  Soith  to  sinking  hearts, 

"  Rise,  it  is  I  !" ' 

Also  round  the  iron  enclosure  which,  as  we  have  said 

before,  is  placed  at  the  head  of  the  sepulchre,  above  which 

is  the  lattice- work,  there  runs   a   scroll   containing  these 

verses : 

*  'Twas  here  the  victory  o'er  Death  was  won 
And  life  for  us  begun  ; 
To  God  the  pleasing  sacrifice  was  given, 
The  victim  fell  ; 
Our  sins  are  all  forgiven  ; 
There  is  joy  in  heaven. 
And  grief  in  hell  ; 
Ends  the  Old  Testament, 
God  hath  a  New  one  sent  : 

We  learn  from  this,  O  Christ,  who  here  hast  bled. 
That  holy  is  the  ground  whereon  we  tread.' 

VI. — The  Church  or  Rotunda  itself. 

Now,  the  pavement  of  this  church  is  most  beautifully  laid 
with  Parian  and  various  coloured  marble.  The  church 
itself  is  supported  below  by  eight  square  pillars,  which  are 


THEODERICWS  DESCRIPTION.  ii 

called  piers,  and  sixteen  monolithic  columns ;  but  above, 
since  it  is  vaulted  both  above  and  below,  like  the  church  at 
Aix-la-Chapelle,  it  is  supported  in  the  same  fashion  on 
eight  piers  and  sixteen  pillars.  The  lower  string-course, 
which  runs  round  the  whole  church,  is  covered  with  inscrip- 
tions in  Greek  letters.  The  surface  of  the  wall  which  lies 
between  the  middle  and  the  upper  string-courses  glows  with 
mosaic  work  of  incomparable  beauty.  There,  in  front  of  the 
choir,  that  is,  above  the  arch  of  the  sanctuary,  may  be  seen 
the  boy  Jesus  wrought  in  the  same  mosaic,  but  of  ancient 
workmanship,  depicted  in  glowing  colours  as  far  as  the 
navel,  with  a  most  beauteous  face ;  on  His  left  hand  His 
Mother,  and  on  His  right  the  Archangel  Gabriel  pronounc- 
ing the  well-known  salutation,  '  Hail,  Mary,  full  of  grace ; 
the  Lord  is  with  thee,  blessed  among  women,  and  blessed 
the  fruit  of  thy  womb.'  This  salutation  is  written  both  in 
Latin  and  in  Greek  round  the  Lord  Christ  Himself. 
Further  on,  on  the  right-hand  side,i  the  twelve  apostles 
are  depicted  in  a  row  in  the  same  mosaic,  each  of  them 
holding  in  his  hands  praises  of  Christ  in  words  alluding 
to  the  holy  mysteries.  In  the  midst  of  them,  in  a  recess 
slightly  sunken  into  the  wall,  sits  in  royal  splendour,  wear- 
ing the  trabea,2  the  Emperor  Constantino,  because  he, 
together  with  his  mother  Helena,  was  the  founder  of  the 
church.  Also,  beyond  the  apostles,  the  blessed  Michael 
the  archangel  glitters  in  wondrous  array.  On  the  left 
follows  a  row  of  thirteen  prophets,  all  of  whom  have  their 
faces  turned  towards  the  beauteous  Boy,  and  reverently 
address  Him,  holding  in  their  hands  the  prophecies  with 
which  He  inspired  them  of  old.     In  the  midst  of  them, 

1  On  the  south  side  ;  Tobler  points  out  that  the  ancient  Christian 
practice  of  separating  men  and  women  in  church  is  carried  out  in  this 
mosaic. 

*  The  old  Roman  robe  of  state. 


THEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION. 


opposite  to  her  son,  sits  the  blessed  Empress  Helena, 
magnificently  arrayed.  Upon  the  wall  itself  rests  a  leaden 
roof  supported  by  rafters  of  cypress-wood,  having  a  large 
round  opening  in  the  midst,  through  which  the  light  comes 
from  above  and  lights  the  whole  church,  for  it  has  no  other 
window  whatever. 

VII. — The  Choir  of  the  Canons.^ 

Moreover,  there  adjoins  this  church  a  sanctuary,  or  holy 
of  holies,  of  marvellous  workmanship,  which  was  subse- 
quently built  by  the  Franks,  who  likewise  most  sweetly 
sing  praises  therein-  both  by  day  and  by  night;  that  is  to 
say,  at  the  canonical  hours,  according  to  the  course  of  the 
Virgin  Mary.  They  hold  prebends,  and  half  the  offerings 
of  the  holy  sepulchre  are  assigned  to  them  for  income, 
while  the  other  half  is  appropriated  for  the  use  of  the 
patriarch.  The  high  altar  is  dedicated  to  the  name  and 
in  honour  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  and  behind  it  is 
placed  the  patriarch's  seat,  above  which  hang  from  the  arch 
of  the  sanctuary  a  very  great  and  adorable  picture  of  our 
Lady,  a  picture  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  and  also  a  third 
picture  of  the  holy  Gabriel,  her  bridesman.     In  the  ceiling^ 

^  '  Chorus  dominorum,'  evidently  the  translation  of  the  German 
'  Domherrenchor.'  '  King  Godfrey  also  instituted  canons  with 
prebends,  and  gave  them  habitations  round  about  the  church.'  Gul. 
Tyr.  ix.  9.  'In  Ecclesia  Dominici  Sepulchri  sunt  Canonici  Sancti 
Augustini,  qui  habent  Priorem,  sed  soli  Patriarchae  obedientiam 
promissunt'     See  also '  Brocardi  Descriptio  Terrae  Sanctae,'  a.d.  1230. 

-  Compare  ch.  xi. 

"  Cdatura.  I  find  under  the  word  'ceding  with  syllurc'  in  the 
•Promptorium  Parv-ulorum,'  ed.  Albert  Way,  186^,  the  following 
note  :  The  Catholicon  explains  celo  to  signify  sctilpere,  piitgere,  and 
celamcn  or  cdatura  sculptured  or  painted  decoration,  Lydgate,  in 
the  'Troye  Boke,'  uses  the  word  'celature'  to  describe  vaulted  work 
of  an  elaborate  character.  It  appears  doubtful  whether  the  verb  to 
cele,  and  the  word  ceiling,  which  is  still  in  familiar  use,  are  derivable 
from  coclo,  or  may  not   be  traced  more  directly  to  caelum  and  the 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION.  13 

of  the  sanctuary  itself  is  represented  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
holding  His  cross  in  His  left  hand,  bearing  Adam  in  His 
right,  looking  royally  up  towards  heaven,  with  His  left  foot' 
raised  in  a  gigantic  stride,  His  right  still  resting  on  the 
earth  as  He  enters  heaven,^  while  the  following  stand 
around — that  is  to  say,  His  Mother,  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
and  all  the  apostles.  Under  His  feet  a  scroll,  reaching 
across  the  arch  from  one  wall  to  the  other,  contains  this 
inscription  : 

•Praise  Him  crucified  in  the  flesh, 
Glorify  Him  buried  for  us, 
Adore  Him  risen  from  death. '^ 

Beyond  this,  on  a  higher  scroll  drawn  across  the  same 
arch,  is  the  passage  of  Scripture,  *  Christ  ascending  on  high 
hath  led  the  flesh  captive,  and  hath  given  gifts  to  men.'^ 
About  the  middle  of  the  choir  there  is  a  small  open  altar  of 
great  sanctity,  on  the  flooring  whereof  is  marked  a  cross 
inscribed  in  a  circle,  which  signifies  that  on  this  spot  Joseph 
and  Nicodemus  laid  our  Lord's  body  in  order  to  wash  it 
after  they  had  taken  it  down  from  the  cross.^     Before  the 

French  ciel^  signifying  not  only  vaulting  or  ceiling,  but  also  the  canopy 
or  baldaquin  over  an  altar  ;  the  hangings  of  estate  over  a  throne  which 
are  sometimes  called  dais,  from  the  thrdne  being  placed  in  that  part 
of  an  apartment  to  which  that  name  properly  belonged  ;  and  lastly, 
the  canopy  of  a  bed,  '  celler  for  a  bedde,  del  de  lit,'  Palsg.  A.S. 

^  Tobler,  in  his  note  on  this  passage,  remarks  that  there  is  in  the 
Bavarian  National  Museum  at  Munich  an  ivory  carving  of  the 
fourth  century,  on  which  Christ  is  represented  in  precisely  this 
attitude. 

2  Compare  Fabri,  vol.  i.,  p.  343,  Stuttgart,  1843, 

*  Psa.  Ixviii.  18  ;  Eph.  iv.  8. 

*  The  altar  described  here  is  that  of  the  compas  or  centre  of  the 
earth.  See  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  xi.,  and  note.  Possibly  Theoderich 
confused  his  cicerone's  account  of  this  altar  with  that  of  the  altar  in 
the  Angel  Chapel.  What  is  now  shown  as  the  '  Stone  of  Unction,' 
and  mentioned  by  Fabri  and  other  writers,  stands  in  another  part  of 
the  church.       Innominatus  VH,   says,   'To  the   eastward    of   the 


14  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

door  of  the  choir  is  an  altar  of  no  small  size,  which,  how- 
ever, is  only  used  by  the  Syrians  in  their  services.  When  the 
daily  Latin  services  are  over,  the  Syrians  are  wont  to  sing 
their  hymns  either  there  outside  the  choir,  or  in  one  of  the 
apses  of  the  church ;  indeed,  they  have  several  small  altars 
in  the  church,  arranged  and  devoted  to  their  own  peculiar 
use.  These  arc  the  religious  sects  which  celebrate  divine 
service  in  the  church  at  Jerusalem :  the  Latins,  Syrians, 
Armenians,  Greeks,  Jacobites,^  and  Nubians.^  All  these 
differ  from  one  another  both  in  language  and  in  their 
manner  of  conducting  divine  service.  The  Jacobites  use 
trumpets  on  their  feast  days,  after  the  fashion  of  the  Jews. 

Vin.— The  Holy  Fire. 

It  is  customary  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre, 
both  in  the  church  itself  and  in  all  the  other  churches  in 
the  city,  at  daybreak  on  the  morning  of  Easter  Even,  to 
put  out  the  earthly  lights,  and  to  await  the  coming  of  light 
from  heaven  f  for  the  reception  of  which  light  one  of  the 
silver  lamps,  seven  of  which  hang  there,  is  prepared.  Then 
all  the  clergy  and  people  stand  waiting  with  great  and 
anxious  expectation,  until  God  shall  send  His  hand  down 
from  on  high ;  often,  among  other  prayers,  shouting  loudly 
and  not  without  tears,  'God  help  us!'  and  'Holy  Sepulchre  !'* 
Meanwhile,  the  patriarch  or  some  of  the  other  bishops  who 

sepulchre,  in  the  midst  of  the  choir,  is  the  middle  of  the  world,  where 
the  Lord  was  laid  when  Nicodemus  took  Him  down  from  the  cross.' 

■*  The  Jacobites  (a  '  familiar  sound,'  says  Gibbon,  writing  in  1788, 
'  which  may  startle  an  English  ear ')  were  so  called  after  James  Bara- 
daeus,  or  Zanzalus,  who  reorganized  the  sect  of  Monophysites,  or 
believers  in  the  unity  of  the  human  and  Divine  natures  of  Christ. 

^  Copts. 

'  See  Abbot  Daniel,  ch.  xcvii.,  for  references  to  authorities  on  the 
subject  of  the  holy  fire. 

■*  The  war-cries  of  the  Crusaders. 


THEODERICIPS  DESCRIPTION.  15 


have  assembled  to  receive  the  holy  fire,  and  also  the  rest  of 
the  clergy,  bearing  a  cross  in  which  a  large  piece  of  our 
Lord's  cross  is  inserted,  and  with  other  relics  of  the  saints, 
frequently  visit  the  holy  sepulchre  to  pray  there  ;  watching, 
also,  whether  God  has  sent  His  gracious  light  into  the 
vessel  prepared  to  receive  it.  The  fire  is  wont  to  appear 
at  certain  hours  and  in  certain  places  ;  for  sometimes  it 
appears  about  the  first  hour,  sometimes  about  the  third, 
the  sixth,  or  the  ninth,  or  even  so  late  as  the  time  of  com- 
pline.  Moreover,  it  comes  sometimes  to  the  sepulchre 
itself,  sometimes  to  the  Temple  of  the  Lord,  and  sometimes 
to  the  Church  of  St.  John.  However,  on  the  day  when  our 
humble  selves,  with  the  other  pilgrims,  were  awaiting  the 
sacred  fire,  immediately  after  the  ninth  hour  that  sacred 
fire  came  ;  whereupon,  behold,  with  ringing  of  church-bells, 
the  service  of  the  Mass  was  said  throughout  the  whole 
city,  the  baptismal  and  other  services  having  been  pre- 
viously celebrated.  As  soon  as  the  holy  fire  arrives,  it  is 
customary  to  present  it  to  the  Temple  of  the  Lord  before 
anyone,  except  the  patriarch,  has  lighted  his  candle  at  it.^ 

IX. — The  Chapels  of  St.  Mary  and  of  the  Holy 
Cross. — The  Lord's  Prison. — The  Altar  of 
St.  Nicholas. — The  Door  leading  into  the 
Cloister. 

Upon  the  west  side  of  the  church,  near  the  door,  from 
which  one  mounts  more  than  thirty  steps  from  the  church 
up  to  the  street,  in  front  of  the  door  itself,  there  is  a  chapel 
dedicated  to  St.  Mary,  which  belongs  to  the  Armenians. 
Also,  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  church,  towards  the 
north,   there   is   a   chapel    dedicated    to   the  holy   cross, 

'^  See  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  xiii.,  note  i  ;  Abbot  Daniel,  ch.  xcvii. 
note. 


i6  THEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION. 

wherein  is  also  a  great  part  of  the  venerable  wood  itself, 
contained  in  a  case  of  gold  and  silver  ;  and  this  chapel  is 
in  the  hands  of  the  Syrians.  Again,  on  the  same  side, 
opposite  this  chapel,  towards  the  east,  is  a  chapel  of 
peculiar  sanctity,  wherein  is  a  most  holy  altar  dedicated 
to  the  holy  cross,  and  a  large  piece  of  the  same  blessed 
wood  covered  with  gold,  silver,  and  jewels,  is  kept  in  a 
most  beauteous  case,  so  that  it  can  be  easily  seen.  When 
necessity  requires  it,  the  Christians  are  wont  to  carry  this 
holy  symbol  against  the  pagans  in  battle.  This  chapel 
is  also  wondrously  decorated  with  mosaics.  Heraclius,  the 
Roman  emperor,  rescued  this  cross  from  Cosdre,i  the  king 
of  the  Persians,  during  the  war  which  he  waged  with  him, 
and  restored  it  to  the  Christians.  Near  this  chapel,  on  the 
eastern  side  of  it,  one  enters  a  dark  chapel  by  about  twenty 
steps,  wherein  is  a  most  holy  altar,  under  the  pavement 
whereof  may  be  seen  the  mark  of  a  cross.-  In  this  place 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  said  to  have  been  imprisoned 
while  He  was  waiting  for  Pilate's  decision  at  the  place  of 
His  passion  for  a  long  time,  until  His  face  was  veiled  and 
the  cross  erected  on  Calvary  that  He  might  be  hung 
thereon.  Also,  behind  this  chapel,  there  is  an  altar  dedi- 
cated to  St.  Nicholas.^  Beyond  this  is  the  gate  of  the 
cloister  through  which  one  goes  into  the  canons'  cloister, 
which  stands  round  about  the  sanctuary.  After  one  has 
made  the  circuit  of  the  cloisters,  and  is  re-entering  the 
church  from  the  other  side  of  this  door,  one  notices  a  figure 
of  Christ  on  the  cross  painted  above  the  door  of  the 
cloisters  so  vividly  as  to  strike  all  beholders  with  great 
remorse.     Round  it  these  verses  are  inscribed  ; 

^  Chosroes. 

-  This  means,  I  suppose,  '  in  the  pavement  under  which,'  etc. 
'^  Apparently  on  the  site  of  the  modern  Chapel  of  St.  Longinus. — 
Tobler. 


TIIEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION.  17 

'  You  that  this  way  do  go, 
'Twas  you  that  caused  my  woe; 
1  suffered  this  for  you, 
For  my  sake  vice  eschew.' 

X. — The  CnArEL  of  St.  Helena. — The  Grotto 

WHEREIN   THE   CROSS   WAS   FOUND. 

To  the  eastward  of  this  one  goes  down  thirty  Gteps  and 
more  to  the  venerable  Chapel  of  St.  Helena  the  Empress;, 
which  is  situated  outside  of  the  church  itself,  where  there 
is  a  holy  altar  dedicated  to  her.  Hence  again,  on  the  right 
hand,  one  descends  fifteen  or  rather  more  steps  into  a 
subterranean  cave,  where,  on  the  right-hand  corner  of  the 
cave,  one  may  see  an  open  altar,  and  beneath  it  a  cross  cut 
on  the  pavement,  at  which  spot  the  empress  is  said  to  have 
discovered  the  cross  of  our  Lord.  There  is  an  altar  there 
•dedicated  to  St.  James.  This  chapel  has  no  other  window 
than  the  great  opening  in  its  roof.^ 

XI. — The  Chapel  of  the  Flagellation. — The  Tomb 
OF  Duke  Godfrey  and  of  the  Kings  of  Jeru- 
salem.— The  Chapel  under  the  Campanile. — 
The  Chapel  of  John  the  Baptist,  and  its 
Vicinity. 

In  another  part  of  the  church — that  is  to  say,  on  the 
'right  hand,  at  the  back  of  the  choir — there  is  a  fair  altar, 
wherein  stands  part  of  the  column  round  which  our  Lord 
•was  tied  and  scourged.^     Beyond  this,  on  the  south,  before 

1  See  '  Notes  to  the  Ordnance  Survey  of  Jerusalem.'  John  of 
Wiirzburg  alludes  to  these  two  chapels.  Theoderich,  Tobler  tells  us, 
is  the  first  writer  who  distinctly  describes  the  Chapelof  the  Invention 

-  of  the  Cross. 

2  This  column  is  mentioned  by  Saewulf,  a.d.  1102,  before  the 
■Crusaders'  church  was  built.  See  Willis's  '  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre,'  London,  J.  Parker,  1849,  p.  92,  note.     It  is  shown  at  the 

2 


iS  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

the  door  of  the  church,  may  be  seen  five  tombs/  whereof 
the  one  nearest  to  the  door,  which  is  of  white  marble  and 
costly  workmanship,  is  that  of  the  brother  of  the  King  of 
Jerusalem,  named  Baldwin;  and  the  second  one  is  that  of 
King  Baldwin,  the  brother  of  Duke  Godfrey,  whereon  is 
the  following  inscription  : 

'  Here  Baldwin  lies,  a  second  Judas  Maccabee, 
His  country's  hope,  the  Church's  pride  and  strength  was  he  j 
Cedar  and  Egypt,  Dan  and  Damascus  insolent, 
Dreaded  his  might,  and  gifts  and  tribute  humbly  sent. 
Ah,  well-a-day !  he  lies  'neath  this  poor  monument.' 

The  third  tomb,  beyond  this,  is  that  of  his  brother,  Duke 
Godfrey  himself,  who  by  his  sword  and  his  wisdom  re- 
covered the  city  of  Jerusalem,  which  had  been  invaded  by 
the  Saracens  and  Turks,  and  restored  it  to  the  Christians, 
replaced  on  his  throne  the  patriarch  who  had  been  driven 
out  by  the  infidels,  established  a  body  of  clergy^  in  the 
church,  and  settled  endowments  upon  them,  that  they 
might  be  strong  to  fight  in  God's  cause.  The  fourth  tomb 
is  that  of  the  father^  of  the  reigning  king,  Amalric  ;  the 
fifth  is  that  of  the  father  of  the  Abbess  of  St.  Lazarus. 

Also  on  the  south  there  is  a  door,  through  which  one 
enters  the  chapel  under  the  Campanile ;  and  from  it  one 
passes  into  another  chapel  of  great  sanctity,  dedicated  to 
John  the  Baptist,  wherein  also  is  a  font ;  and  from  thence 
one  goes  again  into  a  third  chapel.  From  the  first  chapel 
one  ascends  to  the  street  by  forty  steps  or  more. 

present  day  in  the  Chapel  of  the  Apparition,  in  which  services  ars- 
neld  according  to  the  Latin  rite.     See  Fabri,  i.  287. 

^  See  Appendix. 

-  See  ch.  vii.,  note. 

^  King  Fulke,  the  father  of  Baldwin  III.  and  Amalric.  The  fifth 
*omb  was  that  of  Baldwin  II.,  whose  daughter  Judith  was  abbess  of 
the  convent  of  St.  Lazarus  of  Bethany.  His  eldest  daughter,  Queen 
Milicent,  married  Fulke  of  Anjou,  who  was  the  ancestor  of  our  Plan- 
tajrenet  kin^s. 


THEODERICIPS  DESCRIPTION.  19 


XII.— Mount  Calvary.— The  Outside  Vestibule 
BEFORE  Golgotha. — The  Chapel  of  the  Cruci- 
FLKioN.— The  Chapel  of  Golgotha.— The  Door 
of  the  Church. 

It  remains  now  to  speak  of  Mount  Calvary,  which  shines 
in  the  Church  as  doth  the  eye  in  the  head ;  from  whence, 
by  the  death  and  blood-shedding  of  the  Son  of  God,  h'ght 
and  eternal  life  shall  be  poured  forth  for  us.     Before  the 
entrance  or  door  of  the  church,  which  is  covered  with  solid 
bronze  and  is  of  a   double  form,  one  mounts  by  about 
fifteen  steps  to  a  small  chamber,  which  is  railed  in  and 
adorned  with  paintings.     Here,  at  the  top  of  the  stairs, 
stand  guardians  watching  the  gate,  who  only  allow  as  many 
pilgrims  as  they  choose  to  enter,  lest  by  excessive  pres- 
sure, as  often  happens  there,  crushing  or  danger  to  life 
should  take  place.     From  that  vestibule  one    ascends  by 
three  steps,  through  another  door,  into  a  chapel  pre-eminent 
in  sanctity  and  holiness  beyond  all  other  places  under  the 
sun,   which   chapel    is   formed    by   four   arches   of    great 
strength.     Its  pavement  is  beautifully  composed  of  various 
kinds  of  marble,  and  its  vault  or  ceiling  is  most  nobly  deco- 
rated with  the  prophets — that  is  to  say,  David,  Solomon, 
Isaiah,   and   some   others — bearing   in   their   hands   texts 
referring  to  Christ's  Passion,  wrought  thereon  in  mosaic  so 
beautifully  that  no  work  under  heaven  could  be  compared 
with  it,  if  only  it  could  be  clearly  seen  ;  for  this  place  is 
somewhat  darkened  by  the  buildings  which  stand  round 
about  it.     The  place  in  which  the  cross  stood  on  which  the 
Saviour  suffered  death  is  on  the  eastern  side,  raised  on  a 
high  step  covered  on  the  left  hand  side  with  the  finest  Parian 
marble,  and  displays  a  round  hole  almost  wide  enough  to 
take  in  a  man's  head,  in  which  it  is  known  that  the  cross 

2 — 2 


20  THEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION. 

itself  was  fixed  ;  into  which  hole  pilgrims,  out  of  the  love 
and  respect  which  they  bear  to  Him  that  was  crucified,  are 
wont  to  plunge  their  head  and  face.  On  the  right  hand  the 
Mount  Calvary  itself,  rising  up  higher,  displays  a  long, 
wide,  and  very  deep  rift  in  the  pavement,  where  the  rock 
was  rent  asunder  when  Christ  died.  Yawning  above  and 
in  front  with  a  frightful  cleft,  it  proves  that  the  blood  which 
flowed  from  Christ's  side  as  He  hung  upon  the  cross  found 
its  way  quite  down  to  the  earth.  On  the  top  of  this  rock 
it  is  customary  for  pilgrims  to  place  the  crosses  which  they 
have  carried  with  them  from  their  own  countries ;  and  we 
saw  a  great  quantity  of  them  there,  all  of  which  the 
guardians  of  Calvary  are  wont  to  burn  in  the  fire  on  Easter 
Even.  In  that  chapel  there  is  an  altar  of  much  sanctity, 
and  on  Good  Friday  the  whole  service  for  the  day  is  cele- 
brated at  it  by  the  patriarch  and  all  the  clergy.  On  the 
wall  on  the  left  side  of  the  altar  there  is  a  most  beautiful 
painting  of  our  Lord  upon  the  cross,  with  Longinus 
standing  on  His  right  hand  piercing  His  side  with  his 
spear ;  on  His  left  Stephaton  offering  Him  vinegar  with 
the  sponge  and  reed  ;  with  His  mother  also  standing  on 
His  left  hand,  and  St.  John  on  His  right ;  while  two  great 
scrolls,  covered  throughout  with  Greek  inscriptions,  are 
carried  all  round  this  work. 

On  the  right  hand  also  of  the  same  altar  a  picture  shows 
Nicodemus  and  Joseph  taking  down  the  dead  Christ  from 
the  cross ;  where  also  is  the  inscription,  '  The  Descent  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  from  the  Cross.'  From  hence  one 
descends  fifteen  steps  into  the  church,  and  comes  to  the 
chapel  which  is  called  Golgotha,  of  great  sanctity,  but  very 
dark  ;  at  the  back  of  which  is  a  deep  recess,  which  enables 
the  beholders  to  see  the  end  of  the  cleft  in  the  rock  which 
came  down  from  Calvary.  In  that  place  it  is  said  that  the 
blood  of  Christ  stood,  after  it  had  run  down  thither  through 


THEODERICirs  DESCRIPTION.  2r 

the  cleft.  Moreover,  above  the  arch  which  forms  the 
boundary  of  Golgotha,  or,  in  other  words,  upon  the  west 
side  of  Calvary,  there  is  a  picture  painted  upon  the  wall, 
in  which  these  verses  may  be  seen  in  golden  letters : 

*  This  place  was  hallowed  by  Christ's  blood  before, 
Our  consecration  cannot  make  it  more  ; 
Howbeit,  the  buildings  round  this  stone,  in  date 
Were  on  July  the  fiflee.nh  consecrate, 
By  Fulcher  patriarch  in  solemn  state.'^ 

Outside  the  gate  of  the  chuich,  in  the  space  between  thv-^ 
two  doors,  stands  the  Lord  Christ  in  a  saintly  garment,  as 
though  just  risen  from  the  dead  ;  while  Mary  Magdalene 
lies  prostrate  at  His  feet,  but  not  touching  them.  The 
Lord  holds  out  towards  her  a  scroll  containing  these 
verses  : 

*  Woman,  wherefore  weep'st  thou, kneeling  unto  Him  thou  seekest  dead  ? 
Touch  Me  not,  behold  Me  living,  worthy  to  be  worshipped.' 

XIIL— The  Chapel  of  the  Three  Maries.— The 
Chapel  of  the  Armenians. — Another  Little 
Chapel.  —  The  Street  and  Market.  —  The 
Church  and  Hospital  of  St.  John  the  Baptist. 
— The  Church  of  St.  Mary  the  Great.— The 
Church  of  St.  Mary  the  Latin. 

As  one  goes  out  of  the  church  towards  the  south,  one 
finds  a  sort  of  square  courtyard  paved  with  squared  stone, 
on  the  left  side  of  which,  near  Golgotha,  on  the  outside, 
there  is  a  chapel  dedicated  to  the  three  Maries,  which 
belongs  to  the    Latins.^     Further   on   towards  the  south 

^  These  verses,  with  the  exception  of  the  last  one,  are  quoted  by 
John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  xiii. 

*  As  we  know  that  the  Chapel  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  and  of  M^ry 
Magdalen  were  on  the  west  side  of  the  fore  court,  we  must  look  for 
the  chapel  of  the  three  Maries,  that  of  the  Armenians,  and  the  '  other 
little  chapel '  upon  the  east  side. — Tobler. 


22  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

there  is  another  chapel,  which  is  in  the  hands  of  the 
Armenians.  Further  on  there  is  another  little  chapel.  As 
one  comes  out  of  this  open  space,  on  the  left  there  is  a 
vaulted  street  full  of  goods  for  sale.^  Opposite  to  the 
church  is  the  market-place.  Here,  in  front  of  the  church, 
stand  six  columns,^  with  arches  above  them  ;  and  here,  on 
the  south  side  of  the  church,  stands  the  Church  and  Hos- 
pital of  St.  John  the  Baptist.^  As  for  this,  no  one  can 
credibly  tell  another  how  beautiful  its  buildings  are,  how 
abundantly  it  is  supplied  with  rooms  and  beds  and  other 
material  for  the  use  of  poor  and  sick  people,  how  rich  it  is 
in  the  means  of  refreshing  the  poor,  and  how  devotedly  it 
labours  to  maintain  the  needy,  unless  he  has  had  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  it  with  his  own  eyes.  Indeed,  we 
passed  through  this  palace,  and  were  unable  by  any  means 
to  discover  the  number  of  sick  people  lying  there  ;  but  we 
saw  that  the  beds  numbered  more  than  one  thousand.  It 
is  not  every  one  even  of  the  most  powerful  kings  and 
despots  who  could  maintain  as  many  people  as  that  house 
does  every  day  ;  and  no  wonder,  for,  in  addition  to  its 
possessions  in  other  countries  (whose  sum  total  is  not  easily 
to  be  arrived_at),  the  Hospitallers  and  the  Templars  have 
conquered  almost  all  the  cities  and  villages  which  once 
belonged  to  Judaea,  and  which  were  destroyed  by  Vespasian 
and  Titus,  together  with  all  their  lands  and  vineyards  ;  for 
they  have  troops  stationed  throughout  the  entire  country, 
and  castles  well  fortified  against  the  infidels.  Next  to  this, 
to  the  east  as  one  stands  there,  comes  the  Church  of  St. 
Mary,''  in  which  nuns,  under  the  rule  of  an  abbess,  celebrate 
Divine  service  daily.    This  place  is  said  to  have  been  dedi- 

^  See  'The  City  of  Jerusalem,'  translated  by  Capt.  C.  R.  Conder 
R.E.,  for  this  series,  ch.  xvi. 

-  Their  appearance,  with  the  arches  above  them,  probably  resembled 
tliat  of  the  existing  arcade  at  the  entrance  to  the  Harnm  Area. 

'  Sjc  John  of  Wiirzburij,  ch.  v.,  note.  *  Ibid. 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 


cated  to  St.  Mary  because,  while  our  Saviour  was  beinrr 
maltreated  on  the  way  to  His  Passion,  she  is  said  to  have 
been  shut  up  by  His  command  in  a  chamber  which  then 
stood  upon  that  spot.  Moreover,  there  closely  follows 
another  church  on  the  east  of  this,  which  is  also  dedicated 
to  our  Lady,  because  while  our  Lord  v/as  enduring  such 
suffering  for  our  salvation,  she  fainted  from  excess  of 
sorrow,  and  was  carried  by  men's  hai.Tds  thither  into  a  sub- 
terranean grotto,  where  in  the  indulgence  of  her  grief  she 
tore  her  hair  from  her  head,  which  hair  is  preserved  to  this 
day  in  a  glass  vessel  in  that  church.  There  is  also  in  this 
church  the  head  of  St.  Philip  the  Apostle,  lavishly  adorned 
with  gold  ;  and  the  arm  of  St.  Simeon  the  Apostle,  and  the 
arm  of  St.  Cyprian  the  bishop.  In  this  church  monks 
serve  God  under  a  rule  and  under  the  orders  of  an 
abbot.i 

XIV. — The  Temple  of  the  Lord  :  the  Courtyard, 
THE  Stairs. — The  Subterranean  Grotto. — The 
Great  Pool. — The  Houses. — The  Gardens. — The 
School  of  St.  Mary. — The  Great  Stone. — The 
Cloister  and  Conventual  Buildings  of  the 
Clergy,  and  the  other  Pools. 

Hence  by  a  street  which  bends  a  little  towards  the  south 
one  comes  through  the  Beautiful  Gat3  cf  the  Temple  to 
the  Temple  of  the  Lord,  crossing  about  the  middle  of  the 
city ;  where  one  mounts  from  the  lower  court  to  the  upper 
one  by  twenty-two  steps,  and  from  the  upper  court  one 
enters  the  Temple.  In  front  of  these  same  steps  in  the 
lower  court  there  are  twenty-five  steps  or  more,  leading 

^  For  the  position  of  these  convents  see  Williams's  '  Memoir  on 
Jerusalem,'  London,  J.  W.  Parker,  pp.  17,  18  ;  and  Tobler's  elaborate 
note  on  this  passage.     See  also  his  note  on  Innominatus  I.,  ch.  ii. 


-24  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

down  into  a  great  pool,^  from  which  it  is  said  there  is  a 
subterranean  connection  with  the  Church  of  the  Holy 
Sepulchre,  through  which  the  holy  fire  which  is  miracu- 
lously lighted  in  that  church  on  Easter  Even  is  said  to  be 
brought  underground  to  the  Temple  of  the  Lord.  In  this 
pool  victims  which  were  to  be  offered  in  the  Temple  of 
the  Lord  were  washed  according  to  the  precepts  of  the 
law.  Now,  the  outer  court  is  twice  as  large,  or  more,  than 
the  inner  court,  which,  like  the  outer  one,  is  paved  with 
broad  and  large  stones.  Two  sides  of  the  outer  court 
exist  to  this  day ;  the  other  two  have  been  taken  for  the 
use  of  the  canons,^  and  the  Templars,  who  have  built 
houses  and  planted  gardens  on  them.  On  the  western 
side  one  ascends  to  the  upper  court  by  two  ranges  of  steps> 
and  in  like  manner  on  the  southern  side.  Over  the  steps, 
before  which  we  said  that  the  pool  is  situated,  there  stand 
four  columns  with  arches  above  them,  and  there,  too,  is  the 
sepulchre  of  some  rich  man,  surrounded  by  an  iron  grille, 
and  beautifully  carved  in  alabaster.  On  the  right,  also, 
above  the  steps  on  the  south  side,  there  stand  in  like 
manner  four  columns,  and  on  the  left  three.  On  the 
eastern  side  also  there  are  fifteen  double  steps,  by  which 
one  mounts  up  to  the  Temple  through  the  Golden  Gate, 
according  to  the  number  of  which  the  Psalmist  composed 
fifteen  psalms,  and  above  these  also  stand  columns. 
Besides  this,  on  the  south  side  above  the  two  angles  of  the 
inner  court,  stand  two  small  dwellings,  whereof  that 
towards  the  west  is  said  to  have  been  the  school  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin.     Now,  between  the  Temple  and  the  two 

^  *  In  Templo  Domini  Abbas  est  et  Canonici  regulares.  Et  est 
sciendum,  quod  aliud  est  Templum  Domini,  aliud  Templum  militiae, 
illi  clerici  sunt,  isti  milites.' — '  Brocardi  Descriptio  Teirae  Sanctae,' 
A.D.  1230. 

^  This  account  agrees  materially,  though  not  in  detail,  with  that 
given  by  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  iv. 


TIIEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION. 


sides  of  the  outer  court — that  is  to  say,  the  eastern  and 
the  southern  sides — there  stands  a  great  stone  like  an 
altar,  which,  according  to  some  traditions,  is  the  mouth  of 
some  pools  of  water  which  exist  there ;  but,  according  to 
the  belief  of  others,  point  out  the  place  where  Zacharias, 
the  son  of  Barachias,  was  slain.  On  the  northern  side 
are  the  cloister  and  conventual  buildings  of  the  clergy. 
Round  about  the  Temple  itself  there  are  great  pools  of 
water  under  the  pavement.  Between  the  Golden  Gate 
and  the  fifteen  steps  there  stands  an  ancient  and  ruined 
cistern,  wherein  in  old  times  victims  were  washed  before 
they  were  offered. 

XV.— The  Description  of  the  Temple:  the  Place 
WHERE  Christ  was  presented,  and  where 
Jacob  saw  the  Ladder. 

The  Temple  itself  is  evidently  of  an  octagonal  shape  in 
its  lower  part.  Its  lower  part  is  ornamented  as  far  as  the 
middle  with  most  glorious  marbles,  and  from  the  middle 
up  to  the  topmost  border,  on  which  the  roof  rests,  is  most 
beauteously  adorned  with  mosaic  work.  Now,  this  border, 
which  reaches  round  the  entire  circuit  of  the  Temple, 
contains  the  following  inscription,  which,  starting  from  the 
front,  or  west  door,  must  be  read  according  to  the  way  of 
the  sun  as  follows  :  On  the  front,  '  Peace  be  unto  this 
house  for  ever,  from  the  Father  Eternal'  On  the  second 
side,  '  The  Temple  of  the  Lord  is  holy  ;  God  careth  for  it ; 
God  halloweth  it.'  On  the  third  side,  '  This  is  the  house  ; 
of  the  Lord,  firmly  built'  On  the  fourth  side,  '  In  the 
house  of  the  Lord  all  men  shall  tell  of  His  glory.'  On  the  ; 
fifth,  *  Blessed  be  the  glory  of  the  Lord  out  of  His  holy 
place.'  On  the  sixth,  '  Blessed  are  they  which  dwell  in 
Thy  house,  O  Lord.'     On  the  seventh,  '  Of  a  truth  the 


TIIEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION. 


Lord  is  in  His  holy  place,  and  I  knew  it  not.'  On  the 
eighth, 'The  house  of  the  Lord  is  well  built  upon  a  firm 
rock.'  Besides  this,  on  the  eastern  side  over  against  the 
Church  of  St.  James^  there  is  a  column  represented  in  the 
wall  in  mosaic  work,  above  which  is  the  inscription,  *The 
Roman  Column.*  The  upper  wall  forms  a  narrower  circle, 
resting  on  arches  within  the  building,  and  supports  a 
leaden  roof,  which  has  on  its  summit  a  great  ball  with  a 
gilded  cross  above  it.  Four  doors  lead  into  and  out  of  the 
building,  each  door  looking  to  one  of  the  four  quarters  of 
the  world.  The  church  rests  upon  eight  square  piers  and 
sixteen  columns,  and  its  walls  and  ceilings  are  magnifi- 
cently adorned  with  mosaics.  The  circuit  of  the  choir 
contains  four  main  pillars,  or  piers,  and  eight  columns, 
which  support  the  inner  wall,  with  its  own  lofty  vaulted 
roof.  Above  the  arches  of  the  choir  a  scroll  extends  all 
round  the  building,  bearing  this  text :  '  "  My  house  shall 
be  called  the  house  of  prayer,"  saith  the  Lord.  In  it  who- 
soever asks,  receives,  and  he  who  seeks  finds,  and  to  him 
who  knocks  shall  be  opened.  Ask,  and  ye  shall  receive ; 
seek,  and  ye  shall  find.'  In  an  upper  circular  scroll  simi- 
larly placed  round  the  building  is  the  text :  *  Have  Thou 
respect  unto  the  prayer  of  Thy  servant,  and  to  his  suppli- 
cation, O  Lord  my  God,  that  Thine  eyes  may  be  open  and 
Thine  ears  turned  towards  this  house  night  and  day.  Look 
down,  O  Lord,  from  Thy  sanctuary  and  from  the  highest 
heaven.  Thy  dwelling-place.'^ 

At  the  entrance  to  the  choir  there  is  an  altar  dedicated 
to  St.  Nicholas,  enclosed  in  an  iron  enclosure,  which  has 
on  its  upper  part  a  border  containing  this  inscription  :  in 

^  The  little  mosque  now  called  the  Kubbet  es-Silslle,  or  '  Dome  of 
the  Chain '  (see  Edrisi  s.  v.),  was  called  '  The  Chapel  of  St.  James'  by 
the  Ciusaders. 

I  Kings  viii.  28  sqq. 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 


front,  'In  the  year  iioi,  in  the  fourth  indiction,  Epact  li,' 
and  on  the  left  side,  '  From  the  taking  of  Antioch  63  years, 
from  the  taking  of  Jerusalem  53.'  On  the  right  side, 
*From  the  taking  of  Tripoli  52  years,  from  the  taking  of 
Berytus  51  years,  from  the  taking  of  Ascalon  11  years.' 

Moreover,  there  is  a  place  towards  the  east  at  the  side 
of  the  choir  which  is  surrounded  by  an  iron  enclosure  with 
doors,  and  which  is  worthy  of  the  greatest  reverence, 
seeing  it  was  there  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  pre- 
sented by  His  parents  when  He  was  brought  to  the 
Temple  with  an  offering  on  the  fortieth  day  after  His 
birth.  At  the  entrance  of  the  Temple  the  aged  Simeon 
took  Him  in  his  arms  and  carried  Him  to  the  place  of 
presentation,  in  front  of  which  place  these  verses  are  in- 
scribed : 

'The  Virgin's  child,  the  King  of  kings,  was  offered  here  ; 
This  place  we  therefore  deck  with  presents  and  revere.* 

Near  this  place,  at  scarcely  a  cubit's  distance,  is  the 
stone  which  the  patriarch  Jacob  placed  under  his  head, 
upon  which  he  slept  when  he  saw  the  ladder  reaching  up 
to  heaven,  by  which  the  angels  were  ascending  and  de- 
scending, and  said,  '  Of  a  truth  the  Lord  is  in  this  place, 
and  I  knew  it  not.'  In  front  of  this  place  are  the  following 
verses : 

'Jacob,  with  body  resting,  but  with  mind  awake, 
Here  saw  the  ladder,  and  his  altar  here  did  make.'^ 

■^  These  lines  appear  to  be  an  incorrect  version  of  those  given  by 
John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  iv.  They  are  quoted  in  nearly  the  same  words 
by  Innominatus  VII. 


28  THEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION. 

XVI. — The  CriAPEL  of  St.  James  without  the  Temi-le. 
— The  Place  therein  where  our  Lord  was 
questioned  about  the  Middle  of  the  World. 
—Where  Ezekiel  saw  the  Waters. — The  Crypt 
under  the  Choir. — The  Windows. — The  High 
Altar. — The  History  (of  the  Temple). 

Hence,  through  the  eastern  gate,  one  enters  the  Chapel 
of  St.  James  the  Apostle,  the  brother  of  our  Lord,  who  was 
murdered  by  the  impious  Jews  by  being  cast  down  from 
the  pinnacle  of  the  Temple,  and  his  skull  broken  with 
a  fuller's  club,  and  was  first  buried  in  the  valley  of 
Josaphat  near  the  Temple,  but  was  afterwards  translated 
hither  by  the  faithful  with  all  honour,  as  became  him,  and 
placed  in  a  sepulchre,  above  which  is  written  the  following 
epitaph : 

'  Say,  stone  and  grave,  what  king's  bones  here  find  room  ? 
Saint  James  the  Just  :  he  lies  within  this  tomb.' 
The  chapel  itself  is  round,  being  wide  below  and  narrow 
above,  supported  by  eight  columns,  and  excellently  adorned 
with  paintings.  As  we  return  from  it  by  the  same  door,  on 
the  left  hand,  behind  the  jamb  of  the  door,  there  is  a  place, 
5  feet  in  length  and  breadth,  whereon  our  Lord  stood 
when  He  was  asked  where  He  was  in  Jerusalem,  which 
they  assert  is  placed  in  the  middle  of  the  world,  and  He 
answered,  'This  place  is  called  Jerusalem.'  Also  behind 
the  same  door,  on  the  opposite  site  to  the  afore-mentioned 
place,  that  is,  on  the  northern  side,  there  is  another  place 
which  contains  those  waters  which  the  prophet  Ezekiel  saw 
flowing  down  from  under  the  Temple  on  the  right  side.^  As 
we  return  into  the  great  church,  on  the  south  side  near  the 
choir,  indeed,  underneath  the  choir,  there  is  a  door  through 
which,  down  about  forty- five  steps,  one  enters  the  crypt, 

'  Ezek.  xlvii.  i,  2. 


THEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION. 


whither  the  Scribes  and  Pharisees  brought  the  woman 
taken  in  adultery  to  the  Lord  Jesus  and  accused  her, 
whose  sins  the  holy  Master  forgave  and  acquitted  her. 
In  memory  of  this,  indulgences  are  granted  to  pilgrims 
at  this  place.  The  church  itself  has  in  its  lower  story 
thirty-six  windows,  and  in  its  upper  story  fourteen,  which, 
added  together,  make  fifty,  and  it  is  dedicated  to  our  Lady, 
St.  Mary,  to  whom  also  the  high  altar  is  consecrated.  The 
church  itself  is  said  to  have  been  built  by  the  Empress  St. 
Helena  and  her  son  the  Emperor  Constantine. 

Let  us  consider  how  many  times,  and  by  whom,  the 
Temple  has  been  built  or  destroyed.  As  we  read  in 
the  Book  of  Kings,  King  Solomon  first  built  the  Temple 
by  Divine  command  at  a  great  expense — not  in  a  round 
form,  as  we  see  it  at  this  day,  but  oblong.  This  Temple 
lasted  until  the  time  of  Sedechia,  King  of  Judah,  who  was 
taken  by  Nebuchadnezzar,  King  of  Babylon,  and  led  away 
captive  into  Babylonia,  and  with  him  Judah  and  Benjamin 
were  likewise  made  captive  and  led  away  into  the  country 
of  the  Assyrians.  Shortly  afterwards  Nabuzardan  his 
steward  came  to  Jerusalem  with  an  army  and  burned  both 
the  Temple  and  the  city;  and  this  is  the  first  destruction  of 
the  Temple.  After  seventy  years  of  captivity  the  children  of 
Israel  returned  to  the  land  of  Judah,  led  by  Zorobabel  and 
Esdras,  by  the  favour  and  permission  of  Cyrus,  the  King  of 
the  Persians,  and  they  rebuilt  the  same  Temple  in  the  same 
place,  and  adorned  it  to  the  best  of  their  ability.  In  re- 
building the  Temple  and  the  city  they  worked,  it  is  said, 
holding  a  stone  in  one  hand  and  a  sword  in  the  other, 
because  of  the  continual  assaults  of  the  Gentiles  who  lived 
round  about  them.  So,  then,  this  was  the  second  building 
of  the  Temple.  Afterwards  the  city,  as  may  be  read 
in  the  Book  of  Maccabees,  though  not  entirely  destroyed 
by  Antiochus,  King  of  Syria,  yet  was  for  the  most  part  laid 


30  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

in  ruins,  the  ornaments  of  the  Temple  utterly  destroyed, 
the  sacrifices  forbidden,  the  walls  broken  down,  and  the 
Temple,  as  well  as  the  city,  made,  as  it  were,  into  a 
wilderness.  After  this,  Judas  Maccabeus,  and  his  brethren, 
by  God's  help,  put  Antiochus  to  flight,  drove  his  generals 
out  of  Judaea,  and  rebuilt  and  restored  the  Temple,  replaced 
the  altar,  and  instituted  sacrifices  and  offerings  as  of  old  by 
regular  priests.  This  was  the  third  building  of  the  Temple, 
and  it  remained  until  the  time  of  Herod,  who,  we  are  told 
by  Josephus,  although  the  Jews  deny  it,  razed  this  Temple 
to  the  ground  and  built  another  greater  one  of  more 
elaborate  workmanship.  This  was  the  fourth  building  of 
the  Temple,  which  endured  until  the  days  of  Titus  and 
Vespasian,  who  took  the  whole  country  by  storm,  and 
overthrew  both  the  city  and  Temple  to  their  very  founda- 
tions. This  was  the  fourth  destruction  of  the  Temple. 
After  this,  as  has  been  said  a  little  way  before,  the  Temple 
which  we  now  behold  was  built  by  the  Empress  Helena 
and  her  son  the  Emperor  Constantine,  in  honour  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  of  His  holy  Mother.  This  was  the 
fifth  restoration  of  the  Temple. 

XVn. — The  Palace  of  Solomon.^ — The  House  and 
Stables  of  the  Templars. — Thehi  Gardens, 
THEIR  Stores  of  Wood  and  Water,  their 
Granaries  and  Refectories,  their  New  and 
Old  Hall,  and  their  New  Church. 

Next  comes,  on  the  south,  the  palace  of  Solomon,  which  is 
oblong,  and  supported  by  columns  within  like  a  church,  and 
at  the  end  is  round  like  a  sanctuary  and  covered  by  a  great 

^  'There  is  also  another  immense  temple  besides  the  Dome  of  the 
Rock,  and  it  is  from  this,  the  Temple  of  Solomon,  not  from  the 
Temple  of  the  Lord,  that  the  Templars  take  their  name.'— Jacques  de 
Vitry,  'History  of  Jerusalem,'  book  i. 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 


31 


round  dome,  so  that,  as  I  have  said,  it  resembles  a  church.^ 
This  building,  with  all  its  appurtenances,  has  passed  into  the 
hands  of  the  Knights  Templars,  who  dwell  in  it  and  in  the 
other  buildings  connected  with  it,  having  many  magazines 
of  arms,  clothing,  and  food  in  it,  and  are  ever,  on  the  watch 
to  guard  and  protect  the  country.  They  have  below  them 
stables  for  horses  built  by  King  Solomon  himself  in  the  days 
of  old,  adjoining  the  palace,^  a  wondrous  and  intricate  build- 
ing resting  on  piers  and  containing  an  endless  complication 
of  arches  and  vaults,  which  stable,  we  declare,  according  to 
our  reckoning,  could  take  in  ten  thousand  horses  with  their 
grooms.  No  man  could  send  an  arrow  from  one  end 
of  their  building  to  the  other,  either  lengthways  or 
crossways,  at  one  shot  with  a  Balearic  bow.  Above  it 
abounds  with  rooms,  solar  chambers,  and  buildings  suitable 
for  all  manner  of  uses.  Those  who  walk  upon  the  roof  of 
it  find  an  abundance  of  gardens,  courtyards,  ante-chambers, 
vestibules,  and  rain-water  cisterns  ;  while  down  below  it  con- 
tains a  wonderful  number  of  baths,  storehouses,  granaries, 
and  magazines  for  the  storage  of  wood  and  other  needful 
provisions.  On  another  side  of  the  palace,  that  is  to  say,  on 
the  western  side,  the  Templars  have  erected  a  new  building. 
I  could  give  the  measurements  of  its  height,  length,  and 
breadth  of  its  cellars,  refectories,  staircases,  and  roof,  rising 
with  a  high  pitch,  unlike  the  flat  roofs  of  that  country ;  but 
even  if  I  did  so,  my  hearers  would  hardly  be  able  to  believe 
me.  They  have  built  a  new  cloister  there  in  addition  to 
the  old  one  which  they  had  in  another  part  of  the  building. 
Moreover,  they  are  laying  the  foundations  of  a  new  church 
of  wonderful  size  and  workmanship  in  this  place,  by  the 

^  See  the  translation  of  Procopius,  *  De  ^dificiis,'  in  this  series, 
book  v.,  ch.  vi,  and  Appendix  I.  ;  also  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  v.,  note  2^ 

-  John  of  Wiirzburg  (ch.  v.)  declares  that  these  stables  could  hold 
more  than  two  thousand  horses  or  fifteen  hundred  camels.  See 
*  Notes  to  the  Ordnance  Survey  of  Jerusalem.' 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 


side  of  the  great  court.^  It  is  not  easy  for  anyone  to  gain 
an  idea  of  the  power  and  wealth  of  the  Templars — for  they 
and  the  Hospitallers  have  taken  possession  of  almost  all 
the  cities  and  villages  with  which  Judaea  was  once  enriched, 
which  were  destroyed  by  the  Romans,  and  have  built 
castles  everywhere  and  filled  them  with  garrisons,  besides 
the  very  many  and,  indeed,  numberless  estates  which  they 
are  well  known  to  possess  in  other  lands. 

XVIII. — The  Ancient  Walls  round  the  Temple. — 
The  Ruins  op^  Antonia. — Moria. — The  Church 
OF  the  Bath,  or  of  the  Manger  of  our  Lord. 
— The  House  of  Simeon  the  Just. 

Now,  the  city  wall  on  the  southern  and  eastern  sides 

surrounds  all  their  dwellings,  but  on   the  west   and    the 

north  a  wall    built   by   Solomon  encloses  not   only  their 

houses,  but  also  the  outer  court  and  the  Temple  itself.     On 

the  north  side  of  the  court  one  wall  and  one  gate  remain 

entire  among  the  ruins  of  Antonia  which    Herod  built. 

The  hill  itself  on  which  the  Temple  stands  was  in  ancient 

times  called  Moria,  and  upon  it  David  saw  the  angel  of  the 

Lord  smiting  the  people  with  an  unsheathed  sword,  when 

he  said  to  the  Lord,  '  Lo,  I  have  sinned,  and  I  have  done 

wickedly ;  but  these  sheep,  what  have   they  done  .-'     Let 

Thine  hand,  I  pray  Thee,  be  against  me,  and  against  my 

father's  house.'-     On  this  hill  was  the  threshing-floor  of 

Araunah  the  Jebusite,  which  David  bought  of  him  to  build 

a  house  for   the  Lord.      Here   by  a  postern    there   is  a 

narrow  way  between  the  eastern  wall  of  the  city  and  the 

garden  of  the  Templars,  whereby  one  comes  to  the  most 

holy  church  which  is  called  the  Church  of  the  Bath,  or  of 

the  Manger  of  the  Lord  our  Saviour.      In  it  the  cradle  of 

^  See  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  v.,  note  2.    This  church  was  destroyed 
by  Saladin.  ^  2  Sam.  xxiv.  17. 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION.  1% 

the  Lord  Christ  is  worshipped,  which  cradle  stands  in  a 
place  of  honour  at  the  east  end  on  a  high  wall  in  front  of  a 
window.  On  the  south  side  one  sees  a  great  basin  made 
of  stone  lying  on  the  ground,  in  which  it  is  known  that  he 
was  bathed  as  a  child ;  and  on  the  north  side  is  the  bed  of 
our  I.ady,  on  which  she  lay  while  she  suckbd  her  child  at 
her  breast.  One  descends  into  this  church  by  about  fifty 
steps,  and  it  once  was  the  house  of  the  just  Simeon,  who 
rests  therein  in  peace. 

XIX.— The  Bathing-pool  of  Siloe. 

As  one  goes  southwards  from  this  church  or  from  the 
angle  of  the  city  itself,  down  the  sloping  side  of  the  hill, 
along  the  outwork  which  the  Templars  have  built  to 
protect  their  houses  and  cloister,  where  also  in  ancient 
times  the  city  itself  stood,  a  little  path  leads  to  the 
bathing-pool  of  Siloe,  which  we  are  told  is  so  called 
because  the  water  of  that  fountain  comes  thither  by  an 
underground  course  from  Mount  Silo.  This  appears  to 
me  to  be  doubtful,  because  our  mount,  on  which  the  city 
stands,  and  several  other  mountains,  lie  between  them,  and 
no  valley  leads  directly  from  the  mountain  to  the  pool,  nor 
is  it  possible  that  there  can  be  an  underground  passage 
through  such  great  mountains  because  of  the  distance;  for 
Mount  Silo  is  two  miles  distant  from  the  city.  Wherefore, 
without  pronouncing  any  decision  upon  this  point,  let  us 
tell  our  hearers  that  which  we  know  to  be  true.  We 
declare  it  to  be  the  truth,  that  the  water  bubbles  up  out  of 
the  earth  like  a  fountain,  and  that  after  filling  the  pool  and 
running  down  to  another  pool  close  by,  it  appears  no  more. 
One  descends  into  the  pool  by  thirteen  steps,  and  round 
about  it  are  piers  bearing  arches,  under  which  a  paved 
walk  has  been  constructed  all  round  it,  made  of  large 
stones,  upon  which  those  who  stand  can  drink  the  waters 

3 


34  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION: 

as  they  run  down.^  The  second  pool  is  square,  and 
surrounded  by  a  simple  wall.  This  bathing-pool  was  once 
within  the  city,  but  is  now  far  outside  it ;  for  the  city  has 
lost  almost  twice  as  much  in  this  direction  as  it  has  gained 
in  the  parts  near  the  holy  sepulchre. 

XX. — Bethany.— Bethphage.— The    Golden    Gate, 
WITH  ITS  Chapel. 

Now,  we  ought  to  arrange  the  course  of  our  account 
according  to  the  Passion  of  Christ,  who  by  His  grace 
permits  us  so  to  partake  of  His  sufferings  that  we  may  be 
able  thereby  to  partake  of  His  kingdom  hereafter.  A 
mile  from  Jerusalem  is  Bethany,  where  stood  the  house  of 
Simon  the  leper,  and  of  Lazarus  and  his  sisters  Mary  and 
Martha,  where  our  Lord  was  frequently  received  as  a 
guest.2  Bethany  stands  near  the  valley  of  Olives,  in  which 
the  mount  ends  towards  the  east.  So  on  Palm  Sunday 
our  dearest  Lord  Jesus  Christ  set  out  from  Bethany,  came 
to  Bethphage,  which  place  is  half-way  between  Bethany 
and  the  Mount  of  Olives,  and  where  now  a  fair  chapel  has 
been  built  in  His  honour,^  and  sent  two  of  His  disciples  to 
fetch  the  ass  and  her  colt.  He  stood  upon  a  great  stone 
which  may  be  seen  in  the  chapel,  and  sitting  upon  the  ass 
went  over  the  Mount  of  Olives  to  Jerusalem,  and  was  met 
by   a   great   crowd    as    He    descended    the    side  of    the 

1  See  the  Bordeaux  Pilgrim  in  this  series,  Appendix  iii. 

-  See  John  of  Wuizburg,  ch.  vi.  He  does  not  mention  any  church 
or  convent  at  Bethany.  We  know,  however,  that  there  was  a  convent 
at  Bethany  dedicated  to  St.  Lazarus,  of  which  Judith,  one  of  King 
Fulke's  daughters,  was  abbess.  See  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  xi.,  and 
Theoderich,  xxviii.  There  was  a  church  of  St.  Mary  Magdalen  in 
Bethany,  which  once  had  been  the  house  of  Simon  the  Leper.  See 
Tobler's  note. 

^  John  of  Wiirzburg  says  (ch.  vi.)  :  '  Between  this  Bethany  and  the 
top  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  about  half-way,  was  Bethphage,  a  village 
of  priests,  traces  of  which  still  remain  in  two  stone  towers,  one  of  which 
is  a  church.' 


THEODERICWS  DESCRIPTION.  35 

■mountain.  He  went  on,  beyond  the  valley  of  Josaphat 
and  the  brook  Cedron  until  He  arrived  at  the  Golden 
Gate,  which  is  twofold.  As  He  approached  it,  one  of  the 
doors  opened  of  itself,  for  the  bolt  fell  out,  and,  violently 
drawing  out  its  ring,  made  the  other  door  fly  open  with  a 
loud  noise :  wherefore  a  chapel  has  been  consecrated  in 
honour  of  it,  wherein  this  ring,  which  is  covered  with 
gilding,  is  regarded  with  great  reverence.  The  gate  itself 
is  never  opened  except  on  Palm  Sunday  and  on  the  day  of 
the  Exaltation  of  the  Cross,i  because  the  Emperor  Hera- 
clius  passed  through  it  with  a  large  piece  of  the  wood 
of  the  cross  which  he  had  been  brought  from  Persia.  Our 
Lord  entered  into  the  Temple  that  same  day,  and  remained 
there  teaching  every  day  until  the  fourth  day  of  the  week 

XXI. — Peter's  Prison. 

With  Him,  therefore,  I  wish  to  ascend  on  to  Mount  Sion, 
and  behold  what  He  did  after  this ;  but,  first,  I  wish  to  be 
imprisoned  with  Peter,  that  with  him  I  may  be  taught  by 
Christ  not  to  deny  Him,  but  to  pray.  On  the  way  by 
which  men  go  from  the  Temple  to  Mount  Sion  they  pass  a 
fair  chapel,  wherein,  at  a  great  depth  beneath  the  earth, 
seeing  that  one  descends  twenty  steps  and  more  in  order 
to  enter  it,  is  that  prison  in  which  Herod  the  younger 
bound  St.  Peter,  and  from  which  the  angel  of  the  Lord  led 
Jiim  forth.2  At  the  entrance  of  this  chapel  these  verses  are 
inscribed  : 

'Arise,  put  on  thy  cloke,  Peter,  thy  chains  are  broke ; 

Arise  and  leave  this  place,  set  free  by  Heaven's  grace.' 
•  O  now  I  know  indeed  from  prison  I  am  freed  ; 

Christ's  love  to  me  be  praised,  that  me  from  bonds  hath  saved.' 

^  September  14. 

2  John  of  Wiirzburg  (ch.  xvi.)  describes  this  chapel,  and  tells  us  that 
he  celebrated  Mass  there  on  St.  Peter's  Day  (August  i).  He  quotes 
the  verses  without  any  variation. 

3—2 


36  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

XXII.— Mount  Sion.  —  St.  Mary's  Church. — The 
Place  where  she  died. — The  Room  of  the  Last- 
Supper. — The  Place  where  the  Holy  Ghost 
CAME  DOWN.  —  Where  Christ  washed  the. 
Apostles'  Feet. — Where  Thomas  felt  the. 
Lord's  Wounds. — The  Tomb  of  St.  Stephen. 

The  Mount  Sion,  which  stands  to  the  southward,  being- 
for  the  most  part  without  the  city  walls,  contains  the 
church  dedicated  to  our  Lady,  St.  Mary,  which  is  well 
fortified  with  walls,  towers,  and  battlements  against  the 
assaults  of  the  infidels,  wherein  regular  monks  serve  God 
under  an  abbot.^  When  you  enter  it  you  will  find  in  the 
middle  apse,  on  the  left  hand,  the  holy  place  whereat  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  received  the  soul  of  His  beloved  Mother, 
our  blessed  Lady,  Mary,  and  raised  it  to  heaven.  This 
work  is  square  below,  and  above  round,  supporting  a  dome. 
By  about  thirty  steps  on  the  right  hand  one  mounts  into 
the  upper  chamber,^  which  is  situated  in  the  extremity  of 
the  apse.  Here  may  be  seen  the  table  at  which  our  Lord 
supped  with  His  disciples,  and  after  the  departure  of  the 
traitor  gave  to  those  disciples  'His  mystical  body  and 
blood.  In  this  same  upper  chamber,  at  a  distance  of  more- 
than  30  feet  to  the  southward  of  that  place,  there  stands 
an  altar  in  the  place  where  the  Holy  Ghost  descended  upon 
the  Apostles.  From  hence  one  descends  by  as  many  steps 
as  one  ascended,  and  sees  in  the  chapel  beneath  the  upper 
chamber  the  stone  basin,  built  into  the  wall,  wherein  the 
Saviour  washed  the  feet  of  the  Apostles  in  that  place  ; 
where  close  by,  on  the  right  hand,  there  stands  an  altar  in 

^  '  In  ecclesia  Montis  Sion  est  Abbas  et  Canonici  regulares.'  He 
was  a  mitred  abbot.     '  Brocardi  DescriptioTerrae  Sanctae,'  a.d.  1230. 

-  Compare  the  descriptions  given  by  John  of  Wiirzburg  (ch.  vii.),  the 
*  City  of  Jerusalem'  (ch.  i.),  the  Abbot  Daniel  (ch.  xli.),  and  Phocas. 


THEODERICWS  DESCRIPTION.  37 

the  place  where  Thomas  felt  the  Lord's  side  after  His 
resurrection,  which  for  this  cause  is  called  the  Altar  of  the 
Finger.  From  this  place  one  passes  through  a  kind  of 
anteroom  round  the  sanctuary  of  the  church,  and  finds  on 
the  left-hand  side  thereof  a  holy  altar,  beneath  which, 
without  doubt,  the  body  of  St.  Stephen,  the  proto-martyr, 
was  buried  by  John,  Bishop  of  Jerusalem — which  body,  we 
read  in  history,  was  afterwards  translated  by  the  Emperor 
Theodosius  from  Constantinople  to  Rome,  it  having  been 
first  translated  from  Jerusalem  to  Constantinople  by  the 
Empress  Helena.  Before  the  choir  a  column  of  precious 
marble  stands  near  the  wall,  and  simple-minded  people 
are  wont  to  make  the  circuit  of  it. 

XXni. — The  Brook  Cedron. — Gethsemane. — St. 
Mary's  Church. — The  Chapel  of  the  Sepul- 
chre.— The  Little  Chapel  on  the  Stairs. — The 
Legend  about  a  Jew  who  wished  to  drag  away 
THE  Body  of  the  Blessed  Mary. 

From  hence  after  His  supper  the  Lord  went  out  across 
the  brook  Cedron,  where  there  was  a  garden.  The  brook 
Cedron  passes  through  the  midst  of  the  valley  of  Josaphat. 
In  the  place  where  that  garden  was  the  church  of  St. 
Mary,  with  its  conventual  buildings,  has  been  founded, 
wherein  her  own  body  was  buried.  Through  a  porch  one 
descends  by  more  than  forty  steps  into  a  crypt,  in  which 
her  holy  sepulchre  stands,  covered  with  most  costly  decora- 
tions of  marble  and  mosaic  work.  At  the  entrance  to  this 
crypt  these  two  verses  are  written  : 

*Ye  heirs  of  life,  come  praise  our  Queen,  to  whom 
Our  life  we  owe,  who  hath  revoked  our  doom.'^ 

^  These  and  the  following  verses  are  quoted  by  John  of  Wiirzburg. 


38  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

This  sepulchre  has  around  it  twenty  columns,  carrying- 
arches,  a  border,^  and  a  roof  above  it.  On  the  border  itself 
are  inscribed  these  verses : 

*From  hence,  from  Jos'phat's  vale,  a  path  leads  to  the  sky  ! 
The  Virgin  here,  God's  trusting  handmaid,  once  did  lie  ; 
Spotless,  from  hence  she  rose,  to  her  heaven's  gate  did  ope, 
Poor  sinners'  Light  and  Way,  their  Mother  and  their  Hope.' 

Moreover,  the  roof  has  a  round  dome  above  it,  supported 
by  six  pairs  of  columns,  with  a  ball  and  cross  above  it,  and 
between  each  pair  of  these  little  columns  all  round  the 
dome  there  hangs  a  lamp.  One  enters  the  sepulchre  from 
the  western  side,  and  leaves  it  on  the  northern  side.  Her 
Assumption  is  excellently  painted  on  the  ceiling  above» 
which  contains  this  sentence  under  a  straight  line  :  *  Mary 
hath  been  taken  up  into  heaven;  the  angels  rejoice  and 
bless  our  Lady,  singing  her  praises.*  Round  the  sanctuary 
of  the  church  itself  also  runs  a  scroll,  containing  this  in- 
scription :  '  The  Holy  Mother  of  God  hath  been  exalted 
to  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  above  the  choir  of  angels. *^ 
From  hence  one  ascends  into  the  church  by  as  many  steps 
as  one  descended  by  into  the  crypt.  The  church  itself  and 
all  the  conventual  building  connected  with  it  are  strongly 
fortified  with  high  walls,  strong  towers,  and  battlements 
against  the  treacherous  attacks  of  the  infidels,  and  has 
many  cisterns  around  it.  As  one  goes  out  of  the  crypt 
one  sees  a  very  small  chapel  placed  on  the  steps  them- 
selves. In  the  church,  also,  the  Syrians  have  an  altar  of 
their  own.  Also  on  the  ceiling  above  the  steps  by  which 
one  descends  into  the  crypt  the  Assumption  of  our  Lady 
is  shown  in  a  painting,  wherein  her  beloved  Son,  our  Lord. 
Jesus  Christ,  is  present  with  a  multitude  of  angels,  and 

^  Limbtis.  This  word  is  used  very  loosely  by  our  author.  Here  it 
seems  to  mean  a  'tambour,'  extending  round  the  church  above  the 
arches,  and  carrying  the  upper  range  of  columns  with  the  dome. 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION.  39 

having  received  her  soul,  is  bearing  it  away  into  heaven, 
while  the  Apostles  stand  by  in  deep  sorrow  and  devotedly 
minister  to  her.  When  her  body  is  placed  upon  its  most 
holy  bier,  a  Jew  is  trying  to  pull  away  the  covering  which 
veils  it,  and  an  angel  is  cutting  off  both  his  hands  with  a 
sword ;  his  hands  are  falling  upon  the  ground,  and  the  stumps 
remain  on  his  body.  For  there  is  a  tradition  that  when 
our  Lady's  soul  had  departed  from  her  body  on  Mount 
Sion,  as  has  been  told  in  former  chapters,  and  the  holy 
Apostles  had  reverently  placed  her  most  blessed  body 
upon  a  bier,  and  were  carrying  it  along  the  road  leading 
towards  the  east,  outside  the  city  wall,  to  bury  it  in  the 
valley  of  Josaphat,  the  Jews,  among  whom  the  burning 
hatred  and  envy  with  which  they  had  so  long  persecuted 
her  Son  was  not  yet  extinct,  met  it  with  the  intention  of 
offering  some  insult  to  it ;  and  one  of  them,  bolder  and 
unluckier  than  the  rest,  came  up  to  the  litter  on  which  her 
holy  body  lay,  and  endeavoured  with  wicked  audacity  to 
tear  away  the  veil  with  which  it  was  covered  ;  but  the 
merits  of  the  blessed  Virgin  Mary  and  the  vengeance  of 
Heaven  severely  punished  his  rashness,  for  both  his  hands 
and  arms  withered,  which  struck  terror  into  the  rest  and 
caused  them  to  flee  swiftly  away. 

XXIV. — The  Church  of  Gethsemane. — The  Church 
OF  the  Prayers  (of  our  Saviour). — The  High 
Place  where  the  Patriarch  blesses  the  Palm 
Branches. — The  Way  by  which  our  Lord  was 
led  Captive. 

As  you  journey  from  thence  to  the  southward,  towards 

the  Mount  of  Olives,  you  meet  with  a  church  of  no  small 

size,  called  Gethsemane,^  into  which  our  Saviour  entered 

^  The  village  of  Gethsemane  is  mentioned  by  Abbot  Daniel  (xx.), 
and  by  John  of  Wlirzburg  (xviii.).  No  trace  of  it  remains  at  the  present, 
day. 


4o  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

when  He  came  out  of  the  garden  with  His  disciples,  and 
said  to  them, 'Sit  ye  here,  while  I  go  hither  and  pray.'^ 
So  as  soon  as  you  enter  it  you  find  a  holy  altar,  and  on  the 
Jeft  hand  you  enter  into  a  subterranean  grotto,  and  find 
four  places  marked,  in  each  of  which  three  of  the  Apostles 
lay  and  fell  asleep.  There  is  also  on  the  left  a  great  rock 
at  the  angle  of  the  entrance  to  the  grotio,  upon  which 
Christ  pressed  His  fingers,  leaving  six^  holes  imprinted  on 
it.  Indeed,  a  little  higher  up,  towards  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
He  offered  up  three  prayers,  in  a  place  where  now  a  new 
church  is  being  built.^  The  place  of  one  of  these  prayers 
is  in  the  left-hand  apse,  that  of  another  in  the  midst  of  the 
choir,  and  that  of  the  third  in  the  right-hand  apse.  In  the 
space  intervening  between  Gcthsemane  and  the  places  of 
the  prayers,  on  the  side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives,  where  the 
crowds  met  our  Lord  with  palm-branches,  there  is  a  high 
place  built  up  of  stones,  where  on  Palm  Sunday  the  palm- 
Branches  are  blessed  by  the  patriarch.  It  was  near  these 
places  that,  while  Jesus  was  trembling  and  falling,  Judas 
came  with  lanterns  and  torches  and  arms,  and  the  officers 
of  the  Jews  arrested  Him,  led  Him  away,  and  brought  Him 
to  the  hall  of  the  chief  priest,  or  of  Caiaphas.  After  they 
had  mocked  Him  there  all  night,  they  brought  Him  in  the 
morning  before  Pilate,  His  judge. 

-  St.  Mark  xiv.  32. 

"^  John  of  Wurzburg  says  'five.' 

^  This  account  reads  as  though  there  were  two  churches.  John  of 
Wiirzburg  (viii.)  speaks  only  of  the  Chapel  of  the  Agony,  and  the  'new 
rliurch  enclosing  the  place  where  our  Lord  prayed,  in  whose  flooring 
(.and  out  three  unwrought  stones,'  etc. 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION.  41 

XXV.  — The  Pavement^  on  Mount  Sion.  — The 
Chapel  of  our  Lord,  with  the  Column  of 
THE  Scourging. — The  Church  of  Galilee. — 
The  Grotto  into  which  Peter  fled.— The 
Via  Dolorosa. 

After  he  had  asked  Him  many  questions,  Pilate  caused 
Him  to  be  led  to  the  judgment  hall,  and  sat  down,  by- 
way of  a  judgment-scat,  in  the  place  which  is  called  the 
Pavement,  which  place  is  situated  in  front  of  the  Church 
of  St.  Mary,  on  Mount  Sion,  in  a  high  place  near  the  city 
wall.  Here  is  a  holy  chapel  dedicated  to  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  wherein  stands  a  great  part  of  the  column  round 
which  the  Lord  was  bound  by  Pilate  and  ordered  to  be 
scourged,  after  He  had  been  condemned  by  him  to  be 
crucified  ;  and  there  pilgrims  in  imitation  of  Him  are  wont 
to  be  scourged.  In  front  of  the  church,  on  a  stone  cut  in 
the  likeness  of  a  cross,  these  words  are  inscribed  :  *  This 
place  is  called  the  "  Pavement,"  and  here  the  Lord  was 
judged.'  Beyond  this,  towards  the  east  on  the  right  hand, 
one  descends  from  another  part  of  the  street  down  fifty 
steps  to  the  church  called  Galilee,^  where  are  kept  two 
links  of  the  chain  with  which  St.  Peter  was  bound. 
Further  on,  on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  altar,  one  descends 
by  about  sixty  steps  into  a  very  dark  subterranean  grotto^ 
into  which  St.  Peter  fled  after  his  denial  of  Christ,  and  hid 
himself  in  the  corner  of  it.     There  he  is  depicted  sitting, 

^  Tobler's  admirable  note  makes  it  abundantly  clear  that  in  the 
time  of  Theoderich,  in  the  last  days  of  the  Frankish  kingdom  of 
Jerusalem,  the  house  of  Pilate,  the  Praetorium,  and  the  prison  had  been 
confused  with  one  another. 

2  It  was  also  called  '  Gallicantus,'  or  '  In  Gallicantu,'  though  this 
name  properly  belonged  to  the  Grotto  of  the  Cock-crowing  within 
the  church.  Abbot  Daniel  (xlii.)  says  that  thirty-two  steps  led  down  to 
this  grotto.     See  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  ix. 


42  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

resting  his  head  upon  his  hands,  while  he  weeps  over  his 
holy  Masters  sufferings  and  his  own  denial  of  Him,  while 
the  servant-maid  threateningly  presses  on  him,  and  the 
cock  stands  and  crows  before  his  feet.  This  church  is  in 
the  hands  of  the  Armenians.^  From  hence  our  Lord  was 
led  round  about  the  city  wall,  where  then  there  were 
gardens  and  now  are  houses,  and  was  crucified.^  For,  as 
the  Apostle  says,  'Our  Lord  suffered  without  the  gate.' 

Now,  according  to  the  best  of  our  ability,  we  have  told 
what  we  learned  with  our  own  eyes  about  Christ  and  His 
holy  places.  We  shall  now  tell  what  is  known  about  His 
friends  and  about  other  places.  After  this  we  shall  tell  of 
some  things  which  were  seen  by  ourselves,  and  some  which 
were  related  to  us  by  others. 

XXVL— The  Palace  of  Pilate.— The  Church  of 
St.  Anne. — The  Pool  of  the  Sheep-gate.— The 
Church  and  Dwellings  of  the  Lepers.— The 
Great  Cistern  of  the  Hospitallers.— The 
Church  of  St.  Stephen.— The  Hospice  at  the 
Gate  of  St.  Lazarus.— The  Church  of  St. 
Chariton. 

By  the  side  of  the  street  which  leads  to  the  eastern  gate 
near  the  Golden  Gate,  beyond  the  house  or  palace  of  Pilate, 
which  we  have  already  said  adjoins  the  same  street,  stands 
the  Church  of  St.  Anne,  the  mother  of  our  Lady,  St.  Mary, 
to  whose  tomb  one  descends  into  a  subterranean  grotto 
by  about  twenty  steps.  Therein  nuns  serve  God  under  the 
rule  of  an  abbess.  He  who  goes  on  to  its  northern  side 
will  find  the  Sheep-pool,  which  lies  in  a  deep  valley  near  a 

1  John  of  Wiirzburg  (ch.  ix.)  calls  them  Greeks. 

2  The  topographical  points  raised  in  this  sentence  are  too  complex 
for  discussion  in  a  note.  The  chief  authorities  will  be  found  in  the 
'Dictionary  of  the  Bible,'  art.  'Jerusalem.' 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION.  43 

rocky  hill,  crowned  by  some  ancient  building.  This  pool, 
as  we  are  told  in  the  Gospel,  has  five  porticos,  in  the 
furthest  of  which  stands  the  altar.  Whosoever  makes  the 
circuit  of  the  city  walls,  beginning  his  journey  at  the  Tower 
of  David,  will  find  at  the  western  angle  of  the  city  the 
church  and  dwellings  of  the  lepers^  which  are  handsome, 
and  kept  in  good  order.  Passing  by  the  great  cistern  of 
the  Hospitallers,  before  you  reach  the  northern  gate,  you 
find,  upon  a  hill,  the  Church  of  St.  Stephen,^  the  proto- 
martyr,  who,  when  he  was  cast  out  of  that  gate  and  stoned 
by  the  Jews,  saw  the  heavens  opened  in  that  place.  In  the 
midst  of  the  church  there  is  a  place  raised  on  steps  en- 
closed by  an  iron  railing,  in  the  midst  of  which  is  a  holy 
altar  of  a  hollow  form,  which  stands  at  the  place  where  he 
was  stoned,  and  where  the  heavens  opened  above  him. 
This  church  is  subject  to  the  Abbot  of  St.  Mary  the  Latin 
At  the  gate  itself  stands  a  venerable  hospice,  which  in 
Greek  is  called  a  xenodochium.  When  you  have  gone  some 
distance  along  this  road,^  taking  the  road  to  the  left, 
towards  the  east,  you  will  find  a  church  belonging  to  the 
Armenians,^  wherein  a  saint  named  Chariton  reposes,  whose 
bones  are  covered  with  flesh,  as  though  he  were  alive. 

XXVII. — The  Mount  of  Olives.— The  Church  of 
OUR  Saviour''  (or  of  the  Ascension).— The 
Little  Church  of  St.  Pelagia. — The  Pater 
NosTER  Church. 

After  this,  as  the  time  and  hour  of  His  ascension  was 
drawing  near,  our  Lord  climbed  the  Mount  of  Olives,  stood 

1  See  Abbot  Daniel,  Appendix  I. 

-  See  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  xvi. 

*  John  of  Wiirzburg  calls  them  *  Syriana' 
^  *  In  ecclesia  Montis  Oliveti  est  Abbas  et  monachi  nigri,'  *  Brocardi 
Descriptio  Terrae  Sanctae,'  a.d.  1230.     He,  as  well  as  the  Abbot  of 
Mount  Sion,  of  the  Temple,  was  a  mitred  abbot. 


44  THEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION. 

there  upon  a  great  stone,  and,  in  the  sight  of  his  Apostles, 
and  graciously  bestowing  upon  them  His  blessing,  ascended 
into  heaven.  Now,  the  Mount  of  Olives,  as  we  have 
already  said,  is  the  highest  of  all  the  mountains  which  sur- 
round the  city.  It  abounds  with  fruits  of  all  kinds,  and 
contains  on  its  topmost  point  a  church  of  the  highest 
sanctity  dedicated  to  our  Saviour.  Indeed,  in  those  parts 
no  consecration,  beyond  the  height^  of  the  mountain  itself, 
is  wont  to  be  bestowed  upon  the  places  which  have  been 
glorified  by  the  presence  of  our  Lord.  One  ascends  into 
the  church  by  twenty  great  steps ;  in  the  midst  of  the 
church  there  stands  a  round  structure,  magnificently 
decorated  with  Parian  marble  and  blue  marble,  with  a 
lofty  apex,  in  the  midst  whereof  a  holy  altar  is  placed, 
beneath  which  altar  is  to  be  seen  the  stone  on  which  the 
Lord  is  said  to  have  stood  when  He  ascended  into  heaven. 
In  the  church  Divine  service  is  performed  by  canons.  It  is 
strongly  fortified  against  the  infidels  with  towers  both  great 
and  small,  with  walls  and  battlements  and  night  patrols. 
As  one  comes  out  of  the  church  one  comes  upon  a  little 
church  on  the  western  side  thereof,  which  is  dark,  being  in 
a  subterranean  grotto.  When  one  has  descended  twenty- 
five  steps  into  this,  one  beholds,  in  a  large  stone  coffin,  the 
body  of  St.  Pelagia,-  who  ended  her  life  immured  there  in 
the  service  of  God.  Also  on  the  west,  beside  the  road 
which  leads  to  Bethany,  on  the  side  of  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
there  is  a  church  of  great  sanctity,  on  the  place  where  the 
Saviour  sat  when  He  was  asked  by  His  disciples  how  they 
ought  to  pray,  and  taught  them  to  pray,  saying,  'Our 
Father  which  art  in  heaven,'  This  He  wrote  for  them 
with  His  own  hand.  This  writing  is  under  the  altar  itself, 
so  that  pilgrims  may  kiss  it.      From  the  middle  of  the 

^  Text  probably  corrupt. — A.  S. 

*  The  legend  of  St.  Pelagia  is  recounted  by  Fabri,  vol.  i. 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 


45 


church,  also,  a  way  leads  down  about  thirty  steps  into  a 
subterranean  grotto,  in  which  the  Lord  is  said  to  have 
often  sat  and  taught  His  disciples. 


XXVIII. — Bethany. — The  Church  of  St.  Lazarus. — 
The  Church  of  Mary  and  Martha.— The  Red 
Cistern,  with  its  Castle.  —  The  Garden  of 
Abraham. — The  Towers  and  House  there. 

So  having  finished  Jerusalem,  which  in  my  story  has  the 
same  importance  that  the  head  has  in  the  body,  I  must  now 
put  in  the  other  places  and,  as  it  were,  limbs  of  this  body. 

Next  comes  Bethany,  which  also  is  fortified  not  less 
by  the  nature  of  the  ground  than  by  the  strength  of  the 
works  there.  Here  is  a  holy  double  church,  one  part 
whereof  is  glorified  by  the  body  of  St.  Lazarus,  whom  our 
Lord  raised  from  the  dead  on  the  fourth  day,  and  who  ruled 
the  church  at  Jerusalem  for  fifteen  years  ;  the  other  by 
the  remains  of  his  sisters,  Mary  and  Martha.  Nuns  serve 
God  there  under  an  abbess.  Here  our  Lord  and  Saviour 
was  frequently  entertained  as  a  guest.  To  the  eastward, 
beyond  Bethany,  at  a  distance  of  four  miles  from  Jerusalem, 
there  stands  on  a  mountain  the  Red  Cistern,  with  a  chapel 
attached  to  it.  Into  this  cistern  Joseph  is  said  to  have 
been  thrown  by  his  brethren.^  Here  the  Templars  have 
built  a  strong  castle.^  More  than  three  miles  further  on 
is  the  garden  of  Abraham,  in  a  beauteous  plain  near  the 
Jordan,  being  half  a  mile  from  it.  Its  twofold  extent^ 
includes  a  great  plain  watered  by  a  beauteous  brook. 

^  John  of  Wiirzburg  (ch.  ii.)  places  this  cistern  on  the  plain  of 
Dothaim,  between  Genon  and  Sebaste,  or  Samaria. 

2  Tobler  has  an  interesting  note  on  this  passage.  He  is  unable  with 
certainty  to  identify  this  site  with  that  of  the  Templars'  Bourg 
Maledoin,  which  may  either  have  been  here  or  on  the  summit  of 
Quarantana. 

^  The  text  here  seems  to  be  corrupt. 


46  THEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION. 

The  width  of  this  plain  extends  as  far  as  the  Jordan, 
and  its  length  reaches  down  as  far  as  the  Dead  Sea ;  it 
has  soil  fit  for  growing  all  manner  of  fruit,  and  abounds 
in  wood,  which,  however,  is  prickly  like  thistles.  We  saw 
the  garden  itself,  full  of  trees  bearing  innumerable  apples,^ 
but  of  a  small  size  ;  and  we  also  saw  ripe  barley  there  on 
the  Monday  after  Palm  Sunday. 

Many  towers  and  large  houses  are  possessed  there  by 
the  power  of  the  Templars,  whose  practice,  as  also  that  of 
the  Hospitallers,  is  to  escort  pilgrims  who  are  going  to  the 
Jordan,  and  to  watch  that  they  be  not  injured  by  the 
Saracens  either  in  going  or  returning,  or  while  passing  the 
night  there. 

[Tobler  conjectures  that  here  occurs  a  considerable  lacuna 
in  the  text] 

XXIX. — ^The  Jordan. — ^The  Mount  Quarantana. — 
The  Fountain  of  Elisha. 

A  mile  distant  from  hence  is  the  Jordan,  which,  running 
in  a  winding  and  twisting  stream  along  the  mountains 
of  Arabia,  pours  itself  into  the  Dead  Sea,  and  thereafter 
appears  no  more.  Between  the  Red  Cistern  and  the  afore- 
said valley  lies  a  frightful  wilderness,  into  which  our  Lord 
Jesus  was  brought  that  He  might  be  tempted  by  the  devil. 
At  the  end  of  this  wilderness  is  a  terrible  mountain,  very 
lofty,  and  so  precipitous  as  to  be  almost  inaccessible,* 
which,  while  it  rears  its  huge  peak  above,  yawns  with  a 
deep  and  gloomy  valley  below.  This  place  the  laity  call 
Quarantana,  and  we  may  call  Quadragena,  because  it  was 

^  A  vague  term  for  fruit  of  all  kinds. 

^  It  was  for  the  purpose  of  defending  the  pilgrims  down  these 
passes  that,  in  1118,  the  nine  knights  banded  together  who  formed  the 
nucleus  of  the  Order  of  the  Templars.  ,  See  Stanley's  '  Sinai  and 
Palestine,'  ch.  vii.,  p.  314. 


THEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION.  47 

here  that  our  Lord  sat  fasting  for  forty  days  and  forty 
nights.  The  road  to  the  place  where  our  Lord  sat  goes 
along  the  middle  of  the  mountain's  side,  not  straight, 
but  made  crooked  by  many  irregularities  of  the  ground, 
and  being  everywhere  slippery,  in  some  places  forces 
pilgrims  to  crawl  on  their  hands.  At  the  top  is  a  gate, 
and  when  you  have  passed  through  it  and  proceeded  a 
little  way  farther  you  will  find  a  chapel  built  on  to  a 
grotto,  made  by  human  labour,  and  dedicated  to  our  Lady. 
From  hence  you  ascend  by  a  toilsome  path  which  leads 
upwards  without  any  stepc;  passing  over  the  huge  and 
rugged  clefts  of  the  mountain,  you  enter  another  gate, 
and,  by  a  path  which  bends  back  agan  two  several  times, 
you  gradually  arrive  at  a  third  gate.  Passing  through 
this  you  will  see  a  little  altar  dedicated  to  the  holy  cross, 
and  on  the  right  hand  of  the  little  chapel  which  contains  it 
the  sepulchre  of  a  saint  named  Piligrinus,  whose  hand, 
still  covered  with  flesh,  is  shown  there. 

Now,  ascending  by  about  sixteen  steps  to  the  top,  you 
will  find  on  the  east  side  a  holy  altar,  and  on  the  west 
the  holy  place  itself  where  our  Lord  sat,  and,  as  we  have 
already  said,  fasted  forty  days  and  nights,  and  where,  after 
His  fast,  angels  ministered  unto  Him.  This  place  is 
situated  in  the  middle  of  the  mountain,  for  its  peak  reaches 
upwards  as  far  as  its  depth  opens  downwards. 

On  its  summit  may  be  seen  a  huge  rock,  on  which  the 
devil  is  said  to  have  sat  while  he  tempted  Him.  From 
this  mountain  a  view  extends  to  a  great  distance  beyond 
Jordan  into  Arabia,  and  even  the  frontier  of  Egypt  beyond 
the  Dead  Sea  may  be  seen.  The  crest  of  Mount  Quaran- 
tana  and  its  subterranean  caves  are  full  of  victuals  and 
arms  belonging  to  the  Templars,  who  can  have  no  stronger 
fortress  or  one  better  suited  for  the  annoyance  of  the 
infidels.     As  one  ascends  or  descends  this  mountain,  that 


48  THEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION. 

is  to  say,  at  its  foot,  a  great  fountain^  bubbles  forth,  which 
supplies  the  Garden  of  Abraham  and  the  whole  plain 
round  about  with  water.  There,  on  the  plain  which  is 
watered  by  the  brook  running  from  this  fountain,  pilgrims, 
as  we  have  already  said,  are  wont  to  pass  the  night,  that 
they  may  go  on  to  Quarantana  to  pray,  and  may  wash 
themselves  in  the  waters  of  the  Jordan.  They  are  pro- 
tected on  three  sides  by  the  garden  itself  from  the  ambus- 
cades of  the  infidels ;  on  the  fourth  side  they  are  guarded 
by  patrols  of  the  Hospitallers  and  Templars. 

XXX.— The  Place  on  the  Banks  of  the  Jordan 
WHERE  OUR  Lord  was  baptized. — The  Church 
AND  Convent.— The  Castle  of  the  Templars. — 
Jericho.— The  Mountains  of  Gilboa. 

When  our  humble  selves  also  had  visited  this  place  in 
order  to  pray  there,  desiring  to  wash  in  the  waters  of 
Jordan  with  the  rest,  we  descended  the  mountain  after  sun- 
set, just  as  darkness  was  coming  on  ;  and,  looking  out 
from  its  heights  over  the  flat  plain  below  us,  we  saw, 
according  to  our  reckoning,  more  than  sixty  thousand  men 
standing  thereon,  almost  all  of  them  carrying  candles  in 
their  hands — all  of  whom  could  be  seen  by  the  infidels 
from  the  mountains  of  Arabia  beyond  Jordan.  Indeed, 
there  was  a  still  larger  number  of  pilgrims  in  Jerusalem 
who  had  recently  visited  this  place. 

In  the  very  place  where  our  Lord  was  baptized  by  John 
there  is  a  great  stone,  whereon  our  Saviour  is  said  to  have 
stood  while  He  was  being  baptized,  and  thus  the  water  of 

1  The  Fountain  of  Elisha.  '  No  one,'  says  Mr.  Grove,  '  who  has 
visited  the  site  of  Jericho,  can  forget  how  prominent  a  feature  in  the 
scene  are  the  two  perennial  springs  which,  rising  at  the  base  of  the 
steep  hills  of  Quarantana  behind  the  town,  send  their  streams  across 
the  plain  towards  the  Jordan,'  etc. — '  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,'  art. 
*  Elisha' ;  2  K.  ii.  15-19. 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION.  49 

the  Jordan  came  to  Him,  but  He  did  not  enter  it.  On  the 
very  bank  of  Jordan  a  church  is  built,  in  which  six  monks 
who  inhabited  it  were  beheaded  by  Sanginus,^  the  father  of 
Noradin.  There  is  here  a  strong  castle  of  the  Templars. 
As  you  return  by  the  direct  path  from  the  Jordan  to 
Jerusalem,  on  the  flat  plain  before  you  enter  the  mountain 
district,  you  come  upon  Jericho,  past  which  flows  a  brook 
which  runs  down  from  the  mountains  of  Jerusalem,  and 
■which  is  now  reduced  to  a  small  town.  It  is,  however, 
situated  in  a  fertile  soil,  where  all  fruits  soon  ripen. 
Many  roses  grow  there  which  expand  a  lavish  abundance 
■of  petals.  Wherefore  the  comparison,  'Like  a  rose  planted 
in  Jericho,'  befits  our  Lady.  It  also  is  remarkable  for 
large  and  excellent  grapes.  This  place  is  under  the  juris- 
diction of  the  Church  of  St.  Lazarus  in  Bethany,  but  much 
of  the  land  lies  uncultivated  on  account  of  the  inroads  of 
the  Saracens.  To  the  north  of  this  road,  on  the  right  hand, 
the  Mountains  of  Gilboa,  by  the  side  of  the  aforesaid 
plain,  can  be  clearly  seen. 

XXXI.— The  Desert2  Elim.— The  Valley  of  Moses. 
— The  Mountains  of  Sinai,  Hor,  Abarim,  and 
THE  Mount  Royal. — The  Place  where  the 
Children  of  Israel  passed  over  the  Jordan. 

The  desert  through  which  the  Lord  once  led  the  children 
of  Israel,  after  they  had  come  up  from  the  Red  Sea,  lies 

1  'Zen^hi  (1127-1145)  proved  his  first  arms  against  the  Franks  in 
the  defeat  of  Antioch.  Thirty  campaigns  in  the  service  of  the  caliph 
and  sultan  estabhshed  his  military  fame.  .  .  .  After  a  siege  of 
twenty-five  days  he  stormed  the  city  of  Edessa,  and  recovered  from 
the  Franks  their  conquests  beyond  the  Euphrates.  The  corruption  of 
his  name  into  Sanguin  afTorded  the  Latins  a  comfortable  allusion  to 
his  sanguinary  character  and  end:  "Fit  sanguine  sanguinolentus." 
Gul.  Tyr.,  xvi.  &,,  5,  7.'— Gibbon,  ch.  lix. 

^  Here  begins  the  '  old  compendium,'  which  is  copied  by  Theoderich, 
John  of  Wiirzburg,  and  Eugesippus  Fretillus  with  great  uniformity. 

4 


,  50  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

between  Egypt  and  Arabia.  It  was  there  that  He  fed 
them,  as  we  read  (in  the  Bible),  with  bread  from  heaven,, 
and  brought  forth  water  out  of  the  rock  for  them.  But 
the  desert  in  which  the  children  of  Israel  found  twelve 
wells  of  water  and  three-score  and  ten  palm-trees  is  on  the 
borders  of  Arabia,  and  is  called  Elim.^  In  Arabia,  also, 
there  is  a  valley  which  is  called  the  valley  of  Moses,^ 
because  he  therein  twice  struck  the  rock  with  his  staff,  and 
brought  forth  water  from  the  rock  for  the  people,  from 
which  fountain  the  whole  land  is  now  watered.  In  the 
same  district  is  the  Mount  Sinai  on  which  Moses  fasted 
forty  days  and  nights,  and  also  received  thereon  the  law 
written  by  the  finger  of  God  upon  stone  tables.  Mount 
Hor,  upon  which  Aaron  was  buried,  is  in  Arabia,  as  like- 
wise is  Mount  Abarim,  upon  which  the  Lord  buried 
Moses,  whose  tomb,  however,  is  not  to  be  found.  There 
is  also  in  Arabia  a  mountain  which  is  called  the  Mount 
Royal,3  which  Baldwin,  King  of  Jerusalem,  conquered  in 
war  and  placed  under  the  dominion  of  the  Christians. 
These  are  the  boundaries  and  provinces  through  which 
the  children  of  Israel  passed  when  they  came  up  out  of 
Egypt  and  had  passed  over  the  Red  Sea,  slaying  Sihon, 
King  of  the  Emoreans,  and  Och,  the  King  of  Basan,  which 
countries  lie  between  Idumaea  and  Arabia ;  crossed  the 
Jordan  at  the  very  place  where  Christ  was  baptized,  and 
having  taken  Jericho  on  the  plain,  gained  possession  of  the 
promised  land,  as  we  are  told.  At  the  time  of  the  passage 
of  the  children  of  Israel  Arabia  was  so  utter  a  wilderness 
that  it  had  not  even  any  distinguishing  name. 

Theoderich  resumes  his  personal  narrative  with  the  words,  *  These  are 
the  boundaries,'  etc. 

^  Exod.  XV.  27.  ^  Wady  Mousa. 

'  Monreal. 


THEODERICII  '5  DESCRIPTION.  51 

XXXII. — The  Valley  of  Ennon,  near  Jerusalem.— 
The  New  Cistern.— The  Chapel  of  St.  Mary, 

WHERE  SHE  WAS  WONT  TO  REST. — CHABRATPL\,  THE 

Tomb  of  Rachel. 

Whosoever  passes  out  of  the  western  gate  of  the  city 
near  the  Tower  of  David,  and  directs  his  path  towards  the 
south,  will  pass  through  the  valley  of  Ennon,^  which  skirts 
two  sides  of  the  city  near  the  new  cistern  ;  and  at  the 
distance  of  more  than  half  a  mile  he  will  arrive  at  a  chapel 
of  special  sanctity,  dedicated  to  our  blessed  Lady  Mary, 
where  she  was  often  wont  to  rest  when  she  journeyed  from 
Bethlehem  to  Jerusalem.  At  its  door  stands  a  cistern,^  at 
which  passers-by  are  wont  to  refresh  themselves.  Beyond 
this  is  a  field  in  which  lie  numberless  heaps  of  stones, 
which  the  simple  pilgrims  delight  in  collecting  there, 
because  they  say  that  on  the  Day  of  Judgment  they  will 
take  their  seats  upon  them.  Close  by  is  the  place  which 
is  called  Chabratha,  where  Rachel,  the  wife  of  Jacob,  died 
after  she  had  brought  forth  Benjamin.  After  she  had  been 
buried  there  Jacob  piled  up  twelve  stones  over  her  grave, 
and  now  a  pyramid  stands  there  to  which  her  name  is 
attached. 

XXXIII.— Bethlehem.— The  Church  of  St.  Mary. 
— The  Chapel  of  the  Nativity. — The  Manger. — 
The  .  Tomb  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea  and  St. 
Jerome. — The  Place  where  '  Glory  to  God  in 
THE  Highest'  was  sung. 

Next  comes  the  famous  city  of  Bethlehem,  in  which, 
according  to  the  predictions  of  the  prophets,  our  dearest 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  born  man,  wherein  is  a  holy  church'^ 

^  See  ch.  iii. 

2  The  Birket  es  Sultan.     See  Tobler's  note. 
*  See  Stanley's  '  Sinai  and  Palestine,'  ch.  xiv.,  32,  p.  439. 

4—2 


52  THEODE RICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

honoured  by  the  distinction  of  being  a  bishop's  cathedral 
church.  The  high  altar  is  dedicated  to  our  blessed  Lady- 
Mary.  At  the  extremity  of  the  right-hand  apse,  by  the 
side  of  the  door,  one  descends  by  twenty-five^  steps  into 
i>  subterranean  grotto,  where  is  a  holy  altar  of  a  hollow 
form,  having  a  cross  marked  upon  the  ground.  This  altar 
consists  of  four  small  columns,  which  support  a  large  piece 
of  marble.  Upon  this  place  are  written  the  following  two 
verses : 

'Of  angels'  virtues  chief  beyond  compare 
A  virgin  here  the  Very  God  did  bear.' 

On  the  right  hand,  or  towards  the  west,  in  this  same  cave 
one  descends  four  steps,  and  so  comes  to  the  manger, 
wherein  once  not  only  lay  hay  for  cattle,  but  food  for  angels 
was  found.  The  manger  itself  has  been  encased  in  white 
marble,  with  three  round  holes  on  the  upper  part,  through 
which  pilgrims  offer  to  the  manger  their  long-wished-for 
kisses.  This  crypt  is,  moreover,  beautifully  decorated 
with  mosaic  work.  Above  the  cave  stands  a  holy  chapel 
vaulted  in  a  double  form,  wherein  on  the  south  side  is 
a  holy  altar,  and  on  the  west  the  tomb  of  Joseph  of 
Arimathea  is  shown  in  the  wall.  Not  far  from  the  manger 
of  the  Lord  is  the  tomb  of  St.  Jerome,  whose  body  is  said 
to  have  been  translated  from  thence  by  Theodosius  the 
Younger  to  Constantinople.  On  the  roof  of  the  church 
itself  a  star  of  well-gilded  copper  glitters  on  the  end  of 
a  lance,  in  allusion  to  the  three  Magi,  who,  as  we  read  in 
the  Gospel,  came  thither  by  the  leading  of  a  star,  and, 
finding  the  Child  Jesus  there  with  Mary  his  Mother,  adored 
Him.  A  mile  from  Bethlehem  the  angel  appeared  to  the 
shepherds,  and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shone  round  about 
them,  where  also  appeared  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly 
host,  singing  '  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest.' 
*  Phocas,  ch.  xxii.,  says  'sixteen.' 


THEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION.  53 


XXXIV.— Hebron.— The    Double  Cave.— The  Red 
Earth.— Mambre.— The  Oak. 

Further  on,  towards  the  south,  near  the  Dead  Sea,  is 
Hebron,  where  Adam,  after  he  was  driven  out  of  Paradise, 
is  said  to  have  dwelt  and  been  buried.  This  city  was  a 
city  of  priests  in  the  tribe  of  Juda,  and  was  a  dwelling- 
place  of  giants,  and  was  in  olden  days  called  Cariatharbc, 
or  the  'city  of  four,'  because  four  venerable  patriarchs  are 
buried  there  in  a  double  cave — that  is  to  say,  Adam,  the 
first  created  man  ;  Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  the  three 
patriarchs ;  and  their  four  wives,  Eva,  Sara,  Rebecca,  and 
Lya.  This  city  was  before  this  named  Arbe,  and  in  its 
territory — that  is,  at  the  extremity  of  it — there  was  a 
double  cave  looking  towards  Mambre,  which  Abraham 
bought  for  a  price  from  Ephron,  the  son  of  Seor  the 
Hittite.  In  the  country  near  the  city  is  found  the  red 
earth,  which  is  dug  up  by  the  inhabitants  and  eaten  and 
exported  to  Egypt.  Of  this  earth  Adam  is  said  to  have 
been  made.  Now  this  earth,  however  much  of  it  may  be 
dug  out  in  extent  or  in  depth,  is  said  to  be  restored  next 
year  as  much  as  it  was  before,  by  the  Divine  powei'.  Near 
this  city  is  the  mountain  Mambre,  at  whose  foot  stands 
the  oak  which  the  moderns  call  'dirps,'^  beneath  which 
Abraham  beheld  three  angels  and  adored  one,  and  hos- 
pitably entertained  them.  This  oak  lasted  until  the  time 
of  the  Emperor  Theodosius,  and  from  its  trunk  or  root 
another  has  grown,  which,  although  partly  withered,  still 
exists,  and  is  so  wholesome  that  as  long  as  a  horseman 
holds  a  piece  of  it  in  his  hands  his  horse  will  not  founder. 
Hebron  was  the  first  place  reached  by  Caleb  and  Joshua 

1  Probably  an  attempt  to  render  the  Arabic  word  duleb  or  didb — 
♦oak.' 


54  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 


and  their  ten  companions,  who  were  sent  by  Moses  from 
Cadesbarne  to  spy  out  the  Promised  Land.  This  city  was 
afterwards  the  cradle  of  the  kingdom  of  David,  who  by 
the  Divine  command  reigned  therein  for  seven  years. 

XXXV.— The  Sepulchre  of  Lot.— The  Lake  As- 
PHALTiTEs.— Segor.— The  Statue  of  Salt.— 
Carnaim. 

Two  miles  from  Hebron  was  the  sepulchre  of  Lot, 
Abraham's  nephew.  Ten  miles  from  Hebron,  towards  the 
east,  is  the  Lake  Asphaltites,  which  is  also  called  the 
*  Dead  Sea,'  because  it  receives  into  itself  nothing  living,  or 
the  '  Sea  of  the  Devil,'  because  at  his  instigation  the  four 
cities  of  Sodom,  Gomorra,  Seboim,  and  Adima  went  on  in 
their  wickedness  and  were  burned  with  fire  of  brimstone 
from  heaven,  and  were  sunk  in  this  lake,  which  rose  in  the 
place  of  the  aforesaid  cities.  The  water  of  this  pool  is 
shocking  from  its  hideous  colour,  and  its  stench  drives 
away  those  who  approach  it.  Once  a  year,  on  the  anniver- 
sary of  the  destruction  of  those  cities,  stones  and  wood  and 
things  of  other  kinds  are  seen  to  float  upon  the  surface  of 
the  lake,  in  testimony  of  their  ruin. 

Near  the  lake  is  the  city  of  Segor,  which  is  also  called 
Bala  and  Cara,  which  was  saved  from  destruction  by  the 
prayers  of  Lot,  and  remains  to  this  day.  As  Lot  went  out 
of  it  his  wife  looked  back,  and  was  turned  into  a  statue  of 
salt,  which  endures  unto  this  day,  and  which,  as  it  grows 
smaller  when  the  moon  is  waning,  so  also  increases  in  size 
when  she  waxes,  and  has  its  face  turned  behind  its  back. 
This  lake  also  produces  bitumen,  which  is  called  Jews' 
pitch,  and  is  of  great  use  to  sailors.  Round  about  its  banks 
is  likewise  found  alum,  which  the  Saracens  call  'katranum.' 
Moreover,  above  the  lake,  as  one  goes  down  to  Arabia,  is 


THEODERTCH'S  DESCRIPTION.  55 

the  city  of  Carnaim,  on  the  mountain  of  the  Moabites,  upon 
which  Balac,  the  son  of  Beor,  the  King  of  the  Moabites, 
placed  Balaam,  the  seer,  to  curse  the  children  of  Israel : 
which  mountain,  on  account  of  its  steep  precipice,  is  called 
■•Cut  off.'    This  lake  divides  Judaea  from  Arabia. 

XXXVI.— Gaza.— Ascalon.—Joppe.—Arimathia. — 
The  Field  of  Abacuc. 

Ten  miles  westward  from  Hebron,  on  the  shore  of  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  stands  Gaza,  which  is  now  called 
Gazara,  wherein  Samson  did  many  great  deeds,  and  carried 
away  its  gates  by  night.  Eight  miles  from  Gaza,  on  the 
shore  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  is  Ascalon,  a  very  strongly 
fortified  city.  These  cities  used  to  stand  in  Palestine,  or, 
rather,  in  the  country  of  the  Philistines.  On  the  shore  of 
the  same  Mediterranean  Sea  is  Joppe,  wherein  the  Apostle 
Peter  raised  Tabitha  from  the  dead,  and  which  the  moderns 
call  Jafis.  Near  it  is  Arimathia,  from  which  came  Joseph, 
the  noble  counsellor,^  who  buried  Christ.  There,  also,  that 
is,  in  the  land  of  Juda,  is  the  field  where  Abacuc  the  prophet 
was  carried  off  by  an  angel  when  he  had  kneaded  bread  in 
a  trough,  and  was  going  into  the  field  to  take  it  to  the 
reapers,  and  was  carried  away  to  Babylon,  that  he  might 
take  food  to  Daniel  in.  the  den  of  lions.^ 

XXXVII.— The  Charnel-house  of  the  Lion,  near 
Jerusalem. 

As  you  go  out  of  the  Holy  City  towards  the  west,  by 
the  gate  near  the  Tower  of  David,  on  the  right  hand  there 
is  a  path  which  leads  to  a  chapel,  wherein  one  descends  by 

^  Decurio. 

-  This  legend  is  mentioned  by  Johannes  Poloner,  *  De  Civitatibus  et 
Locis  Terrae  Sanctae.' — See  '  Dictionary  of  the  Bible,'  s.v.  'Habakkuk. 


56  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

about  one  hundred  steps,  into  a  very  deep  subterranean, 
cave,  and  finds  the  bodies  of  numberless  pilgrims,  which  are 
said  to  have  been  brought  thither  in  the  following  manner : 
All  the  pilgrims  who  came  one  year  to  pray,  as  usual, 
found  the  city  full  of  Saracens,  and  being,  therefore,  unable 
to  enter  it,  besieged  those  who  were  in  the  city.  But  as 
they  had  neither  food  nor  arms  sufficient  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  so  arduous  a  feat,  they  began  to  be  in  great 
straits  for  want  of  provisions.  While  they  were  thus  in 
want,  the  Saracens,  seeing  that  they  were  unable  to  resist, 
suddenly  sallied  forth  from  the  city,  and  put  them  all  to  the 
sword.  Now,  as  a  stench  arose  from  the  corpses  of  so 
many  men,  they  determined  to  burn  them  all  ;  but  that 
same  night  a  lion  appeared,  sent  from  God,  who  cast  all  the 
bodies  into  that  cave,  which  has  a  narrow  mouth.  Every 
particle  of  them  may  be  carried  across  the  sea  ;  indeed, 
when  it  is  put  on  board,  the  ships  are  said  to  go  home  of 
their  own  accord. 

XXXVIIL— The  Church  of  the  Holy  Cross.— The 
Place  in  the  Wood,  or  of  St.  John.  —  The 
Mountains  of  Modin,  or  Belmont. — Emmaus,  or 
FoNTENOiD. — The  Mountains  of  Sophim.— Rama- 
tha. — Bethoron. — Silo,  or  the  Mountain  of 
the  Holy  Samuel. 

Next,  beyond  a  certain  mountain,  follows  a  most  fruitful 
and  beautiful  valley,  wherein  stands  a  noble  church,  dedi- 
cated to  our  Lord  Jesus  and  to  His  beloved  Mother,  wherein, 
under  an  open  altar,  men  worship  the  holy  place  in  which 
stood  the  trunk  of  the  tree  from  which  was  cut  the  cross 
whereon  the  Saviour  hung  for  our  salvation.  This  church 
belongs  to  the  Syrians,  and  is  strongly  fortified  with  towers, 
•walls,  and  battlements,  against  the  treacherous  attacks  of 


'TIIEODERICWS  DESCRIPTION.  57 

the  infidels  ;  it  is,  moreover,  adorned  with  houses,  dining- 
rooms,  chambers,  and  dwellings  of  all  kinds,  suitable  for  all 
kinds  of  uses,  raised  high  aloft  in  stonework.  This  tree  is 
said  to  have  been  cut  down  by  King  Solomon,  who  marked 
it  with  the  figure  of  the  cross,  and  put  it  away  in  a  fitting 
place,  to  await  the  coming  of  the  Saviour,  because  he  fore- 
saw in  the  spirit  that  salvation  would  be  brought  to  the 
world  through  Christ's  death.  From  thence  one  passes  on 
to  St.  John's,  or  to  the  place  which  is  called  *  In  the  Wood,' 
where  his  father,  Zacharias,  and  his  mother,  Elizabeth, 
lived,  and  where  St.  John  himself  was  born,  where  also  St. 
Mary,  after  she  had  received  the  salutation  of  the  angel  at 
Nazareth,  came  and  saluted  St.  Elizabeth.  Near  this  place 
are  the  mountains  of  Modin,  upon  which  Mathathias  sat 
with  his  sons  when  Antiochus  took  the  city  and  the  children 
of  Israel  by  storm.  These  mountains  are  called  by  the 
moderns  Belmont.  Near  these  mountains  is  the  castle  of 
Emmaus,  which  the  moderns  call  Fontenoid,  where  the 
Lord  appeared  to  two  of  His  disciples  on  the  very  day  of 
His  resurrection.  Not  far  from  hence  are  the  mountains 
of  Ephraim,  which  are  called  Sophim  ;  and  soon  comes 
Ramatha,  a  great  city,  which  is  now  called  Rames,  of  which 
Helchana,  the  father  of  the  prophet  Samuel,  and  Anna,  his 
mother,  were  natives.  Near  the  Sophim  is  Bethoron, 
which  now  is  called  Beter.  On  the  right  hand,  or  western 
side  of  that  district,  two  miles  from  Jerusalem,  one  ascends 
the  mount  Silo,  from  which  springs  of  sweet  water  flow  into 
the  valleys  beneath  it.  There  the  ark  of  the  covenant  of 
the  Lord  remained  from  the  entering  in  of  the  children  of 
Israel  into  the  Promised  Land,  until  the  time  of  Heli  the 
priest,  in  whose  time  the  ark  itself  was  forced  by  the  sins 
of  the  Hebrews  to  be  captured  by  the  Philistines  and  kept 
by  them  until,  struck  by  a  scourge  from  heaven,  they  placed 
this  same  ark  on  a  waggon  and  unwillingly  brought  it  back 


S8  THEODERICWS  DESCRIPTION. 

to  Bethsames,^  seven  months  after  it  had  been  captured. 
Here,  as  the  anger  of  the  Lord  raged  fiercely  against  both 
the  priests  and  the  people  because  they  had  kept  the  ark, 
the  men  of  Cariathiarim,^  or  Gabaa,  came  and  took  it  away 
from  Bethsames,  and  kept  it  in  their  own  country ;  and 
afterwards  King  David  and  all  Israel  brought  it  away  with 
singing  and  hymns  of  praises,  and  deposited  it  in  the  city 
of  David,  on  the  mount  Sion.  After  this,  when  King 
Solomon  had  built  the  Temple  of  the  Lord,  as  aforesaid,  on 
Mount  Moria,  where  the  threshing-floor  of  Areuna  the 
Jebusite  had  been,  he  placed  the  ark  in  the  Temple.  In 
Silo,  also,  the  prophet  Samuel  was  buried,  whence  changing 
its  former  name,  the  place  was  called  St.  Samuel's,  and 
there  dwells  there  a  convent  of  professed  monks,  called 
gray  monks.^ 

XXXIX. — Lydda.— Cacho.— Caesarea  of  Palestine. 
— Mount  Caipha  (Carmel)  and  the  Town. 

Six  miles  to  the  west  of  Silo,  on  the  plain,  is  Lydda, 
the  burial-place,  according  to  tradition,  of  St.  George  the 
Martyr.  Wherefore  the  place  has  lost  its  ancient  name, 
and  is  called  St.  George's  by  the  moderns.  From  hence 
one  goes  down  by  the  way  which  leads  towards  Achon,  or 
Ptolemais,  through  a  pleasant  and  beauteous  plain  which 
extends  between  the  mountains  and  the  flat  country  by 

1  Beth-shemesh.     i  Sam,  vi. 

"  Kirjath-jearim.     2  Sam.  vi. 

^  Praemonstratensians.  I  n  the  '  Voiage  Nouveau  de  la  Terre  Sainte,* 
A.D.  1670,  par  Le  Seigneur  de  la  Croix,  there  is  an  interesting 
account  of  the  order  of  Montjoie.  '  This  order  derives  its  origin  from 
some  pious  Christians  who  built  a  strong  dwelling  on  a  mountain 
between  Rama  and  Jerusilem,  called  Montjoie,  because  it  was  from 
thence  that  the  Crusaders  first  saw  the  Holy  City.  They  used  to  help 
pilgrims  on  their  way.  They  lived  under  the  rule  of  St.  Basil,  and 
wore  a  green  (?)  gown  with  a  star-shaped  green  cross,'  says  De  la 
Croix,  who  adds  that  they  subsequently  migrated  to  Spain, 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION.  59 

the  seashore  ;  whereon  are  many  cities  and  towns,  both 
new  and  old.  Among  these  are  Caphar  Gamala,  Caphar 
Scmala,  a  fortress  which  the  moderns  call  Cacho,  which  is 
situated  in  a  very  fertile  valley,  the  fortified  town  which 
is  now  called  Caesarea  of  Palestine,  and  was  once  called 
the  Tower  of  Strato,  and  the  Mountain  of  Caipha,i  near 
which  stand  a  half-ruined  town  of  the  same  name. 

Herein  it  is  said  that  the  thirty  pieces  of  silver  were 
made  which  were  given  to  the  traitor  Judas  as  the  price  of 
the  blood  of  Christ ;  and  on  the  top  of  the  mountain  there 
is  a  castle  of  the  Templars,  which  enables  mariners  to 
recognise  the  mainland  from  a  distance. 

XL. — The  Nev/  Castle  of  Accaron. — The  Grove  of 
Palms. — Ptolemais. 

Further  on  by  the  seashore,  opposite  Accaron,  a  great 
castle  of  that  name  stands  in  a  rich  country,  and  is  called 
the  New  Castle.^  Near  it  is  a  very  large  grove  of  palm- 
trees,  and  three  miles  further  on  is  Ptolemais  itself,  a  great, 
rich,  and  populous  city.  However,  the  harbour,  or  road- 
stead, of  Ptolemais  is  difficult  and  dangerous  of  access 
when  the  wind  blows  from  the  south,  and  the  shores 
tremble  under  the  continual  shocks  which  they  receive 
from  the  waves,  which  are  there  heaped  into  great  masses. 
For  since  the  fury  of  the  sea  is  not  broken  by  the  inter- 
vention of  any  mountain,  the  terrible  waves  boil  over  more 
than  a  stone's-throw  on  to  the  land.  In  this  city  the 
Templars  have  built  a  large  house  of  admirable  workman- 
ship by  the  seashore,  and  the  Hospitallers  likewise  have 
founded  a  stately  house  there.  Wherever  the  ships  of 
pilgrims  may  have  landed  them,  they  are  all  obliged  to 

1  Haifa. 

^  This,  Tobler  thinks,  can  hardly  be  identified  with  the  '  Chasteau- 
neuf  of  Wilken  (i.,  suppL,  pp.  35-38). 


6o  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 


repair  to  the  harbour  of  this  city  to  take  them  home  again 
on  their  return  from  Jerusalem.  Indeed,  in  the  year  when 
we  were  there — on  the  Wednesday  in  Easter  week — we 
counted  eighty  ships  in  the  port  besides  the  ship  called  a 
'  buss,'  on  board  of  which  we  sailed  thither  and  returned. 
Along  the  road  which  leads  from  Jerusalem  through  the 
aforementioned  places  to  Ptolemais  one  meets  with  many 
deserted  cities  and  castles,  which  were  destroyed  by 
Vespasian  and  Titus ;  but  one  also  sees  very  strongly 
fortified  castles,  which  belong  to  the  Templars  and  Hos- 
pitallers. 

XLI. — The  Little  Church  at  the  Spot  from 
WHENCE  Pilgrims  first  see  Jerusalem. —  The 
Village  of  Mahumeria^  and  the  Church  of 
St.  Mary.  —  Another  Village. —  Sichem,  or 
Neapolis. — The  Saracens. 

Two  miles  from  the  Holy  City,  on  the  northern  side» 
there  is  a  little  church  at  the  place  where  pilgrims,  filled 
with  great  joy  at  their  first  sight  of  the  city,  are  wont  to 
lay  down  their  crosses,  and  also  take  off  their  shoes  and 
humbly  strive  to  seek  Him  who  deigned  for  their  sakes  to 
come  thither  poor  and  humble.  Three  miles  from  hence 
is  a  large  village  called  Mahumeria^  by  the  moderns,  where 
close  by  a  church  dedicated  to  St.  Mary  stands  a  great 
cross  of  hewn  stone,  raised  upon  seven  steps  ;  which  steps 
are  ascended  by  pilgrims,  who  from  thence  behold,  not 
without  groans,  the  Tower  of  David,  standing,  as  aforesaid, 
on  the  mount  Sion,  at  a  distance  of  more  than  four  miles. 

1  Burckhard,  quoted  by  Tobler  on  the  subject  of  the  mosque  at 
Hebron,  says  :  '  Sed  de  ecclesia  cathedral!  fecerunt  Saraceni  Mar- 
mariam  (Sonst  Mahomeria,  Moschee),'  etc.  Tobler's  Thcoderich, 
p.  213.     See  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  iv.,  note. 

^  See  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  iv. 


THEODERICIPS  DESCRIPTION.  6l 

The  old  name  of  this  village  has  escaped  my  memory. 
Eight  miles  from  hence  another  great  village  stands  on  a 
lofty  mountain  height,  whence  by  a  precipitous  path  one 
descends  through  a  beauteous  and  boundless  plain  and 
over  some  other  mountains  to  a  very  strongly  fortified  city, 
which  in  ancient  days  was  called  Sichem,  or  Sichar,  but 
now  is  called  Neapolis,  or  the  New  City.  As  we  passed 
along  this  road  we  were  met  by  a  multitude  of  Saracens, 
who  were  proceeding  with  bullocks  and  asses  to  plough  up 
a  great  and  beauteous  plain,  and  who,  by  the  hideous  yells 
which  they  thundered  forth,  as  is  their  wont  whenever 
they  set  about  any  work,  struck  no  small  terror  into  us. 
Indeed,  numbers  of  the  infidels  dwell  there  throughout  the 
country,  as  well  in  the  cities  and  castles  as  in  the  villages, 
and  till  the  ground  under  the  safe-conduct  of  the  King  of 
Jerusalem  or  that  of  the  Templars  or  Hospitallers. 

XLII. — Sichem  again. — The  Well  and  Church  of 
Jacob. — Cain  and  Abel. — The  Terebinth  of 
Rachel. — Bethel,  or  Luza. — Mounts  Gerizim 
AND  Ebal. 

The  aforementioned  city  of  Neapolis  is  situated  in 
Samaria,  and  abounds  in  springs  and  rivers,  vineyards, 
oliveyards,  and  trees  of  all  kinds,  while  its  soil  is  fertile 
and  excellently  cultivated.  When  our  Lord  Jesus  came 
liither,  being  weary  with  His  journey.  He  sat  down  beside 
the  spring,  where  He  talked  with  the  woman  of  Samaria. 
Now,  the  well  upon  which  our  Lord  sat  is  half  a  mile 
distant  from  the  city,  and  stands  in  front  of  the  altar  in  a 
church  which  has  been  built  over  it,  wherein  God  is  served 
by  nuns.  This  well  is  known  as  Jacob's  Well,  and  stands 
upon  the  land  which  he  gave  to  his  son  Joseph.  This  city 
was  once  destroyed  by  the  sons  of  Jacob,  who  slew  Sichem, 


62  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

its  prince,  the  son  of  Hamor,  the  Hivite,  because  he  had 
ravished  Dinah,  their  sister.  This  city  stands  between  Dan 
and  Bethel,  and  in  it  Jeroboam,  King  of  Israel,  made  two 
golden  calves,  whereof  he  set  up  one  in  Dan  and  the  other 
in  Bethel.  Near  Sichem  are  two  mountains ;  one,  whereon 
Cain  is  said  to  have  offered  sacrifice  to  God  of  the  fruits  of 
the  earth,  dry  and  desert  ;  the  other,  whereon  Abel  like- 
wise offered  sacrifice  to  God  of  the  fatlings  of  his  flock, 
rich  in  trees  and  plenteous  in  fruits  of  all  kinds.  To  Sichem 
were  brought  the  bones  of  Joseph  from  Egypt,  and  near  it 
is  the  terebinth  beneath  which  his  mother  Rachel  hid 
the  idols  which  she  had  stolen  from  Laban,  her  father. 
A  mile  to  the  eastward  thereof  is  Bethel,  which  before  was 
called  Luza,  where  Isaac's  sacrifice  by  his  father  Abraham 
took  place,  and  where  also  Jacob,  sleeping  with  his  head 
laid  upon  a  stone,  beheld  the  ladder  reaching  up  to  heaven 
and  the  angels  of  God  ascending  and  descending  by  it, 
and  the  Lord  Himself  standing  above  the  same.  Close  by 
one  sees  the  mount  Gerizim,  over  against  the  mount 
Hebal,  from  which  Moses  ordained  that  the  people  should 
be  blessed  or  cursed  according  as  they  had  deserved. 

XLIII. — Samaria  or  Sebaste. — The  Crypt  of  Heli- 

SAEUS    AND    ABDIA.  —  THE     SEPULCHRES     OF     THE 

Seventy  Prophets. 

Six  miles  from  hence  is  Samaria,  also  called  Sebaste, 
which  the  moderns  call  St.  John's,  and  which  stands  on  a 
strong  though  not  high  mount.  From  it  the  province  of 
Samaria  itself  has  received  its  name,  and  its  great  ruins 
give  it  the  appearance  of  a  city.  It  is  rich  in  its  soil,  and 
plenteous  in  vineyards  and  all  fruits.  In  this  place  the 
disciples  of  St.  John  the  Baptist^  buried  the  body  of  their 
master,  after  his  head  had  been  cut  off  by  Herod  the 
^  See  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  ii. 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION.  Ci 

Younger  in  the  castle  of  Machaeriinta,  as  a  present  for 
a  dancing  girl.  It  is  said  to  have  been  afterwards 
burned  by  Julian  the  Apostate.  His  head,  however,  was 
first  carried  to  Alexandria,  was  translated  thence  to  an 
island  called  Rhodos,  and  was  afterwards  removed  to 
Constantinople  by  the  Emperor  Theodosius.  Moreover, 
a  piece  of  his  arm  is  preserved  there,  and  is  held  most 
sacred.  He  was  buried  in  the  crypt  between  the  prophets 
Helisaeus  and  Abdia,  in  the  cave  in  which  that  prophet 
once  fed  seventy  prophets,  who  are  also  buried  there.  One 
goes  into  it  down  thirty-five  steps. 

XLIV. — GiNAEA.  —  Jezrahel.  —  The    Mountains  of 

GiLBOA. — SCYTHOPOLIS. — ThE  CaSTLE  OF   SaPHAM. 

— Mount  Hermon.— Another  Castle. 

Ten  miles  from  hence  is  the  town  of  Genin,i  at  which 
place  Samaria  begins.  Five  miles  from  Genin  is  Jezrahel, 
which  is  now  called  Ad  Cursum  Gallinarum.  Here  dwelt 
Naboth,  who  was  stoned  for  the  sake  of  his  vineyard  by 
that  most  impious  woman  Jezabel,  whom  afterwards  Jehu 
caused  to  be  trampled  upon  by  his  horses'  feet  there. 
Near  Jezrahel  is  the  field  of  Mageddo,  wherein  Ozias,  King 
of  Juda,  was  conquered  and  slain  by  the  King  of  Samaria. 
Many  ruins  of  this  city  are  still  to  be  seen,  as  also  a 
pyramid  called  by  the  name  of  Jezabel.  A  mile  from 
Jezrahel  to  the  eastward  are  seen  the  mountains  of  Gilboa. 
Two  miles  from  it  stands  the  city  which  once  was  called 
Bethsan,  or  '  The  House  of  God,'  and  which  is  now  called 
Scythopolis,  upon  whose  wall  we  read  that  the  heads  of 
Saul  and  of  his  sons  were  hung  when  the  strangers 
(Philistines)  had  slain  them  in  war.  This  city  marks  the 
eastern   border   of    Galilee,   whose   capital   it   is.      In   its 

The  Arabic  Dschenin,     See  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  i.,  note. 


64  THEQDERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

neighbourhood,  on  a  lofty  mountain,  the  Hospitallers  have 
built  a  very  strong  and  spacious  castle,  that  they  may 
protect  the  land  on  this  side  the  Jordan  against  the 
treacherous  attacks  of  Noradin,  the  despot  of  Aleppo. 
There  is  also  close  by,  on  the  west,  a  castle  of  the  Templars, 
named  Sapham,  strongly  fortified  to  repel  the  inroads  of 
the  Turks,  Beyond  this,  towards  the  Mediterranean,  is 
Mount  Hermon,  at  the  foot  of  which,  on  the  west  side,  the 
Templars  have  built  a  castle  of  no  small  size,  in  whose 
grounds  they  have  made  a  large  cistern  with  a  wheeled 
machine  for  drawing  water. 

XLV, — Tiberias.— The  Place  called  the  Table. — 
The  Sea  of  Galilee. — The  Mountain  whereon 
OUR    Lord    was    wont    to    pass   the   Night. — 

PANEAS,     or     BELINAS.  —  JOR     AND      DAN.  —  ThE 

Jordan. — The  Plain  of  Medan.— The  Valley  in 
the  Fields. 

Beyond  this  come  most  beauteous  and  most  fertile 
plains,  at  the  end  of  which,  towards  the  north,  stands  the 
city  of  Tiberias  upon  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  where  our  Lord 
satisfied  five  thousand  men  with  five  loaves  and  three 
fishes.  Hence  this  place  is  called  the  Table,  and  traces 
of  the  miracle  may  be  seen  there  to  this  day.  Near,  also,  is 
the  place  at  which  the  Lord  appeared  to  His  disciples 
after  His  resurrection,  and  ate  part  of  a  fish  and  a  honey- 
comb in  their  presence.  Here  is  that  Sea  of  Galilee  upon 
which  our  Lord  came  walking  to  His  disciples  about  the 
fourth  watch  of  the  night,  when,  as  Peter  walked  upon  the 
waves  and  was  beginning  to  sink.  He  took  him  by  the 
hand,  and  said  :  *  Oh,  thou  of  little  faith,  wherefore  didst 
thou  doubt  V  Here  also,  at  another  time,  when  His 
disciples  were  in  danger,  He  made  the  sea  quiet.  Near  the 
same  sea,   not  far  from  Tiberias,  is   that   mountain   into 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION.  6$ 

Avhich  He  ascended,  seeing  a  multitude,  whereon  He  often 
sat  and  addressed  His  disciples  and  the  people,  and  on 
which  He  was  wont  to  pass  the  night.  Here  also  He 
deigned  to  heal  the  leper.  At  the  foot  of  the  mount 
Libanus,  which  is  the  boundary  of  Galilee  towards  the 
north,  IS  the  city  of  Paneas,  which  being  afterwards  rebuilt 
by  Philip,  the  tetrarch  of  Ituraea  and  the  region  of 
Traconitis,  was  called  Caesarea  Philippi,  in  memory  of  his 
own  name  and  likewise  in  honour  of  Tiberius  Caesar,  under 
whom  he  governed.  This  city,  which  is  called  Belinas  by 
the  moderns,  was  rescued  from  the  infidels,  in  the  year 
Ji6i  since  the  incarnation  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  the 
Christians,  who  have  established  a  garrison  of  their  own 
people  in  it.  In  this  country  two  springs,  to  wit,  Jor  and 
Dan,  both  rise,  which  flow  separately  as  far  as  the 
mountain  of  Gibel,  and  there  form  the  Jordan.  The 
Jordan,  as  has  been  said  in  former  chapters,  flows  from  the 
Gibel  mountains  to  the  lake  Asphaltites  through  the 
valley  which  is  called  '  The  Great  Valley,'  or  '  The  Valley 
of  the  Meadov/s,'  which  is  bounded  on  both  sides  by  a 
continuous  chain  of  mountains  from  Libanus  to  the  desert 
of  Pharan.  Its  course  divides  Galilee  from  Idumaea  and 
the  land  of  Bosra,  which  is  the  second  capital  of  the 
Idumaeans,  next  to  Damascus.  Dan  from  its  source  flows 
underground  as  far  as  the  plain  named  Medan,  where  it 
displays  its  channel  quite  openly.  An  innumerable 
multitude  of  people  assemble  on  this  plain  every  year  at 
the  beginning  of  summer,  bringing  with  them  all  manner 
of  things  for  sale,  and  with  them  come  a  vast  number  of 
Parthians  and  Arabs  to  protect  the  people  and  their  flocks, 
which  remain  in  those  parts  throughout  the  summer. 
After  leaving  this  plain,  Dan  passes  through  Sueta,  in 
nvhich  the  monument  of  the  blessed  Job  still  exists,  and  is 
Jield  sacred  by  the  inhabitants.     Thence  it  flows  towards 

5 


66  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

Galilee  of  the  Gentiles  to  the  city  of  Cedar,  passes  by  the 
plain  of  the  thorns,^  where  the  medicinal  places  are,  and 
joins  (its  waters  to  those  of)  Jor,  The  Jordan,  however, 
flows  out  of  the  lake  far  away  from  Paneas,  and  after 
passing  between  Bethsaida  and  Capharnaum  through  the 
Sea  of  Galilee,  makes  a  fresh  start. 

XLVI. — Bethsaida. — Cedar. — Chorazain. — Caphar- 
naum.— Bethulia. — The  Lake  of  Gennesareth. 

—  MaGDALUM. —  CiNNERETH     (TiBERIAS). — MOUNT 

Tabor. — Nain. — Endor. 

This  is  Bethsaida  to  which  Peter  and  Andrew,  John,  and 
James  the  son  of  Alphaeus  belonged.  Four  miles  from 
Bethsaida  is  Chorazain,  in  which  it  is  believed  that  Anti- 
christ will  be  born,  because  the  Lord  rebuked  them,  saying, 
*Woe  to  thee,  Chorazain!  woe  to  thee,  Bethsaida!'  Five 
miles  from  Chorazain  is  Cedar,  a  fine  city,  of  which  the 
prophet  saith  in  the  Psalm,  '  I  have  had  my  dwelling  with 
the  inhabitants  of  Cedar.'  Capharnaum,  also  on  the  right- 
hand  side  of  the  same  sea,  is  the  city  of  the  centurion 
whose  child  our  Lord  raised  from  death.  Four  miles  from 
Tiberias  is  the  city  of  Bethsaida,  whence  came  Judith  who 
slew  Holofcrnes.  Four  miles  from  Tiberias,  towards  the 
south,  is  Dothaim,  where  Joseph  found  his  brethren.  On 
the  left-hand  side  of  the  same  sea,  in  the  hollow  of  a  moun- 
tain, the  little  plain  of  Gennesareth  juts  out,  which,  since 
being  on  all  sides  surrounded  by  hills  it  feels  no  wind  that 
blows,  is  said  to  make  a  wind  for  itself  by  the  emission  of 
its  own  breath.  Two  miles  from  Gennesareth  is  the  town 
Magdalum,  from  which  came  the  Magdalen.  This  province 
is  called  Galilee  of  the  Gentiles,  and  is  in  the  tribes  of 

^  See  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  xx.  /;///.,  and  ch.  xxv.  fin.j  and 
Stanley's  *  Sinai  and  Palestine,'  ch.  xi. 


THEODERICWS  DESCRIPTION.  67 

Zebulon  and  Nephthalim.  In  the  upper  parts  of  this 
Galilee  are  those  twenty  cities  which  King  Solomon  is  said 
in  the  Book  of  Kings  to  have  given  to  Hiram,  King  of 
Tyre.  Two  miles  from  Magdalum  is  Cinereth,  which  is 
also  called  Tiberias,  of  which  we  have  already  spoken. 
Five  miles  to  the  west  of  Tiberias  is  Mount  Tabor,^  of 
great  height,  whereon  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  trans- 
figured in  the  presence  of  His  disciples.  On  this  mountain 
a  glorious  church  has  been  built  and  dedicated  to  the 
Saviour,  in  which  monks  serve  God  under  an  abbot.  It  is 
said  that  the  service  of  Mass  was  celebrated  for  the  first 
time  in  this  church.  On  the  skirts  of  this  mountain 
Melchisedech,  the  priest  of  the  most  high  God,  and  King 
of  Salem,  met  Abraham  as  he  was  returning  from  the 
slaughter  of  Abimelech,  and  offered  him  bread  and  wine.^ 
Two  miles  from  Tabor  is  the  city  of  Nain,  at  whose  gate 
our  Lord  raised  up  the  widow^s  son  from  death  and 
restored  him  to  her.  Above  Nain  is  Mount  Endor,  at 
whose  foot,  on  the  banks  of  the  brook  Cadumim,  which  is 
the  brook  Cison,  Barach,  the  son  of  Abinoem,  acting  by  the 
advice  of  Debora  the  prophetess,  triumphed  over  Jabin, 
King  of  the  Idumaeans,  and  Sisara,  the  captain  of  his 
host,  pursued  Zeb  and  Zebee  and  Salmanna,  the  kings  of 
the  Ismahelites,  Agarenes,  Amalechites  and  Amonites, 
across  the  Jordan,  and  on  his  return  from  pursuing  them 
found  Sisara  himself  slain  by  Jahel,  the  wife  of  Heber  the 
Cinaeite,  with  a  nail  driven  through  his  temple  into  the 
ground.3 

1  See  John  of  Wlirzburg,  ch.  i.,  and  the  description  of  Mount  Tabor 
from  Greek  sources  in  Phocas  (pp.  13,  14),  and  Abbot  Daniel  (p.  66). 

^  Gen.  xiv.  18  sqq. 

*  Judges  iv.,  v.;  Ps.  Ixxxiii.  12.  See  also  Stanley's  'Sinai  and 
Palestine,'  p.  340. 


5-2 


68  THEODERICII'S  DESCRIPTION. 

XLVIL— Nazareth. — The  Church  of  St.  Mary. — 
The  Grotto  of  the  Annunciation.— The  Tomb 
OF  Joseph.— The  Birthplace  of  the  Blessed 
Mary. — The  Miracle  wrought  at  the  Fountain 
of  Gabriel. — The  *  Place  of  the  Casting  Down.' 

Four  miles  from  Tabor  towards  the  west,  on  the  road 
which  leads  to  Accon,  stands  the  most  glorious  city  of 
Nazareth,  in  which  is  a  venerable  church,  which  enjoys  the 
honour  of  being  the  cathedral  church  of  a  bishop,  and 
which  is  dedicated  to  our  blessed  Lady  Mary.  In  the  left- 
hand  apse  cf  this  church  one  descends  by  about  fourteen 
steps  into  a  subterranean  grotto,  in  which  at  the  east  end 
there  is  a  small  cross  marked  on  the  ground  beneath  an 
open  altar,  which  marks  the  place  at  which  the  angel 
Gabriel  delivered  the  message  of  Christ  to  our  Lady.  On 
the  left  hand  of  this  altar,  that  is,  to  the  north  thereof,  her 
husband  Joseph,  the  bringer-up  of  the  Saviour,  lies  buried. 
Over  him  is  placed  an  altar.  On  the  right  hand,  that  is, 
on  the  south  side,  there  is  a  place  with  a  small  cross  marked 
on  the  ground,  and  arched  above,  wherein  the  blessed 
Mother  of  God  came  forth  from  her  mother's  womb  at  her 
birth.  All  men  tell  of  a  great  and  wondrous  miracle  about 
this  city,  that  whenever  the  infidels  attempt  to  attack  it, 
they  are  stricken  with  blindness  or  some  such  plague  from 
heaven,  and  are  forced  to  desist.  A  fountain  in  this  city 
flows  forth  through  a  spout  fashioned  in  marble  like  the 
mouth  of  a  lion,i  from  which  the  child  Jesus  often  used  to 
draw  water  and  take  it  to  His  mother.  This  fountain  is 
said  to  derive  its  origin  from  the  following  events :  Once 
when  the  boy  Jesus  came  to  draw  water  from  the  cistern  His 
pitcher  was  broken  by  His  comrades  in  their  play,  and  He 

1  I  have  given  the  probable  meaning  of  the  corrupt  cupellum,  hoc 
est  leonis  de  marmote^  etc.— A.  S. 


THEODERICWS  DESCRIPTION.  69 

drew  the  water  and  carried  it  to  His  Mother  in  the  lap  of 
His  tunic.  As  she  refused  to  drink  it,  as  He  did  not  seem 
to  have  brought  it  in  a  sufficiently  cleanly  manner,  He,  as 
though  in  a  rage,  flung  it  out  of  His  lap  on  to  the  ground ; 
and  from  the  place  where  it  fell  the  fountain  which  still 
flows  is  said  to  have  burst  forth.  A  mile  to  the  south  of 
Nazareth  is  the  place  which  is  called  the  'Place  of  the 
Casting  Down,'  because  the  Jews  wished  to  cast  Christ 
down  it  when  He  passed  through  the  midst  of  them  and 
went  His  way. 

XLVni.  —  Sepphoris.  —  Chana  of  Galilee.  —  The 
Castle  of  the  Templars.  —  Ptolemais.  —  The 
Road  which  leads  from  thence  to  Jerusalem 
BY  the  Mountains,  and  the  Road  which  leads 
to  Jerusalem  by  the  Seaside. 

Two  miles  from  Nazareth  is  Sepphoris,  a  fortifi::d  city 
on  the  road  to  Accon.  Hence  came  the  blessed  Anna,  the 
mother  of  the  Mother  of  Christ.  Four  miles  from  Nazareth, 
two  miles  from  Sepphoris  towards  the  east,  is  Chana^  of 
Galilee,  from  whence  came  Philip  and  Nathanael,  and 
where  our  Lord  turned  water  into  wine.  Also  three  miles 
from  Sepphoris  on  the  road  to  Accon  is  a  very  strong 
castle  of  the  Templars,  and  a  little  more  than  three  miles 
further  is  Accon,  or  Ptolemais,  itself  Now,  this  road  which 
leads  from  Accon,  through  Nazareth,  Samaria,  and  Neapolis, 
to  Jerusalem,  is  called  the  Upper  Road ;  and  that  which  leads 
from  Accon  through  Caesarea  and  Lydda  to  Jerusalem  is 
called  the  Seaside  Road. 

^  See  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  i.,  note. 


70  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 


XLIX. — Damascus. — Hus. — Sueta.— Theman. — Naa- 
MAN.  —  Arphat.  —  Amat.  —  Sepharnaim.  —  The 
Brook  Jabok.— Mount  Seir. — The  Place  where 
Saul  was  converted  into  Paul. — The  Rivers 
Pharphar  and  Abana. — The  Plain  Archas. — 
Antioch. 

Arabia  joins  Idumaea  in  the  district  of  Bosra.  Idumaea 
is  a  province  of  Syria.  Damascus  is  the  chief  city  of  the 
Idumaeans,  and  is  the  city  which  Eliazar,  the  servant  of 
Abraham,  built  in  the  field  in  which  Cain  slew  his  brother 
Abel.  In  Damascus  once  (lived)  Esau  and  Seir  and  Edom,^ 
after  whom  all  that  land  is  called  Idumaea.  A  part  of  it  is 
called  Hus,  from  which  came  the  blessed  Job ;  and  a  part, 
also,  is  called  Sueta,^  from  whence  was  Baldach"*  the  Suite. 
In  this  same  province  is  the  city  of  Theman,  whence  came 
Elephat^  the  Theman ite.  There,  also,  is  the  city  of  Naaman, 
whence  came  Zophar  the  Naamathite.  Arphat^  and  Amat 
and  Sepharnaim  are  cities  of  Damascus.  In  the  country  of 
the  Idumaeans,  two  miles  from  the  Jordan,  runs  the  brook 
Jabok,  after  he  had  forded  which,  on  his  return  from  Meso- 
potamia, Jacob  wrestled  with  an  angel,  who  changed  his 
name  from  Jacob  into  Israel.  In  Idumaea  is  Mount  Seir, 
upon  which  stands  Damascus.  Two  miles  from  Damascus 
is  the  place  where  Christ  overthrew  Saul  and  raised  up 
Paul,  making  a  friend  out  of  an  enemy,  and  a  teacher  of 
the  truth  out  of  a  persecutor  of  it.  At  the  foot  of  the 
mountains  of  Libanus  rise  Pharphar  and  Abana,  the  rivers 

^  Gen.  XXX.  6,  passim.         '  See  ch.  xlv.  ^  Bildad  the  Shuhite. 

*  Eliphaz.  °  See  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  xxiv. 

*  In  the  time  of  the  Crusades  Areas  was  a  mountain  fortress,  5,000 
paces  from  the  sea,  and  as  many  from  Tripoli.  Its  ruins  are  men- 
tioned by  Rey,  v.  69.     It  is  the  modem  Erek. 


THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION.  71 

'of  Damascus,  whereof  one,  namely  Abana,  runs  through 
the  plain  of  Archas^  and  empties  itself  into  the  Mediter- 
ranean Sea.  Into  those  parts  the  blessed  Eustachius 
retired  after  the  loss  of  his  wife  and  sons.  Pharphar  runs 
through  Syria  to  Antioch,  flows  beneath  its  walls,  and  ten 
miles  away  from  the  city  pours  itself  into  the  Mediterranean 
Sea  at  the  port  of  Solim,i  which  is  called  the  port  of  St. 
Simeon.  In  this  city  St  Peter  first  obtained  the  pontifical 
dignity,  and  it  is  still  the  seat  of  a  patriarch. 


L.  —  Phoenicia.  —  Tpie    Metropolis.  —  Mamistra.  — 

ANTIOCHIA.— TRIPOLIS,    or    TURSOLT.  —  GiBELETH. 

— Berytus. — The  Wonderful  Image  there. 

Libanus  divides  Phoenicia  from  Idumaea.  The  city  of 
Tyre  is  the  chief  city  of  the  province  of  Phoenicia,  whose 
inhabitants,  the  Syrians  say,  refused  to  receive  Christ  when 
He  walked  by  the  seashore,  but  He  Himself  said  that  He 
was  not  sent  save  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel. 
The  following  are  the  great  walled  cities  by  the  sea  which, 
being  in  Syria,  the  province  of  Palestine  and  Judaea,  are 
subject  to  the  dominion  of  the  Christians :  Mamistra  and 
Antioch,  and  Tripolis,  which  is  called  Tursolt  by  the 
moderns,  as  also  the  city  which  contains  the  very  strong 
•castle  which  is  called  Gibeleth,  are  cities  of  the  province  of 
Coele  Syria.  Next,  to  the  southward,  on  the  seashore, 
comes  Berytus,  called  by  the  moderns  Baruth,  a  rich  and 
strong  city,  large  and  populous,  wherein  the  Jews,  the 
enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ,  once  crucified  an  image  of 

^  This  must  be  Seleucia  ad  Mare,  now  Suweidiyeh,  the  harbour  of 
Antioch.  Tobler  suggests  that  the  name  may  be  a  contracted  form  of 
Sulewtdn,  the  prince  of  Iconium,  A.D.  1084,  who  was  lord  of  Antioch. 
It  is  mentioned  by  John  of  Wiirzburg,  ch.  xxv.,  as  likewise  are  most  of 
the  places  mentioned  in  these  last  chapters  of  Theoderich. 


72  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

Him,  thinking  to  offer  an  insult  to  Him.  After  they  had 
done  all  the  shameful  deeds  which  they  had  learned  that 
their  fathers  did  to  Christ  on  the  cross,  they  even  pierced 
the  side  of  the  image  with  a  spear,  and  when  blood  and 
water  flowed  forth,  even  as  it  did  from  Christ  when  He 
hung  on  the  cross,  they,  adding  sin  to  sin,  caught  it  in 
vessels  and  dared  to  tempt^  God  ;  but  Almighty  God 
turned  their  evil  into  good  :  for  since  they  would  have  had 
even  more  cause  to  hate  Him  if  the  effects  of  Divine  virtue 
had  not  resulted  from  it,  they  anointed  the  limbs  of  cripples 
with  the  same  blood,  and  seeing  that  those  who  were 
anointed  with  this  sacred  fluid  immediately  recovered  their 
health,  they  bent  their  necks  to  the  profession  of  the 
Christian  faith.  This  figure  is  to  this  day  preserved  as 
a  sacred  relic  in  the  church  of  that  city,  which  is  eminent 
as  being  the  cathedral  church  of  a  pope.^ 


LI. — SiDON. — Sarepta. — Tyre.— The    Castle    Scan- 
DALiuM. — The  Castle  of  Imbertus.— Ptolemais 

AND   THE   other   CITIES   BY  THE  SEASIDE. 

Sixteen  miles  from  Berytus  is  Sidon,  a  noble  city,  from 
which  came  Dido,  who  founded  Carthage  in  Africa.  Six 
miles  from  Sidon  is  Sarphan,  which  is  also  called  Sarepta 
of  the  Sidonians,^  in  which  the  widow  fed  Helias  the 
prophet,  and  in  which,  also  by  means  of  the  same  prophet, 
God  raised  the  widow's  son,  that  is,  the  prophet  Jona,  from 
the  dead.     Eight  miles  from  Sarphan  is  Tyre,  which  the 

-^  I  read  ieinptare  instead  of  ieviperarc^  of  which  I  can  make 
nothing. — A.  S. 

2  St.  Peter  was  first  enthroned  at  Antioch.  See  John  of  Wiirzburg,. 
ch.  xxiv.,  XXV. 

^  2  Kings  xiv.  25.  The  legend  that  the  son  of  the  widow  of  Zare- 
phah  was  the  prophet  Jonah  is  mentioned  bv  Jerome. 


THEODEIUCWS  DESCRIPTION.  73 

moderns  call  Sur,  which  stands  by  the  seashore,  and  sur- 
passes all  the  other  cities  in  the  strength  of  its  towers  and 
walls.  This  city  is  quadrangular  in  shape,  and  presents 
the  appearance  of  an  island.  Nearly  three  of  its  sides  are 
surrounded  by  the  sea ;  the  fourth  is  very  strongly  fortified 
with  ditches,  barbicans,  towers,  walls,  battlements,  and 
loopholes.  It  has  only  two  entrances,  which  are  guarded 
by  quadruple  gates  with  towers  on  either  side.  It  is  re- 
markable, like  Accon,  for  having  a  double  harbour ;  in  the 
inner  harbour  are  moored  the  ships  of  the  city,  and  in  the 
outer  one  those  of  foreigners.  Between  the  two  harbours 
two  towers,  built  of  great  masses  of  stone,  project  into  the 
sea,  having  {between  them)  by  way  of  a  door  a  huge  chain 
made  of  iron — this  door  when  closed  renders  entrance  or 
exit  impossible,  but  permits  it  when  open.  This  city  is 
honoured  by  being  the  seat  of  a  bishop.  Four  miles  from 
hence  is  a  castle  named  Scandalium,  through  which  waters 
which  rise  above  it  run  in  their  downward  course  to  the  sea 
at  that  place.  Three  miles  from  thence  is  a  large  village, 
which  is  called  by  the  moderns  the  Castle  of  Imbertus.^ 
Four  miles  further  comes  Accaron,  or  Ptolemais,  and  three 
miles  further  Old  and  New  Caipha.  Sixteen  miles  further 
is  Caesarea  of  Palestine,  which,  with  the  harbour  which  ad- 
joins it,  was  splendidly  built  by  King  Herod.  Also  four- 
teen miles  further  is  Joppa  or  Jafis,  with  a  harbour  which 
is  dangerous  to  shipping  in  southerly  gales.  Beyond  these, 
in  order,  are  Gaza,  or  Gazara,  and  the  very  strong  fortress 
of  Ascalona,  all  of  which  have  been  described  already.  All 
these  cities  are  on  the  sea  coast,  and  all  of  them  are  large 
and  enclosed  by  walls. 

This  account  of  the  holy  places,  wherein  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  appeared  in  bodily  presence,  having  taken  on  Him- 

\  Casale  Lamberti  on  Marino  Sanuti's  map 


U  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

self  the  form  of  a  servant  for  our  sake,  we  have  put  together 
partly  from  what  we  have  ourselves  seen,  and  partly  from 
what  we  have  heard  from  the  truthful  reports  of  other  men, 
in  the  hope  that  the  minds  of  those  who  read  cr  hear  it  may 
be  roused  to  love  "Him  through  their  knowledge  of  the 
places  which  are  therein  described. 


APPENDIX   TO   THEODERICK. 

ON  THE  POSITION  OF  THE  TOMBS  OF  THE  LATIN  KINGS 
AT  JERUSALEM. 

In  Chapter  XL  Theoderich  says :  Ad  meridiem  ante 
ipsius  ecclcsiae  j'amtam  quinqiie  septdchra  videntur.  *  To 
the  south  (of  the  Column  of  the  Flagellation),  before  the 
door  of  the  church,  there  are  five  tombs,'  etc.  The  exact 
position  of  the  tombs  is  not  determined  by  these  words, 
but  from  them  and  what  follows  it  appears  almost  certain 
that  the  writer  meant  that  all  the  five  tombs  were  close 
together,  in  one  straight  line,  and  ranged  in  the  following 
order:  Baldwin  III.,  Baldwin  L,  Godfrey,  Fulke,  Baldwin 
II.  (du  Bourg).  It  will  be  observed  that  Godfrey's  tomb 
is  the  middle  one  of  these  five,  he  having  been  able  to 
choose  the  best  place,  and  that  roughly  speaking  the  other 
kings  appear  to  have  got  as  near  to  him  as  they  could, 
although  Fulke  seems  to  have  managed  to  get  nearer  than 
his  father-in-law,  Baldwin  du  Bourg.  This  arrangement 
does  not  agree  in  the  least  with  that  which  we  find  in 
Professor  Willis's^  plan  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre, 
in  which  the  tombs  of  Godfrey  and  Baldwin  are  placed  in 
front  of  the  Calvary  Chapel,  but  there  is  no  indication  of 
the  position  of  the  others.  In  the  text,  pp.  103,  104,  Willis 
says :  '  The  tomb  of  Godfrey  de  Bouillon,  the  first   king, 

1  'Architectural  History  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  at 
Jerusalem,'  by  the  Rev.  R.  Willis.  Cambridge  :  Printed  at  the 
University  Press,  1849.  ^ 


76  THEODERICirS  DESCRIPTION. 

stood  at  the  entrance  to  the  chapel  (of  Adam)  against  the 
north  pier,  and  the  tomb  of  Baldwin  I.,  his  brother  and 
successor,  exactly  similar  to  it,  against  the  south  pier. 
Other  kings  were  entombed  against  the  south  wall  of 
enclosure  of  the  choir.' 

This  arrangement,  which  Willis  seems  to  have  copied 
from  Zuallart  or  Cotovicus,  cannot  be  made  to  agree  with 
Theoderich's  words  quoted  above.  Dr.  Tobler,  in  his 
valuable  monograph  entitled  '  Golgotha,'^  inclines  to  the 
view  that  more  than  two  kings  were  buried  before  Calvary. 
After  mentioning  the  two  masses  of  masonry  to  the  right 
and  left  of  the  chapel,  which  probably,  he  observes,  contain 
the  tombs  of  Godfrey  and  Baldwin  I.,  he  continues  :  *  Sonst 
bemerkt  man  kein  Spur  von  Grabmalern  mehr,  abschon 
sich  solche  von  andern  Konigen  und  von  Mitgliedern  der 
koniglichen  Familie  in  der  Kirche  vorfanden,  zum  Beispiel 
von  Baldwin  II.,  unter  seinen  Ahnen.  Allein  eine  andere 
Reihe  von  Grabern  lehnte  sich  an  die  Sudseite  des 
Domherrenchors.  Die  Grabschrift  eines  Neffen  von 
Baldwinus  IV.,  hatte  vor  anderen  das  besondere  Schicksal, 
fur  die  Nachwelt  aufbewahrt  zu  werden.'^  It  is  agreed, 
however,  that  all  traces  of  the  tombs  of  the  Latin  kings 
were  swept  away  in  the  restoration  of  the  church  after  the 
fire  in  1808. 

Dr.  Tobler's  plan,  like  that  of  Professor  Willis,  marks 
the  place  of  Godfrey  and  Baldwin  I.'s  tombs,  but  does  not 
notice  the  tombs  along  the  choir-wall.  Zuallart's  plan 
gives  an  arrangement  like  a  small  walled  garden  in  front 
of  the  Chapel  of  Adam,  with  the  tombs  of  Godfrey  and  his 

1  '  Golgotha,  seine  Kirchen  und  Kloster,'  Bern  und  St.  Gall,  1851. 

-  The  epitaph  runs  as  follows  : 

'  Septimus  in  tumulo  puer  isto  Rex  tumulatus 
Est  Baldevinus  Regum  de  sanguine  natus. 
Quern  tulit  e  mundo  sors  primae  conditionis, 
Ut  Paradysiacae  loca  possideat  regionis.' 


APPENDIX.  77 


brother  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  entrance,  which  is  in 
the  middle  of  the  west  wall.  It  is  noticeable  that  in  the 
model  of  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre  in  the  British 
Museum,  there  is  such  an  enclosure,  but  it  is  placed  in 
front  of  what  is  called  the  Chapel  of  the  Crucifixion. 
Moreover,  the  model  contains  a  piece  of  bone  or  ivor}-, 
divided  into  four  portions,  extending  between  two  piers  cf 
the  choir  opposite  to  the  Stone  of  Unction,  which  may  be 
intended  to  mark  the  place  of  the  tombs  of  the  later  kings. 
Indeed,  the  language  of  some  of  the  authorities,  especially 
of  Cotovicus,  leads  one  to  suppose  that  there  were  four 
sepulchres  here,  and  that  the  tomb  of  the  child  Baldwin  V. 
was  a  small  one,  added  as  an  after-thought,  in  such  a 
position  that  it  and  its  epitaph  escaped  the  destruction 
which  befell  the  others.  But  the  model  is  too  rudely  made 
to  justify  one  in  founding  a  theory  upon  it,  more  especially 
as  a  table  of  reference  by  which  it  seems  to  have  been 
originally  accompanied  has  been  lost.  With  regard  to  the 
enclosed  space,  in  which  the  two  tombs  are  represented  as 
standing,  Tobler  says:  '  Wenn  Schubert  (IL,  1549)  sagt, 
dass  vor  der  Kapelle  sonst  ein  Anbau  mit  zwei  steinern 
Sargen  der  zwei  ersten  lateinischen  Konige  war,  so  ist  es 
dahin  zu  berichtigen  dass  der  ehemalige  Vorbau  oder 
Vormauer  verschwand  und  mit  der  Kapelle  Adam 
verschmolzen  wurde.'  The  two  tombs,  with  their  prismatic 
roofs,  are  mentioned  by  Zuallart,  p.  186;  Cotovicus,  p.  165, 
and  Furer.     See  also  Pococke,  ii.  25. 

I  now  proceed  to  give  the  authorities  which  I  have 
consulted  on  this  subject.  WiUiam  of  Tyre  (born  11 30, 
date  of  death  uncertain)  says  in  his  History  that  Godfrey 
(died  1 100)  was  buried  *  sub  loco  Calvariae,  ubi  passus  est 
Dominus,  ubi  et  successoribus  ejus  usque  in  praesentem 
diem  pro  sepultura  deputatus  est  locus.'  Gul.  Tyr.,  ix.  23. 
Baldwin  I.  (died   11 18)  was  buried  'juxta  fratrem,'  Gul. 


78  THEODERICWS  DESCRIPTION. 

Tyr.,  xi.  31.  Baldwin  II.  (died  1151)  was  buried  *  inter 
praedecessores  piae  recordationis  rcges,  sub  monte 
Calvaria?,  ante  locum  qui  dicitur  Golgatha,  multa  suorum 
cura,'  etc.  Fulke  (died  1 142)  was  buried  '  in  ecclesia 
Dominici  Sepulchri,  sub  monte  Calvariae,  introeuntibus  ad 
dextram,  secus  portam,  inter  alios  felicis  memoriae  reges 
ejus  praedecessores.'  Gul.  Tyr,,  xx.  27.  Baldwin  III 
(died  1 162)  'in  ecclesia  Dominici  Sepulchri,  ante  Calvariae 
locum  —  honorifice  inter  suos  praedecessores  sepulturae 
traditus  est.'  Amalric  (died  1173)  'sepultus  est  inter 
praedecessores  secus  fratrem,  in  eadem  linea,  ante  locum 
Calvariae.'     Gul.  Tyr.,  xxi.  33. 

At  this  point  William  of  Tyre's  history  ends,  but  it  is 
continued  in  French  by  another  hand.  Of  Baldwin  IV. 
the  writer  of  the  continuation  says :  *  Lendemain  I'en- 
fouirent  a  mostier  du  Sepulcre,  la  ou  les  autres  rois  ont 
este  enfouis  puis  le  tans  de  roi  Godefroi  de  Bullion.  II 
estoient  enfouis  entre  monte  Calvaire,  la  ou  Jesus  Christ  fu 
mis  en  croix,  et  le  sepulcre  ou  il  fu  cochie,  et  tot  est 
dedens  le  mostier  du  sepulcre,  monte  Calvaire  et  Golgotas.* 
Book  xxi.  ad  fin. 

The  writer  does  not  say  where  Baldwin  V.  was  buried. 
It  will  be  observed  that  this  almost  contemporary  writer 
says  nothing  about  the  row  of  tombs  along  the  wall  of  the 
choir,  and,  indeed,  describes  the  position  of  the  tombs  of 
Fulke  and  Amaury  in  language  which  seems  to  render  it 
impossible  that  they  should  have  been  there. 

Willibrand  of  Oldenburg,  in  121 1,  says:  'Ipsa  vero 
ecclesia  marmoreis  tabulis  et  aureis  picturis  '  (probably  the 
gilding  done  by  Manuel  Comnenus,  Phocas,  ch.  xiv.) 
'valde  est  ornata  :  in  capite  suo  habens  chorum  largum  et 
pulchrum,  in  cujus  aditu  ossa  Regum  fidelium  requiescunt 
in  marmoreis  sarcophagis.'  Jean  d'Ibelin,  Count  of  Jaffa, 
writing  in  the  thirteenth  century,  says  that   Godfrey  and 


APPENDIX.  79 

Baldwin  were  buried  *souz  monte  Calvaire  devant  Golgatas  * 
(ch.  cclxxiii.),  but  says  nothing  of  their  successors. 

Sir  John  Maundeville,  1322,  says:  'And  there  in 
Golgotha  is  an  altar,  before  which  lie  buried  Godfrey  and 
Baldwin,  and  other  Christian  kings  of  Jerusalem.' 

Breydenbach,  dean  of  the  cathedral  of  Mainz,  in  his 
book,  dated  1489,  says :  '  Et  a  lissue  dudit  temple  nous 
veismes  les  sepultures  des  roys  chrestiens  devers  midi 
dudit  temple  cest  assavoir  du  roi  Melchisedeth,  du  roy 
Waldanus,  du  due  Gaudeffroy  de  Bullon  premier  roy  de 
Jerusalem,  auquel  sept  autres  roys  dudit  royaume  de 
Jerusalem  succederent  sans  moyen  qui  tous  sont  la  enselvi 
asses  honorablement,'  etc.  (ii.). 

Cotovicus,  who  sailed  from  Venice  in  1598  (his  book 
bears  date  1619),  after  mentioning  the  tombs  of  Godfrey 
and  Baldwin  in  front  of  Calvary  (he  says  that  the  Baldwin 
buried  there  is  Baldwin  II.),  goes  on  to  say :  '  Egredientibus 
a  dextris  quatuor  alia  sese  offerunt  Regia  sepulchra  muro 
Chori  adjuncta ;'  and  a  fifth  with  a  legible  epitaph,  quoted 
above — the  same  which  Zuallart,  mistaking  the  meaning 
of  the  word  '  Septimus,'  with  which  the  epitaph  begins, 
calls  the  '  tomb  of  Baldwin  the  Seventh.' 

Zuallart,  who  made  the  pilgrimage  in  1586,  gives  a  plan 
showing  the  five  tombs  along  the  choir  wall,  opposite  to 
the  Stone  of  Unction.  He  likewise  gives  a  drawing  of  the 
tombs  of  the  two  first  kings,  with  a  note  to  the  words  '  Hie 
est  Baldwinus  de :'  '  Isy  dit  dessus  avec  le  legat  Vitriacus  que 
ce  dit  dernier  epitaphe  est  de  Baudoyn  premier  du  nom  : 
quelques  autres  sont  de  I'opinion  que  c'est  celuy  du  second, 
a  raison  qu'il  fit  la  guerre  aux  Egyptiens,  Damasceniens, 
et  autres  plusque  le  premier.  Et  selon  I'archevesque  de 
Tyr,  il  semble  que  ce  fut  Baudoyn  troisiesme,  qui  exigea 
tribut  des  ditz  Egyptiens.'  (We  learn  from  St.  Jerome 
that  Kedar  was  in  Arabia,  and  not  in  Egypt.)     Zuallart 


THEODERICH  'S  DESCRIPTION. 


CToes  on  to  say :  '  Entre  la  susdite  pierre '  (that  marking  the 
spot  where  the  Virgin  and  St.  John  stood)  'et  celle  appellee 
de  Tonction,  contre  le  mur  du  coeur  de  I'Eglise,  sont 
encore  des  sepultures  bien  anciennes,  et  haut  eslevees,  des 
Roys  Latins  de  Jerusalem  leurs  Raynes  et  enfans, 
successeurs  dudit  Godefroy  de  Bullion,  desquelles  les 
inscriptions  sont  fort  effacees  reserve  celle  de  Baudoyn 
septiesme  (^zV),  lequel  deceda  en  enfance.  La  mort 
duquel  engendra  les  haines  et  dissentions  qui  survindrent 
entre  le  Roy  Guy  de  Lusignan  et  Raymond  troisieme  du 
nom,  Compte  de  Tripoly,  lequel  machina  le  mine  dudit 
Roy  et  Royaume  de  Jerusalem.' 

Quaresmius,  writing  at  leisure  upon  the  spot  before  1629, 
says  that  all  the  kings,  with  the  exception  of  Godfrey  and 
Baldwin  I.,  are  buried  '  extra  sacellum  Adae,  et  non  longe, 
ex  parte  Aquilonari  juxta  murum  e  regione  Petri  Unctionis 
Domini,  ibi  etenim  sunt  quatuor  sepulchra  .  .  .  fracta  et 
demolita,  et  unius  legitur  epitaphium,'  He  proceeds  to 
quote  the  epitaph,  and  to  discuss  the  question  whether  the 
King  Baldwin  whom  it  commemorates  was  Baldwin  IV.  or 
Baldwin  V.  He  also  states  that  the  writer  of  the 
'Epitome  Bellorum  Sacrorum,'  which  is  to  be  found  in 
the  fourth  volume  of  Henricus  Canisius's  'Lcctiones 
Antiquae,'  enlarges  upon  the  subject  of  the  burial-places 
of  the  Latin  Kings  of  Jerusalem. — Quaresmius,  v.  i.  (Ant- 
werp, 1639). 

The  writer  of  this  '  Epitome,'  which  is  supposed  to  be 
drawn  from  original  sources,  says  of  Godfrey,  '  sepultus 
est  sub  monte  Calvariae  Princeps  nobilissimus,'  etc.  Of 
Baldwin  L:  '  In  Domino  requievit,  et  ex  opposito  sepulchri 
sui  felicis  germani  sub  sancto  monte  Calvariae  in  Domino 
est  tumulatus.  Nota,  in  marmore  monumenti  ejus  sculpta 
sunt  haec  metra  ut  patet  infra  : 


APPENDIX.  8i 

' "  Rex  Waldewinus,  Judas  alter  Machabaeus, 

Spes  patriae,  vigor  Ecclesiae,  virtus  utriusque,"  etc. 

Super  sepulchrum  germani  sui  juxta  ostium  a  dextris  in 
Capella  Georgitarum  sculpta  est  haec  prosa  :  Hie  jacet 
inclytus  Gotfridus  de  Bullon,  qui  totam  istam  terram 
acquisivit,  cujus  anima  regnat  cum  Christo.' 

Of  the  others,  Baldwin  II.  '  obiit  in  pace:  in  modica 
distantiaasepulchro  Christi,  juxta  murum  chori,  sub  lapide 
requiescit  tumulatus.' 

Fulke  '  in  loco  aliorum  regum  piae  memoriae  tumulatur.' 

Baldwin  III.  '  de  hoc  seculo  migravit,  suis  cum  paribus 
sanctae  sepulturae  honore  Regio  commendatus.' 

Almaricus  '  cum  honore  in  Domino  requievit' 

Baldwin  IV.,  '  more  aliorum  defunctorum  Regum,  juxta 
Chorum  Sancti  Sepulchri  contra  montem  Calvariae 
traditur  sepulturae.' 

Baldwin  V.  'juxta  suum  avunculum  in  medico 
sepulchro  Regio  est  tumulatus.' 

From  the  comparison  of  all  these  authorities  it  follows 
that,  without  doubt,  Godfrey  and  one  of  the  Baldwins  were 
buried  in  front  of  the  so-called  Chapel  of  Adam  :  also  that, 
along  the  wall  of  the  choir,  opposite  to  the  Stone  of 
Unction,  four  or  five  tombs  were  until  a  very  recent  date 
shown  as  those  of  the  other  Latin  kings  of  Jerusalem  who 
were  buried  in  the  church.  More  than  this  I  conceive 
one  can  hardly  find  grounds  for  affirming.  William  of 
Tyre  appears  to  be  the  only  writer  whose  account 
Theoderich's  agrees  with,  and  who  not  only  says  nothing 
about  two  of  the  kings  being  in  one  place  and  the  rest  of 
them  in  another,  but  expressly  states  that  Amaury  was 
buried  in  the  same  line  with  the  rest,  that  Fulke  was 
buried  'introeuntibus  ad  dextram,'  which  cannot  be 
interpreted   to   mean  '  against   the   choir  wall/  and   that 

6 


82  THEODERICH'S  DESCRIPTION. 

they  were  all  buried  '  in  front  of  Calvary.'  The  later 
pilgrims,  however,  seem  unanimous  in  separating  them.  I 
have,  I  believe,  quoted  all  the  evidence  of  any  value  ;  the 
reader  must  decide  for  himself  as  to  which  theory  is  the 
more  probable. 


INDEX. 


A. 
Aharim,  50 

Abraham,  Garden  of,  45,  48 
Aceldama,  5,  6 

Accon,  Accaron  (Ptolemais),  59, 69, 73 
Ad  Cursum  Gallinarum,  63 
Adima,  54 
Adolf,  a  Pilgrim,  6 
Aix-la-Chapelle,  11 
Alum,  called  Katranum,  54 
Amat,  70 

Ancient  walls  round  the  Temple,  32 
Anne,  St.,  Church  of,  42 
Antioch,  71 

Antiochus,  King  of  Syria,  29,  57 
Antonia,  7,  32 
Arimathea,  55 
Ark,  the  57 

Armenians,  42,  43 ;  Chapel  of  the,  21 
Arphat,  70 
Ascalon,  55,  73 
Assumption,  Church  of  the  37,  38 

B. 

Babylon,  55 
Bala,  54 

Beautiful  Gate,  23 
Belinas,  65 
Belmont,  57 
Berytus  (Beyrout),  71 
Beter,  57 

Bethany,  34,  44,  45 
Bethphage,  34 
Bethel,  62 
Bethlehem,  51 
Bethoron,  57 
Bethsaida,  66. 
Bethsan,  63 
Bitumen,  54 

C. 
Cacho,  59 

Cadesbarne  (Kadeshbarnea),  54 
Cadumin,  bronk,  (}^ 
Caesarea  of  Palestine,  59,  73 


Caesarea  Philippi,  65 

Caipha  (Haifa),  59,  73 

Calvary,  Mount,  19 

Cana  of  Galilee,  69 

Canaan,  2 

Caphar  Gamala,  59 

Capharnaum,  66 

Caphar  Semala,  59 

Cara,  54 

Cariatharbe  (Kirjath  Arba),  53 

Carnaim,  55 

Cedron,  4,  yj 

Chabratha,  51 

Chapel  of  St.  Helena,  17 

„         St.     James     without      the 

Temple,  28 
„         St.  John  the  Baptist,  18 
„        St.    Mary,    at    the    place 
„  where  she  was  wont  to 

rest,  51  ;  in  the  Church 
of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  15 
„         St.  Pelagia,  44 
„         St.  Peter's  Prison,  35 
„         St.  Piligrinus,  47 
„         Our     Lady      on      Mount 

Quarantana,  47 
„         Our  Lord  on  Mount  Sion, 

41 
„         the  Annunciation  at  Naza- 
reth, 68 
„         the  Armenians,  21 
„        the  Cockcrowing  (In  Galli- 

cantu),  41 
„         the  Crucifixion,  20 
„         the  Flagellation,  17 
„         the  Holy  Cross,  15 
„         the  Holy  Sepulchre,  7 
„        the  Invention  of  the  Cross, 

17 
„        the  Nativity,  at  Bethlehem, 

„         the  Three  Maries,  21 
„        the  Washing  the  Disciples' 
Feet,  36 


\ 


INDEX. 


Chapel  under  the  Campanile,  i8 

Chariion,  St.,  43 

Cliarnel- House  of  the  Lion,  55 

Choir   of  the   Canons   of    the   Holy 
Sepulchre,  12,  14 

Chorazain,  66 

Church   at   the  spot  where  Pilgrims 
first  see  Jerusalem,  60 

Church  and  Convent  beside  Jordan,  48 

Church  of  Galilee,  41 

„         Gethsemane,  39 

„         St.  Anne,  7,  42 

„         St.  Chariton,  43 

„         St.  John  the  Baptist,  22 

„         Si.  Lazarus,  45 

„         St.  Mary,  at  Bethlehem,  51 

„         St.  Mary,  at  Mahumeria,  60 

„         St.  Mary,  on  Mount  Sion, 

36 
„         St.  Mary  the  Great,  22 
„         St.  Mary  the  Latin,  23 
„         St.  Pelagia,  44 
„         St.  Stephen,  43 
„         SS.  Mary  and  Martha,  45 
,,         the  Ascension,  44 
„         the  Assumption,  37 
,,         the  Bath,  32 
„         the  Holy  Cross,  56 
„         the  Holy  Sepulchre,  7-21 
„         the  Lepers,  43 
„         the  Manger,  32 
,,         the  Paternoster,  44 
„         the  Prayers,  40 
„         the  Templars,  31 

Cistern  of  the  Hospitallers,  43 

Cison,  brook,  67 

Coinpas,  13,  note 

Constantine,  il,  29,  30 

Crucifixion,  Chapel  of  the,  20 

Damascus,  1 8,  65,  70 
David,  Tower  of,  6,  60 
Dead  Sea,  46 
Deborah,  67 
Dothaim,  66 

E. 

Ebal,  62 

IClim,  49,  50 

Llisha,  Fountain  of,  47 

>.mmaus,57 

1-^ndor,  67 

}uinoii,  51 

Kphraim,  Mountains  of,  57 

luislachais,  St.,  71 

LzeUiel,  2S 


Finger,  Altar  of  the,  37 
Pire,  the  Holy,  14 
Flagellation,  Chapel  of  the,  \^ 
,,  Column  of  the,  4! 

Fontenoid,  57 

G. 

Gabaa,-58 
Galilee,  64,  65 

,,        Church,  of,  41 
Gallicantus,  Chapel  of,  41 
Gaza,  55,  73 
Genin,  63 
Gennesareth,  66 
George,  St.,  58 
Gerizim,  Mount,  62 
Gethsemane,  37,  39 
Gil)eleth,  71 

Gilboa,  Mountains  of,  49,  63 
(Jion,  Mount,  7 
Golden  Gate,  5,  24,  35 
Golgotha,  20 
Gomorrha,  54 

H. 

Habbakuk  (Abacuc),  Legend  of,  55 

Haram  area,  the,  23 

Hebal,  see  Ebal 

Hebron,  53 

Helena,  Empress,  7,  II,  17,  29 

,,        Chapel  of  St.,  17 
Hermon,  64 
Herod,  30,  73 
Pliram,  King  of  Tyre,  67 
Holy  Cross,"  Chapel  of  the,  15 
,,  Church  of  the,  56 

Hor,  50 

Hospice  at  the  Gate  of  St.  Lazarus,  43 
Hospital  and  Church  of  St.  John  the 

Baptist,  22 
Hospitallers,  Knights,  22,  46,  59,  60, 

61 

I. 

Imbertus,  Castle  of,  73 
I   Ituraea,  65 
Idumaea,  3,  65,  71 

J. 
Jabok,  the  brook,  70 
Jahel  (Jael),  67 
Jacob's  Stone,  27 
Jafis  (Joppa),  55 
Jericho,  49 
Jerome,  St.,  4,  79 
Jerusalem,  4-42 
Jesus,  Legend  of,  68 
Jew,  Legend  of  a,  39 


INDEX. 


85 


Jews  at  Beyrouth,  Legend  of,  71 
Jews'  Pitch,  54 
Jezebel,  63 
Jesrahel  (Jezreel),  63 
Job,  65 

John  the  Baptist,  Chapel  of,  18 
John  the  Baptist,   Church  and  Hos- 
pital of,  22 
John's,  St.,  62 
Joppa,  55.  73 
Jordan,  45-48,  65 
Josaphat,  Tomb  of,  4 
Joseph,  66 
Joseph's  Tomb,  68 
Joseph  of  Arimathea,  52,  55 
Josephus,  4,  7,  30 

K. 

Katranum  (alum),  54 

Kings,  Tombs  of  the  Latin,  18,  and 

Appendix 
Kirjath-Arba,  see  Cariatharbe 
Kirjath-Jearim,  58 


Last  Supper,  Place  of  the,  36 

Lazarus,  St.,  45,  49 

Lepers,  43,  65 

Libanus,  Mount,  5 

Little   Chapel   on    the   Stairs   of  the 

Church  of  the  Assumption,  38 
Little  Chapel  without  the  Church  of 

the  Holy  Sepulchre,  22 
Lord,  Our,  Chapel  of,  41 
Lot,  Sepulchre  of,  54 
Luza,  62 
Lydda,  58,  69 

M. 
Machaerunta,  63 
Magdalum,  66,  67 
Mahumeria,  60 
Mamistra,  71 
Manger  at  Bethlehem,  52 
Manger  of  the  Lord,  32 
Mary,  St.,  Chapel  of,  in  the  Church  of 

the  Holy  Sepulchre,  15 
Mary,  St.,  Church  of,  at  Mahumeria, 
60 
,,  Church     of,     on     Mount 

Sion,  5,  36 
,,         Church  of  the  Assumpiion 

of,  37 
,,         the  Great,  22 
,,        the  Latin,  23,  43 
Maries,  the  Three,  8  ;  Chapel  of,  21 
Medan,  Plain  of,  65 
Melchizedech,  67 


Middle  of  the  World,  13,  28 

Moab,  54,  55 

Modin,  Mountains  of,  57 

Montjoye,  4,  60 

Moriah,  6,  32,  58 

Mosaics,  8,  II 

Mount  Royal  (Monreal),  50 

N. 
Nain,  67 

Nativity,  Chapel  of  the,  52 
Nazareth,  68 
Neapolis,  61,  69 
Nebuchadnezzar,  29 
Nicholas,  St.,  Altar  of,  16,  26 
Nicodemus,  8,  13,  20 
Noradin,  49,  64 

O. 
Olives,  Mount  of,  4 ;  Church  on  the, 

44 

P. 

Palm    Branches,    Place    where     the 

Patriarch  blesses  the,  40 
Paneas,  65 
Paran,  see  Pharan 
'  Pavement,'  the,  41 
Pelagia,  Church  of  St.,  44 
Peter's  Prison,  35,  41 
Pharan,  65 
Phoenicia,  71 

Pilate,  House  of,  7,  40,  42 
Piligrinus,  St.,  47 
Prison,  the  Lord's,  16 
Prison,  Peter's,  35,  41 
Ptolemais,  59,  69,  73 

Q- 

Quarantana,  Mount  of,  46,  47 
Quaresniius,  80 

R. 
Rachel,  51 

'  Red  Cistern,'  the,  45,  46 
Red  earth,  53 
Rhodos,  63 
Rotunda,  10-12 

S. 
Salmanna,  67 
Samaria,  3,  61,  62 
Samuel,  4,  58 
Sanginus,  49 
Sapham,  64 
Saracens,  61 
Sarepta,  72 
Sarphan,  72 
Scandalium,  73 
School  of  the  Virgin,  24 


86 


INDEX. 


Scythopolis,  64 
Seaside  Road,  the,  69 
Seboim,  54 
Sebaste,  62 
Seir,  or  Edom,  3 
Segor,  54 

Seleucia  ad  Mare,  71 
Sepharnaim,  70 

Sepulchre,  Chapel  of  the  Holy,  7-10 
,,  Church  of  the  Holy,  7-23 

Sepphoris,  69 
Sheep-pool,  42 
Sichar,  61 
Sichem,  61 
Sidon,  72 
Silo,  33>  57.  58 
Siloe,  33 

Simon  the  Leper,  34 
Sinai,  50 
Sion,  60 

Sion,  Mount,  6,  36 
Sodom,  54 
Solim,  71 

Solomon,  Palace  of,  30 
Sophim,  57 
Stephaton,  20 
Stephen,  St.,  36 

„         Church  of,  43 
Strato,  Tower  of,  59 
Sueta,  65 
Syrians,  14,  16,  38,  56 


Table,  Place  called  the,  64 

Tabor,  Mount,  67 

Templars,   Knights,   22,    30-32,    46, 

49,  59-  69 
Temple,  23,  25,  28 

,,       Ancient  walls  round  the,  32 
Terebinth  of  Rachel,  62 
Theodosius,  53 

„  minor,  52 

Thomas,  St.,  36 
Tiberias,  66 
Trabea,  11 
Trachonitis,  65 
Tripoli,  71 
Tursolt,  71 
Tyre,  72 

V. 

Valley  of  Gehinnom,  4 
„      Josaphat,  4,  37 
,,      Moses,  50 

W. 

Walls,  Ancient,  round  the  Temple,  32 
♦  Wood,  in  the,'  Place  called,  57 


Z. 


Zeb,  67 
Zebee,  67 
Zorobabel,  29 


THE  END. 


BILLINCJ  AND  SONS,    PRINTERS,   GUILDFORD 


A  CRUSADER'S  LETTER  FROM  *THE 

HOLY  land; 

[1281.] 


The  originals  of  the  MSS.,  of  which  translations  are  here 
given,  belong  to  the  collection  known  as  '  The  Royal 
Letters,'  preserved  in  her  Majesty's  Record  Office.  They 
are  in  the  form  of  two  letters  ;  the  first,  from  Sir  Joseph 
de  Cancy,  a  Knight  of  the  Hospital  of  St.  John  of  Jeru- 
salem, to  King  Edward  L,  endorsed  'News  from  Syria'; 
the  second,  from  King  Edward  to  Sir  Joseph,  thanking  him 
for  the  account  furnished  by  him  of  the  progress  of  events 
in  the  Holy  Land.  The  former  MS.,  though  in  excellent 
condition  as  far  as  the  parchment  goes,  and  a  beautiful 
specimen  of  handwriting,  has  been  rendered  nearly  illegible 
by  the  immoderate  use  of  an  infusion  of  nut-gall,  with 
which  it  has  been  covered  by  some  reader  of  many  years 
ago,  too  idle  or  too  inexperienced  to  read  it  without  the 
aid  of  this  destructive  agent.  It  has,  however,  not  without 
great  difficulty,  been  almost  all  deciphered.  The  date  of 
this  letter  is  towards  the  close  of  the  Christian  occupation 
of  Syria,  and  it  was  written  in  the  city  which  a  few  years 
afterwards  became  the  scene  of  the  last  fierce  struggle 
between  the  Franks  and  Saracens. 

The  city  of  St.  Jean  d'Acre,  anciently  called  Accho  by 
the  Phoenicians,  and  afterwards  named  Ptolemais  by  the 
Greeks,    and    Akka    by   the     Mahomedans,    into    whoss 


3    A  CRUSADER'S  LETTER  FROM  '  THE  HOLY  LAND. 

hands  it  fell  in  the  year  636  A.D.,  was  first  captured  by  the 
Crusaders  under  Baldwin  I,,  King  of  Jerusalem,  in  1 104, 
and  was  retaken  in  1184  by  Saladin,  only  to  be  again 
captured  by  Cceur  de  Lion  and  Philip  Augustus  in  1191. 
From  that  time  till  1291  it  remained  in  the  hands  of  the 
Christians,  and  flourished  under  the  governance  of  the 
Knights  of  the  Hospital,  in  honour  of  whose  patron  saint  the 
city  was  named.  In  1236  Earl  Richard  of  Cornwall,  with 
other  English  nobles,  among  whom  were  the  Earl  Marshal, 
the  Earls  of  Chester  and  Salisbury,  Sir  Ralph  Lucy,  and 
Sir  Richard  Siward,  assumed  the  Cross,  but  his  departure 
was  delayed  till  about  Whitsuntide  of  1240,  in  which  year, 
on  the  nth  of  October,  he  arrived  at  Acre.  Earl  Richard's 
stay  in  the  Holy  Land,  however,  was  very  short;  for 
having  concluded  a  truce  with  the  Sultan  of  Babylon,  he 
embarked  at  Acre  on  the  3rd  of  May  in  the  following  year, 
after  having  strengthened  the  Castle  of  Ascalon,  and 
caused  the  bones  of  all  the  Christians  who  had  fallen  in 
battle  to  be  buried  in  a  cemetery  built  at  his  own  expense. 
He  landed  in  Sicily  at  Trapani,  and  reached  England  on 
the  1st  of  February,  1242.  Of  the  Knights  who  had 
accompanied  him  to  Palestine,  Sir  Hugh  Wake,  Sir 
Robert  Marmion,  Sir  Peter  de  Bruis,  Sir  Guischard 
Leideit,  Sir  Eustace  de  Stuteville,  Sir  Hamo  Pecche,  Sir 
Baldwin  de  Bettuen,  Sir  John  Fitzjohn,  Sir  John  de 
Beaulieu,  Sir  Gerard  Furnival,  Earl  Richard's  brother 
Geoffrey,  and  many  more,  perished  during  this  crusade. 
In  1252  the  bones  of  William  '  Longsword,'  Earl  of 
Salisbury,  who  had  fallen  at  Mansourah  in"  1250,  were 
brought  to  Acre  and  buried  there.  In  1268  Prince 
Edward  of  England,  with  his  cousin  Hbnry,  Earl 
Richard's  son,  and  many  English  lords,  also  "assumed 
the  Cross,  a  loan  of  30,000  marks  having  been  obtained 
(rom   King   Louis   of    France,   upon    a   mortgage   of   the 


A  CRUSADER'S  LETTER  FROM  '  THE  HOLY  LAND:    3 

Tevenues  of  Bordeaux,  to  defray  the  expenses  of  the 
crusade.  The  Prince  started  from  Portsmouth  in  May, 
1270,  joined  his  wife,  the  Princess  Eleanor,  at  Bordeaux, 
and  embarked  with  her  on  board  the  fleet  that  was  waiting 
for  them  at  Aigues-Mortes — then  a  seaport,  though  now, 
■owing  to  the  going-back  of  the  sea,  some  miles  inland — to 
join  King  Louis  before  Tunis.  The  French  King  died  on 
the  25th  of  August  in  the  same  year,  and  his  son  Philip 
the  Bold  abandoned  the  siege  shortly  after,  and  returned 
to  France,  leaving  Prince  Edward  unsupported.  Prince 
Edward,  however,  was  so  bent  upon  going  on,  that,  accord- 
ing to  Rishanger,  upon  someone  trying  to  dissuade  him,  he 
smote  his  breast,  and  swore  by  the  '  Blood  of  God  '  that  he 
would  get  to  Acre,  though  all  should  leave  him  but  his 
varlet  Fowin.  At  Acre,  in  June,  1272,  happened  the 
romantic  incident  of  which  Sir  Walter  Scott,  in  '  Ivanhoe,' 
has  made  King  Richard  the  hero — the  attempted  murder 
of  Prince  Edward  by  the  assassin  Anzazim,  whose  assault 
was  anticipated  and  the  assassin  himself  slain  on  the  spot 
by  an  English  Knight  named  Latimer — and  his  recov<ery 
through  the  devotion  of  the  Princess  Eleanor.  '  For  when,' 
says  Speed,  'no  medicine  could  extract  the  poyson  she  did 
it  with  her  tongue,  licking  dayly,  while  her  husband  slept, 
his  ranckling  wounds,  whereby  they  perfectly  closed,  yet 
she  herself  received  no  harme ;  so  soveraigne  a  medicine 
is  a  wife's  tongue  anoynted  with  the  vertue  of  lovely 
affection.' 

The  English  army  deserted  by  its  allies,  wasted  witH 
sickness,  and  hopeless  of  any  supplies  from  France,  Prince 
Edward  most  unwillingly  concluded  a  truce  with  the 
Sultan,  which  was  to  last  for  ten  years,  ten  months  and  ten 
days,  and  returned  to  England  through  Italy  and  France, 
his   father  being  dead   in  the  meantime,  and  he  him.SfU 

I — 2 


4    A  CRUSADER'S  LETTER  FROM  *  THE  HOLY  LAND: 

proclaimed  King,  '  though  men  were  ignorant  whether  he 
was  alive,  for  he  had  gone  to  distant  countries  beyond  the 
sea,  warring  against  the  enemies  of  Christ.'  The  Sultan^ 
Bibars  I.,  who  had  obtained  the  throne  of  Egypt  by 
murdering  his  predecessor  Melik-Modafifer  Koutouz  with  his 
own  hand  while  on  a  hunting-party  with  him,  soon  broke 
this  truce,  and  is  represented  by  an  ancient  MS.  Chronicle 
as  overrunning  the  plain  of  Armenia,  putting  all  he  met  to 
the  sword,  so  that  the  dead  amounted  to  more  than 
200,000,  and  taking  prisoners  10,000,  or  more,  and  horses 
and  other  beasts,  over  300,000.  The  King  of  Armenia  was 
forced  to  retreat  into  the  mountains ;  and  of  his  subjects,, 
those  who  could  took  to  the  sea :  and  so  did  many  merchants 
and  others  who  had  escaped  from  the  Saracens,  but  they 
fell  into  the  hands  of  corsairs  and  robbers.  In  1276 
Sultan  Bibars  is  said  to  have  gained  a  great  victory  over 
the  Mongols  under  Mango-Timour,  brother  of  Abaka 
Khan,  their  reigning  chief,  and  his  ally  Livon,  or  Leo  11.^ 
King  of  Armenia  on  the  plain  of  La  Chamelle,  called  in 
the  '  Chanson  d'Antioche '  La  Camellerie,  the  ancient 
Emesa  and  present  Homs.  An  historian  of  the  thirteenth 
century,  the  Monk  Alton,  nephew  of  Alton,  the  predecessor 
of  Livon  n.  on  the  throne  of  Armenia,  and  a  favourite 
protege  of  Pope  Clement  V.,  who  provided  him  with  a  Pre- 
monstrant  Abbey  in  the  town  of  Poitiers,  to  enable  him  to- 
find  leisure  to  write  an  account  of  his  wanderings  in 
countries  then  little  known,  says,  in  his  '  Fleur  des  Histoires 
d'Orient,'  that  Bibars  was  defeated  in  this  battle,  but  that 
he  soon  repaired  the  check  which  he  then  experienced. 
Four  years  afterwards  another  battle  was  fought  on  this 
same  plain,  not  far  from  the  monument  of  Khaled-ben- 
Walid,  between  Bihar's  successor,  the  Sultan  Melik-Man- 
sour-Kelaoun,  and  the  Tartars  under  Mangou  Timour  and 
Abaka.     It  lasted  from  daybreak  till  the  evening,  and  re- 


A  CRUSADER'S  LETTER  FROM  '  THE  HOLY  LAND.'     5 

suited — according  to  the  Chronicle — in  the  complete  defeat 
■of  the  latter,  and  their  expulsion  from  the  country,  while  it 
had  such  an  effect  upon  Mangou  Timour  that  he  died 
soon  afterwards  of  chagrin.  This  is  presumably  the 
principal  subject  of  narration  contained  in  the  letter  from 
Sir  Joseph  de  Cancy,  who  appears  to  have  been  entrusted 
by  Prince  Edward  with  the  task  of  supplying  him  with  the 
news  of  passing  events  in  Palestine  after  he  himself  had 
•quitted  the  Holy  Land.  The  account  of  the  battle  here  given 
does  not,  howeve; ,  bear  out  the  assertion  of  its  having  resulted 
in  a  great  victory  for  the  Sultan,  but  rather  represents  it 
as  drawn  ;  but  De  Cancy's  narrative  may  perhaps  have 
been  a  little  coloured  in  favour  of  the  Mongols,  for  about 
that  time  the  Hospitallers  had  suffered  much  at  the  hands 
of  the  Saracens,  and  especially  of  Sultan  Bibars,  though 
they  had  greatly  distinguished  themselves  by  their  valour 
against  him,  who  had  become  a  very  scourge  of  the 
Christians  in  the  East,  In  1268  ninety  of  these  Soldiers 
ot  the  Cross  had  fallen  one  after  the  other  in  the  defence 
of  the  Castle  of  Assur ;  and  in  the  next  year  a  party  of 
them  sustained  the  siege  of  another  town  for  two  months, 
and  when  the  place  fell  perished  to  a  man.  The  Grand 
Master  mentioned  by  De  Cancy  was  Nicholas  Lorgue,  who 
commanded  the  Hospitallers  during  their  defence  of  the 
fortress  of  Margat — the  present  El  Markab,  a  little  inland 
from  the  sea  coast,  between  Ruad  and  Jebeleh — which  was 
carried  by  assault  after  a  siege  of  thirty-eight  days  by 
Kelaoun,  in  the  month  of  June,  1284.  The  family  of  De 
Cancy  himself  appears  to  have  been  one  of  distinction.  A 
Walter :  de  Cancy  was  made  Baron  de  Cancy  by  King 
Stephen,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Aufrid.  The  last 
baron  was  Simon  de  Cancy,  whose  lands  were  forfeited  for 
his  rebellion  against  King  John  in  121 5  ;  but  in  the' 
■following  reigns  the  name  appears  frequently  in  the  In- 


6    A  CRUSADER'S  LETTER  FROM  *  THE  HOLY  LAND.' 


quisitions  relating  principally  to  lands  in  Lincolnshire  and 
Yorkshire,  in  one  of  which,  taken  at  York  in  1304,  Thomas 
de  Cancy  is  called  Baron  of  Skirpenbeck. 

According  to  the  Chronicle  of  the  Sheik  Koth-Eddin- 
lounini,  Sultan  Bibars  came  to  an  end  a  very  short  time 
after  the  events  recorded  in  this  notice  in  a  manner  befitting 
a  monarch  who  has  been  compared  to  Nero  in  wickedness,, 
though  for  his  bravery  to  Caesar.  In  order  to  avert  a 
prediction  that  in  this  year  a  great  prince  would  die,  from 
himself,  Bibars  caused  one  of  Saladin's  family,  Melik- 
Kaher-Beha-Eddin-Abd-el-Melik,  a  valiant  Emir,  whose 
prowess  in  arms  had  violently  excited  his  jealousy,  to  be 
poisoned,  and  the  poisoned  wine,  having  been  carelessly 
left  in  one  of  the  Sultan's  apartments,  was  drunk  by 
himself  in  mistake.  He  was  immediately  seized  with  fever 
and  sickness,  and  died  at  the  Castle  of  Damascus,  accord- 
ing to  the  principal  authorities,  in  May,  1277.  He  is  said 
to  have  put  to  death  280  Emirs  on  suspicion  of  attempts 
against  his  life  on  four  different  occasions. 

Kelaoun's  reign  of  eleven  years  is  recorded  by  his  his- 
torians as  a  series  of  successes  against  the  Franks  and 
the  Tatars.  His  last  great  exploit  was  the  taking  by 
assault  of  the  town  of  Tripoli,  which  he  burnt  after  the 
realization  of  a  great  booty,  only  to  rebuild  it  shortly  after- 
wards. He  died  in  1290,  at  the  outset  of  a  march  from 
Cairo  to  Acre — on  whose  conquest  he  was  bent  in  revenge 
of  the  massacre  of  some  Mussulman  merchants — in  his  tent 
pitched  opposite  the  Mosque  of  Tibr,  outside  the  walls  of 
Cairo,  on  the  night  of  Saturday,  the  second  of  the  month 
Dhou'lhidjah,  after  commanding  his  son  and  successor,. 
Melik-Aschraf-Khalii,  not  to  bury  his  remains  until  he  had 
made  himself  master  of  Acre.  Kelaoun,  who  is  represented 
as  a  fine  handsome  man  and  much  respected,  is  said  by 


A  CRUSADERS  LETTER  FROM  '  THE  HOLY  LAND.'    7 

some  to  have  died  of  poison  administered  by  one  of  his 
Emirs.  Makrizi  merely  records  his  death  by  fever  after  a 
few  days'  illness. 


News  from  Syria. 

'TO  THE  MOST  HIGH  AND  PUISSANT  LORD, 
my  lord  Edward,  by  the  Grace  of  God,  most  worthy  King 
of  England,  Lord  of  Ireland,  and  Duke  of  Aquitaine,  the 
least  and  lowest  of  his  servants,  Joseph  de  Cancy,  humble 
brother  of  the  Holy  House  of  the  Hospital  of  St.  John  of 
Jerusalem,  dwelling  at  Acre,  kneeling  in  the  service  of  your 
Highness,  sendeth  greeting. 

'  Forasmuch  as  your  worthy  lordship  commanded  us  to 
continue  sending  you  news  of  events  as  they  befell  in  the 
Holy  Land,  know  ye,  sire,  that  after  our  Master  was  come 
to  Tripoli  in  the  close  of  the  month  of  October,  as  we  have 
already  informed  you  by  our  letter  written  during  the 
passage  of  the  Holy  Cross,  the  hosts  of  the  Tartars  and 
Saracens  drew  so  near  as  to  place  the  Saracens  between  our 
men  and  the  Tartars,  so  that  neither  we  nor  the  Prince 
[of  Antioch,  Boemond  VII.] — the  King  of  Cyprus  [Hugh 
III.]  not  being  yet  come  up — could  join  the  Tartars,  nor 
they  send  to  us  as  they  had  settled  to  do.  Upon  this  the 
armies  advanced  to  the  close.  The  Soldan  divided  his 
army,  which  consisted  of  50,000  horsemen,  into  three  bat- 
talions, and  he  himself  was  with  that  of  the  centre,  which 
they  call  the  "  Heart,"  after  their  custom.  Sangar  Layfs- 
car,^  Lord  of  Saone^  and  our  marches  of  Margat,  was  cap- 
tain of  the  left,  and  the  right  was  commanded  by  a  valiant 
Turk  named  Heysedin  Laffram.^  The  Tartars,  .seeing  the 
array  of  the  Saracens,  also  formed  their  people,  who 
numbered  40,000  horsemen,  into  three  battalions,  for  their 

^  Sonkor-aschkar.  ^  Sahioun.  ^  Izz-eddin-Aibek-Afram. 


8     A  CRUSADER'S  LETTER  EROM  '  THE  HOLY  LAND.' 

Chief  had  sent  the  rest  of  his  men  to  his  eldest  brother 
Abagua,  who  was  marching  through  La  Berrie,^  imagining 
that  Abagua  would  reach  Damascus  before  him.  In  one  of 
these  three  battalions  was  the  King  of  Armenia  with  his 
power  and  2,000  Tartars  and  1,000  Georgians  ;  and  a  Turk 
named  Samagar,  who  had  become  Tartar,  was  also  in  his 
company  with  3,000  of  his  countrymen  whom  he  had 
brought  from  Turkey,  and  who  called  themselves  Tartars. 
The  King  of  Armenia,  thus  arrayed,  threw  himself  upon 
the  Saracens'  left,  and  so  broke  and  discomfited  it  that  few 
escaped  being  put  to  the  sword,  and  of  this  left  battalion 
none  would  have  escaped  but  for  the  disloyalty  of  Samagar, 
who  fled  with  most  of  his  people  without  either  striking  or 
receiving  a  blow.  The  right  battalion,  commanded  by 
Manguodamor,  closed  with  the  Soldan's  right,  in  which  he 
had  lo.oco  Tartars  without  counting  their  allies,  and  put 
them  to  rout,  but  their  discomfiture  was  not  nearly  so  com- 
plete as  that  which  had  been  inflicted  upon  their  comrades 
m  the  left.  Manguodamor,  who  is  a  valiant,  bold,  and 
trusty  knight,  with  the  remnant  of  his  people,  threw  him- 
self upon  the  division  in  which  was  the  Soldan,  and  then 
ensued  a  great  carnage,  and  the  battle  raged  from  before  the 
hour  of  tierce  until  sunset  And  now,  had  it  not  been  for 
the  Soldan's  gallant  bearing,  and  his  prudence  and  valour, 
the  fate  of  the  left  wing  would  have  befallen  himself  also ; 
but  in  the  midst  of  the  disasters  which  surrounded  him, 
seeing  his  men  so  evil-handled  and  killed  and  some  turn- 
ing in  flight,  he  commanded  his  trumpets  and  nakirs  to 
sound,  and  rally  round  his  person  those  who  survived  ; 
without  which  all  would  have  been  destroyed,  for  of  his 
entire  host  600  men  alone  obeyed  the  call.  The  Tartars, 
imagining  that  the  Saracens  were  completely  defeated, 
rushed  to  the  pillage,  and  entirely  took  the  tents  of  the 
'  The  desert  between  the  Euphrates  and  Syria. 


A  CRUSADER-' S  LETTER  FROM  '  THE  HOLY  LAND?     9 

Soldan  and  other  Saracens,  with  so  great  a  spoil  that  no 
one  could  with  certainty  tell  us  the  value  thereof.  And  ot 
the  rabble  who  followed  the  camp,  who  made  it  like  a  city- 
full  of  people,  so  many  were  slain  that  the  number  could 
not  be  known.  With  which  said  spoil  most  of  the  Tartars 
returned  to  their  fastnesses,  as  men  who  are  very  covetous, 
riding  on  the  horses  of  the  dead  Saracens,  which  were 
better  than  their  own,  and  leaving  their  sorry  beasts  behind 
them.  And  know  ye  this,  sire,  which  is  considered  a  great 
marvel,  never  was  booty  taken  from  one  side  or  the  other 
that  could  be  reckoned,  nor  could  anyone  say  that  anyone 
had  been  wounded  or  afterwards  hurt  to  the  death  [onqes 
piles  niot  trait  d'une  part  ni  d'autre  qui  aconter  face  ni  qe 
nul  puisse  dire  qe  nul  fust  feri  ni  nafre  de  pues  a  la  mortj. 

'The  Soldan,  seeing  the  great  cloud  of  dust  raised  by 
those  who  were  thus  departing  with  the  spoil,  and  fancying 
it  was  caused  by  the  Tartars,  marched  towards  it.  Man- 
guodamor,  who  was  at  hand,  and  had  got  together  a  few 
men  amounting  to  no  more  than  sixty  horsemen,  advanced 
to  meet  him,  thinking  they  were  his  own  people  :  for  the 
Kings  of  Armenia  and  Georgia  had  gone  forward  with 
their  following  into  the  country  of  the  Saracens.  Now, 
when  the  Soldan  and  his  people  saw  Manguodamor,  and 
recognised  his  companies  by  their  ensigns,  they  suspected 
that  an  ambush  was  Hid  for  them,  and  that  the  display  of 
so  small  a  force  was  intended  to  betray  them  into  it. 
Manguodamor,  on  the  other  hand,  seeing  the  weakness  of 
his  own  hand,  and  the  danger  of  awaiting  an  attack  by  the 
Soldan,  fell  back  and  went  his  way.  The  Soldan  saw  this, 
and  imagining  him  to  have  done  so  for  the  purpose  of 
hastening  up  his  whole  army,  retired  in  haste.  And  so 
night  parted  them.  So  neither  the  one  nor  the  other  held 
the  field  ;  but  because  the  Soldan  was  the  last  to  retreat, 
men  thought  the  victory  ought  to  belong  to  him.     But 


lo  A  CRUS^XDEF^S  HETTER  FROM  '^HE  HOLiY  land: 

well  may  one  say  with  truth  that  never  since  the  first 
conquest  of  their ,  country  have  the  Saracens  received  so 
great  a  check  or  been  so  completely  cowed  as  they  were 
then  and  are  still. 

'  The  King  of  Armenia,  with  a  great  portion  of  his  host, 
returned  to  the  battlefield,  and  finding  it  unoccupied 
thought  to  pitch  his  tents  and  remain  there  till  the 
morrow,  which,  as  he  was  preparing  to  do,  came  the  traitor 
Samagar  with  a  part  of  his  men,  saying,  "  Sir  King,  why 
dost  thou  this  ?  Our  lord  Manguodamor  is  gone."  The 
King  answered  that  he  wished  to  encamp  there  for  the 
night,  for  his  men  were  worn  out  with  fatigue ;  but 
Samagar  maintained  that  it  would  be  great  treason  and 
disloyalty  to  do  so  after  their  chief  had  left.  So,  after 
many  words,  the  King  believed  him,  and  ordering  his 
troops  to  horse,  rode  all  night  till  he  had  passed  the  place 
from  which  the  tents  had  been  moved,  but  found  not 
Manguodamor.  The  King  halted  for  a  short  time  to  rest 
his  horses,  but  Samagar  went  his  way.  Then  the  King 
turned  towards  his  own  country  and  passed  through  the 
Dry  Lands,  where  there  is  neither  water  nor  grass,  inso- 
much that  many  of  his  horses  and  companions  died  of 
thirst  upon  the  road  or  perished  through  the  toil  they 
underwent,  till  he  reached  his  kingdom  at  last  safe  and 
sound,  but  in  evil  ph'ght,  while  many  of  his  followers  who 
had  tarried  behind  came  as  they  best  could  :  for  Samagar's 
people  had  robbed  them  by  the  way,  stripping  them  to  the 
skin,  and  leaving  them  no  horses  to  ride.  The  Soldan 
took  counsel  with  his  people  by  which  road  he  might 
safest  return  to  his  dominions.  Some  advised  that  he 
should  go  by  the  sea-coast  into  the  country  of  the 
Christians,  with  whom  he  had  truce ;  others  by  La  13erric, 
where  the  Tartars  should  not  find  him  ;  while  others  again 
advised  him  to  choose  the  shortest  and  straightest  path. 


A  CRUSADER'S  LETTER  FROM  '  THE  HOLY  LAND:  it 

With  these  he  agreed,  and  so  came  to  a  town  which  is 
called  Le  Lagon/  where  he  had  formerly  camped  on  his 
advance  against  the  Tartars.  The  Count  of  St.  Sevrin, 
bailiff  of  Acre,  sent  messengers  and  presents  to  him  in 
order  that  he  might  see  and  ascertain  his  condition,  which 
they  found  poor  and  little  enough  and  his  attendance 
scanty.  The  Soldan,  because  he  would  not  that  the  Franks 
should  know  his  poverty  and  misfortune,  making  courteous 
reply  to  the  Count,  departed  by  night,  and  marched  into 
Babylon.2  There  he  tarried  some  days,  and  caused  a  tax 
to  be  levied  on  all  his  subjects,  taking  a  third  upon  those 
who  had  10,000  bezants,  and  so  from  each,  rich  and  poor, 
according  to  his  condition,  whereby  his  subjects  are  much 
discouraged  with  him,  and  think  themselves  doomed  to 
death  or  ruin.  Then  he  caused  to  be  proclaimed  throughout 
the  land  of  Egypt  that  all  those  who  wished  to  receive 
their  pay  to  go  to  Margath^  and  into  Armenia  should  come 
and  take  it  and  make  ready  for  the  journey.  And  he 
caused  this  proclamation  to  be  cried  once  in  each  week  for 
one  month,  in  spite  of  which  most  persons  say  that  he  will 
not  quit  Babylon  because  of  his  great  losses  in  men  and 
horses. 

'  On  the  other  hand,  sire,  he  has  put  to  death  fifteen 
Emirs,  as  well  of  those  who  deserted  him  in  the  field, 
as  of  those  whom  he  had  left  behind  in  Babylon 
and  those  whom  he  had  cast  into  prison,  by  reason  of  which 
things  his  subjects  are  much  disheartened  and  filled  with 
hatred  against  him.  None  of  his  people  for  all  these 
threats  which  he  has  made,  are  as  yet  come  to  Babylon  or 
Damascus  at  the  time  of  writing  these  present  letters,  yet 
it  is  true  that  the  Chastelain  of  Saphet'^  and  his  other  bailiff 

^  Lejjun,  on  the  south  side  of  the  plain  of  Esdraelon,  the  Roman 
Legio,  find  ancient  Megiddo. 

2  Cairo.  ^  El  Markab.  *  Safed. 


12    A  CRUSADER'S  LETTER  FROM  '  THE  HOLY  LAND.* 


on  our  marches  have  made  the  Bedouins,  who  were  in  the 
,  pasturage  near  us,  retire  into  the  mountains,  because  they 
j  $ay  that  the  herbage  must  be  kept  for  the  coming  of  the 
Soldan.  And  we  suspect  them  to  give  out  this  that  they 
may  make  us  wish  to  enter  into  some  evil  truce  with  them, 
which  may  God  forbid  we  should  do !  Moreover,  sire,  we 
understand  by  the  mouths  of  good  and  trustworthy  persons 
lately  come  from  the  parts  about  Hamous^  that  there  is  so 
great  a  panic  there  and  in  Hallamp^  and  La  Chamelle  that 
each  day  men  fear  a  surprise  by  the  Tartars,  who  have 
sworn  to  come  without  fail  ;  but  this  we  think  cannot  be 
till  the  setting  in  of  winter.  Wherefore  the  Soldan  of 
Hamous  seeing  these  things,  has  sent  his  wife  and  children 
and  most  of  the  treasure  of  the  city  into  Babylon.  On  the 
other  side  the  men  of  Baudac  understanding  by  the 
Soldan's  letter  that  the  Tartars  had  been  defeated,  rose 
in  revolt  against  the  rulers  whom  the  Tartars  had  set  over 
them.  Abagua  being  then  near  at  hand  in  La  Berrie, 
hearing  this  rode  thither  and  took  the  city  of  Baudac, 
which  was  subject  to  him  at  the  time  of  the  revolt,  putting 
all  the  men-at-arms  to  the  sword  and  cutting  off  the  thumbs 
of  the  footmen  and  ....  for  you  know,  sire,  that  they 
draw  with  the  thumb. 

'Other  news  have  we  none,  at  the  time  of  writing  these 
presents  to  send  to  your  Highness,  save  that  we  have 
garrisoned  our  castle  with  brethren  and  men-at-arms,  as  it 
behoved  us,  promptly.  Our  Master,  at  the  prayer  of  the 
King  of  Armenia,  and  considering  the  evil  plight  he  was 
in  and  the  ravages  committed  by  the  Turcomans  in  his 
kingdom  since  his  return  by  burning  and  laying  waste  the 
city  of  Lays  and  other  of  his  towns  and  villages,  has  sent 
him    lOO  horsemen,   50   brethren  well    appointed,  and   50 

*  Hamah,  the  ancient  Epiphania.  ^  Aleppo. 


A  CRUSADEIi'S  LETTER  FROM  '  THE  HOLY  LAND.*  ij 

Turcoples.  But  know  ye,  sire,  that  never  in  our  remem- 
brance was  the  Holy  Land  in  such  poor  estate  as  it  is  at 
this  day,  wasted  by  lack  of  rain,  divers  pestilences,  and  the 
paynim — the  greater  part  of  Babylon  left  unsown  for  fear 
of  war,  and  the  reason  above  mentioned  ;  and  not  only  this 
country  but  Cyprus  and  Armenia  are  in  the  same  condition 
....  the  King  of  Sicily  will  suffer  no  provisions  to  be  sent 
out  of  his  dominions  into  Syria  because  of  his  war  with  the 
Greeks,  as  we  understand.  Therefore,  sire,  as  we  have 
already  written  to  your  Highness,  if  any  of  the  great  lords 
of  your  country  should  come  to  these  parts  he  would  do 
well  to  advise  the  King  of  Sicily  to  permit  provisions  to  be 
carried  into  Syria  as  in  former  times  they  were  wont  to  be. 

And  know,  sire,  the  Holy  Land  was  never  so  easy  of 
conquest  as  now,  with  able  generals  and  store  of  food  ;  yet 
never  have  we  seen  so  few  soldiers  or  so  little  good  counsel 
in  it.  May  your  worthy  and  royal  Majesty  flourish  for  all 
time  by  increase  of  good  for  better.  And  would  to  God, 
Sire,  that  this  might  be  done  by  yourself,  for  it  would  be 
accomplished  without  fail  if  God  would  give  you  the  desire 
of  coming  here.  And  this  is  the  belief  of  all  dwellers  in 
the  Holy  Land,  both  great  and  small,  that  by  you  with  the 
help  of  God  shall  the  Holy  Land  be  conquered  and  brought 
into  the  hands  of  Holy  Christendom.  These  news,  Sire,. 
are  ....  those  which  you  may  believe  in  spite  of  any 
other  things  that  may  be  told  to  you.  And  pardon  us, 
Sire,  that  our  letter  is  so  long,  for  we  could  not  more  briefly 
inform  you  of  these  things,  the  certainty  of  which  your 
Majesty  has  left  me  here  to  record. 

'Written  on  the  last  day  of  May. 

'To  the    most  noble,  excellent,  and  puissant   King   of 
England. 


14  A  CRUSADERS  LETTER  FROM  *  THE  HOLY  LAND.' 

It  was  probably  Sir  Joseph  de  Cancy's  account  of  Sultan 
Kelaoun's  victory  that  occasioned  the  following  letter  from 
King  Edward,  the  draft  of  which  is  still  preserved  among 
the  '  Royal  Letters '  in  the  Record  Office,  though  a  good 
deal  damaged  by  damp  and  time. 

'  EDWARD,  BY  THE  GRACE  OF  GOD,  King  of 
England,  Lord  of  Ireland,  and  Duke  of  Aquitaine,  to  his 
dearest  in  Christ  and  faithful  secretary,  brother  Joseph  de 
Chauncy,  greeting :  For  the  accounts  which  you  have  sent 
us  in  your  letters  from  the  Holy  Land  we  give  you  great 
thanks,  because  we  are  made  the  more  joyful  the  oftener  we 
hear  good  news  of  that  land  and  its  condition :  the  which  we 
vehemently  wish  and  desire  to  hear  more  frequently.  And 
whereas  you  desire  to  hear  prosperous  reports  of  our  state,  we 
signify  unto  you,  in  order  to  the  increase  of  your  comfort, 
that  on  the  day  of  the  making  of  these  presents,  we  and  our 
Ouccn  and  our  children  arc — blessed  be  the  Most  High — 
flourishing  in  full  health  of  body  ;  which  we  would  rather 
know  of  yourself  by  true  relation  than  hearsay.  For  the 
rest  we  have  received,  with  cheerful  hand,  your  New  Year's 
gift  of  jewels  which  you  have  sent  to  us — to  wit — two 
Circassian  saddles  and  two  saddle-cloths ;  and  two  Ger- 
falcon's hoods  and  four  Falcon's  hoods,  for  which  we 
return  you  our  abundant  thanks.  Wishing  you  to  know 
that  we  have  not  considered  these  presents  as  small, 
because  we  have  weighed  the  goodwill  of  the  giver  more 
than  the  gifts  themselves  in  this  case.  Nor  indeed  do  we 
at  present  want  any  more  hoods  as  by  reason  of  arduous 
matters  of  our  kingdom  which  intimately  concern  us,  and 
do  not  as  yet  wish  to  keep  more  falcons  than  we  already 
have.     But  as  regards  those  stones  of  rubies  which  you 

have   sent    us And  because  we  much  wish 

that  you  should  be  near  us,  for  our  solace  and  convenience 


A  CnUSADER'S  LETTER  FROM  '  THE  HOLY  LAND!    1 5 

we  will  and  require  you  that  you '  hasten  your  arrival  in 
England  by  the  best  and  quickest  means  you  can — and 
this  as  we  entirely  trust  in  you — you  shall  in  no  case 
omit cf  the  Hospital  in  England  or  the  posses- 
sions of  the  same  we  will  have  in  commendation  and  uphold 
them  as  far  as  we  can  by  law,  as  you  have  requested.  Con- 
cerning your  own  estate,  which  may  the  Most  High  prosper, 
we  desire  that  you  certify  us  thereof  by  frequent  notification. 
Given  at  Worcester  on  the  20th  day  of  May,  in  thetenth 
year  of  our  reigni'     [1282]. 

Both  Aiton  and  Makrizi  agree  in  stating  that  the  battle 
resulted  in  a  great  victory  for  the  Sultan,  which  is  not 
borne  out  by  De  Cancy,  although  he  acknowledges  that 
though  neither  party  held  the  field,  yet  Kelaoun  being  the 
last  to  retire,  had  been  by  some  accredited  with  the  victory. 

At- any  rate,  such' evidence  as  DeGancy's-— a  soldier 
himself,  contemporary  with  and  not  improbaJDly  an  eye- 
witness of  the  fight — is  of  the  highest  value,  and  more  to 
be  relied  on  than  the  tale  of  any  chronicler,  monk  or 
layman,  writing  at  a  distance,  from  the  words  of  others, 
and  some  years  after  the  event — in  the  case  of  Makrizi  a 
century  after  it,  or  more. 

It  is  not  uninstructive  to  contrast  the  despatch  of  news 
from  Syria  in  the  thirteenth  century — as  evidenced  by 
these  two  letters — with  the  flight  of  intelligence  in  modern 
days.  The  battle  of  La  Chamelle  occurred,  according  to 
the  Ghronicle,  in  the  commencement  of  December — by  De 
Cancy's  own  showing,  after  the  close  of  October — 1280. 
His  letter  to  the  King,  with  an  account  of  it,  was  written 
on  the  31st  of  May,  1281,  nearly  five  months  after  the 
event,  and  the  King  acknowledged  the  receipt  of  the  des- 
patch on  the  20th  of  May,  1282,  almost  exactly  one  year 
'^f.er  it  was  written.      The  full  details  of  the  battle  of  Tel- 


i6  A  CRUSADER'S  LETTER  FROM  ♦  THE  HOLY  LAND* 


el-Kebir  were  published  in  the  daily  papers  all  ever 
England  within  twenty-four  hours  after  it  was  fought. 

To  my  knowledge,  this  letter  has  never  been  published 
in  England,  but  a  copy  of  it  appears  in  the  '  Lettres  des 
Rois  et  des  Reines '  of  Champollion-Figeac.  That  it  has 
been  at  some  period  examined — and  carefully  examined — 
most  likely  with  the  view  of  utilising  it  in  a  history  or 
memoir  of  the  Crusades,  seems  to  be  proved  by  the  fact 
that  it  is  now  ruined  and  nearly  obliterated  by  the  use  of 
a  chemical  agent  that  up  to  not  so  very  distant  a  date  was 
used  extensively  and  with  disgraceful  recklessness  to  revive 
the  ink  of  faded  manuscripts,  from  the  after  effects  of  which 
many  most  interesting  and  valuable  of  our  national  records 
have  suffered  irremediably. 

This  translation  is  offered  with  great  deference  to  the 
Society  which  of  all  others  is  the  most  likely  to  appreciate 
the  value  of  the  original,  and  the  most  capable  of  enhancing 
that  value  by  its  own  researches. 

William  Basevi  Sanders. 


DS 

102 

P2 

1896 

V.5 


Palestine  Pilgrims'   Text 
Society,  London 
The  library 


PLEASE  DO  NOT  REMOVE 
CARDS  OR  SLIPS  FROM  THIS  POCKET 


I