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STABILITY OF THE EASTERN WALL.

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tecture since the Christian era. Parallels are only to be found amidst such structures as Baalbec-the magnificent theatre at Telmessus-the treasury of Areteus, the walls of the Piræus at Athens, the Cothon at Joppa, or the pyramids and gigantic temples of Upper Egypt, and Abyssinia. Stones of this description were used in Jerusalem from the earliest time—“hewn stones," stones of great size," ten and twenty cubits in length, both in the building of the temple and the city wall. And Josephus not only informs us of the general strength of the walls, but of this in particular, which was so strong, and the stones of such magnitude, that the Romans were unable to throw it down, and Titus himself on entering the city expressed his wonder and admiration at the extreme thickness of these walls. Again, on the east side, the very peculiar nature of the ground, and the steepness of the ravine that falls from it; together with the valley of Jehosaphat, doubtless contributed to render it secure; and consequently the battering rams and engines of the besiegers could not without great difficulty have been applied to it-though I much doubt if such instruments could have taken effect on walls of such solidity. And I believe I am correct in stating that unless in the late attack by Ibrahim Basha, cannon were never used against Jerusalem. Thus then we see that there was a physical impossibility of this wall being demolished at that time.

Now Josephus informs us that as soon as the

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A REMARKABLE RECORD.

army had no more people to slay, Cæsar gave orders that they should demolish the entire city and temple, but leave a certain portion of the wall, together with the towers of Phaselus, Hippicus, and Mariamne. "This wall was spared, in order to afford a camp for such as were to lie in garrison; as were the towers also spared in order to demonstrate to posterity what kind of city it was, and how well fortified, which the Roman valour had subdued: but for all the rest of the wall, it was so thoroughly laid even with the ground by those that dug it up to the foundation, that there was left nothing to make those that came thither to believe it had ever been inhabited."*

A mistake occurs in the text of the historian here, in making the portion left standing by the Romans, the western wall; for that, upon his own showing, was destroyed long before, not having the same natural defences as this. Thus we have the concurrent testimonies of the appearance and architecture of the existing wall; the written account of Josephus; the traditions of the Jews, (and we know not only to what lengths they carry such, but that there were always Jews in the place, who would hand them down through successive generations;) besides the prophecy of the Word of God. And wherefore would the Psalmist have foretold the servants taking "pleasure in her stones,"

*Josephus' Wars of the Jews, b. vii. chap. 1.

CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE ANCIENT CITY.

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if none such existed? What scenes has it not witnessed-what scenes has it not yet to behold!

There is a very remarkable appearance observable in those parts of the ground around Jerusalem on which the ancient city stood; and when the place is viewed from the Mount of Olives, or any adjacent elevation, it is possible by it to trace out the probable extent of the ancient city. This is a peculiar blackness of the ground, perfectly different from the reddish yellow colour of the neighbouring fields. I have observed the sites of other cities composed of this kind of soil; but here a great quantity of the remains of tesselated pavement, with bits of white and yellow marble, are mixed through it.

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Eusebius states the circumference of ancient Jerusalem to have been twenty-seven stadia, and Josephus thirty-three. The circuit of the walls in the accompanying map is but thirty-one stadia, or three miles and seven-eighths. Should apology be required for this disagreement with the Jewish historian, I can only answer, that such was the line marked out to me on an examination of the ground.

The modern town occupies not quite two-thirds of the ancient, and is two and a-half miles in circumference. Its eastern wall is that which I already described as belonging to the ancient city; the southern proceeds from Ophel, over the summit of Mount Sion, where it turns to the N. and

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ELIA CAPITOLINA.

joins the Castle of David, the ancient Hippicus. From this the western wall is very irregular, and completely devoid of any of the natural ravines that fence the city in other parts; it is that probably built by the Emperor Ælianus Adrianus, hence called Ælia Capitolina; in it he laboured to confound and obliterate the ancient topography, and hence perhaps its present irregular form. It includes Calvary, and at the western angle a part of the elevation of Goath; it then slopes downward to the Damascus gate, where it becomes the northern boundary, proceeding along the brow of Acra, till it joins the eastern wall at the place that is assigned to the tower of Hananeel. William of Tyre tells us that the walls erected by Adrian were so placed, "that the scene of our Lord's passion and resurrection, which had before been without the walls, was now included within their circuit." It is also stated by the same celebrated historian, that "the Golgotha, and the place where the cross was discovered, as well as the place where the body was anointed, were formerly small oratories without the church." These walls, renewed by the Saracens and Crusaders, are still in good preservation, and for the greater part of their circuit are from thirty to sixty feet high.

CHAPTER VI.

JERUSALEM.

Wall-The

Promise of a New City The Labours of Mr. Fry-Prophecies-Lines of the Prophetic City-Tower of Hananeel-The Eastern Northern Boundary-Goath-The Southern and Western Wall-The Prophet Ezekiel-His Vision-The City-like Temple-Its Measurements -Its Supposed Symbolical Meaning-Reference to Solomon's Temple-The Eastern Gate-Its Architecture-Traditions-Its station in the Millennial City-Remarkable Predictions concerning it-Mohammadan Traditions of Jerusalem-The Manuscript of Jalal-Addin-Prophecy of Mahadi— Expected Return of Messiah-Dr. Clarke's Topography-His Discoveries-Position of Mount Sion-Objections of Mr. BuckinghamTheir Fallacy-His Map-Refutation of Clarke's Objections-Sepulch res of David-Proofs from the Book of Joshua-Clarke's Knowledge of the Holy City-Authority of the Apostles-Calvary-Vulgar Errors-GolgothaIdentity of the Holy Sepulchre-Grotto of Jeremiah-The Royal Sepulchres Tombs of the Judges-Their Manner of Construction-The Valley of Jehosaphat-Tomb of the Virgin-Gethsemane-Mount of Olives-Sepulchres of the Patriarchs-Siloam-Valley of Hinnom-The Aceldama-Discoveries of the Author-The races of Mankind Opinion of Dr. Pritchard.

In the foregoing description I have endeavoured to trace the situation and precise locality of the several cities of Jerusalem that have been; from that of Salem, occupying Mount Acra alone; then Mount Sion added; afterwards Moriah, taken in for the site of the temple; Bezetha included in later times, as the population grew more numerous, and finally, the walls of the present city. But there is still a

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