The Holy Land and Syria

by Frank G. Carpenter

The ruins of the synagogue show the splendour of the ancient city. I walked around its boundaries. It was fifty-four feet long and seventy-two feet wide. Its front, which faced the sea, had a great many marble columns, and it was built in two stories, the upper of which was for the women. The pillars are three feet thick, smoothly finished and exquisitely carved. The marble work is that common in Rome shortly before the time of Christ, and much of it is uninjured.

So far only a small portion of the site of Capernaum has been explored. There are a thousand acres or so left that in all probability contain ruins which, when exposed, may cast new light upon the days and time of the Saviour. The Franciscan monks will not permit relics to be taken away, and they forbid the use of cameras. Father Wendelin carries a long black snake whip with him, and I am told that he uses it if he is not obeyed. The other day a woman tourist brought in a camera under her coat and, notwithstanding his objections, took a snapshot, whereupon he is said to have laid hold of her and thrown her out of the place.

I am stopping at Tiberias in a little German hotel where I have a comfortable room looking out on the water. Tiberias is the largest settlement on the sea. It lies on the western shore at the southern end, within a mile or so of the Horns of Hattin where it is said Christ delivered the Sermon on the Mount. It is only a short sail from where the Jordan flows out to the Dead Sea, and from Semakh, where the railroad now goes north on its way from Haifa to Damascus.

The city was the capital of Galilee, and it was at the height of its prosperity when Christ was living at Capernaum. It was founded by Herod Antipas, the son of Herod, the baby killer, and was named after the Roman Emperor Tiberias. It was constructed while Christ was living in Nazareth, and was a new and thriving city during His residence at Capernaum. It is doubtful that He even visited it, for the Bible does not mention His doing so.

The city had a palace and a race course in those days, and after the destruction of Jerusalem it became the chief seat of the Jewish nation. It is still one of the three holy cities of the Jews and it has many Israelites among its citizens. They go about in long coats and caps bound with fur, and are noted for their piety and for their knowledge of the Talmud. Many of them are Spanish Jews who have come here to live on account of the holiness of the city.

The Tiberias of to-day is not attractive. It is a mass of gray stone and brick buildings, with flat roofs painted white. The streets are narrow and filthy and smell to heaven. The Arabs have a saying that the king of the fleas lives here. The human population is something like eight thousand, of whom about two thirds are Jews and the remainder Mohammedans and Christians. The Jews have ten synagogues and there is also a Mohammedan mosque. The northern limits of the place are marked by the ruins of the Roman town, and the remains of its walls and a gate are still standing.

The hot springs on the shores of the lake a half mile from the city, which were famous in the days of the Romans, are still used. They are in many respects similar to those of Carlsbad, the waters containing sulphur, chloride of magnesia, and iron. They are good for skin diseases, and if they were under American management might be made to pay well. One of the most interesting and valuable institutions in this city is the hospital belonging to the Scottish missionaries. It has thousands of patients a year and is doing great good.

I came here from Nazareth riding over the mountains of Galilee. The road is fairly good, although it is up and down hill all the way. About six miles from Nazareth I stopped at the village of Cana where our Lord was a guest at the wedding feast and turned the water into wine. I even saw the stone jars or tubs which the people who own one of the churches there say were the jars used for that miracle. They are kept inside the church, and it took several fees to get to them. They are great limestone receptacles, looking much like mortars, and it is likely that wheat was ground in them by means of a pestle.

I also visited the spring at Cana. As there is only one, it must have been from there that the water which was turned into wine was obtained. Four camels, six sheep, and two cows were drinking at it as I stopped, and a half-dozen girls with water-bags were waiting for their family supply. It is probable that Cana was much larger and more prosperous in the days of our Saviour than now.