III. The Southern Road, leading along the crest of the hill country toward Hebron, also passes few places of historical interest.
1. Just south of the city is the Plain of the Rephaim, where, after the capture of Jerusalem, David twice met and vanquished the Philistines. (2 Sam. 5:18-25.) The name may be a reminiscence of the most ancient people who inhabited the mountain region of Palestine, before the Amorites were in the land.
2. Four miles from the city the traveler passes Rachel's Tomb. This may represent the place where Jacob, while journeying southward, lost his beloved wife Rachel, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. (Gen. 35:16-20.) The monument now standing is of comparatively recent date; but it may occupy the site of one more ancient.
3. Six miles southeast of the city we come to Bethlehem, a small town, yet having the deepest interest as the birthplace of David, and of David's greatest descendant, the Saviour of the world. It lies upon the side and summit of a steep hill, and contains now about 2,000 inhabitants. Many places connected with the birth of Jesus are shown; but there is no authority for their precise location except tradition. In a cave near this village Jerome wrote most of his translation of the Bible, the Vulgate version, recognized as the standard Bible by the Roman Catholic Church.
4. A little beyond Bethlehem is the head of the Valley of Elah, in which, but at a distance to the west, David fought with Goliath, and gained his earliest honors before Israel. (1 Sam. 17.)
5. There are no more places of interest to the Bible reader until we reach Hebron, 18 miles from Jerusalem. This is one of the most ancient towns in the world, occupied before the time of Abraham; the burial place of the Patriarchs, the capital of David's kingdom of Judah, and the place where Absalom's rebellion was begun. It is still a large town, inhabited by intolerant Mohammedans, who closely guard the sanctity of the Mosque which covers the graves of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It is now called el Khalil, "the Friend," i. e., Abraham, "the friend of God."
6. The region between Hebron and the Dead Sea is wild and desolate, with but few inhabitants. It was called Jeshimon, "the waste," and is the place generally recognized as "the wilderness of Judæa," where David wandered during his exile when he was persecuted by Saul, and in constant danger of his life, and where Christ was tempted after his long fast of forty days.
IV. The Southwestern Road is that "that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert." (Acts 8:26.) It passes through ravines and among mountains, descending through successive plateaus, from the mountain region to the Shefelah, or low hills, and thence to the plain by the Mediterranean. It is "desert," in the sense that no towns lie along the route. The fountain where Philip baptized the Ethiopian treasurer is shown at Ain Haniyeh, 4 miles southwest of Jerusalem; but it has only tradition in support of its claim.
V. The Western Road leads to Joppa, descending from the mountains to the sea.
1. Four miles from Jerusalem it passes Emmaus (Kuloniyeh), the place to which the two disciples were walking when they were joined by the risen Christ. (Luke 24:13.) The place, however, is disputed. Dr. Thomson locates it at Kuriet el Enab, further from Jerusalem; and others at el Kubeibeh, 7 miles northwest of the city.