Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1852-1852, 1852-09-10

1912, and 1851. The Emperor Of Russia Is OF
course the protector of the Greek church, and of
its pretensions respecting the Holy Places in dis
pute. The French accuse English diplomacy Of
interfering in these disputes, and of embarrassing
by its intrigues the settlement of the mooted
questions Of possessions and enjoyment. The
following is the list of the Holy Places in litiga
ton:
l.. The large Cupola of the Church of the IIo-
" Sepulchre, or, as it is otherwise called of the
Resurrection.
.. The small Cupola which is in the interior Of
the same Church, covering the entrance of the
Tomb of our Saviour.
8. The descent from the Cross
4. Golgotha.
5. The seven arches of the Holy Virgin Mary.
6. The great Church of the village of Bethle
hem.
I. The cave at Bethlehem in which Christ was
born.
s. The birthplace Of the Virgin Mary.
9. The tomb of the Virgin Mary.
10. The cave and the garden of Gethsemane.
Of course there can be no historical certainty
in this designation, which tradition, founded upon
pious superstition or pious frauds, has made Of
pIeClSc SpOIS u PoH W hiliEIl "cle aCIcu III
terestng scenes of the drama Redemption:
"On leaving the Church of the Holy Sepul-
cher" says Lamartine in his Pilgrimage, "we fol-
lowed the Via Dolorosa of which NJ. de Chateau
BRAND has given so poetica an itinerary. Here
is nothing striking, nothing verified nothing even
probable. Ruined houses of modern construc-
ton are everywhere exhibited to the pilgrims by
the monks as incontestible vestges OF the various
stations Of Christ. The eye cannot even doubt.
All confidence in these local traditions is annihi-
lated beforehand by the history of the first years
Of Christianity, where we read that Jerusalem no
longer retained one stone upon another, and that
Christians were for many years exiled from the
city. Some pools and the tombs of her kings
are the only memorials Jerusalem retains of her
past eventful history. a few sites alone can be
recognised: as that of the temple, indicated by
its terraces, and now bearing the large and mag
nfcient mosque Of Omar-el-Sackara; Mount Zion,
occupied by the Armenian Convent, and the
tomb of David; and it is only with history in ones
hand and with doubling eye, that the greater
part Of these can be assigned with any precision.
Except the terraced walls in the valley of Jehosa-
pha, no stone bears its date in its form or color.
All is ashes or all is modern
The mind wandcrs in uncertainty over the
horizon Of the city, not knowing where to rest
but the city itself, designated by the circwm-
scribcd hill on which it stood, by the different
valleys which enci.cled it, and especially by the
deep valley of Ccdron, is monument which
no eve can mistake" "From the Church." he
says in another place, IA flight of steps cut in
the rock conducts to the summit of Calvary,
where the three crosses were posted, so that
Calvary, the Tomb, and several other sites dis
tinguiShed in religious history are united under
a single roof of moderate dimensions: 4 crcum
stance that would seem lily to consist with the
gospel account. We are not prepared by it
to find the tomb of Joseph of Arimathca, which
was cut in the rock outside the walls of Zion, to
be in fact within fifty PAGES of Calvary, the scene
of executions and enclosed within the crcum-
ference Of the modern walls But such is trad-
ton, and it has prevailed. In the midst of a
scene like this, the mind cannot dispute the diff
ference Of few PAGES between historical probili-
ty and tradition. Whether it were here or
there, it is certain that the events did really
occur at no great distance from the points marked
out"
Two anecdotes will suffice to give an idea of
the animated and unchrstian character of the
strife which Is thus waged over the very grave
Of Christ by his profesed followers and imitators
of the Latin and Greek churches. In the Cave
at Bethlehem, in which our Saviour was born,
the Altar of the Nativity belongs to the Greeks;
the spot where the mangcr stood to the Catho-
lies. The latter was marked by slab of white
marble, in which jaspers were set. On the slab
was an inscription, surrounded 10y circle of sill
yer, the following words: "Hic Maria Vrgine
ndtuS est ChriStuS" 1t is one of the actual
complaints of the Roman Catholics that the
Greeks have broken and removed this iuscrp-
ton.
In the city of Jerusalem the tombs of Godfrey
of Bouillon, and OF Baldwin, were placed at the
foot Of the flight Of steps leading to the summit
ofthe Calvary. After the fire of SO3 the Greeks
rebuilt that portion Of the temple; but such was
their antpathy to the memory of the Latin kings,
that the tombs were enclosed in the solid masonry,
and nothing allowed to mark the spot but stones
which are used as benches for rcpose These
stories, to be sure, reach us through Latin me-
dium, and we are not told what acts of aggres-
sion this conduct was intended to avenge, or
what measures liberalization it provoked All
last year the momcntous questions involved in
the dispute, such as whether the Greeks of La
tins shall have the custody Of the key Of such a
door, whether the Greeks shall worship on Mon
day at such shrine, or whether they shall wor-
ship there at all; which party shall be bound to
furnish oll for such lamp. whether the tombs