The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-07
THE TEMPLES OF cGLo-sYR1A.

Coelo-Syria, consisting of the fruitful Bu-
lxaa, closed in by the water-producing Leba- |
mons, has from remote ages hourished and
abounded in cities. In early times, there can
be little doubt that the SUBMITS of the
hills were the more important places
of worship, and temples may have been
erected on them; but the temples the remains
of which now exist, appear to have been
essentially temples of the plain. 1t is true
st. Jerome tells us that in his time there was
a temple on the summit of Mount Hermon,
in which the heathen from the region of
Panias and Lebanon met for worship, but it
does not follow that they were the same
people who worshipped in the temples down
below. Probably at that time, as now, there
were several religious sects in the country
some following the old sun-worship others
the worship of the celestial gods, others that
of heroes, and, probably, many adopting a
mixture of all.
We have now in the country several dis
tinct sects of Christians, two distinct sects OF
Moslens, and also two sects of which very
little is known; of one of which BEN amin of
Tudela CA. d. 1860 speaks (''Early Travels
in Palestine, p. 51).
That the older forms of sun-worship ex-
listed side by side with the not less idolatrous
worship that sprang from it there can be no
doubt. Even as late as the time of the pro-
phet Ezekiel (viii, 16) we have a record of it;
so that Hermon and other peaks of the Leba-
mons may, until very late times, have been
places of worship; but the text just quoted
goes against the existing temples about Her.
mon having been used for the earlier form of
sun-worship, for many of them are so placed
that the sun cannot be seen until an hour or
two after it has risen, and there does not
seem any necessity in this form Of worship
for there to have been temple, though the sun
worshippers in Egypt appear to have usedthem
See bas-relief at Tell al Amarna (Fergusson's
Architecture, p. 1922. DIR. Robinson and
other writers surmise that the temples about
Hermon were turned towards it as to akibleh,
so that the worshippers might face it when
they prayed; but the directions of the temples
have now been taken, and the angle from
them towards Hermon, and they are all found
to have their entrances, more or less, towards
the east, and in no case does the entrance, or
any side of the building, face direct upon the
summit of Hermon. Finding the positions of
the temples in C9lo-Syra similar to that of
the temple of Jerusalem, we turn to the re-
mains of the Jewish synagogues in Galilee,
and find that their entrances, with one ex-
ception (see paper of Captain Wilson, r. N,
No. Ii. Quarterly Statement of Palestine Ex-
ploration FUND.-, face the south. This is the
more interesting as the architecture of these
SynagogueS seems to have grown out of that
of the temples Immediately to their north,
about Hermon.
At first sight, it appears natural to suppose
that the chancels of synagogues should be
towards Jerusalem, and the doors on the op-
posite side SO that the people should not
turn their backs on their kibleh when enter
ing; but there is another way of looking at
the matter, viz, by continuing the principle
on which the temple was built to the synago-
CUES also the temple with it's doors fronting
the east from which the glory of the Lord
proceeded; the synagogues with their doors
fronting towards the temple, in which the
glory of the Lord resided. There may be
another reason for the entrances being to-
wards Jerusalem, namely, in order that
there should be as little obstruction as pos
sible between the worshippers and the kibleh.
Thus we find Daniel Oan. vi, 10) prayed,
t'his windows being open in his chamber
towards Jerusalem;" and we find the same
idea running through the eastern mind in q
legend given in Burton's 'Traves in Arabia,
according to which Mahomet, being on one
Mecca, suddenly saw his holy city, though
many miles off, and in spite of many obsta
cles interceptiug his view.
Captain Warren understands from Mr.
Church that near Beersheba there are the re.
mains of a synagogue similar to those in Cali
lee. If this also has its door facing Jerusalem
there would be more certainty about the mat
ter, for all the known remains of synagogue
are due north of Jerusalem.
Vitringa and Bixtorf made Jerusalem tn
kibleh, so that worshippers when they entere
and when they prayed looked towards it, Gle
mems of Alexandria makes the east the kibleh
and DIR. Lghtfoot quoting from the Talmud
tells us that the chancel, corresponding to tn
Holy of Holes, was towards the west tn
people facing that way. Probably Clemen
of Alexandria only referred to Euro
pean and and African synagogues, an
thus SO far agrees with Vitringa an
Bixtorf but we have still left tw
systems the one in which the chancel
towards Jerusalem, and the other in whic
the chancel is to the west; and to complicat
the matter still further we have the egtStiH
remains of synagogues with their entrance
towards Jerusalem, and therefore apparent
their chancels away from it. The Jews
Jerusalem state that at the present day the
face towards Jerusalem when they pra
wherever they may be. Some Moorish Jew
also told DIR. Chaplin that during certai
prayers they faced both north and south ais
but they were not quite clear in what thu
said.
We find generally round the temples
Cnlo-Syria remains of cities or villages, whit
implies that the temples were built for Il
worship of their occupants, and the towns q
placed little off the plain, on the spurs
the hills, that husbandmen might be ne
their daily labors, and yet defended from Il
attack of an enemy. The plain is in gre
measure unfit for the erection of permane
cities, being mostly swamp during the rain
The name Haush (herd-fold), often used
prefix to the names of the small towns
present in the plain, points to the tempora
nature of these places Haush Hala, Hau
al Ehanin Ho11ab al Eefaih With raoa