The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1875-10-29


The population of modern Jerusalem
has been very differently estimated-and
no doubt it increases by some thousands
at the season OF Che annual religious
feasts--but 18, 900 appears to be the most
probable average populations; and Wnile
| the Mohammedans are the masters, the
Jews form the decided majority, being,
| 1t is likely, not far short OF S,O00. Tney
come in a constant stream from every
part of the world, many of them on pill
grimages, by which they hope to acquire
a large fund of merit, and then return
again to their native country; the greater
number that they may die In the city OF
their fathers, and obtain the most cher
ished wish of their lives by being buried
ON Mount Olivet; and 1t is remarkable
that they cling with a strange pre- ference
to that part of the city which is nearest
the site of their ancient temple, as ii
they still "took pleasure in its stones,
and its very dust were dear to, them."
| They are fond of inseribing touching
passages from the Old Testament upon
the most conspicuous places in their
synagogues, such as that in the one hun
dred and thlrty-seventh Psalm: "By the
Irivers Of Babylon, there we sat down,
lyea, we wept when We remembered Zion.
We hanged our harps upon the willows
I'm the midst thereof. Ii l for
get thee, q Jerusalem, let my right hand
forget her cunning. II ! do not remem-
ber thee, let my tangue cleave to the
roof Of my mouth; If ! prefer not Jerusa-
lem above my chief joy" The Jerusa-
lem synagogues, however, are not
adorned like many of those in our Euro
pean capitals, such as we have seen at
Leghorn and Frankfort, probably in order
to avoid tempting the eupidity of I'M
scrupulous Moslem rulers.
| 1t is indeed remarkable in how many
ways the Jews keep hold Of their coun-
| try as with q trembling hand, and are
reluctant to let 60 the traces and the
records of a glorious past. At a later
period we visited with a learned Jew re-
mote mountain villages in Palestine, tar
out OF the common track of travellers,
which contained the tombs OF old rab-
going back even beyond the Christian
era, and we found, that lamps were kept
burning before those tombs night and
day. What an amazing tenacity OF
life there is alike in the people and their
faith We visited several Of their syn
agogues, and had briet conversations
with some of their chief men; and three
things particularly struck us as shed.
ding incidental light upon the scrip
lures.
Tnus, 1t was curious to notice the
close resemblance between the order OF
religious service in those Jerusalem
synagogues in our own days, and that
which is described in Luke's Gospel as
having been observed in the synagogue
at Nazareth on that memorable occasion
when our Lord was invited to become
the teacher. The correspondence was,
in fact, complete at every point, as if
the thing had remained stereotyped
down through all the eighteen centuries.
A roll of one Of the books OF the Old
Testament was carried by servant
from a recess in the wall and put into
the hands of the president or reader, who
was elevated ON platform in the center
of the synagogue. While the Scripture
for the day was being recited, both the
reader himself and all the congregation
stood up; but at the close or the reading
all the people took their seats, and the
reader, seated also, proceeded with his
mingled exposition and exhortation.
1t was scarcely less interesting to OBJ
serve that the attendance Of the Jews on
tue different synagogues was regulated
| by the countries to whicn they owed
their birsh. Jews from the coast of Al
rica and from the south of Europe usu-
ally freqented one synagogue; German
aud Polish Jews were TO be found In an.
other; and 80 it was with other national.
tiles. But when we turn to the narrative
in the Acts OF the Apostles, we find the
same state Of things existing in Jerusa.
lem at the beginning of Christianity
| Among those who disputed with the
youthful Stephen, when "his face snone
like the face Of an angel" were some
from the synagogue Of the Libertines-
that is, from Rome and other parts Of
ltaiy; some from the synagogue OF the
Uyreneans and Alexandrians-that is
Jews from Northern Africa; and others
from the synagogue Of Cilicia and tht
neigh boring pr0yinces--that is, Asiatit
ws.-fhomson, "The Holy Land"
I Sead Cora