Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1875-10-21
JeruxaIen.

VIII W ara 9 She Tree aDout
with tlenf1 bfeser.
,Jerusalem.
The population Of modern Jerusa-
! lem las been very differently estima-
ted--and no doubt it increased by
some thousands at the season of the
annual religious feasts-but eighteen
thousand appears to be the most
probable average population; and
whilc the Mohammedans are the mas
tiers, the Jews form the decided ma
jority. being, it is likely, not far
shortsof eight thousand. They come
in constant stream from every part
of the world, many of them on pill
grinages, by which they hope to ac-
quife q large fund of merit, and then
return again to their native country;
the greater number that they may die
in thecity of their fathers, and OBJ
tain the most cherished wish of their
heart by being buried on Mount Oil
vet; Andit. is remarkable that they
clingswlth strange preference to
that fart'of the city which is nearest
the site'of their ancient Temple, as
if they still "took pleasure in its
stones, and its very dust were dear
to thehl." Theyeare fond of inscrib-
ing touching passages from the Old
Testament upon the most conspicu-
oils places In their synagogues, such
as that in the hundred and thirty
seventh Psalm: "By the rivers of
BabJ Ion, there we sat down, yea, we
wept when we remembered Zion.
Wehanged our harps upon the will
lows In the midst thereof.
If forget. o Jerusalem, let my
rightshand forget her cunning. III
do noa reF ynber thef, let my tongue
cleave ttcss -,eoof of my mouth; if /
prefefnot Jerusalem above my chiet
joy.1 The Jerusalem synagogues,
however are not adorned like many
of those IN our European, capitals
such as We have seensin Leghorn and
Frankfort, probably In order to avoid
temptihe the eupidity of nnscrupu,
lons lf1s1ssn sslersr Ii Is, indeed re
,asFzab bfe in Row man why's taas5,tt taa,t
Jews keep hold of their country as
with trembling hand, and are re-
luctant to let. go the traces and the
records of the glorious past. At a
later period we visited with learned
Jew remote mountain villages in Pal
estine, far out of the common track |
of travellers, which contained the
tombs of old rabbins and learned
men, some of them 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
and had brief conversa-
lions with some of their chief men;
and three things particularly struck
us as shedding incidental light upon
the Scriptures. Thus it was curious
to notice the close resemblance be-
tween the order of religious service in
these Jerusalem synagogues in our
own days and that which is described
in Lnke's Gospel as having been OBJ /
served in the synagogue at Nazareth
On that memorial occasion when our
Lord was invited to become the
teacher. The correspondence was,
N fact, complete at every point, as if
he thing had remained stereotyped
lown through all the eighteen CEN
,uries. A roll of one of the books of
he Old Testament was carried by a
servant from the recess in the wall
md put into the hands of the Presi-
lent or reader, who was elevated on
platform in the center of the syna-
rogue.
While the Scripture for the day
vas being recited, both the reader
himself and all the congregation
tood up; but at the close of the
eading all the people took their
eats, and the reader, seated also, pro-
.eeded with his mingled exposition
md exhortation. 1t was scarcely
ess interesting to observe that the
of the Jews on the diff
erent synagogues was regulated by
he countries to which they owed
heir birth. Jews from the coast of
Africa and the south of Europe usual
Y frequented one synagogue; Ger
nan and Polish Jews were to be
ound in another; and so it was with
,ther nationalities. But when we
urn to the narrative in the Acts of
he Apostles, we find the same state
# things existing in Jerusalem at
he beginning of Christianity.
Among those who disputed with the
-outhful Stephen, "when his face
hone like the face of an angel" :
we're some from the Synagogue of the
is, freedom from |
Rome and other parts of Italy, some.l
rom the Synagogue of the Cyrenians I
md Alexandrians-that is, Jews
rom Northern Africa; and others |
rom the Synagogue of Cilicia and
he neighboring provinces-that is
Asiatie Jews.-ThomsOn, the Holy |
Toa1<T II