The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1881-02-16
TME LAND or PROPMECY.
Jeruualcm and III EnviroIls.
The Place Of CruciIixiOn I'm.
known Sltc Of SolOni0Ii's Tenn.
pie Three Noted Valleys-The
Tomb Of AbsalOn.


Having in previous letter given
my impression Of nearly all the au.
thenticated sacred spots in and
about Jerusalem, | now turn to some
that are not 50 well accredited
While the names Of nearly all this
latter class are mentioned in scrip;
ture, their actual location is either
lost in the wilderness oftime or hope
lessly obscured by monkish stories;
80 that it is impossible to separate
the truth from mere tradition, and
say where the one begins or the other
ends. II is not difficult to perceive
why such confusion exists. The re-
leated extension Of the city walls on
the naturally less defensible sides
has necessarily obliterated very many
Of
THE ANCIENT LANDMARKS;
but pilgrim credulity had to be cat
cred to in order to reap an average
harvest Of backsheesh, and the holy
places whose sites were absolutely
unknown were easily falsifed, and
In their stead were erected modern
shrines, with nothing Of ancient act
: liality- except, their .reyered names.
But all this1 consider Of minor i'm.
portance. That these holy places do
actually exist islenough for us to
know, and the faith of the truly faith.
full would be increased in no appre-
ciable degree if we knew the precise
locations. or could look upon the
original shrines themselves. Su
that in briefly describing some of
these am sure your readers will
have, with me, sufficient belief for
all devout interests and purposes.
For if we doubt that the stone shown
to pilgrims as the very one rolled
away by an angel from the door of
the Savior's sepulchre is the real
stone, VIC yet know that stone was
rolled therefrom, and that He has
arisen. And similarly as to the
many other pious pretences with
which the tourist is every day be-
guiled.
IA. ABSOLUTELY UNKNOWN.
One would suppose that Mount
Calvary "Holiest of these Holes"
would be better known than any
other of the sacred spots, whereas it
is not known at all. As have here
tofore stated, for centuries the pill
grim has been told that the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre encloses that
hallowed place where all mankind
was redeemed by his precious blood.
But there is no truth whatever in
this supposition. The actual spot is
absolutely unknown, and no amount
OF conjecture can ever fix it. Yet it
certainly was in or very near to the
present Jerusalem. 1t was most
probably without the city gates, but
whether on the eastern, southern or
northwestern side, no man knoweth.
Perhaps it is the will OF God that il
shall forever be concealed from mans
eye; but Biblical scholars are certain
" almost unanimous in the declara-
tlon that no'acc0unts of the Crucifix-
ion justify the common belief that it
took place ON the Mount Calvary
now pointed out; consequently, the
spot at present known by that name
may be considered utterly shorn of
its dreadful honors.
WHERE ABRAHAM OFFERED UP ISAAC.
Memorable Mt. Moriah is pointed
out on the eastern side OF the city,
Its first record is Of Abrahams prof.
fered sacrifice: "Take now thy son,
thine only son Isaac, whom thou
lowest, and get thee into the land of
Moriah; and offer him there for a
burnt Offering upon one of the noun.
tains which | will tell of" Gen.
xii, 2) 1t was also the site of Sol.
onions Temple, and of the threshing
floor of Arunah, the Jebusite. To
the Jews it is to day II holy place;
and it must ever be reverenccd by
Christians as the spot where God and
His servant Abraham met, and the
coming of Christ was promised: ain
thy seed shall the nations of the
earth be blessed" Nigh to it, and
almost indistinguishablc from it, is
Mt. Zion-the ravine that once dis
tinctly separated the two being filled
with centuries of ruins and rubbish.
A sort of causeway, however, gives
rude passage from one to the other.
THE THREE GREAT VALLEYS.
From the slopes of these hills fall
almost precipitously the great val.
leys of Jchoshaphat, Hinnom and
Gihon. The first of these, which is
the rocky bed of brook Kcdron, be.
gins on the northern side of the city,
and is at first a mere declivity Of the
mountain slope; but it grows deeper
and more precipitous little further
on, and winds southwark, forming,
in ancient days and styles Of warfare,
an almost insuperable defence for
that side Of Jerusalem. 1t is Joined,
or consolidated with, the valley OF
of Hinnoin, and further on with that
of Glhon-the three being in reality
one continuous natural defence of the
city. The prophet Joel says that
GDu will iulua tho heothap IN Jol,oe