The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-08-30
Modern Samaria.

The modern village is very insignifi-
lant. Josephus says that it received
IS name of Sebastia from Herod, in
lonor of Augustus. The city has been
lacked and plundered times without
lumber. Upon its extreme summit
Ahab had its famous ivory palace, and
his acropolis constituted the capital of
he ten tribes, until they were carried
aptive into Assyria. The modern re-
nains, which are the finest | have seen
n the Holy Land outside of Jerusalem,
,nly date back nominallv to the time
# Herod, Of course, but it is doubtless
rue that Herod employed much of the
material of former ages in creating his
plendid structures; in which event the
iebris represents pre-Herodian an
iquity. Against the city for its idolatry
dicah and Hosea launched forth the
nvectives of prophecy II will make
'amaria as heap of the field, and as
llantings of vineyard; and I
'kill pour down the stones thereof
a1to the valley, and 1 will
discover the foundations thereof"
eSamaria shall become desolate, for
She hath rebelled against her God; they
shall fall by the sword, their infants
shall be dashed to pieces" etc. There
nave been numerous literal fulfillments
Of these predictions. Looking down
into the valleys as we rode around the
nil, we frequently discovered broken
Inns and building rubbish.
J Weyrode completely around the hill,
a cirduit of about two miles, tracing the
remains of Herod's magnificent colon
made.
There were evidently four rows of
columns clear around the hill, support
ing a porch above. The porch has
vanished, but great many of the mas
sive columns are still standing. Other
pillars are broken in two, lie PROSTATE,
or are utilized in the construction of
stone walls. We counted nearly 100,
and Nh Floyd says that the great
majority have either been destroyed by
the natives or carted away to Europe
to occupy inches in museums. The
level place at the extreme top of the hill
was adorred by sixteen very large col
umns. 1t vas doubtless in the general
Enclosure tlat the great temple of Baal
stood, whicl was utterly destroyed by
Jehu, after lie had received the heads
of Ahab's seventy sons in baskets at
the gate of Tezreel, and mercilessly
slaughtered aLthe priests of BaaI, as
recorded in th tenth chapter of the
Second Kings.
1t was very nelr Samaria that Elisha
dwelt when the lorses and chariot of
Naaman, the Danascene leper, halted
before the door If his humble home.
Now, as then, lep'osy holds carnival in
Damascus, and is regarded as incura-
BILE as it was by thu King of Israel when
he rent his clotheslnder the impression
| that the audaciOus Naaman was tool
OF Benhadad's to pick quarrel with
him. Grasping, pnurious Gehazi was
made to inherit the leprosy of the Syr-
ian captain, which should cleave unto
his seed forever" Perhaps some of the
modern Nablous lepers are the inherit
ors of this fearful legacy of Gehazi.
| My impression is that it was dreadfuliy
stupid of Naaman to put confidence in
the word of a native like Gehazi.
What terrible agony there must have
been in Shmaria during that memora-
bic siege ,ofthe indefatigable Benhadad.
After having travelled through the
Orient it does not seem at all incredi-
bic to me that the people resorted to
doves dung for food, until it actually
became costly luxury QI Kings vi,
25).
Not only did Elijah and Elisha work
wonders in Samaria, but even the Apos-
ties wrought miracles and preached
there. The revival which was started
by Philip, who far eclipsed the witcher-
les exercised by Simon the Sorcerer, in
duced the Apostles who had remained
behind in Jerusalem to re-enforce him
by sending Peter and John thither.
Then was the Holy Ghost given, which
Simon sought to buy with money (the
first impulse of an Oriental when he
thinks there is no chance of getting a
thing as free gifD. We were shown
the ruins of an interesting cathedral,
known as the Church of st. John, in
which, it is claimed, the beloved dis.
ciple met his death. These ruins are
intellectually interesting. -JeruSaIenl
Cor. N. q. Times Democrat.