The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-07-04
WHERE CHRIST TAUGHT.
GCorr. New York Sun.I

LGuOS tO pbdCCS uduOWCQ Oy tue nlnISkI3- tions of the Founder of christianity, is to be found in desert, rock-strewn prom ontory on the northwest shore of the lake of Tiberias for among these hewn blocks of black basalt still remain the ruins of a great synagogue, within whose walls, the foundations of which may still be dis tinc.ly traced, were collected the multi tudes who hocked to hear the teaching of Christ. While modern tourists resort in crowds to Jerusalem to visit the mythi- cal sites which are supposed, upon the vague basis of ecclesiastical tradition, to be identified with the life of the great Teacher, scarcely one ever finds his way to this remote locality lying just out of the beaten track along which Cook leads his herds of sightseers and yet it Is prob able that the greater part of that period in the life of Christ the record of which is contained in the four gospels was spent at Capernaum, which the most careful investigation, by the highest authorities in such matters, has identified with these ruins of Tell Hum, amid which was just now standing. Here it was that Christ cured Peters mother-in-law, restored the paralytic called Matthew, cured the cen. turon's servant, raised Tarius' daughter from the dead, and obtained the tribute of money from the mouth of a fish. It was here that He spoke the parables of the sower, the tares, the treasure hid In the field, the merchant seeking goodly pearls, and the net cast into the sea. Sir Charles Wilson, whose researches on this spot led him to identify it as being the site of the city of Capernaum, believes this synagogue was, without doubt, the one built by the Roman centurion Luke vii, s. and, therefore, one of the most sacred spots on earth" IL was in this building, if that be the case, that the we'll known discourse contained in the sixth chapter of John was delivered and it was not without strange feeling, says the same explorer, that on turning over a large block we found the pot of mama engraved on its face, and remembered the words, am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat mama in the wilderness. and are dead.'"
 This very synagogue was probably the scene of the healing of the demoniac, and of the delivery of many of those di- vine lectures en faith, humility, brotherly love, and formality in worship, az we read at the end of one of them, "These things said He in the synagogue, as He taught in Capernaum." Perhaps it was in the little creek where a boat is now riding at anchor only few feet from the shore, that Christ taught the people from the boat SO as to avoid the crush of the multitude. It was doubtless in one of these inlets that James, the son of Zebe- dee, and John, his brother, were mend- ing their nets, when being called, they left their ship and followed Him and it was on this coast that Andrew and Peter were casting their nets when they were summoned to become fishers of men. It has higher claim to be called the birth place of the religion which has since revo- luionized the world than any other spot upon it and it Is matter of some sur prise to me that neither the Greek nor the Roman Catholic churches, in their zeal to discover holy places, which may serve as levers for political intrigue, have yet thought of occupying this one, which would seem the holiest of all. Perhaps 1t would lead to a comparison between their practice and the teaching of which 1t was the scene, which might give rise to some inconvenient reflections.
 | APAAt HUH tuCiI dSSOCldtLOuS, tue rutnS themselves arc not particularly striking. They cover an area of about half a mile in length by quarter in breadth, and consist chiefly of the black blocks of ba- saltic stone which formed the walls of the houses. The traces of the syna- gogue, however, remain sufficiently for the building to be planned. Built of white limestone blocks, it must have formed conspicuous object amid the black basalt by which 1t was surrounded. It was seventy-fve feet by fifty-seven, built north and south, and at the southern end had three entrances. Many of the columns and capitals have been carried away, but enough still remain to convey some idea of the general plan and as- pect of the building. The capitals are of the Corinthian order, and there were epis- tylia which rested upon the columns, and probably supported wooden rahers. There arc also remains of a heavy cor nice and frieze. The exterior was prob ably decorated with attached pilasters.
 Two miles north of Capernarm are the ruins of Chorazin. There is no difficulty in identifying the site, which may be de- termined partly by the itineraries of early travellers, and partly by the similarity of the modern name, Kirazeh. The path to them leads up the sloping rocky hillside, but, owing to the peculiar character of the masonry, which is barely to be dis tinguished at one hundred yards from the rocks which surround it, the extent and importance of these ruins have been overlooked until quite recently. They cover an area as large as, if not larger, l than those of Canernaum and are es&
 uated partly in shallow valley, partly on rocky spur formed by a sharp bend in the Wady Kirazeh, here a wild gorge eighty feet deep. From this spot there is beautiful view of the Lake of Tiberias to its southern end and here, too, are gathered the most interesting ruins-a synagogue with Corinthian capitals and niche-heads cut, not as at Capernaum in limestone, but in hard black basalt. The dimensions of this building are about the | ~f Ak