Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-09-11

that one undisputed Jewish tomb sui
exists IN such a pOaitiOn as 10 nave oeeh
certainly within the CITY OF DAVID ms
Is the so-called tomb OF Nicodemus, ana u
Is yet more remarkable that In It's rlSi-
nal condition, before il was partly de-
stroved. this tomb must have been just
made TO contain nine bodies, placed IN
k0hi7a, or graves cut according 10 the
oldest arrangement employed ny the
Jews. JOsephus mentions rs a pecull-
/ arity OF the tOmbs OF the kings mat some
of the collins were buried beneath the
surface, so rs 20 be unseen even 10 those
standing within the monument. Just
such an arrangement exists III the
/ tomb under consideration, the floor Of
which is sunk 80 thHt the graves on
one side are on lower tier H. seems,
therefore, quite possible that the CHURCH
OF the molly sepulchre preserves the 1nonu-
ment or the nine chief kings Of JeTusa-
lem. or course. tradition, with its usual
ignorance, places "thc tomps Of the
kings ON the hill OF the upper city,
where your guide takes YOU To see them,
and where there are no ancient tombs at
all, the tOmbs there being Of a date not
earlier than the first century before
Christ. A fine sarcopbagus, with an
Aramaic Inscription. stating that II held
the body Of q certain Queen sara, was
discovered in them. Though called by "A
wrong name, they are nevertheless we'll
worth visiting. As 1t is supposed by
some authorities that Helena, Queen Of
Adabeue, was also buried here, they
might more properly be called inc tom0s
of the queens.
But the really great work which recent
investigation has accomplished has main
y reference, not so much 10 such details
as these, which must always remain more
or less matters Of speculation, as TO the
settlement Of controversies affecting the
typographical questions connected with
ancient JeTu5alem. First, IN regard 70
points upon which all are now agreed.
There is no doubt about the Mount OF
olives and the brook kcdron. II is agreed
that the Temple stood on fhe spur imme-
diately west Of the kedron. and that
the southern tongue OF this spur
was called Ophel. Ii is also agreed
that the fiat valley west OF this snur
is that to which Josephus applies the
name TyropTan, though there was a d.
versity as to the exact course of the
valley, which has now been set at rest by
the co lection OF the rock levels within
the city. IL Is also agreed by all authori-
ties that the high south estern hill, to
which the name Of sion has been applied
since the fourth century, is that which
Josephus calls the upper city, or
upper mdIkeb IlhCe. Iut site OF
the Pool of Sloan is also undis-
puted, and certain natural features have
been determined, which serve as data on
which to construct the walls Of the ancient
city and nix the site and area Of the Tenn
pie enclosure in the time Of HerOd. There
- still some controversy in regard to the
exact position and course Of the city walls
prior 70 its destruction by Titus, but this
is chiefly maintained by those who are
fatally affected in their religious senti-
ments. There is also "A difference Of Opin-
ion in regard to the area of the Temple
building. Practically, however, this
point has been settled by the great
weight Of authority on one side.
which a1irms that the present Haram
enclosure, in which are situated the
mosque Of Omar and the sacred stone rep
resent the area Of HerOd's Temple, only
one or two standing out for restriction
of this area. II the Turkish government
would only allow explorations to be made
under the platform of the dome OF the
rock, the very rock upon which Abraham
Is supposed to have been ordered TO sacri-
nee Isaac, and if the examination of the
closed chambers known TO exist on the
north and east side OF this platform could
be carried out, the controversy might be
set at rest by actual discovery. or the
Temple Of Solomon little is known,
though it is possible that the
great scarps in the present British
cemetery may be as old as the time of
David, or the eleventh century before
Christ. They are, without doubt, the old
est existing remains in Jerusalem, ana
formed part OF the ramparts Of the upper
city. Meantime, TIE most interesting
spot which it contains, whether for jew,
Christian or M0hammedan, is that mys-
FERROUS dome Of the rock, with its gorgeous
mosque covering the sacred stone, which
Christ himself must have regarded with
US much Yeneration IN His day as the adj
herents Of the two other religions. so
widely opposed to the one OF which He
was the founder, do now.