The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1889-04-24

oAC onO"h the UOmO VI DOICdo, Inc louh-
tain of Abraham, Yazur, the ancient
'HazorshuaP' of Joshua, and Belt Dajan,
the ancient "Beth Dagon," (house of the
| God Dagon) of the Philistines. All are.
however, of doubtful authenticity. Ram
| leh means SANDY" and is the place where
travellers to Jerusalem usually stop for
| the night. 1t is said to be the Arimathaa
OF the gospel, where resided "a rich man
OF Arimathea named Joseph" who,
after the crucifxion, took the
body of Jesus when the
| even was come" and ''laid it in his own
new tomb" (Matthew xvii, 57). The
Latin or Roman catholic convent founded
here by William the Good OF Burgundy
| mot Indianapolis), is believed TO stand
over the former house of Nicodemus.
There is an historic tower of great hight
at Ramleh, whose ascent affords a mag
| niticent view of all the surrounding coun-
/ try from GAIA on the south to Cesarea in
the north besides Gath and Askelon and
the mountains of Judea and Samaria.
1t is not certain whether this
| tower dates from the occupancy of
| Saladin or Richard Occur de Leon.
Near to and in sight of Ramleh is LYDIA
| Tor "Dod"l, one of the early cities of the
| tribe of Benjamin and the place where
| Peter came down to the saints which
| dwelt at LYDIA" and healed Eneas, who,
| for eight years had been "sick of the
palsy" and then continued on to the
coast at Joppa. "Forasmuch as LYDIA
| was nigh to Joppa." Acts TX, 32:3S.)
! There is fine Greek church at LYDIA
] built on the remains of the Church of st.
| George which was erected by Richard
Occur de Leon over the spot where st.
| George, the Dragon Slayer, is supposed to
have been buried.
Leaving Ramleh early in the morning
| the first place of interest seen in the dis
| lance is Jimzu or Gimzo, one of the
cities of the "low country" spoken of in
ii Chronicles as having been taken
from wicked Ahaz by the Philistines, at
the Arab village of Bareh which stands on
| an elevated position, there is a splendid
view of the valley of Ajalon where Joshua
won his great victory over the combined
forces of the five kings Of the Amorites,
and where the command was given, "Sun,
stand thou still upon Gideon and thou,
moon, in the valley OF Ajalon." Turning the
other cheek to those who smite you, was
not in keeping with the religious ideas of
Joshua, for the account says that he ''slew
them with great slaughter and chased
them along the way that goeth up to Beth
boron" The BethhOrons are both
visible from Bareh, as are also the
ruins of Gezer, the royal city of
the Canaanites that Pharaoh cap
tured and gave to Solomon along with
his daughter as a wife. 1t stands on the
border of the land of Ephraim. Coming
down into the valley itself, we reach Lat
run which, literally translated, means
"Robber," and which takes its name from
the belief that il was the birthplace of Di-
mas, the penitent thief, crucitied with Jesus.
1t is said to have been anciently known
as "Modlin," the burial place of Judah's
sturdy warrior, Judas MacCabeus. A short
distance beyond is Emmaus, or Amwas,
which in the Roman days was in the city
of Nicopolis. 1t is disputed as to whether
or not this is the Emmaus where st. Luke
says the two disciples were walking when
they met the Savior. 1t was about this
part of the country that Samsoni Is believed
to have lived and that Richard Occur de
Leon and Saladin conducted their negoci-
atoms of that peace which resulted in
Richards withdrawal from Palestine.
After passing Jobs well"-or "Bar
Eyyub" as the Arabs call it,
babel Wady' or the "Gate
OF the Valley" is arrived at, where we stop
for luncheon. Besides myself, our party
in the stage from Jaffa to Jerusalem con-
sisted of a young Scotchman of Glasgow,
an old German LADY on pilgrimage. and
my dragoman, Michael Sasoor, who, for
thirty DAYS, was my guide, philosopher
and friend" throughout the length and
breadth of Syria, and whom l cheerfully
indorse as excellent and worthy in all
three capacities. 1t will be observed
that Michael bears an honOred Christian
name, being himself devout member of
the orthodox Greek church. although
\ 4 L., - l..
number of natives were Christians than
had supposed, being descendants of the
early Christians before the rise of Moham-
med, or those who became converts in the
time OF the crusaders. Nearly all of them
are members of the Greek church, but in
other respects differ little from the Mo-
hammedans, and certainly equal them in
bigotry. Michael being my con-
slant companion during my wanderIngs
in the holy land, TO him, to the bible and
to a neat little volume compiled by Cook
and son for the benefit of their patrons
am l chiefly indebted for the information
to be set forth in my letters to THE SEN
TINEL from this sanctifed ground. The
Palestine traveller soon realizes that the
best guide book he can possibly have in
this part of the world is the bible, which
in the old testament especially most def
nitely sets forth the places OF sacred in
terest. Viewed purely as an historical
work its minute and accurate descriptions
are astonishingly reliable, even at this re-
mote period.
Continuing our journey from Babel
Wady we now begin TO rapidly ascend
into the rugged hills of Judea, and notice
those marked evidences of stern desola-
ton which everywhere greet the eye in
this disappointing, monotonous, God
stricken land. As has we'll been said:
''Not blade OF grass nor a leaf of tree to
be seen; so desolate that one feels for
weapons of defense, although not sign
of life is in view"
The promised land may have appeared
to flow with milk and honey when Moses
longingly looked over upon it from Ne
bo's mount after forty weary years wan
dering in the desert, but whatever it
was then divine favor has certainly been
withdrawn from it in these later days,
leaving it dreary, hopeless and forsaken
Truly the course of God" seems to rest
upon it, and it is now only dream of the
past, hallowed by the sacred associations
that everywhere cluster about it. An
hours ride through this barren country
brings us to AbOu GOsch, formerly
Kiriath Jearim, where the ark of God
rested for twenty years in the house of
Aminadab, where, with great rejoicing,