The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-06-06
THE SITE OF aETHSEMANE.
ls fannot Be Definitely Located at
This Day.

1s fannot Be Definitely Located at
This Day.
The location of Gethsemane. like
that of Calvary. Bethesda, and many
Other places made interesting by
sacred story, Is uncertain. 1t is we'll
that this is so, otherwise there would
be much more of form and less of
spirit than there now is in our study
of them. The locality would be made
the focal point of interest, rather than
the event that hallowed it. Many of
the so-called holy places" have been
made the site on which to squander
money in erecting temples, and then
to extort money for the privilege Of
seeing them. This has been the case
with the reputed Church of the Holy
Sepulchre at Jerusalem. the Church of
che Nativity at Bethlehem, and many
other places. In all or nearly all of
these, the locations are based on
Romish traditions of extremely doubt
ful authority
Neither of the sites of Gethsemane
suggested by the Greek or the Latin
churches seem to the writer, after
@A't~4 A-4AiASA VI II IL Jtl lisa
to be worthy of serious cousidera ton.
Yet these locations are the only ones
that have been at all generally consid-
cred. They are opposite each other.
The road from Jerusalem to Bethany,
which passes easterly and directly over
Mount Olivet via the Church of the
Ascension, runs between them. The
same is true of the Bethany road,
which is the most probable route Of
the 'Triumphal Ent.y" Both roads
pass north of the Latin location. The
Latin or Romish Gethsemane is
little east of south Of that claimed by
the Greek Catholics, who are mostly
Russian.
In study of locations in and around
Jerusalem. | have found the plan of
DR. Barclay convenient and clear, esti-
mating elevations and directions from
the well of Enrogel as starting point.
This well is at the Junction OF the Ked-
ron valley, which passes east of Jerusa-
lem and between it and Olivet, and the
Hinnom valley running west and south
of the city. The well is one thousand
nine hundred and ninety six feet above
the sea level
The Latin Gethsemane is a walled
Enclosure one hundred and twenty-five
feet wide from east to west, and two
hundred feet long on its west side. Its
east side is one hundred and twenty
five feet long, and its northeast corner
about seventy-fve feet farther south
than its northwest corner. 1t forms an
irregular paraIlelogram too small in
extent for the event suggested by the
words of Jesus: sit we here while
go yonder and pray" The monks who
occupy the place assure visitors that
the eight olive trees within We're there
in the time of our Saviour. But they
do not seem old enough for that Be-
sides, in the siege of Jerusalem by
Titus. A. D. 10, the trees around the
city were all cut for the purposes of
his army.
This Gethsemane is about four thou
sand five hundred feet little east of
north from Enrogel, three hundred
and eleven feet higher elevation than
the well, and about eight hundred feet
southeast of the northeast corner of
dred feet northwesterly from this To-
cation is the Greek Gethsemane, chiefly
occupied by a structure which they
call The Church of the Virgins
Tomb" Both these locations are i'm
mediately at the crossings Of various
roads running up and down the Kedron
valley, and from st. Stephens gate,
the only naSSaCe thrO11Uh the east wall
of Jerusalem, down the slope of Mount
Moriah and up the side of Mount
Olivet. This crossing of at least half
dozen paths must, in the nature of
things, be similar to the situation in
the time of our Saviour, hence not con-
ducive to such seclusion as He would
be likely to have sought.
So far as l know, however, none
have considered spot that appears to
me best worthy of acceptance, a spot
about two thousand feet further north,
up the Kedron. 1t is not far from one
thousand feet northeast of the north
east corner Of Jerusalem, a cozv depres-
sion between the foothills of the two
northerly crests of Olivet's triple
crown" 1t is often selected for quiet
afternoon of tenting. In the night it
is an ideal place for the seclusion
Christ would desire. This idea has so
grown upon me that | have ventured
to mark it on numerous recent maps of
Jerusalem. the usually accepted loca-
lions also being designated. George
May Powell, in Baptist Teacher.