The Arizona sentinel., 1896-06-27
The POoi OF Sloan,

Tht excavations which are being
made in Jerusalem have disclosed
much that was hitherto unknown
about the pool OF Sloan. The iden-
tification of the site of this pool is
important, because OF its bearing on
the situation of the city walls. 1t
has hitherto been considered that the
pool OF Sloan, shown to every visitor
Of Jerusalem, was one of the few un-
disputed localities in the topography
Of the sacred city. Now, however, as
investigation progresses, doubts have
been raised on this point. Among
archaeologists contest has arisen as
complicated as that concerning the
site OF Calvary, the sepulcher, and
other sacred places in Jerusalem.
The pool Of Sloan is in size the least
Of all the Jerusalem pools, which
from the most ancient times have
been relied upon by the inhabitants
to store up water from the springs.
It had, however, the singular charac-
teristic of suddenly increasing in
depth as the water poured in from
some unknown source.
The pool Of Sloan, although small
in size, played an important part in
the sacred history of Jerusalem. 1t
was to Sloan that the Levite was
sent with the golden picture on the
'Iast and great day CT the feast" OF
tebernacles; it was from Sloan that
he brought the water which was then
poured over the sacrifice in memory
of the water from the rock of Rephi-
dim. 1t was to this Sloan water that
the Lord pointed when he stood in
the temple and cried, "if any man
thirst, let him come unto me and
drink" The Lord sent the blind man
to wash at the pool of Sloan, the
sacredness and efficacy Of whose
waters are still believed in Jerusalem.
The pool of Sloan which has now
been almost wholly uncovered and
which is the one formerl~ shown to
visitors, is 49, feet in depth, IA feet
wide at one end and II at the other.
The water likely to rise Il foot or more
at any moment. It is faced with a
wall Of stone, now greatly out Of re-
pair. Several columns stand out OF
the side walls extending from the top
downward into the cistern. The water
passes Out OF the pool through a chan
mel cut in the rock, which is covered
for short distance. This subsequent
" opens and discloses a lively, copious
stream which empties into garden
planted with fig trees. Jerome, who
lived only six miles from the pool of
Sloan, refers to the intermittent
character Of its waters, which has led
some historians to identity it with
Bethesda. Josephus speaks OF It's
waters as having been very abundant,
but recent Investigations do not bear
this out.
There are large number Of some
what similar pools il Jerusalem,
which has thirty OR forty natural
springs within q radius OF eight miles.
/ If it could be shown that one Of
these was IN reality the pool Of Sloan,
Nwhose location has not hitherto been
questioned, it would add still further
confusing element to the discussion
of the historical sites in Jerusalem.
Many of the most important places
depend for their Identification upon
itheir nearness to or remoteEess from
the pool OF Sloan The mysterious
ebb and flow OF the waters Of the
present pool has been largely relied
upon as sufficiently proving its iden-
tity with that referred to in the
SCRIPTURES. 1t has now, hOWeyery
been found that similar phenomen-
on takes place in the Fountain OF
the, Virgin, which is close by. There
the water rose foot in five minutes,
and within five minutes more 1t sank
to it's former level. It is believed that
the excaHations which are being made
in Jeres;tlenp may explain this appa-
rent my ystery, which nobody has yet
been able to account for-P"1Eo
Opinion.
o.