The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1897-11-06
AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY.
Explorations at Jerusalem Result In a
Great Find for Aroha ologists

] ENploIaApNe az bNI H9"'S'F 'N'N'' ~
Great Find for Aroha ologists
The Palestine exploration fund ha
been for some time past carrying OF
explorations ON the south side O
Jerusalem, the principal object being
/ To determine the exact line Of the ole
wall on chat part Of the town, Il
| often chances that in seeking for
some particular thing something else
is found, and such is frequently the
case in archaeological explorations.
This is what has taken place at Jc-
rusalem. Nehemiah, in describing
the rebuilding of the walls Of Jerusa-
lem, SAYS: But the gate Of the foun-
tain repaired Shallun, the son Of Col
hozon, the ruler Of part of Nlizaph;
he built it, and covered it, and set up
the doors thereof, the locks thereof,
aud the bars thereof, and the wall Of
the pool Of Sloan by the kings
garden, and unto the stairs that 20
down from the city of David" DR.
Bliss, who is carrying on the eXploro-
tons, in a report lately received, an
uounces a discovery which scarcely
leaves q doubt but he has fo",r;1I the
old stairs mentioned by the Prophet
Nehemiah,
In a former report DIR. Bli's de-
scribod an ancient gate he had come
upon near the pool of Sloan, and
which was supposed to date from the
rmo of Empress Eudocia, but it, no
doubt, was q later construction at or
near to, the same gate which has been
repaired by Shalun, The stair which
has been come upon consists ofnoless
than 81 large, broad steps, and they
descend down exactly to the pool;
they indicate line Of communication
with the Ophel ridge, which is a con-
tinuation Of the Temple hill, and is
accepted by most authorities as the
site on which the royal palace Of the
kings stood, and, OF course, the
"king's garden would be on the same
ridge, There may be more steps still
10. find, as the explorations 60 on, As
these steps also lead up to the tcmple,
they may have formed the aasccnt'
q Kings, (, 8 that so astonished the
queen of Shcba when she came to see !
Solomon. Itis certainly a very strik- !
ing thing to find that this great stair
should have been so long hidden
under ground, and we have no notice |
Of it from the time of Nehemiah till |
the pick and shovel Of the modern ar |
have laid it bare.
But this is not all. In the account |
If the pilgrimage Of Antoninus
Martyr, which dates from the sixth |
century, this author describes the
lesccnt by ''many steps" to the foun-
ain Of Sloan, and adds that there
vas a church there. This church has
lso been found, along with the stair,
Dho steps came down at the west end
# the church, and they seem from
heir height above the level Of the
huTch floor to have made it difficult
o have a door in that direction. So
here are Stairs ta;;,g on the north leading
omI, where there were arches by
-hich the church was entered, and
is also supposed that there were
rches on the south side, leading out
. the pool. TINS CHURCH, according
, the report, possesses what is al
lost, if not wholly, a unique feature.
hat is that tho water coming
trough the rock-cut conduit to the
ool passes under the altar, This,
may be assumed, was done to carry
ut the idea of "a pure river of water
{ life, clear as crystal, proceeding out
the throne" Revelation, xxi, ~
ondon Daily News.