Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-05-08
NAZARETH RELICS.
Claims So improbable As to
Be Wholly Absurd.
An American Visits the Famous Old
Village.
lngenius Explanations of Those in
Charge Of the Shrines.

SITES one is shown 1T Nasdrcth ana The
stories chat are told by the pioua men
H. charge uf them writes William +.
Curtis In the Chicago Record Herald.
They give details that are not only UNI
necessary. bit which none save simple
tons or fanatics can accept They
show YOU 4 rock upon which The Viz
Gin Mother used ID sit While she gos-
siped and discussed domestic affairs
with her nciyhbors: they point out the
exact spot mon which she was sitting
when tha Arl.at " tha AnullutIatior
.r.n.arad IA bar ANA thr ratrs i'm
vhioh lie used 10 yak leading The
Child I,sue Nv the hand. They cake
You 10 the workshop in which Jesus
assisted His father with carpenters
tools, ana q friend insists that. he WAS
shown an old carihcu jar in which the
Virgin carricI water from the we'll, but
thc,, did NOT 90 so fan. with me.
INA ,,,i,ts ~ ey,l.+4.+ interest IL,
~, ,,.,.t,, .,,.-, ,,.,,.a,, over which lbs
cnb and lf,ry 1f,.pd when Iesus ,yas y
child. the synagorua in which Christ
taught: Il stone upon which He dined
with His disciples both before ana All
| ter the resurrection; the Mount OF the
| Precipitation, from which the people
| Threatened TO east Him down the
cliff" ana j snring AZ which Mary WI
| raivad ina erartIira, acknowledgements
from, tha angel. All OF these places are
! -robIematical ana located by guess
| work. some Of them accurately perhaps,
| but nobody knows. for there is not the
| slightest tangible evidence that any IF
\ item were consccrated by actual aeso-
| citation with the Redeemcr Of Men.
There is a great difference among The
| monks who have ycharEe VI the holy
places and their stories sometimes vary
according I" the creduiItY Oh thelF IFS
teners. a young ffehchll"h Nho
| showed US around the 'huIth OF the
| Annunciltion WAS q fanatic. bursting
with zeal. faith and piety, who evident
| ~ believed everything NJ safd ana du-
| sired US to believe ii also. but another
| franciscan brother, an American, OLA
| tr. wiser ami more thuughuul. who
| ilndly accompanied Us through the VIZ
| l.ge, WAS less loS4tlNe aAi more iA-
| uondi ~ AiS 'A!la!ii'I"!lS. re PuiI-
ncd all ms statements anu gave w 'h'
! lICts aS L'+f I'M " N"N i'97lhl' Nh ir-
| late them, lie cld NOT Iepuhllle iH'
| claims or thc Greek munks ~ certain
| sacred sites. rs The FTanci~canS usually
90. but summed M in An Intelligent
| 'nd Ju1''ial manner 'iie eFlue.'-e
/ 'S"ill't ""'i, men ii' '""'' Us =" yi,
| greek ChuiCh' "hlch Haa pteh eie'lcd
over Iary's wei, which me Greeks 'r-
! ,I,,t tyas the scene NJ the unnunrfl-
| - $50. ,,..t,.,,,,ol ,,-itb ,.,,.lf,tit,-
| .lo41' t.-.'
- 81. ~, .,,i,l5neity, t+.,t ,,.,1 IN
,r,,arsnt ,.ban NJ have seen them to-
gether elsewhere.
| The good brother told US that there
| III ~ testimony eithcr in the scriptures
| ~. !, ser1,inI. history 20 establish the
| .utben+icitv ~ awning III Nazareth.
hn+ tba fathers Of fine church. taking
! sacrnd ana secular history and tradi-
Tons into consideration have located
the scenes identified with the early life
w the Savior as intelIigently and con-
scientiously as possible With the cX-
! ception Of the single visit to Jerusalem
when Jesus was IL years oid there is
| not one authentic anecdote OF MS hIe
| during all those thirty years previous
| 10 His public ministry. Nothing OF an
! oiap+ N.yorntb ranoins that can bn
| 51a,t;fiad be said and if Is only n mat
| a. ~. coniacti1re tbat the town stands
| mon the site that il occupied twenty
| centuries ago. This conjecture IS
| ,ol ,+a,, +ha fact tb,t +hn onIv
-; c,,.,,;-r,.,e. ,,-,,to,. to ~
| ..4:7 - t;,~,, r,,,e+ t,o VII s,,v,,
/ mar sar-ed me nurnose in the DAYS of
the Savior. and the town must have
been built around i then ~ now me
| houses are OF Hluu aiii Soi. iorh
/ when aisihtegrates Iipiui9 II tiie
| htaVy rams that pfeFM' AZ certdlh sed-
sons in this climate. walls on TINS
stone will not last as long as lumber.
and furthermore. the entire hamlet has
| been destroyed and forsaken at least
three times during the Christian era,
| 50 that it is practically certain that
every stone that stood in the village at
the Savior's day long ago crumbled to
dust and was Blown away to enrich the
soil of the plain of E,sdraelon.
The Church Of the Annunciation,
which marks the spot which the Ro-
man Catholics believe to have been the
scene of the interview between the holy
virgin and the angel Gabriel, is built
upon the ruins Of 2 very ancient
building. You are led down a flight OF
fifteen marble steps TO cave beneath