Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-08-26
A Southern Pilgrim
In Eastern Lands

/ discussed last week what is calico
The Church OF the Holy Sepulchre.
rhis is the traditional site both OF CAL
vary and OF the Tomb. Many millions
f the followers of Christ believe them
% be the genuine sites. But as / said,
do not believe that this is the real
,alvary or this the real sepulchre OF
christ. There are some arguments
against their being the true sites which
seem to me conclusive.
/. The places are all too close to-
sether-the place or scourging, of cru
cifixion. OF the tomb, all under one
roof. II looks too much as II they were
simply brought together for the sake
Of convenience.
2. The question turns largely upon
the location or what is known as the
second walF'-that is, the second OF the
several walls built around the city. ana
the one which was standing in the time
II Christ. We know that he was cruci-
fed outside the gate" (neb. 1870
nigh to the city" John 1s:zo) not in
the city. The present church of tho
Holy Sepulchre stands nearly in the
center OF modern Jerusalem. 1t is ad-
mittedly outside the first wall, because
the city was then small, but inside the
third wall, built about ten years after
Christ's death. How was IL with ref
erence TO the second wall? What was
the course OF that wall? The answer to
that question will decide the matter. If
we can answer II. Josepnus says about
Il; The second wall took it's beginning
from the gate Gennath, which belonged
TO the first wall 1t encircled the north
quarter Of the city, and reached as far
as the Tower Antonio. 1t would have
been necessary, therefore, for this walt,
soon after leaving the gate Gennath 90
make sharp turn to the right, IL
the present Church of the Holy Sepul-
chre was on the outside. In that case
IL would hardly be true that the wall
''encircled" the north quarter of the
city. Major Gender and other engineers
have pointed out what seems an insu-
perable difficulty from a military stand
point. If the wall at this point had
suddenly turned to the right, and had
been built south Of the present Church
OF the Holy Sepulchre, as would have
been the case IL the crucifixion had
occurred on the site OF that church,
then il would have been useless for mil
itary purposes. It would have run in a
valley and have been dominated by an
eminence just outside OF IL, which is
inconceivable In 1883 the southern por-
tion OF the second wall was discovered
and examined for about 100 rect when
the excavation suddenly stopped. for
some reason. II is now stated, though,
that the second wall can be distinct
ly traced from the Tower OF Davic,
under the Grand hotel. along the base
ment OF There's college TO the Damascus
gate, making a connecting line, prov
ing beyond peradventure that the site or
the church was within the walls and
could not possibly have been Calvary"
Cd. T.. LorenzD
GoRDoNS CALVARY.
Where then is the true site OF Calvary?
In view of the many changes in the city
during the past 1000 years this ques-
ton is Of course a little difficult to an
swer. But the following reasons indl-
cate to me pretty conclusively the true
site: Christ was crucified at "the place
which is called the skull" duke %:
So. John calls IL the place of a
SKULL CJohn 1s:17) not of skulls. 1t
was the placed called the skull or OF a
skull, because it resembled in some way
a skull. Now a little to the north OF
the present wall, a short distance from
the Damascus gate is a hill, which, as
seen from the road, looks like a skull
In it's side there are two large caves,
which look like the empty sockets OF hui
man eyes. while the rocky surface above
and below looks like the nose and mouth,
giving the whole Hill very much the re-
semblance of a skull. This hill is just
outside the city wall. 1t was a well
known place Of public execution. The
Jews still call IT the Hill of Execution"
and the place of Stoning" The Tai
mud says that crucifixions were also
practiced on this Place of Stoning. me
Jews still maiptain the custom OF spit
ting towards the hill as an expression
OF their hatred for it. 1t was probably
on this spot that the first martyr, Ste
phen. was stoned. 1t is known that the
true Golgotha was situated near a gar
den where there were tombs, and close
to the high way. This Golgotha is so
situated. 1t is at the junction of two