Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1914-12-06

where Moses Delivered the T0
Commandments to the Children
of Israel
NNE of the most desirable re-
suits Of the present world
war will be the elimination
Of Turkey as a Power and the liberia
ton Of the territories under her
yoke, including the Holy Land, with
all the sites of Biblical history and
the Saviour's life.
Prime Minister Asquith and other
representatives Of the allies have de-
clared that "this war means the end
of Turkey"
OF course, these speakers did not
take into consideration the POSSIBLE
ity that Germany, the great ally of
Turkey, might win. but at any rate
they make 1t certain that IL the
Allies win the Turk will be driven
from his conquered territories.
Then, at last, we shall see an end
of the outrageous conditions that
allow the barbarous Turks to control
the holy city of Jerusalem, with the
Sepulchre of the Saviour, the Tenn
pie of Solomon and its other almost
innumerable sacred sites.
Christian civilization has gained
some rights in Jerusalem, but in
other sacred places Of the Holy Land
Christians are entirely shut out 3y
the Turks CT mast venture there at
the risk of tieir lives.
In Jerusalem the American tourist
could, before the war, visit such
sites as the Garden of Gethsemane,
with the olive tree where the
Saviour was betrayed by Judas, and
the Garden Tomb of Jesus, near
Mount Calvary.
Many of the most interesting parts
of Jerusalem have, however, not been
open to the visitor or the explorer.
Chief among these is the site of the
Temple of Solomon. which cannot be
touched by Christian or a Hebrew
because it is occupied by a Moham-
medan mosque.
Excavations in the temple area may
still reveal the Altar of Sacrifice the
Brazen Altar, the Table of Shew-
bread, the Molten Sea and various
other sacred objects mentioned in the
Bible.
The Palace Of Solomon, where he
received the Queen of Sheba, is a
building concerning which great in
terest is naturally felt. 1t was built
of the cedars of Lebanon" When
the stones of Herod's palace are un-
earthed 1T is not improbable that
beneath these may be found the
cedars of Solomon's building, for in
those times they had habit of build
ing on the ruins Of their predecessors.
A notable instance of a Biblical
site of extraordinary interest from
which investigators are entirely ex-
cluded is the Tomb Of Abraham and
the Hebrew patriarchs at Hebron in
Palestine. 1t was here that Abraham,
the forefather of all the Israelites,
dwelt with his family, as the Book
of Genesis tells US.
Before he died Abraham bought
the Cave Of Machpelah from Ephron
the Hittite as burial place for him
self and his family Genesis xviii
The site of the Cave of Hebron has
been known from time immemorial.
1t was known in early Christian
times, and in the days OF the Saviour.
No confusion has ever arisen as to its
position, such as has occurred in the
:ase of other Bible sites.
~he Cave Of Machpelah is situated
within an Enclosure called the Ha-
ram, formed by a gigantic Herodian
wall. Above the cave stands a
church built by the Crusaders In
1887, but since converted snto
mosque and for many centuries in
the possession of the Turks.
In the cave were buried Abraham,
his wife. Sarah; his son, Isaac; the
latter's wife. Rebekah; Jacob, son of
Isaac; Leah, wife OF Jacob, and
Joseph, son of Jacob and Rachel. In
the mosque above the cave are monu-
ments in the form of tombs to Sarah,
Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Leah and
Joseph, but they do not inclose the
Hetual bones. These are presumably