The mount of olives was feparated from Jerufalem by a valley, through which ran the brook Cedron, fo called from a Hebrew word fignifying dark, black; either because it was fhaded with trees, or that the blood of the facrifices, which was poured round the altar, being conveyed thither, rendered the water of it black. The valley of Cedron was bounded on the fouth by that of Hinnom (s), that is, the valley of Cries, or of the children of Hinnom, that is, of the children of Tears, because this was the place where the Ifraelites had facrificed their children to Moloch. It was allo named the valley of Tophet, or of the Drum, because during these abominable facrifices, they were wont to beat drums, to hinder the hor rible fhrieks, and outcries of the tender and innocent babes from being heard. In our Saviour's time, the Jews flung the rubbish of the city, and the bones of the facrifices, &c. in this place, and kept here a continual fire to confume them. This they reckoned as an emblem of Hell; and therefore gave it a name of Gehenna (t). Jefus Chrift alludes to this, Matth. v. 22. At the bottom of the Mount of Olives there was on the one fide, a village called Gethsemane, which in Hebrew fignifies a prefs, because there were preffes in it for making oil. There was in this place, a garden, where Jefus Chrift was often wont to go with his difciples, and where the traitor Judas led the foldiers that were fent to apprehend him (*). On the other fide, flood the town of Bethphage, that is, the houfe of dates or figs; the village where our Saviour fent fome of his difciples to fetch the afs on which he rode into Jerufalem, a little before his crucifixion; and where the barren fig tree grew, which he curfed (u). Somewhat further, viz. about fifteen furlongs from Jerufalem, lay Bethany, the town where Lazarus and his fifters dwelt (x), and where Jefus led his difciples, and blessed them before his afcenfion into Heaven.

Among the places about Jerufalem, there was none more famous than the fountain of Silsam, called otherwife Gihon. Writers are not agreed about the true fituation of it, but it is a matter of very little confequence. What we are fure of, is, that it furnished with water feveral pools in Jerufalem, particularly that of Bethesda, which is fuppofed to be the fame as Solomon's. It was named Bethesda, or the house of gathering, because it served as a refervatory for a great quantity of water; or rather, the house of grace and mercy, because there was near it a hospital for the reception of fick perfons, who were cured in a miraculous manner, by bathing in the waters of this pool, as the defcription St. John has given us of it seems to infinuate, who fays, there were four porches or galleries belonging to it (y). It was near the Sheep gate; which was fo called, becaufe the fheep appointed for the facrifices were brought in that way.

As neither Jofephus nor any other Jewish author have mentioned this miraculous virtue of the waters of Bethesda, fome have thereby been in duced to imagine that there was nothing fupernatural or uncommon in

(s) 2 Kings xxiii. (*) Matth. xxvi.

(x) John xi,

(t) See the Chaldee paraphrafe on Ifa. xxxiii. 14.

() Matth. xxi.

(y) John v. 2, 3.

the

the cafe; but that the true caufe of the cures was owing to the blood of the facrifices that were washed in it, especially at the feast of the passover, when valt numbers of animals were flain. They add moreover, that the angel, fpoken of by St. John, was only an officer, whofe bufinefs it was to ftir the water when it was a proper season, for the cure of the distempers mentioned by St. John (z). It is indeed a good maxim, Not to multiply miracles without neceffity, nor to receive any as true, but fuch as are grounded upon fufficient evidence; because, under pretence of magnifying the power of God, we thereby injure his wifdom, and give fuperftitious people a handle of forging as many falfe miracles as they pleafe. But when, on the other hand, a miracle is clearly revealed, we muft readily acknowledge it for fuch, when it cannot be fairly accounted for by natural means; which feems to be the prefent cafe, where every circumftance tends to reprefent the matter as fomething miraculous and fupernatural. For those cures were only done at a certain feason (a). The waters healed all forts of dileafes. There was a neceffity for an angel to trouble the waters: whereas people chufe generally to bathe when the waters are ftill. In fine, he only was cured that first stepped in after the waters were troubled. Befides it is the opinion of the Jews, and of several Chriftian writers (b), that the entrails of the victims were always washed within the temple. And most certainly the pool of Bethesda was not in the temple. This one observation carries in it a fufficient confutation of those who maintain, that the power of healing difeafes which thefe waters had, was occafioned merely by the blood of the facrifices which were washed in them. farther.

And then

As for the fuppofition of thofe who imagine that the angel, spoken of in this place, was only an officer appointed for ftirring the water at a certain feafon, it is, in my opinion, very groundless and extravagant. For I queftion whether there be any one paffage throughout the New Teftament, where the word angel (c) is ufed abfolutely, and without fome epithet or other; as, for inftance, my angel, the angel of fome perfon, the angel of the church, or the like, is ever found to fignity an officer or messenger. We are not ignorant, that the fourth verfe of this chapter is wanting in fome ancient manufcripts, and that confequently there is no mention in them, either of the angel that troubled the water, or of the fick perfons that waited for the moving of it. But can it be reasonable to prefer the authority of three or four manufcripts, where this paffage is left out, to fo many others where it occurs; efpecially fince there is no manner of abfurdity or contradiction in what it contains? We muft pafs the fame judgment upon the filence of Jofephus, and other Jewish writers about this point. For, firft, all things confidered, this may be reckoned as a good rule, That the filence or omiffion, even of many historians, aught not to countervail or make void the testimony of any one author, who pofitively relates a matter of fact. Nothing is more common in hiftory, than to find fome particulars advanced by one hiftorian, and omitted

(z) John v. 3.
(b) Lightfoot, Withius, &c,

(a) Ibid. v. 4.
(c) Αγγελος.

t

by

by all the reft, and yet who would from the filence of the one, take an occafion of charging the other with forgery and infincerity; especially if there be no manner of ground or reafon for calling in question his veracity? Secondly, St. John oùght to be believed in this matter, though he were confidered not as a divinely, infpired writer, but only as an author endowed with a moderate fhare of judgment and prudence; for it is not to be imagined that he would not have expofed himself to that degree as to have advanced fuch a notorious untruth, and which might have been fo eafily detected, had it been one. As for Jofephus, this is not the only thing which he hath omitted, especially as to what relates to the hiftorie of the gofpel; for he makes no mention of the taxing under Auguftus (d), of the flar that appeared to the wife men (e), or of the flaughter of the infants at Bethlehem (f). And who knows, whether he, and the Thalmudifts, looking upon this miracle as a forerunner of the Meffiah, have not defignedly fuppreffed it, left any one fhould conclude from their own teftimony, that Jefus of Nazareth was the Meffiah, fince we hear nothing of this fupernatural event, either before or fince the coming of Chrift. At what time thefe waters were first endued with this miraculous power, we cannot exactly tell. Thus much is certain, that they had it fome time before our Saviour's birth, since the man of whom we read in the gospel, had been a long time at the pool, to be cured (g). But because the authors of the Old Teftament do no where fpeak of it, we may reasonably fuppofe that it had not this virtue in their time.

There was another famous pool, which was fupplied with water from the fountain of Siloam, and borrowed its name. And that this alfo had a miraculous power of healing difeafes, is evident from the cure of the man who was born blind (b). The Jews tell us, that David ordered that his fon Solomon should be anointed by the fountain of Siloah, thereby to denote that his kingdom' fhould be as lafting and extensive as the waters of this fpring; and they fancy that God fpeaks of it in these words of the prophet, With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of falvation (i). For which reafon they made ufe of this water at the feaft of tabernacles. It is not then without good and fufficient reafon that St. John hath obferved, by way of parenthefis, that Siloam is by interpretation, sent (k); for thereby he hints at this, That the healing virtue which was in the waters of Siloam, was an emblem of that great falvation which the Meffiah, who was certainly fent from God, fhould bring into the world.

On the weft end of the city was mount Calvary, called by St. Matthew (1) Golgotha, that is to fay, the Skull, (either because the Jews were 'wont to behead criminals there, or else because it was shaped like a fkull; and by St. John Gabbatha, that is, a lofty place). This place is noted for the death and fufferings of our blessed Redeemer. It was divided from Jerufalem by a deep valley, named, the Valley

of carcafes,

(f) Ibid. v. 16.
(i) Ifai. xii. 3.

or

or fkulls. Mount Calvary flood without the city, according to the law (m). And to this St. Paul alludes in his epiftle to the Hebrews, when he faith, that Chrift, as a facrifice for fin, fuffered without the gate; and when he exhorts Christians to go forth out of the camp, that is, out of Jerufalem (*), this city being looked upon by the Jews as the camp of Ifrael.

As the village Emmaus was no more than fixty furlongs from Jerufalem, according to St. Luke (n), and Josephus (0), it may therefore be reckoned among the neighbouring places of this city, mentioned in the gospel. But we must take care not to confound it with a city of the fame name, which was 176 furlongs from Jerufalem, and was afterwards named Nicopolis. This village is the place where the two disciples, who difbelieved and doubted of the refurrection of Chrift, were going, when he appeared to them, and convinced them of the truth of it. told, that he yielded to their entreaties, when they desired him to abide with them, and that accordingly he went in, and eat with them. On what fide of the city Emmaus lay is not well known. But it is very probable that it flood on the road that led to Galilee; and that the two difciples, of whom we have an account in St. Luke (p), being Galileans, were travelling through this place into their own country, thinking there was nothing to be done in Jerufalem, after the death of their divine Mafter. As foon as they found that their Lord was rifen indeed, they returned with the glad tidings, to fuch of their fellow difciples, as had remained in Jerufalem.

Nothing can be more natural and reasonable, than to defire to know the fate of a city the most remarkable in the world, remarkable upon all accounts. It was four times taken, without being demolished; to wit, by Shishak, king of Egypt (9), by Antiochus Epiphanes, by Pompey, and by Herod the Great; and twice utterly deftroyed, by Nebuchadnezzar, and by Vefpafian. After this laft overthrow Cæfarea, formerly called Turris Stratonis (r), or Strato's Tower, became the capital of the land of Ifrael. Some hiftorians are of opinion that Jerufalem was reBuilt by Adrian. It is true, he built a city where Jerufalem ftood before, which he called Elia after his own name (s), and Capitolina in honour of Jupiter Capitolinus. But not fatisfied with having given it a profane name, he made it fo very different from the antient Jerufalem, that he feemed to have built it only with a defign to be revenged of the Jews, who had rebelled against him, by bringing to their remembrance this once glorious city. He did not take in mount Sion, which was the best and strongest part of Jerufalem. He levelled mount Moriah, that there fhould not be the leaft footsteps of the temple remaining, and joined mount Calvary with fuch parts of the old city, as were ftill standing. So that Elia Capitolina was not above half as large as Jerufalem, and of a quite different form. Upon one of the gates he caufed the figure

(m) Levit. iv.
(*) Heb. xiii. 12, 13.
(2) Luke xxiv. 13.
(e) Jofeph. de Bell. Jud. 1. vii. c. 26.
(p) Luke xxiv. 33, 34•
(7) 2 Chron. xii,
(r) Witfius Hift. Hierofol.

(3) His name was Elius Adrianus.

of

of a few to be carved (t), of which feveral reasons have been affigned; but the most probable, as well as the most natural, is, that he did it out of fpite to the Jews, who had an averfion for this animal. Under the reign of this fame emperor, that unhappy people attempted the recovery of their liberty, under the conduct of the falfe Meffiah, Barcochebah; who was defeated and flain at Berittus near Jerufalem. Elia Capitolina remained in this condition till the time of Conftantine the Great, when it was again called Jerufalem, though improperly. This emperor built therein a nobleland stately temple, after he had purged the place from the pollutions of heathen idolatry. We have a defcription of this temple in Eufebius (u). But an ill ufe was afterwards made of thefe illustrious monuments of Conftantine's piety, as well as of his mother Helena's, who built a temple at Bethlehem, and another upon the mount of Olives; and alfo of the emperor Juftinian's, who erected likewise a temple at Jerufalem, which he dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was this that gave fuperftitious people an occafion of afcribing a greater degree of holiness, contrary to the nature of the Chriftian religion, and the exprefs declaration (x) of Jefus Chrift himself, to thefe places, than to other parts of the world; and at last, proved the ground of those mad expeditions of the crufades, or holy war.

We have before obferved the fruitless attempts of the Jews, to rebuild their temple, under Conftantine, notwithstanding the zeal of this emperor for the Chriftian religion, and under Julian who favoured their defign. The city of Jerufalem, (for fo was Elia Capitolina then called) continued in a flourishing ftate for a confiderable time, under the Chriftian Emperors. But in the feventh century it fell into the hands of the Perfians, who were not long masters of it, and afterwards of the Mahometans, who built (as hath been faid) a mofque in the place where ftood the temple which was deftroyed by Titus. The Chriftians recovered it in the twelfth century from the Sultan of Egypt, who had taken it from the Turks, but enjoyed not their conqueft long; for the Sultan cgypt taking the advantage of their difcords and contentions, took it from them again. It was however retaken in the thirteenth century by the emperor Frederick the Itd; but the Sultan of Babylon made himfelf master of it in a few years after; and at laft, in the fixteenth century, it came into the hands of the Turks, who are the prefent poffeffors of it (y). According to the relations of travellers, it is still large and handfome. The chief inhabitants of it are Moors. There are fome Christians, who are even allowed the free exercife of their religion, and but very few Jews, and those in a poor and mean condition. Thefe laft are perfuaded, that before they are put again in poffeffion of Jerufalem, it is to be confumed by a fire from heaven, that it may be refined, and purged from the pollution, contracted by being inhabited

(t) Dio Caffius.

() Eufeb. Vit. Conftant. 1..3. c. 25. feq. & c. 42, 43.

(x) John iv. 20, 23.

(y) It is now called Alkuds, i. e. the Holy, by the Turks, Arabs, and all other nations of the Mahometan religion in thofe parts. Dr. Prideaux Connect, P. I. B. I. under the year 610.