Egypt, Palestine, and Phœnicia. A visit to sacred lands ... Translated by W. H. Lyttelton ... With a biographical sketch of the author, by Professor F. Godet

Front matter

Second Edition, Crown &vo, cloth, ys. 6d. STUDIES ON THE OLD TESTAMENT. By F. GODET, D. D. Translated by the Hon. and Rev. W. H. LYTTELTON, M.A., Rector of Hagley and Canon of Gloucester. Uniform with Godet's "Studies on the New Testament." Contents : Angels — The Plan of the Development of Life on our Earth — The Six Days of Creation — The Four Greater Prophets — The Book of Job — The Song of Songs. Fifth Edition, Crown Zvo, cloth, 7s. 6d. STUDIES ON THE NEW TESTAMENT. By F. G O D E T, D.D. Edited by the Hon. and Rev. W. H. Lyttelton, M.A., Rector of Hagley and Canon of Gloucester. "These studies cover the whole of the New Testament. It would be hard to find a book more striking, interesting, and instructive, and I would earnestly advise all students of the New Testament to possess themselves of it." — Rev. S. Cox, in the Expositor.

"The subjects of these Essays are ' The Origin of the Four Gospels,' 'Jesus Christ,' 'The Work of Jesus Christ, ' ' The Four Principal Apostles,' and the 'Apocalypse.' M. Godet's essays belong to the select and limited class of books which touch common things with a freshness, penetra tion, and harmony ofvuw, which, in the highest degree of it, we call genius. ... lie commend this very thoughtful, suggestive, and artistic volume to our readers." — British Quarterly Review. " To an immense erudition, to a living piety, Godet unites a pro found feeling of reality ; there is in all these cases avivifying breath, an ardent love for the Saviour, which helps the disciple to com prehend the work, the acts, the words of his Divine Master." — Dr. Meyer, the Commentator. " Unquestionably M. Godet is one of the first, if not the very first, of contemporary commentators on the Scripture.

His portraits and his descriptions are projected upon the canvas with the brilliancy of the oxy-hydrogen light, as com pared with the oil-lamp of ordinary comprehension ; and we have no hesitation in advising all students of the Scriptures to procure and to read with careful attention these luminous essays." — Literary Churchman. London : HODDER AND STOUGHTON, 27, Paternoster Row. EGYPT, PALESTINE, AND PHŒNICIA. W I A K Jolinston, Edinburgh Egypt, Palestine, and Phœnicia A VISIT TO SACRED LANDS. EV FELIX BOVET. TRANSLATED by W. H. LYTTELTON, M.A., RECTOR OF HAGLEY, AND CANON OF GLOUCESTER. WITH A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR. BY PROFESSOR F. GODET, D.D. "ganixm : HODDER AND STOUGHTON, 27, PATERNOSTER ROW. MDCCCLXXXII. [All Rights reserved.] Hazell, Watson, and Viney, Printers, London and Aylesbury.

Preface

P*HE book of which the eighth French edition* is here ■*■ translated for English readers was originally recom mended to me by my friend Professor Godet, some of whose theological works I have published in English, and whose opinion of the value of a book would always weigh much with me. And if it may be truly said, as I think it may, that the chief characteristics that make a book interesting and profitable reading are, first, a good subject, secondly, a good method and style of treat ment, and last, but not least, a tone of thought and feeling in the author which makes it a pleasure and an advantage to be brought into contact with his spirit, few books, it seems to me, have more to recommend them than this of M. Bovet's. With regard to the translation, I may be allowed to say that I began it when disabled by illness from other and harder work, and that, though the completion of it has cost me far more of time and labour than I expected, * M. Bovet has allowed me to see the proofs of the eighth edition which is now passing through the press. VI

PREFACE.

. the narrative and conversational style in French being to me much more difficult to render into easy and idiomatic English than the argumentative and disqui sitional style of essays, which alone I had before attempted, I shall not at all regret the time and labour spent upon it, if the book give its readers anything like the pleasure and, I may truly say, edification which it has given me. In correcting the proofs, I had very valuable help and criticism from a near and dear relation of my own, which has added much to the terseness and ease of the style — merits not easily given to a translation from French narrative or conversation into English. M. Bovet has, at my request, added several foot notes to this translation, which do not occur in the original, but which will, I hope, add to the usefulness and interest of the book for English readers.

In the subjoined letter, written to me at my request by Professor Godet, the principal facts of M. Bovet's life are stated, which may serve to introduce him to English readers. But, as Professor Godet has well said, his own words in his delightful book will best picture and recommend the man himself. W. H. LYTTELTON. Hagley Rectory, November, 1882. F RE FACE. VII My dear Friend, What need can there be, it might perhaps be said by one who had read this book before reading its preface, to give an account to the English public of its author, when his own book pictures him so perfectly? The remark is just; but as the translator presses for a few lines of introduction, and it will always be a pleasure to me to associate my name with that of my friend, M. Felix Bovet, I cannot refuse the request.

M. Bovet was bom in 1824, in this little corner of the earth, which an American author — giving way, no doubt, to too favourable a bias— was pleased to call " the choicest spot in this loveliest of lands," in my native town of Neuchatel. In 1843, he went to Berlin, to study law. I was living there at that time. We became intimately acquainted, and formed a friendship which has now lasted, without a single break, for forty years. We entered also upon an active fellowship in work, of which I have increasingly felt the value, and reaped the fruits. M. Bovet, as all his readers will feel, was not made for the law. Accordingly, he soon quitted that occupation for theology. Hebrew in particular attracted him. He studied it less at the university than in the company of some learned Rabbis, with whom he met in Berlin.

After completing his studies, he determined not to receive holy orders ; but to dedicate his life to the profound study of Scripture, and to labours, quietly carried on, in the cause of Christ. He held for some years the offices of Librarian and Professor of French Literature at Neuchatel, which he afterwards ex changed for the Chair of Hebrew in our Faculty of Theology. During this time he published the "Life of Zinzendorf:" it was a thank-offering made by him on behalf of his whole family, which in successive generations had received many blessings through its relations with the Moravian Church. At a later time he published the " History of the Psalter," a work of great erudition, and full of interesting information.

PREFACE.

. VIII The present volume was written in the year 1858. The reader who can enter into the account here given by M. Bovet of his travels, will soon feel that this journey also was offered in repayment of a debt of gratitude, and that the impulse which led him to Palestine was, above all, the desire to kiss the ground trodden by those blessed feet which have left upon that soil so ineffaceable an impress. This work, in its French form, has reached its eighth edition; it has been translated into German, Swedish, Dutch, and Italian. I hope that it will not be less well received in England, not withstanding the great number of books of this kind which appear there, one might almost say every year. M. Bovet's book has a character all its own. It is a flower gathered in Palestine, and brought away in all its freshness and fragrance.

Every reader will say to himself, I cannot doubt, " Here is the friend I should choose to accompany on such a journey." For my own part, I thank God that He has granted me such a travelling companion for life's journey. F. GODET. CONTENTS. PAGE

Introduction

...... I I. THE PASSAGE : - I. From Marseilles to Malta . . .8 II. From Malta to Alexandria . . .18 II. EGYPT:— I. Arrival at Alexandria . . . .25 II. Cairo . . . . . 33 HI. The Pyramids . . . . .62 IV. The Tantah Fair . . . -77 III. JUDÆA :— I. From Jaffa to Jerusalem . . -95 II. Jerusalem . . . . .123 III. The Walls of Jerusalem . . . 148 IV. The Gates of Jerusalem . . . 158 V. The Temple and the Holy Sepulchre . . 171 VI. Some Days in Jerusalem . . . 194 VII. From Jerusalem to Jericho . . . 238 VIII. The Jordan and the Dead Sea . . . 253 IX. The Return from the Dead Sea by Mar Saba . 259 X. Bethlehem and its Neighbourhood . . 270 XI. St. John of the Desert . . . CONTENTS. X IV. SAMARIA AND GALILEE:— PAGE I. From Jerusalem to Nazareth . . . 299 II. The Lake of Gennesaret . . 342 III. The Environs of Tiberias . . . 368 V. PHŒNICIA:— I. Tyre and Sidon .... 381 II. Arrival at Beyrout .... 398