Sinai and Golgotha; a journey in the East

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SINAI AND GOLGOTHA;

Preface

My journey in the East has served as an additional corroboration to my mind of the truth of the Divine "Word. Could I visit the spots which, from the theatre of the Sacred History, corresponded in the minutest particulars to the statements of Scripture : could I observe the manners of the people, which have there undergone but little alteration during the course of centuries : could I witness in the condition of those countries, and in the history of those nations, the wonderful fulfilment of prophetic declaration, I should, I believed, apprehend more forcibly than ever the truth of the Word of God.

Thoughts such as these connected with the East, suggest the inquiry, What is the present state of religion there ; what are the operations of our brethren in the faith ; and what is now proclaimed of that Word of God once revealed in that land, but now fading in obscurity ?

The information on both these points, acquired by this journey, will be presented in the following pages. May the Lord bless them

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PREFACE.

to the strengthening of faith, and the promotion of active love.

Scientific discussion will be avoided ; valuable additions would otherwise have been afforded to the investigation respecting Sinai and Golgotha.

With regard to Golgotha I must be allowed to refer to the " Topography of J erusalem," — a work which has recently appeared from the pen of my fellow traveller, W. Krafft, the Licentiate of Theology at Bonn, whose early studies peculiarly fitted him for such inquiries. I am unable to express how much the present work owes to my connection with him.

The annexed print, kindly presented by Messrs. E. and M. Weidenbach, represents one of the principal points of the journey to Sinai and Golgotha.

The emotions I experienced in these most consecrated spots are connected in the depths of my heart, and are the most precious results of the journey. Such feelings cannot be communicated, but every one. will enter into them — for Sinai and Golgotha are the mountains from whence our help hath come.

F. A. STRAUSS.

Berlin.

Introduction

Familiarity with the scenes of great events, and with the homes of extraordinary men, is one of the most interesting acquirements of a cultivated mind. It is only to a very limited extent that the student can obtain this species of knowledge by personal observation. The most experienced traveller will own that he has seen but little, when the vast volume of history and biography is spread before him, and he is asked, how many of its pages he could illustrate from his own recollections ? Happily for us, the labour of describing the peopled world, with all its vast variety of historic scenes, has been undertaken by a proportionable number of enlightened and adventurous men. They have contemplated with equal care and affection the monuments of the past, and have looked at nature with a disposition to find in the different expressions of her outward form some great truth with vi INTRODUCTION.

which the people of all lands should be familiar.

The civilized world, and thoughtful, inquiring minds especially, are indebted to travellers to a far greater degree than is commonly imagined. This is generally true ; but it is especially so in regard to what is known of the Holy Land ; of that land upon which divine providence has displayed its grandeur through all the phases of righteousness and mercy.

In no country, not excepting even Greece and Rome, have so many, and such variously gifted minds been employed in earnest observation, as in Pales-tine. No sooner had Christianity been planted in the distant provinces of the Roman empire, than they began to send forth a succession of pilgrims to the Holy Land. If we may judge of the character of these early travellers from what we know of such men as Jerome, and his associates, they were not likely to be so completely deceived in regard to sacred localities, and the traditions connected with them, as some modern writers would have us suppose. Age after age, the connection was kept up between the remotest corners of the civilized world, and the

INTRODUCTION.

birth-place of the Christian church. There were scholars in sufficient numbers among those who thus, with patient steps, made a highway from England, France, and Germany to Jerusalem. The greater part of the pilgrims consisted, indeed, of men who had neither erudition, nor literary curiosity, to furnish them with motives for undertaking such a journey. But they were generally keen and anxious observers. Even the superstition, or fanaticism, which in many cases urged them forward, was not wholly adverse to that passion for information which is the common characteristic of travellers.

Readers, who have leisure for such studies, may find in the records which exist of the early pilgrimages to Palestine information of the most interesting character. The solemn traits of sacred scenes and sacred times will grow before them, as wondrous portraits may sometimes be found, startling and distinct, amid the rudest sketches of an artist. Accounts of Palestine were written in a very different style when, after the revival of learning, all branches of literature were subjected to a sedate and rigorous criticism. Men then travelled to, and wrote of, Palestine, as they

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would visit and write of any other country. The fervid enthusiasm of the elder pilgrims was exchanged for a spirit of calm inquiry ; and books became filled with discussions instead of pathetic traditions, and simple, racy, though sometimes grotesque, delineations of scenes and characters.

But while this extensive field is opened for those who would make themselves thoroughly acquainted with what travellers have done for Palestine, it is pleasant to know that, in our own times, the old pilgrim spirit, with all its love and devotion, has gone forth to the Holy Land, not rejecting for its companion the sound and healthful knowledge of an advanced age. This is pre-eminently true of Dr. Strauss. He was well fitted by temper and acquirements to contemplate profitably the scenes of Holy Writ, and to make them familiar to others. His habits of patient study, his character as a scholar and divine, secured him against any temptation to a fanatical sympathy with the erring piety of the middle ages. But neither his learning, nor his protestantism, had deprived him of that peculiar and earnest ardour without which old and sacred paths will be almost trodden in vain. Dr. Strauss

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was too wise to think of preparing his mind for a visit to the Holy Land by first filling it with neology and scepticism. He went forth bearing the records of Scripture in his heart, and anxious to give a deeper life to his faith, by meditating and praying amid the scenes where, for a time, it was connected with things visible.

The careful reader of this little volume will be edified by the striking and happy views which it gives of Palestine itself. But he will derive even a greater advantage from joining with its Author in that spirit of serious thought, with which he speaks of the present as well as of the past. The inestimable value of free Scriptural teaching ; the blessings attending the services of a church in which the Bible forms the only authorized basis of the creed ; in which the Sacraments are administered with a reverential awe and love, but without human additions, — all these things are exhibited by Dr. Strauss in their proper light; and while he shews us how he meditated on Sinai and Golgotha with the genuine fervour of a devout pilgrim, he proves to us also that he never forgot his simple evangelical principles; that he, at no time, questioned

INTRODUCTION.

the great fact, that Christianity to save the world, or permanently to elevate the character of individuals, must act with its direct force upon the human heart, as little hindered as possible, by aught that is human, accidental, or temporal.

H. S.

London, August, 1849.

Part Ii.— Egypt

Chapter I. Alexandria . . .34

II. Cairo . . . 39

III. Mohammedanism . . .47

IV. The Coptic Church . . 55

V. The Voyage up the Nile . . 60

VI. Thebes ... 65

VII. Nubia . . . .75

VIII. From Assuan to Cairo . . 84

IX. Egypt and the Holy Scriptures . 93

Part Iii.— Sinai

Chapter I. Suez .... 102

II. From Suez to Sinai . .110

III. Sinai . . . 119

IV. The Bedouins . . .131 V. From Sinai to Beersheba . . 137

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CONTENTS.

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Part Iv.— Jerusalem

Chapter I. The Ascent to Jerusalem . 144

II. The Easter Festival . .152 III. The History of Jerusalem . 165

IV. Jerusalem as it is . . . 182

V. The Environs of Jerusalem . 195

VI. The Jews . . .206

VII. The Christians . . 215

VIII. The Protestant Bishopric . 222

IX. The German Protestants . 232

X. Life in Jerusalem . . . 245

Part V.— The Promised Land

Chapter I. Bethlehem . . . 253

II. Hebron . . . .262

III. Jordan and the Dead Sea . 271

VI. Nazareth . . . .314

VII. Tiberias ... 325

VIII. Lebanon. . . .335

IX. Damascus . . . 346

X. Beyrout. ; » .352

Part Vi.— The Return Home

Chapter I. Smyrna . . . 362

II. Constantinople # . .370

III. The Missions at Constantinople . 378

IV. Arrival in the West . . 384

SINAI AND GOLGOTHA.

Part I. Chapter I

JOURNEY TO ATHENS.

In the autumn of 1844, I administered the Ordinance of Confirmation, and partook of the Holy Sacrament with the candidates. It was the conclusion of two years' connection with the cathedral congregation, in the ministerial oversight of which I had found much delight ; and at the same time, the consecration for my pilgrimage to Jerusalem, to which place I was permitted to extend my journey. The wish that had been silently cherished from the days of my childhood, and had constantly increased in ardour through diligent study of the Word of God, was now about to be accomplished.

In taking leave of the congregation, I felt convinced, that the prayers of many would accompany me, who in a distant land would bear Jerusalem upon their hearts.

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JOURNEY TO ATHENS.

After a short visit in my native valley of the Wupper, I joined my cousin, Wilhelm Krafft, in Cologne. Our studies in theology, and our interest in the Holy Land, had long since produced an intimate friendship between us, so that I could not but regard his association with me in my travels as a special blessing. The wish that our pilgrimage might resemble that of the disciples of Emmaus was indeed realized beyond our prayers and expectations.

Having travelled rapidly up the Rhine,- we spent a few days among a circle of friends at Stuttgard, and then proceeded to Basle — that place of blessing, from whence bands of Evangelists have gone forth to all the ends of the earth. We passed the Alps, separating us from the land of our fathers, and crossed the Lake of Como, upon the enchanting shores of which the cypress and the lofty cedar wave, wafting to us the southern breezes of Italy. We soon stood in the sublime porches of the cathedral at Milan, and arrived at Venice, where the pilgrims formerly took ship for the Holy Land.

As the abundance of its oriental treasures rendered it once the resort of numerous travellers, so now, its past history, and its immense size, make it a fit place of introduction for the pilgrim to the East. The harbour is now robbed of its ships ; the palaces are fallen to decay. We next crossed over to Trieste, which has risen by rapid steps to be one of the first emporiums of the Mediterranean.

On the afternoon of the 24th of October, we embarked on board the Mahmondie, a fine Austrian vessel. One of my oldest friends, and

JOURNEY TO ATHENS.

latterly my colleague in the cathedral church, gave us a farewell greeting as we left our native shores. The anchor was weighed, the vessel steered towards the Holy Land, and emotions of hope and apprehension filled our hearts. The sky was overcast, and soon after the rain descended in torrents, as if to increase the pain of separation. The travellers consisted principally of Italian merchants established in the Levant, and of a captain in the Austrian Marine, whose religious character, and intimate acquaintance with the Mediterranean, rendered him an agreeable companion. The wind continued unfavourable throughout the following day ; and only in the channel between the Dalmatiian coast and the adjacent islands could we repose from the storms of the Adriatic Sea. On the third day, Ragusa, which had recently experienced the shock of an earthquake, appeared in the distance ; and the Acroceraunian mountains shortly after rose to view. But the sky had long been darkened by threatening clouds ; towards sunset, they assumed a more serious aspect ; lightning was perceived in the south and west, and a violent storm awaited us. When the rolling of the thunder ceased, an awful, anxious stillness rested on the sea ; and the moon rising in all her brightness, we witnessed the rare phenomenon of a lunar rainbow ; then, as the messenger of peace gave promise, the clouds broke, and were reflected on the tranquil waters.

The following day was Sunday, and we ran into the channel of Corfu. On our left, appeared the white Albanian Mountains, dry and

JOUKNEY TO ATHENS.

barren ; to the right, the olive groves and green hills of the island, in whose friendly harbour we cast anchor. The Greeks surrounded our vessel with their little boats ; and their light attire, in loose white pantaloons, parti-coloured jackets, and red turbans, glittering in Sundaygaiety, were interesting to us as being the first specimens of eastern costume. We immediately went on shore, and hastened through the animated streets to the palace of the English Governor, where the service of the Anglican Church was being celebrated. On entering, those words in the Psalms caught our ear,* " He will not suffer thy foot to be moved ; he that keepeth thee will not slumber." " I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together : whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord." " If it had not been the Lord who was upon our side, then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul." " They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever." After the service, I learned in the house of Lowndes, the Agent of the London Missionary Society, how great an amount of influence is exerted over the Greek Christians of the island by the numerous schools, the diffusion of the Scriptures, and the other operations of the Mission. We also made the acquaintance of Arnold, the Missionary of the North American

JOURNEY TO ATHENS.

Baptists, a faithful young man, whose career of usefulness had just commenced.

The lovely island was soon left behind ; and on the next morning we perceived, behind Cephalonia, the heights of Ithaca, the home of the far-travelled Ulysses ; the barren coast of Zante giving no intimation of being the most fruitful and beautiful of the islands ; and the mountains of Peloponnesus rising from the bosom of Arcadia. On the following day, we left the bay between Cape Malea and Cerigo, the ancient seat of the goddess Cythersea ; but so high a north wind suddenly arose, accompanied with showers of rain, that our judicious captain, after prolonged and fruitless struggles with the tumultuous waves, returned into the quiet bay near Cerigo, where we calmly waited until the storm had ceased. The next day was as beautiful as this had been tempestuous. The sun shed a southern brilliancy upon the still waves of the Archipelago ; the islands rose enchantingly from them, as the ship passed by, in a multiform series of groups, their rosy heights determining the boundaries of the blue waters. Towards noon we approached Syra, where the new white houses of the capital look down cheerfully from the bleak mountain. The town, and particularly the lower part, has arisen since it became the centre where the lines of Austrian and French steamboats meet from Trieste, Marseilles, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Athens. Here, after an agreeable voyage of eight days, we left the excellent Mahmoudie, and went on board the Colowrat. The deck was crowded with

JOURNEY TO ATHENS.

Greeks, men, women, and children, and with ecclesiastics and soldiers, who, stretched upon their mats, were comfortably smoking their pipes. Evening closed in before our departure, and the town was illuminated by the lights which shone from the white houses up to the summit of the mountain.

On the following day, the first rays of the sun fell on the pillars of the temple of the goddess Athenae, on the promontory of Sunium. Before us lay iEgina and Salamis ; and soon the columns of the renowned Acropolis of Athens appeared in the distance. The town itself lay concealed under the citadel ; the majestic temple stood alone on the mighty heights of Hymettus and Pentelicon ; all the traces of more recent inhabitants vanished from our sight, and it seemed as though a glimpse of the long-passed splendour of Greece were afforded us. In the spacious harbour of the Piraeus we were recalled to the present, and the anchor was cast in the midst of numerous ships of war and commerce. Conveyances awaited us on the strand ; they conducted us over the ruins of the mighty walls by which Pericles once united the Piraeus with Athens. The olive grove of the Cephissus afforded a refreshing shade from the increasing heat of the day ; the pinnacles of the Acropolis approached nearer and nearer, till the new town, with its shining white houses, appeared at the foot of the citadel. In about an hour we arrived at Athens.

Irregular rows of houses, from the smallest wooden hovel to the largest palace in European style ; the moving multitude in the streets,

ATHENS.

some attired in the beautiful Greek costume, with gold-embroidered jackets, and red turbans, others following the European fashion ; sounds of Greek, German, and Latin proceeding from the restless throng ; and, last of all, the great Place before the stately palace of the King, which is formed of Pentelicon marble — all these heterogeneous objects, which strike the eye on entering the city, represent the situation of the Greek people, who, under the rule of a beloved king, are striving to free themselves from the yoke of their long servitude, and to produce a state of things which will revive the memory of Athens' ancient glory. And yet, many as were the emotions excited on entering the young kingddm, those arising from the remembrance of past ages remained the most interesting and abiding.

CHAPTER EL

ATHENS.

In a broad valley; enclosed by the Parnes Mountains on the north, the Pentelicon on the east, the Hymettus on the south, and the -ZEgsean Sea on the west, rises an elevated plain, bounded on two sides by the waters of the Cephissus and Ilissus, and on both the others by pleasant hills. On this plain stands the city of Athens. In the midst of the old town is the noble Acropolis, the ornament of Athens. Under the

ATHENS.

guidance of Schaubert and Ross, tlie two men who rescued this glorious monument of antiquity from the rubbish of centuries, we reached a small watch-house near the ruins of the marble staircase which conducts to the gate of the citadel. We saw on our right the little ornamented temple of the goddess of victory, which, until recently had lain concealed by rubbish. The marble staircase formerly led to the Propylaea, in the pillared halls of which the feasts of the gods were celebrated.

In the marble chambers on both sides of the hall the most beautiful specimens of Grecian sculpture were once collected, and some remains of those early treasures are still preserved there. From the light Propylsea, you enter through five doors into the Sanctuary. The solemnities were celebrated on the left side of the Parthenon ; on the right, the colossal bronze statue of Athenae once towered far above the temple, serving as a land-mark to the distant mariner. A few steps farther is the Erechtheion, a temple, enclosing in a remarkable range of buildings, the olive tree which Athenae called into existence, the well which Poseidon caused to spring from the dry rock, and the grave of Erechtheus, the father of the town, to whom the gifts of Athense and Poseidon owed their renown. Through innumerable statues and offerings, the way leads to the Parthenon, the residence of the maiden goddess Athense. The temple is entered through a double row of doric pillars, and is divided into two portions. In the first, stood the image of the goddess, and behind it, in a small dark

ATHENS.

chamber, the treasures of the temple were preserved. Another passage between two rows of doric pillars leads to this chamber, while a simple range on both the other sides supports the roof. In the larger eastern apartment was the seat of the goddess ; and here stood her colossal statue, a work of Phidias in gold and ivory, adorned with precious stones ; while before it was an altar for the reception of the offerings.

But the Lord's judgment on the heathen gods has fallen upon the temple of Athens. It was consecrated as a christian church to the Virgin Mary ; and heathen representations were compelled to give place to christian ones, as the remains of Byzantine paintings still testify. Followers of Islam transformed the church into a mosque ; and at length, the marble walls served for a fortress, which was battered two hundred years ago by Venetian bombs ; and in the war of the last ten years has experienced from the Turks a devastation still more lamentable. There is, nevertheless, so much preserved of the marble pillars and walls of the temple, as well as of the glorious sculpture which adorned them, that we are able to imagine the departed splendour of the Grecian art, and cannot but admire the people who could conceive and carry out such vast ideas. With what emotions must an Athenian have been filled when he gazed abroad from the summit of the Acropolis ! In the foreground of Mount Attica lay the pleasant plain with the Holy Olive-grove and the Cephissus murmuring beneath its shade. The buildings of Athens ex

ATHENS.

tended to the citadel ; and to the south, appeared the sea and the haven, with the islands of iEgina and Salamis. The mountains of Peloponnesus bounded the horizon ; and the whole scene, lying beneath the ether blue of a Grecian sky, was animated by the memory of the deeds of yore. The admiration with which its ruins fill us, enables us to comprehend the wonder, which, according to the ancient authors, the Acropolis once awakened.

At the foot of the citadel lies a small doric temple of Pentelicon marble, called the Temple of Theseus, and distinguished for its excellent state of preservation. The sculpture it contains represents the deeds of Hercules and the conflicts of Theseus. It was at one time used as a church, and dedicated to St. George, but is now the best museum for the works of Greece which the country possesses. Upon a hill to the south-west of the Acropolis, is the Pnyx, where, under the free heaven, the popular assemblies were held. Here, with Athens before his eyes, and the burning love of his fatherland in his heart, Demosthenes harangued, whose words of power made Greece tremble.

North of the Pnyx, and west of the Acropolis, from which it is separated by a valley upon a hill, is the spot which was the first we visited in Athens, and the memory of which will endure the longest. It is the Areopagus ; where, under the free sky, the chief justice court of Athens held its meetings. The steps leading from the valley between the Areopagus and the Pnyx to the hill are still to be traced ; upon it are the seats of the judges, hewn out of the

ATHENS.

rock ; two prominent blocks of stone may mark the seats of the accused and the accuser. To this Areopagus, this court of justice, Paul was led, and before the assembled people of Athens, the Epicureans, and Stoics, and all who had assembled " to hear some new thing," he delivered a discourse which remains a model of unequalled eloquence. He looked forth upon the city, upon the lustrous marble Acropolis, upon the Temple of Theseus, and all the other glorious temples, whose fame has scarcely reached us, and exclaimed, " God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands." He saw the image of the goddess towering above the Acropolis, thought of the works of Phidias, and the innumerable images of deities that adorned the city, and said, " Forasmuch, then, as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device." He proclaimed to the men of Athens, who " in all things were too superstitious, the unknown God, whom they ignorantly worshipped." He gave judgment upon the highest form of heathenism with skill and wisdom : spoke of the ability of man to seek, but not to find the one true God ; and insisted that a revelation from heaven was necessary. These words of Paul enabled us to view the Grecian antiquities aright, and awakened in our hearts an earnest longing for the land in which a revelation was accorded to mankind. Our feelings on the Acropolis were reciprocated by two men,

ATHENS.

who have added much to the information respecting Greece and the Holy Land — the Austrian Ambassador, Prokesch von Osten, and Count Laborde, to whose researches we are much indebted.

One morning we wandered to the grove of the Cephissus, whither we were conducted by Professor Philip Joannu, the first Greek for many centuries who has taught philosophy in his native land.

Beautiful gardens border the refreshing stream, on which olive, pomegranate, fig, and myrtle trees abound ; alcoves of vines intersect them. The air and vegetation are fresher than in Athens ; it is as if the breath of life were wafted from this spot to the town. And here we were shown a garden, said to be the academy of Plato, in which he walked with his scholars. The view of the great town stretched out before him, with its noisy, restless throng, raised his thoughts to the heights of heaven, and he then uttered deeper truths concerning the being of God than were ever heard from any other philosopher of old.

If the neighbourhood of the academy has preserved but little of its original appearance, we soon visited a quiet grotto, over which the course of centuries has passed without producing any change.

The road led us to the foot of Mount Hymettus, whose honey still deserves the praise which the ancient authors gave it. Proceeding to the sea-shore, the islands of Salamis and iEgina appeared in the foreground, while the height of Acro-Corinth was visible in the dis-

ATHENS.

tance. After nearly four hours we reached a farm house in a valley, in the vicinity of which is the grotto which was once dedicated to Pan, the god of the woods and fields. The natural chambers contain altars, on which offerings were silently deposited. There, as an exposed child, Plato was found ; and honey, it is said, was on his lips — an ingenious intimation of the solitude in which he received that wisdom for which he was afterwards so distinguished.

Another day, Dr. Liith, the court preacher, conducted us to the Pentelicon. A pleasant path, perfumed with the fragrance of the bay and myrtle, leads gradually up to the Greek Convent, at the foot of the mountain. Great as was the external poverty of the monks, it was trifling in comparison with their spiritual destitution. We wandered on foot from the convent ; here and there the dazzling white marble of the quarries appeared ; a beautiful grotto, once used as a church, afforded us repose and shelter from the sun and wind, and at last we reached the summit of the Pentelicon, 3500 feet high. A delightful prospect lay before us. At our feet, was the plain of Athens, and beyond it the sea, dotted with islands ; on the other side, is seen the battle-field of Marathon ; and near the sea-shore, shaded by trees, the hillock, beneath which are buried the Greeks who fell there. The picturesque mountain of Eubcea is also visible ; and the lovely island, now retreating into the bosom of the sea — now projecting in a rocky promontory, a prospect which presented the most glorious scenes of Athens to our view, and deeply impressed our hearts with the loveliness of Greece ; a beauty which we sought in vain in Egypt and Italy, and which was only excelled by the scenery of the Holy Land.

Chapter III. The Greek Church

Let us now turn from the impressions produced upon our minds by the city of Athens, to the consideration of the Greek Church : and, first, we must glance backward to the first centuries of the Christian Church. The Greek language was that most in use in the time of the apostles. For this reason, the gospels and epistles were written in it. But when the boundaries of the promised land were passed, and the apostolic churches became more extended, each congregation worshipped in its mother tongue, and thus introduced the use of many languages into the one Christian Church. In the west, the Latin tongue was used; and the distinction between the Eastern and Western Churches consisted at first only in this difference of language. But it soon extended to other points, so that both churches began to modify their doctrines and worship according to their respective peculiarities.