Democratic Sentinel, Volume 4, Number 48, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 January 1881 — The Sea of Galilee [ARTICLE]

The Sea of Galilee

Riding by the foot of Hattin, over the ' place where, 700 years ago, Saladin annihilated the Crusaders’ power in Palestine, we at length reached a ridge where i we looked out on the distant hills of Bashan, and far below us on a dark blue pear or harp-shaped sheet of water, lying snugly in a deep inelosure of high brown hills. Though less than thirteen miles long and seven miles broad, yet, measured by the events it has witnessed, it is a kind of Pacific ocean. It was the i Sea of Galilee. As we moved over the long way down- I ward to its level—3so feet below the ! Mediterranean sea~we had time to fix and grasp its whole aspect and surroundings. It lacks boldness of outline, for its hills slope gradually back from the shore, or leave a narrow plain, as at Gennesaret and Buthia. But the lights and shadows lie sweetly on the hillsides at night and morning; the northern end i is broken into pleasant little bays, and Hermon looms grandly up beyond, far off, yet seemingly near. The whole aspect of the lake is one that suggests the thought and the lack of beautiful homes. ■ It was still a long ride to the lake. The region we were passing, once brimful of life and activity, was utterly forsaken now. The entire lake lay spread before us, and nearly the whole of its coastline, along or near which once (lay the cities of Tarichea, Tiberias, Hippo, GaI mala, Gergesa, Bethsaida, Choraain, CaI pemaum, Magdala and Beth Arbel. Of ! these cities, Tiberias once had itsfecnate i of 600 ; Gamala -was able to resist and ! defeat Vespasian at the head of three | legions, and when captured by VespaI siau and Titus it lost 400 in the fight, and 5,000 who hurled themselves, or were pushed down the precipices ; while Tarichea, according to Josephus, was able to furnish 16,500 for slaughter in a ■ sea fight with the Romans, 1,200 slain j in cold blood in the stadium, 6,000 capI tive youth to dig for Nero in the isth- : mus, and 30,000 to be sold into slavery. ! The only existing representatives of this ; strength and activity were the little cluster of huts called Medjel (Magadala)and the shrunken Tiberias, with its 2,000 inhabitants. From our path not a vestige of the other places could be discerned. It was near sunset when w r e entered Tiberias. We followed the road I through the gate, but could easily have i passed through the rents in the walls. . The now squalid city, mentioned but once in the New Testament, has been i the chief home of Jewish learning since the destruction of Jerusalem, Here the Jerusalem Talmnd was completed, and here is now what may be called the present theological school of the Jews.— Prof. Bartlett,