Sychar or Shechem, (now Nablous,) founded by Jeroboam. Jezreel. Royal abode of Ahab. Jenin. In the hill country of Ephraim. CHAPTER III. GALILEE. 87. THE boundaries of Galilee may be de fined as follows; Northward; Syria and Mount Lebanon. Eastward; the Jordan. Westward; the Mediterranean and bay of 88. Josephus divides Galilee into Upper and Lower, and he represents the inhabitants as active, industrious, and warlike, noted for their zealous attachment to the Jewish religion. 89. The absorbing interest of Galilee is as the scene of our Saviour's childhood and manhood, and as the place where He fulfilled His ministry and worked miracles. 90. On the sea coast of Galilee stood formerly the city of Cæsarea, called "Stratonis," to distinguish it from Cæsarea Philippi. It was built by Herod in honour of Cæsar. 91. The scriptural references to Cæsarea are frequent : I. As the abode of Cornelius the centurion, the first Gentile convert to Christianity". II. As the scene of St. Paul's imprisonment and of his preaching before Agrippa. III. As the place where Herod Agrippa " was eaten of worms and gave up the ghost a." 92. Eusebius the ecclesiastical historian was born at Cæsarea, and became the bishop of his native city. His works are of extreme value to the Christian Church. 93. Cæsarea is now a complete ruin; its noble harbour is choked up with sand, and it is inhabited by jackals and beasts of prey. 94. Northward of Cæsarea lies Mount Carmel, a range of hill, one end of which rises steeply from the Mediterranean, the other extends fifteen miles inland. The nature of this mountain agrees admirably with the Scripture narrative of Elijah's sacrifice. There is a mound, still called after the name of the prophet, which tradition has handed down as the place of the sacrifice. There is an eminence near, whither 2 Acts X. * Acts xii. 23. the prophet may have sent his servant to watch the "little cloud" rising out of the Mediterranean. There flows at the foot of the hill the river Kishon, on the banks of which the priests of Baal were slain. There may be seen in the distance Jezreel, whither Ahab drove with speed to escape the coming storm. There is also, near the summit, a cavern, which, even in time of drought, is always full of water, and whence probably the barrels were filled, which were poured over the sacrificed bullocks". 95. Carmel probably belonged to the tribe of Asher; it is now the resort of the Carmelite monks of the Latin communion, who have built there a magnificent convent, commanding a fine view of the bay of Acre. Here we enjoyed their hospitalities. 96. Acre was of note at the period of the crusades, having been taken by Saladin and the Saracens in 1187. It was besieged by Richard I. king of England, and Philip Augustus king of France, who lost above 100,000 men in the siege. 97. In more modern times Acre has been at various times besieged. Bonaparte attacked it in 1798, but after sixty-one days of siege he b 1 Kings xviii. |