I bring you out by the house of Israel. I am living, saith the Lord. A What saith the prophet? Is it thus that you profess to live as the author of life, who breathed spirit and life into all living things? Truly, he says, I do not confirm that God lives according to His divine nature—nothing less (since that is immortal and perennial)—but according to human nature. For that most lover of men became man for our sake, and rendered the body, abandoned to corruption, immortal and incorruptible in the end, and brought it forth to live forever. And who indeed is he who destroyed him? The race of Israel, who thus attacked Pilate: "Sir, we have remembered, because that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulcher be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: and the last error shall be worse than the first." Wherefore, as if in his own person, Ezekiel cries out: "Indeed, I am not dead, O Jews, as you falsely imagine, but I live in such a way that I shall judge everyone according to his own ways. You shall truly see me glorious, as I shall speak with the divine Zechariah, whom you have pierced." These also are the words of Solomon: "The Lord knows the hearts of all, and He who fashioned the spirit for all knows all things, and renders to each according to his works." Whence my Lord, confirming the sentiment of Solomon, says in the Gospel: "The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son."
Furthermore, that we may establish the truth of what we have said more firmly, let that admirable and graceful Daniel come forth—a man who, walking on earth while still in the body, beheld vast things placed above human comprehension. I was beholding, he says, in the vision of the night, "and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away: and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." B My spirit was grieved in my body, and my mind and my heart were troubled. And I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth concerning all these things. And he told me the truth, and made me know the interpretation of the things. "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased."
And in this manner, we too have contested against the wolves of the Church, as her disciples. In which, if we have spoken according to the dignity of the subject, thanks are to be given to God; if not, even so, thanks are to be given to the ineffable and incomprehensible and pre-eminent glory of His divinity, which not only cannot human and earthly nature worthily praise, but which the very heavenly virtues themselves cannot attain. For if even the angels struggle to reach such dignity, says that Gregory who excels in theology (55); nay he adds, if even to them it is permitted to attain to the highest and final praises. We truly (having perceived His clemency) have offered our study of the truth, like that widow who offered her two mites, as something holy and sacred. For from Holy Scripture we have learned that what is labored for with a manly spirit is pleasing to God. Therefore, to the King without beginning, and the immortal Author of the ages, to the only wise God, be glory, power, honor, and worship with the Only-Begotten, and the consubstantial and co-eternal Son, and the thrice-holy, good, and life-giving Spirit, now and always, and unto all eternity. Amen.
FIVE WRITERS OF THE TWELFTH CENTURY ON THE HOLY LAND.
PREFACE OF LEON ALLATIUS
In *Symmicta*, Cologne, 1653, in-12.While I, most excellent Nihusius, was diligently examining various manuscripts collected from various places in Chios, there came into my hands a summary description of the places of Palestine and Syria by Joannes Phocas, in a very small character, upon cotton paper, not much…
elegantly written. Attracted by the novelty of the subject matter and the author, I fixed my attention on it and read it through. He appeared to be an elegant and accurate author, as far as those times permitted: and so I destined a copy of it for myself; but, caught up in other business, I neglected it. After many years, when I was recalling to mind the manuscripts I had seen in Rome, and the conversation had fallen upon the holy places among intimate friends, Phocas came back to my mind, and a great desire followed to acquire it for myself, however I could. I wrote, I wrote again to friends, and even to him who had lent it to me to use; asking, asking again, imploring, and also dealing with promises. But I spoke to deaf ears: for everything else, except this one thing, the response was always ready. Wherefore I at last rested in my mind. However, a year having passed, while I was occupied with the hope of other matters, letters were delivered to me from a friend who was then coming from Chios. While I recognized the names, behold, sent as it were from heaven, Phocas appeared, not written by another hand, but the autograph itself, which I had seen in Chios, torn away from the rest of the volume to which it had been annexed. How much joy I was filled with, I would try in vain to say. I would not have brought back such a good thing, had I found a treasure. I therefore set myself to translate it, and spent some days in polishing it. Joannes, born in Crete, had a father named Matthæus, who afterwards, putting on the monk's habit, exercised himself on the island of Patmos and died there: he himself, being of more mature age, performed military duties under Emmanuel Comnenus. He mentions this himself in chapter 24, concerning the old Man from Iberia: "For many years previously, on a rock frozen at the sea of Attalia, he had exercised himself through ascetic labors, when we too encountered the man, while serving under the renowned Emperor and Porphyrogenitus Comnenus." And we spoke with him there, while we were campaigning together with the most celebrated Emperor and Porphyrogenitus Comnenus. He mentions the same Emmanuel elsewhere, more than once, in this same little book. Having taken a wife, he had a son by her. His name was cut off by the bookbinders when they leveled the extremities of the leaves with a knife. Afterwards, having become a monk, he visited the holy places in the year 1185. And I have all this from a note which is added in the margin in red letters: "Written by the priest Joannes Phocas, a most pious man, the son of Matthæus the monk, who occupied himself on the island of Patmos, who saw the holy places in the year 1185." But on the front of the book it was written: "Son of the priest Phocas from Crete, I write now, the name..." But so that our Phocas might not wander alone, we have given him two companions, otherwise wretchedly and unhappily edited by Morellus, who had obtained them from the Vatican Library through Sirmondus: Epiphanius the monk of Hagiopolis in prose, and another in political verse, following these same places. Everything, I say, crawls with errors there, so that in many places they can scarcely be understood. Wherefore, so that they might appear with a more cultivated habit, I restored Epiphanius to the Vatican manuscript from which he had been transcribed; from which almost everything that could cause doubt is corrected. I also interpolated the Latin translation to the Greek words; so that it might emerge more elegant not only in Greek, but also in Latin. I supplied the Greek poems from my manuscript; as to whether they are by Maximus Planudes, it will be possible to turn to doubt, since they bear no author's name in mine, just as in the Vatican; although in it, before and after the said poems, there are some things which are marked with the name of Planudes, written in a character not alien to these poems. In the Viennese manuscript, which the most learned and most erudite Lucas Holstenius saw, these poems were attributed to Perdiccas, protonotary of Ephesus. "Perdiccas, protonotary of Ephesus, Exposition in verse of the Lord's spectacles and memorable things which are seen in Jerusalem." The title is not one and the same in all; for some read *peri theamaton*, Of spectacles; others, *peri thematon*, Of themes; others, *peri thaumaton*, Of miracles. I would have proposed *theamaton* to others. An Anonymous [author] is added about the same places, in the common language of the Greeks indeed, yet diligently written, and accurate in narrating matters; from whom you can only repeat the most clear traces of Christian piety and religion towards the sacrosanct places; because of the smallness of its bulk it hardly seemed to be worth translating into the Latin language, yet it has been translated. I had Eugesippus, about the distances of the places of the Holy Land, by the kindness of the most amiable Carolus Moronus. It did not seem of such great value to no one: yet, since it is very rare and ancient, lest anyone, feigning greater things for himself under such a name, should grieve over its privation, by the exhortation of friends we decided that it should be published with other writers about the Holy Land. By the dignity of others, it will carry over into itself glory, if there be any.
COMPENDIOUS DESCRIPTION BY JOHN PHOCAS OF THE STRONGHOLDS AND CITIES FROM THE CITY OF ANTIOCH AS FAR AS JERUSALEM; AND ALSO OF SYRIA, PHOENICIA, AND THE HOLY PLACES IN PALESTINE.
A 1. Shall we, then, who have sated our souls with these most holy sights, and have observed with our own eyes the places in which God once walked, and from which He led forth with a mighty hand the fugitive people from Egypt through Moses, by signs and wonders; having struck down the nations and their dynasts—Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan—and having planted there with an uplifted arm the stranger people, and increased them as much as the divine Scriptures set forth, and who, in the final times, sanctified them through the divine incarnation of His Only-begotten and accomplished the miraculous work of our restoration—shall we, I say, who have gazed upon these things, be the sole possessors of them, emulating those gluttons and gorge-seekers in the devouring of food? Where, then, is the social instinct and mutual love, through which affection is displayed and the condition of our human nature is expressed, as if by certain lines? Therefore, the task must be undertaken according to my strength, so that, as if upon a tablet, we might paint with words the layout of the places, just as we did with images, and recount what we ourselves have seen, through the means of writing, to those who are studious of such matters. But to those who have seen these places, it will seem that we have undertaken our labor in vain, for if the purpose of speech is to imitate sight, and every imitation is inferior to the accurate [original], it follows that I will provide less joy to them than the pleasure which settled in their eyes. B What then is the discourse? It will instruct more clearly, I believe, those who have not seen the excellent places with their own eyes, and who occasionally encounter matters recounted by others, than those who speak without any examination; and indeed, it will gather some pleasure even for those who have looked, if that which is sweet to behold is also pleasant to hear.
2. Once upon a time, the God-protected city of Antioch, situated by the Orontes, was proud and puffed up by the size of its theaters, the splendor of its porticoes, the structure of its temples, the abundance of its citizens, and the magnificence of its wealth; and it far exceeded almost all other cities of the East.
A but time and the violence B of barbarians annihilated its prosperity, even if it still shines with towers, and the strength of its battlements, and the flowering beauty of the waters murmuring as they are divided, while the river gently flows around the city and encircles it, and with a soft touch embraces its towers. Furthermore, it is excellently irrigated by the waters of the Castalian spring; its stream gushes forth like a torrent, and by means of frequent channels of furrows, it floods the whole city and sprinkles it with its flows; through the abundance of labor and the magnificence of its founder, the water was diverted from its own springs through the mountains to the city itself. Hence, the famous suburb of Daphne is crowned with a growth of all kinds of trees, and there is a marvelous mountain, whose settler was the wondrous Symeon. Bordering these is the Black Mountain (Maurus) and the Scopulos, in which many men in ancient times, who were most devoted to God, sought Him and found Him; and even to this day, those who are being saved are there, and they inhabit the thickets of those same mountains, desiring the beauty of that place. The Castalian spring, leaping up between two hills from the foothills of one that slopes toward the sea, pours forth a wondrous stream in abundance, in which also a vast portico is seen, vaulted over the waters of the spring, from which the water being copiously ejected is divided into two streams. And one part, transported through high-raised channels, and becoming an aerial river, flows around the city from the right side; the other part, flooding the plains on the left of the spring, stagnates in the marshes and irrigates the whole meadow of Daphne, and is mingled with the streams of the Orontes on the left. The wondrous mountain is seen between the city and the sea, C an extraordinary sight and a delight to the eyes of those who approach it. For it is conterminous with the city and Rhosos, and on both sides it is bounded by the mountain, the crag, and the so-called Caucasus. The river Orontes flows with countless swirling eddies around the foot of the mountain, and pours its stream into the sea. On the summit of this mountain, that great man who lived in tranquility, and having set ascents in his heart, becomes sublime in body, and struggles with his body to become ethereal, and to be a mediator between God and men. And how this wondrous achievement came to be for that man of God, I shall declare. Having hollowed out the summit of the wondrous mountain to a great depth by the hands of stonemasons, he fashioned a monolith or single-natured monastery; in the midst of which, having carved out a naturally occurring column, he placed his base upon it, having—according to the scripture—established his feet upon the rock, and toward the rising sun he raised a most beautiful temple to God, into which he invited his disciples; and while he himself remained in the open air, they, standing all night inside the temple, offered to God the worship befitting saints. D
3. After this, also following Antioch is Laodicea, a great and populous city, even if time has impaired its splendor, and
A after it is Gabala, or Zebel; and after these follows the fortress called Antarada, or Tortosa. And thus, along the shore, various fortresses are situated as far as Tripoli. In the interior, a great mountain range extends, which the Chasysii inhabit, a Saracen race, neither embracing Christ nor holding to the teachings of Muhammad, but, tenacious of their own sect, they confess God, and they call the one who holds the first place among them the legate of God; at his command, they are sent forth to the princes of great cities and slay them with swords; for they rush upon them unexpectedly, and in the act itself they meet their death, those few being surrounded by many after the perpetration of the crime; and this they consider to be martyrdom and the attainment of immortality.
4. Adjoining this mountain range is Lebanon, most fair and worthily renowned in the Scriptures, a very great mountain, wearing from its summit to its lowest feet tracts of snow like locks of hair, planted with pine, cedar, and cypress, and abounding in B other diverse fruit-bearing plants. Christians inhabit the parts toward the sea, while Saracens possess those facing Damascus and Arabia. From its crevices and valleys, rivers flow down to the sea, fair and very cold, when the fresh snow has melted and makes the current of the waters like crystal. At the feet of the mountain lies Tripoli; the founder placed it on a peninsula, for a thin ridge descending gradually from Lebanon and insinuating itself into the sea like a tongue curves toward the eastern side, upon whose tip he who built the city laid its foundations. It is very small in the compass of its circuit, but it is admirable in the height of its walls and the beauty of its buildings.
5. After it is that which is called Zebelet. And thus Berytus is a city great and populous, surrounded on all sides by an abundance of meadows, and C brightened by the beauty of its harbor. For nature did not provide the harbor, but it was fashioned by the industry of art; it is drawn into the bosom of the city in the manner of the moon, and at the extremities, which are thrust out like horns, two great towers have been built, from one of which to the other a chain stretched out bars the ships standing in the harbor. This is also the boundary of Syria and Phoenicia.
6. Thence comes Sidon and the harbor in it called Didymus, the description of whose site he who wrote the exploits of Leucippe expressed most excellently; for if you should arrive at the place, you would perceive the harbor and the bay before the harbor to be in reality just as it is delineated in the writing. Outside the city, at a distance of three bowshots, a church is visited, roofed with a long portico; and at the apse of the church D a square stone lies, upon which, as is the tradition of many, the Savior of the world, Christ, stood and instructed the crowds.
7. After Sidon, the fortress of Sarepta is founded by the wash of the sea, and a temple of the prophet Elias in
the house of the widow who received him with hospitality rises in the middle of the city.
A 8. Thence is Tyre, a city excelling almost all those of Phoenicia in beauty; for it too is founded in the shape of a peninsula similar to Tripoli. But it is far more extensive than that one in size, and in the majesty and beauty of its buildings. The gulf of the sea which is seen before it is not unlike the port of Berytus, although that one is larger and more spectacular in grace, size, and the height of its towers. Outside the city, at a distance of about two bowshots, there is a very large stone, upon which Christ the Lord rested and, as the story goes, sent Peter and John, the holy apostles, into the city to procure bread. Once they had gone away and brought them back, together with the Savior they proceeded to a nearby spring, no more than a thousand paces distant. When Christ had sat down and dined with the apostles, he drank from the water and blessed the spring; and to this day that spring, if we must speak the truth, is a wonder to those who see it, which cannot be expressed in words. For as it pours forth into the surrounding meadows, it is a marvelous thing and a source of great delight to travelers. It is said, moreover, to be bottomless. The structure and shape of B it are as follows: those who first labored upon this fountain enclosed it with an octagonal tower, raising the tower to no mediocre height, and, having fashioned its top into a basin at the angles, they channeled the water—depressed toward the depths of the meadows—onto the heights of the arches, causing it to flow out like a fountain. The water, which flows forth with a resonant sound, irrigates the meadows surrounding the spring with its frequent streams; and whenever anyone standing in the tower, as if in a watchtower, can see the dense thicket of plants, and as the leaves are stirred and the midday sun burns, the whole crown of the meadow is irrigated.
9. Thence is Ptolemais, or Acre; this city is large and populous, excelling all the others, and it receives all merchant ships, and into it those who travel for Christ come by land and sea. From the corruption of the air caused by the great multitude of arrivals, successive diseases occur and C deaths follow from these, from which foul odors arise, and because of this the air becomes pestilential, and the evil is unconquerable in this city. On the right is Carmel and the seacoast of all Palestine; on its left it has Galilee and Samaria.
10. Therefore, first after Ptolemais is Sepphoris, a city of Galilee, almost entirely uninhabited and showing no vestige of its former prosperity. After this is Cana, a very small castle, as it appears to one seeing it now. There the Savior turned the water into wine. And thus, in the midst of various hills, at the bottom of the valley formed by them, the city of Nazareth has its place; in which the great mystery was announced to the Virgin Theotokos by the angel Gabriel, through great and abundant mercy, for our salvation…
by Christ our God who became flesh. Upon entering the first gate of this town, one finds a church of the archangel Gabriel. And around the left parts of the altar in the temple is seen a small cave, in which a spring gushes forth, pouring out clear water; to which the most immaculate Mother of God, having been entrusted by the priests to the just Joseph, used to come daily while she was kept by him, to draw water. But in the sixth month from the conception of the Forerunner, as she had come to draw water according to custom, she received the first greeting from Gabriel, and being troubled and all fearful, she returned to the house of Joseph; where she heard from the angel, "Hail, full of grace," and answered him, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word," and hence she received the Word of God in her most pure womb.
This house of Joseph was afterward changed into a most beautiful temple; in the left part of which, near the altar, there is a cave, not opening into the bowels of the earth, but gaping only just at the surface. Its opening is decorated with white marble by the skill of a painter: an angel standing on wings, descending to the mother who had no husband, greets her with a joyful message, coming upon her as she was intently occupied with wool-spinning; and it is depicted as if he were speaking with her. But the Virgin, terrified by the unexpected sight, and immediately turning her face away from that terror, all but let the purple fall from her hand; trembling, she rushes out of the chamber, meets a kinswoman and friend, and embraces her with deep inward affection. Entering through the mouth into the cave, you descend a few steps; then you view with your own eyes that ancient dwelling of Joseph, in which, after the Virgin had returned from the spring, the archangel, as I have said, announced the joyful news to her. There is also, in that place where the Annunciation took place, B a cross of black stone inlaid upon white marble, and above this an altar; and on the right side of the altar is a small chapel, in which the Virgin Mother of God always kept herself. In the right part of the Annunciation, another chapel is seen, devoid of light, which our Lord Christ, having returned from Egypt, is said to have inhabited until the Forerunner was beheaded. For then, as the divine oracles relate, hearing that John had been delivered up, Jesus, leaving Nazareth, betook Himself to dwell in Capharnaum. Following this is a ridge, formed by various hills, and on it the brow C from which the Jews were about to cast down the Lord, but He passed through the midst of them, and went on to Capharnaum.
11. After that ridge is a great plain, in which plain, toward the approaches of the ridge, is Mount Tabor, an earthly heaven, the delight of the soul, and the pleasure of the eyes of right-thinking men; for indeed divine grace overshadows the mountain, which D brings spiritual joy.
A The hill is round and rises moderately. On its summit, two monasteries have been constructed; in them, Christians of strange tongues, having embraced the solitary life, render God propitious. The monastery in which the saving Transfiguration of Christ occurred is held by a multitude of Latin monks; to the left, those whom we call Nazarenes sanctify that same holy place. The saving Transfiguration of Christ occurred on the summit of the hill, where the Latin monastery is visited; at its divine altar, the Lord was transfigured between Elijah and Moses and his three chief disciples, Peter, John, and James. The place is enclosed by bronze railings. Where the feet of the Lord once stood, a very white stone foundation is seen, and in its center is the figure of the divine Cross, from which an inexpressible fragrance emanates, delighting the nostrils of those who approach. Outside the monastery, at a stone's throw, a small cave is opened, into which the Lord, after the wondrous Transfiguration, entered and commanded the disciples to tell the vision to no one until he should rise from the dead. B Toward the northern part of the mountain, the cave of Melchizedek is seen, worthy to be viewed by all, open on all sides by various windows; within it are upper rooms, subterranean chambers, and various dwellings and cells distributed for the ministries and exercises of ascetics; and many of the great saints completed the course of their ascetic training there. Near the cave is a church, in that very place where Melchizedek, meeting Abraham as he returned from the slaughter, blessed him and received him with hospitality. C From this hill, if you direct your gaze toward the first sunrise, you will see the marshes and the valley of the most holy Jordan among rivers; and if you direct your gaze further, you will discern the parts of Lebanon facing the rising sun; and at the same time, two huge mountains, in the midst of which Damascus is situated. If you turn your eyes a little to the left of the Jordan, you will see the Sea of Tiberias very clearly and without any obstruction. On its opposite side, a small ridge rises, and there the Savior blessed the loaves, and satisfied five thousand men, and after the resurrection, he dined with the disciples after the catch of one hundred and fifty-three fish. D Toward the northern part of the same mountain, another ridge encircles that plain, divided at an interval of about twelve stadia or more. In its extent lies the city of Naim, in which the Lord recalled the widow’s son from the dead to life. In the eastern part of the city, the village of Aendor is visited. Between Tabor, Naim, and Aendor flows the torrent Cisson, of which David says: "Do to them as to Midian and Sisara, as to Jabin at the torrent Cisson: they perished in Aendor" 3.
3 Ps. lxxxii, 10.
[12.] The city of Sebaste, which Herod the Tetrarch rebuilt in honor of Caesar, stands at a distance of one day's journey. In it the lesser Herod cut off the venerable head of John the Baptist, the greater among those born of women, during his banquet. In the middle of the city is the prison into which he was cast when he rebuked Herodias, and where he was beheaded. This prison is underground, and one descends into it by twenty steps; in its center stands an altar in the place where he was decapitated by the executioner. To the right of that altar is seen a small urn in which the body of Saint Zacharias, the father of the Forerunner, had been kept; on the left, another urn in which lies the body of Saint Elizabeth, his mother: just as on both sides of the prison lie the relics of various saints and of the disciples of the Forerunner. Above the prison rises a church, and in it are two urns, fashioned from white marble; the one on the right contains the ashes of the venerable Forerunner's consumed body, and the other contains the body of the prophet Elisha. Above this is placed, in a golden vessel, the left hand of the Forerunner, itself also covered in gold on all sides. B On a hill in the middle and higher part of the city was, of old, the palace of Herod, where the banquet was held and that detestable girl danced, and for the prize of her dancing received the most holy head of the Baptist: now, however, that place has become a Greek monastery. The church of the monastery is domed. And on the left side of the altar is a small cell, in the middle of which is seen an omphalos of marble, situated over a very deep pit, in which took place the first finding of the venerable head of the Forerunner—a head to be revered by the angels—which had been hidden in that place by Herodias.
[13.] Then, after a journey of about fifteen stadia, one encounters Sichar, the metropolis of the Samaritans, which later was called Neapolis. It is situated between two mountains, to the feet of which, at their very foundations, the city clings as it stretches out to a greater length. On the right-hand mountain (this is the tradition of the Samaritans) God gave his answer to Abraham, and asked for Isaac as a sacrifice; and there, as the same people suppose—though they know not what they say—the patriarch offered up the victim. For that divine mountain is the lithostrotos of Golgotha, upon which the Savior of the world endured his saving passion. At the feet of the mountain is seen the field that was given by Jacob to his son Joseph; in the field of Jacob is the well where the Lord, wearied by his labor, rested and spoke to the Samaritan woman, as the holy Gospel recounts. D Concerning this same mountain, the woman had said to the Lord: "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain." And the Lord, by that conversation, taught everyone in what manner God must be worshiped by those who worship in spirit and truth. John iv, 20.
A From Samaria to the Holy City are eighty-four stadia, the entire road of which is paved with stone; and although the whole of this region is parched and dry, it is nonetheless crowded with vines and trees. The Holy City lies in the midst of various valleys and mountains, and what is seen in it is marvelous. For in this place the city appears both towering and low; for if you look towards the region of Judea, it stands above it, but towards the hills that adjoin it, it is leveled. For this divine place is divided into two parts, and the holy city is founded on the more sloping part of the right-hand mountain, the circuit of which reaches down to the valley; the part above this is entirely planted with vines, where the stoning of the protomartyr Saint Stephen took place. To the left B of this, and beyond the valley, is the Mount of Olives, where the Lord often dwelt, hallowing that whole place with prayer, with teaching, and finally with His divine ascension to the Father. Holy Sion is in front of the Holy City, lying towards its right parts. Its description, therefore, is as follows: there is a small fortress in which exists holy Sion, the mother of the Churches; and such a church is very large, having a cylindrical roof. Upon entering its beautiful gates, on the left side is the house of Saint John the Theologian, in which the all-holy Theotokos remained after the resurrection; and there she also fell asleep. And there is in that place a cell enclosed by iron gratings, and in the place where she surrendered her all-holy soul to her Son and God, there are two umbones. On the right of such a church, towards the right side of the altar, is the upper room, with an ascent by sixty-one steps. The church in question is four-arched and domed. C In the left part of the upper room is seen the place where the Lord's Supper took place. And in the recess of the bema is the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. Below such a church is the washing of feet; and opposite this is a church, where the room was in which Christ entered to the Apostles when the doors were shut. Where, after being stoned, the protomartyr Stephen was buried, and then moved by Gamaliel to another place. The so-called Tower of David lies towards the northern part of the city, and the tower is exceedingly large; and even though it is acknowledged by all those in Jerusalem to be David's, yet to me, as I think, it is D doubted for reasonable causes. For Josephus records such a tower to have been made of hewn white stone, as well as the temple and the other two towers built later by Herod in the name of Phasael and Mariamne. But the one now seen is raised from ordinary stone. And perhaps the one now being observed has been built upon the foundations of the most ancient tower. Adjoining this is the gate leading into the city, which, having entered, you will walk along a wide road, on the right side of which near
A the dependency of Saint Sabbas stands. After proceeding the distance of a bowshot, you will find the celebrated church of the Lord’s Sepulchre, the shape of which is as has been described by various writers. The cave which served as the sepulchre for the Lord’s body is a double one; in one part lies the stone that was rolled away, guarded by white marbles, and in the other part, to the north, the stone is hewn out, rising one cubit above the level floor, upon which the Giver of Life was laid, dead and naked. Through the desire and faith of my lord and emperor, Manuel Porphyrogenitus Comnenus, this is seen adorned with pure gold. Near this is the place of Golgotha, where the site of the Skull B is found, along with the base hewn for the Cross, and the fissure in the rock that was rent at the time of the Lord’s Passion; and beneath this fissure, in a hollow place in the rock, is the skull of Adam, and the traces of the drops of the Lord’s blood that were shed upon it. The church above Golgotha is four-arched and vaulted. Near this same church is a large underground church, in which the precious and life-giving Cross of the Lord Christ was found. Towards the eastern part of the city is the church named the Holy of Holies. This temple is most exceedingly beautiful, having a vaulted roof, seen within the ancient pavement of that most famous temple of Solomon, and adorned both inside and outside with various marbles and mosaics. Now, on the left sides of the church there are two arches on which are represented, in one, the Meeting of the Lord Christ, because it was in this very place that the righteous Simeon embraced the Lord Christ. In the other is represented the wonderful ladder that Jacob saw, reaching up to heaven, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon it; and the stone beneath the ladder depicted there is seen to be that very one which had been placed under Jacob’s head. In the right part C there is found a descent leading down to a certain cave beneath the church, in which lies the prophet Zacharias, who, as the Gospel records, was slain by the Jews between the temple and the altar. Outside the temple is a large paved area, which I believe is the ancient floor of the great temple. And near the gate that leads to the holy Gethsemane is the church of the Holy Joachim and Anna, in which the birth of the All-Immaculate Theotokos took place, and near this the waters of the Sheep Pool bubble up.
15. From there, outside the city, towards the eastern part, in the midst of the great, steep chasm that separates the Mount of Olives from the holy city, lies the village of Gethsemane, in which is the tomb of our most holy Lady the Theotokos, and the garden where our Savior often stayed with his disciples. There are three churches in it: in the one on the left, which is in a hollow beneath the earth, the divine tomb of the Theotokos is viewed; this church is entirely vaulted, elongated, and cylindrical. And in the middle of it stands the tomb of the Virgin, like an ambo, hewn out of stone in the shape of four arches. And D on the eastern side of this is, from the same
the all-holy Theotokos, having been brought by the holy Apostles from Sion, was placed. The other church above it is a cave, in which the Lord’s Prayer was given, and the Apostles, weighed down by sleep, were sleeping. Near the foothills of the Mount of Olives, at a stone’s throw away, according to the Gospel, there is a third church, in which, after the Apostles had been rebuked by the Lord for their sloth, He went away and prayed again, when His sweat flowed down like drops of blood. In that same garden the betrayal also took place, and Judas deceitfully kissed the Master, and the crowd of the Jews seized Him. Opposite the garden, toward the upper part facing Sion, there is a church and a cave underneath it, in which, after the denial, Peter entered and sat and wept bitterly, in which place also the Apostle is depicted as mourning. Above Gethsemane and the church of the prayer is seen the Mount of Olives, divided, as has been said, from the holy city by the valley of Josaphat and by the torrent of the valley of weeping. The place is therefore a hill rising slightly above the city. For this reason it is not very large, as far as it appears from the side of the city; but from the side toward the Jordan and Bethany, it is very high, for its slope is level as far as the desert. B There is, therefore, on the summit of the mountain a place where, having conversed many times with the disciples after the Resurrection, the Savior finally accomplished the most fearful mystery of the Ascension. Near it, below, is a cave in which the holy Pelagia completed the ascetic struggles in which she exercised herself, and in which her holy body rests in a stone sarcophagus. And near this there is another church, where the Lord delivered to the disciples the prayer, Our Father. On the left side of the city is a Latin monastery, built on the foundations of the old monastery erected by the celebrated Melania, as tradition holds. Opposite such a mountain of the city, behind, as it faces Samaria, there is a monastery into which, after the holy protomartyr Stephen was stoned and placed where we mentioned before, his sacred and holy body was transferred by Gamaliel. The torrent, coming from Gethsemane, flows as far as the laura of Saint Sabas and the desert of Rouda, which is about the Dead Sea of Sodom.
16. Immediately, therefore, from Gethsemane, about a bowshot away, stands what is called the Cucumus, a building constructed on a rock with a square shape, in height, as I think, rising two spears high, and narrowing from the bottom to the top into the shape of a pyramid, in which an Iberian monk has shut himself up, attending to the care of his own salvation. After these things there is a great cliff, in which artificial C caves of various kinds have been made, which are called the Virgins', in which live a few Orthodox, but a greater number of Armenian and Jacobite monks. Then the chasm D
A opens, at the place where the Valley of Hinnom is. And beyond this is the Field of the Potter, which was purchased for the burial of strangers with the Lord’s price. After this follows the pool of Siloam, irrigating with the waters flowing from it that whole region which is parched by drought. Thence also a few moderate meadows, planted with trees, are seen in the valley's breadth. The fountain, indeed, is surrounded by arches and thick columns, and derives beauty from this; and in this way the valley extends to the laura of Saint Saba, as we have said, for eleven miles; where the laura and the temple and the sepulchre of the saint are seen, it opens out into larger and more horrific chasms with vast jaws. Before the laura, on both banks of the ravine, are found caves and small towers; those who dwell in them, having abhorred the world B and its luxury for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, endure that unbearable heat of the sun, quenching flame with flame—quenching the quenchable with the unquenchable. In the place where the temple is, and the sepulchre of the God-bearing holy Father Saba, the gorge is divided into three parts and sinks into a great and profound chasm. The saint, underpinning the ends of this with huge towers, erected the temple in the middle, and built those most recent ascetic cells in a circle around it, just as the history of his admirable life records. The temple, therefore, invites delight from every side; it is very large, very long, and full of light. Its floor is adorned with marbles—vile ones, certainly, and brought from the desert—but nevertheless worked in diverse and skillful ways. Before the temple is a courtyard C paved with stones, and in the middle of it is the sepulchre of our great Father Saba, rising a palm's breadth above the ground, covered by a most white marble slab. Near it and around it, and even under the earth, are seen the graves of the holy Fathers who, leading a solitary life, were held in high esteem, and with them the graves of the holy poets of old, Cosmas and John. In those places are about forty God-bearing men, notable above others; and among them, especially six who converse directly with God. Their names are Stephen, Theodore, and Paul; the fourth originated from the great city; the fifth was a Georgian; the sixth is he who is on everyone's lips because he perceives things hidden, John the Stylite.
17. Returning then towards the holy city, not by the valley but by the ridge of the mountain, you will find, six miles before you reach it, the monastery of our holy Father Theodosius the Cenobiarch. That monastery D is fortified by various towers; and at a bowshot distance before it is an arch in which, as the author of his Life relates, extinguished coals were ignited above his hand. In the middle of the monastery, on a more elevated spot, the temple is raised, having a round roof, and underneath it is a cave where the sepulchre of the saint is, and near it are various vaults in which the relics of great saints are deposited. Descending the stairs of the cave, you will find
B the very grave of the saint where his disciple Basilius, having entered, marked out his own sepulchre as the saint had commanded, as the Lives of the Fathers attest; and having died there, he was seen for forty continuous days, at the time of the Synaxis, chanting together with the saint and the brethren.
18. Opposite that monastery, more to the right into the depths of the desert of the Jordan, is the monastery of Saint Euthymius the Great; it is surrounded by towers and large bulwarks. In its midst stands the temple, also having a cylindrical roof; beneath this lies a cave, and in its center the tomb of the great Euthymius, not unlike the sepulchre of the God-bearing Saba, covered just like that one with white marble, in which also, together with the saint, the relics of the holy Fathers Passarion and Dometianus are deposited.
19. After this monastery, there is a distance of about 12 miles. Thus one finds a large chasm, and a torrent flows through its middle; on the opposite side of this is the monastery of Choziba, a thing not believed when told, but wondered at when seen. For the cells of the monks C are the very openings of the caves. And the temple itself, and the cemetery, are built into a fissure of the rock, so scorched by the burning of the sun that tongues of fire as if in the form of pyramids are seen being emitted from the stones. The water drunk by the monks is such as one might draw from a pool when the sun in mid-summer lingers over the lakes and with fiery rays warms it to a seething heat. In this monastery we saw various men conspicuous for their holiness, and one of them a wonder-working man, and one directly conversing with God, whose name is Luke the elder. Into which monastery we descended and ascended with danger, both because of the precipitous nature of the place and the overpowering path of the sun.
20. D Following these, there is a narrow, long, and most rugged path leading to the back of the desert, as far as the place where two ridges are seen in the middle, between which the path leads down until it reaches Jericho. In this place, not even a foundation stone is found, but nevertheless the entire outline of it is seen somewhat dimly; but now, since the whole surrounding region is well-watered, it serves for the cultivation of the gardens of the monasteries established in the desert. For the land, having been divided and distributed to those holy monasteries, the whole was made habitable and became full of vines; for this reason the monks, having built towers on their garden plots, provide themselves with fruits of every kind in abundance. Thus, the whole desert, and the Jordan, together with the Dead Sea of Sodom, in our estimation concerning the position of the spectacle, has no other figure than that which the site of Achris seems to be; but they differ only in this, that the water emerging from the swamp of Achris stagnates in the various valleys of the land, which the inhabitants of that land call *strougas*.
A And here the Jordan also separates the lake; and the width of the desert is also stretched out to an infinite breadth relative to the Achridian plain.
21. On the right hand, then, where I mentioned there is a double ridge, the side of the Dead Sea is visible, and across it Segor; and beyond this desert, the great desert of Rouba is seen after passing the two monasteries, namely that of Saint Euthymius and the Laura. On the left of the ridges and the road is seen the hill into which, after the forty-day fast of the Savior, the tempter brought the two temptations, though he departed defeated and covered with shame. And opposite such a hill, as I think, at about six miles distance, there is a hill, and on the hill a temple, where the commander-in-chief Michael discoursed with Jesus Nave.
22. About the Jordan there are three monasteries, namely the Precursor, and Chrysostom, and that of Kalamon. The monastery of the Precursor, having been leveled from its foundations by an earthquake, has now been rebuilt anew by the munificence of our God-crowned emperor, Porphyrogennetos and Comnenus Manuel, with its superior having solicited B the restoration of it by his instigation. Not far from this, at a distance of two arrow-shots, flows the most holy river Jordan, in which my Jesus, having embraced poverty, perfected the great mystery of my restoration by his baptism; and on the bank, about a stone's throw away, is a four-sided vaulted structure, in which, before it flowed back, the surrounding Jordan received, naked, Him who covers the heaven with clouds; and the right hand of the Precursor, trembling, touched the top of His head, and the Spirit in the form of a dove descended upon the co-equal Word, and the voice of the Father confessed the Redeemer to be His own Son.
23. Between the monastery of the Precursor and the Jordan lies the very small mount of Hermoniim, on which John C pointed with his finger and proclaimed to the crowds that this was He who takes away the sin of the world. In the space between the monasteries of the Precursor and Kalamon, the monastery of Saint Gerasimus is overturned from its foundations by the waters of the Jordan, of which nothing at all is seen except some small remains of the temple, and two caves, and an enclosure-pillar in which a great Iberian elder, very graceful and admirable, is enclosed; having associated with him, we derived great profit from his conversation: for a certain divine grace was upon the elder. But we deemed it necessary to recount, for the joy of those who greedily delight in divine things, D a miracle performed by him a few days before we came to him. In the winding and curving eddies of the Jordan, as is customary, certain parts of the land contiguous to the river are separated, in which a great quantity of reeds is wont to grow, and diverse kinds of lions are accustomed to inhabit them. Two of these, coming each week to the elder's cell...
A and applying their heads to the column, would ask, by the nodding of their eyes, that food be served to them; and when they had easily become partakers of it, they would joyfully return to the customary eddies of the river. The food was pulse soaked in water, or perhaps spelt, or fragments of barley bread. When they arrived on one occasion, requesting their customary food through the nodding of their eyes, the elder, not having the means, was at a loss how to satisfy the beasts' appetites; for it happened that for an interval of twenty days that holy man had prepared no food for himself. He said to them: "Since, O beasts, we are not able to refresh your weakness with any food, because for these twenty days already passed we have not even been able to procure for ourselves what is necessary, as was our custom, with God, who cares for our providence, wisely disposing that this should be done, it is necessary that we journey to the streams of the Jordan, and bring back to us some small pieces of wood. From these we shall fashion crosses and give them to those who pass by, for the sake of a blessing; from them, being remunerated by free-will offerings at each person's discretion, we shall collect a small sum of money which will provide food for you and for me." He spoke, and the beasts listened, as if they were possessed of reason, and with a brisk motion and gait they proceeded to the streams of the Jordan. And after a little while—oh, how miraculous!—they carried on their necks two pieces of wood, and placing them at the base of the column, they readily flew off to the marshes of the Jordan. And let these things be sufficient; now let us follow the history of the localities.
B 24. And the monastery of Calamon is also built of square, hewn stone, with towers and curtains; in its midst a spacious, domed temple rises, resting upon vaults resembling cylinders. To this, on the right side, is annexed another temple, likewise consisting of a dome, very small, built, as tradition has it, in the time of the Apostles, in the apse of which the image of the Theotokos is depicted, carrying in her arms Christ the Savior, displaying the figure, the color, and the length of the most holy Hodegetria image which is seen in the royal city. It is said according to ancient traditions that it was painted by the hand of the Apostle and Evangelist Luke. Frequent miracles and the most sweet fragrance emanating from the image, not without the admiration of all, confirm the fame and rumor concerning it. C Following this, at a distance of about five stadia, is the monastery of Chrysostom; and about a bowshot away from it stands an anchoretic cell, in which a great man was living in stillness, an Iberian by race, simple in manner, reverend in speech, who had formerly, for many years, exercised himself with continuous labors and sweat upon a rock founded by the sea of Attalia; and there we met the man, while we were campaigning in company with the most celebrated emperor and Porphyrogennetus Comnenus.
25. On the side beyond the Jordan, opposite the Baptistery temple, various thickets rise up, and in their midst, at the distance of about one stadium, the cave of John the Baptist lies open, very small, and unable to receive D
a man standing erect. And of this, A near the depths of the desert, there is another cave in which the prophet Elijah passed his life, before being snatched up by the chariot of fire. Beyond these caves, toward the course of the Jordan, the desert is said to extend, in which the venerable Zosimas was found worthy to behold the angel-like Egyptian. Beyond the mountains, the desert that leads to Sinai, Raithu, and the Red Sea makes its claim. But let the discourse on the desert have its end here.
26. B To the right of the area of the holy city of Jerusalem, and below the part of the tower of the prophet David, there is an entire ridge planted with vines, and in its lower parts is the monastery of the Iberians, within the circuit of which the wood of the precious cross is said to have been divided. From here begin the reaches of the mountainous region, which is not absurdly named as such, for it is more mountainous than all the mountains, extending for many stadia in length. Therefore, at about fourteen stadia from the holy city, one may see the house of the prophet Zechariah, into which, after the Annunciation, the most immaculate Theotokos journeyed with haste and greeted Elizabeth; and the infant in her womb leaped for joy, C receiving the Lord as was fitting; and the Virgin uttered that wondrous and prophetic canticle. In that place, therefore, there is a fort, and a temple built above a cave, and in the furthest recesses of the cave the birth of the Forerunner took place. And near this, at the distance of about two bowshots, toward the steeper part of the mountain, there is a rock which split and received the mother of the Baptist as she fled, holding the infant in her arms, when Herod was raging with his most inhuman slaughter, and it carried her away into its own bosom.
27. D From Jerusalem, between two roads—the one leading toward the mountains and the one toward the monastery of the Coenobiarch and the Laura—there is a ridge, and upon it runs the road leading from holy Sion to Bethlehem. The city of Bethlehem is distant from the holy city by about six miles. Halfway between the holy city and Bethlehem exists the monastery of the holy prophet Elijah, built by most ancient godly men, but leveled to the ground by earthquakes. Nevertheless, this, too, my master and emperor, who deserves well of the whole world, restored from the foundations through the Syrian man he set over it. And so, between the monastery and Bethlehem, the tomb of Rachel forms a triangle with the area, covered by a structure of four arches ending in a vaulted peak. Toward the left side of holy Bethlehem, between it and the monastery of the Coenobiarch, a field is seen, and in the field a cave, in which the blessed shepherds, abiding in the fields, heard the angelic praises: "Glory to God in the highest," they proclaimed, "and on earth peace, salvation in the world, from the generation of my God from the Virgin Theotokos." Holy Bethlehem is founded upon a ridge paved with stone; in it is seen the holy cave, and the manger, and the well from which David longed to drink, and a temple upon
the back of the cave, appearing elongated and very great, covered with incorruptible wood; and the roof around the sanctuary is raised by a stone dome. But this most beautiful and very great temple also, the generous hand of my most seemly emperor raised, and he adorned the whole temple with gilded mosaics, upon which the Latin pastor situated in that land—perchance rewarding the emperor for such great magnanimity—depicted his comely image in various places, and in the sanctuary itself above the holy cave.
The shape of the cave, the manger, and the well is as follows. Around the left side of the sanctuary is the mouth of the holy cave, near which is that well from which the forefather David longed to drink; water from which two of the brave men who were with him, having cut through the camps of the foreign tribes and drawn some in a vessel, brought to him while he was burning with thirst, and he, having poured it out as a libation to God, is heralded as having performed a deed famous even to this day. From the entrance of the cave to its bottom, the descent is by sixteen steps. And around the northern part is that holy inn in which the Virgin gave birth to the Savior Christ, and all creation beheld God in the flesh, and the whole world was renewed, and I, though mortal, am enriched by the divinity of my God and Creator B who was poor for my sake.
Then, one step below, the manger of the irrational creatures is seen, shaped as an equal-sided quadrangle, which men of old covered with white marble; in the middle of it, they made a navel-like indentation, through which a part of that manger appears, the manger which contained the Uncontainable, which is wider than the heavens, and more spacious by far than the earth and the sea and the things beneath the earth; for whereas they could not contain Him, this [manger] accommodated Him, being born as an infant, spaciously.
I leap with my soul into the Scripture, and entirely in my mind I become present within that holy cave, and I see the covering of the Master’s birth, and the reclining in the manger of the One who was born, and the awesome love of the Savior towards me, and the extreme poverty of this [birth], through which He deemed me worthy of the kingdom of heaven; but I also conceive of the cave as a palace, and I see the King sitting as upon a throne in the virginal bosom, and I see choirs of angels encircling the C cave, and the Magi offering gifts to the King, and I am filled with every delight, and I rejoice, considering of what grace I have been deemed worthy.
The artist painted with his brush in the very cave the mysteries accomplished therein. For it was depicted upon the apse, where the great mystery of the world [was shown]: the Maiden reclining for rest, having placed her left arm under the elbow of her right, and leaning her cheeks to her right side, and looking toward the infant, and showing the inner modesty in the smile D of her countenance, and in the healthy coloring of her cheeks; for her face is not changed to be pale or haggard, as one who has just given birth for the first time; for indeed it was fitting that she who was deemed worthy to give birth above nature should also be preserved from the pains of nature.
and that they are exempt from the [burdens of the] bringers: then the donkey, and the ox, and the manger, and the company of shepherds, whose ears the clamor thundering from heaven had called away from the flocks; wherefore, leaving the herds, which were seeking food and drink for themselves among the herbs and the spring, and [leaving] the dog, the guardian of the flocks—to whom their keeping had been entrusted—they lift their necks into the air, and direct their ears toward the sound of the din, standing one in one way, another in another, according as each thought it easier and lighter to stand. To these indeed the feet are of no use; for them the face is fixed toward the heavens; for, drawing back their right hands at the voice, they agitate the troubled air. Yet they had no need of a second hearing, for eyes bring greater certainty than ears. For an angel, meeting them, points out to them the reclining of the little child in the manger. The cattle, not at all intent upon what was done, are led on with a foolish gait, some parts of them swimming toward the grass, others turning to the spring. But the dog, because it is an animal that keeps anger at the ready, seems to contemplate the unwonted nature of the vision. The Magi, descending from their horses, and taking their gifts in their hands, and bending the knee, reverently offer these to the Virgin.
28 Outside the holy Bethlehem, about two miles away, in the monastery of the Coenobiarch is the cave in which, having received an oracle, the Magi, so as not to return to Herod, departed by another way into their own country. And twelve miles from there, near the desert of Rouba, lies the monastery of Saint Chariton. And beyond that, at a long interval, is the double tomb of Abraham at Hebron, and the oak of Mambre, under which the patriarch Abraham had received the most holy Trinity in hospitality. But these things have been recounted from Ptolemais through Galilee to the holy city of Jerusalem, the Jordan, and the holy desert. The coastal regions are as follows.
29 Six miles from the holy city of Jerusalem is the city of Armathem, in which that great prophet Samuel was born. And after that, about seven miles further, or a greater distance, is the city of Emmaus, a great city, lying in the middle of a valley on a rising ridge; in this way, the region of Ramplea stretches out for about twenty-four miles, and in it one sees an immense temple of the holy great martyr George, in which places he was born, and for the sake of piety underwent the greatest struggles, where also his holy tomb exists. The temple is oblong, and in the apsidal part of the sanctuary, under the floor of the holy altar, the mouth of the tomb is seen, surrounded by white marble. But it would be worth the effort to indicate in our narrative what was done a few years ago by the clergy of the temple at the holy tomb. For they said that the Latin bishop who now presides there, having attempted to open the mouth of the tomb, and the marble slab by which it was covered having been removed, a huge cave manifested itself, and in its interior part, the tomb of the saint: when at last and
they attempted to open it, fire leaped forth from the tomb, leaving one of those who tried this half-burned, and destroying the other with sudden death. B
30. Region succeeds this—Caesarea Philippi, a great city, populous, founded on the shores of the sea, having a very marvelous harbor made by human art, with the hand of Herod providing the vast expense of money for its construction. In this city, Christ asked the apostles: *Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am*? And Peter answered Him, *Thou art the Christ, the Son of God*, thus demonstrating the burning heat of his love. C
31. Following this is Mount Carmel, about which much talk is recorded in both the Old and New Scripture. The mountain is a ridge, beginning from the very bay of the sea which curves around Ptolemais and Caipha, and extending to the borders of Galilee. At the end of the ridge facing the sea, the cave of the prophet Elijah is to be seen, in which that wonderful man, having practiced the angelic life, was taken up into the air. In such a place, there was once a great monastery, as the remnants of the structures visible to this day bear witness; but it was completely destroyed by time, which leads all things into decay, and by the successive incursions of the gentiles. However, some years ago, a certain monk, a priest in dignity, white-haired, hailing from Calabria, arriving at the mountain by the revelation of the prophet, enclosed those places—that is, the remains of the monastery—with a very small wall, and having built a tower and a small temple, and gathered about ten brothers, he still inhabits that holy enclosure. D
32. Here let the writing of this description cease, where the circuit of the holy places finds its end for me. If, however, this work appears useful to those who encounter it, the labor itself will be considered for me as an ample and profitable reward; but if not, let it return to the parent from whom it drew its origin, and through its own stutterings may it refresh the memory of those holy places, so that we, returning to their living image through the recollection of them, may be restored to joys with sweet consolation.
EPIPHANIUS THE MONK OF THE HOLY CITY, SYRIA AND THE HOLY CITY.
Exstat cum aliis Epiphanii scriptis Patrologia tom. CXX.EXPOSITION OF THE DOMINICAL THEMES AND MEMORABLE THINGS WHICH ARE IN JERUSALEM BY PERDICAS, PROTONOTARY OF EPHESUS.
When it is a pleasure to most, I opine, to all, To hear a narrative of the city of Sion, for those who have not seen it, Even as I have beheld it with my own eyes, so will I describe it. The city is of a notable situation, Since from the sunrise and the sunset, between two valleys, It lies above, clean and deep. The northern part is smooth, fruitful, And adorned with appearance and a delightful view, With abundant vineyards and gardens and fields. The southern part, in turn, is directly lower in situation, Having a temperate climate and all manner of fruitfulness, Boasting a fortress in a square shape, Spread out on every side A, unfortified for many ages, Where, having journeyed in part, in the northern part You will find lofty houses, a royal dwelling, And the most delightful divine house of Joachim and Anna, Where the tomb of both parents of God is. And a tree with shady foliage stands there in the forecourt, Which for the nativity of the all-immaculate Maiden Sprouted forth, providing fruit for the barren, Who partake of the fruit of the tree. Near these are five porticoes and the Probatica, The pool formerly a healing for the paralyzed, Underground, with all descending by a staircase, To be washed tremblingly as the water surges and trembles. Above this there was a temple of stupendous beauty, Of Him who grants healing to all who approach it. After these, the dwelling of Pilate, and of Annas and Caiaphas, The abominable praetorium and place of [condemnation] B
and the denial by Peter, and the guard of the Lord, From where they laid the cross upon the Creator and Master: Which Simon the Cyrenian bore a short while later, Having proceeded to Golgotha, and the place of the skull, Where the Hebrew race fixed to the cross The unjudged Judge alongside wicked thieves. There is even to this day, upon the most august stone, In which they fixed the cross, a hole—bored through, And veins reddening, which clearly display The shedding of the most immaculate blood of the Lord. B Beside this also is the Lord’s tomb, the container of God, Splendid with most shining marble columns, And the stone rolled away before the doors by the angel, From which wonders flow abundantly to all the faithful. And what is greater, manifest to the faithful and to the faithless, At the time of the universal resurrection of the Lord, Is the manifest outpouring of the most holy light, Imparting holiness and light to the faithful. There is also a place, high in the manner of a ladder reaching to the depths, Where the life-giving cross of the Lord was hidden. And a place emitting a sound, as the story goes, the center of the earth, Though others claim this is the place of torment, And the very midpoint of the earth in the middle of the pavement. Both are occupied by a fair, select people. The part surrounding the life-giving tomb, Equal in breadth, equal in length, in a round shape, Does not have a roof closed in by porticoes, But has a circle equal to the rim above the structure; C And from there, beams rise up with lead, Their ends joined together above in a spherical fashion, With the Creator of heaven sheltered as if by heaven, And with no rain ever entering at all, If all the parts around the temple are closed off. In the narthex is the memorial of the brother of God. Before this are the little dwellings of Martha and Mary: And their habitations have become a secret place for the impious, And an ancient dwelling of the divine patriarchs, Serving as a house and a synagogue for the faithless. On the other side is the temple of the most immaculate one, Whence, having stood, she was wounded in her inward parts, lamenting, Seeing her Creator and Son being crucified. In the western part, and near the wall, Are the houses of David’s remains, as formerly, Possessed by the impious, as are the rest. D Regarding the eastern part of the city, A wonderful ancient gate, sealed since then, Is a figure of the impenetrable one, the most immaculate; Which some having formerly dared to open, It is said the whole city was shaken and quaked, And the people of the city suddenly perished. Hence, by God’s power, the foolish were restrained from their audacity. Having gone a little inside the wall from here, You may see the houses of the impious who were drowned, Josedek and the rest of the idolaters, By the prayers of him born of the holy line of Melchizedek. Then also the leveled place of Solomon’s temple, Not even one stone remaining upon another, as was commanded. Upon which were the Holies [and] the things of the holy ones. A most beautiful temple, as the brightness of heaven,
A radiant within and splendid without, A most suitable structure, of mosaic work; But now the house of the Agarenes is most foul. Where before was the station of holy feet, Now it is a pavement of profane feet. Yet the fair circuit does not cease Of those striving to build a wondrous beauty, To pave the area with marble pebbles By makers and skilled stone-cutters, By the many hands of skilled ministers, To whom a monthly stipend was appointed, Equal to four silver coins: This is seen wonderous among those of the gracious Virgin. Behind this temple is another sacred place also, To which the Lord, when He had come, clothed as a man, Sitting, taught the suppliant people at the altar. There is a well of water of mercy. Lower than these is the illustrious temple of the guest of God; The apex, gleaming on all sides with lead, These places are also held by the impious. These marvels are within the city, to be sure, But it is necessary also to pursue the things outside; And it is fitting to take the beginning from the East. There is a small hill which they call Olivet, Not situated straight to the dawn, but obliquely: The dimension is small, rocky and stony, It is, in fact, two miles in length. It has a rectilinear apex, and not sharp. In the part of which towards the north is Galilee, Where the pious, passing by, saw Christ. And the temple has been destroyed by foreigners, But the trees and branches bring forth fruit; And towards the inner and middle part of the ridge, A fruitful olive grove, truly beyond the work of nature; And the stone upon which Christ sat and taught His mystics; And another stone near, from whence He was taken up. There a sacred temple is built, held by barbarians; Decorated with splendid columns and styles. And near to this is a Synagogue (O pain!), B From that area, the portico stands under the open sky Near the roofs, where is the holy coffin of Pelagia. This virgin, for everyone who arrives, performs great Miracles: for standing by the level of the walls, Raised by marbles, distant far from the ground, The space is very small, between the sea and the walls: It is therefore a custom for those seeking it in that place To pass through, to give a pure narration of all sins, But if one should do so while hiding his errors, The marbles neighboring the wall tighten Until he makes a sincere confession. Whence it was called the holier confession. A little further is Bethphage, a known place; From which, standing as if from a vantage point, One sees Bethany, the fatherland of Lazarus, And the sea, which overwhelmed the Sodomitic soil, And water bitter and unfruitful, and foaming With pitch, from on high the sacred Jordan soon flows. There is a hill in the region towards the winds of the south, And a small village which carried the ass and the colt.
A A little village, whence the ass and the colt were led away; a little further out is the cell of the holy Sabbas; and at the side and slope is the field of Gethsemane, In which is situated the temple, the tomb, and the cave, Where the Virgin Theotokos truly departed this life; Which place, like others, is held by the impious, O justice, but it always has a lamp with torches and lights, And is adorned with every other service, as the law requires: And annual olive oil is provided for the lamps, as the Sultan declares in many books. And by this miracle the glory of the Queen B is present in this place. Near by is the cave in which, when his disciples were sleeping at the time of the betrayal, He who sees all things—the Inspector of all—left the marks of His fingers, as they might be seen by all, from which He was being handed over to those who sought Him, to the lawless. And the place of the most holy prayer of this place is there. Beyond these, opposite is Galilee. And there is the place where Stephen, the first of the martyrs, was stoned to death a little way outside the city, and the place which received the brother of the Lord. After these there is present the valley of weeping, Which divides Sion from the Mount of Olives, Into which they say the river of fire flows. And there are ten nunneries of equal number. Below, also, is the Siloam pool, In which a blind man washed and immediately received his sight, The water flowing from an underground rock, Carved out for the space of one mile, And watering and beautifying the nearby place With various fruit-bearing trees and vegetables. C And from above, having moved to the southern part, You may see the field of the potter, acquired With the precious blood, as a place for the burial of strangers. And the cave of Onuphrius, the wonder-worker in the saints. Near this, on the top of the mountain, can be seen The wondrous and splendid Laura of Theodosius. Near the city is the oratory of Peter, Having a foundation and a cave with steps, By which he entered and wept bitterly in repentance, When in his humanity he denied Him for the third time. Above this is the mother of churches, The ancient and wondrous temple of holy Sion, Bearing the uncorrupted signs of its beauty and size, Which it bore from the beginning before it was destroyed. D In this wondrous temple was performed The washing of the feet of the divine apostles, And the renewal toward them by the divine visitation Of the Most Holy Spirit through tongues of fire. In this place also is the small cell of the all-praised Lady, From which an angel called her to heaven, And the assembly of holy virgins gathered together And wept and lamented this departure of hers. And the place in the middle of the temple, on which, upon a bed That had been laid out, there arrived the choir of the apostles, Snatched suddenly from the ends of the earth by clouds, Where, having taken up the body of the Lady with hymns, They carried it and buried it in the place of Gethsemane. But the cave underneath the Sionite temple Is that in which the disciples, for fear of the Jews, sit.
ON THE HOLY PLACES
A That is where the disciples stood, enclosed A, and Jesus stood In the midst, and gave peace to them, and gave faith to Thomas. Here is also the tomb of the Lyrical king-prophet, And of Solomon the wise prophet and king. Beyond the western region lie The ancient dwellings of the weak lepers, And after these the holy temple of the martyr Procopius, Where a certain man had prepared an ancestral home for himself. Then the vine of Naboth is visited, bearing fruit. Then also a level place, a wide field, In which they say the leader of the chorus, Goliath, was overtaken. And in the middle of the public road leading toward Bethlehem, A cistern stands, a sanctified place, In which Abraham, having halted and left his servants, Ran to sacrifice his beloved son.
B A little further on is the divine house of the prophet Elijah. Then, having arrived at the city of Bethlehem, And having trodden the divine temple of the Virgin, We seemed to be ascending straight to heaven. For we saw the cave, another heaven, In which the altogether-immaculate Virgin, having taken refuge, Ineffably gave birth to the Lord of glory. We saw another throne, the holy manger. Miracles spring forth to all the faithful abundantly, From which, if anyone should take a stone or some dust, He shall find healing from all evils. Among these, we also beheld the inexhaustible well, Produced spontaneously, when the living water Was mystically emptied from an unopened spring, From which the Hymnographer himself longed to drink. Where also the star, the guide of the Magi, which transcends nature, Shines at the time and especially at the birth. C We saw the holy place and the blood-stained stone, In which Herod's tyrants, beheading the infants, Cast them in parts of the cave as if they were pollutions. But in another dark cave, the Maiden alone, Carrying the Lord and hiding, And as the holy milk dripped—so the story goes— The place had become white like cheese, From which women completely deprived of milk, Having partaken of the dust, flow with milk beyond nature. I say that the whole temple and the place there, D If the nation dwelling there were not there, because of my sins, Would pour forth wonders like rivers. For even inanimate nature appears subject, As if servant-like, keeping its heads bowed; The olive trees in the place of Bethlehem, from that time, Love also the saplings, the reverence toward the Creator. But having come to the oak of the hospitality, And having drunk of the cold and potable fountain water Of the ancestor Abraham the righteous, And having seen his tombs and those of his children, and the dwellings, And having met the holy Trinity, We found there the second refreshment of the things mentioned.
ANONYMOUS ACCOUNT OF THE HOLY PLACES OF JERUSALEM
1. Since, in accordance with your good intent, you ask of me an account of the holy places which Christ, and the Theotokos, and the holy apostles, and the prophets, and the other saints walked upon, I will comply. Dearest brothers, hear what I am about to say concerning the holy city of Jerusalem, and especially the Holy of Holies, Gethsemane, and the Mount of Olives. Let the beginning of our narrative be from the life-giving sepulcher of our Lord Jesus Christ. A The church of the Holy Sepulcher is round in shape; it is situated in the middle of the holy city of Jerusalem and has two domes. It also has a most beautiful bell tower attached to the holy church, and from afar they appear as a type of the Holy Trinity. B The one dome, which is above the holy sepulcher, is open to the sky, because the holy light used to descend there; but the other dome is covered with lead, and inside it is lined with a wooden structure down to the belt of the wall. And from the belt downward, all the prophets, the Great Constantine, and Saint Helena are depicted in gold mosaic. And below the prophets, purple marbles are fixed to the wall of the structure, and all around are the catechumens’ quarters of the holy sepulcher. There are also eight marble columns, and eight bases from the stands, and on the lower floor there are sixteen columns and a thick pillar. And in the middle of the dome, upon the ground of the earth, there is a most beautiful C stone kiosk (cubiculum), and in the middle of the kiosk is the holy sepulcher of our Lord Jesus Christ. And upon entering the door of the holy sepulcher, there lies the stone that was rolled away from the monument, like a holy altar, white and most beautiful. And the holy sepulcher is of most beautiful marble; and above the holy sepulcher hang thirty-six lamps, two of which burn continuously night and day. There is also depicted the raising of Lazarus by Christ, and the Resurrection, and the Ascension. And all around the sepulcher there are marbles fixed to the wall. And on the floor near it, about two paces away, is the stone upon which the angel sat D and said to the women: "Why seek ye Jesus of Nazareth? He is risen; he is not he" (cf. Matt. xxviii, 5, 6).
And above the stone four lamps hang down. Above the Holy Sepulchre is a small cupola covered with lead, supported by twelve porphyry columns with golden capitals; it is also adorned with gold mosaics. A Thence the holy light descends on the holy and great Sabbath at the hour of vespers, and approaches the Holy Sepulchre of Christ, and immediately the lamps of the Holy Sepulchre are lit. There are chapels of the heretics—Armenians, Jacobites, Indians, and Nestorians—but we hold the body of the Church. Between the two cupolas is a large vault, and in it is depicted in mosaic the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Annunciation of the most holy Theotokos; and one lamp hangs there. And beneath the cupola, on the floor, is the navel of the earth, the middle of the world, and a polycandelon hangs there. There are also four very large columns. Beneath this same cupola is the Bema of the church, where the Orthodox celebrate mass. It is also decorated with mosaic, and depicted therein is Christ crucified, also in mosaic. There are also letters inscribed: "God is with us; know it, ye nations, and be defeated" (cf. Is. viii, 9). And around the Bema are twelve columns, and above them four lamps. There is the patriarchal throne. Thirty lamps burn before the holy table, and the holy table is covered with an embroidered cloth. Behind the holy Bema is the prison of Christ, fifteen feet distant from the holy Bema.
B 2. Four stadia from the holy sepulchre toward the south is the house of David; it is a very large tower of David, and there he composed the psalter. The author says: "In the house of David [there is] great fear," and elsewhere he says: "Terrible things are finished," and the rest. And from that place Christ is to sit and judge the world. And from his feet the river of fire of punishment is to flow; and near the house of David is the valley of weeping. And it is called so because he will call the righteous who have repented of their deeds into the kingdom of heaven, but fire will pour forth upon the sinners from the house of David to consume them. A little further down is the monastery of St. James the Brother of the Lord. The Armenians hold it. Not far from there follow the dwellings of John the Theologian, and not long after is the temple built by Solomon, Holy Sion, the mother of the Churches.
C 3. There at Holy Sion is the house of the Theotokos and of St. John the Theologian. There John received the Theotokos into his home, just as the Evangelist says: "Woman, behold thy son; and likewise to the disciple, Behold thy mother" (John xix, 26-27). And he took her into his own home. In Holy Sion, in the house of the Theotokos, the mystical supper and the washing of feet took place. There the Holy Spirit descended upon the holy apostles in tongues of fire. There the Theotokos fell asleep, and the apostles were gathered by clouds and buried her body in the village of Gethsemane. There at Holy Sion is another prison of Christ. There is [the place of] the paralytic who struck Christ. D Then the sepulcher of the prophets David and Solomon, and of the elder Simeon, and of the protomartyr Stephen. There is seen there a stone which an angel brought from Mount Sinai. The stone is blackish, of many colors, and of such size that a man with outstretched arms could embrace it. It is distant
A from the holy sepulcher by one mile. At four stadia below this is the Field of the Potter, which serves for the burial of pilgrims; there, to this day, they bury monks, and they shall not come into judgment. It is distant from the holy sepulcher one mile. Further down is the well of the righteous Job; and a little above it, towards Jerusalem, lies the pool of Siloam, to which Christ sent the blind man, saying: "Go, wash in Siloam"; and when he had washed, he saw. It is distant from the holy sepulcher one mile. Four stadia above is the monument of James, the Brother of God, whom the Jews killed by throwing him from the pinnacle of the Temple.
4. Outside the city, towards the east of the holy sepulcher, is Gethsemani B, where the tomb of the Theotokos is. And the temple has a roof, and the beautiful gate has eight marble columns; and when you descend forty-eight steps, you find the temple, and in the middle of the temple is a stone chamber, and in the middle of the chamber is the holy tomb of the Theotokos, made of white, very beautiful marble. And eighteen lamps hang there. There is one closed door there. And at the second coming of the Lord, the river of fire is to flow forth because of the heretics and sinners who slander her. Near there is the cave where Christ was hidden with the holy apostles, and that night he went into the garden, and Judas the traitor brought a band of Jews and they seized the Lord; and kissing him, he said: "Hail, Rabbi," which means "Master." And putting forth their hands, the Jews seized the Lord, and binding him, led him away to their high priests. Peter cut off the ear of Malchus. A little distance from there is the place where Christ prayed. A little further is the stone upon which he sat and looked at Jerusalem, and said: "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets, and stone those who are sent to you, how often I have wanted to gather your children together!" And again he said: "Behold, your house is left to you desolate, and not one stone shall remain upon another." Gethsemani is distant from the holy sepulcher one mile. C
5. Above Gethsemani is the Mount of Olives D, where Christ was taken up into the heavens. And it has a very large temple. And in the middle of the temple is a very beautiful stone chamber, and it has fifteen marble columns, and in the middle of the chamber is the footprint of Christ, pressed into the stone, which he stepped upon when he was taken up into the heavens; and four unquenchable lamps hang there. Descending thirty steps below, the tomb of Saint Pelagia is seen, separated from the wall by half the length of a human foot; if anyone enters the space between the wall and the tomb, he is immediately...
held fast, and unless he has first confessed all his sins to a confessor, he shall never depart. There is a small cell there, in which she dwelt for seven years; three lamps hang there. Nearby, at a distance of two stadia, extends Galilee, and Cana, where the wedding took place and Christ turned water into wine. The temple at this time is razed to the ground.
6. On the Mount of Olives, Melchisedech dwelt for ten years; and God sent Abraham, and he cut his nails and his hair, and gave him bread, and he ate, and Abraham was blessed by Melchisedech. B The Mount of Olives is a thousand paces distant from the Holy Sepulchre. Towards the east of the Mount of Olives, in the lower region, lies Bethany. There is the tomb of Saint Lazarus, marble and most beautiful. And near to the tomb is the stone upon which Christ sat after completing his journey. And opposite the tomb, inside the cave, is the tomb of Martha and Magdalene, the sisters of Lazarus. Bethany is two miles distant from the Holy Sepulchre. From there, towards the sunrise, the path leads to the city of Jericho. There the place is seen into which the feet of Jesus Christ were placed, made of marble; and there is a table where they perform the most holy sacrifice of the mass, and they light four lamps. And at a space of ten paces is the column at which the Jews scourged Christ. They light four lamps. And near before it is the spot where they fashioned the nails with which they affixed the Lord to the cross. And a little before, in the chapel of the Latins, in the pavement, there is a round, white marble slab, and in the middle it has a hole, to which, when men apply their ears, they hear the clanging of the copper on an anvil, from which the nails were fashioned; and the artisan is detained there as if in a prison until the day of judgment. Behind in the holy sanctuary, the garments of Christ were divided, as the Prophet says: *They divided my garments among them* [Ps. xxi, 19], and the rest.
7. The left side of the sanctuary of the Holy Sepulchre ascends by fifteen steps, and thus one enters Golgotha, in which the Lord was affixed to the cross. There the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent from top to bottom. There the thief said: *Remember me, Lord, in your kingdom* [Luc. xxiii, 42]. In that place also is the rock that was rent, onto which the precious blood of Christ flowed; and also the crucifixion of Christ is depicted. It has fifteen lamps. And the dome of the temple at Golgotha is fashioned in the form of a cross, and with mosaic the images of the prophets are delineated; and Abraham offering sacrifice, his son. And there is the place where he made the sacrifice. The pavement of Golgotha, interspersed with mosaic, gives the greatest pleasure to those who behold it. Behind Golgotha, where you descend thirty steps, the temple of Saint Helena is presented. It has four marble columns, which perpetually support her relics.
A After this is the throne of Saint James the Brother of God. Twelve steps further, a cave opens in which the Cross of the Lord, hidden by Saint Helena, was found. There is also a table where they celebrate the Mass. It has four lamps. Before the holy sepulchre, opposite the holy table, is the place where Nicodemus and Joseph cared for the dead body of Christ and buried it in a clean shroud. The place is adorned in various ways with purple and black marbles; and overhead, eight lamps hang, burning day and night; it has four marble columns, and vaults in the form of a cross; and there are thirty vaults in the temple. The temple is open through three doors: one faces the west; through it the blessed Mary of Egypt, when she strove to enter to worship, was barred by an angel. And above it is seen an image of the most holy Theotokos, who spoke to her, saying: "If you cross the Jordan, you will find rest." The other two doors turn toward the south, and they have six columns and three purple ones; and the lintels are carved. In the same place you will also discern a most beautiful stone chamber, decorated with mosaic, in which the king sat and gave judgment. And the holy atrium of the holy sepulchre is paved on all sides with marble. There are also four columns: and there, when the Cross was placed upon the dead man, the dead man was restored to life. Besides these, there are three churches: of the holy resurrection of Christ, and of the forty holy martyrs, and of Saint James the Brother of God, and of the women who brought the spices. In that place Magdalene saw Christ after the resurrection, and thinking him to be the gardener, said: "Lord, where have you laid the body of my Jesus?" And the Lord said to her: "Mary, do not touch me; for I have not yet ascended to my Father and your God." A little below is the Patriarchate; and above it is the Hodegetria, and there nuns dwell. From this place, when the Theotokos stood, she looked upon her Son on the cross and lamented. B It is one stadium distant from the holy sepulchre.
C 8. In these parts of the holy sepulchre, there are thirteen monasteries. The first is occupied by the Forerunner; then follow great George, great Demetrius, great Nicholas, Saint Thecla, Saint Anna, Saint Euthymius, Saint Catherine, Michael the Taxiarch, and another of Saint George, Saint John the Theologian, Saint Basil. The monasteries are bright with vaults. It also has two bronze doors; and on the right side of the bema, by ascending fifteen steps, one enters the temple of Saint George. Behind the bema, at a distance of about two stadia, is the place of the shepherds. Holy Bethlehem is one mile distant from the city of Jerusalem. From it to Apezalam Ephratha, a thousand paces intervene. Behind Apezalam is seen the temple of the great George; and in it is preserved the chain which he wore about his neck. It is eight miles distant from the city of Jerusalem. The place of Abraham is in the western black earth. D
A This is the place where Abraham practiced hospitality; and in the middle of his house is his tomb. It is three miles distant from Jerusalem. There he saw the Holy Trinity. Thirty-three miles further on is the holy monastery of Saint Chariton.
9. Mount Sinai is situated in the inner desert. It is fifteen days' journey from Jerusalem. There Moses saw the burning bush. The temple, of wooden structure, is covered with lead, and twelve columns support it. The sanctuary (bêma) is decorated with mosaic, and represents the Transfiguration of the Lord. The remains of Saint Catherine lie there in a marble chest; three lamps hang above it, and behind the sanctuary, and beneath the holy table, three lamps are lit. There are chapels of the holy abbots, and in them are deposited the remains of those who were slaughtered on Mount Sinai and in the city of Raithu. And near the catholic church are other chapels, six in number. There are other chapels in the monastery where fourteen priests celebrate Mass. There is also a well there, from which Moses provided water for the sheep. The mountain of Sinai lies above the monastery, and one climbs it by six thousand and six steps, and as one ascends to the middle of the mountain, one finds the church of the Theotokos, called Engytria—for it seems she has interceded B for the monastery. Above it, there is the holy temple of the prophet Elijah, and the cave in which he fasted for forty days. And on the holy summit of the mountain is the temple of the most holy prophet Moses, where he fasted for forty days; and after this, God appeared to him and dictated the Law to him, and presented the letters inscribed by God; there is also the stone which covered him. In the ridges of the mountain are seven seats; and near there lies the rock upon which John Climacus sat for forty years, and where he wrote the *Ladder*. It is six miles distant from the monastery. The rock which Moses struck with his staff, and from which waters gushed out, lies in the middle of the path along which one goes to the monastery of the holy Forty Martyrs; and above it is the mountain of Saint Catherine, where she rested for three hundred and sixty-five years, guarded by angels. From Mount Sinai to the city of Raithu is a journey of two days; and near Raithu is the Red Sea, which Moses crossed into the sweet water. There also are seventy trunks of palm trees. And not far away is the monastery of the Forerunner, in which place the monks died, having been slaughtered by the Blemmyes. C D
10. Egypt is two days' journey from Jerusalem. The Theotokos went there with Christ, fleeing the wrath of Herod; and the saying of the Prophet was fulfilled: *Out of Egypt I have called my son.* There is a place there, which is called Matarea. There flows also a spring, which is most beautiful and provides healing for all ills. In it the Theotokos washed the swaddling clothes of the Son. And in the field where she spread them out, bloomed the balsam plant.
A Near Cairo, a journey of two days, is visited the monastery of the great Arsenius. And there the Nile flows out from Paradise and inundates all of Egypt. Outside of Cairo is the Khan; and from there you arrive at Gaza, which has a most beautiful temple of the most holy Theotokos. Gaza is distant from Jerusalem by two days' journey. There Saint Philip baptized the eunuch. Caiapha, where Peter used to fish, is one mile distant from Jerusalem. The Sea of Tiberias, where the apostles fished, is three days distant from Jerusalem. There Christ found them and said to them: "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men," and they followed him.
11. In these parts is the hill country of Saint John the Forerunner. Thither came the Theotokos and greeted Elizabeth; and at two stades is the water of the Reproof, and in the part above is the rock which split and preserved the Forerunner and his mother. There is also a temple of his, where the Forerunner was born. As you come towards Jerusalem at two miles, there is the monastery of the Holy Cross, and beneath the holy table is the place where Lot planted the three branches, which grew into trees. The Jews cut down this tree and made the cross, and crucified the Lord of glory. There is also a most beautiful temple with a dome, and built around like a fortress; it has an iron door, and above the holy table there hang four lamps. As you go to Jerusalem, at five stades you will find the monastery of Saint Babylas. There the head of Saint George was cut off. B And above on the road is the stone where the Theotokos sat. And nearby is another stone where the Theotokos stood and venerated the holy and precious wood and the holy Jerusalem. And close to the Wall-fortress, at six stades, is the field of Agrippa, where Jeremiah sent Abimelech for figs, and he slept for seventy-two years. C Above it is a fortress on a mountain, where they sawed the prophet Isaiah with a wooden saw. The circuit of the holy city of Jerusalem is five miles. These things I have written down for you, o friend, for the profit of your soul and the renewal of salvation and for the kingdom of heaven, by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ; to whom be glory and might unto the ages of ages. Amen. D
12. Within Jerusalem in the time of the Romans there were monasteries and churches, numbering 365. And today they are held by the impious. Towards the east of the holy sepulcher inside Jerusalem, at an interval of four stades, are the Holy of Holies, and the temple in which the Lord taught. Inside the Holy of Holies was slaughtered the prophet Zechariah, the father of the Forerunner. And in the same temple the prophet Simeon also took in his arms the Lord...
A of all, and the chain hangs down. And when a Christian enters, it moves, although now, because of the Hagarenes, no one is allowed access. In that same place there is also a table hung by God. The temple is huge and round, with a lead-covered dome, decorated inside and out with mosaic. It also has a courtyard, and on one side of the courtyard towards the east is the four-fold gate through which Christ passed with palms and branches; and to this day it is shut. Near there also is the courtyard of Pilate and the praetorium of Caiaphas, and a little below it is the Sheep Pool, called Bethesda by the Hebrews, having five porticoes; and there is a temple near it. It is three stadia from the Holy Sepulchre. Near there is the house of Joachim and Anne, the mother of the Theotokos. Near there is the mud-pit into which the Hebrews threw Jeremiah. B It is four stadia from the Holy Sepulchre. These are the monasteries that are numbered both outside and inside Jerusalem and in the Jordan itself.
13. In the middle of the way flows the spring of the Apostles. A short distance away is the monastery of Saint Euthymius, and it is situated on the summit of a mountain. It is fifteen miles from the city of Jerusalem. And below it is seen the monastery of the Theotokos. It was there that Joshua the son of Nun, having seen the angel, said: "Are you ours?" And the angel answered: "I am the commander of the army of the Lord, and now I have come to you." And Joshua worshipped him; and the angel said: "Loosen the sandal from your feet; for the place where you C stand is holy. Now take the ark of the covenant, and come before Jericho, that the walls of the city may fall to the ground. Near Jericho are the salt waters of the sea, which Moses changed into sweetness. And near there is the sycamore tree which Zacchaeus climbed so that he might catch sight of Christ. Towering above is the mountain where Christ fasted for forty days; then he hungered; and the devil approaching, said: "If you are the Son of God, say that these stones may become bread." And the Lord responded: "Go behind me, Satan," and what follows, and he immediately disappeared. It is twenty miles from the city of Jerusalem. From that place towards the desert one visits D the monastery of Saint John the Forerunner. The Jordan river flows past the monastery, in which John baptized our Lord Jesus Christ. There, on the bank of the Jordan, John beheld the divine Trinity. And across the Jordan is the cave in which he dwelt. From there also, Elijah was snatched away in a chariot of fire. The Jordan river is thirty miles from the city of Jerusalem. Across the Jordan also are high mountains, upon which Moses ascending, prayed toward Jerusalem; and in that same place he was buried. In the interior wilderness, the sepulchre of the blessed Mary of Egypt is seen, whom the abbas Zosimas visited and buried. The blessed woman had inhabited that region for forty-seven years. It is eight days' journey from the city of Jerusalem.
A 14. To the right of the Jordan are Sodom, Gomorrah, the Dead Sea, and the place of Lot, and inside it is the place of punishment. It is thirty miles distant from Jerusalem. There is the monastery of Saint Gerasimus, who ministered to the saints. And higher up towards Jerusalem, among the hills, is the monastery of Saint Sabas, and his tomb is there. The monastery is built by a torrent. Below the monastery is a spring which he had obtained from God through prayer. The church is built with a dome, and it is painted in azure blue. There also is the cell of Saint John of Damascus. There he wrote "It is truly meet," and likewise the Octoechos. In the time of Saint Sabas, it was inhabited by one thousand and twelve monks. It is fourteen miles distant from Jerusalem. Towards Jerusalem, upon a mountain, the monastery of Saint Theodosius the cenobiarch is built. It is eight miles distant from Jerusalem; and above it is the monastery of the holy prophet Elijah, and it is situated on the road leading to Bethlehem. The church has a dome. There he slept, and the angel said: "Arise, eat, for the journey is long." And there in the torrent Joseph brought the Theotokos, that he might put her away secretly; but the angel coming, said: "Joseph, son of David, do not fear, take to thee Mary thy wife, for that which is born of her is of the Holy Spirit."
A 15. To one proceeding from this place to the holy city of Bethlehem, on the way, there is the monument of Rachel with a stone chamber. And near there is holy Bethlehem, where Christ was born. The church of holy Bethlehem is long, with wooden framing, and covered with lead, and adorned with gold mosaic. Inside the church there are fifty columns. The floor of the temple C is of marble. And on the right parts of the church there is a most beautiful porphyry baptistery. To the left of the bema, one descends by fourteen steps into the cave in which Christ was born. The Nativity faces the east, and on the right side of the cave is the place where Salome hid the water with which she had washed Christ; which became ointment, accustomed to be kept in alabaster jars. This is the ointment with which the harlot anointed the Lord on the holy and great Wednesday. There are ten lamps hanging, and the whole cave is lined throughout. Amen.
HERE BEGINS THE TRACTATE ON THE DISTANCES OF THE LOCATIONS OF THE HOLY LAND, COMPILED BY EUGESIPPUS.
Let us turn our pen, taking our start from Hebron, which is also Chebron. Hebron was once a metropolis of the Philistines and a dwelling-place of giants, a priestly city in the tribe of Judah, and a city of fugitives. Hebron was situated in that very field in which the supreme Creator fashioned our father Adam and breathed into him. Hebron is called Cariatharbe, which in Saracen sounds as "City of Four," because four venerable Fathers were buried there in a double cave, namely the supreme one, Adam, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and their four wives, namely Eva, our mother, Sara, Rebecca, and Lia. Moreover, Hebron is situated near the Valley of Tears. It is called the Valley of Tears because for one hundred years Adam wept in it for his son Abel; it was in this place that, being cautioned afterward by an Angel, he knew his wife, from whom he begat his son Seth, from whose tribe Christ was descended. Two miles from Hebron is the burial place of Lot, the nephew of Abraham. In Hebron is a certain field whose soil is red; this is dug up by the inhabitants, carried away for sale through Egypt, and bought at a very high price, as if it were a spice. The aforementioned field, to the extent that it has been dug wide and deep, is, by divine disposition, found to be restored in the year to come. Near Hebron is Mount Mamre, at the root of which is that Terebinth which is called for many years—that is, *Hex*, or the Oak. Near it Abraham remained for a long space of time; under it he saw three angels and adored one, and those he had taken in to lodge, he fostered and fed as best he could; whence it is said to be the first wayfarer’s dining place. Said oak, from that time until the time of the Emperor Theodosius, according to Jerome, expanded its size, and it is reported that this which is seen by those present there now, and held dear, is from it. Though it is dry, it is nonetheless proven to be medicinal in this: that if anyone riding a horse carries some of it with him, his animal does not tire. In Hebron, Caleph and Joshua and their ten companions first arrived for the sake of exploring the land. In Hebron David reigned for seven years and a half. Ten miles from Hebron is the Asphaltite Lake, toward the east, which is also called the Dead Sea; and A it is called truly dead, because it receives nothing living. It is also called the sea of the devil, because at his instigation those four most miserable cities, Sodom, Gomorrah, Seboin, and Adama, persevering in their turpitude, were burned with sulfurous fire and submerged in that lake. Above the lake, in the slope of Judea, is Segor, which is also Bela, the fifth of those cities, preserved from destruction and fire by the prayers of Lot; it is shown even now. At the exit of Segor, the wife of Lot was changed into the likeness of salt; the traces of her still appear above the bank of the aforementioned sea. There is much alum and much bitumen, which is found and gathered by the inhabitants; from the sea, pitch is found and extracted, which is called *Judaice* and is necessary for many things. Now Segor is called by the locals the town of the palm. Over the Asphaltite lake, in the descent of Arabia, is Carnaum in a cave, on the mountain of the Moabites; into which Balach, son of Beor, led the divine Balaam to curse the sons of Israel; it is called *excisus* (cleaved) because of a violent precipice. The Asphaltite Lake divides Judea and Arabia. Arabia, in the time of the sons of Israel, was a solitude and a desert, an impassable and waterless land. In it indeed the Lord held them for forty years, raining down manna to eat and water brought forth from a rock. In Arabia is Helim, a camp of the sons of Israel, a place in the desert where they found twelve springs and seventy palms, coming out of the Red Sea. In Arabia is the Valley of Moses; in which, striking the flint twice with his rod, he returned to the people of God two streams of water; by which even now that whole region is irrigated. In Arabia is Mount Sinai, on which Moses remained for XL days and as many nights, devoid of all food; on which also the Lord gave the law to Moses, written by His own finger on stone tablets. In Arabia, a column of fire went before the sons of Israel by night, but clouds covered them every day. In Arabia are the XL encampments of the sons of Israel. In Arabia is Mount Hor, on which Aaron rests buried. In Arabia is Mount Abarim; on which the Lord buried Moses, whose tomb, however, appeared nowhere. In Arabia is the royal mountain which Baldwin, the first king of the Franks in Jerusalem, used to subjugate that land to those who cherish Christ.
A Libanon is interpreted as "Whiteness." Of which it is said in the Canticles: *Come from Libanon, my spouse, my dove.* [Cant. IV, 8] At the root of Libanon are the Pharphar and the Abana, rivers of Damascus. The Abana flows beyond the mountains of Libanon and the plain of Archados, joining itself to the great sea; through those places, Saint Eustachius, bereft of his wife and desolate of his children, withdrew. The Pharphar stretches through Syria to Reblata, that is, Antioch; and flowing along its walls, ten miles from Antioch at the port of Solim, namely of Saint Simeon, it commends itself to the Mediterranean Sea. In Antioch, the blessed Peter sat for seven years, adorned with the pontifical miter. At the root of Libanon is situated the city Paneas, that is, Helymas, which is also Caesarea Philippi. At the root of Libanon, the Dan and the Jor arise, those two fountains from which, under the mountains of Gelboe, the Jordan is formed. In which Christ, from John, his forerunner, at the third milestone from Jericho, wished to be baptized; in which place also the voice of his Father thundered, saying: *This is my beloved Son* [Matth. III, 17]; and upon Jesus descended there the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove. From the mountains of Gelboe to the Asphaltite lake is the valley through which the Jordan glides, B and protected the kingdom of David, rendering it a firm fortress, fearing the madness of the persecutor. Arabia is joined to Idumaea in the borders of Bestron. Idumaea is the land of Damascus. Idumaea, however, is under Syria. Damascus is indeed the capital of Syria. Libanon divides Idumaea and Phoenicia. Phoenicia, in which is Sor, that is, Tyre, the most noble metropolis of the Phoenicians, which, as the Syrians assert, was unwilling to receive Christ while he was walking through the maritime regions; which also, as the divine page testifies, rendered so many martyrs to God, that the knowledge of it alone is less than the count. Tyre hides the origin of its tomb. Before Tyre is that marble stone, not small, upon which Jesus sat: remaining unharmed, from the time of Christ until the expulsion of the Gentiles from the city; but afterwards it was despoiled by the Franks and the Venetians. But above the remainder of that stone, in honor of the Savior, a certain church was founded. Eight miles from Tyre towards the east, upon the sea, is Sarphen, which is Sarepta of the Sidonians. In which formerly dwelt Elias the prophet, in which also he resurrected the son of the widow, Jonah namely: whom she had previously received in hospitality, and had charitably cherished and fed. Six miles from Sarphen is Sidon, an excellent city; from which came Dido, who built Carthage in Africa. Sixteen miles from Sidon is Berytus, a most opulent city. In Berytus is a certain icon of our Savior, which not long after his passion was ridiculously crucified by certain Jews to his ignominy; it produced blood and water; whence many believed in the true Crucified and were baptized: whoever was anointed with even a drop from the icon, whatever infirmity they were burdened by, was restored to health. Arphat is a city of Damascus. Damascus is in Syria, concerning which is history. Damascus is to be held as the capital and metropolis of Syria. In it, Eliezer, servant of Abraham, built Damascus, in that field in which Cain killed his brother Abel. In Damascus dwelt Esau, who is also Seir, and Edom Seir the hairy; Edom is red and ruddy. From Edom all that land is called Idumaea. Concerning which in the Psalm: *Over Idumaea I will extend my shoe* [Ps. CXIX, 5]. But it is called Edom: whence the prophet: *Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozra?* [Isa. LXIII, 1] There is also a certain part of that land, the land of Hus, from which was the blessed Job; which is also Sueta; from which was Baldad the Suhite; in which also [is] Theman, the metropolis. From Theman is Eliphat the Themanite, in which also is the town of Naamath; from which was Sophar the Naamathite. These three were the consolers of Job. In the borders of Idumaea, two miles from the Jordan, is the river Jaboc; upon crossing which, Jacob, when he was returning from Mesopotamia, wrestled with an angel; who changed his name from Jacob to Israel. In Idumaea is Mount Seir; under which is Damascus. Two miles from Damascus is the place where Christ appeared to Saul, saying: *Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?* [Act. IX, 4] in which also a light from heaven shone around Saul not a little. In Damascus, Ananias baptized Saul, imposing upon him the name of Paul. In Damascus, Paul was sent down from the walls in a basket, C called Sortus. Suphon (which is Hebrew for "hidden") is also called that valley; which is large and level, ramparted on either side by continuous mountains from Libanon as far as the desert of Pharan. The Jordan divides Galilaea and Idumaea, and the land of Bosra, which is the second metropolis of Idumaea. The "Jordan's descent" is its interpretation. The Dan, almost from its rising, leads a subterranean flood as far as Melda, that sufficiently open plain into which it sends forth its channel. That plain is called Melda, because the "meldis" is in it. In Saracen, it sounds "plataem." "Platea Melda," but in Latin "platea," is a forum; but it is called Melda because in the summer, an innumerable people enter it, bringing with them all things for sale, and a huge army of Parthians and Arabs convenes there, to guard the people and their flocks in those most lush pastures throughout the whole summer. Meldan is composed of "Mel" and "Dan." "Mel" in Saracen is water. The Dan is a river, returning itself from the aforementioned plain of Dan into the river; it traverses Sueta, in which the pyramid of the blessed Job survives, which is held solemn by the Greeks and the Gentiles. The Dan, bending itself against the Galilaea of the Gentiles, from the city of Cedar, flowing through the medicinal baths of the blind and the level of the thorn-bushes, is joined to the Jor. The Jor, not far from Paneas, renders its lake from itself, and afterwards the sea of Galilaea, taking its beginning between Bethsaida and Capharnaum. From Bethsaida came Peter and John, Andrew and James of Alphaeus. Four miles from Bethsaida is Corozain, in which the Antichrist, the seducer of the world, will be nourished. Concerning Corozain and Bethsaida, Christ Jesus says: *Woe to thee, Corozain, woe to thee, Bethsaida* [Matth. XI, 21]. Five miles from Corozain is Cedar, that most excellent city, concerning which D in the Psalm: *with them that hate peace I was peaceable; with them that dwelt in Cedar* [Ps. CXIX, 5]. Cedar is interpreted as "in darkness." Capharnaum in
A the right part of the sea is situated, the city of the Centurion, whose son Jesus healed in it; concerning whom it is said: *I have not found so great faith in Israel* . In Capharnaum Jesus did many other things, teaching in the Synagogue. Capharnaum is interpreted as "most beautiful village," or "village of beauty," which signifies for us the holy Church. To which those who descend from Libanus, that is, from the brightness of virtues, are rendered more luminous by it and in it. At the second milestone from Capharnaum is the descent of that mountain on which He spoke to the crowds and instructed His apostles; on which He also healed the leper. A mile from that descent is the place where He fed five thousand men with five loaves and two fish. Whence that place is called the table, as if it were a place of refreshment. Subject to this place is that one where Christ, after His resurrection, appeared to the disciples, eating with them a piece of a broiled fish upon the sea; on which the Lord also walked with dry feet, when around the fourth watch of the night B He appeared to Peter and Andrew as they were fishing; where also to Peter, who wished to go to Him over [the water] and was sinking, Jesus said: *O thou of little faith*. Where also at another time, to His disciples fearing to be in danger in the ship, He rendered the sea calm. On the left head of the sea, in the hollow of the mountain, is Genezaret; a place generating gold, which is still obtained by those present there. At the second milestone from Genezaret is the town of Magdalum, from which came Mary Magdalene. But this region is the Galilee of the Gentiles; yet it is in the tribe of Zabulon and Nephthalim. In its upper parts were those twenty cities of Galilee which King Solomon gave as a gift to Hiram, king of Tyre, his friend. At the second milestone from Magdalum is Cenereth, which is also Tiberias, named after Tiberius Caesar; which He was accustomed to frequent in His youth. At the fourth milestone from Tiberias is the city of Bethulia; from which was Judith, who, to save her people, very shrewdly killed Holofernes in the siege of the city. At the fourth C milestone from Tiberias toward the south is Dothaim, in which Joseph found his brothers tending the flock; whom the Israelites, having him in hatred, sold. At the twelfth milestone from Tiberias is Nazareth, a city of Galilee, the country of the Savior, in that He was nurtured in it. Nazareth is interpreted as "flower" or "sprout"; and not without cause, since the flower has risen in it, from whose fruit the world has been replenished. This flower is the Virgin Mary, from whom the archangel Gabriel announced in that same Nazareth that the Son of the Highest would be born, saying: *Hail, Mary*. It was said of Nazareth: *Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?* At the fifth milestone from Nazareth is the city of Sephoris, on the road that leads to Achon. From Sephoris came the mother of the blessed Mary, Anna, and Hermana, her sisters. From Hermana was born Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. Furthermore, Joachim took Anna as his wife, who bore from him Mary, the Mother of the Lord. Upon the death of Joachim, Cleophas took Anna as his wife D and bore from her a second Mary, who was the mother of James the Less, son of Alphaeus, who is called the brother of the Lord. Upon the death of Cleophas, Salome took her as his wife, from whom he begot a third Mary. Zebedaeus took her as his wife, namely the third Mary; who bore him two great men, James the Less and John the Evangelist. And these were nevertheless kinsmen of the Lord. Joseph, who was called Justus, took the first Mary as his wife; Alphaeus took the second Mary. At the second milestone from Sephoris is Cana of Galilee, toward the East; from which were Philip and Nathanael. In which also the boy Jesus, reclining at a wedding with His mother, turned water into wine. In Nazareth flows a small fountain; in which He was wont to dwell in His boyhood, and from there to serve His mother and Himself. A mile from Nazareth, toward the south, is the mountain which is called the Precipice; from which they wished to cast down the young Jesus, envying His wisdom; but He vanished from them in a moment. At the fourth milestone from Nazareth, toward the East, is Mount Thabor; on which Jesus transfigured Himself, with His apostles seeing, Peter, John and James, Moses and Elias; to whom also the voice of the Father was heard, saying: *This is my beloved Son*. At the second milestone from Thabor, toward the East, is Mount Hermon. On the descent of Mount Thabor, Melchisedech, who is also Sem, son of Noe, the priest and king of Salem, met Abraham, who was returning from the slaughter of Amalec, presenting to him bread and wine; which signifies the offering of the altar of Christ under grace. At the second milestone from Thabor is the city of Naim; at whose gate Christ restored to life the son of the widow. Above Naim is Mount Endor: at the base of which, above the torrent Raduinum, which is the torrent Cison, where with the son of the prophetess Debora, Barach the son of Abinoem routed the Idumeans, namely Sisara, slain by Jahel, the wife of Heber the Cinaeite, and Zebee and Salmana, pursuing them beyond the Jordan, he put to the sword; Barach, as their leader in Endor, and the army being slain under Endor. Hence in the Psalm: *Thabor and Hermon*, etc. At the fifth milestone from Naim is the city of Jezrahel, which is also Zaran; from which was Jezabel, a most impious queen, who took away the vineyard of Naboth: who also, for her importunity, was cast down from the top of her palace and perished: whose pyramid is still seen standing. Near Jezrahel is the plain of Mageddo; in which King Josias, overcome by the king of Samaria, died, then was carried to Sion and buried: for whose death Jeremias made the Lamentations. At a mile from Jezrahel are the mountains of Gelboe; in which Saul and Jonathas, fighting, were overcome and fell. Whence David: *Ye mountains of Gelboe*, etc. At the second milestone from Gelboe, toward the East, is the city of Scythopolis, the metropolis of Galilee, which is also Bethsan, that is, "house of the sun" or "city," upon whose walls they hung the head of Saul. At the fifth milestone from Jezrahel is that twin city, from which Samaria begins. At the tenth milestone from Samaria, which is also Sebaste, that is, "Augusta," named from Augustus Caesar, in which was buried that forerunner of the Lord, John the Baptist, by Herod...
beheaded across the Jordan near Lake Asphaltites in the Castle of Machaerus, and from there translated by his disciples to Sebaste, and buried there between Elisha and Obadiah: afterwards, it is maintained that the body was taken from there by Julian the Apostate, and by his order burned, with the ashes given to the wind; but without the head, which had previously been translated to Alexandria, then to Constantinople, and at last to a village in Gaul, Poitiers, and without the judge, because he signified that Jesus was coming to baptism, saying: *Behold the Lamb of God* [John 1:29]. The holy virgin martyr Thecla brought the Just Judge to the Alps, where she is held in great veneration in the church of Moriens. Samaria is the name of the city and the country. At the fourth milestone from Sebaste is Neapolis, which is also Sichem, from Sichem the father of Hamor, who ravished Dinah as she traveled through those territories. In Sichem, indeed, were brought back the bones of Joseph from Egypt. In Sichem, by the fountain, Jeroboam made two golden calves, which he caused to be worshipped by the ten tribes which he had led away and seduced from Jerusalem. From which he placed one of them in Dan, and the other in Bethel. The sons of Jacob destroyed that city of Sichem and killed Hamor, grieving for the adultery of their sister Dinah. In those days Sichem is called Neapolis, that is, New City, formerly Sichar; near Sichem is the estate which Jacob gave to his son Joseph. In which is Jacob's fountain, which is also the well; over which, while Jesus was tired from the journey, he is preached to have held discourse with the Samaritan woman; where now also a church is being built. Near Sichem is that terebinth beneath which Jacob hid the idols. In Bethel, a mile from Sichem, is the city of Luza, in which Abraham lived for a long space of time: where also Jacob, sleeping, saw a ladder at his head, touching heaven, and the angels ascending and descending by it; and immediately waking up, he said: *This place is truly holy, and the gate of heaven* [Gen. 28:17], and erecting the stone as a monument, and pouring oil over it, he called the name of that place Bethel, which was formerly called Luza. In Bethel, by the command of an angel, Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac to the Lord. Now Bethel is collateral to mount Gerizim, looking toward mount Ebal, to the east near Dan above Sichem. At the twentieth milestone from Sichem and the fourth from Jerusalem, by the road that leads to Diospolis, is Mount Silo and the city which is also Rama; where the ark of the Lord and the tabernacle remained from the coming of the children of Israel until the times of the prophet Samuel and King David. A At the twenty-fourth milestone from Sichem, the eighteenth from Diospolis, the sixteenth from Hebron, the thirteenth from Jericho, the fourth from Bethlehem, the eighteenth from Beersheba, the twenty-fourth from Ascalon, and the same from Joppa, the fifth from Ramatha; is Jerusalem, the most holy city, the metropolis of Judea, which is also Sion; of which it is said: *Glorious things are said of thee, O city of God* [Ps. 86:3]. Which is Aelia, from Aelius Hadrian, who built it. Bethlehem is a city of Judah, which is also Ephrath.
Bethlehem is interpreted as House of bread; nor without cause, because from the Nazarene flower the fruit of life proceeded in it, from the Virgin Mary the Son of the living God, namely Christ Jesus, who is the bread of the angels, and the life of the whole world. In Bethlehem, near the place of the Nativity, is the manger, in which the infant Jesus also hid himself. Whence also the prophet: *He knew his owner* [Isa. 1:3]. From which the hay in which he had hidden himself had been brought to Rome by Helena and was honorably re-entombed in the church of Saint Mary Major. A mile from Bethlehem, a light shone for the shepherds when the Lord was born, with his angel appearing and saying: *Glory to God in the highest* [Luke 2:14]. In Bethlehem, with a new star as guide, three kings came from the East, and worshipped the newborn Jesus, and in order to adore him as the King of angels, offered mystical gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. B In Bethlehem and its borders, Herod ordered the Innocents to be beheaded: the greater part of whom, against the south, at the second milestone from Bethlehem, two miles from Tekoa, lie buried and rest. At the fourth milestone from Bethlehem, against the south, is the church of blessed Paretolis; where also, upon his passing from this world, his monks, whom he had led as their pastor, agonized with him; which they performed so devoutly because their father had been pious; nor did they wish to live in the world after him, so did they burn with love for him; the remains of each of whom could be seen in the church, in that manner in which they behaved themselves in the desolation of their agonizing father, afterward translated to Jerusalem. In Bethlehem, in the basilica not far from the manger, rests the body of blessed Jerome, though now it is in Rome, where also in the church of Saint Nicholas rest the bodies of the saints Paul and Eustachius; to whom Jerome himself wrote. A mile from Bethlehem, on the road that leads to Jerusalem, is Hablata, the place in which, when she had given birth to Benjamin, Rachel died; and there with Jacob, her husband, she rests buried: over whose tomb Jacob placed twelve stones, not small, in the testament of his twelve sons, whose pyramid is still seen by travelers. Jerusalem, the glorious metropolis of Judea, according to the philosophers is situated in the middle of the world. C David reigned in it for thirty-two years and a half. Indeed, in Jerusalem is Mount Moriah, where David, seeing the angel D striking with a drawn sword, who was gravely smiting the people of God, fearing lest he take vengeance on himself and the city for what he had done wrong in counting the people, fell first to the earth, truly penitent, and severely afflicting himself, and heard by the Lord, he merited forgiveness; of whom the Lord says: *I have found a man according to my heart* [1 Reg. 13:14]. On Mount Moriah, while David was reigning, the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite flourished, from whom David himself also wished to buy it to establish there the house of the Lord, for the reason that he had obtained mercy in that place, and because the angel of the Lord, sparing, had stood [there], there are some who say, but it was forbidden by the Lord that he should bring in...
A thence, because he was a man of blood. Therefore, the expenses which he had prepared for this purpose, he handed over to his son Solomon, to whom it was granted by the Lord, so that he might construct a house for the Lord therefrom. King Solomon built a temple for the Lord, that is, Bethel, and an altar; which he also dedicated with incomparable expense, asking of the Lord that whoever might consult the Lord about anything whatsoever, he might deserve to be heard in it, which was granted by the Lord. Therefore, the house of the Lord is a house of counsel. This, however, on account of the incontinence of the princes and the people, Nebuchadnezzar despoiled through Nebuzaradan, the captain of his guard, in the time of King Zedekiah, and stripped him of the city, and took everything that shone preciously in the temple and in the city, and ordered it to be presented to himself in Babylon, and [took] the people. Shortly after, indeed, Pharaoh Necho destroyed the temple and the city. But now, lest it seem absurd to the narrator or tiresome to the auditor, as to under whom and by whom the restorations and destructions of the first, second, and third temple were committed, I shall endeavor to elucidate this concerning the present Bethel, as truly as I can. In truth, as to this Bethel, under whom and by what prince it may have been restored, it is almost unknown. For some maintain that it was rebuilt under the Emperor Constantine by his mother Helena, out of reverence for the holy cross found by her; others by the Emperor Heraclius, out of reverence for the wood of the Lord, which he had brought back in triumph from Persia; others by Justinian Augustus; others by a certain marvelous man of Memphis in Egypt, out of reverence for Allah-by, that is, for the highest God, so as to worship even at the first [place]. By every tongue this present temple is reverently venerated, as much as it is preached. In the penultimate [days] of which, on the eighth day of his birth, the boy was circumcised; whose foreskin was presented to the Emperor Charlemagne in Jerusalem in the temple from heaven by an angel, and was carried by him into Gaul to Aachen: afterward, indeed, it was transferred by Charles the Bald to the Poitou region, at Charroux, in the church which he built there in honor of the Savior, and endowed with most ample royal goods under the monastic rule, which since then has been solemnly venerated there; there, in the very presence of his mother, Jesus was presented and was received by blessed Simeon, saying: "Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord." From the temple itself he delivered the adulteress from those accusing her, saying: "He who is without sin," etc. This adulteress was of the tribe of Naphtali, the daughter of Segor. In this temple he praised the offering of the poor woman, who had placed [it] in the treasury; who had brought all that she had. In this temple, while he was staying in Jerusalem, he was teaching the Jews, although they were envious of him. Above the pinnacle of the temple the devil placed Jesus, tempting him, and saying: "If thou art the Son of God," etc. From the temple the divine James, the first pontiff under grace in Jerusalem, was cast down. In this temple it was announced by an angel to Zachariah of the birth of his son John the Baptist, on the sixth day of the week, at the second hour. Between the temple and the altar Zachariah, the son of Barachiah, B fell. Upon this temple in the Old Testament they were accustomed to sanctify turtledoves and pigeons: which was afterward changed by the Saracens into a sundial, and it can still be seen. Passing through the Beautiful gate of the temple, Peter with John answered him who was asking of them: "But what I have, this I give unto thee." In Jerusalem [is] the Probatica pool; which, in the time of Jesus, the angel of the Lord was accustomed to move at certain times; but whoever was infirm and entered after the motion, became whole, of whatever infirmity he was held. *Probaton* in Greek, *pecus* (flock/cattle) in Latin, because in sacrifices the entrails of the cattle were accustomed to be washed therein. For it was red from the victims that were immolated there. In this Probatica, Jesus restored to health a languishing man, saying to him: "Take up thy bed," etc. In the middle of Jerusalem, Jesus raised a girl from the dead, under the palace of Solomon, in the sleeping-chamber of Zion. In the valley of Josaphat, [is] the pool of Siloe, to which Christ sent the blind man, who had been enlightened by him, so that he might wash his eyes from it, and he, going away, washed, and saw. Siloe is interpreted as "sent." Siloe, according to the tradition of the elders, is said to flow from Silo. Whence Isaiah: "Siloe leads its current in silence"; because it is subterranean. Near Siloe existed the oak of Rogel; under which the blessed Isaiah rests buried. In the valley of Josaphat, under a sharp pyramid, the same King Josaphat rests buried. In the valley of Josaphat was buried the blessed James, and from there was translated to Constantinople. At the second milestone from Jerusalem, [on] the way which leads to Shechem; [is] Mount Sabauth in the tribe of Benjamin. A mile from Jerusalem, in the sleeping-chamber of Mount Olivet, opposite the Asphaltite [Sea], [is] Bethany: which is collateral to Mount Olivet. Mount Olivet, a mount of offense, and continuous. But a road which leads from Josaphat through Bethphage divides them. It is called the mount of offense because King Solomon worshipped the idol Moloch upon it. Bethany is that town in which Simon the leper often received Jesus as a guest; to whom Mary and Martha devotedly ministered. In Bethany, Mary, watering the feet of Jesus with tears, and wiping them with her hair, and anointing them with ointment, merited the forgiveness of her sins. In Bethany, Christ praised Martha and Mary—Martha, for being solicitous in ministering; Mary, for being solicitous in his words: at whose prayers and tears moved, he restored their brother Lazarus, already four days in the tomb, to life. Bethany is interpreted as "the house of obedience." Bethphage, which is "calf of the priests," is interpreted as "the house of the mouth" or "of the jaws." Mount Olivet, "the mount of the thresher," or "of sanctification." The valley of Josaphat, "the valley of judgment." Jerusalem, "the vision of peace." Zion, "the mirror," or "the contemplation." Through this path Jesus ascended to Jerusalem, sitting upon a donkey, on the day on which the palm branches are celebrated. So also should every Catholic [follower] of the angel of the great counsel proceed, and approach the presence of the priests, who ruminate on the word of God; that he may be corrected by them, and instructed, and by their counsel and doctrine may be...
A led towards the valley of judgment, that is, the contrition of holy compunction, in the presence of him who is afflicted, so that, having duly entered through the Eastern gate into holy Jerusalem, the heavenly Sion, he may be adorned with the robe of joy. On Mount Sion, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, saying to them: "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luc. xxii, 19). On Mount Sion, Jesus supped with his disciples, giving them his body in bread to eat, and his blood in wine to drink: which is the sustenance of our redemption. On Mount Sion, at the supper, blessed John reclined upon the Lord's breast, drinking from the fountain of wisdom. On Mount Sion, Christ offered a morsel of bread to Judas, his betrayer, at the supper. On Mount Sion, Jesus says: "He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, he shall betray me" (Matth. xxvi, 23). To whom Judas: "Is it I, Rabbi?" Jesus answers him: "You have said" (Ibid. 25). To the left of Mount Sion, above the field of strangers, which is also Achel Dama, that is, the field of blood, beside the way that leads to Ephrata, B is Mount Sion, on which King Solomon was anointed and received the diadem of the kingdom. In Jerusalem, Judas sold Jesus at the hour of vespers, at the reclining place of the Mount of Olives towards the east, beyond the Cedron, a stone's throw from Gethsemane, Christ prayed to his Father, saying: "Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me" (Ibid. 39); where, from the fear of the flesh, he poured out sweat like blood; where he also said to Peter: "Could you not watch one hour with me?" (Ibid. 40). Then he returned to Gethsemane. But Judas the traitor, having now accepted the price for that which he had promised the Jews concerning Jesus, had given a sign to the cohort: "Whomsoever I shall kiss" (Ibid. 48), etc. Whom, recognized by the kiss of fraud, they lead bound into Sion, to the praetorium of Pilate. Where also Peter denied him three times: whence, at the cock's crow, piously remembering the word of Jesus, he truly repented and wept bitterly; and fleeing into the cavern which is now called the Cock's Crow, and commonly the Way of Galilee, which descends to Josaphat, under the gate of Mount Sion. On Mount Sion, they inflicted on Jesus, afflicted with reproaches, beaten with scourges, held in chains, C and mocked, the carrying of his cross, at the command of Pilate and the impulse of the Jews, to Golgotha, which is the place of Calvary; stripped of his tunic, given gall and vinegar to drink, they gave him up to death, suspended on the gallows of the cross. The place, I say, called Calvary, because it was the custom that those condemned to death should be beheaded there. While Jesus was suffering on the cross, he commended his Mother to his friend, as a virgin to a virgin Mother, saying: "Behold thy son" (Joan. xix, 26), etc. While the victim of the world was suffering on the cross of Calvary, he promised the robe of immortality to the thief hanging on his right, who begged for pardon; pierced by the lance, he emitted blood and water, by a drop of which the eyes of Longinus, who had struck him, were opened. Below the place of Calvary on the right, at the entrance of the Church, is the place where Joseph obtained the body of Jesus from Pilate, and having taken it down from the cross, washed it reverently with ointments and aromatics, wrapped it D in clean linen, and buried it not far away in the garden, in a monument which he had hewn new for himself out of the rock. Thence he descended to the underworld to redeem man; thence he rose again, the true Lion of the tribe of Judah, having subdued death there: and the angel of the Lord appeared to the holy women, the stone now rolled back from the door of the monument, and announcing that Jesus had truly risen, said: "Go, tell his disciples and Peter, that he goes before you into Galilee" (Matth. xxviii, 7). Below the place of Calvary, at the head of the Church, the cross of the Lord was found by Helena. At the second milestone from Jerusalem, against Jerusalem, that most worthy tree grew, on which that true Lion hung, who by his own death destroyed death, restoring the life of the world. Whence the prophet: "O death, I will be thy death" (Osee xiii, 14), etc. Concerning the prison, however, and the middle of the world, it is spoken of as a fable; although the dignity of both places is sufficiently venerable. The place, I say, which is now called the Prison of Christ, was in the field during the passion of Jesus; but he stayed there while they were plotting the hanging of the cross for him. In that place, indeed, Jesus manifested himself a second time to Mary Magdalene, when he returned from the underworld. On the same day, as evening was already setting, hiding under the guise of a traveler, he appeared to two disciples on the way, who were going to Nicopolis, that is, the town of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, under complaint of his death: whom they, having received as a guest, recognized in the breaking of bread; and immediately he disappeared from them. On Mount Sion he appeared to all the apostles, except Thomas, the doors being shut, saying to them: "Peace be to you" (Luc. xxiv, 36). On Mount Sion, on the eighth day, he offered his wounds to be touched by Thomas with the rest, the doors being all shut. To whom Thomas said: "My Lord and my God" (Joan. xx, 28). In Galilee beside the sea, and in the sea, he manifested himself three times to his disciples. On the fortieth day, on the Mount of Olives, taken up by a cloud, with hands raised, he ascended into the heavens. On the fortieth day, which portrays for us the year of jubilee, that is, eternal liberty, inflaming the hearts of his apostles, he sent the holy Spirit, the Paraclete. On Mount Sion the Virgin, Mother of Jesus, passed from the world, and was buried by the apostles in Josaphat; thence she was exalted by her Son above the choirs of angels. On Mount Sion King David, and Solomon, and other kings of Jerusalem rest buried. Before the gate of Jerusalem, which looks to the west, the blessed Stephen, the protomartyr, died buried in stones; thence he was translated to Sion, and buried between Nicodemus and Abibon, and Gamaliel; afterwards to Constantinople; in the end co-buried at Rome with blessed Lawrence. Whence it is also written on the tomb: "That which Sion killed, it twice sent south for us." Before the gate of Jerusalem, near the place which looks to the south, is that cave in which a certain lion, by the command of the omnipotent God, brought at night the bodies of almost twelve thousand martyrs slain under Chosroes: whence it is also called the cave of the lion. On the sixth