A collection of curious travels & voyages in two tomes ... / by John Ray ...

CHAP. IV.

Of Mount Sion, and its Holy Places.

MOunt Sion, very famous in holy Scripture, hath round about it steep sides, high Rocks, deep Ditches and Valleys, so that it is not easie to climb up to it, only on one side towards the North, where it buts upon the lower Town, so that the Castle and Town of David, situated on it, was very strong, and almost Invincible, as you may read in the 48 Psalm, vers. 2. The joy of the whole earth is Mount Sion, on the sides of the north, the City of the great King. God is known in her places for a refuge, for the Kings were assem∣bled, &c. Seeing then that the Castle, and the upper Town Millo, vvas so vvell fortified vvith Tovvers and Walls that it vvas not easily to be taken, the Jebu∣sites (after that Canaan the vvhole Land of Promise, to∣gether vvith the Tovvn of Jerusalem vvas taken) did de∣fend themselves in it against the vvhole force of Israel for a long time, although they often attempted to take it, and called the Tovvn of Jerusalem after their Name Jebus, until the Kingly Prophet David came, vvho took it by force; and after he had rebuilt the upper Tovvn, and joined the Castle vvith it into one Build∣ing, and surrounded it vvith Walls, he called it after his ovvn Name, The City of David, and kept his Court there, and gave also Lodgings to his Hero's and Officers, vvhereof Ʋriah vvas one, vvho had his Lodg∣ings near to the Kings Palace, vvherein the King vvalk∣ing on the Roof of his House, savv the fair Bathsheba his Wife, and committed Adultery vvith her.

These their Habitations, as they are still built in these Days, have instead of Thatch or Tiles, plaister'd Roofs, so that one may walk on them, as you may see here, that King David walked on it. And also in the Second Chapter of the Book of Joshua, where is said,

That when the Two Spies, sent into the Land of Pro∣mise to Jericho, came into Rahab's House, and the King sent to search after them, they went at her request up to the Roof of the House, where she hid them with the Stalks of Flax, which she had laid in order upon the Roof. But seeing there is nothing so strong in in this World that is not transitory, therefore is also this Worldly Mount Zion, together with its strong Building and Fortification (which was rather a Type of the true Rock in Zion, Christ our Lord, and his Heavenly Kingdom, and Holy Church that was built thereon) so ruined and desolated, that the greatest and highest part thereof before the Town, (except a Turkish Mosche, some Tile Houses and a few Acres of it) lieth quite like a Desart, covered with Rocks and Stones. So it is come to pass, what Micah in his Third Chapter and the Twelfth Verse predicted: Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall be∣come heaps, and the mountain of the house, as the high places of the forest. And Jeremiah in his Lamentations, Cap. 5. Verse 18. saith, The mountain of Zion, which is desolate, the foxes walk upon it. And Isaiah in his Thirty second Chapter, Verse 14. The Palaces shall be for∣saken, the multitude of the City shall be left, the forts and towers shall be dens for ever, a joy of wild asses, a pa∣sture of flocks.

The great Castle of the Turks is situated at the top of the inward part of the Mount, towards the West Side near the Fishgate, which is also newly built, and very well surrounded with Walls and Ditches: under the Gate are several great Guns to frighten the Chri∣stians that come thither in great Flocks, chiefly against great Feasts from all Nations, Armenians, Georgians, Abyssins, Latinists, &c. for they fear that else the Town might be taken from them again.

Within the Fort near the Fishgate, is still a strong high Tower, built up with great Free-stone, which is quite black through Age: wherefore some say, that it did anciently belong to the Fort, and was built by one of the Kings of Juda.

So much I thought convenient to mention of Mount Zion, concerning other famous places that are to be seen upon and about it, I will only mention the chiefest thereof.

First as you go out of the New Gate of Mount Zion, there is a long Street wherein on the Left Hand is an ancient Church, of the holy Apostle James the Greater, Brother of John, which Helena the Mother of Constantine the Emperor, as also many more, did build on the Market Place of the upper City where he was beheaded. The Armenians that have possession thereof, did conduct us into it, shewed us the Building, and the place where the holy Apostle was beheaded with the Sword (as you read in the Acts of the Apostles, the 12th. Chapter) by Order of Herod Agrippa, to whom he was delivered out of spite, as a seditious person, by the High Priest Abiathar.

Then we came to the place of the Habitation of Hannas, whereto Christ our Lord was first of all brought a prisoner, and bound (or fetter'd) wherein was nothing observable, only a large Court, and in it an old Chapel, called the Angels, which we soon left, and went out of the Gate of Mount Zion, to the Habitation of Cayaphas, where we saw an Orange-tree planted in the place where the holy Apostle Peter did warm himself when he denied our Saviour the third time: further with∣in a Chapel, called St. Salvators, where, in former A∣ges was the Place of the High Priest, where Christ was severely accused by Cayaphas, and by his Servants mocked, spit upon, and beaten; wherein is an Altar, whereon the great Stone of the Grave still lieth, that stopped the Door of the Sepulchre, which is very like unto the Rock of the Grave in its breaking. That the Habitation of the High Priest was in the upper City Josephus does testifie in the Seventeenth Chapter of his Second Book of the Desolation of Jerusalem, where he saith thus: When the rebellious Jews, that had the lower Town in possession with the Temple, did undertake to possess themselves also of the upper Town, they did assault it with all might and power, and at last take it; then they drove out the Soldiers, which had the Chief Priests and

Men in power with them, out of the upper Town, set the Habitation of Ananias the High Priest on fire and burnt it.

Before this on the top of the Mount, stands on the Plain a large Church, which the Franciscan Monks had not long ago in possession, and lived in it, wherefore their Father did call himself a Guardian of the holy Mount Zion. But after that the Turks did about Twenty years agon possess themselves of it, and kept it to themselves, and made a Mahumetan Mosche of it; the Monks were forced to flie, and take the Habitation where they now live instead thereof.

Of this Church or Mosche we saw only the out∣side of the Habitation of Caiaphas, for no Christian is allowed to go into it. It was built many years agon by Helena, Mother of Constantin the Emperor, as Ni∣cephorus testifieth in the Thirtieth Chapter of his Eighth Book: wherein is also included the Habitation the Di∣sciples were locked up in for fear of the Jews: and al∣so the paved Dining-Room (or Hall) wherein Christ with his Disciples did eat the Passover; where he also washed their Feet, and sent the Holy Ghost after his Ascension to them: where al∣so * 1.1 James the Lesser was E∣lected Overseer, and first Bi∣shop of Jerusalem. In this Temple (which is above a thousand paces distant from Golgotha, or the place of a Scull) was for some time kept the Stone-Pillar, whereto Christ our Lord and Saviour was tied and whipped. Near unto this, in the place of the Palace of Caiaphas, the same Queen Helena ordered a Church to be built for the Holy Apostle Peter, and many more, whereof mention is made at large in the above quoted place.

This Mount extendeth its self towards the South, out before the City, and hath on the other side where it is highest, other higher ones about it, distinguished with Ditches and Valleys, viz. towards the West Mount Gihon, at the bottom whereof Solomon was

anointed King by the Priest Zadock and the Prophet Nathan, as we read in the First Chapter of thr First Book of Kings: upon this at the top towards the Road of Bethlehem, lieth the Field of Blood, in their Language called Hakeldemas that was bought for 30 Silver Pieces; to bury the Pilgrims there, where you see still to this day here and there large and deep holes, and one among the rest very big one, wherein are still to be seen se∣veral whole Bodies lying by one another.

A deep Valley separates this Mount from Mount Zion, which beginneth at the Fish-gate, and goeth down to the Brook Cedron: in it is a Conduit by the upper Pool called Asuia in the Third Chapter of Ne∣hemiah, which is pretty large, yet without any Water) which receiveth its Water from the high Spring of Gi∣hon, this was covered by King Hezekias, and laid down to the Town of David, as we read in the Second Book of Chronicles, Chap. 32. The holy Prophet Isaiah, Chap. 7. Verse 3. mentioneth it, when she Lord said to him; Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou and Shear-ja∣shub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool, in the path of the fullers field, &c. And in the Fourth Book of Kings, in the Eighteenth Chapter, Verse Se∣venteen: The King of Assyria sent a great host against Jerusalem, and when they were come up, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is in the high way of the fullers field.

Before Mount Zion, towards the South, at the o∣ther side of the Rivulet Kidron lieth the Mount of Transgression, in the Fourth Book of Kings, Chap. 23. called Mashith: between this and Mount Olivet is a Valley, through which goeth down the Road by Be∣thania to Jericho, &c. This is higher and steeper than any hereabout. There you see still some old Walls of the Habitation wherein the Concubines of Solomon did live, after whom the King ran in his old Age; and they did so possess him, that they turned his Heart from God Almighty after their Gods, and so he did that that did not please the Lord God, as you may read in the First Book of Kings, Chap. 11. Verse 4.

Underneath the Mount was the Valley Benhinnem, wherein the Kings of Jerusalem did build a Temple to the Idol Moloch, and did worship him, viz. Solomon, Achaz, Manasseh, &c. whereof we read in several places in the Holy Scripture, Levit. xviii. 21. Thou shalt not let any of thy seed pass through the fire to Moloch. And also Jerem. vii. 30. And they have set their abominati∣ons in the house which is called by my name to pollute it. And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I commanded them not, neither came it into my heart, therefore behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaugh∣ter: for they shall bury in Tophet till there be no place. And also 2 Chron. xxviii. 2. Ahaz made molten images for Baalim, and burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnon, and burnt his children in the fire after the abomi∣nations of the Heathen. The holy Prophet Amos doth also make mention of these abominable Idolatries in his Fifth Chapter; which Luke in the Seventh Chapter, Verse Forty third of the Acts doth thus explain: Ye took up the Tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, &c. which the holy Prophet calleth Sic∣chuth and Chiun: But the Heathen called them Ju∣piter and Saturn, the Devourer of Children, and so he is also painted. This Statue was hollow within, of cast Brass, whereinto they did put the Children, and burnt them alive, and did believe they served God in it, as Abraham when he would sacrifice his Son Isaac: they had also Kettle Drums and other Musical Instru∣ments which they played on, that the Parents might not hear their Children cry: wherefore Christ gave unto Hell it self, and its perpetual flames the Name of the Valley Benhinnon, calling it Gehenna: to give us warning and exhortation, that we hate false and abo∣minable Idolatries, introduced contrary to his Com∣mand, worse than the Devil himself.

Besides this there is little else seen hereabout, only above on the steepness and highest part of the Mount many little Tents and Habitations, as if they hung at

it, which in these times are not inhabited either by Turks nor Moors: in the Valley you see the Rivulet Kidron, where over they brought our Lord Christ bound as a Prisoner, from Mount Olivet: this proceed∣eth only from Rain Water near to the place Gethsemane▪ and runs without by the Town from South to West. Beside this Brook did King Asa burn the Images of Priapus, as Josias and Hezekiah the Idols of Baal, all Incenses and Uncleannesses that are found in the Tem∣ple of the Lord.

Further towards the East, you see from the top of Mount Zion the Fountain and Pool of Siloah below in the Valley, called by Josephus Tiropaean, which divideth this and the Temple Mount, and becometh to be very narrow between them, and extendeth it self from the Rivulet Kidron towards the North to the place of Skulls, where it groweth so large again, that the lower Town of Jerusalem (by Isaiah in his Tenth, and Zacharias in his Ninth Chapter, called The daugh∣ter of Zion and Jerusalem) was situated therein. Out of which near to the Gate of the Fountain of Siloha, which is now walled up) the way goeth up to the Gate of Zion into the upper Town, through which two our Lord Christ was brought a Prisoner to the Houses of Hannas and Caiaphas.

This Valley hath been since the Desolation so filled up, that no depth at all appeareth in our Days; but only without the Fountain Gate by the Fountain Siloah, that is very rich of water, where is still the Pool wherein the Blind Man washed his Eyes (that were anointed with Clay and Spittle, St. John ix. 6.) accord∣ing to the Command of our Lord, and did see.

Just by it are still the two Hills whereof Josephus maketh mention, with a very steep Cliff, very rocky on both sides, one whereof towards the East (called the Rock of the Pidgeons) hath a great Cave, out of which the Fountain springs, and runs off immediately below through a Channel, that goeth so strait and smooth through the Rock, as if it had been made on purpose.

Near to this Fountain and Gate of Siloha, stood the Tower of Siloha, that killed Eighteen Men, as we read in St. Luke, Chap. xiii.

Without between the Fountain and Stream of Kidron, they shew a great Mulberry-Tree, fenced in below, this stands in the place where the holy Pro∣phet Isaias was buried, whom the King Manasse order∣ed to be cut in pieces with a wooden Saw, as being an Heretick.

This may suffice of Mount Zion, its situation and some adjacent places.

As we went about, and came to one of the places, the Monks did shew the Pilgrims in each of them, the Number of the Years for the Pardons laid there by his Holiness, as in some Seven Years and Seven Indul∣gences, but in some others, as in the place where the Holy Ghost was sent, where Christ did eat the Pass∣over with his Disciples, and washed their Feet, and where he at several times appeared when the Doors were shut: and where also (as Nicephorus saith) the Virgin Mary, after the Resurrection of Christ her dear Child, did dwell for Fourteeen Years, &c. full Abso∣lution and Indulgences from all Sins and Facts for ever.

Now that all those that come there, may receive it more worthily, the Monks exhort them to kneel down before every of such places, and to pray the Lord's Prayer, and Ave Maria with Devotion: and that when they have done so, they need not to doubt, but that they have fully received the Absolution that was given for that place by his Holiness. After they had thus prayed in several places, some of our Company rejoiced mightily, and confessed, that after it they were holy, and so innocent, that if they should die then, they were secure, that their Soul should go immediate∣ly out of their Mouth into Heaven, and eternal life. To this I answered them: That I expected Remission of Sin no other ways but only in the Name, and for the Merits, of our Lord Jesus Christ: and that I had not undertaken this Pilgrimage, as they did, to get any thing by it, as by a good Work: nor to visit Stone and

Wood to obtain Indulgence: or with opinion to come here nearer to Christ; because all these things are di∣rectly contrary to Scripture. As the Lord himself saith: Time will come that you shall neither on this Mount nor at Jerusalem worship the Father. And he also fore∣warneth us of these that say; Lo Christ is here, Christ is there, lo he is in the desarts, he is in the Chamber: that we should not believe them, nor go out, but rather confide on his promise, that he will be with us to the end of the World: and where two or three are met together in his Name that he will be in the middle of them. Wherefore our dear Lord Christ hath no need, because he is himself present with them that believe in him, of any Vicegerent, that should on Earth usurp such Power, and take such Honor and Glory to him∣self, as to give Indulgence at his pleasure: because all these things belong only to God. When I saw that they did not much mind this my Discourse, I let them alone in their Opinions, but yet I saw here and there all these places, and considered by my self what our Lord Christ had, by his bitter Sufferings and Death, by his Glorious Resurrection and Ascension, procured us from his Heavenly Father. When the Pilgrims came to one of the above-mentioned places of Mount Zion, and had said their Prayers, they went into it, and con∣templated it, fell down again before it, and kissed it with great Submission and Devotion; pulled out seve∣ral pieces, viz. Beads and Rosaries turned of the Wood of the Trees of the Mount of Olives, some wrought Points, Laces, &c. tied together in Bundles, to touch the holy place with it; they also knocked off in some places (where they might) some small Pieces, to take them along with them as consecrated Sanctua∣ries, to distribute them amongst their Friends at their Return.

All the while that they were thus busie, I considered rather standing behind, what our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ had suffered for us in these places, how he had humbled himself, and came down to us miserable Sinners, to help us, and to extol us that were fallen, and to make us free of the heavy Burthen of our Sins:

how he was led before the Seat of Judicature of Caiaphas, that we might not be led before the severe Judgment Seat of the Almighty God: that he suffered himself to be led captive and bound, to de∣liver us from the Bands of the Devil and Death, and to save us from the Jaws of Hell: and as Esaias saith in his 53d. Chapter, Verse 5. He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastise∣ment of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. But that our dear Lord Christ was deli∣vered to the High Priest, and Scribes, &c. for our sakes, and that he was obedient to his Heavenly Fa∣ther, unto Death, even the Death of the Cross, to de∣liver us from the Curse of God and eternal Death. And to make us certain, that he had procured these his unspeakable Benefits and Heavenly Treasures for us, and that we really should be partakers thereof; before his passion he did institute his holy Supper upon the Mount, in the large upper Room, wherein he doth not only communicate them to us, but giveth us also (if we receive the holy broken Bread, and the blessed Cup, with true Faith according to the Institution) his real Body and Blood, to feed us to eternal Life: where we then shall sit, with our Lord Christ, and all the elected ones (after this life) as Coheirs in the high upper Room of his Heavenly Father, at his Table, to eat and drink it with him anew. And that we might heartily comfort our selves with these his un∣speakable Benefits, he also after his Ascension, sent us on the Day of Pentecost his Holy Ghost, the Spirit of Truth, to incline our Hearts, to believe stedfastly all that he hath promised us in his holy Word and Sacra∣ments. So the sending of the Holy Ghost, which was long before predicted by the holy Prophets was full∣filled on this Mount: whereof we read in several places of the holy Scripture, viz. Joel ii. 28. And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, &c. For on mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, must be a Deliverance according to the promise of the Lord. And Isaiah ii. 3. Come ye and let us go up to the moun∣tain of the Lord, &c. for out of Zion shall go forth

the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. So that the Preaching of Christ's holy Gospel, and his Kingdom did begin from Zion and Jerusalem, and was afterwards spread abroad by his holy Apostles through∣out the whole World.

Grant then, O our dear Lord Christ, unto us, thy Holy Ghost; that he may keep us in the Knowledge of thy holy Word, and that he may so strengthen and comfort us in it, that we may freely and without any fear confess it before the Face of our Enemies and Adversaries; and if they offend and prosecute us, that we may overcome our Crosses and Persecutions with patience, that thy Honor may be advanced, and our Constancy appear. Grant us also, that he may plant these thy Graces in our Hearts, that we may comfort our selves with the hope and expectation of those Treasures which thou hast by thy Death and Passion merited and purchased for us. So that we may abide in thy Ta∣bernacle, and dwell in thy holy Hill for ever. Amen. Psalm xv. 1.

Notes

• * 1.1

  James the Son of Al∣pheus, one of the Apostles, was usually called James the L••ss; but it was not he that was Elected first Bishop of Jerusalem, but James the Just, who was called the Lord's Brother, and was none of the Apostles.