of Galilee, Iconium, and Sicaminum or Porphyreon (U),

and Heiphah or Ceipha.

The last tribe in Lower Galilee was that of Iffachar, Tribe of bounded like the former by the Mediterranean on the weft, Ifachar, by Zebulon on the north, by the Jordan on the east, which parted it from that of Gad, and on the fouth by the other half of Manaffeh. Its moft remarkable places were the Mounts Carmel, and Gilboah, and the Valley of Jezreel, already defcribed. The great plain of Megiddo, called alfo the plain of Galilee, and now Saba, from a caftle built upon it, and famed, like that of Jezreel, for the many battles fought upon it; as well as for the abundance of corn, wine, oil, &c. it produced. The chief towns were Tarichea, Cefion, Iffachar, Camoth, Cities. Enghannim, Rabboth, Cadesh, Aphek, Enhadda, Shunem or Suna, the place where the hofpitable Shunamite lodged the prophet Elijah, Endor, where the pythonefs entertained king Saul, Naim, where Chrift raised the poor widow's fon, Beth-Shemesh, Jezreel, or Efdrelon, or Efdraelon, and Caftrum Peregrinorum (X).

South of Zebulon lay the other half-tribe of Manaffeh; Other half and fouth of this, that of Ephraim, afterwards known of Maby the name of Samaria. The territories of these two naffeh. tribes, though contiguous, varied pretty much, fome parts being mountainous and rocky, barren, and even defert; whilst others were pleasant, fertile, and well inhabited. That of Manaffeh was hemmed in, north and fouth, by Iflachar and Ephraim, and on the eaft, and, weft, by the Jordan and Mediterranean. It exhibited a variety of plains, mountains, vallies, fprings, and a good

(U) Its ancient name was Heipha, which we take notice of because the Greeks and Latins, having changed it into Cepha and Capha, fome have conceived a notion, that it was fo called from the rocky ground which they fuppofe it to be built upon, or furrounded with. The names of Sycaminos and Porphyreon were probably given to it, the first from the fycamore-trees, which grew about it; and the latter from the fhell-fish which was taken on its coaft, and which they

used in dying purple. It is
fituate at the foot of Mount
Carmel, to the north of it, on
the gulph of Ptolemais or
Acco, and is only parted from
it by its fair and fpacious ha-
ven, fo that thofe two cities
stand but at about fifteen miles
distance from each other.

(X) Amongst them was that
of Tarichea, feated on the
banks of the fea of Galilee,
about eight miles fouth of Ti-
berias, of great strength, and
famed for the defence it made
against Vefpafian,

number

Cities

number of ftately cities; among which were Beth-Shean or Scythopolis, Salem, Aner, Bezech, Abel-Meholah, Caftrum Alexandrinum, Tirfhah or Terfa, Acrabata, Thebez, Thanac or Tanac, Gath-Rimmon, Maccoth, Ennon, Megiddo, Gilgal, Dor or Dora, Cæfarea Paleftina, and Antipatris.

Ephraim. The tribe of Ephraim took up the fouth fide of Samaria, and extended, like that of Manaffeh, from the Mediterranean on the weft, to the Jordan on the east; bounded on the fouth, by the territority of Benjamin, and part of Dan. Here, likewise, fome parts were rocky and mountainous, though covered with trees, and good pafture, and the low lands exceedingly rich, fruitful, and even luxuriant. The cities and towns, numerous, large and well peopled; among which were Saren or Sarona, Lydda or Diofpolis, Elon, Ramathaim or Arimathea, Bethoron, Gazer or Gafera, Timnath-Serah, Pharaton or Pirathon, Caftrum Hyrcanium, Sichem or Sechem, fince Neapolis, Samaria, fince Sebafte, Jechman, Taphnah, Dog, Doch, or Dagon, Najoth, Gath Rimmon, Michmath, fince Byra, and Shilo or Sio. These were the chief places in the tribe of Ephraim.

Judea pro

per.

Tribe of

Judea, properly fo called.

This canton, which contained the tribes of Benjamin, Judah, Dan, and Simeon, was fituate on the most fouthern fide of the whole, having Samaria or Ephraim on the north, the Mediterranean on the weft, Idumæa and Egypt on the fouth, and the Jordan and the Dead Sea on the eaft. The climate was much warmer than that of the other two, being mostly under the thirty-fecond degree of latitude; but well refreshed with cooling winds from the feas and mountains. The face of the country was beautifully variegated with plains, hills, valiies, and fome deferts, most of them well watered with pleasant streams and rivulets, which ran down from the mountains; fo that, in the whole, it was as fertile in corn, wine, oil, fruits, and pafture grounds, as any of the reft.

1. The tribe of Benjamin lay contiguous to Samaria on Benjamin. the north, to Judah on the fouth, and to Dan on the weft, which last parted it from the Mediterranean. It had not many cities and towns; but this want was amply compenfated by its containing the most confiderable, and the metropolis of all, the celebrated city of Jerufalem,

• See Jofephus, Reland, &c.

the

the centre of the Jewish worship and religion, the feat of all the Jewish monarchs and pontiffs, and of the famed fanhedrim, or grand court and council of the nation. The other cities were Jericho, Gibeon, Beth-el, Gibeah, Cities Hai, Gilgal, Anathoth, Neb, or Nebo; to which we may add the two noted villages of Bethany and Gethse

mane.

Jerufalem (Y), in its most flourishing ftate, was divided Jerufalem into four parts, each inclofed with its own walls; namely, defcribed. the old city of Jebus, which stood on Mount Zion, where the prophets dwelt, and where David built a magnificent caftle and palace, which became the refidence, both of himself and fucceffors; on which account it was emphatically called," the City of David (Z)." The lower city, called alfo, the "Daughter of Zion," being built after it; on which stood the two magnificent palaces, which Solomon built for himself and his queen; that of the Maccabean princes; and the stately amphitheatre raised by Herod, capable of containing eighty thousand spectators; the ftrong citadel by Antiochus, to command the temple, but fince rafed by Simon the Maccabee, who recovered the city from the Syrians; and laftly, a fecond citadel, built by Herod, upon a high and craggy rock, called by him Antonia. The new city, moftly inhabited by tradefmen, artificers, and merchants; and, Mount Moriah, on which appeared the celebrated temple of Solomon, defcribed in the fixth and seventh chapters of the second book of Kings; destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar, rebuilt by the Jews on their return from Babylon, and afterwards renewed, augmented, adorned, and enriched by Herod.

Without pretending to give a particular defcription of Solomon's this renowned edifice, concerning which different writers temple. have fo widely differed in opinion, we fhall confine our prefent account of it to fuch particulars only, as are agreed on all hands, and founded on the authority of the Scripture. It is generally allowed, 1. That there were no less than one hundred and fixty-three thousand three hundred men employed in the work. 2. That, notwith

Dimenfons, &c.

ftanding that prodigious number of hands, it took up feven whole years in building. 3. That the height of it amounted to one hundred and twenty cubits, or eightytwo yards; and the courts round it were about half as high. 4. That the front on the eaft fide was sustained by ramparts of fquare ftone, of vaft bulk, built up from the valley below, three hundred cubits high; the height of which being added to that of the edifice, amounted to four hundred and twenty cubits. To this if we add, 5. Sixty cubits, the height of the principal tower above all the reft, the total will be four hundred and eighty cubits, which, reckoning at two feet to a cubit (A), amount to nine hundred and fixty feet; but according to the length of that measure, as others reckon it, viz. at two feet and a half, it will reach to one hundred and twenty feet; a prodigious height this from the ground, and fuch as might well make Jofephus fay, that the very defign of it was fufficient to have turned the brain of any but Solomon. 6. Thofe ramparts, which were raised in this manner, to fill up the prodigious chafm made by the deep valley below, and to make the area of a fufficient breadth and length for the edifice, were one thousand cubits in length at the bottom, and eight hundred at the top, and the breadth of them one hundred more. 7. The huge buttreffes which fupported the ramparts, were of the fame height, fquare at the top, and fifty cubits broad, and jutted out one hundred and fifty cubits at the bottom. 8. The ftones of which they were built, were, according to Jofephus, forty cubits long, twelve thick, and eight high, all of marble, and so exquifitely joined, that they feemed one continued piece, or rather polifhed rock. 9. According to the fame Jewish hiftorian, there were one thousand four hundred and fifty-three columns of Parian marble, and twice that number of pilafters, of such thicknefs, that three men could hardly embrace them, their height and capitals proportionable, and of the Co

(A) This Hebraic meafure is very differently fettled by authors, viz. by bishop Cumberland and others, to twenty inches and an half, by others at eighteen. Capellus and others think the Jews had two cubits, one facred, the other common; the first of thirty-fix, the other of eighteen inches:

this they prove from fundry dimenfions, which Mofes gives to the Levitical territory round their cities; viz. in one verse at one thousand cubits, and, in the very next at two thoufand; the former being fuppofed the facred, and the second the common.

rinthian

rinthian order. But it is likely, Jofephus hath given us these two laft articles from the temple of Herod, there being nothing like them mentioned by the facred historians, but a great deal about the prodigious cedars of Lebanon, used in that edifice, the excellent workmanship of them, adapted to their feveral ends and defigns, together with their gildings, and other curious ornaments (B). It is affirmed in the text ", that all the materials of this ftupendous fabric were finished and adapted to their several ends, before they were brought to Jerufalem, that is, the ftones in their quarries, and the cedars in Lebanon; fo that there was no noise of ax, hammer, or any tool, heard in rearing the edifice. The variety of fortune to which both city and temple were expofed, will be specified in the fequel of this hiftory. Mean while, as we have taken notice of the moft remarkable places, mountains, vallies, &c. in Judea, under a former article, we fhall conclude this with an account of its prefent deplorable condition, under the Turks. As for other towns of note in the tribe of Benjamin, the reader may fee all that is worth notice concerning them, in the note (C). This

n 1 Kings, vi. 7.

(B) The fenfible reader will require better authority than that of Jofephus, to confirm the truth of thefe dimenfions, which feem to be the effect of Jewish exaggeration divested of all probability. But, we fhall give a more accurate defeription of the temple, in the fequel of the Jewish history.

(C) 1. Nob, Nobe, Noba, Nomba, a facerdotal city at the fartheft end weftward of this tribe, and the place where the ark fome time refted, after the taking of Shiloh by the Philiftines, fo totally ruined by king Saul, on account of the fmall affiftance which the highpriest Abimelech had given the fugitive David, that St. Jerom tells us, it ftill lay in ruins in his time, which were then to be seen at some small distance from Diofpolis.

2. Gibeon, Gabaon, so styled from its being advantageoufly fituate on an eminence, about forty or fifty furlongs, or fix or eight miles north from Jerufalem.

3. Gibeah, or GibeathSaul, fo called for being the birth-place of that monarch, and to diftinguish it from Gibeath-Phineas, in the tribe of Ephraim, ftood feven or eight miles north from Jerufalem, and as many north-west from Gilead.

4. Gilgal, Gaigal, Galgatha, fituate on the banks of the Jordan, where the Ifraelites croffed at their entrance into the Promised Land, famed for the monument which Joshua reared there, in memory of that miraculous paffage.

5. Beth-el, anciently Luz, but fo ftyled by Jacob in me

mory