LIFE IN MODERN PALESTINE. Ruins of the Synagogue at Capernaum whore Cnrist Taught and Wrought Miracles.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 100, 2 May 1885, Page 5

LIFE IN MODERN PALESTINE. Ruins of the Synagogue at Capernaum whore Cnrist Taught and Wrought Miracles.

Haifa, Jan. 20.— Perhaps the most interesting spot in the world to those deeply under the influence of that charm which association lends to places hallowed by the ministrations of the Founder of Christianity is to be found in a desert rock-strewn promontory on the north-west shore of the Lake of Tiberias ; for among these piles of hewn blocks of black basalt still remain the ruins of a great synagogue, within whose walls, i the foundations of which may still be distinctly traced, were collected the multitudes who flocked to hear the teaching of Christ. While modern tourists resort in crowds to Jerusalem to visit the mythical sites which are supposed, upon the vague basis of ecclesiastical tradition, to be identified with episodes in the life of the great Teacher, scarcely one ever finds his way to this remote locality lying just out of the beaten track along which Cook leads his herds of sightseers ; and yet it is probable that the greater part of that period in the life of Christ the record of which is contained in the four Gospels Mas spent at Capernaum, which the most careful investigation, by the highest authorities in such matters, has identified with these ruins of Tell Hum, amid which I was justjnow standing. Hereit was that Christ cured Peter's mother-in-law, restotred the paralytic, called Matthew, cured the centurion's servant, raised Jairus's daughter from the dead, and obtained the tribute of money from the mouth of a fish. It was here that he spDke the parables of the sower, the tares, the treasure hid in the field, the merchant seeking goodly pearls, and the net east into the sea. Sir Charles Wilson, whose researches on this spot led him to identify it as being the site of the city of Capernaum, believes this synagogue was, " without doubt, the one built by the Roman centurion (Luke vii., 5), and therefore, one of the most sacred spots on earth." It was in this building, if that be the case, that the well-known discourse contained in the sixth chapter of John was delivered ; " and it was not without a strange feeling," says the same explorer, "that on turning over a large block we found tho pot of manna engravedon its face, and remembered the words : 'I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead.'" 'i'his very synagogue was probably the scene of the healing of the demoniac and of the delivery of many of those divine lectures on faith, humility, brotherly love, and formality in worship, as we read at the end of one of them : " These things said he in the synagogue as he taught in Capernaum." Perhaps it was in the little creek where a boat was now riding at anchor only a few feet from the shore that Christ taught the people from the boat so as to avoid the crush of the multitude. It was doubtless in one of these inlets that James, the son Zebedee, and John, his brother, were mending their nets when, being called, they left their ship and followed Him ; and it wa» Dn this coast that Andrew and Peter were casting their nets when they were summoned to become fishers of men. It has a higher claim to be called the birthplace of the religion which has since revolutionised the world than any other spot upon it ; and it is a matter of some surprise to me that neither the Greek nor the Homan Catholic churches, in their zeal to discover holy place?, which may serve as levers for political intrigue, have yet thought of occupying this one, which would seem the holiest of all. Perhaps it would lead to a comparison between their practice and the teaching of which it was the scene, which might give rise to some inconvenient reflections Apart from their associations, the ruins theuuselvesj aro nob particularly striking. They cover an area of about half a mile in length by a quarter in breadth, and consist chiefly of the black blockvS of basaltic stone which formed the walls of the houses. The traces of the synagogue, however, remain sufficiently for the building to be planned. Built of white limestone blocks, it must have formed a conspicuous object amid the black basalt by which it was surrounded. Itwas7s by 57, built north and south, and at the 8 mthern end had three entrances. Many of the columns and capitals have been carried away, but enough still remains to convey some idea of the general plan and aspect of the building. The capitals are of the Corinthian order, and there were epistylia that rested upon the columns and probably supported wooden rafters. There are also remains of a heavy cornice and frieze. The exterior was probably decorated with attached pilasters. Two miles north of Capernaum are the ruins of Chorazin. There is no difficulty in identifying the site, which may be determined partly by the itineraries of early travellers, and partly by the similarity of the modern name, Kirazeh. The path to them leads up the sloping rocky hillside, but owing to the peculiar character of the masonry, which is barely to be distinguished at 100 yards from the rocks which surround it, tho extent and importance of these ruins have been overlooked until quite recently. They cover an area as large as, if not larger than, those of Capernaum, and are situated partly in a shallow valley, partly on a rocky spur formed by a sharp bond in the Wady Kirazeh, here a wild gorge eighty feet deep. From this spot there is a beautiful view of the Lake of Tiberias to its southern end ; and here, too, are gathered the most interesting ruins - a synagogue with Corinthian capitals and nicheheads cut, not as at Capernaum in limestone, but in hard black basalt. The dimensions of this building are about the same as those of the one at Capernaum, but the interior is a mass of ruin 3. Two pedestals still remain in silu, and a portion of the wall. The characteristic of this synagogue is an excess of ornamontation of rather a debased kind. Tho niches are most elaborate, and remain as sharp as when they were cut in the hard material used. The mouldings of the door-posts are similar to those used in other synagogues, and there are many stones cut with deep mouldings and pieces of classical cornices strewn among the ruins. Many of the dwelling-houses are in a tolerably perfect state, the walls being in some cases six feet high ; and, as they are probably of the same class of houses as that in which Christ dwelt, a description of them may be interesting. They are generally square, of different sizes, the largest, however, not over thirty feet square, and have one or two columns down the centre to support the roof, which appears to have been flat, as in the modern Arab houses The walls are about two feet thick, built of masonry or of loose block? of basal r There is a low doorway in the centre of one of the walls, and each house has \\i - do ws twelve inches high and six vricle ]< one or two ca^es the house w<w divided into four chambers.

Maoris, M.Ff.R.'j", and madmen air exempt from eervinir on ILo militia. Tho&o who cannot get returned to Parliament can easily plead the last-named disquaUfioa bion. The police are now rn-olMi^ thf- fi»H class militia, embracing all males between J7 *nd 3Q gtarft of »gt.