6-Evening

THE EVENING.

Capernaum is now a field of imposing ruins, extending down to the sea, and buried under grasses, shrubs, thistles, and undergrowth as high as a man. These ruins are called "Tell Hum." The word "tell" is frequently met with in the names of places to designate an elevation, either a natural elevation, as, e.g., a single hill, or one made by the hands of men, as a heap of ruins. "Hum" is an abbreviation from Nahum, for Capernaum means Nahum’s village. This abbreviation was probably already in vogue in the older vernacular of the people, for they have also abbreviated "Nechunja" in Palestine into "Chunja." It is also possible that the word assumed this form in the mouth of the Arabs. For them, however, the word "hum" has no special meaning. It is not an Arabic proper name; nor is a herd of camels called thus in Arabic, but rather el-haum (el-hom). Instead of Tell Hum we also hear the name "Der Hum" (cloister of Hum), from the opinion that the principal ruins are those of an old cloister. From the ruins the country rises northward for half an hour, so that the city, seen from a distance, seems to be lying against a hill. A steep and arduous path, which winds itself along in a narrow valley going in a north-westerly direction, takes the traveller, after a walk of an hour, to a little spring, called "Bir Keraze." Around about lies the field of ruins called "Khirbet Keraze" which are much similar to the ruins of Tell Hum, only more imposing, and are noticeable in the distance by the high columns of black rock the remains of old buildings. The original form of these old ruins can be reconstructed from the remains with more probability than can those of Tell Hum. There are still standing several well-preserved squares of mason-work, of old and small houses. The walls are, as a rule, constructed out of basaltic rocks, which are found in abundance in the surrounding hills. The columns in the middle of the building support the roof, which was, apparently, flat. The ruins of the synagogue can also still be recognized. Capitals of the Corinthian kind, made of hard basalt, show that it was an imposing building. And what a beautiful site this city occupied! The city was, in part, built in the depression in which the waters of the winter rains poured down from here to Tell Hum, in part on projecting rocks, from which a grand view of the sea and of the mountains encircling it on the other side could be gained. And it was here that the synagogue, built of basaltic stone, stood. Here, where now its black ruins stand in grim silence, surrounded by desolation and confusion, there reigned at the time into which we are trying to transfer ourselves a wealth of smiling life of man and nature. All Galilee was at that time tilled with cities and villages, of which Josephus, in his autobiography (chap 45) mentions more than two hundred. Even the smallest numbered its inhabitants by the thousands. No part of the country was uninhabited; everywhere inventive industry had utilized the whole land; and, according to Josephus’ history of the Jewish war (III, 3), it looked like one great orchard. From that day on, on which transpired what has here been narrated, but a few decades passed, and war had already commenced its work of devastation in this magnificent land. Earthquakes, like that of January 1st, 1837, at which in Safed alone about five thousand people were killed, have contributed their share to transforming opulent cities into piles of ruins, and luxuriant fields into deserts. In this manner, the way from Capernaum to Keraze is now so covered with stone and grass that it scarcely can be found without a guide. Formerly it was, notwithstanding its steep ascent, a comparatively easy and well-preserved road, used a great deal by man and beasts of burden. The hour’s walk is soon over. As we turn around and look backward, eye and soul find pleasure in the contemplation of the magnificent blue sea, and arriving above, we are surprised at finding Chorazin lying in part in the upper valley, surrounded by golden wheat-fields, and in part on projecting rocks above the valley. Here at the railing of the synagogue, built on the highest point, Jesus undoubtedly often had stood, deeply intent in watching man and nature at His feet; or, with a heartfelt appeal to Heaven, observing the passing crowds. For this Chorazin He often and gladly visited in His journeys through the Gennesaret districts and their surroundings, but without noticeable success; for in grouping Chorazin with Bethsaida and Capernaum, He cries out, in looking over His work in Galilee: "Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes" (Luk 10:13). The judgment with which He threatened both of them has caused them to disappear, with even fewer remains than Capernaum; namely, first, Chorazin, which lay in ruins in the days of Eusebius, and then Bethsaida on the sea, whose location is as yet only a matter of conjecture.

After Jesus had left the synagogue, He desired, even if only for a short time, to be alone. He endeavored to leave Capernaum by the nearest way, and walked about a quarter of an hour upward to the spring that was in the valley leading up to Chorazin, but without following it farther where it turns to the left. He wanted to keep the sea and the city in sight.

He loved to be alone, in order to commune, without interruption on the part of men, with the God from whom He came, and from whom He had derived His spiritual life. The world of nature did not disturb Him; for He understood the divine thoughts of the Creator that were hidden in it, and every creature reminded Him of God’s Word in the Holy Scriptures. The waterless wadi that He saw spoke to Him in the words of Job (6:15): "My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, as a channel of brooks that pass away." And the lily which He saw bidding defiance to the thicket of thorns in the midst of which it grew, banished these sad thoughts with the words of Sulamith (Song of Solomon 6:3): "I am My beloved’s, and My beloved is mine; He feedeth His flock among the lilies." The worm on the ground interrupted His steps, whispering to Him in begging tones (Psa 22:6): "But I am a worm, and no man"; and the basalt rocks on the way whispered to Him (Psa 27:5): "He shall keep Me secretly in His pavilion: in the covert of His tabernacle shall He hide me." There was no object in nature that was not full of instruction for Him. Hence, it was all the more natural for Him to employ objects in nature as illustrations of His teachings, in these lonely walks the parables He employed took shape in His mind. The creatures told Him not only of God’s Word; He saw everywhere in nature and in the doings of the world reflections of the secrets of God’s kingdom. On the hill-side of Chorazin there stood, to one side of the way, a shady olive-oil tree, which had struck its roots into the ground between the rocks, and had grown a thick crown of foliage. Here the Lord sat down, and, either by accident or otherwise, a troop of doves and turtle-doves crowded together on the limbs above His head. After He had covered His face with His hands for a while, He looked up, and feasted His eyes on the sight that there met His gaze. Quiet and even, only here and there slightly moved by the evening breeze, the blue surface of the sea could be seen down to its southern termination, a picture of that peace which He desired to bring to mankind. The many high strongholds that were built along the hills lining the other shores, especially Gamala, conspicuous at the south end of the sea, with its imposing castles and towers, showed that peace was something that belonged to the future, and that the present was under the supremacy of bloody war. Raising His eyes above these strongholds, they found pleasure in gazing at the high plateau of Golan, which, like the picture of the mysterious supernatural existence, rose above the rocky walls that lined the coast, broken through by mighty crevices, out of which, in the rainy season, great masses of water rushed into the sea. He saw it all, comprehended it all, and reflected on it all.

After gazing and contemplating in this manner for a time, He arose, advanced a few steps, and remained standing at a place from which He could overlook the city which He had chosen. This Capernaum, which glittered in the glory of the setting sun, contained people who had learned to know Him, and now also contained the blessed one who had given Him birth. With joy and sorrow He looked down upon it. His whole calling and life was laid open before His soul at this sight. For the city at the sea, where the districts of Naphtali and Zebulun meet and join, was, in truth, the stronghold which He had chosen for Himself, in order to work from here and change the world’s course, and bring it into a new relation to the will of God. He spread out His hands as though blessing it, and cried out in the words of Isaiah’s prophecy concerning Capernaum (Isa 8:22; Isa 9:1): "And there shall be no gloom to her that was in anguish. In the former time He brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali; but in the latter time hath He made it glorious, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the nations." "Yea," He continued, "the nation that walks in darkness sees a great light; those that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, a light shines over them. O Father of lights, make Me the light of the nations, as Thou hast made the sun the light of the earth." "But," said a voice within Him, "the sun goes down bloody in order to arise again gloriously." "However this," He answered, "I have come into the world for this purpose, to give My life as a ransom for many." With such thoughts and words He went with quickened steps to the city and down to the sea. Those that met Him stood still for a long time, as if enchanted by the majesty and magnificence of His appearance. In coming from Nazareth and passing Mount Tabor to the edge of the ridge of hills that descend by a steep grade into the valley above Tiberias, the Sea of Galilee lies before us for the first time almost in its whole length. Then, the thought that this bit of earth, from which the Sun of salvation and the law of the history of the world ex oriente Lux (the light comes from the East) has been fulfilled, fills our hearts with overwhelming feeling. But also aside of the crown of glory that rests upon it on account of its mission in the history of salvation, the clear, pure, and gently moving waters in themselves leave an agreeable and solemn feeling. Of the lakes in Switzerland none are like this one. v. Orelli says: "The Sea of Mur is nearest like it as far as size is concerned, the Sea of Zug in regard to the clearness of its water, the grace of its form and the warmth of its coloring." He and his companion saw it for the first time when they came from Nazareth to the edge of the high hill plateau above Tabarie. Then, after a half hour’s steep descent into Tabarie, they could not get enough of the sight viewing it from the roof of the Latin cloister at that place. And when one evening they were bathing in its waters, they experienced how quickly the waters, smooth as a mirror, could suddenly produce the wild waves of a storm. "Above the high rocky hills of the other side quick flashes of lightning were seen once or twice; the thunder could scarcely be heard; the light had a mysterious appearance, and without being able to notice the presence of any wind, the sea, as though moved by the arms of an invisible spirit, became restless. The breakers were regular and loud; they surged until late in the night, so that it seemed as though we were at the ocean’s beach." My two friends saw the sea in the spring, and the impression made on them was for this reason a more favorable one than that received by Robinson, in 1838, on his first trip to Palestine, who saw it in summer, after all the herbage had been withered and not a sail or boat dotted its waters. The sea looks different in summer than it does in spring. How much different from what it is now must have been its appearance at that time when the head of the fisherman’s family in Capernaum was entertaining the most exalted Guest that man has ever welcomed to his house, on the day when Jesus was returning from the Chorazin fountain to Capernaum. The mountain wall by which the east side of the sea is encircled rises from one thousand to two thousand feet above the level of the water, and forms a rolling and barren line of hills. These have a dark, though not displeasing, and formerly also an imposing appearance; for in these mountains-that is, in their middle, between the high table-land of Golan and the shore of the sea a number of small castles were to be seen, among which that of Gamala, with its fortresses and towers, were the most important. Its appearance, before it had fallen into ruins, must have been magnificent; especially when in the light of the full moon. One could see all these castles from the sea-shore, because they lay high and stood out prominently from the hills. And to the imposing appearance was added a feeling of the wildly romantic by the irregular and broken character of the Golan plateau, with its many crevices, through which, in the rainy season, cataracts of wild waters rushed down to the sea. The character of the western shore is entirely different from this. It is marked by sloping hills and rocky cliffs, that encircle the sea, now closely, now somewhat removed, as far north as the hills that there border on the waters, and it is covered with beautiful villages. Here Nature had poured out her horn of plenty, and here the industry and craft of man had drawn from Nature’s resources what she may have been inclined to withhold from them. The climate of the lower districts is sub-tropical i.e., it approaches the tropical, but was made milder by the fragrance of the vegetation that covered it from the sea to the top, and which is watered not only by the sweet waters of the sea, but also by the brooks that come pouring down the hill-sides and by springs along the shore. Now, this most famous earthly paradise, by wars and earthquakes, through the uncertainty of holding property, and through the stupidity of man, has been reduced to a mere remnant of its former grandeur. In the Old Testament books the whole western coast of the Sea of Galilee or Tiberias is called "Kinnereth," or" Kinneroth." The Talmud connects these names with the name of the instrument "Kinnor" saying: "As beautiful as is the sound of the Kinnor is the fruit of Kinnereth." And no greater praise can the Talmud give than to say of this fruit that God had not allowed it to grow in Jerusalem, so that people might not come to that city for its sake and not for the purpose of worship. But the true explanation is an easier one. "Kinnor" is an oval musical instrument in the shape of a pear, which in Arabic is called "el-ud," the lute, the name which came with the Arabs to Europe into the Spanish language, and from it into others of Western Europe. The sea actually has the appearance of a lute. And then there was situated along the shore an old city of the tribe of Naphtali called "Kinnereth," or, on the analogy of other names of ancient cities, in the plural "Kinneroth" This town in later times was called "Gennesar," or "Ginnusar," possibly on account of its beautiful gardens; for this name signifies the gardens of the princes, and the city was accordingly the city of the garden of the princes. This city must have been in existence in the Middle Ages, for Estori ha-Parchi, in 1320, according to it, determines the sites of Zereda, Tanchum, and Tiberias. One of the doctors of the Talmud, named Jonathan ben-Charsha, is called "Ish Gennesar" (man of Gennesar), as Judas, the betrayer, is called "Ish Kerijoth" (man of Kerijoth). From this Gennesar the sea took its name, which it had when Christianity was first introduced. The first Book of the Maccabees and Josephus call it the "Genneser sea"; the Gospels, however, call both the sea and the surrounding country by the feminine form "Gennesaret," with the exception of the fourth Gospel, which calls the sea by its youngest name, the Sea of Tiberias, by which it is also known in the literature of the Talmud. The magnificent valley that opens up to the traveller in going from Tiberias to Magdala was called the Gennesar Valley, and, in the stricter sense of the word, the Gennesar country. It is, says Josephus, in his history of the Jewish war (III, 10), as though there were here a rivalry of nature, which was striving to unite opposites into one point, and an actual contest of the seasons, each of which is endeavoring to gain possession of the land. For the ground brings forth all kinds of fruits that apparently cannot grow in the same climate, and does this not only once a year, but almost throughout the whole year. The kings among fruits, the grape and the fig, grow here ten months without interruption, and at their side other fruits ripen all the year round. In these words Josephus praises this land, and other ancient eye-witnesses have lauded the wonderful beauty and fruitfulness of the Gennesar country. The business and life that at one time covered this inland sea, only about fourteen miles long and seven miles wide, and one hundred and fifty feet deep, has now given way to the silence of a church-yard and is dedicated to great memories. In the division of the country among the tribes, its western shore, as far as Kinnereth, fell to the lot of Naphtali; and, according to a tradition, Joshua had added the condition that every one should be allowed to throw his fishing-hook, but that every net should be taxed, because unlimited fishing with nets, especially with drop-nets, which were allowed to remain in the water overnight, would interfere with navigation. Now, the inhabitants confine themselves to fishing along the shore. Travellers in the present century have seen but few or no boats on the sea. Robinson saw but one, which was bringing wood across from the eastern shore. In those days, however, of which we speak, the sea was thickly dotted with boats, large and small, in which fishermen were plying their vocation day and night, and in which travellers arid goods were carried along the shore or across the lake. Josephus, as commander-in-chief of Galilee, on one occasion organized a blind attack by sea on Tiberias, which had rebelled, and collected in Tarichia no less than two hundred and thirty boats, each manned with four sailors. What an activity and wealth must have been in these cities and villages in the Gennesar country! In looking from the baths at Tiberias toward the city and the sea, we see in the background the mountain of Safed and the snow-covered peak of Mount Hermon, which shuts out all further outlook; and from Tiberias in a north-westerly direction, to the Barida Springs, we see a terraced, smiling land, covered with houses, and extending at least half-way up the hills, behind which the rugged and perpendicular rocks put a stop to the work of man. The view is a great deal like that of the Sea of Zurich, from Zurich to Rapperschwyl. The ruins of Tell Hum lie on the north side of the sea, one hour’s walk from the place where the Jordan empties into the sea, between the steep shore on the one side and the plain forming a fruitful delta on the other. It carries with it a slimy mass, sluggishly and slowly proceeding on its way. The marks of the principal highway go east and west. If the good-sized place here, whose houses, built of basalt stone, were reflected in the sea, is not Capernaum, what other city could it be? Robinson and others, who looked for Capernaum near the Ain-et-Tin (the fig fountain), found some twenty-five minutes walk farther south, cannot answer this question. When Josephus reports that in a battle which he fought with the Romans, near Bethsaida Julias, he fell from his horse, and was badly hurt, and was brought to a place called "Cepharnome" this account agrees well with the site of Capernaum, which was from Bethsaida, which was situated on the eastern side of the mouth of the Jordan, the nearest large city, where Josephus could find physicians and could hope to remain concealed. And when Jesus, after He had been informed of the decapitation of John the Baptist, crossed over with His disciples in a boat to Bethsaida Julias, and the multitude followed Him thither in great crowds on foot, hastening after Him along the shore of the sea (Luk 9:10), this can be best understood, if we suppose that Capernaum was the place from which Jesus departed, and where the multitude had been collected, as this was the centre of His active work, and if this is sought for at no other place than where the ruins of Tell Hum are now found. The disciples also returned to Capernaum after they had witnessed, in Bethsaida beyond the Jordan, the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, and Jesus had gone out from them in order to be alone. A storm, which overtakes the disciples on their homeward journey, threatens them with destruction; but Jesus, walking upon the waters, comes to their assistance, and, contrary to all expectation, they find themselves quickly at their destination at Capernaum. But on the next morning the people saw that the boat which had brought over the Man of wonders was no longer there; and they learned that the disciples had long before sailed away, but that He was not with them. Thinking that Jesus had taken the land road, they entered several boats from Tiberias, which were lying there near Bethsaida, and again it is Capernaum to which they steer in order to find Jesus, and where they do find Him (John 6:16-25). From all these passages we are impressed with the fact that Capernaum lay diagonally across from Bethsaida, and that the chief seat of Christ’s work was the land on this and that side of the north end of the lake.

"Beside the mild atmosphere," says Josephus, in his description of the Gennesar country, "this also adds to the fertility, that the ground is watered by a remarkably powerful spring, which the inhabitants call ’Capharnaum.’ Many considered it to be a vein of the Nile, because it has fish similar to the Coracinus (so called on account of its raven blackness) in the Sea of Alexandria." Josephus is speaking here of Gennesar in the narrow sense of the word, that charming piece of land which is enclosed on the north at the Chan Minje, and on the south at Megdel by hills extending down into the sea. If this is the district through which the Capharnaum Spring poured its waters, then Tell Hum, which lies one hour farther north of this, cannot be considered as the old Capernaum. But what Josephus says about the spring of Capernaum must first be corrected. For it sometimes happens that a place is named after a fountain found in the neighborhood, as is seen by so many names of places beginning with, the word "Am" (fountain); but that, conversely, a fountain should have a name beginning with the word "kepher" (village) is impossible. The statements of Josephus seem entirely incorrect. But if we understand the statement to mean that the spring was called not Capharnaum, but Ain Capharnaum (spring of the Nahum village), then among the places from Tiberias on and beyond the Chan Minje, no other can be meant than the beautiful and powerful Tabigha fountain; for this lies only half an hour from Capernaum, and could have been called after this city. In going along the narrow shore path to Capernaum, we pass also some other springs, but Tabigha is the only one worth mentioning, and is the most important. The waters of this spring, even where they burst forth, are powerful, and of such bulk that they drive a mill. And even yet the aqueduct is preserved in part, by means of which the waters at one time supplied the whole of the north-eastern part of the Gennesar Plain. In an eight-cornered encasing made of stone, and in part preserved to the present day, the water was carried to a height where it could flow into the aqueduct. A gutter cut into the rocks led it around the projecting mountain, so that it watered the plain. Ain-et-Tin did not serve this purpose, because it lay almost down at the water’s edge, and the other water-supplies reached only the southern parts of the plain. But that Capernaum secured its water-supply from Tabigha cannot be accepted; for the water of Tabigha is tepid and brackish i.e., it tastes salty, like ocean water. It is less pleasant to the taste and less fresh than is the water of the lake, which the people of Capernaum had right before them. The water of the Sea of Galilee is, like that of the Nile, excellent for drinking purposes. The qualities which Josephus assigns to it corroborate this; he says it glitters, is clear, sweet, mild, and cool.

We must, on the other hand, not pass over in silence that there is, indeed, a tradition to the effect that the old Capernaum was situated on the north end of the Gennesar country, in the narrow sense of the word, which is now called "el-ghuweir" (ghuwer), and hence near to the present Chan Minje. "Chan" in the East is a name applied to an uninhabited one-story building, which has been built as a place for travellers to remain in over-night; not, indeed, an inn, but rather a structure serving as a stopping-place without charges. But when the Franciscan Quaresmio, of Lodi, in his garrulous book on the "Holy Land," which appeared in two folio volumes in 1639, says in Vol. II, p. 868: "At present we see that where Capernaum once stood are many ruins, and a miserable diversorium, called in Arabic Menich," he meant by this the present Chan Minje, between which and the shore of the sea, beneath a large fig-tree, the so-called fig fountains break forth, and cause the growth of some rich grass along its banks covered with reeds. Robinson and his companions camped here on the 19th of May, 1852, in the midst of magnificent clover-fields. The pile of formless ruins lying only a few steps south of the Chan on a slight elevation, seemingly the remains of a not unimportant place, were at that time grown over by an almost ripe field of wheat. Here there must have been a place in olden times whose size is yet a matter unsettled. The neighboring people have often turned this ground upside down in order to secure building material. At first they found, as we learn from the work on "Palestine," by Professors Ebers and Guthe, fruitful soil, then yellow earth mixed with rocks, and under this the remains of old walls made of carefully-prepared limestone; and, besides this, they found also, near the walls, some potter’s ware and other remnants of an old civilization. Was it, perhaps, here where we are to seek the old places "Kefar Tauchumin" or, better, "Kefar Techumin," mentioned in the works of the Palestinian Jews? The name is similar to the name of Capernaum, but signifies "border village," and would correspond with the north end of the Gennesar Valley. The site of Capernaum, the Nahum village, is marked by the much more extensive ruins of Tell Hum. There the French Bishop Arculf saw Capernaum at the end of the seventh century. On his return trip to West Brittany, he described what he saw to the Prior Adamnanus, on St. Columba, one of the Hebrides, as follows: "Those who come from Jerusalem and would visit Capharnaum travel directly toward Tiberias, and then pass by the Sea of Galilee, and the place where Jesus is said to have blessed and broken the bread for the five thousand. From there, upon proceeding along the shore, you arrive in a short time, on the way that goes along the shore, at the seaport Capharnaum. I saw the city from a neighboring mountain, with no wall around it, and confined to narrow limits between the mountain and the sea; it lies extended on a long strip of shore, with a mountain on the north at its back, and runs eastward and westward." This must have been, in truth, a bird’s-eye view of Capernaum, when seen from one of the mountains to the south. The slowly ascending ground at its back rapidly changes into a mountain; the city stretches out in width, and its front is formed by the sea, which seems here to come to an end, Antoninus Martyr, who had visited Capernaum a few years earlier, found there a basilica, which included the traditional house of Peter, just as a chapel in Nazareth is said to enclose the traditional workshop and house of Joseph. Down to the time of Constantine, the city of Capernaum was inhabited exclusively by Jews. This emperor, however, allowed a Jewish convert, by the name of Joseph, to erect Christian churches at Capernaum, and other hitherto exclusively Jewish towns. It is possible, even now, to distinguish in the thickets of thorns and grasses the ruins of the basilica from those of the synagogue. The synagogue was, as can yet be plainly seen, seventy-four feet and nine inches long, and fifty-six feet and nine inches wide, and on its south side had three entrances. Amid its limestone ruins are also found capitals of Corinthian columns, and the remains of architraves which at one time supported wooden rafters.

Capernaum lay upon a projecting curve of the shore, where it had a natural dam against the sea, which lay a little lower, but which in the rainy season of winter rose higher, owing to the waters that rushed into it from the wadis. The houses were, in part, built so close to the water’s edge that their backs were reflected in the water; others stood back farther, and in front of them were either gardens with arbors or places to dry the nets. About in the middle of this street, running along the shore in the old city, where there was offered a good place to unload the boats, was the landing-place where the boats were pulled on shore and unloaded; for Capernaum did not possess an artificial harbor, unless you would call this landing-place a harbor, and the shore road the dam of the harbor. At these places, on the evening of which we speak, there was a remarkable bustle and life. Like wildfire the news had spread that Jesus of Nazareth would this evening appear at the water’s edge, and had reached even the neighboring villages. It could, indeed, not be brought to the places on the other side of the sea; for this, the time between the vesper services and the evening was too short. But after one short hour, it was known at Bethsaida and Chorazin; it was also known in the village of dyers, Magdala, and in Arbel, lying half an hour to the west above Magdala, and in the villages at the fig fountain, whose names have now disappeared. From all of these places people came to Capernaum, most of them impelled by curiosity, but some of them by a desire for salvation. Here and there one was seen riding on an ass. This animal, in Palestine, is of a better breed, and more intelligent than in our lands, and is almost as fast as a horse, and faster than the ordinary burden-carrying camel. In Magdala certain men had lifted a sick woman, notwithstanding her strong protests, into a boat. Her old mother, who kneeled at her head, could with great difficulty keep her quiet and contented. The journey, because there was no breeze, was a slow one along the shore. Occasionally, however, one of the two rowers, at the earnest prayers of the mother of the sick woman, stepped into the shallow water, and pulled the boat along by a cord. But where to land the boat? The old woman, as often as the sick companion would suffer her, looked toward heaven for an answer to this question. For the multitude also who stood on the wharf it was an important question where Jesus would take His stand; although many were too careless to ask themselves such a question. One would look at the beautiful and large barbels and sea-mullets which some fisherman had been lucky enough to catch; another was examining lumber brought over from Gamala, which had been hewn in the woods of Gebel Aglun; a third was conversing from the wharf with the steersman of a boat which had been loaded with iron brought overland from Acre, and manufactured in the iron works on the western Lebanon, and cried out to him in the common jargon that consisted of a mixture of Latin, Greek, and Aramaic: "Antiki tabta, prakmatia shapira"-i.e., fine fruit, splendid goods! Here and there some were seen getting into boats, and having themselves rowed out to sea, in order to look all over the shore, and be able to go at once where Jesus would take His stand. Those who were walking up and down on the street along the shore, hoped that He would, at least, pass by that way; for that this place, where the boats with the iron and other vessels were being loaded, would not be selected by Him as a place, from which to address the people, was more than probable. But will He go to the right or to the left before the city, and assemble the people there? This was the question that they discussed pro and con in an animated manner.

It was a most beautiful night. The sea was the picture of deep peace. The murmuring of its waves, that broke at short intervals, the pearly foam that appeared and disappeared so rapidly, seemed like the lovely dreams of one softly sleeping. And as one who is journeying into a strange land thinks again of the loved ones at home, from whom he is, indeed, separated in space but not in heart, thus the sun, sinking behind the western mountains, sent his evening greetings to the sea, that slowly and softly was taking its course southward. The rich blue of the waves shone in his golden rays, and the clouds above it reflected all the colors of the precious stones in the breastplate of the high priest. But the mountains above, in themselves reddish and made still redder in the glow of the evening sun, were enveloped, after the sun had gone down, more and more as if by the incense of the evening sacrifice. And on this side a mild breeze mingled all the delicious fragrance of the orchards, groves, and gardens, together with that of the deflebush crowning the shores with a crimson hue, and united them, as it were, into a savory incense-offering. On the windows of the synagogue the sparrows chirped, as though uniting in an evening chorus of praise; here and there a pelican could be seen, which, tired of diving, was flying toward his resting-place on the rocks beyond. Only at the harbor was this solemn silence banished by the mingling of many human voices who cared nothing for it. Those who without were walking up and down, expecting the great Preacher and Man of miracles, could not otherwise than enjoy the peace reflected in nature around. The children running back and forth between them, who were hunting pretty shells, and gathered bunches of red anemones and fragrant cyclamens and other flowers, and here and there made a stone to skip over the surface of the water, gave additional attraction to this evening picture, without injuring it. Much more animated was the scene along the shore toward the mouth of the Jordan than it was in the direction of Magdala. At all events, it was more probable that He would come from Chorazin; and, besides, two women were walking back and forth at this place, of whom it could be expected that they knew whence He would probably come. These were the wife of Peter, and Mary, who had, without difficulty, been persuaded to remain this evening in Capernaum, on which she expected to hear the Word of Life from the mouth of her Son, and to see Him in the midst of His activity. "Possibly we are on the wrong side, at any rate," said Mary. "No," answered her companion," He will certainly come from His favorite place at the Chorazin well; we will not miss Him." "The wife of Simon the fisherman I know," said a man from Chorazin, walking behind the two women, to a man of Capernaum, "but who is that old lady dressed so plainly, yet who is walking with the gait of a noble personage?" "That is Mary, the daughter of Eli," answered the other, "the mother of the Nazarene, who came today to visit Him." The man from Chorazin then hastened in front of the women, but scarcely had he turned around to see Mary’s face, when he was compelled to turn away again without satisfying his curiosity. He could, not endure the glance of her eyes.

While the people were in this manner going up and down the shore of the lake in deep expectation, the Rabbis from Jerusalem were in the garden of a country house situated some distance from the city, from the terraces of which the grand view to the northwest upon the mountain of Safed, and farther to the north the snow-capped Mount Hermon could be viewed. The master of the house and a number of the wealthiest and most influential of the citizens of Capernaum, whom he had invited in honor of his guests, and, as he expressed it, to save them from the riotous noise of this evening, sat in an arbor of the garden, filled with palm, banana, balsam, cypress, and castor-oil trees, engaged in animated conversation, while the servants were offering to the guests on silver platters, fine confections and the choicest Gennesar fruit. The conversation for a while was a discussion of the casuistry of the law of the tribes. "I have," said the man of the house, "down in the valley, three huts, in which my fruit-gatherers live. Is it allowed that my children and servants shall eat of the fruits down there without paying tithes?" "They may," answered the men of Jerusalem. "But," continued the man of the house, "in one of the huts the people have commenced to keep house; they have a handmill there and keep chickens." "Such a hut, also, said the Jerusalemites, "need not be tithed." "Take note," said the master of the house to his son, "whosoever abides in a perfume factory, although he does not himself buy or sell it, nevertheless gets his clothes perfumed." "Ye men of Jerusalem are, indeed, happy," exclaimed one of the guests; "for ye sit at the fountain of the law." "Well, then," was the answer, "do not yourselves sever your connection with Jerusalem by running after this Jesus." "Our people," said a wealthy ship-owner, "are as ignorant as the asses." He pronounced the word chamarin so indistinctly that it was uncertain whether he meant asses or sheep. "Yes," said one of the Jerusalemites, in answer to this, "that you are ignorant can be seen even by the jargon you here call language." These words offended the self-respect of the Galileans and caused bad feelings. An old man, who was at least as old as the two Rabbis together, answered quietly and smilingly: "Not so strict, ye gentlemen from. Jerusalem, for Galilee has not only beautiful fields, but also great men. And this Jesus of Nazareth, ye must also confess, is a great Man, even if He is not a learned man (Lamdan), according to your cut." "No, no," they cried, as out of one mouth, "He is a ’Meshummed’ (apostate), He is a ’Min’ (heretic); He is no better than a ’Goj’ (heathen); He is such an ’Am haarez’ (plebeian), of which Rabbi Jochanan says that they should be torn asunder like the fish." "Men of Jerusalem," cried the master of the house, in order to restore the social harmony of the company, "do not judge so harshly concerning this Man to whom so many persons, in and around Capernaum, who were sick owe the restoration of their health. You have just come here; observe Him this evening and later; do not jump at conclusions so quickly." The two men felt that they were doing themselves more harm than good by such angry outbursts, and continued: "Men of Galilee, dear brethren, have you not read in the Book of Job (6:26): ’Do ye imagine to reprove words, seeing that the speeches of one that is desperate are as wind?’ The zeal for our nation, which needs union now more than ever, has made us harsh. Do not the name Tiberias on this side and of Bethsaida Julias on the other side of this beautiful lake remind you that you are no longer masters in your own country? A garrison consisting of Gentile mercenaries forcibly reminds you that you are servants of Herod, and that he is a servant of the Romans. You must suffer the picture of the Roman Emperor on your golden coin; and every copper coin that is issued has at least his name. Shall we, the sons of free men, be forever slaves? No; our teachers have said: ’Between the present age and the age of the Messiah there is nothing except the rule of the stranger.’ When, then, the Messiah comes He will collect Israel around His banners, and will break the yoke of this godless Roman supremacy, and will purify the land of Israel from the abomination of heathendom, the theatres, hippodromes, circuses, and images, which are now found in such abundance from Jerusalem over to Gadara, and from Cisrin (Caesarea) to Beisan (Scythopolis). And now, just look at this Nazarene, and answer if He can be the Messiah, which the Minim of this Capernaum hold Him to be? Just imagine a helmet on His head and a sword in His hand! You cannot do it. He is not the One who is to destroy Rome’s power. Instead of uniting the nation, He divides it by His new teachings; and instead of leading them to a war against the worldpower, He preaches contentment with the slavery, and obedience to the tyrants." This was about the tenor of the speech of the two men, and when the one paused he would be relieved by the other. Compared with the servile obedience of the Romanites and Herodians, who utilized the present for their selfish purposes, and with the Essenes, who lived a retired life of dreams, the patriotic enthusiasm and religious zeal of these disciples of the Pharisees challenged admiration. But when they looked around, anxious to hear what answer they would receive, the whole company was seized with a curiosity that bore them resistless along. Outside on the street, in front of the house, a loud noise was heard. They heard the steps of those hastening by, and the din of many voices, sending over the garden enclosure the words: "He comes! By water! Away, on the Magdala side!" "My worthy guests," said the master of the house, arising, "if you want to see Him, follow me; for if He comes by water, He will pass by near us." The whole company hastened, as though drawn by magnetism, after the master of the house, and took their positions under the alkit, a covered open hall, on an elevation thrown up in the corner of the garden, from where they could have a wide sweep of the water.

It was not long until those that were assembled behind upon the hill saw a grand sight. For them was meant the word which they could not yet appreciate: "Blessed are the eyes which see what ye see"; but we glory also in the favor bestowed upon us, because we can picture to our mind what they saw, and can behold it with the eyes of our souls. The boat that passed bore Jesus and the four older apostles; for Peter and Andrew had waited for Him on the lake with their boat, and James and John had hastened from Bethsaida. Back at the rudder sat Peter, with dignified mien, in which the proud consciousness found its expression that he was allowed to be the entertainer of Him who sat before him. Sitting on the front seat, and steadily gazing at Jesus, Andrew and James divided the gentle waves of the water with their oars, so that the boat, although without sails, flew along as though it had wings. On the middle seat sat Jesus, and at His left the disciple whom He loved. Jesus with His right hand was clasping the right of John, and pressed it to His heart; and John, feeling the pulsations of His heart, had sunk into a deep, blissful contemplation. And He Himself? how did He whom no pen could describe appear? Youth and manhood, mildness and strength, undiminished powers and nameless sufferings, exalted majesty and gentle humility, all these were united in a wonderful manner in His countenance and deportment. Heaven and earth were joined in Him; the heavenly light penetrated through the earthly, and the earthly subdued the power of the heavenly light. He looked differently from what He had done during the day. He was not bent down, and did not look down before Him; but, with raised head and joyous countenance, He looked around Him, sitting like a King in His royal barge; and the many boats that followed Him looked as though they were His fleet. He loved the evening above all the hours of the day. He looked back this evening with satisfaction on His work of the day, which His heavenly Father had given Him to do. He found Himself separated from the world, and yet visible to all the world in His congregation, which was represented in the two apostolic pairs of brothers. He felt a foretaste of the Sabbath into which He would be about to enter when His work would be done. Several rays of the evening sun seemed to have forgotten to depart in order to disappear in the glory of His countenance; just as if to see Him, the full moon, in its purple glow, rose behind the brown hills beyond; a gentle evening zephyr arose, as if to cool the Lord’s brow; the sea rose and fell as in a solemn rhythmic measure; the waves that played around His boat threw at Him glittering diamonds. It was an overwhelming sight. As the boat passed by the garden, Peter called the attention of Jesus to the spectators on the pavilion. He looked up with a gracious smile. Then a young man among the guests in the garden cried out: "Elaha de Jisrael, den malca Meshica" (by the God of Israel, this is the King Messiah); and the old sire put the seal upon this cry with the firmly spoken words: "Ihu nihu" (it is He). Thereupon the two Jerusalemites drew as many of their guests as they could down with them, crying: "Turn away your eyes; woe unto you! You are under the spell of a sorcerer!" On the south side was the landing-place for the boats which had brought lumber from the high plateau of Gola from the eastern side of the sea. To this place the boat containing Jesus was rowed, shooting rapidly past the harbor of Capernaum and past the whole length of the city. When it had arrived at its destination but a few persons were gathered there, who appeared to have come for no other purpose than to examine the lumber and fire-wood collected there. On the other hand, it was rather an accidental good fortune that the vessel bearing the sick woman from Magdala, whose cries could be hushed only with the greatest difficulty by her mother, happened to be lying here. "Lord," said John, "here is work for Thee already." "However this may be," answered Jesus, "I must do the work of Him that hath sent Me. The night will come when no one can work." Scarcely had the woman caught a glance of Him than she at once recognized Him whose identity could not be mistaken, and cried out with heart-piercing words: "O Jesus, our Teacher and Helper, Thou Messenger of the Most Merciful, help my poor child; for the Holy One blessed be He has heard my prayer, that we have found Thee and Thou us." Thereupon Peter, with the assistance of the two others, who were allowing their oars merely to touch the water, guided the boat in such a manner that its side touched closely the side of the other boat. Jesus arose; the woman fell upon her knees; the sick woman tried with all her power to arise and throw herself head foremost over the other side of the boat into the water. The boatman and John, who had jumped into the water, seized her by the arms, and the mother despairingly clung to the long hair-braids of her child, and hid her face in them. Her tears ceased to flow; her thoughts at this decisive hour stood still; her soul was entirely absorbed in prayer, although she did not utter a word. "Whence are these people?" asked Jesus of the boatman. And when He heard that they were from Magdala, He said to His disciples: "Woe unto this Magdala, for it will be converted unto ruins on account of its unchastity. All the rich treasures which it takes down to Jerusalem will not help it; for, as the prophet says, the wages of lewdness she has gathered, and she will become the wages of unchastity." Thereupon He said, "Turn her face toward Me, that I may see it!" This was hard to do, for the sick woman bent her head down as near the water as possible. But John succeeded at last through gentle words. "Mary," He said (for, having turned to the mother, he has quietly asked her name), "do you always want to remain in the power of the demons? See, the Subduer of demons is here before you; look at Him, and you will be healed. We are all praying for you, as did our teacher Moses-peace be unto Him-for his sister (Num 12:13): ’Heal her, O God!’ Do not put our prayer to shame. Now is the time, when you can make yourself and your mother happy." These words were effectual; she suffered them to raise her head and turn her face to Jesus. When she saw Him, her whole body was thrown into violent contortions, so that the boat began to rock, and she uttered cries of pain that moved heart and soul, and were heard far out in the sea. Jesus, however, kept His eyes fixed on hers; He looked through her, into her heart of hearts, and melted by His burning glances the seven-fold chain by which her soul was imprisoned. The raving woman became submissive, and it was no longer necessary to hold her. Her agitation quieted down, the contortions of her face and the unsteadiness of her eyes disappeared, a heavy perspiration oozed down from her forehead and mingled with the tears that gushed from her eyes. Her mother made room for her, and, sinking down where she had until now been kneeling, she cried out with a subdued, trembling voice to Jesus: "O Lord, I am a great sinner; is the door of repentance still open for me?" "Be of good cheer, My daughter," He answered, "God hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Thou hast been the dwelling-place of evil spirits; become now a temple of the living God!" And the mother, who cried out to Him: "O thanks unto Thee, thou Comforter of Israel," was interrupted by the words: "Go back now speedily to Magdala, and do not talk much about the affair; but thank God without ostentation." John went back into the boat of Jesus, and soon the other boat sailed away. The two women sat on the middle seat. Mary Magdalene in gratitude embraced her mother, and the two sat together in silence, and looked as though they were transfixed at Jesus, until the shore that constantly receded westward hid Him from view. When the boat with the women had disappeared, Peter tied his to the post at which the other had been tied. Jesus, however, was lost in thought, and, without looking around, remained seated in the boat. The disciples, also, whose reverence for Him would not allow them to suggest to Him to step out, remained with Him. In the mean while the people of Capernaum, men, women, and children, came in crowds, among them also soldiers of the garrison, sent here by the government of Herod and the Romans, and also a number of strange faces were seen of such as had come even from Syria, the Decapolis, and Northern Galilee, by land, and had on the afternoon of the present day reached their destination. A happy accident had brought also many who had come from Tiberias by the mountain road along the sea, and had taken this street along the shore which they had to pass in order to get to Capernaum; and from the tax-house of Matthew, who at this time had been affected by Jesus’ teaching, a number of friends came, who had lodged there, in order to spy out a favorable opportunity to see Jesus. When the place was filled, Peter said softly, hiding his impatience in his words: "Marana werdabbana (our Lord and Master), the people are assembled and are waiting for Thee!" Then Jesus arose. Peter took a board and made a bridge from the boat to the shore. He hastened over himself to make it secure, and to make room for them to land, for at this place those standing on the shore formed a solid mass. Jesus now left the boat, and the three other disciples followed. When He had landed, He said: "Simon Cephas (for thus He addressed him when He needed the assistance of His faithful and energetic help in the affairs of the kingdom of God), I have selected that palm-tree there as a place from which to address the assembly." But it was a difficult thing to get there; for those who had taken their stand near the boats were mostly sick persons, to whom precedence had been given through pity. And scarcely had Jesus placed His foot on the land, when cries for help in many dialects and various salutations greeted His ears: "Rabbi!" "Rabbuni!" "The Holy One of God!" "Son of David!" "Son of God!" sounded through each other; and when Jesus, motioning them away with His hands, said: "Do not interrupt Me; this evening is not to be devoted to the healing of your bodily ills (Mat 8:16), but that you should hear the words of life for your souls," they nevertheless pressed upon Him, so that they might, at least, touch Him (Mark 3:10). And when, finally, with the assistance of His disciples, who quieted the people, each in his own manner, with friendly words, He had made His way to the tree, He gave a sign to the people that they should sit down. It was not a lofty but a neglected and dwarf-like palm, but it offered some shade. The elevation of the ground where He stood was, indeed, only slight, but, after the masses had taken their seats in rows all around Him, it was quite noticeable. The lumber lying around, the women and children had as much as possible taken possession of.

Must we now picture Jesus to us addressing the assembly standing? This idea would be contrary to the accounts in the Gospels, from which especially we are drawing the leading features of our picture. When He delivered the Sermon on the Mount, which contained the leading outlines of the Messianic kingdom over against the fundamental ideas of the Sinaitic law, and which is, in the shape which the Gospel records take in the narrative of Matthew, a model of His way of preaching, He is represented as sitting. This is represented correctly in the old German Gospel poem called the "Heliand." "And silently He sat, and looked at them for a long while with gentle soul and gracious heart. And when He opened His sacred mouth, glorious words flowed therefrom." When Luke (6:17) says that He, after descending from the top of the mountain, walked upon a level place, this means that He halted at such a place-namely, by sitting down. The saddle-like mount "Karn Hattin" which is generally considered as the mountain of the Beatitudes, has two peaks or horns, and the terraces beneath the eastern one are, at least, very suitable to illustrate this. In the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus is, indeed, represented as standing in reading the "Haftara" or prophetic lesson for the Sabbath day; but when the book-roll has been closed and given to the "Shammash" (servant of the synagogue), He delivers His address, His "Derasha," sitting; as, in general, the regular "Darshan" or preacher of the synagogue, sat. But by the side of Him stood the Amora, who was His assistant, in order to interpret to the congregation what was spoken (hence called Methurgeman, or interpreter), or to repeat it with a loud voice. And in the temple at Jerusalem, also, Jesus is represented as teaching while seated (John 8:2). And when, on one occasion on the seventh day of the Feast of the Tabernacles, He takes His stand in the temple (John 7:37), and, connecting His thoughts with the sacred practice of carrying water from the pool of Siloam, to pour it over the altar, He cried out to the people: "If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink" (John 7:37), this must be regarded as a cry spoken into the noise of the festivities, and not as a public address. Before the feeding of the five thousand and of the four thousand, we find Him sitting upon the mountain (John 6:3; Mat 15:29). And the three Evangelists, whose books are called the Synoptic Gospels, because they are of a like type of Gospel composition, give us in close connection a series of parables as a picture of the Lord’s manner of teaching by parables; He is represented as sitting upon the shore of the Sea of Galilee (Mat 13:1), and when the crowd pressed upon Him, and crowded in upon Him, He enters the boat of Simon, and tells him to push it away a short distance from the shore, and preaches from it to the multitude standing upon the shores (Luk 5:3; Mark 4:1). In Capernaum, also, we find Him sitting. While sitting He calls the twelve (Mark 9:35), and, while holding a child that had come there, in His arms, He teaches them concerning the childlike hearts and childlike love. And when His mother and His brethren visit Him in Capernaum, He is in the house, and a crowd of people is sitting around Him (Mark 3:32). This is a similar scene to the one in Ezekiel, when the prophet of the Babylonian exile sits in his home at Tel Abib, and the elders of Israel are sitting before him to listen to the Word of the Lord (Eze 1, passim). The Talmudic tradition says, that from the time of Moses (Exo 18:13, sq.) the teachers sat and the audience stood, and that only from the days of Rabbi Gamaliel (i.e., still previous to the destruction of Jerusalem) the people, also, on account of increasing weakness, sat. We would accordingly be in error were we to think that Jesus addressed the assembly standing. Under this single palmtree lay a natural rock, upon which He had often sat, in order to resign Himself to silent contemplation under the shade of the tree, or to feast His eyes on the sea. The academy at Jabne (Jamnia) was built in the shape of a hippodrome. Sitting upon an ordinary stone, the Rabbi Eliezer ben-Azaria, after the destruction of Jerusalem appointed as patriarch, delivered his addresses. It was, then, nothing extraordinary when Jesus, the extraordinary Rabbi, took His seat on this occasion on the rock and made it His pulpit.

How did He begin? we ask further. How did He address the assembly? The Gospels do not give us any direct information on this subject, for their interest in the form of Jesus addresses is subordinate to their interest in their contents. The words spoken also to the apostles, which we find in the four Gospels, have no special formal addresses, and of the many sermons preached to the people or to a larger circle of disciples (Mark 5:1, sq.; Luk 6:20), we have but one namely, the Sermon on the Mount, which begins with beatitudes, and does not admit of a formal opening. Elsewhere we hear Him addressing Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, over which He utters His cry of woe; and the Pharisees and Scribes, from whose face He tears the mask of hypocrisy with His eightfold woes; and then Jerusalem, the murderess of the prophets, to which, amid tears, He predicts a dire judgment, which she had brought upon herself through her rejection of salvation; but with what words He opened His addresses to the people gathered around Him in the synagogues in Jerusalem, and in the open country, of this we are not informed. We must, then, endeavor to learn it from other sources. When He addresses the women of Jerusalem, who followed Him weeping and lamenting to the place of crucifixion, with the words: "Daughters of Jerusalem" (benoth Jerushalajim) (Luk 23:28), then His address, directed to an audience composed chiefly of the men, would have been, "Sons of Israel" (bene Jisrael), especially as He loved to call His people by the name indicating their mission as the children of God namely, Israel (Mat 8:10; Mat 10:6-23, sqq.); and only once does He namely, when He is speaking to the Samaritan woman call them by the name of Jews, and even on this occasion, not without assigning to the Jews their honor in this regard, saying: "Salvation is from the Jews" (John 4:22). And what special shape His address took when directed to the Jews of Galilee, or Judea, or Jerusalem in particular, we can learn from the words of the angel (Acts 1:11), saying: "Men of Galilee, why stand ye looking into heaven?" When the Lord, as He, on an evening such as we are here describing, looked over the people assembled around Him, He probably addressed them as "Sons of Israel, Men of Galilee" (bene Jisrael, anshe ha-Galil).

However, when we attempt to picture to our minds Christ’s manner of addressing the people, we must not measure it with the rules of our rhetoric and homiletics. Just as He has taken our flesh and blood upon Himself, though without our sin, thus, too, in His addresses, notwithstanding their new and entirely unique contents, He shows Himself throughout as a member of a Semitic, and, more particularly, of the Jewish people. The Japhetic manner of address is marked throughout by this, that it makes one point the central thought, from which a circle of thought is described, and within this circle radii are drawn in all directions. The Semitic manner, however, adds line to line and point to point, and is content with the inner harmony of spirit and purpose. From the method of thought as practised by the former the thought composition of the latter is distinguished also by this, that the thought seeks to advance from its purely abstract character to some embodiment, and clothes itself either in some figurative form or finds expression in an illustration or parable. He who is acquainted with the Talmud or Midrash knows also that illustration through parables is a characteristic and fundamental feature of the Jewish method of teaching. A natural result of this preference for sententious and picture speech is the brevity of the discourse. The speaker dare not make it long, in order not to overburden the hearer, but he must give him time to think. And as in the case of teachers who are not themselves organs of divine revelation, everything that is offered for the purpose of being received must be drawn from the recognized records of revelation; all these addresses have this in common, that they proceed in part from words of Scripture as their basis, and in part lead to words of Scripture as their outcome. One example may suffice. Based on the words: "He hath clothed me with garments of salvation," taken from the sixty-first chapter of Isaiah, from which Jesus took His text in His address in the synagogue at Nazareth, an old address, preserved in a Jewish work, proceeds: "Seven garments the Holy One-blessed be He-has put on, and will put on from the time the world was created until the hour when He will punish the whole of wicked Edom" (a figurative expression for the Roman Empire). When He created the world, He clothed Himself in honor and majesty, as is said (Psa 104:1): "Thou art clothed in honor and majesty." Whenever He forgave Israel’s sins, He clothed Himself in white; for we read (Dan 7:9): "His garment was white as snow." When He punishes the people of the world, He puts on the garment of vengeance, as is said (Isa 59:17): "He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak." The sixth garment He will put on when the Messiah comes; then He will clothe Himself in a garment of righteousness, for it is said (Isa 59:17): "And He puts on righteousness as a breastplate and an helmet of salvation upon His head." The seventh garment He will put on when He punishes Edom; then He will clothe Himself in Adom-i.e., red; for it is said (Isa 63:2): "Wherefore art Thou red in Thine apparel?" But the garment which He will put upon the Messiah, this will shine far from one end of the earth to the other; for it is said (Isa 61:10): "As a bridegroom decketh himself with a garland." And the Israelites will partake of His light, and will speak: Blessed is the hour when the Messiah shall come; blessed the womb out of which He shall come; blessed His contemporaries who are eye-witnesses; blessed the eye that is honored with a sight of Him! For the opening of His lips is blessing and peace; His speech is a moving of the spirits; the thoughts of His heart are confidence and cheerfulness; the speech of His tongue is pardon and forgiveness; His prayer is the sweet incense of offerings; His petitions are holiness and purity. Oh, how blessed is Israel for whom such has been prepared!" For it is said (Psa 31:19): "How great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee!" This picture of the Messiah is like a mirror-reflection of the appearance of Jesus; like an echo of the Gospel. When the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration experienced the prelude of the glory that is to come, the glittering white light of His garments was not absent (Mat 17:2). But at that time when He was sitting on the rock under the palm-tree, His garments were indeed chaste and choice, but not aristocratic or remarkable in any respect. Upon His head He wore a white sudar, fastened under His chin by a cord, and hanging down backward over His shoulders, and over the tunic which covered the body to the hands and feet. He wore a blue tallith, with bluish white fringe at the four edges, thrown around and over Him in such a manner that the gray and red-striped tunic could be seen only in parts, and only now and then the feet, under which sandals were fastened, were visible.

It is a matter of course that He, who, notwithstanding that He was rich, had become poor for our sakes, would not clothe Himself in genuine purple. Nor in scarlet; this showy red contradicts what the prophet has foretold, saying that He will not cry or shout, nor will His voice be heard on the streets. Herod Antipas sent Him covered with such a showy garment back to Pilate, in order to deride Him. Nor was He clothed in white; for, on the Mount of Transfiguration, His garments became white as snow and white as light; hence they were not white, but colored. Nor was He dressed in black, for He performed His first miracle at a wedding. Black was the dress of those in mourning, of those that were accused, those that were excommunicated, and was so little in general vogue that entirely black shoes were regarded as non-Jewish. Nor can yellow or green be thought of; for nowhere do the old sources concerning Jewish life make any sure mention of these two colors for clothing. Hence we are almost of necessity restricted to blue and red. Blue as the color of the outer garment was in general usage. As the color of the Lord’s garments was not left to accident to select, it is quite natural to suppose that He preferred the blue in common usage as the color of heaven made sacred through God’s law. The color of His tunic could possibly have been blue; but no color is better suited than the mild red for the coming King of heaven. He did not parade His heavenly origin or royal dignity, neither did He deny them. When, then, a famous artist, in the picture of Christ carrying the cross, paints Him with a blue outer garment and a red tunic, this is entirely in harmony with the mind of Jesus and with His calling and work. For blood is red, and the skies with their transparent, boundless depths are blue. The self-sacrificing love is red; the covenant of grace is blue, which this grace seals. His path was red-blood-red; heavenly blue was the goal of His way. The cross was His ladder to the throne of sapphire, and the garment of the royal Lord is colored by the purple of His blood. As the Scriptures say: "Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising shame, and hath sat down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb 12:2). When Jesus had taken His seat there under the palm-tree, and His eyes had swept over the assembly, the multitude became more and more quiet, until nothing else could be heard except the gentle breaking of the waves against the shore. And when He began His address with the words: "Bene Jisrael, anshe ha-Galil," He did not speak with a great-i.e., loud voice, which He is stated to have done only on two occasions-namely, when He called Lazarus out of the tomb (John 11:43), and when He lamented upon the cross (Mat 27:46). But in this He was the realization of the idea of the servant of the Lord, of whom Isaiah prophesied that He would not cry out, and His voice would not be heard on the street-i.e., He will not cry out to attract public attention and approbation. His voice was pure, penetrating, measured, melodious. It sounded like the tones of a silver bell through the assembly, from one end to the other; it was impossible not to be fascinated by it. The whole strength of His soul was centred in His words, and the cords of the souls of those around Him were agitated thereby, and whoever did not wilfully resist the influence was compelled to say: "My innermost soul was moved like a zither."

He sat upon the stone under the palm-tree. To His right and to His left stood Simon and Andrew, the sons of Jonah, and James and John, the sons of Zebedee. The multitude sat close to His feet. "Sons of Israel, men of Galilee," He began, "the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come. Repent, and believe the Gospel. Moses, your teacher-peace be unto him-has said that the Lord would raise up a Prophet like unto him, and ye should hear Him, and whoever will not listen to this Prophet shall die. Amen, I tell you; whosoever believeth on Me hath eternal life. No one knoweth the Father except the Son, and no one knoweth the Son except the Father, and to whom the Son revealeth it." Then He continued in a raised voice: "Come unto Me, all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." And, finally, he said: "Take upon you the yoke of the kingdom of heaven, for the kingdom of heaven is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. Give up that which is least valuable, so that ye may gain that which is most valuable. Become wise money-changers, who esteem sacred coin higher than common coin, and, higher than all, the one priceless pearl. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear!" We must connect speeches of this kind with the personality of the Speaker, in order to be able to measure the weight of the impression made. Such words forced their way into the hearts of the hearers as though they were spears or nails, and not a few of the utterances of Jesus are found brought into circulation by the Jewish converts, as anonymous words, or ascribed to some other person in the Talmud and Midrashim. But many sayings of the Lord have nothing similar and no imitations. The words so frequently uttered to arouse His hearers to thoughtfulness: "He that hath ears, let him hear!" is entirely peculiar to Him. And the word "Amen" (truly), used at the beginning of sentences to strengthen them, and which in the dialect of the land sounded "amen amena lechon," is unknown to the entire Jewish literature. This amen, found at the opening of the sentence, is a peculiar confirmatory particle of Jesus, so characteristic that Rev 3:14, on the basis of it, calls Him "the Amen, the faithful and true witness." In the mean while the last remnants of the evening red had disappeared from the horizon. The full moon had already risen over the mountains on the other side of the lake, so high that her full golden glory was reflected in the water; and on this side, as though born of the evening red, the evening star looked down smilingly, and a refreshing breeze set the palm-leaves in motion. The later part of the evening was disappearing to make room for the first watch of the night. Jesus arose, and, although He was sometimes wont to disappear suddenly from the midst of the multitude (Mat 13:36), He, on this occasion, dismissed them with words of admonition and a salutation of peace (Mat 14:23). Raising His hands to bless them (Luk 24:50), His eye fell upon His mother. After the last words had been spoken, He turned to the left, whispered to John and James, saying: "Take charge of My mother," and disappeared in a southerly direction, proceeding upward, and going over a stony and overgrown way to a hill that sloped gradually down to the water’s edge. He loved the solitude of the mountain, and many of the peaks in Galilee and Peraea were for Him places to which He could withdraw and pray, and were thus consecrated as "Bethels" (God’s houses). Only when He had arrived at the top, and the turmoil of the world was lying at His feet, did He feel the consciousness of the rest at the completion of the day’s work. Without closing Himself toward the outer world, He was entirely absorbed in prayer, and was enjoying a sabbath in His soul. His eye swept over the land and the sea, encircled all with His love, and rested upon the places around about with the greetings of peace. He felt Himself as a centre of a whole world, and sent out the fulness of His sympathy to all sides. He extended His arms, pressed the world to His bosom, fell down with it before God, and offered it, as though through His heart’s blood, as an offering unto the Lord. Now He touched His forehead to the ground, and the hair of His head lay upon it as a protecting veil; now He rose with difficulty, and, stretching higher and higher toward heaven, as though lengthening the natural size of His body, He spoke, and was silent, and spoke again. His prayer was a conversation with God. His voice was low, rather lisping than clear. Finally, however, it resounded like the voice of jubilee and of victory, so that it was echoed back by the mountain rocks. Nature around, hitherto steeped in a dead silence, awoke; as though in the middle of the night the day had appeared. The cicadae surpassed each other with their voices; the birds outsang each other; the tops of the trees nodded and rustled in the wind; the brook began, as though it had overcome an obstacle in the way, to murmur more briskly; and the waves of the Gennesar Sea leaped over each other in their effort to reach the western shore, and beat with the voice of thunder against the shores at Capernaum and Tiberias. The mysterious Man of prayer, however, lay in silence, overwhelmed by a feeling of joy upon His face; and, when He had arisen, He walked with rapid steps to the town that was now lying in deep sleep, where the mother-in-law of Peter opened the door when He knocked. "Again, so late, Lord!" she said, looking into His eyes and receiving from them a silent greeting. She preceded Him with a light to His chamber, where, without undressing, He threw Himself upon His couch, and at once sank into a deep sleep. His thoughts closed with the contemplation of God’s will; He rested in God’s love, and God’s peace received Him.