1862.] on the Site of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem. 429 



and that the Tombs of the Kings of Judah were always in that locality ; 

 and there were many other tombs in the neighbourhood. The speaker 

 illustrated tliis branch of the argument by reference to the site of the 

 Temple of the Jews, as described by Josephus — the position of the 

 Jews' Wailing Place — the erection of the " ¥A Aksah," avowedly on 

 the site of the temple, by the Mahomedans (a true mosque, pointing 

 towards Mecca) about the year 695, and to a small mosque really built 

 by Omar, which still exists attached to the aisle of the Aksah, and over- 

 hanging the southern wall, and to the desecration of the Aksah by the 

 Knight Templars, who resided in and took their name from it. While, 

 on the other hand, the Crusaders reverenced the Dome of the Rock, 

 under the title of *' Templuui Domini," and considered it as sacred, if 

 not more so than the " Sepulchrum Domini." All which proved that 

 from the time of Constantino to the Crusades the site and extent of 

 the Jewish temple were perfectly well known, and that Jews, Chris- 

 tians, and Moslems knew perfectly well that this building was outside 

 it, and built by Christians, though for what purpose in that uncritical 

 age they did not care to inquire. 



Another difficulty was the break in the tradition as to the true site 

 of the Sepulchre. Down to the time of the Crusaders, the Mosque of 

 Omar, or rather the " Dome of the Rock," — for that was the only 

 name by which it was known to the Mahomedans — was recognized as 

 the Church of the Sepulchre ; but after that period the church of the 

 middle of the city assumed that title, without any record being pre- 

 served of the change. The difficulty was startling, if judged by the 

 standard of the nineteenth century ; but to those who were familiar 

 with the depth of the darkness that prevailed in the eleventh, and what 

 strange things were then passed unnoticed, the difficulty would hardly 

 occur. Even in the present day, the jealousy of the Greek Christians 

 bid fair to establish a rival to the true Garden of Gethsemane in the 

 Valley of Kedron. The cause of the change was the fierce and dread- 

 ful persecution of the Christians by the Caliph El Hakim, about the 

 year 1000. Every Christian was driven from Jerusalem for a period 

 of forty-eight years — long enough to impair their traditions. The 

 Basilica of Constantino was destroyed, but the Dome of the Rock was 

 respected, for the Mahomedans reverence Christ as the Sixth Prophet 

 in descent from Adam, Mahomet being the Seventh. On their return, 

 the Christians built a sepulchral church in the city for the celebration 

 of the Easter rites, similar to the round churches of this and all other 

 Christian countries ; and this became the resort of pilgrims when 

 pilgrimages again became a fashion. These pilgrims were led by the 

 priest to believe their church marked the Sepulchre ; and the delusion 

 was maintained with the Crusaders. Indeed, he believed at that 

 period no great importance was attached to the question of the exact 

 site. 



The church in the city was rebuilt by the Crusaders as it now exists, 

 and no portion of it was older than the year 1 100. 



Some mediaeval accounts of Jerusalem were quoted, in proof that 



