SKETCHES OF PALESTINE. 401 



of the Lake of Tiberias ; a distance of about eight hours, or twenty- 

 four miles from Bisan.* 



Tiberias, still called by the natives Tabaria, or Tabbareeah, was 

 anciently one of the principal towns of Galilee. It was built by 

 Herod the Tetrarch, and named by him hi honor of Tiberias, the 

 Roman emperor, with whom he was a great favorite.f Very con- 

 siderable privileges were granted to those who chose to settle there, 

 in order to overcome the prejudice arising from the city's having 

 been built on a site full of ancient sepulchres; from which circum- 

 stance we may infer the existence of a former city in the vicinity ; 

 this is supposed to have been the ancient Cinneroth or Kinnereth. 

 Here, during a visit paid to the city by Herod Agrippa,t.he kings of 

 Comagene, of Emessa, of the lesser Armenia, of Pontus, and of 

 Chalcis, met to do him honor, and were magnificently entertained.t 

 After the downfall of Jerusalem, it continued to be, until the fifth 

 century, the residence of Jewish rabbles and learned men ; and was 

 the seat of a patriarch, who acted as the supreme judge between 

 persons of his own nation. The office was hereditary, and was 

 supported with some lustre, under the Emperor Hadrian, in the 

 person of Selim III. ; but, in the year 429, it was suppressed, after 

 subsisting 350 years, under nine or ten "patriarchs. In the sixth 

 century, according to Procopius, Justinian rebuilt the walls. In 

 the seventh, A. D. 640, during the reign of the Emperor Heraclius, 

 the city was taken by the Saracens under Caliph Omar. Yet, in 

 the eighth, it is mentioned in an Itinerary cited by Reland, as still 

 containing many churches and Jewish synagogues. Pococke, 

 without citing his authority, says, that the Jewish rabbins lived 

 here till the eleventh century, but that the Jews had left the place 

 above eight hundred years. It seems doubtful, however, whether 

 it has ever been wholly deserted by them. Tiberias was an 

 ancient seat of Jewish literature. A university was founded here 

 by the patriarch, after the fall of Jerusalem ; and it is remarkable, 

 that there is a college of Jews in Tabaria at the present time : it 

 would be very interesting to ascertain the date of its establishment. 

 Dr. Richardson found six rabbies engaged in studying Hebrew 

 folios. 'They occupied two large rooms, which were surrounded 

 with books, and said they spent their time entirely in studying the 

 Scriptures and commentaries thereon. I regretted much,' adds 

 Dr. R., 'that I had not been apprised of this institution at an earlier 

 part of the day. Not having an interpreter with me, I could not 

 turn my short interview to the same advantage that I should other- 

 wise have done.' 



The modern town of Tabaria is situated close to the edge of the 

 lake. It has tolerably high but ill -built walls on three of its sides, 



* The river Jordan, on issuing from the Sea of Galilee, flows for about three hours near 

 the western hills : it then turns towards the eastern, on which side it continues its course 

 for several hours, till, at Korn^el-Hemar, it returns to the western side. 



f Joseph. Antiq. lib. xviii. cap. 3 ; De Bell. lib. ii. cap. 8. 



t Joseph. Antiq. lib. xix. cap, 7. 



35* 



