J&tifjSALEM, 339 
Mngdalene and the Disciples coming: in the morning, # it was 
impossible to devest our minds of the probability that here 
might have been the identical tomb of Jesus Christ; and that 
up the steep which led to it, after descending from the gate of 
the city, the Disciples strove together,! when “ John did out¬ 
run Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. 59 They are indi¬ 
vidually described as stooping down to look into it they ex¬ 
press their doubts as to the possibility of removing so huge a 
stone,'§ that when once fixed and sealed, it might have baffled 
every human effort. But upon this, as upon the others already 
mentioned, instead of a Hebrew or a Phoenician inscription, 
there were the same Greek characters, destitute only of the 
Greek cross prefixed in the former instances. The inscription 
stood thus, 
THCAn AC 
C 1 W N 
the letters being very large, and deeply carved in the nigged 
surface of the rock. 
The Hebrew inscriptions, instead of being over the en¬ 
trances, were by the side of the doors. Having but little 
knowledge of the characters with which they were written, all 
that could be attempted was, to make as faithful a representa¬ 
tion as possible of every incision upon the stone, without 
tempting to supply any thing by conjecture; and even ad¬ 
mitting, in .certain-instances, doubtful traces, which were per¬ 
haps casualties caused by injuries the stone had sustained, 
having no reference to the legend,|| The following characters 
appeared upon the side of the entrance to a sepulchre some* 
what farther toward the west than the last described. 
& John xx. •} Ibid. v. 4. 
X Ibid. vv. 5, 11. 
And they said among themselves, 4 Who shall roll us away the stone from the 
door of the sepulchre ’’—(And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled 
awaj^) for it was very great.” Mark xvi. 3, 4. 
[| A copy of one of these inscriptions was since shown to some learned Jews. 
These men recognized the Hebrew character, and would have made such alteration 
in the transcript as might serve to develop more fully the imperfect parts of it, and 
lead to an explanation of some of,the words. This was not permitted ; because con¬ 
jecture, by introducing more than is warranted by the original, would rather bewilder 
than illustrate. In doubtful inscriptions, the pencil of an artist will frequently ef¬ 
fect a more genuine copy than the pen of the profoumiest scholar, who ventures to 
supply the vacant spaces, and even to alter the letters according to his manner *?£ 
reading those inscriptions. 
