JERUSALEM. 
782 
though the Chriftians once more got pofleffionof the city, 
they were again obliged to relinquifh it. In 1217, the 
Saracens were expelled by the Turks, who have ever fince 
continued in pofleffion of it. See the article Egypt, 
vol. vi. p. 319, 327, 335. 
The city of Jerusalem, in its moft flourifhing ftate, W'as 
divider! into four parts, each inclofed with its own walls; 
viz. 1. The old city of Jebus, which Itocd on mount 
Zion, where the prophets dwelt, and where David 
built a magnificent cal’cle and palace, which became 
the refidence both of himfelf and fucceflors ; on which 
account it was emphatically called, the City of David. 2. 
The lower city, called alfo the Daughter of Zion , being 
built after it; on which (food the two magnificent palaces 
which Solomon built for himfelf and his queen ; that of 
the Maccabean princes; and the ftately amphitheatre 
built by Herod, capable of containing 80,000 IpeClators ; 
the ftrong citadel, built by Antiochus, to command and 
overtop the temple, but afterwards razed by Simon the 
Maccabee, who recovered the city from the Syrians ; and 
laftly, a fecond citadel, built by Herod, upon a high and 
craggy rock, and called by him Antonia. 3. The new city, 
moftly inhabited by tradefmen, artificers, and merchants. 
4. Mount Moriah, on which was built the fo-famed tem¬ 
ple of Solomon, defcribed in the fixth and feventh chap¬ 
ters of the Second Book of Kings; and, fince then, that 
rebuilt by the Jews on their return from Babylon, and af¬ 
terwards built almoft anew, and greatly adorned and en¬ 
riched, by Herod. 
Some idea of the magnificence of this temple may be 
had from the following conliderations : That there were 
no lefs than 163,300 men employed in the work; and 
that, notwithftanding that prodigious number of hands, 
at took up feven whole years in building. That the 
height of this building was 120 cubits, or 240 feet; and 
the courts round it about half as high. That the front, 
on the eaft fide, was fultained by ramparts of fquare ftone, 
of valt bulk, and built up from the valley belovs r , which 
laft was 300 cubits high, and being added to that of the 
edifice amounted to 420 cubits; to which, if we'add, the 
height of the principal tower above all the reft, viz. 60, 
it will bring it to 480 cubits, which, reckoning at two 
feet to a cubit, will amount to 960 feet; but, according 
to the length of that meafure, 3s others reckon it, viz. at 
two feet and a half, it will amount to 1200 feet; a prodi¬ 
gious height this from the ground, and fuch as might well 
make Jofephus fay, that the very defign of it was fuffici- 
<ent to have turned the brain of any but Solomon. Thefe 
ramparts, which were railed in this manner, to fill up the 
prodigious chafm made by the deep valley below, and to 
make the area of a fufficient breadth and length for the 
edifice, were 1000 cubits in length at the bottom, and 800 
at the top, and the breadth of them 100 more. The huge 
buttrefles which fupported the ramparts were of the fame 
height, fquare at the top, and 50 cubits broad, and jutted 
out 150 cubits at the bottom. The ftones,of which they 
*ere built, were, according to Jofephus, 40 cubits long, 
12 thick, and 8 high, all of marble, and lb exquifitely 
joined, that they leemed one continued piece, or rather 
polifhed rock. According to the fame Jewifti liiltorian, 
there were 1453 columns of Parian marble, and twice that 
number of pilafters ; and of fuch thicknefs, that three 
pnen could hardly embrace them; and their height and ca¬ 
pitals proportionable, and of the Corinthian order. But 
it is likely Jofephus hath given us thefe two laft articles 
from the temple of Herod, there being nothing like them 
mentioned, by the liicred hiftorians, but a great deal about 
the prodigious cedars of Lebanon ufed in that noble edi¬ 
fice, the excellent workmanlhip of them adapted to their 
feveral ends and defigns, together with their gildings and 
other curious ornaments. The only thing more we fliall 
venture to add is, what is affirmed in Scripture, that all 
the materials of this ftupendous fabric were finilhed and 
adapted to their feveral ends before they w.ere brought to 
Jerufalem, that is, the ftones in their quarries, ana the ce¬ 
dars in Lebanon ; fo that there was no noife of axe, ham¬ 
mer, or any tool, heard in the rearing of it. 
At prefent Jerufalem is called by the Turks Cudfembaric y 
and Coitdjherifj- \ and is reduced to a poor thinly-inhabited 
town, about three miles in circumference, fituated on a 
rocky mountain, fesrrounded on all fides, except the north, 
with lleep afeents and deep valleys; and thefe again en¬ 
vironed with other hills, atfome diftance from them. In 
the neighbourhood of the city they grow fome corn 
vines, olives. See. The ftately church erefted by the em- 
prefs Helena, on Mount Calvary, is ftill Handing. It is 
called the church of the fepulchre \ and is kept in good re¬ 
pair by the generous offerings of a conftant concourie of 
pilgrims, who'annually refort to it, as well as by the con¬ 
tributions of feveral Chriftian princes. The walls of this 
church are of ftone, and the roof of cedar; the eaft end 
inclofes Mount Calvary, and the weft the holy fepulchre, 
the former is covered with a noble cupola, open at top, 
and fupported by fixteen mafiive columns. Over the hio-h 
altar, at the ealt end, is another ftately dome. The na^e 
of the church conftitutes the choir; and in the infide 
aifles are fhown the places where the moft remarkable cir- 
cumftances of our Saviour’s paffion were tranfafted, to°e- 
ther with the tombs of Godfrey and Baldwin, the two 
firft Chriftian kings of Jerufalem. In the chapel of the 
crucifixion is fhown the very hole in the rock in which 
the crofs is faid to have been fixed. The altar in this 
chapel has three erodes on it; and is richly adorned,, 
particularly with four lamps of immenfe value that hang 
before it, and are kept conftantly burning. At the weft 
end is that of the fepulchre, which is hewn in that form- 
out of the folid rock, and has a fmall dome fupported by 
pillars of porphyry. The cloifter round the fepulchre is- 
divided into lundry chapels, appropriated to the feveral 
forts of Chriftians who relide there ; as Greeks, Arme¬ 
nians, Maronites, Jacobites, Copts, Abyflines, Georgians, 
See. and on tire north-weft fide of it are the apartments of 
the Latins, who have the care of the church, and are- 
forced to refide conftantly in it; the Turks keeping the 
keys of it, and not buffering any of them to go out, but 
obliging them to receive their provifions in at a wicket. 
At Ealter there are fome grand ceremonies performed in 
the church, reprefenting our Lord’s paffion, crucifixion, 
death, and refurrecHon, at which a vaft concourie of pil¬ 
grims commonly affift. Among other ceremonies, it is 
cultomary for the Chriftians at Jerufalem to perform a 
pilgrimage to Jericho, and to bathe in the river Jordan. 
A modern traveller, M. Mariti, accompanied the caravan 
on this expedition. His reflections on the feenes through 
which he palled, are fuch as might be expected from a 
man of fenfibility and rational piety, who is fuperior to 
the follies of fuperftition. During this excurfion, he faw 
the Dead Sea, concerning which fo many fables have been 
related, by both Jews and Chriftians. We are here in¬ 
formed, that, inltead of being the defolate feene which fome 
have reprelented, the plains around it are covered with a 
beautiful verdure, and interfefted by clear ri vulets which 
flow from the neighbouring mountains; the water of the 
lake is very clear and tranfparent, but remarkably fait and 
bitter; fo far is it from emitting a vapour fatal to birds, 
that the author faw vaft numbers of fwallovvs fkimfnino- 
along the air clofe to its furface. The bitumen which it 
throws up floats on the water, and is driven by the wind 
to its fliores, to which it adheres 5 itrefembles black pitch, 
and, when burned, emits a ftrong fulphureous fmell. On 
the weftern lhore are falt-pits formed by.nature; the fait, 
is remarkably white, and is ufed for culinary purpofes 3 
at fome diftance from the lake, is a rock of fait, in qua¬ 
lity not inferior to the former; a rough unhewn ftone was 
here fhown as the pillar into which Lot’s wife was tranf- 
formed ; for the natives maintain, that, to punifh her 
more feverely for her difobedience, (lie was at once de¬ 
prived of all refemblance to the human form. The fa- 
mo u& 
