On the Holy Places 1

The chapter-headings of the first book. I. Concerning the situation of Jerusalem. II. Concerning the church of round form built over the sepulchre of the Lord, and concerning the figure of the sepulchre itself and of its little canopy. III. Concerning that stone which was rolled to the door of His monument, which the angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, rolled away after His resurrection. IV. Concerning the church of Saint Mary, which adjoins the round church. V. Concerning that church which was constructed in the place of Calvary. VI. Concerning the basilica which Constantine built near the aforesaid church, in the place where the cross of the Lord, overwhelmed by ruins, was found dug up after many ages. VII.

Concerning another exedra situated between the church of Calvary and the basilica of Constantine, in which the cup of the Lord and the sponge are kept hidden — the sponge from which, hanging on the wood, He sucked vinegar and wine. VIII. Concerning the lance of the soldier, with which he himself pierced the side of the Lord. IX. Concerning that napkin with which the head of the buried Lord was covered. X. Concerning the linen cloth which, as is reported, holy Mary wove. XI. Concerning another lofty column situated in that place where, the cross of the Lord being set over him, a dead young man came back to life. XII. Concerning the church of Saint Mary built in the valley of Jehoshaphat, in which her tomb is kept. XIII. Concerning the tower of Jehoshaphat constructed in the same valley. XIV. Concerning the tombs of Symeon and Joseph. XV.

Concerning the cave situated in the rock of the Mount of Olives over against the valley of Jehoshaphat, in which there are four tables and two wells. XVI. Concerning the gate of David. XVII. Concerning that place where Judas Iscariot hanged himself with a noose. XVIII. Concerning the form of the great basilica built on Mount Sion, and concerning the situation of that mount itself. XIX. Concerning that little field which in Hebrew is called Aceldama. XX. Concerning the rough and rocky places lying open widely from Jerusalem as far as the city of Samuel, and succeeding toward the west as far as Caesarea of Palestine. XXI. Concerning the Mount of Olives. XXII. Concerning the height and quality of that land. XXIII. Concerning the place of the Lord's ascension. XXIV. Concerning the church built upon it. XXV. Concerning the tomb of Lazarus and the church built over it.

XXVI. Concerning the monastery adjoining the same. XXVII. Concerning the church constructed on the right-hand side of Bethany. XXVIII. Concerning the vineyards and crops of the Mount of Olives. XXIX. Concerning the higher places of it. THE FIRST BOOK. I. CONCERNING THE SITUATION OF JERUSALEM. Concerning the situation of Jerusalem, a few things must now be written out of those which the holy Arculf dictated to me; but those things which are found in the books of others concerning the position of that same city are to be passed over by us. In the great circuit of its walls, this same Arculf counted eighty-four towers and twice three gates, of which the order around the circuit of the city is set down thus:

The Gate of David, on the western side of Mount Sion, is reckoned first; the second is the gate of the Fuller's village; the third the gate of Saint Stephen; the fourth the gate of Benjamin; the fifth a small postern, that is, a little gate, from which one descends by steps into the valley of Josaphat; the sixth the gate of Tecua. This, then, is the order of the gates and of the spaces between the towers, running from the Gate of David mentioned above, around toward the north, and thence directed toward the east. Yet however many—six gates—are counted in the walls, the more frequented of them are nonetheless the entrances of three gates: one on the western side, another on the northern, and a third on the eastern.

But that portion of the walls, with the towers set between them, which runs from the Gate of David described above, along the northern brow of Mount Sion—which from the south rises above the city—as far as that front of the same mountain which, with its sheer rock, looks toward the eastern region, is proved to have no gates at all. Yet this too seems not to be passed over: what holy Arculf related to us beforehand concerning the honor paid to this city in Christ, saying: 'A nearly innumerable multitude of various peoples is wont to gather from every side at Jerusalem on the fifteenth day of the month of September, by yearly custom, to carry on trade by mutual sellings and buyings.'

Whence it necessarily comes about that for several days the throngs of various peoples are lodged in that same hospitable city; and the very great multitude of their camels and horses and asses, and of mules and oxen too, drawing diverse loads, scatters everywhere through those city streets the loathsome filth of their droppings, the stench of which brings no small annoyance to the citizens and also presents a hindrance to walking. Wonderful to tell, after the day of the departure mentioned above, with the various beasts of the throngs gone, on the following night an immense abundance of rain poured forth from the clouds descends upon that same city, and washing away all the abominable filth from the streets, makes it cleansed from its impurities.

For the very site of Jerusalem, beginning from the northern brow of Mount Sion, has been so disposed by God the Creator with a gentle slope down to the lower places of the northern and eastern walls, that that overflow of rain can in no way settle in the streets like standing pools of water, but rushes down like rivers from the higher places to the lower. And this flood of heavenly waters, flowing out through the eastern gates and carrying away with it all the filthy abominations, entering the valley of Josaphat swells the torrent Cedron; and after such a Jerusalemite baptizing, that same overflowing of waters at once ceases.

Hence, then, it must be noted not negligently with how great and what kind of honor this chosen and praiseworthy city is held in the sight of the eternal Father, who does not allow it to remain soiled for long, but for the honor of His only-begotten cleanses it the more quickly—He who within the circuit of its walls has the honored places of His holy cross and resurrection.

Moreover, in that famous place where once the Temple had been magnificently built, situated near the wall on the east, the Saracens now frequent a quadrangular house of prayer, which they have fashioned with a poor workmanship, constructing it with upright planks and great beams over certain remains of the ruins; and this house, as is said, can hold three thousand men at once. And so Arculf, being asked by us about the dwellings of that city, answering said:

'I remember that I both saw and frequented many buildings of that same city, and that I often examined very many large houses of stone, marvelously wrought with skill, throughout the great city within the walls that surround it; all of which now, as I judge, are to be passed over by us, except the structures of those buildings which have been marvelously built in the holy places—namely of the cross and of the resurrection—about which we questioned holy Arculf more diligently, especially concerning the Sepulchre of the Lord and the church built over it, whose form Arculf himself drew for me on a wax tablet.' II. CONCERNING THE CHURCH OF ROUND FORM BUILT OVER THE SEPULCHRE OF THE LORD, AND THE FIGURE OF THE SEPULCHRE ITSELF AND OF ITS LITTLE SHRINE.

This very large church, wholly of stone, laid out with marvelous roundness on every side, rising from its foundations in three walls, having between each wall and the next a broad space of passage, and also three altars wrought with skill in three places of the middle wall: this round and lofty church, having the aforesaid altars—one looking toward the south, another toward the north, the third toward the west—twelve stone columns of marvelous size support.

It has twice four gates, that is, four entrances, fixed through the three walls set up at intervals with spaces of passage between them; of which four exits look toward the north-northeast (which is also called the wind Caecias), and the other four look toward the southeast. In the middle space of this inner round building there is a round little shrine cut out of one and the same rock, in which thrice three men can stand and pray; and from the crown of a standing man of no short stature up to the vault of that little chamber the height extends to the measure of a foot and a half.

The entrance of this little shrine looks toward the east; the whole of it on the outside is covered with choice marble, and its outer topmost summit, adorned with gold, supports a golden cross of no small size. In the northern part of this shrine the Sepulchre of the Lord is held, cut out within in that same rock; but the pavement of the same shrine is lower than the place of the Sepulchre. For from its pavement up to the edge of the side of the Sepulchre the measure of about three palms in height is recognized to be had. So Arculf, who often frequented the Sepulchre of the Lord, having measured it without doubt, declared to me. In this place the property or difference of the names between 'monument' (monumentum) and 'sepulchre' (sepulchrum) is to be noted.

For that round little shrine, so often mentioned above, the evangelists call by another name 'the monument' (monumentum), to whose door they declare the stone was rolled and from whose door it was rolled away when the Lord rose again;

but 'sepulchre' (sepulchrum) properly designates that place in the shrine—that is, in the northern part of the monument—in which the Lord's body, wrapped in linen cloths, was laid and rested; whose length Arculf measured with his own hand to the measure of seven feet. This sepulchre is not, as some falsely suppose, double, having a kind of little partition cut out of the very rock, cutting between and separating the two legs and the two thighs; but it is wholly simple, presenting from head to feet a couch capable of one man lying on his back, in the manner of a cave, having its entrance from the side looking toward the southern part of the monument over against it, and a low summit projecting above, skillfully wrought; in which sepulchre indeed twelve lamps, according to the number of the twelve holy apostles, always burning shine by day and by night, of which four are placed lower at the foot of that sepulchral couch, but the other twice four, set higher upon its edge on the right side, shine brightly, fed by oil.

But this too seems to be noted: that the mausoleum of the Saviour—that is, the shrine so often mentioned above—may rightly be called a cavern or cave; concerning which indeed, of the Lord Jesus Christ buried in it, the prophet prophesies, saying: 'He shall dwell on high in the cavern of the strongest rock'; and a little after, concerning the resurrection of the same Lord, to gladden the apostles, it is added: 'Ye shall see the King with glory.' The form, therefore, of the aforesaid round church, with the round little shrine set in the midst of it—in whose northern part the Lord's sepulchre is held—the picture set below declares, as well as the figures of three other churches, of which mention will be made below.

These figures of the four churches, then, we have drawn according to the model which, as was said above, holy Arculf depicted for me on a little leaf of wax—not that their likeness can be formed in a picture, but that the Lord's monument, though by such a poor representation, may be shown set in the middle of the round church, or that it may be declared which church is nearer to this and which is placed farther off. III. CONCERNING THAT STONE WHICH WAS ROLLED TO THE DOOR OF HIS MONUMENT, WHICH THE ANGEL OF THE LORD, DESCENDING FROM HEAVEN, ROLLED AWAY AFTER HIS RESURRECTION.

But amid these things it seems that brief mention must be made of that stone mentioned above, which was rolled by many men pushing to the door of the Lord's monument after the burial of the crucified Lord; which Arculf reports as broken and divided into two parts. The smaller part of it, hewn with iron tools, is seen to stand set up as a square altar in the round church described above, before the door of that often-mentioned shrine—that is, of the Lord's monument; but the larger part of that stone, likewise hewn round about, stands in the eastern place of the same church as another quadrangular altar fixed beneath linen cloths.

Concerning, therefore, the colors of that rock in which that often-mentioned shrine was hollowed out within by the iron tools of the hewers, having the Lord's sepulchre cut out in its northern place from one and the same rock as the monument—that is, the shrine itself—Arculf, being asked by me, said: 'That shrine of the Lord's monument, covered within by no ornament, to this day throughout its whole hollowing shows the marks of the iron tools which the hewers or cutters used in the same work; but the color of that same rock of the monument and of the sepulchre is not one, but two appear mingled, namely red and white, whence the same rock is shown to be two-colored.' But concerning these matters let this suffice. IIII.

CONCERNING THE CHURCH OF SAINT MARY WHICH ADJOINS THE ROUND CHURCH. For the rest, a few things must be added concerning the structures of the holy places. To that round church so often mentioned above—which is also called Anastasis, that is, resurrection, which was built in the place of the Lord's resurrection—on the right side adjoins the quadrangular church of Saint Mary the Mother of the Lord. V. CONCERNING THAT CHURCH WHICH WAS BUILT IN THE PLACE OF CALVARY.

But another very great church has been built toward the east in that place which in Hebrew is called Golgotha, in whose upper parts a certain great wheel of bronze with lamps hangs by ropes; below which a great silver cross is fixed and set up in the very place where once stood fixed the wooden cross on which the Saviour of the human race suffered. In the same church there is a certain cavern cut in the rock below the place of the Lord's cross, where upon an altar sacrifice is offered for the souls of certain honored persons, whose bodies meanwhile are laid placed in the open square before the gate of the same church of Golgotha, until those most sacred mysteries for the dead are completed for them. VI.

CONCERNING THE BASILICA WHICH CONSTANTINE BUILT NEAR THE AFORESAID CHURCH IN THE SAME PLACE, WHERE THE CROSS OF THE LORD, OVERCOME BY THE OXEN, WAS FOUND AFTER MUCH TIME, DUG UP FROM THE EARTH. To this church, built of stone in quadrangular structure in the place of Calvary, adjoins on its eastern side that nearby basilica constructed with great cost by King Constantine, which is also called the Martyrium, built, as is said, in that place where the cross of the Lord, together with the two other crosses of the thieves, hidden beneath the earth, was found after two hundred and thirty-three cycles of years, by the gift of the Lord Himself.

Between these two churches, then, occurs that famous place in which the patriarch Abraham set up an altar, placing upon it a pile of wood, and, that he might immolate his son Isaac, seized the drawn sword—where now there is a wooden table of no small size, upon which the alms for the poor are offered by the people. And this too holy Arculf added to me as I questioned him more diligently, saying: 'Between the Anastasis—that is, that round church so often mentioned above—and the basilica of Constantine a certain little open square extends as far as the church of Golgotha, in which little square, indeed, lamps always burn by day and by night.' VII.

CONCERNING ANOTHER CHAPEL SITUATED BETWEEN THE CHURCH OF CALVARY AND THE BASILICA OF CONSTANTINE, IN WHICH THE CHALICE OF THE LORD AND THE SPONGE STORED IN IT ARE HELD—THE SPONGE FROM WHICH, HANGING ON THE WOOD, HE HAD SUCKED VINEGAR AND WINE. Between that basilica of Golgotha and the Martyrium there is a certain chapel, in which is the chalice of the Lord, which He, blessed by Himself with His own hand at the supper on the day before He suffered, delivered as host to the apostles feasting with Him; which silver chalice, having the measure of a Gallic sextarius and containing in itself two little handles set on either side, in which chalice indeed is that sponge which, full of vinegar, those crucifying the Lord set round with hyssop and offered to His mouth:

from this same chalice, as is said, the Lord after the resurrection, feasting with the apostles, drank; which holy Arculf saw and, through the opening of the perforated lid of that little casket where it is kept stored, touched with his own hand and kissed; which chalice indeed the whole people of the city frequents with immense veneration. VIII. CONCERNING THE LANCE OF THE SOLDIER, WITH WHICH HE PIERCED THE SIDE OF THE LORD. The same Arculf likewise also beheld that lance of the soldier with which he had struck the side of the Lord hanging on the cross. This same lance is held inserted in a wooden cross in the porch of that basilica of Constantine, whose shaft is broken into two parts; which the whole Jerusalemite city likewise frequents, kisses, and venerates.

VIIII. CONCERNING THAT NAPKIN WITH WHICH THE HEAD OF THE BURIED LORD WAS COVERED. Concerning that most sacred napkin of the Lord also, which in the sepulchre had been placed over His head, we learned from the account of holy Arculf, who beheld it with his own eyes—this narration which we now write down, which the whole Jerusalemite people testify to be true; for by the witness of very many faithful Jerusalemite citizens holy Arculf learned this declaration, who, as he himself listened more attentively, often declared, saying:

'About three years ago, the most sacred linen cloth—which a certain quite respectable and believing Jew had stolen from the Lord's sepulchre immediately after His resurrection, and hidden with himself for many days—by the gift of the same Lord, after many cycles of years, being found, came to the knowledge of the whole people. That happy and faithful thief, therefore, brought forth and revealed that Lord's napkin which at first he had stealthily carried off, when, set at his last hour, he summoned his two sons and showed it, saying: My little sons, now the choice is given you.

Let whichever of the two say what he would rather choose to desire, that I too may know without doubt which of you it shall be to whom, according to his own choice, I ought to entrust either all my substance which I have, or this alone, the sacred napkin of the Lord.' When these words had been heard from the mouth of the father, one of them, who chose to receive all his father's riches, received them from his brother, entrusted according to the promise made by the father under testament.

Wonderful to tell, from that day all his riches and all his patrimony—for which he had sold the napkin of the Lord—began to diminish, and all that he had, lost by various misfortunes, was brought to nothing; but the other son of the aforesaid blessed thief, blessed, who preferred the napkin of the Lord above all patrimonies, from the day on which he received it from the hand of his dying father, growing more and more by the gift of God, was enriched even with earthly wealth and not defrauded of the heavenly. And thus this napkin of the Lord, faithful fathers entrusted to faithful sons born of the seed of that thrice-blessed man—as it were by hereditary right—according to the order of their lineage, faithfully down to the fifth generation.

But after the times of the fifth generation, when many courses of years had passed and the hereditary faithful of that same kindred were failing, the sacred linen came into the hands of certain unbelieving Jews; who, although themselves unworthy of such a gift, nonetheless embraced it honorably, and by the divine bestowing largesse, exceedingly enriched in various places with diverse wealth, were made rich. But the believing Jews, a sure account having arisen among the people concerning the Lord's napkin, began strongly to contend with the unbelieving Jews over that sacred linen, seeking with all their might to take it into their hands. This contention, sustained, split the Jerusalemite populace into two parts, that is, the believing faithful against the unbelieving infidels.

Whence the king of the Saracens also, named Mauias, appealed to by both parties, deciding between both before the Christian Jews present, said to those unbelieving Jews who were stubbornly retaining the Lord's napkin: 'Give the sacred linen which you have into my hand.' They, obeying the king's word, bringing it forth from the casket, place it in the bosom of the ruler. When the king had received it with great reverence, he commanded a pyre to be made in the open square before all the people; and when this was burning with too great a blaze, he himself rose and, approaching that pyre, with raised voice said to the two discordant parties:

'Now may Christ the Saviour of the world, who suffered for the human race, who in the sepulchre had this napkin which I now hold in my bosom placed over His head, judge by the flame of fire between you who contend over this same linen, that we may know to which party of these two contentious hosts He may deign to grant such a gift.' And saying these things, he cast the sacred napkin of the Lord into the flames.

Which the fire could in no way touch, but, whole and unharmed, rising from the pyre like a bird with outspread wings, it began to fly aloft; and looking down from on high upon both contending parties of the people, seated as if drawn up in battle-array on the eve of war, circling for some space of moments through the empty air over the two, then descending little by little, by God's guiding, inclining meanwhile toward the party of the Christians who were entreating Christ the judge, it settled in their bosom.

They, giving thanks to God with hands lifted up to heaven, with immense rejoicing, kneeling down, receive the Lord's napkin with great honor—a venerable gift sent to them from heaven—and render hymn-filled praises to Christ its giver, and store it away in the church's casket, wrapped in another linen cloth. Which our brother Arculf on another day saw lifted from the casket, and amid the multitude of people kissing it he too kissed it in the assembly of the church, having a measure of length of about eight feet. Concerning which let these things said suffice. X. CONCERNING ANOTHER SACRED LINEN WHICH, AS IS SAID, THE HOLY VIRGIN MARY, MOTHER OF THE LORD, HAD WOVEN.

Arculf also saw another, larger linen cloth in that same Jerusalemite city, which, as is said, holy Mary wove; and on account of this the whole people venerates it, kept with great reverence in the church. In this linen indeed the figures of the twelve apostles are held interwoven, and the image of the Lord Himself is portrayed. Of which linen one part is of red color, and the other, over against it on the other side, is green. XI. CONCERNING ANOTHER LOFTY COLUMN SITUATED IN THAT PLACE WHERE, THE LORD'S CROSS BEING PLACED OVER HIM, A DEAD YOUNG MAN CAME BACK TO LIFE. Concerning a certain very lofty column, which from the holy places toward the north, standing in the middle of the city, is met by those going past, a brief word must be said.

This same column, set up in that place where a dead young man came back to life when the Lord's cross was placed over him, in a wonderful manner at the summer solstice, at the noon hour when the sun reaches the center of the heaven, casts no shadow; but when the solstice is past—which is the eighth day before the Kalends of July—after three days have intervened, with the day gradually shortening, it first casts a short shadow, and then, with the progress of days, a longer one. And so this column, which the brightness of the sun at the summer solstice, in the noon hours, standing in the center of the heaven directly above, shining around from every side and poured about it on all sides, illuminates—testifies that Jerusalem is situated in the middle of the orb of the earth.

Whence the psalmist also, prophesying on account of the holy places of the passion and resurrection which are contained within Aelia itself, sings: 'But God our King before the ages has wrought salvation in the midst of the earth'—that is, Jerusalem, which is called the mid-land and the navel of the earth. XII. CONCERNING THE CHURCH OF SAINT MARY BUILT IN THE VALLEY OF JOSAPHAT, IN WHICH HER MONUMENT IS HELD.

The diligent frequenter of holy places, holy Arculf, frequented the church of Saint Mary in the valley of Josaphat, whose doubly-built lower part, beneath a stone flooring, is built with a marvelous round structure, in whose eastern part there is an altar; and on its right side there is the empty stone sepulchre of Saint Mary, in which she once, having been buried, rested. But concerning that same sepulchre—how, or at what time, or by what persons her holy little body was taken up, or in what place it awaits the resurrection—no one, as is said, can know for certain.

Those entering this lower round church of Saint Mary see that rock inserted into the wall on the right, upon which the Lord, in the field of Gethsemane, on that night in which He was being betrayed by Judas into the hands of sinful men, prayed with bent knees before the hour of His betrayal; in which rock indeed the marks of the two knees of His are seen, impressed quite deeply as if in the softest wax. So our brother Arculf declared to us, the visitor of holy places, who beheld with his own eyes these things which we describe. In the upper, likewise round church of Saint Mary, four altars are shown to be present. XIII. CONCERNING THE TOWER OF JOSAPHAT BUILT IN THE SAME VALLEY.

In that same aforesaid valley, not far from the church of Saint Mary, the tower of Josaphat is shown, in which his sepulchre is seen. XIIII. CONCERNING THE MONUMENTS OF SIMEON AND JOSEPH. To this little tower indeed a certain stone house adjoins on the right side, cut out and separated from the rock of the Mount of Olives, in which, hollowed within with iron tools, two sepulchres are shown without any ornament; of which one is that of Simeon, the just man, who, embracing the infant Lord Jesus in the temple with both hands, prophesied concerning Him; but the other is that of the equally just Joseph, the spouse of Saint Mary and the foster-father of the Lord Jesus. XV. CONCERNING THE CAVE HELD IN THE ROCK OF THE MOUNT OF OLIVES OVER AGAINST THE VALLEY OF JOSAPHAT, IN WHICH THERE ARE FOUR TABLES AND TWO WELLS.

In the side of the Mount of Olives there is a certain cave, not far from the church of Saint Mary, situated in a more prominent place over against the valley of Josaphat, in which there are two very deep wells; of which one extends beneath the mountain, drawn out on high to an infinite depth, and the other in the pavement of the cave, whose most vast cavity, as is said, plunged into the deep, descending runs straight down; which two wells are always covered over.

In that same cave, then, there are four stone tables, of which one is situated near the entrance of the cave, on the inside, the table of the Lord Jesus, to which little table without doubt His seat adjoins, where, with the twelve apostles seated together at the other tables held in the same place, He too was often accustomed sometimes to recline as host. The mouth of that well which we described above as being in the pavement of the cave, closed up, is shown to be held nearer to the table of the apostles. The little door of this cave is closed with a wooden door, as holy Arculf relates, who often frequented that cave of the Lord. XVI. CONCERNING THE GATE OF DAVID. The Gate of David adjoins Mount Sion on the western side by a gentle slope.

For those going out of the city through that same gate and having Mount Sion close on their left, a stone bridge occurs at a distance, directed in a straight course through the valley toward the south, supported by arches. XVII. CONCERNING THAT PLACE WHERE JUDAS ISCARIOT HANGED HIMSELF WITH A NOOSE. At the middle of this bridge, on the west, is held that nearby place where Judas Iscariot, driven by despair, hanging himself with a noose, had perished. There also is shown to this day a great fig tree, from whose top, as is said, ensnared he hung, as concerning that same Judas the versifying presbyter Juvencus sang: 'The fig tree from its top snatched away a hideous death.' XVIII. CONCERNING THE FORM OF THE GREAT BASILICA BUILT ON MOUNT SION, AND THE SITUATION OF THAT SAME MOUNT.

And since a little earlier mention was made of Mount Zion, a few things must be briefly and concisely related about a certain very large basilica built upon it, the plan of which is described thus: Here is shown the rock upon which Stephen, having been stoned outside the city, fell asleep. Outside this great basilica described above, which encloses within it such holy places, there stands another memorable rock toward its western side, upon which, as it is reported, the Lord was scourged. This apostolic church, then, as has been said above, is constructed of stone masonry on the upper level plain of Mount Zion. XIX. CONCERNING THAT LITTLE FIELD WHICH IN HEBREW IS CALLED ACHELDEMACH.

Our Arculf, frequently resorting thither, used to visit this little field situated on the southern side of Mount Zion, which has an enclosure of stones, in which a great many pilgrims are carefully buried; but others among them, covered only with rags or skins, are more carelessly left unburied, lying rotting upon the face of the earth. XX. CONCERNING THE ROUGH AND ROCKY PLACES WIDELY EXTENDING FROM JERUSALEM AS FAR AS THE CITY OF SAMUEL, AND THE PLACES SUCCEEDING THEM AS FAR AS CAESAREA OF PALESTINE TOWARD THE WEST. From Aelia northward as far as the city of Samuel, which is called Ramah, the land is shown to be rocky and rough at certain intervals, and there are likewise thorny valleys extending as far as the region of Tamna.

In another direction, however, from the aforesaid Aelia and Mount Zion the character of the regions is shown to extend toward the west as far as Caesarea of Palestine; for although some narrow and short rough places are found interposed, nevertheless the broader level plains are chiefly seen, made more pleasant by the olive groves set between them. XXI. CONCERNING THE MOUNT OF OLIVES. Kinds of trees other than vines and olives can rarely be found on the Mount of Olives, as holy Arculf reports, but crops of wheat and barley spring up very abundantly on it; for the quality of that land is shown to be not brushy but grassy and flowering. XXII. CONCERNING THE HEIGHT AND QUALITY OF THAT LAND.

Its height seems to be equal to the height of Mount Zion, although Mount Zion, in comparison with the Mount of Olives, seems to be small and narrow in its geometric dimensions, that is, in breadth and length. Between these two mountains lies in the middle the valley of Jehoshaphat, of which it was spoken above, stretching from the northern quarter into the southern part. XXIII. XXIV. CONCERNING THE PLACE OF THE LORD'S ASCENSION AND THE CHURCH BUILT UPON IT. On the whole Mount of Olives no other place seems to be higher than that from which the Lord is recorded to have ascended into the heavens, where there stands a large round church having three vaulted porticoes round about, roofed over.

The inner chamber of this round church, that is, lies open to the sky without roof and without vault, beneath the bare air; in its eastern part there stands an altar built and sheltered beneath a narrow covering. For this reason, then, that inner chamber does not have a vault placed above it, so that from that place, where the divine footsteps last stood when the Lord was lifted up into heaven in a cloud, the way may always lie open and directed toward the heights of the heavens before the eyes of those praying in that very place.

For when this basilica, of which a few things are now mentioned, was being built, that very place of the Lord's footsteps, as has been found written elsewhere, could not be made continuous with the pavement, that is, with the rest of the paved part; for whatever was applied, the unaccustomed ground refused to receive as something foreign to human use, casting back the marble slabs into the faces of those laying them down. Indeed there is an ever-abiding proof of the dust trodden by God, in that the footprints are seen impressed; and although the faith of those flocking together daily snatches away what was trodden by the Lord, yet the sand suffers no loss, and the earth still keeps the same appearance of itself, as if marked by the footsteps impressed upon it.

In that same place, then, as holy Arculf relates, who diligently frequented it, a large bronze wheel, flattened above, has been set up round about, the height of which is shown to be measured up to a man's neck. In the middle of it there opens a not small aperture, through which, opened from above, the footprints of the Lord's feet are shown plainly and clearly impressed in the dust. Likewise in that wheel, on the western side, there always stands open as it were a kind of door, so that those entering through it may easily approach the place of the sacred dust, and through the opening of that wheel, open from above, may take particles of the sacred dust with outstretched hands.

Therefore the account of our Arculf concerning the place of the Lord's footsteps rightly agrees with the writings of others, namely that it could in no way be covered either by the roof of the building or by any special lower and nearer covering, so that it may always be plainly beheld by all who frequent it, and that the footprints of the Lord's feet, depicted in the dust of that same place, may be clearly shown. For these same footprints of the Lord are illuminated by the great brightness of a lamp hanging in pulleys above that wheel, blazing day and night.

In the western part of that above-mentioned round church, then, eight windows are wrought in the upper part, having glass casements; near these very windows, on the inside, an equal number of lamps are placed directly opposite, hanging on cords and burning—lamps, that is, so placed that each lamp hangs neither higher nor lower, but seems as though clinging to that very window, opposite which on the inside it is particularly seen near at hand.

The brightness of these lamps shines forth so greatly that, by their light pouring abundantly through the glass as of those glittering from the higher place of the Mount of Olives, not only that part of the same mountain which clings on the western side to that round and stone basilica, but even the ascent of the city of Jerusalem—rising on high by certain steps from the valley of Jehoshaphat—is, however dark the nights, marvellously and clearly illuminated, and the greater forward part of that city, set directly opposite, is likewise lit up by the same brightness.

This shining and praiseworthy glittering of the eight great lamps, gleaming by night from the holy mountain and from the place of the Lord's Ascension, as Arculf reports, pours into the hearts of believers who behold it a greater eagerness of divine love, and strikes a certain awe of mind together with a profound inward compunction. But this too seems to us not to be passed over in silence, which the oft-mentioned Arculf related to me, as I diligently questioned him about this same round church, saying:

On the yearly solemnity of the day of the Lord's Ascension, throughout every year, in the noon hours, after the sacrosanct solemnities of the Masses have been performed in that same basilica, a tempest of most violent blast is wont to rush in with such mighty force that no one of men can in any way stand or even sit in that church and in the places near it, but all lie stretched out flat upon the ground with faces prostrate for as long as that terrible tempest passes by. The cause of this terrifying blast brings it about that that part of the building cannot have a vault, which above the place of the Lord's impressed footprints—shown within the middle opening of the aforesaid wheel—may appear always laid open toward the sky;

for whatever materials, when the art of human hands at any time attempted to build above for constructing a vault, the violence of the wind, sent forth from above by God as mentioned, would destroy them. Concerning this fearful tempest, then, holy Arculf narrated to us in such a way—he who was himself present in that same church of the Mount of Olives at that very hour in which, on the day of the Lord's Ascension, that most violent blast rushed in. The figure of this round church is set forth, depicted by a poor enough painting, while the form of the bronze wheel placed in its middle is shown in this little subjoined sketch.

But this also we learned from holy Arculf's account, that in that same round church, besides the eight customary lamps above mentioned which shine within by night, on the festive night of the Lord's Ascension almost innumerable other lamps are wont to be added; by their terrible and admirable glittering, poured abundantly through the glass casements of the windows, the Mount of Olives seems not only to be illuminated but even to be wholly ablaze, and the whole city, situated in a lower and nearby place, to be lit up. XXV. CONCERNING THE TOMB OF LAZARUS AND THE CHURCH BUILT OVER IT. Arculf, a frequenter of the above-mentioned holy places, visited a certain little plain of Bethany surrounded by a great wood of olives. XXVI. CONCERNING THE MONASTERY ADJOINING IT.

Where there is a great monastery and a great basilica built above that cave from which the Lord raised up Lazarus, dead four days. XXVII. CONCERNING THE CHURCH BUILT ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF BETHANY. Concerning another more celebrated church founded on the southern side of Bethany, in that place of the Mount of Olives in which the Lord is said to have had a discourse to his disciples, we think it should be briefly written. Hence it must not be carelessly inquired what kind of discourse, and at what time, or to which particular persons of the disciples the Lord spoke. These three things, if we are willing to open the Gospels of the three writers—Matthew, Mark, Luke—will plainly become clear to us, who, agreeing about the character of the discourse, speak of it;

about the place of that meeting itself no one will be able to doubt, and about the form of the discourse, whoever reads the Gospel of Matthew, where the evangelist himself records concerning the Lord, saying: 'And as he was sitting upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying: Tell us, when shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the consummation of the world?' Concerning the persons of those questioning, Matthew here was silent, but Mark is not silent, who writes thus, saying: 'Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him apart.' To these questioners, answering, he showed the character of the discourse he delivered according to the three evangelists mentioned above, speaking thus: 'See that no one lead you astray.'

'For many shall come in my name, saying that I am Christ,' and the rest that follows concerning the last times and the consummation of the age, which Matthew pursues in a lengthy discourse up to that place where the same evangelist plainly shows also the time of this discourse, drawn out from the words of the Lord, saying thus: 'And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples: You know that after two days shall be the Passover, and the Son of Man shall be delivered up to be crucified,' and the rest.

It is therefore plainly shown that the Lord, on the day of the fourth feria (Wednesday), with two days remaining until the first day of the Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, spoke the lengthy discourse mentioned above to the four aforesaid disciples who questioned him. In the place, then, where that discourse was held, a church founded there in remembrance, as mentioned above, is held in great honour. Thus far let it suffice to have described, concerning the holy places of the city of Jerusalem and of Mount Zion and the Mount of Olives and the valley of Jehoshaphat lying between them, according to the reliable account of holy Arculf, the frequenter of those very places. CHAPTER HEADINGS OF THE SECOND BOOK. I. Concerning the site of the city of Bethlehem. II. Concerning the place of the Lord's Nativity. III.

Concerning that rock situated outside the wall, upon which the water of his first washing after his Nativity was poured. IV. Concerning that church in which that monument of David is seen. V. Concerning another church, in the inner part of which the tomb of holy Jerome is held. VI. Concerning the monuments of those three shepherds whom, at the Lord's birth, the heavenly brightness shone round about. VII. Concerning the tomb of Rachel. VIII. Concerning Hebron. IX. Concerning the valley of Mamre. X. Concerning the tombs of the four patriarchs. XI. Concerning the mount and oak of Mamre. XII. Concerning that pine grove from which wood is carried on camels to perform the services of fire in Jerusalem. XIII. Concerning Jericho. XIV. Concerning Gilgal. XV.

Concerning the twelve stones which the children of Israel, when the river Jordan had been forded over and dried up, carried from the depths. XVI. Concerning that place in which the Lord was baptized by John. XVII. Concerning the colour of the Jordan. XVIII. Concerning the Dead Sea. XIX. Concerning the springs of the Jordan. XX. Concerning the Sea of Galilee. XXI. Concerning the well of Samaria. XXII. Concerning a certain little spring of the wilderness. XXIII. Concerning the locusts and wild honey. XXIV. Concerning that place in which the Lord blessed the five loaves and two fishes. XXV. Concerning Capernaum. XXVI. Concerning Nazareth and its church. XXVII. Concerning Mount Tabor. XXVIII. Concerning Damascus. XXIX. Concerning Tyre. XXX. Concerning Alexandria and the river Nile and its crocodiles. SECOND BOOK. I. CONCERNING THE SITE OF THE CITY OF BETHLEHEM.

At the beginning of this our second little book, a few things briefly must be set down about the site of the city of Bethlehem, in which our Saviour deigned to be born of the holy Virgin. This city is not so great in situation, as Arculf, who frequented it, related to us, as it is praiseworthy in its renown, noised abroad throughout the churches of all nations; it is situated on a narrow ridge surrounded on every side by valleys, which ridge of land extends from the western quarter into the eastern part for about a thousand paces.

On its upper level plain a low wall without towers is built round about along the brow of the edge of that same little hill, rising above the little valleys lying round it on this side and that; and in the middle space within the walls, along a longer track, the dwellings of the citizens are spread out. II. CONCERNING THE PLACE OF THE LORD'S NATIVITY. In the eastern and outermost corner of that same city there is, as it were, a kind of natural half-cave, the inner and farthest part of which is called the Lord's manger, in which the mother laid the new-born child; but another place adjoining the aforesaid manger, nearer for those entering, is handed down to have been the proper place of the Lord's Nativity.

That Bethlehemite cave of the Lord's manger, then, is wholly adorned within with precious marble, for the honour of the Saviour himself; and over that same half-cavern, above a stone upper chamber, the church of holy Mary, with great construction, has been built and founded above that very place where the Lord is more particularly handed down to have been born. III. CONCERNING THAT ROCK SITUATED OUTSIDE THE WALL, UPON WHICH THE WATER OF HIS FIRST WASHING AFTER THE NATIVITY WAS POURED. Concerning that rock placed outside the wall, upon which the water of the first washing of the Lord's little body after the Nativity was poured—the vessel in which it was being tilted from the top of the wall—I think a brief mention should be made.

This water of the sacred bath, poured from the wall, found as it were a kind of naturally hollowed-out pit in the rock lying below; this same little wave, filled on the first Nativity of the Lord, from that same day down to our times, through many cycles of ages, is shown full of purest water without any failing or diminishing, our Saviour working this miracle from the day of his Nativity—concerning whom the prophet sings: 'Who brought forth water from the rock,' and the apostle Paul: 'And the rock was Christ,' who from the hardest rock, against nature, in the desert brought forth a consoling wave for the thirsting people. He himself is the power of God and the wisdom of God, who also from the Bethlehemite

that rock brought forth water and keeps its basin always full of waters. This our Arculf inspected with his own eyes and washed his face in it. IV. CONCERNING THAT CHURCH IN WHICH THAT MONUMENT OF DAVID IS SEEN. Arculf, being questioned by me about the tomb of King David, gave us this answer, saying: 'The tomb of King David, buried in the earth, I myself, inquiring not carelessly, frequented; it is held in the middle part of the pavement of the church without any ornament placed upon it, having a low stone pyramid surrounding it above, and a lamp always placed over it shining brightly.'

This church, then, is founded outside the walls of the city in an adjoining valley, which clings to the Bethlehemite hill on the northern side. V. CONCERNING ANOTHER CHURCH, IN THE INNER PART OF WHICH THE TOMB OF HOLY JEROME IS HELD. About the tomb of holy Jerome also, as we inquired with like solicitude, Arculf said thus: 'The tomb of holy Jerome, about which you inquire, I beheld; it is held in another church, which is built outside that same little city in a valley—a church situated on the southern side, bordering on the ridge of the aforesaid little hill of Bethlehem. This tomb of Jerome, composed with similar workmanship as the monument of David, has no ornament.' VI.

CONCERNING THE MONUMENTS OF THOSE THREE SHEPHERDS WHOM, AT THE LORD'S BIRTH, THE HEAVENLY BRIGHTNESS SHONE ROUND ABOUT. Concerning the monuments of those shepherds whom, on the night of the Lord's Nativity, the heavenly brightness shone round about, Arculf gave us a brief little account, saying: 'In a church I frequented the three monuments of those three shepherds, buried near the tower of Gader, which are distant about a thousand paces toward the eastern quarter from Bethlehem. These men, in that same place at the Lord's birth—that is, near the tower of the flock—the brightness of angelic light surrounded, in which place that same church is founded, containing the tombs of those same shepherds.' VII. CONCERNING THE TOMB OF RACHEL.

The book of Genesis relates that Rachel was buried in Ephrath, that is, in the region of Bethlehem, and the Book of Places also reports that Rachel was buried in the same region beside the road. About this road, Arculf, answering me as I questioned him, said: 'There is a certain royal road which leads from Aelia toward the southern quarter to Hebron, to which road Bethlehem, six miles distant from Jerusalem, lies near on the eastern quarter. The tomb of Rachel is held at the very end of that road on the western side, that is, on the right-hand side, adjoining for those going to Hebron, placed with poor workmanship and having no adornment, surrounded by a stone pyramid. There also the inscription of her name is shown to this day, which Jacob her husband erected over it.' VIII.

CONCERNING HEBRON. Hebron, which is also Mamre, had once been the metropolis of the Philistines and the dwelling-place of giants, and in which David reigned seven years, now, as holy Arculf reports, has no circuit of walls; it shows only certain traces of ruins in the remnants of a city once destroyed; yet it has certain villages built with poor workmanship and farmsteads, some within and others outside those remnants of the wall's destruction, set along the level plain, in which villages and farmsteads, that is, a multitude of people dwell. IX. CONCERNING THE VALLEY OF MAMRE. From the eastern quarter of that same Hebron there comes a field facing the double cave, looking toward Mamre, which Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a possession of a double sepulchre. X.

CONCERNING THE TOMBS OF THE FOUR PATRIARCHS. In the valley of this little field holy Arculf visited the place of the tombs of Arbe, that is, of the four patriarchs, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Adam the first man, whose feet are not turned toward the east, as is the custom for those buried in other regions of the world, but turned toward the south, and their heads turned toward the northern quarter. The place of these tombs is enclosed by a low square wall. Adam the first-formed, to whom, sinning, immediately after the perpetrated sin it was said by God the Creator:

'Earth thou art, and into earth shalt thou go,' is set apart from the other three, not far off toward the northern outermost part of that quadrangular stone wall, not in a stony tomb hewn out in the rock above the earth, as the others, honoured, rest, who are of his seed, but buried in the earth, covered with soil, and he himself dust turned into dust, awaiting the resurrection together with all his seed, takes his rest. And thus from such a tomb of his the divine sentence pronounced concerning himself by himself is fulfilled. And after the example of the tomb of the first parent, the other three patriarchs themselves also, covered with poor dust, take their rest, sleeping.

The four tombs of these men have small memorials, cut and hewn from single stones placed above, as it were fashioned in the form of some basilica, formed according to the measure of the length and breadth of each tomb. The three tombs of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, neighbouring, are covered by three white stones placed above, formed into this figure of which we have written, as has been said above. But the tomb of Adam is covered by a stone placed above, yet of a darker colour and of poorer workmanship. Arculf also beheld there the poorer and smaller memorials of three women, namely of Sarah and Rebecca and Leah, buried in the earth.

That sepulchral little field of those patriarchs, then, is known to be distant from the wall of that most ancient Hebron by the space of one stadium toward the east. This Hebron, as it is reported, had been founded before all not only the cities of Palestine, but it also preceded in its founding all the cities of Egypt—which now is shown miserably destroyed. Thus far let it suffice to have written concerning the tombs of the patriarchs. Now about the hill of Mamre. XI. CONCERNING THE MOUNT AND OAK OF MAMRE. The hill of Mamre is separated and distant by a thousand paces toward the north from the monuments described above, very grassy and flowering, facing Hebron which meets it from the south-west.

This same little hill, named Mamre, has on its summit a level plain, where on the northern part of that same summit a great stone church is founded, in the right-hand part of which, between two walls of that same large basilica, wondrous to say, the oak of Mamre stands rooted in the earth, which is also called the oak of Abraham, because under it he once received the angels as guests. Holy Jerome relates elsewhere that it remained from the beginning of the world up to the reign of the emperor Constantine; and perhaps for this reason he did not say that it had wholly failed, because at that age, although not the whole of it as great as it had been before, that very great oak was still shown—nevertheless some part of it remained, established in its place.

From it, as Arculf reports, who beheld it with his own eyes, there still remains a certain truncated stump rooted in the earth, sheltered under the covering of the church, having the measure of about two men's lengths; from this gnawed stump, cut all round about with axes, little pieces of splinters are carried away to the various provinces of the world for the veneration and remembrance of that same oak, under which, as was mentioned above, the famous and praiseworthy meeting of angels with the patriarch Abraham had once been granted. Round about that same church, which is held built there for the honour of that place, a few dwellings of religious persons are shown built.

But let these things suffice to have said about these matters; let us proceed to others. XII. CONCERNING THAT PINE GROVE, FROM WHICH WOOD IS CARRIED ON CAMELS TO PERFORM THE SERVICES OF FIRE IN JERUSALEM. For those going out from Hebron, situated in the breadth of the plain on the northern quarter not far from the edge of the road, on the left there meets a pine-bearing, not large mountain, distant three miles from Hebron, from whose pine grove pine wood is carried on camels all the way to Jerusalem for nourishing the fires. On camels, I say, for in all Judaea, as Arculf reports, wagons or even carts can rarely be found. XIII. CONCERNING JERICHO.

Our holy Arculf beheld the site of the city of Jericho, which Joshua, having crossed the Jordan, overthrew, its king being slain; in place of which Hozah of Bethel, of the tribe of Ephraim, built another, which our Saviour deigned to visit with his presence. This, at the same time when the Romans, assaulting, besieged Jerusalem, was captured and destroyed because of the treachery of its citizens. In place of it a third was founded, which also after many intervals of time was itself overthrown, of which now, as Arculf reports, certain traces of ruins are shown.

Wondrous to say, only the house of Rahab remained after three cities had been destroyed in that same place—she who hid in the upper room of that same house of hers, under stalks of flax, the two spies whom Joshua the son of Nun had sent; the stone walls of which house remain without a roof. But the site of the whole city, deserted by human habitation, having no dwelling-house for sojourning, receives crops and vineyards. Between the site of that destroyed city and the river Jordan there are great palm groves, in the midst of which little plains are set, in which the houses of certain little men of Canaanite stock, almost innumerable, are built as their dwellings. XIV. CONCERNING GILGAL.

The oft-mentioned Arculf saw a certain great church founded in Gilgal, built in that place in which the children of Israel, having crossed the Jordan, encamped and had their first stopping-place in the land of Canaan. XV. CONCERNING THE TWELVE STONES WHICH THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL CARRIED FROM THE DEPTHS WHEN THE RIVER JORDAN HAD BEEN FORDED AND DRIED UP. In which church, that is, the same holy Arculf considered those twelve stones, concerning which the Lord spoke to Joshua after the crossing of the Jordan, saying: 'Choose twelve men, one from each tribe, and command them to take from the middle of the bed of the Jordan, where the priests' feet stood, twelve very hard stones, which you shall set in the place of the camp, where you shall fix your tents this night.'

These, I say, Arculf had seen, of which he beheld six lying in the pavement on the right side of the church and another six of the same number on the northern side, all unpolished and rough; each of which, as Arculf himself reports, two strong young men of this present time can scarcely lift from the ground. Of these, one—by what chance occurring is unknown—being broken into two parts, was again, by the hand of a craftsman, fastened together and joined firmly with iron.

Gilgal, then, where the church mentioned above was founded, lies on the eastern side of ancient Jericho, on this side of the Jordan, within the allotted territory of the tribe of Judah, at the fifth milestone from Jericho. There too the tabernacle was set up and stood for a long time; and on its site, as tradition holds, the church spoken of above was built, in which those twelve stones already mentioned are kept. By the inhabitants of that region it is held in wondrous reverence and is honoured with marks of esteem. XVI. CONCERNING THAT PLACE OF THE JORDAN IN WHICH THE LORD WAS BAPTIZED BY JOHN.

That most holy and venerable place, where the Lord was baptized by John, is always covered by the waters of the river Jordan. As Arculf relates, who had himself come to that very place and swum across the river there both this way and that, in that most holy spot a tall wooden cross has been fixed; beside it the water rises to the neck of a very tall man standing upright, or at another season of great drought up to his breasts; but when a greater flood occurs, that whole cross is covered by the rising of the waters. The site of that cross, then, at which (as has been said above) the Lord was baptized, lies on the near side of the river's channel; from it across to the further bank, on the side of Arabia, a strong man can cast a stone with the impetus of a sling.

Now, from the place of the cross mentioned above a stone bridge supported on arches extends right to the dry land, and by it those approaching the cross descend along the slope, and returning to the dry land they ascend again. At the very edge of the river there stands a certain small square church, founded (as tradition holds) on the spot where the Lord's garments were guarded at the hour in which the Lord was baptized. This church, supported on four stone columns, stands above the waters, uninhabitable, because the waters flow in beneath it on either side. It is roofed above with baked clay, but below, as has been said, it is sustained by columns and arches.

This church stands in the lower parts of that valley through which the river Jordan flows; but in the higher parts there is a certain great monastery of monks, which overlooks the church just described, built upon the brow of a little hill directly opposite. And there too a church founded in honour of the holy baptizer John is enclosed within the same monastery wall, built of squared stones. XVII. CONCERNING THE COLOUR OF THE JORDAN. The colour of the river Jordan, as Arculf informed us, appears whitish on its surface, like milk; and such is its colour as it enters the salt sea that it can easily be distinguished, over a long stretch of the sea, from the colour of the Dead Sea, throughout its course.

This Dead Sea, indeed, in great storms, through the clashing of its waves, deposits salt onto the lands, so that it is found in abundance around the circuit of that sea; and this, when sufficiently dried by the heat of the sun, affords a very great benefit not only to the neighbouring peoples on every side, but also to nations placed far off. In another manner, however, salt is wont to be obtained in a certain Sicilian mountain. For the stones of that mountain, when torn from the earth, are by taste proved to be truly the saltiest salt, and this is properly called the salt of the earth. So salt of the sea and salt of the earth are wont to be named differently. Whence the Lord too is believed to have said in the Gospel to the apostles by way of comparison: 'You are the salt of the earth,' and so forth.

Concerning this salt of the earth, then, found on the Sicilian mountain, the holy Arculf informed us, who, while staying in Sicily for some days, proved by sight and taste and touch that it is truly the saltiest salt. XVIII. CONCERNING THE DEAD SEA. He related to us also concerning the salt of the Dead Sea, declaring that it had likewise been proved by him through those same three senses mentioned above. He also frequented the maritime shore of that lake mentioned above, whose length stretches as far as Zoar of Arabia, five hundred and eighty stadia, and its breadth one hundred and fifty stadia, as far as the neighbourhood of Sodom. XIX. CONCERNING THE SOURCES OF THE JORDAN.

Our Arculf came also to that place in the province of Phoenicia, where the Jordan is seen to emerge at the foot of Lebanon from two neighbouring springs, of which one is called by the name Jor and the other Dan. These, mingled together, receive the compound name Jordan. But it must be noted that the rise of the Jordan is not at Panion, but in the land of Trachonitis, with one hundred and twenty stadia lying between it and Caesarea Philippi, which now, taking its name from Mount Panion, is called Panias. The name, then, of that spring which is in Trachonitis is Phiala, always full of water, from which the Jordan is drawn off through subterranean channels and bubbles up at Panion in divided outpourings of water, which, as has been said above, are wont to be named Jor and Dan.