DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.27910#0063
POOL OF BETIIESDA,
THE MOSQUE OF OMAR, &c„ JERUSALEM,
FROM THE CITY WALLS.
IIIS view is taken from a point upon the walls very near to St. Stephen’s Gate. It embraces
the deep wall of the Pool of Bethesda, the Mosques of Omar and Aksa, the minaret from
if ^ which the muezzin, or call to prayers, is proclaimed, and (on the right) the dome-topped houses
Wm ,0
of the modern city, rising towards Mount Zion.
We now resume the historical sketch. The importance and splendour of Jerusalem was con-
siderably lessened after the death of Solomon, under whose son, Rehoboam, ten of the tribes
rebelled, and went no longer up to Jerusalem to worship. After this period the kingdom of Judah was
almost alternately ruled by good kings, and by those who were idolatrous and evil-disposed; and the condition of
Jerusalem was very much moulded by these changes. Under Rehoboam it was conquered by Shishak, king of
Egypt (b.c. 973), who pillaged the treasures of the temple (2 Chron. xii. 9). Under Amaziah it was taken by
Jehoash, king of Israel, who broke down 400 cubits of the wall of the city, and took away all the gold and
silver, and all the vessels of the temple, &c. (2 Kings xiv. 13, 14). Uzziah, son of Amaziah, who at first
reigned well, built towers in Jerusalem at the “corner gate,” at the “valley gate,” and at the turning of
the wall, and fortified them (2 Chron. xxvi. 9). His son Jotharn built the high gate of the temple, and many
other structures (2 Chron. xxvii. 3, 4). Hezekiah (b.c. 728) added to the other honours of his reign that
of an improver of Jerusalem. His most important work in that character was the stopping of the upper
watercourse of Gihon, and bringing its waters by a subterraneous aqueduct to the west side of the city (2 Chron.
xxxii. 30). Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh, in his latter and best years, built a strong and very high wall on the
west side of the city. For about one hundred years after this period, no serious alteration is recorded in the
state of Jerusalem. Then, for the abounding iniquities of the nation, it was abandoned to destruction. After
a siege of three years, it was taken by Nebuchadnezzar, who razed its walls and destroyed its temple and
palaces by fire (2 Kings xxv. 9 ; 2 Chron. xxxvi). At this period the ten tribes forming the kingdom of Israel had
been already upwards of one hundred and thirty years transported to Assyria; Judah was now exiled to
Babylon; and the Castle of David, the Temple of Solomon, and the entire city lay in utter, and to all human
appearance hopeless ruin, until the prophetic period of its restoration. With regard to this captivity there
existed two prophecies of remarkable precision. The first was by Jeremiah (xxv. 9, 12), in which the duration of
the captivity is limited to seventy years; the other by Isaiah (xliv. 28), where the very name of the appointed
deliverer is mentioned, “ Thus saith the Lord of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure ;
even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.” Daniel,
who shared in the captivity, lived to see the reign of Cyrus. This prince issued a most remarkable proclamation,
commanding the restoration of the temple, &c. He appointed Sheshbazzar the Prince of Judah, who led
to Jerusalem 42,360 people besides their servants, of whom there were 7337 (Ezra i. 5, 11).
In the following year, when the foundation of this second temple was laid, it is recorded that “ the people
shouted for joy; but many of the Levites, who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice ” (Ezra iii. 2, 12).
The temple was not completed until the sixth year of the reign of Darius, having been delayed by the orders of
Artaxerxes, who was influenced to this interference by the jealous intrigues of the Samaritans.
THE MOSQUE OF OMAR, &c„ JERUSALEM,
FROM THE CITY WALLS.
IIIS view is taken from a point upon the walls very near to St. Stephen’s Gate. It embraces
the deep wall of the Pool of Bethesda, the Mosques of Omar and Aksa, the minaret from
if ^ which the muezzin, or call to prayers, is proclaimed, and (on the right) the dome-topped houses
Wm ,0
of the modern city, rising towards Mount Zion.
We now resume the historical sketch. The importance and splendour of Jerusalem was con-
siderably lessened after the death of Solomon, under whose son, Rehoboam, ten of the tribes
rebelled, and went no longer up to Jerusalem to worship. After this period the kingdom of Judah was
almost alternately ruled by good kings, and by those who were idolatrous and evil-disposed; and the condition of
Jerusalem was very much moulded by these changes. Under Rehoboam it was conquered by Shishak, king of
Egypt (b.c. 973), who pillaged the treasures of the temple (2 Chron. xii. 9). Under Amaziah it was taken by
Jehoash, king of Israel, who broke down 400 cubits of the wall of the city, and took away all the gold and
silver, and all the vessels of the temple, &c. (2 Kings xiv. 13, 14). Uzziah, son of Amaziah, who at first
reigned well, built towers in Jerusalem at the “corner gate,” at the “valley gate,” and at the turning of
the wall, and fortified them (2 Chron. xxvi. 9). His son Jotharn built the high gate of the temple, and many
other structures (2 Chron. xxvii. 3, 4). Hezekiah (b.c. 728) added to the other honours of his reign that
of an improver of Jerusalem. His most important work in that character was the stopping of the upper
watercourse of Gihon, and bringing its waters by a subterraneous aqueduct to the west side of the city (2 Chron.
xxxii. 30). Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh, in his latter and best years, built a strong and very high wall on the
west side of the city. For about one hundred years after this period, no serious alteration is recorded in the
state of Jerusalem. Then, for the abounding iniquities of the nation, it was abandoned to destruction. After
a siege of three years, it was taken by Nebuchadnezzar, who razed its walls and destroyed its temple and
palaces by fire (2 Kings xxv. 9 ; 2 Chron. xxxvi). At this period the ten tribes forming the kingdom of Israel had
been already upwards of one hundred and thirty years transported to Assyria; Judah was now exiled to
Babylon; and the Castle of David, the Temple of Solomon, and the entire city lay in utter, and to all human
appearance hopeless ruin, until the prophetic period of its restoration. With regard to this captivity there
existed two prophecies of remarkable precision. The first was by Jeremiah (xxv. 9, 12), in which the duration of
the captivity is limited to seventy years; the other by Isaiah (xliv. 28), where the very name of the appointed
deliverer is mentioned, “ Thus saith the Lord of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure ;
even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.” Daniel,
who shared in the captivity, lived to see the reign of Cyrus. This prince issued a most remarkable proclamation,
commanding the restoration of the temple, &c. He appointed Sheshbazzar the Prince of Judah, who led
to Jerusalem 42,360 people besides their servants, of whom there were 7337 (Ezra i. 5, 11).
In the following year, when the foundation of this second temple was laid, it is recorded that “ the people
shouted for joy; but many of the Levites, who had seen the first temple, wept with a loud voice ” (Ezra iii. 2, 12).
The temple was not completed until the sixth year of the reign of Darius, having been delayed by the orders of
Artaxerxes, who was influenced to this interference by the jealous intrigues of the Samaritans.