DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.10357#0349
GENNESARET. * 315
shore, is seen at a glance. West of the plain of Gennesaret there is a wall of hills through
which the gorge of Wady Hamam (see page 305) is cut, and on the opposite or eastern side
of the sea the wall of mountains appears like a great bank of earth deeply furrowed by wild
ravines. These two banks of mountains not only continue to the southern end of the lake, but
throughout the entire course of the Jordan Valley; and from where we stand we can look down
the chasm in which the Jordan flows until river, valley, and mountains are lost in the distance.
At present the only inhabited places about the Sea of Galilee are Tiberias and Mejdel
(see page 311); while in Christ's time there were upon its shores no less than nine cities,
besides numerous villages which dotted the surrounding hillsides and plains. Hence, whether
our attention is directed to the land itself or merely to the inhabitants, the contrast between
the present and the past is a painful one. The people of to-day are poor and oppressed.
They are without ambition or any inspiring hopes for the future; and under the present
government it is not likely that anything effective can be done to alleviate their wretchedness.
The plain of Gennesaret (see page 308), although only about one mile wide and a little
less than three miles long, was the gem of Palestine, and, on account of its remarkable fertility,
the Rabbis .looked upon it as an earthly paradise. Its Hebrew name was thought to be
significant of its character, and was explained as implying, " its fruit is sweet as the sound of
a harp," or again as meaning the "garden of princes." Josephus speaks of it as "admirable
both for its natural properties and its beauty." "Such," he says, "is the fertility of this soil
that it rejects no plant, and accordingly all are here cultivated by the husbandman ; for so
genial is the air that it suits every variety. The walnut, which delights beyond other trees in
a wintry climate, grows here luxuriantly, together with the palm, which is nourished by heat;
and near to these are figs and olives, to which a milder atmosphere has been assigned. One
might style this an ambitious effort of Nature, doing violence to herself in bringing together
plants of discordant habits, and an admirable rivalry of the seasons, each, as it were, asserting
her right to the soil; for it not only possesses the extraordinary virtue of nourishing fruits of
opposite climes, but also maintains a continual supply of them. Thus it produces those most
royal of all, the grape and the fig, during ten months without intermission, while the other
varieties ripen the year round." In addition to "the genial temperature of the air," he notices
also the abundant irrigation of the plain, to which, in a good degree, its fertility was due
(" Wars," iii. 10, 8). This praise might be regarded as extravagant had we not abundant
testimony from other ancient sources to show that the statements of the Jewish historian are
not exaggerations. The wide fame of this region and its productions may be judged from
the fact that the Jews were accustomed to ask why the fruits of Gennesaret were not found in
Jerusalem at the time of the feasts; and the reply was, " That no-one may be tempted to come
to the feasts merely for the sake of enjoying those fruits," instead of coming, as they should,
solely for divine worship. In the rank soil of this plain grew the finest wheat of the land, and
the wonderful climate of the region has been described as a " harmonious mingling of the
seasons." While Gennesaret was justly looked upon as the garden of Palestine, if not of the
shore, is seen at a glance. West of the plain of Gennesaret there is a wall of hills through
which the gorge of Wady Hamam (see page 305) is cut, and on the opposite or eastern side
of the sea the wall of mountains appears like a great bank of earth deeply furrowed by wild
ravines. These two banks of mountains not only continue to the southern end of the lake, but
throughout the entire course of the Jordan Valley; and from where we stand we can look down
the chasm in which the Jordan flows until river, valley, and mountains are lost in the distance.
At present the only inhabited places about the Sea of Galilee are Tiberias and Mejdel
(see page 311); while in Christ's time there were upon its shores no less than nine cities,
besides numerous villages which dotted the surrounding hillsides and plains. Hence, whether
our attention is directed to the land itself or merely to the inhabitants, the contrast between
the present and the past is a painful one. The people of to-day are poor and oppressed.
They are without ambition or any inspiring hopes for the future; and under the present
government it is not likely that anything effective can be done to alleviate their wretchedness.
The plain of Gennesaret (see page 308), although only about one mile wide and a little
less than three miles long, was the gem of Palestine, and, on account of its remarkable fertility,
the Rabbis .looked upon it as an earthly paradise. Its Hebrew name was thought to be
significant of its character, and was explained as implying, " its fruit is sweet as the sound of
a harp," or again as meaning the "garden of princes." Josephus speaks of it as "admirable
both for its natural properties and its beauty." "Such," he says, "is the fertility of this soil
that it rejects no plant, and accordingly all are here cultivated by the husbandman ; for so
genial is the air that it suits every variety. The walnut, which delights beyond other trees in
a wintry climate, grows here luxuriantly, together with the palm, which is nourished by heat;
and near to these are figs and olives, to which a milder atmosphere has been assigned. One
might style this an ambitious effort of Nature, doing violence to herself in bringing together
plants of discordant habits, and an admirable rivalry of the seasons, each, as it were, asserting
her right to the soil; for it not only possesses the extraordinary virtue of nourishing fruits of
opposite climes, but also maintains a continual supply of them. Thus it produces those most
royal of all, the grape and the fig, during ten months without intermission, while the other
varieties ripen the year round." In addition to "the genial temperature of the air," he notices
also the abundant irrigation of the plain, to which, in a good degree, its fertility was due
(" Wars," iii. 10, 8). This praise might be regarded as extravagant had we not abundant
testimony from other ancient sources to show that the statements of the Jewish historian are
not exaggerations. The wide fame of this region and its productions may be judged from
the fact that the Jews were accustomed to ask why the fruits of Gennesaret were not found in
Jerusalem at the time of the feasts; and the reply was, " That no-one may be tempted to come
to the feasts merely for the sake of enjoying those fruits," instead of coming, as they should,
solely for divine worship. In the rank soil of this plain grew the finest wheat of the land, and
the wonderful climate of the region has been described as a " harmonious mingling of the
seasons." While Gennesaret was justly looked upon as the garden of Palestine, if not of the