&hand; Preserve this till called for. &hand;
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14,000 SOLD,
AND
Only 5 Months Published.
THE PRINCE
OF
THE HOUSE OF DAVID;
OR,
THREE YEARS IN JERUSALEM,
IN THE
DAYS OF PONTIUS PILATE.
FOR SALE BY THE
AGENT FOR THIS COUNTY.
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F.H. North. N.J. North
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Preliminaries
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THE PRINCE
OF THE
HOUSE OF DAVID.
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Preliminaries
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Title Page
THE PRINCE
OF
THE HOUSE OF DAVID;
OR
THREE YEARS IN THE HOLY CITY.
BEING
A SERIES OF THE LETTERS OF ADINA, A JEWESS OF ALEXANDRIA, SOJOURNING
IN JERUSALEM IN THE DAYS OF HEROD, ADDRESSED TO HER
FATHER, A WEALTHY JEW IN EGYPT,
AND RELATING, AS BY AN EYE-WITNESS,
ALL THE SCENES AND WONDERFUL INCIDENTS
IN THE
LIFE OF JESUS OF NAZARETH,
FROM HIS
BAPTISM IN JORDAN TO HIS CRUCIFIXION ON CALVARY.
EDITED BY
THE REV. PROFESSOR J. H. INGRAHAM,
RECTOR OF ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, MOBILE.
NEW-YORK:
PUDNEY & RUSSELL, PUBLISHERS,
No. 79 John-Street.
1855.
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Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by
PUDNEY & RUSSELL,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern
District of New-York.
GEO. RUSSELL & CO., PRINTERS,
61 Beckman-Street, N. Y.
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Dedication
To
THE DAUGHTERS OF ISRAEL,
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THE COUNTRY-WOMEN OF
MARY, THE MOTHER OF JESUS,
This Book
IS INSCRIBED BY THE EDITOR,
WHO TRUSTS THAT, WITH ADINA,
THEY
AS WELL AS THE UNBELIEVING GENTILE,
MAY BE PERSUADED AS THEY READ,
THAT
“THIS IS THE VERY CHRIST.”
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TO THE READER.
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The Letters comprising the present volume were
written for the purpose of presenting, perhaps,
in a new aspect, and from a new point of view,
the advent of the Son of Mary, Christ the Lord,
among the people of Judea. It was the editor's
hope, in writing them, to tempt the daughters of
Israel to read what he wrote, and receive and
be convinced by the arguments and proofs of
the divinity of Christ as here presented. For
the Israelite as well as the Gentile believer this
volume appears; and if it may be the means of
convincing one son or daughter of Abraham to
accept Jesus as Messias, or convince the infidel
Gentile that He is the very Son of the Lord and
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Saviour of the world, he will have received his
reward for the midnight hours, stolen from parochial
labors, which he has devoted to this work.
All the scenes of the life of Jesus during the
last four years of his stay on earth, as recorded
in the Gospel, are here narrated as if by an eye-witness
of them.
Adina, the writer, a Jewess, is assumed to have
been a resident of Jerusalem during the last four
years of our Saviour's life; and to have written
to Alexandria, to her father, numerous letters,
describing all events of interest, and especially
giving a minute narrative of the wonderful events
of the life of Christ, whom she daily saw.
With sacred awe and deep reverence, as conscious
of treading on “holy ground,” the writer
has unfolded, with the four Gospels as his guide,
the successive incidents of their marvelous History,
such as no four years, before or since, have
paralleled.
Jesus was man, as well as God! In this book
He is seen, conversed with, eaten with, as a man!
Some of the scenes present Him (as evidently
He did pass them) in the hours of domestic intercourse
and friendly companionship.
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There can be no charge of irreverence where
none is intended, and where the writer has trod
“with his shoes off his feet,” and with the most
cautious steps.
The subject is one of infinite delicacy, and the
writer believes and trusts, that while he has sought
to present (in order to attain the end he seeks,)
the MAN Christ Jesus, he has not forgotten the
“Godhead veiled in the flesh.”
J. H. I.
Preliminaries
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TABLES OF CONTENTS.
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INTRODUCTION.
Adina, the writer of the following Letters—Her family—Journey to Jerusalem—
The Romans—The City of David—David's Tower—Pilate's Palace—
The Hill of Calvary—Gethsemane—Bethlehem—The Damascus Gate—The
Roman Guard—Arrival at the house of her friends—Descriptoin of her
beauty—Letters to her Father.—Pp. 1—8.
LETTER I.
Account of the journey from Alexandria to Jerusalem—Gaza—Joseph's
Well—The Dead Sea—Jordan—Emotions on beholding the Holy City—
Rabbi Amos—Desecration of the Temple—Sacrifices for sin—A Prophet of
God preaching near Jordan.—Pp. 9—14.
LETTER II.
Rabbi Ben Israel's return—Happiness with Rabbi Amos—Rebecca—Mary—
View from the Residence—Scene from the House-top at morning—The
Sacrifice and Temple-worship at sunrise—Evening Sacrifice and Worship—
Idol-worship at the Roman castle near the Temple—Prophecies fulfilled—
Under a cloud—The Messenger foretold by Malachi—Elijah the Prophet—
Rabbi Amos acknowledges the corruption of the Priests—Decay of Reverence—
A young man, who has heard the new Prophet, near Jericho.—
Pp. 15—24.
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LETTER III.
Presentation of the First Fruits—Tower of Antonia—Insult from a Roman
Soldier—Protection afforded by a beautiful Roman Centurion—Pageant of
the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate—The new Prophet, as described by
John, the Cousin of Mary—He gives a full account of his journey to the
Jordan—Arrival at Jericho.—Pp. 25—34.
LETTER IV.
Death of Rabbi Israel—Extract from her Father's letter concerning the
new Prophet—Continuation of John's account of his visit to Jordan, to see
the new Prophet—The Twelve Stones of the Jordan—Description of the
Prophet—His Sermon—“Art thou not Elias?”—“Messiah?”—Generation
of Vipers—Woe to the Priests—“The Lord our Righteousness”—One
Thousand baptized—Joseph of Arimathea—A second Sermon at evening.—
Pp. 35-48.
LETTER V.
Baptism of Two Hundred more—Blessing in the Name of the Lamb of God—
Joseph of Arimathea—Conversation with the Prophet—He sings the
Evening Hymn of the Temple—Hymn of Praise—Conversation with the
Prophet concerning Messiah—His Death—His Kingdom not of this World—
The Prophet retires to the Desert—Appearance of Lazarus—His explanations
of the Prophecies—Taught by his Friend—Description of this Friend—
Jesus, the Nazarene—Conflict of mind—Studying the Prophets.—Pp.—
49—65.
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LETTER VI.
Ben Israel—Answer to her Father's Letter against this “novelty”—Extract
from his Letter—Reply—Indignation against the Prophet among the
Priests and Levites—Messengers are sent to invite him to Jerusalem—His
Answer—He is accused of Sedition—The Messengers declare their Conversion
and Baptism—They are arrested—Conversations and Discussions at
the House of Rabbi Amos—Stephen—The Prophet performs no Miracles—
Rabbi Amos going to Gilgal—Adina and Mary going with him—They expect
to see the Prophet—The Roman Centurion reading the Scriptures—He
would like to hear the Prophet—Barabbas, the Robber—The Escort—John
gone to look after his ships in Galilee.—Pp. 66—79.
LETTER VII.
The Messiah has come!—Account of the visit to Jordan—Adina, Mary
and John go with Rabbi Amos—Escorted by the Roman Centurion—Barabbas—
Two Gibeonite Servants—Glimpse of Caiaphas—Turtle Doves and
young Pigeons—Blind Bartimeus and his Lamb—The Sheep Gate—æmilius—
Roman Soldiers—Bethesda—The Moving of the Waters—Absalom's Pillar—
Joined by the Escort,—Pp. 80—90.
LETTER VIII.
Continuation of the Account—Edomite Robbers—View from Bethany—
Conversation with the Centurion—Hope of his Conversion—Repose at the
house of Rabbi Abel—Attractions of the Family—Lazarus, Martha, Mary—
Embroidery for the Temple—Copies of the Law and the Psalms—Present
for the wife of Pilate—“I. N.”—Jesus of Nazareth—Lazarus accompanies
them—Gamaliel—Saul—Arrival at Jericho—Gilgal—Barabbas—Going to
Bethabara.—Pp. 91—102.
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LETTER IX.
The way to Bethabara—Matthew, the Publican—Judas Iscariot—The
Tower of Elijah—Vast Multitude—Description of the Prophet—His Sermon—
“Behold the Lamb of God!”—The Baptism of Christ—The Dove—The
Voice from Heaven—Jesus disappears.—Pp. 103—112
LETTER X.
Adina believes in the Christ—The Voice and the Dove—John and Lazarus
follow Jesus—The excited Multitude disperse—Rabbi Amos converses
with the Prophet—John and Lazarus overtake Jesus in the Wilderness—He
sends them back from following Him—Mystery.—Pp. 113—121.
LETTER XI.
Return to Gilgal—John, Lazarus, Gamaliel, Saul, and others—Discussion
on the Prophecies concerning the Messiah—“Visage marred”—“No form
nor comeliness”—Sorcery at the Baptism of Jesus—“Thou art my Son”—
Born in Bethlehem—Of the seed of David—Miracles?—Difference of Opinion—
Return to Jericho—The Beautiful Mary of Magdala—Waiting for Jesus.—
Pp. 122—131.
LETTER XII.
Adina's Father refuses to believe—Meeting of all the Prophecies—Nothing
seen of Jesus for five weeks—John tells them of his finding Jesus in the
Desert—He is worn down by fasting and sorrow—Jesus returns—John follows
Him as His disciple—Hymn of Praise—Pilate's Message to Caiaphas—
The answer—Development of Power—Pp. 132—141.
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LETTER XIII.
“A Man of Sorrows, and acquainted with Grief”—A Miracle—The Carpenter's
tools—Andrew, Simon, Philip, Nathaniel, James and John—The
Mother of Jesus—Cana—Elizabeth—The Water turned into Wine—Thirty
Priests studying the Prophecies.—Pp. 142—151.
LETTER XIV.
Fame of Jesus increases—He is attended by thousands—Cures and
Miracles—The Lame Man restored—John's account of His Miracles—He
Casts out Devils—They confess Him—Visit of the Magi—The Murder of
the Innocents—Escape of Jesus—Summary of evidence proving that Jesus
is the Christ—Pp. 152—161.
LETTER XV.
Imprisonment and Death of John the Baptist—Jesus is told of it—The
Miracle of the Five Loaves and Two Fishes—Envoy of the Priests—Miracles
by the aid of Beelzebub—John the Baptist was Elias—Six other Disciples
chosen—Jesus no ambitious leader—Refuses to be made a King.—Pp.
162—170.
LETTER XVI.
Uproar among the People—Rabbi Amos professes himself a believer—
Messiah a Man, not an Angel—Is He not also God?—Nicodemus—Jesus
fatigued—His power not for His own relief—Benjamin, the lost Brother, returns—
He had been healed by Jesus, after being a lunatic seven years—How
the cure was wrought—Triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.—Pp
171—181.
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LETTER XVII.
Tumult at the entry of Jesus on the morning of the Passover—Shouting—
Jesus purges the Temple of the Money-changers—The Scourge of Small
Cords—He is questioned by the High-Priest—He is rejected—Another
Miracle.—Pp. 182—192.
LETTER XVIII.
Recovery of Adina's Father from sickness—She combats his objections—
“Out of Egypt have I called my Son”—“Galilee of the Gentiles”—Jesus
comes to the house, with a great Multitude—æmilius, the Centurion—Description
of Jesus—He is charged with sedition—æmilius refuses—Jesus
enters the house of Rabbi Amos—Adina greets Him—A wound upon His
temples—Elias asks for a Miracle—A man with the palsy let down in a
blanket—He is healed.—Pp. 193—204.
LETTER XIX.
Divisions on account of Jesus—Nicodemus visits Him by night—The new
Birth of Water and the Spirit—Throne on Calvary—Jesus forgives Sins,
with a Miracle of Healing—Jesus departs for Galilee—He declines the Roman
escort—Four Lepers healed—æmilius is converted—Other proofs in behalf
Jesus.—Pp. 205—215.
LETTER XX.
Adina's illness—Sojourn in Nain—Two Disciples of Jesus arrive at the
house—They announce the coming of Jesus—They are driven from the
town—Ruth—A letter for Sarah from Samuel—He has been wrecked, and
kindly received at the house of Adina's father, in Alexandria—Samuel
arrives—He is seized with a malignant fever—Dies—Preparations for Burial—
A Letter from Gadara.—Pp. 216—225.
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LETTER XXI.
Grief of Ruth—Great procession accompanying the Dead—The Dead is
raised to life by Jesus—Mary relates the account of it—Samuel's remembrance
of his state during Death—Jesus abides in the house—Two Weddings
at hand.—Pp. 226—235.
LETTER XXII.
Morning at Jerusalem—Æmilius becomes a Proselyte—Account of the
ceremony of his reception as such in the Temple—Jesus appears in the Temple—
His Sermon—His Assassination attempted, and foiled—He is saluted as
King—Tumult—Pilate makes obeisance to Him—He disappears—The Tribute-money—
Æmilius needs one step more.—Pp. 236—248.
LETTER XXIII.
Adina's Father about to visit Jerusalem—Enumeration of the miracles of
Jesus—He forgives sins—Eli's withered arm restored—His confession of
his sin—Miracle of the Loaves—Jesus is to be at Jerusalem at the Passover—
Lazarus is taken sick.—Pp. 249—255.
LETTER XXIV.
Adina and Mary go to Lazarus—Cause of his sickness—His virtues—
Lazarus failing—Beauty of Ruth—Her delivery from the hands of Annas in
the Temple—Mary writes to Jesus, then at Bethabara.—Pp. 256—264.
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LETTER XXV.
Death of Lazarus—Martha and Mary—“That good part”—Grief of the
family—Mary's sin—Betrayed by Prince Herod Valerius—Carried away by
him to a castle in Galilee—She escapes to the Mother of Jesus at Nazareth—
Her sin forgiven by Jesus—He reconciles her to her family—Her lovely
Penitence.—Pp. 265—274.
LETTER XXVI.
The Burial of Lazarus—He is laid in a Cave—Æmilius present—Grief of
Martha and Mary—Barabbas and his Ishmaelite Robbers—A fight between
him and Æmilius—Barbbas is wounded and taken captive—Crosses upon
Calvary—Isaiah's Prophecy fulfilled—Pp. 275—285.
LETTER XXVII.
Faith of Martha and Mary in the power of Jesus—Jesus receives their
message—The Death of their Brother causes their faith to fail—Dead four
days already—Jesus comes—Martha and Mary go out to meet him—The
Raising of Lazarus from the Dead—He returns home with Jesus.—Pp. 286—299.
LETTER XXVIII.
Adina's Father is delayed—He believes in the Power of Jesus, but not
that he is Messias—Adina's reply to his Objections—The Claims of Jesus
Himself, in the Synagogue of Bethany—Testimony of an unclean spirit—
He is cast out—He is saluted King—The Jews cry out “Sedition against
Cæsar!”—Æmilius—Tumult—Jesus secretly conveys Himself away—His
secret Prayer—Either Messias or a Liar—His future Kingdom—John
speaks mournfully and mysteriously of his Death.—Pp. 300—311.
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LETTER XXIX.
Terror and Trouble—Discourse of Jesus after eating the Passover—John
narrates all the incidents of the Last Supper—Judas Iscariot—“What thou
doest, do quickly”—The Garden of Gethsemane—The Betrayal—Jesus is
taken—Sounds of Angels in the air—John follows Jesus—The multitude
take Jesus first to Annas—Rage of the People.—Pp. 312—327.
LETTER XXX.
Hope and Faith are over!—Weeping, and Mourning, and Despair—Lamentations—
Sorrow of John and the Mother of Jesus—No one any longer
believes—Mary's account of all that had happened—Jesus among the raging
multitude—“Weep not for me: Weep for yourselves!”—Peter with his
sword drawn—Fierce bitterness of the Priests—Message from the Wife of
Pilate—Judas Iscariot, with his bag of money—Sunrise.—Pp. 328—341.
LETTER XXXI.
No more confidence in man!—Flight of the Disciples—Æmilius alone,
yet firm in the Faith—Facts as given by John, Rabbi Amos, Peter, AEmilius,
and others of the Disciples—Jesus led from Annas to Caiaphas—The
testimony of False Witnesses—Peter's Denial—the Cock-crowing—“Blasphemy!”—
The Buffeting—Jesus is protected by Æmilius and his Roman
soldiers—Insurrection threatened—Jesus abused by the Rabble—He is
hurried off to Pilate.—Pp. 342—358.
LETTER XXXII.
Narrative of the Trial resumed—Omens—Smoke-pall over the City—The
wind does not carry it away—Darkness, Earthquake, the Dead rising from
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their Graves—Jesus in the Prætorium—Questioned by Pilate—Judas
rushes in remorseful—“I am a King”—“Not Cæsar's Friend”—The Message
from Pilate's Wife—Jesus sent to Herod—The Mocking—“One must
fall.”—Pp. 358—372.
LETTER XXXIII.
John still clinging close to Jesus—Herod and Jesus—Herod and Pilate
reconciled—Jesus is silent—Herod gives Jesus up to the Mob—Crowned
with Thorns—Mocked with Robe and Reed—Jesus saluted as King—He is
led back to the Prætorium—“What is Truth?”—“Barabbas!”—The Robber
is liberated by Pilate.—Pp. 373—383.
LETTER XXXIV.
Pilate's Indecision—“Thou art not Cæsar's Friend”—“Behold your
King!”—“Crucify Him!”—Pilate washes his hands—“His Blood be on us
and on our Children!”—Jesus Scourged—Dragged to Calvary—Judas Iscariot
dead—The Cross—The Ascent of Calvary—Falling under the Cross—
Simon the Cyrenian—Skulls—The two Robbers—Ishmerai and Omri—The
Centurion's excuse for Pilate.—Pp. 384—396.
LETTER XXXV.
Account of the Crucifixion continued—The Mother of Jesus—Binding Him
to the Cross—The Seamless Robe—The Nailing—Raising the Cross—The
Guard set—Casting lots—Purchase of the Robe—“This is Jesus, the King
of the Jews”—Revilings of the Crowd—“I thirst”—The Penitent Omri—“This day shalt thou be with Me in Paradise”—The Reed and Sponge—
Darkness—“Eloi, Eloi, lama Sabachthani”—“It is finished”—“Father into
Thy hands I commend my Spirit”—Earthquake—The tombs give up their
dead—“Truly this was the Son of God!”—Pp. 397—411.
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LETTER XXXVI.
Taking down the Bodies—The Darkness caused by an Eclipse—Jesus dead
already—Breaking the Legs—The Piercing of Jesus—Blood and Water—
Joseph of Arimathea begs the Body of Jesus—The Descent from the Cross—
The Burial in a new Tomb—Setting the Watch—Sealing the Stone—Going
to the Sepulchre with spices—The Note of Joy.—Pp. 411—423.
LETTER XXXVII.
The Resurrection of Jesus—Joy—Testimony of Mary—Terror of the Guard
Their flight—The Angels—The Sepulchre empty—Mary tells how she had
seen Jesus—Peter and John—Amazement of Caiaphas—Pilate's emotions—
The Guard bribed to tell a false tale—They are not punished for sleeping on
their post.—Pp. 423—434.
LETTER XXXVIII.
Adina at Bethany—Retrospect of the Life of Jesus—Summary of Argument—
Prophecies of Messias explained—Jesus appears in Galilee—And
elsewhere—Boldness of the Christians—Daily Council at Bethlehem—Majesty
and Power of Jesus—Explanation of the meaning of Sacrifice—The
Resurrection of Jesus, notorious—Some Great Event about to happen—Adina's
Father soon expected.—Pp. 435—446.
LETTER XXXIX.
The Ascension—Like the Transfiguration—Commission and Benediction—
The Rising aloft—Angelic Chorus—The Angels—Summary of the
Argument—Postscript—Pp. 447—456.
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INTRODUCTION TO THE LETTERS OF ADINA.
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ADINA, the writer of the following letters, was the only child
of Manasseh Benjamin, who, though an Israelite of the tribe
of Judah, was a native of the Græco-Romano city of Alexandria.
His ancestor was the learned David Esdras Manasseh, one of the
Septuaginta (or LXX) appointed by Ptolemy Philadelphus in the
year B. C. 277 to translate the Bible from the original Hebrew
tongue into Greek. Esdras, with his companions, having accomplished
this important work, was invited by the king to remain in
Egypt, where he died at an advanced age, holding an office of
trust and honor. His descendants for five generations were
eminent men, and shared the confidence of the rulers of Egypt,
under whom they accumulated riches which were finally inherited
by Manasseh Benjamin, a man not unworthy of so eminent an
ancestry. He was revered in Alexandria for his integrity,
wisdom and rank, as well as for his learning and wealth, and was
honored with the friendship of the Roman Pro-consul, Rufus
Lucius Paulinus. His love and veneration for the land of his
fathers, for the Holy City and Temple of Jehovah, were not
lessened by his nativity as an Egyptian Jew, and as he had been
in his youth sent to Jerusalem by his father, to be educated in the
laws of Moses, so he resolved that his daughter should share the
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same privileges, be taught as bessemed a Jewish woman, and the
inheritress of his name and wealth.
After a tedious journey of seventeen days by the way of Gaza,
the lovely Adina at length came in sight of the walls and tower
of the city of Zion. The caravan halted upon the ridge, and the
Jewish travellers composing it alighted and prostrated themselves
in adoration before the city of David, and the mountain of
Moriah, made sacred by the footsteps of Abraham. The maiden
unveiled and bowed her head with sacred awe. It was her first
sight of Jerusalem—the city of her fathers, the place of her
parent, which, from her earliest childhood, she had heard speak
with the profoundest reverence. As she gazed upon it, she
thought of Isaac, who had been bound upon an altar on yonder
height, now glittering with walls overlaid with marble and gold;
of Isaiah, who had been sawn asunder in the gloomy valley at
her feet; of David and his glory; of Solomon and his wisdom;
of the host of Prophets who had trod its streets or wandered upon
its hills. Rapidly her memory brought to her mind the history of
the mighty past, of the sieges the city had withstood against the
Assyrians, the Persians, the Egyptians, and the nations of the
earth; of the carrying away into captivity of her countrymen;
of the demolition of its walls and of its Temple; and its rebuilding
by Ezra. But most of all she dwelt with holy fear upon the
thought that the presence of God, of Jehovah, had dwelt there
century after century, visibly, in unbearable Fire, within the
inner sanctuary of the Temple; and that there He had spoken
with man, as it were, face to face. She thought also of the Ark of
the Covenant, of the Tables of Stone, of Aaron's budded rod, and
of the brazen serpent which were laid up in the Temple; and her
heart beat with emotion such as she had never felt before. Lower,
and with more awful veneration, she bent her head in grateful
reverence to Him who had so distinguished above all nations her
nation, above all cities the city of her fathers and of the Prophets!
Then she raised her eyes in pride that she was a Jewess, and
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looked around proudly upon the noble landscape which, in her
imagination, it seemed must be as familiar to the eyes of angels as
to men, so closely had Heaven connected itself with that chosen
spot.
The Arabs, her attendants, had also bowed and kneeled in the
presence of the sacred towers; but it was in honor of Abraham
and the patriarchs, their ancestors through Ishmael, who they
believed lay with Isaac and Jacob in sepulchres upon Mount Zion.
Adina's proud glance around was arrested by the sight of a
cohort of soldiers that came galloping up the ridge from the city,
with a glittering eagle carried in advance.
“The Romani! The Romani!” cried the guides, and rising
from their knees they remounted in haste, and used every exertion
to leave the road open to the approaching troop of horse. An
Israelitish muleteer, a few rods below in the path, who could not
get out of the way soon enough, was over-run and thrown to the
ground, and the cavalcade swept onward to the summit of the
hill, disregarding him.
The cheek of Adina paled at this sight, but it was not from
fear. All her pride died away in her heart; and she forgot the
glory of the past, in the sense of the present degradation. In the
first exultation of her emotions at fastening her eyes upon Jerusalem,
she had forgotten that the land of the Prophets and of kings
anointed by God, was now a conquered Roman province. But
the sight of the Roman cohort brought this painful reality to her
mind, and veiling her face, she was overcome by the deepest
sadness.
The troops passed her and her escort like a whirlwind of war,
with ringing spurs, jingling bits, clashing shields, and the noise of
the tramp of five hundred hoofs. She could no longer gaze upon
the city with joy and pride. The words of Jeremiah rose to her
lips:
“How hath the Lord covered the daughter of Zion with a
cloud in his anger! Is this the city that men call the perfection of
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beauty, the joy of the whole earth? The Lord has cast us off
from being a nation, and the name of Israel is remembered no
more!”
Tears, free and bountiful, relieved the fullness of her heart, and
like a true daughter of Jerusalem, she mourned over the departed
glory of her people.
Once more they rode on, winding down around a hill covered
with tombs, one of which was pointed out to her by a Jewish
Rabbi, under whose care she was journeying, as that of the
prophet Jeremiah. Leaving this tomb on the left, they crossed a
small valley, green and beautiful with groves, fountains and terraces,
and thronged with a mixed multitude, both men and
women, who seemed to be enjoying a promenade there, outside the
city walls; there were also booths arranged on one side of the
shady walk, where merchants from all parts of the earth were
selling. The Rabbi accounted for this concourse by informing her
that they had arrived at Jerusalem on a great feast day. Avoiding
this multitude they moved on their way to the right, and
ascended a low eminence from which Jerusalem, in another point
of view, burst upon them in all the splendor of its still unconquerable
magnificence; for with all its vicissitudes of misfortune, in
wars, sieges and desolation, the Jerusalem of the Romans was still
a majestic metropolis, and, in a great degree, meriting its appellation
of the “Queen of the nations.”
“How beautiful!” exclaimed Adina, unconsciously reining up
her camel.
“Man cannot destroy the city of God,” said the Rabbi, with
haughty confidence. “She will stand forever.”
“Point out to me, good Rabbi Ben Israel, the prominent places!
What is that frowning castle beyond the Temple which looks so
strong and warlike?”
“That is the `City of David,' the castle of the kings! It protects
the Temple and town. David fortified himself in it, and so
did the noble Maccabees. It was built by Melchisedec, the first
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king of Jerusalem, and the friend of our father Abraham. It is
now garrisoned by a thousand Roman soldiers.”
The Jewish girl sighed, and then her eyes being attracted by a
graceful tower which the sunbeams of the west burnished like
gold, she inquired what it was.
“The one with the palm growing by its side and nearly as
lofty?” asked the Rabbi, who seemed to take pleasure in gratifying
the curiosity of his lovely protegé.
“Yes, the same.”
“That is David's Tower. Upon it David's watchman stood
when he was looking for tidings from Absalom; and the wood
you see far to the north-east is the `wood of Ephraim,' wherein
Prince Absalom was slain.”
“And what palace is that which the setting sun lights up so
brilliantly, as if it were covered with plates of silver?”
“That is the palace of the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate,
who reigns in Jerusalem as a king. But why do you shudder?”
he asked, as he beheld her change countenance; but following the
direction of her eyes to their right, he beheld, not far distant,
a score of crosses bristling upon a small eminence opposite the
city-gate; and two of the crosses held bodies nailed to them,
while a guard of soldiers and a crowd of people stood near
looking on and watching the writhings of the victims. The
groans and execrations of one of them distinctly reached the ears
of Adina.
“That is the Hill of Calvary, daughter,” said the Rabbi, with a
look of outward indifference. “It is where the Romans execute
their malefactors. Two have suffered to-day. It is a cruel punishment,
not so mild as stoning to death; but the Romans have
little feeling. Let us ride on.”
On the left they wound round the wall of a garden that seemed
to be open to the public, as in some places the enclosure was
thrown down. Several persons were seen within, walking up
and down, or reclining under the shade of olive trees.
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“That is Solomon's garden, now called Gethsemane,” said the
Rabbi; “it is now like all the royal woods, desolate.”
“Yet beautiful in its desolation. How majestically the walls
of the Temple rise heavenward, seen from this valley! What
noble hill, partly covered with trees, is this behind the garden?”
“Olivet, also a portion of the king's gardens in the days of
Israel's glory. The village beyond it is Bethlehem!”
“What, the Bethlehem of Judah, out of which the prophet
says shall come a Ruler over Israel?”
“The same; and we look one day to have that prophecy fulfilled.
It cheers us with the assurance that Jerusalem shall not
forever be trodden down of the nations, but one day have a king
and governor of the royal seed of David.”
“And do any of the family of David now exist?” asked Adina,
fixing her eyes earnestly upon the bearded face of the Rabbi.
“Yes, or the prophecy could not be accomplished. But they
are, as far as known, poor and humble; but I have no doubt that
in some part of the world among the nations, exists some of the
sacred stock who are reigning princes, as Daniel and Joseph
reigned in Persia and Egypt, from whence they shall come as
conquerors to rule over Israel.”
“How then can they spring from yonder little village of Bethlehem?”
asked the maiden.
The Rabbi looked a little embarrassed, and was about to make
some reply to this difficult question, when their road was blocked
up by a flock of sheep, mingled with a drove of cattle, being
driven into the city for the altars of sacrifice. It was with some
delay they made their way through these obstacles and came to
the gate of Damascus. Here they were detained by the Roman
guard and made to show their passports, and to pay thirty sesterces
for every camel, and half as many for each mule in the
caravan.
The scene in the streets was quite bewildering to Adina, who
had been journeying so many days through a desert; but as the
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dwelling of the relations of her father was near the gate, she was
soon in the arms of her friends, who, though they had never seen
her before, received her affectionately, as much for her father's
sake, who had commended her to their protection, as for her own
prepossessing loveliness.
Just entering her seventeenth year, the daughter of the rich
Alexandrian was in the prime of female charms. Her hair was
an auburn brown, long, and shining like gold; her face oval, and
transparently olive in its color, tinted with the least perceptible
roseate; her eyes large, and of the most splendid light and glory
of expression; her nose straight and finely outlined, and her
mouth exquisitely shaped with an expression of heavenly sweetness.
Having been kindly welcomed, and finding every preparation
made for her comfort and happiness, she gave a few days to repose,
and then, on the return of the caravan, addressed the following
letter to her father. This letter was followed by many others, all
of which it is our intention to give to the reader, as they are written
at a period the most interesting of any other of which history
takes record. The first letter is dated, according to the Jewish
chronology, three years before the crucifixion of our Savior.
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Ingraham, J. H. (Joseph Holt), 1809-1860 [1855], The Prince of the house of David, or, Three years in the Holy City. Being a series of the letters of Adina... and relating, as by an eye witness, all the scenes and wonderful incidents in the life of Jesus of Nazareth, from his baptism in Jordan to his crucifixion on Calvary. (Pudney & Russell, New York) [word count] [eaf612T].
