Smyrna and Constantinople
“And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies’ lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers all they pine away with them.” — Lev. xxvi. 39.
(July 29.) At seven in the morning we found ourselves approaching Cyprus. Here we anchored for some hours off Larnica, which is near the ancient Citiurn. There seemed at this point little to interest a traveller in the island itself; a ridge of bare limestone hills formed the prominent feature “of the scene, while a dry, parching sun glowed over us like a furnace. The town itself, however, looks well, its mosque and white houses peering through tall and graceful palm-trees. At a former period, Cyprus must have been remarkably productive and well peopled. Mr. Thomson, from whom we so lately parted at Beyrout, had travelled through the interior of the island, and in his journey visited not fewer than sixty villages, which had remains of ancient churches now ruined and desolate; and everywhere he found wide plains left uncultivated, which might yield abundant harvests. It is an island which no Christian can gaze upon without remembering the days of the apostles. For this was the native country of Barnabas,* who sold his estates and brought the money to .Jerusalem for the use of the infant Church, and who afterwards, in company with Paul, traversed its whole extent from Salamis to Paphos, preaching the unsearchable riches of Christ. Here, too, Sergiiis Paulus had his residence, and Elymas the sorcerer; Mnason also, “the old disciple,” spent his youth amidst its hills and plains. But, there is no Barnabas nor INInason in Cyprus nov’; for no Jew dare plant his foot upon its shores because of the furious bigotry of the Greeks, who have persecuted without remorse every wanderer of that nation that has visited or been cast upon their coast ever since the reign of Trajan. To ourselves Cyprus is associated with some of our severest trials. For it was here that Mr. M’Cheyne’s illness increased, the fever burning hot within his veins, while there was no medical help on board, nor any remedies that we could apply. A cooling drink or a fresh breeze were the only means of even momentary relief
Xexi day we were sailing off the coast of Pampliylia, and at six in the morning of the succeeding day (July 31) were anchored off Rhodes. On the left hand of the harbour is a range of very precipitous hills. The town is on the shore, with green hills rising gently behind, and many gardens on every side. All around the sandy edge in’the vicinity of the town the shore is lined with windmills, which seem to be much in use throughout this region. It is said by recent travellers that, at the entrance of the ancient harbour, there are still remains of buttresses, the distance between which is twenty-seven yards, a space sufficiently wide to have afforded room for the famed Colossus. We thought upon Paul saOing past Rhodes as he hasted to Jerusalem,* and we wished to land, for there are here about 1000 Jews; but this was impossible on account of Mr. M.’s illness. It was here the well-known commentator Aben Ezra died, commanding his bones to be carried to the Holy Land.
After leav’ing the harbour in the afternoon, we found ourselves sailing close to the shore of Caria, the water apparently deep to the very edge, with steep rocks and hills lining the shore. Often it seemed as if we were sailing close under the base of some of our own Highland mountains, while the waves gently weltered round the base of the rocks. At a turn of the coast Cnidos was pointed out to us. A creek running up a considerable way into the land forms a complete harbour; but a ruined tower was all that we could distinctly discern of the ancient town.
We now saw before us Stanchio, the ancient Coos, and felt pleasure in gazing on it, because Paul had once done the same.f On reaching the harbour the vessel made a short stay, giving us opportunity to get a sight of its chief town, which is beautifully situated in the midst of gardens. The buildings are all of white stone, and the hills form a green acclivity behind. The physician Hippocrates gave this island its renown in ancient times.
* Acts xxi. 1. t Acts xxi. 1.
Once more afloat on the Icarian Sea, we passed an English frigate in full sail, welcome to ns as being in a manner a relic of home, and in itself a very imposing object on these seas. I3ut a far more interesting sight engaged our attention a little before sunset. An intelligent “traveller on board pointed out to us the island of Patmos, now called Palmosa. It lies sixteen miles south-west from Samos, and is about eighteen miles in circumference, stretching from north to south. We saw the peaks of its two prominent hills, but our course did not lie very near it. Still it was intensely interesting to get even a glance of that remarkable spot, where the beloved disciplesaw the visions of God, — the spot, too, where the Saviour was seen, and his voice heard, for the last time till he comes again. It is the only spot in Europe where the Son of Man showed himself in his humanity. John’s eye often rested on the mountains and islands among which we were now passing, and on the shores and waves of this great sea; and often, after the vision was past, these natural features of his place of exile would refresh his spirit, recalling to his mind how “he stood on the sand of the sea,”* and how he had seen that “every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.”t
Long after sunset some of us sat on deck under the clear brilliant firmament, “sown with stars,” whose bright rays glittered on the blue waters like beams of the’moon. We conversed of God’s providence — “his way is in the sea, and his path in the deep waters” — and of Patmos, where the fall of that empire through whose dominion we were now passing, was long ago foretold.
(Aug. 1.) Next morning we were on the shores of Ionia. “We had passed Icaria, and were sailing by Samos, the birthplace of Pythagoras. We thought of Paul touching at Samos a few da”ys before he gave his memorable address to the elders from Ephesus-J Soon after C/iios,^ now Scio, came in view, and arriving at the port, the vessel anchored for a few hours. The eye rests on many buildings on the shore, dilapidated and empty, monuments of the awful scenes of massacre that devastated this beautiful island daring the revolution. The town is very finely situated, embosomed in orange-trees. There was a considerable bustle in the harbour; and boats
* Rev. xiii. 1. + Rev. xvi. 20.
Acts XX. 15. $ See Acta xx. 15.
filled with Greek sailors soon surrounded our vessel. Ther were on board some Jews, who, as we left the harbour, pointed to Scio as the burying-place of a famous rabbi, Baal Turim. Among these were our four Jewish friends whom we met first at Syra and then at Sychem, and who were now returning from their pilgrimage to their home on the Dardanelles. On observing that Mr. M. was ill, they kindly inquired after him, and continued to shew their sympathy till we parted from them at Smyrna.
At six in the evening we anchored at Smyrna. Many interesting objects met the eye in sailing up the splendid gulf, and none more beautiful than the town itself, lying close to the shore, set round with tall dark green cypresstrees, with beautiful hills behind. There is one eminence that the eye falls upon near to the entrance of the harbour, dotted over with white flat stones. This is the Jewish burying-ground.
On anchoring, our first care was directed to get medical advice for^Mr. M’Cheyne. But we found that we were too late that evening to get any medical help in the town, the best physicians always retiring to the country at night. On that account, and as the town itself was oppressively close and sultry, Mr. M., though so little able for any journey that we feared every moment he would sink under the fatigue, urged us to proceed at once to Bouja, a village three miles off, where we were assured of finding an “English physician. The innkeeper soon furnished us with asses, and agreed to be himself our conductor. The road was pleasant, rows of cypresstrees often meeting our eye in the gloom. The air, too, was fresher than in the town, yet even here it was sultry. On arriving at the inn of Bouja, we found the surgeon of an English’frigate in the house at the moment, and soon after a Greek physician, named Dr. Dracopoli, well skilled in the diseases of the country, was recommended to us. Later in the evening, Mr. Lewis (formerly a labourer in the Jewish cause, and now chaplain to the English Consulate in Smyrna), visited us, and not only most readily aided us in our perplexity, but insisted on all of us removing next day to his own residence. Never did any in our circumstances meet with more unremitting attention and true Christian kindness, than we did during oiu’ .stay under the roof of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis. Perhaps Mr. M’Cheyne’s recovery was, in the good providence of God, to be mainly attributed to their care. The Lord grant to them the blessing that Paul sought for
Onesiphorus, who so oft refi-eshed him; “May they find mercy of the Lord in that day!” *
Our first Sabbath (Aug. 4) was spent at Bouja. We worshipped in the English chapel recently erected there, a beautiful and commodious building, in which Mr. Lewis and Mr. Jetter (the latter sent oult by the Church Missionary Society) officiate alternately. That day, in our peculiar circumstances, Mr. Lewis’ sermon from Ps. xlvi. 10, came home to the heart, “Be still, and know that I am God.” There was singular power also in the words that were written over the” pulpit of the chapel. “Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”t We felt them the more, remembering that we were within a short distance of the city where the Church used to assemble to which these words were first addressed, and the spot where Poly carp, so long “the angel of the church of Smyrna,” obeyed the exhortation and received his reward. To us this was “a day better than a thousand.”
Our next Sabbath was not so still, but it, too, had its peculiar enjoyments. It was spent in Smyrna. Early in the morning the sound of bells ringing loudly in the town caused not a little surprise, till we ascertained that it proceeded from the Romish churches in the city. For the Roman Catholics, every where zealous, have here erected three large and splendid churches, and already number 5000 members in Smyrna. They have also a flourishing school, to which they give the name of a College “di Propag-a77da.” We worshipped in the forenoon in the English chaplaincy; and Mr. Bonar preached upon Acts viii. 8, “There was great joy in that city.” Pleasant it was to pray and then proclaim the Gospel in a place to which the Lord had once spoken by name. In the afternoon, we joined the worship of the American Missionaries in the Dutch Consulate, and then reached Bouja in time to enjoy part of Mr. letter’s evening service. These Sabbaths in a foreign land were seasons of peculiar refreshing. On more than one occasion also we enjoyed a week-day evening service in the village, maintained by our American brethren, and attended by an audience of about fifty individuals. Mr. Bonar preached one evening on Isaiah xii.; and these pleasant meetings brought vividly to mind the similar services in our own parishes at home.
2 Tim. i. 18. t Rev. ii. 10.
Bouja, where we resided, is a beautiful village, n:iuch frequented by English residents. The houses are generally built apart from each other, with a garden and shrubbery round them. But even the common streets of this village have wide-spreading trees shooting up between the houses. Here, too, we remarked how frequently the villagers at evening sit in social companies, to enjoy the evening air before the door of their dwellings. This is the cuslom referred to by Ezekiel, “the children of thy people are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses’’“^ — th.at is, in the midst of their easy, thoughtless, self-pleasing companies. The evening breeze is sweet, and the nightingale’s song is not uncommon. A person residing here is taught by experience, during all hours of the day, the meaning of Anacreon’s references to the” rtrrtf OT grasshopper, which in a manner peoples the trees and chirps incessantly, as he describes:
—” Atvofisci Kadiaag
“BacriXci’S OTTO); dact;.
(” King-like you sit upon your tree and sing.”) Oftentimes during our stay Mr. Lewis gave us interesting information in regard to his labours among the Jews at a former period. One evening, telling us of his residence in Italy, he related the case of a young Jewess of Ancona, whose name was Sarina. She was a teacher, and being the only Jewess of any education in the town, even boys were put under her tuition. Besides Italian, she knew Latin and some other languages, and could teach geography and other branches of education. Though occupied with the children from eight in the morning till eight at night, she used, as soon as her work was done, to come to the house of Mr. and Mrs. Lewis to converse with them. They found her a most amiable and intelligent young woman, willing to listen to the teaching of a Christian instructor. She read Christian books which they lent her; translated them into Italian; and told them frankly the ignorance and wi’etched state of Jewesses in Ancona. On their departure, the grief of Sarina was extreme; indeed, she would gladly have accompanied them, but she had an aged mother depending on her exertions for support. They heard no more of her till recently, when they received notice of her death. She died about two years ago; and the last book she was found translating was on’e “on the Truth of Christianity.”
* Ezek. xxxiii. 30.
Once oi twice we met with a young American trave’ ler, who was in the inn when we arrived. His information about the Karaite Jews confirmed what we had elsewhere heard of that sect. He had just come from the Crimea, where he saw them in their chief town, called Joofud Kallah, “the fortress of the infidels.” He thinks that there were about 1500 in that town; and in the whole Crimea about 5000. They are the most respectable of all Jews, men of character, and intelligence, very cleanly and industrious in their habits, and much favoured by the Government. It is said that the word of a Karaite is more trustworthy than the bond of another Jew. One day while making inquiries regarding the Jews at Mr. H. Barker, a merchant of the town, he told us a recent instance of the insults and oppression which Jews not unfrequently meet with at the hands of both Turks and Greeks. He saw a Greek go to a Jew who was walking before him, and strike him so violent a blow, that the poor Jew burst into tears, but made no resistance. IMr. B. went up and asked the Greek why he had been guilty of this unprovoked outrage? “Because he is a hater of Christ,’” was the cool reply of the Greek. A few days ago, also, a Jew was bathing in the sea along with a Turk. In plunging into the water, the Turk struck upon an anchor,” which caused his death. The Jew was immediately imprisoned on the charge, “that perhaps he icas the cause of the accident;” and no one could tell what might be the result. How truly did Moses foretell of Israel, “thou shalt be only oppressed and crushed alway.” *
Our most important information regarding the Jews w-as obtained from Giovanni Baptist Cohen, a converted Israelite, who is employed bj’ the London Jewish Society to labour among his brethren in Smyrna. Not long after our arrival we called upon him, when he kindly offered to visit the Jews along wuth us. Accordingly on Saturday (Aug. 10) we set out at six o’clock in the morning. As we went along we met a considerable number of Jews at that early hour returning from synagogue worship. These, we were told, had “already finished their morning service; for, being more devout, or at least adhering more rigidly to the letter of the Scriptures than their brethren, they have service before sunrise, referring to Ps. lxxii. 5, as their authority, “they shall fear thee before the 0un” — that is, before the sun rises, as they under- * Deut. xxviii. 33.
stand the Hebrew. We met also more females on their way to the synagogue than we had usually observed in other places. All the synagogues were clean and commodious, with porches before the entrance for the sake of coolness. These were often shaded by the spreading vine, and many of the worshippers were reading their prayers under its shelter. There appeared to be sincere devotion among them, for their attention was not diverted from the service by the entrance of strangers.
The Jewish population of Smyrna is about 9000, and that it is on the increase is proved by the fact that they are at yresent building an additional Synagogue, although they have already ten or twelve. The only missionary here is Mr. Cohen, mentioned above, a native of Constantinople, who is a great hnguist, and able to speak with some ease, Italian, French, Spanish, Greek, English, Turkish, Armenian, and Hebrew. His wife is a Sciote by birth, one of those who were rescued from the massacre, and educated in England. He has free intercourse with all the Jews, and they return his visits.
While we were with him in the forenoon, three intelligent and respectable Jews called, who spent fully three hours in conversation. He led them to speak of Isaiah liii. Turning up the works of Jarchi (or Rashi,) they were very free in their remarks on that commentator; and one of the three on going away, said that “he was more than two-thirds persuaded that Christianity was true.” Mr. Cohen told us after they had gone, that their state of mind was not an uncommon one among the Jews of Smyrna. He knew at least five families in the town, who were inclined to leave Judasim to this extent, that they would admit Jesus as Messiah, but keep up their national rites and customs. Most of these were careless till he visited them; but now they diligently read the Old Testament, and allow him to read to them out of the New.
In the evening, a great many Jews called; they sat in the lower room, and at the door, which stood open to the street.* One of them, a very liberal-minded Jew, called our attention to a Roman l athoHc priest who was passing by, and remarKed, ‘■’Our rabbis and these priests are alike impostors.’’’’
Mr. Cohen has been ten years here, and has found great freedom of inquiry among the Jews. At the same time, no sooner is a baptism proposed than the Jews stir
* See Ezek. xxxiii. 30; and p. 329.
up the Government, and the convert is obliged to leave the place. Several, however, have been baptized in the Greek and Romish churches, because the members of these communions have means of protecting them.
The Jews have many schools, but their system of teaching is most dep]o]-able. No enlightened attempt has ever been made for the instruction of the Jewish children under fourteen years of age. Missionaries might establish schools with good hope of success, because these children are cruelly used, as well as ill instructed, under their present teachers; and the Old Testament being made their school-book, the teacher might explain it, and ground the whole truth thereon. The inducements of a solid education in Hebrew grammar, and perhaps in some of the modern languages, would lead them to come. The common people among the Jews are simple, not very superstitious, and easily affected by kindness. It would be important to instruct the Jews in the grammar of the Spanish; and a cheap edition of a Spanish dictionary and grammar would be of great use. They have about thirty libraries in the town, all on a private footing, and of no great importance. Several individuals, well qualified to judge, spoke much regarding the want of good tracts suited to the capacities and modes of thinking of those for whom they are intended. Mr. Lewis mentioned the case of an English tract translated into Italian so literally that it was unintelhgible; and many are unacceptable because not idiomatic. On the other hand, a polished Italian will frequently be induced to read a tract, if only it be written in elegant Italian for the sake of the language.
From various individuals we heard of Saloniki, the ancient Thessalonica. Drs. Black and Keith had proposed to visit it; but were not able to accomplish their intention. The Jewish community there are very exclusive, quite a nation by themselves. They have great influence in the cit)% and their numbers are reckoned at 50,000. Their real condition could be known only by long residence among them, for they are reserved, and keep aloof from all strangers. On this account, the reports of merchants cannot be very accuiate. They are very strict Jews. Man)^ poor people among them spend their time in reading and study, receiving money for their support by charity. They publish many books, almost every Jew there aspiring to be the author of some treatise. They study astronomy, and publish the best Jewish
Almanacs, both in regard to seasons and changes of weather. It is asserted, that their almanac for 1837 had put down that there would be an earthquake on the 1st of January of that year, and another on the 21st. Both of these actually occurred, and by the first of them the town of Saphet was destroyed. From this supposed prediction, they acquired great fame among the Jews. It is also a curious fact, and characteristic of the people, that the famous impostor, Sabbathai Sevi, who was born at Smyrna, has still many followers at Saloniki.
On another occasion, Mr. Caiman spent a whole day in town visiting the Jews, along with Mr. Cohen. He was led by him to visit the families who are disposed to admit Christ as Messiah, but would still retain national rites, such as the Passover and the Jewish Sabbath. All these are rich, possessed of large magazines or stores, and under European protection, so that they are not affected by the common inducements of a worldly nature; but they are weary of the bondage of the rabbis. They said that they have read the New” Testament, and found in it nothing against keeping Saturday as the Sabbath; and the Saturday they will not consent to renounce, for they believe that they would be traitors to their people, if they threw off this mark of nationality. They proposed to keep their feasts also as memorials that Jehovah, whom they now worship as Messiah, is the same God who redeemed them of old. They would call themselves “Believers in Messiah,” but not “Christians,” because all whom they have ever known under the latter name are given to idolatry and immorality. If a church were formed on these principles, and had the sympathy of influential friends in England, they have no doubt but hundreds would soon join them. Mr. Caiman thought them well versed in Scripture, but that they did not feel the burden of sin. Their assent to Christianity is intellectual; they would embrace it as a deliverance from a superstition of which they are weary. The same feeling begins to prevail among the Jewish females. An old Jewess, named Medina, whom Mr. Cohen was instrumental in arousing to a concern about her soul, has become very zealous in doing good to others, delights in reading the Scriptures, visits other Jewesses, and has succeeded in leading many of them to her views.
(Aug. 15.) We were able to devote a day to visiting the Jewish schools. One of them meets in an extensive building, having an open square in the midst, but close and dirty. It Contained ten apartments, with about forty children, and a separate teacher in each. Some of the children were further advanced than the others, but there seemed to be no regular gradation in the classes. Few of them had books, not one in ten had a Bible. They are fine interesting children, but miserably taught; kept in fear by the lash of their teacher, who tyrannises over them. As we entered one room, the teacher was in the act of applying the bastinado to a boy. On seeing us, the rest of the scholars cried out in Spanish, “Franco, F^’anco, salvanos,^^ “Frank, Frank, help us.” The bastinado is applied by twisting a rope, fixed on a short stick, round the feet of the culprit, who is laid on his face; and then a strong whip made of ox-hide, is smartly applied to the soles of his feet. Each schoolmaster had two of these thick whips hanging in his room, along with this miniature bastinado. The whips seemed well used, being worn to fibres at the end. We saw also the stocks, ready for fixing the feet of those who were to be less severely punished. The boy whom we rescued from punishment was guilty of absenting himself from the school — a line of conduct we did not much wonder at, when such was the teacher and his discipline. We bought from one of the teachers a whip and a bastinado, as memorials of Jewish darkness. The rabbi who taught the highest class, where the Talmud is the text-book, put many questions to us about the Jews in Palestine, and said, “he himself was a poor man, but had sent already 200 piastres to them.”
In reviewing the information we obtained regarding the Jews here, we feel convinced that Smyrna presents much to invite the attention of a missionary. Independently of the interest attached to the place as having been the seat of a Jewish community since the Christian era, — independently, too, of its being a place whose associations with the Apocalypse, and with the history of Polycarp, give it a peculiar interest in the eyes of every Christian, It deserves regard on account of the large population of Jews residing in the city and neighbouring villages, and the vast numbers from other countries who visitit from time to time. Jews call at this port from all parts of Asia, as well as from Constantinople and its vicinity. It might yet become the door of access even to the hitherto secluded Jews of Saloniki, some of whom occasionally visit Smyrna.
The literary qualifications needful for a missiona)y to this city are not very formidable. Acquaintance with the Spanish and Italian languages, joined to a thorough knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures, and moderate attainments in Jewish literature, would fit the missionary for his work. The climate is one which was highly esteemed by the ancients, who have celebrated the air of Ionia, and many of our countrymen who reside there for the sake of trade, have found it by no means unhealthy or unpleasant.
The only obstacles in the way of a mission are, the difficulty of supporting converts, and the danger of the Government interfering, in the event of the Jewish community remonstrating against the baptism of any of their brethren. But these obstacles are to be met with every where, and are such as a devoted missionary is entitled to disregard, if “the fields are white for harvest.” We are convinced that the Presbyterian form of our Church would present no obstacle, and especially that the want of a liturgy would rather be an advantage than otherwise. It is the expressed feeling of many among the Jewish converts that a liturgy reminds them of their former bondage. The field is nearly unoccupied, and yet it is most inviting. We would look for interesting results from the efforts and prayers of thorough Christian labourers in this place, who would not needlessly offend Jewish prejudices on the one hand, and who, on the other, would be as far from trifling with the awful truths of the Gospel, by letting men suppose themselves Christians on any other ground than thorough conversion. Oh that another Barnabas could be sent to Smyrna, and another Apollos, fervent in spirit, and instructed in the way of the Lord!
Smyrna must ever possess attractions to all who are interested in ancient Asia, or in the churches of the East. Being the chief city of this region because of its commerce, it forms a very important centre for missionary labour. There are, accordingly, missionaries from several societies established in it. With one of these, Mr. Jetter, from the Church Missionary Society, we became intimately acquainted during our stay at Bouja, and received much interesting information from him. He told us that the messengers of the gospel have carried on their labours in this part of the world for thirty years; and yet that Mttle success has attended them. Not a single instance of the conversion of a Mahometan has occurred. The eye of man can discern few real followers of the Lamb among native Christians, whether of Greek or Armenian churches, in Smyrna. But to revive the truth among them is the main effort of all the missionaries that have laboured here. The Spirit seems at present withheld, and the opposition of man is great.
We repeatedly sought for information in regard to “the seven churches of Asia,^’ though we had no opportunity of visiting any of them but Smyrna. In regard to Smyrna, we have already given some details. It” has a population of 120,000, of whom 9000 are Jews, 1000 Europeans, 8000 Armenians, and perhaps 20,000 Greeks. Many of the latter are falling under the sway of Rome. The Armenians and Greeks form the nominal church of Smyrna, the degenerate successors of the tried but richly endowed Christians of the days of John; yet it is the most flourishing of all the cities where the seven churches stood, perhaps because God remembers his faithful wi .- nesses who here poured out their blood for his cause May it not be for a similar reason that Pergamos, where Antipas was his faithful martyr, is still a prosperous town? It is now called Bergamo, and contains 1500 Greeks, and 200 Armenians, amidst 13,000 Mahometans. It is the only town of the seven besides Smyrna that retains any Jewish population; and of these it has a hundred. There are in it remains of an ancient church called St. John’s, and many extensive ruins of theatres, temples, and walls. It stands in a magnificent plain, with a strong acropolis, occupying a majestic hill above the city. This was the place where “Satan had his seat,” commanding the whole of the gay and rich city at his will, more e fectually than did the frowning battlements of the acropolis. It was the most warlike of all the cities, being the capital of the kingdom of Attains, and hence is addressed in a warhke strain by hun who had the sharp two-edged sword.*
Ephesus, on the other hand, has disappeared from being a city, and its “candlestick is quite removed out of its place.” It is not the ruins called Aisaluk which mark the true site, but some remains near that spot, at the foot of the hill.s Corissus and Prion. This latter hill is said to be the burying-place of Timothy, and the place where the Seven Sleepers enjoyed their Jong repose. There are traces of a stadium 700 feet long, and of a large theatre, no doubt the same as that into which “the multitude rushed with one accord.” * But there are no remains of the temple of the great goddess Diana, silver models of which, mentioned under the name of” shrines,”! used to be cast and sold to her votaries. Each pillar of this temple was a single shaft of pure Parian marble, and the whole building cost the labour of 220 years, yet all is now buried out of sight under the soil. A few peasants, all of them Mahometans, have their huts here. God has left the city; for “its salt had lost its savour.” The fervent love of Onesiphorus,t was not imitated in the next generation. Paul’s glowing words to “the saints which were at Ephesus,” exhibiting Christ’s love in order to keep theirs alive, were forgotten. The elders did not imitate his tears and labours ;|| the hearts of the people were no more stirred by the fervour of Apollos ;ir and even the Epistle from Patmos, and the residence among them of the beloved disciple till the day of his death, could not prevent their falling from their “first love.” All her faithful ones have long ago been removed to “eat of the fruit of the tree of life that is in the midst of the Paradise of God.”**
Thyatira, called now Akhisar, or “white castle,” stands in a plain embosomed in groves, and is still, as in former days, a busy scene of manufactures. The dyers of the town are noticed in ancient inscriptions, and our friend Mr. Calhoun had very lately verified what has been observed by other travellers, that to this day the best scarlet dye in all Asia is produced here, and sent to Smyrna and other places for sale. Lydia’s occupation! f remains characteristic of the place to this day. Two churches, one belonging to the Greeks, the other to the Armenians, keep up the memory, though they do not retain the living faith, of the primitive Christians.
Philadelphia is now called Alah-Sher, “the high city, or city of beauty,” because of its splendid situation in the midst of gardens and vineyards, with the heights of Tmolus overhanging it, and in front one of the finest plains in Asia. Its comparatively retired situation might be one of the means used by God in fulfilling the promise,
Acts xix. 29. t Acts xix. 24. t 2 Tim. i. 18.
$ Eph. iii. 18, 19. II Acts xx. 31. IT Acts xviii. 35
Rev. ii. 7. tt Acts xvi. 14.
ddO SARDIS LAODICEA.
“I will keep thee from the hour of temptation that shall come upon all the world.” * It has five Greek churches, and its one solitary ancient pillar has been often noticed, reminding beholders of the promise, “Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out.”t Mr. Calhoun remarked that the Greek Christians there were peculiarly hospitable, as if “-brotherly love” ipiXaccua, were the characteristic of the place in reality as well as in name.
Sardis, now Sart, has no Christians even in name, Pliny Fisk found one Greek at the spot, who was so true a Sardian, “having a name to live while he was dead,” that he was using the Lord’s day for grinding his corn. All that were worthy have long since gone to walk with Christ in white,| and have left no successors. It stood partly on a hill; the river Pactolus flowed through its forum. Among its many ruins, two ancient churches can be traced — perhaps remnants of those edifices within whose walls the throng of formal worshippers — who had only “a name to live” — used to assemble.
Laodicea, now Eski-hissar, or “old castle,” stands upon a hill. Some interpreters discover a literal fulfilment of the words, “I will spue thee out of my mouth,”^ in the earthquakes which often occur here, and the fire that then bursts up from the ground. But even the utter emptiness of a place once so populous, is an exact fulfilment of the threatening on the city; though it is only that eye which penetrates the shades of death, and sees the self-satisfied Laodicean cast out as vile into utter darkness, that can discern how full has been the accomplishment. It has remains of three theatres, and of a circus that could contain 30,000 people — places, perhaps, occasionally visited by the lukewarm Christians there, who saw not the sin of tasting the world’s gaieties, while they also “drank the cup of the Lord.” In Paul’s days, they were a people separate from the world, a people for whom he had much wrestling in prayer ;|| but the current of the world was too strong for the generation that succeeded.
Besides these seven churches, we find in Scripture mention made ofHierapolis,’^ seen from one of the ruined theatres of Laodicea, now Pambouk Kalasi, i. e. “cotton
* Rev. iii. 10. + Rev. iii. 12. t Rev. iii. 4.
§ Rev. iii 16. 11 Col. ii. 1; iv. 15, 16. II Col. iv. 13.
tower,” in allusion to the white rocks on which it is built, without a single Christian inhabitant. Colosse is now called Konas, where a band of about thirty Greek Christians are found. Aniioch of Pisidia, now Isbirta, is a town remarked as being peculiarly supplied with gushing fountains, and still possesses several Greek churches. Tarsus, the birth-place of Saul, is said to be a poor decayed town. Iconium is well known under the name Konieh, and is a flourishing city; but Derbe, the birthplace of Gaius and of Timothy,* and Lystra, where Paul was stoned, have not yet been described by any traveller.
Immorality has awfully increased among the Mahometans, and indeed among all classes of the community throughout Asiatic Turkey; while, at the same time, the depopulation of the empire has been going on rapidly. This decay is proved by the multitude of burying-grounds throughout the country, that have now no village existing near them. During the year 1838, the plague, small-pox, and other diseases, carried off most of the children in Asia Minor under two years of age. In one part of the plain of Cayster, where 300 yoke of oxen used to be employed, the ground is now tilled by only twelv-e. A village near Smyrna, including the Aga’s house, and 1200 acres of land, was lately offered for sale for 20,000 piastres, a sum equal to 200/. In fact, the country is drained of its inhabitants, by the frequent draughts on their young men to serve in the army. The Governors complain that they cannot get people for any service. Every thing indicates that the strength of the empire is gone, and that the time is at hand when “the waters of the great river Euphrates shall be dried up.” f This state of things has contributed very much to direct the attention of English Christians in Turkey to the study of prophecy, and to make them watch every new sign of” the way of the kings of the east being prepared,” and the glorious events that are to follow. Few, however, of our American brethren there have been led to take any deep interest in these views.
With our friends at Bouja we enjoyed many pleasant and profitable walks, breathing the soft “Ionian air.” The whole district is interesting. Mount Corax rises in the neighbourhood of the village, and beyond this range appear” in the distance the splendid heights of Tmolus, now called Bous-dag. On the north is “Mount Sipylus,
* Acts XX. 4. t Rev. xvi. 12.
at whose feet stood the town of Magnesia,* where Antiochus met with a signal defeat. South of Boiija, and not far off, rises the range of Dactyle; and from a rising ground may be seen iSedilioy, a village on the direct road to Ephesus. The road from Bouja to Smyrna is exceedingly pleasant, through a fine valley called the Valley of St. Ann. Two tiers of ruined arches remain, which anciently formed an aqueduct across it; and many other ruins indicate how great the extent of Smyrna must have been in other days, when it was the crown of Ionia. The valley is adorned with fine old olive-trees, and many red Turkish villas, and there is a beautiful view of the bay and mountains on the other side. Approaching Smyrna, you cross the Caravan bridge, thrown over a narrow and shallow stream. This stream is the ancient river Meles, on whose banks Homer is said to have been born, and from which he got the name “blind Melesigenes.” A cave is shown where, it is said, he used to seek retirement. Water flows in this channel during all the summer, but its course is very short; its source being in the neighbouring hills, from which it flows through the town into the sea. “The most picturesque object about Smyrna is the splendid grove of cypresses which wave over the large Turkish burying-ground, near the town. These handsome trees shoot up majestically to the sky, and cast their dark shade around. Beneath them, as far as the eye can reach through the sombre light of the grove, are innumerable small figures above the graves. These are short pillars about two feet high, (reminding one of the figure of the Roman god Terminus,) on whose top is carved the head of the deceased, with the coloured turban or fez that characterized him in his lifetime. The most frequent colours are red and yellow. Those painted green cover the graves of Moslems who were descendants of the prophet. The inscriptions on the tombs are commonly written in an oblique direction, for the convenience of the passer by, that his eye may more easily run along the lines. Many of them are adorned with gilding, reminding us of the practice of the Pharisees, “Ye garnish, the sepulchres of the righteous.” f Mahometans never bury more than one body in a grave, so that the
* Dr. Keith visited this town during the few days that he and Dr Black spent in Asia Minor, and there he met with an interesting young Jew. who seemed in search of the truth.
T Matt, .xxiii. 29- number of gravestones is immense. At such a spot there is awful solemnity in the thought of the resurrection, when those myriads of sleeping dead, who once worshipped the false prophet in their blindness, shall “hear the voice of the Son of God, and come forth.”
We used to enter the city by a street which is watered by a branch of the Meles, or an artificial canal supplied from it. In this street the water occupies the place of the causeway; trees grow on each side of it; and the houses are behind the trees. Coolness is thus secured to the inhabitants at all hours of the day We thought of the street, river, and trees mentioned in Revelation ;* and of the words of David, “There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God.”t The constant peace and refreshment afforded by God’s love and favour are faintly shadowed forth by these images, which an Eastern could fully appreciate. In one street we passed a fountain, erected by some benevolent Mahometan long ago, as the Turkish inscription indicates. The water gushes plentifully into a trough; and for the greater convenience of passengers, there is a large spoonlike cup attached to the well by a chain. No one injures or thinks of removing this. The “bowl is not broken, nor its cord Ioosed”| at the fountain. The houses are built sometimes after the Italian and sometimes after the Eastern fashion. A luxuriant vine is ofttimes trained over the portico, and a spreading fig-tree occupies the middle of the court. The inhabitants need every such means of refreshment, for the town in summer is very hot. There is, however, a pleasant breeze called Inbat (that is varif, “incoming”) which generally visits the town in the afternoon, and affords a time for refreshment in the hottest part of the season.
In one of our walks, Mr. Riggs gave us some illu.strations of Scripture from what he had seen in Greece. There every shepherd uses a large wooden crook, with which he guides and defends the sheep. This is the shepherd’s rod’mentioned in the Psalm and by the prophet.^ ft is a common mode of expression among the Greeks to say” such a thing happened three days ago,’’’’ when they mean that a day only intervened. They include the two extreme days, as if they had been complete, — a mode of speech which illustrates the words of our Lord in Matt.
* Rev. xxii. 2. t Ps. xlvi. 4.
J Eccl. xii. 6. $ I’s. xxiii. 1. Mic. vii. 14.
xil. 40, “The Son of Man shall be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” Throughout all Greece the natives seldom take any food before eleven o’clock, at which hour they have dptarov, which we translate dinner; then about eight or nine in the evening, they have SuTTPoi’ or supper, which is the chief meal. This explains the invitation of our Lord to the disciples on the Lake of Galilee, ‘-Jesus saith unto them. Come and dine,”* that is, come and partake of the morning meal.
On another occasion Mr. Riggs gave us his views in regard to the prospects of Missionaries in this part of Turkey. Their chief discouragement is the want of any opportunities of speaking freely to the natives, either Greeks or Armenians, on the things of eternity; a painful state of things, brought about by the watchful jealousy of the priests. In Turkey, the priesthood have far greater influence over the people than they have in the new kingdom of Greece. The Patriarch is allowed by the Turkish Government to do what he pleases, so that he may use his arbitrary power to procure the death of any persons opposed to his authority. In Greece, however, Mr. Riggs found that at Napoli, where he was formerly stationed, and indeed throughout the whole kingdom, the Greeks are far less under the control of their priests, and are often anxious to be taught the truth. Occasionally at Napoli the Bishops came to hear the preaching of the word, and a few of them seemed to have real concern for their own souls. There is nothing of this kind in Turkey. The candlestick has been entirely removed from Smyrna, as far as vital religion among the Greek Christians is concerned. They are thieves, liars, and immoral in a thousand ways. The American Missionaries print a Penny Magazine in the Greek and Armenian languages, which has a considerable circulation; but this Ts an instrument of little value in the way of saving the souls of the people, as its pages contain only general and scientific information.
On’Saturday morning (Aug. 9), in company with Mr. Riggs, we enjoyed a pleasant walk up the hill that rises behind the city% where are ruins of the old castle, and where, in the opinion of many, was the original site of Smyrna. We visited the Stadium, where Polycarp was martyred for the truth, A. D. 167. It stands on the
* John xxi. 12. See original dptamaanface of a hill, the sides of a concave valley forming a natui-al amphitheatre for the accommodation of spectators. The space may be about 500 feet long on each side, at either end of which rose the seats for the spectators. Near it is a range of broken arches, which formed part of the vaults where the wild beasts were kept. From one of these the people urged the Asiarch to let loose a hon against Polycarp. In the midst of this stadium, the aged man of God was fixed to a stake, and the fire kindlecT around him; but the flame leaving him unconsumed, he was despatched by the sword of the Roman confcctor. This very stadium was the spot whence his soul ascended up to heaven, “receiving his portion,” according to his own prayer, “in the number of martyrs in the cup of Christ.” After serving his Lord, and directing his flock “by his step as well as by his voice” during eighty and six years, he was found faithful unto death, and received the crown of life. * The Epistle to the Church of Smyrna was to us doubly interesting now. A voice seemed still to echo round the spot, “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer!” A grave close by, over which a tall cypress grows, is said to be the grave of Polycarp.
In the naitj-ative of the martyi’dom given in the Epistle by the Church of -Smyrna, it is recorded that the Jews distinguished themseh’es by gathering fuel for the pile; and it is a singular fact, coinciding with this notice, that at present the Jewish quarter lies close under the hill where the stadium stands, and the Jews are much employed in gathering and selling torch-ivood.
We wandered on to the ruins of a theatre. A fine arch, forming the gateway, remains in tolerable preservation. We” could distinctly trace the walls, that enclosed a wide circular space; and near the stadium some remains of the ancient wall of the town are still f(3und. Part of the castle also is of great antiquity, and on the hill to the south of it is the Temple of Esculapius.
The prospect from this hill is very splendid. The town below is seen to the greatest advantage. The houses are mostly red-tiled, butlhe tall dark cypress grove, and the clusters of the same tree shooting up in different quarters, with the calm sea beyond, give the town a rich and noble appearance. There is a “full view up to the very top of the gulf, with Bournabat and other villages on the
* Rev. ii. 10, opposite side. In the distance, the island of Lesbos ia discernible, and the place where the Hei’mus enters the sea, at the head of the gulf On our way back to town we overheard a curious conversation. — Two boys came along, one riding upon an ass, the other running by his side. The one on foot was eageiiy pressing his companion to let him mount the ammal for a little while, offering as an inducement, “that, if he did so, he would pray for the souls of his deceased mother and sister.” The boy on the ass agreed, on condition that he would remember the soul of his little brother also. At the gate some Tattars with public despatches were riding out very merrily. On a wall we saw an ancient Greek inscription which has been often noticed, but is of little importance. A labourer was returning from the country with his pruning-hook in his hand, a long piece of iron curved toward the point. This pruning-hook might once have been a spear, and could easily be converted into one again. The prophets attended to the nature of things when they said, “They shall beat their spears into pruning-hooks;” * and again, reversing the command, “Beat your pruning-hooks into spears.” f We entered one of the Greek churches at the time when the people were assembling for worship; for all the Eastern churches begin their Sabbath at six on the Saturday evening. The worshippers were summoned together, not by the ringing of bells (for this privilege is not enjoyed by any of the Christians here except the Roman Catholics), but by beating time on a plank of wood, somewhat in the same way in which our workmen in towns are summoned to their meals. As the people entered one by one, they kissed the pictures on the wall of the church, and crossed themselves with three fingers. Near another church we met many Armenians on their way to worship. The most remarkable part of their costume is the head-dress worn by the men, called the kalpack. It is like a four-cornered cushion surmounting their cap, and appears very singular to a stranger.
On reaching our dwelling, we received intelligence of an awful conflagration which had taken place in Constantinople, by which 30,000 or 40,000 persons, it was said, had been made houseless. We were the more interested in this information, as we were making preparations for
* Isa. ii. 4. t Joel iii. 10.
visiting that great city. During the second week of our stay at Bouja, Mr. M’Cheyne’s health was much improved; yet it was thought advisable that Mr. Bonar and Mr. Caiman should leave him, in the mean time, under the care of our kind friends, and should themselves proceed together to Constantinople by the first steamer, to carry oii their inquiries there, till by the blessing of God their brother should be enabled to join them.
It was not without melancholy apprehensions that we parted for a season, and with unfeigned regret we took leave of our truly kind and never-to-be-forgotten friends at Bouja. But, remembering how the Lord had helped us hitherto, we trusted Him again, and went forward.
In the afternoon of August 17, we embarked in an Austrian steamer called the Stamboul. On the deck, we found ourselves in the midst of people of all nations, but the most were Turkish soldiers, and Greek and Armenian mei’chants. Many Turkish women sat apart with their faces veiled, and a group of poor Israelites were seated between the cabin door and window, a part of the vessel so frequently occupied by Jews, that we began to call it the Jewish quarter. Pacing up and down the deck were two American officers, belonging to a vessel near at hand; next were three Englishmen, then two Maltese, some Germans, and two or three Frenchmen. The engineers were from our own land, one an Irishman and the other a Scotchman, and both had their wives on board with them. A Hungarian, with a large beard and Avhiskers, and a broad brimmed hat, kept himself in perpetual motion. Three Moors also, and four Persians, M’ho wore high sugar-loaf caps, attracted our attention, and still more, two Turkish Dervishes, marked by their conical white hats. There was something indescribably saddening in the thought which often rose in our mind, that of all this company perhaps not “one knew the Saviour. There is a “veil spread over all nations.” Yet in such a state of things is the light suddenly to shoot from Zion over the whole world, “For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee; and the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.”*
(Aug. 18. Sabbath.) About three in the morning we were off Lesbos, now called Mytilin, where Sappho and
* Isa. Ix. 2, 3.
Alcasus sang. The vessel anchored for a short time in the harbour of the town, Mytilin — perhaps the very harbour where Paul’s vessel anchored in its voyage.* In about an hour and a half we were opposite Cape Baba, the ancient Lectum. It is the extreme point of the Ida range, and one of the hills within our view was that renowuied Ida, w’hich looked down upon the Trojan plains. It is impossible to sail along this shore without being irresistibly attracted by scenes that have excited the interest of thousands in every land. Many an eye has gazed on these hills and plains, and many a foot explored these ruins. Yet there is to a Christian tmother and a more delightful feeling called forth, by the thought that Paul walked on footf from Troas to Assos, along the sands of that sea-shore, meditating on “the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God.” Toward the top of this same gulf stood Adramyttium, one of whose vessels bore Paul to the coast of Lycia in his voyage to Rome.
About seven a. m. we were opposite the Island of Tenedos, and our early classical recollections came here fresh to mind —
Est in conspectu Tenedos, notissima fama
Insula, dives opum, Priami dum regna manebant.^
(” In sight of Troy lies Tenedos, an isle,
While fortune did on Priam’s kingdom smile,
Renowned for wealth.”)
It is six miles from the coast of Troy, and is considerably elevated above the sea, rising at the north-west extremity into an eminence. At the time we passed, many vessels lay at anchor wnnd-bound, and unable to enter the Dardanelles. We continued sailing along the coast off Troas, the morning being calm and cool, with a bright sunshine, and a deep blue sky. Soon w’e found ourselves in the midst of the combined English and French fleets, consisting of about twenty shipsof the line, — more majestic than those of Greece, which once carried its thousand warriors to Ilium. They lay there watching the movements of Russia on Constantinople. The large island of Lemnos was toward the west on our left, and before us to the north-w’est Imbros, behind which lies Samothrace.il But still a deeper interest was excited in
Acts XX. 14. t Acts XX. 13. X Acts xxvii. 2.
Virg. .^n. ii, 21. II Acts xvi. 11.
our mind when Eski-Stamboul was pointed out — the site of Troas, the place where Paul saw in a vision a man of Macedonia that said, “Come over to Macedonia (across the ^Egean Sea) and help us,“* and where he preached till midnight and raised Eutychus from the dead. Here also was the residence of Carpus, the friend with whom Paul left his cloak, books, and parchments.f We were gazing on it on the Sabbath-day,” the first day of the week,“|; and the remembrance of Paul’s wondrous labours there helped us to enjoy this blessed day, even when so far removed fron. ordinances. Very near this point are two celebrated promontories, Rkateum, where Ajax was buried; and Sigeum, called now Jenesherry, where Achilles was buried. We are told that Alexander the Great stood here upon the tomb of that hero, and longed for another Homer to record his own deeds. On the plain of Troy we saw two of the ancient tumuli, eacl” in the form of a small conical hill; the one probably that of Antilochus, the other that of Patroclus. They meel the eye like “wrecks of a former world.” The mouth of the Scamander, and the point of its junction with the Simois, were shown to ns. An obliging young officer kindly pointed out the different localities, and added, that at present English officers might be found fishing every day in these classical streams.
In a few hours we entered the Hellespont, now called the Straits of the Dardanelles, and passed between the for-famed Sestos and Abydos. Near this, the strait is said to be seven stadia, or not quite a mile in breadth, so that two mighty continents seem to approach and gaze upon each other. The modern castles of Romania and Natolia, which have come in place of the ancient towns, are of no great height; their situation is in low ground near the water-edge; but under skilful management their command of the strait would be complete. Each fortress is furnished with more than 100 pieces of cannon. It was here that Leander immortalised himself by his adventurous exploit. It was here, too, that Xerxes, the king that “stirred up all against the realm of Grecia,”5 built his bridge of boats, joining Asia to Europe, in order to transport his enormous hosts. When he surveyed them lining the shores of both continents, he wept in the vexation of his proud heart, because in a hundred years not one of all that multitude would remain to
* Acts xvi. 8, 9. t 2 Tim. iv. 13.
t Acts XX. 7. $ Dan. .li. 2.
swell the pomp of his power. How unlike the tears of Him who wept over perishing Jerusalem!
The average breadth of the Dardanelles is tln-ee miles and it is aboiat sixty miles long. A delightful breeze and a smooth sea made our sail pleasant and easy; and we were able to spend much of the day in retirement and meditation. While we were reading in the cabin, two Turks came down from the deck to pray, spreading out their mat, and then prostrating themselves to the ground repeatedly till their head touched the floor.
Some of the Jews on board were frank and simple. One had a Hebrew Bible which he had got from Mr. Cohen at Smyrna, and on our showing them our Hebrew Bibles, they took them into their hands, examined them, and then held up some of the leaves between them and the sun, to see if there was not a cross stamped on the paper!
About evening, we came to Gallipoli (which stands opposite the ancient Lampsacus), not in itself interesting, but it gives name to the straits, and is situated not far north of the banks of the stream vEgospotamos, at the mouth of which Lysander gave a fatal blow to the power of Athens. The Sea of Marmora, the ancient Propontis, opened upon us; but night came on, and we sailed through it in darkness.
At half past five in the morning we came in sight of Constantinople, and every moment as we advanced nearer the scene broke upon us with increasing magnificence. The situation is splendid. Having the straits of the Dardanelles for its gate on the south, and the Bosphorus for its gate on the north, it could rest securely on its seven hills, and look around on all its prosperity undisturbed by the fear of an enemy. The morning sky was cloudy, but this of itself was delightful to us, who had scarcely seen a cloud for nearly four months. It was like a pleasant summer morning in Scotland, when the mist is still lying on the hills, and the clouds are lingering on the face of the heavens. The first part of the city Vhich meets the view upon entering the Bosphorus from the south, is called Stamboul. Here the massy dome of St. Sophia, and graceful minarets of every kind, crowd upon the sight. “Palaces, mosques, and baths, seem to be without” number in this renowned capital. And then the rich verdant trees that surround so many of the white marble buildings, and the clear blue sea, which like a deep full river” laves the shore and flows
CONSTANTINOPLE — “THE GOLDEN HORN,” d4y
up the harbom’, combine to give Constantinople a gorgeous beauty, which is perhaps unrivalled by any city in the world. Old Sandys truly says of the view from the sea, “It seemeth to present a city in a wood to the pleased beholders.” We anchored in the well-known harbour called “the Golden Horn,” so called from its resemblance to the shape of an ox’s horn, and this so filled with merchandise that it is a true ‘■’■cornu copiae.” It is so deep that in many places the largest vessels (it is said) could touch the houses with their prows, while the stern is still floating in the water. We were conveyed to the shore in a caique, a light skiff”, in breadth generally three feet, and above twenty in length, resembfing a canoe, hundreds of which are seen shooting along in all directions with amazing swiftness. We landed at the part of the city called Galata, on the northern side of the harbour, intending to proceed to Pera, and there to take up our quarters in Romboli’s inn, to which we had been directed. The inn, however, was already more than full; the recent conflagration and an overflow of travellers having united to fill it, so that no vacancy was left for us. Alone in this great city, we allowed a young man, a Maltese, to guide us to a lodging in Galata, two porters (here called hamals) bearing our luggage. It was by no means a desirable locality. The American Missionaries, however, Mr. Goodell and Mr. Calhoun, on hearing of our arrival, sought us out that same day, and insisted upon our taking up our residence with them in Pera. These American brethren and their families were full of kindness and brotherly love; and under their roof we enjoyed all the comforts of a home. From their fellow-labourers also, Mr. Adger and Mr. Hamlin, we received unremitting attention.
We went out in” the afternoon to visit the English Consul, riding up the steep streets on horseback, as the day was excessively hot. Somewhat to our surprise, the state of the public mind in the city was calm; Ibraim Pasha’s recent victory at Nezib had made no impression. Indeed, the Turks seem to take every thing with apathy. Sometimes an order is issued on occasions of political excitement, forbidding two people to be seen together in the streets talking ahmit the weather; in other words, about the state of public affairs. But at this time there was less excitement in Constantinople than in Smyrna, and less known in public of the I’eal state of things.
In the streets we noticed the Turkish carriages for ladies, called arabah, drawn by two horses, and not much raised above the ground. The windows have no glass, but curtains, resembling veils. Within, it is said, the sides are often ornamented with mottoes and curious devices, by which some have illustrated the description given of the chariot in the Song, “the midst thereof being paved with love.” * Wagons drawn by oxen are as common on the streets here as at Smyrna. We saw melons growing on the house-tops, in the very heart of the town, and many vines trained up the walls of houses. The buildings are in general miserable. Often the lower part of the “house is of marble (brought like common stone from the neighbouring islands), while all above is a clumsy shed of wood. We passed one of the Dervish establishments, resembling that of a monastery. It was that of the Dancing Dervishes; some of whom were sauntering in the court, wearing the round, high cap, a mark by which they are easily known.
In the evening, we walked among the ruins occasioned by the fire. Several tents, chiefly of Armenian merchants, who had lost their all, were pitched among the smoking ruins. One of these was overheard to say, as a funeral passed by, “Would to God that I too had been carried to my grave.” In the bitterness of his soul, he unconsciously imitated the impatient burst of Job.
In our way home, we observed several persons wrapt in their hyke, preparing to sleep under the open sky. Indeed, it is a frequent custom here, and in all the East, to sleep in the open air all night, and this may explain the case of the young man who followed Christ, “having a linen cloth cast about his naked body.” J
(Aug. 20.) We were visited by ]Ir. Farman, the Jewish Missionary of the London Society, who brought along with him a converted German Jew, named Merkuson. Another Jewish convert, since dead, named Jeruschalmai, was prevented by domestic circumstances from accompanying them. From them we received much valuable infonnation with regard to the Jews. But as yet, no one has been able to obtain accurate statistical mformation as to the numbers and condition of the Jewish population of Constantinople. They reckon their numbers, including the Jews of Scutari, Ortakoy, and the
Song iii. 10. t Job iii. 20, 21. X Mark xiv. 51, suburban villages, at 80,000 souls.* Most of these are originally Spanish Jews, whose fathers took refuge here when expelled from Spain. They, therefore, speak the Spanish and Turkish languages. There are about 600 German, and 200 Italian Jews. The great mass of the Jewish community here are ignorant and unlearned. Mr. Farman, as well as the two Jewish converts, agreed that schools for the children of the German Jews might succeed well. But in order to induce the parents to send their children, it would be needful to offer to teach them French and Italian. The expense of an Italian master could not be less than 31. lOs. a-month, and a French master the same. It would also be needful to teach the boys and girls in separate apartments. A Hebrew teacher could easily be found. It would not be very difficult to find some liberal-minded Jew, who would teach Hebrew from the Old Testament, and who would not object to a missionary’s visit to the schools. Mi*. Farman even thought that the New Testament might be introduced. If such a school were established, probably fifteen boys and as many girls might be persuaded to attend it at once. These remarks apply only to the German Jews.
In regard to the Spanish Jews, who constitute the mass of the population, they are very bitter in their enmity to Christianity. But if the experiment were tried with the others, it is possible that they also might be induced to follow the example set them by their German brethren.
The reason why the German Jews would be willing to send their children is, that they have brought with them to this country some of the spirit and principles of Germany — they know the value of education, and wish for it. If a German Christian lady were appointed female teacher of the school, it would not be objected to by the Jews. The expenses of a missionary in Constantinople are necessarily great; it is not uncommon to pay 400/. as the rent of a moderately-sized dwelling. But the great hinderance in the way of carrying the gospel to Israel here is the total want of protection to converts and inquirers; for the Jews, being recognised by Government as a community, have power to get any one of their brethren banished if they desire it. If a Jew is con-
* Rabbi Bibas of Corfu, whom we afterwards met, reduced the number to -20,000; but without stating any evidence to induce us to credit his assertion. He may have meant the Jews of the city without those of the suburbs.
verted and receives baptism at the hands of a Protestant minister, the Greeks and Armenians immediately withhold all employment from him; so that he is cast upon the missionary himself for support. Mr. Farman fixed his residence at Beyukdere, and one object he had in view in living so far from the city was that he might get protection and employment for inquiring Jews, that village being inhabited chiefly by Franks. Sometimes he has been visited by twenty Jews at one time, all desiring Christian baptism, provided only they could be protected. He told us that he knew of many in that condition at that very moment; and a Jewess had come to him very lately, asking baptism. It is true, their motive is not always good. Perhaps, there are not many of them who care about Christianity itself, or feel burdened with a sense of sin. It is rather a desire to be free from the yoke of Judaism that influences them. Still, such a desire is not to be lightly treated, and may, by the blessing of God upon the teaching of the missionary, be made the beginning of a saving change.* There is a strict adherence to the Talmud among the Spanish Jews. They universally expect Messiah; and many of them had fixed the year 1840 as the ei-a of his appearing.
Almost all the large synagogues have a school attached to them; and at Ortakoy, there are some large schools unconnected with the synagogues. In that quarter, they have frequently pui’chased Bibles from the missionary for their schools.
Mr. Farman told us that he had laboured here about four years; Mr. SchauflHer, the American missionary to the Jews, (and the only one, we believe, that America has hitherto sent to the house of Israel,) had laboured longer; but had hitherto turned his attention chiefly to translation. To him, the Jew Merkuson owes his knowledge of the truth. Mr. Wolff was the first to visit his brethren in this great city. Then Mr. Farman and Mr. Nicolayson came, and decided upon its claims to be one of the stations of the London Jewish Society.
The Jews here have been superseded as bankers by the Armenians, and so have lost much of their influence with Government. They are poor and unlearned; making money is their great object. They have this re-
* Thfi B:isle “Freund des Israel.” in 1838, states that there were 200 or 300 Jews in Constantinople ready to become Christians. But the bove statement explains what kind of Christians they intended to be.
markable feature that they are very stationary, not moving from piace to place. In Ortakoy alone reside GOOO Jews; in Scutari, 3000: in Ismid, the ancient Sicoitiedia, there are 1000, and in Brousa, 6000 or 7000.* The whole population of Constantinople is generally reckoned to be 500.000.
The same evening we walked out with Mr. Calhoun, and saw on the hill opposite to us the aqueduct of Valens, and the place where Mahommed, the conqueror of Constantinople, entered the city. We traced also what had been the course of the ancient city walls, and returned homewards through the now ruined houses of Pera.
Early next morning (Aug. 21) we enjoyed a sail up the Bosphorus in one of the light caiques to pay a short visit to Mr. Farman, the converted iely Merkuson accompanying us. His residence was at the village of Beyukdere, twelve miles, or almost the whole extent of the Bosphorus, from Pera. As we set sail the caiques were shooting across the harbour in all directions, and the scene varied every moment. We kept near the shore, in order as much as possible to avoid the strong current from the Black Sea, and yet we were so retarded by it, that though we set sail at half-past seven, it was half-past eleven before we reached Beyukdere. On our left the winter-palace of the Sultan, though irregularly
* We were here occasionally led by curiosity to compare our inquiries with the Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela, himself a Jew, of the l’2th century. He visited Constantinople some centuries before the Jews from Spain sought refuge in it: and tells us that there he found 2000 Jews living in Pera, and 400 Karaites; and that the Jevs suffered much at the hands of the Greeks, who used to excite the whole world against them. He then sailed southward by Rodosio, the ancient Bisanthe, where are still about 1000 Jews. “From this place (says he) Rodoste is distant a sea voyage of two days, where is a Jewish congregation of nearly 400 persons: whose chief men are Rabbi Moses, R. Abia, and R. Jacob. Then, two days distant is Gallipoli, where are about 200 Jews; and two days ilirther, Calash, where are 50 Jews. * * Two days from thence is Mitilin, one of the islands of the sea, in which the Jews have synagogues at ten different places. And three days from this is Chios, where are nearly 400 Jews, whose chief men are Rabbi F.lias, Rabbi Thoma, and Rabbi Sabbatai. It is here they find trees from which mastyx is gathered. Two days from this is Samos, where are nearly 300 Jews. Throughout these islands are many synagogues of the Jews. Three davs off from this is Rhodes, where are about 100 Jews; and four days distant is Cyprus, in which is a synagogue of Jews who follow the customs of their fathers; but also another synagogue of Jews, called Epicureans, or heretics of Cyprus. These latter are every where excommunicated by the other Jews, for they profane the evening of the (Jewish) Sabbath, and observe the evening of the first day of the week.”
built, had a striking appearance. We counted forty columns in fi’ont of one wing of the building; and another wing had eight Corinthian pillars. The roof has an elegant battlement, and the rows of windows are light and graceful. The steps in front came down to the water edge, and several Turks were pacing backwards and forwards on them with their usual solemn gait, reminding us of the poet’s description —
“The boarded Turk that rarely deigns to speak, Master of all around, too potent to be meek.”
In the interior, we could see a square, enclosing fotmtains and a well laid out garden. Nearly opposite this, on the other side of the Bosphorus, stands the Golden Palace, so called because ornamented all over with gilded work, where the young tultan was residing at the time. The line of buildings on the European side is scarcely ever interrupted; there being almost one continuous line of houses for ten or twelve miles. The chimneys of many of them are in the fonn of a well-shaped pillar, which gives them an air of superior neatness. They are built close upon the watA”, and often there seemed not above a hundred yards of level ground between the sea and the steep hills that sloped up behind. On the brow of these hills gardens and cypress trees were waving, which give freshness and beauty to the scene, while the sea flows up to the very steps of many of the houses. We came to Ortakoy, — that is, “middle village,” — a large suburb of the cit3% poor and ill-built, inhabited by Jews, but generally of the lower class. Beyond thi? is one ledge of sunken rocks, marked by an elegant marble fountain erected above them, and two other similar ledges of rocks, marked by groups of trees planted on them. The English Admiral, Sir R. Stopford, passing the Seraglio, was saluted by twenty guns, the sound of which echoed deep among the surrounding hills. The water was all the time clear, and the channel pebbly to the very edge, the current often so strong as to compel the men to leave the caique, and instead of rowing, to drag the boat with ropes round the point where the current met it. We were met by a steamer from Trebizond coming down from the Black Sea. The sea-fowl were flying round us; and innumerable porpoises were sporting beautifully in the water. A breeze from the Black Sea and some overhanging clouds gave a grateful coolness to the air. White towers occasionally meet the eye perched on the sur-BEYUKDERE — VISIT TO MR, FARMAN — ARMENIA>’3. 355
rounding heights, and small forts, defended with cannon, stand close upon the shore. One remarkable fortress occurs near the head of the strait, said by some to be of Genoese origin, and by others to be the work of Constantine. Its towers are not round but sharp-cornered, and the walls surmounted with a battlement. If it be the work of Constantine, it would be valuable and interesting, for no remains of that illustrious Emperor are to be found in his own city. Passing Therapia, where Lord Ponsonby, the British Ambassador, was then residing, we at length reached Beyukdere, pleasantly situated within sight of the opening into the Black Sea. After visiting Mr. Farman, and hearing more of his labours, both among the Jews and European residents, we returned to the city. The sail back occupied only two hours, the current being with us, and the whole trip cost us only thirty piastres.
In the evening one of the American Missionaries, Mr. Hamlin, once assistant to the devoted Dr. Payson, but who has now consecrated himself to missionary labour, gave us some account of the Armenians of Constantinople. They are a social community, enjoying much domestic happiness. Their feelings against Protestantism are very bitter, and they holcT no open communication with the missionaries. Still there seems to be a secret work of the Spirit begun in the hearts of some of them. One young priest is decidedly pious, and labours silently among his brethren. A rich banker, who had done all he could for the schools, continues to be enthusiastic in that object, and friendly to the missionaries. There used to be about sixty young men attending the missionary schools; and all these still manifest great kindness to the missionaries.
This niht we remarked the howling of the dogs that prowl about the city. All foreigners are struck with their noise and unsightly appearance. They wander about the streets with fierce hungry looks, and occasionally even attack the lonely passenger in the night. They answer precisely to the description given in tfie Psalm, “At evening let them return, and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city: let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.”*
Next day (August 22), accompanied by Mr. Calhoim, we took a caique at Tophana, and crossed the Golden Horn, hoping to get a sight of the interior of the famous * Ps. lix. 14, 15.
Seraglio in the train of the British Admiral, Sir R. Stopford, who was that day to be admitted within its walls. In this, however, we were disappointed, as the Admiral had left the place before we reached it. From without, its appearance is extensive and splendid, adorned with many gilded minarets, shooting up amidst tall and verdant trees. It has been the scene of many a deed of horrid cruelty.
The part of the city where it stands is called Stamboul, and is the most ancient. As we walked on we observed in various places small pieces of paper collected togethei- and thrust into openings of the walls. This is done by Mahometans, who are careful to preserve pieces of paper with any writing on them, because possibly the name of Mahomet or of Allah may be on some of them. ^’e passed the old divan which was burned down some years ago. Its elegant gate is arched in the form of an expanded leaf, and is said by some to have given its name to the Sublime Porte, whose sittings were held here.
We then visited the mosque of St. Sophia, whose dome is the largest in the world. It is a magnificent building, but the Turks have added many of the present portions of the edifice. The mosque of Achmet stands adjoining it, having six minarets, covered, not with gilding, but with gold itself, which retains its lustre unimpaired. There is first an outer court, a space set round with trees; then, an inner court, or square, adorned with eight-and-twenty pillars, some of marble, others of granite, and the capitals of each finished off in the form of fringes. The pavement of the court is all marble, and in the centre a fountain pours forth its refreshing streams. Through the open windows we got a glance of the interior also, though a surly Turk from within commanded us to withdraw. The roof is supported by immense pillars, and is compacted of layers of stone; the walls are finely ornamented, and the floor spread with clean mats and carpets. Adjoining the mosque of Achmet is the square called Achmedan or Atmeidan, the ancient Hippodrome, in which Belisarius was seen in the height of his renown, celebrating his victories by a Roman triumph. In the midst of it is an obelisk, brought from Egj’pt by the Emperor Theodosius, according to the inscription on the pedestal, written in Latin on one side, and in Greek on the other. Beside the inscription is carved a representation of the Emperor’s procession, with the people presenting him with gifts, while he himself Stands at an altar in the act of offering sacrifice; and on the opposite side is a representation of men dragging the obeUsk to its place. Close by is a curious brass pillar, in the form of three serpents entwining each other. This was brought from Delphi, and is believed to be the identical pillar that bore on its top the golden Tripod dedicated to Apollo after the defeat of Xerxes. Adjoining, there is a rough clumsy pillar, supposed to be the remains of a column which Constantine erected here, which was probably once covered with plates of brass, but at present is little else than a heap of unpolished stones. We next came to a mausoleum erected in honour of the father of the late .Sultan, and of two other Sultans and their children. The interior is magnificently adorned, rich drapery hung on all the tombs; many lamps were burning, and there were in it some large candelahras, ready to be lighted on particular occasions. It is a favourite resort of devout Mahometans at the time of prayer.
We then visited the bazaar, which occupies a wide space. It consists of many streets and rows of shops, all roofed over for shade and coolness. In one street there is a row of tent-makers; in another, shoemakers; in another, sellers of pipes; in another, shops exhibiting every variety of rich cloth; then a row of silks and furs; so that almost every article of common use has a row of shops for itself At one shop-door we asked for a dish of yaout, — that is, meat boiled with sauce and leban, and eaten with toasted bread. We did not find it possible to visit the slave-market.
In the afternoon, we crossed over to Scutari, the ancient ChrysopoHs, which was the seaport of Chalcedon, on the Asiatic side of the Bosphorus. Our chief object was to visit the howling Dervishes. They were beginning their devotions as we entered. At first they prayed moderately, in a kind of chanting voice. In about half an hour they formed a semi-circle round their chief, to whom each went up before taking his place, doing obeisance, while he took off the cap they wore, and replaced it with a lighter one, more fit for the part they were to act. They prayed with every imaginable gesture and movement, the body, head, and hands all being in motion at once. From time to time their chief seemed to excite them to greater vehemence, by crying out with a loud scream, “■Ullah, Illah!’’’’ in a tone that made us shudder. In a short time, the whole company were engaged in the most frantic movements. Some of them, nearly overpowered with their intense efforts, were gasping for breath, and all uttering a sound, “ocha, ocha,” like one panting and ready to sink under exhaustion. A dancing dervisk then entered the room, who sat down and played calmly on a pipe, while the rest kept time to the tune in the violent gestures of their bodies. Then three more appeared, and kept whirUng about in a circle for twenty minutes without ceasing. The whole scene was a frightful exhibition of human impiety and fanaticism, and’yet we were told that it is often much more extravagant and revolting. The missionaries at Brousa lately saw one of these dervishes work himself up to such a frenzy, that the foam came from his mouth, his face grew pale, and he fell on the ground, like the demoniacs mentioned in the New Testament, till one of his company restored him by beating on his breast, and other restorative processes. We observed hanging on the wall the instruments with which they used to torture themselves, like the priests of Baal.* There were hooks, and sharp-pointed instruments, and wires that used to be thrust through their cheeks from side to side; balls also, attached to sharp-pointed spikes. These balls were made to strike the ground, and to recoil in such a way, that the spike struck its point into their breast. It i-equired a decree of the late >Sultan to put a stop to these self torturing practices. Many persons came in to be blessed by the dervishes. As they entered, they kissed the hands of the chief Two soldiers were among the number of the dervishes, and several soldiers came in to receive a blessing. One man, who had sore eyes, came forward to the chief, who prayed over him and gent him away. Clothes also and sick children were carried in to receive a blessing. And yet these dervishes are exceedingly immoral in their lives, being guilty of the grossest” licentiousness. We witnessed” this painful scene for about two hours, and learned to cry with more intense desire, “Have respect unto the covenant, for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.”
Close to- Scutari stood the ancient Chalcedon, now called Kadikoy, “the village of the judges,” in allusion to the fxmous Council once held within its walls, the Council which condemned the oynions of Eutyches, who held that there was but one nature in Christ. Crossing to Galata,
* 1 Kings xviii. 28.
we enjoyed a splendid sail, and the view of a magnificent sunset. The rich beams of the sun were playing on the waters, while innumerable caiques were skimming gaily orer them. A Greek vessel was leaving the harbour, a pilgrim vessel, setting out for the Holy Land. It was a small brig, and the passengers were miserably crowded together, all eager to pay their vows at the Holy Sepulchre. Such vessels as these, manned by ignorant sailors, are often wrecked by sudden storms.
The same evening we applied to the Russian Chancellor, to get our passport signed for Warsaw. This he refused to do, assigning as his reason that no ecclesiastic is allowed to pass through Russia, unless he has obtained from St. Petersburgh the special consent, both of the Synod and of the Emperor. We noticed that, as he spoke, he was all the while noting down our names and appearance for the passport, no doubt intending to send them before us, to prevent us from making any attempt to cross the Russian frontier. Had he known that we were sent on a mission of love to Israel, he would no doubt have been still more determined in his refusal, for Russia holds Israel with a grasp as firm as that of Pharaoh; though the day is at hand when God “will say to the north. Give up.” * We were thus obliged to give up the hopes of returning by Warsaw, and to make up our mind to shape our course through Cracow. Meanwhile, we occupied our time in fresh inquiries into the state of Israel in the city of Constantinople.
(Aug. 23.) Setting out for the Jewish quarter, we met two strong Circassians, wearing the caftan and conical Persian cap. We also met a Roman Catholic funeral; that of a young person. The priest walked before in his black dress, reading the prayers; many boys following him joined in the chant; and the bier was covered with flowers. We sailed up the Golden Horn, passing by a wooden bridge and a dockyard, in which we saw no more than two ships building and a few under repair. We landed at the Jewish quarter, called Huski, and soon got a pleasant young Jew, named Nisim, who spoke Italian, to be our guide. He knew no Hebrew, and had little of an Israelite in his character. He said he was anxious to be away from his countrymen and to get to England. We asked what he hoped to find in England; and, in reply, he showed us that the sum of his expec-
* laa. xliii. 6.
tations was, “that he would get freedom to do as he liked,” and wear ^’■nuovo capello” “a new hat.” He took us to a school attended by about eighty boys. Here the bastinado and the whip hung on the walls as at Smyrna; yet the children did not appear to be so much oppressed. Scarcely any had books from which to read; but a few leaves were handed from one to the other. In another school we found thirty children, who were reading extracts from the Old Testament, but they also had few school-books. As we entered, they were reading the passage, “For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee.”* The syllables and sounds of this they repeated over and over, but did not seem to understand the sense. How little they knew the depths of gracious love to their nation which that verse contains! We visited two other schools of the same kind, and found that the accommodation in all was wretched; and the teachers illiterate.
We came to a synagogue standing on an eminence, and enclosed within a wall. It was not unlike one of our churches, well built, airy, and clean. The drapery in front of the ark was embroidered in a beautiful manner, and the lamps were handsome lustres of brass. There were sixteen synagogues in this quarter alone, and three in Pera. The Jews seemed very suspicious of us: they scarcely entered into conversation at all, but stood silent, and sullenly noticed what we did and where we went. With some difficulty we now found our way to the synagogue of the Karaite Jews, of whom there are about a hundred families here, all living together in one quarter, being despised and hated by the other Jews. Their synagogue is built in a low situation. You descend a stair, over which a vine is spreading its branches, and there find yourself in the area where the synagogue stands. Perhaps it is a satire on their fondness for the literal meaning of Scripture, but it is said — that the Karaites always have their synagogue low, that so they may literally use the Psalm, “Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.’’’] The apartment was neat and clean, the floor covered with niats and carpets. We examined their copies of the Bible, and found one of the London Society’s edition among them. They wear “the fringes” or Tsitsith, according to the commandment in Numbers,^ of a different form from those of other Jews. It ia
* Isa. liv. 7. t Ps. cxxx. 1. y Num. xv. 38.
KARAITE SYNAGOGUE. dO
with them a sort of sash or girdle, at the two ends of which are fringes of white and blue, — not merely white threads, like that of the other Jews. We saw also the mezuzuh at the door of the synagogue, so that they are not altogether free from pharisaical traditions. But they have no Ttphillin or phylacteries; on the contrary, they deride them, and call them ‘■’■ donkey-bridles They have only one school for their children. Inquiring for the rabbi, we learned he was absent in Stamboul, so that we resolved to return on the morrow to get better acquainted with this interesting people, the Protestants of the house of Israel. We made inquiry of many Jews about the place which Joseph Wolff calls “the Valley of Job,” and which he said that some Jews thought was “the land of Uz.” There is such a spot, but none of the Jews connected it with that patriarch. It gets its name from a famous Saracen named Yob, who was killed in the valley in the great assault on Constantinople, and whose tomb was erected there. It is said that the spot of his burial was discovered in a miraculous manner, and a mosque has been built over it, called, after him, the Mosque of Yob, which is much frequented by devout Moslems.
(Aug. 24.) A little after five in the morning, we again sailed up the Golden Horn to Huski, and soon reached the Karaite Synagogue. The Jews were already met, in number about eighty persons. Their shoes were all piled up at the door, and they themselves seated upon the ground. A few who came in late seemed to show some reverence to the mezuzah on the door-post. All sat while reading their prayers; but when the Law was produced, all stood up in token of reverence, and then sat down again.* After reading the usual portion, in which two boys took the chief share, the rabbi, who had invited us to sit by his side, read a passage in Deuteronomy, and gave an oral exposition, of which Mr. Caiman took notes. The passage was Deut. xxi. 10 — 23. “F’rom V. 10 to 15,” the rabbi said, “there are given directions regarding the captive woman who was to be married to her Jewish conqueror; her hair was to be shaved, her nails pared, and her raiment changed.” “Now (said he), the heart is to be kept with all diligence, for if we allow our hearts to think upon an object, then the desii-e to have it springs up.” This he applied to the case of the
* See Neh. viii. 5.
conqueror and the captive woman. “To prevent this snare, she was to be deprived of all her attractions, such as her fine hair, and her showy raiment; and her glowing spirit was to be brought down by making her mourn for her parents thirty days. If, even after this, the conqueror persisted in his purpose, and chose her for his wife, then there was need of directions for him how to act toward her. Accordingly, v. 15 — 18, Moses speaks of ’ the woman hated;’ for a marriage such as this, not grounded in the fear of God, might be expected to produce strife and hatred. And even this is not all. This heathen woman would possibly prove ungodly; and ungodly mothers will train up their children in ungodliness. Hence, v. 18 — 22, Moses is led to speak of ‘the rebellious son.’” After thus ingeniously tracing the connection of the verses, the rabbi spoke at some length of the responsibility lying upon parents. He exhorted them “to take special care in training up their families, and not to admit persons into their houses, of whose piety and integrity they had no evidence. The captive woman was obliged to make a profession of the religion of her conqueror before she could be married to him; but you see (said he) the chain of misfortunes that succeed when the jjrofession is not a true one.” He referred, in conclusion, to the wise provision of the Karaite Jews, that none be admitted into their communion, who have not passed through a probation of five years, during which time they are instructed, and their manner of life watched. If they are found to be sincere and faithful, then, at the end of that time, they are received as brethren, and mar-I’ied into one of their families.
There was no greater appearance of real devotion in the Karaite congregation than in other Jewish synagogues. They often spoke to each other even during prayer; and we observed that some of them fell asleep as they sat on the ground. When service was over, the rabbi, Isaac Cohen, invited us to his house — a clean and airy habitation; and after entering, according to the custom of the country, a servant brought us water and jelly. The rabbi is an elderly man, of some intelligence and learning — able to speak Hebrew fluently. He admitted the ignorance of his people, and highly approved of the proposal that Christians should institute schools among them, saying that he would send his own son to be a scholar. He remarked that their sect had suffered less from Christians than from Jews, and had no enmity at all to the followers of Jesus. He had been told that some Christians believed them to be descendants of the ten tribes, who had no part in the death of Christ. He said that it was 1260 years since they separated from the other Jews. The rabbi of the Karaites must always be a Cohen, that is, a priest, or lineal descendant of the family of Aaron. Our host himself was one, as his name indicated. Their sect has no influence with the Sultan, and the Hacham Pasha of the other Jews has frequently attempted to get them banished from Constantinople, and yet they have been able hitherto to maintain their ground, and resist the attempts of their brethren to expet them. He told us that he was himself the author of a translation of the Pentateuch into Turkish, of which he had only four copies remaining; the rest had been all disposed of to Karaites. Before taking leave, we purchased from him at a moderate price, the following works, all of them very rare, and connected with the Karaite Jews.
1. A Hebrew Prayer-book, used by the Karaite Jews.
2. A Hebrew Pentateuch, with a translation into the Tartar and Osmanli
Turkish language, used by the Karaite Jews. This is the work above mentioned of our friend R. Isaac Cohen.
3. A Commentary on the Books of Moses, by rabbi Joseph Solomon, a
Karaite Jew.
4. A Commentary on the Prophets, by rabbi Aaron, a Karaite Jew.
5. A Commentary on all the Commandments of the Old Testament, by
rabbi Ehjah Bsitzi, a Karaite Jew.
All these are now deposited in the Library of the General Assembly of our Church.
We were highly gratified that we had been permitted to visit this interesting community; and all the information that we received concerning them, confirms the report which we had previously heard, that they are a peculiarly upright and respectable class of Jews. The Karaites of the Crimea are so highly esteemed, that on one occasion, when the Emperor wished them to serve as soldiers, they asked him to inquire if ever during 600 years any public crime had been laid to the charge of a Karaite, and pleaded, that if they were sent to the war, he would lose some of his best subjects. The Emperor admitted the truth of their plea, and desisted from his demand. Many of them carry on trade at Odessa; and it is said that there is a colony of them in Litlmania, by the side
3G4 CONSTANTINOPLE — PROSPECTS OF MISSIONARIES.
of a beautiful lake, where they are agriculturists, and cultivate the cucumber. Our friend Mr. Caiman also met with Karaites in the village of Heet near Bagdad.*
(Aug. 25.) We enjoyed a Sabbath-day not unlike one of our’quiet Sabbaths at home. Even the Pvoman Catholic bells sounding through the city did not disturb us, for they reminded us the nioi’e of our own privileged land. At ten o’clock forenoon, Mr. Bonar preached in the room of the American missionaries, and again at half-past seven in the evening. The audience was composed of the American missionaries and their families, and several European residents. At four o’clock we had a Bible class, in which all the missionary families joined. It was interesting to be so engaged in the midst of the heathen, in the city of the first Christian Emperor, and not far from the place where Peter may have preached; for within view, on the other side of the Bosphorus, stood Mount Olympus, marking out the region of Bithynia. In the region of Bithynia were to be found some of those scattered Christians, to whom Peter wrote both his Epistles, encouraging them to bear “the fiery trial,” t which came upon them under the governor Pliny, in the reign of Trajan.
We were ready to depart on the morrow, having completed our arrangements durhig the preceding week. We had discovered that, to ascertain accurately the state of the Jewish mind in Constantinople, one must take up his residence there, and gradually penetrate the mass. No missionary has ever done this; so that this great city is yet an unexplored territory. Mr. Schauffler from America, and Mr. Farman from England, may be said to have laboured on the outskirts. Any efforts hitherto made have been effective, at the most, only on the German Jews residing here; whereas the Spanish Jews form the immense bulk of the vast community of the children of Israel. No aggressive effort has been made on this mass; and yet the spontaneous visits made to the two missionaries who have resided here are enough to shew that there is some stirring among the dry bones in this open valley. Oh for an Elijah, “very jealous for the Lord of Hosts,” to go forth on the work of salvation to these untold thousands of Israel, who are
* See Mr. Caiman’s account in his recent work,” Errors of Judaism, p. 706. t 1 Pet. iv. 12.
sitting in the region and shadow of death! He would require the same qualifications as a missionary at Smyrna, but not more; for the ancient learning of the Jews of Constantinople is nearly gone. The obstacles, too, are the very same as in Smyrna, with the addition, perhaps, of greater political power, and more bitter and watchful jealousy on the part of the rabbis. But many of the people are weary of the bondage in which their rabbis keep them. It is of consequence, also, to remember, that any impression made on the Karaites of this city, whose friendliness to Christians seems like the Macedonian cry, “Come over and help us,” would soon reach their brethren of the same community in the Crimea, and other parts of the world. Indeed, we may well ask. Why have not special advances been made to this class of Jews ere now] They are far less bewildered by tradition and prejudice than their brethren; and the veil seems not to be so closely drawn over their heart as over that of their brethren. Oh that God would raise up some devoted missionary to carry to them the good tidings of the Gospel! “Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion.’”