Of the cities about the Sea of Galilee attention should be directed to Capernaum. There was some special reason why our Lord chose this as His residence. Its importance was not wholly com- mercial ; more than any other city of the north, one might say with truth of Palestine, with the single exception of Jerusalem, it was a centre of news. Roads led thence to Damascus and the Euphrates ; to the cities of the Mediterranean coast which -^etc !n touch with Europe ; to the S.W. by Gaza and thence to Egypt; to the S. along the great mountain range to Sheohem, Jerusalem, and Hebron ; to the Jordan Valley and the rich and populous country of Per<ea. Sailors, soldiers, merchants, travellers, messengers, officers, princes, men of many classes and from many parts of the world, passed through this place on business or pleasure. The fame of some startling event, some gi-eat healer, some teacher of unusual wisdom, would be carried thence with rapidity and in every direction. While this fact serves to illustrate further the busy life of this lake shore at a single point, we cannot help feeling at the same time that it makes more significant the other fact that Christ took up here His residence. The record is very simple, ' leaving Nazareth ... he dwelt in Capernaum' (Mt 4'^). Could it have been said, 'Jesus shut himself up in a cloister,' how widely different would have been the history of Christi- anity !
Additional Note. — It seems necessary to add the following note on the depth of the Sea of Galilee. In 1875 Lortet made soundings which corre- sponded in general with those already known and accepted by Palestinian scholars. He also found, as he supposed, near the north end of the lake where the Jordan enters, a hole ' 250 metres in depth,' which would be over 800 ft. Having crossed the lake at or near this point many times.
and made soundings of his own, the present writci was certain that Lortet was wrong. The bottom of the hole would bo 100 ft. lower than the surface of the Dead Sea. Moreover, had such a hole ever existed, it would very soon have been filled by mud brought down by the I'pper Jordan. These facts were laid before the public. In 18'.K) another Frenchman. Th. Barrois, made .soundings, but found nothing to corroborate Lortet's impossible ligiu'es. Soon after, Lortet admitted that lie was in error. The mischief liaving been done, the mistake is perpetuated because people (juote Lortet without being aware of the correction.s. Lortet's book, La Syrie d'Avjonrd'hni, was imblished in 1884 (see pp. 505, .'lOO), and Rarrois' notes mav be found in the I'EFSt for July 18'J4, pp. 211-220.
Literature. — In addition tn what lias been cited in tlie article, the render may rcpnsult tlie fullowln^': Merrill, (rti/ilee in the Time of Chriitffii\so ids Katit nfilie Jordan ; Neilbauer, Gh)g. rill Tiiim. 25, 4.'), '214 f. ; G. A. Sinltli, //G//L 4.S9 IT. ; I'.obinson, BliP^ ii. ; De Saulcv, Jonrueij round t/ie lUori Sfn. etc. 11. »'.<■! tt. ; Buhl, Geog. 113, 2-.'9 ; Tristram. Xat. llii't. of IWde. 2>i.'> ; Iteland, Pal. 1. 289, 240 ; Baedeker-Socin, I'al. ; (Juerin, Catilie.
S. JIi;i:i;ii,i,.
GALL. — The Eng. rendering for two lleb. words. 1. ^"J^r mfrerdli, or •"'■;"'? mfrorali, denotes 'bitter- ness,' corresponding to the Arab, mi-mrah. It is used in this sense (Job 1.3*), 'thou writest bitter things again.st me,' mUroroth. The expression .-i'?;tt-.s .T^1C ' clusters of bitternesses ' (A V and R V ' clusters are bitter'), Dt 32^'-, is a parallelism with //rapes of gall, tt"^"'"'?JJ; 'iiinfhiil'-rij.ili, i.f. poppy -heads (see below). This meaning led to its apjilieation to the bile (Job 16'^), and the gall bhuhlrr, as its re- ceptacle (Job 20^, To O* etc.). The ancients sup- posed that the poison of seq^ents lay in the gall (Pliny, Nat. Hist. xi. 02 ; Job 20H).
2. rsi or rn rosh. — A plant characterized by its bitterness, 'a root that beareth {rosh) gall and wormwood' (Dt 29'*), 'the wormwood and the {rdsh) gall ' (La S'"). Jer (8'^ O'S) speaks of ' water of (rosh) gall.' Figuratively, one in affliction is described as 'compassed with (rdsh) gall and travail ' (La 8^). Judgment is saiil to spring up as hemlock (rd.ih) 'in the furrows of the field' (Hos 10*), and is said to be ' turned into (rush) gall ' (Am 6'-). It is impossible to tell with certainty wliat plant is intended. Some have supposed the poison hemlock, Conium maeulatum, L., but this is not a field plant. ' Ithers have supposed the colocynth, Citrnllus Colocijnthis, L. This, although it has a bitter fruit, is not a plant of ploughed ground. Others, again, have supposed the darnel, Lolium temulentum. L. This, however, is not bitter. The more probable view is that the poppy, Faparer, is intended, perhaps P. rheas, L., or P. soniniferum, L., the opium plant. A head of this plant is called in Arab, riis el-khishkha.'sh, 'head of khish- khash,' the word ras being the same as the Hebrew rd.ih. a head. They are called in Eng. poppy-heads.
What was the (xo'^';) gall that was mingled with vinegar (Mt 27^', cf. Ev. Petr. 5, x^^h" Mfo ifoi's ; RV 'wine,' cf. Ps 60'-'). and the mijrrh mingled with wine (Mk 15-'' icriJLvpvi/TiJ.ipov olvou)'! lioth of these evangelists add tliat, at a later period in the crucifixion day, a man soaked a sponge in vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave it to Jesus to drink (Mt 27**, Mk l.'v^). Jesus evidently partook of it. John doubtless alludes to the .same (VS"-^), showing how our Saviour called for it by -saying 'I thirst' (v. 28). John adds that the sponge dipped in vinegar was 'put upon hy.ssop.' It is probable that the soldiers who mocked Christ by offering Him vinegar (LkSS*-), did so only to aggravate His thirst, and did not give it to Him, and that this refinement of cruelty led to the boncl fide offer which our Saviour accepted. How was it that He called for this draught after He had refused the one at first offered before His cruci-