' of the sea" was the great road from Damascus to the south (Ritter, Erdk, xv, 889), the duties may have been levied not only on the fish and other commerce of the lake, but on the caravans of merchandise passing to Galilee and Judsa. It was also near the border be- tween the tribes of Zebulon and Naphtall (Matt, iv, 18). The doom which our Lord pronounced against Capernaum and the other unbelieving cities of the plain of Gennesareth has been remarkably fhlfiUed. In the present day no ecclesiastical tradition even ven- tures to fix its site ; and the contest between the rival claims of the two most probable spots is one of the warmest, and at the same time the most difilcult to decide, in sacred topography.
1. Dr. Robinson {Bibl, Retearchet, iii, 288-294) ex- poses the errors of all previous travellers in their va- rious attempto to identify the site of Capernaum ; and from a hint in Quaresmius, he is rather inclined to look for it in a place marked only by a mound of ruins, called by the Arabs Khan Mingeh. This is situated at the north-eastern extremity of the fertile plain (now called El Ghuweir) on the western border of the Lake of Gennesareth, to which the name of ** the land of Gennesareth" is given by Josephus (War, iii, 10, 8). This plain is a sort of triangular hollow, formed by the retreat of the mountains about the middle of the west- em shore. The base of this angle is along the shon, and ii about one hour's journey in length, wheiwf it
takes an hour and a half to trace the inner sidee ofthe plain. In thu plain Josephus places a fountain called Caphamaum : he says nothing of the town ; but if it can be collected fh>m the scriptural intimations that the town of Capernaum was in this same plain (from a comparison of Ifark vi, 47, with John vi, 19, it ap- pears that it was at least six miles from the N.E. shore), it may be safely concluded that the fountain was not far frt>m the town, and took its name there- from. In this plain there are now two fountains, one called 'Ain et-Tin, the " Spring of the Fig," near the northern extremity of the plain, and not far from the lake. It is surrounded by vegetetion and overhung by a fig-tree, from which it derives its name. Near this are several other springs, the water of which ia said to be brackish; but Burckhaidt, who rested for some time under the great fig-tree, describes the water of the main source as sweet This is the fountain which Dr. Robinson inclines to regard as that whi(^ Josephus mentions under the name of Caphamaum. M. De Saulcy, however, contends, in his usual confi- dent manner, against the conclusion of Dr. Robinson {Narrative^ ii, 857-865). In the new edition of his Ruearchm (iii, 848), Dr. Robinson reviews the argu- ments and reafiirms his position. Three miles south, toward the other extremity of the plain, is the other large spring, called 'Ain el Mudauwarah, the " Round Fountain" — a large and beautifril fountain rising im- mediately at the foot of the western line of hills. This Pococke took to be the Fountain of Capernaum, and Dr. Robinson was at one time disposed to adopt this con- clusion. The " Round Fountain" is a mOe and a half frova. the lake, to which it sends a considerable stream with fish. Whichever of these fountains be that of Caphamaum, we should look for some traces of an. an- cient town in the vicinity, and, finding them, should be justified in supposing tiiat they formed the remains of Capernaum. The only ancient remains of any kind near the Round Fountain are some large volcanic blocks strewed over the plain, or piled together with little architectural order. But near the 'Ain et-Ttn ia the low mound of rains, occupying a considerable dr- cumference, which, if Capernaum were situated in this plain, oflbr the best probability of being the r^ mains of the doomed city ; and if these be all its re- mains, it has, according to that doom, been brought low indeed. Near the fountain is also a khan, which gives the name of Khan Minyeh to the spot This khan is now in ruins, but was onoe a large and well- built stracture. Close on the north of this khan, and of the fountain, rocky hills of considerable elevation come do¥m quite to the lake, and form the northern termination of the plain. It is importent to add that Quaresmius expressly states that in his day the place called by the .AJabe Memch (i. e. Minyeh) was regards ed as marking the site of Capernaum (Elucid, Terr, Sanct, ii, 864). The mention by Josephus (L>/e, 72) of a village called Kephamomey situated between the mouth of the Jordan and Tarichsa, will agree with either location of Capernaum. Willibald, however (Fiita, 16, 17), passed successively, on his way fitNU Tiberias to tlie Upper Jordan, through Magdala, Ca- pernaum, Bethsaida, and Chorazin, which would locate Capernaum at the southern end of the plain, if (as ap- pears tme) this also contained Chorazin. The latt^ may have been immediately on the shore, and Caper- naum at a little distance from it (Luke ix, 57 ; comp. Matt viii, 18, 19), as is the case at the southem spring, but not the northem. The arguments in fovor dT KJum Minifek may be found in Robinson's Refearcket (new ed. ii, 408 sq. ; iii, 844-858). They are chiefly founded on Joeephus's account of the fountain and of his visit to Cephamome, which Dr. R. would identify with the mounds near the khan, and on the testimo- nies of successive travellers from Arculfris to Quares- mius, whose notices Dr. B. interprets— often, it must be oonfessed, not without difikulty— in Tthwao^ to